9       $1,5 

 - 2022        -- ()   $1 541 .
Republic Bank thanks God for success

Let us remember to be thankful for each other, the family that we have created here. Let us remember to be thankful for the opportunities we have to make tremendous differences in peoples lives as we serve them through good economic times and bad. May we always strive to be deserving and grateful for the honour of serving their needs, he said.

Baptiste was speaking at the banks annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, held at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Abercromby Street, Port-of- Spain.

He emphasised to staff members, it does not matter how busy or hectic things become, they must take time as a family to reflect, not only on where they have been, but also on where they are going.

We often get caught up in planning and working toward our achievements. We have our goals and focus our energies on attaining them and when we do attain them, our focus then shifts to what will be our next achievement.

In living like this, it is easy to lose our sense of gratitude, as we get caught up in acquisition and not appreciation. He continued, I therefore want us to take the time today to reflect on some of our accomplishments in 2016 and for us to give thanks for them. I also want to take the time to focus on our hopes for 2017, and ask for Gods guidance as we work together to bring them to fruition. He noted that at Republic Bank they have been very blessed in the midst of a very challenging recession.

Baptiste indicated that there is a spirit of fear and discontent in the society, as the uncertainty about the countrys economic reality continues, but in the midst of these challenges, in 2016 Republic Bank continued to enjoy success. That for me is very humbling. When I think about that __ almost two centuries of receiving Gods love and guidance __ I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I also feel somewhat chagrined I must admit, because I know we have not always given proper thanks. As we move forward in 2017, let us not forget to pause often and reflect with gratitude on Gods benevolence in our lives, he said.

He said his hope for Republic Bank in 2017 and beyond is that they always remember to reflect on, Gods goodness to us and that we practice gratitude with every breath. On behalf of the executive, I want to ask each of you to pray for us as we work hard toward navigating the challenges ahead of us, so that we can best embrace the opportunities that come our way.
Chamber head anticipates job cuts at Petrotrin

On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley addressed the nation for the first time for the year. He chose to focus his address on the recently averted Oilfield Workers Trade Union strike against Petrotrins offer of zero, zero, zero percent for the 2011-2014/2015 negotiation period. Calling Petrotrin a ward of the Treasury, Rowley frankly informed the nation about the extent of Petrotrins $1.2 billion in taxes owed to the government, its $1.9 billion annual wage bill, its $5.8 billion debt that is set to be paid in 2019, and the companys failure to turn borrowed funds into profits. To save Petrotrin, Rowley said that immediate action needed to be taken to reduce operational costs which would involve major restructuring in the company.

Though Rowleys speech did not speak directly to job cuts, Ali believes it was clearly alluded to.

Do not be surprised if some workers are offered an enhanced package that they would be willing to accept in order to reduce the staff at Petrotrin by a significant number, said Ali in a telephone interview with the Newsday.

It will pay off in the long run but they would need to find the money to pay them that package.

They cannot just sever people just so because the union will kick up a fuss. Ali applauded Rowleys approach to saving Petrotrin.

Also applauding the Prime Minister was President of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Richie Sookhai. Sookhai did not agree that Rowley was alluding to job cuts at Petrotrin, but speculated that privatisation of the Stateowned company was involved. I believe a national conversation should start taking place about Petrotrin. We are all for the fact that privatisation brings greater efficiency and leaner operations at Petrotrin which was all alluded to. Sookhai also said that if any restructuring of the company is to take place, it should be from the top down, not the bottom up. Maybe some of the salaries and benefits that individuals at managerial levels make should be realised and restructured for the current economic climate so that it would be a fair share and not this large disparity between salaries amongst workers.
Govt honours payment to farmers

Commenting on the issue in the Senate on Wednesday, Robinson- Regis explained that the former Peoples Partnership (PP) regime agreed by Cabinet minute of August 4, 2015, to the payment of the sum of $57,965,675 to cane farmers as the final settlement to the 2007 transitional payment out of the sugar industry. She explained this sum is the equivalent of eight million euros received from the European Union (EU) for payment to cane farmers.

Robinson-Regis said the Direct Cane Farmers Delivery Group and the Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers Association agreed last September to the compensation package that was offered.

She stated that under this package, 2,324 cane farmers are eligible to receive,an amount equal to 53 percent of the sum of tranches two and three. According to Robinson- Regis, In this compensation to former cane farmers, the highest money value is a little over $500,000 and the minimum or lowest payment is $12,000. She added, It is in keeping with the previous agreement that depends on the value of the cane farmer production. The minister said payments of $12,000; between $12,000 and $100,000; between $100,001 and $200,000; $200,001 and $300,000; $400,001 and $500,000 and $500,001 and $600,001 were made to 644; 1,638; 34, six; one and one farmers, respectively.

She explained this, makes it a total of $84,965,675 in addition to the already paid sum of $82,111,774 paid to cane farmers in 2007. Robinson-Regis said to date cheques have been prepared for 97 cane farmers which amounts to $2, 413,306. Indicating that payment to cane farmers continues daily, Robinson-Regis said although the Cane Farmers Association of TT (CFATT) and Cane Farmers Co-operative Society (CFCS) have taken legal action, this does not debar individual farmers from coming into the ministry and accepting the payments.

While the eight million EU grant was not intended to be a cash payment to cane farmers, Robinson-Regis said the PP agreed in January 2015, that further cash payment be made from the grant.

Having determined that cane farmers had already received a substantial amount of money and many had already transitioned out of the sugar industry, Robinson- Regis said Government decided that the eight million euros be the, the only amount given in cash to the cane farmers.
Man pleads guilty, fined $7,000

Kerwin Williams was arrested in May 2014 but pleaded not guilty and remained incarcerated as he could not secure bail.

Yesterday, Williams made a decision to plead guilty before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the San Fernando court.

The charge was read to him, that on May 2, 2014, he had in his possession a .38 revolver and six rounds of ammunition. Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan told Magistrate Forde-John that police had cause to search a vehicle which Williams was driving. The other men were occupants in the car.

Officers discovered the gun on the floor of the vehicle below the drivers seat, Seedan said.

Defence attorney Chantal Paul told the magistrate that Williams had been incarcerated for the past two years and eight months and his only previous conviction was for possession of marijuana. She pleaded with the court for a fine rather than a custodial sentence.

The accused, the court heard, is a father of two.

Magistrate Forde-John agreed with Pauls views and fined Williams $7,000 of which, $1,500 was to be paid immediately and the rest within two months time. Failure to pay the fines would attract nine months in prison with hard labour
Bus driver on sex charge

The charge was laid indictably and as such the accused man was not called upon to enter a guilty or not guilty plea. A preliminary inquiry must be held and the presiding magistrate will decide on the weight of the evidence if to set the accused free or order him to stand trial before a judge and jury in the High Courts. Boxie was granted $45,000 bail with a surety and ordered to return to court on February 10.
3 freed of 2008 murder

Anderson Peters, Nigel Frame and Delano Glasgow stood before Senior Magistrate Lucina Cardenas- Ragoonanan charged for the murders of Carlyle La Fortune, Hubert Weekes and Yoryi Ernesto Ramirez Carache, which occurred on June 28, 2008. Magistrate Cardenas- Ragoonanan deliberated on the matter in the First Court.

The magistrates ruling yesterday came after no case submissions were made by defence counsel Suneesh Singh (representing Peters), Shurland Augustine (representing Delano Glasgow) and Kerry Pantin who represented Frame.

Bridget Anthony, representing the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and who was expected to respond to the no case submissions, was not present in court but instead forwarded a letter stating to Magistrate Cardenas-Ragoonanan that she (Anthony) would not be responding to said no case submissions. As Magistrate Cardenas-Ragoonanan ruled in favour of defence counsels, the three accused men rejoiced and shook hands with their attorneys.
Ex Flying Squad member suing State

Cordner said he was asked by then national security minister Jack Warner and former head of the National Security Operations Centre, Garvin Heerah, to prepare a template and crime plan to assist in crime reduction through the covert unit.

He said he did so in August of 2012.

Cordner, of Four Roads, Diego Martin, filed the lawsuit in December and is represented by attorneys Thomas Cunningham and Stefan Mungalsingh.

In his lawsuit, Cordner claimed in furtherance of the initial agreement with Heera and Warner, he and his unit, which comprised of two other persons, were tasked with investigating several murders, including those of two Chinese nationals in Cunupia; was instrumental in the arrests of the suspects in that murder as well as monitoring gang activity in several areas in Trinidad and the planting of marijuana along the eastern coast-line and human trafficking.

He said in November of that year he made numerous requests for payment to further the development of the covert unit, and made a final request a month later and received promises from Heerah that payment would be made.

Cordner said in December, 2012, he returned eight vehicles to the ministry and claims in his lawsuit the Minister had every opportunity to reject his services but he was allowed to do the work asked of him, without compensation.

He insisted that it was agreed he and members of the unit would be remunerated for their services.

Cordners proposed a monthly salary of $65,000 for himself, which he said was reasonable.

Cordner, a trained lawyer, in his lawsuit also noted that an investigation into the alleged establishment was conducted by the TTPS and he will rely on the document to support his claim He also said a similar investigation was conducted by the Police Complaints Authority.

Cordner said his attorneys sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Ministry of National Security but has received no response, which led to him filing the claim in the High Court.

Cordner is also seeking interest and costs.
PM assures sufficient security for Carnival

In addition to the significant involvement of mobile and foot patrols by the security forces, Rowley also said directives have been issued to mobilise members of the TT Defence Force Reserves to reinforce the Police Service and the Army. Speaking on the wider issue of crime, the Prime Minister said, We have no crime plan. We have an anti-crime plan. Rowley, who is chairman of the National Security Council (NSC), said a major part of that anti- crime plan is improving the efficiency of the Police Service.

He explained this is why a manpower audit of the Police Service is being done. Rowley recently disclosed that the committee to perform this audit is being chaired by former Police Service Commission (PSC) chairman, Professor Ramesh Deosaran and will submit its report to Cabinet by March 31.

He also said efforts are being made to improve the information-gathering techniques used by law enforcement agencies. Rowley added that Government remains committed to an agreement made last year with the Opposition for the National Security Joint Select Committee (JSC) to be headed by an Independent senator and not by a government minister.

Public Utilities Minister Fitzgerald Hinds is the current chairman of that JSC. When Naparima MP Rodney Charles claimed a visiting professor said government ministers should not chair such committees, Rowley countered, He does not have to deal with the under-handedness that I have to deal with. Speaker Bridgid Annisette- George warned Charles about charging that the Opposition does not trust the Government. Annisette- George also disallowed Charles and Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal from asking about the author of the ten-point anti-crime plan which the Peoples National Movement (PNM) submitted to the former Peoples Partnership (PP) government, while the PP was in office.
Please meet with us

Keith Rowley to discuss the details as it pertains to the continuation of work on the highway.

At a press conference yesterday, held at the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) headquarters at Paramount Building in San Fernando, Kublalsingh said major setbacks would occur if government fails to adhere to his advice and proceeds with the continuation of that segment of the highway.

We are talking about the destruction of the historical food system, Kublalsingh said. The segment from Debe to Mon Desir is running through 13 communities and will have a significant impact on our ecology. We have nine miles cutting through 150 homes, 119 farms, mosques, temples and churches. They have not studied the ecological impact and the social impact. Kublalsingh said he does not want to believe that all hope is lost. All I am asking for is a meeting with the prime minister.

We have been fighting this struggle for 15 years. We will sit together even if it takes four or five months and work this out. He said if Rowley fails to respond, the HRM would conclude that Parliament no longer responds to the advocacy of science.

He said that it seems that Parliament is an affliction to the people and we will have to deconstruct it. Kublalsinghs sister, attorney Judy Kublalsingh said that for over two years, the group has made over 70 attempts to meet with Rowley but all attempts have been unsuccessful.

She said letters were hand delivered to Rowleys office and contact made via phone calls and emails.

On three occasions Dr Rowley agreed to meet. Dr Rowley agreed to a meeting with two members of the HRMs support group which he cancelled, she said.

Dr Rowley agreed to another meeting, but while HRM members were on our way to meet him an official called to re-schedule the meeting. She said that on another occasion, the HRM wrote requesting a meeting in August 2016 and in September the Prime Minister assured them of a meeting.
Water pressure in Cantaro

Patricia Sorzan told. Newsday yesterday that. several complaints were. made to the authority. and to date they still remain. without water supply.

The leak hole in the. road is right in front of. my house and it is huge,. Sorzan said. Most of the. residents kept calling on. WASA and some went. into the office. After. persistent calls from the. residents, WASA came. within the first week and. did some repairs. But. three days after where. the hole was, the water. started shooting out of. the hole again.. She added, We tried. calling the office to inform. them about the. situation but all calls to. their phone lines went. unanswered.. Sorzan explained that. the water leak is affecting. their daily water supply.

When water comes in. the pipe, due to the leak,. the pressure is really low. and not strong enough. to reach my tanks. Residents. who live further up. on the hill do not get any. water at all, she said.

Sorzan explained that. last week she spoke with. a WASA employee to. enquire about the leak. and was told that they. are aware of the problem. and they (WASA) did. not have the equipment. to deal with the problem. at the moment.

When Newsday contacted. WASAs Senior. Manager of Corporate. Communications, Daniel. Plenty, said he acknowledged. the report. and promised to look. into the matter to render. some relief to the residents. as soon as possible.

.
Ombudsman chides public servants over FOI refusals

The Ombudsman is an independent office under the Constitution (Section 91) that investigates peoples complaints against any public agency for their act or omission to act.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2001 gives the public a general right of access to official information held by public bodies, and said a person denied such may after 21 days complain to the Ombudsman.

Despite a marked fall in requests for her to review State agencies handling of FOI requests, Stephenson said public officers need training in how to deal with such requests analytically and dispassionately.

I have also observed that the responses given to applicants tend to be vague and do not provide any justification for the decision(s) taken by the public authority, Stephenson said. Additionally, I have noted that designated officers who may be seeking to restrict access to the information requested will refer to a section in the Act which is not applicable or relevant to the request(s) made by the applicant. She wondered at such occurrences, as the FOI Act has existed since 2001.

Individuals charged with the responsibility for treating with the Freedom of Information (FOI) requests should be more knowledgeable and be able to interpret in a meaningful way the provisions of the Act, Stephenson urged.

Secondly, public authorities are not diligent in keeping to the time-lines specified under the Act. Designated officers and, by extension public authorities, do not treat FOI requests received with the sense of urgency and priority which they ought to be given. She said public bodies must recognise their statutory duty to address requests for information within 30 days.

Saying public servants are paid by the taxpayer, she urged them to practice the golden rule and to treat persons how they themselves would like to be treated.

The public has a right to be treated fairly, urged Stephenson.

It is not right that someone who has travelled from Moruga to Port-of-Spain to enquire about his matter, which is being dealt with by a Government department, to be told to return the following day since the officer dealing with his matter did not turn up for work on that day.

The officers absence ought not to be used by the department concerned to renege from its responsibility to provide the requested service to the individual. While some bodies do not treat her letters as urgent, she said officers she have summoned under the Ombudsman Act have not challenged her authority but have produced satisfactory results.

Saying public officials should not fear her, Stephenson quoted a British author on public law urging public officials to view the Ombudsman as a friend who serves as a lightening rod for true grievances and spares public bodies from political storms in the long run.

She said her office builds trust between government and the public.

Her report said the Ombudsmans five main issues are poor communication, poor service (including inability to reach a public servant, unfair treatment and unfair policies), unpredictable enforcement, faulty decision and unreasonable delay. The report gave details in several tables of data.

Her office had before it 2,767 complaints in 2015, made up of 1,293 new complaints and 1,474 old complaints brought forward from past years.

The 1,293 new complaints comprised of 763 queries against public bodies, seven matters under the FOI Act, 407 enquiries/referrals and 116 private/ invalid matters.

Of the 763 figure, the five top offenders were the National Insurance Board (175 complaints), Ministry of National Security (80 complaints), Ministry of Local Government (73 complaints) and Ministry of Social Development (64 complaints).
Rowley: No CAL fare increase

CALs chairman was asked a question as to what is the real cost of a ticket to Tobago. Rowley said the chairman, during a joint select committee (JSC) public hearing this week, indicated that the cost was between $600 to $700.

However Rowley said all parliamentarians know that passengers only pay $300 per ticket on the domestic air bridge and this has been so for years. So in fact there is a $300 subsidy on each ticket and there is nothing else that can be ascribed to the chairman of CAL to ponder, Rowley said. The Prime Minister gave the assurance, This Government has no intention at this time to make any fare increase. However Rowley indicated that attention will be paid to persons, who have been making bookings for convenience and making block bookings and not turning up at the airport...inconveniencing other travellers and wasting seats on the plane. He said such persons may in future have to pay a cost for the inconvenience they cause to other passengers and the airline.
Speaker ignores PM

Rowley entered the Parliament chamber while Opposition MP for Oropouche East Dr Roodal Moonilal was wrapping up his contribution and questioned Georges suitability based on historical antecedents.

The PM later said, It was not before us to debate or engage in the suitability of the commissioner. Moonilals contribution was interrupted several times by Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis on points of order, some of which were ignored by the Speaker.

Ro b i n s o n - R e g i s moved the motion and read out Georges qualifications.

Georges curriculum vitae, Rowley said, came to the House after the President would have consulted with the Leader of the Opposition and himself as Prime Minister. How the consultation went and what position the officers took is not open for debate or even to be made public, he said.

Standing on a point of order, but ignored by the Speaker, Moonilal mumbled to himself: This is contemptuous.

Offensive. Rowley continued saying that Georges curriculum vitae came to the House by a process and some comfort in the process was taken before. What happened here today is likely to happen on every occasion that a vacancy arises and has to be filled, he said.

As such, he asked the Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar if she still agrees that as a Parliament, they need to review and make changes to the system of appointing a Commissioner of Police and the commissions that services of the police to put an end to the debate that ensued in the Parliament yesterday evening.

Annisette-George did not grant Persad-Bissessar any time to respond.

Heckling, Moonilal said Rowleys question was irrelevant to the debate and not before us.

Prior to that Moonilals contribution was interrupted for irrelevance.

To this Rowley said, This is precisely what I am addressing. This parliament of which I am a part, behaving in a way that is upsetting to the national population. Responding to Moonilals contention that senior public officials were scrutinised in the American system, Rowley said that bipartisan committees of the US Congress were set up to examine the nominees as is going on right now in the US, but there was no debate across the floor between members of either side.

You are completely at sea, he said directing his attention to Moonilal and adding, That is why we had so much difficulty this evening. That is why we had so much jumping up and smartmanism and wasting Parliaments time, and looking very bad in the publics eye. He said he watched a piece of the debate on television before entering and that the Parliament needs to get serious and distinguish itself.
House approves George

Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan asked aloud whether George can add anything to the PSC, even saying Georges qualification in Management as a member of the Association of Business Executives does not make him a manager. The MP asserted that Parliament is no mere rubber-stamp of President Anthony Carmonas nomination of George, and that there is a reason that the Parliament is mandated to discuss the motion.

Questioning the process used in Parliament, he suggested that instead a committee be set up that could question George about his aptness to serve on the PSC.

Rambachan said that after years of George having served on the PSC the Commission is still no more efficient than before, such as being poorly staffed.

On a point of order from House Leader Camille Robinson-Regis, Speaker Bridgid Annisette- George ruled that Rambachan must limit his contribution to the nomination of George, not speak about the broader PSC. At the end of the debate a vote was taken and Georges nomination was approved.
U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. only served in his job for about a year. But in that time hes helped lay the groundwork for implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the first reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in more than a decade.

And hes traveled to more than 30 states, used his bully pulpit to argue for equitable access to education, and butted heads with education groups and Republicans in Congress over a wonkybut importantspending provision in ESSA .

In a sit-down interview, King and I talked about everything from the Obama administrations education legacy to the racially-charged incidents that have happened since the election. Heres an edited transcript of our chat.

When you were tapped to lead the department, your predecessor, Arne Duncan, said that the biggest difference between the two of you was that he hadnt the same kinds of challenges growing up that you had. (King, who is African-American and Latino, was orphaned early on.) How has your background informed your work?

Its hard for me to say. Its probably something thats easier for somebody else to observe. But I think that all the priorities we set for this year reflect the presidents vision, but certainly connect to my own experience. So our focus on issues of equity and early learning and K-12 in higher ed reflect the presidents commitment to equity, but also connect with my own experience in which having great teachers in New York City public schools saved my life. And so when I think about our work to make sure states and districts are doing everything they can to maximize opportunity for the kids who are most vulnerable, I know Im only here today, Im only alive today because educators did that for me, they gave me opportunity.

Secretary Duncan did a lot in a short amount of time. He has many fans, but he also generated a lot of controversy and strained relationships with people who tend to be close with Democratsteachers unions, obviously, but even state chiefs and civil rights groups. When you came in, did that put you in an awkward position? Did you feel like you needed to repair those relationships?

Sometimes in Washington differences can get magnified. At the end of the day, Secretary Duncan had much more in common in terms of goals and aspirations for strengthening public education with leaders of civil rights organizations, with state chiefs, with labor leaders than maybe would be apparent from the headlines. That said, I think I had a lot of relationships from my time as a state chief and my time as deputy working on My Brothers Keeper, [an initiative aimed at boosting achievement among African American males] in particular as an interagency effort, as well as working on ESSA. In many ways the things that weve worked on this year, I think, have reflected a strong consensus among state chiefs, labor leaders, civil rights community leaders that we need to move forward in a way that focuses on college and career-ready expectations for all students and flexibility for states and districts as they work to support all kids ...

ESSA has guardrails that are supposed to protect historically disadvantaged groups of students. Are those guardrails meaningful if the Education Department doesnt enforce them?

The success of those guardrails will depend on the actions of districts, states, and the federal government, and one of the things Im encouraged by is that states are committed to equity work. Every single chief is talking about the relationship between ESSA and equity and how they are going to use ESSA to close opportunity gaps and achievement gaps. And thats encouraging.

(King said he is especially pleased that states are considering including chronic absenteeism and access to advanced coursework in school ratings.)

You spent nearly a year working on regulations for supplement-not-supplant (a wonky spending provision in ESSA) that the Trump administration is likely to ditch through the Congressional Review Act. Do you feel like that fight was a waste of time?

Resource equity is about more than just ESSA regulations. Resource equity is a fundamental building block of how we will continue to strengthen public education and build on the progress of the last eight years. ... For us the work on supplement-not-supplant was a reflection of the commitment in the law to get Title I dollars to the students most in need and the national responsibility to address issues of resource equity. Raising that issue was not just about this moment. It was about the broader responsibility.

In 2015, the department turned down Michigans application for a charter school grant , in part because peer reviewers thought the states charters lacked proper oversight protections. Can you talk about what kind of state oversight you think charter schools need, given that school choice is likely to be a big priority in the next administration?

(King didnt comment on the specifics of the application. But he had some tough things to say about Michigans charter sector, which Betsy DeVos, the school choice advocate President-elect Donald Trump tapped to succeed King, helped to create. )

Ive said on many occasions [including before DeVos was choosen as the next secretary] that I worry about the Michigan charter law. It is clear that Michigan has a proliferation of low-performing charters. It is clear that Michigan had a lower bar than they should for approving charters and has exercised insufficient charter oversight of academics and operations and has not shown the same willingness to act on underperformance that other states have. This isnt new to the last few months ... If you contrast Michigan with Massachusetts or New York, what you see in Massachusetts and New York is a higher bar for the awarding of charters, more rigorous academic and operational oversight, and a real willingness to act on underperformance, including closing schools. And that rigorous charter authorizing is a significant factor in the outstanding performance of charters in Boston and the large number of very high-performing charters in New York City.

Youve been a teacher, principal, state chief. You sent your kids to public schools. How has that informed your job, and do you think someone could do your job without having any personal experience with public education?

I think its very clear that public education is at the foundation of the countrys success and our democracy. ... The department has a responsibility to work to continuously strengthen public education. For me, my passion about those beliefs is grounded in my own experiences as a teacher, as a state chief, as a student, as a parent. But one could reach similar conclusions coming from a different set of experiences.

I wouldnt say that there is a particular set of experiences necessary to reach those beliefs, but I would say that those beliefs shouldnt be dependent on the president or the party. That is the role of the Education Department, to support a strong system of public education for the country.

Racial tensions obviously, were a big issue in the presidential election. President-elect Trump questioned whether a Mexican judge could be impartial because of his heritage. He talked about not allowing Muslims into the country. Youre the father of two daughters of color. Are you worried about what the Trump presidency is going to mean for them?

Im worried about the tenor of political discourse over the last few months and worried about the incidents that were seeing in schools of bullying and harassment. ... I think that flurry of events in schools has a variety of sources, but at the end of the day one of the key responsibilities of this department is to make sure that school is a safe and supportive environment for all students. ... Weve been very focused on trying to make sure that students are able to go to school free from bullying, free from harassment, whether its on the basis of race or religion or LGBT status, or immigration status. ... That responsibility continues no matter who occupies this office. That is not a matter of whos president, what party is in charge. That is a fundamental responsibility of this agency as a civil rights agency.

I dont think this is a partisan issue, if you think back to how Secretary [Rod] Paige responded after 9/11 and President Bush and Secretary Paige sent a very clear message to schools that students needed to be protected from religious bigotry and there was a moral responsibility on the part of schools and a legal responsibility to protect their students.

Secretary Duncan had this great opportunity with the economic stimulus, and he used unprecedented money to push for change on standards and teacher quality. In hindsight, were those the right priorities? Should the department have instead pushed on desegregation or early childhood?

I wasnt here, so its hard to evaluate the choices that were made then. But I will say what are things that I wish we had been able to do more of ... early childhood education is at the top of the list. (King noted that the president proposed a big expansion of preschool that Congress didnt go along with, but that there has been a lot of activity in states on the issue.)

We couldnt persuade Congress [to pass a $120 million school desegregation plan.] We did launch our own $12 million plan. We did find ways to include diversity into other grant programs. But I think the fact that were more than 60 years past [Brown vs. the Board of Education] and we have communities that are more segregated by race or class than 10 years ago is inconsistent with our values as a country.

Oh, and King doesnt know yet what is next professional move will be. He promised to keep us posted.

U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. chats with Education Week in his office. Photo credit: Dorie Nolt, press secretary.

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Dillon: Parliament gave CoP power to fire officers

He told MPs, It was this House that gave the CoP under the Police Service Act 2006, the authority and responsibility to manage the TT Police Service. Dillon said Williams and all of his predecessors have been doing so under Section 74 (2b) of the Act. He has the autonomy and the responsibility and as such the Police Commissioner has done what he did in his own discretion, Dillon concluded.

Speaker of the House, Bridgid Annisette-George, disallowed a question from Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal to Dillion as to whether Dillon was aware of the process used by Williams to terminate senior police officers. Later in the sitting, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Stuart Young said 65 officers of the Special Security Unit (SSU), formerly assigned to the OPM, were terminated on November 21, 2016.

Young said the cost of the termination of that employment was $507,333.24. However Young was unable to indicate how many police officers have taken up the former duties of the SSU at the OPM.

He indicated that information was not available to him at the time.
Christlyn promises 40 percent increase for Tobago CEPEP workers

Addressing supporters at a political meeting in Riseland Hill, Bethel, which she is representing in the January 23 THA election, Moore said the salaries currently being paid to workers in Tobago are totally unacceptable.

It is time to bring CEPEP workers into the now with regard to paying them a living wage, said a fiery Moore. No more slave wages. We say immediately increase CEPEP wages by 40 percent across the board. No questions asked. Saying that Tobagonians needed their dignity, Moore related a story about an encounter with one of her clients who had not gotten paid since last November. It is not fair. It is wrong. A former justice minister in the Peoples Partnership administration, Moore said too many Tobagonians are struggling to enjoy a decent standard of living because of their commitments.

They have school fees. They have nursery fees. Some of them are sick. Moore said while many Tobagonians are suffering, assemblymen, councillors and administrators are being paid.

But the CEPEP workers begging like slaves.

We say no, it must done.

Forty percent immediate increase. Moore revealed that the partys proposed CEPEP plan also will carry an optional, nine-month training component.

You might feel you too tired to train, too young to train, too old to train. You might feel you dont want to train on a Wednesday. That is your business, she said.

You dont want to train, that is your business.

Your salary just get a 40 per ent bump.

You can take that but if you want to train, we say we will provide training and re-training for nine months, minimum.

We will pay a stipend for you to train over that nine months. That is equivalent to the salary we just increased. So, Bethel, You inside.
'New' Jury Duty Scam Reminder: Don't Pay Money Over the Phone

The scam works like this: a person calls you up claiming to be from the state or county or court or whatever government entity, and says that you missed jury duty, which is a serious offense. Then, they tell you to pay some amount now over the phone, or else you'll face some sort of penalty, like public humiliation or being arrested or larger fines. The amounts vary with reports indicating some scammers demanding as little as a hundred dollars, while others demand over a thousand. Also, notably, this scam has gone digital and is also perpetrated via email.

Generally, if you miss jury duty, or are in legal trouble, you are not going to get a phone call. Maybe if you were actually selected to serve on a jury and you don't show up, or you mouth off to a judge on your first day of service, you might get a call from an upset judge or frustrated bailiff, and get in some real trouble.

However, it is highly unlikely that you'll get a call if you fail to show up for jury duty, and even more unlikely that the caller would demand money. Also, if you do get a call from law enforcement, or a government official, generally, they will want you to come in to the official location, like the court, police station, or city hall, rather than just pay money over the phone.

The Government Paper Trail

When paying any governmental fine, it will almost never happen that you won't receive some sort of receipt for the payment. Additionally, if you are paying a fine or penalty to the government, you absolutely need to have documentation to show the fine is legitimate and that you paid the fine.

So again, do not pay the government for alleged fines over the phone unless you are the one calling them and you are 100% positive you are calling an official government office.

But What If ...

No. No. No. And No. There are no "what ifs" here. Do not pay the government over the phone if they call you. Not for nothing. While some government agencies do accept payment by phone, they'll send you an official paper bill that explains how to pay by phone first, and won't hound you for a payment or threaten you if you can't make the payment.

Scammers have been using all sorts of different government impersonation scams since the very inception of scams. Now, the dumbest of smartphones can be used to impersonate government phone numbers on caller IDs.

If anyone that you don't know calls you and demands money, you should probably search the internet to make sure you are not being scammed before paying them anything. A big red flag should go up if they ask for payment via gift cards, iTunes gift cards, or prepaid visa gift cards (if you are asked to pay via one of these methods, you are likely being scammed).

Related Resources:
'Live By Night': An engrossing period drama (IANS Review, Rating: ***1/2)

Delhi,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Film: "Live By Night"; Director: Ben Affleck; Cast: Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper, Remo Girone, Robert Glenister, Max Casella, Matthew Maher, Miguel J. Pimental, Titus Welliver and Anthony Michael Hall; Rating: ***1/2

Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, "Live By Night" is a period crime drama that is designed like an old school gangster film.

Set in the 1920s post World War I, it is the tale of an honest policeman's son, Joe Coughlin, who returns home disillusioned as a soldier and vows to live life on his own terms - like an outlaw, never bowing to authority ever again.

He starts out as a small time crook living in Boston and works independently along with his two childhood friends and abhors being called a gangster. A decade later, he is approached by the Irish gangster Albert White (Robert Glenister) to help out in the mob war against the Italians, headed by Maso Pescatore (Remo Girone). Joe declines initially, but how he gets absorbed in organised crime and his rise thereafter, forms the crux of the tale.

The plot is a maze that reveals where heaven is after debating between good and bad, right and wrong while dealing in rum, prostitution and drug trade and the casino business. The narrative truly manoeuvres through the minefield of the crime syndicate.

And Ben Affleck does a neat job directing this complex noir chronicle, albeit in a softer tone. This is very evident from the first scene onwards with the opening voiceover and all through the grey tones of his character. As the protagonist, he does not portray a brutal gangster and probably that would disappoint the fans of this genre.

While the film is about Joe Coughlin and the narrative revolves around him, equal weightage with definitive lines is given to the supporting cast making them all as interesting and memorable as the hero.

As an actor, Ben Affleck undercuts his own supremacy and shines as an outlaw with a heart. He is aptly supported by Chris Messina as his friend Dion Bartolo, Robert Glenister as Albert White, Sienna Miller as Emma Gould - Albert's moll, Remo Girone as Maso Pescatore, Max Casella as Digger Pescatore - the idiotic son of Maso Pescatore, Zoe Saldana as Joe's wife Graciella Suarez and Elle Fanning as Loretta Figgis the repentant daughter of the Chief of Police, Irving Figgis played by Chris Cooper. They all emote effectively.

But the real scene stealer in the film is Mathew Maher, who essays the role of Irving's short-fused brother-in-law RD Pruitt. He lights up the screen with his nasal drawl and unpredictable outbursts especially during the negotiation scene.

Visually, cinematographer Robert Richardson's frames with monochromatic palette and mood lighting are picture perfect. He captures the period and the locales from the right angles and with a keen eye, making the film look sleek and evocative.

Overall, the film is a well mounted, engrossing entertainer that would appeal to connoisseurs of period drama.

--IANS

troy/rb/bg
Gehlot to head Congress screening committee for UP

Delhi,National,Politics, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The Congress on Saturday appointed former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as chairman of the screening committee for the forthcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Party MP Sushmita Dev and secretary Deepak Babaria are the other two members of the panel.

The screening committee would look at the suggestions sent by the state unit on the choice of candidates and make its own recommendations for a final decision by the party's central election committee, which is headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The announcement of the screening committee was made days ahead of the notification for the first phase of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

The first phase polling would take place on February 11 for 73 assembly seats.

The politically crucial state will see a seven-phased election with counting of votes on March 11.

The Congress has not ruled out a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh even as the party has said it is ready to contest on its own on all 403 seats in the state assembly.

The Election Commission is expected to give on Monday its verdict on the tussle between two factions of Samajwadi Party for the party's "cycle" symbol.

The Congress is expected to take a final stand on any alliance after the Election Commission verdict.

--IANS

mak/ps/pgh/bg
Government respects RBI's autonomy and independence: FinMin

Delhi,National,Business/Economy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) A day after the employee unions of the Reserve Bank of India expressed their resentment against alleged interference of the government in the central bank's affairs, the Finance Ministry on Saturday said that it fully respects its autonomy.

"It is categorically stated that the government fully respects the independence and autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)," Finance Ministry said in a statement here.

"Consultations between the government and the RBI are undertaken on various matters of public importance wherever such consultation is mandated by law or has evolved as a practice. Consultations mandated by law or as evolved by practice should not be taken as infringement of autonomy of RBI," the statement said.

The Finance Ministry's reaction comes after some unions alleged infringement of the autonomy of the RBI by the Centre.

The RBI employees on Friday had shot off a letter to RBI Governor Urjit Patel expressing concern over alleged interference by the central government.

The letter asked the Governor whether a recent media report, according to which the Finance Ministry had deputed a Joint Secretary-level officer to the RBI to oversee its currency chest operations, was true.

"If true, this is most unfortunate and we take strong exception to this measure of the government as impinging on the RBI's autonomy and its statutory as well as operational jurisdiction," the letter read.

"Having put RBI in a quandary, now the Finance Ministry has placed their official, as reported, on RBI set-up to 'co-ordinate', allegedly. Apart from showing RBI operations and its gigantic performance in poor light, the government now blatantly encroaches on its jurisdiction, which, we state strongly, we cannot accept."

"We want to state very categorically that RBI is fully capable 'to co-ordinate the central bank's currency chest operations', which RBI have been performing over decades, and we do not need any 'assistance' from anywhere," the employees wrote.

The employee unions pointed out that the criticism faced by the RBI for alleged operational mismanagement during the recently-concluded demonetisation drive has dented its image 'beyond repair'.

"It is painful to note that RBI is being criticised from many quarters for its 'operational mismanagement', by the press and many important personalities. Its autonomy and image have been dented beyond repair," the letter stated.

"Such critics include even former RBI Governors. An image of efficiency and independence that RBI assiduously built up over decades by the strenuous effort of its staff and judicious policy making has gone into smithereens in no time. We feel extremely pained, we reiterate," it added.

The unions also requested the RBI Governor to protect the central bank's autonomy and prestige.

--IANS

mm/rn
IS launches major offensive against Syrian regime

Syrian Arab Republic,Terrorism, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Damascus, Jan 14 (IANS) The Islamic State (IS) terror group on Saturday launched a major offensive against the Syrian regime's strongholds in the city of Deir Al-Zor.

According to the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR), the IS launched attacks in nine different parts of the city and its surroundings, Efe news reported.

The NGO, which has a network of volunteers across the country, reported huge explosions in different parts of the city since early Saturday.

So far, Syrian authorities have not reported attacks in the neighbourhoods under their control in the city.

Intense confrontations between terrorists and soldiers of the Syrian army are going on in the districts of Al Sinaa, Al Jabaliya, Al Rashidiya, Al Muazifin, Al Umal, Al Rusafa and Al Baguiliya, as well as in the surroundings of the military airport of Deir Al-Zor, the SOHR said.

--IANS

ksk/bg
First 'Armed Forces Veteran's Day' observed

Uttar Pradesh,National,Defence/Security, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Lucknow, Jan 14 (IANS) Ahead of its Army Day, celebrating the accession of the first Indian army chief, the Indian Army observed the first 'Armed Forces Veteran's Day' here on Saturday.

The commemoration started with the wreath-laying ceremony at the War Memorial here by senior veterans, serving personnel and Maj Gen Vinod Sharma, General Officer Commanding, Madhya Uttar Pradesh Sub Area, followed by a Veterans' Rally at the Surya Auditorium.

In addition, a Medical and Dental Camp and other allied Veterans' Services were extended towards the welfare of veteran ex-servicemen during the day. A series of important veterans related lecture and talks were organised for the veterans to spread awareness on the pertinent issues.

The Indian Army celebrates Army Day on January 15 to mark the anniversary of Gen (subsequently Field Marshal) K.M. Carriappa taking over the reins of the Indian Army from Gen. Sir Roy Bucher in 1949.

--IANS

md/vd
TMC continues protest against 'centre's atrocities'

West Bengal,National,Politics, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Kolkata, Jan 14 (IANS) Trinamool Congress activists and party heavyweights took part in a rally here on Saturday to protest against the central government's demonetisation move and the arrest of party MPs by the CBI.

The protest rally, organised by the Trinamool Youth Congress, started from South Kolkata's Jadavpur and terminated at Hazra Crossing five km apart.

Holding aloft banners, posters and party flags, the rallyists shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that the centre stop using federal agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation to harass political opponents.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool, which has been in the forefront of the protests against the central government on the demonetisation issue, has been irked further after the CBI arrested its MPs Tapas Paul and Sudip Bandopadhyay in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scandal.

"Our protest against Centre's atrocities will continue under the leadership of our chief Mamata Banerjee until Prime Minister Narendra Modi resigns from his post," Trinamool Congress MP and state party president Subrata Bakshi said.

"The motto of this movement is 'remove Modi - save the nation'. Our protest has started from Bengal and it would soon reach all the corners of India," he added.

--IANS

mgr/ssp/pgh/bg
Gentiloni to be discharged from hospital on Saturday

Italy,International, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Rome, Jan 14 (IANS/AKI) Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni is due to leave a Rome hospital on Saturday and will chair a cabinet meeting in the capital that day, sources told Adnkronos.

Gentiloni underwent an emergency heart operation on Tuesday at Rome's Policlinico Gemelli hospital to unblock a blood vessel after he complained of discomfort on his return to Rome from an official visit to Paris.

The 62-year-old premier had to cancel meetings in London on Thursday with British prime minister Theresa May and on Friday in Rome with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas after his angioplasty procedure.

Doctors at the Policlinico Gemelli described Gentiloni's heart operation as "a complete success" and on Wednesday the premier tweeted he was "well" and would return to work shortly.

Gentiloni was appointed premier on 12 December to replace Matteo Renzi, who resigned after a crushing defeat on planned constitutional reforms to streamline Italy's lawmaking.

Meanwhile, Renzi on Friday visited premier Paolo Gentiloni in a Rome hospital. Gentiloni was foreign minister in Renzi's almost 22-month-long government.

--IANS

sku/
Andhra CM to attend World Economic Forum in Davos

Andhra Pradesh,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Hyderabad, Jan 14 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will participate in 47th Annual General Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

A delegation led by the Chief Minister will leave for Zurich on January 16. This was the third consecutive year that Naidu has been invited to attend the annual meet.

The delegation will visit Zurich, Davos and Klosters till January 21. The theme of the WEF meeting this year is "Responsive and responsible leadership".

During the five-day visit, Naidu will attend 45-50 bilateral meetings. He will also hold multilateral meetings, and one-on-one meetings arranged by the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, according to an official statement.

Naidu will be key speaker at the session on "Preparing for the City Century". He will represent India in the boardroom discussion titled "India and South Asia Regional Strategy Group Meeting".

He will also attend Boston Consulting Group breakfast session titled "India and Emerging Markets in the New Phase of Globalization".

Naidu will also participate in the Time India Awards and will hold meetings with CPP Investment Board and The Global Fund group.

On January 18, he will participate in the CII CEO roundtable, and also hold a bilateral meeting with Beh Swan Gin, Chairman, Singapore EDB. He would also interact with leading global financing and healthcare companies.

The Chief Minister will hold meetings with heads of leading companies including General Electric, JETRO, Medtronic, Lockheed Martin Corporation, CISCO and New Development Bank.

--IANS

ms/ahm/vm
Belgian post outsources 200 jobs to India

Belgium,National,Business/Economy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Brussels, Jan 14 (IANS) Belgian post company Bpost is transferring 200 jobs in the ICT sector to two companies in India, Infosys and Tata Consultancy, the Belgian media reported.

But the Belgian trade unions and Telecommunications Minister Alexander De Croo Aare unhappy over the decision.

According to the VRT news network, De Croo said he will question Bpost on the matter.

"The company has some explaining to do. I think Belgium has enough ICT experts to do this type of work. Digitalisation in society does not have the purpose of exporting jobs. I think it should create jobs," he said.

Bpost is employing some 200 ICT experts internally and another 200 externally.

A spokesperson for Bpost Barbara Van Speybroeck spoke of new challenges within the world of ICT, which make that "we didn't find the right researchers. We were using over a 100 suppliers, which hampered the development of a clear strategy".

The Christian trade union ACV in Belgium said it was "a scandal" for a publicly-owned company to move jobs abroad to low-wage countries.

--IANS

nawab/pgh/vm
Speeding police van kills tea vendor in Delhi

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) A tea vendor died here after a speeding Delhi Police van rammed into his cart and overturned while patrolling in the city, police said on Saturday.

Shiv Yadav, 36, met with the accident around 8.30 p.m. on Friday when a Police Control Room (PCR) van hit his cart in a head-on collision in north Delhi's Burari area.

Preliminary Police inquiry revealed that Yadav was pushing his cart in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic while heading towards his home which resulted the incident.

Yadav's family alleged that the PCR driver was in inebriated condition that caused the accident. They also alleged that the force's senior officers are trying to suppress the matter to avoid the arrest of accused policeman.

Referring it an unfortunate incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police Jatin Narwal said: "We have registered a case in the incident and started a probe."

The officer accepted that the accused policeman has been identified but refused to give his details, saying "the incident was not a deliberate act".

"For a fair probe, we called Delhi FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team that has picked up evidences from the spot. We will take further course of action after the FSL's independent report," Narwal told IANS.

Narwal's refuted the allegations of victim's family that the policeman was drunk while driving the vehicle and that police is not handling the matter properly.

--IANS

rak/pgh/vm
One dead in elephant attack in Bengal

West Bengal,National,Environment/Wildlife, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Kolkata, Jan 14 (IANS) A 33-year-old man died in an elephant attack in West Bengal on Saturday, a forest department official said.

"The incident happened at around 6.30 a.m. on Saturday at Golokdrima village in West Midnapore district," Midnapore Divisional Forest Officer R.N. Saha told IANS.

--IANS

sgh/lok/vm
Surjit Singh Barnala: A gentlemanly, clean and popular politician (Obituary)

Punjab,National,Politics, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Chandigarh, Jan 14 (IANS) In the hurly-burly of Indian politics, one name that stood out for a clean political innings would be that of Surjit Singh Barnala.

The tall politician from Punjab had the charm and a mild manner that endeared him to people and political personalities across state boundaries and party lines.

It was not without reason that Barnala, who became Union Cabinet Minister twice (in 1977 and 1998) and was Chief Minister of Punjab (1985-87) during turbulent times of Sikh militancy, was also one of the longest serving Governors in the country, had his name in the running for being the Prime Minister twice (in 1979 and 1996) and ran for the post of Vice President in 1997, but lost to Krishan Kant.

Barnala, who passed away in Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Saturday at the age of 91, had remained dignified even after largely withdrawing from public life in the last five years.

During the height of terrorism in Punjab and just over a year after the Operation Bluestar ordered by the Indira Gandhi-led government to flush out heavily armed militants from inside the Golden Temple complex, where the holiest of Sikh shrines 'Harmandir Sahib' is located, Barnala became Chief Minister in September 1985 in elections following the accord between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Akali leader, Sant Harcharan Singh Longowal.

A leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Longowal, Barnala tried to restore normalcy in the state but in view of the continuing violence, his government was dismissed in May 1987 and the state brought back under President's Rule.

Born on Oct 21, 1925 in Ateli Begpur village (now in Mahendergarh district of Haryana), Barnala did his graduation in law from Lucknow's Christian College in 1946. He even participated in Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement in 1942.

Barnala came into political life when he was elected as a legislator in Punjab in 1967 and served as Education Minister from 1969 to 1971. Elected to the sixth Lok Sabha in 1977, the general elections following the Emergency, and became Union Agriculture and Food Minister (1977-79) in the Janta Party government led by Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

After his stint in Punjab politics came to an end, Barnala was appointed the Governor of Tamil Nadu in 1990 but chose to step down the next year after refusing to dismiss the DMK government and was transferred to Bihar.

He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and 1998 from Punjab, and became Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 1998 to 2000.

Barnala would be known for his latter stints as governor of various states.

Becoming the the first governor of the then newly created state of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand) from November 2000 to January 2003, he returned to the south as Governor of Andhra Pradesh (2003-04) and then again of Tamil Nadu. Unlike his first short stint, he remained Governor of the southern state from 2004-2011, close to the leaders of both DMK and AIDMK, both of which had a bitter political rivalry otherwise.

He also held additional charge of governor in Orissa (now Odisha). He was also Lt governor of Andaman and Nicobar and Pondicherry (now Pudducherry).

A keen painter, Barnala also loved to read and travel.

During a few years that he spent in imprisonment during political life, including solitary confinement, Barnala ended up with a repertoire of 15 paintings.

In 1994, fed up with the state of public life, Barnala went incognito for a few months, travelling through various parts of India to experience the life of an ordinary man. He wrote a book, "Story of an Escape", based on his experiences, including travelling on trucks and buses.

In Lucknow, where he had studied earlier, Barnala was detained by the local police, which mistook him for a terrorist. He later, as Tamil Nadu Governor, shared his experience while addressing students in Lucknow.

After ending his last assignment as Governor in 2011, Barnala tried to recreate political space for himself in Punjab and even headed the 'Sanjha Morcha', a front of four parties. But the ageing leader, given his gentlemanly ways, was never a match for wily politicians who had earlier rubbed shoulders with him.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

--IANS

js/vd/vm
Amarinder wants to fight against Badal; Akalis say come on

Punjab,National,Politics, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Amritsar/Chandigarh, Jan 14 (IANS) Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh's raise the stakes in the forthcoming polls by seeking his high command's permission to fight next month's assembly elections against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the latter's traditional seat Lambi has been welcomed by the ruling party.

Amarinder, whose name has already been announced by the Congress for his traditional assembly seat of Patiala Urban, told media in Amritsar on Saturday that he wanted to contest against Chief Minister Badal from Lambi to defeat the Akali Dal patron whom he blamed for the "ruin of Punjab".

"I want to fight the Chief Minister on his home turf of Lambi as I want to defeat all the top Akali leaders responsible for destroying the state through their drugs, mafia and goonda raj, and who are guilty of ruining its trade, industry and agriculture," he said.

Amarinder said he had requested the Congress high command to allow him to fight the assembly polls from Lambi so that he could "free Punjab from the vicious and destructive rule of the Badals".

Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked Amarinder "to take quick permission" to contest from Lambi "before the nomination filing process comes to an end".

Describing the development as "pathetic and last-ditch attempt by a failed king to stem the rot in his sinking ship", Sukhbir Badal, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said: "Amarinder had been resorting to cheap theatrics since the last few months, including false promises of a farm loan waiver which had not been reflected in the party's manifesto, and the development that he had asked for permission to contest against Parkash Singh Badal was another ploy to gain cheap publicity."

He said that Amarinder was doing such things to keep himself in the fray as Chief Ministerial candidate of the Congress. "Amarinder probably wants to go down like a martyr," he claimed.

Parkash Singh Badal meanwhile said that he was "amused by the smart ploy of (Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to get rid of Amarinder Singh by pushing him into Lambi as everyone knows Rahul doesn't like him".

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is posing a serious challenge to the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the Congress for the February 4 assembly polls on 117 seats, has already announced Delhi lawmaker Jarnail Singh to contest against Badal from Lambi.

Amarinder said he would fight the election both in Lambi and Patiala, if permitted by the Congress high command.

"The entire state is in shambles. Badal and his family and associates have brought Punjab to such a shameful pass.

"My government would open a probe into all Akali scams and punish every person found guilty of any criminal deed, especially drugs trade," said the former Chief Minister.

The Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been in power in Punjab since 2007.

--IANS

js/vd
SEBI advisory board bats for greater corporate governance

Maharashtra,Business/Economy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) The International Advisory Board of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) advocated greater corporate governance in Indian firms to protect the interests of all stakeholders, the watchdog said on Saturday.

"The advisory board deliberated over the recent developments on corporate governance in India at its seventh meeting held on Friday and Saturday here," the market regulator said in a statement.

The board observed that a matrix of expertise would make the board diverse and balanced for the effective functioning of a company.

"There has to be transparency in board appointments and removal process and audit committee should focus on forward looking risk assessment in addition to retrospective evaluation," pointed out the board members.

Asserting that board evaluation was an important element in corporate governance, the members felt the process had to go beyond a box-ticking exercise and should be conducive to the growth of its company.

"The best evaluation is an exercise in self evaluation of the company's performance and effectiveness in terms of its mission, financial returns, strategy, business model and social responsibility," said the statement.

The meeting also took note of the extant framework for investment advisory business, including the role of mutual fund distributors and regulatory arbitrage between the investment advisor and mutual fund distributor providing advice.

On migration to fee based advisory model from commission, the board said the transition has to be gradual and in tandem across regulatory segments for uniformity.

"Regulators need to keep in view the financial viability and the business model of the advisory business. Proper due diligence before transition in regulatory regime is essential," added the statement.

The meeting also deliberated on the internationalization of securities market, framework for product innovation, risk management and crowd funding.

Besides SEBI Chairman U.K. Sinha, Singapore Exchange Director Jane Diplock, Said Business School Professor Colin Mayer, Nikko Asset Management Company Chairman Blair Pickerell and Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission's former Chairman Andrew Sheng are members of the advisory board.

The watchdog's Executive Directors S. Raman and G. Mahalingam also participated in the deliberations.

--IANS

fb/ahm/vm
Man set ablaze by irate mother

Italy,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Pescara, Jan 14 (IANS/AKI) A man suffered severe burns to his face and entire body after his elderly mother doused him with surgical spirit and set him alight when he returned home drunk in the coastal city of Pescara.

The 51-year-old man is being treated at the nearby city of Cesena's hospital, while his 75-year-old mother is being held in the psychiatric wing of the city of Chieti's women's prison.

The man is reported to be an alcoholic and to live with his mother in an apartment in Pescara's crime-hit Rancitelli district.

--IANS

sku/
Rajinikanth bats for Jallikattu

Tamil Nadu,Cinema/Showbiz,Southern Cinema, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Chennai, Jan 14 (IANS) Superstar Rajinikanth on Friday extended his support for Jallikattu, the popular and ancient bull-taming sport, played usually around Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu. He said it must be held as it is part of Tamil culture.

Last year, Supreme Court banned Jallikattu, earning the wrath of its supporters and well-wishers.

Speaking at Vikatan Film Awards, Rajinikanth told reporters here: "Bring in whatever rules but Jallikattu must be held to keep up the traditions of our Tamil culture."

At the event, Rajinikanth was awarded best actor for his performance as an ageing don in last year's Tamil blockbuster "Kabali".

Currently busy shooting for Tamil science-fiction action "2.o", the 65-year-old will next team up with "Kabali" director again.

--IANS

hp/sku/
Modi greets nation on harvest festivals

Delhi,National,Politics,Art/Culture/Books, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended greetings to people of various communities as they celebrate harvest festivals, and said diversity is India's greatest strength.

Modi in a series of tweets greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan.

"Today (January 14) people across India are celebrating various festivals. My greetings to everyone celebrating these auspicious festivals," Modi tweeted.

"May these festivals bring abundance of happiness and prosperity in the lives of our hardworking farmers," Modi said.

"These and many other festivals celebrated across India that add great colour and happiness in our lives. This diversity is India's greatest strength."

Modi also greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and wished that this day bring joy and prosperity in everyone's lives.

He wished Tamil people a happy and blessed Pongal, greeted Gujaratis for Uttarayan and people of Assam on the occasion of Magh Bihu.

--IANS

akk/py/
LeEco secures over $2 bn investment from Sunac

China,Technology,Business/Economy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Beijing, Jan 14 (IANS) Chinese internet and technology conglomerate LeEco has secured over $2 billion in investment from real estate developer Sunac China Holdings, media reports said.

Through this investment Sunac would acquire 8.61 per cent stake in LeEco's Shenzhen-listed unit Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp, Beijing.

"The company believes that the investment will bring a better return on capital for the company and will have greater room for cooperation with Leshi in the field of industrial real estate, and will also bring continued benefits to the further growth of the company's property business," South China Morning Post quoted Sunac Chairman Sun Hongbin, as saying.

Sunac also plans to acquire a 33.5 per cent stake by investing $1.15 billion in LeEco's television hardware subsidiary Leshi Zhixin Electronic Technology.

In November 2016, LeEco announced receiving $600 million in funding from Chinese institutional investors.

--IANS

anuj/in/bg
RBI's own figures indicate return of 15 lakh crore of banned notes

Delhi,National,Business/Economy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Despite the Reserve Bank of India dismissing reports that suggested 97 per cent of the demonetised currency had returned to the bank's coffers by December 30, its own weekly figures on "currency in circulation" indicate that this number is correct.

These figures, in fact, suggest that only Rs 54,000 crore of the notes banned on November 8 last year failed to make it back.

More worryingly, this figure has been arrived at on the assumption that no new notes were issued after December 19 -- a near impossibility. This could well open up the intriguing possibility that more banned notes may have returned than were said to be in circulation.

December 19 was the last time the RBI gave any information on how much of the demonetised currency was back. Even the tally on new notes circulated are not available.

On Friday (January 13), in its weekly statistical supplement, the RBI said that the currency in circulation till January 6 was Rs 8.98 lakh crore.

This comprises new high-denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2000, smaller new and old currency notes of Rs 100, Rs 50, Rs 20 and Rs 10, plus the banned currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 which have not been returned.

On January 5, the RBI had sought to question figures of 97 per cent return of banned currency put out by news agency Bloomberg. In a statement RBI said "figures would need to be reconciled with the physical cash balances to eliminate accounting errors/possible double counts etc," and till then "any estimate may not indicate the actual numbers."

Let us now calculate from RBI's figures how much of the banned notes are back.

On November 8, according to reply given in Rajya Sabha on December 2 by the Minister of State for Finance, Arjun Ram Meghwal, there were 17,165 million pieces of Rs 500 notes and 6,858 million pieces of Rs 1,000 notes in circulation. That amounts to a total of Rs 15.44 lakh crore in value

Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, had said that in value terms this was 86 per cent of the total currencies in circulation, which would amount to Rs 17.95 lakh crore (Rs 17.97 lakh crore on November 4, according to RBI).

From November 10 onwards, banned currency notes were deposited in the banks till December 30 and new currency notes started gradually being issued by the RBI in denomination ranging from Rs 10 upwards, including the new Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes.

On November 18, according to RBI's statement on reserve money, there were 14.27 lakh crore in circulation, including Rs 2.51 lakh crore (14 per cent) of smaller denomination notes which had not been banned, new currency notes and banned currency notes. We do not know the exact break-up, as RBI or the government did not give it.

The first time the RBI spoke of a break-up of new notes was on December 7 during the monetary policy press conference. Deputy Governor R. Gandhi said that a total of Rs 4 lakh crore in new notes had been circulated till December 6, out of which 19.1 billion notes (which amounts to Rs 1.06 lakh crore) were in small denominations of up to Rs 100 and the rest (Rs 2.94 lakh crore) were in high denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000.

The December 9 figures (the first after the RBI press conference figures) given in reserve money statement showed that Rs 9.81 lakh crore in value terms were in circulation. This includes Rs 2.51 lakh crore of small denominations already in circulation on November 8, Rs 1.06 lakh crore of new small denomination currencies and Rs 2.94 lakh crore in high denomination notes (Rs 500 and Rs 2,000) -- a total of Rs 6.51 crore.

That means that, on December 9, only Rs 3.29 lakh crore (Rs 9.61 minus Rs 6.51 crore) of the banned high denomination notes remained to be returned.

In other words, a total of Rs 12.14 lakh crore of old notes out of Rs 15.44 lakh crore had been returned. This is similar to the figure for December 10 -- Rs 12.44 lakh crore -- given by the RBI's Gandhi to the media on December 13.

On December 19, the RBI again gave a figure of new notes circulated. It said 20.4 billion small denominations (up to Rs 100) and 2.2 billion of high denominations (Rs 500 and Rs 2,000) had been circulated. This is equivalent to a total of Rs 5.93 lakh crore.

Now let's see how this measures up with the January 6 figures of currency in circulation of Rs 8.98 lakh crore.

Even if we assume that no new notes were circulated after December 19 -- not really a possibility -- the new small and high denominations notes added to the existing small denomination notes (Rs 2.51 lakh crore + Rs 5.93 lakh crore) makes this amount go up to Rs 8.44 lakh crore.

In other words, only Rs 54,000 crore of banned notes remained to be returned (Rs 8.98 lakh crore minus Rs 8.44 lakh crore). Hence, according to RBI's figures, Rs 14.90 lakh crore or 96.5 per cent of the original amount is back.

But the figures may go haywire if substantial new currency has been added since December 19 -- a distinct possibility.

Is that the reason why RBI is still not announcing the final count?

--IANS

hs/sac
Abe stresses importance of TPP during Australia visit

Australia,Politics,Diplomacy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Canberra, Jan 14 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday underlined the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during his trip to Australia to discuss trade, security and the election of Donald Trump as the US President.

"We have taken a leading role in the region to ensure investment in free trade," Abe said while attending a business meeting in Sydney with New South Wales Premier Mike Baird and Australian Trade Minister Steve Ciobo.

Abe remarked that Japan and Australia have acted as leading participants in the TPP, while Ciobo stressed that the pact holds significant benefit for the 12 countries that have signed it.

Australia and Japan have been championing the implementation of the controversial TPP - that will need to be ratified by the legislatures of 12 nations that have signed it - although US President-elect Donald Trump has promised to pull out from the agreement, Efe news reported.

Abe's schedule included a meeting Saturday with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull on strengthening trade ties, and matters related to regional security.

Australia is the second stop, after the Philippines, on Abe's four-nation tour that also includes Indonesia and Vietnam.

--IANS

ksk/bg


Map shows an overview of the area where the roads will be built Map shows an overview of the area where the roads will be built

Brigadier General Thet Tun, deputy commander of the Burma Armys Eastern Central Command, invited SSPP/SSA-N representatives to a meeting on 10 January and told them the plan to build the road in their area.

This Commander [of the Burma Armys Eastern Central Command] knows this area quite well. He served as the Commander of the 2nd Military Operations Command (MOC-2) in Mong Nawng. The plan has existed even before the military conflicts in the northern area. He tried to carry it out since the northern issue is under control now, explained a source close to the Commander of the Burma Armys Eastern Central Command.

The Commander of the Burma Armys Eastern Central Command wants to build a road from Lwel Nai Mountain, which is ten miles north of Mong Hsu and is under the control of the SSPP/SSA-N, to Lwel Cho Mountain and from Lwel Cho Mountain to Tar Wun Naung Ferry Dock on the Salween River, according to the source.

We have built a road since we signed the ceasefire in 1989. The Burma Army had attacked Lwel Cho Mountain in 2011-2012. They [the Burma Army] will send its troops to build the road whether we agree or not. Fighting will break out when they come. I see this as an attempt to disturb the by-election, said an official from the Information Department of the SSPP/SSA-N.

Around 100,000 people lost their voting rights after the Burma Army launched a military offensive against SSPP/SSA camps in Mong Nawng, Kyethi, and Mong Hsu townships during the 2015 General Election. Six Members of Parliament (MPs) will be elected from Kyethi and Mong Hsu townships in the upcoming by-election in April.

Translated by Thida Linn
Indian American student wins essay contest

United States,Diaspora,Health/Medicine, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

New York, Jan 14 (IANS) Arth Patel, an Indian American student at the UCLA School of Dentistry, earned a $5,000 scholarship for his winning essay on how dental health contributes to the well being of children and families.

Kool Smiles, a provider of quality dental care in underserved communities in the US, announced the winner of its first annual My Kool Smiles Scholarship Fund essay contest, sponsored by the Benevis Foundation, Indiawest.com reported.

"I'm very excited to win the essay contest and to use the scholarship funds to further my education in dental school," said Patel.

In his essay, the UCLA dental student discussed his experience growing up in rural India where quality dental care was not available and how his family benefited from access to community-based dental healthcare programmes after moving to the United States.

Patel discovered his passion for dentistry while volunteering at a local community health clinic.

--IANS

rn/bg
ONGC staffers to get 'Khadi bonus'

Maharashtra,National,Business/Economy,Human Interest/Society, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.(ONGC) employees will now get their annual cash bonuses in the form of Khadi vouchers for buying Khadi garments, a top official said here on Saturday.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said that the Khadi vouchers would be of 35 per cent higher value compared to the cash bonuses, thus giving the 35,299 ONGC employees additional benefits.

Explaining the scheme in the agreement, he said ONGC will provide its employees with Khadi vouchers with an extra 35 per cent incentive, enhancing the value of bonus to 135 per cent of the cash value.

"While 34,236 regular staffers will get Khadi vouchers of Rs 10,000, the other 1,063 non-regular employees will get Khadi vouchers of Rs 5,000 each, valid for a period of two months. KVIC will earn Rs 35 crore from ONGC by this initiative," Saxena said.

Against this, the total sale of KVIC products would be around Rs 47 crore, of which 22 per cent or Rs 10 crore would be wages and five per cent rewards to artisans joining this special marketing initiative, he added.

KVIC will sell its top quality products at the employees' doorstep by organising 16 special exhibitions on ONGC premises.

The first of these expos will start from Monday in Maharashtra and Gujarat which will continue till February 14, to be followed by a calendar of exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Goa.

KVIC and ONGC officials are working out plans to hold four expos simultaneously at four venues to sell the Khadi products, according to Saxena.

"By this, the rural communities will earn more, KVIC will boost employment opportunities by generating 6.50 lakh extra mandays for the artisans besides providing sales to their products and value for money for ONGC employees," Saxena pointed out.

He said this initiative has been hailed in both business and social circles as an experiment of "multi-level sustainable development, and also a model of socio-economic rewards for the producer and consumers alike.

--IANS

qn/ksk/bg
IS militants set houses on fire in Afghanistan

Israel,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Kabul, Jan 14 (IANS) Militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group have set 60 residential houses on fire in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, an official said on Saturday.

"A group of IS rebels stormed some areas in Kot district on Friday evening and set ablaze the houses," Xinhua news agency quoted the provincial official as saying.

However, the locals had vacated their houses before the attack and therefore there is no report of any casualty.

--IANS

py/bg
Telugu states celebrate Sankranti with gaiety

Andhra Pradesh,National,Politics,Art/Culture/Books, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Hyderabad, Jan 14 (IANS) People in the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Saturday celebrated 'Makar Sankranti', the colourful harvest festival, with pomp and gaiety.

On the second day of the three-day festival, the countryside in both the states wore a festive look with decorated houses, kite flying, cockfights, bull fights and other sports.

Villages in both the states came alive on Sankranti, considered one of the major festivals. The day began with men, women and children attired in their best offering prayers at temples.

It was time for the families to take a break and come together in their native towns and villages. People from different parts of the country and even abroad joined their near and dear ones for the festival.

Lakhs of people from Hyderabad left for their homes in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for the celebrations, leaving the city's roads almost deserted.

Authorities operated hundreds of special buses and special trains from Hyderabad to various destinations in the two states over last couple of days to clear the festival rush.

For the children of those settled in cities and abroad, it is an occasion to have a feel of life in the countryside. They visit the fields and participate in various rural sports.

The houses were decorated with marigold flowers and mango leaves.

Women decked the front yard of their houses with Rangoli. They made cow dung balls called 'Gobbemma' and placed them among the Rangoli patterns and also put portions of the fresh harvest of rice, turmeric and sugarcane.

They prepared 'chakkara pongal' or rice kheer, a special dish made of new rice, jaggery and milk. The dish is allowed to boil over which symbolises abundance.

In Hyderabad and other towns in both the states, the sky was dotted with colourful kites. Popular Hindi and Telugu chartbusters blared from speakers as youngsters flew the kites from rooftops.

'Haridasus' and 'Basvannas', the uniquely attired alm-seekers with ornately decorated oxen, made the rounds of villages to seek alms.

The farmers decorated their bullocks and worshipped them for their contribution to the harvest.

For the second consecutive day, cock fights were organised at several places in the two states despite court orders banning them.

The bloody sport was organised openly on a large scale in Krishna, East Godavari and West Godavari districts, where punters bet crores of rupees on roosters.

MPs, MLAs and other leaders inaugurated the cock fights at a few places. They claimed that it is part of Telugu culture and Sankranti is incomplete without the cock fights.

Police said they were acting against those tying knives to roosters for the fight and those resorting to betting or other illegal activities.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu celebrated Sankranti with his family at his native Naravaripalle village in Chittoor district. He received blessings from Tirumala temple priests.

Naidu and his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao and governor of the two states E. S. L. Narasimhan greeted people on the occasion.

--IANS

ms/py/bg
Amarinder seeks Congress permission to contest against Badal

Punjab,National,Politics, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Amritsar, Jan 14 (IANS) Giving an interesting turn to Punjab's politics, state Congress president Amarinder Singh has sought the Congress high command's permission to fight next month's assembly elections against Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal from the latter's assembly constituency of Lambi.

Amarinder, whose name has already been announced by the Congress for his traditional assembly seat of Patiala-urban, told media here that he wanted to contest against Chief Minister Badal from Lambi to defeat the Akali leader whom he blamed for the "ruin of Punjab".

"I want to fight the Chief Minister on his home turf of Lambi as I want to defeat all the top Akali leaders responsible for destroying the state through their drugs, mafia and goonda raj, and are guilty of ruining its trade, industry and agriculture," Amarinder told media here on Saturday.

Amarinder said he had requested the Congress high command to allow him to fight the assembly polls from Lambi so that he could "free Punjab from the vicious and destructive rule of the Badals".

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is posing a serious challenge to the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the Congress for the February 4 assembly polls on 117 seats, has already announced Delhi lawmaker Jarnail Singh to contest against Badal from Lambi.

Amarinder said he would fight the election both in Lambi and Patiala, if permitted by the Congress high command.

"The entire state is in shambles. Badal and his family and associates have brought Punjab to such a shameful pass," the former Chief Minister said.

"My government would open a probe into all Akali scams and punish every person found guilty of any criminal deed, especially drugs trade," Amarinder said.

The Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been in power in Punjab since 2007.

--IANS

js/rn
'One China' policy non-negotiable, Beijing tells Trump

China,Politics,Diplomacy, Sun, 15 Jan 2017 IANS

Beijing, Jan 14 (IANS) China on Saturday told the US that the 'One China policy' is the political foundation of bilateral ties and "is nonnegotiable".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remarks in response to US President-elect Donald Trump's statement that the policy was up for negotiation and that he was not fully committed to it.

"Everything is under negotiation including One China (policy)," Trump was quoted as saying in a Friday interview with the Wall Street Journal.

It must be pointed out that there is but one China in the world, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Lu said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China, "which is an internationally recognized fact and no one can change it", he stressed.

"We urge the relevant party in the United States to realize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and abide by commitments made by previous US governments to the one China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques," he said.

Lu urged the US side to properly deal with the Taiwan issue so as to avoid undermining the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties and cooperation in major areas.

--IANS

ahm/vd
Vice President calls for balanced approach between the creation of clinical health infrastructure and the demands of public health

New Delhi, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 NI Wire

null

M. Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India has called for a balanced approach between the creation of clinical health infrastructure and the demands of public health when evaluating the overall needs of the country's health requirements. He was speaking at the 4th Convocation Ceremony of Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi here today. Shri Anil Baijal, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, Delhi, Shri Satyendar Jain, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Delhi, Dr. M.M. Kutty, Chief Secretary, Government of Delhi and Shri Chandrakar Bharti, Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Government of Delhi, were also present on the occasion.

The Vice President said that although India is experiencing a rapid health transition, the countrys disease burden remains extraordinarily high. We are confronted both by an unfinished agenda of infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies and unsafe pregnancies as well as the challenge of escalating epidemics of non-communicable diseases, he added.

Underlining the need for a comprehensive Act that covers the various aspects of healthcare rights, delivery and related matters, the Vice President said that excessive focus on curative medical care detracts attention from the much more cost-effective and efficient option of preventive public health investments that can stem the spread of infectious diseases and improve nutritional outcomes in the country.

Pointing out that our public expenditure on health, particularly public health continues to be low, the Vice President called for an increase in financial commitment, both by the Centre and the States, towards public health concerns in order to make the 1978 Alma Ata declaration of Health for All a reality.

Following is the text of Vice Presidents address on the occasion:

I am happy to be here at the Institute for Liver and Biliary Sciences set up by the Government of Delhi as an autonomous, super-specialty, medical and research institute with the objective of providing a high class facility for diagnosis and treatment in the field of Liver and Biliary Diseases, including a Centre for Advance Dedicated Research.

Convocations are occasions to honour intellectual achievement and celebrate life in the academic world. They mark the graduation of students from a temple of learning to the realities and challenges of life outside it. It is nevertheless important to remember that pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong process and does not end with the acquisition of a degree.

In recent years healthcare in India has been in public focus with particular emphasis on referral hospitals. In 2014, the government announced that it would set up 10 more institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across the country. Similar announcements are also made by state governments.

When evaluating the overall needs of the countrys health requirements, a balanced approach between the creation of clinical health infrastructure and the demands of public health have to be considered.

Following points may be of interest to this audience;

 An internal study of the AIIMS trauma centre in New Delhi found that failure to provide nutrition and hospice facilities led to the death of nearly 50% of patients with head injuries discharged from the hospital.

 There is a growing body of research that shows how eradicating open defecation and improving sanitation can improve health outcomes greatly, especially among children. Not only does improved sanitation bring immediate returns in terms of reduced incidence of illnesses such as diarrhoea, it also leads to long-term gains such as reduced stunting and better cognitive abilities among children.

 It has been estimated that costs due to poor sanitation facilities were to the tune of more than 6% of Indias gross domestic product in 2006.

 The western approach of avoiding diseases, death and disability, traditionally focused on personal hygiene and public sanitation during the 19th Century. This approach, combined with better food availability, paid rich dividend in the developed countries in reducing morbidity and mortality.

 A joint Stanford Medical School and Harvard University study shows that the provision of safe water and better sewage facilities reduced infant mortality significantly in the greater Boston area between 1880 and 1915. It underlines the importance of providing proper sewage facilities in a rapidly urbanizing Third World.

 Absence of universal health coverage and limited social health coverage has led to a high burden of Out-Of-Pocket (OOP) expenditure in India. OOP contributes approximately 86% of private expenditure and 60% of overall healthcare expenditure in our country.

I highlight these points to illustrate that although India is experiencing a rapid health transition, the countrys disease burden remains extraordinarily high. We are confronted both by an unfinished agenda of infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies and unsafe pregnancies as well as the challenge of escalating epidemics of non-communicable diseases. This composite threat to the nations health and development needs a concerted public health response that can ensure efficient delivery of cost-effective interventions for health promotion, disease prevention and affordable diagnostic and therapeutic healthcare.

Public health has been defined as the science dealing with the determinants and defence of health at the population level, while clinical medicine deals with multiple maladies and their remedies at the level of an individual patient. Public health takes into account the social, cultural and economic determinants of health to create systems for efficient health services delivery. It is focused on research, teaching and professional practice to prevent disease and promote health in populations.

The approach to developing a holistic public health policy has to be inter-disciplinary and multi-sectoral, encompassing elements from areas like epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral sciences, health economics, health services management, environmental health, health inequities, human rights, gender, health communication, ethics of healthcare and research. The interventions proposed need to be evidence-based, context-specific and resource- sensitive.

The AIIMS trauma centre experience highlights the importance of acknowledging factors beyond the realm of medical treatments in developing a healthy society. The excessive focus on curative medical care detracts attention from the much more cost-effective and efficient option of preventive public health investments that can stem the spread of infectious diseases and improve nutritional outcomes in the country.

In 2009 the Government took a landmark decision when it decided to introduce the National Health Bill, 2009. It recognized health as a fundamental human right, stating that every citizen has a right to the highest attainable standard of health and well-being. The draft bill provided for the peoples right to health and healthcare; the obligations of the governments and private institutions; core principles, norms and standards on rights and obligations; the institutional structure for implementation and monitoring; and the judicial machinery for ensuring health rights for all. It also included an itemized list of the specific public health obligations of the central and state governments.

The Bill continues to languish after an initial, brief period of enthusiasm.

The question of priorities remains in the realm of debate. Some observers maintain that the diversion of public health resources towards population control and the use of technocratic drug-based interventions to tackle specific diseases were responsible for the lack of adequate investments in public health infrastructure in India. There is some evidence that investing in preventive public health infrastructure may be politically less rewarding in a democracy such as India in comparison to providing private goods such as specialized healthcare. Achievements in preventive public health such as the absence of epidemics are by definition negative in nature, unlike achievements in the provision of specialized curative care.

In a situation where the health needs of the people are dependent largely on the unregulated private sector, where there is gross underinvestment in health, where the rate of decline of either infant or maternal mortality has been slow, where there has been a resurgence in communicable diseases, the belief that a credible public health system is urgently required is getting increasing recognition. A comprehensive Act that covers the various aspects of healthcare rights, delivery and related matters is a pressing need.

Our public expenditure on health, particularly public health continues to be low. What is required is an increase in financial commitment both by the Centre and the States towards public health concerns in order to make the 1978 Alma Ata declaration of Health for All a reality.

I compliment the faculty, staff and administrators of this Institute for their dedication and hard work that has made this Institute a renowned centre of research and learning and congratulate the successful students.

Source: PIB

null
Issue of bringing water into concurrent list being discussed with States

New Delhi, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 NI Wire

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has said that centre is discussing the issue of bringing water into concurrent list with States. Inaugurating the Jal Manthan-III in New Delhi today she said her Ministry is also seriously working on new acts for water use and Ganga.

Deliberating on various issues related to water resources management, the Minister said water user associations are not performing up to the mark in some States. She said, We may have to take active help from NGOs to strengthen these associations as active and performing water user associations are very important for the success of AIBP-PMKSY. Underlying the need for peoples participation in Water Resources Management the Minister said there is a need to convert Jal Kranti into Jan Kranti.

Referring to inter-linking of rivers Sushri Bharti said her Ministry is trying its best to convert the funding pattern of Ken-Betwa Phase-I link from 60:40 to 90:10. She said the Ministry is very much hopeful to start the project in the first quarter of this year itself. The Minister said the project will be completed within seven years. The Minister also referred to Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga-Mahanadi-Godawari link and called it as Mother link of inter-linking of rivers in the country. Sushri Bharti said a section of the people in a particular state are opposed to this link and termed it as political. She said the successful completion of this link would be able to solve the drought and flood problems of the states of West-Bengal, Bihar and Odisha to a great extent. Sushri Bharti said the Damanganga-Pinjal link will be able to meet the drinking water needs of Mumbai upto the year 2060. She also referred to Par-Tapi link and said that on completion this link would be able to meet the drinking water needs of rural tribals of the area.

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in his address called for more attention on waste water management. He said a large amount of water is wasted in the country and proper management of the same will result into saving of this precious natural wealth. Shri Vijay Goel, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said that there is urgent need to conserve water for future generations. He said it did not occurre to us that this natural resource which was available in abundance could become scarce in future.

Dr Amarjeet Singh, Secretary in the Ministry referred to the need of common pooling of water resources by farmers. He said we have to fix the accountability of water use to stop its wastage. Shri said there an urgent need to develop a culture to understand the important of water conservation.

The daylong event has been organized by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation with a view to have wider consultations among various stakeholders to brain-storm new ideas for solutions to various issues of water sector.

About 700 participants comprising Irrigation/ Water Resources Ministers of States/UTs, eminent experts in water sector, representatives of NGOs and senior officers of the Central and State Governments had consultations and discussions on Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, River Basin Management, River Rejuvenation and Ecology, Flood management, Water use efficiency and Participatory irrigation management. The focus was on refining policies of the Ministry to make them more people friendly and responsive to the needs of the states.

It may be recalled that the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharati has emphasized the need to hold wider consultations amongst various stakeholders engaged in water resource development and management to achieve synergy of water resource development with environment, wild-life and various social and cultural practices. Jal Manthan programmes are being held to achieve this purpose. The earlier Jal Manthan Programmes held in November, 2014 and February, 2016 were hugely successful.

Source: PIB
This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.
It's been quite a year. And I make no predictions about the one to come. I do know that it will -- at least where we are -- start ou...
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Birame ould Dah ould Abeid, leader of the anti-slavery movement IRA (Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement) has announced his comeback to Mauritania for Sunday January 15 after he conducted an eight-month international campaign to denounce the ongoing phenomenon in the North African country, the last country in the world still practicing the outdated human dominance.

The comeback, analysts say may give rise to tension. Birame idolized by Mauritanias black and underprivileged populations has chosen to return to his country by road, via Senegal through the border town of Rosso, the very place where he was arrested in November 2015 for defying the state.

Analysts believe the decision to pass through the historical town is significant and will throw thousands of sympathizers in the streets therefore predicting confrontation between security forces and supporters.

The activist, decried by the Mauritanian regime, left the country eight months ago on an international tour in Africa and elsewhere to marshal support and to denounce the phenomenon still ongoing in the North African country.

Several members of his movement were arrested in June last year for mounting riot against security forces. A court in capital Nouakchott handed them heavy prison sentences ranging between 3 and 15 years. After an appeal in another court in the second city of the country, Nouadhibou, the ruling was overturned and most of the accused were freed, except three who have been sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Comey. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

During an appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this week, James Comey was asked whether the FBI was investigating Donald Trumps ties to the Russian government.

I would never comment on investigations  whether we have one or not  in an open forum like this, Comey said. So I really cant answer one way or another.

Which led every Democrat in hearing distance to think, Ah, thats right, James. You would never do that. If theres one thing I know about James Comey, its that he never comments on the existence of investigations in open forums. Even kids know that. In fact, I often ask my many small children, Hey, sweet babies, whats the one thing James Comey never does? And they all immediately shout in unison, Comment on da existins of investigasions in open fowums!  BECAUSE MY ENTIRE FAMILY CAUGHT MEMENTO DISEASE IN MID-OCTOBER AND HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF THAT TIME YOU SWUNG AN ELECTION TO AN AUTHORITARIAN INSULT COMIC. 

But Democrats bit their tongues, took several deep breaths, and contented themselves with the thought that Comey would at least open up at a confidential briefing on Russian hacking this Friday.

And then, per the Guardian, this happened:



Embattled FBI director James Comey has refused to clarify whether his organization is investigating Donald Trumps ties to Russia in a closed briefing on Friday for members of Congress, angering legislators who recall his high-profile interjections about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign



 Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat who had pressed Comey during a September hearing about his criteria for acknowledging an investigation, sharply asked Comey if the director was applying a double standard to Trump.



Comey had said in September testimony that his standard was a a need for public to be reassured, [and] when its obvious, its apparent, given our activities, public activities that the investigation is ongoing.



Nadler, according to a different source, then asked Comey in the Friday meeting: Do you believe that standard has been met with reference to the possible investigation of the Trump campaigns possible connections to the Russian government? And if not, why not?



Comey dodged the question, sparking anger among attendees.

The Guardian reports that Comey was asked over and over to clarify his standards for acknowledging the existence of an FBI investigation, and that the FBI director repeatedly refused.

Democrats left the meeting spitting with rage.

I was nonjudgmental until the last 15 minutes. I no longer have that confidence in him, Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz told the Hill.

Im extremely concerned  extremely, Marylands Elijah Cummings told the outlet.

Ill just  Im very angry, added Mark Takano of California.

Georgia congressman John Lewis went several steps further in an interview with NBC News, saying,  I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president  I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

the only legit reason previously offered for Comey's pre-election letter was some deep need to placate his oversight committee  southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) January 13, 2017

maybe comity with the Hill is not his main concern after all  southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) January 13, 2017

Earlier this week, the inspector general of the Justice Department announced an investigation into the FBIs handling of its inquiry into Hillary Clintons private email server  including Comeys infamous, late-October letter about all the irrelevant emails he found on Anthony Weiners laptop.

But one major lesson of that whole fiasco is already clear: Democratic presidents should not nominate Republicans to run the FBI.


Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

This weeks cover story on Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law and soon his senior adviser in the White House, recounted a formative episode in the subjects life: the arrest of his father, Charles, in 2004, on charges of making illegal campaign donations, tax evasion, and witness tampering  the last charge having to do with an elaborate scheme to blackmail a family member with whom he was feuding. (A full recounting of the case can be found here.) In the story, I relate the impression  shared by many in New Jersey politics  that Kushner was targeted because of his high profile as a major donor to Democratic candidates, especially New Jerseys governor at the time, Jim McGreevey. The elder Kushner first became a prominent player in New Jersey politics in 1997, when he backed McGreevey  then a relative unknown  as he made a surprisingly strong challenge to an incumbent Republican governor, Christine Todd Whitman. Four years later, McGreevey won the office, and appointed Charles Kushner to serve as a board member of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Shortly afterward, he nominated Kushner to serve as the bistate agencys chairman. But Kushners relationship to the governor soon attracted the attention of newspapers, political opponents in the state legislature, and the United States Attorney for New Jersey at the time, Chris Christie. The worst thing in the world is a prosecutor with political ambitions, Richard Codey, a state senator and former governor who is close with Kushner told me. In the article, I write that to many seasoned practitioners of politics in New Jersey, Kushners flaw was his craving for a public role.

This morning, Governor McGreevey, who ultimately resigned shortly after Kushners arrest, wrote the editor of this magazine, Adam Moss, to say that the article did not accurately reflect the Charlie Kushner he knows, for whom he still expresses great affection. His message is reprinted in full below:

Dear Mr. Moss,



Thank you for the opportunity to correct a potential misperception.



As governor, I had three times beseeched Mr. Charles Kushner to join the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Mr. Kushners intellect, drive, and get it done skills would be invaluable in addressing the tragedy [at the] 9/11 site. At no time did Mr. Kushner ever seek service on the Port. Eventually, prevailing upon Mr. Kushners sense of civic duty, Charles acquiesced and he joined the Board.



While at the Port for a limited duration, Charles Kushners clarity of thinking, appreciation for the complexity of the challenge, and willingness to design a potential mechanism to resolve negotiations ensured that our region will be indebted for his reluctant appointment and all-too-welcome contribution.



Best,

Jim McGreevey
The five Volkswagen executives who were criminally charged in the USA for their role in the Dieselgate scandal have been advised not to travel to the USA because they are liable to arrest there: they've also been told that leaving Germany is risky because they might be arrested and extradited to the USA.



One VW exec, Oliver Schmidt, was arrested at Miami airport while transiting through the USA after a holiday in Cuba. Five other VW execs face charges.

Other execs who have not yet been charged have been advised to stay away from the USA, in case charges are pending.



Given the risk of extradition from a third country, a reluctance to let senior managers leave Germany at all could pose considerable difficulties for Europe's biggest carmaker, which employs more than 600,000 people worldwide and sells 88 percent of its vehicles outside its home country. Only one board member traveled to this week's auto show in Detroit: VW passenger car brand chief Herbert Diess, who joined Volkswagen in July 2015, just two-and-a-half months before the VW's decade-long deception of U.S. authorities became public. A senior manager at the VW brand who asked not to be named called Diess's decision to travel to Detroit "bold" and said his peers had been given guidance not to leave Germany as the risk of impending U.S. charges rose  although he would not go so far as to call it a "travel warning".



Senior VW managers warned not to travel to U.S.: sources [Edward Taylor, Georgina Prodhan and Zachary Fagenson/Reuters]

(via Super Punch)
Parishioners enter the historic 16th Street Baptist Church for Sunday services November 2, 2008, in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Barack Obama has now created or expanded more national monuments than any other U.S. president, after setting aside five sites in the second-to-last week of his administration. Three are historic Civil Rightsera spots in the South; the other two sites are actually expansions of existing monuments in California and Oregon.

Two of the honored locations are in Alabama. The first is a section of downtown Birmingham that includes the 16th Street Baptist Church, which the KKK bombed in 1963, and the A.G. Gaston Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. organized protests in the same year, reports the Associated Press. The Greyhound Bus Station in Anniston, Alabama, where civil-rights activists were attacked in 1961, is now part of the Freedom Riders National Monument. Beaufort, South Carolina, is home to the third new monument, a postbellum church for freed slaves now called the Reconstruction Era National Monument. It is the first such national monument commemorating that period in Americas history.

Residents of California Coastal Monument. Photo: Bureau of Land Management

Obama also expanded the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, originally designated by Bill Clinton, by protecting 48,000 additional acres in Oregon and part of Northern California. The president affixed six new sites along, and on small islands off, the Pacific Coast as part of the California Coastal Monument, which builds on an additional monument Obama designated in 2014.

The president has added a record-breaking number of acres  more than 550 million, including at sea  to Americas national monuments. But his actions are also a broader part of Obamas larger presidential legacy. His monuments  like Stonewall Inn in New York City  honor moments of social struggle in American history. I have sought to build a more inclusive National Park System, Obama said in a statement about the new monuments, and ensure that our national parks, monuments and public lands are fully reflective of our nations diverse history and culture.

Obama, however, has angered Republicans by his many monument designations, mostly for setting aside huge swaths of land in the West, which makes drilling, farming, logging, and most other commercial activity either very, very limited or prohibited. Protecting America  both its natural treasures and historic sites  had previously been a pretty bipartisan endeavor. Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act of 1906, which gives presidents the monument-making power; George W. Bush set aside the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean and World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, which includes the U.S.S. Arizona in Pearl Harbor. (George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon, all Republicans, are the only three presidents who never designated monuments.) But under Obama, this executive power became something of a sticking point for the GOP: The 2016 Republican platform included provisions to essentially curb the Antiquities Act and require congressional approval for all new national monuments, and to transfer some public lands back to states.

Future President Trump, not surprisingly, has criticized Obama on this issue. He used Obamas designation of a monument in Maine as a rallying point at a campaign stop there. He reportedly said recently he was open to repealing Bears Ears National Monument, a site in Utah that Obama carved out in December. And if that happens, add it to the list of Trumpian precedents: No president has ever repealed a national monument established by a previous administration. Which also makes this a bit of a legal gray area. Some argue what is created by executive action can be undone by one. In 1938, U.S. Attorney General Homer Cummings, a Democrat, wrote an opinion that said presidents couldnt use an executive order to remove a monument designation, but as the San Jose Mercury News points out, the issue has never reached the courts. It might, then, take an act of Congress. At least for now, the votes are probably there, meaning one of Americas greatest domestic achievements  its preservation and protection of its natural resources  could also be trampled under Trump. That, or just get ready for the Big, Beautiful Border Wall National Monument.
Most people keep  or kept, anyway  their embarrassing collections of titillating magazines under a mattress, or hidden in a sock drawer. Not Donald Trump. The president-elect was photographed Friday sitting at his desk in Trump Tower during a meeting with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. The desk is a complete mess, but not big enough a mess to hide his stack of Time Person of the Year magazines with his own face on the cover.

Trump literally has an entire stack of Time Person of the Year Trump magazines on his desk (h/t to @ShaneGoldmacher for noticing). pic.twitter.com/LbdQd1C14T  Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) January 13, 2017

Imagine how many more hes got at home.
Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Former Miss Hungary Kata Sarka told talk-show host Kasza Tibor, whose show looks similar in format to Carpool Karaoke, that Donald Trump hit on her at a pageant after-party in 2013. This was on one of Trumps trips to Russia during which he may or may not have paid sex workers to urinate on a bed where President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had once slept, according to an unverified dossier that was recently leaked.

We were in Russia, at the final [sic] for the Miss Universe [pageant] and then a man approached me and grabbed my hand, drew me to himself, and asked Who are you? He asked in English and I was so embarrassed, I will tell you shortly who he is, I was so embarrassed that I couldnt say anything else but Hungary!

Sarka added, And then he said, And why are you here?And he gave me his business card with his private number and told me in which hotel and which room he is staying in. And his name is Donald Trump. Apparently, Sarka provided a Hungarian tabloid named Blikk with a photo of the American Psychostyle business card, but she never followed up on the offer.

Hes not my type, she told the tabloid.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Animal-rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has purchased one share of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in the hopes of pressuring the brand to stop using exotic skin in its products. PETA circulated a video last December showing the mistreatment of crocodiles on a farm allegedly used to supply fashion brands with leather for high-end goods.

PETA made the following statement:

In the wake of a PETA expose revealing that reptiles on crocodile farms in Vietnam  including two that have supplied skins to a tannery owned by Louis Vuittons parent company, LVMH  are confined to tiny pits and sometimes hacked into while theyre still alive and thrashing, PETA has become a shareholder of LVMH on the Euronext Paris to put pressure on the company to stop selling exotic skins merchandise.

PETA president Ingrid Newkirk added:

Every PETA expose of the exotic-skins industry has found sensitive living beings crammed into filthy pits, hacked apart and left to die  From demonstrating on the street to speaking up in the boardroom, PETA will push LVMH to stop selling any bag, watchband or shoe made from a reptiles skin.

A spokesperson for LVMH stated:

Since 2014, the LVMH group and its suppliers definitively ceased working with the farms mentioned by PETA. The practices referred to by PETA are totally contrary to the principles and rules of the LVMH group. PETA was informed of all these elements prior to diffusing its video.

PETA has previously snagged shares of Hermes and Prada in similar attempts to confront the brands to change their animal-skinning ways. Last May, a French PETA spokesperson named Isabelle Goetz confronted Hermes CEO Axel Dumas over the companys use of exotic crocodile and alligator skins for its bags. PETA also hopes to pressure Prada to help the company pull its head out of the sand and end the sale of cruelly produced ostrich-skin purses.
Damn OP you beat me



Also it goes without saying that Trump is out of his damn mind but Trump is out of his damn mind trying to come for John Lewis and on MLK weekend at that

Reply

Thread

Link

What happened with Trump and Lewis.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

After the intel briefing yesterday Lewis said Trump was illegitimate and he's not going to the inauguration. Trump tweets that Lewis is all talk and has a failing district



More Dems are pulling out of inauguration since this flare up

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I saw CNN report on Trump's "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results" line with video from the Selma march playing in the background lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

goes to prove that none of his people can control him at all. terrrible. glad john lewis spoke the truth tho - more people need to get real. if i hear any more ~lets give him a chance~ bs i might die. 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Mte! I can't wrap my head around that! The man is unbelievable.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

IFKR

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The audacity of that overripe Cheeto to attack Lewis (and the racist undertones didn't surprise me) on MLK weekend, I wish I could say it can't get lower than that but Trumputin will manage it somehow



Edited at 2017-01-14 07:24 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The person that runs the City of Biloxi Twitter must be so thankful for Trump's bullshit.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I can't believe the audacity of that fucker. I've said this a lot thinking it would put a dent in his run with all the shit he has said and done, but that clearly got him a victory.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He should say that to his own reflection.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





I hope everyone had a safe holiday. I spent some of the break playing with my cats. pic.twitter.com/ETJg4uO5Go  John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) January 4, 2016

To add to the John Lewis love, I just saw this...

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

that has been a fucking MESS

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Dumb decision in the first place.



This is a war. The lines have been drawn. You're either with the fascists or you're against them.

Reply

Thread

Link

YES it is but mainstream media will continue to minimize it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You still think that when Trump throws the press corps out of the White House? Cause that's what he wants to do. It might be the kick in the ass they need to start acting like journalists and not shills.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

say it!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Say it again for the people in the back!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

A little louder now

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this is a nice apology. she should perform at the women's march instead!

Reply

Thread

Link

IA but u know she wont

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I understand her line of thinking from before... But I'm surprised that it was just the LGBT angle that swayed her mind. Like... Women's rights? Racial civil rights? This clearly isn't a conservative vs. liberal thing. It's a he's-incompetent-,insecure-,and-unpredic table thing.

Reply

Thread

Link

She's a sellout and only cares about her money. We must push against people trying to normalize what is happening

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I wish she had said instead that she recognized how bad of a leader he will be for everyone, because it almost pins it on the LGBT community--like, we're the ones who held a gun to her head to change her mind (from a conservative's perspective).

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

She doesn't want to alienate her fanbase. That's all this is about.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yes, that was odd. To only mention the LGBTQ community and not the dozen other groups that that bitch has targeted in the past two years is insane.



I don't trust ha and it's telling that she even considered accepting his offer.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Does he not affect you as a black woman?

Reply

Thread

Link

my first thought

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ok?! like wtf...

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

For real!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

OMFG THIS!!!! Seriously. The fuck???????

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

for real, tha fuck. What about your own community?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Came in here just to say this. Like sis what even??

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I wondered that too. Idk. Maybe she only thought about the hour of performing in general.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yeah, surprised me as well that she didn't say anything about that.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

those tweets were disgusting "all talk no action" while you were dodging the draft you piece of shit

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Someone should really smack the taste out of his mouth the for that foolishness.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

excuse you, he had debilitating bone spurs! he can't remember which foot it was, but he totally had it! 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I agree. Generally celebrities take the "Sorry if I offended you" route. This was well thought out.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Stop bullying Trump, Zoe Saldana tells Hollywood https://t.co/HC2gHbMn38  AFP news agency (@AFP) January 14, 2017





On another note, Zoe Saldana would like you to stop bullying Trump. On another note, Zoe Saldana would like you to stop bullying Trump.

Reply

Thread

Link

no la conozco

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

she sucks.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

God, why is she this way?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

stupid per usual

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

fucking dumbass

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

god i hate that she gets so much franchise work. we'll never get rid of her.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

 but he's the one whose tiny hands can't stop typing mean things about people



Edited at 2017-01-14 06:50 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

She is so pathetic.



Edited at 2017-01-14 06:51 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i actually had to curse reading this. this stupid ass heifer

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Zoe saying dumb shit?



I'm stunned.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

"I just say he's now elected and we as a country need to support whoever's the president because that's what the country's based on. However that happened, he's there, and let's go," Kidman said.





So you're just going to ignore the fact that Russia manipulated the public and Putin might have a Trump golden shower video?







Edited at 2017-01-14 06:53 pm (UTC) So you're just going to ignore the fact that Russia manipulated the public and Putin might have a Trump golden shower video?

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Every time she opens her mouth. Every single time!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

We were trying to single out a man for all these things he was doing wrong... and that created empathy in a big group of people in America that felt bad for him





the new "they voted for him for economical reasons"

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link





My gut reaction when Zoe walked out suggests that I still haven't moved on from Nina. I need to talk to my therapist.  Jessica R. Williams (@msjwilly) January 9, 2017

Reminded me of Jessica's tweet during the Golden Globes. Zoe stays saying and doing dumb shit.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Annoying dumbass

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Damn, welp washing my hands of ever supporting anything this pendeja ever does again.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

oh for fuck's sake. i'm so tired of her antics.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Quien es ella?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

she's so fucking stupid omg

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Leave it to Zoe to show her ass 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Thanks for another reminder of why I don't like her.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

What a dumb bitch

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

she has to be like, trying to be a fucking flop in every way. it's borderline impressive lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

what is wrong with these self-hating women?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The only thing that's surprising about this is how unwittingly ironic she manages to be.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Asco, quierete a ti misma chama.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

okay, zoe. since you said so 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

What a fucking shithead

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

nnnnnnnnnnn SHE IS SO DUMB

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this fucking moron...she's a complete embarrassment

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

She always picks the whites. I can't stand her

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I want to like her because of Star Trek, but ugggghhhhhhhh

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

she has the worst opinions, this isn't surprising

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Esta pendeja, latina , de raza negra y diciendo estas pendejadas, que se joda.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Delete ha.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Not even surprised. Good to know and see that she remains trash to dis day after all dat Nina Simone biopic mess! everyone on earth better drag ha

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Fuck me.





Nope that's it, I quiet, I can't. I can't deal with this stupid self-hating cunt. Not today. Not this week.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

she needs to fuck off

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

of course she said this

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

my god she is so fucking stupid

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this self-hating hoe can go fuck herself

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Um. Fuck you, Zoe.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

stfu

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ESTA ESTUPIDA SIEMPRE ENCUENTRA UNA MANERA DE BAJAR UN NIVEL MAS. Thats why as much as I will like a dominican to make it big I cant support her coonery

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I can't.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

are we finally allowed to admit her Uhura sucked? because. she sucked.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Paul Anka pulled out, too, apparently

Reply

Thread

Link

Yeah but he said it wasn't out of protest and he's been friends with Trump for 50 years. he has a custody hearing or something

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

fucking lol that excuse

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao a custody hearing? ok

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lool

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

She honestly just should have said nothing bc that statement is truly horrendous.

Reply

Thread

Link

I've never seen someone so thoroughly humble brag.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

wtf? how could she be "uneducated" ? She never heard of T***p being a jackass?

Reply

Thread

Link

ikr??? i mean, where has she been this last year?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

RIGHT??? Like even his supporters know that he's a piece of shit (they like that about him, but they still acknowlegde it unlike other matters)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hell, I do my best to avoid the news most of the time and I not only knew, but could give detailed examples of his massive douchebaggery. This lady has NO excuse.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

All these people are about is money. We must hurt them financially, we must shame them until they fall back in line.



Edited at 2017-01-14 06:53 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

I'm just so pissed that Trump supporters voted for a man who said he was going to take the Affordable Care Act away and they were super supportive of that because, "Yeah! Fuck those entitled leaches! Now us real tax payers don't have to pay for their health insurance!" as if people who can't afford healthcare are pieces of shit, and now they're upset because most of them ARE those "entitled leaches" on ACA? I can't find any sympathy at all. Way too screw over everyone else on the ACA by voting for a dude who wanted to destroy. Like, this is who you voted for, this is exactly what you wanted, why are you even complaining.

Reply

Thread

Link

If we have to die from lack of health insurance, at least they'll go too

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This tbh. I've got a coworker who's a trump supporter and relies on the ACA I can't wait to see how this affects him. Its petty but eh.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i feel the exact same way. as soon as he got elected i said that i didn't want to hear his voters complain about him at all, which is unrealistic, but they were acting like he was gonna bring the country back from the communist muslim and turn it in the right direction, or whatever. this is what you wanted. deal with it and don't tell my black ass to give him a chance.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I think the thing is they don't think at all. All they do is hate minorities and liberals and listen to other people who validate their views. They are willfully ignorant. I don't care what happens to them. They screwed themselves & all of us. They can rot.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

What leeches? I have the creme de la creme of the ACA and my shit cost $500 a month. It would be one thing if I went and signed up for Medicaid but nope, I pay for my insurance. I can't even grasp how stupid these people are. And fuck the Republicans who want to dismantle it and throw 20+ million Americans under the bus because they hate Obama that much.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Trump supporters could literally get a tax-free check for $5,000/month for the rest of their lives, but if it's signed by Obama, they'd rather burn it. (And then complain that they should still get the 5 grand despite burning the check every month)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Have you seen that Jimmy Kimmel video where he asks people in the street which they prefer: Obamacare or ACA and all of them said ACA and talked shit about Obamacare but none of them knew it was the same thing? Those are actually a lot of Trump supporters. They just hate anything that has anything to do with Obama even if it will totally screw them over. I am deeply saddened for the people who benefit from (and actually need) Obamacare and didn't vote for Trump but I will get some sort of satisfaction when these Trump idiots realize that they were actually dependent on it this whole time and that through ignorance they actually shot themselves in the foot and I don't want to see a single Trump supporter complain about it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





"You know they're the same goddamned thing...



*crickets*



These fools who voted for this walking yam bag because of their absolute hatred of a black man running the country and wanting to excise everything he touched shooting themselves in the foot is my joy in these dark days. That and it's Thin Mints season. Stockpiling for the apocalypse, motherfuckers. "But it's Obamacare I don't want, the ACA is what they put in place to Fix Obamacare!!!!!""You know they're the same goddamned thing... right ?"*crickets*These fools who voted for this walking yam bag because of their absolute hatred of a black man running the country and wanting to excise everything he touched shooting themselves in the foot is my joy in these dark days. That and it's Thin Mints season. Stockpiling for the apocalypse, motherfuckers.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I think I need to stay off of twitter. There's so many fucking trump supporters on there now. I thought all these idiots stayed on FB.



Reading all this shit with John Lewis and people being dismissive of all he's done. Nevermind this Women Who Voted For Trump hashtag with these idiots acting like they're oppressed. Ugh I fucking hate the world rn.





Reply

Thread

Link

Semi-related, but I remember reading that some women supporters of trump on twitter are fake. There has been evidence showing that women, particularly woc, have had their pictures stolen/photoshopped with make america great again hats

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

not surprising. I mean trump pays for a cheering section at his press conferences.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It's not surprising. I'm sure those twitter accounts are hired Internet Armies. It's a tactic, commonly used on internet where certain firms to employ people pretending to be netizens to sway general public opinion. It's a form of marketing strategy/propaganda. It's used very often in China.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Making fake social media accounts is something 4chan has been doing for a long time. They made plenty back when gamergate was barely relevant.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Incredible that Trump will attack John Lewis, Meryl Streep, news outlets, Obamacare, etc but say very little on Russia or Putin and his base says nothing.



These motherfuckers have had collective amnesia for the last 8 years. 8 years calling the Obama's every name in the book and Trump was the father of the birther movement. Trump could not handle 1% of what Obama faced.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The only way his hardcore supporters will turn their backs on him would be if video was released of Trump kicking a Golden Retriever.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

My representative (Mark DeSaulnier) is one of the people not going. So proud!

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

More need to boycott. All these assholes need stop normalizing this illegitimate president.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I need every Democrat to boycott. Every.single.one.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

that number will definitely grow i think.



trump is such shit, even though that's an insult to actual shit.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Trump has no decency. John Lewis is a hero. I hope more Dems follow suit and boycott.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yesssss so many from my state.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

RT all of these for the people on my friends list who are like "Let's just wait and see how his presidency goes, he might still be a good president."

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I know. His district isn't even crime ridden or poor. Wth

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

His douche-posse Dinesh D'Souza and Piers Morgan are getting roasted for adding their two cents. Did you see Matt Walsh getting his ass roasted yesterday regarding birth control?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It was so great to see Matt Walsh get roasted. What a dumb comment to make.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Did you see him tweet about his hospital visit?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

oh, Dinesh isn't in prison?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Who is that in the gif

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ot but wtf? when she first gets off the couch i thought she was that one woman from brooklyn 99. santiago? but then she closes her mouth and it's like she morphed into a totally different person before my eyes lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link
i really want osp to suffer forever

Reply

Thread

Link

I need more to back out.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





As I predicted, Trump's attack on John Lewis has pushed the number of Dems skipping the inaugural from 2 pre-tweer (including Lewis) to 16.  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) January 14, 2017

Joy Reid said 16!

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Joe needs to skip it :(

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

last I checked it was 11, who else joined?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ok but i'm gonna need more than one day's worth of protest.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I reeeeeally want Elizabeth Warren and Bernie to skip it too.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It shouldn't even be that many, but I'll take what I can get.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link









Trump camp released who his first foreign meeting will be with. Guess who it is? Not Mexico, Canada, or the UK, not our allies...but Russia. cus.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

My governor us boycotting (holla for my state's first female governor.)





i am hoping that the list of democrats who go is so short.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Joe!! Oh gosh I've watched the ceremony honoring him and Obama giving him the medal like three times. His reaction just has me in tears every time. What a class act 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

did you see obama give him the medal of freedom? i cried

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Our country is so fucked with Trump. Hopefully the Senate Intelligence Commitee gets shit done by launching an inquiry.



Edited at 2017-01-14 11:11 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

if only this intel came out a year ago. It would have totally disqualified him as a candidate

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Right but this all came about in I think June or July. So the spy was just starting to collect the info. If Comey can easily talk to the public about Clinton, he could've done the same with Trump. He's being grilled HARD by the house Dems and nothing he's saying helps his case.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It was floating around. The press wouldn't report on it. No one in the government would release it. The press claimed they couldn't verify any of it so they didn't want to release it. McConnell accused Obama of playing partisan politics. The FBI was investigating. Smh

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

And to think this is only the beginning.

Reply

Thread

Link

he makes me ill.



i loved how so many ppl were making fun of the fact that it took almost 20 minutes for drumpf to send out the 2nd tweet. he's so fucking stupid and pathetic and awful.







Edited at 2017-01-14 11:12 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

i hate trump and his cronies with every fiber of my being. sending love to all non-trump-voting americans <3

Reply

Thread

Link

I can proudly say I did not vote for this moron. This dumbass lady voted Michelle Obama and her husband voted for Clinton. What a waste of a fucking vote.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

We need all the love we can get. I wake up every morning with dread and intense worry in my heart.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

love to you back!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

TY

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I have only felt true hatred within my heart one other time in my life and even that didn't come anywhere near as close as it's come with Team Trump.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ty bb



i didnt vote for this idiot

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hillary needs to announce that she's boycotting the inauguration. Fuck the "sore loser" crowd. This is beyond ridiculous.

Reply

Thread

Link

her speech was eloquent in asking people to have hope and faith, and keep fighting. not going would maybe go against that? idk

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

it would look so shitty if she did that, especially after she grilled trump on his non-answer if he would accept the results if she won.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Who cares? She has more than enough reason to not attend at this point.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Why should she go? She doesn't have any government role, she's currently a private citizen, she conceded the morning after the election. The issue with not accepting the results was about the potential for Trump to refuse to accept the electoral college votes when everyone thought he would lose. It has nothing to do with attending an inauguration.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I want her there throwing shade.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I mean on the Trump Scale of Shocking Shit, it isn't that surprising but my jaw dropped when I read about this



Trump is going to tweet us right into a fucking war.

Reply

Thread

Link

god, i am right there with you. it's honestly small potatoes in a lot of ways, but the fucking gall to do this to john lewis, esp on the weekend of mlk, is reprehensible.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

like nothing he does is surprising, but it's all alarming if that makes sense

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'm terrified a major terrorist attack is looming

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

he's gonna tweet something stupid and then we'll get bombed. i hope to god he doesn't start fucking with north korea.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm really concerned about China tbh

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

yup



this is why i'd be mildly less afraid under president pence. at least that serial killer looking guy doesn't tweet

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





Which HIGH-larious, to have three major nuclear super-powers at each others throats, and ramping things up. GREAT! Well about that... http://littlegreenfootballs.com/page/322721_Chinese_State_Media_Tells_Dona wherein Putin and his orange haired puppet are making noise against China, and they're not happy in return.Which HIGH-larious, to have three major nuclear super-powers at each others throats, and ramping things up. GREAT!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

it legitimately is going to happen over twitter. i hope repubs are proud.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Satan come collect your spawn

Reply

Thread

Link





Rep. Kurt Schrader (Oreg.): Im just not a big Trump fan... I respectfully decline to freeze my ass out there in the cold" pic.twitter.com/pxOtzg8rzG  Wilfred Chan (@wilfredchan) January 14, 2017

I fuck with this response heavily

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

screaming

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i love this ahahha

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i really hope my rep boycotts especially because trump pulled this on MLK weekend and we live in memphis.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Have any Republicans announced that they won't attend? Genuinely curious.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

2017: the year of CANCELED

Reply

Thread

Link

He's so disgusting

Reply

Thread

Link





John Lewis, 1965: Head cracked open on Bloody Sunday



Donald Trump, 1965: Plays squash at Fordham after getting Vietnam student deferment pic.twitter.com/dnaUYjxXMI  The Smoking Gun (@tsgnews) January 14, 2017





"All talk, no action."



I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration. pic.twitter.com/z8Q0wA9OPK  Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) January 14, 2017





John Lewis was arrested 45 times, while Donald Trump dodged the draft.



All talk, no action. pic.twitter.com/vNwUDa4Ria  Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) January 14, 2017





Third, John Lewis headed SNCC, the most important direct action civil rights group, over the pivotal years of 1963-1966.  Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) January 14, 2017





Oh and the fact that Trump associates anywhere black people live with poverty, crime and unemployment reaffirms just how fucking racist he is.



By the way, John Lewis represents a majority-black district where 88% of adults have high school diplomas and 41% have college degrees. pic.twitter.com/R17EmvMn8c  Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 14, 2017





But being the great man John Lewis is, of course this was his plan. Getting more Dems to boycott this shitshow of an inauguration is important and seems to be working with more and more within the party announcing they won't go.



I cannot state enough how much I hate Trump. A hate deep within me I didn't even know I had. He's such a vile piece of shit. His entire existence is worthless and will only make the world worse off. That will be his legacy.



Edited at 2017-01-14 11:19 pm (UTC) You know tweets that mention Trump did nothing/everything was handed to him from his father bruise his ego even more.Oh and the fact that Trump associates anywhere black people live with poverty, crime and unemployment reaffirms just how fucking racist he is.But being the great man John Lewis is, of course this was his plan. Getting more Dems to boycott this shitshow of an inauguration is important and seems to be working with more and more within the party announcing they won't go.I cannot state enough how much I hate Trump. A hate deep within me I didn't even know I had. He's such a vile piece of shit. His entire existence is worthless and will only make the world worse off. That will be his legacy.

Reply

Thread

Link

I hate him too, he has literally no redeeming qualities.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

SLAY me with the FACTS

tanx for posting this.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I wish I could upvote this comment. Bring them facts!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

DJT looks like some guy ONTD would woobify lol, i hope now that i've said this i'm proven wrong

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

no they definitely would

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

if ontd existed in 1965 i can think of a couple of people that would make posts about daddy tr*mp

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

If it was some random there would already be gross thirsting.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

he STILL looks ugly af back then

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I was gonna say... he looks like one of those "misunderstood" marvel villains. lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Thank you for posting this!



Eat your words and choke on them, Trump.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this comment is amazing

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'd love for the people who do show up to his inauguration to turn their backs and stand silently like those fucking police did to nyc mayor

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Flawless comment, bb.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Thank you for this

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

My parish is 75% white and 15% have college degrees and I just know that people here would totally believe Trump's comments. But, then again, the parish voted 75% for Trump... I'm sure there's no correlation there -_-

I'm the same way with the hate. I've never hated this much before.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Every time I've brought up to my grandmother that Trumplethinskin is a draft dodger (for the same war her husband- my grandfather- served in twice), she always tries to downplay or dismiss it.



But I have hope that the more times I say it and the more proof I show, the more it sinks in. I can see it in her eyes.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

THIS FUCKHEAD BETTER RETROACTIVELY GET HIS PAWS OFF MY ALMA MATER

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

bless this comment and mte abt drumpf

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

you've been so consistently on point with your informative comments. thank you!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

NEW: Donald Trump expected to visit National African American Museum in observance of Martin Luther King Day, transition sources tell @ABC.  ABC News (@ABC) January 14, 2017





too late too late

Reply

Thread

Link

LOL they shouldn't allow him in

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Unfortunately, the museum has stated that it is not going to get involved in the politics of the election. A local liberal restaurant is holding a ball there and the museum made it clear it was not endorcing the opinions of the restaurant :( so they will def let him in. I visited the museum a few weeks ago. it was amazing. Trump doesn't deserve to see it.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

lmao



as if he actually gives a shit about African American history.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Trump has no business being there and it disgusts me he will be. And let's not forget at his victory rally he openly cheered and said it was great that black people did not vote for him. A man who was the father of the birther movement and other various conspiracy theories cannot handle John Lewis, Meryl Streep, Buzzfeed, CNN, etc. I wish his thin skinned ass would die.



Republicans everywhere who disparaged John Lewis today will tweet some MLK quote on Monday talking about how wonderful he is. So will Trump. Then the irony meter will fucking explode.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He's so transparent

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I hope they boo him

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Bar the doors.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He can fuck off

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LOCK HIS FRAIDULENT ASS OUT THAT PLACE. KEEP HIM AWAY



Edited at 2017-01-14 11:26 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Disgusting

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Ban orange turds from entering. It's the only solution.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ban ha

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LMAO nah. You don't come for John Lewis and then try this bullshit.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

fuck him

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

They should lock the doors and not allow him in.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I hope he just bursts into flames the moment he enters.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I wonder what stupid tweet will originate from this trip :/

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I honestly hope someone says "We closed bitch."

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

his dumb ass cult followers are gonna be like "he's doing more for race relations than obama did in 8 years!"

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

i hope people protest outside when he goes

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Well, there's a laughable expectation for us all.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
- In recent notes weve cited output gains in Libya, stubbornly high Cushing inventories and OPEC skepticism as the key bearish culprits keeping a lid on an otherwise tightening crude market. This week we have another item to add to that list: a flood of imported oil into the US Gulf Coast. Wednesdays EIA report revealed a larger than expected crude oil inventory build of 5m bbls due to a staggering 4m bpd of imports (4yr high) into the US Gulf Coast. Crude oil inventories in PADD III are now higher y/y by 14% as a result of the elevated imports and a spike in floating storage to more than 8m bbls in the Houston area suggests that the PADD III status may temporarily be even more bearish than it appears. Houston area congestion is obviously keeping more barrels in Cushing and pressuring WTI spreads and differentials. However, we ultimately repeat our constructive view of the market and expect the PADD III glut to pass in the coming months with help from large OPEC cuts concentrated towards US customers and record-high US crude exports at +700k bpd driven by generous WTI-Brent arbs.

- We still expect to see crude prices move to a $56-$61 range and noticed several fundamental bright spots this week while WTI essentially moved sideways near $53. Firstly, prompt Brent spreads performed well through Thursday as preliminary estimates from BMI Research suggested that OPEC + non OPEC exporters have been 73% complicit with their combined 1.8m bpd of production cuts. On Thursday Brent m1-m2 reached a 1-month high at 42 cents contango and Brent M17/Z17 offered just 5 cents contango per month which should accelerate the movement of barrels out of storage in 2H17. Secondly, after discussing the aggressive y/y draw downs in ARA gasoil and fuel oil and also Singpore distillates for the last few months, US product stocks have also started to moderate with US gasoline stocks now flat y/y and US distillate stocks at a y/y surplus of just 3% (yes, they are flat y/y at higher levels but this still suggests that the worst of the inventory expansion should be behind us.) PADD II has looked particularly tight for products with distillates in the region now lower y/y by 1.3% while gasoline stocks in the Chicago area are lower y/y by 10%. On the demand side we also saw a positive sign this week as US refiner inputs printed 17.1m bpd for its highest mark ever.

Bears beware- Brent spreads are on the move

Brents prompt 1-month spread moved from a weekly low on Monday at -62 cents to -42 cents on Thursday as optimism increased that key OPEC + non OPEC exporters are complying with production cuts. As we noted earlier BMI Research sees production cuts totaling roughly 1.3m bpd so far in January which in our estimation will lead to moderating supply builds this winter and aggressive draws in the spring. Reuters reported on Thursday that Saudi Arabia has cut production under 10m bpd for the first time since February 2015 and that Iraqs production cut of 170k bpd so far in January was about to be increased to 210k bpd. The same source also sees Russia cutting production by about 150k bpd. We see additional signs of physical market strength in the Dated Brent v. Front Line Brent differential which reallied to -1.00 on Thursday for a 95-cent rally in the last two months and its highest print since September.

(Click to enlarge)



In the US, WTI spreads and WTI-Brent arbs continued to suffer from elevated Cushing stocks despite a jump in exports of US crude to 727k bpd last week and a drop in Cushing stocks of 579k bbls. In spread markets WTI H17/J17 printed -0.87 on Monday for a 50-cent loss in just the last three months. In WTI-Brent arbs the prompt H17 contract managed to stay above its contract lows from last week at -2.32 but failed to sustain a rally to -1.90 on Wednesday and sank to -2.20 by Thursday afternoon. Related: Saudis Cut Even More: Oil Production Falls To 2 Year Low

US crude production continued to surge higher this week with a print of 8.95m bpd- its highest mark in nine months and remarkable rebound of more than 500k from its July low. The US rig count also continued its run higher last week increasing to 529 for a 67% increase since June while hedging from producers climbed via the COT NYMEX WTI producer/merchant gross short from 614k contracts to 652k.

Implied vols mostly flat near 30%

Crude option volatility firmed slightly w/w on Thursday with WIT H17 at-the-money volatility hovering between 29%-31%. The bearish skew of course remained in tact with 25 delta puts pricing at 34% while 25 delta calls implied 29% volatility. 10 Delta wingy calls also continued to trade at a discount to all other strikes in the curve making bullish long-vol plays relatively affordable. The OIV index has traded in a 29%-33% range this week and several of our clients were surpirsed by the lack of movement in volatility as flat price WTI recently sold off from $55 to $51. Realized volatility (20-day measure) headed lower yet again this week and at 26% makes stubbornly low implied vols seem realtively overpriced.

Funds keep bullish foot on the RBOB

Net length in NYMEX WTI and ICE Brent was basically left untouched last week. In NYMEX WTI net length fell from 308k to 304k while in ICE Brent net length increased from 455k to 458k. Net length between the two combined contracts has increased by 62% since September. Gross short positions for both contracts were also basically left alone and currently sit near 12-month lows.

We did see some real re-positioning in refined products, however, as RBOB net length jumped more than 20% w/w to a new 2yr high at 61k contracts. Heating Oil flows were also positive with net length increased by about 16% w/w to 39k contracts. In ETF worls the USO saw net inflows of $6 million last week breaking a streak of five straight weeks of outflows which utlimately totaled $802 million.

Imports drive more large builds in Crude + Gasoline

- US crude stocks added more than 4m bbls w/w as PADD III imports jumped to a four year high above 4m bpd

- Gasoline stocks jumped more than 5m bbls with help from 535k bpd of imports into the eastern US

- Distillate stocks jumped more than 8.4m bbls w/w and have increased by 18m bbls over the last three weeks

- Bulls can take solace in a sharp jump in refiner inputs to an all-time high of 17/1m bpd

US crude stocks jumped 4m bbls w/w putting inventories higher y/y by 7% over the last four weeks. PADD II stocks fell by 648k bbls (+3.8% y/y) while PADD III inventories added 5.8m bbls (+14% y/y) and Cushing stocks fell by 579k bbls to 66.9m. Production made a bearish jump of 176k bpd to 8.95m bpd which is its highest level in the last nine months. Most of this weeks build was due to a sharp jump in imports. Overall imports jumped to 9m bpd and are higher y/y by 6% over the last four weeks. PADD III imports at 4m bpd were their highest level since 2013.

Refiner demand was one of the few bright spots of this weeks report and followed an extremely lackluster December with a jump to an all-time high of 17.1m bpd. Overall imports are higher by 1.2% y/y over the last four weeks and utilization at 93.6% is higher y/y by 0.1%. Crack margins were generally flat this week with the WTI 321 crack near $16/bbl and while gasoil/brent traded $11/bbl. Related: China's Oil Import Dependency Deepens



Gasoline inventories jumped 5m bbls w/w (flat y/y) due mostly to 2m bbl builds in PADDs I and V. PADD IB stocks added 1.7m bbls on continued heavy imports and overall east coast inventories are higher y/y by 7%. PADD II inventories are lower y/y by 10% and PADD III gasoline inventories are flat y/y. Gasoline demand disappointed for a 2nd straight week with domestic consumption at 8.5m bpd (flat y/y) while exports fell slightly to 981k bpd which is higher y/y by more than 105%.

(Click to enlarge)

US distillate inventories suffered their third straight sharp jump- this week for 8.4m bbls. Overall distillate stocks are now higher y/y by 2.7%. PADD IB stocks added 131k bbls and are higher y/y by 5.5%, PADD II inventories are lower y/y by 1.3% following a 1.3m bbl draw and PADD III stocks are higher y/y by 8.7% following a 6.7m bbl build. Domestic distillate demand jumped 406k bpd to 3.2m bpd w/w and is higher by 13% while exports at 1m bpd are lower y/y by 14%.

ARA refined product data showed builds across the board this week. Gasoline inventories added 75k mt and are higher y/y by about 10% making it the only product which looks oversupplied in Northwest Europe. Fuel oil stocks jumped by 83k mt and are lower y/y 43%. In ARAs largest market, gasoil stocks jumped 120k mt but are lower y/y by about 20%. Gasoil spreads seemed unconcerned with the inventory builds though as the H17/J17 spread jumped to -3.50/t.

Further east, Singapores distillate inventories added more than 3m bbls this week which was bearishly compouded by a jump in 1.5m bbls of floating production storage in SE Asia.

By SCS Commodities Corp.

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order on Friday that would lift certain trade and oil-related sanctions against Sudan in six months time, due to Sudans positive actions over the past 6 months in cooperating with the U.S. in tacking terrorism threats and a pledge to stop hostilities in conflict areas in the African country.

The revocation of the sanctions, however, will not take effect for another 180 days, and will occur only if Sudan sustains these positive actions over the next six months, Obama said in a letter to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.

In todays executive order, Obama is revoking in its entirety an earlier executive order from October 2006 by George W. Bush, which says that all transactions by United States persons relating to the petroleum or petrochemical industries in Sudan, including, but not limited to, oilfield services and oil or gas pipelines, are prohibited.

As early as in September of last year, the U.S. Department of State said it welcomed Sudans recent efforts to increase counterterrorism cooperation with the United States. In recent months, Sudan has taken important steps to counter ISIL and other terrorist groups and has sought to prevent their movement into and through Sudan, spokesman John Kirby said back then.



Related: Total Ups Its Stake In Ugandas Oil Development

When South Sudan became independent in 2011, it gained not only sovereignty but control of about three-fourths of Sudans oil production, a devastating blow to Sudans economy. The IMF estimates that Sudan lost roughly 55 percent of its fiscal revenues and about two-thirds of its foreign exchange earnings. Sudans crude oil export revenues were cut from a near $11 billion in 2010 to less than $2 billion in 2012. However, South Sudans landlocked geography forces it to remain dependent on Sudan to transport its oil through Sudans pipelines to the Marsa Bashayer port on the Red Sea.

Sudan, together with South Sudan, is part of the non-OPEC group of oil producers that last month pledged to join the cartels efforts to lift oil prices by cutting output.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Articles 62,63 does not allow PM to disqualify: PM counsel

ISLAMABAD: As the hearing of Panamagate case resumed on Friday, the counsel for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif argued while quoting articles 62 and 63 of the constitution that the evidence presented by petitioners so far did not fulfil the requirements for the disqualification of his client.



During the course of hearing, Makhdoom Ali Khan contending that his client could not be disqualified without declaration of court through appropriate remedy. He cited different cases pertaining to disqualification and argued that, besides appropriate remedy, his client could also not be disqualified within the purview of Article 62.



A five-judge larger bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, is hearing the Panamagate case.



Building his arguments, Makhdoom contended that the top court in its judgement of 2014 had already declared that the terms sadiq and ameen were feast of obscurity.



He particularly focused on the judgement of the top court that came in 2014 over a petition of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ishaq Khan Khakwani.



Khakwani had sought issuance of declaration by the top court, contending that the premier was not an honest person within the purview of Article 62(1)(f) as he had made a statement in parliament in 2014 that was not factually correct.



He had contended that the PM had falsely stated in the Lower House that he had not asked then army chief General (r) Raheel Sharif to act as a mediator and guarantor between the federal government and PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri for ending the political deadlock during the 2014 sit-in.



Citing the judgement issued by a seven-judge larger bench over the matter, Makhdoom argued that the top court in the said ruling had declared Article 62(1)(f) a nightmare. Whether an elected prime minister could be disqualified on such an article, he argued, adding that the current head of the larger bench - Justice Asif Saeed Khosa - had made observations in Khakwani's case.



According to Article 62(1)(f), a person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of parliament unless he is sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law.



Makhdoom said that the National Assembly speaker had rejected the reference against the premier because of absence of court declaration, adding that the top court also had approved the Lahore High Court's order whereby it had maintained the speaker's decision and observed that the decision was in accordance with the law.



He argued that the top court had ruled that the background and contents of the statement both needed to be examined for disqualification of a member.



He contended that the court declaration was required for the disqualification, adding that both disqualification and conviction through court declaration could not be imposed all together. "Disqualification in this situation cannot happen," the counsel said.



He said that nomination papers of General (r) Pervez Musharraf were rejected on the same grounds.



Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan told Makhdoom that a court declaration was present against him in the judgement over a case filed by the Sindh High Court Bar Association.



Justice Asif Saeed Khosa remarked that the court had declared in its ruling that Musharraf had dishonoured his oath.



Meanwhile, Shahid Hamid, the counsel for PM's son-in-law Captain (r) Safdar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, submitted replies on behalf of his clients.



The PM's son-in-law stated that he had been paying taxes from the day he was an army officer, while Dar submitted that the Lahore High Court had quashed all the allegations against him regarding confessional statements.
Mysterious things that unfold with multiple mailings are all the rage, but some are infinitely better than others. Personally, I find those that include a murder with a nice spatter of blood to be among the more interesting. If there's insanity involved, so much the better.

And thus we have The Haunted Dollhouse, a subtle tale of horror which takes place almost a century ago in New Orleans, and which is reliant upon you to do your part: you have to build the house. And there are puzzles to solve, as well, which reveal a narrative of misfortune and murder. What is that enormous bloodstain on the carpet in the parlor?

The pieces come delivered in four packages over the course of a month, each box containing items both small and large. When you've put in your time with a straight edge, X-Acto knife, small scissors, and the imaginatively titled "goo," the end result is a miniature doll house that bears witness to a story of death, madness, and murder which occurred in 1923.

Numerous letters, newspaper articles, postcards, and miniature items (I'm quite fond of the bloody pair of scissors) to decorate said house come within the packages, all of which taken together with the house provide clues to a mystery.

Who killed who? Who's dead? Who's alive? Who's nuts? Your recreation of the crime scene and the many pieces of evidence lead you down a curious path to the truth. When you have gathered sufficient evidence and puzzled it out, an online portfolio is revealed that, like a crystal ball, answers some questions. Some answers evidently must remain with the dead.

The packages are being sent from 1933 by a certain Lady Delaney. Ms. Delaney seems to exist simultaneously in multiple time periods, since she is also making fantastical miniature doodads of all sorts today and selling them on Etsy. The miniatures are exquisite, and some like the Explorer's Desk are highly detailed and chock-a-block with cool stuff.

That's an expensive one, but the Human Bone Museum Display is only $24 some of your guests might find it quite alarming. It's remarkably tiny.

L. Delaney is either a very old yet remarkably well preserved alchemist or the very talented Lauren Delaney George, who currently has a tiny library inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest on display at the National Building Museum here in Washington, DC until January 22.

Ms. George is also the author of the upcoming book All Dolled Up, which she describes as " not the story of a well-behaved paper doll!" Naughty paper dolls? It comes out February 15 and can be ordered in advance.

Back to our central mystery: A new mailing of The Haunted Dollhouse will next begin in February, with packages sent out over the course of that month, and you can pre-order the experience now. You're invited  at a small price. Sending it to a friend who is easily creeped-out but likes DIY projects and puzzles would be fun.

In the meantime, I would hide both the scissors and the matches from mischievous hands. The Haunted Dollhouse has taught me that the scissors can end up embedded in someone's skull, and it's easy to burn down a house.
Obama allowed Cuban migrants who arrived illegally on US soil to stay

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama ended a decades-old policy that allowed Cuban migrants who arrived illegally on US soil to stay.



In one of his final acts before leaving the White House, he scrapped rules allowing those fleeing communist Cuba and reaching American territory a fast track to permanent resident status.



Obama said the move would "bring greater consistency to our immigration policy."



"Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with US law and enforcement priorities," he said in a statement.



The Cuban government welcomed the decision on Thursday, calling it "an important step forward in bilateral relations." Preferential immigration treatment for Cuban immigrants enticed millions to flee the island, fueling economic stasis and a severe "brain drain."



Meanwhile in the United States, the growing Cuban-American population become a potent political, cultural and economic force. There are around 1.8 million Cuban-Americans today, including two Republican 2016 presidential candidates, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.



Cuban issues stand at the forefront of politics in the crucial swing state of Florida, making politicians extremely wary about revoking the policy and lifting economic sanctions against Havana.



But the immigration policy came under pressure as Cuban-American politics have become less strident, with some viewing it as anachronistic and encouraging dangerous sea voyages in makeshift rafts.



Passed in 1966, the Cuban Adjustment Act has offered any citizen of Cuba admission and permanent residence in the United States after spending one year in the country, with no yearly quota on immigrants.



However, then-president Bill Clinton decided in 1995 that Cubans intercepted at sea would be sent home under the policy Obama scrapped today, which became known as "wetfoot/dryfoot."



Today's decision means normal immigration rules will also apply to Cubans arriving at land borders. Obama's rapprochement with Cuba and his historic visit to Havana last year had fueled speculation the policy would be scrapped.



That prompted a spike in the number of migrants attempting the often perilous trip, many fearing normalized relations would bring an end to the special status granted Cuban immigrants at the border.



Geoff Thale of the Washington Office on Latin America, a research and advocacy group, welcomed the change.



The old policy "seemed particularly unfair when children and families fleeing violence in Central America are subject to deportation," he said. "This change 'normalizes' our treatment of Cuban immigrants."



However, Rubio, a senator from Florida, called Obama's decision "absurd."



"It is in fact President Obama's failed Cuba policy, combined with the Castro regime's increased repression, that has led to a rise in Cuban migration since 2014," he said in a statement.



"I am heartened by the fact that in a week we will have a new administration committed to discarding the failed Cuba policy of the last two years," he added.



Obama said the decision was another step toward normal relations.



"By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries."



"The Cuban government has agreed to accept the return of Cuban nationals who have been ordered removed, just as it has been accepting the return of migrants interdicted at sea," he added.



"With this change, we will continue to welcome Cubans as we welcome immigrants from other nations, consistent with our laws." But many Cubans in Panama -- a waypoint on their arduous overland trek to the United States -- reacted with fury. "Obama has screwed all Cubans," Yadiel Cruz, a 33-year-old in a Catholic shelter in Panama City, told AFP on learning the US president had suddenly made it tougher for migrants like him to get into America.
Senate called for legislation to bring state agencies under the ambit of law

ISLAMABAD: The sudden re-emergence of the phenomenon of enforced disappearances prompted a call in the Senate on Friday for legislation to bring state agencies under the ambit of law.



Speaking on a point of public importance, PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said the Senate Committee of the Whole on speedy and inexpensive justice had recently forwarded its recommendations to the government, one of which was related to missing persons and included draft legislation to bring the state agencies under the ambit of the law.



He said it had been decided that if the government did not respond to the draft law then the parliamentary leaders would sign it and get it approved from the house as a private members bill.



Addressing the Senate chairman, he said that since a 60-day period was over, the recommendation of the report on speedy and inexpensive justice be implemented in letter and spirit.



The mysterious disappearance of civil society activists from Islamabad soon after the Senate taking up the issue and the interior ministers assurance that disappearances will not be allowed is a stark message to parliament, the interior minister and the civil society that their protests notwithstanding, citizens will continue to disappear with impunity. In the native parlance the message is hor chupo.



Forcefully raising the issue of continued disappearances in the country, lately in the federal capital also, he said the whisking away of human rights activists and their subsequent release within hours of the Senate debate was a message that must not be lost on the house.



The situation is getting worse by the day. The Supreme Court identified those involved in the disappearance of 28 persons from an internment centre in Malakand, yet nothing happened.



Mutilated bodies of the mysteriously disappeared have been found dumped in Balochistan. Their relatives have refused to register cases in what is clearly growing distrust and alienation from the state and society and the state is not moved.



The senator regretted that not a single perpetrator involved in enforced disappearances had been held accountable.



It is a wake-up call for parliament and the nation to address the issue before it is too late, he said.



Minister of State for Interior Baleeghur Rahman was supposed to inform the house about the status of investigations into the latest incidents of mysterious disappearance of people, but could not make it. Law Minister Zahid Hamid informed the house that the minister of state had some pre-scheduled engagements and he would represent him.



He informed the house that the latest disappearance of a person from the federal capital had not yet been reported to police. He said the interior minister had taken notice of the disappearance and asked the police to obtain details in this regard. Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani pointed out that members of the victims family were talking about the disappearance.



He said Mr Rahman should inform the house on Monday about progress on the issue of five persons who had become victims of enforced disappearance during the past 12 days.



Parliament appears to be deaf to the threats from these individual groups or government functionaries, the chairman remarked.



During the question hour, the Senate was informed that cases of 15 non-government organisations (NGOs) receiving foreign funding were under process for registration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.



The law minister, on behalf of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, said the documents of the local NGOs receiving foreign contributions had been circulated among stakeholders for their comments.
Trump administration to offer incentives to Pakistan: Designate US defence secretary

WASHINGTON: US defence secretary-designate James Mattis has said that the Trump administration would offer incentives to Pakistan to cooperate with the United States on critical issues.



At his confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Thursday afternoon, Mr Mattis underlined the need to stay engaged with Pakistan while asking it to do more to eradicate terrorism from the region.



If confirmed, I will work with the State Department and the Congress to incentivise Pakistans cooperation on issues critical to our national interests and the regions security, with focus on Pakistans need to expel or neutralise externally-focused militant groups that operate within its borders, Mr Mattis told the committee while responding to a question.



Mr Mattis, a general who retired from the US Marine Corps in 2013, has long experience of dealing with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, first as a combat officer and then as commander of the US Central Command.



He was known in the armed forces as Mad Dog Mattis for his aggressive style but was widely respected as a courageous officer.



The generals comments on Pakistan indicate that the incoming Trump administration will continue with the existing US policy towards the country.



Mr Mattis complimented Pakistan for its action against terror groups in the country, but said that he would push for more effective targeting of groups that were aimed at neighbouring countries.



As often expressed by the Obama administration officials, the incoming defence secretary also complained that some Afghan Taliban groups were still allegedly using Pakistans tribal areas for stirring troubles in Afghanistan.



Sanctuaries and freedom of movement for the Afghan Taliban and associated militant networks inside Pakistani territory is a key operational issue faced by the Afghan security forces, he pointed out.



Mr Mattis said that if confirmed, he would examine efforts to deny sanctuary to the extremist forces undermining the stability and security of Afghanistan.



He noted that the US and Pakistani militaries had a long relationship, which needed to be rebuilt.



Our relationship with Pakistan, including our military-to-military relationship, has had highs and lows. We have long faced a lack of trust within the Pakistani military and government about our goals in the region. If confirmed, I will work to build the trust that we need for an effective partnership, he told the Senate Committee. The United States has conducted military exercises with Pakistan in an effort to increase thrust and interoperability, he added.



Mr Mattis said that Pakistan had learned some hard lessons from its dealings with the Taliban, as this caused widespread violence inside the country as well. I believe they should do more to collaborate with their neighbour. We should urge Pakistan to take further actions against the Taliban and the Haqqani network, he added.



Arguing that countries in the region have the responsibility to support the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, Mr Mattis said that the neighbouring states should increase pressure on the Afghan Taliban and associated militant networks to stop their campaigns of violence.



He praised Pakistans efforts to battle internally-focused militants. In a sign of its commitment, its military has suffered significant casualties in this counterinsurgency effort, he said, and offered to help Pakistan in defeating these militants.



Mr Mattis said he would not use phrases such as rebalance or pivot while talking about its relations with China as these implied that it was turning away from its commitments elsewhere.



But Chinas behaviour has led countries in the region to look for stronger US leadership. If confirmed, I will examine ways to strengthen our allies and partners, while taking a careful look at our own military capabilities in the region, he said.



Mr Mattis pledged to continue with the Obama administrations policy of enhancing a long-term strategic relationship with India, based on the convergence of mutual interests and shared democratic values.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The United States government will continue to partner the Government of Ghana and other institutions such as parliament, to ensure the needed development of the country, Robert P. Jackson, the US Ambassador to Ghana, has said.



According to him, each year the United States allocates an amount of US$250 million to the West African country to support it in the areas of energy, health, education, and good governance.



Speaking during a visit to Ghanas parliament on Friday January 13, Mr Jackson said: Working with the parliament and new government, I may be able to accomplish some of the things during my tenure as the US Ambassador to Ghana.



Each year, the US provides 250 million US dollars worth of assistance to Ghana specifically in energy, health, education, governance, and agriculture and we are working very well on security issues  terrorism and keeping peace around the world. So, we see our partnership (with Ghana) as strong.



I will particularly expect to work with you and to see that governing issues are addressed, such as passing the Right to Information law, such as ensuring that members of parliament can introduce legislation, and such as ensuring that the Public Accounts Committee operates the fulsome way to ensure that the public treasuries are well spent.



I think that parliament has every right to ask how the investments from donors, including the United States, are having an impact. So, I hope that we can work together.



He added: I believe we can all learn from one another, the United States has a long history with democracy but ours is not perfect, and, so, I hope that as we interact and exchange ideas, we can both learn from one another.

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.

Featured Video
President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim on Friday, January 13, 2017 paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Vice President, Dr. Mahammud Bawumia at the Flagstaff House.



During her meeting with the President Nana Akufo-Addo, Her Excellency noted that her country seeks to improve a bilateral trade relationship with Ghana.



She further added that her country wants to help boost Ghana's economy in the areas of job creation in order to curb the umployment rate in the nation.



Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo addressing the Mauritius President also touted Ghana's long-standing relationship with the country and promised to continue mutual trade union between Ghana and Mauritius.



Also speaking at the Flagstaff House, Dr. Bawumia stated the country's interest to partner with Mauritius and other countries to revamp the industrial sector of Ghana's economy.



Watch pictures below:

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
ARGYLE  Before moving to Beka-Hossere, Cameroon, Africa, Renee St. Jacques young life was imprinted with the magic and simplicity of North Country rural living. Her life followed the natural seasons. And the scent of a wood fire in winter, tapping maple syrup in early spring, swimming in still-cold summer lakes and drifting into autumns crimsoned whimsy were all part of the life she knew.

Engulfed in pastoral visions ringed by West Mountain and the Adirondacks at her parents 57-acre Washington County farm, Spring Meadow, she learned about animals like sheep, dogs, chickens, ducks, goats, calves and horses.

I had my first dog the first year I was born, she said.

She traveled with her mother, Debra St. Jacques, to dog shows and agility dog trials and to 4-H events and county fairs with her father, Mark St. Jacques. There are so many things I like about home, she said.

In time, she ventured from that idyllic setting, toward advanced studies, a Master of Science degree from SUNY Plattsburgh, an apartment and a job at Glens Falls National Bank.

But life questions lingered and pushed forth, still nubile shoots.

I felt like I didnt have experiences and knowledge. Why do we do what we do for our culture? Everybody says dont take what we have for granted, but Im not sure I understood that, said St. Jacques, 28, from her parents Argyle home on Wednesday, having just returned from two years in Africa. I decided I needed another cultural experience. I joined the Peace Corps. I thought, two years out of my life is not a lot to give. And now I feel I have more knowledge to give back  now I know why we should value what we have.

St. Jacques added, laughing, I love hot showers now.

Finding home

Once her journey began, it would have been hard to turn back.

Her migration started with a 25- to 30-hour flight into Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon; then an overnight train to Ngaoundere, the capital of the Adamawa region; then a 10- to 15-minute motorcycle taxi ride to Beka-Hossere and her small home with no running water, a water bucket commode, non-potable water, water bucket showers and sporadic electricity. I got used to a lot of things, she said.

Cameroon is located in the western part of the Central African Region and St. Jacques said even though they hold elections, the same man has been in power for over three decades. Because of this, most everyone who lives in Beka-Hossere has a cest la vie (thats life) attitude.

A lot would say that, St. Jacques said. Especially under a dictatorship, you cant get angry or sad, it will overpower you.

Beka-Hossere is half Muslim and half Christian. Each morning, at 5:30 a.m., the village awakens to the Adhan, the lyrical chants of the Muslim call to prayer. Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. La ilaha ill-Allah.

The different religions get along wonderfully. My neighbors were Muslim and they were so sad that bad things were being done in the name of Islam, she said. There are so many stereotypes about Africans that are not true. They are wonderful family people.

Her neighbors, who she grew to love, were Muslim and part of the African Fulbe Tribe. The father, Bakari, sold bolts of cotton fabrics to people in the bush, so he was always traveling. And the mother, Sarayatou, would invite St. Jacques over for a dinner of couscous. And she most often spent special holidays like the Fete du Mouton with the family.

Bakari and Sarayatous eight children  Zakiatou, Haoua, Hamido, Mamet, Dada, Rougaya, Fatimatu and Oumaul Hari  would often sit with St. Jacques, chanting the different verses of the Quran.

Theyd also play Go Fish on her porch, watch Disney movies in French on her computer, play dress-up with the old cowboy hats she brought to her new home and color in coloring books in her living room for hours and hours.

A perfect moment was sitting on my porch, watching the sunset while the children colored next to Annie kitty (her Cameroonian cat) and I read my book, she said.

Still, there are darker sides to this foreign landscape. St. Jacques doesnt talk about those much, with the exception of the babies who get left for dead and Sister Carines ASEED orphanage. Sister Carine is trying to raise money to build an official home for the children she cares for when parents are no longer financially able, the babies are infected with HIV or they have no parents.

A lot of children are born and abandoned; some mothers put them under a taxi to be killed, she said, adding that the mothers do not want to abandon their babies, but if they are born out of wedlock it would be very bad.

Soybean Seed Project

The roots of St. Jacques Soy Seed Project were planted before she ever arrived in the Adamawa region of Cameroon. And even though the Peace Corps gave her the option to start her own new project, she decided to continue something she believed was important to the people of the region.

Perhaps picking the tougher road, St. Jacques, who was an agri-business adviser for the Peace Corps, hit some bumps at the start. The Cameroonian volunteer work partners she needed to help her implement the project, she discovered, were upset because they thought they were getting paid for the work they had already completed. Not to mention, the male work partners would be led by a woman, a problem in this male-dominated society where women did not have such roles.

I decided to pick a few motivated volunteers and I kept telling them about the Washington County Fair and about community work. I just kept telling them stories, she said, adding that the work partners had paid government jobs and this was a volunteer assignment to help their community. They finally felt a sense of purpose and understood about volunteering.

She decided to focus on a smaller number of farmers to give them more individual attention, she said. So they picked 15 farmers a year. Its not the amount of people you teach, she said. Rather, try to do a few things really well.

St. Jacques shared the planting information with her work partners and the local volunteers taught the farmers. She thought the information should come from someone in their own community. It is about creating change without changing their culture, she said.

And even when the farmers called her office, she referred them to the local work partners.

I did the background work; Id rather be that leader that no one knows is the leader, she said. When I left Cameroon, I wanted them to miss me as a friend but not my work, because it has to continue without me.

With the help of a food security grant, they were able to give the farmers 10 kg of seeds to plant a little over half an acre in soy. We visited their fields to see how they were doing, she said, adding that they also taught the families how to make tofu and soy milk. The couscous they eat makes you full, but it is not nutritious. The soy solved the problem.

According to the National Soybean Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, soybeans can produce at least twice as much protein per acre than any other major vegetable or grain crop, five to 10 times more protein per acre than land set aside for grazing animals to make milk, and up to 15 times more protein per acre than land set aside for meat production. And farm experts estimate that soybeans yield about 50 to 70 bushels an acre. Thats 60 pounds of soybeans or 40 pounds of soybean flour per bushel.

Just as she had hoped, the seeds soon broke through the soil, first small sprouts and then lush green plants.

Once the crops were harvested, the farmers gave seeds back to the project. From the 10 kg of soy seeds we gave them, they certainly produced 10 kg of soybeans to give back to the project and much, much more, St. Jacques said. The next year we were able to give seeds to another set of farmers. That way, the project was sustainable.

St. Jacques shares a farmers story.

There was a farmer that I visited  it took a couple hours to motorcycle out to his house in the bush  who grew soy and was really good at crop rotation. He had three wives and over 30 children who got malaria all the time because they didnt use mosquito nets, she said. He was such a smart, good farmer, but didnt know how to keep his family healthy. So we gave him nets and coloring books, she said.

What was really progressive was his biogas fuel set-up. He puts cow manure in a cement pit and it creates gas that goes through a pipe to one of his houses where he has a small gas stove. So sometimes if he wants to save on firewood, he can use the gas.

Friends, food and filling the days

There are lots of superstitions in Beka-Hossere. And most everyone believed that a visit from a green frog foretold a pregnancy. So when a green frog hopped into her life, everyone was making predictions that did not come to fruition, St. Jacques said.

There were bars that sold liter-sized beer and food that had to be prepared by a Muslim chef for the Muslim residents. There were small boutiques that sold things like flour and staples and along with Peace Corps post mate, Carl Taylor, they learned how to bake pizza, pies and other goodies in a dutch oven. Carl was very good at it, she said.

Together, they would go to weddings and other events and because she was escorted by a man, St. Jacques got to do many more things. I had to get used to their culture; women are inferior and it was better for him to be with me, she said. He was my best friend.

Still, St. Jacques admits that she never truly felt comfortable in Cameroon.

I had many brief moments of happiness: Coloring with the children or hearing them laugh when the Ewoks spoke while we watched Star Wars in French. Dada seriously thought that the Ewoks were speaking Fulfulde  her language!, she said. Or when a farmer was so excited to show me his field of soy; when I heard my work partner, Chi Che, tell me that he wants to help his community and how it is his job to share his knowledge so Cameroonians can improve their lives. Those are the reasons I smiled in Cameroon.

Her last day in Beka-Hossere was the most difficult, she said.

I had packed the night before and that morning my neighbors and I sat on my porch playing Go Fish. I tried to make it a quick goodbye, so after they helped me pack the truck, we took a group photo and I gave each of them a hug, she said. Hugs and crying are not usual for Cameroonian Muslims. They hugged me back with love and the tears ran silently down our cheeks. The mother, Aiya, was sobbing so hard that she wouldnt even look me in the eye. No one told me that when I joined Peace Corps I would want to stay and watch the children grow up, just as though they are my own family.

Transitioning home takes time. And she said little things pop up, like hoarding small change and dollar bills. I was always saving small change for the boutiques and the motorcycle taxis, she said. I find myself still doing that.

So now she is enjoying her family, her dog Finn and cat Lily, and quietly looking for a job in agriculture.

My fears were always that I wasnt smart enough to learn what was needed to do more for the world; being in Cameroon showed me that I can be myself and make a small yet important difference, she said. I dont miss the lifestyle, but I miss the work and my neighbors. They did a lot for me and they accepted me for who I am.
HARTFORD  Town Supervisor Dana Haff was promoting industrial hemp production long before Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that he wants more hemp grown in New York.

Needless to say, Haff is ecstatic.

I think our chair could start advocating for our county in regard to this. Lets not let the Southern Tier corner the market, Haff wrote in an email to other members of the Washington County Board of Supervisors.

Assemblywoman Donna A. Lupardo, D-Endwell, has been a leader in backing hemp cultivation in New York, particularly in her district in and around Binghamton. She praised the governors proposal.

Cuomo, in a State of the State address Wednesday, proposed expanding a pilot program that allows farmers to grow hemp in cooperation with state agricultural officials. Cuomo also said he would hold a summit in the Southern Tier to bring government officials together with hemp researchers, farmers and manufacturers.

Robin Barkenhagen, a Glens Falls business owner and Green Party member, was also glad to hear of the governors position.

I have been a proponent of this since 2001, when most lawmakers didnt know the difference between marijuana and hemp. I am excited to hear more details of the plan. I believe this could be a tremendous boost to North Country farmers, and maybe even spawn some local manufacturing, Barkenhagen said.

Politicians in the Southern Tier are touting their area for potential croppage, Haff said, but I bet no one in the state could grow hemp better than a Washington County farmer.

Haff praised the potential of the plant.

Hemp can produce methanol, which is a better candidate for stretching our gasoline stocks than corn-based ethanol, he said. Hemp grows a lot faster than corn and produces far more fuel.

Hemp cellulose can be processed to create clothing, paper, plastic, paint and feed for animals. It is easy on the soil and naturally pest-resistant.

New Yorks industrial hemp program began in 2014 after Lupardo introduced and passed legislation which allowed hemp to be grown for research purposes.

Movement on marijuana

In a separate announcement during another State of the State speech, Cuomo said he wants to lessen the penalties for possessing a small amount of marijuana.

Under current state law, most people caught with small amounts of marijuana for the first time receive a fine akin to a parking ticket. But officers can still arrest someone if the marijuana was in public view.

The proposal would change that by completely decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot. But criminal penalties would remain for dealers or people who use marijuana in public or while driving.

That is a step forward, Barkenhagen said. I would have liked to have seen full legalization, but it is a step.

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
In a Facebook Saturday, the controversial musician, who campaigned for Mr Akufo-Addo to become president in the 2016 election, noted that NPP members on Facebook articulate the party's views far better than the entire communication team of the NPP.

He said: "NPP and communication..... tweaaa!!!!! The people on social media do better communication than the entire communication team of the NPP.

"You can sit down for Asiedu Nketia who led people to the electoral commission to attack it because they felt NPP was rigging the elections in 2008 to tell you that Nana Addo who went to court to seek Justice is violent.

"You can't tell Ghanaians that NDC had so many ministers of state and presidential staffers at the presidency doing nothing and that it's better to give them specific roles like railways or Zongo to speed up development.

His criticism of the NPP came after public backlash on the number of people appointed to serve as Ministers in Mr Akufo-Addo's government.
READ MORE: New viral Kalyppo animation hits the Internet

Narrating the incident to the Today newspaper, the Atebubu Police Commander, Superintendent Joseph Atsu Dzinaku said the two committed the crime on Sunday, 8 January.

He said the case was brought to the attention of the Atebubu police command by a night guard who works in the cemetery who upon sighting the two committing the act fired shots at them but they manage to flee the scene.

In their quest to flee the scene they left behind their bicycle which was later used by the team to identify the owner of the bicycle. Supt. Dzinaku said that owner after a series of questioning admitted to lending his bicycle to one of the suspects, Awal Amidu.

Later, Awal was confronted and he admitted that he went to the cemetery with Tofik Mohammed to loot a grave.

Subsequently, a search was conducted in Tofilk Mohammeds room and human parts which included a skull were found in a sack
News / National

by Staff reporter

TROUBLE is brewing within the opposition MDC-T over reports that the party has decided to back an independent candidate in the forthcoming Bikita West by-election.MDC-T Masvingo provincial chairperson, James Gumbi early this week reportedly claimed the opposition party would now throw its weight behind independent candidate, Innocent Muzvimbiri instead of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First's (ZimPF) Kudakwashe Gopo.But yesterday, MDC-T dismissed Gumbi's declarations. Spokesperson Obert Gutu said there was no official position or resolution that the opposition movement would back "any candidate in the by-election"."We are not participating in the Bikita West by-election because of our no reforms no election resolution and I can authoritatively say, on behalf of the party, that there is no official endorsement of any candidate in the Bikita West by-election," he said.Sources in the MDC-T said Gumbi was being motivated by factional politics. NewsDay Weekender heard that a faction within the MDC-T viciously opposed to a coalition, particularly with Mujuru, could have been behind the plot to "muddy the waters for our colleagues"."This is factional politics at play, there are people in the party, who want to thwart the formation of the coalition because they fear they would lose their positions in a coalition," the source said.In a clear indication that all was not well and the reported talks on a coalition between MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Mujuru could yet face internal resistance, Gumbi stuck to his guns insisting his party was backing Muzvimbiri."I can't be naive to say that I received an instruction from the top to back the independent candidate if I did not. It's not my business to be lying," he said somewhat exasperated and promising to get to the bottom of the issue.He, however, refused to name the person, who had given him the instruction.ZimPF spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire, on Thursday said his party was working well with MDC-T supporters and structures. Mawarire said media reports that the MDC-T had ditched them were not true."Our people on the ground have not told us anything to that effect. What we know is we have their (MDC-T) support on the ground and we look forward to have president Tsvangirai joining us on January 19 at our star rally," he said.ZimPF face Zanu-PF's Beauty Chabaya in what could be a litmus test for the Mujuru-led party which enters into its first election since it was formed.Also eyeing the constituency are independent candidate, Heya Shoko, a former legislator for the area and Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe's Terrence Makumbo.
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!
She also met with former president John Agyekum Kufuor.

The primary purpose of my visit is that we will be launching, along with President Nana Akufo-Addo, a very important initiative this afternoon, and this initiative will be across the continent, because we are going to start again to build the human capital, the youth of the continent, and empower them with the skills and opportunities that this continent needs, she told the media shortly after her arrival in Ghana.

Gurb said the initiative is important because Africa, as we know, is one of the continents which is getting younger, and I firmly believe the future of this continent rests with the human capital and the talent of our young people.

The other reason for my coming, of course, is that my country is keen on establishing stronger bilateral relations with Ghana, she said.

Last year, Ghana and Mauritius agreed to waive visa requirements for holders of each others national passports.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Fresh factional fighting has broken out in President Robert Mugabe's home province of Mashonaland West, with the regional women's league moving to "dump" one of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa's fiercest critics, Sarah Mahoka, over allegations of causing chaos in the ruling party.So ugly have the ructions become that some of the Zanu-PF women's league members are apparently seeking audience with powerful First Lady Grace Mugabe to "get an explanation of Mahoka's role and agenda" in the light of the ruling party's deepening infighting.On the other hand, well-placed Zanu-PF insiders told the Daily News yesterday that the vocal Mahoka remained "relaxed and defiant" about the noise surrounding her, with her backers accusing the provincial women's league chairperson, Angeline Muchemeyi, whom she is suing for defamation, as leading the charge to have her expelled over her claimed close relationship with Grace.On her part, Muchemeyi, who is said to be a Mnangagwa loyalist, told the Daily News that the party's regional league was "not going to work with Mahoka" until such a time that they were advised by national league boss, Grace, on how to proceed on the impasse."We have made resolutions that we will not work with her until the first lady comes to address us. This is not our own decision but it is shared across the board."She (Mahoka) is a bad person. For now, we are waiting for the response from our boss as women. We wrote a letter to her secretary and we hope that when she returns (from her family's Far East holiday) she will come to resolve the Mahoka issue."She should come and tell us whether to work with her or not. Personally, I don't have anything against her, but that is the position that has been reached by the province as a whole," Muchemeyi said.Mahoka is said to belong to the Zanu-PF faction that is made up of young party Turks known as the Generation 40 (G40) group, which is fiercely opposed to Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe.With Mahoka and Muchemeyi belonging to opposite Zanu-PF camps, the two women have had several run-ins over the past few months.At one time, Mahoka was accused by Muchemeyi of abusing church funds, allegations which she flatly dismissed. And in December last year, Mahoka slapped Muchemeyi with a $1 million lawsuit, accusing her of defamation.Mahoka alleged then that Muchemeyi had falsely claimed that she was undermining Mnangagwa's authority and that she embezzled money meant for the first lady's rallies.But Muchemeyi accused Mahoka of "listening to rumours" and defying the provincial executive yesterday."She clearly cannot work with others because she does not want to listen to us. Remember she once held a kangaroo meeting in a hotel that was attended by three people and passed a vote of no confidence in me."She is also lying that she has the blessings of Amai (Grace) in what she has been doing," Muchemeyi told the Daily News.Analysts have said the latest problems to engulf Mashonaland West province are part of Zanu-PF's continuing deadly tribal, factional and succession wars.The G40 and the faction backing Mnangagwa, Team Lacoste, have been going at each other hammer and tongs, particularly since the release of images showing the Midlands godfather holding a coffee mug inscribed "I am the Boss" during a festive season gathering at his Zvishavane rural home.Mnangagwa, who was pictured then with maverick businessman Energy Mutodi, has come under pressure from his party foes who allege that the Zvishavane meeting was organised to plot the ouster of Mugabe from power.On Wednesday, a G40-linked group, comprising provincial chairpersons and regional commissars met at the Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare, issuing a statement in which they called for a probe into Mnangagwa for hobnobbing with war veterans' leader Christopher Mutsvangwa and Mutodi.But a defiant Mutodi hit back immediately, vowing not to hold back on his critical views regarding Zanu-PF's succession wars and rampant factionalism."I am not against Mugabe, and neither do I have any personal grudge with any Zanu-PF official. However, I am suggesting that at the age of 94, Mugabe is good enough to remain as the party's first secretary but not a candidate to run for office of president," Mutodi told the Daily News."Secondly, even if Mugabe was to win the vote in 2018, there is no hope that the current economic hardships facing the nation will end as no investor would choose to invest in a country being led by a 94-year-old."All these people who are calling themselves provincial chairpersons know that they were not elected, but were rather imposed by the G40 faction. The elected Zanu-PF chairpersons are being persecuted and accused of unfounded allegations."It's a charade, a travesty. There is a lot of injustice in the party. There is regionalism, tribalism and endless factionalism. These are the signs of a failed leadership because they no longer can unite people. You are busy fomenting divisions so that you can go on and on without regard to the interests of the majority," the unrepentant Mutodi added.Mutodi also challenged Zanu-PF's national political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere, and Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo, who are alleged to be G40 kingpins, to present themselves as alternative party leaders."Some shallow minds are saying that by demanding leadership renewal, I am campaigning for Mnangagwa. This is a misconception. I am on record saying Mnangagwa is a potential successor due to his loyalty to Mugabe, his experience and his patience."However, anyone who feels is better and would want to compete with him is free to come forward and contest. . . .Moyo, . . . Kasukuwere or any other Zanu-PF person is free to present themselves for election to decide who finally succeeds our long-serving president," he said.The musician-turned politician appeared to make things worse for Mnangagwa when he said earlier this week that Zanu-PF should hold an extraordinary congress to install Mnangagwa as Mugabe's successor.Mutodi also claimed that Mugabe, who turns 93 next month, had become so unpopular in Zanu-PF that "99 percent" of the party's members now wanted him to resign before the eagerly-anticipated 2018 national elections, as there was allegedly no way that the nonagenarian could win elections against popular opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
READ MORE: Mauritian President visits Ghana to boost ties

We have challenges ahead of us as a country  the management of our economy, the development of our system of education and of health care, the employment that we have to find for our young people, Mr Akufo-Addo said.

But the president was hopeful that the challenges can be fixed if all Christians believe that the mission of Jesus Christ on earth infuses everything that they do.

...but they are challenges that can and will be overcome. I have no doubt about it, provided at all times the belief that we have as Christians, the belief that there is one God and the mission of Jesus Christ on earth infuses everything that we do, he said.

Quoting from Matthew 7:21 in the Bible, the president said Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, except he who does the will of my father which is in heaven," to back his belief.

What Christ notes [in that passage] is that it isnt just the invocation of his name, but it is how you live and act that points your way to salvation, he added.

Mr Akufo-Addo also took the opportunity to thank the Church of Pentecost for its support during the 2016 electioneering campaign.

He said: I have no doubt that this wonderful thing that God has brought in my life and in the life of the New Patriotic Party has a lot to do with the prayers and the blessings I received from you.
Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the Director of Army Public Relations, said in a statement in Maiduguri that the operation was carried out on Friday.

He said the futile attack, launched by the terrorists group from the shores of the Lake Chad in the evening, lasted till midnight.

The resilient troops repelled the incursion and in the process killed 10 insurgents and wounded several others.

Usman said the troops recovered one Pulemyot Kalashnkova Machine (PKM) gun with 67 rounds of ammunition, one AK-47 Riffle with 18 rounds of ammunition, two AK-Rifle top covers and three Dane guns with one cartridge.

Others include, one rocket propelled grenade tube with three bombs, one rocket propelled grenade charger and smoke grenade, one hand held (HH) Motorola radio and antenna, one copy of Holy Quran and Boko Haram terrorists flag.

Unfortunately, three soldiers died in the course of the encounter, while 27 others sustained injuries.

The bodies of the gallant soldiers and those injured have since been evacuated, he said.

He said the troops have continued to trail those terrorists that escaped with gundhot wounds and intensified vigilance and high level of alertness in the area."

ALSO READ:Bomb kills 2 soldiers in Borno
The officers, a captain and a lieutenant, died after a bomb planted by Boko Haram terroristsexploded in the Damboa Local Government Area of the state on Thursday, January 12.

The place of explosion is around the Golgore River in Damboa. We were not ambushed. It was an explosion, and it killed the two and injured a few soldiers, a source told Punch.

Eight officers and 144 soldiers attached to the Nigerian Army, 27 Brigade Task Force, were deployed in the area to clear the Boko Haram remnants until the explosion occurred, he added.

ALSO READ: We should be very worried if 83 Nigerian Soldiers are missing
The State commissioner for Religious Affairs, Alhaji Mani Katami, disclosed this at the inauguration of the committee on Islamic Marriage Mediation in Sokoto.

He said beneficiaries would be drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state.

He said the gesture was part of measures taken by the state government to assist less privileged members of the society.

Katami urged members of the committee to ensure fairness in the discharge of their assignment.

The committee, which has Sheikh Aliyu Kofar Rini as chairman, was given two weeks to complete the assignment.
The Ponzi scheme, banned in Russia, where it originated, froze the accounts of three million Nigerian members in December, causing panic and anxiety.

The scheme returned yesterday, a day before its initial comeback date of 14th January.

Most of the youths were students of the state owned polytechnic in Lokoja.

They expressed surprise about the comeback of the pyramid money investment scheme, that promises players 30 per cent return, a day ahead of schedule.

Segun Ademola, a student, said he had invested over N300,000 in his MMM account.

He said he was glad to have the operation bounce back. He has a lot of high hopes, that he would reap his investment.

 I am the happiest person on earth today,God bless Mavrodi,he said.

Fola Owobo, another student, said she used her school fees to provide help to some other person she did not know at all.

She said she was confused when the scheme was shut down on 13 December 2016.

She was relieved now that the MMM was back in operation.

Michael Olubola, another student said he has learnt a lesson. He said as soon as he collects his money, he would never try providing help again.

He said he almost had hypertension in the last four weeks, and urged his colleagues to shun free money and embrace hardwork. He said the free money promised by MMM almost caused him his life.

Sooner or later it would fold up, she said, as she wondered where the scheme gets the money it promises members.
The North-Eastern part of Nigeria has been badly hit by attacks from the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

Over 200 school girl were taken from their school premises in Chibok, Borno state, prompting a global outcry over the incident, thereby giving birth to the BBOG.

In the letter which was exclusively sent to Pulse News, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed asked Ezekwesili to nominate some BBOG members who will visit the North-East and see first-hand, the progress being made in the fight against Boko Haram.

The letter reads:

Let me congratulate you most sincerely for the continuing interest of your group, Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), in the fate of the Chibok girls, including those who have regained freedom and those who remain in captivity.

In recognition of your unwavering commitment to the freedom of the girls who remain in captivity, you are invited to nominate three of the BBOG members to join you on a guided trip to the North-east on Monday, 16 Jan. 2017.

The trip, being planned by the military, will see the Ministers of Defence and Information as well the Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Army Staff joining the invited BBOG members and a select group of journalists, first to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Command Centre in Yola to witness first-hand the efforts being made to search for the girls by the NAF and then join the day and night sorties with the NAF to the Sambisa Forest. Please note that due to limited seats on the search planes, only two of the invited BBOG members will join the NAF sorties.

After the sorties, the team will return to Yola for a briefing by the NAF on their daily search for the girls, as well as all those who have been abducted by Boko Haram.

It is our belief that this trip will avail the BBOG the opportunity to witness and better understand the efforts being made by the Nigerian military to secure freedom for the abducted Chibok girls and all other victims of the Boko Haram terrorism.

Departure is scheduled for 8.30am at the Airforce wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport on Monday the 16th of January 2017.

While awaiting your response, please accept the assurances of my highest considerations.

Sincerely,

Lai Mohammed

Hon. Minister of Information and Culture
A statement issued by Sarakis Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu said that Saraki gave the commendation at the National Mosque, Abuja during Jummaat prayer held to commemorate the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

Saraki, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the service, said the nation and its leaders would continue to appreciate the military and provide for the welfare of its members.

Apart from the fact that the military symbolises the unity, strength, relevance and sovereignty of Nigeria, the men of the armed forces have helped to keep the country safe.

They help to ensure that our various diversities are sources of strength rather than division.

Nobody would have imagined where we would have been if our military do not rise to the occasion every time that we face threats of internal and external aggression.

These men continue to face the fire to ensure that the people of the North-eastern part of the country are not subjected to the unreasonable dictates of Boko Haram insurgents.

It is for these reasons that on occasions like this when we remember our heroes past, all men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces who laid down their lives during the first and second world wars, the Civil War, the various internal disturbances like the Boko Haram, the entire country should unite to appreciate our military and pray for safety as well as victory for the men still at the battle fronts.

Saraki, however, congratulated President Buhari and all the members of the military for the progress they had made in routing the Boko Haram insurgents out of the North East and restoring peace and stability.

He said that as a government, they would continue to provide for the welfare, training and development of the armed forces so that they would continue to excel in their duties.
Ms Rosalyn Wiese, the Director of the U.S. International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, presented the items to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, at a ceremony in Maiduguri.

Wiese explained that the gesture was aimed at supporting the country toward the re- establishment of civil authorities in communities liberated in the North East.

The U.S. Government is partnering with the Government of Nigeria to support efforts to deploy additional civilian security particularly the police to the North East Nigeria.

The tents are donated to the police because many areas have been ravaged by Boko Haram, many public buildings including police stations and barracks are still being rebuilt.

A successful transition to community oriented policing that focuses on working closely with all members of the community is crucial to build trust, establish relationships and improve communication.

We are also working with the Nigeria Police to improve training and equipment for its personnel in the North East, she said.

She said that the U.S. planned to donate additional equipment and furniture to the police to ensure the restoration of civil authority in the North East.
News / Regional

by Staff reporter

A MAN from Bulawayo allegedly impregnated his 15-year-old sister-in-law to spite his "disrespectful" wife.The man (27) from Njube suburb appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube charged with having sexual intercourse with a minor.He pleaded not guilty claiming he had been misinformed that his sister-in-law was 17 years old.The minor, whose name has been withheld for ethical reasons, is in Form Three at a city college.In his defence, the man told the magistrate that he fell for his sister-in-law because he had been having problems with his wife."I was having a dispute with my wife in 2016 and I no longer loved her. I ended up having an affair with my sister-in-law and that is how she fell pregnant," he said.Magistrate Ncube asked him if he was aware that the juvenile was still at school and he said he was.Prosecuting, Mr Mufaro Mageza said the two fell in love sometime in 2015."In September 2015, on a day unknown to the prosecutor, the accused person proposed love to the complainant and she accepted the proposal. They started having a sexual relationship until she fell pregnant," he said.The alleged illicit affair came to light in July last year when the minor fell pregnant. The minor told the court that her brother-in-law bribed her with a new pair of shoes after asking her to go and clean his house."My brother-in-law asked me to go to his and my sister's house and clean it for them. I got there and cleaned and then he bought me a pair of shoes as a token of appreciation. He told me that he liked me and then we started dating. After I got pregnant, he approached my parents and told them he was responsible for the pregnancy," she said.The minor's mother reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused person.
Several lives have been lost and properties worth millions of Naira have been destroyed, following clashes between indigenes and suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The BBOG group also said Buharis visit will help douse the tension in Southern Kaduna and also restore peace in the area.

According to Daily Post, the group in a statement said Sadly, President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly promised these would be looked into. However, no verifiable steps have been taken up to launch a government review of these many troubling reports in order to take appropriate preventive and punitive measures.

The worst carnage is presently ongoing in Southern Kaduna and most of the killings are unreported. Killings are alleged by the indigenes and residents of communities in Southern Kaduna to be rampant still despite the recent mobilisation of military and police teams.

We hereby demand, as a movement that does not wish to see a replay of the North-East destabilisation; that President Muhammadu Buhari should immediately visit Southern Kaduna to assess the situation for himself as the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

ALSO READ:Asari Dokubo asks Southern Kaduna indigenes to defend themselves

Following the visit, we expect a quick stabilisation of the situation in Southern Kaduna to pave the way for peace and reconciliation, which should be led by the state government.
The Ahmed Makarfi led faction also said that it will go a long way to prove to Nigerians that the Presidents war on corruption is not a selective fight.

According to Daily Post, the PDP also wondered why Buharis ally, Col. Jafaru Isah (Rtd.), was not prosecuted, after it was revealed that he allegedly took money from Dasuki.

The PDP also said None of these people are standing trial and none of them are in court for prosecution because they are members of the APC. We, therefore, further call on the APC-led administration to stop the persecution of political opponents in Nigeria for its false corruption chase.

It is obvious today to all and sundry in Nigeria and in the Diaspora that those under trial by the court on corruption charges are the perceived enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari; his party, the APC; and political enemies and rivals of some APC leaders in the country.
The students decided to stage a protest to the Oyo State Government House, and the Governor came out to address them.

This is where it gets interesting.

Sahara Reporters was present and documented the interview in a video, and everything that came out of the Governors mouth was not only shocking, it was embarassing. Most of his statements are in Yoruba, but well translate anyway.

He said:

You complain that your school has been shut for 8 months. Am I the one that closed your school?

This came from a Governor, who is responsible for the management of a very important University in Nigeria.

If this is how you want to speak to me, then go and do your worst. If you want to cause trouble, Im ready for you. Lets see what happens then

Here, the governor is daring the students, and depending on how you look at it, challenging them to respond with disruption. This is incitement.

He went on to say:

Youre supposed to have some respect for constituted authority.

Someone from the crowd interrupted him while he spoke, saying school had been interrupted for 8 months. This is how a sitting Governor responded;

Its nothing new for a school to be closed. So what?!

He criticised their Aluta cries, saying theres no way the student can make things difficult for him. When a students distinct voice challenged his statement, he asked that the student be brought forward by the police. It wasnt until that student was shielded by other students, that the governor asked that he be left alone.

This is bullying, by all standards.

The rest of the video is just him talking about how he deserves to be shown respect, and how they need to respect the authority even he was failing to respect.

This is the problem with Nigerian politicians. The arrogance in them is strong in the way their arrogance has detached them from the realities of the people theyve been elected to serve.

Nigerian leaders need to understand that public office is not a royal position, but a position of servitude. It is the poor understanding of what leadership is that leads them to believe that questioning their mediocrity is seen as disrespect.

The governor needs to remember that the same people who he refuses to respect. While his shameless statements can not be taken back, he should at least issue an apology.

Oops. This is Nigeria. Politicians dont issue apologies. They only blame the opposition, and the people, and the economy. Anything but taking responsibility.
A week-long assault by government forces and their allies aims to expel the Iran-backed Huthis from Dhubab region, close to the Bab al-Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Twelve bodies of Huthi insurgents were taken early Saturday to a hospital in rebel-held Hodeida, a medical official said, adding that the facility received 23 others wounded.

He said the casualties were from clashes on Friday night in Dhubab.

An overnight air strike by a pro-government Arab coalition on a rebel assembly in Zaydiya, in Hodeida province, left another nine Huthis dead, a security official said.

The Red Sea port city of Hodeida lies some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Dhubab.

A medical official at a hospital in the southern city of Aden said five pro-government fighters were killed in overnight clashes around Dhubab and 14 others wounded.

Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and allied fighters from the Popular Resistance have entered the town of Dhubab and seized its local government headquarters.

Popular Resistance commander Abdelrahman al-Muharami said the loyalists had also recaptured large parts of Al-Omeri military base in mountains overlooking the coast.

"There are still some rebel pockets" in the base, he said.

The government and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition recaptured Bab al-Mandab strait in October 2015, pushing the rebels further north.

But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen's Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

Yemen's conflict has killed more than 7,400 people and wounded nearly 40,000 since it escalated with the coalition intervention in March 2015 after the Huthis seized large swathes of the country, according to the United Nations.

In another bid to reassert government authority, Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher said Saturday that his administration will start transferring salaries to state employees in rebel-held areas.

Public sector employees in rebel-controlled areas have struggled since Hadi moved the central bank from Sanaa to the temporary capital of Aden in June, after accusing the insurgents of running down Yemen's foreign reserves.
The 60-year-old man was among seven suspects charged on Friday over the October 3 robbery during which the celebrity was bound and gagged at gunpoint, then locked in a bathroom at the luxury residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week.

A total of 10 people have now been charged, including five accused of playing a direct role in robbing the 36-year-old Kardashian of jewellery worth some nine million euros ($9.5 million).

The ringleader's DNA was found at the scene, on the materials used to tie up Kardashian, leading police to the other suspects, sources close to the probe said earlier.

A source close to the probe said some of the suspects have confessed to their involvement, but would not say which ones.

Another described the five alleged assailants, who range in age from 54 to 72, as "old-school gangsters".

Wearing police uniforms, gunmen first overpowered a night watchman at the residence in the chic Madeleine area of the French capital where the US celebrity was staying.

Two of them then burst into the star's apartment, gagged and bound her and locked her in a bathroom before helping themselves to gems including a 20-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring worth some four million euros.

It was the biggest jewellery theft from an individual that France has seen in more than 20 years.

The oldest of the suspected burglars is 72-year-old Pierre "Pierrot" B., a convicted cocaine dealer who was arrested in a villa in the south of France on Monday.

Another, aged 61 and nicknamed "Blue Eyes", was sentenced in 2003 to eight and half years in jail for international cocaine trafficking after being busted with two tonnes of the drug at a Paris airport.

The ringleader's companion, named as Christiane G., and his 27-year-old son were charged with abetting the crime, with the son suspected of driving the thieves to the scene.

Marceau B., a 64-year-old Roma, was charged with helping to pass off some of the stolen jewellery.

He has a long criminal record dating back to 1998, with convictions for robbery and carrying counterfeit cash. Six months after leaving jail in late 2011, he was charged with making counterfeit money but was acquitted last year.

Investigators believe they spotted Marceau B. in Antwerp, Belgium, the hub of the global diamond trade.

Investigators fear some of Kardashian's jewels have already been sold, as raids against suspects have turned up 200,000 euros in cash.

The diamond ring, much photographed and easily recognisable, would be especially difficult to pass off, experts say.

Such gems are often recut into smaller stones, and police say Kardashian's ring could lose three-quarters of its value after being reworked.

Seven suspects have been released from custody including a chauffeur who was used by Kardashian during her stay.

His 27-year-old brother, Gary M., was charged Friday on suspicion of tipping off the thieves that Kardashian's bodyguard was absent on the night of the robbery and giving them details about the residence.
"The burqa is not an item of clothing just like any other... it's an instrument of oppression, a horrific negation of women, an insult to half of humanity," according to award-winning French-Moroccan novelist Leila Slimani.

Slimani, in an opinion piece on news website Le360, said the burqa ban signalled that Morocco was moving "towards greater equality between the sexes".

Another vocal supporter, Nouzha Skalli, a lawmaker and former family and social development minister, said the ban constituted "an important step in the battle against religious extremism".

While there has been no official announcement, media reports said the interior ministry order banning the burqa would take effect this week.

"We have taken the step of completely banning the import, manufacture and marketing of this garment in all the cities and towns of the kingdom," Le360 quoted a high-ranking interior ministry official as saying.

Interior ministry officials on Monday started carrying out "awareness-raising campaigns with traders to inform them of this new decision", said another website, Media 24.

Le360 said the measure appeared to be motivated by security concerns, "since bandits have repeatedly used this garment to perpetrate their crimes".

Most women in Morocco, whose King Mohammed VI favours a moderate version of Islam, prefer the hijab headscarf that does not cover the face.

The niqab, which leaves the area around the eyes uncovered, is also worn in Salafist circles and in more conservative regions in the north, from where thousands of jihadists have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq.

Writers and intellectuals have condemned the burqa ban.

"No authority in the world has the right to impose a dress code on a woman or a man for their everyday life," wrote columnist Abdellah Tourabi, in a view widely shared on social media in Morocco.

Is the burqa foreign to Moroccan culture? he asked.

Sure, but "slim jeans were not the apparel of the sultans and our grandmothers were not crazy about Victoria's Secret bras", Tourabi said.

On the web, a social media commentator suggested the interior ministry go further by banning makeup "as it used more to cover up women's faces".

The Salafists have been less subtle in their criticism.

Outspoken preacher Abu Naim condemned "the Satan-worshippers" and "atheists serving the interests of the Jews" behind the burqa ban.

And yet, Morocco "considers the wearing of the Western swimsuit on the beaches an untouchable right", was the bitter comment of another preacher, Hammad Kabbaj.
In mid-December, lawmakers from the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party passed the budget in a room outside the main parliamentary chamber.

The move came after liberal Civic Platform (PO) opposition MPs staged an unprecedented occupation of the lower house of parliament over government plans to restrict media access to debates there.

Opposition lawmakers then demanded a re-run of the budget vote, insisting it's adoption breached parliamentary regulations and was therefore "illegal".

But the governing party dismissed the allegation and the PiS-controlled Senate passed the disputed 2017 budget on Wednesday.

PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna on Thursday appealed to PiS-allied President Andrzej Duda not to endorse the budget, arguing that its validity could be questioned by Poland's partners, including the European Union.

PO lawmakers however ended their occupation of parliament earlier the same day after the PiS government withdrew plans to restrict media access to parliament.

The contested budget forecasts that Poland's economy will expand by 3.6 percent this year while spending will comprise 2.9 percent of GDP, just shy of the 3.0 percent of GDP limit required by the EU.

But critics warn that the deficit could balloon as the PiS government delivers on its generous social welfare promises, including a new child benefit programme.

Poland has been mired in political crisis for months.

In December, the EU gave the PiS government another two months to reverse changes it made to Poland's constitutional court or face sanctions, warning they posed a "substantial" challenge to the rule of law.

This and the crisis in parliament come just over one year after the PiS swept to power and began pushing through legislation that critics allege undermines democracy.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is leading the three-nation delegation that includes Ghana's former president John Mahama and Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who attempted similar negotiations last month without success.

Jammeh has made clear he will not step down until the country's Supreme Court decides on his legal challenge seeking to annul the results of last month's polls, which he initially conceded losing.

On his his way out of a luxury hotel to meet Jammeh, Buhari told journalists "only God knows" if the Gambian leader will step aside. But Nigerian foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama said he was "pretty optimistic that the talks will not fail this time."

The delegation landed with just five days left of Jammeh's five-year term to go, and with a warning by the president late Tuesday to the international community that "undue external interference" was unnecessary.

The Supreme Court is unlikely to sit and hear his legal challenge before May, ratcheting up tensions with the winner of the December 1 election, Adama Barrow, whose inauguration is due January 19.

Gambians fleeing

The prolonged political uncertainty and fear of unrest has pushed thousands of Gambians across the border into neighbouring Senegal and further afield to Guinea-Bissau.

Tibna Sambe Na Wana, the national coordinator for Guinea-Bissau's refugee commission, said more than 1,000 Gambians had crossed into the country, where they do not require a visa, in recent days.

"It is clear that the total number is far higher than a thousand and rising daily," Na Wana said.

Women, children and the elderly made up the greatest numbers, the official said, with more than 500 passing one border post near the town of Jegue in three days.

"They say they are scared of a military escalation," Na Wana added.

In Senegal, the UN's refugee agency said "several thousand people" had crossed into the southern Casamance region from The Gambia, especially children.

Senegal and The Gambia have deep ethnic and linguistic ties, and most families have relatives living across the border.

"Most arrivals in Senegal are Gambians and Senegalese who have been working or living in The Gambia," said Liz Ahua, UNHCR's representative for West Africa in Dakar, but said Africans from several other nations were also crossing.

With the migrants moving into their relatives' homes, households have doubled or tripled in size in a few days, the UN agency said, putting a strain on food supply.

A nation of fewer than two million people, The Gambia already accounts for the highest number of migrants per capita of any nationality crossing the Mediterranean on smugglers' boats to Italy.

AU takes stand

The effects of the crisis were also being scrutinised across the continent in Addis Ababa, where the African Union (AU) declared it would no longer recognise President Jammeh as head of state on January 19, regardless of the Supreme Court case.

Citing "the inviolable nature of the outcome of the presidential elections held on 1 December 2016 in The Gambia," the AU called on Jammeh to respect the constitution and cede power to Barrow on that date.

Jammeh has said he wants to wait for the Supreme Court to sit and hear his case, but the Gambian Bar Association said Friday his term could not legally be extended except through a referendum altering the constitution.
An appeals court in Ceuta said it had admitted an appeal against the closure of the investigation filed by three human rights groups and several migrants, in a ruling issued Thursday which was obtained by AFP.

Despite initial denials, Spain's interior ministry released videos showing police firing rubber bullets as the migrants swam toward Ceuta's shore but denied the action contributed to the drowning.

But rights groups said the rubber bullets pierced the life jackets used by the migrants, many of whom did not know how to swim, and demanded an investigation.

Only about 20 migrants managed to enter Ceuta, which sits across main and they were immediately returned to Morocco.

The bodies of 15 migrants were found in the days that followed, five in Spain and the rest in Morocco.

The deaths sparked outrage and several rights groups filed complaints against police.

The authorities said the rubber bullets were fired in the air and were appropriate given the aggressive behaviour of the migrants while they were in the water.

A court opened an investigation into 16 police officers for the suspected crimes of homicide and injuries caused by negligence over the migrant deaths but in October 2015 the judge in charge of the case closed the probe citing a lack of evidence.

The judge also argued that the migrants had "assumed the risk of illegally entering Spanish territory, by sea."

But the appeals court in Ceuta agreed with the rights groups, which mainly argued the investigation had not been complete since direct witnesses at the scene, including some of the surviving migrants, had not been questioned.

Every year thousands of Africans try to reach Europe via Spain's two north African enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, either by swimming along the coast or climbing walls lined with razor wire that mark the border with Morocco.
Kiev and the rebels agreed a new "indefinite" ceasefire deal after Ukraine and Russia held talks in Minsk last month mediated by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and it went into force on December 24.

Ex-Soviet Ukraine accuses its neighbour Russia of launching the war in retaliation for the ouster of Kiev's Moscow-backed president in 2014, while Russia denies any role in the conflict.

Ukraine's military on Saturday accused the rebel militias of shelling 23 times, three times from large-calibre weapons, in the last 24 hours in the area around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

Meanwhile the leader of self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Alexander Zakharchenko said Ukrainian forces carried out massive shelling of frontline areas on Friday evening and overnight.

"The broadening of the geographical location of combat and the total amount of hostile shelling demonstrates the enemy does not plan to carry out the Minsk agreements and is disposed to escalate the standoff," said Ukraine's military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk.

He said one Ukrainian soldier had been wounded in the last 24 hours.

Rebels on Friday handed over the bodies of three soldiers who the separatists say were blown up by land mines close to rebel positions around a week ago, Motuzyanyk added.

Ukraine had reported its first combat death since the truce on December 29 although this did not immediately lead to a collapse of the ceasefire.

Donetsk rebel leader Zakharchenko was quoted by the separatist news agency DAN as saying that "Ukraine always demonstrated it would not carry out the agreements reached in Minsk. There was no point from the start in accepting the 'regime of silence', it was not observed."

DAN reported that on Friday evening and overnight, Ukrainian forces "submitted a number of frontline populated areas to massive bombardment around Donetsk, Yasinuvata and Gorlivka and towards the south."

One civilian was killed by shelling overnight in the rebels' self-declared Lugansk People's Republic, its official news agency reported.
Messages You have no messages
Nye County Public Works Director Tom Bolling and his road crews have been quite busy over the last year, with a variety of repair, maintenance and improvement projects addressing an array of streets throughout the county. To keep the public and county officials apprised of what is happening, Bolling provided the Nye County Commission with an update on current and future projects during its Tuesday, Nov. 1 meeting.
Do you have a new, or very interesting event going on at your place of worship? If so, please contact Deirdre Baker, who each week prepares news items for Saturday's "Beliefs" page. Send a message to: dbaker@qctimes.com, or call, 563-383-2492.

Clinton clergy sponsor Week of Prayer

"Reconciliation: The Love of Christ Compels Us," is Jan. 18-25, the Week of Prayer of Christian Unity, sponsored by the Clinton Ministerial Association.

The aim is to gain unity through reconciliation. "Let us not focus on our differences but on what we have in common to fulfill Gods call as children of God," the Rev. Robert Cloos said. He is an association member, and with Clinton's Prince of Peace Parish.

A special prayer service is 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at Christ Episcopal Church, 2100 N. Second St., Clinton. All who would like to promote Christian unity are invited to attend.

Camanche church serves breakfast

A breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, biscuits and gravy and sticky buns in on the menu at The Church of the Visitation, 1028 Middle Road, Camanche, Iowa.

The event is 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22. All are welcome; the cost is $7.50 per adult, and $3 for children, ages 12 and under. Carry-outs are available. For information: 563-259-1188. E-mail: camanchevisitation@diodav.org

Jewish center sponsors talks on terrorism

A two-part lecture series, "Terrorism and the United States: Where do we stand?" is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, and 6 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at the Moline Public Library, 3210 41st St.

The lecture is by Professor Dean Alexander, director, Homeland Security Research program, at Western Illinois University, Moline. It is free and open to the public, and sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities.

Our Lady of Prairie slates daylong retreat

"The Enneagram: A Tool for Deepening Understanding of Ourselves and Others" is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25. It will be led by Meg Bolich and Alice Martin. Fee: $30.

All programs include a homemade meal prepared with local and organic ingredients.

Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat is located at 2664 145th Ave., Wheatland. To register call 563-336-8414 or send a message: olpretreat@gmail.com.

To learn more about Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat visit chmiowa.org and click on the retreat link.

 Deirdre Baker
In a 4-3 vote Friday, the Bettendorf School Board accepted a separation agreement for Maxine McEnany, the districts director of financial and business services.

She was instrumental in getting the Iowa state auditor to review the districts finances for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. While nothing criminal came out of the reaudit, the state did find several ethical issues for the district to address.

On a 6-1 vote, the board also accepted McEnany's resignation.

According to the separation agreement, McEnany will receive a one-time payment of $367,000. The payment is not for wages and will be divided into three separate checks:

 One check will go to McEnany in the amount of $74,628.37.

 A second check will be made to Newkirk Zwagerman, PLC, the law firm that represented McEnany, in the amount of $122,371.63.

 The third check will be made payable to BARCO Assignments, LTD, which handles structured settlements, in the amount of $170,000.

Beginning April 21, 2017, McEnany will receive a structured payment in the amount of $750 per month guaranteed for 10 years with the final payment coming March 21, 2027. Beginning April 21, 2027, she will receive a structured payment of $1,220 per month guaranteed for 10 years with the final payment occurring on March 21, 2037.

McEnany did not attend Friday's meeting.

School board member Pepper Trahan, who voted against accepting the resignation, said McEnany had done a great job for the district, and had save the district "so much money over the years."

Trahan praised McEnany's work to ensure the ethical spending of the district's money.

Board member Paul Castro called the vote, "a sad day for Bettendorf." He praised McEnany's work to ensure the district was spending money wisely and properly.

Castro added that he is considering tendering his resignation to the school board.

The separation agreement signed by McEnany and school board president Gordon Staley, prohibits both sides from elaborating on any portion of the agreement and from making any disparaging comments.

McEnany contacted state auditors office after the public accounting firm Bohnsack & Frommelt issued a report that cited "significant deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting" in the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014. The report cited concerns that included:

 Insufficient segregation of duties over the receipts process.

 Insufficient segregation of duties over the payroll process.

 Insufficient segregation of duties over the cash disbursement process.

 Three negative accounts in the Student Activity Fund as of June 30, 2014.

 A variance in the basic enrollment data certified to the Iowa Department of Education.

The reaudit by the state focused on potential conflicts, business relationships and travel policies dating from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, with some topics from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. Among other things, the reaudit found:

 A district employee (Bettendorf High School principal Jimmy Casas) worked outside Bettendorf as a professional speaker and used district resources. The employee also frequently traveled for his speaking engagements, hired acquaintances for in-service training provided at the district (Bettendorf High School), and received hotel reward points while traveling on district business and using a district credit card.

 Two district administrators traveled to a conference sponsored by a district vendor. The vendor paid the conference registrations and lodging expenses for the two. The district determined the vendor was a "restricted donor."

 The number of professional leave days for 21 administrators in fiscal year 2015 ranged from 5.5 days to 42.5 days. Eight administrators used 20 or more days. The number of professional leave days appeared to be excessive for some employees.
Dionna Smith is safe now.

The 25-year-old East Moline native no longer is anyone's target.

A "big kid at heart," Smith hardly can wait to move into her new place with her two daughters and the son she is expecting in the spring.

Were probably going to run around in our pajamas and sing," she said. "I dont know  play with toys.

And she'll cook whatever makes her happy.

Like pasta, she said. The baby likes it, too. I make really good spaghetti. Fry me some mushrooms. Mmm. And I can eat that all by myself.

She smiles a lot these days. But behind that smile, feelings remain raw. And the fear hasn't left her eyes.

But Smith is safe now, living in a local shelter for women like her  women abused by the men in their lives.

The statistics are as alarming as ever: A woman somewhere in the United States is beaten every nine seconds. While the need for local services is accordingly high, the agencies that supply them are being squeezed more than ever, because private and public funding is drying up.

While Smith and her kids are safe, survivors seeking shelter six months from now will face waiting lists.

Waiting lists and emergencies do not mix.

Closed for now

Hidden behind heavy foliage in a Rock Island neighborhood sits an unassuming three-story house with no sign of life.

The domestic-violence shelter that existed there, courtesy of Rock Island-based Christian Care, closed last year.

Opened in 1981 and funded mostly with private donations, the Shelter for Abused Women and Children became too expensive to support. A "myriad of reasons," including maintenance costs, forced the closure after 35 years, said Jeanette Peutz, treasurer of Christian Cares board of directors.

Were looking for something not quite as expensive, Peutz said. Financially, were not seeing it as a viable place. We do need some place but not there.

Christian Care wants to reopen a domestic violence shelter, she said, but board members haven't yet talked about details. Meanwhile, survivors are being turned away or referred to other agencies, including Family Resources Inc., which also faces possible cuts in services.

Peutz said the board would consider applying for state grants, but the state of Illinois already is failing to fund existing services amid an ongoing budget crisis.

Davenport-based Family Resources has relied upon a $240,000 Illinois grant to fund its Moline outreach office. Last summer, about a month after lawmakers passed a temporary stop-gap budget, the agency was notified the domestic violence grant wasnt included. They scrambled to cover costs.

But the outlook for 2017 is even worse.

Because of the state budget impasse, two-thirds of the Family Resources staff in Moline  at least nine full-time positions  will have to be cut. In 2016, the staff served 1,200 survivors of domestic violence. This year, the remaining workers will be equipped to serve only 420.

Its very difficult to know that two-thirds of survivors may not be served, said Ashley Schwalm, director of the agency's domestic violence program, Safe Path. We do a lot of referrals, but making referrals is a lot harder, because other agencies are in a similar situation.

Shes never seen it this bad.

Family Resources runs a 54-bed domestic violence shelter in an undisclosed location. It opened in 1992, and as word got out, more and more battered women took advantage of the shelters safe environment and counseling and referral services.

The agency's 24-hour crisis line answered more than 5,700 calls last year. In 2013, it took 6,800 calls on the crisis line. But the seemingly encouraging trend did not hold.

The shelter took in 637 victims in 2016, up from the year before, when it had 542 victims. In 2013, Family Resources sheltered 215 victims.

And that is where Smith and her children sought solace. They encountered no waiting list, no referral, no being turned away at their time of most desperate need.

Schwalm isnt so sure Family Resources can continue to accommodate every victim seeking shelter, especially with the Christian Care shelter gone and nothing to fill the gap left by Illinois' financial woes.

I see the possibility of our shelter being full, and well have to start looking for other options for survivors, Schwalm said.

Options could include temporary stays in hotels, bus tickets to send survivors to relatives out of state and referrals to shelters outside the Quad-Cities, including transportation. But even those options cost money that may not be available.

Most worrisome to those with experience in domestic violence is the critical role shelters play when victims finally decide to flee.

The most dangerous time is when you leave, Schwalm said.

'Crying and terrified'

The first time Smith tried to escape her abusive ex-boyfriend, he chased her down.

She had one of her daughters, a baby at the time, buckled into the back seat, and Smith's younger sister was in the front seat.

We were in a high-speed chase, and he ran us off the road, Smith said.

She hit the brakes and got out to check on her daughter. Meanwhile, her sister found a dish pan in the car and chucked it at his rear window. He retaliated, grabbing the pan and throwing it through Smiths back window, throwing shattered glass onto the back seat.

As Smith reached for her baby, she said, her drunk and belligerent boyfriend tried to choke her, pushing her into the car.

I was crying and terrified, she said.

She managed to escape to her mothers house. Eventually, however, she went back to her ex. And the cycle began again.

The couple's three-year relationship was nothing but turbulent, including one of the times Smith told her boyfriend she was pregnant.

We were going back and forth, and he was telling me he was going to kill me because this wasnt his baby, and he would kill the man Im pregnant by, she said, adding the pair fought frequently. "I just didnt win."

Advocates say it takes victims an average of seven times before they finally leave an abusive relationship for good.

Smith said she would go back for her childrens sake. She thought they needed their father and, besides, without him they would be homeless. She also had been threatened enough times to know, if she did leave, he would punish her.

A moment of clarity came while her boyfriend was at work. Smith started hyperventilating and collapsed on the kitchen floor. She screamed, curled up her pregnant body and cried. Her frightened little girls went to her.

I realized I got to get me together, she said. I really should just go.

A relative called Family Resources crisis line. An advocate helped Smith determine the best time to leave, met her at a safe location and took her to the shelter.

No one knows where I am, she said. No one can get to me.

She came with nothing. But she found her first day surprisingly peaceful.

Her daughters seemed very chipper as they learned how to climb up and down bunk beds. They even turned the beds into a play area.

In the shelter, Smith has been working on confidence building with her eldest daughter while toning up her own spirit.

I learned as a younger girl not to let anyone steal my sunshine, she said. And sometimes, we have a habit of stealing our own.

No waiting list

One local shelter manager scoffs at the thought of ever having to use a waiting list, no matter how intense the need becomes.

We will always squeeze one more in if we have to, said Kit Miller, shelter manager at Winnies Place.

Churches United of the Quad-City Area opened Winnies Place in 2006 as other shelters were consistently running at capacity or turning people away, Miller said. The privately funded nonprofit consists of apartments in an undisclosed Moline location that can house up to nine families.

In early January, childrens bikes leaned against the building while, inside, laundry baskets and toys lined the hallways, and Christmas decorations hung throughout.

Miller has worked in the field for nearly 30 years and said, Society as a whole has probably gotten more violent, so the need for safe houses is as urgent as ever.

Survivors hear about Winnies Place mostly through word of mouth, Miller said. When they arrive at the shelter, they are given a program outline and a set of rules to follow.

Everybody has rules in their home, Miller said. Ours happens to be written down.

Clients can stay up to six months and must immediately pursue employment and permanent housing opportunities as well as mental health and substance abuse services, if needed. Miller said Winnies Place serves primarily those living extremely below poverty level, and almost all of her clients arrive with children.

Miller formerly managed Christian Cares domestic violence shelter and was stunned when she heard it closed.

Too bad they didnt keep it going, she said. It is what it is. Well see how it plays out.

Unlike Winnies Place, the Mercer County Family Crisis Center in Aledo, Illinois, is mostly state funded. But Marla Reynolds, the executive director, said her center is prepared to weather the upcoming funding storm and to continue to provide services to 300 abuse victims a year.

I heard something the other day that made me pop my cork, Reynolds said. Illinois is not likely to have a budget for two years. I thought, Oh, for crying out loud. That would push things to the limit.

Two-thirds of the centers funding comes from an Illinois Department of Human Services grant. But, Reynolds said, her staff anticipated state budget woes and set money aside.

They say prepare for a rainy day, she said. I guess that rainy day is here now. Were going to make it just fine, because weve planned ahead.

Like Winnies Place, the Family Crisis Center staff is determined not to turn anyone away.

Ive been here 24 years, and I take pride that weve never turned anybody away, Reynolds said. We dont say, No. We make whatever referrals we can. And if something doesnt work, we tell them to come back. Well try another plan.

Our doors are always open.

Fill your cup

Family Resources has had to adjust the way it provides services in response to the volatile nature of state funding. One major change has come in the form of emergency housing assistance.

Before finding the Family Resources shelter, Smith got by on so-called couch surfing, even after she had children.

She said she never really had her own room. She often slept on friends couches rent free or as compensation for watching their children.

Ive been bouncing my whole life, she said.

Stays with friends typically lasted for months for Smith, and the situations often were stressful and uncomfortable.

And then, of course, when you become a parent, nothing is comfortable if it doesnt belong to you, she said.

To describe her stay at the domestic violence shelter, Smith unwound a scarf from her neck and laid it across her lap. See all these different grooves in here, she said, pointing to the scarf. These are all the nice people ready to help you  a nice little knitted group of folks.

She placed a half empty water bottle on the scarf. Now this is you, she said. See, youre beat down, half full already. Youre in the shelter for a while.

Then she opened a can of pop and started filling the bottle.

This is what they do for you at Family Resources, she said. Fill it right on into your cup.

When survivors like Smith first arrive at the shelter, the director at Safe Path said, staff helps them figure out what goals they want to work on, empowering them right off the bat to make their own choices.

Theyve been controlled enough, Schwalm said. We dont say, 'Youve got to do this and this.' We dont require them to attend meetings, and we dont do community meals. They can eat whenever they want.

We try to make them feel as at home as possible.

The average length of stay in a Family Resources shelter has decreased from 90 days in 2013 to 28 days currently. The change came after the agency embraced what Schwalm called a housing first model. Survivors are able to access the agencys network of reliable landlords to find rental property, and advocates can assist in making calls and setting up appointments. Family Resources then has money available to help pay security deposits.

Im still in shock about this apartment, Smith said of her new home. I got the floor plan in my pocket. I wrote all over it.

And what is the first thing she wants to do in her new place?
Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed confidence Friday the Iowa Legislature will deal in some way with the funding inequity that has raised complaints from Davenport school officials, but she declined to say how she might weigh in on the issue.

Reynolds, who will become the state's next governor when Gov. Terry Branstad departs to be the Trump administration's ambassador to China, was in the Quad-Cities on Friday doing a round of media interviews.

The lieutenant governor said she didn't know what action lawmakers might take, but she's "fairly confident" they'll do something.

"I think that's probably an issue that will be addressed by this legislature," she said in an interview with the Quad-City Times.

Davenport schools officials have argued that their students are being treated unfairly because the district can't spend as much as some other districts on a per student basis.

Currently, Davenport can spend $6,591 per student, but others can go as high as $6,766 per student. The average statewide is $6,622, according to state data.

The district has sought help from state lawmakers, including permission to dip into reserves, but have not been successful. The district has illegally spent from its reserves. And as a result, the state Department of Education has filed an ethics complaint against Superintendent Art Tate.

That has prompted an outpouring of support for the superintendent in some quarters.

Asked about the complaint, Reynolds said the education department had no choice in the matter.

"I think they've done what they're required to do," she said.

Some lawmakers have worried that spending down cash reserves will lead to property tax increases when districts move to replenish them. Reynolds said that "we have to be careful of anything that would increase or impact ... property taxes in general." But she steered clear of saying how she might deal with any legislation.

"I'm just not going to get in front of that," she said.

The lieutenant governor did defend the $110 million in cuts the Branstad administration proposed in its budget Tuesday. She noted that K-12 schools were spared. So were property tax credits and Medicaid.

"Nobody wants to do it. It wasn't easy to do," she said.

But she noted revenue projections for the state are lower, and she said this year's cuts will better position the state for the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years.

The administration proposed roughly 2 percent increases in basic state aid for K-12 education for 2018 and 2019. Education groups have typically asked for at least double that. The budget plan, which includes $34 million in higher education cuts for the rest of fiscal 2017, also proposes 2 percent spending hikes in that area for 2018 and 2019.

As for her ascension to governor, Reynolds said it's not clear when that might happened but estimated it may be toward the end of February or the middle of March.

She did say that she has some individuals in mind to take her place as lieutenant governor, but she would not identify them or where they are from.

"I just want somebody that you trust and that is a hard worker, passionate about Iowa," she said. "They have to be willing to put in a lot of hours, because that's what you do."
DAVENPORT  Robert Dale Van Hecke, 87, of Davenport, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, at his home surrounded by his family. Robert Bob was born Feb. 19, 1929, in Davenport, the son of Camiel and Bessie (Salzman) Van Hecke.

He began his military career at the age of 7 by being the youngest boy, at the time, to attend Roosevelt Military Academy in Aledo, Illinois. Although that lasted only a year, he later followed it up with service as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Bob was a patriot and a true veteran who loved his country.

On Valentines Day 1953, he married his sweetheart, Joan Marie Roeder of Evansville, Indiana, and had six children. A hardworking, well-loved man, he spent the next 30 years working at Alcoa in Bettendorf, to support his family. His co-workers referred to him as, "Hooker" (with a nose like that) and will always remember him with his great sense of humor. A true friend to all and a father who was loved and respected by his children, he will be dearly missed.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date this summer. Online condolences may be left to the family at vanhecke2@hotmail.com.

Surviving loves of his life are his wife, Joan, and five children, Steve, Tommy, Joe (Donna), Lori McFadden, all of Davenport; and his daughter, Deb Eastwood (Phil), Grenada, West Indies. He is also survived by his sister, Doris Mae Tritz, Remsen, Iowa, and by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who he would call, "all my little Van Heckes."

Bob was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Tom, Dodie, Irene, and Charlette; his son, Mike; and grandson, Joe-Joe.
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," mutters Marcellus as ghosts and mad spirits haunt Elsinore Castle in the first act of Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

After this past week of salacious leaks about foreign espionage plots and indignant denials, people must be wondering if something is rotten in the state of our democracy. How can we dispel the dark rumors that, as Hamlet says, "shake our disposition"?

I'd suggest four questions to clear the haze of allegation and recrimination that surrounds President-elect Donald Trump and our intelligence agencies a week before his inauguration. Getting answers may take months -- but that's the best way to avoid a Shakespearean tragic ending.

Question 1: Did Trump's campaign encourage Russia's alleged hacking to hurt his rival Hillary Clinton and help him, and does Russia have any leverage over him? Trump finally conceded at his press conference Wednesday that "as far as hacking, I think it was Russia," but he insisted he has "no dealings with Russia" and "no loans with Russia." He didn't answer a question about whether he or anyone from his staff had contact with Russia during the campaign.

The country needs to know what's true and false. The Washington Post and other news organizations spent months trying to check out a dossier about possible Russia-Trump contacts prepared by a former British intelligence officer. The press couldn't confirm alleged meetings during the campaign. The FBI and other intelligence agencies have had the dossier, too, since late summer. Their investigation remains open, it appears.

A full investigation will establish who did what, and when. In a case where a foreign intelligence service allegedly ran a covert action against America's political system, aborting the inquiry would be scandalous.

Question 2: Why did the Obama administration wait so long to deal with Russia's apparent hacking? This is the Hamlet puzzle in our drama. Like the prince of Denmark, President Obama delayed taking action even as evidence mounted of dastardly deeds. The first stories about Russian hacking broke last summer. In September, the so-called "Gang of Eight" -- the top congressional leadership on intelligence -- was getting detailed briefings on the hacking. The FBI by then had obtained the British ex-spy's dossier.

The intelligence community issued a statement Oct. 7 charging that "Russia's senior-most officials" had sought to "interfere with the U.S. election process." Given that, why didn't Obama do more?

The White House probably feared that further action might trigger a process of escalation that could bring even worse election turmoil. Trump was barnstorming the country claiming that the election was rigged and warning he might not accept the outcome. Did the administration worry that the Russians would take additional steps to hurt Clinton and help Trump, and might disrupt balloting itself? We need to know.

Question 3: What discussions has the Trump team had with Russian officials about future relations? Trump said Wednesday that his relationship with President Vladimir Putin is "an asset, not a liability." Fair enough, but until he's president, Trump needs to let Obama manage U.S.-Russia policy.

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump's choice for national security adviser, cultivates close Russian contacts. He has appeared on Russia Today, and received a paid speaking fee from the cable network, which was described in last week's unclassified intelligence briefing on Russian hacking as "the Kremlin's principal international propaganda outlet."

According to a senior U.S. government official, Flynn phoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak several times on Dec. 29, the day the Obama administration announced the expulsion of 35 Russian officials and other measures in retaliation for the hacking. What did Flynn say, and did it undercut the U.S. sanctions? The Logan Act (though never enforced) bars U.S. citizens from correspondence intending to influence a foreign government about "disputes" with the United States. Was its spirit violated? The Trump campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

If the Trump team's contacts helped discourage the Russians from a counter-retaliation, maybe that's a good thing. But we ought to know the facts.

Question 4: Finally, what's the chance that Russian intelligence has gamed its covert action more subtly than we realize? Applying a counterintelligence lens, it's worth asking whether the Russians hoped to be discovered, and whether Russian operatives fed the former MI6 officer's controversial dossier deliberately, to sow further chaos.

These questions need to be answered -- not to undermine Trump, but to provide a factual base to help the country recover from an attack on its political system. As Trump rightly says, "fake news" threatens our democracy. Truth will protect it.
Thumbs up to Thumbs up to the striking bipartisan local support for school funding equity in Davenport.

Liberals and conservatives alike joined the chorus backing Superintendent Art Tate's crusade to balance the state's disparate funding formula. Business groups, such as Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce are leading the unofficial lobbying charge. They're joined by parents of all political stripes, the school board and even students themselves.

There's substantial opposition to the shift among some Iowa's most powerful entrenched interest groups. Only a totally unified front has a shot at success.

Thumbs down to Illinois Rep. Mike Halpin for a straining attempt to explain his vote for Michael Madigan's continued speakership without saying Madigan's name.

You would think Madigan was out of a Harry Potter novel by the way Halpin's lengthy statement ducked and dodged, while never once actually saying "Michael Madigan."

It's Halpin's prerogative to think that Madigan's platform is the best for Illinoisans. It's also true that Halpin's options were limited when the vote went to the floor.

But let's not act as if Halpin's support of Madigan was something other than what it was.

Thumbs up to Winter Iowa Senior Games for realizing the Mississippi River isn't a partition that divides the Quad-Cities.

The Quad-Cities event planned for Feb. 24-26 will hold events on both sides of the river. Up to 250 athletes are expected to compete in the inaugural event.

Too often, the geographic and state boundaries weaken the Quad-Cities as a whole, politically and economically.

Senior Games organizers didn't succumb to the historic boundaries.
Fake News Quiz

Trending News: Think You Can Spot Fake News? Take Our Quiz

Quick Take

Ever since the Pissghazi story broke, the entire world became privy to the term "fake news." That's in no small part because our President Elect dismissed any outlet who reported on the existence of his pee-soaked dossier as "fake," but also because it's been woven into the fabric of this election cycle. Some pundits believe fake news (whether it be propaganda, a deliberate hoax or otherwise harmless satire) played a tremendous role in swaying the electorate toward Donald Trump.

And if you don't think so, consider that multiple tech companies have taken notice. Google and Facebook both pledged to scrub from their sites and ad networks of the most blatant offenders, and Facebook has turned to its users for help identifying bogus stories.

To that end, we've developed a little quiz to help you test your fake news acuity. To avoid hurting anyone's fee-fees, we've excluded sites considered "fake" because they extrapolate on nuggets of truth, or act as propaganda. No, every correct answer here is 100% fabricated, but chances are you've seen them passed around your Facebook feed as the real McCoy. In each of the following questions, ONE of the headlines is fake. Can you spot it?

How'd you do?

Drop This Fact

American News, a hoax site pandering to conservative voters, has approximately 5 million Facebook fans.
DES MOINES  The Iowa House Ethics Committee is stepping back from a rule change that could require the chambers chief clerk to lie.

That wasnt his intention at all, Ethics Chairman Rob Taylor, R-West Des Moines, said, when he raised the possibility of removing the permanent record of ethics complaints that are investigated and dismissed.

It was just a discussion, he said about the conversation he initiated Wednesday at the committee's first meeting of the year. So after a couple of days of round-tabling the topic, Taylor said Friday he thinks lawmakers can be protected from unfounded ethics complaints without a rules change.

We want to protect the innocent, Taylor said. My point was that if a complaint is filed and we dismiss it, it shouldnt be seen as guilt by association. I dont want the Ethics Committee to be used in a partisan way to falsely accuse a member.

So Taylor asked the committee to think about changing House rules so that complaints that are dismissed would not be part of the permanent record and the chief clerk would answer no if asked whether a complaint had been filed.

That would put her in an awkward position, said Carmine Boal, a former GOP House member in her fifth session as chief clerk.

The permanent record of a dismissal might be a lawmakers best defense, said Joe Romano, a longtime House Democratic staff member.

Thats the record you lean on. If you get rid of the evidence, what do you have? he said.

He also pointed out that even if the complaint is dismissed, it would remain in the committee minutes, which, unlike the permanent record, are available on the Legislatures website.

Ethics complaints are rare, Boal said. During Taylors three years on the Ethics Committee, none have gone to the full committee.

Currently, the chief clerk refers ethics complaints to the committee chair and the ranking member from the minority party. They determine whether the complaint is sufficient as to form to merit action by the committee that has three members from each party.

If the committee determines a complaint is valid, the most common action is to issue an admonishment and advise the lawmaker to exercise care, Boal said. Or it can issue an order to cease and desist the conduct that led to the complaint. Finally, it can recommend the House censure or reprimand the member.

When the committee meets Wednesday, Taylor plans to suggest protecting lawmakers from ethics complaint abuse through procedural changes that would make it more apparent when complaints have been dismissed.

If there is an erroneous claim  and it happens  and we dismiss it, we need to make it easier for the clerk, for us and for the media to see that, Taylor said. If someone asks, the answer should be Yes, it was dismissed."
Mesilla, N.M. | She was there in an alcove of the La Posta restaurant  quiet, unimposing, emerging from exposed brick surrounded by adobe. Perhaps what caught my attention was the contrast of her peaceful corner to the maze of rooms full of squawking parrots, flashing tropical fish, lively music, blinking lights, and busy staff bearing platters of food through the mayhem that is todays La Posta de Mesilla.

The image was of a woman in a blue-green cloak, head bowed. It appeared to be a ceramic fragment, overlain on chipped brick, bordered by new adobe plaster. It took three visits to Mesilla, a community on the southern edge of Las Cruces, N.M., to gain an appreciation of the importance of The Lady of Guadalupe to this community and the neighboring Tortugas Pueblo. And still that appreciation is in fragments and layers, like the image, like the American Southwest. Layers of one culture over another, corners of societies chipped away, small glimpses of what lies beneath, but not a full reveal.

My husband and I went to Tortugas Pueblo to experience the Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and we appreciated the opportunity, as strangers and outsiders, to get a glimpse.

The Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe is celebrated throughout the Americas on Dec. 10, 11, and 12, in observance of the three times that the apparition appeared in 1531 to Juan Diego, an Aztec man, on a hill in what is now Mexico City. On the last day, as proof, she left an image of herself on the mans tilma, or cloak. That relic is enshrined in a basilica in Mexico City and equated with the Shroud of Turin in the power of its mystery and inspiration.

Descendants of the Guadalupe Mission Indians, including Piro, Manso, and Tiwa people, settled the Mesilla Valley in the mid-1800s. Tortugas Pueblo is a village within Las Cruces, which takes its name from Tortugas Mountain, a 5,000-foot hill that rises above the East Mesa of Las Cruces, resembling a tortoise crossing the desert. A nonprofit organization, Los Indigenes de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, maintains the customs and traditions of the founders of the village, including the observance of the festival. The Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe combines Native American spiritual traditions and customs with the worldwide Catholic observance of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Members of four Native American dance groups  the Pueblo Dancers, Los Danzantes (members of Los Indigenes), Azteca del Chichimeca, and Danza Guadalupana Azteca  celebrate the annual cultural and religious festival with processions, prayers, services, and an elaborate ceremony that passes responsibility for the festival from one group of families to the next. Candlelight processions, prayers, and a vigil precede the dawn pilgrimage up Tortugas Mountain on the second day.

The entire pueblo pitches in for the celebration, which centers around three blocks in the center of the village, anchored by the Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On the day before the festival, we spoke to a community member who was overseeing a cadre of volunteers busy raking leaves, repairing sidewalks, painting the chapel, trimming hedges and scurrying to make everything ready. He told us that in more than 40 years, the only time he had ever missed returning home for the fiesta was during his deployment in Afghanistan. It just doesnt feel like the holiday season until we come down the mountain, he said.

He encouraged us to participate in all the festivities, noting that the four organizing families, led by the Mayordomos, would open their homes to celebrants, pilgrims, dancers, and even visitors like ourselves.

We scouted Tortugas Mountain ahead of time, to see the path the pilgrims would take, and then returned to the pueblo to see if anything had begun. That evening, glowing in the warm light from hundreds of luminaria, the chapel looked like an exquisite confection. Everything was pristine: not a dust mote, a dry leaf, a pine needle dared mar the picture. Even the streets around the chapel had been freshly paved, the community center (La Casa del Pueblo) and dining hall were freshly painted, the playgrounds and parking lots were smoothed and ready for the dancers.

A candlelight procession began what would be three days of prayer, reflection, dancing, eating, and ceremony.

Though we were told we would be welcome, we declined to intrude on what was clearly a gathering of families who have lived together for generations. We watched the abuelas (grandmas) carry pots and bowls of food into La Casa de la Comida, and the children in their regalia skip and hop up the steps for dance practice.

The community kept vigil the entire night, fueled by posole (hominy soup) and drums. We got a good nights sleep and headed for the mountain before sunrise, but many of the pilgrims were well up the mountain by the time we got there. Carrying wood for fires, water, and food, they climbed up what looked to us more like a rockslide than a trail. A family with a baby in a wagon took the long way around, and we were told that meandering, less steep trail, was the path the bishop would take when he climbed the mountain to hear confession and conduct mass on the top. While there, the pilgrims make walking staffs of yucca stock and rosettes of yucca leaves.

We returned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at dusk, after watching the last pilgrims come down the hill with their staffs. The dancing began with drums beating, shells clinking, gourds rattling, bows clacking. Lines of brilliantly clad dancers threaded complex steps and patterns back and forth, weaving in and out, ending each dance by kneeling before an altar covered in roses  to commemorate Juan Diegos apron full of miraculous roses gathered in the desert in winter  and shining with the image of Nuestra Senora. Every dancers regalia had some representation of the image: a scarf, apron, embroidered shirt, sequined cloth.

On grounds across from the chapel, another dance group punctuated its steps not only with drums, but lively fiddles. Tiny children in their own regalia tried to keep pace with the adult dancers, sometimes appearing lost in the swirl of feathers, lace, rattles and stomping feet.

The celebration resumed the following day with a morning mass and investiture of the new Mayordomos, who pass the responsibility for the festival on to a new set of families. In front of the church girls in frothy white Confirmation or First Holy Communion dresses take turns dancing with beribboned Mayordomos and Danzantes. Dancing on three separate grounds goes on until lunch time, when the entire community lines up for a traditional meal that is prepared and served out of the Casa de Comida. As we wound our way out of the pueblo, we saw folks carrying plates of food through the streets, perhaps for those who could not attend in person?

The festival would go on for the rest of the day, with a final procession carrying the image of The Virgin of Guadalupe back to the church. As we headed out to catch our flight home, it was clear from smiles and nods of parishioners that this community lives the admonition of Matthew 25: I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
President Obama signed a law in May designating the bison as Americas national mammal. It was a historic moment for the once-endangered species, which roamed North America by the tens of millions when Europeans arrived in the 1600s before being reduced to mere hundreds in the 1880s.

The population has since rebounded to around 400,000, according to the National Bison Association, and the price of a 2-year-old bison carcass continues to climb, reaching a high of $4.60 a pound last year. In 2004, the first year the U.S. Department of Agriculture began tracking 2-year-old carcass prices, that price was $1.60 a pound.

Its fair to say the bison business is booming.

Right now in the bison business, we are in the strongest, most stable position weve ever been in, said Dave Carter, the National Bison Association's executive director. The big difference between the 90s and now is the market is being driven by consumer demand for meat.

In fact, demand for bison has risen so fast that ranchers such as Moritz Espy and Mimi Hillenbrand of 777 Bison Ranch, about 30 miles south of Rapid City, find themselves in the enviable position of struggling to keep pace.

Demand is on the rise, Espy said as he drove his silver pickup over gravel roads and snow-covered hills on the 777 Ranch on a brisk, sunny morning. Weve been increasing our herd every year since the drought of 07, slowly but surely.

At this point, though, the demand is still outpacing the supply.

We are now scrambling to keep up with that demand, Carter said.

Bruce Anderson  former president of the association and owner of Western Buffalo, a bison meat processing company on East St. Patrick Street in downtown Rapid City  believes consumer demand for previously overlooked cuts is a big factor.

Anderson said people consume bison much differently now from 20 years ago: They embrace cuts and parts of it that werent as popular as they were back then.

Espy agreed. Take for instance, osso bucco, Espy said. It sounds nice, its good, but you know, my folks called it shank.

With increased demand comes an increase in price, too.

Any extra dollar that you can get out of the offal or the trimmings off of a carcass, that goes to raise the overall value of the carcass through carcass utilization, Espy said.

In many cases, those extra dollars are being directed right back into the ranches. Last year at 777 Bison Ranch, workers installed about 20 miles of interior fencing and seven miles of perimeter fencing, and expanded their water systems. Projects like these, especially water infrastructure improvements, come at a high cost, but as the herd increases, so do the demands for water, fencing and space. Currently, the ranch has about 2,000 bison on 28,000 acres and uses 20,000 gallons of water each day.

And the bison industry shows no signs of slowing down. The associations winter conference and live bison show and sale at the National Western Stock Show, to be held from Wednesday to next Saturday in Denver, has already sold out, with a real increase in registers from producers and a lot of new producers, Carter said. Organizers had to scramble to find enough room for the participants, two of whom will be Hillenbrand and Espy. And according to the bison association, the U.S. per-capita consumption of bison meat stands at just 0.07 pounds a year.

Its a good business to be in, said Espy. Everybody that Ive met in the buffalo business industry is very enthusiastic and upbeat.

With demand and price rising, and substantial room for growth, its hard not to be.
Rapid City is missing an agricultural component in its economic portfolio, Mayor Steve Allender said Friday and pledged a renewed focus on the industry.

We have all these irons in the fire everywhere were looking, but for some reason, we have just failed to pay attention to the agriculture industry, he said.

Allender made the comments during a wide-ranging, hourlong news conference at City Hall in conjunction with the release of his latest biannual progress report. The eight-page document includes a review of the citys major activities last year and a preview of this year.

The news conference also served as an opening argument of sorts for Allenders re-election bid. He plans to run for a second term in June, he said in a brief interview with the Journal after the news conference.

Agriculture was only briefly mentioned in the written progress report. During the news conference, Allender expounded on the topic for several minutes.

He said the city had lost a meat processing plant and a milk plant in the past 20 years but that city leaders have done little to bolster the declining agricultural sector of the citys economy.

Ive made some initial contacts. I have some tours set up to try to teach a city boy something about agriculture, Allender said.

South Dakota was founded on agriculture, he said, yet cattle producers in and around the Black Hills have seemingly few local outlets for their product. They send truckloads of cattle out of state, he said, which means some of the beef served in Rapid City restaurants comes from other states and foreign countries.

That is doing a disservice to the consumer, ... to South Dakota, Allender said.

He noted that the state still has a South Dakota Certified Beef Program in law and should build on it. The program, started under former Gov. Mike Rounds, was envisioned as a way to inspire consumer loyalty by tracking cattle from birth to slaughter and branding the beef with a South Dakota Certified label. The program never took off, and although it is technically still a law, it is not active.

At the end of the news conference, Allender identified his top priorities for 2017:

Developing a new plan for the lot at Fifth and St. Joseph streets, a parking lot and key piece of downtown real estate where an ambitious development deal known as Presidents Plaza fell apart in recent years;

Filling open department-head positions in the Fire Department, the Community Planning office and the Public Works Department;

Beginning full operation of a new priority-based budgeting system, which he hopes will save the city money;

Finding places for 100 new affordable homes; and

Implementing what he called a railroad quiet zone, by charging a task force with making changes to downtown railroad crossings to limit the use of loud train horns.

The mayors full progress report can be seen at rapidcityjournal.com. Here are some highlights:

Implementation of the new priority-based budget system could mean some programs will be cut, Allender warned, as the city looks to shift its financial resources from failing or underused programs to higher-priority programs.

Sales-tax collections were lower than projections in four of the past five months of 2016, leaving a projected shortfall of $158,000 in sales-tax revenue for this budget year.

An increase in the citys annual contribution to the Rapid City Economic Development Partnership from $275,000 to $400,000 has helped the partnership hire a new workforce development coordinator to focus on training workers for new jobs.

Five new, small townhomes being built at the junction of Monroe and Dilger in North Rapid by NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources, with encouragement from the city, will be move-in ready this summer, Allender hopes, and should serve as a test case and a learning opportunity for further efforts to increase affordable housing options, he said.

Increasing numbers of school-age children are riding public buses since the city began offering students free year-round rides last year as a way to encourage school attendance, with record highs of at least 539 student trips each day Monday to Thursday of this week.

The Civic Center Resolution Task Force, which is trying to determine whether to repair, remodel or replace parts of Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, may have a final public presentation ready by March.

Work on a downtown master plan this year will include completion by May of a review of 700 parcels, many of which will face a zoning change for the good, Allender said, in part to make downtown more mixed-use friendly.

The valuation of building permits was a record $320 million in 2016, and Allender added, I am confident in predicting that 2017 will break that record. We have a number of big projects on tap that I think will put us over that.
The death of an escaped prison inmate whose body was found along a highway Wednesday has been ruled a homicide, authorities said Friday.

Preliminary autopsy results showed Moses Dubray, 32, was killed, according to a release from the South Dakota Attorney Generals Office.

Spokeswoman Sara Rabern declined to provide more details on how Dubray died, citing the early stages of the criminal investigation.

Dubray, who was serving a five-year burglary sentence, was found dead along S.D. Highway 89 in Fall River County on Wednesday. He was declared an escapee Tuesday after he had walked away from the Rapid City Community Work Center, his assigned unit.

The Division of Criminal Investigation is seeking details about Dubrays whereabouts Tuesday night, and anyone with information is asked to call its tip line at 394-1884.

Dubray was scheduled to be released from prison in April 2018 and was due for a parole review on Feb. 1, according to information on the state Department of Corrections website. He was sentenced in April 2013 to 10 years in prison, with five years suspended, for third-degree burglary in Bennett County.
A member of the Terry Peak Ski Patrol was listed in fair condition Friday night at Rapid City Regional Hospital after suffering a severe spinal cord injury when he fell from a chairlift Sunday.

Drew Stephens, 24, was finishing his last sweeps as an emergency medical technician and wilderness first responder at Terry Peak when the accident occurred, according to a GoFundMe page dedicated to him.

Tom Marsing, president of Terry Peak, confirmed Stephens' accident but would not give any more details because he said the incident was still under investigation by the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office.

Stephens' family said he had undergone surgery at Regional Hospital. The hospital confirmed his condition.

The next step is moving Stephens to a rehabilitation hospital, they said in journal posts on the site CaringBridge.org.

His site can be found at caringbridge.org/visit/drewstephens.

The GoFundMe site had raised $15,000 as of Friday afternoon to help offset costs for Stephens as he begins a long road to recovery. It can be found at gofundme.com/37w6nl4

The incident happened 10 days after a 40-year-old woman from San Antonio was killed in Colorado when she fell 25 feet from a chairlift at Ski Granby Ranch, a small resort about 90 miles west of Denver. Her two daughters, ages 12 and 9, suffered injuries but survived.

The woman's fall was a result of electrical problems that caused the chairlift to hit a support tower, investigators later learned.

The incident marked the first fatal fall in Colorado in more than a decade, The Associated Press reported.
For South Dakota's congressional delegation, Scott Pruitt should offer some concern.

On the one hand, Pruitt, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has been a critic of federal overreach. So much of a critic, in fact, that, "Pruitt has spent much of his energy as (Oklahoma) attorney general fighting the very agency he is being nominated to lead," according to a recent story in the Washington Post.

On the other hand, coming from an oil-dependent state such as Oklahoma, can Pruitt actually be a friend to Midwestern ethanol interests?

This is the central concern Republican Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune should have through Pruitt's confirmation process. What happens next with the EPA will undoubtedly affect South Dakotans and our way of life.

As EPA head, Pruitt would have an enormous influence over an EPA ethanol-blend mandate that has overall been good for the economy and citizens of South Dakota.

The mandate is part of the Renewable Fuel Standard  or RFS  program. According to the EPA, the RFS "requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace or reduce the quantity of petroleum-based transportation fuel, heating oil or jet fuel."

South Dakota groups  such as the South Dakota Corn Council and South Dakota Corn Growers Association  have been advocates of the RFS. They oppose reductions in the standards or further cuts to the program.

According to a 2012 study commissioned by the South Dakota Ethanol Producers Association, the ethanol industry had a $3.8 billion economic impact on South Dakota that year. That was a 361 percent increase from a 2004 study.

In 2015, Thune joined other Midwest senators, including Iowa's Chuck Grassley, in calling for maintaining the RFS.

As Oklahoma AG in 2013, Pruitt offered rare praise to the EPA when it decided to reduce the ethanol mandate. At the time, it determined that only 15 billion gallons of ethanol needed to be blended into the nation's fuel supply, down from 18.15 billion gallons.

"The evidence is clear that the current ethanol fuel mandate is unworkable. The decision by the EPA to lower that standard is good news for Oklahoma consumers," Pruitt said in a statement. "It's good the Administration finally recognized the concerns of consumers and a variety of industries and took steps to correct this flawed program."

A flawed program or a necessary one?

In a media call last week, Rounds praised Pruitt based on their brief meeting.

"It was a very refreshing discussion," Rounds said. "He's one of the guys in line with South Dakota as we have sued the EPA about not following sound science. He will be a breath of fresh air for local and state administrators to work with."

True, Pruitt's anti-feds bluster will appeal to fellow GOP'ers.

But Rounds, Thune and other Midwestern state leaders should be absolutely concerned by Trump's 2016 promise to "get rid of (the EPA) in almost every form."

If that is the goal, Trump has picked the right man for the job.

And if he is sincere in this goal, can an oil-friendly EPA chief resist dismantling the RFS?
Relatives of family killed in Armenia seek retrial of Russian soldier

MOSCOW, January 13 (RAPSI)  Relatives of a family killed in the Armenian city of Gyumri turned to the Cassation Court over refusal of a court of appeaals to send the case against Russian soldier Valery Permyakov for retrial, RIA Novosti reported on Friday.

On December 19, the Criminal Court of Appeals refused to change the sentence issued by a lower court in this case. Lawyer for relatives of Permaykovs victims, Aramazd Kiviryan, asked the court to send the case for retrial to review a lawsuit against Russia on compensation for non-pecuniary damages.

On August 23, a court in Armenia sentenced Permyakov to life in prison. He was found guilty on all accounts including murder, assault related to robbery and attempt to cross the border illegally.

The family, including a six-month-old baby, was killed as a result of an armed assault on January 12, 2015. Valery Permyakov, a soldier at a Russian base in the Armenian town of Gyumri, was arrested and later charged with the murder of two or more persons under the Armenian Criminal Code.

On August 12, 2015, Permyakov was found guilty of desertion, theft of weapons and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The murder case was singled out for considering it in a separate procedure and passed to the Armenian authorities.

On October 13, 2015, Permyakov was found sane despite certain deviations. According to experts, he was not in the heat of passion while committing the crime and could recognize the consequences of his actions.

On October 16, he was additionally charged with armed assault, home-invasion robbery and attempted border crossing.
In an attempt to reduce cow elk populations in northeastern Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks has authorized a management season hunt in portions of Hunting Districts 680 and 690 starting on Saturday, Jan. 14, and continuing through Feb. 15.

Hunters signed up for the hunt roster in those districts may be selected.

Basically, the main intent of the management season hunt in 680 and 690 is to help bring elk populations in the area closer to population objectives, said Scott Hemmer, Havre-area biologist. Landowners may become eligible for these types of hunts if they allow public hunting during general hunting seasons.

Depending on their randomized order on the list, hunters registered on the hunt roster were contacted by FWP via email or letter. Hunters need to have signed up to be on the hunt roster between June 15 and July 15 of each year.

Those selected hunters may harvest up to two antlerless elk if they possess an unused general elk license and an unused elk B license. Hunters may purchase a special management hunt B license at any license provider if they have not previously purchased a general elk license and an antlerless elk B license for the 2016 hunting season.

FWP stressed that this is not a damage hunt, with elk stacked up in concentrated areas.

Hunters should prepare to hunt hard for elk, no different than any other hunting season, Hemmer said. Expect variable weather conditions to possibly include deep snow and cold.

Hunters should have means to retrieve elk over potentially long distances. If successful, hunters must report their harvest to Hemmer.

Hunting will be conducted in accordance with the 2016 Montana elk hunting regulations, and will be allowed only during times and in locations as directed by the landowner or FWP staff.

For more information contact Hemmer at 406-265-6177, or email shemmer@mt.gov.
HELENA  Anglers would have to fish with barbless hooks in waterways designated catch-and-release under legislation introduced by a Bitterroot Valley senator.

Sen. Pat Connell, R-Hamilton, brought Senate Bill 74 before the Senate Fish and Game Committee on Thursday. The bill authorizes the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to designate waters for catch-and-release fishing, and requires anglers in those waters to use barbless hooks or to crimp barbs flat.

Connell acknowledged that research into barbed versus barbless hooks has not suggested differences in fish mortality, but argued that barbless hooks push a greater conservation message.

Theres more than one issue at play here -- this is not a biological or population control issue, its social, he testified.

Barbless hooks are easier to remove, both from fish or from inadvertently hooked people, he said. That allows quicker release of fish and helps reduce hook scarring injuries.

With our economies more and more dependent on recreation  we should take every opportunity to maintain the quality of the recreational experience, Connell said.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks came out in support of the bill with some minor changes in language. The law would not affect waters with mixed take or catch-and-release regulations, and would advocate quick and gentle release, Eileen Ryce, FWP Fisheries administrator, told the committee.

Opposing the bill was Walleyes Unlimited, saying the bill needed some clarification but a greater concern was putting regulations into law. The commission already has the authority to designate waters barbless and catch-and-release  it designated the North Fork of the Blackfoot barbless last year  and the group is leery of strengthening that authority further.

Lets not give the commission more authority than they need, said Bob Gilbert, representing Walleyes Unlimited. Its always easier to repeal a rule than a statute.

Gilbert went on to say that his group developed a mistrust of the commission following certain management decisions made without biological backing.

FWP typically recommends catch-and-release regulations for biological reasons, such as sensitive species or species with declining populations, Ryce said. The decision on regulations ultimately rests with the commission.

The Montana Wildlife Federation also opposed, saying it stood behind the current commission authority and calling the legislation code clutter.

The committee did not take immediate action on the bill.

Reporter Tom Kuglin can be reached at 406-447-4076 @IR_TomKuglin.
EAST GRAND RAPIDS, MI - With its rolling grasslands and stone cottages, the Cotswolds are among the most scenic and beloved regions in England.

Architect J. Alexander McColl must have had the region in mind 90 years ago when he designed a brick and stucco house for Arthur Rosenthal, the founder of Rose Patch and Label Co., which made cloth labels and cloth-label cutting machines for the garment industry.

Rosenthal also was a founder of the Roseswift Airplane Co., the city's first air service providing passenger and express air service from 1919 until 1921.

The home's stucco gables include glazed tile insets specified by McColl, known for his varied styles that included one of the area's earliest International Style homes and later, high-end mid-century modern homes.

Tucked away in the rolling hills between Reeds Lake and Cascade Road SE, the home sits quietly on Cotswold Lane SE, a narrow seldom-traveled lane.

"It's very quiet and very peaceful," said Lori Goin, who listed the five-bedroom house for $1.25 million with Margaret Hartline of Keller Williams GR North.

Despite its secluded location in the wooded suburb, the house sits on a 1.1 acre lot that includes an in-ground swimming pool by Garter, a hot tub and a steep hill that is ideal for winter sledding.

Inside, the house still has most of its original appointments, included arched plaster ceilings and solid paneled doors with their original hardware. That includes most of the wrought iron and brass light fixtures.

The house also has been updated with a modern gourmet kitchen with Subzero appliances, a Wolf stove and heated hardwood and tile flooring. Insulated Pella windows have been added throughout while retaining the original sills and woodwork.

The home's original garage has been converted into an entry area and mudroom with a laundry, bathroom and pantry.A newer three-stall detached garage with a finished loft and bathroom are connected to the house via a covered walkway.

Beyond the modern kitchen, the craftsmanship of the old house has been lovingly preserved with most of its nooks and crannies. The plaster walls have been preserved with molded accents and a marble-like finishes.

The original entrance facing Pioneer Club Trail opens to a rich wood-paneled foyer with a slate floor and a winding staircase with leaded glass windows that lead to the upper floors. A wrought-iron stair rail and brass chandelier that hangs from the domed ceiling is a work of art in itself.

In the living room, the original fireplace has a mantel that was added in later years while the sunroom still has the original ceramic tile flooring.

On the second level, the original touches extend to a telephone nook and the pink-tiled powder room that serves two bedrooms over the original garage area. One of the bedrooms leads up to a loft with a cedar closet.

The master suite is located a few steps up over the living room area and includes a "Juliet" balcony overlooking the landscaped backyard. A former attic space has been finished to create a walk-in closet while the bathroom has been upgraded to include a glass walk-in shower.

In the basement, the recreation room still has its original terrazzo flooring and a corner fireplace. Underneath the kitchen addition, there's a brick-floored wine cellar and a "secret sauna."

While the home's hot water heat has been updated with a new boiler, the home does not have air conditioning.

This is one in a series of articles we have published about High-End Homes in West Michigan. Here are similar articles we have published recently:

 $788K luxury home includes attached airplane hangar next to airport

 $2.2M cottage on Lake Macatawa packed with high-end features

 $1.6M mansion still has ballroom from its early days as Kent Country Club



 125-year-old Heritage Hill mansion getting new life as recovery center

 130-year-old Victorian farmhouse stays up-to-date in upscale suburb



 YMCA's racquetball courts converted into modern luxury condo

 $1.4M luxury home with 7 bedrooms has space for everybody

 $1.5M luxury condo's glass walls offer lofty downtown vistas from 31st floor

 For $1.2M, 'rustic modern' house offers front-row view of nature and wildlife
Vernon Roken

They are the two men who changed the course of the history of the United States and the world in the new millennium: one by his capacity for evil, the other by his incapacity to comprehend it. The saga of Osama and Obama begins at the dawn of the 21st century.

In September of 2001, Osama bin Laden slaughtered thousands of Americans in New York, Washington, and in the skies, undermining the nation's sense of security. The Twin Towers were a symbol of the soaring power of the unchallenged United States following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Osama didn't have to leave his Afghan hideaway to accomplish his "feat." He sent no clunky missiles in an effort to dent the impenetrable power of fortress America as Saddam Hussein had attempted with his Scuds against U.S. troops during the Gulf War. He relied on a small group of Muslim fanatics with box cutters and the schedules of U.S. airlines servicing a booming economy.

In response to bin Laden's outrage, then President George W. Bush launched the War on Terror. In 2008, Americans chose Barack Hussein Obama to be their first post-9/11 elected president. That his surname, Obama, rhymed with Osama and had the unusual names "Barack Hussein" attached to it is only a coincidence. The resemblance, however, was not lost on the future president when he lunched with a political consultant in late September of 2001. Before them was a newspaper with Osama bin Laden's photo. "Hell of a thing isn't it?" remarked the consultant. "Really bad luck. You can't change your name, of course. Voters are suspicious of that kind of thing."

Voters seemed to be more suspicious of Obama's association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whom the Wall Street Journalcalled a "passionate proponent of the view of America as the world's leading agent of evil and injustice," than his Muslim roots. The association with fiery preacher and his friendship with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers did not deter the American people.

Perhaps Barack Hussein Obama's amazing rise was the result of some deep wound in the American psyche after such a direct hit on its pride that still smarted seven years later.

On May 2, 2011, Obama killed Osama, or at least he took responsibility for the action, while watching it on closed-circuit deep in the heavily-fortified White House Situation Room -- but his incapacity to call out evil during his presidency weakened America's power in the world and gave birth to an even more malicious Al-Qaeda offspring -- the Islamic State.

"Like most children of divorced parents, he felt a loss, for he was no longer as intimately involved with his father's family he keenly felt his lack of status, genuinely suffering from his father's lack of personal love and care." These words were written by Omar bin Laden, one of Osama's 20 sons, regarding his father's relationship with his grandfather, but they could have easily been written about Barack Obama, whose autobiography, titled Dreams from My Father, aptly describes the importance of his Kenyan progenitor's absence. Both men's Muslim fathers died prematurely: Osama's in a plane crash at age 59, Obama's in a car accident at age 46, thus precluding any reconciliation with their feelings of abandonment.

Osama bin Laden's father was fantastically rich and had many wives. Since Osama was not among the first born among 50 sons, he received little attention from the busy patriarch before he died. He was raised by a stepfather. Unlike his brothers, who studied abroad, Osama stayed in Saudi Arabia and thus remained "the most provincial of the bin-Laden boys."

Barack Obama was raised in multicultural Hawaii and in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation. It was with Obama's Indonesian stepfather that the future president first came in contact with Islam, at the time in Indonesia, a much more tolerant version than that of Osama's Saudi Arabia.

Bin Laden, living in the birthplace of Islam, found meaning in its message and gravitated towards the works of Sayid Qutub, "widely considered the father of contemporary jihadist thought."

Four and a half years younger than Osama, Barack Obama was drawn to the writings of Malcom X of the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist group that prepared for a race war in America and believed that Christianity was the religion of slavers. Malcolm eventually left the NOI for the more traditional Sunni form of the religion and made the Hadj to Mecca. Obama wrote:

If Malcolm X's discovery toward the end of his life, that some whites might live beside him as brothers in Islam, seemed to offer some hope of eventual reconciliation, that hope appeared in a distant future, in a far-off land. In the meantime, I looked to see where the people would come from who were willing to work toward this future and populate this new world.

That search led Obama to a hybrid multicultural and polyreligious concept of world harmony that included an idyllic image of Islam based on his formative years in Indonesia and his emotional attachment to his Muslim forbears. For his "vision," the president won the Nobel Peace Prize shortly after taking office and spent the next eight years trying to create it. He failed miserably, further undermining the post-World War II order that Osama Bin Laden's atrocity had shaken.

The youthful quests of these two highly educated, self-confident men led them to two opposing views of Islam. Bin-Laden's followed the literal words of the Quran: only all-out war on the unbelievers would bring the peace of Islam to the world. For Obama, Islam was a religion of peace. Later it became his "responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

Osama became an evil man of action -- Obama an immoral man of inaction.

Osama, with few troops, no country, and no official title, declared war on the world's greatest superpower in 1996 and took action: the Khobar towers, the USS Cole, the U.S. embassies in Africa, the WTC, and many more acts of terror.

Obama, commander in chief of the world's most powerful military, did everything to appease America's enemies: the withdrawal of troops from Iraq which led to the rise of ISIS, his failure to act when Syria's Assad crossed his red line of chemical weapons use, the nuclear deal with Iran, and many more acts of rendition.

Osama always told the truth about his beliefs -- Obama told half-truths and lies about Islam.

Let us contrast just a few of their statements from Osama's letter to America and Obama's Cairo speech.

On each other's civilizations:

Osama: It is saddening to tell you that you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind.

Obama: As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam.

On religious pluralism:

Osama: The religion of Jihad in the way of Allah [is] so that Allah's Word and religion reign Supreme. It is to this religion that we call you: the seal of all the previous religions.

Obama: The world must continue to lift up the voices of Muslim clerics and scholars who teach the true peaceful nature of Islam.

On war and peace:

Osama: Do not await anything from us but Jihad, resistance and revenge.

Obama: Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism  it is an important part of promoting peace.

President Obama told the world "that Islam has always been a part of America's story." In fact, the first country to declare war on the United States was Muslim Tripoli. Following the early conflicts with the North African Barbary States, historian Bernard Lewis wrote (The Crises of Islam, p.69) that there was little contact between the two civilizations until the post-WW II oil boom.

The United States is now in a third historical phase of interaction with the Muslim world. We have been savagely attacked by "Radical Islam," a phrase Barack Obama refuses to utter, while being besieged by Muslim propaganda. By taking an active role in the latter and by failing to decisively combat evil, Barack Hussein Obama has advanced the cause of Osama Bin Laden. Yes, the president "killed" one mass murderer, but he has enabled the formation of tens of thousands of ghoulish assassins who believe that it is their religious duty to enslave non-Muslim women and who can look an infidel in the face before slowly slicing off his head.

The author is a "self-made multiculturalist" who has lived and worked in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. He blogs at The Multicultural Conservative: Conservative by Nature  Multicultural by Choice.
U.S. House Republicans on Friday won passage of a measure starting the process of dismantling Obamacare, despite concerns about not having a ready replacement and the potential financial cost of repealing Democratic President Barack Obama's landmark health insurance law.

The House of Representatives voted 227-198 to instruct committees to draft legislation by a target date of Jan. 27 that would repeal the 2010 Affordable Health Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The Senate approved the same measure early Thursday.

No Democrats supported the initiative. Nine Republicans voted against the measure.

With this vote, Republicans began delivering on their promise to end Obamacare, which also was a campaign promise of Republican President-elect Donald Trump.

The program, which expanded health coverage to some 20 million people, has been plagued by increases in insurance premiums and deductibles and by some large insurers leaving the system.

The resolution passed by the House and Senate does not need presidential approval, since it is part of an internal congressional budget process. But once the Obamacare repeal legislation is drafted, both chambers will need to approve it, and a presidential signature will be required.

By that time, Trump will have been sworn in as president. He has urged Congress to act quickly to repeal and replace the Democratic program.

Obamacare was enacted nearly seven years ago - over Republican objections - in an effort to expand coverage and give new protections for people with pre-existing health conditions and other barriers that left them without insurance.

In the past few years, the House has voted more than 60 times to repeal or alter Obamacare, but Republicans had no hope a repeal would become law as long as Obama was president and could veto their bills.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said Obamacare was collapsing and action was urgent. For people who have health insurance through the Obamacare system, he said, "The deductibles are so high it doesnt feel like youve got insurance in the first place.

"We have to step in before things get worse. This is nothing short of a rescue mission," Ryan said.

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi rebutted Republicans' claims that the law was a failure.

The rate of growth in healthcare costs in our country has been greatly diminished by the Affordable Care Act," she said. "In the more than 50 years that they have been measuring the rate of growth, it has never been slower than now."

The choice before lawmakers, she said, is "affordable care versus chaos."

Harvard University economist David Cutler warned that there could be trouble in U.S. insurance markets if lawmakers do repeal the law but a replacement is slow in coming.

"You could create a lot of havoc," he said, adding that some insurers "may get out of the market entirely."

Trump applauded Congress's efforts with a Friday morning tweet saying, "The 'Unaffordable' Care Act will soon be history!"

The president-elect, who takes office on Jan. 20, pressed lawmakers this week to repeal and replace it "essentially simultaneously."

Republican leaders would like to finish the repeal process within weeks, but some lawmakers think it could take far longer.

Some Republicans have expressed concern about starting a repeal before agreeing on how to replace provisions of the complicated and far-reaching law.

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated repealing Obama's signature health insurance law entirely would cost roughly $350 billion over 10 years.

Republicans say a good replacement would give states more control of a healthcare program and provide more stability on health insurance premiums.
KATHMANDU, Jan 14: Nepal Student Union (NSU) has urged the authorities concerned to consider incorporating yoga concepts in school curriculum.

At a program organized by the Central Committee of the student wing of the Nepali Congress (NC) in the capital today on the occasion of the second Yoga Day, NC senior leader Ramchandra Poudel spoke of the need to do yoga in our daily lives for practicing spiritualism , arguing that materialism alone does not make one's life joyous.

He insisted, "Yoga should be incorporated as a part of the curriculum which brings about a delicate balance to life that embraces yoga."

On the occasion, NSU President Nain Singh Mahar declared to work out on incorporation of yoga in the curriculum from today itself. He pledged that the NSU would press on this agenda, acknowledging the importance of yoga in the life of the students.

Also speaking at the program, Osho Tapoban's Swami Ananda Arun established the importance of yoga by citing its role in helping attain to human body to achieve four supreme goals of humankind in Hindu faith- Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moskya. RSS
KATHMANDU, Jan 14: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today left for Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), leading a ten-member delegation to pay an official visit to UAE.

The PM is paying the visit at the invitation of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Force.

PM Dahal is to deliver keynote address at the opening ceremony of the World Future Energy Summit -2017 and to attend the Honouring Ceremony of Zayed Future Energy Prize as well as to hold bilateral talks.

Speaker Onsari Gharti, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, Ministers, representatives of the constitutional bodies, the heads of the diplomatic missions based in Kathmandu and the chiefs of the security bodies saw off the PM at the VVIP lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport.

The PM's entourage consists of Foreign Secretary Shankerdas Bairagi, Chief of Protocol Deepak Adhikari, the Prime Minister's advisor and security team, representative of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Minister. The delegation also includes Energy Minister Janardan Sharma and other high officials at the Ministry of Energy including the Joint Secretary.

PM Dahal is scheduled to address the Summit on Monday. In his address the Prime Minister will shed lights on the energy development potentials in Nepal, investment opportunity in the energy sector and Nepal's efforts in developing clean and renewal energy besides others. The Summit also provides an opportunity for Nepal in seeking financial assistance in its endeavour in developing clean and renewal energy.

Moreover, he is scheduled to hold bilateral talk with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai on 15 January in Dubai before the inaugural of the Energy Summit.

The PM will discuss various matters including further strengthening and widening of bilateral relations, cooperation in the regional and international forums, economic and development cooperation, investment opportunities in Nepal, tourism promotion and protection of the interest of Nepali workers in the UAE and providing them easy consular services and legal assistance during the official talks.

He is also scheduled to have official discussion with other high-ranking leaders of the UAE. The PM will return home on January 17. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: a man has been arrested with 15 kg illegal gold from Balaju area of Kathmandu on Saturday morning.

A team mobilized from Metropolitan Police Circle (MPC)arrested Rabindra Bhujel of Bhaktapur with illegal gold. According to the MPC the arrested Bhujel was the driver of a Tata Sumo, jeep with registration number Na 1 Jha 4964.

Though Police became success to arrest the driver with illegal gold, the smuggler have yet to be identified. Police have said that they have been searching for more persons involved in the gold smuggling.

It is said that the illegal gold would have entered in Nepal from the Kerung custom point, a border point between Nepal and neighboring China
Kathmandu, Nepal: There Chinese nationals have been arrested from Kalanki area of Kathmandu with illegal foreign currency on Saturday.

According to police the Chinese nationals were arrested while they were carrying illegal foreign currency worth of about 4.5 Million.

It is said that they have been smuggling the foreign currency to China from Kerung custom point, a border point between Nepal and China.
sacw.net - 14 January 2017

The quickest and easiest way, even in the 21st century, to alleviate the angst caused by a politically influential woman is to slander her. One such libelous story was of my maternal grandmother Akbar Jehanas betrothal or marriage to Lawrence of Arabia.

What did the negotiation between Akbar Jehanas private self and her public persona entail?

As the years have gone by, I have realized that gender norms in the developing world as well as the developed world have conscripted the wide range of female activity. The quickest and easiest way, even in the 21st century, to alleviate the angst caused by a politically influential woman, whose communitarian work entails surmounting barriers, is to diminish her. That is usually done by bringing her repute into question. Akbar Jehanas advocacy of education, health care, and political rights for women, with the resources available to her and within a particular social order, was modern. The problems that she confronted, a lot of which women continue to confront even in the current era, were archaic. But even she wasnat immune to slander.

I was greatly enraptured by the myth that she had been betrothed or married to Thomas Edward Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia (1888-1935), a British Army officer and a prolific writer, much before she met the Sheikh. Lawrence, as several works on him corroborate, worked in British India with the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1926 until 1929. Despite his unparalled ability to adapt to the local cultures in which he lived and functioned, he was accused of working as an anti-Soviet British spy in the North West Frontier Province in 1928 (NWFP). One of the disguises that he donned, according to several reports of doubtful veracity, was of a bland Muslim cleric, Pir Karam Shah. Tariq Ali, Pakistani historian, dogmatically writes about this purported union in his writings on Kashmir. According to him, the story about the betrothal or marriage of Akbar Jehan to Lawrence was relayed by Benji Nedou, Akbar Jehanas younger brother, which, for him, made it the gospel truth. He further asserts that once Lawrenceas espionage activities and his real identity were discovered, Akbar Jehanas father, orchestrated their speedy divorce, after which Lawrence surreptitiously returned to England (aThe Story of Kashmir,a Clash of Fundamentalisms, 217-252). Sometimes gossip gets legitimized as history.

While I greatly doubted the veracity of this tale and thought it was just a yarn, my sense of decorum made me hesitate to ask Akbar Jehan about the authenticity of this narrative. Fortunately, I stumbled upon the school project of writing a fictional story for my tenth-grade English class, finally summoned the courage to ask her about this story. She was telling the beads of her rosary and making rhythmic movements while reciting verses from the Quran when I audaciously brought up the subject. A ray of sunlight beamed into her lap, and she looked at me with a penetratingly earnest gaze and replied that slanderers who took delight in defaming God-fearing women wouldnat escape the wrath of God. She assertively told me that this tall tale was just another fabrication, the purpose of which was to denigrate her and to belittle her work.

Interestingly, in an e-mail exchange with my former professor, Stephen E. Tabachnick, who is a renowned T. E. Lawrence scholar, I asked him about the authenticity of this story, telling him it had preyed on my mind for some time. Professor Tabachnick emphatically stated that he was speaking as someone who had studied and written on Lawrence for forty years, and who was the author of Lawrence of Arabia: An Encyclopedia among other books on Lawrence. Professor Tabachnick unequivocally pointed out, athe story of that betrothal or marriage is completely false. If it had happened, it would have been impossible to keep secret, especially given Lawrences world-wide fame.a And given Lawrenceas ahomosexual tendencies and flagellation compulsion, the odds are really against this storys being true.a He pointed out that the best biographies of Lawrence were by John Mack and Jeremy Wilson. He observed that neither of them had mentioned this apocryphal story, and nor had any of the many other biographies of Lawrence that Professor Tabachnick was familiar with. aSurely one of Lawrences fifty-plus biographers would have come upon the story by nowa (E-mail to author, 19 March 2014).

In refuting the myth of Akbar Jehanas betrothal or marriage to Lawrence of Arabia, he quoted from the "India" entry in his Lawrence of Arabia: An Encyclopedia (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004), pp. 86-87:

Lawrence left for India in December 1926 on board the troop ship SS Derbyshire. From January 7, 1927, to May 26, 1928, he served in the Engine Repair Section at the Royal Air Force depot at Drigh Road, Karachi . . . . He was then transferred to Miranshah, near the Afghanistan border, where he served as a clerk . . . . However, in September 28 newspapers began false accounts of his alleged spying activities in Afghanistan, and on January 12 he was sent to England on board the SS Rajputana. Both Karachi and Miranshah are in what is now Pakistan. A.W. Lawrences T.E. Lawrence by His Friends contains three memoirs by servicemen who knew him during this period. He displayed little interest in India and did not leave either camp.

aIn view of this last sentence,a Professor Tabachnick asserted, athe story concerning your grandmother seems even more unlikely than it already doesa (Ibid.). Concocted stories gather weight by being repeated, so I couldnat let this myth go without dispelling it.
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Your notification has been saved.

There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Felt Films have released new images for their upcoming anthology series, Dark/Web, along with a list of episode titles and the filmmakers who will be bringing them to life.

The six stand-alone episodes dealing with the dangers of a totally connected world are: "Eat.Prey.Love", written and directed by Roxy Shih, "Rideshare", written and directed by Boman Modine, "Hacked" directed by Eric Salberg and written by Christopher Webster, "Zero" director and writer Zelda Williams, "Blackheart" written and directed by Mario Miscione and "Viral" written and directed by Michael Nardelli.

[Full disclosure: Yes, I wrote the Dark/Web episode, "Hacked".]

Dark/Web is the brainchild of brothers and Felt Films founders Michael and Tim Nardelli, and Mario Miscione; creators of the cult hit Circle, which was purchased for distribution by Netflix last year.

The eclectic cast includes many recognizable TV names including Gabriel Luna (Agents of Shield), Nicholas Brendan and Clare Kramer from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, along with Hannah Marks (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency), Cassi Thomson (Big Love).

Zelda Williams, Molly Hagan and Graham Sibley Brian Elerding, Michael Nardelli, and Shannon Collins also appear.

About the show: Each episode of Dark/Web explores themes related to the internet and the dangers present in the murky, unexplained layers of the web. Paranoia, isolation, vanity, loss of identity, the viral nature of ideas and social media pressures are just a few of the subjects the show tackles. Socially, the Internet is as unifying and divisive as it's ever been; only now, when the entire world is connected, it's never been harder to unplug.

Dark/Web completes production this month with an eye towards a 2017 release.
For Live by Night, Ben Affleck returns to the directing chair for the first time since the highly-acclaimed Argo (2012) and proves he has lost none of his directing chops. Almost polar opposite from that tense, realistic depiction of a real-world event, in Live by Night Affleck presents a post-WWI America with as much artifice in style and panache, so much so that it warrants a return to classical Hollywood.

Comparing both films and his debut Gone Baby Gone, it is clear that Affleck is certainly a gifted director with a thorough understanding of the craft. In Live by Night however, he really goes for broke and attempts a gangster epic that utilizes tropes and cliches first seen in much better films of the same ilk. The results are mixed, but certainly not damning.

The film is adapted from the same author as Afflecks first feature; Dennis Lehane continues to inspire, and Affleck sticks very closely to the source material, never treading on toes. After all, this is his passion project.

While Gone Baby Gone was a subtle neo-noir, Live by Night is a manufactured Hollywood construct. Although he directs with sophistication, Affleck also stars as the dubious protagonist Joe Coughlin, complete with dodgy accent and all. Joe, initially a freelance criminal, joins an Italian gang, who have a binary enemy in the despicable mob boss Albert White (Robert Glenister). Trouble finds its way to Joe via a femme fatale moll named Emma (Sienna Miller). After the dust settles, Joe finds himself in sunny Tampa, Florida, where he runs a rum operation for the Italians.

The film offers an uncomplicated glimpse into the Prohibition Era and its politics that do not even scratch the surface, and although it does not shy away from some post-WWI barbarism and racism, it never reaches the authenticity it is going for. It is here in Florida that Joe deals with many fascinating problems; from a born-again heroin addict preacher (Elle Fanning) to the Cubans and the KKK.

Despite the very engaging plot, Affleck plays his role as Joe in a dozy and dour way, quietly mumbling his way through the majority of the running time, injecting none of the charisma his directing talents suggest. He also tries to imply that there is a deeper message in this pulpy mash-up. His story is that of a good-guy gangster, a contradiction from the first frame that is hard to overlook and is the weakest element. The supporting cast is mostly excellent; they have fascinating, even bizarre side-stories that mingle into Joes story and are very entertaining, albeit cliched.

Live by Night also borrows from classical Hollywood by ensuring the cinematography and powerful score are utilised almost perfectly. Affleck directs these elements to recall the golden age of Hollywood; less obtuse CGI is employed. Instead the film focuses on practical sets that create a sense of unrealism than those sets projected in the 1940s and 50s.

The action scenes are also stunningly directed and shot, the typical death montages are quick and brutally effective, and one thrilling car chase sequence recalls his previously directorial effort The Town. The excellent cinematography from Tarantino favourite Robert Richardson (Django Unchained, Shutter Island) makes for a visual treat; despite the title, this is actually shot as a daylit noir, with plenty of crafty sequences.

Ultimately Live by Night is an entertaining gangster flick that is visually incredible and expertly directed. The fates of most characters, with the exception of the main one, will remain with you long after the credits. It is exciting that Affleck has tried to revive this period of Hollywood, but a shame that the driving force is such a let-down. As neither anti-hero nor good guy, it is impossible to connect with the clumsily painted protagonist.
An attorney for Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, the Vallejo couple victimized in that bizarre, aborted kidnapping case from March 2015 that Vallejo cops initially announced was a hoax, now says that he's been requesting the disclosure of emails from the Vallejo Police Department, and that request has only been partly fulfilled. As ABC 7 reports, he's looking for a few emails for the period of time shortly after Huskins was discovered alive and safe in Southern California on March 25, 2015, and before Lt. Kenny Park went on national television to declare the whole thing a hoax a couple days later. There was also a polygraph examination given to Quinn that attorney Kevin Clune believes there should be email discussion of, and that has so far not been disclosed either  and he's concerned that some of the email evidence may have been destroyed. "We want to make sure that Vallejo explains under oath why this is all that we're receiving," Clune tells the station, noting that they've only been given "a few" emails so far.

Park is accused along with other members of the department of violating Huskins's civil rights in their handling of the case, and some details of her horrible treatment by investigators emerged when this civil suit was first filed 10 months ago. In addition to the brief kidnapping, Huskins says she was sexually assaulted by the kidnapper, something he later admitted to in emails of his own, but something that at least one Vallejo detective made extremely condescending and dismissive statements about to Huskins herself.

In the civil filing, Huskins and Quinn accuse the Vallejo PD of "violation of the 14th Amendment, defamation, false arrest and false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress," and further they allege that police "attacked Plaintiffs and Plaintiffs families, created a destructive nationwide media frenzy through public statements accusing Plaintiffs of faking Denises kidnapping and rape, and rubbed salt in Plaintiffs fresh wounds in the days and weeks following the attacks."

The department, represented by Park at news conferences, quickly dismissed the case as a hoax in part because of a bizarre, lengthy "manifesto" that was emailed to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, making reference to "gentlemen criminals" in the mode of Ocean's 11, only to discover a couple months later that this was all the work of a single, extremely mentally man who had a pattern of committing home invasion robberies and assaults, a couple involving women who fit profiles similar to Huskins's.

Matthew Muller, a trained lawyer who suffers by his own admission from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with extreme delusional and psychotic aspects, was arrested in June 2015 following a botched home invasion in Dublin, and was later arrested by the FBI in connection with Huskins's case. In September 2015, Muller pleaded no contest in the Dublin case, and then last fall pleaded guilty in Huskins's case.

Now, attorney Kevin Clune is demanding the release of all the pertinent emails from the days following Huskins's kidnapping and release, including emails that seem to be missing from Chronicle reporter Henry K. Lee, who received that series of apology emails from Muller attempting to clear Huskins's name and explain, albeit in completely insane terms, how and why the crime took place.

Here's Clune, in his own words:



Previously: Details Emerge In Lawsuit Against Vallejo Police From Woman Falsely Accused Of Faking Own Kidnapping
Thanks, Obama: Among the final acts of a presidency in which conservation was a "cornerstone," the commander-in-chief has designated more than 6,000 acres of coastal areas to join the California Coastal National Monument, the White House announced. The monument, runs along the coast of the Golden State and extends 12 miles out to sea, the LA Times explains

As that newspaper wrote previously, Obama's move on the matter was requested by California politicians like Senator Barbara Boxer, and it wasn't clear how he'd act. But now, as the Chronicle and others observe, Obama has done right by them, and likely by history, having opted in the aggregate to protect more than 550 million acres of public land, twice the acreage protected by Teddy Roosevelt.

The California Coastal National Monument was originally designated by Bill Clinton and first expanded by Obama in 2014, when he added Point-Arena-Stornetta in Mendocino County to the monument. As the Bureau of Land management writes, the new sites include Trinidad Head off the coast of Humboldt County with its historic lighthouse, Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, just south of Trinidad Head, the Lost Coast Headlands, Cotoni-Coast Dairies in Santa Cruz County, the largest area designated among the bunch and which includes ancient archaeological sites, meadows, and coast redwoods, and Piedras Blancas in San Luis Obispo County, which has its own historic lighthouse and views of elephant seals among white coastal rocks.

Speaking of those, per the Bureau of Land Management, "While millions of people view the Monument from beaches, bluffs, and watercraft, a closer look reveals activity as it provides untrammeled nesting habitat for an estimated 200,000 breeding seabirds and thousands of loafing and breeding marine mammals, including harbor seals, and California and Stellers sea lions."

As with much of Obama's legacy on conservation, the president's move relies on the 1906 Antiquities Act, which allows presidents to protect lands for scientific, cultural, or scenic reasons. Republicans such as Utah Representative Rob Bishop have been angered by the president's prolific monument designations, and Bishop has threatened to reverse Obama's decisions. The Antiquities Act doesn't have a provision for reversal and no president has revoked previous monument designations, but Congress does have the power to do so.

Alongside the California Coastal Monument additions, President Obama designated a much larger 42,000 acres to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon and partially California, a monument also first designated by Bill Clinton. Meanwhile, he named several historical sites to be national monuments: BuzzFeed reports that those include the former headquarters for Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights campaign, the AG Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama which becomes The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

Related: Livestream The Farallon Islands With New HD Webcam Mounted On Peak
Today marks the 49th anniversary of the recording of the live album intended to revive the then flagging career of Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison, which took place on January 13, 1968.

As the New York Times notes at the bottom of their California Today column, "Executives at Mr. Cashs record label, Columbia Records, saw him as so unreliable that they kept the planning of the Folsom show a secret from the press," and this was because Cash had been struggling with an amphetamine habit since the 1950s, which had also all but destroyed his career. But from his opening number, "Folsom Prison Blues," written in 1955, Cash proved he had still had all the same pathos and star power that made him famous over a decade earlier, and that this crowd of inmates was as ideal an audience as any.

Robert Hilburn, author of Johnny Cash: The Life, attended the show after hearing about it from a DJ friend, says Cash "was incredible. It was like he sensed this was a moment."

Cash would later become an advocate for the rights of prisoners, but only after the huge success of At Folsom Prison, and the follow-up album, At San Quentin.

Fun fact: The Folsom album was actually recorded over two performances, in the morning and afternoon of that same day, to ensure a good recording.
This week we've seen the notable dustup over the fate of salty Union Square mainstay Lefty O'Doul's, which appears to be a tug-of-war between the landlord and the longtime manager, we learned that Bristol Farms is dunzo in the Westfield food court, marked the opening of new Tenderloin cocktail spot Rum & Sugar, and learned that The Halal Guys are finally opening their brick-and-mortar location near Union Square. We also got Trick Dog's new public-art-themed cocktail menu, and learned that Daniel Patterson's new venture at Dogpatch art space The Minnesota Project will be an offshoot of Alta CA. Here's all the other stuff that's been going down.

Noted Hayes Valley champagne bar The Riddler (528 Laguna Street), thwarted in its attempt to get open for New Year's Eve, will in fact be finally open this weekend, on Sunday, January 15. Eater has some photos of the freshly polished space, which was formerly the home of Momi Toby's Revolution Cafe and Art Bar, which shuttered last summer.

Alba Ray's Cajun, which is the name for the New Orleans-Cajun spot in the Mission we first heard about last March from the team behind Causwells and Popsons, is nearing its opening in the former Hapa Ramen/Citizen Fox space at 2293 Mission Street. Preview events are scheduled for next week, and SFist confirms that the public opening is scheduled for Monday, January 23. The menu is from chef/partner Adam Rosenblum, who with Alvin Garcia opened Causwells in the Marina in 2014. Rosenblum previously worked in New Orleans under James Beard Award-winning chef Donald Link of Herbsaint and Cochon fame.

Oubound, the newest brewpub from Woods Beer Co. in the Outer Sunset, is set to open in time for Beer Week, early next month, as owner Jim Woods tells Hoodline. The location, a former dry cleaners at 4045 Judah Street, was spray-painted with 'Die Yuppie Scum' last summer after news broke of Woods moving in, but he now says most people in the neighborhood have been really supportive and the graffiti "seemed a little misguided and Im not really sure what it was all about." Outbound will be Woods Beer Co.'s fifth outpost in the Bay Area, with their flagship on Telegraph in Oakland, their wee Ceveceria at 18th and Church, the newer Polk Street location, and last year's addition, their Beach Club on Treasure Island.

In the Inner Sunset, Irving Cafe (716 Irving Street) has shuttered, according to a Hoodline tipster, and in its place will soon be a Japanese-style hot dog shop called Takuya, with a location in San Mateo and a soon-to-be location in Japantown.

Ichi Sushi, which we learned last month was giving up its newer digs in Bernal Heights out of financial necessity to return to its original location down the street, has completed the move, and Inside Scoop reported that they reopened for walk-ins last weekend.

As SFist reported New Year's Day, SoMa's AQ is calling it quits after five fairly successful years, and owner Matt Semmelhack tells Inside Scoop that the restaurant's final service will be tomorrow, Saturday, January 14. He says there's been an outpouring of support and "some really nice notes" from loyal customers, and, he assures, his other restaurant Fenix, two doors down, will remain open.

We learned from Tablehopper this week that The Mill has added a new thing to the menu, which is weekly changing vegetarian sandwiches, which is the next step after the semiweekly pizza nights that baker Josey Baker has been hosting for the last couple of years, which as of recently now include beer and wine  and those are on Monday and Wednesday evenings only. As we heard last fall, though, nightly dinner is likely on the way too.

Illy Caffe is adding two new downtown coffee shops, as Hoodline tells us, at 220 Montgomery Street and 90 New Montgomery Street, both in the next week or so. That brings Illy's SF locations to seven.

Also of note, Bar Agricole's excellent brunch can now be had on Saturdays as well as Sundays, as Tablehopper reports. And they've added Sunday dinner as well, from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Outer Richmond is getting a spot for the Brazilian cheese puffs known as pao de queijo, because obviously that is something this city has been missing. It's called Saltroot Bakery, it's coming to 2960 Clement Street (at 31st Avenue), and as Hoodline tells us, it's aiming to be open by Sunday, January 15. Added bonus: These puffs are gluten free.

And sandwich fiends better take note that Seattle's Homegrown Sustainable Sandwiches, well loved up north for their organic, farm-to-table ethos as well as their salads, soups, and grain bowls, is set to open on Tuesday at 222 Battery, per Eater.

This Week In Reviews

"Many restaurants that try to evoke a Parisian feel come across as authentic as the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas," writes Michael Bauer in his update review of 28-year-old Cafe Claude. "This restaurant, located on the alley-like Claude Lane that runs between Sutter and Post streets near Kearny, comes by its pedigree naturally." He goes on to rave about the improvement in the kitchen under chef Justin Minnich, including his coq au vin and the "beautifully realized salade maison." His trout amandine was a tad overcooked, but the steak frites was perfect, and the service he says, is "warm, informed and casual." All told: two and a half stars.

Mr. Bauer's big Sunday review dropped today as well, and it's of Tartine Manufactory, which he describes as an "open and airy" space that's too frequently crowded during the daytime hours, but he says that once dinner service arrived in November it was "a godsend for those of us who refuse to stand in line." He adores the chicken and pork bone broth as much as the Tartine bread that comes with it, and he generally raves about the work of chef Sam Goinsalvos and his "style of peasant cooking," which he also loved at the chef's previous post, New York's Il Buco Alimentari. He loves the salt-baked, whole petrale sole, the roasted carrot salad with Castelventrano olive and herb salsa, and a special prime rib that he says, and this is big, "rivals what youll get at House of Prime Rib." The verdict: three stars.

Meanwhile, the Weekly's Pete Kane offers us a review of Babu Ji, the new "near-fatally-hip" Indian transplant from New York's East Village, which Kane says succeeds, for the most part. He adds caveats like "I would have preferred the sauces and chutneys to be toned down here and there," and he says "the vibe is so hip, so aggressively East Village, that it risks turning people off." But he recommends the chef's tasting menu ($62), and totally loves the "Colonel Tso's" cauliflower, which he calls "the most original cruciferous vegetable preparation Ive had in ages."
Two musicians of the Oakland R&B group Tower of Power are recovering in the hospital after being struck by an Amtrak train in Jack London Square last night. According to the East Bay Times, drummer Dave Garibaldi and bassist Marc Van Wageningen were on their way to a pair of performances at Yoshi's in Oakland when the accident occurred.

Oakland police tell the East Bay Times that the two were crossing over the train tracks near the intersection of Clay and Embarcadero at around 7:45 p.m. Thursday. Both Yoshi's shows were canceled, CBS 5 reports, and ABC 7 has it that the men were taken to Highland Hospital.

In an unfortunate accident tonight, two members of the award-winning group Tower Of Power, drummer David Garibaldi and current bassist Marc Van Wageningen, were struck by a train in California," an update to the band's Facebook page stated. "Both men are responsive and being treated at a local hospital in Oakland.







avid Garibaldi: Tower of Power via Facebook

Emilio Castillo, the group's bandleader, also issued a statement:

"I was at the hospital last night and saw David but Marc was in intensive care and I wasn't able to see him. Dave's head and face were pretty swollen and bruised but he was lucid and expected to recover. Marc came through surgery well; his internal bleeding was stopped and they were waiting for him to stabilize in order to do further testing. The doctors were cautiously optimistic. We appreciate the responses and prayers from our former bandmates, friends, and fans and we all remain hopeful and in prayer."

Garibaldi is an original member of Tower of Power, and his funky drumming earned him 2012 induction to the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. He left Tower of Power for nearly 20 years before returning to play with the group in 2013. Van Wageningen was filling in for the band on bass.




#MartinShkreli getting what looked like dog poop thrown at his face after someone yelled "You piece of s**t" Vid by @Captain_Hooks @ABC10 pic.twitter.com/zYCiVhzNdb  Frances Wang (@ABC10Frances) January 14, 2017

Friday night's planned appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos at UC Davis  with, just for the hell of it, despicable sidekick Martin Shkreli in tow  was canceled amid a loud and predictable protest, and campus Republicans say it was out of fear for the safety of Yiannopoulos fans who planned to attend. But for some reason Shkreli, who is apparently a glutton for anger directed towards himself, went out to work the crowd amid the protest, and in addition to getting shoved around a little, he got pelted in the face with feces.

The video from Twitter posted above purports to show the moment Shkreli was hit with shit, just as a protester is calling him "a piece of shit."

Conservative supporters of Yiannopoulos, and in particular one man wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap, were heckled and jostled by protesters, and Frances Wang of Sacramento's ABC 10 reports that many of the protesters were not UC Davis students, but most of them were protesting peacefully. The university confirmed that one arrest was made during the protest.

An editorial in the school newspaper Friday morning read, "Make no mistake: Yiannopoulos is a hateful spectacle, not a conservative political theorist ... we support any members of the community who decide to exercise their freedom of assembly and peacefully protest the event."



More strangely, Shkreli can be heard talking to reporters in the clip below about how he planned to take Yiannopoulos to task over his anachronistic views on feminism. Shkreli brags about having read "Stein, Woolf, Wollstonecraft, etcetera" because he went to college, and this apparently makes him an expert on feminism. Also, he tries, and fails, to explain why he was a part of this event at all.

Yiannopoulos was nowhere to be seen amid the confusion outside the lecture hall, but he was posting to Instagram about going for a drink at the Hyatt in Sacramento. Further, he says there will be a replacement appearance of some kind Saturday at 1 p.m. in the UC Davis quad.

come join us at 1pm in the quad at UC Davis A photo posted by MILO (@milo.yiannopoulos) on Jan 14, 2017 at 10:02am PST

beer me A photo posted by MILO (@milo.yiannopoulos) on Jan 13, 2017 at 8:26pm PST

This is just Yiannopoulos's latest stop on his "Dangerous Faggot Tour," in which he's been rankling liberals and exciting self-styled conservative free speech advocates at college campuses across the country. An appearance last May at DePaul University led to several activists storming the stage and shutting down the event, and may have contributed to the subsequent resignation of the university's president. Other stops on Yiannopoulos's tour at liberal universities like Yale have been canceled or "postponed indefinitely", something that feeds directly into the provocateur's narrative about censorship and the silencing of opinions that are not considered politically correct.

Many consider Yiannopoulos simply a hatemonger, though, and he's capitalized on his position as an openly gay man with conservative views to gain a broad fanbase on the alt-right, largely because he tries to inject humor and his own flamboyance into debates about immigration, Muslims, etc. His jokes about actress and comedian Leslie Jones, however, in his Twitter critiques of the all-female Ghostbusters remake, ended up getting him banned from Twitter last summer after Jones complained about the racist hate mob his tweets inspired.

He inserted himself into the national tragedy that occurred at Pulse nightclub last June by showing up in Orlando in the days following the mass shooting and giving his own press conference denigrating those on the political left for embracing Muslims over the LGBT community.

Yiannopoulos still has another Bay Area appearance scheduled at UC Berkeley on February 1, and though there was some suggestion this week that college Republicans could not foot the bill for the necessary added security for the event ($6,372), which they called "excessive," the group now tells the Chronicle that the event will go on

I'll update you if anything happens with this afternoon appearance at UC Davis.



Previously: Martin Shkreli To Join Milo Yiannopoulos For UC Davis Appearance, But Berkeley Stop Could Be Cancelled
The San Francisco Police Department is still seeking their suspect in a machete attack last week inside the Civic Center BART station. The attack occurred on Friday evening, January 6, and was witnessed by multiple people, and it involved a light-complected black male between the ages of 30 and 40, approximately 5'11" and weighing 200 pounds, who attacked a 29-year-old man from Valencia, California with a machete on the concourse level of the station, near the eastern most exit to UN Plaza.

The victim was left with "serious lacerations to his head and hand," according to a release from the SFPD, though it's unclear if he is still being treated for his injuries.

The scene was a dramatic one, and the bloody aftermath was captured by this bystander.

Police now say they believe the suspect is shown in the photos above and below, from Muni surveillance footage  likely identified by the victim himself.

Anyone with information about the identity or location of this man is asked to called the SFPD's anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. If you see this man, call 911 and do not approach him. He is considered dangerous.



Previously: Man Slashed With Machete At Civic Center BART Entrance
NEW YORK  The publisher of Monica Crowley's "What the (Bleep) Just Happened?" is halting sales of the book, pending the "opportunity" for the aide to President-elect Donald Trump to revise her text.

Crowley is a syndicated talk show host and Trump's pick to serve as director of communications at the White House's National Security Council. She is accused of plagiarizing numerous passages in the 2012 book, an anti-Obama work that was praised by future Trump supporters Sarah Palin and Rudolph Giuliani, among others.

HarperCollins announced the book and its 2013 edition, "What the (Bleep) Just Happened . . . Again?" will "no longer be offered for purchase until such time as the author has the opportunity to source and revise the material."

Both editions have the same basic material, but the 2013 book includes a new foreword, in which Crowley responds to Obama's re-election.

The hardcover of "What the (Bleep) Just Happened?" is out of print, but the 2012 edition has been available as an e-book. As of Tuesday morning, "What the (Bleep) Just Happened . . . Again?" was available as a paperback.

By midday Tuesday, links to both books had been removed from Amazon.com, but remained on Barnes & Noble.com.

CNN first reported last weekend that Crowley appeared to have plagiarized large sections of her book. Their review found more than 50 examples of apparent plagiarism from sources that include news articles and Wikipedia.

Trump's transition team came to Crowley's defense, dismissing the allegation as "nothing more than a politically motivated attack that seeks to distract from the real issues facing this country."

Politico Magazine published evidence this week suggesting Crowley had also plagiarizing several sections of her doctoral dissertation at Columbia University. The publication found more than a dozen instances in which Crowley appeared to lift from other works without providing proper attribution.

Transition officials have not responded to questions about the allegations regarding Crowley's academic work or HarperCollins' decision to suspend sales of her book.

Crowley also faced plagiarism allegations in 1999 after a piece she wrote on the 25th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's resignation ran in The Wall Street Journal.

"There are striking similarities in phraseology between 'The Day Richard Nixon Said Goodbye,' an editorial feature Monday by Monica Crowley, and a 1988 article by Paul Johnson in Commentary magazine," the Journal noted a few days later. "Had we known of the parallels, we would not have published the article."

HarperCollins is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Murdoch has been critical of Trump in the past, tweeting in 2015, "When is Donald Trump going to stop embarrassing his friends, let alone the whole country?" But the two have apparently become closer.

On Monday, Trump tweeted, "Rupert Murdoch is a great guy who likes me much better as a very successful candidate than he ever did as a very successful developer!"
LOS ANGELES  Television's enthusiastic attic-rummaging for old shows to resurrect isn't abating.

With an increasing number of outlets in need of content, original ideas are augmented by reboots and sequels including "The X-Files," ''Fuller House," ''Gilmore Girls" and, debuting on Netflix, "One Day at a Time."

But it may be unfair to put Netflix's sitcom in that company. Yes, it has original producer Norman Lear aboard. Yes, it's about a mom raising two children without benefit of their father. And yes, it's a traditional multi-camera comedy with a (restrained) laugh track.

In many other ways, it's altogether its own show.

The 1975-84 CBS series broke ground by featuring a divorced Midwesterner, on her own and struggling to re-enter the job market and care for her two daughters. Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli starred, with Pat Harrington Jr. as Schneider, the apartment building superintendent.

This time around, mom is a former military medic now working as a nurse in Los Angeles, with a boy and a girl to raise. She's separated from her husband, who's decided to remain in the service. And she's got her own mom on hand, enlarging her support circle beyond Schneider (a mainstay of the original that stuck).

Another change: the first "One Day" family was white, this one is Cuban-American, with characters and stories that are a reflection, in part, of executive producer Gloria Calderon Kellett's own life. The stage and screen writer is working with fellow executive producers Lear, Mike Royce and Michael Garcia.

"As a Latina writer, it's all of a sudden very in fashion, the Latino voice," Calderon Kellett said, adding tartly, "I thought it was great forever, because that's what I am."

An award-winning playwright who proved her TV chops with "Devious Maids" and "How I Met Your Mother," she'd been approached before about doing a project based on her family, including her Cuban immigrant parents. But her protectiveness toward them held her back.

A conversation with Lear, he of "All in the Family," ''Maude" and more hits, changed that.

"I felt very comfortable with Norman, and obviously his pedigree speaks for itself," she said.

Royce, joining Calderon Kellett to discuss the show, brings his own impressive credits, including "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Men of a Certain Age." He also contributes the parent-of-teens perspective that Calderon Kellett, mother to two younger children, has yet to achieve.

Both credit Lear, 94, with giving them the freedom to use his earlier series as the starting point, not a template. "Who is the single mom of today?" Lear asked them, the producers said.

What emerged was Penelope, played by Justina Machado ("Six Feet Under"), who appears rock-solid but grapples with family stress and her military experiences. On hand to help and hinder are Penelope's mom Lydia, played by the remarkable Rita Moreno, and a hipper Schneider (Todd Grinnell). The kids are outspoken teen Elena (Isabella Gomez) and younger, image-conscious Alex (Marcel Ruiz).

It all sets up the kind of social and political stories that are Lear's trademark. In the first episode, Elena rejects having a quinceanara  a traditional coming-of-age celebration for Latinas  as outdated and sexist, leading to a clash with her mother. Religion, immigration and sex are among other topics woven into the show's 13 episodes.

Viewers have shown themselves willing to accept diversity as part of the new sitcom model, with "black-ish," ''Fresh Off the Boat" and "Jane the Virgin" among the proof. Calderon Kellett says authenticity is the key to creating characters that carry across racial and cultural lines.

"I don't feel like we need to water it down to appeal to more people. I feel like being specific we're going to appeal to more people," she said.

Royce recalled the operating ethic espoused by "Everybody Loves Raymond" creator Phil Rosenthal: "If it's happening in your house, it's probably happening in a lot of houses."

There's also familiarity in the show's multi-camera format, which struck a chord with Calderon Kellett: "The playwright in me is delighted to write these nice long scenes, without interruption. And there's a studio audience, there's a proscenium."

There's also more time per episode  up to 30 minutes, compared to the roughly 22 minutes allocated network sitcoms to allow time for commercials.

In fact, as Calderon Kellett tells it, there's a general embarrassment of riches, many linked to Lear himself. When she mentioned to him that she had an ongoing joke about imagining Moreno as her mom, the impeccably well-connected Lear brought her aboard. When she and Royce said it would be wonderful if Gloria Estefan could do the revamped theme song, Lear replied, "Oh, I'm friends with Gloria. Let's call her."

But Lear's stellar career is a challenge.

"We want to live up to Norman's body of work," Royce said.
DES MOINES | State troopers, teachers, workers at correctional and mental health facilities, and other public employees across Iowa have various health insurance programs with their respective employers. For teachers, for example, the programs vary by district.

Gov. Terry Branstad wants to do away with that system and establish one health insurance program for all public employees.

Its commonly called a master contract, and its one of the changes Republicans, with their newfound control of the states lawmaking process, are proposing to how the states public employees bargain for their wages and benefits.

But representatives of some of those public employees say such a one-size-fits-all approach would have an adverse effect on employees and employers alike.

Branstad signaled his desire for a master health insurance contract shortly after the Nov. 8 election that resulted in Republican control of the governors office and the Iowa House and Senate for the first time in two decades. Not long after the votes were counted, his administration withheld health insurance proposals during collective bargaining sessions with the states public employee unions. Administration officials said state lawmakers may change the collective bargaining process this year, altering how health insurance plans are negotiated.

Branstad said he thinks a streamlined master contract would provide savings for the states taxpayers and also help smaller public employers, such as school districts, better withstand health care costs. Branstad regularly cites the example of a small employer experiencing cost increases because of high health care costs for one employee with significant health care needs and compares a master contract to the states public employees retirement fund, which is standard for all.

We can save a lot of money and provide quality insurance coverage for all the employees and do it in a way that both protects the health insurance and the coverage but at the same time reduces the cost dramatically at a time when we have some significant budget issues, Branstad said. If you can have one big master contract spread that risk ... that can be substantial savings (for smaller employers).

But leaders of two organizations that represent tens of thousands of Iowa public employees say a master contract would have the opposite effect. They say removing the ability for employers to customize their health insurance contracts to their respective needs would be counter-productive.

We bargain the total package, and then we sit down with our school board and then try to best figure out where we can divide that money up, said Tammy Wawro, president of the Iowa State Education Association, which negotiates more than 300 contracts statewide for teachers. Some districts have chosen to put that money in a good insurance plan ... others have said, Were going to put that in salaries. ...

Its very different across the state.

For example, Wawro said, Cedar Rapids schools have insurance plans with high premium costs, but the district attempts to make up for that by offering more in salary. The much smaller school district in Ogden, Wawro said, has a health insurance package with extensive coverage but sacrifices in salary.

If you know youre going to have a good family (insurance) plan, thats something that brings people to a small community or a rural community, Wawro said. "Thats important to people."

Danny Homan said the union over which he presides, which represents 40,000 Iowa public employees in law enforcement, corrections, mental health care and other fields, negotiates roughly 160 contracts. He said each contract is tailored to the health care coverage desired by the employees in that area and that customization would be eliminated by a statewide master contract, which he said would be devastating.

Each and every one of those contracts has unique health insurance provisions that have been mutually agreed to by the employer and the union over a number of years of bargaining. There could be little quirks in there that are unique to that employer and that group of employees, Homan said. So now youre going to have to come up with a plan that addresses or just flat out ignores all those unique circumstances.

Homan and Wawro said a statewide master contract also could harm local businesses because current contracts often stipulate the insurance be purchased through local companies.

Homan also expressed concern that a master contract could include the state requiring public employees to contribute more to their health insurance plans, which Branstad has proposed in past collective bargaining negotiations but was rejected by an independent arbitrator. Homan said public employees often negotiate for lower out-of-pocket premiums at the expense of salary increases, and increasing premiums without a corresponding increase in salary would take money out of the employees pockets and thus the local economies. He also noted a statewide premium increase would disproportionately affect various public employees; for example, he said a $200-per-month premium increase would be felt more by a legal clerk than a county attorney.

Iowa Rep. Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, said Democrats in the Iowa House plan to oppose Republicans efforts to change the states collective bargaining laws. But with their majorities in the House and Senate, Republicans do not need any Democrats approval to pass legislation, assuming at least 51 of 59 House Republicans and 26 of 29 Senate Republicans support any given proposal.

The current collective bargaining system, we tried to expand it when we were in charge (from 2007 to 2010), and a number of Republican legislators said at that time that the current law was working well, Smith said. The current law is working well. And I want us to keep the current law.
SIOUX CITY | An ice storm is predicted to hit Siouxland Sunday evening and into Monday morning.

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls said the system could create up to a quarter of an inch of ice around Sioux City and Storm Lake, Iowa, which would make the outdoors slippery and dangerous.

"We are going to see some significant icing with this system," Brad Temeyer, a meteorologist with the weather service said Saturday. "When we see this type of ice accumulations it looks like all surfaces will be covered with ice, there could be some tree damage, travel conditions will be severely impacted and untreated surfaces-- sidewalks and driveways-- are going to be dangerous for walking."

We're within 48 hours of our upcoming winter storm. NOW is the time to start making preparations! pic.twitter.com/dKgNb6eD8v  NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) January 14, 2017

The ice storm warning is in effect for northwest and west central Iowa, northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota.

The weather service said the precipitation will transition into moderate snowfall by Monday afternoon with higher amounts in southeastern South Dakota.

Temeyer added that ice buildup will cause power lines to sag, but he doesn't believe there will be any major outages in this current forecast.

"We are not expecting a lot of wind associated with this, so that is a good thing that power disruptions might be somewhat limited as long as accumulations stay around a quarter to a third of an inch or so," he said. "But if we get more than that, we could see potential power outages."
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Displeased with the slow pace by South Sioux City officials in dealing with the putrid odors that displaced about 10 families, a few of the homeowners intercepted Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts as he arrived for a public appearance Friday.

It was the first time Ricketts has spoken directly with residents affected by the rotten egg-like odors. One of the three men who confronted Ricketts on his way into the Cardinal Conference Center, Robert Baker, told the Journal they wanted answers from the governor.

"We blocked the door...We want to know what chemicals are coming down those (sewer) lines into our homes," Baker said.

The city has been wrestling with the nettlesome issue since October. Residents in the five-block area along 39th Street near Red Bird Lane and Lemasa Drive were driven from their homes due to potentially toxic hydrogen sulfide gas. Several families are still living in hotels.

The gas was originally tied to Big Ox Energy, a renewable fuels plant that shares a sewer line with the residences and went online around the same time the odors developed. Big Ox stopped sending waste into the sewer lines shortly afterward, and city officials say tests show hydrogen sulfide levels are back to normal in the lines and manholes.

The Big Ox plant in early January restarted its flows, which now go through a new forced main the city constructed to separate industrial and residential wastewater.

City officials say they have taken many steps to determine what gases may have entered people's homes and when it will be safe for them to return. But some homeowners continue to air complaints about the huge impact on their lives and want quicker resolution.

In an interview with the Journal, Ricketts said the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality will keep monitoring the South Sioux City situation in concert with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has been up here with the EPA, keeping an eye on it and also working with the city, as far as getting that sewer line in," Ricketts said.

"I had some folks here that were asking me to follow up with the city, with regard to some of these problems as well, so we'll be following back up, and see what we can do."

Ricketts said the state role "is to make sure that Big Ox is complying with state environmental laws." He said the state is also helping with permitting of sewer lines.

Ricketts said he heard and understands the resident frustrations.

"I need to do more due diligence on my part to find out what is going on. You always have to kind of find out what the city perspective is on this. You want to hear both sides on what is going on... We are on top of the situation," Ricketts said.

Ricketts stopped in South Sioux City Friday as part of a fly-around to Nebraska cities to share details about legislative priorities. He held the event a day after giving the annual state of the state speech on Thursday.

Speaking to an audience of more than 45 people at the Cardinal Conference Center, Ricketts touted his plan to cut the state's budget and reduce taxes as a way to deal with falling farm income. The third-year governor shared an agenda that combines proposed income and property tax reductions with state budget cuts and restrained spending growth.

"Folks tell me, 'Hey, we are taxed too much,' " Ricketts said.

The Rebuild Nebraska coalition and the Center for Rural Affairs released a statement that argues Ricketts' plan amounts to a tax cut for the wealthy.
SIOUX CITY | Jim Rocklin, who led an internationally known Sioux City manufacturing business and made significant contributions to the community, passed away Friday following a 25-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Rocklin, 74, was president of Rocklin Manufacturing Co., a maker of industrial electrical equipment founded by his father in 1934.

Jim Rocklin served nearly 40 years on Western Iowa Tech Community College board of directors and the college's foundation board, where he was president. He established an annual scholarship fund for engineering students and he and his wife, Fern, helped establish the Rocklin Conference Center on the Sioux City campus.

I just got the word about five minutes ago, Im just struck down by it, WITCC board president Bob Rasmus said late Friday afternoon. The Rocklins have done so much through the years in terms of providing funds for the college He was just a big supporter of the colleges role and its economic impact in Sioux City.

Rocklin also was a board member of Siouxland Center for Active Generations and a past president of the Sioux City Rotary Club.

He recently received Rotary Club's 2016 Key Way Award for his contribution to the prosperity of Sioux City through business and community involvement.

In Rocklin Manufacturing's early years, the business constructed farm machinery and parts and sub-assemblies for tanks and trucks for World War II.

Jim's father, Isadore Rocklin, invented the Rocklinizer in the mid-1960s that uses a carbide application process to extend machine, tool and die life. In addition, the company created the MoldMender Micro Welder, which enables plastic injection molding manufacturers to repair their molds in-house instead of scrapping them prematurely or sending them out for costly repairs. The company has expanded its international sales and over a third of their sales span 40 countries.

Last year, the business announced a $1.2 million renovation project to a building on their premises at 110 S. Jennings St.

On top of running the company, Rocklin practiced immigration law and was admitted to the Bar Association in Iowa, California, Minnesota, Colorado, Nebraska, as well as the United States Supreme Court.

Graveside services will be at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Mt. Sinai Cemetery. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Congregation Beth Shalom.
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- If Death lingers in courtroom corridors awaiting sentences, this historic city's federal courthouse was surely a top destination. On Tuesday, the Reaper's patience was rewarded with the jury's return of the death penalty for Dylann Roof.

Roof, who insisted on representing himself during the sentencing phase of his 33-count murder trial, was found guilty last month for the slaughter of nine black parishioners at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in June 2015.

Roof's self-lawyering is still mystifying when he had at his disposal one of the nation's best death-penalty lawyers, David Bruck, who did represent Roof during the guilt phase that ended last month. Bruck was allowed only to advise Roof during the penalty phase, which began last week, but briefly addressed the judge Tuesday when Roof requested that Bruck address objections.

While the government's case seemed airtight in covering all the requirements for the death penalty, Roof's remarks Tuesday took fewer than five minutes.

Wearing slacks and a blue cable-knit sweater -- his bowl-cut hair obviously recently shaped -- Roof approached the lectern with a single, yellow, letter-sized sheet of paper for his closing argument. Barely audible -- and his pauses were longer than his sentences -- he made essentially two suggestions seemingly aimed at creating doubt about his alleged hatred of black people and his intent in carrying out his mission, which he himself previously identified as wanting to incite racial violence.

"I think it's safe to say nobody in their mind wants to go to a church and kill people," he began. Then he contradicted other confession statements that he had to do what he did. "In my [FBI confession] tape I told them I had to do it. ... Obviously that's not true. Nobody made me do it. I felt like I had to do it, and I still feel like I had to do it."

Clarity isn't his strong suit.

Next, Roof challenged the prosecution's claim that he's filled with hatred, one of the statutory-required aggravating factors in capital cases. He referred to his confession when an FBI agent asked him if he hated blacks. Roof's reply was, "I don't like what black people do."

To the jury, he posited: "If I was really filled with as much hate as I allegedly am, wouldn't I just say, 'Yes, I hate black people'?"

Finally, Roof said it's fair to say that the prosecutors hate him since they're seeking the death penalty. Then he tutored the court that people hate because they've been misled. He also said that people think they know what hatred it is, but "they don't know what real hatred looks like."

Does Roof? Is this because some hate-filled person misled him? Or did he merely look in the mirror?

Not once during his very brief remarks did Roof say he regretted his actions, which might have elicited some empathy from those burdened with determining his fate. Indeed, in a jailhouse journal, he wrote that he isn't sorry and that he hadn't shed a tear for the "innocent people I killed."

Tuesday, as he attempted to take on a battery of lawyers hell-bent on ultimate justice, he seemed ever the evil child who, rather than acknowledging the horror and the agony of what he did, was somehow above the process. Expressionless and aloof, as he had been throughout the trial, he was anything but a sympathetic character and certainly no advocate for his continued access to life.

Throughout the proceedings, my mind kept wandering to an earlier case I covered when Bruck was fighting another death penalty -- the1994 trial of Susan Smith, the young mother who rolled her car into a Union, South Carolina, lake, drowning her two small children.

The crime was heinous and the trial heart-wrenching. At one point during the father's testimony, the judge had to call for a break because nearly everyone in the courtroom, including the media, was weeping. The father had been talking about his 3-year-old's favorite Disney movie, which the child called, "One-o-one Dalma-hay-tions."

Susan Smith threw herself across the defense table, loudly sobbing with the agony of regret and the sorrow of inconsolable loss. Yes, she was responsible for her children's death, but there was no questioning her remorse or doubting that her life in prison would be an endless night of piercing pain.

For death penalty opponents like me, this seemed a far more just end than death would have been. With Roof, there's plainly no sense of sorrow now -- or to come. In the end evidence of sincere remorse, which is to say, humanity, can be the difference between life and death.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | The knowledge that the poor and disabled in his hometown need help is what drives Rolando Luna into action.

Luna, 54, was born in Ilo, Peru, a port city of about 70,000 located on the southern tip of the country. He emigrated to the United States in the early 2000s to pursue opportunities for himself and his wife and son.

From his early years in the states, Luna said he knew he wanted to help those back home living in poverty and immobility due to various handicaps and inadequate resources to treat them.

Luna said help is not as accessible in areas like Ilo as it is near larger cities, such as the capital city of Lima, which lies nearly 700 miles away.

"There is so much need," he said.

After immigrating to the U.S., Luna spent four years living in Florida before moving to Norfolk, Nebraska, to work at Tyson Fresh Meats. He later moved to Huron, South Dakota, and three years ago settled in South Sioux City, and began work at Sabre Industries.

It was around that time Luna approached the Iowa Workforce Development office and mentioned his desire to help and was connected with The Rev. Henry Witte, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Sioux City, who also teaches English classes as part of an outreach to the Hispanic community.

Together, Witte and Luna traveled to Hope Haven International, a nonprofit organization based in Rock Valley, Iowa, that has shipped nearly 120,000 wheelchairs to people in more than 100 countries since its founding in 1994.

Witte and Luna toured the facility, but when they heard what it would cost to provide them, they knew it was high.

Luna worked to gather donations from Western Iowa Tech Community College, where he was studying welding at the time, and from the Sioux City Rotary Club.

They also worked with with Orphan Grain Train, -- a national nonprofit with offices in Norfolk that ships resources to the needy around the world -- to cover the shipping costs, which Luna worked to ensure were free from crippling customs fees.

I think the Lord opened the doors, Witte said. What we thought might be way down in the future looking at all the costs, these two organizations really came forward and helped.

The project culminated in November 2015, when Luna and representatives of Hope Haven International traveled to Ilo to fit and distribute the wheelchairs, blankets, walkers, canes, motor chairs, adult diapers and hand-propelled carts.

The group set up in a public location and worked with the government in the region to distribute items to approximately 1,000 people.

Among those receiving aid, Luna said, was a bedridden 12-year-old boy who had been unable to walk from birth. He received a wheelchair for the first time and was able to take a spin around the park.

One of Luna's friends from kindergarten who a few decades ago had gotten drunk and fallen asleep on train tracks, then woke up in the hospital the next day, also received a chair.

"It changed lives," Luna said. "There were a lot of very, very, very happy people."

Following the giveaways, Luna remained in Peru for several months, approaching local businesses for donations and surveying more needs to continue his efforts. Luna said he has secured a four-hectare plot of land for Hope Haven International to construct a workshop, which would employ local people to manufacture more wheelchair equipment.

Calvin Helmus, Hope Haven's chief operations officer, said the company is researching establishing a workshop in Peru. It currently operates a workshop in Guatemala that employs 25 to 30 people -- who are also wheelchair users.

But, he said, Luna's is one among many requests.

"We are planning to research it, but we get lots of people that want to do it," he said. "It's finding the partners on the other end."

Helmus acknowledged the need for equipment in Peru and many other places around the world is great. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1 percent of the world's population, or about 65 million people, are in need of wheelchairs.

"We're a drop in the bucket," Helmus said.

In the meantime, Luna's efforts continue in other ways. He is now seeking to donate an ambulance to the community to improve transportation of the sick. He also wants to help a friend replace stolen equipment from a cable station that broadcasts programming that gives positive messages to area youth.

Luna's greatest need now is to find donors and organizations to partner with him for these projects, which he said are too much for him to complete alone.

Luna has received commendations and letters of support from city leaders in both Sioux City and South Sioux City, as well as U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.

"He's definitely a caring individual," said South Sioux City administrator Lance Hedquist, who has also worked to help Luna find local funding sources. "It's exemplary how much he's done."
Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit

Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools:

Portfolio Monitoring

Top Stock Lists

Premium Reports

Stock Screeners

Live News Feed

Premium Support

Free for your first month.
First BanCorp. operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides various financial services for retail, commercial, and institutional clients. The company operates through six segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Mortgage Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment offers commercial loans, including commercial real estate and construction loans and floor plan financings; and other products, such as cash management and business management services. The Mortgage Banking segment engages in the origination, sale, and servicing of various residential mortgage loans; acquisition and sale of mortgages in the secondary markets; and purchase of mortgage loans from other local banks and mortgage bankers. The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment provides auto, boat, credit card, and personal loans; lines of credit; deposit products comprising interest bearing and non-interest bearing checking and savings accounts, individual retirement accounts, and retail certificates of deposit (CDs); and finance leasing and insurance agency services. The Treasury and Investments segment offers funding and liquidity management services. The United States Operations segment provides checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as retail CDs; traditional commercial and industrial, and commercial real estate loans; and internet banking, cash management, remote deposit capture, and automated clearing house, and transactions services. The Virgin Islands Operations segment is involved in consumer, commercial lending, and deposit-taking activities. The company operates 64 branches in Puerto Rico, 8 branches in the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, and 11 branches in the state of Florida. First BanCorp. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
GoDaddy Inc. engages in the design and development of cloud-based technology products in the United States and internationally. The company provides domain name registration product that enables to engage customers at the initial stage of establishing a digital identity. It also offers shared Website hosting products that provide various applications and products, such as web analytics, Secure Sockets Layer certificates, and WordPress; Website hosting on virtual private servers and virtual dedicated servers products, which allows customers to select the server configuration suited for their applications, requirements, and growth; managed hosting products to set up, monitor, maintain, secure, and patch software and servers for customers; and security products, a suite of tools designed to help secure customers' online presence. In addition, the company provides presence products, such as Websites + Marketing, a do-it-yourself mobile-optimized online tool that enables customers to build websites and e-commerce enabled online stores; a range of marketing tools and services designed to help businesses acquire and engage customers, and create content, as well as search engine optimization that helps customers get their websites found on search sites; and social media management services. Further, it offers business application products, such as Microsoft Office 365, email accounts, email marketing, and Internet-based telephony services; online store capabilities that allows customers to transact business directly on their websites; GoDaddy Payments, a payment facilitator; and point-of-sale (POS) devices, as well as software for POS. The company serves small businesses, individuals, organizations, developers, designers, and domain investors. GoDaddy Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.
LSB Industries, Inc. engages in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of chemical products. The company provides nitrogen-based fertilizers, such as ammonia, fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate (HDAN), and urea ammonia nitrate for fertilizer and fertilizer blends for corn and other crops, and NPK fertilizer blends applications. It also offers high purity and commercial grade ammonia, high purity ammonium nitrate, sulfuric acids, mixed nitrating acids, carbon dioxide, and diesel exhaust fluids, as well as concentrated, and blended and regular nitric acids for various applications, including semi-conductor and polyurethane intermediates; pulp and paper, alum, water treatment, metals, and vanadium processing; power plant emissions abatement, water treatment, refrigerants, and metals processing; exhaust stream additive, and horticulture/greenhouse applications; and refrigeration. In addition, the company provides industrial grade ammonium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and HDAN solutions for ammonium nitrate fuel oil and specialty emulsions for mining, surface mining, quarries, and construction applications. It sells its products through distributors, as well as directly to end customers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The company serves to the agricultural, industrial, and mining markets. LSB Industries, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
NextEra Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility holding company in the US. It operates a network of power generation and distribution facilities that include fossil-fuel-generated and green energy. As of mid-2022, the company was capable of generating 58 GW of electricity with nearly 60% of the load produced by green sources including wind and solar. In their view, going green isnt an option, its the solution. NextEra Energy has been recognized multiple times as a leader in clean energy and ESG practices and was ranked the #1 electric and gas utility on the Forbes list of Most Admired Companies.

The company is the result of several mergers that begin with FPL Group. FPL Group is now a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the third-largest provider of electricity in the US servicing nearly half of Florida. FPL and its affiliates are the single largest provider of renewable energy generated from wind and sun. The group changed its name in 2010 following a decision to shift focus onto renewable energy sources.

Today, NextEra Energy, Inc through its subsidiary FPL serves about 12 million people in eastern and southwestern Florida. The company employs nearly 14,900 people who service 5.8 million accounts. The company is in business to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to retail and wholesale clients. Electricity is generated through wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired facilities.

The company is also engaged in the construction and operation of new facilities, specifically renewable power generation, storage, and delivery facilities, and can offer custom solutions tailored to any need. Offerings include tailored services to assist businesses with their transition to clean energy.

NextEra Energy also owns and operates 7 nuclear power stations in Florida, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin generating power for the wholesale market.

Unlike other companies that are targeting net-zero emissions, NextEra Energy has a plan to reach real zero and is investing heavily to reach that goal by 2045. The company had invested nearly $50 billion in green energy infrastructure and initiatives by mid-2022. The plan is to first work on reducing its own emissions and then take its knowledge and expertise to the world.
The following companies are subsidiares of NOV: APL France SAS, APL Norway AS, APL do Brasil Ltda., ASEP Otomotiv Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Acker Holdings LLC, Ackerman Holdings C.V., Ackerman Holdings GP LLC, Advanced Production and Loading, Advanced Wirecloth S. de R.L. de C.V., American Pipe and Construction International, Ameron B.V., Ameron International, Ameron International Corporation, Ameron Pole Products LLC, Ameron Polyplaster Industria E Comercio de Tubos Ltda., Ameron Singapore Holding LLC, Andergauge Limited, Andergauge Redback LLC, Arabian Rig Manufacturing Company, Big Red Tubulars Limited, Bondstrand Ltd., Brandt Oilfield Services (M) Sdn. Bhd., C.M.A. Canavera S.R.L., CJSC Fidmash, CJSC Novmash, Chemineer Inc., Coil Services Middle East LLC, Cooperatie Intelliserv Holding U.A., Cooperatie NOV NL U.A., Danco AS, Elmar Far East Pty Ltd, Enerflow Industries, Environmental Procedures LLC, Fiber Glass Systems (Qingdao) Composite Piping Co. Ltd., Fiber Glass Systems L.P., Fiber Glass Systems Oman L.L.C., Fiberspar, Fiberspar Australia Pty. Ltd., Fibra Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., FidService LLC, Fjords Processing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing AS, Fjords Processing Australia Pty Ltd, Fjords Processing France SAS, Fjords Processing Korea Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing Limited, Fjords Processing Middle East DMCC, Fjords Processing UK Ltd., Fryma S.a.r.l., GPEX L.P., Grant Prideco (Jiangsu) Drilling Products Co. Ltd, Grant Prideco (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Grant Prideco III C. V., Grant Prideco Inc., Grant Prideco Jersey Limited, Grant Prideco Mauritius Limited, Grant Prideco Netherlands B.V., Grant Prideco PC Composites Holdings LLC, Grant Prideco S. de R.L. de C.V., Grant Prideco de Venezuela S.A., GustoMSC B.V., Hebei Huayouyiji Tuboscope Coating Co. Ltd., Hydralift AmClyde Inc., Hydralift France SAS, Inspecciones y Pruebas No Destructivas S. de R.L. de C.V., IntelliServ Norway AS, Intelliserv GP Holdings LLC, Intelliserv Inc., Intelliserv International Holding Ltd, Intelliserv LLC, JiangYin Tuboscope Tubular Development Co. Ltd, Keystone Tower Systems Inc., MSI Pipe Protection Technologies UK Limited, Merpro Group Limited, Midsund Bruk AS, Mono Group Pension Trustees Limited, Mono Pumps New Zealand Company, Monoflo NOV S.A.I.C., Moyno Inc., NKT Flexibles I/S, NOV (Asia) Inc., NOV (Barbados) Holding SRL, NOV (Barbados) SRL, NOV (Caymans) Ltd., NOV (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., NOV - Oil Services Angola LDA., NOV APL Limited, NOV Africa Pty Ltd, NOV Australia Pty Ltd, NOV Azerbaijan LLC, NOV Brandt Europe France, NOV Brandt Oilfield Services Middle East LLC, NOV CAPS Pte. Ltd., NOV CV1 GP LLC, NOV CV2 GP LLC, NOV Canada ULC, NOV Completion Tools LLC, NOV Completion and Production Solutions Korea Ltd., NOV Denmark Cooperatief U.A., NOV Downhole Argentina LLC, NOV Downhole Bolivia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Colombia LLC, NOV Downhole Comercializacao de Equipamentos para Petroleo Ltda., NOV Downhole Congo LLC, NOV Downhole Eurasia Limited, NOV Downhole Italia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Kazakhstan LLC, NOV Downhole Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Downhole Pty Ltd, NOV Downhole Thailand LLC, NOV EU Acquisition SNC, NOV Elmar (Middle East) Limited, NOV Eurasia Holding LLC, NOV Expatriate Services Inc., NOV FGS Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NOV FGS Singapore (Pte.) Ltd, NOV Flexibles Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Flexibles Holding ApS, NOV Fluid Control B.V., NOV GEO GP LLC, NOV GEO LP1 C.V., NOV GEO LP1 LLC, NOV GEO LP2 C.V., NOV GEO LP2 LLC, NOV Gabon SARL, NOV Germany GmbH, NOV Germany Holding GmbH, NOV Ghana Limited, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Equipment Manufacturing LLC, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Products Middle East FZE, NOV Grant Prideco L.L.C., NOV Holding Danmark ApS, NOV Holding Sub UK 1 Limited, NOV Holding UK 1 Limited, NOV Holding UK 2 Limited, NOV Holdings B.V., NOV India Private Limited, NOV Intelliserv UK Limited, NOV International Holdings C.V., NOV International Holdings GP LLC, NOV International Holdings LLC, NOV Intervention & Stimulation Equipment US LLC, NOV Intervention and Stimulation Equipment  Aftermarket Comercio de Equipamentos e Servicos Ltda., NOV Kenya Limited, NOV Kostroma LLC, NOV Kuwait Light & Heavy Equipment Repairing & Maintenance Co., NOV LP (Trading) LLC, NOV MFG India Private Limited, NOV Mexico Holding LLC, NOV Middle East FZCO, NOV Mozambique Limitada, NOV NL Mexico Holding B.V., NOV Oil & Gas Services Egypt (S.A.E), NOV Oil & Gas Services Senegal S.A.R.L., NOV Oil & Gas Services Uganda Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Ghana Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Nigeria Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Tanzania Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Vostok LLC, NOV Oilfield Solutions Ltd., NOV Park II B.V., NOV Process & Flow Technologies AS, NOV Process & Flow Technologies Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies Pte. Ltd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies UK Limited, NOV QFZ LLC, NOV Rig Solutions Pte. Ltd., NOV Romania LLC, NOV Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd., NOV Saudi Arabia Trading Co., NOV Services Ltd., NOV Servicios de Personal Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., NOV Tanajib Kuwait for Services and Maintenance of Oil Rigs Refineries and Petrochemicals W.L.L., NOV Tuboscope Italia S.R.L., NOV Tuboscope Middle East LLC, NOV Tuboscope NL B.V., NOV Tubulars and Connectors Ltd., NOV UK (Angola Acquisitions) Limited, NOV UK Finance Limited, NOV UK Holdings LLC, NOV UK Holdings Limited, NOV UK Korea LP, NOV Wellbore Technologies Norway LLC, NOV Wellbore Technologies do Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Wellsite Services Germany GmbH, NOV Worldwide B.V., NOV-BLM SAS, NOVM Holding LLC, NOW International LLC, NOW Nova Scotia Holdings LLC, NOW Oilfield Services LLC, NQL Holland B.V., National Oilwell (U.K.) Limited, National Oilwell Algerie, National Oilwell Varco (Beijing) Investment Management Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco (Thailand) Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Algeria, National Oilwell Varco Almansoori Services, National Oilwell Varco Bahrain WLL, National Oilwell Varco Belgium SA, National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S, National Oilwell Varco Egypt LLC, National Oilwell Varco Eurasia LLC, National Oilwell Varco Guatemala Limitada, National Oilwell Varco Guyana Inc., National Oilwell Varco Hungary Limited Liability Company, National Oilwell Varco Korea Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco L.P., National Oilwell Varco MSW S.A., National Oilwell Varco Mexico S.A. de C.V., National Oilwell Varco Muscat L.L.C., National Oilwell Varco Norway AS, National Oilwell Varco Peru S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Petroleum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Poland Sp.z.o.o., National Oilwell Varco Pte. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Rig Equipment Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Romania S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Solutions S.A. de C.V., National Oilwell Varco UK Limited, National Oilwell Varco Ukraine LLC, National Oilwell Varco de Bolivia S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco de Chile - Servicios Limitada, National Oilwell Varco do Brasil Ltda., National Oilwell de Venezuela C.A., National-Oilwell Pte. Ltd., National-Oilwell Pty. Ltd., PT Fjords Processing Indonesia, PT H-Tech Oilfield Equipment, PT NOV Oilfield Services, PT National Oilwell Varco, PT PROFAB INDONESIA, Pesaka Inspection Services SDN.BHD., Pipex Limited, Pipex PX Limited, Pridecomex Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., R&M Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd, R&M Energy Systems de Argentina S.A., R&M Energy Systems de Venezuela C.A., R&M Singapore Holding LLC, RE.MAC.UT. S.r.l., RHI Holding LLC, ReedHycalog International Holding LLC, ReedHycalog L.P., ReedHycalog LLC, ReedHycalog UK Limited, Robannic Overseas Finance A.V.V., Robbins & Myers B.V., Robbins & Myers Foundation, Robbins & Myers GP LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings UK Limited, Robbins & Myers Inc, Robbins & Myers Inc., Robbins & Myers Italia S.R.L., Robbins & Myers N.V., Rodic S.A. de C.V., Romaco S.a.r.l., STAR Sudamtex Tubulares S.A., STSA, Screen Manufacturing Company Unlimited, Slip Clutch Systems Limited, South Seas Inspection, Subseaflex Holding ApS, T-3 Energy Preferred Industries Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., T-3 Energy Services Cayman Holdings Ltd., T-3 Energy Services Cayman Ltd., T-3 Energy Services LLC, T-3 Energy Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., T-3 Investment Corporation IV, T-3 Mexican Holdings Inc., Telluride Insurance Limited, Tianjin Grant TPCO Drilling Tools Company Limited, Tuboscope & Co. LLC, Tuboscope (Holding U.S.) LLC, Tuboscope Brandt de Venezuela S.A., Tuboscope Norge AS, Tuboscope Vetco (France) SAS, Tuboscope Vetco (Osterreich) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco Capital Limited, Tuboscope Vetco Moscow CJSC, Tuboscope Vetco de Argentina S.A., Tubular Coatings Solutions Ltd., Tucom Composites Polyester Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Urban WLY LP, Varco BJ B.V., Varco CIS LLC, Varco International de Venezuela C.A., Varco L.P., Varco US Holdings LLC, Vetco Enterprise GmbH, Vetco Saudi Arabia Ltd., Visible Assets Inc., Wilson International, Woolley Inc., XL Systems Antilles N.V., XL Systems Europe B.V., XL Systems International Inc., voestalpine Tubulars Corporation, voestalpine Tubulars GmbH, and voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG.

Read More
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
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.




Lusaka, Jan 13, 2017 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, concluded Wednesday a two-day working visit to the Republic of Zambia.

The President of the Republic and his accompanying delegation were greeted upon departure, at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, by Zambian Foreign Minister Harry Kalaba and members of the government.

During his visit, President Ghali met with his Zambian counterpart, Edgar Lungu, who offered him a dinner banquet in his honor.

The President of the Republic also met with the President of the Zambian National Assembly and former President Kenneth Kaunda.

President Ghali put a bouquet of flowers on the monument of the former presidents of the Republic of Zambia. (SPS)

062/090/TRA




Mesmerized finally got out of his second-place trance by using a late rally to capture the featured $8,200 trot at Buffalo Raceway on a chilly Friday night (January 13).

After three consecutive runner-up finishes to close out the 2016 campaign at Batavia Downs, it was time for Mesmerized to get the spoils of a victory by nudging out the front-running Winkys Pride by a nose in a snappy 1:58.4 over the fast track. Ali De Vie (Ray Fisher Jr.) was third.

Winkys Pride (Larry Stalbaum) was in command for the first three panels, putting up splits of :28.4, :59 and 1:29.1 as Mesmerized (Shawn Gray) tagged along in second. As the field turned for home, Winkys Pride looked like she had given Mesmerized ($7.10) the slip, but the five-year-old gelding (Cantab Hall-Gift Card) re-rallied on the outside and managed to put a nose in front in the final step at the wire.

Owned by Jack Rice along with Vogel & Wags Nags Stable, Mesmerized is trained by Maria Rice. He has now won nine times in 51 career starts, putting $141,468 in the bank.

It was also 2016 Awards Night at Buffalo Raceway and along with getting a victory in the first race with Mesmerized, the Rice family along with the Vogel & Wags Nags Stable celebrated as their five-year-old gelding, Noble Legend, was honoured as Buffalo Raceway's 2016 Trotter of the Year.

In another great twist, That Horse JD, who was selected as 2016 Pacer Of The Year thanks to 12 victories in 24 starts and $57,760 in earnings, won the sixth race on Friday's program in 1:56.3. He was conditioned by JD Perrin, who was recognized as the Trainer of the Year. Perrin registered 106 victories in 2016, the second-most wins ever in a season for a trainer at Buffalo Raceway.

Jim Morrill Jr. was named Driver of the Year, for the first time at the Hamburg half-mile oval since 2006, after scoring 131 wins in just 338 starts.

Racing will resume on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. with an 11-race program scheduled. Buffalo Raceway was forced to cancel Saturday's card due to a lack of entries, but simulcasting in the clubhouse will be held as usual.

(With files from Buffalo Raceway)
Ronald R. Fuller, DVM, 83, of Newark, Ohio, passed away at the SharonBrooke Senior Living Center on Tuesday, January 10.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church, where he was a parishioner, at 11 a.m. on Saturday (Jan. 14), with Msgr. Paul Enke as celebrant. Interment will follow in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Friends and family will be received in the gathering space of the church for two hours prior to the service on Saturday.

Dr. Fuller was born in Ringgold, Ohio, on Aug. 1, 1933 to the late Harold M. and Forest (Ray) Fuller.

He attended MM High School, McConnelsville, and following graduation, he attended The Ohio State University where he completed his undergraduate studies and received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1958. He finished his internship in Canton, Ohio and then worked for a period in Toledo where he met his wife, Sharon. Together, they moved to Newark and Ron established The Newark Animal Hospital where he dedicated more than 50 years of service.

Following his retirement, Dr. Fuller was a presenter with International Equine Seminars in addition to his 20 years with Lake Erie Seminars. He was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (past president), Ohio Breeders Association, United States Trotting Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, and American Animal Hospital Association; founder of Licking County Veterinarians Association; State Chairman of the Morris Animal Foundation; and was a member of the Governors Advisory Committee on Standardbred racing for the State of Ohio.

In addition, Dr. Fuller was a member and Paul Harris Fellow of the Newark Rotary Club, OTS Fraternity, Licking County Art Association, Moundbuilders Country Club, Joint Vocational School Board, Boy Scouts of America, and life member of the Alumni Association of The Ohio State University.

Dr. Fuller held a lifelong passion for all animals, and was especially fond of his world famous trotter, three-time Dan Patch Award winner Buck I St Pat 1:51 ($2,320,637).

He was committed to his family and was proud to share his Licking County Walkathon 100 Mile achievement with them.

He also held many longtime friends from the Newark Rotary Club and was forever dedicated to The Ohio State University.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sharon (Cedoz) Fuller; daughters, Deanna Blanton and Nadine; and several cousins.

The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Newark Catholic Foundation, 1 Green Wave Drive, Newark, OH 43055; Newark Rotary Club Foundation, P.O. Box 8705, Newark, OH 43058; or the Foundation for Hospice of Central Ohio, P.O. Box 430, Newark, OH 43058.

Reed-Egan Funeral Home, 141 Green Wave Drive, Newark, is assisting the family with arrangements. To share your memory of Dr. Fuller or leave a condolence for the family, please visit reedegan.com.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Ronald Fuller.

(USTA)
My crystal ball CB said that the war in Ukraine will end by March 2023. Why? - Ukraine does not want to continue fighting, as most of thei...
It's Election season and our editor's mailbox is overflowing. Who do your neighbors support? Read about it here.
Toby Wallace was 3 when he detonated his first explosion. It was in a quarry where his dad was working.

Now, at 27, like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him, Wallace makes a living out of blasting.

So does his brother, Ty McAdams, 25, of Roy, Wash. The brothers are fourth-generation blasters, experts in setting off explosions mostly used in civil engineering projects.

McAdams was the lead blaster on the massive Imaging Magma Under St. Helens project (iMUSH), which involved setting off hundreds of explosives around the volcano in 2015 to help scientists map the volcano system for moving molten rock.

The brothers have blown up roadways, bridges, dams and even Antarctic ice since they were 18 years old.

The pair are somewhat young to be doing it, too. They and their father, a private civil blaster from Woodland named Jerry Wallace, say the blasters they meet rarely fall between the ages of 30 and 60.

They were the youngest presenters at the 2013 World Conference on Explosives and Blasting, hosted in Moscow, Russia, where they presented a paper they wrote together on their work blasting four bridges along a five-mile stretch of Highway 20 in Oregon the previous year.

The brothers say they are an exception among blasters, whose ranks, they say, have diminished with the decline of the logging industry and the onset of the recession. Blasters were used to help build logging roads and, especially in the earlier days of logging, to blast away old-growth tree stumps that stood in the way of roads.

Automation, a shift to other global markets and other products, and environmental protections led to job cuts in the logging industry. And the 2008 recession starved big construction projects of necessary funding. Together, those forces may have discouraged more people from jumping into the industry.

I came in just in time to learn some tricks from the old guys, said Toby Wallace, who lives in Vancouver.

Jerry Wallace, 68, was a logger before he was a blaster. When logging companies insisted on cutting his pay, he turned to civil blasting for steadier money. He incorporated his Woodland-based business, Wallace Technical Blasting, in 1995. He also investigates explosion fatalities and misfires for other companies.

Jerry Wallaces father and grandfather also were timber fellers who learned blasting by shoving sticks of dynamite into tree stumps to remove them for road construction, for example.

Like his own sons, Jerry Wallace learned blasting under the watchful eye of his late father, Virgil Wallace. Virgil Wallace was born in Oregon City and raised in logging camps around Stella. Virgil Wallaces father, Ivan Wallace, was the son of a carpenter and made his living as a timber feller in Oregon and Washington.

Jerry Wallace began using explosives when he was 12 or 13. He taught his sons blasting by the same principle to which his own father prescribed.

My father had a theory that if you were to start in a dangerous industry, youre gonna start with someone who has a vested interest in your safety, he said.

Jerry Wallace calls himself a blaster, but old-time loggers like Virgil Wallace who used dynamite were known as powder monkeys.

William Robbins, history professor emeritus at Oregon State University, is a former logger who has studied the industrys history. Robbins learned blasting from a fellow logger.

Using a powder bay, one punched a hole under the stump between the roots. Then a half-stick of dynamite was tucked deep into the hole with a blasting cap and long coated wire extending outside the hole, he wrote in an email. The powder monkey then took the wire around the other side of the stump and grounded each side to a flashlight battery  poof!

The explosion blew out an empty pocket under the center of the stump, where the powder monkey shoved more dynamite. The wire stumps would be connected to a hand-cranked battery and sprung.

Particularly because their jobs were so dangerous, powder monkeys were highly valued members of the logging team, said Jim LeMonds, former R.A. Long High School teacher and author of Deadfall: Generations of Logging in the Pacific Northwest.

LeMonds said blasting became particularly important when loggers themselves bought stump ranches from logging companies, acreage those companies had logged and left as fields of stumps. Those loggers, like the Wallace family that bought one in Clark County around 1922, used dynamite to clear the land.

Nowadays, LeMonds said, its not too common to see blasting in the logging industry, though it is used to take out dead and diseased trees.

So Jerry Wallace and his boys make their living doing civil engineering blasting.

The day after he turned 18, Toby Wallace was on a truck headed to eastern Oregon to use ammonium nitrate, fuel oil (ANFO) to blast foundations for a windmill farm. He now travels all over the Pacific Northwest as a blaster for a Eugene, Ore.-based company.

Toby Wallace describes his work as eight to 10 hours of back-breaking work compressed into an explosion that lasts milliseconds. Yes, he says, its a blast.

Id been going to college for a little while, and it was chafing at me being under the fluorescent lights all day. It felt good to be out there doing something with impact like putting up a wind farm, he said. As long as were building houses and putting in sewers, there will be a continued need for blasting.

Toby Wallace was supposed to be the lead blaster for the iMUSH volcano project, but he turned it over to his younger brother when he got another job.

McAdams and his brother also worked with their father in 2009 on a project at the Cheesman Dam on the South Platte River in Colorado. They designed the explosions and built the charges to blow a hole in the dam 180 feet underwater so that workers could replace a damaged valve. They used explosives that dont require oxygen. Toby Wallace said only one producer in the United States made a detonator that could withstand the pressure of 180 feet of water.

McAdams also spent two seasons in Antarctica as the contracted blaster blowing dive holes in Antarctica for researchers.

They say math is boring, but getting to use math to blow stuff up is pretty fun, McAdams said.

Jerry Wallace said hes proud of his sons work, but he credits their intelligence to his wife, a retired telecommunications executive named Susan McAdams.

I married a very intelligent woman, he said with a smile.
Lot of countries have made Antarctica their base for scientific research since 1959. Drastic change in Antarcticas climate is causing the research centres to rethink about their base location.

Various countries maintain their bases for scientific research in Antarctica. A lot of countries have shared space for scientific research under a 1959 international treaty in Antarctica. The former military bases in the continent have now become laboratories for research to conduct new studies for future. The Carline bases red cabins snuggle at the foot of a mountain range known as The Three Brothers in Antarctica. Below the vast icy structures, the shore is made up of black volcanic rocks.

The sole reason why Antarctica is used as the base centre is because it is under populated and its vast icy rocks stand best to set up base stations. But the gradual change in Antarcticas climate is melting its glaciers and making international relation minister to re-think about the treaty that was signed earlier.

The populace of scientists and military logistics workers at the thirteen Argentina bases in Antarctica grounds can reach up to 1,000 at busy times of the year. Supplies are generally transported through boat or helicopter, as there is no other means of transportation. Even the garbage are stored and taken away by an icebreaker. Antarctica is not only base place for scientific space research for many countries, but a lot of other experts like palaeontologists and geologists conduct studies in Antarctica, since 75 million years ago., Antarctica was well preserved with dinosaurs habitats. The signs are under the ice, said palaeontologist Marcelo Reguero who is working in Antarctica since 1986.

Earlier the glaciers used to reach the sea shore. But now, with the change in climate in Antarctica, the glaciers have moved behind 500 metres away from the sea shore. This is causing inconvenience in transportation, says the reports so far.
By analysing the enclosed midges inside amber, scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany are now nearing to solve a myth that says before Indias collision with Eurasian Plate, it was migrating alone for 30 years post its separation from Africa and Madagascar.

These scientists carried out an extensive search for amber near Surat of India and discovered some tiny midges inside it. They have a size not more than a millimetre. To their great surprise, the descendants of these flies can also be seen today in the forest of Germany. They are also referred as biting midges which are expert in sucking the blood out of your body.

The discovered midges are bearing very much similarity with that of midges of similar age from Europe and Asia. On further experimenting on this, a team of scientists from University of Gdansk (Poland) and Lucknow told that these midges are supposed to be flying between Europe, Asia and India, which could not have been possible if India was isolated.

The experiment was carried out on 38 encased biting midges from Europe and China. The result showed the character similarity. According to lead author Frauke Stebner from the Steinmann Institute at University of Bonn, midges of Baltic showed exact character with that from Fushun in north-east China.

Though nothing has been surfaced yet that can pave strong proof against the above said claims but scientists are guessing that it must be the ocean mammals and birds those might have the active hand in the displacement of these biting midges from one continent to other.

Frauke Stebner also quoted in the journal PLOS ONE that the bloodsuckers from India do not pose so much power to fly long distances. Thats why it is not probably possible for these insects to fly such a long distance during migration.
Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive Democracy
After 2016 poll campaign, more Americans consider Russia a threat: Report

Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strong leader during his campaign.

Reuters, New York :

Americans are more concerned than they were before the 2016 US presidential campaign began about the potential threat Russia poses to the country, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Friday.

The January 9-12 survey found that 82 percent of American adults, including 84 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans, described Russia as a general "threat" to the United States. That's up from 76 percent in March 2015 when the same questions were asked.

The increased concern comes after a brutal election season during which Democrats and others raised questions about President-elect Donald Trump's financial ties to Russia and the US intelligence community accused Russia of engaging in cyber attacks during the election.

Trump, who has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strong leader and signalled during his campaign that he might take a softer line in dealing with Moscow, only recently accepted that Russia committed the hacks after receiving detailed briefings from intelligence officials.

Trump initially criticized the findings, saying the culprit could be China or "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."

The poll asked people to rate Russia and a slew of other countries on a 5-point scale ranging from "no threat" to "imminent threat." It found that Americans were more likely to label Russia a threat than they were Iran, Syria, China, Saudi Arabia, Cuba or Yemen. Only North Korea ranked higher, with 86 percent of Americans labelling it as a threat.

Some 25 percent of Americans gave Russia the highest concern, labelling it an "imminent threat."

"Russia is back to the old days of the Cold War," said Oneita Wilkins, 69, a Republican who lives in a suburb of New Orleans, who rated Russia an "imminent threat."

Wilkins did not vote in the election. She said she did not trust Trump or Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and chose to not vote for the first time in more than 40 years.

The latest reports about Russian hacking lowered her opinion of Trump even further. "Trump doesn't have any experience with other countries," Wilkins said. "I have a feeling that he'll be easily influenced by Putin."

Trump, earlier this week in his first news conference since the election, defended his goal of better ties with Putin, saying, "If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability."

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English in all 50 states. It included 1,169 American adults, including 490 Democrats and 475 Republicans. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points for the entire sample and 5 percentage points for Republicans and Democrats.
Turkey says Russia accord will prevent warplane clashes in Syria

Assad, brother linked to chemical attacks for first time

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 bomber lands at the Russian Hmeimim military base in the northwest of Syria.

AFP, Istanbul :

Turkey on Friday said an accord with Russia to coordinate their air forces in Syria will prevent clashes between its warplanes and those of Russia and also the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Ankara and Moscow have since the onset of the Syrian conflict in 2011 stood on opposite sides of the civil war, with Russia backing Assad and Turkey calling for his ouster.

But joint coordination efforts have intensified after Turkey and Russia patched up diplomatic relations strained by the shooting down of a Russian warplane over Syria by Turkish forces in November 2015.

Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik confirmed Russian statements that Moscow and Ankara had agreed to coordinate their air forces in Syria.

"The accord made with Russia includes coordination. Within this, the appropriate coordination will be made to ensure Turkish aircraft do not come into confrontation with those of Russia or the regime in Syria," he said, quoted by the Anadolu agency.

Ankara has always vehemently denied any secret contacts with the Assad regime during the Syria conflict.

However, Turkish officials have on occasion acknowledged that Assad is a player who cannot be ignored in Syria and could potentially stay on in a post-war transition.

Russia and Turkey have spearheaded a shaky ceasefire in Syria, which Moscow and Ankara hope will lead to Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan beginning on January 23.

Both countries are active on the ground in Syria. Russia has been there since September 2015 to bolster Assad, and Turkey launched an incursion against jihadists and Kurdish militia on the border area in August 2016.

Moscow said Thursday Russia and Turkey signed an agreement spelling out mechanisms to "coordinate" their air forces in Syria when conducting strikes "on terrorist targets".

Meanwhile, international investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by this news agency.

A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously identified only military units and did not name any commanders or officials.

Now a list has been produced of individuals whom the investigators have linked to a series of chlorine bomb attacks in 2014-15 - including Assad, his younger brother Maher and other high-ranking figures - indicating the decision to use toxic weapons came from the very top, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.
Copyright  2021 New Nation. All Rights Reserved by thedailynewnation.com
Safe school for girl students to boost women leadership stressed

City Desk :

Speakers at an award-giving ceremony mentioned that ensuring safe school for girls could be the vital means of transforming the girl students into worthy citizens besides boosting women empowerment and leadership.To this end, all concerned including parents, teachers and members of school managing committee should put in their level best efforts.

The concerted efforts will supplement the national work plan 2013-2025 for combating violence against women and children and achieving the sustainable development goals- 2030, they added.

The Hunger Project Bangladesh (THPB) organized the ceremony yesterday at Charghat Upazila Complex premises in association with Her Choice Programme and Safe School for Girls Campaign.

On the occasion, Khordagovindapur High School and Roypur High School were given initiative award- 2016 for their laudable contribution towards ensuring safe space for girl students.

Earlier on, a total of eight schools in Sardaha and Vayaluxmipur Union Parishads under the Charghat upazila were brought under a year-round observation for the award.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashraful Islam, Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Saiful Ferdous, Assistant Education Officer Abul Kalam Azad and THPB Area Coordinator Subrata Kumar Paul spoke on the occasion.

The discussants viewed ensuring safe schools for the girls through combating all sorts of violence especially sexual harassment against them is a very vital for boosting skilled human resources coupled with women empowerment.

Sexual harassment restricts girls' rights to education, rights to mobility and rights to freedom. So, the social crime must be uprooted through forging social movement.

Gender-sensitive social mindset can help establishing rights of the adolescents through reducing violence and repression against them.

During his concept paper presentation, Subrata Paul, highlighted the aims and objectives of the event and sought cooperation of all quarters on how to establish equal economic opportunity and justice to girls. "We need to establish social networks and alliances involving government and non-government organisations, community people, civil society and media to reach the cherished goal," said UNO Ashraful Islam.


CDA Chairman Abdus Salam speaking as chief guest at meeting of the master plan review of Chittagong City at Bakulia Ward in the city yesterday.
Six killed in Daudkandi road crash

Six people were killed and 22 others injured as bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Zinghatali on Dhaka-Ctg Highway in Daudkandi on Saturday morning.

Staff Reporter :

At least six persons were killed and 25 others injured when a Comilla-bound passenger bus of 'Jhumur Transport' plunged into a water body at Jinglatoli under Daudkandi upazila of Comilla district on Saturday.

Of the deceased, five were identified as Md Shahjahan, 40, Enamul Haque, 60, Md Babu, 18, Faruk Hossain, 22, and Atiar Hossain, 48. All of them were the inhabitants of Dimla Upazila in Nilphamari district, police said.

Daudkandi Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Awal said, "The driver of the bus

lost its control over the steering and the bus plunged into roadside ditch at about 5:00am, leaving five passengers dead on the spot and 24 others injured."

Of the injured, one succumbed to his injuries on way to Gouripur Health Complex, the Police official said.

Soon after the incident, police and two Fire Service units from Daudkandi went to the spot and rescued the injured people, the OC said.

Three of the injured were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital while others taken to Comilla Medical College and Hospital and Gouripur Health Complex, he said.

The bodies had been kept at Comilla Medical College and Hospital for autopsy.


Withdraw decision over eviction of Gulistan hawkers

bdnews24.com :

The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) has urged Dhaka South City Corporation to withdraw its decision to bar hawkers from running their businesses at Dhaka's Gulistan during day time on working days.

Hawkers will not be allowed to sell goods on the streets and footpaths in Gulistan until 6:30pm on the weekdays, Dhaka (South) Mayor Sayeed Khokon announced on Wednesday.

The decision would come into effect from Sunday.

The hawkers however, would be allowed to run their business anytime

during Fridays and Saturdays, Mayor Sayeed said in his announcement.

On Saturday, CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim came down hard on the Dhaka South mayor for the decision without arranging any alternative. "The hawkers will not be able to run their families if they are forced to run businesses only from the dusk," he said at a gathering of hawkers in front of the National Press Club.

"Are you going to feed them and their families then?" he asked.

Selim declared that the mayor's decision will not be accepted and called upon him to sit and discuss possible solutions. Bangladesh Hawkers Union arranged the rally, from where a procession was taken out later.

Convener of the platform Abdul Hashem said that hawkers would lay a siege to the city corporation offices if they were not allowed on the footpaths on Sunday. "They will stay there until the decision is repealed," he said.

The hawker's leader demanded identity cards for the hawkers.


Tension runs high over footpath business

Hawkers plan to besiege Nagar Bhaban: Mayor warns legal step with the help of police: CPB provoking hawkers

Aggrieved hawkers sitting idle wrapping up their businesses on footpath in Gulistan area. They staged demonstration(inset) in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday against Dhaka South City Corporation.

Sagar Biswas :

Tension runs high when challenging the decision of the Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokan, the hawkers have announced to start their business setting up makeshift shops on the footpaths of city's Gulistan area from today morning [Sunday].

The hawkers on Saturday categorically said that they would not carry out the directives of mayor to run their footpath business after evening [6:30pm].

"If the mayor not cancels his directives by 5:00pm on Saturday, the hawkers will besiege Nagar Bhaban on Sunday morning for indefinite period," leader of Hawkers Federation Sekandar Hayat said from a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club.

But countering the programme, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokan yesterday said that he would not step aside from earlier decision for the sake of general people, and if necessary, the DSCC with the help of Dhaka Metropolitan Police would resist any sort of anarchy in accordance with the law.

"We've enough sympathy for the real hawkers. But the beneficiaries are trying to create an abnormal situation exploiting the hawkers. The crime syndicates run crores of taka extortion business daily in the capital targeting the footpath hawkers. So, they are now provoking the hawkers for their personal gain," Sayeed Khokan told The New Nation last night.

Earlier on January 11, the mayor held a meeting with the leaders of Hawkers Federation and gave decision that the hawkers would not run their business at Gulistan area in the working day-time.

To keep smooth movement of vehicles and pedestrians, the hawkers would be allowed to start business one and a half hours after office time [6:30pm], the meeting also decided. At the same time, the mayor had given assurance to rehabilitate 2,504 hawkers.

Interestingly within a span of only three days, the Hawkers Federation made a big twist by rejecting mayor's offer terming them "eyewash". They said the actual number of hawkers is around 10 lakh and the mayor would have to rehabilitate all of them.

"If the hawkers sit after 6:30 pm, they will not be able to earn their bread even for one time. Will the mayor feed the hawkers? Will they go to Gano Bhaban to take their meal? We'll not tolerate any oppression on the hawkers. You [mayor] will have to build a market for them where there are plenty of customers," President of Communist Party of Bangladesh Mujahidul Islam Selim said in the meeting arranged by the Hawkers Federation.

Expressing discontent over mayor's decision, the CPB chief further said: "If the members of other professions can get ID cards, than why not the hawkers would get it? If the real hawkers get ID card, the fake hawkers will not get scope to create chaos."

Against this backdrop, the DSCC mayor again said: "So far as we know, the CPB is a responsible political party. We don't expect such provocation from them. Whereas, the CPB leaders are provoking the hawkers. However, we'll not change our decision. If anybody tries to break law, we will conduct drive with the cooperation of DMP."

Sources close to the DMP said that about three-fourth portion of city's total footpaths is illegally occupied by hawkers creating a tremendous civic problem, whereas the City Corporations, both north and south Dhaka, are apparently helpless.

In fact, the city footpaths are used as alternative super markets for all sorts of goods, from fabrics to electronics and computer software to automobile hardware.

Targeting the lucrative business, some crime syndicates are running crores of taka extortion businesses allegedly getting patronization from a section of ruling party leaders. In this process, the syndicate men in the name of 'protection' collect weekly toll [hapta] from them.

Earlier, Dhaka North City Corporation [DNCC] mayor Annisul Huq had expressed severe dissatisfaction over the footpath extortion saying that influential persons are involved in grabbing city footpaths. But he too failed to stop footpath business in his jurisdictions.

As per information available, of the 163 km footpath across the city [DNCC and DSCC], around 108.60 km has been grabbed by the illegal occupants. Besides, out of the 2289.69 km roads for vehicles, about 527 has been occupied by street vendors causing traffic jam almost everyday.

There is widespread allegation that a section of dishonest officials of the two city corporations provide support to the illicit business in exchange of fat payment per month.


President likely to form 5-men search committee

UNB, Dhaka :

President Abdul Hamid is likely to form a five-member search committee soon over the reconstitution of the Election Commission following the tradition set by his predecessor late President Zillur Rahman in 2012.

The Honorable President will form a search committee soon to recommend names to him for appointment as the next Chief Election Commissioner and

election commissioners, an official at Bangabhaban told UNB requesting anonymity.

During their talks with the President, most of the political parties proposed enactment of a law over the recruitment of the CEC and election commissioners, but the proposal seems to go unheeded this time.

The official said the search committee is most likely to be formed immediately after the President's ongoing dialogue with political parties over the EC's reconstitution, which is set to end on January 18 next.

In 2012, late President Zillur Rahman first formed a four-member search committee following the dialogue with 24 political parties before the formation of the incumbent Election Commission headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad.

The committee was headed by an Appellate Division judge and also comprised a High Court judge, the comptroller and auditor general and the chairman of the Public Service Commission.

The then committee recommended two names against the vacant post of the Chief Election Commissioner and two for each of the election commissioners.

As per the committee's recommendation, the then President appointed Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad the CEC, while Mohammad Abdul Mobarak, Abu Hafiz, Brig Gen (retd) Zabed Ali and Md Shah Nawaz election commissioners.

This time President Abdul Hamid initiated the talks on December 18 as the five-year tenure of the incumbent commission expires on February 8 next.

So far, 23 political parties, including AL, BNP and Jatiya Party have joined the dialogue separately and placed their proposals over the formation of the next Election Commission which will oversee the next parliamentary elections likely to be held in 2019.

Eight more political parties were invited to participate in the dialogue between January 16 and 18.

In the dialogue with the President on December 18 last, BNP proposed the President to form a search committee making a former chief justice its convener.

The party also proposed that former Appellate Division judges, a neutral and honest professor of a university or a respected and distinguished personality and a neutral, honest and competent senior female citizen might be considered for the membership of the search committee.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia also gave the President a sealed envelope containing the names of 10 prospective members of the search committee.

Khaleda said if the EC can be constituted on the basis of a consensus among all political parties, it will be considered a right step towards the advancement of the country. She also pointed out the need for formation of a polls-time government.

In the dialogue on January 11, AL placed a four-point proposal, including enacting a law for the formation of the Election Commission and introducing e-voting system.

The other two proposals are appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners in line with the Article 118 of the Constitution and taking whatever the President deems appropriate for recruiting the CEC and other commissioners.

About the first two proposals, the ruling party said an appropriate law can be enacted or an ordinance can be promulgated right now over the appointment of the CEC and other commissioners if possible. If it's not possible due to the time constraint, it can be done before the formation of the Election Commission in the next time. And the initiative can start right now to enact the law in line with the Constitution, the party told the President.

HM Ershad led Jatiya Party placed a five-point proposal at the talks with the President on December 20 last. The proposals include establishing a separate EC Secretariat, passage of a new law by the present parliament on the formation of the EC, and determining specific qualifications of the probable election commissioners.

Among the other proposals placed by political parties before the President are amendment to Representation of the People Order (RPO), appointment of the election commissioners by phases and ensuring women participation in the commission as well as in the search committee.
Biman out, Eitihad in

Special Correspondent :

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave tonight on a five-day official visit to Switzerland in a flight of Eitihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sources said, Sheikh Hasina usually uses a Biman aircraft for her official tours. But this time a foreign aircraft has been chosen for her trip abroad considering security aspects following the ongoing crisis in Biman.

The national flag carrier is going through its worst crisis following the emergency landing of a Biman's VVIP flight carrying the Prime Minister in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat on her way to Budapest on November 27, last year.

A loose nut had caused leakage of fuel tanker lowering the pressure of engine No 1 of the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft forcing it to make the emergency landing. The incident also exposed the security flaws of the Prime Minister on board while flying on a national flag carrier.

It had also drawn a widespread flak across the country. The authorities of Biman under fire formed several probe bodies to investigate the incident.

The Biman had suspended nine of its officials in line with the recommendations of the probe bodies. Police, later, arrested them in a case filed against them under the Special Powers Act with the Airport Police Station.

"The Prime Minister is expected leave for Switzerland on Sunday night. An aircraft of Etihad Airways will carry her," an official of Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told The New Nation yesterday.

He added, "Flying on a foreign flight is nothing unusual for the Prime Minister. She earlier made many official trips taking flights of foreign airliners.

The official, however, said the Eitihad Airway's flight has been preferred this time considering all aspects of her visit. The PMO office and all other concerned agencies are coordinating the visit of the Prime Minister.

When asked, he said, safety and security of the Prime Minister is always getting the highest priority. All the security agencies have already been engaged in the aircraft to look into her security issues on board.

He, however, declined to disclose the total number of entourage with the Prime Minister in the trip.

"Prime Minister will fly in a regular flight of Eitihad Airways," confirmed Hanif Zakaria, General Manager of Eitihad Airways.

He, however, declined to give details of the flight raising security issues of the Prime Minister.

An Eitihad Airways flight carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage will leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:45 tonight, sources said.

After a making a stopover at Abu Dhabi, the flight is scheduled to reach Zurich International Airport at 6:45am (local time) on Monday.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to UN Offices Shameem Ahsan will receive the Prime Minister at the airport.

From the airport, Sheikh Hasina in a ceremonial motorcade will be escorted to Silvretta Parkhotel, where she will be staying during her visit to Switzerland, according to Foreign Office.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her entourage leave here for Davos to attend the 47th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The four-day meeting of WEF will start on January 17 in Davos in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland under the theme 'Responsive and Responsible Leadership'.

Concluding her tour, the premier will leave Zurich International Airport for Dhaka at 2.35pm (local time) on January 20 and she is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:15 am (local time) on January 21 via Dubai.


Slit body of varsity student found in city

Staff Reporter :

A slit-body of a private university student was recovered from his residence in the city's Adabar area on Saturday morning.

The victim was identified as Shihabul Islam, 22, a third year BBA student of Independent University of Bangladesh (IUB).

Quoting the relatives, Adabar Policc Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Ranjit Kumar said, "Shihab's mother broke open the door with the help of other family members when she did not get response from inside after calling him several times around 8:00am.

They found him dead and informed the matter to

the police and they (Police) recovered the body from the floor of the room. There were several injury marks in his neck, hands and legs of the body,

He loved loneliness and did not allow anyone to enter his room. He was drug addicted, the OC said.

The forensic team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) visited the spot and collected the crime evidence, he said.

The body had been sent to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for an autopsy, he said.
Wacker Polysilicon North America donated $10,000 in support of the Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland ReStores. The gift will be used to purchase a truck that will be used to collect donations from the community that are sold to fulfill Habitats mission in Bradley County.

Habitat for Humanity works in many ways to support families in this community who are in need of a place to call home, said Mary Beth Hudson, vice president and site manager of Wacker Polysilicon North America. We are proud to support the great work they do in Bradley County, and look forward to future opportunities to grow our partnership.



The ReStore accepts gently-used donations in sellable condition and then sells them at up to 80% below retail value. The profits from the ReStores allow Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland to fulfill their mission of building and repairing homes in Bradley County.



We are so grateful and excited to partner with Wacker Polysilicon, said Chip Willis, Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland executive director. Our current donation pick-up truck has over 225,000 miles on it, so this gift from Wacker Polysilicon to purchase a truck was very much needed. Without a reliable truck, we cannot keep enough inventory in our stores to support the Habitat of Cleveland mission. We certainly appreciate this generous gift and look forward to working with Wacker Polysilicon in 2017.
N'ganj 7-murder Verdict Monday

UNB, Narayanganj :

The verdict in a murder case filed over the sensational seven-murder incident will be delivered on Monday.

Judge Syed Enayetur Rahman of Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge's Court set the date on November 30, upon conclusion of the hearings of the legal arguments in the case.

Of the 35 accused, the prime accused are

Nur Hossain, a Narayanganj city Awami League leader and also a former councillor, and three sacked Rab-11 officials-Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mahmud, Maj Arif Hossain and Navy's Lt Commander M Masud Rana.

Nur Hossain and his associates went into hiding following the murders. He was eventually brought back home however from India in November, after being arrested from an apartment in Kolkata on June 14, 2014.

On April 27, 2014, Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam, his three associates and driver were abducted by criminals from Fatullah area.

At the same time, senior lawyer at the District Judge's Court Chandan Kumar Sarkar and his driver were also abducted on their way to the capital.

Three days after their abduction, bodies of six men, including those of Nazrul and Chandan, were recovered from the Shitalakhya.

The following day, the body of Nazrul's car driver Jahangir was recovered from the river.

Later, Selina Islam Beauty, widow of Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam, one of the victims of the gruesome killing, filed a case against six people while Advocate Chandan Sarkar's son-in-law filed another case.
Saudi Arabia restores Hajj quota for BD

Kamruzzaman Bablu :

The Royal Saudi Arabia government has decided to restore Hajj quota for Bangladesh, as per Hajj and Umrah Policy- 2012. As a result, Bangladesh regained its 20 percent Hajj quota this year, sources said.

The Saudi Arabian government curtailed BD Hajj quota by 20 percent on account of the renovation work of Ka'aba in Mecca and Masjid-e Nababi in Medina.

Religious Affairs Secretary Mohammad Abdul Jalil told The New Nation

that the Saudi government has decided to restore the quota, which was suspended in 2014 for the above reasons. "They have now agreed to reinstate the Hajj and Umrah Policy 2012 from this year. It will help Bangladesh sending about 1.28 lakh pilgrims. The Bangladesh government is now in wait of receiving official decision soon," he said. The government will start Hajj pre-registration from today (Sunday) as per the announcement of Religious Affairs Minister Matiur Rahman. As the renovation work of Kaaba and Mashjid-e-Nababi has been completed, the Riad government is going to ask Bangladesh to send more pilgrims from this year. In the last four years, Bangladesh could send more or less 1 lakh pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for hajj. But from this year the number will be more. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Pilgrims and Hajji Welfare Council President Abullah Al Naser welcomed the decision of the Saudi government to restore the quota for Bangladeshi.

In a statement, Al Naser said that the role of the Religious Affairs Minister, its Secretary must be appreciated, as about 20 lakh additional pilgrims would be able perform Hajj from this year. They had worked hard to convince the Saudi government to increase the quota.
Schools charging extra fee to be dealt with

M M Jasim :

Amid criticism, the Education Ministry hinted of taking action against extra fee charging schools to bring transparency in the education sector.

wThe ministry sent letters to the schools' authorities not to take additional fees from the students in the name of development of the institutions.

The ministry also formed six monitoring committees to oversee the overall activities of the city's non-government educational institutions.

The committees have been asked to submit their findings to the ministry before February 28.

The officials of the Education Ministry and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHE) have been included in the committees.

Additional Secretary of the ministry Dr Aruna Biswas will lead the first committee for schools in Motijheel, Sabujbagh, Paltan and Shahbagh areas.

Team Two, led by Additional Secretary Chowdhury Mufat Ahmed would monitor the institutions located in Sutrapur, Kotwali, Lalbag, Kamrangirchar, New Market and Ramna areas.

Joint Secretary Salma Jahan will oversee the educational institutions situated in Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Adabar, Tejgaon, and

Cantonment and Gulshan areas.

Additional Secretary of the ministry Abdullah Al Hasan Chowdhury would oversee Uttarkhan, Dakshinkhan, Uttara, Bimanbandar, Turag and Shah Ali areas' institutions.

The institutions of Mirpur, Pallabi, Shah Ali and Darussalam areas will be judged by the Additional Secretary Ruhi Rahman.

Aminul Islam Khan will lead the sixth monitoring team and will collect information of Jatrabari, Demra, Kadamtali, Badda and Khilgaon areas schools.

AKM Mostafa Kamal, Deputy Secretary (Secondary) of the DSHE, told The New Nation, "If we receive any allegation, action would be taken against the guilty institution," he said.

The ministry and the DSHE sources said the monitoring teams have been formed to examine the allegations brought against the non-government educational institutions charging admission and other fees indiscriminately at the beginning of the year.

They said the teams would closely monitor the educational institutions and submit their recommendations. The ministry would later take stern action against the authorities of the educational institutions, the sources said.

On August 9 last year, the education ministry issued a circular fixing the ceiling for increasing school fees in the non-government educational institutions by not more than 30 per cent under any circumstances.

It also said that no extra establishment cost, mentioned in the admissions policy, could be realised as session charges and development fees from students.

The government fixed the ceiling of tuition fees in order to curb the unnecessary hike of fees by 50 to 100 per cent by some unscrupulous educational institutions under the pretext of the hike in the salaries of public servants in 2015.

The circular also said the educational authorities will discuss with the guardians about increasing the fees in accordance with their capacity, but the increase should not be more than 30 per cent.

If the authorities of a school find that they have a deficit of funds to run their institution and want to realise the money from students, they would have to send their recommendations to the district education officer in this respect.
Rohingya issue is too deep rooted for solving bilaterally

Editorial Desk :

At a press conference held at the Foreign Ministry last Thursday, our Foreign Minister is reported to have stated - following latest diplomatic developments Bangladesh was 'quite evidently' moving towards the next step to come up with a permanent solution to the plight of Rohingyas. First of all, needs a clear understanding that Rohingyas are not our problem but their unexpected influx to Bangladesh through the sea and border is. Second, strengthening border securities on both ends of Bangladesh and Myanmar is understandably not a solution but a preventive approach to even more restrict the movements of an oppressed ethnic Muslim community. Third and most evidently, instead of looking for a pragmatic solution by engaging the international community to put pressure on Myanmar, our diplomatic efforts are seemingly diverting towards a 'Pushback policy' coupled with a tendency to gamble with the collective fate of a large group of powerless refugees. Moreover, the FM's proposal to form a proper body to verify the citizenship of Rakhine people who took shelter here sounded more than just comically quixotic, since the thousands of refugees did not flee Myanmar carrying all national ID cards and travel documents. Their spoken lingo and the condition of statelessness is enough to speak for themselves. The point is simple - why should Bangladesh have to burden the perils of an

internal communal conflict happening in another country.

Responding to a question, the FM reportedly said: Chittagong and Cox's Bazar are extremely important for Bangladesh's tourism development activities and the presence of refugees is of no help for terrorism. Adding further, forests are also being destroyed in the said areas. Such blatant attempt to divert the main focus surrounding the Rohingya crisis is unprecedented, at least at the diplomatic levels from our end. The outcome of the recent dialogue between our foreign office high-ups with Myanmar's special envoy and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, however, once again clearly proved that we lack both expertise and astute diplomatic skills, in terms of solving a bilateral and a regional crisis.

Our FM should help his Myanmar counterpart to address the "root cause" of the problem in Rakhine so that Muslims there need not be desperate to seek shelter across the border.

More than tightening border securities, assisting Myanmar to fight terrorism by sharing intelligence information, and talking about destruction of forests and hampering of tourist development activities, we expected our FM to concentrate on other crucial facts. For instance - the economic pressure for accommodating thousands of refugees, condemn Myanmar government's oppressive treatment shown to its Muslim minority, therefore portray the international community's collective denunciation of Myanmar government's mistreatment of the Rohingyas. Most crucially, the repercussions suffered by another country for a home-grown tale of communal hatred in another.

Nevertheless, as a united effort due to mounting international pressure on Myanmar, the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are scheduled to come together in Kuala Lumpur on January 19 to discuss possible solutions to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. This is going to be an 'extraordinary' meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers. We want to see, our foreign minister to play a landmark role in changing Myanmar government's overall outlook on Rohingyas, and for that matter to all its Muslim subjects.

We don't know, what 'sincere efforts' to solve the crisis the FM has seen in Myanmar's end, but one of our main diplomatic goal at Kuala Lumpur should be to actively engage both the international and Muslim countries to make Myanmar realise that what it is doing to the Rohingyas is a wrong that they are doing against their own people.

Bangladeshis have no intention of going to Myanmar. So the government of Myanmar should be sincere in taking their people back.


Zahurul Alam :Unconditional surrender of 93,000 Pakistanis on 16th December 1971 to the Allied Forces manifested victory of patriotism over treachery, right over wrong and kindness over cruelty. On 22 December the cabinet of the Exile Government of Bangladesh returned to Dhaka. However, the nation was yet to celebrate its final victory, Bangabandhu was yet to come back. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, by that time President of Pakistan, despite immense internal and external pressure to release Bangabandhu, was still killing time with the hope of negotiations with Bangladesh Government or with Bangabandhu in prison to create a loose federation with Pakistan. At home Bhutto was pressurized to bring back the surrendered 93,000 Pakistanis. International community, including media bitterly criticized Pakistan for delaying Bangabandhu's release. Under the circumstances Bhutto had no alternatives but to release with honour the Leader of the newborn state. Bangabandhu was released from Pakistan jail on 8th January, 23 days after the surrender of the Pakistanis. Thus the return of Bangabandhu to independent Bangladesh was not a matter of generosity, rather the Pakistani military and political goons were compelled to release him under enormous national and international pressure and to keep alive last hope for preventing separation. Mujib alive according to their perceptions may keep the option for negotiation with the victorious nation.Bangabandhu is the greatest hero of our soil because the enormous courage that he showed during the whole of his life to protect the interest of the people, the level of sacrifice that he made to make people happy and the colossal success that he brought to our nation and national pride can never be compared with the deeds of any other personality. The power of his will defied fear, his devotion to the people threw the gauntlet down to fate, his honor contempted to compromise with death, that's why Bangabandhu is the hero of all times.Bangabandhu fought whole of his life selflessly for the purpose of the people and was ready to accept all consequences to make people happy. At every stage of struggle for rights, self emancipation and independence, the nation found Mujib at the forefront. Emergence of Awami League, the Language Movement, victory of Jukto Front, anti-Ayub movement, 1962 students movement, Six-point movement, mass uprising of 1969, Lahore conference, elections of 1970, historic non-cooperation movement, declaration of independence and victory, Mujib was everywhere. Bangabandhu declared on 7th March at Race Course: "I don't want to be the Prime Minister, I want to establish rights of the people of this soil".If heroism is a matter of profound sacrifice, then Bangabandhu sacrificed more than anybody else, if it is a matter of courage, then Bangabandhu showed that more than anybody else, if it is a matter of success, then who else than Bangabandhu brought that more to the nation? And lastly, if heroism is a matter of love for the nation, then Bangabandhu is at the level where no one can climb ever! During whole of his charismatic career Bangabandhu was at the centre of all actions related to wellbeing and prosperity of the nation. His valor in danger and strength in suffering have made him the greatest personality of Bangla.Bangabandhu served people at whatever cost. He transformed compassion into heroic action. He preferred risk to comfort when that concerned the interest of the people. That is why Mujib could spend 13 years of his career in jail, he could resign as a Minister for the cause of party and he was unmoved when the killers came to him on 26 March 1971 and on 15 August 1975 to kill him. Each act of Bangabandhu was full of courage, integrity and non-compromise when that concerned interest of the people.On 8th January Bangabandhu was sent to London on a special flight from Rawalpindi. Bhutto personally saw him off at the airport. On arrival in London the Leader immediately talked to international media at Hotel Claridge's on the same day and appealed to the international community to support the newborn state. In London the British Prime Minister Edward Heath warmly greeted Bangabandhu. On 9 January Bangabandhu left London on a Royal Air Force jet for Bangladesh. On way home the Leader was given a warm reception by the Indian President V.V. Giri and the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Delhi, where he had a stopover. The entire Indian cabinet and chiefs of armed forces were present at the reception in Delhi that turned into a huge meeting where the leaders of both the countries addressed. Bangabandhu thanked the people of India on behalf of 75 million people of Bangladesh and termed the Indians as the best friends of Bangladesh. At noon Bangabandhu left Delhi for Dhaka.It was BBC that first broadcast the news about Bangabandhu's release and arrival in London on 8 January. Upon hearing the news of Bangabandhu's release and return the people of Bangladesh started celebrating on the streets. Hundreds of thousands of people from all corners of Bangladesh rushed to Dhaka airport and gathered at the Race Course. By 10 O'clock in the morning of 10 January, the roads from Tejgaon Airport to Race Course were full of jubilant people from all walks of life, young and old, male and female. The offices and shops were closed. Everybody waited patiently to have a glance at their beloved hero, the leader, the defender and the deliverer. On Bangabandhu's return the Time magazine wrote:'..all weekend long the people of Bangladesh thronged into Dhaka, preparing to welcome their beloved "Bangabandhu". By Monday noon 10 January 1972, hundreds of thousands of jubilant Bengalis lined the streets of the capital, waving flags and shouting over and over, "Sheikh Mujib! Sheikh Mujib!". Promptly at 1.30 pm, a blue and silver British Royal Air Force Comet dropped out of a brilliant sunny sky and ground to an abrupt halt on the shortened war-damaged runway of Tejgaon Airport. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was home at last. As the Comet's door opened, the first gun of a 21-gun salute cracked through the air. Then Sheikh Mujibur Rahman stepped out to a tumultuous welcome. A sea of crowd roared with "Joi Bangla, Joi Bangabandhu."From the airport Bangabandhu directly went to meet the countrymen. The Race Course transformed into a human sea with almost a million people waiting to see their beloved leader. Similar size of crowd was standing and chanting slogans under the bright sunlight of January along the Airport Road to greet the hero.The rooftops and the balconies of the roadside houses were full of emotional people with flags and flowers in their hands. It took almost two hours for the convoy carrying the Supreme Commander of the Liberation War from Tejgaon Airport to the Race Course. The national and internation media was busy transmitting the return of the hero.As soon as Bangabandhu reached Race Course the crowd burst into joy. Many cried in tears chanting slogans and thanking God. Bangabandhu started his speech with emotion-chocked voice saying that his life's dream has come true with the liberation of Bangaldesh. He thanked the people of Bangladesh, India, the international community, and called the people to refrain from revenge. He said: "Forgive them!..there should not be any more killing." Referring to Bhutto's request to "Try to keep Pakistan together, if there is any way", Bangabandhu snapped Bhutto's suggestion (of lose federation) and declared: "It has been snapped for all time to come; you live in peace and let us live in peace." He further reiterated: "Bengal is independent, and let the people of Bangladesh live happily. The unity of Pakistan is ended."(Professor Zahurul Alam is President, Governance and Rights Centre (GRC), Dhaka. Email: [email protected]
Colleges receiving MPO funding without students

A recent news item published in The New Nation has exposed the ugly loopholes of our education system. It said, the government approval to 204 colleges may be cancelled due to zero students at Higher Secondary level and for no pass in different public examinations. These colleges are running under six education boards includes Dhaka Board, where no inspection could detect the open cheating. Otherwise allowing them to siphon government allocation running these colleges in name-sake essentially under protection of politically influential persons.

Citing the Ministry sources the news report said, Education Ministry is preparing show-cause notices for sending to the respective colleges asking to explain as to why their approval will not be cancelled. Disclosure said out of the 204 colleges, no student was admitted into 184 colleges at Higher Secondary level and the candidates did not pass in the HSC examination from the remaining 20 colleges this year.

Teachers, students and managing authority compose an educational institute and get government's approval. Without a single student how nearly 200 colleges could obtain approval of Education Ministry and continue is a mystery. Definitely, there is a strong ground that some underhand dealings played a vital role in these abnormal approvals. No student could pass in HSC examination from 20 colleges is also a shameful reality of our education system. After 10 years of continuous study in schools and passing SSC examination one gets admission in colleges and then study for two years before sitting for HSC examination. Then if none of the students of 20 colleges could cross the pass mark how we can explain it. Suspicion arises whether or not they are fake students enrolled for cheating. Again are these really educational institutes worthy of name? Is there no mechanism in the Education Ministry and Boards to monitor educational activities of the colleges? Most of the 204 colleges now under fire are receiving allocation of MPO programme of the government. That means the lion's share of salary of these college teachers comes from government exchequer and some people have taken away much of this money. Government is paying money for promoting educational activities, but not checking what is going on there; it is not acceptable.

We often say that education is backbone of a nation. But in practice we probably do not mean it seriously. This is no secret that our total education system is riddled with corruption and indiscipline at every level. In the case of 204 colleges we can apprehend how deep the irregularities are. We must say the irregularity must be properly investigated and wrong-doers must be sternly dealt with.
Rise in parents killing their children is disturbing

BANGLADESH is now witnessing probably the worst time for children to grow up as an increasing number of kids are often being killed by their parents; though the parents are supposed to protect their children. Why it is happening is a big question. Citing Bangladesh Shisu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) a national daily reported on Friday that rogue parents killed 11 children in 2014. The figure rose to 40 in 2015 and 64 last year. Before 2014 some isolated incidents like these used to take place. A rapid rise of such deaths is taking place over the past years and hitting an alarming level.

We agree with psychologists, criminologists and experts that strained relationship between husbands and wives, frustration, financial constraints and other grievances related to family and society lead to an extreme psychological break down when parents take to such killing. Their sense does not work. But it can't be the case as it is also difficult for elders and relatives to keep track of family discord.

The latest such incident happened on Wednesday in the capital's Darussalam area, when a young mother allegedly killed her two children, aged only three and five, and then killed herself. On last December 12 a young wife (23) of an expatriate husband committed suicide after killing her son (4) and daughter (8) in West Ukilpara of Feni district. She took poison after strangulating her children with a cable over a family feud. On February 29 last year an elder sister (14) and her younger brother (6) were found dead in their Banasree apartment in the city. Their mother later confessed she had killed her children being disappointed by their poor school examination results.

There is a general perception that a person does not commit suicide or kill loved one over a single incident. It actually happens after continued quarrels and family feud. It erodes patience, changes mindset as emotion overpowers them to resort to cruelty. So family quarrels should not be left unattended over a longer time.

In our view where a strong family bond works such incidents may be watched closely and reasons can be removed. Lawlessness in public life has created cruelty everywhere. We must make our society where reason prevails and violence is prevented.




Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Lee Universitys political science program sent three students to Nashville for the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature, a forum for the states top campus leaders to express their opinions, concerns, and research in recent state legislation.

Raquel Moskowitz, head delegate and senior political science major, won the Carlisle Award, which is historically the most prestigious award given to the top 10 legislators in the House and Senate. Melissa Haley, freshman political science major, won the Best Senator Award. Additionally, Megan Thompson, sophomore English secondary education major, had both of her bills signed by the TISL governor, meaning they passed both the House and Senate.

Im so proud of my delegation, said Ms. Moskowitz. We worked really hard and it paid off. It was awesome to see other universities look up to us, embrace our legislation, and compliment our efforts. This year was a true success. Im really excited to see which bills become real laws in Tennessee.

Once the students were selected by the department, they crafted bills and learned proper parliamentary procedure, strategic lobbying efforts, and skillful debate to prepare for the assembly.

Created in 1966, TISL is an interactive, educational experience shaped to give college students a voice in state government. During the event, student representatives from colleges across Tennessee gather in the State Capitol to introduce, debate, and vote on bills that could affect the future of the state and of the nation.

For more information about TISL General Assembly, visit http://www.tislonline.org/GeneralAssembly/legislature.html. For more information about Lees political science program, call 614-8137.





PHOTO: Pictured here (left to right) are Raquel Moskowitz, Melissa Haley, and Megan Thompson at Capitol Hill in Nashville for the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration is struggling with a problem that has become all too common for Louisiana's governors: How do you pick the winners and losers among disaster victims as you divvy up federal aid?

Louisiana's received $1.6 billion in federal block grant aid from Congress to help recover from the March and August floods that slammed the state, damaging tens of thousands of homes and causing billions in damage. The assistance is a hefty sum to be sure, but it's not enough to help every homeowner, renter, business owner and farmer with damage to rebuild.

While the Democratic governor already faces Republican criticism because the recovery money won't start flowing until April or May, he's certain to take more hits when people with flood damage learn if they can count on receiving any of the aid themselves.

The Edwards administration hammers home the idea during any talk of flood recovery that Louisiana hasn't received as much federal assistance as it needs. Administration officials say the state is about $2 billion short. The governor already is planning more trips to Washington in February to lobby President-elect Donald Trump's administration and Congress for more money.

"We are grateful for the money we have received so far, but make no mistake, there are many needs left to meet," Edwards said.

The governor intends to spend 80 percent of the flood recovery money, $1.3 billion, on homeowner aid. His leader on disaster recovery, Pat Forbes, said that amount will give rebuilding assistance to an estimated 36,000 homeowners, those who have major or severe damage from the flooding but didn't have flood insurance coverage.

But that's only a fraction of the 112,000 homes estimated to have been damaged by last year's floods.

The plan will leave out people whose homes were flooded with less than a foot of water or who had less than $8,000 in destruction, and it will snub those who doled out their own money to protect their homes with flood insurance  even if that insurance didn't cover all the repair and reconstruction work.

"No matter how we slice this, there will be people who should get assistance from us and will not be able to get assistance from us," Forbes said. "That's just the fact is that if we don't have enough money, we have to distribute the funds in different ways, with the ultimate goal being the large-scale recovery of the state."

The priority for spending the combined $1.6 billion available, Forbes said, is on making sure the most heavily damaged communities and neighborhoods don't collapse, unable to recover.

Besides the $1.3 billion for homeowners, Edwards wants to use $62 million for business and agriculture assistance, $105 million for state and local governments' recovery costs and $100 million for rental housing and homeless prevention programs.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, left, prepares to tour flood damage in Lafayette last August. Photo by Robin May

Right now, zero dollars are planned to pay for widespread infrastructure improvements aimed at making Louisiana a safer place to live  or making a future flood less damaging. Edwards said that's a priority the state can't afford with the limited block grant aid, but he'd like to allocate $600 million to the work if Louisiana gets additional help from Congress.

Louisiana is awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to start spending the first portion of congressional recovery money.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy and U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, both Republicans, have criticized Edwards as moving too slowly to dole out the aid. GOP officials also have raised concerns about the $66 million set aside for administrative costs. Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy said Louisiana needs to show it is wisely spending the disaster recovery money Congress has allocated before expecting more.

Despite any disagreements, there appears to be little dispute between the Democratic governor and the majority-Republican congressional delegation that Louisiana could use more recovery aid. It also appears likely that  similar to Louisiana's recovery after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and Isaac  some disaster victims will be left on their own.
The American Cancer Societys Corporate Impact Award: Excellence in Cancer Control honors a company that provides health information, programs, and benefits in each of the following four cancer prevention behaviors: physical activity, nutrition, tobacco, and cancer screening. The honor was given to North American Credit Services.

Its exciting to be able to present such a distinguished award as this in behalf of the American Cancer Society, to a committed, local organization such as NACS and Medical Services here in Chattanooga, said Senior Community Engagement Manager Melinda Craft with the American Cancer Societys Mid-South Division.

The company deploys strategic health communications to increase employee participation in its cancer prevention and control programs. North American Credit Services leadership along with employees continue to be gracious in the giving of volunteer service and the crucial financial support in helping keep the mission of ACS moving forward, in the shared fight to end this horrific disease, said Ms. Craft.

The American Cancer Society honors corporations and a chief executive with the Corporate Impact Awards series. The awards are presented annually by the Societys Corporate and Systems Initiative, which creates meaningful, long-term relationships with employers by engaging them in delivery of the Societys lifesaving mission and support for its numerous programs and services.

Fifteen years ago NACS Chairman and CEO Dallas S. Bunton, Sr. was diagnosed with stage 3B Lung Cancer. Words can never even begin to describe what went through my mind as the doctors each told me of the diagnoses, along with the less then positive outlook for recovery, said Mr. Bunton. Now as a cancer survivor, I enjoy this wonderful blessing of life every day.

Mr. Bunton knows all too well of the real-life impacts in which this disease can turn ones life quickly upside down and an important reason why his company consistently supports American Cancer Societys charitable benefits over the years. Not every story turns out like mine. Some have had more struggles, some did not make it through the struggle, said Mr. Bunton.

"Cancer events benefiting the local American Cancer Society, give us all a reason to come together to help make a collective difference. Lets cure cancer.
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.
CARBONDALE  More than 30 years ago, Linda Flowers remembers all the work being done to make the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday.

A group in Carbondale had already started observing the day, acknowledging the contributions and sacrifice of not only Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but also of the countless others, known and unknown, she said, who worked to create equal opportunity and access for blacks in this country.

By the time then-President Ronald Reagan signed the law in 1983 authorizing King's birthday as a national holiday, the group here in Carbondale had already marked that day for the past three years.

On Monday, that event  hosted now by the Carbondale Branch of the NAACP  celebrates its 35th anniversary. The MLK Commemorative Breakfast begins at 8 a.m. with the breakfast being served, followed by a program that begins at 9 a.m. The cost of the breakfast is $5.

Brad Colwell, the interim chancellor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is the keynote speaker.

Carbondale's event is just one of a handful of other events designed to honor the birthday, life and sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Other celebrations are planned for 3 p.m. Sunday in Carbondale and 9 and 11 a.m. Monday in Cairo and Marion.

Sunday would be the 88th birthday for King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta.

"It started with this collective group," Flowers said.

She said it has been a real community effort, with food donated by the Short family who owned a McDonald's, and Prairie Farms, which donated milk for years to past celebrations.

She remembers the first year of the breakfast, when it had not yet become nationally recognized. She was a middle school teacher at the old Lincoln Junior High School. She retired as principal of Thomas School.

I was teaching, and my principal was nice enough to watch my class while I went to the breakfast," Flowers said.

A history of the breakfast notes that it originated out of a group that emerged from a November 1982 meeting at Rock Hill Baptist Church; Richard C. Hayes, the first chairman of that group, the Black Coalition, had the idea for the MLK Breakfast.

"Historically, there had been a reluctance on the part of the Caucasian community to participate in events held on the Northeast side during the evening hours, even at the Eurma C. Hayes Center," reads the history. "The morning hour eliminated that concern."

The history also notes that individuals from the Church of the Good Shepherd, the First United Methodist Church and the Unitarian Fellowship worked to address issues of a "racial nature," but helped focus on creating an event in the neighborhood that would be affordable.

Though the success of the breakfast in its early years almost threatened its future, it managed to live to its third year, when the King holiday was officially recognized.

It was during this time that the event came under the leadership of the Carbondale Branch of the NAACP, then led by president Carl Flowers  Linda's husband  and Elbert Simon.

The breakfast celebration grew to include children and focus on and celebrate their achievements and moved from the Thomas School to the campus of SIU. Flowers said despite recent success, there is still plenty of work to be done in African American communities.

"Even though you can look at President Obama and Oprah Winfrey and even though those individual people have 'arrived,' we forget that we as a people have not," Flowers said. "So weve made a lot of individual progress, but in a lot of areas, were regressing."

Areas of concern are education; the over-representation of African Americans in the criminal justice system; drugs; and the overall economic attainment.
MARION  The Illinois Star Centre Mall once brought several businesses to Marion, but is now known for its many vacant storefronts.

As Marion residents await results of the auction of the mall  which are expected by the end of February, Carl Carter, public relations for real estate auction firm Tranzon Asset Advisor, said earlier this month  a new strip mall just a mile away is already in its final stage of construction.

The Marion Crossing Shopping Center, owned by Srinivas Gundala, will be centrally located at 2700 W. Deyoung St. and is scheduled to open mid-spring.

Asked if there were concerns about leasing spots in the new space, Gundala said there were none.

"There were no leasing concerns. In fact, people are preferring to move out of the malls and to go into these kind of small strip malls," he said. "I dont know, for some reason that has been a trend."

Gundala said the entire strip will be home to eight familiar businesses, all of which have already confirmed their placement in the strip and will be ready to move into each of their individual units in February.

"My strip mall is 99 percent booked," he said. "There are some time sensitivity issues with realty, but once that lapses, then they will openly declare what is coming."

Among the eight businesses that Gundala said he can list are coffee chain Starbucks and Kay Jewelers, a retail jewelry chain that once rented space inside the Illinois Star Centre Mall.

"I don't know if it is because of a national trend, or a trend here in Marion because there is not so much business going on in the mall, but it could be the reason some of the people want to move out," Gundala said. "So that they can get some kind of visibility than people can get in the (mall)."

Frank Cirillo, director of public relations at Signet Jewelers, the Akron, Ohio-based parent company of Kay Jewelers, said the store will be relocating to the external setting to be of better service to their customers.

"We are always evaluating how we can best serve our guests and are excited by the opportunity that this new location will offer," he said.

But for Josh Stockinger, manager and part owner of Joe's Records, which has been at the Marion mall since December 2013, not enough has changed in the mall for him to consider alternative locales.

"There hasn't been a ton of change," he said. "We've seen some places open and close in the meantime, but I would say from the time I started working here until today, it's pretty similar."

As far as following along with the strip mall trend, Stockinger, who is also part-owner of Hard Copies at University Mall in Carbondale, said he hasn't considered it.

"That is not anything we've looked into recently," he said. "That's not something that we ever preferred and we don't have any plans to do anything like that.

"I think it helps to be close to 57. A lot of people stop through here so I think that's good, and I like the fact that the Carbondale store is near the university so we have the university population all throughout the area."

Jerry Reach, a Marion resident who walks the 9-acre Illinois Star Centre Mall three days a week with friends, said he enjoys the space but wishes the mall had more to offer.

"We've been walking here for about two years now and we walk three laps, which takes us about 42 minutes and probably 2.25 miles," he said. "I like the mall, but we sure wish there were more stores available in here."

Although Reach does not consider himself a frequent shopper, he said he occasionally joins his friends during their visits. He lists Target and Dillard's, two of the mall's three anchor stores, as their favorites.

As far as becoming frequent customers of the new strip mall, Reach's friends said they wouldn't mind visiting it to see what each store has to offer. But as for Reach, he said "I don't know, are they going to have a walking place up there?"
CARTERVILLE  Only once has a President of the United States visited John A. Logan College.

On March 6, 1976, Republican President Gerald Ford spoke to a standing-room only crowd gathered inside the Colleges gymnasium. Ford, who succeeded President Richard Nixon following Nixons resignation in 1974, was on the campaign trail when he arrived at John A. Logan College.

There to greet the President was Don Brewer, chairman of the John A. Logan College Board of Trustees.

At the time, Brewer, who has now served on the colleges board of trustees for 44 years, was only in his third year on the board.

To me, despite the fact that its been almost 41 years ago, it seems like yesterday when the President walked up and shook my hand, Brewer said. He was a gracious man and later he autographed a pictured taken of the two of us together. The crowd that day was huge, as I remember, and very energetic about the Presidents visit.

Brewer looked back on the Presidents visit as one of the many highlights during his tenure on the John A. Logan College Board of Trustees. The gymnasium that Ford spoke in now bears Brewers name as the Donald L. Brewer Gymnasium and Convocation Center.

Photos of Fords visit to John A. Logan College continue to exist in the Gerald Ford Library and Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For John A. Logan College to have such a place in our nations history is, in my opinion, quite wonderful, Brewer said. The visit brought many dignitaries and national media representatives who had never been to Southern Illinois before.

You can say that this College helped to orchestrate an opportunity for many young people to get very close to the political process and, for many of them, meet for the first and only time in their lives a President of the United States, Brewer said.

As Brewer reflected on the momentous occasion at John A. Logan College, he also announced that he would be retiring from the board of trustees in April.

In the 44 years he has served the College, he has served 15 years as the boards chairman.

How long have I served this great College? Well, imagine, since Richard Nixon was President, he smiled. That has been a long while.

Brewer was honored recently by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association for his tenure as the longest-serving trustee in Illinois.

Its been an honor and a great privilege to be a part of John A. Logan Colleges amazing history, Brewer said. Its certainly hard for me to believe that 50 years have passed by so quickly.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 received a letter from Illinois Department of Central Management Services, dated Jan. 11, stating that union workers will receive layoff notices in the near future.

The letter, addressed to Roberta Lynch, AFSCMEs executive director, states, "Due to the recent court decision, we are now implementing the Sept. 2015 layoff. The proposed effective date of the layoff is at the close of business on Jan. 31, 2017."

The layoffs will affect the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Department of Transportation, Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Sources close to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex have stated the layoff will affect AFSCME employees at the site.

"While these positions at the World Shooting Recreational Complex (WRSC) are being eliminated, employees are transitioning to other positions in the agency," said Ed Cross, Director of Communications for IDNR. "The shooting complex will continue to operate under a new management plan and these changes will ensure it runs more efficiently, saves taxpayer dollars, and remains open as a world class facility to shooters from across the world."

The WSRC was closed after the 2015 Grand American. The closure resulted in the loss of the Scholastic Clay Target Programs college competition. The Amateur Trapshooting Association explored the possibility of moving The Grand American, the largest trapshooting competition in the world, but reached an agreement with IDNR.
WEST FRANKFORT  Eric James Jacobs, 48, passed away peacefully with family and friends by his side, Monday, January 9th, 2017.

He was born on Sept. 26, 1968, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to James and Sandra Jacobs (West Frankfort).

Eric is a 1986 graduate of West Frankfort High School and attended/graduated from Southern Illinois University (SIU) and the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Afterwards, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri to live and work for almost 20 years with the Hay Group/Korn Ferry as a Senior Principal.

Those of you who were lucky enough to meet Eric instantly became his lifelong friend. He was known for having a smile on his face, his quick wit and jokes, and for bragging he had great hair. He would make you laugh as he always had a coupon for something that you wanted.

He was a member of the TKE Fraternity in college and made lifelong friends. He was active for many years afterwards in the organization.

He loved his crazy dog, Leo, who he adopted at Wayside Waifs animal shelter in Kansas City. The most important role he had was brother to his sister, Tina. The two of them were the best of friends. His greatest joy was being "Uncle Eric" to Quentin and Cooper. He was always the first to get on the floor and play a game with his nephews or take them to amusement parks to ride roller coasters, even though Eric hated them.

Eric will leave a void and hole in many people's lives, but in his short 48 years, there will be a lot of stories to share for years to come.

He is survived by parents, Sandra and James Jacobs of West Frankfort; sister, Tina (Aaren) Stytz of Gilbert, Arizona; two nephews, Quinton and Cooper Stytz; aunts, Cathy (Terry) Horrell of West Frankfort, and Joan (Bruce) Chatham of Grayson, Georgia; and cousins, Rachel Chatham and Ryan, Jonathon, and Aaron Horrell.

He was preceded in death by Mary and Teno Cena, and Betty and James Jacobs.

A small private service with family and close friends will be in West Frankfort. A memorial service for family and friends will be at a later time in Kansas City, Missouri.

Union Funeral Home in West Frankfort is in charge of local arrangements.

In the words of the family, "He will be loved and missed forever. We have lost a son, brother, uncle, and friend. Our hearts will be forever broken."

Online condolences of sympathy may be made at www.unionfh.com.
Auditions for the Chattanooga Theatre Centre's New Play Festival staged reading of Sharon Bandy's EXIT 136 will be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Circle Lobby.



The festival is not until April 21  May 7 and auditions for other winning plays are Feb. 20 and 21, but auditions are being held for this play early because Dylan Kussman, an adjudicator of the Festival of New Plays competition who is based in Los Angeles, liked EXIT 136 so much, he is coming to Chattanooga to direct the staged reading himself.

Mr. Kussman is an actor/writer/director and the audition schedule is being adjusted a bit to take advantage of this opportunity.



There will be only one night of auditions (not the usual two); the auditions will be cold readings with no preparation necessary.



Scheduling note: Actors will need to be available for rehearsals the evening of Thursday, Feb. 9, and be flexible for evening rehearsals the week of April 17.



A synopsis of EXIT 136:

It's 1998, and a snowstorm has stranded six mismatched characters in a run-down truck stop. A sick young man makes an unlikely friend, a trucker struggles to keep his son, and a truck stop regular bemoans a past action for which he cannot forgive himself. Tensions rise as secrets are revealed and alliances betrayed, keeping audiences guessing until the end.



For more information, contact Kim Jackson at execdirector@theatrecentre.com.



Following are available roles for Exit 136:



Michelle Spinelli (a waitress, late 30s)

Barney Ledbetter (a customer, 60s)

Man (a customer, 40)

Roy Wilkerson (a trucker, 30s)

Anita Rains (a customer, 50s)

Jeff Rains (her son, late 20s)

Various radio voices

Setting: A run-down truck stop in East Tennessee

Time: Late December, 1998






ANNA  Anna police have made an arrest in conjunction with an armed robbery of Farm Fresh at 155 W. Vienna St. that occurred Dec. 13.

Pat Edward Wisenbaugh, 70, of Anna was charged with aggravated robbery Jan. 11 in Union County Court. He is being held in Jackson County Jail in Murphysboro

A fitness hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16 in Union County Court.
The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Chattanooga Chapter, is set to host forums for mayoral and City Council races.



Two separate forums will provide the public an opportunity to be introduced to participating candidates and be educated on their respective platforms.



The mayoral forum is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. at Greater Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1115 North Moore Road.

The forum will be moderated by retired educator Edna Varner, who currently works for the Public Education Foundation and is very involved in community service.



For those seeking to hold City Council seats, a second forum will be held Monday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. at Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist Church, 1734 East Third St.

The forum will be moderated by Tom Griscom, former managing editor of the Chattanooga Times Free Press and who currently provides strategic communication consultations with a focus on education, utilities and health care.



Candidates from both races have been extended invitations to participate. As an organization interested in Chattanooga's future and actively engaged in the city's political and economic process, NCBW strongly encourages the community to attend both forums.



NCBW is a non-partisan, advocacy organization and does not endorse candidates or contribute to political campaigns. The organizations role is to provide a means to educate and inform the public, allowing voters to make better, more informed decisions.



The mission of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. is to advocate on behalf of Black women and girls to promote leadership development and gender equity in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment. Michele McNeill-Emery is national president and Beverly P. Johnson is president of the local NCBW chapter.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Erlanger Health System welcomed neurologists Drs. Ellen Valadez, LeBron Paige, and Ruchir Shah to its growing network of physicians.

Ellen Valadez, MD, received her medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine before completing her neurology residency.

A. LeBron Paige, MD, fellowship trained epileptologist, is now accepting patients within the UT Erlanger Neurology Epilepsy Program. Following his graduation from the University of Miami School of Medicine, Dr. Paige completed his internship and neurology residency, as well as his epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology fellowships at Yale University School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, clinical neurophysiology, and neuroimaging.

Ruchir Shah, MD, fellowship trained vascular neurologist, received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees at Shri M. P. Shah Medical College in Jamnagar, India before completing his neurology residency at Cooper University Hospital. Dr. Shah received his vascular neurology fellowship training from Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Shah is a Neurohospitalist who will care for patients who require hospitalization.

For more information or to make an appointment with UT Erlanger Neurology, please call (423)778-9001.
By Trend





Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will visit Israel, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Trend Jan. 13.

Cavusoglus visit is expected to take place in late January-early February, said the source.

The source also noted that currently negotiations with the Israeli side are underway for preparation of the Turkish foreign ministers visit to Israel.

It is expected that during Cavusoglus visit to Israel, the sides will discuss the normalization of relations, development of trade and economic cooperation, added the source.

Relations between Israel and Turkey worsened after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one flying Turkeys flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, with eight Turkish citizens being killed as a result.

Turkey signed an agreement with Israel on mending the relations on June 28. Israel paid Turkey a compensation of $20 million for the Freedom Flotilla incident Sept. 30.
By Trend





Oil prices fell on Friday and were on track to end the week lower on lingering doubts over the extent of OPEC cuts, with sentiment worsened by concerns over the economic health of the world's second-largest oil consumer, China, after it reported the steepest falls in overall exports since 2009, Reuters reported.

Record Chinese crude imports of 8.6 million barrels per day (bpd) in December helped to buoy prices somewhat, traders said, but they could not hide underlying fears over the overall health of the world's second-biggest economy.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were trading 32 cents lower at $55.69 a barrel by 11:55 a.m. EST (1655 GMT) and were on track for a weekly loss of about 2.5 percent.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 crude futures fell by 41 cents to $52.60, also set for a weekly drop of 2.5 percent.

"China right now seems more interested in keeping capital in the country than focusing on growth overall," Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago said.

"We have to watch this situation develop because this is one threat to what is an otherwise wildly bullish scenario for oil in the coming year."

On the supply side, there was some market support from top crude exporter Saudi Arabia, which said that its output had fallen below 10 million bpd to levels last seen in February 2015 and that it expects to make even deeper cuts next month.

However, hard evidence of export reductions has yet to emerge, two weeks into the month in which the cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers, such as Russia, were supposed to start. Many analysts expect compliance of 50 percent to 80 percent at best.

"I think the bigger issues for oil are less about demand right now and a lot more about the supply condition," said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Seattle.

"EIA data and our own government policies have to leave you thinking that a U.S. production response may unwind all the production cuts Saudi Arabia and others are planning."

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed crude production rose notably last week, particularly in the lower 48 states. Overall production was 8.95 million bpd last week, most since April of last year.

Saudi Arabia is likely to cut heavy oil production rather than light in order to maximize revenues and as U.S. supply comes back, more light barrels will likely enter the market, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a note.

The market also awaited U.S. drilling rig count data from energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT), the indicator future U.S. production.
By Trend





Turkish lawmakers on Friday adopted the ninth article of a new constitutional reform package which regulates the President's criminal liability, Anadolu reported.

According to the adopted article, the Turkish Grand National Assembly may propose by absolute majority an investigation into the alleged crime of the President. The article was endorsed by 343 MPs, while 137 rejected it.

The lawmakers would discuss this proposal within one month and may decide to launch an inquiry by 330 MPs --three-fifths of the assembly-- in a secret ballot.

An inquiry would be conducted by a commission of 15 MPs, consisting of members of the political parties in the assembly.

The commission would submit a report stating the outcome of the inquiry to the presidency of the assembly within two months. If the inquiry can not be completed within this period, a new and definite period of one month is given to the commission, the Article 9 read.

An inquiry report shall be distributed to the lawmakers within ten days from the date on which it is given to the President, and shall be discussed in the general assembly within ten days following its distribution, the accepted article says.

Turkish Parliament may take the decision of sending the President to the Supreme Criminal Tribunal by 367 MPs --two-thirds of the assembly-- in a secret ballot.

The trial at the Supreme Criminal Tribunal shall be completed within three months. If it can not be completed within this period, a three-month additional period shall be granted for one time, the article states.

The duty of the President would end if he or she is condemned for a crime that prevents him or her from being elected.

The Article 9 also adds that the President can not take an election decision during his or her inquiry process.

Friday marks the fifth day since the debate on the constitutional reforms began in the parliament. Nine more amendments proposed by the AK Party will be voted in parliament.

The parliamentary process will likely be followed by a referendum in which the option of replacing Turkeys parliamentary system with a presidential model will be put to the electorate.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his supporters have argued that Turkey needs a strong presidency to avoid weak governance and allow the country to successfully tackle a number of challenges, including terror attacks from Daesh, the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Opponents claim it will weaken democratic checks and lead to increased authoritarianism.

To reach a referendum, the proposed changes must first be passed by 330 deputies. If it gets the support of 367 lawmakers it could pass into law without a referendum, although the AK Party said it would hold a popular vote regardless.

A simple majority must agree to the changes in a referendum.

The AK Party has 316 seats and Erdogan hopes the support of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which has 39 seats and last month agreed to back the package, will be enough to secure a referendum.

Other parties -- the Republican People's Party (CHP), with 133 seats, and the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), with 59 deputies -- remain opposed to a presidential system. Two independent deputies are split over support for the amendments.

Among the changes are plans for an elected president to form a government independently of parliament and for the role of prime minister -- typically the person leading the largest parliamentary party -- to be abandoned.

Parliamentary and presidential elections would be held on the same day every five years, instead of the current four for the parliamentary vote.

The president would be limited to two terms in office but would not be required to leave his or her political party.

When elected to the presidency in Aug. 2014, Erdogan had to resign as AK Party leader due to the supposedly apolitical nature of the post.
Balfour Beatty Vinci, a joint venture between UK-based infrastructure leader Balfour Beatty and French construction giant Vinci, has appointed Mark Cutler as the new managing director for its iconic rail infrastructure project, High Speed 2 (HS2).



A chartered civil engineer, Cutler has extensive experience across the UK infrastructure market spanning a 26-year career. He rejoined Balfour Beatty last year as director of strategic projects having previously led the groups UK regional construction and civil engineering businesses.



Cutler was previously CEO of Barhale and managing director of Morgan Est following his early career in Carillion, during which time he oversaw major projects on the West Coast upgrade and High Speed 1 (HS1).



Balfour Beatty Vinci, a long established joint venture between two global infrastructure leaders recognised for its portfolio of large scale projects, is currently shortlisted for four of the seven HS2 main civils works packages valued at over 4 billion ($4.86 billion) in total.



On his new role, Cutler said: "I am delighted to lead the Balfour Beatty Vinci joint venture team for HS2. I believe our long-standing joint venture, an infrastructure powerhouse proven in innovative and collaborative delivery, with over 30 years of international major rail project experience, is a compelling proposition for the delivery of HS2."



Balfour Beatty Vinci represents a powerhouse for critical infrastructure with a successful track record in delivery of high profile projects including The Channel Tunnel rail and a portfolio of live projects including Crossrail and the M4, M5 and M6 Smart Motorway package.



HS2, an iconic rail infrastructure project, will create significant opportunities for the UK construction industry by generating around 25,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships, supply chain partnerships and local enterprises as well as boosting capacity on the existing rail network and improving journey times between London, the West Midlands and further north.



Balfour Beatty Vinci has bid four of the seven packages of main civils works including the Chiltern Tunnels and Colne Valley Viaduct, North Portal Chiltern Tunnels to Brackley, Long Itchington Wood Green tunnel to Delta Junction  Birmingham Spur, and the Delta Junction to West Coast main line tie-in.



Successful contractors for the main civils works will be announced in mid-2017 with mains work construction expected to commence in 2018.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia is already getting ahead of its energy needs with plans to integrate renewable energy into desalination projects and boost efficiencies in other energy-intensive industries, said a top industry expert.



"The kingdom is moving into renewable energy to inject greater longevity, affordability and accessibility into power and water sectors. An ambitious move, but it is ideally positioned to see this through, said Paddy Padmanathan, the president and CEO of Saudi-based Acwa Power, a leading developer, investor, and operator of a portfolio of power generation and desalinated water production plants.



About 40 per cent of the electricity needs in Saudi Arabia could be fulfilled with renewable energy options and there are fiscally sound ways to achieve this, he stated.



Acwa Power will be taking part in the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2017.



Padmanathan and Acwa Power managing director Thamer Al Sharhan will be examining Saudi Arabias power and water sectors - two segments headed for substantial growth in the coming years.



Under the vision of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia will invest heavily outside upstream oil and gas industries, increasing the competitiveness of the power and water industries and reducing energy usage across the country.



During the summit, both Padmanathan and Al Sharhan will weigh in on these changes during a conference segment that drills into the topics of the day.



Padmanathan will take up the issue of renewable energy, laying out the kingdoms financing options and mapping its avenues to cost mitigation and control, while Al Sharhan will highlight how the kingdom can go beyond diversifying its energy mix to transforming it.



"Using a model that Acwa Power has articulated over many years, developers and off-takers can set new tariff benchmarks and shore up capital at this important juncture," stated Padmanathan.



Al Sharhan will sit on an earlier Insights panel, where he will offer technical expertise.



Commenting on the event, he said, WFES attracts prestigious international audiences, and am delighted to be able to address them on a panel of this calibre. The dynamics of power and water are changing Saudi Arabia, and what is happening - and will happen - there will be instructive for the rest of the world.



This years World Future Energy Summit will be held during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, a global platform that addressing roadblocks to the acceleration and adoption of sustainable development and clean energy.-TradeArabia News Service
Emirates Talent Association has officially launched the Local Programmer initiative in cooperation with UAE-based Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) and software giant Microsoft.



The initiative will help boost national efforts aimed at achieving the goals of UAE Vision 2021 in harnessing the potential of local human capital and investing in the promising talents in innovation, leadership and knowledge in order to make the UAE one of the worlds most advanced countries.



The program was launched in the presence of Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, deputy chairman of Police, General Security in Dubai, and chairman of the Universitys Board of Governors and chairman of the Emirates Talent Association.



The Local Programmer initiative has garnered remarkable interest as it is aimed at building generations of Emirati programmers who are adept in the modern technology.



The innovative program will provide training on programming through designing games, digital and electronic applications using Microsoft software and Cloud Campus platform to talented students between the age of 7 and 15 years.



It is a proactive step that will promote innovation, inquisitiveness, and cooperation among students when dealing with the new technology.



The new program is like a gateway that will enable students to master the programming and computational thinking systems, acquire basic skills of developing applications and electronic and digital games, and write software in TouchDevelop and Kodu languages.



It follows an innovative methodology that encourages exploring and learning through experience and practice in an interactive and entertaining manner, reinforcing confidence in students to deal with modern technology. This has emerged as a key priority to advance the smart transformation process in the UAE and keep up with requirements of the 21st century.



On the new initiative, Khalfan Tamim said: "The Local Programmer reflects the success of the Emirates Talent Association in embodying the visions related to investment in local human talent. It is in accordance with a methodology that aims to instill creativity and innovation among the youths in line with the goals of the National Innovation Strategy to prepare individuals who are talented and innovative in order to make the UAE on of the worlds top ten countries in innovation by 2021."



"We are so proud of our new program, which is an advanced step on the path of excellence in providing the new generation with tools that are compatible with the technology and has become the language of the new era,." he added.



Samer Abu-Latif, the regional general manager, Microsoft Gulf, said: "We believe that nurturing young talents through innovative education is a major goal for the UAE, so we are working hard on initiatives that would stimulate innovation and help students overcome their challenges while providing them with the latest tools, advanced educational programs, and training courses under the supervision of IT professionals to hone their skills for the future."



"We are committed to support the UAEs strategy and Vision 2021 through these education programs that contributes to the building of a knowledge-based economy. We are happy and ready to work again with HBMSU to help young people further develop their creativity and boost the UAEs drive to become a global leader in innovation," he added.



The Local Programmer initiative will conduct training workshops on Saturdays from January 14 until February 11. These workshops will be based on Blended Learning which is adopted by HBMSU as well as virtual activities via the Cloud Campus.



The program depends on self-learning system and sources of learning within the classroom, providing greater flexibility for students by attending lessons, whether in the classroom or online via the Cloud Campus by using any modern Internet browser on smartphones, tablets and PCs.-TradeArabia News Service
Visitors to the upcoming World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and co-located events could drive away a brand new Toyota Prius, the worlds most popular environmentally-friendly car from Al-Futtaim Motors, exclusive distributor of Toyota and Lexus in the UAE and official sustainable transport partner of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).



Attendees at the Middle Easts largest exhibition and conference dedicated to sustainability, will be automatically entered into a draw to win a Toyota Prius, as part of a focus on the future of mobility in a dedicated Sustainable Transport zone.



The competition is part of a community effort to raise awareness of the importance of conserving natural resources. There will also be other prizes for visitors, who simply register at the summit website.



The Toyota Prius was the worlds first mass-produced hybrid car when launched in 1997. With more than 3.5 million satisfied customers who have put their faith in the car, Prius is the worlds most successful hybrid vehicle, bringing ground-breaking environmental performance along with a striking new design, in addition to a fun-to-drive spirit that promises to appeal to eco-conscious customers as well as driving enthusiasts.



Now in its fourth generation, the Prius has proven the potential for green motoring.



Sustainable transport is an important element of WFES with the return of the Sustainable Transport zone for 2017, and for 20 years the Toyota Prius has led the way forward towards a cleaner future, remarked Naji El Haddad, the group event director at Reed Exhibitions, which organises WFES in partnership with Masdar.



We thank Al-Futtaim Motors for their support, and for offering this prize as part of the 10th edition of WFES, he stated.



Saud Abbasi, the managing director of Toyota, at Al Futtaim Motors, said: "As the leader in sustainable motoring in the UAE, Al Futtaim Motors has been working relentlessly to help accelerate the shift towards green mobility in the country."



The Toyota Prius which we introduced for the first time last year to the UAE, like Toyotas other hybrid vehicles, offers an immediate solution to the question of sustainable mobility, as it requires no infrastructural development, no external charging and no changes in the drivers behavior, fast-tracking towards the countrys sustainability goals," noted Abbasi.



"Al-Futtaim Motors will display the Prius alongside other Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles at the show, with the carmaker now offering hybrid and other environmentally friendly technologies across both the Toyota and Lexus brands," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Foreign donor money goes to Afghan spy agency, which arms groups intended to fight Taliban  but some militia leaders instead target local officials





The

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 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

,

, 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

.





In the past, the CIA has run paramilitary Afghan units

. More recently, the

that the CIA also funds and operates alongside ruthless militias in the Afghan east.





A spokesman for the CIA refused to comment.




Chicagoans React To Damning Department Of Justice Report

By aaroncynic in News on Jan 13, 2017 9:59PM



US Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks alongside Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, IPRA head Sharon Fairley, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson at a press conference announcing the findings of a Department of Justice Investigation into the Chicago Police Department. Photo by Aaron Cynic. bombshell 164 page report released by the Department of Justice detailing its investigation into the Chicago Police Department, area politicians, community groups and others are beginning to react to the findings.

The report, released as Justice Department officials held a joint press conference with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and other city officials, had grim findings including widespread racial discrimination, deficiencies in accountability and a pattern of abuses of constitutional rights.

Ahead of the release of the report, the Chicago Progressive Caucus sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting the DOJ review the Federal Civil Rights Litigation of the Citys Law Department in the wake of the 8th set of sanctions the department received last week.

Any day now, Chicago will once again be the center of attention for its troubled criminal justice system. Mayor Emanuel must seize this moment to truly clean house, said caucus chair Ald. Scott Waguespack. The leadership in our Law Department has consistently concealed information and prevented true transparency on many issues. The fifth floor must address this issue forcefully and clearly, and it must do it now.

Waguespack later Tweeted that the investigation didn't address political and legal problems that hinder change.





#DOJ Chicago Investigation- Lynch and Gupta don't address entrenched political and legal problems that hinder transforming #CPD & City.  Scott Waguespack (@ward32chicago) January 13, 2017





Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she was grateful for the investigation and hopeful that it would begin to put residents and the police on a path to address the issues it outlined.

I have long felt that policing in Chicago is in desperate need of a reset, said Preckwinkle in a statement. It has been clear to me for many years that residents in communities of color are policed far differently than communities with a preponderance of white residents. Such a strategy can only result in distrust between police and residents of these black and brown communities.

Congresswoman Robin Kelly called the report deeply concerning.

We all agree that law enforcement has a difficult job. The vast majority of officers are drawn to law enforcement because they care deeply about their community and want to serve and protect it...While the city has already taken steps to address these issues, many more reforms are needed. We simply cannot allow this level of disregard for citizens and their Constitutional rights to continue.

The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, who along with other community groups and activists have fought for years for their own version of a civilian controlled police accountability board, said that relying solely on the DOJ to reform CPD is misguided, saying that its investigations into police departments in Ohio didnt deter criminal activity by the police.

Consent decrees have tweaked police practices or left behind ineffective IPRA-like oversight bodies with a predictable nod to community 'input'. Let the people vent, but don't give them power, the group said in a statement. The DOJ investigators, the Mayor's Task Force, and the City Council Police Accountability hearings are all busy relabeling the problem...This here-today-gone-tomorrow scrutiny of CPD must be replaced by a permanent systemic change, by community control of the police, by an all elected Civilian Police Accountability Council.

Black Lives Matter Chicago will have their own press conference late this afternoon alongside family members of people who have been killed by police, including relatives of Joshua Beal and Rekia Boyd.

We call for the immediate reopening of all closed police shooting investigations within the last four years, the group said in a statement, which also demanded the immediate firing and charges against all officers involved in the murders of civilians.





We are having a press conference with #JusticeForFamilies 2 talk about the #DOJ report & what it means 4 their fight 4 police accountability pic.twitter.com/AsrAFU8PVM  BLMChicago (@BLMChi) January 13, 2017



Fraternal Order of Police Dean C. Angelo, Sr. said he was "concerned" about the "lightning speed" of the investigation, and that it was rushed for "political purposes."

"Everyone who reads this document should be as concerned about the timeliness of this Report as the FOP," the group wrote in a statement on Facebook, also saying:

"What has resulted is one of the quickest Pattern-or-Practice Investigations ever conducted by DOJ into an agency the size of the CPD. In all practicality, to have completed this investigation in LESS than one years time brings to surface several concerns: the main one being timeliness. Completing an investigation into the 12,000 member Chicago Police Department, and in a City with over 2 million citizens in less than one year clearly brings to light that the outgoing DOJ wanted to issue a report before the new Administration takes over on January 20, 2017."
CHEYENNE  The bad news was that weather had stranded the original presenters for the budget cutback strategies workshop at the Wyoming Association of Municipalities meeting Thursday.

The good news  under the circumstances, at least  was that at a gathering of city leaders from across Wyoming there was no shortage of experts on budget cuts.

Douglas Mayor Bruce Jones and Mountain View Mayor Scott Dellinger volunteered to lead the session.

We know what its like, Jones said, noting that Converse County, where Douglas is located, lost 63 percent of its sales tax revenue in the past year.

The original presentation had been prepared by the city administrator and director of finance in Green River and their advice ran the gamut from have a beverage every night to encouraging cities to explore private sources of funding, like selling advertising on municipal property.

But the laundry list of items suggested by the presentation  and input from an audience of local government representatives  show how many stones cities and towns have been turning over to get through the fall in public revenue caused by the energy bust.

Were Wyoming people, Jones said. Boom and bust, thats the way our life has been. Im 57 years old  thats been boom and bust for 57 years.

That led Jones to retire municipal debt in Douglas well before the latest bust hit, in anticipation of future belt-tightening, he said.

But even an awareness that booms were unlikely to last hasnt made the bust much easier on many cities. Most cities have frozen pay, if not hiring altogether.

Dellinger said it was important to get city staff on board with budget cuts and make sure they understand that, if youre running the town to where its broke, Im going to be out of a job.

He had sought ways to incentivize Mountain View employees to find savings.

It doesnt necessarily have to be money, Dellinger said. You just saved $500? Well, great, you just got yourself a half-day. Good job.

In Lander, a city representative said municipal employees had been given money in an account for health expenses in lieu of a pay raise  which helped maintain morale without the full cost of a salary boost.

In addition to reducing personnel costs, cities were encouraged to scrutinize their contracts and pursue every obvious revenue stream available, including ones that might raise the publics ire.

In Douglas, Jones said the city spent $15,000 to bring its ordinances into line with state law so that it could receive the fines charged by the local court.

Dellinger noted that while the public had the least appetite for cuts to public safety, police could actually help pay for their own operation.

They cost a lot of money, so theyve got to be able to pay for themselves, he said. Youve got to get your officers to write tickets.

Other tactics are far less controversial but show the extent municipalities are scrutinizing their budgets.

Dellinger said Mountain View had started using LED bulbs for both streetlights and the fixtures in city buildings, saving money on electricity.

Both Jones and Dellinger said it was important to scrutinize every city expenditure brought to city councils for what is usually a standard approval process.

We go, whats this for? What is this for? Who is this getting paid to? Jones said. Wheres this going to and why? Did we approve that? Was I sleepy when I did this? Do we really need this?

Jones said Douglas has even received some savings by moving from paper copies of reports at council meetings to digital ones.

Others have found larger savings during the downturn. One town said that by renegotiating an agreement with the company that leases land for cellular phone tower in town it had gone from receiving $1,000 per year to $5,000 per month.

Jackson cut 20 percent from some operating expenses by making public transit and city services more efficient through changes to scheduling and the use of timers on certain equipment.

Laramie administrators noticed that the city had several employees who were senior enough to receive their pensions but too young for Medicare and agreed to pay two years of health insurance for those who wanted to retire  receiving the benefit of employees taking early retirement at a lower cost than normal.

Jones said it was important for cities to ensure their utility fees covered the cost of the services provided, even if residents didnt like to see their rates go up.

You might go out and spend 3 bucks on coffee, but theyll cry about 10 cents for 1,000 gallons of water, Jones said. He said people tended to calm down when he put it in those terms.

The pair also discussed what shouldnt be cut: namely, things that would end up costing more if delayed.

Dont let a road go totally to heck, because it costs more to fix a hole in the pavement than to chip seal it, Dellinger said.

Jones also said that while annual festivals might need to be canceled or scaled back during the bust, they shouldnt be canceled entirely.

Those are things people like and show off your town, he said. I stay away from the permanent (cuts) on those.

But especially when cuts start impacting visibly public services or events, Dellinger said it was essential that city leadership communicate with residents and help make them part of the solution.

He said, for example, that people didnt understand that their property taxes did not all go to the city budget. Explaining that helped.

Even simple things like responding to the workers counting residents during the Census can ensure the city received funding commensurate to the number of people living them.

Tell them are 10 people living there, Dellinger quipped. I know you dont like talking to the government, but come on!

The need for these cuts in the first place highlighted a reality that Jones mentioned when he discussed the need to use economic downturns as a reminder to diversify the economy, something Gov. Matt Mead and legislative leadership has called for one a statewide level as well.

Were pure energy, and thats all we do, he said of Douglas and many other towns in the state.

I want to get a lot. A plastics plant, a call center  and Id make sure they dont have my phone number  whatever, because were all energy.
The Wyoming Supreme Court will decide whether municipal judges in Casper were illegally sentencing minors found guilty of possessing alcohol.

The review, which comes at the request of city officials, will examine Natrona County District Judge Catherine Wilkings October decision that the Casper Municipal Court could not legally sentence people to probation for violations of city ordinances that dont carry a potential of incarceration.

If Wyoming Supreme Court justices agree with Wilking, municipal courts across the state would have to change any policy where they sentenced people to probation for violations that dont allow for potential jail time.

The decision has pretty far-reaching effects, not just on the city of Casper but on pretty much every municipal court throughout the state, assistant city attorney Gary Way said Friday.

For more than a decade, Casper municipal judges often sentenced minors found guilty of possessing alcohol to six months of unsupervised probation and a fine up to $750, Way previously said. City ordinances, however, limit the maximum penalty for a charge of minor in possession to a $750 fine and do not allow for incarceration or probation.

In Ways petition to the Supreme Court, he said he knew of other municipalities that were issuing similar sentences.

But Way maintained that state law and previous cases establish that city courts can sentence defendants to probation.

(Wilking and Laird) pretty well hung their hat on an older case, but there are a lot more recent cases and recent statutes, he said.

In his petition asking the Wyoming Supreme Court to review the case, Way said Wilkings decision improperly limited the statutory power otherwise available to the municipal court, citing a state law that allows courts to impose a fine and place defendants on probation.

Wilking said that because courts cannot sentence defendants to a probationary period longer than the maximum length of incarceration, no probation is possible when there is no incarceration.

Casper attorney Dallas Laird became involved in the case when he agreed to represent a young woman who was charged with minor in possession of alcohol. The girl entered a no contest plea to the charge in municipal court in April and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation and a $750 fine, though she would have to pay only $160 if she successfully completed probation.

Laird, who is a former city attorney, objected to the sentence at the hearing, but the judge denied his objection.

Laird then appealed the sentence to the Natrona County District Court.

Wilking agreed with Laird and wrote in her decision that city ordinances clearly limited the penalty for violating the citys minor in possession laws to a fine.

Because the sentence the Appellant received in this matter exceeds statutory limits and otherwise violates the law, this Court finds the sentence imposed on the Appellant illegal, Wilking wrote in her order reversing the teens sentence.

Since Wilkings decision on Oct. 7, the municipal court has not been giving out probation to minors found guilty of possessing alcohol, Way said.

Laird said that he welcomes the Supreme Courts review because it will set a statewide standard.

Im happy theyre looking at it, he said. Their decision will be heard by all the courts in the state.

Way said the city will file a brief more thoroughly explaining its position next week and Laird will have 45 days to file a brief in response. The court will then decide whether to hear oral arguments in the case or make a decision just based on the briefs.
A federal grand jury handed down a 21-count indictment Thursday for a Casper doctor, his wife and one of his patients for alleged involvement in the illegal sale of large amounts of prescription painkillers.

Federal investigators believe that Shakeel Kahn worked with his wife and business partner, Lyn Kahn, and a patient, Paul Beland, to sell large amounts of powerful prescription painkillers, court documents show. The doctor could face up to life imprisonment and a $11.5 million fine if found guilty of all the charges.

His wife and patient face fewer charges and could each face up to 20 years in prison and millions in fines.

The grand jury indicted Shakeel Kahn on 20 charges:

One count of conspiracy to dispense and distribute Oxycodone and Alprazolam;

One count of continuing criminal enterprise, which carries a potential life sentence;

Five counts of dispensing Oxycodone;

Six counts of possession with intent to distribute Oxycodone and aid and abet;

Five counts of unlawful use of a communication facility;

Two counts of engaging in monetary transactions derived from specified unlawful activity.

Lyn Kahn faces eight of those charges, and Beland faces six.

The indictment also orders the Kahns and Beland to forfeit cash and property that was allegedly earned and bought with the profits of the drug sales. The defendants would be forced to turn over three houses, a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2014 Ford Mustang, a 2014 Dodge Ram pickup, about $1 million, about $141,000 from eight bank accounts and a $3 million judgment.

Shakeel Kahn practiced medicine in Arizona and Wyoming, though both state medical boards have since suspended his license in connection to the large amount of painkillers he was prescribing.

According to the indictment, Shakeel Kahn sold thousands of prescriptions for painkillers like Oxycodone for cash to patients living in at least six states. Those patients would then sell the prescription pills.

Beland helped recruit Maryland customers for the Kahns, the indictment states. Beland and his recruits would then fly from Maryland to Casper to fill prescriptions.

Agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested the Kahns on Aug. 30 after a months-long investigation. The couple was released on bond in December, but they were booked into the Natrona County Detention Center again Wednesday after allegedly violating conditions of their release by contacting former patients.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration started looking into Shakeel Kahns prescribing practices in March 2014.

That investigation found that the Kahns were selling 30-day prescriptions for painkilling narcotics for $500 to customers across the country, court documents allege. Those records show that the doctor issued 632 Oxcodone prescriptions in 2015  about half of the total amount of prescriptions he wrote that year. The doctor wrote 2,050 such prescriptions in 2012 and 1,585 in 2013.

Kahn required patients to sign a document that stated Dr. Shakeel A. Kahn is not now and has never been a drug dealer, according to court documents. The document also stated that patients who sign it would have to pay the doctor $100,000 if he were ever investigated or charged with a crime because of something the patient did or said.

The Kahns are due in court Tuesday in Casper for their initial appearance and arraignment. Belands initial appearance and arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday in the federal courthouse in Cheyenne.
Wyoming ingenuity and grit are on full display every single day across the state. As lawmakers, it is our duty to work hard for the men and women who keep our state running, who keep our state great. We are here to work for you.

Wyoming faces serious challenges as we enter into the 64th Wyoming State Legislature. The Legislature is committed to delivering solutions that help Wyoming people, communities and businesses. Solutions that take a long-range view and ensure a better, brighter future for the next generation. Solutions that work for Wyoming.

We all know the difficult situation in which we find ourselves. A decline in fossil fuel prices coupled with heavy-handed energy regulations from the federal government have resulted in a severe drop in state revenues.

Thankfully, during the flush times we made smart, strategic investments in our infrastructure, schools and people, but we also saved wisely. Weve invested $3.2 billion in capital construction and maintenance for K-12 education and put more than $1 billion into our cities, towns and counties. Weve expanded our access to high-speed Internet and worked to diversify our economy for the long-term.

Wyoming also saved nearly $1.6 billion in our rainy day fund and $7.4 billion in our Permanent Mineral Trust Fund. We are prepared for the challenges we face today because of the careful preparation and responsible decisions that were made in previous sessions.

As we were tasked with last session, the legislature will need to continue to look for ways to tighten our belt and live within our means. Our education system is more dependent on mineral development than any other segment of our government, with 65 percent of the funding for the daily operations of our schools coming from the taxes paid by mineral producers. As a result, this year, we are facing the largest education funding deficit in Wyomings history  between $360 and $400 million per year. This does not include major maintenance and capital construction, 100 percent of which are funded by minerals and coal lease bonuses.

To address this shortfall, we must make tough choices to ensure that we maintain the highest educational standards for Wyoming public schools while addressing a substantial funding deficit. Well need a multi-faceted approach that includes ways to improve efficiencies and do more with less while making certain that necessary reductions dont cut quality in the classroom.

We need to grow and create jobs, jobs, jobs. To do that we must improve infrastructure, diversify our economy, responsibly develop our minerals and add value to our mineral wealth, expand tourism, and grow our vibrant Ag economy.

In order to maximize the success of the Legislatures work and strengthen cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government, the Legislature will work with the governors office to develop the cooperative ENDOW Initiative, which stands for Economically Needed Diversification for Wyoming. ENDOW will bring together a select group of talented public and private sector leaders to coordinate, recommend and implement new strategies to create opportunities for Wyoming citizens. This long-term approach will help us address the fundamental drivers of economic growth.

Diversifying Wyomings economy also requires our state to keep pace with global business. Without high-speed, statewide connectivity, local communities are at a serious disadvantage. Ensuring high-speed access via the last mile of Internet connectivity is an essential service that will help our state compete for new businesses and retain homegrown talent.

Wyomings energy sector will continue to be a major economic driver. To protect, invest in and add value to our vast natural resources, the Legislature will continue to work with Gov. Matt Mead to develop a robust industrial park. By re-energizing this task force and jumpstarting a plan for the energy and manufacturing sectors, we help create jobs while safeguarding our energy sector for years to come.

Wyoming continues to be the best state in the union for young people to live, work and raise a family. Thats why well work to ensure young people who grew up in Wyoming know they have the resources and opportunities they need to be successful right here at home.

Henry Ford once said, Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. This past week, Wyoming lawmakers came together to begin legislative session. Over the next 40 days, we will be working together, day and night, to enact sound policies that meet our immediate needs while planning for the future.

It is a tall order. However, legislators in Cheyenne are up to the job.
This September, more than 300 Wyoming citizens rallied in Casper. In November, they packed a hearing room to voice their opposition to the proposed bill. And in December? Despite a winter storm in Cheyenne, folks showed up again in overwhelming numbers, overflowing out of the committee room into the hallway.

The message has been loud, clear and unanimous: Wyoming citizens want public lands to remain in public hands. Some Wyoming lawmakers arent listening, continuing to push a bill for a constitutional amendment that details how the state would control public lands lands if the federal government decides to hand over the title. This amendment is trying to prepare for a possibility that is unlikely to happen and is decades away if it does. If the bill is passed, it sends the wrong message to other states and our national delegation.

So lets be clear  again  Wyoming citizens want public lands in public hands.

The process for proposing this bill has been disgraceful. It has been pushed through as a rush job over the last two months, severely limiting public participation.

At the November hearing, several lawmakers were uncivil to the those who tried to speak, effectively shutting down testimonies.

There is confusion about how the committee voted to advance the bill in November, and the minutes, which were only recently released, do not clear up that confusion. Citizens testifying in December were censored from testifying against the bill and were allowed only to offer edits to the language of the bill.

To top it all off, as legislators rushed to have the bill introduced in the 2017 session, the vote to approve the edited bill was made by email, and the edits werent released to the public before committee members cast their votes.

The tone coming from this small group of legislators and the backdoor maneuverings to rush this proposed constitutional amendment forward are shameful. There are bullies at the pulpit, and their message is loud and clear: Well do what we want to do.

Proponents of the bill for the Constitutional amendment claim that citizens do not seem to understand the purpose of this amendment or how it will be implemented. We believe the people of Wyoming fully understand the intention of this bill and why it was drafted, but we will continue to urge lawmakers who desire the amendment to take the time to ensure the process is transparent, citizens are well-informed, and that we all truly understand the implications of this bill.

The people of Wyoming have spoken, and they deserve to be heard. Theyve shown up during fall weekends when they could have been hunting or camping. Theyve driven icy roads through winter storms. Theyve taken time off of work and spent time away from their families in order to share how important public lands are to their Wyoming way of life. At the two hearings, this amendment has been given, hundreds of people stood opposed. None has shown up in support.

Wyoming Democrats are listening to the people of our great state and will fight to keep public lands in public hands. We urge all of Wyomings legislators to do the same.
Evanston PD Release Disturbing Video Of Black Northwestern Student's Violent Arrest

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 13, 2017 11:33PM

The Evanston Police Department released disturbing footage of a traffic stop from last year in which officers violently, wrongfully arrest a black graduate student from Northwestern University. The student is suing the police department for excessive use of force, among other charges, after police forcibly apprehended him on suspicion of stealing a car that was his.

Lawrence Crosby was pulled over on Oct. 10, 2015 in the 1500 block of Ridge Avenue in Evanston, according to the lawsuit.

In the video, Crosby exits his car with his hands raised, telling police that he owns the vehicle. When police approach, he moves to the hood of the car so that he can be filmed by his own dashcam. Officers then swarm, guns drawn, and wrestle him violently to the ground. While on the ground, Crosby extendedly details that the car belongs to him, including where he bought the vehicle, while offering his own personal information.

The car did belong to Crosby, but police charged him with disobeying a police officer and resisting arrest, Crosby's attorney, Tim Touhy, said, according to ABC7. Crosby was acquitted and is now suing Evanston PD.

The video also contains the 911 dispatch audio in which the woman reports what she thinks is the car being robbed.

"I don't know if I'm racial profiling. I feel bad," she says.

At the beginning of the video, an EPD spokesman says in an introduction says that the the subject "non-comples" with officer commands. He says the case was reviewed and the department determined that force was "in compliance with our procedures." He adds however that EPD has changed its "problematic" policy that requires arrestees to be "prone."

Crosby is suing the City of Evanston along with the arresting officers for malicious prosecution, battery and use of force, failure to prevent battery and use of force, vicarious liability and conspiracy, according to reports.
In a whirlwind visit to Tucson, former Mexican President Vicente Fox signed an agreement to partner with the city on a project to incubate startup businesses and replicate a community college program south of the border.

The partnership was first proposed to Fox during a visit in Guanajuato, Mexico, in October, in which Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and Startup Tucson CEO Justin Williams led a delegation to ask for his assistance and extend an invitation to visit.

On Friday, Fox made good on the promise to visit and spent about 25 hours in town, touring Pima Community College, the University of Arizona, Visit Tucson and the spaceport, and he met with some startup tech companies in the area.

I foresee Mexican companies setting up in Tucson and the city being a trampoline to the rest of the world, Fox said during an interview before flying home Friday afternoon. Tucson will be the platform to launch startups from Mexico who will come here to incubate and learn how to enter the world market.

The aim of the pilot program is to identify Mexican companies poised to grow and export and mentor them in Tucson for up to two years on how to enter the global market.

The benefit to Tucson is it becomes the U.S. headquarters for these companies, and the benefit to Mexican businesses is the access to the experience of entrepreneurs who have come up through Startup Tucson.

Fox, who was Mexicos president from 2000 to 2006, said it was a first-of-its kind partnership between the two countries.

He also plans to launch a two-year community college program at his foundation Centro Fox, with the guidance of PCC.

This is a movement of hope, he said. We want to return optimism to the country.

Fox lauded the mayor for his efforts to push the partnership.

Ive never met a mayor so involved on a personal level, he said. I am returning home very pleased and full of hope now that Ive seen the many people who will be navigating this effort.

PARTNERSHIP A PLUS

FOR TUCSON

The first step in the Startup Tucson Thrive Latin America program will be to identify potential entrepreneurs in Mexico and host a pitch event to select those who will come to Tucson for incubation.

The event will be held at Centro Fox in Guanajuato.

Now that the partnership is official, Tucson organizers will get to work on the logistics of hosting the Mexican entrepreneurs, Williams said.

It was everything I hoped for, he said of the visit with Fox, it really was.

The creation of a binational venture accelerator program will bring much attention to Tucson, Williams said.

Its unique because it gives us the opportunity to grow U.S. jobs, he said. This will get peoples attention and increase our ability to be more competitive.

During the visit, Williams said, it became obvious that Fox shares Tucsons desire to promote the similarities in the two regions.

He genuinely believes in it, he said. This is an emotional investment for him, and I was happy to see that.

Fox has also asked that Pima Community College send professors to Guanajuato to help replicate the two-year college certification.

Mexico does not have a community college system, which Fox said can serve a larger population and students who cannot afford university tuition.

I was extremely pleased by President Foxs visit to Tucson, and we accomplished the goals that we had hoped we would accomplish, Rothschild said. We set the foundation for staying the course of excellent international business relations with Arizona and Mexico.

BUILDING BRIDGES

Since leaving public office, Fox and his wife, Martha, have dedicated their efforts to the Centro Fox foundation and supporting efforts to create educational and entrepreneurial opportunities for disadvantaged youth in southern Mexico.

This is what we do, he said. We want to construct bridges, not create distance between our two countries.

Fox was impressed with the relationship Tucson has fostered in northern Mexico.

I want to duplicate that relationship in southern Mexico, he said. We are friends, we are neighbors, we are partners.

A vocal critic of the U.S. president-elect, Fox deliberately avoided the topic during his visit in order, he said, to focus on the positive Startup Tucson-Centro Fox partnership.

During a visit to the UA campus, he met with several students from Mexico who spoke to him about their work in robotics and medical technology projects.

Good for you for uplifting the Mexican flag, Fox told them.

One of the students, Antonio Dias de Leon, was giddy after the visit.

It was an honor, he said. He is a public figure that was the face of our country. Meeting him was impressive.

The visit to Tucson was not his first to the city, but Fox said it had been many years.

I was very surprised by the growth, especially downtown, Fox, 75, said. I look forward to returning on a regular basis now that this partnership has been formalized.
Tom Showers, right, helps bring boxes for Jon Deyo to stack into a flatbed trailer for troop 158 during the 2017 Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona Cookie Drop at the Bekins Warehouse, 4101 E. Columbia St., on Jan. 13, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Nearly 250,000 boxes of cookies, which come in eight varieties for $5 a piece, will be distributed from the warehouse and another northwest-side location.
UA Presents is hosting a free community concert to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday, Jan. 15, and organizer Candace Feldman is hoping it will become an annual event.

When the community celebrates an event like this, then annually you can designate a day to come together, said Feldman, who is in her first season as director of programming for the University of Arizona arts presenter. Im just glad its happening.

The concert will include a performance by a 35-voice strong MLK Choir backed by an eight-piece band directed by Kevin Hamilton of Southwest Soul Circuit; poetry readings coordinated through the UA Poetry Center; and artists from the UA School of Theatre performing dramatic readings of Kings 1963 Letter From a Birmingham Jail, which defended the use of nonviolent protest to racial injustices. The letter formed the basis of the civil rights movement.

This document is more than 50 years old and it speaks to us, to who we are and what were feeling, what were responding to now, said Kevin Byrne, who will direct the student actors. Byrne, a Chicago native whos been in Tucson 2 years, teaches dramatic literature, theater history and African-American drama at the UA School of Theatre, Film & Television. It makes his words very powerful and were hoping to convey that to the audience.

The readings will be a centerpiece of the concert, which will open with a performance by children from the Ocotillo Early Learning Center, Sunnyside School Districts program for children up to 7 years old.

Feldman began organizing the concert not long after moving to Tucson from New York City in February 2016 to become program director for UA Presents. She formed a committee that included her UA colleagues and members of the Tucson NAACP and Urban League.

I really wanted those conversations to be driven by the people who were from Tucson, she said. It was really dreamt up and planned and programmed by every member of that committee.

Arizona was one of the last states in the country to adopt a paid MLK Day holiday. It took two contentious ballot measures, an executive order from an outgoing governor that was later overturned by his predecessor, and the loss of Super Bowl XXVII, not to mention dozens of concerts, conventions and other big-dollar events before Arizona voters finally adopted MLK Day in 1992.

Feldman said she hopes the MLK concert will turn a bigger spotlight on King and his accomplishments.

He was one of the strongest advocates for human rights and were not recognizing it, said Feldman, whose resume includes co-founding the Next Generation National Arts Network, a nationwide movement to create stability, legacy and cultural equity in arts administration.

We have some large, altruistic goals for the event, added Byrne. Its about community and community-building and diversity and celebrating one of the greatest Americans ever.
The Awards

Five Tucson landscape companies won 15 of 93 awards presented by the Arizona Landscape Contractors Association last fall.

The organization recognizes three levels of excellencejudges, distinction and excellencein commercial and residential installation and maintenance projects.

Horticulture Unlimited Inc. took six awards across several categories, including five judges citations.

Santa Rita Landscaping Inc. received four awards, including an award of distinction for an installation at Literacy Connects and an excellence citation for a commercial installation.

Solana Outdoor Living LLC won three residential awards, including two at the judges level.

The Groundskeeper won an award of excellence for commercial maintenance, while and AAA Landscaping earned an award of distinction in a similar category.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some January 14 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
Two men and a woman were arrested Friday in connection to a slaying in December of a man south of Tucson, authorities said.

Jessica Rodriguez, 26, and Aaron Heath, 35, were arrested in Tucson and Rodriguez's brother, Joel Rodriguez, 28, was arrested in Phoenix, said Deputy Cody Gress, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

Heath was booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, and Jessica Rodriguez was booked on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, said Gress. Joel Rodriguez was booked into the Maricopa County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, Gress said.

Detectives served multiple search warrants in Tucson and Phoenix during the investigation of the shooting death of Richard Jensen, 36, on Dec. 11 in the 1000 block of East Fenley Drive.

The neighborhood is west of South Nogales Highway and south of East Old Vail Road.

Deputies responded to the shooting scene shortly after 2 p.m. and found Jensen with multiple gunshot wounds. Jensen was treated at the scene by deputies until paramedics arrived and transported him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Homicide detectives learned from witnesses that a vehicle fled the scene and it was occupied by two men.

Gress said the investigation is continuing.
One of the most liberal members of Congress will spend time in Tucson next week meeting with voters rather than attend Donald Trumps presidential inauguration.

Congressman Raul Grijalva calls it an act of defiance against the President-elect and the Republicans in Congress working to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office, or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy. But as an individual act  yes, of defiance  at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration, and by the actions we are taking here in this Congress, he said in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Grijalva announced he would attend two events highlighting the impact a repeal of the ACA would have in his congressional district.

I will be at home in Arizona, meeting with seniors, the immigrant community, folks that care about the environment and climate change, healthcare providers, he said. Rather than participate in the inauguration, I will be participating in my district and reaffirming, and renewing, this democracy, and the people that are part of it.

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, the congressman will take part in a roundtable discussion at the El Rio Community Health Center. On Friday, inauguration day, Grijalva will meet with members of the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans at his Tucson office to listen to their concerns about Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake as well as Reps. Martha McSally and Tom OHalleran have all stated they plan on attending the inauguration.
The proposed Rosemont Mine would cause or contribute to violations of Arizona water quality standards and trigger significant degradation of federally regulated washes, said a lower-level Army Corps of Engineers office in recommending against granting it a key federal permit.

In a recent letter to the mine companys general manager, a top Corps official for the first time revealed these and other reasons underlying that offices recommendation last year to deny a federal Clean Water Act permit for the $1.5 billion, Tucson-area project.

The letter said the Corps Los Angeles District concluded:

Rosemont Coppers plan to buy, preserve and environmentally restore more than 4,800 acres to offset its impacts is inadequate.

Completion of what would be the U.S. third-largest copper mine would negatively affect surface water quality, sediment distribution and use of the area by humans and wildlife, including federally protected species.

Granting the permit would be against the general public interest. To approve a permit, the Corps must find that it would be in the public interest.

The Dec. 28 letter went to Hudbay Minerals Inc. Arizona General Manager Patrick Merrin from Col. Pete Helmlinger, commander of the Corps San Francisco-based South Pacific Division.

Helmlinger, who oversees the Corps L.A. office, will make the agencys decision on the mine, which Hudbay can appeal to Corps higher-ups if its negative.

The Star obtained that and other recent letters between the Corps and Hudbay through the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Hudbays Arizona subsidiary Rosemont Copper responded to the Corps letter only with a statement saying, Rosemont continues to work on the permitting process with a goal of satisfying the requirements of the agencies. We have always said we support the permitting process and the time required by the agencies to complete it successfully.

COMPANY SEEKS ANSWERS

The Corps has been tight-lipped about Rosemont since September 2014, when it received the companys final mitigation plan for preserving and enhancing the 4,800 acres.

Helmlingers letter responded to requests from Hudbay for more transparency about the agencys deliberations.

The Corps has declined to release a copy of the L.A. offices July 2016 recommendation against the mine permit, a document the Star has requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

But it recently released a July 25, 2016 memo to Helmlinger from Corps official Kirk Gibbs, head of the Los Angeles office, saying that to assure your review process is impartial and independent, I will not share my reasoning or the recommendation itself with Hudbay, the Environmental Protection Agency or the U.S. Forest Service, which must make a separate decision on the mine.

In a Sept. 7 letter to Helmlinger, Hudbays Merrin noted the company has consistently said permitting agencies should get the time they need to finish their work using the best information.

All we have asked is for the process to be applied fairly and transparently, Merrin wrote. If an agency has had questions or concerns, or needed additional information, we have always done our best to respond quickly.

To our regret, we found the L.A. District of the Corps essentially unwilling to communicate with us, since September 2014, Merrin wrote.

He sought from Helmlinger a direct and clear understanding of the reason the district engineer recommended a denial of our permit. As of this moment, we have received virtually no explanation of this action or opportunity to respond to the districts underlying concerns.

In November, Merrin wrote Helmlinger a second time, saying he had personally made eight written and numerous oral requests to the Corps seeking to understand its concerns and indicating a desire to remedy them.

These requests have been ignored, he wrote.

Based on records Hudbay has received through Freedom of Information Act requests, we are concerned that the districts recommendation was not based upon a comprehensive record, did not properly assess the projects impacts and mitigation and may have considered perceived issues that were beyond the scope of the Corps mandate, he wrote.

The Corps permit decision has been the biggest unknown in the longstanding Rosemont dispute. The Forest Service has said it has no legal right to deny the mine if it meets all federal rules.

The Corps and Forest Service decisions are the last major approvals the mine needs after having received three approvals from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and a favorable biological opinion from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among other approvals.

IMPACTS TO WASHES

At issue is the mining companys proposal to dredge and fill various washes near the mine site, in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson, with mine tailings and waste rock. These activities are expected to cause direct and indirect impacts to 68 acres of washes, the Corps has said.

Federal officials have long said the areas that could be affected are nationally significant for their aquatic habitat and provide a significant source of drinking water for the Tucson area. Nearly two years ago, EPA official Jared Blumenfeld wrote that the Upper Santa Cruz River groundwater sub-basin, where Rosemont would be located, provides 20 percent of the total groundwater recharge for the states water management area covering Tucson and its suburbs.

In his Sept. 7 letter, Hudbays Merrin said the project wouldnt materially affect special aquatic sites or other types of unique aquatic resources and that the washes flow only during storms. The larger washes serve as numbered and maintained Forest Service roads, Merrin wrote.

He added that the company's total mitigation cost is $700,000 per acre for the 68 acres that would be impacted. That comes to about $48 million total. That plan as far as we know, exceeds anything the Corps Arizona office has previously required, Merrin wrote.

Overall, nine years of review and analysis of this project has helped us design a mine that minimizes associated impacts and meets or exceeds the regulatory standards for air, water and biological impacts, Merrin wrote Helmlinger on Nov. 17.

He noted that the state has issued 14 permits for the project and that former Gov. Jan Brewer and current Gov. Doug Ducey have written the Corps in support of the project  two letters last year, in Duceys case.

But in his Dec. 28 letter, Helmlinger wrote that the mine would cause substantial reductions of functions and services in the washes, and contribute to degradation of state-protected Outstanding Waters. The state Department of Environmental Quality has classified stretches of neighboring Davidson Canyon and Cienega Creek as Outstanding Waters, which under state rules arent supposed to be degraded.

While Hudbays 4,800 acres would mitigate the mines indirect impacts, permanent, direct impacts and loss of 40.4 acres of washes wont be mitigated, Helmlinger wrote. They include an effort to re-establish washes at Sonoita Creek Ranch in Santa Cruz County and mitigation land buys in Davidson Canyon and of other lands outside the watershed where Rosemont would be built, Helmlinger wrote.

Among key concerns regarding public interest are the mines adverse effects on cultural resources and traditional cultural properties important to tribes, he wrote. The Tohono OOdham tribe and others have warned that the mine would seriously damage artifacts and other cultural resources in the Santa Ritas, although the mining company has promised extensive mitigation .

The Corps L.A. office staff met with Rosemont officials about once a week for a year and frequently throughout its review of the permit, which dates back to 2011, he wrote.

Responding to Hudbays request for a chance to respond to the L.A. offices concerns, Helmlinger wrote, If at any point you intend to modify, supplement or withdraw the proposal, please let me know promptly. Supplementation or any other changes should be in writing.

If the proposal does change, it may be sent back to the L.A. offices district engineer for evaluation and, potentially, for more analysis which could include consulting with other agencies and getting more public comment, Helmlinger wrote.

The Corps and Hudbay are supposed to meet this month to discuss permit matters.
Ex-Police Chief Garry McCarthy Is Notably Missing From The DOJ Report

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jan 13, 2017 9:39PM



Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson / November 2015

Ex-Chicago Police Chief Garry McCarthy, who was fired from his post as part of a department overall in the wake of the Laquan McDonald police shooting scandal, has had a lot to say from afar about how CPD is run. So it comes as a surprise to many that he is absent from the Department of Justice's just-released report on abuse of power within CPD.

Attempts were made to reach former Superintendent McCarthy but he was not available, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch told reporters at a Friday morning press conference on the report.

But McCarthy disputes this claim.

With all the investigative resources of the federal government, they cant find me here in River North? McCarthy said in an interview with NBC5.

McCarthy has criticized the Chicago Police Department from afar in multiple interviews and public appearances since he was let go from his post last year, amid accusations from police accountability activists that his department participated in a high-profile cover up of the nature of the shooting of Laquan McDonald. McDonald, a black teenager, was shot 16 times in the back by a now-disgraced Chicago cop, but the cops involved were not charged with crimes or dismissed from their jobs until after the city was compelled to release video of the shooting. The officials police narrative initially released after the shooting was misleading.

Recently, McCarthy said that the Black Lives Matter movement should be at least partially blamed for the uptick in crime in Chicago and some other cities, reasoning that anti-police sentiments weaken the department's ability to do its job.
Lindy Elkins-Tanton took the helm of Arizona State Universitys School of Earth and Space Exploration in 2014 and put in a bid for the school to lead a NASA mission.

This month, NASA chose ASU to lead that $450-million Discovery mission to the metallic asteroid Psyche. ASU will also build a critical instrument for the robotic spacecraft and has a role in a second NASA mission announced last week.

Its big news for ASU and the 10-year-old school, which is leading its first NASA mission. Its also a rarity in space-science circles, where the odds of landing a NASA mission on the first try are, well, astronomical.

Its kind of outrageous, Elkins-Tanton said in a telephone interview, then quickly noted she has been personally working on the science behind the mission for more than five years and she now heads a school that already serves as mission control for two NASA space-based instruments.

But, as she wrote on the Psyche Facebook page the day the selection was announced: We worked a paltry five and a half years. Other teams have gone through this process twice, three times.

The Psyche mission, combined with the University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-REx sample-return mission, makes Arizona a hub for asteroid exploration, she said.

She also envisions the two universities, along with NAU and Lowell Observatory transforming the state into the aerospace capital of the world.

The Discovery program is a competition for small missions, capped at $450 million. Finalists for the current round of awards included two missions to Venus and a bid to launch an infrared space telescope to look for near-Earth objects.

The telescope, called NEOCam, was not selected, but NASA continued funding for its further development.

At a NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group meeting in Tucson last week, a NASA official congratulated the group of asteroid and comet researchers from across the country for running the table in the latest announcement of NASA Discovery program awards.

In addition to Psyche, NASA selected the Lucy mission, which will provide the first close look at six Trojan asteroids that are caught in Jupiters orbit, leading or following the giant planet in its long orbit around the sun.

That mission, led by Hal Levison of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, will visit six unique bodies,  unique, in that we know nothing about them, Levinson told the small-bodies group on Thursday.

In addition, said Levinson, each one of the six asteroids has a different size, shape and composition.

Psyche, meanwhile, is not just unique, but highly improbable  the only one found by astronomers that is almost totally metallic in content. It is a new type of world, not rock or ice, but metal, said Elkins-Tanton, who reported to the group Thursday via video-conference call.

She said the teams strong, testable hypothesis is that Psyche is the metal core of a forming planet whose rocky crust was stripped away in a series of cataclysmic collisions with other bodies. It would have taken six or seven such collisions to reveal the core, she said, something that is a rarity in models of planet formation.

She said the asteroids composition answers criticisms shes heard of visiting yet another small body: Why are we going to see more asteroids? Arent we just stamp collecting? Were not just stamp-collecting. This is is the only way were ever going to see a core.

You guys can kind of feel youve cleared the table on Discovery missions, but dont gloat around your Venus colleagues. NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson told the small-bodies group on Thursday. Johnson heads the NASA effort to discover and mitigate the threat composed by near-Earth objects.

Jim Green, director of NASAs Planetary Science Division, said NASA has not shifted its emphasis in its competed programs from planets to asteroids and comets. Lucy and Psyche were simply the two best proposals in the current round, he said. Its a competition. Its a real shoot-out and its incredibly difficult, he said.

Green said the growth of small-bodies research is part of an evolution in thinking about solar system formation that actually began in Arizona with geologist Eugene Shoemakers investigations of Barrington meteor crater in Northern Arizona in the 1960s.

It wasnt that long ago that astronomers thought the rims and craters on Earth, its moon and elsewhere in the solar system resulted from volcanic activity, he said. Now planetary scientists know those craters resulted form impacts that built moons and planets or blasted them apart.

Arizona began the research into how small bodies created our solar system, Green said.

The Psyche mission, scheduled to launch in 2023 and possibly a year earlier than that, will reach its target by 2030. Psyche, about 130 miles in diameter, resides in the main asteroid belt, about three times Earths distance from the sun.

The Psyche spacecraft will orbit its target for a year, using an array of instruments, including a multi-spectral imager being built by an ASU team, to determine the composition of Psyche, believed to be the iron-nickel core of a once-forming planet.
China's "rust belt" has moved past its toughest times as structural reform is taking hold and the economy is picking up in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

Once known as China's industrial heartland, the province has experienced a faster economic downturn than the rest of China, mostly due to energy and heavy industries.

According to recent figures, however, the painful transition is finally paying off and the economy is showing signs of recovery, just as their famously tough inhabitants survive the region's brutally cold winters.

In the first three quarters of last year, Heilongjiang's GDP climbed up to 6 percent, with the primary and tertiary industries increasing by 4.8 percent and 8.5 percent, 1.3 percentage points and 0.9 percentage point higher than the national average, respectively.

Industrial structure is gradually optimizing as the energy sector now accounts for less than 10 percent of the GDP, compared to over 20.1 percent in 2012, revealed Li Haitao, Heilongjiang's vice governor, as he stressed that the province is gradually shaking off its over-reliance on heavy industries through structural reform.

"The total GDP is estimated to have increased by 140 billion yuan (US$20.33 billion) from 2012 to 2016, during which time production values dropped 160 billion yuan (US$23.23 billion) in the energy sector," said Li.

Tourists visit the Sun Island Park in Harbin, China's northeastern province of Heilongjiang on Jan. 10. [Photo by Jiao Yang/Provided to China.org.cn]

Winter economy heats up the frozen land

Tourism, among other sectors, has become a silver lining that has shored up the province's slowing economy and counteracted negative growth in heavy industries.

Harbin's International Ice and Snow Festival is drawing global tourists with its shimmering castles, huge towers and thrilling slides, all made of ice and snow.

From Q1 to Q3, the province received 103 million domestic and overseas tourists, up by 15.61 percent year-on-year. The tourism revenue in the period registered 120.3 billion yuan (US$17.46 billion), up by 17.54 percent.

The winter economy, in particular, has contributed much to heating up the "frozen" land. Driven by tourism demands, the Harbin airport received 16.27 million passengers in 2016, up by 15.8 percent year-on-year, making it among the top of all air fields in China's northeastern region.

From Nov. 16 to Dec. 27, 2016, the number of tourists visiting the Snow Town, the Ice and Snow World, the Sun Island Park and Yabuli International Ski Resort recorded year-on-year growth of 77.3 percent, 21.72 percent, 38.24 percent and 154.8 percent ,respectively, prompting 42.3 percent more banking transactions from non-local visitors.

Harnessing its cold climate with a yearly average temperature of 3 degrees Celsius, the provincial capital of Harbin is working to become a base for cloud computing, as low temperatures help save on the cost of operating heat sinks and other units required to keep massive banks of computers from overheating.

The "China Cloud Valley," launched in late 2010 and targeting modern information technologies like cloud computing and IoT, has attracted over 300 companies to the industrial park, including Fortune 500 companies like Intel, China Mobile and HSBC.

New drivers of growth

In recent years, the State Council, China's cabinet, has published a series of guidelines and opinions for revitalizing the northeast region and transforming traditional industrial bases.

Daqing, China's oil capital in Heilongjiang Province, is seeking new drivers of growth while keeping its advantage in the traditional petrochemical industry. Swedish car manufacturer Volvo has shown faith in the future of the city against major economic downturn in the region by vowing to turn its new Daqing plant into "one of the most advanced car making facilities in China."

S90 sedans showcased at the plant of Daqing Volvo Car Manufacturing Co., Ltd. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

"I do think that, this province gives many possibilities what Volvo wants to do to have a manufacturing footprint to China," Marc Gombeer, vice president of Daqing Volvo Car Manufacturing Co., Ltd, told China.org.cn while explaining the choice of city for its operation.

He said it was quite smart for Volvo to choose Daqing as a production base for its S90 flagship model instead of in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

With an annual output expecting to reach 80,000 in 2017, Gombeer is optimistic for the future of its operations in the city and is seeking for more transport options to export China-made premium cars to countries worldwide.

Gong Zhenjiang, head of the publicity department in Daqing, said the city is considering developing advanced manufacturing, new materials and biomedicine among other areas in a bid to breakaway from its over-reliance on the petrochemical industry.

The northeastern province also vows to accelerate infrastructure construction, the building of Heilongjiang Land and Maritime Silk Road Economic Belt and cross-border trade and cooperation, to further restore and stabilize growth, according to government plans.
Help India!

New Delhi : The Congress on Friday said that it does not rule out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the state assembly elections.

Support TwoCircles



We are not ruling out anything. We are neither saying yes nor saying no. The Congress is ready and raring to go in each of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh. All preparations are done and candidates are ready, said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

As far as alliances and adjustments are concerned, we understand and know that this is a highly evolving, rapidly transforming minute-to-minute situation. Therefore, in these circumstances, I am neither agreeing nor disagreeing with any of the speculations, he elaborated.

He said: The correct thing to do is to wait for the opportune moment to let you know. But, let no one be in doubt about our preparedness and eagerness to enter the battle in the state.

Talks for an alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party faction led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav were to revive after the Election Commission hearing on the Samajwadi Partys election symbol.

The Election Commission on Friday reserved its verdict on allocation of the Samajwadi Partys election symbol cycle to one of the warring factions and is expected to announce its decision on Monday.

Meanwhile, an informed source within the Congress said the alliance is happening 99 per cent.

According to Congress insiders, the alliance talks are happening but have been stalled temporarily due to the internal divide within the Samajwadi Party.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the supremo and President of the Samajwadi Party, has not been supporting the idea of an alliance with any party.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had earlier said she favours a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav, and that she is ready to step aside as the Congress chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh if the alliance is formed.

Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor has also met both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav, adding to the alliance speculation.

Akhilesh had said an alliance with the Congress in the state could fetch them more than 300 of the 403 seats in the state assembly.

Uttar Pradesh  the countrys most populous and politically-significant state  will be electing its assembly in seven phases: February 11 (73 seats), February 15 (67 seats), February 19 (69 seats), February 23 (53 seats), February 27 (52 seats), March 4 (49 seats) and March 8 (40 seats).
Help India!

By Twocircles.net Staff Reporter

A Dalit student was beaten allegedly by SFI activists at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam on Thursday. Vivek Kumaran, an M Phil student at School of Gandhian Thought at the university, was admitted at Kottayam Government Medical College with ailments and injuries after he was attacked by SFI activists at university hostel on Tuesday midnight.

Support TwoCircles



According to sources close to Vivek, he was assaulted by SFI activists, who threatened him, saying, You wouldnt be spared if you try to politically organise against SFI. Led by SFI unit secretary, he was beaten by four students, who broke into his room.

SFI leaders might have been be provoked by Vivek and his friends move to form a collective in support for marginalised groups including transgenders, Viveks friend told Twocircles.net.

They called him a lot of casteist slurs and abused him, sources added.

Vivek was taken to Kottayam Government Medical College while he developed ailments and vomiting. Viveks friends alleged police inaction, saying the police visited the victim at hospital only after they were pressed by the university authorities. However, Gandhi Nagar police have registered a case and started probe.

But it seems that after the incident, SFI activists at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam have started hate campaigns against Vivek. SFI activists are now carrying campaigns against him portraying him as a ganja seller. They even say that Vivek brings minor girls to university hostel for sex work, Viveks friend Swathy Soman told Twocircles.net.

According to Swathy, SFI activists have been largely intolerant against any opposition, and have used similar tactics of character assassinations against any potential opposition.

Vivek, who joined the university this academic year, is not associated with any organisation. He was working with Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS) as a counselor in Eranakulam district.

We tried to form a collective. It was not aimed at politically opposing or resisting SFI, Swathy said. In a written statement issued by Vivek, he underwent casteist abuse.

They rushed into my room. And shouted that how did you dare stand up against SFI? the statement said. SFI activists issued death threats to the victim, according to the statement, if he dared to complain against them.
Help India!

By Mustafa Barbhuiyan for Twocircles.net

Born in the year 1935 at village Nitainagar, Hailakandi in the district of then Cachar, Assam, Makram Ali Laskar had his early education in the local school. He passed away at the age of 82 on January 10, 2017 at his Gandhi Basti residence in Guwahati, Assam after suffering from age related health problems, memory loss and a stroke.

Support TwoCircles



He passed his Matriculation from the prestigious Government Victoria Memorial High School, Hailakandi in 1952. He passed his intermediate examination (10+2) from Gurucharan College, Silchar, in 1955. He studied B.A from Cotton College, Gauhati and then took his law degree from Gauhati University in the year 1962. He also earned a Masters in Political Science from the said university.

Laskar joined the Gauhati High Court Bar as practicing lawyer and spend lots of his time in researching and studying with Honourable Justice Late B. L. Hansaria, who also joined the bar about the same time before Hansaria joined as a District and Sessions Judge, who eventually became judge of the Supreme Court of India. Late Hansaria also noted his companionship and scholarly association with Laskar in his memoirs.

During 1969- 1976, Laskar taught law in the Department of Law, Gauhati University, Guwahati. In 1976, he was appointed as the Standing Counsel for Union of India in the Gauhati High Court. He also worked as a Assam Government Panel Advocate in the same High Court in the beginning of his career.

Laskar commanded a large private practice in civil, criminal and constitutional matters. He was designated as a Senior Advocate of Gauhati High Court in the year 1986 along with five other noted advocates in the same year. All of them were legal stalwarts of their time.

Laskar was a sincere and dedicated lawyer and he received many offers to serve in Higher Judiciary but always preferred to practice and remain active in Bar than a higher office.

Laskar was also appointed as an Additional Advocate General, Government of Assam, in the year 1991 and he discharged his duties sincerely and efficiently. Ex- Chief Minister of Assam Shri Tarun Gogoi in a note wrote about Late Makram Ali as- An amalgam of steadfastness and gentleness while discussing about Laskars performance as Additional Advocate General.

Due to high blood pressure and health problems Laskar had to cut short his legal career and he last appeared in a case in the year 2002 before the Court of Honorable Justice Late J. N. Sharma. He finally bade adieu to his noble profession on health ground but his guidance to the young lawyers is indeed commendable.

Many of his mentees in law mentioned about his amicability and excellence of Laskars mentorship. One of his juniors who practiced in Laskars chamber is Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia, who retired as Chief Justice of High Courts of Jammu and Kashmir and currently the Chairperson of Assam Human Rights Commission.

Dr. Justice Saikia shared his memory with his mentor this way. In his words, During the time of my initial practice, I used to come from my permanent residence to attend the chamber of Laskar Sir as I could not afford to have a rented house at Guwahati and my residence was too far from the chamber. It was very hard life. One fine morning in 1977, Laskar Sir asked me to accompany him to place near his residence. He took me to a room in the proximity of his house. It was a big furnished room with all minimum requirements and a separate kitchen. When I enquired Why have you shown me this room Sir?, he replied, From now you will stay in this house. Then I told him that I had no money to pay the rent. He said Dont bother for rent. I will pay the rent. Your only duty is to attend my chamber regularly. Such was Late Laskars attitude while mentoring juniors in his chamber.

Apart from his successful career in law, Laskar was a voracious reader of works from Shakespeare, Tagore and Kazi Nazrul. He was very fond of folk music of Assam.

The social life of M. A. Laskar is equally remarkable. He never hesitated to call a spade a spade. He was a practicing Gandhian and believed in the principle of non-violence and was inspired by the freedom fighter and first education minister of India Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Politically, a Gandhian, Late Laskar was closely associated with Late Sarat Chandra Sinha and was heavily involved with anti-emergency movements in late 1970s. He also unsuccessfully fought elections in 1983 as Congress (Socialist) candidate from Hailakandi legislative assembly that was a splinter group formed in protest against the tyranny of Indira Gandhi during emergency.

Hailing from the famous Laskar Clan of Nitainagar in the district of Hailakandi, Assam, he was born to Late Merchant Habib Ali Laskar who died leaving behind eight children on their own struggles. However, their mother late Masurjan Bibi ensured that all his children get education and get succeeded in the struggles they were facing. Late Advocate Laskar left behind his younger brother, Nurul Huda Laskar, who is the senior most lawyer in the Hailakandi District Bar, another lawyer brother, a noted public prosecutor Late Nurul Islam Laskar passed away in 2012. The other brothers who had taken the path of family business were Late Moin Laskar, Late Gias Laskar and Late Siraj Laskar.

Two of his sons Azim Laskar and Imran Laskar are noted lawyers who are practicing in Supreme Court of India and Guwahati High Court. Late Laskar is survived by a large family who gathered in Gandhi Basti, Guwahati to perform the last rites of Janab Laskar and they were reminiscing the glorious history of Laskar clan and its legacy in the history of Assam.

The author of this article along with younger son of late Janab Makram Laskar, Imran Laskar are compiling a brief history of Nitainagar Laskar Clan of Assam, that is integral part of the historic colonial legacy of Assam Muslims, who are often targeted by a vicious circle in Indian politics as Bangladeshi Immigrants. These people make such claims without knowing an iota of the history and contribution of Muslim clans, societies across Assam who are equal Bhumiputras- sons of the soil of Assam and were active in Indian Freedom struggle and stood steadfast against the partition of India and social movements that happened post-independent India.

The author hails from Hailakandi and is a senior postdoctoral research fellow in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Help India!

By Faisal Fareed, Twocircles.net

Why do Muslims vote for Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav?

Support TwoCircles



The obvious answer, at least for some, is that he remains their best bet for defeating BJP.

And what if Mulayam admits that his family members are hobnobbing with BJP? Shall Muslims reconsider their decision to vote for Mulayam?

If you turn back the pages of history, however, it will become clear that Muslims in UP, much like the rest of the country, were loyal to Congress as there was little opposition across the nation.

Sporadic socialist movements were taking shape and were getting some isolated success. The BJP or the Jan Sangh, as it was known in those days was also in its infancy. Socialist leaders kept on grouping and parting ways.

The major change came in 1989. It was the period when V P Singh resigned from Rajiv Gandhis ministry. He was projected for his honesty. And with that started another era of socialist leaders. Singh won bypolls from Allahabad defeating Lal bahadur Shastris son. The sloganRaja nahi fakir hai, bharat ki takdir haireverberated with his symbolanaj osata kisan. Soon, V P Singh became the PM, heading a National Front government with communists and BJP supporting it from outside.

And by that time Janata Dal also became stronger in UP. It won and Mulayam became Chief Minister for the first time.

From here the political cycle of Mulayam took a turn. And in the mid-term polls in 1991 (Ram Mandir movement), Mulayam contested officially on Janata Party and won 34 seats. He was with Chandrashekhar who too has become PM after the ouster of V P Singh. Till then Janata Dal was alive with 94 seats in UP.

Now, it was the best of Mulayams political acumen that he capitalised on the rise of BJP in the state. He quickly assembled MY-Muslim & Yadavs. A formidable combination which will give him roughly 25 percent vote in UP. In 1992 Babri Masjid was demolished and by that time, Mulayam formed his SP in November 92. Taking no chances, he aligned with BSP and became CM in 1993. Here his equation of MY has worked which was coupled with Dalits of BSP.

Since then Mulayam has kept Muslims to his fold with his statements which brought Muslims closer to him and eventually also made BJP stronger. From there till now, it was his only one line statementwe have taken this decision to defeat the communal forcesfor all occasions. He supported UPA and justified it. He inducted Kalyan Singhs son in his ministry and again justified it. Corporate and five-star culture entered his party and he again justified it.

After nearly 27 years, he is again banking on the same issue. His recent statementsI ordered firing on Kar Sewaks in Ayodhyaare on the same lines.

The strategy is simple: raise the BJP bogey and harvest Muslim votes.

But now things have changed. He has himself said that his cousin Ramgopal Yadav met BJP president Amit Shah four times for saving his son and daughter in law. Ramgopals son Akshay Yadav also wrote that Shivpals sons wedding was attended by BJP leaders. Modi too arrived in Saifai at the wedding of Mulayams grandnephew. Shivpal termed Ramgopal as an agent of BJP.

With the family feud out in the open, and the Yadav family members exposing each other for their relations with BJP, there can be only two things. Either Mulayam is not speaking the truth or the Yadav family works in tandem with BJP.

In both these conditions, where do Muslims, who vote for Mulayam, to stop BJP stand? It is high time that Muslims emerge from BJP bogey as their Mulayam, also referred to as Mulla Mulayam also does not hesitate from hobnobbing with BJP.
It was back in 1999 when a Chinese president  Jiang Zemin  last visited Switzerland. Eighteen years later, Xi Jinping will travel to the country with three goals in mind. The first is to foster bilateral ties between the two states. The second is to participate in the 47th World Economic Forum in Davos. And the third is to visit the United Nations office as well as some other multilateral organizations.

According to statistics from China Customs, trade volume between the two countries reached US$44.26 billion in 2015. Also, the last six years have seen China become Switzerlands most important trade partner in Asia and its third biggest one globally.

The free trade agreement signed between the two sides in 2013, which came into effect one year later, has facilitated mutual economic cooperation. A recent analysis by the Zurich Centre for Security Studies argues that Switzerland is well placed to act as a financial hub for future RMB transactions, especially as Beijing begins the process of reforming its financial sector and allowing Chinese currency to be traded more openly on international markets.

On these grounds, some new deals are expected to be signed during Xis official visit to Switzerland. Innovation will almost certainly be the driving force. Beijing attributes special significance to innovation  as the 13th Five Year Plan stipulates  and Geneva is prepared to offer its expertise in fields such as manufacturing industry. The two countries established an innovative strategic partnership during former Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammanns state visit to China in 2016, and this constitutes the institutional basis for further collaboration.

From another perspective, history plays a role in the evolution of bilateral partnership. Switzerland recognized the Peoples Republic of China in January 1950, only a few months after its founding and long before many other countries of Western Europe. Also, it has already been 10 years since Geneva recognized Beijings Market Economy Status. This contradicts the stance of the EU, which remains skeptical of following suit. Within the framework of these favorable economic and political conditions, people-to-people exchanges and tourism are flourishing between China and Switzerland. In 2015  as Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote  the number of Chinese tourists staying overnight in Swiss hotels had exceeded 1 million.

With reference to Xis participation in the 47th World Economic Forum in Davos, this has a both symbolic and practical significance. At the symbolic level, Xi will become the first Chinese president to take part and address this global conference. This years forum coincides with the stabilization of Chinas economy growth at approximately 7 percent as well as with its attempt to boost international initiatives.

At the practical level, Beijing has an opportunity to reiterate its standard position on the need for international economic cooperation. As Xi also made clear during the Hangzhou G20 summit last September, sustainable growth, innovation, the protection of the environment, preventive measures against potential crises and the fight against tax-evasion and corruption are the pillars of an efficient strategy for the future. Some of themes of the 47th Davos Forum  such as restoring economic growth, the fourth industrial revolution, global collaboration and responsive leadership  go hand in hand with these pillars. Subsequently, the president of China is expected to share his vision.

Last but not least, Xis visit to Switzerland outlines Chinas commitment to the strengthening of international bodies such as the U.N. and the World Health Organization. According to the official schedule, he will  inter alia  deliver a speech on establishing a community of shared future, meet the new U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and sign agreements on healthcare cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. Beijings policy will become apparent in a period during which Washingtons new approach remains questionable. President-elect Donald Trump, for instance, recently called the U.N. just a club for people to have a good time.

More importantly, Xis new international visit is not an isolated initiative of the Chinese leader but is placed under a well-structured foreign policy scheme. It constitutes an additional step towards Beijings strategy to increase bilateral relations with other countries  now Switzerland  to support multilateralism and to enhance its global role.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Unified Communications Week in Review: NetSapiens, Avotus, Vonage & Fusion

Share Tweet

By Alicia Young

Web Editor By Alicia YoungWeb Editor

Welcome back to the week in review, where we take a look at all the top stories making headlines in Unified Communications this week.

The week started off with an inside look into unified communications and VoIP from NetSapiens (News - Alert). NetSapiens is a provider of advanced VoIP and unified communications technology, and its goal is to create and deliver the communication applications of the future, according to its site. It will also be exhibiting at ITEXPO (News - Alert) in February so, to prepare for the event, TMC caught up with Ken Adams, director of solutions marketing, to discuss where the company is now and what it hopes to accomplish in the future. Find the interview HERE.





On the same note, TMC (News - Alert) also caught up with Avotus CEO James Martino to discuss his companys participation at ITEXPO. In this interview, Martino focused on digital transformation, whats new with the company, and its expectations for ITEXPO. You can find all of Martinos insights HERE.

Another company making headlines this week is Vonage (News - Alert). TMCs Andrew Bindelglass writes, Frost and Sullivan last week completed its annual review of the cloud communications market, and awarded Vonage with the 2016 North America Award for Product Line Strategy Leadership. The company cited Vonages recent efforts to expand and diversify its cloud based communications offerings to better suit a wide range of clients. Vonages growth in the cloud communications market really is impressive. You can find everything you need to know about its solutions and award HERE.

Finally, to round out the week, Fusion announced some exciting news regarding its solutions. A major Northeast teaching hospital and medical center has signed a three year, $640,000 contract with Fusion to upgrade the healthcare institutions unified communications (UC) infrastructure. The institution hopes that this pairing will provide it with secure, high quality UC cloud solutions that will effectively reduce costs and ensure business continuity. You can continue reading about this exciting new opportunity HERE.

Thats all for this week. Come back next week to read all the latest news in the Unified Communications space.
In less than a week, Donald Trump will head to Washington, D.C. for Inauguration Day and be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. While Trump is preparing for his big day, many have decided to push back and boycott the ceremony.

Trump on Lewis

When Donald Trump pulled off the monumental upset and defeated Hillary Clinton on Election Day, the result shocked the world. For Democrats, Trump's victory came as a complete surprise, as most were ready to celebrate the first female commander in chief in United States history. In the two months since his election, the president-elect has faced harsh backlash from critics and political opponents, with over 100,000 people planning to protest in opposition to his inauguration.

Democratic Rep. John Lewis has been vocal in his criticism of Trump, and announced om Friday that he will boycott the ceremony, stating that he didn't consider the billionaire real estate mogul a "legitimate president." As seen on his offical Twitter account on January 14, Trump decided to fire back.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

As expected, Donald Trump decided to vent his frustrations on Twitter, targeting Rep.

John Lewis and his inauguration boycott. "Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results," Trump wrote on Twitter early Saturday morning, before adding, "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results.

Sad!" In an interview with "Meet the Press" that will air on Sunday morning, Lewis, a civil rights icon, explained his reasoning for the boycott. "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected," Lewis said, before noting, "And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton."

John Lewis to skip inauguration, says Trump not a 'legitimate president' https://t.co/BySmxC6St6 pic.twitter.com/sshJfrtzN8  USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 14, 2017

In a follow-up message, Donald Trump tagged the right-wing news outlet "One America News Network" in his post, before pushing back against the recent CNN report that claimed Russia had planned to blackmail him using "compromising" information.

"INTELLIGENCE INSIDERS NOW CLAIM THE TRUMP DOSSIER IS 'A COMPLETE FRAUD!'" Trump tweeted.

INTELLIGENCE INSIDERS NOW CLAIM THE TRUMP DOSSIER IS "A COMPLETE FRAUD!" @OANN  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

Moving forward

Despite the growing backlash, Donald Trump will officially become the new commander in chief next Friday and change the direction of American domestic and foreign policy for at least the next four years. As protesters plan to take to the streets in opposition to Trump's incoming presidency, the president-elect doesn't appear willing to change his tune anytime soon.
Kamiyah Mobley was a child kidnap victim but she had no idea that she had been taken from a Florida hospital when she was just eight hours old. People can assume that now she has been found after the cold case was reopened, and her DNA matched to her genetic family, that everything will be just hunky-dory and we like to imagine tearful and joyful reunion scenes.Reality is that this is a critical bridge building time for the ripped apart family.

Kamiyah Mobley and her family - how will they cope with the trauma of the kidnapping?

For Kamiya, who lived under a false name for eighteen years of her life, the shock of discovering that her "mother" Gloria Williams, 51, has been arrested and will be charged - possibly facing up to life in jail will be devastating.

After all, she has spent her entire life being shaped by someone who is not her family at all. In effect, Kamiyah will come to realize through a painful process that she was never a true part of the family she grew up with - as she, in reality, was a prisoner to her captor.

The loss of kidnapped child changes the dynamics of the bereaved family

The theft of a baby will cause so much trauma to the family involved. According to Georgia K. Hilgeman, M.A.the retired Executive Director and Founder of Vanished Children's Alliance, "The left-behind family members, which include the parent(s), siblings, stepparents, step and half-siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and others, will suffer" the trauma.

There will be the toys and the baby clothes left behind to mock the family as they hope with all their hearts that their baby will be found. There are the terrible anniversary days of the birth of the child, the missed Christmases, the lost joy of the first day at school. Worse than that, there will be the bad imaginations, the desperate hope that wherever the child is, that they are not being abused, suffering pain, hunger or even death.

The stress on the family is enormous and can change the dynamics of all the individuals involved. In some instances, if there are brothers and sisters, they become neglected in the parents frantic rush to find the missing one. Family life becomes focussed on the child that is not there - rather than on the children that are there and hunger for attention.

How and when do the family reconnect?

According to ABC7 New York, Sheriff Mike Williams said that the Mobley family is "rejoining," but that the way forward, and how they will reconnect with their missing daughter is up to them. They are, after all, all victims. A young woman has to meet people who are essentially strangers, and the family has to meet and try and get to know a complete stranger too. There is not always a happy ending. Time referred to Tina Walsh of Zucker Hillside Hospital in New Hyde Park on abduction cases, and concluded that the child emerges (as an adult) into an entirely different world when they suddenly discover that they are a "different person to yourself." On the California Child Abduction Task Force website, they say that the family recovery time is critical and that "a trained facilitator should assist with the family and child's reunion." There will be a lot of stress for everyone involved and privacy is essential.

The media can best help the family by giving them some space.

The woman who posed as a nurse and walked out of the hospital with the baby Mobley and then made her live a lie under a false name will be punished by society and probably will do jail time, but the devastating effects of hers crime on Kamiyah and her family will take a long time to heal. However, the human spirit is resilient. We can only hope that with understanding, and professional services that they can heal.

Watch Times Union reporter Jim Schoettler talk about the Kamiyah case last year
World politics - A deadly shootout at the US Consulate is part of a plan to hinder the inauguration, Judicial Watch reports. The attack was early last week in a small Mexican border town of Laredo. The construction site is the new home of the US consulate at the border. According to Judicial Watch, this intel comes from "high-level" government officials.

They also say that the attack is part of a plan to stall the Trump Inauguration. Reports say that the shootout killed 13 people. The Mexican military responded to the attack, along with law enforcement.

The report says that the officials wish to remain anonymous for top secret reasons.

Is ISIS storming the US border?

Why is the mainstream Media keeping this from you? Jihadis coming in by the thousands pic.twitter.com/HndO3H4Zp0  Ledbetter Freelance (@LanceLedbetter) January 14, 2017

In a report I wrote on the 24th of August, 2016, the Southern command confirmed that Jihadis are coming over the border. In a report by the Judicial Watch website, they confirm this again. According to the report from April of last year, they are working with the Mexican Cartel. Reports say that the Mexican Cartels are smuggling Jihadis in by the thousands.

All this comes amid the Trump inauguration in a few days. Experts are able to piece these two events together by analysing intel reports.

The reports go on to say that the Jihadis are travelling into the US to scope out attack targets. The Jihadis then report back to ISIS in Syria. According to a CNN poll from September 8th, 2014, 71% of Americans feel that ISIS is already here.

Are attacks in the US eminent?

This poll explains a lot!! pic.twitter.com/Pfm2BXqFly  Ledbetter Freelance (@LanceLedbetter) January 14, 2017

According to reports, that is what the Jihadi-cartel alliance is all about.

Reports claim that ISIS has arrived at the Monterrey International Airport in Apodaca, about 130 miles from the Texas border. From there the terrorists meet up with the Cartel and get assistance crossing the border. Why is the Cartel helping ISIS?

Trump plans on building a wall to separate the US and Mexico. This has infuriated the Cartel because it will hinder their drug smuggling operation. This is how the experts are comparing the Inauguration with the attacks, reports say. Now, many Americans want to know how many are already here in the US.
Workers from TBEA Shenyang Transformer Group Co assemble equipment in a plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province. [Photo by Zhang Wenkui/For China Daily]

BEIJING - China is likely to remain the top engine of global growth in 2016 by contributing 33.2 percent of the world's economic expansion, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday.

China's economy is expected to grow by around 6.7 percent year on year in 2016, compared with the World Bank forecast of 2.4 percent for global growth, the bureau said in a statement on its website.

Data showed that China contributed 28.6 percent of global economic growth in 2011, 31.7 percent in 2012, 32.5 percent in 2013, 29.7 percent in 2014 and 30 percent in 2015 by 2010 US dollar price standards.

The United States contributed 11.8 percent of the world's growth in 2011, 20.4 percent in 2012, 15.2 percent in 2013, 19.6 percent in 2014, and 21.9 percent in 2015 -- much smaller than China's contributions.

In recent years, developed economies such as the European Union, the United States and Japan have played a less important role in terms of driving global economic growth.

Countries including Brazil and Russia have not stepped out of recession. Despite fast economic growth, India has not become a key engine of global growth due to its relatively small economy.

As China adapts to a "new normal" of moderate-to-high growth, it has tried to shift from an export- and investment-driven economy to one that is more sustainable and draws strength from consumption, services and innovation.

Despite a slowdown in China's economic growth in recent years, it remains among the fastest in the world.

The government set an annual growth target of between 6.5 and 7 percent for 2016. In the first three quarters of last year, the economy expanded 6.7 percent year on year.
Axel Weber, chairman of Swiss bank UBS. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - Chairman of Swiss bank UBS Axel Weber has said that globalization is suffering setbacks, but China is capable of making up for the negative impact on its growth by using more domestic fiscal and monetary stimulus.

"Globalization never happened in a straight line. There are periods of strong global integration, and there are periods when there are some setbacks or very muted development," Weber, chairman of the Board of Director of UBS Group AG, told Xinhua on Thursday.

Given Britain's exit from the European Union and US President-elect Donald Trump's anti-globalization stance, Weber believed that a slowdown in the development of globalization will be seen for the next couple of years, possibly for the rest of this decade.

Trump has said on many occasions that he will pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Treaty (TPP) after he takes office and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Weber commented that the stance of the new US administration will have a serious impact on some of the US dollar-based emerging markets such as Mexico.

"Mexico has more than 80 percent of its trade with the United States," he said, adding that a slowdown in the NAFTA agreement or renegotiation will largely affect those very export-oriented, US-focused countries.

However, he expressed optimism in China's capabilities to deal with the rising US trade protectionism.

"Our expectation is that should there be some tariffs, or should there be a less dynamic trade relationship between China and the United States, the Chinese authorities will make up for that negative impact on growth by using more domestic fiscal and monetary stimulus to basically keep continuous growth at current levels," he said.

Weber said he did not expect massive changes in the China-US trade and economic relationship under Trump's administration.

"We've heard many announcements during the election campaign...but first and foremost, Chinese exports to America do benefit the American consumers. And it would have a negative impact on American consumers if there were sizable trade restrictions," he said.

Meanwhile, Weber pointed out that many European companies are focusing their growth strategies in or onto the Chinese market. "If there's a retreat or some setbacks in China-US relationships, I expect that the European-Chinese relationships will continue to be strong."

While offering his insights on the global economic situation in the new year, Weber said that 2016 was a year of surprises, and 2017 will not be much different as there are many areas where political uncertainties could lead to surprising outcomes.

Weber believed that such uncertainties would have a negative impact on global growth because authorities would then shift their focus from economic recovery to international security and geo-political issues.

"Markets are very good at pricing risk, hedging it and trading it, but markets are not good at predicting political outcomes or the economic consequence of political decisions," Weber said.

"We should be prepared for volatile markets and for surprises in 2017," he added.
A clerk counts yuan bank notes and US dollar bills at a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Huaibei, East China's Anhui province. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - China's foreign exchange regulator on Friday issued a stern statement on its official microblog, dismissing media reports about tightened regulation over capital outflows.

In the brief statement, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) condemned the false media reports, saying they misled public opinion and disrupted the normal order of the foreign exchange market.

Some reports said earlier this month that China had adopted new measures to tighten regulation over capital outflows and asked lenders to keep such measures secret.

SAFE reiterated in the statement that foreign exchange regulators have long been committed to facilitating trade and investment, while cracking down on any violations.

SAFE also urged commercial lenders to lead market players to properly use foreign exchange funds to maintain the market's stability.

Despite continued drops in China's foreign exchange reserves, the reserves are still abundant for the country to fend off external risks, the central bank said Monday.

Forex reserves fell for the sixth straight month to about $3.01 trillion last month, down from $3.05 trillion in November and $3.12 trillion.

SAFE said last month that China's cross-border capital flow has remained stable with no surges in foreign exchange purchases.
The US complaint against Chinese aluminum subsidies is untrue, because the industry is highly competitive and market-oriented, said the Ministry of Commerce.

"Related loans to aluminum companies and their purchases of raw materials are fully market-oriented and commercialized", according to the ministry's announcement released on Friday afternoon.

"The so-called subsidy program is a misreading of the industry and a misunderstanding of the WTO rules."

The US government recently launched a complaint against Chinese aluminum subsidies at the WTO, charging that China has expanded its global market share by cheap State-directed loans and subsidized energy to the industry.

The ministry said the US request for consultations lacks a factual basis and is against WTO rules. Overcapacity is a global issue and the fundamental reason is the weak global economic growth, which needs to be address collectively by all countries.

"China is making efforts to increase the quality and performance of products in the aluminum industry as part of its supply-side reform, in the hope of adding more technological advantage to the products, rather than just price advantage," said Jiao Jie, aluminum analyst with Shandong-based bulk commodity information company Sublime China Information Group Co Ltd. In fact, China's aluminum export volume is very small compared with the domestic consumption. The US complaint is not going to have a substantial impact on Chinese aluminum enterprises' performance, Jiao added.

Regardless of rising tensions, China and the US would be unlikely to pursue a trade war, as the world's two largest economies are mutually beneficial and complementary, experts say.
UNITED NATIONS -- A Chinese envoy said on Friday that the Group of 77 (G77) and China need to work together in improving global economic governance in 2017.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal at a ceremony here during which Thailand handed over the rotating chairmanship of the G77 to Ecuador.

While congratulating Ecuador on its assumption of the chairmanship, Wu said the G77 and China will maintain its unity and collaboration in promoting common development and safeguarding common interests in 2017.

"We need to steadfastly advance the reform of international economic governing system, effectively increase the representation of developing countries and support the UN in playing a bigger role in global economic governance," said Wu.

Wu also acknowledged that under the leadership of Thailand last year, G77 and China cooperated closely in promoting the implementation of sustainable development agenda, safeguarding the common interests of developing countries and increasing the influence of the G77 in international affairs.

The G77, established in 1964, is now a coalition of more than 130 developing UN member states plus China. The group is the largest inter-governmental organization of developing countries within the UN, aiming to promote collective economic interest and gain leverage within the international community.

The group's chairmanship rotates on a regional basis among countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean and is held for one year term.
Historical safe haven - Washington

US Congressman Ted Lieu from California speaks at a reception ahead of the screening of the documentary Survival in Shanghai on Tuesday evening at the Capitol Hill. The documentary, produced by the Shanghai Media Group, tells the story of Shanghai being the haven of more than 20,000 Jewish refugees fl eeing Nazi persecution during World War II. The event also marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Israel. CHEN WEIHUA/CHINA DAILY
(L-R) Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Kenyan Vice-President William Ruto and French President Francois Hollande pose at the start of the Africa-France summit in Bamako on January 14, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

BAMAKO - French President Francois Hollande pledged training and funding support for Africa to tackle security threat and boost economic growth.

The French leader made the pledge at the 27th Africa-France Summit, which opened here under heavy security.

"As long as we are united, as long as we are of solidarity, as long as we are together to eradicate the threats to peace, we can succeed," said Hollande to more than 30 African heads of state and government attending the summit.

Hollande promised that France, a victim of terrorism, will train 25,000 African soldiers per year for the coming three years to help the continent tackle security issues.

"France will always be by the side of Mali, till the Malian authorities will be respected across the whole territory of Mali," Hollande affirmed.

Hollande also promised efforts to help with Africa's economic development.

He announced France will provide 23 billion euros in the coming five years to support the development of Africa.

A Franco-African investment Foundation is also to be set up by France and to be managed by a Franco-African team.

Held under the theme of "Partnership, Peace and Emergence," the one-day summit will focus on Africa's position in reinforcing peace and security, as well as climate and economic development.
Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (C) and France's President Francois Hollande (4-L) pose with African leaders for a family picture at the start of the Africa-France summit in Bamako on January 14, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

BAMAKO - African and French leaders kicked off a summit here on Saturday under heavy security, focusing on key issues including peace and security, climate and economy.

The 27th Africa-France Summit was held under the theme of "Partnership, Peace and Emergence", with participation of 35 heads of state and government, including French President Francois Hollande.

During this one-day summit, the French and African heads of state and government will focus on Africa's position in reinforcing peace and security, as well as climate and economic development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, French President Francois Hollande said "as long as we are united, as long as we are of solidarity, as long as we are together to eradicate the threats to peace, we can succeed."

Hollande promised that France, a victim of terrorism, will train 25,000 African soldiers per year for the coming three years to help the continent tackle security issues.

"France will always be by the side of Mali, till the Malian authorities will be respected across the whole territory of Mali," Hollande affirmed.

Hollande promised efforts to help with Africa's economic development.

He announced France will provide 23 billion euros in the coming five years to support the development of Africa.

A Franco-African investment Foundation is also to be set up by France and to be managed by a Franco-African team.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, for his part, said "the Summit of Bamako is not only a grand political and diplomatic rendezvous, it also opens up a space of exchanges for the social and economic forces".

"The Mali that welcomes you today cannot ignore the difficulties that it faced during the re-conquest of stability," Keita said during his opening speech, referring to the terrorist threats in northern Mali as well as in other parts of Africa.

Some 60 senior representatives of French and African companies are also here in Bamako to participate in the Africa-France Economic Forum.

More than 10,000 people have been mobilized to ensure the security of this summit, which is considered as a come-back of Mali after the political instability since 2012.

In the margin of the summit, the heads of state and government of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) will also meet with Gambian President-elect Adama Barrow to discuss a solution to end the political crisis in Gambia.

First held in France in 1973, the Africa-France Summit aims to maintain and boost relations between France and Africa.
Matt Drudge has stirred up a firestorm that suggests many in the media have little to no idea how tax law works for small business owners after he announced on the Drudge Report that he just paid his Obamacare penalty tax.

Last week, Drudge tweeted Just paid the Obamacare penalty for not getting covered IM CALLING IT A LIBERTY TAX.

Drudge is referring to the provision in Obamacare that requires every American to have health care insurance that meets the governments approval regarding benefits they must have. Among these are maternity care for men and older Americans who are beyond their child bearing years.

Recognizing the political lightning rod of passing a law that contained the largest tax increase in American history, Democrats and the administration attempted to argue the penalty was a fee. However during arguments at the Supreme Court, the government, in an attempt to get the justices to uphold the law, then argued it was a tax, which Congress has complete discretion to pass. The justices agreed with this argument when they upheld the law, which means the federal government now has the power to tax Americans for not buying any product it chooses.

Immediately following the tweet, the White House went into panic mode, recognizing the influence Drudge has.

Jesse Lee, the Director of Progressive Media at the Obama White House responded that Drudges claim that he had paid the tax was a Flat lie, no fee for the previous year, and Scary how much influence he once had.

Lees statement about Drudge no longer having influence is inaccurate, as the site is the top rated news site on the Internet and is read by millions of viewers.

Liberal media outlets also jumped to Obamas defense over the Obamacare tax, with Dylan Scott at TPM writing a story saying that Drudge was probably lying.

Americans dont pay a penalty for not having health insurance until they file their 2014 taxes  in 2015, Scott wrote. So either Drudge is lying or he paid a huge penalty a year earlier than he needed to.

Other liberal writers from media outlets, including the Huffington Post, echoed the same line that the tax does not kick in until this year, and therefore is not due until a person files next years tax returns in 2015.

However, their attacks on Drudge reveals how little administration officials and members of the media understand about how the massive health care law that will affect many small businesses.

Like many small business owners, Matt Drudge is unemployed and files his taxes as a sole proprietorship. This method is used by millions of small business owners across the country.

While those who receive a paycheck are now paying their taxes for last year, those who file as a sole proprietorship and are self-employed must pay quarterly taxes during the given tax year to the IRS.

Indeed, the IRSs own website backs up Drudges statement that he would need to pay the Obamacare tax upfront during this year.

As a self-employed individual, generally you are required to file an annual return and pay estimated tax quarterly, the IRS website reads.

This means that when Drudge calculates his quarterly taxes he must pay to the IRS, part of that amount must be the Obamacare tax penalty as it currently exists.

As many more small businesses are required to make these types of payments, it could cause a further drag on hiring because of the extra money they are now being forced to pay to the government at a time when they are struggling to just get by.

Dazed team Obama media reporters think Opt-Out tax year away? Drudge tweeted. Not for small businesses that file Qtr estimates. Were there NOW, baby #pay.
Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page.

Loading...

Checking your browser before accessing the website.

This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly.

Please wait a few seconds.
eijing, January 13 (VNA)  The Chinese government will closely work with the Vietnamese counterpart to fully implement the common perceptions and agreements reached by the two countries to bring practical benefits for the two peoples for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.



Chinas Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang made the affirmation at a meeting with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Beijing on January 13.



He congratulated the Vietnamese Party, State and people on their significant achievements in the cause of national building and development.



The Chinese government attaches great importance to developing relations with Vietnam on the principles of mutual respect, equality, and win-win cooperation, he said.



The Premier expressed his belief that the ongoing visit to China by Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong will contribute to promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries in all fields.



Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong congratulated the Chinese Party, government and people on the strong development strides over the past time, and wished China success in implementing the 13th Five-Year Plan and the goals of building a prosperous and inclusive society and developing China into a strong, well-off, democratic, civilized, and harmonious socialist country.

The Vietnamese Party chief and the Chinese Premier showed their joy at the healthy and stable development of the two countries relations at present, including positive progress in bilateral cooperation in economics, trade, investment, tourism and other fields.



They stressed the need to enhance win-win collaboration for common development and reinforce mutual trust and friendship between the two peoples.



Both sides agreed to increase development strategy connectivity, and actively study and promote cooperation projects within the framework of Two Corridors, One Economic Belt and One Belt, One Road initiatives, as well as implement effectively a Memorandum of Understanding on a list of projects on enhancing production capacity between Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade and Chinas National Development and Reform Commission.



They agreed to hold discussions for the early signing of a master plan on building cross-border economic cooperation region on the principles of equality and mutual benefits and in line with each countrys legal regulations.

Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and Premier Li Keqiang shared the view that the role of Vietnam-China trade cooperation mechanisms should be further promoted and relevant agreements reached by the two countries should be implemented effectively. The bilateral trade imbalance should be improved while legal procedures should be quickly completed to open the Chinese market for Vietnamese farm produce, forestry and aquatic products, they said, noting the need to facilitate the establishment of Vietnams trade promotion offices in China, first of all in the eastern province of Zhejiang.



The two sides pledged to create more favourable conditions for businesses to forge investment collaboration, and quickly address difficulties and obstacles so that firms of both sides can ensure the quality, progress and efficiency of joint projects.



They vowed to encourage localities to promote friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation.



Vietnam welcomes Chinese projects applying modern and environmentally friendly technologies, particularly those operating in the fields of agriculture, high technology, machinery manufacturing, support industry, renewable and clean energy, technology transfer, and high-quality human resources training.



Both sides also agreed to step up collaboration in agriculture, environment, science-technology, transport, tourism, healthcare, testing and quarantine while promoting partnership in aviation.



The two sides will strengthen coordination in the management and the effective and sustainable use of water resources of the Mekong-Lancang River.



They suggested promoting the role of the joint working groups on infrastructure and financial-monetary cooperation, and coordinating closely for the effective use of Chinas credit and non-refundable aid packages provided for Vietnam.



The two leaders advocated fostering ASEAN connectivity and the central role of the bloc in East Asia, as well as enhancing cooperative ties between China and ASEAN in the coming time for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

VNA/VNP
Despite a large number of Internet users, investment for online advertisement in Viet Nam remains modest, a conference heard on Thursday.  Photo thienngaden.vn

HA NOI  Despite a large number of Internet users, investment for online advertisement in Viet Nam remains modest, a conference heard on Thursday.

The Institute for Brand and Competitiveness strategy co-ordinated with the Viet Nam Internet Association and Viet Nam Digital Communication Association to organise a conference on building enterprise branding in the digital era in Ha Noi.

Over the past decade, the Internet boom has had a significant impact on marketing activities, as well as the building and positioning of brands in the market.

Internet has also created stronger brand awareness than ever before and increased the number of people who know brands. According to the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness strategy, Viet Nam ranks 16th among the top 20 countries with the highest number of Internet users, with nearly 50 million people, of which, 60 per cent are young.

The Internet has become a popular source of advertising to users who want to search for product information. Seventy-three per cent of Vietnamese consumers seek out information on the Internet before making purchase decisions.

Most consumers in Viet Nam choose products and services based on brand identities.

Therefore, experts advised businesses to make changes to their business operations, adjusting brand identity to avoid falling behind compared to rivals.

To build brands in the digital era, businesses need to increase interaction in different environments, including the online environment, said Nguyen Quoc Thinh, an advisor for the National Trademark Programme.

"Businesses should not skip electronic branding, a strong interactive environment with low associated costs, said Thinh.

Enterprises need to rethink the way they build their brands, not just their logos or advertising in the media, he said.

Currently, the application of the Internet in general, and digital technology in particular, to create and develop brands is still limited.

Data from Cimigo, a market research firm, showed that investment for online advertising in Viet Nam was only US$15 million in the past year.

Meanwhile, according to statistics from TNS Media Vietnam, the cost of online advertising accounts for less than 5 per cent of the total advertising costs, while 95 per cent of advertising spending is still through television, newspapers, magazines, even though these forms are more expensive.

Vu Xuan Truong from the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness strategy said that many businesses were paying attention to profits and business strategy, while their strategies for branding remained "vague.

Therefore, businesses need a better strategy in branding in the digital era. In particular, businesses should focus on social networks due to their widespread use.

Experts said that businesses need to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the Internet to build their brands. Enterprises also need to increase connections with consumers, while ensuring the quality of goods and services. - VNS
HA NOI  Ha Noi Beer Alcohol and Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Habeco) will start trading with code BHN on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) on January 19, the southern bourse announced on Wednesday.

Habeco will list its entire 231.8 million shares, equivalent to the total listing value of nearly VN2.32 trillion (US$103 million), at the reference price of VN127,600 ($5.65) per share, the bourse said in a statement. The share price is allowed to fluctuate +/-20 per cent on the first trading day.

Shares of the Norths largest brewer are trading at some VN128,000 per share on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM), which is under the management of the Ha Noi Stock Exchange.

HCM Citys exchange on December 30, 2016, approved the companys filing to move its listing from the UPCoM to HOSE.

By changing its listing to HOSE, which is the main bourse in Viet Nam, with total market capitalisation of some $68 billion, Habeco is expected to improve its reputation and draw more investments.

The company has become a phenomenon on the UPCoM since its debut on October 28 last year, when its price shot from an initial VN39,000 per share to a peak of VN225,800 per share on December 16.

Headquartered in Ha Noi, it is the largest beer producer in the North and the third-largest beer company in Viet Nam, with popular brands such as Hanoi Beer and Truc Bach Beer. It owns 17 subsidiaries and six affiliated companies, with total production capacity of over 800 million litres of beer per year.

Ending September 2016, Habeco reported total combined revenues of nearly VN7.65 trillion, down 5 per cent year-on-year. Its net profit declined by a steeper 23.5 per cent year-on-year to VN960.5 trillion.

The company has not increased its charter capital from the 2008 initial public offering, which remains at over VND2.3 trillion. Its cumulative annual profits are mainly distributed to its investment and development fund, which amounted to VN2.54 trillion until September 30, 2016.

Its total equity reached nearly VN5.7 trillion, 2.5 times its charter capital.  VNS
A meeting was held in Ha Noi yesterday to report on the implementation of the Viet Nam National Green Growth Strategy in the 2012-16 period.  Photo kinhtevadubao.vn

HA NOI  A meeting was held in Ha Noi yesterday to report on the implementation of the Viet Nam National Green Growth Strategy in the 2012-16 period.

The event was jointly held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Director General of the MPIs Department of Science, Education, Resources and Environment, Pham Hoang Mai, said five ministries and 30 cities and provinces in the country had built and were implementing their plans of action on green growth.

Viet Nam participated in the Paris Agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP) in November 2015, and Government agencies had co-ordinated with development partners to realise the countrys commitments under the agreement, he said.

In October 2016, the Government had promulgated a plan to implement the Paris Agreement and the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) commitment, he added.

Deputy Director of USAID in Viet Nam Craig Hart noted that while it was important to mobilise international financial resources for the purpose, it was necessary to improve the efficiency of domestic funding mechanisms.

He cited as an example the collection of fees for forest services, which earns around US$60 million for the country each year. Last year, nearly 20,000 rural residents for the first time received payment for their forest care from this source.

Meanwhile, Country Director of UNDP Louise Chamberlain proposed the Vietnamese Government put forth policies and long-term commitments to mitigate risks for investors in green growth and reform energy prices and investment encouragement mechanisms.

She also recommended changing the methods of managing and supporting State-run businesses operating in the field of energy.

Attracting investment and improving investment efficiency were essential to develop the green growth economy, she stressed.  VNS
President Tran ai Quang presented Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts to state policy beneficiaries and poor households during his visits yesterday to Gia Phu commune, Bao Thang district, and Ban Khoang commune, Sa Pa district, in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.  VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang

LAO CAI  President Tran ai Quang presented Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts to state policy beneficiaries and poor households during his visits yesterday to Gia Phu commune, Bao Thang district, and Ban Khoang commune, Sa Pa district, in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

Gia Phu and Ban Khoang are poor localities consisting largely of ethnic minority residents. As many as 65.4 per cent of families in Ban Khoang are poor, while another 19.6 per cent are living close to poverty line.

Apart from asking for support in caring for locals during the most important festival of the year, local authorities have also planned to organise a number of traditional festivals for ethnic minority groups during Tet, as well as other cultural events to give locals a happy Tet.

President Quang asked the local government in Bao Thang and Sa Pa districts--as well as Lao Cai province--to pay more attention to building new-style rural areas and boosting the provinces growth in all fields.

He stressed that building a stable life for all people through sustainable development is an important part the cause to construct and develop a socialist country with wealth, justice, democracy and civilisation.

The State leader requested Lao Cai promote internal strength, boost the application of advanced technology and seek new production models to suit its specific conditions.

He suggested that Lao Cai expand the model of fish farming and cultivate plant varieties with high productivity to increase the output and quality of farm produce.  VNS
BEIJING  The Chinese Government will work closely with its Vietnamese counterpart to fully realise their common aspirations and agreements for the practical benefit of both peoples and the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday.

In a meeting with visiting Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Beijing, the Premier of the State Council also congratulated the Vietnamese Party, State and people on their significant achievements in the cause of national building and development.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to developing relations with Viet Nam on the principles of mutual respect, equality, and win-win cooperation, he said.

The Premier expressed his belief that the ongoing visit to China by the Vietnamese Party leader will contribute to promoting the comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership between the two countries in all fields.

Party General Secretary Trong congratulated the Chinese Party, government and people on the strong development strides theyve taken and wished them success in implementing the 13th Five-Year Plan, achieving the goals of building a prosperous and inclusive society, and developing China into a strong, well-off, democratic, civilized and harmonious socialist country.

Both leaders expressed happiness at the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries relations at present, including positive progress in bilateral co-operation in economy, trade, investment, tourism and other fields.

They also stressed the need to enhance win-win collaboration for common development and reinforcement of mutual trust and friendship between the two peoples.

They agreed to strengthen development strategy links, and to actively study and promote co-operation projects within the framework of the Two Corridors, One Economic Belt and One Belt, One Road initiatives.

The understanding reached between Viet Nams Ministry of Industry and Trade and Chinas National Development and Reform Commission on a list of projects to increase production capacity would be implemented effectively, they said.

The two sides will also hold discussions towards the early signing of a master plan on building cross-border economic cooperation regions based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit in line with each countrys regulations.

Party leader Trong and Premier Li shared the view that the role of Viet Nam-China trade co-operation mechanisms should be further promoted and relevant agreements reached by the two countries implemented effectively.

The bilateral trade imbalance should be improved, while legal procedures should be completed quickly to open the Chinese market for Vietnamese farm produce, forestry and aquatic products, they said.

They also agreed to facilitate the establishment of Viet Nams trade promotion offices in China, starting with the eastern province of Zhejiang.

The two sides pledged to create more favourable conditions for businesses to forge investment collaboration, and to quickly address difficulties and obstacles so that firms on both sides can ensure the quality, progress and efficiency of joint projects.

Localities from either country will be encouraged to promote friendly exchanges and co-operation, they said.

The two sides will also step up collaboration in agriculture, aviation, environment, science-technology, transport, tourism, healthcare, testing and quarantine. They will step up co-ordination in the management and the effective and sustainable use of water resources of the Mekong-Lancang River.

The role of joint working groups on infrastructure and financial-monetary co-operation will be promoted towards effective use of Chinas credit and non-refundable aid packages for Viet Nam.

The two leaders concurred on fostering ASEAN connectivity and the central role of the bloc in the region, as well as on enhancing co-operative ties between China and ASEAN in the coming time for peace, stability and prosperity.

Party leader Trong said Viet Nam welcomes Chinese projects that apply modern and environmentally friendly technologies, particularly in agriculture, hi-tech industry, machinery manufacturing, support industry, renewable and clean energy, technology transfer, and high-quality human resources training.

Parliamentary co-operation

In a meeting with Chairman of the National Peoples Congress of China (NPCC) Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang, Trong said the co-operation between the parliaments of both countries was as an important channel for enhancing mutual understanding and political trust.

Promoting the healthy and stable development of the countries friendship and comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership is in line with the basic and long-term interests of the two peoples, and it will also foster regional and global peace, stability and development, he said.

The Vietnamese leader asked the NPCC and the Vietnamese National Assembly to step up exchange of experiences in legislation and supervision, and facilitate faster implementation of agreements reached by the countries senior leaders.

The two parliaments should also increase co-ordination and mutual support at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums, and work closely to ensure the execution of international treaties that both countries have signed, he said.

Zhang congratulated Viet Nam on its socio-economic development outcomes last year and wished it more successes in the future.

He stressed that the Chinese Party, Government and NPCC treasure and want to continually strengthen their comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership with Viet Nam.

They want both sides to control and handle existing disagreements in a determined manner and not let these affect the overall sound relationship between the two Parties and nations, he said.

Senior officials hail visit

Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) highlighted the significance of General Secretary Trongs visit to China in a meeting with the Vietnamese leader in Beijing yesterday.

He said the visit is important as it took place on the threshold of the 67th anniversary of the countries diplomatic ties and the traditional Lunar New Year.

General Secretary Trong informed Yu about the important common perceptions reached in talks with Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping.

He emphasised that the common perceptions and the resolve shared by leaders of the two Parties and countries need to be thoroughly understood by people, sectors and institutions at all levels in both countries. They need to be realised through concrete and consistent action so as to promote the sound development of the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

He also spoke highly of the recent contributions by the CPPCC and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) to the countries overall relations, and hoped that they will press on with practical and effective co-operation, helping intensify mutual understanding and people-to-people friendship.

Yu said that the CPPCC will join the VFF in strengthening ties between their nations, increasing people-to-people exchanges, and boosting mutual understanding between Vietnamese and Chinese younger generations. He said this would consolidate the social foundation of bilateral relations and serve the basic, long-term interests of both two peoples.

Tightening security ties

In related news, Viet Nam and China agreed to foster co-operation on security and order, making it an important pillar of their bilateral comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership.

The agreement was reached in talks held in Beijing yesterday between Vietnamese Minister of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General To Lam and Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committees Political and Legal Affairs Commission Meng Jianzhu as well as Minister of Public Security and Interpol President Meng Hongwai.

The officials noted that the two sides have maintained contact channels to share information in the fight against terrorism while actively co-ordinating with each other to combat crime, especially those related to high technology, drugs, human trafficking, counterfeit money and hunting wanted criminals.  VNS
The US and Viet Nam both need to work out how to advance economic and strategic relationships with partners in the region at a time when important choices have to be made by governments around the world, US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday at a meeting in HCM City.  VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vu

HCM CITY  The US and Viet Nam both need to work out how to advance economic and strategic relationships with partners in the region at a time when important choices have to be made by governments around the world, US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday at a meeting in HCM City.

Kerry said the future of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the centerpiece of the Obama administrations so-called pivot to Asia, was in doubt as Donald Trump, who opposes the trade agreement, would be sworn in as US president next week.

Kerry, however, believed that US commitments to the region would not change.

I cant predict what the new American administration will do with respect to trade. But I can absolutely tell you that the fundamental reasons for the TPP have not changed, Kerry told a group of students at HCM Citys University of Technology and Education. That fundamental need of countries to be able to sell their goods to other countries hasnt changed.

I hope you are going to agree with me that the values embedded in the TPP, the fundamental values, such as a rules-based approach to economic relations, higher standards on labour, on the environment, and safeguards against corruption, are consistent with Viet Nams interests and the demands of the Vietnamese people themselves for good government and for economic opportunity.

Those things are still essential if Viet Nam is going to meet its stated ambition to become a middle-income country by 2035. That can only happen through reforms that solidify the rule of law, that encourage innovation and that unleash entrepreneurial energy, he said.

Kerry noted the continuing close ties and good relations between the two countries.

We are strengthening our ties in a host of areas, including education, the environment, science, technology, high-tech, the internet, and even military-to-military cooperation, he said.

Today, relations between the US and Viet Nam are comprehensive. Even as we focus on the future, we continue our joint recovery operations to answer every question regarding the possible fate of Americans or Vietnamese still unaccounted for, and this is something we have continued to do in the rest of Southeast Asia, he said.

In addition, Kerry said that the US and Viet Nam shared support for security and freedom of navigation and overflights in the East Sea, which Viet Nam, along with China and four other countries, claim in whole or in part.

We believe all countries in the region, whether big or small, should refrain from provocative acts that add to tensions or might lead to greater militarisation of the area, he said.

He also repeated the US opposition to coercion or threat of force by any state to assert its claim over another.

And Im confident that the next [US] administration will continue to adhere with the same good faith to that policy, he added.

He will engage local experts on environmental issues affecting the region and ways we can partner with Viet Nam to develop clean energy and sustainable infrastructure, smart water governance and ecosystem resource management, John Kirby, Kerrys spokesman, said.

On Friday, Kerry along with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) presented a letter of intent to Fulbright University Viet Nam (FUV) to support the design and construction of the universitys main campus in HCM City.

The OPIC project aims to bolster the universitys academic programmes as well as expand enrollment to 7,000 students.

The presentation took place at the HCM University of Technology and Education, near the future site of the universitys campus at Sai Gon High-Tech Park.

Kerry, a Viet Nam War veteran, also praised relations with his former foes, saying two-way trade had jumped from just US$451 million 20 years ago, when US  Viet Nam ties were normalised, to more than $45 billion today.

The number of Vietnamese students studying in the US has increased from 800 to 21,000, while the number of American visitors to Viet Nam has risen from 60,000 to half a million today.

Kerry and US Sen. John McCain, who was held prisoner of war when his Navy jet was shot down over Ha Noi during the war, were key participants in the efforts to normalise relations in 1995.

Kerry arrived in Viet Nam late Thursday to begin what many consider a low-key visit at a time when all eyes are on President-elect Donald Trumps team-in-waiting and the future of global politics.

Today (Jan 14), Kerry will travel to the southernmost province of Ca Mau where he was an enlisted American soldier nearly 50 years ago.

 VNS
HCM CITY  The Uruguay Consulate was officially opened on Hai Ba Trung Street in HCM Citys District 1 yesterday.

Honorary Consul Nguyen Viet Loan Foster said the consulate would help strengthen bilateral relations between Uruguay and Viet Nam in all fields, including trade, commerce, culture and tourism.

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday, Loan said that Uruguay has a strong economy with reliable and high-level institutions as well as a modern and attractive investment regime.

oan Tuan Linh, deputy director of HCM Citys Department of Foreign Affairs, said the relationship between Viet Nam and Uruguay continued to develop and that political relations were close, with regular exchange of delegations at central and local levels.

"Viet Nam is a gateway to the ASEAN market for Uruguay," he said.

The two countries have signed a Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment which took effect in April 2016. It creates a favorable legal framework for bilateral exchange and cooperation, he said.

Bilateral trade turnover had reached US$100 million as of the end of November. This figure remains modest compared with the potential of the two countries.

"The establishment of the consulate will help improve trade, investment and other areas between Viet Nam and Uruguay," he said. VNS
National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan yesterday receives Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, Gergely Gulyas, in Ha Noi.  VNA/VNS Photo Pham Kien

HA NOI  National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan yesterday urged greater exchanges of visits, sharing of experiences and consultations on international issues between Vietnamese and Hungarian parliaments.

Receiving Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, Gergely Gulyas, in Ha Noi, she said Viet Nam always remembers the valuable and efficient assistance provided by the Hungarian people and State and follows with keen interest Hungarys achievements in socio-economic development and its integration into the European Union.

She said the creation of political trust has been a strong driving force for both nations to step up across the board co-operation. The value of two-way trade between the two countries in 2016 had risen 10 per cent over the previous year, she noted.

Ngan also thanked Hungary for supporting Viet Nams candidacy for seats at several UN bodies and reaffirmed Viet Nams backing of Hungarys bid for membership of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2017-2019 term.

Gergely Gulyas, who is also Vice President of the Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance, said he highly evaluated the growing socio-political ties between the two countries, especially the signing of a framework agreement on a 440 million euro credit. This marked a new development in bilateral economic co-operation, he said.

He said he was impressed with Viet Nams socio-economic achievements, and affirmed that Hungary considers Viet Nam an important bridge to the ASEAN bloc.

He said Hungary will continue supporting Viet Nam at international forums, and echoed his Vietnamese counterparts wish for increased exchanges and sharing of experiences between the two parliaments.

Earlier, Gulyas held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Uong Chu Luu.

They shared the view that bilateral economic and trade ties have yet to match the potential despite the traditional ties of friendship and co-operation enjoyed by both countries.

NA Vice Chairman Luu suggested that the two sides review implementation of agreements reached at the 6th session of the Viet Nam-Hungary joint committee on economic co-operation and work together on future plans.

He urged Hungary to push for the European Unions signing and ratification of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) as well as recognition of Viet Nam as a market economy.

He also asked for Hungarys help in tourism, human resources training and heritage conservation.

Gulyas responded that Hungary would advocate for early signing and ratification of EVFTA.

Noting that more than 4,000 Vietnamese citizens had studied in Hungary in the 1990s, Gulyas said he hopes his country will grant more scholarships to Vietnamese students to pursue higher studies in his country, especially in engineering and medicine.

Gulyas also expressed his wish for greater parliamentary contacts on law-making as well as stronger tourism ties.  VNS
HA NOI  Nguyen Thi Hoa is 44 and has three children, the youngest of whom is 16 years old. She has been working as a domestic helper over the past 10 years, with the hope of earning enough money to support her familys day-to-day life and her childrens education, and to save for the future.

As a domestic helper, Hoa will be looking after someone elses family, leaving her own children in the care of her relatives. She will only be able to see her children once every three months. But she has decided to not return home for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday as the family she works for has offered a large sum if she stays during the holidays.

"They have promised to pay VN5 million (US$220) for 7 days of work during Tet, equal to an entire months salary," she said, adding that she would go home after the holiday.

The demand for domestic helpers in big cities such as Ha Noi surges during the run up to Tet, and the cost of hiring help has sky-rocketed as well, according to Nguyen Van Thang, an official at a job agency in the capital city.

Many families require domestic helpers to clean and do household chores as the Lunar New Year approaches, he said.

"People are going to enjoy a long holiday so many consumers are willing to pay up to 700,000 (US$31) per day," he said.

Nguyen Thu Lan, a resident on Ha Noi Citys Thai Ha Street, was worried about doing household chores and preparing things for the New Year holiday, so she had tried to persuade her helper to live with her family. But she failed.

Learning from my experience last Tet, I have contacted several services to hire a part-time domestic helper to help me take care of my twin boys, she said.

Although the pay for part-time helpers during Tet is VN80,000 per hour, I have no choice, Lan said, adding that being a nurse, she has to work even during Tet.

In addition to the increased demand for domestic helpers, the demand for caregivers at hospital was also on the rise during Tet, Thang said.

A caregiver could receive VN500,000 ($222) per day, he said.

Despite the offer of a high salary, it was still difficult to find enough helpers during the holidays, he added.

Nguyen Thu Minh, an administrator at a job agency in Thanh Xuan District, said the company received dozens of requests but were only able to meet one fourth of the demand due to the shortage of labourers.

Families who wanted to hire helpers during Tet had to contact the company half a month or even a month before the holiday, she said.

To recruit enough labourers, besides offering them adequate payment, between 5 and 7 times higher than normal, job agencies have introduced promotional programmes, like promising jobs immediately or without recruitment documents.

Normally, domestic helpers were asked by job agencies to submit several documents to ensure their legal status and prevent the contractors from taking part in criminal activities, Thang said.

However, to make it more convenient for labourers, he said, the agency might just ask them to hand in a copy of their identity cards or students cards.

Not only were job agencies in a race to employ labourers, many families in Ha Noi were facing a headache on how to keep their house helpers during and after the holiday.

Nguyen Huong Giang, a bank clerk, said she had managed to persuade her helper to stay with her family, after her father suffered a stroke recently.

In addition to a monthly salary, Giang has promised a bonus of VN3 million (US$133) to the helper as well as some gifts for her relatives.

Most domestic helpers are migrant workers, they return to their hometowns for the big holiday. They tend to stay at home and look for jobs in the local area or switch to other families after Tet, said Le Thi Thu, a trader in Ha Noi.

Thus, she said, besides offering lucky money to the helpers, she would drive them home and pick them up after Tet to ensure they would not quit the jobs. -- VNS
HCM CITY  HCM City plans to raze 14 dilapidated apartment buildings this year and rebuild six of them, its Department of Construction has said.

The six, which have 1,785 apartments, are Block D of Co Giang in District 1, 148 Nguyen inh Chieu in District 3, Block G of Ngo Gia Tu in District 10, Block A of Ly Thuong Kiet in District 11, and 350 and 251 Hoang Van Thu in Tan Binh District.

Developers of the new apartments have been identified for all except Ngo Gia Tu.

The remaining eight to be knocked down, also spread over several districts, have a total of 1,543 units.

The department on Thursday assessed three other old apartment buildings and submitted the results to the city Peoples Committee.

Of them, two -- 440 Tran Hung ao in District 5 and 128 Hai Ba Trung in District 1  have been rated level D, the worst in terms of safety, because their structures have deteriorated.

The other, at 155-157 Bui Vien in District 1, is also in very poor shape and needs to be demolished as soon as possible.

The city has 474 old apartment buildings, of which 45 with 4,450 households are in very bad repair, according to the department.

Authorities plans to demolish and rebuild at least half of them by 2020.  VNS
WATERLOO -- Police were called to Crossroads 12 Theater Friday night when management grew concerned about the number of people loitering in the lobby after attending a movie.

Waterloo Police responded to an 8:55 p.m. call at 2450 Crossroads Blvd. About a dozen officers were there for a 15- to 20-minute period ending shortly after 10 p.m.

"We were sent out to Crossroads at the request of management," said Sgt. Brooke Carter. She added that those loitering told employees they were waiting around until the end of another movie "because that's when the fun was going to start."

After it ended "about 100 to 200 juveniles from the movie gathered in the lobby," said Carter. Multiple fights broke out and police separated those involved. "People were escorted from the building, but no arrests were made."
CEDAR RAPIDS  If a bill introduced last week to make it easier for the states public universities to fire professors by abolishing tenure ever becomes law, it would make Iowa an anomaly in banning a widely accepted practice of ensconcing academic freedoms on campus.

The Republican senator from Urbandale sponsoring the bill, Brad Zaun, said its needed so universities can weed out unfit faculty.

Our regents, and certainly our college presidents, cannot get rid of bad professors, Zaun said, and my bill would give them the ability to do that.

Its too early to say whether his proposal will get traction in the now-GOP-controlled Legislature. He has sponsored the measure before  unsuccessfully  but said this time is different.

Im hoping that at least we have the conversation on this, he said.

Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, who chairs the Senate Education Committee that would take up the bill, said shes in a wait-and-see pattern because of proposed changes to collective bargaining and union laws for public employees.

I want to make sure that anything were doing doesnt conflict with each other, she said.

Faculty members, education advocates and some lawmakers last week expressed concern  if not alarm  with the tenure proposal.

Hans-Joerg Tiede, associate secretary in the Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance with the national American Association of University Professors, said Iowa would stand alone if it drops tenure.

Since tenure sort of became widely adopted in the post-World War II time period, Im not aware of a state outlawing it  not at all, he said.

Some individual higher education institutions have contemplated going that route, he said. Those efforts, like the bill in Iowa, add to a mounting attack on higher education and academic freedom, according to Tiede.

I think it particularly is facing threats by legislators at the moment, he said. There is a broad-based attack at this point on public higher education by legislators.

He cited instances in Wisconsin, where lawmakers used budgeting to force universities to eliminate programs and cut positions, and Kentucky, where a Republican-led Senate days ago approved a bill replacing the University of Louisville board of trustees.

The language of Zauns bill, introduced Wednesday, prohibits Iowa Board of Regents institutions from establishing or continuing any system of academic tenure. It lists some acceptable grounds for faculty termination including just cause, program discontinuance, and financial exigency. It also requires universities to produce employee agreements, annual performance reviews, minimum standards of good practice, faculty discipline protocol and policies on dismissal for just cause, among others.

The proposal also bars Iowas community colleges from establishing any tenure system.

Zaun linked the genesis of his proposal to feedback from parents concerned about the quality of their childrens education, noting reports of professors announcing at the outset their plans to have aides take over for the rest of the semester.

Iowas public universities say they already have some form of all the things the bill would establish, including procedures for terminating tenured professors for a variety of causes, including violation of policy and demonstration of unacceptable performance.

Regents President Bruce Rastetter issued a statement opposing the bill.

We recognize the concern about merit-based evaluations addressed in the bill, however the Board of Regents understands the role of tenure, he said in the statement. I look forward to meeting with Sen. Zaun to hear his thoughts.

Representing communities surrounding the University of Iowa, Sens. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, and Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, called the proposal a bad idea.

Its a mean-spirited proposal that will undermine the ability of our public universities to recruit talent, Bolkcom said. We are in a national-international competition for the most skilled faculty and researchers across the country, and we need to have not only good salaries, but we need the ability to have tenure for these faculty members.

Dvorsky said the concept doesnt make sense.

Certainly there would have to be a lot more discussion if it was a bill that people are looking at  and I dont think it is, he said.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, where Iowa State University is located, said he puts this proposal in the same category as last years Rose Bowl dancing cow bill  proposed legislation targeting the Stanford University bands performance in last years game against Iowa.

If one were going to take it seriously, I can tell you its the easiest way to destroy a great university, he said.

The number of tenured professors at Iowas public universities has been on the decline.

A recent regents report showed tenured professors now make up about 45 percent of all faculty on the three campuses compared with 47 percent two years ago.

When the board in 2015 hired businessman Bruce Harreld as UI president, some faculty members expressed concern about a potential threat to tenure.

But one of his first initiatives came in the form of a faculty vitality proposal aimed at improving faculty recruitment and retention by upping salaries for tenure-track professors.

UI Provost Barry Butler said Thursday the universitys ability to attract and retain talent would take a direct hit if Iowa dropped tenure.

Its clear we would be an outlier in the country, he said. It would clearly impact us. We would have to compete against schools that have that as part of their hiring package for faculty.

Frank Durham, associate professor and director of the UI masters program in strategic communication, said dropping tenure would harm students by reducing the value of their diploma. Tenure is more than job security, he said, in that it encourages faculty to produce competitive courses based on their own, cutting-edge research.

Employers here in Iowa and nationwide would soon realize that our graduates were slipping in terms of the up-to-date knowledge and skills that only a tenured faculty can produce, Durham said.

Our regents, and certainly our college presidents, cannot get rid of bad professors, and my bill would give them the ability to do that. Sen. Brad Zaun R-Urbandale
past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)
(New York) 

s government made no measurable gains to improve human rights in 2016, Human Rights Watch said today in its

. Intensified fighting between Taliban and government forces

, most in deliberate attacks by insurgent forces, and increased indiscriminate attacks by Afghan government forces and pro-government militias. Government infighting among powerful political rivals and a lack of political will stalled progress on securing womens rights, reining in abusive militias, and protecting schools and media freedom from attack.





In the 687-page World Report, its 27th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that a new generation of authoritarian populists seeks to overturn the concept of human rights protections, treating rights as an impediment to the majority will. For those who feel left behind by the global economy and increasingly fear violent crime, civil society groups, the media, and the public have key roles to play in reaffirming the values on which rights-respecting democracy has been built.





As Afghanistans national unity government squabbles for power, vital human rights achievements of the past 15 years are at risk of vanishing, said Patricia Gossman , senior Afghanistan researcher. The government should urgently act to protect civilians and get reforms back on track.

-








With the upcoming inauguration of a new President who will select a new justice for the U.S. Supreme Court, attention is focused on the Constitution and its interpretation by the court.

Professor Richard Epstein, renowned legal scholar and professor from New York University School of Law, will discuss how the Supreme Court deciphers the Constitution in his lecture Our Implied Constitution. The address will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Jan. 17, in room 201 of the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center at Willamette University College of Law.

Norman Williams, associate dean for academic affairs at Willamette Law, said that with the inauguration looming, Epsteins talk is particularly timely. Even those who may not have a background in law should enjoy the lecture, he said.

Professor Epstein brings a breadth and depth to his analysis of current legal issues that is very interesting and accessible to lawyers and non-lawyers alike, Williams said.

Among other topics, Epstein will discuss whether it is possible to ascertain the original public meaning of key terms in the Constitution. He will cover topics including police power, the doctrine of unconstitutional conditions and the distribution of powers in the conduct of foreign affairs.

Epstein is considered one of the most influential thinkers in legal academia and is well known for his work in the areas of tort, property and constitutional law.

Epstein is a true Renaissance scholar and expert in multiple areas, Williams said.

A long-time faculty member at the University of Chicago School of Law, Epstein joined the faculty at NYU School of Law in 2010, and in 2013, he became the founding director of its Classical Liberal Institute. He has served as the Peter and Kirstin Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution since 2000.

Part of the law schools Peterson Lecture series made possible by the Ken and Claudia Peterson Foundation, the lecture is sponsored by Willamettes Center for Constitutional Government. The Petersons endowed the lecture series to give attorneys, judges and students access to cutting-edge legal scholars.

Find more information here.
OGDEN, UT, January 14, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ogden's Own Distillery announced today that all of the products it makes are now available in the state of Michigan. It is the first time in the companies history they've launched in a state will such a broad range of products.This includes their latest creation Porter's Apple Whiskey Liqueur.



Represented by Michigan's fastest growing beverage company, Benchmark Beverages, and priced at $19.99 for all products (Five Wives Vodka, Five Wives Heavenly Vodka, Five Wives Sinful Vodka, Underground Herbal Spirit, Porter's Fire Liqueur, Porter's Peach Liqueur, Porter's Apple Liqueur) Ogden's Own Distillery plans to move into the market at a quick pace.



"We've really been expanding our portfolio in the past two years," Steve Conlin, managing partner said. "It is really exciting to bring quality craft spirits to another state at what we feel is a very reasonable price."



Ogden's Own Distillery starting in 2009 with the award-winning Underground Herbal Spirit before introducing the infamous Five Wives Vodka in 2012. It's Porter's flavored whiskeys round out the company's brands of products.



"It's kind of crazy that you can have your product available halfway across the country before it is available in your home state," Conlin said, "but Utah's always been a bit challenging when it comes to introducing new products."



Conlin hinted that Ogden's Own Distillery has something else on the near horizon.



"We've got a couple of products that are just about ready that we think the consumers are really going to like," he said. "It's really an exciting time!"



Benchmark Beverages of West Bloomfield. MI can be reached at 1-800-666-6233. For more info: http://www.benchmarkbeverages.com



About Ogden's Own Distillery:

For seven years Ogden's Own Distillery has been making craft -spirits in Utah. It is Ogden's first licensed distillery since the 1800's. Its first product, Underground Herbal Spirit, captures the feeling of the rowdy, early days of Ogden. Underground Herbal Spirit won a prestigious "Double Gold" at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and "Best Liqueur" at the 2012 Spirits of the America's. Ogden's Own also make Five Wives Vodka brands, and Porter's Fire Cinnamon, Porter's Peach and Porter's Apple whiskey liqueurs.



# # #
Contact Info: Dr. Ronald Gentile Phone: 212-979-4120 Email Address: [email protected] Website: www.operationrestorevision.org

NEW YORK, NY, January 14, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. America's trusted source for identifying Top Doctors has released America's Top Doctors 2016 and has selected Ronald Gentile, MD for this exclusive honor.



Castle Connolly Top Doctors who are selected each year by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. are first nominated by their peers in an online nomination process. Nominations are open to all board certified MDs and DOs; each year tens of thousands of physicians cast many tens of thousands of nominations. Nominated physicians are then screened and selected by the Castle Connolly physician-led research team based on criteria including medical education, training, hospital appointments, disciplinary histories and much more. Only physicians such as Dr. Ronald Gentile who are considered to be among the top 1% in their specialties are selected for inclusion in America's Top Doctors.



About Ronald Gentile: a short profile by and about the honoree:



Ronald C. Gentile MD, FACS, FASRS is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. Dr. Gentile dedicates his time to clinical ophthalmic care, research, teaching, and humanitarian work. He is a retinal specialist and surgeon with expertise in diabetic eye disease, retinal vascular disorders, macular diseases, ultrasonography, UBM, retinal detachments and ocular trauma. He will be leading a medical mission with ISMS-Operation Restore Vision (operationrestorevision.org) in February of 2017 to India.



For more information on this Castle Connolly Top Doctor , please visit Dr. Ronald Gentile's profile on www.castleconnolly.com.



Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.'s President and CEO Dr. John Connolly commented on Dr. Gentile's recognition: "Being selected for inclusion in America's Top Doctors 2016 is a very significant achievement given to only 1% of American physicians. American physicians are incredibly high quality medical professionals, yet some stand out. Each year we evaluate tens of thousands of peer nominations in the medical community. Then our experts go even deeper to evaluate and select Top Doctors based on referred doctors' exceptional work and outstanding conduct. My congratulations to Dr. Gentile."



To find out more or to contact Dr. Ronald Gentile of New York, NY, please call call 212-979-4120.



This press release was written by American Registry, LLC and Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., with approval by and/or contributions from Ronald Gentile.



Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. identifies Top Doctors in America and provides consumers with detailed information about their education, training and special expertise in their online directory and through print features with magazine and newspaper partners. It is important to note that doctors do not and cannot pay to be included in any Castle Connolly guide or online directory. Learn more at http://www.castleconnolly.com.



American Registry, LLC, recognizes excellence in top businesses and professionals. For more information, search The Registry at http://www.americanregistry.com.



# # #
"I applaud the Governor and the legislative process that studied and vetted this profession for over 24 years and came to understand the unique role that licensed NDs can play in the state."

BOSTON, MA, January 14, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Governor Charlie Baker signed into law a bill that offers licensure to naturopathic doctors (NDs) in Massachusetts. This licensure ensures the safe practice of naturopathic medicine in the Baystate.



A grassroots effort led by thousands of grateful patients helped get this legislation over the finish line. Massachusetts' residents will now be able to safely access ND care locally instead of crossing state lines to seek such care. All New England states, save Rhode Island, have licensed NDs for over 20 years. This law affords people of Massachusetts an option to include well-educated and trained NDs on their health care team for the ND expertise in both preventive care and natural integrative medicine.



Naturopathic doctors are rigorously trained in post graduate, four-year, in-residence, regionally and nationally accredited naturopathic medical schools. Graduates pass psychometrically sound examinations prior to eligibility for licensure and require industry standard continuing education coursework.



There has been a paradigm shift in attitudes and acceptance of natural and integrative medicine, which is ongoing. Scientific rigor applied to the evaluation of empirically based nutritional, botanical, and other naturopathic treatments continues. Numerous naturopathic institutions are recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and other grants to advance medical research. Naturopathic doctors have been awarded competitive NIH fellowships.



Amy Rothenberg ND, president of the Massachusetts Society of Naturopathic Doctors (MSND) reports, "I, along with my colleagues in Massachusetts and across the country, look forward to the opportunity to join the ranks of health care providers in the Commonwealth. I applaud Governor Baker and the legislative process that studied and vetted this profession for over 24 years and came to understand the unique role that licensed NDs can play in the state."



Paul Herscu ND, MPH and MSND Legislative Chair furthers, "Naturopathic doctors are poised to bring evidence based knowledge and expertise to the Massachusetts clinical, public health, teaching and research settings."



"This is the second state to gain licensure within the last two months. Governor Wolf of Pennsylvania signed a bill into law in November, bringing to 22 the number of states and jurisdictions that recognize naturopathic medicine," states Anne McClenon, ND of Plymouth.



"Because Massachusetts is surrounded by licensed states, we had become a haven for those without appropriate education and training to use the term naturopathic doctor," comments Lisa Arnold, ND, of Cape Cod. This law protects public health by enabling Massachusetts' citizens to understand credentials of those practitioners seen.



"We have a long history in licensed states of providing safe and effective care. In the weeks leading up to Governor Baker's signing this bill, high level state politicians, Secretaries of Health and Human Services, and members of Departments of Public Health from licensed states weighed in with their positive experiences with naturopathic medicine in their respective states," adds Allison Willette, ND from Hadley. In addition, insurance company executives, leaders from the business world, medical researchers along with scores of medical doctors and other allied health professionals contacted Governor Baker urging the signing of this bill.



In licensed states, NDs work collaboratively with allied health providers, whether from private practice, in integrative clinics or health care centers, and in clinics that care for the underserved. Massachusetts patients will now be able to safely access the skills and expertise of NDs in the Baystate.



The Massachusetts Society of Naturopathic Doctors (MSND) is a non-profit, professional membership association representing Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1980, the mission of the MSND is to support our members and improve the health of the public through the advancement of Naturopathic Medicine. We strive to promote the success of Naturopathic Doctors and the naturopathic profession in Massachusetts through education, public awareness, advocacy, and community. For further information please contact http://msnd.org/contact-us/



# # #
CHICAGO, IL, January 14, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Nando's PERi-PERi, the South African-Portuguese restaurant known worldwide for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, celebrates its grand opening this Saturday, January 14, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The restaurant, at 1447 E. 53rd Street, is the 11th Nando's to open in the greater Chicagoland area and to celebrate, Nando's will pay it forward to Kenwood Academy High School and the University of Chicago.



100 percent of the opening-day sales will be donated to the Kenwood Academy High School in Hyde Park. The donation will help fund college visits for students of Kenwood Academy, consistently ranked as one of the best public schools in the city.



"Nearly nine out of every 10 Kenwood Academy graduates continue on to a four-year institution, and we are proud to help support this outstanding tradition," said Burton Heiss, CEO of Nando's PERi-PERi. "It's all about being good neighbors, and Nando's looks forward to becoming an integral part of the South Side."



Three days later on Tuesday, January 17, University of Chicago students, faculty and staff will have their turn. On that day, Nando's PERi-PERi invites the University of Chicago to eat at Nando's new Hyde Park restaurant, for free. All students, faculty and staff who present a valid University of Chicago ID can enjoy a free spicy flame-grilled 1/4 chicken, chicken sandwich, wrap, or pita all day Tuesday, from 11am to 10pm. Vita excolatur! Let your life be enriched with delicious Nando's PERi-PERi!



Nationwide, Nando's has donated more than $200,000 to schools and local non-profit organizations, all through opening-day sales.



Every Nando's is painstakingly designed and completely unique, with earthy textures and bright colors that reflect its sunny African-Portuguese heritage. With thousands of pieces of original works of art that are a constant reminder of where the restaurant came from, Nando's has become the largest collector of South African contemporary art in the world. Nando's new Hyde Park restaurant features one-of-a-kind South African artwork, too, including a corrugated-metal mural that was hand-painted in Hyde Park by South African street artist Kilmany-Jo Liversage.



Nando's has built an intensely loyal following, from London to the Loop, by providing fresh food in a relaxed atmosphere with friendly service. Nando's is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer's preferred flavor and spice.



WHAT: NANDO'S GRAND OPENING IN HYDE PARK

WHERE: 1447 E. 53RD STREET, CHICAGO.

WHEN: GRAND OPENING IS SAT., JAN. 14, AT 11AM TO 10 PM CST

BENEFITING THE KENWOOD ACADEMY



WHAT: NANDO'S OPENS FOR FREE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

WHERE: 1447 E. 53RD STREET, CHICAGO.

WHEN: TUESDAY JAN. 17, 11AM TO 10PM CT

RULES: DINE-IN ONLY. SEE TERMS BELOW. VALID UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ID MUST BE PRESENTED.



*Terms & Conditions: Only available on January 17th between 11:00am and 10:00pm at Nando's PERi-PERi located at 1447 E. 53RD Street, Hyde Park, Chicago. One free 1/4 chicken, chicken sandwich, wrap, or pita per person, on a first come first served basis, dine-in only. You need to pay for any extras, including sides or drinks (only if you want them!)



ABOUT NANDO'S PERi-PERi

The first Nando's restaurant opened its doors in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, the Nando's flame has spread to 1,200 restaurants in 23 countries on five continents. Nando's is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer's preferred flavor and spice. It's equally renowned for its spicy PERi-PERi, the Bird's Eye chili pepper that indigenous Africans introduced to the Portuguese centuries ago.



Nando's PERi-PERi made its U.S. debut in 2008 with the opening of its first location in Washington, DC. Nando's PERi-PERi now operates three dozen restaurants in and around Chicago, Washington and Baltimore. For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter or Like Us at Nando's PERi-PERi USA on Facebook.



# # #
Lisa Miller in New York Magazine:

In May, Underwood drew all kinds of flak for agreeing to let George Zimmerman sell the Kel-Tec PF9 that killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on his site. Underwood defends the decision still. Zimmerman was a dipshit, he concedes, but he was acquitted at trial, his gun was legally purchased, and he was licensed. Underwood was able to resell it for $250,000 (all of which, he says, went to Zimmerman). What would you do?

Underwood was coming to New York to meet Carolyn Tuft, though neither one of them knew it yet. Tuft, who lives in Salt Lake City, is a survivor of the 2007 Trolley Square shooting, the massacre that seriously injured four people and left five dead  including Tufts 15-year-old daughter, Kirsten, the youngest of her four children. Tuft herself was shot three times, in the arm and point blank in the lower back. The 54-year-old has so much buckshot in her body that she suffers from lead poisoning, and she wakes up each day nauseated and in pain. Her manner is both assured and halting  the result, she explains, of constant painkiller use.

Underwood, Tuft, and more than a dozen others on both sides of the gun debate  a hunter; two Baltimore cops; a criminal-court judge from New Orleans; a couple of high-schoolers who grew up in the ganglands of Chicagos South Side  had agreed to meet face-to-face, tell each other their stories, and try to understand one anothers points of view, in an experiment in radical empathy organized by New York Magazine in partnership with a nonprofit group called Narrative 4. Each traveler carried a personal story about guns: Lauren Green, a divorced mother from Connecticut, was raped at gunpoint as a child; Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, a former Florida state legislator and proponent of campus-carry laws, had fended off an assailant, a former boyfriend, with a gun.

More here.
Patricia J. Williams at The New York Times:

Nearly every image of Coretta Scott King since her husbands death has seemed suffused with preternatural stillness, her face fixed with the brave solitude of timeless interior bereavement. For all of her accomplishment and vivacity in real life, she has remained frozen in the collective imagination, among that sad pantheon of civil-rights-era icons: the political widow in a pillbox hat. King describes the weight of that identity in My Life, My Love, My Legacy, her posthumous memoir, as told to the journalist Barbara Reynolds over a period of 30 years. There is a Mrs. King. There is also Coretta. How one became detached from the other remains a mystery to me, King says.

This book is distinctly Corettas story. While there is nothing to radically challenge the impression of her as carefully restrained, what makes My Life particularly absorbing is its quiet account of a brutal historical era, as experienced by a very particular kind of African-American woman: well educated, cautious, a prototypically 1950s-style wife and mother. The books cover features a picture of King, young and smiling, but still radiating that unmistakable aura of church-lady reserve.

more here.
Discovery

I believe in the great discovery.

I believe in the man who will make the discovery.

I believe in the fear of the man who will make the discovery.

I believe in his face going white,

His queasiness, his upper lip drenched in cold sweat.

I believe in the burning of his notes,

burning them into ashes,

burning them to the last scrap.

I believe in the scattering of numbers,

scattering them without regret.

I believe in the mans haste,

in the precision of his movements,

in his free will.

I believe in the shattering of tablets,

the pouring out of liquids,

the extinguishing of rays.

I am convinced this will end well,

that it will not be too late,

that it will take place without witnesses.

Im sure no one will find out what happened,

not the wife, not the wall,

not even the bird that might squeal in its song.

I believe in the refusal to take part.

I believe in the ruined career.

I believe in the wasted years of work.

I believe in the secret taken to the grave.

These words soar for me beyond all rules

without seeking support from actual examples.

My faith is strong, blind, and without foundation.

.
Pankaj Mishra in The Guardian:

Never in human history have so many diverse peoples lived together as in our time. Nor has the appeal of democracy ever been so widespread. The promise of equal rights and citizenship held out by modern society has been universally embraced, especially keenly by people long deprived of them. But, as Donald Trump, the favoured candidate of white supremacists, becomes president of the United States, the quintessential multicultural democracy, the long arc of the moral universe, as Martin Luther King called it, does not seem to be bending to justice. Trump came into political prominence accusing the first black president of the United States of being foreign born; he rose to supreme power stigmatising Mexicans as rapists and Muslims as terrorists. His election victory was engineered by Steve Bannon, the executive chairman of Breitbart News, an online site notorious for its antisemitism, racism, misogyny and xenophobia. The joint arrival of Trump and Bannon in the White House, where they will enjoy nearly unlimited power, completes a comprehensive recent rout of the founding principle of the modern world: that, as the revolutionary phrases of 1776 had it, all men are created equal, entitled to the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The African American thinker WEB Du Bois had diagnosed the built-in contradictions of democracy and liberalism as early as the 19th century. In his view slavery had violently coerced Africans into a world economic system, and then global capitalism, binding together more people of different social and historical backgrounds, had piled new economic inequalities on to older racial prejudices and discrimination. Both forms of degradation were vital to the making of prosperous democracies in the Atlantic west; and they made it arduous, if not impossible, for the degraded to realise the modern promise of freedom and equality. The problem of the 20th century, Du Bois predicted in 1903, would be the problem of the colour-line.

More here.
How to watch, what to know about South Dakota State at Northern Iowa
On Saturday, a joint communique was released by China and Vietnam as part of the visit of Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong regarding their positions regarding the dispute in the South China Sea.

In the communique published in full by Xinhua, the representatives of the two countries have met in "candid" discussions and afterwards, both have agreed to "manage well their maritime difference, avoid actions that complicate the situation and escalate tensions, and safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea."

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, where about $5 trillion worth of sea-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, in addition to Vietnam, also have claims in the sea, believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas.

In several public statements, both the Chinese and Vietnamese leaders have spoken about their common interests as "traditional" friends and neighbors. However, the issue with the South China Sea has strained their relations in recent years.

In the joint communique on Saturday the two sides agreed to continue to "fully and effectively" implement the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea and strive for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) on the basis of consensus in the framework of the DOC.

In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Vietnam's visiting prime minister their common interests far outweighed their differences, and called for their dispute in the South China Sea to be resolved through bilateral talks.

Currently, Vietnam is building a quiet military presence in the region which analysts believe is a deterrent to protect its 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone from the growing Chinese presence in the region.
At a press conference in London yesterday, Mauro Moretti, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo, announced the amalgamation of Leonardo's UK operations - including Westland in helicopters and Marconi in electronics - into a new, single entity, Leonardo MW Ltd.





Above: (left to right) Mauro Moretti and Norman Bone at yesterday's press conference.



Mauro Moretti said: With the support of the UK Government, Leonardo is ready to invest and grow its business in and from the UK, committing to long-term innovative partnerships.



The integration makes Leonardo MW Ltd., now home to more than 7,100 Britain-based employees, one of the UKs largest high-tech engineering companies. Having researched, designed, built and supported technology on-shore in the UK for over 100 years, Leonardo is able to secure future domestic and export work and expand its business in the UK.



Leonardo offers UK-designed and built aircraft, sensors and integrated systems serving air, land and sea-based customers, as well as offering expertise in cyber security.



The new single entity, Leonardo MW Ltd., brings together AgustaWestland Ltd, Selex ES Ltd, Finmeccanica UK Ltd, and DRS Technologies UK Ltd., operating under the Leonardo brand. Norman Bone has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of the new company.



We are extremely proud of our heritage in the United Kingdom, Mauro Moretti added, referring to the two prestigious brands: Westland in helicopters; and Marconi in electronics, that inspired the name of the new company. This heritage lives on today in a new single entity with a common identity that will continue the fruitful collaboration with the UK Armed Services that spans over 100 years.



Norman Bone, Chairman and Managing Director of Leonardo MW Ltd. said: In the UK Leonardo is uniquely placed to offer a full spectrum of capability across platforms, systems and sensors, providing integrated solutions and support for our customers in the air, land, maritime and cyber domains. We are now able to present a coherent face to our customers and stakeholders in the UK, and to our export customers throughout the world, building upon the combined strengths of Leonardo as a whole.



The company is committed to working with the UK supply chain and with over 400 people on its graduate and apprentice programmes, who will be helping to bring the next wave of UK-based technology from the drawing-board to front-line service with the UK Armed Services.



Leonardos position in the UK as an advanced engineering company is built on its sustained investment in research and technology, its facilities and the expertise of its scientists, researchers and engineers.



Leonardo makes a significant investment in UK R&D, including with universities and continues to sustain a substantial supply network of around 2,300 companies most of which are SMEs. The Company makes a significant contribution to the UK economy with revenues in the UK of 2.3bn, including 1.3bn of exports.
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan-- When Capt. David was a child, his father would take him out to the flightline at Canon Air Force Base, New Mexico and sit him in the cockpit of an F-111 Aardvark.

Looking up at his dad, David would say, One day, Im going to be a pilot.

Fast forward a couple of decades later: I guess I kept my word, he said, standing in the 79th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan where he serves as an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter pilot.

The road has been a long one for David , who first enlisted in the Air Force in 2004. Following in his fathers footsteps, he became an F-16 avionics specialist.

Its always been my dream to be a pilot, its all Ive ever wanted to do, David said. I just took a different route than most people do.

That route included going to school while working as a maintainer, through a deployment to Balad Airfield, Iraq and temporary duties where he was often gone for three weeks out of every month.

I have the best wife in the world, he said. She was stubborn for me when I didnt want to do it, she was always there pushing me, telling me that I could, telling me its going to be worth it. All the hard work, the sweat the tears, one day it will all pay off and youre going to be where you want to be.

David achieved his goal when he was accepted for officer training school and was subsequently selected for pilot training and the F-16 slot. He now flies the same airframe he was once a maintainer for.

Theres always a giant support system behind anyone who gets to this point, David said. He gives the credit to his wife, children, supervisors throughout his Air Force career, along with a little timing, luck and a lot of hard work.

After years of training, David was sent to his first operational assignment as a pilot, where he headed back out to the flightline as a pilot rather than a maintainer.

Having that maintenance and operations background provides that extra piece to make the cogs fit a little bit better, said David. Theyre not really all that different, to be honest. We all want the same thing, we all want to do the same thing, were all fighting in the same direction.

The skills Capt. David learned as a maintainer give him increased credibility as a pilot.

The guys knowledge of the airplane, is beyond some of our more seasoned pilots because hes had his hands in some places we dont even know exist inside an F-16, said Maj. Joseph , 79th EFS director of operations.

This deployment to Bagram will also be Davids first as a pilot.

I always wanted to be the tip-of-the-spear kind of guy, the last link in the chain before taking care of bad guys, he said. The most rewarding part has been coming out here and being effective.

When hes not deployed, David follows in his fathers footsteps again, bringing his children to the flightline at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

Seeing that pure joy and pride in their faces when I have them come out to the jet and I taxi up and hop out. There is no better feeling in the world, then seeing my kids faces light up, David said.





Every generation of Davids family has served in the military since the Civil War. He is now the first member of his family to commission.
By Dan Olmsted

The world is turning right in front of us and connections we never saw coming are being remade and rewired on a daily basis. While it is too early to get either elated or dejected by current events, the trend-line is clear: Something's happening here.

Today I thought I'd use more of Anne Dachel's media reports to show how much is happening. I did an interview with BuzzFeed and as I was walking through the airport yesterday Nature magazine called. It's a new year to top all new years!

From Anne: After hours of reading news reports today, this was encouraging. As any of us can attest, once you know how vast and corrupt the vaccine safety issue is, you can never walk away. This is what Kennedy is saying too.

Kennedy's description of why the media has universally failed us is absolutely right. No one is willing to risk their career covering this in a fair and balanced way. So they write what they're told ...over and over and over. But I know them all, and I will never forget who they are.

https://www.facebook.com/VaXismNEWS/videos/826271777515863/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

Robert Kennedy, Jr. All the things that I do are bent on forcing this debate out into the openbecause once the science is in the open, the CDCs position is so fragile, its an edifice of fraud, fraud stacked upon fraud, so high and so wobbly, that even a slight breeze of public scrutiny will topple it. Its not only Congress that wont investigate, and the regulatory agencies have been captured, the courts and the lawyers that would normally apply that scrutiny have been removed by the Vaccine Act.

And the press has been compromised. And its not just the mainstream corporate media, but also the so-called alternative media like Huffington Post. Daniel Schulman wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review that for journalists this is radioactive, that this is a career-ending controversy. So reporters wont touch it, theyre really scared of it. Doctors wont come out. Doctors lose their licenses if they talk about this.

What we need is sunlight. If you put a little sunlight on this controversy, the whole things going to fall apart. Were going to beat these people. I feel this, and Ive spent my life working on energy issues, environmental issues, and global warming, but Ive taken a hiatus to do just this issue because I cannot stand by and watch these children being poisonedan entire generation of kids that is being poisoned now by government policies and greed. Were going to take them on and beat them.

And we need help. Were at the World Mercury Project. We need your support, we need financial support, we need members because were going to sue government agencies, were going to sue pharmaceutical companies, were suing the people, were figuring out different ways to litigate this. In order for a charitable group to litigate, we need to show that we have members who have standing.

==

The medias desperate attempt to convince us the science is in on vaccines

Jan 13, 2017 Slate.com: Zealots Like RFK Jr. Have Already Made Vaccines Less Safe

By Brian Palmer

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2017/01/the_thimerosal_episode_explains_the_danger_of_rfk_jr.html

Not just because they fuel anti-vaxxers. This type of paranoia impedes our ability to accurately consider evidence.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., political scionturnedanti-vaccine alarmist, emerged from a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday claiming that Trump had offered him a position leading a vaccine safety commission. This is a terrible idea for reasons that should be apparent, and a dangerous idea, because Kennedys anti-scientific rantings have already exerted a chilling effect on honest medical discourse for at least a decade. The thimerosal episode is a perfect example.

Infants are exposed to more mercury from breastfeeding than theyd ever get from vaccines, says Paul Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases and director of vaccine education at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Its in the earth. Its in the water we drink. If you want to achieve zero tolerance for mercury exposure, youd have to move to another planet.

Eighteen years later, doctors still argue over the decision to remove thimerosal from vaccines. Halsey has staunch defenders who describe him as an egoless man who was trying to put child safety first, making a very difficult decision in a politically charged environment without the data he needed. Others still rue the decision, arguing that even though there wasnt hard evidence, our scientific understanding of and experience with thimerosal justified keeping it while research continued.

We caved to public perception, Offit says. Youre always better off trying to explain the scienceyou owe the public that. We made a mistake.

Wherever you come down on the decision, the real villains in the thimerosal episode are vultures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who seized on the scientific uncertainty and the public communications challenges to scare the hell out of people.

Specifically, Kennedy insists that thimerosal causes autism. But there has never been any reason to believe that thimerosal or any form of mercury causes autism

When it comes to his views on vaccine safety, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is dishonest, uninformed, insane, or some combination of them. His refusal to accept medical evidence has put children at risk, and giving him an official position will  you know what? Its so obvious, its not even worth writing. It also doesnt matter. Neither Trump nor Kennedy care about facts.

Jan 13, 2017, UK Guardian: Trump's vaccine conspiracy theories are a threat to your children

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/13/trump-vaccine-conspiracy-theory-robert-kennedy-jr

Vaccines have been shown safe and effective. When he hints otherwise, the president-elect is gambling with young lives

The science on vaccines is very clear: they are safe and effective. Vaccines do not cause autism. Its a waste of our tax dollars to rehash this issue yet again.

Jan 13, 2017, Washington Post: Charles Krauthammer: What happened to the honeymoon?

By Charles Krauthammer

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jan/13/charles-krauthammer-what-happened-to-the-honeymoon/

Finally, its his chronic indiscipline, his jumping randomly from one subject to another without rhyme, reason or larger strategy. In a week packed with confirmation hearings and Russian hacking allegations, what was he doing meeting with Robert Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist pushing the thoroughly discredited idea that vaccines cause autism?

Comment:

The truth is, the agency that approves, promotes, and recommends the vaccine schedule is also charged with vaccine safety. They literally have oversight over themselves. Hundreds of employees at the Centers for Disease Control have conflict of interest waivers because they're also working for the industry they regulate.



Claims of corruption and fraudulent science at the CDC are rampant, even among employees. Krauthammer needs to investigate the 83 cases of vaccine-induced autism compensated by the Federal Court of Claims (since no American can sue either the doctor or vaccine makers for an injury), and which were made public back in 2011.



Finally Krauthammer needs to talk to Dr. Jon Poling, father of Hannah Poling whose case of vaccine-induced autism was conceded by medical experts at HHS and made public in 2008.



Krauthammer may assume that the link between vaccines and autism is a "thoroughly discredited idea," but he's taking the word the people with everything at stake in covering this up.

--

Anne Dachel, Media Editor








Web Toolbar by Wibiya

Lots of people in Canada and North America enjoy camping weekends with their families. They travel to places like British Columbia or Yellowstone National Park. However, most dont dare venture out of the house other than for work purposes during the winter months. Thats because the temperature is low, and the weather is less than perfect. With that in mind, we want to encourage more of you to see the great outdoors during that time of the year. Woodland areas can look stunning when theyre covered in snow, and youll find yourself more isolated than ever before. So, use the information from this page to ensure you dont encounter any issues.





The first thing you need to do is search online for suppliers of high-end camping gear. There is no point trying to reduce spending and save money because you will freeze. You need clothing and other items that were designed for the harsh conditions. Brands like Thule tend to receive the best reviews these days, but there are plenty of others. You could even head down to a local camping store if theres one in your home town. Just explain your plans to the owner and ask them for recommendations. They are the ones best placed to let you know if you forget anything important.





The chances of a standard mobile phone working when youre camping in the wilderness are slim. There are just too many trees and mountains in the way to get a decent signal. That is why you MUST purchase a satellite phone before you leave home. Youll only have to handle the expense once, and you can use it for every camping trip you organize in the future. They tend to work in almost any environment, so you dont have to worry about your location. With a bit of luck, that item will assist you in calling for help if something goes wrong. You never know when you might trip over, break a leg, and need to visit the hospital.

You dont want to call the emergency services for small cuts and bruises. However, you shouldnt leave them untreated either. That is why you must always keep a first-aid kit in your backpack. You can pick them up from Walmart for little expense. At the very least, you should have plasters, bandages, and antiseptic creams. The last thing you need is for a minor injury to become infected and result in the loss of a limb. You might laugh at that suggestion, but it has happened in the past to many adventurous travelers. So, dont think youre immune from such issues.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2017 - The Supreme Court will decide whether the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals was right to assert jurisdiction over legal challenges to the waters of the U.S. rule.

The court decided today to grant a petition seeking review of the 6th Circuits fractured decision, in which that court narrowly determined that it should adjudicate the numerous WOTUS challenges.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) filed the petition in September challenging that decision, noting that even Circuit Judge David McKeague, who agreed with the federal government, expressed serious doubts about the governments reasoning.

The Clean Water Act gives federal appeals courts original jurisdiction to review certain categories of EPA decisions to implement the law. The federal government argued before the appeals court and in response to the NAM petition that WOTUS would fall into one of those categories  actions approving or promulgating any effluent limitation or other limitation.

But NAM said that the WOTUS rule is no limitation at all. The agencies concede that it is not self-executing but merely helps to delineate the practical scope of the (Clean Water) Act.

Did you know Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website? Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.]





The National Cattlemens Beef Association hailed the Supreme Court decision to review the jurisdictional issue. It shows that the court has a continued interest in private property rights and we look forward to oral arguments this spring, Scott Yager, the groups environmental counsel, said.

And the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is involved in the 6th Circuit and the Supreme Court litigation, said that allowing the 6th Circuit decision to stand would prohibit federal trial courts around the country from hearing lawsuits from aggrieved landowners and other members of the regulated public; instead, such challenges would effectively be concentrated in the first appellate court to consider a challenge.

PLF is representing farmers, ranchers and developers in the Supreme Court case. It said determining the proper venue is an important question because it could affect how and where plaintiffs may challenge questionable rulemaking under the Clean Water Act in future cases, and perhaps other laws as well.

#30

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com
A Minnesota man was charged Thursday afternoon in the beating death of a University of Wisconsin-Stout student from Saudi Arabia last October.

Cullen M. Osburn, 27, 3423 Washburn Ave. N., Minneapolis, faces charges in Dunn County of felony murder and battery with bodily harm of Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, in downtown Menomonie on Oct. 30. Both counts carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

The criminal complaint also adds a repeat offender penalty enhancement that can ranges from two to six additional years on each charge because Osburn was convicted for violating a restraining order in Minnesota in 2014.

Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf said Osburn was arrested in Minnesota and will be extradited.

The defendant was adamant that the altercation was not a result of anybodys race but did not want to say anything else without a lawyer, the complaint said.

According to the complaint:

Alnahdi, an international student from Saudi Arabia, came to UW-Stout to study English. He was a junior majoring in business administration. He and his roommates were drinking at home when they decided to go out to the local bars around 1 a.m. on Oct. 30.

A witness called 911 at 2:11 a.m. to report that a man involved in a fight in front of Toppers Pizza on Main Street was injured. When Menomonie police and emergency personnel arrived, they found Alnahdi unconscious and bleeding from his nose and mouth.

Initially transported to Mayo Clinic Health System-Red Cedar in Menomonie, Alnahdi was airlifted to Mayo-Eau Claire where he died the following day of a traumatic brain injury. An autopsy determined he had suffered a skull fracture.

Osburns sister, Mariah Hughes, told investigators she was inside Toppers waiting for a pizza when she heard something hit the window and left the building, realizing that a fight had occurred. Osburn later told her Alnahdi had grabbed a chain around his neck and he may have pushed Alnahdi backwards.

Mariah Hughes said she was at the scene with Joshua Sims, William Hall and her brother, Deonte Hughes. Hughes stated that he saw Osburn being grabbed by two men.

In Halls account of what took place, he said that from what he was told by Deonte Hughes, Osburn did not push Alnahdi, but rather two pieced him  punching Alnahdi twice in the face in rapid succession. After pulling him off Alnahdi, Deonte Hughes said he saw Osburn heading west.

Evan Walters, a friend of Alnahdis, tells a different story of what he witnessed after he saw Alnahdi smoking a cigarette outside Toppers and stopped to talk to him.

He said he and Alnahdi were approached by a man who began to argue with Alnahdi in an aggressive and confrontational tone. Walters wasnt sure what precipitated the argument, but said Alnahdi began yelling back. When Walters tried to separate the men, the man pushed him away.

Although Walters said he did not see Alnahdi get punched by the man, he did see his friend fall to the ground. Lying flat on his back, Walters said Alnahdis eyes were open, but he was not responsive and blood began to come from his mouth and nose.

With Halls assistance, Walters sat Alnahdi up when he began to make a coughing sound and appeared to be having difficulty breathing.

Earlier, Nina Simonette told investigators she remembered walking past Toppers and passed between Alnahdi and another man. Hearing a disturbance, she turned around and heard the man asked Alnahdi what he had just said. She saw Alnahdi put his hands in the air as if to indicate he didnt want a problem.

Simonette said both men began yelling at each other and she saw the man strike Alnahdi. She thought the man tried to hit the Saudi native a second time, and Alnahdi hit his head on the side of the building when he fell.

Phone call

On Nov. 2, an Menomonie Police Department investigator received a call from Osburn who stated he was very scared and wished to fully cooperate with law enforcement. Osburn adamantly declared the altercation was not the result of anybodys race, but did not want to say anything else without an attorney.

On Nov. 3, Osburn phoned the investigator again to tell him he would call the following day to schedule an interview. When police tried to call Osburn on Nov. 4, the phone number was disconnected and attempts to locate him proved futile.

A couple of weeks later, police heard from an unnamed 17-year-old witness who said he and his friends went to Kwik Trip on South Broadway in the early morning hours of Oct. 30 after a fraternity party. The teen said a man approached his vehicle and said he had just punched somebody who was bleeding out.

The man then said he needed a ride to campus. The teen said he had no idea where campus was and that he needed to get home.

The man stated hed just have to [expletive] punch me, too, the witness said.

Surveillance video from Kwik Trip at 2:16 a.m., showed a matching the teens description, including wearing a red bandana around his neck, walking in the stores front doors. A receipt showed Osburn used his debit or credit card to purchase a pack of cigarettes.
Dr. Mark Hollingsworth, dean of USC Aikens College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, stands beside a display at the Gregg-Graniteville Library highlighting the Bill of Rights. The display will be at the library through Jan. 31.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
Investigators with the Aiken Department of Public Safety responded on On Jan. 13 to the Paces Run apartment complex after a Warrenville man was shot.
University of Wisconsin-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer issued the following statement on Friday concerning an arrest in the death of student Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, who died Oct. 31, 2016, following an altercation in downtown Menomonie:

I want to thank the Menomonie Police Department and Chief Erik Atkinson for tirelessly pursuing the leads that resulted in this arrest. I know that Chief Atkinson and his officers took this case very personally, and they should be commended for pursuing this investigation to this stage.

I also want to thank retired UW-Stout Police Chief Lisa Walter and interim Police Chief Jason Spetz for working very closely with Menomonie police during the investigation.

Finally, I want to thank Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf for her work in charging this suspect and offer whatever assistance she may need to ensure justice prevails in this case.

I hope this arrest brings some measure of peace and comfort to Hussains family in Saudi Arabia. They have gone through a living nightmare, and our hearts and prayers continue to go out to them. I also hope that Hussains roommates and many friends on campus also feel a sense of closure and relief with the arrest.

The death of Hussain on Oct. 31 from injuries he sustained in downtown Menomonie has affected everyone on campus, especially our international and minority students who expressed concern for their safety.

At the same time, I have witnessed many people reaching out to these concerned students to assure them that they live and study in a safe environment. I hope these efforts to help all students feel safe on campus and in the community continues.

I also think it is worth mentioning that the criminal complaint issued in this case said the suspect was adamant that the altercation was not a result of anybodys race.

Finally, I also want to thank everyone who contacted the Menomonie Police Department with information about the attack, as well as those who contributed to the reward fund administered by the Community Foundation of Dunn County and those who have contributed to the memorial fund established by the Stout University Foundation. Your efforts are truly appreciated.
GOOD MORNING! Recently a young lady lamented to me that she wished she could find a man of quality, of character. It is a great problem today in the times we live. I couldn't find the right words to share with her as she sat there provocatively dressed, so in keeping with the words of wisdom from my grandfather Max, of blessed memory, "Kid, keep your mouth shut. Even the fish wouldn't haven't gotten caught if he followed my advice!"

So, I am writing this week's edition for her -- and for all of us who might be facing this dilemma. First, one can only attract someone of quality by making him/herself a person of quality -- a caring person with values. What I wanted to say to this young lady who is a person of quality: "Look at the way you dress -- short hemlines, low necklines, tight clothes. You may think you are just being fashionable and comfortable, but the way you dress conveys a message. Our society oozes sex to advertise everything from baby diapers to Depends (please, that is meant as an overstatement, not an exact statement of fact). There is a reason. It sells product.

Studies show that men think about sex 19 times a day. When I mentioned that to a friend, he replied, "What? Only 19 times a day?"

The message from advertising for women: If you want to look good and/or be attractive, dress in a provocative manner.

Most women want to be respected for their minds, for their personality, for their values. Dressing in a manner that emphasizes the external, the vessel, the body and not the internal -- the personality and character -- is either a misdirect, false advertising or self-delusion -- unless that is how one wants to be perceived.

The Torah is over 3,300 years old and recognized this problem long before Madison Avenue and Hollywood promoted it into a society norm. The Torah directs us -- men and women -- to dress modestly, speak modestly and act with modesty and humility. Even dating is a hands-off activity; couples just talk about their goals, aspirations and interests in life.

In this day and age when a young man and woman will stand next to each other and text rather than talk, we have great problems in communication. When dating is about having a good time with expectations of ending the night together on the first date, there is no wonder why there is such a high divorce rate.

The bar one sets for sleeping with a person is far lower than the standards he or she has for marrying someone. Yet, from sleeping together occasionally to living together to marriage -- with a person who only passed the lower standard -- is a common, slippery slope.

It is not uncommon for people to live together for years, decide to get married and then shortly thereafter get divorced. They got married because "You have to marry someone. I am comfortable with this person and I don't want to start over looking for someone who would meet the standards I truly want in a mate." And why do they get divorced? Many reasons. When people live together, they treat each other with respect and consideration; when married, many think the marriage license is a license to take each other for granted.

Often there are issues, beliefs, goals, expectancies that were never discussed or worked through. A couple lived together for 7 years, got married and within a year sought a divorce. Why? She wanted children, he did not. My colleague asked, "Didn't you discuss this in all the time you lived together?" Responded the man, "Who talked?"

It's not just the way we dress, it's the way we talk. Humankind is distinguished from animalkind by being a speaker -- not just making audible communications, but through a qualitative distinction of elevating speech to being holy. Holy speech? Not defaming, spreading tales, speaking foolishly -- and not swearing. "Blue speech" not only colors the perception of who you are, but shapes your character. The outward act brings the inner appreciation -- both for the positive and the negative.

If one wants to find someone of greater quality and character, one must work on developing greater quality within himself or herself. One must dress modestly, speak modestly, act modestly. At the end of the book of the prophet Michah, the question is asked, "What does the Almighty require of you?" Answers the prophet, "Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God." Do that and you will attract someone of greater quality and character!

Hear classes on... ATTRACTING A

PERSON OF QUALITY

Download to Go

or Listen FREE On-Line

Vayechi, Genesis 47:28 - 50:26

The parasha, Torah portion, opens with Jacob on his deathbed 17 years after arriving in Egypt. Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons, Manasseh (Menashe) and Ephraim. (To this day it is a tradition to bless our sons every Shabbat evening with the blessing, "May the Almighty make you like Ephraim and Manasseh" -- they grew up in the Diaspora amongst foreign influences and still remained devoted to the Torah. The Shabbat evening blessing for girls is "to be like Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah.") He then individually blesses each of his sons. The blessings are prophetic and give reproof, where necessary.

A large retinue from Pharaoh's court accompanies the family to Hebron to bury Jacob in the Ma'arat Hamachpela, the burial cave purchased by Abraham. The Torah portion ends with the death of Joseph and his binding the Israelites to bring his remains with them for burial when they are redeemed from slavery and go to the land of Israel. Thus ends the book of Genesis!

* * *

Dvar Torah

based on Love Your Neighbor by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

The Torah states:

"And the days of Israel (Jacob) drew near to die; and he called his son Joseph, and said to him: If now I have found favor in your eyes, please ... deal with me kindly and truly; bury me not in Egypt." (Genesis 47:29).

What does the phrase "kindly and truly" come to teach us?

Rashi enlightens us as to the meaning of "kindly and truly." Kindness which is shown to the dead is true kindness, for one who does chesed (kindness) for a dead person certainly does not look forward to any payment. When someone does something for another person so that the person will in turn do him favors, the action cannot be considered true kindness. Rather, it is a form of bartering in which the merchandise is not objects, but favors.

When Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin was seven years old, there was a severe famine in Lithuania. Poor people wandered from village to village in search of food. Many of them flocked to the home of Rav Moshe's mother, who readily cooked and baked for them. Once a very large number of the poor came to her home and she had to cook for them in shifts.

When some individuals grew impatient and insulted her, she began to cry, since she felt that she was doing her utmost for them. Her young son, the future Rabbi of Kobrin, said to her, "Why should their insults trouble you? Don't their insults help you perform the mitzvah with sincerity? If they had praised you, your merit would be less, since you might be doing the kindness to gain their praise, rather than to fulfill the Almighty's command."

January 13

(or go to http://www.aish.com/sh/c/) Jerusalem 4:21

Guatemala 5:33 - Hong Kong 5:41 - Honolulu 5:51

J'Burg 6:47 - London 4:00 - Los Angeles 4:47

Melbourne 8:27 - Mexico City 6:00 - Miami 5:32

New York 4:33 - Singapore 6:57 - Toronto 4:46 Two signs of a good person:

giving and forgiving





Evelyn Framer In Loving Memory of Paul, Meri, Lexi & Parker Zidel

The entire Framer &

Cohen Family

Samuel N. Goldstein

Shmuel ben Rachmiel Lieb In Loving Memory of by Harold Goldstein



Fima Falic

Chaim ben Dov HaCohen In Loving Memory of The Falic Family

Anita Karl In Loving Memory of Drs. Robert & Nilza Karl

Daniel, Lara and Kevin
January 13, 2017

Naguib Sawiris, an Egyptian telecom tycoon and founder of the Free Egyptians Party, replied on Twitter on Dec. 31 to a comment by one of his followers wondering whether the state had nationalized the opposition party as if it were an economic enterprise. His response: "Well said!"

The exchange comes in the wake of the internal disputes that shook the party in recent days. With 65 members of parliament, the Free Egyptians Party is the largest party in the Egyptian parliament.

On Dec. 31, Essam Khalil, the president of the Free Egyptians Party, held a press conference announcing the approval by the party's General Conference members of amendments to the bylaws and the dissolution of the Board of Trustees, which is deemed the supreme authority of the party. This would overthrow Sawiris, one of the largest party sponsors and a prominent member of its Board of Trustees.

Sawiris saw this procedure and the state's nationalization of the party as illegal. On his Twitter account on Dec. 31, he wrote, "Do not be sad when time has betrayed you because dogs have always danced on the bodies of lions. Do not think their dance gives them power, for dogs stay dogs and lions stay lions."

In another tweet, Sawiris stated that he will resort to justice, saying, "Now we will have to resort to the courts  unless the judiciary also has been nationalized."

In a third tweet, he said, "Everyone knows that I withdrew quietly since I felt a general disapproval. I am baffled and suspicious as to why the battle is being waged inside the party and about its timing and purpose."

The conflict within the ranks of the Free Egyptians Party made its way to the courts. Lawyer Raji Suleiman, who represents the Board of Trustees, announced in a Jan. 10 press statement that a memorandum was submitted to the Political Parties Affairs Committee and a lawsuit was filed to prove the invalidity of the decision to dissolve the Board of Trustees.

On the same day, Nasr al-Qaffas, a member of the party's political bureau, announced in a press statement that preparations are underway for internal elections in March to elect a new president and 50 members of the supreme body. Qaffas noted that following these elections, businessmen other than Sawiris will join the party and help with restructuring efforts.

A battle of heated statements broke out between the partys Board of Trustees on the one hand and its president and parliamentary bloc on the other. In a statement issued on Dec. 31, the Board of Trustees described what happened as a coup, while the opposing side issued a statement on Jan. 1 denouncing the guardianship exercised over the party, asserting that the party is not a company owned by businessmen.

Qaffas revealed in media statements to Egyptian news website Parlmany that Khalil assured Sawiris that the party would be supportive of all of the state's sound decisions and would oppose any flawed decisions, but Sawiris wanted the party to be a fierce opposition party and refused its merger with the Support Egypt coalition, known for its unwavering support to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

He added that Khalil had raised Sawiris' proposal before the party's supreme body, political bureau and parliamentary bloc and all of them refused Sawiris' position.

He also noted that the dispute between Khalil and Sawiris had been boiling up for more than three months when Sawiris started feeling that the Free Egyptians Party was becoming closer to the state, while he wished the party to remain an opposition party. Indeed, the Free Egyptians Party cooperated and coordinated efforts with the Support Egypt coalition and agreed on the controversial Value Added Tax law and Civil Service law, despite the opposition's refusal of these laws.

In press statements, Ahmed Samer, a member of the Free Egyptians Party supreme authority, told Egyptian news website Aswatmasriya that the internal dispute erupted back in March 2016 after Sawiris stopped financing the party to express his dissatisfaction with the party's parliamentary performance and political rhetoric.

Samer noted that Khalil secured the party's financing from March 2016 until the beginning of December 2016, pointing out that after this period a new financier emerged, whom he did not name. He explained that this strengthened the president's position and pushed him to hold a general conference announcing amendments without obtaining the approval of the Board of Trustees.

In a televised interview on Jan. 1 on Sada al-Balad's talk show Ala Masouliyaty hosted by Ahmed Moussa, Khalil attacked Sawiris saying, "Naguib Sawiris and the Board of Trustees treated members of the Free Egyptians Party like a slave." He also said that the dissolved Board of Trustees is similar to the specimen of the Guidance Office of the Muslim Brotherhood and the political regime in Iran.

For his part, human rights lawyer Negad El Borai commented Dec. 31 on Twitter on the crisis in the Free Egyptians Party, writing, "What happened within the Free Egyptians Party confirms that political life is facing a wave of nationalization, just like what happened to media outlets. We should not let this happen."

Tarek Fahmy, a political science professor at Cairo University, told Al-Monitor, "The state has nothing to do with what happened in the Free Egyptians Party. This is an internal crisis between the party's founder and spiritual leader Naguib Sawiris on one hand and the party's President Essam Khalil and a number of party leaders on the other hand, as a result of Sawiris' dominance over the party."

He added, "In any internal partisan dispute, the conflicting parties always accuse each other of being a state's agent without relying on any documents and evidence. If Sawiris has evidence to prove his accusations, he should resort to the concerned authorities instead of launching unfounded accusations."

On the political future of the Free Egyptians Party, Fahmy said, "The crisis will negatively affect the party's performance at the [next] municipal elections, that have yet to be scheduled, as well as the performance of its parliamentary body in the parliament, since internal disputes evolved dramatically and accusations were leveled between the conflicting parties openly before the media."

He ruled out any possibility of reconciliation, as the conflicting parties could not agree on a figure to play the role of mediator to end the crisis, which has reached its peak on all media platforms.

After the overthrow of Sawiris, talks are being heard about changing the party's performance in the parliament to become a supporter of the state and the government. Many are betting that the coming period will witness further cooperation between the Free Egyptians Party and the Support Egypt coalition, to the point of a merger between the two entities. This will only be revealed in the coming period after the departure of Sawiris, who was the obstacle to such a move.
January 13, 2017

Amid fears of interference by neighboring countries in determining the future of Iraqi territory being liberated from the Islamic State (IS), Baghdad has launched an intensive diplomatic effort to improve and cement relations with states in the region.

The political map in Iraq in the post-IS era is yet to be shaped. Will Iraq remain unified based on a political system of partnership between the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds? Will the Sunni areas be granted some sort of autonomous rule similar to the Kurdistan Region model, or will the country head toward division and secession by Sunnis and Kurdish areas? Such fears prompted Baghdad to launch a diplomatic offensive to build strategic relations with neighboring states to deter them from taking actions supportive of the inclination toward separation and division in the liberated areas.

In this regard, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met Jan. 9 in Baghdad with his Jordanian counterpart, Hani al-Mulki, and other members of a delegation that included Jordan's ministers of energy and mineral resources, media, finance, trade and supply, agriculture, industry and transport.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed Hussain al-Momani said in a press statement that the two sides would discuss ways to resume work on joint projects that had been approved earlier, primarily the oil and gas pipeline project from Basra to the port of Aqaba. The pipeline project is of great strategic significance, linking Jordanian interests to a unified Iraq and making the specter of partition something to avoid. The oil lies under the predominantly Shiite south but must be transported through predominantly Sunni Anbar province.

In December 2016, numerous Iraqi officials visited Amman to call on the kingdom to take an active role in supporting a unified Iraq as part of its planned national reconciliation project for the post-IS period. Ammar al-Hakim, the head of the National Iraqi Alliance, visited Dec. 7 and shortly thereafter several Sunni leaders did the same, including parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri; Osama al-Nujaifi, the head of the Mutahidoun bloc; and Saleh al-Mutlaq, the head of the Arab coalition.

In the same vein, there has been a clear effort at rapprochement between Turkey and Iraq, after an escalation of hostile rhetoric between the two sides in the last months of 2016 over Turkish troops on Iraqi soil, ostensibly to train Kurdish and Arab fighters for the battle against IS in Mosul. On Jan. 7, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim visited Baghdad and met with Abadi and President Fuad Massum and Jabouri.

Abadi and Yildirim held a joint press conference in which the latter confirmed Turkish support for Iraq's unity. We will not allow any action threatening Iraqs sovereignty and territorial integrity, Yildirim said. For his part, Abadi said, Iraqs request for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Bashiqa was agreed.

These conciliatory actions reflect the two countries need to expand economic relations, as both Iraq and Turkey face economic crises with the potential to lead to social crises. They also share an interest in fighting terrorist and other armed groups, which have become of particular concern in Turkey.

IS has been conducting random operations in different countries, including Turkey, as its caliphate project shrinks under intense attack, and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has established a prominent presence in Sinjar, in Iraq's Ninevah province. It is therefore in the interest of both Baghdad and Ankara to advance a unified Iraq capable of preventing the spread of terrorist groups from Iraqi territories to neighboring countries.

Al-Monitor learned from a source in Iraqi intelligence who requested anonymity that the recent rapprochement between Iraq and Turkey was the result of ongoing efforts by the intelligence apparatus to resolve disputes between the two countries behind the scenes with Abadi's support and guidance.

The source said that efforts are also being made for a rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, which in October 2016 withdrew Ambassador Thamer Sabhan, the first Saudi ambassador to Iraq since 2003, after Iraq demanded he be replaced because of overstepping the limits of diplomatic representation, according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. Riyadh has yet to appoint a new ambassador.

US Ambassador to Baghdad Douglas Solomon said Dec. 21 that Saudi Arabia desires to improve bilateral relations with Iraq, following a meeting with Abdul Aziz al-Shammari, Saudi Arabia's charge d'affaires in Iraq. Solomon, who served as a former ambassador to Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey, said that many politicians in these countries are keen on stabilizing the situation in Iraq.

There is no doubt that cementing relations at the political and economic levels with Iraqs neighbors would directly contribute to improving the situation in the post-IS period. It all, however, boils down to the Iraqi governments ability to do so successfully. The pertinent issue is whether the Iraqi government will continue down this path or embark on a new chapter in the opposite direction.
On Jan. 12, 1969  the same day the New York Jets beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl IV  U.S. Defense Secretary Melvin Laird gave the dedication address for the new high school in my hometown of Marshfield.

If you never knew Mel Laird and the name is unfamiliar to you he was a Wisconsin state senator, a congressman from the 7th District, Secretary of Defense, counselor to Richard Nixon and a behind-the-scenes advisor to President Ford. He was also a Marshfield resident and a member of Marshfield High Schools Class of 1939.

Mel died Nov. 16 in Fort Myers, Fla., at the age of 94. He was the last surviving member elected to Congress in either the 1952 or 1954 elections.

Though bigger than Chippewa Falls and Lake Hallie, Marshfield is a small town. When you live in a small town you know a lot of people and their families. The Laird family lived around the corner from my aunt. Mels father was a Presbyterian minister and Mel attended the same Presbyterian church my family attended. Mel graduated with my cousin and I knew Mel, his wife, his children and his mother.

About here you are thinking, Well, all of this is nice, but I dont remember Mel Laird and he is too old to have done anything to change my life. Well, bunkey, a couple of his accomplishments affected every man, woman and child in the United States.

He got us out of the Vietnam War by pushing Dick Nixon to get us out.

He was the architect of ending the draft and creating the all-volunteer army.

For you folks who dont like protests and believe that all protestors should end up in jail or prison, you did not live through the Vietnam War protest movement. Most people have long ago forgotten that the Vietnam War was fought by minority kids, poor familys kids and those kids who could not avoid the draft or get to Canada. The end of the draft and the creation of the all-volunteer army was a gift to the nation and to my generation.

From that gift created our current veterans problems and constant deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. When it is someone elses kid or a volunteer being shipped overseas time and time again while everyone else lives a comfortable life, war loses its meaning. When that meaning is lost, our kids and grandkids become pawns in power-hungry peoples minds.

Also lets admit it once and for all, we love military personnel on Facebook, but we dont step up to the plate to offer to pay for their costs or their needs. And lets admit to one other truth to ourselves: that if there was a draft and it was our kids and grandkids being shipped overseas, our current 15-year war would have been over long ago. It may have in fact never been started.

After his years of public service, Mel went on to be a senior counselor to the Readers Digest and lived a quiet life. He became active in working with the Marshfield Clinic to establish what is known as the Laird Center for Medical Research. Part of the Laird Center is the National Farm Medicine Center and National Childrens Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety.

Mel Laird always remembered where he came from and what he stood for.

He was also the last of a breed. He was a moderate Republican whose values crossed party lines. Though he was a conservative Republican, he reached out to Democrats to create incentives for medical research and what has come to be known as health maintenance organizations. He was replaced in Congress by liberal Democrat David Obey.

My hometown of Marshfield was known for railroads, lumbering, the making of boots and shoes, the Marshfield Clinic and St. Josephs Hospital  and it still is. In those ways, Marshfield parallels Chippewa Falls. The names Roddis, Conner, Upham, and of course Laird all are found in the history of Wisconsin and are the foundation of my hometown.

Mel Laird is gone now. Hopefully his legacy will endure. In the nations darkest days he provided a sense of humanity and the best of Wisconsins ideals.

Looking around the political landscape today there is no one I see that can compare to him. His loss is truly our loss.

Mel Laird was also the last of a breed. He was a moderate Republican whose values crossed party lines.
January 13, 2017

In the midst of a controversial constitutional amendment process and the possibility of another election or referendum approaching, Turkey is making drastic changes to its citizenship laws without any public debate or parliamentary oversight.

On Jan. 6, another round of legislative decrees was introduced with the sole approval of the president and his Cabinet. Decree No. 680 stipulates that individuals who are under investigation from one of eight different articles of the Turkish penal code could be stripped of their citizenship if they fail to return to Turkey in 90 days. Pro-Justice and Development Party (AKP) newspapers reported this news with jubilation, focusing exclusively on members of the Gulen organization.

However, the idea of stripping people of Turkish citizenship has been on Erdogans mind since before the attempted coup in July. For example, in April, Erdogan said, We are determined to take all precautions including stripping the supporters of terror organizations from [Turkish] citizenship. Finally, it is now the law in Turkey.

Indeed, this is the reincarnation of a decree from the 1980 coup era. In 2009, it was the AKP that had abolished it. Because of the 1980 law, 14,000 dissidents lost citizenship. Ironically, in 2011, Erdogan extended an invitation to all the victims of the 1980 decree, asking them to return home.

A prominent law professor, who asked to remain anonymous, told Al-Monitor, Here the key issue is that this is only an investigation, and in Turkey under emergency law, hundreds of thousands of citizens are being investigated. This is enough to order someone to return to Turkey or lose citizenship rights. In addition, some of these penal codes are rather vague. One mentioned possible offenses against the state, and the other against the constitution. These can be interpreted quite broadly. Anyone living abroad who is critical of the Erdogan administration has more reason to fear now.

Ayhan Bilgen, the spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party and a member of the parliamentarian commission on human rights, told Al-Monitor, To limit citizenship rights arbitrarily or use them as a tool to pressure or threaten individuals is a sign that a country is moving away from the rule of law. In Turkey, we are used to military coup administrations utilizing such methods. We must also caution that high numbers of academics and journalists are under threat with this law. If this is applied to individuals who are clearly not involved with the coup attempt, then we can conclude the purpose of the law is not to punish the putschists.

Diren Cevahir Sen, an attorney and activist, explained to Al-Monitor that this law is an extension of the witch hunt. If you are not an AKP supporter, then you could be labeled a terrorist. The government has turned the coup attempt into a pretext to silence all critics, particularly Kurds and socialists.

Fatih Yasli, an academic and a prominent columnist for BirGun Daily, has authored several books on the AKP and right-wing movements, including nationalism and Islamism in Turkey. His book AKP, [Gulen] Organization, and Sunni-Nation elaborates in detail on the establishment of a new regime in Turkey. Yasli told Al-Monitor that given what has happened so far since the coup attempt, the law of stripping one from citizenship could be used against anyone who is abroad. It is a blanket legislation that could generate a high number of victims due to haphazard judicial proceedings.

On the day of the legislative degree to strip citizenship of Turks, Erdogan announced that the Interior Ministry has started the process of granting citizenship to Iraqi and Syrian refugees. He said, There are highly qualified people among them; there are engineers, lawyers, doctors. Let's make use of that talent.  Instead of letting them work illegally here and there, let's give them the chance to work as citizens like the children of this nation.

Indeed, Erdogan has been talking about this issue for months. However, public opinion in Turkey has been persistently negative on accepting Syrian and other refugees as permanent residents in the country. Every time Erdogan brings up the issue, hashtags that translate to I do not want Syrians in my country become a trending topic on social media. While Turks were happy to welcome Syrian civilians as guests initially, over the last six years with the increasing rate of crime, terror activities and unemployment, anti-Arab sentiment in Turkey rose. Who among these refugees will be eligible for citizenship and what kind of integration policies will be introduced are not yet clear. In the meantime, several social media users shared the new law with the headline AKP markets Turkey with photos of Arabic advertisements selling homes in Trabzon province on the Black Sea coast.

Yasli has observed the growing anti-Syrian sentiment among the working class as strong. He said, As undocumented migrants work for lower pay, this generates resentment among the poorest in the society. Ultranationalism is gaining strength. Both Yasli and Bilgen expressed their concerns about overwhelmingly Sunni Syrians being relocated in Kurdish and Alevi towns that have been destroyed by the recent conflict in southeastern Turkey. Bilgen highlighted that relocating Kurds coupled with the settlement and naturalization of Sunni Arabs is a way for the AKP to generate a new voter base in Kurdish areas.

Although Erdogan has been using the Syrian refugees as a bargaining chip with the European Union, the immediate effects of taking in the refugees are felt in Turkey. Particularly after the Reina attack, which showcased the possibility of foreign jihadi fighters settling in Turkey with their families, Turks are even more suspicious of foreigners. Plus, Turkish citizens fear that prompt naturalization of refugees who do not even have formal refugee status in Turkey would cause integration issues and make foreign travel with a Turkish passport all the more challenging. Erdogans decision in a way has dashed the last ounces of hope for visa-free travel to the EU for Turkish passport holders.

Sen wondered how much Turkish citizenship would help the refugees or contribute to the efforts of ending the civil war in Syria. She asked, Should we not assume they would want to return home once the war is over?

While the Turkish public was trying to figure all this out, on Jan. 12, the Official Gazette announced that foreigners who meet one of the following conditions will be able to acquire citizenship in Turkey: purchase property worth at least $1 million, invest $2 million or employ 100 people in Turkey. Alternatively, one could deposit $3 million in a bank in the country or purchase state bonds equaling that amount to acquire Turkish citizenship. This law generated the headline Turkish citizenship for sale in a few opposition news outlets, some of them representing ultranationalist groups. Another interesting fact is there are several European countries, such as Malta, Spain and Portugal, where one could acquire citizenship for much less money than Turkey. However, these countries have a quota for investment citizenship opportunities. Most of them have not been able to meet the quota. So who would spend more for a Turkish citizenship rather than an EU passport through this process? One cannot help but wonder if it will be preferred by those engaged in large-scale money laundering and other possible illicit crime networks since Turkish laws no longer question those entering the country with suitcases full of cash.

In less than a weeks time, the Turkish government has announced crucial laws that redefine Turkish citizenship. These regulations established during the extended state of emergency, without any say from the Turkish parliament, will have long-lasting effects on identity politics of the country and have economic and cultural consequences.
January 13, 2017

The Reina nightclub attack in Istanbul in the first hours of the new year led to a flurry of speculation on the identity of the attacker, who managed to escape and is still on the run.

The alleged attacker, who killed 39 people and wounded 68, initially was identified as a Uighur Turk and then as Kirghiz. The latest reports from security sources, however, identified him as an Uzbek national of Tajik origin named Abdulkadir Masharipov who uses the Islamic State (IS) alias Abu Mohammed Khorasani.

Masharipov did not have a residence permit and was not registered in the compulsory address notification system, but he has been living on and off in Turkey since 2011. Turkish security services trying to track him down said he could still be in Turkey, or he might have escaped to the Greek islands in the Aegean sea or gone back to Syria. Naturally, investigations are focusing on his connections in Turkey, his movements since 2011 and how long he stayed in countries abroad.

As an analyst monitoring IS activities and armed operations since the first one in Turkey  at Nigde on March 20, 2014  I have noticed an unexpected development. The Reina attack marks the first time an intense debate has raged through Turkish public opinion about the identity of an attacker. There are two reasons: First, the nightclub attack triggered disagreements about lifestyles in Turkey. Second, it coincided with the peak of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's efforts to create a "grand national front" by consolidating the Justice and Development Party base with nationalist segments in Turkey.

Following successful operations by Turkish security forces to eradicate IS-directed local networks in places like Adiyaman, Diyarbakir and Bingol, a June 28 attack at Ataturk Airport showed us that IS has resorted to mobilizing foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) from Central Asia and Chinas Xinjiang Uighur region, who can be very difficult to track and apprehend.

Now we have a "ghost" FTF called Masharipov on our hands and we know nothing about his fate. Reports around this ghost have put the subject of these FTFs on the public agenda. People are worried that these illegals, totaling tens of thousands, have created a social habitat that allows them to easily conceal themselves, plan and carry out operations, and disappear.

There are three types of Central Asian and Uighur refugees in Turkey. First are those who entered Turkey legally with their passports, obtained residence permits and registered with the address monitoring system.

The second are the extremely mobile ones who entered Turkey legally, but did not obtain residence permits and did not register and are therefore without a permanent residence. They travel with ease on buses anywhere in Turkey. The police are now devising a system to control their movements.

Finally, there are those who entered Turkey illegally, do not have residence permits and are not registered. This is the most dangerous category, and it alone may have tens of thousands of members. We have seen how Masharipov, an FTF, was able to move easily between Turkey and Syria without any documents.

According to reports, as New Year's Eve celebrations were taking place, Masharipov got in a taxi at around 12:30 a.m. in Istanbuls Zeytinburnu district. Zeytinburnu is renowned for its leather and textile workshops and has a registered population of 300,000, but it now hosts far more than 400,000 people because of refugees, particularly from Central Asia and Xinjiang. After the attack at Reina, at about 2 a.m., he returned to Zeytinburnu by taxi. It is interesting to note that last year at a Uighur nongovernmental organization gathering, Masharipov voiced IS propaganda and spoke against Erdogan. He was kicked out. So Masharipov is known in Zeytinburnu.

After collecting available information, Al-Monitor went to Zeytinburnu to track down Masharipov. The first thing we were told was how the police had uncovered Masharipov's Zeytinburnu connections and had raided many addresses in the district and detained 17 people.

S.D., a Uighur Turk who runs a restaurant in Zeytinburnu, spoke to Al-Monitor. He said police had shown him a photo of the attacker and asked if he knew him. Seven people working in his restaurant were detained. He added, When we escaped from the torment in East Turkistan, the only country that opened its doors to us was Turkey. We will be terribly saddened if the attacker turns out to be a Uighur Turk. I condemn those who hurt this country.

Elected local leaders (mukhtars) who are responsible for the back streets of Nuri Pasa and Telsiz neighborhoods, admit they can't keep track of the highly mobile refugees. One mukhtar who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said, The state has been able to bring daily and weekly accommodation rentals under control. But these illegal refugees adapt very quickly to wherever they go. They only deal with people they know. For example, one of them rents a large shop. He then divides it into rooms in one day and turns it into a motel shared by five to six families. They make good money from this.

Another man told us about the address registration system: Some refugees with enough money easily buy a flat or a shop and thus obtain a residence permit. But they dont want to register their permanent addresses because most of them are people with criminal and legal problems. Then it becomes a problem to determine who was involved in what crime, when and how.

M.T., a leather merchant in East Turkistan whose father immigrated to Turkey in 1952, also spoke to Al-Monitor. New refugees rent plenty of houses and shops. There is a restaurant or cafe on every corner, although they have no customers. Where do they get that money? How do they survive? he said.

T.C., who has been living in Turkey for 30 years, said, There has been a major transformation in Zeytinburnu over the last three years. The population is changing, and there is also intensive urban transformation. There are plenty of illegal workers, given the preponderance of leather and textile workshops. We dont know who comes here anymore. There are 10 flats in my building. At least one of [the tenants] moves out every couple of months.

The conclusion is that Zeytinburnu has become a chaotic habitat where FTFs easily come and find cover among tens of thousands of illegal refugee families, where residents are highly mobile and cheap labor is available. Address registration is still not fully operational and planned "neighborhood watches" have not been set up.

Another major problem on the horizon is that such neighborhoods are becoming attractive to Central Asian and Uighur FTFs with their families, since they are losing their options to live in Iraq and Syria.

According to a report issued by the International Crisis Group in January 2015, there are 2,000- 4,000 FTFs from Central Asian countries who have joined IS.

Since the beginning of 2014, these FTFs have settled mainly in the Syrian cities of Jarablus, Raqqa and Idlib to join jihadi groups. These fighters who move around with their families are called "Devotees of Death" by Syrians and Iraqis in IS. This may also explain why these poor and poorly educated FTFs, who have no means of returning to their countries, are now the FTFs carrying out most suicide operations.

Hilmi Demir, a professor at Hitit University and a leading expert on Salafism in Central Asia, told Al-Monitor that as of 2017, the main threat facing Turkey is not local networks, but IS networks made up of Central Asian and Uighur FTFs.

He said, "These FTFs, who used to go to Syria and Iraq to join IS and extreme Salafist groups like [Jabhat Fatah al-Sham], are finding it increasingly difficult to survive in Iraq and Syria. Moreover, Russia, because of its major military presence in Syria, is the worst enemy of FTFs from Central Asia, Russian republics and the Uighur region. I am sure Russia will never allow them to return to Central Asia and the Russian environment. They are badly cornered.

Demir added, I detect an extremely dangerous operational strategy. IS follows Turkish society very closely and identifies its fault lines. Attacks carried out by Central Asians could endanger the domestic cohesion in the country and our relations with Russia.

Russians are perfectly aware that within two to three years, this threat could spill over to Central Asia, Uighur regions and Russia.

In the meantime, though, as we see from Istanbuls Zeytinburnu example, Turkey offers the perfect opportunity for these FTFs to settle down and disappear.

Unfortunately, the worst mistake Turkey makes in struggling against extremist Salafist radicalism is still perceiving it as purely a security issue and thinking it can be tackled with military measures, instead of developing an integrated and comprehensive strategy to cope with IS and extremist Salafism.
A volunteer fire chief died Friday in a three-vehicle wreck in Calhoun County.

Alabama State Troopers said Tracy Oglesby Sanders, 44, of Lincoln, was killed when the 2008 Ford F-250 she was driving was struck by a 2009 Peterbilt tractor-trailer on Alabama Highway 77 at 1:20 p.m. The crash occurred one mile south of Ohatchee.

Sanders, who was identified as the chief of the Mount Olive Volunteer Fire Department by the Anniston Star, was taken to Regional Medical Center where she later died. The tractor-trailer driver Zendell Ellis King, 57, of Arab, was not injured. A third person who was driving a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu was also uninjured.

No more details about the accident were released as troopers continue to investigate
A man and a woman were killed in an early Saturday morning traffic crash near Warrior.

Donald Lee Turner, 22, of Warrior was killed when the 1994 Honda Civic he was driving left the roadway on Skyline Drive and overturned, according to Alabama state troopers. Turner was partially ejected and died at the scene.

A passenger in the vehicle, Alyssa Victoria Carroll, 22, of Birmingham was partially ejected and also died at the scene.

A third passenger, Joseph Allen Buchanan, 23, of Mount Olive, was injured and transported to UAB Hospital.

According to troopers, none of the occupants of the Honda were using their seat belts.

The crash occurred at around 3:30 a.m. about five miles north of Warrior.

Troopers continue to investigate.
Two University of Alabama students reported they were raped, by two separate young men, early today.

The first incident happened at 2:50 a.m. in the 500 block of Frank Thomas Avenue. Tuscaloosa police and investigators with the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit responded to the apartment of the 19-year-student. She told them she had been out to the bars and returned home about 12:30 a.m., said Capt. Gary Hood.

The victim told investigators she woke up to find the suspect in her bed making sexual advances toward her. Initially, she said, she thought it was a friend with whom she recently had sex and told him several times to stop.

The suspect would not stop, Hood said, and when the victim saw him and realized it was another acquaintance of hers, she pushed him away and yelled for help. Her roommate then called 911.

Hood said the suspect left the apartment, but then returned while police was there. Investigators took 19-year-old Luke Thomas DuBose, also a University of Alabama student, into custody and, after questioning other witnesses at the home, charged him with first-degree rape. He remains in the Tuscaloosa County Jail with bond set at $45,000.

At 4:20 a.m., lawmen responded to the DCH Regional Medical Center on a report of another sexual assault. The victim, an 18-year-old UA student, said she came home from a party and was heavily intoxicated.

She said she had gone back to her apartment with her friends and some males. She said she was getting ready to go to sleep on the couch when one of the men, who was on the living room floor, began to give her a foot massage. He then forced himself on her, she told investigators.

The 20-year-old suspect, who is not a student, was located by investigators and questioned. He denied having sexual intercourse with the victim, Hood said.

The investigation is ongoing, and no charges have yet been filed in that case.

In November, Hood reported that his unit had investigated 106 sexual assault crimes - 27 of those from University of Alabama students, and another of a UA staff member. Of those 27, only two have resulted in an arrest. Many have been unfounded, or investigators were not able to obtain enough information and evidence to secure a warrant.

One of those included the November attack of a UA student followed home and then raped at gunpoint. That attack happened in the 1200 block of Convent Street.

Hood said the 19-year-old student told investigators she walked back to her apartment from The Strip area at approximately 1:45 am. Shortly after returning home, an unknown black male walked into her apartment and sexually assaulted her. The victim told authorities the assailant threatened her with a firearm during the incident.

Investigators have called the attacker in that case a sexual predator and have not yet made any arrests.
staton dormitory by julie bennett in 2013.JPG

A dorm in Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore County is shown in September 2013. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

( )

Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn took the stand today in a federal lawsuit challenging the adequacy of mental health care in Alabama prisons.

Inmates and their advocates allege in the lawsuit that the care does not meet constitutional standards.

Dunn will return to the stand on Saturday morning before U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, who began hearing testimony in the non-jury trial on Dec. 5.

Part of Dunn's testimony today concerned inmate suicides. Jamie Wallace, the first inmate to testify in the case, was found hanging in his cell on Dec. 15.

After Wallace's suicide, the plaintiffs asked for an emergency order to increase the supervision of suicidal inmates, citing 12 suicides in the last year.

On Thursday, Thompson approved an interim agreement requiring constant observation of inmates on suicide watch, minimum staffing of mental health professionals, follow-up care for inmates released from suicide watch and other new requirements to reduce the risk of suicides.

Earlier trial testimony had shown that not all acutely suicidal inmates were under constant watch, even though that is a national standard, according to the plaintiffs' request for an emergency order.

Dunn testified that he was not aware of the constant watch procedure until after Wallace's suicide but that it was implemented shortly after.

Dunn testified that he had watched Wallace's testimony in court and was affected by the news of his suicide.

"I think we all were affected," Dunn said.

As of September, DOC had 23,328 inmates in prisons designed for 13,318, according to its statistical report for that month.

Dunn said the ability to provide mental health care is affected by overcrowding and by a shortage of correctional staff.

Dunn was asked if he thinks DOC needs more money allocated to mental health care.

He said he believed DOC had been underfunded for years in many areas.

DOC pays MHM about $12 million a year to provide mental health care. Dunn testified he did not know how much of that money went to care and how much went to profit for the company.
staton horizontal by julie bennett.JPG

A dorm at Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore County is shown in September 2013.

(Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

Alabama's prison commissioner testified today that he planned to have outside experts evaluate mental health care in prisons because of concerns raised during a federal trial over the quality of care.

Commissioner Jeff Dunn was on the witness stand today for a second day in the non-jury trial before U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson.

The Alabama Department of Corrections provides mental health care through a contractor, MHM Correctional Services, and the contract requires that care to meet constitutional standards.

Dunn said he believed that MHM was fulfilling the terms of the contract before the trial but that the testimony of Associate Commissioner Ruth Naglich raised doubts.

Naglich testified extensively earlier in the trial, which started Dec. 5. Naglich is responsible for overseeing mental health care and medical care for prisoners.

Dunn and Naglich are defendants in the lawsuit.

Dunn said he planned to reach out to experts in the industry for an assessment and take action based on their recommendations. He said he had no timeline when that would be completed.

Inmates represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center and others, and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program filed a lawsuit in 2014 over medical care, mental health care and accommodations for disabled prisoners.

The case was divided, and Thompson is hearing testimony on the mental health claims now.

The lawsuit alleges that the mental health staff is too small and lacks the needed expertise. It alleges that mental illness goes untreated and under-treated and that inmates suffer because of the inadequate care, in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

Dunn was called as a witness by the plaintiffs on Friday and was questioned by the attorneys defending him today.

Dunn testified that he had met with MHM staff and was impressed with what he believed was their commitment to providing the best care they could.

Dunn said he relied mainly on Naglich to make sure MHM was doing its job.

The judge asked Dunn if he asked Naglich for written reports about mental health care and about how whether MHM was fulfilling the terms of its contract before the contract was extended last year. Dunn said he did not.

Gov. Robert Bentley hired Dunn in April 2015 to take over a system that has been hounded for decades by overcrowding and under-staffing.

Dunn, who took the job upon his retirement as an Air Force colonel and with no background in corrections, said he spent seven months meeting with top staff, other employees and inmates and touring facilities.

Last year, he and Bentley proposed the Alabama Prison Transformation Initiative, a plan to borrow $800 million to build three new men's prisons, close most of the existing ones, and replace Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women.

Dunn gave an overview of the plan in court today. Dunn said overcrowding and understaffing are root causes of other problems in the prisons and that the modern facilities would allow better rehabilitation programs to help keep inmates from returning to prison.

The plan did not pass the Legislature last year, but Bentley has said he would bring it back this year.

Thompson asked Dunn how the plan would affect mental health care and spending on mental health care.

Dunn said the plan did not specifically address mental health care, but said treatment and medical care could be improved with modern facilities.

Plaintiffs attorney William Somerville noted that the plan included a projected 10 percent reduction in health care spending.

Dunn said he believed that consolidation of medical facilities would result in savings, as well as a declining inmate population.

The prison population in September was 23,328, about 1,000 less than a year earlier. The Legislature has passed sentencing guidelines and reforms intended, in part, to gradually reduce the number of inmates.

Dunn said there were no plans to cut mental health spending.

As for staffing, Dunn said the DOC has stepped up recruiting efforts but that it's gotten increasingly hard to attract corrections officer applicants.

Dunn said it would be three years before the first new prison opened if the Legislature approved the plan.

The first witness to testify in the case back on Dec. 5, mentally ill inmate Jamie Wallace, hanged himself in a cell at Bullock Correctional Facility on Dec. 15 after being taken off suicide watch.

Wallace had testified about what he said was staff's indifference to his repeated acts of self-harm. Lawyers for the state had sought to show his testimony was not credible.

In response to Wallace's suicide, the plaintiffs filed an emergency motion, blaming the death on the failure to provide "minimal, constitutionally mandated care."

Thompson approved an interim agreement requiring new suicide prevention measures, including constant observation of inmates on suicide watch.

Today, Dunn testified about steps he took after Wallace's suicide, including a visit to Bullock to examine the cell and a call to an MHM executive to make sure the constant observation of suicidal inmates was started immediately.

In court today, the plaintiffs showed a chart listing about 10 other inmates who have committed suicide in Alabama prisons since Sept. 2015.

Somerville asked Dunn if he visited the prisons where those suicides happened after the incidents. Dunn said he did not.

Somerville said he was trying to show a pattern that previous suicides have not produced the response that Wallace's did.

Dunn concluded his testimony early this afternoon.

The trial was originally expected to last about eight weeks, but has moved more slowly than expected.

Because of the slow pace, Thompson heard testimony today and will hear testimony on Monday, MLK Day, as well.
GOLDSBORO, N.C. -- Police in Goldsboro have charged a man already in jail in the shooting death of an airman from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Area media outlets report 36-year-old Bobby Mandrell Williams of Walstonburg is charged with an open count of murder in the death of 32-year-old Airman Ryan Apollo Morgan.

According to a news release, Williams was already in the Greene County jail on unrelated charges when he was served with an arrest warrant. He is jailed without bond, and it's not known if he has an attorney.

Officials at Seymour Johnson said Morgan was from Alabama and had been stationed there since 2013.

Police said Morgan left a restaurant around 2:30 a.m. on July 31, 2016, and was shot in a parking lot as he stood near his truck.
Within a few short months, uniformed rangers from the National Park Service could begin leading tours of Birmingham's Civil Rights landmarks, according to the mayor's office.

It's also possible that the National Park Service will soon install a small interpretive kiosk or other temporary station for visitors in the Birmingham Civil Rights District while a management plan is being drafted, according to the Birmingham mayor's office.

President Barack Obama on Thursday signed a proclamation designating the Birmingham Civil Rights District, the Freedom Riders Park in Anniston and Reconstruction Era sites in coastal South Carolina as national monuments.

"These monuments preserve the vibrant history of the Reconstruction Era and its role in redefining freedom. They tell the important stories of the citizens who helped launch the civil rights movement in Birmingham and the Freedom Riders whose bravery raised national awareness of segregation and violence. These stories are part of our shared history," Obama said in a statement.

According to the proclamation, the creation of a management plan for the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument could take up to three years and will involve a partnership with the city of Birmingham and a series of community meetings.

Birmingham Mayor William Bell said the park service has committed an annual budget of $300,000 to the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

It will take about two years, according to information from his office, for Birmingham to get its own line item in the National Park Service budget.

Bell said he expects the number of visitors to the Civil Rights District to double, if not triple, in the coming years.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute now sees 144,000 visitors annually.

Birmingham Civil Rights is already listed as a national monument on the National Park Service website. The site includes historical information about the Civil Rights Monument, key figures including the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, and directions to downtown Birmingham.

According to the National Park Service, the national monument encompasses roughly four city blocks in downtown Birmingham, including the A.G. Gaston Motel, which served as the headquarters for the Birmingham campaign.

In April and May of 1963, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and leaders of the civil rights movement, stayed at the motel and strategized the non-violent campaign targeting Birmingham's segregation laws and practices. Press conferences and other activities also took place at the motel.

The site also includes the 16th Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, 4th Avenue Historic District and Bethel Baptist Church.

The National Park Service is partnering with the city of Birmingham to restore the A.G. Gaston Motel to its appearance during the Birmingham campaign of 1963. It will be open to visitors once the restoration is complete.

In January 2015, the Birmingham City Council committed $10 million to pay for the restoration of the motel.

That restoration work has already started, according to the mayor's office.

The redevelopment includes exterior restoration of the original 1954 motel, including the 1955 expansion of the restaurant, to the way it looked in 1963, according to the National Park Service. A portion of the interior of the motel will be restored with period furnishings from 1963.

These areas will be used for interpretive purposes, according to the National Park Service.

The additions to the motel made in 1968 will be rehabbed for other uses being considered by the city of Birmingham.

The 16th Street Baptist Church was also recently awarded $500,000 from the National Park Service for preservation efforts.
Sudanese and Eritreans who fled to Israel to escape persecution are finding refugee status nearly impossible to obtain.

Tel Aviv  They have fled war and repression, forced conscription and ethnic cleansing. Yet the vast majority of the estimated 45,000 African asylum seekers in Israel  mostly Eritreans and Sudanese  are not granted refugee status.

Between 2009 and 2013, Israel recognised just 0.15 percent of asylum claims, a rate far lower than in other developed countries.

Israels government argues that the Africans are economic migrants, not refugees. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has labelled asylum seekers as infiltrators who could demographically overwhelm Israels identity as a Jewish state .

However, because international law prohibits the deportation of asylum seekers to countries where they are likely to be persecuted, Israel does not expel them. As a result, many remain stuck in a legal limbo.

The Israeli government, by not assessing individual asylum claims or granting refugee status, effectively bars asylum seekers from work permits, healthcare and welfare services that refugees are entitled to under international law. Without an official status, asylum seekers in Israel can be held without trial for as long as a year in the Holot detention facility.

Asylum seekers and Israeli activists say this treatment is designed to break asylum seekers spirits and pressure them into being voluntarily deported to countries such as Uganda and Rwanda. Although asylum seekers who agree to leave Israel are given $3,500, recent accounts indicate that they rarely find safety in the third country, and are not guaranteed that they will not be deported to their countries of origin.

Since 2013, when Israel completed building a fence between its territory and Egypt, attempts to enter the country illicitly have nearly come to a halt. Nevertheless, Israels strict policy towards asylum seekers remains virtually unchanged.

Three Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers in Israel told their stories to Al Jazeera.

The economics graduate

Shiden, a 29-year-old economics graduate and former high-school business teacher, fled Eritrea because of religious persecution: The denomination of Christianity he practices, Pentecostalism, is illegal in Eritrea.

The countrys government considers followers of this and other unrecognised denominations as foreign agents for western countries. Pentecostals live in constant fear of arrest or of being reported on by their neighbours and colleagues.

They say we betray our country, that we get money from the United States. Most of the followers of the Pentecostal Church in Eritrea are educated people. And if you are educated, the government doesnt want that  that you become strong, with power, Shiden told Al Jazeera. Of course the [Eritrean] government doesnt believe we get money from the US. But they believe that if we have education, we are a risk for its power.

Shiden spent months in Sawa Military Prison after having being found praying with other believers. At that time, there was a shortage of teachers during the exam season, and he was released and deployed to oversee the national exams. Shiden and others in the same situation seized the opportunity and escaped to Sudan.

But when war broke out between the Sudanese government and rebels in what is now South Sudan, they had to flee once again. I thought: The only democratic country in the Middle East is Israel. Maybe there would be a safe haven for us. Lets try to go to Israel. That is what we expected, Shiden said.

After crossing the Sinai Desert on foot, Shiden was shot seven times by Egyptian border guards in late 2011. He was then rescued by the Israeli army. His asylum request has still not been assessed, and he has only a temporary visa that he needs to renew every few months.

Once we entered, the reality was completely different  It is a democracy, but for only a part of the population and for their party.

Shiden now lives in fear of detention and deportation with every amendment to the law regarding asylum seekers. He believes this lack of certainty is aimed at making their lives miserable, to force them to leave. In the meantime, Shiden dreams of returning to Eritrea should political and social changes there allow for it.

I love my country ... It is my destiny. I don't like being a refugee. It is not a matter of choice. by Shiden, asylum seeker

I love my country, because my country will never substitute another country. It is my destiny. I dont like being a refugee. It is not a matter of choice. I have a very beautiful country, and very rich, he said. The people of Eritrea deserve a peaceful solution for our country, and we demand this. We dont want to be refugees, we dont want to be parasites in another country. We need to be able to determine our future for ourselves  If this government [in Eritrea] would be eradicated, I would not sleep another night here.

However, it is not only the government that Shiden fears. When living in Eritrea, Shiden said that he even feared his own family after he converted and began attending secret group prayers. In Israel, he said, other Eritrean asylum seekers discriminate against Pentecostals, too.

They dont like us. You have to hide from sight all the time. But I dont blame the people, because they are very brainwashed. [In Eritrea] we only have one newspaper, one TV network, one radio station. The only source of knowledge is the government. And they broadcast very bad things about us.

The barber

Many Sudanese asylum seekers have escaped repression, imprisonment, genocide or ethnic cleansing at the hands of the government or government-backed militias. Non-Arab African people in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile region make up most of these asylum seekers, and some have fled to Israel.

Walyaldin Suliman, a 33-year-old barber, first left his native Darfur in 2003 to study psychology in Khartoum, Sudans capital. While at university, he became active with the Sudanese opposition through the Independent Students Congress, the student branch of the Sudanese Congress Party.

He left to visit his native village on vacations from university. But during one of these visits, things took a turn for the worse.

In 2005 when I went on a holiday, I found that my village and many others in my area were destroyed. The Janjaweed [a government-backed militia] destroyed the village for the government. The villagers I met took me to a refugee camp and my parents were there. All the people from the villages and my parents still live today in the Gereida Um Zakharat refugee camp, he said.

After graduating in 2009, Suliman said that he wanted to fulfil his national service as a teacher, but the government tried to force him to fight as a soldier against the people of Darfur and the Nuba Mountains. He balked at the idea, and during general elections in 2010, he participated in activities supporting the opposition in Darfur.

In our region the government didnt get any votes there, but they messed with the ballot boxes and won the election. The government then began always following me, and so I decided to flee to Europe, Suliman said.

I travelled to Egypt in 2012, but there was no way to Europe from there, and there was war in Libya. So I decided to go to Israel. When I came to Israel, I was really optimistic, but unfortunately the dream died. The situation was bad  people [refugees] were living in Levinski Park [a park in Tel Aviv] with no food.

Amid this dire situation, Suliman said that he began to speak with members of the media and to organise demonstrations, but nothing seemed to change.

At the end we made a strike, he said. Managers here didnt have workers. All of these refugees work for them in restaurants, hotels, building sites  everywhere. We also held a big demonstration with more than 30,000 people. We protested in a way of peace and democracy; nobody made violence. Still the policy of the government remains; the people are still in Holot [detention centre].

When there is peace in my country, when my country will be free to build a good democracy, I would like to go back. by Walyaldin Suliman, asylum seeker

Now they try to pressure refugees to register and go back, saying this is voluntary deportation, he added. When you arrive in Uganda or Rwanda, they take the Israeli documents away from you and leave you without any document. You only keep your passport with no entry stamp. When immigration catches you, they send you back to your country immediately.

According to Suliman, the Israeli government has forgotten history, turning a blind eye to refugees that need its help.

Many people suffer in the world, like the Jewish people suffered during the Holocaust in Europe  I know many Israeli Jewish Holocaust survivors that support us. Democracy is about respecting each other, but now democracy in Israel is only for the Jewish people, he said.

Suliman said that some of his friends travelled to Europe in 2015 and have since obtained refugee status, while he has continued to languish in Israel. Sometimes he thinks about returning to his home country to fight for freedom, despite the threat that he could get arrested.

If I were in Sudan, I would have finished my doctors degree, he said. I feel very sad I couldnt continue further with my education, but Im always optimistic that one day I will go back and rebuild my country, live with my friends, colleagues and my family. When there is peace in my country, when my country will be free to build a good democracy, I would like to go back.

The newlyweds

When the police came for her in 2009, Ksenet made a quick decision to flee her native Eritrea. She had expressed resistance to conscription in the Eritrean army, and feared being imprisoned, tortured and raped as a result  the fate of many who try to evade mandatory national military service.

Ksenets husband, Awat, has a similar story: After becoming an orphan and being forcibly conscripted, he fled Eritrea at the age of 16.

Ksenet, now 22, and Awat, now 29, met in Israel, fell in love and were married in a traditional Eritrean ceremony. What we have together is really, really great. It is like an anchor in what is a really tough situation. Im always stressed, but at least I know that we are good. It is a relief. We are really happy that we met each other. It would be much harder if we didnt have each other, Awat told Al Jazeera.

Shortly after their wedding, Awat was summoned for a hearing at the Ministry of Interior to determine whether he would be sent to the Holot detention facility for African asylum seekers, even though married men are exempt. The couple gathered all of the necessary documentation for the hearing to prove their marriage.

Other refugees who have gone through a similar process say the interviews are often conducted by officials who use intimidation tactics. Ksenet recalled being interviewed by a group of men who shouted at her; she anxiously bit her nails as they asked about her intimate life with her husband.

From the beginning, the clerk said: Youre not together, I cant believe this is your wife. From the beginning, we felt hostility from the start, Awat said. When I spoke slower, the clerk would bang on the table and order me to speak faster  I sat there for four hours in the room. The questions were really hard and private. It was extremely uncomfortable.

Awat said the official began the interview by saying that he would be sent to Holot regardless, before giving Awat the chance to speak. Awat offered to show his wedding photos, but the official refused.

The thing I'm most frightened about is that he would go to Holot and that I'll be alone. by Ksenet, asylum seeker

In the end, Awat was ordered to be detained for 12 months in Holot. The couple turned to Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, an Israeli NGO, for help.

Although the organisation made repeated attempts to obtain a copy of the interview transcripts, the ministry did not respond. As a result, Hotline filed an appeal with the administrative tribunal, which issued renewed residence permits for both Ksenet and Awat, and froze Awats summons to Holot until a further ruling.

The thing Im most frightened about is that he would go to Holot and that Ill be alone. Ill be by myself and I dont know what I will do, Ksenet said.

Like most asylum seekers in Israel, their status remains uncertain. Awat said the only alternative offered by Israeli authorities was voluntary deportation.

They were always asking, Why dont you go to Rwanda and Uganda? All the meeting they would suggest that, he said. I dont want to go there. I heard about people who went there and the situation is really bad: First they only get a visa for one month, after that they have nothing and so risk prison.
Theres no difference between the average American and Russian; reasonable people are the same everywhere.

Politicians have consultants, speechwriters and other professionals to advise on policymaking, but its definitely not the job of a political cartoonist, which I have been since 1999. There are hundreds of Russian and Soviet scholars in the United States who have read Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov from cover to cover and could be consulted on this matter.

Ive been in this industry for 17 years  you get hooked. I dreamed of visualising political science. Now, it is second nature to me through my work.

Speaking from my experience, I have many friends who decide not to work as political satirists nowadays as many news outlets have grown increasingly hesitant to criticise  or even laugh at  politicians, leading to fewer opportunities for us.

READ MORE: Dear Donald Trump  a letter from Mexico

Last spring, I was debating with my friends. I had foreseen that Donald Trump would become the president. I believe in the theory of the historical pendulum  swinging back and forth. I thought it would be logical that after two terms of a Democratic president, it was time for a Republican.

Im expecting normal and adequate policymaking, as it was during the reign of Ronald Reagan or the Bush eras [of George W and Bush Senior].

Different decisions were [taken by the White House] then, although the political vectors were also very different.

But here we are, with the hawks in charge. I think that the aggressive foreign policy that the US has been advocating in the Middle East and [former] Yugoslavia has created too many negative sentiments among Russians towards the US.

WATCH: How will a Trump presidency affect sanctions on Russia?

I think that its important for Vladimir Putin to foster an atmosphere in which he can re-establish positive relations with Western leaders without losing face, and perhaps Donald Trump is presenting this opportunity.

I think that the president should have good instincts when choosing his people, to create a team of professionals who will do their job accurately. He should be careful when choosing his advisers.

Donald Trump has to get rid of the populist rhetoric and the sort of bluster that some say won him the presidential campaign and become more pragmatic. Such rhetoric can only harm him once he is in office.

I believe that everything overall will be fine. Theres no difference between the average American and Russian; reasonable people are the same everywhere.

I believe that appropriate behaviour will inevitably bring about mutual benefits.

*As told to Nikolay Korzhov
The abductions of five activists are yet another attempt to spread fear among those who speak out in Pakistan.

In the first two weeks of 2017, five activists have reportedly gone missing in Pakistan. Others have taken to social media to share what they referred to as failed abduction attempts. Chat groups, email lists, and social media are abuzz with multiple reports of as many as nine activists and citizen journalists who have reportedly gone missing. There is one common thread that haunts the families and the larger civil rights community in Pakistan: uncertainty.

No groups have taken responsibility for abducting them. Theres been no response from the authorities on the whereabouts of these individuals and no admission that they may be under arrest. The interior ministry has so far said that theyre looking into the issue.





The implication that theyve been taken by a security agency stems from the testimonies of their families that are far too familiar. Men in plain clothes picking up individuals from their home and taking them away in an unmarked car. At least two of those missing were taken from their homes.

Salman Haider: Professor at Fatima Jinnah Women University, active in Awami Workers Party, a leftist socialist party who was very critical of state policies, editor at Tanqeed  an independent e-zine critical of state policies  and a poet. Ahmed Waqas Goraya, Asim Saeed  both visiting from abroad  and Ahmed Raza Naseer were active political commentators online. Samar Abbas is the president of Civil Progressive Alliance Pakistan  working on minority rights especially the targeted killing of Shia Muslims in Pakistan.

The one thing common between the missing five was their critical approach to state policies, the rise of extremism, and the militarys overreaching on matters outside its ambit. Their abduction sends a strong message that the state is willing to bypass the constitution, and overlook the legal and constitutional rights of every citizen to critique and debate states affairs, in order to threaten, intimidate, and silence citizens.

A history of forced disappearances

Pakistan consistently ranks very low for press freedom, ranking 147 in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index, and Not Free in the Freedom of the Press 2016 rankings by Freedom House. This is largely due to several cases of killing of journalists with impunity.

Both the reports point to threats to journalists, not only from extremist militant organisations, but also the powerful military and its associated intelligence agencies. Journalists covering issues and activists criticising state policies considered sensitive by the military often come under scrutiny, are forcibly disappeared, or killed.

OPINION: The vagaries of Pakistans cybercrime law

These issues include fighting in the Balochistan province  where the state alleges Indian involvement, investigating links between the military and extremist organisations and lately, criticising projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) worth a total of $51.5bn.

Despite the fact that forced disappearances have been a pressing issue in Pakistan, the number of people who have been abducted, and their whereabouts, is still not known and widely disputed. In 2015, the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued an order demanding that the authorities produce a report on the number of missing people in Pakistan.

While the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) said that it has received 1,265 cases as of Dec 31, 2014, the Defence of Human Rights (DHR)  a civil society organisation working with the families of those missing  claims that the total number of cases of missing persons is 5,149 and 252 of them surfaced in 2014 alone.

MAPPED: Journalists killed in Pakistan over 24 years

In its final report last year, the CIED, headed by retired Justice Javed Iqbal, directed the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior to lodge criminal cases against some 117 officials of secret agencies, police and Frontier Corps accusing them of participating in illegal abductions of individuals across the country. Despite the 400-page report and its very clear recommendations, forced disappearances have continued in Pakistan.

Accusations of blasphemy

Since the disappearance of the five activists this month, there has been a campaign against them on social media accusing them of blasphemy  a sensitive issue in Pakistan that has cost the life of several activists and politicians including federal minister Shahbaz Bhatti and the governor of the Punjab province, Salmaan Taseer, both in 2011.

Not only are the activists missing, but those that are speaking out to demand accountability now bear the risk of being painted as supporters of blasphemers.





The controversial blasphemy law, which activists allege has been used as an easy way to settle disputes, seems to be an added tool in the campaign against these activists deemed problematic for breaching national security  another excuse regularly employed to silence free speech.

This is especially concerning because the government passed the controversial cybercrime related act, the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act 2016, in August 2016, that has been criticised for its draconian approach to freedom of expression online.

In October 2016, the militarys Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency successfully sought the authority from the government to take pre-emptive actions against individuals or organisations that it deems to be breaching national security.

However, the forced disappearances of these activists have happened outside the law, leaving their families with no legal recourse and no way of inquiring the whereabouts of their loved ones.

There are two important takeaways from these alarming disappearances. First, that the state apparatus is willing to go beyond the draconian laws it has pushed through to silence dissent and free speech. Second, that the state is successful in setting a narrative where not free speech, but the extent of the limits around it are being negotiated by citizens.

Many fear these disappearances are a warning shot: Whereas traditional media was easier to censor, it has been more difficult to silence individuals on digital media. These disappearances are setting a precedent whereby many bloggers and activists are likely to give up their right to freedom of expression and choose censorship in fear of similar consequences.

However, amid fears and unconfirmed reports of more disappearances, hundreds have come out to the streets to demonstrate across Pakistan and to make one thing clear: They will not be silenced.

Usama Khilji is a writer and researcher on refugee rights, civic education, and democracy. He is a free speech campaigner and Chevening scholar.

Sana Saleem is a writer for 48hills & Global Voices. She is a member of the advisory board for the Courage Foundation and cofounder of Bolo Bhi.
Jewish Labour activist who was suspended after being accused of anti-Semitism for criticising Israel tells her story.

Until May of last year, I was known, or in truth barely known, as a lifelong anti-racism activist, trainer, teacher, writer, and lecturer.

As a young woman, I was active in the boycott movement against the apartheid of South Africa.

It was a logical progression to become a supporter of Palestinian rights, a critic of Israeli policy towards Palestinians, and a supporter of the movement to boycott Israeli products  the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, as well as a member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice for Palestinians and Free Speech on Israel  a mostly Jewish group.

My nastier critics suggest my claim to Jewish identity is some kind of a defence against being accused of being an anti-Semite. It is not, it simply puts recent events into a context.

If you criticise Israel it doesn't matter who you are, you will be accused of anti-Semitism by Jackie Walker

If you criticise Israel, it doesnt matter who you are, you will be accused of anti-Semitism. So, do I hate Jews? Of course not. What I hate is the far right and the pernicious effect that Israel, led by a Netanyahu government, is having on Middle Eastern and global politics.

So, how did this witch-hunt against me start?

In February last year, a group called the Israel Advocacy Movement went fishing into my private Facebook account.

I remain unclear as to when or how I became identified as a threat to Israel, though I presume I was selected as a prominent supporter of Jeremy Corbyn when it was decided his leadership was a threat to Israeli interests.

It was not a public posting, but part of a private discussion with a Zionist Israeli friend and others about the African Holocaust and the fact that Jews  notably my own Portuguese Jewish ancestors whose history I had researched  had been involved in the sugar and slave trade.

This Facebook contribution was reduced to a sensationalist and inaccurate article in the Jewish Chronicle which claimed that I had said that Jews caused the African Holocaust. This is where it gets unclear. Either the Israel Advocacy Movement, or the Jewish Chronicle, reported me to the Labour Party, which then suspended me for being an alleged racist  to be specific, an anti-Semite.

I was investigated in detail by the Labour Party. My Facebook posts, my public statements were examined in detail. I attended a full hearing, but the Compliance Unit of the Labour Party could find no case to answer. Never mind, verdicts apparently make no difference. Harassment continued. The right-wing of the Labour Party, the Jewish Chronicle and the Jewish Board of Deputies appeared enraged.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the BDS movement

The mainstream media, including all the national newspapers, even those traditionally identified as more liberal, such as The Guardian, chimed in. No one interviewed me or asked for my version of events. They simply repeated the inaccurate, substandard and biased reporting of the Jewish Chronicle.

The British media appear to have become lazy and scared.

As Shai Masot, the Israeli official filmed undercover by Al Jazeera Investigations points out, I became someone whose every movement was to be followed and reported on.

Attempts to smear Corbyn

Individuals and groups, such as Palestine solidarity groups, who wanted to hear me speak had their email and Facebook accounts hacked.





Some had to close Facebook pages to comments because of the level of racist abuse against me. Individuals have been smeared for being photographed with me, for daring to support me.

Jeremy Corbyn has opposed racism, war, has protested against injustice and oppression all his life, but this has been no safeguard against charges of anti-Semitism against him. The Labour leadership, the Corbyn revolution, whatever you want to call it, is the greatest challenge to the established political order the UK has seen for some time.

Attempts to smear Corbyn started as soon as he became a leadership candidate. Newspapers that had published anti-Semitic articles on Ed Miliband, the previous (and Jewish) leader of the Labour Party, suddenly became champions against anti-Semitism.

The mainstream media strained the limits of every story, twisting every statement, misquoting what they could, to paint Corbyn as an anti-Semite or soft on anti-Semitism. And the right of the Labour Party did what they could to assist them.

These accusations not only weaponised anti-Semitism, they also became a weapon of political mass destruction and, like all nuclear options, entailed collateral damage, not just to Labour, or the Labour movement but to pro-Palestinian and anti-war groups, to individuals, their families and friends and the political communities they were part of.

OPINION: Anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism in British politics

Being a racist is not about missing off a word in a Facebook post, its not about getting a date wrong or calling some dubious politician a friend in an attempt at finding agreement.

No longer are racists people who demand migrants to be deported, who want to exclude refugees. Racists are not even the people who complain of a TV reporter wearing a headscarf. No, its the left we are told, who are the culprits in this new racism, this new anti-Semitism.

Opposition to a Jewish state is, and remains, a legitimate, honourable political position and one that many, including many Jews, have stood by for decades by Jackie Walker

The Israeli government has allocated millions to fund undisclosed activities to undermine the BDS. The fight against BDS is being led by Israels minister of strategic affairs. Israel has hired workers whose names are classified. There is an intelligence section run by a former security services operatives that receives assistance from a special unit within Israeli military intelligence, as well as the secret police.

Individuals and groups are targeted and they have had some success. For example, in France BDS has been ruled as an activity that discriminates, therefore making it functionally illegal.

I suggest attempts are being made to do the same in Britain. For example, in November last year, Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour Party, at a Labour Friends of Israel dinner, called out supporters of the boycott movement as immoral.

First, principles: I oppose all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, but I will not be silenced on criticism of the Israeli government. I agree, Zionism should not be used as abuse or a cover for attacking Jewish people. However, Zionism is part of the political lexicon, essential to challenging the concept of a Jewish state.

And let me reiterate, opposition to a Jewish state is, and remains a legitimate, honourable political position, and one that many, including many Jews, have stood by for decades.

The Lobby is available to watch online.

Jackie Walker is an anti-racism activist, trainer, teacher, writer and lecturer.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Search and rescue operation under way as latest boat disaster in the Mediterranean Sea kills at least eight.

Nearly 100 people are missing after a boat packed with refugees and migrants sank off the Libyan coast, killing at least eight, according to the Italian coastguard.

Search operations continued after nightfall in poor weather and sea conditions, officials said on Saturday.

The bodies of eight people have been recovered. Four people have been saved, and they say 107 migrants were onboard the boat, the coastguards press office said.





A French warship, patrolling under the European Unions Frontex border operation, picked up the survivors and two merchant ships were heading for the area, located about 50km north of the Libyan coast.

A Frontex jet and an Italian naval helicopter also joined the search and rescue operation.

On Friday, around 550 refugees and migrants were picked up from four inflatable dinghies by Italian coastguard vessels, an Italian naval ship, an NGO boat and a merchant vessel.

In recent years, Italy has been on the front line of refugees and migrants arriving across the Mediterranean Sea and has been pushing for agreements with governments in North Africa to facilitate returns.

IN PICTURES: Stranded on Europes doorstep as cold grips the Balkans

People smugglers have exploited the chaos in Libya since the 2011 ousting of leader Muammar Gaddafi to traffic refugees and migrants in boats to Italy 300km away.

According to the Italian interior ministry, more than 180,000 refugees and migrants landed in Italy last year, an annual record.

The United Nations has said more than 5,000 people died in 2016 trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them on the Libya-Italy route.

In another incident, the bodies of six people were found washed up on beaches near Algeciras, the port on the southern tip of Spain near Gibraltar, the Spanish sea rescue service said on Saturday.

READ MORE: 2016  Refugee arrivals fall as deaths hit record

The six were all men, apparently from sub-Saharan Africa.

More than 361,000 refugees and migrants reached European shores by boat last year, according to the UNs refugee agency.

In 2015, more than a million people fleeing war and economic devastation made the same journey.
Winner of presidential vote heads to Bamako as last-ditch regional attempts to persuade Yahya Jammeh to step down fail.

Adama Barrow, the Gambian president-elect, has travelled to Malis capital to meet leaders attending a summit jointly hosted by France in Mali, as uncertainty grows over Gambias political crisis.

His visit to Bamako came after last-ditch attempts on Friday by a regional mediation team, led by Nigerias president, Muhammadu Buhari, failed to persuade Gambias longtime leader Yahya Jammeh to step down.





Jammeh had initially conceded defeat in a December 1 vote, but later reversed his position, lodging a legal case aimed at annulling the result and triggering new elections.

Barrow is scheduled to take office on January 19, but Jammeh has made clear he will not stand aside until the Supreme Courts decision. The ruling is unlikely to happen before May.

In a sign of Barrows growing international clout, a French diplomatic source told AFP news agency that President Francois Hollande intends to meet Barrow, while the former estate agent was due to sit down with West African leaders to discuss his nations future.

Barrows visit was a surprise, and nobody knows if he will really go back again to Gambia, Al Jazeeras Zeinebou Bent Erebih, reporting from the Africa-France summit in Bamako, said.

The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), a 15-nation bloc, has repeatedly called on Jammeh to respect the result of the vote and step down after 22 years in power.

ECOWAS has previously said it would stage a military intervention, led by neighbouring Senegal, if Jammeh failed to relinquish power  a move Jammeh has called a declaration of war.

READ MORE: Exiled Gambians ponder return to troubled homeland

The stakes are extremely high, said Bakary Darbo, former Gambian vice president, explaining that the military muscle built by Jammeh is likely to stand by the defiant leader.





All indications point to a military intervention in the next few days or so, Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from Nigerias capital, Abuja, said.

In coming days, the focus will be on who will contribute troops now, he added.

From all indications, [African leaders] could persuade the African Union (AU) and probably go to the United Nations to ensure that democracy and the rights of the people in Gambia are protected.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, said on Friday that ECOWAS would ask the Security Council to approve the deployment of troops to Gambia, if Jammeh refuses to cede power.

On Friday, the AU said it would cease to recognise Jammeh as Gambias legitimate president and warned of serious consequences if his actions lead to political disorder and the loss of innocent lives.
Recent cold weather in the Ayacucho region of south-central Peru is being blamed for the deaths of up to 180,000 alpacas.

These usually hardy animals appear to have been made vulnerable to the cold weather by a series of ongoing environmental factors.

Much of the region has been experiencing drought conditions since August last year. Lack of water in lagoons had a direct effect on the alpacas breeding season.

Lack of rainfall also resulted in stunted grass growth, so the animals have endured poor grazing for several months, weakening them further.

Large numbers of deaths of alpacas, and the other South American camelids  llamas, vicunas and guanacos  are not unknown.

Outbreaks of extremely cold air from the Antarctic, known as friagens, occur during the winter months. The friagen of 2003 killed more than half of all the countrys alpacas when temperatures plunged to minus 35 Celsius. Last winters cold weather reportedly killed 50,000 alpacas in the southern Puno region.

The fact that these deaths have occurred in the summer months do make it very unusual, but alpacas are not quite as tough as people often think.

They are not particularly good at foraging in cold or snowy weather. They also do not carry much body fat and their coats contain no water-resistant lanolin.

In recent days, there have been reports of heavy rain in the region. It may be that the animals coats have been penetrated by water, making them vulnerable to the combination of low temperatures and strong winds.

Alpaca wool is a major export in Peru. More than $150m of fleeces are sent abroad each year.
The beginning of the calendar year sees many lawmaking bodies back in session  and this is a time for plenty of anti-smoking legislative bills. However, this year there is a bill in New Hampshire (HB 279) that is good news for cigar and smoking enthusiasts. State Representatives Robert Hull and Lino Avellani have introduced a bill that would allow private establishments to decide on whether patrons can light up indoors.

According to the NACS Online, Hull drafted the bill after a voter requested it.

New Hampshire has a smoking ban that is over a decade old that implemented a widespread indoor smoking band.

The American Cancer Society has already come out in protest of the bill claiming second-hand smoke endangers patrons who would attend an establishment where smoking is allowed.

However, all is not good in the New Hampshire legislature for premium cigar enthusiasts. HB 333 has been introduced to remove the exemption for premium cigars from the tobacco tax.
Wet foot, dry foot policy that created a path to legal residency for thousands of Cubans was abruptly ended.

Hundreds of migrants are stranded in South and Central America after outgoing president Barack Obama ended a policy that had created a path to legal residency for thousands of Cubans who reached US soil.

Elaine Miranda and her partner, Marcos, embarked on a journey involving rough seas and trekking through South America eight months ago.

They felt certain that the $5,000 they spent on transport and people smugglers would be worth it, but the day after they crossed Mexicos southern border, the US suddenly repealed its wet foot, dry foot policy.

Cubans seeking to stay in the US will now have to pass a credible fear process and present documentation proving they face a real threat in their country. The outcome is far from certain and can include lengthy stays in detention.

I didnt leave Cuba because of my economic circumstances. And I didnt leave to chase the American dream, Elaine told Al Jazeera in Tapachula.

Im looking for the Cuban dream, which is freedom.

Pro-migrant activists say that Cuban politicians who pressed for the policy change to slow human trafficking are mistaken.

Its a decision thats gravely affecting this group of people. This pronouncement wont stop migration, Luis Villagran, a migrant rights activist, told Al Jazeera.

Nor will Donald Trumps presidency be able to stop migration. No one can stop it.

Elaine and Marco are now desperate to buy a little more time to present official documents required to avoid immediate deportation from Mexico.

Im not asking for any help. All of us are just asking to get to the US border and be let in, Elaine said.

Were asking not to be sent back to Cuba, that would be the end of us.

Obama said the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program, which was started by President George W. Bush in 2006, is also being rescinded.

The measure allowed Cuban doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to seek parole in the US while on assignments abroad.

The president said those doctors can still apply for asylum at US embassies around the world.

People already in the US and in the pipeline under both wet foot, dry foot and the medical parole programme will be able to continue the process towards getting legal status.
Chicago police routinely violated the civil rights of people, the US justice department says in a report.

The Chicago Police department shows a pattern of using excessive force and civil rights violations, according to the year-long report released by the US Department of Justice.





The investigation found that the police department violated the constitutional rights of residents for years, permitting racial bias against blacks and killing people who did not pose a threat.

The use of unreasonable force falls heaviest on predominantly black and Latino neighbourhoods, the justice department said in a statement accompanying the release of a 164-page report.

Also, officers often maintained a code of silence to thwart investigations into misconduct.

The investigation was spurred by a dashcam video showing an officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times as he was running away. A video that authorities waited more than a year to make public, sparking a wave of anger.

The failures we identified in our findings have deeply eroded community trust, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division.

Chicago police officers shot people who did not pose an immediate threat and used stun guns on people for no other reason than they did not obey the officers verbal commands, Gupta said in a press conference on Friday.

READ MORE: The Contract Chicagos Police Union

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said that the Chicago police lacked proper training and that the department does not adequately look into officers use of force. All those problems were compounded by poor supervision and oversight, leading to low officer morale.

Following the report, the justice department and the city of Chicago have signed a joint statement in which the nations third largest city commits to police reforms under a court-enforced agreement, called a consent decree. The series of reforms are to be supervised by an independent monitor.

This isnt a new story  both in the short or long view. The report confirms what other reports have already said in the past couple of years  Those have not magically caused a radical transformation of the CPD, said Simon Balto, a history professor and author on policing practises.

The agreement in principle provides only broad outlines for reform, including commitments to improved transparency, training and accountability for bad officers. Officials from the justice department and city will negotiate a final settlement.

Those talks will take place under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

READ MORE: Grand jury to hear evidence in Laquan McDonald shooting

Trump has vocally supported aggressive law enforcement. And his nominee to succeed Lynch at the justice department, Jeff Sessions, has criticised the sort of consent agreement Chicago is now negotiating with federal officials.

One of the things thats most concerning to me about Sessions is that he may use DOJ not for reports like the one on the CPD, but against black protest groups. In 2015, he expressed concern that DOJ wasnt investigating what he took to be anti-police hate speech by Black Lives Matter activists, Balton said.

Under the new administration, it falls on the citys civil-rights activists, organisations and community leaders to collaborate in making sure change is enacted, said Timna Axel from the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stated his decision to increase the number of lieutenants and other supervisors. He said use-of-force policies were being upgraded, and every officer would be equipped with body cameras and with Tasers to be used as a less-lethal force option.

The justice department, in the course of its investigation, interviewed and met city leaders, police officials and officers, and residents. It studied investigative files on use-of-force incidents that included more than 170 officer-involved shootings.

Chicago has faced a surging problem with violence in recent years. There were 750 homicides there last year alone, a 10-year high, and more than 3,500 shootings.
Army says it has seized strategic university complex used as base by ISIL fighters following two days of fierce clashes.

Iraqi special forces have taken full control of a strategic university in eastern Mosul, according to senior commanders, the latest advance in a major push to drive ISIL out of its last urban stronghold in Iraq.

The capture of the Mosul University campus, seized by ISIL fighters when they took over the city in 2014, came after two days of intense clashes.

Security forces have fully liberated the Mosul University, Talib Shaghati, the commander of the elite terrorism-combat service, told state TV on Saturday.

The forces seized chemicals in the laboratories of the universities and defused explosives and car bombs, he added, without providing details.

INFOGRAPHIC: Battle for Mosul  Who controls what?

Used as a base by ISIL, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group or ISIS, the university complex lies in the north of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, which splits Mosul in two.

Earlier on Saturday, bulldozers had smashed through a wall surrounding the sprawling campus and dozens of counterterrorism service troops sprinted through carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

While they still came under heavy small arms fire, Iraqi soldiers at the university said ISIL resistance was significantly less than what they had faced during the first weeks of the Mosul operation.

We were targeted with only four car bombs where before [ISIL] would send 20 in one day, special forces Lieutenant Zain al-Abadeen told the Associated Press news agency.

And they arent armoured like before. Theyre just using civilian cars.

Iraqi forces have now captured most districts in eastern Mosul, Iraqs second largest city.





Destroyed bridges

The massive push to retake Mosul from ISIL was launched on October 17.

The initial phase of the US-backed offensive saw a variety of forces, including Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, retake significant swaths of land in little time but the going has been tough inside the city itself.

New tactics employed since the turn of the year, including night raids and better defences against suicide car bombs, have given the campaign fresh momentum, according to US and Iraqi military officials.

The destruction of all bridges over the river in air strikes has also made it difficult for ISIL fighters in east Mosul to resupply or escape to the west bank, which they still fully control.

READ MORE: Getting Iraqs war victims back on their feet

US and Iraqi military officials say ISIL has further damaged at least two of them to try to hamper an army advance.

The western side of Mosul, which is home to the old city and some of the ISIL fighters traditional bastions, was always tipped as likely to offer the most resistance.
Al Jazeera releases last installment of investigation that explores Israeli attempts to influence British democracy.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a crazy politician surrounded by weirdos and extremists, Boris Johnson  the foreign secretary  is an idiot whose deputy Alan Duncan should be taken down, and Crispin Blunt is among a group of MPs that are strongly pro-Arab rather than pro-Israel.





This all according to Shai Masot, who last year introduced himself to Al Jazeeras undercover reporter Robin Harrow (alias), as a senior political officer at the Israeli embassy in London.

Masot, who was at the centre of Al Jazeeras six-month investigation The Lobby, resigned earlier this week following the release of the damning footage involving the embassy official on Sunday.

Al Jazeera Investigations story of the Israeli governments brazen, covert influence campaign in Britain gained significant attention after being published by international media from The New York Times and The Guardian to Le Monde and Haaretz.

The front page of Britains Mail on Sunday read: Israel plot to take down Tory minister, referring to Masots plans to unseat Duncan.

Inquiry urged

Parliamentary officer Maria Strizzolo, Masots associate who hinted that she hoped a little scandal would bring Duncan down, also quit her job soon after the story broke.

Reports of Israeli embassy official discussing how to discredit government minister disturbing @EmilyThornberry https://t.co/UO7LJcMlbe  Labour Press (@labourpress) January 8, 2017

Senior politicians have raised concern over Masots comments, which apparently targeted Duncan for being a critic of Israels settlement policy in the occupied West Bank.

Corbyn, leader of the opposition, on Friday, called on Theresa May, the British prime minister, to launch an inquiry. This is clearly a national security issue, he wrote in a letter shared with media.

He describes the actions of Israeli embassy official Shai Masot as improper interference in this countrys democratic process.

Labour politician Emily Thornberry, who describes herself as both a friend of Israel and Palestine, called on the government to launch an immediate inquiry into the extent of this improper interference and demand from the Israeli government that it be brought to an end.

Scottish National Party MP Alex Salmond also backed an official investigation so that we can be confident our elected officials are free to carry out their jobs to the best of their ability and without fear of having their reputation smeared by embassy officials who do not agree with their views.

READ MORE: UK MPs urge probe into Israeli plot against politicians

The investigation also revealed how supporters of Corbyn, a leftist with a long history of Palestinian solidarity activism, were among those accused of anti-Semitism by Israeli officials.

The pro-Israel lobby in Britain attempted to smear activists who question the illegal occupation of Palestinian land by helping to build racism cases against them, Al Jazeera Investigations found.

Boris Johnson: Matter closed

Despite some calls for an official probe, Johnson rejected calls to discipline Israel over Masots plot.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Johnson said: Whatever he [Masot] may exactly have been doing here his cover may well be said to have been  truly blown  so the matter can be considered closed.

The Takedown, the fourth and final episode of The Lobby, features the damning conversation at a London brasserie that led to Masot and Strizzolos resignations.

OPINION: Israel Lobby  Insidious threats should be feared

The extent to which the embassy influences the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) parliamentary group with strategic and financial support is also revealed.

Robin is told by pro-Israel activist and parliamentary officer Michael Rubin that, according to Masot, the Israeli embassy will be able to get a bit of money to establish an LFI offshoot for young people.

Throughout the investigation, Robin posed as a graduate activist with strong sympathies toward Israel, eager to help combat the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Deliberate interference

At one point, Masot offered Robin a leading role in setting up the youth branch of the LFI, introducing him to members of the pro-Israel lobby as the new chairman of the group.

British journalist and author Peter Oborne, who has researched the pro-Israel lobby in the UK, told Al Jazeera: If you were trying to fool the British people by setting up a front organisation which masquerades, or says that it is genuine Friends of Israel, but actually is run from Tel Aviv, thats troubling.

Just imagine it being sort of apparently spontaneous pro-Iranian organisation in Britain and it turned out that it was run from Tehran or inspired by Tehran. That will be outrageous.

Oborne described as shocking the exchange between Masot and Strizzolo, relating to taking down Duncan.

This is a clearly deliberate attempt by a foreign government to interfere in the workings of British democracy and to secure the destruction of the career of a minister in the British government, he said.

All four parts of The Lobby are available to watch online.
Israeli embassy official in London discusses potential plot to take down UK politicians  including a senior minster.

Al Jazeera Investigations exposes how the Israel lobby influences British politics. A six-month undercover investigation reveals how Israel penetrates different levels of British democracy.

Episode Four: In part four, the senior political officer at the Israeli embassy in London discusses a potential plot to take down British politicians  including a minster.
Palestinian leader meets Pope Francis for the opening of Vatican-based embassy, a day before Paris peace conference.

Mahmoud Abbas has renewed a warning against plans by the incoming US government to move its Israel embassy to Jerusalem as he formally opened a Palestinian embassy in Vatican City.

The inauguration of the Vatican-based mission on Saturday came a day before representatives from over 70 countries gather in the French capital for an Israeli-Palestinian peace conference.

This embassy in place of pride for us and we hope all of the countries of the world will recognise the state of Palestine, because this recognition will bring us closer to the peace process, Abbas said after meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

READ MORE: Israel and Palestinians squabble over Paris conference

Sundays conference in Paris comes amid increasing concern from Palestinians over US president-elect Donald Trumps unwavering support for Israel.





Trump has repeatedly said he plans to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and last month chose David Friedman, a right-wing lawyer, as his ambassador to Israel.

Abbas told reporters on Saturday that if Trump went ahead with plans to move the embassy, it would hinder the peace process.

We are waiting to see if it happens. If it does, it will not help peace and we hope it does not happen, he said.

The conference also takes place less than a month after Israel reduced relationships with several countries that supported a UN resolution demanding an end to settlement building.

Israel has approved tens of thousands of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank in recent years.

According to the Israeli rights group BTselem, more than half-a-million Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements throughout the West Bank, including in enclaves in East Jerusalem.

Abbas has said Sundays Paris conference may be the last chance for implementing the two-state solution.

READ MORE: Abbas warns Trump not to move US embassy to Jerusalem

The Palestinian Authority wants an independent state in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza  areas Israel occupied in violation of international law in a 1967 war.

The Vatican City officially recognised Palestine as a sovereign state in 2016 and the pope previously referred to Abbas as an angel of peace during a May 2015 visit to Italys capital, Rome.

Abbas said on Saturday the opening of the embassy in the Vatican was a sign that the pope loves the Palestinian people, according to Ansa News Agency.

The embassy is located across the street from one of the main gates of Vatican City.

In a statement, the Vatican expressed hopes for an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations.

Emphasis was placed on the importance of safeguarding the sanctity of the holy places for believers of all three of the Abrahamic religions, the statement added.

READ MORE: They want to break our spirits

Issa Kassissieh, Palestines ambassador to the Holy See, called the embassy opening a significant achievement for the Palestinian people, and said the pope had taken a moral, legal and political stand through recognising the state of Palestine along the pre-1967 borders.

The Vatican, which enjoys close relations with Israel, has steadily supported the creation of a Palestinian state, and has long sought an internationally guaranteed status for Jerusalem that safeguards its sacred nature.
Economy minister says Donald Trumps proposed border tax to pay for a wall is a problem for the entire world.

A senior Mexican government official has warned that forcing the country to pay the United States in taxes for the construction of a border wall could trigger a global recession.

Mexicos economy minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, said on Friday that Donald Trumps proposed border tax was a problem for the entire world and that it would have a wave of impacts that could take us into a global recession.





The US presidential campaign, which culminated with Trumps surprise victory over Hillary Clinton, was steeped in protectionist rhetoric, shaking Mexicos government.

Trump, who takes office in less than a week, has promised a major border tax on companies that shift jobs outside the US, and called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada a disaster, threatening to tear it up in the hope of bringing jobs back to the US.

It is clear we need to be prepared to immediately neutralise the impact of such a measure, Guajardo told local broadcaster Televisa.

Guajardo also warned that the US risked harming its own interests in any renegotiation of NAFTA.

We are the second-largest buyer of US products. We are the biggest customers for pork, corn and fructose. All the states that voted for Trump would be the hardest hit if the agreement with Mexico is broken.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Mexico over trade, jobs and immigration since he first launched his run for the White House in 2015.

Amid his constant scathing tweets, the peso currency has fallen to historic lows, unnerving investors in Latin Americas second largest economy.

In his first news conference as president-elect, Trump maintained that he would be able to get Mexico to pay for the wall, eventually, despite flat rejections from Mexican government officials. But he said he would rather start building the wall as soon as possible, rather than getting into negotiations with Mexico.

Mexico, in some form  and there are many different forms  will reimburse us and they will reimburse us for the cost of the wall. That will happen. Whether its a tax or whether its a payment, Trump said.

The US government has already built fencing along roughly one-third of the 3,100km southern border.
President Mahmoud Abbas meets Pope Francis for the opening of the embassy, one day before Paris peace conference.

The Palestinian Authority is set to open an embassy in Vatican City, one day before representatives from 70 countries gather in the French capital for an Israeli-Palestinian peace conference.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is meeting Pope Francis for the embassys inauguration on Saturday, before heading to Rome to meet Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni.





Issa Kassissieh, Palestines ambassador to the Holy See, called the move a significant achievement for the Palestinian people, and said the Pope had taken a moral, legal and political stand through recognising the state of Palestine along the pre-1967 borders.

The Vatican, which enjoys close relations with Israel, has steadily supported the creation of a Palestinian state.

The Palestinian Authority wants an independent state in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza  areas Israel occupied in violation of international law in a 1967 war.

Abbas has said Sundays Paris conference may be the last chance for implementing the two-state solution.

Israel, which regards the United States as the chief broker in the Middle East, has failed to comment on whether it will attend the meeting, arguing that only direct negotiations with the Palestinians can lead to peace.

INTERACTIVE: Broken homes  A record year of Israeli demolitions

The Paris conference comes amid increasing concern from Palestinians over US president-elect Donald Trumps unwavering support for Israel.

Trump has repeatedly said he plans to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and last month chose David Friedman, a right-wing lawyer, as his ambassador to Israel.

Abbas told reporters on Saturday that if Trump went ahead with plans to move the embassy, it would hurt the peace process.

We are waiting to see if it happens. If it does it will not help peace and we hope it does not happen.

The conference also takes place less than a month after Israel reduced ties with several countries that supported a UN resolution demanding an end to settlement building.

Israel has approved tens of thousands of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank in recent years.

According to the Israeli rights group BTselem, more than half-a-million Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements throughout the West Bank, including in enclaves in occupied East Jerusalem.
Presidential convoy stoned by demonstrators, while protests grip cities and towns across Tunisia.

Several protests over jobs have been staged in several Tunisian towns and the presidential convoy was stoned by demonstrators, on the sixth anniversary of the north African countrys revolution.

Protests erupted in Sidi Bouzid, Meknassy and Gafsa, where President Beji Caid Essebsi visited to mark the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In Gafsa, angry youths protested against Essebsis visit, throwing stones and blocking the road. Local media and residents said the presidents convoy was forced to change its route before he left by air.

In Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the Tunisian revolution sparked by the death of a street vendor protesting against official corruption and abuses, hundreds demonstrated in front of the local governorate, making the same demands as six years ago.

Six years ago, protests in Tunisia led to the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the countrys ruler for 23 years. Today the country marks the anniversary with little fanfare, after official recognition of failure on the economic and social fronts.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed acknowledged on national television on Friday night that authorities had so far failed to address the grievances of the Tunisian people that had fuelled the 2011 revolution.

Today, we are not achieving this [democracy] because unemployment and social inequalities have increased, Chahed said.





Theres a huge gap between the government and youth in the country, Malek Tazdaghli, a computer scientist, told Al Jazeera.

The government doesnt understand the number of unemployed and the widespread depression caused by lack of jobs, Tazdaghli said.

For instance, in 2008 there was zero unemployment in the tech sector; now there isnt a field where people can easily find jobs.

Six years after that revolt, Tunisia is hailed as a model of democratic transition, but rural central and southern regions remain flashpoints for rioting in marginalised towns where many young Tunisians see little economic opportunity or progress.

The revolution in itself is a big win, we cant ever ignore that, but people cant even afford food, Imen Dridi, who lives in the capital Tunis, told Al Jazeera.

Taoufik Selmi, a resident of Sidi Bouzid, told Al Jazeera that food was unaffordable, and the recent cold weather had led to several deaths in the city.

We havent seen any change here since the revolution, Selmi said. We might be free of oppression now, but were hungry and cold.

READ MORE: Poisoned Jasmine

In Meknassy, close to Sidi Bouzid, a general strike has been declared in protest at a lack of development.

President Essebsi on Saturday announced a package of new projects during a visit to the central province of Gafsa.

According to Nessma, a private television channel, however, security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters hurling stones at Essebsis convoy.

Tunisian authorities have struggled to restore the economy and reduce youth unemployment  particularly among new graduates  over the past six years.

In January 2016, the government imposed a nationwide night-time curfew after Tunisia witnessed some of its worst social unrest since the revolution.

READ MORE: Revealing Tunisias corruption under Ben Ali

Anger erupted after the death of a 28-year-old unemployed man who was electrocuted when he climbed a power pole while protesting in the central town of Kasserine.

That unrest had echoes of the public anger after the death of a young fruit seller who set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid in December 2010 in protest at unemployment and police harassment.

If it continues down this path, with people not finding the money to buy food, then the country could erupt again, said Dridi.

Mohammed Dhifallah, a university professor and analyst, described the situation as normal given the transitional period which the country is undergoing.

One could say the economic fallout is what happens when a new system tries to take over and eradicate the old corrupt system. The cleanup takes time, but it will hopefully get better and things will pick up.
Clashes continue in parts of Syria in advance of scheduled peace talks in the Kazakh capital later this month.

Syrias main opposition bloc has backed planned peace talks in Kazakhstans capital later this month between the Syrian government and rebel groups.

A nationwide ceasefire began in Syria on December 30 to pave the way for new peace talks, which Russia hopes to convene in Astana on January 23 with Turkish and Iranian support.

After a two-day meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said on Saturday it would extend its support to an anti-government military delegation attending the talks.





Concerning the forthcoming meeting in Astana, the (High Negotiations) Committee stresses its support to the military delegation  and expresses hope that the meeting would reinforce the truce, the HNC said.

It added the Astana summit paves the way for political talks in Geneva in early February, hosted by the United Nations.

Also on Saturday, Turkeys foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara and Moscow had decided to invite the United States to the Astana talks.

Cavusoglu also reiterated that Turkey remained opposed to the inclusion of the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the Syrian Kurdish armed group, in the meeting.

OPINION: The Assad conundrum

Syria has been ravaged by violence since widespread protests in March 2011 calling for President Bashar al-Assads ouster.

More than 310,000 people have been killed and over half the population has been forced to flee.

Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that this months talks will lead to a political solution.

Outbreaks of violence

The ceasefire deal appeared increasingly strained on Saturday, with outbreaks of violence in northwest Syria and near the capital, Damascus.

Fresh raids on Saturday in the town of Maarat Masrin in the northwest province of Idlib killed eight people, most of them civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

OPINION: Whitewashing Assad and his allies must be challenged

A day earlier, three civilians  including a child  were killed in strikes on the nearby town of Orum al-Joz, Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the UK-based monitoring group tracking developments in Syrias conflict through a network of contacts on the ground, said.

Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance led by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which changed its name from al-Nusra Front after breaking ties with al-Qaeda last year.

Like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham is excluded from the truce deal.

New clashes also broke out Saturday in Wadi Barada, the main source of water for Damascus.

Water supplies from the area to around 5.5 million people in the capital and its outskirts have been cut since December 22 because of fighting.

Rebels and government troops had reached a local agreement on Friday so that water access could be restored, but the Observatory reported a resumption of violence on Saturday.

Regime forces and [Lebanese movement] Hezbollah violated the agreement by battering a town in Wadi Barada with rocket fire, Abdel Rahman told AFP news agency.

They took advantage of the halt in military activities there to advance and flex their muscles, he said.
Blog Archive Nov 2022 (10) Oct 2022 (64) Sep 2022 (60) Aug 2022 (61) Jul 2022 (55) Jun 2022 (60) May 2022 (73) Apr 2022 (60) Mar 2022 (58) Feb 2022 (65) Jan 2022 (69) Dec 2021 (106) Nov 2021 (84) Oct 2021 (58) Sep 2021 (67) Aug 2021 (62) Jul 2021 (54) Jun 2021 (50) May 2021 (58) Apr 2021 (44) Mar 2021 (57) Feb 2021 (64) Jan 2021 (93) Dec 2020 (82) Nov 2020 (62) Oct 2020 (50) Sep 2020 (45) Aug 2020 (51) Jul 2020 (56) Jun 2020 (53) May 2020 (70) Apr 2020 (66) Mar 2020 (169) Feb 2020 (211) Jan 2020 (184) Dec 2019 (54) Nov 2019 (56) Oct 2019 (55) Sep 2019 (63) Aug 2019 (54) Jul 2019 (69) Jun 2019 (56) May 2019 (65) Apr 2019 (68) Mar 2019 (72) Feb 2019 (76) Jan 2019 (62) Dec 2018 (55) Nov 2018 (69) Oct 2018 (90) Sep 2018 (82) Aug 2018 (58) Jul 2018 (36) Jun 2018 (47) May 2018 (44) Apr 2018 (64) Mar 2018 (63) Feb 2018 (68) Jan 2018 (92) Dec 2017 (85) Nov 2017 (64) Oct 2017 (82) Sep 2017 (54) Aug 2017 (89) Jul 2017 (60) Jun 2017 (86) May 2017 (84) Apr 2017 (62) Mar 2017 (86) Feb 2017 (91) Jan 2017 (113) Dec 2016 (109) Nov 2016 (100) Oct 2016 (82) Sep 2016 (95) Aug 2016 (84) Jul 2016 (84) Jun 2016 (99) May 2016 (93) Apr 2016 (106) Mar 2016 (145) Feb 2016 (125) Jan 2016 (103) Dec 2015 (83) Nov 2015 (80) Oct 2015 (100) Sep 2015 (111) Aug 2015 (94) Jul 2015 (98) Jun 2015 (151) May 2015 (125) Apr 2015 (109) Mar 2015 (122) Feb 2015 (113) Jan 2015 (135) Dec 2014 (131) Nov 2014 (115) Oct 2014 (146) Sep 2014 (112) Aug 2014 (128) Jul 2014 (94) Jun 2014 (104) May 2014 (140) Apr 2014 (132) Mar 2014 (81) Feb 2014 (89) Jan 2014 (141) Dec 2013 (100) Nov 2013 (96) Oct 2013 (99) Sep 2013 (94) Aug 2013 (95) Jul 2013 (95) Jun 2013 (91) May 2013 (139) Apr 2013 (179) Mar 2013 (73) Feb 2013 (76) Jan 2013 (85) Dec 2012 (59) Nov 2012 (71) Oct 2012 (85) Sep 2012 (70) Aug 2012 (71) Jul 2012 (53) Jun 2012 (51) May 2012 (52) Apr 2012 (52) Mar 2012 (69) Feb 2012 (76) Jan 2012 (70) Dec 2011 (60) Nov 2011 (54) Oct 2011 (57) Sep 2011 (75) Aug 2011 (72) Jul 2011 (64) Jun 2011 (76) May 2011 (56) Apr 2011 (73) Mar 2011 (114) Feb 2011 (71) Jan 2011 (80) Dec 2010 (92) Nov 2010 (82) Oct 2010 (73) Sep 2010 (95) Aug 2010 (86) Jul 2010 (81) Jun 2010 (76) May 2010 (71) Apr 2010 (74) Mar 2010 (74) Feb 2010 (82) Jan 2010 (101) Dec 2009 (108) Nov 2009 (182) Oct 2009 (136) Sep 2009 (102) Aug 2009 (120) Jul 2009 (151) Jun 2009 (136) May 2009 (180) Apr 2009 (145) Mar 2009 (113) Feb 2009 (113) Jan 2009 (124) Dec 2008 (108) Nov 2008 (69) Oct 2008 (89) Sep 2008 (76) Aug 2008 (75) Jul 2008 (87) Jun 2008 (80) May 2008 (99) Apr 2008 (93) Mar 2008 (115) Feb 2008 (147) Jan 2008 (162) Dec 2007 (124) Nov 2007 (95) Oct 2007 (67) Sep 2007 (42) Aug 2007 (78) Jul 2007 (75) Jun 2007 (123) May 2007 (110) Apr 2007 (108) Mar 2007 (92) Feb 2007 (136) Jan 2007 (119) Dec 2006 (41) Nov 2006 (34) Oct 2006 (12) Sep 2006 (13) Aug 2006 (13) Jul 2006 (16) Jun 2006 (12) May 2006 (21) Apr 2006 (38) Mar 2006 (27) Feb 2006 (25) Jan 2006 (18)
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Wherever possible i quote source, I don't claim ownership of what's not mine. WARNING :if you want to copy my work add credit and a link to my url, the original.
Anas Modamani accuses the social network of failing to take down false posts linking him to crimes.

A Syrian refugee whose selfie with German chancellor Angela Merkel went viral is suing Facebook for defamation, his lawyer said, after the social networking site failed to take down a series of posts accusing him of being a terrorist and criminal.

Anas Modamani, a 19-year-old refugee from Damascus, was pictured in September 2015 taking a selfie with Merkel during her visit to a refugee shelter in Berlins Spandau district.

The image came to define Germanys response to the refugee crisis, when Merkel opened the countrys borders to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers.

But, in the following months, Modamanis image was shared on Facebook on a series of anonymous accounts, alongside posts claiming he was responsible for attacks and murder, including the Brussels Airport bombing of March 2016.

Facebook has repeatedly refused to take the posts down, saying they do not violate the companys rules, Modamanis lawyer said.

Whenever something happens in the news related to refugees, his picture reappears, Modamanis lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

A Facebook spokesperson told Britains Guardian newspaper they had received a takedown request from Jun alleging that a specific item of content on our platform violates Mr Modamanis right of personality.

Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction, the spokesperson said.

https://twitter.com/rally_texas/status/730087770312466432

One post falsely linked Modamani to an incident in Berlin last month, when a group set fire to a sleeping homeless man on a train station platform, Jun said.

The post was shared 500 times and was likely to have been seen by at least 25,000 people, he said.

Jun filed a preliminary injunction against Facebook Europe in December, and a court hearing is scheduled for February 6 in Wurzburg, southern Germany, he said.

The case comes as Germanys justice ministry considers new policies to crack down on fake news by making Facebook and other social media companies criminally liable for failing to remove hate speech.

Facebook should be treated as a media company rather than a technology company, the justice minister said in November.

Modamani now works in a fast-food restaurant in Berlin, his lawyer said.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, announced a series of measures in November to stem a flood of fake news articles in the wake of the US presidential election.

He said Facebook would make it easier for users to report fake news, and more difficult for fake news providers to make money through its advertising system.
A look at what US trade policy will look like in the next four years based on the president-elects claims thus far.

This week, in his first press conference since the November election, US president-elect Donald Trump offered some bold policy comments, but was vague on specifics. Trumps protectionist, anti-free trade policy has been one of the few consistencies throughout his election campaign and in the lead-up to his inauguration.

One of the measures proposed by the president-elect is to impose a major border tax on companies that manufacture outside the United States, singling out pharmaceutical and biotech companies producing goods overseas. He also focused on the supply chains of major car companies.

For by Naeem

spells out a very negative aspect.]

The big question now is how Trumps protectionism will be implemented and what it will mean for the rest of the world. We put the question to Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst with London-based Think Markets.

Trade tariff is the biggest concern, says Aslam. And here is our apprehensiveness around that: if he [Trump] places that 45 or 35 percent tariff on his borders, what sort of relationship will he have with the second-biggest economy in the world, when we are looking at China and also, Mexico?

The president-elect has also been known to make statements that render current trade commitments made by the US null. So what effect would his protectionist policy have on significant relationships, such as that with the World Trade Organisation (WTO)?

There is not much clarity on what Donald Trump is going to do. There is no assurity on what kind of stance he will take with respect to the WTO, with respect to trade tariffs  he is anti-globalisation. That is the focus for him, says Aslam.

With the focus on two of the United States most obvious trade partners, what kind of effect will the rest of the world feel as a result of Trumps proposed tariffs? Will we see a global trade war?

Youre talking about taking jobs back [globally] if you want to make products in the US. [In the case of Boeing] what kind of relationship will the US have with the UK and the EU, if you are moving jobs out of the UK and the EU  these countries surely arent going to sit on their hands and say Sure, take away our jobs and all that new investment, put it in the US. Certainly, there would be a retaliation, says Aslam.

Concerns regarding Trumps trade policies were echoed throughout this years Detroit Motor Show as Chinese car makers attempt to enter the lucrative US market. Newcomers to the American market, Chinas GAC, hopes to become the first Chinese car maker to sell directly to the American consumer. But with trade policies at risk, especially should China respond in kind to Trumps threats to impose tariffs on imported goods, this will be a formidable task.

If youre a company, like GAC, whos just starting to want to come to this country, this may not be the best news or time for you  but also remember, Trump doesnt want to cause major upheaval, says Karl Brauer, senior analyst at vehicle valuation and automotive research company, Kelly Blue Book.

Also on this episode of Counting the Cost:

Digital influence: President-elect Trump has never been one to shy away from social media. His twitter account  @realDonaldTrump  has over 19.4 million followers. Barack Obama has 80 million and Katy Perry beats them both with 94 million twitter followers. Therefore, when Trump chose to tweet his thanks to Linda Bean, heiress to the L.L.Bean retail brand and recent donor to a Trump-supporting Political Action Committee (PAC) and added buy L.L.Bean the message was viewed as an inappropriate endorsement.

Marketing professionals like to divide up influencers into categories according to how many people are following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. They are also paying key individuals to promote their brands on social media. Barbara Soltysinka, the CEO and cofounder of London-based marketing platform indaHash, says this is the way forward for many brands, as the industry sees a trend of being reallocated from television to influencer marketing.

Each person, who has over 700 followers and is really engaging can earn money on campaigns with brands, says Soltysinka.

Cyber-dependency and the global economy: The risk to global jobs may not be what politicians are telling us. Economic inequality will be the biggest issue in the global economy over the next decade, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Its warning fundamental reforms to market capitalism may be needed to tackle the public anger that led to Brexit and the election of Donald Trump.

The WEFs Global Risks report 2017 also highlights how technological change, more than globalisation, is eroding jobs. It says our rising cyber dependence will also determine the future of the global economy over the next decade. And its warning that there are risks associated with letting greater decision-making powers move from humans to Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs.

But to what extent is our global economy actually being run by AI at the moment, and is there any danger in this?

There are a lot of programs around that are making an impact on the economy, but to say that they are controlling the economy is far too early, says Edward Tsang, director of the Centre of Computational Finance and Economic Agents at the University of Essex. Errors made by programs and programmers, and tricks played by some programmers, can both be threats to us  a program that trades, if they make a mistake or if they misbehave, they could damage other peoples interest.
US president Barack Obama signs executive order to scale back a 20-year-old trade embargo on Sudan.

US sanctions have been imposed on Sudan for the past 20 years, but that is about to change.

One of President Barack Obamas final executive orders is to lift some of those economic restrictions.

Americans will be allowed to export goods and do business in Sudan. In return, Sudanese assets in the US will be unfrozen.

The change in policy is not immediate  a six-month probation period comes first.

Sudanese leaders say it is a positive development, but opponents question dealing with President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes.

The White House says Sudan is making strides but warns sanctions can be re-imposed if it backtracks.

Is the easing of sanctions premature?

Presenter: Sohail Rahman

Guests:

Hassan Makki  Head of the Center of Research and African Studies at the International University of Africa

Harry Verhoeven  Visiting scholar from Cambridge University who specialises in conflict and the political economy in the Horn of Africa

Hafiz Mohammad  Director of Justice Africa, which campaigns for human rights and social justice
The tale of the tape that puts the lie to the Israeli PMs media narrative. Plus, the Zimbabwean journalists dilemma.

On The Listening Post this week: Netanyahus media scandal  the story of the tape that caused explosions across Israel. Plus, the dilemma Zimbabwean journalists face when covering Mugabe.

Netanyahus media games exposed

Leaked audio tapes have allegedly revealed how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to negotiate a deal with Arnon Mozes, the owner of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, and the man Netanyahu has repeatedly called his media nemesis. The extra twist in the tale is that Netanyahu was seemingly willing to sell out Israel Hayom  the newspaper thats been most favourable towards him.

Talking us through the story: Anat Balint, writer, Seventh Eye; Rafi Mann, associate professor, School of Communication, Ariel University; Anshel Pfeffer, writer, Haaretz; Rottem Danon, editor-in-chief, Liberal.

On our radar:

BuzzFeed publishes a dossier full of bombshell allegations  ones they admit are unverified  about President-elect Donald Trump

Facebook hires a former CNN anchor to improve its relationship with the media

Five outspoken activists and bloggers go missing in Pakistan with fears that they were abducted by the government

Zimbabwe: Succession, factions and the media

President Robert Mugabe still rules Zimbabwe, but his party, the Zanu-PF, is in strife over who will come after him. The state medias dilemma is how to report the succession battles when talking about Mugabes succession is an editorial red line.

Contributors: Kholani Nyathi, editor, The Standard; Caesar Zvayi, editor, The Herald; Fadzayi Mahere, advocate; Munyaradzi Dodo, online activist, @OPENPARLYZW.
Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
It's deja vu all over again. Another peace conference is being held in Paris on January 15, 2017 to stress and reaffirm international support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It will be attended by foreign ministers of 70 countries but not by an Israeli or Palestinian representative.

French president Francois Hollande had already on June 3, 2016 hosted a preliminary conference of 30 countries and international organizations in Paris with similar intent. It's now June in January. The difference between June and January is that France now intends first to hold the conference, followed by a separate meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to present them with the recommendations of the conference in a more private setting.

Apparently, some form of benefits package worked out at the June meeting was to be presented to the two sides in the hope it would entice them to reopen talks. The international community working through flexible groups would deal with three areas: civil society, institution and state capacity building, and economic assistance. The last of the three would primarily benefit Palestinians.

The project, if well meaning, is both naive and not as ambitious as it appears on first sight, since most of the proposals are similar to projects already in existence or to ideas already discussed. In any case, the Palestinians are more likely to benefit from the arrangements than are the Israelis.

It is an intriguing coincidence not only that Hollande, like President Barack Obama, is reaching the end of his term of office, but also that at this stage, both are anxious to play a decisive role in the Israeli-Palestinian issue. However, both are arguing for the wrong reason. Both leaders, eager to secure a foreign policy legacy, feel that it is urgent to act because they believe that their objective, the creation of a Palestinian state, with which they are most concerned, is less likely to occur. The situation in the area, with continuing acts of violence and increasing Israeli settlement activity, is worsening and harmful for that objective.

The French initiative for a conference was made tempting with the promise of incentive packages for both Israel and the Palestinians if agreement could be reached on a peace arrangement. It is laudatory that each people understands the basic needs of the other party. But there is a basic asymmetry in the situation. There are legitimate disagreements on Israeli settlements, but the state of Israel threatens no other nation or people. On the contrary, it seeks satisfaction of its security needs and defense against unending terrorist attacks, most recently in the truck attack in Jerusalem. Israel is not reinforcing the worst stereotypes of Palestinians or Arabs or Muslims when it accuses them and responds to terrorist attacks.

It is time for the international community to consider the real nature of the problem. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict exists and has always existed because of the refusal of Palestinians to acknowledge the right of Israel, a Jewish state, to exist. The U.S. administration, particularly Secretary of State John Kerry, has forgotten the statement of Madeleine Albright in March 1994 when she was U.S. secretary of state: "We simply do not support the description of the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war as 'occupied Palestinian territory.'"

The solution can come only through negotiations between the two parties, bilateral talks, and not by statements or intervention by the U.S., the U.N., or any other nation or international body. It should be unmistakable that peace would ultimately come only through bilateral arrangements. This has been reiterated innumerable times by Israeli leaders and by well meaning foreign leaders. One is British prime minister Theresa May, who, sharply critical of Kerry's speech of December 28, 2016, remarked that "negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between the two parties, supported by the international community."

A second is President Hollande, who, while explaining the objective of the conferences he hosted, said, "[W]e cannot substitute for the parties." French initiatives aim to provide guarantees that peace between the two peoples "will be solid, sustainable, and under international supervision." One may ask: if peace will come about only by Israel and Palestinians and nobody else, and only bilateral negotiations can succeed, what is the point of the conference?

The first requirement is to end the non-magnificent obsession or hallucinations with Israeli settlements. Secretary Kerry in a recent speech made as his essential argument that settlement-building makes the possibility of a two-state solution less likely. The answer to Kerry again came from Prime Minister May: "it is clear that the settlements are far from the only problem in the conflict. In particular the people of Israel deserve to live free from the threat of terrorism."

The root of the conflict is the refusal of the Arab world, in the past, and Palestinians to recognize the validity and legitimacy of Jews to have a state in their historic homeland. It is also undeniable that Palestinians play on frustration, using the Palestinian Narrative of Victimhood to promote an agenda of hate.

The way forward can come only with Palestinian willingness to negotiate after the reconciliation among the feuding Palestinian groups, and with the unity of West Bank and Gaza Strip. Noticeably, in March 2014, a framework agreement proposed by Kerry on four core issues  borders, Jerusalem, security, and refugees  was rejected by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

In the Middle East, there are important issues for international conferences that should have high priority. It is mistaken to argue that the Israeli-Palestinian issue, if not dealt with, will continue to fuel frustration and increase radicalization, violence, and terrorism. Secretary Kerry had argued the necessity and urgency to implement the two-state solution. But the highest priority is to deal with Islamic terrorism and continue the war against radical Islam.

To his credit, John Kerry has spent countless hours engaged with the issue and exploring and advancing the prospects for peace. He had approved the fact that more than one half of U.S. foreign military financing goes to Israel, to help sustain Israel's qualitative military edge. There is no doubt he was captivated by the country.

Therefore, it is a pity he is mistaken in his sense of priority for three reasons. One is that though one can understand the problems  violence, terrorism, incitement  they are not related to any Israeli activity.

Secondly, Israeli settlements are not contrary to the prospects for peace. The settlers' opinion is not relevant to the question of a Palestinian state.

Thirdly, Kerry is mistaken, as is most of the international political left, in the belief that Israel cannot be both Jewish and democratic.

Kerry's successor as secretary of state should adopt the right priority and make crystal-clear that the best and only road for peace between Israel and Palestinians is not international conferences, but direct negotiations between the two parties and the recognition by Palestinians of Israel as a legitimate state.
Steve Milloy is one persistent gentleman. Combining his legal and statistical education, he has spent most of his years ferreting out the false use of statistical techniques in the field of epidemiology. He continues the same quest in his latest book Scare Pollution: Why and How to Fix the EPA (2016) Bench Press. This is his sixth such book since Science-Based Risk Assessment: A Piece of the Superfund Puzzle (1995).

Just what is epidemiology? One definition: the science concerned with the study of the factors determining and influencing the frequency and distribution of disease, injury, and other health-related events and their causes in a defined human population for the purpose of establishing programs to prevent and control their development and spread. Milloy notes that The key to the value of epidemiology as an investigative tool is that a researcher must be looking for a relatively high rate of a relatively rare event in a human population Epidemiologic results are essentially correlations and, as we all learn in Statistics 101, correlations do not equate to causation. The devil is in the details aphorism comes to life as Milloy exposes the EPAs use of any minute level of correlation as evidence of statistically significant correlation to justify its definition of Clean Air standards.

Milloys latest book documents his multiple attempts in multiple formats to hold the EPA to basic standards of ethical epidemiologic theory and practice. His book details the quixotic nature of that quest.

An executive order by President Richard Nixon in 1970 unified federal environmental activities into a single new organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Though the EPA was never officially organized by Congress as a presidential cabinet-level department, Nixons new federal bureaucracy undertook the writing and implementation of Clean Air Act (1970) laws. This unique status of the EPA as an all-powerful federal agency lacking cabinet-level status continues to the present. It has developed itself into a self-perpetuating rogue agency which defies congressional oversight attempts, as Milloy documents. From its $1 billion annual budget and 4,000 employees in 1970, the EPA expanded into a $6 billion annual budget with 16,000 employees by 1991.

Milloy began working on a variety of environmental issues involving the EPA in 1990. However, his quest for truth in statistics in identifying such impacts on human health has identified one issue at the top of the pile of EPA malfeasance actions. That is the matter of air quality standards.

Milloy: "When EPA began regulating PM in 1971, it regulated relatively large pieces of dust and soot that were anywhere from 25 to 45 millionths of a meter (one to two thousandths of an inch) in diameter. In 1987, EPA revised its rules to focus on smaller bits of dust and soot that were 10 millionths of a meter in diameter (about half the width of a human hair) -- so-called PM10 (pronounced P-M-ten). In November 1996 under Administrator Browner, EPA proposed to regulate even smaller bits of dust and soot, particles that were 2.5 millionths of a meter in width -- so-called PM2.5 (pronounced P-M-two-point-five).

The EPAs PM2.5 proposal wasnt particularly interesting except that the agency claimed its regulation of PM2.5 would save 20,000 lives per year, or in EPA parlance, prevent 20,000 premature deaths. Who knew that outdoor air in America was killing anyone, let alone due to something called PM2.5, which is both a naturally occurring and manmade substance?

Thus, while a major effort has been undertaken by skeptical scientists (i.e. traditional fact-verifying scientists) to disprove EPA claims that fossil fuel usage and CO2 production are driving catastrophic global warming and global climate change, the agency has been toiling away in the background using air quality standard-making as the more effective destructive tool in its regulatory zeal to control our energy production and usage at all levels.

What EPA claim is at the center of power for its regulatory onslaught? It is linked to September 22, 2011 when EPA administrator Lisa Jackson testified before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Administrator Jackson stated: Particulate matter causes premature death. It doesnt make you sick. Its directly causal to dying sooner than you should f we could reduce particulate matter to levels that are healthy, we would have an identical impact to finding a cure for cancer. At the time that would have been almost one in four deaths in America. Yet there were no standardized criteria to identify such a cause of death at autopsy, nor a way to separate out other contributing factors.

The Clean Air Act bars the EPA from considering costs when setting air quality standards. The Supreme Court has held that the EPA can only set air quality standards based on scientific determinations that provide an adequate margin of safety so as to protect the public health. With no limits on the economic costs of its air pollution remedies, the EPA had the potential to ratchet down PM standards to levels below natural background levels. A succession of presidential regimes attempted to put some rational cost limits in place. The last one standing is from September 1993, when then-president Clinton cancelled Executive Order 12291 of President Reagan and replaced it with his own Executive Order 12866, which only required that the benefits of the intended regulation justify its costs.

Merely a passing challenge to the EPA was this issue of cost benefits of their air quality standards. As Milloy explains: Economists have a methodology called contingent valuation that fabricates values virtually out of the imaginations of randomly selected and surveyed people. The EPA then estimated that by reducing PM2.5, albeit indirectly, as many as 11,000 lives would be saved every year -- with every life worth $9 million or so, the EPA estimated the benefits of the rule to be worth as much as $90 billion per year. And since $90 billion in benefits is a lot more than $11 billion in costs, EPA had solved its cost-benefit problem. Never mind that the $90 billion in costs were imaginary in nature while the $11 billion costs were actual in nature. Problem solved.

Criticism by Milloy and others of the EPAs refusal to provide the original data used to make such claims, lead to independent studies by Milloy and by James Enstrom (UCLA) of actual hospital admissions in California. When patient admissions were cross-checked with particulate matter levels, no statistical correlation was found. Smoggier air was not killing the elderly or young. The Clean Air Act only mandated healthy air; it did not mandate esthetically pleasing pristine air.

Faced with mounting criticism of its air pollution claims based solely on epidemiological studies, which were merely statistical computer trolling of data of dubious quality, the EPA ventured into human subject testing. Milloy documents the use of human subjects, both young and old, in gas chamber experiments funded by the EPA at the University of North Carolina, the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, the University of Rochester, the University of Southern California, and Rutgers University. Aiming to prove its claim of death by any level of particulate matter in ambient air, Milloy documents that such experiments were unethical and in defiance of the Nurnberg Code. In spite of numerous articles in the press, Congressional hearings, and appeals to state boards of medicine by Milloy, none of the perpetrators have been punished.

I encourage readers to read Milloys book and share the dismay attendant to such overt manipulation of science and the political system by an essentially rogue agency. It is a fond hope that the Trump administration will restore science to its rightful place in federal policy making, and restore our trust in the regulations imposed on us.

Charles G. Battig, M.S., M.D., Heartland Institute policy expert on environment; VA-Scientists and Engineers for Energy and Environment (VA-SEEE). His website is www.climateis.com
Of all the non-Middle East specialists writing on the Middle East, few have been as prolific or as indecipherable as Judith Butler. More than an academic, she has become a pop culture figure. In an age of identity politics, Butlers identity as a Marxist, feminist, lesbian practitioner of critical theory who writes prolifically about gender and transgenderism have made her among the most interviewed active college professors. But her anti-Israel advocacy has made her a star, and a possible successor to the late Edward Said, another academic whose fame rests more on tendentious scholarship and agitprop than rigorous, objective research.

With a Ph.D. in philosophy and a professorship at UC Berkeleys Comparative Literature department, Butler might have led a career as a big name academic, which is to say very well known by perhaps as much as one tenth of one percent of the American population. But as the face of academes Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, she reaches and influences a much wider audience.

Her academic fame springs from her assertion that gender is performance, an idea lauded as performative gender theory or just performativity. At its core, this is a rendering of the postmodern obsession with false binaries. Butler refutes the biological binaries of male and female in the manner that deconstruction theory identifies the unstable cultural binaries located in all language (truth/falsehood, freedom/slavery, good/evil). Butler argues instead that gender is in no way a stable identity or locus of agency from which various acts proceede [sic]; rather, it is an identity tenuously constituted in time  an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts.

Depicting biological determinism as just another linguistic problem to be deconstructed and historicized, Butlers prose is pompous, jargon-heavy, and probably indecipherable to those not immersed in language theory (and even for many who are). For instance, she writes that gender is a construction that regularly conceals its genesis. The tacit collective agreement to perform, produce, and sustain discrete and polar genders as cultural fictions is obscured by the credibility of its own production.

Even her book blurbs are turgid. Dispossession: The Performative in the Political (2013), announces: This book interrogates the agonistic and open-ended corporeality and conviviality of the crowd as it assembles in cities to protest political and economic dispossession through a performative dispossession of the sovereign subject and its propriety.

Butlers turn away from literature and language theory in favor of Middle East politics, criticism of U.S. foreign policy, and demonization of Israel came in a collection of essays titled Precarious Life (2004) in which she focused on the effects of the 9/11 attacks on America. What many people would describe as an atrocity, Butler describes as a dislocation from first-world privilege, however temporary. Her condemnation of terrorism rings about as hollow as Kofi Annans or Yassir Arafats. Not only is Butler unwilling to condemn Hamas and Hizballah, her tepid equivocation contains more than a hint of comradery: Understanding Hamas, Hizballah as social movements that are progressive, that are on the Left, that are part of a global Left, is extremely important. That does not stop us from being critical of certain dimensions of both movements. Despite the great admiration that the Left has for Hamas and Hizballah, neither group shares any of the Lefts ideals and anyone claiming otherwise is delusional.

Butlers version of the academic fad called intersectionality connects the victimization of homosexuals and various minority groups with the victimization of the Arab people who inhabit what she calls Israel-Palestine. This permits identifying Israel as the analog to the homophobic, white supremacist empire she finds so prevalent throughout the world.

A surprising condemnation of Judith Butler comes from Carey Nelson, former president of the American Association of University Professors, who recognized that Butlers and the BDS movements first goal is to maximize international hostility toward Israel, a project destined to harden positions, not move the peace process along.

For someone who has made a career out of refuting the binary option, Butler is curiously blind to her own portrayals of a colonizing and marginalizing (bad) Israel, and the oppressed and innocent (good) Palestinians. Marginalization of the other, it seems, is only something Israelis and conservatives do, Palestinians and leftists being immune to bigotry.

Butler makes a point of criticizing the Geneva Conventions for their selective criterion to the question of who merits protection and who does not. This of course misses the point that the Conventions were crafted to exclude practitioners of illegal war from the protections granted to legal combatants. As John Yoo puts it, those who do not operate under responsible command, wear uniforms, carry their arms openly, and obey the laws of war operate illegally. Legal and illegal war is another binary that Butler rejects.

After the November 2015 massacres in Paris, Butler scolded the world for its inordinate, selective mourning of dead French people when so many Arabs were killed (50 in Beirut and 111 in Palestine) in the prior weeks. Implying that the Hamas and Hizballah fighters are innocent civilians arbitrarily killed by Israel, Butler urged everyone to consider how the metrics of grievability work and embrace what she calls transversal grief -- equal grief for all dead. But just as with her confusion over legal and illegal combatants, Butler fails to recognize that not every life is worthy of our grief, and not everyone deserves to be mourned.

Unique among leftists, Butler does not give lip service to the two-state solution. In a book titled Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism (2012), she announces a new ethos for a one-state solution. It will be what she calls a bi-national state -- effacing all of Israel and forcing Jews to live as a minority in a Muslim-majority Palestine. In her characteristically confusing style, Butler explains that only when bi-nationalism deconstructs the idea of a nation can we hope to think about what a state, what a polity might look like that would actually extend equality. This is a dangerous fantasy, ignorant of history.

So what to do about an influential thinker who cant distinguish between friend and foe, legal combatant and terrorist, innocent civilians killed sipping lattes in a Parisian cafe and Hamas operatives killed by the IDF? I suggest we preempt her ascension by boycotting her terminal cultural relativism, divesting ourselves from her gimmicky prose, and sanctioning with righteous opprobrium anyone who honors her political writing with the term philosophy. One Edward Said is quite enough.

A.J. Caschetta is a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum and a senior lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology. This essay was sponsored by Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum.
The brutal Palestinian-Arab truck attack on a group of largely female Israeli officer cadets earlier this week raises a number of interesting questions. These may impact the way Americans approach gender issues and rules of engagement in the military and also how we respond as a society to this increasingly common form of Islamist terror.

Video of the attack shows the truck plowing into a group of cadets at high speed, then backing up and attempting to run over some of the stricken soldiers again. It also shows most of the cadets fleeing the scene, both from the group that was attacked and a nearby group (in the video foreground.) About 25 seconds into the attack a few soldiers led by a civilian security guard (who was initially knocked over) charge the truck and open fire. The security guard, armed only with a pistol, is credited with killing the driver and stopping the attack.

Among other things, Israeli military authorities are now examining why most of the soldiers fled the attack, rather than immediately charging the terrorist. Not all ran, and it appears that although the soldiers carried rifles, many or most were unloaded at the time of the attack. As the security guard and some soldiers are seen moving on the truck at the end of the video sequence, several other cadets who initially retreated can be seen taking cover and then loading their rifles. Nonetheless, the image of Israeli soldiers fleeing is a boon to Palestinian and Islamist propagandists, and disturbing to a lot of Israelis who expect otherwise.

One possible reason for the poor response of so many of the soldiers is the effect of a recent manslaughter conviction of an IDF sergeant for shooting a wounded terrorist after a knife attack on a fellow soldier. The convicted sergeant testified that he believed that the terrorist still posed a threat. A military court and his command disagreed but many Israelis sided with the soldier. In any event, the message to IDF troops as a result of the conviction was open fire at your own risk. Like American troops Israeli soldiers operate under very restrictive rules of engagement. The truck attack is not the only recent incident in which IDF troops faced with extremely restrictive rules of engagement have withdrawn from confrontations with Palestinian-Arabs. Fairly predictably, the IDF is already denying that this happened in the Jerusalem attack.

Another factor might have been the presence of so many female soldiers. The IDF is well-known for its integration of women into military service (though sometimes this is overstated), and about half of eligible female Israeli eighteen-year-olds are drafted every year. Like in America, women as of yet dont serve in most ground combat units (with the exception of a couple of gender-integrated infantry battalions that are mostly assigned to quiet areas), though a female officer at the scene was one of the soldiers who advanced and fired on the truck. Was the apparently panicked flight affected by the presence of so many female cadets? Is it politically correct to even ask? Will Israeli authorities look into that or look away?

One thing the attack definitively illustrates is that being in uniform is not a guarantee of rapid and effective response in a crisis. A corollary to this is that civilians under attack will not necessarily panic, and can act with more courage and dispatch than soldiers. During a string of similar attacks in Israel a few years ago, on a number of occasions off-duty reservist soldiers took the initiative in foiling terror attacks rather than active on-duty troops or police. Likewise, in the current spate of knife attacks in Israel, armed civilians have stopped many. This strongly reinforces the idea that armed concealed carry civilians in the United States are a both a deterrent to such terror, and can be effective means of stopping attacks.

Nobody knows how they will react to such an attack, and it is even harder to predict the reaction of groups of people to such a sudden, violent and shocking incident. While it is too soon to draw hard conclusions about the reactions of the soldiers and civilians at the scene of the Jerusalem attack, we ignore the possible lessons at our own risk.
They are the two men who changed the course of the history of the United States and the world in the new millennium: one by his capacity for evil, the other by his incapacity to comprehend it. The saga of Osama and Obama begins at the dawn of the 21st century.

In September of 2001, Osama bin Laden slaughtered thousands of Americans in New York, Washington, and in the skies, undermining the nation's sense of security. The Twin Towers were a symbol of the soaring power of the unchallenged United States following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Osama didn't have to leave his Afghan hideaway to accomplish his "feat." He sent no clunky missiles in an effort to dent the impenetrable power of fortress America as Saddam Hussein had attempted with his Scuds against U.S. troops during the Gulf War. He relied on a small group of Muslim fanatics with box cutters and the schedules of U.S. airlines servicing a booming economy.

In response to bin Ladens outrage, then President George W. Bush launched the War on Terror. In 2008, Americans chose Barack Hussein Obama to be their first post-9/11 elected president. That his surname, Obama, rhymed with Osama and had the unusual names Barack Hussein" attached to it is only a coincidence. The resemblance, however, was not lost on the future president when he lunched with a political consultant in late September of 2001. Before them was a newspaper with Osama bin Laden's photo. "Hell of a thing isn't it?" remarked the consultant. "Really bad luck. You can't change your name, of course. Voters are suspicious of that kind of thing."

Voters seemed to be more suspicious of Obamas association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whom the Wall Street Journal called a "passionate proponent of the view of America as the world's leading agent of evil and injustice, than his Muslim roots. The association with fiery preacher and his friendship with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers did not deter the American people.

Perhaps Barack Hussein Obamas amazing rise was the result of some deep wound in the American psyche after such a direct hit on its pride that still smarted seven years later.

On May 2, 2011, Obama killed Osama, or at least he took responsibility for the action, while watching it on closed-circuit deep in the heavily-fortified White House Situation Room -- but his incapacity to call out evil during his presidency weakened America's power in the world and gave birth to an even more malicious Al-Qaeda offspring -- the Islamic State.

Like most children of divorced parents, he felt a loss, for he was no longer as intimately involved with his fathers family he keenly felt his lack of status, genuinely suffering from his fathers lack of personal love and care. These words were written by Omar bin Laden, one of Osamas 20 sons, regarding his father's relationship with his grandfather, but they could have easily been written about Barack Obama, whose autobiography, titled Dreams from My Father, aptly describes the importance of his Kenyan progenitor's absence. Both mens Muslim fathers died prematurely: Osamas in a plane crash at age 59, Obamas in a car accident at age 46, thus precluding any reconciliation with their feelings of abandonment.

Osama bin Ladens father was fantastically rich and had many wives. Since Osama was not among the first born among 50 sons, he received little attention from the busy patriarch before he died. He was raised by a stepfather. Unlike his brothers, who studied abroad, Osama stayed in Saudi Arabia and thus remained the most provincial of the bin-Laden boys.

Barack Obama was raised in multicultural Hawaii and in Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim nation. It was with Obamas Indonesian stepfather that the future president first came in contact with Islam, at the time in Indonesia, a much more tolerant version than that of Osamas Saudi Arabia.

Bin Laden, living in the birthplace of Islam, found meaning in its message and gravitated towards the works of Sayid Qutub, widely considered the father of contemporary jihadist thought.

Four and a half years younger than Osama, Barack Obama was drawn to the writings of Malcom X of the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist group that prepared for a race war in America and believed that Christianity was the religion of slavers. Malcolm eventually left the NOI for the more traditional Sunni form of the religion and made the Hadj to Mecca. Obama wrote:

If Malcolm X's discovery toward the end of his life, that some whites might live beside him as brothers in Islam, seemed to offer some hope of eventual reconciliation, that hope appeared in a distant future, in a far-off land. In the meantime, I looked to see where the people would come from who were willing to work toward this future and populate this new world.

That search led Obama to a hybrid multicultural and polyreligious concept of world harmony that included an idyllic image of Islam based on his formative years in Indonesia and his emotional attachment to his Muslim forbears. For his vision, the president won the Nobel Peace Prize shortly after taking office and spent the next eight years trying to create it. He failed miserably, further undermining the post-World War II order that Osama Bin Ladens atrocity had shaken.

The youthful quests of these two highly educated, self-confident men led them to two opposing views of Islam. Bin-Laden's followed the literal words of the Quran: only all-out war on the unbelievers would bring the peace of Islam to the world. For Obama, Islam was a religion of peace. Later it became his "responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

Osama became an evil man of action -- Obama an immoral man of inaction.

Osama, with few troops, no country, and no official title, declared war on the world's greatest superpower in 1996 and took action: the Khobar towers, the USS Cole, the U.S. embassies in Africa, the WTC, and many more acts of terror.

Obama, commander in chief of the world's most powerful military, did everything to appease America's enemies: the withdrawal of troops from Iraq which led to the rise of ISIS, his failure to act when Syria's Assad crossed his red line of chemical weapons use, the nuclear deal with Iran, and many more acts of rendition.

Osama always told the truth about his beliefs -- Obama told half-truths and lies about Islam.

Let us contrast just a few of their statements from Osama's letter to America and Obama's Cairo speech.

On each others civilizations:

Osama: It is saddening to tell you that you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind.

Obama: As a student of history, I also know civilizations debt to Islam.

On religious pluralism:

Osama: The religion of Jihad in the way of Allah [is] so that Allah's Word and religion reign Supreme. It is to this religion that we call you: the seal of all the previous religions.

Obama: The world must continue to lift up the voices of Muslim clerics and scholars who teach the true peaceful nature of Islam.

On war and peace:

Osama: Do not await anything from us but Jihad, resistance and revenge.

Obama: Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism  it is an important part of promoting peace.

President Obama told the world "that Islam has always been a part of America's story." In fact, the first country to declare war on the United States was Muslim Tripoli. Following the early conflicts with the North African Barbary States, historian Bernard Lewis wrote (The Crises of Islam, p.69) that there was little contact between the two civilizations until the post-WW II oil boom.

The United States is now in a third historical phase of interaction with the Muslim world. We have been savagely attacked by "Radical Islam," a phrase Barack Obama refuses to utter, while being besieged by Muslim propaganda. By taking an active role in the latter and by failing to decisively combat evil, Barack Hussein Obama has advanced the cause of Osama Bin Laden. Yes, the president "killed" one mass murderer, but he has enabled the formation of tens of thousands of ghoulish assassins who believe that it is their religious duty to enslave non-Muslim women and who can look an infidel in the face before slowly slicing off his head.

The author is a self-made multiculturalist who has lived and worked in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. He blogs at The Multicultural Conservative: Conservative by Nature  Multicultural by Choice.
In the epic film Titanic, actress Kathy Bates plays the role of Margaret Molly Brown. Of Irish descent, Molly is depicted as a straight-shooting, no-nonsense, wealthy Texan with a penchant for social climbing. However, the smug, condescending aura, exuded by the elites, never washes over her. After escaping the sinking Titanic in a one-third empty lifeboat, surrounded mostly by married women and a few male staff, Molly is appalled by her fellow survivors callousness. Molly wants to rescue nearby male passengers, fighting for their lives in the frigid sea. Her lifeboat is less than 200 feet from the men screaming for help. The crew refuse, stating that the suction of the sinking ship will drag them under; rather than rowing towards the men, they must get away as quickly as possible. Undeterred, Molly persists:

I dont understand a one of you. Whats the matter with you? Its your men back there! We got plenty a room for more.

In response, Molly is told that if she says another word, there will be one less occupant in the boat. None of the other passengers come to Mollys defense. And so they leave; their sons, brothers, husbands and fathers knowingly betrayed and abandoned to await their cruel death.

The pejorative term white privilege has been hurled to date almost entirely against white males. This relatively new addition to Americas litany of purported sins is emerging as a core part of the lefts pantheon of victimization. Non-whites are now victims because Western European and American culture have extant societal structures conferring special privileges to white-skinned people. Especially, white-skinned male people. The only way to remedy this imbalance is to vilify white males and degrade their accomplishments. Concomitantly, income redistribution is justified and criminal behavior recharacterized and excused. J.R. Dunn summed it up aptly:

White privilege is a tactic rather than an idea, and to ask for a specific definition is to ask for something that has never been and can never be But it does feature one basic element, not easily denied or set aside That is the contention that benefits  social, economic, academic, and historical  are automatically conferred to an individual simply as a matter of being white.

While elements of this theory may have been true for small segments of the white population in the 1930s, when W.E.B. Du Bois first studied his theory of a global white supremacy, and during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, it is not true today. Yet these tropes have persisted and institutionalized unfettered from the petri dish of academia. The virus permeated mainstream society and exploded onto social media. The deleterious effects are far-reaching, and heretofore unchecked. Only with the 2016 presidential election have white men successfully pushed back.

All the while, instead of sticking up for their white male relatives, as Margaret Molly Brown attempted, many white women joined the assault. Motivated by decades of real and perceived oppression, feminists battled for education, jobs, government grants, and breaking the glass ceiling of executive positions and seats on corporate boards. In their zeal for winning at gender identity politics, they ignored the plight of their white male counterparts. The outcome is toxic.

In many of our universities and colleges, white young male students are mandated to endure white male privilege classes. They are being vilified for something they have not done. Hypocritically and paradoxically, they are being punished for the color of their skin. The classes begin with the students being told they must leave their white privilege at the door. Then, they must repent, acknowledge their unjust privilege and promise reformation for their white badness. Clearly this is the classic definition of racism, falling under the rubric of a hate crime. This curriculum is also humiliating and abusive. Why would any woman want a brother, son, grandson, or nephew to endure treatment which would be criminal if targeted at a non-white group? Where are the outraged moms? Where are the outraged parents paying up to one quarter of a million dollars for an educational system that assails their male childs self-esteem?

This unchecked raw prejudice has permeated administrative response to on-campus social interactions as well. Repeatedly, we have seen that when a non-white female accuses a white male or group of white men of sexual improprieties, the guillotine of social injustice is instantly dropped. The males are deemed guilty, ostracized, and often stripped of privileges, before any investigation has been implemented.

Older white men are judged generically and unfairly, embodying Clintons basket of deplorable traits: racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, and misogynistic. Why arent white women saying no? No! My dad and grandfathers and uncles do not possess these awful traits.

On January 21, 2017, one day after the upcoming inauguration of president-elect Trump, one million women plan to converge on Washington, D.C. Planned Parenthood is a co-sponsor. Originally slated as a protest of Trumps election, the message has morphed into a warning to America. The protest is a melange of fake fear, faux accusations, and self-entitled delusional self-importance. The organizers claim the march is a show of solidarity, at a time when America is marginalizing people of color, the LGBTQ community, rape victims, and abortion procedures. Not only are these claims preposterous, the participants angry presence may harm the grateful multitudes in D.C. for celebration.

In an ironic twist, the white feminist protest participants, who have historically done nothing to counter the unfair assault on white men, now find themselves under attack for their perceived white female privilege. White women conceived the protest. Other participants chafed and pushed for diverse leadership. Diverse leadership was achieved. But, many black participants advocated for a black woman only march. One African-American blogger wrote that white women should: shut up and listen more. Others chimed in stating that white women should acknowledge their white privilege and leave it at the door. Consequently, some white women have resigned from the march.

One can only hope that with president-elect Trumps antipathy to political correctness, this madness will end. Diversity is the enemy of assimilation.
California governor Jerry Brown has staked out the turf as President-Elect Trumps opponent, hiring Eric Holder to gin up a legal strategy and appointing Congressman Xavier Bacera as his A.G. to oppose anticipated Trump policies in sanctuary cities, the environment, and what some call Californias values.

But I have to wonder if Brown doesnt have a vulnerable flank in this battle: the looming financial collapse of his most cherished project, the so-called bullet train between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times published information from a confidential Federal Railroad Administration report that was leaked to it revealing absolute incompetence and out-of-control overspending on the first segment under construction. The report by Ralph Vartabedian should be read in its entirety to grasp the level of chaos in the project:

Californias bullet train could cost taxpayers 50% more than estimated  as much as $3.6 billion more. And thats just for the first 118 miles through the Central Valley, which was supposed to be the easiest part of the route between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Keep in mind that that cost estimates have already been increased a number of times, and as a result, the trains will have to run on ordinary tracks, at ordinary train speeds, in both the L.A. and S.F. metropolises, lowering the average speed of the journey well below bullet train status and requiring five hours or more for the journey, making a day trip unrealistic for most business travelers.

A confidential Federal Railroad Administration risk analysis, obtained by The Times, projects that building bridges, viaducts, trenches and track from Merced to Shafter, just north of Bakersfield, could cost $9.5 billion to $10 billion, compared with the original budget of $6.4 billion.

Bad as this is, there will be many, many more cost overruns  this is just a down payment. The really important part of the report is the description of the systemic incompetence of the Rail Authority, an organization that has never built anything, and one that has seen a revolving door for top-level personnel: the rail authoritys senior deputy, its chief administrative officer and its top information technology executive recently left.

The federal document outlines far-reaching management problems: significant delays in environmental planning, lags in processing invoices for federal grants and continuing failures to acquire needed property.

The FRA estimates that the first stretch will be delayed seven years. But that has to be premised on nothing more adding delay. And that seems inevitable:

The California system is being built by an independent authority that has never built anything and depends on a large network of consultants and contractors for advice. Engineering and construction experts have warned that early cost and schedule problems will be difficult to reverse and that early cost increases likely will drive up the final cost of the project.

Here is a secret that Donald Trump already knows: when you rely on consultants and contractors, they will use every excuse in the book to run up costs unless the client watches them like a hawk and forces them to work to budget and standards. He rescued Central Parks Wollman Rink, which had been bogged down in endless change orders, repair, rework, and redesign issues that kept costs ballooning, the same syndrome Californias half-fast train already is experiencing.

The Trump administration and GOP Congress have some leverage and a spotlight to shine on Browns Folly:

The Federal Railroad Administration is tracking the project because it has extended $3.5 billion in two grants to help build the Central Valley segment. The administration has an obligation to ensure that the state complies with the terms, including a requirement that the state has the funding to match the federal grants. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), chairman of the House rail subcommittee, said Friday he would conduct an oversight hearing in the near future and fight any further federal funding. Despite past issues with funding this boondoggle, we were repeatedly assured in an August field hearing that construction costs were under control, he said in a statement. They continue to reaffirm my belief that this is a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. The railroad administrations analysis shows that the state authority could lose $220 million in one of the federal grants this year if it cannot submit paperwork by June 30, to meet the Sept. 30 deadline of the Obama administrations stimulus act. To hit those milestones requires spending $3.2 million per day, a very high rate of construction spending. But Morales said the rail authoritys construction progress and spending rate ensure that all of the grant funds will be used. So far, the authority has spent $2.2 billion of the grant, leaving $300 million to spend.

California is facing a budget deficit and is heavily reliant on tax revenues from a tiny number of high-income taxpayers, mainly in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, and:

 the Legislature already has balked at giving the rail authority the ability to borrow against future state revenues, saying it would have to make do with existing allocations. And that was before Gov. Jerry Brown warned Tuesday that Californias projected 2017-18 budget shows a $1.6-billion deficit.

He does not know it yet, but the California governor may be setting himself up to be a tool of persuasion for Trump in altering the culture of federal construction contracting. By declaring war on the president-elect, Jerry Brown invites a response from a man not known for restraint in countering his opponents. And the failures of the California project exemplify exactly the sort of waste Trump needs to control in his promised trillion-dollar infrastructure program. I have written a couple of times about Trumps use of Air Force One as an example to others of the cultural change he needs in defense procurement, where change order cost overruns are epidemic. Lockheed just capitulated to Trumps cost control demands on the F-35 program, revealing that a powerful wind of change has already taken hold in that realm of federal deal making.

Now Trump needs to set an example of how not to do construction spending in order to warn all parties to infrastructure spending that they too could become objects of scorn if they dont change their ways.

Alinsky understood this:

Ridicule is mans most potent weapon. There is no defense. Its irrational. Its infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.

So POTUS may well add his voice to the House hearings, probably via Twitter, ridiculing Jerry Brown and drawing attention to the Wollman rescue he performed  and shining a spotlight that may illuminate a few California voters on their governor's incompetence.

Jerry Brown is 78 years old, and it is showing. I am not sure he is up to the battle that lies ahead. His dream is crumbling before his eyes, and he has taken on a guy who is a counterpuncher.
As we approach the inauguration, I think of a wonderful insight of John Stuart Mill: everyone loves executive power  when his party wins the election.

Back when representative government was still an uncommon idea, John Stuart Mill  a pioneer of Classical Liberalism  advocated for it. However, in "Considerations on Representative Government," he put forward a problem that could arise. Specifically, people might begin to value their party holding power more than freedom itself.

Members of parties are willing to abdicate his personal freedom of action into the hands of his general provided his army is triumphant and victorious and he is able to flatter himself that he is one of a conquering host. (88)

Mill thought individuals can be seen as members of an army, and the only thing they will care about is if their general is in charge. Partisans love dominance when their party is the one dominant.

This is why the left did not protest President Obama using what is now a fifteen-year-old Declaration of War to bomb seven countries. Furthermore, they applauded the initiative taken to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal despite many knowing that it was an overreach of the executive's power.

Similarly, this is why those on the right chose to ignore President Bush's actions in going against the Geneva Conventions' restrictions on interrogation techniques.

Outrage Over Trump

Many people throughout the country have staged vitriolic protests against the president-elect. Articles have been penned, petitions have been signed, Golden Globe speeches have been made, with the goal of preventing the next president from taking power. Yet the power they fear is the power they bestowed.

With regard to power, Mill wrote that people are "very jealous of any attempt to exercise over them  but they in general care very little for the exercise of power over others" (91).

In other words, members of one party do not have an issue with handing power over to a member of same party, nor do they mind if that person uses that power over others in the society. However, if another party gains hegemony and that power is used against them, they become outraged.

Tiberius is here: Now what?

"The despotism of Augustus prepared the Romans for Tiberius" (57).

Augustus was one of the most beloved leaders in the history of Rome. He was a key player in transitioning Rome from a republic to an empire. He largely ignored the Senate, keeping the absolute control of the military to himself, and dubbed himself the first among all Romans. Augustus's son, Tiberius, following his father's example, also ignored the Senate but took his power one step farther and assassinated all of his political enemies.

I am not claiming that Trump will hire an assassin to kill Bernie Saunders. However, Americans should be prepared: when they bestow near limitless power on a leader they love, one day a leader they despise will come along and use that power for something they find despicable.

Yet individuals will continue to give up that power for the chance of becoming a "conquering host."
Over the last few years, many of my Latin American friends have asked the same question: why do you Cubans get preferential treatment?

The answer is complex, but it is based on the reality that we come from a communist dictatorship devoid of any human rights. In other words, things may be bad in Mexico, but they have multiparty elections and a free press. Mexican immigrants are usually looking for economic opportunities, not political freedom.

Also, to be fair, it is true that Cubans are concentrated in Florida, a state with the third largest number of electoral votes on the map.

On Thursday, President Obama decided to cancel the "Wet Foot, Dry Foot" policy that has allowed Cubans to claim legal status if they make it here.

My initial reaction was twofold:

First, why now? We will have a new president in a week. Why make this decision at this stage of the transition? Was Mr. Trump consulted?

This decision puts President-Elect Trump in a difficult position. He can accept the decision and irritate the Cuban-Americans who put him over the top in Florida, or he can restore special treatment of Cubans and risk attacks that other immigrants are being treated differently.

Second, can President Obama even do this? Can a president reverse an immigration policy? Didn't his executive order about "the Dreamers" run into a wall last year?

What happens now? My guess is that some human rights group will challenge the decision because no one knows what will happen to the Cubans returned, as Senator Marco Rubio indicated.

Also, did President Obama get any concessions from Raul Castro that these Cubans won't be treated like traitors when they go back? In the past, returning Cubans have been targeted by the regime.

My hope is that President Trump reverses Obama's decision and calls on Cuba to make some concessions, such as a guarantee that these Cubans will not be targeted. It could be part of a new deal with Cuba based on helping the Cuban people rather than making a deal for the sake of making a deal.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Marco Rubio's back in the Senate. He evidently likes swaggering talk. On Wednesday, he grabbed headlines. As of this writing, Rubio's not sure if he'll vote for Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State. Or maybe he's bluffing...to get headlines.

Rubio wants Tillerson to brand Vladimir Putin a war criminal. Tillerson, a smart and sophisticated man, won't take the bait.

During the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tillerson's nomination, Rubio and Tillerson had this exchange, per the New York Times:

Mr. Rubio set off on an aggressive line of questioning, initially posing a simple query: "Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?" "I would not use that term," Mr. Tillerson said. Mr. Rubio, outlining a list of grievous Russian offenses in Syria, said he hoped Mr. Tillerson might adjust his answer. "Those are very, very serious charges to make, and I want to have much more information," Mr. Tillerson said. Mr. Rubio, saying there was plenty of public information  "the videos and pictures are there," he noted  said that "it should not be hard to say that Vladimir Putin's military has conducted war crimes in Aleppo." Mr. Tillerson did not budge. "I find it discouraging, your inability to cite that," Mr. Rubio said.

Where Rubio is discouraged by Tillerson's prudence, Americans should be heartened. Russia is, after all, a nuclear power. Had Tillerson bent to Rubio's insistence, labeling Putin a war criminal, how would that impact foreign policy? What would be the consequences of a soon secretary of state leveling war crime charges against the Russian leader?

Putin claims he wants to open a dialogue with President-Elect Trump. He claims a desire to cooperate with the U.S. to fight Islamic predation. Putin may be sincere  or he may not. He's a slippery sort. But chaining Trump and Tillerson to an accusation  however substantial  of war crimes against Putin accomplishes what end?

Slapping a war criminal tag on Putin limits Trump's ability to maneuver in his dealings with Putin. There's a wide range of issues for the president-elect and Putin to address: Islamic terrorism, the Baltic States, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Syria, and economics, among others. Trump has a right to explore the possibility of improved relations and cooperation  or at least an easing of tensions  with the Russian strongman without an onerous condition being forced on him. Lest Senator Rubio forget, the chief aim of U.S. foreign policy is to secure U.S. vital interests and strengthen national security. It's not to strut about on the world stage, moralizing and saber-rattling.

Statecraft is about offsets. A member of Congress  Senator Rubio here  can indulge big talk and bluster. Sanctimony may reap a P.R. bonanza and kudos from elites but it doesn't help move the needle in advancing U.S. interests.

Beyond his rhetoric, how does Senator Rubio intend to bring Putin to account for his alleged war crimes? Have a warrant issued for Putin's arrest from The Hague? Or perhaps the U.S. should move even more troops and military hardware to Eastern Europe in a show of force?

This from NPR:

The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Carson, Colo., has begun moving into Poland as part of the biggest U.S. military deployment in Europe since the end of the Cold War. It's part of an Obama administration effort to deter perceived growing Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. The Kremlin isn't happy.

What tangible vital American interest is served by upping the U.S. military investment in Eastern Europe? No chance doing so will ratchet up tensions? No new flashpoints for conflict?

To be sure, Putin isn't the dog wagging the U.S. tail. Where U.S. actions to protect and promote its vital interests conflict with Russia, so be it. But the question needs to be asked again and again: are American vital interests threatened by Putin in Eastern Europe? Isn't Europe principally Europe's concern? Isn't it incumbent on Europeans to meet the challenges posed by Russia on their continent? Europeans lack neither the manpower nor the means to do so. What they may lack is the will to deal with Putin.

The clash here is between moralizers and realists. (There are isolationists on the right and left, too. But isolationism is a nonstarter.)

The Marco Rubios insist that the U.S. is a global superhero, righting wrongs, smashing injustices, and giving the old Pow! Bang! to thugs like Putin. The realists  Trump, notably  wear no blinders. "Bad hombres" are throughout the world. But the imperative is U.S. interests. Woodrow Wilson  not the Founders  invented the catchphrase "making the world safe for democracy." Wilson's words were breezy abstraction verging on adventurism. "Arsenal of Democracy" was an FDR phrase, aimed at helping the allies in the war against Hitler. FDR's "arsenal" made sense in time and place.

Russia is a competitor, but it needn't be an enemy. Where the two nations can cooperate, cooperation should be welcomed. The litmus test for cooperating with Russia is about whether or not vital U.S. interests are served. Likewise, if clashes occur with the Russians, let those center on safeguarding America's critical interests.

Competing with the Russians, President-Elect Trump grasps that the U.S. can gain real advantages in two key areas: militarily, through a major buildup of forces and means, and via energy independence. Freeing the U.S. from overseas energy unfetters the nation to pursue its interests with fewer complications.

Trump and Tillerson are apex business leaders, practical and grounded. Their eyes are on the prize: U.S. advantage and security. Maybe Marco Rubio will come around.
This case between Apple and Samsung has been going on for over four years now, and it has just been reopened, thanks to the ruling by the Supreme Court last month. The Supreme Court had overturned the ruling from the Court of Appeals, which saw Samsung sending Apple a check for $399 million. The issue that Samsung has had with the amount they owed Apple for infringing on their patents, is the fact that they dont believe that they should have to fork over all of the profits from the products that infringed, when the patents only covered components. The patents that they infringed on included rounded corners, bezels and an icon grid. Samsung believes that they shouldnt have to pay $399 million to use those.

With the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Samsung, this means that the case is sent back to the Court of Appeals, and it also means that the case is now re-opened. Additionally, the Court of Appeals are unable to hit Samsung with a fine that covers the sales of all devices sold with infringing patents, thanks to the Supreme Courts decision. Now since Samsung has already paid Apple the $399 million, it likely means that once the court comes to a new judgement, Samsung will be getting a partial refund from Apple. Since Samsung cannot be liable to pay back all the profits from products that infringed, the amount should be lower, in fact it should be considerably lower, than what they have already paid.

The case between Apple and Samsung was one of the biggest cases in recent history, and its still not over. Apple was actually originally awarded just over a billion, but Samsung continued to appeal the decision and got it all the way down to $399 million. That is when the Supreme Court got involved and agreed to hear the case. Where they ultimately ruled in favor of Samsung, which sent the case back over to the Court of Appeals. So the Apple v. Samsung case is far from being over. But this case is setting precedent for future patent cases, which there are sure to be plenty in the near future.
Google released the in-service Android platform version numbers a few days ago and Android Nougat, both versions 7.0 and 7.1, is the least popular version of Android stretching back to 2.3 Gingerbread. This time last year we saw something similar with the then-latest version of Android, 6.0 Marshmallow, only running on 0.7% of devices. Today that figure is at almost 30% but the most popular version is Android Lollipop, now two years old. In other words, in a year of ongoing software development and improvement, and of Google encouraging manufacturers to adopt the latest version of Android and apply regular monthly software patches, the market is in the same position with less than 1% of todays devices running the latest version of Android.

Why is this? There is not one easy answer but one of the main reasons is because handset manufacturers (and carriers) are more into selling customers a new device than developing existing devices. They believe that customers want a bigger, better screen, a camera with more megapixels, bigger batteries and all manner of new features. Its often a wasted effort: many customers upgrading from a two or three year old device are getting devices with features they did not know they needed. How many flagship Samsung Galaxy owners realize that their device has a heart rate monitor and regularly use it? From a customer perspective, the release of newer devices makes older handsets obsolete  especially when manufacturers drop software support for the older handsets.

Manufacturers quickly forget about their older devices as they concentrate on the more recent devices. Some manufacturers diligently update their old devices for a couple of years  Google is between two to three years for the Nexus family of devices  and then support is dropped. Other manufacturers cease support for a given device with a reason that makes no sense, stating that the older hardware would not be capable of running the newer version of the operating system when the underlying reason seems to be more, the development teams are busy with this years model, sorry. As Android has matured through the versions, the hardware requirements for newer platforms have been incrementally closer to the older version. We have, however, seen hardware manufacturers cease supporting older components for newer builds of Android, for example the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and 801 chips do not have official drivers for Android Nougat, meaning large swathes of devices are unlikely to ever be officially updated to the new platform.

Advertisement

Lets take a look at the Apple iPhone, as this device is often considered when it comes to discussing software updates. Apple updates their older iPhone models to the latest version of iOS alongside the newer phones. Yes, some of the older iPhone models do not get the newer features and in some cases, weve seen an older model updated to the newer version of iOS and appears to be functionally and visually the same. However, for the purposes of explaining to the industry that 75% of their devices are updated to the current version of iOS, as Apple does with iOS 10 released last September, it does not matter that older devices are missing some of the new features. Theyre running iOS 10. And let us also not forget that Apples new hardware has always been a refined variant of the old formula. Hardware change happens slowly in the land of the iPhone; screen sizes and resolutions have only gradually evolved over the years, and Apple concentrate on the software. Yes: Apple have the advantage of complete control over every stage of the process, from designing the chipsets, building the drivers and the underlying operating system. The diagram to describe how Android device manufacturers achieve the same process is considerably more complicated!

Googles new version of Android, Nougat, has some changes under the skin that should encourage manufacturers to update to the new platform. One of these is supporting Google Daydream, where one of the requirements is for the device to run at least Android 7.0 Nougat. Another is seamless updating, which will make it easier for customers to update their devices. Neither of these solves the issue of the manufacturers needing to develop the software for the old device, of disparate hardware component manufacturers needing to update their device drivers. A great place for manufacturers to start is by adopting and sticking to Googles monthly update security patch schedule and by coding these changes into their devices as and when they are released. Its unfortunate that some manufacturers, such as HTC and Motorola, have said that they will not support Googles monthly security patches.

Why should we care about using the newer version of the operating system on our smartphones? If not for the new features, such as Google Assistant baked into the Google Pixel smartphones, or for the often-promised stability and battery life improvements? No: we should care for running the latest version of the software on our device for the security improvements. Google have been releasing regular, monthly software patches for well over a year now and these are designed to shore up the operating system by removing discovered security vulnerabilities. Remember the Stagefright scare, the horror stories that up to a billion Android devices could be exposed to a critical security vulnerability? This is the security issue that caused Google to start to release regular monthly security patches, which fix up underlying issues in the code.

Advertisement

However, it seems that for the issue of device security to be truly taken seriously we may need for a particularly nasty security event to happen  with perhaps legions of Android devices taken over by a malicious application. Stagefright wasnt it, although it looks like it scared Google into providing monthly security updates. Until then, the majority of customers arent going to care about receiving regular security patches because its a never event.
Sprints new promo is offering up to $800 for switchers, meaning that if you switch carriers over to the Now Network youll be eligible for a $200 Visa prepaid card. To be eligible for the $800, itll require four people, which is perfect for families who have a a plan with four users. This is a new promotion that Sprint has started as of today and although Sprint does not mention how long they will be offering this promotion, they do state that users will have 30 days from the date of activation to register the new account with however many new lines were activated if they want to receive the prepaid Visa cards that are being offered.

30 days is more than ample time to register seeing as how it could simply be done on the spot right after the activations are completed, but it also gives new customers some time to get it done should they not register things immediately. Switching carriers is not the only requirement to be eligible for the promotion, as new customers will also need to select and activate their lines on an Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data plan to receive the promotional gift of the $200.

Switching carriers and having an Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data plan look to be the only requirements that Sprint has set forth, and theyre also not limiting this promotion to just all new accounts. If there is an existing account open, customers are still eligible for the $200 prepaid Visa card if they switch a number over to this account from another carrier as this is still a new customer to Sprint. If customers arent switching a number over from another carrier but they are still activating a new line of service on their account, Sprint is still offering promotional benefits here too. For new lines that arent coming from another carrier, Sprint is giving away $100 per line via a prepaid Visa card, which, isnt as good as the $200 from a carrier switch, but it is a nice little perk for a family account who may be adding a phone for someone that happens to be getting their very first phone.
Morris Chang, the chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), discussed the possibility of building a wafer fab manufacturing facility in the US. This talk all came about because of Donald Trumps insistence on bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US. TSMC makes chips for Apples iPhone among other Apple products, and the pressure may be on Apple to create more jobs in the US, and TSMC is afraid that the fallout will spill over to them to build a plant in the States. In 2016, TSMC received 65-percent of its wafer revenue from North America, and they expect that figure to stay over 60-percent in 2017.

Chang cautions that building a plant in the US may not necessarily be a good thing for TSMCs customers and believes that his company is already helping to create jobs in the US because of the products it manufacturers and ships to the region. Manufacturing in the US could cause prices of devices using their chips to increase because of the high US labor costs. The proximity of the current plants to their customers is also an issue that must be considered. It is easier to ship parts, solve issues, and talk to one another when the parts manufacturer is close to the purchaser.

TSMC is already looking for a suitable location to invest almost $16 billion in new facilities in Taiwan to build future 5nm and 3nm chips that will be in operation by 2022. The US has many locations where they could build the new plant, but that will likely never happen. TSMC is currently the largest chip manufacturer in the world with 55-percent of the global share. They provide chips to Apple, Media Tek, Huaweis Kirin brand, and US chipmakers Qualcomm and Nvidia. Whether the incoming President will be able to force manufacturers to produce more products in the US with US workers in place of high tariffs is yet to be seen. TSMC is apparently concerned about the situation, and this could be only the beginning before other overseas tech companies are brought into the picture. Adding plants in the US could be a good thing for US workers, but it could also substantially raise the cost of electronic products considerably either because of the higher labor costs or import tariffs.
CES 2017 was just last week and although the event is over, it has still left a lasting impression on many tech enthusiasts thanks to the masses of new devices and software that were unveiled and put on display. While there were no major smartphone announcements this year, there were some decent announcements in the way of the ASUS ZenFone AR and ZenFone 3 Zoom, both of which are poised to be decent offerings, although the ZenFone AR is the bigger of the two since it does support both Tango and Daydream, making it the first of its kind to do so.

Of course, smartphones aside it might have been more exciting for some to experience the official announcement of the Samsung Chromebook Pro, which, is not only one of the most premium looking Chromebooks to date, (Pixel lineup aside as the Chromebook Pro will be affordable to almost everyone) and it wasnt alone as Samsung introduced the Chromebook Plus right alongside it. This Chromebook carries just about all the same specs as the Chromebook Pro except for the processor, which means no matter which unit you go with youre getting a great and streamlined experience. These are also the first Chromebooks to be designed in partnership with Google.

If youre the virtual reality type, VR technology was everywhere this year, just like last year, although it might have been more underwhelming given that the biggest VR hardware was all launched throughout 2016, and so far everything that was announced last week doesnt look like it will eclipse any of the biggest current offerings. That said, Lenovo announced a VR headset that they say will cost less than $400 although they havent mentioned an exact price, but judging by its design and hardware, which includes two cameras on the front, it should be an interesting device. There were a lot of smart home and IoT products announced at CES this year, too, with one of the most intriguing being NVIDIAs SPOT accessory. This is essentially an extender of Google Assistant, which is baked into the all new NVIDIA SHIELD that was announced as well, and together they can allow a consumer to use Google Assistant just as they would if they had multiple Google Home speakers. Among these bigger device announcements, there were loads of things to see across various categories from Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth audio equipment to TVs, and much of it being captivating new tech.

Advertisement

[socialpoll id=2413222]
This website is intended for U.S. visitors only.
If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both
F

or the last five years, a consistent image of the contemporary culture hovers over the Indian film festival circuit. All screenplay writers have been shameless to suggest violence and sex to be the primal ingredients for a successful dramatic structure. Some called it tension and eroticism, some (like Godard) the girl and the gun (of course, the mention of the

signifies the male point-of-view). But, the celebration of violence was always there, sometimes hidden in ornate metaphors (as in Rays Days and Nights in the Forest (1970)) and sometimes explicit (Kill Bill (2003  04); Bad Guy (2001)).
As several new lawmakers begin their tenures in the Nebraska Legislature, we are reminded of the pride and excitement we felt being able to represent our constituents in the Unicameral.

Serving in the Legislature was among the greatest honors of our lives and we felt and continue to feel great pride when we share our Unicameral experiences with those who served in other state legislatures.

On countless occasions we have seen looks of envy from legislators from other states as we described the collaborative, independent and efficient manner in which the Nebraska Unicameral operates.

Compared to the partisan gridlock and relentless infighting that occurs at the federal level as well as in many other states, Nebraskas Unicameral has long stood out as a model of how representative democracy should be conducted. The non-partisan nature of our Legislature is a main reason our system works so well.

This is why we are concerned with potential changes that would affect how legislative committee chairs are selected and that would reduce lawmaker ability to oppose legislation they find harmful to their constituents. These changes would invite more partisanship in our Unicameral and put us on a slippery slope toward D.C.-style gridlock.

Since the Unicamerals inception in 1934, closed elections for committee chairs have empowered senators to vote for committee leaders without fear of retribution from their own parties. Our state has benefitted greatly from this as the most qualified people have been named committee chairs regardless of their political affiliation. This meant committees have been well-run and legislation that was sent to the Unicameral floor for debate was well-vetted and properly amended. This, in turn, led to better policies that truly benefit the state. Some propose votes for committee chairs be made public, which would put pressure on senators to vote along party lines. In such a scenario, party priorities are likely to take precedence over choosing the most qualified candidates. Ultimately, thats a losing game for Nebraskans.

Its also important to note that historically, major legislative debates have been waged along urban and rural divides more than along party lines. Increasing the votes needed to stop a filibuster, which some propose, would reduce a legislative minoritys ability to resist legislation that would adversely affect their constituents. With their ability to resist legislation reduced, its likely minority members will become more entrenched in their opposition to legislation and less able to be part of crafting the most effective solutions.

Having input from a variety of voices is essential in ensuring legislation works to meet the needs of all Nebraskans. The non-partisan nature of the Unicameral fosters an environment where this type of cooperation can occur and the outcome is better policies for all Nebraska residents. Increasing the role of political parties in the Unicameral will quiet diversity of opinion and increase the likelihood that policy choices will be made that leave many Nebraskans out in the cold.

Our sincere hope is that current lawmakers will experience the satisfaction of working with a diverse array of Nebraskans to craft policies that truly benefit our whole state. It is one of the most rewarding aspects of serving in the Unicameral. Rejecting changes that increase partisanship and push us more toward D.C.-style gridlock will help ensure the Nebraska Legislature remains an environment that empowers legislators to be as successful and as productive as our state needs them to be.

The authors are former Nebraska State Sens. John Harms, Steve Lathrop, Kathy Campbell and Joel Johnson. Harms, Campbell and Johnson also are members of the Open Sky Policy Institute Board of Directors.
Columbus Public Library is hosting a new pop-up exhibition from the National Archives, The Bill of Rights and You, commemorating the 225th anniversary of the ratification of this landmark document.

The Bill of Rights and You spotlights one of the most remarkable periods in American history, explores the origins of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution (collectively known as the Bill of Rights), illustrates how each amendment protects U.S. citizens, and looks at how Americans exercise the rights outlined in the amendments.

The Bill of Rights and You invites visitors to connect directly with the people, places and events that mark this historic documents evolution. This exhibit runs through Feb. 28.

Said The Bill of Rights and You co-curator Jennifer Johnson: "The Bill of Rights represents the Founders' vision that it would be the people, through votes, that could change the Constitution with enough consensus. And when the people desired a Bill of Rights, our first 10 amendments were added to our governing charter."

This exhibit is displayed in the east wing of the Columbus Public Librarys first floor. It consists of four panels: Our Bill of Rights, Creating the Bill of Rights, Know Your Rights, and Make a Change. The exhibit introduces the Bill of Rights and the amending process, details how our First Congress decided to include rights-related amendments to the Constitution, explains how the Bill of Rights protects individuals today, and shows examples of how Americans have used, and continue to use, their First Amendment rights.

Stop by during our normal operating hours to read the text and view the photos on the exhibit and visit the National Archives' Bill of Rights and You exhibit webpage at https://www.archives.gov/amending-america to learn more using our public access computers or iPads. High resolution versions of the four panels are also available online on the National Archives' Bill of Rights and You exhibit webpage.

The Bill of Rights and You is organized by the National Archives and Records Administration, and traveled by the National Archives Traveling Exhibits Service (NATES). This exhibition was developed in collaboration with the National Archives National Outreach Initiative to commemorate the 225th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights. The exhibition is presented in part by AT&T, Seedlings Foundation and the National Archives Foundation.

This exhibit is brought to you in collaboration with Humanities Nebraska and the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Humanities Nebraska includes the Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities. These organizations provide grants for humanities programs, a speakers bureau with almost 300 humanities programs available, historic figure reenactments, reading discussion programs and more.

Stop by or call the Columbus Public Library at 402-564-7116 if you have any questions about this exhibit or any other resources we offer.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. US President-elect Donald Trump announced he intends keeping in force for the time being the sanctions against Russia, however, he didnt rule out that later they can be eliminated, reports TASS.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said the US can eliminate the sanctions if Russia cooperates with the US in certain issues, in particular, in the fight against terrorism.

"If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebodys doing some really great things?", Trump saying as quoted by TASS.

He also talked about the possibility of meeting with Russias President Vladimir Putin, stating that both he and Putin have such a wish.

Trumps inauguration ceremony will be held on January 20.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Pope Francis on January 14 met President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas in Vatican, Vatican Radio reports.

At the meeting the sides talked about the existing relations between the Holy See and Palestine.

They also talked about the peace process in the Middle East expressing hope that the direct negotiations between the sides may contribute to bringing an end to violence.
The wireless industry is not going to like us.

Robert Naumann of The Center for Municipal Solutions spoke for roughly 40 minutes on Monday afternoon, and those might be the most important words he said to Columbus City Council members who didnt make many friends by authorizing an 80-foot cell tower in Glur Park.

His presentation to the councils Public Property, Safety and Works Committee gave most of those in attendance a new perspective on cell tower agreements  one that will surely benefit Columbus and its residents moving forward, whether that makes wireless companies happy or not.

The New York-based organization, which has staff members who are well-versed in the telecommunications industry, works exclusively with local governments to ensure theyre the controlling party when agreements for cell towers are considered.

The consulting firm works with counties and communities, including seven in Nebraska, on issues such as cell tower siting, ensuring safety regulations are followed and lease payments for these structures  something the city has apparently gotten a raw deal on in the past.

All of this guidance is offered at no cost to the city. Its covered by an escrow companies can be required to put up as part of the application process.

Our sole purpose is to make sure the community has all the information they need to make a fully informed decision on that facility, Naumann said during Mondays presentation.

An agreement with The Center for Municipal Solutions, which will be considered by the full city council at a future date, should be welcomed by local residents upset about the Glur Park project. Although its too late to stop that tower from going up, professional guidance on future cell towers will help the city council make more-informed decisions.

The reality is there are no cell tower experts on the city council or even within city hall. By contrast, companies such as Verizon Wireless, which is erecting the Glur Park tower, have a staff full of people who know how to push for what they want.

Could the city have prevented Verizon from installing a cell tower in Glur Park? Im not sure well ever know that answer at this point.

Is Glur Park the ideal location for a cell tower? Absolutely not.

But these are complicated decisions.

Theres no doubt Columbus residents want their smartphones to work when they pull these devices from their pockets, whether its to surf the internet, download videos or conduct business. Theres also infrastructure needed to make this happen.

Local officials were wise to put the Verizon tower on city-owned property so we can all benefit from the lease payments. In an ideal world, that city-owned property wouldnt have been a public park, but sometimes things arent perfect.

We all want cell towers to power our phones, Wal-Marts to shop at, livestock operations to raise our food and places to take our trash, but nobody wants these things near their home. Not in my backyard, as they say.

Development often occurs with some give and take.

A long time ago poles and wires went up across the city to bring electricity and landline phone service to Columbus residences and businesses. Those could be considered eyesores, and a potential health hazard should they fall on someone or something, but weve learned to accept them as part of everyday life.

The same can be said about cell towers.

The one in Glur Park will surely stick out at first, then over time well forget its there.

I asked people in The Telegram office if they could tell me where a communications tower is located in Columbus. Nobody could.

Yet, there are plenty of them, including two within eyesight of our building.

More are certain to go up in the years ahead, so lets hope city officials can work with The Center for Municipal Solutions to make this progress as painless as possible.

As Naumann said, the wireless industry may not like his organization and how they handle cell tower agreements, but Columbus residents should.
Saldana, who plays a Cuban gangster's moll in Live by Night, has spoken out frequently against prejudice in Hollywood.

Los Angeles: It isn't an opinion heard frequently in the famously liberal Hollywood, but sci-fi queen Zoe Saldana has spoken out against the acting community for bullying abrasive Donald Trump.

The Star Trek, Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy star -- who is not a supporter of the Republican president-elect -- believes insults flung at him during the race for the White House turned off much of middle America.

"We got cocky and became arrogant and we also became bullies," the 38-year-old actress said of Trump, who has been frequently berated himself for bullying tactics, including seemingly mocking a reporter with disabilities.

"We were trying to single out a man for all these things he was doing wrong... and that created empathy in a big group of people in America that felt bad for him and that are believing in his promises."

Saldana's analysis echoes comments made by Hawaiian-born Australian actress Nicole Kidman, who told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show this week it was time Americans got behind Trump, who takes office on January 20.

"I just say he's now elected and we as a country need to support whoever's the president because that's what the country's based on. However that happened, he's there, and let's go," Kidman said.

Saldana, who plays a Cuban gangster's moll in Ben Affleck's prohibition era gangster movie Live by Night, has spoken out frequently against prejudice in Hollywood.

One of the movie's most pleasing aspects, she says, was its unflinching depiction of racism in the Deep South that was so ingrained that police officers and judges were proud to call themselves members of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist hate group.

The Trump campaign that defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was criticized for stoking racial tensions with its rhetoric against Mexicans and Muslims, but Saldana is hopeful the country will never return to the dark days of segregation.

"I'm learning from (Trump's victory) with a lot of humility," the mother of two-year-old twin boys told AFP.

"If we have people continue to be strong and educate ourselves and stand by equal rights and treat everyone with respect, we won't go back to those times."

- 'Awkward' love scenes -

Saldana, born in the United States to Puerto Rican and Dominican parents, grew up in New York before moving to the Dominican Republic at the age of 10 when her father was killed in a car crash.

She appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003 and Steven Spielberg's The Terminal in 2004 before her big break in the 2009 movie reboot of the Star Trek film series by J.J. Abrams.

She has since been exploring the far reaches of the universe as blue-skinned Na'vi heroine Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar (also 2009) and green alien assassin Gamora in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

She is fulsome in her praise of Affleck, who wrote, co-produced and starred as her husband in Live by Night, the big-screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane's 2012 novel of the same name -- but says the love scenes were uncomfortable.

"It always feels weird for me, it totally does. I'm not one of these thespians that does method and forget who I am," she told AFP.

"Especially in a moment where you're stressed, you feel very awkward and you're cold because, being a woman, you're probably completely butt-ass naked. It's just awkward."

Live By Night, which had a limited release on December 25, hits theaters across the United States over the weekend, but Saldana's workload is showing no sign of easing up.

"I leave in two weeks to go be a part of 'Avengers: Infinity War.' I'm not looking forward to the five hours of green make-up but I appreciate that I'm part of the Marvel universe and I'm very grateful," she said.

"Then we promote 'Guardians of the Galaxy II' and then I go do 'Avatar II, II IV and V. After that I'm going to take a long vacation."
Haryana Minister Anil Vij had earlier said that Modi is a better brand than Mahatma Gandhi.

New Delhi: Hitting out at Haryana Minister Anil Vij for his controversial remark that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is better brand than Mahatma Gandhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the dictators Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands.

The Congress Vice-President took to twitter to chastise the senior BJP leader in Haryana for his comments that drew widespread criticism, even his party condemning the statement.

"Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands," Rahul said in a tweet. Vij on Saturday told reporters that it was good that the image of Mahatma Gandhi has been replaced with that of Prime Minister in the calendar and diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) as Modi is a "better brand" and went on to add that Gandhi's image would be removed gradually from the currency notes too.

Asked about the controversy over Modi's photo on KVIC calender and diary, the five-time MLA from Ambala Cantt, said that Gandhiji's name has no patent over Khadi. "Since Gandhi's name has been attached with Khadi, it has only gone down. When Gandhi's image was put on notes, the currency also got devalued," he had said. Vij, however, later withdrew the remarks.

"The statement given by me in connection with Mahatma Gandhi was given in my personal capacity. To avoid hurting anyone's sentiments, I am withdrawing it," Vij tweeted.
India cannot stop them from carrying out their mission, the Mumbai terror attack mastermind said.

Lahore: Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on Friday claimed that Kashmiri militants are giving a "befitting reply" to India at Akhnoor, Uri and other places in Kashmir.

Speaking at a large Kashmir Conference rally at Faisalabad, some 130 kms from Lahore, Saeed said "Indian army is responsible for the killing of 650,000 Kashmiri Muslims. Now the Kashmiri Mujahideen are giving a befitting reply to India at Akhnoor, Uri and other places".

He said the "Mujaheedin are destroying India". "India cannot stop them from carrying out their mission...It is not me alone but now Baloch people and other Pakistanis are with us," he said, adding Baloch leader Shahzain Bugti has joined hands with him.

Bugti, chairman of Jamhuri Watan Party, announced his support at the rally for the Kashmir cause saying Balochistan is with Kashmiri people.

"As many as 50,000 Baloch youth are ready to join the Kashmir freedom movement and waiting for Hafiz Saeeds call," Bugti said.

"Participation of the leader of Bugti tribe in Kashmir Conference is a message to India that Baloch are joining the Kashmir freedom movement," he said.

The alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying if India stopped the river waters of Pakistan then there would be "blood in the rivers".

"We will stand with Kashmiris for Kashmir's freedom as Pakistan is incomplete without it," he said.

Saeed who has a bounty of USD 10 million on his head hailed former Pakistan army chief Gen Raheel Sharif's appointment as head of a 39-country Islamic military alliance.
COLUMBUS  Taking careful aim, Korene Krzycki lined up her shot and sunk the last pool ball in a corner pocket.

That earned Krzycki her third victory of the day, leaving her record unblemished Friday afternoon. However, she still had a few matches to go at the Tournament of the Heartland.

The Columbus native, who lives in Beatrice now, has been playing pool for the last decade. The local tournament is one of four or five she always has on her calendar.

Its one of my favorites. Thats why I come back year after year. I like the people. I like coming back to my hometown. And its ran really well, Krzycki said.

The three-day Tournament of the Heartland kicked off Friday at Platte County Agricultural Park, where 70 pool tables are set up between the main and second floors.

Pool players from around the area were signed up to play in different divisions of singles and team formats. There were 248 people signed up for singles play and more than 100 four-person teams ready to compete over the weekend.

The tournament, which started as just a six-team event in Grand Island in 2002, regularly features hundreds of players. This is the 13th year the Heartland Association has held the tournament in Columbus. The association is a group of several vendors, including the local Top Score Games.

It takes about a week to set up with event. Tables must be brought in, vacuumed, wiped down and leveled before play begins.

Tim Long, who runs the tournament, said the cash prizes are a big draw.

We pay out around $30,000, he said.

He said pool is a sport anyone can play, but few become experts.

Its a game you will never master. There are so many variations of it  faster cloths, rail differences, how well it bounces. Even the master players find something new, Long said.

A majority of the players are from Columbus, including Anthony Valdez, who signed up to play singles.

This is his first year at the Heartland tournament, as he has mostly competed at smaller events. Even though top players can pad their wallets with a good showing, Valdez said it isnt a cutthroat competition.

You just go out and have fun. Thats all it is, he said.

For Brad Ratliff of Council Bluffs, Iowa, the tournament was a welcome back to the sport he left about 10 years ago. He started playing again a couple of months ago.

Ratliff signed up for the tournament after running into an old friend at the grocery store who suggested he take part.

Even though there are a good number of newcomers racking it up, Krzycki said tournaments often serve as a way for pool-playing acquaintances to catch up.

Its like its own community. I started to meet people at tournaments and that is the only time I see them, she said.
Sources said Arun Jaitley will announce creation of one CEZ in his budget speech on February 1.

Creation of CEZs is the brainchild of Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya, who has held high level discussions with the PMO regarding announcing the creation of one CEZ in the Budget. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: Concerned over poor investment by private sector in big-ticket infrastructure projects, the Niti Aayog has recommended to the government to hike private investment in sectors like roads, railways and shipping, and promote job creation in the Union Budget. To this end, there is a strong likelihood of finance minister Arun Jaitley announcing creation of at least one coastal economic zone (CEZ), either along the eastern or western coast, in the forthcoming Union Budget.

The Niti Aayog during its recent deliberations with the PMO, according to sources privy to the development, is learnt to have suggested that heavy investments are required in infrastructure sector projects, and to achieve this objective, it has recommended investment in railways to the tune of 1.1 per cent of the GDP  at par with the aviation sector. Currently, the investment in the railway sector is currently 0.8 per cent of the total GDP. Improving quality of road and rail projects is another suggestion which has been given by the government think tank to the Centre.

Also considering the fact that compared to the electronics exports market value of China, which stands at a mammoth $900 billion, India has a measly $10 billion, the Niti Aayog has strongly pushed for the announcement of at least one CEZ in the Budget.

Sources said Mr Jaitley will announce creation of one CEZ in his budget speech on February 1. Electronics, leather and textile are some of the key areas on which the Niti Aayog is learnt to have suggested the Centre to keep its focus during the Budget preparations.

Creation of CEZs is the brainchild of Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya, who has held high level discussions with the PMO regarding announcing the creation of one CEZ in the Budget.

The concept of a CEZ is based on Shanghai model, where export-oriented manufacturing units could be developed, making it into a hub of production of goods made exclusively in India.

Sources informed this newspaper that in order to realise the true potential of NDA governments Make In India campaign and promote India as a major manufacturing hub, these CEZs could play a significant role.

Though currently at a preliminary stage of planning, as discussions between coastal states and the Centre are taking place on the modalities of such CEZs, sources added that in order to incentives manufacturers to set up their units, exemptions could be removed on targeted areas of production.
The Army has abducted hundreds of Pashtun women and put them in a Lahore prostitution centre, said Umar Daud Khattak.

New Delhi: In a startling revelation, Umar Daud Khattak, a separatist Pashtun leader, has alleged that the Pakistan Army is using Pashtun women as sex slaves.

He claimed that the Pakistan Army, in the garb of conducting a military operation in the Swat and Waziristan region, is committing grave human right abuses, and is targeting young Pashtun women.

"The Pakistan Army has abducted hundreds of Pashtun women and put them in a Lahore prostitution centre as sex slaves, during military operations in Swat and Waziristan," Khattak said.

He further said that Pakistan raises money by pushing Pashtun women into the flesh trade, adding that there are proof and evidences to support his claim.

He also stated that the Pakistan Army has been in the dock over human rights violations against women in tribal areas time and again.

Further exposing the ugly face of the Pakistan Army, he said, "The Pakistan Army has bulldozed our villages, they pick up our girls and rape them."
Nitish Kumar announced an exgratia of Rs 4 lakh for the family of those who died in the incident.

Patna: An overloaded country boat carrying more than 40 people capsized in the Ganga river near Patna ghat on Saturday. Though the exact number of the casualties was not available until late evening, sources said around 21s people have died in the incident and the toll is likely to rise.

The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) have been pressed into service for rescue operations. The incident occurred when people were returning from a kite-flying event, which was organised across the river by the state governments tourism department on Makar Sankranti on Saturday.

Eyewitnesses told this newspaper that when the incident occurred in the evening, no police or security personnel was there to monitor the event. The kite flying event was organised on the other side of the Ghat where there was very less security. The incident occurred when the overcrowded boat was about to reach the NIT Ghat, an eyewitness said. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe into the incident and directed the officials to intensify search and rescue operations. This is a tragic incident and I have asked officials to intensify search and rescue operations, he said.

The chief minister Nitish Kumar also announced an exgratia of Rs 4 lakh for the family of those who died in the incident. Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agarwal and SSP Manu Maharaj also visited the site.
Prospective adoptive parents earlier had to submit an investment plan and also invest a certain amount of money in the name of the child.

New Delhi: In a move that will encourage adoptions in a big way, the government has decided to do away with the adoption fee for foreigners which they had to pay if they wanted to take their adopted children abroad with them.

Prospective adoptive parents earlier had to submit an investment plan and also invest a certain amount of money in the name of their child. The women and child development ministry brought out fresh regulations last week, according to which the requirement for any kind of fees has been done away with.

Apart from this, the ministry has also decided to form a special tribunal to resolve adoption-related cases as child welfare committees  which were entrusted with this job  sometimes take too long, sources said.

Sources in the ministry also say that a surety bond was irrelevant as the prospective adoptive parents are under scrutiny by the adoption agency for a period of two years, and in case of disruption or dissolution of adoption, the child shall be entitled to receive care, protection and rehabilitation through the child protection services of that country and as per the Hague Adoption Convention. The ministry of external affairs has also exempted foreigners from submitting a surety bond of Rs 15,000 for the issuance of passport to their adopted child.

The surety bond was a financial guarantee which was to be executed before a court for the proper maintenance of the child abroad, and in the event of the child becoming destitute or its guardianship being terminated, for the childs return to India at the expense of the guardian or the guarantor.

It has been felt that the requirement of the submission of surety bond of Rs 15,000 executed by the adoptive parents before the competent court to the passport authority to obtain the passport for their adopted child needs to be revisited. Therefore, it has been decided to do away with the requirement of the submission of surety bond executed by the adoptive parents before the competent court to obtain the passport for their inter-country adopted child, the MEA order said.

The WCD ministry, especially women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi, has been making efforts to encourage adoption.

The ministry has been running a campaign to ensure that adoptive parents, both in-country as well as inter-country, dont fall prey to unscrupulous elements and end up paying much more than they are supposed to while completing the process.

Accoridng to the CARA website, inter-country adoption from India has increased from 374 in 2014-15 to 666 in 2015-16.
The demonetisation decision that led to a crippling cash shortage across the country has been hugely controversial.

The RBI employees union said it was painful to note that the RBI was being criticised for its operational mismanagement, denting its image beyond repair.

New Delhi: The Union finance ministry defended itself on Saturday, saying it fully respects the independence and autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a comment that came amid swirling criticism of the government for interfering in Indias top monetary authoritys functioning on demonetisation.

Opposition parties attacked the Centre on Saturday, a day after a union of the central bank employees wrote to its governor Urjit Patel, protesting operational mismanagement after the November 8 recall of high-value currency. The employees alleged that the Centre impinged on the RBIs autonomy by appointing an official for currency coordination.

There has been a report in sections of the press that some unions have alleged infringement of the RBIs autonomy. It is categorically stated that the government fully respects the RBIs independence and autonomy, the ministry said. It said consultations between the government and the RBI are undertaken on various matters of public importance, either mandated by law or evolved as a practice. Such consultations should not be taken as infringement of the RBIs autonomy, the finance ministry said.

The RBI employees union had said that if it was true that the Centre had sent a joint secretary to coordinate currency chest operations to stay on top of the demonetisation process, it was impinging on the central banks autonomy as it did not require any assistance. The union said it was painful to note that the RBI was being criticised for its operational mismanagement, denting its image beyond repair.

The Opposition quickly latched on to the RBI employees letter to attack the government amid doubts about the central banks independence for agreeing to the implementation of demonetisation with limited preparation.

This letter from RBI employees is a huge indictment of the Modi government, its attempts to undermine other institutions, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Saturday.

The demonetisation decision that led to a crippling cash shortage across the country has been hugely controversial. The RBI has told a Parliamentary panel that the government had advised it to go for demonetisation on November 7, and the board of the central bank recommended the move the very next day. The government has said in Parliament that it merely acted on the RBIs advice to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes to target black money, corruption and terror funding.

I dont think that the employees of a government institution, especially an independent and respectable institution like the RBI, have ever before written against its national policy. Very clearly, the RBI has compromised to an extent never seen ever before. Prime Minister Modi and his government have destroyed RBI, its credibility and the role of an institution, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.

JD(U) leader Pawan Varma said, The RBI must retain its autonomy to advice and formulate or recommend policy to the government. It appears in the case of demonetisation that the RBI relinquished its autonomy in order to blindly toe the line as dictated to it by the government.

The letter comes days after concerns being raised about the RBIs functioning by at least three former governors: Manmohan Singh (also a former PM), Y.V. Reddy and Bimal Jalan. Former deputy governors, including Usha Thorat and K.C. Chakrabarty, have also voiced their concerns.

The scramble for cash also caused a string of deaths. The PM had promised to restore normalcy by the end of the year, but queues have stayed outside low-on-cash banks and ATM kiosks.
Priyanka Gandhi appears to be donning the role of main negotiator for Congress to forge alliance with SP ahead of UP polls.

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav might have stayed in the shadows of her family seniors so far, but political insiders say that she might emerge as a force to reckon with in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Dimple, second-term MP from Kannauj, is lending a strong support to her husband Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in building an alliance with Congress for the crucial state polls.

Since Akhilesh is mired in family and party affairs, Dimple is being used as an emissary by him to convey the message for formulating a strong alliance, a Congress leader said.

With Dimple taking the role of the main negotiator for her party, Priyanka Gandhi appears to be donning the same role for Congress as the two have had at least one meeting in New Delhi a couple of days ago, he said.

Akhilesh Yadav has publicly supported an alliance with the Congress saying that it will help win over 300 seats in the 403 constituencies in the state, whereas his father and party supremo Mulayam Singh has opposed such a tie-up.

Although posters featuring Dimple and Priyanka came up in Allahabad recently, party functionaries said it was an act of a few individuals.

"It seems that some individuals have worked on their own in this regard (posters)....we will go ahead on any such thing only after a green signal from the party high command," district unit president of Congress Anil Dwivedi said.

The party insiders believe that the coming together of Samajwadi Party and Congress will be in the interest of both, especially the latter, which has been out of power for 27 years.

Another Congress leader said the alliance will be formally announced as soon as the Election Commission gives its verdict on the Samajwadi Party symbol, with some smaller outfits also finding a place in the tie-up.

The Mulayam and Akhilesh Yadav camps of the ruling Samajwadi Party have staked claim over 'cycle' symbol of the party. The Election Commission, which has heard both the sides, has said that a judgement will be delivered at the earliest as the process of filing nominations for the phase one of the Assembly elections will begin on January 17.
The saffronites intend to tone down their rhetoric against the BSP and focus mainly on targeting AkhileshYadav.

New Delhi: With posters of Uttar Pradesh CMs wife and Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav alongside Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi appearing across the state, clearly indicating that the SP and the Congress are inching closer to firm up an alliance, the BJP has begun to re-work its strategy.

The saffronites intend to tone down their rhetoric against the BSP and focus mainly on targeting AkhileshYadav. Some BJP functionaries have also been asked to open a backchannel with the BSP, if possible. The BSP has so far shown no inclination of any post-poll alliance with the BJP.

While speculation ran rife that the Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) could be offered around 135 of the 403 seats by the SP, uncertainty prevailed in the BJP camp.

The BJP, which has begun the process of selecting candidates, seems somewhat apprehensive about the partys prospects in UP following the possibility of a grand alliance of secular parties.

Though the BJP was trying to take advantage of the family feud in SP, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as enemy number one for the party.

A senior BJP functionary from UP, who has been providing regular feedback to the party high command, said, By going against the old guard, Akhilesh has managed to demolish the anti-incumbency against his government. The BJP functionary also said that the failure to project a chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh could hit the party hard.

The BJPs poll mascot, PM Narendra Modi, will be holding nearly 12 rallies in UP before the first phase of polls on February 11.

On the other side, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will be used by the proposed grand alliance to consolidate the Kurmi vote bank.

The proposed secular grand alliance would include the SP (Akhilesh faction), Congress, RLD, JD(U), Peace Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal, Sanjay Nishads Party, Rajbhar Party and the dissident faction of Apna Dal led by Krishna Patel, mother of Union minister Anupriya Patel.

The BJP, which has been banking heavily on the Muslim-Yadav vote bank getting split between Congress-BSP-SP, is wary of the coming together of Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi-Jayant Chowdhury (son of RLD leader, Ajit Singh) as would consolidate Muslim-Yadav-Jaat vote banks in favour of the grand alliance. If this happens, then its a tough call for us, the BJP functionary said.

Despite Prime Minister Modi leading the charge in UP, the functionary said that the BJP has no one to match the stature of either Akhilesh Yadav or Mayawati. No projecting a chief ministerial candidate has also hurt the advantages we reportedly gained by demolishing caste politics with the demonetisation move, he said.

As the BJP continues to fret over its prospects UP, the Dimple-Priyanka posters with the slogan  Mahilaon ka bajega danka (women will lead from the front and emerge victorious)  seem to have energised Congress workers in the state. The Congress, which has been decimated in UP, was eagerly awaiting an alliance with the SP.

Its learnt that nearly 135 seats left by the SP would have to be shared between parties which would form the proposed grand alliance.

Despite talks of seat sharing between the Congress and SP, the main problem areas are the constituencies where both the parties came second in 2012 Assembly polls. Two such constituencies are Banda and Aligarh.

While Congress came second in Aligarh, SP came second in Banda. All these issues will be ironed out once we decide to join hands, a Congress leader said.
The movie sparked a worldwide debate about the occult within the Catholic Church and inspired a generation of horror filmmakers

Los Angeles: William Peter Blatty, the author of the novel "The Exorcist" and writer of its Oscar-winning big-screen adaptation, has died aged 89, the director of the iconic horror movie announced today.

Blatty wrote several books but his signature achievement was the 1971 novel that told the story of a 12-year-old girl whose vile behavior leads a young priest to conclude that she is possessed by a demon.The novel was panned by critics but went on to sell 13 million copies, topping The New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks, and is retrospectively considered to be one of the greatest horror novels of all time.

Blatty won an Oscar for his screenplay of his own book for the 1973 film and later wrote and directed a sequel, 1990's "The Exorcist III."The original film, directed by William Friedkin and starring Linda Blair, was a box-office hit and cult sensation that sparked a worldwide debate about the occult within the Catholic Church and inspired a generation of horror filmmakers.

Blatty, raised a devout Roman Catholic, died at a hospital near his home in Bethesda, Maryland, yesterday, but it was announced on social media by Friedkin today. "William Peter Blatty, dear friend and brother who created 'The Exorcist' passed away yesterday," he said, prompting a torrent of tributes from the horror-writing community.

"RIP William Peter Blatty, who wrote the great horror novel of our time. So long, Old Bill," tweeted Stephen King, whose books have sold more than 350 million copies. The son of Lebanese immigrants, Blatty was born into poverty in New York and graduated from Georgetown University before earning his living as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. During a diverse career he was also a psychological warfare specialist in the US Air Force and a public relations

director at Loyola University of Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.

Although best-known for "The Exorcist," Blatty specialized in comedy, penning "Promise Her Anything" (1965),which starred Warren Beatty, "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" (1966) and "The Great Bank Robbery" (1969). He collaborated several times with director Blake Edwards, co-writing the Pink Panther sequel "A Shot in the Dark" (1964) and "Darling Lili" (1970) which starred screen legends Rock Hudson and Julie Andrews.

"You might only know Blatty from 'The Exorcist,' but his array of talents could practically make your head spin. He will be missed," said film blog Screen Crush. "Rest in peace William Peter Blatty, writer of both the peerless horror 'The Exorcist' AND the funniest Clouseau film,'A Shot In The Dark,'" added Edgar Wright, the British director of hit zom-com "Shaun of the Dead."

He is survived by his wife, Julie Alicia Witbrodt, who told The Washington Post her husband was suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer.
The perception of the parents decides whether the child will gain weight in the future

Washington D.C.: Do you see your child as 'overweight'? May be that is the reason for his/her gaining more weight over the period of time.

A study says that children whose parents considered them to be 'overweight,' tended to gain more weight over the following decade, compared with children, whose parents thought they were a 'normal' weight.This has been deduced from an analysis of data from two nationally representative studies, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings indicate that children, whose parents identified them as being overweight, perceived their own body size more negatively and were more likely to attempt to lose weight, factors that partly accounted for their weight gain.

"Although parents' perception that their children are overweight has been presumed to be important to management of childhood obesity, recent studies have suggested the opposite; when a parent identifies a child as being overweight, that child is at increased risk of future weight gain," psychology researchers Eric Robinson from University of Liverpool and Angelina Sutin from Florida State University College of Medicine write in their paper.

Adding, "We argue that the stigma attached to being an overweight child may explain why children whose parents view them as being overweight tend to have elevated weight gain during development."Drawing from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, Robinson and Sutin examined data for 2,823 Australian families.

As part of the study, researchers measured the children's height and weight when they began the study as four or five-year-olds. At that time, the children's parents reported whether they thought the children were best described as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or very overweight.Later, when they were 12 or 13, the children used a series of images depicting bodies that increased in size to indicate which image most resembled their own body size. The children also reported whether they had engaged in any behaviors in an attempt to lose weight in the previous 12 months.

Researchers took height and weight measurements again when the children were 14 or 15 years old.The results indicated that parents' perceptions were associated with children's weight gain 10 years later: Children whose parents considered them to be overweight at age four or five tended to gain more weight by age 14 or 15.

And this association could be accounted for, at least in part, by the children's beliefs and behaviors. That is, children whose parents thought they were overweight perceived their own body size more negatively and were more likely to report attempts to lose weight.The results were the same for boys and girls, and they could not be explained by other possible factors, such as household income, presence of a medical condition, and parents' weight.Importantly, the link between parents' perceptions and children's later weight gain did not depend on how much the child actually weighed when they began the study.When Robinson and Sutin examined data from 5,886 Irish families participating in the Growing Up in Ireland study, they saw the same pattern of results.

Using these data, the researchers cannot determine whether parents' perceptions actually caused their children's weight gain, but "the findings of the present studies support the proposition that parents' perception of their children as overweight could have unintended negative consequences on their children's health," Robinson and Sutin conclude.
He had even begun socially isolating himself so that he could spend more time gaming.

Video gaming addiction is hypothesized to be an excessive or compulsive use of computer games or video games, which interferes with a persons everyday life. (Photo: Pixabay)

Playing video games for hours on end has landed a 16-year-old boy in the hospital in Delhi. He is now being treated with medications and psychotherapy at the BLK Super Speciality Hospital for being "distracted, irritable, and disinterested" when kept away from internet games

Video gaming addiction is hypothesized to be an excessive or compulsive use of computer games or video games, which interferes with a persons everyday life, according to Wikipedia. However, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to officially recognise video game addiction as a mental disorder.

In the case of the patient from Delhi, he was not only behaving aggressively towards his mother but also performing poorly in school. His frequent binging at odd hours led him to put on around 10kgs in less than six months. He had even begun socially isolating himself so that he could spend more time gaming, according to media reports.

His rehabilitation programme allows him to play for two-three times in a week for two hours as a sudden complete withdrawal can be extremely tough to cope with. Doctors are also using psychotherapy to ensure that he participates in more social activities.




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
Marketing professional Komal Agarwal relives her recent tour to Vietnam  and particularly, the city of Danang.

Komal Agarwal

When I was browsing for places to visit in Vietnam, I found the beautiful city of Danang which boasts of a dream combination of mountains, sea and city life all together. To tell you more about it, Danang is a coastal city in central Vietnam and is best known for its sandy beaches. It is approximately 800 kms away from Ho Chi Minh and the best mode of transport for this would be by flight.

For my stay, I chose a place close to the sea. The view from the balcony was beautiful; from one side, you get to see the never-ending sea and on the other side, you get to see the vibrant city life. Now, let me tell you about my expeditions in the city. On the first day, I decided to visit the mountains!

During the tour

My first stop was the Marble Mountains  a cluster of small mountains. I heard that the place has a spiritual significance to the Vietnamese and is very busy on weekends and during Buddhist festivals. There are two ways to reach the top  you either take an elevator and reach there within seconds, or walk inside the mountain and take your time exploring the beauty within  I obviously chose the latter option. The inside of the mountain is a splendid sight as it has stunning marble carvings and statues of Buddha, lions and other animals. It took me around 20 to 30 minutes to reach the top and the view was breathtaking!

Next was Son Tra mountain, which is popularly known as the Monkey Mountains. The road to this spot is usually deserted, and the view is fantastic. This mountain is a natural reserve for more than 100 species of fauna. It is a 13.5 kms long mountain pass and stands 639 meters above sea level. It is also called the Chess Board Peak. Legend has it that Son Tra Peninsula is a place where two gods played chess, in which one of them got distracted by nymphs and was defeated by his rival! He got mad, kicked the chessboard into the sea and flew back to heaven!

Dragon Bridge (Representative Image)

Apart from the mountains, one of the major attraction spots in this city is Dragon Bridge  this literally serves as a bridge to connect the beach and the city. The view in the evening when the dragon is all lit up is just divine. Apart from these places, the beaches are also really, really beautiful.

After Danang, I was also impressed with Ha Long Bay, which is a four-hour drive from the city of Hanoi. It is home to thousands of islands and is considered the eighth wonder of the World! The best way to explore is via cruise/boat. Ha Long Park, Fishermens House and cable cars that lead to the Sun Wheel are must-visit places there.

I also got a chance to explore the local cuisine and I must tell you that Vietnamese food is distinct and relies heavily on salty, sour flavours. I tried the Goi Cuon (spring rolls), Banh Mi (sandwich), Nom Hua Chuoi (banana flower salad)  the vibrant flavors were delicious. I can vouch that Vietnam would provide you with a comfortable travel experience as people here are simple, they love to smile and are genuinely very good with foreign visitors. South Vietnam is usually warm during October, November and central Vietnam gets cooler November to February. So you can plan your trip keeping this in mind.

One piece of advice I would like to give is that since its really warm during summer in Vietnam  stay hydrated. And since rain is uncertain, be prepared for showers too!
The deceased, Rohit Kumar, had four cases registered against him, including those of accident and brawl.

New Delhi: A 27-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death by a group of men in Rohini area, police said on Friday.

The deceased, Rohit Kumar, had four cases registered against him, including those of accident and brawl in 2006 and 2010 respectively, they added.

Rohit, along with his friend, Vivek and another person, was on his way home last night when he stopped at DDA market in Sector 15 for having a couple of drinks, police said.

Mukesh, his business rival and member of another gang were also drinking there with friends Rahul, Prashant and Shekhar.

An argument ensued between them and they attacked Rohit with sticks and stabbed him multiple times, they added.

He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Rohit was a school dropout and had studied till class 10.

He played for a local volleyball club till 2010. Later he fell in bad company and discontinued his studies and sports.
The exercise of redrawing the boundaries of the municipal wards is being carried out keeping in mind the increase in population in Delhi.

New Delhi: Ahead of the civic polls, the geographical boundaries of the 150 municipal wards in Delhi will soon be redrawn with lieutenant governor Anil Baijal reportedly giving a go-ahead to the delimitation report prepared by the State Election Commission. The delimitation proposal will now be notified by the State Election Commission. The last delimitation exercise was carried out in 2007, when the three corporations were unified.

The state election commission had sent the delimitation report to the chief secretary, which was then sent to the state urban development minister Satyendar Jain in November. However, it was only after two months that the report was finally sent to the lieutenant governor for approval.

Insiders said that all the three political parties  AAP, BJP and the Congress are unhappy with the delimitation report, as all the suggestions could not be incorporated during the preparation of the final report.

The exercise of redrawing the boundaries of the municipal wards is being carried out keeping in mind the increase in population in Delhi. It is mandatory to carry this exercise every ten years. In 2001, the population was 1.34 crore which increased to 1.64 crore in 2011, as per the census data. Many Assembly constituencies such as Bawana and Vikaspuri have witnessed a significant increase in population while the constituencies such as Matiala have seen a decline. This time, the new wards will be carved on the basis of the population size of about 60,000 people as per the 2011 Census.

The last delimitation of MCD wards carried out in 2007 was based on the 2001 census. Later, 136 wards were increased to 272 after the trifurcation of the municipal corporation in 2012. In the last delimitation exercise, the population size of each ward was about 40,000 and the State Election Commission had created four wards in each of the 70 Assembly seats of Delhi.

However, this time the number of wards per Assembly constituency would not be fixed and will vary from three to seven. For instance, Matiala Assembly seat that has a population of 4,26,760 can now boast of having a maximum of seven municipal wards and Jangpura constituency having a population of 1,50,049 can just end up having just three wards. The nomenclature of the remaining wards is not going to change.

The boundaries of the municipal wards are being demarcated in accordance with railway lines, Delhi Metro network, roads, rivers and major drains. But this time the commission would ensure that the villages falling under lal dora are not demarcated as per small roads, which divide them.
As per the governments norms, the corporate sector must set aside two per cent of its net profit for CSR initiatives.

Mumbai: Ten months ago, Mazagon Dock Limited allotted Rs 1 crore to the Sewri TB hospital as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and gave the sum to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

However, the fund is yet to reach the hospital and stuck in red tape. The fund would help solve the problem of getting a digital X-ray machine, which is much-needed in the hospital.

A senior doctor of Sewri TB hospital said, The fund was to be used for the purchase of two digital-X-ray and repairs of the machinery that are damaged and not in use. The number of TB patients is increasing day by day and X-ray is a must to detect the causes of TB.

Dr Jagdish Keni, medical superintendent at Sewri TB Hospital, said, This project file is with the F ward of the BMC. We are doing regular follows-ups with them but till (now) we have not got any assertive reply. (For the past) 10 months the money is lying there.

However, BMC deputy commissioner Anand Wagaralkar said, I need to check it. I dont think there should be a problem in releasing the funds and if it is so, then it will be solved soon.

Even though BMCs budget allocation for the healthcare system has gone up marginally from Rs 3,325.51 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 3,693.74 crore in 2016-17, the citys civic hospitals are finding it difficult to meet the demands of the rising number of patients.

Therefore, civic hospitals raise funds through medical social workers, NGOs and donations from cooperates through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) channel.

As per the governments norms, the corporate sector must set aside two per cent of its net profit for CSR initiatives.
The Prakash Utsav was an illustration of the organic link between ideology, conviction and governance.

Conviction to be enduring requires ideological mooring. And, ideology, in order to go beyond tokenism, requires organisational rigour. In the absence of the resolve to work for what you believe in, ideology devalues itself to rhetoric. Rhetoric, however mesmerising, will ultimately be exposed. It cannot endure, for people increasingly judge words against output, promises against delivery, and posturing against concrete efforts that can be measured for their sincerity in verifiable terms.

These ruminations come to the fore in the backdrop of the recently concluded Prakash Utsav in Patna to celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of the Sikh faith. Poet, philosopher, warrior and spiritual beacon Guru Gobind Singh was born in Patna at Patna Sahib on December 22, 1666, and became the leader of the Sikhs at the tender age of nine when his father Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded by Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam. During his lifetime he lost all four of his sons, two in battle and two interred alive in a wall, but notwithstanding such supreme sacrifices, he succeeded in institutionalising the Khalsa and enshrining the Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhisms eternal Guru.

To celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of the last Guru, the Bihar government under Nitish Kumar spent months in meticulous planning and preparation, so much so that Patna took on the profile of a mini Punjab from December 22, 2016 to January 7, 2017.

The task was nothing short of mammoth. Lakhs of devotees were expected to visit from all parts of India, including thousands from abroad. Systematic and thorough planning was the key to make the event a success. Three massive tented cities were set up at the Gandhi Maidan, Kangan Ghat and the Malaichak Bypass. Detailed arrangements were made for food and transport. Parking sites were identified in advance. Water and electricity was ensured and hundreds of mobile toilets installed. Around Patna Sahib roads were widened, houses repainted, and for smoother connectivity a new flyover constructed. The Patna Ghat railway station was reopened. New electricity poles were erected, along with new wiring. In addition, hundreds of solar powered streetlights were put up. The entire city was cleaned and spruced up and new drains constructed. Special attention was given to security. Some 200 new CCTV cameras were put into operation.

A daily programme for devotees was drawn up. Dozens of tourist information centres were opened. Special vehicles of the tourist department were mobilised for publicity. A special exhibition on Emperor Prophet-Guru Gobind Singhji was organised at the Bihar Museum to display historical paintings, miniatures, hukamnamas, coins, pictures of forts, and other rare artefacts associated with the life the 10th Guru. The exhibition will be open till January 31, and then taken to different museums in Bihar. In the heart of the city, at the historic Gandhi Maidan, a massive replica of the Patna Sahib Gurdwara was erected.

These massive arrangements were supervised by the chief minister on a daily basis. In the lead up to the Utsav, there was hardly a day when he did not personally inspect ongoing work, or devote time to planning and preparation. His eye for detail was relentless, including, for instance, the provisioning of heaters for devotees to ward off the winter cold. This is what illustrates best the dialectics between conviction, ideology and planning vigour.

Mr Kumar is not a Sikh, but for him the central issue was to give respect to the many faiths that make up the glorious plurality of India. Within a 100 km radius from Patna are situated some of the most important sites of almost every major religion in India. Patna Sahib is in Patna itself. Not far is Bihar Sharif, a Sufi destination next only in importance to Ajmer Sharif. A short drive from there is Pawapuri, the place where Mahavira attained his parinirvana, one of the most sacred sites for those of the Jain community. Bodh Gaya, the most revered pilgrimage destination for Buddhists, is close to Pawapuri. And, next to Bodh Gaya is Gaya, a must visit for any Hindu wishing to pay homage to his ancestors. In this sense, Bihar is a microcosm of the multi-religious, Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of India, the preservation of which is an article of faith for Mr Kumar.

Accolades have poured in from across the world for the organisation of the Prakash Parv. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Patna for the Parv on January 5 was fulsome in his praise for the CMs successful organisation of the event. Captain Amarinder Singh on seeing the arrangements said that the Bihar CM was the original Sardar. Parkash Singh Badal was as effusive in his compliments, as was Arvind Kejriwal. The important thing is that this appreciation transcended party lines. Equally gratifying was the overwhelming response of the lakhs of Sikh devotees who had come from outside Bihar or from abroad. One of them tellingly summed up the sense of the rest when he said: Bihar vale tusi great ho, tainu dil vich baith gaye (People of Bihar, you are great, you have made a home in our hearts!)

Ultimately, the Prakash Utsav was an illustration of the organic link between ideology, conviction and governance. In this case, the respect for the Sikh faith could not be shown until it was accompanied by the effort required to make such an important event for the Sikhs a successful, fulfilling and well organised event. The effort required a vision to go beyond the macro picture into the micro detailing of all aspects of planning. And, the respect in Bihar for Shri Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj ji made the hours upon relentless hour of planning and preparation an act of homage.
The President-elect also said he was prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking office on January 20.

Washington: President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he may lift sanctions on Russia and won't stand by the "One China" policy unless Beijing improves its currency and trade practices.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday that he would keep intact "at least for a period of time" sanctions President Barack Obama's administration imposed on Russia in December over Moscow's alleged cyber attacks to influence the US election.

But, if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting violent extremists, Trump suggested he may scrap the punitive measures altogether.

He also said he was prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking office January 20.

Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

Turning to the longstanding US practice of not recognizing Taiwan diplomatically, Trump said: "Everything is under negotiation, including One China."

Trump has already irked China by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen after he won the election, upending decades of diplomatic precedent in which the White House has foregone direct communication with the island's leader.

He defended that move in his interview with the Journal, saying: "We sold them $2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment but we're not allowed to accept a phone call. First of all, it would have been very rude not to accept the phone call."

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, by force if necessary

Trump has threatened to get tough with what he sees as unfair Chinese trade practices, and suggested that the "One China" policy could become a bargaining chip in other disputes.
Christopher Hubbart, who was dubbed the "Pillowcase Rapist" for sexually assaulting dozens of women between 1971 and 1982.

Los Angeles: A notorious California serial rapist who muffled victims' screams with a pillowcase had his freedom revoked after his therapists said they were concerned about his fantasies and didn't think he had come to terms with his "distorted thinking."

Christopher Hubbart, who was dubbed the "Pillowcase Rapist" for sexually assaulting dozens of women between 1971 and 1982, was recommitted to Coalinga State Hospital for at least a year, Los Angeles prosecutors said Friday.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Richard Loftus Jr. sided in his opinion Thursday with treatment supervisors who said it was not safe for Hubbart to be free and that he needed more inpatient therapy after violating terms of his release by failing five lie detector tests about his "thoughts and fantasies."

Treatment supervisor Alan Stillman felt Hubbart was being deceptive with therapists and the polygraph examiner, including one effort to thwart an accurate exam with heavy breathing and other measures, the judge said.

"Ultimately, (Stillman) concluded (Hubbart) was 'not coming to grips with his distorted thinking,'" Loftus wrote after a two-day hearing this week.

Hubbart, 65, who has acknowledged raping at least 40 women, has been in and out of prisons and state psychiatric hospitals since his first rape conviction in 1972.

"Christopher Hubbart is a prolific serial rapist and even after years of treatment he remains a danger to women," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who fought his release and tried twice to have him returned to mental hospital. "Today's ruling reaffirms our belief that he should remain in a state hospital for additional treatment."

A public defender for Hubbart did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Hubbart's lockup follows years of uproar and legal wrangling over a judge's order in 2013 to release him from the state psychiatric hospital where he had been committed in 2000 as a sexually dangerous person after serving his prison sentence.

Another Santa Clara County judge ruled at the time that Hubbart had completed treatment and was fit to live outside under strict conditions spelled out in a 16-page agreement he signed that included drug tests, polygraphs, random searches and a curfew.

Although his last crimes had been committed in Northern California, the judge ordered him - over the objection of Lacey - to live in Los Angeles County because that's where he was born and raised.

It took more than a year to find a suitable location where a landlord was willing to rent to him.

Protests followed his July 2014 arrival at a small house in Lake Los Angeles, an unincorporated area in the high desert of the Antelope Valley, about 40 miles north of downtown.

A group calling itself the Ladies of Lake LA regularly demonstrated outside the house, shouting he should be locked up and some carrying signs saying "burn in hell."

Hubbart also received death threats and was under guard 24 hours a day to protect the public and keep him safe.

Lacey tried unsuccessfully to have him recommitted in 2015 after he let the batteries run low on his GPS ankle monitor.

Loftus noted Friday that the effort two years ago was "wholly without merit" and part of a pattern that may have led Hubbart to withhold information from a polygraph examiner that he feared would end up with the prosecutor.

Hubbart told one member of his treatment team that he was "between a rock and a hard spot" between being forthcoming on lie detector tests and risking exposing information prosecutors would use against him.

Lacey's repeated efforts to lock him up and a lack of cooperation from the Los Angeles County sheriff were "reprehensible" and undermined Hubbart's therapy, Loftus said.

Protesters welcomed his arrest in August. Cheryl Holbrook, who said she was raped as a teen, though not by Hubbart, had shed tears of relief at the news he was in custody.

Holbrook was frustrated Friday that he could be out of the mental hospital in a year.

"He needs to rot in there and never come out," Holbrook said. "He failed his polygraph. That was a 90 percent clue right there that if he was to get out again, he's going to re-offend. I don't care how old he is."
Senator Shahi Syed made the remarks at the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that to hold discussions on local and foreign booze.

Islamabad: Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Shahi Syed has suggested death penalty for politicians who consume alcohol.

He made the remarks at the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that met on Friday to hold discussions on local and foreign booze, reports the Geo News.

"Parliamentarians represent the people and if they are not punished for doing a wrong thing then why should poor people be?" Syed questioned, adding that politicians should be hanged to death for consuming liquor, while a lay man should face 6 months or a year in prison.

Commenting on the consumption of marijuana, he said, "People call it darwesh's intoxicant, but that too is wrong and should also be prohibited".

Senator Rehman Malik, who chaired the meeting, said, "It should be declared whether someone ever consumed alcohol, marijuana or opium, prior to contesting an election".

To this, Syed added that if this happens then majority of politicians would be disqualified. The ANP senator regretted that a Hindu is named for selling and consuming liquor, but it is actually done by a Muslim.

Consuming and selling liquor is prohibited in Pakistan; it's sale, however, is permitted to people of other religions through licensed liquor stores.
At least 12 regime fighters and 20 IS militants were among the dead in the IS attack on government positions.

Islamic State militants attack government positions in the city of Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Beirut: The Islamic State group launched a ferocious assault on Saturday on a city in eastern Syria, leaving more than 30 jihadists and regime fighters dead, a monitoring group said.

At least 12 members of government forces and 20 IS militants were among the dead in the IS attack on regime positions in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Both the Observatory and Syrian state news agency SANA said two civilians were also killed in IS rocket fire on government-controlled zones in the city.

Around 200,000 people live in Deir Ezzor city, which has been besieged by IS since early 2015 and is the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name.

IS has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday's attack was the "most violent" assault mounted by IS on the city in more than a year.

He said IS was using tunnel bombs and suicide attackers, while Syrian and allied warplanes battered jihadist positions with air strikes.

"Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines," a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

He said jihadists had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped IS.

"Warplanes attacked Daesh's supply lines in all the battlefronts and around the airport," he said.

IS is excluded from a nationwide truce that was brokered by Turkey and Russia and came into effect on December 30.

Diplomatic efforts to end Syria's nearly six-year war have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.
The witnesses said it was not immediately clear if the attack was carried out by the US-led coalition or Iraqi forces.

Mosul: Residents of the Iraqi city of Mosul said up to 30 civilians died in an air strike on a district held by Islamic State this week.

Locals said they saw at least three missiles hit the western Mosul al-Jadida area on Thursday, in a raid that appeared to target the house of senior militant Harbi Abdel Qader.

He was not in the building at the time, but several members of his family died, one resident said late on Friday.

The accounts could not be verified independently.

The witnesses said it was not immediately clear if the attack was carried out by the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State, or by Iraqi forces that have been making advances against the jihadists in the city.

Areas of Mosul west of the river Tigris, which bisects the city from north to south, are still controlled by the ultra-hardline militant group.

Almost all of the east has been recaptured by US-backed Iraqi forces who are fighting to drive the jihadists out of the city, Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq.
As we know, Griff may or may not be a right-on activist but he certainly has some seedy-looking friends who are all going to a gig. Peter h...
The US, Britain and France have called for sanctions against Syria, while Assad's ally Russia, called the evidence presented, insufficient.

Damascus: International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters.

A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously identified only military units and did not name any commanders or officials.

Now a list has been produced of individuals whom the investigators have linked to a series of chlorine bomb attacks in 2014-15 - including Assad, his younger brother Maher and other high-ranking figures - indicating the decision to use toxic weapons came from the very top, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.

The Assads could not be reached for comment but a Syrian government official said accusations that government forces had used chemical weapons had "no basis in truth". The government has repeatedly denied using such weapons during the civil war, which is almost six years old, saying all the attacks highlighted by the inquiry were the work of rebels or the Islamic State militant group.

The list, which has been seen by Reuters but has not been made public, was based on a combination of evidence compiled by the UN-OPCW team in Syria and information from Western and regional intelligence agencies, according to the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Reuters was unable to independently review the evidence or to verify it.

The UN-OPCW inquiry - known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) - is led by a panel of three independent experts, supported by a team of technical and administrative staff. It is mandated by the UN Security Council to identify individuals and organizations responsible for chemical attacks in Syria.

Virginia Gamba, the head of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, denied any list of individual suspects had yet been compiled by the inquiry.

"There are no ... identification of individuals being considered at this time," she told Reuters by email.

The use of chemical weapons is banned under international law and could constitute a war crime.

While the inquiry has no judicial powers, any naming of suspects could lead to their prosecution. Syria is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but alleged war crimes could be referred to the court by the Security Council - although splits among global powers over the war make this a distant prospect at present.

"The ICC is concerned about any country where crimes are reported to be committed," a spokesman for the court said when asked for comment. "Unless Syria accepts the ICC jurisdiction, the only way that (the) ICC would have jurisdiction over the situation would be through a referral by the Security Council."

The list seen by Reuters could form the basis for the inquiry team's investigations this year, according to the source. It is unclear whether the United Nations or OPCW will publish the list separately.

Highest levels

The list identifies 15 people "to be scrutinized in relation to use of CW (chemical weapons) by Syrian Arab Republic Armed Forces in 2014 and 2015". It does not specify what role they are suspected of playing, but lists their titles.

It is split into three sections. The first, titled "Inner Circle President" lists six people including Assad, his brother who commands the elite 4th Armoured Division, the defense minister and the head of military intelligence.

The second section names the air force chief as well as four commanders of air force divisions. They include the heads of the 22nd Air Force Division and the 63rd Helicopter Brigade, units that the inquiry has previously said dropped chlorine bombs.

The third part of the list - "Other relevant Senior Mil Personnel" - names two colonels and two major-generals.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an independent specialist in biological and chemical weapons who monitors Syria, told Reuters the list reflected the military chain of command.

"The decisions would be made at the highest levels initially and then delegated down. Hence the first use would need to be authorized by Assad," said de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of British and NATO chemical and biological defense divisions who frequently visits Syria for professional consultancy work.

The Syrian defense ministry and air force could not be reached for comment.

Chlorine barrel bombs

Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a US-Russian deal that followed the deaths of hundreds of civilians in a sarin gas attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus in August 2013.

It was the deadliest use of chemicals in global warfare since the 1988 Halabja massacre at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, which killed at least 5,000 people in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Syrian government, which denied its forces were behind the Ghouta attack, also agreed to hand over its declared stockpile of 1,300 tonnes of toxic weaponry and dismantle its chemical weapons program under international supervision.

The United Nations and OPCW have been investigating whether Damascus is adhering to its commitments under the agreement, which averted the threat of US-led military intervention.

The bodies appointed the panel of experts to conduct the inquiry, and its mandate runs until November. The panel published a report in October last year which said Syrian government forces used chemical weapons at least three times in 2014-2015 and that Islamic State used mustard gas in 2015.

The October report identified Syria's 22nd Air Force Division and 63rd Helicopter Brigade as having dropped chlorine bombs and said people "with effective control in the military units ... must be held accountable".

The source familiar with the inquiry said the October report had clearly established the institutions responsible and that the next step was to go after the individuals.

Washington on Thursday blacklisted 18 senior Syrian officials based on the U.N.-OPCW inquiry's October report - some of whom also appear on the list seen by but not Assad or his brother.

The issue of chemical weapons use in Syria has become a deeply political one, and the UN-OPCW inquiry's allegations of chlorine bomb attacks by government forces have split the UN Security Council's veto-wielding members.

The United States, Britain and France have called for sanctions against Syria, while Assad's ally Russia has said the evidence presented is insufficient to justify such measures.

A Security Council resolution would be required to bring Assad and other senior Syrian officials before the International Criminal Court for any possible war crimes prosecution - something Russia would likely block.
During the initial interrogation, Jahangir Alam, has admitted to his direct link to plot of staging the attack on Gulshan's Holey Artisan.

Last week, RAB arrested 10 people from different parts of Dhaka for their suspected involvement with the cafe attackers. (Photo: AP)

Dhaka: Bangladesh police on Saturday said they have arrested a top Islamist militant accused of being one of the "masterminds" of the country's worst terror attack at a popular Dhaka cafe and plotting murders of religious minorities including two Hindu priests.

ISIS-linked outlawed Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen recruiter Jahangir Alam alias Rajib alias Gandhi was arrested last night from Elenga, some 120 kms north of Dhaka, Counter-Terrorism and Transnational police unit chief Monirul Islam told media.

He said that Alam was one of the "key players" of the July attack on Holey Artisan restaurant who were captured alive so far as "13 of the 17 militants who were presumed to have plotted the attack were killed in encounters so far".

"During the initial interrogation he has admitted to his direct link to plot of staging the attack on Gulshan's Holey Artisan and the subsequent Eid congregation in Sholakia," Islam said.

The official said the police investigations found that Alam was involved in plotting murders of 22 people including a slain Japanese national, a Hindu tailor, two Hindu priests, a village doctor, a Sufi Muslim, a professor of state-run Rajshahi University and several others in the past four years.

The development came two weeks after five suspected JMB operatives were arrested over plotting attacks on the New Year's Eve and 30-kg explosives were seized from them.

A breakaway faction of JMB constituted the Neo-JMB which was behind the July 1 attack on the Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. An Indian girl was among those killed in Bangladesh's worst terror attack.

Police said Alam's name surfaced during investigations when they found that he served Neo-JMB as the commander of the outfit for the Northern districts.

The arrest was made a week after Neo-JMB's most wanted leader Nurul Islam alias Marzan and another extremist were killed by counter-terrorism forces in Mohammadpur Beribadh area of the capital during a pre-dawn raid.

Police had claimed that Marzan coordinated the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.

Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Chowdhury, who was singled out by the police as the neo-JMB chief and the key player in the recent terror activities in Bangladesh, and two others were killed in a police operation in Narayanganj on August 27.

Last week, RAB arrested 10 people from different parts of Dhaka for their suspected involvement with the cafe attackers. A dozen other top and second-tier leaders of the New JMB group are still absconding.
Pakistan and United States had a historic nature of relationship spanning over seven decades, Jalil Abbas Jilani said.

Islamabad: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has said that Islamabad is looking forward to working closely with the Trump administration.

Ambassador Jilani made these remarks during a New Year luncheon hosted by the Embassy of Pakistan for Washington based print and electronic media.

He welcomed the mainstream US correspondents and briefed them on the state of Pak-US relations emphasizing that Pakistan and United States had a historic nature of relationship spanning over seven decades.

The envoy said those people who had been designated in the new US administration, knew Pakistan very well and there had been a better realization of the problems Islamabad was facing in the region.

"Moreover, there was a convergence of interests between the two countries on number of issues likely to strengthen the bilateral relations in future," he said.

Ambassador Jilani remarked that Pakistan had successfully launched a campaign of historical proportion to address the menace of terrorism.

He expressed the hope that Pak-US cooperation would be further strengthened in the fight against terrorism by revisiting sale of F-16s and Coalition Fund issues.

The Ambassador said that over the last few years, the terrorist incidents in Pakistan had reduced significantly, approx. by 70% with a positive impact on economy.

He highlighted the surge in the number of visitors from US to Pakistan which symbolized a renewed interest in Pakistan.

Jilani stressed on Pakistan's firm belief in having a closer cooperation in the region.

He contended that the emergence of extremist and violent organizations was the outcome of instability & violence all over the world.

While responding to a question, Jilani reiterated that Pakistan had not seen any organized presence of ISIS in Pakistan. However, Pakistan was concerned about the growing influence of ISIS in Afghanistan.

On Indus Water Treaty, the envoy said Pakistan had requested the World Bank to play the role of an administrator in terms of the legal and technical objections raised by Pakistan on Kishan Ganga and Ratle hydro-power projects in India.

He reiterated that Pakistan would like to engage in a sustained, meaningful dialogue with India in order to resolve all the outstanding issues peacefully.
by Melani Manel Perera

The Kithu Sevana prayer centre is located in a village in north-western Sri Lanka. However, religious services are performed by clergymen who come from other places. On 5 January, a Buddhist monk and a dozen thugs attacked the centre. The latter "do not accept that some families converted. They dont realise the blessing they receive through prayer."

Colombo (AsiaNews)  "No attack can stop us. We shall continue to love God and pray under a tree," said Kamal Wasantha, leader of a small Christian community in Sri Lanka.

He spoke to AsiaNews after their prayer hall was destroyed last week by some Buddhist thugs, headed by a local monk, who are still free.

Despite this, the community harbours no desire for revenge. We have not cursed them, Wasantha said, and shall not attack them in retaliation. Judgment belongs only to God. We do our part: prayers shall continue under a tree."

Wasantha is a simple farmer. He leads prayers at the Kithu Sevana (House of Christ) in Paharaiya, a village in north-western Sri Lanka. The structure was a modest building where local Christians, around 15 families and 20 other worshippers, met to pray.

A group of Buddhists attacked it on 5 January. "First, they threatened us verbally, Wasantha said. Then they came with wooden sticks, iron bars and knives and destroyed everything."

People begged the attackers not to damage the place of worship, but "the Lord's house was pulled down in front of our eyes, as we asked God to forgive them."

Rev Ranjan Palitha, who comes every week from Chilaw (more than 90 km away) to help Wasantha, said that the centre was built more than 15 years ago. "It was never attacked before, only verbal threats. This is the first incident that has the proportions of a real disaster."

Revs Palitha and Adrian De Vissar celebrate the liturgy and lead the prayers every Sunday and Friday mornings. The two said that first inkling of what was going to happen came on 1st January, as they made their way home.

"Our car was blocked by the Buddhist monk of Gothamiramaya, who used foul language towards us. He then threatened more serious punishment if we continued to conduct liturgies."

After this incident, the two clergymen filed a complaint at the police station in Karuwalagaswewa and warned the Christian community.

On 5 January, police summoned the clergymen and the monk and the same night the attack occurred. Although about 200 witnesses named the monk and 12 others as the attackers, the latter were freed on bail.

Lakshan Dias, a Christian attorney, complains a lax attitude on the part of the police. They "know the names and facts about the culprits, who live in the same village. Sri Lanka has failed to uphold freedom of religion. The countrys dominant ideology, that of Buddhist Sinhalese, undermines the minorities."

"Many Buddhists have converted and now live experiences of positive and rewarding life, said Wasantha, himself a Buddhist convert to Christianity. I too when I got closer to God felt a great consolation."

"I cannot abandon my mission, he explained, just because of these malicious attacks by people who do not tolerate the 'great change' by some families in this village. They do not know the great blessings our community receives through prayer. "
by Thanh Thuy

A few days ago, Catholics in Ho Chi Minh City began a week dedicated to migrants. Thousands of people took part in meetings, roundtables, seminars, and services. The archbishop of Saigon notes that migrants are "the first missionaries of the Church." A nun tells AsiaNews that the diocesan initiative offers an opportunity to raise issues and hear the views.

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews)  The Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City has responded to Pope Franciss appeal and sponsored a week for migrants with the participation of thousands of people, Catholics and non-Catholics.

Titled Immigrants who live with the joy of a family and a missionary, the initiative is part of a series of activities planned for the World Day of Migrants on 15 January 2017.

As the pontiff noted, war, poverty, economics, education, and employment have amplified the phenomenon migration, which now covers all age groups.

In view of this situation, the worlds Churches have called for action on behalf of migrants, breaking down the wall of silence, insensitivity, and  at times  outright hostility towards them.

Based on these premises, the archdiocese decided to dedicate a whole week to issues concerning the pastoral care of migrants, including internal migrants, in seminars, meetings, discussions, roundtables, convivial moments and prayers.

The diocese brought together 260 students from the St Joseph's Seminary, as well as religious, nuns and lay migrants.

As part of the week-long activities, some 30 small groups  also composed of seminarians  analysed and explained to the participants Pope Francis' message for World Day of Migrants.

Discussions followed with analyses of the most serious and pressing problems migrants face, even internal migrants who move within the country seeking employment.

There were moments of prayer and communal celebrations, as well as solemn Masses for the opening and closing of the week of migrants.

In his homily the archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Mgr Phaolo Bui Van oc, stressed that migrants are the first "missionaries of the Church."

The pope, the prelate noted, "reminded us that in our missionary life we must love children. So, we should not let the little ones be abandoned and abused.

In view of this, Over the coming years (2017-2020), the Church is planning for its family pastoral outreach. This is why you need to prepare to be agents of happiness for yourselves and others."

Speaking to AsiaNews, a nun from the Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of the Apostles said that the diocesan initiative has provided "opportunities for young migrants to raise issues and make their opinions heard."

For her, the meetings devoted to environmental issues according to the guidelines outlined by the Pope on the subject were of particular value.

One of the participants was a migrant woman named Maria Ho Thi T. She has lived in southern Vietnams largest city since 1999, after moving from her native Ha Tinh province.

When she spoke she he did not hide the fact that she faced major problems when she arrived, including a sense of abandonment, but she had trust in God to deal with her problems.

"We live far away from our homes and families, she explained. We dont have a lot of money but we are rich in spirit and morals. I prayed to God every day. In the Mass and in the Church I found the strength to go on."

Other internal migrants face similar everyday problems, people like Maria Thi Nguyen X, 19, who moved to the city, once known as Saigon, right after high school.

"When I lived at home my parents thought of everything, she said. I felt loved and cared for in their hands. Now, I have to face difficulties first-hand. I have to earn a living on my own. And the city hides many traps."

Urban drift sped up Vietnam around 1987 and today much of the countrys population of 90.4 million lives in the main urban areas.

For example, the Greater Ho Chi Minh City area alone now has a population of 12 million, 7 million natives and 5 million immigrants.
by Wang Zhicheng

He has represented 200 miners in Hebei and some members of the Falun Gong movement. His brother, a Christian lawyer, has represented members of house churches and political dissidents. The police have probably threatened him of jailing him again if he talks about his situation and if he meets other human rights lawyers, or their spouses, who are fighting for their release. China Change calls for an international investigation into torture and violence in China.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  Li Chunfu, a human rights lawyer released from jail two days ago after 18 months of detention, was taken to a Beijing hospital by some lawyers friends this morning for a medical check-up.

Showing signs of deep psychological and physical scars, he told them, I thought Id never seen you all again. Voicing some of his past and present fears, he asked, Will the police show up?

Li is a human right lawyer (pictured), well-known for representing 200 miners in Hebei in their demand for safety at work as well as members of the Falun Gong movement.

He is the younger brother of Li Heping, who was arrested on 10 July 10 2015. Li Chunfu himself was taken into custody the following month, on 1 August, 2015.

After six months under house arrest, he was charged with "inciting subversion of state power" and jailed in January 2016. Granted bail on 5 January pending trial, he was formally released on 12 January.

The Li brothers and hundreds of other lawyers were arrested during a government campaign against human rights lawyers, the so-called "709 incident" (named after the day, July 9, when arrests began).

Li Heping is a Christian lawyer who has represented members of house churches and political dissidents. His wife, Wang Qiaoling, Li Chunfus sister-in-law, went to see him as soon as he got home.

She told China Change* that Li Chunfu was able to recognise them, but couldnt form coherent sentences. Speaking about Chunfus wife, she told them: Last night he was saying that he felt like insects were biting his body inside, that his heart had been eaten away by bugs bit by bit, and there wasnt much of it left!

Li Chunfu is still in a state of terror and confusion. When he saw his wife making a phone call, he shot his arm out and gripped her tight around the neck, growling: Who are you calling?! You want to harm me!

From his confused behaviour, it is clear that the police must have threatened to jail him again should he talk about his situation or meet other human rights lawyers or their spouses, who are fighting for their release.

Given Li Chunfus physical and mental state, China Change fears for the fate of many of his colleagues, who might also be subjected to torture and violence.

In view of such a situation, the group calls on the international community to launch an investigation into such cases of extreme abuse.

* China Change is a website devoted to news and commentary related to civil society, rule of law, and rights activities in China.
The Kremlin bypassed President Obama, not involved in the background work for the talks in the Kazakh capital. Outgoing administration tells Trump to honour the invitation. Russia is in favour of the "broadest possible representation of the parties." According to Ankara, the US presence is necessary.

Astana (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Russia has invited Donald Trump's incoming administration to attend Syria peace talks set to start on 23 January in Kazakhstan, The Washington Post reported Friday.

In doing so, Moscow has bypassed the Obama administration, which has been notably absent from the process largely led by Russia and Turkey (as well as Iran).

Turkey, which is co-hosting the talks with Russia, has said Washington would be asked to join the talks being held in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

No confirmation has come from Moscow, and the current US administration said Friday it had not been asked to take part.

"We have not received any kind of formal invitation to the meeting," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

"But if we do receive an invitation, we will certainly make a recommendation" to Trump's incoming administration to honour it, he said.

The timetable puts the meeting just three days after the Republican president-elect takes office on January 20, succeeding the Democrat Barack Obama.

Russia and Turkey have also encouraged the still fragile national truce in Syria, which came into effect midnight 30 December.

Invitations to the talks have yet to be sent out, and the format of the discussions remains unclear, diplomatic sources said.

According to The Washington Post, the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, extended an invitation to attend the upcoming talks in a December 28 telephone conversation with Trump's incoming national security advisor Michael Flynn.

So far, "no decision was made" has been made by the incoming Trump administration. However, the latter has shown greater openness towards the kremlin, and future relations between the US and Russia.

Though the United States has not been a direct party to this specific initiative, Toner said, "we have been in close contact with both the Russians and the Turks as this has gone forward.

"And, we would encourage the incoming administration to continue to pursue those efforts.

The Kremlin, which is counting on improved relations with the White House, refused Friday to say whether Washington should be invited to Astana.

However, Moscow is "interested in the broadest possible representation of the parties who have a bearing on the prospects of a political settlement in Syria," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu added that "The United States should be definitely invited, and that is what we agreed with Russia".

Peace talks in Astana should be a preamble to a new round of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva, starting on 8 February under the aegis of the United Nations.

The last two meetings in the Swiss city failed to yield any concrete and lasting results for peace.
In his meeting with members of the Global Foundation, Pope Francis condemned the "culture of waste" and the "capitalist system, as had John Paul II in his encyclical Centesimus Annus. Mother Teresa welcomed every human life, whether unborn or abandoned and discarded". For a " fraternal and cooperative" globalization, we need to learn compassion for those suffering, and be guided by the Church's social doctrine.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis today met participants in the Roman Roundtable of the Global Foundation. He told them that Mother Teresa, who was canonised last 4 September, was an icon of our time who represents and recapitulates the efforts on the part of individuals and institutions to reverse the ills produced by an irresponsible globalization.

Founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 1998, the Global Foundation is a non-profit organisation that works for the economic and social common good. It cooperates with major corporate and community organisations, like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, as well as faith-based institutions, like the Catholic and Anglican Churches.

The pope praised the Global Foundation, which seeks to discern just ways of attaining a globalization that is cooperative, and thus positive, as opposed to the globalization of indifference.

For the pontiff, a world economic system that discards men, women and children because they are no longer considered useful or productive according to criteria drawn from the world of business or other organizations, is unacceptable, because it is inhumane.

Pope John Paul II had also lashed out against the capitalist system in Centesimus Annus: In 1991, Saint John Paul II, responding to the fall of oppressive political systems and the progressive integration of markets that we have come to call globalization, warned of the risk that an ideology of capitalism would become widespread. This would entail little or no interest for the realities of marginalization, exploitation and human alienation, a lack of concern for the great numbers of people still living in conditions of grave material and moral poverty, and a blind faith in the unbridled development of market forces alone. My Predecessor asked if such an economic system would be the model to propose to those seeking the road to genuine economic and social progress, and offered a clearly negative response. This is not the way (cf. Centesimus Annus, 42).

Over time, the risks mentioned by John Paul II have come about. Yet, we have seen the spread of many concrete efforts on the part of individuals and institutions to reverse the ills produced by an irresponsible globalization. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whom I had the joy of canonizing several months ago, and who is a symbol and icon of our time, in some way represents and recapitulates those efforts. She bent down to comfort the poorest of the poor, left to die on the streets, recognizing in each of them their God-given dignity. She was accepting of every human life, whether unborn or abandoned and discarded, and she made her voice heard by the powers of this world, calling them to acknowledge the crimes of poverty that they themselves were responsible for (cf. Homily for the Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 4 September 2016).

This is the first attitude leading to fraternal and cooperative globalization. It is necessary above all for each of us, personally, to overcome our indifference to the needs of the poor. We need to learn compassion for those suffering from persecution, loneliness, forced displacement or separation from their families. We need to learn to suffer with those who lack access to health care, or who endure hunger, cold or heat.

This compassion will enable those with responsibilities in the worlds of finance and politics to use their intelligence and their resources not merely to control and monitor the effects of globalization, but also to help leaders at different political levels  regional, national and international  to correct its orientation whenever necessary. For politics and the economy ought to include the exercise of the virtue of prudence.

The Church remains ever hopeful, for she is conscious of the immense potential of the human mind whenever it lets itself be helped and guided by God, and of the good will present in so many people, small and great, poor and rich, businessmen and labourers alike. For this reason, I encourage you to draw constant inspiration from the Churchs social teaching as you continue your efforts to promote a cooperative globalization, working with civil society, governments, international bodies, academic and scientific communities, and all other interested parties. I offer you my cordial good wishes for every success in your endeavours.
Hello,I am new on the forum. My name is Joyce and I'm seriously considering moving to Australia because it's a very lovely place from what have seen in documentaries,research I have done online and good things I have heard from friends that have been there. Please,though I have read and tried to register with the Australian Immigration online,it still seems a bit complex for me to understand, I would like someone to put me through,I have my IELTS results which is still valid but I think my skill/education has to be accessed. Please I need help on a step to step process for the Skill Select section. It will be highly appreciated.Thank you all
Hi everyone,New to the forum and I hope I would find useful information and experiences which would help me with my future applications.Cheers,Utku
You can check with an Immigration advisor if you can get your manager or immediate supervisor to sign a statuary declaration, which is basically a personal attested statement on legal paper that states the facts about your job, salary etc.



However, do note that this might not be advisable, because as you read around, you will notice that Australian immigration has become very tough in terms of job verification checks. They will directly call your HR department, they can send someone from Australian consulate in Saudia to your office with the documents you send them to verify them, or there can be a host of different things; especially given your Pakistani background, since Pakistan is a high-risk country. Hence, unless you have concrete proof on paper with verifiability, please consult an expert agent about if there is any way to claim points for work experience. There are some Australian expert agents who will charge you per hour, so it will not harm you to purchase one hour of consulting and work one on one with them. Be sure to note down all your questions before you book a session with anyone though, to achieve maximum benefit.



That being said, I still know that you can get into Australia. This can be done without taking the risk of claiming work experience points. If you don't claim work experience points when you fill out your EOI, you will not be asked to provide any proof by the case officer. This has been the case with almost all the applicants.



In this scenario, you can simply claim points for Age, Degree assessed positively by EA, and getting a really solid English score. For that you can do either IELTS or PTE Academic. You are lucky since you are in Saudia because you can give PTE Academic instead of the tough IELTS test. If you get above 79 marks in each module of the PTE Academic, you can get 20 points for immigration. PTE is done in Jeddah, Dammam, and Riyadh. You can book a date through their website by looking it up on google. It is very easy compared to IELTS, because not many people know about PTE right now, and they are trying to take customers away from IELTS, so have made it sweet and easy to pass.



So focus on the safer route, prepare hard for PTE, and then give the exam by passing with high score. How old are you btw, so we can assess your points. You might even be able to get into Australia with low PTE score.
The next Grand Cherokee is set to be based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia.

Jeep is due to launch the all-new Grand Cherokee internationally sometime in 2018 or 2019. Now, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) boss Sergio Marchionne has confirmed that the SUV will be based on Alfa Romeos rear-wheel-drive 'Giorgio' platform  the same architecture as the Stelvio SUV and Giulia saloon.

Speaking at the Detroit motor show, Marchionne explained that FCA was completing a feasibility study into the viability of building the fifth-generation Grand Cherokee on the rear-wheel-drive 'Giorgio' platform. The most natural application of a further evolution of the Alfa Romeo platform is the Grand Cherokee, he said. Were finishing the study now, and going by the latest information, the Grand Cherokee will be based on it, unless something happens in the next 60 days that suggests it isnt doable."

That would really complete the story of architectural development for us because I think it would certainly nail in a big piece of the Jeep story, Marchionne added.

Developed by FCA, the longitudinal-engined Giorgio architecture can be adapted for a variety of vehicle types, in addition to having four-wheel-drive capability. The development of the platform focused on ensuring it was light in weight and imbued with good fundamental driving dynamics.

The current-generation Grand Cherokee harks back to the Daimler-Chrysler era and shares its underpinnings with what was then called the Mercedes-Benz M-class, now known as the GLE.
The depreciation in the Nigerian currency, the naira, compared to U.S. dollar has put upward pressure on automobile prices, in some cases, resulting in 55% price increases.

This has pushed the prices of vehicles and spare parts to a record high, which has caused a steep decline in automotive sales.

In addition to the exchange rate decline, the ongoing softness in oil price drop has created revenue shortfall in the economy, according to the Guardian newspaper. Nigeria is a major oil exporter.

The sale of vehicles in Nigeria declined from 600,000 in 2015 to 350,000 in 2016, according to the Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association.
In the recent Detroit Auto Show event, Bentley Motors revealed their plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid version of every model in its lineup to be released in the next few years. This will give the British automaker other alternative fuel options.

As the global emission standards grow tighter, this step is very crucial for the luxury automaker. At the 2017 Automotive News World Congress in Detroit (Detroit Motor Show), Bentley's CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer stated that unlike plenty of other manufacturers, Bentley does not see plug-in hybrids as a temporary bridge to technology.

It is no secret that several car companies only see the hybrid technology as a temporary answer until all-electric or fuel cell car models are finally viable. Instead, Duerheimer said, "PHEV sometimes is mentioned as a transitional technology -- it will be out of our way pretty soon. From my point of view, plug-in hybrid technology provides the best of two worlds."

This will, in fact, benefit Bentley and their consumers in a lot of ways. First and foremost, adding a plug-in hybrid to every model will allow its owner to drive in cities where diesel or any gasoline-burning ride might be restricted.

With this in mind, there could be a slight disadvantage. There are plenty of Bentley vehicles used for long trips. This could not be possible in a pure electric vehicle unless the driver would stop to recharge. Duerheimer has the answer: "To cover long distances and to make it from one city to another -- and you travel long distances in the U.S. -- I think the combustion engine will follow us for a long time."

In the event, it was also confirmed that the Bentayga crossover will get a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It is expected to come out in 2018. According to Automotive News, Duerheimer confirmed that the next-generation Continental GT will be the next Bentley model to get a plug-in hybrid option.

It is expected to debut after the initial model. The initial model will have its W-12 internal combustion is expected to premiere within the year. Duerheimer also confirmed that the GT plug-in hybrid will use a V-6 engine and its power output will be comparable to the V-8 which makes 500 horsepower.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is always on the lookout for cars and companies that violate regulations imposed by the government. Recently, The EPA recently faulted the Fiat Chrysler Corporation (FCA) for violating the Clean Air Act in installing certain devices for emission control at Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500 pickup trucks.

In a report by The Car Connection, it is mentioned that Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator at the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance, claims that the vehicles acted differently when tested. Apparently, FCA is being asked to explain why the devices in question should not be called "defeat devices", the term used for the Volkswagen's device used for their non-compliant diesel vehicles. EPA is awaiting for the company to demonstrate that these are not defeat devices.

The FCA models affected are the 2014 to 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Ram models that have been equipped with the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 engines. Around 100,000 pickups and SUV's are under question.

Eight auxiliary emission control devices (AECD) were discovered by the EPA in the process of certifying the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 for the 2017 model year lineup for FCAS. The AECD are devices with software that reduces nitrogen oxide emissions during testing making the cars perform better in tests than in actual use. If found willfully installing such devices in their vehicles, FCA faces fines up to $4.4 billion which is the equivalent of $44, 539 per vehicle as imposed by the Clean Air Act.

Furthermore, FCA engineers and executives may be indicted for grave misdeeds just like what happened to the Volkswagen employees in Germany that were arrested over the diesel scandal. The EPA said the vehicles are safe to use and there are no recall orders and no further actions are required from the vehicle owners.

The vehicle owners can still use the FCA vehicles under question. The Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500 pickup trucks just do not meet the air pollution standard imposed by the Clean Air Act.
The Honda City has been the reason for Honda's success for many years. Honda City outsells many of its competitors on a regular basis, and is probably one of Honda's most popular and successful models in the world ever since it first launched.

Now the Japanese automaker Honda has now launched its mid-life facelift of the current City sedan and the new version will be released in Thailand. The redesigned model comes with a cosmetic upgrade with special emphasis on its front end.

In its sixth generation internationally, the 2017 Honda City is given its mandatory update and will be getting more contemporary exterior design, most notably on the front area. It appears that Honda is using the family-look approach.

There will be new front and rear bumpers, along with the new LED daytime-running lights where it stands out now when the headlamps are turned on. The front grille now has a pronounced chrome grille and flows into the new headlamps, sharing the same shape with many other Hondas currently on sale.

Looking inside the cabin, surprisingly, not much has changed on the interior design. The gloss-black plaque holding the 6.8-inch touchscreen still has the same look but the infotainment system will now be compatible with iOS as well as Android smartphones, and of course Bluetooth telephony.

The dashboard is now all-black with an accent of gunmetal silver and there will be new upholstery for the seats. It also comes with an interior reading lamp and map lights of the same kind.

The new Honda City will still have the same 1.5-litre Earth Dreams petrol and diesel units, and is now tuned to be compliant with Euro-VI. The automaker claims a fuel efficiency of 17.9km per liter with the CVT automatic transmission and 18.2km per liter with the manual petrol engine.

The 2017 Honda City was first spotted in India while shooting a TV commercial. Expect a slight price hike for both the base petrol and top-spec diesel.
A 1956 Austin Princess that looks like a vintage hearse will be at Barrett-Jackson Auction House on Jan. 14-22. The car will definitely attract some car collectors since it was formerly owned by John Lennon of "The Beatles." The car was even used in the "Imagine" documentary film.

Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale. This January's Barrett-Jackson event will host a lot of beautiful high-profile cars. There will be celebrity cars including Justin Bieber's Ferrari 458 Italia and Steven Tyler's Venom GT Spyder.

In addition, there will also be over 100 different Chevys in the auction. They will even have a CERV 1 developed by Zora Arkus-Duntov.

One of the main highlights will definitely be the former Beatle's Austin Princess. The limousine was owned by Lennon in 1971 when he wrote his most famous song "Imagine."

1956 Austin Princess. The black hearse-looking limousine was owned by the legendary John Lennon of the British rock band "The Beatles." The car was even featured in the "Imagine" documentary film.

The car will come with the original and signed registration by the rock legend. The car was originally purchased as an Austin hearse in 1971. Lennon eventually had the car customized to fit his peculiar needs. He added two rows of airline seats complete with the ashtrays. Lennon was particularly fond of the car's wide-opening doors which allowed for quicker escape from his fans.

In 1972, the Austin was sold to Bill La Jolla in California. He used the Princess to tour Ireland with his family. In 1987, he consigned the car to RM Sotheby's auction in New York City. The sale occurred just seven years after Lennon's death.

In 2005, the Princess was purchased at Julien's Auction House by Milton Verret. He eventually donated it to the Austin Rock & Roll Car Museum in 2008. There it was exhibited and adored by so many of The Beatles and John Lennon's fans.

The Austin Rock & Roll Car Museum had the car auctioned in 2016. Last year the car was auctioned at RM Sotheby's in London. It was listed between 185,000 - 260,000 and was left unsold.

Considering that it is the most iconic piece of automotive memorabilia for John Lennon, will the Austin Princess sell at Barrett-Jackson this year? One thing's for sure, it is both the most famous and most expensive 1956 Austin Princess in the world.


The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid conveys 31-percent reduction in Global Warming Potential. The most efficient minivan offers a shade of green performance. Chrysler Pacifica delivers over 31 perfect compared with the previous-generation.

Emissions-reduction over the prescribed travel distance equivalent to the average annual CO2 output of 22 American households which means that Pacifica Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient minivan. It holds the rating of 84 miles per gallon (MP Ge).

The Global Warming Potential considers the environment impact of fuel production along with the implications of the car's own fuel consumption. The calculations are based on 120,000 miles of operations. It is being measured in the contrasting emission of the greenhouse gas (GMG). The CO2 emission signifies the amount of CO2 that would have the equivalent effect on global warming.

The previous Chrysler Pacifica had traveled the prescribed distance that could account for a 21-metric tons reduction in CO2 emissions. The Head of Product Development Phil Jansen unveiled that Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid has the emissions' major milestone for the auto industry.

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid offers a 31 percent reduction in Global Warming Potential which approximately 650 pounds in a curb weight compared with its gasoline-powered stable mate. The Pacifica Hybrids' powertrain offers an award-winning 3.6-liter V-6 engine which mated to a dual-motor transmission.

The 24 miles per gallon is equivalent to 566 miles on a full tank and full electric charge. It takes almost two hours with a 240-volt charger and in 110-volt outlet just 14 hours. The new Pacifica Hybrid can automatically switch between electric power and hybrid power. It works impeccably with the engine to deliver optimal efficiency.

The new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will start selling in the first-quarter of 2017 and pricing starts as low as $43,000. It will be the first hybrid minivan to be sold in the US which is $35,000 cost plus the $7,500 federal tax credit for the plug-in.
SpaceX celebrated its return to space Saturday with a flawless launch, satellite deployment and recovery of the first stage booster on a drone ship floating in the Pacific Ocean. The Dragon 9 spacecraft lifted off within the one-second launch window from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California just before 1 p.m. EST, about five months after a similar rocket blew up on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. The cause of the Sept. 1 failure was traced to a buckled pressure vessel on the spacecraft that failed during fueling.

On Saturday, the rocket launched in near-perfect weather conditions. The first stage separated successfully a short time later and the second stage carried on to a successful orbit, where it deployed the first 10 of 66 IridiumNext communications satellites in orbit. The whole process took less than 90 minutes. The satellites were ejected 100 seconds apart over Africa and will be moved into their correct positions by Iridium. Meanwhile, rockets fired on the first stage to turn it around and slow it down for a descent through the atmosphere. The rockets fired again to bring the 200-foot tube to a pinpoint landing in the middle of the platform on the drone ship. The rocket body will be refurbished to possibly be reused in a future launch. A recording of Saturdays live stream of the launch is available here. The onboard footage of the landing is below.
A senior member of Raffi Hovannisians opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage) on Friday did not rule out the possibility of forming an electoral alliance with former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian.

Armen Martirosian, Zharangutyuns deputy chairman, said he and Hovannisian believe that their party will stand a better chance of achieving regime change if it joins forces with other opposition groups ahead of the April 2 parliamentary elections. He said they have already held consultations with potential allies.

Martirosian did not exclude that Zharangutyun will team up with Oskanian and Ohanian. Oskanian said last month he met with Hovannisian and Ohanian recently.

In Martirosians words, Zharangutyuns governing board will make a final decision on the possible election bloc in the next few days.

At least one board member, Zaruhi Postanjian, has publicly spoken out against teaming up with Oskanian and Ohanian.

Speaking to RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on Wednesday, Postanjian said both men were involved in former President Robert Kocharians deadly post-election crackdown in 2008 on opposition protesters. She said Zharangutyun should cooperate with them only if they admit their responsibility for the bloodshed and agree to appear before the court after the elections.

Oskanian served as foreign minister, while Ohanian was the chief of the Armenian armys General Staff at the time. Ohanian was tasked with enforcing a state of emergency which was declared in Yerevan following vicious clashes between security forces and opposition protesters.

Oskanian made a special televised statement in the presidential palace in Yerevan on March 1, 2008 just hours before eight supporters of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian and two police personnel were killed in the violence. He warned Ter-Petrosian to end the street protests against the alleged rigging of a presidential election.

Martirosian argued that Oskanian did not personally order the use of lethal forces against thousands of protesters who barricaded themselves in downtown Yerevan. He also defended Ohanian, saying that the former defense minister is a decorated veteran of the Nagorno-Karabakh war. He said this fact makes him hope that Ohanian too is concerned about the situation in the country.

Ohanian was sacked in October as part of a government reshuffle initiated by President Serzh Sarkisian. He said in December that he will actively participate in the upcoming elections in a bid to bring about political and economic changes in Armenia.
14 January 2017 15:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Electronic signature used in Azerbaijan will be recognized in the EU countries, Christian Rupp, spokesman of the Digital Austria platform in the Austrian Federal Chancellery, told reporters in Baku on January 14.

A working group was established within the EU Eastern Partnership program to deal with the issue of mutual recognition of electronic signatures, according to him.

Rupp said the main purpose of his visit to Baku is to present the projects and solutions on the introduction of e-signature, e-services, cyber security, and to explain how these technologies can be used in Azerbaijan.

He said it is also important to improve the skills of employees of government agencies so they can educate Azerbaijani citizens to use e-services.

We also intend to directly participate in this work via technology transfer to your country, Rupp added.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 January 2017 11:22 (UTC+04:00)

Delegation led by co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Cezar Florin Preda and Stefan Schennach have met with President of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan Ramiz Rzayev, Azertac reported.

Ramiz Rzayev provided an insight into the court system of Azerbaijan, as well as the structure and activity of the Supreme Court.

He highlighted that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to application of international legislative acts and, especially, European Convention on Protection of human rights and main freedoms, use of the newest information technologies in the Supreme Court system, study and application of the precedent law of the European Court on Human Rights.

Members of the PACE Monitoring Committee demonstrated special interest to the legislative base meeting the modern requirements of Azerbaijan. They hailed courts improved experience in various decisions adopted by the Plenum of the Supreme Court.

The delegation highlighted great importance of relations between Azerbaijan and European Council, and vowed to do utmost to continue these relations in future.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 January 2017 10:49 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will visit Israel, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Trend on January 13.

Cavusoglus visit is expected to take place in late January-early February, said the source.

The source also noted that currently negotiations with the Israeli side are underway for preparation of the Turkish foreign ministers visit to Israel.

It is expected that during Cavusoglus visit to Israel, the sides will discuss the normalization of relations, development of trade and economic cooperation, added the source.

Relations between Israel and Turkey worsened after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one flying Turkeys flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, with eight Turkish citizens being killed as a result.

Turkey signed an agreement with Israel on mending the relations on June 28. Israel paid Turkey a compensation of $20 million for the Freedom Flotilla incident on September 30.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 January 2017 13:48 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has appointed Shamukhammet Durdylyev as the mayor of the capital city Ashgabat, the Golden Age online newspaper reported on January 14.

Berdimuhamedov also dismissed Durdylyev as the deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and head of the presidential administration.

Mammetniyaz Nurmammedov, who earlier served as the minister of municipal services, was named the head of the presidential administration.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 January 2017 18:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A 12-member business delegation from Germany is planning to visit Iran February 5-8 to seek cooperation opportunities, Dawood Nazirizadeh, management consultant and organizer of the business trip told Trend January 13.

"We will be in Tehran February 5-6 and in Tabriz February 6-8. The companies are from different business fields, mostly chemistry, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and consulting," he said.

According to Nazirizadeh, a German deputy minister of economy will accompany the delegation.

"There will be meetings with Iran and Tabriz chambers of commerce and with different ministries in the areas of renewable energy and innovation."

"Most of the companies want to have a first impression on Irans business. Some of them want to open a branch or hire some staff in Iran," Nazirizadeh further said.

Germany was Irans biggest trade partner prior to 2012 when heavy sanctions cut Iran off from world business.

Germany remained fifth top goods exporter to Iran during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (March 20-Nov. 21, 2016) with $1.461 billion worth of exports.

Germanys exports to Iran increased by 25 percent in the 8-month period compared to the same period a year earlier. Sanctions on Iran were removed in January 2016.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 January 2017 16:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iran is negotiating with Russia and Kazakhstan to resume crude oil swap, Gholamreza Manouchehri, deputy director for development and engineering affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said.

Talks are underway with Kazakh firms and government as well as Russia in this regard, Manouchehri said, ISNA news agency reported on January 14.

He further said that grounds are prepared for resuming crude oil swap with Caspian states, adding that it is not clear when the talks would be concluded.

Last year Iran announced that will start crude oil swap with Caspian states within weeks, however the issue is not realized so far.

In 2010, Iran stopped oil swaps with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

The Hague International Court of Justice fined the National Iranian Oil Company $5.5 million due to stopping the swap of oil with its international partners.

Under the oil swap agreements, which started in 1997 and were in place for over 12 years, Iran received crude oil of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the Neka port and delivered an equal volume to the clients of the same countries in Persian Gulf.

The total income received by Iran from these swap transactions from 1997 to 2009 amounted to about $880 million.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Obama just expanded protections along California coast  and how he did it could foil any effort to Trump his action




Premier Li Keqiang meets with the visiting Vietnam ruling party chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, in Beijing on Jan 13, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Premier Li Keqiang vowed on Friday to achieve a more balanced trade with Vietnam to bring further benefits to both countries by promoting maritime, on-land and financial cooperation.

Li made the promise when he met with the visiting general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, who is on a four-day visit to China with a large delegation. The visit ends on Sunday.

China is also willing to accelerate linking its Belt and Road initiative with Vietnams national strategies while both countries aim to boost economic growth and improve peoples livelihood, the premier said.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), meaning regional cooperation is ushering in new opportunities, Li said. China will work with ASEAN countries to promote regional integration, economic globalization, trade liberalization and investment facilitation under the framework of China-ASEAN free trade area and Lancang-Mekong sub-region cooperation, he added.

Trong said Vietnam will implement consensuses reached by the two countries, expand bilateral trade and investment and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in fields such as agriculture, production capacity, sciences and technologies.

Trongs visit is another example of the frequent high-level exchanges between the two neighbors. In September, Li met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Beijing when Phuc led a large delegation of 132 members for his first official visit to China since taking office in April.
String of Stunning Animal Sightings, Salp Finds on Oregon Coast

Published 01/13/2017 at 2:43 PM PDT - Update 01/13/2017 at 6:43 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  While Mother Nature is keeping potential visitors to the Oregon coast trapped in a deep freeze inland, she's also been quite the trickster lately. A somewhat new kind of salp has been spotted, an old face has returned and sea lions are amazing everyone along the beaches now. (Photo above: A new kind of salp found at Manzanita, photo courtesy Sue McGrath).





One of the biggest things making a splash along the Oregon coast is the sight of gobs of sea lions huddling together in unusual formations in the water. It's known as rafting, and it's a kick in the pants to observe. (Rafting photos courtesy Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium).

Tiffany Boothe of Seaside Aquarium said they've received many calls from all over the north Oregon coast about this. Other sightings include around Gleneden Beach and Lincoln City as well.





Sea lions have been seen congregating together, en masse on the surface of the ocean, just outside of the surf zone, Boothe said. When sea lions do not want to haul out of the water, they use this tactic to sleep and rest. The protection of the group provides safety. We are probably seeing more of this due to the cold air temperatures. The ocean temperature is much warmer than the outside temperature at the moment, so the sea lions are probably just trying to stay warm like the rest of us.

Perhaps the craziest find was made in Manzanita lately: a kind of salp that is very rarely seen washing up on the West Coast, although they are known to inhabit these waters to some degree. Its name is Thetys vagina: Thetys after a Greek mythological figure; and vagina from the Latin term for sheath (not the body part).



Thetys vagina salp photo courtesy Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium - note the lack of "rudders"

The one pictured at top was discovered in Manzanita this week by Oregon resident Sue McGrath.

Boothe said it is the largest known species of salp, getting up to 12 inches in length.

They occur as either individuals or a connected colony, she said. The photograph you sent me is of an individual. The purple projections act kind of as a rudder.

In their colonial state, Thetys salps don't have those rudders. Salps  just like the freaky pryosome form of salp found a lot recently  can form colonies that are comprised of dozens to hundreds of them, reaching several yards long. Even more dramatic, they do this by cloning themselves: replicating dozens of versions of themselves and then forming that chain. This happens at one stage of the creature's life, and then single bodies eventually start breaking away.

A salp is sort of related to a jellyfish, although it genetically has more in common with fish and people than with jellies. Salps are palaegic, meaning they drift along in the ocean. They can come in many, many forms, of which quite a few wash up on the Oregon coast.



Velella velella, courtesy Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium



Increasingly familiar to these shores is the velella velella, a downright beautiful creature that has shown up on the Oregon coast in enormous numbers in the past, then mostly disappearing for a few years at a time. Boothe said they are back. She spotted a few recently on the north Oregon coast  a bit of a surprise as they tend to show up later in winter or spring.

Locally, when the wind blows out of the west and the velellas are close to shore, the wind blows them onto our beaches, Boothe said. Winter velellas are much smaller than the ones that wash ashore in the spring and summer. Some are so small they hardly standout from a grain of sand.

Velella velella are often confused as jellyfish, but they're really not even close. Like the pryosome salp, they too are made of dense colonies of other creatures, this time a tiny sea-faring animal called a hyrdozoa. The jellyfish-like creature called a Man-of-war is closely related to these, but they're just a much larger, single-bodied version of a hyrozoa. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

Coastal Spotlight



LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net

All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted
Google Maps

SAN ANTONIO  A man found his mother and father shot to death Thursday night inside their South Side home, according to a preliminary police report.

Police were called to the home, in the 200 block of Myrick Boulevard, at about 10:30 p.m., where they found the the bodies of a man and woman with gunshot wounds to the head.
Bouquets go to:

-- Education First Federal Credit Union, which made charitable donations of more $225,000 in 2016 benefitting Southeast Texas. One program, "We're Paying It Forward," allows members to designate a portion of the interest they pay on a loan to a school of their choice. In 2016, the program provided $25,000 in undesignated funds to schools in our area. EFFCU also awarded $40,000 in college scholarships for high school seniors and continued its longtime support of Lamar University. Other recipients were Girls' Haven, Boys' Haven, Relay for Life, Southeast Texas Food Bank, YMBL, CASA of Southeast Texas, Cruisin' Silsbee and Some Other Place. Education First is a community credit union with 34,000 members in Hardin, Jefferson, Jasper, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties, in addition to East Chambers ISD and High Island ISD, with assets exceeding $350 million.

-- Hardin-Jefferson agriculture teacher Ken Abney, for being just one of nine Texas teachers honored with their Honorary American FFA Degree at the National FFA Convention for making outstanding contributions to FFA. Among the criteria for this award is that the teacher must have a created high-quality agricultural education programs that inspire their students to strive for success. The Hardin-Jefferson FFA chapter is ranked in the top 20 of the state and was honored by the Texas FFA Association.

-- Edeska Barnes, Jr. of Jasper, for being named by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas Juvenile Justice Board for a term set to expire Feb. 1, 2021. Barnes is the chief juvenile probation officer for the First Judicial District Juvenile Probation Department. He is also on the board of directors for the Texas Probation Association, a member of Deep East Texas Council of Government and a facilitator for the New Chiefs Development Program for Correctional Management Institute of Texas at Sam Houston State University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Lamar University.

-- George Hartsfield, for being named the executive director of Boys' Haven. Hartsfield is a Southeast Texas native with bachelor's degree in sociology from Stephen F. Austin University and a master's degree of education in counseling and development from Lamar University. Before joining Boys' Haven, Hartsfield worked for 27 years in various roles at Buckner Children and Family Services in Beaumont. He was most recently executive director for Buckner in Conroe.

Brickbats go to:

-- Whoever shot a bald eagle that had to be euthanized on Tuesday because its injuries were so severe that it could not be saved. The eagle was found on private property in Anahuac on Tuesday morning, according to Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne. The gunshot had blinded the eagle and left its beak severely damaged. After bringing the bird to the Wildlife Center of Texas, a medical team decided to euthanize the eagle "because it wasn't going to be able to sustain life with the injuries it had," Hawthorne said. Texas Parks and Wild-life Game Warden Dustin Dockery said authorities believe it had been "a few days" since the eagle was shot. Though delisted as a threatened species in Texas in 2008, bald eagles are protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

--------------

If you have items for this column, email Bouquets and Brickbats to: Opinions@BeaumontEnterprise.com Or mail them to: The Enterprise, P.O. Box 3071, Beaumont, TX 77704
With the approval of a budget in the House Friday, Republicans in Congress are hurtling toward an ACA repeal at a breakneck speed.

The House voted 227-198 to pass the budget, Politico reported, after similar measure passed in the Senate early Thursday morning. With a budget approved in both chambers, the budget reconciliation process can begin. During this process, filibusters are blocked and only a simple majority vote is required to pass the reconciliation bill. Republicans hope to include measures in the bill that will dismantle parts of the ACA related to taxes, entitlement programs and premium subsidies. To address any non-budget-related items, a sidecar bill is required  and because normal legislative rules apply, agreement from some Democrats will also be required.

Originally the budgets set a deadline of Jan. 27 for reconciliation legislation to be drafted, but this deadline is flexible, according to Republican leaders in the Senate.

The House vote Friday indicates a more aligned front on the right, which has been divided over how and when to repeal the ACA and replace it. Both President-elect Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have repeated rhetoric this week that the healthcare law will be repealed and replaced almost simultaneously, which could have assuaged some concerns, Politico reported.

Speaking on plans to repeal and replace the ACA, Mr. Trump told The New York Times, "It will be [in] various segments, you understand, but will most likely be on the same day or the same week  but probably the same day  could be the same hour."

More articles on leadership and management:

Paul Ryan: We want to repeal, replace ACA in the same bill

Activist hedge fund buys 8.3% stake in The Advisory Board Company

Summa Health board releases statement backing ER staff switch
Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week.

1. Senate passes budget, moves one step closer to ACA repeal

The Senate voted 51-48 early Thursday morning to pass a budget resolution, paving the way for Republicans to dismantle the ACA, Politico reported.

2. Trump makes VA pick, says agency will align with Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic

At his first formal news conference since July, President-elect Donald Trump announced he will promote David Shulkin, MD, current under secretary of health at the Veterans Affairs Department, to lead the VA, and plans to align the agency with "top-of-the-line" health systems.

3. CMS changed overall star rating formula in December update  here's what's new

CMS updated its Hospital Compare database in December, which included an update to its Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating program. This was the second time the agency updated the overall quality star ratings after initially launching the program in July 2016 and updating rankings in October. Click here to see CMS' new overall 5-star hospitals.

4. 2016 averaged 1 healthcare data breach per day

There was an average of more than one health data breach per day in 2016, with a total of 450 breach incidents in the year, according to the Protenus Breach Barometer, which utilizes information from DataBreaches.net.

5. Dr. Tom Price to divest interest in 43 companies if confirmed as head of HHS

Rep. Tom Price, MD, R-Ga., vowed to divest his interests in 43 companies, many of which are healthcare companies, if he is confirmed to the post as secretary of HHS. In a letter to HHS' ethics office dated Jan. 11, Dr. Price lists the companies he has investments in, which include Aetna, athenahealth, CVS, Eli Lilly, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, McKesson and Pfizer. The sale of his stocks in those companies and the others listed will be completed within 90 days of his confirmation, he wrote.

6. Trump taps vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy to chair vaccine safety panel

President-elect Donald Trump met Tuesday with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist and outspoken critic of vaccines for children, at Trump Tower in New York City. After the meeting, Mr. Kennedy announced he accepted Mr. Trump's offer to chair a panel on vaccine safety and scientific integrity.

7. Cigna ditches coverage of Mylan's EpiPen for generic version

Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna dropped coverage for Mylan's EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. auto-injectors in favor of its generic alternative, according to the payer's prescription drug list changes, which were effective Jan. 7.

8. Patient shoots himself inside NJ hospital

A 72-year-old patient shot himself inside Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, N.J., on the morning of Jan. 11.

9. How Cleveland Clinic responded when one of its physician leaders publicly denounced vaccines

Cleveland Clinic had to handle an unexpected public relations issue this week  an anti-vaccine column penned by the medical director and COO of the Clinic's Wellness Institute, Daniel Neides, MD.

10. Hospital uncompensated care costs fall to lowest level in 26 years

From 1990 through 2015, U.S. hospitals' uncompensated care costs totaled $704.7 billion, according to a recent American Hospital Association report.

11. Car crashes into a pole, bringing down Epic EHR at Jefferson Healthcare

A car crashed into a utility pole in Poulsbo, Wash., on Dec. 31, affecting healthcare and telephone services in the area, according to PTLeader.com.

12. This physician almost died in her own hospital  what she learned from the experience

Rana Awdish, MD, a critical care physician at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, shares how her own near-death experience inspired her  and the hospital  to provide better patient care in an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Fifty percent of physicians believed they hold biases about some groups of patients, but only 16 percent said it got in the way of patient care, according to Medscape's Lifestyle Report 2017.

Some physician groups were more likely than others to report bias. For example, physicians who identified as Korean or Vietnamese were most likely to admit biases toward specific patient groups, at rates of 63 percent and 60 percent, respectively. Physicians who identified as Asian Indian were least likely to report bias, at rates of 34 percent. Black physicians reported bias at rates of 56 percent, while 53 percent of white physicians reported bias.

Male and female physicians also reported different rates of bias, depending on the factor. Among both sexes, the three greatest factors that elicited bias were a patient's weight, emotional problems and intelligence level. More than half (51 percent) of male physicians reported bias toward overweight patients, while 42 percent of female physicians did. However, female physicians (51 percent) were more likely than male physicians (50 percent) to report bias toward patients with emotional problems. Forty percent of male physicians believed they were biased toward patients with low intelligence and 38 percent of female physicians reported this bias.

Not all biases had an entirely negative connotation, though most did. Patients with language differences elicited the greatest negative bias from physicians, followed closely by patients with emotional problems. However, some factors, such as old age, had a mixed affect on bias. For example, half of all physicians said treating patients older than them elicited a bias with a positive effect, while another 27 percent of all physicians said their bias toward older patients had a negative effect on care. The remaining physicians said the effect was positive or negative.

Responses from more than 14,000 physicians are included in the survey. Medscape notes the survey was not able to measure implicit or unconscious bias.

More articles on integration and physician issues:

Which physician specialties are happiest?

Maryland's largest hospitalist group celebrates 10-year anniversary with rebranding

Greater primary care involvement leads to lower end-of-life care costs, study finds
The Arizona Attorney General's Office is seeking an outside legal firm to help it prepare a consumer fraud lawsuit against Palo Alto, Calif.-based Theranos, STAT reported.

The Arizona AGO filed a request for proposals on Jan. 4 to find a law firm to represent the state of Arizona in the potential lawsuit and to help build a case against the blood testing startup. The AGO believes Theranos may have violated the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act in its "long-running scheme of deceptive acts and misrepresentations relating to the capabilities and operation of Theranos blood testing equipment," it wrote in the RFP.

Since The Wall Street Journal published a pair of investigative reports in October 2015 questioning Theranos' claims and operations, the company has faced considerable scrutiny by the media, federal regulators and consumers. For example, last year a CMS investigation found a number of deficiencies at the company's Newark, Calif.-based lab, and the lab's certification was ultimately revoked. Founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was also banned from owning or operating a medical laboratory for at least two years. Theranos operated 40 blood-draw sites in Arizona, which were closed last June when Walgreens terminated its partnership with the startup.

Theranos now faces a number of lawsuits, including one from Walgreens and several consumer lawsuits. The Arizona AGO lawsuit, however, would be the first government-led lawsuit against Theranos, as noted by STAT.

The AGO is seeking civil penalties, disgorgement, attorney's fees and consumer restitution, according to the RFP. Bids are due Jan. 27.

Becker's reached out to Theranos for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

AG introduces legislation designed to protect New Yorkers' cost-free contraception coverage

Shire Pharmaceuticals settles landmark kickback case for $350M

Adeptus accused of deceiving ER patients: 6 things to know
There is much focus on lowering the cost of healthcare today without lowering quality. How can providers strike the right balance? The science of healthcare delivery offers a roadmap to success.

Alok Sharan, MD, co-director of WESTMED Spine Center in Yonkers, N.Y., and James Weinstein, DO, CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., penned an article in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery discussing the science of healthcare delivery for orthopedic surgeons. The article focuses on applying scientific method principles to healthcare delivery structure and organization. Dartmouth-Hitchcock includes a Master of Health Care Delivery Science program evaluating these principles and supporting the individuals who will lead their organization through the change in healthcare from a volume- to value-based system.

Here are the key thoughts for re-designing healthcare delivery:

1. The U.S. healthcare system needs to transition from a supply-induced demand to a value-based system. Business school students quickly learn how important value creation is for their future organizations; organizations that can't create value fail. In healthcare, the organizations that create the most value will be able to respond to demand by providing the right care for the right patient at the right time using only the necessary resources at a reasonable cost.

2. The science of healthcare delivery depends on creating systems and subsystems within systems that all work together toward a common goal. "According to basic system-engineering principles, for any system to work optimally, it is critical that each component work efficiently individually and that collectively, the parts work together in an efficient manner, toward a common goal or purpose," the article states. The current U.S. healthcare system isn't well designed and depends on loose social systems with artificial barriers preventing the most efficient communication and care delivery.

3. Independent physician practices traditionally dominated healthcare delivery, which led to fragmentation, high costs and inconsistent quality of care. However, the healthcare system is moving more toward value-based care and asking providers to assume more risk. As a result, the healthcare delivery system will be redesigned to optimize patient care and experience.

4. As healthcare providers collaborate more for care, the traditional departments will change. Instead of focusing on specialty-specific departments  such as the department of orthopedic surgery  departments will focus on the problem  such as arthritis care or spinal disorders  so all specialists are part of the same team and department.

5. Healthcare is currently a complex adaptive system. Complex adaptive systems include individual "agents" who self-organize but don't have a central point of control. When leaders try to control them with centralized direction, such as with pay-for-performance initiatives, the direction fails because agents within the system develop work-arounds. As a result, committed leaders of departments are finding new ways to influence their system and persuade providers to make a change.

6. Standardization is important to build a strong system, but shouldn't come at the expense of employee satisfaction. Many healthcare organizations are moving toward self-direction with more independent decision-making for employees. The most progressive institutions are training employees on the mission and values of the organization instead of focusing on bureaucratic rules to encourage individual contributions to the team.

7. Physicians are thought to have the biggest role in a patient's healthcare, but there is a new focus on patient experience that includes several other touchpoints in the process. For example, the patient's experience is shaped by their ability to schedule the appointment, interaction with front desk staff, nurses and ability to pay the bill. Additionally, patients often need care from multiple providersimaging, therapy and physicians. It would be easiest for the organization to have the patient work with individuals in each department for care, but patients become confused and upset; it's easiest for the patient to have one person, such as a care coordinator, to manage their care.

8. New reimbursement methods like bundled payments value teamwork instead of independence, which is a shift for many physicians. In orthopedics, the successful bundled payment programs utilize team-based approaches, but figuring out savings distribution remains a challenge and could require additional organizational redesign.

9. The transition to value-based healthcare systems will require strong leadership and change management to develop a sustainable model for the future. The leaders will need extensive knowledge and experience with health information technology, as these systems will drive innovation in healthcare delivery going forward.

10. There are high fixed costs in healthcare which can throw a wrench into a hospital's efforts to lower costs. Traditionally, providers didn't have their financial incentives aligned with care delivery, but new data gathering capabilities allow providers to track care and costs. Pay-for-performance models are beginning to align those incentives more closely.
It's that time of year again: when payday seems a lifetime away, when the Dry January brigade are already sniffing Tipp-Ex fumes in desperation and - thank God - when Irish actress Jessie Buckley is giving the stand-out performance in a bar-raising new BBC One period drama.

Last January she was Princess Marya Bolkonskaya in the impassioned adaptation of Tolstoy's War and Peace. "Oh God! The crier! The religion-obsessed one!" Buckley says now with a laugh and a cringe. "I must shake that!" That isn't really a fair assessment of the quiet poise with which she invested the tricky role, but if typecasting is the worry, then this year's must-see will sort that out.

In Taboo, which starts tomorrow night, Buckley plays a very different sort of 19th-century heroine, actress and adventuress Lorna Bow. "She's such a force and she's got such strength and intelligence," says Buckley. "She's like a Lauren Bacall of the 1800s."

The Gothic-tinged, hard-edged drama should already be occupying the top spot on your 2017 TV watchlist because alongside Buckley it stars Tom Hardy at his most Hardy-esque. He plays a brooding prodigal son with a dislike for authority and a wide lexicon of grunts to draw on whenever he finds himself confronting it. This performance should be no surprise, given that Hardy also co-wrote the series with Stephen 'Peaky Blinders' Knight and his father Chips Hardy.

The supporting cast is worth getting excited about too: Jonathan Pryce plays a scheming representative of the East India Company, House of Cards' Michael Kelley is an American spy, Mark Gatiss is the dissolute Prince Regent and a heavily tattooed Stephen Graham almost menaces Hardy off the screen.

The real-life Tom is "a big teddy bear", according to Buckley. "He loves his dogs and, y'know, he's intense about his work, but that's because he cares about it." She does though admit to being intimidated the first time they met at his house in Richmond, where she'd been invited to an informal audition. "You try to con yourself into feeling OK, when inside your heart's racing. But he was so nice. He was having boiled eggs with his wife and his dogs were running around. We just read through the scenes a few times and then they offered it to me."

That's a much simpler audition process than the 10-week one Buckley endured at the beginning of her career. She entered I'll Do Anything, the 2008 reality TV competition to find a Nancy for the West End revival of Oliver! and eventually came second.

It's hard to reconcile this Jessie Buckley - a self-assured, exciting new acting talent - with that one, a wide-eyed 17-year-old, all Annie curls and earnest enthusiasm, who you can find in old YouTube clips.

"Oh God, it feels like 100 years ago! I think there was a time when I looked back and was like (she cringes) but now I feel proud. I was so innocent about what that programme was. Which was probably why I got so far But yeah, no regrets. It brought me over to London and singing is a part of who I am."

Buckley grew up in Killarney, Co Kerry, the eldest of five siblings, in a house without a television set. Music was an important part of her life from childhood and Buckley still sings with her jazz band any chance that she gets.

Instead of name-dropping her contemporaries she sprinkles her conversation with admiring references to Judy Garland and other stars of Hollywood's Golden Age of musicals. So while her career may have taken a turn towards hip and edgy - with an upcoming role in indie thriller Beast - it's clear that Buckley will never stop loving a good old-fashioned showstopper. And she doesn't care who knows it. "I was saying this morning that I'd do a musical again if it was interesting. Never say never. I love singing."

The secret of her success might be how she shrugs off snobbery and simply refuses to acknowledge any barriers between her and her goals. "I think if you work hard then you don't have to worry about anybody's preconception of what you were before," she says.

It's an outlook she shares with her Taboo character, who sets out to secure a living for herself regardless of society's disapproval of her professional ambitions. "I like a challenge and I don't ever really feel aware of those things. I get asked a lot about being a woman within the industry and how difficult it is and, yeah, it is - but it's difficult for everybody I'm not a 'burn-your-bra' feminist. The people who are inspiring and strong for me are the ones who acknowledge vulnerabilities."

Lately she's been reading Grayson Perry's The Descent of Man and it's reminded her of what she's felt instinctively since she was a schoolgirl playing the male roles in her class's theatre productions: there are no gender restrictions on empathy. "Even for posh boys as well, it's hard for them, because they're typecast and don't get to play some other interesting roles."

Perhaps the particular posh boy she's thinking of here is privately educated Cambridge graduate James Norton, who she describes as "brilliant" with a loved-up smile. Norton is the star of Grantchester and Happy Valley and has been her boyfriend since they met on the set of War and Peace (he played her character's brother).

He's also in the frame to be the next James Bond. Does Buckley think he'd make a good 007? "I think I'd make a good James Bond I'm joking. No, it's not my call. That's up to him."

Maybe that's a joke, but maybe it shouldn't be. If anyone has the determination to overcome an audience's long-standing assumptions, Buckley does. She lets slip occasional insights into the sacrifices she's made along the way to follow her calling. "I had to be an adult very quickly and didn't have any friends. I didn't go down the pub and hang out. I went away to a music school when I was 12 and then I came over here when I was 17."

But fundamentally Jessie Buckley is not a whinger. Her optimism could light a path through even this gloomiest of months. And, of course, a great new BBC drama with innovative writing and a world-class cast is always something to look forward to.

Taboo, Saturday, BBC1, 9.15pm
When Margaret Gallagher was a child, every Halloween night she would venture outside the family's quaint thatched cottage in Belcoo, Co Fermanagh, to see which direction the wind was blowing in.

"That always set a pattern for the months ahead," says the 74-year-old, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph at her remarkable timepiece home, which was built in the 18th century and, in many ways, hasn't changed very much at all over hundreds of years.

"If it was coming from the west we knew we would have a wet winter; the north east we knew it would be snowy; and if it was coming in from the north, we knew it would be cold and dry."

Overlooking misty fields and blanket bog to Cuilcagh and, below it, the twin villages of Belcoo and Blacklion, is her home that is now more than 280 years old and has never had running water, electricity, a television or a phone. And when it's cold, it's cold. But she knows how to keep warm.

With heavy snow forecast earlier this week, Miss Gallagher was well prepared inside her grade two listed home.

"I have a wireless radio and listen to the news headlines on that. I brought in plenty of logs and turf and carried in plenty of water, so I was well equipped for it. I have enough water now I could bathe the country for a small charge," she laughs. "I had to get up very early the other morning to knock the snow off the roof with a pole. If you don't do that it can damage the roof. It came down with a crash.

"With a house like this you have to prepare for what's coming."

Each morning she has a blazing fire to get going and all kinds of tasty cakes to bake. There's the fresh water to carry from the spring well in a nearby field for washing clothes and the floor. There are bags of logs and turf to fill and carry, and all before nine o'clock.

"I tell you, I carry some turf, I also carry some water. I was born under Aquarius, but nobody carries more water than I do.

"People come to look at me as if I am an endangered species. That's grand, I am very endangered. But it's for real. I am not here to please an American tourist who is ooh'ing and aah'ing, looking at me, saying: 'I thought people in this lifestyle would have a long black skirt on them'. I say: 'Possibly, but if you see the path I have down to the well, a long black skirt would need a washing'."

With the front door open for circulation as the fire burns, there are double oil burners on the walls and the flames are reflected in mirrors to provide extra light. Every inch of Miss Gallagher's home may reflect the past or a bygone era to some, but to her this is her reality. It is her home.

"There never was a time for transition to something more modern. I was born into this house on January 26, 1942, at five past nine on a Monday morning. My mother died when I was 10, my father died in 1980. His father bought this house in 1887, and my take on it is if it was good enough for them, then it's good enough for me."

There wasn't a lot of money in those days but there was always an open door, she says."By God, there was a welcome. There was no intrusion of a television, not that there is anything wrong with a television. I have a wind-up radio which I listen to in the mornings to get the time, the day, the date and the news headlines. The problem with televisions and everything else, there doesn't seem to be an off button ever used."

Miss Gallagher, who enjoys reading many books, fears that "solitude" is now gone from society. "We were taught so much long ago from the monks of old, particularly the monks who lived on Cleenish Island, about solitude and hospitality. But that is gone now. When you talk to someone they are on a mobile phone or an iPad, there is no eye contact. I do think we are slipping on hospitality. I think the day of the open door is gone."

She believes "a period of silence or solitude should be encouraged in the house" to help cope with the pressures of life.

That means cutting out on the television and internet use.

"I am not interested in what is going on in the world because I can't fix it, I can't fix what is going on in Northern Ireland, and I could even fix something if it was going on in my own homeland. The news doesn't interest me. And all this chatting about people you don't know: I don't think anyone in outer Mongolia is the slightest bit interested in what Margaret Gallagher is doing.

"Television is wonderful, but credit me with some intelligence. Coronation Street? Give me a book, let me read anything. Coronation Street is not on my radar, nor is that Bake Off. I hear more about soggy bottoms!

"When I bake the bottoms of my cakes are burnt black. I like everything burnt. I don't do soggy bottoms," she laughs.

In a hectic world, the pensioner wants to see hospitality "back on the agenda".

"There are some communities that are hospitable, there are others are not. Some ask you do you want a cup of tea, but you never ask anyone if they want a cup of tea. You make it, you just get it there, full stop. If they don't drink it, they don't drink it. Tough luck, but at least you made it.

"I don't like the modern kettles. I like my own kettle. It's always by the fire and is grand. I don't see the need to change something that is not broken, and sure if it was broken it would cost too much to fix. What would I want with a post kettle anyway? I don't even think like that."

When she isn't inviting her neighbours over for tea, the birds keep her company. "The birds are pretty expensive. It takes six loaves in the week, plus about three stone of bird seed, to feed all the birds I have," she laughs.

"I have the wren, Jenny I call her. Jenny seems to have a family; babies one day, adults the next. For her body weight she eats far too much, I keep saying this, and she's there all the time, she never leaves me. I have the sparrows, the blackbirds, the magpies, the crows. I have the whole lot."

She doesn't get lonely and enjoys the peace and calming influence of her home."It's part of me, it's my identity, it's who I am," she adds.

"This house makes a statement, it sits very comfortably on the landscape, even though I am surrounded by beautiful new homes. It says that you can't forget about your past, you bring it with you proudly into the future," adds Miss Gallagher with a smile.
A court has heard 2 million worth of drugs has been seized from an organised crime gang in England suspected of supplying Northern Irish lorry drivers with herbal cannabis to bring across the Irish Sea and then move it into the Republic of Ireland.

The comment was made by a police officer at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Saturday morning where a Liverpool man was refused bail in relation to the recovery of 300,000 worth of herbal cannabis found at Moorfields Road between Larne and Ballymena in County Antrim last May.

A lorry driver from Scarva, County Down, was arrested during the incident last year and he is currently on bail due to be arraigned on charges at Antrim Crown Court this week.

Now, it has emerged, police arrested a Liverpool man in recent days as he flew into Manchester Airport from Barcelona and he was taken to Northern Ireland for questioning.

James Daniel Kennedy (25), of Adelaide Road in the Kensington area of Liverpool, appeared at Ballymena Court.

He faces two charges - unlawfully supplying herbal cannabis and being concerned in the supply of herbal cannabis on May 7 last year.

A police officer said she believed she could connect the Liverpool man to the charges.

Opposing bail she said police believe an "organised crime gang in England is supplying lorry drivers from Northern Ireland with herbal cannabis. They are bringing it in to Northern Ireland and supplying it to the Republic of Ireland."

She said three arrests had been made in connection with seizures of 2 million worth of drugs.

The officer said a Northern Ireland lorry driver was stopped at Moorfields Road last year and 300,000 worth of cannabis was recovered in a box and investigations forensically linked Kennedy with a "fingerprint to the box".

The officer said a 'cannabis factory' was discovered at a house linked to the Kennedy family and after police put out an alert about James Kennedy Manchester Airport said the accused was on a flight coming in from Barcelona and he was arrested.

The officer said his mobile phone and passport meant they had "serious concerns about his lifestyle".

She said Kennedy told police he was in Barcelona five times last year but the accused said he only earns 300 a week in his job.

The officer said the accused told them he had been in Barcelona for six weeks.

She added he had also travelled to Dubai, the Bahamas and New York which she the officer said did not fit in with what he claimed he earns.

The officer said Kennedy claimed he had a 32,000 personal loan for a car which he sold for 17,000 and he was "living it up".

The detective said she believed he was part of an organised crime gang and if he was released on bail to go back to England he could go further afield as he has family living in Barcelona.

A prosecutor said Kennedy has a record including three breaches of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs).

Defence lawyer Feargal MacElhatton said Kennedy has lived in Liverpool for 16 years where his father, mother and brother live.

The police officer told him there were only police witnesses and no surveillance evidence and the solicitor said there was no evidence he was a flight risk.

He said the herbal cannabis was in sealed bags and there was none of his client's DNA on them but the police officer said Kennedy was linked to the case by a fingerprint on an outer box.

The solicitor said there was nothing to link his client to the lorry driver but the officer said his fingerprint was on the same package the lorry driver had.

Mr MacElhatton said his client "gave an innocent explanation" that he handled boxes during his work as a car mechanic.

The lawyer said it was a "very, very weak prosecution case" regarding one fingerprint and if it went to trial he believed the prosecution would have difficulty clearing a hurdle on that.

The officer said they are going to be making "serious financial enquiries" into Kennedy.

In relation to a house being searched in Liverpool, the solicitor said Kennedy's father Derek was bailed without charge.

Mr MacElhatton said the accused's aunt has a property in Barcelona.

He said his client is in a relationship with a woman whose father owns properties in Liverpool which are rented to students and he could assist in any bail sum.

Refusing bail, District Judge Dan Magill said there was the "issue of sojourns around the world" and a risk of further offences being committed.

Kennedy was remanded in custody to appear back at the same court in February.
The gold and red garnet ring that belonged to Jane Haining

The gold and red garnet ring that belonged to Jane Haining

Two Northern Ireland women have spoken about their "extraordinary" and "inspirational" aunt who bravely defied the Nazis' reign of terror before dying in Auschwitz.

Jane Haining was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 for looking after Jewish girls in Hungary.

For years Deirdre McDowell and Jane McIvor, both from Londonderry, grew up hearing about Miss Haining, who was the half-sister of their mother Agnes O'Brien.

Now her little-known story has come to wider attention ahead of an episode of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow tomorrow night.

It tells the fascinating story of a long lost ring that belonged to Miss Haining, and her extraordinary defiance in the face of death.

Miss Haining, who grew up in Dunscore near Dumfries in Scotland, worked at the Kirk-run Scottish Mission School in Budapest.

She repeatedly refused orders from the Church to return home after the Second World War broke out because "her" girls needed her in days of "darkness".

For four years Miss Haining protected the pupils from the emerging threat of the Final Solution until she was betrayed by the school cook's son-in-law, whom she caught stealing scarce food. She was arrested by the notorious Nazi secret police in April 1944.

Former pupil Agnes Rostas recently revealed that her haunting last words to sobbing children were: "Don't worry, I'll be back by lunch."

Miss Haining never returned to the Scottish Mission, where she worked between 1932 and 1944, and perished in the death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland three months later at the age of 47.

Tomorrow night's programme was filmed at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and features testimonies that uncover untold stories and belongings from over 100 British Holocaust survivors and camp liberators.

Mrs McDowell said: "It is emotional and truly wonderful that the BBC is making this special programme which provides us with the opportunity to tell Jane's amazing story.

"She was such a courageous woman, very determined, considerate and kind.

"She followed the Christian example by looking after and caring for vulnerable children.

"Our family is honoured and humbled by Jane's actions.

"Her story is an example to us all and must continue to be told to benefit the next generation because the world should never forget the Holocaust."

Reflecting on the occasion, Mrs McIvor added: "It was a very moving day and a great honour to be here among people who have tremendous stories of courage and resilience.

"Jane was an amazing woman and did such tremendous work at the Scottish Mission in Budapest.

"She lived a life of faith and was a loving person who put everyone else first.

"I was named after Jane Haining, so I consider her a guide and mentor in my life.

"If we can do anything, in any small measure that Jane did, our world would be a different and much better place."

Miss Haining's jewellery will be analysed by expert John Benjamin for the special episode of Antiques Roadshow, which marks Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27.

It includes a ring that belonged to her.

The priceless gold and red garnet stone artefact was recently returned to the Church of Scotland offices in Edinburgh.

Miss Haining's handwritten will, a copy of the last letter she wrote while imprisoned in the concentration camp and photographs also feature on the programme, which will for the first time in its history not attach a monetary value to antiques.

Miss Haining, who is thought to have perished in the gas chambers, was posthumously named as Righteous Among The Nations in Jerusalem's sacred Yad Vashem in 1997 and awarded a Hero of the Holocaust medal by the UK Government in 2010.

Many of the artefacts in tomorrow's programme are of such historical importance that they are priceless.

So in a rare break with the traditions of the programme, the BBC has decided that items will not be valued.

Rev Ian Alexander, secretary of the World Mission Council of the Church of Scotland, said: "Jane Haining's story is one of heroism and personal sacrifice.

"She was a woman who was simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary."
Kate Carroll with her husband Stephen, who was murdered by dissidents

The widow of a PSNI officer murdered by dissident republicans has made an impassioned plea to politicians to set aside their differences and work for the good of Northern Ireland.

Kate Carroll, whose husband Stephen was shot dead by the Continuity IRA in Craigavon in March 2009, said that unionist and nationalist MLAs should be dealing with the real issues facing society rather than "reverting to tribal trenches" and preparing for another Assembly election.

She was speaking as the clock continued to tick on the dissolution of the Stormont institutions, with an Assembly election almost inevitably due to be called on Monday.

Secretary of State James Brokenshire is expected to remain in Northern Ireland over the weekend in case any last minute agreement can be reached to save devolution.

But political sources put the odds of such a development as exceedingly low.

The current Assembly will meet on Monday, for what is anticipated to be its final session, to debate DUP proposals on capping Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments and on mitigating the impact of the 'bedroom tax'.

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton is producing amending legislation that would reduce tariffs paid to around 1,800 RHI claimants who entered the scheme before November 2015.

Officials from Mairtin O Muilleoir's Department of Finance are currently assessing the DUP plan.

In her letter printed in today's Belfast Telegraph, Mrs Carroll said that 2017 was a hugely important year for Northern Ireland, which would be hard hit by the repercussions of Brexit.

She said that lengthy hospital waiting lists meant the crisis in the NHS must be urgently addressed, while major investment in our schools and roads was required.

Politicians should also be focused on building "unwavering support for a police force facing up to increased dissident activity", she said.

Mr Carroll (48) was the first officer to be killed since the PSNI's formation.

He was shot dead after he was lured to Lismore Manor in Craigavon by an emergency call.

Republicans Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton are serving life imprisonment for his murder.

While Mrs Carroll's open letter was addressed to Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness, she said it was intended for all politicians, whom she urged to tackle the issues which concerned the public.

"Let's sit on our ordinary, non-magical sofas watching a packed House of Commons debate the issues that really matter, while that big white building in east Belfast - like so many cavernous barns around the country - remains heated and unpopulated. Empty rooms, empty rhetoric, empty promises," she said.

Mrs Carroll said that an election would occur very near the eighth anniversary of her husband's murder.

The PSNI continued to do its job protecting the community "from those who want to drag this country back into the mire", she added.

"It would be nice, however, if they knew they had a fully functioning Assembly backing them every step of the way. Instead, they have a Justice Minister who doesn't even know if she'll have a seat in a new, streamlined Stormont. As a survivor of the Troubles, I have serious concerns around how my needs, and those of others like me, are now going to be dealt with. We were promised a fresh start, but instead we have been given a false start," she said.

Meanwhile, inspectors regulating the RHI scheme have suspended payments at over half the boilers they have audited.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) said that subsidy payments had been suspended at 33 of the 63 installations it had examined.

It is understood that payment was recovered in four cases, while another five had their payments resumed after investigation. Ofgem is continuing its investigations in the remainder of the cases. No one has been permanently removed from the scheme.

Disappointment was expressed yesterday that the Department of the Economy has declined to disclose information about participants in the RHI scheme, despite having previously told boiler owners it would be "freely available" to the public.

Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said it was "overwhelmingly in the public interest" that claimants' names be released as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has said that an enraged electorate could deliver another Brexit moment that radically reshapes the local political landscape.

Mr Nesbitt predicted that the election would be seen as a referendum on the DUP-Sinn Fein administration's handling of the RHI scandal.

Sinn Fein Health Minister Michelle O'Neill yesterday confirmed that the Executive's collapse meant that no action could be taken in response to an expert panel report examining potential changes to Northern Ireland's strict abortion laws.

She was speaking as local GPs threatened to resign if a rescue plan to address problems in general practice also falls victim to the Stormont meltdown.
Communities Minister Paul Givan has announced plans for almost 2 million to go to community halls across Northern Ireland.

Over 850 applied for the scheme - which is aimed at helping struggling community groups do essential building work - and 90 were successful.

When the pilot programme was launched last October Mr Givan identified 500,000 for improvement works to community halls, but yesterday's announcement revealed the spend would be almost four times that at 1.9m.

Mr Givan said: "This was a hugely oversubscribed programme with more than 850 applications received. Following assessment of these applications, I am pleased my department has been able to support 90 organisations in this financial year.

"My department will work with these organisations going forward to ensure the successful delivery of very worthwhile community projects.

"The result will bring a positive change to much-used community facilities right across Northern Ireland." Orage Order deputy district master of Sixmilewater, William Strange, welcomed the funding. He said: "This is a great boost for our hall and the local community."

The department was not able to provide any breakdown of which community halls across Northern Ireland were successful, or details of what type of group will benefit from the scheme.

It was one of a series of announcement yesterday from the Executive Information Service ahead of the expected shutdown of Stormont.

Mr Givan also announced a 3.7m facelift for Lisburn.

The project will upgrade footpaths, lighting and street furniture. The Department for Communities is investing approximately 2m in this project, with Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council investing a further 1.7m.

The Lisburn Linkages project will include Bridge Street, Antrim Street, Railway Street, Castle Street, Seymour Street, Bachelor's Walk and Market Place.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Mairtin O Muilleoir confirmed he had instructed counsel on his intention to challenge the penal provision over the use of the Irish language in the 1737 Act of Parliament.

The Act, which has now been in force for almost three centuries, requires all court proceedings to be in English and makes it a criminal offence to use any language other than English.

Mr O Muilleoir also announced his plans to purchase new art for the Civil Service Art Collection.

Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen announced a new training programme for farmers and growers applying for a farm improvement scheme.
Flood-threatened residents have returned to their homes after being evacuated over fears for their lives in the wake of the latest storm warnings.

Thousands were told to leave their properties as t he Environment Agency (EA) issued 17 severe warnings - which warn of danger to life - with those in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex feared to be most at risk.

But in the early hours of Saturday, the remaining residents of Jaywick, Essex, still in a rest centre were told they could return to their homes after no signs of flooding.

Residents on the east coast waited for the storm surge to hit during the second high tide, with gale-force winds and higher than usual tides expected to bring waves crashing over coastal defences.

Essex Police said the centre in Clacton saw 230 residents at its peak - but no one visited another site in West Mersea.

Deputy Chief Constable Matthew Horne defended the warnings to residents, saying they were grounded in science and advice from the EA and the Met Office.

He said: "We prepare for the worst case scenario and we would be happy to take the same decision again should we be faced with the same advice as we have had over the last 36 hours."

EA manager Claire Beecroft warned walkers to be wary on coastal paths and promenades with the "unsettled" weather continuing on Saturday.

The Met Office predicted a calmer period of weather but warned of ice in the West of England, Wales, Scotland and in Norfolk.

Many Jaywick residents had refused to leave their homes, despite an emergency services evacuation plan and pleas from Essex Police for them to move to safety.

Alison McGuire, who was among those to stay at home, said: "I did not think it would come over - I thought to myself, 'What is all the fuss about?'."

Great Yarmouth residents expressed their relief when their fears were not realised.

Jess Hudson, 19, of nearby Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk, said: "I didn't think it would be as bad as before (when floods hit in 2013) but people were worried and they'll be relieved the worst seems to have passed.

"I was surprised at the number of people who stayed in their homes when they were asked to leave. If it was me, I wouldn't want to risk that."

The Haven Bridge was one of the focal points for spectators as the pedestrian walkway was filled with people pointing their smartphone cameras towards the river - several feet short of breaching the walls.

The emergency services and Army were a frequent sight ahead of the predicted storm surge, but were called off as it appeared the area had swerved the worst of the weather.

The night was not without incident, however - with Norfolk Police charging a man with causing harassment, alarm or distress and obstruction of a police constable after jumping into the River Yare from Haven Bridge on Friday evening, despite being warned to move to safety by officers.

Stephen Wood, 43, of Great Yarmouth, was later plucked from the water and arrested. He will appear before magistrates in the town on Wednesday January 25.

The EA moved more than five miles of temporary barriers and 25 pumps to depots and towns along the east coast.

Doug Wilson, flood duty manager for the EA, said: "High tides and strong winds caused large waves along the east coast yesterday, bringing a risk of significant flooding and danger to life.

"The Environment Agency issued over 100 flood warnings, operated its permanent flood defences including the Thames Barrier and Hull Barrier, and set up temporary defences in areas at risk. These actions protected over 550,000 properties.

"In the event, the combination of the peak surge, strongest winds and largest waves didn't coincide in all areas and did not reach the most dangerous levels that were possible all along the east coast. Some properties in North and East Yorkshire were flooded and our thoughts are with those affected.

"Environment Agency teams are out on the ground today inspecting and repairing any damaged defences, and will continue to warn and inform the public of flood risks, as necessary. We wish to thank the emergency services, local authorities, the military and volunteers who worked with Environment Agency staff to prepare for this event."
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 15th January 2017 ATO at the scene on the Brians Well Road in west Belfast where an overnight security alert continues. in the area. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 15th January 2017 Police at the scene on the Brians Well Road in west Belfast where an overnight security alert continues. in the area. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

PACEMAKER BELFAST 15/01/2017 Police and ATO at the scene of a security alert in the Brians Well Road area of west Belfast on Sunday Morning. ATO are conducting searches and the road has been closed. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

PACEMAKER BELFAST 15/01/2017 Police and ATO at the scene of a security alert in the Brians Well Road area of west Belfast on Sunday Morning. ATO are conducting searches and the road has been closed. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

PACEMAKER BELFAST 15/01/2017 Police and ATO at the scene of a security alert in the Brians Well Road area of west Belfast on Sunday Morning. ATO are conducting searches and the road has been closed. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

A viable explosive device which could have killed or maimed has been made safe following a 24 hour security alert in west Belfast.

A section of the Brians Well Road in Dunmurray was closed for two days following a report to police that a suspicious object had been there left.

On Sunday evening the PSNI announced that the security alert had ended, revealing that a viable explosive device had been found and made safe by army experts. The remains have been removed for forensic examination.

PSNI officers, the police helicopter and army's ATO were involved in the operation.

The area was secured by police and a full clearance operation began on Saturday evening.

PSNI Chief Superintendent Chris Noble said it is fortunate that no-one was killed or maimed by the device.

"We are relieved to have taken this explosive device out of circulation," he said.

"I believe it was designed to kill or seriously injure officers serving the local community in West Belfast, but it was also left in a position where there is every possibility that it could have killed or maimed members of the public.

"Those who left this device have shown callous disregard for the safety of the local community and the police officers serving this community. We are extremely fortunate that no one was killed or seriously injured."

Chief Supt Noble thanked the local community for their patience and understanding during the police operation.

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Police and ATO during a major operation in the Poleglass area of West Belfast (Photo - Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police and ATO during a major operation in the Poleglass area of West Belfast (Photo - Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police and ATO during a major operation in the Poleglass area of West Belfast (Photo - Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Police and ATO during a major operation in the Poleglass area of West Belfast (Photo - Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

"Our primary aim has been community safety," he said.

"We are committed to doing this by working with the community.

"The security operation caused significant disruption to the people of the area, but was required in order to keep people safe.

"Secondly, it is important to condemn those criminals who caused this upset, the overwhelming number of people in the community do not want this type of activity and we as a police service will continue to work to bring those responsible before the courts.

"The blame for this incident lies squarely on the reckless individuals who placed this device.

We have had officers in the area since yesterday evening (14 January). These officers have worked hard to keep people safe during the security operation. However, these same officers could have been better used in meeting areas of community concern. Arresting drug dealers, drink drivers or working with victims of domestic abuse, for example.

I would ask anyone with information on those who may be responsible to contact detectives in Musgrave Police Station on 101.

"Or, you can contact Crimestoppers and speak with then anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Algarve has been named as the best value location for UK visitors

UK holidaymakers should head to Europe for the cheapest destinations in 2017, a study has found.

Increases in the cost of food and drink overseas due to the weakened pound can be minimised by booking short haul trips, according to Post Office Travel Money.

The foreign currency seller compared the cost of tourist staples such as a three-course meal, a cup of coffee, suncream and insect repellent in 44 resorts or cities across the globe.

The seven cheapest destinations were all found to be in Europe, while far flung places are more expensive - even without taking into account the cost of flights.

Portugal's Algarve was named as the best value location for UK visitors, followed by Bulgaria's Sunny Beach, Spain's Costa del Sol, Turkey's Marmaris and the Czech Republic's Prague.

The only long haul destination which featured in the top 10 of the annual holiday money report was Japanese capital Tokyo, at number eight.

Cape Town in South Africa was at 11 on the list, ahead of Cancun, Mexico at 12 and Bali, Indonesia at 13.

Dubai was found to be the most costly location for a trip, with prices more than six times higher than in the Algarve.

The Caribbean island of Antigua was the second most expensive destination, followed by Washington D.C. in the US.

Sterling plummeted after the UK voted to leave the European Union, with its value against the euro down by more than 11%.

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: "Holidaymakers can do little about sterling's value but they can do their homework and plan trips to resorts or cities where prices for meals, drinks and other tourist staples are low.

"Europe is looking unbeatable value with nine of this year's 10 cheapest destinations, not to mention local price falls in half the European resorts and cities we surveyed.

"Further afield, Tokyo and Cancun are good bets for bargain hunters but don't discount Cape Town or Bali. If the rand and rupiah fall in value, low costs on the ground could make these great choices too."

:: Here are the top 10 destinations with the lowest prices for UK holidaymakers, according to Post Office Travel Money:

1. Portugal, Algarve

2. Bulgaria, Sunny Beach

3. Costa del Sol, Spain

4. Marmaris, Turkey

5. Prague, Czech Republic

6. Paphos, Cyprus

7. Budapest, Hungary

8. Tokyo, Japan

9. Sliema, Malta

10. Corfu, Greece
British Airways cabin crew members who are holding a 48 hour strike in a row over pay outside the union's office near Heathrow airport.

More transport workers are to be balloted for industrial action as Southern train drivers and British Airways cabin crew continue to strike in disputes over staffing and pay.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union announced that maintenance workers on London Underground will vote on a campaign of action over claims of a breakdown in industrial relations and breaches of agreements.

The dispute is separate to the row over job cuts and ticket office closures which led to a strike on Monday, crippling Tube services.

Train drivers on Southern went on strike for a second day, leading to the cancellation of most of the operator's 2,200 services.

Members of Aslef will strike on Friday and again for three days later in the month in a bitter dispute over driver-only trains.

Unite members at BA continued their 48-hour stoppage in a dispute over pay.

The union will hand a letter in at Marks & Spencer's head office calling on the retailer to support its campaign. Unite said the second day of the strike coincides with a roll-out of a new M&S food range on short-haul flights across BA.

Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: "Cabin crew working for British Airways' 'mixed fleet', 36,000ft up in the air, face earning up to 6,000 less basic pay than M&S staff selling the same food in store."

A BA spokesman said: "New cabin crew in their first year working full time at British Airways receive more than 21,000 based on pay, allowances, incentive and bonus."

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said of the new dispute on London Underground: "LU management have gone back on agreements over the night Tube and staffing levels and actively attack our reps for carrying out union duties.

"RMT members and the union will not stand by while an intransigent management attempts to ride roughshod over Tube workers.

"That is why we are balloting our fleet staff members for industrial action."
A Catholic lobby group calling for an end to the celibacy requirement for priests has hit out after Irish bishops shelved a plan to raise the issue with Pope Francis. File image

A Catholic lobby group calling for an end to the celibacy requirement for priests has hit out after Irish bishops shelved a plan to raise the issue with Pope Francis.

A report in the Irish Catholic magazine revealed that the hierarchy had failed to reach agreement on proposals by the Bishop of Kilmore, Dr Leo O'Reilly.

It had been hoped the celibacy issue would be taken up with Pope Francis at a meeting to be held in Rome next week.

Last night the Association of Catholics in Ireland (ACI) expressed "deep disappointment" at the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference (ICBC), and warned that the growing shortage of priests needs to be addressed as a "matter of urgency".

ACI spokeman Anthony Neville said that ending the celibacy requirement would be "in keeping with the practice of the Eastern Rite Churches where clerics can be married - and would eliminate the current anomaly, whereby married Anglican clergy have been accepted into the Catholic Church as ordained priests".

"In addition to ordaining married men, there is a cohort of ordained priests who left active ministry to marry, who could be invited back into ministry right now," he said, adding that he felt these priests could bring their experience of marriage to pastoral work, while providing extra resources to meet the challenge of the shortage of priests in Ireland.

The ACI group has also pointed out that the question of celibacy is already being discussed at the highest levels at the Vatican.
Big move: Catholic archbishop Sean Brady (left) and Church of Ireland Archbishop Robin Eames were invited to the Annual Presbyterian General Assembly

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on Wednesday and this will help to focus our thoughts on unity, and our lack of it. It has been taking place since 1908, and cynics might ask "What has it actually achieved?"

This topic began to make headlines locally during the heyday of the late Rev Dr Ian Paisley who led his theologically-blinkered Free Presbyterians against ecumenism.

Despite this, some pulpit exchanges between reformed clergy took place, but ecumenism remains a dirty word in parts of Northern Ireland, and few Roman Catholic priests have been allowed into Protestant pulpits.

Such exchanges have been highlighted at showpiece services held by church leaders.

Such displays of solidarity are welcome, because they give a lead to others down the line, but the record of church unity here has been poor in too many places.

A few years ago there was uproar on the floor of the Presbyterian General Assembly on the morning after the first Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Belfast Alex Maskey attended the opening night ceremony.

Only a spirited rearguard action by several Presbyterian ecumenical 'old hands' smoothed over the crisis, and prevented bad headlines coming out of Church House.

On another occasion Ian Paisley led a protest by grim Free Presbyterian pastors outside Church House when the incoming Moderator the Rev Dr Ken Newell bravely invited the Catholic Primate to attend as his personal guest, and Cardinal Sean Brady equally bravely accepted. I doubt if there would be a similar invitation in the current climate.

Church unity in Ireland has probably gone as far as it can. There was never any prospect of a structural Church unity, in the sense that all churches would one day become united in a single organisation. Indeed the whole purpose of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is for greater understanding, rather than for structural unity itself.

Total unity would be stifling to those people like me who welcome variety in our worship. Nevertheless, the aspiration for a unity of Christian purpose is to be commended.

In that respect the Irish Churches have done much to transform the religious apartheid of the past into something that is more acceptable, but there is still much to be attempted, and achieved.

The obstacles to real unity still remain. There is strong opposition to integrated education, particularly, though not exclusively, from the Catholic Church.

There is also little possibility of the Catholic Church accepting shared communion in the fullest sense, and until they do, people like me will continue to feel discriminated against in a society where Protestant churches have opened their doors to all Christians who wish to share in their communion services.

Despite their shortcomings, the Churches have set a much better example of trying to overcome barriers than have our hapless politicians.

The 'ya-boo' sectarian politics at Stormont have been a total disgrace for a long, long time.

The politicians do not understand how much we disrespect most of them for the harsh and parrot-like repetition of their tired messages, for their constant self-justification, for their refusal to listen to each other, and for their pathetic inability to work together for all the people.

Sadly, the voters may still re-elect the same old faces, and we will continue to stumble along in our provincial Orange versus Green political bog, while the world passes us by. We deserve better than this.

The challenge is whether we can shock the politicians here out of their sickening tribal comfort zones.

In the meantime we should thank God that our churches, despite their shortcomings are still trying to point to a better way ahead for all of us.

Ironically, the theme for this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is 'reconciliation'.

This is something that has been conspicuously absent at Stormont, and as a result, look at the mess we are in now.
He was a friend of the Dalai Lama. He talked spirituality with Aldous Huxley. He transcended through peyote with Native Americans. He moved in academic circles, defending and defining the value of religions in an era marked by a distinct distaste for faith.

His name was Huston Smith, and he passed away on December 30th, at the age of 97.

Smith was a man who gained national attention by, quite literally, writing the book on world religionshis 1958 text, The Worlds Religions, went on to sell nearly 4 million copies, and remains one of the most oft-used academic textbooks on the subject.

Before Smiths debut, the modernist take on religion was that it was, at best, a waste of time, and at worst, a tool used to control humanity.

Sigmund Freud, whose psychological theories were prominent in Smiths heyday, called religion a delusion, a sort of willful ignorance created by mankind to comfort itself in a world it couldnt explain. Carl Marx made the now-cliche argument that religion was the opiate of the masses. In the 1950s, most religious scholars explained religion as an antiquated way of thoughtsomething mankind had outgrown.

But Smiths work did something new, something wonderful. His scholarship depicted religions not only with accuracy, but with reverence, a lack of judgment, and the mindset that these belief systems held potential truthsomething no one else was doing, at the time.

Where other scholars mocked religion, he took it seriously, describing world religions as their adherents understood them rather than filtering everything through a modernist, postmodernist, or Western lens. Although Smith was quick to note the imperfection of religion throughout human history, he also noted the art, morality, meaning, and even joy that it has brought, and continues to bring to the faithful.

Also unique was Smiths method of research. Describing his methodology, Smith said, First I read their sacred scriptures  including the profound and trusted commentaries on those scriptures. Second, I sought out the most authentic and profound living representatives of those views and asked them questions. And third, I would jump into the religions myselfas a participant observer, doing the rituals and practices they prescribed to get an insiders view. This was in stark opposition to most religious studies professors, who largely kept to their offices.

This is the key to the timeless quality of Smiths workit describes each religious tradition from the inside, intimately and truthfully, almost as if he had sincerely converted to each and every faith he studied.

Today, contemporary religious scholarship largely follows Smiths example, and his work ensured the preservation of our religious human heritage in academia, rather than its relegation to the dustbin of history. In the past century, there have been few supporters of world religious traditions that have worked so hard and so well to show their value to humankind.

We would do well to follow his example, and learn to recognize and respect one anothers traditions as both valid and beneficial. Hustons example as a cultural bridge-builder, a teacher, and a non-judgmental scholar leave a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations to be open to the idea that there very well may be more things in heaven and earth than we know, that there may be some mysteries that can only be explored through faith.
A Rohingya woman is seen with her two children at the Leda camp for Rohingya in Cox's Bazar district, southeastern Bangladesh, Dec. 21, 2016.

Fresh talks are to be held over the future of 65,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh from recent violence in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state, after a meeting to tackle the refugee crisis ended in deadlock this week.

Myanmar's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kyaw Tin flew to Bangladesh's capital Dhaka and held rare talks on Wednesday and Thursday with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Mahmud Ali and other officials on the crisis, but they were unable to reach an agreement, Bangladesh officials said.

But Myanmar agreed to continue further discussions...," Mahmud said. "We are hopeful with their positive intentions to move forward.

The talks this week were the first since an October attack by Rohingya insurgents on border posts in Rakhine state left nine policemen dead.

Myanmar responded by sending the military into the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine State, resulting in Rohingya claims of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and rape.

Screening

The United Nations says about 65,000 people, mostly Rohingyas, have fled to Bangladesh since then.

Kyaw Tin had proposed a plan to screen the refugees first before agreeing to allow them back into his country but it was rejected by Bangladesh, officials in Dhaka said. No details on the process was given.

Bangladesh emphasized setting a peaceful environment in Rakhine state," Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque said. "Bangladesh also emphasized the importance of ensuring security and sustainable livelihoods in that state.

Bangladesh officials also told Kyaw Tin, who did not speak to the media, that the influx of 365,000 "unregistered Myanmar nationals" over the years following violence in Rakhine had disrupted stability and economic development in Chittagong in southeast Bangladesh, news reports said.

Ali said Myanmar had agreed to sign two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with Bangladesh for discussions on border security cooperation and opening joint border liaison offices.

Aye Aye Soe, director general of Myanmar's foreign affairs ministry, said in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon on Thursday that the two countries would start discussions on an "identification and verification process" to resolve the latest refugee crisis, Reuters news agency reported.

"If they find they are from Myanmar, they will be repatriated at the appropriate time," she said, adding there was "no timeline" for the talks.

Bangladesh has refused to grant the Rohingyas refugee status because it considers them citizens of Myanmar, while Myanmar considers the Rohingyas illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has denied then citizenship and access to basic services for decades.

"If they are Myanmar nationals they will be repatriated [to Myanmar]," Aye Aye Soe said.

Asked what the term "Myanmar nationals" referred to, she said: "It could be citizens or it could be people from Myanmar side."

Aye Aye Soe restated Myanmar's position after a previous verification process that only 2,415 of those living in Bangladesh from past exoduses were from Myanmar, according to Reuters.

Not a border problem

Some experts in Bangladesh see the visit of Kyaw Tin, an envoy of Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as a shift away from the countrys refusal to cooperate with its western neighbour to resolve the Rohingya issue.

Dr. Delwar Hossain, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University, told BenarNews that the visit was "an indication of change in Myanmars stubborn attitude towards solution of Rohingya issue."

"It is a good initiative or a step towards a diplomatic process to solve the problem.

Former diplomat Humayun Kabir said an agreement was critical for resolution of the longstanding issue. He downplayed Myanmar's preparedness to sign MOUs to discuss border security and set up joint border liaison offices.

This is not a problem with the border between two countries. Rather, it is Myanmars internal problem," he said.

Myanmar needs to "think positively to solve the real problem," he said.
ein Google-Unternehmen

Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben

Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen

Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern.

neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern

Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen

personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke.

Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten.

Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen.




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For Immediate Release, January 13, 2017 Contact: Amaroq Weiss, (707) 779-9613, aweiss@biologicaldiversity.org Report Shows Washington's Wildlife Agency Failed to Prevent Killing of Profanity Peak Wolf Pack Agency Inaction Despite Predictable Livestock Conflicts Led to Massacre PORTLAND, Ore. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife yesterday released a long-awaited report on its killing of most of the wolves in the Profanity Peak pack in response to livestock depredations  proving the state agency failed to prevent conflicts that led to the deaths. The report details when cattle were put out on the allotment, when it was known wolves were in the area, and what actions were taken to address the situation. These additional details make clear that despite awareness by the department in early June that wolves and cattle were close to each other on a public-lands grazing allotment, no additional actions were taken by the department or the rancher-permittee to prevent conflicts until after a calf was killed by wolves nearly a month later. Also, the rancher appears to have put out one or more salt licks to attract livestock to the area, despite the known presence of wolves at what was later determined to be a wolf rendezvous site. This report demonstrates that Department of Fish and Wildlife staff knew there were wolves in the same area as the livestock a month before depredations occurred but didn't take any additional action to prevent cattle loss, said Amaroq Weiss, West Coast wolf organizer with the Center for Biological Diversity. We're troubled by what this report reveals and deeply saddened that seven wolves in the Profanity Peak pack were killed following apparent lack of action to reduce risk of livestock depredation. The department is operating under a Wolf Lethal Removal Protocol that specifies the state will move to lethal control of wolves once there have been four depredations in any calendar year, provided the rancher in the case has removed or cordoned off any livestock carcasses that may attract wolves and has utilized at least one nonlethal measure to reduce risk of depredation. The report asserts that the rancher was dealing with carcasses, and did not turn out calves until they were at least 200 pounds, as the one nonlethal measure. Given the proximity of the cows to a den, this single measure had little chance of success, and, as previously stated, no additional measures were required. The killing of wolves in the Profanity Peak pack clearly highlights that the department's protocol does not do enough to ensure nonlethal measures are exhausted before the state moves to kill wolves, which, besides being tragic, is done at taxpayer expense, said Weiss. We hope to work with the department to develop a better protocol before the state moves to kill wolves in response to depredations. The report reveals that the state spent $134,999 to cover expenses by six field staff in the operation that ended with the killing of seven of the pack's 12 members, and does not include expenses related to time spent by other staff involved in the matter. In 2012 the state spent more than $77,000 to kill seven members of the Wedge pack for conflicts with cattle owned by the same permittee in a neighboring county, and in 2014 spent in excess of $50,000 in its field efforts to kill one wolf of the Huckleberry pack. The report additionally revealed that one of the Profanity Peak pack wolves shot by gunners in helicopters did not immediately die and had to be put out of its suffering when it was located three days later. The state intended to kill all members of the Profanity Peak pack, but despite an 11-week effort, five ended up surviving, largely because the terrain in the allotments is, as described in the report, very rugged and densely forested. These same characteristics make the allotment marginal for livestock, but excellent habitat for wildlife like wolves and lynx. The report demonstrates that the state agency and ranchers should be focusing on nonlethal measures to deter conflicts proactively from the moment wolves and cattle are known to be in close proximity, Weiss said. It also confirms what science says about killing wolves to resolve conflict: It's very expensive and ineffective for resolving conflict, and attempts to kill wolves don't always result in a clean shot and a humane death.
It can be tough to be a vegetarian. You have to work harder than everyone else to make sure youre getting all the nutrients your body needs. So, when its time to take a
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan - Taliban shadowy governor for the troubled Helmand province is among 12 militants who were killed in Sangin district on Saturday, an official with Public Relations office of the national army in the province said.

"Acting on a tip off the units of Army's Special Forces raided a Taliban hideout in Sangin district early today and killed 12 rebels including Mullah Agha the shadowy governor of Taliban for Helmand province," the official told Xinhua but refused to be identified.

He also added that crackdown against Taliban from the ground and air will continue to evict militants from Helmand province.

Taliban militants are yet to make comment.

The poppy growing Helmand province has been the scene of bloody fighting between Taliban and government forces over the past couple of years.
Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado

Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a country where countless parents were killed during the AIDS epidemic, one Brandon nurse is helping young women learn to care for their aging grandparents.

Evelyn Franklin is on a mission in Uganda, where she will teach a 10-week course to 14 girls and women between the ages of 16 to 25.

These 14 girls are ones that probably lost their parents several years ago when AIDS went through. Grandma looked after them, now theyre looking after Grandma, Franklin said.

Submitted Evelyn Franklin, pictured on her last mission to Uganda, is in Africa for three months where she will teach a course to young women on home care for elderly relatives.

Franklin is on her fourth mission/humanitarian effort with Women Together, an international organization based in Ontario.

Franklin, 69, nursed for many years in Manitoba, with a focus on labour and delivery. She taught for 17 years at the School of Nursing in Brandon before retiring on paper. She still works casually, often six or eight shifts a month in neonatal intensive care and postpartum.

Franklins longtime friend, Margaret Gibb, a former Brandonite, founded Women Together in 2011. When she was first asked to join the mission, Franklin declined. But the idea stayed in the back of her mind, and the next time she was asked she was ready to go.

Something was saying to me in my heart, youve been blessed in your career go and help some of these other people who havent got anything, Franklin said. And I just love them.

Gibb worked at Brandons Seniors for Seniors for nearly 10 years before she took the position as president of a large organization called Women Alive. She led the organization for a decade, which took her to conferences across Canada every year. During that time, Gibb was inspired to start Women Together.

In all my travels across Canada, nurses, teachers, all kinds of professionals were coming to me  saying I dont know what Im going to do when I retire, she said. They kept saying there has to be something more, I just dont know what it is.

Gibb believed that the experience, talent, passion to help and heart to serve should not be put to waste. This was the start of Women Together, which is now in six countries: Ukraine, Uganda, Kenya, Brazil, India and the Philippines.

The goal of the organization is to equip, encourage and empower women to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. The group sends teams consisting of nurses and women with expertise in leadership training.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Evelyn Franklin left Brandon on Sunday for her latest mission to Uganda and Kenya. The nurse has designed a course to help young women care for their aging grandparents.

This is the first time the 10-week course on home-based care will be taught. Franklin devised the pilot project, which will done in partnership with Reach One Touch One Ministries.

The course will take the students through practical lessons to provide better care for their grandmothers. Franklin said the hope is that it may open up the doors for the women to earn a living by helping others.

We hope that it catches on, and even maybe one or two of the 14 girls will get ahold of it, and go on to do further education, Franklin said.

One lesson will be focused on foot care. Many Ugandan people dont wear shoes, and as a result a multitude of health problems can form.

Worms and stuff like that go up into the lymphatic system, causing disease, Franklin said.

It can get so bad that they cant walk, and theyre ostracized by their own people.

Franklin will teach the young women about soaking feet in potassium permanganate and smoother in vaseline. She will provide flip-flops for each student, and to make it fun, will bring some nail polish for the lesson.

She teaches about birth control, as well as postpartum hemorrhage, which sadly kills many mothers in childbirth. Franklin shows women ways to deal with the problem that may help save lives.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Evelyn Franklin goes over items to pack for her fourth mission to Uganda and Kenya.

Franklin is solo for the first part of the mission, and will be joined by Gibb and other Women Together representatives in March. They will be going to Kenya to continue their work.

One thing that stands out for Franklin is the grateful nature of the people she encounters.

The one characteristic is that they are incredibly happy. They always meet you with a smile, she said. It shows us a lot in the fact that we have everything and we bellyache. They have nothing  but theyre happy.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba is looking into whether theres any link between the death of a man in a Brandon hotel room and his prior interaction with city police.

The IIU announced the investigation on Friday, but its director stressed that the units involvement doesnt necessarily mean police did anything wrong.

The mere fact that we are involved should be no indication that theres any suggestion of impropriety or wrongdoing of any kind at this point, Zane Tessler said.

The IIU states that around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 911 was called about a deceased man found in a city hotel room.

Brandon Police Service officers had interaction with the man in the hours leading up to the discovery of his body.

The unit will investigate whether there is any connection between the contact police had with the man and his death.

As the matter involves a death, the Manitoba Police Commissioner asked for a civilian monitor.

The investigation continues and no further details were provided. Tessler declined to elaborate, saying he wishes to gather all the information possible before commenting.

Brandon police didnt provide any more details when reached on Friday, except to state there had been no arrest made during the officers prior interaction with the deceased.

The mans name wasnt released, nor was the cause of death.

The IIU investigates all serious incidents involving police officers in Manitoba, whether occurring on or off duty.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianhitchen
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/01/2017 (2121 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A womans shoplifting spree shows the destructive impact that a crystal meth addiction can have, a Brandon judge says.

Prior to the spree, the 33-year-old offender had just one entry on her criminal record.

Your behaviour in the last number of months, I guess, is a clear demonstration of the traumatic impact that an addiction to crystal meth can have on someone, Judge John Combs said.

Rashelle Kristen Studer pleaded guilty on Thursday to thefts from six different Brandon stores between Aug. 8 and Sept. 1.

She also admitted to attending Walmart three times between Dec. 6 and Jan. 7 while banned from the store for a previous theft, and to possessing a TV stolen from that business.

In August, she and another woman stole $400 worth of clothes from Wheatcity Cowtown, and they stole a $130 boxed security camera from Extreme Electronics.

On another occasion, cosmetics and an LCD TV were among the items she tried to steal from Real Canadian Superstore, but she got caught and those items were recovered.

A $23 bottle of vodka was the item she stole from the Liquor Mart on Victoria Avenue later that month.

Smitten Adult Boutique was her target on Aug. 26. That time she took two items worth $118, although the Crown attorney didnt specify in court what they were.

Studer was involved in an attempt to make off with a cartload of $730 in merchandise from Walmart on Sept 1. She was banned from being there on Jan. 7 when a man she was with stole a TV.

Walmart staff had spotted her, and her movements and those of her co-accused were captured on camera.

Studer answered the door when police later knocked at her home, and the officer could see the stolen TV leaning against the wall with the security tag still attached.

Crown attorney Yaso Mathu told court the offences were the result of Studers addiction to crystal meth.

Studer wiped tears from her eyes as she apologized: Im sorry for everything Ive done.

Combs sentenced Studer to three months house arrest followed by 18 months probation. Shes also to pay $678 for the goods that werent recovered from the thefts at Cowtown, Extreme, the Liquor Mart and Smitten.

Cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy have been common drugs used in Brandon, but the use of crystal meth has been noted more often in court in recent years.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: IanHitchen
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Better use for our money

Last December, the provincial government gave SkipTheDishes more than $5 million to create jobs in Winnipeg. Are you kidding me? Just another fine example of wasting taxpayers money! Can we not put our money to better use?

Hollywood actors should stay out of politics

Meryl Streep is angry that Hillary Clinton didnt become U.S. president. Americans get that. She, like the rest of the Hollywood elite, are also angry that their showboat influence was beaten out by the showboat influence of Donald Trump. People pay to see an actor/actress in a movie, but they dont necessarily care to be told how to vote by one.

Better solution for overcrowding

At the Brandon Humane Society there are too many dogs and cats, (The Brandon Sun, Jan. 2) then maybe there needs to be a reduction in animals. I have heard the adoption process is prohibitive. The prices are high. It is a competitive market. If another agency can sell a cat (spay or neuter with health care included) for $130 and the Humane Society is charging much higher at $190, where do you think a buyer will go? Maybe decrease adoption rates for a month or so and see if you get more people interested. Sure, a bigger building means you can hold more animals! When its full, there will be a need for a bigger building, then a bigger one. A bigger building is NOT a long-term solution.

We need judges who do their job

Perhaps if judges did what theyre paid to do instead of trying to be high-paid social workers (The Brandon Sun, Jan. 7) they would notice that the increase in crime is because of the same repeat offenders. No need for more judges  just do whats required for a change.
Gardai are hunting for a Waterford gang responsible for a spate of burglaries in Cork, writes Ann Murphy of the Evening Echo.

Five burglaries took place in the Fermoy area on Wednesday night and followed a series of others in the Kilworth, Glanworth, Fermoy and Mitchelstown areas in the past month.

Gardai believe a gang travelling from the west Waterford area are responsible for the raids, which typically take place between 4pm and 10pm.

Checkpoints have been set up in the area, on routes from west Waterford into Fermoy, in recent days.

The same modus operandi is used in each raid, with the culprits using a screw driver to open back windows and doors.

Up to three men, wearing balaclavas, have been seen on CCTV footage from some of the scenes.

Cash and jewellery are the target, with the burglars mainly focusing on master bedrooms in the homes which have been broken into.

Gardai in the Cork North division are also putting extra patrols in the Mallow and Midleton areas which have also experienced burglaries in recent weeks.

A spokesman said: In the event that people observe suspicious vehicles in their area, please let your local garda station know.

This article first appeared in today's Evening Echo.
Donald Trump has said he will probably maintain some of the Obama administrations sanctions against Russia, but might change his mind if Moscow works with the US on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

In an interview, the US president-elect told The Wall Street Journal that "if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions?".

Mr Trump also said he was open to meeting Russian president Vladimir Putin after his inauguration.

Barack Obama imposed the sanctions in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the US election.

Asked if he was committed to the "One China" policy, in which the US does not officially recognise Taiwans breakaway government, Mr Trump responded: "Everything is under negotiation."

Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee says it will investigate possible contacts between Russia and the people associated with US political campaigns, in a broader investigation into Moscows alleged election meddling.

In a statement, Republican committee chairman Richard Burr and its top Democrat senator Mark Warner said the panel "will follow the intelligence where it leads".

Mr Burr and Mr Warner said they would interview both senior Obama officials and those in the incoming Trump administration and subpoenas would be issued "if necessary to compel testimony".

"We will conduct this inquiry expeditiously, and we will get it right," they said.

A declassified intelligence report released last week said Mr Putin ordered a hidden campaign to influence the election to favour Mr Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton - revelations that have rocked Washington.

Mr Trump and his supporters have staunchly resisted the findings and Mr Trump has fired a series of broadsides at US intelligence agencies, even though he will have to rely on their expertise to help him make major national security decisions once he takes over at the White House next week.

He will be sworn in January 20.

At a news conference this week, he speculated that US intelligence agencies might have leaked details about a classified briefing with him that included unsubstantiated allegations that Russia had collected compromising sexual and financial information about him.

He said any such information was "all fake news. Its phoney stuff. It didnt happen".

The bulk of the intelligence committees work will be done in secret, although the senators said they would hold open hearings when possible.

"As the committees investigation progresses, we will keep Senate leadership, and the broader body, apprised of our findings," they said.

Democrats and some Republicans have pressed for a special, select bi-partisan committee to conduct the investigation, but Republican leaders have maintained that the existing committees are capable of handling the inquiries.

According to the committees statement, the inquiry will include:

:: A review of the intelligence that informed the declassified report about Russias interference in the election;

:: "Counterintelligence concerns" related to Russia and the election, "including any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns";

:: Russian cyber activity and other "active measures" against the United States during the election, and more broadly.

AP
This is one of two episodes Trump appeared in during the 1997 season of "NightMan." In this episode, "Face to Face," an escaped convict who ca
A teenager who was stolen from hospital as a newborn baby has been reunited with her birth family as the woman she thought was her mother was charged with her kidnapping.

Thanks to DNA analysis, the 18-year-old now knows her birth name: Kamiyah Mobley.

She was in good health but understandably overwhelmed, Mike Williams, sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida, said.

Gloria Williams, 51, was arrested at her home in Walterboro, South Carolina, early on Friday, charged with kidnapping and interference with custody.

Ms Mobley, who was raised under her given name, Alexis Manigo, was allowed to spend a few emotional moments with Williams, crying "Momma" through the caged window of a security door after Williams waived extradition to Florida, according to WXJT-TV.

But a much different scene was described by the young woman's birth family, who cried "tears of joy" after a detective told them their baby had been found.

Within hours they were able to reconnect by video chat over FaceTime.

"She looks just like her daddy," her paternal grandmother, Velma Aiken, of Jacksonville, said, after they were able to see each other for the first time.

"She act like she been talking to us all the time. She told us she'd be here soon to see us."

Ms Mobley was only eight hours old when she was taken from her young mother by a woman posing as a nurse at Jacksonville's University Medical Centre.

A massive search followed, with helicopters circling the hospital and the city on high alert.

Thousands of tips came in over the years, but Kamiyah had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Kamiyah's neighbours in Walterboro knew her as Gloria Williams' daughter.

"She wasn't an abused child or a child who got in trouble. But she grew up with a lie for 18 years," Joseph Jenkins, who lives opposite, said.

Some months ago, the young woman "had an inclination" that she may have been kidnapped, the sheriff said, but authorities did not say why she suspected this.

The case broke thanks to a tip received by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, said Robert Lowery, a centre vice president.

The centre reached out to cold case detectives at the sheriff's office and Ms Mobley provided a cheek swab for DNA analysis that proved the match, the sheriff said.

"This was something brand new to all of us," said Tesha Stephens, a cousin of Williams, who spoke to reporters outside their home.

The centre has tracked 308 infant abductions since 1983 by non-family members in the US.

Of those cases, 12 were still missing at the end of last month.

"Right now she's holding up," Ms Stephens said. "She's processing everything and she's probably going to have to take this day by day."

The woman has been provided with counselling, the sheriff said, and meanwhile, Ms Aiken is thrilled to know that they can speak to each other as much as they want.

"I always prayed, 'Don't let me die before I see my grandbaby'," she said. "My prayer was answered."

The family never forgot the little girl stolen from her mother's arms that day in 1998.

Kamiyah mother, Shanara Mobley, told the Florida Times-Union newspaper on the 10th anniversary of the kidnapping that on every one of Kamiyah's birthdays she wrapped a piece of birthday cake in foil and put it in her freezer.

"It's stressful to wake up every day, knowing that your child is out there and you have no way to reach her or talk to her," she told the paper in 2008.

News moved quickly through the community of about 5,100 people on Friday after police cars surrounded Williams' home.

Mr Jenkins said he awoke to see officers searching the house and the shed at the back.

"At the fish market, the hairdresser, the gas station, they're all talking about it," said Ruben Boatwright, who has known Williams for about 15 years.

Mr Jenkins' wife Lakeshia said Williams and the girl would often come over for barbecues in the garden, or join their family at a nearby water park.

Kamiyah seemed to be well cared for, and "Ms Williams, she seemed like a normal person," Mrs Jenkins said.

"She went to work, came back here and went to church every Sunday."

Williams also worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs' hospital in Charleston, volunteered in the area for Habitat for Humanity and lead the youth programme at a Methodist church, she said.

"She's very intelligent, smart as a whip," Mr Boatwright said. "All I can say are good things about her."

Mr Lowery said the case shines a beacon to many other parents still missing children.

"We have a lot of parents out there looking for their children, and have been for many years, and this provides them with additional hope that one day they may find their child," he said.

AP
Two Chinese citizens have been remanded in custody by a Turkish court over their alleged links to a deadly gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency on Friday named the two suspects as Omar Asim and Abuliezi Abuduhamiti.
BUDAPEST: The US embassy in Hungary said on Thursday that comments in the Hungarian right-wing press that two local...
A Canberra man has been refused bail after allegedly hitting another man over the head with a wine bottle in a racially motivated attack.

Mohammed Abdul Ismail, 42, of no fixed address, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with assault causing actual bodily harm.

Mohammed Abdul Ismail appeared in court charged with common assault on Saturday morning. Credit:Karleen Minney

The police documents tendered to the court said Ismail shouted abuse at a man as he left the Supa 24 convenience store on City Walk about 11.45am on Friday, describing the passerby as "Arab scum".

Prosecutors alleged Ismail followed the man to the nearby bus station and continued to yell racial slurs at the man.
Something stinks about the Andrews government's latest bid to challenge an investigation into Labor's so-called "rorts-for-votes" scandal.

Maybe it's because Daniel Andrews insists there's nothing to see, despite this being his third attempt in 10 months to thwart the Ombudsman from probing the matter.

Premier Daniel Andrews is making his third attempt to thwart the investigation into Labor's so-called "rorts-for-votes" scandal. Credit: 3aw-com-au

Maybe it's because he's spending our money in the process, using highly paid lawyers and silks to argue the case  firstly in the Supreme Court, then in the Court of Appeal, and now in the High Court, where the government is hoping to finally strike it lucky.

Or maybe it's the fact that it flies in the face of Labor's once-stated aim: to champion higher standards of integrity and transparency. As Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings put it shortly after coming to office: "We want to be a government that actually rebuilds the community's confidence in the accountability and the openness of government."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to avoid a major reshuffle of his frontbench team after Sussan Ley's resignation, amid speculation Arthur Sinodinos is poised to take on the health portfolio permanently.

Mr Turnbull will consult with colleagues on Sunday before announcing Ms Ley's replacement in the coming days.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is not keen on a major reshuffle. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But sources close to the PM say he does not have any appetite for major changes just six months on from the election.

A number of insiders believe Senator Sinodinos is the frontrunner for the role. The cabinet secretary  and former chief of staff to former prime minister John Howard  has been filling in for Ms Ley in the critical portfolio since she stepped aside last Monday amid public fury over her travel expenses.
A man has been assaulted and his car stolen during violent robbery in Brisbane's south on Saturday morning.

About 4am, the 26-year-old man was exiting a car park near the intersection of Calam and Compton roads in Calamvale when a man entered the vehicle and punched the driver in the head.

Police are searching for a man who assaulted a driver in Calamvale on Saturday morning before stealing his car. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The victim got out of the car and was trying to stop the man from driving away when he was picked up and thrown to the ground.

A passing taxi driver stopped to help but the thief then fled the scene in the stolen car, which was later found burnt out on Spresser Road in Walloon, 45 kilometres west of the original theft, just over two hours later.
Pauline Hanson said she and One Nation have been approached by other MPS from the two major parties wanting to join One Nation because MPs were frustrated by the lack of action from their political parties.

Senator Hanson dropped a bombshell on Queensland Parliament on Friday by announcing she had secured the support of Buderim LNP MP Steve Dickson to become a new One Nation MP in Queensland Parliament.

She confirmed other MPs had approached her interested in joining One Nation.

"And that is not just in Queensland," Senator Hanson told Fairfax Media on Saturday.
YORK, Pa.  A former Mechanicsburg man who was high on marijuana when he drove into the path of a freight train in Newberry Township, killing a New Cumberland woman and injuring her 2-year-old daughter, has been found guilty at his trial.

Akim Jones-Williams, 28, of Laurel Springs, New Jersey, was convicted Friday in York County Court on felony counts of vehicular homicide while DUI, vehicular homicide, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, and aggravated assault by vehicle, according to court records.

He was also found guilty of four misdemeanor counts including endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.

Jones-Williams on July 5, 2014, drove onto the railroad tracks at Slonnekers Landing, a private access road with no crossing gate or flashing lights. His SUV was struck on the passenger side by a Norfolk Southern train, killing Jones-Williamss girlfriend, Cori Sisti. It was her 23rd birthday.

Jones-Williams and Sistis 2-year-old daughter were flown to a hospital.

Blood tests showed Jones-Williams was under the influence of marijuana. Authorities said he told a witness he drove 18 miles to the crossing high as a kite without any problems.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 22.
South-east Queensland will be able to cool-off on Sunday, as showers and possible thunderstorms develop, dropping maximum temperatures across the state.

The state sweltered through scorching conditions on Saturday, with maximums in the mid to high 30s and some areas even breaking the 40-degree mark.

Three-year-old Daniel (left) and five-year-old Matthew (right) escaping the heat wave and enjoying the paradise of their mini pool at Alexandria Hills. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

However, top temperatures across the state on Sunday are expected to drop into the late 20s and early 30s, with only some south-western parts of the state circled to reach 40 degrees again.

The Bureau of Meteorology says south-east Queensland could expect showers at the very least on Sunday, with the chance of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms developing.
A Redcliffe pair who stepped away from community housing and aged care careers to open a retro-styled mobile barber shop, are offering free haircuts to the homeless.

Teresa Reed and Danielle Hannah hope to help their homeless clients feel good about themselves and maybe consider a fresh approach to life.

Theresa Reed and Danielle Hannah are supplying free haircuts to the homeless. Credit:Tammy Law

They have received a $73,000 grant from a Queensland government policy called Dignity First, to raise the hopes of the homeless in Queensland.

The first Dignity First grant has gone to the two rockabilly fans who have fashioned a retro-styled mobile barber shop, with a hotrods and motorbikes theme, and are inviting the homeless of Redcliffe to get their mutton chops styled to perfection.
A 10-year-old boy is in a stable condition in hospital after being bitten by an unidentified snake in South Burnett on Friday evening.

The boy was putting chickens away on the family property when he stood on the snake and was subsequently bitten.

The 10-year-old boy was bitten by a snake described as "black in colour with a diamond" on his family's Cherry Creek property on Friday evening.

Paramedics were called to the Cherry Creek property, near Blackbutt, at 7.20pm and the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter was dispatched at 7:40pm.

The patient was airlifted to Toowoomba Hospital in a stable condition, accompanied by his mother.
Dhaka: Bangladesh police said on Saturday they had arrested one of the men behind a militant attack on a Dhaka cafe last year that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Jahangir Alam was detained late on Friday during a raid in Tangail, about 100 km north-west of the capital, the head of the counter-terrorism police, Monirul Islam, told reporters.

"He was one of the masterminds," Islam said.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the July 1 assault, when gunmen charged into the cafe in the diplomatic quarter. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American and an Indian were among the dead.

Bangladeshi authorities say they suspect the involvement of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an outlawed domestic group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
US President-elect Donald Trump won't send a representative to the annual gathering of the world's economic elite next week in Davos, which takes place just days before his inauguration.

"No one will be attending," Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement.

A senior member of Trump's transition team said the President-elect thought it would betray his populist-fuelled movement to have a presence at the gathering in the Swiss Alps.

The group of billionaires and political leaders represents the power structure that fuelled the populist anger that helped Mr Trump win the presidential election, according to the source, who asked for anonymity.
A pilot has died after his fighter jet crashed at a children's air show in southern Thailand on Saturday.

Thai media reported that Squadron Leader Dilokrit Pattavee, 35, was killed when his JAS 39 Gripen jet crashed about 9.30am local time.

A still from a video posted on the Hatyai Social.com Facebook page shows the explosion from a jet crash at Hat Yai Airport in Thailand.

Families gathered at Hat Yai International Airport in Songkhla province for the annual show witnessed the jet plummet to the ground, away from the crowd.

In video footage shot by spectators, watching children can be heard screaming as the jet dives to earth and explodes in a fireball causing a large plume of smoke.
Karns Quality Foods Wednesday presented the American Red Cross Central Pennsylvania Region with a check for $5,000 at its supermarket in Lemoyne in support of the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces program.

Additionally, each of Karns eight supermarkets will collect monetary donations and items needed to fill backpacks for the Red Cross Totes of Hope Program through Feb. 28. The program provides backpacks filled with personal care items to area homeless veterans.

Items needed include: socks (mens size 9-11); rain ponchos; fleece lap blankets; flashlight/batteries; pocket mirror; decks of cards; puzzle books; pens/notepads; sewing kits; safety pins; adhesive bandages; triple antibiotic ointment; hydrocortisone cream; cotton swabs; lip balm; toothbrushes (toothbrush cover); toothpaste; dental floss; mouthwash (small bottle); deodorant; bars of soap; body wash; lotion (small bottle); disposable razors; shaving cream; combs/brushes; pocket tissues (no boxes); hand sanitizer (travel size); nail clippers; sturdy backpack (at least 17 deep and dark.color).

This generous donation from the Karns Family will allow us to continue supporting military families through the many critical services and programs the American Red Cross offers from enlistment, through deployment and after returning home, said Red Cross Central Pennsylvania Region CEO Jeri Sims.

We are also incredibly grateful for their assistance in driving donations for items to fill backpacks for the Totes of Hope program that will make a difference in the lives of hundreds of homeless veterans in the Central PA region.

We are so happy to support our American heroes and their families through this donation to the Red Cross and the Service to the Armed Forces program, added Ruth Karns Rudderow, executive vice president of special projects for Karns and a Red Cross Central Pennsylvania volunteer.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

The Brooklyn Board of Elections illegally purged more than 117,000 voters from the electoral rolls ahead of the April 19 presidential primary, the Feds charge in a recent lawsuit.

The suit  first launched by good-government group Common Cause in November before the Department of Justice got on board on Jan. 12  accuses the board of defying federal laws by nixing voters solely because they hadnt voted in previous elections.

A state can boot someone off the rolls if they die or move outside of their registered city or county, but not simply because they fail to exercise their democratic right to cast a ballot.

The board can prove a voter has moved if he or she fails to vote in two successive federal general elections and then fails to respond to a notice sent to their home, but many of the purged voters never received one, the suit alleges.

Whats more, some 4,100 of them had actually had voted since 2008 after all, it says.

The Feds want the boards leaders to own up to their alleged mistakes and promise to reform so citizens arent shafted again, according to the prosecutor in charge.

The right of citizens to vote is a critical part of democratic process, said U.S. attorney Robert Capers. We will work tirelessly to ensure that, in the future, the New York City Board of Elections fulfills its statutory obligation to maintain the rolls properly, and provide appropriate notice to voters when it does so.

Many of the spurned Kings County voters were incensed when they showed up to vote in the Democratic primary on April 19  then still a hotly contested face off between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders  only to learn their name had mysteriously vanished from the roll.

The city subsequently launched an investigation into the shemozzle, and suspended Republican deputy chief clerk Diane Haslett-Rudiano and her Democratic counterpart Betty Ann Canizio for the duration.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is still performing his own inquiry, but that probe is still ongoing, a spokeswoman said.

The Board of Elections cannot comment on pending litigation, a spokeswoman said, but she did confirm that Canizio and Haslett-Rudiano remain suspended.
Analysis: The elusive truth behind incendiary political mailers in PA

Mailboxes around Bucks County will need a good delousing as a campaign season that plumbed new depths for negative advertising draws to a close.
Previously on The Vampire Diaries, Sybil and Selene, two siren sisters, showed up in Mystic Falls bringing hell with them  literally. They were bound to kill morally corrupt people whose souls would be released to Arcadius (Cade). Selene wanted to use Carolines twin daughters as a bargaining chip to get out of her and her sisters contract with the devil, Cade, but Sybil had a better idea. She offered up Damon and Stefan instead. Then, Stefan upped the ante and made his own deal with Cade. If Cade would give him one year, Stefan would become the Ripper again in order to meet his soul quota faster.

Were in the homestretch of The Vampire Diaries series finale. There are only a handful of episodes left, and Im not quite sure how there is going to be enough time to tie up this storyline. This episode lacked a lot of the action weve recently seen, but it offered plenty of mind fuckery. Lets get to it.

Stefan and Damon Attend Anger Management

Stefan and Damon are on a brotherly road trip looking for every opportunity to murder people who are sinners or at least have the potential to be sinners. An anger management support group seems like a place where you would find that type of crown. Damon cuts straight to the chase and lets the group know why hes there. Then Stefan asks a guy if he would let other members of the group die in order to save himself. Stefan compels him to answer honestly. The guy says yes, he would let them die. He wants to live and doesnt care about the others. Thats a wrong answer. Damon lunges forward and sinks his teeth into the guys neck. When he looks up, he realized Stefan has already killed the entire group. Stefan dabs the wound of his current victim. He says that not having the blood drip helps him control himself.

Stefan is trying tho be extra cautious. He wants to make sure that he remembers he has something to go back to when this mission is all said and done. He knows that he has to keep himself and his thirst for blood in check. As we find out in the end of this episode, this is easier said that done.

The Vampire Diaries Mid-Season Finale Recap: Christmas and Murder in Mystic Falls>>>

Caroline Forbes Reporting

Caroline is working on a story about Founders Day, which for some reason means she needs to hang out all day at Mystic Falls High School. She is supposed to spend the day in a history class working the alumni angle for the story. She is soon shocked to learn that her history teacher is none other than siren Sybil.

Sybil has complete mind control over the class. She warns Caroline that if she attacks her or does anything to compromise the situation, shell kill all of the students. Caroline is forced to comply. Sybil asks the class if they know when Mystic Falls was founded. Everyone raises their hand except for Caroline  which means Caroline will be called upon to give the answer. Caroline emphatically responds, Mystic Falls was founded in 1860 when a Lockwood, a Forbes, a Fell, a Gilbert, and a Salvatore gathered to sign the township charter. Wrong! Sybil explains her ancestors took credit for founding the town, but long before the charter was signed there were a group of people who lived in Mystic Falls. She said they were burned to death because they were different and misunderstood. Caroline asks if shes talking about the 100 witches who were burned at the stake in 1790. Sybil has a lot of vivid memories from that time  like the delicious smell of burning flesh that lasted for days. Out of nowhere she asks if the class wants to go on a field trip.

The class trip is to the spot where the witches were burned. Caroline and Sybil are having a conversation while the students are milling around in the background raking and building stakes. Caroline wants to know why Sybil was there the day the witches burned. She says she and her sister were looking for souls for Cade and the witches took exception. Sybil says the witches gave some help to a local medicine man who was making a church bell for them. The bell had a special purpose. None of them realized that Selena and Sybil had befriended the bell-smith.

Meanwhile, Matt is at the Armory. There he runs into Dorian who is handing over an artifact to Matts dad. The three of them are sifting through Mr. St. Johns records about the sirens. They find a piece of paper that lists a bunch of measurements for what turns out to be a bell. Matts dad explains his family used to make church bells.

Back at the witch field, Caroline realizes the students are tying other students to the stakes they just built. And theyre being doused in lighter fluid. Sybil says she wants the bell that Matts dad threw off Wickery Bridge in 1992. Caroline cant refuse because if she does then the students will be burned to death.

Caroline calls Matt to see if hes seen his dad lately. She explains that Sybil is after the bell he tossed. Matt says the bell was plucked out of the river the same time Elenas parents bodies were recovered. He tells Caroline her mom kept the bell in storage. Sybil wants Caroline to take her to the garage.

Matt wants to take this opportunity to be a hero. He and his dad are trying to figure out where the school field trip is so they can save the kids. Matts dad explains why he threw the bell off the bridge. He was one of the dopey guys who would stand by as the bell was rung during the Founders Day Parade  the bell that his family created. It made him mad that his family was never accepted as being founding members of the town. He says they were the very first family. It was only because of them there was even a town at all. The Lockwoods, Forbess, and so on had money while the Maxwell family did not. So, in 1992 Matts dad rebelled and threw the charter bell into the river. (Seems legit.) Also, it turns out the charter bell fits together with the tuning fork to create an instrument 1,000 times more powerful than the tuning fork would be on its own. Thats why Sybil wants it so desperately.

Caroline and Sybil are in Carolines garage. They dont find the bell, but they do find a note from Selene insinuating that she herself found the bell. Sybil becomes enraged and from a distance, sends the siren call for the student to light the stake fire back at the witch field. Luckily, by this time, Matt and his dad have figured out where the field trip is and are able to cut the kids down before anything happens. And then Matt gets mad at his dad for never telling him about his family history. Because status is everything

Why The Originals Did Not Get an Early Renewal, Plus The CW Boss Talks Future of the TVD Spin-Off>>>

Is She Good or Evil? Does it Really Matter?

Stefan is taking his mission for Cade very seriously. He and Damon are sitting on a patio scoping out their next victim. Stefan spots a pretty woman and determines that she is a doctor. He says because shes so young and already so accomplished that she must have a dark past. Damon counters saying maybe all of the good in her life is the reason shes so driven. Stefan has a way to find out. He takes out a syringe and vervains Damon in the leg.

Damon wakes up in the hospital. Hes very weak from the vervain dose. Stefan tells him hes been doing some research on the doctor. Her name is Tara, and she does in fact have a dark past. Her parents were killed by a drunk driver in a car crash 10 years ago. But now, she dedicates her life to save others. Damon still believes that she is a good person and therefore doesnt want to kill her. Stefan has another idea. He has Damon connected to a vervain drip which gives Tara the illusion that hes dying

Stefan confronts Tara and asks her to let Damon die. She says she cant do that, she took an oath. He tells her that Damon is a terrible person with a terrible past, and if he lives hell just continue to do terrible things. Shes still not budging  not until Stefan compels her to believe Damon is the drunk driver who killed her parents.

Damon tries to convince her its not true, but hes too weak from the vervain he can barely speak. Finally, he changes his tactics and just apologizes. Its not enough. She euthanizes him. Stefan is sitting out in the hallway listening to the whole thing. Once Damons time of death is announced, he goes through Damons bag of belongings. He finds the necklace he gave to Elena in the pocket of his jacket.

Later, Stefan is waiting for Tara in the parking lot. He tells her that she failed the morality test. Its all pretty messed up, actually. Damon shows up and of course shes confused. Damon is still trying to convince Stefan to let her go. He says she deserves a second chance. Stefan is done with Damons soft side. He pulls out the necklace. Damon tries to play it off like the necklace doesnt mean anything. Stefan knows better. He says the only reason he picked Tara is because she reminds him of Elena. The necklace and memory of Elena trigger his conscience and its holding him back.

They later continue this conversation in the car. Stefan says the necklace is causing Damons humanity to keep flickering through. Damon still insists that the necklace has no bearing on his emotions whatsoever. He grabs the necklace from Stefan and throws it out the window in order to prove he doesnt care. That isnt enough for Stefan, though. Damon stops the car, lets Tara out of the backseat, and tears into her neck while Stefan looks on. Its really pretty creepy.

The next morning, Damon returns to the stretch of road where he tossed the necklace. There is a chain gang picking up trash. He talks to a guy asking if hes seen anything valuable. The guy says he hasnt. They have a conversation about penance and whether or not people can change. Damon is worried about Stefan. He says things are fine now, but if he takes a turn for the worse all bets are off. The guy turns around to walk away. Damon realizes hes been talking to an inmate. For a second, you can see the thought flash through Damons mind. This guy is an inmate, and therefore morally corrupt. Damon is supposed to kill him for Cade, but he doesnt. He turns around and sees the necklace on the ground and picks it up.

Meanwhile, Stefan is staking out the hospital for victims. He finds a nurse and feeds on her. He dabs the teeth mark on her neck with his thumb to clean up the blood. Damon walks in to find that Stefan has killed every person in the ward. There is blood everywhere! Stefan has completely lost control.

What did you think of tonights episode? Do you think Stefan will be able to come out of this? Let me know in the comments below.

The Vampire Diaries airs Fridays at 8/7c on The CW. Want more news? Like our The Vampire Diaries Facebook page.

(Image courtesy of the CW)


New Jersey synagogues threat 'mitigated,' governor says

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the source no longer poses a threat to the community.
American brand Ashley, considered to be among the biggest furniture brands globally, is planning to open 100 stores in India over the next few years.
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.

Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.

Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.

Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.

26 years of website archives.
The raw material shortage that Vedantas Odisha project is facing is likely to lessen with the state government entering into a deal with state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation on using the Kodingamali bauxite mines, which have deposits of 81 million tonnes.
On Thursday, a jawan of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) gunned down four of his seniors, apparently for being denied leave. Reports now suggest that the jawan was mentally ill. In the past too, incidents of fratricide have been reported in defence and paramilitary forces. PRAKASH SINGH, former chief of the Border Security Force, Uttar Pradesh Police and Assam Police, speaks to Veenu Sandhu about the reasons for such incidents and the pressures soldiers face. Edited excerpts:



What are the possible triggers for such cases?



CISF is today the most coveted of the Central Armed Police Forces (colloquially referred to as paramilitary forces). Most young boys today want to join the CISF because the work conditions are reasonably good, unlike in the BSF and the Indo Tibetan Border Police where they are very tough. Such an incident happening in the CISF is rather strange. I dont understand why this mans problem could not be diagnosed early and why they couldnt see that his impatience and anger was reaching a boiling point. It should have been possible for the local commanders to see that.
Indias new digital identification system, years in the making and now being put into widespread use, has yet to deliver the new era of modern efficiency it promised for shop owner Om Prakash and customer Daya Chand.
Employee unions of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday sent a statement to Governor Urjit Patel, protesting governments move to send a joint secretary to the central bank to coordinate cash operations, which was "impinging on autonomy as well as operational jurisdiction.
Indian tyre makers will have breathing time till the second quarter, as Chinese tyres may not enter the market.

Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA)'s Director General Rajiv Budhraja said Chinese tyres are largely traded in cash, as they don't do any billing to avoid duties and taxes. ATMA represents eleven large companies in India, which collectively account for over 90 per cent of the country's tyre production,
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, on Saturday, quoted Cambridge economist Marjorie Eva Robinson by saying, the purpose of studying economics was to ensure that people are not deceived by a clever economist.
Government committed to Veterans Welfare: Dr. Bhamre

The Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre has categorically stated that the Government is sensitive to the issues and concerns of Ex-Servicemen and all possible steps are being taken to mitigate their grievances. He also appealed to Ex-Servicemen community to utilize the available official forums like Army Veteran Portal to express their problems and seeking redressal of them through official channels. Addressing the Inaugural Armed Forces Veterans Day function at Delhi Cantonment, today, Dr. Bhamre said Veterans are an essential part of the Armed Forces family who are the keepers of our values and culture and it is our duty to respect and honour them as they are an unbreakable link between the present and the past. He assured the veterans and their widows that the Central and State Governments and all the Service Headquarters are fully committed to look after them. Dr. Bhamre in his speech dwelt upon different welfare measures taken by the Government for the well-being of the Veterans. He mentioned that last year some important steps were taken like establishment of the Directorate of Indian Army Veterans at Delhi Cantt and the process of establishing a veteran vertical in each Area and Sub-Area level has begun to look after their welfare. The Minister informed that every year Ex-Servicemen rallies are organised to look after the pension grants and health needs of Veterans and their dependents and 102 such rallies were successfully organised last year.

The Minister said, the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi implemented One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, a demand which was pending for implementation for the last more than 40 years. The current position on disbursement of OROP arrears as on 27 December 2016 are as follows:- 1st instalment amounting to 3,994.49 crore has been disbursed to 19,69,385 Ex-Servicemen, while 2nd instalment amounting to 2,290.72 crore has been disbursed to 15,54,849 Ex-Servicemen. The total number of Ex-Servicemen eligible for OROP are 20,72,457.

The Minister particularly stressed upon the Skill Development of Veterans so that they can contribute effectively to the nation by starting a new innings in their career. He also stated that the ECHS, through its polyclinics all over India and Nepal is working effectively for the health care of the Ex-Servicemen.

The function was attended by many Ex-Chiefs of the three Services and serving Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal SB Deo, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Lt Gen Satish Dua amongst hundreds of Armed Forces Veterans.

NW/NAo/DM/MKT/RAJ
During Wednesdays choleric press conference, Donald Trump compared the intelligence community to the Nazis. Not a good idea.

Actually, Trump has been trash-talking the intel community for months, siding with a foreign adversary and dissing our spy agencies as bumblers, based on what they said about Iraq 14 years ago. Not a good idea.

The most dangerous thing that this intemperate, unqualified man-child could possibly do is precisely what he continues to do  alienate the people whose job is to protect our national security, people whose pursuit of foreign secrets sometimes requires them to put their lives on the line.

In the apt words of former National Security Council and State Department counter-terrorism official Daniel Benjamin, the incoming leaders wild, swinging attacks against the intelligence community have been so far off the charts of traditional behavior for a president-elect that it is hard to wrap ones mind around it.

Trump is sabotaging his own presidency before it even starts, Benjamin said. In the end, there is simply no evading the scorecard that governing creates. No American president can succeed in foreign policy  and by extension his term as commander-in-chief  without a good relationship with the intelligence community.

Trump doesnt know such things, but he has never governed anything. What he does know how to do is make things worse. Hes ticked off about the unsubstantiated dossier that says the Russians caught him doing kinky stuff. Fine, hes entitled to be ticked off. But then he semi-coherently insisted that the intelligence community leaked the dossier to undermine him:

I think it was disgraceful  disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be false and fake out, Trump said during his press conference. I think its a disgrace, and I say that... thats something that Nazi Germany would have done and did do.

It just so happens that the dossier dirt had been circulating in Washington since last summer. Media people knew about it (and largely ignored it), people on Capitol Hill knew about it, and indeed, the material was originally gathered by anti-Trump Republicans who were engaged in opposition research. No wonder it leaked. There isnt a shred of the intel community was responsible for that. Indeed, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper confirmed in a statement that the material was all over Capitol Hill before the IC became aware of it...This document is not a U.S. Intelligence Community product.

Michael Morell, former CIA deputy (and twice acting-) director, says that if Trump reflexively demeans the intelligence he receives, and the briefers who bring it, how will (he) know whether the Iranians are living up to their commitment not to produce a nuclear weapon without good intelligence? How will he know how close North Korea is to mating a nuclear weapon to a long-range missile and detonating it over American soil? How will he know whether the Islamic State or Al Qaeda is plotting another 9/11-style attack?...And why would a foreign agent take extraordinary risks to spy for the United States if his or her information is not valued?

And he rightly warns: If the president rejects out of hand the CIAs work, or introduces uncertainty by praising it one day only to lambaste it on Twitter that afternoon, many officers will vote with their feet. These officers cannot be easily replaced. It takes years of training and, more important, on-the-job experience to create a highly capable case officer, analyst, scientist, engineer or support officer. It would take at least a decade to recover from a surge in resignations.

See, this is what I meant when I wrote, repeatedly for a year, that Trump was a clear and present danger to our national security. Thanks a lot, Trumpkin voters. Thanks to your cluelessness, we in the 2016 voting majority feel less like citizens and more like hostages.
Another mastermind of Bangladesh's worst terror attack at a popular cafe here has been arrested, a week after a top Islamist militant accused in the deadly siege was killed during a raid by counter-terrorism forces.

Islamic State-linked Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen's leader Jahangir Alam alias Rajib alias Gandhi was arrested on Friday from Elenga, some 120 kilometres north of the capital, by Bangladeshi Police's Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit.

He is one of the main masterminds of the Gulshan's Holey Artisan Bakery (cafe) attack in Dhaka's posh diplomatic area that killed 23 people, including 17 foreigners, CTTC chief Monirul Islam was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.

Police said Rajib's name surfaced during investigations when they found that he served Neo-JMB as the commander of the outfit for the Northern districts.

The arrest was made a week after Neo-JMB's most wanted leader Nurul Islam alias Marzan and another extremist were killed by counter-terrorism forces in Mohammadpur Beribadh area of the capital during a pre-dawn raid.

Police had claimed that Marzan coordinated the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.

Earlier, a Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Chowdhury, who was singled out by the police as the neo-JMB chief and the key player in the recent terror activities in Bangladesh and two were killed in a police operation in Narayanganj on August 27.

Last week, RAB arrested 10 people from different parts of Dhaka for their suspected involvement with the cafe attackers.

A dozen other top and second-tier leaders of the New JMB group are still absconding.
Kenneth Rogoff can pinpoint the moment he started to grow concerned Donald Trump would be the next US president: It was when Rogoffs fellow attendees at the World Economic Forums annual meeting last January said it could never happen. A joke Ive told 1,000 people in the months since leaving Davos is that the conventional wisdom of Davos is always wrong, says the Harvard professor and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. No matter how improbable, the event most likely to happen is the opposite of whatever the Davos consensus ...
Theres a mood of confidence in Moscow bordering on triumphalism. Russia is dictating the grim outcome in Syria. It has annexed with impunity part of Ukraine and set limits on the countrys Westernising ambitions. It has influenced through hacking the outcome of the American election. It has fostered the fracture of the European Union. All this from a nation President Obama dismissed in 2014 as a mere regional power acting not out of strength but out of weakness.
President-elect has hinted that he may lift sanctions on Russia and won't stand by the "One China" policy unless Beijing improves its currency and trade practices.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday that he would keep intact "at least for a period of time" sanctions President Barack Obama's administration imposed on Russia last month over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks to influence the US election.

But, if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting violent extremists, Trump suggested he may scrap the punitive measures altogether.

He also said he was prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking office January 20.

Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

Turning to the longstanding US practice of not recognising Taiwan diplomatically, Trump said: "Everything is under negotiation, including One China."

Trump has already irked China by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen after he won the election, upending decades of diplomatic precedent in which the White House has foregone direct communication with the island's leader.

He defended that move in his interview with the Journal, saying: "We sold them 2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment but we're not allowed to accept a phone call. First of all, it would have been very rude not to accept the phone call."

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, by force if necessary.

Trump has threatened to get tough with what he sees as unfair Chinese trade practices and suggested that the "One China" policy could become a bargaining chip in other disputes.
The European Unions Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Saturday that the EU will demand special vigilance before letting British financial firms access the bloc because of the large risk London could pose to the EUs financial stability.
What is Mexicos plan for facing incoming US president Donald Trump, whose presidential campaign included heated anti-Mexican rhetoric? How is the countrys government preparing for threatened changes to the US-Mexico relationship in terms of policy, immigration and trade?
President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser and Russia's ambassador to the US have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior US official said.

After initially denying that Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke December 29, a Trump official said late Friday that the transition team was aware of one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions.

It's not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trump's team discussed or even helped shape Russia's response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the US for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow.

That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials' assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the US election to benefit Trump.

In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obama's sanctions if Russia works with the US on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

"If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions?" he asked. During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader. "If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia," he said.

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the US said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups.

The US also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol.

He accepted a call from Taiwan's president, ignoring the longstanding "One China" policy that does not recognise the island's sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, "Everything is under negotiation."



He also publicly urged the US to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.
Takata admitted to hiding the deadly risks of its exploding air bags for about 15 years in an agreement to pay US regulators, consumers and car manufacturers $1 billion in penalties. The faulty air bags have been linked to at least 17 deaths worldwide. The Tokyo-based manufacturer also agreed to plead guilty to one criminal charge. The settlement requires approval of a US judge. Formerly, the second largest supplier of air bags in the world, Takata has had difficulty coping with the biggest product recall in history, which is expected to cover more than 100 million air bags. Putting the ...
Just a week before his inauguration as US president, became deeply embroiled in a bizarre story about unverified claims that the Russian government holds compromising information on his private life. The claims were made in a series of reports said to have been written by Christopher Steele, an ex-MI6 officer turned private intelligence consultant, who it is claimed was commissioned by groups opposed to Trump to dig up discrediting material.
Another mastermind of the Gulshan attack, Jahangir Alam alias Rajib alias Gandhi has been arrested by the Bangladesh Police's Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit from Tangail's Elenga area.

The Dhaka Tribune quoted CTTC Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan, as saying that Rajib was arrested based on a tip-off by a CTTC team from Tangail's Elenga area on Friday night.

As many as ten people were arrested from different parts of Dhaka for their suspected involvement with the Holey Artisan attackers by the Rapid Action Battalion unit of the police last week.

Two militants of the New JMB (Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen) group including Gulshan terror attack operational commander Marjan were killed in an alleged gunfight with the police's counter- terrorism unit in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area on January 6.

On July 1, 2016, five armed militants stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery and took the bakery staff and guests hostage and killed 20 - including 18 foreigners - before law enforcement teams laid siege in the early hours of July 2, killing the terrorists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Political intervention and not taking the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) into confidence by the Centre, while announcing its decision to demonetise currency notes, were some of the prime issues raised by the protesting RBI employees on Saturday.

Speaking to ANI, Suryakant Mahadik, RBI employee's Union Leader, said the Centre's decision to appoint a Joint Secretary and by-passing Governor Urjit Patel to oversee the entire demonetisation process hampered the function of the Central bank.

"We are not against the Centre's decision for demonetisation per se, but they did not take the RBI into confidence before doing so. Had the RBI Governor, Deputy Governor, and the Executive Director of the RBI been taken into confidence than the present crisis that we are witnessing at the village right now, wouldn't have taken place," he said.

"The Centre appointed a Joint Secretary to keep a watch on the operation and sometime intervention which is not right. We are only protesting the Centre's intervention into the functioning of the RBI," he added.

Dubbing the constant interference of the Finance Ministry into the function of the RBI as "unfortunate", Executive President of the All India RBI Employees' Union Gajanan Kirtikar also expressed similar concerns.

"We objected and written a complaint to the government on January 1, stating that this is unfortunate. Our prime objection is the interference at the hands of Central Government," Gajanan said.

In a letter, the employees said that the autonomy and image of RBI has been "dented beyond repair" due to mismanagement and termed the appointment of a senior Finance Ministry official for currency coordination as a "blatant encroachment" of the RBI's exclusive turf.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel, the United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and employees had alleged that post the government's demonetisation move, the image of the Central bank has been dented beyond repair.

"We request the Governor of the RBI, its highest functionary and protector of its autonomy and prestige, to do the needful urgently to do away with this unwarranted interference from the Finance Ministry and assure the staff accordingly as the staff feels humiliated," the letter added.

Various employee unions of the central bank have objected to the government "impinging on RBI autonomy" and have written to Patel to take action against the "unwarranted interference".

In a letter, they said the autonomy and image of the RBI has been "dented beyond repair" due to mismanagement and termed the appointment of a senior Finance Ministry official as a "blatant encroachment" of its exclusive turf of currency management.

Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has clarified its stand stating that the Government fully respects the independence and autonomy of the Central Bank.

In a statement, the Ministry said that consultations between the Centre and the RBI are undertaken on various matters of public importance, wherever such consultation is mandated by law or has evolved as a practice.

"Consultations mandated by law or as evolved by practice should not be taken as infringement of autonomy of RBI," the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Pakistan military has said that China is completely satisfied with the security arrangements of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor adding that the Beijing-Islamabad friendship was the guarantee of peace in the region.

According to sources, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong visited the General Headquarters on Friday and held meeting with Chief Of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, reports the Daily Times.

According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, the visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army's efforts in combating terrorism and militancy, and the success of the Zarb-e-Azb operation that former army chief Raheel Sharif started.

The two officials discussed the bilateral relations in the field of defence and military and it was agreed that these relations would be further strengthened in future.

According to sources the Chinese envoy also invited the army chief for the visit of China and dates in this regard would be finalised soon.

Sources said that the army chief briefed the Chinese ambassador on the security of CPEC and said a special force would provide foolproof security to this national project and its completion would benefit the whole region.

A spokesman for the Pakistan Army said in a statement that the Chinese ambassador indicated complete satisfaction on the security of CPEC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dance artists from about a dozen countries have reached Hyderabad to showcase their traditional and contemporary dance forms at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) International Television Dance Festival.

Elaborate arrangements have been made for the first ever ABU International Dance Festival to be held tomorrow.

Over 120 artists from 12 countries including Maldives, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Fiji and Indonesia will be taking part in the prestigious event.

Maximum 36 artists from Indonesia are taking part in the festival while about 20 artists from India are also performing on the occasion.

Two finalists from each country from both traditional and contemporary dance forms will perform in the grand finale of the first ABU International Television Dance Festival.

The ABU Dance festival has been conceptualised to bring the cultural diversities from across the world into lime light.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu will be formally inaugurating the prestigious event which is being hosted by Prasar Bharati, India's Public Service Broadcaster.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Posters featuring Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife with Priyanka Gandhi have fuelled the speculation of a possible tie-up between the Samajwadi Party and Congress party.

The posters showing Priyanka and Dimple together are turning heads in towns.

According to the reports, the posters have been put up by local leaders, extending support to the likely tie-up ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Both ladies are being seen as the star campaigners in the upcoming elections. Many have demanded that Priyanka Gandhi and also to campaign outside their respective constituencies.

The Congress has not made any clear statement on these posters but said that people would get to know soon whether an alliance is on the cards or not.

"Earlier also posters and hoardings of Priyanka were put up in Allahabad. Not only in Allahabad but in other places also people want these posters. If there will be alliance that will be known," Congress leader Dwijendra Tripathi told ANI.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave on a four-day official visit to Switzerland on Sunday to attend the 47th Annual Meeting of the Economic Forum (WEF).

The annual meeting of the WEF will begin on January 17 in Davos.

Hasina would be received by Bangladesh Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the UN Offices Shameem Ahsan on her arrival at the airport, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

The Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said Hasina will attend a number of events of the WEF during her stay in Davos.

She would also hold talks with WEF Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.

Hasina is expected to return Dhaka on January 21.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Voicing its support over the ban on Jallikattu, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said the government has to crackdown on those who go against the Constitution of India.

"The remote villages are informally letting bulls loose. That's not Jallikattu. The Tamil Nadu Government has prevented the real functions in Madurai, Cuddalore and in other places. That's very good because while I support Jallikattu and while I have argued in the Supreme Court on it giving a 23-page written submission also, but I don't like these anti- elements in Tamil Nadu," Swamy told ANI.

He further said that one has to wait as long as the Supreme Court does not give a judgement on Jallikattu.

"These LTT, Naxalite and drug peddlers ...all these people have ganged up together to somehow bring the Indian Constitution into dispute. This will not be tolerated. I am happy that the Tamil Nadu Government has taken action and also warned those with the bulls not to keep them out for the function," he added.

The police lathicharged the people protesting against the ban on Jallikattu in Avanivapuram in Madurai on Saturday.

As many as thirty people have been detained.

Heavy police force has been deployed since Friday in Avaniapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur, locations famous for Jallikattu in Madurai District, as various organisations vowed to violate the ban and organise the bull taming sport.

Jallikattu was organised yesterday in Madurai as protests continued for the fourth day in Tamil Nadu with principal opposition DMK too hitting the streets on Pongal, seeking permission for conducting the bull taming sport.

A day after Supreme Court said it could not give its verdict on Jallikattu before Pongal, DMK pressed the Centre to promulgate an ordinance to allow the sport.

DMK chief M.K. Stalin also led a protest in Chennai and sought promulgation of an ordinance.

The apex court had outlawed Jallikattu in 2014 and a review petition of Tamil Nadu was also dismissed last December.

The judgement on a matter related to the Centre's notification from November 2016 to exempt Jallikattu from the ban has been reserved by the apex court.

Jallikattu is traditionally held along with Pongal festivities and there has been a growing chorus in support of lifting the ban on the sport in the state in the past four days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The SEBI Board met in Jaipur on Saturday and took the following decisions

I. Reduction of fees payable by brokers by 25 percent and calibration of other fees:

SEBI has been following the practice of calibrating the fees either upwards or downwards as per SEBI's requirements from time to time so as to keep a balance between the financial resources required to ensure regulatory efficiency while maintaining reasonableness to avoid any undue burden on any particular class of intermediaries. Keeping this objective in mind and taking into consideration the projected income and expenditure of SEBI for the next three financial years, the Board has decided to reduce the fees payable by broker by 25 percent, i.e. from Rs 20/- per crore of turnover to Rs 15/- per crore of turnover. This will result in reduction of overall cost of transactions and will benefit the investors and promote the development of securities market.

The Board also decided to align the fees payable under SEBI (Buy-back of Securities) Regulations, 1998 with the fee payable under SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011. It was also decided to introduce filing fee for draft scheme of arrangement and processing fee for application seeking relaxation under Regulation 113 of SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009. The fee charged under Regulation 11 of the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011 has been revised to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 3 lakh.

II. Review of advertisement guidelines for Mutual Funds:

SEBI Board deliberated the proposals relating to review of existing advertisement guidelines for Mutual Funds. It considered that the existing guidelines on publishing performance of schemes in advertisements issued by Mutual Funds should be reviewed, so that performance related information may be disclosed in a simpler and effective manner, while providing precise and latest information to investors. Further, the Board considered that for the purpose of increasing awareness of Mutual Funds as a financial product category, celebrity endorsements of Mutual Funds may be allowed at an industry level.

Accordingly, the Board decided that: While publishing performance related information in advertisement of Mutual Fund schemes, performance of Mutual Fund schemes shall be advertised in terms of CAGR for the past 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and since inception; in place of current requirement to publish scheme's returns for as many twelve month periods as possible for the past 3 years. Performance advertisement of Mutual Fund schemes should provide information based on last day of month-end preceding the date of advertisement, instead of current requirement of publishing such data based on last day of preceding quarter-end. Performance of other schemes managed by the fund manager shall be disclosed in a summarized manner and in internet-enabled media; Mutual Funds shall be permitted to provide an exact link to such summarized information.

On allowing celebrity endorsements at industry level: Celebrity endorsements of Mutual Funds shall be permitted at industry level; however, not for endorsing a particular scheme of a Mutual Fund or as a branding exercise of a Mutual Fund house. Further, prior approval of SEBI shall be required for issuance of such advertisements which feature celebrities.

III. Investment by Mutual Funds in Hybrid Instruments:

1) SEBI Board noted that units of REITs/InvITs are hybrid instruments. However, the features are more like equity securities and the concentration and liquidity risks require to be addressed.

2) In light of the above, the Board decided that the following investment restrictions will be applicable:

(i) A Mutual Fund scheme shall not invest more than 5 percent of its NAV in units of a single issuer of REITs and InvITs. Such limit of 5 percent shall not be applicable for investments in case of index fund or sector or industry specific scheme pertaining to REITs and InvITs.

(ii) A Mutual Fund scheme shall not invest more than 10 percent of its NAV in units of REITs and InvITs. Such limit of 10 percent shall not be applicable for investments in case of index fund or sector or industry specific scheme pertaining to REITs and InvITs.

(iii) No Mutual Fund under all its schemes should own more than 10 percent of units issued by a single issuer of REITs and InvITs.

3) Applicability

(i) The aforesaid investment restrictions shall be applicable to all fresh investments by all schemes or an existing scheme.

(ii) Any existing scheme intending to invest in units of REITs/InvITs shall abide by the provisions of Regulation 18 (15A) of SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996.

IV. Regulatory Framework on Schemes of Arrangements - Mergers and Demergers

SEBI Board approved the proposals to revise and streamline the regulatory framework governing schemes of arrangement:

1. In case of merger of an unlisted company with a listed company:

a) With a view to improve the disclosure standards, the unlisted company, inter-alia, shall comply with the requirement of disclosure of material information as specified in the format for abridged prospectus.

b) The holding of pre-scheme public shareholders of the listed entity and the Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) of the unlisted company, in the post scheme shareholding pattern of the 'merged' company shall not be less than 25 percent. The objective is to have wider public shareholding and to prevent very large unlisted company to get listed by merging with a very small company.

c) Unlisted company can be merged with a listed company if it is listed on a stock exchange having nationwide trading terminals

2. In order to prevent issue of shares to select group of shareholders instead of all shareholders pursuant to the scheme, it is clarified that the pricing formula specified under the ICDR Regulations shall be applicable in such cases.

3. To ensure larger participation of public shareholders, the requirement to obtain their approval through e-voting has been extended to the following cases:

a) The schemes involving merger of an unlisted company resulting in reduction in the voting share percentage of pre-scheme public shareholders by more than 5 percent of total capital of merged entity.

b) Schemes involving transfer of whole or substantially the whole of the undertaking of a listed company and consideration for such transfer is not in the form of listed equity shares.

c) Schemes involving merger of unlisted subsidiary with listed holding company where the shares of the unlisted subsidiary have been acquired by the holding company directly or indirectly from the promoters/promoter group.

4. Companies would be required to submit compliance report confirming compliance with the circular and Accounting Standards duly certified by Company Secretary, CFO and Managing Director.

5. With a view to simplify the process, schemes which provide for merger of a Wholly owned Subsidiary (WoS) with the parent company shall not be required to be filed with SEBI. Such schemes shall be filed with stock exchanges for the limited purpose of disclosures only.

V. Empowerment of Stock Exchanges for effective regulation of Listed Entities

1. SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 ('LODR Regulations') specifically provide for imposition of fines, etc. by the stock exchanges. However, a similar provision is not available in the SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009 ('ICDR Regulations'), which contain provisions for companies for raising fund through public/rights/preferential/bonus issue of securities.

2. In order to empower the stock exchanges for effective regulation of listed entities, the Board has approved insertion of a similar clause in the ICDR Regulations to enable actions such as imposition of fines, suspension of trading, etc. by stock exchanges for contravention of ICDR Regulations. Based on the amended Regulations, SEBI would issue appropriate circular/guidelines providing for standard operating procedure for imposing of fines, etc. on violation of certain provisions of ICDR Regulations in consultation with stock exchanges.

3. This will reduce cost of undertaking adjudication/quasi-judicial actions in case of minor violations for the listed entities.

VI. SEBI (Issue and listing of Debt Securities by Municipalities) Regulations, 2015 to provide for a criteria alternative to 'Net Worth' for municipalities making public issue of debt securities under these regulations

The SEBI (Issue and listing of Debt Securities by Municipalities) Regulations, 2015 (ILDM) provides that a municipality or a Corporate Municipal Entity (CME) making public issue of debt securities, under these regulations shall not have negative net worth in any of three immediately preceding financial years.

In order to facilitate issuance of debt securities under these regulations by entities other than CME, the Board agreed that the Municipalities making public issue of debt securities under these regulations shall have surplus as per its Income and Expenditure Statement, in any of the three immediately preceding financial years or any other financial criteria as specified by SEBI from time to time.

VII. SEBI (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014

On the basis of experience gained and with the purpose of streamlining and strengthening the settlement process, Board approved amendments to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014. The amendments, inter alia, provide for charging of interest in case of excessive delays in filing of applications or payment of settlement amount; settlement Notice before issuance of a formal show cause notice, except those which are excluded from settlement; re-application of rejected or withdrawn applications in deserving cases, subject to payment of additional fees and interest; situations when joint and several liability is taken into account for determining settlement amount and Incentive for defaulters to come voluntarily on their own, before initiation of investigation or enforcement action.

VIII. Enabling Payment by Digital Mode

The Board approved the proposal to amend various Regulations to enable the market participants to make payments to SEBI through digital mode (such as NEFT/RTGS) as well.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Commenting on the ongoing protests in Katni following the transfer of Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Tiwari who was investigating a Rs. 500-crore hawala racket, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday urged that the matter should be investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), adding that whoever is guilty in the matter will not be spared.

"The investigation which was carried out by the police will continue. A decision cannot be taken only on the basis of allegation. But whoever has indulged in the matter will not be spared," said Chouhan.

He further said that the state ministry has sent a letter in this regard to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and has urged them to investigate the Rs. 500-crore hawala racket.

The Madhya Pradesh government had transferred Tiwari to Chhindwara from Katni.

Tiwari, the 2010-batch IPS officer was investigating some influential leaders in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their alleged links to the hawala racket.

The case is now being forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said that it is Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who needs to be replaced rather than the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance.

"Let NAB be handed over to me for three months. I will hang all looters upside down. There is a need to change the prime minister rather than NAB ordinance," the Daily Times quoted Khan as saying while talking to journalists outside Supreme Court (SC) on Friday.

He underlined, "It was very difficult to find out a Sadiq and Amin in the country. I have heard that a new Qatari letter is coming. Rulers stand mired in the Panama case."

He held that the PM himself claimed he had all the evidence. "But we came to know in court that he has no evidence. Therefore, the PM is escaping from court. He is answerable; this is a democracy, not a dictatorship."

"Counsel for PM is finding excuses. It seems from their arguments that it is difficult to find a Sadiq and Amin in the country. Sharif family never said they are owners of Mayfair flats. No one is talking about Maryam Nawaz as beneficiary owner. But ICIJ has already said Maryam Nawaz is beneficiary owner. Does the PM not know his children have become billionaires?" he asked.

"A corrupt prime minister will never let National Accountability Bureau (NAB) do accountability," Khan added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The mysterious disappearance of five activists in Pakistan has prompted the Senate to demand that all state agencies be brought under the ambit of law.

The Dawn quoted Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar, as saying that recommendations forwarded by a Senate Committee includes one on missing persons and a draft legislation to bring the state agencies under the ambit of the law.

He said parliamentary leaders would sign the recommendations and get it approved by the house as a private members' bill if the government did not respond suitably.

Babar asked Senate chairman Raza Rabbani to implement the report on speedy and inexpensive justice in letter and spirit as quickly as possible.

He said the issue of continued disappearances of activists in the country must not be lost on the house and asked for their subsequent release during a debate in the senate.

"The situation is getting worse by the day. The Supreme Court identified those involved in the disappearance of 28 persons from an internment centre in Malakand, yet nothing happened," he said.

The Senator Babar said it is a wake-up call for parliament and the nation to address the issue before it gets too late.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After the excitement of the winter holiday season is over, winter is all that is left  at least two more months of short days and long nights, many of them bitterly cold. And while many people just suffer through those months the best they can, for those who are plagued by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the months of January and February can be exceptionally difficult.

SAD is a type of depression directly related to changes in seasons and which begins and ends at about the same times every year. Most people with SAD begin to experience symptoms in the fall as the days become shorter, usually around September and October. These symptoms typically become more severe throughout the winter, with January and February usually being the worst months. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer.

There are also varying degrees of SAD, including a milder version referred to as the winter blues.

Symptoms vary according to the individual and the severity of the disorder, but can include feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day; feeling hopeless or worthless; having low energy or feeling sluggish; feeling agitated or irritable; losing interest in activities once enjoyed; problems with either oversleeping or insomnia; difficulty concentrating; and even frequent thoughts of death or suicide.

People with SAD can also experiences changes in weight and appetite. Craving foods high in carbohydrates (sweets, bread and other baked goods, for example) is common and is often accompanied by weight gain.

Other SAD sufferers experience a decrease in their appetite, often accompanied by weight loss.

In some people with bipolar disorder, the spring and summer months can bring on symptoms of mania or hypomania (a less intense form of mania), followed by depression during the autumn and winter months.

Anyone who is suffering from SAD or who is otherwise severely depressed or despondent, shouldnt hesitate to seek help from a doctor or mental health professional.

Its time for people to be able to talk about emotional well-being without feeling like someone may think less of them. Candy Zarcone, a member of the St. Francois County Mental Health Board.

It's normal for everyone to have some days when they feel down. But if you feel depressed for days at a time and can't get motivated to do activities you normally enjoy, its time to seek help. This is especially important if normal sleep patterns and appetite have changed or if you feel hopeless, think about suicide, or turn to alcohol or other drugs for comfort, relaxation or to try to cope with your negative feelings.

Take signs and symptoms of seasonal affective disorder seriously. As with other types of depression, SAD can get worse and lead to problems if it's not treated. Such problems can include, but are not limited to suicidal thoughts or behavior, social withdrawal, substance abuse and problems with family or at school or work.

Treatment can help prevent complications, especially if SAD is diagnosed and treated before symptoms get worse.

In addition to medical or psychological assistance, SAD sufferers can also oftentimes help themselves avoid the onset of SAD or at least minimize the symptoms.

Dr. Norman Rosenthal, clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School, is a world-renowned researcher, author and the psychiatrist who first diagnosed SAD.

He suggests bringing more light into your environment in order to prevent or reduce symptoms of seasonal depression. This can be accomplished in several ways, including putting bedside lamps on a timer so they turn on half an hour before wake-up time; simply adding more lamps to interior living spaces, preferably with full-spectrum bulbs that more closely resemble sunlight; and, if possible, having a room to which you can retreat on dark days that is especially bright, with light-colored walls and furniture.

Many SAD sufferers benefit from a light therapy fixture  a box-like structure containing lights behind a diffusing screen  which are specially created to treat SAD.

Rosenthal added that while light therapy can be effective, it usually works best when combined with other therapies such as combining exercise and bright light by going for a walk on a sunny winter day or exercising on a machine in front of a bright light.

Rosenthal also recommends trying to anticipate stress and avoid it whenever possible. For example, try to avoid setting a self-imposed spring deadline on a big project so that you have to work extra hard when your energy is at its lowest.

In addition, SAD sufferers should avoid sweets and other carbohydrates, which provide only short-term boosts of energy but cause weight gain, which can cause further depression.

Although the specific cause of seasonal affective disorder isnt known, some factors that may come into play include changes in the bodys circadian rhythms and decreased levels of serotonin (a brain chemical that affects mood) and/or melatonin (a hormone that helps regulate sleep and wakefulness.)

Factors that may increase your risk of seasonal affective disorder include being female  SAD is diagnosed more often in women than in men, but men often have more severe symptoms; being young; having a family history of SAD or other forms of depression; having clinical depression or bipolar disorder; and living far from the equator  SAD appears to be more common among those who live far north or far south of the equator.

There are also online sources for people wanting help with their seasonal depression, including www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad.

The website for the St. Francois County Mental Health Board also provides information and assistance for SAD sufferers.

Our website www.SFCMentalHealth.com has fact sheets on every major mental health disorder and local support groups, said Zarcone. Website users can also put in their insurance provider and the site will tell them what local providers accept that insurance.
Launching a scathing attack on the Pakistan People's Party for criticising his meetings with leaders of proscribed organisations, Interior Minister Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday questioned if PPP leaders during their tenure did not meet these leaders.

"Everyone knows the issues the PPP has with me," the Express Tribune quoted Nisar, as saying.

He, however, admitted that there are photographs of him meeting leaders of those organisations.

Nisar had defended his meetings with leaders of proscribed organisations on Tuesday saying that banned sectarian organisations could not be equated with the banned terrorist groups.

The Interior Minister asserted that outlawed sectarian organisations should not be equated with terrorist outfits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Shahi Syed has suggested death penalty for politicians who consume alcohol.

He made the remarks at the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that met on Friday to hold discussions on local and foreign booze, reports the Geo News.

"Parliamentarians represent the people and if they are not punished for doing a wrong thing then why should poor people be?" Syed questioned, adding that politicians should be hanged to death for consuming liquor, while a lay man should face 6 months or a year in prison.

Commenting on the consumption of marijuana, he said, "People call it darwesh's intoxicant, but that too is wrong and should also be prohibited".

Senator Rehman Malik, who chaired the meeting, said, "It should be declared whether someone ever consumed alcohol, marijuana or opium, prior to contesting an election".

To this, Syed added that if this happens then majority of politicians would be disqualified. The ANP senator regretted that a Hindu is named for selling and consuming liquor, but it is actually done by a Muslim.

Consuming and selling liquor is prohibited in Pakistan; it's sale, however, is permitted to people of other religions through licensed liquor stores.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has said that Islamabad is looking forward to working closely with the Trump adminstartion.

Ambassador Jilani made these remarks during a New Year luncheon hosted by the Embassy of Pakistan for Washington based print and electronic electronic media.

He welcomed the mainstream US correspondents and briefed them on the state of Pak-US relations emphasizing that Pakistan and United States had a historic nature of relationship spanning over seven decades.

The envoy said those people who had been designated in the new US administration, knew Pakistan very well and there had been a better realization of the problems Islamabad was facing in the region.

"Moreover, there was a convergence of interests between the two countries on number of issues likely to strengthen the bilateral relations in future," he said.

Ambassador Jilani remarked that Pakistan had successfully launched a campaign of historical proportion to address the menace of terrorism.

He expressed the hope that Pak-US cooperation would be further strengthened in the fight against terrorism by revisiting sale of F-16s and Coalition Fund issues.

The Ambassador said that over the last few years, the terrorist incidents in Pakistan had reduced significantly, approx. by 70% with a positive impact on economy.

He highlighted the surge in the number of visitors from US to Pakistan which symbolized a renewed interest in Pakistan.

Jilani stressed on Pakistan's firm belief in having a closer cooperation in the region.

He contended that the emergence of extremist and violent organizations was the outcome of instability & violence all over the .

While responding to a question, Jilani reiterated that Pakistan had not seen any organized presence of ISIS in Pakistan. However, Pakistan was concerned about the growing influence of ISIS in Afghanistan.

On Indus Water Treaty, the envoy said Pakistan had requested the Bank to play the role of an administrator in terms of the legal and technical objections raised by Pakistan on Kishan Ganga and Ratle hydro-power projects in India.

He reiterated that Pakistan would like to engage in a sustained, meaningful dialogue with India in order to resolve all the outstanding issues peacefully.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least one person was killed after a boat turned turtle in the Ganges River in Patna, Bihar today, whereas eight people were rescued and 25 others swam to safety.

According to reports, the accident took place when the boat, carrying at least 34 people, was about to reach the river bank.

The boat was returning from a kite festival on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Meanwhile, the state police have launched a search operation for the missing people.

More details awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In wake of the letter written by employees of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to its governor Urjit Patel condemning the demonetisation drive, the Congress and Janata Dal (United) dubbed it as 'shocking state of affair', while stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have destroyed the credibility of the autonomous body that controls the country's monetary policy.

"I don't think ever before, the employees of a government institution especially an independent and respectable institution like RBI have written against its policy. Very clearly RBI has compromised to an extent never ever before. Prime Minister Modi and his government have destroyed RBI, its credibility and the role of an institution," Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.

He further said the way in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is compromising and corrupting the RBI, it is going to be a dangerous signal for the nation.

Echoing similar views, JD (U) leader Pawan Varma said, "The RBI must retain its autonomy to advice and formulate or recommend policy to the government. It appears in the case of demonetisation that the RBI relinquished its autonomy in order to blindly to the line as dictated to it by the government. This is what has come out now from the letter of the employees in addition there was operational mismanagement that is what the employees have said."

Varma further said the RBI has a key role in implementing the decision but number of time they have seen flip flops and this is what the RBI employees themselves would have felt.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to Urjit Patel, the United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees has alleged that post the government's demonetisation move, the image of the Central bank has been dented beyond repair.

"Commenting on the "mismanagement" since November 8 when demonetisation was announced and the criticism from different quarters followed, the letter said, "Its (RBI's) autonomy and image have been dented beyond repair," an official of the All India Reserve Bank officers Association told ANI here.

"We request the Governor of the RBI, its highest functionary and protector of its autonomy and prestige, to do the needful urgently to do away with this unwarranted interference from the Finance Ministry and assure the staff accordingly as the staff feels humiliated," the letter added.

Various employee unions of the central bank have objected to the government "impinging on RBI autonomy" and have written to Patel to take action against the "unwarranted interference".

The letter comes days after concerns about RBI's functioning being raised by at least three former governors -- Manmohan Singh (former prime minister), Y. V. Reddy and Bimal Jalan. Former deputy governors including Usha Thorat and K. C. Chakrabarty have also voiced their concerns in this regard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To set the stage on fire of Bigg Boss 10, the bromance of the actor Salman Khan and Govinda is back again!

Known to create magic on screen with their presence, the two have shared the screen in several films like Partner and Salaam-e-Ishq, to name a few.

The 53-year-old 'Partner' actor recently shot for 'Bigg Boss 10' with host Salman for Weekend ka Vaar episode.

To express his happiness, Salman took to Twitter and posted a picture, captioning "Shooting with Partner @Govinda_HeroNo1".

While on his way to Bigg Boss house, Govinda also took to twitter and wrote "On my way to the Bigg Boss house! How excited are you? #BiggBoss10 #Aa Gaya Hero."

Govinda was on the show to promote his upcoming movie 'Aa Gaya Hero'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the wake of Mahatma Gandhi flip-flops being sold on Amazon website, the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said the company should respect Indian sensitiveness and sentiments.

"As a follow up to the matter regarding the sale of doormats with the Indian flag on Amazon, our Ambassador in Washington has been instructed to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third party vendors, they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments," said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

Two days after Amazon's Canada portal removed the article with doormats depicting the Indian flag after India objected to it, the online company, on its US portal, again put up another article of slippers with Mahatma Gandhi's face on it.

Amazon describes the products as 'Gandhi flip flops' as a pair of "foam rubber flip flops". It costs $16.99, or about Rs 1,200.

Soon after India threatened it won't grant visas to any Amazon official if the company did not withdraw an Indian flag-themed doormat from its Canadian platform, the e-commerce website removed the article from the online marketplace, a media report had said on Thursday.

"Amazon must tender unconditional apology. They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately," Swaraj had said in a tweet.

--IANS

sid/pgh/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Belgian post company Bpost is transferring 200 jobs in the ICT sector to two companies in India, Infosys and Tata Consultancy, the Belgian media reported.

But the Belgian trade unions and Telecommunications Minister Alexander De Croo Aare unhappy over the decision.

According to the VRT news network, De Croo said he will question Bpost on the matter.

"The company has some explaining to do. I think Belgium has enough ICT experts to do this type of work. Digitalisation in society does not have the purpose of exporting jobs. I think it should create jobs," he said.

Bpost is employing some 200 ICT experts internally and another 200 externally.

A spokesperson for Bpost Barbara Van Speybroeck spoke of new challenges within the world of ICT, which make that "we didn't find the right researchers. We were using over a 100 suppliers, which hampered the development of a clear strategy".

The Christian trade union ACV in Belgium said it was "a scandal" for a publicly-owned company to move jobs abroad to low-wage countries.

--IANS

nawab/pgh/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pardon my naivete, but I cannot for the life of me comprehend why the entire US establishment, with the intelligence community in the vanguard, is in convulsions about the alleged Russian efforts to hack into the US elections which brought Donald Trump to power. The CIA must be lazy if it doesn't hack into Moscow, Beijing, everywhere.

The Washington Post on December 23 published a story by Lindsey A. Rourke, under the headline: "The US tried to change other countries' governments 72 times during the Cold War."

As a journalist, I have been witness to efforts at regime change or attempted assassination of leaders. Ronald Reagan bombed Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986, killing Qaddafi's six-month-old daughter. Qaddafi barely escaped.

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was so moved that he arranged for a delegation of non-aligned foreign ministers to Tripoli to commiserate with the Libyan leader.

The Reagan White House was not pleased. The power a particular Indian ambassador to Washington had acquired depended largely on extraordinary access to key officials around the President. To preserve this priceless access, Rajiv Gandhi was persuaded to sack Foreign Minister Bali Ram Bhagat. His guilt? He led the "peace" delegation to Tripoli -- at Rajiv's behest.

In 1987, in Managua, Nicaragua, Cardinal Ovando Bravo led me to Mother Mary's statue in the centre of the town which had not stopped "shedding tears" ever since the Daniel Ortega-led Sandinistas came to power. Mary's tears were not in vain. God was working through the US which was financing and arming the anti-Sandinista Contra rebels. Mysterious were God's ways. The money for the Contras came from a secret fund in Iran (Devil incarnate for neocons) which was receiving arms from the US for this extraordinary munificence.

It might be argued that the examples listed above belong to the Cold War era. Well, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, all victims of US interventions, are clearly post-Cold War enterprises. Agreed, the creation of the Islamist Mujahideen did result in the Soviet Union vacating Afghanistan, but at the cost of the Afghan nation. Zbigniew Brzezinski placed the matter in a kind of perspective: "Our aim was to defeat the Soviet Union," he said. "And not worry about stirred up Muslims."

The tizzy in which the US intelligence community finds itself might be a good occasion to revisit the Syrian story to which I am witness from the very beginning. I extricate myself from a group of Arab experts at the Semiramis hotel in Damascus, to keep an appointment with Bouthaina Shaaban, senior adviser to President Bashar al Assad.

How do you explain US ambassador Robert Stephen Ford and his French counterpart holding meetings in Hama, Homs and Darra with rebel groups, in full public gaze? I ask her.

Shaaban, elegant and articulate, shrugs her shoulders. "Just shows how much we have been penetrated." Ford, it is commonly known, was a great favourite of Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State.

Among the senior Arabists in Damascus at that time is also Edward Lionel Peck, a former US ambassador to Arab countries. His disgust with Ford's behaviour is contained in a letter he wrote to members of the group who were in Damascus with him. There is such universal endorsement of the Ford school of diplomacy which borders on Secret Service type operations that I feel obliged to give Peck as much airing as I can.

He wrote: "I have been dismayed by the accolades and support given to Ambassador Ford, our man in -- and now out of Syria, for stepping well out of the traditional and appropriate role of a diplomat and actively encouraging the revolt/insurrection/sectarian strife/outside meddling, call it what you will, that is still going on. It is easy to imagine the US reaction if an ambassador from anywhere were to engage in even distantly related activities here. I fear my country remains somewhat more than merely insensitive, and is sliding into just plain rampant and offensive arrogance."

Will Trump put an end to such shenanigans?

There is something strained and edgy in the way the neocons, the media, with the intelligence community in front, have mounted a virtual war on the incoming administration. It is actually a kind of blackmail. The message seems to be: you will get more of the same if you deviate from the ongoing policy which sees Vladimir Putin as arch enemy.

Trump's commitment to "bomb the shit" out of terrorists threatens to expose the doublespeak of established policy on Syria too. So far the US and its allies have pursued a policy riddled with ambiguity: fight IS and al Nusra but also oust or at least weaken the Assad regime, a paradox which, in the given circumstances, cannot be reconciled. The Russian policy is more straightforward: fight the IS and Nusra in which the regime troops can be decisive.

Trump is quite clear: seek Russian cooperation to defeat terrorism. Who can quarrel with this line? The moment of reckoning may also have arrived in Afghanistan, where the Taleban are to be mobilised by Russia and China to fight IS and Al Qaeda. Can Trump be far behind? That's the tricky one.

In brief, with Trump's arrival on the scene, the stranglehold of the intelligence community on foreign policy may well weaken.

The world of Western Intelligence is therefore all upside down.

(A senior commentator on diplomatic and political affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com <mailto:saeednaqvi@hotmail.com>. The views expressed are personal.)

--IANS

naqvi/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday lauded the Indigo airlines' decision to fly "mortal remains" of people from the Northeast free of cost to their native places as part of "Aakhri Aahuti" initiative.

The Union Minister said that "a request to this effect had been made to all the airlines operating in the region and I am glad that Indigo has been prompt to respond".

Indigo Vice President Vikram Chona handed over a letter from airlines' President Aditya Ghosh, announcing that mortal remains will be carried to such airports in the northeast where Indigo has its operations.

From Delhi, Indigo is currently operating to Guwahati, Agartala, Dibrugarh, Dimapur and Imphal.

Chona also told Singh that, as and when Indigo starts operations to other destinations in the northeast, the same facility shall be provided on these routes too.

He also informed that the first such facility was provided to a native of Manipur who died here and his mortal remains were subsequently flown to Imphal.

Complementing Indigo on behalf of the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry, Singh said that people from the region residing in Delhi often faced a very unfortunate situation whenever there was a death in the family.

"Due to financial constraints, the relatives of the deceased were often unable to take the dead body to their native place in the northeast. As a result, very often, the last rites of several such deceased persons had to be carried out in Delhi itself by compulsion, even though, the relatives and the family wished otherwise," he said.

He further said that the gesture shown by Indigo, is not only a reflection of human concern, but is also an extension of the Public Private Partnership model with the government and private sectors.

--IANS

rak/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Well, I was drunk the day my mama got out of prison /

And I went to pick her up in the rain /

But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck /

She got runned over by a damned old train."

-- David Allan Coe

Anybody who can sing the lyrics to what country bad boy David Allan Coe called "the perfect country and western song" probably won't find a whole lot in J.D. Vance's hotly debated, bestselling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" that's real surprising.

Fans of Jeff Foxworthy's painfully funny "You Might Be a Redneck" comedy act will also find Vance's action-packed childhood familiar. Like this: "If your grandma poured gasoline on grandpa, and lit him on fire for coming home drunk ... you might be a redneck."

"If your momma brought home 12 'stepfathers' in 15 years ... "

These things actually happened. Early in life, Vance writes, "I recognized that though many of my peers lacked the traditional American family, mine was more non-traditional than most."

No kidding. That said, Erskine Caldwell's "Tobacco Road" covered much of the same territory in the 1930s, along with William Faulkner's "Snopes Trilogy," Larry Brown's "Joe," and a host of Southern novelists and memoirists too numerous to list. The inexhaustible Joyce Carol Oates has chronicled the stunted lives of Yankee hillbillies for decades.

None of which is to diminish Vance's achievement, nor to minimize his success in focusing affectionate, yet unsparing, attention on the ongoing plight of the poor white Appalachian emigrants he calls his people. American Conservative columnist Rod Dreher has written that "Hillbilly Elegy" "does for poor white people what Ta-Nehisi Coates's book ("Between the World and Me") did for poor black people: give them voice and presence in the public square."

Some even think Vance helps explain the election of Donald Trump, although his political message is distinctly mixed. Either way, "Hillbilly Elegy" is deservedly No. 2 on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.

Born in rural eastern Kentucky, Vance was mostly raised by his doting, albeit violent, grandparents in the decaying mill town of Middletown, Ohio -- one of those Rust Belt communities that lured Southern country folk to factory jobs that have since moved away (often to non-union Southern states like Arkansas). I kept thinking of Bobby Bare's homesick lament "Detroit City": "I think I'll take my foolish pride / and put it on a southbound freight and ride."

Vance took a less sentimental escape route: the U.S. Marines, Ohio State University, and Yale Law School. Today he lives in San Francisco with his Asian-American wife and works at a Silicon Valley investment firm. His memoir shows him to be the king of mixed feelings: proud and relieved to have escaped the drug- and booze-addicted turmoil of his youth, yet determined to evoke respect for the "loyalty, honor, toughness" and fierce patriotism of the hillbilly culture back home.

Like many cross-cultural migrants, Vance has a thin skin -- seeing condescension everywhere he looks. Of course, nobody with a Southern accent needs to search hard in New Haven. Back in the day, my wife got patronized to her face in academic New England. After she visited her Arkansas parents, one haughty colleague asked if she was an anthropologist.

She kept a lot of it from me for fear I might do something crazy.

In the long run, it's best to laugh these things off. The world is full of fools. At 31, Vance isn't there yet. Even so, the portrait he draws of his people is frequently less than admiring. What they hate about President Obama, he writes, isn't his race as much as the perception that "Nothing about him bears any resemblance to the people I admired growing up: His accent -- clean, perfect, neutral -- is foreign; his credentials are so impressive that they're frightening."

As such, Obama's a standing rebuke to people like Vance's hometown friend who bragged that he quit his job "because he was sick of waking up early," but spends time bashing the "Obama economy" on Facebook. Hence too "birtherism," a mythological construct explaining away the unacceptable truth: Maybe a lot of your problems are your own damn fault.

Vance thinks that hillbilly clannishness and self-pitying pessimism are personally and politically crippling. "We can't trust the evening news. We can't trust our politicians. Our universities, the gateway to a better life, are rigged against us. We can't get jobs. You can't believe these things and participate meaningfully in society."

Exactly. Having spent the last decade living on a gravel road in a backwoods Arkansas county with even more cows than hillbillies, I can affirm that at their best, there are no finer neighbors.

That said, not getting wasted every day definitely helps. However, Vance's mother was an addict. "An important question for hillbillies like me," he writes, is "How much is Mom's life her own fault? Where does blame stop and sympathy begin?"

Good question.

Arkansas Times columnist Gene Lyons is a National Magazine Award winner and co-author of "The Hunting of the President" (St. Martin's Press, 2000). You can email Lyons at eugenelyons2@yahoo.com
Four children of a family were burnt to death and their parents injured when a house caught fire here on Saturday morning, police said.

Kusum, 14, Kanchan, 10, Rohit, 6, and Mohit, 5, were burnt alive and Kirpal Singh and Surajwati were injured when a fire broke out in their house in the fields of Mohammadpur village, near the Delhi-Gurugram expressway.

Singh, hailing from Badaun district in Uttar Pradesh, does farming on nearly 4 acres of land on a contract basis.

He has been referred to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi as his condition is said to be critical, a relative of the victims told IANS here.

The reason behind the blaze could not be ascertained immediately.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem.

--IANS

pradeep/py/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Saturday appointed former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as chairman of the screening committee for the forthcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Party MP Sushmita Dev and secretary Deepak Babaria are the other two members of the panel.

The screening committee would look at the suggestions sent by the state unit on the choice of candidates and make its own recommendations for a final decision by the party's central election committee, which is headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The announcement of the screening committee was made days ahead of the notification for the first phase of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

The first phase polling would take place on February 11 for 73 assembly seats.

The politically crucial state will see a seven-phased election with counting of votes on March 11.

The Congress has not ruled out a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh even as the party has said it is ready to contest on its own on all 403 seats in the state assembly.

The Election Commission is expected to give on Monday its verdict on the tussle between two factions of Samajwadi Party for the party's "cycle" symbol.

The Congress is expected to take a final stand on any alliance after the Election Commission verdict.

--IANS

mak/ps/pgh/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rome, Jan 14 (IANS/AKI) Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni is due to leave a Rome hospital on Saturday and will chair a cabinet meeting in the capital that day, sources told Adnkronos.

Gentiloni underwent an emergency heart operation on Tuesday at Rome's Policlinico Gemelli hospital to unblock a blood vessel after he complained of discomfort on his return to Rome from an official visit to Paris.

The 62-year-old premier had to cancel meetings in London on Thursday with British prime minister Theresa May and on Friday in Rome with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas after his angioplasty procedure.

Doctors at the Policlinico Gemelli described Gentiloni's heart operation as "a complete success" and on Wednesday the premier tweeted he was "well" and would return to work shortly.

Gentiloni was appointed premier on 12 December to replace Matteo Renzi, who resigned after a crushing defeat on planned constitutional reforms to streamline Italy's lawmaking.

Meanwhile, Renzi on Friday visited premier Paolo Gentiloni in a Rome hospital. Gentiloni was foreign minister in Renzi's almost 22-month-long government.

--IANS

sku/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after the employee unions of the Reserve Bank of India expressed their resentment against alleged interference of the government in the central bank's affairs, the Finance Ministry on Saturday said that it fully respects its autonomy.

"It is categorically stated that the government fully respects the independence and autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)," Finance Ministry said in a statement here.

"Consultations between the government and the RBI are undertaken on various matters of public importance wherever such consultation is mandated by law or has evolved as a practice. Consultations mandated by law or as evolved by practice should not be taken as infringement of autonomy of RBI," the statement said.

The Finance Ministry's reaction comes after some unions alleged infringement of the autonomy of the RBI by the Centre.

The RBI employees on Friday had shot off a letter to RBI Governor Urjit Patel expressing concern over alleged interference by the central government.

The letter asked the Governor whether a recent media report, according to which the Finance Ministry had deputed a Joint Secretary-level officer to the RBI to oversee its currency chest operations, was true.

"If true, this is most unfortunate and we take strong exception to this measure of the government as impinging on the RBI's autonomy and its statutory as well as operational jurisdiction," the letter read.

"Having put RBI in a quandary, now the Finance Ministry has placed their official, as reported, on RBI set-up to 'co-ordinate', allegedly. Apart from showing RBI operations and its gigantic performance in poor light, the government now blatantly encroaches on its jurisdiction, which, we state strongly, we cannot accept."

"We want to state very categorically that RBI is fully capable 'to co-ordinate the central bank's currency chest operations', which RBI have been performing over decades, and we do not need any 'assistance' from anywhere," the employees wrote.

The employee unions pointed out that the criticism faced by the RBI for alleged operational mismanagement during the recently-concluded demonetisation drive has dented its image 'beyond repair'.

"It is painful to note that RBI is being criticised from many quarters for its 'operational mismanagement', by the press and many important personalities. Its autonomy and image have been dented beyond repair," the letter stated.

"Such critics include even former RBI Governors. An image of efficiency and independence that RBI assiduously built up over decades by the strenuous effort of its staff and judicious policy making has gone into smithereens in no time. We feel extremely pained, we reiterate," it added.

The unions also requested the RBI Governor to protect the central bank's autonomy and prestige.

--IANS

mm/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Akhilesh Yadav faction of the Samajwadi Party seems to be inching closer to sealing a deal with the Congress, even as the Election Commission is yet to decide on the fate of the SP and its symbol cycle.

While speculation about a pre-poll alliance has been in the air for some time now, hoardings of Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav, who is Akhilesh's wife, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have come up in Allahabad - fuelling the speculation. The hoardings with pictures of both women figuring prominently have been put up by Congress workers - Anil Chowdhary and Irshad Ullah.

The slogan in the hoardings says "Mahilaon ka UP mein bajega danka, jab saath aayengi Dimple aur Priyanka" (Women in Uttar Pradesh will be empowered, when Dimple and Priyanka come together).

Ullah, who is general secretary of the district Congress committee in Allahabad, says the workers want this tie up to happen at the earliest as this would not only consolidate the woman power but also prevent division of Muslim vote. This will stop the BJP from coming to power, he says.

There are many votaries who favour the Congress and the Akhilesh faction to come together. Sources say, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has propped up his wife to negotiate with Priyanka Gandhi while he is working the wires with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his team.

Congress veterans like Ghulam Nabi Azad, state president Raj Babbar, party's Dalit face P.L. Punia, are opposed to any such ideas as they feel that this could cost Congress further as it will bring the anger of anti-incumbency along.

With both Congress and the Akhilesh faction facing an uncertain future in the forthcoming state assembly polls, it appears to be a necessity and a done thing.

Propping up of the woman power from both sides is likely to play a cementing force, insiders say.

--IANS

md/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arth Patel, an Indian American student at the UCLA School of Dentistry, earned a $5,000 scholarship for his winning essay on how dental health contributes to the well being of children and families.

Kool Smiles, a provider of quality dental care in underserved communities in the US, announced the winner of its first annual My Kool Smiles Scholarship Fund essay contest, sponsored by the Benevis Foundation, Indiawest.com reported.

"I'm very excited to win the essay contest and to use the scholarship funds to further my education in dental school," said Patel.

In his essay, the UCLA dental student discussed his experience growing up in rural India where quality dental care was not available and how his family benefited from access to community-based dental healthcare programmes after moving to the United States.

Patel discovered his passion for dentistry while volunteering at a local community health clinic.

--IANS

rn/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iraqi government forces on Friday extended grip in the city of Mosul after intense fighting with Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, recapturing several buildings of Mosul University, the Iraqi military said.

In the eastern front, the commandos of the Counter- Service (CTS) stormed in the morning the complex of Mosul University and managed to seize large part of the University complex, including its technical institute and student dormitories, after heavy clashes with IS terrorists, Xinhua quoted a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) as saying.

The elite CTS forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, also recaptured al-Kafa'at neighbourhood adjacent to the University complex and raised the Iraqi on some of its buildings, leaving some 30 IS terrorists killed and destroying three car bombs, the statement said.

Moreover, the CTS troops advanced in the early morning into the three neighbourhoods of al-Sadriya, al-Naser and al-Faisaliyah in the central part of Mosul's eastern side and engaged in heavy clashes with IS terrorists and managed to free the three neighbourhoods after killing some 25 IS terrorists and destroying two car bombs, the statement said.

The troops also reached the eastern bank of the Tigris in central the eastern side of the city and seized the Old Bridge and al-Hurriyah Bridge, which both are partially destroyed, the statement added.

The recapture of Mosul University complex is a significant step, as the complex included important headquarters of the extremist group, the officer said, adding that the next significant target will be the former presidential palaces in eastern the city.

The Iraqi security force have so far recaptured up to 85 per cent of the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River which bisects the city, the officer said.

--IANS

sku/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Islamic State (IS) terror group on Saturday launched a major offensive against the Syrian regime's strongholds in the city of Deir Al-Zor.

According to the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR), the IS launched attacks in nine different parts of the city and its surroundings, Efe news reported.

The NGO, which has a network of volunteers across the country, reported huge explosions in different parts of the city since early Saturday.

So far, Syrian authorities have not reported attacks in the neighbourhoods under their control in the city.

Intense confrontations between terrorists and soldiers of the Syrian army are going on in the districts of Al Sinaa, Al Jabaliya, Al Rashidiya, Al Muazifin, Al Umal, Al Rusafa and Al Baguiliya, as well as in the surroundings of the military airport of Deir Al-Zor, the SOHR said.

--IANS

ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Tushar A. Gandhi, on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) diary-calendar controversy.

"PM models for polyvastra (polyesterene). Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) wore khaddar (khadi) to Buckingham Palace, not a Rs 10 lakh suit," Gandhi said in a sharp tweet.

He added: "Haath me Charkha, Dil me Nathuram. No sin in calling a spade a spade and a joker a joker on television," and demanded shutting down the KVIC.

Gandhi was referring to his iconic great-grandfather's historic visit to Britain in 1931, when he met Britain's King George V and Queen Mary, clad in his trademark plain loincloth and a shawl.

In comparison, Modi wore a controversial expensive suit during US President Barack Obama's visit to India in January 2015.

In an earlier tweet, Gandhi said: "Tera Charkha le gaya Chor, Sun le Bapu ye Paigaam, Meri Chitthi tere naam (Your spinning wheel has been stolen -- a message to Bapu)... First, Bapu disappeared from few Rs 2,000 currency notes, now he disappears from KVIC office and calendar. Replaced by Rs 10 lakh-ka suit loving PM."

Protesting the KVIC decision, Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said it is "an insult to the Father of Nation".

"We strongly condemn this... and demand that the calendars be withdrawn immediately," Nirupam said in a statement late Friday night.

Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan termed it "an illness of self-patting" plaguing the government and demanded "an apology" for KVIC replacing Gandhi's photos with Modi's in its 2017 diaries and calendars.

"Mahatma Gandhi gave the message of "swadeshi" and self-dependence to the nation, for which the KVIC was formed in 1956... However, this government spares no effort for self-praises even if it's a wrong step," Chavan said in a statement on Friday night.

Decrying what he called attempts to remove the Father of Nation from different spheres, Chavan pointed out that "you cannot erase Mahatma Gandhi from the hearts of the people".

After the matter was first exposed on Thursday, the government and KVIC have been at the receiving end of the ire of masses and political parties.

--IANS

qn/in/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Film: "Live By Night"; Director: Ben Affleck; Cast: Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper, Remo Girone, Robert Glenister, Max Casella, Matthew Maher, Miguel J. Pimental, Titus Welliver and Anthony Michael Hall; Rating: ***1/2

Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, "Live By Night" is a period crime drama that is designed like an old school gangster film.

Set in the 1920s post World War I, it is the tale of an honest policeman's son, Joe Coughlin, who returns home disillusioned as a soldier and vows to live life on his own terms - like an outlaw, never bowing to authority ever again.

He starts out as a small time crook living in Boston and works independently along with his two childhood friends and abhors being called a gangster. A decade later, he is approached by the Irish gangster Albert White (Robert Glenister) to help out in the mob war against the Italians, headed by Maso Pescatore (Remo Girone). Joe declines initially, but how he gets absorbed in organised crime and his rise thereafter, forms the crux of the tale.

The plot is a maze that reveals where heaven is after debating between good and bad, right and wrong while dealing in rum, prostitution and drug trade and the casino business. The narrative truly manoeuvres through the minefield of the crime syndicate.

And Ben Affleck does a neat job directing this complex noir chronicle, albeit in a softer tone. This is very evident from the first scene onwards with the opening voiceover and all through the grey tones of his character. As the protagonist, he does not portray a brutal gangster and probably that would disappoint the fans of this genre.

While the film is about Joe Coughlin and the narrative revolves around him, equal weightage with definitive lines is given to the supporting cast making them all as interesting and memorable as the hero.

As an actor, Ben Affleck undercuts his own supremacy and shines as an outlaw with a heart. He is aptly supported by Chris Messina as his friend Dion Bartolo, Robert Glenister as Albert White, Sienna Miller as Emma Gould - Albert's moll, Remo Girone as Maso Pescatore, Max Casella as Digger Pescatore - the idiotic son of Maso Pescatore, Zoe Saldana as Joe's wife Graciella Suarez and Elle Fanning as Loretta Figgis the repentant daughter of the Chief of Police, Irving Figgis played by Chris Cooper. They all emote effectively.

But the real scene stealer in the film is Mathew Maher, who essays the role of Irving's short-fused brother-in-law RD Pruitt. He lights up the screen with his nasal drawl and unpredictable outbursts especially during the negotiation scene.

Visually, cinematographer Robert Richardson's frames with monochromatic palette and mood lighting are picture perfect. He captures the period and the locales from the right angles and with a keen eye, making the film look sleek and evocative.

Overall, the film is a well mounted, engrossing entertainer that would appeal to connoisseurs of period drama.

--IANS

troy/rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Country

Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America 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
A never-before-seen footage of late star Marilyn Monroe from her 1955 romantic comedy film "The Seven Year Itch" has been released in which her iconic scene where her white cocktail dress gets buffeted up to her waist, can be seen.

The video, an old home-shot footage of the scene, features the moment and the events surrounding it in a different light.

On September 15, 1954, director Billy Wilder and Monroe were scheduled to shoot the scene on a New York sidewalk. However, the crowd of journalists and onlookers, including Monroe's then husband Joe DiMaggio who famously hated the dress and rowed with the actress after shooting, grew so great and rowdy that they were forced to re-shoot the actual scene on the 20th Century Fox lot.

Also among the crowd that day was a man named Jules Schulback who followed Monroe and captured the scene on film. Schulback's illuminating footage has been edited down to a 12-second video by nytimes.com.

The footage was discovered by his granddaughter Bonnie Siegler and her husband Jeff Scher in a plastic bag filled with old films Schulback had made of family trips.

Siegler's older sister Rayna Dineen revealed that Schulback always told his family stories of the moment he had captured on film, but that they had never truly believed him until they found the footage in 2004.

The original short film lasts three minutes and 17 seconds. It features humourous title cards which Schulback had spliced in, and captures Monroe in a second floor window blow-drying her hair.

--IANS

sas/rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.(ONGC) employees will now get their annual cash bonuses in the form of Khadi vouchers for buying Khadi garments, a top official said here on Saturday.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said that the Khadi vouchers would be of 35 per cent higher value compared to the cash bonuses, thus giving the 35,299 ONGC employees additional benefits.

Explaining the scheme in the agreement, he said ONGC will provide its employees with Khadi vouchers with an extra 35 per cent incentive, enhancing the value of bonus to 135 per cent of the cash value.

"While 34,236 regular staffers will get Khadi vouchers of Rs 10,000, the other 1,063 non-regular employees will get Khadi vouchers of Rs 5,000 each, valid for a period of two months. KVIC will earn Rs 35 crore from ONGC by this initiative," Saxena said.

Against this, the total sale of KVIC products would be around Rs 47 crore, of which 22 per cent or Rs 10 crore would be wages and five per cent rewards to artisans joining this special marketing initiative, he added.

KVIC will sell its top quality products at the employees' doorstep by organising 16 special exhibitions on ONGC premises.

The first of these expos will start from Monday in Maharashtra and Gujarat which will continue till February 14, to be followed by a calendar of exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Goa.

KVIC and ONGC officials are working out plans to hold four expos simultaneously at four venues to sell the Khadi products, according to Saxena.

"By this, the rural communities will earn more, KVIC will boost employment opportunities by generating 6.50 lakh extra mandays for the artisans besides providing sales to their products and value for money for ONGC employees," Saxena pointed out.

He said this initiative has been hailed in both business and social circles as an experiment of "multi-level sustainable development, and also a model of socio-economic rewards for the producer and consumers alike.

--IANS

qn/ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's former Army Chief retired General Raheel Sharif has been invited to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where he will speak on the subject of terrorism, the media reported on Saturday.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting, which will be chaired jointly by Brian T. Moynihan of the Bank of America, award-winning documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Danish politician Helle Thorning-Schmidt, CEO of Philips Frans van Houten and CEO of HP Meg Whitman, Dawn news reported.

This is the first time that a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the WEF scheduled to take place from January 17 to 20. Earlier, former President Pervez Musharraf had addressed the forum.

A spokesperson for the WEF confirmed on Friday that Raheel Sharif would speak at two sessions of the event to be held on January 17.

--IANS

ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Although two opinion polls have given different findings about which party will be the winner in Punjab, conventional wisdom is that the ruling Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine will have a hard time overcoming the anti-incumbency factor.

The reason is, first, the drug problem to which a sizable section of the youth has fallen victim. Moreover, not only has the Parkash Singh Badal government failed to act effectively to check the menace, there are suspicions too about the clandestine involvement of high-ups in the government, including a minister, in the narcotics trade.

Secondly, Punjab is no longer quite the prosperous state as is commonly perceived because of the prevailing bankruptcy as alleged by the former Finance Minister and the Chief Minister's nephew, Manpreet Singh Badal, who is now in the Congress after having been expelled from the Akali Dal for making the charge.

Thirdly, there is said to be an element of disquiet outside the Akali Dal's core group of rural supporters about the Badal government's conversion into a family enterprise with Prakash Singh Badal's son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, assuming the Deputy Chief Minister's post.

There is little doubt that if the Akalis win, he will be the Chief Minister, replacing his 89-year-old father.

But, in case the anti-incumbency factor heralds the Akali Dal's winter of discontent, which party will gain?

At one time, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) was expected to be the main gainer if only because it unexpectedly won four out of the 13 parliamentary seats in the 2014 general elections with 24.4 per cent

votes, next only to the Akali Dal, which also won four seats with 26.3 per cent votes.

But the AAP leaders then still had the reputation of being knights in shining armour, ready to cleanse the system of sleaze and provide a

government close to the hearts of the people.

But that image has been dented to a considerable extent by its indifferent performance in Delhi and constant tiffs with the Centre

and the Lt. Governor, with the result that few expect it to score an outright victory in Punjab.

Instead, it is expected to be the third behind the Akali Dal-BJP combine and the Congress.

The political scene can be said, therefore, to have remained more or less the same with the two heavyweights continuing to be the dominant forces with the AAP and the BJP being minor players.

Of the two frontrunners, the Congress may expect to reap the harvest of anti-incumbency, not least because its 40.1 per cent vote share in 2012 was more than the Akali Dal's 34.7.

What saved the Akali Dal in that year was its alliance with the BJP since the two together won 68 seats (Akali Dal 56, BJP 12) against the

Congress's 46, an increase of two seats from 2007.

However, there was a fall in the voting percentages of both the Akali Dal and the BJP since 2007 while there was a marginal increase in the

Congress's vote share.

If these straws in the wind are taken into consideration, the Congress can look forward with some confidence to the ensuing contest.

Besides, it has in Amrinder Singh a veteran of many battles with a "born to rule" image because of his "royal" lineage.

But the Congress's disadvantage remains its central leadership and especially Rahul Gandhi, who does not give the impression of being a hands-on, mature and responsible leader.

His equations with Amrinder Singh are also far from being warm presumably because the scion of the "royal" family of Patiala once said that the crown prince of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty lacks the experience to head the Congress party.

However, Amrinder Singh cannot be unaware that in case the Congress comes out on top, it will be Gandhi who will be credited with the victory by the latter's band of sycophants although to nearly all the others, the kudos should really go to the Captain, as Amrinder Singh is called.

A Congress victory may also pave the way for Rahul Gandhi's long-awaited ascent to the position of party president, which may not

be the best thing for the Congress since, to most observers, Amrinder Singh's doubts about his capabilities are not invalid.

There is little doubt, however, that out of the elections in five states in February and March, the best chance for the Congress is in Punjab.

If the party can pull it off in the state, it will go a long way to counter the demoralisation that had set in after its disastrous performance in the last general election and the subsequent defeats in a number of assembly elections, including in Delhi, Maharashtra,

Haryana, Assam and Kerala.

A victory may not mean that the effects of "Rahu kaal" are over for the Congress, but it will show nevertheless that there is still some life left in the old warhorse.

(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com <mailto:amulyaganguli@gmail.com>)

--IANS

amulya/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
National Award winning director Rahul Dholakia, who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming film "Raees", was extremely keen to highlight the essence of Makar Sankranti in his film. So, he added "Udi udi jaye", a special Gujarati number for the harvest festival.

"Sankranti is one of the few festivals where everyone participates -- males and females, young and old, Hindus and Muslims. My grandma was an expert at cutting kites and the festival lasts two days because normally the wind is more on next day known as Vasi Uttran," Dholakia said in a statement.

Remembering his days in the US, he said: "I used to live in America for most of those years, so we would begin celebrating from the time we flew out from Newark Airport. I have been celebrating Sankranti in Gujarat for the last 25 plus years -- every year, my friends from America come to Ahmedabad and celebrate Uttran -- and no matter which part of the world we are, we all gather there.

"They have come this year too and I have missed it as I am completing 'Raees'."

Speaking of the importance of the festival in the song 'Udi udi jaye", the director said: "We have used it in 'Raees' as a part of a very crucial sequence which ends with the song."

The film stars superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mahira Khan.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm with kite flying competitions and grand garba events.

--IANS

dc/rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday asserted the organisation is "not against anyone" but only working to unite and strengthen the Hindu community.

"We are not against anyone but only working to unite the Hindu community and to empower the Hindu society," Bhagwat said while addressing a rally here.

"Can anyone stop us? No one can stop us. We have to work. We have and we will keep on doing it. Increase activism, it doesn't increase from preaching," he said in his message on Makar Sankranti.

--IANS

bdc-sgh/ssp/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Richa Singh, wife of Army jawan Yagya Pratap Singh, who had alleged exploitation by his superiors, sat on hunger strike here on Saturday, demanding justice for her husband.

Richa said her husband also sat on hunger strike in Fatehgarh, where he is posted.

Lance Naik Yagya Pratap had uploaded an video, in which he had alleged that his seniors forced him to do domestic chores and even polish shoes.

Richa claimed her husband was being pressurised and harassed by his seniors after the video went viral on social media.

She demanded that army jawans should be posted at the border by relieving them of subsidiary works and should be given mobile phones to remain in touch with their families.

--IANS

hindi-spk/pgh/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh police on Saturday said they have arrested a top terrorist, whom authorities hold responsible for killing at least 22 people belonging to religious minorities and is also believed to be among those behind the Dhaka cafe attack in July.

Jahangir Alam, also known as "Rajib", was arrested on Friday night by the police's Counter Terrorism Unit in the northern district of Tangali, the additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka, Mohammad Yusuf Ali told Efe news.

Ali said Rajib was directly involved in at least 22 killings linked to the Islamic group Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) "of Hindu priests, Christian people, (and) foreigners across the country, especially in the northern and western region."

The authorities also believe that Rajib recruited and selected people for the July 1 attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery-O'Kitchen cafe.

The attack was perpetrated by five terrorists who entered the restaurant and killed 22 people, including 17 foreigners - 9 Italians, 7 Japanese and an Indian national - after torturing them when they failed to recite the Quran.

The Bangladeshi government has blamed the attack on a faction linked to the JMB, although the assailants disseminated photos expressing their allegiance to the Islamic State.

Earlier this week, the Holey restaurant reopened at a new site and on a smaller scale than before.

Bangladesh, which has a population of 160 million, mostly Muslims, has been witnessing a spate of terror killings that have claimed over 70 lives since 2013, including bloggers, secular thinkers, members of religious minorities and foreigners.

--IANS

ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu on Saturday celebrated Pongal with traditional fervour with people getting up early, donning new clothes and visiting temples.

The festival of Pongal is celebrated to thank the Sun, rain and farm animals.

In the homes, the aroma of ghee-fried cashews, almonds and cardamom wafted through as the traditional dish of rice, jaggery and moong daal was made.

As the ingredients of Chakarai Pongal boiled in milk, people called out "Pongolo Pongal, Pongolo Pongal".

As per tradition the dish is cooked under the open skies. In cities some do that even today. In majority of the homes the dish is cooked in the kitchen and the Sun god is offered the Pongal as thanks giving and eaten as 'prasad'.

In villages the sweet pongal is still cooked on the open ground.

The mud pot or stainless steel in which the dish is cooked is decorated by tying up ginger, turmeric, sugarcane piece and banana around the neck.

It is made at an auspicious time and in some homes conches are blown prior to the formal offering.

People exchanged greetings and Chakarai Pongal with their neighbours.

The Pongal festivities take place for over four days, the first day being Bhogi, which was on Friday. On this day people burn their old clothes, mats and other items. New paints are applied on the houses.

The second day is the main Pongal festival celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Thai, that is on Saturday.

The third day is the Mattu Pongal when bulls and cows are bathed and their horns painted and worshipped as they play an important role in farms.

Women feed the birds with coloured rice and pray for the welfare of their brothers.

The fourth day is the Kannum Pongal -- the day to go out and meet relatives and friends, and go sight seeing.

Tamil Nadu Governor C.H. Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and other leaders extended Pongal greetings to the people.

--IANS

vj/in/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two battalions of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) will be deployed in the upcoming Punjab and Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, an official said here on Saturday.

"Two battalions of TSR personnel led by Commandants Pinaki Samanta and Kerry Marak left here on Friday for Punjab," a Tripura home department official told IANS.

He said "The TSR personnel would be posted in Punjab according to the direction of the Election Commission and after the Punjab assembly elections they would move to Uttar Pradesh."

The official said that following the request of the union home ministry the counter-insurgency trained force has been sent to the two states.

Assembly elections in Punjab will take place on February 4 while Uttar Pradesh would go to the polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8.

"Besides providing security during Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010, the India Reserve (IR) battalions of TSR were earlier sent to Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Nagaland and Mizoram to provide security during polls," the official said.

The TSR battalions, trained in anti-insurgency operations, were constituted in March 1984 to deal with terrorism. Seventy five per cent of the troopers are from Tripura while the remaining are from across the country.

There are 12 TSR battalions in the state, of which nine are India Reserve battalions, which means they can be deployed anywhere in India by the Home Ministry. The central government has approved the raising of three more TSR battalions.

"The TSR has been modelled on the pattern of Border Security Force and Assam Rifles. It has played an important role in curbing four and a half decades old terrorism in Tripura," the official added.

--IANS

sc/ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Turkish-Armenian member of parliament was temporarily banned from Turkey's National Assembly after he used the term genocide to describe the deaths of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire a century ago, officials said on Saturday.

Garo Paylan, a lawmaker belonging to the pro-minority Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), said during a constitutional reform debate that Armenians had at one time made up 40 per cent of the Turkish population and now only constituted 0.1 per cent, Efe news reported.

"Obviously, something has happened to us, and I call it a genocide," Paylan said.

"The Armenian people know very well what happened to them. I know very well what happened to my grandparents," he added.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) called for Paylan's expulsion from the assembly, claiming he had "insulted the Turkish nation".

In the end, Paylan has been banned for three full sessions before he was allowed to return to his parliamentary seat.

According to Armenian activists and an overwhelming majority of international historians, between one and 1.5 million Armenians were systematically murdered during World War I by Ottoman troops and Kurdish irregulars.

Turkey, the Ottoman Empire's legal successor state, denies "genocide" is an accurate term for the massacres.

Revisionists allege that accusations of genocide are an Armenian conspiracy or a form of anti-Turkish propaganda, instead claiming that the killings have been exaggerated or were justified due to the historical context of the time.

Another argument used by negationists is that many Armenians allied themselves with Russia, with the ensuing clashes causing hundreds of thousands of deaths on both sides.

On the other hand, 29 countries have officially recognized the events as a planned genocide, and there is a general consensus among most historians that the mass killings constituted the first modern genocide.

The term was coined by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1943 in reference to the organised deportation and extermination of Armenians between 1915-1923.

--IANS

ksk/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US Congress has approved a legislation that allows President-elect Donald Trump's pick, retired Marine General James Mattis to head the Pentagon.

The House on Friday easily cleared the bill despite complaints from Democrats that Republicans had rushed the measure unnecessarily.

The bill grants a one-time exception for Mattis from the law that bars former service members who have been out of uniform for less than seven years from holding the top Pentagon job, Fox News reported.

The restriction is meant to preserve civilian control of the military. Mattis, 66, retired from the Marine Corps in 2013.

Congress last granted an exception to the law in 1950 for George Marshall, a former five-star Army general and Secretary of State.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation on Thursday by an 81-17 vote with 30 Democrats backing the bill.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said outgoing President Barack Obama would sign the measure if Congress approved it before he leaves office.

Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the panel held no substantive hearings to examine the impact of the legislation.

He also faulted Republicans for not pushing back when the Trump transition team refused to allow Mattis to testify before the panel on Thursday afternoon after he had completed his confirmation hearing in the Senate.

"We are being treated as irrelevant," Smith said.

Mac Thornberry of Texas, the committee's top Republican, blamed the transition team for "short-sightedness", but rejected Smith's assessment.

"We're not irrelevant because if we do not vote for this legislation, (Mattis) does not serve," Thornberry said.

He also said passing the bill before Trump is sworn in ensures a seamless transition at the Pentagon at a time when the US faces an array of threats.

"The fact is unless we pass this bill today we are not able to have a Secretary of Defense on January 20," Thornberry said. The House will not be in session next week.

During a military career that lasted four decades, Mattis served in numerous senior military positions, including commander of US Central Command in charge of all American forces in the Middle East.

--IANS

py/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Sates has warned its citizens living in Kenya to avoid travelling to the border area between Somalia and Kenya because of threats by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

In a revised travel advisory issued on Friday, the US State Department told Americans to avoid travel in the northeastern Kenyan counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa, the coastal counties of Tana River and Lamu in their entirety and the Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The US citizens should also be aware of potential terrorist threats and the high risk of crime throughout the country," US State Department said in its advisory.

Washington also advised its citizens to visit Old Town in the coastal city of Mombasa only at daylight hours.

"Violent and sometimes fatal crimes, including armed car-jackings, muggings, home invasions and burglaries and kidnappings can occur at anytime," the advisory said.

The East African nation relies heavily on the currency of foreigners that travel to see the wildlife and natural beauty of the land and these terror attacks threaten the tourism business.

Terrorist targets have included Kenyan and foreign government sites, police stations and vehicles, hotels, public transportation and other infrastructure targets.

On September 11, 2016, three masked women attacked a police station in Mombasa with knives and petrol bombs, wounding two Kenyan police officers.

In October 27, 2016, an assailant with a knife attacked a police officer guarding the US Embassy compound. The assailant was however shot dead by the security officers.

--IANS

vgu/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Author Naseera Sharma, named last month for a Sahitya Akademi Award, laments that communal riots are continuing despite the partition of the country in 1947, saying her writings aim to disperse the differences between Hindus and Muslims. She also added that ideological differences between writers and the government, which came into sharp focus in 2015, would persist regardless of who was in power.

"India after Independence has witnessed multiple communal riots, resulting in the loss of harmless lives, leaving people in a devastated staste. This shouldn't be happening anymore," Sharma, 68, who has been cited for her Hindi novel "Paarijat", told IANS in an interview.

"There have been riots in India since 1947. This shouldn't be happening. The partition made clear that those who wished to leave the country had the liberty to do so. Riots after partition do not make sense," an indignant Sharma contended.

"The situation now has been prevailing since 1947. The Hindus and Muslims are going through a troublesome time and my writing is an attempt to disperse the existing differences between them," the author added.

She was also upset over the people, especially the minority communities "still living under the shadow of the (2002) Gujarat riots which is embedded in their minds. Therefore, the people often feel insecure under the present government".

"Agar tum tarikh dekhoge to ye isi Sarkar ki nahi hai, har Sarkar ke daur mein aisa hota hai (If you examine it closely, then it (Gujarat) is not the only riot that has happened in India. Riots have occurred under other political parties (when they ruled)," the author noted.

"Riots have been happening in India till now. Earlier governments were not vocal...while this government has been pretty vocal, which often creates fear in the minds of the people," she added.

In 2015, many Sahitya Akademi winners either refused to accept their awards or even returned their awards to protest against the growing intolerance in the country. The situation is no different now, Sharma said.

"Understanding the depth of emotions or interpreting the meaning of the writers is not easy. Either you understand the message that we try to convey or else give us the freedom of expressing our views," Sharma contended.

In this context, she said that differences have always existed between writers and the party in power.

"Ye koi nayi baat nahi hai. Takrar toh lekhak aur Sarkar ke beech waqt waqt pe hota aya hai (It is not a new thing. There have always been differences in ideologies between writers and government," the author said.

"It is not just in the case of this government," she noted, adding that ideological clashes keep happening, at times upfront and at times beneath the surface.

"And it is also not true that all the people are against the present government. People were equally disappointed with the UPA government as well," she said.

At the same time, she noted that ideological differences exist in all the countries and are not just prevalent in India. "There are even ideological clashes and differences in a single party," she said, adding that India's advantage is that "we have the liberty to express ourselves, even our disappointments".

"And why restrict or limit the clash of ideologies only to writers? If anybody is not happy with anything, even if that person is not a writer. Everyone has the right to confront the government. There are many people who are not so privileged like us, they cannot leave the country. Where will they go? The government should look after what the common mass wants," the author maintained.

She believes that until and unless the government takes along with all the sections and categories of people, "there is bound to be conflict of ideology. The country belongs to all (of us). All should sit and discuss and bring solutions to problems".

(Somrita Ghosh can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in)

--IANS

som/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even as the Samajwadi Party (SP) father and son duo of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav were fighting over the control of the party symbol, the latter had signalled his intention to push on with alliance partners. This is clear from the fact that while the hearing of the symbol case in the Election Commission was on Friday, on the previous Tuesday the Uttar Pradesh chief minister wrote to potential alliance partners including the Congress, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the Janata Dal United and others, asking them to consider tying up with the SP in the state. Akhilesh Yadavs meeting with his father and the subsequent patch-up were probably eyewash. Everything will move fast this week. Akhilesh Yadavs tone in the letter was respectful and considerate. This has impressed potential allies, with Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi cancelling his China visit in the wake of this letter.
In April 2013, when the Saradha scam unfolded, many said it was the end of the road for the feisty chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee. However, the 2016 elections to the state Assembly proved the naysayers wrong and the Trinamool Congress rode back to power with impressive numbers: the party won 211 out of the 294 seats, bettering its tally of 184 in 2011.
One person was drowned while ten others sustained serious injuries after a country boat capsized in the Ganga River here this evening.

Patna City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushwaha said one person, whose identity was yet to ascertained, died by drowning while ten others have been taken to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) after receiving injuries in the boat tragedy.

About 40 persons were on board the boat which was coming to Ranighat in Patna from Sabalpur diara (riverine) on the other side of River Ganga after watching kite flying on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Some persons swam to safety, while some families were complaining of missing members, the SP said adding, a search operation is on.

District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal and the SP have reached the spot.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the boat tragedy and ordered a probe.

Kumar has ordered cancellation of all subsequent events organised in the diara (riverine) area as part of the Makar Sankranti festival and has instructed seniorofficials to seek details about the programme organised from which people were returning and whether proper arrangements were made for the event, an official statement said here.

The CM instructed Principal Secretary of Health R K Mahajan and the Patna District Magistrate to ensure proper treatment of the victims of the boat tragedy.

Kumar has also instructed Principal Secretary of Disaster Management Pratyay Amrit and DIG Shalin to supervise relief and rescue operations and has ordered Patna district administration to provide ex-gratia to the family of the deceased.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 26 Yemeni fighters died in fresh clashes and an air strike as government forces advanced against Shiite Huthi rebels near a key shipping strait, medics and officials said today.

A week-long assault by government forces and their allies aims to expel the Iran-backed Huthis from Dhubab region, close to the Bab al-Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Twelve bodies of Huthi insurgents were taken early today to a hospital in rebel-held Hodeida, a medical official said, adding that the facility received 23 others wounded.

He said the casualties were from clashes last night in Dhubab.

An overnight air strike by a pro-government Arab coalition on a rebel assembly in Zaydiya, in Hodeida province, left another nine Huthis dead, a security official said.

The Red Sea port city of Hodeida lies some 200 kilometres north of Dhubab.

A medical official at a hospital in Aden said five pro-government fighters were killed in overnight clashes around Dhubab and 14 others wounded.

Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and allied fighters from the Popular Resistance have entered the town of Dhubab and seized its local government headquarters.

Popular Resistance commander Abdelrahman al-Muharami said the loyalists had also recaptured large parts of Al-Omeri military base in mountains overlooking the coast.

"There are still some rebel pockets" in the base, he said.

The government and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition recaptured Bab al-Mandab strait in October 2015, pushing the rebels further north.

But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen's Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

Yemen's conflict has killed more than 7,400 people and wounded nearly 40,000 since it escalated with the coalition intervention in March 2015 after the Huthis seized large swathes of the country, according to the United Nations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Islamic State group launched a ferocious assault today on a city in eastern Syria, leaving more than 30 jihadists and regime fighters dead, a monitoring group said.

At least 12 members of government forces and 20 IS militants were among the dead in the IS attack on regime positions in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Both the Observatory and Syrian state agency SANA said two civilians were also killed in IS rocket fire on government-controlled zones in the city.

Around 200,000 people live in Deir Ezzor city, which has been besieged by IS since early 2015 and is the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name.

IS has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said today's attack was the "most violent" assault mounted by IS on the city in more than a year.

He said IS was using tunnel bombs and suicide attackers, while Syrian and allied warplanes battered jihadist positions with air strikes.

"Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines," a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

He said jihadists had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped IS.

"Warplanes attacked Daesh's supply lines in all the battlefronts and around the airport," he said.

IS is excluded from a nationwide truce that was brokered by Turkey and Russia and came into effect on December 30.

Diplomatic efforts to end Syria's nearly six-year war have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Huge quantitu of explosives have been recovered during a search operation launched by the security personnel following a landmine blast triggered by the Maoists at Budha Pahar, injuring five security personnel in Latehar district yesterday, police today said.

An encounter had ensued soon after the blast, which occurred when the security personnel comprising of the Cobra battalion and District Armed Police launched the anti-Maoist operation based on an information that four Maoists who had suffered injuries during a recent encounter in Chhattisgarh, were likely to be shifted to Latehar via Budha Pahar jungle for treatment.

Five security personnel, including two Assistant Commandants of Cobra battalion and two Sub-Inspectors of District Police, were injured during the operation and were airlifted to Ranchi for treatment.

The Cobra battalion has recovered 165 detonators, 35 IEDs, 20 kgs explosives, 63 grenades, 50 m codex wire, 200 kg ration, huge quantity of medicines, 100 litres diesel, one generator set, utensils for 40-50 persons, one radio set, 35 sets of uniforms, police said.

Superintendent of Police Anoop Birtheray claimed the Maoists have suffered heavy damages in yesterday's encounter.

Referring to the landmine blast, Birtheray said the Maoists had planted pressure bombs and landmines all over the jungle and some of the explosives were planted in such a manner that even metal detectors failed to detect them.

A case has been registered with the Baresaand police station against 50 Maoists including its Central Polit Bureau member Arvind alias Birsai and zonal commander Mritunjay in connection with the landmine blast at Budha Pahar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least five persons have died due to severe cold weather in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi which received this season's first winter showers leading to massive traffic snarls.

Rains lashed Karachi and brought down the temperature by three degree Celsius below normal.

Continued showers wrecked havoc with inadequate civic facilities affecting the lives of millions of people in the country's largest city which is witnessing frequent power outages since yesterday.

At least five persons lost their lives due to the cold weather. Several roads are flooded with rain water due to choked drains in many parts of the city.

According to the Edhi welfare foundation, a man was killed after his bike skidded.

Two persons were killed in Nazimabad's Urdu Bazaar and two others killed in a separate rain-related accident in Rizvia society. Another man was electrocuted after coming into contact with a live wire near Korangi Crossing, police said.

Heavy rains brought down the temperature between 11 and 12 degree Celsius, according to meteorological department.

Rains caused massive traffic snarls on several roads.

The weatherman has forecast cloudy weather with chances of thunderstorm.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal today said people of Punjab will be accorded 80 per cent reservation in jobs in the local industry if his party formed government in the state.

Whosoever be the Chief Minister of Punjab in the AAP government, it would be his duty to fulfill all promises, he said while addressing a rally here during his 330 km-long, two day long "Ghar Bachao Muhim" in Majha region started from Pathankot to culminate at Khemkaran.

The Delhi Chief Minister said his priorities would be to bring to book the culprits of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, eliminating drugs, waiving farmer loans, and providing jobs to the youth and a giving a life of dignity to every Punjabi.

"I promise to stop drug supply within a month and would ensure de-addiction of about 40 lakh addicted youth within six months," he said.

Kejriwal said he was pained that a "so-called panthic government allowed desecration of holy scripture to happen and then spared the culprits."



He alleged that there was no doubt that ruling party was involved in the sacrilege incidents.

Conspirators and accused of Bargari sacrilege and Bebbal Kalan Police firing, in which two persons were killed, would not be allowed to go scot free, Kejriwal said.

AAP government on first day of taking oath would increase the old age, widow and handicapped pension from existing Rs 500 to Rs 2,500 per month, he said.

AAP is committed to rejuvenate the education and health system in Punjab which has collapsed during Badal government, Kejriwal said.

He said within three years all government schools would be re-modeled and 'Pind Clinics' will be opened in every village.

Kejriwal claimed that Delhi government had opened Mohalla clinics and renovated all government schools with facilities like swimming pools.

Kejriwal gave a clarion call to people of Punjab and to join the battle against corruption, drug and mining mafia.

He said 10 years of rule by "crooked" political family had ruined Punjab.

The AAP convener said, "Almighty has given an opportunity to AAP and also the people of Punjab to save the state from clutches of corrupt and inept alliance of SAD-BJP."



Kejriwal further said "Ghar Bachao Muhim", was aimed to create a bond with the people of Majha to save them from the peril of drugs, "I have full solidarity with the families whose breadwinners fell prey to drugs," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas warned today that moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would deal a huge blow to hopes for Middle East peace.

Commenting as he opened a Palestinian embassy at the Vatican, Abbas added that anything which legitimised the "illegal Israeli annexation" of Jerusalem would "bury the hopes for a two-state solution, and fuel extremism in our region".

The Palestinian leader held a private meeting with Pope Francis before inaugurating the diplomatic mission, located in a building facing the Vatican that also houses the embassies of Peru and Burkina Faso.

Speaking briefly to reporters, Abbas reiterated his opposition to the possible transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as President-elect Donald Trump had indicated he might do.

"We cannot say anything yet because it has not happened, but if this does happen it will not help the peace process. I hope it will not happen," said Abbas, speaking in Arabic.

In a separate English-language statement, he hailed the Vatican's hosting of a Palestinian embassy.

"We are very grateful about the role that the Holy See has played for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land, and for having opened an embassy of Palestine in the Vatican for first time," he said.

But, Abbas expressed concern about Trump's pledge during the election campaign to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there.

Such a step would be a historic break with US policy, and with most of the international community, over the status of Jerusalem, also claimed by the Palestinians as capital of their future state, an issue to be settled by negotiation.

"Any attempts at legitimising the illegal Israeli annexation of the city will destroy the prospects of any political process, bury the hopes for a two-state solution, and fuel extremism in our region, as well as worldwide," Abbas said.

"In this moment, we extend our hand to President-elect Trump for his cooperation to make peace based on international law," he added.

Abbas met with Pope Francis for 20 minutes ahead of the embassy opening.

Among the gifts exchanged, Abbas offered the pontiff a stone from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, according to Greg Burke, spokesman for the Holy See.

A Vatican statement regarding Israel and the Palestinians added: "Hope was expressed that direct negotiations between the parties may be resumed to bring an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations, and to find a just and lasting solution.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ten years after bringing Houston and Kolkata together in his film in "Bong Connection", Anjan Dutt is back with the same subject in "The Bongs Again", which released yesterday.

This time the film connects Kolkata to London, but the director of the film refuses to call his movie a sequel to "Bong Connection".

"It's a journey of two girls and two cities like the older one. So 'Bongs Again' does not carry forward the story of 'Bong Connection' in that way. It is kind of retelling the story after one decade," Anjan said about the film.

He said that 'Bong Connection' had a finger on the pulse of the upwardly mobile urban Bengalis and broke many set norms and conventions.

"The target audience of my earlier film was 19-20-21 year-old Bongs. They have become older by 10 years. I had to keep in mind the new generation and whether they also feel the same rootlessness or pride of their nationality," Anjan said.

Mostly shot in London, Kent and Eastbourne, a small portion of "Bongs Again" has been set in Kolkata, giving the bi-lingual (Bengali and English) an European look where the British empire's Calcutta merges seamlessly, though partially.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the occasion of the "Army Day" a wreath laying ceremony will be held here tomorrow.

Lieutenant General RK Anand, General Officer Commanding, Headquarters Dakshin Bharat Area and senior officers from the Armed forces will be laying the wreath, a Defence press release said here today.

The ceremony will be held at the Victory War Memorial on Rajaji Salai here at 8.45 am, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Goa chief minister and Congress leader Digambar Kamat today claimed that the "atmosphere in Goa is against ruling BJP".

"The atmosphere in Goa is against the ruling BJP," Kamat told reporters here after visiting the shrine of Saibaba.

Kamat has recently filed his nomination papers as a Congress candidate from Margao constituency for the Goa Assembly polls scheduled on February 4.

He also took a jibe at the BJP government in Goa over the issue of casinos.

"Ahead of the last Assembly polls in 2012, BJP had assured to submerge casinos in river Mandvi. But now, the number of casinos have increased," Kamat claimed.

"Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party was associated with BJP in Goa, but now it has joined hands with 'Goa Suraksha Manch' and this situation is beneficial for Congress," he said.

He also claimed that the "Centre's decision to demonetise high-value currency notes affected common people in Goa, especially farmers and traders, and this will benefit the Congress".

The leader further said "people in Goa think that Aam Aadmi Party is a Delhi-based party and hence there is no impact in the coastal state".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh police today said they have arrested a top Islamist militant accused of being one of the "masterminds" of the country's worst terror attack at a popular Dhaka cafe and plotting murders of religious minorities including two Hindu priests.

ISIS-linked outlawed Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen recruiter Jahangir Alam alias Rajib alias Gandhi was arrested last night from Elenga, some 120 kms north of Dhaka, Counter-Terrorism and Transnational police unit chief Monirul Islam told media.

He said that Alam was one of the "key players" of the July attack on Holey Artisan restaurant who were captured alive so far as "13 of the 17 militants who were presumed to have plotted the attack were killed in encounters so far".

"During the initial interrogation he has admitted to his direct link to plot of staging the attack on Gulshan's Holey Artisan and the subsequent Eid congregation in Sholakia," Islam said.

The official said the police investigations found that Alam was involved in plotting murders of 22 people including a slain Japanese national, a Hindu tailor, two Hindu priests, a village doctor, a Sufi Muslim, a professor of state-run Rajshahi University and several others in the past four years.

The development came two weeks after five suspected JMB operatives were arrested over plotting attacks on the New Year's Eve and 30-kg explosives were seized from them.

A breakaway faction of JMB constituted the Neo-JMB which was behind the July 1 attack on the Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. An Indian girl was among those killed in Bangladesh's worst terror attack.

Police said Alam's name surfaced during investigations when they found that he served Neo-JMB as the commander of the outfit for the Northern districts.

The arrest was made a week after Neo-JMB's most wanted leader Nurul Islam alias Marzan and another extremist were killed by counter-terrorism forces in Mohammadpur Beribadh area of the capital during a pre-dawn raid.

Police had claimed that Marzan coordinated the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.

Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Chowdhury, who was singled out by the police as the neo-JMB chief and the key player in the recent terror activities in Bangladesh, and two others were killed in a police operation in Narayanganj on August 27.

Last week, RAB arrested 10 people from different parts of Dhaka for their suspected involvement with the cafe attackers.

A dozen other top and second-tier leaders of the New JMB group are still absconding.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Surjit Singh Barnala, who almost became Prime Minister in the mid-90s but for his party ditching him, was a moderate Akali politician and played a role in the Rajiv-Longowal Accord that catapulted him to the chief minister's seat in Punjab during its worst period of militancy.

Painter, politician and author, 91-year-old Barnala was among the few who held various posts including that of Chief Minister, Governor and Union Minister.

Barnala was a candidate of the BJP and its allies in the election of the Vice President of India in 1997. But in the previous year, he almost emerged as a consensus candidate for prime ministership when motley combine of parties formed the United Front after defeat of Congress.

His party Akali Dal, however, did not support him as it chose to go with the BJP which had just lost power after 13 days in government.

When Punjab was rocked by militancy in the 80s, Barnala stood by another moderate Akali leader Sant Harchand Singh Longowal who signed the Punjab Peace Accord in 1985 with Rajiv Gandhi, months after he had become Prime Minister.

Barnala was elected from the Barnala assembly constituency during the 1985 assembly polls held after the signing of the Rajiv Longowal accord.

He was unanimously elected leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislature party on Sept 27, 1985. He remained Chief Minister till May 11, 1987 during the peak period of militancy.

He was elected acting President of SAD on August 25, 1985 following the assassination of Longowal by terrorists.

Barnala was appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu a post he held from May 1990 to February 1991. He was Governor of Tamil Nadu for a second time from Nov 2004 to August 2011 holding two successive tenures.

In his first term as Governor of Tamil Nadu, Barnala had famously refused to recommend dismissal of the DMK government in 1991 when the late Chandrashekhar was the Prime Minister for a short time. When he was transferred to Bihar following his refusal, he chose to resign as Governor.

The government headed by Chandrashekhar then dismissed the Karunanidhi ministry using the "otherwise" provision in Article 356 of the Constitution after Barnala's refusal to make a recommendation.
Belarus in association with International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI) is working on the setting up of a 'Tech Showroom' in India.

"A one-stop centre for technology from Belarus and products of joint R&D projects by Indian and Belarus collaboration is expected to be showcased at ARCI, Hyderabad for Indian companies," Belarus diplomat in India Igor Pilipenko said here today.

Pilipenko expected that the showroom will be operational this year.

"An ARCI delegation is visiting Belarus shortly to finalise the modalities of the showroom. Belarus and India already conducted joint research projects with equal funding," he said.

Meanwhile, Belarus Ambassador to India Vitaly Prima expressed confidence in increasing bilateral trade to USD 1 billion in the 2-3 years from USD 450 million.

Belarus has several technology in several sectors like mining, transport, industrial coating among and vocational training among others that can be used by India through technology transfer and joint ventures.

The landlocked neighbour of Russia said it was also open for joint venture from Indian companies in sectors like pharma in Belarus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the BJP state council meeting here on January 18.

As a prelude to the state council, party state leaders' meet and state committee meeting would be held in the district on January 16 and 17.

The event assumes significance as it is the first such council meeting to be held after Kummanam Rajasekharan took charge as the party's state president, BJP district president N Hari told reporters here today.

"As many as 1373 representatives will take part in the meeting, which will be inaugurated by Venkaiah Naidu. Kummanam Rajasekharan will preside," he said.

Party national secretary H Raja and Nalin Kumar Kateel MP would also take part, he said.

The meet is expected to give shape to a comprehensive campaign programme to take to the people the economic reforms and the various welfare initiatives of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Parents, take note! Telling your children that they are 'overweight' may make them gain weight as they grow up, new research has warned.

The findings indicate that children whose parents identified them as being overweight perceived their own body size more negatively and were more likely to attempt to lose weight, factors that partly accounted for their weight gain.

"Although parents' perception that their children are overweight has been presumed to be important to management of childhood obesity, recent studies have suggested the opposite; when a parent identifies a child as being overweight, that child is at increased risk of future weight gain," said Eric Robinson from University of Liverpool in the UK.

"We argue that the stigma attached to being an overweight child may explain why children whose parents view them as being overweight tend to have elevated weight gain during development," he said.

Drawing from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, Robinson and and Angelina Sutin, from Florida State University College of Medicine in the US, examined data for 2,823 Australian families.

They measured the children's height and weight when they began the study as 4- or 5-year-olds.

At that time, the children's parents reported whether they thought the children were best described as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or very overweight.

Later, when they were 12 or 13, the children used a series of images depicting bodies that increased in size to indicate which image most resembled their own body size.

Children also reported whether they had engaged in any behaviours in an attempt to lose weight in the previous 12 months.

Researchers took height and weight measurements again when the children were 14 or 15 years old.

The results indicated that parents' perceptions were associated with children's weight gain 10 years later: Children whose parents considered them to be overweight at age 4 or 5 tended to gain more weight by age 14 or 15.

This association could be accounted for, at least in part, by the children's beliefs and behaviours.

Children whose parents thought they were overweight perceived their own body size more negatively and were more likely to report attempts to lose weight.

The results were the same for boys and girls, and they could not be explained by other possible factors, such as household income, presence of a medical condition and parents' weight.

The link between parents' perceptions and children's later weight gain did not depend on how much the child actually weighed when they began the study.

When researchers examined data from 5,886 Irish families participating in the Growing Up in Ireland study, they saw the same pattern of results.

The research was published in the journal Psychological Science.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi today suggested that the Centre should consider presenting a vote on account before the elections in five states and the Budget after voting ends.

On the issue of the tussle between the two factions of Samajwadi Party to stake claim over 'cycle' election symbol, he said the poll panel is likely to freeze it and may issue an interim order by giving interim names and symbols to both sides.

During polls, the election commission normally tells states to have votes on account in place of a full fledged Budget, which can be presented after the polls, Quraishi said.

"I am optimistic that the government will definitely consider the sentiments of a large section of society that budget should be presented post-elections, as they contemplate that this might have some affect on the outcome of the polls," he said.

Stating that the model code of conduct should be honoured in its letter and spirit, Quarishi, said the chapter seven of the model code of conduct talks about incumbency advantage related to policy decisions and announcements. This issue can be seen in light of that.

The Budget session has already been convened from January 31 when the President will address the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament. The Union Budget and the Economic Survey are slated to be presented the next day.

Pitching for giving the power of deregistering political parties to Election Commission, he said if the panel has the power to register parties, it should be able to deregister them also.

"During my tenure we had found that there are a few hundred parties which do not contest polls but are registered as political outfits to primarily raises tax-free money for non-political purposes," he said, adding there is urgent need to cancel registration of such organisations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To foster friendship between India and Pakistan, school children from both the nations have come up with paintings that express a desire for peace.

These paintings have been compiled in the 5th Indo-Pak Peace Calendar by NGO Aaghaz-e-Dosti.

A joint Indo-Pak friendship initiative which aims to connect people through expressions across borders, the calendar was released at India International Center today.

The message penned down by several peace activists and renowned intellectuals from India as well as Pakistan are complemented with 12 paintings by school children - six each from both the countries.

"It will go a long way in reminding everyone that peace is the only solution to the problems. The calendar is about sharing dreams and hopes of friendship.

"It is about rekindling of hope and enhancing people to people connect through expressions and desires of students who paint their dreams of travelling across borders," a team member of Aaghaz-e-Dosti said.

Writer and politician Shashi Tharoor, Major General (retd) Ashok Mehta, columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni have shared their messages with Pakistani artist Salima Hashmi, professor Mubashir Hassan and Lt General (retd) Muhammad Masood Aslam for the calendar.

"The paintings depict an innocent and apolitical horizon of peace. We received thought-provoking expressions from students of several cities in India as well as Pakistan," the team member said.

The calendar, which was launched in Lahore on January 1, will soon be formally displayed in Dehradun, Panipat, Mumbai and Kolkata. Aagaz-e-Dosti is also planning it's launch in Kyrgyzstan and US.

The launch was followed by a discussion that saw the participation of Army veteran Col (retd) Virendra Sahai Verma, veteran Gandhaian S N Subba Rao along with noted writer and educationist Syeda Hameed and poet and feminist Kamla Bhasin.

While explaining the concept of peace and strained relations between the two countries, Subba Rao said, "Youth need to come together to spread the message of peace and should take initiatives which will help in fostering stronger ties."



The event was also attended by students who are studying in South Asian University here and hail from Pakistan. They gave a personal account of love and warmth while living in India.

"I have never felt even a single minute of alienation in India. Whenever I go back to Pakistan I talk about the stories of warmth and friendship to my friends there. People in both nations have no problem with each other," Sunil Nand, a student, said.

One of the representatives of Aaghaz-e-Dosti said they always target schools because they want to inculcate the emotion of oneness since the beginning in children.

"We organise interactive sessions in schools, peace workshops and seminars where we always focus on children because we believe if seeds of peace are sown in the beginning, it will help in changing the other narrative of Indo-Pak reations," the representative said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China's first aircraft carrier formation which moved close to Taiwan and conducted drills in the disputed South China Sea has returned to Qingdao port after finishing exercises and testing combat-capability, the Chinese navy has said.

Comprised of aircraft carrier Liaoning, a number of destroyers, some J-15 carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters, the fleet sailed through the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China sea, it said.

The formation, which set off on Christmas day, passed through the Miyakato, Bashi and Taiwan straits, according to the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

Taiwan protectively rushed fighter jests and naval ships.

The Chinese navy said J-15 fighter jets on board the carrier carried out exercises including taking off and landing in different hydrological and meteorological conditions, air-combat tactics, air refuelling, and others.

The drills verified the combat capability of the aircraft carrier formation and construction and command of the high sea combat system, the PLAN said.

Chen Yueqi, commander of the formation, said the drill simulated real combat as much as possible and achieved expected results.

Future drills of Liaoning will be determined by actual situations, the PLAN said.

China is currently manufacturing second aircraft carrier with plans to build a third one.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinasought to improve political and military ties with Vietnam, shelving the maritime dispute over the South China Sea, during Vietnamese Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong's ongoing visit amid Hanoi's push for closer relations with India, state-run media here has said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also heads the ruling Communist Party of China, during his meeting with Phu yesterday termed China and Vietnam as "Comrades and Brothers", highlighting fraternal ties between the two neighbours ruled by Communist parties.

With regards to the South China Sea dispute, Xi said both sides should increase communication and consolidate mutual trust in order to lay a solid political foundation for the settlement of disputes and work together on maritime exploration and cooperation, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Fan Changlong told Vietnamese Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich during their meeting here yesterday that the armies of the two countries should continue to enhance mutual trust, properly manage and control disputes, and help push the China-Vietnam all-round strategic cooperative partnership to a new level.

A commentary by Xinhua agency saidChina and Vietnam are looking forward to a promising future in relations and during Phu's visit he and his high-level delegation has met Xi, Premier Li Keqiang and other top Chinese leaders.

About the South China Sea (SCS) dispute, the commentary saidin recent years, China and Vietnam have jointly patrolled and explored for oil in the Beibu Gulf, demarcation of which set an example for the handling of South China Sea disputes.

Vietnam, besides the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's claims over almost all of SCS.

"Success stories demonstrate that both countries are committed to shelving their maritime differences through cooperation rather than confrontation, which will yield more win-win results and larger-scale cooperation," it said.

Ahead of Phu's visit, Chinese state-run daily Global Times took exception to reports that India plans to sell Akash surface-to-air missile system to Hanoi.

Any moves by India to step up military ties with Vietnam to counter China will create "disturbance" in the region and Beijing will not "sit with its arms crossed", an oped in the paper had said.

While striking a threatening posture against India over its increasingly close-knit ties with Vietnam, another article in the same daily had warned Hanoi that it must improve ties with China notwithstanding the South China Sea dispute.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vast icy rock peaks tower above Argentina's Carlini research base in Antarctica.

But scientists who have worked here for decades say the glaciers are less icy than they once were.

For international experts stationed at the base, the frozen southern continent is a good gauge of climate change.

"When I used to come to Antarctica in the 1990s, it never used to rain," said Rodolfo Sanchez, director of the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA).

"Now it rains regularly -- instead of snowing," he told AFP during an Argentine government visit to King George Island, off the tip of the western Antarctic peninsula.

Scientists monitoring conditions at the base say the average temperature here has increased by 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past century.

"The glacier used to reach all the way to the shore," Sanchez says. "Now there is a 500-meter (550-yard) wide beach."



Dark scars of rock are showing through what were once spotless sheets of white snow on the glaciers' flanks.

"Antarctica is a thermometer that shows how the world is changing," said Adriana Gulisano, a physicist at Argentina's National Antarctic Directorate.

"There is no place where climate change is more in evidence."



Local wildlife also appears to reflect to the change.

Scientists at the Carlini base say a pair of yellow-throated King penguins have swum up to mate nearby for the past three years.

Although the theory is not confirmed, they suspect another sign of climate change. The species had previously been thought to be restricted to warmer spots on the Falkland Islands and the Argentine mainland.

Technician Luis Souza, 56, has divided his time since 1979 between Buenos Aires and the Carlini base, where he has studied migrating birds: cormorants, gulls and penguins.

"There are more and more birds coming here every year," he said.

More crucially, scientists say melting ice is disrupting the breeding of krill, a shrimp-like creature that serves as food for numerous species.

"Less ice means fewer krill for the whales, penguins and seals," said Sanchez. "The whole food chain is affected."



Various countries maintain bases in Antarctica, a shared space for scientific research under a 1959 international treaty.

Former military bases have become laboratories for research into the planet's future.

The Carlini base's red cabins nestle at the foot of a mountain range known as "The Three Brothers."



Below the structures, the shore is strewn with black volcanic rocks.

The population of scientists and military logistics personnel at the 13 Argentina bases in Antarctica can reach 1,000 at busy times.

Supplies are brought in by boat or helicopter. Garbage is stored and taken away by an icebreaker.

Other kinds of experts are also busy in Antarctica, a continent roamed by dinosaurs 75 million years ago.

"The signs are under the ice," said paleontologist Marcelo Reguero cryptically. He has been working in Antarctica since 1986.

- Greenhouse gas flows south -



==============================



Although Antarctica lies thousands of miles from any industrialized area, a recent study by Argentine and Italian scientists found that levels of harmful carbon dioxide gas are rising all the same.

That is "due to the circulation of currents in the atmosphere" bringing the gas from emissions elsewhere all the way down to Antarctica.

But closer to the South Pole in the heart of the white continent, the trend is the opposite, Gulisano said -- average temperatures are getting colder.

"Why?" she asked. "That is the million-dollar question. We are working on it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttarakhand BJP today alleged that release on parole of 19 murder convicts serving jail terms, in less than a month, is a "deliberate" act of the ruling Congress aimed at "vitiating" the atmosphere of the poll-bound state.

BJP claimed that information procured under RTI revealed that 19 murder convicts serving their terms in different jails of the state were released on parole from December 7 to January 3 and expressed apprehension that they could be used by the ruling party in the upcoming Assembly elections.

"Cornered on the issue of corruption, Congress now wants to use such elements for electoral gains. We will take the matter to the election commission," BJP national spokesman Anil Baluni said.

However Chief Minister Harish Rawat's spokesperson Surendra Kumar said, "Getting parole from time to time is the right of prisoners and Congress has no intention to use them in election.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) today decided to gherao the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) office here on Wednesday in protest against its "failure" to do its constitutional duty at the time of demonetisation.

The gherao of the RBI office on Parliament Street will be the first of the protest action by DPCC in the second phase of the 'Jan Vedna' campaign.

"DPCC, under the leadership of its president Ajay Maken, will gherao the Reserve Bank of India on Parliament Street on January 18 as the RBI had failed to do its constitutional duty at the time of demonetisation, due to which people had to suffer a lot, and are still suffering," the party said in a statement.

All India Congress Committee's coordinator Raghubir Kadiyan said the second phase of the 'Jan Vedna' campaign will be held across the country till February 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
has taken over from Thailand as chair of the Group of 77 which promotes the interests of the 134 developing countries it represents at the United Nations, including China.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa told on Friday at handover ceremony that the group will continue promoting "social and economic equality."



He said this can only be done if "poverty, inequality and exclusion" are eradicated and people live with "sovereignty, dignity and in peace."



Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said his country focused in 2016 on how to implement the 17 UN goals for 2030 to promote development and good governance, and preserve the environment.

New Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the G-77 is his "preferred forum" to implement his vision including seeing the new goals become reality and reforming UN operations.
People in most parts of the country were under the grip of festivity today with Makar Sankranti being celebrated in north and eastern states and those in Assam and Tamil Nadu soaking in harvest festivals Magh Bihu and Pongal.

Lakhs of devotees took holy dip in Gangasagar in West Bengal, Sangam in Allahabad -- the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical river Saraswati, and other rivers and water bodies on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, braving biting cold.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many chief ministers and political leaders greeted the nation on harvest festivals.

"On the special occasion of Magh Bihu, my greetings to the people of Assam," he said. "Uttarayan greetings to the people of Gujarat," Modi said in another tweet. He tweeted the messages in local languages also.

In Tamil Nadu, decorated earthen pots brimming with boiling rice, beating of drums and offering of sugarcane pieces to the Sun God at streets and temples marked the harvest festival of Pongal.

However, protests over banning of bull-taming sport Jallikattu dampened the festive spirit in Madurai and the drought situation in Cauvery delta districts affected the celebratory mood there.

Streets in both rural and urban areas of the state were decked up with designs made of flour (called 'Kolam' in Tamil). "Samathuva Pongal" (Egalitarian, community Pongal) was celebrated in several towns by local people.

State government-organised Pongal fests were also held in places including Nilgiris where several foreign tourists participated in the celebrations.

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam celebrated Pongal and his 66th birthday today in his native Periakulam in Theni district. DMK working president M K Stalin celebrated Pongal at his residence in Chennai.

People in Assam also celebrated harvest festival Magh Bihu with traditional fervour.

In Kerala, thousands of devotees offered worship at the famous Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala on the auspicious occasion of Makaravilakku, marking the culmination of the over two-month-long pilgrimage.

The holy hill of Sabarimala, atop which the Ayyappa temple is located, reverberated with chants of "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa" when the portals of the shrine was opened for "deeparadhana" (arti) in the evening.

Braving severe cold and walking several miles, thousands of devotees took a holy dip in confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical river Saraswati on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti amidst tight security that is in place in view of the ongoing annual religious congregation of Magh Mela.

Stalls selling items made of "til" (sesame) and jaggery were doing brisk business as consumption of these on this day, when "Surya" (the Sun) is said to enter "Makar Rashi" (Capricorn), is believed to bring fortune.

Over nine lakh pilgrims took a holy dip at the Gangasagar



today on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti and offered prayers at Kapil Muni Ashram amidst tight security that is in place in view of the Gangasagar Mela, officials said.

Pilgrims started taking a holy dip from 2:52 AM onwards and the auspicious time for the dip will be over after 2:15 AM tomorrow.

One elderly pilgrim became ill and efforts were on to transfer him to Kolkata by a helicopter.

The state and South 24-Parganas district administration have taken a number of measures to avoid any untoward incident and deployed 9,000 policemen and volunteers to provide assistance to the pilgrims, officials said. A drone and 20 vessels including several from the Coast Guard were being used for surveillance.

Makar Sankranti was celebrated with fanfare and gaiety across Rajasthan with people taking holy dips and engaging themselves in religious activities while youths and children were seen enjoying kite flying.

Colourful kites dotted the skyline in Jaipur where children went atop the houses to fly kites with the break of the dawn.

Decorated make-shift walls with different types of kites in all sizes were a common sight in the markets.

Devotees offered prayers to the sun and took holy dip in Galta tirth and offered prayers.

Meanwhile, 21 people were injured in kite-flying related incidents in Jaipur.
Five padayatra pilgrims to the Palani Murugan temple were killed on the spot and another man was seriously injured after a speeding SUV mowed them down near here today, police said.

A group of six men were proceeding to Palani by road from here and when they were crossing Maravanoor off here this morning, an SUV, which was proceeding to Dindigul from Chennai ploughed into them.

"Five men were killed on the spot and another person is unconscious and he is now in Tiruchirappalli Government Hospital," Deputy Police Superintendent G Vanitha told PTI.

On the reason for mishap, she said,"obviously, the driver fell asleep for some moments," adding the driver later identified as Sebastian was arrested and a case has been registered.

Annual padayatra to the temple in Palani is quite popular in Tamil Nadu. In the past too, similar mishaps had happened raising questions about the safety of pilgirms on busy highways.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five pilgrims were killed on the spot and another man was seriously injured after the driver of an SUV fell asleep at the wheel and the vehicle ploughed into them near here today, police said.

A group of six men was on its way to Palani Murugan temple from here. When they were crossing Maravanoor this morning, an SUV, which was going toward Dindigul from Chennai hit them.

"Five men were killed on the spot. Another person was injured and taken to Tiruchirappalli Government Hospital," Deputy Police Superintendent G Vanitha told PTI.

Asked about the reason for the mishap, she said: "Obviously, the driver fell asleep for a moment".

The accused, identified as Sebastian, was later arrested and a case has been registered against him.

Annual padayatra to the temple in Palani is quite popular in Tamil Nadu. Similar mishaps have taken place in the past too, raising questions about the safety of pilgirms on busy highways.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A former MLA has been booked for allegedly interfering in government work in central Delhi's Daryaganj area on a complaint by an municipal corporation executive engineer who had gone to inspect a building being constructed by the former, police said today.

"While the executive engineer was clicking pictures of the building, he was allegedly stopped by former MLA Shoaib Iqbal and his son from doing so," a senior police officer said.

The complaint was made on Thursday while an FIR was lodged yesterday in the matter, he said.

The Executive Engineer alleged that the MLA's son did not allow him and his colleagues to inspect the building and later the MLA arrived, the officer said.

The father-son duo had allegedly used foul language and threatened them, he added.

A case has been registered under relevant sections and further investigation is underway, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even as Congress is yet to decide on forming an alliance with like-minded parties in the coastal state, newly floated Goa Forward has staked claim on five seats for upcoming Assembly election.

"Non-BJP government in Goa is our goal. Give us five seats and we will ensure that we win all of them," Goa Forward President Prabhakar Timble said today.

The newly formed party mentored by independent legislator Vijai Sardesai has staked claim on Velim, Fatorda, Siolim, Saligao and Mapusa seats.

"We guarantee five MLAs to the alliance (led by Congress) to form the next non-BJP government," he said.

The Congress leaders are currently holding meetings in Delhi to decide whether or not to have an alliance with like minded parties like Goa Forward, NCP and United Goans Party during the upcoming Goa polls.

Timble said Goa Forward can also wrestle Navelim seat but since the local unit president of Congress Luizinho Faleiro wants it, etiquette demands that we should not ask for it.

Congress has already announced 27 candidates in Goa which includes Faleiro who would be contesting from Navelim.

Senior Congress leader Girish Chodankar said the party will announce its decision related to alliance either today evening or by tomorrow.

The process to file nominations for February 4 polls has already began in the State.

Congress candidate Digambar Kamat was the first one to file nomination from Margao seat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress today said announcement about whether it would join hands with the "like-minded" parties for the Goa assembly elections, would be made on January 17.

"All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijaya Singh would be in Goa on January 16-17. He would make a formal announcement which will clear the fate of alliance with like-minded parties in Goa for the upcoming assembly polls," AICC secretary Girish Chodankar told reporters.

"Congress is not desperate to win the election and hog the power. But definitely, we will work to unite all the political forces that aim to keep BJP out of power," he said in response to a query.

Chodankar said the party has candidates ready to contest in all the 40 constituencies.

"We are working in all the constituencies. We have strong support base in these assembly segments. In the absence of alliance, we can contest in all of them (constituencies)," he said.

The Congress leader reiterated party's stand that they will close the casino industry in Goa.

"We will not allow casino business to continue in Goa. It is very dangerous for the state. There is corruption involved in allowing casinos to continue," he alleged.

Chodankar said the state is losing Rs 5,000 crore annually, which ought to have been collected as tax from the casino industry. "BJP is fully responsible to allow the casino industry to flourish," he claimed.

Over AAP contesting Goa elections, he said, "AAP is a part of BJP's Congress-mukt Bharat campaign. AAP is completely hand in gloves with BJP and is in Goa to divide secular votes."



Chodankar claimed that AAP is contesting only in those states where there is a straight fight between Congress and BJP like in Goa and Punjab.

Responding to a question, the Congress leader said the elected representatives of Congress will decide who should be their chief minister. He ruled out projecting a CM face for the state polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana Minister Anil Vij today courted controversy with remarks that Mahatma Gandhi's image did not help Khadi and caused devaluation of the currency, sparking widespread outrage with even his party BJP condemning the statements following which he withdrew them.

The senior BJP leader in Haryana, who is not a stranger to controversies, said it was good that Gandhi's image has been replaced with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the calendar and diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) as Modi is a "better brand" and went on to add that Gandhi's image would be removed gradually from the currency notes too.

The "insulting" remarks by Vij, were slammed by Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, who alleged that it was "well orchestrated" campaign from the "high command" and the minister was speaking the language of RSS . The Congress said Gandhi "can be killed, his photographs can be removed but he remains in the soul of India".

Asked about the controversy over Modi's photo, Vij, a five-time MLA from Ambala Cantt, told reporters, "Gandhiji's name has no patent over Khadi. Since Gandhi's name has been attached with Khadi, it has only gone down.

"When Gandhi's image was put on notes, the currency also got devalued," Vij said.

"It is a good move to replace Gandhi's image with Modi. Modi is a better brand than Gandhi. With the Modi brand name, Khadi sales increased," he said in reply to queries from reporters.

On why the BJP government continued with Gandhi's image on the new currency notes introduced after demonetisation, he said, "It will also go gradually."



Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala attacked the Modi government over the remarks saying it is doing what the Britishers did.

"Subjugate people and institutions and use the power of the state to stifle every dissenting voice but Modiji, Anil Vij and BJP must remember that Mahatma Gandhi, you can kill him, you can remove his photograph, you can abuse Mahatma Gandhi, but Gandhi has always lived in the soul of India," he said.

An embarrassed BJP condemned Vij's remarks. "We condemn these remarks. These are his personal comments," BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said



Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also quickley distanced himself, saying the remarks have been made by the Minister in his personal capacity and the party does not endorse them and has nothing to do with them.

Vij later withdrew his remarks. "The statement given by me in connection with Mahatma Gandhi was given in my personal capacity. To avoid hurting anyone's sentiments, I am withdrawing it," the Minister tweeted.

"As far as the statement is concerned, Anil Vij is our



senior Minister and makes statement with due care, but still what one says in his personal capacity, it is not linked with the party...," Khattar said when asked about Vij's remarks at a press conference.

RJD Chief Lalu Yadav said "it is unfortunate for the country that Mahatma Gandhi is being insulted".

"Bapu gave us our freedom. Is the minister not ashamed of using such words for Gandhiji," the former Bihar Chief Minister said.

Reacting to the remarks against the Father of the Nation, Tushar Gandhi said, "This is not only his (Vij's) voice. It is a very well orchestrated, organised, and conducted campaign from the high command.

"The ideology which got Bapu murdered is now going to overturn and tarnish his legacy. This is just a part of that strategy. Vij is speaking the voice of BJP, government and the RSS."



Vij, a popular face of the party in the state, was pipped by Khattar in the the race for chief ministership after BJP won in Haryana in 2014.

His remarks that those who cannot live without beef should not come to Haryana where a stringent cow protection law has been implemented had raised eyebrows.

Over a year back, he had accused his own government of spying on him after coming across a constable standing outside his office.

He was also involved with a verbal spat with a woman IPS officer in November 2015. The IPS officer had then refused to leave a public grievance meeting on direction of Vij who was irked with her response to a query on illicit liquor trade in the area.

Vij's remarks came even as the opposition had been criticising the move to use photo of Modi in the calendar and the diary of KVIC and not that of Gandhi.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO), while dismissing the controversy over Modi' photo as "unnecessary", had said "there is no rule in KVIC that its diary and calendar should have only Gandhiji's photo."



KVIC chairman V K Saxena had also defended the move, saying there is "no rule or tradition" that only Mahatma Gandhi's picture can be published on these items.
ICSI will set up a centre of excellence at Rajarhat near the metropolis for doing research on corporate governance and contemporary laws.

President of ICSI Mamta Binani said the institute had purchased 1.5 acres of land from HIDCO and construction of the building would be completed within two years time.

The centre would also conduct empirical study for government agencies and regulatory authorities.

Binani said company secretaryhip is a distance learning course and there were minimal human connect with the students.

The centre, she said, would conduct classroom CS courses with hostel facilities for students.

Referring to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), she said NICCO was the first corporate debtor in Kolkata which had been shifted to the tribunal from BIFR.

ICSI had also obtained the license to function as agency to train insolvency professionals, she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and Pakistan should resist the push from the military-industrial complex which "makes good money without considering deadly consequences of war", activist Kamala Bhasin said here today.

"Military-industrial complex makes good money without considering deadly consequences of war. Besides, relationship between India and Pakistan is not confined just to 'hatred' as portrayed by politicians and media," she said.

The military-industrial complex is an informal alliance between a nation's military and the defence industry which supplies arms.

There are individuals who also talk about peace and love between the two countries. "Our challenge is to change this general perception and resist the push from military-industrial complex," she said.

Bhasin, along with Gandhian S N Subba Rao, former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed and retired Col. Virendra Sahai Verma, took part in a discussion after launching the 5th Indo-Pak Peace Calender of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a Indo-Pak Friendship initiative.

Verma, who had fought the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan, said higher leadership in the Armed Forces apart from defending the country should also act responsibly from early stage for settling disputes without war.

He also said military doctrine 'Cold Start' is not feasible for Indian Army with the present strength.

"Cold Start requires at least three times superiority at the border with Pakistan and the LoC to overcome Pakistan's army defensive in geographical advantages," Verma said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at Pakistan for sponsoring terror in India, Pakistan-born Canadian writer Tarek Fatah said India should snap all ties with its neighbouring country.

He said Pakistan should be boycottedby the world for its role in sponsoring and funding terror in India and other countries.

"India should immediately stop all its trade ties with Pakistan. There should be no relation witha nation that is sponsoring and funding terrorist activities across borders," he said at a national conference in BHU's KN Udupa auditorium here yesterday.

The Canadian writer said the separatist leaders in India should be sent to Pakistan andthe Haj subsidies among other facilities provided by the Indian government to them should also be stopped.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AccorHotels' economy brand- ibis, has made a debut in Kochi, the industrial capital of Kerala, with the launch of ibis Kochi City Centre.

Strategically located in the Ernakulam commercial hub, the 115 rooms hotel is near the upcoming Kochi Metro station and Ernakulam Railway Station, the company said in a release issued here.

"With the launch of ibis Kochi, we have finally marked our entry into 'God's Own Country'. Kochi is one of Kerala's key gateway cities and is also the centre of most commercial activities in the state. Kerala is recognised as a major tourist destination the world over and we believe that the ibis Kochi is well positioned to cater to both leisure and business related demand," InterGlobe Hotels President and CEO J B Singh said.

Created in 1974, ibis is now the European leader in economy hotels and the fourth hotel chain in its category worldwide with over 1,060 hotels and 135,000 rooms in 64 countries.

"We are excited to bring the ibis brand to Kerala. Kochi is an upcoming smart city and commercial hub and we are proud to open its first international economy hotel. The ibis Kochi City Centre brings our total number of ibis hotels operating in India to 15 hotels and is a part of a fast expanding network of internationally acclaimed economy hotels," AccorHotels India Senior Vice President, Operations, Jean-Michel Casse said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hollywood star Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's marriage is finally over following a turbulent divorce process after a Los Angeles judge has finalised divorce.

The actress had filed papers to end their 15-month union in May 2016. At a hearing on Friday, which neither she nor Depp attended, a judge signed papers to finalize their divorce.

The judge also denied a motion Depp's attorney had filed to have Heard pay the actor's attorney fees, E! reported.

The comes about five months after the former couple reached a settlement.

A day before the divorce was finalized, Amber filed papers requesting that Depp be deposed if the court did not enter the settlement agreement as a judgment at Friday's hearing.

"It is a great day. All Amber wanted was a divorce and now she has it. In the words of Gerald Ford, 'Our long national nightmare is over,'" Heard's attorney said.

Meanwhile, Depp's lawyer Laura Wasser said, "We are all pleased to put this unpleasant chapter in Mr Depp and his family's lives behind them. Having his request for entry of the dissolution judgment granted today made it a particularly lucky Friday the 13th."



The actors did not have a prenuptial agreement when they wed in February 2015 and their road to divorce has been particularly ugly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi today alleged that the arrest of former MLA Jugal Kabra was the "height of vendetta" by the BJP government.

Dudi alleged that the government has made Anti-Corruption Bureau a tool against Congress for political revenge and got the former MLA arrested in Jodhpur.

He claimed that the government is trying to cover up mines scam by hatching conspiracy against Congress leaders.

"The arrest is politically motivated. Congress never protected a guilty person and if allegations are proven, the guilty should be punished. But the CM pressurised the ACB to arrest Kabra which is the height of vendetta," he said.

The former MLA was arrested by ACB yesterday in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers in JNV University of Jodhpur in 2012 where he was the then syndicate member.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Alleging that opposition parties were politicising and complicating the SYL issue, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said the canal cannot be made functional just because "some people have announced that they would start digging it".

The state's main opposition party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had said it would start digging the SYL canal on February 23 if the Centre fails to carry out the task.

After the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the state on SYL issue, political parties have been demanding its early completion. However, parties in poll-bound Punjab, including ruling SAD, have vowed that not a drop of water will leave the state.

Khattar's attention was drawn to an earlier decision of the apex court that the SYL canal would be built by a central agency.

"The issue of Presidential Reference had been pending for the last 12 years. It appears that the previous governments in Haryana did nothing to resolve the issue.

"In comparison, the present government, soon after assuming office, pursued the case with the Supreme Court and the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004 was nullified recently. Now the issue is with the Supreme Court," he said, replying to questions on the issue at a press conference here.

Khattar said he had already led a delegation of all political parties to meet President Pranab Mukherjee on the SYL issue.

"A written request was also made to the Prime Minister to seek his appointment for the same...Now, the Supreme Court is to hear the case on January 29 and I hope that it will be in our favour," the Chief Minister said.

He said as Assembly elections have already been announced in Punjab, opposition parties are trying to politicise this issue for their vested interests whereas it is not a political issue.

"The Supreme Court has already given its decision in favour of Haryana. The statements being made by the opposition leaders will make the issue complex," Khattar said.

Referring to INLD's announcement of digging the canal, Khattar said in a democracy, no one should not take law in their own hands.

He said the SYL would not be made functional with 'fawarda and belcha' (digging tools) as such an act would create tension.

"The new government in Punjab would be formed after March 11 and the decision of the Supreme Court could only be implemented by the new government. Therefore, we should wait a little more," he said.

In reply to the construction of three dams of Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar Vyasi, Khattar said he has pressed the Centre for their early completion as they were national projects.

He said the construction of these dams would result in supply of Haryana's share of water and added that at present the state was getting only 4000 to 5000 cusecs of from Yamuna river against its share of about 20,000 cusecs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After BJP and RLSP, Lokjanshakti Party (LJP) today announced that it would take part in the human chain programme on January 21 in support of prohibition, leaving HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi the lone voice of dissent in the NDA on the Bihar government's programme.

LJP Parliamentary Board chief Chirag Paswan told reporters, in presence of his father and Union minister Ramvilas Paswan, that his party would take part in the human chain programme in support of prohibition.

LJP state chief Pashupati Kumar Paras has decided to participate in the human chain with party workers, Chirag Paswan said.

The MP from Jamui said LJP has been supporting prohibition "in principle" from the beginning, adding, "Political parties should come forward to support the drive together."



However, LJP opposes some stringent provisions in the new Excise Act like community fine, arrest of all adults of a family on recovery of liquor bottle, he said.

"Our struggle for bringing changes on these provisions would continue," Chirag Paswan said.

With LJP also coming in support of the human chain programme of the Nitish Kumar government, ex-chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is the lone voice of dissent from the NDA on the programme.

While announcing that HAM would not be part of human chain, Manjhi had criticised BJP for announcing support for human chain without consulting NDA allies.

"It is an unilateral decision of the saffron party without consulting NDA partners," Manjhi had said.

Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), another constituent of NDA, has also announced its participation in the human chain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A cool behaviour should be maintained with the neighbouring countries but if someone attacks us there is a need to retaliate, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said here today.

"We need to maintain a cool behaviour with our neighbours but if someone attacks us there is a need to retaliate and show our strength to them," Swamy said addressing a gathering here.

Swamy was speaking during a two-day seminar on "Continuity of Indian identity" organised by Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth (AVAP), a research organisation founded by late VHP leader Ashok Singhal.

"We also need to maintain a distinction between identity and citizenship. There are so many countries who allow dual citizenship but not India because here we are more particular about the identity and that is how citizenship is granted," he said.

"There have been exceptions though. Like Congress, President Sonia Gandhi was granted the citizenship in 1982 without fulfilling the clause of continuously staying in the country for a certain period of time. I wanted to file a petition against it but our government, the NDA government, decided to forgive her for this," Swamy added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 36-year-old man working as roast-duck vendor died after contracting H7N9 bird flu in China's central Henan province, authorities said today.

The man, identified as Zhang, died on January 11, the Henan provincial health and family planning commission said in a statement.

He is from Yongcheng city, but had worked in Zhejiang province as a roast-duck vendor.

On Decembber 25, he had fever and coughing.

He returned to Yongcheng on January 2 and went to see a doctor in Xuzhou City on January 4.

Yongcheng city is closely monitoring the health conditions of 16 people who had close contact with the patient.

None of them has shown symptoms of fever yet.

H7N9, a bird flu strain, strikes in winter and spring. It was first reported in humans in China in March, 2013. New infections of the bird flu kept popping up in separate provinces.

More than 10 cases have been reported since January 1, in Jiangxi, Shandong, Hunan, Guangdong, Guizhou, Shanghai and Macao.

Experts with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that China had entered high season for infection of the H7N9 virus, and the possibility of more reported cases in southern China was not being ruled out, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The public should avoid contact with dead poultry, live poultry, birds and their waste, and purchase only certified poultry products, they advised.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Moody's Corp. Has agreed to pay nearly USD 864 million to settle federal and state claims it gave inflated ratings to risky mortgage investments in the years leading up to the financial crisis.

The deal announced yesterday was struck among the New York-based rating agency, the Justice Department and the attorneys general for 21 states and the District of Columbia. It calls for USD 437.5 million to go to the Justice Department and USD 426.3 million to be divided among the states and the District of Columbia.

Moody's along with the other two major rating agencies, Standard & Poor's and Fitch were widely criticized for giving low-risk ratings to the risky mortgage securities being sold ahead of the crisis, while they reaped lucrative fees.

In the settlement, the world's second-largest credit ratings agency acknowledged that it didn't follow its own standards in rating the risk of securities backed by home mortgages and the collateralized debt obligations that relied on their health.

The system spread the risk of mortgage defaults to banks around the globe and led to a string of financial collapses in 2008 when people began defaulting on risky subprime loans.

That caused the housing market to implode in many areas and sparked the worst US recession since the Depression.

Moody's acknowledged that it used a more lenient standard for certain financial products and didn't make public the differences from its published standards.

"Moody's failed to adhere to its own credit rating standards and fell short on its pledge of transparency in the run-up to the Great Recession," Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Bill Baer said in a statement.

Under the settlement, Moody's agreed to a number of reforms designed to make sure its credit ratings are objective, including separating commercial and credit rating functions; ensure changes to its rating methods are independently reviewed, and ensuring that some employees aren't compensated based on Moody's own financial performance.

"The agreement acknowledges the considerable measures Moody's has put in place to strengthen and promote the integrity, independence and quality of its credit ratings," Moody's said in a statement. "As part of the resolution, Moody's has agreed to maintain, for the next five years, a number of existing compliance measures and to implement and maintain certain additional measures over the same period."



The agreement comes two years after the world's largest ratings agency, Standard & Poor's, agreed to pay nearly USD 1.4 billion to settle similar allegations by the Justice Department, 19 states and the District of Columbia.

With the District of Columbia, the states involved in the settlement announced yesterday are Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Batting for more humour and satire in daily life, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today termed humour as the "best healer" and said the power of a smile or laughter is more powerful than abuse or any other weapon.

Addressing the 47th anniversary of Tamil magazine Thuglaq, founded by the late Cho S Ramaswamy, Modi particularly referred to the noted journalist's ability for satire and humour and called for more of this in daily life.

"I think we need more satire and humour. Humour brings happiness in our lives. Humour is the best healer. The power of a smile or the power of laughter is more than the power of abuse or any other weapon," he said.

"Humour builds bridges instead of breaking them... And this is exactly what we require today. Building bridges, bridges between people, bridges between communities, bridges between societies," the Prime Minister said through video conferencing from New Delhi.

Heaping encomiums on his "friend" Ramaswamy, Modi said the actor-journalist had mastered the art of satire and humour and he was adept at communicating through a sentence or a cartoon.

He recalled a particular cartoon Ramaswamy had done of him and said it was "apt" to the current situation.

"This reminds me a cartoon of Cho wherein people are targeting me with their guns and the common people are standing in front of me. Cho asks who is the real target, me or the common people? How apt is the cartoon in today's context," he said without referring to any incident.

Modi also did not elaborate.

The Prime Minister has, however, been receiving flak from opposition parties, including Congress and TMC, besides the Left, over his demonetisation move, saying it had affected the common man though it was rolled out with the objectives of addressing black money, fake notes and terror funding issues.

The Prime Minister said humour brings out "human creativity".

"We are living in an age where one speech or one event can create multiple memes," he said.

The Prime Minister paid rich tributes to Ramaswamy,



considered close to Modi since his early days as the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Modi, who greeted the audience in Tamil at the start of his address, besides extending his Pongal wishes in the same language, said Ramaswamy was one of the best multi-faceted personalities he had ever come across and hailed his role as a journalist, an actor, a lawyer and a political commentator, among others.

Though he donned many hats, Ramaswamy's role as the Editor of Thuglaq was the "jewel in his crown," he said.

It was not very easy to understand Ramaswamy and to do this, one had to understand his courage, conviction and sense of nationalism, "which went beyond parochial wisdom, linguistic and other divisions," the Prime Minister said.

He said even bitter critics of Ramaswamy found equal prominence in Thuglaq magazine even as he made the magazine "a weapon against all divisive forces."



"He was fighting for a clean and non-corrupt political system and in that struggle he never spared anyone. He was critical of those people with whom he had acted for decades, critical of those people who were friends with him for decades and critical of those who considered him a mentor. None was spared. He did not look at the personalities, but at the issues," Modi said.

Ramaswamy's satire made him lovable even to those whom he criticised and that was not a cultivated or cultivable virtue, but a "gift from the divine" which Ramaswamy used only to promote public interest, the Prime Minister said.

"Even those who criticised him were given the same prominence like that of Cho in Thuglaq. This is the truest democratic spirit in media and in public life. His thoughts and contributions are not limited to Tamil milieu and Tamil people. He inspired many generations of aspiring journalists and politicians spanning many cities in India. Thuglaq was not a mere political commentary but ears and eyes of millions of Tamil people," he said.

He also said Ramaswamy had once asked someone throwing eggs at him why he was hurling raw eggs and that he could instead make him an omelet.

He termed Ramaswamy's passing away last month as a "personal loss" and said he knew the veteran political analyst for many years. He also recalled that he had participated in a past Thuglaq anniversary function here.

Modi said festivals such as Pongal, Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Bihu were being celebrated in different parts of the country and hailed the harmony such festivals bring.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) today declared Rs 54.90 crore prize money to over 3.42 lakh winners for NITI Aayog's lucky draw schemes for consumers and merchants.

The two schemes are - Lucky Grahak Yojna (LGY) and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojna (DVY). They were launched on December 25 last year and shall remain open till April 14, 2017, a NPCI statement issued here said.

Schemes are aimed at incentivising both consumers and merchants to promote digital payments. There are 15,000 daily winners qualifying for total prize money of Rs. 1.5 crore. In additional to this there are over 14,000 weekly winners qualifying for total prize money of over Rs. 8.3 crore every week, it said.

There has been a positive response among people from various age groups and occupations to adopt digital payments, it added.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka emerged as the top five states with maximum number of winners. Active participation was seen among females and males across regions. Majority of the winners were in the age group of 21 to 30 years. There were also a good number of winners who are above 50 years, said the statement.

Customers and merchants using RuPay Card, BHIM / UPI (Bharat Interface for Money / Unified Payments Interface) and Aadhaar Enabled Payment Service (AePS) are eligible for wining daily and weekly lucky draw prizes, it said.

NPCI is also working with the government to organise Digi Dhan Melas at 110 locations till April 14 by demonstrating the above mentioned products to promote digital payment, the release added.

NPCI, the umbrella organisation for all retail payment systems in the country, was set up in 2009 as the central infrastructure for various retail payment systems in India and was envisaged by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the payment utility in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Belen's old Solo Cup factory is about to begin pouring the molten plastic again. As Plastic News reports, the plant was bought out by Keter Plasticswho plans on expanding the operation to consume up to 100 tons of plastics a day! The plant will produce patio furniture, sheds, toolboxes, and much more.

New Mexico's Medicaid fund may get a little higher with help from its friend: Marijuana. According to KRQE News a bipartisan bill was introduced yesterday that would tax medical marijuana in order to help bolster the state's underfunded Medicaid fund.

Call off the Saint Bernards, New Mexico is about to get its first avalanche warnings! According to KOB News, Taos, NM is now home to a new avalanche center that will help the National Weather Service and the U.S. Forrest Service issue avalanche warnings.
Thank you for reading!

To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99.
Portraying Odisha as a victim of Central neglect and conspiracy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said though the state was denied rights on rivers, it will fight to achieve the desired results.

"As you know, the rivers, specially the Mahanadi, are the lifelines of Odisha. But, Odisha has repeatedly been denied of its rights on the rivers flowing through it," Patnaik said while addressing a meeting of ruling BJD's legal cell here.

"Both in Pollavorum and Mahanadi, we have been a victim of Central neglect and conspiracy. But, all of you know that we are determined to fight this issue at every level till we achieve the desired results," he said.

Similarly, another important example of central neglect is the denial of fund for the KBK region.

Tribal students are also facing problem in getting central scholarship in higher education due to indifferent attitude of the Government of India, the Chief Minister said.

"I certainly believe as the legal luminaries of the state, you have the legal expertise and moral responsibility to strengthen our fight on this issue," he said.

Stating that BJD is committed to and working for the upliftment of the poor and the disadvantaged sections of society by ensuring their rights and privileges, Patnaik said welfare initiatives of the state government are in fact an exercise to protect the rights of the poor.

"We are committed to the cause of the Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Caste, women and poor people. Our intention has always been to empower the weaker sections of society and enable them to take on the high and mighty. Creating opportunity for securing justice for all without any exclusion at an affordable cost is our primary concern," he said.

Describing Odisha as a model state in providing social



security to people, Patnaik said, "We have put in place a robust social welfare mechanism that covers every section of society starting from the infants to old and infirm, women, farmers, labourers and every other under-privileged group."



Claiming that Odisha is the only state to double the income of farmers in the last decade, he said the state has been transformed from rice deficit to a rice surplus state.

"Our contribution to the public distribution system of the country is third highest among the states. Mission Shakti is a kind of silent revolution in empowering more than five million women," Patnaik said.

"Mamata is one of the largest direct benefit transfer schemes that has disbursed more than Rs 1,100 crore to more than 2.5 million pregnant women. We have also been successful in providing shelter security to one million families by constructing pucca houses to the rural poor," he said.

"Odisha under the BJD government has taken many initiatives to strengthen the Panchayati Raj System. We have successfully empowered the people at Panchayat level to carry out planning and implementation process of basic infrastructure facilities in the rural area.

"The primary objective is to ensure a sustainable development mechanism with the support and participation of people," the Chief Minister added.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) today said it has signed an agreement with state-owned ONGC under which the oil major will provide khadi vouchers to employees as part of bonus.

In a statement, KVIC Chairman V K Saxena said an agreement was signed with ONGC this year to provide khadi vouchers worth Rs 10,000 each to its regular employees and Rs 5,000 each to its non-regular ones.

"KVIC will allow an additional 35 per cent incentive on these vouchers, thus enhancing the value of ONGC bonus to 135 per cent of its cash value for its staff. These khadi vouchers can be used by ONGC staff over two months," Saxena said.

ONGC has 34,236 regular employees and 1,063 non-regular staffers, KVIC said.

"As a result, KVIC will get Rs 35 crore payment from ONGC due to this initiative. Considering 35 per cent additional supplement by KVIC, the total sale of KVIC products will be about Rs 47 crore over 2 months...," Saxena said.

He further said the artisans attached to this special sales drive will be given an additional 5 per cent reward directly in their accounts through DBT.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming "Padmavati" is one of the most awaited films of the year and Ajit Andhare, whose Viacom 18 is producing the movie, says the project is something which the audience has never seen before.

The period drama features Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Delhi ruler, who fell in love with queen Padmavati, played by Deepika Padukone.

The film also features Shahid Kapoor as Raja Ratan Singh, the Rajput ruler and husband of Padmavati.

"The film is shaping up very well, and we are confident. It is something you have never seen before. Ranveer, Deepika, Shahid are putting their heart and soul. We are coming on November 17 and at this stage I can say it's going to be a big release," Andhare, Chief Operating Officer of the studio told PTI.

"I am a major history buff and I can assure you it is an epic story. The script is very powerful, you will realise once you see the film. Having Sanjay bring it to life on screen, we can't get better than that," he added.

Currently, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures has released the Deepika Padukone-Vin Diesel starrer "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" in India, a week before it hits the screen in America.

Andhare says the film will benefit from the fan following of both, Vin and Deepika in the country.

"This is a big localisation that we have done by having Deepika in the film. Vin already enjoys a fan following here because of 'Fast and Furious' so we will see how well this film connects with the local audience.

"Because Deepika is there, the film is bound to get a wider reach in India which will be helpful to both, the film and the talent."



Up next, the studio is currently geared up for the release of "Rangoon". The Vishal Bharadwaj directed movie stars Shahid, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan today defended his widely criticised meeting with popular extremist leaders, saying it was unfair to link everything to a sectarian leader also known as the godfather of militants.

Nisar was referring to the criticism he faced from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for his meeting with Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi, chief of the proscribed anti-Shiite Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ).

The party had also accused him of maintaining friendly ties with Ludhianvi.

"How is it fair to link everything to Maulana Ludhianvi?" Khan told reporters in Rawalpindi in response to a question.

"Which PPP leader did not meet leaders of proscribed organisations in their time?" he asked.

Khan created a storm after his last year's meeting with so-called godfather of militants Maulana Samiul Haq and Ludhianvi among others which was widely covered by the mainstream media.

The minister created another controversy last week when he told Senate that outlawed sectarian organisations should not be equated with terrorist outfits.

Responding to criticism, Khan said that he was suggesting that there should be a separate law to deal with groups banned on sectarian basis from the militants groups.

He said there was nothing wrong in saying that the Shia-Sunni conflict dated back 1300 years and is a part of the Islamic history.

Taking credit for action against militants, Khan said, "during my tenure, about 450,000 Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) and 32,400 passports have been blocked. There is no record of a single CNIC being blocked from 2002 till 2007, which reflects on negligence of previous governments,".

He said that efforts were being made to recover the five civil society activists who went missing in the past week.

"We are making efforts to recover all missing men so they could return to their families," Khan said.

The minister also said that a meeting was held to discuss the future of special military courts to try 'hard-core' terrorists but no decision has been taken so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani woman hired goons for Rs five lakh to thrash her husband whom she suspected of having an affair with another woman.

The woman, Lubna Qamar Raja, who has been arrested, suspected that her husband, Raja Qamar Iqbal, was cheating on her as he was coming home late every night despite her repeated protests.

Lubna shared this with her friend, Kosar who said her husband who was in Peshawar could arrange for hired criminals to thrash Iqbal.

She hired the goons to "teach a lesson" to her husband and paid them Rs five lakh to thrash him, the Express Tribune reported.

The criminals travelled to Islamabad and entered Lubna's house on the night of October 15 last year and thrashed her husband.

Lubna had provided them with a key to the main gate of the house.

The plan unravelled because as the goons were leaving the house after beating up Iqbal, members of a family that lived in the upper portion of the house came out and the suspects, fearing the plan might be exposed or they could be reported, shot at a man and critically injured him.

The incident was reported to the police immediately. At first, everyone though it was a robbery as the goons had also snatched a mobile phone from Iqbal.

However, the family living in the upper portion of the house suspected foul play on the part of Lubna and lodged a complaint with police.

After the complaint, the police reinvestigated the case and obtained Lubna's mobile phone records, which showed she was in contact with a man named Arab Gul around the time of the incident and also made several calls to him later on.

Investigators also found that Kosar was in contact with the same person through her mobile phone. After noting the suspicious connection, the police interrogated Kosar, who spilt the beans.

When the police interrogated Lubna, she said she and her husband would often argue and that she also suspected him of being in a relationship with another woman since he used to come home late at night.

When the police interrogated Lubna, she said she and her husband would often argue and that she also suspected him of being in a relationship with another woman since he used to come home late at night, the daily said.

Investigators also found that Kosar was in contact with the same person through her mobile phone. After noting the suspicious connection, the police interrogated Kosar, who spilt the beans.

When the police interrogated Lubna, she said she and her husband would often argue and that she also suspected him of being in a relationship with another woman since he used to come home late at night.

The police arrested Lubna and arranged a sting operation to arrest the goons.

They made Lubna call them to have another person thrashed. This time she paid them Rs 50,000 in advance, but the police were waiting for them at the fake victim's residence and arrested them on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's ex-army chief Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif will speak at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, discussing terrorism and security issues in the country, a first for a former military head of Pakistan at Davos.

Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf has also addressed the forum but as head of state. This is the first time that a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the WEF, The Express Tribune reported.

Raheel, who has the vast counter-insurgency experience, would highlight Pakistan Army's counter-insurgency operations and improved security environment in the country as well as in the region besides discussing opportunities under the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The annual WEF meetings will start from January 17 and continue for four days.

He will address three sessions of the WEF in addition to speaking at as many events arranged on the sidelines of the sessions. This includes a dinner by Munich Security Conference.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif last week said that Raheel had been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism.

Later, he backtracked from his statement and said Raheel did not seek government's permission before joining the Saudi- led alliance.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting which will be chaired jointly by Brian T Moynihan of the Bank of America, award-winning documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Helle Thorning- Schmidt, Frans van Houten and Meg Whitman, reports said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Palestinian leader meets today with Pope Francis as he rallies international support ahead of this weekend's Paris peace summit.

Among other things, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to raise with Francis Palestinian concern about a possible move of the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Palestinians strongly oppose the move, saying it would kill any hopes for negotiating peace and rile the region by undercutting Muslim and Christian claims to the holy city.

The Vatican has long sought an internationally guaranteed status for Jerusalem that safeguards its sacred character.

After the papal audience, Abbas will open an embassy of his own: The Palestinian embassy to the Holy See, fruit of recent accords in which the Vatican formally recognized the "Palestinian state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Panun Kashmir, a frontal organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, today accused successive state and central governments of neglecting the community and appealed masses to participate in large numbers in its January 18 rally.

"There is continued neglect and denial of successive governments both at the state and national level of our problems," Panun Kashmir president Ajay Chrungoo said.

He said it is time that Panun Kashmir, as a solution to the Kashmir problem, be recognised as a national imperative.

Chrungoo said to achieve this the organisation has embarked on a nation-wide campaign.

"We are getting a huge response from the day we started this campaign under the bannerEk Bharat Abhiyan-Kashmir Ki Aur," he said.

A large number of representatives from different socio-politico organisations from across India are participating in this event to demonstrate their solidarity with the displaced community, Chrungoo claimed.

Panun Kashmir convener Agnishekher saidit has become a critical imperative to take the message of the organisation to the entire country in order to create an enlightened public opinion on what has been happening in the state for decades.

He appealed to inmates of the Jagti Camp to make the January 18 rally a grand success by participating in large numbers and asked activists to reach every household to explain the necessity ofthe Abhiyan.

"January19 is a day of protest and I appeal every nationalist to impress upon the government of India to declare this day as National Holocaust day," he said, appealing to masses to proceed on leave on the day as a mark of protest and solidarity with displaced people.

Jammu for India president Hari Om assured support of the people of Jammu in making the rally a success and lamented on the dangers as a consequence of the unfortunate ruling PDP-led alliance in the state.

He said the alliance has chosen to disapprove and distance itself from the stated position of the Indian government vis-a-vis Pakistan as well as terrorism and separatism in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ministry of Water Resources has reconstituted a committee to address issues related to the management of the waters of Krishna River between warring Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The committee, headed by former Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman AK Bajaj, will suggest mechanism to facilitate effective functioning of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) in light of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, according to an order dated January 9 issued by the ministry.

Former CWC chief engineer DK Mehta, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee scientist RP Pandey, Central Electricity Authority chief engineer Pradeep Kumar Shukla and CWC director (Hydrology) NN Rai are other members of the committee.

The committee's objective will be to suggest a mechanism for making KRMB discharge its functions as per the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the order published on the ministry's website read.

The committee is expected to address, in particular, the issues of preparing manual on operating rules/procedures in respect of common projects located on Krishna River and allocation of Godavari waters being transferred from Krishna basin in accordance with Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award, 1980.

It is expected to submit its report/manual to the Union ministry within three months, the order read.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged today.

"Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after his full recovery," Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unit of PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said.

Paswan's officer on special duty (OSD) R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi this evening.

Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality here by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan.

70-year-old Paswan was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since yesterday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day.

Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halim had yesterday stated Paswan's condition to be stable, saying he was expected to be discharged today.

The Union Minister had arrived here on Thursday on a four-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makarsankranti feast in Patna on January 15.

Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire about his health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of 'Nishchay Yatra'.

Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, visited Paswan at the hospital.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Polish authorities and ordinary Poles welcomed today US troops who arrived this week as part of an unprecedented deployment to NATO's eastern flank aimed at deterring Russia.

"Welcome to Poland," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told US troops in Zagan, the Polish town on the German border where the brigade will be headquartered, adding "we hope you feel at home".

"The presence of American soldiers in Poland is another step in our strategy to ensure safety and security for Poland and the region," she added.

Hailing from Fort Carson, Colorado, the so-called "Iron Brigade" comprising some 3,500 soldiers and heavy equipment will also be deployed in NATO partners Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary on a rotational basis.

It is part of the Pentagon's "Atlantic Resolve" operation aimed at countering security concerns triggered on NATO's eastern flank by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

"This is America's most capable fighting force: a combat-ready, highly trained US armoured brigade, with our most advanced equipment and weaponry," US Ambassador to Poland Paul James said at the ceremonies, also attended by hundreds of Zagan residents.

"This force embodies America's iron-clad commitment to honour our NATO treaty obligation to defend our NATO allies."



The US troops and tanks began streaming into Poland Thursday as part of one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War, an operation that Russia angrily branded a security "threat".

The brigade's deployment, ordered by the outgoing Obama administration, comes a week ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has suggested his Republican administration will seek to ease tensions with the Kremlin.

Poland yesterday told Trump that any improvement in Washington's ties with Moscow cannot come at the cost of harming Warsaw.

According to Poland's Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz, a total of 7,000 US and NATO troops will be stationed in his country in the coming years.

The defence ministry held "Safe Poland" picnics today in cities across the country, allowing average Poles to meet with Polish and newly deployed US troops, view military hardware and chow down typical Polish army grub including pea soup with ham.

Hundreds of residents attended the official welcome ceremonies in Zagan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Decorated earthern pots brimming with boiling rice, beating of drums and offering of sugarcane pieces to the Sun God at streets and temples marked the harvest festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu today.

However, protests over banning of bull taming sport Jallikattu dampened the festive spirit in Madurai and the drought situation in Cauvery delta districts affected the celebratory mood there.

Enthusiastic people across the state were seen preparing traditional food, offering prayers to the Sun God and using pots for boiling rice.

Streets in both rural and urban areas of the state were decked up with designs made of flour (called 'Kolam' in Tamil).

"Samathuva Pongal" (Egalitarian, community Pongal) was celebrated in several towns by local people including the state capital.

Residents converged in a common place and cooked Pongal (sweet rice made of jaggery with rice and milk, in a traditional mud pot) before offering it to the Sun God along with pieces of sugarcanes.

State government-organised Pongal fests were also held in places including Nilgiris where several foreign tourists participated in the celebrations.

However, anguished by the continuing ban on Jallikattu for the third year in a row, people in some villages in Madurai district observed the festival as "Black Pongal."



They hoisted black flags and held processions condemning PETA (an animal rights organisation) and demanded that the Centre take steps to conduct Jallikattu.

Even "Eruthattam" (an event in which bulls take part) which was organised in connection with the festival, was not permitted, according to some jallikattu supporters.

Aficionados of the bull taming sport staged protests in some parts of Madurai district, leading to detention of 149 protesters.

Venkatachalam, an organiser of Jallikattu, alleged that "excess police personnel" had been deployed at Avaniapuram, Alanganallur and Palamedu, much to the concern of people.

In Cauvery Delta districts including Thanjavur, drought due to a failed monsoon and inadequate Cauvery water supplies coupled with suicides of 17 farmers (due to various reasons) had a bearing on the Pongal celebrations.

Neelamegam, a Thanjavur resident, said as there was "no harvest, it was not a very happy Pongal."



He said in many places people had to make do with the free pongal gift comprising free rice and sugarcane pieces given by the government.

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam celebrated Pongal and his 66th birthday today in his native Periakulam in Theni district.

Panneerselvam offered worship at a temple and greeted



people who turned up to greet him. He also received petitions from them.

DMK working president M K Stalin celebrated Pongal at his residence in Chennai.

He was greeted by party functionaries and cadres. Keeping up the tradition followed by his father and party patriarch Karunanidhi, who is now ailing, Stalin gave away Rs 10 notes to supporters who came to greet him.

Across the State, people decorated their homes with mango leaves and strings of flowers.

Special prayers were held at temples.

For 'Kannum Pongal' festival on Monday, security has been strengthened at several places including Marina beach here, where people throng in large numbers.

The festival falls on the first day of Tamil month 'Thai', considered as the precursor of hope.
NCP leader Praful Patel today said there is no need to create a controversy over Narendra Modi's photo on the calendar and the diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) as the Prime Minister is seen using a 'charkha', which is Mahatma Gandhi's gift to the nation.

"It is a good thing. Charkha is Mahatma Gandhi's gift to the nation. The country's Prime Minister is using a charkha and I feel there is no need to create a controversy over it," he told reporters after paying a visit to the Sai Baba temple here.

Congress, Trinamool Congress, JD(U), AAP and even BJP ally Shiv Sena, have reacted sharply to the Prime Minister's picture being featured on the KVIC calendar, instead of Mahatma Gandhi.

Replying to a query on demonetisation, the former Union Minister said, "Note ban is a good thing. But people of the country faced difficulties following demonetisation in the fight against black money, terrorism and other."



"However, what was achieved through the move, what was its purpose, what good it made for the country, did it benefit poor... These are some of the questions before people and they will give an answer to it at an appropriate time," Patel said and claimed, "It would definitely impact the upcoming Assembly polls."



Asserting that note ban has mostly affected people from rural areas, farmers and labourers, he alleged, "Farmers are not getting proper prices to their agricultural produces and have no cash to pay to farm labourers."



Asked if NCP would tie up with Congress for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Patel said a decision in this regard would be taken at the local level.

Former Goa Chief Minister and Congress leader Digambar Kamat, who has entered the poll fray in his state this time, also visited the Sai Baba temple and held a meeting with Patel for some time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today greeted army soldiers and their family members on the eve of Army Day.

She said the army and its brave soldiers have made the nation proud by their sacrifices.

In her message, Raje said besides protecting the borders, the soldiers have also contributed to relief works in various parts of the country.

Army Day is celebrated on January 15.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After top star Kamal Haasan extended his support for jallikattu a few days ago, Tamil super star Rajinikanth said the bull-taming sport should be held in tune with Tamil culture.

"Rules can be framed to regulate the sport to prevent injuries, but instead of that (framing rules), is it right to negate a culture?" he asked.

Stating that the sport was the cultural heritage of Tamil people, he said it "should be protected".

"Jallikattu should be held to uphold the traditions of our Tamil culture," he said.

Participating in a function yesterday, he said while rules could be brought in, the sport should be held in sync with tradition and culture.

Actor Kamal Haasan and another star Surya had batted for Jallikattu a few days ago.

Actor Arya has also spoken in favour of the sport.

In the function held by a Tamil magazine, Rajinikanth was awarded the best actor for his performance as a lively don despite his advancing age in last year's Tamil hit movie "Kabali".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress party today faced revolt by local leaders who opposed the ticket given to Barinder Dhillon while calling him an outsider.

After a meeting with Congress Legislature Party leader Charanjit Singh Channi here, all officer bearers of the party headed by District Congress Committee (DCC) president Vijay Kumar Tinku handed over their resignations to Channi.

The DCC office bearers have given party an ultimatum till January 16 to change the candidate or face consequences.

Tinku said all 15 members of DCC who were keen to get party ticket had taken oath in the presence of Channi that they would support anyone among the 15 fielded by party but would not allow an outsider.

Ashok Wahi, former President- Ropar MC said that if ticket of Dhillon was not cancelled, he will contest as an independent.

Dhillon is considered close to Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh and is a former Panjab University leader.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said his organisation was working to make the Hindu community united and strong, asserting it is "not opposed to anybody".

Bhagwat also said only the weakness of the Hindus are to be blamed for their oppression in neighbouring Bangladesh.

He was speaking at a RSS rally here for which the city police had earlier refused permission. The Calcutta High Court yesterday allowed RSS to hold the programme.

"We have formed this organisation not to oppose anybody, but to strengthen ourselves. The Hindu Samaj has a glorious history in this country,", he said, and asked, "Despite such glorious history is the condition of the Hindu Samaj same, the way it should have been?"



"Are the Hindus able to perform their religious rites and activities freely and fairly across India? Are human rights of the Hindus well established in this country?," he asked.

"If the answer is no, then why do you get surprised when Hindus are being oppressed in Bangladesh? The Hindus are only responsible for their own condition. Hindus are facing this situation because they are not united and strong. We should work in uniting the Hindu Samaj, without opposing anybody," Bhagwat said.

In October last year during the Durga Puja festival, the RSS had complained to state Governor K N Tripathi that the Hindus were not being able to perform their religious rites properly in some parts of the state.

In a subtle dig at the state administration, which had opposed the rally, Bhagwat said it is always fun to work and reach the target despite all odds and hurdles.

"Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of RSS, despite all odds had formed this organisation for the unity of Hindus. Many people had opposed us and our work, but we are standing firm," he said and asked the RSS cadres to increase their activities to strengthen the Hindu community.

"We all need to take a oath that to strengthen Bharat, the Hindu Samaj has to unite and spread the message of love. You should spend one-third of your time each day and one-third of your income in the development of the country. You should not stand outside, rather you have to be part of this developmental process," Bhagwat said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sebi will provide incentives to defaulters coming on their own to settle cases before start of enforcement action while excessive delays in filing of settlement applications would be liable for higher charges.

In this regard, the board of Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India), during its meeting here today, approved various amendments to existing norms for settlement of administrative and civil proceedings.

The markets watchdog said the amendments have been approved in order to streamline and strengthen the settlement process.

With the amendments, Sebi would have power to charge interest in case of excessive delays in filing of applications or payment of settlement amount apart from providing incentive for defaulters to come "voluntarily on their own, before initiation of investigation or enforcement action".

The amended norms would also pave the way for settlement notice before issuance of a formal show cause notice, except those that are excluded from settlement.

Among others, re-application of rejected or withdrawn applications in deserving cases, subject to payment of additional fees and interest would be permitted.

According to a release issued after the board meeting, situations when joint and several liability is taken into account for determining settlement amount would be considered under the revised norms.

In this regard, Sebi (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014 would be amended.

As part of efforts to further empower stock exchanges, Sebi board has decided to allow bourses penalise listed companies in case they violate ICDR (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations.

With these changes, stock exchanges would have power to enable actions such as imposition of fines and suspension of trading.

At present, these provisions are available for exchanges only under the Sebi LODR (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations.

ICDR norms pertain to companies raising funds through public, rights, preferential or bonus issue of securities.

"This will reduce cost of undertaking adjudication/ quasi-judicial actions in case of minor violations for the listed entities," the release said.

Sebi would issue appropriate guidelines providing for standard operating procedure in this respect.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Suggesting a facilitative role for Sebi, its international advisory board (IAB) today suggested to the regulator to study migration to fee-based model for robo-based investment advisory and also be "tough but open to innovations" in new areas like crowd-funding.

The panel also asked the capital market regulator to ensure performance evaluation for boards of listed companies has to go "beyond a box-ticking exercise" and enable disclosure of the evaluation result with shareholders.

At its two-day meeting that ended today, the IAB discussed in detail the issues and developments relating to corporate governance and noted that it must help the companies achieve their objectives and implement their corporate strategy while keeping the interest of various stakeholders in mind.

"A matrix of expertise may be introduced to make the board diverse, balanced and in tune with the requirements for effective functioning of the company," the panel noted.

The observations assume significance in the wake of the recent boardroom battles at some big corporate houses including the Tatas, an issue which was also discussed at Sebi's board meeting held later today in Jaipur.

The IAB said there has to be transparency in board appointments and removal process and similar requirements need to be prescribed at both stages.

Audit committee should also focus on forward looking risk assessment, in addition to retrospective evaluation.

The IAB also deliberated on board evaluation as applicable to listed companies in respect of role of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC), role of independent directors, evaluation of independent directors, disclosure requirements and the like.

The IAB also took note of the global practices and said the process of evaluation of the performance of board has to go beyond a box-ticking exercise. The process has to be conducive to the growth of the company and can differ from company to company.

"The best evaluation is actually an exercise in self evaluation of the company's own performance and effectiveness in terms of its mission, financial returns, strategy, business model and social responsibility, and in this context whether the standards expected from the board are being realised," Sebi said in a statement after IAB meeting.

"It would be a good practice if the result of the evaluation of the board as a whole is disclosed to the shareholders.

IAB also observed, according to Sebi, that there is a need



that boards of companies are educated about the evaluation process.

On migration from the commission based to fee based advisory model, the IAB took note of the extant framework for investment advisory business in India, including role of mutual fund distributors and regulatory arbitrage between the investment advisor and mutual fund distributor providing advice.

The board also noted international regulatory developments aimed at addressing inherent conflicts of interest and introduction of more transparency in relation to inducement and commissions received by financial advisors and distributors in jurisdictions like Australia, the United Kingdom, the US, Canada, the European Union and Singapore.

The IAB also deliberated on Robo Advisory and advised that fee for advice is the journey which needs to be completed. It, however, advised that the proposed migration needs to be calibrated.

It observed that commission based as well as fee based approach to investment advisory can co-exist for the time being. The transition from commission to a fee based approach has to be gradual. Such transition has to happen in tandem across regulatory segments to have uniformity in regulatory stringency across competing segments like securities market, insurance and pension businesses.

"Regulators need to keep in mind the financial viability and the business model of the advisory business. Proper due diligence before transition in regulatory regime is essential. Distinction between retail and sophisticated investors should be clear. There is a felt need for greater awareness among investors on cost of commission versus fees based advisory," the IAB said.

"More transparency is required on distributors' commission in all financial products. Before undertaking any effective steps, Sebi may consider undertaking a study of migration to fee-based advisory model under RDR, FOFA and robo-advisory models," it added.

It also suggested promoting ETF investments as they entail low investment management costs.

The IAB also discussed how the framework of passporting of investment funds works, their benefits to investors, industry and economy.

In this context, the IAB referred to the global practices with regard to passporting of funds -- Undertaking for Collective Investments in Transferrable Securities (UCITS) in Europe, ASEAN Fund Passport Framework and Asia Region Fund Passporting (ARFP).

It noted that relative size of the country and that of the markets matter in passporting -- passporting is more beneficial to smaller markets and there is need to study the above passport arrangements in detail.

"Sebi may also explore some alternative framework like mutual recognition and regulatory equivalence for cross- jurisdictional investment flow," the regulator said.

"Given that the Indians have the talent to manage international funds, India may focus on manufacturing and managing cross-country financial assets locally with the help of overseas advice and passporting of such funds all over the world.

The meeting saw deliberations not only on the pros and



cons of internationalisation of securities market but aspects like framework for product innovation, risk management and whether the current stage of development and maturity of the Indian markets to support internationalisation of domestic securities market.

The panel also discussed if GIFT IFSC may be a substitute to internationalisation of Indian securities market.

"Capital control liberalisation is a pre-condition to facilitate internationalisation of domestic financial markets. This liberalisation hinges on presence of robust financial institutions domestically," the panel said.

"Market for international financial centre (IFC) is very competitive and therefore, IFC needs to specialise itself in a particular area for its success," it added.

The IAB also weighed in on international regulatory developments on crowd-funding relating to investors, issuers and crowd-funding platforms in jurisdictions like the US, the UK, France, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Japan and China.

It also deliberated on whether India is ready to initiate securities based crowd funding, keeping in view the recent developments in the Indian financial technology space (UPI, UID, payments banks and the like) and other aspects relating to operations and regulations of crowd-funding in India.

The IAB suggested that innovation be allowed as long as the same is not illegal in any way.

"Crowd-funding, as a trend globally, is still at its beta-testing stage, where the investors and the issuers need to quickly learn what works and what does not. Appropriate systems and processes should be put in place," noted the panel.

The open-house session at the meeting saw an exchange of ideas among IAB members on various important challenges faced by various securities markets jurisdictions.

The session witnessed several important issues like cyber-security, cross-border and internal competitiveness among market infrastructure institutions, shrinking of public markets, emergence of dark pools, non-bank transfer of money and growing importance of social media, among others, being highlighted.
A Serbian train decorated with the national colours and plastered with icons and a nationalist slogan left Belgrade for Kosovo, the former Serbian province, but was halted just before the border as tensions flared.

Serbia had styled the train as a bid to revive the first rail service from the Serbian capital to the mostly ethnic Serbian north of Kosovo since a bloody war 18 years ago that propelled Kosovo towards independence.

But Kosovo denounced the scheme as a provocation and an attempt to damage its territorial integrity. Its president, Hashim Thaci, called on "leading officials to take the necessary measures to stop this train, which threatens Kosovo's sovereignty".

Several hours after the train left central Belgrade yesterday, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he had ordered it to be halted in southwest Serbia, just before the border with Kosovo, because of fears it would be attacked.

"I decided to stop the train at Raska to avoid a conflict and save lives," Vucic told a press conference in Belgrade.

He accused the Kosovo government of sending police units to the north of the territory to "provoke a wide-ranging conflict".

"Serbia wants peace... But I ask the Albanians of Kosovo not to try attacking Serbs in Kosovo because Serbia will not allow it," Vucic warned.

Although most of Kosovo is ethnically Albanian, many Serbs consider it their native homeland and a cradle of their culture.

Some 13,000 people were killed in the 1998-1999 war, sparked by clashes between the forces of the rump Yugoslav state -- Serbia and Montenegro -- and Kosovo separatists. The conflict ended when NATO carried out an air campaign against Serbia.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, but Serbia and its ally Russia have yet to recognise its sovereignty.

The train, painted in the red, blue and white of the Serbian flag, was decorated inside with replicas of religious icons from Serbian Orthodox monasteries located in Kosovo. It also bore the inscription: "Kosovo is Serbia".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Bahraini capital Manama on Saturday over reports on social media that the authorities may be preparing to execute three Shi'ite men convicted of a deadly 2014 bomb attack.





Executions are rare in Bahrain, a Western allied kingdom tucked between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The authorities have been cracking down on dissent mainly by the Shi'ite majority complaining of discrimination by the island's Sunni rulers. The last execution was carried out in 2008.





Calls for the protests were issued on social media after the families of the three young men - Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima and Ali al-Singace - said they had been summoned to visit their loved ones at Jau prison.





The men, who were convicted in 2015 of a bomb attack that killed three police officers - two Bahrainis and an Emirati - had maintained their innocence and rights groups have said confessions were obtained under torture. Bahrain denies using torture.





Prison authorities did not explain the reason for the summons to the families but gave them a telephone number to collect their sons' personal belongings, according to social media reports.





News of the possible impending executions prompted calls on social media for protests, drawing hundreds of people onto the streets. Bahraini security forces were seen deploying around areas of tension, including Duraz village, where the spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shi'ites has been confined since authorities revoked his citizenship last year.





Footage on social media showed hundreds of men and women marching with placards denouncing the death sentences imposed on the three men.





"No, No to Executions," one poster carried by demonstrators in Duraz read, above pictures of the three men.





There were no reports of clashes between demonstrators and security forces, who were deployed in armored vehicles outside the village, according to social media.





Social media messages said similar protests took place in other Shi'ite villages across Bahrain.





Bahrain launched a crackdown on dissidents in June last year, closing down the main Shi'ite Muslim group, al-Wefaq. It has also more than doubled a prison sentence imposed on the head of al-Wefaq, Sheikh Ali Salman, revoked the citizenship of the Shi'ite majority's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, and arrested prominent activist Nabeel Rajab.





Bahrain denies any discrimination against Shi'ites and accuses Iran of fanning unrest in the kingdom, a charge Tehran says is not true.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: Reuters, Sami Aboudi, January 14, 2017
Serbia has launched a railway service to Serb-dominated northern Kosovo despite protests from the government in Pristina which called it a provocation and an aggressive violation of its sovereignty.

Serbian officials in Belgrade today saw off a Russian-made train decorated with the Serb flags, churches, monasteries and medieval towns, and inscribed with "Kosovo is Serbian" in 20 world languages.

A former Serbian province, Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade does not recognize the split and has sought to maintain influence in Kosovo's north where most of the Serb minority is located.

Today's train to Mitrovica was a promotional event; a regular schedule has not been announced.

Kosovo State Minister Edita Tahiri yesterday accused Serbia of threatening regional stability and urged the European Union to intervene.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A British Sikh businessman has been arrested at Heathrow Airport here on tax fraud charges filed by German authorities and faces extradition along with a 15-year jail term if found guilty.

Peter Singh Virdee was arrested earlier this week on a European arrest warrant, Scotland Yard confirmed yesterday.

Virdee faces extradition to Germany and a 15-year jail term if found guilty of value added tax (VAT) fraud allegations worth around 100 million pounds, which he denies.

"Peter Singh Virdee, 43, a UK national, was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Extradition Unit on Tuesday January 10 at Heathrow Airport. He was arrested on a European arrest warrant on behalf of the authorities in Germany, where he is wanted in relation to tax evasion," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

Virdee appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was released on bail.

A spokesperson from Carter-Ruck, the legal firm representing him, said, "Our client categorically denies these allegations; he has never been involved in carbon trading let alone in any kind of fraud."



"While he is happy to cooperate with the authorities he intends to defend himself fully against these allegations and the attempts to extradite him to Germany," the spokesperson said.

Prosecutors in Germany allege Virdee was one of the "central organisers" of a criminal enterprise to defraud the authorities of VAT on carbon credits under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

The businessman, who has a property company based in London, operated "in the background" and took pains to conceal his identity, prosecutors claim.

He is believed to have used several aliases and was known within the group as "Batman", according to UK media reports.

The German authorities have formally requested his extradition.

Virdee is accused of operating a so-called "VAT carousel" scheme on EU carbon credits, under which traders export the credits from one member state to another in order to take advantage of EU VAT rules.

As exports, the sales are exempt from VAT, but the traders charge their customers VAT which they never declare to the authorities. The scheme ran from 2008 to 2012.

Prosecutors in the German city of Frankfurt have been pursuing the case for several years.

German prosecutors, who are not allowed to name suspects, claim in reference to Virdee that he has extensive contacts abroad, in India and Pakistan among other countries.

Virdee describes himself as the first Sikh patron of the English National Opera and a philanthropist via his Peter Virdee Foundation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lanka lost 16 wickets in a day as South Africa's fast bowlers sent them crashing to defeat by an innings and 118 runs in the third Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 131 and 177 as South Africa's four pacemen tore the batting apart handing the home side a 3-0 series whitewash.

In a dismal third day of the final Test for the tourists, Sri Lanka were able to add only 51 runs to their overnight first innings total of 80 for four and seldom looked like providing sustained resistance in the second innings, despite a fighting 50 by opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne.

Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada both took three wickets in the first innings, while new cap Duanne Olivier and left-armer Wayne Parnell took two apiece.

Parnell took four wickets in the second innings, Olivier three, Rabada two and Philander one.

Sharing the new ball with Philander in the second innings, Rabada took a wicket with his first ball when Kaushal Silva gloved a catch to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. He added the wicket of Karunaratne, who was bowled shortly before tea.

Parnell bowled Kusal Mendis before Olivier dismissed Dhanajaya de Silva and captain Angelo Mathews, both with the help of catches at second slip by South African captain Faf du Plessis, the second a spectacular one-handed leaping effort.

Philander took his only wicket of the innings when Dinesh Chandimal was caught at first slip.

Suranga Lakmal hit out to make 31 as he and Upul Tharanga (26) added 43 for the eighth wicket before the last three wickets fell for no runs in ten balls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An aid group says a South African has been abducted by armed men in Syria while travelling with aid workers to the border with Turkey.

The Gift of the Givers group said today that Shiraaz Mohamed was kidnapped on Tuesday afternoon near a medical facility operated by the South African aid organisation.

Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, says the kidnappers blindfolded Mohamed and two aid workers and drove with their captives for an hour.

Sooliman says the gunmen then freed the two aid workers, but said they would question Mohamed to clear up an unspecified "misunderstanding" and would release him at a Gift of the Givers facility after two days.

However, Mohamed was not released on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A South Korean captain and a Filipino crewman abducted by suspected Islamist militants in the southern Philippines three months ago were released today, the presidential peace adviser said.

Jesus Dureza, a senior aide to President Rodrigo Duterte, said the two hostages were freed in Sulu, a remote archipelago known as a militant hideout.

In October, the Philippine military said armed men identifying themselves as Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped the pair from a South Korean cargo ship, the first such attack on a large merchant vessel.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the wake of Carrie Fisher's death, Lucasfilm has issued a statement that the company will not digitally recreate actress in the next "Star Wars" films.

The spokesperson said that there were certain rumours after the death of the actress, who played Princess Leia and they wanted to put them to rest, reported Variety.

"We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance as Princess or General Leia Organa," the company stated.

They added that Lucasfilm is yet to recover from the Fisher's death and that she will always be remembered.

"Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend.

"We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honour everything she gave to Star Wars," they said.

Fisher will be seen in the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode VIII", which is slated for release on December 15.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 27-year-old student was today



killed in an explosion at his rented accommodation in Kunja Matralion village, about six km from Paonta Sahib town here, police said.

The incident occurred late this evening when Jitender Singh, a resident of Sarkaghat in Mandi district and a student of dental surgery, was studying for his examinations, Station House officer (SHO) Paonta Sahib, Ashok Chauhan said.

The blast triggered fire and flames engulfed Singh's room, he said.

Villagers rushed to the spot and informed police and fire brigade about the incident. The flames were doused and the body of the student with burn injuries was recovered from the room, Chauhan said.

The cause of the blast could not be ascertained immediately, he said.

A team of forensic experts has been called from State Forensic Laboratory, Junga (Shimla) for probe and the body has been sent for postmortem, the SHO said.

Police have started investigation into the incident, the officer added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour today said "secret" talks between American and Sudanese officials led to the easing of US sanctions on his country.

US President Barack Obama yesterday announced the lifting of some economic sanctions, trying to improve ties with a country whose leader is accused of war crimes and links to terror.

"We held 23 meetings in Khartoum away from the eyes of the media from June 2016 that lasted six months. The meetings were concluded on December 31," Ghandour told reporters.

The head of Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Mohammed Atta al-Mawla, told reporters he had met the CIA chief "twice since October 2015".

Sudan, he said, "has been cooperating and coordinating with the US since before 2000 in the struggle against terrorism," he said.

Mawla did not elaborate but said he had received "technical assistance" from the US.

The US decision to ease sanctions will allow Sudan to boost trade and "opens the way for us to use all sorts of currency, specially the US dollar", for trade transactions, according to Finance Minister Badreddin Mahmud.

Sudan has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 for its alleged support to Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

The United States has also blacklisted Sudan as an alleged state sponsor of terrorism since 1993.

The Khartoum government's scorched earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in the Darfur region have also been cited as a reason not to lift the sanctions



According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million were displaced since that conflict began in 2003.

President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.

Human Rights Watch has expressed concern over Obama's decision.

"The Obama administration's decision to 'ease' sanctions is inexplicable," said Leslie Lefkow of New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"Sudan's government has failed to make progress on core benchmarks, from its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and other conflict zones, to its extensive repression of independent voices.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Discontent in Congress in Kerala over the selection of party district committee presidents came into focus today with sulking former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy keeping away from party's political affairs committee meeting held here.

Chandy in a facebook post said that he would meet Party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on January 17.

"Some of the media reports connected with my stand on the reorganisation issue was contrary to facts and some even exaggerated. I have not said anything on the selection of DCC presidents", he said.

"But I have some clear views on the matter and that I will convey to the leadership", he said.

Chandy concluded the post with saying that people in the state wish to strengthen the UDF and Congress and "in that process I will be in the forefront".

However, both KPCC President V M Sudheeran and AICC general secretary K V Thankabalu, who is in charge to co-ordinate the agitation programmes against demonetisation, played down the development and said 'Chandy did not attend due to personal inconvenience'.

Talking to reporters after the PAC meet, Sudheeran said general opinion of the members was that Chandy should have attended the meeting.

However, he asserted that there was no issues or problem between Chandy and party in the state.

"Chandy is an integral part of the congress in the state and said that former chief minister would attend all the programmes of the party", he said.

Echoing the same sentiments, Thankabalu said "Chandy is one of the tallest leader not only of the state but at the national level. There is no issue or problem", he said.

The party in the state would move unitedly to face the challenges posed by the "anti-people" policies of the Modi government at the Centre, he said.

"Congress has the twin challenges of fighting against the anti-people policies of the CPI-M led LDF government in the state and BJP in the Centre", Sudheeran said.

The meet decided to hold series of agitation to highlight the hardship faced by people due to note ban, he said.

A convention would be held here on January 21 and party workers would picket RBI office in Kochi on February 9.

A state level massive rally would be held in Kochi on Marh 4, in which national leaders of the party would participate, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala, who took over reins of the state in the difficult period when militancy was at its peak in the mid-80s, died here on Saturday at the age of 91.

Barnala, who served as Chief Minister from 1985 to 1987, was admitted to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here on Thursday.

A moderate leader of the Akali Dal, he became chief minister after the Rajiv-Longowal accord to usher in peace in the troubled state was reached in the summer of 1985.

Barnala was admitted to the Cardiac Care Unit of PGI and was shifted this morning to respiratory ICU where he breathed his last.

As Governor of Tamil Nadu, Barnala had famously refused to recommend dismissal of the DMK government in 1991 when the late Chandrashekhar was the Prime Minister for a short time. When he was transferred to Bihar following his refusal, he chose to resign as Governor.

The government headed by Chandrashekhar then dismissed the Karunanidhi ministry using the "otherwise" provision in Article 356 of the Constitution after Barnala's refusal to make a recommendation.

He had also served as Governor of Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Barnala was Agriculture Minister at the Centre in the Moraji Desai government and Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has condoled the death of former Senior Akali Leader.
Lawyer Julian McMahon with three self-portraits by Myuran Sukumaran The brother of executed Bali Nine member Myuran Sukumaran joined community leaders to speak out against the death penalty at the emotional world premiere of an art exhibition featuring his paintings in Campbelltown last night. The brother of executed Bali Nine member Myuran Sukumaran joined community leaders to speak out against the death penalty at the emotional world premiere of an art exhibition featuring his paintings in Campbelltown last night.





Chintu Sukumaran choked back tears as he told the hundreds of people who attended the opening night of the Myuran Sukumaran: Another Day in Paradise exhibition that he and his family felt a cross between pride and anger to see his brother's emotive and thought-provoking artworks on display.





"We are proud that Myu's work is being shown to the world but we are angry that he is no longer with us," he said.





"Our family feel great sadness that his life was cut short so violently. We miss him all the time.





"It's important to stand up against the death penalty."





Mr Sukumaran, who attended the opening night with mum Raji and sister Brintha, said art gave his brother an outlet and the paintings showed the power of redemption.





Myuran Sukumaran found a passion for art and painted hundreds of portraits, including a series featuring each Bali 9 member, while incarcerated in Bali's Kerokoban Jail and from his final incarceration on Nusakambangan Island





Sukumaran and fellow Bali 9 member Andrew Chan were executed by Indonesian authorities on Nusakambangan Island in April 215.





Chan's brother Michael also attended the opening night of the exhibition, which is on display at Campbelltown Arts Centre as part of the Sydney Festival.





Mr Chan said the paintings were excellent and showcased what Sukumaran tried to do.





"He made mistakes but he rehabilitated and this is what you see," he said.





Mr Chan said he and his family had their good days and bad days and he hoped something good would come out of the situation.





Sukumaran's lawyer Julian McMahon also attended the launch and described how he watched his client mature from a naive and angry young man to a person who reformed and found a passion for art and tried to make life better for the other prisoners in the jail.





Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic officially opened the exhibition and became emotional as he commended the bravery of the Sukumaran family for attending the event.





He said he had served as a police officer for 22 years and the attendance of the family at the opening night was the bravest thing he had seen.





Another Day in Paradise - Myuran Sukumaran's debut exhibition in Sydney Macarthur Federal Labor MP Mike Freelander and Fowler Federal Labor MP Chris Hayes, who served on the group Australian Parliamentarians against the Death Penalty, also attended the event and spoke out against capital punishment. Macarthur Federal Labor MP Mike Freelander and Fowler Federal Labor MP Chris Hayes, who served on the group Australian Parliamentarians against the Death Penalty, also attended the event and spoke out against capital punishment.





The exhibition was co-curated by Sukumaran's mentor, Archibald Prize winning artist, Ben Quilty, and Campbelltown Arts Centre director Michael Dagostino.





The series of self portraits are on display at Campbelltown Arts Centre as part of the Sydney Festival.





One of the paintings featured in the series, The Final 72 Hours.





Quilty became emotional at the launch and thanked the arts centre and Campbelltown Council for being brave enough to stage the exhibition.









Dagostino said he was keen for the arts centre to show thought-provoking works and become a vessel to discuss issues.





"This exhibition is proof that art can change lives," he said.





Alongside Sukumaran's paintings, the arts centre commissioned works by 6 leading Australian artists which also explore the exhibition's themes and are displayed alongside his work.





The exhibition is free to enter and will be on show at Campbelltown Arts Centre until March 26.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: Daily Telegraph, January 14, 2017
The Syrian political opposition said today it supports planned peace talks sponsored by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital later this month.

"Concerning the forthcoming meeting in Astana, the (High Negotiations) Committee stresses its support to the military delegation...And expresses hope that the meeting would reinforce the truce," an HNC statement said after a two-day meeting in Riyadh.

The HNC also expressed hope that the meeting would "establish a phase of confidence" through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, especially articles concerning ending sieges of cities and towns, delivering aid and releasing detainees.

The HNC said it "appreciates efforts" to make Astana talks fruitful, adding that the meeting represents a step that "paves the way for political talks" in Geneva next month.

Despite backing opposite sides in the Syrian conflict, Russia and Turkey have worked closely in recent weeks to broker a nationwide ceasefire aimed at laying the ground for the January 23 peace talks in Astana.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Private steel major Tata Steel's Noamundi Iron-ore Mine in adjoining West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand is all set to become the first mine of the country to launch 'Drone Application in Mine Monitoring' (DAMM) on Monday.

Noamundi Iron Mine of Tata Steel will become the first Mine in India to launch "Drone Application in Mine Monitoring" (DAMM) on January 16, a Tata Steel press release here today said, adding the DAMM will be launched by Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Balvinder Kumar.

Under the Flagship program 'Make in India', Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised on role of Space Science for achieving good governance during his address at the National Meet on Promoting Space Technology based Tools and Application in Governance and Development.

Based on the Prime Minister's vision, Ministry of Mines conceptualised and launched MSS (Mine Surveillance System) on October 15, 2016.

MSS is a satellite-based monitoring system through automatic remote sensing detection technology to have responsive mineral administration by curbing illegal mining and public participation.

Other dignitaries likely to be present on the occasion are R K Sinha, Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines, A B Panigrahi, Controller of Mines (CZ), Indian Bureau of Mines, Rajeev Singhal, Vice President, Raw Materials, Tata Steel, Pankaj Kumar Satija, General Manager (OMQ), Tata Steel and Manish Mishra, Chief (Regulatory Affairs), Tata Steel.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Soldiers in Ivory Coast's second-largest city had surrounded the residence where officials were negotiating a deal to end an army mutiny, as gunfire was also reported in the commercial capital of Abidjan, raising fears the crisis was far from over.

An Associated Press reporter in Bouake, in central Ivory Coast yesterday saw hundreds of soldiers converge on the home of a local official where the talks were taking place, and some fired their weapons into the air. Inside, a government delegation led by Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi was meeting with representatives of soldiers who kicked off the mutiny a week ago. The uprising re-ignited security worries in the world's top cocoa producer and Africa's fastest-growing economy.

The Bouake delegation also included the armed forces chief of staff and the head of the gendarmes, both of whom were appointed in a shake-up this week.

Soldiers controlled the main roads in Bouake, and phone service to the city was severely impaired.

In Abidjan, witnesses reported gunfire at military installations in the residential Cocody district and in Plateau, where Camp Gallieni, the army headquarters, is located.

A gendarmerie official in Plateau, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press, said he heard shots near the gendarmerie headquarters there. "They chased our guys from their post," he said, referring to the mutinous soldiers.

At the Akouedo military camp in Cocody, gunfire began at around 9 PM, said resident Emmanuel Assouan, who lives nearby.

"A barricade was erected by soldiers at the entrance to the camp. The shots are continuing to intensify," Assouan said.

The African Development Bank, which has its headquarters in Abidjan, sent out an alert advising staffers to stay home.

Last week's mutiny quickly spread to cities throughout the country, including Abidjan, before President Alassane Ouattara announced Jan 7 that a deal had been reached and that he would consider the soldiers' demands. The soldiers are seeking unpaid bonuses, higher pay, faster promotions and improved living conditions.

However, the details of the deal were not made public, and it was unclear whether all soldiers would accept them.

Yesterday, a military official with knowledge of the negotiations said the government was resisting paying bonuses of nearly USD 20,000 each for an unspecified number of soldiers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to give his name.

Ouattara and some other Ivorians have expressed frustration with the soldiers' tactics. Before the talks began yesterday, soldiers fired weapons to disperse a protest by civilians in Bouake who were angry that the standoff had disrupted economic activity in the city, said Fanta Kourouma, a Bouake resident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tunisia today marked the sixth anniversary of the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali without fanfare, after official recognition of failure on the economic and social fronts.

On the anniversary of the uprising which inspired Arab Spring revolts across the region, several protests were staged and the presidential convoy was stoned by demonstrators.

In Tunis, a crowd gathered on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in the presence of political and civil society groups, but local media said no other ceremonies appeared to have been organised elsewhere in Tunisia.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed acknowledged on national television last night that authorities had so far failed to address the grievances of the Tunisian people that had fuelled the 2011 revolution.

"If we want this democracy to become strong and resistant, we must achieve the economic and social objectives of the revolution, namely the economy and dignity," he said.

"Today, we are not achieving this because unemployment and social inequalities have increased," said Chahed.

President Beji Caid Essebsi today announced a package of new projects during a visit to the central province of Gafsa.

According to Nessma, a private television channel, however, security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters hurling stones at Essebsi's convoy.

An AFP correspondent said dozens of jobless demonstrators in Sidi Bouzid, a town in central Tunisia and birthplace of the anti-Ben Ali uprising, chanted "Work is a right, bunch of thieves" and other slogans from the revolution.

Similar demonstrations were staged on a road to a nearby town, with protesters burning tires, and in Meknassi, also close to Sidi Bouzid, where a general strike has been declared in protest at a lack of development.

Tunisian authorities have struggled to restore the economy and reduce youth unemployment -- particularly among new graduates -- over the past six years.

In January 2016, the government imposed a nationwide nighttime curfew after Tunisia witnessed some of its worst social unrest since the revolution.

Anger erupted after the death of a 28-year-old unemployed man who was electrocuted when he climbed a power pole while protesting in the central town of Kasserine.

That unrest had echoes of the public anger after the death of a young fruit seller who set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid in December 2010 in protest at unemployment and police harassment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Ambassador Samantha Power has warned that cutting US funding to the United Nations would be "extremely detrimental" to American interests, one week before Donald Trump's administration takes office.

Addressing her final conference, Power told reporters yesterday that "countries like Russia and China" would benefit from Washington's reduced standing at the United Nations if funding were withdrawn.

"We lead the world, in part, by leading at the UN," said Power, who is stepping down next week after four years as President Barack Obama's ambassador to the United Nations.

"If we were to tie our hands behind our back or strip this organization of programming" to support peace mediation or humanitarian work, "this would be extremely detrimental to US interests," she said.

Power spoke after a bill was introduced in the US Senate that would slash all US funding to the United Nations until a Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements is repealed.

The United States refrained from using its veto to block the resolution and instead abstained, allowing the measure to pass by a vote of 14-0 in the council, triggering a furious response from Israel.

Much of Power's parting words were in defence of US engagement at the United Nations, saying that while the "UN system is flawed" with a bloated bureaucracy, there is a need for a global body to pool common efforts.

"The United States needs the UN," Power said.

"The UN goes to places that the US will not go," she added, pointing to peace missions in Mali and South Sudan, where African troops are taking the lead.

"If there's less US leadership at the UN, it will be other countries that step in to fill the void," many of which do not share the US view on fighting terrorism or advancing human rights, she noted.

Power also warned the incoming Trump administration that it would be "very wise" to preserve the Iran nuclear deal that the president-elect has vowed to scrap.

The United States is by far the UN's biggest financial contributor, providing 22 percent of its operating budget and funding 28 percent of peacekeeping missions, which currently cost USD 8 billion annually.

Trump, who will take office on January 20, has dismissed the United Nations as "just a club for people to get together and have a good time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madhya Pradesh government which has constituted unique 'Happiness Department,' today organised its maiden activity as part of the week-long "Anandam" programme coinciding with Makar Sankranti festival.

People were asked to donate whatever they wish at a designated place and take things that they don't have on the occasion. The main programme was held in the state capital at TT Nagar stadium which was addressed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

"The Anandam programme will be organised till January 21 across the state during which traditional games, dance and music programmes will be held," a Public Relation Department official said.

"One gets true pleasure in helping others. To raise the level of happiness among the people, this initiative has been organised so that they have positivity in life and learn the art of leading a tension free life," Chouhan said addressing the inaugural programme.

"Anand Sabhas will be organised and lessons on how to make life happy and meaningful will be included in school syllabus," Chouhan said.

"The main objective behind it is to develop positive attitude among students so that they remain prepared to serve and help others in need," the Chief Minister said.

"A dedicated website is also being created in which people can enroll themselves to become 'Anandak,' a person who can make others happy. Anybody can become a part of it including those associated with non-government, government, cultural and business establishments," he said.

Chouhan congratulated people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and added that development and activities related to Anandam will go together in the state.

The CM appealed to people to donate excess belongings like clothes, books, utensils, furniture and other goods.

The programmes under Anandam will be organised right up to Panchayat level and participation in it is totally optional.

"Economically well-off persons can donate their belongings at designated places in the state capital and other district places and those in need of them can take it from there as part of Anandam," he said.

The CM through video conferencing facility also interacted with people of Gwalior, Jabalpur and Ujjain and appealed to them to take part in it whole heartedly.

Chouhan's wife Sadhna donated jackets, saris, blankets, utensils, school bags and other goods.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Abhishek Bachchan went nostalgic as he remembered the moment when he proposed to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The 40-year-old actor took to Twitter to share the details about the couple's special moment.

"10 years ago on a freezing New York balcony, she said 'yes'," Abhishek tweeted along with a ring and heart emoji.

The actor proposed to Aishwarya after the world premiere of their hit film "Guru" in New York.

They tied the knot on April 20, 2007 and were blessed with daughter Aaradhya on November 16, 2011.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain's NHS public health service has been the country's pride since 1948, but is currently gripped by a "humanitarian crisis" due to "third world" conditions that are piling pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May.

The stark image of 22-month-old Jack Harwood, wearing only a nappy, stretched across two plastic chairs while waiting to see a doctor in Accident and Emergency dominated the front-page of the Daily Mirror on Friday, laying bare the depth of the winter crisis.

Despite showing some of the symptoms of meningitis, the toddler was only briefly seen by a nurse before having to wait nearly five hours in A&E to see a doctor.

Doctors and hospitals have said the National Health Service (NHS) is "approaching a tipping point", with every winter putting increasing stress on the free-at-point-of-use service, described as a "national religion" by former minister Nigel Lawson.

The service, the world's fifth largest employer with 1.5 million staff, is also political dynamite with the power to decide elections.

Brexit campaigners made it one of their main campaign themes, promising to channel it funds once earmarked for Brussels.

But a raft of stories of NHS failure have hit the newspapers over recent years as it struggles to cope with a growing and ageing population and austerity policies.

The slightest surge in demand, such as this year's flu epidemic, can be enough to plunge it into chaos with A&E waiting times surging.

Last week, 23 per cent of patients waited more than four hours to see a doctor while two patients died on stretchers in a corridor at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital this week, revealing a shortage of beds, ambulances and doctors.

Richard Kerr, a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, said he had never seen such a serious situation in his 26-year career.

Red Cross CEO Mike Adamson even called it a "humanitarian crisis", a conclusion rejected by Conservative prime minister Theresa May, who called the comment "irresponsible and overblown".

"We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter" she said Friday.

But for many, the malaise is much deeper.

"This is not a 'winter' crisis. This is a blizzard in an eternal winter of the NHS," said Mark Holland, a doctor specialising in acute illnesses.

"We are asking the staff to offer a first-class service with numbers and beds worthy of the Third World.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 30-year-old woman today died after her throat was slit by a kite string when she was driving a two-wheeler here, police said.

Maltiben Langadiya was driving a two-wheeler when she ran into a kite string which slit her throat. She died due to over-bleeding, they added.

"Maltiben was passing through Dharnidhar bridge when a string of a kite slit her throat. She was rushed to the civil hospital where she was declared brought dead due to over-bleeding," a Paldi police official said.

A resident of Vasna locality, Maltiben was on her way to Ambawadi when she met with the accident, he added.

The incident occurred on the day when Gujarat celebrates Uttarayan festival by flying kites.

In a related incident, a 12-year-old boy died after coming in contact with a live electric wire while chasing a kite at Kankwadi village in Valsad district in South Gujarat, police said.

Victim Achan Tandel (12) was chasing a kite when he entered into a farm land where he came in contact with a live electric wire and died on the spot, an official of Dungri police station in the district said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In one of the largest deals in the fast-growing Indian aviation sector, SpiceJet will buy up to 205 new aircraft from Boeing with the order valued at Rs 1,50,000 crore.

The multi-billion dollar deal struck after long-drawn discussions will see the airline buying more fuel-efficient 155 Boeing planes, with the delivery slated to start from 2018.

With the earlier order for 55 planes and additional 100 new 737-8 MAX aircraft, the no-frills carrier now has firmed up order for a total of 155 planes. SpiceJet will also have the rights to purchase 50 more aircraft comprising B737-8 MAX and wide-bodied ones -- the latter likely to be used for possible "low-cost long haul" operations in future.

Announcing the deal here on Friday, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said the total order of 205 aircraft is valued at Rs 1,50,000 crore (USD 22 billion).

"This is one of the largest deals in Indian aviation and the largest for SpiceJet," he said.

Currently, the budget carrier has 32 next generation B737s and 17 Bombardier Q400s.

In less than a month, this is the second big announcement after rival GoAir firmed up the order for 72 new planes from Airbus that is estimated to be worth over Rs 52,000 crore amid the domestic market growing at the fastest pace in the world.

According to Singh, SpiceJet will explore different options for financing the deal.

Singh said the induction of the new aircraft, which burn 20 per cent less fuel, will help SpiceJet reduce costs and enhance its ability to compete.

After being on the verge of going belly up two years ago, the airline has been in the black for the past seven straight quarters.

Delivery of the 155 new planes will start from the third quarter of 2018 and end in 2024.

Boeing's Senior Vice-President Sales (Asia Pacific and India) Dinesh Keskar put the cost of the 100 new aircraft at around USD 11 billion.

As part of the deal, SpiceJet in collaboration with Boeing will set up a simulator facility -- which is expected to be ready in 2018 -- for pilot training.

Incidentally, aviation regulator DGCA has mandated domestic airlines having more than 20 planes to ensure that they have at least one simulator facility in the country.


Esteban Santiago

Federal death penalty cases are exceedingly rare, but prosecutors are already exploring the possibility of seeking execution for a military veteran who flew from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale to gun down nearly a dozen airport travelers.





For federal prosecutors, the contemplated capital case against 26-year-old Esteban Santiago wont be so much a whodunit  after all, he surrendered immediately after the deadly attack at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.





Rather, they will have to prove the former Army reservist premeditated the violent assault  and disprove the defendants likely insanity defense that he didnt know right from wrong when he opened fire in a baggage claim area last Friday.





The decision to pursue the death penalty against Santiago, accused of killing five people and injuring six others, carries such gravity that it must be made by the U.S. Attorney General, with significant input from the U.S. Attorneys Office as well as the defendants lawyers in South Florida.





Prosecutors will be weighing the pros and cons, deciding whether to put a federal grand jury on notice of their plans to pursue the death penalty when it considers an indictment before Santiagos arraignment on Jan. 23.





There just arent that many murder cases that lend themselves to the federal system and so almost all of them go to the state, said Miami defense lawyer Allan Kaiser, who worked as a federal prosecutor in South Florida for 16 years. And as rare as these cases are, you cant just jump at the prospect of seeking a death penalty.





Federal executions rare





Even if Santiago were convicted and sentenced to die, an execution could be unlikely.





The U.S. government, using lethal injection, has only executed three inmates since the federal death penalty was brought back in 1988.





The last execution came in 2003, when Gulf War veteran Louis Jones was put to death for raping and murdering a teenage Army recruit in Texas. The feds earlier executed Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and Juan Raul Garza, a drug trafficker who murdered three rivals in Texas.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: Miami Herald, David Ovalle, Jay Weaver, January 12, 2017
OGDEN, Utah (AP)  Its a tough job, but Jacquie King cant see herself doing anything else.

As head brewer at Roosters Brewing Co. in Ogden, she hauls 50-pound bags of grain up and down three stories. She rakes 350 pounds of mash out of a tun and sometimes moves 160-pound kegs. She crawls in and out of claustrophobic fermenters. She scrubs, sanitizes and polishes lines. But there are bigger barriers to overcome.

The beer industry hasnt always been a welcoming place for women. There are all the sexualized advertisements and sexist labels. Its any wonder women are vastly underrepresented both as craft beer drinkers and workers in the industry.

Some publications report that only 4 percent of brewers in American breweries are women, and Utah certainly isnt bucking any trends. Of the 14 big breweries the Utah Brewers Guild represents in the state, there are only three female brewers. King is the only head brewer its representatives are aware of.

Still, nothing seems to hold King back. With six months as Roosters head brewer under her belt, she spoke with the Standard-Examiner (http://bit.ly/2jfAR3h) about her passion for beer, the evolving craft industry and her thoughts on female empowerment. The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How did you end up at Roosters?

Ive been here for three years. I started off bartending, knowing I wanted to eventually brew. I was like, All I have to do is get my foot into the company somehow. I apprenticed under Colton Layton, Ogdens head brewer at the time, for a year and a half for free. I decided thats how I was going to get in. You either have to go to school in brewing or you have to apprentice for it  its a skilled trade. When the job opportunity opened here, I knew the system, and they knew my dedication and what I could do.

Why not try for one of the bigger breweries in Salt Lake?

I love Ogden, and I wanted to stay local. I love the outdoor access and the vibe of the city. Its cool to be in a town that is kind of being reborn while youre here and to see all the progress. Its so hard to get into this industry, too, so it was easier to weasel my way into Roosters. Most Salt Lake breweries want you to have a year of commercial brewing experience just to be on the packaging line.

Youre wearing some pretty neat pink brewers boots. Is there a story behind them?

The Pink Boots Society was started in 2007, and its open to all women in the beer industry whether they work in sales, distribution, brewing, anything. They provide support through scholarships and networking.

If you look at the history of beer, women have always been involved. Women were most likely the first ones to make beer. Anything with food or beverage was a womans job. Theres an ancient Sumerian goddess of beer, Ninkasi. Its kind of cool to see a resurgence of women being involved in beer.

Im glad you brought that up. The industry hasnt traditionally been inclusive. Do you ever feel like youre trying to break into a boys-only club?

Not a ton. Id say people in the industry seem more welcoming than the general public. At beer festivals, people come up to the Roosters booth and ask the guys next to me about our beer. Theyll say, I dont know, ask her. She makes it.

Even at private events, Ill be pouring beer and my tip jar has a sign that says brewers beer fund. Ive had a couple of people make snarky comments, like oh, sure, I bet you had so much to do with the beer. Actually, I do. I make it!

Id say with those working in Utahs beer industry, though, its a different climate. Were more a close-knit group because there arent a ton of people who are as accepting of us in general, being craft brewers. Itd probably be different in other states.

Where does your interest in beer come from?

Ive always loved beer. As a kid, my dad was in the Army, so we lived in Germany for six years. I was too young to drink beer, but its culturally significant there. It piqued my interest. Then I started home brewing in college. Its so interesting because its basically chemistry. Its all science. Its just a really neat process. And who doesnt love drinking beer? Its delicious.

What do you think about Utahs beer scene? It seems like it has come a long way, even in the last 10 years.

It has come a long way. I think were still somewhat limited by the liquor laws though.

What law would you change to make your life easier as a brewer?

To a certain extent, the 4 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) draft law is nice in Utah. It limits completion. But at the same time, youre never pushed to grow if you dont have competition. If we could have a higher percentage beer on draft, I think it would make for better beers in Utah as well. We dont need 9 percent beer on draft, but it would be nice to have a 6 or 7 percent beer because wed get better flavor out of it.

Whats your favorite beer youve made for Roosters?

I made our Daily Rise and Shine Stout. That was awesome, I loved it. It was a coffee-cream oatmeal stout. It was quite popular  it came out at the end of October and sold out, I believe, by the end of November. Were going to re-brew it for sure. I also did an India pale lager over the summer. It was a Mosaic-based hop profile, which has a complex aroma profile and is typically used in pale ales, but it was a lager rather than an ale. Thats one of the trends in beer, doing unexpected things. Lagering something thats supposed to be an ale, or making something thats traditionally a lager hoppy.

It sounds like its a fun time to be in the craft beer industry.

It is so much fun. There are so many things going on. Theres a resurgence of sours. Theres a resurgence in natural fermentation and natural yeasts. No one is dead-set on we have to have these beer styles; this is how a beer should taste.

What changes would you like to bring to Roosters?

Id like to see more experimentation. I think were going in that direction already. Right now, because we are so small, its hard for us to get distribution outside the state of Utah, but Id love to see our beers in more places, too.

Any new recipes in the works?

My next seasonal beer is going to be a SMaSH beer  it stands for single-malt, single-hop. Its getting back to simple flavors, so you can taste the malt and taste the hop. Then Im also going to do a Session IPA in May for the Ogden Trail Running Festival.

For a female who loves beer and wants to break into the industry, too, whats a piece of advice you wish wouldve been given to you?

Just to follow your dreams sooner. I wanted to do this as a actual profession for about four years before I finally quit my day job and committed to it. If you have a degree in chemistry, that helps. Brewing is chemistry. So, girls, get involved in math and science.
Ahok's blasphemy trial begins

Welcome to the 21st century!



Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama will receive legal assistance from 80 lawyers for his blasphemy trial, which will start on Tuesday at the North Jakarta District Court  now temporarily located at the former Central Jakarta District Court building on Jl. Gajah Mada No.17, Central Jakarta.





Indonesian court gives go-ahead to blasphemy trial of Jakarta governor Ahok





Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has denied he intended to insult the Quran while campaigning





An Indonesian court will proceed with a controversial blasphemy trial against Jakartas Christian governor, who is accused of insulting the Quran, a judge said on Tuesday.





The case is seen as a test of religious freedom in the Muslim-majority nation.





A panel of judges rejected a call by lawyers defending governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is known by his nickname Ahok, to strike down the case because it had violated the ethnic Chinese politicians human rights and breached procedures.





The exception by the defendant will be considered and decided by the court after examination of all evidence. The defendants exception is not accepted, said judge Abdul Rosyad.





A tearful Ahok denied at his first hearing on 13 December that he had intended to insult the Quran while he was campaigning ahead of elections in February for the governorship of Jakarta, capital of the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation.





Ahok angered religious conservatives after he referenced a verse from the Islamic holy book, Al-Maidah 51 of the Quran, rather boldly telling voters they should not be duped by religious leaders using the verse to justify the claim that Muslims should not be led by non-Muslims.





On Tuesday hundreds of white-clad Muslim protesters chanted Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) outside the court in north Jakarta and called for the jailing of the governor.





A smaller group of his supporters were also present outside the courthouse, which was flanked by lines of police.





The presiding judge on the panel, Dwiyarso Budi Santiarto, said the defence could appeal to a higher court if they did not agree with the decision to proceed with the case.





Ahok, after consulting his lawyers, told the court he would consider doing so.





The governor was named a suspect after hundreds of thousands of people, led by Muslim hardliners, attended rallies in recent months calling for his arrest.





Blasphemy convictions in Indonesia can carry a jail term of up to five years and nearly always result in conviction.





Amnesty International has criticised the law for hurting freedom of expression and for targeting religious minorities.





President Joko Widodo, seen as an Ahok ally, has blamed political actors for fuelling the protests, but declined to elaborate.





As governor, Ahok has won credit for cutting red tape and improving the performance of Jakartas bloated bureaucracy. However, his abrasive language and insistence on clearing city slums has alienated many voters.





After suffering a slide in support in opinion polls, Ahok has rebounded to become the frontrunner again in the election race to lead Jakarta, according to a poll by the Indonesian Survey Institute earlier this month.





The next court hearing is scheduled for 3 January and will be moved to an auditorium in the agriculture ministry in the south of the city for security reasons, authorities said.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Sources: DPN, Jan. 14, 2017; The Jakarta Post , Jan. 14, 2017; The Guardian , Dec. 26, 2016




False confessions obtained under torture were Families of three men on Bahrain's death row fear their executions are about to take place, which would make them the first in the Gulf kingdom since 2010.False confessions obtained under torture were used to convict the trio





This comes just one month after Theresa May's visit to the Gulf, and in the wake of an explicit deprioritisation of human rights in favour of trade.





The legal department at Bahrain's death-row prison called the families of Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima, and Ali al-Singace this morning (14th) and told them to visit the prison today.





The authorities have refused to inform the families of the purpose of the meeting, leading to fears that it may be to inform them that their relatives either have been or will be executed imminently.





Bahrain's code of criminal procedure states that under Article 330: the relatives of the condemned will meet with him on the day appointed for the implementation of the sentence.





Several unofficial pro-government twitter accounts have tweeted about possible executions, and heightened security measures in Bahrain's prisons have also been observed.





The men's death sentences were upheld by Bahrain's highest court last Monday (9th) with unprecedented speed, removing any legal barrier to their executions and leaving the timing down to the King to decide.





One twitter account which appears to be run by a Bahraini security official claimed this morning that Bahrain's King Hamad has endorsed the executions and that they will take place soon. A former Bahraini MP has welcomed reports that the King has signed off on the executions.





All of the men were tortured by police after their arrest and at least two say they signed false confessions under duress.





Mr Mushaima was forced to sign documents despite being illiterate. He is a relative of a prominent opposition politician, but has never been involved in activism.





Mr al-Samea, a school teacher, was admitted to hospital for surgery as a result of his interrogation. He made complaints against the police which were investigated by UK-trained oversight institutions, however they claimed he had wounded himself resisting arrest.





Mr al-Singace was arrested as a teenager and convicted in absentia. When he was arrested, police tortured him with electric shocks.





The UK government has spent millions of pounds on human rights 'reforms' in Bahrain since protests swept the Kingdom in 2011, training police officers, prison guards at the death row jail and oversight bodies.





Commenting, Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve, said:





"Reports that Bahrain is set to carry out its first executions in six years, based on confessions extracted through torture, are deeply alarming.





It is appalling that the families of those facing execution are being kept in the dark, and do not know whether their loved ones are even still alive.





Britain has provided millions of pounds of funding to supposedly reform Bahrain's justice system. It must intervene to make clear that these executions cannot go ahead.





Commenting, Sayed AlWadaei, advocacy director of Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said:





Bahrain will enter a new dark era if the executions are carried out. This is the most heinous crime committed in Bahrain justice system and a shame to its rulers. This could have been avoided if the UK trained bodies were not complicit in covering up their torture. Bahrain was able to commit those crimes because it felt the international community was silent on its gross human rights violations





 Reprieve's research into UK support for Bahrain is available here , while further detail about the cases is available on request.





Source: Reprieve, January 14, 2017. Reprieve is an international human rights organization.





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!
Paul Goghomu Mingo Still To Break The Deadlock Wilson MUSA

The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, CACSC has called for immediate referendum in Former West Cameroon which will pave way for a two State Federation and also declared Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 January ghost town in the North West and South West Regions.

The information is contained in a Press Briefing on the two day meeting held with members of the Ad Hoc Committee put in place to look into problems raised by teachers in the English sub system of education.

In the release, they noted with satisfactory that dialogue was cordial with government ministers who showed sign of good faith. They also disclosed that all 18 points tabled were well thrashed and solutions advanced in the days ahead. However some points like Federation was a bone of contention as Yaounde delegation said only the Parliament can handle that.

At the end of the meeting which ended in a deadlock late in the night, the Trade Union leaders called a Press Conference for Saturday January 14, 2017 which was later cancelled for strategic reasons.

The reasons for the ghost towns according to the CACSC is due to governments continuous militarization of the two regions, the use of force by security forces on unarmed population, failures by government to seek lasting solutions to problems raised by Lawyers and teachers among others.

They also called for the unconditional release of all youths arrested in North West and South West regions.
| BY Lynchy |

Many in the industry, particularly in Melbourne, will be saddened to hear of the passing of legendary writer and creative director Greg Harper, who has died after struggling with various health problems over the last decade.

The former partner and executive creative director of Grey Advertising, Melbourne in the late 80s and 90s will no doubt be best remembered for creating (with art director Stewart Byfield) the long-running Victorian TAC If you drink, then drive, youre a bloody idiot campaign, which launched in 1989.

In 1998 one of the spots in the series won Best of Show at The One Show, the first time an Aussie ad had taken out the top gong at Americas, if not the words, most prestigious show. During his career Harper also won three FACTS/ATV Australian Commercial of the Year accolades.

Byfield, now ECD at Noisy Beast, Melbourne, emailed CB with this comment: Over the 10 years or so that Greg and I worked together at McCann Sydney, Hayes Cowcher Dailey, Dalziel-Harper & Grey that eventually became Grey I found Greg to be an amazing creative person will a zeal for strategy that challenged the norm. He taught me the value of breaking with convention can lead to revolution, as was the case with the TAC campaign contributing to the saving of thousands of lives.

But Greg was much more than TAC, he was fun to work with making my and many other careers richer from the experience. A great advertising mind dedicated to the craft. Those that worked with Greg will all agree his talents will be sadly missed.

Nigel Dawson followed Harper as creative guardian of the TAC business at Grey Melbourne and wrote most of the amazing TAC campaigns from the late 90s until departing Grey when the business went to Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne in 2014.

Dawson emailed CB this morning: Alas I only worked with Greg at the very end of his time in advertising. He had a fiery reputation but the man I knew was full of charm, extraordinary stories and generosity of spirit. Greg was a prince of anti-advertising who eschewed artifice and contrivance in favour of exploring human truths and placing them in inescapable pieces of communication.

His work changed the way social issues are tackled, not just in Australia, but across the world. In 1989 Greg, together with Stuart Byfield, took up the baton of the fledgling TAC and changed the way Victorians drove with a series of 30 plus campaigns, unlike anything seen before and each more powerful than the last, that drew global plaudits and saved many, many lives.

I owe Greg a huge debt of thanks because after seven years he handed me that baton. Over the subsequent 17 years and 100 campaigns I would constantly refer back to what Greg had said and written to ensure that we never deviated from the principles that worked to change behaviour. He may have been living in his beloved Mossman but his ghostly hand guided every one of those campaigns.

Most of those who read this will not have heard of Greg Harper. He was a landmark figure in Australian advertising. If they had been lucky enough to have met him and listened to him they would be better and sharper at what they do. I know that I am.

Harpers former creative partner at Grey Rob Dow, now based in Vietnam, emailed CB this comment: Greg and the TAC work since my first commercial in 1993 Kombi Van, has influenced me more than anything in social responsibility and looking to shift attitudes and behaviour.

It was also reflective in the campaigns we did for the Australian Defence Force and Army in particular. A changing way of recruiting young people by detailing the benefits after they left the service. In other words getting the ADF to accept that most recruits would not become career soldiers.

Greg had a lasting influence over many, many people. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to work alongside him.

Director Mat Humphrey credits Harper with giving him his first break: So very sad. Greg and Rob gave me my first break. So brilliant to work for. Just left the director to do what they do best. (He would often not even come to the shoot) but in the edit suite that was his domain. Well his and Robertas. Together we won countless international awards. All thanks to Gregs brilliant mind. He broke all the rules back then but now agencies look back at what he created as the Rule Book. We will miss you buddy.

Harper retired from the business in the late 90s, heading to Mossman in far north Queensland, where he worked on a series of photographic landscaping books, several film scripts, and a novel.

Harper leaves behind his wonderful wife Kaz ~ they were married for over 50 years ~ and two daughters, both of whom live in Melbourne.

In Campaign Briefs Millennium Book, published in 2000, we asked Australias top 100 creatives to select the one piece of work they were most proud of.
Friday, January 13, 2017 at 9:36PM

While we know Carrie Fisher has wrapped up filming for Episode VIII, its very much up in the air what will happen to our beloved Princess and General Leia. In an unlikely move, Disney is addressing speculation about whether Carries iconic role will be digitally recreated in future films. And the answer is they wont. The full release is shown below.

We dont normally respond to fan or press speculation, but there is a rumor circulating that we would like to address. We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fishers performance as Princess of General Leia Organa. Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars.

Source: Hello Giggles
Kiryl Kazachok Kiryl Kazachok was sentenced to death by the Gomel Regional Court, in southeast Belarus, on 28 December 2016. His was the 4th death sentence to be issued in Belarus in 2016. Kiryl Kazachok was sentenced to death by the Gomel Regional Court, in southeast Belarus, on 28 December 2016. His was the 4th death sentence to be issued in Belarus in 2016.





Kiryl Kazachok was sentenced to death by the Gomel Regional Court, in southeast Belarus, on 28 December. He was found guilty of killing his two children on 31 January 2016. He called the police following the incident, before trying to kill himself.





His lawyer will appeal the death sentence. If the sentence is upheld by the Supreme Court, Kiryl Kazachok will appeal directly to the President for clemency. It is highly probable that the sentence will be upheld and his clemency denied, leaving him at risk of execution shortly afterwards.





No warning is given of the date or time of execution and no final meeting with relatives is granted. Death row inmates are executed with a shot to the back of the head. In accordance with Belarusian law, their bodies are not returned to their families for burial, nor is the location of the burial site disclosed.





Belarus is the only country in Europe and Central Asia which continues to use the death penalty.





Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. It violates the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

TAKE ACTION

-- Urging President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to commute the death sentence of Kiryl Kazachok and all those on death row in Belarus;





-- Calling on the President to establish an immediate moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty;





-- Stress that whilst we are not seeking to downplay the seriousness of the crime, research shows that the death penalty does not deter crime more than other forms of imprisonment and is the ultimate denial of human rights.

Belarus: Yet Another Death Sentence

Yet, another death sentence was handed down this week in Belarus, to Mr Kiryl Kazachok. This sentence, which follows the execution of four persons earlier this year, goes against the commitments made by Belarusian authorities to consider the introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty,  says spokesperson statement on the European External Action Service (EEAS), reacting on the sentencing of Kazachok, convicted for murder of his own children Kira (9) and Vlad (17). After committing the crime, Kazachok went to his former spouse and confessed to her. According to the prosecution the double murder was meant as a revenge to the mother of the children, who intended to divorce Kazachok.





The European Union opposes capital punishment in all cases. It fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity. We call on Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition  continues the text of the EEAS statement.





Steps taken by Belarus to respect universal fundamental freedoms, rule of law and human rights, including on the death penalty, will remain key for the shaping of the EUs future policy towards.





Today Belarus remains the only European country with the capital punishment. During the last 20 years around 400 convicts were executed, and only one of them received the clemency of the President. According to Belarus authorities the number of citizens favorable to abolish death penalty has increased, however they are far from being a majority.

E.U. reacts to new death sentence in Belarus

Statement by the Spokesperson on a death sentence in Belarus

Yet another death sentence was handed down this week in Belarus, to Mr Kiryl Kazachok.





This sentence, which follows the execution of four persons earlier this year, goes against the commitments made by Belarusian authorities to consider the introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty.





The European Union opposes capital punishment in all cases. It fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity. We call on Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition.





Steps taken by Belarus to respect universal fundamental freedoms, rule of law and human rights, including on the death penalty, will remain key for the shaping of the EU's future policy towards Belarus.





Source: European Union, External Action, December 29, 2016





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:Contact these 2 officials by 24 February, 2017:Alyaksandr LukashenkaVul. Karla Marksa 38220016 Minsk, BelarusFax: +375 17 226 06 10+375 17 222 38 72Email: contact@president.gov.by Salutation: Dear President LukashenkaMr. Pavel ShidlovskyEmbassy of Belarus1619 New Hampshire Ave NWWashington DC 20009Fax: 1 202 986 1805Phone: 1 202 986 1606 -OR- 1 202 986 9420Email: usa@mfa.gov.by Salutation: Dear Mr. ShidlovskySource: Amnesty International USA, January 14, 2017Source: Brussels Diplomatic, December 29, 2917
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 ...
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.
Minimum wage is not supposed to be a living wage. I know some on the left do not get this but the job belongs to the employer. The labor is worth what the employer is willing to pay to get the work done. Minimum wage is the wage that is paid to those just starting out at a job. If a person is still making minimum wage after being on the job for a year, it is because they are only worth... minimum wage. If they were worth more, they'd have already earned a promotion and raise or they would have went to work somewhere else for money.



Another novel idea, work two jobs. Have two working parents in the home. I know, those are not concepts that the left embraces. They feel the employer owes a person a wage high enough to take care of his or her families needs regardless of what they are doing for the employer. Yet, when they buy a car, they don't walk in and pay more than sticker. They don't walk in and pay more than the grocery total at the register.
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.
Here's the first video footage ever shot of a ruby seadragon. What a weird creature!

Are the dark streaks seen in Venus' atmosphere signs of microbial life?

This headline says it all: Scientists Create Mind-Controlled Hunting Zombie Mice.

Well, it finally happened: Authorities in Brazil are warning citizens that vampire bats have gotten a taste for human blood.

A group of explorers discovered a long-lost "cursed" City of the Monkey God in Honduras ... and nearly lost their faces to a flesh-eating parasite!
Nearly a decade after setting up shop to commercialize technology developed at Oregon State University, NuScale Power has become the first company to submit a design certification application for a small modular reactor (SMR) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The company, a Fluor Corp. subsidiary which is headquartered in Portland and employs about hundreds of people in Corvallis, filed the application on Thursday and announced the milestone during a press conference in Washington, D.C.

John Hopkins, a former Fluor executive who championed the heavy construction companys investment in the next-generation nuclear technology before becoming NuScales CEO in late 2012, called SMRs the future of the nuclear power industry.

I believed then, as I believe now, that the NuScale small modular reactor is a disruptive technology with the potential to change the world, he said.

A number of other industry and government officials stepped to the podium to tout NuScales achievement, including a half-dozen congressmen from states where the company has important business connections.

Rep. Kurt Schrader, a Democrat who represents Oregons 5th District, said the company has not only created hundreds of jobs in his state but offers important benefits for the entire country.

Im very proud to say that with this announcement, this Oregon company has brought our country one step closer to a secure energy future, he said.

Several speakers talked up NuScales design and nuclear power in general as a clean energy option for generating electricity without the greenhouse gas emissions produced by burning fossil fuels.

I care about the environment, said Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. And if you care about the environment, then you have to recognize that nuclear power is an important element in having a clean, carbon-free environment.

NuScales design is a departure from traditional nuclear power plants, enormous facilities that typically generate about 1,000 megawatts of electricity. By contrast, a NuScale power module is designed to generate 50 megawatts.

Each self-contained reactor vessel could be built in a factory and shipped by truck, train or barge to its destination. As many as 12 modules could be installed in a single power plant to provide a total output of up to 600 megawatts.

Much smaller and simpler than traditional nukes, NuScale SMRs use natural convection currents to circulate cooling water within the reactor vessel. With no complicated electrical pumps to fail in an operating accident or natural disaster, the company claims its reactors will automatically turn themselves off in a shutdown and allow the core to cool naturally with no human intervention.

More than 800 NuScale employees and contract workers were involved in developing the 12,000-page application, which took eight and a half years of design, engineering and testing to produce at a cost of $500 million, according to Mike McGough, the companys chief commercialization officer.

The application still must be accepted for docketing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has 60 days to review the massive technical document for completeness. Once thats done, the NRC will conduct a comprehensive evaluation to ensure the design meets federal safety standards before granting certification, a process expected to take about 40 months.

NuScale officials hope to have their first operating reactor up and running by the middle of 2026 on a site at the Idaho National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility near Idaho Falls. The plant will be owned by the Utah Association of Municipal Power Systems, one of 26 utilities that form NuScales advisory board and are considered potential customers for the companys reactor modules.

McGough said the company expects much of its business to come from U.S. utility companies but also foresees plenty of opportunities in other countries, primarily the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico.

Now that the NRC application has been filed, NuScale expects to draw down its work force somewhat as some of the contractors hired to work on the filing are laid off and others transition to new tasks. The company currently has 325 employees in multiple locations, including 251 in Corvallis, according to Carl Britsch, vice president for human resources. It also has 150 contract workers, with 125 of them in Corvallis. Britsch said that contract labor force likely would shrink to about 50 by midyear.

Thursdays announcement capped an amazing resurgence for NuScale Power, which nearly went under after its first few years of operation.

The company was launched in Corvallis in 2007, when OSU nuclear physics professor Jose Reyes decided to commercialize his novel design for a small modular reactor. Reyes still serves as NuScales chief technology officer.

The startup grew steadily at first but stumbled badly in 2011 after its chief investor, a Venezuelan-born hedge fund manager named Francisco Illarramendi, was indicted on federal securities fraud charges. NuScales assets were frozen, and the company teetered on the brink of collapse.

Thats when Fluor Corp. stepped in with a $30 million investment, becoming NuScales majority owner and freeing it from court-ordered receivership. Since then, Fluor has pumped more than $300 million into NuScales efforts to complete its design certification application.

In 2013, the company was awarded one of two $217 million grants from the Department of Energy aimed at commercializing SMR technology. NuScale vaulted into first place in the race to become the first company with a certified SMR design when the other grant recipient, Babcock & Wilcox, decided to scale back its development program.
LEBANON  Temperatures that fell into the mid-teens and bouts of snow have kept volunteers at the Lebanon Warming Shelter busy tending to up to 10 guests per night over the last two weeks, the most in the shelters three-year history.

Its safe in here and we get people who care, guest William ONeil said Thursday evening. On a night like this, when its 28 degrees, it means a lot to be able to stay in here instead of on the streets.

Fellow guest Russell Harper noted, Its a lot of help, especially now that we are staying in a van and we are trying to conserve as much gas as we can."

Shelter coordinator Dala Johnson of the Lebanon Police Department said the shelter, housed at the Lebanon Soup Kitchen at 170 East Grant St., can accommodate up to 58 persons, but the average has been nine or 10.

We were open six nights last week, she said. Its definitely the most we have ever had.

Johnson said the shelter is staffed entirely by volunteers.

We need at least two per night, but often have nine or 10 volunteers, Johnson said.

The shelter opens at 7 p.m. and remains open until 7 a.m. Guests are provided snacks, soup and hot beverages. They are also given warm blankets and clothing donated by members of the community.

The outpouring of generosity by our community is overwhelming, Johnson said. We have a box with at least 300 knitted caps.

The community has also donated warm gloves and socks.

We have plenty of food, Johnson said. Sugar Vibes donates doughnuts, Walmart gives us anything we need and 7-Eleven brings us pizzas. It has been awesome. In the mornings, folks from the Soup Kitchen have been cooking hot breakfasts.

Johnson said guests have been male and female, most of them in their late 30s and early 40s, although "We've had a few in their 20s." There haven't been any children, she said, but she added that volunteers are seeing some of the same guests over several nights.

Dogs are welcome, Johnson said, although they must be kept in kennels.

We had one lady ask if she could bring her parrot one night just before Christmas, she said. I told her as long as we could keep it confined, sure.

She came back with three friends and they had a parrot, four cats and two dogs.

I laughed that all we needed was a partridge in a pear tree, Johnson said.

According to Johnson, volunteers have reported no negative issues with guests.

Johnson's project leaders are Kyle Randleman of Teen Challenge, Sean Casey, who manages the Soup Kitchen, Kim Bevel of Pay It Forward and Debbie Eby of the Blue Angels. Their job is to make sure everything is in place and that the volunteers are trained and ready, she said.

Johnson said training of volunteers takes about an hour and focuses on safety.

We always want people  both our guests and our volunteers  to be safe, Johnson said.
A town hall meeting next week will give local residents a chance to weigh in on whether Benton County should opt out of a $1.4 billion class action suit against the Oregon Department of Forestry for failing to maximize logging revenues.

The meeting will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the auditorium of Corvallis High School, 1400 N.W. Buchanan Ave.

The town hall was organized by the Benton County Board of Commissioners to gauge public sentiment on the lawsuit, which was filed by Linn County in March on behalf of 15 Oregon counties and dozens of smaller taxing districts that receive revenues from timber harvests on state forest trust lands.

They really wanted to hear from the public and not make it simply a financial decision, said Lilia Neville, public information officer for Benton County.

Tuesdays meeting will begin with an overview of the lawsuit from Benton County Counsel Vance Croney. Mark Gourley of Starker Forests and Chris Smith of the North Coast State Forest Coalition will address the pros and cons of staying in or pulling out of the suit, with David Bernell, an associate professor of political science at Oregon State University, moderating the discussion.

Two hours will be reserved for public comment, with individual speakers limited to three minutes apiece.

The Linn County lawsuit revolves around a dispute over the management of about 650,000 acres of land that was transferred from county to state ownership starting in the 1930s. For the most part, the property was logged-over or fire-damaged timberland that counties had acquired through tax foreclosures.

Under state law, the property is supposed to be managed for the greatest permanent value to the state. The lawsuit argues that counties have lost out on hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue sharing in recent years as the Department of Forestry has shifted its management emphasis away from timber production in favor of environmental protection, recreation and other values.

Its not clear how much money Benton County might receive if the lawsuit is successful. Early estimates were as high as $29.8 million, but rulings by the judge in the case are already chipping away at that number, according to Croney.

Benton County has a relatively small share of the land at issue in the suit, with only about 8,400 acres in the northwest corner of the county under Department of Forestry management. The amount of revenue from timber harvest on that land is highly variable. According to county records, the number has been as high as $936,000 in 2004 and as low as $114,000 in 2015.

The first $200,000 each year is generally set aside for road maintenance on those lands, county budget manager Pat Cochran said, and the remainder is split between the county and eight smaller taxing districts.

Members of the class have until Jan. 25 to decide whether to remain part of the lawsuit. The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on Wednesday to pull out of the suit.

The Benton County commissioners are expected to make their decision on Jan. 24.
Even if the Maserati GranTurismo is considered more of a luxury GT than anything else, some owners still take things to certain extremes when it comes to its appearance and even its practicality.



Dont get us wrong, a lift system is definitely something practical and there are plenty of supercars that use one in order to get past speed bumps. But when its there to bring your Italian exotic even closer to the road, things might get a little bit sparky.

And we mean that literally, as the underbelly of this surprisingly pink GranTurismo S is going to scrape the asphalt somewhere towards the end of the clip.

To clarify, we know this is the GranTurismo S version thanks to the front spoiler, which in turn has us feeling a little bit sorry for those 460 PS and 520 Nm (383 lb-ft) of torque not getting their day in the sun.

The description of the video comically reads Cleaning gum out of the street, which is probably true. Still, we can think of much better uses for an exotic that can get from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds while delivering one of the purest naturally-aspirated V8 symphonies in the industry.

VIDEO
As strange as it may sound, Hondas Civic Type R prototype is just making its Asian premiere at the 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon.



The unveiling of the new Civic Type R Prototype that will come into the market with a 2.0-liter turbocharged VTEC engine, in Tokyo, was accompanied by the official announcement that Japanese sales of the Civic Sedan and European-built Hatchback and Type R will begin in summer 2017.

The Type R will be put together at the companys Swindon plant, in UK, alongside the regular five-door hatch, from where both will be exported to global markets, including Japan and North America. The Civic sedan, on other hand, will be assembled at the Saitama Factory group in Japan.

Besides the new Civic Type R prototype, Honda also has the regular hatch and sedan versions on display (both labeled as prototypes, though we couldnt see any differences from the existing European and North American models) in Tokyo, joined by a variety of cars and motorcycles, as well as several racers, from Formula One, Super GT and MotoGP.

PHOTO GALLERY
Coming after a successful year during which they expanded their product lineup, Mercedes-AMG have reached a milestone in their strategy with the opening of the first standalone showroom.



Unlike the 400 AMG Performance Centers that have been opened over the past 9 years, in 40 countries across the globe, and which were integrated into existing Mercedes-Benz dealerships, the AMG showroom located in Tokyos Setagaya district in Japan, stands on its own. A second dedicated showroom will follow later this year, in Sydney, Australia.

The new dedicated store in Tokyo forms the pinnacle of the dealer network and defines the next stage of our sales initiative. With it, we ensure exclusive and competent care for existing and potential AMG customers at the point of sale. The store serves as a role model for future stand-alone projects in other major cities, which are already on the drawing board. Another dedicated store will open in Sydney before the year 2017 is out, said Mercedes-AMG boss, Tobias Moers.

The Tokyo outlets center piece is the latest addition at the upper end of the sub-brands range  the Mercedes-AMG GT R, which broke cover last summer during the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Powering the high-performance model is the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, which was massaged to deliver 585 PS (577 HP) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque, helping it go from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.6 seconds, and up to a top speed of 318 km/h (198 mph).

However, the GT R wont sit at the top of the AMG family for long, as the Germans already have a hypercar in store. Codenamed the Project One, the impressive vehicle will be powered by the Formula 1 1.6-liter V6 and an electric motor, which will deliver more than 1,000 HP. Limited to 200-300 units, it will be presented in the second half of 2017.

PHOTO GALLERY
The first trailer for Disneys Tangled tv series, announced back in 2015, has finally arrived.

The show will launch in March on Disney Channel with a made-for-tv movie, Tangled: Before Ever After, before heading into its regular half-hour series format. It was developed by veteran animator Chris Sonnenburg, whose credits include Gravity Falls and Futurama, and Shane Prigmore, a character designer on The Boxtrolls, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Sonnenburg did double duty as exec producer and supervising director, while Prigmore was exec producer and creative director.

The events of the show take place between the 2010 theatrical feature and the 2012 short Tangled Ever After, which centered on the wedding of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. In the series though, Rapunzel puts that marriage, and her ascension to the crown, on hold so the couple can continue adventuring with chameleon sidekick Pascal and steed Maximus. New characters include Cassandra, a tough-as-nails handmaiden who becomes Rapunzels confidant.
You could have the missing piece of the puzzle that will help the RCMP put someone behind bars. Here are some recent crimes that Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers hope you can help solve by calling our anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net or text to CRIMES (274637), keyword Ktown.

CRIME: BREAK AND ENTER

DATE: January 10, 2017

RCMP FILE: 2017-1648

The residents of a home on the 2600 block of Thacker Road in West Kelowna returned home on January 10th to discover that while they were gone between 10:00 and 4:45 the home had been entered by a thief. The suspect broke a ground floor basement window to enter the property and once inside went through an office area, bedrooms and the kitchen. Electronics in plain view were not stolen, but the thief left with Cannon cameras and several professional lenses. Several mason jars containing large quantities of Canadian, American and European coins were also taken, along with approximately $10,000 dollars in Czech Republic bills  a variety of $1000, $2000 and $500 denominations (valued at $500 Canadian). The suspect left through the kitchen door, leaving one set of foot prints through the snow.

Photo: Crime Stoppers

If you know anything about this crime, or any other crime, call the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS or visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net. Your information will be kept confidential and could lead to a reward of up to $2000.00.

CRIME: THEFT OF SIDE BY SIDE ATV

DATE: January 6, 2017

RCMP FILE: 2017-988

Thieves dug through a large pile of snow and a cut off a large trailer hitch to get to a 2013 Arctic Cat side by side ATV on January 6th. The green Arctic Cat Wildcat was on a 1992 black Range Utility trailer parked on the 2900 block of McAllister Road in West Kelowna when it was stolen that day between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The machines VIN is 4UF13MPV3DT303291; the trailers VIN is 1XLSS1413N1006758 and has BC license plate number 4RD025.

Photo: Crime Stoppers

You can help catch these suspects and qualify for a reward by calling Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net or text to CRIMES (274637), keyword Ktown.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

B.C.'s Lieutenant Governor will be making a stop in the Central Okanagan next week.

As part of Canada's 150th birthday, the Honourable Judith Guichon, plans to visit 50 schools in the province.

In her New Year's message, the Lieutenant Governor says she plans to engage in conversation with youth in the province.

"To speak with students about Canadas constitutional monarchy, to encourage their participation in our democracy and to share ideas about a healthy and sustainable future for all," she said in her message.

As part of the tour, Guichon will visit Chief Tomat Elementary in West Kelowna, Ecole KLO Middle School and Raymer Elementary in Kelowna.

The visits will take place next Friday, Jan. 20.
Photo: Contributed

Okanagan College will graduate its first class of 2017 on Saturday.

Convocation ceremonies will take place at the Kelowna campus, recognizing 369 students graduating from 36 certificate, diploma, associate degree and bachelor degree programs.

These include: arts, business administration, computer science, engineering technologies, and practical nursing, among others.

The college will confer 60 degrees, 191 diplomas, 17 associate degrees, and 101 certificates.

Grads will arrive on campus at 10 a.m., and the procession will begin at 10:30 a.m. into the Centre for Learning atrium on KLO Road.

The winter convocation is the first of seven that take place this year. Students from all four campuses will cross the stage at the Kelowna campus to receive their credentials.

The ceremony will stream live on the colleges Facebook page.

In 2016, Okanagan College graduated more than 2,100 students.
Photo: Contributed

A charity dedicated to providing rescue and rehabilitation to feral and orphaned cats throughout the Okanagan is again holding a raffle to raise funds to support their work.

About 2,000 tickets, at $5 each, are available for sale to support AlleyCATS Alliance. The draw is Feb 11.

This year's first prize is a diamond solitaire ring valued at $1,500. Second prize is a two night stay and dinner at River Stone Estate Winery cottage and Gecko's Grill in Oliver, a $450 value.

Third prize is a signed, numbered Robert Bateman print "Mowed Meadow," valued at $275.

In 2016, AlleyCATS Alliance impacted the lives of more than 250 cats and kittens, saving them from suffering. Vet care expenses to make this possible were about $50,000.

Tickets are available at Penticton veterinarians, at pet stores or by calling 250-462-8195.
Photo: Contributed

RCMP are requesting the public's help to locate a missing man.

James Chernenkoff was last seen Jan. 10.

There is nothing to indicate foul play, but police are concerned for Chernenkoffs health and well-being.

Friends and family say it's out of character for him to be out of contact for this long.

Chernenkoff, who has been well known in local rugby circles for years, is described as:

Caucasian

53 years old

Six feet three inches tall

271 pounds

brown hair

brown eyes

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact their local police, CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.
Photo: CTV

Two Canadian men accused of smuggling hundreds of Tamil migrants from Thailand to British Columbia must be acquitted because authorities conducted a flawed investigation resulting in unreliable evidence, their lawyers say.

The men, Nadarajah Mahendran and Thampeernayagam Rajaratnam, and two Sri Lankan men have pleaded not guilty to organizing the 2010 voyage of the MV Sun Sea, contrary to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Mark Nohra, who represents Mahendran, told the jury in closing arguments that the Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP showed "total disregard" for policies established to "protect people's liberty and freedom."

He said investigators repeatedly showed isolated photographs of his client to migrants during interviews. Referring to one witness who testified earlier in the trial, Nohra said the migrant's identification of Mahendran could not be trusted.

"The question you're left with is, 'Did he pick out my client because he had actual memory of him or did he pick out my client because he had the image burned into his brain?' " Nohra asked. "That is a question we really cannot answer."

The MV Sun Sea left Thailand on July 5, 2010, carrying 492 Sri Lankan Tamils who intended to claim refugee status when they arrived in Canada. The rickety cargo ship was intercepted off the coast of B.C. on Aug. 12, 2010.

Mahendran and Rajaratnam are Canadian citizens who were not aboard the vessel. Both are accused of being agents who met with migrants in Bangkok and arranged their journeys across the Pacific.

Nohra said the evidence against Mahendran was contaminated because hundreds of migrants were kept in the same detention centre. They were able to discuss the questions investigators had asked them and the photographs they had been shown, he said.

Rajaratnam's lawyer Vicki Williams said there is no evidence of her client having any financial dealings with migrants. He travelled to Thailand to arrange voyage on the MV Sun Sea for several of his family members, including his mother-in-law and father-in-law, she said.

The trial for the four men began in October.

Lawyers for the other two men, Lesly Emmanuel and Kunarobinson Christhurajah, delivered their closing arguments Thursday.
March 6, 1921  Jan. 12, 2017

Linnie Irene Gilbert, 95, of Sweet Home passed away in Albany on Thursday.

She was born in Edmon, North Carolina, to George W. and Ethel (Lyons) Moxley.

She married Arnold Richards and they came to Sweet Home in 1949. Arnold passed away in 1966.

Later in life she worked at Mollies Bakery, Charms boutique and eventually Whites Electonics.

Irene later married Joseph Gilbert of Lebanon in Hawaii in December 1977. The two lived in Lebanon until Joe passed away. Irene returned to Sweet Home.

She belonged to Harvest Christian Center for many years before her health kept her from attending.

Irene is survived by children, Arnold Richards of Plains, Montana; Frank Richards of Lebanon; Stanley Richards of Sweet Home; eight grandchildren; and many great and great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her brother Homer Moxley and sister Nyrell Moxley.

Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements. (www.sweethomefuneral.com)
Photo: cfseu.bc.ca

Police have laid charges against two men from Hamilton after investigating the attempted murder of a man in Richmond and the conspiracy to commit the murder of an unknown person in 2015.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in British Columbia says it has been investigating the attempted murder of a man "well-known for gang involvement and criminal connections" after an attempt on his life in Richmond on April 10, 2015.

The man was not hurt in the alleged attempt on his life.

Police say they have also gathered evidence of a conspiracy to commit murder of an unknown person in June 2015.

Nineteen-year-old Knowah Truth Ferguson of Hamilton, has been charged with one count of attempted murder in connection to the April 2015 case and one count of conspiracy to commit murder of an unknown person.

Thirty-year-old Gino Gavin McCall also of Hamilton, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder of an unknown person.

Police say charges against other individuals are anticipated in the coming months.
Photo: Flickr/BC Gov't

The British Columbia Liberal Party says it will begin posting its political donations in real time, starting Friday by revealing it collected $12.3 million in corporate and individual contributions last year.

The Election Act filing deadline for 2016 donations is March 31, but the figures were released in what the party said is a voluntary move to improve transparency and accountability.

"Our system is based on a fair and simple principle: parties compete for financial support from those who share their values, just like they compete for votes," said Todd Stone, Transportation Minister and Liberal Party campaign co-chairman in a statement.

"Our voluntary real-time reporting of donations, in addition to strict spending limits on parties during campaigns, means citizens can have confidence in our democracy," he said.

The party has been criticized for holding exclusive fundraising events with access to Premier Christy Clark where tickets can cost up to $20,000 each.

Clark said last year she would move to introduce real-time reporting of donations and the party said it will now post its financial contributions online within 10 business days of deposit  and well ahead of next May's B.C. election.

Data released by the Liberal Party stated it received $7.9 million in corporate donations and $4.4 million in individual contributions last year.

The party said in a statement individual donors outnumber corporate donors by a four-to-one margin, with 9,324 individuals and 1,876 corporations making donations in 2016. The statement said 84 per cent of corporate donations last year were $5,000 or less.

The Opposition New Democrats have called for bans on corporate and union donations to political parties.

The NDP received $3 million in political donations in 2015 and has not released the amount of its 2016 donations. Leader John Horgan has said 80 per cent of donations to the party are from individuals.
The Osoyoos Volunteer Fire Department has moved into their new state-of-the-art fire station.

The $6M facility is a big step-up from the old space next to city hall.

Chief Rick Jones has been a volunteer firefighter for 35 years, and says his crews are excited to be up and running in the new and modern facility.

More space, its safer, the other hall wasnt very safe. It had a few problems now we dont have to worry about, said Jones, referring to the fact that they were not able to idle trucks inside the bay at the old building.

Even taking the trucks out of the hall, fumes seemed to migrate over to the women who were working in the town office - we had many complaints about gas and truck smell over there.

The new building features a ventilation system that hooked up to the tailpipe of each truck, and disengages automatically as the trucks rush out for a call.

Another big addition is a new training tower. In the past, the department had to borrow local buildings for training, creating obvious liability concerns. Firefighters can now practice rappelling from the multiple stories up, and running hose up and down the stairway which can be filled with smoke simulating a large structure fire.

New laundry facilities are big upgrades from the last fire hall's method for drying out gear; a classic clothing line.

Jones say he and two other volunteers spent about eight years working and the project, from design, to where the plugs are, to bay sizes and stuff like that.

In 2014 Osoyoos residents voted 58 per cent in favour of borrowing the $6M needed to build the new hall. Jones says the station belongs to the entire community and will set the department up for years of growth.

An open house and BBQ is being planned for the spring.
Video creator 007craft shows off the 10x10x6 storage locker he says he has been comfortably living in for two months. The video highlights all the custom comforts and modifications he made to maximize the small space which includes a working sink, electricity, cooking area, and of course a 4K television and gaming system.
Photo: Google Maps

A stolen pickup truck snarled traffic early this morning in Vancouver.

Police were called to the area of Harwood and Burrard Street after the owner of a 1994 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck saw someone stealing his vehicle. The truck was found by police as it was driven southbound over the Burrard Street bridge, and followed to Granville and West 16th Avenue, where it collided with an SUV.

The truck was boxed in by police vehicles, and one suspect was taken into custody. A second man ran from the scene and was tracked by a VPD K-9 Unit. He was ultimately seen getting into a taxi, and was arrested without incident at Pine Street and Cedar Crescent.

The driver of the SUV, a 31-year-old Vancouver woman, was taken to hospital for the treatment of minor injuries.

Twenty-nine-year-old Harry Kenneth Folkes of Vancouver has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from a police officer, and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

Twenty-nine-year-old Hastings Steven Gillies of Vancouver has been charged with one count of theft of a motor vehicle.
Photo: Randy Millis Click here to view gallery

UPDATE: 8:40 p.m.

15 firefighters, 3 engines and 1 command vehicle responded and found flames shooting from the Chimney.

The fire was quickly extinguished.

Damage from the fire was minimal and the homeowners were not affected.
Photo: CTV

A woman was stabbed in an altercation at a Surrey home overnight.

Police responded to a home on the 13500 block of 90th Avenue about 12:50 a.m.

A 32-year-old female suffered stab wounds and was taken to local hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers canvassed the neighbourhood to gather information, and initial indications are the incident involves parties known to each other. A 36-year-old man was arrested.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.

In an unrelated incident, Vancouver Police also responded to a stabbing at a gas station on Oak Street overnight. Two patients were taken to hospital by ambulance paramedics.
Photo: CTV

Following a protest rally at the town works yard, a Vancouver Island community may see an end to a stinky problem.

Ladysmith announced Friday it will build a new biosolids composting facility after purchasing industrial land for the project.

Residents rallied Wednesday to protest the smell from the current compost site at the public works yard.

We are pleased that our lengthy search for a suitable property to house our biosolids composting facility has finally been successful, Mayor Aaron Stone told CTV.

The problem began when the wastewater treatment plant was expanded last spring.

Some residents say the stench has caused headaches and vomiting.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: CTV

Conservation officers hoped to snag a snake, Saturday, that was slithering through a storage facility in Vancouver.

The snake was spotted by staff on Thursday at the Southeast Marine Drive U-Haul location.

Estimated at up to three feet long, the snake was seen slithering into a locked unit. It's not known who it belongs to or what species it is.

Conservation officers planned to set up a heated trap today to lure the reptile out.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Abbotsford Police

A Saturday morning blaze at an Abbotsford residence is being deemed suspicious by investigators.

Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service arrived to find the home engulfed in flames.

Abbotsford police say all eight residents at the home were alerted to the fire early and could escape safely.

The residents are in hospital being treated for smoke inhalation.

Police say the cause of the fire is under investigation and they're asking anyone with information to come forward.
SALEM  Members of Oregons agricultural community will get an early introduction to Alexis Taylor, the new director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, when she addresses Dunn Carneys ninth annual Ag Summit, to be held from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Salem Convention Center.

Taylor, whose first official day of work will be after the summit, will be joined by Lisa Hanson, the Agriculture Department's deputy director.

The Ag Summit is an annual educational seminar featuring industry leaders from around the region, as well as members of the Dunn Carney Ag Team, who provide farmers, ranchers, processors and retailers with an annual update on regulatory developments, legal issues, and best practices in the agriculture industry.

Fourteen of Oregons major agricultural groups are participating organizations in the Ag Summit.

Brenda Frketich and Shelly Boshart-Davis, both award-winning members of the agricultural community, will serve as keynote speakers.

Frketich, of Kirsch Family Farms, is the recipient of the 2016 Oregon AgLink Ag Connection of Year Award and author of the popular blog NuttyGrass.com. Boshart-Davis works in her familys farming and trucking operation and was named 2015 National Farm Mom of the Year.

Presentations during this years event include Timely Tips for Ag Employers Big and Small, Integrative Water Resource Planning, Agricultural Real Estate Sales Transactions, and a 2017 Legislative Preview.
Photo: CTV

Interior Health says a train derailment that spilled coal into the Thompson River near Ashcroft has made water unsafe for consumption.

Canadian Pacific Railway has said 29 cars on a westbound freight train derailed Thursday afternoon, and while no cars ended up in the river, some of the coal it was carrying did spill into the water.

Medical officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says both the coal and the chemicals used to wash the coal before it was transported poses a threat to the water supply.

He says the concern is that ingesting any contaminants from the coal can cause gastrointestinal irritation.

The health authority warns that anyone within 50 kilometres downstream from the spill should not drink from the river, and boiling water will not remove potential contaminants.

The health authority says it expects results from water testing to be available by Monday, and it will update the public on the quality of the water.

Golmohammadi says the secondary concern, which will take months to determine, is whether any contaminants have bioaccumulated in the fish in the river.

CP Rail has said boats, booms and environmental equipment have been brought in to clean up the coal.
Photo: Contributed - Facebook

Counsel representing Lisa McKinnon made a brief appearance Monday morning via telephone from their law offices in Vancouver.

The issue revolves around whether a preliminary hearing is needed. That has still not been resolved, but it has been confirmed by McKinnon's counsel that they will be seeking a judge and jury trial in BC Supreme Court.

The next court date for this matter will be on Jan. 22 -- again for trial confirmation.

McKinnon was arrested last year for her part in a dial-a-dope operation.

McKinnon is the daughter of Kelowna RCMP superintendent Bill McKinnon.

She is facing one charge of trafficking in a controlled substance and two charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Reflections and Rants from the Entreprenerd, Dan Hanson - the Great Lakes Geek


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
Denature your proteins by heading to Science Earth Art Gallery , the Sawmill District's newest point of interest this Friday, Jan. 20, for the opening of Collected Works by Michael Wallace. Wallace, a practicing Earth scientist in the PhD program at UNM, is perhaps best known for his direction of the public art in Calabacillas Arroyo . Catch up with the artist and his most recent work (which includes various mediaeverything from electronics to pastels) by stopping by the free opening from 5-7pm . (Maggie Grimason)

Featured works include pastels, oils, acrylics, mixed media and electronic media from the earth scientist and creator of the Calabacillas Arroyo public art. Runs through 1/31.

Michael Wallace has shown his award-winning earth and water inspired landscapes and sculptures in galleries around the country, as well as at a juried show at the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts co-curated by Luis Jimenez. Mike is also known for his direction of one of Albuquerque's largest, most innovative and beloved public art projects, the Calabacillas Arroyo.

Michael remains a practicing earth scientist, whose work in forecasting drought several years in advance has generated significant controversy within and outside of academia, including at UNM where he continues to advance towards a Ph.D. in Nanosciences and Microsystems.

Mr. Wallace is also the inventor of the Haptic Orb, a novel VR input device, whose patents have been cited by numerous major corporations including Microsoft and Sony.

Featured works include pastels, oils, acrylics, mixed media, and electronic media.
In a case involving the dismissal of a tenured teacher, the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that the Court of Appeals award to the teacher of partial back pay was not authorized under the Tennessee Teacher Tenure Act (Tenure Act). It also held that the teacher could not appeal the timeliness of her school board hearing because she did not raise that objection to the school board.

Rogelynn Emory taught French and English in several different high schools in Memphis, Tennessee. For several years, school administrators noted that Ms. Emory exhibited unusual behavior, had difficulty managing her students, and displayed a low level of teaching skill. In late 2005, the city school system notified Ms. Emory that she was being charged with inefficiency, that is, teaching below the acceptable standard, and would be discharged. Under the Tenure Act, Ms. Emory demanded a hearing before the city school board.



In 2006, the school board held a three-day hearing on the charges against Ms. Emory, in which Ms. Emory was represented by an attorney. Both Ms. Emory and the school board presented testimony from numerous witnesses, Ms. Emory testified on her own behalf, and there were over 20 exhibits spanning a 10-year period in which Ms. Emory taught at several different high schools. The testimony from the school board witnesses showed that Ms. Emory had poor classroom management, lack of teaching skills, and was unwilling or unable to receive constructive criticism and improve. The school board voted to uphold Ms. Emorys dismissal.



Ms. Emory filed an action in the Shelby County chancery court under the Tenure Act, asking the court to review her dismissal. For the first time, Ms. Emory argued that the school board hearing was held too late; she pointed to a provision in the Tenure Act stating that a school board hearing for a teacher must be held within 30 days after the teacher sends a demand for a hearing, and noted that her school board hearing was held many months beyond the thirty-day limit. Ms. Emory asked the chancery court to set aside her dismissal because the school board hearing was untimely.



The chancery court upheld the school boards dismissal of Ms. Emory, and Ms. Emory appealed. The Court of Appeals declined to reinstate Ms. Emory because the school board hearing was held too late, but it awarded Ms. Emory partial back pay.



The Tennessee Supreme Court granted permission for both Ms. Emory and the school board to appeal. Both argued that there was nothing in the Tenure Act giving the Court of Appeals the authority to award Ms. Emory partial back pay. Ms. Emory argued that she was entitled to full reinstatement because the school board hearing was held too late, while the school board argued that Ms. Emory was entitled to no relief at all, and that her dismissal should be upheld outright.



On appeal, the Tennessee Supreme Court agreed with both parties that there was no basis in the Tenure Act for the Court of Appeals award of partial back pay to Ms. Emory, so it reversed the back pay award.



As to Ms. Emorys claim that she was entitled to reinstatement because her hearing was held too late, the Supreme Court noted that, during the entire three-day hearing before the school board, neither Ms. Emory nor her attorney objected to the hearing being held after the 30 day limit in the Tenure Act. Had she done so, the Court observed, the school board could have dismissed the charges, started the termination process over again, and held a timely hearing. Instead, Ms. Emory waited until the school board heard three days of evidence and reached a decision to dismiss her before raising the argument to the chancery court that the hearing was held too late.



The Court noted that, on appeal, Ms. Emory did not question the fairness of her school board hearing and could not point to any way in which the result would have been different if the hearing had been held sooner. Rejecting Ms. Emorys request for reinstatement as a teacher, the Court said, we would achieve little more than irony by voiding Ms. Emorys dismissal and remanding this case for the [school] board to start the termination process anew, over 10 years after her employment was terminated and 20 years after the events underlying the termination, solely to vindicate a delay in the hearing that Ms. Emory did not believe warranted even a mention in the [school] board proceedings. It added that allowing a party to hide an ace up her sleeve for appeal would undermine fair play and finality of judgment. For that reason, the Court affirmed the chancery courts decision to uphold the termination of Ms. Emorys employment.



To read the unanimous opinion in Rogelynn Emory v. Memphis City Schools Board of Education, authored by Justice Holly Kirby, go to the opinions section of TNCourts.gov.


Lee University helped spread a little Christmas cheer among the children and staff at the Phebe Grey Orphanage in Liberia, Africa, last month around the holidays.

Missionaries Max and Debbie Thompson utilized money from donations given by Lee students, faculty, and staff to purchase gifts for everyone at the facility. They were able to receive new clothes, a meal, and warm wishes from Cleveland, according to Lee Campus Pastor Jimmy Harper.

The money was raised during the universitys Missions Week, which was held in October.
Two of Chattanooga States Global Scholars have been named semifinalists for the Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship, which provides up to $40,000 per year as an undergraduate transfer scholarship. Chattanooga State Global Scholars honors students Ashwyn Sam and Chandler Kennedy have been named as semifinalists.

According to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, more than 3,000 students nationally applied for this award.

I am extremely proud of these two students for making it this far in the process. To be named as a semifinalist is a tremendous honor and confirmation of the incredible work and service our students are doing, stated Amanda Bennett, Director, Global Scholars Honors Program.

To see the complete list of semifinalists for the nations largest transfer scholarship, visit: http://blog.jkcf.org/welcome-to-the-jack-kent-cooke-foundation-blog/semifinalists-for-nations-largest-transfer-scholarship-announced

For more information about the Global Scholars Honor Program at Chattanooga State, please contact Amanda Bennett, 423-697-2577, email: Amanda.Bennett@ChattanoogaState.edu or visit https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/global-scholars.
Dear Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., it's been nearly half a century since you were assassinated.

I was only 6 at the time, so my memories are about your legacy more than your life.

Advertisement

On this day  a national holiday to commemorate your birth  I have a few thoughts with you in mind as our country limps toward another historic crossroads.

You once told your followers, "I may not get there with you," and, sadly, you didn't. Yet in many ways, you are still with us, through your unforgettable prose, your fiery speeches, your undying determination.

Advertisement

Your spirit has outlived your life span. You were just 39. It's hard to believe.

I remember first learning about your crusade for racial equality during my early teen years at Kennedy-King Middle School in Gary, named in your honor.

It was there I better understood how blacks and whites in our country were once separated like laundry. And how race relations went from an oxymoron to a trial experiment. It's still on trial, it seems, just like our nation.

Our current president (for a few more days anyway) had high hopes when he was elected into office by a country that turned a corner on the path to racial equality. Or so we thought. We've been sidetracked by detours since that memorable day in January 2009, when a biracial man named Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

Surely this milestone was also part of your dream, as it was for my school's other namesake, Robert F. Kennedy. In a speech before his own assassination, he said things are "moving so fast in race relations, a Negro could be president in the next 30 or 40 years." That was 1968.

With Obama in the White House, many other dreamers labeled our nation a "post-racial America." They were wrong. It's been a nightmare on many fronts, with boiling emotions of hatred and anger, similar to when you were still alive.

"A post-racial America, however well intended, was never realistic," Obama told the country Tuesday during his classy farewell speech from McCormick Place in Chicago.

"Race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society," he said. "I've lived long enough to know that race relations are better than they were 10 or 20 or 30 years ago, no matter what some folks say. You can see it not just in statistics, you see it in the attitudes of young Americans across the political spectrum."

Advertisement

He's right. I've also lived long enough to know this to be true. But I often wonder if you'd be thrilled with our progress or throttled by our setbacks.

Regarding the president's mention of statistics, the most recent total of our country's black population is 46.3 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It's projected to top 75 million by 2060, when our country will be a minority-majority nation.

Would this have empowered your preaching? Not so fast. Other statistics paint a less than empowering scenario. The annual median income of black households was $36,544 in 2015, compared with the nation at $55,775. And one-quarter of the black population struggled below the poverty level, while nationally it was 14.7 percent.

"We're not where we need to be," Obama said.

No, we never are really. It's a constant struggle. Even more so these days, it seems.

Our country is more divided now than it was eight years ago. Actually, it's more openly divided, the difference between whispers and screams.

Advertisement

"Hearts must change," the president told millions of Americans using oratory skills that hint of your glory behind a pulpit.

As you once preached, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." This depends on the definition of justice. Justice for who? Justice for all? Again, that's an ideal, not a reality. Not yet.

You also once preached, "The time is always right to do the right thing."

Again, such timeless prose faces us at another crossroads of disagreement in our divisive country.

President-elect Donald Trump is convinced he is doing all the right things to make America great again. How exactly? By what definition of great? We don't know yet. So far he has led more by exclamation marks than by exemplary conduct.

"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus," you once preached.

Advertisement

So I ask you, is Trump such a molder of consensus? Or has he simply molded a population of anti-establishment America desperately searching for a consensus leader?

The pendulum of power has again swung back in the opposite direction, just as our founding fathers likely envisioned. Or as Obama defined it in early 2008 as a presidential candidate, "America's improbable experiment in democracy, stained by this nation's original sin of slavery."

In his farewell speech, I imagined your reaction while listening to a black man whose words not only echoed inside the cavernous McCormick Place but inside the hearts of millions of Americans.

"Democracy can buckle when we give in to fear," the president said.

It feels like democracy has, indeed, buckled. Not because of Trump's victory but because of our deeply fractured country. In my life, I don't recall such discord. Maybe it was always there, hidden behind polite smiles and politically correct masks.

Is this the America you so famously dreamed about? I don't think so.

Advertisement

We're now left with your distant legacy and Obama's stained hope.

"Yes, we did. Yes, we can," he concluded in his speech.

Did we? Can we? I'm not so sure.

In just a few days, when Trump becomes the nation's 45th president, he will place his hand on the Bible and utter the same historic oath, "I do solemnly swear"

What happens next is anyone's guess. We're on the cusp of someone else's dream.

jdavich@post-trib.com

Advertisement

Twitter@jdavich
An Indiana lawmaker is trying to eliminate the lower speed limit for trucks on interstate highways.

Rep. Michael Aylesworth, R-Hebron, has introduced a bill that would enact uniform speed limits for cars and trucks on rural interstates authorizing trucks to travel 70 mph.

Advertisement

Aylesworth tried to change the speed limit during the 2015 regular session, but the bill was not considered in committee.

"We've got an old tradition of having the trucks move 5 miles per hour slower," Aylesworth said. "It's just a cumbersome thing and it really needs to be smoothed out so we're all traveling the same speed."

Advertisement

As he traveled the country visiting relatives, Aylesworth said he noticed that the highway speed for trucks was the same as cars and decided to introduce a bill that would change the legislation in Indiana. Indiana is one of five states that require trucks on rural interstates to travel at slower speeds than cars. In Indiana trucks are authorized to travel 65 mph on rural interstates, 5 mph slower than cars.

Aylesworth said he believed that changing the speed limit would help facilitate a better flow of traffic on the highways, making it easier for all motor vehicle operators.

"If the highway speed for trucks is the same as cars it would make the traffic moves evenly," he said, adding that the difference in speed limits impedes the flow of traffic when it takes miles for a car to pass a truck on the freeway.

"Plus it's an economic issue too because the payloads of the trucks aren't delivered quite as fast as they are in other states.

Officials at the Indiana Motor Truck Association (IMTA), the state's only motor truck association, do not support the bill.

"Our association and our members continue to believe that 65 mph is fast enough for trucks," IMTA's president Gary Langston said.

Langston said he disagrees with the theory saying that cars and trucks should go the same speed because there would be less interaction between cars and trucks.

"If we let trucks go 70 that means cars are still going to go faster than trucks because cars don't want to be around trucks," he said. "If you're behind a truck you're objective is to go around that truck. It doesn't matter how fast the truck is going."

Advertisement

Langston said his primary concern is the potential danger he believes passing this bill would pose to all drivers on the highway.

"Trucks are big and heavy and don't stop as quickly as cars," he said. "It's only logical that if trucks are going faster it's going to take longer to stop and longer to respond to defensive situations."

When asked if he thinks this bill could pose a threat to the motoring public, Aylesworth said he hasn't seen any statistics that suggest raising the speed limit would make it less safe for people operating vehicles on the highway.

In 2015, there were 105 fatal crashes in Indiana involving large trucks, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation. That was the ninth most in the country. However, the data does not specify the reason for the crashes.

In 2015, the majority of fatal crashes involving large trucks that happened nationwide occurred when trucks were traveling at speeds between 50 and 75 mph. A little over 34 percent occurred when trucks were traveling 50-55 mph; 21 percent when trucks were traveling 60-65 mph; and 19.2 percent when they were traveling 70-75 mph, according to the report.

Despite his enthusiasm for getting this bill through, Aylesworth has tempered his expectations after his bill was not heard in committee two years ago.

Advertisement

"I have no idea whether the committee chair wants to hear it or not this time around," Aylesworth said. "But it makes sense and is an important issue."

The bill, HB 1016, awaits consideration in the House Roads and Transportation Committee.

jaanderson@tribpub.com

Twitter @JavonteA
PARIS  It was as if a gigantic flock of birds, perhaps more than 300,000 of them, was hovering over the defiantly modern concert hall swaddling the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, wishing the orchestra Godspeed as it storms the Continent once again.

That conjectural avian blessing on the orchestra and Riccardo Muti as they launched their sixth joint European tour here on Friday night, came courtesy of the bold architectural vision that informs the Philharmonie de Paris, where the soldout concert (top price: $148) took place. It must have worked, because this first of 11 concerts the music director and the CSO are performing in France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Denmark, between now and the end of the month, proved to be an exhilarating success, with the public and most of the players, even the finicky maestro.

Advertisement

MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR

During a rehearsal break the previous day, Muti had pronounced the reverberant acoustics of the innovative 2,400-seat auditorium "strangely artificial." He was singing a different tune following his and the CSO's debut at the Philharmonie. While lacking the "natural warmth" of Vienna's famed Musikverein, he said, the sound was "excellent, a great improvement over the acoustics at the rehearsal with no audience present."

Advertisement

"I thought the orchestra played great as well," he added. "They adjusted very quickly to the unfamiliar acoustic. I was very pleased."

With that, Muti, looking tanned and rested after a recent vacation with his wife, Cristina Mazzavillani Muti, in Mauritius (an island in the Indian Ocean), went back to greeting audience members and autograph-seekers as they crowded around the open door to his basement dressing room.

"This hall is very easy to play in  the sound just wraps around you," said Li-Kuo Chang, CSO assistant principal viola, clearly savoring his solo in Elgar's "In the South (Alassio)." "There are no 'edges' like we have with the dryer sound of Orchestra Hall back home."

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" at Philharmonie de Paris on Jan. 13, 2017, during its 2017 European tour. (Todd Rosenberg Photography)

Not so enchanted was Chang's section mate, Max Raimi, who found the sound lacking in clarity and complained of not being able to hear his colleagues across the stage.

I'll get to my verdict about the sound later. First, let me describe what I find so special about this hall.

Like the new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany  the gargantuan new classical performance venue the CSO helped inaugurate over the weekend  Paris' $404 million cultural complex had a much-delayed opening (in January 2015) and ballooning cost overruns.

Its architect, Jean Nouvel, boycotted the opening in protest over the administration's decision to open the hall in an incomplete state. It has since been fully finished, and, in October, the "grande salle" was named after the late composer-conductor Pierre Boulez, without whose vision and guidance this massive facility, built on the northeast rim of the city as the new home of the Orchestre de Paris and a multicultural playground, probably would not have been built. Boulez, who had long been closely associated with the CSO and was beloved by the musicians, died in January 2016, never having heard music in the hall.

Its prow looming like a crashed "Star Wars" mother ship above the suburban Parc de la Villette, the hulking Philharmonie exterior is clad in tilted plates covered by some 340,000 interlocking cast-aluminum pieces meant to suggest birds in flight. A huge staircase and zigzagging ramp draw visitors up from the park to the rooftop where they are afforded a stunning panoramic view.

Advertisement

But if the violent angles of this gargantuan gray shell struck some members of the Chicago tour group as forbidding, the inside, by contrast, is all warmth, accessibility and inclusiveness. The sleek beige-and-black auditorium has a vineyard design similar to that of the Berlin Philharmonie, with tiers of seats surrounding the stage. There is hardly a right angle in sight. Curving balconies, each contoured somewhat differently, appear to float in space. Every shape is designed to aid and enhance the reflection of sound energy.

What's more, the modular design makes the hall adaptable to varied genres and styles, from pop to jazz to electronic to world music, hopefully making it equally attractive to seasoned concertgoers and residents of the working-class 19th Arondissement nearby, the hall's general manager, Laurent Bayle, explained during a break in Thursday's rehearsal. Regular visits by major international orchestras such as the CSO clearly will be vital in maintaining the classical cachet of the futuristic complex.

That the Philharmonie has installed metal detectors at entrances and has stationed security personnel throughout the twisting lobbies is a reminder that high and low culture are more essential than ever in a city still in shock from the horrific attacks at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 and, that November, the series of terrorist attacks that included the Bataclan nightclub.

Besides Muti and his Chicagoans, there are plenty of other arts activities going on at the Philharmonie and the various performance spaces and museum of the adjacent Cite de la Musique. A fascinating exhibition, "Ludwig Van: The Beethoven Myth," examines the composer's life and legacy from various perspectives. Other recent events include music-making and learning workshops in Javanese gamelan and Arabic music, a symposium on musical creation and a concert by the resident Orchestre de Paris, which has permanently moved out of its former home, the Salle Pleyel, which also long served as the site of the CSO's appearances in Paris.

The mind boggles at the thought of what Chicago could do with such a wondrous modern venue for the making and appreciating of music, of all kinds.

Ultimately, however, it's how good a hall sounds that matters most.

Advertisement

This one sounded very good indeed to my professional ears. The CSO  playing a sumptuous program of Hindemith, Elgar and Mussorgsky  gave back a sound that had startling impact and presence, but also inviting clarity, detail and focus. The presence of more than several thousand warm bodies absorbed the excess reverberation that had bothered some musicians and observers at the rehearsals. I felt literally enveloped in sound but not overwhelmed by sound. And because no seat is farther from the podium than 105 feet, I can imagine Muti felt audience members literally breathing down his neck Friday.

While many CSO members preferred to spend their off-hours practicing, playing tourist or simply working through their jet lag in quiet pursuits, others were sharing their art with music students. Master classes at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance were given by principal players Stephen Williamson, Robert Chen, Alex Hanna, Stefan Ragnar Hoskuldsson, Jay Friedman and Cynthia Yeh. A duo consisting of Yuan-Qing Yu, violin, and Kenneth Olsen, cello, played for young patients at the Armand Trousseau Hospital. All services were part of the CSO Negaunee Music Institute's ambitious touring agenda of community engagement and educational activities.

Following back-to-back performances at Europe's "other" new Philharmonie, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Chicago Symphony and Muti will pay their first visit to another newish concert hall, the Musikkens Hus in Aalborg, Denmark, on Monday and Tuesday nights.

From there, they are scheduled to travel to Milan for two appearances at the famed Teatro alla Scala, marking Muti's long-awaited return to his former fiefdom, on Friday and Saturday. The tour will conclude with concerts in Vienna, Jan. 23-24; Baden-Baden, Germany, Jan. 25; and Frankfurt, Jan. 27.

John von Rhein is a Tribune critic.

jvonrhein@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter @jvonrhein

RELATED STORIES:

New halls, new prospects as CSO, Muti embark on latest European adventure

Muti, CSO look back with taste and polish

For 2017 Grant Park Music Festival, music and finances join in sunny harmony







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Reporting from Helena, Mont.  Back in 2015, being a Montana Republican meant despising Obamacare  and your loathing of it better have been a preexisting condition.

House Speaker Austin Knudsen qualified. He voted against the state's decision to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act in 2015. When he ran for reelection last year, he pilloried Obamacare, saying he didn't want Congress to "delay the removal of this ill-conceived disaster of a law."

Advertisement

That is now a distinct possibility, with Congress moving this week to begin the process of repeal.

But this has become a conundrum for Republican state lawmakers in GOP-dominated legislatures that expressed bitter opposition to the healthcare reform law but nonetheless took its federal Medicaid expansion money.

Advertisement

Though President-elect Donald Trump has said the law won't be scuttled without a replacement "very quickly," many state legislatures find themselves having to plan budgets without knowing whether they'll be stuck paying to keep their poorest citizens insured.

Medicaid was expanded under the law in 31 states, but only seven of them were states with Democratic majorities who embraced federal healthcare reform. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican whose state added 700,000 to the health insurance rolls, told reporters last week: "I just want to know what's going to happen to all those people who find themselves out in the cold."

GOP lawmakers in North Dakota and Nevada have expressed similar worries.

Montana is in a particularly precarious position. The state is required by constitution to balance its budget based on projected revenues, but its Legislature meets only every other year  meaning lawmakers who began their session this month have to peer two years into the future at the unpredictable landscape of federal healthcare law.

Obamacare provided health insurance to thousands of Montanans who formerly didn't have it; now, even Republicans worry that Congress may scuttle the law without funding an alternative.

"I still don't think it's realistic to say 'Well, we're going to cover an additional 60,000 to 70,000 people but if the federal government takes the money away, we're simply going to jerk the rug from underneath those people,'" Knudsen said.

Sitting in his office on a cold, snowy afternoon the first week into the legislative session, he leaned forward confidentially.

"We can't afford it."

Advertisement

Minority Democrats in Montana tried twice to expand Medicaid coverage during implementation of the federal healthcare law. A slim Republican majority beat it back in 2013 but narrowly succeeded two years later with a plan to offer Medicaid coverage to all adults with incomes near the poverty level.

Rep. Rob Cook, a burly man who played running back in high school, carried the bill as the Republican sponsor and was intent on getting it to the goal line.

Cook said after he cast his vote in favor of the expansion and it passed 54-42, he looked around at the majority of his fellow Republicans on the House floor.

"It was 42 faces of hate," he said.

Montana state Rep. Rob Cook, who carried a Medicaid expansion bill on the floor, addresses the House in April 2015 at the Capitol in Helena. (Thom Bridge / Independent Record )

Yet the program proved popular in the sparsely-populated state, with twice the number of people expected signing up by July 2016. There are 61,233 on the program now.

Republicans in Montana, as in most frontier states, often share with their constituents a high degree of mistrust and distaste for the federal government  an attitude that carries into fights over public lands, gun rights and, in recent years, Obamacare.

Advertisement

"Washington, D.C., is seen as far away, distant, removed and not in touch with what life is like here in Montana," said Robert Saldin, associate professor of political science at the University of Montana. "The popular image of the bureaucrat in some cubicle making critical decisions that affect life here in Montana without any knowledge, or having been here, or how policies affect people on the ground here, is the kind of image at work within the Republican Party here."

But with droves of outsiders moving into university towns like Missoula and Bozeman, the state isn't entirely intolerant of Democrats. As recently as 2009, the House was split 50-50; last year, they were at 61. Republicans hold a four-seat edge in the Senate. Gov. Steve Bullock is the second consecutive Democrat to lead the state.

Senate President Scott Sales, a Republican who voted against Medicaid expansion, said he's sympathetic to those who are now getting health care for the first time and has heard health success stories because of the law.

But Sales said the state can't afford to keep the program going on its own. Montana paid just about $5 million for its share of the program, while the federal government kicked in $153.6 million for six months in fiscal year 2016, according to the Legislative Fiscal Division.

The state projects its cost over the next two fiscal years to rise to about $70 million, with $847 million in federal funding.

Montana doesn't have a lot of options. Lower-than-expected oil and corporate tax revenues left the state $142 million short of expectations in the 2016 fiscal year, based on a two-year budget of $12.8 billion.Sales said most of those getting health insurance under the Medicaid expansion are capable of working and getting private insurance.

Advertisement

"The best thing we could possibly do for people  the best healthcare system  is a good job," Sales said. "They need to take ownership for themselves. ... There is no constitutional guarantee to healthcare. If there is one, I'd love to have someone show it to me."

To appease Montana Republicans when the expansion law was passed, a sunset clause put it up for renewal in 2019. But Bullock said stripping recipients of healthcare without a plan would be irresponsible.

Governing the fractious state, Bullock, with his frequent vetoes, has come to be known as the "goalie governor." But he said lawmakers of all stripes have heard the stories about people getting healthcare for the first time.

One man wrote the governor an email about how the new insurance had allowed him to see a doctor and get treatment for a potentially fatal adrenal crisis.

"You saved my life on Feb. 10," he wrote.

While the debate over Obamacare is taking place in Washington, Bullock said, it is states that are on the front lines, and state lawmakers who will have to figure out what to do until Congress finds a solution.

Advertisement

"Doubtless if the ground substantially shifts, we'll hear from people a lot more than the folks in Washington, D.C., will hear from them," Bullock said. "Because we also see them in our churches, in our communities on our streets."

Cook agreed, saying congressional Republicans didn't have any real stakes in the process while President Obama was in power.

"The easiest vote in any legislature is a no vote [for something] you know is going to pass," he said. "I think Republicans have been negligent at the federal level in not trying to make the program work. It's been extraordinarily bad behavior and it's not what you get elected to do."

david.montero@latimes.com

Twitter: @davemontero

ALSO

Advertisement

Democrats and their allies won't let Obamacare go down without a fight

Repealing Obamacare could be a matter of life or death for many Americans. Here are their voices

Millions sign up for Obamacare as Trump and GOP lawmakers scramble for a way to roll it back
After a year-long investigation of the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice released a 164-page report on Jan. 13, 2017. The report condemns Chicago police for excessive force, lax discipline and bad training. (Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

If you can name it, you can tame it.

That's a common self-help tip for how to solve your problems, and it kept running through my mind Friday as I read the new Department of Justice report on the Chicago Police Department.

Advertisement

The report definitely named it.

A system that fails to hold officers accountable when they violate the law.

Advertisement

Officers quick to use force, sometimes deadly, when it's not necessary or reasonable.

Officers who embark on unnecessary foot chases then wind up shooting someone needlessly.

A department that fails to teach its officers when force is appropriate and how to resolve problems without it.

A failure to properly investigate claims of police behaving badly.

A failure to help officers stay mentally healthy.

The collapse of trust between officers and the people they're sworn to serve, most notably in the black and Latino neighborhoods where crime and poverty are high.

And, yes, there is a code of silence.

The list goes on, problems that took 164 pages to describe and diagnose, and in those pages three words appear over and over:

Advertisement

Unnecessary. Unreasonable. Failure.

To any Chicagoan who has been paying attention, the DOJ report isn't shocking. It does, however, help clarify the familiar big picture.

The investigators described how police officers, in search of information about crimes or guns, are known to pick people up, drive them around and if they won't talk, drop them off in rival gang territory.

The code of silence is so strong, the report says, that officers learn to lie even about the little things. It describes one officer so entrenched in the code that he "opted to lie and risk his career when he accidentally discharged his pepper spray while dining in a restaurant  a violation that otherwise merits minor discipline."

Despite the rule that bans officers from social media posts that reflect badly on the department, the report says, many traffic in racist commentary. So do supervisors. To make it worse, those infractions, which suggest a bigotry that leaks into police work, are tolerated.

There are a lot of good cops in Chicago. That's important to mention, and the report does.

Advertisement

It describes the officers who, during one of the DOJ investigators' ride-alongs, patiently persuaded a young man to remove a belt from around his neck. It talks about another who installed a koi pond at a school because he wanted to do something for the kids.

It recounts stories from Chicago residents who respect the officers who patrol their neighborhoods. It talks of officers who do their work well "notwithstanding the disrespect and cold stares that are too often part of the job."

Justice Department officials discuss the findings of their long-awaited Chicago Police Department report. Jan. 13, 2017. (Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

Cold stares are the least of it. Chicago police live in the constant presence of violence. They're under tremendous stress  and the failure to address it, the report says, is part of the leadership failure.

The Chicago Police Department has fewer mental health counselors per cop than other similar departments, the investigators note. Officers fear that getting counseling is a show of weakness. They worry they'll be ostracized. Female officers feel particularly unsupported.

Officer suicide and suicide threats, the report says, are a "significant problem." Alcoholism, substance abuse and domestic violence are too often ignored.

Officers take their stress into the streets  and that contributes to the breakdown of the relationships with the people they're there to protect.

Advertisement

"Strikingly," the report says, "residents of Chicago's most challenged communities consistently expressed concern to us about their treatment when they or their family members are the victims of crime."

The failure of trust is one reason that in 2016, as the city's homicide numbers soared, Chicago police identified a suspected killer in only 29 percent of its cases. That's less than half the national rate.

Unnecessary. Unreasonable. Failure.

A generation ago, Chicago was a leader in the community policing movement. Officers got out of their cars and connected to people. It still happens.

"Many of the officers with whom we went on ride-alongs took the time to stop and talk with kids or shopkeepers who obviously knew them and were happy to see them," the report says.

But it doesn't happen enough. While community policing has flourished in other cities and helped curb crime, the report says, it has withered in Chicago. Bringing it back is just one of the report's recommendations.

Advertisement

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx reacts to this mornings Dept of Justice report on the Chgo Police Dept. Jan. 13, 2017. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

The DOJ analysis is depressing but it's also exhilarating. It's useful to see the problems of Chicago's policing carefully named in a single document. It makes it clear that even good cops can't be their best in a bad system, and the system is bad.

I recommend reading the whole thing. For a government report, it's pretty readable.

The link is here: http://trib.in/2jhbJeP

Naming it doesn't guarantee you tame it, but it's a step closer.

mschmich@chicagotribune.com
Being a Muslim student at Benedictine University in Lisle, Zainub Fiaz is thankful for her professors who understand the difference between the hijab she wears and a headscarf. Fiaz's professors know Muslims pray five times a day, so they are not surprised when she leaves class. (Anthony Perez / Chicago Tribune) (Anthony Perez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Zainub Fiaz did her homework on Benedictine University before enrolling in the quiet institution in west suburban Lisle. She found out that its education major is rigorous and has affiliations with strong school districts in the area, two factors that impressed her.

"But then, coming here," said Fiaz, a Muslim who is a senior at the university, "I'm just like, 'Wow, there's obviously so many Muslims.' So, it's super comforting."

Advertisement

It also may come as a surprise to others that Benedictine, a Catholic institution in a suburban county that is 78 percent white and 86 percent Catholic or Protestant, may have the highest percentage of Muslim students of any Catholic university in the nation. As of last spring, 540  or 24 percent  of the 2,250 undergraduate students at the Lisle campus who indicated a religious preference identified as Muslim, the school reported.

Benedictine President Michael S. Brophy said the number now may be 600, and other officials at the school said the level of Muslim students fluctuates between 20 and 30 percent at Benedictine. That percentage is rising and reflects a trend at other Catholic institutions of higher learning. It's a result in part from the church's effort to define its education as accepting all faiths in hopes of serving everyone in the search for what the president of the national Catholic association of universities called "transcendence and meaning."

Advertisement

One of Benedictine's latest measures to accommodate its growing Muslim student population occurred in July, when Brophy hired a Muslim faith adviser. Ali Yurtsever had been a math professor at Georgetown University  a Jesuit school  president of American Islamic College in Chicago and president of the Rumi Forum, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that promotes interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

"I honestly think most people thought it was overdue," Brophy said when asked if he had received pushback for planning the hire. He said Yurtsever is "worth his weight in gold," for his ability to help Muslim students and the administration to serve those students. Welcoming Muslim students aligns with the Benedictine value "to welcome the stranger as if they were Christ," Brophy said.

"Typically, we find they are very devout students," he said, "not only to their faith, but to their studies."

Why Benedictine?

Founded in 1887 by monks of St. Procopius Abbey, Benedictine has been an attractive college choice for Muslim students for years. In 2005, a survey of 250 freshmen showed that 13.5 percent of them identified as Muslim, up from 6 percent in 1999.

How Benedictine began drawing Muslim students probably centers on its location and curriculum. Muslim and Hindu populations settled in that area of DuPage County because of its science and tech jobs, Yurtsever and others said. Brophy said his predecessor, William Carroll, made a conscious effort to create a welcome atmosphere for Muslim students.

In addition, two Islamic schools educating students through high school are within a 20-minute drive of the campus. And, Muslim students said, many of them gravitate toward science curriculum in college, which is Benedictine's forte.

Benedictine University senior Abdul Rahman Damra attends Friday prayers Jan. 13, 2017, at Islamic Foundation, a mosque in Villa Park.At Benedictine he can use an interfaith prayer room. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The school has adapted during that steady rise. For those students who prefer it, Benedictine's student cafe offers sandwiches with meat that has been prepared in accordance with Islamic law. At the school's Thanksgiving dinner, turkey prepared in the same manner, known as halal, is available. Benedictine also has an interfaith prayer room.

Advertisement

In addition, professors accept that Muslim students, whose religion directs them to pray five times a day, will leave class for several minutes to honor that commitment. The instructors also accommodate Muslim students' absences during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Adha holiday.

"I think the way they receive Muslims is very welcoming," said Abdul Rahman Damra, a senior health science major who is applying to dental schools. "Benedictine caters to the needs of Muslims more than most schools do."

The two prominent Catholic universities in Chicago, DePaul and Loyola, also have sizable Muslim student populations and staff positions to accommodate those students. Loyola has 800 Muslim undergraduates, or about 7 percent of the population, said Muslim Chaplain Omer Mozaffar, who took that position in 2014.

At DePaul, Muslims number at least 716 students  or between 3 and 4 percent of enrollment  "and likely another couple hundred that did not identify for whatever reason," said Abul-Malik Ryan, the school's Muslim chaplain and assistant director of religious diversity.

University of Chicago, Northwestern University and Elmhurst College also have Muslim faith advisers or similar positions.

Muslim enrollment

Advertisement

Muslim students at Catholic institutions might seem unusual, and surveys of freshmen by the Higher Education Research Institute show their levels remain between 1.1 and 2.1 percent nationwide.

But the charters of many Catholic universities and colleges, including DePaul, state that they welcome students of all faiths, said Michael Galligan-Stierle, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, based in Washington, D.C.

He also pointed to the "apostolic constitution," Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which Pope John Paul II issued in 1990 to explain the common characteristics of Catholic colleges and universities worldwide.

"The university community of many Catholic institutions includes members of other Churches, ecclesial communities and religions," the document states, "and also those who profess no religious belief."

Of the roughly 1 million students in Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S., Galligan-Stierle said, 400,000 are not Catholic. That mix on campuses provides "an important and vital place" and "an opportunity for dialogue and mutual understanding and finding better ways of going forward," he said.

"We have to be very committed to finding very concrete ways of building bridges," Galligan-Stierle said, adding that Muslim student enrollment is growing at Catholic colleges and universities, fueled in part by scholarships from Middle Eastern countries. "What better way than to have students of different faiths become best friends in college and go on to become leaders in their communities and continue those friendships?"

Advertisement

At Benedictine, Damra and Fiaz said they have never experienced discomfort or confrontation from non-Muslim students, although Damra said non-Muslims often ask about his religion. Some Christians have gone as far as tossing out popular Arabic Muslim phrases to him, such as the greeting "Salaam aleikum," which means peace be with you, and "inshallah," God willing.

"I think also in the Catholic way, just having a strong spiritual safe place is very key for students, for teachers, for humans in general," Damra said. "They understand what we need as Muslims."

Like Fiaz, Damra said that "safe place" allows Catholics and other non-Muslims to learn about Islam and vice versa.

The school has a student interfaith group in which Muslim and Christian students exchange and discuss holy readings over meals twice a month. The Muslim Student Association has hijab day, for women who want to try the headwear, and fast-athons. MSA also is planning events with the Black Student Union for Black History Month in February, said Damra, MSA vice president.

"You see people of different faiths, races, religions and whatnot, rather than letting our differences separate us, it kind of brings us closer to one another. You'll see a Muslim and a Christian hanging out together and it's completely normal."

New friendships

Advertisement

Nearly half of Benedictine students identify as Catholic. An additional 21 percent view themselves as within a Christian faith.

Rachel Majerczyk, a senior majoring in biology, is a Catholic who regularly attends Mass. When she arrived on campus as a freshman, she was surprised by the high number of Muslim students and wanted to learn more.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"I would just ask questions," said Majerczyk, from Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood. "They were very open to answering." She found "sort of a beauty" to Islam, "not that I'd ever convert."

She said the school still has "a really strong Catholic presence on campus." And, although she has heard non-Muslims students  almost all of them freshmen  make negative comments about the number of Muslim students at Benedictine, "I think that comes from being ignorant," she said.

And, she has made a friend: Zainub Fiaz.

The two young women from different faiths have "an openness in conversation," Majerczyk said.

Advertisement

"It's still a very new friendship," Majerczyk said, "but when we hang out with a large group of people, it's very comfortable."

tgregory@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @tgregoryreports
As President Barack Obama marks his final Martin Luther King Jr. Day in office on Monday, eight years after being elected the nation's first black president, local scholars argue that his presidency represented extraordinary progress for African Americans, even if it wasn't always quantifiable.

"If we look at the hard metrics  educational attainment, child mortality, incidence of teenage crime, incidence of drug use I don't know that there have been any great advances in the last eight years," said David Golland, an associate professor at Governor's State University, whose research interests include civil rights and public policy. "Getting away from the word metrics, there's just something about a generation of children growing up and seeing someone who looks like them in the White House that cannot be underestimated."

Advertisement

Obama, however, had policy achievements in the arena of race but that pales in comparison to the symbolic importance of his presidency for young men and women of all colors and creeds, said Vincent Jones, a former trial lawyer and professor of criminal justice at Governor's State.

"America's perception of what an African-American, in particular an African-American male, can accomplish, I believe was changed dramatically by his election," Jones said of Obama. "Before his election, I think that if a young girl or a young minority boy said, 'I want to be president,' that would be like, 'Yes, that's nice,' pat you on the head, 'but it's going to take a while.'

Advertisement

"But if someone today says that from any ethnicity, there's no reason to discount it because President Obama has shown that yes, this is possible."

Richard Darga, the dean of library and instruction services at Chicago State University and the co-chair of the school's Obama Library Committee, said that for some, just seeing Obama's face is inspirational.

"It doesn't sound really remarkable, but it gives hope," said Darga, who views Obama as a peaceful change agent in the mold of King. "He symbolizes the fact that anybody can be president of the United States if they work hard enough, if they strive hard enough and they have the right message."

As the country's first black president, Obama was thrust into a difficult position, scholars said. While his election offered hope for the advancement of black causes, it also generated critics eager to point out any missteps or perceived racial favoritism he exhibited.

"There were forces on one side that wanted him to be the "black president" and champion only black causes, and there were forces on the other side that expected him to do that, and were ready to pounce if he appeared to be too overly biased toward his own ethnic group," Jones said. "So, what he had to do was find a middle ground where it was never a question that he was the president of all of America, not just parts of America.

"In trying to straddle that fence, so to speak, I believe there were some issues that he hesitated on or did not come out as forcefully on for fear of undue criticism," added Jones, citing criminal justice reform and economic inequality.

Golland agreed, saying he wished Obama had been more vocal on the merits of affirmative action and education reform, and acknowledged that a number of prominent black scholars have been disappointed that he was not more aggressive on race issues, but said he doesn't blame Obama for his reticence around race.

"He had an incredible amount of weight on him, an incredible amount of responsibility as the first black president," Golland said. "One of the most important things he did, he ensured that he would not be the last [black president]. He was incredibly good at the job."

Advertisement

Obama's avoidance of any significant scandal over the course of his presidency and his ability to comport himself with dignity and decency in the face of harsh opposition and stinging personal attacks should pave the way for future black presidents in the years to come, local scholars believe.

"I think whoever the next black president is, he or she will indeed have more freedom to discuss race candidly during the presidency, and to act in a way that is more conducive to supporting civil rights and true racial equality in this country because of the way President Obama conducted himself," Golland said.

Jones took it a step further, envisioning a future where citizens don't expect a black president to be anything but pro-American.

"I hope the next black president can just be the president of all people and that everyone doesn't see them as the "black president," but as the president of the United States who is working to make life better for everyone," he said. "I think that is part of the legacy for Barack Obama."

While both Jones and Golland wish Obama had tackled issues of race a bit more aggressively during his time in office, they consider him to have been an extraordinarily effective president.

Each said the black students, scholars and friends they know have a nearly universal pride in Obama and his presidential tenure.

Advertisement

"We would like to have our cake and eat it too," Jones said. "But realistically, we are ecstatic over his accomplishments, over what he's done. I am amazed at his poise and his aplomb and his ability to remain vigilant in the face of unprecedented opposition."

Most impressive about Obama, Jones said he believes, is Obama's unwavering sense of morality, which he compares to that of King and former President Abraham Lincoln.

"They have a moral compass that has stayed constant  never vindictive, never vengeful, never seeking to do anything but what's best for everyone, not trying to punish those who were in opposition, but trying to understand, and being benevolent about it," he said. "That's what's going to mark him as one of the greatest presidents in American history."

King's dream that children of color might grow up in a truly egalitarian society is still quite a ways off, even after eight years of a black president, but Jones believes Obama's tenure represents substantial progress.

"I would compare the legacy of President Obama as just another link or another leg in a long race toward equality," he said. "And unlike a track relay where there's only four runners, this relay began at the inception of this country.

"[Obama] could not have been in the position that he was in had the people who came before him not contributed their share of the race, so to speak," he continued. "The race is ongoing, the struggle is never secure. There will be times when the lead may change back and forth, but we're in the race and Obama has run his portion of the race very well."

Advertisement

zkoeske@tribpub.com

Twitter @ZakKoeske
An image taken from video surveillance of a SUV that fatally struck a 21-year-old woman Jan. 9, 2017, on the South Side. (Provided by the Chicago Police Department)

Police are asking for the public's help identifying the driver of a SUV that fatally struck a woman Monday on the South Side.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, a 21-year-old pedestrian was crossing at 69th Street and Wentworth Avenue when she was struck by a white four-door SUV that kept going, police said.

Advertisement

The vehicle continued south on Wentworth, and may possibly be a 2014 to 2016 Mercedes GLK 350 with front-end damage on the passenger side front, police said.

The victim was identified as Shadara Sabria Muhammad, of the 9400 block of South Harvard Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Muhammad was pronounced dead at 8:14 a.m. Tuesday, according to the office.

Advertisement

A Wednesday autopsy was pending further studies and did not list a cause or manner for her death.

Anyone with information about the incident or vehicle should contact the Chicago Police Major Accident Investigation Unit at 312-745-4521.
30-year-old Mehwish Memon and her 38-year-old ex-boyfriend Syed Hassan have been charged with multiple felonies in connection with a home invasion at her Maine Township residence and the death of a dog found in her husbands vehicle. (Cook County Sheriff's Office )

A woman and her ex-boyfriend are accused of staging a home invasion, fatally shooting a dog and planting a gun and drugs all because the woman was apparently unhappy in her marriage, authorities said.

The woman, Mehwish Memon, 30, and her ex-boyfriend, Syed Hassan, 38, are charged with home invasion, aggravated unlawful restraint and filing a false police report, according to the Cook County sheriff's office.

Advertisement

Memon and Hassan are also charged with aggravated cruelty to animal and possession of marijuana in another incident out of Skokie for fatally shooting a dog and placing its body in Memon's husband's vehicle with a gun and marijuana, the office said.

"She was not happy in her marriage, that appears to be the motive in the investigation,'' said Cook County sheriff's spokeswoman Sophia Ansari.

Advertisement

The incident began at Memon's home in unincorporated Des Plaines on Dec. 30 when police responded to a home invasion.

About 11:20 p.m. that night sheriff's police were called to the 9400 block of Bay Colony Drive after a man wearing a black ski mask and armed with a gun forced his way into a home, according to the sheriff's police. The armed man, who investigators later learned was Hassan, had punched the 30-year-old Memon in the face and bound her and the 32-year-old husband's hands with packaging tape and beat the husband with a stick, the sheriff's office said.

Police also later learned that Memon had conspired with Hassan to file a false domestic battery report against her husband on Dec. 16. Memon later dropped that charge but before she called 911 to make the bogus report, Hassan slashed the tires of Memon's husband's vehicle, the office said.

On Jan. 10, Memon and Hassan were arrested and charged with home invasion, aggravated unlawful restraint and filing a false police report and also charged with in connection with a Skokie police investigation involving a dead dog, a gun, and drugs.

Investigators learned that Memon had given Hassan a key to her husband's vehicle and Hassan, with her knowledge, had shot and killed a dog and placed its body in the vehicle along with the gun and marijuana, the office said.

During a hearing Thursday at the Skokie Courthouse, Memon's bond was set at $200,000 and Hassan's at $400,000, the sheriff's office said. Hassan is of the 2800 block of South King Drive in Chicago.
The cyberattack struck Los Angeles Valley College late last month, disrupting email, voice mail and computer systems at the public community college in Southern California. Then, school officials found a ransom note.

The missive advised the college that its electronic files had been encrypted and that the files could only be unlocked with a "private key." The attackers would supply the key after receiving payment in the valuable digital currency known as bitcoin, which can be used anonymously without a centralized bank.

Advertisement

"You have just 7 days to send us the BitCoin after 7 days we will remove your private keys and it's impossible to recover your files," the attackers warned, according to a copy of the note obtained by The Washington Post.

Leaders of the Los Angeles Community College District decided to pay the ransom.

Advertisement

"In consultation with district and college leadership, outside cybersecurity experts and law enforcement, a payment of $28,000 was made by the District," Francisco C. Rodriguez, the district's chancellor, said in a statement on Jan. 6. "It was the assessment of our outside cybersecurity experts that making a payment would offer an extremely high probability of restoring access to the affected systems, while failure to pay would virtually guarantee that data would be lost."

District officials report that the payment yielded the desired information. Email and other information systems were back in working order as Los Angeles authorities investigated what officials believe was a randomly targeted attack. As of Thursday evening, IT experts were still working to unlock some of the college's files.

Classes were proceeding normally, on campus and online, officials said. Students returned from winter break on Jan. 3, as scheduled, days after the attack was detected on Dec. 30.

The incident at the 19,000-student community college provides another cautionary tale of the vulnerability of higher education to malicious hackers. Like businesses, colleges and universities are in a continual quest to stay a step ahead of attackers who threaten in numerous ways to breach or disrupt critical databases and networks.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse counts 19 educational institutions that disclosed data-security breaches in 2016, including hacking episodes at the University of Virginia, the University of Central Florida, the University of Connecticut and Michigan State University.

Now colleges and other institutions face the rising threat of ransom seekers. The term "ransomware" has been coined to describe software that can infiltrate a computer and block access to files when an unsuspecting user clicks on a malicious download link in an email or a pop-up window.

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Southern California acknowledged paying a $17,000 ransom last year to regain control of its systems after an attack.

"Ransomware has rapidly risen, from my perspective, to be one of the foremost threats we're facing in information technology, anywhere, let alone in higher ed," said Joseph Moreau, vice chancellor of technology at Foothill-De Anza Community College District in Silicon Valley.

Advertisement

Moreau, who serves on the board of directors of Educause, a nonprofit group focused on information technology in higher education, said he found the latest Los Angeles incident "frightening." Word of the attack spread quickly through California's large community college system, he said.

"It was big news, for sure," he said. Staying ahead of hackers is difficult, he said, especially if they are able to steal the user names and passwords of students or staff. "We're constantly plugging new holes," Moreau said.

Moreau said his district, like its counterpart in Los Angeles, is insured against losses due to cyberattacks. Los Angeles district officials noted that their insurance policy was activated after the recent attack.

"While much time will pass before this matter is resolved, we have already availed ourselves of the resources provided by the policy, including assistance of cybersecurity experts," district officials said in a statement.
New York police try to arrest Eric Garner in July, 2014. Garner died after the encounter. (New York Daily News)

Attorney General Loretta Lynch will step down without the Justice Department's having charged or cleared police officers in the death of Eric Garner, whose videotaped takedown by New York City officers sparked national outrage, people familiar with the matter said.

Lynch authorized the department to move forward with the case but made that decision so late in her tenure that lawyers and investigators could not take all the necessary steps to procure an indictment. That would entail assembling evidence in the case and presenting it to a grand jury in a bid to persuade the panel to return criminal charges.

Advertisement

The controversial case will pass to the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, with the ultimate decision likely to be made by Jeff Sessions, Trump's nominee to be attorney general. Sessions has said publicly that he is wary of police being judged unfairly, and he is viewed as less likely to seek charges against officers involved in Garner's death.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal case.

Advertisement

Garner died on July 17, 2014, after he was taken to the ground by New York City police officers, with one officer applying what appeared to be a chokehold. The encounter, which was caught on video, ignited protests across the country, and Garner's gasping declaration of "I can't breathe" became a rallying cry for those angered by the perceived harsh treatment of African-Americans by police.

Exactly why the nearly 2 1/2-year-old case could not be resolved before Lynch's departure from office remains unclear. The matter was initially left to state authorities - with the Justice Department watching behind them - but in late 2014, a Staten Island grand jury declined to bring charges.

Early in 2016, federal authorities began presenting the case to a grand jury, but the matter soon languished, in part because of a dispute inside the Justice Department.

It is possible that the grand jury has now expired, and the case would have to be presented to a new panel.

At least some prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York felt that civil rights charges were not appropriate in the case, while lawyers in the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department in Washington thought that such charges were warranted, according to people familiar with the case.

The Justice Department then removed New York FBI agents from the team of investigators, although others pressed forward, people familiar with the matter said.

Lynch made police reform a centerpiece of her tenure, and in the waning days of her administration, she seemed to push to cement her legacy. On Thursday, she traveled to Baltimore to announce a court-enforceable agreement that mandates broad changes at the police department in that city, where the 2015 death of another black man, Freddie Gray, sparked riots. On Friday, she flew to Chicago, making public a scathing report about that police department's pattern or practice of using excessive force on suspects and revealing that city leaders had agreed in principle to a set of improvements.

The lack of a resolution in the Garner case, though, is glaring, particularly given the amount of time that Lynch had to resolve it.

Advertisement

In the incident in which Garner died, he initially drew the attention of police officers for allegedly selling loose cigarettes on the street. New York City reached a civil settlement with his family last year for $5.9 million. Although the encounter between Garner and police was caught on video, convicting officers on federal charges in the case would not necessarily be easy. Substantiating civil rights charges requires prosecutors to meet a heavy burden of proof and present evidence that might indicate an officer's intent at the time of the incident.

In the high-profile case of Darren Wilson, the white police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9, 2014, the Justice Department found there was "no evidence upon which prosecutors can rely to disprove Wilson's stated subjective belief that he feared for his safety." Prosecutors came to a similar conclusion in the fatal police shooting of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis on Nov. 15, 2015, describing in a lengthy news release the exacting standard they would have had to meet.

"It is not enough to show that the officer made a mistake, acted negligently, acted by accident or mistake or even exercised bad judgment," the Justice Department wrote in the release. "Although Clark's death is undeniably tragic, the evidence is insufficient to meet these substantial evidentiary requirements."

Sessions is a former U.S. attorney in Alabama who at his confirmation hearing this week insisted that he will follow the law and said that his political views will have no impact on his decision-making. But he also presented himself as a friend to local police and as a person wary of actions that broadly paint police negatively.

"In the last several years, law enforcement as a whole has been unfairly maligned and blamed for the unacceptable actions of a few of their bad actors," he said. "They believe the political leadership of this country abandoned them."

Lawyer Jonathan Moore, who represents Garner's family, said in an interview Friday that on Jan. 6 he sent an email to Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, asking for a status update in the Garner case and that she had not responded. He said his last conversation with officials at Justice was in early December; he said they told him they were still investigating.

Advertisement

"Our position is that whether it's now, next week, two weeks or four months from now, that there should be an indictment," he said. "When that happens, obviously the sooner the better."

Stuart London, who is representing the officer who in the video seems to have Garner in a chokehold, said he, too, had not heard anything from the Justice Department.

"I've always said from the beginning that the standard needed to indict my client under a federal statute is even greater than under a state statute, and he was exonerated by a state grand jury," London said.

London said his client, Daniel Pantaleo, remains a police officer on desk duty.
From left: Brig. Gen. William J. Walker, Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Becker and Brig. Gen. George M. Degnon during a news conference on Dec. 14 at the District of Columbia National Guard armory in Washington. (Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  The Army general who heads the District of Columbia National Guard and has an integral part in overseeing the inauguration said Friday that he will be removed from command effective at 12:01 p.m. Jan. 20, just as Donald Trump is sworn in as president.

Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz's departure will come in the middle of the presidential ceremony - classified as a national special security event - and while thousands of his troops are deployed to help protect the nation's capital during an inauguration he has spent months helping to plan.

Advertisement

"The timing is extremely unusual," Schwartz said in an interview Friday morning, confirming a memo announcing his ouster that was obtained by The Washington Post. During the inauguration, Schwartz will command not only members of the D.C. Guard but also 5,000 unarmed troops dispatched from across the country to help. He also will oversee military air support protecting Washington during the inauguration.

"My troops will be on the street," said Schwartz, who turned 65 in October. "I'll see them off, but I won't be able to welcome them back to the armory." He said he would "never plan to leave a mission in the middle of a battle."

Advertisement

Unlike in the states, where the governor appoints the National Guard commander, in the District that duty falls to the president.

Schwartz, who was appointed to head the Guard by President George W. Bush in 2008, maintained the position through President Barack Obama's two terms. He said his orders came from the Pentagon in the form of an email that names his interim successor, a brigadier general, who takes over at 12:01 p.m. next Friday.

Army Maj. Jamie Davis, a spokesman at the Defense Department, said Schwartz is classified as a "non-career status employee." He noted that the interim commander "is ready to assume complete mission" and handle the inauguration.

As is customary, Schwartz, like other presidential appointees, submitted a letter of resignation to give the new administration a clean start. He had done so before, but the Obama administration twice declined to accept it.

The Trump transition team made the decision to accept Schwartz's resignation, according to a military official with knowledge of the situation.

Members of Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Another military official with knowledge of the process said the Trump transition team receives lists of political appointees and can decide which resignations to accept. Army officials declined to comment on that part of the process. All resignations are effective at 12:01 p.m. on Inauguration Day.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) blasted the decision to remove Schwartz, particularly during the inauguration.

Advertisement

"It doesn't make sense to can the general in the middle of an active deployment," Mendelson said. He added that Schwartz's sudden departure will be a long-term loss for the District. "He's been really very good at working with the community, and my impression was that he was good for the Guard."

Schwartz said he will work up until that moment, and then plans to retire from the Army. "I'm a soldier," he said. "I'm a presidential appointee. Therefore, the president has the power to remove me."

Phillip Carter, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense under Obama, said the incoming administration may have made a decision to accept the resignations of a broad group and not realized Schwartz's role in the inauguration.

Carter, now a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security, said the Trump team should have considered each appointee's particular role, "because many of them may have expertise that you want to keep on duty, or at least keep in position until a replacement has been made."

Like other deployments, Inauguration Day will be a complicated one for the D.C. National Guard - at least on paper. Since the District is not a state, its mayor cannot call up Guard members to active duty as a state governor can.

The District must send a letter to the secretary of the Army requesting the support. The District and the Army must then go through a seven-step process to initiate the deployment, during which Guard members carry out duties at the request of the mayor and city homeland security officials.

Advertisement

The two entities have been able to work together to make that happen quickly in response to unfolding natural disasters, such as last year's record January snowfall. During that storm, which dumped 22 inches of snow, the Guard was activated in anticipation of the storm's arrival, and troops helped shuttle officials, plow drivers and supplies back and forth across the city.

Schwartz began his military career in 1976 by enlisting in the Guard, formally called the Militia of the District of Columbia National Guard. He also oversees the Air National Guard, which combined with the Army Guard has an authorized strength of 2,700. He has served in several leadership positions, notably commanding the 372nd Military Police Battalion.

He graduated in 1980 from the University of the District of Columbia with a degree in electrical engineering and received a master's degree in business management from Central Michigan University and in national security strategy from the National Defense University at Fort McNair in the District.

Schwartz said that he is most proud of the Youth Challenge Academy, a school for teenage dropouts run by the Guard with an infusion of federal money. The school, separate from D.C. public and charter schools, is located at the former Oak Hill facility, the District's old juvenile jail. Schwartz said that about 60 percent of the student body have obtained high school diplomas, and some have gone on to college.

"These are kids with high potential," Schwartz said. "They just need to be steered a little bit. That's what guardsmen can do." He said he has told his wife that he might stay active in the school.

"I don't mind walking the halls and knocking on doors wearing a suit and tie," he said.

Advertisement

The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington last May. (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg)

President-elect Donald Trump's refusal to divest from his global business empire has provoked a showdown in Washington over government ethics, pitting a small federal agency tasked with preventing conflicts of interest against the incoming administration and its Republican allies on Capitol Hill.

The dispute erupted Friday after a top House Republican demanded to question the director of the independent Office of Government Ethics, who took the unusual step this week of denouncing Trump for retaining ownership of his businesses while transferring management to his sons.

Advertisement

With Republicans and Democrats weighing in, the episode has brought unprecedented attention to a usually obscure office and its director, Walter Shaub Jr., who became an instant sensation on Twitter and in news headlines this week. He blasted Trump's plan as "meaningless" and said the president-elect is not meeting the standards set by "the best of his nominees."

House Republicans reacted swiftly, summoning Shaub to appear before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions about his office and his public criticism of Trump. Shaub made the remarks at the Brookings Institution on Wednesday, hours after the president-elect and his attorneys had laid out the business plan at a news conference.

Advertisement

By late Thursday, Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, had sent Shaub a letter summoning him to appear before lawmakers in a closed-door, transcribed interview much like a deposition.

But ethics experts and Democrats on Capitol Hill said the letter, by noting that the ethics office is up for reauthorization by Congress, was a veiled threat to slash its budget unless Shaub changes his rhetoric.

"I want to talk about the whole department," Chaffetz said in an interview. "Mr. Shaub has taken a very aggressive stance on issues he's never looked at. He's raised a bunch of eyebrows."

He called Shaub, appointed by President Barack Obama to a five-year term that ends in a year, "a bit of a hothead."

The lawmaker said he has not yet decided whether to ask Shaub to testify at a public committee hearing; he said that he first wants to hear what Shaub says during the upcoming closed-door hearing, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., came to Shaub's defense, accusing Chaffetz of an "attempt to intimidate" Shaub and his agency.

"Mr. Chaffetz's attempt to intimidate the office is deplorable and would be a distraction that would make it harder for OGE to do its already difficult job," Schumer said in a statement. "It is totally out of line when Americans want clean and accountable government. Mr. Chaffetz should instead focus on his job and let Mr. Shaub and OGE focus on theirs."

Shaub's supporters are calling him a hero, pushed by Trump's tangle of potential conflicts to uphold his duty as a public official and call out a plan he believes is unethical, if legal.

Advertisement

"He's put ethics front and center on the policy agenda," said Norm Eisen, who served as ethics counselor to Obama, on Thursday. "No one has taken a more courageous action, especially given that he's going to be working for Trump in eight days."

The nonpartisan ethics office, with just 75 employees and a $16 million budget, has always been seen and not heard as its lawyers advise incoming presidents, their Cabinet nominees and other officials on how to avoid conflicts of interest.

In the swirl of controversy over potential conflicts related to Trump's real estate and branding business, Shaub is presenting himself as an unlikely counterweight to the power of the incoming president. His first foray into resistance came on Twitter a few weeks after the election.

Shaub, 57, is a career ethics lawyer whose outspokenness during the presidential transition has caught colleagues by surprise. He is neither flashy nor attention-seeking, they say, but cautious by nature and concerned with protecting the confidentiality of the public officials he works with.

Shaub is known to crack corny jokes. His expertise in federal ethics conflicts is unchallenged, say those who have worked with him. He is described as a workaholic who started his legal career in government at the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services and worked briefly in the private sector before climbing the ranks in the ethics office.

"Walt is brainy," said Don W. Fox, Shaub's predecessor under President George W. Bush. "He's very circumspect. No one has ever seen him as a partisan."

Advertisement

Weeks earlier, Shaub had sent the discreet, behind-the-scenes world of federal ethics experts into a frenzy with a stream of unorthodox declarations on Twitter. His Nov. 30 tweet storm, in superlatives designed to parrot Trump's use of social media, gushed - prematurely and wrongly - over his decision to divest himself of his holdings.

Reporters thought that the ethics office's Twitter account had been hacked. The public wondered whether someone over at the little-known agency at 1201 New York Ave. had lost their mind.

Before nomination hearings for Trump's Cabinet began this week, Shaub accused Republicans of rushing through some nominees before his staff had finished vetting their financial disclosure documents. He sent a letter to Senate Democrats and did not include Republicans, further raising GOP suspicions about his motives.

Shaub, through a spokesman, declined a request for an interview.

Shaub was not on the schedule to speak at a long-planned ethics forum at Brookings on Wednesday. He accepted a pending invitation at the last minute, writing his extraordinary public admonishment in a few hours.

It lasted 13 minutes. "I wish circumstances were different and I didn't feel the need to make public remarks" were his first words at the lectern.

Advertisement

He then made a detailed case for why the steps Trump outlined to allow his sons to run his businesses were "wholly inadequate" protections against potential conflicts. Shaub urged Trump to sell his assets and put them in a blind trust instead, no matter how complicated the transaction.

"This is not a blind trust," Shaub said. "It's not even close." He also praised former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, the nominee for secretary of state, for putting his vast retirement package into a trust that will be independently managed and prohibited from investing in the company he headed.

"It's a sterling model for what we'd like to see with other nominees," he said.

Shaub's candor has transformed him into a political target for Republicans.

Richard Painter, who was ethics adviser to George W. Bush, said Chaffetz's letter amounts to a "clear threat to pull the funding of the Office of Government Ethics" unless the agency follows the wishes of Trump and the Republican leadership.

"They are saying lay off Trump and push through these nominees or we'll kill the funding of OGE," Painter said. He and other ethics lawyers from both parties said the agency plays an important role, and killing it or reducing its authority would be a blow to avoiding conflicts of interest in a new administration and enforcing basic standards of ethics and transparency.

Advertisement

But Republicans say that Shaub's $500 campaign contribution to Obama's reelection committee, public criticism of Trump and lighter hand for Hillary Clinton regarding her paid speeches have raised legitimate concerns that he is acting as a partisan.

Among his critics is America Rising, a GOP super PAC that does rapid response and opposition research. The group filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the ethics office in search of communications it believes may show that Shaub coordinated with Democrats during the transition to hurt the incoming Trump administration.

America Rising also accused Shaub of silence on potential conflicts of interest for Clinton as she accepted speaking fees for speeches, money that went to the Clinton Foundation. Shaub told the Oversight Committee at the time that the law did not require disclosure.

"He was not assuming the prominent role [then] that he is now," America Rising executive director Colin Reed said of Shaub. "The timing is certainly perplexing."

The federal ethics office traditionally has kept such a low profile that some lawyers in the field had never heard of Shaub until he showed up on Twitter.

"The director of OGE has never gone out and made these types of public statements about any government official," said Jan Baran, an ethics expert at the Wiley Rein law firm, who served on President George H.W. Bush's ethics commission. "He certainly has damaged his own reputation."

Advertisement

Shaub is a political appointee, but because the post is filled for a five-year term, Trump would have to show cause to fire him. And Shaub is still a civil servant, having kept his status as a senior executive even as he assumed a political post.

In his letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, Chaffetz wrote, "Your agency's mission is to provide clear ethics guidance, not engage in public relations."

"The Committee is thus continuing its examination of OGE's operations," Chaffetz wrote. "[The office's] statutory authorization lapsed at the end of fiscal year 2007 and the Committee has jurisdiction in the House of Representatives for reauthorizing the office."
After a year-long investigation of the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice released a 164-page report on Jan. 13, 2017. The report condemns Chicago police for excessive force, lax discipline and bad training. (Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

The feds came down hard on the city of Chicago Friday in the findings of a yearlong investigation of police misuse of force. The U.S. Justice Department's report blows the lid off nothing, of course. It has long been tragically obvious that Chicago does a poor job of holding police officers accountable for violence against citizens. The case of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager shot 16 times by a white cop in October 2014, is but one of many examples.

But now there is a 164-page document, released with the force of federal law, that lays out in resounding detail CPD's reckless approach to oversight. And it points the way to a dramatic, necessary fix: the completion of a court-approved settlement that would bind the city to its commitment to reform the Police Department and restore public trust in a battered institution.

Advertisement

Here is what the Justice Department found in Chicago: The Police Department inadequately trains officers to fight crime in a violent city and then fails to properly monitor their use of force or punish wrongdoing. The result is "a culture in which officers expect to use force and not be questioned about the need for or propriety of that use." Boiled down to the essence, Chicago cops abuse citizens because nobody tells them they can't.

Now, if things play out as we hope, the department will clean itself up. Officers will protect a troubled city the right way  because the feds will be watching.

Advertisement

Much of the power of the report comes from its authorship. This is not a department or city looking at itself, balancing frankness against political costs. This is the civil rights division of the Justice Department telling Chicago that its police force engages in a pattern of conduct that violates the Constitution. Unfortunately, the Justice Department's participation doesn't exclude politics. Attorney General Loretta Lynch leaves her job Jan. 20 when President Barack Obama leaves office. It will be up to the next president and his attorney general to decide how the Justice Department proceeds.

Early signs suggest that Donald Trump and his pick for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, do not have a strong interest in involving the federal government in oversight of local police departments. (Trump has even suggested that Chicago's epidemic of violent crime could be brought under control quickly through tougher police tactics.)

That's a problem, because Lynch's department didn't get to the finish line with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Unlike Baltimore, where the feds wrapped up a nearly two-year investigation in time to announce a last-minute consent decree Thursday, Chicago has agreed only to negotiate such a decree, which would give the Justice Department oversight of department reforms. It's entirely possible the Trump administration will focus on other priorities and put the negotiations on ice. If that happens  regrettable as it would be  there are options to keep the pressure on CPD and City Hall. More about that in a minute.

The mayor, of course, did not sit around waiting for the federal hammer to come down. Chicago is in crisis, and the first line of defense, the cops, is on the defensive. As is Emanuel. Gun violence is out of control. Residents of South and West side neighborhoods, who are primarily African-American and Latino, live in fear  mainly of gangs, but sometimes police. The release of the police dashcam video showing Officer Jason Van Dyke emptying his gun into McDonald's crumpled body touched off a public uproar.

(Warning: Contains strong language) The Chicago Police Department conducts force-mitigation training for officers through mental health awareness lessons and scenario-based drills at the Chicago Police Academy. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

In the aftermath, Emanuel fired police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and worked up a plan to overhaul the oversight system. The city is in the process of replacing the ineffectual Independent Police Review Authority with a sharper-toothed body called the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, overseen by a dedicated inspector general for public safety. New top cop Eddie Johnson went to work to improve training and policies and purchase body cameras for street officers. Lots of solid promises were made, but there is no reason to believe Chicago can right itself without supervision. The problem runs decades deep. Every previous attempt to instill true accountability in the Police Department has failed.

The Justice Department report makes for disturbing reading. It's filled with phrases like "poor police practices," "poor discipline" and "code of silence." Chicago cops, who have a difficult, dangerous job to do, are put in a position to fail, not succeed, because training and supervision are shoddy. The report found that officers shot at suspects who presented no immediate threat and used unreasonable retaliatory force, even against children.

Some Chicago cops violate the rules knowingly, while others are just poorly trained. When federal investigators interviewed new cops, "only one in six recruits we spoke with came close to properly articulating the legal standard for use of force." Oh, and if you've wondered about the rules of engagement when a cop is chasing a suspect on foot, the officer on the run may have no idea, either. CPD, the report said, "does not have a foot pursuit policy. It should."

When things go wrong, cops are far more likely to be protected than held accountable. Over five years, fewer than 2 percent of more than 30,000 complaints of police misconduct were sustained. Investigations of officers are built to exonerate. "The questioning of officers is often cursory and aimed at eliciting favorable statements justifying the officer's actions rather than seeking the truth," the report said.

Advertisement

Heard enough? There's one more sour note to discuss: What happens if Trump doesn't follow through? There are legal avenues for an individual or organization to file a federal lawsuit based on the report seeking a consent decree and monitor. That was the genesis of the Shakman decrees that grew from a lawsuit filed by attorney Michael Shakman, targeting patronage hiring at City Hall.

A number of organizations dedicated to criminal justice will be watching closely and could take up the cause if the Justice Department doesn't obtain a consent decree.

A complete overhaul of Chicago's police oversight system is long past due. The mayor recognizes this and promised Friday that the city will do better. He knows if he falls short, he'll face the public's ire. But there are far bigger stakes than Emanuel's political fortunes.

If the police are ineffective, if the public is mistrustful, if the officers themselves don't believe the city has their backs, the result will be the same: Violent crime will rise. Chicagoans will suffer. Cops have a big job to do. They need federal help. They should get it.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
The stadium where the Kane County Cougars play in Geneve will be hosting Valentine's dinners. (Gloris Casas / File photo)

Valentine's dinner at Cougars' stadium

The Kane County Cougars organization will host Valentine's Dinner packages for Saturday, Feb. 11 and Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Advertisement

Candlelight dining will begin at 6:30 p.m. on both nights at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva. Couples can choose a private suite option at $95 per couple or dinner in the Super Suite banquet room for $75 per couple which will be set up restaurant style holding multiple tables.

Couples can choose from three dinner menu options, prepared and served by the Cougars catering staff, including either soup or salad, the entree, side dishes and dessert. Water and soda is provided while select varieties of beer and wine will be available for an additional cost. Couples will also receive a pair of ticket vouchers for a 2017 Cougars game with their reservation.

Advertisement

For reservations, call 630-232-8811. Those looking to double-date are also encouraged to make reservations as suites and tables can accommodate multiple couples.

Kane County Genealogical Society presents 'Your Next Step'

The monthly meeting of the Kane County Genealogical Society will be 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 in the first floor meeting room of the Geneva History Museum, 113 S. Third St., Geneva.

The topic for this meeting will be "Your Next Step: Organize & Share Your Family History." The speaker for the evening is Steve Zsabados.

This presentation discusses a process and format that makes research efforts more efficient and makes the results easier to share, according to a news release. It will discuss how to organize the information extracted from documents and family oral history. The presentation will begin with a simple method of organizing research into readable documents.

Zsabados is a genealogy lecturer and researcher who has written 11 books on genealogy, the release said.

For information, call 630-879-0672 or go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilkcgs.
Aurora mayoral candidate Linda Chapa LaVia Friday announced a three-point economic development plan she says could be enacted within 120 days of her becoming mayor.

She made the announcement with about 40 supporters, some representing businesses in the city, at Jake's Bagels on North Broadway. She also received an endorsement from Terrie Simmons, director of the Women's Business Center in Aurora, which Chapa LaVia helped create.

Advertisement

The 14-year state representative from Aurora said while the city has done a good job at economic development, it has not been good enough, especially compared to what surrounding communities have done.

"We can and we must do a better job in Aurora," she said.

Advertisement

Chapa LaVia's three-point plan revolves around changing the culture of city government, educating and evaluating plans and to develop a forward direction for economic development, and executing  actually getting things done.

The plan has a number of proposals contained within it, including: a commission to review all ordinances; a needs assessment; revisiting the value of special use permits; restructuring City Hall to have a business improvement department; evaluate any and all agencies under the city's control that deal with economic development issues; evaluate all properties the city owns for redevelopment; use federal, state and private sector resources to do an exhaustive study and do a parking study.

At one point, Chapa LaVia held plans done by the city in 2005 and 2009 that she said had good ideas but were hardly implemented.

"For some reason, these sat on a shelf," she said. "Aurora has what I call leapfrog, spotty development."

Chapa LaVia's event Friday came a day after the first mayoral forum for the Feb. 28 primary in which she and her opponents, Aldermen Richard Irvin, at large, and Michael Saville, 6th Ward, and Rick Guzman, assistant chief of staff at City Hall, all agreed that economic development is one of the key issues in Aurora.

While the candidates answered questions on a variety of issues, many of those answers came down to how important it is for the city to grow its tax base and create enough revenue for taxing bodies to deal with educational opportunities, getting jobs and handling crime.

The other candidates also have programs that discuss economic development that are addressed on their websites.

Guzman has released an expanded platform that is 15 pages long on his website. On economic development, it calls for:

Advertisement

 Finalizing, adopting and implementing the new Downtown Master Plan being finished up by the city with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, or CMAP. The city received help from CMAP through a technical assistance grant for the plan.

 Commissioning a study and plan for a multi-cultural business district, referred to as a "Mercado Neighborhood" that is part of the 2006 Seize the Future master plan for downtown.

 Establishing and maintaining a revolving micro loan fund to give businesses access to smaller loans of between $500 and $25,000, which could be done through the city's Community Block Grant program.

At the forum, Guzman said he has liked the direction the city is taking with economic development, especially downtown. He said, as did other candidates, that the city needs more housing units downtown to foster more business development.

"We need to build on our strength," he said. "The arts have been bringing people downtown."

Irvin said economic development involves retaining business already in town and recruiting new business to come to town. Like Guzman, Irvin said the city needs to build its "critical mass" of people downtown, and then "businesses are going to come to cater to these people."

Advertisement

Irvin has proposed putting the Aurora Economic Development Commission back together. On his website, he proposed:

 Assessing the processing and systems at the city involving the ability of businesses already in the city.

 Holding government leadership accountable in recruiting of business.

 Having a citywide economic development master plan.

Saville cited what he said was his past success with economic development downtown through creation of the Riverwalk Commission, and later the Fox Overlay District that has guided the look of downtown for 30 years.

"After 30 years, downtown looks better today than it has since the 1970s," he said. "I've always been pro-business in the downtown."

Advertisement

slord@tribpub.com
Dr. Haohua Yang of Naperville was charged with sex crimes against some of his patients, and the state medical board suspended his license to practice medicine. (Kendall County Sheriffs Office photo)

Yorkville doctor Haohua Yang was found not guilty Friday on one of several sexual assault charges brought against him by former patients.

Kendall County Judge Timothy McCann announced his ruling in a courtroom packed with Yang's supporters. McCann said he did "not believe that the evidence has established beyond a reasonable doubt" that Yang was guilty.

Advertisement

After McCann's ruling, Yang hugged his lawyers before he was escorted back to the county jail, where he remains with no bail awaiting trial for the remaining charges.

Yang, a Naperville resident, was charged in December 2014 with sexually assaulting and abusing three female patients between 2012 and 2014 during examinations at his practice in Yorkville. Since then, even more alleged victims have come forward.

Advertisement

In total, 28 counts have been filed against Yang for alleged incidents between May 4, 2012, and Dec. 16, 2014, according to court documents. In one of the defendant's responses, his lawyers state that he was charged with committing acts of sexual abuse and assault against 17 individuals.

At the defendant's request, the state agreed to sever the charges so allegations pertaining to each individual would be tried separately. The incident ruled on Friday allegedly occurred Oct. 17, 2012.

The rest of the charges are the subject of a status hearing at 9 a.m. Feb. 15, in which additional trials may be discussed.

In the meantime, Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis, whose office brought the charges against Yang, said they are going to take some time to review the evidence that was presented, and the method for presenting that evidence to the judge.

"We thought we had a strong case," Weis said. "Our victims were very disappointed, very surprised by the verdict. We are looking for answer  it is frustrating for them  but again we will look at the next case and see what needs to be presented and hope for a better verdict."

Yang is represented by Terry A. Ekl, Terence P. Gillespie and Gabrielle Sansonetti, according to court records.

Yang had plenty of supporters in the courtroom. Jean Luo said she was a patient of Yang's for more than eight years, and trusts her children with him, including a 17-year-old daughter who took a half-day off school to attend Friday's ruling. Luo's son came from college in Champaign to attend as well.

"This guy is in the jail fighting for his life," Luo said. "So this is what we do. We come here for justice."

Advertisement

"The whole Chinese community  they will suffer," Luo said. "Dr. Yang served the community for more than 10 years in Yorkville and in Naperville in this area . It's no evidence at all, it's just he says she says."

In an opinion from Dr. John O. Palmer, filed in court, Palmer writes that the allegations against Yang seem to revolve around the manner in which he examined the women. Palmer described accepted approaches for patient evaluations pertaining to sensitive areas of the body and analyzed the reports of how Dr. Yang allegedly touched several of the women during examinations.

"I have concluded that Dr. Yang has practiced outside accepted standards of care," Palmer wrote. "He has inappropriately touched and probed the defendants in a non-medical and unacceptable way."

Yang probably faces more trials in the future, so "he's not out of the woods yet," said Ekl, Yang's lead attorney.

"This is just the first step," Ekl said. "But this is a big step because this was the state's best case."

After Yang was arrested and charged after accusations by three patients, 14 more people came forward, Ekl said.

Advertisement

"There was sort of a mass hysteria," Ekl said, "with people coming out of the woodwork making complaints I think there was an exaggeration and an embellishment that was very evident here."

Weis had a different take on the situation.

"Obviously there are victims that come forward (after the initial charges)," Weis said. "A victim who has been assaulted or touched in this way by a person in that profession, they see others have come forward, it gives them the courage to come forward. Sometimes they don't want to be the one person that comes forward and go through it on their own, but again I don't sit in their shoes, so I can't say 100 percent that's why."

Weis stood by the credibility of Yang's accusers, saying he hasn't seen any financial motive for anyone to come forward. He said he now needs to look at which case to present next.

In 2015, Yang was arrested at O'Hare International Airport after returning to the U.S. following an attempt to enter China illegally, according to Beacon-News archives.

His website said Yang obtained his medical degree in China, but the customs agency said he is a U.S. citizen. His medical license was suspended in December, when the assault allegations became public.

Advertisement

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
A year after his return as executive director of Hesed House, Ryan Dowd has increased fundraising and morale at the Aurora homeless shelter. (Denise Crosby / The Beacon-News)

When several residents at Hesed House died suddenly overnight in the Aurora homeless shelter at the end of 2016, the staff was devastated.

"It was hard on everyone because our goal is to bring them home," said Executive Director Ryan Dowd. "And we felt like we had failed."

Advertisement

Until they realized their mission can also include accompanying those residents to their eternal home. In that case, "making their final months, days, hours dignified is one of the most important things we do," he noted. "We were there for their last smile, their last good meal. What we did was important."

Talking with Dowd almost a year after his own much-applauded homecoming to Hesed House was, as anticipated, a profound reminder of the importance a community has in caring for its most vulnerable. Which is why his return after a few years of running nonprofits in Washington, D.C., was seen as such a blessing for all of Aurora.

Advertisement

Including the director himself. Resuming the reins again, he admitted, was "challenging" because "the stakes were so bloody high." With funding cuts in Springfield, noted Dowd, "those hit the hardest end up here" at the second-largest shelter in the state. And after he left, Hesed House struggled.

According to Hesed House board President John Ball, fundraising was down, and so was the morale of staff who were concerned about losing their jobs and worried about the dissipating spirit and passion that had come to define the shelter, particularly under Dowd's charismatic leadership.

"I'll be honest, I was more than nervous," Ball said. "I was very anxious" as other key people were also leaving and things were coming apart.

"I know for a fact that after Ryan left, 10 to 15 percent of large donors stepped away to see how things would work. Some did not come back to us."

As soon as Dowd returned, however  his first day back was Feb. 1  he began pulling staff and volunteers together and making it a "strong point of reconnecting with those large donors," Ball said.

"He has this wonderful knack of being able to talk to people, of assuring them things are not as bad as they look and that it will get better."

Michelle Hess, Hesed House director of development, points to her boss's inner qualities.

"He's so self-aware, really humble," she said. "And what makes him so special is that he values community. He always asks for input and values what others have to say."

Advertisement

Although the numbers are not all in, Ball said the nonprofit "is sitting in a much better position than we were a year ago." At the end of December, only the midpoint in Hesed House's fundraising season, Dowd said it was already more than $70,000 ahead of where it was at this time a year ago.

Righting the ship, Dowd admitted, was a top priority during 2016. Never one to toot his own horn, he credits much of the organization's stronger financial footing to Hess, who came on board only weeks before his own return. Rightly so, he also points to the 6,000 volunteers who have long been the shelter's backbone, as well as to the many partnerships formed with local organizations that offer everything from medical, financial and legal assistance to life skills and job training for the homeless.

For 15 years, the shelter has been full, housing close to 200 people each night, with another 30 in apartments. About 16 people a week become homeless in Aurora, Dowd noted, which means he and his staff have to find housing for that same number to make room for those coming in.

The goals of 2017, he said, must be to continue to address the needs of the working poor, whose numbers are increasing as housing costs are outstripping wages. He's also concerned about those suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, a number, he said, that seems "to be going through the roof" as social service nets in Illinois continue to crumble.

The shelter used to deal with one or two struggling with serious mental illness, but "we now have eight to 10" at any given time, Dowd said. While that's certainly not a huge number, "it does change the dynamics of a room," he added, which is why he's grateful the Association for Individual Development has more mental health workers on site to "double down" on counseling and training.

Dowd's goals for the new year also include finding ways to bring the philosophy behind Hesed House  which was at the forefront of PADS programs and federal legislation for homeless children  to a national level. All of this, he noted, is coming at a time when shelters, here in Illinois and across the country, are beginning to struggle, with leadership at a premium as more of the experienced baby boomers are starting to retire.

Advertisement

It's "hard, crazy and rewarding," he said of the work being done at Hesed House. "Only a few things we do matter, but they matter a lot. We are doing a good job, but we need to do a great job."

More good news, Ball pointed out, is that a new board is in place that is not only "more proactive and dynamic," it comes with plenty of expertise  not to mention the heart that epitomizes the spirit of this organization.

More than a shelter, he said, "This place is family. It is home."

dcrosby@tribpub.com
As Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland seeks his fourth term in the April 4 election, his opponent, former village trustee Todd Morgan is calling for term limits.

Morgan brought a proposed resolution to the village's Land Use and Policy Committee meeting Wednesday night, in an effort to place a binding referendum on the April 4 ballot, limiting the mayor to two consecutive four-year terms.

Advertisement

Morgan said his resolution was a sample and that the wording could be changed to apply to all elected officials, or extended to three terms.

But most committee members were reluctant to rush this issue, which required that a resolution be passed by Tuesday to get the referendum on the April ballot.

Advertisement

According to village attorney Sean Brady whether the issue was put to a vote in the April 4, 2017 consolidated election, or in November 2018 general election, term limits could not go into effect until the April 2019 election, he said. If the referendum fails, the village has to wait 23 months to try again

He recommended that they "put time and thought into it and do it right."

Morgan said he did not expect the village to vote by Tuesday's deadline, but wanted to get their opinions and start a discussion about it, and planned to make it a campaign issue.

He said he meant "no disrespect" to the current mayor and trustees, but said this is to "protect" the village in the future.

Term limits would eliminate concerns about favoritism, pandering to certain groups and raising campaign funds, Morgan said.

"You serve for two or three terms, do it for benefit of community and move forward," he said.

The committee did not reject the idea, nor move it forward, with a few members saying they wanted to get community input first.

Stacy Bond, a citizen member of the committee, said he "generally" likes term limits, but thinks it is "complicated."

Advertisement

"I watch you guys all the time. It's a hard job. You are not going to get a lot of people to come out and do these jobs and spend the time on them that is being spent."

"Why does this make sense and why does this make sense for Frankfort?" he said.

Village Trustee Bob Kennedy said term limits make sense if a community has ineffective, irresponsible government, but he is not sold on term limits at the local level.

Trustee Mike Stevens also said it made no sense at the local level, and asked Morgan why he never considered term limits during his 14 years as a village trustee.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"We are a small town. We are volunteers," said Trustee Dick Trevarthan, who has served 30 years on the board and is running for re-election. "At this time we do not need term limits. We have a good core of volunteers. We need continuity."

"If you want me off the board, vote me off," he said.

Advertisement

Trustee Keith Ogle said he wanted the public to weigh in on this "important" issue, not political candidates.

Holland did not comment during the committee meeting, but afterwards said term limits would restrict voters' choices, and that "is a very serious issue."

He said such a referendum "should come from the people."

State law provides that citizens can petition a government to put an issue on the ballot, or a board can do it by resolution.

slafferty@tribpub.com
Homer Glen businesses with more 100,000 square feet will be required to have an automated external defibrillator machine under a plan recently approved by the village. (Libertyville Police Department)

Businesses with more 100,000 square feet will be required to have an automated external defibrillator machine under a plan recently approved by the village of Homer Glen.

Village trustees said the new ordinance, which has been in committee for about 18 months, aims to improve public safety in the community.

Advertisement

An AED helps restore a regular heart rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest.

According to the American Heart Association, an AED is easy to use and when used along with CPR, can more than double a victim's chance of survival.

Advertisement

The ordinance affects four existing Homer Glen businesses: Menards, Home Depot, Big R and Meijer, officials said. Meijer currently has an AED at its store.

The businesses have one year to comply with the ordinance, which was approved Wednesday.

Board members said that while the ordinance is a start, they would also like to consider further amending the ordinance to possibly include restaurants or other businesses that may have a large amount of people in the building at one time.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Trustee Mike Costa said that he would like the board to consider offering financial assistance to businesses interested in installing an AED on their premises.

Village officials said that the village could possibly use revenue generated from video gaming if they decided to offer financial help.

AEDs costs between about $1,200 and $3,000 a piece, Trustee Beth Rodgers said.

"This is going to be something that is lifesaving," she said.

The Homer Chamber of Commerce and the local fire protection districts both support the new ordinance, village officials said.

Advertisement

State law requires public buildings and physical fitness facilities to be equipped with AEDs. The village of Romeoville requires AEDs in all new buildings with occupancy of more than 50 people.

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
(L to R) Daybreak Shelter Director Courtney Suchor, Daybreak client Robert Seigle, Job Corps students Bobbie Johnson, Quandre Mitchell and Jermaine Simms take a look at a care package. (Provided by Stewart Warren, Joliet Job)

When Lockport's Bobbie Johnson, 18, was asked how she and her fellow students could celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, she thought about a tradition she has had with her mother for 10 years.

Johnson, along with other students at the Joliet Job Corps, raised money to purchase, create and distribute care packages for the homeless.

Advertisement

"It's a family tradition for me and my mother, so I decided to go along with it and do it at the Job Corps, as well," Johnson said.

Every season, her family would do something for the homeless, such as bring sandwiches and coffee in the winter or ice cream in the summer, she said. They've done it about four times a year since she was 8 years old, she said.

Advertisement

When she joined a committee of students at the Job Corps to honor King, she mentioned the homeless. She suggested care packages because they would be easier for the students to assemble, she said.

"Martin Luther King wanted all of us to come together" and preached equality, said Derek Peters, 22, of Chicago, who is studying building construction technology at the Job Corps. "We are all together. You all are not here by yourselves."

The students raised about $500, including selling nachos to students in the school, Johnson said. With the money, they purchased personal items, including deodorant, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste and wash cloths. From past experience, Johnson said she had a good understanding of what the people might be looking for. They made 50 care packages and delivered them Thursday to Daybreak Shelter, 611 Cass St., Joliet.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"I feel like everyone needs help, even if they do not say it," Johnson said. "I feel that's important to help others when they cannot help themselves."

The students spent time talking with people at Daybreak and learning their individual stories. Not only did the students give, they also received.

"It gave me a different outlook on life and how to be more responsible and how to stay focused and not give up on my dreams," said Johnson, who plans to be a nurse practitioner.

The Joliet Job Corps Center, 1101 Mills Road, Joliet, provides free vocational and education training for young people who want to join the workforce and have successful careers, according to a Job Corps statement. Students may study for their high school diploma or GED while learning one of eight trades, it said.

Johnson said that because the students are being helped by the Job Corps, they wanted to help others by giving to the homeless.

Advertisement

"It was a good experience to go out and help the homeless," Peters said. "I learned that everyone needs a helping hand."

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
A memorial outside the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park. The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force was part of the investigation into the murders of five women inside the store in February 2008. (Scott Strazzante / Chicago Tribune)

On Jan. 8, 1993, two men entered a Brown's Chicken in northwest suburban Palatine and murdered the husband-and-wife owners, as well as five of their employees, stashing the bodies in the restaurant's freezer.

What became known as the "Brown's Chicken Massacre" would influence the thinking of police chiefs in the south and southwest suburbs as far as how law enforcement investigates homicides, whether there's one victim or multiple on a mass scale.

Advertisement

The formation in 1999 of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force was a result of the Brown's Chicken case, according to Tim McCarthy, chairman of the task force and police chief in Orland Park.

Since then, the task force  which taps the investigative expertise of officers from dozens of local departments  has been called out to about 500 homicide investigations, he said. Last year, the task force was "activated" 53 times  a bit more than the roughly 40 cases it handles in a typical year, McCarthy said, noting that not all 53 might have been homicides. If there is a shooting, the task force will automatically be called in, but the case will revert to the local community if the shooting is not fatal, he said.

Advertisement

Initially, 20 or so communities banded together to quickly deploy a large number of officers to examine a crime scene and follow leads, providing investigative resources lacking in smaller communities, he said. Today, the task force has at its disposal 150 investigators from 58 south and southwest suburban departments, as well as personnel from the Cook County sheriff's department and Illinois State Police, McCarthy said.

A suspect in an Evergreen Park murder was involved in a shooting with police on a Metra train. (Patrick Gorski / Chicago Tribune)

Already this year, the task force has been activated to investigate a homicide in Evergreen Park, which led to a dramatic shootout aboard a Metra train with a suspect who apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being confronted by officers on the train. It also was called in to probe the slaying of an aide to U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski who was found dead in her Oak Lawn home.

A mass murder, such as the Brown's Chicken case, "could overwhelm a (small) department," McCarthy said, but "with the task force, it's almost unlimited" as far as the personnel that can be brought to bear on a case. Generally, at a minimum, 20 investigators are called out to each case, he said.

A case with multiple victims "could end up with 20 or 30 leads" requiring "a lot of trained officers to run them out," he said.

"There is tons of evidence that has to be processed," and speed is paramount, McCarthy said.

"It's the first 24 to 48 hours when the leads are hottest," he said.

Covering an area with a population of nearly 1 million, the task force is divided into east and west divisions, and each division is further subdivided into teams, covering the northern and southern areas of their respective division, said McCarthy, who has been Orland Park's chief since May 1994.

Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy is chairman of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. (Handout)

Each community that is part of the task force commits a certain number of investigators who might have to be away from their home departments for an extended period working a case in another community. Officers who are part of the task force undergo special training, and "everyone is vetted and approved to be part" of the task force, McCarthy said.

Advertisement

A part-time administrative director works in the task force headquarters in Oak Forest, inside the headquarters of the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. While grants are sought to cover the task force's costs, they have become harder to obtain, and each of the 58 towns is being assessed $1,000 each year to fund the task force, McCarthy said.

The task force also has a 10-member board of directors, which includes six local police chiefs, and meets every other month, he said.

The unit is deployed only to cases in communities that are members, but there are exceptions.

What became one of the task force's most involved investigations started Sept. 27, 2006, when Metra police Officer Thomas Cook was shot at close range while in his marked squad car outside a Harvey Metra station. It was just in March of last year that the officer's killer, Jemetric Nicholson, was sentenced to natural life in prison for the murder.

Harvey was not then, nor is it now, part of the task force, but the unit was asked to assist in the investigation of Cook's murder, McCarthy said.

Formed in the years after the Palatine slayings, the task force got its own mass killing the morning of Feb. 2, 2008, when a man walked into a Tinley Park women's clothing store and opened fire on six women, killing five. Nobody has been arrested in connection with the slayings at the since-shuttered Lane Bryant store, and authorities have investigated thousands of leads over the years.

Advertisement

"For a couple of years we had people working on it full time," McCarthy said.

He said that the task force has been able to resolve close to 60 percent of the cases it's called to investigate.

"They (task force members) would like to solve 100 percent" of the cases, "but, plain and simple, we don't," McCarthy said.

A memorial outside the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park. The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force was part of the investigation into the murders of five women inside the store in February 2008. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

While none of the unsolved cases are closed, the task force's involvement does end at some point, but the task force could be called back in to follow a significant lead, he said.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Being able to close a case can help bring closure to the family or families of victims, and being unable to accomplish that, such as in the Lane Bryant killings, can be frustrating, he said.

"Hopefully, something will happen and there will be a resolution to this case," McCarthy said.

Advertisement

Dramatic advances in technology have given law enforcement new tools when investigating cases, McCarthy said, citing cellphones, computers and seemingly omnipresent surveillance cameras. Information recovered from a suspect's phone is "often an integral part of an investigation," along with data gleaned from personal computers, but it's expensive and requires specially trained investigators, he said.

For example, cellphone records, including calls and text messages, were part of the investigation into the January 2014 slaying of popular Brother Rice teacher Al Filan in his Orland Park home. A police expert in electronic communications analysis, who is part of the task force, was able to place Alisha Walker at or near Filan's home at the time of the murder, and other data led officers to a motel in Fort Wayne, Ind., where she had fled after stabbing Filan to death. Last March, Walker was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in Filan's death.

McCarthy called the task force a "model of cooperation" and said that area police chiefs understand "this is the best thing for their community to have, this insurance policy, so to speak."

The South Suburban Emergency Response Team is another example of multijurisdictional cooperation, McCarthy said, with the realization that the cost of equipping and training officers is beyond the reach of most towns. SSERT predates the Major Crimes Task Force by about a decade, and Orland Park in 2009 dismantled its own SWAT team to become part of SSERT, partly due to costs of training and equipping its own team, he said.

mnolan@tribpub.com
A public memorial service for Olympia Fields Trustee Robert Waite is scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Prairie State College auditorium in Chicago Heights.

Waite, 79, died of a heart attack Dec. 29. He had served for six years as a trustee on the village board.

Advertisement

Waite also was CEO of Proko Industries Inc. and Lynxx International Inc. and a managing partner of RP Leasing LLC at the time of his death.

He previously worked as president of Autrol Corp. in Crystal Lake and as vice president and general manager of Atcor/Allied Tube and Conduit Corp. in Harvey.

Advertisement

Several local elected officials are expected to attend next month's service, including Olympia Fields Village President Debbie Meyers-Martin.

"It was just very hard to believe," Meyers-Martin said of Waite's passing.

She said she, Waite and other village officials and employees had just attended a holiday party together at Olympia Fields Country Club on Dec. 17, and she was "absolutely shocked" to hear of his death 12 days later.

Meyers-Martin said Waite was "very passionate" about his work in the village and that enthusiasm spilled over to other board members.

"He brought a lot of experience to the board," she said.

Meyers-Martin said Waite was involved with switching the village's street lights to energy-efficient LEDs and he was working with surrounding communities on a plan to acquire a new water source rather than keep paying a high premium to Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Judge Linzey Jones is expected to speak at the memorial service.

Jones, who served as president of Olympia Fields from 1997 to 2010, had known Waite for about 20 years.

Advertisement

He said Waite was instrumental in opening up the Olympia Fields Country Club to African-Americans in the 1990s by introducing some of its first African-American members.

Waite received the David Janke Community Vitality Award from Diversity Inc. in 2007 for his work as a member of the country club.

Jones said Waite also had helped work out a deal between the country club and the village over water and sewer service.

He said Waite was a very smart, successful and hard-working business executive who traveled around the world and brought that experience to the village.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"You could always count on Bob Waite to show up," Jones said. "That's really his greatest legacy."

Waite is survived by his daughter, son-in-law, wife, sister and two grandsons.

Advertisement

Before Waite was a successful businessman, his daughter, Dorothy Cribbs, said he had worked as a truck driver, high school janitor and school bus driver.

"My dad came from humble beginnings," she said. "He was expected to work in order to have spending money. He worked tirelessly for the village of Olympia Fields in any way that he could put his business knowledge to use to save them money."

Meyers-Martin said she intends to appoint someone to serve the remainder of Waite's term, which expires in April. The appointee will have to be approved by the board.

Cribbs said that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of her father to Crossroads Shih Tzu Rescue, www.crossroadsrescue.org.

Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Emily Klehm and close friend Cheryl West, foreground, talk on Tuesday about their planned trip to Washington D.C., where they will join tens of thousands of others for the Women's March on Washington. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)

The day after the presidential election, after the shock wore off, Emily Klehm, a strong Hillary Clinton supporter, made a vow  to herself and to her country.

"Instead of staying in a depressed place I thought, 'OK, I didn't do enough.' I didn't get out there and volunteer. I didn't do what we who really cared should have done," said Klehm, of Glenwood. "And so, for me, there would be no more. It's not enough to just vote. I'm going to put myself out there and work for what I believe in."

Advertisement

That work begins around 5 p.m. Friday, when Klehm and two of her friends will head to Tinley Park's Brookside Marketplace to board a bus bound for Washington, D.C. The 70 passengers will travel overnight and arrive the next morning ready to march with possibly hundreds of thousands of others, in the same spirit that inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to take to the streets of the nation's capital in 1963.

The Jan. 21 Women's March on Washington, scheduled the day after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, began as separate social media posts by women who, like Klehm, were disappointed by the election's outcome, said Amber Hummel, head of volunteer engagement for Illinois.

Advertisement

"Somehow, they were put in touch with each other and joined forces" to form a larger, unified march, Hummel said.

Close to 300,000 people are expected to participate, she said. About 3,000 hail from Illinois, she added.

"It may even be larger than that," she said. "It's hard to get an exact head count because a lot of participants are getting their own transportation."

For example, said Hummel, who lives in Chicago's Ukranian Village, one group from Chicago's Old Town area has chartered its own bus, while others are driving or flying there.

"A lot of people are arriving early because they want to attend the protests on the day of the inauguration," she added.

The march is set to step off at 10 a.m. from Third Street SW and Independence Avenue near the U.S. Capitol, Hummel said.

"For me, the message I'm hoping comes out of this is that people start doing something. A lot of us felt shock and disappointment the morning after the election. That's the answer you get from a lot of people joining the march," she said. "But we also felt that we didn't do enough to fight against Trump winning and getting people out there to vote."

She said the basic message the group hopes to send to Trump and his administration "is that we acknowledge you're president. We're not protesting against that. But we're going to be working hard to ensure that what we believe in is protected. When everybody comes home, we want them to get out there and start helping, volunteering, organizing meetings, whatever they can."

Advertisement

Hummel said the march is a first step toward change.

"The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us  immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault  and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear," the Women's March website (www.womensmarch.com) states.

"In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women's March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights," it continues.

Klehm said the gathering is a way "to be vocal and present and to put ourselves out there physically. Sure, the (election) damage has been done but we have four years to make it right again. I think we have to speak out against whatever are stated or implied policies that include the destruction of women's rights and that promote racism, homophobia and anti-immigrant feelings.

"I think if many of us are out there walking and talking about what we believe in, it'll be a big step toward making sure this doesn't happen again. And we've got midterm elections in two (years). There's a lot of work that can be done at the local level," she said.

Klehm, who is president and CEO of South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights, will be joined by Cheryl West, of Mount Greenwood.

Advertisement

"For me it is about being a woman," West said. "We've come so far as a group. It is so important to have our voice, to let them know that we are not going to go backward, only forward. But it also goes beyond women's issues."

West is a special education teacher and English language coordinator at Thornridge High School in Dolton.

"I really felt I had to do something, to be a part of something big and to show on a national level that we have a voice and will continue to have a voice," she said.

Across the nation, busloads of marchers are set to descend on the capital, arriving in time for the 10 a.m. march step-off. In addition to Tinley Park in the Southland, departures will take place in Oak Lawn and Chicago's Beverly community.

Meanwhile, other participants plan to get their own transportation.

Rahaf Othman and her sisters  Rola Othman, director of technology at Saint Xavier University in Chicago; Abir Othman, associate principal of Andrew High School in Tinley Park; and Lina Zayed, a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teacher at Gwendolyn Brooks Prep Academy  plan to fly out of the Chicago area on Friday and stay the weekend with another sister, Ronza Othman, who is a lawyer who works for the federal government in D.C.

Advertisement

Rahaf Othman said, "I am an American Muslim woman who is completely against hate, bigotry and racism and I've got a voice. The Constitution and the First Amendment give us the right to peacefully assemble, so what better way than to take advantage and peacefully assemble?"

A history teacher at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Rahaf Othman said, "At this point, the election has happened, the decision has been made. We have a new president, based off the Electoral College, not the popular vote. This march is an action for the future. It's not going to change who's in the White House but it could have an effect, having all these people come out to protest hate, bigotry and Islamophobia."

The goal, she said, "is to say 'Hey, we're not liking this.'"

This won't be the first protest rodeo for Othman and her sisters. They tried to attend the Trump rally at University of Illinois Chicago last March. When the rally was canceled, they went down the street and joined a group of protesters.

"That was an unforgettable experience," she said. "When they made the announcement that (Trump) had canceled, we started chanting, 'This is what democracy looks like.' I got goose bumps. It was a beautiful thing to see all these people come together."

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Rahaf Othman said she and her sisters got their strength and courage from their mother, who she calls the strongest woman she has ever known.

Advertisement

"We came to this country in 1981. Dad got a job working 7 (a.m.) to midnight in a store. Mom single handedly raised all seven of us," Othman said. "She is the one who raised us to be strong, to say what's on your mind, to be forceful when you need to be and to always fight for what's right."

Rahaf Othman said, although she has been the recipient of kindness from strangers lately, she still has certain fears that are specific to being Muslim.

"For example, the Muslim registry. I've joked about it but it's a genuine fear," she said. "One of the reasons I'm pushing myself to be involved is because one of my children. My third child, during the campaign process, there were many nights he couldn't sleep. A few times he came to me in the middle of the night and said 'Mom, if Donald Trump gets elected, where are we moving to?' My thoughts were 'No 8- or 9-year-old boy should have to be thinking about that.'"

One of the greatest things about this country, she added, "is that it belongs to all of us. This country does not belong to one group. It belongs to everyone. We're all in this together. We've got to love each other."

dvickroy@tribpub.com

Twitter @dvickroy
Plants that are native to Illinois have nearly lost the more than 100-year-old battle against invasive species in Cook County's forest preserves. But the war isn't over, and volunteers on a recent Saturday worked to gain back a little ground at Beaubien Woods on the South Side.

They made headway throughout the fall and winter by reintroducing native plants and clearing away impassable brush made up of invasive European and Asian plants.

Advertisement

"This is what we try to cut down all day long," said volunteer Ben Truehart as he used a hacksaw to cut down a European buckthorn.

Dozens of stumps from the buckthorns and Japanese honeysuckles dot an area several hundred feet into a section of woods across from Carver Military Academy where the volunteers are continuing their work.

Advertisement

The effort was organized by the Field Museum's Keller Science Action Center and the Calumet Stewardship Initiative.

"The museum is famous for having lots of dead things," said Robb Telfer, an environmental conservationist coordinator with the Field Museum. "Our department tries to keep them alive."

Several newly planted native shrubs also dotted the area where volunteers had worked and Telfer said the young saplings had to be fenced in to keep deer from eating them before they could regain a foothold.

The Field Museum features displays of now extinct animals and plants but Telfer is proud to have helped recently bring back a plant to Illinois that was once thought extinct, the Kankakee mallow in Kankakee. He's also part of a campaign to make it the state flower.

At Beaubien Woods, Telfer said he's seeing the return of rare swallowtail butterflies and he believes it's because volunteers planted vegetation conducive to them, such as hazelnut, prickly ash and two kinds of dogwood.

Replacing the invasive plants with native ones also creates more openness in the woods, its natural state, Telfer said.

Volunteer John Mueller was busy Saturday creating more openness in the woods with a chain saw.

He and other volunteers go through a training process to identify the invasive plants they need to remove.

Advertisement

The buckthorn, for example, has twigs with ends that look tiny deer hooves.

The volunteers then burn the invasive shrubs in a big pile which also helped volunteers to stay warm on a Saturday when temperatures were in the single digits to low teens and wind chills made it feel even colder.

Volunteers didn't seem to mind the cold as about a dozen of them showed up and some said they saw the opportunity as a way to stave off cabin fever.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"It's nice being out in nature," Mueller said. "I enjoy helping to restore it."

Volunteer Phoebe Thatcher, who was born and raised in Chicago, said she learned a lot about the area's forest preserves since she began volunteering last summer and that the city's natural areas are "criminally underrepresented."

Telfer said volunteers work a few hours once a month at Beaubien and also once a month at Eggers Grove on the South Side. He said he'd like to have more South Side residents involved in the restoration projects.

Advertisement

Many folks in the surrounding community have a negative perception about the forest preserves about them being a place where crime happens or where homeless people live, he said.

Telfer said he hopes that perception changes with more community involvement and use of trails now that volunteers are opening up the woods from walls of invasive brush.

He said anyone who wants to become involved can email him at rtelfer@fieldmuseum.org or call him at 708-334-8831.

Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Orland Park officials appear to be taking a lead position among local governments in moving toward the use of alternative fuels.

Perhaps as early as this week, the Village Board will be considering steps toward converting most of its fleet of police squad cars so they can run on liquid propane, which is significantly less expensive than gasoline and far more environment-friendly.

Advertisement

The Public Works Department last week recommended that Orland Park begin negotiations on a proposed agreement with a Schaumburg company under which 42 of the village's police cars would be converted for propane use. Alternative Fuel Supply LLC of Schaumburg also would construct a propane fueling station at the Public Works Department for use by the converted cars.

AFS has proposed a three- or four-year agreement under which the company would supply propane to the village at a cost 50 cents per gallon below the market price of gasoline, capped at $2.50 per gallon. That would protect the village against possible major increases in the cost of gasoline, a valuable safeguard in light of price increases engineered recently by OPEC nations.

Advertisement

As part of the proposal, Orland Park would be liable for only $22,000 of the cost of infrastructure and vehicle conversion. That would represent a savings of more than $200,000, compared to a proposal from another company that wanted the village to pay all infrastructure and conversion costs upfront.

Propane burns cleaner than gasoline, which results in lower airborne emissions, longer engine life and lower repair bills, according to the Public Works Department recommendation.

The conversion is consistent with the village's existing policy of using alternative fuels where possible. For years the village has used less expensive bio-diesel fuel in some of its vehicles. Another Orland Park government agency, Orland School District 135, also has moved toward liquid propane fuel by contracting with an Oak Brook-based company that uses propane-fueled buses to transport students to and from school.

In our view, Orland Park is setting a positive example for other government agencies in the region. Gasoline emissions play a role in climate change, scientists tell us. In addition, the U.S. has easier domestic access to natural gas, so moving toward propane use for governmental vehicles would be a positive step toward greater energy independence.

One concern we've heard about conversion to propane is that there are few fueling stations available. But the village police car fleet is rarely required to travel far from Orland Park, and the AFS proposal provides for a village fueling station. If other communities move in the same direction, the need for propane fueling sites would increase, and providers would follow the demand into the region.

It's likely that the new administration in Washington will place far less emphasis than its predecessor on the need to move away from gasoline as an energy source, based on the president-elect's appointments and political ties. But the need for change will remain, even if the administration isn't talking about it. Local communities such as Orland Park can and should set policies that have everyone's long-term best interests at heart. We hope other towns watch this experiment with an eye toward following Orland Park's lead.
Newly seated 22 District State Senator Cristina Castro will be the guest at the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerces Legislative Brew on Jan. 18. (Cristina Castro / handout)

Elgin seeks nominations for Sustainability Honor Roll

The Elgin Sustainability Commission is seeking nominations for the Sustainability Honor Roll.

Advertisement

Nominations can be submitted at cityofelgin.org/greenaward by Feb. 13 to be considered for the next honor roll to be presented by Mayor Dave Kaptain at the April 11 Sustainability Commission meeting. The meeting will be held at 6:15 p.m. at City Hall, 150 Dexter Court, Elgin. All city board and commission meetings are open to the public.

The Elgin Sustainability Commission nominates and recognized individuals, businesses, organization and educational programs through the Sustainability Honor Roll for their efforts in helping Elgin become a sustainable community.

Advertisement

Elgin gives out the award biannually. Nominations are welcomed by the public and may be submitted at any time of the year at cityofelgin.org/greenaward. Nominees not awarded in one round remain in the running for future rounds of the award.

The first recipient was Elgin High School teacher Deb Perryman. The second was community member Carl Missele, the third was local business Multifilm Packaging and the fourth was the nonprofit Friends of the Fox River.

For information, contact the Sustainability Commission Liaison Molly Center at 847-931-5613 or center_m@cityofelgin.org.

Cardiac screenings at Larkin High School

Larkin High School, 1475 Larkin Ave. in Elgin, is hosting an electrocardiogram cardiac screening event on Feb 2.

The Kunce Family Foundation and Advocate Sherman Hospital are co-sponsoring the event that will allow all Larkin students to be given an EKG for free. Sudden cardiac deaths occur every day in the U.S. and having a quick EKG can prevent this from happening, according to a new release from the school.

Larkin High School is in need of adult volunteers for the event.

For information or to sign up, go to https://signup.com/client/invitation/6775657374/1516937/false#!1516937/false/false

Advertisement

Legislative Brew with Sen. Cristina Castro

New 22nd District State Senator Cristina Castro will be at the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce's Legislative Brew from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18 at the Chamber's office, 31 S. Grove Ave.

The Elgin Area Chamber connects members with information, opportunities and people from across the political spectrum with Legislative Brew.

Castro will be on hand to answer questions and mix and mingle with other Chamber members. Seating is limited so reservations recommended.

Castro was sworn into office Jan. 11. A second generation Mexican-American and two-term Kane County Commissioner, Castro is a lifelong district resident and active member of the community, according to a news release.

She is on the board of directors for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Black History Family Festival and Centro de Informacion. Castro was also the first in her family to complete college and currently holds three college degrees: an Associate in Science from Elgin Community College as well as a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University, the release said.

Advertisement

Elgin police chief hosts community meeting

Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda is hosting his monthly community meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23 at the police department's North Community Room, 151 Douglas Ave., Elgin.

Swoboda will be on hand to talk about policing and community issues. The event is free.

Hanover Township tutoring program

Certified primary and secondary education teachers, who specialize in assisting students with homework comprehension and completion, will work with small groups of students based on age, subject matter, and learning needs identified by referring teachers in Hanover Township's tutoring program.

Students, who attend regularly and bring their school materials/assignments to each session, improve in academic performance and become more self-confident, according to a news release.

Advertisement

For a tutoring application, go to www.hanover-township.org and go to Youth and Family Services under the Department tab. The tutoring program starts on Feb. 14 and is offered on Tuesday or Thursday evenings at the Streamwood High School Sabre Center, 701 W. Schaumburg Road in Streamwood.

The program fee is $45 per child per semester; a payment plan is available. Student must live in Hanover Township and must currently be in Grades 2 through 12. Out-of-Township residents can call 630-483-5799 for information.

Parents/guardians for 2nd through 8th grade students must remain in the building during their child's Tutoring Session. Space is limited, advanced registration is recommended.

Valentine's dinner at Northwestern Medicine Field

The Kane County Cougars organization will host Valentine's Dinner packages for Saturday, Feb. 11 and Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Candle light dining will begin at 6:30 p.m. on both nights at Northwestern Medicine Field. Couples can choose a private suite option at $95 per couple or enjoy dinner in the Super Suite banquet room for $75 per couple which will be set up restaurant style holding multiple tables.

Advertisement

Couples can choose from three dinner menu options, prepared and served by the Cougars catering staff, including either soup or salad, the entree, side dishes and dessert. Water and soda is provided while select varieties of beer and wine will be available for an additional cost. Couples will also receive a pair of ticket vouchers for a 2017 Cougars game with their reservation.

There is a choice between three menus. Menu 1: grilled flat iron steak with maple balsamic reduction, soup (Italian Wedding or Lobster Crab Bisque) or salad (Strawberry or Mixed Greens), roasted cherry tomatoes, twice baked potato and New York-style cheesecake. Menu 2: pan roasted airline chicken breast, soup (Italian Wedding or Lobster Crab Bisque) or salad (Strawberry or Mixed Greens), baby spinach and purple potato hash, honey glazed baby carrots and New York-style cheesecake. Menu 3: Florentine supreme ravioli with vodka sauce, soup (Italian Wedding or Lobster Crab Bisque) or salad (Strawberry or Mixed Greens), roasted vegetable ragout and New York-style cheesecake,

For reservation, call 630-232-8811. Those looking to double-date are also encouraged to make reservations as suites and tables can accommodate multiple couples.

For updates on tickets and promotions for the 2017 season, go to the Cougars Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Kane County Genealogical Society presents 'Your Next Step'

The monthly meeting of the Kane County Genealogical Society will be 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26 in the first floor meeting room of the Geneva History Museum, 113 S. 3rd. St., Geneva.

Advertisement

The topic for this meeting will be "Your Next Step: Organize & Share Your Family History". The speaker for the evening is Steve Zsabados.

This presentation discusses a process and format that makes research efforts more efficient and makes the results easier to share, according to a news release. It will discuss how to organize the information extracted from documents and family oral history. The presentation will begin with a simple method of organizing research into readable documents.

Zsabados is a genealogy lecturer and researcher who has written eleven books on genealogy, the release said. He is also a genealogy columnist for the Polish American Journal. He graduated from the University of Illinois and later received his master's degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He is a member of the Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogists, Illinois State Genealogical Society and the Polish Genealogical Society of America.

For information, call 630-879-0672 or go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilkcgs.
A 48-year-old downstate man received a 34-year prison sentence for a 2012 drug deal that turned violent and injured police officers, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's office.

Leamon R. Cavitt Jr., of the 1600 block of North 36th Street, East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced Friday to 34 years' in the Illinois Department of Corrections by Circuit Judge John A. Barsanti, authorities said.

Advertisement

A Kane County jury convicted Cavitt in March of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a class X felony, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a class 1 felony, aggravated battery to a peace officer, a class 2 felony, three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, each a class 3 felony, and aggravated fleeing and eluding, a class 4 felony, the release stated.

Prosecutors said Cavitt arrived at a restaurant parking lot in the 1600 block of Ravine Lane in Carpentersville the afternoon of Jan. 17, 2012 to purchase one kilogram of cocaine in a prearrange drug deal.

Advertisement

Cavitt gave a co-defendant $30,000 then waited in his car while the co-defendant gave the cash to the sellers, two undercover police officers, authorities said. When he realized it was an undercover sting, Cavitt put his car in reverse and rammed into a police car at a high speed, injuring two officers, the release stated.

According to reports, Cavitt then went forward at a high rate of speed and forced another officer to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

He led police on a high speed chase through several towns until he surrendered in Itasca, according to the release. During the chase, officers fired their weapon at Cavitt because they feared for their safety and struck him, the release stated. He was injured in the shooting, it stated.

Cavitt received 30 years for the drug deal, three years for aggravated battery to the officers and a year for the car chase, prosecutors said.

According to Illinois law, Cavitt must serve at least 75 percent of the 30-year term, and he is eligible for day-for-day credit on the remainder of the sentence. Cavitt receives credit for 1,824 days served in the Kane County jail.

"Drug dealing puts communities at risk, and in this case it wasn't just the drugs creating the risks. Mr. Cavitt endangered police officers and many other people when he fled the scene and led police on a dangerous high-speed chase," Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon said in the release. "Thanks to the Carpentersville, Streamwood, Addison and Schaumburg police departments, as well as the Illinois State Police, for their work and assistance in this case."

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Edwin Yohnka, director of communities and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, was one of the speakers Friday at Elgin Community College's Civil Rights Forum. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)

Immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows them to live and work in the United States, are "sitting ducks" whose fates lay in the hands of a man who made negative comments about Mexican immigrants, said a senior policy counsel for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Fred Tsao, a guest speaker at a civil rights forum held at Elgin Community College on Friday, said the election of Donald Trump has left many unauthorized immigrants and their families worried about their futures, especially those who brought children to the U.S. and thought they were protected by President Barack Obama's deferred-action executive order.

Advertisement

Obama's order was never approved by Congress, so Trump could reverse it after he takes office Friday, Tsao said.

"What is going to happen when 750,000 young people wake up on Jan. 21 without their protection and without valid work permits?" Tsao said. "They provided their information to the federal government in good faith in order to get this protection. The Department of Homeland Security knows their names, addresses, where they are going to school, where they are working.

Advertisement

"They are sitting ducks."

Tsao's organization, whose 100 members include Centro de Informacion in Elgin, is working to inform unauthorized immigrants of their rights. The group has begun handing out palm cards explaining those rights and is providing training to local agencies to share the information. In Elgin, unauthorized immigrants make up about 9 percent of the population, he said.

Nationally, immigration from Mexico is net zero, Tsao said. "We are not being overrun on the southwest border. There are as many people leaving America as coming in," he said.

Forum speakers also included FBI Special Agent Jeffery Moore and Edwin Yohnka, director of communities and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. Moore said the largest increase in hate crimes has been against those who are transgender, he said.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights are one of the issues that will be challenged over the next four years under a Trump presidency, along with civil rights, voting rights, religious freedom and reproductive health, Yohnka said.

Trump's "policies, his persona, his appointments are a threat to our fundamental freedoms across a whole range of issues we never thought would be challenged again in the 21st century," Yohnka said.

One example, he said, is the scathing U.S. Department of Justice report from its investigation into Chicago police misconduct. The report found police routinely violated suspects' civil rights and called for the establishment of an independent group to oversee the police department.

"This administration will seek to take us backward," Yohnka said. "I guarantee on every single (issue), the ACLU will be there fighting."

Advertisement

The ACLU has seen an increase of 10,000 members since the November election, he said.

The forum was sponsored by Muslims for the Common Good, Gail Borden Public Library, the Elgin Human Relations Commission, the Council of Elgin Religious Leaders, the Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee (MAGIC) and Student Life of Elgin Community College.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Joe Wars, left, was honored with the Dr. King Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual whose life purpose has revolved around service and community. Danise Habun, right, is chairwoman of the annual breakfast event, now in its 32nd year. (Janelle Walker / The Courier-News)

Elgin's diversity and the people who help make it that way were celebrated Saturday at the city's 32nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast, organizers said.

Attended by an estimated 250 people, the event at Elgin Community College was both a chance to honor Elgin notables for their work and to emphasize community unity by having religious leaders from the Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths say a prayer.

Advertisement

Keynote speaker Junaid Afeef, of Elgin, spoke of King's message, especially in a current world where violence spurred by hateful ideologies have seen an unprecedented resurgence.

"Elgin is a great community and Elgin is strong" because of its vast diversity, said Kai Rush, who emceed the morning event. "This is a great place to live with great people."

Advertisement

The recipient of this year's Dr. King Humanitarian Award was Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein of Congregational Kneseth Israel. Other nominees included Danielle Henson of the Gail Borden Public Library District and Tony Sanders, CEO of Elgin School District U46.

Kane County Judge John Dalton nominated Frisch Klein, whom he said in his nominating letter is "affectionately known, among other things, as the 'energizer rabbi!'"

"The word 'rabbi' means teacher, and Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein teaches love, tolerance and understanding, whilst fighting tirelessly for equality, nonviolence and social justice," Dalton said. "She truly epitomizes the teachings and work of Rev. King and has been on the vanguard of social justice during her time here in Elgin."

Danise Habun, chairwoman of the breakfast, recognized the work Klein has been involved in since she came to Elgin in 2012.

"Rabbi Klein is an active member of the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders and has participated with the Elgin Police Department and the Elgin Human Relations Commission in bringing Courageous Community Conversations on Race to our area," Habun said.

Some of her efforts have been less visible but equally important, she said.

"Last summer, Rabbi Klein successfully led the effort to stop a vendor at the Kane County Fairgrounds from displaying Nazi and Confederate flags," Habun said. "She vocally opposed a U46 school board member's racially insensitive remarks during African American History Month. She's been at the forefront of those actively supporting the majority of the U46 school board in its actions regarding a transgender middle school student. Margaret was one of the leaders of Elgin's Candlelight Vigil following the massacre at the Orlando Pulse Night Club. Over 400 people attended the vigil while thousands viewed the live stream of this moving tribute to those killed in the massacre."

The Elgin Human Relations Commission, which conducts several events over the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday weekend, awarded its Dr. King Legacy Award to Joe Wars. The award, presented posthumously in 2015 to longtime City Councilman Bob Gilliam, "recognizes an individual whose life purpose has revolved around service and community."

Advertisement

Wars served two terms on the Elgin Human Relations Commission, including one as chairman. He served on the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin board, both as president and later as executive director. He has taught computer classes at the Hanover Township Senior Center as a volunteer and helped launch and sustain Elgin's annual iFest.

For the past six years, Wars has coordinated the Dr. King Food Drive. Set for Monday, the food drive has collected more than 25 tons of food for area food panties, Habun said.

Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
A proposal approved by state lawmakers and awaiting the governor's signature would require practically all elementary schools and day-care centers to undergo testing for lead contamination in their potable water sources, such as drinking fountains, kitchen and science lab sinks. (Ted S. Warren / AP)

Local educators are having mixed reactions to legislation requiring schools to test drinking water for lead contamination, with some decrying the potential cost as an unfunded mandate and others challenging the value of the testing when kids get far more water from their homes.

"If it's a requirement by the state, obviously we will comply," said Central District 301 Superintendent Todd Stirn. "On the other hand, the state is still behind in payments (to the schools).  It's an unfunded mandate by the state."

Advertisement

The bill, awaiting Gov. Bruce Rauner's signature before becoming law, would require practically all elementary schools and day care centers to undergo testing for lead contamination in their potable water sources, such as drinking fountains, kitchen sinks and science lab sinks. Despite lead scares in Michigan and elsewhere coming to light, in-school testing is spotty at best both locally and beyond.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead exposure of any kind is unsafe. Higher levels of lead exposure hurt children more as the chances of damage to the nervous system, growth and development; learning and behavior problems; and deficiencies in speech and hearing increase.

Advertisement

Senate Bill 550 passed both chambers of the General Assembly on Tuesday. According to the National Council of State Legislatures, New York, California and Rhode Island have passed similar laws. Other states and districts that debated such legislation included Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., among others.

The Illinois bill would require all school districts to undergo testing within the next two years for any schools with preschool to fifth grade and at least 10 students. Schools built before the end of 1986 would have to undergo testing by the end of this year. Schools built between 1987 and 2000 would have until the end of 2018 to undergo testing. Lead plumbing was banned on a nationwide scale in 1986.

In Naperville, officials for School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 said they tested for lead contamination in the past nine months. However, they would not comment on the specifics of this legislation.

West Aurora School District 129 spokesman Tony Martinez said the bill's requirement that districts cover the cost of the lead testing is "just another unfunded mandate by the state." Each test runs about $700 for the district, he said.

Ten of 12 buildings in West Aurora housing the district's youngest students were built well before 1986. The two others were built after 2000, according to the district.

Martinez said West Aurora already periodically tests for lead in drinking water and tested five buildings before the start of the current school year. The district did not find elevated lead levels during those tests.

Other school districts also have tested for lead in the past year. In School District 303 in St. Charles, Superintendent Don Schlomann said the district spent last summer testing more than 600 locations in all their facilities. According to the findings, 129 sources exceeded standards  of which 23 were drinking fountains.

"We had some that were mostly good, we had a few that weren't so good," he said. "We went ahead and replaced them with new water fountains."

Advertisement

According to the district, the original round of testing cost St. Charles $30,000. Schlomann said testing wasn't something the St. Charles community asked for, but the district wanted to ensure the quality of the water made available to students and staff.

"I'm proud of our staff here at 303 looking to keep our students safe," Schlomann said. "That's our first and foremost goal."

Elgin-based School District U46 has not tested its water supply, rather relying on tests and reports conducted by the municipalities within its boundaries, said spokeswoman Mary Fergus. Many districts across the state do not test in-school and rely on municipalities and their results.

The proposed legislation would require District U46 to test 30 elementary schools and two other facilities built before 1987 by the end of the year.

The district, though, has taken efforts to improve water quality in its drinking fountains. More than two years ago, U46 replaced some of its water fountains with modern versions that filter out contaminants like lead.

"Those filtration stations not only ensure that any impurities are out of the water, they reduce the number of water bottles being sent to landfills," Fergus said.

Advertisement

As of January, all but about 10 schools in District U46 have at least one water filtration station. Fergus said the goal for this spring is that every school have between two and five of these stations.

U46 officials would rather put their resources into improvement projects such as the filtered drinking fountains than into testing, Fergus said. But the Elgin district would "certainly adhere to any new legal requirements," she said.

East Aurora School District 131 does not test for lead in drinking water, district spokesman Tom Jackson said.

"It's never been raised as a concern or a state mandate," he said.

He said the district supports laws designed to ensure the safety of students and is prepared to address the requirements of the law.

Of 14 kindergarten and elementary buildings owned by the district, 12 were built decades before 1986, and a 13th was built in 1990. One of those buildings  the Benavides Kindergarten Center  was built after 2000, according to district information.

Advertisement

Federal and state requirements already require schools with private water supplies  such as wells  to test their water supply. In Central School District 301 in Burlington, five of its seven schools use well water, Stirn said.

Under Senate Bill 550, only one of District 301 schools  Country Trails Elementary School in Elgin  would be affected.

Stirn also wonders about drinking water in homes, as much attention has focused on what schools are doing. He lives in a historic district, and his water comes through older pipes. "What about municipalities with old homes?" Stirn said. "I think it's a question worth asking."

The bill does address some of Stirn's concerns, as it requires officials in most municipalities to inventory any lead service lines connecting homes to street mains.

If signed, the law would require school districts to immediately notify the parents and guardians of students about contaminated water sources if testing results are above 5 parts per billion; the Environmental Protection Agency says its action level is anything over 15 parts per billion, although anything over 5 parts per billion is a cause for concern, especially for children.

Beacon-News reporter Sarah Freishtat and Naperville Sun reporter Suzanne Baker contributed.

Advertisement

raguerrero@tribpub.com
A fire in North Chicago left a home severely damaged Thursday morning and forced rescuers to extricate a victim through a bedroom window and into an ambulance.

Firefighters responded just before 9 a.m. to the fire, which was burning at a single-story, ranch-style home on the 1400 block of 20th Street, according to North Chicago Fire Department Chief Dell Urban. Crews noticed heavy, dark smoke coming from the home as they arrived, Urban said.

Advertisement

A resident's initial report suggested that a victim, a non-ambulatory male, remained in the house, at the back of the residence, Urban said. She added that when rescuers entered, there was "zero visibility, heavy smoke and heat conditions."

Firefighters found the victim "clinging to a window that was partially open" in a bedroom, according to Urban, who added that the only option was to extricate him through the window, as conditions were rapidly deteriorating. Urban said the victim was lifted through the window, handed off to an ambulance crew and transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Advertisement

Fire officials eventually extinguished the blaze, but Urban said the smoke left severe damage throughout the entire home. Responders from five other local agencies assisted the North Chicago rescuers.

Urban said the cause of the fire was a space heater in the basement of the home. The rescue was completed within five or 10 minutes, she said, "and the fire was under control within 40 minutes.'

"There was significant loss in the lower level" of the home, Urban said.

She added that all personnel who responded to the incident "performed at an exemplary level."

lhammill@tribpub.com

Twitter @lucashammill
We agree with the mayors of Lisle, Naperville, Warrenville and Woodridge that a referendum question on combining these four distinct communities to create a much larger Naperville should not be entertained  and not just because it's a silly idea.

The plan would be expensive, time-consuming and more complicated than anyone understands. Merging the administrative functions of all those departments might take years. The move also would mean the residents of the assimilated towns suddenly would have representatives whom they don't know and didn't choose.

Advertisement

It would burden Naperville's City Council with an additional 70,000 people whose interests they don't fully understand and who may have chosen their original town precisely because they did not want to live in Naperville.

We can't see any advantage for the residents of a much larger Naperville. All four towns provide comparable services and have a history of cooperating in emergencies. We doubt there would be savings in city personnel. Larger cities require more people to run them, not fewer.

Advertisement

The unique qualities, traditions and personalities of the merged communities would be lost.

To paraphrase an admonition by President Abraham Lincoln, calling a Warrenville a Naperville does not make it a Naperville. Each town has a unique history and special flavors that are not going to change simply because a new sign is placed at its border. A merger also would create more of the dissatisfaction that happens when people find themselves removed from the center of their city and its activities.

We agree with Naperville's mayor that it's wrong that such an action does not require the consent of the voters of the city into which the others are being assimilated. We, too, have a hard time believing that this is the way state lawmakers intended this kind of law to work when they wrote it.

It is doubtful that the referendum will actually appear on anyone's ballot because it appears unlikely that the petitions that have been circulated carry the required number of valid signatures.

Whether voters in Lisle, Woodridge and Warrenville would ever approve the merger is an unknown. We hope, however, that the mayors' objections are upheld.

We don't know who is behind the effort, whether it is serious or if it's merely a form of protest. And we don't know the motivation behind it. We know from experience that unpredictable things can occur when choices intended merely to be protests or statements of dissatisfaction appear on a ballot. This issue is much too important, and the effect on people's lives much too great, for it to be treated in such a cavalier manner.

It is far too consequential an action to be initiated by an anonymous individual or group. We believe the people or group of people who are advocating for the merger should come forward and discuss the motives behind this unfortunate business.
A rally celebrating the "Whiting 41" after their court appearance Jan. 13, 2017, focused on finding renewable energy sources, with protesters chanting phrases like "You can't drink oil!" (Becky Jacobs / Post-Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

As the courthouse doors opened Friday, Hillary Colby said she was delighted to be greeted by a cheering crowd.

Colby is one of the "Whiting 41," a group of people who were arrested protesting at the BP Whiting Refinery in May after a Break Free Midwest rally calling for a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Advertisement

"It's gratifying to know that there are people out there that are supporting us and that believe in the same thing we do and really want to bring change," Colby, of Aurora, Ill., said with a big sigh. "It was a relief to see everybody there."

The group had their final court hearing in Hammond on Friday morning, where a judge accepted an agreement that attorneys made, saying that if they each paid a $110 fine and didn't commit any new offenses for the next six months, their cases would be dismissed.

Advertisement

A majority of the 41, represented by attorney and former Lake County Sheriff Roy Dominguez, attended the hearing, coming from around the Midwest, including Northwest Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. Five at a time, they appeared before Judge Jesse Villalpando to accept the agreement, which Villalpando called "outstanding" and "wonderful," as he commended the defendants for their "good spirit" and jovial atmosphere in the courtroom Friday.

"The vibe in the courtroom could not better," Villalpando said.

When the hearing adjourned, the defendants put on their coats over their matching T-shirts to join the rally outside, as Dominguez told his clients, "I'm honored to be No. 42."

While the rally of people with signs and props and singing and hitting homemade drums celebrated the "Whiting 41," it again focused on a push for renewable energy.

"Transitioning away from fossil fuels is challenging, but it can be done," John Halstead, one of the 41 and a Merrillville attorney, said to the crowd.

Joe Hiestand, of Hobart, led some of the chants, shouting, "You can't drink oil."

"I'm so glad to see small-town America doing this," Hiestand said. "We can't leave it to the cities as progressives. We have to do this kind of thing in small-town America."

The rally recognized the lead crises in Flint, Mich., and East Chicago, as well as the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota, and their continued efforts.

Advertisement

"What we do today has an impact. What we do tomorrow has an impact," said Sheilah Garland, of National Nurses United.

Escorted by police, the group marched west on Russell Street from Lake County Superior Court, taking a left on Hohman Avenue before ending in front of the U.S. federal court building to deliver a message to Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.

The group asked Donnelly to oppose some of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet appointments, including Rex Tillerson of Exxon Mobil for secretary of state and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as secretary of energy. They held large cutouts of Trump and some of these appointments at the rally, labeling them "climate-change deniers."

"You must do everything in your power to protect our planet," a letter read aloud from 350 Indiana-Calumet told Donnelly.

The letter also said that as governor of Indiana, Vice President-elect Mike Pence "has shown a disregard for human life and a lack of understanding of the urgent need to respond to climate change as if all our lives depend upon it."

In front of the federal building, with people inside peeking out the windows at the scene, the group performed a "spill drill." People held blue pieces of fabric to represent water, as people holding a pipeline circled the group. The group put on black garbage bags to represent the oil spilling into the water, representing situations like the March 2014 processing error that dumped gallons of oil into Lake Michigan.

Advertisement

As songs and cheers died down, Hiestand, Colby and others cleared the federal plaza shortly before noon Friday, taking all of their signs and materials with them.

"We're loud, but we're peaceful. We love one another. And that's why we're here," Hiestand said.

rejacobs@post-trib.com

Twitter @ruthyjacobs
The Environmental Protection Agency has installed signs in the West Calumet Housing Development in East Chicago warning people to not play in the dirt or mulch due to elevated levels of lead in the ground. (Joe Puchek / Post-Tribune)

Residents of the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site pushed back against federal officials Friday, telling a federal court they deserve a voice in the ongoing cleanup of the Calumet neighborhood.

In the motion filed Friday, East Chicago residents fired back at the U.S. Department of Justice's and Environmental Protection Agency's claims that the case between the federal agencies is closed and the court is not the proper venue to those living around the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site to voice their concerns.

Advertisement

"EPA's view of the residents as an annoyance in this process or the motion to intervene as an interference with EPA's clean-up efforts does not comport with the text or purpose of the intervention provision, and the court should not condone it," the residents' motion read.

Residents who live in the Superfund site in East Chicago are asking a federal court to give them a larger voice in the future clean-up plans for the neighborhood and to compel government entities to keep them more informed.

Advertisement

The Department of Justice's motion in opposition stated the residents are seeking a way to "second-guess" the EPA's remediation plan.

"The work is proceeding," the opposition motion said. "The site will be cleaned up. Applicants will be heard. Intervention is neither allowed by the law nor necessary under the facts."

The residents' motion argued they do not want to undo any progress or alter future plans, according to court documents. Instead, they want be able to make their voices heard when it comes to any changes the EPA already has; to ask for remediation based on the most current information; and to ensure all remaining contaminated properties are identified and remediated, the motion said.

"The case is far from over," the residents said in court documents. "In fact, the cleanup has begun in earnest only in the last few months."

The motion argued the EPA, in a status report filed with the court, announced its cleanup plans are going to "change significantly" from those proposed in 2012 and approved as a part of the 2014 consent decree.

"Put aside for a moment whether EPA has made even a single mistake or misstep in this entire process," the residents' motion said. "This community has been exposed to decades of serious environmental contaminationand its government, after years and years of opportunity, has still has not fixed the problem. EPA essentially asks this court to keep the residents out of EPA's way. But this court should not endorse the exclusion of residents in favor of those who polluted their properties and endangered their health and those who have so far failed to fix the problems."

A motion filed in November with the U.S. District Court for Northern Indiana asked the court to give residents of the Calumet neighborhood a more effective voice in the ongoing discussions between the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice and the two companies held responsible for contamination at the Superfund site.

In their court documents, the residents argue they are entitled to intervene in the court proceedings in order to ensure that a remediation plan protects human health and the environment; the plan covers the entire area affected by contamination; protections are in place to prevent exposure to hazardous material during and after the remediation; and that residents stay informed and can give input on remediation plans.

Advertisement

The Department of Justice said the residents have had numerous opportunities to comment on the remediation plans, according to court documents, and the lawsuit between federal officials and the companies has been resolved for two years.

"The lawsuit has long since arrived at the terminal," the Justice Department's motion read. "Indeed, the passengers have gone home and the train has left for the next day's route."

The U.S. District Court for Northern Indiana, in 2014, approved a consent decree between the EPA, Department of Justice, State of Indiana, the Atlantic Richfield Co. and E.I. du Pont De Nemours regarding the cleanup of the U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery site. The agreement covered only zones one and three of the site.

Based on the agreement, the two companies would pay for the roughly $26 million in clean-up costs, according to the EPA.

Some of the remediation steps outlined in the agreement include excavating and removing close to 2 feet of soil and replacing it with clean dirt, according to the agreement, and reseeding or resodding the soil. The EPA estimated, at the time of the agreement, that 723 residential yards would be cleaned.

The remediation plans agreed to in the consent decree were based on a 2012 decision that laid out what action the EPA would take at the Superfund site.

Advertisement

clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter: @craigalyons
You are here: Home

China's foreign exchange regulator on Friday issued a stern statement on its official microblog, dismissing media reports about tightened regulation over capital outflows.

In the brief statement, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) condemned the false media reports, saying they misled public opinion and disrupted the normal order of the foreign exchange market.

Some reports said earlier this month that China had adopted new measures to tighten regulation over capital outflows and asked lenders to keep such measures secret.

SAFE reiterated in the statement that foreign exchange regulators have long been committed to facilitating trade and investment, while cracking down on any violations.

SAFE also urged commercial lenders to lead market players to properly use foreign exchange funds to maintain the market's stability.

Despite continued drops in China's foreign exchange reserves, the reserves are still abundant for the country to fend off external risks, the central bank said Monday.

Forex reserves fell for the sixth straight month to about 3.01 trillion U.S. dollars last month, down from 3.05 trillion dollars in November and 3.12 trillion dollars in October.

SAFE said last month that China's cross-border capital flow has remained stable with no surges in foreign exchange purchases.
You are here: Home

Chinese snail noodles

Rice noodles with snails, a signature dish sold at street stalls in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are being exported to the United States, a company said.

A combination of Han, Miao and Dong cuisine, "luosifen" is made from pickled bamboo, dried turnip, fresh vegetables and peanuts, and served in a spicy noodle broth flavored with river-snails.

In Liuzhou city, Guangxi, luosifen is usually sold from roadside stands or in night markets.

On Friday, about 50,000 packets of such noodles, worth about 600,000 yuan (about 87,000 U.S. dollars), were shipped to the United States, said Jia Defa, manager of Liuzhou Luozhuangyuan Food Company Ltd.

The popular local cuisine entered international market long ago, but has never been officially exported due to standards compliance problems.

With improved technology and quality control, companies in Liuzhou are now able to produce noodles compliant with international standards.

Luozhuangyuan was cleared by the inspection and quarantine agency to export last year, and the recent shipment was the first to be exported to the United States and Canada with customs clearance.

Listed as an intangible cultural heritage for Guangxi in 2008, the dish was featured in the hit foodie-travel show "A Bite of China" in 2012.

According to Liuzhou government, there are more than 5,000 Luosifen noodle shops on Taobao, with 200,000 packets sold everyday.

In 2016, sales of the noodles generated 1.5 billion yuan.
Heavy smog will return to north and central China on Saturday.[File photo by Gong Jie/China.org.cn]

Smog will hit some parts in north and central China on Saturday, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) warned, urging local authorities to make plans.

The smog, which will return to Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces, is expected to last until a cold front comes to the rescue around Thursday, the ministry said.

Authorities in the affected regions were asked to adopt plans to cut emissions and mitigate pollution. The environment ministry will send inspection teams to check implementation of the plans.

Despite government efforts to fight pollution, outbreaks of smog have become increasingly common in winter in northern China where cold weather conditions and the burning of coal for heating combine to exacerbate the situation.

Severe smog triggered red alerts in more than 20 cities at the beginning of the new year. When authorities issue red alerts, some manufacturers are required to cut production, and heavily polluting vehicles are banned from the roads.

In environment inspections last year, the MEP said a total of 720 people were detained and 6,454 held accountable for environment-related wrongdoing.

In 2016, the government refused 11 high-pollution and high-energy consuming projects, involving total investment of 97 billion yuan (about 14 billion U.S. dollars).

Partly due to those efforts, Chinese cities reported less PM2.5 pollution in 2016, with the average density of PM2.5 in 338 cities falling by 6 percent.

China is aiming for a 10-percent reduction in air emissions from 2012 levels by 2017 in cities at the prefecture level and above. Meanwhile, the PM 2.5 density in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province should drop 25 percent.
Images of an elderly woman sitting on a concrete floor behind bars in the remote village of Jinya, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region went viral online in China, drawing widespread criticism. Posts online alleged the old woman was "locked in a pigsty."

Local government in southwest China has intervened in a scandal in which a 92-year-old woman was rumored to be locked in a pigsty by her son and daughter-in-law.

Images of an elderly woman sitting on a concrete floor behind bars in the remote village of Jinya, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region went viral online in China, drawing widespread criticism. Posts online alleged the old woman was "locked in a pigsty."

The mounting public rage prompted the local government to investigate. Initial results showed that the woman was not living in a pigsty but in a tiny old home -- barely 5 square meters in size. She is sick and has lost bladder and bowel control, investigators said.

Village officials immediately sent the elderly woman to a hospital and summoned her son and daughter-in-law for questioning.

"The daughter-in-law wept and vowed to take her home to care for her," a government official said. "She explained that her husband was chronically ill and the mother had volunteered to move out to save them some trouble."

China is an aging society. The country is home to 220 million people over the age of 60, or 16.1 percent of the population. Many in cities still struggle to find good elder care services, and seniors in impoverished areas of the countryside with poor public services are largely left to their families.

China has laws demanding adults care for their parents.

The Jinya official said the couple has signed a legal caregiving agreement with the 92-year-old, and the government will keep an eye on whether they fulfill their obligations.

If the family applies for social security support, the government will review their qualifications accordingly, he added.

The solution has yet to quell the public anger as most Chinese still adhere to the centuries-old Confucian tradition of filial piety.

"What kind of children are they? Haven't they realized that one day they will grow old as well?" said a netizen named Wang Wanwan on Weibo.

"We should make unfilial practices a crime to severely deter people like them," said another.
This cellphone photo taken on Jan. 14, 2017 shows smokes rising from the crash site of a fighter jet during an air show to mark the National Children's Day at Hat Yai international airport, about 750 km south of Bangkok. A Thai air force's Gripen combat fighter crashlanded on Saturday at an airport in southern Thailand, killing the pilot. (Xinhua)

A Thai air force's Gripen combat fighter crashlanded on Saturday at an airport in southern Thailand, killing the pilot.

The pilot, identified as Sqn. Ldr. Dilokrit Pathavi, was reportedly killed as the Swedish-built JAS 39 Gripen fighter crashlanded at Hat Yai international airport, about 750 km south of Bangkok.

The air force is yet to investigate the incident which occurred during a flight show for local children on the occasion of the National Children's Day.

The airport, primarily open for passenger flights, was temporarily closed for a few hours following the mishap of the Gripen aircraft.

The air force has planned to buy four more JAS 39 Gripen fighters to add to its current squadron of 12, deployed at Air Wing 7 in Surat Thani province in the southern region.
 Flash

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he could lift the sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the United States, a newspaper report said Friday.

Trump said he will keep the sanctions, imposed by the Barack Obama administration on Moscow for its alleged cyberattacks to influence last year's U.S. presidential election, "at least for a period of time," the Wall Street Journal said in a report on its website on an interview with Trump.

But "if you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" he asked.

Trump, who will be sworn in next week, added that he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he takes office.

"I understand that they would like to meet, and that's absolutely fine with me," he said.

Earlier Friday, Trump's spokesman said Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security adviser, took a phone call from Russia's Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak late last month. The two discussed setting up a call between Trump and Putin after Trump is sworn in next Friday.

Trump's openly pro-Russia stance has been scrutinized recently amid U.S. intelligence's conclusion that Russia helped him win the presidential election through hacking activities.

Quoting unsubstantiated intelligence reports, U.S. media also revealed Wednesday that Russia might have owned compromising materials about Trump, who made a visit to Moscow in 2013. Trump has strongly denied those reports.

At his first news conference after winning the race, Trump on Wednesday accepted the conclusion that Russia indeed sought to influence the U.S. presidential election with hacking, but he quickly added that Russia was not the only country that launched cyber attacks against the United States.

In another related development, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee announced Friday it would investigate Russia's possible meddling in the 2016 race.
Zhang Kai

(Stock photo courtesy of Zhang Kai)

China Aid

(Hohhot, Inner MongoliaDec. 30, 2016) After spending two days in police custody, Christian human rights lawyer Zhang Kai was allowed to return to his parents home in Chinas northern Inner Mongolia yesterday.

On the morning of Dec. 27, officials from various public security bureaus from across the country summoned him to his local police station. Zhang Kais sister, Zhang Yan, claimed that he often receives these summons, since he is currently released on bail after his previous detention, but this time, they kept him for 48 hours, concerning the family when he failed to return home.

When his mother posted an urgent call for the online community to pay attention to her sons case, the news spread, and one social media user speculated: They might do something like they did to Yang Hua and frame him with something involving state secrets and use this as a means to arrest him.

Zhang Yan said her brother has been trying to maintain a low profile so as not to cause further trouble for himself and spends most of his time reading and taking care of his fish. None of his actions warrant police summons.

Additionally, she said, [Officials from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau] came to [my] work unit and met with [my] manager, saying they wanted to have a conversation with me. In the end, we didnt talk, because I refused. They said they had given [my] work units leader identification  but I didnt see any identification, and I certainly would not cooperate with them videotaping me. I suggested that If you videotape me, I will not talk to you. They then put away [the video equipment].

Zhang Kai was released sometime before 12:30 p.m. BST.

Zhang Kai was first detained a year and a half ago, when on the night of Aug. 25, 2015, government personnel broke into a church compound in Zhejiang province and apprehended him and his two assistants, who were staying in the building while providing legal assistance to approximately 100 churches affected by a cross demolition campaign.

For six months, Zhang Kai was held under residential surveillance in an undisclosed location, which is the Chinese governments official term for what is otherwise known as a black jail, an off-record, undisclosed facility to hold prisoners with no oversight. He resurfaced on Feb. 25, when officials forced him to confess to his crimes on state-run television. Zhejiang authorities subsequently charged him with endangering state secrets and gathering a crowd to disturb public order and criminally detained. On March 23, he was released on bail.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by Zhang Kai, in order to promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.
Gu Yuese preaching before his arrest.

(Photo: China Aid)

China Aid

Updated at 1:18 p.m. CST on Jan. 11, 2017





(Hangzhou, ZhejiangJan. 10, 2017) In the most high-profile religious persecution case since the Cultural Revolution, the former pastor of Chinas largest state-run megachurch was formally arrested on Saturday by a local public security bureau in Chinas coastal Zhejiang province.

According to informed sources, authorities re-apprehended Gu Joseph Yuese sometime before Christmas. On Jan. 7, his family received a notice announcing that he had been arrested on charges of embezzling funds.

A Christian also said there was a possibility the government could try to sue Gu.

As the former chairman of the Hangzhou Municipal China Christian Council, a local branch of the China Christian Council (CCC), which, along with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), comprises Chinas two government-run Christian organizations, Gu is the highest-profile Christian official to be targeted since the Cultural Revolution. He also was a Member of the Standing Committee of the national China Christian Council before being removed from both of these positions.

On Jan. 18, 2016, he was ousted from his position as senior pastor of Chongyi Church, Chinas largest Three-Self Church. In a document entitled, Notice Regarding the Personnel Change of the Senior Pastor of Hangzhous Chongyi Church, the local TSPM and CCC alleged that replacing Gu would help them better manage official churches, improve their relationship with the provincial government, and better circulate prominent Christians who are in charge of churches.

However, Gu had publicly opposed the forced demolition of church crosses, causing many Christians to suspect a correlation between his advocacy and dismissal.

On Jan. 28, 2016, officials placed Gu under residential surveillance in a designated location, otherwise known as a black jail, and held him incommunicado. Two days later, China Aid learned that he had been charged with embezzling 10 million Yuan [U.S. $1.6 million] in funds. He was released on bail in late March and held under house arrest.

A translation of his arrest notice can be read below.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those experienced by Gu Joseph Yuese, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom.









Gus arrest notice.

(Photo: China Aid) The Public Security Bureau of the City of Hangzhou





Arrest Notice





Hangzhou Public Security Bureau arrest notice No. [2017] 001

To the family members of Joseph Gu:

Under the approval of the Jianggan District Peoples Court of Hangzhou, our bureau arrested Gu Yuese, who is suspected of misappropriation of funds, on Jan. 7, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. He is currently imprisoned at the Hangzhou Municipal Detention Center.

Jan. 7, 2017

Notes: the address of the detention center: No. 36 Yunxi Road (Renhe Section) Renhe County, Yuhang District, Hangzhou

To the family members of the arrested person

ChinaAid Media Team

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here
A man seeks information about China Vanke Co's property projects at a real estate fair in Shenyang, Liaoning province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Shenzhen Metro agrees to pay $5.4 billion to become No 2 shareholder

China Evergrande Group, controlled by billionaire Hui Ka Yan, said it has "no intention" of increasing its stake in rival China Vanke Co, after Shenzhen Metro Group Co struck a deal to become the developer's second-biggest shareholder.

Shenzhen Metro agreed to buy China Resources Co's 15.3 percent stake in Vanke for 37.2 billion yuan ($5.4 billion), Vanke said in a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange after the close of trading on Thursday. Evergrande, which has a 14.1 percent stake in Vanke, said in a later statement it had no intention of buying more shares.

Vanke's mainland-listed A shares jumped as much as 9.8 percent to a one-month high. The Hong Kong shares rose 5.9 percent to HK$19.70 ($2.54) at 10:05 am local time, the biggest increase since July 28.

The moves are the latest twists in a tug-of-war for control of Vanke, triggered more than a year ago when little-known Baoneng Group emerged as its largest shareholder. Vanke last month terminated a 45.6 billion yuan restructuring plan that would have introduced Shenzhen Metro as its largest shareholder, to displace Baoneng, whose advances Vanke labeled as "hostile."

The ownership tussle now has "a large probability" to be resolved, given the Shenzhen government's stronger influence on the major holders, Tu Lilei, a Shanghai-based property analyst at Haitong Securities Co, wrote in a Jan 12 note after the announcement. Baoneng and Shenzhen Metro are both based in Shenzhen.

The move is "a positive" for Vanke in reinforcing its State-owned enterprise structure, JPMorgan Chase & Co Hong Kong-based property analyst Ryan Li wrote in a Jan 12 note before the latest announcement, placing Vanke's H shares on an overweight rating with a target price of HK$27.5.

China Resources had at that time firmly opposed the deal on concerns it would have diluted its stake in the developer. The firm had been Vanke's largest holder since 2000 until it was replaced by little-known Baoneng in late 2015.

In a statement posted on its WeChat account late Thursday, China Resources said the sale of its Vanke stake was based on its strategic needs and industrial positioning, and that the deal would be beneficial to Vanke's healthy and stable growth. Separately, Vanke said Shenzhen Metro would support Vanke's management with its existing strategies and targets.

Bloomberg
Donald Trump speaks to reporters with LVMH Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault (right) after their meeting at Trump Tower in New York. [Photo/Agencies]

When LVMH's chief executive officer was seen striding through the Trump Tower lobby on Monday, the fashion industry held its breath.

Bernard Arnault runs the world's largest luxury-goods company - a sprawling empire that includes Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Dior - and here he was meeting with a president-elect who has threatened to roil the industry with trade restrictions. Following Arnault's sit-down with Trump, LVMH said the French company was considering expanding its production in the United States.

The encounter underscores an agonizing moment for apparel makers, most of which had written off the US as a major source of production. A whopping 97 percent of clothes sold in the US is manufactured in other countries, but Trump has threatened to rip up trade agreements and impose tariffs in a bid to bring domestic jobs back.

That's led many clothing giants to freeze their overseas expansion plans - and at least pay lip service to the idea of making more of their wares in the US.

"You're not going to have a big expansion until you know what's going to happen," said Julia Hughes, president of a fashion industry association that represents names such as Ralph Lauren Corp and Under Armour Inc.

LVMH already has a factory in San Dimas, California, where it has made Louis Vuitton products for 25 years. The company is considering expanding that plant, as well as opening another facility in the South or Texas.

But the decision has more to do with meeting local demand, said Sonia Fellmann, a Paris-based spokeswoman.

Bloomberg
A young man dances to African drum beats at the Corona Sunsets Music Festival held in Guangzhou, Guangdong province recently. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, the world's biggest brewer by sales, is optimistic about maintaining double-digit growth in sales of its super premium brands in China this year, given that strong demand for its products continues to increase, a top executive said in an interview.

"We see an obvious trend for consumers who want more from the beer market in China, especially in the south and in the first-tier cities. Consumers are demanding different types of beer and are willing to pay more for a swig of the imported stuff," said John Hsu, vice-president of super premium brands of AB InBev China.

John Hsu, vice-president of super premium brands of AB InBev China. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Although the growth of China's overall beer industry is slowing down, we have seen double-digit annual growth in the import volumes of super premium beer in the past three years," Hsu told China Daily.

Premium and super premium beer is the sector beer makers believe shows the most promise to break through the current bottleneck in beer sales in the Chinese market, to generate rapid growth.

Although total sales volumes of the beer sector in 2015 fell 4.9 percent year-on-year, sales of premium beer and super premium beer increased by 9 percent and 17 percent respectively, according to Fang Gang, a Beijing-based beer marketing specialist.

"The midrange and low-priced beer still commands at least 80 percent of the beer market in China, but supply exceeds demand in that segment," he said.

In response, local breweries like Tsingtao Beer, Yanjing Beer and China Resources' Snow Beer, launched a number of premium products in the past two years to compete against imported brands that now sit at the top of the sales pyramid.

But the premium and super premium market in China is actually still under development, according to Zhu Danpeng, a researcher at the China Brand Research Institute, specializing in food and beverage business.

"To develop the market, cultivating a beer culture is the key," said Hsu from AB InBev China, which sells 20-odd premium and super premium brands in China, including Corona and Stella Artois.

For example, AB InBev brought the Corona Sunsets Music Festival to Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province last weekend. It built a 7,000 square meter artificial beach there, where young people danced to music, while holding Corona beer served with lime in their hands.

"We will introduce more premium beer and the top brand of each type to Chinese consumers," Hsu said.

"By linking a brand to a particular drinking ritual and lifestyle, we hope to build up special connections between consumers and different products."
BEIJING - Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Chinese mainland maintained steady growth last year on the back of strong investment in the service industry.

FDI rose 4.1 percent year on year to reach 813 billion yuan ($118 billion) in 2016, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said in an online statement.

Growth slowed from the 6.4-percent gain in 2015. In December alone, the FDI inflow went up 5.7 percent.

Foreign investment in the service industry rose 8.3 percent year on year to 572 billion yuan and accounted for 70.3 percent of all FDI.

FDI in high-tech services was particularly strong, up 86.1 percent from a year earlier to reach 95.6 billion yuan.

The MOC attributed the steady momentum to government action such as easing restrictions in free trade zones (FTZs) and simplified procedures for investment entry.

Last year, FDI to FTZs in Shanghai, Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian jumped 81.3 percent to 88 billion yuan.

FDI from the United States rose 52.6 percent, while that from the European Union went up 41.3 percent.

FDI from Japan edged up 1.7 percent in 2016, reversing two years of falls.

The number of newly-established foreign companies with investment of over $100 million exceeded 840, with businesses covering many emerging and high tech industries.

To attract more foreign investment, Chinese authorities are considering revising guidance for entry to the market, cutting the number of restrictive measures from 93 to 62.
BUENOS AIRES - Argentina plans to buy a fleet of electric buses from Chinese firm BYD, to supply a pilot project in several cities around the country, local media reported.

Citing a statement put out by the electric-vehicle maker, the daily La Voz said Thursday that "BYD was chosen" from among a handful of companies to provide 50 electric buses.

BYD's statement said it participated in a tender launched by the Environment Ministry of Argentina, and "the bid evaluation committee chose BYD amongst a pool of five bidders for its successful 12-meter electric bus, which is already widely used in cities such as London, Los Angeles (and) Amsterdam".

The company said it "expects to receive the necessary allocation within the next few weeks".

In addition, "to better satisfy market demands, BYD plans to build a new local manufacturing plant in Argentina," the company said, adding the move will bring foreign investment to Argentina and generate jobs.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, BYD employs some 160,000 people worldwide and operates an office in Los Angeles.

During a visit to Argentina by BYD senior managers in May 2016, Argentine President Mauricio Macri and Environment Minister Sergio Bergman "expressed their high expectations for the introduction of BYD technologies and electric vehicle models to their nation's public transportation systems," the company said.

BYD has been active in Argentina since 2011.
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning returns to Qingdao, China after Pacific drill, January 13th, 2017. Comprised of aircraft carrier Liaoning, a number of destroyers, some J-15 carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters, the fleet sailed through the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China sea. [Photo/CRI]

BEIJING -- China's aircraft carrier formation returned to Qingdao port Friday after finishing a drill, the Chinese navy said Friday.

Comprised of aircraft carrier Liaoning, a number of destroyers, some J-15 carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters, the fleet sailed through the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China sea.

The formation passed through the Miyakato, Bashi and Taiwan straits, according to the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

J-15 fighter jets carried out exercises including taking off and landing in different hydrological and meteorological conditions, air-combat tactics, air refueling, and others.

The drill verified the combat capability of the aircraft carrier formation and construction and command of the high sea combat system, the PLAN said.

Chen Yueqi, commander of the formation, said the drill simulated real combat as much as possible, and achieved expected results.

Future drills of Liaoning will be determined by actual situations, the PLAN said.


Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, shakes hands with military veterans and ex-officers at a festive art performance held for them in Beijing, capital of China, Jan 13, 2017. Xi on Friday extended Spring Festival greetings to military veterans. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday extended Spring Festival greetings to military veterans.

As a festive art performance was held for the veterans and ex-officers in Beijing, Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the gathering and expressed his best wishes to all veterans and retired officers.

The veterans expressed their support for building a strong army under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core.

This year's Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Year, falls on Jan 28.


Kids recite classics in Rizhao, Shandong province, in November. CHINA DAILY

Children in scholars' hats bow before a statue of Confucius as parents look to instill his values in their offspring.

With government backing, hundreds of private schools dedicated to Confucian teachings have sprung up across the country in response to growing demand for more traditional education.

At an institution in the central city of Wuhan, about 30 students ages 2 to 6 chant: "Our respect to you, Master Confucius. Thank you for the kindness of your teaching and your compassion."

Five-year-old Zhu Baichang admits he does not understand all the maxims he recites but says: "It's very interesting."

Opened in 2015, the school has around 160 students whose parents fork out 7,000 yuan ($1,000) a term in the hope their children will absorb Confucius' ideas on filial piety and integrity.

"We don't understand everything when he recites the classics," said Baichang's father Zhu Minghui. But the dad added that the principles that have "guided China for 2,000 years" were "seeping into his bones".

The teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC) demand respect for tradition and elders, and were the official ideology of imperial China.

At the schools, students start learning them by heart from a young age. "Between 2 and 6 years of age, the capacity for memorization is excellent. We plant the seeds of filial piety, respect for teachers and compassion," the director of the Wuhan school, who is surnamed Shi, said.

Recreational activities are also traditional. Boys learn Chinese chess. Girls perform tea ceremonies in the classroom next door.

But after children turn 6, when state schooling begins, most parents enroll them in official primary schools.

While Confucian schools are still very much on the fringe of China's education system, their popularity is growing among middle class parents. The China Confucius Foundation had about 300 such institutions at the start of last year, compared with 223,700 ordinary kindergartens, and plans to open another 700.

Another Confucian organization, Tongxueguan, opened its first weekend school in 2006 and now has more than 120 such establishments across the country, with about 40,000 students.

"With economic prosperity, the Chinese feel the need for a return to their roots. They also need spiritual elevation," its founder, Li Guangbin, told AFP.

Reciting texts and attending moral classes might not inspire creativity in children. But Li said it was more important for them to "understand what makes a man, righteousness, social interaction".

Michael Schuman, the Beijing-based author of the book Confucius and the World he Created, said, the Chinese are "looking for something more in their lives".

"They think that Chinese society has become very wealthy, but, at the same, time is missing something spiritual. And they feel a lot of the problems China is facing are the result of a lack of moral guidance."
BEIJING -- Smog will hit some parts in North and Central China on Saturday, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) warned, urging local authorities to make plans.

The smog, which will return to Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces, is expected to last until a cold front comes to the rescue around Thursday, the ministry said.

Authorities in the affected regions were asked to adopt plans to cut emissions and mitigate pollution. The environment ministry will send inspection teams to check implementation of the plans.

Despite government efforts to fight pollution, outbreaks of smog have become increasingly common in winter in northern China where cold weather conditions and the burning of coal for heating combine to exacerbate the situation.

Severe smog triggered red alerts in more than 20 cities at the beginning of the new year. When authorities issue red alerts, some manufacturers are required to cut production, and heavily polluting vehicles are banned from the roads.

In environment inspections last year, the MEP said a total of 720 people were detained and 6,454 held accountable for environment-related wrongdoing.

In 2016, the government refused 11 high-pollution and high-energy consuming projects, involving total investment of 97 billion yuan (about $14 billion).

Partly due to those efforts, Chinese cities reported less PM2.5 pollution in 2016, with the average density of PM2.5 in 338 cities falling by 6 percent.

China is aiming for a 10-percent reduction in air emissions from 2012 levels by 2017 in cities at the prefecture level and above. Meanwhile, the PM 2.5 density in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province should drop 25 percent.
Live images show a bus burst into flames after it caught fire in Yizhang county of Hunan province on June 26, 2016.[Photo/Weibo]

A State Council investigative team has identified 42 people responsible for a tour bus fire that killed dozens, an official with the team said on Friday.

The bus was carrying 57 people when it crashed into the guardrail on a highway in Hunan province and went up in flames on June 26.

An oil leak caused the blaze, which killed 35 people, the official said.

Following the team's findings, 21 people have been placed under criminal investigation, while 21 local officials, including a deputy mayor, have received disciplinary and administrative penalties.

The bus driver, identified as Liu Dahui, stands accused of driving while overly fatigued and being directly responsible for the accident, according to the official, who added Liu had not slept for days and lost control of the vehicle.

It was found that the bus door could not open wide enough after the crash, and emergency hammers to break the windows were not accessible to the trapped passengers, mostly tourists.

Chaos set in as Liu and the tour guide escaped from the bus through the window next to the driver's seat without trying to help the trapped passengers escape, the official said.

Thirteen additional people escaped with injuries.

The investigative team called the accident an "extremely serious work safety accident".

The State Council defines "extremely serious" accidents as those that kill more than 30 people, seriously injure 100, or result in over 100million yuan in direct economic losses.

China has vowed to optimize supervision and laws and regulations to reduce work accidents by 2020.

In 2015, there were 38 extremely serious or serious accidents, with almost 300 casualties, data showed.
Have you ever read Tenth Wave: Fool One Gnat, Me Halt or Pet the Stem? Of course notthose are actually anagrams of Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet and The Tempest. If you are interested in Shakespeare and better-crafted anagrams , get thee to Bookworks on Thursday, Jan. 19 , at 6pm to hear author and filmmaker Jason DeBoer discuss is new work. Annihilation Songs: Three Shakespeare Reintegrations is a anagrammatic rewriting of the above three plays by the Bard. All are welcome to this free exploration of an ultra-vivid hypertext. (Renee Chavez)

Santa Fe writer and award-winning filmmaker Jason DeBoer presents anagrammatic takes on The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Hamlet.

With his book Annihilation Songs: Three Shakespeare Reintegrations, Santa Fe writer and award-winning filmmaker Jason DeBoer presents radical anagrammatic takes on The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Hamlet. Using only the words contained within each original drama, DeBoer's experimental fictions were created by disintegrating and then reintegrating Shakespeare's language into new narratives of warfare and desire.

Stalking Horse Press

4305 Vuelta Colorada - Santa Fe - New Mexico - 87507 Publishing Editor: James Reich

editor@stalkinghorsepress.com www.stalkinghorsepress.com

Annihilation Songs: Three Shakespeare Reintegrations

2017 - PAPERBACK $12:95, HARDCOVER $19.95 ISBN: 978-0-9970629-1-5 DISTRIBUTED BY INGRAM

His hope was that his rage, at its zenith, would threaten the world and its beginning, like flame held to straw.

For your consideration, Jason DeBoers Annihilation Songs: Three Shakespeare Reintegrations from Stalking Horse Press. It is a unique fiction title of interest to readers of Shakespeare, short story collections, experimental literature, and deconstructionist philosophy.

In Annihilation Songs, writer and award-winning film director Jason DeBoer presents radical anagrammatic takes on The Tempest, The Two Gentleman of Verona, and Hamlet. Using only words contained within each original drama, DeBoers experimental fictions were created by disintegrating and then reintegrating Shakespeares texts into new narratives of warfare and desire. The result is an ultra-vivid hypertext, a warped yet faithful concordance of astounding poetic power.

Advance reviews of the book:

An unprecedented supernova of narrative  A resounding triumph of structure and language, form and voice. -- Quintan Ana Wikswo

Annihilation Songs takes the common trope of reimagining a crucial volume and turns it on its head  Michael T. Fournier, ELECTRIC LITERATURE magazine

exquisitely brutal  FLAPPERHOUSE magazine

a fascinating book  LUNA LUNA magazine

Jason DeBoer is the founder of Trembling Sun Films. His feature film Dead River has garnered critical acclaim and awards in Europe and the United States. His writing has been featured by The Iowa Review, Quarterly West, The Barcelona Review, Stand, Exquisite Corpse, and other publications. He is at work on a second feature film.

Stalking Horse Press is a new independent publishing house launched by James Reich, novelist and Chair of Creative Writing and Literature at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, New Mexico. The press is committed to radical voices in fiction, poetry, and non- fiction.

Thank you for supporting independent thought and independent publishing. Warm regards from New Mexico!

James Reich

Stalking Horse Press
Heads of companies and institutes that won't give their employees annual bonuses, or won't give much, may have to mull over their decision again as a report shows that about 40 percent of white-collar workers in China said they may quit if they are not satisfied with their bonus.

The report, published on Thursday by the Chinese human resources website Zhaopin.com, shows the average annual bonus in China was 12,821 yuan ($1,860) last year, 2,000 yuan more than in 2015 but almost 800 yuan less than in 2014.

But Chinese white-collar workers are not satisfied with what they are receiving.

The average satisfaction score for annual bonuses given to white-collar workers in China was 2.18 out of 5, and half of them said they won't get any annual bonus for 2016. But those in State-owned and financial enterprises are happier with their annual bonuses than their peers at private enterprises.

Wang Yixin, a senior vocational counselor at Zhaopin, said white-collar workers gave scores of 3.77 out of 5 for annual bonuses when weighing their salary and welfare level, slightly higher than 2015. "As part of income, the importance of annual bonuses has been on the rise for white-collar workers," she said.

When asked whether they will quit due to dissatisfaction over bonuses, 39 percent said the bonus is a key factor for them when considering whether to quit, while more than 36 percent said they won't quit for that reason. When it comes to Beijing, however, 40.6 percent of the 2,042 white-collar workers surveyed said they would quit if they are not satisfied.

The report, however, suggests workers be cautious about their decision as China's economy may be full of challenges in 2017 as the country may face more pressure from the international trade environment while strengthening its supply-side structural reform.

Zhang Zhenyu, who works in a secondhand car company in Beijing, said he won't quit his job even though he will not get an annual bonus.

"I changed to my current job in late 2016 after I quit an artificial intelligence company. The company's performance was really bad in 2016 and many even quit without waiting to see if there would be an annual bonus," he said.

As an important incentive, an annual bonus indicates a company's performance and will obviously affect white-collar workers' expectations for their employers in the following year.

"Enterprises should also be cautious when deciding the amount of annual bonuses, so it not only motivates their employees but also avoids losing many employees," Wang said.

The report found white-collar workers in China's second-tier cities are more satisfied with their annual bonuses than their counterparts in first-tier cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Beijing is listed at 16th and Shanghai at ninth among 34 cities surveyed.
Yang Jingxing (left) and his colleagues work on repairing a section of railway in Shaanxi province last year. [Photo/CHINA DAILY]

Railway employee doesn't know if he can dine with his wife during holiday

Yang Jingxing and his wife Li Yawen started working for the Xi'an Railway Bureau as railway maintenance workers in 1980 and got married in 1985.

Since 2002, however, Yang has never enjoyed Spring Festival at home, even when his wife was bedridden for almost four years after a car accident in 2011.

Yang became director of the bureau's Huashan workshopmore than 100 kilometers from Xi'anin 2014 and he could get back home only twice a month.

Yang carried his wife to his work site, but instead of it affecting his job, his team of more than 100 workers were praised as the best in the bureau for two years. Meanwhile, he helped his wife walk again.

In Huashan workshop, Yang has to get up around 4 am to get prepared to patrol a 40-kilometer stretch of railway.

"The trains don't run for about two hours and we have to make full use of the time. From 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, we have to do the work again," he said.

It doesn't necessarily mean that they don't work at other times.

"The railway system is managed in a very strict way. We have to analyze the malfunctioning equipment and figure out who should be responsible for the problem," he said, adding his work leaves him only about seven hours for sleep.

When his wife was in hospital, Yang worked even harder. After emergency treatment of 15 days, her right leg remained paralyzed. Every day, Yang carried his wife on his back to the physical therapist, and then with their legs tied together he helped her regain the ability to walk, he recalled.

"She has been trying to cook some simple food. In the afternoon, she cooks some porridge and then I bought some dishes from our canteen for supper. She would like me to eat better," he said.

With the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush that began on Friday, Yang has to work much harder to make sure trains run uninterrupted to transport the large number of passengers heading back home for the holiday.

Pressed by his work, and also because of the low temperature in the dorm, which hurts his wife's leg, Yang sent his wife back home.

"She told me she would like to cook some dishes to celebrate Spring Festival. But I have yet to know if her wish will get fulfilled as I usually have to be on duty that day," Yang said.
Fan Xiaohui's mother mostly manages to reach her daughter over phone but the same can't be said of Fan. There are times when Fan's calls to her mother go answered because her parents work at a supermarket in Beijing and she lives in Taihe county in the outskirts of Fuyang, a large city in Anhui province.

The 15-year-old, who has been living here since the past three years, is among the 4 percent of 9 million "left-behind" children in China who are deprived of adult supervision by a close family member on a daily basis. Theirs is a story of heartbreaking reality.

Some sociologists argue that the percentage of such children is lesser than what estimates show, but these cases even if in the minority, are of grave societal concern.

While she understands her mother's inability to receive phone calls at work, or the fact that her parents and a 10-year-old brother live in a crammed room in the capital's Haidian district, Fan is working hard to cope with the psychological fallout from the family's decision to send her to Fuyang to continue her school education.

The bespectacled girl, whose bright smile seldom betrays her pain, was born in Huzong village in the same county. When she was aged 3, her parents, now both in their late 30s, migrated to Beijing along with her. There she studied for a few years in a school for the children of migrant workers but eventually her parents realized Fan needed better access to resources that her hometown could provide.

She was then enrolled into the Central School of Huzong Township in Fuyang.

In China, migrant workers aren't often able to send their children to schools of their choosing in host cities because of the household registration system or hukou.

A reform of the system has been urged by many and could be expected in the long term.

Fan lives in a furnished apartment that belongs to a relative who only occasionally stays in it.

A typical weekday in her life involves waking up; going to school, which is a few minutes by foot; studying and eating meals at school; playing chess and reading Russian authors at leisure; and "meeting" childhood friends on social media, most of whom are the so-called left-behind children.

On weekends, she visits her ailing grandfather in the nearby village of her birth, where he lives in a dilapidated house. Fan can't live in it, she says, "it's falling apart".

She doesn't need to shop for grocery or cook. She probably washes her own clothes and does daily chores that aren't unusual for any teenager. When China Daily meet with her earlier this week, the interview was brief as she was studying for an upcoming exam. More questions that could have provided a deeper glimpse into her life couldn't be asked owing to a shortage of time.

Used to life in the big city, Fan initially struggled to adapt to her new semi-urban existence. She was also afraid to live alone, she says. But her school seems to have played a significant role in easing her situation. Of a total 775 students here, 543 are children whose parents work in cities outside of Fuyang.

Guan Dongkui, the principal, says his school acts as a second home for such children. "We help them fight loneliness."

Fan's parents and sibling usually visit her during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday. She also travels to Beijing when schools are shut for weeks in summer.

"I don't have real dreams yet because dreaming isn't always practical," she says, with the wisdom of a person who has been forced to grow up ahead of her time.

But Fan isn't totally dismissive of the future either. She would like to travel the world if she makes enough money, she says.

Zhu Lixin contributed to this story.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

License for publishing multimedia online 0108263



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
BEIJING -- Chinese procuratorates at all levels in 2016 approved the arrest of 19,345 suspects involved in telecom or cyber fraud.

The information was released at a national meeting attended by chief prosecutors at all levels on Saturday.

It was told at the meeting, procuratorial agencies will research "campus loans" offered to university students, to prevent possible fraud schemes targeting relevant groups.

The authorities pledged to continue applying "high pressure" on those who commit telecom and cyber fraud this year.

It said a special campaign to address the stealing, leakage and sale of citizens' personal information would also be improved.
BEIJING -- China on Saturday told the United States that one China policy is the political foundation of bilateral ties and "is nonnegotiable."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remarks in response to US President-elect Donald Trump's statement that the one China policy on Taiwan is up for negotiation and that he is not fully committed to it.

"Everything is under negotiation including one China," Trump was quoted as saying in a Friday interview with the Wall Street Journal.

It must be pointed out that there is but one China in the world, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Lu said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China, "which is an internationally recognized fact and no one can change it," said Lu.

"We urge the relevant party in the United States to realize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and abide by commitments made by previous US governments to the one China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques," he said.

Lu urged the US side to properly deal with the Taiwan issue so as to avoid undermining the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties and cooperation in major areas.
Jay Y. Lee, who heads South Korea's massive Samsung Group, was given a $5 box meal for lunch and did not sleep in more than 22 hours of questioning in a corruption scandal involving impeached President Park Geun-hye.

Lee, 48, who has a net worth of $6.2 billion and is the third-generation leader of the country's biggest conglomerate, or chaebol, left the special prosecutors' office in Seoul on Friday morning in what appeared to be the same suit and tie he'd worn when he entered a day earlier.

The tall, bespectacled Lee did not look visibly affected by the session, in which he was questioned by two prosecutors, including one nicknamed the "Chaebol Sniper".
To celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, Shi Jun, a 31-year-old Shanghai native and sculptor, is partnering with California-based fine art gallery Simard Bilodeau Contemporary to present some of his most prominent works in his hometown.

The exhibition is taking place from Jan 6 to March 15 in the lobby and underground basement of the Peninsula Shanghai Hotel, featuring a total of 13 gigantic artworks.

Shi's collaboration with the Simard Bilodeau Contemporary art gallery started in 2015 and has continued ever since. He has created a total of eight sculptures on commission from the gallery, which has its office at the Peninsula Shanghai and is the "matchmaker" of the partnership between Shi and the hotel.

French-Canadians Guy Simard and Eve-Marie Bilodeau are curating the exhibition and own the art gallery.

Among the works on display is the Queen's Throne, commissioned by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 2012 as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II for the 60-year anniversary of her reign, also known as the Diamond Jubilee.

As Shi's first collaboration with the hospitality industry, he created a bespoke wall piece for the Peninsula Shanghai in homage to the Year of the Rooster, the zodiac of 2017.

Using his signature materials of enamel and copper, the proud rooster is a sequel to the monkey Shi created last year in celebration of his father's birthday and the zodiac to which he belongs.

"My major works are usually large 3-D sculptures. Creating flat pieces is as much a challenge for me as something I would like to keep trying," Shi said to China Daily.

Born into a prominent Shanghai family with a background of glass and copper artisans, Shi graduated from the world-renowned Central Saint Martins in London in 2009.

Aside from his breakthrough piece created for the British queen, he has also worked with acclaimed Chinese scholar Ma Weidu to design the well-known cloisonn floor called Reincarnation in the Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China. He won the Guinness World Record for the largest cloisonn ground floor in the world as a result of his efforts.

In a recent speech, Jisoo Chon, resident manager of Peninsula Shanghai said Shi was considered a pioneer for exploring various impressive avenues with his highly experimental approach and with a strong focus on using enamel and copper. It took the artist less than 10 years after graduating from Central Saint Martins to have his works widely recognized and extensively collected locally and abroad, according to Chon.

Chon also said that the collaboration is adorned with another great aspect of significance, because 12 years ago, during the construction of the Peninsula Shanghai, Shi Sengbing, Shi Jun's father, was commissioned to create the doors and windows for the hotel.

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn

Shi Jun presents his artwork at the Peninsula Shanghai Hotel to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival.

(China Daily 01/14/2017 page10)
The 89,600-square-meter Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the biggest squares in the world [Photo by Tan Yingzi/China Daily]

More than 100 countries and international organizations have expressed their willingness to be part of the Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road), and China has signed various forms of cooperation agreements with more than 40 countries along the routes since President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative in 2013.

The Gulf region has been an important trade partner of China since ancient times. Located at a crossroad of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, the Gulf region is rich in oil and natural gas resources, and has convenient road and water networks. China, as the world's second-largest economy, has the highest manufacturing output and goods trade volume. And it contributes more than 33 percent to global economic growth. These factors make the Gulf region and China economically complementary.

Trade between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council reached $175.2 billion in 2014, a 20 fold increase from 2001. The GCC is China's seventh-largest trade partner, with China being the GCC's second-largest trade partner and most important oil buyer.

The decline in oil prices over the past couple of years has forced GCC members to pursue new development models, by restructuring their economies, developing resource-intensive manufacturing industries, developing their tourism and logistics sectors, and increasing input in infrastructure construction.

The GCC is one of the most active organizations in the Gulf region, and officials from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have all showed their willingness to take part in the Belt and Road projects and deepen cooperation with China.

My suggestions on how to deepen the two-way relations are as follows:

First, the two sides should make joint efforts to foster strategic integration, by strengthening exchanges and collaboration, and finding more common interests. The GCC's strategy to adjust its economic structure is conducive to China's global industrial capacity cooperation. This means the two sides have their comparative advantages when it comes to cooperation.

Second, China and the GCC should take forward their free trade agreement negotiation, which has seen twists and turns since it began in 2004. At the ninth round of the negotiation, which may be held soon, the two sides should therefore keep the bigger picture in mind and strive to reach a free trade agreement as early as possible, so that enterprises and consumers on both sides can enjoy the benefits of free trade.

Third, the two sides have to establish normal cooperation mechanisms in key fields, such as energy and resources, finance, and infrastructure, industrial park and smart city construction.

Both parties should also combine bilateral financial cooperation with cooperation in infrastructure construction to tap industrial capacity.

And fourth, think tanks from China and the GCC should strengthen exchanges, provide intellectual support to the negotiation and act as a bridge between the two sides.

The Development Research Center of the State Council, China's Cabinet, took the lead in establishing a Silk Road International Think Tank Network last year with the aim of fostering exchanges and collaborations among relevant countries. Think tanks from more than 30 countries and over 10 international organizations have joined it, and those from the GCC member countries are welcome to do so.

An Arab saying, "Hope without action is like an infertile tree", carries a meaning similar to a Chinese proverb, "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step." Hence, as long as concrete actions are taken in the right direction, such cooperation will benefit both peoples.

The author is director of the Development Research Center of the State Council. The article is an excerpt from a speech he delivered at a think tank summit for economic cooperation between China and the Gulf countries in Beijing on Dec 17.
A boy in East China's Zhejiang province accidentally became an online sensation after his photograph went viral recently. The photo, taken by his kindergarten teacher, shows him sitting at a table, his back to the camera at a slight angle, with a basin containing a big dead carp in front of him. The boy is flanked by five other children carefully observing goldfish in little fish bowls.

Believing it to be amusing, the teacher shared the photo on her weibo, or micro blog, with the caption, "My teacher asked me to bring fish for observation. I am proud that my fish is bigger than the other children's."

The photo, forwarded millions of times within a day, soon flooded other social media platforms. Thousands of people left messages below the post, recalling the most awkward thing they had taken to school as children.

The boy's father later explained to the media that his son had told him that his teacher had asked him to bring a fish to class, without specifying its type or size. Since he had just returned from a fishing trip, he gave his son a carp he had caught but did not feel like eating.

The incident struck a chord with many because they all had had similar experiences in their childhood. One netizen said he once took a bloody pig liver to kindergarten because he didn't realize the teacher was referring to tangerine, which sounds the same as pig liver in Southwest China's Chongqing dialect. Another said her mother struggled to dig out a sapling in the woods in cold winter as she had mistaken sketch paper for sapling because they sound similar.

Such episodes may sound funny, but they deserve some serious thought.

While some criticized the father for being "irresponsible" and making his son a laughing stock, others sympathized with those parents who always struggle to help their children finish all kinds of homework. Although it is the children who are assigned the homework, most of the work is actually done by their parents. For example, a handicraft-making homework usually turns out to be a creativity competition for the parents, not the children.

Besides, neither the Zhejiang boy nor his father was wrong because the teacher had not specified which sort of fish the students should bring to class. While most parents took it for granted that the teacher had asked for goldfish, the boy's father thought outside the box.

As the teacher jokingly said in her post, the child might not be aware something is wrong and might even be proud that his fish is bigger than those of the other children. A child should never be judged from an adult's perspective or forced to accept the so-called mainstream thinking. Instead, teachers should encourage children to think creatively.

Children are not products assembled on production lines. Their individuality and independent character should not only be respected but also encouraged. In the Zhejiang boy's case, mocking and laughing will only hurt the boy's self-respect. Ideally, the teacher should have taken the opportunity to teach the children the difference between edible fish and aquarium fish.

Children in kindergartens and primary schools usually cannot tell right from wrong. Teachers' reaction and feedback are always very important for them to form their own judgment, which will serve them well in later life. A small encouragement from teachers to children who do not follow the herd can help them grow up into different but socially conscious adults.

The writer is an editor with China Daily. lifangchao@chinadaily.com.cn
A man looks on waves in the southern Athens seaside suburb of Flisvos.[Photo/Agencies]

As a seaside metropolis with a lively outdoor vibe and dozens of picturesque islands beckoning nearby, Athens is more often considered a summer tourist destination than a winter escape. But if you've got more than beaches on your mind, there's plenty of upside to a brief cool visit that avoids the crowds and heat of summer.

Athens is one of the world's oldest cities, often called the cradle of Western civilization. Visitors will find monuments to ancient history on nearly every path they take. But with interesting neighborhoods, trendy shops and a variety of cafes and tavernas serving that famous Greek cuisine, Athens' attractions are not all rooted in the past.

The city is easy to get around by bus or metro and most major attractions are within walking distance. Temperatures in January average 10 C. Here's a suggested itinerary for a three-day visit.

The Acropolis

The centerpiece of ancient Greece and modern-day Athens, the Acropolis literally stands above everything else and looms majestically over the city. It is particularly striking to view at night, when brilliantly illuminated. A 10-euro ($10.6) entrance fee to the compound takes you along a course of the central structures of Greek mythology as you climb past the Theatre of Dionysus, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the Herodeon - which still hosts the occasional live performance. A 20-minute walk to the top unveils the most famous structure of all, the Parthenon - a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the city's patron. However, the scaffolding of its prolonged restoration project takes a bit away from its grandeur.

Most of the Acropolis' treasures are housed in the nearby Acropolis Museum (entrance 5 euros), such as colossal stone statues depicting mythological scenes from ancient Greece. One of the museum's most impressive features is actually the architecture that includes glass floors through which you can see the ruins that lay below. A full view of the Acropolis spreads out from the second and third floor galleries.

There are plenty of other ancient sites to visit across the city, but the most comprehensive is likely the nearby Ancient Agora on the Acropolis' northwest slope with its impressive Temple of Hephaistos nestled among ruins overgrown with green foliage from the winter rains. It houses a large assortment of ancient vases, figurines, coins and headless statues.

Lycabettus Hill

There are views of the Acropolis from everywhere, but the best one in town is from Lycabettus Hill. After a pleasant but steep hike up a winding trail, a panoramic view of the sprawling city is revealed. There's a little church at the top, Agii Isidori, and ample angles to photograph Athens. An early morning visit will put the sun behind you as you gaze across the city toward the Acropolis with the shores of the Aegean Sea lapping in the distance. Part of the fun is getting there via a stroll from the center of town through the upscale Kolonaki neighborhood, with its bustling cafes and designer merchandise.
Fan Xiaohui, 15, is among the 4 percent of 9 million "left-behind" children in China who are deprived of adult supervision by a close family member on a daily basis.[Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]

Fan Xiaohui's mother mostly manages to reach her daughter over phone but the same can't be said of Fan. There are times when Fan's calls to her mother go answered because her parents work at a supermarket in Beijing and she lives in Taihe county in the outskirts of Fuyang, a large city in Anhui province.

The 15-year-old, who has been living here since the past three years, is among the 4 percent of 9 million "left-behind" children in China who are deprived of adult supervision by a close family member on a daily basis. Theirs is a story of heartbreaking reality.

Some sociologists argue that the percentage of such children is lesser than what estimates show, but these cases even if in the minority, are of grave societal concern.

While she understands her mother's inability to receive phone calls at work, or the fact that her parents and a 10-year-old brother live in a crammed room in the capital's Haidian district, Fan is working hard to cope with the psychological fallout from the family's decision to send her to Fuyang to continue her school education.

The bespectacled girl, whose bright smile seldom betrays her pain, was born in Huzong village in the same county. When she was aged 3, her parents, now both in their late 30s, migrated to Beijing along with her. There she studied for a few years in a school for the children of migrant workers but eventually her parents realized Fan needed better access to resources that her hometown could provide.

She was then enrolled into the Central School of Huzong Township in Fuyang.

In China, migrant workers aren't often able to send their children to schools of their choosing in host cities because of the household registration system or hukou.

A reform of the system has been urged by many and could be expected in the long term.

Fan lives in a furnished apartment that belongs to a relative who only occasionally stays in it.
Beijing's Shunyi district launches six winter routes featuring parent-child experience, fruit picking, health preservation, shopping and leisure to meet the needs of various visitors.[Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

Beijing's northwestern suburb draws weekend crowd in search of fun, games and learning during snow season

It doesn't seem so cold in Beijing's northwestern suburban district Shunyi as it did in mid December.

Green, yellow, red, white and black ski costumes spread the white snowfield at the district's Lianhuashan ski resort.

"We've been receiving an influx of guests, who mostly come on weekends since the chill set in," says a resort employee surnamed Xu.

The resort has upgraded all of its ski routes to satisfy the needs of skiers of all levels for the upcoming ski season.

Moreover, Lianhuashan has begun to offer night hours this year, and a children ski education zone has been established.

The resort is just one of many highlights visitors could explore in Shunyi this winter.

For those who don't have time to experience the abundant ice and snow in northern provinces like Heilongjiang and Jilin, or simply cringe at the severely cold temperatures there, Shunyi offers a happy medium.

The district kicked off two months of winter tourism activities on Dec 17, including hot springs and a folk culture park.

More than 600 special gifts with local significance are also being offered to winter vacationers.
Jiang Qiong'er (standing) with her family.[Photo provided to China Daily]

For Jiang Qiong'er, the CEO and designer of Shangxia, selling merchandise is a small part of her mission

A fashion model usually is young and has a perfect body, but Jiang Qiong'er, CEO and designer of Chinese brand Shangxia says her favorite model is her 96-year-old grandmother.

Her grandmother has been her model since she launched Shangxia in 2009 in Shanghai. Through the lenses of French photographer Paolo Roversi, the old woman with white hair and wrinkles on her face, looks beautiful and elegant.

"Shangxia is about time and emotion. My grandmother is a great model to showcase this," Jiang said at the Global Fashion Forum organized by Women's Wear Daily (WWD) recently in Beijing.

WWD, the world's leading journal of news and trends in fashion, beauty and retail, hosted the forum to bring together a global community of retail and brand executives and designers to explore the economic, consumer and design forces that are shaping the future of fashion in China.

Jiang, 40, with her brand Shangxia, which was cofounded with French luxury brand Hermes, is an example of how fashion is evolving on the mainland.

Jiang is the third generation of a Chinese artist's family in Shanghai.
NCPA Opera Turandot

Date: Feb 15-19 - 7 pm

Venue: NCPA Opera House, Beijing

Price: 160-880 yuan

Turandot depicts a love story of mystery. Turandot, though she is a most beautiful Chinese Princess, is coldhearted, and she stipulates that any prince seeking to marry her must answer three riddles - and if he fails, he will be sentenced to death. Three poor princes have unfortunately lost their lives. Calaf, the prince of Tartary who is in exile in China, smitten with the princess's beauty, determines to win her as his bride and answers all the questions correctly. However, Princess Turandot refuses to accept defeat. Calaf generously offers Turandot a riddle of his own: if she can learn his name by dawn, he will forfeit his life. Princess Turandot captures the father of the prince and his maid Li and extorts a confession from them by torture. Li kills herself to keep the secret. Li's death gives coldhearted Turandot a great shock. At dawn, Turandot still has no idea of the prince's name. Calaf makes Turandot forced to kiss him and melts her icy heart and finally tells her his real name. Yet Princess Turandot does not announce the prince's real name, on the contrary, she announces to the public that she will marry the prince and his name is Love.
Retired US Marine Corps General James Mattis testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to serve as defense secretary in Washington on Jan 12, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Defense secretary nominee accuses Beijing of 'shredding trust' in region

The United States will have to manage its competition with China, said James Mattis, president-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, at his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mattis also said the world order is under "the biggest attack since World War II", and he blamed Russia and China's activities in the South China Sea and international terrorist organizations for its destabilization.

He also described China as "shredding trust along its periphery".

As it is possible to see more competitive military moves to be taken by the US in the South China Sea to challenge China this year, Beijing should boost combat readiness and strengthen crisis management with Washington to prevent an arms race there, observers said.

Mattis singled out China's activities in the South China Sea at a time in which the Pentagon continues to question what Beijing has called "necessary defense facilities" deployed on the islands there.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, as he did last year, blamed China on Wednesday as seeking self-isolation in the region.

In response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters on Friday that certain countries outside the region still cannot let go of their ill-founded perceptions and are themselves "increasingly isolated" though they say that about others.

This month, the Philippines officially stated its plan of not putting the South China Sea issue into the agenda of ASEAN meetings it will host later this year.

Liang Fang, a professor of naval studies at PLA National Defense University, said that as other countries involved in the South China Sea disputes have returned to bilateral talks with Beijing, "the US will not easily let this go, and it will attempt to show its muscles and influence in the region again later this year".

Washington's strategy of containing China will not be changed, and "its troublemaking moves in the waters there will only get tougher," Liang said.

It is possible that US warships and military aircraft will again intrude on the territorial waters and airspace of the Chinese islands in the sea, and, China, in response, should maintain its ships and planes in combat readiness, Liang added.

Zhang Tuosheng, director of the research department at the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, noted that animosity against China's rising maritime strength dies hard among the US and its allies such as Japan, and it will continue to pose a security dilemma for China.

While Beijing should never embark on a maritime arms race with Washington, China will have to tackle "its insufficient research and use of international law, particularly international maritime law", Zhang said.
SYDNEY - Trade, the TPP, military cooperation, tourism and security were on the agenda as visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday.

The meeting, held at Turnbulls Sydney residence, Kirribilli House, followed a previous engagement earlier in the day when both leaders attended an economic partnership conference with New South Wales Premier Mike Baird, federal Trade Minister Steven Ciobo and business representatives from Japan that joined Abe on the visit to Australia.

Both leaders, in a joint press conference outside Kirribilli House late in the afternoon, were quick to stress the importance of the bilateral ties.

The key focus of our discussions were strategic and economic, we've confirmed our commitment to the rule of law, free trade, and open markets in our region, Turnbull said.

Abe echoed his counterpart's statements, saying the talks were meaningful and that both nations confirmed their intention to maintain solid cooperation with the incoming Trump administration which will be taking office soon.

The Australian stop is the second leg of a week long Asian tour by Abe.
WASHINGTON - US President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he could lift the sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the United States, a newspaper report said Friday.

Trump said he will keep the sanctions, imposed by the Barack Obama administration on Moscow for its alleged cyberattacks to influence last year's US presidential election, "at least for a period of time," the Wall Street Journal said in a report on its website on an interview with Trump.

But "if you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" he asked.

Trump, who will be sworn in next week, added that he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he takes office.

"I understand that they would like to meet, and that's absolutely fine with me," he said.

Earlier Friday, Trump's spokesman said Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security adviser, took a phone call from Russia's Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak late last month. The two discussed setting up a call between Trump and Putin after Trump is sworn in next Friday.

Trump's openly pro-Russia stance has been scrutinized recently amid US intelligence's conclusion that Russia helped him win the presidential election through hacking activities.

Quoting unsubstantiated intelligence reports, US media also revealed Wednesday that Russia might have owned compromising materials about Trump, who made a visit to Moscow in 2013. Trump has strongly denied those reports.

At his first news conference after winning the race, Trump on Wednesday accepted the conclusion that Russia indeed sought to influence the US presidential election with hacking, but he quickly added that Russia was not the only country that launched cyber attacks against the United States.

In another related development, the US Senate Intelligence Committee announced Friday it would investigate Russia's possible meddling in the 2016 race.
ANKARA - Altogether 18 Islamic State (IS) terrorists were killed and 228 targets were hit by Turkish army in Al-Bab of northern Syria in the last 24 hours, Turkish General Staff stated on Saturday.

According to the Turkish army, 214 positions belonging to the terrorists have been shelled, with defense positions, shelters and command facilities, as well as weapons and vehicles destroyed.

A total of 14 airstrikes have been carried out near Al-Bab in Northern Syria, destroying eight shelters, two arms-laden vehicles, two headquarters and two defense positions.

A total of 2922 improvised explosive devices and 43 mines have been destroyed since the beginning of the operation, the military added.

The Turkish Armed Forces launched the Euphrates Shield Operation last August against both IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey regards the YPG and the PYD as terrorist organizations due to their links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.
BEIJING - China and Vietnam on Saturday issued a joint communique, pledging to manage maritime differences and safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea.

The communique was issued as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong paid a four-day official visit to China since Thursday.

China and Vietnam had "a candid exchange of views" on maritime issues, according to the communique.

Both countries pledged to seek basic and long-term solutions that both sides can accept via negotiation, and discuss transitional solutions that will not affect each other's stance including the research of joint development, it said.

Both sides agreed to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea and strive for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) on the basis of consensus in the framework of the DOC, said the communique.

Both sides agreed to manage maritime differences and avoid any acts that may complicate the situation and escalate tensions so as to safeguard peace and stability of the South China Sea, it said.

During Trong's four-day visit, he met with five of the seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, including talks with General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, and separate meetings with Premier Li Keqiang, top legislator Zhang Dejiang, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng and top graft-buster Wang Qishan.

Yu and Trong also attended a grand reception marking the 67th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties as well as the upcoming Lunar New Year.

According to the communique, both sides believed that the visit was a great success that had further enhanced political mutual trust, consolidated traditional friendship, deepened strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and contributed to regional peace, stability and development.

The two countries agreed that it was of great importance and strategic guidance to bilateral ties that the high-level officials of both countries and parties, especially the top leaders of the two countries, maintain frequent contact, it said, calling for more exchanges and cooperation via bilateral mutual visits, sending envoys, hotlines, annual meeting and meetings at multilateral occasions.

Both sides also encouraged cooperation on economy and trade, defense, security and law enforcement, cultural, youth and local areas, the communique said.

Vietnam supports and will actively participate in a summit forum on the international cooperation along the Belt and Road to be hosted by China in 2017, said the communique.

Besides Beijing, Trong also paid a visit to east China's Zhejiang Province, it said.
(Photo : Getty Images) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, (R), talks during his meeting with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, (L), at the Great Hall of the People on July 11, 2013 in Beijing, China.



Advertisement

China is investing an additional $40 billion in Nigeria's oil pipeline, according to its Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday at a bilateral meeting with Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja.



According to Wang, the proposed investment was an addition to the $45 biilion already invested by China to the economy of Nigeria.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

In a report in All Africa, Wang said that the purpose of his visit to Nigeria was to implement the important agreements and cooperation reached between the Chinese and Nigerian presidents as well as to work closely with the country to ensure that plans laid out in the Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit are well implemented.



Strengthening Political Mutual Trust



Wang reiterated the need to further expand practical cooperation and deepen the strategic partnership between China and Nigeria to achieve further development and prosperity of both countries. He expressed optimism that his visit would further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations.



Meanwhile, Daily Trust reported that Onyeama expressed appreciation to Wang for including Nigeria in his Africa itinerary. He further explained that infrastructure is one of the priority areas in the diversification program of Nigeria's government and acknowledged China's help particularly in rail and airport projects.



"We know that in the area of infrastructure which is one of the priority areas Chinese government has been showing a lot of cooperation with us in this area especially in the area of transportation," he said.



Advertisement

TagsChina and Nigeria, China's Investment, FOCAC, Nigeria Oil Pipeline, infrastructure
(Photo : Getty Images) Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that a close contact between China and Malaysia mainly contributed to the success of capturing at least 744 fraud suspects and 28 militants from China.



Advertisement

Malaysia has deported more than 700 fraud suspects and arrested 28 Chinese-national IS suspected militants over the past years, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed on Thursday.



Hamidi, who is in Beijing for an official visit, explained that the close contact between China and Malaysia was the main contributor to the success of capturing such syndicates.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The Borneo Post reported that at least 744 Chinese nationals were deported for their involvement in fraud and gambling cases in Malaysia, which accounted for 20 billion yuan ($28 billion).



He added that China had also played a massive role in the fight against terrorism in the country citing shared intelligence as a great factor.



Thus far, some 28 Uighur militants, who are members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, have been detained in Malaysia and deported back to China. According to Today Online, Hamidi revealed that the suspects were on their way to Iraq, Syria, and Turkey and had used Malaysia as a common passing point to get to the various locations.



"Chinese intelligence shared their information, including biometrics with us," he added. "The militants were detained before they could leave Malaysia."



He went on to explain that the 28 militants were part of 260 terror suspects detained under the Special Measures Against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Act 2015.



"They have been arrested because of their involvement in ISIS. From that number, 30 were foreigners and the rest Malaysian nationals."



He concluded that the Chinese government had assured Malaysia of their support and was gratified for the arrest and deportation of Chinese criminals. He further encouraged that frequent talks should be conducted locally and internationally.



Advertisement

Tagschina, Malaysia, gambling, terrorism, ISIS, Uighur, ETIM
(Photo : Getty Images) Thousands of local travellers flocked transport stations to return home in preparation of the Lunar New Year Festival.

Advertisement

Thousands of Chinese citizens flocked airports, railway stations, and bus stations on Friday as they head home to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year season. The Global News reported that officials projected that the holiday rush will make around three billion trips that runs from Friday (Jan. 13) to Feb. 21.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

In Shanghai, a similar situation was expected with a total of 310,000 passengers estimated to depart on Friday from the city's three railway stations, according to Shanghai Daily. Of the estimated figure, 170,000 are expected to take the Hongqiao Railway Station, 50,000 on the Shanghai South Railway Station, and 90,000 on the Shanghai Railway Station.



Shanghai Daily noted that this year's spring break rush came in quite early and Shanghai had to add 34 extra train services to keep up with the increasing passengers' demands.



Su Wenqi, a college student in Beijing, expressed her excitement to be reunited with her family in Harbin.



"My parents and relatives are back at home and you feel safe at home. After a really busy year, I really miss them," she said.



Every year, China represents the largest seasonal migration of people worldwide as many locals rushed to go home and reunite with their families. The Chinese Lunar New Year, also called as Spring Festival, is the most important traditional holiday in the country, and it falls on Jan. 28 this year.



Advertisement

Tagschina, transport, Lunar New Year, Year of the Rooster
(Photo : Getty Images) Fighting has cut off water supply to the city of Damascus.

Advertisement

Activists said a Thursday air strike in a rebel-held village near the Syrian city of Aleppo left at least nine people, including four children, dead. All the victims were reportedly members of one family whose house in Babka was hit.



According to a monitoring group, at least 22 jihad fighters had been killed in air strikes in neighboring Idlib province. It is not yet clear who is behind the several attacks, which were carried out despite a week-old nationwide truce.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The truce, which covers government and rebel groups, excludes members of the Islamic State (IS) and rival jihadist group Jabhat al-Sham, which was previously known as al-Nusra until it cut formal ties with al-Qaeda in July.



Pro-opposition Local Coordination Committees and Aleppo Media Center also reported that warplanes carried out airstrikes on Babka. According to the reports, dozens of other civilians were wounded, adding that rescue workers were searching for survivors in the rubble of destroyed buildings.



Some of the attacks were carried out by Syrian government aircraft, while others were conducted by the US-led coalition that is targeting the Islamic State.



A strike on a convoy killed at least 16 members of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, including two of the group's top commanders.



The US-led coalition, however, said that it did not target the area on Tuesday and Wednesday.



Despite a nationwide truce that was brokered by Turkey and Russia, clashes continued to erupt in some areas. One of the areas that has suffered is the rebel-held Wadi Barada, where at least six civilians in the village were killed by government strikes on Thursday.



United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday that five rebel-held villages in the area had agreed to a truce, while two others refused.



Over 5.5 million people living in and around the city of Damascus have not had running water since Dec. 22 last year, owing to damage to the spring that supplies water to the city.



Advertisement

TagsSyria, Aleppo, ISIS
(Photo : Getty Images) The Umayyad Great Mosque is one of the UNESCO heritage sites that have suffered damage.

Advertisement

Syrian antiquities officials are asking for urgent action to protect damaged buildings in the city of Aleppo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

"We have more than 150 heritage buildings with different levels of damage, without taking into account places like the ancient souk, 60 percent of which is destroyed," Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria's Director General of Antiquities and Museums, told journalists.



According to Abdulkarim, many of the traditional houses, dating from around the first century AD, have also suffered extensive damage.



Syrian government forces took control of Aleppo in early December after four years of war between them and armed opposition groups. Since the fighting stopped, Abdulkarim and his team have photographed ancient heritage sites in the city while assessing the extent of the damage.



Many buildings are still standing, while others have suffered huge damage.



Abdulkarim said that the situation is both sad and dramatic. He added that while they can afford to wait for peace to return in Palmyra, in Aleppo every new winter will be a further attack on the cultural sites. This is because unlike the stones used in Palmyra, a lot of the buildings in Aleppo were built using traditional materials.



Photographs showed the damaged buildings blanketed by snow. Some of the structures have lost roofs, while others have collapsed almost entirely due to shelling during the war.



Abdulkarim said that while Syrians have more pressing problems to deal with, leaving the buildings in their present state will only lead to more deterioration. Steps have been taken to start removing the rubble and debris from the Citadel and the Umayyad Mosque, Aleppo's most famous landmarks.



Advertisement

TagsSyria, Aleppo, UNESCO
(Photo : Getty Images) Japan received its first F-35 unit in December.

Advertisement

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is headed to Japan to be "the cornerstone" of US defense in the Pacific.



It is the most expensive and one of the most controversial weapon systems in US' history. The first of 16 US Marine Corps F-35Bs left Arizona on Monday, on the initial overseas deployment for the stealth jet fighters.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The planes will be stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakumi, on the Japanese main island of Honshu, a short distance from Hiroshima.



In an email to the media, First Lt. Karoline Foote of the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Japan said that sending the $104 million jets to Iwakumi signals the US' "commitment to the defense of Japan with the most capable and modern equipment in the U.S inventory."



Foote said that the fighter planes will be the cornerstone of a multi-mission joint force. He added that the mission will possess flexibility and unprecedented effectiveness to engage and destroy both air and ground threats.



The single-engine F-35 has three variants. The US Air Force flies the A version, the B version is flown by the Marines, and the C version is part of the US Navy's fleet.



The F-35 is sold to and produced by US allies around the world, including Japan, which received its first unit in December.



Analysts believe that the presence of the hi-tech jets in Japan is a statement towards the current and potential adversaries in the region.



Corey Wallace, Japan security analyst at Freie University in Germany, said that the deployment signals the priority that the US government and its armed forces place on the Japan-US alliance at this particular time.



"The deployment of the most modern and most capable equipment to Japan strengthens the deterrence of the Japan-US alliance, and contributes to the stability of the Asia-Pacific region," Japan's Ministry of Defense said.



Tensions between Japan and China have ramped up since last year as the two countries squabble over the control of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.



According to US Defense officials, the F-35 is better than top Chinese stealth fighters such as the J-20.



Advertisement

TagsJapan, US, Asia Pacific
(Photo : Getty Images) Experts believe the decision would have been motivated by the possible political benefits for the Communist party and may encourage anti-Japanese sentiment.

Advertisement

In a move that is likely to worsen its relations with Japan, China's communist government has ordered that all the country's history books be rewritten to extend the second Sino-Japanese war by six years.



The conflict has been known for generations as "the eight-year war of resistance against Japanese aggression."



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

However, in a statement on Wednesday, China President Xi Jinping's government renamed the conflict to "14-year war of resistance against Japanese aggression." The statement also ordered that textbooks be revised and record it as lasting from 1931 to 1945. The war is usually recorded to be between 1937 and 1945.



The decision means that China considers that the war began in 1931, when the Imperial Japanese army invaded Manchuria, rather than six years later during the Marco Polo Bridge incident.



During the Marco Polo incident, Chinese and Japanese troops fought along a rail line South-West of China's capital, Beijing. Historians have traditionally considered this event as the beginning of a full-blown war between the two nations.



Despite many historians arguing that it was the Chinese nationalist party that did most of the fighting during World War II, Xi has worked hard to promote the participation and achievements of the country's Communists during the war.



"The communist party did very little to resist the Japanese during 1931-37, so why try to pretend otherwise?" opined historian Antony Beevor.



Beevor believes that China's action is an attempt to reverse the recent tide historiography, which recognizes that Chiang Kai-Shek and the nationalists have been treated unfairly by the Chinese Communist dogma, the United States government, and the journalists of the time.



Beevor said that Japan's reaction to the issue is hard to predict.



Advertisement

Tagschina, Japan, China-Japan relations
(Photo : Getty Images) Taco Bell is taking another chance to gain foothold in the burgeoning market of China.



Advertisement

Taco Bell is taking another chance to capture the Chinese markets with its latest store in Shanghai. The company plans to open several other branches in major Chinese cities, before going for a national rollout. Taco Bell will be brought to the country by Yum China, which also owns Pizza Hut and KFC brands domestically.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The latest attempt will be the second time for Taco Bell to gain foothold in the burgeoning market of China. Earlier, Yum had introduced Taco Bell Grande nearly a decade earlier. The initiative was completely shut down by 2008.



The new Taco Bell is located close to the Oriental Pearl Tower in Lujiazui area of the city. The company said that the branch has generated positive initial results.



The announcement follows another important change in the market as McDonald's recently announced selling a part of its business in China. However, with the population of more than 1.3 billion, China is one of the fastest growing markets in the world.



Micky Pant, the CEO of Yum China, told Nation's Restaurant News, "Taco Bell is an innovative brand with a strong heritage that we believe will resonate well with Chinese millennials." After its previous failed attempt, Yum is taking a new approach to capture Chinese market. The company plans to customize its offerings to cater to local tastes.



While McDonalds is consolidating its business in China, other known western brands such as Starbucks, have created a niche market for themselves. Starbucks currently has more than 2,000 stores around the country and plans to open 2,500 more by 2021.



Advertisement

Tagsyum, Taco Bell, Mcdonalds
(Photo : David Ramos/Getty Images) A logo sits illuminated outside the Nokia pavilion on the opening day of the World Mobile Congress at the Fira Gran Via Complex on Feb. 22, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.

Advertisement

As initial reports have pointed out that the newly-released Nokia 6 smartphone will only be available in China, a new update suggested that it may be sold to other markets as well.



It can be noted that for a while now, the once mobile phone giant has not released a unit that will directly compete with the bigwigs of the industry. However, with the Finnish startup, HMD Global, buying the rights to use its brand name, Nokia might just be back in the competition.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

While it was previously believed that the new Nokia 6 smartphone will only be sold in China, Fortune reported that it might not just be the case.



Nokia Power Users reportedly discovered that another variant of the said smartphone was spotted "passing through the Bluetooth wireless certification process." This variant is allegedly set for distribution to other parts of the world.



The Nokia 6 available in China is offered with a 5.5-inch HD screen, 64 GB storage, and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat software at $250.



In the meantime, China Daily reported that with the new smartphone, the brand is expected to be finally ready to face "fierce" competition.



HMD Global chief executive officer Arto Nummela said during a press briefing in Beijing, China earlier this week that with Nokia 6, they have been optimistic about capturing the Chinese market.



"We believe that we've had an in-depth understanding of the Chinese market and we've prepared to meet the competitions," he noted. "Chinese consumers are very well-educated and they know what they are demanding, their energy impressed me each time I have visited the nation."



Keep posted for more Nokia 6 smartphone updates and find out if it is intended for sale outside of China.



Advertisement

TagsNokia, Nokia 6 China, nokia 6 smartphone
(Photo : Getty Images) Analysts said President Xi Jinping will take advantage of his appearance at the global forum to show China's economic strength.

Advertisement

All eyes will be on Chinese President Xi Jinping as he is about to bask in the spotlight at the gathering of world leaders and the business elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos next Tuesday, days ahead of the US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday.



Xi will be the first Chinese president to join the World Economic Forum gathering with political and economic experts saying Xi would make his country take center stage during the entire global meeting.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

As Xi is expected to speak before business leaders and the global elite, political analysts on Friday said Xi would take advantage of his Davos appearance to show Beijing's economic strength as well as its position as a responsible stakeholder.



Globalization



Xi is expected to focus on China as a promoter of globalization in his plenary speech amid Trump's protectionist stance and his choice of hardline China critics to head top positions on trade and defense.



"I think China's trying to send a signal that it's the world's most responsible stakeholder. The U.S., by contrast, is a greater source of anxiety, tensions and volatility," Scott Kennedy, a political expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said on Friday.



"The growing tensions between the U.S. and China gives this a bigger, larger significance than it otherwise would have," he said.



Logical Place



The analysts said Xi will grab the opportunity at Davos to show the global community that China, the world's second largest economy, will still be the logical place to invest despite Trump's anti-China rhetoric.



"More than ever, China has to raise a voice, when we know President-elect Trump is challenging, criticizing China," Richard Attias, head of the consulting firm, Richard Attias & Associates, noted.



Attias said President Xi's move at the forum would just be "right" in response to challenges brought on by Trump's heavy criticisms of Beijing.



Potential Investors



He added that at Davos, the Chinese businessmen will explain to potential investors that despite Trump's anti-China rhetoric, Beijing is still the most logical place to invest.



Trump has been vocal about his disdain for China, calling it a currency manipulator and accusing it of robbing jobs from American workers.



During his campaign rallies, he repeatedly charged Beijing of committing unfair trade practices and vowed to punish the Asian giant by slapping a 45 percent tariff on all China imports once he becomes president.



China has responded to his tirades by saying it would retaliate if Trump launches a trade war with Beijing. Part of the retaliation would be imposing heavy taxes on American firms operating in Beijing and initiating business investigations on US companies, among others.



Advertisement

TagsDavos, World Economic Forum, business elite, responsible stakeholder, Beinjing, President Xi Jinping, President-elect Donald Trump, Sino-US trade war, china
(Photo : Getty Images) Tibetan Buddhist in Sichuan gathered in groups to pray and stream the Dalai Lama's teachings during the Kalachakra in India.

Advertisement

Despite an early warning by the Chinese government not to participate in the 34th "Kalachakra" initiation, which is currently ongoing in Bodh Gaya, India, the Tibetan Buddhist community has remained undeterred in the participation of the event in either India or China.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The Times of India reported that at least 2,000 Buddhist from China had been able to attend the initiation, which was led by the exiled Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama. This was despite an earlier ban from the Chinese government imposed to its citizens from attending the event.



An estimated 7,000 Chinese citizens had been able to grace the event, but they had traveled from other states such as Malaysia and Singapore and not China.



The Chinese government had earlier barred all transportation to India following the Kalachakra Initiation, which began on Jan. 2 and is expected to end on Jan. 14. The government had barred all activities associated with the event as well.



China defended that through time, the initiation had lost its true meaning and was slowly turning into a political rally under the leadership of the Dalai Lama.



Following the ban, a great number of people had been forced to stay back in China. However, residents at Sichuan County have still carried on with the initiation by streaming the Dalai Lama teachings online as they gathered to pray, according to UNPO



"Tibetans living near Gyarong Trochu Thukje Chenpo have been participating in large scale meritorious activities during the teachings," a local source said. "They have also shared videos of the Lama's teaching online and translated them to local dialect for people to understand."



The Dalai Lama on Wednesday said a prayer for those who had been unable to attend. He also applauded the move by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for imposing a ban on the sale of alcohol.



"Prohibition of Bihar is a good step. Let us remember that Lord Buddha said consumption of even a drop of alcohol was a sin," said the Buddhist leader.



Advertisement

Tagschina, India, Kalachakra, Dalai Lama
(Photo : Getty Images) The Taiwanese foreign ministry condemned Nigeria's move to close Taiwan's Abuja trade offices.

Advertisement

The Taiwanese government condemned Nigeria's latest to remove Taiwan's office from Abuja following recent developments between Nigeria and China. A statement issued by Taiwan officials on Thursday urged the Nigerian government to reconsider the move and leave an open room for discussion.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

Mail and Guardian Africa reported that Taiwan objected Nigeria's move to relocate Taiwan's trade office from the capital Abuja to the commerical hub in Lagos.



"The Foreign Ministry urges Nigeria to leave room for discussion in regard to the matter," Taiwan's ministry said in a statement.



Nigeria on Wednesday ordered the immediate closure of Taiwan's trade offices in Abuja following developed trade links between Nigeria and China. Nigeria was also looking to re-affirm its position in the "One China" policy.



Speaking during the occasion, Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, explained that the Nigerian government would take every necessary step to ensure a peaceful co-existence between Nigeria and China. He further clarified that Nigeria is not acting under pressure from China, describing the Taiwan trade offices as "an anomaly."



Meanwhile, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed joy on Nigeria's initiative to move the Taiwan trade offices. He further said that China would consider investing another $40 billion in the West African oil producer.



Taiwan and China have long been economic rivals with each state trying to garner allies through investments. China continues to exert pressure on Taiwan to acknowledge the "One China" policy.



Taiwan currently has diplomatic ties with two countries in Africa, namely, Burkina Faso and Swaziland.



Advertisement

Tagschina, Nigeria, Taiwan, One China policy
(Photo : Getty Images) US president-elect Donald Trump has once again made clear that there is no change of stance on 'One China Policy' and is open for negotiation on the issue.

Advertisement

US President-elect Donald Trump has refused to budge from his stern stance on "One China" policy, as he once again made it clear in a latest interview that China's most important foreign policy is pretty much up for negotiation.



Trump's latest assertion on the "One China" policy is a mere reflection of his month-old statement given to an American news channel that US must use the policy as a bargaining chip against China.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

In an interview to Wall Street Journal on Friday, Trump categorically said "Everything is under negotiation including 'One China'."



He then brought up the contagious issues of China's trade practices and currency manipulation, clearly suggesting that America's commitment to "One China" policy will depend on Beijing making a positive movement on these issues.



Speaking specifically on currency manipulation, Trump said: "Instead of saying, 'we're devaluating our currency', they say, 'Oh, our currency is dropping'. It's not dropping. They're doing it on purpose."



He claimed that American companies are finding it difficult to compete with Chinese companies due to Beijing's currency manipulation tactics.



Trump's latest controversial statement comes barely 48 hours after his nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said that China should not be given any access to artificial islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea.



Trump has been targeting Beijing ever since his campaigning days. While many analysts shrugged his ant-Chinese tirade as election rhetoric, he proved them wrong by continuing with his tirade soon after the election victory.



The Republican leader first broke the diplomatic protocol by accepting a phone call from Taiwan's president. Barely a week after, he openly challenged the American government's unconditional commitment to the "One China" policy.



Advertisement

Tagsdonald trump, One China policy, Trump China, china, China and Taiwan
(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) Seagate announced that it will close its factory in China and lay off more than 2,000 workers.

Advertisement

US hard disk drive maker Seagate Technology is axing 2,000 people from its workforce as it closes down its Suzhuo factory in eastern China because of "sluggish market demand," the company revealed on Friday.



"As part of our continual optimization of operational efficiencies, Seagate has made the difficult decision to shut down its factory in Suzhou, China," an alleged statement from Seagate read.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

"We regret that our Suzhou employees will be affected by this action, which reflects our ongoing commitment to reduce Seagate's global manufacturing footprint and better align the business with current and expected demand trends."



Factory workers outraged as they received the closure notice only last Saturday and were told that they would be laid off in a week's time, the Paper reported.



Employees reportedly held rallies on the street demanding for better compensation as they claimed that Seagate is still profiting, according to local news site guancha.com on Thursday.



"At the very least, the company should hold a meeting with us workers. They should make clear to us how compensation will be dealt with, at what point wages will be cut off, and whether the company is being relocated or shut down," one of the laid off workers told the Paper.



According to Global Times, the initiative, which was announced in last July, is part of Seagate's corporate strategy to chop down is production scale globally.



Seagate, however, brushed off speculations that the massive layoff was in line with President-elect Donald Trump's goal to bring US factories back home.



Advertisement

TagsSeagate carriers, Seagate layoffs, seagate china
(Photo : Getty Images) Chinas famous linguist Zhou Youguang died at the age 111 on Saturday in Beijing. He was credited for revolutionizing the Pinyin writing system that helped simplify the Chinese language.

Advertisement

China's famous linguist Zhou Youguang, hailed as the father of Pinyin writing system, passed away at age the 111 on Saturday in Beijing. He is credited for converting Chinese language into simplified Roman alphabets that helped in increasing literacy rate across the country.



Zhou was born in 1906, when the powerful Qing Dynasty was ruling over Mainland China. He moved to New York in 1946 but returned back to his home country within a few years.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

Zhou was soon appointed as chairman of the committee that spent three years during the 1950s in developing the Pinyin writing system.



"We spent three years developing Pinyin. People made fun of us, joking that it had taken us a long time to deal with just 26 letters," Zhou told the BBC in 2012.



The system eventually proved to be a watershed moment in China's linguistic history, as it oversimplified the once complicated language and helped Chinese language in reaching to the masses.



Today, many educational experts claimed that if not for Zhou's gigantic efforts, most Chinese masses would have remained illiterate. As per a rough estimate, before the Pinyin system was developed, nearly 85 percent of the Chinese population could not read their own language, but today, almost every one can.



The Pinyin system also helped in simplifying the Chinese language for foreigners, who in the past has equally found the Chinese language too tough to understand and learn. In fact, today, Zhou's Pinyin system is globally adopted including high-profile institutions like the United Nations.



However, there are many who are open critics of Zhou's uniquely simple language system, claiming that it will one day completely replace China's native language, which is almost 2,000 years old.



Advertisement

TagsZhou Youguang, china, Pinyin Writing System, Chinas Famous Linguist
(Photo : Getty Images) A Chinese school in eastern China has introduced a unique Grade Bank system to minimize the exam pressure on students.

Advertisement

A Chinese school in eastern China has come up with a unique solution to lessen exam pressure on their students, which if successful may soon become precedent across educational institutions in the country.



The Nanjing Number One School has introduced a "Grade Bank" system to allow students to borrow grades, allowing them to easily pass their exams. The school will apply this grade bank system only on the top 49 ranked students, as they tend to face more exam pressure.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

However, these Chinese students certainly would not get to borrow the marks for free. They will have to repay the "borrowed marks" in subsequent exams. In case they could not pay on time, they will be charged interest and also be blacklisted if they fail to clear their debt.



Most students in the Nanjing Number One School have reportedly welcomed the move.



One student told local Chinese media: "I was sick before the mid-term exams and missed several geography classes. I failed the exam, so I am glad the 'grades bank' gave me a chance to fix that."



China's online community also seemed to have welcomed the unique system, with majority of them claiming that it will certainly help Chinese students to cope with exam pressure in a more positive way.



However, critics argued that it may also make students immensely lazy and less diligent in exam preparation.



Over the years, debates have been raging in Chinese society on how to make exam pressures more bearable for schools students. These debates gained momentum especially after several reports started surfacing in Chinese media about students committing suicide and facing immense depression.



Most of the suicide and depression reports are related to the much dreaded 'Gaokao' exam, a national level exam that Chinese students have to appear in the final year of school.



Advertisement

Tagschinese schools, Chinese students, china, Grade Bank System
Who is an Evangelical? I consider myself an evangelical ChristianI grew up in a home with my father being a passionate evangelical Presbyterian pastor. I attended an evangelical flavored church all my life. I attended and graduated from an evangelical seminary with two graduate degrees. Im also ordained by an evangelical denomination.

Yet, the question does come up here and there, from within the church as well as outside the church. In a book by Bradley R. E. Wright, (interestingly titled) Christians Are Hate-Filled HypocritesAnd Other Lies Youve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From The Secular And Christian Media, he as a sociologist states that that the term evangelical seems to be understood differently among the general public, as well as being unclear whether it is used as a label to a denominational affiliation or as a link it to a behavior of particular group of Christians. I think this confusion certainly became true in the recent election. One could go to a university, a local mall, or a church and ask what does it mean to be an evangelical, and perhaps there can be 20 different answers from 20 different people.

Sorting through the history of the term, historian David W. Bebbington seems to have put together a meaningful definition of what it means to be an evangelicaland generally well accepted among evangelicals of various denominations and traditions.

So what/who is an evangelical? An evangelical is a follower of Christian doctrine and practice, conforming to orthodoxy (right teaching) and orthopraxy (right practice) of Christian tradition. The obvious foundational and unchallenged belief as an evangelical would be the unique saving power of Jesus and the gospel message.

As Bebbington points out, specifically, an evangelical is a Protestant Christian who exhibits the four characteristics of Biblicism, conversionism, crucicentrism, and activism. Biblicism is belief in the supreme authority of the Bible. Conversionism is belief that authentic Christianity always includes a radical conversation to Christ through repentance and faith that is based on a personal relationship with Jesus. Crucicentrism is belief that all aspects of Christian life and service are centered around the cross. Activism is belief in being concerned for and involved in positive social transformation through evangelism and action.

The four above characteristics are generally well received by most Christians who claim to be evangelical. In addition, theologian Roger E. Olson adds a fifth criterion of having respect for the great tradition of Christian doctrine. As part of Protestantism tradition, one should have proper respect for the early church fathers works, as well as respect for those who have protested for Sola Scriptura, for they have formed and developed the great doctrines of the Christian church. This would not mean strict adherence to any particular doctrine based on mere tradition, but to have reverence and uphold the history-tested belief system. This last criterion would distinguish us from Catholics, fine-tuning the term Evangelical.

On a personal level, as a chaplain who works in a pluralistic environment of healthcare and military, I would like to add four additional characteristics to the above mentioned five: To define what it means to be an evangelical chaplain serving in extra-church capacity.

First, one would hold to the view of Biblical inerrancy and inspiration. Inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture is the belief that it is the Holy Spirit who has produced the books of the Bible, and that they are living, active, and powerful (Heb. 4:12), and because this is so, Scripture is from God. As Scripture is from God, the books of the Bible would bear Gods attributes, and are identified by his attributes. With the omnipotent, omniscient, and perfect God as the author of Scripture, the Bible is to be acknowledged as inspired and inerrant.

Secondly, an evangelical chaplain would hold to the belief and understanding that the Christian tradition is a knowledge tradition. Christian philosopher J. P. Moreland argues that teachings of Christianity are to be understood as a body of knowledge, not a set of faith-practices based on mere belief. Like medicine or science, Christianity is a tradition that is built upon knowledge. And because Christianity is a knowledge tradition, it has authority to make statements about reality and give input on all facets of a believers life. We can make truthful claims of God, angels, creation, heaven, hell, and/or salvation. This does not mean absolute certainty in knowledge without doubt, as philosophically speaking, absolute certainty is an unrealistic and unattainable ideal. Rather it means having faith in God as the God of truth (knowledge) and that faith can co-exist with doubt, as doubt is not the opposite of faith, but of certainty. It would not be a contradiction for a believer to hold onto the Christian tradition as a knowledge tradition, as a Christian can still have faith with doubt in certain aspects of his/her walk as a believer in the triune God.

Third, in regards to worldviews, as professor Charles Kraft states in his book, Christianity with Power, Christians would need to embrace the biblical supernaturalistic worldview, mainly sourcing our affirmation of the validity of a supernaturalistic worldview and reality from Jesus himself of the Bible. Our world is not all about what we experience through the five sensesthere is a supernatural realm to deal with as well. An evangelical chaplain would not affirm a naturalistic worldview, but a supernaturalistic one. Why? Since Jesus lived and acted out in a supernaturalistic worldview, as followers of Jesus, the logic seems simple enough.

Fourthly, an evangelical would need to hold fast to the dualist view that human persons consist of both soul and body. This view in particular becomes more important as chaplains deal with death on a regular basis. Whether one is a police, fire, healthcare, or military chaplain, s/he just may be the only person in the group or community who is trained and sufficiently knowledgeable to answer the soul question properly. There is universal consensus in the Christian tradition that the soul separates from the physical body at death. This is also an orthodox belief of Christianity. The existence of a soul is an important belief to affirm as questions of the afterlife will arise in a chaplains ministry. If there is no soul, then there would be no need for heaven or helland the Bible teaches of the existence of heaven and hell.

To sum up, the four criteria for the traditional definition of evangelical is to believe in Biblicism, crucicentrism, conversionism, and activism. I do greatly appreciate the additional criterion of having respect for the great tradition of Christian doctrine. This fifth criterion helps to narrow any gaps that existed. And to further fine tune the definition for evangelical chaplains operating in various secular, government, and non-religious institutions, I propose additional four: the belief of inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, Christianity as knowledge tradition, having a supernaturalistic worldview, and the holding to a dualist view of body and soul.

Perhaps the last four are implied within the five criteria of being an evangelical, but thats what fine tuning of definition is supposed to doto narrow it down. If you consider yourself an evangelical, my hope is that we all think and ponder carefully of our identity in this increasingly pluralistic, postmodernistic, post-Christian world.

Rev. Dr. Joseph Choi is ordained by the ECA (Evangelical Church Alliance). He is also a U.S. Army Reserve chaplain, and a healthcare chaplain Board Certified by APC (Association of Professional Chaplains). He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Talbot School of Theology.
Tortured Human Rights Lawyer Believes He May Die Contact: ChinaAid Media Team, 432-553-1080 cell, 888-889-7757, 432-689-6985, media@chinaaid.org



TIANJIN, China, Jan. 13, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Traumatized by more than a year of torture, a prominent Christian human rights lawyer in China's Tianjin municipality fears he might die of medical conditions.



Li Chunfu (pictured), a rights attorney, was released on bail yesterday, emaciated and aged. When his spouse noticed he was fearful of entering his own apartment, she wept.



Since his release, Li revealed to his wife that he was subjected to medical examinations almost daily while being held in an unofficial "black jail." The authorities diagnosed him with high blood pressure, even though he has never suffered from it before, and fed him unknown medications. Li also claimed that his heart is damaged and believes he does not have long to live.



Li was likely tortured while imprisoned, prompting his fear. His family is calling for immediate professional help.



Li disappeared into police custody on Aug. 1, 2015, shortly after his brother, Li Heping, was apprehended during a nationwide crackdown on human rights defenders. On Dec. 6, Wang Qiaoling, Li Heping's wife, learned that her husband had been charged with "subversion of state power" and was to be prosecuted.



During his incarceration, Li Chunfu was held incommunicado.



"The Chinese regime's Nazi-style brutality enacted against innocent peaceful rights defense lawyers such as Li Chunfu should be condemned by everyone with a conscience," said China Aid's president and founder, Bob Fu. "This is a barbaric act against humanity that is in absolute violation of international standards that prevent arbitrary detention and torture and are meant to protect human rights defenders."



In 2012, Li Chunfu was part of a delegation that traveled to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Texas to meet with Members of Congress, State Department officials, the Congressional Executive Commission on China, and personnel from the Human Rights Watch, the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and Baylor Law School.



China Aid reports abuses, such as those experienced by the Li family, in order to obtain international aid for persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.

Share Tweet
Christianity, Islam and Judaism Got Their Beliefs From Zoroastrianism? Morgan Freeman Thinks So

Are Christian beliefs not original?

Actor Morgan Freeman believes that an ancient religion that still exists today, Zoroastrianism, is actually the source of beliefs not only of those practicing Christianity but also those who belong to the Islamic and Jewish faiths.

The Academy Award-winning made the daring claim in an interview with The Christian Post ahead of the premiere of the first episode of National Geographic's "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman" Season 2 on Monday, Jan. 16, 2017. The episode is titled "The Chosen One."

Zoroastrianism was featured in season one of the documentary series last year.

Freeman retraced the steps he took in his journey of faith, saying that what he gained most in studying Judaism, Christianity and Islam is "knowledge."

He then revealed the one thing that dawned upon him during his journey, the one thing that affected him most.

"I'll give you this, Zoroastrianism. It's one of the ancient religions and apparently the big three (religions) took their tenets from that," he told The Christian Post.

"The three tenets of Zoroastrianism [are] good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, which I think the preponderance of us strive for. So we are almost all believers of Zoroastrianism. I've learned that about myself," the 79-year-old actor added.

Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) in ancient Iran approximately 3,500 years ago, according to the BBC.

It became one of the most powerful religions in the world for 1,000 years and was the official religion of Persia (Iran) from 600 BCE to 650 CE.

But the religion has inexplicably shrunk and is now one of the world's smallest faiths. In 2006, the New York Times reported that the number of Zoroastrians, or those who practice Zoroastrianism, has dwindled to just 190,000 followers worldwide.

Zoroastrians believe there is one God called Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) who created the world.
Dozens of Christians Trapped in Libya Surrounded By Islamist Militants Out to Kill Them

They're like sheep surrounded by rapacious wolves.

Dozens of Christian workers are trapped in Libya with all roads leading to the safety of their Egyptian homeland blocked by vicious militants from the Islamic State (ISIS), which has vowed to kill them all, The Christian Post reported.

The persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern (ICC) sounded the alarm after getting information that more than 30 Coptic Christian workers from Egypt have found themselves unable to return home as they have been surrounded by ISIS militants. These workers had traveled to Libya for work to support their families but are now desperately trying to escape and find a safe passage home.

An Egyptian Christian resident told ICC that the workers are trapped in the Libyan town of Misrata, Libya. He appealed to Egyptian authorities "to intervene and find safe ways to return these men to their homes."

The ICC managed to get in touch by phone to one of the trapped Egyptian Christian workers. He said he is with a group of Christians living in a housing building in Misrata, Libya. "We hope to return home to Egypt, but there isn't any safe way," he said.

The ICC noted that the highway that the workers used to enter Libya from Egypt goes through the Libyan city of Sirte "where extremists are known to stop buses and check IDs for Christian names."

There is another route that would take them to the Libyan capital Tripoli en route to Egypt, but the road going there is also controlled by ISIS, the persecution watchdog group said.

ISIS has declared that it would continue killing Christians wherever they are, including those who protect them. Less than two years ago, ISIS militants beheaded 21 Coptic Christians kidnapped in Libya. The terrorist group even released a video of their gruesome act in what is now considered as one of the biggest mass executions of Christians filmed on camera.

But despite the danger of being captured and beheaded by ISIS militants in Libya, some Christian workers from Egypt are forced to go there for lack of job opportunities in their home country. These Christians face marginalisation and discrimination in Egypt where they are forced to compete for even the most basic of jobs and where their children are kicked out of school, according to ICC.

"Because of this, they're left with no alternative but to face radical Islamic terror in Libya in order to provide food for their children," the group said.
'God Requires Me to Forgive You': Kin of Shooting Victims Urge Dylann Roof to Turn to Christ As He Is Sentenced to Death

"Turn to Christ. God will forgive you."

Mass murderer Dylann Roof heard those words from family members of those he mercilessly shot to death less than two years ago during a Bible study at South Carolina's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Christian News reported.

Roof, the then 21-year-old white supremacist, killed nine people in cold blood, including the senior pastor, state senator Clementa C. Pinckney. He confessed to have plotted the massacre in hopes of igniting a race war.

On Wednesday, Roof was formally sentenced to death by jurors at a court in Charleston, South Carolina.

In closing statements before the deliberation, Roof didn't ask for mercy or apologise, telling the jurors: "I still felt like I had to do it," the Associated Press reported.

Roof reportedly showed little emotion during the reading of the sentence, even refusing to make eye contact with those who spoke to him and offered their prayers and forgiveness.

Dan Simmons Jr. approached the killer of his father, church ministerial staff member Daniel Simmons, and told him: "I understand why you don't want to look at us, so I will speak to the spirit that possesses you.

"You don't have to look at me. But I see that spirit. I want you to think about that as I forgive for your act, for your actions. Know you have an opportunity to ask for forgiveness. Know that God will forgive you. ... If you choose to serve Him, you will have a better life."

Roof looked as if he heard nothing. But Simmons was undeterred.

"I know that you don't understand that, but God requires me to forgive you," he said. "He also requires me to plead and pray for you. And I do that."

Shirrene Goss, another grieving relative of one of the massacre victims, was not as amiable as Simmons. She confronted Roof and reminded him of the gravity of his sins.

"You, young man, are among the worst kind of evil," she said. "One day before your final earthly judgment, it's going to come to you, and you are going to realise you did not have to do this. And it's going to hit you hard."

Meanwhile, Bishop Robert Guglielmone of Charleston, South Carolina, said despite the heinousness of Roof's crimes, he should not be put to death, the Catholic Herald reported.

"We are all sinners, but through the Father's loving mercy and Jesus's redeeming sacrifice upon the Cross, we have been offered the gift of eternal life," Guglielmone said.

"The Catholic opposition to the death penalty, therefore, is rooted in God's mercy. The Church believes the right to life is paramount to every other right as it affords the opportunity for conversion, even of the hardened sinner," he added.
A city on Mississippi's Gulf Coast listed Martin Luther King Jr. Day as "Great Americans Day." As a bonus, the state recognizes the birthday of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Jan. 16 also.

The city of Biloxi called it a state-named holiday on Facebook, and later in the evening tweeted a statement from the mayor as well as a link to MLK Jr. Day events planned for Biloxi.
A Houston man who allegedly was an escaped inmate from the Fort Bend County Jail has been charged with crimes in Montgomery County after his arrest on Jan. 10 in Humble, according to a statement from the Montgomery County Pct. 4 Constable's Office.

Authorities say Khaled Azzeh, 29, is the suspect in the theft of $1,000 from EMC Towing in New Caney.

"A white male came to the business around 12:30 a.m. to inquire about getting property out of a car he claimed was his," the statement reads.

When Azzeh reportedly could not provide identification to prove the vehicle was his, he was turned away and left the business.

"Approximately 30 minutes later, Azzeh returned to the business and found his way to the office area ... and removed a safe containing approximately $1,000, then fled the location," the statement continues.

The crime was reported to the constable's office later that day when the business owner realized the safe was missing. During the investigation, Azzeh was identified as the suspect.

"Deputies soon learned that Azzeh was an escaped inmate from the Fort Bend County Jail and has been allegedly committing crimes in and around the Houston area," police say.

Azzeh was arrested that same night at around 8 p.m. in the Best Buy parking lot in Humble, reportedly while in a stolen blue 2008 Mazda CX-9.

After being taken into custody, Azzeh was transported to the Fort Bend County Jail. Charges against him in Montgomery County are pending.
After the Texas Education Agency recently released preliminary scores from a controversial letter grade accountability system, Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt joined a chorus of education leaders across the state to denounce the system and renew a call for change.

Hindt, who has long been a doubter of Texas' accountability systems for school districts, also expressed frustration with the preliminary A-F grades KISD and its campuses received, with the district struggling in one major grading category and seeing D's and even Fs sprinkled across some of its individual school evaluations.

"It's a bunch of manure," Hindt said about the system. "There's numerous indicators that leaves the public with an invalid disconnection of school quality. It's a flawed system. It doesn't measure our students' capabilities, nor does it reflect our (curriculum), and it minimalizes the expertise of our teachers."

The system has been the subject of debate since lawmakers approved it two years ago.

It consists of giving districts and their schools letter grades based on five domains  student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps, postsecondary readiness and a self-evaluation by districts.

The system is scheduled for an official rollout in 2018, but lawmakers asked the TEA to provide preliminary grades using the first four domains by Jan. 1, with the grades being released to the public shortly after.

At Katy, a district that has performed very well in the current Met Standard-Improvement Required accountability system, letter grade results weren't as positive.

While the district as a whole scored As in the first two domains and a B in the third domain, it scored a D in the fourth domain  postsecondary readiness, which the TEA says is judged based on the percentage of students who score high enough on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness to be considered ready for college, as well as graduation rates, ACT and SAT scores and other factors.

In comparison, Fort Bend ISD, another fast-growth district in the area, scored B-A-C-D in the four domains, while neighboring Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, which has about 40,000 more students than Katy, scored B-A-B-C.

Most Katy schools scored A-Cs, but some negatively stood out, such as Katy High School, which scored a D in student progress and an F for postsecondary readiness.

In the Houston area, there were barely fewer schools that received straight Fs than straight As. Nine Houston ISD schools, two Spring Branch ISD schools, a YES prep charter school, Zoe Learning Academy charter school and Arrow Academy charter scored straight Fs.

The letter grades were calculated using figures from the 2015-2016 school year.

The results baffled some educators because of the mixed findings by the TEA when compared to the current system: Roughly 85 percent of the state's 8,285 schools met the current standard, but about 6 percent of those received D's or F's on all four measures of the new system.

There's also been criticism that the system relies too heavily on the STAAR  the first four domains all weigh STAAR results as part of their equations  and doesn't take into account other factors of success, nor obstacles that schools face such as students who are poor or non-native English speakers.

More than 150 Texas school boards have approved resolutions that demand a repeal of the grading system. Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-Clint, introduced a bill for the 85th Texas Legislative Session, which is currently in session, to repeal the system.

At the same time, there has been some support for the letter grades because they cover a wider margin than the current accountability structure, which has faced its own criticism for not having a true in-between rating from "Met Standard" to "Improvement Required."

TEA spokesperson Lauren Callahan said the letter grade system is a work in progress.

"It's a very different system than the current system, so it's difficult to compare the past system to the new system," Callahan said. "There are 18 months left as it is currently written when the (official) A-F system could go into effect. So we'll see what happens between now and then. We remain committed to working with the legislature to make sure it's the best system it can be."

Diane Wilson, president of the Association of Texas Professional Educators Katy chapter, which has about 1,700 members, said teachers are the greatest victims of the grading system.

"If you have a measuring tool, you have to bring everything that a school district has into account: Bilingual programs, special education, etc.," said Wilson, who taught in KISD for 28 years before retiring in 2015. "There's got to be more criteria. I don't think our legislatures really thought through it."

Hindt said accountability systems need to give more local control to school districts. He believes districts could judge themselves better than the state does.

He's not focusing on the preliminary results because they are incomplete and don't reflect the current system in place.

"We will not put an emphasis in a test. We will put an emphasis on kids and teachers. The test will take care of itself," Hind said. "I do believe in an accountability system that gives an evaluation of school districts across Texas, but not in one that gives it in such a punitive measuring system. We're going to continue to do what we've been doing in Katy. (The preliminary results) are not the end-all, be-all."
Walking through a temporary facility in the parking lot of Faith Family Baptist Church in Kingwood on Friday, Jan. 13, a voice recording spoke through the headset, guiding guests through different rooms set up as replicas of environments experienced by a child in a developing country.

The tour is called The Compassion Experience and is an initiative by Compassion International, a faith-based child sponsorship program that aims to help children out of poverty through their child development program in partnership with over 7,000 churches in 26 countries.

"Compassion International is a child sponsorship organization working in 26 countries around the world," said Chelsea Vocal, Compassion Experience representative. "It's a one-on-one sponsorship where the sponsor pays $38 a month and writes letters back and forth, creating a relationship with that child. You really get to know them, and they're a part of your family."

Vocal has worked with the Compassion Experience tour for nearly four years. The tour she is with is one of eight different tours traveling around the country. Having recently completed a Compassion Experience event in Dallas, they brought their tour to Kingwood and set up in the church parking lot for the community to visit from Friday, Jan. 13 through Monday, Jan. 16.

The event offered two tour to experience, each centered around a child who began in poverty and benefited from the Compassion International program.

"You get a headset and the child will guide you through their story," Vocal said. "It's immersive. It looks like you're in those countries - in their homes, alleyways and school rooms. There are a lot of reasons we do this. It's been really successful. We've gotten a lot of sponsorships and a lot of feedback. Whether someone sponsors a child, or the tour gives a child here a different point of view to realize how lucky they are. Besides sponsorships, it's planting seeds to be aware of what's going on in other countries."

Volunteers from Faith Family Baptist Church helped set up the Compassion Experience facility and took shifts working the event.

"It takes about four minutes to go through each room; it's a progression," said Glenn Hensley, church volunteer and Compassion sponsor. "It's really good. It will make you cry when you think about the kids and what they're living through. We sponsor a little girl. We've done that for years."

Faith Family Baptist Church Pastor Marcus Allen explained why the church decided to host the Compassion Experience in their parking lot.

"For us, it fits with our mission and it helps us understand that there is a world outside the four wall of our Kingwood church that needs the love of Christ," Allen said. "It gives us the opportunity to know what it really means to love others, to experience what a child in a third-world country would experience and to understand to what sacrificial love means."

Even before the Compassion Experience event opened on the first day of the event, two school buses full of high school students from George I. Sanchez Charter High School in Houston arrived in the church parking lot.

The field trip was orchestrated by Sanchez High School teacher Wendy Bradford who read about the event on Facebook. She decided to organize a field trip to broaden students' perspective.

"Throughout the story, it wasn't a forcible message to force you to God; it was a message of hope," Bradford said. "Generations are changing. It used to be a generation of being humble and grateful; now with this generation it's like we owe them something. I figured if they could see the light in someone else's life, maybe it would inspire something in them, and we'd get more college applications and career applications done."

Sanchez High School teacher Anita Coleman expounded on how the experience may foster a more comprehensive world view for students.

"As human beings, they need to be developing in all areas of life," Coleman said. "This is something they need in order to shape their compassion for dealing with humanity by experience what is going on in the world and giving them a global experience; not just the liberties and freedoms we have in the United States and our ability to get what we need in our society. This is giving them a more holistic look at what other people are experiencing in the world."

For more information about Faith Family Baptist Church, visit www.faithfbc.org or www.facebook.com/faithfamilybaptist.

For more information about the Compassion Experience, visit www.CompassionExperience.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Suspect names and photos have been released in an armed jewelry store robbery in Shenandoah that bears similarities to another robbery in The Woodlands Mall.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is still investigating whether the Thursday, Jan. 12 robbery of a Zales Jewelry store in Shenandoah and the Jan. 3 robbery of a Helzberg Diamonds jewelry store in The Woodlands could be related.

The Jan. 12 incident was followed by a police chase that led to a car accident on the North Freeway when the suspect vehicle struck another car. Two suspects were arrested at the scene, and two were arrested a short while later.

ON THE RUN: Investigators seek public's help in identifying armed robbers

The four suspects are Dextrek Walker,Donte Davis, Wayland Smith and Junior Daye-Johnson. They are in the Montgomery County Jail on charges of aggravated robbery and evading arrest.

Walker is from the Cypress area and the other three suspects are from Southeast Houston. The sheriff's office said in a release that three of the suspects are known gang members.

On Thursday, Jan. 12 at 1:30 p.m., a heist was reported at Zales Jewelry Store in the Portofino Shopping Center, at 19705 Interstate 45, Shenandoah Police Assistant Chief Barry Gresham said.

"They came in, smashed the display counters and took as much as they could grab," Gresham said. "I don't think they were inside more than a minute."

Emergency dispatchers received a call from a witness who say three men wearing masks entered the store and a fourth waited in the vehicle.

SEND A TIP: Do you recognize these Houston-area fugitives?

A Montgomery County sheriff's deputy and a Shenandoah police officer were able to catch up to the suspect vehicle and attempted to stop it, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

During the pursuit, the SUV struck another vehicle but kept going. The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

The suspect vehicle continued onto Interstate 45 via the grassy median of the frontage road, but it struck a tree.

Two suspects were taken into custody at that time, while two other suspects were apprehended shortly after.

The sheriff's office reported Friday that all of the jewelry stolen from the Zales store has been recovered. Some of the jewelry was in the suspects' pockets when they were arrested, according to the press release.
Transcription

1 Sweden, Finland and NAtO: Security partners and security producers By Dr. Ann-Sofi e Dahl Sweden and Finland belong to a category all by themselves in the community of PfP (Partnership for Peace) countries. As old and solid democracies in a peaceful and stable corner of Europe, with similar long histories of peacekeeping experience, and with military contributions to most NATO missions since the end of the Cold War, the two countries appear to have little in common with the rest of the countries that make up the diverse PfP group. Sweden and Finland readily fulfill all requirements for membership in the Alliance, politically as well as militarily; their applications would, according to some NATO sources, be a mere and quick matter of formality. Within PfP, they stand out as trusted security providers, rather than consumers, which can be relied upon to contribute militarily when need be. As a matter of fact, within NATO proper, Sweden and Finland are often seen as closer to NATO in many ways than several actual allies because of their substantial contributions and close cooperation with the Alliance. Yet, in spite of this impressive record, both countries have so far chosen to remain on the outside and to abstain from NATO membership. Why is that? These two countries, in many ways such natural allies, remain on the outside, voluntarily abstaining from the influence and security guarantees included in membership, and with no visible signs of approaching a change of doctrine? What is the actual nature of their relationship with NATO and how is it likely to evolve? What, if anything, could bring them jointly or separately to fill out their membership application forms and deliver it to NATO HQ? 1 Two countries, two doctrines Outsiders may be excused if they tend to deal with Swedish and Finnish nonalignment as one. On the surface, and in addition to a multitude of cultural, political and other similarities, the security policies of the two Nordic countries may come across as close to identical, with similar labels of neutrality and nonalignment attached to their doctrines over the years. In reality, however, there are great differences in the background and origins of the two doctrines. Swedish neutrality a term no longer officially used after the country entered the European Union in 1995 and nonalignment date back to the Napoleonic wars; Sweden has had the rare privilege of living in peace ever since. Swedish nonalignment is one of political and national choice, and served from the 1960s through the 1980s as a political platform for an extensive activist policy, a self-assigned role as the moral superpower between the two blocs. The two superpowers were seen at the time, at least in official rhetoric, as morally and politically indistinguishable, in spite of the profoundly different political and moral systems that they represented. 2 This activism resulted in a far-reaching Swedish presence in the Third World, focusing on various forms of political support to radical, and often strongly anti-american, regimes, such as Cuba, the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and Vietnam. 1 My thanks to Pal Jonson, Foreign Policy Advisor, Swedish Parliament, for his helpful comments on a preliminary version of this paper. For an extended version of this text, see the chapter on Sweden, Finland, and NATO by Ann- Sofi e Dahl and Pauli Jarvenpaa in the forthcoming volume on Security in the Nordic-Baltic Region in a Post-Unipolar World, Ann-Sofi e Dahl and Pauli Jarvenpaa (editors, 2012). 2 For an analysis of various aspects and policies of the moral superpower, see my book with that title (Dahl/ Nilsson, Den moraliska stormakten, 1991). For an updated version in English, see Sweden: Once a moral superpower, always a moral superpower? in International Journal (Ottawa), Autumn

2 However, as became clear after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Sweden maintained an elaborate policy of double doctrines during the Cold War. Parallel to the highly visible neutralist posture of the moral superpower there was also a separate, top-secret bilateral arrangement with a number of NATO countries, and to some extent with NATO proper, to ensure military support in the event of an attack by the Soviet Union. This military cooperation which the officially neutral and nonaligned Sweden entertained with NATO and a number of NATO countries has been the subject of a number of investigations and studies since the early 1990s, when a first government report was presented on the controversial subject. 3 As was documented in that study, the top secret program started already in the early 1950s, with extensive preparations to facilitate the exchange of military support and sharing of intelligence with the Alliance and its members. It was primarily conducted with the two Nordic NATO allies, Norway and Denmark, Great Britain, and the United States. Because of the valuable contribution and the role that the nonaligned country played for the Alliance during the Cold War, Sweden was actually referred to within NATO as its seventeenth member this was, of course, at a time when NATO membership totaled sixteen. 4 Meanwhile the Swedish public was told that their country maintained a policy of strict neutrality between the blocs. Swedish nonalignment and previously neutrality have thus been significantly more political in nature than its Finnish counterpart. Though Finland too was an active peacekeeper and mediator under UN auspices, Finnish nonalignment and neutrality have primarily been the result of geopolitical necessity. It is a direct consequence of the immediate geographic proximity of the country to the Soviet Union, now Russia, with which Finland shares a 1,300 kilometer long border, and with which it has fought two tragic wars in modern times. Finnish neutrality and nonalignment have been a matter of basic realpolitik, an instrument to avoid being absorbed by its giant neighbor. Thus, the term Finlandization, used to describe the skillful maneuvering of Finnish politicians to uphold sovereignty under severe political and military strain. While both countries place Russia at the center of their security concerns and defense planning, the Finnish perspective toward Russia remains one of more direct strategic concern. As then-finnish defense minister Jyri Hakamies put it in surprisingly blunt terms at a presentation at the Washington think tank CSIS, there are three strategic problems on which to focus for Finland: Russia, Russia, and Russia. 5 The 2009 Russia Action Plan was the first ever of its kind, reflecting the fact that Russia is now once again Finland s most important trading partner. 6 The Action Plan provides guidelines for the management of Finnish relations with Russia from a broad and multifaceted perspective, with representatives from government as well as industry and business and the academic community involved in its work. For both countries the Russian invasion and occupation of Georgia in August 2008 was seen as a reminder of the hazards of living next door to an increasingly confident and aggressive great power. It took several months for Swedish- Russian relations to recover after foreign minister Carl Bildt s exceptionally and unusually harsh statement at the onset of the conflict, comparing Russian aggression in Georgia to Nazi Germany s attack on central Europe. 7 NATO partners With the collapse of the Cold War and the dissolution of its Soviet neighbor, Finland took rapid advantage of the strategic window of opportunity, determinedly moving towards the West. The Finnish decision to purchase the F-18 Hornet, rather than the Swedish Gripen, temporarily strained relations with the Nordic neighbor in the 1990s, but was a solid manifestation of the country s strategic perspective. The two countries simultaneously joined the EU in 1995 after national referenda had been held the previous year. To Sweden, membership in the EU was primarily an economic issue, while for Finland which took one further step of integration when joining the European Monetary Union it was also a matter of national security. With EU membership, the term neutrality was gradually removed from official language of both countries; for an EU country to remain neutral if another is militarily attacked is seen as inconsistent with the basic idea and commitment of membership. Sweden and Finland also moved in tandem to upgrade their relations with NATO in the post-cold War world. 8 They were the first to sign up for the newly created 3 Had there been war (Stockholm: SOU, 1994:11). Other studies include Robert Dalsjo, Life-line Lost: The Rise and Fall of Neutral Sweden s Secret Reserve Option of Wartime Help from the West (Stockholm, Santerus Academic Press, 2006), and most recently Mikael Holmstrom, Den dolda alliansen: Sveriges hemliga NATO-forbindelser. (Stockholm: Atlantis, 2011). 4 Ann-Sofie Dahl, Svenskarna och NATO (Stockholm: Timbro, 1999). 5 Presentation by Jyri Hakamies, CSIS, September 5, Russia Action Plan, Government of Finland, April 16, Available at: {448538DA-BD B FB386721}. 7 Bildt s statement is quoted in English by Ron D. Asmus in A Little War That Shook the World. Georgia, Russia, and the Future of the West (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), p Leo Michel presents a thorough analysis of Swedish-Finnish relations, primarily military, with NATO in Finland, Sweden and NATO: From Virtual to Formal Allies?, Strategic Forum, National Defense University, Washington, DC, February

3 Partnership for Peace program in 1994; in the Swedish case, this was a significant step forward from the previously secret arrangement with the Alliance. References to the significance of the transatlantic link were also included as regular ingredients in official speeches and declarations, and have remained part of the official agenda of all governments, regardless of political color. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the US, Swedish prime minister Goran Persson paraphrased the Le Monde headlines in declaring in Riksdagen that Today, we are all Americans a statement which would have been unthinkable by previous social democratic prime ministers. As nonaligned partners, Sweden and Finland have participated in almost every NATO mission since the end of the Cold War, starting with SFOR and KFOR in which Finland became the first PfP framework nation responsible for one of the regional forces and with ISAF as their most demanding operation. In 2011, there were approximately 500 Swedish soldiers and 180 Finnish troops in the Swedish-led Mazar-e-Sharif camp in northern Afghanistan; Sweden is actually the only non- NATO European country to lead a PRT in Afghanistan. 9 Both countries have also hosted a number of NATO exercises; air and sea exercises in the Finnish case while Sweden arranged an exercise on Swedish ground in 2009 called Loyal Arrow, with Finnish participation in addition to eight allied countries. Another first was the US-Swedish bilateral exercise which took place in Sweden in August of 2010 in Lulea located in the northernmost part of the country. 10 However, Sweden and Finland took separate paths in the case of the Unified Protector mission in Libya in While Sweden participates again, as the only European non- NATO country with primarily a group of JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets performing surveillance tasks on NATOs behalf, Finland has for mainly domestic reasons opted to stay out of the conflict, although there has been a capabilities buildup of the Finnish F-18s precisely for missions of this kind. The strongest opposition has been voiced by the president herself, who has effectively blocked a Finnish contribution. In addition to Finnish and Swedish participation in NATO operations, both countries provide active contributions to a number of missions run by the EU as a consequence of their membership in the union and in strong support of the Common Security and Defense Policy. Sweden has, for instance, dispatched land forces to the African continent in support of the EU missions in Congo and Chad, and participates in the EU antipiracy operation off the coast of Somalia. The regional perspective Not all involvement has taken place in far-away countries or on other continents. With the end of the Cold War, the regional perspective became a priority as a result of the increased sense of instability in the Baltic Sea. In the 1990s, great efforts were made by the two countries to facilitate the membership applications by the three small and vulnerable Baltic countries to NATO, in spite of the fact that Finland and Sweden themselves were not members of the Alliance. Then-prime minister Carl Bildt was personally involved in the negotiations to withdraw Russian troops from the Baltic states. 11 Extensive programs were designed and implemented by the two Nordics, with Finland taking Estonia under its wings and Sweden working closely with both Estonia and Latvia, to improve the political and military readiness of the three Baltic countries. Much of this support was carried out in close cooperation with the United States. 12 In the new millennium, Sweden has gradually taken on the role of a regional defense organizer. As part of this ambition, it has served as lead nation of the Nordic Battle Group under EU auspices Finland actually participates in two battle groups, the Nordic plus the German-Dutch and has pursued an increased level of regional defense cooperation through the build-up of the Nordic Defense Cooperation, a new structure which goes by its acronym, NORDEFCO. During the last decade or so, bilateral defense cooperation has gradually expanded between the Nordics, with Finland and Sweden performing joint maritime and air force exercises. 13 This growing cooperation was upgraded, coordinated and brought to the regional level in 2009, as the five Nordic defense ministers from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland agreed at a meeting in Helsinki to consolidate their various forms of joint military tasks and contacts into one single structure, NORDEFCO Michel 2011, pp 7 and On recent Swedish exercises with NATO, see Magnus Nordenman, Sweden developing greater regional defense role, Atlantic Council (July 28, 2010). 11 Bildt provides a personal account of this process in an article in Foreign Affairs, The Baltic litmus test (September/October 1994). 12 An account of Nordic policy in the Baltic in the 1990s is provided in Ann-Sofie Dahl, US Policy in the Nordic-Baltic Region (Stockholm: Santerus, 2008). 13 Details of the military cooperation between the Nordics, including the NORDEFCO, are outlined by Pauli Jarvenpaa and Tomas Ries in The Rise of the Arctic on the Global Stage, in James Kraska (ed.), Arctic Security in an Age of Climate Change (forthcoming, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011). 14 For a thorough analysis of NORDEFCO and the consequences for Nordic- Baltic security, see the chapter by Pauli Jarvenpaa in the forthcoming volume on Security in the Nordic-Baltic Region in a Post-Unipolar World, edited by Ann-Sofie Dahl and Pauli Jarvanpaa (2012). 8

4 One reason for the expanded degree of cooperation at the regional level is budgetary: like most countries, the Nordics have had to cut their defense costs. Finland has reduced the national wartime troops from an exceptionally high level but the most dramatic changes have taken place in Sweden, which has embarked upon a major restructuring of its military. The most visible sign of the transformation of the Swedish military was the decision in 2010 to end conscription and replace it with an all volunteer force, a move which provoked an intense debate in the country. With such major transformations, NORDEFCO provides a money-saving device as the five Nordics pool their resources, as well as an instrument to increase the efficiency of their military forces. Covering a wide area of defense cooperation, with more than 140 areas identified for potential cooperation ranging from military education and joint exercises to matters of procurement and practical cooperation in Afghanistan NORDEFCO is indeed a historical step in terms of regional cooperation. The three Baltic countries were invited to join NORDEFCO at a formal meeting in Tallinn in January, At the time of writing, a response is still pending from the Baltic countries. They are however known to consistently favor NATO as their security partner, and have historically taken a skeptical view towards previous proposals for regional security arrangements under the auspices of their nonaligned neighbors. 16 For Sweden and Finland, military cooperation with the three NATO allies (six if and when the Baltic countries join) in NORDEFCO provides added insight into the practices and thinking in the Alliance. But the outside status of the two partner countries also limits the amount of involvement and level of confidentiality shared by the allied neighbors. Among the allies, Denmark was a reluctant latecomer to the field, having voiced great skepticism beforehand with regards to the eventual outcome of this joint Nordic venture. Though Denmark was deeply involved in supporting the Baltic countries in the aftermath of the Cold War, making an important contribution to their final acceptance into NATO in spite of considerable opposition, Denmark has since basically abandoned the regional perspective in favor of its overseas commitments, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the activities already undertaken or outlined as potential areas of cooperation within NORDEFCO correspond to the suggestions provided by former Norwegian foreign minister Thorvald Stoltenberg in his 2009 report. 17 But the article of the Stoltenberg Report proposing that the Nordics extend a mutually binding security guarantee has not met with much, or any, enthusiasm among the regional actors, all of whom apparently prefer their existing doctrines to a joint Nordic security guarantee. Nevertheless, the issue of a Nordic solidarity statement had surfaced already in 2007, and again in 2008, in an effort to coordinate policy with Articles 42.7 and 222 in the Lisbon Treaty which provide the EU with its own soft version of a security guarantee. A Solidarity Declaration was issued in both Finland and Sweden in 2009, declaring in both cases that their country would not remain passive if another EU country or a Nordic neighbor, Norway and Iceland included, was the victim of an outside attack or struck by disaster; in addition, they expected solidarity to be reciprocal, so that they themselves would benefit from a similar kind of assistance from their Nordic and EU colleagues. 18 A common Nordic Declaration of Solidarity was presented at the biannual meeting of the Nordic foreign ministers in Helsinki on April 5, The Nordic declaration stated in similar terms that should a Nordic country be affected, the others will, upon request from that country, assist with relevant means, adding that this would be done in accordance with each country s security and defense policy. While much has been made of these declarations in think tank circles in Washington, they have generated much less debate or interest back home. In Sweden, the declaration has been discussed only in rather limited circles, with little impact on public debate despite regular references to the declaration in government documents and a number of seminars organized to discuss the consequences of the declaration on the Swedish doctrine. 20 Still, the Solidarity Declaration is dismissed by some as a nonevent, another play of words with little practical effect. This may be particularly true in Finland, where the attitude has been one of caution, as often prescribed by national tradition. As one leading Finnish security expert sees it, the declaration is of little actual value unless backed up by contingency planning, training, and exercises. 21 But while the declaration may be solely a statement of political intent, it definitely represents a step forward, perhaps 15 For example, 16 Dahl 2008, pp 68 ff. 17 Thorvald Stoltenberg, Nordic Cooperation on Foreign and Security Policy (Oslo: February, 2009). 18 The Swedish and Finnish solidarity declarations are discussed in Bo Hugemark (editor), Till broders hjalp (Stockholm: Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademin, 2011). 19 The Nordic declaration on solidarity is available on Public/default.aspx?contentid= This public lack of interest is noted in Hugemark (ed.), 2011, p Interview, June

5 mostly so for Sweden. By declaring not only a willingness to provide assistance but by openly stating for the first time ever after decades of top secret military programs the reliance on outside assistance for the defense of the country, it could be seen as a small step for mankind but a big step for Sweden, as one security expert puts it. 22 NATO membership: Is it whether or when? The Finnish and Swedish Solidarity Declarations have as mentioned resulted in rather intense speculation overseas; is this in reality the first step toward a change of doctrine for the two countries? Is NATO membership right around the corner, the signing of the application forms to NATO HQ next on the list of activities for the two Nordics? Not likely: there is little that would indicate such a move is in the near future for either country. Though the distinction between the Solidarity Declarations and an Article 5 guarantee might appear to be a matter of semantics, the fact remains that the former are purely unilateral declarations, with no military or political commitments of a formal, binding character attached. The intense cooperation pursued at a practical level with the Alliance has not resulted in any widespread demands that relations with NATO be taken to the next, formalized, level. In a similar fashion, the lack of political influence on decision-making is apparently not seen as a major problem by very many, though the sudden realization of the consequences of being outside the decision-making process actually propelled Sweden to apply for EU membership in the early 1990, a process some expected to see repeated with the issue of NATO membership. Some pro-nato Swedes have been hoping for Finland to lead the way by applying for membership, with Sweden then following since it is generally assumed that the two would join simultaneously, if ever. Finland has indeed come across as the more forward of the two, with a number of government reports as well as academic studies analyzing the consequences of NATO membership published in the last few years; no such studies have yet been produced in Sweden. In 2009, a government report actually concluded that strong grounds exist for considering Finland s membership in NATO. 23 Those expectations did however fade somewhat in the spring of 2011, as the True Finns made it into parliament but not the new government and with Erkki Tuomioja replacing conservative Alexander Stubb at the foreign ministry. It is thus no longer just a matter of president Halonen blocking 10 the way into NATO, as a somewhat simplified analysis has had it. Nevertheless, the next presidential election is likely to have security policy implications, especially of course if there are candidates as can be expected advocating NATO membership for Finland. Across the Baltic Sea, the coalition government has shown a surprising given the dominance of the conservative or Moderate party lack of interest in the entire issue of NATO membership since arriving to power in Prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt clearly prefers to focus on domestic policy, and has handed over the realm of foreign policy entirely in the hands of foreign minister Carl Bildt. Although he personally played a major role in the democratization and liberation process of the Baltic countries when prime minister in the 1990s, and despite strong support for NATO membership in the rank and file of his conservative party (as well as in the traditionally pro-nato liberal party which is also in government), Bildt expresses no great interest for the issue. By referring to the need for political consensus, and for a broad majority in parliament indeed crucial the prime and foreign ministers effectively grant the strong anti-nato forces in the social democrats the right to veto any change in security policy. The new leader of the social democrats, Hakan Juholt, whose main political work has actually been on defense issues in parliament, made a turbulent foreign policy start in his new role when advocating a number of different and to some extent contradictory positions with regard to the extended Swedish mandate in the Libyan operation. In the meantime, debate on the future direction of Swedish security policy is limited, and even seen as counterproductive in some government circles; in due time and when the timing is right, they argue, there will be a debate and after that, perhaps, a change of doctrine. This is however an unfortunate attitude in many ways; a healthy debate which takes place over time including a study of the pros and cons similar to the kind that has been undertaken in Finland would provide a solid basis for a future change of doctrine. It would also quite likely remove some of the drama still surrounding NATO and the myths regarding Swedish neutrality in the mind of the Swedish people. This is, after all, what political leadership is all about: to advocate ideas and set the political agenda. In addition, the idea that debate on any issue can be or should be controlled and postponed until the timing is considered right does have a slightly undemocratic ring to it. 22 Interview, August 15, Finnish Security and Defence Policy 2009 (

6 Thus, if the Swedish government would at some point decide to move Sweden into NATO, it would do so without the benefit of any prior debate; indeed, this would be a risky political path for a policy change of that magnitude, especially if a national referendum would be required (as could be expected). In the Finnish case, matters are slightly less difficult, and the issue of bringing about a change of doctrine might be facilitated by the tradition of the population following the political leaders, thereby making the limited degree of popular support around 25 percent, basically the same as in Sweden less of a concern. 24 In Finland, Russia still looms large in the background whenever NATO is discussed. To many Swedes, nonalignment still often referred to as neutrality remains more a matter of identity than of defense and security. In the absence of any debate on the issue, or of a coherent analysis of the pros and cons similar to the studies published in Finland, the question of NATO membership remains a largely abstract affair, even though Swedish (and Finnish) soldiers and military officers are at risk every day when serving under NATO command in Afghanistan and other operations, and in the Swedish case in the sky over Libya. Regardless of the process, it would be wise for the two countries to take advantage of a period of relative stability to rapidly proceed to upgrade their doctrines to full membership in NATO; in particular as there might be some uncertainties on the horizon with regards to the development of regional security in the very north of Europe. Such a step would certainly benefit not only the two nonaligned countries themselves, which would come to enjoy the full security guarantee of Article 5 in addition to the political and decision-making influence exercised in the North Atlantic Council. The Alliance would also profit from such a development, as two stable democracies and reliable security providers belatedly join the ranks as full members. Ann-Sofie Dahl is an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Copenhagen). The old joke that was often heard in the pro-nato community in the early 1990s, saying that Sweden would join NATO only after Albania did at that time seen as an unthinkable scenario has lost it charm, now that Albania has been an allied member for several years while Sweden remains in the diverse group of PfP countries, jointly with Finland. The best option for Swedes longing for their country to one day take a seat next to Albania at NATO HQ now seem to be to continue to pin their hopes on Finland to be the bolder one of the two nonaligned partners, and then for Sweden to follow suit. 24 This number is quoted in Michel 2011, p 9. 11
A fourth-grader who delivered a speech about what Martin Luther King, Jr., would have thought about Muhammad Ali's contributions to society has won the 21st annual oratory competition named for the civil rights leader.

Nhedrick Jabier, a student at Crespo Elementary School whose family moved to the Houston area three years ago from Puerto Rico, earned top honors in the competition held at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ in downtown Houston, according to a news release from the Houston ISD.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Stepping carefully through the dusty sand in a homeless camp under the dim overpass of the Southwest Freeway, George Ruano found a glimmer of hope.

Someone may have seen his missing brother recently at Hermann Park.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you," Ruano replied gratefully Thursday. "We've been everywhere. He just disappeared."

He pivoted on one foot in the moment, as if unsure whether to leave or stay. Then he headed back to Hermann Park, where earlier in the day a police officer had directed him to the congregation of transients among the tents and mattresses near downtown.

His brother  34-year-old Daniel Almendi, who has been diagnosed as schizophrenic with paranoia  has been missing since Nov. 30, when he was discharged from the UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center and disappeared into the urban jungle.

No one notified Ruano that his brother was being released, and Almendi's whereabouts remain unknown.

It's an all-too-common problem for the families of mentally ill people: They want to help but often are stymied by the health system, according to mental health advocates. Attempts to balance the privacy of adults and loved ones' concerns about their safety can leave individuals unaccounted for and relatives frustrated.

"The family can be so helpful and the more involved they can be with the hospital and the treatment, the more they can be supportive to their family member," said Susan Fordice, chief executive of the nonprofit Mental Health America of Greater Houston. "There is no prohibition against the family being very proactive in talking to the treatment provider."

Almendi needs his medication. His ID, wallet and cell phone remain at home, and there have been no transactions on his bank account.

There's been no Amber Alert because he isn't a minor and no Silver Alert because he's not an older person with dementia.

For six weeks, Ruano has visited Houston soup kitchens, homeless shelters, bus stops and highway underpasses frantically posting flyers in hopes that someone had seen Almendi.

Almendi had been living with his brother but had stopped taking the medication that helps regulate his condition.

Ruano finally obtained a mental health warrant last year to have his brother admitted to the hospital for treatment.

A soft-spoken man who is shorter and smaller than his brother, Ruano, 53, is the oldest of their mother's four sons. Almendi is the youngest. Their mother cared her youngest son until her death five years ago. Now the caregiver, Ruano works evenings and tries to keep up with his brother.

"I can't watch him all the time," he said.

Brother warns of 'danger'

Two weeks after being committed, Almendi was released. With previous hospitalizations, a hospital social worker had called to have family members retrieve him discharge. This time, however, no one contacted Ruano, though it's possible that relatives were not listed or had been removed at Almendi's request from the medical file.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, requires the confidentiality of health care data.

"Patient information cannot be disclosed to anyone without patient consent," UTHealth spokeswoman Deborah Mann Lake said. She declined to confirm the date of Almendi's release and referred questions about the psychiatric center's discharge policy to the organization's legal office.

Ruano still doesn't know what changed.

"The HIPAA law is just so strict," Ruano said. "In this situation we have a mentally ill person who's in danger because he has no medicine. He's just out there and I don't know if he's alive or dead."

Ruano said he, too, has been unable to get any information from the hospital.

"I don't understand why the hospital didn't call me if I got the mental health warrant and put him in the hospital," he said. "I don't know if they just listen to the patient. They stabilize him for two weeks, but it takes a whole month for the medication to kick in real well. I don't understand what happened at the hospital."

Ruano reached out to police, local media and missing persons organizations. Most of the groups that actively search for missing people place priority on children, women and the elderly, he found.

So Ruano and friends set out on their own manhunt with fistfuls of flyers showing the missing man's driver's license snapshot with a second photo that is a rendering of what he would look like with a scraggly beard. They diligently canvassed areas where Almendi might be cocooned.

There is hope that he is surviving on the streets, but his paranoia may make him more difficult to find.

"He's a very loving person. He's just very reclusive. He keeps to himself," Ruano said.

Officials with the Harris County medical examiner's office said they have received no bodies matching Almendi's description since Nov. 30.

Upheaval complicates search

On Thursday, Ruano learned that there had been a sighting of his brother in mid-December  clothed in the same items he was last seen wearing  in Hermann Park. That's not far from the psychiatric center, a Texas Medical Center institution on South MacGregor Way.

"I'd been looking in the wrong place the whole time," Ruano said.

On an unusually warm January day this week, the frustrated-but-hopeful brother continued looking in a different section of Hermann Park, but found no sign of Almendi.

The search may be complicated by the recent upheaval of transient residents. There have been city efforts to relocate homeless people in recent weeks, and advocates report having problems keeping track of their loved ones.

The Houston Police Department opened a case on Almendi, and entered his information into national databases for missing people.

"We also did a flyer for him and that was sent out to law enforcement, transportation services and medical facilities," said Officer E. Claburn with HPD's missing person unit.

She and her partner went to Hermann Park after receiving a tip on Dec. 16 about a man who looked like Almendi sitting on a bench near a bathroom wearing the same clothes listed on the flyer.

"We have gone out two or three times, but were unable to find him," Claburn said. "We have a lot of people being released from these psychiatric institutions and their families aren't called."

Fordice advises people to seek the support, knowledge and experience of other individuals and families as well as resources available through chapters of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, known as NAMI. She also said an advance directive for mental health treatment, which can address medications and notifications, might also assist in maintaining the patient-family link.

"What I've heard from people living with a diagnosis is how empowering it was when they created an advance directive," she said. "I sure hope this family finds their loved one."

Holding out hope

Almendi was young when his father left the family, Ruano said. Longing for his dad may have contributed to Almendi's first disappearance, when he was in his 20s.

He caught a flight from Houston to Florida to look for his dad. Relatives coordinated with Florida authorities to have him committed and transported back to Houston, Ruano said.

Ruano said Almendi's mental health declined after high school. He earned credentials from San Jacinto College to work as a pharmacy technician but never got his career going.

The brothers have been reeling since colon cancer claimed their mother five years ago. The loss hit Almendi the hardest, but Ruano hasn't given up hope of finding his brother.

"Unfortunately," he said, "his mental illness just kept getting worse and worse over the years."

Have you seen Daniel Almendi?

Daniel Almendi has been missing since Nov. 30, when he was released from the UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center. He is five-foot-seven with a stocky build and weighs about 230 pounds. He is described as Hispanic with a light complexion, brown eyes and black curly hair. His full, bushy beard has probably grown long and unkempt. He speaks English and Spanish.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red shorts and white socks with sandals.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

UPDATE: A man was charged in the wrong-way crash on the Southwest Freeway. Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Suspected-drunk-driver-accused-in-fatal-wrong-way-10862385.php.

At least two women died in wrecks caused by suspected intoxicated drivers on Houston roads early Saturday. State troopers also followed a man on a high-speed chase from Galveston to Pasadena that ended in gunfire, and a pedestrian was killed near Jersey Village.

A suspected drunk driver killed a 19-year-old woman in north Houston 1:30 a.m. when his SUV left the North Freeway feeder road, crossed a grassy median just before West Road and entered the northbound main lanes, Houston police said.

The man's SUV slammed into a Toyota Rav-4 carrying seven women in their late teens and early 20s. The two cars spun out of control. The man's vehicle, an SUV with no passengers, stopped moving when it hit the freeway retaining wall. The women's Rav-4 slid on to the feeder road.

COMPARISON: Texas, Louisiana drivers named the worst in the country

The crash killed a woman sitting in the back seat on the passenger side. The other six women were taken to area hospitals in various conditions, including another 19-year-old who was taken in serious condition to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

The man was taken in stable condition to St. Joseph Medical Center downtown, where police planned to test his blood for intoxication.

Police have not yet released names of the victims or suspect. HPD spokesman John Cannon said Saturday afternoon that investigators had determined the man was intoxicated. Police plan to file charges including intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault.

BANNED: Houston truck driver declared threat, to be kept off road

Another fatal crash came after a man driving the wrong way on the Southwest Freeway main lanes caused a five-car pileup about 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Houston police.

A possibly intoxicated man in a black Dodge Durango SUV drove north in the southbound lanes near the Westpark Tollway, HPD spokesman John Cannon said. He sideswiped a black Scion TC and hit a white Chevy Tahoe head-on.

The Tahoe was then struck by a blue Honda CR-V, while the Scion driver lost control and was hit head-on by a white Chevy Impala, the spokesman said.

One female was pronounced dead at the scene. Eleven people were taken to area hospitals, including one girl in critical condition.

"We don't know much yet because we have so many people that we have to interview at hospitals," Cannon said.Police have to await doctors' permission before interviewing injured victims or the suspect, who was also taken to a hospital.

The driver likely will get a citation or face charges, especially if police determine he was intoxicated.

And about 10:30 p.m. Friday near Jersey Village, a pedestrian walking in the street on FM 529 died after he was struck by a driver, who stopped and called 911. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said the victim was an unidentified man whose next of kin could not be reached.

The pedestrian was walking against traffic in a westbound lane in the 13600 block of FM 529, near North Eldridge Parkway. A man driving a red Hyundai Veloster struck the pedestrian with the left front side of the vehicle, sending his body flying into the center lane.

The unidentified victim died at the scene, according to the sheriff's office. No charges are expected since the pedestrian failed to yield the right of way as he was walking in the street at night.

In addition, a police chase started about 9 p.m. Friday when state troopers got several calls about a reckless driver speeding and nearly hitting other vehicles on the northbound Gulf Freeway in Galveston.

A trooper spotted the driver in a Ford Excursion and tried to pull him over, but the driver instead tried to speed away. Police chased him north on the Gulf Freeway to Beltway 8.

At one point, state troopers and Harris County Precinct 8 constable's deputies opened fire on the driver, who managed to drive away. No one was injured.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

On Jan. 12, 1884, a pair of immigrants in Waco, Texas gave birth to Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan. Thirty-three years later, the rest of the nation would come to know her by "Texas" Guinan.

While she fostered a career in stage performances and vaudeville, Guinan's fame is likely best attributed to her time as the owner of the "300 Club."

PROHIBITION ENDS A CENTURY LATER: Houston voters overturn alcohol ban in one neighborhood

Guinan was 33 years old when the U.S. government officially banned the production and sale of alcohol. During the so-called "Prohibition" era, a number of speakeasies or illegal bars opened around the U.S.

The "300 Club" was one of those establishments, situated in the 150 block of West 15th Street in New York City, N.Y. Attracting all sorts of famous and wealthy patrons, Guinan maintained a healthy troupe of scantily-clad dancers and a supply of then-illicit alcoholic beverages.

Texas Escapes wrote she had a habit of greeting every customer with the now-classic phrase "Hello, suckers!" She was also credited with popularizing "Give the little girl a great big hand."

A DIFFERENT TIME: How New Year's was celebrated during Prohibition era

Law enforcement officers likely did not have as much as the club's patrons. They routinely raided the establishment and arrested Guinan on suspicion of illegally selling alcohol. Despite their efforts, the club would eventually be done in, thanks to the Great Depression.



Guinan returned to film work, during which time she also attempted to expand her show to France. Unfortunately, her Prohibition-era reputation and the fear of competition with other French acts resulted in every port of entry being closed off.

While on tour, she died due to dysentery at the age of 49. She is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

Her audacious character and mannerisms lived on, inspiring a few fictional characters along the way. One of the more unusual inspirations can be found in the '90s science-fiction television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Whoopie Goldberg's character "Guinan" was named after the late Prohibition-era star.

Take a look at Guinan from her days spent partying in the slideshow above. Then, keep clicking for a look at other wild Texas women you should know.
Transcription

1 E-Learning Using Open Source Software in African Universities Nicholas Mavengere, Mikko Ruohonen, Paul Nleya To cite this version: Nicholas Mavengere, Mikko Ruohonen, Paul Nleya. E-Learning Using Open Source Software in African Universities. Tobias Ley; Mikko Ruohonen; Mart Laanpere; Arthur Tatnall. 1st Open and Social Technologies for Networked Learning (OST), Jul 2012, Tallinn, Estonia. Springer, IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, AICT-395, pp , 2013, Open and Social Technologies for Networked Learning. < / >. <hal > HAL Id: hal Submitted on 27 Jul 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinee au depot et a la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publies ou non, emanant des etablissements d enseignement et de recherche francais ou etrangers, des laboratoires publics ou prives.

2 Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

3 E-Learning Using Open Source Software in African Universities Nicholas Mavengere 1, Mikko Ruohonen 1 and Paul Nleya 2 1 School of Information Sciences, University of Tampere, Finland {nicholas.mavengere, 2 Educational Technology Department, University of Botswana, Botswana Abstract. The use of technology in education specifically for enhancing learning is of immense value for improving education delivery. This article serves to highlight the research project to be done by the University of Tampere, University of Botswana and Catholic University of Mozambique. The aim of the research is to investigate how low resourced higher education institutes could make use of free and open source technologies to enhance education delivery. The community of inquiry is used as background theory because it also seeks potential to break new ground pedagogically by addressing the challenge to scientifically explore the combination of pedagogical principles and new technology that will advance the evolution of higher education. The expected results include critical success factors in implementing learning management systems in developing countries and models of open source learning management use. Keywords: learning management systems, open source software, low resourced education institutes, community of inquiry 1 Introduction The use of technology in education is of differing dimensions but however its value is equally important. For instance, in education technology can be used for storing students records, that is university information system, and also technology can be used for learning purposes, that is, learning management systems. It is important to study the technology used for learning for several reasons, for example, it is of direct benefit to the main education stakeholders, students and also Marshall and Ruohonen [1] noted that the use of technology in classroom is still a challenge both in developed and developing countries. Therefore, it is of value to improve how to effectively and efficiently make use of technology in classroom. Free and open source software (FOSS) is widely considered to be a tool for promoting ICT in developing countries owing mainly to advantages like reduced cost of ownership, avoidance of vendor lock-in and development of indigenous technologies [2, 3]. In other words, FOSS is a considered to be important for removing the so-called digital divide between developed countries and the rest of the world. Thus, a recent trend shows that governments of developing countries, especially from Africa, are adopting FOSS over proprietary ICT. Therefore, this 188

4 research seeks to utilize FOSS because of the mentioned advantages. The FOSS systems that will be used in this research are learning management systems (LMS). This research seeks to investigate how low resourced higher education institutes could make use of free and open source technologies to enhance education delivery. The practical problem which this project seeks to solve is to reduce the impact of inadequate resources in higher education institute in developing countries. This is a common problem at most institutes in Africa. The aim of this project is to make use of free and open source technologies to reduce this problem. Technology offers a big opportunity for African education institutes to reduce the impact of lack of resources. The significance of the project is to offer sustainable solution to lack of resources at African education institutes. The research question to be addressed in this research is; how to make use of elearning in African education institutes in order to foster the use of technology in higher education context? 2 Research background 2.1 Practical background Mavengere and Ruohonen [4] note five key issues in application of LMS in African universities as computer literacy, computer infrastructure, collaboration/sharing culture, human resource (IT staff) and leadership support. These are essential aspects which have to be addressed before starting a technology related project in Africa. We will briefly discuss these issues before explaining the proposed Case Studies in this research. The main challenge for IT-enhanced education in developing countries is availability of computer infrastructure [5]. Therefore, firstly the need for computer infrastructure has to be addressed before initiating any technology related project in Africa. In this research we access the computer infrastructure availability at University of Botswana and Catholic University of Mozambique and make adequate preparations. The second step is to guarantee computer literacy, as it was noted as also an essential aspect for LMS in African universities [4]. Third aspect and related to computer literacy is availability of the required human resource expertise, such as, IT technicians and managers. This research project will incorporate student and staff exchange programmes from African universities to University of Tampere as a well to improve the human resources on IT use in education. Moreover, joint intensive courses will be done by all partner universities to share experience and learn from each other. Last, two other important aspects for application of LMS in African universities are based on organizational behaviour namely collaboration culture and leadership support. Collaboration is important especially in African education context where resources are limited in that there is mutual benefit by the sharing parties. On the other hand, leadership support is the backbone in any change initiative and use of technology is education requires support from the policy makers and administrators. 189

5 2.2 Theoretical background The community of inquiry framework, Figure 1, fits as the theoretical basis of this research as it also seeks potential to break new ground pedagogically by addressing the challenge to scientifically explore the combination of pedagogical principles and new technology that will advance the evolution of higher education [6]. Community of inquiry is meaningful association in addressing a problem, for instance, in the project the partners University of Botswana, Catholic University of Mozambique and University of Tampere make up the community that is multi-disciplinary and includes discourse. The philosophical basis of this research just as elaborated by the framework is collaborative constructivism. The core elements of a collaborative constructivist learning environment identified in the framework and that are required for a purposeful learning are teaching, cognitive and social presence. The first element, social presence is the participants ability to recognize themselves as part of the community. Thus in the project we aim to make every project member and participants to identify themselves with the project and its activities as a single family. Cognitive presence, the second element of community of inquiry framework, is the degree to which learners are able to construct and verify meaning through continuous reflection and dialogue in a community of inquiry. Lastly, teaching presence includes three main responsibilities to be catered for in this project as elaborated by Garrison, Cleveland-Innes and Fung [6] the first of the primary teaching presence responsibilities is establishing curriculum content, learning activities, and timelines. The second responsibility is monitoring and managing purposeful collaboration and reflection. The third is ensuring that the community reaches the intended learning outcomes by diagnosing needs and providing timely information and direction (p.32). Blended learning has transformative potential of learning in the context of the challenges facing higher education [7]. In agreement with Garrison and Kanuka [8] in simple terms blended learning is the thoughtful integration of classroom face-to-face learning experiences with online learning experiences (p.96). Blended learning that is the use of elearning using open source software and face-to-face teaching will be utilized in this project [7]. Blended learning has many advantages as noted by Garrison and Kanuka [8], such as, effective integration of the two main components (face-to-face and Internet technology) such that we are not just adding on to the existing dominant approach or method. What makes blended learning particularly effective is its ability to facilitate a community of inquiry (p.97). Figure 1 Community of inquiry [9] 190

6 3 Research Methodology This article is based on a proposed research to be conducted at University of Botswana and Catholic University of Mozambique. The research project includes joint courses among the partner universities, mirror courses (same courses) done at the partner universities and exchange programs for teachers and students. The value of the exchange program is in sharing academic and professional experiences and culture. The teacher exchange will enable the visiting teacher to give classes and carry out research at the host university. The students exchange will offer students a different learning environment. The intensive courses will expose the partner universities to diverse cultures in jointly offering the courses. There will also courses on the same topic simultaneously done at the partner universities in order to share experiences. All these project activities will also be support by use of a learning management system. Case studies from each partner university will also be analysed and reported. Below is a summary from each partner university. 3.1 University of Botswana The University of Botswana is in need of e-learning individual and institutional capacity development. This project is the right step in ensuring this as the university seeks to explore the process of elearning integration at the UB using both proprietary (WebCT/Blackboard) and alternative Open Educational Resources (OER) (Moodle). The UB is currently using WeBCT/Blackboard for its elearning and concurrently piloting with Moodle given that Moodle is low cost compared to WebCT/Blackboard where the UB spends $40,000 on license and service agreement fees and over $3 million for upgrades annually. There is therefore ample opportunity and relevance to explore the benefits of Moodle as a new learning management tool at the UB in the Botswana study. The University of Tampere (Finland) has expertise in the implementation of Moodle and has worked in the African context (Mozambique) assisting in the execution of Moodle OER. The Botswana case study therefore explores the process of integrating ICT into the tertiary curriculum focusing on the process of elearning integration at the UB using identified SAM and other relevant conceptual frameworks. Therefore, the teacher and students exchange to the University of Tampere will aid in that the required expertise and experienced will be gained from the exchange program. Moreover, the university will host a joint intensive course which will provide valuable experience in its e-learning ambitions. 3.2 Catholic University of Mozambique Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM) has recently started experimenting with aspects of an e-learning mode of delivery by being part of the African Virtual Open Initiatives and Resources (AVOIR) Network, including universities of seven countries in sub-saharan Africa with the objective to establish a group of universities in Africa who collaboratively develop open source software (KEWL.NextGen) to promote the innovative applications of ICT in higher education. However, in 2009, a general consensus was reached on the use of Moodle as the preferred Learning Management 191

7 System. The Department of Information Technology (FGTI) in Beira thus became the pioneer on the use of Moodle in UCM. The FLOSS-AHEAD project will be of immense value in developing required e-learning capabilities for UCM staff, students and the university as a whole. The exchange programs to Finland would of value as University of Tampere experience in Moodle use and moreover ICT in development in general. Therefore UCM intends to improve learning outcomes and student interest in IT in education and for development in general. Appreciation of the vast potential of Moodle is still being realized. 3.3 University of Tampere The University of Tampere and also other universities in Finland generally use learning management systems, such as Moodle, webct and Blackboard. However, the use of these learning management systems is very diverse with no agreed upon standards or best practices. There is room to improve the use of the learning management even though different institutes could be using different learning management system although this research advocates for FLOSS systems. Even at the same institute professors use differently technology in their classes. Thus it is motivating to draw lessons from all these different ways technology is being used and propose more efficient and effective practices that incorporate elearning. 4 Conclusion There is a need to be better employing the good technical facilities available to universities to provide equitable and quality education. Recent research, for example, [10, 11, 12] have noted that there is a room for improvement in the application of ICTs in classrooms. Therefore, this research project is an effort to improve the use of ICTs at universities in general and with a specific focus on improving learning and interactions between main education stakeholders, students and teachers at University of Botswana and Catholic University of Mozambique. Moreover, elearning use with support of open source software offers a plausible channel for enhancement of higher education in developing countries. One of the greatest challenges of ICT integration in education can be summarized as limited vision, policy and leadership given that ICT is changing faster than educators ability to keep track [12]. To conclude the need to conduct evidence-led research in ICT integration in higher education is noted. References 1. Marshall, G., Ruohonen, M.: Capacity Building for IT in Education in Developing Countries IFIP Publication, Chapman & Hall, London (1998) 2. Lerner, J., Tirole, J.: Some Simple Economics of Open Source. Journal of Industrial Economics, 50, 2, (2002) 3. Camara G., and Fonseka, S.: Information Policies and Open Source Software in Developing Countries, Journal Of The American Society For Information Science And Technology, 58, 1, , (2007) 192

8 4. Mavengere, N.B., Ruohonen, M.J.: Using Open Source Software for Improving Dialog in Computer Science Education - Case Mozambique University. In Tatnall, A., Kereteletswe, O.C. & Visscher, A. (Eds.) Information Technology and Managing Quality Education. 9th IFIP WG 3.7 Conference on Information Technology in Educational Management, ITEM 2010 Kasane, Botswana, July 26-30, Kumar. R.: Proceedings of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 30, (2008) 6. Garrison, D. R., Cleveland-Innes, M., Fung, T. S.: Exploring causal relationships among teaching, cognitive and social presence: Student perceptions of the community of inquiry framework. The Internet and Higher Education, 13, (2010) 7. El-Ghalayini, H., El-khalili, N.: An approach to designing and evaluating blended courses, Edu Inf Tech, 17, (2011) 8. Garrison, R., Kanuka, H.: Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. Internet and Higher Education, 7, (2004) 9. Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T.: E-Learning in the 21stCentury: A Framework for Research and Practice, Routledge/Falmer, London (2003) 10. Buettner, Y.: Teaching teachers to teach ICT integration, Education and Information Technologies, 11, 3, (2006) 11. Ottevanger, W. J., van den Akker J. H., de Feiter, L.: Developing Science, mathematics, and ICT education in sub-saharan Africa: Patterns and promising practices. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Africa Region Human Development Department (2007) 12. Ruohonen, M., Mavengere, N., Nleya, P., Deodhar, S.: The Use of Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) for African Higher Education Advancement and Development. In Youssef, M. & Anwar, S.A. (eds) Proceedings of the 4th Conference on e-learning Excellence in the Middle East 2011: In Search of New Paradigms for Re-engineering Education, pp (2011) 193
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.
We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.
Transcription

1 Petrol And Natural Gas Distribution Lines In Turkey And Cartography Studies Sabahattin AKKUS, Hasan CAGLA, Fuat BASCIFTCI and Turgut AYTEN and Ismail Hakk CICEK, Turkey Keywords : Pipe Lines, Cartography studies, GIS SUMMARY BOTAS (Petroleum Transfer through Pipe Lines Joint-Stock Company) is the first remembered name about pipe lines in Turkey. BOTAS which was established under the institution of TPAO (Turkish Petroleum Joint-Stock Company) to transfer petrol from Kerkuk Region in Iraq to the sea terminal Adana-Ceyhan in Turkey was transformed into the Independent Economic Enterprise in 1995, and it has begun to operate 3400 km. petrol pipe line with Baku-Tbilisi- Ceyhan line and 5000 km. natural gas pipe line since International projects has been carried out besides petrol and natural gas transfer and distribution lines in Turkey. Making Turkey an energy corridor has aimed institutionally by the projects which are carried out with national and international enterprises. Searching the pipe lines on land, determining the destinations, making the nationalisation maps and forming the geodesic nets based on the GRS 80 Ellipsoid that are appropriate to the lines has been carried out by surveyors. Cadastral map sheets in different layouts and different scales were produced according to the different laws in establishment cadastre studies in Turkey. Big problems has been faced in the stage of the application of the pipe lines to the land which passed on the layouts. In this study, information will be given about the petrol and natural gas distribution lines which are carried out by BOTAS in Turkey which is acting as a bridge between the Asia and Europe, mapping studies on the transfer and distribution lines of the institution which took on the active duty in saving the natural gas underground and open it to the world, establishing geographic information systems. 1/13

2 Petrol And Natural Gas Distribution Lines In Turkey And Cartography Studies Sabahattin AKKUS, Hasan CAGLA, Fuat BASCIFTCI and Turgut AYTEN and Ismail Hakk CICEK, Turkey 1. INTRODUCTION Obtaining clean, cheap and safe way of energy which is one of the most important parameters in development of nations is a current issue of all the countries. However, it is seen that the concept of continuous development has taken its place, the cost and the future of renewable energy resources has been discussed while the competition among the energy resources are going on, and the countries which have insufficient energy resources have produced policies to determine which energy resources and in what degree of priority should be given. In Turkey a long term policy on continuable development and energy couldn t be constituted. But, natural gas importation has been revised in last period because of the economy and it is explained that the priority would be given to the domestic resources. Undoubtedly, the social aspect of the issue is also important. It is obvious that there aren t enough domestic energy resources except potential hydraulic and coal reserves in Turkey, and scientific studies on other resources are either insufficient or they are far of usage. As a result of increasing population in the world and in our country and technological developments, energy demand has increased day by day (Kose,2002). The energy demand in our country has made a study of long term planing a current issue. However, the air pollution which started after 1980 in big cities in Turkey increased in following years, and forced the authorized people and the institutions to take precautions. Geographic position of Turkey has given a chance of being an Energy Terminal in 21st century like a Silk Road in history. Experts say that the events will guarantee the energy needs and will also contribute the economy. Turkey with its young population and developing economy has used the advantage of its geopolitical position and has imported petrol and natural gas from the countries of the Central Asia which have rich underground resources. By this way Turkey has covered its energy needs, and has joined the projects which will constitute a new energy corridor opening to Europe by international pipe lines. 2. BOTAS (PETROLEUM TRANSFER THROUGH PIPELINES JOINT STOCK COMPANY) BOTAS (Petroleum Transfer through Pipe Lines Joint-Stock Company) is the first remembered name about pipe lines in Turkey. 2/13

3 Botas, Petroleum Pipeline Corporation was established as an affiliated company of Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) on August 15, 1974 in order to transport Iraqi crude oil to the Gulf of Iskenderun. In 1995, the company was restructured as a State Economic Enterprise (SEE) considering the company's task at present and in future. Botas's business in transportation of crude oil by pipelines has expanded to cover the natural gas transportation and trade activities since In early years of its foundation, the duty of BOTAS was construction of all kinds of pipe lines in Turkey and in other countries, administration of the pipe lines, transferring petrol and natural gas through the lines, and buying and selling petrol and natural gas. In 1995 its duty was widened by adding all kinds of petrol activities like searching petrol, opening oil wells, oil production, transferring, storing, and processing foreign petrol and natural gas. BOTAS has begun to operate 3400 km. petroleum pipeline with Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and 5000 km. natural gas pipeline since The total length of the pipe lines reached 8000 km with the continuing projects at the end of International projects- BTC Crude Oil Pipeline, Shah Sea Natural Gas Pipeline, Turkey-Greece Turkish Part of Natural Gas Pipeline- has been carried out besides petroleum and natural gas transfer and distribution lines in Turkey. BOTAS has been planned to carry out the projects of Turkey-Austria Natural Gas and Samsun-Ceyhan Petroleum Pipeline. Headquartered in Ankara, BOTAS is organized througout the Country in order to operate oil and natural gas systems efficiently by focusing on customer based activities. This network will develop more as new pipelines are becoming operational. The organizational structure of the Company is mainly comprising structures for natural gas and crude oil systems.botas International Ltd. was established in 1996 for the purpose of efficient participation in the international energy projects. BOTAS is also participated in TURUSGAZ holding 35% through which an additional gas is imported from the Russian Federation (URL 1). Natural gas, underground storage projects and constructions on appropriate places has been carried on for serving the increasing needs due to the weather conditions in winter by storing extra supply of summer (Tozlu, 2005). The investments made by BOTAS are: Transfer Lines Loop Lines Distribution Lines and Connection Lines Continuing Transfer Lines Continuing Distribution and Connection Lines National and International projects: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan COPL Project 3/13

4 Turkey-Greece NGTL Project Transcaspian Turkmenistan-Turkey Europe NGTL Project Azerbaijan-Turkey NGTL Project Iraq-Turkey NGTL Project Egypt-Turkey NGTL Project Turkey-Bulgaria-Romaina-Hungary-Austria NGTL Project (Nabucco Project) Eastern Black Sea NGTL Project Western Black Sea Project Natural Gas Underground Storage Project Making Turkey an energy corridor has aimed by the projects carried out with national and international enterprises (Sahin, 2005). National and International petroleum and natural gas pipelines constructed by BOTAS can be seen in Map1 Map 1: National and International petroleum and natural gas pipelines constructed by BOTAS 3. PIPELINES AND CARTHOGRAPHY Although liner projects like pipelines are easily defined by putting a certain pipe which has a certain diameter and feature underground through the certain destination that has a start and finish point, in fact it includes intensive activities of planning, engineering, nationalization, obtaining material and construction. 4/13

5 It is probable that things to be done generally are classified as follows in order to determine the duty areas of mapping and cadastral survey. First of all, there will be a contract including the financial, legal and technical substructure and there will be the preparation process of the contract. Geodesy and Photogrammerty Engineers are needed to take part in especially study of the project, obtaining land, engineering and construction (Cicek, 2005). Projects, awarding procedures of pipelines, engineering works, study map and nationalisation engineering services have been done according to the terms in the Technical Contract of Study Map and Nationalisation Engineering Services which was prepared by BOTAS. They are divided into five categories: Route Determination Study Establishing and Surveying the Land Control Points Cartography Studies Preparation of the Nationalisation Maps Work in the Construction Level 4. ROUTE DETERMINATION STUDY In route studies, the 1/25000 scaled maps are used in offices and criterions of pipeline construction technique have been taken into the consideration. In the studies whether there are geological researches, state projects on the way of the pipeline that can be a problem, establishments etc. or not are searched. The route is determined according to the results of the geological researches and the studies. Environmental Effect Evaluation Positive Certificate is tried to get for the lines of pipes which are 24 or more in diameter. These criterions are used (Ozturk, 2005): 1. Preliminary study of route in the office and on land. 2. Pipeline construction technique and route determination criterions. 3. State researches. 4. Environmental Effect Evaluation studies if possible. Studies of the route determination (picture1,2) (Ozturk, 2005). 5/13

6 Picture 1 Picture 2 5. ESTABLISHING AND SURVEYING THE LAND CONTROL POINTS As a result of the route determination study; Tape present time map of the route, Profile Alignment Sheet, Preparing Special Transition Maps, Preparing Nationalisation Maps, which are the basic works of Establishing and Surveying of the Land Control Points that are in the Regulations of Drawing Large Scale Maps are prepared by using GPS (Global Position System). GPS technique is used in Land surveys of nationalisation plans to determine Basic GPS Network, Densification GPS Network, serial triangulation and determining the coordinates of some of the points. The values obtained from ITRF 96 System are transformed and matched with the present entries ( BOHHY, 2005). 6. MAPPING The following are done related with the land control points: Tape present time map of route, Constant Maps like valve and Pig Station, Special Transition Maps, Profile Alignment Sheet Tape Present Time Map of Route It is surveying the present time borders including definite distance of the right and left side of the route related to the control points in definite gaps and the probable establishments and the land where its structure changed. 3 Dimensions-x, y coordinates and height- of the land are determined from the surveys, changing on route without wasting time on land, calculations of 6/13

7 filling and cutting, seeing the land in details in office can be easily seen by this map. 6.2 Present Time Map of Establishments This study includes same activities above. The places to cut filled and flattened and their amounts are determined according to the maps, and after these studies settlement plans are prepared Special Transition Maps It includes drawing the maps showing the required special crossings like roads, railways, rivers and streams, and shows the present condition Profile Alignment Sheet The values of x, y, and z which are 3 dimensional coordinates and horizontal and oblique distances are determined by measuring once in every 50 m on pipeline axle according to the land control points and the places where the topography of the land changes. Profiles are in 1/5000 horizontal, 1/500 vertical scales and include; Tape Present Time Map of the Route, Horizontal and oblique distances of the route and height of the distances which pass over the pipeline, Shows special transition points and establishments, Thickness of pipes, Geological structure of the land. 7. PIPELINES AND NATIONALISATION: Nationalisation is buying an ownership of personal real properties and resources or sharing it for the benefit of public by paying cash by the government and juristic person of public according to the principles and rules. Components and Conditions of the Nationalisation 1- Benefit of the Public Nationalisation is a concept which put forth to prevent the misuse of the right of the authority, because it is a damaging process over ownership that guaranteed by constitution. The work can be accepted as a benefit of the public if it takes place in law and ordered to be done and included works of administration. Thus taking the decision of the benefit of the public is an administrative process, it is dependent upon the control of the judgement. If the decision of nationalisation had taken although there was no public benefit, the owner of the real property could have brought a suit to administrative court against the decision. 7/13

8 2- Decision and Approval by the Competent Authority 3- Obeying the Procedure and Bases in the Law 4- Paying in Cash Direction that makes the nationalisation have to pay the amount of nationalisation in cash to the owner except some of the circumstances took place in the Constitution and Nationalisation Law. Paying in cash means paying the money to the owner in cash or put it into his bank account. 5- Immovable Subjected to Private Ownership Nationalisation can be done only to the immovable subjected to private ownership. Immovable which are public property can t be nationalised: Pastures, Mountain Pastures, Sheltered Places where nomads and their flocks go in winter, Lands in Coal Basins (Eregli), Properties of which nationalisation is forbiddened by a special law (Rail Roads of Turkish Republic), Properties Nationalised before. Nationalisation Authorisation is a public power that can be used in the name of public by the institutions took place in 5th clause of the law. The authorized institutions of Nationalisation can make nationalisation on the condition of using it in their duty limits and for the public benefit. BOTAS (Petroleum Transfer Through Pipe Lines Joint-Stock Company) is a state-owned economic enterprise which was authorised to import petroleum and natural gas and transfer through pipelines to consumption points. It has the authorisation of nationalisation in order to carry out its activities (Yurekli, 2005). BOTAS makes share right Nationalisation on the pipeline route, and makes ownership nationalisation to the constant establishments (RMS, valve, role station, etc.). Share Right nationalisation is regulated according to the 4th clause of the Nationalisation Law. Managements are allowed to share right nationalise if it is not necessary to nationalise immovable properties or it has a great expense. A management has a right of a certain part, height, depth or resources of the immovable which is subject to nationalisation. In this situation the owner of property which is shared by the management has to abandon some of his unlimited rights. 8/13

9 During the sharing right nationalisations carried out by BOTAS, owner of the land is allowed to do his agricultural activities after construction on the condition of not building constant establishment because the natural gas pipes constructed approximately 1,5 m beneath the surface in construction step.(picture 3,4) Picture 3 Picture 4 Fundamental system amendments were done in 2942 Issued Nationalisation Law in May 2001 by 4650 Issued Law: In the former law, the prices of the nationalised parcels were determined by the valuing committee of the city or district and were conveyed to owners by notary. If there was an objection, the owner could bring a suit against the management. With the amendment in the law, priority is given to buying consently. Prices of the nationalised parcels are determined by the valuing committee founded by the management and the value of the immovable is posted to the owner with registered letter and invited to bargaining. Management tries to reach an agreement by the reconciliation committee established in management. If both sides come to an agreement, the management buys the properties consently. If there is no agreement management brings suit against the owners to Fundamental Law Court. The table below shows the amounts of Nationalisations done for Petroleum and Natural Gas Lines. PIPE LINES LENGTH (Km) KONYA-ISPARTA SIVAS - MALATYA MALATYA-GAZIANTEP GAZIANTEP-ADANA-MERSIN /13

10 TURKEY GREECE HORASAN - PT EAST BLACK SEA EAST ANATOLIA NATURAL GAS PIPE LINE RUSSIA FEDERATION - TURKEY SAMSUN ANKARA NATURAL GAS PIPE LINE PHASE LINES OTHER(TRANSFER AND CONNECTION LINES) IRAQ TURKEY PETROL LINE CEYHAN KIRIKKALE PETROL LINE BATMAN DORTYOL PETROL LINE BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN PETROL PIPE LINE TOTAL Table 1: Nationalisations done for Petroleum and Natural Gas Lines (Yurekli, 2005) 9. WORKS IN CONSTRUCTION STAGE Pipeline works are started with taking off the surface and flattening the delivered lands to put it into proper condition for work. In this stage, nationalised pipeline axle with working directions in engineering step and borders of the construction corridor are applied to the land. Construction activities are kept in the borders of the nationalised land carefully. The jobs are carried on respectively, lining up the pipes, opening a channel, welding, putting the pipes into the channel and as-built survey activities. After the needed tests about the pipeline construction technique applied, channel is filled and the land is worked to put into its former condition. Either in taking off the surface or in opening the channel fertile upper soil and lower soil is separated and the same process is repeated in filling the channel. Pipeline construction techniques which are needed in building establishments on land, are used.(picture 5,6) 10/13

11 10. EVALUATION Picture 5 Picture 6 Standards on security and environmental subjects, and applications wanted in the agreement of the project are carried out in the whole work, and special emphasis is given to the public relations. Works which are done below in construction are in field of Geodesy and Photogrammetry Engineering (Cicek, 2005). Bringing the studies of obtaining land to conclusion which is the basics of delivering land according to the construction improvement plan, and delivering the places of land. Controlling and following the construction of road, water, energy transmission lines for establishments. Determining the products and paying to the land owners before entering the land. Following the route changes occurred from natural and technical needs in construction, and making additional nationalisation studies. Making additional surveys and measurements which are to be needed in construction. Application of the pipeline axle and construction corridor to the land, following and making the job like taking off surface and opening channel according to the nationalisation maps. Joining and dividing lands in development plan for establishments, and making land application according to the project. Solving the problems, answering the complaints in the process of obtaining land. Measuring the as built, controlling and putting in the archives of the whole pipeline Making the statistical survey of the establishments. Planning and carrying out the leaving from hired land for construction after completing the construction and putting the land into its former situation. Making additional nationalisations that can be occurred in administration process, solving the problems. Making location based studies and determinations of the applications of emergency operation plans. 11/13

12 Determining and eliminating the violation to the security of the pipeline that can be occurred from the third person Geografic Information Systems (GIS) have been used in substructure applications intensively like in many fields. Interrogations and analysis on being dependent of the substructure applications with each other and being able to use in next years can be done with GIS (Duran and Seker, 2005). 11. CONCLUSION In pipeline transferring which is one of the great national and international investment projects that has a great importance in transportation of energy resources, and the research, multi research, engineering and construction activities, and establishing spatial informational systems of the projects connected to geodesic network of the country are directly or indirectly interested the Geodesy and Photogrammetry Engineers, and they are needed to take more active roles in the considered projects. REFERENCES Buyuk Olcekli Harita ve Harita Bilgileri Uretim Yonetmeligi, Ankara Cicek, Y., Boru hatlar ve Jeodezi Fotogrametri Muhendisligi, TMMOB Harita ve Kadastro Muhendisleri Odas Harita Bulteni say:59, Duran, E., Seker, D., Z., Cografi Bilgi Sistemleri ile Dogal Gaz Uygulamalar ve Analizleri, TMMOB Harita ve Kadastro Muhendisleri Odas 10. Turkiye Harita Bilimsel ve Teknik Kurultay, 28 Mart 1 Nisan 2005, Ankara Kose, F., 2002.Yenilebilinir Enerji Kaynaklar, Ders notlar, Konya Ozturk, H., I., Dogalgaz ve Petrol Boru Hatlarnda Haritaclk Calsmalar, 1. Ulusal Konya Dogalgaz Sempozyumu ve Sergisi, Mays 2005, Konya Sahin, S., Turkiye Iletim ve Dagtm Hatlar, 1. Ulusal Konya Dogalgaz Sempozyumu ve Sergisi, Mays 2005, Konya Tozlu, E., Dogalgaz Yeralt Depolama Ve Botas n Yeralt Depolama Projeleri, 1. Ulusal Konya Dogalgaz Sempozyumu ve Sergisi, Mays 2005, Konya Yurekli, Z., Turkiye nin iletim, dagtm hatlar ve kamulastrma, 1. Ulusal Konya Dogalgaz Sempozyumu ve Sergisi, Mays 2005, Konya URL 1. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES Mr. Sabahattin Akkus is a lecturer at Selcuk University in Turkey. He has been academic staff at the university since His research interests focus on high cadastral surveying, surveying applications, Land Consolidation,mapping. Mr. Hasan Cagla is a lecturer at Selcuk University in Turkey. He has been academic staff at the university since His research interests focus on high cadastral surveying, mapping, land registry, Land Consolidation, Development Planning 12/13

13 Mr.Fuat Basciftci is a lecturer at Selcuk University in Turkey. He has been academic staff at the university since His research interests focus on high surveying applications, Land Consolidation, GPS applications, local geoid determining studies. Mr. Turgut Ayten is a lecturer at Selcuk University in Turkey. He has been academic staff at the university since His research interests focus on high cadastral surveying, mapping, land registry, Land Consolidation, Development Planning, CONTACTS Mr. Sabahattin Akkus, Mr. Hasan Cagla, Mr. Fuat Bascftc, Mr. Turgut Ayten Selcuk University Kadnhan Faik Icil Vocational School of Higher Education Mapping-Cadastre Programme Kadinhani Konya TURKEY Tel Fax Web site: 13/13
Catfish exporters warned over unreliable export partners

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has warned local companies against trade fraud with an Egyptian company.

Workers at Vinh Hoan Company



Eygpt-based Al-Reda Group For Trading and Development bought USD58,881 of frozen catfish from Vinh Hoan Company in June 2015. However, they have never paid for the goods.

Vinh Hoan is one of Vietnam's leading catfish exporters. Their turnover reached VND7.2trn (USD318m) last year, an increase of 11% on previous year. The post-tax profit of the mother company was VND550bn, an increase of 70% compared to same period last year.

However, Vinh Hoan and many other local companies are having problems with foreign partners. Several aquaculture companies have been tricked by Canadian firm Echopack Inc. and may lose hundreds of thousands of USD.

Firms are advised to be careful about the credibility of foreign partners, especially if they are introduced by a third party.

Firms can search for information via open sources or hire other firms such as the National Credit Information Centre of Vietnam or through overseas associations to find out more about their partners. As contracts are used to solve disputes, firms must understand their contract terms in order to ensure their interests.

Local firms are advised to consider using banking service as another protection.
In Iraq and Syria, U.S.-led coalition forces are making progress in the fight against ISIL, including in two crucial areas: killing its leaders, and taking back territory.

The U.S Defense Department announced this month that a Syria-based Islamic State leader, Mahmud al-Isawi died in a coalition airstrike in Raqqa on December 31. Al-Isawi was a long-standing ISIL member who controlled the flow of instructions and finances between ISIL-held areas and ISIL leaders, and provided support to propaganda and intelligence outlets. Al-Isawi was also known to have facilitated trans-regional travel with other ISIL external operations coordinators and had a close relationship with Abd al-Basit al-Iraqi, the emir of ISILs Middle East attack network, who was killed in a coalition airstrike on November 2, 2016.

Al-Isawis death brought the number of significant ISIL leaders killed last year to 16. These losses, as the Defense Department said, have degraded ISIL's trans-regional attack and facilitation network, and are forcing ISIL fighters to increase their focus on internal security.

In a press briefing from Baghdad, U.S. Airforce Colonel John Dorrian, Spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, also noted the progress being made in liberating territory from the terrorists.

In Syria, he said, the Syrian Democratic Forces are continuing their advance to isolate Raqqa:

Since this current phase began on December 9th, the SDF have liberated more than 500 square miles of Syrian land, home to tens of thousands of people who have been brutalized by ISIL's rule.

In Iraq, Colonel Dorrian noted, Iraqi security forces, with the help of coalition airstrikes and advisers are making progress in their operation to liberate Mosul:

The city is completely surrounded and the enemy doesn't have the ability to resupply or reinforce their fighters.

Colonel Dorrian said as difficult and dangerous as the fight for Mosul is and will be, Time is not on the enemy's side, it's on the side of the Iraqi security forces and they are going to retake Mosul.

ISIL is a brutal and determined enemy. But the U.S.-led coalition and the local fighters it supports will keep intensifying the pressure until Syria and Iraq are free from ISILs gruesome grip.
For the past four years, the Russian government has sought to silence critics of government policy, accusing them of being disloyal, foreign-sponsored, or even traitorous.

A central tool of the Russian government in executing this crackdown has been the 2012 law requiring nongovernmental organizations to register as foreign agents if they receive any foreign funding and engage in broadly defined political activity. The use of the term foreign agent is a deliberate choice suggesting that these organizations are traitors. The definition of political activity under the law is so broad and vague that it effectively extends to all aspects of advocacy and human rights work.

To date, Russias Justice Ministry has designated 155 groups as foreign agents. Indeed, under this legislation Russia has targeted organizations dedicated to defending human rights, fighting torture, preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, and even protecting migratory birds.

In February 2016, a court forced the closure of Agora Association, one of Russias leading human rights organizations, in response to a Justice Ministry suit alleging that the group violated the foreign agents law and carried out work beyond its mandate.

Founded in 2005, Agora human rights association is a network of lawyers and advocates who have defended the many Russians accused of political activity under Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among its high-profile clients are the opposition rock group and arts collective Pussy Riot and opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

The people of Russia deserve a strong, democratic government that respects the role that civil society plays in holding governments accountable and providing essential services, rather than stifling NGOs' important work. The United States, said State Department Spokesperson John Kirby, "urge[s] the Russian government to abolish this legislation today and uphold its international human rights commitments."
In the ride-sharing battle of David vs Goliath, smaller, nimbler David may be gaining ground. Number two U.S. ride-hailing company, Lyft, is growing faster and cutting losses faster than its giant competitor, Uber. And this year, the startup will give details on how it plans to take the battle overseas.

A source with knowledge of the company's plans tells CNBC that Lyft is planning to expand internationally and will reveal more in the year ahead. Lyft declined comment on its international plans.

Currently, Lyft competes with Uber's global ambitions through partnerships with local ride-hailing services in other countries. In December 2015, the American startup joined forces with Didi Chuxing in China, Ola in India and Grab in Southeast Asia. They've since been called the "anti-Uber alliance."

Today, Lyft announced that it is changing the nature of those partnerships.

Currently, Didi users in the United States are able to book a Lyft car directly through their Didi app without having to download the Lyft app.

But Lyft told CNBC, "Along with our international partners, we are updating how we serve our users traveling abroad. We will now direct them to download the partner's app in the country they are visiting."

That means Didi or Grab users who open their apps in the United States will receive a message prompting them to download Lyft, and vice versa for Lyft users that open their apps in China or Southeast Asia. The update will take place next week.

It's unclear how users will respond to the change, which essentially asks them to give up valuable screen real estate and storage on their smartphones. The official line from a Lyft spokesperson is that "this will provide travelers with improved functionality and service in local markets."

But it may also foreshadow Lyft's own global ambitions. After the update, Chinese users who have visited the U.S. may bring a Lyft app back home with them to China. Or India. Or Southeast Asia.

Kind of like a reverse takeover orchestrated by the U.S. leader of the "anti-Uber alliance."
The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent horrific vehicular attack by a terrorist in Jerusalem. Four soldiers were killed, including one U.S. citizen, and 17 wounded, when a flatbed truck driven by an Arab terrorist rammed into a group of soldiers adjacent to the Armon Hanatziv promenade in southeastern Jerusalem on January 8.

Three female soldiers and one male soldier were declared dead at the scene. According to the Israeli Defense Forces, an additional two cadets were seriously wounded, and 15 other officers and cadets sustained less severe wounds.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the scene with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman shortly after the attack, said the identity of the terrorist was known. Later, he was identified as Fadi al-Qanbar, from a nearby Jerusalem neighborhood.

We are fighting this plague, and will defeat it. . . .We will overcome this terrorism, just as we overcame other attacks, said Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Speaking to reporters following the attack, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said, "To our dismay, there is no limit to the cruelty of the terrorists who are willing to use any means possible to murder Jews and to damage the routine of life in Israel's capital."

"There is absolutely no justification for these brutal and senseless attacks," said Deputy State Department Spokesperson Mark Toner. "We condemn the glorification of terrorism now or at any time and call on all to send a clear message that terrorism must never be tolerated. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the four Israeli soldiers who were killed."
SpaceX's founder and entrepreneur Elon Musk's ambitious flight plans had been grounded since the September explosion during fueling ahead of a pre-flight test in Florida.

About 10 minutes after launch, the first stage of the rocket successfully touched down on a platform in the Pacific Ocean, a feat previously accomplished by four other returning Falcon rockets. SpaceX intends to reuse its rockets to cut costs.

The launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 9:54 a.m. PST aimed to deliver 10 satellites into orbit for Iridium Communications Inc.

A SpaceX Falcon rocket blasted off from California on Saturday, returning the company to flight for the first time since a fiery launchpad explosion in September.

Accident investigators determined that a canister of helium burst inside the rocket's second-stage liquid oxygen tank, triggering the explosion. The canister is being redesigned, but until then SpaceX is addressing the issue by modifying its fueling procedures.

The explosion destroyed a $62 million SpaceX booster and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite that it was to put into orbit two days later.

The accident clouded the company's aggressive agenda, which includes beginning to ferry U.S. astronauts into space next year, when it also plans to make its first voyage to Mars.

Saturday's flight would begin to clear a logjam of more than 70 missions, worth more than $10 billion, awaiting flights on SpaceX Falcon rockets, which last flew in August, SpaceX said.

The launch is the first in a seven-flight contract with Iridium worth $468.1 million, company spokeswoman Diane Hockenberry said.

The rocket flying on Saturday will attempt to touch down on a platform in the Pacific Ocean, a feat previously accomplished by four other returning Falcon rockets. SpaceX intends to reuse its rockets, slashing launch costs so it can offer cut-rate services.

SpaceX aims to launch 27 rockets in 2017, more than triple the eight flights the privately held firm managed in 2016, according to a report on Friday in the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to its dozens of commercial customers, SpaceX is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

The company's 2017 agenda includes the debut launch of a heavy-lift booster, flying its first reused rocket and repairing the Florida launch pad damaged in the explosion.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news cenference at Trump Tower on January 11, 2017 in New York City.

Donald Trump struck back at criticism leveled at him by Georgia congressman John Lewis on Saturdayeliciting bipartisan critcism in the processafter suggsting the Democrat should focus on fixing his "crime infested" district in response to a remark that questioned the president-elect's legitimacy.

In an interview on Friday, Lewisa political elder statesman who was severely beaten during a march in Selma, Alabama during the civil rights eradismissed Trump as not being a "legitimate president."

Lewis is widely regarded as a civil rights icon, and was a vocal supporter of Democratic contender Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College by a wide margin.



Trump, however, struck back early Saturday in a series of posts on Twitter. Fresh from a controversy earlier this week, in which he responded to a critique from actress Meryl Streep, the president-elect accused Lewis of neglecting the needs of a district that was in "horrible shape" and doing little other than "talk, talk, talk."

Trump1

Trump2

According to 2015 data from the Census Bureau, Georgia's 5th Congressional Districtwhich is majority African-American and includes most of Atlantaas a poverty rate of more than 17 percent, above the national average of 13.5 percent.

A 2015 report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ranked Atlanta as 14 among 20 of the most violent U.S. cities.

The exchange sparked a new verbal slugfest between the president-elect and a prominent Democrat on the eve of his inauguration, and days before Martin Luther King Day. Lewis's supporters and Democratic colleagues, and even a few of the president-elect's own party members, immediately rushed to Lewis' defense.



Clarke tweet



Booker tweet
A conversation between President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser and the Kremlin's ambassador to the U.S. that took place the day President Obama announced sanctions on Russia was not cleared by the White House, administration officials told NBC News.

Trump aide Sean Spicer confirmed Friday that Ret. Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn spoke to Ambassador Sergei Kislyak on the telephone, and said the intent was to set up a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump once he becomes president.

More from NBC News:



Analysis: Mexican Gas Price Hike, Fear of Trump Trigger Protest

President Barack Obama in NBC Special Talks Legacy, How he 'Worked Really Hard' for America

Lucasfilm Says It Won't Digitally Recreate Carrie Fisher's Performance

The contact began, Spicer said, on Christmas Day, with Flynn and Kislyak exchanging holiday greetings via text message.

On December 28  the day before the sanctions announcement  Kislyak sent Flynn a text message asking if they could speak by phone, Spicer said, and Flynn accepted. The call occurred the next day, Spicer said. He denied that it had anything to do with the sanctions.

Spicer said there was nothing unusual about the call, but White House officials told NBC News it was not coordinated with them. It is unclear how the U.S. government became aware of the call, which was first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who said there were multiple calls and raised the question of whether the conversations violated the "spirit" of a law that bars private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments.

Ignatius reported that Flynn phoned Russian Ambassador Kislyak several times on Dec. 29, the day the Obama administration announced the expulsion of 35 Russian intelligence operatives and other punitive measures. The AP and Reuters also reported that calls took place on that day. NBC News has not confirmed that information.

A senior intelligence official told NBC News that the U.S. government is aware of other calls between Flynn and other foreign ambassadors, but that he didn't consider those calls to be improper.

It would not be unusual for the communications of the Russian ambassador to be under surveillance, particularly as the FBI was investigating Russian hacking and other interference in the election campaign, several current and former U.S. officials told NBC News.

White House spokesman John Earnest said the contacts were not necessarily problematic."

"You can imagine why these kinds of interactions may have taken place, why the incoming national security adviser may have the need to contact the representative of a foreign government based here in Washington D.C.," Earnest told reporters Friday. "It depends on what they discussedin terms of whether or not we would have significant objections about those conversations."

In his column, however, Ignatius invoked the Logan Act. "What did Flynn say, and did it undercut the U.S. sanctions?" wrote Ignatius in his column. "The Logan Act (though never enforced) bars U.S. citizens from correspondence intending to influence a foreign government about 'disputes' with the United States. Was its spirit violated?
SYRACUSE, N.Y.  A man whose father completed his general-surgery training in Syracuse in the 1950s is set to lead St. Josephs Health.

St. Josephs Health has named Leslie Paul Luke as the health-care systems 14th president and CEO.

Luke will succeed Kathryn Ruscitto in that role on Feb. 20, St. Josephs said in a news release issued Friday afternoon.

He currently serves as interim CEO of Tennova East, a seven-hospital system in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Luke was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but was raised in Hawaii where his parents are from. His father was a general surgeon who completed his training in Syracuse in 1955, St. Josephs said.

After a thorough and comprehensive process, the search committee is pleased to have found the most highly qualified individual to assume leadership of our growing non-profit regional health care system, Vincent Sweeney, chair of the board of trustees at St. Josephs Health, contended in the organizations news release. Throughout his very successful career, Les has managed significant work in performance improvement with a particular focus on driving quality. He also has deep experience in the physician practice space. This combined with his extensive knowledge of health care administration and genuine, collaborative nature makes Les uniquely qualified to successfully lead St. Josephs Health into the future.

Luke, 55, holds a bachelors degree in sociology and a masters degree in health administration from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

In 1991, he received his first CEO role at a 50-bed, nonprofit hospital in Kentucky. Since then, he has served as CEO of three other hospitals, St. Josephs said.

In 2006, he joined Franklin, Tennesseebased Community Health Systems Inc., where he held several key leadership roles including his current position.

Luke and his family will relocate to the Syracuse area from Brentwood, Tennessee.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
BB Naija winner, Efe, in a chat with Saturdaybeats sheds more light on his relationship with Marvis, the most annoying thing that happened while still in the house, and how he came about the based on logistics slang.

Efe with regards to his relationship with Marvis said:

I only kissed Marvis because that was the only thing I wanted to do. I respect women and I cannot afford to be fooling around with them. For me, kissingshows a little bit of emotion but if it goes beyond that, it means we are taking it to another level and that is why I did not go beyond that.

I admitted in the house that I like her but I always knew that it would only last within the house because she has a boyfriend. At first, I thought she was not serious when she said she had a boyfriend but when she said she was serious, I had to be cool.

I cannot go to Port Harcourt because that is where she is based. We all know how who her father is, so I have no intentions of going to Port Harcourt or going close to the place. I dont have a girlfriend. My priorities are different and I am not moved by women but that does not mean I am G.ay. Never.

On the most annoying thing while in the house, Efe said:

I was never really interested in Debbie Rise and when she came to the house, it was my duty to make her feel comfortable. In the house they told me I had to improve on my niceness because they felt I am not too nice but I tried my best.

She took the vibe on a different level so I had to let her know that it was not what she thinks. Her guitar really got on my nerves and I had broken it like 200 times in my mind. Every day I set my eyes on the guitar, I broke it in my mind.

On an online report saying his slang, Based on logistics, was popularised by an indigenous Warri rap artiste, Erigga:

I am sure that those who said that I did not form the slang just want me to talk. They just want to cause a controversy. A lot of things have been said online that is not true. I coined that word in 2013 when I went for Just Bring it On reality show. I won N300,000 on the show. I coined the word because they were having a lot of logistics issues in setting us up because we stayed in the house for two weeks.

Each time the guy came to meet us, he would say they had some logistics problem so before he tried to explain to us, I would tell the housemates that the matter was based on logistics in that previous show. The show was organised by Kevin Pam, winner of Big Brother Africa 2009.
It is with great sadness that the family of Thelma Dixie Nichols announces her passing on October 10, 2016, at 3:40am.

Dixie was one of a kind and resilient with adversity. She raised two daughters, Jackie Boysen and Valerie Aue doing the best she could. Dixie was a cancer survivor and a warrior who allowed herself to become part of a cancer research study for ten years. For the last 12 years she struggled with End Stage Renal Failure.

Dixie worked in the gaming industry and her favorite position was with Harolds Club. She also obtained her license as a realtor and worked in Annapolis, Maryland.

Dixie was preceded in death by her father, William Sloan Nick Nichols; dad Martin Milano; mother, Ethel D. Huitt Milano; sister Leanne Nichols; Antoinette Ann Milano Bogus; uncle Leo Bogus; and best friend Beverly Lee. Sadly, her dog Sassy passed away the same day as Dixie and her cat Sheba followed two weeks later.

She leaves behind her daughters Jackie and Valerie; sister, Judy Nichols; 3 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews and her very special friend, Shirley Elam.

Dixie had exceptional friends and caregivers that took great care of her and her family thanks them.

Per Dixies wishes no funeral was held, but the family may schedule a celebration of her life at a later date. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in her name to the American Cancer Society, or the National Kidney Foundation or a no kill animal shelter.
Kwiecinski: Why Mizzou basketball should be fun to watch in 2022-23
125 YEARS AGO

January 9, 1892: A gang of snow shovelers were brought down from Wells and set to work clearing the track here Thursday morning. The snow is loaded on flat cars and hauled below the water tank.



Quite a number of cattle have been knocked off the railroad track and killed by the trains during the past two or three weeks, in the vicinity of Moline.



There was a quiet wedding on the South Fork a week ago last Wednesday, by which two well-known and popular young people of Elko county became man and wife. On account of the heavy storm and the almost impassable condition of the roads, very few of the invited guests were able to be present. The bride, Miss Nevada Hardesty, has been a teacher for several terms, while the groom, Mr. A.M. Griswold, is a successful rancher of Lamoille Valley. After being pronounced man and wife, and the congratulations were said, all present were invited to the dining room here a wedding supper had been prepared by the uncles of the bride.

100 YEARS AGO

January 8, 1917: Prof. Jensen, principal of the Elko high school, returned yesterday from San Francisco, where he went to consult with the architect of the new high school. Mr. Jensen says that Mr. Donovan already has two plans finished, and is now at work on the third plan, which will be submitted to the board of education later on. The architect will be here on January 19 when pictures of the high school buildings in different sections of the United States will be shown on the Bradley screen, together with the plans that will be submitted of the proposed Elko high school, in order that the people can assist the board in a choice.



The ice harvest will soon be finished, as the immense ice house of Chris Eshelmans is about filled. There are a number of smaller one to be filled about town before the harvest closes.

January 10, 1917: Barney Horn, who has the contract for carrying the mail from Deep Creek to Mountain City, is spending a day in town. It is through his section of the county that the snow gets the deepest, and he says that it is as deep this year as the average. Part of the time the mail must be carried on snow shoes until a road can be broken, and when the snow goes off in the spring the beaten snow in the road stands several feet higher than the surrounding country.

75 YEARS AGO

January 8, 1942: The new Wendover school has been opened with six pupils in attendance. More are expected to enroll shortly. The school was built by the Nevada Realty and Construction Co. of Elko at a cost of $2,990. Mrs. Lloyda DeVaney is the teacher at the school and it was built so that it could accommodate 20 pupils, with provisions made so that it might be added to easily. The land for the school was donated by W.F. Smith of Wendover, who will deed it to the school district.

January 10, 1942: Blood tests will be given to all residents of Elko wishing to have tests made voluntary, beginning with children aged 5, it was announced today by Dr. F.M. Poulson, chairman of the medical branch of the Elko County defense council. Purpose of the tests is to classify the volunteers as to blood type, as a defense measure. In the event of a disaster in Elko, approximately one hour would be saved in treating patients, their blood type having already been determined, Doctor Poulson explained.

January 14, 1942: The city of Elko will immediately begin construction of a sewer line from the nearest main, near the Elko general hospital, to the Elko County Fairgrounds, it was announced today by R.A. Kinne, city engineer. Laying of the sewer line has been made necessary because of the stationing of a large number of soldiers at the grounds, the present cesspool being unable to handle the waste. The city has the necessary pipe on hand and the regular city crew, augmented by WPA aid, will do the work.

50 YEARS AGO

January 9, 1967: Governor Paul D. Laxalt was feted into office Saturday in Reno and Carson City, with close to a hundred Elkoans making the weekend jaunt to Western Nevada to join the celebration. Elko was one of few counties to have all its legislators and their wives in attendance at the ball. State Sen. Warren L. Monroe and his wife; Assemblyman Norman Glaser and Roy Young and their wives were also present.

January 11, 1967: Two committees, one made up of representatives of the classroom teachers committee, and the other representing the school administrators, appeared before the Elko County School Board last night and presented proposals concerning the forthcoming salary schedules for certified personnel in the district. The committees came armed with facts and figures that showed Elko County teachers were in the lower half in some instances and near the bottom is others when compared to pay received in other Nevada counties. The committee offered two proposals. One would have an increase of $100 in the teachers base salary and would bring the minimum salary for a teacher with a BA degree to $5,600 per year. In connection with the $5,600 salary the committee asked that 75% of any money received from the state legislature be put in the salary schedule. The other proposal would have a base of $5,700 and 50% of state money.

25 YEARS AGO

January 8, 1992: Twenty cars of a westbound Union Pacific Railroad train derailed this morning, scattering wreckage and spilling corn syrup about 22 miles east of Battle Mountain, near Argenta. Twenty of the 106 cars derailed on the westbound Southern Pacific Railroad. The two railroad companies share tracks through this area with westbound trains from both companies using SP tracks and eastbound trains using the UP tracks.

January 9, 1992: Elko County School Board this week re-elected Jeoffry Dahl, board president; Sharon Rhodes, board clerk; Ray Kendall, Nevada Association of School Boards representative and Lyle Nutting, Elko Area Recreation Commission representative.

January 10, 1992: Elko County Commissioners yesterday approved a long list of appointments for 1992, that remained unchanged from last year. Commissioner Ernie Hall retained his position as commission chairman as well as liquor board chairman and county member to the Elko Convention Center, Airport Advisory Board, Northeast Nevada Museum Board and Nevada Association of Counties (NACO). Commissioner Dale Porter was renamed vice-chairman, chairman of the highway board and a member of the Elko County Recreation Board. Commissioner Norman Thompson kept his seat on the Elko General Hospital Board. County Manager George Boucher was retained as were Dennis Gilligan, data processing director; Mike Murphy, engineer; and Bill Nelson, road supervisor.
One of the first jobs I had after I left the ranch was as an engineering aide for the Nevada State Highway Department (Now NDOT) in 1962. I was assigned to a survey crew on the first Interstate 80 freeway project heading east from the California state line near Verdi. While working there, I learned that this area was the scene of the first train robbery in Nevada.

On the evening of November 4-5, 1870, the Central Pacific Overland Express passenger train Engine No. 1 from San Francisco arrived at this small station 11 miles west of Reno. Just as the train was leaving the station, three masked men boarded the express car behind the engine and disconnected the engine and express car from the rest of the train. Five more robbers from other cars on the train soon joined them and took control of the engine and express car. With pistols and brute force, the gang commanded the engineer to resume the trip toward Reno. The two brakemen, fireman and express workers were locked up at gunpoint in the mail room.

Meanwhile, about five miles west of Reno, near a place called Hunters Station, other members of the robbery gang had built an obstruction on the track with rocks and timbers in order to stop the train. The engine and express car stopped at the obstruction on the tracks. With the aid of a double barrel shotgun, the robbers removed from the express car several Wells Fargo sacks filled with twenty dollar gold pieces from the San Francisco Mint. The value of the gold coins was $41,600. There was an additional $8,800 in silver bars, but these were too heavy for the robbers to carry away with them. All the telegraph lines were cut west of Reno.

The gold coins on this shipment were being shipped to Virginia City and to make payroll for Gold Hills richest property, the Yellow Jacket Mine. The silver bars were to be distributed to banks on the Comstock. The leader of the band of robbers who held up the train was a Sunday school superintendent named John Chapman. Investigators determined the robbers placed the gold in old boots in order to carry that many of the heavy gold coins.

The Conductor, named Frank Marshall, was able to let the rear half of the train, minus the engine, coast downhill to the place where the robbery had occurred. When this half of the train arrived at the scene of the robbery, the robbers had already finished their work and made their get-away. The engineer and fireman were busy removing the obstructions from the track. The two halves of the train were once again connected together and the complete train, minus the stolen loot, made its way to Reno. The train arrived in Reno at thirty minutes after midnight, only thirty minutes late.

Immediately, law enforcement officers went into action to apprehend the train robbers. A gambler from Virginia City named Gilchrist, two stage robbers from Storey County named John Squires and Jack Davis, a gambler from Virginia City named Parsons, Sol Jones, J.C. Roberts, John Chapman and Tilton Cockerill were all apprehended and sentenced by December of 1870. Most of the gold coins were recovered but about 10 percent of the treasure was never found. That means over 200 $20 gold pieces are still missing.

In an amazing coincidence, the Central Pacific Railroad Overland Express passenger train Engine No. 1 was robbed again just 20 hours after the robbery between Verdi and Reno. This second heist occurred 380 miles east of Reno near Pequop Summit in Elko County. This was the same train, on the same run, on the same day as the story I have just told. Since most of the treasure had already been stolen, the robbers were only able to get a few silver bars and some cash. This robbery was completely unrelated to the first heist and none of the robbers even knew each other.

Several thousand dollars had been picked up in Elko but the Wells Fargo and Co. express messenger handed over only $3,100, which was a fraction of the amount he had in the safe. By January 17, 1871, three of the four robbers were convicted of the crime and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

And so, history records that the first and second train robberies in the state of Nevada happened 20 hours and 380 miles apart to the same train on the same day.


the complete review - fiction

Bodies of Summer



by

Martin Felipe Castagnet



general information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author

Spanish title: Los cuerpos del verano

Translated by Frances Riddle

- Return to top of the page -

Our Assessment:



B : quite nicely done futuristic vision

See our review for fuller assessment.

From the Reviews :

"Despojada de parafernalia tecno-cientifica, ni exagerada afectacion, la escritura de Castagnet nos conduce suavemente hacia un infierno probable, desolador. En apariencia, sin alternativa posible. De todas formas, como un despiadado alegorista, nos presenta una utopia perversa, pero para significar con mayor potencia el espacio no iluminado por el desbordante reflejo de los monitores." - Diego De Angelis, Clarin





"Author Martin Felipe Castagnets speculative idea is funny, absurd and intelligent. (...) (A) worthwhile and considerate take on the failure of technology to liberate us. A relevant and thoughtful debut from the up-and-coming Latin American author." - Fred Sculthorp, Irish Times





"The ability to place your consciousness into a new body, a new sex, a new race is ripe for investigation, and Castagnet writes through those rabbit holes with deft, spare prose that borders on the laconic. (...) The novel raises questions on every page, questions of race and gender and sexuality and propriety. It moves quickly, and its very well written, but under all that pressure and heat there seems to be something of a shrug." - J. David Osborne, World Literature Today

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review 's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.



- Return to top of the page -

The complete review 's Review :

Bodies of Summer is set in a future where immortality of sorts has been achieved: upon death, it is (generally) possible to put a person's mind into 'flotation' -- essentially uploading it onto what has become a greatly expanded version of the internet, as flotation is: "the maintenance of brain activity inside an information system". Beyond that, it is possible to take a mind out of flotation and re-implant -- 'burn' it -- into a new body, when one becomes available. Technological advances have helped in body-upkeep and repair as well, to the point where: "Every body has an average life span of three inhabitants until it finally deteriorates".

The hive-mind exists, a vast connected internet-space where it is possible to live virtually (but, of course, not physically). Some, like the narrator's daughter Vera, opt to stay there, while his son Teo is one of the few who chose not to join in any part of this; they are 'alive' in very different forms here. The narrator, Ramiro Olivaires was actually one of the first to go into flotation -- and he took his time, many decades, before now finally trying out physical form again.

His family could only afford the body of an older, overweight woman -- not quite what he had been used to -- but at least it allowed him to live in human form again, many decades after his first physical death. He moves in with his grandson, Wales, and wife, September, and their two children; Teo also lives in the household, but his mind is already pretty far gone,

Bodies of Summer is a speculative novel of a future in which immortality is possible. Short and moving along at good clip in short sub-chapters, it is mostly a domestic story, Castagnet using the extended family (plus the presence of a helper, Cuzco, who offers yet another example of the choices people can make in this new world) to present many of the issues arising from this new state of human affairs. Ramiro also helpfully summarizes some of the changes that have (and haven't) resulted in the world at large, and following him as he adapts to the new world offers additional insights. Other connections between past and future are also explored: conveniently, a relative from his wife's second marriage lives nearby, and while he can't take up a position at the architectural firm he helped found (though it still exists) Ramiro does find employment (that neatly ties together past and present).

The household alone covers a lot of this new territory: Teo is an example of familiar old-time decline and mortality, while his sister functions as a purely virtual presence. The roots of Wales and September's marital problems are ultimately revealed, adding yet anther identity-issue to the mix. Meanwhile, their kids eventually perhaps take the concept of immortality too lightly but: (almost) no harm done, since bodies are replaceable ..... And, above all, there are Ramiro's own adaptation issues (which includes the difficulty of weaning himself from being completely connected to the internet, as he was in flotation)..

Adding a bit of mystery is why Ramiro chose to take on bodily form, as he has questions that have been gnawing at him all this long time -- specifically about his wife, and a betrayal by his former best friend. It is these two he is seeking -- with the confrontations with his former best friend the significant action in the novel.

This is a world where:

Death still exists; what has disappeared is the certainty that everything will end sooner or later.

Can you tell me the difference between a Betamax and a VHS ? What sound did the first modems make ? Can you explain exactly what a .gif was ?

- M.A.Orthofer, 14 January 2017

- Return to top of the page -

:

Dalkey Archive Press publicity page

Factotum publicity page

- Return to top of the page -

About the Author :

Argentine author Martin Felipe Castagnet was born in 1986.

- Return to top of the page -
Close

Though most of the recent news for Samsung has been all about the Samsung Galaxy S8, there is possibly another device lurking for release later this year. This is in reference to the Samsung Galaxy X, a foldable phone which could come out by the third quarter of 2017. Word of a potential new member of the Samsung Galaxy clan has been out for quite a while now, believed to be a premium handset which should be interesting.

For those who have been around, it is no secret that Samsung has had its share of offering foldable clamshell devices in the past. With due consideration to the modern day, however, marketing it and mass-producing the said device is another issue that needs to be addressed, Korea Herald reported back in November 2016.

While that task falls at the hands of the Samsung marketing team, the Korean giant may have likely factored that into their goals. Assuming that this is the case, a more recent report from the Korea Herald believes that the Samsung Galaxy X series could become a reality as early as this July. However, this will be more than just a simple phone with claims that it can allegedly transform into a tablet.

The dish traces its roots from the US Patents office which gave Samsung the rights for such. The fold-out phablet will feature a display that folds into a full-sized tablet, something closely similar to what Lenovo demoed last year. On that note, it should be interesting if the Samsung Galaxy X will also be wearable such as the one teased by Lenovo.

A potential release depends on how Samsung progresses with their internal deliberations, Digital Trends reported. Other possible features of the Samsung Galaxy X include seeing them in two variants (X1 and X1 Plus), 4K display, 8GB RAM, fingerprint/iris scanner and face scanner biometric security, running on Android 7.0 Nougat, a dual-camera setup, and ready for AR/VR technologies.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Close

A 12-year-old girl named Katelyn Nicole Davis streamed her own suicide on Facebook. In the same horrific video, she revealed she was abused sexually abused by a relative before she hung herself.

The video has become viral this week. According to The Sun, it was filmed back in December 2016 and it was broadcast after the investigation. Many online users complained about the video, however, the police have a hard time taking it down.

The video is 42 minutes long and ends with Davis hanging from a tree. In the first 21 minutes, the video shows Davis setting up her suicide and talking about her life and her depression. At the 21:24 minute mark, she says "Goodbye," then proceeds to hang herself.

According to the source, the Georgia teen wrote a confession on her blog about her stepfather's sexual abuse. After the authorities learned about the video, they found the girl hanging from a tree in front of her home. She was rushed to Polk Medical Center, but later pronounced dead on Dec. 30.

Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd asked the public to stop sharing the video. "We want it down as much as anyone for the family and it may be harmful to other kids," Dodd said to Fox Atlanta.

The Police Chief said that a police man from California was the one who saw the video first and quickly contacted Polk County authorities.

Suicide affects many people in countries outside the U.S. For instance, in New Zealand, suicide rate among Kiwi men aged 20 to 24 has doubled and now higher than that of Australians of the same age, according to NZ Herald. Based on the latest study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, from 2009 to 2013, the rate among Kiwi men aged 20 to 24 was 29.7 percent of 100,000 people, which doubled the rate of Aussie men of the same age.

For those who know someone depressed or are thinking of taking their own lives, they can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
LAKEWOOD, Colo.  General Moly Inc.s Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer Lee M. Shumway is set to leave the company May 12 to pursue being a mission president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Shumway told the company last week that effective July 1 he has accepted the call from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve as one of the Churchs international mission presidents. Through mid-May, Shumway will continue with the company in his current roles.

We support Lees acceptance of this call from his church, General Moly Chief Executive Officer Bruce D. Hansen stated in a press release. Lee and his familys affiliation and service to their church and community exemplify the foundation of Lees leadership and support that he has shared with the Company and the community over the past nine and half years. We wish the best to Lee and his wife as they embark on this new assignment. We will continue with our current management structure in the interim, and will evaluate opportunities to fill Lees roles and responsibilities internally and externally over the coming months.

Although I am grateful to accept the call of my church, it is difficult to depart from the opportunities that have been presented to me at General Moly, Shumway said. I continue to be excited for the future prospects of the Company and its assets, the ongoing determination and skill of its employees and the unwavering commitment of its board of directors.

General Moly is a U.S.-based molybdenum mineral development, exploration and mining company. The companys primary asset, an 80 percent interest in the Mt. Hope Project located in central Nevada, is considered one of the worlds largest and highest grade molybdenum deposits.
ELKO  After impact statements from family and an almost 20-minute explanation by the judge, Eduardo Estrada-Puentes was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for the murder of his estranged wife Stephanie Gonzalez.

This maximum sentence aligned with what Chief District Attorney Chad Thompson asked the court to give.

Defense attorney David Lockie had asked the court for the sentence recommended by parole and probation  50 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

A jury found Estrada-Puentes guilty of first-degree murder in October for the 2011 death of Gonzalez. The case was the culmination of a three-year manhunt. Estrada-Puentes was apprehended in Mexico in October 2014 after being involved in a fight, and extradited to the United States.

Estrada-Puentes family testified that he was a kind and loving father and always helpful to others. They also said he grew up in a home that had a history of domestic violence.

Gonzalezs sister and mother explained to the court what her death meant to their family. Lidia Cortes said her daughter paid the ultimate price just because she asked for a divorce.

While the majority of the people present remained stoic throughout the statements, almost everyone in the court began crying during Gonzalezs daughters testimony. Dsrey Gonzalez Cortes, who was 10 at the time of the murder, told the court she didnt write a letter because she wanted to talk from my heart.

When I had found out that my dad had killed my mom, I didnt believe it, she said. I couldnt believe it. I still cant believe it.

She said she lost both parents that day and it has broken her heart. Dsrey said she wondered if she could have prevented her mothers death if she hadnt gone on a fishing trip with her grandparents the day of the murder.

There for awhile I blamed myself for my moms death, she said.

Dsrey said first she was in denial and then angry. She said she doesnt hate her father, but she doesnt know if she will ever be able to forgive him. She said her father deserves to go to jail for what he did. Dsrey said she knows her father is sad and regrets what he did.

Kacin said he seldom if ever addresses victims during sentencing but he made an exception based on Dsreys statement.

Please dont accept blame that is not yours, he told the 15-year-old. Nothing that you did resulted in your mothers death, and you did not lose your mother. Your grandmother and guardian, Mrs. Cortes, understands this, as she properly recognizes that she did not, and I emphasize not, lose her daughter. Murder is theft. Its basically stealing a life. Stephanie did not lose her life. Mr. Estrada murdered Stephanie and he stole her life. He stole Stephanie from Dsrey, Kiawna and Andres. He stole Stephanie from Mrs. Cortes, Mr. Gonzalez, their families and the Elko community. As a result Mr. Estrada is now lost to his family as well, because whatever I do here for a sentence today, he is going to prison for a very, very long time.

Kacin reminded everyone in the court that Estrada-Puentes was judged by a jury of his peers. The judge said it was a very strong first-degree murder case.

In my view the state proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was first-degree murder, he said.

Kacin said the recommendation from parole and probation is for the minimum sentence of 50 years with possibility of parole after 20 years. He said it comes down to the judge to decide if that is appropriate.

It has to be that way. The defendant has to be judged, Kacin said.

He said he is not swayed by the media and he doesnt give any weight to allegations that arent supported by the evidence. Kacin said he considered the defendants life, including his criminal record, the crime itself and what Estrada-Puentes did after the murder.

Kacin acknowledged that Estrada-Puentes has no prior felony convictions and that he is able to do good things in his life.

There are good things that can be said about just about anybody on this earth, Kacin said.

He said the crime was a heinous offense.

Mr. Estrada strangled all 60 inches and 100 pounds of Stephanie, his wife, the mother of his children, to death, Kacin said. His childhood sweetheart, he killed her.

The judge said he asked himself why Estrada-Puentes killed Gonzalez.

My conclusion, Mr. Estrada loved his wife but in the end she became a disposable possession, Kacin said. She was more that than a person, or wife or mother of his children. This is about power and control. He wanted power and control over her. If he could not have her, no one could, so he murdered her.

The judge said even the presence of the two youngest children in the residence didnt stop Estrada-Puentes from killing Gonzalez. Kacin said after the murder Estrada-Puentes hid the body and then fled to Mexico and continued on with his life.

He even fathered another child and that jumped out at me too when I reviewed his pre-sentence investigation report, Kacin said. It jumped out right away. He just continued on and Stephanie could not.

While Kacin agreed the crime was spontaneous he also had to take into account Estrada-Puentes criminal history, which included two previous convictions of domestic violence.

Mr. Estrada decided a long time ago that violence was the answer, Kacin said. He used violence  it appears from the record here, and I infer from the record  to control his wife when necessary in his view.

The judge said sadly it was learned violence since Estrada-Puentes grew up in a home with domestic violence, but the defendant squandered his chance at enlightenment. Kacin said any judge would have required Estrada-Puentes to attend counseling after his domestic violence convictions.

Kacin said he didnt want to risk Estrada-Puentes ever abusing another romantic partner.

The sentence Im going to impose here is not going to be harsh, just for the sake of being harsh. Its not going to be the minimum sentence, Kacin said. Mrs. Cortes should never have to wonder if her daughters murderer might abuse again while her daughter lies in a grave. Dsrey, Kiawna and Andres will always know where to find you if they ever find it in their hearts to forgive you, because Im sending you to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

Several people in the gallery gasped and Cortes cried and clutched her daughters photo to her chest.

I hope this community and all the families can heal from this, Kacin said. This sentence was driven by what this defendant did. Let justice be done.

After the sentencing, Cortes said she was glad the judge imposed the maximum sentence.

We got justice for Stephanie, she said. Domestic violence is not the answer to the problems that go on in a marriage or a family.  I hope that our community will continue to support the victims of abuse.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A plan by the new congressional Republican majority to defund Planned Parenthood could leave 30,000 Connecticut patients  mostly young women  without access to birth control pills, cancer screenings and other health care.

Its unlikely other providers can take care of such large numbers of patients, said Judy Tabar, CEO of Planned Parenthood for Southern New England. What (Republicans) are talking about is denying access to Planned Parenthood so women could not go to the provider of their choice.

The Republican plan, led by House Speaker Paul Ryan, would prohibit Medicaid from reimbursing Planned Parenthood for health care services it now provides, including prevention measures, testing for sexual diseases, yearly physicals and routine treatment for colds and ear infections.

Tabar said Planned Parenthood in Connecticut serves 60,000 patients a year, and about half of them receive insurance through Medicare. That means 30,000 patients, who do not have private health care and are unlikely to obtain it due to low incomes would be forced to find another health provider who accepts Medicaid.

The problem, Tabar explained, is that on average about 25 percent of physicians do not accept Medicaid patients, and in many parts of the state there are not enough doctors or clinics to handle a flood of additional patients.

Its unlikely other providers could see those patients, Tabar said. There are not enough health professionals in particular areas, so they come to us. We are the only provider they will see each year.

More Information Plan to "defund" Planned Parenthood The congressional Republican majority intends to prohibit Medicaid from reimbursing Planned Parenthood for health care services Connecticut Planned Parenthood 60,000 patients Insurance through Medicaid30,000 patients National Annual reimbursement payments from Medicaid and other public programs$533M* About two-thirds of Planned Parenthood patients nationally rely on programs such as Medicaid for their health care. Source: xxxx xxxx xxx xxx xxx | *40% of its $1.3B in revenue The plan to "defund" Planned Parenthood The Congressional Republican majority intends to prohibit Medicaid from reimbursing Planned Parenthood for health care services Planned Parenthood has 60,000 patients in Connecticut Of those patients, about 30,000 receive insurance through Medicaid Nationally, Planned Parenthood receives $533 million annually in reimbursement payments from Medicaid and other public programs, or about 40 percent of its $1.3 billion in revenue. About two-thirds of Planned Parenthood patients nationally rely on programs such as Medicaid for their health care. See More Collapse

In a written statement, the state Department of Social Services also said there are not enough providers who accept Medicaid to handle the Planned Parenthood patients.

Connecticut Medicaid has some alternate capacity in terms of enrolled providers, but nowhere near the level to serve the number of women who need these vital health services and are currently able to receive them from Planned Parenthood, the DSS said.

The DSS added the Republican plan would have unconscionable effects on the health care of women in the state.

If Congress bars Planned Parenthood from participating in Medicaid, there would be immediate negative effects on womens health in Connecticut and nationally, the DSS said. This would be unconscionable.

The potential loss of disease screening and early detection alone should be enough to stop the misguided notion of defunding Planned Parenthood  absolutely critical services like women wellness exams, breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment of cervical and urinary tract infections need to continue, the DSS said.

Long-held priority

The states Democratic congressional delegation opposes the Republican majoritys plan, along with GOP intentions to repeal Obamacare, which provides health insurance for low- to moderate-income people. But they are in the minority, and Republican President-elect Donald Trump has not indicated he would stand in the way of his partys intentions.

The continued attack against Planned Parenthood defies logic, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said. Planned Parenthood provides hundreds of thousands of women with access to life-saving cancer screenings annually  saving lives in the process. Those who seek to defund them should be ashamed.

For Republicans, defunding Planned Parenthood has been a priority for years, mostly due to long-standing opposition to abortion, and the effort gained steam during the Obama presidency. For some, the goal is outright destruction of the nonprofit Planned Parenthood organization, which is a leading abortion provider.

The Planned Parenthood legislation would be in our (repeal) bill, Ryan told The Associated Press earlier this month, referring to the GOP intention to repeal Obamacare.

Planned Parenthood receives $533 million annually in reimbursement payments from Medicaid and other public programs, or about 40 percent of its $1.3 billion in revenue. About two-thirds of Planned Parenthoods patients rely on public programs such as Medicaid for their health care.

The remainder of Planned Parenthoods funding comes from a variety of sources, including contributions, private insurance payments, endowments and fees for educational programs, annual reports show.

Years ago, federal lawmakers prohibited the use of taxpayer funds to pay for abortions, except in rare cases when the womans life is in danger.

The state DSS noted that the plan to defund Planned Parenthood is aimed at those with low incomes.

No one should gloss over the fact that when were talking about Medicaid, by definition were talking about women with very low incomes, the DSS said. The health of all women should be protected, but the possibility of hurting the health of women without financial resources and alternatives is especially unacceptable.

The DSS added, women rely upon Planned Parenthood for their annual flu shots and other vaccines, mammograms, smoking cessation groups and treatment to name but a few of the vitally important services that will be much harder for women to find.

Tabar said Planned Parenthood will withstand the latest attempt to cripple its services.

We will never stop fighting to preserve access to services for our patients, she said. We have been here 100 years and will be here another 100. We are committed to keeping the doors open. There has been an outpouring of support.

Planned Parenthood plans to hold a rally Wednesday at the Capitol in Hartford to draw attention to the defunding plan. The CT Coalition for Choice says a visibility event will be held at the Legislative Office Building from noon to 4:30 p.m., followed by a rally and march to the Capitol.

We need your voices in Hartford to loudly demonstrate to our state lawmakers that we will not stand for any restrictions to reproductive health, rights and access in our state, organizers said in a Facebook post. We have the power to stop the attacks.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

More and more physicians are acknowledging the medical benefits of marijuana and are enrolling in the states pharmaceutical cannabis program.

While 80 doctors were on board when the states licensed growers first began supplying medical marijuana to the dispensaries in September 2014, there are now 593, according to the state Department of Consumer Protection, which runs the program.

Still, the psychoactive plants lingering reputation as a dangerous Schedule I drug  a stoners escape with no medical benefits  frightens state physicians, even though it was reclassified as a Schedule II substance when state lawmakers approved therapeutic cannabis nearly five years ago.

Its fair to say theres a lot more internal dialogue about medical marijuana and its efficacy, said Kenneth Ferrucci, senior vice president of government affairs for the 7,000-member Connecticut State Medical Society.

Fading stigma

A sign of evolution on the issue was the participation of the medical society in a news conference last month in the Connecticut Hospice in Branford, which announced plans to research the ways medical cannabis might help terminal patients while reducing the use of opioids.

The research part is pretty consistent with where our policy has been, Ferrucci said.

He noted that many doctors find the federal laws a formidable threat to their livelihoods, if the U.S. Department of Justice wants to crack down. Initial reports from the incoming Trump administration indicate that states will be free to run their own cannabis programs, either recreational or/and medical.

I think that the stigma in general is decreasing, said Jonathan Harris, Consumer Protection commissioner. The acceptance by the medical community is increasing. They had two issues: one how do you dose it? With more innovation in the medicine and delivery systems, less and less of it being smoked as pure flower. The dosage issue is correcting itself. Its happened.

The second piece of opposition is centered around information and research.

The anecdotal information is growing, research from elsewhere is growing and now we have Connecticut research coming on line, which is also helping to lower the stigma and increase the acceptance of the program, said Harris, who last month presided last month over an event to mark a research deal at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.

Dr. Vincent R. Carlesi, who has been on the Board of Physicians that reviews petitions for new afflictions to be added to the program since it began, agrees that momentum is growing in the medical community.

There are some physicians who are skeptical about the program, still, unfortunately and there are others who are advocates but they are also fearful of their licenses, said Carlesi, a pain specialist with offices in Ridgefield and Stamford. They think that certifying a patient for medical cannabis could be detrimental to their practice and their license because its not officially federally accepted. So I think there is a lot of fear still out there on this issue.

Dr. Mitchell Prywes, a Danbury-based pain specialist who is a new member of the doctors panel, believes physcians throughout the state need more education about the medical properties of marijuana, particularly in light of the scourge of opioid abuse.

Education is something I feel very passionate about, Prywes said after the board meeting. Its not just patients who need the education. Physicians need to have the education to understand that it is a medicine and to understand its utility.

He stressed the need for continued forums and workshops so doctors can feel more comfortable in identifying patients who might benefit from cannabis, which more and more often is being used as a gel, strips under the tongues of patients, or an extract that is inhaled as a vapor. Fewer patients are smoking the dried flowers, Harris said.

Brave experiment

Carlesi takes some strength in early reports from the Trump transition team that they will not interfere with state cannabis laws, particularly the highly regulated pharmaceutical model of Connecticut.

This was kind of a brave experiment, very secure, and designed to grow in a measured way, Harris said during last weeks Board of Physicians meeting.

During the meeting, four new debilitating conditions  painful side effects of shingles and rheumatoid arthritis; along with fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis - were recommended to Harris for approval.

Harris said he has not heard of potential patients having difficulty finding physicians who participate in the program.

Under the 2012 law creating the states medical marijuana model, detailed information on the program, including the names of doctors and patients, is withheld from the public.

I think that information is out there, and as the pool of physicians grow and doctors who might not want to certifiy patients with debilitating conditions themselves, they know more and more of their colleagues that are doing it, I think that thats rectifying itself, to the extent that there was a problem, Harris said.

kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT
ELKO  A public workshop on water modeling studies of the Humboldt River Basin is slated for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Elko County Commissioners chambers in the Nannini Administration Building.

The Nevada Division of Water Resources will be holding the workshop in Elko and two workshops the day before in Lovelock and Winnemucca. The Lovelock workshop will be at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the city hall. The Winnemucca workshop will be at 2 p.m. the same day in the Humboldt County complex.

The division will be updating the public about the study of the effects of groundwater pumping on the upper Humboldt River that the Desert Research Institute is doing.

The other study to be talked about is the evaluation of streamflow depletion related to groundwater withdrawal of the basin being prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The two studies look at mine dewatering and pit lakes formed when mines close, as well as water wells for irrigation, municipal uses, industrial use and for livestock.

Mike Baughman, executive director of the Humboldt River Basin Water Authority, recently said State Engineer Jason King may use the data from the studies to bring the basin back into balance. He estimated the studies would take four more years to completion.

Deputy Administrator of Water Resources Rich Felling will be at the workshops, along with others on the division staff and representatives from USGS and DRI and water masters from Elko and Winnemucca, according to JoAnn Kittrell, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Cuba and the US hold third meeting on mutual compensations

Cuba and the United States held in Havana on Thursday their third meeting on mutual compensations to find a solution to the unsettled claims between the two countries.

According to a press release by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the negotiators discussed probable mechanisms to settle claims both sides have.

The Cuban part pointed out that it considers essential that the claims for over 300 billion dollars made by the Cuban people for human and economic damages that were included in sentences issued by the Havanas Provincial Court in 1999 and 2000, respectively, are taken into consideration.

The US government claims for compensations on losses suffered by US companies and individuals caused by the nationalization laws passed after the Triumph of the Cuban Revolutions, that some experts estimate are in the range of 8 billion dollars.

The Cuban delegation was presided by Foreign Deputy Minister Abelardo Moreno, and the American by Brian Egan, legal advisor at the US State Department.

Both parties stressed on the importance and usefulness of continuing these exchanges
Obama revokes US policy encouraging illegal migration of Cubans

In what has been considered Obamas last move towards the improvement of US-Cuba relations before leaving the White House, he revoked the dry-feet, wet-feet policy, which encouraged Cuban illegal migration to the US, and the medical parole program, aimed at having Cuban doctors abandon their medical missions in other countries to leave for the United States.

A news release by the White House on Thursday afternoon quotes Obamas statements as saying that Today, the United States is taking important steps forward to normalize relations with Cuba and to bring greater consistency to our immigration policy. The Department of Homeland Security is ending the so-called "wet-foot/dry foot" policyand that the Department of Homeland Security is also ending the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program.

In the face of this statement, the Cuban government issued a declaration saying that with this accord Cuba and the United States sign and accord aimed at guaranteeing regular, safe and orderly migration.

The Cuban government also described the step as important for the advance of bilateral relations and noted that the accord is included in Cubas decision, ratified by President Raul Castro on December 17, 2014 that a dialog with the U.S. must be based on mutual respect, on equal grounds to deal with all diverse issues in a reciprocal manner, without undermining Cuban independence and sovereignty.

The Cuban government made clear that along with the two measures, in order to achieve normal migration relations between the two countries, the US Congress must put down the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, one of its kind in the world and outdated in todays bilateral context.

Aside from what todays joint declaration stipulates, other migration accords reached by both countries keep in force, while both countries ratify their decision to prevent illegal maritime departures from Cuba to the US and to return to the island all those persons who are intercepted in such attempts or those who try to reach the US naval base in Guantanamo. The US government will continue to guarantee regular migration from Cuba on the basis of a minimum of 20 thousand people every year.

The Cuban government, faithful to its obligations, ratifies its commitment to guarantee regular, safe and orderly migration, and fully meet the new accords. It will continue to guarantee the right of Cubans to travel and migrate and to return to their country, according to the current migration law and will adopt other measures to update its migration policy. (acn)
Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Lob'STAR auditions open

Video auditions are open for the first LobSTAR to have a starring roll in the 2023 Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl. Often we get people who say, 'How do I get to help Lucy the lobster come out of the Atlantic?' or 'How do I get to be a judge at the ...
Russian trace of holidays (video)

Non-working days were stressful for the Armenian economy. During New Year holidays state structures and banks didnt operate. Should Armenia afford to have 9-day holidays? It was the first question of this years first session of the Government. By the way, werent there too many non-working days? Lets discuss it with the society, maybe we can find a solution, said Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan. New Year holidays are a good opportunity to have a rest after hard working year. Nevertheless, long rest results not only in positive consequences. After long holidays resuming active work causes stress. People still bear in mind their carless days, but the present is already full of problems. Even for those, who do not work on weekend, Monday becomes a difficult day. And 10-15 days New Year holiday demands more adaptation, says psychologist Mihrdat Madatyan. Psychologist is for limiting New Year holidays. But he warns that it will cause resistance among Armenians, who got used to long holidays. He advises starting from making New Year holidays non-obligatory. Initially it should be done on voluntary basis. Look, Prime Minister urged some state structures and banks to resume their work earlier, but those banks didnt do it. It should be done in a more flexible way, so that ordinary citizens stay at home, but understand that they are at home, but out of game , as other people go to work, but they remained around gastronomic tables, says Mihrdat Madatyan. The psychologist cannot understand the tradition of celebrating January 14 as a holiday. Celebrating Old New Year has a Russian trace and dates back to 1918. Russian church didnt shift to Gregorian calendar, celebrating religious holidays by Julian calendar. During the Soviet era this tradition passed to other countries. After independence, some countries, including Armenia, maintained Russian tradition. Watch the video for more details!
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

Google Ad

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

Google Ad

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
Schenkkan: "December referendum was indeed one of the most undeniable of all of Armenias corrupted elections"

On January 4th, over 100 people attended the premiere screening of Referendum Rewind at the Tribeca Film Center in lower Manhattan. Filmed, edited and directed by LA filmmaker and activist Robert Davidian, a native of New York, the film chronicles the pro-democracy movement in the Republic of Armenia. Through the voices of the people and live action events, it highlights the struggles against the pervasive corruption that compromised a critical referendum on constitutional reform back in December 2015. Unlike Mr. Davidians other two self-produced films on corruption in Armenia, this 60-minute feature was commissioned by US-based Justice Armenia and its supporters. The mission was to investigate the situation on the ground before, during and after the vote. The results of this exploration now serve as the context and springboard for Justice Armenia's larger goalto kick off 2017 as a new era in Armenia-Diaspora relations called the Diaspora-Armenia Reset. For those who believe that Armenia's future belongs to the people versus the oligarchs and autocrats that have entrenched themselves through systemic corruption, this event is a chance to raise important questions and seek practical solutions that involve participation of the Diaspora, explained Ara N. Araz, moderator of the evening and board member of Justice Armenia, a 501(c)3 grass roots non-profit. Its mission is to provide education and resources for a fair and civil society in Armenia and elsewhere. After the screening, guest speaker Nate Schenkkan, the project director of Nations in Transit, Freedom Houses annual survey of democratic governance, along with Robert Davidian and Ara N. Araz, took to the stage to field the numerous questions and commentaries posed by a diverse audience. Many were surprised to learn that Armenia has been defined as a semi-consolidated authoritarian regime according to the Freedom House survey of nations from Central Europe through Eurasia. In contrast to Georgia and Ukraine, which are defined as transitional governments respectively, Armenia is in the company of countries with which it has little else in common, such as Kyrgyzstan and Kosovo. Mr. Schenkkan has been to Armenia multiple times and has extensive knowledge of the entire CIS and Eastern bloc countries. He was quick to validate the main thesis of the film: that the December referendum was indeed one of the most undeniable of all of Armenias corrupted elections since independence. Even people who do not expect much from elections in Armenia were surprised as to how blatant the fraud was, he stated. The report on the constitutional referendum is the only OSCE report that says plainly that the election results were changed. It says that there was actual alteration of voting results. The film also revealed that, had the vote been untainted, the ruling party still had the asymmetrical capacity to inappropriately impact the outcomegiven their control of the media and the judiciary. But Mr. Schenkkan reassured the audience that a failure to exact a true result even with intensive outside monitoring wont constitute a failure. Informed by the experiences of other nations struggling for democracy, he reminded the audience that the act of organizing and monitoring is in itself significant even if the short term outcome is not changed. Networks, relationships and solidarity is being created that carries through to other parts of the country and helps you re-imagine the country as you go. Throughout the film, it became increasingly clear that citizen confidence in the Armenian government is at an all-time low. Some locals maintained that more radical approaches must be taken, while others support a more robust election observer network as an important next step. One audience member suggested that it was high time that the Diaspora and community organizations as well as the Armenian church cease patronizing Armenian officials on their visits to the U.S., boycott events in their honor, and unite as a powerful voice in support of the transparency, rule of law and human rights that the government has failed to uphold. The idea received a round of applause. It was also pointed out that Global Financial Integrity, a Washington, DC-based research organization, reported a nearly 50% increase in illicit financial flows from Armenia from $1.285 billion in 2012 to $1.848 billion in 2013. In response to a question about the more repressive actions taken by the authorities against peaceful protesters, Mr. Araz noted that between 2010 and 2016, the ROA police budget increased by approximately $50 million and the size of the police force rose from 8,875 in 2005 to 18,333 by 2013. Another game-changing factor was raised: the 4-day war in April 2016 with Azerbaijan, when Armenians discovered that the ROA military was grossly unprepared to withstand the assaults. This led to additional sacrifice and death of young soldiers. With an Armenian government largely asleep at the wheel, the argument for supporting the ruling party has also begun to unravel. Some in the audience expressed disappointment that the best hopes for a truly free and independent Armenia have been sidelined in favor of a false choice between national security with stability and democracy with Rule of Law. These and other recent events, including last summers hostage taking of the Yerevan police station, have signaled a tipping point looming in the political life of Armenia. In characterizing the current state of Armenian affairs, Mr. Schenkkan used the analogy of the tension of two tectonic platesthe people and the governmentright before an earthquake erupts. The question is in which direction will it go? Will it wind up a fully consolidated authoritarian state or a budding democracy that will ultimately win the respect and admiration of citizens, the diaspora and the world? Those who want to be part of the reset are betting on the latter. The positive feedback from this event indicates that the tide is turning, not only among Armenias citizens, but among everyday diasporans too, stated Justice Armenia board member Tamar Hovsepian. When we first began this open conversation about the serious internal challenges of the authorities own making, there were still apologists and relativists attending our events to argue otherwise. Ruling party proxies in the U.S. were urging guest panelists not to attend. But these voices have diminished as more and more community members are asking the right questions and looking for new answers. And most important, theyre eager to play a role in reclaiming the Armenian dream of being truly free and independent. In the film, various stakeholders, activists, and thought leaders, along with ordinary citizens, appealed directly to viewers to stand with the people and participate as a united force in support of free and fair elections. As one expert analyst in the film stated, free and fair elections are essential to put Armenia on a true path to democracy. With the Parliamentary Elections slated for April 2, 2017, many activists on camera called upon Diasporans to sign up to become election observers. Some cited that those polling stations with a strong presence of committed observers had statistically different results than those without observers, thus supporting the positive effect of their presence. To this end, Justice Armenia announced that it is organizing a group mission to Armenia, called the 2017 Transparency Tour from March 29 to April 5th of this year. The trip is designed to coincide with the parliamentary elections. Participants will have the option to serve as outside observers while spending the rest of the week engaging directly with pro-democracy groups and activists, journalists and media specialists, opposition parties and other stakeholders involved in anti-corruption and pro-democracy efforts. There will also be a robust cultural and social component in the evenings from gourmet dining experiences and new trends in the arts to networking receptions and a special farewell event. For more information, go to http://www.justicearmenia.org/2017-transparency-tour.html. A second screening of Referendum Rewind and continued discussion with Freedom Houses Nate Schenkkan will take place on Thursday, January 19th at St. Leon Armenian Church in Fairlawn, NJ. The event is sponsored by a cross section of community organizations, including Justice Armenia, Armenian Renaissance-New York, Tufenkian Foundation, SR Socially Relevant Film Festival NY, Armenian Network of America-Greater NY, Armenian Democratic Liberal Party-Ramgavars, New York Armenian Students Association, and National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).
County-specific poll may foretell whether Pa. is going blue or red
Screen shot of Allie Dowdle's GoFundMe page.

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day just around the corner, some Memphians are looking for a local hero who is standing up to racism. Unfortunately, they are willing to put nearly anyone on a pedestal.

On Wednesday, white Memphian Allie Dowdle asked the Internet to asay no to racisma and for $10,000 to pay for her college tuition.

In less than 24 hours nearly 500 people contributed more than $12,400 to her cause. By Friday, she had received $6,000 over her original goal. A

Amazing, right?

The 18-year-old raised the money by writing about her good grades, extra curricular activities and how her parents are refusing to pay her college tuition because she has a black boyfriend.

aHow could my love for another person be wrong because of his skin color? And why would that make me unworthy of a future I've worked so hard for?a she asked in the GoFundMe post. aBecause my parents have listed me, their own daughter, as someone who is not worthy of their time and money, I have turned to the public for support.a

They didnat just support her financially either. A Scrolling through the photos of those who gave money, one will see those who donated were quick to lionize her as a person who stood up to racism.

aYou are a bright girl who truly is an inspiration and the future of America,a wrote one white woman who donated $10. aNo one should be that deserving of hate. Prayers are with you.a

aThank you for standing up to hate and racism,a wrote a white man who gave $10. aYou give me hope.a

If what Dowdle said about her parents is true, then they are wrong-headed bigots, and the 18-year-old deserves credit for standing up to them. But come on people, are you really going to use your racism-fighting dollars to help a white woman go to college?

Yes, Dowdle is facing an awful situation, but consider where your money is going. A

What she says about her academic life is impressive, but Dowdle isnat owed any of the things she complained about.

aMy parents have chosen to no longer support my future, stripping me of all my resources including my personal savings, my car, my phone, and my education,a she wrote online.

To be clear, these are not her things. Her parents gave them to her. While the reason they took them away was ignorant and awful, they can do what they want with those items.A There are a lot of blacks and Hispanics in Memphis who donat have cars, cellphones or personal savings. Iam sure they would like to go to college. Their grades arenat always as good as white students because real institutional racism has put them in segregated schools.

With grades as high as she is claiming, Dowdle could go to the University of Memphis and probably cover most of her school and housing with scholarships and student loans.

Five classes a semester at the U of M at a instate rate cost about $4,800.

Student loans means she has to work in the future, but thatas the fate of most low income people who go to college.

Dowdle could have stood up to her parents up by showing her values trumped her desire to go to an expensive school. She could have proven she could make it under any circumstance. She could have gone to a school that, while still majority white, has a larger black student population than any other in the Tennessee.

But instead the Internet showed her that when life is a little unfair she can complain and people will give her money.

I donat blame Dowdle. Sheas a teenager who vented to the internet with a ridiculous first world problem. Thatas what teens do. I do blame white people who donat know or understand what racism is and donated to her.

Dowdle is dealing with bigots in her family, which is a hard thing to do. People who donated to Dowdle are not saying no to racism, they are saying that a white woman from a middle class family should not have to suffer the way many poor minorities do. Thatas what a woman who donated $25 said.

aAs someone who lived a similarly cushy life, I know how hard it would have been to have been raised that way and abruptly have my support stripped from me-would not have known what the hell to do,a said the female donor who went on to quote Dr. King. aKeep your head up! aJudged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.a-MLKJa

Nearly 50 years ago, it was crime for white and black people to get married in Tennessee and almost all of the states that made up the Confederacy.

The landmark 1967 Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia, changed the law but not minds.

Mildred Loving, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were arrested and ordered to leave their home by a racist system. It took years for them to finally be able to move back to their home.

Dowdle and her boyfriend are not the Lovings. They are not making any sacrifices, and giving money to her is not fighting racism.A

In the early months of 2017, as we face a new presidential administration, ask yourself is this how you want to fight racism? By helping other white people go to college?A
Last week I mentioned that Kate had been made a lifetime honorary member of the Royal Photographic Society, after having about seven images of her children published.

As one reader reminded me, that other great royal photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, who died yesterday, was given a similar award.

Last week I mentioned that Kate had been made a lifetime honorary member of the Royal Photographic Society, after having about seven images of her children published

Yet Lord Snowdon spent 35 years as one of the worlds top snappers, working in fashion, design and theatre, and producing brilliant portraits, including the Queen and Prince Philip.

At this rate, the Royal Photographic Society will be making Prince George a lifetime honorary member after his first selfie.

Mistresses' naked spite

Twice this week, courts have heard the sordid details of revenge porn sent via mobile phones to wives by their husbands ex-mistresses.

Melissa Thomas, who sent her former lovers wife a video of him naked in the shower, was spared jail.

So was Jackie Preuss, who not only sent images of herself in black stockings, but had the worn lingerie delivered to her lovers family home.

Why didnt Thomas and Preuss get custodial sentences, with their phones and Ann Summers collections confiscated as a deterrent to other vengeful mistresses?

Dannii Minogue  who only lands a job because of her famous sister, Kylie  says the most important thing in life is her son Ethan.

She quit the Aussie X Factor last year because he was starting school in Melbourne.

Shes just been in London filming The Voice, so I guess that now Ethan is six, its time for him to man up.

Funny and clever, mum knows best

Claudia Winkleman's mother banned mirrors at home

The reason Claudia Winkleman often looks as if shes slept in a skip  her words, not mine  with her panda eye make-up smudged down her face, is because her mother banned mirrors at home.

This was to discourage vanity and encourage skills mum Eve Pollard thought were vital to a womans success.

Read books, be funny, be clever, be chatty, was the advice that has served the Strictly presenter well. Yet as I recall, having worked with Eve in the Nineties, Claudias glamorous newspaper editor mother always carried a make-up mirror.

Eve is funny and clever  and whats more, her Hello Boys cleavage enters a room five minutes before she does.

Madonna rails against those who question the wisdom of her succession of lovers three decades younger. Rightly so.

The author of the bestseller In Praise Of Older Women, Stephen Vizinczey, says: Women are sexier than men for so much longer. Indeed, theres nothing sexier to a twenty-something man than a successful fifty-something  with a fat wallet.

Nadiya's half-baked novel

One year after she won The Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain has repeatedly appeared on Loose Women, been acclaimed for her two-part BBC series on her roots in Bangladesh, campaigned against arranged marriages and written two cookbooks.

Now she has released her first novel, part of a trilogy, loosely based on her own troubled childhood and entitled The Secret Lives Of The Amir Sisters. How disappointing, though, that the novel was ghostwritten by Ayisha Malik.

All will be forgiven, Nadiya  as long as we dont discover you got someone else to create your sublime signature peanut, salted caramel and chocolate tart.

Diving Adonis Tom Daley has a cookbook out.

It includes recipes for such healthy delights as porridge, scrambled egg and bacon butties.

With such culinary innovation, do we feel a publishing collaboration with Pippa Middleton coming on?

Diving Adonis Tom Daley has a cookbook out. It includes recipes for such healthy delights as porridge, scrambled egg and bacon butties

Westminster Noticeboard...

When Labours Gordon Brown called for a curb on migration in 2008, demanding British jobs for British workers, he was hailed as a defender of the working people.

When Tory Home Secretary Amber Rudd made a similar speech last year, proposing stricter rules to ensure those from abroad were not taking jobs British people could do, police recorded it as a hate incident.

As this newspaper exposed this week, one of the great problems for our crisis-hit NHS is that so many GP surgeries are offering reduced services, some of them closing for whole afternoons and forcing many people with minor ailments to go straight to A&E.

In a victory for the Mail, Theresa May has ordered surgeries to offer appointments from 8am to 8pm seven days a week. Surely shes right to put the pressure back on GPs to provide the service for which we taxpayers pay them each a small fortune.

Tony Blair wooed us with his idea of a classless society, then we had Gordon Browns civic society, David Camerons big society, now Theresa Mays shared society. Few of us, however, imagined that would include sharing NHS corridors and trolleys while waiting for beds in our hospitals.
Days after the Mail highlighted the scandal of GP surgeries closing early, Theresa May announces action to keep them open whenever theyre needed.

This is effective government at its best, tackling the overcrowding crisis in A&E departments at its root. And its certain that lives will be saved because of it.

In a series of decisive measures, the Prime Minister will make family doctors meet their own pledge to stay open from 8am to 8pm, with no more of the two-hour lunch breaks or midweek half-day closing that we exposed on Thursday.

Crucially, GP practices will lose lavish bonuses if they fail to advertise extended opening hours or dont offer appointments when people want them. They will also be encouraged to let patients book consultations online.

The Prime Minister will make family doctors meet their own pledge to stay open from 8am to 8pm, with no more of the two-hour lunch breaks or midweek half-day closing that we exposed on Thursday

Thus, at a stroke, these proposals should ease the appalling pressure on A&E, which builds up dramatically when surgeries are closed and the sick have nowhere else to turn.

Indeed, official figures show the numbers referred to hospital by the 111 hotline rise by 40 per cent at weekends  while NHS England estimates almost a third of those attending A&E would be better cared for elsewhere in the system.

Ever since Labours renegotiated contracts offered huge pay rises for working shorter hours, GPs have failed to pull their weight, leaving overworked hospital doctors to shoulder the burden.

After years of hand-wringing and waffle from politicians, Mrs Mays practical proposals should begin to put this right. The Mail is proud of the role we have played in prompting action.

MPs still in denial

They just dont get it, do they? On June 23, in a binding referendum, the public took the decision to leave the European Union. No ifs, no buts.

So how depressingly predictable that the all-party committee on exiting the EU, with its majority of Bremoaner MPs, today publishes a report recommending everything possible should be done to prevent Brexit from happening in any meaningful sense.

The job of this wretched committee is not to sabotage the will of the people, but to propose constructive ways of putting it into effect.

If the MPs who serve on it are so relentlessly negative about our freedom from Brussels bureaucracy, they should stand down and make way for others who are determined to make it work.

Lefts grip on top jobs

At first sight, Labour MP Tristram Hunts resignation is yet another blow to his partys hopes of regaining power. But look at the plum job hes going to, and a different picture emerges.

Why on earth should this undistinguished TV historian be thought fit to run one of Britains greatest cultural institutions, the Victoria and Albert Museum?

At first sight, Labour MP Tristram Hunts resignation is yet another blow to his partys hopes of regaining power. But look at the plum job hes going to, and a different picture emerges

The disturbing truth is that in taking this post, Mr Hunt will be joining multitudes of like-thinking Left-wing luvvies who run almost every public body and quango in the country.

Indeed, seven years after voters kicked Labour out, the Left retains its grip on power and influence by unelected means. Isnt it high time the top public-sector jobs started going to candidates more in tune with the people who pay for them?

 Ideally, witch-hunts against British troops over their conduct on active service should be scrapped altogether. But the plan by ministers to put time limits on investigations, with an age ceiling and sentencing cap on those prosecuted, is a hugely welcome step in the right direction. It deserves every success.
Theres never been anything like the current open warfare between President-elect Donald Trump and the Central Intelligence Agency

Over the years, many American presidents have found themselves at odds with their spy chiefs. John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are three notorious examples.

But theres never been anything like the current open warfare between President-elect Donald Trump and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Weeks of simmering hostility exploded into the open on Wednesday when he accused intelligence chiefs of licensing the publication of false claims about his allegedly depraved sexual practices.

Trump is now engaged in a fight to the death with the CIA, the independent agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to the White House and senior U.S. policy-makers.

Only one side can win. For either the CIA will be humbled or Trump will be humiliated and destroyed.

Crucially, this isnt just an issue that affects the United States  it is one of global importance whose outcome will affect all of us.

Also, it is a high-stakes drama which directly involves Britain, and in particular our foreign intelligence service, MI6.

We have learnt that Christopher Steele, a former MI6 officer who reportedly once headed the agencys Russian desk at MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall Cross, South London, was the mastermind behind the dossier of lurid accusations about Trumps activities in a Moscow hotel suite.

Whether true or not, the material suggests that the Kremlin has other documentation which it could use to blackmail Trump.

Meanwhile, the American tycoon-turned-politician is accused of being too friendly with Russian businessmen and Kremlin power-brokers.

Either way, this is an unprecedented position for an American president to be in.

Weeks of simmering hostility exploded into the open on Wednesday when he accused intelligence chiefs of licensing the publication of false claims about his allegedly depraved sexual practices

As for the Steele dossier, it was undoubtedly calculated to stop Trump being elected leader of the most powerful country in the Western world.

Being unproven, it may not be the bombshell it was intended to be. But it is still a thermo-nuclear weapon dropped into the U.S. political system. If Mr Steele were a rogue private operative, that would be troubling enough. But the evidence strongly suggests otherwise.

I have no doubt that MI6 must have had full knowledge of his role in researching and then assembling his dossier, before offering it to Trumps political enemies.

More damning still, it has been reported that Mr Steele sought the approval of Whitehall before showing his report to the FBI, Americas domestic intelligence agency.

In other words, British spy chiefs gave the green light to a scheme intended to destroy the man who would be President of the United States of America.

Like most people, I find it very hard to comprehend this. But it is the only interpretation which makes any sense of the facts as we know them.

The Steele dossier was undoubtedly calculated to stop Trump being elected leader of the most powerful country in the Western world

If so, what on earth did MI6, a highly respected organisation, think that it was doing?

MI6 is licensed by the British government to break the law and carry out illicit acts on the assumption that it always acts in the British national interest. This is allowed under the Intelligence Services Act 1994.

But why meddle mischievously with Washington? As always, it is overwhelmingly in Britains interest to develop and maintain excellent relations with the American government  particularly as we negotiate Brexit.

As we leave the EU, we urgently need to strike a trade deal with the U.S., the largest economy in the world and historically our closest ally.

So why does it seem that MI6 decides to risk destroying that relationship by interfering in U.S. domestic politics? Here is what I think happened. MI6 has an exceptionally close and strong relationship with the CIA (an organisation which British intelligence officers helped to create in the immediate aftermath of World War II).

So when, as now, MI6 chiefs believe, with considerable justification, that their transatlantic counterparts are being sidelined, they feel sympathetic and want to help.

For there is little question that the CIA has two massive concerns about Trump as president.

First, it fears he is mentally unbalanced and therefore could pose a threat to American national security.

Second, the CIA is appalled at his determination to seek a rapprochement with Vladimir Putin.

For these two reasons, there are people inside the CIA who would love to see the unpredictable tycoon replaced by vice-president-elect Mike Pence, a man who they feel they can work with.

Of course, it is well-known that the CIA has an infamous record of plotting coups detats against democratically elected governments in other countries  for example, in the early-Fifties when it helped the Iranian military overthrow premier Mohammad Mosaddeq and reinstate the Shah, and the ousting of Chiles president Salvador Allende in 1973.

The atmosphere is currently so feverish in Washington that there are well-informed people who now believe that the CIA is contemplating a version of the same thing in America itself.

President Trump may not last four years and Mr Pence may take over

This would be a truly appalling  and stupid  course of action. It would be incredibly foolish for MI6 even to be seen to be part of it.

Of course President Trump may not last four years and Mr Pence may take over.

If so, MI6 and its dirty tricks department will have secured the gratitude of its sister agency in the U.S.

But what if Donald Trump faces down the CIA?

Then, he will never forgive or forget the fact that Britain played such a squalid role in trying to stop him getting to the White House.

The damage to Britains standing in the world would be permanent, and Christopher Steeles dossier of sexual depravity will go down as an MI6 catastrophe on the same scale as the agencys fabricated dossier on Iraqs supposed weapons of mass destruction.

Alex Younger, the head of MI6 and a former officer in the Scots Guards, is by all accounts a decent and sensible man. But does he know what his spy agency has unleashed? Is he in control?

One thing is certain. MI6 should never have approved Christopher Steeles dossier on Donald Trump.

2016 was certainly a remarkable year. But the first days of 2017 have been yet more extraordinary.

We are entering times in which fact and fiction merge.

There is good reason today to feel more afraid than at any time since the Thirties.

Lord (Peter) Mandelson is believed to have made a substantial fortune out of his consultancy business, Global Counsel. But he has never declared the identity of any clients in the Lords register.

How has he got away with this?

He implausibly claims that he does not have to as his firm does not give public affairs advice.

Last week, this fiction was exploded. Mandelson hired the City grandee and former Labour minister Paul Myners.

Lord (Peter) Mandelson is believed to have made a substantial fortune out of his consultancy business, Global Counsel. But he has never declared the identity of any clients in the Lords register

As a peer, Myners has rightly added this new post to his list of appointments on the Lords Register of Interests. He describes Global Counsel, accurately, as a public policy and regulatory advice organisation  in other words, a public affairs consultancy.

This undercuts Mandelsons own description of the firm on the same register as a strategic advice consultancy, on which basis he has withheld the identity of its clients for over five years.

The rules are clear. If peers hand out public affairs advice, they should declare the names of their clients.

Lord Mandelson must come clean.

Dave's a fool to sup with despots

Despite his faults as prime minister, I have always believed that David Cameron was a decent man with a strong sense of rectitude and public duty.

So why is he slavishly following in the footsteps of Tony Blair?

Like Blair, he disgracefully left Parliament at the first opportunity after quitting as prime minister. Like Blair, he opportunistically set up a private firm to handle his business affairs.

And now hes kowtowing to Middle Eastern dictators. The Middle East Eye website reveals that hes been in the Persian Gulf to visit the crown prince of Bahrain and various business leaders.

Blair set the precedent of milking the contacts he made in office to make a fortune.

His conduct demeaned Britain, cheapened the office of prime minister and in due course caused himself to be held in public contempt.

Cameron, unlike Blair, still has a reputation to lose. I beg him  for his sake and the nations  to pull back from the Blairite path before its too late.
They aren't your traditional royal 'thank you' cards.

But then again, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, aren't your traditional divorced couple.

Despite splitting two decades ago the pair still send out joint messages to well-wishers who have written to them over Christmas - and this year's creation features a truly remarkable set of family 'selfies'.

Prince Andrew and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, all wearing sunglasses, beam at the camera for a candid snap that took pride of place on the family's Christmas card

Taken during their annual family holiday on the Queen's Balmoral estate over the summer break, the Queen's son can be seen posing in a pair of sunglasses with daughters Beatrice and Eugenie with the Scottish Highlands in the background.

All are laughing uproariously and dressed in casual clothing as Beatrice holds the camera towards them.

A second selfie, apparently taken on a different occasion over the same holiday, shows Beatrice, once again, holding up her camera phone and her sister Eugenie, 26, in a stripped Breton-style top leaning over her right shoulder.

Behind her, on the left, her relaxed-looking father can be seen at the wheel of a Range Rover in an open-necked shirt.

Another sweet family selfie showing father and daughters, left, and the princesses with their mother, right

This year's Christmas card, signed by Prince Andrew, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Beatrice and Eugenie, featured a remarkable set of family selfies

The card also features several other family portraits, including one of Sarah and her daughters, arms linked, as they attended a friend's wedding in London and a couple of small snaps showing the family pets.

Although the fold-out card is signed by all four of them, it appears that the signatures are only photocopies.

But there is a truly remarkable message, apparently from the Duchess, which says: 'A Thought, A Word, A Deed, Nothing is More Special, A Warm Embrace, A Smile that goes the Extra Mile, Somebody, Somewhere took heed.'

Well, it certainly beats Best Wishes for the New Year.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK There is no love without pain; but only love can heal that pain which it causes. Father Julio Lancelotti (b 1948, Brazilian Catholic priest and Human Rights activist) Advertisement

Dear Bel

My husband and I are retired and in our late 60s. We have two daughters aged 40 and 36.

Our younger girl has a baby. The father is not around and will not be for quite a few years  but she is financially stable.

Our eldest girl has four children by two fathers. Three are teenagers, aged 19, 18 and 17.

They have had virtually no secondary education worth speaking of and no jobs.

All three lie in bed until lunchtime or later then head out to meet their mates around teatime.

Now the boyfriend of our 17-year-old granddaughter has moved in  but my daughter doesnt seem to be phased by any of this.

Her fourth child (aged six) is dropped off at school in the morning and then my daughter goes off to work for not that much pay. Child credit and housing benefit have now stopped for the two eldest ones.

This has left her in a dire financial state, and we are the first port of call for help.

Some of it is paid back. There is never, ever any mention of asking the other grandparents or one of the ex-partners for financial help.

We have had our home valued as we are thinking of moving away because basically we have had enough.

If those teenagers were our offspring, I know what we would do  let them fend for themselves.

Surely this should be our time  not a time to be worrying about lazy teenagers and giving out money. What is your take on this?

GLENYS

Even though the situation is sad, I am glad you have written in. Not that your tone is unhappy  on the contrary, you write with exasperation and anger.

Underneath, I suspect, are swirling depths of disappointment and despair, because neither of your daughters has become the adult you once would have hoped for.

It sounds as if all these fatherless children worry you, although the elder daughters lifestyle gives you the most pain.

I use the word glad because sometimes readers warn me I have too rosy a view of family relationships, and although thats not the case (how could it be, writing this column?) I admit to erring on the side of optimism, even of sentiment.

So your terse email provides a necessary corrective.

There you are, at a time in your lives when you had every right to expect some peace, relaxation and even deserved self-indulgence but instead find yourself treated as the Bank of Mum and Dad by a pretty feckless (sorry) 40-year-old and her four kids.

Your letter is also a timely reminder that the love of a parent and grandparent doesnt necessarily grow as naturally as the grass in spring, but requires cultivation. And like that grass it can become choked by weeds or dry out.

This seems to be the state you have reached  and who can blame you for feeling frustration?

Having said that, moving house (with all the costs involved) sounds a pretty drastic way of coping with the family situation.

Would moving away actually be running away? If the answer is an honest yes, I cant find it in my heart to criticise you.

But if you have any doubt about this course of action, I must ask if you have tried having a proper conversation with your eldest daughter.

S he should have been receiving support from the fathers of her children  especially as the six-year-old has a whole school life ahead of her. Do you know whether your daughter has tried to get this?

Have you attempted to sit down with her and express your concerns over the terrible waste her teenagers are making of their lives? She may resent your views, yet if you have been forking out money you surely have the right to an opinion.

In your shoes, I think I would try to be patient and concerned rather than angry. You know this daughter is struggling; it could be that her lack of engagement over her childrens lifestyle stems from depression  that hopelessness which tells you nothing you do will be any use.

It could be that her two failed relationships have left her with zero self-esteem, in which case she could do with help to rebuild her life  and needs much more than cash.

I would like her to talk to her GP about these issues, just to see if counselling can be arranged because a single mother with four children and a low-paid job could go under very easily. Why not make a last-ditch attempt to get to the bottom of whats gone wrong in this daughters life?

I agree that worrying about lazy teenagers is not what you signed up for in retirement and feel nothing but sympathy for your feeling of entrapment. It would drive me bonkers, too  which is why I would certainly attach conditions to any financial help in the future.

But think about this: if you do move away, how do you know the worries wont haunt you just as much?

The choice: my partner or my son?

Dear Bel

MY PARTNER of nearly five years (he is aged 47 to my 48) will not host my 22-year-old son. Our house is mine, although we chose it together and he contributes half of the costs.

My son has mental health issues, which only recently came to light: a diagnosis of high-functioning autism and possibly ADHD. He has dropped out of university twice, tried suicide a few times, is extremely adept at lying and has caused his father and I major upset in recent years.

He lives with his dad (we divorced more than five years ago) as I had to move away for my job and he wanted to stay in the home town.

Ive tried to help, sourcing and paying for private therapy, contacting societies who could support him, making suggestions, contacting medical professionals, etc. But hes neither in employment nor training and has made no steps to help himself.

His dad doesnt have much influence and generally leaves him alone, so he spends all his time in his bedroom, not moving his life forward.

Hes brought me to the brink of depression. Now hes an adult I cant make him better. Only he can do that  a huge challenge. I want him to visit me, but my partner says he will go to a hotel if this happens. He doesnt want to see him as he doesnt like him and how much hes upset me. I understand that, but if I can give him a chance, why cant my partner realise how much he is hurting me with his attitude?

My son will always be part of my life. I accept my partners sons (aged ten and 18) staying part of the week at our house, even though they ignore me and do nothing to help or show any appreciation. At the moment my partners view is that if we buy a place together, which is our plan, he wont allow my son in the house. Thats a problem I cant tolerate. So my choice seems to be my partner or my son.

I know my son has to prove the lies have stopped, try to live a productive life and take up all the help offered to him.

Im in the middle of this problem, which is unresolvable. I want everyone to be happy, to get along like adults. But I suspect we will have to separate as my partner is stubborn. What do you think?

ANNETTE

Most weeks I try to find letters with different subjects, but sometimes there are so many family problems I cant help using two.

Each of this weeks involves deep frustration with difficult young people: your partners intolerance here and (above) the anger of grandparents.

In both cases, I can understand why the complainants feel the way they do. Yet I have far more sympathy for you, the person caught between two very different loves.

Your problem is, as you say, being caught in the middle of a situation you describe  with despair  as unresolvable. So we have to start with that statement and examine how true it is.

At this point, this weeks And Finally column is relevant because it raises the eternal problem of an intractable either/or view of life.

Does a man have to choose between his mother and his wife? Does a mother have to choose between her partner and her son? Because so many people see life in black and white, huge family rows happen, relationships break up, children suffer and friends fall out.

Instead, I would loudly proclaim the virtue of seeing life in shades of grey had not that trashy, best-selling sexfest ruined the phrase for ever in my eyes 

In your unedited letter you remind me that you have written twice before. The first was to assure me that there is life after divorce, the second to complain of a disparity between your partners attitude to buying presents and your own. I only mention this as it suggests unresolved issues within your relationship that have nothing to do with your son.

This unfortunate situation has brought them dramatically to the surface so I do urge you to talk frankly with your partner, then try some counselling so that both of you can put your points to an objective outsider.

Its not hard to see why your partner finds your history with your son hard to tolerate. On the other hand, theres intolerance in the way you write about his offspring, too.

Such tensions are not uncommon in blended families and require both adults to display superhuman understanding.

Unfortunately, we are mere mortals, which is why we often need other people (advice columnists, family members or therapists) to point out errors that can become catastrophic.

I do not think this situation is hopeless, nor that you should be forced to choose between your unfortunate son and partner. Your partner has to realise whats at stake, and that he has no right to dictate to you instead of giving emotional support.

You should ask him (gently, please) how hed feel if you banned his 18-year- old from the house, tell him you love him and say compromise not separation is the only way forward.

To choose a hotel rather than being under the same roof as your son for one night is aggressive  and absurd. He could easily go out with friends that night and just come home to sleep.

You can choose future loneliness or take a tough middle way  together.

And finally... A step in the right direction

I'm only too aware how complicated life can be and that I can only glimpse the fragments of reality readers choose to share.

Also, people will interpret problems, and my replies, through the prism of their own experience.

Its natural to say Oh, but this happened to me  using subjective knowledge to judge other situations. We all do this  and it affects political views, too.

Problems with in-laws always make feelings run high, which is why two readers took issue with my reply to Rosie last week.

Both women accuse their husbands mothers of narcissism  a term in psychoanalysis indicating extreme self-centredness.

One protested at your repeated advice that people should respect their elders, even when that elder is vile, cruel and damaging.

It seems you find this kind of behaviour acceptable, as long as the bully is the older person  as they somehow deserve respect simply by virtue of age. Respect and trust have to be earned.

I accept that objection and agree with her final point. The word respect was perhaps a step too far. I should have advised Rosie to treat them with politeness.

But I cannot attach labels like narcissism to people I havent met. Going back to the original letter, the point I had to address was that the relationship was not only under threat due to Rosies relationship with the mother-in-law, but also because the couple were quarrelling. She had to find a way forward.

It seems to me there are three ways to deal with situations like this:

1. You do nothing, but the destructive anger and conflict continue.

2. You walk away from those youre in conflict with  at whatever cost.

3. You take a deep breath, vow to change the situation and step towards them, seeking compromise.

That demanding third way was my advice. And, with or without respect, it still seems to me to be sensible.

Bel answers readers questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or e-mail bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence.
Popular mummy blogger Sophie Cachia, better known as The Young Mummy, has given birth to her second child.

The 26-year-old went into labour early on Saturday and kept her fans up to date by live streaming the whole journey on mobile app Snapchat.

After 20 hours of labour she gave birth just before midnight.

Scroll down for video

She posted a picture of her partner holding the newest addition to their family with the caption: 'Introducing B2. Mum and Bub all ok. Has been a long day- will see you all tomorrow xxx'

Mummy blogger Sophie Cachia (pictured) is live streaming herself throughout her labour

'So according to the hospital I am in labour everybody... woo!' she told her Snapchat followers

The 26-year-old went into labour early on Saturday and has been keeping fans up to date ever since through mobile app Snapchat

She posted a picture of her partner holding the newest addition to their family with the caption: 'Introducing B2. Mum and Bub all ok. Has been a long day- will see you all tomorrow xxx.'

Having been in pain on Friday, Ms Cachia continued to struggle when she woke on Saturday was forced to call the hospital.

'So according to the hospital I am in labour everybody... woo!' she told her Snapchat followers.

With contractions occurring every three to four minutes, Ms Cachia continued to be able to live stream her experience.

But by early afternoon the pain had worsened, with the mummy blogger breathing heavily and letting out occasional screams of pain as her husband watched on.

By 4pm Ms Cachia was at the hospital, having her breathing assisted by a nurse.

But by early afternoon the pain had worsened, with the mummy blogger breathing heavily and letting out occasional screams of pain as her husband watched on

By 4pm Cachia was at the hospital, having her breathing assisted by a nurse

Soon after she posted: '12 hours later and my epidural has kicked in. Praise the lord. Shutting up shop, no more kids ever again. Seriously.'

Eight hours later the proud mum posted a photo of her partner holding their newborn.

At 36-weeks pregnant the Melbourne-based mum posted on Instagram that she intended to post photos and videos of her labour live on the social media app.

The mum, who has more than 170,000 followers on Instagram, wrote that she wanted to document it so people could see what labour is really like.

'I've spent days, weeks, months and years TRYING to describe certain things to family, friends and followers about the beautiful/hideous process that labour is,' Ms Cachia explained.

'So I want to go further and document it live in video format for the world to see and share in the beautiful moment that birth is.'

Soon after she posted: '12 hours later and my epidural has kicked in. Praise the lord. Shutting up shop, no more kids ever again. Seriously'

You too can follow along with Ms Cachia's labour on her Snapchat: SophCachia

While many people might shudder at the idea of live streaming their birth online, other mothers have done it before, or filmed their labour and uploaded it to social media after the event.

Ms Cachia said that while she will be filming the birth it won't be R rated.

'No, no va-jay-jay close ups will be highlighted so you can all be at ease,' the 26-year-old wrote.

'But there will be no edits, no filters, no worries on my behalf as I concentrate on my number one job that day - and it's to bring a healthy bub safely into the world.'

At 36-weeks pregnant the Melbourne-based mum posted on Instagram that she intends to post photos and videos of her labour live on the social media app

The mum, who has more than 170,000 followers on Instagram, wrote that she wanted to document it so people could see what labour is really like

Many of the mum's followers praised her decision, saying they were excited to see her second baby be born.

'It's all fun and games till the contractions EFFING KILL!!' one woman wrote. 'But please do, I want to watch this baby shoot out xxx.'

Some people critcised the mum's decision, and the mum edited her caption to note that Snapchatting the birth was only a plan.

If anything goes wrong, Ms Cachia added that she wouldn't be filming her labour.

You too can follow along with Ms Cachia's labour on her Snapchat: SophCachia.

Mother's love: Ms Cachia already has one child, a son called Bobby, but did not live stream his birth
Please, will someone save me from the dry January bores? I'm fed up with their sanctimony whenever having an alcoholic drink is mentioned.

'Sorry, dry January,' they say with a pious little shake of the head. 'I'm on a health-kick.'

Sure, it's important to realise that we don't need alcohol to have fun. But at this time of year it goes too far.

People seem to convince themselves that the antidote to festive over-indulgence is abstinence in one punishing form or another (file picture)

The more that some smug dry January evangelist tells me how good they feel and how they don't miss having their regular drink, the more I suspect they're secretly gasping for a glass of chardonnay or whatever their normal favourite tipple is.

As a doctor, I know that I ought to support anything that stops people drinking excessively. Certainly, many medical experts and health charities have seized on the dry January idea with gusto.

But I am worried that the approach is wrong.

I disagree with the underlying premise of dry January - the idea that you can make up for drinking too much over Christmas.

It seems that the first month of the year always sends people a bit weird. They tend to forget everything they've been told about basic biology and nutrition.

And instead, they seem to convince themselves that the antidote to festive over-indulgence is abstinence in one punishing form or another.

I'm sorry, but the brutal truth is that a few weeks of penance won't make up for a year's worth of indulgence.

Another bete noire of mine is so-called 'Veganuary'. Not only is it a horrible, unpronounceable word. But the principle of going vegan for January  giving up all animal products, including dairy and eggs  is not wise.

Incidentally, I once tried it for a while out of curiosity and I can confirm it is very boring.

Over the past few weeks, many friends and patients have told me they are going animal-free for a month in order to 'cleanse' their body.

I'm afraid this is simply a new version of what is an old idea  namely that our gastronomic sins can be expatiated by some temporary change in our eating habits.

This week, the Mail revealed how GP practices are often closed during key times of the day. This is something that doesn't just frustrate patients  it's hugely annoying for us hospital doctors, too. I often have to contact GPs to discuss a patient, and yet time and again I phone and am answered by a machine saying the surgery is shut for the afternoon and to call back the next day. Is it really too much to ask to be able to speak to a GP surgery during normal working hours? Advertisement

I can understand the attraction, though. It's so much easier to have a dry January, or try Veganuary for a short period  and then, on February 1, reward yourself by bingeing on burgers and beers  than to eat and drink moderately for longer periods.

Don't get me wrong, I admire people who make resolutions in January and try to change their habits for the better.

I just wish they would do it in a sensible way that will have some meaningful impact on their health.

If you're worried about your drinking, for example, it's far better to make a commitment to moderate your intake in the long term. For example, have one or two booze-free days a week, rather than stop all together for one month.

O n the other hand, if you struggle to cut down, then perhaps there is a problem and you should see your GP, who is able to check your liver for possible damage and refer you to get psychological support.

It's the same with food. Why not aim to eat one extra portion of fruit or veg a day, rather than to eschew all meat and dairy products (which aren't bad for you anyway) for a month in the misguided belief that this will somehow give your body a rest.

The fact is that a few weeks without beef and pork will not make any long-term improvement to your health if you then eat them for the rest of the year because they will continue to contribute to your arteries furring up if you eat too much anyway.

What's more, such binge-detox-binge-detox cycles are bad for us psychologically.

It's much better to make a small change and stick to it, because of the sense of achievement and reward we get.

Ultimately, it helps us to feel more in control of our lives and demonstrates that we have the ability to make positive changes when we put our mind to it.

Now that has got to be worth a lot more than simply feeling smug for one month a year.

Teenage angst ISN'T an illness

According to research published this week, nearly half of all teenagers are so overwhelmed by emotional problems that they can't focus at school.

The findings, published by The Prince's Trust Macquarie Youth Index, appear to show that a whole generation of youngsters are incapacitated by psychological difficulties.

I just don't buy it.

There's no doubt adolescence is a difficult time, but this research appears to dress up everyday teenage angst as a diagnosable condition.

Of course, it's vital to encourage youngsters to talk openly about how they feel and to challenge the taboo that surrounds mental illness, but my concern is that such research treats normal feelings as something that is worrying and abnormal.

The majority of these children are not mentally ill. They're just suffering the normal growing pains suffered by all teenagers.

It's totally natural occasionally to feel overwhelmed, lost and upset.

The point is we should concentrate on teaching children to be resilient  not denting their confidence further by telling them there is something wrong with them.

Beware a problem shared

How do you reply when someone says: 'Hi, how are you?' Apparently, most of us answer the wrong way.

According to the American actress Zoe Kravitz, we shouldn't reply 'Fine' but react honestly and tell people exactly how we are feeling.

She says she does this herself so as to 'let everything come to the surface' rather than bottling up her emotions.

Now, I'm keen for people to talk about their feelings  but there's a time and a place. Anyone who asks how someone else is feeling is simply doing so to be pleasant. It's not meant to be an invitation to spill your innermost secrets.

Whereas keeping too stiff a lip isn't great for your mental well-being, you can also over-share.

The last thing we want to be over-burdened by is other people's problems  especially those of airhead actresses.

Patients go to A&E out of desperation, not laziness

Earlier this week I received a text from a friend. It was a picture of his daughter's tonsils. He wanted my advice on whether they looked inflamed. It looked pretty bad and I felt she must visit her doctor.

When we spoke by phone, he explained that he'd tried to get a GP appointment but had failed. Instead, the receptionist advised that he took his daughter to the local walk-in centre, which he did.

There, he was told they couldn't help  her condition was too serious. They were advised to go to A&E.

I'm often a critic of government public health campaigns, but for once there's a good one. Public Health England has launched a new app  Be Food Smart. It allows users to scan the barcode of any supermarket product and then reveals the amount of saturated fat, sugar and salt. As a doctor, I seem to spend a lot of time giving advice to people to be more mindful of what they eat  but that's hard to follow when manufacturers hide the amount of calories, fat and sugar. This clever app should help catch them out. Advertisement

After arriving there and waiting five hours, they were eventually seen and the girl was prescribed antibiotics and told to return to her GP if things didn't improve.

Her condition didn't get better. In fact, it appeared to have got worse. The painkillers weren't working and she was unable to swallow. So, my friend phoned his family GP. Still no appointments were available until the following week.

What a dilemma. He's a painter-decorator and couldn't afford to see a private GP. And why should he have to? He works hard and pays his taxes, is it really too much to expect for his daughter to be able to see a doctor when she is seriously unwell?

Utterly frustrated, he reluctantly took his daughter to A&E again  and I can't say I blame him. His story is far from unique and typifies many problems facing the NHS.

This week, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt complained that part of the problem is people going to A&E unnecessarily.

But what he seems to fail to understand is people aren't doing this out of laziness  they don't have a choice. One fact is undeniable: there is a scandalous shortage of GPs. This means there simply aren't enough appointments for patients. So, where else can they go apart from A&E?

Yet the Government's answer to this mounting crisis was to announce that GPs are to be drafted into hospitals to take over certain tasks so that patients can be sent home earlier. This is utter madness.

GPs should be treating patients in the community  not being sent into hospital to act as human sticking plasters.

Taking them away from their surgeries  the frontline of our NHS  isn't the answer and will inevitably make matters worse.
For those of you who hate slaving away for hours in the gym - don't bother.

Doing fewer repetitions during a workout could be better for your health, a new analysis explains.

Those who practice high-intensity interval training (HIIT), short burst of high-intensity exercise followed by medium-intensity exercise for recovery, overwhelmingly see more concrete results, scientists claim.

It was previously believed that performing more repetitions of high-intensity exercise would produce greater improvements in cardio-respiratory, or heart healthy, fitness.

But the expert analysis from Scotland's University of Sporting Excellence found it was actually fewer repetitions of sprint intervals that led to improvement.

Fewer repetitions of high-intensity exercise, not more, could lead to greater improvements in cardio-respiratory fitness, a new analysis suggests

Lead author Dr Niels Vollaard, a lecturer in Health and Exercise Science at the University of Stirling, said: 'For the first time, we have evidence to suggest an indicator of fitness levels is improved more by doing fewer repetitions of high-intensity exercise.

'Lack of time is frequently cited as one of the main barriers to people becoming or staying physically active.

'High-intensity workouts have begun to tackle this problem, allowing people to get maximum health benefits while working out for a shorter time.'

In the analysis, the researchers investigated the benefits of regularly performing repetitions of a special type of high-intensity cycle sprint known as 'supramaximal'.

Scientists found that after performing just two maximal sprints, each additional sprint in a training session reduced the overall improvement in fitness by around five percent.

The findings are only applicable to 'supramaximal' exercise, which requires specialized exercise bikes that enable very high exercise intensities.

It's not yet known whether HIIT workouts at lower intensities also benefit from a low number of sprint repetitions.

Dr Vollard added: 'We found improved cardio-respiratory fitness does not suffer when people complete fewer sprint repetitions and that this may even produce better results.

For the first time, we have evidence to suggest an indicator of fitness levels is improved more by doing fewer repetitions of high-intensity exercise Dr Niels Vollard

'The optimal number of repetitions appears to be just two, so workouts based on supramaximal sprints can be kept very short without compromising on the results.'

This comes following research from the University of British Columbia Okanagan that found just one session of weight training can do wonders for your heart.

For those with Type 2 diabetes, this is especially promising as they are up to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.

One bout of exercise saw an improvement in blood vessel function, which can improve the risk of Type 2 diabetes complications.

To follow up on this research, scientists are looking to next study other indicators of health and fitness, including blood pressure and insulin sensitivity, which will give a fuller picture of how the body responds to different types of HIIT workouts.

Dr Vollard said: 'To encourage more people to become active and help increase the health of the population, we need to investigate the optimal duration and number of sprint intervals people could undertake on a bike, while getting the same benefits as longer sessions.'
Its 2010 and The Guard has just finished filming. Brendan Gleeson is having a drink. Don Cheadle is eating a Chinese takeaway. They are in a pub in Spiddal, a small village on the shore of Galway Bay. Writer/director John Michael McDonagh has a pint of Guinness on the go.

I drunkenly said that, in light of the child abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, theyd probably start making really bad movies about terrible priests and that we should do the opposite and make a film about a good priest, says McDonagh. Calvary, a terrific black comedy starring Gleeson as a well-intentioned priest fighting dark forces, was the result.

At an age when most of his peers are burning out or just charcoal, Gleeson is still on fire. With the critically acclaimed Calvary and The Guard, the Harry Potter films (as the one-eyed wizard Mad-Eye-Moody) and now Live By Night, the 61-year-old Irish actor is very much in demand.

Gleeson's newest role is Thomas Coughlin in Live By Night (above), a troubled Boston-Irish cop whose son (Ben Affleck) becomes embroiled in a turf war between the Irish mob and the mafia

Its an impressive CV for a man who embraced professional acting only in his 30s after giving up a career as a secondary-school English teacher.

But then Gleeson is one of the hardest working actors in the business, and there is good reason for that.

When I was teaching, the kids might have been a nightmare at times but I knew there would be a few bob every month, he says now. With acting, to begin with anyway, you dont know what money is coming in or when, so I still have the natural impulse to get up and work, to put bread on the table.

I never actually contemplated taking on anything I thought was going to be rubbish or wouldnt work so I was always pretty selective, but it has only been in the past five years where Ive thought Im actually going to calm down a little bit. It was John [Michael McDonagh] who said, Why dont you let them come to you? I listened to that.

Mad Eye Moody, one of Gleeson's most prominent roles, earned him worldwide renown - but despite this he has actively chosen not to move to LA and do the 'Hollywood' thing

So did everybody else, it seems. Ben Affleck was the latest to come calling for his Prohibition-era gangster movie, Live By Night, with Gleeson cast as Thomas Coughlin, a troubled Boston-Irish cop.

His son Joe (Afflecks character) becomes embroiled in a turf war between the Irish mob and the mafia. His father tries to help him but disapproves of his lover, Emma (played by Sienna Miller), who is attached to notorious Irish gangster Albert White (Robert Glenister).

In the real world, Gleeson has four sons, including the actors Domhnall and Brian, with his wife, Mary. Being a father informed the part, of course, says Gleeson. But the thing about my character is that he has two families  he has the cops and he has his son and its very compromising.

'Joe would have come home from the [First World] War disillusioned and he doesnt want to follow the rules any more, and I think he knows hes going from one hell to another, but he keeps holding out the torch to his father.

Gleeson has just one family and it is very tight. Domhnall played General Hux in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Bill Weasley in Harry Potter; Brian was Hughie Power in Love/Hate (nominated for the Irish Film and Television Awards). It has all the makings of a family acting dynasty.

I wouldnt quite call it that, says Gleeson with a smile, but those two have moved beyond their acting apprenticeship. Youre always learning, of course, but its kind of evened itself out now. As with all kids, or maybe its just boys, they go through those phases where they think they know everything now they might ask me about something but I may ask them too Im always fascinated to see what theyre going at, how theyre seeing stuff.

Gleeson has just one family and it is very tight. It has all the makings of a family acting dynasty, with sons Domhnall (left) and Brian (centre) also succeeding in theatre and film

Gleeson has chosen not to do the Hollywood thing. I remember in the early days a lot of people were saying to me, Are you going to move to LA? I thought about it for five minutes. Honestly, whats the point? I like living in Ireland and I miss it when Im away.

Its this sense of home and dirt-under-the-fingernails honesty and integrity that is the core of his appeal as an actor. McDonagh said he wanted Gleeson for The Guard because he looked as if he had lived a life before becoming an actor. Film critic Roger Ebert said he had a noble shambles of a face and the heft of a boxer gone to seed.

Well, Gleeson laughs in response to the latter. Ill take noble, less happy about shambles and heft, but its hard to argue. The kids ate me alive when I started teaching. Thats what kids do  its probably worse now. But you harden up. I was working on the stage at the same time so I had somewhere to go [away from the classroom], but I learned stuff I didnt know I was learning until I learned it on those floorboards.

An avid reader from an early age, Gleeson has a particular affection for Samuel Beckett. Its the writing, of course, but also partly the humour; he never loses the sense of the ludicrous. Hes such a great antidote to all that great angst people go through in their teens. He expresses the emptiness and then kind of laughs about it in such a disruptive way. You cant help but feel comforted by it and at the same time challenged.

Gleesons next challenge is starring as Knuckles McGinty in Paddington 2 and preparing for Mr Mercedes  the Stephen King bestseller that is being turned into a ten-part TV drama in the US this year. So, despite his desire not to move to America, in 2017 thats exactly what Gleeson will be doing.

Im just going to try and embrace my departure from Dublin for five months, he says. The lads have moved out so its a good time to go. Itll be a bit of a challenge. And one, you suspect, that the redoubtable Brendan Gleeson will take in his stride.
The Holocaust: A New History

Laurence Rees Viking 25

Rating:

You might have thought that we know everything there is to know about the Holocaust but this book proves there is much more.

Laurence Rees, an acclaimed historian and former head of BBC history, has spent a quarter of a century meeting the survivors and the perpetrators, and in the endnotes of this ground-breaking book the words previously unpublished testimony are cited no fewer than 169 times.

Jewish civilians are rounded up by German soldiers following the Warsaw ghetto uprising in the spring of 1943

Here is the testimony of Halina Birenbaum, for example, relating how Jews in Warsaw tried to hide from the round-ups behind the wardrobe or behind the bed, but soon the Germans went from floor to floor in each apartment breaking the doors with iron bars. I heard when they were getting the Jews out, and the screaming, and the shots. Every day is like that  from the morning to the evening.

Rees interviewed Wilhelm Brasse, who had been sent to Auschwitz as a Polish political prisoner and who photographed naked female Jewish twins and triplets for SS captain Dr Josef Mengele.

These women were very much ashamed and intimidated, Brasse told Rees. They were afraid even to speak to one another. As far as what they looked like, those were young women, young girls just developing. Mengele performed repulsive medical experiments on them.

Brasse also took photographs at nearby Birkenau, for other Nazi doctors, of sterilisation experiments. The female subjects were placed in special gynaecological chairs, where the doctors would take out the uterus with forceps, and I would take photos of it. Not the whole person but just the sexual parts and the uterus. I had information that in many cases such operated-on women were given an injection and killed.

The monsters who did this to innocent women very often got away with light sentences or, like Mengele, were never caught.

Rees is very conscious when interviewing survivors of camps such as Auschwitz, Sobibor and Treblinka that they did not represent the normal experience of those who were sent there. The normal experience was to be murdered.

Yet from the testimonies of hundreds of survivors, and also from several Nazis from the other side of the barbed wire, he is able to build up a compelling overall picture from the very first expressions of German anti-Semitism, even before the rise of Hitler, to the greatest crime in the history of mankind.

The testimony of the Nazis is fascinating, and allows us to examine a murderous mentality that can be seen elsewhere even today, more than 75 years after the war, and which allows four-year-olds to freeze to death in Aleppo.

Wolfgang Horn, an NCO in the 10th Panzer Division, ordered the burning of Russian villages which, he told Rees, were not worth much anyhow. We didnt take it so seriously to fire a Russian house. We didnt respect them as civilised as we are. Their lifestyle was too primitive for us. So Horn proved Germanys higher state of civilisation by killing and burning and destroying.

Author Laurence Rees quotes approvingly Hitlers biographer, Sir Ian Kershaw, who has succinctly stated: No Hitler, no Holocaust

The evolution of the Holocaust is important to Rees, who rightly differentiates between the two different historical schools of thought. Crudely simplified, there are the intentionalists, who point to Hitlers key role in the decision-making process and his intention to kill all Jews the moment he had the chance, and the functionalists who see the Holocaust as a function of Hitlers complex interaction with outside forces and often unforeseen events.

The functionalists, who are in the majority among historians today, often try to pinpoint the moment at which the Holocaust was decided upon, be it Hitlers invasion of Russia in June 1941, or the high-water mark of German military success in December 1941, or the Wannsee Conference in Berlin in January 1942, or other moments.

Rees is a functionalist, believing the journey to the Holocaust was a gradual one, full of twists and turns, until it found final expression in the Nazi killing factories. He refrains from choosing a particular date, so many were the points when the anti- Jewish policy was intensified. He firmly points to Hitler as the individual most responsible for the crime, who at key moments demonstrably intervened to make the process still more extreme. He quotes approvingly Hitlers biographer, Sir Ian Kershaw, who has succinctly stated: No Hitler, no Holocaust.
If you want to feel like Aslan basking on a sunbed then theres really only one choice at this time of year. While there are fortified wines and late harvest stickies that give glow to your soul, its all about picking the roaring, big-hearted reds from sunny vineyards to redirect the missing sunlight right to your core.

Spicy red grapes abound, from Shiraz and Malbec to Carmenere and Grenache (aka Garnacha), which is a fab firebrand. A warm climate is key to boosting big flavour in booze from vineyards such as sunny southern France, sizzling Spain, upland Argentina and innovative Australia too. Italy deploys the technique of air-drying grapes to intensify flavour in wines such as Amarone  get your beefy chops around Allegrini Amarone della Valpollicella Classico 2012. For 66 from thesecretcellar.co.uk, its a glorious, vivid and intriguing bottle.

Late harvest grapes can give similar welly to carefully made vino, as in the case of my Amicone pick below. Make sure you get the 2013 vintage, which stands out for me as the start of great things for this winery.

Blending grapes is also a technique to bring balance to the force of fruit-fuelled blockbusters, and across the south of France there are masterful bottles in Minervois, Corbieres, Pic St Loup and Fitou. Ive found a gem this week from Domaine Jones, one of the best wineries in the region.

As for a bargain, Lidl Corbieres 2015 is a fine way to spend 5.49.

But if its a solo grape youre after that manages to feel like a warm hug, Cabernet Sauvignon is the jolly rhino in a purple sweater waiting to cheer you up.

Aldis Exquisite Collection Limestone Coast Cabernet 2014 (14%) for 6.49 is just the gentle giant for the ultimate Aslan effect this winter.
Advertisement

When a young Palestinian pulled out a revolver and started firing at Robert Kennedy in Los Angeles in 1968, photographer Harry Benson was standing right by the presidential candidate.

Kennedy was shot three times and died the next morning, while five other bystanders were injured, but Benson continued snapping away as a volley of bullets ricocheted around him. For the young Scot it was the start of a remarkable career that has seen him witness everything from The Beatles pillow-fighting to Donald Trump raiding a casino vault for a $1 million.

I saw her standing there: It was fashion week in France in 1993 and I was covering the Vivienne Westwood show. In this great big dressing room I saw this girl just standing there smoking a cigarette with no top on. She was just looking at me, and as I got close I realised it was Kate Moss. She stood there as I was taking pictures of her. I dont like posed pictures  I never work in a studio as a posed picture takes the life out of a person

Harry Benson with his 2014 portrait of the Queen

Clubbing with Bianca and Warhol: Bianca Jagger is drop-dead beautiful. This was taken at Andy Warhols Factory in New York in 1977, in the days of Studio 54. This had never happened to me before but when I examined the frames there were ones were Andy is in focus photographing Bianca, then in the next he goes out of focus and she is in focus. I was studying Bianca not Andy and that was the result. He knew I was photographing him, photographing her

Feeling like a million dollars: I didnt vote for Donald Trump but Ive been photographing him for 40 years. I never want to photograph him again because I will never get him holding a million dollars like this, or boxing on a roof like Cassius Clay. We were in Atlantic City in 1990 just after he got into casinos and I wanted him holding money. He said he would get a million dollars out of the vault. Everyone in the casino business knows you cant do that  it was illegal for him to go down there. The gaming laws are very strict but, of course, he just ignored that. He wanted to show off to me that he could do it.

Nothing compares to Liz: Liz Taylor marches to her own drum, so when I read in the newspaper in 1997 that she had a tumour and needed brain surgery I called to see if I could take some photographs before and after the operation. Her public relations person said, How could you ask for such a thing at this time? I said, do yourself a favour and ask her. Liz never shied away from publicity and she half knew me. Sure enough, maybe 20 minutes later the PR calls back and says not only can I photograph her before and after, I could take photographs during the surgery. I didnt do that  there was something hideous about being in the operating theatre. But I took photographs before, then again 18 hours afterwards when she was sitting up in bed with her Maltese dog. She asked how she looked, and told me to tell the truth, so I said she looked like Sinead OConnor and she beamed. Liz was always a good sport

Yet Benson had been written off as a youngster, having left school at 13. But he went on to prove his teachers and zoologist father wrong, photographing everyone from the Queen to Michael Jackson and every American President since the Sixties.

His candid pictures of The Beatles, Kate Moss, Elizabeth Taylor, Amy Winehouse, Bianca Jagger, Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland have become emblems of their age, but Benson, now 87, says he was destined for life down a coal mine until a hankering ambition to take pictures led him on adventures beyond his wildest dreams.

Now Bensons own life is under the spotlight thanks to a new documentary, Harry Benson: Shoot First.

Today, sitting in his apartment in New York, the octagenarian father-of-two marvels at his life. Benson met his wife Gigi at a gala for Prince Philip and took his last official portrait of the Queen in 2014.

He is full of self-deprecating humour but is fiercely proud of the CBE awarded to him in 2009. No other kid in my class at school has one of those, he says. And I do look back in anger. I was written off as no good, the stupidest kid in the class.

Another Beatles smash! It was 1964 and The Beatles heard they were No 1 in America. In their hotel one of them said theyd had a pillow fight and I thought that would make a good picture, but John Lennon said, Oh no, well start looking silly. The others agreed with him but later Paul was drinking something expensive and John came up behind him and hit him with a pillow. That was it  they were jumping all over, fighting with pillows. Then we went to America and Beatlemania really hit and I took them to meet Muhammad Ali  or Cassius Clay as he then was. The Beatles were p***** off with me because they wanted to meet Sonny Liston. Ali dwarfed them and afterwards they wouldnt talk to me. John said the picture made them look like monkeys  and, of course, it was my idea

An audience with the King: I liked Michael Jackson, though it cost me three tweed jackets. Every time he admired my jacket I gave it to him. When I was at Neverland and preparing to drive back to Los Angeles he would get the cooks to make sandwiches for my journey. He would speak in his high-pitched voice for about ten minutes, then his voice would change and go deeper. He gave me the run of Neverland, showed me the animals in his zoo and told me how hed had to get rid of Bubbles his chimpanzee because it had turned a bit nasty. His bedroom was a mess but at the end of the bed he had his throne for being the king of pop. Going into the bedroom in 1997 I noticed there were dolls  a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout holding hands above the door (left). I think that was creepy, but you photograph what you see. There were kids everywhere, mainly locals or the children of staff. There was even a railway with its own conductor. Macaulay Culkin had his own buggy there. He told Michael he didnt want anyone else to use it when he wasnt there. That made Michael laugh

Tragic Amy, gaunt but game: Amy Winehouse was just out of rehab in 2007 and, while she was an intelligent girl, she was very thin, very fragile. Whenever you are dealing with an actress or singer, they are a little bit nuts, but she did everything I wanted her to do and more. She didnt have an entourage, just some guy who was with her. He wasnt a pain in the ass, as some boyfriends can be, and never gave any opinions. Amy showed respect for me, and worked to do whatever I needed.

Capturing a Clinton clinch: I love this photograph of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the hammock because even though they are close, their lips dont meet. They do kiss in later frames and she is eventually nestled in his stomach but I love the way this looks. Bill had just been elected President in 1992 but they had not yet moved into the White House.

But it was his fathers story of capturing Hitlers deputy, Rudolf Hess, on a bizarre peace mission to Britain, that sparked Bensons future career. As a child in the war I remember Dad, who was in the Home Guard, coming in one morning and saying they had caught a German up the road. He said Army intelligence had come to pick him up. We didnt know for several days it was Hess but it was the drama of it all I liked. I wanted to be a press photographer but after being thrown out of school at 13 the only job I could get was as a delivery boy.

Dad bought me my first camera but two weeks later I pawned it for a Robert Mitchum-style Hollywood jacket. I was maybe 14 or 15  I wanted to impress the girls. When Benson was told his father had arranged for him to become a Bevin Boy  conscripted to work in coal mines  he signed up as a cook in the RAF.

Back home two years later, he took wedding photos before a job on the local newspaper led him to Fleet Street. Here he shares some of his favourite photographs...

Harry Benson: Shoot First opens on Feb 6 at the Edinburgh Filmhouse. Available on DVD from Wienerworld on Mar 20.

wienerworld.com
How does any actor convince you that they are good? Sometimes they wait for the right script that would play to their strengths to come along, at times they put their money to get someone to write that script and produce the film too.

But at times some of them simply sit down and write to get things right.

Screenplay

This week marks the anniversary of Good Will Hunting (1997), one of the best instances when two struggling actors, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, not only wrote a script that would make the world sit up and notice them, but also transformed themselves into bona fide stars besides winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Kangana Ranaut wrote many of her own lines in Queen which elevated the character and the entire film to another level

It was not the first time that actors wrote for themselves, Orson Welles, Woody Allen and Raj Kapoor had done that over and over again, and it was not also the biggest success that an actor-writer enjoyed.

Sylvester Stallone's breakthrough with Rocky (1976) had a bigger cultural impact, but the manner in which Damon and Affleck managed to make Good Will Hunting an allencompassing achievement is what made them stand out.

Usually, when someone in the trade gets a script from an actor they have very little expectations.

It is presumed that actors will not come up with scripts where anything besides them gets attention.

Post Maine Pyar Kiya, Salman Khan wrote the script of Baaghi, a film that gave him rebellious lover image. A still from Ek Tha Tiger

In Stallone's case, the actor came up with the idea of an accidental boxer who is the embodiment of the underdog and his never-say-die attitude sees him becoming the contender for the world heavyweight title.

Like Rocky Balboa, the character that he would go on to play, Stallone, too, had overcome many hardships including a speech impediment and was down to his last penny when he got the idea.

He wrote Rocky in a fervent rush and finished it in three straight days.

Stallone had done bit parts in films, including one in Woody Allen's Bananas (1971), but nothing had worked out for him.

Everyone he pitched Rocky loved the idea but no one was interested in letting him play the lead.

It was around this time that a broke Stallone sold his bull mastiff, Butkus, to keep afloat but the day he managed to land Rocky he went straight back to the man to get his dog back.

The man had six children who loved Butkus, but Stallone urged them to let him star in Rocky for the two together had suffered and now that he has made it he wanted Butkus to live it up as well.

The success of a great script is when a particular actor becomes inseparable from the character and this aspect is already achieved halfway when the actor contributes at the foundation stage.

Slyvester Stallone wrote Rocky in a fervent rush and finished it in three straight days

The fashion in which Feroz Khan's Apradh (1972) stands out from his other releases around the same time is simply due to the fact that as he was producing the film he wanted the character to reflect his own persona.

Phenomenon

Khan was always Westernised and enjoyed a drink, a cigarette, good clothes and the good life and these are facets that are more than visible in the films that he made himself.

Khan's characters in the films that he directed - Apradh, Dharmatma (1975), Qurbani (1986) and Jaanbaaz (1986) - are the ones that became forever associated with the star.

An actor trying to write is not all that uncommon a phenomenon or even a new one.

In fact, when post-Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) Salman Khan averted the risk of being not only typecast or trapped in a certain kind of image, he did that with Baaghi (1990), a film that was based on a story written by him.

The film might not have been as big a success as Main Pyar Kiya or even the ones that followed such as Sanam Bewafa (1991) or Saajan (1991), but it subtly established that Salman was not limited to romantic roles.

Damon had written the outline for Good Will Hunting while he was still at Harvard and once he shifted to Los Angeles to try out for roles, he and Affleck decided to work on the script together.

Damon and Affleck had to wait for four years before the film eventually got made.

One of the biggest achievements of Good Will Hunting was also what it did for other involved.

Legacy

It fetched Robin Williams his sole Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category and cemented his legacy as a serious actor even though he had masterpieces such as Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990) and The Fisher King (1991) in the past.

It also allowed director Gus Van Zant the freedom to pursue his art-house productions like Elephant (2003) even after commercial debacles such as the shot-to- shot remake of Psycho (1998).

Actors writing scripts are still looked at as a vanity outing even though there is enough to suggest that when done right it works wonders.

Owen Wilson is rarely mentioned for his writing credits that include some of the best work of Wes Anderson, including Bottle Rocket (1996) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

While one would argue that Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) enjoyed great reviews the quality of Anderson's writing is not the same as the time he collaborated with Wilson.

Another example can be the organic quality of Richard Linklater's 'Before' trilogy - Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013).

Much of it can be attributed to the contribution of the leads Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, who wrote the second and the final films.

Even in the case of Kangana Ranaut, her character in Queen (2014), where she wrote many of her own lines, truly elevated the character and the entire film to another level.

The writer is the author of the bestselling 'Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna'
Twitter had a field day mocking Mamata Banerjee for giving bizarre orders

Is the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal trying to 'secularise' school textbooks in the state?

This is what most people were made to believe after it emerged that the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has replaced some commonly used and popular Bengali terms with newly coined ones.

The commonly used Bengali term for a rainbow, 'Ramdhonu' has now been replaced by 'Rongdhonu' in the new textbooks.

The new word was coined perhaps because the education board found the word 'Ramdhonu' to have communal connotations as it translates to 'Lord Ram's bow'.

Ramdhonu, Bengali term for a rainbow, has been replaced by Rongdhonu in textbooks.

Along with this, the board also decided to junk the Bengali word 'Akashi,' which means sky-blue colour, in favour of 'Asmani' a word of Urdu origin.

This did not go well with social media users, who still managed to see the funny side of going with the 'rong' word.

Both these words have been used in a chapter titled 'Barnali' in the Class VII environment science text book 'Poribesh O Vigyan'.

Twitterati hit out at the Mamata Banerjee government for the decision, with one user pracchannAstrin, saying: 'What people wanted - Ram- Rajya. What Didi gave - (w)RongRajya.'

Another user Ishant Sharma said: 'Why Mamati Di doesn't believe in great historian Ramachandra Guha though he is 'secular'? Because he is Rong.'

The expert committee responsible for redesigning the Bengal government textbooks has refuted the allegations.

Speaking to India Today, chairman of the committee Aveek Majumdar said references to these words have been made to make children aware of the alternative terms also used in Bengali.

'Rainbow has nothing to do with Ram or Laxman, it is just a bow of colours. So we thought it was logical to replace the term Ram with Rong, which simply means colour in Bengali. In fact, several renowned Bengali authors have been using the term Rongdhonu in their writings for decades now,' explained Majumdar.

Dr Pabitra Sarkar, former vice chairman of the West Bengal State Council of Higher Education, said: 'As a linguist I don't like mixing religion with language.'

Other like educationist Dr Miratun Nahar, however, were not too convinced with the rationale of the decision.

'Both the words required no replacement at all. We have never had any problems with the term Ramdhenu. What is the problem with it?' asked Dr Nahar, adding that there was barely any logic behind the change of such commonly used terms.

'The intention certainly looks political with an aim to appease the minority community,' she said.
Amid the ongoing controversy over a jawan expressing his grievances against senior officers due to alleged abuse as an orderly, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday lent his support to ending the 'sahayak' or buddy system in peace zones and warned that any officer found misusing their buddy will face strict action.

Rawat announced that a 'suggestion and grievance' system will be put in place across all formations, beginning with the headquarters and appealed to soldiers to not air their grievances on social media and try and handle matters internally at first.

'Whoever has any problem, come to me directly,' General Rawat said in his first press conference as the Army Chief.

Rawat announced that a 'suggestion and grievance' system will be put in place across all formations, beginning with the headquarters

Along with an Army jawan, troopers from BSF and CRPF have also posted online videos on social media apps showing their poor quality of life and alleged that they were being misused by officers for personal work.

'Anybody misusing their buddies would be dealt with strictly and there are provisions for that,' Gen Rawat told Mail Today, on the sidelines of his annual press conference.

General Rawat also stated that the Army Headquarters had submitted a proposal to the government that 'sahayaks' could be done away with in peace locations, but said that the buddy system is important for functioning of the Army in times of wars and for deployment of forces in field areas.

There have been several complaints of the misuse of buddy system which was introduced by the British

Buddy system is a colonial system where combat soldiers are used as orderlies or sahayaks to polish boots and maintain the uniform of the officers and junior commissioned officers.

However, there have been several complaints of the misuse of this facility.

In the video posted on Thursday, Lance Naik Yagya Pratap Singh from 42 Infantry Brigade in Dehradun, alleged that he was tortured by his superiors for writing to Prime Minister, the defence minister, the President and the Supreme Court in June last year on mistreatment of jawans under the 'sahayak' system in the Army.

Singh said that on receiving an instruction to investigate the issue, his superiors began to harass him and also initiated an inquiry that could potentially result in his sacking from the force.

According to NDTV, Army Chief said that soldiers must raise their complaints internally, referring to the video of a Border Security Force on being served poor quality food.

'Whoever has any complaint can tell me directly,' the Army Chief said at the press conference.

After the BSF jawan's video, there have been on pay and conditions.

He said there are suggestion and grievance boxes in the Army headquarters and commands and urged the troops to use them.

'This press conference, which is held on eve of the Army Day, is very relevant to us, as I would like to reach every jawan through you (media). We are one team and we work as one force to ensure India is secure and peaceful,' he said.

A soldier recently released a video which revealed the scarcity of food at the borders

In his almost two-hour long interaction with the media, General Rawat also touched upon the controversy surrounding superseded eastern army commander Lt Gen Pravin Bakshi saying that if he complained against any issue to him, the Army headquarters will definitely look into it.

Bakshi, who was superseded by Rawat last month for appointment as Army chief, had told his commanders in a new year address that some people had conspired against him in the last five six months and he would expose them soon.

The Army chief also called upon women aspiring to join combat roles in the force to prove themselves to get the opportunity to do so.

'If we induct women into combat role, they will have to share equal responsibility like their male counterparts because equal opportunity must come with equal responsibility. Which means that they will have to perform exactly the same task,' Rawat asserted.

The chief cited the example of tank crews, who live inside their tanks and sleep besides it in open during wars and infantry patrols which walk for up to 35 days in places such as Arunachal Pradesh and men eat and sleep together.

He said women will have to be ready to face such hardship to join the combat forces.
Among the remarkable aspects of Donald Trumps free-wheeling and rumbustious encounter with the press this week was the absence of questions about the economy.

Yet as the transition from Barack Obama to Trump unfolds, it has been the main battleground.

Obama and his economic team have adopted a yes we did narrative, which points to a jobless rate of 4.7 per cent, a 4 per cent rise in per capita output since the President came to office and a record-breaking 5.2 per cent rise in real US household income in 2015.

Hope: President-elect Donald Trumps proposals to cut taxes on corporations will enhance economic growth

Trump was elected on a starkly contrasting platform of economic misery.

He and his team talk of below trend growth rates of 2 per cent, which could be raised to 3 per cent-to-4 per cent, and tens of millions of ordinary Americans who are not counted in the unemployment figures because they have stopped looking for jobs.

There also are complaints about enterprise stifled by over-regulation and the exodus of good jobs to China and India.

The truth is that both accounts are true. Obama inherited from George W. Bush in 2009 an economy falling off a cliff in the wake of the financial crisis, and he likes to take all the credit for the turnaround.

But many of the decisions which allowed the US to robustly bounce back and avoid a second Great Depression were taken by the much-disparaged Bush in the waning days of 2008.

US banks, healthy or not, were force-fed new capital to strengthen their lending capacity. Just how robust they are now is illustrated by fourth-quarter earnings for 2016, with JP Morgan Chase 24 per cent up and Bank of America Merrill Lynch up 50 per cent.

Failed to deliver: Obamas 2009 stimulus package included about $48 billion of federal money for transportation infrastructure

The Federal Reserve, then chaired by Ben Bernanke, began a huge dollar-printing programme which went far beyond previous experience. It even included non-bank giants such as General Electric, which was allowed to exchange financial assets for cash.

Before the 2008 election, Bush used a payroll tax cut to encourage companies to take on new employees, and set in motion an infrastructure programme which was displaced by Obamas Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In spite of the grand name, the Obama plan did not lead to the much-needed rebuilding of roads, bridges and inner cities. It was administered poorly through the states and largely used to pay down debt.

The pledged fiscal boost was not widely shared with citizens.

Obama did learn something from the Bush experience. When General Motors and Chrysler ran into difficulty, the President pumped in capital which gave the car giants breathing space to turn around.

Amid the tumult of Trumps press conference, there were some glimpses of policy.

Direct intervention in business is the important theme to emerge during the transition.

Expensive: Donald Trump has criticsed Lockheed Martin's new F-35 fighter

This was evident from the Carrier air conditioning plant investment in Indiana, Fords choice to put funds into Michigan rather than Mexico, the attack on big pharma over drug prices, and the invective against Lockheed Martin for cost over-runs on the new F-35 fighter.

Trump is also flirting with some kind of border tax to be imposed on firms manufacturing in Mexico which sell into the US.

Trump also made an enigmatic reference to how he would be spending his first few days in office doing signings. What could this possibly mean?

Much of Obamas eight years in the White House was blighted by an obstreperous Congress so he was forced to rule by executive orders. But what one executive order does, another president can sign away.

Targets for repudiation are thought to include the Paris Agreement on greenhouse-gas emissions.

Trump is expected to authorise reactivation of work on the Keystone Pipeline which moves oil from Alberta in Canada to the refineries of the Gulf Coast, suspend the Syrian refugee settlement programme and order the Commerce Department to bring trade cases against China.

The biggest and most important changes, which drove the post-election stock market rally, are proposals to cut corporation tax, deliver tax relief to middle-income Americans and an enormous splurge on infrastructure.

These can be done only through Congress. What the President wants and what he gets are different, even if the direction of travel is clear. The US recovery was largely driven by monetary policy and rebuilding the banking system.

Trump and his advisers want to see fiscal policy and deregulation drive growth rates higher. Wall Street likes it but economists are unconvinced.

Those pesky experts again.

Flash boys

When the sterling flash crash occurred in the early hours of October 7 last year, it looked as if the worst warnings of the Remain camp were about to be realised.

What we now know, from a report from the Bank for International Settlements, is the cause was badly designed automatic trades and a crude headline in the FT.

Since then the British economy has roared away and Monetary Policy Committee member Michael Saunders predicts that the jobless rate will stay below 5 per cent next year.

Theres a surprise.
Tool hire firm Lavendon showed its suitors why it is worth fighting for after reporting better than expected sales.

The Leicestershire-based business, which is at the centre of a bidding war between Belgian and French rivals, said its sales for the year had exceeded expectations thanks to its booming business in the Middle East.

The groups overall sales grew by 8 per cent last year and its business in the UK was up 9 per cent.

Soaring: Lavendon has seen its share price jump by more than 85%

However, operations in the Middle East, which make up just over a quarter of its revenue, grew by a whopping 16 per cent

The strength of the region has attracted the attention of French-owned Loxam and Belgiums TVH who are looking to gain a slice of the lucrative pie, and the group has been engaged in a number of back and forths since mid-November.

TVH, which initially sought to buy Lavendon for 348m, is the current leader after it upped its offer to 261p per share earlier this month  meaning the proposed bid now stands at 444m.

But Loxam, which had its last offer recommended by the Lavendon board, is rumoured to be contemplating a higher bid.

Lavendon has seen its share price soar by more than 85 per cent as a result of the bidding war and shareholders are poised to make millions as a result.

As the deal stands, its largest shareholder, M&G Investments, will make 84m while the firms chief executive Don Kenny will make 1.1m.

Kenny said: As we move into 2017 the group is well placed to build on the momentum developed during the past few years and to make further progress in the year ahead.

Shares at the company rose 0.5 per cent, or 1.25p, to 265.75p.
Tata Steels offer to pay hundreds of millions of pounds into its pension scheme in return for the release of the funds claim over the firms key Dutch plant is unlikely to clear the way for the company to hive off the scheme, experts warn.

The Tata Group is looking at merging its European steel operations, including Tata Steel UK, with German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp.

But Tata says it needs to separate the 130,000-member British Steel Pension Scheme from the business for the plan to go ahead.

The Tata Group is looking at merging its European steel operations, including Tata Steel UK, with German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp

Failure to do so, claims Tata, would force its British steel-making operations into insolvency.

The company insists it is very unlikely that a merger partner or buyer would be interested in acquiring any or all of Tata Steel UK with the liabilities of the pension scheme still attached.

The scheme is relatively well-funded but only 14,000 members are still contributing to it.

Far larger than Tata Steel, the British Steel Pension Scheme has 13.3 billion of assets and 14 billion of liabilities. Tata  with the support of the Government and trade unions  wants to shut the final salary pension scheme to new members and cut back on future pension increases.

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Natarajan Chandrasekaran speaks during a news conference in Mumbai on January 12

It would use the 2.5 billion savings to allow the scheme to run on a standalone basis, without an employer sponsor.

A sponsoring employer contributes to the scheme and is responsible for ensuring the fund has enough money to pay out to members.

In return, Tata has committed to continuing production at its giant Port Talbot steelworks in South Wales, with guarantees that the blast furnaces would remain open for five years with 1 billion of investment.

Unions are balloting their members at the end of this month on the proposals.

But independent pensions expert John Ralfe was critical of the plan to hive off the pension scheme and of the proposed change to the guarantee on the Ijmuiden plant in the Netherlands. He said: The British Steel Pension Scheme Trustees are going round in circles wasting lots of time and money.

There are strict legal criteria for a company abandoning its pension scheme which Tata UK doesnt meet. And there is no legal mechanism for a so-called zombie scheme with no employer standing behind it.

He added: As for the Ijmuiden guarantee, which gives very important security, I would have expected the details to be disclosed in the actuarial valuation and the Scheme annual report but it is entirely absent.

Tata put its UK business up for sale last March when it said it was losing 1 million a day and it claimed to have lost 2 billion over the last five years.

However, it is now understood to be making a small profit after the price of steel rose and the firm sold parts of its business.

The British Steel Pension Scheme declined to comment. Tata said the negotiations were ongoing.
British firms were each subjected to an average of almost 230,000 cyber attacks in 2016, according to analysis from business internet service provider Beaming.

The average volume of attacks hitting individual company firewalls passed the 1,000 per day mark for the first time in November.

Meanwhile, the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council suggested that UK firms could face up to 122 billion in fines for cybersecurity breaches in 2018.

Of that, 52 billion will be levied on small to medium size enterprises, it said.

British firms were each subjected to an average of almost 230,000 cyber attacks in 2016, according to analysis from business internet service provider Beaming

The Federation of Small Businesses welcomed the launch of the Governments National Cyber Security Strategy, announced in November.

But chairman Mike Cherry has warned the scale of threat to small businesses must not be underestimated.

Small businesses are the victims of more than seven million cyber crimes a year, costing the sector 5.26 billion.

A survey of small businesses by accountancy giant KPMG last year found more than 60 per cent had experienced a cyber breach in 2016.

Insurer RSA, which was last week hit with a 150,000 fine over stolen customer files, has warned that the people who work for the company are the weakest links in any business.

Growing trend: Executive search firm Cartwright James recently paid a ransom of four bitcoins to cyber attackers

Helen Carpenter, its cyber and liability product lead, said: A recent scam involved identifying firms that were or had recently been advertising a job, and then sending them an email purporting to apply for that job.

Instead, when the employee opened the attachment labelled CV, it contained malware that encrypted the computer and demanded payment in order to unlock the data.

The most common risk to affect a small business is ransomware. This is commonly used by fraudsters to disable the businesss systems and extort cash from owners in exchange for allowing them to access their systems.

She added: Many smaller firms believe that only large businesses are affected by cyber crimes, but this is not the case.

Larger firms often have sophisticated defences that make them harder to penetrate. Increasingly, it can be as profitable to initiate an attack that aims to catch many smaller businesses in a wider net.

Executive search firm Cartwright James said it is often attacked. Ben Hornsey, director of Cartwright James, said: Cyber attacks come in a variety of formats, from fake invoices to excel documents and attachments.

Most are clearly spam, however, we were caught out when somebody new to the business opened an attachment which installed a virus. The files became inaccessible, only unlockable via a ten-digit code. We were unable to access these files until we paid a ransom or found a solution. The ransom was four bitcoins, about 3,000.

Meanwhile, fitness firm PayAsUGym emailed customers last month after their details were compromised by a hack attack.

Carpenter said the cost of a breach could be between 75,000 and 311,000 for SMEs. RSAs research found 28 per cent would go out of business if faced with an unexpected cost of 50,000.

According to RSA, despite an onset of high-profile cyber attacks recently, including Yahoo, Tesco Bank, TalkTalk and Camelot, businesses are not protecting themselves sufficiently.

Its research indicated that many firms were more likely to take out cover when the threat became real to them.

Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed, industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks. Visit gov.uk.
Most people use their Instagram accounts to show off pictures of where they have been on holiday or their latest night on the town.

But for some, the social network isn't just an image sharing site  but a way of them making a living.

Thanks to app Takumi, which connects Instagrammers with brands looking to partner them, amatuer photographers can make thousands each year by agreeing to take pictures of their products and posting them online.

Scroll down for video

Bloggers Ivona Moore, left, and Neel Patel, right, who can make their living through posting pictures on their Instagram pages

Brands can be willing to pay as much as 2,000 per image, in the hope it will act as an ad for their products.

And all types of bloggers and amateur photographers interested in areas from beauty to travel have been able to give up their jobs and focus full-time on Instagramming their pictures.

Here we meet three Instagrammers who for them, the social network is their job.

'I don't even own a proper camera' - fashion and beauty influencer Ivona Moore

Ivona, 24, from Northern Ireland only set up her Instagram account last year but can make 100 or more for every picture that she posts

Ivona, 24, from Northern Ireland only set up her Instagram account last year but it is already the way she makes her living.

The married mother-of-one, who is originally from Lithuania, can make more than 100 for every picture she posts online after receiving briefs from brands through the app Takumi.

And she does all this without even using a professional camera and captures her images like most other people by using her mobile phone.

She explained: 'I've always liked taking pictures, I wouldn't say I'm skilled but have a good idea of what looks good and creative.

'All of my photos are taken on my phone because I wouldn't know where to start in choosing a camera.'

Ivona, who previously worked in a high school, decided to focus her Instagram account on fashion and beauty after clothes captured her imagination at the age of 10 when she fell in love with a pair of lace turquoise trousers.

Her Instagram page shows her modelling clothes such as party dresses and accessories from brands such as AX Paris, Pretty Little Thing and Superdry.

Other beauty firms she has worked with have included Elizabeth Arden, Garnier and hair brand Bed Head.

Ivona, who posts pictures several times a week, built her online following by simply posting a steady stream of pictures using a string of hashtags to make herself more searchable.

Ivona, who previously worked in a high school, decided to focus her Instagram account on fashion and beauty

Ivona, who posts pictures several times a week, built her online following by simply posting a steady stream of pictures using a string of hashtags to make herself more searchable

She added: 'It's a great opportunity for brands to be exposed by bloggers. I can make over 100 by posting a picture. I believe more advanced bloggers with more following can gain more money.

'Imagine just taking photos for a living? So many bloggers are able to do that nowadays. Everything is possible if you invest your time.

'I think a good picture is not trying to copy someone else's or be someone else! I'm quite a minimalist and clean images work best.'

'I didn't even know you could make money from Instagram!'  Lifestyle influence Neel Patel (also known as Flunking Monkey)

Neel Patel, also known as Flunking Monkey, started his Instagram account while he was at university

Like most other students, 22-year-old Neel Patel from London started his Instagram account while he was at university.

Back then his account consisted of the typical images of nights out with friends and pictures of his food.

At one point he even considered making his page private as he started to amass followers who he had never even met.

But he decided to stick with his public account and began posting pictures of his travels all over the world.

Now he has almost 35,000 followers and can make up to 300 for posting just one picture on his account, meaning he is able to focus on photography full-time after giving up his job as an editor for a science company.

Through the Takumi app, he has teamed up with brands such as menswear companies as well as travel and hotel chains.

In a recent commission, he was even flown to Eindhoven in Holland, all expenses paid in return for posting pictures on his account.

Neel has almost 35,000 followers and can make up to 300 for posting just one picture on his account, meaning he is able to focus on photography full-time

But he warns that his job still does require hard work and insists it is not just easy money.

Neel said: 'It's a very unpredictable industry; if I were to receive three to four campaigns or more a month I would earn the same as someone working a 9 to 5 job.

'Although it's not to be taken lightly, as a lot of hard work and effort goes into every campaign, it's not easy money as much as the images may portray.

I didn't really know much about Takumi at first, or that it was even possible for people to make money through Instagram.'

Neel's account focuses on travel and lifestyle and some of his recent posts show him enjoying a holiday in Jamaica

Neel's account focuses on travel and lifestyle and some of his recent posts show him enjoying a holiday in Jamaica as well as taking pictures of his travel essential products.

He added: 'I take pictures if I find a really cool spot I want to share it with people, just as much as a great dish I may have eaten the other day or this new shirt I'm really happy to be wearing.

'I think in many ways Instagram is fantasy but what I try to do is, show people the kind of life they could live, rather than being stuck at home all day or only going away once in a while.

'I mean if I could inspire someone to go pursue his or her dream of moving to Bali or becoming a photographer that would be amazing!'

I only started making money in August but it's now my job  'Visual junkie' Christopher Rusev

Christopher Rusev only recently graduated from university but so far there has been no need for him to find a job.

That's because his Instagram pictures have been helping him to earn a living, despite only discovering the app Takumi four months ago.

The 24-year-old, a former student at the University of Salford, who now lives in Canterbury, started using Instagram three years ago and saved up his money in order to buy a proper camera and began reading up on how to edit pictures.

Christopher Rusev, pictured, only recently graduated from university but so far there has been no need for him to find a job due to his lucrative Instagram account

In turn he saw the following of his account Ralics shoot up and he now boasts almost 50,000 followers.

His account is full of images of eye-catching landscapes and unusual buildings, although interestingly he doesn't feature in the pictures himself.

But that hasn't stopped him working with brands such as Microsoft, Haagen Daaz and Domino's Pizza, sometimes earning 80 per picture, and posting almost daily.

He said: 'I would take photos of everything that makes me think and feel good while I am looking at it.

'I cannot explain it better than the description of my Instagram profile - I am a visual junkie and that profile tells my visual story to anyone who dared follow me.'

His Ralics account is full of images of eye-catching landscapes and unusual buildings, although interestingly he doesn't feature in the pictures himself

Despite it seeming an easy way to make money, Christopher insists it is still a full-time job rather than just taking snaps as he has to keep engaged with his followers.

But despite it seeming an easy way to make money, Christopher insists it is still a full-time job rather than just taking snaps as he has to keep engaged with his followers.

He added: 'People start following you, when they see that human factor in your profile. That is why I try to keep answering every single comment on my posts personally.
I'll admit, when I was asked to give Gymbox's Flatline challenge a go - I hadn't really looked into it.

'Run around a bit, pick up a few weights, it really can't be that bad', I confidently thought to myself.

How wrong I was. How very, very wrong.

As soon as I nervously strolled through GymBox's arena of physical perfection in Farringdon, central London, I became aware that this was going to be no walk in the park - more a sprint through a park while being chased by a pack of hungry Rottweilers.

Reporter Alex Matthews pushed his fitness to the limit when he tried GymBox's Flatline class

The Flatline was designed by the elite trainers at GymBox and is an extreme test of your fitness, with both strength and stamina pushed to the limit.

Essentially a timed circuit course, the Flatline features different stations involving kettle bells, an atlas stone, burpees, a cycle on an assault bike (which, by the way was true evil), a rope climb and a walk with weights.

I pathetically managed one set of the circuit, you're supposed to complete four and the course record by trainer George Edwards, is six.

But, as I said, if you think it looks easy - you're just wrong.

This course, billed as the 'hardest and most dangerous gym class in the world', is designed to break you. And break me it did.

As I got warmed up, I cheerfully spoke to the gym's Master Trainer, Firas Iskandarani, who like most of the staff, resembled more a Greek god than mere mortal.

The course looked standard enough, but before the fun was to begin a form was whipped out. They wanted me to sign a waiver before I took on this circuit of screams.

Essentially a circuit course, Flatline includes different stations featuring atlas stone lifts, weights, burpees, an assault bike, a rope climb and walking weight lift

On the assault bike Gymbox's master trainer Firas instructs you to pedal as fast as you can until a set amount of calories are burnt

I became concerned, but tried to reassure myself it was just part of the gimmick.

Then it was announced that the paramedic that oversees the exercise was stuck in traffic. Paramedic?!

Yes, Gymbox are so concerned about the strain of their endurance obstacle race that they make sure they have a resident medic on-board.

In case, you know... people die and stuff.

But to be honest, the actual moment I realised I was in deep trouble was after Firas took me through the 'warm up'.

Gymbox ask people to complete four laps of the circuit, but Alex could only manage one

After finishing on the assault bike, people then have to climb up a rope - in a position of their choice - twice, before hitting the next station

I couldn't even get the stretches right for a start.

But then he ordered me to cycle as hard as I could on the 'assault bike' - an apt description - and test out the kettle bells, atlas stone and have a go at climbing the rope.

By the end I was knackered and we hadn't even got started.

I tried to jump up and down to get the blood flowing but my legs were like jelly.

What followed was agony and I only lasted one round.

The final station is a walking weight lift where people have to march up and down a set distance twice within a time limit

The course record for Flatline is held by Gymbox trainer George Edwards, who managed an incredible six. Alex is pictured recovering after his less than impressive effort

By far the hardest station was the assault bike - after the first three stations your body is close to giving up and with only a few seconds rest after each, it feels impossible to continue.

However, expert trainer Firas urged me on and I pulled through.

By the end of the first round I was broken, I felt ashamed for not giving it another go - but relieved that the pain was over.

The Flatline is an incredible test of your physical and mental strength over a 45 minute-period. It's painful but on reflection a lot of fun.

Will I go back? Absolutely, but not any time soon.
Former millionaire property mogul Stephen Larkin was jailed for eight months for blaming a dementia-stricken friend for 62 traffic fines.

There was hardly a road rule the 76-year-old didn't break in 2015, driving through red lights, down bus lanes, speeding through school zones and not paying tolls.

To avoid paying more than $20,000 in fines, each time he nominated as the driver Michael Geoffrey Oliver, 70 - his friend, former boxer and Kings Cross debt collector who has dementia and no driving licence.

Sydney Magistrate Joanne Keogh ordered Larkin serve at least six months behind bars before parole, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Former millionaire property mogul Stephen Larkin was jailed for eight months for blaming a dementia-stricken friend for 62 traffic fines

She said Larkin showed no remorse for his actions and refused to grant him bail pending appeal due to a history of ignoring court orders.

The former businessman repeatedly refused to face the charges and was convicted in absentia, and in November a warrant was issued for his arrest when he claimed he was too sick to attend his sentencing.

He tried the same stunt in September, claiming he was in hospital but staff told the court he only showed up at St Vincent's Hospital claiming to be ill but left before he could be examined.

Then in October he left court claiming to have a migraine and drove an unregistered car through a red light as he sped away - despite what he was on trial for.

The former BRW Rich List mainstay has a long criminal history and was still facing charges over using a legal loophole to plunder the banks account of at least 10 unsuspecting victims.

He would allegedly claim to have served people who owed him money with demands then go to court brandishing handwritten affidavits to gain default judgements.

Magistrate Joanne Keogh ordered Larkin serve at least six months behind bars before parole at Sydney's Downing Centre (pictured is a stock image)

Larkin is yet to repay his claimed victims who include doctors, friends, antique dealers and former business associates - one of which he allegedly took for $60,000.

He was sentenced to 16 months weekend detention in 2007 for defrauding former Macquarie Bank director Bill Moss of $38,050, along with lying under oath.

Larkin and was in 2004 banned from running a company for 20 years after ripping off hundreds of desperate low-income earners as a dodgy finance broker.

He and his son offered to secure loans for those with bad credit or inconsistent incomes in exchange for fees of $300-3,000, and then never delivering.

Larkin once owned 200 properties and had $120 million in mortgages but by his 2007 conviction was twice bankrupt and living in a boarding house surviving on an aged pension of $610 a fortnight.
Advertisement

President-elect Donald Trump's Cadillac One limousine is set to make its debut on Inauguration Day.

The first look at the presidential car also known as The Beast, reveals its features will be more impressive than some of the past 'beasts' used by his predecessors.

The Cadillac will be equipped with weapons including tear gas cannons, a shotgun, and even bottles of the President-elect's blood type in case of emergencies, reports said.

The limo's doors and windows will be bulletproof and sealed off to withstand chemical and biological attacks, which means only the driver will be able to roll down the window to pay tolls.

The current car debuted in 2009 and is thought to cost up to $1.5million. It weighs around eight tons thanks to all the armor and has a maximum speed of 60mph, but can run in almost any conditions

Exact details of the car's features are not revealed to the public, but recent model images have shown the limousine will even protect the new presidential family with an underside that is impervious to road side bombs.

The Secret Service first proposed a replacement for the presidential limo in 2014, and now the new model will replace the fleet of around 12 cars that were used by President Barack Obama since 2009, Autoweek reported in November.

It will also reportedly be plated with military-grade armor, making the doors so heavy that President Trump won't be able to open them from the inside.

General Motors has been paid a total of $15million to develop the vehicle, according to documents.

The new car will have the same black and silver paint as the previous beast, but it had been covered with camouflage paint to disguise new features.

Externally, the Cadillac One appears to have the same headlight and grille design as past beasts, (Cadillac Escalade sedan) and all body panels will be custom-fabricated.

The Cadillac will be equipped with weapons including tear gas cannons, a shotgun, and even bottles of the President-elect's blood type in case of emergencies (pictured: stock photo)

While the security features of the new model are a closely guarded secret, the old model had tons of armor plating, run-flat tires, tear gas launchers, and even pints of blood for emergency transfusions

Each of the doors of the current car are eight inches thick, weigh the same as the door of a Boeing 747 jet, and completely seal the cabin to prevent against chemical or biological attacks

The previous model was and included eight inches of armor, tear gas canisters, and two pints of the President's blood.

The vehicle is also fitted with night vision cameras, GPS tracking and a satellite communication system to allow it to run in any conditions and make sure the President is always in contact.

The previous car, described as a 'Caddy on a tank frame', weighed eight tons due to the huge amount of armor plating built into the frame.

The doors were around eight inches thick, each weighed the same as the door of a Boeing 747 jet, (eight tons) and concealed in the trunk was an oxygen supply that allows fresh air to be pumped into the cabin in the event that the air outside becomes toxic.

President Obama's armored limo broke down in Tel Aviv in 2014 (left) after the driver mistakenly put gas in the tank instead of diesel, in 2011 one of the fleet's cars got stuck leaving the US Embassy in Dublin (right)

The fuel tank of Obama's beast was coated with armor plating and contains a special foam which expands on impact and that prevented it from exploding, even if it suffered a direct hit.

The tires were coated in Kevlar to protect them from bursting, but even if they did, the metal rims were strong enough to hold up the vehicle and keep it rolling in case the outer layer was blown away.

The vehicle may be equipped for just about any attacks, but it has ironically broken down on two public occasions.

In 2013, Obama's limo broke down on his first presidential trip to Israel after his driver accidentally put gas in the tank instead of diesel.

One of the fleet cars got stuck leaving the US Embassy in Dublin in 2011 after it couldn't overcome a speed hump.

An adjustable suspension may be included in the new model to avoid similar incidents.

The virtually indestructible car has come a long way since past state cars as President Lyndon Johnson's 1968 custom-built black stretch limousine did not have bulletproof features or weaponry.

Warren G. Harding was the first president to be driven to his inauguration in 1921.

President Lyndon Johnson's 1968 custom-built black stretch limousine did not have bulletproof features or weaponry
A Pennsylvania woman charged in the rape, murder and dismemberment of her adopted 14-year-old daughter took in 30 foster kids before her husband was deemed a sexual predator.

Former adoption worker Sara Packer and her ex-husband David Packer adopted Grace Packer and fostered dozens of other children from 2000 to 2010 while they led a transient life in northeast Pennsylvania.

D avid Packer was arrested in 2010 and convicted of sexually abusing Grace over the course of four years, in addition to raping another foster teen with a learning disability.

That same year, Sara Packer lost her rights as a foster parent, even though Grace remained in her care as she began dating her boyfriend Jacob Sullivan.

In July 2016, Sara Packer watched as Sullivan beat Grace, 14, before he raped her, strangled her to death, dismembered her body and dumped the remains in a murder plot that dated back 10 months, according to a criminal complaint.

An investigation, launched by the Department of Human Services, will review the welfare of the 30 former foster children.

Grace Packer, 14, was strangled to death and later dismembered in a house in Pennsylvania after being tortured by her adoptive mother, Sara Packer and her boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan

Sara Packer (left) and Jacob Sullivan (right) have been charged this week with rape, murder and abuse of a corpse in the killing

Grace Packer was adopted by Sara Packer and her husband, David Packer (above), in 2004. He was arrested in 2010 for sexually abusing Grace and raping her older foster sister

Grace Packer, born in August 2001, in Reading, Pennsylvania, was adopted by Sara Packer and her husband David at the age of three.

A lawyer for her biological parents, rose and Rodney Hunsicker, said that they lost custody of the toddler over allegations that other adults were sexually abusing their three young children.

The Packers also adopted her one-year-brother while an older sister, aged six or seven, went to another foster home.

Sara Packer, who worked as an adoption supervisor, went on to foster 30 children over the course of a decade.

In 2010, she was suspended without pay before she was officially fired as an adoption supervisor at the Northampton County's Children, Youth and Families division.

The termination letter, dated April 15, 2010, included references to 'allegations of misconduct' and 'undisputed actions' that violated the county's ethics codes although the exact reason for her termination was redacted, NBC10 reported.

Sara Packer was fired was about two months before David Packer was arrested in 2010 for sexually abusing Grace, in addition to raping a foster teen over the course of three years starting when sh was 15.

The foster teen said Sara Packer was aware of the abuse by the time she turned 18, according to Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin.

David Packer went to prison for about five years on statutory rape and indecent assault charges, and Sara Packer was investigated, but not charged.

She was barred from taking in more foster children even though Grace and her biological brother remained in her care.

No agencies would have checked on the family afterward unless a child welfare complaint was filed, Martin said.

Sara Packer started dating Sullivan after her husband was jailed, and within a few years, she and the two children were living with the draftsman in Glenside, Montgomery County.

In the fall of 2015, they sent Grace to live with a relative in North Carolina, where she spent several happy months, prosecutors say.

Once she returned home, the couple started plotting her death in October 2015, according to the police affidavit filed in the case.

Grace Packer was last seen alive at a family picnic on July 4, 2016.

Sara Packer, pictured leaving court in Newtown, Bucks County on Sunday

On July 8, Packer and Sullivan reportedly drove Grace from the family home in Abington to a remote, rented house in Quakertown about 30 miles away.

Sullivan allegedly beat the 14-year-old girl before raping her - all while her mother watched.

Sullivan admitted the pair had discussed the rape and that Sara Packer was 'sexually aroused' by the idea, according to the affidavit.

The teen was reportedly conscious during the attack, and later poisoned with over-the-counter medication her mother had bought, according to the criminal complaint.

Grace was bound, gagged and left to die in a stifling attic closet, while the pair returned to their home in Abington, the complaint states.

When they came back to the Quakertown house at 3am, they found Grace was still alive - so Sullivan then strangled her, according to the affidavit.

Her body was smothered with cat litter in order to mask the smell.

The couple were in a 'polyamorous' relationship with another woman, named as Katherine Allbright - a 38-year-old social worker

The above, is Allbright's description of herself. 'INTJ' is an abbreviation for 'introversion, intuition, thinking, judgment'- one of 16 Myers-Briggs psychological types

On December 30, Allbright made a 911 call after Sullivan and Packer overdosed in their basement apartment (pictured) in what police believe was a suicide pact

Sullivan allegedly made a hospital-bed confession to staff as he recovered, revealing that he and Packer had murdered Grace

On July 11, Sara Packer reported her daughter missing  telling police the teen may have run away from their Abington home after an argument and had stolen $300 from her.

She raised suspicions when she failed to drop off a promised photograph of her daughter to police and moved without telling them, taking Grace's 12-year-old brother with her.

Following a police visit to Packer's Quakertown home on October 11, Packer and Sullivan allegedly dismembered Grace's body in the bathtub with a saw, more than three months after she was killed.

Days after Grace was killed, Sara Packer reported her daughter missing (pictured) and told police the teen ran away after an argument and stole $300 from her

Detectives would later find the receipts for the saw and spare blades in Packer's possession.

The girl's remains were dumped across woodland in Luzerne County, and found by hunters on October 31. Grace's body was identified through dental records.

Sara Packer also reportedly profited off her daughter's murder, lying that Grace was still alive so she could collect social security checks, worth $712 a month.

The couple were also involved in a polyamorous relationship with a 38-year-old social worker Katherine Allbright.

The threesome is believed to have started 18 months ago, and all three moved into a basement apartment in Horsham, Pennsylvania in mid-December.

On December 30, Allbright made a 911 call after Sullivan and Packer overdosed in their basement apartment in what police believe was a suicide pact.

Grace Packer's remains were discarded on an isolated road. The medical examiner identified her body through dental records

Sullivan allegedly made a hospital-bed confession to staff as he recovered, revealing that he and Packer had murdered Grace.

Packer and Sullivan are being held without bail in Bucks County Jail and are due in court for a preliminary hearing on January 20.

Packer was charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy-forcible rape, kidnapping and several other charges.

Sullivan was also charged with criminal homicide, rape and other charges.

Allbright is considered a 'person of interest' but has not been charged.

The Department of Human Services has opened a six-month review of the Packer family that will include a check on the welfare of the 30 former foster children.
A cosmetic surgeon whose patient screamed in pain and had her liver and diaphragm lacerated during a fatal liposuction procedure will not face criminal charges.

Dr Nedra Dodds and her assistant Kevin McCowan at the clinic Opulence Aesthetic Medicine in Kennesaw, Georgia, were charged with the murders of two patients in 2013, along with aggravated battery and theft by deception.

While Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said he was 'extremely troubled' but the incidents, the charges were dropped after the prosecutor said he did not believe a criminal case could be made, WSBTV reported.

Dr Nedra Dodds (left) and her assistant Kevin McCowan (right) at the clinic Opulence Aesthetic Medicine in Kennesaw, Georgia, were charged with the murders of two patients in 2013

But those charges were recently dropped after Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said he did not believe a criminal case could be made (pictured, the clinic, which closed down)

April Jenkins, 37, (left) died in February 2013 after a fat-transfer procedure, while Erica Beaubrun (right) passed away in June 2013 after a buttocks reduction

April Jenkins, 37, died in February 2013 after a fat-transfer procedure, during which she repeatedly screamed: 'It's tearing. It's burning.'

Because she had already received the maximum dosage of sedatives, employees at the clinic gave her a towel to bite down on and told her to keep the noise down, the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

When the procedure was finished, Jenkins snored loudly before her heart stopped pumping blood.

An investigation found Jenkins' diaphragm and liver had been lacerated, and Dodds disappeared during parts of the procedure, although records did not show how long those stretches lasted and what happened while she was gone, The AJC reported..

About five months later, Miami businesswoman Erica Beaubrun turned up at the clinic for a buttocks reduction - and also died after her heart stopped pumping blood.

Employees took 22 minutes to call 911, and emergency responders found Beaubrun in a pool of blood, without a doctor in charge or anyone administering CPR, according to The AJC.

After authorities tried to revive her for 90 minutes, Beaubrun was dead.

Dodds' medical license was revoked in 2015, and the clinic shut down.

Dodds (left) disappeared during parts of Jenkins' procedure, although records did not show how long those stretches lasted and what happened while she was gone. Jenkins screamed during the procedure and employees stuffed a towel in her mouth (right, McCowan)

When Beaubrun's heart stopped pumping blood, employees took 22 minutes to call 911, and EMT found her in a pool of blood without a doctor in charge or anyone administering CPR

Dodds' medical license was revoked in 2015, and the clinic shut down

An administrative law judge reviewed the medical board's decision to first suspend and then revoke her license, and said: 'Dr. Dodds conduct grossly departed from the level of care every patient should expect from his or her physician and, in two cases, her failures resulted in the death of a patient under her care.'

But the charges against Dodds and her assistant were dropped after District Attorney Reynolds said he did not believe there was a criminal case against them.

He said: 'I'm extremely, extremely troubled by this case and always have been from the very beginning.

'My obligation is not to be concerned with what I want, what I like, what my opinion is. My decision has to be based on facts and law and in the end, I don't think the case can be made,' he said.

Jenkins' family will pursue a civil lawsuit against the doctor, according to WSBTV.
Charles Hollin, 61, was arrested at his job at WalMart in Salem, Oregon after fleeing Indiana some 17 years ago

A man charged in the 1999 abduction and rape of a 10-year-old girl had finally been arrested 17 years later after he was identified through facial recognition software of his passport photo.

Charles Hollin, 61, was arrested at his job at WalMart in Salem, Oregon, after fleeing Indiana 17 years ago.

Hollin assumed the identity of a car crash victim and lived for years in Minnesota and Oregon until he was tracked down and arrested this week in Salem, Oregon, according to US Attorney Josh Minkler.

He faces charges of identity theft and fleeing prosecution, and court documents show he disappeared from Southern Indiana's Jackson County after prosecutors filed charges against him in the abduction and assault of a 10-year-old girl.

On the run, Hollin took the identity of Andrew David Hall, who was eight when he died in a 1975 car crash in Fayette County, Kentucky and buried in southern Indiana, according to a FBI affidavit.

Hollin is pictured above being arrested at the WalMart store where he works in Salem, Oregon

Hollin is charged with abducting the child at knifepoint from outside a Seymour girl's club in 1999, taking her to a secluded area and molesting her before leaving her naked along an isolated road about 50 miles south of Indianapolis. DNA tests linked Hollin to the attack, according to court documents

He obtained an $80,000 home equity loan in 1999 and a person using Hall's identity obtained a Minnesota driver's license shortly before assuming his new identity and fleeing Indiana. He moved to to Oregon in 2011.

Minkler said FBI agents had reviewed Hollin's disappearance frequently over the years without success until linking him to the photograph with the passport in Hall's name.

'Facial recognition technology, clearly, was the break in the case that we were looking for,' Minkler said.

'It is a tremendous law enforcement technique used to bring people to justice.'

When he was arrested he admitted his true identity, federal officials said.

He faces charges of identity theft and fleeing prosecution, and court documents show he disappeared from Southern Indiana's Jackson County after prosecutors filed charges against him in the abduction and assault of a 10-year-old girl

He was brought to Indiana on Friday by federal agents and will be turned over to Jackson County authorities soon to face prosecution on felony charges of child molestation and confinement, Minkler said.

In 1999 investigators tied DNA evidence to his rape of the 10-year-old girl, but disappeared before investigators could arrest him.

Hollin reportedly asked for her help to retrieve keys from his locked car. When she approached the car he put his hand over his mouth and threatened to kill her, reported USA today.

On the run, Hollin took the identity of Andrew David Hall, who was eight when he died in a 1975 car crash in Fayette County, Kentucky and buried in southern Indiana, according to a FBI affadavit

Then he is said to have covered her face with a stocking mask before driving her to a an isolated area, raping her, and then abandoning her naked.

He threw her belongings out the car window as he drove away. She was found by passing drivers.

Hollin is charged with abducting the child at knifepoint from outside a Seymour girl's club in 1999, molesting and abandoning her about 50 miles south of Indianapolis.

Minkler said he didn't know whether Hollin had family in Oregon and that investigators would be checking for any similar unsolved crimes in Minnesota and Oregon.

He faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the most serious of the charges.

Minkler said FBI agents had reviewed Hollin's disappearance frequently over the years without success until linking him to the photograph with the passport in Hall's name

Court records didn't list an attorney for Hollin who could comment on his behalf, but he has pleaded guilty according to USA today.

Jackson County Prosecutor AmyMarie Travis said the victim's father told her that his daughter was doing well and was relieved by Hollin's arrest.
A New York City police officer was filmed slurring his words while on duty shortly before he was arrested for drunk driving his patrol car.

Richard Evans, 44, had his badge and gun stripped from him after he was found intoxicated while working his midnight to 8am shift on December 8, 2016.

A video surfaced of the 15-year force veteran tripping over his words and 'smelling of alcohol' while he was responding to a noise complaint in a Bronx neighborhood.

In the minute-long video obtained by the New York Post, Evans stands in a doorway and is seen slurring his words saying, 'So we knocked on the door, and we have this with the camera.'

It isn't clear at first if he is talking to other officers or the man filming, he then continues to the cameraman: 'Hey, cut it out. It's like whatever

'Do you, do you, do you, actually really think I care about you taping me right now?'

The cameraman responds: 'Oh no. I just want proof, cause youre drunk.'

Evans responds by rolling his eyes and staying quiet.

NYPD officer Richard Evans was filmed slurring his words while responding to a call last month. The 44-year-old was indicted on charges of official misconduct and drunk driving on Thursday. He was photographed last year asleep in the station's locker room. Officers believed he was drunk then as well

Shortly after the incident, a witness at the scene called 911 to report that Evans appeared drunk.

When Evans returned to the station, he was deemed 'unfit for duty' by superiors and was promptly relieved of his duties.

He was indicted on charges for official misconduct and four counts of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol on Thursday.

The New York Post also obtained a photo from last year of Evans asleep in the station's locker room, with his belly exposed.

Evans, a 15-veteran of the force, was responding to a noise complaint in the Bronx on December 8, 2016, when a witness said he smelled of alcohol and recorded him slurring his words. Evans was stripped of his badge and gun when his supervisors deemed him 'unfit for duty'

Evans was reportedly described as a problem drinker. Sources told the Post that he's 'really sick and having issues' and no one has been able to do anything about it

Attorney Eric Sanders told the newspaper that other officers believed he was intoxicated at the time.

A press release from the said that Evans' actions were .

It said: 'Such irresponsible behavior is dangerous to the community he swore to protect, and will not be tolerated.'

In April 2011, Evans posted on Facebook about going to 'beerfest' to get his 'drink on'. Another post followed saying that he really doesn't think his 'liver can take overtime'

Several of Evans' posts contained messages about drinking. In this post he says he really doesn't think his 'liver can take overtime

Then on Father's Day of that year, he wrote that fathers should 'crack open a fine adult beverage'

The officer was reportedly described as a problem drinker.

Sources told the Post that he's 'really sick and having issues' and no one has been able to do anything about it.

In April 2011, Evans posted on Facebook about going to 'beerfest' to get his 'drink on'. Another post followed saying that he really doesn't think his 'liver can take overtime'.
Setting out detailed plans for Britain leaving the EU, the Prime Minister will say that the public has delivered a clear message that it wants to break free of the European Court of Justice

Britain will no longer obey edicts handed down by EU judges, Theresa May will declare in a speech on Brexit next week.

Setting out detailed plans for Britain leaving the EU, the Prime Minister will say that the public has delivered a clear message that it wants to break free of the European Court of Justice.

And she will pledge that, in her negotiations with Brussels, she will insist that Britain once again takes full control of its own laws.

Insiders said Tuesdays speech would set out a clear blueprint for Brexit  rebutting claims by Remainers that the Government is in a muddle.

The PM will also reiterate that regaining control of the UKs borders will be a red-line in the talks  even if it means quitting the single market.

She is expected to outline a work permit scheme for EU citizens, who will only be allowed to move to the UK if they have a job first.

Mrs May will also stress her determination to secure a deal that allows the three million EU citizens living in Britain to stay permanently, with similar rights for Brits abroad.

Leave-supporting MPs are pushing for the PM to name a cut-off date on Tuesday. They want anybody who arrives in the UK before the triggering of Article 50  the formal two-year process for leaving the EU  to be told they can remain.

And she will pledge that, in her negotiations with Brussels, she will insist that Britain once again takes full control of its own laws

Other EU countries would be expected to grant reciprocal terms to British citizens.

Yesterday Mrs May said that, post-Brexit, Britain would have an immigration system that allows in the brightest and the best.

She added: We want to get migration down because of the impact it has on people in the UK.

At the same time, ministers are working on plans to allow British business and agriculture to adjust in the immediate aftermath of Brexit.

One idea discussed in Whitehall is to activate tier-three of the existing visa regime. This was set up under Labour to allow in low-skilled workers in the event of a shortage. It was never activated owing to the influx of EU workers  who are allowed in without visas.

The source said: One idea is to reintroduce tier three visas. This would ensure we have enough low-skilled workers to fill jobs in key sectors.

'It would also play well during EU negotiations as it would mean their citizens could still come here. But we could apply it to workers from all over the world. Seasonal workers could also be allowed back in under more strict guidelines.

Insiders said Tuesdays speech would set out a clear blueprint for Brexit  rebutting claims by Remainers that the Government is in a muddle

Brexit-backing MPs and immigration campaigners are expected to closely scrutinize the proposals.

One said: Of course business will warn of skill shortages, but the low-skilled EU workers who are already here arent going to vanish. There is no sign of them returning home.

Andrea Leadsom, the Environment Secretary, has hinted that farmers could hire EU workers to continue to work the fields after Brexit is triggered.

She told last weeks Oxford Farming Conference that she was aware how important seasonal labour was to the agricultural industry.

The Migrationwatch think tank has also said it might prove necessary to reinstate some similar scheme for seasonal workers after the agricultural workers scheme was ended in 2013.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet key ministers on Wednesday to begin formulating Germanys position on Brexit.
A volunteer who left her home and husband for the Calais Jungle started up a romance with a refugee after she promoted her charitys no sex with migrants policy, it was reported last night.

Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, had a relationship with Tunisian migrant Mohamed Bajjar, a fact which was reportedly well known among both migrants and volunteers.

Earlier this month, it emerged that 46-year-old Moseley ended her relationship with 27-year-old Bajjar after fearing that he had conned her out of thousands of pounds, The Sun claimed.

Clare Moseley was vocal in her belief that volunteers should not have sex with migrants - despite having a romance with 27-year-old Mohamed Bajjar, it has been claimed

Moseley is believed to have had a relationship with Tunisian migrant Mohamed Bajjar, picctured, a fact which was reportedly well known among both migrants and volunteers

Friends of Mrs Moseley claimed that Bajjar had threatened to tell her husband of the affair and send him photos of the couple while they were together.

The charity Care4Calais was set up in 2015 after Mrs Moseley was moved to tears at the plight of the migrants living in the Calais Jungle and the organisation gained charity status.

It was alleged that Mrs Moseley subsequently moved in with the ex-market trader who worked as her bodyguard and translator.

A source told the Sun: She fell for Kimo in a big way and is now worried she could lose the charity.

Clare Moseley (pictured with pop star will.i.am in Calais) allegedly had a year-long affair with a 27-year-old migrant

Everyone on the camp knew about them. Migrants thought they were husband and wife.

Mrs Moseley has now accused Bajjar of conning her, after he asked to send money to his family and he was arrested on suspicion of stealing her phone on January 6.

After she briefly returned to her husband Benjamin, 38, and their 700,000 five-bedroom house in Wirral, Merseyside, Mrs Moseley has since returned to the French port and is believed to live a mile away from Bajjar.

A friend added: She knew it couldnt carry on. She went home to try to save her marriage but Kimo isnt letting go.

Its sickening that she has been so vocal about volunteers not having sex with migrants.

When approached by the Sun over the affair last night, speaking from her rented house in France Mrs Moseley said: Is that it? Its complicated.

In September volunteers in the Jungle claimed on social media that the migrant camp was awash with prostitution, underage sex and volunteers who had multiple migrant partners.

Mrs Moseley (pictured) reportedly ended her relationship with Bajjar after fearing that he had conned her out of thousands of pounds

Mrs Moseley spoke out at the time to condemn volunteers who had sex with migrants and said that Care4Calais had a zero-tolerance policy towards such relationships.

The Sun also claimed that Bajjar has previously conned a British woman to get married in Tunisia after he posed as a Syrian refugee.

They reportedly met in the Tunisian resort of Sousse six years ago, but the relationship broke down as the bride refused to fork out the 1,500 for his visa.

Last year, he featured in a Channel 5 news report as an asylum seeker trying to sneak into the UK illegally.

He posed as an exile fleeing ISIS and said if he got caught he would say he is Syrian so he would not be sent back to Tunisia.

In September Mrs Moseley spoke out to condemn volunteers who had sex with migrants and said that Care4Calais had a zero-tolerance policy towards such relationships

A spokeswoman from Care4Calais said: Our priority remains to support and protect refugees in Calais, many of whom are fleeing unthinkable violence and horror, and this will not distract us from that vital mission.

In 2015, Mrs Moseley wrote an opinion piece in the Guardian in which she admitted abandoning my business and husband and family, to go out to Calais Jungle camp.

Referring to her family, she said: Its been hard on them, but they know its something I just have to do. I cant stand by in all conscience and ignore what s happening.

I cant imagine living my normal life, going to restaurants, parties, without thinking about how people here need help.

The Guardian named Mrs Moseley as one of Six Women who made 2015.
Nearly half the hospitals in England declared major alerts last week as the NHS winter crisis showed no signs of abating.

Doctors yesterday warned the worst may be still to come in the form of new flu outbreaks.

In the first week of January, 65 of 152 hospital trusts issued operational pressure alerts, which meant they could no longer cope and patient flow was being affected. Six issued the highest alert level  patient safety at risk.

Doctors yesterday warned the worst may be still to come in the form of new flu outbreaks

Mark Holland, of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the problems came despite mild weather. Hence we conclude that our services are unable to cope with the conditions of a normal winter, he said.

He added: With the current cold snap about to bite, one would anticipate that nothing is going to improve very quickly.

Research suggests that well over a quarter of emergency patients are having to wait more than four hours to be seen.

The vast majority of ambulance services are failing to hit their response targets, leaving the sick stranded.

STROKE VICTIM SPENT 11 HOURS IN A CORRIDOR An elderly woman with dementia was left waiting in a hospital corridor for more than 11 hours after a suspected stroke because there were no beds in A&E. Brenda Mountford, 77, was blue-lighted to the emergency department after a fall at home. But when she arrived she was forced to wait in an ambulance at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire, for three hours, her family say. Brenda Mountford was left waiting in a hospital corridor for more than 11 hours after a suspected stroke She was transferred to a temporary bed in a corridor at 1.45am last Friday, where she was forced to wait for a further 11 hours. At 1pm the following day, the frail pensioner was finally moved to a cubicle in the emergency department  14-and-a-half hours after the fall. Her daughter-in-law Amanda Mountford, 50, said: The corridors were four-a-side. All the cubicles were full, the waiting room was full. It was manic. There were three ambulances outside and they all had elderly people in. Its just dreadful. We are worried to death. Theyve got no beds and we have snow forecast ... how are they possibly going to keep up? Catherine Stoddart, chief nurse at Oxford University Hospitals, said: The emergency departments at both the Horton and John Radcliffe Hospitals have been experiencing major pressures and OUH staff are working incredibly hard to ensure patient flow. Advertisement

Hospitals closed the doors to A&E and diverted patients elsewhere 39 times in the first week of January, declaring they could take no more. The figures, released by NHS England, will fuel the growing row about the funding of the Health Service.

A spokesman for Theresa May yesterday accepted the NHS was under pressure, but insisted the Government had fully funded a plan to transform and improve services.

A major cause of the crisis is the norovirus vomiting bug, cases of which have soared 77 per cent compared with last year. Nearly 1,000 hospital beds are out of bounds each day as a result.

Operational pressure alerts were issued 222 times in the six days to January 8, up nearly seven-fold on the 34 of the previous six days. In the worst-affected areas, 25 hospitals issued the alerts every single day between January 3 and January 8.

Dr Chris Moulton, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: It was an incredibly hard week in a very difficult winter. It is probably the most challenging it has been for 15 years. All hospitals are experiencing difficulties.

Yet worse could be on the way, as experts warn that flu cases  a major source of hospital pressures  are yet to reach their peak. Already admissions for flu are running at nearly twice the level seen last year.

The vast majority of ambulance services are failing to hit their response targets, leaving the sick stranded

An NHS spokesman said: The flu peak is probably still to come. Last year the flu outbreak did not reach its height until March.

Influenza can make a major difference to national mortality rates. This winter 32 people have died from confirmed cases, a quarter of them in the first week of January. This time last year only 19 deaths had been reported.

Another 84 patients have already been admitted to intensive care units, up from 51 last year.

Overall hospital admissions are up 96 per cent on last year.

The main flu strain in circulation, H3N2, is particularly dangerous for the elderly, which officials think is why admissions are so high.

Chris Hopson of NHS Providers said: The majority of trusts are managing to keep their heads above water  just.

But the pressure on our hospital, ambulance, community and mental health services is unsustainable and the resilience of the system to cope with unexpected shocks, such as flu outbreaks, is impaired. So it is worrying that there is growing evidence of flu-related illness.

NHS England says the current bad weather could make things worse, interfering with services and increasing the number of admissions.

NHS England says the current bad weather could make things worse, interfering with services and increasing the number of admissions

Paul Cosford, medical director at Public Health England, said: Think now about what you need to do to prepare: If you need vital medicine or food, get it before the bad weather arrives.

A spokesman for the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said hospitals had now lost control of waiting times.

He said hospitals are cancelling non-urgent operations, but even that has not worked. Unfortunately contributors have been unable to halt further decline. It is now beyond dispute that patient safety is being put at risk.

The colleges research shows that only 74 per cent of patients at 60 trusts it monitors were seen within four hours in A&E, woefully short of the 95 per cent target.

Mark Porter, of the British Medical Associations council, said: It is extremely concerning that this many trusts in one week raised the alarm to say they cant cope, and it shows the scale of the crisis in our NHS at the moment.

A spokesman for Mrs May said: We are investing money in the NHS. There will be an additional 10billion of funding by the end of this parliament  4billion of that is going in at the start to kickstart the transformation of provision.

The Department of Health said: Hospitals are putting in place steps to cope with the extra demands winter brings  supported by an extra 400million of funding.

Figures from the Royal College of Surgeons show a sharp rise in patients enduring long waits for operations.

Over the past year an average of 193,406 people a month did not get surgery within the 18-week target, compared with 139,240 the previous year.
Pictured: Jill Saward with husband Gavin Drake on their wedding day

Jill Sawards family will celebrate her 52nd birthday this weekend the way her family have always celebrated birthdays  with a visit to a Chinese restaurant.

Its a long-held tradition and her husband Gavin Drake, 46, and sons Myles, 22, Rory, 20, and Fergus, 18, are determined this year will be no different.

Together, they will toast the wife and mother they all adore. Tragically, the guest of honour will not be there.

Jill, the Ealing Vicarage rape victim who survived the notorious attack at her home in 1986 and became a tireless campaigner against sexual violence, died suddenly last week after a stroke.

It prompted an extraordinary outpouring of grief from the public, who recognised true courage when they saw it.

Gavin, a journalist, and his sons are bereft. He admits he is numb.

Were struggling as a family, were hurting as a family, and the honest answer to how Im feeling right now is: I dont know,  he says at the family home in Hednesford, Staffordshire.

Its still a whirlwind. The shock, combined with the lack of sleep. But whats getting me through is support  messages from close friends as well as strangers, tributes by MPs in Parliament, letters from Archbishops and ordinary people.

My boys have been incredibly strong. I call them boys, but someone flicked a switch last week and they became men.

The events of that terrible night of the vicarage attack in 1986 have been well documented, but it was Jills courage and determination  not only to waive her anonymity, but to make changes to the laws surrounding sexual assault  that created a lasting legacy.

Over the past three decades she helped to train judges and police officers on sexual violence issues, gave talks in schools and helped change government policy.

Ms Saward, pictured in 1990, was described as a 'wonderful wife, mother and sister' who 'helped people to the very end'

Family life: Ms Saward, a mother of three, with her husband Gavin and their baby son in 1998

Her sudden collapse came on Tuesday morning last week. By coincidence, Gavin had tweeted only a few days earlier: 2017: If you thought 2016 was bad, you aint seen nothing yet.

He explains: At the time, Id meant it about Brexit, Trump and more celebrity deaths. But I still cant believe I wrote those words only five days before Jill died.

She had been complaining about pins and needles, says Gavin, but wed had a lovely family Christmas at home and this was the day we were all going back to work.

Our eldest, Myles, was teaching in Hong Kong, Rory was in bed and Fergus was at college.

Jill was writing a letter on her laptop and got up from the sofa to sit on the floor. But she didnt so much sit as slump.

We laughed about it, but then she started complaining that her head felt as if it was in a vice. She went to the kitchen and was sick, so I called NHS 111 and they sent an ambulance.

Tireless work: Ms Saward, pictured in 1990, dedicated her life to campaigning against sexual violence and violence against women

Jailed: Martin McCall, left, and Christopher Byrne, right, pictured in police custody after the attack, received just five years and three years in jail respectively for the rape, while gang leader Robert Horscroft was jailed for 14 years for burglary

Jill was coherent when the paramedics arrived, but shortly afterwards she fell unconscious and was rushed to hospital.

The ambulance took her to hospital and they asked if I wanted to go, but I said: Ill take my car to bring her back. I thought shed survive.

But the doctors put Jill under sedation and told Gavin to be prepared for the worst. He knew it was time to gather his family.

I rang Jills twin sister, Sue, and called Myles to tell him to get a flight back from Hong Kong  and that his mum might not make it until he got back.

Sue, Rory and Fergus were with me when the doctors told us the bleed was too large and that there was nothing they could do.

There were tears, but the boys were strong. We knew she wanted to be an organ donor and that the doctors would have to move quickly, so rather than say our goodbyes after shed gone, we said them while she was still alive.

Gavin and Sue stayed at Jills bedside. We were singing to her and praying. A friend who is a vicar came to do Last Communion on the Wednesday, and Myles got there just as she was dying.

She could hear us. She was squeezing my hand. I was hugging her as she died in my arms. Gavin Drake

She could hear us. She was squeezing my hand. I was hugging her as she died in my arms.

My last words were that she could go in peace, her fight had been fought and her battle was over. And that it was time to go to God, who was waiting.

I dont know whether I was saying it to comfort her or me. Probably both.

When the family got home, they drafted a statement and sent it out. Before we knew it, the news was on the BBC, says Gavin.

Somehow, seeing her on TV again was comforting. Even seeing all the stuff about 1986 wasnt painful. But when the camera closed in on her picture and the dates 1965  2017, we all gulped. We knew it was final.

Gavins love for his wife is tangible. He refers to her in the present tense and his eyes keep glancing at a photograph of a smiling Jill nestling in his arms on their wedding day in June 1993.

After the brutal attack, Jill, who had been a 21-year-old virgin at the time, was convinced she had been left on the scrapheap.

Indeed, she admitted that her first marriage, to a man called Gary, was only because he expressed an interest. The marriage lasted only months.

Meeting Gavin backstage at a music festival in Northamptonshire in August 1992 was a turning point. Gavin says he knew from the moment he set eyes on Jill that she would be his wife.

I had no idea who she was, but I took one look at her and thought: Youre the girl Im going to marry. She was so beautiful. Her smile, the glint in her eye.

My first question was: Havent I seen you somewhere before? All she said was: You might have done. We then played this silly guessing game. I asked her things like: Have I seen you on telly?

Then after a while, I said: Are you Jill Saward? The laughter stopped. Did I feel uncomfortable? It didnt alter anything I felt about her, though perhaps I felt more responsibility towards her.

Traumatic: Her father the Rev Michael Saward, pictured with his daughter Jill, and boyfriend were tied up during the attack. Rev Saward died in January 2015 aged 82

Gavin was smitten and asked for Jills address  which he then lost. But after a month he had tracked her down and invited her out for a drink.

On our first date, she brought along a couple of chaperones because she wasnt entirely sure my intentions were honourable, he says. But we spent the next three weeks talking.

Three weeks later she got a call from the police to say the worst of her attackers was going to be released.

There was concern for her safety, as hed threatened to kill her and knew where she lived, so she fled to America for four weeks. When she came back, she moved to Devon and Id visit every week.

I didnt propose as such. Id told her early on that Id always known I was going to marry her and it happened naturally.

She designed the rings. She didnt want gold or a precious metal. She said: For something as precious as an engagement ring or a wedding ring, I want something they wont steal. So she designed a silver ring with black onyx and cubic zirconia.

Survivor: Jill Saward, pictured on This Morning in October last year, was the first rape victim to waive her right to anonymity after she was attacked at home in 1986

The plan was for me to propose by the River Tavy in Devon, where we were going to get married the next day. But the night before, she needed me to pick her up from the supermarket. I got there, opened the box and showed her the rings because I was so excited. She never let me live that one down and always said Id proposed in the car park at Tesco.

The couple married and their three sons followed quickly. Jill had feared the attack might have left her unable to have a family.

At the time of the rape, she had said two prayers, says Gavin. The first was: Let me get through this. The second was: Let me be able to have children. So when Myles came along, it was the happy ending.

But even with her new role as a busy wife and mother of three, Jill threw herself into campaigning for victims of rape, and was not afraid of controversy.

One of the criticisms she got was talking about women who go out in short skirts and start snogging complete strangers, says Gavin.

She wasnt saying they were asking to be raped, but they were not helping. That was at odds with the views of some womens groups.

Since her death, many have been asking why Jill Saward was never rewarded with an honour. Gavin is circumspect.

The greatest honour for her was seeing the smiles, the laughter, the joy she brought to people, he says.

When the honours list came out, Id joke it was faulty her name wasnt on there.

If shed got one she would have been thrilled, overwhelmed and humbled by it. But she never did any of this for an honour.
Police and prosecutors will be banned by law from turning investigations of British troops in Northern Ireland into a 'witch-hunt'.

Ministers have begun work on legislation which will compel authorities to treat historical cases with 'proportionality'.

Under proposals being drafted in Whitehall, there would be an upper age limit on who could be investigated, a five-year time limit on how long an inquiry can last, and a limit on maximum sentences for anyone found guilty.

The Government is set to put limits on the length of time British soldiers can face possible investigation over killings while serving in Northern Ireland (file picture)

The Bill is expected to state that since 90 per cent of killings in the Troubles were by terrorists, not soldiers, that is where 90 per cent of police funds to investigate old cases should now be spent.

Ministers are also pushing for new rules on reopening inquests after it emerged that law firms had played a major role in forcing 31 new hearings into 57 killings by Army personnel.

And where there are new inquests, soldiers would be allowed to send written statements rather than face the trauma of giving evidence in person.

The law is designed to stop veterans facing multiple investigations which drag on for years.

Ministers are determined to stop troops facing another taxpayer-funded witch-hunt after the Iraq Historical Allegations Team (Ihat) dredged up more than 3,000 claims of wrongdoing in the Gulf War.

A senior Whitehall source said: 'They've been pushing hard on this. Make no mistake we do not want another Ihat. We will not allow Northern Ireland to become another Ihat.'

Last year it emerged that a new police unit will investigate every British Army killing during the Troubles.

The taxpayer-funded Legacy Investigation Branch is ready to re-open 238 'fatal incidents' which involved 302 deaths.

It takes over from the Historical Enquiries Team, which was set up in 2006 but disbanded six years later following budget cuts and a critical report.

Law firms have opened 31 new hearings into 57 killings by the Army during the Trouble

MPs and military chiefs have condemned as 'disgraceful' the decision to re-examine cases dating back nearly 50 years.

Up to 1,000 former soldiers now in their 60s and 70 could face investigations over their actions at the height of the IRA's terrorist campaign four decades ago.

It is hoped that by diverting funds into investigating terrorists, the new law will limit the numbers whose lives are turned upside down.

The Daily Mail wrote about the potential scandal on December 9, 2016, pictured

A five-year limit on investigations would begin from the time veterans get a letter asking about incidents.

And soldiers who reach a certain age  not yet specified  will gain immunity so they will not have cases hanging over them for years.

Since 2013 the Ministry of Defence has sent out 400 letters to ex-soldiers asking for information about incidents stretching back four decades or more.

Those who received them still fear prosecution because investigators have not told them whether their cases are closed or not.

The new law would help veterans such as the 75-year-old Chelsea Pensioner quizzed by Northern Ireland police at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in 2013 over his involvement in an ambush in July 1972.

The Mail revealed last month how four years later he is still terrified he will get another letter. Nobody has returned his calls as he tries to find out if his case has been closed or not.

Two ex-paratroopers aged 67 and 65 are expected to face a murder trial over the killing of an IRA commander in Northern Ireland in 1972.

Some 400 ex-soldiers have been asked for information on killings dating back four decades

The surviving members of the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment patrol that opened fire on the terrorist had twice been assured they would not be taken to court over his shooting at the height of the Troubles, but now face jail if convicted.

And ex-Warrant Officer (Class 1) Dennis Hutchings, a 75-year-old great-grandfather, has been charged with attempted murder over the 1974 fatal shooting of an IRA suspect, later found to be innocent.

Ministers pushed for the new Bill after probes into soldiers who served in Iraq descended into what has been condemned as a 'witch-hunt'.

The Mail has revealed how some Iraq veterans have had multiple investigations hanging over their heads for as long as ten years.

Soldiers forced to attend inquests into Iraqi deaths have suffered mental health problems as a result.

One had to take sick leave over the stress of reliving the event. Another, already suffering post traumatic stress disorder, was so badly affected investigators feared he might kill himself.
Renault yesterday became the latest car company to be investigated for fraud over how much polluting gas its cars produce.

The Paris prosecutor's office said it has opened a judicial inquiry into Renault's emissions controls practices.

They were also looking into whether Renault 'made merchandise dangerous for human health'.

Renault is being investigated for fraud over the company's emission control practices

The diesel scandal rocking the car industry was first triggered by the revelation Volkswagen used software called a 'defeat device' in its cars.

The software adjusts the engine to make the car produce less nitrogen dioxide gas during test situations.

Nitrogen dioxide worsens respiratory problems and causes around 12,000 premature deaths in the UK a year.

This week Italian car giant Fiat was dragged into the scandal over claims it too rigged tests which measured how much nitrogen dioxide the cars produce.

Renault yesterday issued a denial its cars are equipped with pollution cheating software, and said the company complies with all French and European laws.

The probe is based on an initial investigation by the French economy ministry's fraud department, which handed its findings to prosecutors in November.

The company was forced to recall 15,000 cars last year because of the emissions scandal

French authorities raided Renault company premises after Volkswagen was found to have used engine software to cheat on US diesel emissions tests.

Renault recalled 15,000 cars last year because they spewed out excessive levels of harmful gases, but the company insisted there was no intentional wrongdoing.

Renault-Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn has said that despite the Volkswagen scandal, the company will continue developing diesel technology.

In a statement, Renault took note of the investigation but said its 'vehicles are not equipped with cheating software affecting anti-pollution systems.'

It added that the company supports European moves to toughen emissions testing and has taken steps to reduce its own cars' emissions over the past year.

French prosecutors are carrying out a separate probe into Volkswagen's emissions practices in France.

Tentacles of the Volkswagen scandal are continuing to reach across the industry more than a year later.

The US government accused Fiat Chrysler on Thursday of failing to disclose software in some vehicles that lets them emit more pollution than allowed.

In Britain, the Department for Transport said it was urgently seeking further information from US authorities over allegations Fiat Chrysler used hidden software to allow excess diesel emissions to go undetected.

'We are urgently seeking further information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency... and will also be seeking information from the manufacturer regarding vehicles in the UK market,' a DfT spokesman said.
Jamshid Piruz, 34, originally from Afghanistan, arrived in Britain after serving a prison sentence in Holland for decapitating a woman at his house near Amsterdam in 2006

A murderer allowed into Britain unchecked from Holland was given a life sentence yesterday for a hammer attack on two police officers, one a woman.

Jamshid Piruz, 34, originally from Afghanistan, arrived here after serving time in Holland for decapitating a woman at his house near Amsterdam in 2006. Court documents in the Netherlands said he was inspired by Taliban beheading videos.

His journey began in war-stricken Afghanistan. It ended in a life or death struggle with British police officers outside a tool shed in suburban West Sussex. Along the way a woman died in the most barbaric of circumstances. A female constable could so easily have become a second fatality.

The story of convicted murderer Jamshid Piruz is as perplexing as it is bloody and tragic. It should serve as a parable for Britains present relationship with the EU  and highlights so many of the concerns among voters that led to Brexit.

It also encapsulates failings in Europes justice system and the open borders which too often leave us exposed to dangerous foreign criminals.

Consider that even after he was convicted of murder in Holland, Piruz could not be deported back to Afghanistan. He was then able to travel unhindered to Britain, where the authorities were not alerted by their Dutch counterparts to his violent history.

Then, even though he assaulted a member of airline staff at Gatwick, he was freed to attack two police officers with a hammer. And finally, when he came before a court in Sussex, the translator provided at taxpayers expense failed to turn up, thus incurring further court costs.

Piruz  born in central Asia, jailed in the Netherlands and sent to hospital with mental health issues in Sweden  is now the problem of the British state.

Yesterday he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of six years, for grievous bodily harm with intent. The police who tackled him thought they, too, were going to die. At least now he is in a secure place, albeit at British taxpayers expense; it will cost around 40,000 a year to keep him behind bars.

Piruz attacked officers Jessica Chick and Stuart Young with a hammer, outside a tool shed in suburban West Sussex (pictured)

Piruz had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder with associated psychosis as a result of seeing his parents executed by the Taliban when he was 11, Lewes Crown Court heard.

Aged 16, the orphan had travelled from Afghanistan to Holland, where he claimed and was given asylum.

He first came to the attention of the authorities in 2003 when he was convicted of common assault, and was again arrested in 2006 for drink-driving. But it is the ghastly events of the evening of June 15, 2006, around which this story pivots.

According to Dutch court records, police were called to a maisonette in Poldermolenweg, a street in the bleak Amsterdam overspill town of Almere. There they found the body of a Chinese woman who had suffered a savage knife wound to her neck which had all but decapitated her. The name of the victim was withheld under Dutch privacy laws.

The CID report said: The victim was lying on her back in a blanket. We saw that her throat was totally cut through. We saw that the door of her room was forced and damaged while opening (it was locked).

There was no doubt who had committed the murder; her landlord, Jamshid Piruz.

The firearms officers Tasered Piruz three times but to no effect, because of the thickness of his heavy coat

The victims ex-husband told police that she had called him that evening to say Piruz had locked her in her room for three hours and taken her phone. At 6pm  an hour before the killing  Piruz had unlocked his tenants door and returned her mobile. She tried calling her ex-husband a number of times. When the ex-husband tried to call back later in the evening there was no answer so he went to the property to investigate.

When he rang the door, Piruz answered and followed him up to the victims room. The ex-husband found her body wrapped in a coverlet and, fearing for his own safety, fled. When he returned with work colleagues, Piruz had escaped through a window.

After his arrest, the Afghan made a full confession to police. He said: That day I had wanted to talk to the woman. She said, Go away, you stink. So I took away her phone and her keys. Later I gave back those things. I returned to my own room and suddenly I put a knife in my hands. I walked to the door of the womans room. I kicked in the door. I took her, I cut her. I cut her throat at the front ... I put the woman in a blanket, and knotted it up. Then I cleaned up.

After that, the Chinese man comes in, opens up the bedroom door and sees his ex-wife. Im in my own room. Then I opened up the door of the balcony, closed it again and left.

In August 2007, Piruz appeared in court charged with murder. The defence claimed that Piruz was mentally ill and therefore could not be convicted of murder. This was rejected by the prosecution. Experts from the Dutch Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology had decided there was no proof of psychiatric disorder; therefore the accused was fully accountable for his actions.

The court records state: From this behaviour of the accused, the court concludes that the killing was not the result of an instantaneous violent emotion, but a decision to do so. She was killed with premeditation.

Pc Young (pictured) was hit in the neck during the confrontation with Piruz and described it as 'akin to a horror film'

Piruz was found guilty of murder. The judge said: The accused ended the life of his tenant in a horrific way, by cutting her throat with a knife. After this he cold-bloodedly cleaned up to erase traces of his deed. His behaviour demonstrates disrespect for the life of another.

Piruz was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. He was ordered to pay the ex-husband more than 6,000 euros towards for the cremation of the victims ashes and their transportation to China.

Given the circumstances of the murder and Piruzs subsequent behaviour, the prosecutions satisfaction that he was perfectly sane seems questionable.

The Daily Mail has learned that Piruz had also been treated in a mental health facility in Sweden. He had suffered a breakdown while visiting an aunt who had emigrated to Scandinavia having cared for Piruz as a child in Afghanistan. This episode is believed to have taken place shortly after Piruzs release from prison in June 2014.

He had been given parole having served two thirds of his sentence. He was then returned to court in Holland to be sent back to jail having been found in a confused state in the street, when he admitted to having taken illegal drugs. The court set him free again.

A spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Justice explained that having already been granted permanent residency in the Netherlands there were no legal grounds upon which he could be deported back to Afghanistan. Nor would there be any serious restraint on his ability to travel to other EU countries, such as Britain.

Pc Chick (pictured) said she had 'never been so scared' during the attack

Piruz also has relatives living in the UK. It was in order to visit them that he arrived unnoticed in England on December 29, 2014. While staying with his family here, his behaviour became increasingly erratic until on January 3 he demanded to be driven to Gatwick, a day early, to return to Holland.

He missed his flight the following day and got into an altercation with a female member of EasyJet staff.

Piruz spat in her face, police were called and he was arrested. He was released having appeared before local magistrates, where he pleaded guilty to common assault and was ordered to pay 100 compensation.

The same week, police were called to deal with a suspicious character seen in the Crawley neighbourhood of Langley Green which lies only four miles from the airport. It was Piruz again. A pursuit began and the Afghan was eventually found and cornered in a tool shed by a number of officers including a dog handler and a firearms team.

Armed with a hammer, Piruz emerged from the shed and despite being hit by a Taser  his heavy coat protected him from the 50,000-volt shock  charged at a female constable. Her screams rang out as she attempted to fend off his blows with her baton. In the ensuing melee another officer was hit twice on the head with the hammer by Piruz before the latter was restrained.

Incredibly, British police were only made aware of Piruzs criminal history when a family member filed a missing persons report after he missed his flight on January 4. The relative told the Metropolitan Police about Piruzs murder conviction and subsequent sentence. The London force then contacted their colleagues in Sussex. By then it was too late.

Over the past year, Piruz has appeared a number of times in court where he has often presented a disturbed and disturbing figure, rocking backwards and forward in the dock and making strange noises.

At a recent hearing, he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, burglary and affray.

Two counts of attempted burglary and one of threatening with an offensive weapon will lie on file.

The court had been told that Piruzs mental health had deteriorated during his stay in Britain and he suffered hallucinations. He had a history of failing to take prescribed medication, which has led to episodes of severe paranoia, psychosis and violence, resulting in hospital admission. His barrister Simon Blackford had said in mitigation: This offence was committed at a time of stress for my client. He was in a foreign country.

Pictured: The hammer used by Piruz during his attack on two police officers in Sussex

But why was a man with Piruzs criminal history and related mental health problems able to travel here at all?

The Dutch Justice Ministry denied that the authorities there had been wilfully negligent.

A spokesman said: Piruz is on probation until September 1, 2018. His conditional release from prison is accompanied by certain rules such as supervision by the probation service and an alcohol and drug ban, while he has to co-operate in a number of residential, work and money issues. He has had to report once (every) few weeks by phone or physically to the probation office.

Piruz had no travel ban and a short stay abroad was not prohibited, as there were no legal grounds for that. In this case, he was visiting family in England and would be back in Holland for the next appointment with the probation office. Piruz was at large justly, in accordance with the conditions imposed.

That explanation surely cannot be of comfort to anyone in the EU, let alone the Netherlands or the UK.

As the Mail reported earlier this week, unless a criminal is high profile, known to have committed crimes in several countries, or is on the Interpol wanted list, he or she is unlikely to be stopped when entering the UK or any other EU country.

Except in the most extreme circumstances, Brussels does not force member states to share information on known criminals who might be planning to travel.

But even if a new arrival does have a known conviction, they cannot automatically be picked up and refused entry  not even Jamshid Piruz, who all-but beheaded a neighbour and then tried to batter a police officer to death.
MPs opposed to leaving the EU were accused of wanting to thwart the will of the public last night after issuing the Prime Minister with a shopping list of demands for a soft Brexit.

The select committee in charge of the countrys departure from the EU told Theresa May to ensure tariff-free access to the bloc  seen as code for staying in the single market and customs union.

They also instructed her to give MPs a vote on the final deal and to agree to a transition period if no package can be agreed within two years. This would drag out the timetable for quitting the EU beyond the planned April 2019 departure date.

Remainers, led by chairman Hilary Benn, hold a 12 to nine majority on the committee.

The select committee in charge of the countrys departure from the EU, led by Hillary Benn, told Theresa May to ensure tariff-free access to the bloc

Insiders said a string of experts who gave evidence to the committee had made it clear that if Britain wants to regain control of its borders and laws, it must quit the single market and customs union altogether.

However, in what was dubbed a Remainer plot, this statement was excluded from the final report. One observer said: They are clinging to the hope well stay in the single market or customs union because thats the closest thing to us still being in the EU.

Tory committee member Karl McCartney said the report was flawed in its call for transitional arrangements on trade and tariffs, which would merely prolong the uncertainty for businesses and everyone else.

He added he did not accept the emotive and negative language from the Remain side that ended up in the report. These MPs, I fear, are seeking to thwart the democratic will of the 17.5million people who voted to leave the EU, said Mr McCartney.

Peter Lilley, one of the minority of Brexiteers on the panel, said: The majority on the committee are Remainers in recovery  theyre still reluctant to face up to things.

The committee on exiting the EU released its first report last night, days before Mrs May is due to deliver her blueprint for Brexit.

It said the Prime Minister should clarify whether she aims to keep Britain in the European single market  which would require free movement of EU workers to continue  and the customs union.

The MPs also demanded a full parliamentary vote on the final deal she secures with the remaining 27 members. This would not allow MPs to block Brexit but they could reject any package they did not like. This would mean Britain leaving the EU without any deal.

Mrs May has so far refused to commit to granting a final vote, saying the public has spoken.

The MPs said it would be unsatisfactory and potentially damaging to both the EU and UK if Britain tumbled out of the bloc without a deal when the two-year Article 50 deadline expires.

The report said an abrupt cliff edge departure would be extremely disruptive and a lack of transitional arrangements could push some businesses to relocate out of the UK or move investment overseas.

Tory committee member Karl McCartney said the report was flawed in its call for transitional arrangements on trade and tariffs

The committee also warned that a return to tariffs and other regulatory and bureaucratic impediments to trade would not be in the interests of UK or European businesses and therefore the Government should strive to ensure that this does not happen.

Mr Benn said: Whatever deal is concluded, Parliament must be given a vote on it and the Government should make this clear now.

No 10 has indicated strongly that Britain will quit the single market, but a debate is still taking place over the separate customs union.

Former justice minister Dominic Raab, a Brexit committee member, said: The expert witness consensus is that Britain will not stay formal members of the single market or customs union, but aim to maintain barrier-free trade.

That is also the message were getting from the EU so the debate about this feels like a phoney war.

Michael Gove, who led the Leave campaign and sits on the Brexit committee, warned Mrs May she must deliver full Brexit, not fake Brexit  which he insisted means leaving the customs union. In a newspaper column, he said that if pro-Remain MPs tried to make the new relationship with Europe as much like the old one as possible they will get an almighty kick in the ballots at the next election.

John Longworth, of the Leave Means Leave campaign, said: The Government must enter the negotiations with the aim of getting the best deal for Britain. If this isnt possible the Government must waste no time and be prepared to walk away with or without a trade deal.
A teacher has been accused of 'tongue-kissing' a teenage student and placing his hands up her skirt on New Year's Eve.

It is alleged Bruno Ghezzi, 61, sent sexually-explicit texts to the girl and arranged to meet her at a Marrickville park during the school holidays after getting her number from her school in Sydney's south-west.

The English teacher was granted conditional bail on Friday, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A teacher has been accused of 'tongue-kissing' a teenage student and placing his hands up her skirt on New Year's Eve (stock image)

The 61-year-old was arrested on Thursday evening at his unit in Kingsgrove.

He was taken to St George police station and charged with five counts of aggravated indecent assault, inciting a minor to commit an act of indecency, and using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

He spent Friday night in custody before being released on bail, he was also served with an provisional personal apprehended violence order.

Ghezzi told the Daily Telegraph he would be defending all the allegations made against him.

His solicitor Peter Terret added Ghezzi was afraid the accusations would put his name, standing and livelihood in jeopardy 'for no good reason'.

'He denies the accuracy of most but not all of the allegations set out in the police materials,' Mr Terret said.

Ghezzi will appear at Sutherland Local Court on Saturday.
They are among the few surviving possessions of a Scottish schoolmistress who died in Auschwitz after refusing to leave the Jewish children she cared for.

Now the 'priceless' artefacts that once belonged to Jane Haining have been analysed by an expert on the Antiques Roadshow.

For the first time, the popular BBC programme has decided the items are so historically significant they will not be valued.

John Benjamin, left, spoke to the nieces of Jane Haining, Deirdre McDowell and Jane McIvor, right, during a special episode of the Antiques Roadshow

Jane Haining, pictured, was put to death in Auschwitz in 1944, probably in a gas chamber

The show features a will written by hand two years before the Church of Scotland missionary was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp and a gold ring with red garnet gemstones.

New details about the jewellery will be revealed by John Benjamin on a special episode to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, which will air tomorrow night.

The expert said: 'I had no idea that this extraordinary woman had also lost her life in Auschwitz, simply because of her sense of dedication and selflessness in looking after these children.

'I therefore see the garnet ring as a conduit, and while we do not know the story of the ring itself and how she came to own it, it is a tangible connection to an extraordinary woman of great courage and fortitude.'

Miss Haining, who grew up in Dunscore near Dumfries, protected Jewish pupils at the Kirk-run mission school in Budapest, Hungary, for four years.

Expert John Benjamin could not put a value on Ms Haining's ring, pictured

Ms Haining was protecting Jewish children in a Church of Scotland school in Budapest when she was betrayed to the Nazis who sent her to Auschwitz where she met her death

She was eventually betrayed by the school cook's son-in-law after she caught him stealing food.

Arrested by the Gestapo in April 1944, she told the sobbing children: 'Don't worry, I'll be back by lunch.'

However, she never returned to the Scottish Mission and died aged 47 in the camp in Nazi-occupied Poland three months later. Her death certificate claims she suffered 'intestinal catarrh' but fellow prisoners say Miss Haining almost certainly died in the gas chambers.

Some belongings, along with her will, letters and a number of photographs, were recently discovered in the Church of Scotland offices in Edinburgh.

They were taken to the Antiques Roadshow by her nieces, Deirdre McDowell and Jane McIvor.

Taking part was an emotional experience for the sisters from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, whose mother Agnes O'Brien was Miss Haining's half-sister.

They grew up hearing stories about their brave aunt, who repeatedly refused orders from the church to return home after the Second World War broke out because 'her' girls needed her.

Mrs McDowell said: 'She was such a courageous woman, very determined, considerate and kind. She followed the Christian example by looking after and caring for vulnerable children.

'Our family is honoured and humbled by Jane's actions.'

Mrs McIvor, who was named after her aunt, said: 'It was a very moving day and a great honour to be here amongst people who have tremendous stories of courage and resilience.'

The special episode, presented by Fiona Bruce, was made in partnership with the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.
Anxious: Maddie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have been buoyed by the news that a missing girl has been found 18 years after she vanished in Florida

The parents of Madeleine McCann have been given fresh hope their daughter could still be alive after a girl kidnapped in America was found after an incredible 18 year search.

Kate and Gerry McCann, who are facing the 10th anniversary of Maddie's disappearance, have been 'buoyed up' by the news across the Atlantic, a close pal said last night.

Newborn baby Kamiyah Mobley was snatched from a Florida hospital nearly two decades ago by a woman pretending to be a nurse.

Kamiyah, now 18, was found living in South Carolina on Friday being raised as Alexis Manigo.

The 51-year-old woman she thought was her mother, Gloria Williams, has been arrested and charged with kidnapping.

After news broke of the discovery, the McCann family friend said: 'It shows that dreams can come true and this teenager being found so many years after the event is another example that will give Kate and Gerry hope.'

And the McCann's pal continued: 'This is the news they are dreaming of receiving themselves one day.

Detectives have explored dozens of theories about Maddie's disappearance from being snatched by paedophiles and murdered during a botched burglary to being accidentally killed by her parents

Kamiyah Mobley, now 18, was found living in South Carolina on Friday living under the name Alexis Manigo. Gloria Williams, 51, has been arrested for kidnapping the girl from Florida

'They have recently said they believe Madeleine could still be alive and are always buoyed up when they hear stories of kidnapped children being found. It really does give them renewed hope and some joy.'

Three-year-old Maddie vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Praia da Luz in May 2007. She would now be aged 13.

At Christmas former GP Kate and heart doctor Gerry, both 48, appealed to Maddie's abductor and people close to their tormentor to finally 'do the right thing' and come forward.

The McCann family are still holding out hope that Madeleine will be found, 10 years after she vanished in Praia da Luz

They wrote in a global website message: 'Somebody knows. We just hope they find the courage and compassion to let us know too.'

The couple from Rothley, Leicestershire, have always insisted they will never give up searching for their daughter unless there is evidence to prove she is dead.

Facebook campaigners promoting the hunt for Maddie said in a New Year posting: 'We still have great hope and believe in miracles. Let's get her home.'

British police are chasing a final 'last throw of the dice' clue which could solve the riddle which has gripped the nation.

Madeleine McCann was just three years old when she vanished nearly a decade ago

Detectives now have less than three months of guaranteed Government funding to continue to unravel an 'important' new tip. A source close to the investigation, codenamed Operation Grange, revealed last month that they are working on a final theory that Maddie was kidnapped by a European trafficking gang.

Detectives have explored dozens of theories about Maddie's disappearance from being snatched by paedophiles and murdered during a botched burglary to being accidentally killed by her parents. Despite nearly 9,000 potential sightings across the globe police have struggled to unearth any new clues.

But in Operation Grange's potentially final few months of searching they are concentrating solely on the fact she was sold by child traffickers  her parents' and their first team of private investigators' initial hunch  and could still be alive and possibly be living in Europe or North Africa.

Kamiyah Mobley (left in a composite created by police) was kidnapped by a woman pretending to be a nurse (right) 18 years ago. This week she was found alive in South Carolina

Gloria Williams, 51, (left) has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and interference with custody. Pictured right is a sketch police released of the suspect after the kidnapping

After Kamiyah was found yesterday, she took to Facebook to defend Williams on Friday as news of Williams' arrest spread.

'My mother raised me with everything I needed and most of all everything I wanted,' she wrote. 'My mother is no felon.'

The mystery of Kamiyah Mobley became a national sensation when she was taken from her mother Shanara Mobley's arms at the University Medical Center in Jacksonville in July 1998.

Jacksonville police have since revealed the teenager found out on Friday morning that the woman who has raised her in Walterboro, South Carolina her whole life is not her real mother.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said Williams will be extradited back to Florida and is being held without bond.

Kamiyah was allowed to spend a few emotional moments with Williams on Friday.

She cried 'Momma' through the caged window of a security door after Williams waived extradition to Florida, News4JAX reports.

Williams was arrested on Friday morning at her home (pictured) in Walterboro, South Carolina. Kamiyah was not present when she was taken in to custody

A cousin of Gloria Williams said the revelation was 'brand new to all of us.'

Tesha Stephens spoke briefly with reporters on Friday outside the Walterboro home where Kamiyah was raised. She said she didn't know how the young woman discovered her past.

'Right now she's holding up... She's processing everything and she's probably going to have to take this day-by-day,' she said. 'This was something brand new to all of us.'

The sensational news shuts closed a cold case that accumulated more than 2,500 leads and tips and captivated both the city and the country for more than a decade.

It was a tip last year that led Jacksonville police to South Carolina, where they found an 18-year-old woman with Kamiyah Mobley's birth date but a different name.

They soon found out that fraudulent documents had been used to establish her identity.

A DNA sample from the teen was taken and submitted to a crime lab, where it was matched with the original newborn DNA taken the day Kamiyah was born.

The test confirmed the teen was, in fact, Kamiyah.

Sheriff Williams said Kamiyah appears to be in 'good health' and a 'normal 18-year-old woman'.

He said she first had an inclination a couple of months ago that she may have been involved in the national kidnapping case in some way.

Sheriff Williams said the teen only found out on Friday morning that her concerns had been confirmed.

'She's taking it as well as you can imagine,' he said. 'We have victim's advocates up there, she has a lot to process, a lot to think about.'

Gloria Williams was arrested on Friday morning at her home. Kamiyah was not present when she was taken in to custody.

Court records show that Gloria Williams has an extensive criminal record and has been found guilty of writing fraudulent checks and welfare fraud.

She doesn't act like we're brand new people. She acts like she's been talking to us a long time. Vera Aiken, Kamiyah's grandmother

The sheriff said Kamiyah had lived at the home with Williams and other members of her kidnapper's family. There are no other suspects at this time.

Williams said he did not know if Kamiyah planned to reunite with her biological family, who he said was 'elated' by the news.

'They were extremely excited, as you can imagine,' he said. 'Overwhelmed with emotion.'

But Kamiyah's father and grandmother, Craig and Velma Aiken, revealed they have already spoken to her on FaceTime, as did Kamiyah's mother Shanara, who has since had three more children.

Craig and Velma revealed that they immediately noticed that Kamiyah looked like her father, according to First Coast News.

'I can't wait,' Craig said of an upcoming reunion. 'It's been 18 years. I can't wait no longer.'

Kamiyah's father Craig Aiken (pictured) revealed he has already spoken to her on FaceTime

Kamiyah's mother Shanara Mobley (pictured two days after the abduction) was just 16 years old when her daughter was taken from her arms

No pictures of Kamiyah had been taken before she was kidnapped, so police had to match babies to her footprints (pictured) while following leads

Velma, 66, said her granddaughter chatted with the family as if they had known each other her whole life.

'She doesn't act like we're brand new people,' Velma told the New York Daily News.

'She acts like she's been talking to us for a long time.'

Velma, who prayed she would see her granddaughter before the day she died, said 'everyone broken down in tears' during the conversation.

She added that Kamiyah is 'well and looking good' but revealed the family has not set an official reunion date yet and don't want to rush her.

Craig and his mother revealed they immediately noticed that Kamiyah shared his features

'We lost her for 18 years,' Velma said. 'We don't want to lose her again.'

It was just after 3pm on July 10, 1998 when a woman wearing a blue floral smock and green scrub pants took eight-hour-old Kamiyah in a white blanket and disappeared.

Authorities said the woman had roamed the halls of the University Medical Center, now UF Health Jacksonville, for 14 hours, according to The Florida Times-Union.

She had spent five hours with Kamiyah and her mother Shanara, who had just turned 16 at the time. But nurses thought she was a member of their family.

It was Velma who became suspicious when she saw the woman leave with a pocketbook slung over her shoulder as she carried Kamiyah away.

'I just feel like if I would have reacted on my feelings I could have done something,' Aiken said. 'I could have taken that lady out with my bare hands.'

But by the time the hospital staff was notified, it was too late.

Every floor and room of the hospital was searched. Police called bus and train stations and airports to look out for baby Kamiyah. The FBI became involved.

There were no pictures of Kamiyah and only grainy footage from the hospital surveillance camera of the suspect.

Authorities made a composite to try and illustrate what the newborn looked like. Sketches were released of the mysterious woman who had posed as a nurse.

The case took over the county, where women who matched the sketch were stopped in local grocery stores and babies' footprints were compared to those taken from Kamiyah when she was born.

A $250,000 reward was offer and Kamiyah's story was told on CNN and America's Most Wanted.

Craig was in jail at the time of her kidnapping on a drug charge, according to WJXT.

Her disappearance led to even more time behind bars when Aiken, 19 at the time, revealed he was the father - and that Kamiyah had been conceived when Shanara was 15.

Velma Aiken, the paternal grandmother of Kamiyah, gets a congratulatory hug from a family member on Friday

Kamiyah was taken from the the University Medical Center, now UF Health Jacksonville (pictured), on July 10, 1998 just eight hours after she was born

Aiken pleaded guilty and spent five months in prison, wondering if he would ever see the baby daughter he never had the chance to meet.

Shanara, who used to cut a piece of cake and put it in the freezer for each one of Kamiyah's birthdays, received a $1.5million settlement in 2000 after suing the hospital.

As the years passed the mother said she woke up every day knowing her firstborn was still out there - but that there was no way to reach or talk to her.

'I wonder, 'What does she like? What kind of food? What kind of colors? How smart is she? Does she have long pretty hair? Does she have my eyelashes?'' Shanara said in 2008.

Now, she may finally have the chance to find out.

'I always hoped and prayed this day would happen. I always felt she was alive. I always felt she would find us,' said Craig.

'Now we have the rest of our lives together.'
A suspect has been arrested for beating to death a University of Wisconsin student from Saudi Arabia outside a pizzeria.

Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, was assaulted in the early hours of October 30 on a downtown street near the UW-Stout campus in western Wisconsin.

The 24-year-old died of his injuries the next day at a hospital in nearby Eau Claire.

Cullen M. Osburn, 27, was arrested on Thursday in the St. Paul area and was charged with murder and battery.

Scroll down for video

Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, was assaulted in the early hours of October 30 on a downtown street near the UW-Stout campus in western Wisconsin

Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, left, died of his injuries the next day at a hospital in nearby Eau Claire. Suspect Cullen Osburn, right, was arrested as a suspect in his murder

Alnahdi, from Buraydah, Saudia Arabia, was a junior undergraduate student majoring in business administration.

He joined the university in Menomonie in 2015, UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer said.

Authorities released little information about the circumstances of his slaying.

But local media, citing a criminal complaint filed in the case, said police responded to a fight outside Topper's Pizza in Menomonie found Alnahdi unconscious and bleeding from the nose and mouth.

The official cause of death was reported to be traumatic brain injury.

Photos are placed at the memorial for Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, who died Monday, one day after being assaulted on a street in downtown Menomonie

A 27-year-old Minnesota man, identified as Cullen M. Osburn, was arrested on Thursday in the St. Paul area and was jailed on charges of felony murder and battery

Police responded to a fight outside Topper's Pizza in Menomonie found Alnahdi unconscious and bleeding from the nose and mouth

Police offered no explanation for a possible motive behind the killing, which had stirred concerns on campus that the assault may have been a hate crime.

A Facebook statement posted by Meyer on Friday quoted the criminal complaint as noting that the suspect, in statements to investigators, 'was adamant that the altercation was not a result of anybody's race'.

Osburn has received an onslaught of comments on social media following his arrest.

Osburn has received an onslaught of comments on social media following his arrest

Hussein's former roommate said that he 'bridged a gap between the Saudi and local communities in Menomonie'

The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram newspaper and other media outlets cited eyewitness accounts from court documents of a man arguing with and shouting at Alnahdi outside the pizza parlor before Alnahdi was punched and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the side of a building.

One bystander told investigators she saw Alnahdi at one point raise his hands as if to indicate to his assailant that he wanted to avoid a confrontation.

A remembrance ceremony was held at the University following Hussein's death. His roommate said in a speech to a packed crowd: 'Hussein bridged a gap between the Saudi and local communities here in Menomonie.

'He showed us that we are all more alike than we are different.

He continued: 'He taught us what matters is the way we treat one another.

'Not where we come from, how we look, or the language we speak.

'Hussein was a best friend and a brother, and I will never forget what he meant to me.'

The university campus reportedly enrolls some 9,600 students, a including a group of about 140 from Saudia Arabia.
Disney has shot down rumors that Carrie Fisher will be digitally recreated for upcoming Star Wars films.

Lucasfilm confirmed there were 'no plans' for the late actress, who died unexpectedly last month, to return to the silver screen as Princess Leia, it said in a statement on Friday.

It was previously thought that Disney planned to use high-tech digital recreation to bring her beloved character back to the films.

The studio said Fisher, 60, would be missed and promised to 'cherish her memory and legacy' and to 'always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars'.

Disney will not digitally recreate Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in upcoming Star Wars films. Previous rumors said that special technology would be used. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in 1977's A New Hope is pictured left, and a reconstruction of her character using archive footage in December's Rogue One is shown right

Before the official announcement, fans were speculating how Disney would bring Princess Leia back to the screen.

Rumors circulated that it would be the same high-tech digital recreation used in digital wizardry that allowed Disney to bring back Peter Cushing's Moff Tarkin character from the original 1977 film in the recent blockbuster Rogue One, despite the fact that Cushing died in 1994.

That approach, so cutting-edge that the filmmakers had an alternate script prepped in case the effects failed, could have been similar to Disney's plans for resurrecting Princess Leia.

Rogue One (spoiler alert!) also briefly features another digital resurrection: that of the young Princess Leia, played by Norwegian actress Ingvild Deila, with digital footage of Fisher from A New Hope superimposed on her face.

Disney used cutting-edge digital techniques to bring back Moff Tarkin, the character originally played in 1977 by Peter Cushing (pictured left). Cushing died in 1994

Although Fisher had reportedly already finished shooting scenes for Star Wars: Episode VIII, slated for release in December, her character was expected to play a major role in the following installment as well.

Fisher was 19 when she filmed A New Hope in 1977.

In the 2015 The Force Awakens, set 30 years after the original trilogy, Fisher returned as General Leia Organa.

In another case of digital resurrection, the filmmakers behind Fast & Furious 7 managed to create a stand-in for actor Paul Walker, who died with several key scenes left to shoot.

Walker's two brothers stood in for the remaining scenes, and were digitally enhanced to resemble Walker by Peter Jackson's special effects studio, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Recent advances in digital resurrection techniques have opened a can of ethical worms, with some actors moving to control or restrict rights to their images after death.

Actor Robin Williams, who died in 2014, prohibited any commercial use of his image until 2039.
Advertisement

Sydneysiders had a sweaty sleep on Friday night after temperatures soared to 30 degrees at 2am - the hottest night the city has ever had in January since records began.

The mercury only managed to drop to 26.4 degrees Celsius about 11:00pm, which was the coolest part of the evening.

'[Last night] was actually the warmest January night the city has ever recorded, and records for the city station go back to 1858 so there's quite a while of records there,' BOM duty forecaster Rebecca Kamitakahara told the ABC.

Surrounding areas also saw record breaking temperatures - with weather stations at Surry Hills, Penrith, Richmond, Horsley Park and Camden reaching minimum temperatures between 26 and 28 degrees.

The highest minimum temperature was seen in Penrith, where temperatures dropped to 28.6 degrees.

The blistering weather comes as many parts of Australia remain firmly in the grip of a stifling heatwave.

One beachgoers relaxes at Manly, after temperatures soared to 30 degrees at 2am on Friday night, the hottest in January since records began

'[Last night] was actually the warmest January night the city has ever recorded, and records for the city station go back to 1858 so there's quite a while of records there,' BOM duty forecaster Rebecca Kamitakahara said

There are two reasons why Sydney tempeatures soared as much as they did according to Ms Kamitakahara.

'We had a combination of an extremely low air-mass over NSW broadly, which is what is contributing to those heat wave conditions, so there was a limit to how much it would cool off anyway overnight,' she told the ABC.

'In addition to that we had a fairly decent layer of cloud cover overnight, which meant the ground couldn't cool off overnight.'

Further north on Australia's east coast, Queenslanders are set for another scorcher, with conditions expected to finally cool on Sunday.

Another top of 34C is forecast for Brisbane on Saturday, which is five degrees above the average maximum for this time of year.

Slightly cooler conditions are expected on the Gold Coast, while temperatures of around 40C are tipped in the state's southwest.

Showers are forecast for the coast and possible thunderstorms in inland areas, meteorologist Sean Fitzgerald said.

Mr Fitzgerald said the cool change would provide much-needed relief from what had been a humid and lengthy heatwave.

Further north on Australia's east coast, Queenslanders head to the beach as more hot weather sets in. A top of 34C is forecast for Brisbane on Saturday

Slightly cooler conditions are expected on the Gold Coast by Sunday, while temperatures of around 40C are tipped in the state's southwest

Paramedics responded to 25 heat-related incidents on Friday, mostly in the state's southeast.

But the Bureau of Meteorology says conditions will cool before the weekend is over.

Meteorologist Sean Fitzgerald said temperatures would drop in the southeast on Sunday, and those in the west would feel the relief a bit sooner with storms possible in Ipswich and in the Darling Downs.

Mr Fitzgerald said there had been little reprieve from the blistering heat, with high night time temperatures since Wednesday night.

'The humidity has also been pretty high,' he said.

Barcaldine, in the state's central west, broke the record for its highest January minimum with the mercury only dropping to 30.9C on Friday.

There were hopes Thargomindah would break the record for the state's highest January minimum temperature, but the temperature dipped below the 34.5C required.

Sydneysiders attempt to cool down at Clovelly beach in the east coast, where temperatures are expected to reach to the early 30s in the coming week

This three-day Heatwave Assessment shows severe to extreme heatwave conditions across northeast NSW and southeast QLD

And it's not just hot weather Australians are battling.

About 500 calls for help were received by the SES as a storm with damaging winds sweeps across the ACT and parts of NSW at speeds up to 96km/h, causing a severe weather warning to be issued.

Most calls were for help with trees felled by the gusts in the ACT and authorities are warning people to be careful as power lines may have also been downed in the strong winds on Friday afternoon.

The SES, ACT Fire & Rescue, ACT Rural Fire Service and Transport Canberra and City Services are dealing with fallen power lines, large trees that have come down, motor vehicle crashes and automatic fire alarms in commercial buildings, the ACT SES says.

South Australia was soaked with rain on Friday but emergency crews received fewer calls than expected and the threat of severe weather has now passed.

A view of Bondi Beach and the renowned Bondi Icebergs Swimming Pool, where people go to escape the stifling heat

WEATHER FORECAST ACROSS AUSTRALIA Sydney Sunday: Min 22, Max 26, Shower or two Monday: Min 21, Max 29, Partly cloudy Tuesday: Min 21, Max 34, Sunny Wednesday: Min 26, Max 33, Showers Thursday: Min 22, Max 26, Shower or two Friday: Min 22, Max , 31, Shower or two Brisbane Sunday: Min 26, Max 31, Shower or two. Possible storm Monday: Min 24, Max 31, Possible shower Tuesday: Min 24, Max 32, Partly cloudy Wednesday: Min 22, Max 33, Sunny Thursday: Min 24, Max 35, Possible shower Friday: Min 25, Max 32, Possible shower Melbourne Sunday: Min 14, Max 23, Partly cloudy Monday: Min 12, Max 31, Sunny Tuesday: Min 20, Max 38, Dry change later Wednesday: Min 19, Max 23, Possible shower Thursday: Min 14, Max 26, Late shower or two Friday: Min 15, Max 26, Shower or two Source: Bureau of Meteorology Adelaide Sunday: Min 15, Max 28, Cloud clearing Monday: Min 16, Max 36, Sunny Tuesday: Min 21, Max 38, Very hot and sunny Wednesday: Min 19, Max 31, Partly cloudy Thursday: Min 20, Max 35, Shower or two Friday: Min 21, Max 32, Possible morning shower Perth Sunday: Min 18, Max 34, Sunny Monday: Min 16, Max 26, Sunny Tuesday: Min 15, Max 29, Sunny Wednesday: Min 18, Max 31, Sunny Thursday: Min 15, Max 26, Mostly sunny Friday: Min 16, Max 31, Sunny Darwin Sunday: Min 27, Max 33, Possible shower or storm Monday: Min 26, Max 32, Shower or two. Possible storm Tuesday: Min 25, Max 31, Shower or two. Possible storm Wednesday: Min 25, Max 31, Shower or two. Possible storm Thursday: Min 25, Max 31, Shower or two. Possible storm Friday: Min 25, Max 31, Shower or two. Possible storm Hobart Sunday:Min 11, Max 22, Cloudy Monday: Min 13, Max 25, Partly cloudy Tuesday: Min 16, Max 26, Possible late shower Wednesday: Min 14, Max 20, Partly cloudy Thursday: Min 11, Max 22, Partly cloudy Friday: Min 13, Max 22, Possible afternoon shower Advertisement

Even technology is have trouble coping with the rising temperature in Queensland
Advertisement

Channel Nine newsreader Amber Sherlock has been pictured for the first time since video of her diva meltdown went viral.

Ms Sherlock made international headlines this week when footage of her attacking fellow journalist Julie Snook off-air, after realising the pair and their guest for the segment were all wearing white, was leaked to the media.

The mother-of-two was seen on the footpath outside her Sydney home on Saturday talking with her husband and another woman, who was wearing a navy dress.

Scroll down for video

Channel Nine newsreader Amber Sherlock (left) was pictured for the first time on Saturday outside her Sydney home

Ms Sherlock looked casual in a black and gold polkadot t-shirt, navy blue denim shorts and a pair of reading glasses

The mother-of-two stood on the footpath and had a lengthy chat with her husband (left) and another woman

Ms Sherlock held her hand over her mouth for the majority of what appeared to be an animated conversation with a friend

Ms Sherlock looked casual in a black and gold polka dot t-shirt, navy blue denim shorts and pair of reading glasses.

She held her hand over her mouth throughout her chat with the woman, which at times appeared animated.

The 45-year-old carried on her conversation after noticing the presence of photographers in her street.

It comes as Channel Nine bosses reportedly decided not to carry out an internal investigation into Ms Sherlock's behaviour, or how exactly the video was leaked to the media by one of her colleagues.

The decision to abandon any potential investigation into Ms Sherlock's outburst came after it was revealed she had been called into the Channel Nine office on Friday, the morning after the video went viral.

So popular has the video become across the globe that it even featured on hit American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday.

'I know it's early but that could turn out to be clip of the year!' host Kimmel declared to his audience.

Ms Sherlock appeared to stop and clean something from the sole of her shoe midway through her discussion

It comes as Channel Nine bosses reportedly decided not to carry out an internal investigation into Ms Sherlock's behaviour

Ms Sherlock looked thoughtful at times throughout her conversation with her husband and the woman

Depsite not being rostered on to work, Ms Sherlock was asked to meet with Channel Nine's National Director of News, Darren Wick, and the Human Resources team, according to YahooBe.

On Thursday, Ms Sherlock was reduced to tears after a mystery mole leaked video of her chucking a tantrum at a colleague, insiders claim.

Online trolls heavily targetted Ms Sherlock's social media accounts immediately after the incident became public.

With the abuse showing no signs of slowing down on Saturday, Ms Sherlock removed her most recent photo from Instagram.

The mother-of-two then stood at the door of her car and said goodbye to a child who had earlier entered the vehicle

The decision to abandon any potential investigation into Ms Sherlock's outburst came after it was revealed she was called into the Channel Nine office on Friday, despite not being rostered on to work
Trump has said he will lift Obama's sanctions against Russia if they are helpful in battling terrorism - and that he wants to meet with Putin as soon as he is sworn in.

The president-elect may keep the restrictions, which were placed in response to Russia's alleged election hacking, 'for a period of time' unless the administration was helpful in achieving US goals.

He told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday evening that he might do away with them if Russia helps the US battle terrorists or with other goals important to the US.

The sanctions were implemented by the Obama administration last month in response to alleged Russian hacking during the election.

He said in his interview with the paper: 'If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?'

Donald Trump said that he may lift the sanctions Obama placed against Russia, on Friday. It hinges on if President Putin (right) and his administration help achieve US goals, including fighting terrorism

He added that he was ready to have a sit down with the Russian president after the inauguration on January 20.

President Barack Obama imposed the sanctions in retaliation for alleged Russian cyber interference in the U.S. election.

The immediate consequences were 35 Russian diplomats expelled from the country and two Russian compounds closed.

Repercussions came from an executive order, signed by Obama, that outlined economic penalties for individuals and organizations involved in the 'unacceptable' tampering with 'the election processes or institutions'.

On the same day these sanctions were announced, a phone call was made between Donald Trump's national security advisor, Michael Flynn, and the Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak.

Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed a call took place a day earlier to exchange 'logistical information'.

Flynn also laid the groundwork with Kislyak to set up a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Trump after he is sworn in, according to Spicer.

The White House says it did not clear a phone call made between Donald Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the U.S. on the same day President Obama imposed sanctions on Russia

The sanctions were a response to Russia after Wikileaks published thousands of emails and documents pertaining to Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Convention in June 2016.

The CIA concluded in December that Russia was behind the leaks that may have been in order to influence the presidential election and hopefully insure Clinton's loss.

Russia's alleged involvement in the election causes even more rumors to swirl around Trump's connection to the country.

Obama placed the sanctions against Russia in late December for their alleged interference with the election. Senior officials in both Trump and Obama's administrations will be questioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee over these allegations, it was announced on Friday. The search is to find any links between Russia and the political campaigns

This sanction announcement comes on the heels of the dirty 'fake' dossier on Trump, which was released by ex-M16 agent, Christopher Steele.

The scandalous information has caused international tensions, as Russia's relations with Britain went into the deep freeze as Moscow blamed MI6 for the dossier of sordid claims about Donald Trump.

In an alarming Twitter post, the Russian embassy in London suggested the dossiers author, was still working for MI6 and briefing both ways against Trump and Moscow.

Chilling: The Russian Embassy in London sent a mysterious tweet saying: 'Christopher Steele story: MI6 officers are never ex: briefing both ways - against Russia and US President'

Pictured: Christopher Steele, 52, was President of the Cambridge Union debating society in 1986, just before he joined MI6 in Moscow to spy as the Soviet Union collapsed, pictured at a Union Bicentenary event

Trump announced earlier this week that he believed Russia might have been behind the massive leak but he has previously mentioned his hopes for a better relationship with Moscow.

Georgia's Democratic Rep. John Lewis said on Friday he doesn't consider Donald Trump a 'legitimate president,' blaming the Russians for helping the Republican win the White House.

He elaborated: 'I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.'

Donald Trump said that he believes Russia ordered hacks on Democrats that coincided with the presidential election

Georgia's Democratic Rep. John Lewis said Donald Trump wasn't a 'legitimate president' and was elected as the result of a conspiracy

Russia is also in the hot seat with Congress, as the Senate Intelligence Committee announced on Friday that it would be launching an investigation into the alleged hacking to search out any connections between Moscow and the presidential campaigns.

It will question senior officials in both Trump and Obama's administrations, as well as possibly issuing subpoenas to compel testimony, the panel's Republican chairman, Richard Burr, and its top Democrat, Mark Warner, said in a statement.
Some public sector workers were treated to an extra three days of paid holidays to blow off steam during the Christmas period, much to the outrage of taxpayers.

Between Wednesday December 28 and Friday December 30, workers from government offices including Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Department of Social Services and Safe Work Australia were given three days of paid leave.

Most Australians need to take annual leave, or unpaid leave, during office closure over the Christmas period, Herald Sun reports.

But while some government division employees technically earned part of the time due to extra minutes worked all year, the paid leave given freely under their awards, are in stark contrast to the private sector scenario.

Blowing off steam: Public sector workers received an extra three days of paid holiday during the Christmas period

Department of Human Services (DHS) general manager Hank Jongen confirmed Centrelink and Medicare employees 'not required to attend for duty during the reduced activity period will access three days of their accrued annual leave'

'Taxpayers have a right to be really angry about this...They have an expectation that the public service should operate under the same constraints as they do,' Centre for independent Studies (CIS) research associate Rebecca Weisser.

The Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd said productivity progress is behind the controversial move.

'Improvements in terms and conditions have ... to be offset by productivity gains. The productivity offset for bargaining Christmas close-down days has generally been increased working hours'.

Other government departments were given some of the leave in return for working an extra nine minutes during their working day, outside of the holiday period. Instead of seven hours and 21 minute, their work day spans seven hours and 30 minutes.

One unnamed public sector employee rubbished claims the leave was in any way 'free'. '

The APS public holiday is earned by working extra minutes per day, and the other two days come out of our accrued leave.'
President-elect Donald Trump's pick for national security adviser, held five phone calls with Russia's ambassador to Washington - the same day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia, three sources familiar with the matter claim.

According to a report in the Huffington Post, the calls between Trump's aide Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergei Kislyak occurred between the time the Russian embassy was told about U.S. sanctions and the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he had decided against reprisals.

The three sources stressed to Reuters that they did not know who initiated the five calls or the content of the phonecalls.

The White House says it did not clear calls. Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed a call took place a day earlier to exchange 'logistical information'.

According to Spicer, Flynn also laid the groundwork with Kislyak to set up a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Trump after he is sworn in.

The White House says it did not clear a phone call made between Donald Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the U.S. on the same day President Obama imposed sanctions on Russia

'The call centered on the logistics of setting up a call with the president of Russia and the president elect after he was sworn in. And they exchanged logistical information on how to initiate and schedule that call,' Spicer said.

But White House officials told NBC News the communication was not cleared or coordinated with them.

And former United States Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul took to Twitter saying he had never need to call Kislyak five times in one day and added that it is 'unusual for transitional teams to have contact with foreign governments'.

Former United States Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul took to Twitter saying he had never need to call Kislyak five times in one day

McFaul added that it was unusual for transitional teams to have contact with foreign governments

President Barack Obama's press secretary said Friday afternoon that the White House was not aware of the call beforehand, to his knowledge.

The Obama spokesman, Josh Earnest, was 'not prepared to say it was entirely appropriate' even though it 'sounds like' the call was above board not knowing what was said.

The incoming and outgoing White House press secretaries were responding to a column in the Washington Post that stated Flynn had spoken to Kislyak after the imposition of the new sanctions, meant to punish Russia for what the intelligence community says was interference in the U.S. elections.

President-elect Trump's transition revealed that plans are in place for a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) and that groundwork had been laid in conversation Trump aide Michael Flynn has had with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak

Trump has called repeatedly for improved relations with Moscow and has repeatedly refrained from criticizing Putin  although he did say in a Wednesday press conference that Russia was behind U.S. election hacking

The article noted that Flynn has close Russia ties, having appeared on Russia Today and gotten a speaking fee from the Kremlin-backed network.

It cited a senior U.S. government official as saying Flynn phoned Kslyak several times on December 29, the day the Obama administration announced it was kicking 35 Russian officials said to be spies out of the country to retaliate for the hack.

The article raised concerns about whether the conversation violated rules banning civilians from negotiating with foreign governments. There is also an expectation an incoming administration should not interfere with the current government.

It is not clear how the U.S. government became aware of the phone call.

Spicer pointedly said the call was not about new sanctions the Obama administration slapped on Russia following a report on Russian interference in the U.S. elections.

Trump's aide said on Friday the contact began between Flynn and Kislyak on Christmas Day as the pair exchanged holiday greetings.

'On Christmas day, General Flynn reached out to the ambassador, sent him a text that said, 'I want to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, I look forward to touching base and working with you and I wish you all the best,'' Spicer said.

'The ambassador texted him back wishing him a Merry Christmas as well. And then subsequently on the 28th of December said, 'I'd like to give you a call, may I?' He then took that call on the 28th,' Spicer said.

'That was it, plain and simple,' he said.

A phone call was made between Trump aide Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergei Kislyak as Obama imposed the sanctions as punishment for Russia trying to meddle in the U.S. election, a senior official said Friday

Trump himself questioned the sanctions immediately after they got announced.

Trump has called repeatedly for improved relations with Moscow and has repeatedly refrained from criticizing Putin  although he did say in a Wednesday press conference that Russia was behind U.S. election hacking.

Putin sent New Year greetings to Trump and congratulated him on his election.

Spicer said Flynn and Kslyak 'exchanged logistical information' and 'that was all.'

Asked Friday afternoon if he was bothered by Flynn's talks with the Russian representative, President Barack Obama's spokesman said it 'depends on what he said.'

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said he 'obviously' has 'zero insight' into what was communicated. Earnest said that would have to come from the Trump transition team.

It 'sounds like' the call did not cross a line, but Earnest said he 'can't pass judgement' on the call, though, because he 'wasn't privy to it.'

'As a general matter, on principle, you can imagine why these kinds of interactions may take place,' he said, emphasizing again that the content of the discussion would determine 'whether we would have significant objections.'

'I'm also not prepared to say it was entirely appropriate without knowing the content of their conversations,' he said.
A young soldier has been found dead in mysterious circumstances at his Fort Hood barracks.

Sgt Alex Dean Taylor joins more than a dozen troops stationed at the Texas base who have died since November.

The 23-year-old was unresponsive when he was discovered in one of his assigned unit's work-related buildings on Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Chris Grey, chief of public affairs for the Army Criminal Investigation Command, said Taylor's death is under investigation.

Sgt Alex Dean Taylor (left and right), 23, was found unresponsive on Wednesday at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. He was discovered in one of his assigned unit's work-related buildings. Authorities have launched an investigation into his death

'At this point in the investigative process, we do not suspect foul play but have not completely ruled it out while we conduct a complete and thorough death investigation,' Grey told the Army Times on Thursday.

Taylor's (pictured) cause of death has not been released by military officials

Taylor had been assigned to the 150th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood since July 2016.

He entered active-duty service in March 2012 as an aviation operations specialist.

According to Chron.com, the deaths of the other soldiers at Fort Hood were caused by natural causes, vehicle accidents and off-post violence.

Private First Class Randal K. Anderson, 22, Private Wanya Bruns, 20, and Private Kevin Paulina, 24, all died from gunshot wounds, officials reported.

Staff Sgt. John Perry, 30, and Private First Class Tyler Iubelt, 20, from the base died on November 12 from a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan.

A third, Sgt First Class Allan Brown, 46, was also injured in the attack and died at a hospital a month later.

Meanwhile, more than eight hours away, three soldiers from the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, have either went missing or died since May 2016.

Jake Obad-Mathis and Melvin Jones, both 20 years old, were last seen on the Fort Bliss base on December 19 in a black 2013 Camaro that belonged to Jones.

Agents from the Army's Criminal Investigations Command 'are aggressively investigating the whereabouts of the two missing soldiers in question and we take this matter very seriously,' Grey told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.

The two soldiers have yet to be found.

Their disappearance came just weeks after a coroner confirmed that the identity of remains found in an Arizona coal chute were those of missing Fort Bliss soldier Private Devon Lee Ward.

Meanwhile, more than eight hours away in El Paso, Texas, Jake Obad-Mathis (left) and Melvin Jones (right), both 20 years old, went missing on December and were last seen on the Fort Bliss Army base in a black 2013 Camaro that belonged to Jones. They have yet to be found

The remains of a third Fort Bliss soldier, Private Devon Lee Ward (pictured) were found in an Arizona coal chute in June 2016, but a coroner confirmed Ward's identity in December. Ward went missing in May 2016 after he signed out of his barracks and never returned

Ward went missing in May 2016 after he signed out of the barracks and never returned.

His family said he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and had been suffering from depression prior to his disappearance.

In June, workers at a coal plant near Cochise, Arizona, were fixing a malfunctioning rotary plow in a coal chute when they found bones and body parts.

The California native's remains were identified by the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office, through a positive fingerprint match.

Authorities said Ward's remains were in an advanced state of decomposition and the cause of death has not been released.
Speeches by far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli were canceled after heated protests erupted at the University of California, Davis.

The school's student-run Republican group called off the talk on Friday night after large crowds gathered outside the Science Lecture Hall, shouting 'shut it down'.

According to KCRA.com club leaders canceled the event after consulting with the UC Davis Police Department.

'The decision was made initially because the lives of the officers were threatened, the lives of the students were threatened as well as the property of the school,' Executive Director of the Davis College Republicans Andrew Mendoza said.

Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter said he was 'deeply disappointed' by the outcome and emphasized the importance of engaging with opposing views, 'especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive.'

Heated protests erupted at the University of California, Davis. Martin Shkreli is seen center. He posed for selfies with fans

Speeches by far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli were canceled due to the protests

Protesters blocked access to the venue, and several students held a banner that read: 'Hey you, your fascism is showing'

Martin Shkreli spoke to reporters outside the building and was later called a 'piece of sh**' and had what appeared to be dog feces thrown in his face, Wang wrote

Shkreli posed for selfies with fans, and claimed he was going to serve as a counterpoint to Yiannopoulos' 'anti-feminism' and 'tear him to shreds'

The Davis College Republicans consulted with the campus police and other school officials and cancelled the event at 7pm, half an hour before it was scheduled to start.

Protesters blocked access to the venue, and several students held a banner that read: 'Hey you, your fascism is showing'.

In photos and videos posted by ABC10 reporter Frances Wang, Shkreli posed for selfies with fans, and claimed he was going to serve as a counterpoint to Yiannopoulos' 'anti-feminism' and 'tear him to shreds'.

He was later called a 'piece of sh**' and had what appeared to be dog feces thrown in his face, Wang wrote on Twitter.

Hexter issued a statement on Wednesday, announcing a 'safety plan' had been established in preparation for the event on Friday.

He defended the First Amendment, and told students: 'I suggest, for your consideration, that one strategy for disabling [Yiannopoulos'] message is simply not to attend.'

On Friday, he said he was 'deeply disappointed' by the outcome, and wrote: ' As I have stated repeatedly, a university is at its best when it listens to and critically engages opposing views, especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive.'

Yiannopoulos (file photo) is the darling of the alt-right movement, an offshoot of conservatism mixing racism, white nationalism and populism

Yiannopoulos attributed the cancellation to 'violence from left-wing protesters' on Facebook

But the school issued a statement that said: 'Despite some reports, there were no broken windows or other property damage during the protest'

Yiannopoulos attributed the cancellation to 'violence from left-wing protesters' on Facebook.

He said: 'There are reports of hammers, smashed windows and barricades being torn away. The campus police can't guarantee anyone's safety so I'm not being allowed anywhere near the building. Stay safe, everyone.'

But the school issued a statement that said: 'Despite some reports, there were no broken windows or other property damage during the protest.

'Earlier in the evening, one person was arrested inside the venue. No further arrests were made.'

Yiannopoulos is the darling of the alt-right movement, an offshoot of conservatism mixing racism, white nationalism and populism.

He often refers to feminism as 'a cancer' and was permanently banned from Twitter after leading a harassment campaign against 'Ghostbusters' actress Leslie Jones.

Martin Shkerli, 33, (left) had his Twitter account suspended on Sunday after he 'harassed' Teen Vogue writer Lauren Duca (right)

Duca rejected the pharmaceutical boss's invite to Trump's inauguration. She responded by saying she would 'rather eat [her] own organs'

Martin Shkreli, was the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, increased the price of price of a life-saving drug from $13.50 to $750 after his company acquired it.

Shkreli was suspended from Twitter last week after harassing a Teen Vogue writer Lauren Duca, after she turned down his invitation to Trump's inauguration.

He was looking for a date to the president elect's ceremony on January 20 and asked the journalist if she would join him over a social media direct message.

In a scathing refusal, she tweeted out her response to her 129k followers which said: 'I would rather eat my own organs'.

He then filled his account with photos of the 25-year-old - including one picture where Shkreli photoshopped his face over her husband's.
This is the moment suspected Apex gang members strike a staff member over the head with a gun in a terrifying jewellery store robbery - the second time the shop has been raided in three months.

Melbourne's latest gang violence has been captured in clear CCTV footage, showing the pack of hooded men showering IMP Jewellery shop in Toorak Village with broken glass after smashing cabinets with hammers.

One of the men is seen bludgeoning a staff member with the butt of a gun before fleeing the scene with a large collection of jewellery in a getaway car, eluding police.

Footage has emerged showing a suspected Apex gang jewellery store robbery in Melbourne

The men shower a jewellery store with glass after smashing the cabinets with hammers

The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries but is living in fear after the robbery  the second to strike the store in three months.

Several staff members at the Toorak Road store were present at the last robbery, with one only just returning from stress leave, reports ABC.

Police gave chase for eight kilometres through South Yarra and Richmond before abandoning the pursuit when dangerous speeds were reached.

Store owner Tony Fialides, who hit headlines chasing the armed thieves out of his shop during the previous raid, has told of his shock at Melbourne's scourge of crime, reports Herald Sun.

One of the men bludgeoned a staff member with the butt of a firearm before fleeing the scene with a large collection of jewellery

The same store was robbed in a near identical incident in October

Store owner Tony Fialides has told of his shock at Melbourne's scourge of crime

The store owner hit headlines chasing the armed thieves out of his shop during the previous raid

'I'm incredibly disappointed...I've had people from interstate and overseas saying: 'What's going on in Victoria?'.

The raid bears a strong resemblance to the last heist on October 25, when gun-toting bandits wreaked havoc on the store and left with $200,000 in jewellery.

All four men are described as being of African appearance and believed to hold ties to the notorious Apex gang.

Apex are behind a wave of violent car thefts, home invasions and robberies across Melbourne, sparking a taskforce to be launched specifically to tackle the gang.
The widow of poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko says she fears for the life of the British ex-MI6 agent named as the man behind the discredited 'dirty dossier' on Donald Trump.

Marina Litvinenko's husband - an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin - died in London after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium-210 in 2006.

Now she fears Christopher Steele is in grave danger, telling The Sun: 'It is very dangerous when you approach very specific information, particularly when this information is very close to very powerful people, you might easily be killed.'

Former spy Steele has been named as the author of the salacious Russian dossier containing outlandish claims about President-elect Trump's sex life and bizarre footage allegedly held by the Kremlin's blackmail unit.

Marina Litvinenko, widow of Russian former spy Alexander Litvinenko, says she fears for the life of British ex-MI6 agent Christopher Steele who authored the Trump 'dirty dossier'

The 35-page briefing, which is littered with spelling mistakes, includes an unsubstantiated and far-fetched claim Trump watched prostitutes perform a 'golden shower (urination) show' in the Presidential Suite of a Moscow hotel.

Mr Trump called the dossier 'fake' and 'phony', even suggesting that US secret services had leaked it to damage his reputation before his inauguration.

He debunked the 'golden shower' claim by saying: 'Does anyone believe that? I'm a germophobe'.

Steele, 52, was seen fleeing his gated Surrey home in his car on Wednesday and appears to have been in such a rush most of the lights were left on.

A security source said: 'He is terrified for his safety', adding he may now be abroad or in a safe house.

A neighbour told the Telegraph: 'He asked me to look after his cat as he would be gone for a few days'.

Former spy Christopher Steele has been named as the author of the salacious Russian dossier containing outlandish claims about President-elect Trump

Alexander Litvinenko is pictured at the Intensive Care Unit of University College Hospital on November 20, 2006 in London. The 43-year-old former KGB spy died three days later and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement of his death

Steele served MI6 for nearly two decades in Moscow - and a stint in its Paris Station - and security sources say he once worked with murdered Litvinenko who fled to Britain before he was poisoned in 2006.

Litvinenko's wife Marina said earlier this week that she did not recognise the name Steele but admitted MI6 agents often have a number of different identities.

Steele was employed by enemies of Trump to dig for 'dirt' in Russia having previously worked for the FBI in helping uncover corruption at FIFA, which led to the arrest of its leadership including Sepp Blatter.

Marina last year said she has not given up hope of securing justice for her husband.

A public inquiry concluded earlier in 2016 that the killing of Litvinenko had 'probably' been carried out with the approval of the Russian president Vladimir Putin.

In a statement to mark the 10th anniversary of his death, Marina said her husband - who she called Sasha - had been an 'extraordinary man' whose courage in speaking out against the Russian security service, the FSB, had left an enduring legacy.

US President-elect Donald Trump (C) and US television host Steve Harvey (R) are seen in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York on January 13 after the discredited dossier was released

Marina Litvinenko, the wife of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, with her son Anatoly after the findings of the inquiry into the former KGB spy's death were revealed

While she acknowledged Putin had refused to accept the inquiry's findings, she said it remained open for other world leaders to take action against the Russian state and that she hoped her struggle to find the truth had not been in vain.

'It has taken 10 long years for the truth to be established and for Sasha's dying words that President Putin was responsible for his death to be proved to be true,' she said.

'I know that Mr Putin's Russia does not accept the findings of the British public inquiry and will continue to deny the truth in the face of overwhelming evidence.

'But those findings are now part of history and the rest of the world understands the difference between truth and propaganda. And that is what matters to me.'

The inquiry headed by the former high court judge Sir Robert Owen found two Russian men - Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun - had deliberately poisoned Litvinenko by putting polonium-210 into his drink at a London hotel, leading to an agonising death.

It said the use of the radioactive substance - which could only have come from a nuclear reactor - was a 'strong indicator' of state involvement and that the two men had probably been acting under the direction of the FSB.

Possible motives included Litvinenko's work for British intelligence agencies, his criticism of the FSB, and his association with other Russian dissidents, while it said there was also a 'personal dimension' to the antagonism between him and Putin.

International arrest warrants issued for Lugovoi and Kovtun remain in force although Russia continues to refuse their extradition.
A love-struck flier who fell head-over-heels for a 'mystery man' on a plane is hoping to track him down.

Vera, was flying from London to Dublin, when she set eyes on a dreamboat in row 9D.

It was love at first flight for Vera, a blonde originally from Berlin, who said the pair made a lot of eye contact before plucking up the courage to speak to one another.

Vera, was flying from London to Dublin, when she set eyes on a dreamboat in row 9D

They spoke at passport control where Vera found out the man lives in London and was visiting friends in Dublin for two days.

But being too shy to ask for his number the couple parted ways at baggage claim.

Now her friends have launched a Facebook appeal to find the mystery bloke.

Her friend Megan said: 'Lovely people of Facebook, were you traveling from London Stansted to Dublin on Tuesday 3rd Jan on Ryanair FR2371 at 10:05 or know someone who was?

'If you or your friends were, then your help is needed! The very lovely Vera met a man on said flight, but being shy she did not ask for his number as they talked in baggage claim, so we are taking matters out of her hands and asking Facebook to help (and prove the 6 degrees of separation theory in the process).

'If you are the mystery man on flight FR2372 the nice blonde you were chatting to is Vera, send her a message

'Please please please do share in hopes that a friend of a friend of mystery man will see and forward this!'

Vera was too shy to ask for the man's number so her friends have taken matters into their own hands

Vera described the man who caught her attention as dark blond, about 5ft 11 and wearing a white shirt, grey jacket with a leather bag.

'She would love to meet him again and she is gorgeous,' Vera's friend Leonie told Donegal Woman.

'Vera had to collect her bag from baggage claim and he said his friends were waiting for him to pick him up. And that was it.

'He hesitated a bit when Vera said she had to pick up her bag first and he said, "Oh okay" and then she said have a nice stay.'

If you're the man who was chatting to the 'nice blonde' on the Ryanair flight FR2371 from London Stansted to Dublin at 10.05am on Tuesday January 3 then Vera wants to hear from you.

Head of communications at Ryanair, Robin Kiely, told MailOnline: 'It's nice to see our customers love each other as much as they love our (very attractive) low fares.'

If you're the man in question get in touch with MailOnline by emailing giulia.crouch@mailonline.co.uk
Alexander Jeferson Delgado Herrera, 27, was two years into a 16-year sentence at the Piedras Gordas prison in Peru when he swapped places with his twin Giancarlo, pictured,

A prisoner has escaped from a maximum security jail in Peru by drugging his twin brother who was visiting him before stealing his clothes and walking out of the gates in his place.

Alexander Jeferson Delgado Herrera, 27, was two years into a 16-year sentence at the Piedras Gordas prison, in the Ancon District of Lima Province, after being convicted of robbery and sexual assault.

He asked his twin brother, Giancarlo Steven Delgado Herrera to visit him and bring some of his favourite snacks and treats into the prison.

An hour after his twin arrived, Alexander invited Giancarlo to see his cell and, once there, reportedly offered him a drink, which sent him to sleep.

The prisoner then allegedly stripped his brother and put on his clothes, putting his own prison uniform on his twin, and walked out.

He managed to pose as his brother to pass through six internal doors manned by prison guards as well as the outside gates of the jail.

Apparently, not one of the guards noticed that he did not have the stamp on his arm given to all prison visitors to avoid such an escape from happening.

It was several hours before guards suspected that something was wrong. They checked the fingerprints of the man in the cell and realised they had the wrong brother, reports said.

Giancarlo, pictured, as well as the prison guards on duty, are being questioned as police continue their efforts to get to recapture Alexander

Giancarlo claims that his twin brother Alexander - who is still on the run - drugged him and that he knew nothing about the escape.

However, a police investigation has been launched and officers say that Giancarlo could face charges for being an accomplice in the escape.

Giancarlo, as well as the prison guards on duty, are being questioned as police continue their efforts to get to recapture Alexander.
Are you from 'post-industrial hell' or the land of 'fake tan and bodybuilders'?

A new map of UK stereotypes that is being shared online will tell you.

The cheeky graphic has swapped place names for what the creator believes the area is known for and they toe the line between funny and offensive.

A Reddit user posted the cheeky graphic on the website and got hundreds of comments

For example Wales has been lumbered with the old stereotype 'people who have sex with sheep' and Newcastle is only known for 'fake tan and bodybuilders' according to the map.

The creator of the map says the Welsh are best known for their love of sheep

The uppermost reaches of Scotland are simply tagged 'uninhabited' while the rest of the country is apparently known for whiskey, beef burgers, 'gentrified scots' and accents that are impossible to understand.

Moving down the map there are some compliments to be found.

The Lake District is praised for its, you guessed it, 'pretty lakes' but on the whole the designer of the map is less than flattering.

The Midlands is called 'post-industrial hell', the home counties full of 'boring rich people' and 'posh nerds' and people from Cornwall labelled 'inbred farmers'.

Hull is simply labelled 'hell' and according to the map Liverpool is known for thieves.

The map, that was shared on Reddit, says the Republic of Ireland is basically just known for Guinness and a peek into France shows labels saying 'cheap wine' and 'caravan holidays'.

And London is of course just full of 'metropolitan elite' according to the map.
A Muslim woman had said she was spat at and assaulted by a thug during a business trip to London, sparking an anti-racism protest in the capital.

Nahella Ashraf was attending a conference in Hammersmith and during dinner at a nearby fish and chip shop she was approached by a stranger.

The man is said to have grabbed the 46-year-old government researcher by the arm in an attempt to throw her out of the shop while telling her she 'shouldn't be here.' Police are now investigating the attack.

Nahella Ashraf was attending a conference in Hammersmith and during dinner at a nearby fish and chip shop she was approached by a stranger who attacked her

Ms Ashraf, from Withington, Manchester, told the M.E.N. she was eating dinner when she was accosted by a stranger.

One of her friends attempted to push the attacker out of the way and a staff member confronted the man.

They claim the attacker said: 'People like her, they kill.' As the staff member began escorting the man out, he spat in Ms Ashraf's face.

He left when staff at the takeaway phoned the police.

Ms Ashraf said: 'I was totally shocked, it all seemed to happen soquickly. I have never had this before.

'It really shook me up. The staff were really nice, they said he had issues.

'I'm really surprised this has happened in London, especially in Hammersmith where it's so multicultural. It just goes to show how serious this situation is. I needed to say something.'

Ms Ashraf is a member of anti-racist campaign group Stand Up To Racism and contacted the local London branch to tell them what happened.

The group organised a vigil on Wednesday as a protest against the way she was treated.

She said: 'It was really good, about 40 or 50 people went. I have been campaigning for a while on the issue, but this is the first time I have been a victim of islamophobic abuse myself. It is so shocking, but makes you aware of what people go through.'

Ms Ashraf will also be speaking about the attack at a Stand Up to Racism event in Manchester on Saturday.

The attacker is described as of Arab appearance, in his 30s and about 5ft 9ins, with facial hair and a non-British accent. He was wearing a green hooded jacket.

A Met Police spokesman said: 'Police were called to King Street, Hammersmith, at 9.30pm on Friday, January 6, to reports that a woman had been assaulted by an unknown man.

'The suspect approached the victim, who was aged in her 40s and wearing a hijab, making islamophobic comments. He then assaulted her by spitting at her face.

'Officers attended but the suspect had already fled the scene, in the direction of Hammersmith Tube Station.

'The victim did not require medical treatment. The assault is being treated by police as racially motivated hate crime.'

Anyone who witnessed the attack should contact police on 101 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The British former MI6 spy outed as being behind the outlandish Trump 'dirty dossier' was so desperate to get his report out he carried on 'working for nothing', a security source has claimed.

Christopher Steele had initially been commissioned in June 2016 to dig into Trump by Washington-based political research firm FusionGPS, for a fee reported by The Sun as being 130,000 ($158,000).

The investigation into Trump's business dealings with Russia is said to have been financed by one of his opponents in the 2016 Republican primary, before he was named as the party's presidential candidate.

It's then thought a Democratic funder took over paying for FusionGPS and Steele's work in July 2016 after Trump won the party's nomination.

When Trump won the election in November and the Democrats accepted defeat Steele is said to have continued digging without pay after becoming so worried about alleged ties between Trump and the Kremlin, a security source told The Independent.

British former M16 spy Christopher Steele reportedly continued working on the Trump 'dirty dossier' for free because 'he was so worried by what he had learned'

It seems what started in September 2015 as a fairly standard political research mission to scrutinize the business dealings of a presidential candidate unexpectedly spiralled into a series of increasingly bizarre and lurid claims, none of which are verified.

The company that was first hired to dig into Trump in September 2015, FusionGPS, is run by a former Wall Street Journal reporter, Glenn Simpson, and advertises itself as providing premium research, strategic intelligence, and due diligence services.

The Independent claims Simpson also continued to work on the Trump investigation without being paid.

Steele's dealings with the FBI on Trump, initially with the senior agent who had started the FIFA probe and then moved to a post in Europe, began in July 2016.

That month, Steele handed a memo to the Bureau that claimed Trump's campaign team had knowledge of the DNC hacking operation.

It also said in return the campaign team had 'agreed to sideline Russian intervention in Ukraine as a campaign issue and to raise US/Nato defence commitments in the Baltics and Eastern Europe to deflect attention away from Ukraine'.

When asked if he was president if he would recognize Crimea as Russian and lift sanctions on Moscow, Trump said during a press conference a few days later, on July 27: 'Yes. We would be looking at that.'

FusionGPS worker Glenn Simpson is pictured speaking at UC Berkeley School of Journalism in 2009. In a video of the speech, he said he launched his new company 'to keep investigations going and keep doing things in the public interest'

Outlandish allegations about Trump contained in the discredited document were compiled from memos by Chris Steele - a Russia specialist posted to Moscow in the 1990s

As part of his ferocious denials Trump tweeted: 'Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to 'leak' into the public. One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?'

By late July and early August, Steele is said to have passed on information to MI6 too because he believed it was of the utmost importance.

However, Steele cut off contact with the FBI about a month before the November 8 election because he was frustrated by the bureau's slow progress.

The Independent reports he was especially frustrated that the FBI were investigating Hillary Clinton's emails but not his research into Trump.

The FBI opened preliminary investigations into Trump and his entourage's dealings with Russians that were based in part on Steele's reports, according to people familiar with the inquiries.

However, they said the bureau shifted into low gear in the weeks before the election to avoid interfering in the vote. They said Steele grew frustrated and stopped dealing with the FBI after concluding it was not seriously investigating the material he had provided.

Steele then turned to the media in October to get his report out, including speaking with news magazine Mother Jones.

He met with David Corn, the Washington bureau chief at Mother Jones, before last year's Presidential election and told him the allegations warranted a substantial FBI inquiry.

In an article published Friday, Corn revealed that the former spy - whose work has sparked a diplomatic crisis this week - told him: 'The story has to come out'.

Who is the man behind the 'dirty dossier'? Chris Steele's firm Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd was reportedly recruited to help Mr Trump's Republican rivals Christopher Steele was once MI6s top spy on Russian affairs and lived in the shadows until being unmasked as the alleged author of the dirty dossier on Donald Trump. Mr Steele was born in 1964 in Aden  his father was in the military  and grew up in Surrey before attending Girton College, Cambridge, and becoming president of the Cambridge Union debating society in 1986  the same year in which Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was president of the Oxford Union. The 52-year-old joined MI6 after graduating from Cambridge where he was described as a confirmed socialist. As a young intelligence officer in Moscow, he was frequently harassed by the KGB  once even complaining they had stolen his wife Lauras high-heeled shoes from their flat. Steele, 52, was described as a 'confirmed socialist' as a Cambridge student, circled in 1985 with, among others, DJ Paul Gambaccini (second from right, front row) and That's Life star Chris Seale (front row, centre left) The couple faced down Russian tanks after the fall of the Soviet Union and highly capable Mr Steele went on to become head of MI6s Russia desk  meaning he was one of the Secret Intelligence Services most senior spies. It was no wonder he was considered hot property when he quit MI6 in 2009 to set up his own spies-for-hire firm, Orbis Business Intelligence. Co-founded with another former MI6 officer, Christopher Burrows, it has earned 1million over the past two years and was instrumental in exposing corruption at world football body Fifa. Advertisement

Pictured is the main entrance the offices of Orbis Business Intelligence where the alleged author of the Trump dossier Christopher Steele works from

Steele also told the journalist, who first published details about the dossier in October last year: 'My track record as a professional is second to no one.'

Steele's reports, which claim Russia has tapes of Trump engaging in 'perverted sexual acts' while in a Moscow hotel room, circulated for months among major media outlets but neither the news organizations nor U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been able to corroborate them.

BuzzFeed published some of Steele's reports about Trump on its website on Tuesday, but the President-elect and his aides later said the reports were false. Russian authorities also dismissed them.

Associates of Steele said on Wednesday he was unavailable for comment. Christopher Burrows, a director and co-founder of Orbis with Steele, told The Wall Street Journal, which first published Steele's name, that he could not confirm or deny that Steele's company had produced the reports on Trump.

Dossier of unverifiable sleaze Lurid sex claims The report states that in 2013 Trump hired prostitutes to urinate on the bed of the Presidential Suite at the Moscow Ritz Carlton, where he knew Barack and Michelle Obama had previously stayed. It says: 'Trump's unorthodox behavior in Russia over the years had provided the authorities there with enough embarrassing material on the now Republican presidential candidate to be able to blackmail him if they so wished.' Trump ridiculed the idea, pointing out that Russian hotel rooms are known to be rigged with cameras and describing himself as a 'germophobe'. Property 'sweeteners' The document states that Trump had declined 'sweetener' real estate deals in Russia that the Kremlin lined up in order to cultivate him. The business proposals were said to be 'in relation to the ongoing 2018 World Cup soccer tournament'. Russia 'cultivated' Trump for five years The dossier claimed that the Russian regime had been 'cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump for at least five years'. According to the document, one source even claimed that 'the Trump operation was both supported and directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin' with the aim being to 'sow discord'. A dossier on Hillary Clinton At one point the memo suggests Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov 'controlled' another dossier containing compromising material on Hillary Clinton compiled over 'many years'. Elsewhere in the document, it is claimed that Putin was 'motivated by fear and hatred of Hillary Clinton.' Peskov poured scorn on the claims today and said they were 'pulp fiction'. Clandestine meetings At one point the memo says there were reports of 'clandestine meetings' between Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen and Kremlin representatives in August last year in Prague. However, Trump's counsel Michael Cohen today spoke out against allegations that he secretly met with Kremlin officials - saying that he had never been to Prague. It has now emerged that the dossier was referring to a different person of the same name. Advertisement

The Belgravia building where offices of Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd are located, in central London

Pictured: Mr Steele's empty 1.5million home in Farnham, Surrey, bristles with CCTV cameras
Advertisement

It's nearly five years to the day that the Italian cruise ship the Costa Concordia capsized, killing 32 people.

The vessel, carrying 4,252 people, met a tragic end in January 2012 when it hit an underwater rock off Isola del Giglio near Tuscany.

Now, half a decade on, the wreckage of the tragic ship is being dismantled in the port of Genoa.

The 144,500-tonne ship is unrecognisable as workmen rip it apart for scraps.

The rusty metal structure acts a sombre reminder of the tragedy in which 32 people were trapped aboard and drowned - the death-toll making it Italy's worst maritime disaster since the Second World War.

At the ship's helm was Francesco Schettino, dubbed 'Captain Coward' after he fled the boat before its 4,200 passengers were safely ashore.

He was sentenced to 16 years in jail for manslaughter.

The wreckage of the tragic Costa Concordia is being dismantled so its parts can be used for scraps at the port of Genoa. Pictured on Friday, five years to the day from the disaster

A view of the damaged decks of Italian cruise liner which capsized, killing 32 people, on January 13 2012. Photographed here last year before the ship started to be torn apart for scraps

The 144,500-tonne ship is unrecognisable as workmen rip it apart for scraps at Genoa Harbour in Italy five years after it sank

The rusty metal structure acts a somber reminder of the tragedy in which 32 people were trapped aboard and drowned

The death-toll makes it Italy's worst maritime disaster since the Second World War and the captain Francesco Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for manslaughter

The 54-year-old was given ten years for manslaughter, five for causing a shipwreck, one for abandoning ship, and a further month for giving false information to port authorities

A court heard that Schettino was a 'reckless idiot' who had been showing off to a waiter on board the ship, and a friend on Giglio island, when he steered the ship close to the shore on the night of January 13

It took months for rescue divers to scour the wreckage of the Costa Concordia for the remains of those who died on board

The vessel, which ran aground in seas near the Tuscan isle of Giglio in 2012, leading to 32 deaths, was pulled 10 miles across a port in Genoa in May last year so it could be scrapped

Francesco Schettino, dubbed 'Captain Coward' after he fled the ship before its 4,200 passengers were safely ashore, was sentenced to 16 years in jail for manslaughter

A picture from February 2012 showing firefighters towing an abandoned life raft from the capsized cruise liner off the west coast of Italy at Isola del Giglio

Costa Concordia in May 2016 being pulled by tug boats to transport it to Genoa where it is currently being dismantled

Before the disaster: The Costa Concordia pictured in March 2009 in Civitavecchia, a port in Rome where it would pick up passengers

An aerial view shows the Costa Concordia as it lies on its side in the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy taken from an Italian navy helicopter in this August 26, 2013

Pictured here a day after it capsized in 2012 the luxury cruise ship leans on its starboard side off the port at Giglio near Tuscany
Biloxi's mayor, Andrew Gilich (above), tweeted on Friday that he considers Monday to be Martin Luther King Day even though his city passed an ordinance years ago renaming it 'Great Americans Day'

A city in Mississippi became the subject of widespread scorn on social media Friday after its municipality declared that Martin Luther King Day would be recognized there as 'Great Americans Day'.

Biloxi, a resort town that lies on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, invited harsh criticism from Twitter users on Friday after it announced that its municipal offices would be closed this coming Monday in observance of 'Great Americans Day'.

The third Monday of January is a federal holiday established to honor the memory of King, the slain 1960s civil rights leader.

Biloxi's post ignited a fierce backlash from critics who accused the predominantly white town of denigrating King.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr waves to the crowd after giving his 'I have a dream' speech in Washington on August 28, 1963. The third Monday of January is a federal holiday honoring him

'Y'all spelled Martin Luther King wrong,' wrote one Twitter user.

'Delete your account,' another Twitter user wrote to the city of Biloxi.

One Twitter account posted a screenshot of the original tweet and drew a red mark over 'Great Americans Day,' replacing it with Martin Luther King Jr Day.

'Fixed it for you guys,' the Twitter user wrote.

Making matters worse, the city failed in its efforts to do damage control.

It deleted the original tweet and then responded to the criticism by claiming that 'Great Americans Day' was mandated by the state of Mississippi.

The 'holiday' however is not mentioned on the state's official website.

When the federal government signed MLK Day into law, a number of states resisted by either renaming the holiday or combining it with another remembrance. Mississippi will mark MLK Day on the same day that it remembers the birth of Civil War general Robert E. Lee (right)

The City of Biloxi's official Twitter feed posted a notice on Friday touting its observance of 'Great Americans Day' with no mention of MLK Day

Mississippi officially celebrates MLK Day concurrently with Robert E. Lee's birthday.

Lee was a famous Civil War general who commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia over 150 years ago.

A member of the Biloxi city council told BuzzFeed that it was the state that came up with the name 'Great Americans Day.'

'That's the state, the state called it Great Americans Day,' said Councilman Felix Gines.

Initially, Biloxi claimed the name for the holiday was mandated by the state, even though it was passed as a city ordinance (above is a screenshot of the official city website listing the day)

'The city of Biloxi celebrates MLK Day.'

A municipal spokesperson said that Biloxi hosts a number of events celebrating MLK Day.

'Biloxi, a city that appreciates and embraces diversity, is a longtime supporter and sponsor of the city's hugely successful MLK celebration,' Creel said.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law which decreed the third Monday in January as MLK Day, a federal holiday.

'Y'all spelled Martin Luther King wrong,' wrote one Twitter user. 'Bless your hearts'

Erick Fernandez took a screengrab of the original tweet and 'fixed it' so that it reflects the federal holiday

'Really, I hope the children of Biloxi enjoy Great Americans Day off, it's the last school holiday until Confederate Memorial Day in April!'

Biloxi faced a torrent of criticism, including from this Twitter user who urged it to 'delete your account'

Biloxi is a resort town that relies on tourism as a key source of revenue for its economy. This Twitter user vows to boycott it

'Sure, Biloxi, let's celebrate MLK's birthday and Robert E. Lee's on the same day and also remember George III's coronation on the Fourth of July,' wrote this Twitter user

Television host John Fugelsang posted this sarcastic comment accusing Biloxi of racism

'Getting racially trolled by a place named Biloxi feels like a spell from Harry Potter,' quipped journalist Lauren Duca

After the criticism, Gilich was quoted in a clarifying tweet saying that he considers Monday to be 'Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day'

The day was first observed in 1986, though not without resistance from some conservative states in the South and West who either renamed it or combined the holiday with another so as to dilute its importance.

'For whatever reason, some couldn't bring themselves to do follow suit, and this notion of 'Great Americans Day,' honoring Robert E. Lee and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came about,' Creel said.

Officials in the city were at a loss to explain why the name 'Great Americans Day' appears on the official Biloxi code of ordinances, yet is not even mentioned on the official state site.

'It filtered down to somehow be called Great Americans Dayin our city code of ordinances,' Creel said.

Another city councilman, Kenny Glavan, said he had never even heard of 'Great Americans Day' and no one could explain why Biloxi's official Twitter account failed to mention MLK Day.

'As far as I'm concerned, we're celebrating Martin Luther King Day,' he told BuzzFeed.

'I've never heard of the city calling it that.'

'My first reaction is it sounds like an error,' he said.

After doing some investigating work, Glavan found that the city did indeed officially pass an ordinance years ago designating the third Monday of January as 'Great Americans Day.'

Now the viral nature of news in the era of social media has generated unwanted negative publicity for a city that relies on tourism as a main source of revenue for its economy.

'The thing that I have found most disheartening is that the city's story on the community wide MLK Day celebration is lost in the brouhaha over Great Americans Day tweet,' Creel said.

Glavan said that the city council would consider amending the ordinance and restoring the holiday's name to its original title.

Biloxi's mayor, Andrew Gilich, agrees.

'As far as I'm concerned, it's called 'Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day',' he is quoted in a tweet posted by the city.
A passenger jet that crashed into the Mediterranean last summer may have been brought down when the battery in a pilots' mobile phone overheated and sparked a fire.

CCTV from the gate at Charles de Gaulle airport showed Egyptair co-pilot Mohamed Mamdouh Ahmed Assem, leave his Apple iPhone 6S and iPad mini next to four bottles of perfume on top of the instrument panel in the cockpit of the Airbus A320, which left for Cairo on May 19.

According to French newspaper la Parisien, investigators believe there is a 'troubling parallel' between where the fire broke out on flight 804 and where the items were placed on the glare-shield.

An Egyptair flight that crashed into the Mediterranean last summer may have been brought down when the battery in a pilots' mobile phone overheated and sparked a fire (file picture)

France is currently conducting both judicial and civil inquiries into last year's crash, which killed all 66 people on the overnight flight from Paris to Cairo.

Since their recovery, recordings from the plane's black boxes suggest that it broke up in mid-air following fire alerts and smoke detected on the flight deck.

Last night, French newspaper la Parisien said that theories focused on the placement of the items on the glare-shield after nothing unusual was noted about the co-pilot during airport security checks.

It said: 'The images show very clearly that the Egyptian co-pilot placed his phone, tablet and bottles of perfume bought before boarding on the glare shield.

France is currently conducting both judicial and civil inquiries into last year's crash over the Mediterranean, which killed all 66 people on the overnight flight from Paris to Cairo

'The investigators thus note a troubling parallel between the placing of these items that are fed by lithium batteries and the triggering of alarms during the flight.'

However, David Learmount, operations and safety editor at Flight International magazine and a former pilot, played down the likelihood of a mobile phone being able to bring down an airliner.

He told The Telegraph: 'Firstly, pilots don't leave objects on the dashboard because they know the they will end up in their lap when they take off or on the floor and they'll get airborne in turbulence and could jam the controls.

'Also, a phone bursting into flames just below the windscreen is a fairly spectacular thing to take place on a flight, and they would have told somebody on the ground. Nobody has mentioned this.

'But the key point is while there were warnings about the window heating systems, there were also smoke alarms in the toilet and avionics bay under the floor. How would the fire have got under there? It doesn't make sense.

'My guess is the little computer in the avionics bay was damaged by fire; and issued spurious warnings, which were in fact the box screaming for help.'

EGYPTAIR NARROWLY AVOIDED MID-AIR CRASH OVER BELGIUM An Egyptair flight and an Air France aircraft came within metres of a mid-air collision over Belgium on New Year's Day, a report has revealed. The cargo flight operated by Egyptair had taken off from Ostend-Bruge airport and was headed to Cairo when it came within close proximity of the other aircraft. The plane, an Air France service, had taken off from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and was headed to Amsterdam. According to a report from BEA, France's air accident authority, the two planes came within just 1,300 metres of each other at an altitude of 22,000 feet over Belgium. The report says that the Egyptair flight was climbing in altitude but told to stop as the Air France flight approached. However, it continued to climb when told to stop and the Air France flight had to quickly increase its altitude to avoid a mid-air collision. Advertisement

While the CCTV caught the devices on the glare-shield prior to take off, it is unclear whether they had remained there for the duration of the flight.

The findings come as the Egyptian authorities are due to hand back the remains of 15 passengers to France next week.

And while Egypt has claimed that explosives may have been placed on board the aircraft, French investigators briefed the media that the allegations were implausible.

The BEA, France's air accident authority, said it considers it 'not possible at this stage to draw any conclusions on the origin of the accident'.

Egyptian authorities had failed to provide 'detailed information on the conditions in which the samples and measures were taken that led to the detection of explosive traces'.

The stability of lithium batteries has become controversial thanks to their potential to overheat and catch fire.

Some are banned from aircraft and certain batteries in mobile phones are known to catch fire.

Last night Apple, the makers of the iPhone and iPad, said it had not been contacted by 'any authority investigating this tragic event'.

Since their recovery, recordings from the plane's black boxes and other debris suggest that it broke up in mid-air following fire alerts and smoke detected on the flight deck

A lifejacket that was recovered from the crash site in the Mediterranean of the Egyptair aircraft

A spokesman for Apple added: 'We have not seen the report but we understand there is no evidence to link this event to Apple products.

'If investigators have questions for us, we would of course assist in any way we can.

'We rigorously test our products to ensure they meet or exceed international safety standards.'
Dashcam video released by the Utah Department of Transportation shows the moment a truck clipped a state snowplow on a highway, causing the driver to lose control and go over the edge of the road and into the Spanish Fork Canyon.

The driver, Terry Jacobson, miraculously survived and is being treated with serious injuries in Provo's Utah Valley Hospital.

Jacobson was described by his superiors as a 'veteran driver', and has been working for the department for 23 years.

His son Shane Jacobson told KUTV: 'After seeing the video, it's a miracle he is here.'

Dashcam video released by the Utah Department of Transportation shows the moment a tractor-trailer clipped a state snowplow on a highway, causing the driver to lose control and go over the edge of the road and into the Spanish Fork Canyon

His son Shane Jacobson (pictured left with his father) told KUTV : 'After seeing the video, it's a miracle he is here.' He said his father is in pain but is speaking and alert

He said his father is in pain but is speaking and alert.

The accident occurred on Thursday when a truck driver attempted to pass the snow plow on its right hand side. Without enough room to do so, it clipped the plow, and sent him rolling down 300 feet of embankment.

The truck driver William Owens of Owens Brothers trucking, a company from Monroe, Utah, stopped and called police immediately.

Owens was cited for improper passing and failure to maintain a single lane of travel. It is not yet clear if he will be charged.

DOT spokesman John Gleason told CNN that Jacobson was wearing his seat belt and that it saved his life

The accident occurred on Thursday when a truck driver attempted to pass the snow plow on its right hand side

Without enough room to do so, it clipped the plow, and sent him rolling down 300 feet of embankment

DOT spokesman John Gleason told CNN that the driver was wearing his seat belt and that it saved his life.

Neil Lundell, UDOT supervisor said in a YouTube video: 'He says he doesn't remember very much other than going through the rail and rolling down the hill.'

The DOT released the footage to remind drivers to take extra precaution when driving near snowplows.

The DOT released the footage to remind drivers to take extra precaution when driving near snowplows

The driver, Jacobson, has said he doesn't remember much of the accident, just going through the rail and rolling down the hill

Executive director Carlos Braceras said in the YouTube video: 'This was by far and away the most serious crash we've had with one of our snowplows.

'We want to make sure people understand to let these snow plow operators do the job they need to do.'

The video was also released with the message: The incident serves as a reminder of the need to give plows plenty of room so they can clear the roads safely.

The Utah DOT released photos and two videos on their YouTube with the message: The incident serves as a reminder of the need to give plows plenty of room so they can clear the roads safely
A Russian model is suing her alleged millionaire lover after claiming she was kicked to the curb after she stopped sleeping with him.

Yana Gudkova claimed real estate developer Brent Carrier, 55, threw her out of his Chelsea home, snatched her diamonds and $8,000 Rolex watch, after she dumped him in late 2015, the NY Post reported.

Yana Gudkova, who came to the US in 2013, allegedly had an affair with real estate developer Brent Carrier, 55, and claims the wealthy real estate developer snatched her diamonds and kicked her out of his Chelsea apartment

She filed a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit alleging Carrier would often tell her he was going to divorce his wife and he let her sleep in the apartment for free as long as she was his mistress.

The model said she left Carrier once she realized he only wanted her as 'an occasional intimate companion'.

The model claims wealthy real estate developer Brent Carrier (pictured), 55, kicked her out once she stopped sleeping with him

Carrier's lawyer Steve Bagwin said Gudkova only lived in his Chelsea apartment as a 'favor'.

The President of the Queens-based CRE Development alleges the two never were never intimate and that Gudkova was 'merely a guest'.

Bagwin said the woman was staying in the millionaire's apartment that he 'didn't need or want'.

Carrier is claiming the Russian model's allegations are false and said he returned all her belongings when she moved out.

But Gudkova, who is seeking unspecified damages, is demanding that her alleged former lover return her jewelry, snakeskin handbags, her watch, and her Mac laptop.
Donald Trump has been hit with celebrity backlash after he tore into civil rights legend John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the billionaire's White House victory.

The president-elect's remarks have intensified a feud with the black congressman just days before the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office.

Hundreds of people, including many celebrities, politicians and reporters, have come out to denounce Trump's attack - branding him loathsome for attacking the civil rights hero.

Scroll down for video

In this Jan. 11, 2017 file photo, Rep John Lewis, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at the confirmation hearing for Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, before saying he does not consider Donald Trump to be a legitimate President

Lewis is among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, and has devoted himself to promoting equal rights for African Americans. The pastor of Martin Luther King Jr's church said that the President should learn from Representative Lewis rather than disparage him

Trump tweeted on Saturday that Lewis, a democratic senator in Georgia, 'should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results'

Trump tweeted on Saturday that Lewis, a democratic representative in Georgia, 'should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results.'

Poll Do you agree Trump was 'loathsome' in his response to John Lewis' 'illegitimate president' remark? Yes No Do you agree Trump was 'loathsome' in his response to John Lewis' 'illegitimate president' remark? Yes 1254 votes

No 1717 votes Now share your opinion





The incoming president added: 'All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!'

Many have since responded to Trump's remarks, with some even questioning his intelligence.

Actor and comedian Michael Ian Black tweeted: 'While it was predictable to imagine Trump criticizing John Lewis, it's impossible to imagine him risking his life for the rights of others.'

He later added: ' 2011: Donald Trump questions legitimacy of first black President. 2017: John Lewis questions legitimacy of first orange President.'

Jane Lynch posted: 'This guy, all talk no action?? @repjohnlewis? Huh.'

Comedian Stephen Colbert also weighed in tweeting: 'Attn:@realDonaldTrump @repjohnlewis is my friend, and yours, whoever you are, whether you agree with him or not. #Leadwithlove #goodtrouble.'

Actress Rosie Perez chimed in saying: 'Jeez. What is happening to respect & decency in USA?! @repjohnlewis does deserve better even if you disagree with his #Opinion. #CivilRights.'

Houston Astros baseball player Collin McHugh said: 'As someone who lives in the @repjohnlewis 5th district, I don't think #DJT has any idea what he's talking about. #AtlantaOnTheRise #FILA.

'... and then doubling down by insulting the civil rights hero on #MLK wknd...wow.'

Among the politicians to criticize Trump was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who tweeted: 'Let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed.'

'John Lewis is an American hero,' Rhode Island representative David Cicilline, said in a tweet directed at Trump.

'You're a fake billionaire who won't release his taxes. Put down Twitter and get serious about governing.'

Trump continues to use Twitter to attack his adversaries, just as he did throughout the campaign, and Georgia's Democratic party took special offense to these tweets about Representative Lewis.

In a statement, the party said: 'Donald Trump's loathsome remarks on Congressman Lewis and the 5th District not only illustrate the President-elect's classlessness - it further proves that Trump may be the most uneducated students of history to occupy the oval office.

'Congressman John Lewis has dedicated his life to ensuring that the United States lives up to its greatest expectations through nonviolence and grassroots activism. As a result of his and so many others' sacrifices, our nation was transformed into a society where the scales of justice found more balance. Congressman Lewis' legacy came at a steep price - he was jailed and beaten and bloodied. But he never gave up. He never gave in. And we, as a nation are the beneficiaries of his commitment to getting into good trouble.

'Beyond these vulgar attacks, it is disheartening that Trump would rather sing the praises of Vladmir Putin than Georgia's own living social justice legend and civil rights icon. Trump owes Congressman Lewis, the 5th District, the City of Atlanta, and Georgians more than just an apology. He owes us the respect found in working towards a more perfect union through inclusion, equality, and commitment to the strengthening of everyone's civil and human rights.'

Lewis' Democratic colleagues quickly came to his defense Saturday. 'Let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed,' tweeted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat in California

'John Lewis is an American hero,' Rhode Island representative David Cicilline, said in a tweet directed at Trump. 'You're a fake billionaire who won't release his taxes. Put down Twitter and get serious about governing'

Trump continues to use Twitter to attack his adversaries, just as he did throughout the campaign, and Georgia's Democratic party took special offense to these tweets about Representative Lewis

Rather shared his thoughts in a Facebook post , saying: ' One can easily understand why Mr. Lewis' comment would anger Mr. Trump because it is a real threat. The famed and respected Civil Rights leader is putting into words what few of his political peers have dared say out loud.' He is pictured here in police mugshots after being arrested at Nashville student movements, which is where he got his start in civil rights campaigning

The pastor of Martin Luther King Jr's church said that the President should learn from Representative Lewis rather than disparage him, reported the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Reverend Raphael Warnock, of Ebenezer Baptist Church, said: '(Trump) Continually demonstrates that he is too small a man for the responsibility he now assumes.

'John Lewis has spent his life serving others. Trump has spent his life serving himself.

'Rather than sending nasty tweets, he ought to sit at John Lewis's feet and learn what service, sacrifice, and integrity look like.'

His remarks also angered Dan Rather, a reporter and writer.

Rather shared his thoughts in a Facebook post, saying: ' One can easily understand why Mr. Lewis' comment would anger Mr. Trump because it is a real threat. The famed and respected Civil Rights leader is putting into words what few of his political peers have dared say out loud.

'And we must note that there are still many more questions about this issue than there are answers. The fact that the Senate will now conduct hearings - mark you hearings that may very well cast doubt on the legitimacy of a president who has yet to be officially inaugurated - will hopefully lead to a more complete account of what took place.

'But whatever the truth is about these swirling allegations on Russia, and whether one feels such conclusions of illegitimacy are premature, Mr. Trump would have been well served to have let Mr. Lewis' comments pass. Of course he couldn't.

Rather said: 'One thing you cannot say about John Lewis is that he is 'all talk, talk, talk - no action or results.' This man came within a hair's breath of dying after being beaten by Alabama State Troopers on a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. His expert organizing skills and moral clarity made the United States a far more just and equitable nation. And for all this to happen at the beginning of Martin Luther King weekend, of all times.'

'I have known Mr. Lewis for decades. I covered him in those early and dangerous days of the Civil Rights Movement when almost all the institutions of government and society, especially in the South, seemed to be arrayed against the young activists.

'One thing you cannot say about John Lewis is that he is 'all talk, talk, talk - no action or results.' This man came within a hair's breath of dying after being beaten by Alabama State Troopers on a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

'His expert organizing skills and moral clarity made the United States a far more just and equitable nation. And for all this to happen at the beginning of Martin Luther King weekend, of all times.'

Bill Kristol, editor at large of The Weekly Standard and political commentator also Tweeted: 'It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis.

Yet another, Evan McMullin, an independent politician, tweeted: 'On this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, let it be clear that John Lewis is an American patriot. Trump's attacks on him further confirm it.'

Senior Advisor to President Obama tweeted: 'Trump's assumption that an African-American Congressman's district must be crime infested is a real window into his ignorant views.'

Senior Advisor to President Obama tweeted: 'Trump's assumption that an African-American Congressman's district must be crime infested is a real window into his ignorant views'

US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony will be held next week

Lewis is among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, and has devoted himself to promoting equal rights for African Americans.

He participated in Freedom Rides, that were challenges to segregated families in southern bus terminals.

He also suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, which he helped to organize more than a half-century ago.

For many African-Americans the contrast between this inauguration and Barack Obama's first one, in 2009, was striking.

The 16-term congressman said Friday that he would not attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol this coming Friday, and that it would be the first time he had skipped an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago.

'You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president,' Lewis said in an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press' that is set to air Sunday.

'I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton,' Lewis said.

Lewis' spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, declined to respond to Trump and said the lawmaker's 'opinion speaks for itself.'

'We as a nation do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election,' she said.

Lewis participated in Freedom Rides, that were challenges to segregated families in southern bus terminals. He also suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, which he helped to organize more than a half-century ago

Extraordinary attack: John Lewis said Donald Trump was elected as the result of a conspiracy

Legitimacy: Donald Trump appears to be unlikely to have John Lewis at his inauguration

US intelligence agencies have said Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win.

He finally accepted the fact after months challenging it, but he also emphasized that 'there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines.'

Democrat Clinton received 2.9 million more popular votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College vote.

Trump's assertion that Lewis' district is falling apart and crime infested is hard to prove.

Georgia's 5th Congressional District includes the Atlanta metro region, which has a large African-American population.

The district is considered one of the nation's fastest growing areas, but its crime and poverty rates are higher than the national average.

The area also covers part of the upscale Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead, along with the headquarters for Fortune 500 companies such Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, the Georgia Institute of Technology, several historically black colleges and universities and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest.
The 18-year-old who found out this week that the woman who raised her was not her real mother had an 'inclination' she may have been kidnapped, police said.

Alexis Manigo only found out on Friday that her real name was Kamiyah Mobley and that Gloria Williams kidnapped her from a Florida hospital on the day she was born.

Authorities have now revealed that Kamiyah 'had an inclination' some months ago that she may have been kidnapped.

They did not reveal why Kamiyah suspected this.

Scroll down for video

Kamiyah Mobley, now 18, was found living in South Carolina on Friday living under the name Alexis Manigo. Gloria Williams, 51, has been arrested for kidnapping the girl from Florida

Kamiyah Mobley (left in a composite created by police) was kidnapped by a woman pretending to be a nurse (right) 18 years ago

Kamiyah was allowed to speak to Williams on Friday from behind a caged window before the 51-year-old was extradited from South Carolina to Florida

'I love you mom,' Manigo told Williams as the two touched hands between the mesh screen

Williams then waived extradition to Jacksonville, where she will face kidnapping charges

Kamiyah burst into tears as she said goodbye to Williams, 51, on Saturday as her abductor waived extradition to Jacksonville, where she will face kidnapping charges.

'I love you mom,' she told Williams as the two shared a moment, separated by a mesh screen in the Colleton County Jail in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Williams blew Kamiyah a kiss as the teenager cried out 'Momma' and told her abductor she was 'praying' for her.

Just hours after police revealed that Kamiyah Mobley had been found, Manigo took to Facebook to defend her abductor.

'My mother raised me with everything I needed and most of all everything I wanted,' she wrote. 'My mother is no felon.'

My mother raised me with everything I needed and most of all everything I wanted. My mother is no felon. Kamiyah Mobley

The mystery of Kamiyah Mobley became a national sensation when she was stolen from her mother Shanara Mobley's arms at the University Medical Center in Jacksonville in July 1998.

Williams had suffered a miscarriage about a week before she drove the three hours from South Carolina to Florida and abducted baby Kamiyah, Walterboro Live reports.

It is believed she then passed off Kamiyah as her own daughter to family and friends, who said they never suspected a thing.

Jacksonville police said the teenager found out on Friday morning that the woman who raised her in Walterboro her whole life was not her real mother.

Within hours Manigo was able to reconnect over FaceTime with Shanara and her father Craig Aiken, who both cried 'tears of joy' after a detective told them their baby had been found.

Her family is planning to drive to South Carolina on Saturday to reunite with the daughter they thought they had lost forever.

Meanwhile Williams, who also has two biological children who grew up with Kamiyah, will be extradited back to Florida as soon as possible and is being held without bond, according to Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams.

Relatives could be seen comforting a visibly upset Kamiyah as she saw Williams behind bars

She could also be heard crying 'Momma' to Williams as she watched the proceedings

It was a highly emotional moment, with many shedding tears in the Colleton County Jail

She could face up to life in prison if convicted.

The news came as a shock to neighbors who said Williams seemed like any regular member of the community.

Williams was employed as a social worker and attended church every Sunday, where she also led the youth program.

She had worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs' hospital in Charleston and also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, according to CBS News.

'The family is a good family,' said Ruben Boatright, who has known Williams for 15 years and watched Kamiyah grow up.

'You don't want to think bad thoughts of anyone in your family, and that she would do something like that,' he told WJXT.

'But then it's right there staring you in the face. So you don't know what to say or do.'

Boatright said Kamiyah was a well-mannered teen who was 'very well read' and 'disciplined'.

He said his opinion of Williams hasn't changed, despite the news.

'She did that 18 years ago,' he said. 'Eighteen years ago she was a young lady and you don't know what her emotional state was then.'

Boatright said the surprising news has spread like wildfire in the small community.

'At the fish market, the hair dresser, the gas station, theyre all talking about it,' he said.

Investigators are currently speaking with Williams' family to learn more about the abduction. Authorities have not yet determined Williams' links to Jacksonville.

Tears of joy flowed freely for Kamiyah's biological parents Craig Aiken (pictured left on Friday) and Shanara Mobley (pictured right in 1998 after her daughter was abducted)

Just hours after police revealed that Kamiyah Mobley had been found, Manigo took to Facebook to defend her abductor

A cousin of Gloria Williams said the revelation was 'brand new to all of us.'

Tesha Stephens spoke briefly with reporters on Friday outside the Walterboro home where Kamiyah was raised.

She said she didn't know how the young woman discovered her past and that the news was 'something brand new to all of us'.

'Right now she's holding up... She's processing everything and she's probably going to have to take this day-by-day,' she said. 'This was something brand new to all of us.'

Susan Alls, Williams' aunt, remains unconvinced that Kamiyah is not truly part of their family.

'There has to be something going on with the DNA, whatever they did,' she said.

The sensational news solves a cold case that accumulated more than 2,500 tips and captivated both the city and the country for more than a decade.

A tip received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children last year led Jacksonville police to South Carolina.

It was there they found an 18-year-old woman with Kamiyah Mobley's birth date but a different name and quickly discovered that fraudulent documents had been used to establish her identity.

A DNA sample from the teen was taken and submitted to a crime lab, where it was matched with the original newborn DNA taken the day Kamiyah was born. The test confirmed the teen was, in fact, Kamiyah.

Gloria Williams, 51, (left) has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and interference with custody. Pictured right is a sketch police released of the suspect after the kidnapping

Williams was arrested on Friday morning at her home (pictured) in Walterboro, South Carolina. Kamiyah was not present at the time. She was raised there with Williams' two biological kids

The news came as a shock to neighbors who said Williams seemed like any regular member of the community and had raised Kamiyah to be well-read and disciplined

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said Kamiyah appears to be in 'good health' and a 'normal 18-year-old woman'.

He said she first 'had an inclination' a couple of months ago that she may have been involved in the national kidnapping case in some way. Authorities didn't say why she suspected this.

She doesn't act like we're brand new people. She acts like she's been talking to us a long time. Vera Aiken, Kamiyah's grandmother

Police said Kamiyah plans on staying in South Carolina for the time being.

'She's taking it as well as you can imagine,' Williams said. 'We have victim's advocates up there, she has a lot to process, a lot to think about.'

Gloria Williams was arrested on Friday morning at her home. Kamiyah was not present when she was taken in to custody.

Court records show that Gloria Williams has an extensive criminal record and has been found guilty of writing fraudulent checks and welfare fraud.

She was also charged with a minor crime for disturbing the peace two months after Kamiyah was abducted, Jacksonville.com reports.

The sheriff said Kamiyah had lived at the home with Williams and other members of her kidnapper's family. There are no other suspects at this time.

Records show that Williams and her family were evicted at least six times from six different addresses.

Kamiyah is currently living with Williams and her husband in a Habitat for Humanity home that had been built for them.

Williams' husband was on the road for work at the time of her arrest on Friday.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said Kamiyah (pictured left as a child and right in a current photo) appears to be in 'good health' and a 'normal 18-year-old woman'

Kamiyah had shared numerous photos of her with Williams on her Facebook page

It was a tip last year that led Jacksonville police to South Carolina, where they found an 18-year-old woman with Kamiyah Mobley's birth date but a different name

Kamiyah's biological family is now planning their reunion with the teen.

Craig and Kamiyah's grandmother Velma Aiken revealed that they immediately noticed that Kamiyah looked like her father, according to First Coast News.

'I can't wait,' Craig said of the upcoming reunion. 'It's been 18 years. I can't wait no longer.'

'We had a nice conversation. We laughed,' he added. 'We got to know each other a little bit. I just can't wait for her to come here, so I can be with her for the first time.'

Velma, 66, said her granddaughter chatted with the family as if they had known each other her whole life.

'She looks just like her daddy,' she said. 'She act like she been talking to us all the time. She told us she'd be here soon to see us.'

Velma, who prayed she would see her granddaughter before the day she died, told the New York Daily News 'everyone broke down in tears' during the conversation.

'We lost her for 18 years,' Velma said. 'We don't want to lose her again.'

Kamiyah's father Craig Aiken (pictured) revealed he has already spoken to her on FaceTime

Kamiyah's mother Shanara Mobley (pictured two days after the abduction) was just 16 years old when her daughter was taken from her arms

No pictures of Kamiyah had been taken before she was kidnapped, so police had to match babies to her footprints (pictured) while following leads

It was just after 3pm on July 10, 1998 when a woman wearing a blue floral smock and green scrub pants took eight-hour-old Kamiyah in a white blanket and disappeared.

Authorities said the woman had roamed the halls of the University Medical Center, now UF Health Jacksonville, for 14 hours, according to The Florida Times-Union.

She had spent five hours with Kamiyah and her mother Shanara, who had just turned 16 at the time, before saying the baby had a fever. Nurses thought she was a member of their family.

It was Velma who became suspicious when she saw the woman leave with a pocketbook slung over her shoulder as she carried Kamiyah away.

'I just feel like if I would have reacted on my feelings I could have done something,' Aiken said. 'I could have taken that lady out with my bare hands.'

But by the time the hospital staff was notified, it was too late.

Every floor and room of the hospital was searched. Police called bus and train stations and airports to look out for baby Kamiyah. The FBI became involved.

There were no pictures of Kamiyah and only grainy footage from the hospital surveillance camera of the suspect.

Authorities made a composite to try and illustrate what the newborn looked like. Sketches were released of the mysterious woman who had posed as a nurse.

Velma Aiken, the paternal grandmother of Kamiyah, gets a congratulatory hug from a family member on Friday

Kamiyah was taken from the the University Medical Center, now UF Health Jacksonville (pictured), on July 10, 1998 just eight hours after she was born

The case took over the county, where women who matched the sketch were stopped in local grocery stores and babies' footprints were compared to those taken from Kamiyah when she was born.

A $250,000 reward was offered and Kamiyah's story was told on CNN and America's Most Wanted.

Craig was in jail at the time of her kidnapping on a drug charge, according to WJXT.

Her disappearance led to even more time behind bars when Aiken, 19 at the time, revealed he was the father - and that Kamiyah had been conceived when Shanara was 15.

Aiken pleaded guilty and spent five months in prison, wondering if he would ever see the baby daughter he never had the chance to meet.

Shanara, who used to cut a piece of cake and put it in the freezer for each one of Kamiyah's birthdays, received a $1.5million settlement in 2000 after suing the hospital.

As the years passed the mother said she woke up every day knowing her firstborn was still out there - but that there was no way to reach or talk to her.

'I wonder, "What does she like? What kind of food? What kind of colors? How smart is she? Does she have long pretty hair? Does she have my eyelashes?''' Shanara said in 2008.

Now, she may finally have the chance to find out.

'I always hoped and prayed this day would happen. I always felt she was alive. I always felt she would find us,' said Craig.

'Now we have the rest of our lives together.'
Friends of Anthony Bell and Kelly Landry presented a marriage at breaking point after years of acting 'like a Stepford family' before she slapped him with an AVO last week.

The couple had been keeping up appearances 'with smoke and mirrors' while tensions grew in their marriage in recent years, friends told The Daily Telegraph.

'They were like a Stepford family,' the female friend said.

Kelly Landry praised husband Anthony for putting family first in unpublished comments from a 2015 interview

She said he 'made a lot of time' for her and children while she was sick with a rare genetic heart condition

Those who know Bell and Landry have painted a picture of an absent husband and father and a wife who decided 'enough was enough' when Christmas was over.

But little over a year before their dramatic, public breakup where Bell declared he 'never wants to see his wife again', Landry praised him for putting family first.

The TV presenter said her husband 'made a lot of time' for her and their children after she was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition, according to unpublished comments from a 2015 interview with the Sunday Telegraph.

Landry said Bell 'very quietly' cut back on how much time he spent running his accountancy firm Bell Partners and 'made adjustments and change' to his schedule.

She even joked her husband took 'shares in the Prince of Wales [Hospital] carpark' because of how often he visited her while she battled left ventricular non-compaction.

Landry was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition when she was pregnant with their first child Charlize, now five years old.

Landry said Bell cut back on time at work and visited her in hospital frequently

Her 2015 comments contrast with friends claiming marriage was failing, saying Bell 'barely spends time with kids and prefers to hang out on his boat'

The doting husband and father the former model described was a stark contrast to a man who 'barely spends time with the kids... and prefers to hang out with his mates on his boat'.

Another friend claimed Ms Landry had 'been unhappy for many, many months', telling The Sydney Morning Herald: 'They have been living very separate lives for a very long time.

'That is what comes with a marriage like that, you marry a guy who works incredibly hard and leads a very independent lifestyle ... he was never going to change.'

She even joked her husband took 'shares in the Prince of Wales [Hospital] carpark' because of how often he visited her while she battled left ventricular non-compaction

Bell's lawyer mounted an extraordinary attack on Landry in court on Thursday, suggesting she was suffering 'celebrity deprivation'

Bell has barely spoken on the issue except through his lawyer in court on Thursday and a letter to clients soon after news of the AVO broke.

Bell saw his children on Friday night for the first time in more than a week.

He then told The Sunday Telegraph: 'I cant participate in anything that is going to torture my little girls any more than they have already been subjected to.'

He had just returned to Sydney after spending the week away at Russell Crowe's home and later at a Gold Coast apartment.

Bell now wants to end the marriage to stop 'torturing' their daughters

His lawyer Chris Murphy reserved no such mercy for his wife, mounting an extraordinary attack on Landry suggesting she was suffering 'celebrity deprivation'.

In front of a packed courtroom Mr Murphy said his client 'doesn't want to see' his wife again and wanted a divorce.

'He's not going back to that house, he's divorcing his wife,' he said.

'The defendant is not going back to his house, he doesn't want to see his wife. He doesn't want any access.'

'She'll no longer be his wife, he's getting a divorce. There's no going back.'

Police prosecutors said they had failed to get in contact with Mr Bell since the proceedings started. Mr Murphy said Mr Bell was happy to talk to police.

The matter will return to court on February 17.
A Iowa man is charged with murder for allegedly killing a 49-year-old woman, who was discovered by police dead in her own home.

Kyle Alexander Jepson, 22, is accused of killing IT analyst Gloria Gary.

Police say the victim's body was concealed inside her Des Moines home, which her family says was filled with romance and mystery books.

Gary was last spotted on January 3, when she left work, and was reported missing to Des Moines police on January 5, with her Honda Civic missing, too, Des Moines police said on Facebook Friday.

Gary's family was in the residence and didn't spot the body, and also invited investigators in, who couldn't search thoroughly since a search warrant hadn't been issued, KCCI reported.

Scroll down for video

Kyle Jepson (left) is charged with murder for allegedly killing 49-year-old Gloria Gary (right), who was discovered by police dead in her own home

Police say the victim's body was concealed inside her Des Moines home (pictured), which her family says was filled with romance and mystery books

Jepson is pictured in a Facebook photo with books. This was made his cover photo on Friday. It's not clear if he changed this on his account or if someone else with access to his account uploaded it

Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek was filmed at a news conference saying: 'The living conditions in the home weren't what you'd consider common.'

He said that family members 'had been in and out of the house a couple of times. On one occasion, they did invite our detectives in.

'The problem with a missing persons case is if you haven't identified a criminal act, we can't move forward with a lot of search warrants.'

'You have to have probable cause to do that,' he explained.

Authorities were able to get a search warrant, and they discovered Gary's body early Friday, The Des Moines Register reported.

Parizek said: 'Ms. Gary was concealed within the home, and we really can't discuss the specifics of that, and as that relates to the living conditions of the house.'

He said that the body 'was hidden where nobody could see it. It's our assumption right now that she's been in the home for that period of time.'

Gary's family was in the residence and didn't spot the body, and also invited investigators in, who couldn't search thoroughly since a search warrant hadn't been issued

Gary's brother-in-law Scott Ellis told The Des Moines Register that Gary's home contained mystery and romance novels she read, which could have made it tough for her family members to see her body.

Polk County Attorney John Sarcone, the newspaper reported, said: 'It was a cluttered situation.'

Parizek said: 'We definitely knew that this was a unique case, and there were things about it that [...] kind of made the hair stand up on the back of your neck.'

'There was just something not right. It was really out of character for her. "Out of character" is not a crime.'

Des Moines police released this image of Jepson, who was seen in Utah with Gary's car

A close-up photo released by police shows markings on his arm

Des Moines police wrote on Facebook Friday: 'On 11 January 2017, Ms. Gary's car was spotted in Parowan City, Utah.

'Des Moines Police Department detectives obtained surveillance video from a convenience store in that area. In that video, a male adult was observed with Ms. Gary's car. Ms. Gary was not seen in this video.

'On 12 January 2017, law enforcement officials in Tooele County, Utah located Ms. Gary's vehicle. A male adult was with the car, and he has been taken into custody and is being interviewed.

'Acting on information received from Utah law enforcement authorities, Des Moines Police Department detectives obtained a search warrant for Ms. Gary's residence.

'A deceased person was found concealed within the residence. A positive identification will be made at autopsy, however this is believed to be Ms. Gary.'

The man seen with the car has been identified as Jepson.

Gary was last spotted on January 3, when she left work, and was reported missing to Des Moines police on January 5, with her Honda Civic missing, too, Des Moines police said

Des Moines police wrote on Facebook that the Polk County Attorney's Office approved charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and first-degree murder against Jepson.

They said: 'Jepson had an outstanding Burglary - 2nd Degree warrant for his arrest at the time Utah authorities located him in their state.

'Jepson remains in custody in Utah at this time. Appropriate court proceedings will take place to have him returned to Des Moines.'

Jepson was charged in Iowa City twice with public intoxication, in November 2014 and December 2015, The Des Moines Register reported.

His middle school classmate and high school friend Brad West told We Are Iowa: 'I didn't know him that well but I was able to get a reading. I was kind of able to tell he was "ego driven."'

Jepson was charged in Iowa City twice with public intoxication, in November 2014 and December 2015

West recalled: 'He was quirky, outspoken he wasn't quiet. He seemed like a nice guy. I never would've thought he would've done anything like this.'

Jepson is pictured in a Facebook photo with books. This was made his cover photo on Friday. It's not clear if he changed this on his account or if someone else with access to his account uploaded it.

Jepson's former boss at a pub called Saints told the TV station: 'He also disappeared once he stopped working here, no one heard from him since.'

The alleged murderer's last known address was in the Beaverdale area of Des Moines, two miles away from where Gary lived, according to We Are Iowa.

Gary liked staying in her house, her neighbor Teresa Gustafson told The Des Moines Register. Gustafson said: 'She was always smiling, always said hi. She was a very polite lady - soft spoken.'

Scott Ellis told the newspaper of his sister-in-law: 'Gloria has always been very rock solid and reliable. She was sincere, trustworthy, and dependable - everything good that could be in one person, that was her.'

He also told the newspaper: 'There was no connection. He was 22. He was a kid. She was 49. She was an IT analyst who came home to read her books.'
Actor Vince Colosimo, the star of the smash TV series Underbelly, has been charged with drug possession after he was allegedly caught with methamphetamine.

The 50-year-old was reportedly arrested last September in Melbournes northern suburbs after police allegedly found a small quantity of the drug on him,according to The Age.

The father-of-two is set to front Melbourne Magistrates Court in February represented by elite defence firm, Tony Hargreaves and Partners.

Embattled actor Vince Colosimo has been charged with drug possession

The actor went from strength to strength after being nominated for a silver Logie for his role of Melbourne underworld figure Alphonse Gangitano in Underbelly in 2008.

He earned a household name in Australia, heading the cast in iconic films Chopper and Lantana.

Colosimo went on to ride the wave of success to go global, featuring alongside movie luminary Leonardo DiCaprio in Body of Lies and Great Gatsby

But in recent years his career showed signs of slowing down and he took some time away from the public eye.

The actor was the star of smash hit Underbelly and featured in iconic Australian films Chopper and Lantana

In recent years his career showed signs of slowing down and he took some time away from the public eye

The father of two is set to front Melbourne Magistrates Court backed by top-tier lawyers

In 2014 it was revealed he was working on building sites to supplement his acting salary.

A law firm soon after launched bankruptcy proceeding against him over a $36,000 debt, but the charges were dropped.

The actor has also been embroiled in legal battles with his ex-partner Jane Hall over the sale of their $890,000 home in Northcote.

He is rumoured to be featuring on the cast for Channel 10s Im a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!




A Hungarian beauty queen said that a married Donald Trump invited her to his hotel room after the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013, according to an Internet video that surfaced recently.

Kata Sarka, a 30-year-old model who was once crowned Miss Hungary, said that she was approached by Trump and a phalanx of his bodyguards during a pageant after-party in the Russian capital, Perez Hilton reported.

He grabbed my hand like this, Sarka told a Hungarian-language program called Kasza Taxi.

He was standing in the middle of a group of bodyguards, he grabbed my hand, he pulled me towards himself, and he asked, Who are you?

A Hungarian beauty queen says that President-elect Donald Trump (right with Miss Universe Maria Gabriela Isler in Moscow in 2013) invited her to his hotel room in Moscow in 2013

Kata Sarka (left) told Kasza Tibor (right), the host of a Hungarian television show Kasza Taxi, that Trump invited her to his hotel room after the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013

Sarka (above) is a 30-year-old model who was once crowned Miss Hungary

She said Trump gave her his business card (above) and that she has kept it since their encounter

He asked in English. Then, I was so surprised, I'll tell you who it was in a moment, I was so surprised that I couldn't say anything except 'Hungary.'"

And then he said and why are you here?'" Sarka said.

"And he gave me his business card with his private number and told me in which hotel and which room he is staying in. And his name is Donald Trump."

By the way, I still have the business card, she said.

She said that a married Donald Trump invited her to his hotel room after the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013

Sarka said that she was approached by Trump and a phalanx of his bodyguards during a pageant after-party in the Russian capital

He asked in English. Then, I was so surprised, I'll tell you who it was in a moment, I was so surprised that I couldn't say anything except 'Hungary,'" she said

Sarka said that she kept the business card and showed it to a Hungarian tabloid, which published a photograph of the card

Sarka showed the business card to Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid.

She told the newspaper about the encounter with Trump, saying that hes not my type.

At the time of the alleged encounter, Trump had been married to Melania Trump for eight years.

Donald Trump was a judge at the Miss Universe pageant that was held on November 9, 2013, in Moscow, according to Mother Jones.

This was the visit during which it has been alleged in a bombshell dossier compiled by a former British intelligence agent that Trump stayed at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

According to the dossier, the contents of which have been vehemently denied by Trump and the Russian government, Trump arranged to stay at the presidential suite where President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, had stayed on a prior visit.

During Trumps stay, it is alleged that he watched as prostitutes urinated on one another while on the bed in a golden showers routine.

The dossier alleged that Trumps lewd sexual behaviour in Russia was recorded by the Kremlins intelligence agencies and held as kompromat, or damaging information which it has used to blackmail Trump.

This is not the first time that Trump has been accused of having a weakness for beauty pageant contestants.

In the month before Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to capture the presidency, former beauty queens who have competed in past Miss USA contests spoke out about his inappropriate behavior.

This is not the first time that Trump (pictured at the 1999 Miss USA pageant) has been accused of having a weakness for beauty pageant contestants

Former beauty queens who competed in past Miss USA contests spoke out this past October about his inappropriate behavior

Trump told Howard Stern that he would enter the dressing rooms to 'inspect' contestants as they were changing

Miss Arizona Tasha Dixon, who competed in 2001, claims that Trump, who owned the pageant, first introduced himself to the contestants by coming backstage unannounced while they were all in the process of changing their clothes.

'Our first introduction to him was when we were at the dress rehearsal and half naked changing into our bikinis,' Dixon said in an interview with CBS Los Angeles.

'He just came strolling right in. There was no second to put a robe on or any sort of clothing or anything. Some girls were topless. Other girls were naked.'

Dixon also said that employees of Trump working behind the scenes urged the girls to approach the billionaire and 'fawn all over him' in order to 'get his attention'.

Trump did the the same thing at the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant according to four women who competed that year, Buzzfeed reported.

Some of the women were as young as 15, and Trump reportedly said as he walked in on them: 'Dont worry, ladies, Ive seen it all before.'

Trump himself corroborated the womens allegations, telling radio host Howard Stern in April 2005 that he had permitted himself to 'inspect' naked women at the Miss USA pageant because he owned the contest.

'Ill tell you the funniest is that Ill go backstage before a show and everyones getting dressed,' Trump said about the pageant in audio obtained by CNN.

Footage surfaced in October showing Trump attempting to kiss former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins (right) at a corporate event in 2011

In the video, the president-elect is shown pulling Jennifer, 32, close after he invited her onstage as he delivered a speech at the National Achievers Congress in Sydney

'No men are anywhere, and Im allowed to go in, because Im the owner of the pageant and therefore Im inspecting it. "Is everyone OK"? You know, theyre standing there with no clothes.

'"Is everybody OK?"'

'And you see these incredible looking women, and so I sort of get away with things like that.'

Footage surfaced in October showing Trump attempting to kiss former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins at a corporate event in 2011.

In the video, the president-elect is shown pulling Jennifer, 32, close after he invited her onstage as he delivered a speech at the National Achievers Congress in Sydney.

Trump is also heard making a sexual joke about how Jennifer 'came tonight' and remarking how the Australian model is 'beautiful' but 'not very bright'.

Trump has also been accused by at least 10 women of making unwanted sexual advances that included touching and groping of intimate areas.
The US Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has tweeted out a 'refresher' reminding federal employees not to endorse any products a day after President-elect Donald Trump encouraged followers to buy L.L. Bean.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted: 'Thank you to Linda Bean of L.L.Bean for your great support and courage. People will support you even more now. Buy L.L.Bean @LBPerfectMaine.'

The President-elect presumably tweeted his support for the company in response to the #GrabYourWallet boycott, which was called after Linda Bean was revealed to be a supporter of Trump.

The US Office of Government Ethics tweeted a note reminding executive branch employees not to endorse any products a day after Trump encouraged followers to buy L.L. Bean (Pictured: Donald Trump and OGE Director Walter Shaub

Just a day later, the OGE took to Twitter saying: 'All executive branch employees must refrain from misuse of position, including endorsements. See Dir Shaub's note[...].'

The tweet linked back to the OGE official website giving a 'refresher on misuse of position.'

The policy states all executive branch employees are bound by a set of ethics rules that regulate 'conflicts of interest, misuse of position, impartiality, and gifts'.

A day after Trump's L.L Bean endorsement, the OGE's official Twitter account tweeted a 'refresher on misuse of position' citing employees cannot endorse any product, service, or company

Under these regulations employees are not allowed to endorse any companies, products or services, the website said. However, many federal employee rules do not apply to the president.

Although the tweet did not mention Trump, it seemed to be a subtle hit at the Republican President-elect.

Director of the OGE Walter Shaub slammed Donald Trump on Wednesday for not divesting his business and only handing it over to his sons, which Shaub said can pose a potential conflict of interest as president.

In November, Shaub was responsible for a series of snarky tweets directed at Trump after the Republican President-elect tweeted he will be giving up his business operations, NPR reported.

'Brilliant!' Divestiture is good for you, very good for America!', the OGE said mocking Trump's tweets.

Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, criticized Shaub, saying his position as director should involve enforcing ethics regulations, not dealing with public relations.

GOP lawmakers summoned the director for an interview about his comments late Thursday.
Shocking footage shows the moment a fighter jet crashed and exploded in a fire ball at a children's air show in Thailand.

Royal Thai Air Force pilot Dilokrit Pattavee, 34, had been performing stunts at the air show in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, when his JAS 39 Gripen came down on Saturday.

Spectators can be heard shouting and screaming as a plume of thick smoke is seen rising up from the wreckage.

Shocking footage shows the moment a fighter jet crashed and exploded in a fire ball at a children's air show in Thailand

Spectators can be heard shouting and screaming as a plume of thick smoke is seen rising up from the wreckage

The Royal Thai Air Force pilot was killed instantly in the crash.

Witness Penwipha Thuanthong said: 'It was scary. The poor pilot. I didn't know if it was part of the show when he was flying towards the ground.

'But he didn't change direction then suddenly is killed. It was a tragedy. My children didn't know what had happened and I had to explain to them.

'He had been only married for a short time, life is just not fair.'

Royal Thai Air Force pilot Dilokrit Pattavee, 34, had been performing stunts at the air show in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, when his JAS 39 Gripen came down

A Royal Thai Air Force spokesman said they were investigating what caused the crash

A Royal Thai Air Force spokesman said they were investigating what caused the crash, which took place at the air show's Children's Day.

The spokesman said: 'The Air Chief Marshal would like to express his deepest sorrow at the events that occurred.

'The aircraft accident investigation unit and associated authorities in the area will investigate further to find out why this happened.'

Authorities closed nearby Hat Yai airport, with flights diverting to neighboring Krabi.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-ocha expressed condolences to the pilot's family.
Tim Robinson, 54, dragged his body across Seatown beach near Bridport, Dorset, after he broke his leg

An army veteran who crawled across a rocky beach for two hours after breaking his leg revealed he was saved after he exchanged Morse code signals with his wife.

Tim Robinson was walking along Seatown beach near Bridport, Dorset, where he was on holiday, when he slipped on some seaweed and broke his leg.

Mr Robinson, a sergeant in the Mercian Regiment of the Territorial Army, did not have his mobile phone with him, so he used a torch to make SOS signals through the misty weather to his wife, Paula.

The 54-year-old made one distress signal before crawling 50 yards and flashing another SOS.

After doing this three times he was relieved when a light in the distance made a similar signal in response.

When Mrs Robinson reached him at 6.30pm, she went to the Anchor Inn pub to raise the alarm.

Mr Robinson, who has been on two tours of Afghanistan and one in Iraq, said the incident was 'dramatic'.

The army reservist (left) was saved after he made Morse code signals to his wife with a tiny keyring torch (right)

He said: 'After I crawled to about a mile-and-a-quarter away from the car park and I started flashing my torch in SOS and spinning it over my head to create a Buzz-Saw signal which is a way of attracting helicopters in the armed forces.

'There was no response to begin with so I crawled for five minutes and covered about 50 metres before making the same signal three times.

'I kept on doing that and after the third or fourth time I saw a torch flashing back.

'It was my wife and she was shining the torch in a sequence in response to my signal. We got a routine going where I crawled for five minutes, stopped, signalled and she replied.'

Mr Robinson added the couple, who are from Hilton in Derbyshire, made the signals a further five or six times before they were able to shout out to each other.

He said: 'It was a big relief when she reached me because I was in a lot of pain and I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of this predicament.

'I had said a few prayers.'

Explaining how she discovered him, Mrs Robinson said: 'I saw a flicker of light and thought it must be him. But I picked up a rock, just in case it wasn't.'

Mr Robinson decided to walk along the beach so he could visit the Golden Cap - a beauty spot near to where they were staying.

Four hours after he fell, Mr Robinson was finally rescued by an RNLI lifeboat and taken to hospital

When he slipped over, Mr Robinson said even though his foot, which was dangling at a 45 degree angle, was causing him a lot of pain, the adrenaline kicked in.

He made some crutches for himself from some nearby tree branches and hobbled towards the direction of Seatown.

He added: 'You watch these survival programmes like Bear Grylls and think about what is around you to help you.

'I was hopping over rocks and shingle and it was very tiring and my foot was swinging about and hitting rocks so I decided to shimmy and crawl using my hands for support.

'I must have crawled for three-quarters-of-a-mile when I got to a mile-and-a-quarter from Seatown and started flashing my torch.'

Lifeboat and coastguard crews arrived on the scene a short time later at 8.30pm and ferried him to Lyme Regis on a beached lifeboat as no ambulances were available at the time.

Mr Robinson was walking along Seatown beach when he slipped on seaweed. His wife found him after seeing his torch light in the distance

He said: 'The coastguards and lifeboat guys were excellent and really professional. They kept my morale up and had a bit of banter when they found out I was an army reservist.

'When I got into the ambulance the paramedics tried to remove my hiking boot but the pain went through the roof and they had to give me an injection of morphine and then they could remove it.

'When they did my foot just flopped to the side in a horrible shape.'

Mr Robinson is now recovering in the Dorset County Hospital at Dorchester and is awaiting surgery on his leg.

Jon Broome, of the Lyme Regis Lifeboat, who was in charge of the rescue, praised Mr Robinson's efforts.

He said: 'He is a full-time Territorial Army guy and his military background came to the fore.'
President Obama has revealed that the First Family will be happy to move out of the White House and out of the spotlight.

Speaking to Steve Kroft on 60 minutes he said that the 'bubbles' they are in and constraints posed by Secret Service have 'gotten old'.

He said: 'Michelle never fully took to the scrutiny. She's thrived as a First Lady, but it's not her preference.

'She was the hardest sell, and she never fully embraced being in the public spotlight, which is ironic given how good she is.

Scroll down for video

President Barack Obama told Steve Kroft on 60 minutes that he and his family will be happy to be out of the White House

He said: 'Our kids grew up here. Some of our best friends have been made here in this place. There have been moments that were highlights for us that are going to be hard to duplicate'

Speaking about his daughters, Sasha and Malia, he said they have grown tired of the constraints of Secret Service and 'all that stuff' now that they have gotten older. The family are seen above in 2009

His days as president are rapidly shrinking, as the inauguration of President Elect Donald Trump approaches on January 20.

Speaking about his daughters, Sasha and Malia, he said they have grown tired of the constraints of Secret Service and 'all that stuff' now that they have gotten older.

However, the President added that he and Michelle both recognize that they have a lot of memories in the White House.

The President also told the story of how the First Lady has said to their friends that her husband is the kind of guy she wants to be the President, but she wishes he didn't want to do it while they are married

He said: 'Our kids grew up here. Some of our best friends have been made here in this place. There have been moments that were highlights for us that are going to be hard to duplicate.'

The President also told the story of how the First Lady has said to their friends that her husband is the kind of guy she wants to be the President, but she wishes he didn't want to do it while they are married.

The full interview will air on Sunday, January 15 at 7pm.

However, the President added that he and Michelle both recognize that they have a lot of memories in the White House. the family are pictured above in October 2013

This week, Jenna Bush Hager and her sister Barbara Bush shared a touching, heartfelt letter they wrote to Sasha and Malia Obama as the younger girls prepare to leave the White House.

In the note, which Jenna read live on the Today show Friday morning, they reference showing the girls around their new home eight years ago, sliding down the banister of the solarium together, showing off their new bedrooms, and introducing them to staff.

A photographer managed to capture that very moment that Barbara and Jenna, then 20, and children Sasha, then seven, and Malia, then ten, slid down the banister.

In one frame, the twins and First Lady Laura Bush look on as Sasha goes first down the side of the ramp, smiling and raising her arms in the air.

Malia looks ready to go, and in the next frame she is sliding down the side with a smile on her face.

Sweet: In a letter she and Barbara wrote to them, she references sliding down the banister with the girls  and shows that moment in these photos

Flashback: Malia is seen smiling as she slides down the banister in the solarium, which the Bush twins also liked to do

In another photo, she and her mom take the young girls to a bedroom, where they stare in awe at the luxe decor.

One particularly cute snap shows Sasha, then just seven with a huge grin as she lounges in a chair in the White House theater.

The pictures serve to illustrate the beautiful letter the Bush girls wrote, which has received wide attention.

That's incredible: The girls also seemed in awe as they were taken around to see all the rooms in their new home

Must be nice! Sasha enjoyed the home theater when she saw it for the first time

Obama gave his farewell speech to a passionate crowd in Chicago on Tuesday, January 10, speaking about his time in the office and all that he accomplished as president.

It was his final address while in office, and he told his supporters: 'you were the change' and encouraged them to continue standing up for their values after his departure.

'Yes We Can. Yes We Did. Yes We Can,' Obama said, a reference to his 2008 slogan and a nod to the future progress he expects backers of his brand of politics to make.

He never mentioned his successor by name on Tuesday evening but made multiple references to President-elect Donald Trump, declaring to loud clapping and cheers 'that science and reason matter' and he rejects 'discrimination against Muslim Americans.'

It was his final address while in office, and he told his supporters: 'you were the change' and encouraged them to continue standing up for their values after his departure. 'Yes We Can. Yes We Did. Yes We Can,' Obama said, a reference to his 2008 slogan and a nod to the future progress he expects backers of his brand of politics to make

The soon-to-be former president also decried the 'selective sorting of facts' he said members of the Republican party have embraced.

In the 50-minute speech Obama took on the touchy topic of race, saying that talk of a 'post-racial America' after he was elected 'was never realistic.'

Highlighting the key parts of his tenure, he said if he'd told voters country eight years ago that he reversed the Great Recession, save the auto industry, bring about the longest stretch of job growth in the nation's history, thaw relations with Cuba, strike a nuclear deal with Iran, win the battle over gay marriage, give healthcare to 20 million and took out the 'mastermind of 9/11.'

Continuing, he noted that 'in 10 days, the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy, the peaceful transfer of power from one freely-elected president to the next.'
A woman has successfully sued her local council for 35,000 after accusing them of failing to investigate claims she was raped by her foster father when she was just six years old.

The alleged abuse survivor, who is now 24 and has chosen to remain anonymous, told The Sun she was unable to press criminal charges against her foster father because of a lack of evidence.

She blamed Peterborough Council for 'ignoring' her claims at the time.

She was left in her alleged attacker's care despite telling her foster mother she had been abused from the age of six to nine.

Her school is also said to have contacted the council and NSPCC regarding the alleged abuse but the lawsuit found the charity was unable to 'do any work because of staffing levels'.

The 24-year-old woman succesfully sued Peterborough Council (file photo) after accusing them of 'ignoring' her abuse claims at the time

'Its so frustrating, there is so much evidence. My foster mum even found a drawing I made when I was a kid and at the bottom it said "I dont like it when my daddy has sex with me",' she told The Sun.

The woman's complaint was lodged through London-based solicitors Farley's.

'There was enough evidence available and PCS should have asked why she did not want to be with her foster dad.

'She feels Social Services messed around and missed opportunities to protect her,' the complaint said.

The girl claimed she would hide under the table to escape her foster father and he would 'slap and sexually abuse her'.

The woman alleged she was abused between the ages of six and nine by her foster father but her complaint to the council was not investigated

The sexual abuse is said to have continued for three years.

MailOnline has contacted Peterborough City Council for comment.

An NSPCC spokesman told MailOnline 'we are unable to comment on individual cases'.

Lou Williams, service director for children and safeguarding for Peterborough City Council, told The Sun she was sorry about the case and reassured that 'practice standards are continually improving and foster carers now face much more stringent assessments, training and support'.
An Uber driver and a passenger brawled in the middle of a busy London street while a woman attempted to break them up.

A shocking video shows the passenger lashing out at the driver who retaliates by violently swinging a weapon, during the fight in Clapham late on Friday night.

The Uber driver, who appears to be wearing a Transport for London lanyard, told police he was punched by his customer when they arrived just before 11:45pm.

Scroll down for video

A shocking video shows a passenger lashing out at a driver who retaliates by violently swinging a weapon during the fight in Clapham late on Friday night

A passing taxi driver, known only as Mick, filmed the fight from his cab and posted the footage on Twitter where it has been liked and shared more than 350 times.

Alarmed social media users were quick to comment on the fight.

One said: 'It's just becoming so normal watching drivers fighting with their passengers on London Streets.'

Another asked: 'Is that a weapon in the Uber driver's hand?'

Mike told MailOnline: 'I was very shocked and appalled to witness this. Unfortunately it's an all too common sight on the streets of London now.

'[It's] extremely unprofessional to be fighting with passengers in the middle of the road at 11.45pm on a Friday night.

'[Mayor of London] Sadiq Khan promised to come down hard on any operator compromising Londoners safety but this is happening on a daily basis now with no retribution. It's dragging the taxi industry down.'

A passing taxi driver, known only as Mick, filmed the fight from his cab and posted the footage on Twitter where it has been liked and shared more than 350 times

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: 'We were called to reports of a fight in Wandsworth Road,

'An Uber driver aged in his 40s reported he had been assaulted and punched by a male passenger.

'No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.'

A spokesman for Uber said it was the driver that called police.

He added: 'While incidents like this are exceptionally rare we take them very seriously.

'Both riders and partner-drivers can be barred from using the app following a serious incident.

'We're currently investing this and will take the appropriate action when we have spoken to the authorities and those involved.'




Sarah Wollaston, who spent 20 years working in the health service before becoming a politician, accused the Prime Minister of 'moving the goalposts'

The Tory MP who chairs the Commons health select committee has lashed out at her own party leader, saying Theresa May is being dishonest with her 10billion pledge for the NHS.

Sarah Wollaston, who spent 20 years working in the health service before becoming a politician, accused the Prime Minister of 'moving the goalposts'.

The former GP, 54, stated that the real figure is actually less than half of what Mrs May suggests, and that the deception could even lead to voters losing their trust in the Conservative party.

'It's only 10billion if you move the goalposts,' she told The Times.

'The trouble is that if you believe your own rhetoric that you've given 10billion to the NHS you can see why they would say "that's a huge amount of money, how can you possible need any more?"'

She added: 'When Theresa May came into office a lot of us were really impressed by her speech about the burning injustice of health inequality - but you've got to match that with policy.

'It's about being trusted on your clear competent management of issues that are desperately important to people.'

In particular, Mrs Wollaston highlighted the downgrading to her obesity strategy of how the PM is not following through on her promises.

It come as nearly half the hospitals in England declared major alerts last week, with the NHS winter crisis showed no signs of abating.

In the first week of January, 65 of 152 hospital trusts issued operational pressure alerts, which meant they could no longer cope and patient flow was being affected. Six issued the highest alert level  patient safety at risk.

In particular, Mrs Wollaston highlighted the downgrading to her obesity strategy of how the PM is not following through on her promises

Research suggests that well over a quarter of emergency patients are having to wait more than four hours to be seen.

The vast majority of ambulance services are failing to hit their response targets, leaving the sick stranded.

Hospitals closed the doors to A&E and diverted patients elsewhere 39 times in the first week of January, declaring they could take no more.

A spokesman for Theresa May yesterday accepted the NHS was under pressure, but insisted the Government had fully funded a plan to transform and improve services.

The Red Cross claimed hospitals were facing a 'humanitarian crisis' after its worst week in 15 years.

The charity said it stepped in to help the NHS in England to deal with the increased demand during the winter, but have been hit with criticism accusing them of overstating the issue.

The charity's chief executive, Mike Adamson, had said extra cash was needed for health and social care

But Mrs Wollaston also criticised the Red Cross' terminology, tweeting: 'There is a crisis in social care provision but the term 'humanitarian crisis' is too strong.

'This is not equivalent to Syria or Yemen.'

The charity's chief executive, Mike Adamson, had said extra cash was needed for health and social care to make the system sustainable.

'The British Red Cross is on the front line, responding to the humanitarian crisis in our hospital and ambulance services across the country.

'We have been called in to support the NHS and help get people home from hospital and free up much needed beds.'

However, Keith Willett, director of acute care for NHS England, said it had worked with the charity over recent winters, funding and supporting it with its 'excellent service at home and ambulance service'.

He added: 'But on the international scale of a humanitarian crisis, I do not think the NHS is at that point.'

The vast majority of ambulance services are failing to hit their response targets, leaving the sick stranded

STROKE VICTIM SPENT 11 HOURS IN A CORRIDOR An elderly woman with dementia was left waiting in a hospital corridor for more than 11 hours after a suspected stroke because there were no beds in A&E. Brenda Mountford, 77, was blue-lighted to the emergency department after a fall at home. But when she arrived she was forced to wait in an ambulance at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire, for three hours, her family say. Brenda Mountford was left waiting in a hospital corridor for more than 11 hours after a suspected stroke She was transferred to a temporary bed in a corridor at 1.45am last Friday, where she was forced to wait for a further 11 hours. At 1pm the following day, the frail pensioner was finally moved to a cubicle in the emergency department  14-and-a-half hours after the fall. Her daughter-in-law Amanda Mountford, 50, said: The corridors were four-a-side. All the cubicles were full, the waiting room was full. It was manic. There were three ambulances outside and they all had elderly people in. Its just dreadful. We are worried to death. Theyve got no beds and we have snow forecast ... how are they possibly going to keep up? Catherine Stoddart, chief nurse at Oxford University Hospitals, said: The emergency departments at both the Horton and John Radcliffe Hospitals have been experiencing major pressures and OUH staff are working incredibly hard to ensure patient flow. Advertisement

And NHS England says the current bad weather could make things worse, interfering with services and increasing the number of admissions.

Paul Cosford, medical director at Public Health England, said: Think now about what you need to do to prepare: If you need vital medicine or food, get it before the bad weather arrives.

A spokesman for the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said hospitals had now lost control of waiting times.

NHS England says the current bad weather could make things worse, interfering with services and increasing the number of admissions

He said hospitals are cancelling non-urgent operations, but even that has not worked. Unfortunately contributors have been unable to halt further decline. It is now beyond dispute that patient safety is being put at risk.

Jeremy Corbyn demanded Theresa May explain to the House of Commons on Monday how she intends to fix what he describes as her failures in the health service.

'The crisis in our NHS is unprecedented,' he wrote on Twitter.

'People are lying on trolleys in corridors waiting to be seen.

'Hospitals have had to close their doors, unable to admit patients.

'The health service is at breaking point. but this crisis isn't due to an outbreak of disease, it's a crisis made in Downing Street by this Government  a crisis we warned them about.'

But things have been no better in the Labour-run Welsh NHS, where pictures taken by a relative of a patient showed a nine-strong queue of desperately-ill people waiting to see a doctor at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Wales.

Lucinda Wilcox, 31, from Trelewis, South Wales, was taking her 86-year-old grandmother to A&E with a suspected heart attack when she took a photo of the scene.

The businesswoman told how frail and elderly ladies were left on their own, abandoned by paramedics long since called away to deal with yet another emergency. Some had been there for 24 hours.

Things have been no better in the Labour-run Welsh NHS, where pictures taken by a relative of a patient showed a nine-strong queue of desperately-ill people waiting to see a doctor at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Wales

Mrs May has also ordered GPs to offer appointments 8am to 8pm, seven days a week  or lose funding.

In a personal intervention, the Prime Minister is demanding easier access to surgeries to help tackle overcrowding in NHS hospitals.

A Daily Mail investigation revealed that patients unable to see their GP are inundating casualty units.

Thousands of GP practices close their doors on weekday afternoons, while others take a three-hour lunch break. Now they will have to open from 8am to 8pm every day, unless they can prove there is no demand for it.

Thousands of GP practices close their doors on weekday afternoons, picture posed by model

They will be required to give Whitehall officials detailed information on the number and type of appointments they offer.

This must cover evening and weekend appointments as well as evidence that these slots are being advertised.

And, in a move that is likely to anger GPs, those who fail to meet the criteria will lose cash allocated by the NHS to expand surgery hours. Payouts will be 'contingent on demonstrating that they offer appointments when patients want them'.

GP practices will also have to expand online booking  only 7.5 per cent of patients used this service in the past six months.

EXPOSED: GP'S THREE-HOUR LUNCH BREAKS This week, an investigation by the Daily Mail exposed how thousands of GP practices were shutting their doors on weekday afternoons and taking extended lunch breaks  leaving patients with no option but to attend A&E units. The Avenue Surgery in Brighton was one of 15 surgeries across the country which featured in Thursdays paper. Some of the surgeries, in locations from Newcastle to Plymouth, closed every Wednesday afternoon, while others shut for hours each lunch time. The Avenue Surgery closes every weekday between 12pm and 3pm and is closed completely at the weekend. Additionally, while the surgery lists its morning hours as 8.30am to 12pm, doctors surgery times end at 11am. And though the surgery closes at 6.30pm, doctors can only be seen until 6pm. It does claim to be open for appointments on alternate Saturdays from 8am to 11am, and until 7.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. The nearest A&E unit is two miles away. Chareen Edwards, 26, who has three children under five, said she was unable to register at the surgery. If there is anything badly wrong with the kids I have to take them to the hospital and sit in A&E which is totally wrong, she said. Im furious about it and Ive complained to anyone who will listen but they dont pay any attention. Darren Reade added that it was becoming almost impossible to get an appointment. I tried recently because I had an infected foot ... and was told I could have one in two weeks, he said. In the end I had to go to the Royal Sussex and wait for a doctor to see it and give me antibiotics. No one at the surgery was available for comment yesterday afternoon. Advertisement

A Downing Street source said earlier this week: 'Most GPs do a fantastic job, and have their patients' interests firmly at heart. However, it is increasingly clear that a large number of surgeries are not providing proper out-of-hours care  and that patients are suffering as a result because they are then forced to go to A&E.

'It's also bad for hospitals, which then face additional pressure on their services. That's why ministers are calling on GPs to deliver on their commitments  while introducing reforms to deliver in the interests of patients.'

Ministers say they been shown evidence that some GP surgeries are failing to tell patients about extended hours appointments or ensure they are at times that patients want. No 10 says this means that some patients are left with little option but to go to A&E departments.

Figures this week from the National Audit Office showed almost half of GP surgeries close at some point during core hours  with 18 per cent closing at or before 3pm on at least one weekday. This is despite three quarters of the practices that closed receiving additional extended hours funding to provide greater access.

Figures this week from the National Audit Office showed almost half of GP surgeries close at some point during core hours - forcing patients to go to hospitals

A report from the Commons public accounts committee said part-time hours were partly to blame for the crisis in hospitals. It highlighted how half of the 7,600 practices in England closed at least once during the normal working week, including a fifth that took one or two afternoons off.

Some surgeries were accused of gaming the system and claiming extra cash by staying open slightly later on just one evening a week.

Under their NHS contract, GPs have to provide a service between the core hours of 8am and 6.30pm.

But surgeries do not necessarily have to be open during these times, as long as they tell patients to call the NHS 111 helpline or an out-of-hours provider.
Sgt. Alex Mathew Dean Taylor (above), 23, was found dead at his post on the Fort Hood base in Texas

The United States Army launched an investigation on Friday into the mysterious death of a soldier who was found unresponsive at his post on the Fort Hood base  the latest in a string of nearly a dozen deaths of soldiers serving in the massive Texas encampment.

Sgt. Alex Mathew Dean Taylor, 23, a soldier assigned to the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion, was found dead while on duty, according to Stars and Stripes.

Taylor had enlisted as an aviation operations specialist.

The army released no information about the circumstances of Taylor's death.

'At this point in the investigative process we do not suspect foul play, but have not completely ruled it out while we conduct a complete and thorough death investigation,' a spokesperson for the Army Criminal Investigations Command said.

Taylor was a decorated soldier, having earned numerous commendations during his service, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Aviation Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

Since November, 12 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored post in the US, have died.

On January 2, Private First Class Randal K. Anderson, 22, died from what Army officials said was 'an apparent gunshot wound' in Killeen, Texas, the town which abuts Fort Hood.

Taylor is the 12th soldier assigned to Fort Hood (above) who has died since November. Fort Hood is the largest active duty military base in the world

The military has yet to release the findings of its investigation into Anderson's death, according to the Houston Chronicle.

On November 26, Private Wanya Bruns, 20, also died from a gunshot in Killeen.

Ten days prior to Bruns' death, Private Kevin Paulino, a 24-year-old soldier originally from the Bronx, died from a gunshot wound in Peru, Indiana.

Paulino had enlisted in the military as an infantryman in May, according to the New York Daily News.

On January 2, Randal K. Anderson (left), 22, died from 'an apparent gunshot wound' in Killeen, Texas; On November 26, Wanya Bruns (center), 20, also died from a gunshot in Killeen; and Kevin Paulino (right) died from a gunshot wound in Peru, Indiana

Three soldiers based at Fort Hood died on November 12 while serving in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. John Perry (left), 30; Private First Class Tyler Iubelt (center), 20; and Sgt. First Class Allan Brown (right), 46, were killed as a result of a suicide bomb attack at Bagram air base

The military has not publicly disclosed the details of its investigation.

Three soldiers based at Fort Hood died on November 12 while serving in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. John Perry, 30; Private First Class Tyler Iubelt, 20; and Sgt. First Class Allan Brown, 46, were killed as a result of a suicide bomb attack at Bagram air base in Afghanistan.

Private Dakota Lee Stump (above), 19, was found dead on the Fort Hood base on November 3 in an apparent car accident

Perry and Iubelt died almost immediately and Brown eventually was airlifted to Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland, where he succumbed to his injuries on December 6.

The Bagram blast killed two other American contractors and wounded over a dozen US soldiers, Stars and Stripes reported.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Taliban, according to CNN.

Private Dakota Lee Stump, 19, was found dead on the Fort Hood base on November 3 in an apparent car accident.

He had been missing since October 10.

The army said that Stump was found near his overturned vehicle by soldiers who were conducting land navigation exercises about 100 yards from the road.

Two other unnamed soldiers stationed at Fort Hood died from unspecified illness, while another died in a car accident on January 9.
A six-year-old deaf boy who fled Iraq with his family after ISIS threatened to kill disabled children has been given a last minute reprieve to stay in Britain.

Lawand Hamadamin, who was born deaf and unable to communicate, fled the country with his parents and brother last year, coming to the UK after staying in a French refugee camp.

The Home Office had warned the devastated family they faced deportation - but they have now been told they can stay while a High Court judge looks into the case.

Lawand Hamadamin and his father Rebwar: The family have been told they can stay in the UK while a High Court judge looks into their case

Lawand, six, lived with his mother Golbahar Hussein, 33, father Rebwar Golbahayh, 35, and nine-year-old brother in a French refugee camp before they came to Britain and settled in Derby.

Lawand was offered a place at the Royal School for the Deaf in the city, where he learned to communicate using British Sign Language.

His parents thanked the school for 'saving their son's life' as more than 11,000 people signed a petition calling for the family to remain in the UK.

Last month his parents were dealt a devastating blow when the Home Office said they were to be deported to Germany.

However this week Lawand and his family, who were due to be deported on Monday, were given a last minute reprieve so they can continue their fight to stay in the UK.

Their legal team has had the decision deferred while a High Court judge looks into the case.

Lawand was offered a place at the Royal School for the Deaf in the city, where he learned to communicate using British Sign Language

Lawand's father said: 'We are extremely relieved that we have been granted some more time to prove to the Home Office why Lawand needs to stay in Derby.

'He has made incredibly good progress since coming to this school and we are desperate for this good work to continue.

'He would go back to the beginning if we were removed and the deportation would be frightening and devastating for the whole family.

'We would like to thank the school and all the people who have campaigned to help us.'

Staff at the Royal School for the Deaf hoped the decision would be reversed and more than 11,000 people signed a petition to fight the government's plans to deport Lawand.

Headteacher Helen Shepherd said: 'We are delighted that the decision to deport the family has been postponed, if only temporarily.

'Lawand has made exceptional progress in the few months he has been with us and both staff and parents were devastated that he might have to leave us.'

From left: Six-year-old Lawand (centre) with his friends Rainers Askolskis, seven, and Rylee White, six

She added: 'When Lawand arrived at the school in September he had no means of communicating with anyone, even his own family.

'Today he is signing incredibly well and we are very proud of him.

'He has made good friends who is able to communicate with, he has grown both physically and in confidence and has completely exceeded all our expectations.

ISIS SHARIA JUDGES ORDER DISABLED CHILDREN BE KILLED ISIS issued a fatwa which ordered children with Down syndrome and other disabilities to be killed in a chilling echo to the workings of the Nazis, it was claimed. Sharia judges apparently ruled that ISIS followers are authorised to 'kill newborn babies with Down syndrome or congenital deformities and disabled children' in their latest sickening act. More than 38 children born with deformities and Down syndrome, aged between one week and three months, were killed by lethal injection or suffocation in 2015, according to Iraqi activist group Mosul Eye. Mosul Eye said it monitored the deaths of children born with Down syndrome and found they are mostly those of foreign fighters who married Iraqi, Syrian and Asian women. If true, it means ISIS has followed the same direction as the Nazis, who killed disabled children because they deemed them to be a 'burden on the state'. Advertisement

'Lawand has been through a great deal for someone so young.

'There is no doubt in my mind that it would be detrimental to his health and well-bring to remove him from this setting now.

'While I understand that there are procedures which must be followed, I hope that the deferral means this case can be treated individually.'

Lawand's parents fled Iraq after after learning that Islamic State had ordered the killing by lethal injection of disabled children.

There were also rumours al-Qaeda and Islamic State were recruiting young people with disabilities to become suicide bombers.

In order to protect Lawand's cochlear implant during his perilous trip across the water into Europe, his parents put a plastic bag on his head.

During their time at the Dunkirk camp, Lawand's cochlear implant, fitted when he was 18-months-old, began to fail because his parents were unable to charge the batteries.

His development also fell behind as the volunteer teachers at the camp were unable to communicate with the youngster.

Eventually the family hid in the back of a lorry to sneak into the UK after being rescued by DeafKidz International.

They were then brought to Derby so that Lawand could attend the specialist deaf school.

The law states refugees should apply for asylum in the first country of safety they reach and Lawand's family had their fingerprints taken in Greece and Germany.

The UK does not deport to Greece but does to Germany which is why the family were told they would sent there.

In December, a spokeswoman for the Home Office said it was 'fair' the UK should honour international rules agreed between EU countries that asylum seekers should settle in the first country they enter.
A year ago this week, Robert Grubbs, a retired deputy sheriff in the US city of Columbus, Georgia, called his former boss to say he had made an unusual discovery. Helping his mother-in-law clean out her attic, he had found an old, plastic briefcase containing what looked like sensitive documents.

It had belonged to an investigator working on the case of the 'Stocking Strangler', a sexually driven serial killer who terrorised elderly women in an affluent, all-white neighbourhood in the city in the late 1970s. He killed them with their own stockings, using an unusual knot.

One of the documents from the attic immediately caught Grubbs's eye: a police artist's sketch of the killer, drawn at the time of the manhunt in consultation with Gertrude Miller, the only one of eight women the monster raped who had survived.

The police had supposedly caught the strangler in 1984, more than six years after the final murder, and at his trial in 1986 the suspect was convicted and sentenced to death.

Carlton Gary was convicted of the murder and rape of seven elderly women in Columbus, Georgia

At its dramatic climax, Ms Miller, then 73, told the jury she was certain that the defendant, Carlton Gary, was the man who raped, beat and strangled her.

Yet the sketch discovered in the attic looked nothing like Carlton Gary. It depicted a man with a large, square chin and distinctive lines of scars on his neck  features that Gary does not have.

After it was drawn in 1977, the police considered it a valuable investigative tool and showed it to dozens of possible witnesses. Yet when it came to the trial, the sketch was concealed. If not for deputy sheriff Grubbs, it would have stayed buried for ever. This alone is compelling evidence that Ms Miller had identified the wrong man  but it is not the only sticking point.

Ms Miller only told police that her attacker was Gary after seeing him on television, already named as the strangler and flanked by the cops who arrested him.

And then there is the forensic evidence. Analysis of the nightdress she was wearing on the night she was raped revealed two stains containing sperm cells, both from the same man. DNA tests have confirmed with absolute certainty that their source was not Gary.

Last week, over two intense days in the same Columbus courthouse where the case was originally tried, I attended the final hearings of Gary's last-ditch appeal against execution. Four decades after it was made, the sketch took centre stage: the last addition to a mountain of fresh evidence attesting to Gary's innocence.

For me, the appeal was the latest stage of a very long saga. I made the first of many visits to Columbus in May 1996, and have been working actively on Gary's case since 1998, writing many articles and a book.

For the past 16 years, I have also been the official  though unpaid  investigator for Gary's defence team, led by Atlanta attorney Jack Martin. I accepted the position because I decided that with a man's life at stake, it would be wrong as an investigative journalist not to hand over evidence I discovered immediately.

So I sat next to Gary, 67, at the defence table  as his wife Debra and their adopted daughter Charity looked on  and Martin made his last, passionate plea to Judge Frank Jordan to spare his client's life.

Victim Gertrude Miller, who was raped but survived, helped police produce this photofit of her attacker, which has not been seen until now

Gary was not in great shape. When he arrived, he had not had a shower for three months because there had been no hot water in the prison death row blocks. There was, he said, no heating either, and a gap in the glass of his barred cell window let the wind blow straight in.

Last year, Georgia executed nine prisoners, more than any other state in the US. Gary said: 'When they take someone else to murder them, we all get depressed, and I knew some of those guys real well.'

When I first met Gary in 1998, he was allowed out of his cell most of the day. He had access to art materials  he is a skilled painter, and once made crochet dolls as Christmas presents for my daughters. Now that has been taken away, and he spends most days confined to his cell, the size of a king-size bed.

In the oak-panelled courtroom, the tension was palpable: after all there is a lot riding on the Gary case.

Columbus is a quintessential city of America's Deep South, where a few white families have dominated politics and the legal system for many decades  the 'good ole boy network', some of whose members graduated from the Gary case to positions of power and influence. For them, the quashing of Gary's conviction, or even the commutation of his sentence, would represent humiliating defeat.

In earlier times, Columbus was scarred by lynchings and was a base for the Ku Klux Klan. There are direct links between those times and the Gary case. For example, 1956 saw the assassination of Dr Thomas H. Brewer, a black civil rights leader, in front of numerous witnesses. His killer went unpunished. John Land, the prosecutor who let him walk free, was the son of Aaron Land, who led the 1912 lynching of a black teenage boy.

John Land went on to become a judge and heard the pre-trial stages of the Stocking Strangler case  when he made rulings that denied Gary's defence a cent of public funding. Later, in 2007, his nephew Clay Land, also a judge, rejected one of Gary's previous appeals, though even then there was a mass of fresh evidence.

Superficially, race relations in Columbus have changed beyond recognition. Blacks and whites eat in the same restaurants and the city's schools have been desegregated  though this did not happen until the 1990s, 40 years after American educational apartheid was outlawed by the US Supreme Court.

But long-ingrained attitudes do not easily vanish and it is inescapable that while Gary is an African-American, all the strangler's victims, elderly women who lived alone, were white. Many of their relatives were present in court last week, sitting on the benches behind the four prosecution lawyers, led by the Columbus District Attorney Julia Slater. Among them were retired police officers and others who played prominent roles in the case, such as Ms Slater's predecessor, Bill Smith, who prosecuted Gary at his trial and went on to become chief judge for Columbus and the six surrounding counties.

One man, former Detective Michael Sellers, whose work was chiefly responsible for Gary becoming a suspect, could not contain himself. He spent much of the hearing staring at me and Gary with undisguised hatred, at one point meeting my eyes and mouthing: 'F*** you.'

At the end of the second day, he approached Jack Martin and me and asked how we could look at ourselves in the mirror. 'You'll soon be looking at yourselves in hell,' he said. He was led away by deputies, still berating us.

In fairness to Sellers, Martin was not sparing in his criticisms of him as he summarised the case in court. At a hearing in 2014, evidence was presented of the size 9 shoe print left by the killer when he climbed into a victim's home  one of the many items concealed from Gary's original trial.

TV footage from day two of testimony in the Carlton Gary Stocking Strangler case

This was awkward for the prosecution because, as I confirmed in court by measuring Gary's feet with a shoe shop gauge, they are size 14.

Sellers also testified about the shoe print. For the first time in 30 years he made the extraordinary claim that when he arrested Gary he removed his shoes and saw that his toes were 'all bent up' because he habitually wore shoes that were far too small for him in order to confuse detectives.

Making his closing speech on Friday, Martin was withering. 'Gary could not have worn that shoe,' he said, adding that Sellers had merely demonstrated that he just 'made stuff up'.

Sellers was the only police witness to testify at the trial about Gary's supposed confession, a document written from 'memory' without any tape recording or contemporaneous notes. Martin said Sellers' lack of reliability meant the confession was worthless. Martin ended by asking the judge to imagine he was making a speech to a jury which had heard all the fresh evidence which has emerged since the 1986 trial. He summarised some of it.

There was the shoe print; the DNA test; a cast made from a savage bite wound left by the killer displaying dental deformities that Gary does not have; forensic analysis showing that the killer, unlike most of the population  including Gary  did not produce certain biological markers in his semen; and there was that police artist's sketch.

But his harshest comments came when he spoke of the astonishing act of sabotage by the Georgia state crime lab which destroyed the most critical evidence of all: a semen sample swabbed from the abdomen of victim Martha Thurmond soon after she was murdered.

Somehow, in breach of every scientific protocol, when this sample was sent for DNA testing in 2010 it was contaminated by a much larger sample of fresh semen produced by an unknown laboratory worker, 'swamping' the original sample from the victim and rendering it unusable  an event that has never been explained.

'They had in their hands life-or- death evidence, and a responsibility to do good, accurate testing,' Martin told the court. 'And what did they do? They destroyed it. That one fact must now take the death penalty off the table.'

He also reminded the court that the prosecution was claiming the same lab had found a match between Gary's DNA and a swab from another victim, Jean Dimenstein. Yet mysteriously, it had emerged that an envelope which should have contained a sample of semen from Gary and was then permanently sealed had been opened, and the sample was missing.

'Tell me that a jury wouldn't wonder if that swab had contaminated the Dimenstein test,' he said. 'That lab was not to be trusted.'

Responding to Martin, District Attorney Slater did not attempt to refute any of the fresh evidence, other than to claim that the DNA test on Ms Miller's nightdress might have been the result of consensual sex with someone else  a suggestion Martin treated with contempt. 'There's no evidence she had any sexual partners,' he said. 'Come on. There's a man's life at stake. Be serious.'

Otherwise, she devoted her entire speech to a legal argument, claiming that whatever its impact, the judge should simply not consider any of the new evidence, because the defence should have presented it at earlier appeals. Martin had not exercised 'due diligence', she claimed, despite the fact that the prosecution had not only hidden crucial items which had always been in its files, but even lied about them.

At one 1994 hearing, when the defence tried to obtain the semen swabs for DNA tests, it was told they had been destroyed because they were a 'bio-hazard'.

Prosecutors sometimes complain that defence lawyers try to get their clients off on a 'legal technicality'. Ms Slater was turning this on its head, in effect arguing that Gary should be put to death on a technicality, though the way she saw it, this would 'give the community justice'.

Now it is down to Judge Jordan. In the next few weeks he will decide whether to quash the convictions and order a retrial, to commute Gary's sentence or to send him to the death chamber.

He left the court with Martin's last words ringing in his ears: 'There is no way that a just society could execute this man.'
Marianne Viverito was granted an order of protection against her son from June 2013 to July 2015. He is now suspected of her murder

A congressman's aide was found dead in her home in Chicago Tuesday morning.

Her son, who has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals and was previously convicted of misdemeanor battery, is a suspect for her murder.

Marianne Viverito's, 55, body was in her basement in Oak Lawn which is southwest of Chicago. She was a congressional aide for Representative Dan Lipinski for more than a decade.

Her son Steven Chmela, 27, is suspected of stabbing her multiple times in the torso. He fled to Oak Creek, Wisconsin after the alleged killing.

Ms Viverito was apparently afraid of her son. She was granted an order of protection against her him from June 2013 to July 2015. In 2011 he was convicted of misdemeanor battery.

Chmela was picked up by Wisconsin police when he was involved in a three car crash Friday and punched one of the occupants of another vehicle.

Marianne Viverito (left) was found dead at her home in Oak Lawn. Her son Steven Chmela (right) is suspected of her murder

Marianne Viverito was a congressional aide for Representative Dan Lipinski

He then reportedly resisted arrest when confronted by state troopers.

An arrest warrant for murder was issued on Thursday for Chmela. He is one of Ms Viverito's two adult sons.

Ms Viverito was the daughter of former Illinois state sentator Louis Viverito. He told the Chicago Tribune his grandson had been in and out of psychiatric hospitals.

He told the paper: 'He was a sweet, kind, nice young man, but he was not mentally competent.'

Steven Chmela's grandfather said his grandson had been in and out of psychiatric hospitals

Marianne Viverito's, 55, body was found in her basement in Oak Lawn

Chmela will undergo a doctor's evaluation to see if this is the case and his next hearing is scheduled for January 27.

Chmelas attorney said at a hearing in Milwaukee that it is likely that his client is not competent to proceed.

Chmela's childhood friend Jimmy Sinclair told the Times he recalled concerning behavior from the young boy.

He said: 'When we were younger he was just kind of like destructive.'

'He had no problem like breaking things in the house or telling his mom to shut up. He didn't listen to his ma, even when I would go over there.'
Jenny Colgan sparked a huge backlash with her review of the Bake Off winner's novel

A leading Scottish writer has been hounded off social media after a critical review of a Great British Bake Off winners debut novel.

Nadiya Hussain, 32, rose to fame after winning the 2015 series of the hit baking show.

She has since remained in the limelight by presenting documentaries, printing cook books and being commissioned to bake the Queens 90th birthday cake.

But her first turn as a novelist left one of Scotlands top authors less than impressed after she suggested it was ghost written.

After reading The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters  Hussains 384-page novel about four Muslim sisters in an English village  writer Jenny Colgan branded Hussain greedy.

But her review has been met with stern responses of its own  with the backlash seeming to have forced Colgan to leave social media.

In a review published on Thursday, the Prestwick-born chick lit author rallies against Hussain, writing: Whats the book like? Its perfectly competent, as well it should be, as the helper or consultant or whatever were supposed to call them is the highly talented Ayisha Malik, author of the funny and sparky Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged, a smart and acerbic romcom about a young woman writing a book on Muslim dating.

Its hardly a new phenomenon, celebrities turning up out of the blue with novels what they have most definitely wrote.

Nadiya Hussain, pictured winning the Great British Bake Off, wrote The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters, a 384-page novel about four Muslim sisters in an English village

Maybe its particularly upsetting me this time because Im a fan. Hussain is just so brimful of talent; of happiness and grace and skill. Does she really need to put her name to a novel, too, when theres only so much shelf space to go around?

She then adds: I was hoping for insights into a culture I dont understand as well as Id like, but the main thrust, overall, is that big noisy religious families are all more or less the same, which, while undoubtedly true, didnt add much for this Irish/Italian Catholic.

Fans rallied to defend the author after Colgan's review

I think the worst thing is it feels greedy. Not the good greedy that makes you learn to make delicious things and grab life with both hands, defy expectations, all the things which Hussain has done so admirably. Books are a zero sum game. If youre reading one, you cant be reading another.

But the review has provoked a strong reaction online, with many calling Colgans comments racist.

Social media user Zainab Akhtar wrote: White woman taking down book written by two brown women as theres only so much shelf space to go around? Horrid.

One other said: I read the Jenny Colgan piece and holy s**t I hope she never gets to write again. What a piece of trash.

Another added: Thanks to Colgans ugly and...snide review, I just bought this. Your jealousy is ugly as hell.

Yet more declared the review was a nasty screed and said it is racist and Islamophobic.

Colgan  best known for her romantic comedy page-turners with titles such as Welcome to the Little School by the Sea  seems to have disappeared from Twitter since the review.

It is understood that she left as a result of the backlash and the barrage of abuse directed at her.

Colgan and Hussain did not respond to requests for comment last night.
When 16-year-old David Grunwald didn't come home one November night, his disappearance sparked national headlines and a widespread search for weeks.

His remains would be found in a remote Alaskan wooded area nearly a month later, and lead to the arrest of five teenagers for his murder.

Five months earlier, one of those teens would be in the room when 16-year-old Frank Woodford suffered a mysterious gunshot room and died hours later.

The other boy in the room was the older brother of another teenager accused of Grunwald's murder.

Now authorities are wondering if the two cases involving two boys who had never met could somehow be related.

Alaska State Troopers are investigating whether the murder of David Grunwald (left), 16, and the mysterious shooting death of Frank Woodford (right), also 16, are connected

While Grunwald's picture was splashed on papers across the nation, Woodford's death was barely mention in local news.

The 16-year-old was a runaway, living in a Wasilla house packed with young people.

In the room with him on the night he died was 19-year-old Austin Barrett, the oldest suspect in Grunwald's death.

Also present on June 27, 2016 was 19-year-old Damien Peterson, whose brother Devin, 18, has been charged with helping cover up Grunwald's murder.

Barrett told Alaska State Troopers he had been living at the Wasilla house with Woodford, who had been there longer, and that Peterson had been staying at the residence for three or four days.

Troopers found Woodford with a gunshot wound to his chest alone on a bedroom floor, according to Alaska Dispatch News.

Laying on a bed nearby was a Glock handgun.

Woodford could not tell the troopers what happened, but he repeatedly told them he didn't shoot himself.

'I asked him again and he stated he didn't shoot himself,' Trooper Jared Noll wrote in the report.

'At that point one of the medics stated 'You are not going to survive this, we need to know what happened.'

Woodford, once again, told them he had not shot himself.

Austin Barrett, 19, (right) has been charged with Grunwald's murder and was present at the time of Woodfurd's shooting. Also charged in the murder is Devin Peterson (left)

Peterson's older brother Damien, 19, (pictured) was present in the room with Barrett when Woodford was shot. He told police the gun went off while Woodford was playing with it

The teen would died hours later in surgery at a nearby hospital.

Doctors found that Woodford had recently suffered wounds to his left hand, left index and middle fingers.

A piece of flesh was also missing above his right wrist, but it could not be determined when he received the injuries and if they were related to the shooting.

The autopsy left the manner of death 'undetermined pending investigation' but police closed the investigation due to 'no conclusive evidence of foul play'.

But there was still the matter of Peterson and Barrett, who both claimed that Woodford had gotten shot when he picked up the gun from the bed.

Peterson said it was he who first noticed the gun, which officers later realized had been stolen from a car days before, when he came into the bedroom.

The teen told police he 'put the magazine halfway back into the gun and put it on the bed' after playing around with it and testing the trigger.

Peterson claimed Woodford had wanted to touch the gun but he told him not to.

He claims that Woodford went and did it anyway and that the gun went off four or five minutes later while he and Barrett were playing on a tablet.

Barrett told investigators that the adults in the house told the teens to leave, but witnesses at the residence said the young people fled when the gun went off.

Troopers found Woodford with a gunshot wound to his chest alone on the bedroom floor of a Wasilla home around midnight on June 27, 2016

Woodford, who had runaway from his foster care placement, repeatedly told the troopers that he had not shoot himself

They told troopers that some of the young people in the group even fled out of the bedroom window.

Everyone in the group returned to the home when a neighbor told them to call the troopers except for Peterson, who got in touch with troopers after they contacted his mother.

It was a mysterious case that was shut without many answers, but now Woodford's family is hoping he will get justice.

Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said Grunwald's death led to the case being reopened again.

'New information provided to troopers regarding Frank Woodford's death promoted investigators to look back at the case,' she said.

'Troopers will investigate the validity of the information provided. At this time we are not providing details regarding the case as it is under review.'

Grunwald's death also led to a separate case against Devin Peterson, who is now currently facing child pornography charges.

Both the Peterson brothers as well as Barrett were also involved in an alleged kidnapping and assault case two days after Woodford's death.

All three teens were initially suspected of robbery, kidnapping and assault after they allegedly forced their male victim to take them to his home, where they tried to rob him.

Damien Peterson is currently serving 18 months of felony probation for the incident. His brother and Barrett were not charged because the victim could not identify them, police said.

Five months after Woodford's death, Grunwald was allegedly beaten, kidnapped and forced to walk into remote woods where he was shot dead execution style on November 13

Grunwald's car, a 1994 Ford Bronco, was found burnt out a day after he was reported missing - about 20 miles away from his home

He had told his girlfriend Victoria Danielle (right) that he was going to see Erik Almandinger - one of his accused killers - after he dropped her at her house in Palmer before he disappeared

Ben and Edie Grunwald called their son's death 'unconscionable' and called for Alaska to consider the death penalty, which hasn't been in the state since 1959

But Devin and Barrett are currently behind bars also with Erick Almandinger, 17, and 16-year-olds Dominic Johnson and Bradley Renfro for Grunwald's death.

All five teenagers have pleaded not guilty.

Grunwald was allegedly beaten, kidnapped and forced to walk into remote woods where he was shot dead execution style on November 13.

His body wasn't found until three weeks later on December 2 following a police investigation.

Almandinger was the first to be arrested a day after Grunwald's body was found. He was charged with murder and kidnapping.

The other four were arrested and charged a week later.

Johnson and Renfro were charged with first and second degree murder and evidence tampering.

Barrett was charged with first and second degree murder and kidnapping and Peterson was charged with three counts of evidence tampering.

Almandinger allegedly told police Grunwald had come to his house to drink and smoke in a trailer behind his home.

Grunwald was then bludgeoned with a gun and put in the back of his own 1994 Ford Bronco as he was drifting in and out of consciousness, according to court documents.

Devin and Barrett are currently behind bars also with Erick Almandinger (in orange), 17, and 16-year-olds Bradley Refro and Dominic Johnson

All five of the teens have pleaded not guilty. Pictured center is Bradley Renfro

Almandinger (left) has alternately told police that Johnson (right) or Barrett killed Grunwald

Grunwald's death also led to a separate case against Devin Peterson, who is now currently facing child pornography charges as well

The victim was driven to a remote location where he was forced to walk into the woods before he was shot dead.

Grunwald's car was found burnt out a day after he was reported missing by his father when he failed to return home.

He had told his girlfriend Victoria Danielle that he was going to see Almandinger after he dropped her at her house in Palmer on November 13.

Authorities searched the trailer at the back of Almandinger's home on November 29 and investigators reported smelling bleach.

They allegedly found evidence of blood on the floor, walls and in the toilet.

Almandinger has alternately told police that Johnson or Barrett killed Grunwald, according to Alaska Dispatch News.

The only motive he offered to investigators was that Grunwald 'had smoked all his weed'.

'My son doesnt get to breathe anymore. Hes gone. These kids - or these people - they get to breathe,' Grunwald's mother told KTVA.

She said her son was energetic and wanted to join the military.

His parents Ben and Edie said their son was energetic and wanted to join the military

'He loved going places and seeing things, and he just wanted to go, go, go,' she said.

Renfro recently made headlines when he allegedly said 'What are you going to do?' to Grunwald's parents as he was led out of a courtroom last month.

'It was extremely difficult to be in the same room with the five who brutalized and murdered our son,' Grunwald's father said in a statement.

'We felt violated and nauseous. It appeared they were smirking with a gang smugness about them.'

Private investigator Luke Smith, who was sitting behind the Grunwald family, told Alaska Dispatch News that Renfro also gestured with his hands in what appeared to be a physical challenge before he was led out.

Renfro's parents claim that was not the case and said he was trying to talk to his own parents who were sitting behind the Grunwald family.

But Ben Grunwald said he believes the five teenagers have the 'face of evil'.

'They have everybody fooled,' he told KTUU.

'They look like, "We could never do this", but that's what the face of evil looks like.'
The Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth  the clergyman at the centre of the row  described reaction to the recital as 'the most incredible pot of hatred I've ever encountered'

Abusive messages have been sent to a cathedral that controversially celebrated Epiphany with a reading from the Koran denying Christ was the Son of God.

Police have been called in by St Mary's Episcopal in Glasgow following last week's service.

The Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth  the clergyman at the centre of the row  described reaction to the recital as 'the most incredible pot of hatred I've ever encountered'.

But one of the Queen's Chaplains has now accused him of lacking 'integrity and competence' and suggested he resign.

The cathedral in Kelvinbridge invited local Muslim worshippers to contribute a 'recitation in honour of Jesus and Mary' to its Epiphany service on January 6.

However, parishioners heard a nine-minute reading in Arabic from the Koran that claims Christ was no more than a prophet because 'it is not befitting to the majesty of Allah that He should beget a son'.

The passage  known as Surah Maryam 19  also quotes the baby Jesus telling onlookers at his birth that he is a 'servant of Allah'.

The reading is so controversial because Epiphany celebrates a basic tenet of Christian faith: that Jesus is God made flesh.

Last night, Mr Holdsworth  the cathedral's provost  wrote on his blog: 'It has indeed come as something of a surprise to find accounts of last week's service appearing online and stirring up the most incredible pot of hatred I've ever encountered.

'We've received Islamophobic and other hate-filled messages so graphic and some of them so obscene that we eventually called the police, whom I have to say have been excellent at supporting us'

Police have been called in by St Mary's Episcopal in Glasgow following last week's service

However, the Rev Dr Gavin Ashenden  Chaplain to the Queen  wrote on the website Archbishop Cranmer: 'Kelvin Holdsworth's lack of awareness, and his carelessness with the sanctity of worship [is] a betrayal of those Christians throughout the world whose churches have been forcibly torn down and desecrated by an Islam that energetically repudiates the claims of Christian revelation.'

He said that while there were ways to improve interfaith relations, 'offering a platform for Koranic repudiation of the central tenets of the Christian faith during the Holy Eucharist on the solemn feast of the Epiphany is not one'.

Dr Ashworth called on the provost to apologise, adding: 'Some people will wonder if he has sufficient theological astuteness to remain in such a responsible office in times as fraught as these.'

Earlier this week, Mr Holdsworth insisted his invitation had been aimed at improving relations between Christians and Muslims in Glasgow. But the former Bishop of Rochester, the Right Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, called on those involved in the reading to be disciplined.

Last night, the Most Rev David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, stressed the church's commitment to the development of interfaith work and said the reading was St Mary's choice.

He added: 'We are deeply distressed at the widespread offence which has been caused. We also deeply regret the widespread abuse which has been received by the cathedral community.'

Police Scotland said: 'We will not tolerate any form of hate and encourage all communities to work together to ensure no one feels threatened or marginalised.'
Female staff were told to perform degrading sex acts on male colleagues at a company's annual dinner.

A lewd video of the event was posted on social media site Weibo, prompting users to accuse Chinese technology giant Tencent of encouraging workplace sexism.

Footage shows two women trying to open water bottles placed between the men's legs as other staff look on.

Female staff were told to perform degrading sex acts on male colleagues at a company's annual dinner

Business leaders say workplace sexism is a serious problem in China.

Two years ago, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. was forced to take down an advert for office cheerleaders directed at women with porn-star qualities.

Pocket Sun, founder of Sogal Ventures, told Bloomberg: 'A workplace with no respect for women is toxic.

'This tells us how hostile the environment still is.'

Tencent apologised for the video and said the male employees had been disciplined.
Polish leaders have held a welcome ceremony for the biggest deployment of US troops to Europe in decades.

Meanwhile, Russia called the deployment a threat to its own security.

The ceremony on Saturday in the western Polish town of Zagan comes 23 years after the last Soviet troops left the country.

The move also marks a new historic moment  the first time any Western forces are being deployed on a continuous basis to NATOs eastern flank.

CNN reports there are also 2,400 pieces of military equipment including tanks sent over.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo stood before US and Polish soldiers and called it 'an important day for Poland, for Europe, for our common defense'.

Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz told the troops that 'we waited for you for a very long time, for decades'.

American soldiers are welcomed to the Polish town of Zagan

The Kremlin said they see the bolstering of NATO as a 'threat'

The government organized several other events across the country to welcome the Americans from Fort Carson, Colorado.

It is likely these relations will not be the same over the next four years. President Elect Donald Trump has been a vocal opponent of NATO.

Last July he tweeted: 'My statement on NATO being obsolete and disproportionately too expensive (and unfair) for the U.S. are now, finally, receiving plaudits!'

Trump has stated he thinks NATO is 'obsolete' and 'too expensive'

This goes along with Trump's desire to improve America's ties with Russia. He said having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing and 'only "stupid" people, or fools' think otherwise.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said: ' We see it as a threat to us. This is an action that threatens our interests, our security, moreover, this is a third nation (apart from Russia and Poland) that is increasing its military presence near our borders in Europe, and its not even a European nation.'

'One thousand or 10,000  were talking about the increase of military presence. Theres nothing to add.'

Prime Minister of Poland Beata Szydlo welcomed US troops to the ceremony

American soldiers attend the official welcome ceremony in Zagan
With complimentary TVs, takeaways and alcohol, prisons in the UK have long been accused of being too cushy - but the same certainly cannot be said of their Brazilian equivalents.

Photographs from the Instituto Penal Placido de Sa Carvalho, in Rio de Janeiro, show inmates crammed like sardines into dank cells, which are prone to infestations of poisonous centipedes and scorpions, as well as hoards of rats that terrorise the prisoners.

Many are forced to sleep on the floor or tattered mattresses - and a single plastic sheet is the only thing protecting them from rainwater.

Inmates in Brazil are crammed like sardines into dank cells, which are prone to infestations of poisonous insects, as well as hoards of rats that terrorise the prisoners

Many are forced to sleep on the floor or tattered mattresses, with prisons holding more than double their current capacity

A makeshift clothes line is used to hang the prisoners' tatty garments in another squalid room.

Unsurprisingly, violence and death is commonplace in the facilities, with many having to rely on protection from criminal gangs in order to survive.

Brazil's most notorious group,The First Command, is exploiting the overcrowded and filthy conditions to expand its reach across the national prison system, an incursion at the center of massacres that have left nearly 100 inmates dead in the new year.

Some prisoners were beheaded or had their hearts and intestines ripped out in two recent prison massacres in northern Brazil.

One of these was launched by inmate members of the First Command and the other directed against them by a rival gang trying to stop the expansion.

Legal and security experts say the government's failure to improve conditions has only strengthened the First Command, based in the southern city of Sao Paulo and known by the Portuguese acronym PCC.

The chairman of Brazil's bar association, Claudio Lamachia, said: 'The state has lost control over prisons.

A makeshift clothes line is used to hang the prisoners' tatty garments in another squalid room

A single plastic sheet is the only thing protecting the faciltiy from being flooded from rainwater

'Death is often the only alternative for an inmate who doesn't want to cooperate with gangs like PCC.'

A slow legal system means a large percentage of prisoners wait years for their cases to be heard.

Meanwhile, First Command recruits new members, orders hits on rivals and runs drug-trafficking operations both inside and outside prisons even though many of its leaders are in maximum security penitentiaries in Sao Paulo state.

The recent string of violence began on New Years Day, when 56 inmates were killed in the northern state of Amazonas.

Authorities said that the gang targeted PCC members in a clash over control of drug-trafficking routes in northern states.

It's not yet known how many died from each gang, but many of those killed were beheaded and dismembered.

Five days later, in the neighboring state of Roraima, 33 prisoners were killed, many with their hearts and intestines ripped out.

A slow legal system means a large percentage of prisoners wait years for their cases to be heard

Unsurprisingly, violence and death is commonplace in the facilities, with many having to rely on protection from criminal gangs in order to survive

Uziel Castro, Roraima state's security secretary, said First Command members instigated the bloodshed against other prisoners.

'There was no confrontation; this was a killing spree. It was barbaric,' said Castro, adding that the Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo was built for 700 prisoners but housed more than double this.

Between January 2 and 9, another 10 inmates were killed in smaller prison clashes in Amazonas and the northeastern state of Paraiba.

On Monday, the federal government sent 200 soldiers to prisons in Amazonas and Roraima states, and several other states have requested similar help.

President Michel Temer, who was criticized for a slow response and calling the first massacre 'a terrible accident,' has since announced plans to build five new prisons. But Temer has not provided details, and it could take years to build new facilities.

'The penitentiary system has been in crisis a long time and gotten worse in the last 10 years,' Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said recently, noting there has been a lack of investment amid a ballooning prisoner population.

Brazil's most norotious group,The First Command, is exploiting the overcrowding and squalid conditions to expand its reach across the national prison system

Brazil had 233,000 prisoners in 2000, compared to 622,000 in 2014, according to Ministry of Justice data.

First Command was founded after a 1992 riot-turned-massacre when heavily military police stormed a prison, killing at least 111.

Since then, the gang's rise has paralleled the deteriorating prison system.

Contributing to overcrowding is a justice system that often essentially locks people up and throws away the key even before a trial is held.

Law professor Ivar Hartmann says a study he conducted found that 40 percent of inmates have not been convicted, waiting sometimes years for even non-violent crimes to be processed.

And while they bide their time, they must figure out how to survive.

'The newbies feed the gangs like PCC in exchange for protection,' said Hartmann.

'That's one of the reasons why Brazil has a failed system.'
Lt Debra Clayton was shot outside of a WalMart while off duty Monday

An Orlando police sergeant who was gunned down by a wanted fugitive was remembered at her funeral service for mentoring youth and her dedication to the community she grew up in.

Hundreds of officers, deputies and central Florida residents gathered at the First Baptist Church in Orlando Saturday to honor Master Lt Debra Clayton, who was shot Monday by a fugitive who had been wanted for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

She was promoted to lieutenant posthumously at her funeral service by the Orlando Police Department Chief John Mina, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Mina said Clayton 'had a faith in God, fundamental kindness, and generosity and giving'.

'Faith that we can make things better against seemingly unbeatable odds. Faith that good will always prevail over evil,' he added as he promoted her.

Authorities say Clayton, 42, was killed outside a WalMart store in Orlando last Monday after she approached 41-year-old Markeith Loyd.

Hundreds of officers and deputies have been searching for him since Monday, and a $100,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.

Scroll down for video

Lt Debra Clayton's family waits outside of First Baptist Church in Orlando

Final salute: Police officers carry Lt Debra Clayton's casket on Saturday

Debra Clayton was promoted to lieutenant posthumously at her funeral

Hundreds attended Debra Clayton's funeral at First Baptist Church in Orlando

Debra Clayton is believed to have been shot by Markeith Loyd who is wanted for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend

Flowers were placed on Debra Clayton's patrol vehicle after she is killed in a parking lot

Clayton had worked for the Orlando Police Department for 17 years, most recently as a supervisor for a patrol division in the neighborhood where she was shot.

She previously had worked in investigations and as a school resource officer.

Lt Debra Clayton was one of the officers who responded to the shooting at Pulse nightclub in which 49 patrons were killed. Last June's massacre in Orlando was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

She was married and has a college-aged son.

Clayton was remembered most for her community activities, especially when it came to youth programs. She participated in rowing competitions with teenagers and was active in an Urban League anti-violence task force.

Lt Debra Clayton's family and friends mourn the loss of the murdered police officer

Debra Clayton's sister Nikki Rashon (left) and brother Rudy Thomas (right) speak at the funeral

Civilians create a memorial where Lt Debra Clayton was shot on Monday

People spoke about Lt Debra Clayton's love for the community at her funeral

A choir sings at Debra Clayton's funeral at First Baptist Church in Orlando

Police are still hinting for Markeith Loyd who is believed to have shot Debra Clayton

At 7.19am Monday, officers radioed in to say she had been shot and the first responding officers on scene began CPR on Clayton. She was pronounced dead at 7.40am at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

While trying to flee, Loyd fired at another deputy in a SUV, who was not injured.

Loyd then carjacked a vehicle before getting out of the vehicle and running off, police said.

Officials said Loyd was spotted at the intersection of North Lane and Pine Hills Drive by a deputy who followed him to a nearby apartment complex.

Loyd, 41, is considered to be armed and dangerous and police are asking anyone who knows his whereabouts to please call 1-800-423-TIPS.
A married Florida dance teacher was arrested this week after she allegedly had a sexual relationship with an underage female student.

Lauren Debenedetta, of Haven Dance Studio, is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a minor.

The 15-year-old girl's stepfather found Debenedetta naked in the girl's room on December 19, North Port Sun reported, citing court documents.

Dance teacher Lauren Debenedetta (left and right) is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a minor

The victim was home sick, and her stepfather came over to see how she was doing, also finding the dance teacher's car in the driveway, the report said.

The 15-year-old says that Debenedetta was hiding next to a bed when the girl's stepfather opened a door, since she was nude, according to WWSB.

Debenedetta was arrested on Monday and has posted bail

The girl told her stepfather to shut the door - and he closed it, got out of the house and contacted her mother, WINK reported.

He came back later and discovered Debenedetta on a couch, telling her to get out, the report said.

The 15-year-old girl said that Debenedetta had asked if she could visit, and brought soup, before they went into the bedroom, according to the station.

She reportedly said there was kissing and that other sexual acts happened.

Debenedetta had gotten a cell phone for the girl, and police found messages that said 'I love you!' and 'I love you too!' on their phones, WWSB reported.

There were allegedly incidents involving at dance class and the instructor's house, reports said.

The girl said Debenedetta called her into her office, and would kiss her on the mouth and touch her, according to NBC 2.

According to North Port Sun, Haven Dance Studio owner Ted Fields - who is Debenedetta's husband - emailed students and families, saying: 'It is with a heavy heart that I announce Haven Dance will be closed immediately.'

Debenedetta, who founded the studio in 2013, graduated from New York University, WWSB reported. She was arrested on Monday and has posted bail.

Debenedetta founded Haven Dance Studio (pictured) in 2013, it's been reproted
Streets in the 'jihadi capital of Europe' have been blocked off as anti-terrorism squads launch a major operation.

Large areas have been cordoned off in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, which is known for being rife with ISIS sympathisers and is not far from the EU headquarters.

A police helicopter has also spotted flying overhead.

Streets in the 'jihadi capital of Europe' have been blocked off as anti-terrorism squads launch a major operation

A spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office, Ine Van Wymersch, said that four searches were conducted and three people have been detained.

But she added: 'The operation has ended. Nothing was found, no weapons, no explosives.'

She declined to provide more details but said that the three would be questioned on Sunday to establish whether they should be charged or released.

According to Belgian media, masked policemen and armoured cars have been patrolling the streets, while officers have also been using ladders to scale buildings.

The area has been linked to several major terrorist incidents in recent years, including being the home of Salah Abdeslam, who masterminded the 2015 attacks in Paris which killed 130 people.

A huge operation was launched in the wake of the atrocities in the French capital, with several key figures being arrested, including Abdeslam.

Large areas have been cordoned off in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, which is known for being rife with ISIS sympathisers and is not far from the EU headquarters

The operation is actually centred around the same street as where Abdeslam was arrested, the Rue Delaunoy.

The area has been linked to several major terrorist incidents in recent years, including being the home of Salah Abdeslam

Perpetrators of the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the Brussels Airport attack and an attack in on a Jewish museum in the Belgian capital have also resided in Molenbeek.

Historian Pieter Van Ostaeyen tweeted: '#Molenbeek Brussels 4 or more houses searched by police forces. Increased presence of military and police reported #Belgium'

Shortly after the Paris attacks, Mr Van Ostaeyen, an expert on jihad, said there were about 190 Belgian fighters in Syria last month, the majority with ISIS, including 47 women.

Just before the turn of the year, a 14-year-old was arrested with a bag full of explosives and a bottle with "Allahu Akbar" labelling.

The boy, who was not named in reports, was part of a group which worked on a construction yard near to the Brussels-West train station.
The grieving mother of a young Briton who froze to death in Russia after being drugged and robbed by a taxi driver has attacked the Foreign Office for failing to help when he went missing.

Publisher Fiona Scott Lazareff told The Mail on Sunday that her son Nicolas might have been saved if British Embassy staff in Moscow had acted more quickly to liaise with the Russian police and authorities.

The Manchester University graduate, 22, went missing after a night out with his younger brother Alexei, 21, in the Russian capital.

The brothers, both fluent Russian-speakers, were picked up by a rogue cab driver who drugged them with spiked beer before robbing them of their money and mobile phones. He then dumped them in sub-zero temperatures in a village near Moscow.

Alexei managed to flag down a passing car. But while he was talking with the cars driver, a heavily disorientated Nicolas disappeared.

Nicolas Lazareff pictured with his mother Fiona at Royal Ascot last year

The driver then took Alexei back to central Moscow where he began desperately seeking help to find his brother. Nicolas was found dead by Russian police several days later.

Now Mrs Lazareff, from Battersea, South London, is calling for an urgent review of Foreign Office procedures when dealing with missing people and emergencies.

When I phoned the embassy in Moscow, all I got was answer machines because it happened out of hours, she said.

Eventually somebody rang me from London and suggested I reported him missing to Battersea police station. I thought, Is this a joke? 

Mrs Lazareff has also launched a campaign to encourage people travelling abroad to register their mobile telephones individual IMEI number with the British Consul in the country they are visiting, so that a missing persons movements can be tracked faster.

Tory MP Jane Ellison has taken up her cause and written to the Foreign Office calling for an urgent review and for the IMEI registration scheme to be set up immediately.

Nicolas pictured with his twin sister Natasha, his mother, and his brother Alexei

Mrs Ellison criticised officials for compounding Mrs Lazareffs distress with inadequate support and failing to interact with investigating police forces. Mrs Lazareff added: As the clock was ticking, my son was out there in the middle of nowhere.

Maybe if the Foreign Office had been more proactive and there was an IMEI register, he could have been found.

Instead, the embassy seemed to assume he was a young lad out having a good time and that he would turn up.

Afterwards, even though the ambassador knew about Nicks tragic death, he didnt even send a letter of condolence.

All I got was a standard template email saying if I wanted to make a complaint to click on a link.

It was so heartless  like complaining about faulty broadband.

Nothing will bring my precious son back but I dont want his loss to be in vain  no mother should have to go through what Im suffering at the moment.

A Foreign Office spokesman said last night: 'We provided support, via our staff in London and Moscow, to the family of a dual British national who was reported missing and then sadly died in Moscow.

'We extend our sympathies to his family at this difficult time.'
Advertisement

Dazed and injured, a rebel fighter is pictured after a mine exploded on the outskirts of al-Bab, the Islamic State group's last stronghold in northern Syria.

Nearly two months into its assault, Turkey has become bogged down in an unexpectedly bloody fight to retake the town, 40km northeast of Aleppo.

It has been forced to pour in troops, take the lead in the battle from its Syrian allies and reach out to Russia for aerial support.

A rebel fighter receives treatment today after a mine exploded on the outskirts of al-Bab, 40km northeast of Aleppo. The rebels are nearly two months into their assault on the town - the Islamic State group's last stronghold in northern Syria

Turkey has been forced to pour in troops, take the lead in the battle from its Syrian allies and reach out to Russia for aerial support

The Turkish military says it takes great care not to harm civilians, halting operations that could endanger non-combatants. Capturing al-Bab is essential to Ankara's goals in Syria. Above, a rebel fighter rests on a stretcher

Last month, Ankara protested to Washington that its NATO ally was providing no help in al-Bab. A day later, Turkey said Russia carried out three airstrikes in the al-Bab area

The fight for al-Bab underscores the precarious path Ankara is treading with its foray in to Syria, aimed against both IS militants and Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The assault on the town had already driven a wedge between Turkey and the United States, and now the realignment toward Moscow - which supports the government in Syria's civil war - further tests Ankara's alliance both with Washington and with the Syrian opposition.

The battle itself has proven grueling.

Nearly 50 Turkish soldiers have been killed in its Syria operation, most of them since the al-Bab assault began in mid-November - including 14 killed in a single day.

A group of rebel fighters gather around a fire today during a break from the assault. Al-Bab had a pre-war population of 60,000 and it's not known how many remain there. Despite the tight IS seal, some still try to escape

Nearly two months into the campaign, Turkey has become bogged down in an unexpectedly bloody fight to retake the town

More than 200 civilians are believed to have been killed since the attack began on November 13. Mud and cold rain have only made it more of a slog. Above, a rebel fighter using his mobile phone

Rebel fighters on the outskirts of al-Bab. If the town is retaken, it would break the IS presence near the border and plant a Turkish-backed presence between Kurdish-held territory to the east and west, preventing them from linking

The militants have dug in, surrounding the town with trenches, lining streets with land mines and carrying out painful ambushes and car bombings against the besieging forces. Each time Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters have thrust into the city, they've been driven out.

More than 200 civilians are believed to have been killed since the attack began on November 13. Mud and cold rain have only made it more of a slog.

'The battle for al-Bab has been mostly about killing civilians and destroying the city, whether by Daesh or the Turks,' said Mustafa Sultan, a resident of al-Bab and a media activist who has been covering the fight. He used the Arabic acronym for IS.

'The town is almost half destroyed. Daesh takes cover in hospitals, schools and these end up getting targeted,' he said. The Turkish military says it takes great care not to harm civilians, halting operations that could endanger non-combatants.

Capturing al-Bab is essential to Ankara's goals in Syria.

Turkey, which for years supported the Syrian opposition drive to oust President Bashar Assad, has recalibrated its priorities toward fighting Islamic State militants who turned their terror against the Turkish state and thwarting Kurdish aspirations for autonomous rule along Syria's border with Turkey.

Around 50 Turkish soldiers have been killed in its Syria operation, most of them since the al-Bab assault began in mid-November - including 14 killed in a single day

If al-Bab is retaken, it would break the IS presence near the border and plant a Turkish-backed presence between Kurdish-held territory to the east and west, preventing them from linking.

For the U.S., the al-Bab assault risks causing direct confrontation between Turkish troops and Syrian Kurdish forces, which are leading a U.S.-backed offensive toward the de facto IS capital, Raqqa. Washington supports and relies on the Kurds in the fight against IS the past two years.

A 'SYMBOLIC VICTORY' IN MOSUL Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State in Mosul have reached the Nineveh province governance building and raised the Iraqi flag there, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday. Iraqi forces have recaptured most districts in eastern Mosul during nearly three months of a U.S.-backed offensive, which accelerated at the turn of the year with new tactics and better coordination. 'It is both a symbolic victory and a significant operational victory,' Elissa Slotkin, the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said during a Pentagon briefing. Slotkin also said that a liaison team was in talks with Turkey about helping its forces near al-Bab in Syria and has already provided surveillance support. 'We have provided some ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) support in al-Bab... those are the kinds of things that we are talking about, sort of on an hourly bases with the Turks,' she said. The U.S.-led coalition has been reluctant to provide support to NATO member Turkey for its advance towards al-Bab. Turkey recently called on the coalition to provide air support for Turkish-backed troops besieging the town. Advertisement

Last month, Ankara protested to Washington that its NATO ally was providing no help in al-Bab. A day later, Turkey said Russia carried out three airstrikes in the al-Bab area.

In the short term, Turkey is likely to send a message to the U.S. before President-elect Donald Trump takes office that it has other options if Washington keeps backing the Syrian Kurds, considered by Ankara as terrorists linked to a Kurdish faction that has carried out bombings in Turkey.

In the long term, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be exploring his options with Russia, which currently holds the key to Syria militarily and diplomatically.

Russia helped Assad's forces crush the opposition enclave in the northern city of Aleppo in December.

Then Moscow and Ankara joined to broker a ceasefire, which is supposed to lead to negotiations later this month.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday the U.S. has seen no indication of Russian-Turkish coordination, only independent Russian airstrikes in al-Bab.

'I don't think the United States is very worried about Erdogan flipping from NATO to Moscow, but they are worried about Turkey's general drift into instability and rash decisions.

Erdogan bungling his foreign policy to the point where he must turn to Putin for help is certainly part of that broader concern,' said Aron Lund, a fellow at the New York-based Century Foundation.

Following Turkey's protest, U.S. officials said discussions with Ankara continue over al-Bab, an important effort against IS.

Turkey said on December 30 that the U.S.-led coalition carried out an airstrike in the al-Bab region.

The offensive has also revealed how unprepared Turkish-allied Syrian rebels are for a protracted fight against IS.

Ankara increased its initial deployment of 600 soldiers - which included special forces and mechanized battalions - to at least 4,000 today, according to Metin Gurcan, a former Turkish military adviser who served in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Iraq and is now an independent security analyst.

IS fighters have taken positions on hilltops, used drones and have repeatedly shown a capability in waging pitched battles

Turkish troops now outnumber the Syrian opposition fighters who were supposed to be 'the primary ground force,' Gurcan wrote in Al-Monitor.

He said some Syrian fighters have withdrawn, 'and because of their lack of discipline in the field, Turkish commandos are now engaged in front-line fighting against IS.'

Unlike the IS-held town of Jarablus, which Turkey's allies entered almost without a fight in August, the militant group prepared to defend al-Bab.

Unlike the IS-held town of Jarablus, which Turkey's allies entered almost without a fight in August, the militant group prepared to defend al-Bab. Above, rebel fighters on the outskirts of the town

IS fighters have taken positions on hilltops, used drones and have repeatedly shown a capability in waging pitched battles.

After Turkish troops and Syrian fighters secured a strategic hilltop on the town's edge in late December, IS launched a surprise counteroffensive, killing 14 Turkish soldiers and over two dozen Syrians.

Another battle on the eastern side of al-Bab lasted 15 hours, starting from hilltops and ending in a valley at close range with dozens killed and many damaged armored vehicles.

Al-Bab had a pre-war population of 60,000 and it's not known how many remain there. Despite the tight IS seal, some still try to escape.

Iraqi forces retake half of Mosul university campus

Iraqi forces have won a string of swift territorial gains in Mosul in the fight against the Islamic State group after months of slow progress.

Government troops retook the eastern edge of a third bridge in Mosul on Saturday and a cluster of buildings inside Mosul university, according to a senior Iraqi officer overseeing the operation.

IS fighters overran Mosul in the summer of 2014, announcing from there their self-styled 'caliphate' after taking a large swath of Iraq and Syria in a lightning surge.

Access to the city's central bank, a large taxable civilian population and nearby oilfields quickly made IS the world's wealthiest terrorist group.

Iraqi government troops retook the eastern edge of a third bridge in Mosul on Saturday and a cluster of buildings inside Mosul university (pictured), according to a senior Iraqi officer overseeing the operation

Yet even as a punishing campaign of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes has pushed the militants underground, IS leaders continued to use Mosul as a key logistical hub for planning meetings.

If recaptured by the Iraqi forces, IS territory in Iraq that once stretched across a third of the country would be reduced to small pockets in the north and west that troops will likely be able to mop up relatively quickly.

Iraqi forces now control the eastern sides of three of the city's five bridges that span the Tigris river connecting Mosul's east to west. Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition bombed the city's bridges late last year in an effort to isolate IS fighters in the city's east by disrupting resupply routes.

At Mosul University, senior commanders said that Iraqi forces have secured more than half of the campus on Saturday amid stiff resistance, but clashes were ongoing into the afternoon.

Iraqi forces entered the university from the southeast on Friday morning and by nightfall had secured a handful of buildings, Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said on a tour of the university on Saturday.

'We watched all the IS fighters gather in that building, so we blew it up,' said special forces Sgt. Maj. Haytham Ghani pointing to one of the blackened technical college buildings where charred desks could be seen inside.

'You can still see some of their corpses,' he added.

Iraqi forces (above) entered the university from the southeast on Friday morning and by nightfall had secured a handful of buildings

Thick clouds of black smoke rose from the middle of the sprawling complex Saturday morning. By afternoon, clashes had intensified with volleys of sniper and mortar fire targeting the advancing Iraqi forces.

Convoys of Iraqi Humvees snaked through the campus, pausing for artillery and airstrikes to clear snipers perched within classrooms, dormitories and behind the trees that line the campus streets.

As Iraqi forces have closed in on the Tigris river that roughly divides Mosul into eastern and western halves, their pace has quickened. IS defences in the city's east appear to be thinning and unlike in the surrounding neighborhoods, Iraqi officers said they believe Mosul university and recently retaken government buildings are largely empty of civilians - allowing them to use air cover more liberally.

Iraqi soldiers at Mosul university said while they were still coming under heavy small arms fire, IS resistance was significantly less than they faced during the first weeks of the Mosul operation.

'We were targeted with only four car bombs where before (IS) would send 20 in one day,' special forces Lt. Zain al-Abadeen said. 'And they aren't armored like before, they're just using civilian cars.'

Medics operating a small field hospital in eastern Mosul said civilian casualties have dropped significantly over the past three days as Iraqi forces moved into government complexes like the university rather than dense civilian neighbourhoods.

The massive operation to retake Mosul from IS was launched in October. Since then Iraqi forces have slowly clawed back more than a third of the city. IS maintains it has tight control of the city's western half where Iraqi forces will likely encounter another wave of heavy IS resistance.

The west of the city is home to some of Mosul's densest neighborhoods and an estimated 700,000 civilians.

Also on Saturday, IS launched its biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested Syrian city of Deir el-Zour in an attempt to maintain a grip on the eastern stretch of the neighboring country where the group's de facto capital of Raqqa lies.
The US owner of Cadbury is breaking a key promise and making an increasing amount of its iconic Dairy Milk chocolate bars in Poland rather than at its British base.

Mondelez, which was created by Kraft, is making large 300g bars of Dairy Milk and some classic size 95g bars of the brand in its expanded factories in Wroclaw.

This breaks a pledge given in the wake of Krafts bitter takeover of the British company seven years ago that it would continue to make the sweets at its historic Bournville home in the West Midlands.

The US owner of Cadbury is breaking a key promise and making an increasing amount of its iconic Dairy Milk chocolate bars in Poland rather than at its British base. Above, a bar on sale in Poundland last week. The factory code below the best before date is crucial. OWR means Wracklow - which refers to one of its factories in Poland

Mondelez, which was created by Kraft, is making large 300g bars of Dairy Milk and some classic size 95g bars in Poland

The Mail on Sunday found large Dairy Milk bars  brandishing a specific code on the wrapper indicating they were made in Poland  on sale in the UK in various major retailers, while the 95g bars were on sale in smaller shops.

Last night Mondelez insisted that the production in Poland of 95g bars was a temporary move because Bournville had been busy.

But many traditionalists claim it is another sign that the link between Britains biggest chocolate brand and its old Quaker headquarters near Birmingham is being weakened.

James Cadbury, a member of the founding family, who now runs his own chocolate company, Love Cocoa, said: Im very disappointed. Bournville and Dairy Milk are synonymous.

The chocolate bars are being produced at Kraft's expanded factories in Wroclaw

Within weeks of Krafts 11.5 billion takeover of Cadbury in 2010, it closed a factory in Somerdale, near Bristol, putting 400 people out of work.

As a result, Kraft executives were quizzed by MPs. Trevor Bond, president of Kraft Foods Europe, said the company would continue to make Dairy Milk in the UK for as long as our consumers are delighted by the taste and the product.

Last night, Mondelez said: The 95g bar has returned to Bournville.

Mondelez has issued the following statement:

'Just as Cadbury has always done, we create new and exciting flavours and formats all the time. This 300g Cadbury Dairy Milk bar is a new size for the UK launched just six months ago, which is designed to give consumers even more choice. It simply hasnt been possible to make this bar in Bournville because the factory is just too busy making our other Cadbury products, such as the classic Cadbury Dairy Milk range, Wispa, Roses, Heroes, Cadbury Creme Egg and many more. In fact, we are increasing the amount of chocolate we make in the UK, which is good news for UK manufacturing and is made possible by the 75 million investment in our Bournville site, and an overall investment of 200 million into our British business, securing manufacturing in Bournville for the next generation.

'As we implement the 75million investment we have made to grow our Bournville manufacturing, we occasionally have to ask other Cadbury factories to temporarily produce certain products. This gives us the space to make improvements to existing lines and build new ones, without disrupting supply. This was the case with this bar, which was made in another factory for a short period of time last year, but has now returned home to Bournville. We can confirm that classic Cadbury Dairy Milk continues to be made in Bournville and we have not permanently moved any of that production elsewhere, instead we are improving the lines so that we can make even more Cadbury chocolate right here in the UK.'

FROM BIRMINGHAM GROCER'S TO GLOBAL SUCCESS: CADBURY'S HISTORY 1824: John Cadbury opened a grocer's shop in Bull Street, a fashionable part of Birmingham. Goods include cocoa and drinking chocolate. 1831: John Cadbury moved into manufacturing, renting a small factory in Crooked Lane, Birmingham, to make cocoa and drinking chocolate. 1847: With business booming, a larger factory was rented in the centre of Birmingham on Bridge Street. 1861: Richard and George Cadbury took over the business from their father John who was in poor health. They were aged just 25 and 21. 1866: The brothers launched Cocoa Essence after George bought a revolutionary cocoa press from Dutch manufacturer van Houten. Workers wrap Dairy Milk chocolates at the factory in Bournville in 1930 1879: Production began at the new 'factory in a garden' in the countryside at a greenfield site, four miles outside Birmingham, which they named Bournville. 1893: George Cadbury bought more land in Bournville in order to build a 'model village' for industrial workers. 1897: Cadbury launched its first milk chocolate for eating ,created by adding dried milk powder to cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. The Bournville Almshouses, a group of cottages round a central garden, were built for pensioners who had worked at Cadbury. 1900: The Bournville Village Trust was created to create a community and safeguard the area from other developers. 1905: Cadbury Dairy Milk was launched to compete against the leading brands of Swiss milk chocolate. 1906: A pension fund was launched for workers, with a capital gift from the company. 1915: Milk Tray was launched in this year: a stylish but no-frills box of chocolates for every day eating. 1918: Democratically elected 'works councils' for men and women were set up to discuss factory issues. 1919: Cadbury merged with J.S. Fry & Sons Limited in order for both companies to compete against Rowntree. 1921: Cadbury opened their first overseas factory in Hobart, Tasmania, followed by New Zealand in 1930. 1939: The Second World War begins, rationing is enforced and the making of chocolate and cocoa comes under Government control. 1955: Cadbury move into TV advertising on the launch night of commercial television on September 22, 1955. 1969: Cadbury merged with Schweppes in order to give better value to the customer, boost its foods arm and gain the resources to enter international markets. The new company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. 2003: Cadbury becomes the world's No 1 confectionery company after buying up various chewing gum brands, such as Trident and Stride. 2008:Cadbury and Schweppes demerged, splitting its confectionery and drinks business. 2009: Cadbury Dairy Milk becomes Fairtrade. 2010: Cadbury is taken over by US owner Kraft in a deal worth 11.5billion Advertisement




More than 1,000 people poured into a teachers' union hall in Chicago to support immigrant rights and implore each other to fight for those rights against what they fear will be a hostile Trump administration.

The Saturday rally attracted leaders from various religious faiths, ethnic groups and human rights organizations.

Many told the audience to fight deportations, a Muslim registry and other efforts they believe President-elect Donald Trump will lead.

People told of fearing deportation.

Some expressed worries that the Trump administration will prevent relatives  some in some of the most dangerous corners of the world  from joining them in the United States.

Demonstrators gather for a rally supporting immigrant rights in Chicago on Saturday

Thirty-one-year-old Rehab Alkadi says she fears what might happen to her and her family members who fled war-torn Syria because Trump has 'said a lot of bad things about Muslim people.'

A standing-room-only crowd has packed a historic African-American church in Washington for one of dozens of rallies around the nation supporting immigrant rights.

People attending Saturday included immigrants who lack legal permission to be in the country and their relatives and supporters.

Also present were elected officials and representatives of labor and women's groups. A line to enter Metropolitan AME Church stretched nearly a city block.

Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a 'first salvo' against President-elect Donald Trump's pledged hard line on immigration

Some expressed worries that the Trump administration will prevent relatives  some in some of the most dangerous corners of the world  from joining them in the United States

Speakers denounced Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and his pledge to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said the American people would not allow Trump 'to bury the Statue of Liberty.'

Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a 'first salvo' against Trump's pledged hard line on immigration.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday that congressional Republicans are working with the Trump transition team on a solution for immigrants brought illegally to this country as kids.

Hundreds of thousands of these immigrants gained temporary protections and work permits from President Barack Obama.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (left) said on Thursday that congressional Republicans are working with Trump (right) on a solution for immigrants brought illegally to this country as kids

While campaigning for president, Trump promised to undo those protections, putting the immigrants at risk of deportation, although he said last month he hoped to 'work something out' to help them.

Ryan didn't detail what Congress and Trump would do about the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

But when questioned on a CNN town hall by a woman who identified herself as a DACA recipient with a young daughter, Ryan told her he did not want to see her deported.

'I can see you love your daughter, you are a nice person who has a great future ahead of you, and I hope your future is here,' Ryan said.

'What we have to do is find a way to make sure that you can get right with the law, and we've got to do this in a good way so that the rug doesn't get pulled out from under you and your family gets separated.'

Host Jake Tapper pointed out that Trump, during the campaign, promised a 'deportation force' to round up the more than 11 million immigrants in the country illegally.

Ryan dismissed that idea.

'I'm here to tell you in Congress it's not happening.'

Instead, Ryan said Trump has asked lawmakers to focus on two priorities with respect to illegal immigration: securing the border and deporting immigrants who are violent, repeat criminals.

House GOP lawmakers and aides have also said recently they're working on how to pay for border security to make good on Trump's promise of building a wall on the border with Mexico, although at least initially taxpayers would foot the bill  not Mexico, as Trump promised.

DACA has extended work permits and temporary deportation relief to more than 700,000 immigrants brought illegally to this country as youths since its creation in 2012.

Trump has said it and other Obama executive actions are unconstitutional, since they involved going around Congress, a position Ryan repeated Thursday.
A Kentucky woman who is suspected of killing her husband and two teenage daughters was shot by police after pointing her gun at an officer.

Courtney Taylor, 41, was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries after she was shot by a deputy at her Williamsburg home on Friday night.

Authorities said her husband Larry Taylor, 51, and their daughters Jessie, 18, and 13-year-old Jolee were found dead inside the house.

Police were called to the home around 10.12pm when a relative went to the residence to check on the family, police said.

Scroll down for video

Jessie Taylor, 18, (left) and her sister Jolee, 13, (right) were allegedly killed by their mother Courtney Taylor while in their beds on Friday night

Courtney Taylor, 41, (pictured is an old photo with one of her daughters) was shot by police after she allegedly pointed her gun at two deputies who arrived at the home

Courtesy LEX 18

'He must've observed a body and retreated,' Sheriff Colan Harrell told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Two deputies arrived on the scene and entered the home when they said Taylor pointed her pistol at them.

That's when one of the deputies shot her. Taylor's current condition is unknown.

Harrell said he personally knew the Taylors and found the incident to be 'unbelievable'.

He said his department has never received any calls reporting trouble at their home in the past.

Harrell said he believes Larry Taylor and his daughter had been dead for several hours before their bodies were found.

Taylor also allegedly killed her 51-year-old husband Larry Taylor (pictured) on Friday

Authorities believe Larry Taylor and his daughter had been dead for several hours before their bodies were found

Investigators said they were shot in their beds, according to WKYT.

Harrell said all signs point to Taylor, a registered nurse, being the one who killed her husband two children.

The motive remains unknown.

Both deputies involved in Courtney Taylor's shooting have been placed on administrative leave, as is standard protocol.

Authorities plan to charge Taylor and Kentucky State Police is taking over the investigation.

Family members immediately began to change their profile pictures to Larry, Jessie and Jolee as tribute to the family on Saturday.

'He was a big teddy bear,' Elizabeth Kidd commented on Facebook.

'Such a loving father and husband. I just don't understand.'
A GOP congressman reported Friday that a painting stirring controversy on Capitol Hill will be taken down Tuesday after the agency responsible for maintaining the Capitol complex determined it violated rules for a student arts competition.

The painting depicts Ferguson, Missouri, with a pig in a police uniform aiming a gun at a protester. The painting was among hundreds completed by high school students that are featured in a tunnel leading to the Capitol.

Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Washington, complained the painting violated rules for the competition, which state that works depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or of a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed.

Scroll down for video

The painting, which shows the Ferguson protests, was created by a high school student and won a congressional art contest

Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Washington, complained the painting violated rules for the competition, which state that works depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or of a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed

Rep. Duncan Hunter of California took matters into his own hands and removed the painting without permission, returning it to Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay's office last Friday

Speaker Paul Ryan informed Reichert on Friday that the architect of the Capitol has determined the painting violated the rules and will come down, his office reported.

Reichert said in a written statement that the painting was a 'slap in the face to the countless men and women who put their lives on the line everyday on behalf of our safety and freedom'.

The painting by David Pulphus won an annual arts competition in Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay's congressional district last year.

Clay and lawmakers supporting the painting's display said it hung for more than six months without controversy.

They said things changed only after conservative media outlets began a campaign to have the artwork removed.

Then, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California took matters into his own hands and removed the painting without permission, returning it to Clay's office last Friday.

The empty space is seen on the U.S. Capitol walls after Hunter took the painting down. Congressional Black Caucus members later rehung it

Rep. William Lacy Clay (center), who represents Ferguson, Missouri, put it back up as members of the Congressional Black Caucus lent their support. Thus began a tit-for-tat in which Republican lawmakers kept taking the painting down and Clay kept putting it back up

'It was an impulsive thing when I walked by,' Hunter told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of his choice to take the painting down.

'It strikes a nerve. I'm not a cop, but I was in the Marine Corps.'

'It kind of strikes the same nerve as when the guys came home from Vietnam, and they were called baby killers,' Hunter added.

Duncan also told the newspaper that the move was 'nothing personal' toward Clay, a Missouri Democrat, whom the Republican says he considers a friend.

'It's offensive,' Duncan told the Post-Dispatch. 'You shouldn't have something in the Capitol that depicts cops as pigs. It's that simple.'

'I think he was way out of bounds and he broke the law  it's called theft,' Clay told the Daily Caller.

'I think don't think anyone up here is qualified to be an art critic. I'm not and no other member is an art critic except one  Alma Adams of North Carolina.'

(From left to right) Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-Louisiana), Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) and Rep. Alma Adams (D-North Carolina) rehang the painting in this Tuesday photo

He told the news outlet: ' There's plenty of art work in this capitol that I find to be very offensive and we should remove itlike Jefferson Davis' statuelike Robert E. Leetwo traitors who caused America 600,000 lives and they're treasonous.

'They should be out of here or Nathan Forrestthe founder of the KKK. His a** shouldn't be hanging around here.'

The removed painting was the winner of Clay's congressional art contest in May 2016  an interpretation of the Ferguson protests created by Cardinal Ritter High School student David Pulphus. It hung among other art show winners.

Clay put it back up as members of the Congressional Black Caucus lent their support.

The painting is seen on the wall after it was rehung by Congressional Black Caucus members in this Tuesday image

Thus began a tit-for-tat in which Republican lawmakers kept taking the painting down and Clay kept putting it back up.

Clay told The Daily Beast: 'It's really reduced to a childish game now, and now it calls into question the decorum and civility of this institution. And I think that's the real tragedy at this point, because they've really turned it into a game.'

Clay told the website: 'His winning entry is a provocative, symbolic representation of the great anger and pain, frustration and deep deficit in trust for local law enforcement that many young African Americans feel in their heart.

'The pain also reflects generations of struggle, sacrifice, abuse of power and tenuous relationship between minorities and the system of justice.'

Clay (pictured Tuesday) said removing the painting would be a violation of his constituent's First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression

Clay said removing the painting would be a violation of his constituent's First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression.

Clay's office said the congressman was not available to comment on Reichert's announcement that the painting will be taken down.

But just the day before he issued a statement saying Ryan and his Republican colleagues were attempting to suppress free speech 'with their own brand of retroactive, vigilante censorship against my constituent'.

Clay has warned that the removal of the painting would most certainly result in litigation.

'It's offensive,' Duncan (seen Tuesday) told the Post-Dispatch. 'You shouldn't have something in the Capitol that depicts cops as pigs. It's that simple'
posted a rape fantasy ad herself, and police stopped at least three men while she reported a fake incident of attempted rape

A woman denies elaborately framing her husband's ex-fiancee as a menacing stalker on Friday.

Angela Maria Diaz, 31, allegedly sent herself threatening emails, pretended she was pregnant, made false police reports, faked a crime scene and posed as the victim of a 'rape fantasy' ad on Craigslist, according to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.

Diaz seemed to make it appear like her husband's ex fiancee, Michelle Suzanne, Hadley was behind the Craigslist ad.

Yesterday, Diaz pleaded not guilty to charges pertaining to this framing including kidnapping, false imprisonment and perjury.

The plot led police to believe 30-year-old Michelle Hadley would eventually cause Diaz's rape or death - and Hadley was arrested in July for several felonies, for which she could have faced a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Scroll down for video

Michelle Suzanne Hadley (left) was apparently framed as a menacing stalker by Angela Maria Diaz (right), who succeeded in having her jailed for nearly three months

Hadley (left) first dated a 39-year-old Deputy US Marshal identified as 'John Doe' from 2013 to 2015. They broke up, and Doe ended up marrying Diaz (right) after two months of dating

But police claim Diaz set Hadley up, and the 30-year-old was released in October and exonerated, according to a press release issued by Rackauckas on Monday.

Deputy District Attorney Richard Zimmer told Dailymail.com: 'This is actually one of the most unusual things I've seen in my career. The amount of planning, the effort, the sophistication, the amount of time that went into framing Ms. Hadley was incredible.'

Diaz now faces a number of felonies including kidnapping, false imprisonment and filing false police reports.

Hadley started dating a 39-year-old Deputy US Marshal identified only as 'John Doe' in August 2013.

They bought a condo and got engaged during their 'whirlwind romance' until Hadley and Doe broke up in August 2015, according to Rackauckas.

In the months following their breakup, Hadley wrote Doe emails, some of which included religious language, according to Rackauckas. The two ceased contact in the fall of 2015.

In January 2016, Doe met Diaz on a dating website and the two were married within two months.

After moving in together, Diaz lied in May 2016 and told Doe she was pregnant before launching her elaborate scheme to frame Hadley.

On June 1, Diaz, along with her new husband, appeared at the Anaheim Police Department, where she reported that Hadley had sent her a number of threatening emails.

Police say Diaz sent the emails to herself, using Virtual Private Networks and third-party proxy servers to disguise her Internet Protocol (IP) address, according to Rackauckas.

Diaz gave the police copies of the fake emails, some of which she doctored to appear as if they were sent from Hadley's real email address, Zimmer said.

After Diaz wrote hundreds of fake emails, which she pinned on Hadley, she claimed she was the victim of a 'rape fantasy' Craigslist ad she claimed was set up by Hadley. Pictured, Diaz (left and right, with red marks around her neck) after she told police a man tried to rape her

She pointed out where her 'attacker' slammed her face into the wall (above), and showed police her ripped shirt. But Zimmer said: 'We believe that whole crime scene was staged and that she did that to herself'

The hundreds of fake emails, which Diaz denies pinning on Hadley, included threats to have Diaz raped and killed, in addition to threats to her fake, unborn child, according to Zimmer.

The phony emails also included disturbing images of decapitated bodies, aborted fetuses and dead women, Zimmer said.

Diaz also fooled authorities by using religious language that mirrored the contents of Hadley's correspondence with Doe shortly after they broke up, Zimmer said.

Zimmer told Dailymail.com: 'There were no threats from Hadley to Doe. But Diaz took the religious language and turned it into more threatening language.

The fake emails written by Diaz included mentions of God, Satan, and phrases like 'God knows the truth' or 'You'll suffer God's judgement', according to Zimmer.

Diaz was granted a Temporary Restraining Order against Hadley after making several false reports about ongoing threats.

The situation escalated when Diaz told police she was the victim of a 'rape fantasy' Craigslist ad she claimed was set up by Hadley.

Hadley (pictured left and right) was first arrested on June 24, 2016, and bailed out the next day. After Diaz reported another incident involving the rape fantasy ad, Hadley was jailed from July 13 to October 7

She told them Hadley had impersonated her and responded to advertisements on Craigslist saying she wanted to act out her 'rape fantasies'.

In reality, Diaz posted an advertisement herself. She told responding men that she wanted to have forced sex even if she screamed or resisted, and sent out photos of herself, along with details of her daily routine, according to Rackauckas.

The ad, which Diaz claimed was the work of Hadley, attracted at least two men who intended to travel to Diaz's home in Anaheim before they were intercepted by police.

On June 24, 2016, Diaz called 911, saying a man tried to rape her in the garage of her home - but that turned out to be another one of Diaz's lies, Zimmer said.

She pointed out where her 'attacker' slammed her face into the wall, and showed police a ripped shirt, along with an abrasion on her head and red marks on her neck.

Zimmer told Dailymail.com: 'We believe that whole crime scene was staged and that she did that to herself.'

But police at the time believed her story, and Hadley was arrested later that evening before she was released the next day on $100,000 bail.

Diaz claimed the threatening emails and responses to the rape fantasy ad ceased while Hadley was in jail and started up again after she was bailed out, incriminating Hadley further.

Weeks later on July 13, Diaz called 911 again and police arrived to find a 17-year-old boy outside her home who was responding to the rape fantasy ad.

'Due to the seriousness of the threats, the alleged attack on Diaz in her garage, the escalation in both the frequency and nature of the threats, and yet another man arriving at Diaz's residence to engage in a rape fantasy encounter, law enforcement believed a serious threat to public safety existed', according to the press release issued by Rackauckas.

A warrant was issued for Hadley's arrest, and she was charged with stalking, criminal threats, attempted rape, assault with intent to commit rape during a residential burglary, violating a protective order and a crime-bail-crime enhancement.

Hadley was held from July 14 until October 7 on $1million bail.

Diaz called 911 again on July 13, and police arrived to find a 17-year-old boy outside her home who was responding to the rape fantasy ad. A warrant was issued for Hadley's arrest, and she was charged with felonies that carried a maximum sentence of life in prison

Investigators finally tracked down the IP addresses of the threatening emails, and found they emerged from Diaz's own home, cell phone and her father's home in Arizona. Hadley has been exonerated and Diaz is now in custody

Zimmer told Dailymail.com: 'The aha moment came after we spent a few months trying to unwind the third party proxy servers.'

He said: 'When we did that, we started getting IP addresses to Diaz's condo and her father's apartment. One came back to her cell phone.'

Further investigation also revealed Diaz's history of fraud, which included altering a paycheck from her employer to add $2,000, telling her previous boyfriend she had cervical cancer, pretending to be an attorney, forging doctor's notes and impersonating two of her husband's ex-girlfriends through email in addition to her fake pregnancy.

Zimmer told Dailymail.com: ' This is actually one of the most unusual things I've seen in my career. The amount of planning, the effort, the sophistication, the amount of time that went into framing Ms Hadley was incredible.

'This was an ongoing thing, with emails coming in morning, noon and night.

'Thankfully this is very rare, but it certainly made me sick to my stomach to realize we probably had the wrong person in jail.

'That's certainly not something we want to have happen so we worked as fast as we could to clear Ms Hadley's name and reputation.'

Zimmer told Dailymail.com: 'it certainly made me sick to my stomach to realize we probably had the wrong person in jail' Pictured, Hadley outside Orange County Superior Court on January 9, 2016

Hadley, who smiled and held back tears as she called it 'the most traumatic experience of my life' is now looking to finish her MBA at Chapman University

Pictured, Hadley hugging Orange County Distrct ATtorney Chief of Staff Susan Schroeder after being cleared of all charges

Rackauckas said: 'As important as the filing of charges against Ms. Diaz, is the dismissal of the previous complaint and full exoneration of Michelle Hadley.

'This is a very detailed case. I wanted to make sure, however, that Ms. Hadley is cleared in every possible way  in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion.

'It should be clear in the media and in cyberspace. Ms. Hadley is an innocent victim of a diabolical scheme.'

Hadley, who called it 'the most traumatic experience of my life' is now looking to finish her MBA at Chapman University.

Diaz is in custody in Arizona, and is expected to be extradited to California in the next week before she will be arraigned, Zimmer said.

He said Diaz and Doe are in the process of getting a divorce.
James Comey is receiving a lot of flak from House Democrats after the FBI director refused to confirm whether or not the bureau is investigating links between President-elect Donald Trump and Russia.

In a closed-door briefing on Friday, the law enforcement officer said he would 'never comment' on a potential FBI investigation.

The Justice Department's Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced on Thursday an investigation will be carried out to look at whether Comey followed policy and if he improperly disclosed nonpublic information regarding the Clinton campaign.

The FBI director refused to comment on investigation of Trump and Russia after a contentious session on Friday (Pictured: Comey at a Senate hearing on Tuesday)

Critics said Comey's decision to stay tight-lipped was hypocritical referring to the time he broke protocol during a press conference where he explained why he wouldn't charge Hillary Clinton for the email scandal.

US intelligence official James Clapper released a report last week saying the agency had found ties between the Putin and Trump and found evidence that the Russian government staged cyber attacks on the US to influence the election.

Democratic congressman Jerrold Nadler asked Comey if he thought there had been a double standard with the two situations, the Associated Press reported.

'Do you believe that standard has been met with reference to the possible investigation of the Trump campaign's possible connections to the Russian government? And if not, why not?', Nadler asked.

Comey replied the cases were not the same and refused to comment.

US intelligence officials released a report last week saying the agency had found ties between the Putin and Trump and found evidence that the Russian government staged cyber attacks on the US to influence the election



Eleven days before the election, the FBI director reopened the case against Clinton, which caused contention among democratic leaders and Comey.

The timing of his announcement led Democrats to believe it influenced Hillary Clinton's loss in the presidential race.

Comey initially looked into Clinton's email scandal in July and cleared her after finding her use of the email server 'reckless' but not illegal.

He opened the investigation once again just days before the 2016 election in November citing newfound emails.

Days later, Comey said he found no incriminating evidence against the Democratic presidential candidate.

Following her shocking defeat, Clinton called Comey's letter to Congress which 'groundless, baseless, proven to be, stopped our momentum,' the New York Times reported.

After the hearing, California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi told reporters the issue was of 'high interest' and the 'American people are owed the truth.'

While Republican Steve King said he was impressed by the way the FBI director handled the contentious briefing, The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial that Comey should resign from his position.
Legendary jockey Pat Eddery left his entire 1.3 million estate to his stable girl lover  and nothing to his four children.

Probate records reveal that Eddery, who died aged 63 in November 2015, left the money to Emma Owen, who is 23 years his junior.

The 11-times champion rider, who won 4,632 races in the UK during a career spanning 34 years, referred to her as my Emma in a new will which was drawn up just two years before his death.

Pat Eddery, who died aged 63 in November 2015, left the money to Emma Owen, who is 23 years his junior

He stated his estate should be split between his children if Miss Owen died before him  but they received nothing because she survived him.

The estate was reduced to 733,894 after liabilities such as inheritance tax and funeral and legal expenses were paid.

The Irishman had three children with his former wife Carolyn  equestrian artist Nichola, 34, former event rider and amateur showjumper Natasha, 31, and Harry, 22. He was also the father of jockey Toby Atkinson, 27, from one of several affairs during his marriage.

Miss Owen began working for Eddery at his training yard in 2009, six months after Carolyn walked out on him after 31 years of marriage, blaming his heavy drinking.

She reportedly became his partner around three months later and moved into his home at the 100-acre Musk Hill stud farm near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

The Irishman had three children with his former wife Carolyn  equestrian artist Nichola, 34, former event rider and amateur showjumper Natasha, 31, all pictured left, and a son Harry, 22. Edderys daughters had an acrimonious relationship with Miss Owen, pictured right

Edderys daughters had an acrimonious relationship with Miss Owen and claimed they were not even told he was in hospital for five days before he died from a heart attack after a coronary blood clot.

Natasha put out an emotional statement on Instagram after Eddery died, saying she had not seen him for five years due to his drinking, although they spoke by phone.

The message said she last saw him when she brought him home from rehab in 2010 and he started drinking straight away.

Natasha, who is married to trainer David Dunsdon, added in her statement: My siblings and his close friends did all we could to help him battle his illness, but we lost in the end.

The 11-times champion rider, who won 4,632 races in the UK during a career spanning 34 years, referred to his girlfriend as my Emma in the will

Speaking about his will yesterday, she said: I have put all my stuff about my dad behind me It doesnt really bother me. Its his choice. Im not upset about it because my dad was ill and I didnt see him as my dad any more.

Miss Owen, who still lives at Musk Hill, said she believed Edderys daughter Nichola was contesting the will. She said Eddery had provided for his daughters for many years, but they had walked out of his life because they just couldnt respect his decision to move on and be with someone he wanted to be with.

Miss Owen, right, began working for Eddery, left, at his training yard in 2009, six months after his wife walked out on him

Miss Owen added: They didnt like it and they used [his] drinking to excuse their own behaviour. He didnt turn his back on them at all.

She also revealed she and Eddery had been about to marry, but he died a month before the ceremony was due to take place.

Edderys son Toby said he was a bit disappointed to inherit nothing but had no hard feelings.

Eddery gave up his jockey career in 2003 and set up his Musk Hill yard with 40 horses in 2005.

Additional reporting by Laura Molyneaux
Slapped down: Vice Admiral Alasdair Walker

The Armed Forces most senior medical officer has been slapped down by military lawyers after trying to enforce a smoking ban on troops.

Vice Admiral Alasdair Walker issued written orders stopping staff from smoking in uniform. The Falklands veteran also called for soldiers to be banned from smoking at work, even in designated areas outside their offices.

He told staff they had until March to stub out their cigarettes when the militarys first smoking ban would begin.

But following a backlash  including claims the Nazi Party would be proud of the policy  military lawyers have blocked the ban because it has no basis in law.

Last night, former Royal Navy chief Lord West, who served with Vice Admiral Walker in the 1982 Falklands War, said: Im surprised by this attempt to ban smoking.

It was always going to fail. You cant be ordering your staff to quit, even though it is bad for their health. If you go down that road youll have to ban skydiving and mountain-climbing too, in case somebody breaks their ankle.

Vice Admiral Walker was appointed Surgeon General in 2015, a role which makes him responsible for the health of Britains 190,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen.

His smoking ban would have applied to hundreds of Defence Medical Services (DMS) personnel at their headquarters at Whittington Barracks, Shropshire.

In a letter to staff, Vice Admiral Walker wrote: The Defence Medical Services have a moral imperative to lead by example and promote the no-smoking message across defence.

'The implementation of this policy will provide a strong message consistent with our mission to promote, protect and restore the health and well-being of the Armed Forces.

While everyone has the choice whether or not to smoke in their private lives, it has been decided it is not appropriate to smoke in work time or for Service personnel to smoke on the premises.

The smoke-free policy will prohibit personnel from smoking anywhere on site. Furthermore, a ban will be imposed on smoking while in uniform.

Medical staff were shocked by the intended ban, which was also discussed on internet forums popular with serving and retired troops.

Changing times: A First World War postcard of a smoking British soldier

One ex-soldier on the Facebook page Fill Your Boots wrote: I dont smoke, but the Nazi Party would be proud of this.

Another of the 250 online comments read: Wish I was based there, this is a claim and a half. Id be straight on the phone to my solicitor making myself a nice buck for breach of human rights.

The protests led to Ministry of Defence lawyers getting involved. They reported back to top brass that the ban had legal issues.

Smoking rates have fallen in the UK for several years. Only one in six adults now smokes, it is believed, with more than 500,000 people quitting in the previous 12 months.

An MoD spokesman said they had no figures for smoking rates in the Armed Forces, adding: A ban is not in place, but we encourage healthy lifestyles. So the Surgeon General plans to pilot ways to reduce smoking at the site to promote the smoke-free agenda which exists across defence and the nation.
A British businessman jailed for 20 years for murdering his fiancee in a luxury Paris hotel has been secretly freed from prison after just 22 months.

Ian Griffin, 47, bludgeoned multi-millionaire Kinga Legg, 36, to death in their 800-a-night room at the five-star Bristol and left her naked body in the bath. A coroner said she received around 100 blows.

But in a decision that has infuriated Miss Leggs family, a French judge ordered Griffins release at a closed hearing in October.

The entrepreneur has since been living quietly in the Alsace region, three hours east of Paris.

Standing by her man: Ian Griffin with Tracy Baker, who he was in a relationship with while he was engaged to Miss Legg

No explanation for his new-found freedom has been given and, astonishingly, it appears the family of Miss Legg, a Polish-born international businesswoman, knew nothing about it until contacted by The Mail on Sunday yesterday.

Her cousin, Eva, said: Oh my God! How can this be? I thought that life meant life  you take a life and you pay for it by forfeiting your own freedom.

We all thought he was in jail and that was where he was staying. How could they let him out?

She said if Miss Leggs mother Halina and brother Marek had known about the release they would have told her. They will be devastated, she added.

Over the past few weeks Griffin has posted photos on Facebook, including one in which he frolics in the snow with Tracy Baker, a former Dragons' Den contestant, and their two-year-old son.

He beat my head against the ground

Answering the door at his home, Griffin, who suffers from a neurological condition, said he was unable to discuss the case because of a confidentiality order. I cant talk about the conditions of my release or the deal  it was a closed hearing, he said.

But displaying notably little contrition, he went on to speak enthusiastically about business opportunities.

Im very busy with business, its pretty exciting stuff, he said. Were rolling out things in France and Ive got a lot of things in America.

He also talked self-pityingly about how the murder case had ruined my life, my reputation, my work.

He added: Something terrible has happened and I have to live with that. Its extremely hard sometimes and Ive learnt to deal with it in certain ways, but its very difficult.

Every night I go to bed and I think, Why me? I have to put my mind somewhere else. Its a terrible thing that happened to me.

The victim who foresaw her own murder: Kinga Legg was found in a Paris hotel - she had earlier warned a friend about her turbulent relationship

Asked how he thought Miss Leggs family would react to his release, he said: I dont know if they know Nothing in the world would make me feel better than to make Kingas parents feel better. But I cant.

Miss Leggs father, a former mayor of the small Polish town of Opatowek, where his family live, died aged 67 on Easter Sunday 2015  four months after Griffin was jailed.

I tried to defend myself and she fell over and banged her head on a coffee table

Local trader Zygmunt Borek said: I dont know what he died of and I know the doctor cant put broken heart on the death certificate, but he was never the same after the death of Kinga. He adored his daughter. During the five-day trial in December 2014, Griffin, who once ran a chain of tanning salons and gadget shops, admitted being addicted to alcohol and anti-depressants at the time of the killing in May 2009.

But his lawyers claim that Griffins memory had disappeared into a black hole was rubbished by prosecutor Philippe Courroye.

It is impossible to believe this state of amnesia, this savage aggression, Mr Courroye said.

And he pointed out in court that in an interview with The Mail on Sunday in May 2013, Griffin said: She fired a stun gun disguised as a stick of lipstick at me and then punched me in the face, catching me with a ring.

I tried to defend myself and she fell over and banged her head on a coffee table.

But Mr Courroye said he did not believe any of Griffins versions of events, saying the case was a classic one of violence against women. He added that Griffin was a kind of gigolo whose business ventures had turned sour and who relied on his wealthy parents for money.

After killing Miss Legg, Griffin tried to clean the hotel room and phoned reception staff twice to say the couple would be extending their stay. Before fleeing to the UK in his Porsche 911, he placed a Do Not Disturb sign on the door and told staff his wife was sleeping.

A manhunt was launched and Griffin, who boasted he owned a Lamborghini supercar which once belonged to Eric Clapton, was found sleeping rough in a tent in a wood in Cheshire a week later. He was extradited to France. A psychologist told the court Griffin was a fragile, depressive individual prone to suicidal tendencies and with major psychological problems, but also as someone who had always refused professional help.

He displayed, she said, an infantile attitude to women, was dependent on them, and needed to be mothered at all costs.

Griffin began his relationship with Miss Legg in 2008, when she ran a flourishing tomato export company, which supplied McDonalds and supermarkets including Tesco. Her company, Vegex, had a UK base in Oxshott, Surrey, where she and Griffin rented a 3 million home.

Their relationship was turbulent and the month before she was killed, Miss Legg sent a text message to a friend saying: Just in case I die, youll have proof with the copy of this text. He made me take so many sleeping pills I dont know if Ill ever wake up.

Another message, sent a few minutes later, said: He beat me  he beat my head against the ground.

On the night she died the couple were on their way to Monaco where they planned to marry, though Miss Leggs parents said they believed Griffin was drawn to their daughter because of her fortune.

KILLER PLAYS HAPPY FAMILIES ON FACEBOOK Ian Griffin has posted a string of photos on Facebook Since his release from prison, Ian Griffin has posted a string of photos on Facebook, including this one of him in the snow with fiancee Tracy Baker and their two-year-old son. Griffin uploaded several snaps of the family larking in the snow. The convicted killer also changed his profile picture to a bizarre image of himself hiding his face with a Christmas wreath. Images he uploaded before his conviction included those of a bright orange Lamborghini, private jets and a luxury yacht. Advertisement

At the time Griffin was already in a relationship with Miss Baker, which endured throughout his time with Miss Legg.

Miss Baker had a child with Griffin after he was controversially released on bail in 2013.

At an appeal hearing in April last year, Griffins murder conviction was upheld, but his sentence was reduced to 14 years after judges took into account his decision to accept responsibility for what happened, along with his good behaviour while in prison. Griffins last words in court were: It was my job to be the protector, the one who dealt with our needs. I almost did. Im incredibly sorry now.

In France it is normal for those convicted of murder to serve at least two-thirds of their sentence.

A legal source said: Sentences for murder are relatively low here, so the guidelines are for the majority of a sentence to be served.

Griffins lawyers did not respond to requests to comment.
Making any movie involves striking intricate deals with demanding actors, often with delicate egos.

Now Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has laid down his bottom line for appearing in a big-screen version of the hit period drama  his name must not share the screen with a dogs backside.

His billing in the opening credits of the ITV series became something of a running joke, as for the six years the show was on air his name appeared alongside the back end of a labrador.

The title sequence even led to fans using the affectionate Twitter hashtag #HoundsBum to talk about the show.

The billing for the series became something on an ongoing joke, with fans creating the affectionate Twitter hashtag #HoundsBum

Downton creator Julian Fellowes and producer Gareth Neame are still developing the movie, and details remain a closely guarded secret

But as plans for a Downton film move ahead, an insider said: Hugh has said hes cool with anything, so long as his name isnt over the dogs bum in the opening credits.

Its not the first time that the actor, who plays the Earl of Grantham, has brought up the unfortunate juxtaposition.

In a 2012 interview he displayed a sense of humour over the apparent ignominy, saying: Someone up there hates me. Its an interesting opening choice.

Downton creator Julian Fellowes and producer Gareth Neame are still developing the movie, and details remain a closely guarded secret.

Jim Carter, who plays Carson the butler (pictured, right, with Hugh Bonneville), revealed that cast members have been asked to keep ourselves available at dates in the future

But speculation that filming is due to start soon was heightened this month when Jim Carter, who plays Carson the butler, revealed that cast members have been asked to keep ourselves available at dates in the future.

Dame Maggie Smith is said to be returning as the waspish Dowager Countess, alongside Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith and Lily James as Lady Rose.

The casting of the dog is less certain. Lord Granthams first labrador, Pharaoh, was killed off early on.

A second dog, called Isis, was killed off in series five, although Bonneville denied the decision was forced because of the notoriety of the Islamic State terror group, also known as IS. His final canine companion was called Tiaa, after an ancient Egyptian queen.
Nigel Farage yesterday publicly denied his marriage is on the rocks after it emerged he is living in a bachelors pad in London during the week.

The former Ukip leader said he is staying in a borrowed home owned by a friend, but denied claims that the move is linked to a rift with second wife Kirsten. The couple have two daughters, aged 16 and 11.

Mr Farage, 52, shrugged off new questions on the state of his marriage, saying: We get by and bumble along, like most people.

Publicity shy: Kirsten at a Ukip conference in 2015 and, left, Nigel Farage at his home in Kent

He went on: I am borrowing a flat from somebody and it will last as long as it lasts. It is not the first time I have done that.

I normally stay in a club which costs 85 to 90 a night. I will probably revert to that in a few months time but this is cheaper and less impersonal.

He declined to say who owned the flat. The disclosure that he lives in London most of the week follows his I want my life back vow in the aftermath of the EU referendum.

He stepped down as Ukip leader and his Euro MP role will disappear in two years when the UK leaves the EU.

Speaking yesterday from his family home in Downe, near Westerham in Kent, just 30 miles from London, Farage said he spends more weekends at home since quitting his Ukip campaigning role.

He added: In fact, Ive been tobogganing this morning.

Asked how moving into a London flat from Monday to Friday squared with his I want my life back pledge, he said he understood why some might query it, explaining: Im getting my life back I also have time to pursue some different careers and a few other avenues.

Farage married German-born Kirsten Mehr in 1999 after his divorce from first wife, Grainne Hayes, an Irish nurse.

Nigel Farage, pictured here on The Andrew Marr Show with Gina Miller, stepped down as Ukip leader and his Euro MP role will disappear in two years when the UK leaves the EU

Kirsten will not be at his side when he attends friend Donald Trumps inauguration as US President in Washington on Friday this week. We did discuss it, but she hates publicity and there will be a blaze of it around me, said Farage.

Kirsten was also absent from a champagne party at Londons Ritz Hotel last month to celebrate Farages 25 years campaigning to quit the EU. She was at home babysitting their children.

However, his grown-up sons from his first marriage, Sam and Tom, were at the party.

Asked about the possibility of a second marriage split, a close friend of Farage said: You have to understand Nigel and Kirsten will always put their daughters first.

Since his key role in Brexit, Farage has become a global celebrity and been lauded by Donald Trump. He was the first British politician to meet the President-elect.

He has been tipped for an array of new roles, including US envoy in Brussels, a peerage, and a job in the Trump administration.

Mr Farage has avoided appearing in public with his wife and children for two years after anti-Ukip protesters chased them out of the Queens Head pub in Downe, where the family was having Sunday lunch.

The mob attacked the car in which they tried to escape.

Last year, he broke down as he described how his children had been bullied because of his job.

His love life hit the headlines in 2014, when Nikki Sinclaire, a former Ukip MEP, used a debate in the EU Parliament to claim Farage had both his second wife and a former mistress on the public payroll.

Sinclaire said Annabelle Fuller, a Ukip press officer, had been his mistress  a charge Fuller and Farage denied.

Mr Farage said he hadnt even kissed Fuller though his wife Kirsten was pretty cheesed off about the allegations.

Mr Farage claimed Sinclaire held a grudge because Fuller was picked ahead of her as a Ukip press officer.

But Mr Farage has admitted having had a fling with a 25-year-old Latvian woman a decade ago, saying: I put myself in a very bad position there. I am not saying I am beyond stupidity and yes, Ive made mistakes.
Advertisement

Carrying an injured comrade on their shoulder and with their trousers splattered with blood - these images show the harsh realities of the Libyan National Army's fight against jihadists.

The LNA, led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, have battled Islamic extremists in the country's second city of Benghazi and elsewhere in the east for more than two years.

Haftar presents himself as Libya's saviour in the face of a growing jihadist threat, but is himself a hugely divisive figure.

Haftar's forces can count on support from other eastern cities such as Al-Marj, Al-Bayda and Tobruk and from the anti-Islamist Zintan militia and regional tribes in the west.

Libya has been bitterly divided since the NATO-backed 2011 ousting of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with rival militias vying for influence and control of oil resources.

A member of the Libyan National Army carries an injured comrade during fighting against Islamic extremists in Qanfudah

The fighter in the LNA is covered in blood after carrying a wounded comrade during fighting on the outskirts of Benghazi

The LNA has battled jihadists in second city Benghazi and surrounding towns for more than two years

Members of the LNA, led by Khalifa Haftar, fire a tank during fighting against Islamic extremists in Qanfudah

The power struggles pits Haftar, who is aligned with the eastern parliament and government, against the UN-backed government in Tripoli [Government of National Accord] supported by militias from the western city of Misrata.

Haftar, accused by his rivals of wanting to install a military regime in Libya, has refused to cede power. Many suspect he seeks national power.

He enjoys the support of Arab states including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan and has been at the forefront of the fight against Islamic extremists.

The Libyan National Army, aligned with the eastern parliament and government, are vying for control against the UN-backed government in the bitterly divided country

The Libyan National Army are led by Haftar, who presents himself as Libya's saviour in the face of a growing jihadist threat, but is himself a hugely divisive figure

The West has pinned its hopes on the GNA (led by Fayez al-Sarraj) to restore order in Libya, but it has so far failed to assert its authority across the country.

Pro-GNA fighters mainly from the Western town of Misrata drove ISIS from the Libyan town of Sirte in December, capping a deadly months-long campaign for Gaddafi's hometown.

The Misrata militias include hardliners determined to fight Haftar's army.

The LNA has battled jihadists in second city of Benghazi for more than two years and accuse Misrata militias of backing die-hard extremists.

UN envoy Martin Kobler has expressed concern about the tensions between the LNA and western militias who support the unity government.

The Libyan National Army have waged 'Operation Dignity' against Islamist extremists in Benghazi for more than two years

Last Wednesday, Haftar was given a tour of a Russian aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, in a show of Kremlin support.

Russia's courting of Haftar has prompted some to draw parallels with Syria, where Moscow stepped into the bloody civil war to prop up President Bashar al-Assad.

Western governments regard Haftar as a barrier to developing a political consensus.

A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) leans against a wall riddled with shrapnels during fighting

Libya's oil exporting region is bitterly contested between the country's internationally recognised Government of National Accord and the rival administration in the east, supported by Haftar (pictured)
Paying careful attention in a well-equipped classroom, these foreign medics are studying at a college in Poland which will help plug Britains GP shortfall.

The eventual reward for those on the three-month course  paid for by the British taxpayer  will be a generous 90,000-a-year salary as a family doctor in the UK.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has promised to train more British doctors, but the lack of GPs is now so desperate that NHS England has been forced to look abroad to bring in 500 more by 2020.

Learning to adapt: Medics in Poland pictured preparing for life in the UK

The first 25 overseas GPs will be going to work in Lincolnshire, which has a chronic shortage of family doctors.

It is these doctors who will be starting their residential course this week at the campus of Paragona, the Warsaw-based recruitment firm that has a deal with the NHS.

They receive training, including English language lessons, for free, and once they have arrived here, they will receive what is described as a very attractive salary which starts at 70,000  and rises to 90,000 after two years.

That is well above the 53,600 average annual pay for a salaried GP in Britain  and far in excess of that offered in many Eastern European countries.

After three years they will also receive a 10,000 golden handshake loyalty bonus.

Paragonas UK recruitment consultant, Katarzyna Sulkowska, said in an advertisement that the classes were a free of charge training programme to prepare doctors for working at a [GP] practice in England.

Intensive: One of the teachers on the GP campus just outside Warsaw, left, and Katarzyna Sulkowska advertises the training, right

The initiative is a pilot project by NHS England and Lincolnshire doctors to help international recruits navigate the registration and admission process to practice [sic] medicine in England.

Paragona describes its dedicated campus in Piaseczno, a quiet town on the outskirts of Warsaw, as providing super conditions for learning a new language fast and effectively, and has previously readied medics to work in Scandinavia.

Recruits are housed in smart apartments, and are then expected to work intensively to learn the language and culture of their target country, according to a promotional YouTube video.

After a few months, the doctors start to work in the country, where the language used to be unknown to them, it adds.

But it isnt all hard work: Paragona puts on ten-pin bowling, swimming and yoga to help the doctors relax.

Wake up call: The poll will be sobering for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and International Development Secretary Priti patel

The first UK-bound recruits, who are due to begin their 12-week course at the campus tomorrow, should start work in Lincolnshire in April, according to Dr Kieran Sharrock, medical director of the countys local medical committee.

He said recruitment had been really successful, with 13 GPs from Poland, Croatia, Greece, Spain and Lithuania accepted so far. More interviews are set to follow.

Dr Sharrock said the pay levels were based on that of a local average salaried GP.

The scheme will help Mr Hunt achieve his pledge to increase GP numbers by 5,000 by 2020.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: Its absolutely essential for the future of our NHS, and in order to ensure safe patient care, that we pull out all the stops and deliver this pledge as a matter of urgency.
Even though Henry VIIIs war with the Pope began 500 years ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is expected to express his remorse this week

It was one of the bloodiest periods in English history, with thousands brutally put to death, often burned at the stake for their religious beliefs in the Reformation.

But even though Henry VIIIs war with the Pope began 500 years ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is expected to express his remorse this week.

The move was ridiculed by former Conservative Minister Ann Widdecombe, an Anglican who converted to Catholicism.

These gestures are pointless. The Archbishop has not put anyone to death, as far as I know, she said.

Modern Christians are not responsible for what happened in the Reformation.

You might as well expect the Italians to apologise for Pontius Pilate.

The Most Rev Welby is drawing up a joint statement with the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, which is expected to call for repentance for the excesses of the period.

The initiative, which will stress the need to heal divisions, comes a month before the Church of Englands Parliament, the General Synod, debates the anniversary.

Dramatised: Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII and Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn, who he had beheaded, in the BBC's award-winning Wolf Hall

The Rev Andrew Atherstone, a member of the Synod and the Faith and Order Commission, said the Reformation remained deeply embedded in our national psyche as the context for events such as the Spanish Armada and the Gunpowder Plot.

He said: As the Church of England prepares to celebrate the Reformation, it should also repent of the violence and brutality it sometimes committed in Gods name.

But critics questioned whether such regret so many centuries after the events had any value.

The Reformation is not even a required subject for the National Curriculum.

The move was ridiculed by former Conservative Minister Ann Widdecombe, an Anglican who converted to Catholicism

The Church has in the past been derided for apologising to Charles Darwin for initially misunderstanding his theory of evolution, and popes have been criticised for the Crusades and the treatment of the 17 Century astronomer Galileo for saying the Earth revolved round the sun.

But a spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury said: People often look to the past so they dont make the same mistakes again and can move on.

Sources said the joint statement by the Archbishops, to mark a week of prayer for Christian unity, is expected to welcome improvements in the relations between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, while recognising that the Reformation left lasting damage.

The English Reformation is usually dated from Henrys break with Rome after the Pope refused to let him divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn. Lord High Chancellor Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher were executed for opposing the King.

Henrys eldest daughter Mary, who became Queen in 1553, remained loyal to Rome and was dubbed Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestant martyrs, burning around 300 heretics including former Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.

But Elizabeth I, who succeeded her in 1558, reinforced Protestantism, and a large numbers of Roman Catholic martyrs were hanged, drawn and quartered.
Elon Musk watched in horror as SpaceX's Falcon 9 burst into flames and rained debris over the Atlantic Ocean in 2015.

The botched takeoff led to delayed launches, hindered the firm's ability to fulfill contracts and contributed to annual loss and drops in revenue.

Now, new documents reveal SpaceX lost 'hundreds of millions of dollars' when the rocket exploded, the WSJ claims.

Scroll down for videos

Elon Musk watched in horror as SpaceX's Falcon 9 burst into flames and rained debris over the Atlantic Ocean in 2015. The botched takeoff led to delayed launches, hindered the firm's ability to fulfill contracts and contributed to annual loss and drops in revenue

THE $260M MISTAKE In June 2015, Elon Musk watched in horror as SpaceX's Falcon 9 burst into flames and rained debris over the Atlantic Ocean. The Falcon 9 rocket broke up just minutes after its launch with a robotic Dragon cargo capsule for the ISS. SpaceX says the initial part of the liftoff went well, until the vehicle went supersonic. A flawed steel strut holding a helium pressurization bottle likely gave way, the firm believes. Financial documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal reveal this blunder cost SpaceX $260 million. It led to delayed launches, hindered the firm's ability to fulfill contracts and contributed to annual loss of a quarter-billion dollars and a 6% drop in revenue. Advertisement

'The company lost $260 million in 2015 when one of its Falcon 9 rockets, carrying two tons of cargo to the international space station, exploded shortly after liftoff,' the paper says.

However, SpaceX declined to comment on the details, but told The Journal 'it has a solid record of success and strong customer relationships'.

The numbers reveal that it was the four-month delay that hit SpaceX the hardest, as the firm was only able to launch six of 12 rockets it had planned for that year.

The interruption lost the firm a few big contracts, for example, Inmarsat PLC and ViaSat each took away one of their jobs from Elon Musk's company and gave it to Arianespace.

However, both of these firms are said to have reserved slots for later missions.

The financial documents also revealed that contracts from both private companies and NASA contributed to a revenue growth of $680 million in 2013 to $1 billion by the following year.

But in 2015, the explosion caused revenue to drop by 6 percent and created an annual loss of a quarter-billion dollars.

Although it was found that SpaceX had $1.3 billion by the end of the year, it was still generating less cash than what had been invested into the firm.

'The company lost $260m in 2015 when one of its Falcon 9 rockets, carrying two tons of cargo to the international space station, exploded shortly after liftoff,' writers Rolfe Winkler and Andy Pasztor reported for The Wall Street Journal , who also obtained the financial documents

SPACEX SET TO GIVE WORLD WI-FI Elon Musk's SpaceX filed an application to send over 4,000 satellites into orbit around our planet in November 2016. If the company is successful, it would increase the number of satellites in orbit by over 300 percent. Each satellite in SpaceX's planned group will weigh about 850 lbs (386 kg). They will orbit at altitudes ranging from 715 miles (1,150 km) to 790 miles (1,275 km). From this height each satellite will be able to cover an area on the ground about around 1,300 miles (2,120 km) wide. The project, which Musk previously said would cost at least $10 billion (8.03 billion), was first announced in January 2015. The system will be able to provide broadband service at speeds of up to 1 Gbps per end user, the application says. The aim of this network of satellites would be to provide high-speed internet to people around the world. By 2020, the firm predicts this business will be SpaceX's 'core launch division and five years later, it will be generating a profit between $15 billion and $20 billion. Advertisement

Elon Musk announced it was a flawed steel strut holding a helium pressurization bottle likely gave way that led Falcon 9 to its doom.

'There was an overpressure event,' Musk wrote on Twitter after the accident in July 2015.

'Cause still unknown after several thousand engineering-hours review,' he added.

The documents do share some hopeful news for SpaceX, as they reveal the firm has big plans to make it profitable.

SpaceX will carry out a satellite internet division that is projected to generate billions in revenue by 2025.

The satellite project aims to launch 4,000 communication satellites into the atmosphere to provide global internet access  the firm has listed 2018 in the documents for when the first phase to go online.

The explosion caused revenue to drop by 6 percent and created an annual loss of a quarter-billion dollars. Although it was found that SpaceX had $1.3 billion by the end of the year, it was still generating less cash than what had been invested into the firm

By 2020, the firm predicts this business will be SpaceX's 'core launch division and five years later, it will be generating a profit between $15 billion and $20 billion.

The firm had estimated it would hit 1.8 billion in revenue last year and $55 million in operating profits.

However, these figures would only have been correct if SpaceX could successfully launch 20 rockets  it only set off eight in 2016.

SPACEX'S CHECKERED HISTORY Founded in 2002 by PayPal founder Elon Musk, SpaceX has been one of the driving forces behind the efforts by commercial companies to venture into space. Previously the domain of government-sponsored national agencies like Nasa and Russia's Roscosmos, launching spacecraft into orbit was seen as being prohibitively expensive. SpaceX, however, became the first privately funded company to launch a rocket powered by liquid-propellant into orbit in 2008 with its Falcon 1. It later became the first to launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft. With the end of the Nasa's Space Shuttle program, SpaceX has also stepped in to allow the US to continue to send supplies to the International Space Station. In 2012 the company was the first private firm to send a spacecraft packed with cargo to resupply the space station. This year alone it has achieved eight launches carrying supplies to the ISS and a number of satellites into orbit. But SpaceX's journey has been hit with setbacks and problems. Perhaps its worst accident to date occurred on June 28 2015 one of its Falcon 9 rockets carrying an unmanned Dragon capsule filled with cargo for the ISS exploded just minutes after launch. An investigation into the explosion revealed a failed strut on the helium pressure vessels broke as it accelerated out of the atmosphere, allowing a catastrophic escape of gas. Part of SpaceX's model for reducing the cost of space travel is to reuse its rockets. But this has been beset with a series of accidents that saw the rockets topple over and explode during these landing attempts. It lost two rockets after they failed to land safely before it managed to successfully land the first stage booster at Kennedy Space Center on December 21 2015. Freezing fog that caused a landing leg to fail to lock caused another rocket to topple over on a barge in January 2016 on landing. Since then the company has managed to land four of its Falcon 9 launch rockets on floating barges at sea. But on 15 June this year another of its rockets toppled over and was destroyed after managing to touch down on a barge. The company has also had problems while in orbit. In March 1 2013 a Dragon spacecraft suffered thruster issues due to a blacked fuel valve leaving it unable to properly control itself before docking with the ISS. On this occasion engineers were able to remotely clear the blockages and the craft docked with the ISS one day later than scheduled. Advertisement

But the firm isn't giving up just yet, this year it has 27 missions set up and expects it will be sending a new rocket into space each week by 2019.

Falcon 9 debuted in 2010 after SpaceX experimented with a smaller predecessor booster.

ELON MUSK'S 'INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT SYSTEM' Last month, Elon Musk unveiled his most ambitious project yet - an 'Interplanetary Transport System' to take mankind to Mars in 80 days and build a sustainable human colony of a million people there. 'What I want to achieve is make Mars seem possible, to show that we can do it in our lifetimes, and you could go,' he said at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico. However, he warned the trip was likely to be dangerous - and said candidates for the first missions 'must be prepared to die'. The Interplanetary Transport System will use a giant rocket booster with a 39 foot (12m) diameter and 49 engines, and a special shuttle with a 56 foot (17m) diameter, making the entire rocket stack 400 feet (122m) high. They will launch with empty fuel tanks and refuel in orbit. Once on Mars, they would make more methane fuel for the return journey. Advertisement

And in June 2015, it took less than five minutes for its mission to the International Space Station to fall apart.

The accident destroyed the Dragon cargo ship bound for the station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 260 miles (418 km) above Earth.
Lots of bad news comes out of Africa - much of it to do with the continents endangered wildlife.

But its not all doom and gloom, certainly not in northern Tanzania, where a Texan family works tirelessly to deter poachers, while welcoming safari lovers from around the world.

The Friedkin Conservation Fund finances an anti-poaching unit, backed up by two reconnaissance helicopters.

Conservationist Freddy Paske reviewed the Legendary Serengeti Mobile Camp, and was lucky enough to see a leopard in the wild for the first time

Alongside, it has launched the Legendary Serengeti Mobile Camp - a tented palace that moves around the national park following the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, chasing the rains.

Each guest tent has an en suite bathroom with its own fire-powered boiler.

When you go on safari, you are watching the most amazing film in the world. When you go on a Friedkin safari, you are the lead role, says Dan Friedkin, the founder and driving force behind the organisation.

Well, he would say that. But what I like especially is being asked every day what we would like to do first.

On day one, we choose to drive from the camps commanding view over the Serengeti into the midst of the Great Migration.

At one point, we are surrounded by more than 1,000 wildebeest and zebra gilded by an African sunset. The greatest show on earth.

The mobile camp boasts tents with en-suite bathrooms and fire-powered boiler

The 300,000 acres of private Friedkin reserves mean we weave freely through roaming herds of buffalo and journeys of giraffe - to use the correct collective noun.

Talking of which, on day two we push our luck and ask to drive closer to a crash of 20 hippo wallowing in the misty morning light.

We drive right up to the escarpment overlooking the pool. The thought that only a 6ft gap separates us from the most dangerous animal in Africa is banished by pure adrenaline.

We also get to hear about the dangerous humans in the area and the carnage they cause.

Twelve months ago, pilot Roger Gower, a highly respected conservationist, was shot down and killed on an anti-poaching flight. Even so, in patrolled reserves, poaching-related arrests have fallen from 3,000 a year to fewer than 1,000.

On day three, we drive one hour south to Mwiba Lodge. Perched atop a rocky hillside, this permanent lodge has ten bedrooms of subtle perfection designed by Dan and his wife, Debra.

Tarnished copper taps hover above bath tubs with some of the best views in Africa.

The infinity pool cascades into an open landscape, ending at a waterhole frequented by buffalo and elephants.

The 300,000 acres of the private Friedkin reserve allow guests to weave freely through herds of roaming animals during migration season in Serengeti National Park

With no fences allowed in Tanzania, animals are free to roam, and from my bedroom I watch a kudu - a kind of antelope - gracefully eat shoots from an acacia tree next to my balcony.

The following day, we take a guided walk with the Hadzabe tribe. They have spent centuries hunting what we are looking to photograph.

Through a carefully nurtured relationship, they are vital informers for the anti-poaching teams. And they generously impart their wealth of knowledge to tourists on safari.

Master hunter-gatherers, they conjure up delights from the land such as honeycomb and even marula nuts picked from elephant dung. Not wanting to disappoint, we are surprised at how tasty the half-digested nuts can be.

We reluctantly embark on our last day by being asked the usual question: what would you like to do next? We gamely say we have never seen a leopard in the wild.

We get to hear about the dangerous humans in the area and the carnage they cause

Later that day, we are driven to within feet of a female leopard. She is beautiful.

With the dismissive air of a bored supermodel, she nonchalantly observes us through haunting emerald eyes. Tired of our gawping, she leaps to a higher branch to resume her midday nap.

The Friedkin family has invested more than $300 million (about 246 million) into Tanzanian conservation and employs more than 600 local staff.

One project we visit is at the Olosiva School, where the fund provides more than 1,000 lunches for pupils. The head teacher is mobbed by giggling children as she shows us around.

For many, this is their only meal of the day. It allows the children to stay in school, she says.

If the next generation can learn conservation projects are linked to the prosperity of their community, a rhino may one day be worth considerably more alive than dead.
Napoleon, it is said, could smell his homeland from neighbouring Elba, where he was exiled.

Its about 30 miles off the east coast of Corsica, so he must have had a good nose. But the island of his birth is wonderfully perfumed.

In July, when my boyfriend Rob and I are here, it smells of dusty, warm herbs crisping in the sunshine.

Jenny Coad explored Corsica, where she enjoyed the picturesque charms of Calvi

All sorts of flowers and foliage add to the bewitching aroma.

There are plenty of other tempting smells, too, including those from the yellow bakery van that delivers daily croissants.

We are staying in Calvi, on the north-west coast, in Le Home - a collection of reasonably priced apartments in gorgeous grounds - with two swimming pools.

Its only a few minutes walk from the long stretch of beach lined with restaurants, cafes and kayak schools, and a 20-minute stroll into town via the harbour.

Corsica is popular among the French and the well-heeled - the Cameron family spent a week in Porto-Vecchio, in the south of the island, last summer.

Chris Hemsworth of Thor fame and his wife Elsa dropped anchor in Calvi the year before.

West from Calvi, following the coastal path, are rocky coves and the sandy bay at Revellata

Its a good base for families. The beach offers shallow waters and rope courses for older children. The harbour glitters in the evening with restaurants and yachts drawing nosy onlookers.

Theres live music, pizzas to rival Italys, and irresistible gelato, plus plenty of inexpensive rose wine, made on the island.

Calvis fortified old town, where the French Foreign Legion has a base, presides over the lot. At night, its a calm place to escape the crowds.

LAltu, outside the cathedral, is a peaceful spot for dinner. Its worth climbing up to the old town for sunset, when the walls turn lemon yellow and the harbour twinkles below.

Chris Hemsworth of Thor fame and his wife Elsa, pictured, have spent time in Calvi

Explore farther afield without a car by taking the busy, rattling train north-east along the coast to Llle-Rousse, stopping en route for a swim.

We bathe off the rocks at Algajola, though there is also a long sandy stretch and a seaweed-strewn bay at Marine de Davia.

West from Calvi, following the coastal path, are rocky coves and the sandy bay at Revellata. Here, even in high summer, youll get a toasty slab of rock to yourself to watch the boats come and go.

Its worth hiring a car, as there are wonderfully scenic drives.

Take the main road to Galeria, a 30-minute drive, and park yourself on the pebble beach, where theres a brilliant cafe - La Cabane du Pecheur - owned by a fisherman, serving fish tacos and fresh lobster.

In the cooler afternoon, head west to find the trailhead for the fishing village of Girolata, which can be reached only on foot or by boat. The boat is expensive - 52 pp - so we take the trail, which is well worth the sweat and scramble.

The path is almost nicer than the destination, though Girolata must feel fantastically away-from-it all in winter when the tourists have gone home. On the way back, rest your feet at pink-pebbled Tuaru beach.

We also take winding roads into the interior, through hill villages as picturesque but quieter than those in Provence.

San Antonino and Pigna are the honeypots, where locals must despair at all the tourists tramping through their tiny streets.

Serious walkers begin the GR20 - a 15-day, 180 km hike - in quiet Calenza. Happily, I havent packed the right shoes. Thats a challenge for another holiday.
Billy the spaniel, who looks faintly ridiculous with a shaved bottom and a cone round his neck, is recovering from an operation after chasing a duck.

Once poor Billy has been shooed out of the kitchen, were ready to begin our cooking lesson.

In charge is Rose Prince, who launched a cookery school in September after relocating to Dorset with her family.

Rose Prince heads up a brilliantly personal course where cooking is done at her kitchen table

The one-day courses are run from her Georgian rectory in Winterborne Houghton - atop a hill with impressive views of Thomas Hardy country.

First, Rose wants to ensure that my companion, Tom, and I are on the same onion wavelength.

Do we know the best way to dice one?

After passing that test, its time to make a pork and duck terrine - an inexpensive dish, but not one Id necessarily knock up. Rose explains that her aim is to give students five to six new dishes theyd happily cook again.

On hot buttered sourdough with a homemade carrot pickle, the terrine is meaty and moreish

Once our terrines are baking, Rose - in Blue Peter mode - brings out one I made earlier. On hot buttered sourdough with a homemade carrot pickle, the terrine is meaty and moreish.

Snacking over, we tackle the main course: Arctic char with a pearl barley risotto-esque side dish. The char has travelled from a fish farm you can see from Roses front door.

She shows us how to make a ginger beurre-blanc sauce and a lighter, easier version of a hollandaise.

Explaining her choice of white pepper, she says: Theres nothing worse than a hollandaise with black speckles.

With a maximum of eight pupils per class, this is a brilliantly personal course where all the cooking is done at the large kitchen table or huddled around a central island.

Rose doesnt believe in individual working stations: Thats the worst way to learn to cook. With your back to the room, you dont realise youve made a mistake until the end - and that ruins your confidence.

But the best bit? Students can stay at Roses home the night before a course.

Theres just enough time to make a classic cherry clafoutis, the French flan style dessert. It disappears in minutes.
She's the TV personality that isn't shy about documenting her housekeeping fails.

And on Friday, Studio 10's Jessica Rowe celebrated her 13-year wedding anniversary with her Channel Nine reporter husband Peter Overton.

In a touching tribute, the 46-year-old mother-of-two also cheekily apologised for being a 'crap' housewife.

Wedded bliss! Jessica Rowe celebrated her 13-year wedding anniversary with husband Peter Overton on Friday - while apologising for being a 'crap housewife'

In the social media photo, Jessica and Peter embrace each other warmly against the backdrop of a glittering harbour.

The Network Ten personality looks chic as ever with a black sleeveless top and her signature pixie haircut.

Peter, 50, appears equally dashing in a blue checked shirt and sunglasses.

Crap housewife? The TV journalist often mocks her bad housekeeping skills on social media

Jessica captioned the photo by praising their long-term relationship.

She wrote: 'Let me count the ways... love you my darling Pp... celebrating 13 year wedding anniversary today!'

The TV journalist also poked fun at her bad housekeeping skills, writing: 'Even though I infuriate you by being #craphousewife & stuffing around to get ready!!'

Long term: The television power couple have been married since 2004

While promoting her autobiography Is This My Beautiful Life? in 2015, Jessica told Daily Mail Australia that Peter was her perfect match in every way.

'We are so different but we're perfect for each other; we're yin and yang, he grounds me and I lighten him,' she said.

'He's got such a beautiful, wonderful heart. I wouldn't be who I am today without him.'
EastEnders fans have slammed bosses for allowing a character to curse on Friday night - marking the third case of pre-watershed swearing in a week.

Viewers were shocked when Kim Fox called her sister Denise a 'cold-hearted b***h' after learning she was giving her newborn son up for adoption.

Many branded the BBC soap a 'disgrace' and implored producers to save the foul language till after the 9pm mark for the sake of viewers watching with children.

Scroll down for video

Bad language: Viewers were shocked when Kim Fox called her sister Denise a 'cold-hearted b***h' after learning she was giving her newborn son up for adoption

All my life Ive looked up to you and trusted you, Kim told her sister in hospital when she heard what Denise planned to do with the baby.

I thought you were someone special but youre just a cold hearted b***h. Hes got a grandma, sisters, an aunt.

'We want the chance to love him. How can you be some selfish? You know what the care system is like for black boys.

'It could be years before someone takes him. What will that do to him Denise?!

Outraged: Many branded the BBC soap a 'disgrace' and implored producers to save the foul language till after the 9pm mark for the sake of viewers watching with children

Backlash: Viewers were less than impressed with the cursing, with one writing on Twitter: 'The amount of swearing there is on Eastenders has me shook'

Viewers were less than impressed with the cursing, with one writing on Twitter: 'The amount of swearing there is on Eastenders has me shook.'

Another added: 'Can't believe @BBC have yet again broadcast swearing 'b***h' at 8.17pm!!!!!!! 45 mins before the watershed #eastenders you're a disgrace!!!

One penned: 'Did Kim just call Denise a "cold hearted b***h"? loool looks like swearing is gonna be a regular thing on #eastenders'.

However some fans didn't seem bothered with the cursing, with one even calling it 'brilliant' - but agreed that it should be saved for a more appropriate time.

One wrote: 'Just watched #EastEnders. Whts with all the swearing? I personally think its brilliant but c'mon leave it till after 10 kids r watchin (sic)'.

Another added: 'Eastenders needs to have swearing in it more often. Much more realistic'.

Emotional: Holding the baby in her arms for the first time, Denise told him: This couple will be looking after you because I cant'

The adoption plotline has left some viewers baffled, although Denise seemed to give some insight into her decision as she spoke to her newborn son on Friday night's episode.

Holding the baby in her arms for the first time, she told him: This couple will be looking after you because I cant.

'Ive had two little girls and bringing them up took everything I had. I cant do that to you  raise you on a wing and a prayer. You deserve so much more ! I want you to have a good life because you deserve the world!'

The BBC soap was hit with more criticism on Thursday night, after two characters swore four times more than an hour before the watershed.

Foul-mouthed: Kim unleashed the expletive after learning what her sister planned to do with the baby (pictured)

Approving: However some fans didn't seem bothered with the cursing, with one even calling it 'brilliant' - but agreed that it should be saved for a more appropriate time

Michelle Fowler and Sharon Mitchell blurted out a total of four swear words - 'bl**dy', a**e', 'sh**ging' and 'ba***rd' - during the BBC1 broadcast.

The words were heard well before the 9pm watershed, despite broadcasting standards watchdog Ofcom ranking at least one of the words - 'ba***rd' - in its second most offensive category for offensive language.

Writing directly to the official EastEnders Twitter account, one upset viewer ranted: 'What is with the language today? Kids are still awake?'

Another joked that hardman Danny Dyer, who plays Mick Carter, may have been involved, writing: 'Did you write the script for tonight's #eastenders??'

'Eastenders. 15 mins in and already heard "sh**ging" "ba***rd" and "a**e".Just need 2 slip a quick f**k in and it'll be perfect,' remarked another.

Bad language: EastEnders fans were in shock on Thursday night, after Letitia Dean's character Sharon Mitchell was seen using bad language more than an hour before the watershed

Outraged reactions to Sharon and Michelle's comments come just two days after Mick Carter (played by Danny Dyer) referred to Italian food with the derogatory slur, 'eyetie'.

The term originates from World War II and originated from the mispronunciation of Italian. It is described as 'offensive British slang' on Collins Dictionary.

Taking to Twitter, stunned fans of the BBC soap voiced their anger after hearing the pub landlord use the term.

A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The character is well-known for using slang  or in this case an old-fashioned term that has fallen out of general use  but it was not aimed at anyone and never intended to offend.'
Last week, Kirsten Dunst and actor Jesse Plemons announced their engagement.

On Friday, the 34-year-old star was spotted for the first time since the news of the impending nuptials broke.

During the outing, she sported a sizable diamond as she took care of errands in Los Angeles.

Errand time: On Friday, a casual looking Kirsten Dunst was seen out for the first time since announcing her engagement to actor Jesse Plemons; her ring could be seen on her hand

Errand time: On Friday, a casual looking Kirsten Dunst was seen out for the first time since announcing her engagement to actor Jesse Plemons

Kirsten kept her arms folded during most of her morning cruise, making it difficult to spot the engagement ring.

As the Hidden Figures star adjusted her bag and put her hands in her pockets though, you could spot the over two carat ring and its beautiful white gold band.

The Virgin Suicides actress kept warm in a burgundy cardigan decorated with lace while slinging a black purse with a long chained strap over her shoulder.

Comfy mid-rise blue jeans complimented the simple sweater while driving shoes with tassels covered her feet.

What a rock! The two plus carat ring is nested into a gorgeous white gold band

The Bring It On star debuted the engagement ring during an appearance at Palm Springs International Film Festival earlier this month.

Kirsten and fiance Jesse Plemons met while working on the FX series Fargo together in 2015. In the series they played high school sweethearts Peggy and Ed Blumquist.

The couple have been quite private about their relationship, but news of the pairing emerged last May following the Spiderman starlet's breakup with Garret Hedlund.

On and off stage: The newly engaged couple first met on the set of the Fargo TV series on FX

The professional pair are currently collaborating on another project with one another.

Kirsten is directing an adaptation of beloved Sylvia Plath novel The Bell Jar. Future husband Jesse will star in the film alongside actress Elle Fanning.

The film begins shooting later this year, with an anticipated 2018 release.
He's set to head back into the South African jungle to film the third season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

And Dr Chris Brown has opened up about his private life before his departure from Sydney.

The Bondi Vet star, who was recently linked to project manager Hannah Thomas, told The Daily Telegraph he's not ready for fatherhood.

Puppy love: Dr Chris Brown told The Daily Telegraph on Saturday he's not ready for children

The 38-year-old said he would love to have kids but he doesn't think he'd be a great father with his work schedule.

'I think about what sort of dad I'd be and (right now) I wouldn't be a great dad,' he admitted.

'I'm in no hurry. I want to be around and I want to be a good dad to any kids I have and with my current lifestyle... it is just not ideal.'

'I'm in no hurry': The Bondi Vet star, who turns 39 this year, said that fatherhood is not ideal with his 'current lifestyle'

It is claimed that romance is on the 'back burner' for Chris, who will spend the next two months in South Africa filming I'm A Celebrity with co-host Julia Morris.

Nevertheless, the handsome TV star is reportedly enjoying a romance Bondi-based professional Hannah Thomas.

Hannah appeared to confirm their relationship to Woman's Day, stating, 'He's lovely, just like he is on TV. What you see is what you get.'

Back to the jungle! It is claimed that romance is on the 'back burner' for Chris, who will spend the next two months in South Africa filming I'm A Celebrity with co-host Julia Morris (L)

The pair were photographed having coffee in Bondi months ago, smiling and looking comfortable in each other's company.

Speaking of relationships, Chris said: 'It is a pretty good test to be away.

'You have to have a lot of trust and you've got to have a good connection to make it work,' he continued.
It's one of the biggest events on the Melbourne social calendar.

And the stars were certainly dressed to impress for the Alfa Romeo Portsea Polo event at Point Nepean on Saturday.

Rebecca Judd shared her outfit that morning on Instagram - a chic white frock which bared her toned tummy.

Getting ready! Rebecca Judd (pictured) was among several celebrities sharing photos of their outfits ahead of the Portsea Polo event in Melbourne on Saturday

The AFL WAG looked remarkably slender despite giving birth to twins three-and-a-half months ago.

Rebecca, 33, completed her summer look with wedge heels and a smokey eye, and styled her hair in loose waves.

Meanwhile, newly-single bikini model Natalie Roser was bright and beautiful in a white and blue floral print dress.

Post-baby body! The WAG looked remarkably slender in a midriff-baring white frock despite giving birth to twins three-and-a-half months ago

Strike a pose! Bec posed in front of a floral wall

Married: Bec mingled with her beloved husband, former AFL star Chris Judd

Also present was Nadia Bartel, who shared a selfie from her car on the way to the event.

The socialite and blogger wore a Gucci T-shirt.

A string of other A-listers were present, including Bachelor beauties Anna Heinrich, Laura Williams, and Aimee Psellos.

She's single, guys! Meanwhile, bikini model Natalie Roser was bright and beautiful in a white and blue floral print dress

T-shirt: Nadia Bartel wore a Gucci T-shirt to the event

Anna stunned in a black dress from Australian designer By Johnny.

She accessorised with jewels from Pierre Winter Fine Jewels.

Meanwhile Laura wowed her fans in a plunging cocktail dress that left very little to the imagination.

All smiles: The Bachelor's Anna Heinrich beamed in a black dress from By Johnny

Alright in white! The Bachelor's Laura Williams and Aimee Psellos also attended

Aimee went for a more demure look in her conservative white frock.

The Bachelorette's Cameron Cranley was also spotted ahead of the event in a casual black jeans and T-shirt.

Not to be outdone, a slew of scantily-clad social media stars also showed up, such as Margot Moore and Sarah Czarnuch.

Ta-dah! The Bachelorette's Cameron Cranley wore all black before the event
Showtime has released a new preview of the upcoming revived cult classic Twin Peaks, highlighted by the face of the series, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan.

The preview commences as the camera pans over the nature in the small northwestern community with images of ominous overcast skies, tree branches and poorly-lit roads, when out of the shadows emerges Cooper, clad in his black suit and tie.

The return of the series is on a consistent timeline with its predecessor, taking place about 25 years after the murder of Laura Palmer, the town's homecoming queen.

Scroll down for video

Back in the spotlight: Kyle MacLachlan, 57, revives his signature role of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, as a trailer was released for the returning series Friday

Back again: The show, which aired on ABC from 1990-1991, picks up where it left off - about 25 years later - in its forthcoming Showtime reboot

In addition to Cooper, other characters that will be returning from the show's initial 1990-1991 run include Shelly Johnson (Madchen Amick), Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook), Big Ed Hurley (Everett McGill) and Dr. Lawrence Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn), among others.

Series creator David Lynch - who made cameos as FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole in seven episodes during his show's initial ABC run - will appear on one episode of the revived series; as will David Duchovny. who appeared in three episodes of the original series.

Other notable appearances in the Showtime revival include Laura Dern, Michael Cera and Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. (The original featured notable talents such as Molly Shannon and Heather Graham in small roles prior to their respective career breakouts.)

Setting the tone: The mood in the small Washington state town is gloomy as the trailer opens

What lies ahead: Showtime execs and creator David Lynch implied that fans of the original can expect a lot more of that magic when the reboot comes to TV in May

The new season will feature 18 hours of new programming, Showtime president David Nevins said this week during a Television Critics Association winter event, emphasizing that fans of Lynch's style will not walk away disappointed.

'This version of Twin Peaks is the "pure heroin" version of David Lynch, and Im very excited to be putting that out,' the network boss said. 'It will reward close watching. I feel very confident in what David has done.'

Gary Levine, the network's programming president, speculated on the impact technological advancements will have in the 26 years since the popular original aired.

Breakout: MacLachlan landed squarely on Hollywood's radar with his portrayal of the FBI agent, which he also played in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Strong career: Since the series went off the air, the actor has had a number of notable projects, such as Sex and the City, Showgirls and Desperate Housewives

'I lived through Twin Peaks 1.0 when I was at ABC, and that was a tsunami,' he said. 'Its hard for us to fathom what Twin Peaks will be in a social media environment.'

Twin Peaks returns to TV with a two-hour premiere on Showtime, May 21 at 9/8c.
After giving birth to her first child, a baby boy, on Friday - the question on everyone's lips is what she plans on naming him.

And Stephanie Davis, who previously revealed plans to name her son after her late granddad Albi, has since had a change of heart after getting 'chatted up' by a stranger during a girly trip to Jersey.

Sharing her thoughts in her OK! magazine blog, the actress confessed: 'Ive picked my boys name! Its not Albi but that will definitely be a middle name!'

Scroll down for video

'It's a movie star name!' Stephanie Davis, 23,recently spoke in her OK! magazine blog about plans to name her newborn son after a stranger who 'chatted her up' during a girls' night out in Jersey

Continuing on, the former Hollyoaks star revealed: 'Im going to keep it a secret for now but I will say its something different - Ive not heard it before! Its like a movie star name.

'We got it when I was getting chatted up with my friends recently and he said his name when he left  we just all looked at each other and knew, so thanks to him,' she opened up about the life-changing moment.

However, some of her family didn't seem to share the same enthusiasm for the names, as she carried on: 'My mum loves it but my brothers werent so sure to start with - but I think they want a proper lads name.'

This comes as a surprise as she was previously adamant about honouring her late granddad by naming her son after him.

'Keeping it a secret for now': The former Hollyoaks star revealed she 'just knew' it would be the perfect name for her child - and will reveal all soon

Not convinced: Her ex Jeremy McConnell is still hoping for a paternity test to prove the child is his and revealed after her birth he 'reached out' a few weeks ago - claims Stephanie has slammed

Changing her mind: The former soapstar previously revealed plans to name her son after her late granddad Albi

Speaking in an interview with OK!, she revealed: 'I definitely think Ill call him Albi after my granddad. Id like his middle name to be Patrick.

'Its my brothers middle name and its also Irish, so I think its a nice nod to Jeremy and his family.'

Meanwhile, Stephanie is not bringing her war of words with estranged ex Jeremy McConnell to an end.

The brunette beauty has slammed the inked star for stating he 'reached out a few weeks ago' immediately after she gave birth.

A rep for Stephanie has since told Mirror Online: 'He has never reached out and shes all alone with her son.

'She is happy, but disappointed and saddened that Jeremy would resort to the media to peddle lies.'

'They want a proper lad's name': She revealed her brothers weren't too fond of the 'movie star' name she picked after meeting the stranger in Jersey

Jeremy - who is currently on holiday - initially told The Sun Online after her birth: 'I am delighted that Steph has safely had the baby, of course if he is my son I will absolutely step up and do what I can to support him.'

'Any timescale for that is in Stephs hands now. I did reach out to her some weeks ago but didnt hear back,' Jeremy explained the situation further.

Jeremy and Stephanie embarked on a toxic romance after meeting on CBB a year ago which culminated in a bitter split shortly before she announced she was expecting his child - claims he vehemently denies.

'She's all alone with her child': The brunette beauty has slammed the inked star for stating he 'reached out a few weeks ago' immediately after she gave birth

In the past: The couple found love in the Celebrity Big Brother house back in January 2016

She has maintained constantly throughout her pregnancy that Jeremy is the father, yet the Dubliner has lashed out at her claims and insisted he wants a paternity test upon the arrival of the little boy.

Speaking about the saga, the actress previously told new! magazine: 'Jeremy knows the truth. I'm keeping (the DNA test) private. I'll sort that with him. If I could have done one straight away, I would have, but it was too dangerous for the baby.'

Meanwhile, just weeks before Stephanie gave birth, Jeremy had told the Daily Star: 'I was in a position where we broke up for a period of time. I found out she was pregnant, but in the meantime I knew she was with other people.'

'I knew she was with other people': Jeremy has previously spoken about his concerns about being the father as he revealed she was seeing other people when they had a break

'I can't do anything while the baby's in there,' he explained. 'When it comes out I would step up to the plate. All I want is clarification. If I find out it's mine I'll be the best dad.'

A source close the star told MailOnline: 'Jeremy has tried to contact Steph on a number occasions but he hasn't heard back.

'If he is the father then of course he going to do step up and do the right thing.'

Meanwhile a representative for Stephanie confirmed her happy news to MailOnline on Friday, stating: 'We are delighted to confirm that our client Stephanie Davis gave birth to a baby boy on Friday. Mother and baby are doing fine.'
Her husband Kanye West popped the question to her with a gorgeous engagement ring, thought to be worth over a million dollars.

But Kim Kardashian couldn't seem to recall one of the most important features of her diamond ring - the carat weight - in an appearance on the new ABC game show, Big Fan, made before she was robbed in Paris.

The 35-year-old incorrectly guessed her engagement ring had 12 carats, rather than its actual 15, when she was quizzed on it by host Andy Richter, as seen in a clip from the upcoming episode obtained by Us Weekly.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

What!? Kim Kardashian couldn't seem to recall one of the most important features of her diamond ring - the carat weight - in an appearance on the new ABC game show, Big Fan , made before she was robbed in Paris

The reality star was competing against a Kim mega fan as they both answered questions about the mother-of-two.

And Kim's jaw dropped when she learned she had guessed incorrectly.

'How many carats is Kim's engagement ring from Kanye?', the host asked the two competitors.

Kim was the first to hit the buzzer, and she answered with some hesitation in her voice: '12?'

Bling: Kanye West popped the question to Kim three years ago with a multi-million dollar diamond engagement ring

The competition: The reality star was facing off against a Kim mega fan as they both answered questions about the mother-of-two

Wrong answer! Kim was the first to hit the buzzer, and she answered with some hesitation in her voice: '12?'

'Sorry, no!' host Andy responded, shocking Kim.

'It's 15!' Andy added. 'Well, we got the information from Kanye, so maybe he upped the number.'

It appears Kim may have appeared on the show in May, five months before she was robbed in Paris.

Has a nice ring to it: The star's accessory was put on prominent display as she crossed her hands and chatted with host Andy Richter

Always connected: The reality star, 35, had her phone handy

Recent days saw the arrest of the alleged mastermind behind her terrifying Paris heist, which saw her robbed at gunpoint of an estimated $10million of jewels, including the second multi-million dollar engagement ring Kanye gave her in 2016.

As revealed by DailyMail.com, a French prosecutor revealed that the person responsible for the break-in at Kim's hotel in Paris in October has now been charged.

This comes after four other suspects were charged over Kim's ordeal this week, just days after 17 people were arrested in connection with the case.

Timeline: It appears Kim may have appeared on the show in May, five months before she was robbed in Paris

In her element: The mother-of-two looked happy and radiant in the spotlight

Stepping out in style: Kim rocked a trendy all-black look, dramatic heels, and a choker necklace

Kim - who has children North, three, and Saint, 13 months, with husband Kanye West - is said to be feeling 'deeply relieved' over the arrests.

Indeed she even returned to work on Friday, with a paid appearance at a make-up class in Dubai.

Kim can be seen competing against some of her biggest fans in her appearance on Big Fan, set to air on ABC this coming Monday.

Loyal Kim fans: Kardashian was introduced to several of her mega fans

Neck in neck: The fans were tied in their match
Fans from both sides of the aisle were shocked when she decided to speak out about the election.

And now Nicole Kidman has decided to clarify remarks she made during a BBC interview which seemed to suggest she was a Donald Trump supporter.

The 49-year-old Moulin Rouge actress talked to Access Hollywood on Friday in a bid to set the record straight.

The real story: Nicole Kidman talked to Liz Hernandez on Friday in a bid to set the record straight in regards to her comments about Donald Trump

'I was trying to stress that I believe in democracy and the American Constitution, and it was that simple,' she told Liz Hernandez.

When pressed for further comment on the issue, the Oscar winner stated 'I'm out of it now; that's what I said and it's that simple.'

Nicole made the original comments in an interview that occurred one week after the election.

When quizzed at the time about the surprise outcome, she responded '[Trump is] now elected and we, as a country, need to support whoever is the president.'

Controversial: Fans from both sides of the aisle were shocked when she decided to speak out about the election

True meaning? 'I was trying to stress that I believe in democracy and the American Constitution, and it was that simple,' she told Liz

Digging deeper: When pressed for further comment on the issue, the Oscar winner stated 'I'm out of it now; that's what I said and it's that simple'

Apparently signaling that she was ready to back the president-elect, she continued 'That is what the country is based on. And however that happened, it happened, and let's go.'

In the past, the wife of Keith Urban has admitted she's 'always reticent' to comment on politics, and describes herself as more 'issue-based.'

She has also said that she's 'very committed to women's issues' like battling breast and ovarian cancer.

Lighter things: Politics out of the way, she also gushed about her new film Lion during the most recent interview

Politics out of the way, she also gushed about her new film Lion during the most recent interview.

'Wow,' was all the Hollywood vet could manage when she learned the movie received two Directors Guild Award nominations this week.

The story retells the tale of a five-year-old Indian boy Saroo who loses his birth mother and is adopted by an Australian family, and begins his search for his long-lost family using Google Earth decades later.
Johnny Depp and ex Amber Heard, 30, finally settled their longstanding divorce on Friday.

But it seems the actor is about to step right back into the courtroom, as he apparently filed a $25 million lawsuit against his business managers on the same day.

The 52-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean actor alleges that The Management Group has cost him significantly throughout his Hollywood career, during which he's amassed approximately $650 million.

Big numbers: The 52-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean actor alleges that The Management Group cost him millions of dollars during the years he was a client

Depp has sued the management group for $25 million and has struggled to sell his French village to aid in his financial troubles

Depp's lawsuit accuses the company and its owners, attorneys Joel and Robert Mandel, of receiving $28 million in payments for their services over the roughly 16 years they managed his finances.

The company 'actively concealed the true state of Mr. Depp's finances while driving him deeper and deeper into financial distress,' the lawsuit states.

Depp hired the Mandels in 1999 and their compensation was not subject to a written contract, his lawsuit states. It states they received 5 percent of his income on hit films such as the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise and other major releases, including 'Alice in Wonderland' and the 2005 film 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.'

Depp alleges that his former managers, Robert and Joel Mandel, received $28 million for their 'fraudulent' services during the 16-year period they worked with Depp and caused him to be fined nearly $5.7 million in late tax penalty fees

The suit alleges that the company failed to file Depp's tax returns on time, costing him nearly $5.7 million in penalties. The lawsuit also alleges the company overpaid for several services, including forgetting to terminate the lease on a home where Depp's mother lived temporarily, and spending $8 million on security between 2012 and 2015 alone.

The Mandel brothers have an extensive background in law, Robert Mandel was a tax lawyer and his brother Joel was a transaction lawyer before founding The Management Group.

In an interview with Aish.com, where the brothers describe themselves as taking their 'Jewishness very seriously', they discussed their business ethics.

Robert said: ' You don't spend more money than you have, you don't take salaries that you haven't earned. We're very conservative and we were willing to build our business slowly.'

Making matters worse, Depp apparently only noticed the violations in March of 2016 after he switched to new business managers, perhaps as a result of extra scrutiny during his divorce proceedings with ex-wife Amber.

He began to suspect something was amiss when the Mandel brothers told them he was short on the necessary funds to sell the village he owns in the Riviera villa, which is about 12 miles from St Tropez, France.

Since learning of his financial troubles, Depp has doubled the asking price of his French village to $55.5 million

The price surge has been called 'ambitious' by the Alexander Kraft, the Chairman of Sotheby's International Realty France

Since learning of his financial troubles, Depp has doubled the asking price of his French village to $55.5 million, which has been called 'ambitious' by the Alexander Kraft, the Chairman of Sotheby's International Realty France.

Michael J. Kump, an attorney for The Management Group, calls Depp's lawsuit a 'fabrication' and wrote in a statement that Depp never alleged any wrongdoing. The company 'did everything possible to protect Depp from his irresponsible and profligate spending,' Kump wrote.

The Management Group is also reportedly trying to foreclose on the Depp's main residence because of a faulty loan they themselves issued using his money.

Sorta lucky? Making matters worse, Depp apparently only noticed the violations after he switched to new business managers, perhaps as a result of extra scrutiny during his divorce proceedings with ex-wife Amber

Depp and ex Amber Heard settled their divorce on Friday after months of wrangling over details of the $7 million dollar payment Depp originally agreed to pay to Amber, which was set to go to a charity.

When Johnny tried to pay the charity directly in installments, Amber requested a restructuring that would've seen the money go to her first.

On Friday the judge ruled that the original settlement will stand, and requests from both sides for further antagonistic penalties were rejected.
It's been two weeks and two days since her husband's turned 40, but Sofia Vergara's still thrown a bash in his honour this Friday.

The gorgeous 44-year-old posted an Instagram photo in which she grinned as she and Joe Manganiello each put an arm about the other.

'Ready to partyyyyyy!' the Modern Family star trumpeted in her caption, before chucking in the hashtag: '#joe's40'.

The festivities go on: It's been two weeks and two days since her husband Joe Manganiello's turned 40, but Sofia Vergara's still thrown a bash in his honour this Friday, documenting the proceedings on Instagram

She'd worn a sleeveless black top that offered a generous view of her cleavage and tightened about her enviably svelte figure.

Meanwhile, her dashing husband wore a Guns 'N' Roses T-shirt that draped about his musclebound torso and bared his chiselled arms.

The Barranquilla native accessorised with a glinting pair of necklaces, the Pittsburgh native with a black top hat, and whilst he held a water bottle she held an iced beverage in a glass with a straw.

'The party just started and Im already missing a tooth': As the party went on, she posed with a friend and held her drink up so that the straw obscured one of her teeth

Joechella: Joe let his Guns N' Roses T-Shirt go to his head

Catchy: Sofia christened the music themed party 'Joechella'

Fanboy: The Magic Mike star lost in when Steel Panthers took to the stage

As the party went on, another photo she posted saw her cosying up to a female friend, both women holding their drinks up.

Whilst Vergara smiled for the camera, the black straw jutting out the top of her glass obscured one of her teeth, making it appear absent.

She captioned with a quip: 'The party just stared and Im already missing a tooth,' and then included a hashtag naming the event '#joechella'.

Co-stars: Some of Sofia's Modern Family family dropped by, including Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Celebrating in style: Manganiello and Vergara, who've been married since 2015, rang in his actual birthday - as well as Christmas and New Year's - on holiday in Bora Bora, accompanied by her 24-year-old son Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara, as well as other members of her family

Manganiello and Vergara, who've been married since 2015, rang in his actual birthday - as well as Christmas and New Year's - on holiday in Bora Bora.

They'd been accompanied by her 24-year-old son Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara, as well as other members of her family, as her Instagram's documented.

An Instagram photo Vergara posted on her husband's actual birthday saw him from behind on the patio of their digs, watching a blazing sunrise over their ocean view.

'My bday boy,' she captioned the photo, in which he accented his physique in a T-shirt and shorts, adding: '#nofilter'.
They're one of Sydney's hottest power couples and are renowned for their glamorous lifestyle.

And Terry Biviano and husband Anthony Minichiello looked more loved-up than ever as they stepped out in style on Saturday for Magic Millions race day.

The shoe designer, 42, flaunted her flawless figure in an off-the-shoulder frock while posing alongside her dapper beau.

Red hot! Terry Biviano flaunts her flawless figure in designer gown and $1100 crown as she displays loved-up PDA with husband Anthony Minichiello at Queensland's Magic Millions race day on Saturday

Known as one of Australia's best dressed women, Terry didn't disappoint with her elegant red and deep blue frock.

Terry cut a demure figure in the elegant design, and paired the look with a $1100 Swarovski blue crystal crown by Viktoria Novak.

Showing off her flawless figure, the gown hugged at her waistline and ample assets and unfolded into a voluminous skirt.

Crowned in style! Terry cut a demure figure in the elegant design, and partnered the look with a $1100 Swarovski blue crystal crown by Viktoria Novak

Wearing perfectly applied makeup, Terry accentuated her stunning features with neutral-coloured eyeshadow, soft pink highlights, bronzer and a light lip shade.

She accessorized with a small bangle and large gold earrings that complemented her headpiece.

And of course the shoe designer made sure her footwear was on point as she clad her feet in a pair of metallic blue pumps, no doubt a design of her own.

Stunning! Showing off her flawless figure, the gown gave a glimpse of her ample assets and hugged at her svelte waist, as husband Anthony gave a smitten gaze at her while placing his hand around her back

While the glamorous wife of former Roosters captain Anthony posed with her lover, they couldn't take their eyes off each other.

Seemingly sharing a humorous inside joke, the pair burst into laughter for the candid shot caught by the photographer.

Anthony escorted Terry to the Gold Coast A-lister event in a suave blue suit with a crisp white button-up and tie beneath it.

It's believed he also attempted to match his wife's design by opting for a red and blue patterned pocket square.

Fun day at the races: Seemingly sharing a humorous inside joke, the pair burst into laughter for the candid shot caught by the photographer

The joyous couple tied the knot in 2012 and regularly post loved-up images of each other on their social media accounts.

Upon checking into a suite prior to the weekend event, Terry shared a selfie with one another on the hotel bed.

The pair share three-year-old daughter Azura.
She's a style blogger and AFL WAG, who's known for her fashion-forward outfits.

So it's no surprise that Nadia Bartel wowed onlookers at Melbourne's Portsea Polo on Saturday.

The 31-year-old flaunted her taut torso and slender frame in a white crop top and matching trousers by Australian label Zimmermann.

Top of the crops! AFL WAG Nadia Bartel, 31, flaunted her taut torso and slender frame in a white two-piece ensemble, as she stunned at Melbourne's Portsea Polo on Saturday

Nadia highlighted her petite figure as she took to the media wall.

A crop top showed off her lithe arms and enviably slender waist, while a pair of high-waisted cigarette-style pants fit snuggly around her lean legs.

Elongating her frame with gold and pearl Gucci heels, Nadia opted to go hands-free, carrying her belongings in a beige Yves Saint Laurent chain-link purse.

Effortless: The blogger opted to go hands-free, carrying her belongings in a beige Yves Saint Laurent shoulder bag

Leggy lady: Adding a subtle pop of colour, Nadia elongated her frame with a pair of gold and pearl Gucci heels

The star's highlighted locks were styled in relaxed waves, with the front section pinned back into a subtle quiff.

Paring back her makeup look, Nadia kept to a neutral colour palette of a bronzed complexion, taupe eyeshadow and a matte nude lip.

While at the lavish event, the socialite happily mingled with other stars including fellow WAG Rebecca Judd, 33.

Famous friends: While at the lavish event, the socialite happily mingled with other stars including fellow WAG Rebecca Judd (R), 33

White on the mark: Rebecca looked angelic in a semi-sheer frock by Alex Perry, that revealed her enviably slender waist and lean legs

Thirsty work: Another snap shared to the star's Instagram account saw the mother-of-one enjoying a beverage with Rebecca Judd and other female friends

Rebecca looked angelic in a white semi-sheer frock by Alex Perry, that revealed her enviably slender waist and lean legs.

Extra fabric from the waist down added a flirty dimension.

When Nadia isn't socialising with Melbourne's elite, she's a hands-on mother to her precious 14-month-old son Aston.

The adorable toddler often appears on Nadia's Instagram account, which is followed by an impressive 365,000.

Family: Nadia, who married former AFL Geelong player Jimmy Bartel (R), 33, in 2014, gave birth to son Aston in November 2015, a painful experience she would later open up about on The Chronicles of Nadia

Candid: 'All I know is that if I am lucky enough to get pregnant again, I would be having the epidural earlier as the pain was so intense by this stage of labour,' she wrote

Nadia, who married former AFL Geelong player Jimmy Bartel in 2014, gave birth to Aston in November 2015, a painful experience she would later open up about on The Chronicles of Nadia.

'All I know is that if I am lucky enough to get pregnant again, I would be having the epidural earlier as the pain was so intense by this stage of labour,' she wrote.

'To tell you the truth, looking back, I cant remember how bad the pain was (its true what they say as soon as you have your baby you totally forget the pain) but I do remember it was bloody horrible and by the far the most intense pain I have ever experienced.'
She was spotted enjoying a workout with a mystery man at Sydney's Bondi Beach, last November.

And things appear to have heated up since then, with Lynzey Murphy enjoying a beach day with the same male companion at the same location, on Thursday.

The 25-year-old My Kitchen Rules star and personal trainer, flaunted her toned derriere in a G-string bikini, as the muscular hunk showered her with affection.

Peachy keen! Lynzey Murphy, 25, flaunted her toned derriere in a G-string bikini, as she was showered with affection by a mystery man at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Thursday

Lynzey showed off her incredibly toned frame in a skimpy patterned bikini.

The triangle top highlighted her defined arms and taut torso, while a pair of high-cut briefs drew attention to her pert derriere and muscular legs.

Opting to go makeup-free, Lynzey allowed her semi-wet tresses to fall effortlessly around her shoulders.

Natural: Lynzey opted to go makeup-free for the outing, allowing her natural beauty to shine through

Hands-on: A mystery male was seen planting his left hand on the star's derriere as she relaxed on a grassy knoll

Effortless: Lynzey allowed her semi-wet tresses to fall around her toned shoulders

Smitten: The muscular hunk only had eyes for Lynzey as the pair engaged in conversation

The Sydney-based star was joined at the popular tourist destination by a mystery male, who exposed his buff frame in a pair of black boardshorts.

Taking to a grassy knoll, the mystery male could not keep his hands off the brunette beauty.

As Lynzey positioned herself on a towel, the tanned hunk was seen planting several kisses on her shoulder and placing his left hand on her derriere.

Affection: As Lynzey positioned herself on a towel, the tanned hunk was seen planting several kisses on her shoulder

Relaxed: The pair appeared completely at ease with one another at the popular tourist destination

Not letting her go: Another moment saw the male drape his left arm across Lynzey's lower frame

Keen to tan on both sides, Lynzey and her man sat upright, while appearing completely at ease with one another.

The fitness enthusiasts later showed off their gym-honed physiques as they took to the surf.

There was not an inch to pinch on Lynzey's frame, thanks to her many workouts she happily documents to Instagram.

Wow: Lynzey is often hailed for her gym-hone frame

Engaged: At one stage, Lynzey and her man appeared to be having a moment

Svelte: The former reality star's skimpy bikini top showed off her defined arms and toned back

Content: Lynzey was seen flashing a smile as she sat upright

Lynzey was previously linked to former NRL star and F45 personal trainer Daniel Conn, 30.

However, in July last year, Daniel confirmed that they had called time on their brief relationship.

He told the Daily Telegraph: 'We are not together but we are still great friends. We have both got such hectic schedules.'

Focus: Lynzey appeared to set her gaze on something out in the distance

On the move: The pair were later seen making their way to the surf to cool down

Trim and terrific: There was not an inch to pinch on Lynzey's frame as she walked over the rocks

Daniel is also known for his fling with Vicky Pattison, after appearing in the sixth season of MTV UK's Geordie Shore.

He's most recently been seen with Instagram model Kaily Emma Smith, after the pair were spotted at the Sydney Opera House in December.

In a now-deleted photo shared to Dan's Instagram account, Kaily smiled alongside the muscular hunk, while he placed a hand around her slender waist.

They posed for a sunset photo against the backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and looked comfortable in each other's company.

Fitspo: The fitness enthusiast regularly offers health and fitness tips with her 23,000 Instagram followers

Gym-honed: Lynzey drew attention to her impressive physique in the revealing swimwear

Low-key: The starlet swept her long locks into an effortless ponytail

Taut: The two-piece number accentuated Lynzey's washboard stomach
It's one of the most important race days on Melbourne's social calendar.

So it's no surprise that Real Housewives of Melbourne bombshell Gamble Breaux was spotted at Portsea Polo on Saturday, alongside her beloved husband Dr. Rick Wolfe.

The glam housewife, 44, stunned in a plunging white dress that showcased her trim figure.

White on the mark! RHOMS star Gamble Breaux, 44, flaunts her age-defying looks in plunging frock design at Melbourne's Portsea Polo on Saturday

Gamble's long blonde tresses hung in curls beside her ample assets, which were secured in the tight low-cut design.

The fun-loving reality star sparkled in the thigh-skimming frock, adding a pair of strappy heels to elongate her trim pins.

Gamble was seen cosying up to her eye surgeon partner Rick for photographers, with his hand around her svelte waist.

Warm embrace: Gamble was seen cosying up to her eye surgeon partner Dr. Rick Wolfe for photographers at the A-list event, with his hand placed securely around her svelte waist

Special moment: Unafraid to flaunt their fairy-tale romance to the world, the happy couple flaunted a sweet kiss on a swing in front of a photographer

Unafraid to flaunt their fairy-tale romance to the world, the happy couple shared a sweet kiss on a swing.

The age-defying beauty's makeup was flawlessly applied and she appeared to opt for a minimal look consisting of a plump light pink lip.

To protect her skin from the sun, the quirky housewife sported a cowboy hat and aviator sunglasses.

Looking good! Gamble showed off her slender frame and trim pins while posing with Former Miss Tourism Australia Sarah Czarnuch

Gamble and her beau tied the knot in 2016 at a lavish beachside ceremony in Byron Bay, broadcast on Arena for fans to see.

Gamble became engaged when the revered eye surgeon popped the question during an episode in season two of RHOM.

The pair had previously been together for five years, and while Gamble didn't have any children of her own she has become the proud step-mother to Rick's three kids.
Bachelorette star Georgia Love, 28, previously hit back at body-shamers who criticized photos of her sporting activewear.

And now, boyfriend Lee Elliott, 35, has rallied behind her in support.

Speaking from The Portsea Polo in Melbourne on Saturday, the mechanical plumber told The Herald Sun that Georgia looks perfect just the way she is.

'I love your thunder thighs!' Lee Elliott hits back at body-shaming online trolls and insists girlfriend Georgia Love's legs are amazing just the way they are in an interview with The Herald Sun at Saturday's Portsea Polo

'Her legs are amazing ... I love your thunder thighs!' he said.

While at the trackside event, Georgia made sure to put her pins on full display in a thigh-skimming Alex Perry frock.

'I dont care if they say I have got fat thighs, I think I have got good legs,' Georgia proudly stated while confidently sporting a short olive green dress with a plunging neckline.

'Her legs are amazing': Lee gushed over Georgia's appearance, saying her legs were amazing as she proudly put her pins on full display in a thigh-skimming Alex Perry frock trackside

'I think I have got good legs': The TV journalist hasn't been shy about posting pictures of her legs in the past

The brunette journalist said she wasn't affected by the rude comments posted online by vicious trolls, but felt they needed to be called out on their actions.

'I know that other people do get affected by these things and I am the kind of person who needs to be calling them out,' the TV host said.

She first hit back at commenters in December, via a lengthy rant.

Poking fun! Georgia took to Instagram Stories with Lee two weeks after the incident to check in her 'thunder thighs' for a flight using 'heavy' bag tags

She also jokingly took to Instagram Stories with Lee two weeks ago to check in her 'thunder thighs' for a flight using 'heavy' bag tags.

Despite negative comments online, the couple have appeared happier than ever since The Bachelorette wrapped up in October.

The pair regularly post loved-up snaps together online.
It's one of the hottest events on Melbourne's social calendar.

And Phoebe Tonkin made sure to turn heads at the Portsea Polo on Saturday.

The 27-year-old actress, known for her role as Hayley Marshall-Kenner in The Vampire Diaries, highlighted her slender figure in a vibrant Ferragamo frock.

Scroll down for video

Hue beauty! Phoebe Tonkin, 27, showed off her slender figure in a vibrant Ferragamo frock, as she attended Melbourne's Portsea Polo on Saturday

Phoebe, attending the event on behalf of luxury car brand Alfa Romeo, made a bold statement in a striped frock.

Thin black straps showed off her delicate decolletage and slender arms, while panels of bold coloured fabric created a wow factor.

Accessorising with just a pair of black strappy heels and delicate jewellery, Phoebe allowed the frock to be the focus.

Statement-making: Thin black straps showed off her delicate decolletage and slender arms, while panels of bold coloured fabric created a wow factor

Keeping her beauty look minimal, Phoebe styled her brunette tresses in relaxed waves and in a centre part.

The model's striking facial features were enhanced with a flawless complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara, a touch of bronzer on the apples of her cheeks and a nude lip.

The close pal of fellow Australian actress Teresa Palmer, captured moments of the event to Instagram.

Effortless: Keeping her beauty look minimal, Phoebe styled her brunette tresses in relaxed waves and in a centre part

Beauty: The model's striking facial features were enhanced with a flawless complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara, a touch of bronzer on the apples of her cheeks and a nude lip

One particular image shared with the star's 3.5 million followers, saw Phoebe perched on a white wooden chair, in front of Alfa Romeo's signage.

'Feeling a little Italian here at the #alfaromeoportseapolo thanks for having us xx,' she wrote.

Earlier this week, Phoebe was announced as the face of Alfa Romeo Portsea Polo.

Social media savvy: The close pal of fellow Australian actress Teresa Palmer, captured moments of the event to Instagram

'I'm really excited to join Alfa Romeo for the day,' she told Auto Press.

'This is my first time attending the polo in Australia and my first time down to Portsea.'

The brunette beauty also expressed that she was excited to check out the fashions on the field.

'I'm looking forward to seeing the newly debuted Alfa Romeo Giulia, the amazing Australian fashion, and getting to experience all the fun of the polo from the Alfa Romeo marquee.'
She's trying to get back into shape after indulging over the festive period.

And Vicky Pattison showed off her weight loss so far by stripping topless for her latest social media snap, covering her chest with her hand.

The 29-year-old reality star flaunted her flat stomach in nothing but a pair of tracksuit bottoms as she took a sneaky mirror selfie.

Scroll down for video

Cheeky: Vicky Pattison showed off her weight loss so far by stripping topless for her latest social media snap, covering her chest with her hand

Vicky captioned the image: 'Progress not perfection.... Not too bad for the second week of January!!

'Still a long way to go but definitely feeling positive! Almost see a little bit of muscle definition creeping in there as well!

'Day off today so I'm going to do a couple quick @minivnutrition workouts in the gym and see who I can convince to come for a hike!!!

The previous day, Vicky had posted a flashback snap of her pre-Christmas body - and there was very little difference

Red hot: The previous day, Vicky had posted a flashback snap of her pre-Christmas body - and there was very little difference

Clad in a red string bikiki, the former Geordie Shore beauty boats a slimline figure and ab definition.

She shared '#FlashbackFriday.... Already feeling better about myself but this is definitely my goal for the end of the month... '

Vicky is determined that losing an extra 10lbs will help her make a great start to 2017, after telling her Instagram followers that she wanted her body back.

She started the year with an inspiration post in which she snapped her gorgeous curves in swimwear on Sunday while introducing her January body plan.

In shape: Posting a swimwear selfie, Vicky vowed to lose 10lb and cut back on alcohol this year, in a bid to get back in shape earlier this month

She wrote: 'Now Christmas and New Year is out the way I'm defos getting this body back!! Back to the gym tomorrow'

Vicky added: 'My #JanPlan is to tone up again, lose 10 pounds, cut back on alcohol and sugar and improve my fitness levels!!!'

Vicky came out of the I'm A Celeb jungle this time last year believing she was the only contestant to have gained weight.

But she said at the time she had become 'too skinny' when she released a fitness DVD, in the aftermath of her similar weight gain on Geordie Shore.

In shape: Vicky (here in August 2016) says she's hoping to get her body back in 2017, despite previously saying that she didn't like obsessing over her weight

'When I first started losing all my weight I became obsessive,' she told The Mirror Online.

She added: 'In the end it was unrealistic for someone my height. I ended up looking too skinny. My mum was worried. My face looked gaunt and I became obsessed.

Vicky continued: 'I looked good and I was fitting in size six clothes but I had no social life. I felt guilty if I had a Nandos or a night out with my mates. And thats not the right way to live.'

By her own admission, the former queen of the jungle enjoyed an indulgent Christmas with new boyfriend John Noble.

But the TV personality, 29, was perfectly proud of her businessman beau's chiselled upper body in an image she posted online last week.

Beside his black and white selfie, she boasted: 'My man I'm a lucky girl'.

My man: Vicky Pattison has posted a shirtless snap of hunky boyfriend John Noble across social media

Christmas hangover? Vicky Pattison shared a glam selfie of her pouting in a car with fans on Monday and joked that it had taken a lot of work to get her looking good, joking that she had looked like a 'bag of p**s' before make-up

It comes after she gave fans a glimpse into her intimate celebrations with John, who she has recently branded 'the only man I have ever loved'.

She shared a snap of the pair cosied up on the sofa wearing Harry Potter loungewear, writing: 'Best Christmas ever with my love wearing our POTTER themed pressies.'

It was the couple's first Christmas and Vicky got into the festive spirit on Christmas Eve as she posed next to her shirtless beau in a cheeky Instagram shot.

Fetsive fun for two: It comes after she gave fans a glimpse into her intimate celebrations with new beau John, as they wore matching Harry Potter loungewear

Festive fun! It was the reality star's first Christmas with John and they posed for a cheeky selfie on Christmas Eve

Meanwhile, her former Geordie Shore co-star Charlotte Crosby prepared to hit the town in a silky slip dress, as Fearne Cotton geared up for an altogether different kind of night in cute festive pyjamas.

Vicky showed things were getting serious with John with the cute snap, as the businessman.

Going make-up free, she pouted for the camera, while John rocked a makeshift Santa costume with a Father Christmas hat and a shaving foam beard.

The I'm A Celebrity winner captioned the shot: 'Merry Christmas Eve from Santa and his little helper...'

Looking good: Charlotte Crosby prepared for a festive night in a tiny lace-trim floral minidress in a sexy midnight black hue

Ready for her close up: Abbey Clancy changed into Agent Provocateur lingerie for her festive selfie

Body goals: Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry showcased her lean figure in skintight leggings

Pucker up! The reality star later cosied up to a mini Father Christmas doll

Meanwhile, Charlotte Crosby prepared for a festive night in a tiny lace-trim floral minidress in a sexy midnight black hue.

Showcasing her enviably lean legs in the thigh-skimming number, lengthening them further with some barely there triple-strap heels.

Proving quite the contrast to Charlotte, Fearne Cotton prepared for a cost night in with her social media documentation.

The presenter revealed she was fully embracing the Christmas spirit with a pair of white leggings adorned with festive tree print.

'Xmas eve dinner with my man': Stacey Solomon donned silky dusky pink dress for a romantic dinner with boyfriend Joe Swash

In the pink: Charli XCX rocked a tartan miniskirt as she showed off her incredible fuchsia tree and matching presents

Sibling love: Scarlett Moffatt flashed a grin as she spent quality time with her little sister Ava-Grace Moffatt - who looked adorable in an elf outfit

Throwback! Holly Hagan shared a nostalgic shot with Vicky Pattison, Charlotte Crosby and Sophie Kasaei from their Geordie Shore days four years ago

Not feeling the festive spirit? Geordie Shore star Marnie Simpson made no reference to Christmas as she rocked some denim thigh high boots for a night out

'Christmas Eve walks with the bestie': Fearne enjoyed a stroll with her best friend and ex X Factor contestant Kye Sones - who she has known since they were 11

'Festive legs!' The presenter revealed she was fully embracing the Christmas spirit with a pair of white leggings adorned with festive tree print

Jake Hall, 26, snuggled up to his new girlfriend Misse Beqiri, 29, during an ice-skating session at the Natural History Museum in London.

The former TOWIE star shared a smooch with his model girlfriend under misteltoe decorations in one sweet snap.

The couple joined MIC's Rosie Fortescue in a cooking mission to help the homeless on Christmas Eve.

How's Santa meant to get down? Fearne Cotton shared an adorable snap of her one-year-old daughter Honey Krissy standing in front of the fireplace

Sweet: Pregnant Stephanie Davis, 23, prepared for the momentous occasion with an adorable Instagram collage that saw her recreate a sweet 2013 snap with her mother Pauline

'Last of the presents wrapped': And the Celebrity Big Brother star seemed to be fully embracing the Christmas spirit, as she spent the eve wrapping presents

Monochrome maven: Made In Chelsea star Nicola Hughes rocked an understated look as she posed next to her Christmas tree

'Christmas vibes': Jake Hall, 26, snuggled up to his new girlfriend Misse Beqiri, 29, during an ice-skating session at the Natural History Museum in London

'Giving back': The couple joined MIC's Rosie Fortescue in a cooking mission to help the homeless on Christmas Eve

Pregnant Stephanie Davis prepared to welcome her first child, a baby son into the world in January, with an adorable Instagram collage that saw her recreate a sweet 2013 snap with her mother Pauline.

The former Hollyoaks actress, 23, and her mum swapped festive red onesies for matching white pyjamas in the new version on Christmas Eve.

The brunette beauty beamed as she showcased her large baby bump, which her mum placed an affectionate hand over.

Kiss under the mistletoe: The former TOWIE star shared a smooch with his model girlfriend

Sweet treat: The TV presenter posed with a white chocolate snack after 'stuffing her face'

Night on the tiles: Pixie Lott seemed to be having a whale of a time as she cradled a giant bottle of vodka

Thoughtful guy! Rochelle Humes revealed her husband Marvin surprised her with a 40kg wheel of cheese - the only thing that was on her Christmas wish list

'These humans are everything to me!' Vicky Pattison went for a raucous Christmas Eve meal with a big group of pals

Stephanie captioned the shot: 'Me and mum in 2013... till now me mum and bump Still every year in our matching pjs for Christmas Eve.'

Professing her love for all things festive, she added: 'Feel so Christmassy! Next year me and my little boy will wear matching ones hehe.

'Everyone who knows me knows how much I love love LOVE Christmas! I'm so giddy, been playing Christmas songs since September ha. Love my family so so much. Blessed xxxxx'

Loving life in London: Lily Collins indulged in some last-minute shopping in Regent Street

Look to the skies: The 27-year-old actress later shared a dreamy snap at the iconic Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park

Happy times: Phillip Schofield rocked an optimistic festive jumper as he posed in front of his tree

Pointing them out as she walked down her tinsel decorated stairs, the mother-of-two wrote in the snap: 'Festive legs. Merry Christmas Eve you lovely lot'.

Proving it was a family affair, Fearne also shared a photo of her one-year-old daughter Honey Krissy in sweet festive trousers standing in front of the fireplace.

She captioned it: 'Wondering how Santa is gonna get down that chimney with the fire burner in the way?'

Meanwhile Victoria Beckham turned Christmas Eve into a night of doodling fun with her children.

Pouty selfie: Ellie Goulding opted for a sultry snap for her Christmas Eve offering

Athletic gal: Ashley James eschewed the ordinary celebrations to work on her body as part of her London marathon training

Family affair: MIC star Tiffany Watson enjoyed a trip to the carol service with her dad

She proudly showed off her five-year-old daughter Harper's festive ahead of the big day with a shot, which she captioned: 'Harper is so excited!!!! Kisses on Christmas Eve!!! @davidbeckham @brooklynbeckham @cruzbeckham X VB'.

Tiffany Watson, of Made In Chelsea fame, stuck to a traditional celebration - opting to sing carols with her dad.

Posing with her entrepreneur father Clive in a sweet Instagram snap, she wrote underneath: 'Happy Christmas Eve from Papa Watson and I. Off to sing our hearts out at the carol service'.

Deck the halls! Singer Zendaya shared a snap decorating her epic Christmas tree with yards and yards of fairy lights

Let the presenter see the tan! Paddy McGuinness showed off his sculpted physique in a shirtless selfie

Cute central: Billie Faiers shared a sweet shot of her daughter Nelly

Walkies! Mark Wright enjoyed a stroll with three dog companions

Exciting times! Jools Oliver's brood seemed overjoyed as they inspected their presents ahead of the big day
It was the classic nineties game show that got viewers into a frenzy every Thursday night as contestants made their way to the Crystal Dome in a plethora of multicolored boiler suits.

And now, it's been revealed that The Crystal Maze is making a comeback to Channel 4 after the success of the one-off special during the station's charity fundraiser Stand Up For Cancer in October.

According to Digital Spy, Richard Ayoade, 39, will take to the helm of the series, replacing Stephen Merchant's electrifying performance as host late last year.

Scroll down for video

Maze master: Richard Ayoade, 39, will take to the helm of the series, replacing Stephen Merchant's electrifying performance as host late last year

Tom Beck - who is commissioning editor of live and TV events at Channel 4 - told the site: 'The Stand Up to Cancer special was so brilliant and so successful that commissioning a series of The Crystal Maze was almost a no-brainer.

'And I couldn't be more pleased and excited that Richard has agreed to become the new Maze Master  he's an inspired choice.'

With Ayoade sharing the namesake of the original host, it is unknown if Richard O'Brien will make an appearance in the revived series - which attracted three million viewers to tune in for the special.

It's back: The Crystal Maze is making a comeback to Channel 4 after the success of the one-off special during the station's charity fundraiser Stand Up For Cancer in October when Stephen Merchant took the role as maze master

Excited: With Ayoade sharing the namesake of the original host, it is unknown if Richard O'Brien will make an appearance in the revived series - which attracted three million viewers to tune in for the special (pictured in the early nineties)

No stranger to the station, actor and comedian Richard has starred on the channel's IT Crowd alongside Chris O'Dowd and has since launched his kooky travel show Travel Man: 48 Hours In...

Previously, the Submarine director was reported to be in talks to replace Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins on The Great British Bake Off, after the pair quit the show when it moved from the BBC to Channel 4.

A source said at the time to The Sun: 'Richard is a really popular choice at the minute, as many think he's got a great character that would bring a great spark to the show.

Fan favourite: No stranger to the station, actor and comedian Richard has starred on the channel's IT Crowd alongside Chris O'Dowd

'He's got a wonderful off-beat sense of humour, which would really fit the change of channel - and would no doubt be a popular choice with viewers too.

'It's still early days, but he is definitely up there and now the leading candidate.'

While no host has been announced for the popular baking show, The Crystal Maze is expected to air new episodes with Richard later this year.
They secretly tied the knot in a Byron Bay ceremony last month.

And Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley are certainly relishing in the joys of wedded bliss, as the newlyweds recently uploaded a romantic beachside snap to Instagram on Saturday.

The actress, 26, shared a loved-up photo resting her arm on husband Tom as they shared a special moment at the mystery location.

Honeymoon bliss? Newlyweds Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley shared a beachside snap together from a mystery holiday location to Instagram on Saturday

The sun-soaked pair took in the clear blue skies and calm waves of the unknown shoreline.

Margot and Tom displayed damp hair in the uncaptioned post, having already taken a dip in the crystal clear water.

Margot appeared to be wearing a backless leopard-print halterneck swimsuit, exposing her slim tanned physique to the camera.

Flashing the bling! Margot confirmed they had been married on Instagram with an image showcasing her wedding finger to the camera as she kissed her beau

Tom's long hair was placed up in his signature man bun, while Margot opted for a boater hat.

Margot had previously posted in the same straw hat while in Byron Bay, with a high probability the picture was taken on the New South Wales coastline.

One of the first images to surface days after their wedding, the actress was in her leopard print bikini with friends.

She was cosying up to her husband while they smiled for the happy snap on an almost identical towel to her recent upload.

That looks familiar! The Suicide Squad star and her beau were spotted with friends and family the day after her nuptials on the beach, in the same swimsuit as her recent image

Reports at the time suggested the Suicide Squad star hosted a party with friends and family the day after her nuptials.

A source told Who Magazine: 'There were bikinis all round and a raucous game of pool volleyball. Super casual. Towels and swimmers. Pool games. Snacks, nothing formal.'

Her hen's do was also quite low-key, as she took a pastry masterclass at Bam Bam Bakehouse at Mermaid Beach a few day before walking the aisle.

Laid-back bride: Reports revealed at the time the couple hosted a low-key wedding after party, with Margot hosting a hen's do at local Bam Bam Bakehouse a few days before walking down the aisle

The pair were also spotted arriving back in Los Angeles in early January looking refreshed and as smitten as ever.

The British assistant film director first caught the eye of the Aussie stunner while working on war drama Suite Francaise in 2013.

The pair become a couple soon after, and kept their engagement and pending nuptials private.

Margot confirmed they had been married on Instagram with an image showcasing her wedding finger to the camera.

Happy couple: The British assistant film director first caught the eye of the Aussie stunner while working on war drama Suite Francaise in 2013, with the pair becoming a couple soon after and keeping their engagement and pending nuptials private until the wedding reveal in December, 2016




During her YouTube makeup tutorial on Friday, Skye Wheatley told a fan that she is 'kind of back together' with beau Cameron McCristal, three weeks after their split.

And all appeared to be well and good between the couple later that day, when a snap of the two straddling each other in the bathroom, was shared to Instagram.

Now, beau Cameron has taken up a notch, labelling the 22-year-old buxom blonde his 'soulmate' in his latest social media snap, posted to the site on Friday.

Scroll down for video

That was fast! Skye Wheatley's on-again off-again beau Cameron McCristal, took to Instagram on Friday, calling the 22-year-old buxom blonde his 'soulmate' just THREE WEEKS after the couple called it quits

'Soul mate,' Cameron simply captioned the image, alongside a love heart emoji.

The photo saw Skye flaunting her ample assets in a skimpy purple crop top, teamed with knee-length black leggings and coordinating pink trainers.

The reality star's short blonde locks were slicked back off her face, and she appeared to have a glamorous makeup palette of a bronzed complexion, defined brows and a coat of pink lipstick over her plump pout.

'When you try to take a cute couple photo': Skye took to Instagram on Friday, awkwardly straddling beau Cameron, as she attempted to take a playful snap

Cameron positioned himself behind Skye, embracing her slender waist as he looked down at the camera's lens.

A previous snap shared to Skye's Instagram account on Friday, saw the on-again, off-again couple, attempting to capture a playful moment.

The image saw the bubbly personality leaving very little to the imagination in a white two-piece ensemble, that flashed her lean legs, trim torso and ample cleavage.

Back on: After partying with Skye at the FOMO Music Festival in Brisbane last weekend, Cameron crashed the star's YouTube makeup tutorial on Friday

Attempting to take the perfect mirror selfie in a bathroom, Skye wrapped her legs around Cameron's waist, with her beau flashing his pearly whites for the camera.

'When you try to take a cute couple photo but you're both just way too awkward,' she wrote in the caption, alongside the hash-tags #awkwardcouple and #ihateyoubutiloveyou.

The couple's rekindled romance comes after Cameron was seen partying with Skye at the FOMO Music Festival in Brisbane last week, and having crashed her YouTube makeup tutorial on Friday.

Hot couple: Skye and Cameron have been on and off since June 2015

In the makeup tutorial, Skye's fans were surprised to see Cameron make a cameo, given their shock split just three weeks prior.

'Wait! You and Cameron are still together? I'm not sure? Anyone know? Sorry to be nosey!' wrote one fan.

'Hahah we are kind of together,' Skye responded coyly.

When another fan quizzed her about her romantic life, Skye shared: 'Umm yeah we're together. Bit hard to keep up with we're so off and on hahhaha.'

In the clip, Skye was partway through putting on her makeup when Cameron came into the room.

'You legit just left the chicken on the beach,' he interrupted.

Surprise cameo: Cameron appeared in her latest YouTube video, shocking fans with one asking, 'Wait! You and Cameron are still together?'

'So?' Skye replied.

'So it will just leak everywhere,' Cameron claimed.

'Oh sorry, you're gonna have to put it in the sink,' Skye said as she cut the clip.

Absence: Prior to Friday's post, Skye had not featured Cameron on her Instagram account for six weeks

The pair split in December and had been dating on-and-off since June 2015. They also had a brief split in January 2016.

Following that split, Skye told Daily Mail Australia: 'We broke up, my life is s*** right now. It's a long story.'

Prior to Friday's post, Skye last featured Cameron on her Instagram 6 weeks ago.
He's long denied that he's father of Stephanie Davis child.

But on Friday night, Jeremy McConnell appeared to be celebrating the birth of his rumoured love child with the disgraced Hollyoaks actress.

In a video obtained by the Mirror Online, the 26-year-old former Celebrity Big Brother star can be seen looking bleary eyed as he parties in Thailand with pals hours after his ex gave birth.

Scroll down for video

Taking a swipe? On Friday night, Jeremy McConnell appeared to be celebrating the birth of his rumoured love child with the disgraced Hollyoaks actress, Stephanie Davis

MailOnline have reached out to representatives of Jeremy for comment.

The videos shared on a friend's Snapchat see Jeremy swigging beers, play-fighting and partying at a club.

In the stream of clips, believed to have been recorded hours after Stephanie gave birth to a baby boy, Jeremy and his friends seemingly ridicule and taunt the former CBB star.

One clip which shows Jeremy swigging form a beer as he collapses on a bed is captioned: 'Get the kid a physcoligist (sic)'.

Not thinking of her: In a video obtained by the Mirror Online , the CBB, 26, star can be seen looking bleary eyed as he parties in Thailand with pals hours after his ex gave birth

The caption appears to be a dig at Stephanie as the caption seems to be a miss-spelling of 'psychologist'.

However, a source close to Jeremy denied it was aimed at the new-born, saying: '

'The text on the snap chat "Get the kid a ..." is referring to Jeremy as the kid and is personal joke between friends.

'It has been completely taken out of context and is certainly not aimed a Steph's son.'

Lashing out? In the stream of clips, believed to have been recorded hours after Stephanie gave birth to a baby boy, Jeremy and his friends seemingly ridicule and taunt the former CBB star

Later on the evening the former Beauty School Cop Outs cast-member is seen dancing at a party shirtless.

As he dances and plays up for the camera a caption on the clip alludes to Jeremy being the father - something he categorically denied in June.

Spinning around and pulling faces in the snippet, a caption above Jeremy reads: 'Yes, a son.'

Whetting the baby's head? Later on the evening the former Beauty School Cop Outs cast-member (pictured with Stephanie in April) is seen dancing at a party shirtless

Not a care: A fellow reveler said: 'Jeremy doesn't seem to care too much about becoming a dad, it was as though he didn't have a care in the world'

A fellow reveler told the Mirror: 'Jeremy doesn't seem to care too much about becoming a dad, it was as though he didn't have a care in the world.

'How insensitive to share such a video saying her baby needs therapy, my heart breaks for Steph. Even if it was made in jest, it's pretty disgusting.'

Jeremy is still refusing to confirm he's the father of his estranged ex Stephanie Davis' baby boy - despite her finally giving birth on Friday.

Not about her: A source close to Jeremy said: 'The text on the snap chat "Get the kid a ..." is referring to Jeremy as the kid and is personal joke between friends'

The Irish model revealed he was 'delighted' for his former flame after she welcomed her new bundle of joy after a reported 48 hours in labour - but still echoed his former denial of the baby being his.

Jeremy addressed the issued of the child's paternity on Twitter shortly after the news broke, writing:

'I am delighted that Steph has safely had the baby, of course if he is my son I will absolutely step up and do what I can to support him.'

'Any timescale for that is in Steph's hands now. I did reach out to her some weeks ago but didn't hear back,' Jeremy explained the situation further.

'I am delighted': Jeremy McConnell, 26, congratulated his ex Stephanie Davis after she gave birth on Friday but still refused to confirm he was the father

Jeremy and Stephanie embarked on a toxic romance after meeting on CBB a year ago which culminated in a bitter split shortly before she announced she was expecting his child - claims he vehemently denies.

She has maintained constantly throughout her pregnancy that Jeremy is the father, yet the Dubliner has lashed out at her claims and insisted he wants a paternity test upon the arrival of the little boy.

Speaking about the saga, the actress told new! magazine: 'Jeremy knows the truth. I'm keeping (the DNA test) private. I'll sort that with him. If I could have done one straight away, I would have, but it was too dangerous for the baby.'

'If he is my son I will absolutely step up': Jeremy revealed he will do his best once he's confirmed as the father of the newborn (Pictured February 2016)

Meanwhile, just weeks before Stephanie gave birth, Jeremy had told the Daily Star: 'I was in a position where we broke up for a period of time. I found out she was pregnant, but in the meantime I knew she was with other people.'

'I can't do anything while the baby's in there,' he explained. 'When it comes out I would step up to the plate. All I want is clarification. If I find out it's mine I'll be the best dad.'

A source close the star told MailOnline: 'Jeremy has tried to contact Steph on a number occasions but he hasn't heard back.

'If he is the father then of course he going to do step up and do the right thing.'

Tumultuous times: The former lovers have had a bitter back-and-forth war of words since splitting up

In the past: The couple found love in the Celebrity Big Brother house back in January 2016

Snap happy: The former Hollyoaks has keenly documented her pregnancy on social media

Meanwhile, a representative for Stephanie confirmed her happy news to the MailOnline on Friday, stating:

'We are delighted to confirm that our client Stephanie Davis gave birth to a baby boy on Friday. Mother and baby are doing fine.'

The former Hollyoaks star, whose baby's name is yet to be revealed, is believed to have been in labour for a gruelling two days.

As Stephanie's labor went on, a source told The Sun: 'The baby's taking his time, but we're hoping that he will arrive today. Steph is so excited that the day has finally come that she will meet her son.

'At the moment she is focusing on welcoming her little boy - her priority is his safe delivery and spending some quality time with him.'

The birth comes after a close pal of Jeremy defended the inked hunk for jetting off to Thailand for a lad's holiday, despite his ex's due date being imminent - saying he's within his rights to take the break as he has nothing tying him down.

He's finally here! The former Hollyoaks star, whose baby's name is yet to be revealed, is believed to have been in labour for a gruelling two days

'No ties': Pals of Jeremy McConnell have reportedly defended the Irish model for going on holiday to Thailand with his friends as his ex Stephanie prepares for the birth of their child

'Jeremy is simply having a well deserved holiday in Thailand with his pals,' the source told The Sun. 'I'm not sure why he's getting so much grief for posting a selfie of him having a drink.'

Despite, Jeremy's long-haul trip, the star is ready to come back at a moments notice, with his representative telling MailOnline: 'Jeremy is currently in Thailand enjoying a short holiday with friends, which has been booked for sometime.

'He has an open return ticket should he need to return to the UK before the end of his trip'.

The reality star has certainly been enjoying himself since splitting with Stephanie - and was most recently accused of sleeping with a fan's girlfriend after a nightclub appearance after a barrage of Twitter direct messages were revealed.

And Jeremy he also set tongues wagging again as he enjoyed a steamy New Year's Eve kiss with a mystery blonde earlier this month.
While their youngest sister Scarlet, 14, made a splash attending at Milan Men's Fashion Week.

Now, older sisters Sophia, 20, and Sistine Stallone, 18, ensured all eyes were on them as they stepped out in sizzling ensembles alongside their model mum Jennifer Flavin, 48, at the Dolce & Gabbana party in the Italian fashion capital on Saturday night.

The daughters of movie star Sylvester Stallone - who both walked in the breath-taking show - slipped into dazzling coordinating black looks as they posed for pictures outside the exclusive bash.

Scroll down for video

Sizzling: Sisters Sophia, 20, and Sistine Stallone, 18, ensured all eyes were on them as they stepped out in sizzling ensembles alongside their model mum Jennifer Flavin, 48, at the Dolce & Gabbana party in Milan on Saturday night

Sistine flaunted her never-ending pins in her semi-sheer chiffon minidress that elongated her lithe limbs to perfection.

Injecting height into her look, she slipped on a pair of metallic platforms that added inches to slender frame, while she carried her tiny chain wrapped clutch.

Meanwhile, Sophia displayed her endless curves in a skintight bustier inspired thigh-grazing dress that accentuated her ample cleavage.

Adding a fashion flair, she draped an eye-catching blazer with silk polka dot lapels over her shoulder as her glossy brown locks cascaded down her shoulder into a sultry wave.

The two along with their younger sibling Scarlet were sure to capture many's attention after they undertook the role of Miss Golden Globes at last weekend's awards.

Awe-inspiring: The daughters of movie star Sylvester Stallone - who both walked in the breath-taking show - slipped into dazzling coordinating black looks as they posed for pictures outside the exclusive bash

Beuaties: The two along with their younger sibling Scarlet were sure to capture many's attention after they undertook the role of Miss Golden Globes at last weekend's awards

Joined by their glamorous mother for the after-party, Jennifer showed her daughters how it's done as she complemented them in her figure-flaunting black midi with rose embellishment and simple white pleating.

The beauty worked her mane into a chic chignon as she carried her statement box clutch to their waiting car.

Their demure display comes after sister Scarlet, 14, was taking centre stage at the Dolce & Gabbana show earlier in the day.

The teen was accompanied by her mother Jennifer both taking pride of place on the front row at the glamorous and star-studded runway show to support their own.

Good genes: Sylvester Stallone's youngest daughter Scarlet, 14, took centre stage alongside her mother Jennifer, at the Dolce & Gabbana show

Scarlet looked lovely in a nautical chic dress, embracing the trend in a cute black shift dress with gold button detailing.

The fashionable number boasted a cute striped sailor neckline and a rose on one hip, true to D&G's aesthetic.

The teen completed her look with a pair of funky velvet heels with gold triple strap detailing.

Stylish: Scarlet looked lovely in a nautical chic dress, embracing the trend in a cute black shift dress with gold button detailing

Girls' day out: The Stallone girls - including Scarlet's older sisters Sophia and Sistine - have all arrived in Milan for the fashion festivities

Seeing double: The duo were impossibly stylish as they made their grand arrival

Proud mother Jennifer watched over her daughter as they made their grand entrance together, posing beside her.

She was clad in an elegant white dress featuring a pretty floral pattern, matched with nude stilettos.

The D&G menswear show drew a motley crowd of stars, including Steve Harvey and British model Chloe Lloyd.

Super chic: The fashionable number boasted a cute striped sailor neckline and a rose on one hip, true to D&G's aesthetic

Taking centre stage: Scarlet is breaking out from her Sophia and Sistine's shadow

Elegant: She was clad in an elegant white dress featuring a pretty floral pattern, matched with nude stilettos

Fashionable from head-to-toe: The teen completed her look with a pair of funky velvet heels with gold triple strap detailing

All three of Sylvester Stallone's daughters travelled to Italy after sharing duties as Miss Golden Globes 2017, presenting the awards and escorting honorees on Sunday.

As to be expected, the Rocky star, 70, approached prepping his trio for the task with the same vigor as he would his most famous Hollywood role.

'He actually makes me train in heels for an hour every day,' Scarlet, 14, told Us Weekly on Wednesday. 'He doesnt want me to fall!'

Model behaviour: Sonia Ben Ammar strutted her stuff down the runway for Dolce & Gabbana on Saturday in Milan, Italy

Fashion forward: The French beauty - who turns 18 in February - worked a fashion forward look down the catwalk as she sported a thigh-grazing miniskirt and crop top

Style stars: Sonia accessorised her look with simple drop earrings and a number of gold necklaces around her neck while Sofia Richie slipped into a saucy negligee down the catwalk

Chic: Sonia modelled and YouTube star Cameron Dallas

Pin-credible: Sofia put on a rather racy display as she sauntered down the runway in a black silk negligee with lace detailing around the hem and bust

Stunning: British beauty Chloe Lloyd looked the picture of elegance at the show

True blue: Chloe, who is engaged to Union J's Josh Cuthbert, stuck to a simple colour theme

Brunette beauties: Tanya Burr (R) sported a cute A-line skirt and simple top

The official announcement was made by Lorenzo Soria on November 10, but it was the ladies' famous father who got to break the news to them.

'We were all sitting in the family room and my dad called us in as if we were going to get some tragic news, Sistine recalled of the day he shared the announcement.

Not knowing what to expect from this impromptu family meeting, the sisters were braced for bad news.

'But he said, I got the call, youre going to be Miss Golden Globes and we freaked out!' Sistine shred. 'My mom blasted the music, dogs were barking and we were dancing!'

Making a statement: There was no mission Marjorie Bridges-Woods as she posed alongside Steve Harvey
They're both boast a party girl reputation and a penchant for skimpy clothing.

But Jemma Lucy and her gal pal Chantelle Connelly were uncharacteristically dressed down when they hit the town on Friday night, sporting far more demure outfits than usual.

Ex On The Beach star Jemma, 28, kept her cleavage under wraps in a purple shirt, sporting a denim jacket for extra warmth as she arrived at Menagerie in Manchester.

Scroll down for video

Makeover: Jemma Lucy and her gal pal Chantelle Connolly were uncharacteristically dressed down when they arrived at Menargerie in Manchester on Friday night

Jemma slipped into a pair of leggings and some suede over-the-knee boot, wearing her hair pulled into a high plait.

Chantelle, who quit Geordie Shore last year, sported a funky striped top, slim-fit jeans and an on-trend choker.

She stayed snug in a fur coat as she hit the town, holding hands with fellow tattooed reality star pal.

Joining forces: Ex On The Beach star Jemma, 28, kept her cleavage under wraps in a purple shirt, while Chantelle sported a striped shirt and a fur coat

It appears Jemma hasn't had her fill of the TV world yet as she hinted that a stint on ITV2's Love Island could be next on the cards.

The star teased her Snapchat followers that she might be joining the 2017 cast later this year as she shared a photo that saw her holding a hot pink sash that read 'Miss Love Island 201...'

Concealing the full year with her hand, the MTV star teased her fans about a possible appearance on the show, in that saw her wearing nothing but a tiny pair of black underwear, covering her modesty with the ribbon.

On to another one: Jemma hasn't had her fill of the TV world yet as she hinted that a stint on ITV2's Love Island could be next on the cards

Adding fuel to the fire, she captioned the intimate pic: 'Guess where I'm going', alongside a number of waving hand emojis.

MailOnline have contacted Jemma's rep for comment.

Flashing the flesh of late on social media, Jemma was back to her old tricks as she shared an incredibly steamy topless snap on her Instagram on Thursday.

The reality star undressed for the racy black and white pic on the photo sharing site, that highlighted her buxom bust in full as she posed with an equally scantily-clad pal, Elliane Eberle, 22.

Seductively posing for the camera, she highlighted her many intricate inkings for the intimate pic that had her surgically-enhanced cleavage and panther tattoo on display.

Dare to bare: Jemma is back to her old tricks as she shared an incredibly racy topless snap on her Instagram alongside her equally scantily-clad pal Elliane Eberle, 22

Accentuating her plump out, Jemma appeared to work a slick of gloss across her lips as she swept her raven-coloured locks into a low messy bun, allowing strands to fall and frame her face as well as her features.

Resting her head on her pal, Elliane puckered up alongside the MTV bad girl, working her dark tresses into a ponytail while she wrapped a black choker around her neck.

Captioning the saucy snap, she wrote: 'Literally found another version of me!!! @elleberle this beaut, when am I seeing u again!!'

Meanwhile, Jemma appears to be determined to share snaps of her in various states of undress as last week she shared a completely naked selfie on the social media platform.

Sunning herself! The reality star shared a number of steamy selfies in which she stripped down to various states of undress late last week

Jemma found reality fame on the MTV dating show's third season in 2015 before making an explosive return in last year's fifth series - where she was kicked off for various aggressive outbursts.

Since her untimely dismissal, the tattooed beauty has been on a crusade to shock both on social media, nights out and romantic dalliances.

Her latest Instagram spree saw the star, real name Jemma Henley, bare more than ever as she peeled off her clothes to go totally naked on a sunbed.

Using her hands to attempt to protect her modesty, the tattoo model barely hid her cleavage as she pouted into her phone.

Shocking: Once again, Jemma was not shy when it came to social media as she shared a lewd clip on Snapchat

Jemma later appeared complacent with her clothes once again as she opted to go topless in another duo of images which laid all her eye-popping assets on display.

After her string of sexy selfies, she then took to Snapchat where she sent shockwaves when she joined a pal in simulating a sex act on a banana.

Jemma's social media spree comes after she spoke to OK! online about her lonely Christmas, when she numbs her hatred for the festive period with alcohol.

She said: 'I usually just get really drunk so I don't have to deal with it. When I was younger it was a really nice, fun time. But as I got older and got sent away from home and sent to boarding school, that's when it started to become a not-nice time.

Out and a pout: Using her hands to attempt to protect her modesty, the tattoo model barely hid her surgically-enhanced cleavage as she pouted into her phone

'I would usually get plonked with someone else's family, and you know when you're not with your family and with someone elses, it makes you feel like you're not accepted. You should be with your own family, not with other peoples.'

Prior to her EOTB run, the raven-haired stunner got her first taste of TV fame on Channel 4s Brat Camp in 2005 - a show aimed at troubled teens.

Among her co-stars, Jemma was sent to a US correctional centre following a string of offences including shoplifting atop being expelled from three schools.

Following this she competed on Signed by Katie Price, a reality show hoping to find a protege for the model, before she launched herself into the reality world on EOTB.

Oh dear! Jemma later appeared complacent with her clothes once again as she opted to go topless in another duo of images which laid all her eye-popping assets on display

During her first run in 2015's third season, she enjoyed dalliances with Kirk Norcross, before returning in series five this year - where she was ejected for her 'unreasonable behaviour' after an array of brawls.

Jemma has gained herself a bad girl reputation during her stints on the MTV dating show after she frequently became embroiled in furious rows with co-stars.

Kayleigh Morris was the particular thorn in her side as the duo frequently rowed over various topics, before one argument escalated after which security withdrew her from the Thai villa.
His new series Taboo was met with high praise after its debut earlier this week.

So it is no wonder Tom Hardy appeared to be in good spirits on Saturday, as he arrived at LAX airport fresh from promoting the show in the States.

The hunky actor, 49, kept things casual in a comfortable red hoody as he happily signed autographs for a large group of fans who flooded him at the airport, in light of the new hit series.

Scroll down for video

Feelin' good: It is no wonder Tom Hardy, 39, appeared to be in good spirits on Saturday, as he arrived at LAX airport fresh from promoting the show in the States

The hunky actor looked worlds away from his usual suited and booted self by sporting a casual but comfortable red hoody for his flight.

Keeping the outfit low-key, he paired the jumper with plain loose-fitting trousers and sporty knitted trainers of matching hue.

Maintaining a low profile as he made his way through the terminal, the British talent finished the look with a grungy green beanie from Ben Sherman - with a pair of sunglasses resting on top.

Stopping traffic: The hunky actor looked worlds away from his usual suited and booted self by sporting a casual but comfortable red hoody for his flight

Low-key: Maintaining a low profile as he made his way through the terminal, the British talent finished the look with a green Ben Sherman beanie - with a pair of sunglasses resting on top

Smiling widely as he continued with his journey, the Max Max: Fury Road star was then met with a huge crowd of fans outside - who he happily spent time taking pictures with and signing memorabilia for.

Tom was no doubt flooded by fans at the airport in light of his latest successful project Taboo - an eight-part series created by Ridley Scott and Hardy's own father Chips.

Co-starring Jonathan Pryce and Oona Chaplin, the series is set in 1814, when Hardy's adventurer hero Delaney returns from Africa to London to inherit what's left of his dead father's shipping empire.

Man in demand: The Max Max: Fury Road star was then met with a huge crowd of fans outside

He is then caught up in a tale of conspiracy, murder and betrayal reaching right across the globe.

Despite following a quite serious storyline, Tom has stripped off for several scenes in the series, and has also been seen in promotional shots in nothing but a loin cloth wading through a swamp.

Speaking of the adult side to the dark drama with BBC Newsbeat, Tom said he wished there had been more opportunities to get his naked body in the final cut.

Thanks for the support: He happily spent time taking pictures with and signing memorabilia for the admirers waiting for him

'You're lucky there was a loin cloth because I didn't want one,' said Tom of the much-hyped snippet of him wading through the swamp.

He continued: 'It's not a period drama until someone gets naked and covers themselves in blood. At least you're showing willing.

'I was in Tilbury, in the moat, in the docks, with nothing on. We were trying to eke out drama from any opportunity and none of that makes the cut.'

The series first aired on Saturday in the UK on BBC One, before it was released in the US on FX three days later.

Man of the hour: Tom was no doubt flooded by fans at the airport in light of his latest successful series Taboo - an eight-part series created by Ridley Scott and Hardy's father Chips

The Telegraph praised Hardy as both the star and one of the writers as 'extraordinarily charismatic', while Christopher Stevens for the Daily Mail praised the drama's 'atmosphere and strong story.'

However while the actor is seeing huge success on TV this year, he admitted recently that he is desperately anticipating a sequel to Oscar-winning drama Mad Max: Fury Road.

He revealed at a Taboo press conference: 'There's mythology to do with Mad Max that spans copious amounts of tales. What's wonderful about George [Miller] is that he's created sagas for Max and sagas for Furiosa [Charlize Theron], so it's what he chooses to focus in on.

'I'm really just waiting for the call like, 'All right, let's get the leathers on and get back out there and do some more.''
She's jetted off to sunny Dubai to celebrate her upcoming 27th birthday.

And Billie Faiers - who will celebrate her big day on Sunday - didn't waist any time in stripping down to a skimpy bikini to show off her blossoming bump as she enjoyed a day by the pool on her enviable getaway on Saturday.

The mother to Nelly, two, looked every inch the yummy mummy as she flaunted her ample cleavage and evolving bump in the minuscule two-piece.

Scroll down for video

Bumping along: Billie Faiers didn't waist any time in stripping down to a skimpy bikini to show off her blossoming bump as she enjoyed a day by the pool in Dubai on Saturday.

Showing off her golden glow, the former TOWIE star looked radiant as she posed for the sizzling snap against the pool and palm-tree lined backdrop.

The skimpy bottoms rested low on her hips - allowing her to exhibit her growing bump and long, lean legs.

She donned a funky headpiece, which tamed her locks away from her make-up free face, while shielding herself with a pair of sunnies.

'Happy Saturday #pooldays #babybump #readytopop #32weekspregnant,' the beauty captioned the sizzling snap.

Loved-up: Billie - who will turn 27 on Sunday - also shared another picture of her heading out for a lavish meal with her fiance Greg Shepherd

Jetting off in style: The former TOWIE star jetted off in luxury to the sun-kissed country on Thursday

Billie also shared another picture of her heading out for a lavish meal with her fiance Greg Shepherd.

Dressed to impressive, Billie showed off her tanned pins in a slinky LBD as she cosied up to her man.

'Dinner date,' she captioned the snap along with a bunch of loved-up emojis.

The reality star confirmed she was expecting a boy last month, telling OK! magazine: 'We cant stop smiling. Greg got quite emotional, but hes over the moon.'

Beach babe: The trip to Dubai was long overdue as Billie took to Instagram recently to share a throwback snap of her clad in a another skimpy bikini for a past trip to Maldives

Billie has always been open about wanting a second child before she gets hitched to ticket broker Greg, who she got engaged to in February 2014.

Now her baby boy is well on his way, the reality star will be focusing on her wedding plans.

The blonde said: 'Were definitely going to do it abroad  were thinking September, but were not sure where yet because of monsoon seasons.

Meanwhile, the trip to Dubai was long overdue as Billie took to Instagram recently to share a throwback snap of her clad in a another skimpy bikini for a past trip to Maldives.

The mother-of-one can be seen stood in a fuchsia halter-neck two-piece in front of dense foliage.

Proud auntie: Billie couldn't resist sharing her own tribute to her nephew Paul for his birthday last month, rivalling his doting mum Sam's gushing messages

Prior to the New Year, Billie gave a sweet birthday tribute to sister Sam's son Paul.

The beauty posted a sweet picture of herself carrying the little boy, writing: 'Happy 1st birthday my little darling baby Paul aunty loved your tea party today.'

Billie sported a figure-hugging black dress with choker detailing and suede thigh-high boots while balancing Paul Jr. on one hip.

She also uploaded a heartwarming video of Nelly trying to dance with her cousin.

'These two just make my heart melt ... having a little dance and Nelly singing to baby Paul on his 1st birthday', she cooed.

Posting a picture of her daughter sampling the sweet treats on offer, Billie joked, 'Course I found Nelly at the cupcakes ... I have to say they were amazing'.
Paris Hilton spread a little beauty on Instagram Friday.

The 33-year-old DJ shared two photos where she was flashing her chest in a flowing summer maxi dress while in Mexico.

In the Simple Life star's captions were inspiring messages such as, 'Be who you are & say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter & those who matter don't mind.'

Looking good: Paris Hilton spread a little beauty on Instagram Friday. The 33-year-old DJ shared two photos where she was flashing her chest in a summer maxi dress while in Mexico

Feeling free: In the Simple Life star's captions were inspiring messages such as, 'Be who you are & say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter & those who matter don't mind'

This comes before she shared a photo with pal Sofia Richie at the Moschino show in Italy.

In her two new images from Mexico, Paris looks like a supermodel as she shows off her toned arms and small waistline.

She appears to be on the balcony of her hotel.

More: The Beverly Hills native also shared a snap with these two pals she called 'beach babes'

Mr Right? Hilton's trip to Mexico included a cozy session with a mystery man, who she has yet to identify

In another caption the perfume mogul wrote: 'A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world opened out.

'And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything. And the people of the world were good & handsome. And I was not afraid any more.'

Hilton's trip to Mexico included a cozy session with a mystery man, who she has yet to identify.

Model friend: This comes before she shared a photo with pal Sofia Richie at the Moschino in Italy on Saturday

It appeared as if they were cuddling up to each other and more than friends.

Hilton looked pretty at the Moschino show in Italy where she hung out with Richie, the daughter of Lionel.

Paris wore a black and yellow dress with her blonde locks worn down.

Tops: Paris wore a black and yellow dress with her blonde locks worn down

Bright idea: Richie, who used to date Justin Bieber, flashed a black bra and wore a jacket and drawstring pants with multi colored images like stars and smiley faces

Richie, who used to date Justin Bieber, flashed a black bra and wore a jacket and drawstring pants with multi colored images like stars and smiley faces.

On Saturday she is set to perform in Italy at club Sesto/Senso. Her caption read: 'Hey #Italy! See you Tonight at @SestoSensoTheClub! #MilanMensFashionWeek On Saturday, January 14th! #GoldRushTour  #Desenzano.'
The show is set to combat sexism in Hollywood.

And on Saturday morning, Reese Witherspoon - star and co-producer of Big Little Lies - got choked up on stage as she gushed about her co-stars in the upcoming HBO miniseries.

The 40-year-old actress was joined by co-producer Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley and writers and producers of the show at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

Powerful women: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley and writers and producers of Big Little Lies attend the TCA Winter Press Tour

Touching: Reese Witherspoongot choked up on stage as she gushed about her co-stars in the upcoming HBO miniseries

Witherspoon became emotional as she discussed women in film and the incredible performances of the ladies on stage with her.

She explained that it wasn't just because they were so good - but because this opportunity, to have five major female roles with substance, is so rare.

'It was so refreshing to spend time with so many women; this is the greatest ensemble experience I've ever had,' the Wild star divulged.

Director Jean-Marc Vallee - who also directed Wild - had the women rehearse lines over dinner and wine to create real intimacy between the characters.

Tear jerking: Witherspoon became emotional as she discussed women in film and the incredible performances of the ladies on stage with her

She went on to lament that for nearly three decades she had been the only female lead on most on set.

Reese continued: 'I'm passionate because things have to change. We have to start seeing women as they really are in film. And not just in a movie theater with a tiny budget.

'We need to see real womens experience whether it involves domestic violence, whether is involves sexual assault whether it involves motherhood or romance or infidelity or divorce...These are the kinds of things that shift consciousness.'

Women of all ages: Shailene Woodley, 25, plays newcomer Jane Chapman

Real connection: Director Jean-Marc Vallee had the women practice lines over dinner and wine to create intimacy between the characters

The women went on to discuss their characters in the seven-part dark comedy, which is based on the best-selling 2014 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty.

Witherspoon said that her character Madeline Mackenzie is a 'bossy know-it-all,' and Woodley's character Jane Chapman is a newcomer to town.

Nicole spoke about working with Reese: 'We're very, very close friends. We're able to talk about everything...I love that it's about women making something happen with friendship at the core of it.'

Kidman added: 'I was lucky because when I read the book, I really related to all the women in the book and I've met many women who've felt the same way.

'I was lucky:' Kidman confessed she related to all the women in the book

Relevant: The show centers on a group of women, all in different stages of motherhood, in Monterey, California

'I wouldn't call them helicopter mothers - some of them are very attentive.

'There is such an array of emotions in the piece and that's what we excited to show the lives of these women in a very authentic way and yet entertaining.'

The show centers on a group of women, all in different stages of motherhood, in Monterey, California.

The women's seemingly perfect lives begin to unravel to the point of murder.

Big Little Lies is set to hit small screens February 19 on HBO.

Strong women: All the actresses are well-respected in the industry
Kim Kardashian is a master at garnering attention for her racy social media snaps.

And teen Kylie Jenner is no slouch either as she builds her brand by flaunting her notable assets for her 83m followers.

But on Saturday it was all about Kendall Jenner, 21, as she shared a racy bikini selfie on Instagram.

Show off: Kendall Jenner, 21, she shared a racy bikini selfie on Instagram on Saturday

Zoom in: She also shared a close up where she was wearing yellow

Her face was not seen but her body was on full display.

The Vogue cover girl wore a skimpy bikiniwith a white top and black straps and a black bottom that she yanked up as she stood in a bathroom.

The caption for the flashy post was 'Chaos.' She also shared a close up where she was wearing yellow.

Snapper: Hailey Baldwin shared a sultry shot of her friend

Sunny D: Kendall also later shared this reflection shot of herself getting some 'vitamin D'

Awww: The day before, the siren shared a more innocent shot on kendallj.com - a flashback to when she was a child

The day before, the siren shared a more innocent shot on kendallj.com - a flashback to when she was a child.

On Thursday she was seen arriving in NYC.

The model had some blemishes on her face, but still managed to look incredibly glamorous in a trendy velvet co-ord and lace-up boots.

Look at what her sister is doing! Kylie Jenner nearly spilled out of her silk nightie on Friday

The brunette opted to go without make-up for her flight to the Big Apple - which displayed a few blemishes on her usually clear and glowing complexion, after an undoubtedly hectic and stressful few weeks.

Not fazed by the marks however, the star's natural beauty and striking features were still clear to see as she swapped cosmetics for a set of Aviator sunglasses instead.

Yet, it was the brunette's model physique that truly stole the show as she donned a casually glamorous velvet co-ord.

Exhausted: The jet set lifestyle appears to be taking its toll on Jenner, as she displayed the beginnings of a breakout in NYC on Thursday

Still got it: The 21-year-old model still managed to look incredibly glamorous in a trendy velvet co-ord and lace-up boots

Taking tracksuits to a new level, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star rocked a set of baggy drawstring trousers with a matching crop top - leaving her toned tum on show.

Keeping her look casual she layered a denim jacket on top and left her hair in loose, natural waves.

However upping the glamour were her heeled boots - formed of camel suede and featuring lace-up detailing to lengthen her already statuesque figure.

Casual girls' night: Kendall was joined by Hailey Baldwin as they popped out for a walk

Following the leader: Hailey was rocking an equally casual ensemble in an oversized denim jacket, baggy T-shirt and leather ankle boots

Touching down and heading to her hotel in the city, Kendall was then seen stepping out for a girls' night with close friend Hailey Baldwin.

The blonde was rocking an equally casual ensemble in an oversized denim jacket, T-shirt and heeled ankle boots.

It's uncertain why exactly Kendall has travelled from her home in Los Angeles to New York, but no doubt it's likely for work.

The new year will no doubt be another busy year for Kendall, who ended 2016 walking for the second time in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris in late November.

Kendall was joined with her famous model gal pal Gigi Hadid, who also walked down the runway.

Talking to E! News about being cast in the prestigious show alongside her BFF, she admitted: 'You dream of doing this show your whole life, but you would never dream for it to be as good as to do it with all your friends, like genuinely your friends outside of work.

'Gigi and I have been texting the whole time like, "Oh my god. I'm so excited! Where are you? Stay with me." We've had a buddy system this whole trip. It's just nice. It's really comforting.'




He's the fair-haired Australian model known for his chiselled jawline and wild-child antics.

But on Saturday, Jordan Barrett was spotted doing what he does best - strutting the catwalk for Moschino in full designer garb.

Clad in several beatnik-inspired ensembles, the 20-year-old heartthrob was seen walking in the Italian brand's winter 2017 show during Milan Fashion Week.

Catwalk king! Jordan Barrett, 20, was spotted doing what he does best on Saturday- strutting the catwalk in full designer garb at the Moschino winter 2017 show during Milan Fashion Week

One appearance on the runway saw Jordan don a black jacket and trousers accessorised with a matching black beret and quirky silver body harness.

The bold look was complete with a pair of lace-up boots in black patent leather.

At one stage, he was also seen wearing a kaleidoscopically-coloured jacket and trousers emblazoned with a cherub-themed print.

Black out! One appearance on the runway saw Jordan don a black jacket and trousers accessorised with a matching black beret and quirky silver body harness

Model moment! Jordan took to Instagram with this video of himself posing back stage with designer Jeremy Scott

This look was accessorised with a khaki beret and over-sized crucifix belt.

Hailing from Byron Bay, Jordan was discovered at age 14 by a model scout working for international agency IMG.

The chance meeting took place when he was caught stealing matches from a convenience store.

Sassy: At one stage, the teen model was also seen wearing a kaleidoscopically-coloured jacket and trousers emblazoned with a cherub-themed print

Staring young: Hailing from Byron Bay, Jordan was discovered at age 14 by a model scout working for international agency IMG

Style statement! He was also seen strutting in this bold red-and-black ensemble

He recounted the bizarre incident during an interview with Vanity Fair, saying: 'He was asking me all these questions about my mom and stuff I didn't understand. I thought he was security, and I sort of scampered away.'

Speaking of the incident to New York Magazine, Jordan added: 'I wanted to have a cigarette, but I couldn't get a lighter because apparently you have to be over 18, so I decided I was gonna take matches from the counter.'

The bad-boy model also proved to be a hit with some of the world's sexiest women throughout his teenage years.

Last year, Jordan shot down rumours he was dating 35-year-old Paris after the pair were spotted getting cosy at the Cavalli Club in Milan, Italy.

He has since been spotted getting cosy with Scott Disick's rumoured flame Megan Blake Irwin, Hailey Baldwin and Lara Stone

Rumoured flame? ast year, Jordan shot down rumours he was dating 35-year-old Paris after the pair were spotted getting cosy at the Cavalli Club in Milan, Italy
Anti-Trump protesters head to Washington

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend Donald Trump's inauguration, but hundreds of thousands of protesters are also expected in Washington next week to vent their frustration over his election win.

Demonstrations are scheduled across the United States, but the focal point of anti-Trump ire will be in the nation's capital, where a small minority -- several thousand -- have pledged to disrupt the January 20 inauguration ceremony.

The main protest will come the following day at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) -- the Women's March on Washington, which is backed by celebrity A-list participants including Katy Perry, Julianne Moore, Cher and Scarlett Johansson.

Street posters calling for protests are seen in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, DC, a week before the Inauguration of Donald Trump as US president Paul J. Richards (AFP)

It all began with a simple Facebook post from Hawaii grandmother and retired lawyer Teresa Shook to about 40 of her friends.

Word traveled quickly, and eventually made it to the pro-Hillary Clinton Facebook group Pantsuit Nation, which has nearly four million members.

Now, nearly 190,000 people have said on Facebook they will attend. Another 250,000 said they were interested.

"We expect elected leaders to act to protect the rights of women, their families and their communities," organizers said in a statement.

- The message -

Of course, a mass turnout is no guarantee, especially with temperatures often glacial in mid-January.

But at least 1,200 buses have asked for parking permits at Washington's RFK Stadium for the protest day -- compared with just a few hundred for Inauguration Day.

Organizers have not specifically used the term "anti-Trump" to describe their efforts, but the message is clear.

Bringing together "people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations and backgrounds," organizers say the protest march seeks to secure immigrant rights and access to abortion services, among other demands -- things which Trump's critics accuse him of wanting to curb.

Dozens of progressive organizations are supporting the event, with African Americans are expected to make a strong showing.

The Black Lives Matter movement, which has focused on denouncing police misconduct, is one of the participants -- leading some who see the movement as too radical to withdraw from the January 21 event.

Trump can expect to see lots of signs recalling some of his questionable interactions with women, including allegations of sexual assault, sexist comments and fat-shaming a former beauty queen.

- Pink protest hats -

The "Pussyhat Project" is hoping knitters will make one million pink hats with cat ears for protest participants.

The play on words is deliberate: they are drawing attention to one of Trump's more vulgar remarks, made in 2005 and caught on video but which only surfaced in October.

"When you're a star, they let you do it. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything," Trump is heard bragging.

- The route -

Getting approval for the march was not a given, with authorities limiting the number of permits handed out.

Authorities are also somewhat on edge, with 28,000 security forces to be deployed when Trump takes the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol.

The march should start near Capitol Hill and head up the National Mall.

Co-organizer Linda Sarsour said the event would be made accessible to the elderly, pregnant women and those with handicaps.

Protesters are using the hashtag #WhyIMarch to explain why they are heading to Washington -- from calls for equality to initiatives to curb gun violence to pleas for health care reform.

Nearly 300 "sister marches" have been organized in other US cities -- including New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle -- and around the world.

Beyond traditional rallies, other protest events planned nationwide include poetry slams and an "Art Strike" calling on museums and businesses to shut down on January 20 to "combat the normalization of Trumpism."

The main protest over US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration will be the Women's March on Washington, backed by celebrity A-listers including Katy Perry (R) David Becker (Getty/AFP)

Activists make signs for demonstrations against the upcoming inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump Aaron P. Bernstein (Getty/AFP/File)
South Korean hostage released in Philippines: govt

A South Korean captain and a Filipino crewman abducted by suspected Islamist militants off the southern Philippines were released on Saturday, authorities said, ending a three-month ordeal where they endured beatings and hunger.

The Philippine military said armed men identifying themselves as Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped the pair from a South Korean cargo ship in October last year, the first such attack on a large merchant vessel.

Jesus Dureza, a senior aide to President Rodrigo Duterte, fetched the freed hostages in Sulu, a remote archipelago known as a militant hideout, and brought them to Davao, a city about 600 kilometres (370 miles) from Sulu.

Released South Korean hostage Park Chung Hung (C), the captain of a cargo ship, talks to local government officials at Jolo airport on southern Philippine island of Mindanao, on January 14, 2017 NICKEE BUTLANGAN (AFP)

The two seafarers were beaten by their captors and forced to sleep in the jungle while eating dried fish and drinking unclean water, Dureza said.

"We were almost hopeless but I am thankful we were able to come home safely," Filipino crewman Glenn Alindajao, 31, said in a news briefing.

South Korean captain Park Chung-Hung, 38, did not speak with reporters but like Alindajao, appeared weak and grew a beard while in captivity.

The abduction on board the 11,400-tonne heavy load carrier Dong Bang Giant 2 occurred just off the southern entry of the Sibutu Passage, a 29-kilometre (18-mile) wide channel used by merchant shipping in transit between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

The cargo ship was heading for South Korea from Australia.

The freed captives were flown to the capital Manila on Saturday afternoon to undergo debriefing and a medical examination.

"They were physically maltreated without any provocation," Dureza told AFP.

"They have been very stressed out. They were moved from one place to another, sometimes sleeping in forests, different houses, eating just dried fish and drinking water from brooks."

Dureza said the Muslim rebel group the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which is in peace talks with the government, helped in facilitating the hostages' release.

The ship's owners also negotiated for their freedom, according to Dureza, adding that he was not aware if a ransom was paid to Abu Sayyaf, which does not normally free hostages without huge sums of money.

- Armed security? -

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded two Canadian hostages last year after demands for millions of dollars were not met, and released a Norwegian man along with a number of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors after ransoms were believed to be paid.

This week the group released a video showing an elderly German sailor abducted at sea late last year was alive.

The Abu Sayyaf began kidnapping sailors in border waters between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines last year, taking several dozen hostages.

The spike in abductions sparked Indonesian warnings that the region could become the "next Somalia" and pushed the three neighbours to pledge coordinated patrols.

Dureza said he would recommend that ships have armed security.

Duterte, who took office last year, vowed to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and deployed thousands of extra troops to defeat them.

But the militants have defied more than a decade of similar US-backed offensives, surviving in their mountainous and jungle-clad strongholds in the poverty-plagued southern Philippines.

"The two hostages even planned to escape but they could not. They discovered that the community around is very supportive," Dureza said.

"They are able to benefit from (the kidnappings)."

Captain Chul Hong Park (L), a South Korean national, and 2nd officer Filipino Glenn Alindajao (2nd L), two hostages released in Jolo Sulu, arrive in Davao City on January 14, 2017 MANMAN DEJETO (AFP)
Turkey arrests two Uighurs over nightclub attack

Turkey has arrested two Chinese nationals of Uighur origin in connection with a mass shooting in a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Eve claimed by the Islamic State group, media reports said.

The suspects, named as Omar Asim and Abuliezi Abuduhamiti, were arrested on charges of "being members of a terrorist organisation", of "purchasing unlicensed firearms" and "being accomplices to the murder of 39 people", state-run Anadolu Agency cited a prosecutor as saying.

A witness in the central Anatolian city of Konya had reportedly seen Asim with the Reina nightclub attacker, the agency said late Friday.

Turkish officials said the gunman who attacked an Istanbul nightclub killing 39 was likely a Turkic Uighur and have arrested two Chinese nationals of Uighur origin YASIN AKGUL (AFP/File)

The gunman remains at large despite a massive manhunt.

Officials said last week the attacker was likely a Turkic Uighur, with authorities reportedly looking into the possible existence of a cell, including other jihadists from Central Asia.

Uighurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims from the restive Xinjiang region of far-western China.

The killer, reportedly known by the code name Ebu Muhammed Horasani, slipped into the night after mowing down 39 revellers at the Reina nightclub just 75 minutes into 2017.

At least 35 people have been detained so far in connection with the attack, according to Anadolu.

Of the 39 killed in the glamourous nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq and Morocco.
Yemen clashes leave 26 dead in key battle for coastal region

At least 26 Yemeni fighters died in fresh clashes and an air strike as government forces advanced against Shiite Huthi rebels near a key shipping strait, medics and officials said Saturday.

A week-long assault by government forces and their allies aims to expel the Iran-backed Huthis from Dhubab region, close to the Bab al-Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Twelve bodies of Huthi insurgents were taken early Saturday to a hospital in rebel-held Hodeida, a medical official said, adding that the facility received 23 others wounded.

Yemen's conflict has killed more than 7,400 people since the start of a Saudi-led offensive in March 2015, according to the United Nations Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File)

He said the casualties were from clashes on Friday night in Dhubab.

An overnight air strike by a pro-government Arab coalition on a rebel assembly in Zaydiya, in Hodeida province, left another nine Huthis dead, a security official said.

The Red Sea port city of Hodeida lies some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Dhubab.

A medical official at a hospital in the southern city of Aden said five pro-government fighters were killed in overnight clashes around Dhubab and 14 others wounded.

Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and allied fighters from the Popular Resistance have entered the town of Dhubab and seized its local government headquarters.

Popular Resistance commander Abdelrahman al-Muharami said the loyalists had also recaptured large parts of Al-Omeri military base in mountains overlooking the coast.

"There are still some rebel pockets" in the base, he said.

The government and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition recaptured Bab al-Mandab strait in October 2015, pushing the rebels further north.

But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen's Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

Yemen's conflict has killed more than 7,400 people and wounded nearly 40,000 since it escalated with the coalition intervention in March 2015 after the Huthis seized large swathes of the country, according to the United Nations.

In another bid to reassert government authority, Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher said Saturday that his administration will start transferring salaries to state employees in rebel-held areas.

Public sector employees in rebel-controlled areas have struggled since Hadi moved the central bank from Sanaa to the temporary capital of Aden in June, after accusing the insurgents of running down Yemen's foreign reserves.
Abbas warns over Trump US Israel embassy move

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warned Saturday that moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would deal a huge blow to hopes for Middle East peace.>

Commenting as he opened a Palestinian embassy at the Vatican, Abbas added that anything which legitimised the "illegal Israeli annexation" of Jerusalem would "bury the hopes for a two-state solution, and fuel extremism in our region".

The Palestinian leader held a private meeting with Pope Francis before inaugurating the diplomatic mission, located in a building facing the Vatican that also houses the embassies of Peru and Burkina Faso.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (left) exchanges gifts with Pope Francis, during a private audience at the Vatican, on January 14, 2017 Giuseppe Lami (POOL/AFP)

Speaking briefly to reporters, Abbas reiterated his opposition to the possible transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as President-elect Donald Trump had indicated he might do.

"We cannot say anything yet because it has not happened, but if this does happen it will not help the peace process. I hope it will not happen," said Abbas, speaking in Arabic.

In a separate English-language statement, he hailed the Vatican's hosting of a Palestinian embassy.

"We are very grateful about the role that the Holy See has played for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land, and for having opened an embassy of Palestine in the Vatican for first time," he said.

But Abbas expressed concern about Trump's pledge during the election campaign to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there.

- 'Fuel extremism' -

Such a step would be a historic break with US policy, and with most of the international community, over the status of Jerusalem, also claimed by the Palestinians as capital of their future state, an issue to be settled by negotiation.

"Any attempts at legitimising the illegal Israeli annexation of the city will destroy the prospects of any political process, bury the hopes for a two-state solution, and fuel extremism in our region, as well as worldwide," Abbas said.

"In this moment, we extend our hand to President-elect Trump for his cooperation to make peace based on international law," he added.

Abbas met with Pope Francis for 20 minutes ahead of the embassy opening.

Among the gifts exchanged, Abbas offered the pontiff a stone from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, according to Greg Burke, spokesman for the Holy See.

A Vatican statement regarding Israel and the Palestinians added: "Hope was expressed that direct negotiations between the parties may be resumed to bring an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations, and to find a just and lasting solution."

The private audience was the third meeting between Francis and Abbas. The pontiff visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories in 2014 and Abbas made a trip to the Vatican the following year for the canonisation of two Palestinian nuns.

Relations between the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority turned a new page in 2015 with the signing of an agreement to create a Palestinian embassy at the Vatican.

The agreement -- two years after the Vatican recognised Palestine as a state -- provoked the ire of Israel, which was also angered when Francis called Abbas "an angel of peace" during their meeting in May 2015.

Mahmud Abbas inaugurates the new Palestinian diplomatic mission to the Vatican, on January 14, 2017 Tiziana FABI (AFP)

The US embassy in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Jack Guez (AFP)
Deadly IS assault on east Syria city leaves 30 dead

The Islamic State group on Saturday launched one of its fiercest assaults yet on the besieged Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, leaving more than 30 regime fighters and jihadists dead.

The brutal attack -- on a day that saw many outbreaks of violence across Syria -- came as the political opposition said it "supported" upcoming peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The negotiations will attempt to bring an end to the nearly six-year war by building on a fragile truce agreement.

A Syrian soldier takes aim during clashes with Islamic State (IS) fighters near Deir Ezzor in November 2016 Ayham al-Mohammad (AFP)

But IS is excluded from the deal, brokered by rebel backer Turkey and regime ally Russia.

Unleashing a wave of suicide attacks, rockets, and tunnel bombs, IS killed at least 12 government forces and two civilians in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The British-based monitoring group said 20 jihadists were killed in fierce air raids by Syrian and allied warplanes on the city, where around 200,000 people have lived under IS siege since early 2015.

IS has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the attack was the "most violent" assault mounted by IS on the city in more than a year.

"Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines," a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

He said jihadists had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped IS.

- Astana 'paves way' to Geneva -

Syria has been ravaged by violence since widespread protests in March 2011 calling for President Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

More than 310,000 people have been killed and over half the population has been forced to flee.

Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that the peace talks in Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.

After a two-day meeting in Riyadh, the High Negotiations Committee leading opposition body said it would extend its support to an anti-regime military delegation attending those negotiations.

"Concerning the forthcoming meeting in Astana, the (High Negotiations) Committee stresses its support to the military delegation... and expresses hope that the meeting would reinforce the truce," the HNC said.

It said the meeting in Astana "paves the way for political talks" in Geneva in early February, hosted by the United Nations.

Official invitations have yet to be issued for the Astana talks, but Turkey's foreign minister has said Washington will be asked to attend.

Donald Trump's transition team said Saturday it had been invited to the Russian-backed talks, which are due to start three days after the president-elect's inauguration.

"We have been asked to attend," Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told AFP, suggesting no RSVP has been given.

- Violence in Idlib, Damascus -

The ceasefire deal appeared increasingly strained on Saturday, with outbreaks of violence in northwest Syria and near the capital.

Fresh raids in the town of Maarat Masrin in the northwest province of Idlib killed eight people, most of them civilians, the Observatory said.

On Friday, three civilians -- including a child -- were killed in strikes on the nearby town of Orum al-Joz, Abdel Rahman said.

Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance led by Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from Al-Nusra Front after breaking ties with Al-Qaeda last year.

Like IS, Fateh al-Sham is excluded from the truce deal.

New clashes also broke out in Wadi Barada -- the main source of water for Damascus.

Water supplies from the area to around 5.5 million people in the capital and its outskirts have been cut since December 22 because of fighting.

Rebels and government troops had reached a local agreement Friday so that water access could be restored, but the Observatory reported a resumption of violence Saturday.

"Regime forces and (Lebanese movement) Hezbollah violated the agreement" by battering a town in Wadi Barada with rocket fire, Abdel Rahman told AFP.

State news agency SANA Saturday said that the government's chief negotiator in Wadi Barada, Ahmad al-Ghadban, was killed when "terrorists opened fire... after a meeting".

The Observatory confirmed Ghadban's death.

Syria has been ravaged by violence since widespread protests in March 2011 calling for President Bashar al-Assad's ouster Ayham al-Mohammad (AFP)
Iraq forces retake Mosul university

Iraqi forces on Saturday retook Mosul's university from the Islamic State jihadist group, the latest key advance in efforts to recapture the eastern side of the city, officers said.

"We can say that the university has been liberated," Maan Saadi, a major general in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP.

The vast Mosul University campus, one of the biggest in Iraq, lies in the north of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River that splits Mosul in two.

Iraqi forces on Saturday retook Mosul's university from the Islamic State jihadist group Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

"We have done the hardest part... we may recapture the entirety of the eastern side in the next 10 days or so," Saadi said.

The top CTS commander, General Taleb Sheghati al-Kenani, spoke to state-run Iraqiya TV from the university.

Saadi estimated Iraqi forces had now recaptured 85 percent of the eastern side since the October 17 launch of a huge offensive to retake Mosul, the jihadists' main stronghold in the country.

The initial phase of the offensive saw a variety of forces retake significant swathes of land in little time but the going has been tough inside the city itself.

After a lull in operations, the CTS and other forces stepped up their coordination and, with increased air and advisory support from a US-led coalition, launched a fresh push just before the New Year.

Over the past two weeks, Iraqi forces have overrun several districts and reached the Tigris River.

The destruction of all bridges over the river in air strikes has made it difficult for IS fighters in east Mosul to resupply or escape to the west bank, which they still fully control.
India boat accident toll rises to 26, more dead feared

The death toll from a boat accident in eastern India rose to 26 on Sunday, a senior official said, warning of more casualties with rescue workers still scouring the waters.

The non-motorised wooden boat, packed beyond capacity with revellers returning from a kite festival, capsized Saturday in the Ganges river near Patna, the capital of Bihar state.

The exact number of missing could not be ascertained due to the absence of a passenger list but police said the boat was carrying at least 40 people.

Relatives look at the images of people who drowned in a boat accident on the river Ganges near Patna, eastern India, on January 15, 2017 - (AFP)

Rescue workers were working round the clock looking for survivors, Anirudh Kumar, joint secretary of the state disaster management authority said.

"Workers pulled out 22 bodies in the night and this (Sunday) morning four more bodies were recovered," he told AFP by phone.

"The boat capsized not very far from the shore. Some people managed to swim to safety. But we are fearing the number of dead could go up further."

Among those to survive the tragedy was an 18-month toddler, now recovering in a city hospital, Kumar said.

The revellers were on their way back from the annual Hindu harvest festival of Makar Sakranti, marked by kite-flying and other festivities.

State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the accident and announced compensation of 400,000 rupees ($5,900) for the families of the victims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the deaths while cancelling an event he was scheduled to attend in Patna on Sunday.

Boat accidents are common in the country, mainly because of overcrowding, poor maintenance, lax regulations and a lack of life jackets and other safety equipment.

Some 20 people died after a ferry capsized in a rain-swollen river in India's northeastern state of Assam in September 2015.

More than 100 people lost their lives in 2012 in Assam when a boat sank in the Brahmaputra river during a storm.
Hundreds protest against elephant trade in Tanzania

Around 500 people, half from the Chinese community, protested in Dar es Salaam on Saturday to call for the protection of elephants against poachers.

The so-called "walk for elephants" saw the demonstrators, including the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, march five kilometres (three miles) through the capital.

China is considered the premier destination for elephant ivory as demand is high, fuelling illegal hunting and smuggling that kills an estimated 30,000 elephants a year.

In December, China announced a total ban of the trade and processing of ivory, to be in effect by the end of 2017 PHILIPPE LOPEZ (AFP/File)

In December, however, China announced a total ban of the trade and processing of ivory, to be in effect by the end of 2017.

A Chinese man who took part in the protest said the illegal trade had knock-on negative effects.

"Everywhere you go, police and immigration officials treat you suspiciously.. (thinking) that you may be hiding or trying to transport elephant ivory," he said, giving his name as Lee and saying he was in the furniture business.
Sudan says 'secret' talks led to US easing sanctions

Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour on Saturday said "secret" talks between American and Sudanese officials led to the easing of US sanctions on his country.

US President Barack Obama on Friday announced the lifting of some economic sanctions, trying to improve ties with a country whose leader is accused of war crimes and links to terror.

"We held 23 meetings in Khartoum away from the eyes of the media from June 2016 that lasted six months. The meetings were concluded on December 31," Ghandour told reporters.

Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Ghandour, said January 14, 2017, "We held 23 meetings in Khartoum away from the eyes of the media from June 2016 that lasted six months. The meetings were concluded on December 31" ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP)

The head of Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Mohammed Atta al-Mawla, told reporters he had met the CIA chief "twice since October 2015".

Sudan, he said, "has been cooperating and coordinating with the US since before 2000 in the struggle against terrorism," he said.

Mawla did not elaborate but said he had received "technical assistance" from the US.

The US decision to ease sanctions will allow Sudan to boost trade and "opens the way for us to use all sorts of currency, specially the US dollar", for trade transactions, according to Finance Minister Badreddin Mahmud.

Sudan has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 for its alleged support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

The United States has also blacklisted Sudan as an alleged state sponsor of terrorism since 1993.

The Khartoum government's scorched earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in the Darfur region have also been cited as a reason not to lift the sanctions

According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million were displaced since that conflict began in 2003.

President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.

Human Rights Watch has expressed concern over Obama's decision.

"The Obama administration's decision to 'ease' sanctions is inexplicable," said Leslie Lefkow of New York-based Human Rights Watch.
Scores missing in migrant crossing in Mediterranean: Italy

The Italian coastguard said on Saturday nearly a hundred people were missing after a boat with migrants sank off the Libyan coast.

"The bodies of eight people have been recovered. Four people have been saved, and they say 107 migrants were onboard the boat in all," the agency's press office said.

Search operations were continuing after nightfall in poor weather and sea conditions, it said.

Migrants and refugees sit on a rubber boat during a rescue operation of the Topaz Responder, a rescue ship run by Maltese NGO "Moas" and the Italian Red Cross with the help of the Libyan coastguards, on November 4, 2016 off th Libyan coast ANDREAS SOLARO (AFP/File)

A French warship, patrolling under the EU's Frontex border operation, picked up the survivors and two merchant ships were heading for the area, located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the Libyan coast.

A Frontex plane and an Italian naval helicopter also joined the operation.

On Friday, around 550 migrants were picked up from four inflatable dinghies by Italian coastguard vessels, an an Italian naval ship, an NGO boat and a merchant vessel.

In recent years Italy has been on the front line of migrants arriving across the Mediterranean and has been pushing for agreements with governments in North Africa to facilitate returns.

People-smugglers have exploited the chaos in Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants in boats to Italy 300 km (185 miles) away.

According to the Italian interior ministry, over 180,000 migrants landed in Italy last year, an annual record.

The UN has said more than 5,000 people died in 2016 trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them on the Libya-Italy route.

In another incident, the bodies of six migrants were found washed up on beaches near Algeciras, the port on the southern tip of Spain near Gibraltar, the Spanish sea rescue service said on Saturday.
Tunisia marks low key revolution anniversary

Tunisia on Saturday marked the sixth anniversary of the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali without fanfare, after official recognition of failure on the economic and social fronts.

On the anniversary of the uprising which inspired Arab Spring revolts across the region, several protests were staged and the presidential convoy was stoned by demonstrators.

In Tunis, a crowd gathered on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in the presence of political and civil society groups, but local media said no other ceremonies appeared to have been organised elsewhere in Tunisia.

Tunisians wave their national and party flags of the Islamist Ennahdha Party during a rally on January 14, 2017 in the Habib Bourguiba Avenue in the capital Tunis to mark the sixth anniversary of the 2011 revolution FETHI BELAID (AFP)

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed acknowledged on national television on Friday night that authorities had so far failed to address the grievances of the Tunisian people that had fuelled the 2011 revolution.

"If we want this democracy to become strong and resistant, we must achieve the economic and social objectives of the revolution, namely the economy and dignity," he said.

"Today, we are not achieving this because unemployment and social inequalities have increased," said Chahed.

President Beji Caid Essebsi on Saturday announced a package of new projects during a visit to the central province of Gafsa.

According to Nessma, a private television channel, however, security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters hurling stones at Essebsi's convoy.

An AFP correspondent said dozens of jobless demonstrators in Sidi Bouzid, a town in central Tunisia and birthplace of the anti-Ben Ali uprising, chanted "Work is a right, bunch of thieves" and other slogans from the revolution.

Similar demonstrations were staged on a road to a nearby town, with protesters burning tires, and in Meknassi, also close to Sidi Bouzid, where a general strike has been declared in protest at a lack of development.

Tunisian authorities have struggled to restore the economy and reduce youth unemployment -- particularly among new graduates -- over the past six years.

In January 2016, the government imposed a nationwide nighttime curfew after Tunisia witnessed some of its worst social unrest since the revolution.

Anger erupted after the death of a 28-year-old unemployed man who was electrocuted when he climbed a power pole while protesting in the central town of Kasserine.
Truck company owner charged with evading $1 million in tolls

NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  The owner of a New Jersey trucking company has been arrested while trying to board a flight to Aruba and charged with racking up more than $1 million of unpaid tolls and fees.

State police say Little Ferry resident Lester Morales was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday.

Police say Morales' EAB Transport LLC/Do it Right Trucking had 100 trucks going through tolls with a delinquent E-ZPass automatic payment account more than 100 times per day.

Morales is being held without bail at the Middlesex County jail and can't be reached there for comment.
Judge finalizes divorce of Johnny Depp, Amber Heard

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A judge ended Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's marriage on Friday after months of bickering over the final terms of their breakup.

The judgment keeps in place many of the key terms the actors agreed to in August, when they announced a settlement in their divorce a day before a restraining order hearing that would have focused on Heard's allegations that Depp was physically abusive toward her.

Their agreement called for Depp to pay Heard $7 million, which she has pledged to a pair of charities. Attorneys for the actors have squabbled over whether Depp can make the payments directly to the charities and other details of the final judgment.

FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2011 file photo, U.S. actors Johnny Depp, left, and Amber Heard arrive for the European premiere of their film, "The Rum Diary," in London. A Los Angeles judge finalized the actors' divorce, Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, after months of bickering over the final terms of their breakup, although the pair have agreed to honor the terms of a settlement that calls for Depp to pay Heard $7 million, which the actress has said she will donate to two charities. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File)

"We are all pleased to put this unpleasant chapter in Mr. Depp and his family's lives behind them," his attorney Laura Wasser wrote in a statement. "Having his request for entry of the dissolution judgment granted today made it a particularly lucky Friday the 13th."

The couple has no children together, but Heard will keep their dogs, Pistol and Boo, and a horse named Arrow.

The judgment splits up several other assets, including cars and property. Neither actor will receive spousal support, and a confidentiality provision calls for them to refrain from discussing their relationship in interviews or on social media.

The actors signed the judgment in December, which led Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carl H. Moor to state at the outset of a hearing Friday, "I'm scratching my head a little bit about why we're all here."

He received assurances from lawyers that there was no dispute over the terms of the judgment, and Heard's lawyer Pierce O'Donnell said the actress wanted the case to end immediately.

"My client would be very happy to move on with her life," O'Donnell said.

The judgment ends a marriage that lasted less than two years. The pair met on the set of the 2011 film "The Rum Diary" and married in February 2015, but separated in May 2016.

Depp denied he physically abused Heard. Police officers who responded to their apartment in May after a fight between the couple said they found no evidence of a crime.

"Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love," the actors said in a joint statement released after Heard dismissed her restraining order petition. "Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."

___
San Francisco man returns 100-year overdue library book

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A book of short stories titled "Forty Minutes Late" has been returned to a San Francisco library  100 years late.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2jOjGcm ) that Bay Area resident Webb Johnson returned the book Friday. There was no fine.

Johnson's great grandmother had checked it out from the city's old Fillmore branch in 1917. She passed away a week before the due date, and the Fillmore branch is no longer around.

Johnson found the 1909 book, by F. Hopkinson Smith, in an old steamer trunk in 1996. He assumed the library wouldn't want it back, but a recently announced "fine forgiveness program" that runs through Feb. 14 inspired him to return it.

Head city librarian Luis Herrera said the library was glad to, finally, get the book.

___
Obama urges public to embrace the 'work of citizenship'

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Barack Obama is calling on all Americans to "throw ourselves into the work of citizenship," regardless of party.

In the final radio and internet address of his presidency, Obama says the country's success depends on everyone participating  not just at election time, but during the course of one's lifetime.

Obama said Saturday that every American holds the title of "citizen," despite their many differences. He adds that "citizen" is a title he's looking forward to reclaiming after eight years as president.

President Barack Obama waves as he take the stage to speak during his farewell address at McCormick Place in Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama says being president has been his life's honor.
Family money: 2 sisters lead Vermont appropriations panels

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  Anyone looking for money from the Vermont Legislature will have to go through a formidable pair of sisters first.

Rep. Catherine "Kitty" Toll assumed the chairmanship of the state House Appropriations Committee this month, opposite her older sister, Sen. Jane Kitchel, who has led the Senate Appropriations Committee since 2011.

For Toll and Kitchel, both Democrats who live in the most conservative part of ultra-liberal Vermont, it's a recognition of their abilities that follows a lifetime of service and being immersed in current events, all a part of their family life for well over half a century.

In this Jan. 12, 2017 photo, Democrat state lawmakers Rep. Catherine "Kitty" Toll, left, and her sister Sen. Jane Kitchel talk at the Statehouse in Montpelier, Vt. The sisters each lead their respective chambers' appropriations committees, and still live just a few miles from where they grew up in Danville. They make the 40-minute commute to Montpelier together nearly every day during the legislative session, and talk shop for the whole ride. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)

"It was embedded in so many of our experiences," Kitchel said this week in the Statehouse.

Toll and Kitchel still live within a few miles of where they grew up in Danville in Vermont's rural Northeast Kingdom. They make the 40-minute commute to Montpelier almost every day during the legislative session.

Vermont Senate President Tim Ashe, a Democrat, said the Senate would be lost without Kitchel managing the budget process.

"She's got the expertise of a chief of staff, six commissioners and a secretary to boot. We should send the administration an invoice for her work," he said. "If Jane had a huge ego and was in this for the recognition, she'd have been governor by now."

In a letter to the editor of the Caledonian Record, which first noted the positions of the local sisters, Ashe said, "That sister Kitty of hers is OK, too."

The sisters' mother served in the Legislature in the 1960s. Toll recalls spending time as a child in the Statehouse with her mother and later working there as a page in the 1970s.

"What I remember most, and what I still appreciate, is the smell of this building," Toll, 57, said during a Statehouse interview with her sister in the Senate Appropriations committee room. "Every day when I walk in, I do not take that for granted, I love the smell of this building. It's like the smell you'd remember of your grandmother's house."

Toll and Kitchel grew up on the family farm, on U.S. Route 2 just east of Danville village, about 25 miles northeast of Montpelier.

"We grew up in that farm tradition where everybody regardless of how much money or little money they had were welcome," said Kitchel, 71.

Kitchel said she remembered how after Vermont Republican U.S. Sen. Ralph Flanders called in the 1950s for the censure of Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy for his Communist-hunting excesses, Flanders' daughter  their Danville neighbor  needed police protection because of threats against the lives of the Flanders' family.

"It was really quite something for a little Vermont village," she said.

The experiences helped expose them to local, state and national politics.

Kitchel went on to work in state government, rising to become secretary of the Agency of Human Services, which oversees roughly half the state budget. She was first elected to the Senate in 2004, and her experience at the agency landed her on the Appropriations Committee.

Toll worked for years as a schoolteacher before she was elected to the Legislature in 2008. She campaigned in a normally Republican area by knocking on almost every door in her district.

"The question that I heard more often than anything the first time I ran was, 'How's your mother?'" she said.

She joined the Appropriations Committee in 2010 and was appointed chair this month.

Now, as Toll and Kitchel prepare to lead legislative discussions on how Vermont spends its money, they're going to have lots to talk about, given what they feel is the economic uncertainty created by the incoming Trump administration.
Merkel backs multilateral approach as Trump presidency nears

BERLIN (AP)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel is stressing as she awaits Donald Trump's inauguration that the world's problems need solving in cooperation, rather than by each country individually.

Asked at a news conference Saturday about protectionist tendencies in the U.S., Merkel said she will seek a dialogue with the new president.

"I don't want to get ahead of that, but I am very much convinced that we as partners benefit more if we act together than if everyone solves problems for themselves, and that is a constant fundamental attitude on my part," she said.

German chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a news conference in Perl, southwestern Germany, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is stressing ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration her conviction that the world's problems need solving in cooperation, rather than by each country individually. Leaders of her conservative Christian Democratic Union, CDU, met Friday and Saturday in Perl, in western Saarland state, to kick off the election year _ which also features three state elections, the first in Saarland in March. (Oliver Dietze/dpa via AP)

Underlining the importance of the Group of 20 industrial powers, which Germany chairs this year, she said that the international response to the financial crisis "was not a response based on isolation, but a response based on cooperation, on common rules for regulating financial markets, and I think that is the promising path."

Merkel has made clear that she's unhappy about the possible demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement as a result of Trump's desire to withdraw the United States. Trump has criticized Merkel's decision to allow large numbers of migrants into Germany.

Merkel said there are contacts "at adviser level" with Trump's team, though there was no immediate word on any plans for a meeting beyond the summits of the Group of Seven and G-20 in May and July respectively. Merkel will host the latter summit in the German city of Hamburg.

"We'll wait for the inauguration and then we will talk about this," she said at a news conference. Trump will be inaugurated on Friday.

Merkel is seeking a fourth term in an election expected in September. Leaders of her conservative Christian Democratic Union met Friday and Saturday in Perl, in western Saarland state, to kick off the election year  which also features three state elections, the first in Saarland in March.

Merkel has said she expects her most difficult election yet, though she was confident Saturday that a simmering dispute with her allies in Bavaria, the Christian Social Union, won't get in the way of a joint conservative campaign.

The CSU has demanded for the past year an annual cap of 200,000 on the number of refugees Germany accepts, an idea Merkel rejects. Germany saw 890,000 asylum-seekers arrive in 2015 and 280,000 last year.

Merkel said leaders of her party agreed "that we can live with such a disagreement."

She renewed her pledge of improved security following last month's deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market. "We are making clear that every person has a right to security, and only those who are secure can live in freedom," she said.

Germany's 16 states must have the same security standards, Merkel said, arguing that it's not sensible for regions to have different rules on matters such as video surveillance.

German chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a news conference in Perl, southwestern Germany, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is stressing ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration her conviction that the world's problems need solving in cooperation, rather than by each country individually. Leaders of her conservative Christian Democratic Union, CDU, met Friday and Saturday in Perl, in western Saarland state, to kick off the election year _ which also features three state elections, the first in Saarland in March. (Oliver Dietze/dpa via AP)
'Miracle on the Hudson' legacy: 70,000 slain birds

NEW YORK (AP)  Birds took the blame for bringing down the jetliner that "Sully" Sullenberger landed on the Hudson River eight years ago this weekend. They have been paying for it with their lives ever since.

An Associated Press analysis of bird-killing programs at the New York City area's three major airports found that nearly 70,000 gulls, starling, geese and other birds have been slaughtered, mostly by shooting and trapping, since the 2009 accident, and it is not clear whether those killings have made the skies safer.

Federal data show that in the years after bird-killing programs LaGuardia and Newark airports ramped up in response to the gutsy landing, the number of recorded bird strikes involving those airports actually went up.

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2009 file photo, passengers in an inflatable raft move away from an Airbus 320 US Airways aircraft that has gone down in the Hudson River in New York. Eight years after the miracle landing on the Hudson River, thousands of birds have been killed at New York City airports to avoid more strikes. But the slaughter has come at great expense and included many smaller species experts say are unlikely to cause a disaster. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

Combined, the two airports went from an average of 158 strikes per year in the five years before the accident to an average of 299 per year in the six years after it, though that could be due to more diligent reporting of such incidents.

At the seaside Kennedy Airport, which is on a major route for migrating birds and had a robust slaughter program even before the Flight 1549 crash, the number of reported strikes has ticked up, too, while the number of birds killed there has dropped slightly in some recent years.

Advocates for the birds say officials should find other, more effective ways to protect aircraft.

"There has to be a long-term solution that doesn't rely so extensively on killing birds and also keeps us safe in the sky," said Jeffrey Kramer, of the group GooseWatch NYC, suggesting better radar systems to detect problematic flocks.

Officials involved in the bird-killing programs say they believe they've made flying safer, with their strongest argument that there hasn't been a major crash involving a bird strike in the New York area since the "Miracle on the Hudson."

"We do our best to reduce the risk as much as possible," said Laura Francoeur, the chief wildlife biologist at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the airports. "There's still a lot of random chance involved."

That was the case on Jan. 15, 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia and almost immediately soared into a flock of big Canada geese. Two engines were knocked out. Sullenberger guided the powerless jet over the Hudson River and glided it safely down in the frigid water. All 155 people on board survived.

Sullenberger became a national hero. Geese became public enemy No. 1. They were targeted around LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports by wildlife officials with shotguns. In some cases, birds were rounded up in traps and killed.

But the Port Authority data of bird-slaughter campaigns around the three major New York City-area airports between 2009 and last October show thousands of smaller birds were also swept up.

Of the 70,000 birds killed during that time, the most commonly slaughtered were seagulls, with 28,000 dead, followed by about 16,800 European starlings, nearly 6,000 brown-headed cowbirds and about 4,500 mourning doves. Canada geese come in a little further down the list, with about 1,830 dead.

While aircraft hit birds over New York on a daily basis, incidents resulting in damage to a plane remain relatively rare and usually involve larger bird varieties.

Of the 249 birds that damaged an aircraft from 2004 to April of last year, 54 were seagulls, 12 were osprey, 11 were double-crested cormorants and 30 were geese, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. The species wasn't known in 69 instances.

Close to 35,000 European starlings were slaughtered at the three airports during that time period, but only one was involved in a strike that actually damaged an aircraft.

A starling, probably weighing less than 3 ounces, hit a JetBlue flight coming in for a landing at JFK on Sept. 10, 2008, breaking a taxi light. The FAA recorded 138 other instances of European starlings being hit by planes over those dozen years without any harm to the aircraft.

History serves as a reminder that the starling, while small, can still be dangerous. A flock of the birds was blamed for one of the deadliest bird strikes in history, a 1960 crash in Boston that killed 62 people.

Francoeur noted that lethal control represents just one way in which airport officials try to keep birds out of a 5-mile radius around the airports' runways.

Officials trap and relocate some birds, use pyrotechnics and lasers to disperse others, and even change the habitat surrounding airports by planting grass and trees or introducing certain insects to discourage nesting.

Last year, the Port Authority signed a five-year, $9.1 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to survey, manage and research the wildlife around the airports.

At JFK, an official with a 12-gauge shotgun shoots birds from May through October as part of the Bird Hazard Reduction Program, which seeks to reduce a Laughing Gull colony in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge that had exploded in size.

"One must consider the consequences if this proven shooting program was discontinued and a serious bird strike occurred while the colony was still present," Port Authority documents state.
Supreme Court takes up suit over 2001 detention of Muslims

WASHINGTON (AP)  Ahmer Abbasi speaks softly as he describes the strip searches, the extra shoves, the curses that he endured in a federal jail in Brooklyn following the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I don't think I deserved it," Abbasi said during a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his home in Karachi, Pakistan.

Abbasi's quiet, matter-of-fact tone belies his determination, even after 15 years, to seek justice in American courts  provided the Supreme Court will let him.

Ahmer Abassi talks to the Associated Press in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. The Supreme Court on Wednesday is hearing an appeal from former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former FBI Director Robert Mueller and other former U.S. officials who want to shut down a lawsuit filed by human rights lawyers. The legal case is on behalf of Muslim men who were detained at a federal jail in Brooklyn after the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

The justices on Wednesday are hearing an appeal from former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former FBI Director Robert Mueller and other former U.S. officials that seeks to shut down the lawsuit that human rights lawyers have filed on behalf of Abbasi and others over their harsh treatment and prolonged detention.

"Somebody has to be accountable, somebody has to be responsible," said Abbasi, 42, who works in real estate in Pakistan.

The former officials, including the top immigration enforcement officer and the warden and deputy warden at the New York City jail, say it should not be them.

"Senior government officials should not be regularly second-guessed by lawsuits seeking money damages from them in their personal capacity," said Richard Samp, chief counsel at the Washington Legal Foundation and author of a brief from four former attorneys general.

Abbasi was among more than 80 men who were picked up in the days and weeks following Sept. 11 on immigration violations. Until then, he said he had been "living the American dream" since coming from Pakistan in 1993. He was living in Jersey City, New Jersey, across the river from Manhattan and driving a taxi in New York.

He acknowledges he remained in the United States after he should have left and that he entered into a fraudulent marriage so he could get a coveted "green card" that would allow him to stay in the U.S. legally. He might never been caught except for the terrorist attacks and the aggressive response of officials who wanted to be sure there would be no follow-on strikes.

When he was arrested in late September 2001, Abbasi said he readily admitted he was in the country illegally and assumed he would be quickly deported. Instead, he was held for nearly 11 months, including more than four months in the most restrictive conditions. He was strip-searched frequently and allowed out of his cell for no more than a couple of hours a day. He was deported in August 2002.

The Justice Department's inspector general produced two reports detailing problems with the detentions. The government settled an earlier suit involving five other men for $1.2 million.

Rachel Meeropol of the Center for Constitutional Rights will argue the Supreme Court case. Meeropol said the men she is representing were arrested without any evidence linking them to terrorism because they fit a profile in law enforcement's eyes. "They were a group of individuals who looked how they imagined the hijackers looked," Meeropol said.

A divided panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said the men were detained "as if they were terrorists, in the most restrictive conditions of confinement available, simply because these individuals were, or appeared to be, Arab or Muslim."

The appeals court said that the suit could go forward because "the suffering endured by those who were imprisoned merely because they were caught up in the hysteria of the days immediately following 9/11 is not without a remedy."

The case stems from a class-action suit originally filed in 2002. It's the third time the court has intervened in lawsuits against Ashcroft and others from Muslims who were arrested in the U.S. following the 2001 attacks. The justices have twice sided with Ashcroft.

The odds that the court will come out differently this time are long, especially because only six justices will take part. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was a member of the New York-based federal appeals court that heard an earlier version of the case and Justice Elena Kagan worked on the issue when she served in the Justice Department. One seat on the nine-member high court has been empty since Justice Antonin Scalia died in February.

Four justices  a majority of those taking part on Wednesday  voted to limit the ability to sue Ashcroft in the two earlier cases.

Abbasi said he harbors no anger toward the United States. If anything, he misses his time there. His brother is an American citizen and his nephew recently graduated from Penn State.

He said he tried to get a visa to attend the high court hearing. "I was denied for some reason," Abbasi said. So, too, were others who sought visas, Meeropol said.
Jordan Cabinet quits ahead of reshuffle

AMMAN, Jordan (AP)  An official says Jordan's Cabinet ministers have resigned ahead of a planned government reshuffle, at a time of public discontent with perceived security lapses and rising unemployment.

The official said the ministers submitted their resignations Saturday to the prime minister, ahead of a reshuffle to be announced Sunday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters on the issue.

Jordanian media said Interior Minister Salameh Hamad is expected to be among the ministers losing their jobs. Hamad has been criticized for his handling of December shooting attacks by Islamic State militants that killed 11 members of the security forces and three civilians, including a Canadian tourist.
'Bridge ninjas' gain internet fame after Nevada flooding

RENO, Nev. (AP)  A team of heavy-machine operators drew a crowd of camera-toting spectators as they plucked downed trees and other dangerous debris from raging floodwaters in Nevada.

The men then became internet sensations when video of their exploits spread online, with commenters dubbing them #CraneGuy, Bridge Ninjas and heroes of downtown Reno.

Emergency workers voluntarily evacuated about 1,300 people from 400 homes in a Reno neighborhood last weekend as the Truckee River overflowed and drainage ditches backed up.

Three-man teams set up an excavator, loader and dump truck on multiple bridges and started snatching huge logs and debris from the rushing river.

Jim Duncan, a team member, said it was fun but also nerve-wracking to spend hours operating machinery in the rain, scooping up heavy objects before they hit the bridge, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported (http://on.rgj.com/2jBEaku ).

"It's like playing a video game," he said. Still, "it's a challenge every day."

At one point, equipment operator Steve Coltra plucked a metal picnic bench from the water. Co-worker Aaron Bird grabbed a storage shed.

Officials said the men served as a first line of defense, preventing junk from piling up and putting extra strain on aging bridges.

They worked for about 20 hours on three separate shifts.

The downtown Reno bridge teams said the task was no different than their everyday work with large construction equipment  digging holes and building things while avoiding pipes and wires.

While the bridge teams enjoy social media fame, other equipment operators and contractors around the city helped build barriers, place fences, block roads and make sand berms.

Craig Madole, chief executive of the Nevada Associated General Contractors, dispatched 70 companies, their employees and equipment to areas most in need of help. He said it was easier to ask for assistance from private companies than to manage tons of expensive government equipment and people. The organization was created after the 1997 flood to assist government agencies with emergencies.

The crew also did pretty well a couple of days later, winning $1,350 for charity as they grabbed stuffed animals from a glass booth during a claw-game tournament fundraiser hosted by a Reno casino.

___
Protesters across US decry Trump's anti-immigrant stance

WASHINGTON (AP)  Protesters gathered Saturday to support immigrant rights at rallies around the U.S., denouncing President-elect Donald Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and his pledges to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border and to crack down on Muslims entering the country.

"We are not going to allow Donald Trump to bury the Statue of Liberty," Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, told a standing-room-only crowd at historic African-American church in downtown Washington during one of dozens of rallies around the nation.

In Chicago, more than 1,000 people poured into a teachers' union hall to support immigrant rights and implore one another to fight for those rights against what they fear will be a hostile Trump administration.

Immigrant rights advocates demonstrate against President-elect Donald Trump's immigration policies, during a rally at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Ron Taylor, pastor of a Chicago-area Disciples for Christ Church and executive director of the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations, told the audience there, "Regardless of what happens in the coming days we know that good will conquer evil and we want to say to each and every one of you, you are not alone."

In Los Angeles, several hundred people rallied at a downtown Mexican-American cultural center and plaza. Some carried signs saying "Here to Stay" and chanted "Si se puede," Spanish for "Yes, we can."

The protests mark the latest chapter in a movement that has evolved since 2006, when more than a million people took to the streets to protest a Republican-backed immigration bill that would have made it a crime to be in the country illegally.

Saturday's events in in Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Jose, California, and elsewhere took place as thousands participated in a "We Shall Not Be Moved" march and rally in Washington ahead of Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

The line to enter Metropolitan AME Church in Washington stretched nearly a city block. People attending included immigrants who lack permission to be in the country and their relatives and supporters. Also present were elected officials, clergy and representatives of labor and women's groups.

Participants carried signs with messages including "Resist Trump's Hate" and "Tu, Yo, Todos Somos America," which translates to "You, me, we all are America."

"I stand here because I have nothing to apologize for. I am not ashamed of my status because it is a constant reminder to myself that I have something to fight for," said Max Kim, 19, who was brought to the U.S. from South Korea when he was 6 and lacks legal permission to stay in the country.

The Washington crowd urged Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress not to undo the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, aimed at helping people like Kim who were brought to the country as children.

Michael Takada of the Japanese American Service Committee urged the Chicago audience to "disrupt the deportation machine" that he and others fear will ramp up under the new president. He also urged them to keep a close eye on their local police departments and speak out if they see those departments help "ICE to deport our community members."

Dr. Bassam Osman, chair and co-founder of The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, elicited one of the loudest cheers from the crowd when he called out the president-elect by name in an opening prayer: "Lord, this land is your land, it is not Trump's land."

While there was plenty of cheering, there was also uneasiness and fear of what's to come after Trump is sworn in.

Rehab Alkadi, a 31-year-old mother of a young son who came to the United States four years ago from war-torn Syria, said she doesn't believe she can be deported because "there is a war in Syria, but who knows. It's so scary, what Trump says," she said. "He said a lot of things bad about the Muslim people."

In Los Angeles, Jorge-Mario Cabrera, spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said, "We put the Trump administration on notice that we're not going to sit idly by while he destroys our community."

President Barack Obama in 2012 launched an executive effort to protect some young immigrants from deportation, after multiple proposals failed in Congress.

The creation of the DACA program was heralded as a good first step by advocates who hoped it would be a prelude toward overhauling immigration laws. But that didn't happen, and Republican-led states pushed back against Obama's plans to expand the program.

Now the focus is on the next administration. As a candidate, Trump promised his supporters stepped-up deportations and a Mexican-funded border wall, but it is unclear which plans the celebrity businessman will act on first, and when. And many immigrants are fearful of the campaign rhetoric but less motivated to protest in the absence of specific actions.

Many participants Saturday said they would keep the pressure on Trump and said they planned to participate in next Saturday's Women's March on Washington.

"The threat of deportation is imminent for our communities," said Cristina Jimenez, executive director of United We Dream and one of the rally's organizers. "We will keep fighting. We're not going back into the shadows."

___

Associated Press writers Don Babwin in Chicago and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this story.

Demonstrators gather for a rally supporting immigrant rights, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 in Chicago. Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a "first salvo" against President-elect Donald Trump's pledged hard line on immigration. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Ellen Furstner, 62, of Marcola, carries a sign during an immigrant rights rally at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. She immigrated to the United States from Holland as a child.(Anna Reed /Statesman-Journal via AP)

Demonstrators gather for a rally supporting immigrant rights, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 in Chicago. Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a "first salvo" against President-elect Donald Trump's pledged hard line on immigration. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Sen. Chris Van Hollen D-Md., speaks to a group of immigration rights advocates, during the rally against President-elect Donald Trump immigration policies, at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Demonstrators gather for a rally supporting immigrant rights, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 in Chicago. Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a "first salvo" against President-elect Donald Trump's pledged hard line on immigration. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Demonstrators gather for a rally supporting immigrant rights, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 in Chicago. Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a "first salvo" against President-elect Donald Trump's pledged hard line on immigration. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Rep. Luis Gutierrez D-Ill., speaks to immigrant rights advocates during a rally against President-elect Donald Trump's immigration policies, at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Estela Daniels and her children Jacoby-3 and Olivia -5 walk along with the hundreds of people that marched from UNM to Civic Plaza during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. march in Albuquerque. Saturday Jan. 14, 2017. (Jim Thompson/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

U.S. Congressman Kurt Schrader attends an immigrant rights rally at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (Anna Reed /Statesman-Journal via AP)
Funeral held for Orlando sergeant gunned down

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  An Orlando police sergeant who was gunned down by a wanted fugitive is being remembered for mentoring youth and her dedication to the community she grew up in.

A funeral service for Master Sgt. Debra Clayton is being held Saturday at the First Baptist Church of Orlando.

Clayton was gunned down outside a Wal-Mart store in Orlando last Monday after she approached 41-year-old Markeith Loyd.

Loyd was wanted for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend at the time.
Conservative German lawmaker is quitting Merkel's party

BERLIN (AP)  A lawmaker who has long been critical of Chancellor Angela Merkel's policies says she is leaving the German leader's conservative party, citing discontent over Merkel's approach to migrants.

Erika Steinbach, 73, has been a lawmaker for Merkel's Christian Democratic Union since 1990. But the conservative hardliner has increasingly been at odds with the chancellor, who has steered her party toward the center. Steinbach has criticized the most recent Greek bailout and Merkel's welcoming approach to migrants in 2015.

Germany saw 890,000 asylum-seekers arrive in 2015 and 280,000 last year.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks after she was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Leuven and the University of Ghent during an academic ceremony in Brussels on Thursday Jan. 12, 2017. Merkel received the honorary doctorate for her diplomatic and political efforts to develop the political strength of Europe, and to defend the values that allow Europe to find unity in diversity. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Steinbach was quoted Saturday as telling the Welt am Sonntag newspaper: "Would I vote CDU at the moment? No. Would I join the CDU today? No. I can only draw the honest conclusion of leaving the CDU."

Steinbach said that allowing people into Germany for months without identifying them properly went "against our laws and against EU treaties."

More broadly, she complained that in the CDU's program "the conservative element has been deliberately marginalized step by step, even stigmatized."
Gun-friendly statehouses see occasional reckless conduct

CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Gun-friendly New Hampshire is back in the spotlight after a lawmaker dropped a loaded firearm this week in a House hearing on a kindergarten bill.

But lawmakers packing guns on statehouse grounds  and occasionally handling them recklessly  isn't unique to the "Live Free or Die" state. At least 19 states, from Kansas to Texas to Idaho, allow legislators to carry guns in parts of or the entire capitol. In a handful of others that prohibit it, such as Oklahoma, lawmakers sometimes bypass security measures in order to carry concealed firearms.

"I've testified in a number of states where I've had legislators show me they were carrying even though they weren't allowed to do so," said John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Resource Center, which has gathered info on guns in statehouses.

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2017 file photo, New Hampshire House Speaker Shawn Jasper presides over the year's first session in the House Chamber at the Statehouse, in Concord, N.H. Gun-friendly New Hampshire is back in the spotlight after a lawmaker dropped a loaded firearm this week in a House hearing on a kindergarten bill. But lawmakers packing guns on Statehouse grounds, and occasionally handling them recklessly, isnt unique to New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

No violent incidents of lawmakers carrying guns at statehouses have been recorded in recent memory. Carelessness is another matter.

In 2014, Democratic Kentucky Rep. Leslie Combs shot a hole through the floorboards while cleaning her gun in her capitol office. Another lawmaker was present but unhurt.

That same year, Colorado Rep. Jared Wright left his loaded handgun unattended in a bag under a table in a House committee room  right after a hearing on concealed weapons. Wright, a former law enforcement official, said he would stop carrying his gun inside the building after admonishment from the governor.

In Idaho, House Assistant Majority Leader Brent Crane, a Republican, walked into the press room last year and asked reporters if he'd left his gun there following a meeting. Ten minutes later, he'd found it in a desk drawer.

And it's not just lawmakers who have acted recklessly. In 2013, a staffer in the Missouri State Senate resigned after leaving a gun in a capitol bathroom.

None of the incidents prompted the states to change their policies or bar lawmakers from carrying guns. But legislators have had fiery debates over statehouse security and who should be able to carry and where. In New Hampshire, the Republican-led House voted in 2011 to allow lawmakers to carry guns on the chamber floor during sessions, reversing a policy that required lawmakers to check their guns outside the chambers. Democrats reversed the policy in 2012, but Republicans reinstated it two years later.

"I wanted the House chamber to be safe, and gun-free zones by their nature tend to be unsafe," said Bill O'Brien, a former Republican representative who was House speaker in 2011.

New Hampshire is one of the statehouses that doesn't have metal detectors, and its security guards only started carrying guns last year.

In plenty more states, lawmakers have rejected allowing guns on statehouse grounds. When the GOP-controlled Tennessee legislature tried to allow the public to carry weapons at the capitol last year, it was Republican Gov. Bill Haslam who blocked it.
Gambia crisis central focus of France, Africa leader summit

BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  Gambia's political crisis took center stage on Saturday at a summit in Mali, where leaders said they hope that Gambia's longtime leader will step down peacefully when the president-elect is to take office next week.

More than 30 African heads of state, and the French president, met in Bamako, Mali to discuss the fight against extremism, France's role on the continent and government challenges.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said much of the summit's focus was on the West African country of Gambia, where President Yahya Jammeh has said he will not give up power after 22 years, despite a vote that saw the opposition coalition's Adama Barrow win.

In this photo released by the Nigeria State House, Gambia President, Yahya Jammeh, left, speaks with Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari, upon arrival in Banjul Gambia, Friday Jan.13, 2017. Nigeria's president was leading a regional delegation to Gambia in a last-ditch attempt Friday to persuade its longtime leader to step down and allow his rival's inauguration next week, while fears grow that the impasse could turn violent. (Bayo Omoboriowo/Nigeria State House via AP)

Leaders from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, said no deal had been reached Friday after mediation efforts in Gambia. The bloc has said it would consider military action if Jammeh does not step down. Barrow, who was flown to Mali to meet with French President Francois Hollande and regional leaders, has said Jammeh could be considered a rebel leader after Jan. 19, when his inauguration will take place.

President Keita, who spoke at the summit's end, said ECOWAS, and much of Africa, hopes that "the torch will peacefully be passed on."

Hollande said Dec. 1 election results must be respected, pointing out that Gambia's president-elect was welcomed to the summit.

"Everything must be done so that on Jan. 18, or effectively by Jan. 19, he can take office," Hollande said.

Hollande said French troops would remain in Mali to help combat al-Qaida-linked extremists.
Police detain 3 in anti-terror raids in Brussels hotspot

BRUSSELS (AP)  Belgian police have detained three people in a series of anti-terror raids in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, where some of the Paris and Brussels attackers lived or transited.

Spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office Ine Van Wymersch said Saturday that four searches were conducted.

Van Wymersch said "the action has ended. Nothing was found, no weapons, no explosives."

She declined to provide more details but said that the three would be questioned on Sunday to establish whether they should be charged or released.
Doctors leaders have rejected a demand by Theresa May to move to a seven day-a-week opening for GP surgeries, warning they are struggling to cope with existing demands from patients.

The Prime Minister has expressed frustration at the failure of more GP practices to offer extended opening hours, amid intensifying pressure on NHS hospital services.

Downing Street warned surgeries in England which refuse to move to 8am to 8pm opening, seven days-a-week will lose funding unless they can prove there is no demand from patients.

The British Medical Association hit back angrily, accusing ministers of trying to scapegoat doctors rather than address the chronic underfunding which was the true cause of the crisis in the NHS.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA GP committee chairman, said they were facing a major alert with one in three GP practices reporting unfilled vacancies while eight in 10 said they were unable to provide safe care.

We have got a very serious problem that we dont have the capacity in general practice. The crisis in the NHS wont be solved by scapegoating or deflecting blame on to GPs, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

Patients in a doctor's waiting room

All patients can see a GP 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Patients can see a GP when they need to. What we cannot be providing is stretching a service where we are struggling - and we do manage in spite of the pressures - into a seven-day service.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, the chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said the Prime Ministers intervention was extremely unfortunate and the plans were misguided.

It is not the case that GP surgery routine opening hours are contributing to the pressures our colleagues in A&E departments are currently facing, she said.

GPs and our teams are also struggling to cope with increasing patient demand without enough investment, and without nearly enough family doctors and practice staff to deal with it  this is a year-long problem for us, not just during the winter.

It has never made sense to force GPs to offer services that there is little patient demand for. In many cases practices have already had to actually stop offering extended opening hours because of a lack of patient demand for them.

The row comes amid increasing exasperation among ministers that the unavailability of GP appointments is driving patients to seek treatment in hard-pressed hospital accident and emergency departments.

Ambulances outside a hospital

The director of acute care for NHS England, Professor Keith Willett, has recently estimated that 30% of the patients attending A&E would be better cared for elsewhere in the system.

Meanwhile the latest official figures showed more than four in 10 hospitals in England declared a major alert in the first week of the year as services came under increasing pressure.

A Downing Street source said: Most GPs do a fantastic job, and have their patients interests firmly at heart.

However, it is increasingly clear that a large number of surgeries are not providing access that patients need - and that patients are suffering as a result because they are then forced to go to A&E to seek care.
Flood-threatened residents have returned to their homes after being evacuated over fears for their lives in the wake of the latest storm warnings.

Thousands were told to leave their properties as the Environment Agency (EA) issued 17 severe warnings  which warn of danger to life  with those in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex feared to be most at risk.

But in the early hours of Saturday, the remaining residents of Jaywick, Essex, still in a rest centre were told they could return to their homes after no signs of flooding.

Residents on the east coast waited for the storm surge to hit during the second high tide, with gale-force winds and higher than usual tides expected to bring waves crashing over coastal defences.

Essex Police said the centre in Clacton saw 230 residents at its peak  but no one visited another site in West Mersea.

Deputy Chief Constable Matthew Horne defended the warnings to residents, saying they were grounded in science and advice from the EA and the Met Office.

He said: We prepare for the worst case scenario and we would be happy to take the same decision again should we be faced with the same advice as we have had over the last 36 hours.

EA manager Claire Beecroft warned walkers to be wary on coastal paths and promenades with the unsettled weather continuing on Saturday.

The Met Office predicted a calmer period of weather but warned of ice in the West of England, Wales, Scotland and in Norfolk.

Quite a contrast in the weather this weekend. Sunshine  & showers  today will make way for cloud with rain  & some #snow  tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/DhGknc9Jl8  Met Office (@metoffice) January 14, 2017

Many Jaywick residents had refused to leave their homes, despite an emergency services evacuation plan and pleas from Essex Police for them to move to safety.

Alison McGuire, who was among those to stay at home, said: I did not think it would come over  I thought to myself, What is all the fuss about?.

Please stay safe and keep away from the coastline. #floodaware pic.twitter.com/v9lKpgOnD4  Environment Agency (@EnvAgency) January 13, 2017

The emergency services and Army were a frequent sight ahead of the predicted storm surge, but were called off as it appeared the area had swerved the worst of the weather.

The EA moved more than five miles of temporary barriers and 25 pumps to depots and towns along the east coast.

Doug Wilson, flood duty manager for the EA, said: High tides and strong winds caused large waves along the east coast yesterday, bringing a risk of significant flooding and danger to life.

Latest statement on East Coast #flood risk. Thanks to all that helped to prepare & protect. https://t.co/1dcRrA8X5g #floodaware pic.twitter.com/K363xCvOil  Environment Agency (@EnvAgency) January 14, 2017

The Environment Agency issued over 100 flood warnings, operated its permanent flood defences including the Thames Barrier and Hull Barrier, and set up temporary defences in areas at risk. These actions protected over 550,000 properties.

In the event, the combination of the peak surge, strongest winds and largest waves didnt coincide in all areas and did not reach the most dangerous levels that were possible all along the east coast. Some properties in North and East Yorkshire were flooded and our thoughts are with those affected.
Justin Thomas wrote his name into the record books for the second time in two days as his 123-score at the halfway point of the Sony Open in Hawaii became the lowest 36-hole total in PGA Tour history.

The 23-year-old became the youngest man to card a sub-60 round with an opening 59 in Honolulu and he followed it up with 64 on Friday to move to 17 under par overall.

Perhaps more importantly, Thomas is five shots clear of nearest challenger and fellow American Gary Woodland, while Englands Justin Rose is among those in a tie for third on 10 under par.

Justin Thomas

Another W in his sights.



Justin Thomas leads by 5. pic.twitter.com/Dbzcbx1STU  PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 14, 2017

Thomas started his second round with four straight pars before putting from nearly 20 feet for his first birdie while he was inches away from a hole in one on the seventh, with his tee shot agonisingly going past the left of the pin.

Five birdies and three bogeys followed over the next few holes but he eagled the last for the second day in a row after superbly driving his approach shot out of the rough to within eight feet before holding his nerve to sink the putt.

59-64.



The lowest opening 36-hole score in PGA TOUR history.



Well done, Justin Thomas. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/f10iFrOnmr  PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 14, 2017

Thomas, who last week emerged victorious in the SBS Tournament of Champions, also in Hawaii, told the PGA Tours official website: Its cool, any time you can get your name in the record books is awesome.

I had no idea until I finished, until I signed and (someone in the scoring tent) said 123, and I was like man, Id love that a couple more times in my career.

I played great, I really hit a lot of quality shots but the three bogeys I made were just terrible, they were a lack of concentration. But I obviously had a great day out there, to finish with that eagle was huge.

The bogeys I made on 13 and 17 were a bit of a bummer, but I made enough birdies on the back nine to kind of counteract that so it was great to back up (the first round 59) with that.

 A trio of near aces.

 Justin Thomas' aggressive driving.

 A fried egg.



The Takeaway ... pic.twitter.com/3xE5MnTqRa  PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 14, 2017

Woodland opened his round with a bogey but it was his solitary blemish as five successive birdies from the sixth helped the 32-year-old to his second successive 64, a score matched by Rose.

The Olympic gold medallist, like Woodland, made seven birdies and one bogey to move to 10 under, alongside American duo Hudson Swafford and Zach Johnson, who carded a nine under par 61 that featured seven birdies and an eagle at the last.
Gilles Muller secured the first ATP World Tour title of his career with a straight-sets victory over Great Britains Dan Evans at the Apia International Sydney.

The left-hander from Luxembourg lost all of his previous five finals but will climb into the top 30 of the world rankings for the first time in his career after the 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 triumph over Evans, who was competing in his first main tour final.

Imagine winning your first ever title and getting it handed to you by Rod Laver.



Best. Moment. Ever. #SydneyTennis #atp pic.twitter.com/OCjPYftdL9  #SydneyTennis (@SydneyTennis) January 14, 2017

I wasnt expecting that. It was a great honour. Just unbelievable. Everything that happened tonight was like in a movie. Rod Laver there, standing on centre court with the trophy, my kids in the stands, cant ask for more, Muller said on court after the victory.

Luxembourg's Gilles Muller (Steve Paston/PA)

At the ASB Classic in Auckland, Jack Sock claimed a second career title with a 6-3 5-7 6-3 win over the unseeded Joao Sousa.

The fourth-seeded American broke Sousa twice in the first set to wrap it up before Sousa broke for a 6-5 lead in the second and served out to level the match.
Norway wealth fund expands partnership with Britain's Crown Estate

OSLO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund and Britain's Crown Estate have expanded their partnership by buying a leasehold for a retail and office property in central London, the Norwegian fund said in a statement on Friday.

The Regent Street partnership, in which the fund owns a 25 percent stake, already owned the 10 Piccadilly building, but paid 129 million pounds ($156.66 million) for a 68-year leasehold interest, and will now manage the property directly.
GRAINS-U.S. soybean futures extend rally; wheat mostly firmer

By Mark Weinraub

CHICAGO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. soybean futures rose on Friday on follow-through buying on the U.S. Agriculture Department's surprise cut to its domestic production estimate and ending stocks on Thursday, traders said.

Soymeal led soybeans higher on concerns that forecasts for more rain in Argentina could limit the size of the soybean crop in the worlds top soymeal exporter.

"The very same fields that were flooded last week could be inundated again this weekend," Charlie Sernatinger, global head of grain futures at ED&F Man Capital, said in a note to clients.

Corn futures closed slightly higher while wheat was mixed, with the front-month CBOT soft red winter wheat contract easing while K.C. hard red winter wheat and MGEX spring wheat firmed. MGEX spring wheat hit its highest since July 2015.

Signs of persistently strong export demand for U.S. supplies helped turn soybeans higher.

The U.S. Agriculture Department said early Friday that private exporters reported the sale of 132,000 tonnes of soybeans for delivery to unknown destinations.

It was the first flash sale of U.S. soybeans since Dec. 21.

"That was a little bit of a psychological boost, especially after we got yesterday's numbers." said Jason Britt, president at Central States Commodities.

Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures for March delivery settled up 6 cents at $10.46-1/4 a bushel. CBOT March corn was up 1/4 cent at $3.58-1/2 a bushel.

CBOT March soft red winter wheat was down 1/4 cent at $4.26 a bushel. K.C. March hard red winter wheat was 4-1/4 cents higher at $4.49, reflecting a particularly steep drop in HRW area in the USDA sowing estimates released on Thursday. MGEX March spring wheat gained 8-3/4 cents to $5.82-3/4 a bushel.

Wheat was lifted by a smaller-than-expected estimate of U.S. winter wheat sowings, which the USDA pegged at the lowest level in more than a century.

"A response to depressed price levels, this 10 percent year-on-year cut (in wheat area) brings about the first step towards a U.S. supply and demand deficit in 2017/18," Rabobank said.

A flurry of export activity on Friday highlighted global demand for high-protein supplies of wheat.

Turkey's state grain board TMO purchased 99,000 tonnes of European Union-origin wheat. Tunisia's state grains agency bought around 100,000 tonnes of durum wheat and South Korea's Major Feedmill Group purchased about 60,000 tonnes of feed wheat.
Anti-Trump protests to kick off with Washington civil rights march

By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - A week of protests ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president is set to kick off on Saturday with a civil rights march in Washington by activists angry over the Republican's comments on minority groups including Muslims and Mexicans.

Civil rights leader the Reverend Al Sharpton plans to lead a march along the National Mall ending at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, about two miles (3 km) from the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where Trump will be sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

Trump won his first-ever campaign for elected office with an angry, populist platform that included promises to build a wall along the Mexican border and restrict immigration from Muslim countries, as well as promises to crack down on companies moving jobs out of the United States.

His supporters admire Trump's experience in business, including as a real estate developer and reality television star, and view him as a brash problem-solver likely to break through political logjams.

Trump's controversial comments about immigrants and women, and his vow to repeal the sweeping healthcare reform law that was President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement, has drawn the anger of many on the left, who plan a series of protests.

"The 2017 march will bring all people together to insist on change and accountability," Sharpton said. "Donald Trump and his administration need to hear our voice and our concerns."

Civil rights groups including Sharpton's National Action Network, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Council of La Raza, as well as Democratic lawmakers including U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York plan to join the Saturday march.

Organizers estimate Saturday's march will draw some 25,000 protesters.

About 30 groups, almost all of them anti-Trump, have gotten permits to protest before, during and after the inauguration.

By far the biggest event will be the Women's March on Washington the day after the inauguration, which organizers say could draw 200,000 people.

Thousands of demonstrators also have vowed to shut down the inauguration, including by closing off security checkpoints along the inaugural parade route.
Mexico will 'immediately' respond to any US border tax -minister

MEXICO CITY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Mexico must be ready to respond immediately with its own tax measures if the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump imposes a border tax, the economy minister said on Friday, warning such protectionism may trigger a global recession.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has promised a "major border tax" on companies that shift jobs outside the United States, and such a measure could hobble Mexico's exports to its top trading partner.

"It is clear we need to be prepared to immediately neutralize the impact of such a measure," Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said in an interview on Mexican television.

"And it is very clear how - take a fiscal action that clearly neutralizes it," he said.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Mexico over trade, jobs and immigration since he first launched his run for the White House in 2015, driving the peso currency to historic lows and unnerving investors, especially in the auto sector.

Guajardo said Trump's proposed tax "was a problem for the entire world" and that it "would have a wave of impacts that could take us into a global recession."

Nonetheless, the minister said he expected foreign direct investment in Mexico this year to total around $25 billion, with investment in the energy and telecommunications sectors expected to more than make up for the loss of a planned $1.6 billion Ford Motor Co. factory that the company said this month it is cancelling. Trump had strongly criticized the plan, but Ford said its decision was not the result of pressure from Trump.

Guajardo also praised the government of Japan and Toyota Motor Corp for their "reasonable" response to Trump's threat to impose a significant border tax if the company does not stop making its Corolla model in Mexico for the U.S. market. Toyota said last week the automaker has no immediate plans to curb production in Mexico.

"Toyota has 10 plants in the United States... and employs more than 130,000 Americans. If I were Mr. Trump, I'd treat them with more respect," Guajardo said.

He added that he expects total foreign direct investment during the six-year term of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which ends in late 2018, to average $30 billion annually.

Guajardo has previously warned that U.S. corporate tax cuts proposed by Trump, as well as the border tax, could undermine foreign investment in Latin America's No. 2 economy.
Redemption for Sock in Auckland with victory over Sousa

AUCKLAND, Jan 14 (Reuters) - American Jack Sock put the disappointment of withdrawing from last year's Auckland Classic final behind him on Saturday by clinching the 2017 title with a 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory over Portugal's Joao Sousa.

Sock had to pull out of last year's decider due to a heavy bout of flu, which affected him the following week at the Australian Open where he needed five sets to beat 155th-ranked Taylor Fritz in his opening match.

He then crashed out in the second round against the Czech Republic's Lukas Rosol.

Sock, who had won just one previous ATP Tour title, at Houston on clay in 2015, took the crucial points in the first set, which went with serve until the seventh game when Sousa double faulted to give the American the break.

The fourth seed consolidated to take a 5-3 lead and clinched the set in the ninth game when the Portuguese hit a forehand into the net.

After both players broke early in the second set, the match went on serve until the 27-year-old Sousa, who had won their only other previous meeting on clay in Madrid last year, broke Sock to take a 6-5 lead and served out to send it to a decider.

Sousa seized the advantage in the third set by breaking Sock in the third game but the American produced three outstanding forehand winners in the fourth to get back on serve at 2-2.

Sock continued to find success on the forehand and broke in the eighth game when Sousa double faulted. The American wasted little time wrapping up the title, sealing victory in a match that lasted a little under two hours.
Philippine Islamist militants free Korean and Filipino from cargo ship

MANILA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Islamist militants in the Philippines allied with Islamic State freed on Saturday a South Korean cargo ship captain and a Filipino member of his crew held captive for more than three months on a southern island, an army spokesman said.

Park Chulhong, skipper of the South Korea-registered carrier DongBang Giant 2, and Filipino Glenn Alindajao, were brought to the house of the island's governor after they were released by the militants of the Abu Sayyaf group, Major Filemon Tan said.

Members of a Muslim rebel faction cooperating with the government in the south of the predominantly Christian country had helped arrange the release, Tan told reporters.

"They were freed this morning with the help of rebels belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front," Tan said, adding the two were flown out of the island by a presidential adviser on peace efforts.

The cargo vessel was sailing to Australia from South Korea when 10 Abu Sayyaf militants boarded it in October and abducted Park and Alindajao.

Presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza told reporters the government had not paid a ransom, though some media reported that some sort of payment was believed to have been made.

"You know the policy of the government, we don't pay ransom. But, if there was some form of payment made, the government did not play any role in it," the adviser, Jesus Dureza, told reporters.

The Moro National Liberation Front signed a peace deal with the government in 1996 and promised to help President Rodrigo Duterte free hostages and defeat the small but violent Abu Sayyaf, known for kidnappings, beheadings, bombings and extortion.

The Abu Sayyaf group is still holding two dozen captives on Jolo island, its stronghold where more than 10,000 troops have been deployed to fight the militants.

The captives include people from the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The waters between the Philippines and Malaysia has become dangerous for merchant shipping due to rising threat of kidnappings, the International Maritime Bureau said this week.
Cafe attack suspect arrested in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Bangladesh police said on Saturday they had arrested one of the men behind a militant attack on a Dhaka cafe last year that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Jahangir Alam was detained late on Friday during a raid in Tangail, about 100 km (60 miles) northwest of the capital, the head of the counter-terrorism police, Monirul Islam, told reporters.

"He was one of the masterminds," Islam said.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the July 1 assault, when gunmen charged into the cafe in the diplomatic quarter. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American and an Indian were among the dead.

Bangladeshi authorities say they suspect the involvement of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an outlawed domestic group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

Islam said the arrested man had been a commander for the group in the north of the country.
SpaceX counts down to first launch after rocket explosion

By Irene Klotz

Jan 14 (Reuters) - SpaceX plans to blast off a rocket on Saturday for the first time since a launch pad explosion in the fall sidetracked the ambitious flight plans of company founder and entrepreneur Elon Musk.

A 20-story tall Falcon 9 rocket is slated to launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 9:54 a.m. PST (1754 GMT) to put into orbit 10 satellites for Iridium Communications Inc, which will use them to enhance mobile voice and data relay capabilities.

The mission will test changes implemented by Space Exploration Technologies Corp, known as SpaceX, after another Falcon 9 exploded on a launch pad in Florida in September during a routine preflight test.

Accident investigators determined that a canister of helium burst inside the rocket's second-stage liquid oxygen tank, triggering the explosion. The canister is being redesigned, but until then SpaceX is addressing the issue by modifying its fueling procedures.

The explosion destroyed a $62 million SpaceX booster and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite that it was to put into orbit two days later.

The accident clouded the company's aggressive agenda, which includes beginning to ferry U.S. astronauts into space next year, when it also plans to make its first voyage to Mars.

Saturday's flight would begin to clear a logjam of more than 70 missions, worth more than $10 billion, awaiting flights on SpaceX Falcon rockets, which last flew in August, SpaceX said.

The launch is the first in a seven-flight contract with Iridium worth $468.1 million, company spokeswoman Diane Hockenberry said.

The rocket flying on Saturday will attempt to touch down on a platform in the Pacific Ocean, a feat previously accomplished by four other returning Falcon rockets. SpaceX intends to reuse its rockets, slashing launch costs so it can offer cut-rate services.

SpaceX aims to launch 27 rockets in 2017, more than triple the eight flights the privately held firm managed in 2016, according to a report on Friday in the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to its dozens of commercial customers, SpaceX is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
Sublime South Africa smash Sri Lanka to sweep series

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 14 (Reuters) - South Africa took 16 Sri Lanka wickets in a little over two sessions to secure a ruthless victory by an innings and 118 runs in the third and final test at the Wanderers on Saturday.

After posting 426 in their first innings on Friday, South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 131 before lunch on day three, before dismissing the out-gunned sub-continent side again for 177 to complete a 3-0 series sweep.

All of the home seamers claimed wickets on a pitch that had plenty of steep bounce and more than enough lateral movement to leave the Sri Lanka batsmen flailing.

Left-arm fast bowler Wayne Parnell, who took six wickets for 89 runs over the two innings, was perhaps the pick, while Kagiso Rabada (5-94) was unlucky not to pick up more with some hostile spells.

Debutant seamer Duanne Olivier (5-57) will be pleased with his return in helpful conditions, while Vernon Philander (4-63) also pitched in.

"Once again it was a complete performance," South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said at the post-match presentation. "It started with the bat on a tough wicket and our bowlers were once again spectacular.

"We wanted to make sure we step up in this game and dominate and do so 3-0... right through the series Sri Lanka didn't have a session where they were controlling us.

"Consistency in test cricket is very hard, so I am proud with how the boys played."

South Africa made short work of wrapping up the tourists' first innings after Sri Lanka resumed the day on 80 for four.

Rabada grabbed the key wicket of Sri Lanka captain Angelo Matthews (19) as wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock produced a magnificent diving catch in front of first slip.

Olivier then claimed his first test wicket when Herath top-edged a vicious bouncer and the home side then tore through the tail.

Du Plessis enforced the follow-on and Sri Lanka were quickly on the back foot again as Rabada accounted for opener Kaushal Silva for a first-ball duck.

The impressive Olivier snapped up two more quick wickets, with Du Plessis leaping to an almost impossible height at second slip to pluck the ball out of the air as Mathews was dismissed for 10.

The game was up for Sri Lanka when Rabada rattled the stumps of opener Dimuth Karunaratne (50), who had a provided lone resistance.

"Congratulations to South Africa, they outplayed us in every department," Mathews said.
Move to lift Sudan sanctions came after Trump approval, months of talks

KHARTOUM, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The Obama administration's preliminary decision to ease sanctions on Sudan came with the full approval of the incoming Trump administration and after months of secret meetings, Sudan's foreign minister said on Saturday.

The United States said on Friday it would lift a 20-year-old trade embargo against Sudan, unfreeze assets and remove financial sanctions as a response to Khartoum's cooperation in fighting Islamic State and other groups.

The move will be delayed by 180 days to see whether Sudan acts further to improve its human rights record and resolve political and military conflicts, including in Darfur.

This puts the final decision in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump and his secretary of state, who is likely to be Rex Tillerson, a former oil executive.

Addressing a news conference, Sudan Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said the potential sanctions relief are the result of six months of secret meetings held in Khartoum on issues ranging from combatting the Lord's Resistance Army to peace in South Sudan and the country's own warring regions, such as Darfur.

Sudan's director of intelligence said he had met with U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan twice to discuss cooperation on combating terrorism and extremism.

The measures do not affect Sudan's label as a state sponsor of terrorism nor does it impact sanctions tied to Khartoum's role in the conflict in Darfur, where the United Nations says up to 300,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since 2003.

Ghandour called the decision the start to improved relations with the United States that would attract foreign investment.

Sudan will review its monetary and exchange rate policies in a bid to lure new foreign investment after the United States lifts sanctions, the finance minister said without providing further detail.

Sudan's economic problems have been building since the south seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of oil output, the main source of foreign currency and government income.
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday criticized Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayakes statement that temporary resident visas would be issued to foreigners who invest a minimum of US$300,000 in Sri Lanka.

He said such a move would only make way for beggars to enter Sri Lanka and added that the statement was issued by the finance minister without consulting the Cabinet.

The finance minister has no right to take arbitrary decisions. Not even the President knows about this. We would have opposed such a proposal if it was submitted to the Cabinet, the justice minister said.

He said US$300,000 was equivalent to Rs.45 million which is the amount spent to buy a luxury vehicle or just two perches of land in Colombo. Providing privileges to foreigners who invest US$300,000 is absurd. We could encourage local investors, who are capable of investing Rs.45 million, instead. We have plenty of such investors in the country, the justice minister said.

He expressed concern that terrorists and drug peddlers could also make their way into the country, if temporary resident visas were granted to foreigners who invest a minimum of US$300,000 in Sri Lanka. This is a matter of serious concern, the justice minister said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
President Maithripala Sirisena said that as the world look forward to move in the direction of sustainability, the message transmitted by Thai Pongal since antiquity, becomes ever more relevant.

In a Thai Pongal message he stated that Festivals such as these rekindles the contract between man and the gifts of nature, while epitomizing the enormity of the human gratefulness.

Since the dawn of civilization, the humanitys devotion to the sun that symbolizes the wholeness of nature has remained intact, he said.

The President added that from among the many traditional festivals and rituals of Hindus in veneration of the sun, Thai Pongal is the foremost festival, that marks the supreme status the Hindus have bestowed upon the sun throughout history.

"Thai Pongal is rendered colourftul by the fact that it allows us to show our gratitude to nature and renew our hopes devotedly. Making the broad span of the Hindu culture evident, they make Thai Pongal an occasion to be thankful, not only to the sun for giving us duly rain and bountiful harvests, but also to the cattle by feasting of cows, for providing us with milk" he further said.
Some American Muslim leaders, depending on their ideological background, condemn the whole of Barack Obama's presidency because of his drone war or his involvement in the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi or his inability to intervene in Syria to stop the genocidal oppression by Bashar al Assad.

The immaturity shown by the American Muslim leadership is just sad.

Obama was elected by the American people to serve American national interests. American national interests are determined by powerful lobbies and interest groups and not by moral leaders. His duty and loyalty is first to Americans and American interests. Obama was not a failure in this regard. He did try to help the American Muslims at times by standing up against Islamophobia.

Why not expect more from the Muslims both here in America and in the world? Photo: AP

Obama did not do as much as he could have to help the poor and the racial minorities, but he still did a lot to help the disadvantaged and the uninsured. Muslims in America should not be so self absorbed and self-centred. Instead of focusing on reviving Islam and uniting Muslims, the Muslims whine that Obama did not do more for the Muslim world. But why should he?

He is not a Muslim, he is not a moral or a religious leader. He is a politician who had to make sure that he would get re-elected and that his party would not face hardship in the coming years and decades.

When the American Muslims remain divided, stay away from the struggle for civil rights and do not work for empowerment in a positive fashion, what right do they have to whine and complain.

The moment Obama got elected, he not only faced an economic recession but also a "whitelash".

The Republicans vowed to not cooperate with him and to paint him as a Muslim and as a traitor to America. The fact that he was pulling out of Iraq and tried to pull out of Afghanistan was used to hammer him as a closet Muslim who was a traitor to America.

Obama had to weigh his options as he did not want to lose in the coming elections. He decided to opt for the drone war so that he had a fig leaf to get out of Iraq.

From a moral point of view, Obama's decision to intensify the drone war was an abhorrent one. But we should have expected that from him. Why not expect more from the Muslims both here in America and in the world?

I was heavily involved in the anti-war movement and there were hardly any Muslims both at the leadership and in the trenches supporting it. Muslim organisations were too scared to take a stand against the war establishment overseas.

Obama tried to promote democracy in the Arab world and supported the Arab Spring. It was not Obama, but Sisi and the deep state, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Israel that crushed the Arab Spring in Egypt.

We are reactive instead of proactive. We are more negative instead of being positive. We rushed to boycott Danish products because of the Danish cartoons but did we rush to help New Zealand when it voted against Israeli settlements and is now facing the wrath of Israel?

Where is the movement to support New Zealand by buying things made in New Zealand?

Till the American Muslims begin to get organised and become heavily involved in the struggle for civil rights and social justice, the choice will be between Obama on the one hand and Bush or Trump on the other.

We should blame ourselves. Stop blaming Obama. Stop whining. Stop having unrealistic expectations. Start rectifying our mistakes, start removing our deficiencies. Unless American Muslims become empowered and build alliances with other oppressed minorities and social justice movements, no politician will be fair to them.

America is not ruled by a president, it has different power centres and a system which is exploited by lobbies and interest groups. I am not justifying or covering up for Obama's moral failures.

I am pointing out the failures of the Muslim community and leadership and perception are being used as effective tactics.
On January 11, Pakistan prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the restoration of an ancient Hindu temple in the Punjab province. "We all are equal - Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and people belonging to other religions; we are all one. The Sharif government started its tenure in 2013 with the gesture of friendly diplomacy," he told reporters at the event.

The "friendly diplomacy" didn't last long as the Pakistani establishment released Mumbai attack suspect Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi on bail. Since then, the Sharif government has been facing worldwide criticism for not doing enough against extremists and banned organisations.

Sharif is trying to soften the image of the country, while his interior minister Chaudhry Nisar is doggedly attempting the reverse - with existing operations in Karachi and through abductions of social media activists and bloggers.

More than four activists have gone missing in the last two weeks from different parts of Punjab, and illegal arrests of political activists of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), who were vocal against the religious extremism and militancy in the country, have been reported in Karachi.

MQM has been considered a liberal and secular political force of Pakistan, which, since its origins, has maintained a clear stance against the religious militancy and terrorism in the country and worldwide.

Under Nisar's interior ministry, the MQM activists have been arrested by paramilitary forces without any legal documents and more than 100 have gone missing without a trace.

In Karachi, the operation that started in 2013 in the name of controlling political militancy and terrorism has turned into a political victimisation tool. The operation which started with a raid on the Headquarter of MQM too hasn't been moved to any other direction.

If we look at the pattern of events taking place in Pakistan, from the North to the South, it is clear Nisar is against secular and liberal forces, but gives a free hand to the extremists. The extremist organisations are allowed to hold rallies, while secular political forces like MQM is barred from any political activity in Karachi.

The recent statement by Nisar on the definition of terrorism is worrying. He said outlawed sectarian organisations should not be equated with terrorist outfits.

According to him, sectarian violence has been witnessed for 1,300 years. Why should Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned sectarian outfit that has killed hundreds of Hazaras, 70 lawyers and 59 recruits in Balochistan not be considered a group of terrorists? Should the bombings on Imambargahs and processions, and the mass killings of the Shias be treated only as a 1,300 year-old conflict not terrorism?

In 2015, when interior ministry presented its statement in the Pakistan senate with a National Action Plan instituted to take action against terrorists, it stated that they will act against the Red Mosque Cleric, Abdul Aziz.

The Red mosque has reportedly been supporting terrorists and issuing death threats to the secular civil society of Pakistan. Abdul Aziz publicly pledged an allegiance with Daesh (ISIS) and didn't condemn the attack on Army Public School, Peshawar, which took lives of more than 130 children.

The evidence and documents had been presented to Nisar against Aziz, but he didn't take any action against the cleric. In fact, Nisar said in a press conference that Aziz has submitted an apology on defending the APS attack. He further told media: "We want to keep our focus on the ongoing operation against militants." "Any other action at this stage will create a diversion and benefit the militants."

The question is, why is a cleric who openly threatens the secular and liberal people of Pakistan as also pleads alliance with an international terrorist organisation, not seen as a threat to the society but the political activists and social media activists taken to task?

Such policy has earned Pakistan a bad name in the international community. The US State Department, United Nations and other civilised societies have been criticising Pakistan against such actions and the country is facing the diplomatic isolation worldwide.
This year, the NA will supervise the implementation of policies and law on food safety for 2011-2016 and State administrative reform in 2011-2016, said the top legislator.

She underlined that the major task for the political system is to continue implementing Resolution of the 12th Party Congress and the Constitution 2013.





NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (Photo: VNA)



Along with deciding important issues of the country, the NA will conduct more effective supervision, creating an obvious change in operation of the State agencies from central to local levels, ensuring the law is strictly observed.

In terms of external affairs, the NA leader said that the NA has assigned its Committee for External Affairs to coordinate with the Economic Committee and other agencies to prepare the NAs plan of action to suit new generation free trade agreements.

The Law Committee was asked to work with the Committee for External Affairs in designing the programme on the amendments, supplements and completion of legal regulations to match the domestic situation and Vietnams international commitments.

The NA will also boost ties with parliaments of other countries, while expanding relations with potential partners, contributing to safeguarding national sea and island sovereignty and national interests, she said.

The top legislator affirmed that the NA will work to ensure its positive engagement in multilateral parliamentary forums, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), while broadening parliamentary consultations to improve mutual understanding and trust for effective collaboration in dealing with common issues.

In 2017, the NA will increase foreign affair activities to serve the countrys international integration, she said, noting that in the second session of the 14th NA, the NA Standing Committee announced a resolution on the formation of the Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Union./.
Activities will include folk games and singing to welcome Tet by the Tay ethnic minority group of the northern mountainous province of Lang Son; preparation and decoration to welcome Tet at ethnic villages; five-fruit tray, peach, photo on Uncle Ho and national flag will be decorated according to Tet customs of ethnic minority groups.

Photo for illustration (Source: nhandan.com.vn)

There will be dance, gongs and musical instrument performances of ethnic minority groups. Especially, Chung cake making will be demonstrated.





These activities will preserve and popularize traditional cultural values, promoting cultural exchange and solidarity, supporting development among ethnic minority groups. Besides, they will also contribute to gradually establishing tourism products for visitors./.
Lai Chau is the 53rd locality in the country to host the exhibition, themed Vietnams Hoang Sa and Truong Sa  Historical and Legal Evidence, said Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Tong Thanh Hai, who is also head of the exhibition organising committee.





Scene at the exhibition (Photo: infornet.vn)



On display are documents, objects, publications and nearly 100 maps which were collected by local and international researchers and scholars.

The exhibited materials are in Han (classical Chinese), Nom (Vietnamese ideographic script), Vietnamese and French languages issued by Vietnamese feudal states, the French government in Indochina (on behalf of the then Vietnamese state), and other foreign states.

Notably, there are 65 maps testifying Vietnams sovereignty over the two archipelagos announced by Vietnam and Western countries from the 17th century to present.

All these exhibits affirmed the process Vietnam continuously exercised and defended its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands.



In addition, four atlases and 30 maps published by Chinese states over periods also showed that China did not manage the two archipelagoes.



The event helps raise public awareness of firmly safeguarding the countrys sacred sea and island sovereignty as well as rejecting Chinas groundless sovereignty claims over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, said Hai.



After the exhibition concluded on January 17th, all the maps and documents will be presented to the province for further display./.
ALLETE, Inc. operates as an energy company. The company operates through Regulated Operations, ALLETE Clean Energy, and Corporate and Other segments. It generates electricity from coal-fired, biomass co-fired / natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The company provides regulated utility electric services in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 13,000 natural gas customers, and 10,000 water customers, as well as regulated utility electric services in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 145,000 retail customers and 15 non-affiliated municipal customers. It also owns and maintains electric transmission assets in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. In addition, the company focuses on developing, acquiring, and operating clean and renewable energy projects; and owns and operates approximately 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation facility. Further, it is involved in the coal mining operations in North Dakota; and real estate investment activities in Florida. The company owns and operates 158 substations with a total capacity of 10,066 megavolt amperes. It serves taconite mining, paper, pulp and secondary wood products, pipeline, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Minnesota Power, Inc. and changed its name to ALLETE, Inc. in May 2001. ALLETE, Inc. was incorporated in 1906 and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.
General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Chinas Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang made the affirmation at a meeting with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Beijing on January 13th.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong meets with

Chinas Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang (Photo: VNA)


Credit Suisse Group AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services in Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. The company offers wealth management solutions, including investment advice and discretionary asset management services; risk management solutions, such as managed investment products; and wealth planning, succession planning, and trust services. It also provides financing and lending solutions, including consumer credit and real estate mortgage lending, real asset lending relating to ship, and aviation financing for UHNWI; standard and structured hedging, and lombard lending solutions, as well as collateral trading services; and investment banking solutions, such as global securities sales, trading and execution, capital raising, and advisory services. In addition, the company offers banking solutions, such as payments, accounts, debit and credit cards, and product bundles; asset management products; equity and debt underwriting, and advisory services; cash equities, equity derivatives, and convertibles, as well as prime services; and fixed income products, such as credit, securitized, macro, emerging markets, financing, structured credit, and other products. Further, it provides HOLT, a framework for assessing the performance of approximately 20,000 companies; and equity and fixed income research services. The company serves private and institutional clients; ultra-high-net-worth individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and affluent and retail clients; corporate clients, small and medium-sized enterprises, external asset managers, financial institutions, and commodity traders; and pension funds, hedge funds, governments, foundations and endowments, corporations, entrepreneurs, private individuals, financial sponsors, and sovereign clients. As of December 31, 2021, it operated through a network of 311 offices and branches. The company was founded in 1856 and is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
From former enemies, Vietnam and the US has formed cooperation relationship since 1995 and became comprehensive partnership since 2013 in the spirit of putting aside the past, overcoming differences, promoting similarities and heading to the future, he told reporters.





Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) welcomed

US President Barack Obama in Hanoi in May 2016 (Photo: VNA)



On the basis of external policies of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, Vietnam wishes to further promote achievements obtained in bilateral ties with the US over the past eight years, while standing ready to cooperate with the new administration to promote the relationship based on the foundation of respecting each others political institution, growth path, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and not interfering into each others internal affairs.



The spirit was also shown in the congratulatory message of Vietnamese leaders to President-elect Donald Trump and the telephone talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the new US President in December last year.



Ngoc also stressed the need for Vietnam to become more active in expanding partnership in nine major pillars, including politics-diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, science-technology, education-training, defence-security, war aftermath overcoming, and culture, tourism.



He said that over the past years, the two sides have built a firm foundation of win-win cooperation with specific collaboration mechanisms in bilateral, regional and international aspects.



He expressed his belief that the ties will continue to thrive to match the two countries potential thanks to political determination of both sides.



Vietnam will continue implementing existing cooperation mechanisms, delegation exchanges, while considering economic, trade and investment cooperation as a focus and motivation for the bilateral partnership, stated Ngoc.



He added that Vietnam should work harder to improve investment environment to attract more investors from the US, and increase two-way trade.



The Vietnamese and US economies are supplementary with high growth potential, he said, adding that cooperation in dealing with war aftermath should be one of priorities in bilateral cooperation.



In the regional and international aspects, he said Vietnam and the US should maintain partnership in anti-terrorism, and fighting the popularisation of mass destruction weapon, as well as climate change, energy, food, water security, thus contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.



Vietnam and partners, including the US, share a common desire of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region in line with international law, as well as the maintenance of multipolar trend and democracy in the region and the central role of ASEAN in regional institutions, and keeping a strong and united ASEAN with balance relations with world powers and external partners, he affirmed./.
Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss is recovering from a "serious" chest infection in a hospital in Singapore, it has emerged.

The 87-year-old was taken ill three days before Christmas, according to reports. He is improving despite some initial setbacks, and he is now said to be in a stable condition.

"Sir Stirling was admitted to hospital in Singapore on 22nd December 2016 with a serious chest infection," the family said in a statement published on the racing star's website.

"Because of the severity of the infection it resulted in some complications and his recovery has not been as speedy as was expected or wished. However, his condition continues to improve and his doctors now consider him to be stable.

"In himself, Sir Stirling is in good spirits and only upset about having missed his Christmas cruise with friends.

"The hospital in Singapore is second to none and the consultants, doctors, nurses, therapists and staff looking after him could not be more wonderful; as kind and caring as they are professional. Lady Moss says she could not wish for a better facility or a more qualified team. She is very grateful to them all.

"Once he is discharged from the hospital, it is Sir Stirling and Lady Moss's hope to stay in Singapore to enjoy a few days recuperating at a lovely hotel, being thoroughly spoilt, whilst lying in the sun by a gorgeous swimming pool.

"A little something to make up for the cruise they missed and with the bonus of escaping from the English winter for a while longer."

Lady Moss told the Daily Mail newspaper that "It was not the Christmas we had in mind. He has never enjoyed the English winter, but this is a rather extreme way to avoid it! Onwards and upwards from here. He is such a fighter."

A veteran of 66 Grand Prix races, Sir Stirling was once rated by five-time Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio as the greatest driver of all.

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
The following companies are subsidiares of Roper Technologies: AC Analytical Controls B.V., AC Analytical Controls Holding B.V., AC Analytical Controls Services B.V., Abel Pump, Acton Research, Acumen PM LLC, Aderant Canada Company, Aderant Company, Aderant Holdings Inc., Aderant International Holdings LLC, Aderant Legal (UK) Limited, Aderant Legal Holdings (AUS) Pty Ltd, Aderant Legal Holdings (NZ) ULC, Aderant Legal Holdings Inc., Aderant North America Inc., Aderant Parent Holdings Inc., Advanced Sensors Limited, Advanced Sensors Ltd., AiCambridge Ltd., Alpha Holdings of Delaware I LLC, Alpha Holdings of Delaware II LLC, Alpha Technologies B.V., Alpha Technologies GmbH, Alpha Technologies Japan LLC, Alpha Technologies Services LLC, Alpha Technologies U.K., Alpha Technologies s.r.o., Alpha Trust Corporation, Alpha UK Holdings LLC, American LegalNet Inc, Amot Controls Corporation, Amot Controls GmbH, Amot/Metrix Investment Company Inc., Amphire Solutions Inc., Amtech Systems (Hong Kong) Limited, Amtech Systems LLC, Amtech World Corporation, Antek Instruments, Archisnapper BV, Ascension Technology Corporation, Assureweb Limited, Atlantic Health Partners Inc., Atlas Database Software Corp., Avitru, Bellefield Systems, BillBlast, C/S Solutions Inc., CBORD Holdings Corp., CBORD Holdings Corporation, CIVCO Holdings Inc., CIVCO Medical Solutions B.V., Centurion Research Solutions LLC, Chalwyn Limited, Civco Holding Inc., Civco Medical Instruments Co. Inc., Clackamas Pump LLC, CliniSys Group, CliniSys Group Limited, Clinisys Scotland Limited, Clinisys Solutions Limited, Cointec Ingenieros y Consultores S.L., Commerce Pump LLC, Compressor Controls (Beijing) Corporation Ltd., Compressor Controls Corporation B.V., Compressor Controls Corporation Middle East, Compressor Controls Corporation S.r.l., Compressor Controls LLC, Compressor Controls Mauritius Ltd., Compressor Controls Pty Ltd., Compressor Controls Saudi Arabia LLC, ComputerEase Software, ConceptShare, ConstructConnect, ConstructConnect Canada Inc., ConstructConnect Inc., Cornell Pump Company, DAT Solutions LLC, DATSolutions Private Limited, DCMH Group Holdings Inc., DCMH Group Holdings LLC, DCMH Holdings Inc., DI Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., DI Dutch Holdings LLC, DI Hong Kong Limited, Data Innovations, Data Innovations Canada Ltd., Data Innovations Cooperatief U.A., Data Innovations Europe S.A., Data Innovations LLC, Data Innovations Latin America Ltda, Dawning Technologies LLC, Deltek, Deltek Ajera Inc., Deltek Asia Pacific (HK) Limited, Deltek Australia Pty Ltd., Deltek Danmark A/S, Deltek France SAS, Deltek GB Limited, Deltek GmbH, Deltek Inc., Deltek Nederland B.V., Deltek Netherlands B.V., Deltek Norge AS, Deltek Sverige AB, Deltek Systems (Canada) Inc., Deltek Systems (Colorado) Inc., Deltek Systems (Philippines) Ltd., Deltek TNSCore Holdings LLC, Deltek WST LLC, Dominion I Inc., Duncan Technologies, Dynamco Inc., Dynamic Instruments Inc., Dynisco Enterprises GmbH, Dynisco Enterprises LLC, Dynisco Europe GmbH, Dynisco Holding GmbH, Dynisco Instruments LLC, Dynisco Instruments S.a.r.l., Dynisco LLC, Dynisco Parent Inc., Dynisco S.r.l., Dynisco Viatran LLC, Dynisco Viatran (M) Sdn Bhd, Dynisco-Viatran Instrument Sdn Bhd, EPSI, FMS Purchasing & Services Inc., FSI Holdings Inc., FTI Flow Technology Inc., Flow Technology, Fluid Metering, Fluid Metering Inc., Foodlink Holdings Inc., Foodlink Holdings Inc., Foodlink IT India Private Limited, Foundry, Foundry Visionmongers (Ireland) Limited, Freight Market Intelligence Consortium, Gatan, GeneInsight Inc., Getloaded Corporation, HRsmart Canada Inc., HRsmart France SAS, HRsmart Germany GmbH, HRsmart Inc., HRsmart International, HRsmart International Holdings LLC, HRsmart Mexico, HRsmart SA (Pty) Ltd., HRsmart Talent Management Solutions Europe Limited, HRsmart Ventures LLC, Handshake Software Inc., Handshake Software Inc., Hansco Automatisering B.V., Hansen Technologies, Hansen Technologies Corporation, Harbour Holding Corp., Hardy Process Solutions, Horizon Lab Systems LLC, Horizon Software International LLC, IDS, INPUT Inc., IPA Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., ISL Finance SAS, ISL Holding SAS, ISL Scientifique de Laboratorie - ISL S.A.S., Impact Financial Systems, Industrial Products Investment Company, Innovative Product Achievements LLC, Innovative Product Achievements LLC, Inovonics Corporation, Instill Corporation, IntelliTrans Limited, Intellitrans LLC, Intellitrans Sweden AB, JLT Mobile Computers Inc., Job Access LTDA, Laser App Inc., Link Logistics Holding LLC, Loadlink Technologies Corporation, Logitech, Logitech Limited, Lumenera Corporation, MASD, MED Professional Services LLC, MEDTEC Inc., MEDTEC LLC, MHA Long Term Care Network Inc., MHA Long Term Care Services Inc., MIPS Austria GesmbH, MIPS Deutschland GmbH, MIPS France Sarl, MIPS Nederland B.V., MIPS Schweiz AG, MIPS Software Iberica SL, MPR Readers Inc., Managed Health Care Associates Inc., Media Cybernetics L.P., Medical Information Professional Systems NV, Medina Acquisition LLC, Metrix Instrument Co. L.P., NDI Europe GmbH, NDI Holding Corp., Navigator Group Purchasing Inc., Neptune Technology Group (Canada) Co., Neptune Technology Group Holdings Inc., Neptune Technology Group Inc., Neptune Technology Group Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Neptune Technology Group Services Inc., Nippon Roper K.K., Northern Digital Inc., Omega Legal Systems Inc., On Center Software LLC, Onvia Inc., PAC (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PAC Denmark ApS, PAC GmbH, PAC Instruments (Thailand) Company Limited, PAC Instruments Asia PTE. Ltd., PB Bidco Limited, PB Holdco Limited, PB Midco Limited, PB Topco Limited, PGP UK Limited, PMC/Beta, Petroleum Analyzer, Petroleum Analyzer Company L.P., Petrotech, Phase Analyzer Company Ltd., Photometrics, PowerPlan, PowerPlan Canada ULC, PowerPlan Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Inc., PowerPlan Intermediate Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Operations ANZ Pty Ltd, PowerPlan Operations Ltd., Princeton Instruments, Project Aloha Merger Sub Inc., Project Diamond Intermediate Holdings Corporation, Project Torque Intermediate Holdings Inc., Project Viking Holdings Inc., Project Viking Intermediate LLC, QSC 1208 Limited, QSC 1209 Limited, Quantitative Imaging Corporation, RF IDeas, RF IDeas Inc., RI Marketing India Private Limited, RIL Holding Limited, RMT Inc., RT Merger Sub Inc., Rebate Tracking Group LLC, Redlake Imaging Corporation, Resonant Software Inc., Roda Deaco Valve Inc., Roper Acquisitions Holdings Inc., Roper Brasil Comercio E Promocao De Productos E Servicos LTDA, Roper Canada Holdings LP, Roper Canada UK Limited, Roper Denmark UK Limited, Roper EUR Pte. Ltd., Roper Engineering s.r.o., Roper Europe GmbH, Roper GM Denmark Holdings ApS, Roper Germany GmbH, Roper Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Roper Holdings Limited, Roper IH LLC, Roper Industrial Products Investment Company, Roper Industries Denmark ApS, Roper Industries Deutschland GmbH, Roper Industries Inc., Roper Industries Limited, Roper Industries Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Roper Industries Mauritius Ltd., Roper Industries UK Limited, Roper International Holding Inc., Roper International Holding Limited, Roper International Holding SCS, Roper LLC, Roper Luxembourg Finance S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Roper Middle East Ltd. FZCO, Roper NL1 UK Limited, Roper NL2 UK Limited, Roper Operations Company I LLC, Roper Operations Company II LLC, Roper Pte. Ltd., Roper Pump Company, Roper Scientific B.V., Roper Scientific SAS, Roper Scot LP, Roper Singapore Holding LLC, Roper Southeast Asia LLC, Roper Swiss Finance GmbH, Roper T1 LLC, Roper T1000 Corp., Roper T2 LLC, Roper Tech. Middle East Ltd. FZCO, Roper Technologies (Ireland) Limited, Roper Technologies (Scot) LP, Roper UK Investments Limited, Roper UK Ltd., Roper-Mex L.P., Ropintassco Holdings L.P., SHP Group Holdings Inc., SIRA LLC, Shanghai Roper Industries Trading Co. Ltd., Sinmed Holding International B.V., Societe de Distribution de Logiciels Medicaux, SoftWriters Inc., Softwriters Holdings, Softwriters Holdings Inc., Sohnar Pty Ltd, Star Purchasing Services LLC, Strata Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., Strata Decision Technologies LLC, Strata Decision Technology LLC, Strata Parallel II Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker 2 Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs Holdings LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs Holdings LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs L.L.C., Struers, Struers (Shanghai) International Trading Ltd., Struers A/S, Struers GmbH, Struers Inc., Struers K.K., Struers Limited, Struers SAS, Sunquest Europe Limited, Sunquest Holdings Inc., Sunquest Information Systems (Europe) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (India) Private Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (International) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems Inc., Sunquest Information Systems Pty Ltd, TLP Holdings LLC, Team TSI Corporation, Technolog Group Limited, Technolog Holdings Limited, Technolog Holdings Ltd., Technolog Limited, Technolog SARL, The CBORD Group Inc., The Foundry Topco No.2 Limited, The Foundry USCo Inc., The Foundry Visionmongers Ltd., The Tidewater Healthcare Shared Services Group Inc., The Washington Management Group Inc., Torque Acquisition Holdco Inc., Transcore Atlantic Inc., Transcore CNUS Inc., Transcore Holdings Inc., Transcore ITS LLC, Transcore LP, Transcore Nova Scotia Corporation, Transcore Partners LLC, Trinity Integrated Systems Limited, Trinity Integrated Systems Ltd., UHF Purchasing Services LLC, Union Square Software (International) Limited, Union Square Software Inc., Union Square Software Limited, Union Square Software Pty, United Controls Group Inc., Uson L.P., Uson Limited, Utilitec Limited, Utilitec Services Limited, Utility Data Services Limited, Verathon Canada Holdings Inc., Verathon Holdings (Delaware) Inc., Verathon Inc., Verathon Inc., Verathon Medical (Australia) Pty Limited, Verathon Medical (Canada) ULC, Verathon Medical (Europe) B.V., Verathon Medical (France) SARL, Verathon Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Verathon Medical (Japan) K.K., Verathon Medical (UK) Ltd., Vertafore, Vertafore Canada Inc., Vertafore Inc., Vertafore India Private Limited, Viastar Services LP, Viatran Corporation, WELIS, Walter Herzog GmbH, WorkBook APAC Ltd., Workbook Software A/S, Zetec (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zetec Canada Ltd., Zetec France, Zetec Inc., Zetec Korea Inc., Zetec Services Inc., iPipeline, iPipeline (TCP) Limited, iPipeline Canada Inc, iPipeline Co. Ltd., iPipeline Holdings Inc, iPipeline Inc, iPipeline Limited, iSqFt Holdings Inc., iSqFt Parent Corporation, iSqFt Sub Inc., iTradeNetwork Inc., and mySBX Corporation.

Read More
The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. Marazzi S.A., Canterbury Spinners Ltd, Carpet Foundation Ltd, Cevotrans BV, Ceramus Bahia S/A  Produtos Ceramicos, DT Mex Holdings LLC, DTM/CM Holdings LLC, Dal Italia LLC, Dal-Elit LLC, Dal-Tile Chile Comercial Limitada, Dal-Tile Colombia S.A.S., Dal-Tile Distribution Inc., Dal-Tile Group Inc., Dal-Tile I LLC, Dal-Tile Industrias S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile International Inc., Dal-Tile Mexico Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Operaciones Mexico S. De R.L. De C.V., Dal-Tile Peru SRL, Dal-Tile Puerto Rico Inc., Dal-Tile Services Inc., Dal-Tile Shared Services Inc., Dal-Tile Tennessee LLC, Dal-Tile of Canada ULC, Daltile, Daltile, Dekaply NV, Durkan, Dynea NV, Eliane Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Eliane S/A - Revestimentos Ceramicos, Emilceramica India Pvt Ltd., Emilceramica S.r.l, Emilgermany GmbH, Emilgroup Asia Ltd, Explorer S.r.l., F.I.L.S. Investments Unlimited Company, Feltex Carpets Ltd, Feltex Carpets Pty Ltd, Feltex New Zealand Ltd, Fibremakers Australia Pty Ltd, Flooring Foundation Ltd, Flooring Industries Limited S.a r.l., Flooring XL B.V., Floorscape Limited, Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Group, Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd, Hytherm (Ireland) Limited, IVC BVBA, IVC Far-East Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., IVC France S.a r.l., IVC GROUP LIMITED, IVC Green Power NV, IVC Group, IVC Group GmbH, IVC Luxembourg S.a r.l., IVC Rus OOO, IVC US Inc., International Flooring Systems S.a r.l., International Vinyl Company - Vostok OOO, KAI Group, KAI Keramica Ltd, KAI Mining EOOD, KERAMA CENTER OOO, Kerama Baltics OOO, Kerama Export OOO, Kerama Marazzi OOO, Kerampromservis (LLC), Khan Asparuh - Transport EOOD, Khan Asparuh AD, Khan Omurtag AD, Koninklijke Peitsman B.V., Kraj Kerama OOO, MG China Trading Ltd., MI Finance SRL, MUD (Holding) Brazil Ltda., Management Co EAD, Marazzi Acquisition S.r.l., Marazzi Deutschland G.m.b.H., Marazzi France Trading S.A.S., Marazzi Group, Marazzi Group F.Z.E., Marazzi Group S.r.l., Marazzi Group Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marazzi Iberia S.L.U., Marazzi Japan Co. Ltd., Marazzi Middle East FZ LLC, Marazzi Schweiz S.A.G.L., Marazzi UK Ltd., Mohawk Assurance Services Inc., Mohawk Australia Pty Ltd, Mohawk Canada Corporation, Mohawk Capital Finance S.A., Mohawk Capital Luxembourg SA, Mohawk Carpet Distribution Inc., Mohawk Carpet Foundation Inc., Mohawk Carpet LLC, Mohawk Carpet Transportation Of Georgia LLC, Mohawk Commercial Inc., Mohawk ESV Inc., Mohawk Europe BVBA, Mohawk Factoring II Inc., Mohawk Factoring LLC, Mohawk Finance S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Acquisitions S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Funding S.a.r.l, Mohawk Foreign Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Investments Inc., Mohawk Global Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Holdings International B.V., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mohawk International (Europe) S.a r.l., Mohawk International (Hong Kong) Limited, Mohawk International Capital N.V., Mohawk International Financing S.a.r.l, Mohawk International Holdings (DE) LLC, Mohawk International Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk International Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk International Netherlands B.V., Mohawk International Services BVBA, Mohawk KAI Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Mohawk KAI Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Capital S.A., Mohawk Luxembourg Financing S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Pacific S.a r.l., Mohawk Marazzi International BV, Mohawk Marazzi Russia BV, Mohawk New Zealand Limited, Mohawk Operaciones Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Mohawk Operations Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Pacific Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Resources LLC, Mohawk Servicing LLC, Mohawk Singapore Private Limited, Mohawk Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mohawk Unilin Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk United Finance B.V., Mohawk United International B.V., Mohawk Vinyl Financing S.a r.l., Molber Beheer B.V., Monarch Ceramic Tile Inc., P.F. Onroerend Goed B.V., PF Beheer B.V., Pergo, Pergo (Europe) AB, Pergo Holding BV, Pergo India Pvt Ltd, Polcolorit S.A., Premium Floors Australia Pty Limited, RR Apex LLC, Rata International Pty Ltd, Recubrimientos Interceramica S. de R.L. de C.V., Riverside Textiles Pty Ltd, S.C. KAI Ceramics SRL, Sibir Kerama OOO, SimpleSolutions USA LLC, Soft Step (Australia) Pty Ltd, Spano Group, Spano Invest BVBA, Spano NV, Stroyagromekhzapchast ChaO, Stroytrans OAO Orelstroy, Summit Wool Spinners Ltd, The Flooring Federation Ltd, Tiles Co OOD, Unilin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited.

Read More
The first deputy speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group Iryna Gerashchenko and MP Maria Ionova (the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction) have inspected the Mayorsk checkpoint (Donetsk region).

"The "zero" checkpoint. Horlivka is seen even in the fog ... Several times this checkpoint was fired, during its work five border guards were killed here, therefore the issue of security of both the civilian population and checkpoint employees is very relevant," Gerashchenko wrote on her Facebook page.

She noted on the eve of the new year Ukrainian security officials held a meeting on the issue of increasing the number of workers of various services at the checkpoint and accelerating traffic.
Ukraine's Ministry of Information Policy is developing a strategy of the information reintegration of Crimea to resolve communications tasks, First Deputy Minister Emine Dzheppar has said.

"This is the communications strategy, the document, which will give understanding what messages should be used to talk with three target audiences - the world, Crimea and Ukraine. In the context of Crimea, of course," she told Interfax-Ukraine in Kyiv .

She noted the information aspect will not overcome the problem of de-occupation of Crimea, but will solve communications problems. According to Dzheppar, it is important to inform Crimean residents that Ukraine has not forgotten about them and is taking steps to reintegrate the territory of the peninsula.

She also noted the need to mobilize the population and explain to the citizens of Ukraine why Crimea is so important.

"Today there is no integrated Ukraine without Crimea, everything started with Crimea ... this war in Donbas, the first step of which was Crimea [the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation]. These are the puzzles of one picture," she said.

The official stressed the importance of informing the world community about the situation in Crimea and Ukraine's steps in this context.
One soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was wounded in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the east of the country over past 24 hours, spokesman for the Defense Ministry for ATO matters Oleksandr Motuzianyk has said.

"Last day one Ukrainian soldier was wounded, no killed. This happened in the settlement of Zaitseve," he said at a briefing in Kyiv.
The flare of the flash illuminated Charlottesville Sheriff James Browns smile. Turning towards the student wielding a camera, he adjusted his crisp uniform and waited for instructions.

On Friday, Brown was one of about 50 African-American leaders from the Charlottesville and Albemarle community welcomed by Charlottesville High School students for an interview session and photo shoot. The project is a collaboration between the schools African American history and photography classes to highlight and celebrate prominent community leaders in time for Black History Month in February.

We just wanted our students to interact with some influential African-Americans in the community here, said Tim Johnson, CHS African-American history teacher. Hopefully, it will inspire them and motivate them to pursue their different career paths.

Im hoping that they gain potential job and career skills from interviewing and talking to community members and taking portraits of them  being able to direct them from behind the camera  and just make contact with people who have really succeeded in their fields, added photography teacher Rachel Wilson.

Brown said he was glad to get the chance to interact with the students and talk about his journey to law enforcement.

I looked at it as an opportunity to be in front of the youth and in front of the community, Brown said. To me, Black History Month means a time that we can emphasize historic contributions from African-Americans, but its also something that should be done throughout the year.

The 22 students involved brainstormed about 10 different questions to ask each participant, which focused on how different life was during their childhoods, how they got into their chosen careers and what Black History Month means to them. The photos will be used in a slideshow at a Black History Month assembly for the school, but Wilson said she hopes to get prints made to display the students photos.

I love how a portrait can capture a persons personality and the beauty of a person, so its just getting the students the experience of interacting with adult leaders in our community and being inspired by them, said Wilson.

I think the students are doing a great job, Johnson added. I know a lot of them were a little nervous and apprehensive about the project. Even though they knew they would be doing the interviews and we came up with the questions, I dont think they really knew what to expect. But I can see theyre really engaged and are really inspired by the stories being presented today.

Cornelius Tinsley, an 11th-grader in the African-American history class, said it was a privilege to work on the project and interesting to hear first-hand stories.

I know some of these people, but some I dont know and met for the first time, said Tinsley. I interviewed Greg Fairchild  hes a professor [at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business] and his daughter goes to my school. He was just telling me how his life was growing up in Charlottesville and how different it was from now  so much has changed  and it was interesting.

Tinleys classmate, Abibi Osman, a 12th-grader, agreed that the project was a unique opportunity and said he liked hearing about how different life was for the African-American community not that long ago. He recounted a story of one man who told him about having to ride in the back of the bus and said it was incredible to hear a first-hand account.

I think this project is a great opportunity to know people in our community that have been in Charlottesville for a while and how it has changed from going to school with one race to combining both, Osman said. Most people dont get an opportunity to interview people like this. Im just glad we have the opportunity.

Twelfth-grader Ava McDonough and 11th-grader Sarah Gunter, both photography students, expressed their excitement to take portraits and show the personalities of each community leader.

Weve been telling jokes, which have been pretty unsuccessful, but sometimes they get a laugh, said McDonough. Were trying to get a smile. Were capturing their essence through laughter at some points, which is really nice. Thats my favorite part.

I always try to make sure they look relaxed, which is kind of hard, so we tell them a joke to try and distract them, so its more natural, added Gunter.

Justin Reid, the director of African American Programs at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, was another participant. Calling it an incredible project, Reid said he enjoyed going off-script and talking about other prominent African-American leaders  like Buckingham native Carter G. Woodson, who started Black History Month.

For Reid, the project marks an opportunity for the students to recognize all of the different points of views within the African American community.

I hope that theyll see a lot of diversity in the responses, Reid said. I think theres a tendency sometimes to generalize the black experience, when we know that doesnt necessarily exist. Theres so much diversity within the African-American experience, and I hope that when they have a chance to actually look at the different responses to the questions, theyll see that diversity.

Hopefully, theyll be able to connect to what was being said and it will resonate in some way  maybe even inspire them in a direction they didnt initially think about.

At the end of the day, John and Wilson hope the students learn a little bit more about the local African-American community and leaders and get some ideas about their own futures.

A lot of these individuals we have taking part in this have done a lot in the Charlottesville community, and we have some students who maybe dont know how to get involved, Johnson said. Thats part of the learning process, as well; theyll know what steps to take in order to contribute to the community.
Months after the fateful presidential election swung out of his favor, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., swung by the University of Virginia School of Medicine to share his passion for health care, speak on the dangers of repealing the Affordable Care Act and above all: to listen.

Kaine was at UVas Claude Moore Medical Education Building on Friday to take questions from a packed auditorium of medical students and faculty about the latest efforts from the GOP to repeal President Barack Obamas polarizing Affordable Care Act.

The higher echelons of the Republican Party, including President-elect Donald Trump, have been promising to repeal Obamas 2010 decree since November, with pushback and concerns from both sides of the aisle about what that could mean for the American economy and the American people.

Kaine, a former Virginia governor and U.S. senator since 2012, was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in Novembers election. After Trumps victory, Kaines consolation prize, as he put it, was an appointment to the Senates Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Counting health care as a longtime passion, Kaine said he was excited to join the committee in December and that hes since been looking to gain insights from people in the medical community that could enable [him] to be a better advocate.

I really am here to learn, Kaine said Friday. Im going all around the state and sitting down in different settings to talk to people about health care, and especially about the battle that were in right now, the battle about whether the Affordable Care Act should be repealed.

Speaking to the elephant in the room, Kaine noted outright that he was deeply opposed to calls for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known informally as Obamacare. While admitting the statute was imperfect, Kaine drew a line between repeal and reform.

Im all for reforms and improvements, and I want to figure out what the best ones are, Kaine said.

Before taking questions, Kaine gave a brief review of his work in the health care field, including his stint as the Democratic Party national chairman from 2009 to 2011, during which time Obamacare was passed. The questions that existed then still remain, he said, meaning that a full repeal could devastate millions without a proper replacement plan. According Washington, D.C.-based think tank The Urban Institute, a full repeal could jeopardize the health insurance of 30 million people, a figure Kaine himself was quick to point out.

Ill be really blunt, he said. I think repeal without replacement is, I will jump off a cliff and figure out how to land while Im midair.

He continued that, despite the actions of the House, the Senate is the place where cooler heads will prevail and may provide the foundation for a compromise between parties.

When the first question asked for a diagnostic of the politicking behind Obamacare, Kaine noted that while it would be difficult to repeal the law in its entirety, the GOP would be looking to overturn its budgetary aspects, which could be done without bipartisan support.

That said, Kaine said he was surprisingly optimistic about Trumps stance on the matter. Recently, Trump has been pressing for an immediate replacement of Obamacare, so as not to strand recipients or health care providers  a stance that defies the conventional wisdom espoused by GOP leadership, which has called for a repeal that wont go into effect until years later.

Doing so could create a detrimental uncertainty for the health care industry, Kaine said.

Big uncertainty in one sixth of the economy is a challenge, but that was the conventional wisdom, where a repeal would be delayed. But President-elect Trump has been, at least, tweeting at Congress, Kaine said delicately to a round of laughter from the audience.

Indicative of his medical student audience, Kaine quickly began receiving questions that jumped outside of Obamacare, addressing issues facing medical students and their prospective patients alike. Some asked about debt repayment, while others asked about the efficacy of Medicaid expansion. Eric Charles, a general surgery resident, said that he and his peers had found data suggesting that Medicaid expansion had created better outcomes for surgery patients, but worried that money was the deciding factor in the politics of health care.

Are there efforts to use actual patient outcome data during some of these conversations, where youre going to sit down and talk about whats working and whats not, or is it always or mostly driven by financial data, which I assume for the government is a little bit easier to get? Charles asked. Our efforts are attempting to actually look at the patient outcomes to see if there are differences being made based on these policies.

Kaine responded that the human dimension wasnt lost on policymakers but that it was important for lawmakers from both parties to hear doctors perspectives on patient outcomes  before promptly asking Charles if he could use his findings.

One student asked about the consequences of Obamacares repeal on reproductive health care, which Kaine warned would be heavily damaged by the repeal, while another asked about volatile drug prices, at which time Kaine said Trumps acumen as a dealmaker could be of value.

He would look at the Congress not negotiating for a volume discount on something like drug purchases and say, how foolish can you be, Kaine said, noting that, while he and the GOP will likely clash on a number of topics, on something like this, we will be able to find common ground.

Despite being frank about the pitfalls of GOP proposals regarding Obamacare, Kaine also effused optimism about the ability of Senate Democrats and Republicans to reach a resolution that will neither compromise citizens health care nor the U.S. economy.

We cant inject uncertainty into the largest sector of the American economy and expect that its going to have no economic effect, Kaine said. There are good people on the Republican side of the Senate who get this.

Speaking after the forum, Kaine said he took a lot away from the medical students questions and that he was relieved to hear concerns about Obamacares repeal on access to reproductive health care access and health care in rural areas.

These are two areas that are high on the chopping list if you repeal [the Affordable Care Act]. It would really hurt reproductive health care, it would really hurt rural hospitals, Kaine said. Hearing that priority from some of the students was important for me.

Jessica Lukacs, president of the medical schools student body, said after the discussion that medical students were appreciative that Kaine was interested in their feedback and priorities.

Were kind of the future leaders of medicine, and its really important that a lot of the people who are decision-makers in medicine and overseeing health care are kind of taking our input into account, she said.

After all, as Kaine said, the issues at the forefront of these medical students lives will affect the rest of their lives.
RICHMOND  The Republican Governors Association has donated $5 million  the largest single contribution in Virginias history  as seed money for a political action committee it set up to take part in the race for governor.

The PAC is called A Stronger Virginia.

It could be used to spend on the Virginia governors race  and yes, it could one day be used to help boost the eventual GOP nominee, said Jon Thompson, communications director for the RGA.

Republicans have not won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009. Virginia and New Jersey are the only states electing governors this year, so the Virginia contest could be seen as an early referendum on the Trump administration.

The message of the record donation is how important this race is to the Republican Party nationally, said Bob Holsworth, a veteran Virginia political analyst.

This years contest for governor will have long-term implications, Holsworth noted. Virginias next governor will sign off on the redrawing of Virginias legislative and U.S. House boundaries after the 2020 Census.

If Republicans win the governorship and if they can continue to control the assembly, it solidifies them in Virginia for another decade, he said.

GOP front-runner Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, is one of four candidates seeking the GOP nomination in a June primary.

The other GOP contenders are Corey Stewart, a member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors; state Sen. Frank W. Wagner, R-Virginia Beach; and Denver Riggleman, co-owner of Silverback Distillery in Nelson County.

Gillespie formally kicks off his campaign Saturday with a fly around that will take him to five media markets around the state.

The RGAs $5 million contribution far outpaces Virginias previous largest donations, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Those were a $2.5 million contribution in 2009 from the RGA to Virginia Common Sense PAC, set up to boost Bob McDonnells campaign for governor; $2 million that Democrat Mark Warner gave to his campaign committee for governor in 2001; and $2 million that the Democratic Governors Association gave to McAuliffe for Governor in 2013.

Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam has picked up an unexpected opponent for the Democratic nomination in the June primary  former Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th.

The RGAs early push is going to put tremendous pressure on the national groups that support Democrats, Holsworth said.

He noted the stark contrast to 2013, when Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican nominee for governor, was badly outfunded by Democrat Terry McAuliffe. In his concession speech in 2013, Cuccinelli noted that despite being outspent by an unprecedented $15 million, the race went down to the wire because of voters concerns about Obamacare.

The RGAs move shows Republicans are far more optimistic this year than they were in 2013 and are willing to make an extraordinary investment, Holsworth said.

Game on, already.
Foreign experts since the beginning of reforming the Ukrainian Armed Forces have trained 862 Ukrainian instructors, Speaker of the Ministry of Defense Dmytro Hutsuliak has said.

"One of the main areas of training under NATO standards is training Ukrainian instructors with the participation of foreign specialists. Some 862 Armed Forces instructors have passed such training," he said at a briefing in Kyiv.

Hutsuliak said within the framework of reforming the training system under NATO standards since May 2016, highly mobile airborne troops have started training a battle battalion group under the Striker program.

According to the ministry speaker, last year the intensity of military exercises increased significantly.

"If in 2013-2014 tactical brigade-level exercises were not conducted at all, some 15 such exercises were conducted in 2015 and 20 in 2016. The scale of training this year is also evidenced by more than 200 battalion tactical exercises and 190 operational training events," he said.
Its a tough job, but somebodys got to do it.

For this particular job, somebodys got to really want to do it.

The job is  wait for it  that of part-time hermit. And its an unpaid position.

In the Austrian town Saalfelden, in the Salzberg region of Sound of Music fame, church and local government officials are looking for someone to live in a 350-year-old monastery and greet pilgrims.

The monastery is built into the rocks of the nearby mountains. It has no heat and no running water. Its habitable only between April and November, reports The Associated Press.

The monk who lived there until last fall isnt returning. The next hermit must be "a person at peace with himself" and have a Christian ethic, the job description says.

Apparently, the successful applicant doesnt have to be a monk, just be able to live like one  from the 17th century.
Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Viktor Muzhenko has met with Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine Alexander Hug and drew the attention of international observers to the increased number of attacks on Ukrainian positions in the ATO zone on part of Russian occupation forces.

According to the Defense Ministry's press service, the chief of staff stressed the importance of raising the capacity of the OSCE SMM in monitoring the situation and the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Muzhenko noted in December 2016 and January 2017 the occupation forces committed 1,730 violations of the ceasefire, during which they used weapons banned by the Minsk agreements 693 times. About 60% of attacks on Ukrainian positions take place in the evening and night time when OSCE SMM patrols are not observing.

According to Muzhenko, the efficient operation of the OSCE SMM in conflict areas should lead to the reduction of tension, preservation of the lives of civilians and prevent casualties among the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russia plans to deploy more S-400 'Triumph' air defense missile systems in Crimea, Lieut. Gen. Viktor Sevostyanov, the commander of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Forces Army, said in an interview.

"Surely, this is planned. I wouldn't talk about dates so far," Sevostyanov told journalists in Feodosia on Saturday when asked whether additional S-400 systems could be deployed in Crimea.

An air defense regiment armed with a battalion of S-400 systems and its command station were put on combat duty in Crimea on Saturday.

The air defense unit stationed in Feodosia will continue to use S-300 systems, Sevostyanov said. "The S-300 system has not been put off combat duty in this regiment. It is still on combat duty," he said.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

China and Vietnam are looking forward to a promising future in relations as a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation visits Beijing at the beginning of a new year.

Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, led the delegation and chose China as his first foreign destination this year.

The Vietnamese delegation includes the four Politburo members in charge of communication and education, foreign affairs, national defense and public security, reported the state-run news agency VNA, signaling the great importance Hanoi has attached to Trong's first China visit after being re-elected as Party chief in January 2016.

Trong was received by Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping, and members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Trong's visit comes as China-Vietnam ties are stable with progress in various fields, including maritime cooperation.

In recent years, China and Vietnam have jointly patrolled and explored for oil in the Beibu Gulf, demarcation of which set an example for the handling of South China Sea disputes.

Success stories demonstrate that both countries are committed to shelving their maritime differences through cooperation rather than confrontation, which will yield more win-win results and larger-scale cooperation.

The Vietnamese side hopes to deepen strategic communication and political trust with China, Trong said on Thursday in Beijing, stressing it is the top priority of Vietnam's foreign policy to enhance all-round strategic cooperation with China.

"Vietnam and China enjoy comradely and brotherly friendship." The remark of late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh in the 1950s has been repeatedly quoted during high level interactions.

Though the two countries' diplomatic relations have not been all plain sailing since they were established in early 1950, it is unsurprising to see their traditional friendship increasingly consolidated.

A stable and closer China-Vietnam relationship lies not just in their proximity -- the two share a border stretching 1,450 kilometers -- but few countries have as much in common as China and Vietnam. With similar political systems, they are both communist Party-led socialist states, intertwined in advancing the cause of socialism.

The two economies are closely linked. China is the largest trading partner of Vietnam, which in turn is China's second largest trade partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

After 30 years of Doi Moi (renewal), Vietnam still faces challenges in terms of infrastructure development. This area, along with investment and trade, is expected to be expanded through aligning its "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2017, Vietnam will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. China has promised its support and the two sides are expected to jointly promote globalization against protectionism and facilitate negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

China and Vietnam, two of the six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River, can benefit from the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism focusing on security and development, as well as political, social and cultural fields.

Shared water, shared future. As the saying goes in China, "when water comes, a channel is formed," which means when conditions are ripe, success is achieved. It is hoped the two countries can push their bilateral relations toward a shared future.
Chinese family are stunned as 'dead' father knocks from inside his coffin when they are preparing his funeral and asks: 'What's happening?'

Back to life: The elderly man (pictured) knocked from inside his coffin on January 8 in China

A Chinese family were shocked when they heard their father, whom they thought had died, knocking from inside his coffin, according to Chinese media.

Family members of the 75-year-old, who were preparing the man's funeral, said they rushed to open the coffin which was placed at their home in a village in Sichuan Province.

After waking up, the pensioner asked his stunned son: 'What is happening?'

According to a video report on Pear Video, the incident occurred at the village of Yujing, or 'fish well', in Sichuan Province, in the evening on January 8.

The elderly man had been deemed dead for about eight hours at the time. His family had started preparing his funeral service.

According to his son, Huang Mingquan, the coffin had been opened about two inches when he heard his father struggling and rushed over.

Mr Huang, a farmer, said his father had suffered from esophageal cancer for a long time, and in morning of last Sunday, he found his father had stopped breathing.

The man said during an interview with Pear Video that his father's body had turned cold and he did not move when he shook him

Mr Huang said: 'I had stayed beside him for a few days. Once I realised he passed away, we lifted his body to the entrance of the house.'

The man's body was put into a coffin two hours later.Upon hearing the man had passed away, his family members hurried to prepare the funeral. A pig was slaughtered and flower wreaths were made.

The video shows that the house was decorated with funeral couplets. A red cardboard house was put outside the Huang family too - Chinese people have the tradition to burn paper items for their deceased relatives to use in their afterlife.

The preparation of the elderly man's funeral were well underway.

At around 5pm, the man's son heard noises coming from inside the coffin. A funeral preparer hired by the Huang family also noticed that the lid of the coffin had moved by about two inches.

Feeling strange, they tried to cover the coffin properly. However, several attempts all failed.

Then the family realised it was their father who was preventing them from closing the coffin.

They immediately opened the coffin and discovered that their father was still alive. Moreover, the man was knocking from inside the case, using both of his hands and legs.

Lying inside his coffin, the confused father asked: 'What is happening?'

The elderly man is currently resting at home. His condition is reportedly in a stable condition and is able to respond to questions from the others.
(Xinhua) 10:08, January 14, 2017

Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian (2nd L) shakes hands with head of Lebanon's Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) Nabil Jisr during an agreement signing ceremony in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on Jan. 13, 2017. Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon expressed here Friday hope that the Syrian crisis will soon end with a political solution "so as to solve the Syrian refugees issue fundamentally." Wang Kejian was speaking following a ceremony held at the Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) on the occasion of a donation agreement from China worth 10 million USD to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon. (Xinhua/Li Liangyong)

BEIRUT, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon expressed here Friday hope that the Syrian crisis will soon end with a political solution "so as to solve the Syrian refugees issue fundamentally."

Wang Kejian was speaking following a ceremony held at the Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) on the occasion of a donation agreement from China worth 10 million USD to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

"Following the promises that the Chinese leadership has made, we signed the agreement that aims mainly to provide humanitarian assistance to help the Lebanese government deal with the refugee crisis," Wang said.

"Since the Syrian crisis broke out, the Syrian people suffered a lot. We sympathize with them, and the Chinese government has provided through different channels and in different ways a lot of humanitarian assistance to the people in Syria and Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries," he added.

"We hope that the Chinese assistance will help to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian refugees, and wish sincerely the Syrian crisis can be solved politically as soon as possible, so as to solve the Syrian refugees issue fundamentally," Wang said.

For his part, head of the CDR, Nabil Jisr, who signed the agreement from the Lebanese side thanked China for its generosity, pointing out that it is not the first of its kind.

"We thank the Chinese government for this generous gesture which is not the first of its kind as we have received from China many aid and loans with no interest," Jisr said.

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees, Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 Million Syrians who fled their homeland since the rebellion against the regime of President Bashar Assad in March 2011.
Chinese President Xi Jinpings upcoming Swiss visit will present a confident, open, responsible and positive Chinese voice to the world, Ma Zhaoxu, Chinas Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and Other International Organizations in Switzerland, wrote in a signed article published on Peoples Daily on Friday.

During Xis three-day visit at the beginning of 2017, he is scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting to be held in Davos which is themed "Responsive and Responsible Leadership". He will also visit the Geneva-based headquarters of the United Nations, World Health Organization and International Olympic Committee.

Xi's visit will showcase China's progressive diplomatic image, and contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions for worlds long-term stability, sustainable development and common prosperity.

The international order and pattern are experiencing profound changes as a result of the slow recovery of world economy, rapid development of anti-globalization, intensive geopolitics and rising terrorism, Ma said, adding that a series of black swan events have astonished the globe.

The world has lost its direction in a lack of efficient leadership and governance as a result. Amid such backdrop, the international community is now in desperate need of a solution, the diplomat said.

He further said that faced with the complex and changing worlds arena, China has injected more confidence and played a bigger role in global governance under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core.

Ma noted that China not only advocates the establishment of a community of common destiny for all mankind, but also makes efforts for a new model of international relations centered on win-win cooperation.

Xi expounded the idea of the community of common destiny for all mankind while attending the summits marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN in 2015, the ambassador illustrated.

Xis ideas stemmed from the profound wisdom of Chinese culture, which are also in accordance with Chinese diplomatic traditions such as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Ma pointed out, adding that Xis proposals not only keep abreast with the progress of human society, but also meet global aspiration for peace, development and cooperation.

The concept of community of common destiny for all mankind will expand its influence with China's in-depth participation in global governance, he added.

China is also taking a lead in world economy and global governance, Ma noted. The success of G20 Hangzhou Summit has offered Chinas remedy to the root causes of the sluggish world economy and charted a course for global governance.

Faced with global challenges like de-globalization, protectionism and fragmentation of regional cooperation, Xi put forward the idea of a more inclusive economic globalization during the APEC meeting held in Lima, he added in the article.

These proposals have all played a positive role in increasing global confidence and consensus, Ma concluded.

The diplomat stressed that China has been making efforts to benefit its people and the people around the world as well. The country, for instance, has taken a lead to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and also align Chinas development concepts and 13th Five-Year Plan with international agendas, he explained.

Ma added that China has placed high attention on the undertakings of public health, fought against AIDS and tuberculosis, and contributed to world peace and development by rendering strong support to Olympics.

The gradual connection between Chinas "Belt and Road" initiative and strategies of the countries along the route has linked Chinese dream with the dream of the world.

Following the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, China will inject new power and hope to the economic development of Eurasian continent, and even the world at large, Ma concluded at last.
By Musa Suleymanov

Recently, there are serious reforms are implemented in the country on strenthening of industrial potential, improvement of business climate and important decisions are taken to support the exports and to minimize the dependence on import. Today, Ilham Aliyev, President of the country, personally outlines the importance of these steps for the countrys development. Stating high valuation of reforms implemented by international economic centers, Mr. President, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, has indicated in particular the 37th position Azerbaijan is holding in the Competitiveness Index. Mr. President, has actually said: thirty seventh place in the world scale is a high historical indicator. Meanwhile, we are maintaining leading positions among CIS countries.

As we know, the oil production has been a cornerstone of Azerbaijani economy since late XIX century until today. Being the pioneer in many innovations introduced to petroleum industry, Azerbaijan, during Soviet era, had maintained the leadership in both oil production and equipment manufacturing. At that time 20 oilfield equipment production enterprises and several scientific and reseasrch institutions operated in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan had covered 75% of needs of the Soviet petroleum industry in oilfield equipment as well exported the oilfield machinery and equipment to 30 countries worldwide.

Unfortunately, this massive production base has suffered the collapse and bankruptcy as a result of disintegration of the USSR and low petroleum prices during 1988-1993.

Azerbaijan oil industry has entered its new phase of development in 1994, when the price for barrell was in between 13-14 USD (figure 1), by signed Contract of Century with largest transnational oil companies, as a result of long-cited oil policy initiated by the national leader Heydar Aliyev. Contract of Century has brought a new breath to Azerbaijani economy, and even today our country enjoys the benefits of political and economic vision of that period. Political and economic direction set by national leader Heydar Aliyev, continues today under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.

President of country, keeping under control all sectors of industry, many times during his speeches outlined the importance of development of the oilfield machinery-building, announcing 2014 Year of the Industry.

Meanwhile, despite of multiple discussions on ways for development of oilfield equipment production industry, there is no significant progress. Enterprises, who have suffered during transition period, even today cant settle their debts accumulated over the years. Despite the fact that some enterprises support their existence by their own resources and produce on old equipment, in several cases they have achieved the production under API (American Petroleum Institute). However, the financial standing and current production base does not allow these factories to maintain good positions even on domestic market. For instance, SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic), purchasing equipment from abroad at approximately 2 bln. USD per year, buys from 9 local enteprises only for 17 mln. AZN.

Under this situation, enterprises cant get the funds not only from international financial donors, but even local banks.

Meanwhile, the volumes of perspective oil and gas development projects only in the Caspian region and their economic efficiency, indicate the need for immediate measures on restoration of Azerbaijani oilfield machinery building. Thus, according to US State Department and National Security Council, as well as forecasts of British Petroleum (UK), the total volume of oil and gas reserves of the Caspian are estimated at 335 bln. barrels of oil and 105 trln. cubic meters of gas (Figure 2). Gross market value of oil and gas reserves at current prices is 24 trln. USD (Figure 3).

According to statements of Caspian countries, 1 trln. 560 bln. USD (Figure 4) of investments on development of oil and gas fields are planned until year 2030, with following estimated breakdown:

- Russian Federations  460 bln. USD;

- Islamic Republic of Iran  500 bln. USD;

- Republic of Kazakhstan  270 bln. USD;

- Republic of Turkmenistan 180 bln. USD;

- Republic of Azerbaijan  150 bln. USD

Some countries have already taken actual steps in realizing these plans. Islamic Republic of Iran has stated its plans to invest 200 bln. USD into offshore production in Caspian within next 4 years. Neighbor Kazakhstan has already invested 100 bln. USD into Kashagan field only. To take advantage of this situation, Azerbaijan shall restore its oilfield equipment production industry.

President of country also demands to develop the industry. Alternative ways of industry development shall be estimated. In my opinion, it should not be very hard to do for competent authorities.

First of all, the freedom of maneuvering shall be given to enterprise. For this, their burden of debts shall be cleared. Afterwards, options for their reformation can be considered. Following is proposed for rapid implementation of problem resolution:

- Application of German practice (after World War II, factories in Germany were privatized at 1 deutsche mark);

- Provision of privileged state loans to enterprises (to stimulate their technical upgrading);

- Consideration of privatization of enterprises by people holding operational experience in the sector;

- Upon marketing research of the region and procurement structure of SOCAR, to determine the specialization of 5-10 enterprises and provide them each with loans of 15-18 mln. USD (this will allow them to purchase new equipment and tools for modern production). Important role in this shall be given to the special coordinating body by the Head of State.

Plants may reach the phase one of upgrading within 2-3 years. Following phases shall include the attraction of local and international investment, invitation of high-quality engineering and management experts, achievement of production to international standards, API in the first place.

These actions will help to resolve the following issues:

- returning of highly qualified experts, who has left the country,

- minimize the costs of foreign purchases of oilfield equipment by SOCAR and other oil companies operating in Azerbaijan, minimizing hard currency outflow from the country,

- opening of new jobs,

- development of associated sectors, and most importantly

- maximum participation in generation of profits from investments planned in the Caspian region until 2030.

Even if 10% of planned volume of investment for Caspian basin is realized, it will make 150 bln. USD. For comparison, if Azerbaijan produces 40 mln. tons of oil annually within next 14 years at current oil prices, the gross cashflow until year 2030 will be at 120-125 bln. USD.

Figure 1.

Average barrell price (monthly chart) in USD since 1988

Figure 2

Perspective and proven oil and gas reserves of Caspian region

Skil 3.

Perspective and proven oil and gas reserves of Caspian region

At calculation price of oil 30$/barrel. At calculation price for gas - 160$/1000 m3

Skil 4.

Gross volume of planned investments into oil and gas production in Caspian region until year 2030
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Jan. 14

By Demir Azizov Trend:

Uzbekenergo JSC, an energy company, which unites enterprises of Uzbekistans power industry, and Chinas Zhuhai Singyes Green Building Technology Co. Ltd signed a contract worth $147 million for the design, construction and operation of a solar photovoltaic plant with capacity of 100 megawatts in Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, the countrys energy company told Trend.

Zhuhai Singyes Green Building Technology Co. Ltd won the tender for the construction of the solar photovoltaic plant on a turnkey basis in late 2016, said the representative of the Uzbekenergo JSC.

The total project cost is $200 million. The project will be financed through a loan from the Asian Development Bank in the amount of $110 million, the loan of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan and equity of the Uzbekenergo JSC.

It is scheduled to complete the construction of the plant in 2018.

It was previously reported that Uzbekistan plans to build the first solar power plant with a design capacity of 100 megawatts with the power generation exceeding 150 million kilowatt hours per year in the countrys Samarkand region.

Uzbekistan adopted the program on the development of alternative energy sources in 2013.

In particular, construction of the several solar power plants with total capacity of more than two gigawatts, creation of the International Institute for Solar Energy and the construction of the facility on the photovoltaic panel production with the capacity of 100 megawatts is planned within the framework of the program.

Currently, oil and gas account for 97 percent, coal - 2.3 percent and hydropower - 0.7 percent in the structure of primary energy resources of Uzbekistan.

At the same time, the potential of renewable energy sources of Uzbekistan is about 51 billion tons of oil equivalent. Solar energy potential in Uzbekistan, where there are 300 sunny days in a year, is about 50.973 billion tons of oil equivalent.
Mumbai: Small-time private sector lender DCB Bank today reported a 25 per cent surge in December quarter net at Rs 51 crore, driven primarily by a surge in the core interest income.

The city-based lender had reported a post tax profit of Rs 41 crore in the year-ago period. Its net interest income rose 31 per cent to Rs 209 crore, while the non-interest income was up 36 crore to Rs 64 crore during the reporting quarter.

The share of low-cost current and savings account balances increased to 25.85 per cent as on December 31, from the 21.91 per cent three months ago, on the back of a surge in deposits following the move to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes by the Central government.

The surge in deposits, coupled with a massive slowdown in advances (which grew only two per cent sequentially) led to a drop in the credit-deposit ratio to 77.41 per cent from 83.33 per cent in the year-ago period.

The bank's net interest margin was down 3.95 per cent as against 3.96 per cent in the year-ago period, primarily due to pressure on yield on advances, its managing director and chief executive Murali Natrajan said.

He said the bank is confident of sustaining the number but may not bother much if it dips to up to 3.70 per cent. An asset sale to an ARC helped improve the gross non performing assets ratio to 1.55 per cent from the 1.98 per cent in the year-ago period.

The bank's provisions rose to Rs 31 crore from Rs 21 crore, but Natrajan said it also includes money set aside for non-payment of advances up to Rs 1 crore. The total capital adequacy ratio for the bank stood at 13.33 per cent, including 11.39 per cent in core tier-I.

It opened 20 new branches during the quarter to take the total to 248 branches, as part of a 150 branch addition plan announced earlier.
The total sale of KVIC products will be about Rs 47 crore over 2 months.

New Delhi: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) today said it has signed an agreement with state-owned ONGC under which the oil major will provide khadi vouchers to employees as part of bonus.

In a statement, KVIC Chairman V K Saxena said an agreement was signed with ONGC this year to provide khadi vouchers worth Rs 10,000 each to its regular employees and Rs 5,000 each to its non-regular ones.

"KVIC will allow an additional 35 per cent incentive on these vouchers, thus enhancing the value of ONGC bonus to 135 per cent of its cash value for its staff. These khadi vouchers can be used by ONGC staff over two months," Saxena said.

ONGC has 34,236 regular employees and 1,063 non-regular staffers, KVIC said.

"As a result, KVIC will get Rs 35 crore payment from ONGC due to this initiative. Considering 35 per cent additional supplement by KVIC, the total sale of KVIC products will be about Rs 47 crore over 2 months...," Saxena said.

He further said the artisans attached to this special sales drive will be given an additional 5 per cent reward directly in their accounts through DBT.
New Delhi: New telecom operator Reliance Jio Infocomm is planning to invest Rs 30,000 crore more to expand coverage and increase network capacity. With this, its total investment in the network will reach close to Rs 1.9 lakh crore.

"In view of the unprecedented customer response to RJIL's services as well as address the anticipated growth in demand for digital services, additional investments are proposed to be made into the network to enhance its coverage and capacity," Reliance Jio said in a rights issue notice for existing shareholders today.

These investments are proposed to be financed largely through an equity offering to strengthen its balancesheet for growth, it added. "... the company wishes to inform that board of directors at its meeting held on January 13, 2017, has decided to make a rights issue of 6 billion - 9 per cent non-cumulative optionally convertible preference shares of Rs 10 each for cash, a premium of Rs 40 per OCPS, aggregating Rs 30,000 crore," the notice read.

As of December 31, within four months of its commercial launch, the company garnered 72.4 million subscribers. It started offering free 4G service during the trial phase which it continued even after its commercial launch on September 5. Jio is also offering free unlimited local and STD call for lifetime even during roaming. Jio has extended its free 4G service till March 31, 2017.
Beijing: BRICS countries are establishing themselves as an economic force, eminent Indian banker and New Development Bank chief K V Kamath has said, expressing confidence the cooperation among the five-nation bloc will be further strengthened during the Chinese presidency this year.

With China to host the ninth BRICS annual summit in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen in September, Kamath said Shanghai-based NDB, established by the bloc, plans to showcase its progress to the leaders of the five countries.

The eminent banker said he believes the Xiamen summit will let people know where the BRICS countries stand today, their current agenda and "how we could benefit by working in a cooperative manner."

"Importantly, the summit comes at a time when you can clearly see the five countries establishing themselves as an economic force," he told state-run Xinhua news agency.

He said the cooperation among BRICS nations  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  will be strengthened during Chinese presidency over the bloc in 2017.

"The Chinese government has been very hospitable towards the NDB, enabling us to set up and operate the bank in a very short time," Kamath said.

"All of these would not have been possible without the support and guidance we received from China," he said. This year opens the second decade of the emerging-market bloc.

In the first decade of its existence, BRICS moved forward on the economic front establishing NDB, which was established with initial subscribed capital of USD 50 billion with total paid- in capital of USD 10 billion.

The bank has started disbursing loans for various green infrastructure projects in the five countries. In December 2016, the NDB signed its first loan agreement, providing 525 million yuan (USD 76 million) for a solar power project in Shanghai.

"The fact we were able to appraise our first project in a record time has set a new benchmark for the NDB to follow," he said. Last year, the NDB issued three billion yuan worth of five-year green bonds, its first bond to raise funds worldwide for clean energy projects.
Mumbai: Stars leave no stone unturned in promoting their soon-to-release films. One such star, who is toiling hard to ensure his avatar as bootlegger swoons the audience in the highly-anticipated crime drama Raees, is Mr. Shah Rukh Khan. Although the actor is keeping uber busy promoting his upcoming flick aggressively, the superstar somehow managed to take out some time for ;jaanus Adity Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor.

Amid series of interviews, SRK spent some quality time with the duo who was promoting their romantic flick OK Jaanu in a nearby studio.

A close source reveals, Shah Rukh Khan was promoting his film Raees in the popular film studios and when he realised that Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor are giving media interviews in the adjacent studio, the actor called them to join him in his vanity. SRK not only wished both of them a very good luck but also told them he loved the trailer of the film and will surely watch the film.

OK Jaanu starring Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor has released On January 13, while Raees is slated to release on January 25th.
Mumbai: Ranbir Kapoor, who will be slipping into Sanju Baba's shoes, has already started shooting for the film.

The shooting went on floors on Saturday in Mumbai, covering the crucial scenes first, followed by schedules in other parts of the country. Rajkumar Hirani, who is directing the film, took to his official Twitter account to make the announcements. First shot taken now for Sanjay Dutt's biopic. Canning a very funny scene. Excitement in cast and crew, Rajkumar Hirani tweeted.

The filmmaker, last year, had captured Dutt's exit from Yerwada Jail in Pune, with the thought of including it in the biopic. While the film has finally went on floor, it is still looking for its perfect title.

The untitled biopic seems very intriguing, as it will be the first biopic, made on a Bollywood male actor. The film is set to have a Christmas release.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 14

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Kazakhstan intends to increase the export of oil through the Russian section of the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline, despite the fact that safety and quality issues can interfere with these plans, a source in Azerbaijans oil and gas market told Trend.

"Kazakhstan wants to supply around three million tons of oil per year through the section of the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline, from the city of Makhachkala to the Novorossiysk port," the source said. "This is while the Transneft company [the operator of Russias section of the pipeline] has the ability to ship only 1.5 million tons of oil this year."

The source added that the quality of the exported oil is one of the main problems Kazakhstan may face.

"Kazakhstans oil is heavy, with high sulfur content," said the source. "This means that the Transneft company will have to mix the Kazakh oil with lighter and high-quality Azerbaijani oil supplied via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline. However, in 2017, Azerbaijan will supply about 1.5 million tons of oil via the pipeline, and these volumes are not sufficient for being mixed with the Kazakh oil volumes if they are increased."

Azerbaijans State Oil Company SOCAR (operator of Azerbaijani section of the Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline) will pump around 325,000 tons of oil through this pipeline in the first quarter of 2017, according to the plans.

The Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline is 1,147 kilometers long. The length of its Azerbaijani section is 231 kilometers and Russian section - 916 kilometers.

The pipeline was filled with oil in October 1996, according to SOCAR. The pipelines highest capacity stands at 105,000 barrels of oil a day.
Mumbai: He agrees that there was "a distance" between him and Shah Rukh Khan in recent years, but filmmaker Karan Johar says he is back in the superstar's life because a friendship so strong "just cannot die". Karan writes he should not have gone on record to say that he will only work with Shah Rukh as he could not live up to his promise.

"When two people are so close. When they have done six feature films together and then haven't worked together on the set for a while there is bound to be a gap. That is the way the industry is," Karan writes in chapter titled 'Shah Rukh Khan' in his autobiography 'An Unsuitable Boy'. Karan writes that Shah Rukh is a "possessive" friend and he may have been hurt when the director went on to make a film without him.

"Shah Rukh is a very possessive person. He is a possessive friend. I think I may have hurt him when I made a film without him. And I think I got hurt because when I did, I felt he didn't give me that paternal or fraternal feeling that I had from him otherwise. I think we were two hurt friends for no reason." He writes that they both are aware of the fact that people are "envious" of their friendship which is why they never had a "blowout".

"There was a simmering silent, respectable distance between us. But, there is also an equal amount of love an affection we have for each other. That's never going to go... He can ask me for anything and I will do it... There is a big layer of love and respect still, and no one can come in the way of that." Talking about how they finally bridge the "distance" Karan writes "I'm kind of back in Shah Rukh's life in a way. When the origin of the friendship is so strong, it just cannot die. I've not allowed to either, and neither has he. It happened organically."

"We met at Deepika's party celebrating Piku's success at one point when we were talking, we looked at each other, I hugged him instinctively and said, 'I've missed you'. And he said, 'You've no idea how much I've missed you.' We had this moment." Karan writes Shah Rukh has always been his "first go to person" and when he had a fall out with Kajol recently, he instinctively reached out to the actor.

"When I had a falling out with Kajol. The first call I made was to Shah Rukh. He came to meet, spoke about it to me. Then I called Adi and we discussed it. My instinct was to call Shah Rukh first. He had nothing to do with the problem. But I still called him because somewhere Shah Rukh, Kajol and I have been so close." The filmmaker writes Shah Rukh and he may have their "ups and downs" but the superstar will always be a family to him.
Mumbai: Hollywood actor Vin Diesel has left the building (read country). The actor, who received an overwhelming welcome in Mumbai along with co-star Deepika Padukone and filmmaker D.J. Caruso, has finally left for his country.

The actor who came down to India for the promotion of his film, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, left with good memories. Vin was spotted at the Mumbai airport and was seen shaking hands with one of his fans. The actor was recently seen interacting with his fans and expressed his love for Indian culture. From donning Indian outfit to dancing on the tunes of Lungi Dance, Vin has done it all!

Directed by D.J. Caruso, xXx: Return of Xander Cage stars Vin Diesel, Deepika Padukone, Samuel L. Jackson, Nina Dobrev and Ruby Rose is releasing on January 19.
Fisher will be seen in the upcoming 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'.

Los Angeles: In the wake of Carrie Fisher's death, Lucasfilm has issued a statement that the company will not digitally recreate actress in the next 'Star Wars' films.

The spokesperson said that there were certain rumours after the death of the actress, who played Princess Leia and they wanted to put them to rest, reported Variety.

"We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance as Princess or General Leia Organa," the company stated.

They added that Lucasfilm is yet to recover from the Fisher's death and that she will always be remembered.

"Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend.

"We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honour everything she gave to Star Wars," they said.

Fisher will be seen in the upcoming 'Star Wars: Episode VIII', which is slated for release on December 15.
Los Angeles: William Peter Blatty, the author of the novel "The Exorcist" and writer of its Oscar-winning big-screen adaptation, has died aged 89, the

director of the iconic horror movie announced today.

Blatty wrote several books but his signature achievement was the 1971 novel that told the story of a 12-year-old girl whose vile behavior leads a young priest to conclude that she is possessed by a demon.The novel was panned by critics but went on to sell 13 million copies, topping The New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks, and is retrospectively considered to be one of the greatest horror novels of all time.

Blatty won an Oscar for his screenplay of his own book for the 1973 film and later wrote and directed a sequel, 1990's "The Exorcist III."The original film, directed by William Friedkin and starring Linda Blair, was a box-office hit and cult sensation that sparked a worldwide debate about the occult within the Catholic Church and inspired a generation of horror filmmakers.

Blatty, raised a devout Roman Catholic, died at a hospital near his home in Bethesda, Maryland, yesterday, but it was announced on social media by Friedkin today. "William Peter Blatty, dear friend and brother who created 'The Exorcist' passed away yesterday," he said, prompting a torrent of tributes from the horror-writing community.

"RIP William Peter Blatty, who wrote the great horror novel of our time. So long, Old Bill," tweeted Stephen King, whose books have sold more than 350 million copies. The son of Lebanese immigrants, Blatty was born into poverty in New York and graduated from Georgetown University before earning his living as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. During a diverse career he was also a psychological warfare specialist in the US Air Force and a public relations

director at Loyola University of Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.

Although best-known for "The Exorcist," Blatty specialized in comedy, penning "Promise Her Anything" (1965),which starred Warren Beatty, "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" (1966) and "The Great Bank Robbery" (1969). He collaborated several times with director Blake Edwards, co-writing the Pink Panther sequel "A Shot in the Dark" (1964) and "Darling Lili" (1970) which starred screen legends Rock Hudson and Julie Andrews.

"You might only know Blatty from 'The Exorcist,' but his array of talents could practically make your head spin. He will be missed," said film blog Screen Crush. "Rest in peace William Peter Blatty, writer of both the peerless horror 'The Exorcist' AND the funniest Clouseau film,'A Shot In The Dark,'" added Edgar Wright, the British director of hit zom-com "Shaun of the Dead."

He is survived by his wife, Julie Alicia Witbrodt, who told The Washington Post her husband was suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer.
Globally, Elvis Presley has sold over one billion records, more than any other artist. (Photo: Facebook)

New South Wales: It has been almost 40 years since Elvis Presley died, but for five days in early January, the memory of "the King of rock and roll" lives on in the central New South Wales town of Parkes.

What started out as a dinner in the Parkes Gracelands restaurant has blossomed into the iconic Parkes Elvis Festival, which after a shaky start is celebrating its 25-year anniversary in 2017.

With this years theme being Elvis' classic 1964 film Viva Las Vegas on Friday (January 13,) fans not only donned rhinestone embellished jump-suits, their best wigs, but sequins, feathers and all things Vegas, while buskers entertained the crowds - all in the scorching heat of 42 deg C.

The festival sees Parkes balloon to over double it's normal size with organisers expecting 25,000 to 30,000 people to attend in 2017.
According to the prosecution, B. Rajendran, 33, of Chembarambakkam, was operating a van for school students. (Representational image)

Chennai: The Mahila court in city has awarded life sentence to a 33-year-old van driver on a charge of murdering his aunt after stealing her gold jewellery from her residence two years ago. Sessions judge R. Kalaimathi also imposed on him a fine of Rs 7,000.

According to the prosecution, B. Rajendran, 33, of Chembarambakkam, was operating a van for school students. He obtained a huge amount from friends and others as a loan. His friends were forcing him to settle the amount immediately.

As his expense was shooting up after his wife became pregnant, he sought the help of his aunt, Hemavathi, 51, of Kolathur. On November 20, 2014, he went to her residence seeking loan amount.

Hemavathi refused to give either money or her jewellery after an altercation Rajendran attacked her with a 'kitchen knife', (aruvamanai).

Hemavathi sustained grievous injuries and neighbours rushed her to the Kilpauk Government Hospital, where she died in the evening.

Meanwhile, Rajendran pledged the jewellery with Muthoot Finance, Poonamallee and obtained Rs 70,000 from the finance company.

Kolathur police registered a case and arrested Rajendran. The cops seized receipt, issued by the finance company, from him, said special additional public prosecutor, Gowri Ashokan.

On a completion of the trial, the judge awarded life sentence to Rajendran for killing his aunt in a gruesome manner and slapped a fine of Rs 7,000.
Pune: A man was booked here for allegedly raping his 12-year-old daughter, said police. They said the mother of the victim too was booked, who after knowing that the minor girl was pregnant, forced her to leave the home.

"Both parents have been booked under the relevant sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012," said a police inspector with Wakad police station.

He said the father of the victim was allegedly sexually assaulting her for last 6 years and whenever she resisted, the accused used to beat her.

"Whenever, the girl complained to her mother, she used to tell her not to utter a word outside," the officer said, adding, today when the mother got to know that her daughter was pregnant, she asked her to leave the home.

Later the girl approached police and a case was registered, the officer said.
Mahendra has stopped coming to work and efforts are on trace him, the police said.

Bengaluru: A student was detained by the Malleswaram police for allegedly sending objectionable text messages to lecturers of a private college. However, investigations revealed that the student had given his phone to a security guard, who was sending the messages.

Police said four lecturers of a private college were receiving messages like I love you, I miss you, Are you free? Can we meet, etc. One of the lecturers filed a complaint on Friday following which the police found out that SIM card was registered in a students name.

His address was also found and he was picked up for questioning. He had studied BA in the same college and enrolled for another course.

He revealed that he has developed friendship with the security guard of the college. A week ago, the guard, Mahendra, had borrowed the phone from him saying he had some work and wanted to use internet in his phone. Even when the student was in our custody, the complainant was getting messages from that number. This confirmed that the student was not using the phone nor he was sending the messages. Mahendra has stopped coming to work and efforts are on trace him, the police said.

The police have registered an FIR under Sec 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and other sections of the IPC.

Harassment in BMTC bus: No complaint lodged

The woman, who had in a Facebook post accused a BMTC bus conductor and a driver of misbehaving with her, is yet to lodge a formal complaint and give her statement before the police.

The police said they had approached the woman but she is unwilling to pursue the case legally and admitted that she had made false allegations in the post.

But we have asked her to give a written statement so that we can either investigate the case or drop it, as we have suo motu registered an FIR, an official said.

The woman, who works in a software company located on Bannerghatta Road, has reportedly told the police that she would come along with her friend and give her statement in a day or two.
New Delhi: Taking a serious note on the videos of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan complaining about poor food and near starvation conditions in his posting, Union Minister of State for Defence Shubhash Bhamre on Saturday asserted that the army is self-sufficient to deal with it, while saying that the Defence Ministry is probing the matter.

"Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has made it clear that we have some management. I know that a soldier could have some problems but we have management according to which army should work. If any complain being made then our army is self sufficient to deal with it." Bhamre told ANI.

In a reference to BSF constable Tej Pratap Yadav among others, General Rawat on Friday instructed the troops to avoid social media for complaints and called for using internal methods.

However, Tej Pratap Yadav's wife on Saturday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, Bhamre said that the government is very sensitive and serious about every issues related to ex-servicemen and is trying to reach out to them, adding that the good works of the government are not being highlighted.

"The OROP problem has been persisting for last 40 years but for the time any government has tried to resolve this issue. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised our forces and ex-servicemen that as soon as BJP would come into power, he will raise the issue of OROP and he stood to his promise," Bhamre added.

He further said that in November 7, 2015 at least 20, 20,000 ex-servicemen received the first and second instalment of the OROP and despite financial problems, ten thousand crore was allocated and yearly expenditure of 7,000 crore was also given to them.
CHENNAI: As pro-jallikattu protests by students and youth reached a feverish pitch on Pongal eve, with emotional threats to defy the Supreme Court ban on jallikattu, parties including the BJP ruling at the centre vied with each other and supported defying the ban.

With state BJP leaders backing the protesters defying the ban, the AIADMK appears to be left alone. Although, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and AIADMK leaders are silent, police action has confirmed that the state government has chosen to go by the rule of law and preempt attempts to defy the ban. Reacting to the police action, AIADMK spokesperson 'Avadi' Kumar said "A government elected under the Indian Constitution could not allow an event defying the Supreme Court order as it is a violation of the Constitution".

State BJP leaders, at the receiving end of people's wrath with students and youth continuing to lash out at them, wilted under the mounting pressure and openly came out in support of violating the Supreme Court order.

While DMK working president M.K. Stalin led a protest warning of a regime change in Tamil Nadu, PMK and CPI hit out at the BJP government for not issuing an ordinance to hold jallikattu.CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan condemned the demand by Swamy and Peta to dismiss Tamil Nadu government and said it is an assault on democracy and a government elected by the people. Besides, exhibiting the culture of Tamils, the sport is a way to nurture the bulls in a healthy way, he said and added that those who are close to market economy could not understand Tamil traditions and its roots, he added.

Severely embarrassed by Swamy's demand, BJP MP L. Ganesan dismissed it as a personal opinion of Subramanian Swamy. Ganesan also asserted that there is nothing wrong if the ban is defied and added that only the government could not organise the sport violating the order.

Going a step further, BJP national secretary H.Raja announced that he would defy the ban and send two bulls reared by him to take part in Manjuvirattu (bull chasing) in Karaikudi.BJP state general secretary Vanathi Seenivasan said "I welcome holding jallikattu, even if the ban is defied. I am ready to take part and face legal action." PMK founder S.Ramadoss declared his party's support to defiance of the court ban.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 14

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistans Ambassador to Italy Berdimyrat Rejepov will simultaneously serve as the ambassador to Israel, according to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs decree.

Berdimuhamedov also decreed the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Orazmuhammet Charyyev to simultaneously serve from now on as the ambassador to Palestine.
New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) has directed Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of five poll-bound states to ask top police brass that cash transfers during the election period be done under the protection of cops and that they be kept "informed" about such movements from banks or currency chests.

The Election Commission, in its directives to the CEOs of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, has cited the standing orders of the poll-body in this regard even as it appended the recent instructions issued by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Finance Ministry on the subject.

The DFS has said the "operating procedure for transportation of cash by banks and transfer of currency from one chest to another operated by the banks within the state or inter-state level as laid down in the above mentioned letters shall be followed scrupulously."

"(CEOs) are also requested to kindly advise the Directors General and Commissioners of Police to ensure adequate police protection for the safe, secure and speedy inter-state and intra-state movement of currency chests to the various bank branches/ATMs at some places where banks may apprehend security concerns and while doing so, the police authorities shall have to keep the CEO informed in the poll going states," it added.

The EC directives on transportation of cash are seen in the backdrop of an incident in poll-bound Tamil Nadu last year, when three trucks carrying Rs 570 crore were intercepted by EC-appointed surveillance teams.

Between February 4 and March 8, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur will go for Assembly polls and the model code of conduct came into force on January 4 when the EC announced the election schedule.
The committee is expected to address, in particular, the issues of preparing manual on operating rules/procedures in respect of common projects located on Krishna River. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Ministry of Water Resources has reconstituted a committee to address issues related to the management of the waters of Krishna River between warring Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The committee, headed by former Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman AK Bajaj, will suggest mechanism to facilitate effective functioning of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) in light of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, according to an order dated January 9 issued by the ministry.

Former CWC chief engineer DK Mehta, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee scientist RP Pandey, Central Electricity Authority chief engineer Pradeep Kumar Shukla and CWC director (Hydrology) NN Rai are other members of the committee.

The committee's objective will be to suggest a mechanism for making KRMB discharge its functions as per the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the order published on the ministry's website read.

The committee is expected to address, in particular, the issues of preparing manual on operating rules/procedures in respect of common projects located on Krishna River and allocation of Godavari waters being transferred from Krishna basin in accordance with Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award, 1980.

It is expected to submit its report/manual to the Union ministry within three months, the order read.
The festival falls on the first day of Tamil month 'Thai', considered as the precursor of hope.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu celebrated the harvest festival of 'Pongal' with great zeal and fervour on Saturday, with people preparing traditional food and offering prayers to the Sun God.

The streets in both rural and urban areas of the state were decked up with drawings made of flour (called 'Kolam' in Tamil).

People decorated their homes with mango leaves and strings of flowers.

Special prayers were held at temples. Sweet rice (pongal), made of jaggery with rice and milk, in a traditional mud pot, was offered to the Sun God along with pieces of sugarcanes.

The food is shared with relatives and neighbours after being offered to the Sun God.

Since the Supreme Court has banned the popular bull-taming sport of 'Jallikattu', normally conducted on 'Mattu' (cow) Pongal (third day of Pongal festivities), the festival is expected to be a low-key affair in Madurai and its neighbouring districts.

For 'Kannum Pongal' festival on Monday, security has been strengthened at several places including Marina beach in Chennai, where people throng in large numbers.

Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala and DMK working president M K Stalin and other leaders extended their greetings on the occasion of Pongal.

The festival falls on the first day of Tamil month 'Thai', considered as the precursor of hope.
Children run after kites risking their lives in the heavy traffic near People's Plaza in the city on Friday. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: A 15-year-old boy suffered electric shock while flying kites at Old Malakpet and is serious. S. Saikumar tried to retrieve his kite which had got stuck in an electric cable near his house's terrace.

He took a steel rod and tried to shake the electric cable to make the kite fall down. Saikumar suffered an electric shock and received burns on his right hand and chest, police said.

The boy went to the terrace to retrieve his kite. He underestimated the consequences of touching an electric cable and got electrocuted, said a police official from Chaderghat police station. His family and locals rushed him to hospital.

Earlier, police commissioner M. Mahender Reddy had issued an order to the public asking them to stop kite flying from unsafe terraces and other dangerous spots to avoid accidents and deaths.

The parents of Hyderabad must tell their children not to fly kites from terraces which do not have parapet walls to avoid accidents. They should also advice children not to run on to roads or other dangerous places while flying kites or trying to collect stray kites. Children should be made aware of the possibility of electrocution if they try to collect stray kites stuck on electric poles and power transmission cables, he had said.
Patna: JD (U)'s invitation to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 'Dahi-Chura' feast on Sunday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti heated political the pot in Bihar on Saturday.

It is being seen as an extension of bonhomie between the two parties after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's support to demonetisation and which got strength after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's effusive praise of Kumar during Prakash Parva.

JD(U) ally Congress and some other parties expressed displeasure over the invitation to BJP.

Invitation to BJP for 'Dahi-Chura', the first since 2013 when JD(U) severed ties with the saffron party, has set the tongue wagging in political circles.

The JD(U) feast would be held at the residence of Bihar party chief Basistha Narayan Singh.

"Since its an auspicious occasion, I have invited everybody in the 'bhoj' irrespective of political affiliations," Basistha Narayan Singh told PTI today.

"I have invited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD president Lalu Prasad, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, Congress leaders and also those from CPI and CPI(M)," Singh said.

Sushil Modi, who skipped the Makarsankranti feast hosted by Prasad on Saturday, told reporters that he would attend the 'bhoj' organised by Basistha Narayan Singh tomorrow.

The senior BJP leader gave strength to media speculations over display of bonhomie between former allies BJP and JD(U) that started from Nitish Kumar's support to demonetisation and peaked after PM's praise of Kumar.

He said, "During Makarsankranti, the sun changes direction from South to North. Like change in weather, change in politics could never be ruled out. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"

On inviting Modi, Basistha Narayan Singh said, "Its a social gathering to promote 'sadbhavna' (harmony) and no political meaning should be derived from it."

"Bihar is witnessing a rare display of unity among all parties over passing of new Excise Law, 2016, and all parties deciding to participate in human chain on coming January 21 to express strong commitment to prohibition. We wish to further strengthen this sadbhavna," Singh said.

But, Congress is not impressed. State Congress president and minister Ashok Choudhary told reporters that JD(U) could explain better why they have invited BJP in a political feast after no such invitation for two years.

"Had it been some personal occasion like marriage, it could be understood. But inviting BJP in a political feast is something only JD(U) can explain," Choudhary said.

He was non-committal over attending the feast and said on Sunday he would go to Siwan.

Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union Minister of State for HRD Upendra Kushwaha, an ally of BJP, reminded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had cancelled a dinner to be hosted in honour of BJP leaders in the past.

The cancellation had taken place in February 2014 when BJP and JD(U) were in alliance and during the national executive meeting of the saffron party.

On not attending 'Dahi-Chura' feast thrown by Prasad, Sushil Kumar Modi said, "Instead of extending the invitation by himself or through any of his family members, he (Prasad) asked his PA to telephone me for the feast. When his PA is inviting, my PA will attend it."

"He keeps saying that I (Sushil Modi) was his secretary during days of Patna University students union. Is it justified that a president does not talk directly to his secretary," Modi said and claimed that it showed "the RJD chief did not want us to attend his feast."

Except for BJP, prominent leaders of Grand Alliance government participated in the feast hosted by Prasad at 10 Circular Road residence of his wife Rabri Devi.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Chairman of Legislative Council Awdesh Narayan Singh and Congress state chief and minister Ashok Choudhary attended the feast.
A group of people are seen participating in Jallikattu despite ban on such sporting events at Karisalkulam village in Madurai. (Photo: PTI)

Madurai: Several supporters of Jallikattu were baton-charged and taken into preventive custody on Saturday near here for allegedly trying to defy a ban on the traditional bull taming sport associated with Pongal festivities.

Anticipating trouble, police in large number was deployed in sensitive areas where the sport is generally held like Avaniapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur, locations famous for Jallikattu in Madurai district.

Police baton-charged people protesting against the ban on Jallikattu in Avaniapuram on Saturday. Thirty people have been detained.

The step came following indications by various organisations to organise the sport on Pongal today.

The Supreme Court on Thursday had said it could not give its verdict on Jallikattu before Pongal even as political parties cutting across party lines had demanded from the Centre promulgation of an ordinance to allow the sport.

Yesterday, in Karisalkulam village near Madurai, the sport was held in an open ground for a few minutes.

In a symbolic protest, around five bulls were let into the ground by a group of youths, police had said, adding no arrests were made.

DMK Working President M K Stalin had led a protest in Chennai yesterday in this regard as he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly not giving time for AIADMK MPs to discuss the Jallikattu issue.

On Friday, some Jallikattu supporters briefly picketed locale of the shooting of Tamil film "Garjanai", starring Trisha, in Sivaganga district, angered by the actor's pro-PETA stand.

However, Trisha, a known animal lover who has featured in PETA's advertisement for adopting homeless dogs, was not present there at that time.

Police said all preventive steps have been taken to ensure maintenance of law and order and compliance of court's ban.
New Delhi: To foster friendship between India and Pakistan, school children from both the nations have come up with paintings that express a desire for peace.

These paintings have been compiled in the 5th Indo-Pak Peace Calendar by NGO Aaghaz-e-Dosti.

A joint Indo-Pak friendship initiative which aims to connect people through expressions across borders, the calendar was released at India International Center today.

The message penned down by several peace activists and renowned intellectuals from India as well as Pakistan are complemented with 12 paintings by school children - six each from both the countries.

"It will go a long way in reminding everyone that peace is the only solution to the problems. The calendar is about sharing dreams and hopes of friendship.

"It is about rekindling of hope and enhancing people to people connect through expressions and desires of students who paint their dreams of travelling across borders," a team member of Aaghaz-e-Dosti said.

Writer and politician Shashi Tharoor, Major General (retd) Ashok Mehta, columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni have shared their messages with Pakistani artist Salima Hashmi, professor Mubashir Hassan and Lt General (retd) Muhammad Masood Aslam for the calendar.

"The paintings depict an innocent and apolitical horizon of peace. We received thought-provoking expressions from students of several cities in India as well as Pakistan," the team member said.

The calendar, which was launched in Lahore on January 1, will soon be formally displayed in Dehradun, Panipat, Mumbai and Kolkata. Aagaz-e-Dosti is also planning it's launch in Kyrgyzstan and US.

The launch was followed by a discussion that saw the participation of Army veteran Col (retd) Virendra Sahai Verma, veteran Gandhaian S N Subba Rao along with noted writer and educationist Syeda Hameed and poet and feminist Kamla Bhasin.

While explaining the concept of peace and strained relations between the two countries, Subba Rao said, "Youth need to come together to spread the message of peace and should take initiatives which will help in fostering stronger ties."

The event was also attended by students who are studying in South Asian University here and hail from Pakistan. They gave a personal account of love and warmth while living in India.

"I have never felt even a single minute of alienation in India. Whenever I go back to Pakistan I talk about the stories of warmth and friendship to my friends there. People in both nations have no problem with each other," Sunil Nand, a student, said.

One of the representatives of Aaghaz-e-Dosti said they always target schools because they want to inculcate the emotion of oneness since the beginning in children.

"We organise interactive sessions in schools, peace workshops and seminars where we always focus on children because we believe if seeds of peace are sown in the beginning, it will help in changing the other narrative of Indo-Pak reations," the representative said.
CHENNAI: Pongal will be not so radiant this year for the thousands of DMK cadres as their nonagenarian party chief M. Karunanidhi did not greet them as he had always done on the eve of the Tamils' new year.

While his son M. K. Stalin, recently crowned the DMK working president, greeted the party members and the rest of the public for a great Pongal, the usually busy pen of Kalaignar seemed to have fallen silent.

It indicated that the grand old man of Dravidian politics is not healthy enough to communicate even a brief greeting for his doting followers.

It had been the habit for Mr Karunanidhi to receive party lieutenants and others at his house on every Pongal morning and bless them by giving them each a crisp ten-rupee note. Party functionaries converge at his place from all over Tamil Nadu to receive that special gift. It does not seem probable they would receive this special Pongal greeting from Kalaignar on Saturday.

Informed sources said the party headquarters has informed the functionaries not to disturb the leader this Pongal day.

Tamil Nadu Governor, leaders extend greetings for Pongal

Leaders including Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala and DMK working president M.K. Stalin greeted the people on the eve of Pongal.

Rao said Pongal, the harvest festival, brought new hope to the farmers, marking the end of the winter season and the beginning of the Tamil month Thai, making the way for progress. On the joyous occasion of Pongal and Sankranthi, I convey my heartiest greetings and best wishes to the people, he said.

In a Raj Bhavan press release, the Governor said it is time to share experience and expertise in farming, to enhance knowledge using satellite imaging to increase agriculture production and to build an inclusive, digital and a productive India.

Recalling the welfare schemes launched by his predecessor J. Jayalalithaa, Panneerselvam said farmers are being providing seeds and equipment at subsidised rates, and added that this had led to the state making new achievement in food grain production.

Sasikala said Pongal transcended caste differences and symbolised brotherhood. The AIADMK government of Amma had taken up various pro-farmer initiatives and protecting them, she said. Referring to the change made by party leader M. Karunanidhi when in power that Pongal Day is also the Tamil New Year day, Stalin said it is a festival not only to be celebrated to transcend caste differences but also to celebrate hard work. This years festivities were being celebrated in the background of drought and jallikattu protests, he said. He appealed to his supporters to celebrate Pongal also as Tamil New Year day. MDMK founder Vaiko, TNCC President Su Thirunavukkarasar, BJP State president Tamilisai Sounderrajan and TMC leader G.K. Vasan among extended their Pongal greetings.

Kiran Bedi greets people: Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi greeted the people on the eve of the Pongal festival.
Patna: Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ramvilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged on Saturday.

"Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after his full recovery," Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unit of PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said.

Paswan's officer on special duty (OSD) R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi this evening. Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality in Patna by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan.

70-year-old Paswan was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since yesterday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day.

Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halim had on Friday stated Paswan's condition to be stable, saying he was expected to be discharged on Saturday.

The Union Minister had arrived here on Thursday on a four-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makarsankranti feast in Patna on January 15.

Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire about his health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of 'Nishchay Yatra'.

Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, visited Paswan at the hospital.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital.
The posting on the Amazon said, "CafePress - Gandhi Flip Flops - Flip Flops, Funny Thong Sandles, Beach Sandles" with a listed price of US$ 16.99. (Photo: Twitter)

New Delhi: Close on the heels of the Indian flag incident and in what may be another controversy that is brewing, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has now reportedly received several complaints of global online vendor Amazon selling flip-flops with Mahatma Gandhi's image.

Some Twitter users have reportedly tagged Ms. Swaraj in their tweets complaining that the beach sandals with Gandhiji's image were being sold on the Amazon US site.

The posting on the Amazon said, "CafePress - Gandhi Flip Flops - Flip Flops, Funny Thong Sandles, Beach Sandles" with a listed price of US$ 16.99.

Earlier this week, Amazon had conveyed its regret to India over a "third-party seller" in Canada offending Indian sentiments by selling doormats in Canada with the Indian flag on it on the Amazon site in that country, adding that it has already pulled out the item from its Amazon Canada website.

This had come after Ms. Swaraj had threatened to revoke the visas of all officials of Amazon as well as not grant any visas henceforth to them unless the company apologises for selling these offensive doormats.

Ms Swaraj has now reportedly directed the Indian envoy to the U.S., to inform Amazon that any more 'third party' insults to Indian icons and culture will lead to retaliation.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 14

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Dadebay Amangeldyev and Bayram Annameredov have been appointed the new deputy chairmen of Turkmenistans Cabinet of Ministers, according to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs decrees.

Amangeldyev will supervise the power and construction industries, while Annameredov is to supervise transportation and communications.

During a government meeting, the Turkmen president said a large-scale construction program is expected to be implemented in 2017, the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary state news service reported.

Also, the president noted that the opportunities of the North-South and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan railways should be used more efficiently and the construction of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport should be continued.
Posters with pictures of Priyanka Gandhi and Dimple Yadav have emerged across Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.

New Delhi: With posters of Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers wife Dimple Yadav alongside Priyanka Gandhi appearing across the state, clearly indicating that the SP and the Congress are inching closer to firm up an alliance, the BJP has begun to re-work its election strategy.

The saffronites intends to tone down their rhetoric against the BSP and focus mainly on targeting Akhilesh Yadav. Some BJP functionaries have also been asked to open a backchannel with the BSP, if possible.

The BSP has so far shown no inclination of any post-poll allaince with the BJP.

While speculation ran rife that the Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) could be offered around 135 of the 403 seats by the SP, uncertainty prevailed in the BJP camp.

The BJP, which has begun the process of selecting candidates, seems somewhat apprehensive about the party's prospects in UP following the possibility of a grand alliance of "secular" parties.

Though the BJP was trying to take advantage of the family feud in SP, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as enemy number one for the party.

A senior BJP functionary from UP, who has been providing regular feedback to the party high command, said, By going against the old guard, Akhilesh has managed to demolish the anti-incumbency against his government. The BJP functionary also said that the failure to project a chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh could hit the party hard.

The BJPs poll mascot, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be holding nearly 12 rallies in Uttar Pradesh before the first phase of polls on February 11.

On the other side, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will be used by the proposed grand alliance to consolidate the Kurmi vote bank.

The proposed secular" grand alliance would include the SP (Akhilesh faction), Congress, RLD, JD(U), Peace Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal, Sanjay Nishads Party, Rajbhar Party and the dissident faction of Apna Dal led by Krishna Patel, mother of Union minister Anupriya Patel.

The BJP, which has been banking heavily on the Muslim-Yadav vote bank getting split between Congress-BSP-SP, is wary of the coming together of Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi-Jayant Chowdhury (son of RLD leader, Ajit Singh) as would consolidate Muslim-Yadav-Jaat vote banks in favour of the grand alliance. "If this happens, then it's a tough call for us," the BJP functionary said.

Despite Prime Minister Modi leading the charge in UP, the functionary said that the BJP has "no one to match the stature of either Akhilesh Yadav or Mayawati". No projecting a chief ministerial candidate has also hurt the "advantages we reportedly gained by demolishing caste politics with the demonetisation move", he said.

As the BJP continues to fret over its prospects UP, the Dimple-Priyanka posters with the slogan - "Mahilaon ka bajega danka" (women will lead from the front and emerge victorious) - seem to have energised Congress workers in the state.

The Congress, which has been decimated in UP, was eagerly awaiting an alliance with the SP. Its learnt that nearly 135 seats left by the SP would have to be shared between parties which would form the proposed grand alliance.

Despite talks of seat sharing between the Congress and SP, the main problem areas are the constituencies where both the parties came second in 2012 Assembly polls. Two such constituencies are Banda and Aligarh.

While Congress came second in Aligarh, SP came second in Banda. "All these issues will be ironed out once we decide to join hands," a Congress leader said.
Bengaluru: The haystacks are lit, the cattle readied and as the sun dips over the horizon, 'Kichchu Haisodu' gets underway with cattle across the city jumping over the flaming bonfires that marks the first day of the Sankranti festival and the last day of Margashirsha month.

The belief, that has endured through the centuries in this once largely agrarian community is that one leap across the fire keeps the cattle disease free for the whole year. The bonus? The owners, get a huge helping of Lady Luck!

On Saturday, however, as the southern state of Tamil Nadu faced down the controversy over the suspended ban on the Jallikattu cattle race that marks the Tamil festival of Pongal, animal activists in the city upped the ante, saying this kind of a ritual amounts to animal abuse. People for Cattle in India member, Ritika Goel says: "This is another form of cattle abuse. It is illegal."

As evening sets over the Patalamma temple in Jayanagar, a haystack is set on fire. One by one the cattle are brought in a line before the flaming rows of hay. The owners grab the cows and bulls by their halters and prod the animals to jump over the fire stacks.

The cattle, it must be said though are treated like kings. Painted red and yellow, with coloured powder streaked across their foreheads, bedecked with flowers, and fed a feast of cooked rice, jaggery, and coconuts that's laid before them. After, the fire, of course.

Those who indulge in this practice say there is a science behind the trial by fire. Muniraju, who has been organizing the fire jump for many years at the Patalamma Temple says "The cattle are not hurt. This is a ritual that's done to prepare the cattle for the summer when the work on fields begin."

Srinivas, Muniraju's brother says, "This tradition is hundreds of years old. No cattle are harmed. Making cattle jump over the fire ensure that ticks fall off due to the heat thereby making the cattle healthier."

Ashwanth Reddy who owns a farmhouse on the outskirts on the city couldn't agree more, "The cattle are first bathed in turmeric water because turmeric has antimicrobial properties and it helps to treat any skin diseases."

Says milk vendor Madhu from Anekal: "The horns, and in many cases the hooves, are painted because the paint acts as a repellent against flies. The cows are led across the rows of fire so the heat from the fire kills any ticks or flies' eggs that have attached themselves to the cow's legs." A purification, yes. Hasn't anyone heard of medication?
In the past too, similar mishaps had happened raising questions about the safety of pilgirms on busy highways. (Photo: Representational Image)

Tiruchirappalli: Five padayatra pilgrims to the Palani Murugan temple were killed on the spot and another man was seriously injured after a speeding SUV mowed them down near Tiruchirapalli on Saturday, police said.

A group of six men were proceeding to Palani by road from Tiruchirapalli and when they were crossing Maravanoor this morning, an SUV, which was proceeding to Dindigul from Chennai ploughed into them.

"Five men were killed on the spot and another person is unconscious and he is now in Tiruchirappalli Government Hospital," Deputy Police Superintendent G Vanitha told PTI.

On the reason for mishap, she said,"obviously, the driver fell asleep for some moments," adding the driver later identified as Sebastian was arrested and a case has been registered.

Annual padayatra to the temple in Palani is quite popular in Tamil Nadu. In the past too, similar mishaps had happened raising questions about the safety of pilgirms on busy highways.
Muzaffarnagar: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi kickstarted his Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll campaign on Friday from Kairana in neighbouring Shamli district here.

Owaisi, who is known for his controversial statements, hit out at the popular political players in the state, especially the ruling Samajwadi Party for "advocating about the rights of minorities only during elections".

"All parties in Uttar Pradesh have looked at the minorities, backward classes and the deprived sections as vote banks," he said at an election rally here.

Owaisi asked Muslims to vote for AIMIM as it is the only party that belongs to the community. He said that no one in the SP cared for the blood of his Muslim brothers during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.

In an apparent dig at the ruling party, he said, "How can a party which is fighting its own family fight for us?"

"The Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party does not want AIMIM in the state as we have been raising the issues of minorities while SP only looks at them as vote banks," he said.

The Hyderabad-based leader remarked that the parties were trying to win the minority votes by instilling the fear of "BJP wave".

"Parties are employing various ways to win the confidence and votes of minorities. But are these leading to minority upliftment?" he asked.

Owaisi exhorted people to vote for AIMIM and "make their voices heard".

The party has released a list of 11 candidates, including Masiulla from Kairana constituency, for the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

The state polls are slated for earlier this year.
Conviction to be enduring requires ideological mooring. And, ideology, in order to go beyond tokenism, requires organisational rigour. In the absence of the resolve to work for what you believe in, ideology devalues itself to rhetoric. Rhetoric, however mesmerising, will ultimately be exposed. It cannot endure, for people increasingly judge words against output, promises against delivery, and posturing against concrete efforts that can be measured for their sincerity in verifiable terms.

These ruminations come to the fore in the backdrop of the recently concluded Prakash Utsav in Patna to celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of the Sikh faith. Poet, philosopher, warrior and spiritual beacon Guru Gobind Singh was born in Patna at Patna Sahib on December 22, 1666, and became the leader of the Sikhs at the tender age of nine when his father Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded by Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam. During his lifetime he lost all four of his sons, two in battle and two interred alive in a wall, but notwithstanding such supreme sacrifices, he succeeded in institutionalising the Khalsa and enshrining the Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhisms eternal Guru.

To celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of the last Guru, the Bihar government under Nitish Kumar spent months in meticulous planning and preparation, so much so that Patna took on the profile of a mini Punjab from December 22, 2016 to January 7, 2017.

The task was nothing short of mammoth. Lakhs of devotees were expected to visit from all parts of India, including thousands from abroad. Systematic and thorough planning was the key to make the event a success. Three massive tented cities were set up at the Gandhi Maidan, Kangan Ghat and the Malaichak Bypass. Detailed arrangements were made for food and transport. Parking sites were identified in advance. Water and electricity was ensured and hundreds of mobile toilets installed. Around Patna Sahib roads were widened, houses repainted, and for smoother connectivity a new flyover constructed. The Patna Ghat railway station was reopened. New electricity poles were erected, along with new wiring. In addition, hundreds of solar powered streetlights were put up. The entire city was cleaned and spruced up and new drains constructed. Special attention was given to security. Some 200 new CCTV cameras were put into operation.

A daily programme for devotees was drawn up. Dozens of tourist information centres were opened. Special vehicles of the tourist department were mobilised for publicity. A special exhibition on Emperor Prophet-Guru Gobind Singhji was organised at the Bihar Museum to display historical paintings, miniatures, hukamnamas, coins, pictures of forts, and other rare artefacts associated with the life the 10th Guru. The exhibition will be open till January 31, and then taken to different museums in Bihar. In the heart of the city, at the historic Gandhi Maidan, a massive replica of the Patna Sahib Gurdwara was erected.

These massive arrangements were supervised by the chief minister on a daily basis. In the lead up to the Utsav, there was hardly a day when he did not personally inspect ongoing work, or devote time to planning and preparation. His eye for detail was relentless, including, for instance, the provisioning of heaters for devotees to ward off the winter cold. This is what illustrates best the dialectics between conviction, ideology and planning vigour.

Mr Kumar is not a Sikh, but for him the central issue was to give respect to the many faiths that make up the glorious plurality of India. Within a 100 km radius from Patna are situated some of the most important sites of almost every major religion in India. Patna Sahib is in Patna itself. Not far is Bihar Sharif, a Sufi destination next only in importance to Ajmer Sharif. A short drive from there is Pawapuri, the place where Mahavira attained his parinirvana, one of the most sacred sites for those of the Jain community. Bodh Gaya, the most revered pilgrimage destination for Buddhists, is close to Pawapuri. And, next to Bodh Gaya is Gaya, a must visit for any Hindu wishing to pay homage to his ancestors. In this sense, Bihar is a microcosm of the multi-religious, Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of India, the preservation of which is an article of faith for Mr Kumar.

Accolades have poured in from across the world for the organisation of the Prakash Parv. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Patna for the Parv on January 5 was fulsome in his praise for the CMs successful organisation of the event. Captain Amarinder Singh on seeing the arrangements said that the Bihar CM was the original Sardar. Parkash Singh Badal was as effusive in his compliments, as was Arvind Kejriwal. The important thing is that this appreciation transcended party lines. Equally gratifying was the overwhelming response of the lakhs of Sikh devotees who had come from outside Bihar or from abroad. One of them tellingly summed up the sense of the rest when he said: Bihar vale tusi great ho, tainu dil vich baith gaye (People of Bihar, you are great, you have made a home in our hearts!)

Ultimately, the Prakash Utsav was an illustration of the organic link between ideology, conviction and governance. In this case, the respect for the Sikh faith could not be shown until it was accompanied by the effort required to make such an important event for the Sikhs a successful, fulfilling and well organised event. The effort required a vision to go beyond the macro picture into the micro detailing of all aspects of planning. And, the respect in Bihar for Shri Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj ji made the hours upon relentless hour of planning and preparation an act of homage.
Is Finance Minister Arun Jaitley really set to unveil a Budget that's being described as Liberalisation 2.0? While the general consensus among economists in India and abroad is that Demonetisation may have quashed any chance of a Budget that can fit that bill 25 years after former PM P.V. Narasimha Rao quietly ushered in Liberalisation 1.0, its only fair to say, all bets are off when anticipating what Prime Minister Narendra Modi may pull out of the proverbial hat next. The doors to domestic corporate investments may be closed, but a window to FDI is open, especially in multi-brand retail, with the potential to create the most important effect jobs. Will Modi-Jaitley take the big step?

India is not out of the shadow of Demonetisation - DeMo, for short - yet, but the Modi government is already set to embark upon the next experiment - this time, the all-important Budget exercise, set to be presented on February 1.

While the government seems adamant on presenting the Budget just three days before a round of crucial assembly elections begin, experts believe it may be wiser on its part to put it off to until after the elections, perhaps choosing instead to present a Vote on Account for now.

Doing so would allow Prime Minister Modi to gauge the real level of popular support he has for DeMo, partly via the election results. By then, the government will also have a better idea of how long it will take to replenish the cash it sucked out of the economy, and perhaps even of how long a recovery of sorts might take.

By the end of March, it will also know the full extent of the banking crisis, due to bad loans, it has on its hands. The DeMo exercise has been done and the government already has, in any case, its hands on the money - our money -- in the banks, which it can use to save the banks, it would now be prudent to wait to know exactly how bad the problem is before making provisions for it. As even the Election Commission has said with a level of exasperation, "heavens won't fall" if the government presented a Vote on Account on February 1 and left the Budget for until after elections.

A budget made now will be full of assumptions - about what exactly the DeMo exercise has turned up, about GDP growth prospects, about banks' bad loan numbers, about the time needed to put cash back into the system, about the extent of damage DeMo has done to the economy - especially to the informal economy, which is the bigger, more reliable driver of economic activity and jobs, and which has been badly hit by the cash ban.

What's more, the government is making significant changes to the Budget itself, both symbolic and substantial: its presentation has been advanced to February 1 (and the fiscal year will henceforth be reckoned from January to December, rather than April-March); there will be no separate Railway Budget as was the case hitherto, and there will be no Plan and non-Plan expenditure distinctions. Also, the GST is to be rolled out later in the year, the crucial details of which have not yet been hammered out.

Having rushed into one large exercise without thinking and preparation (and claiming that to be a virtue) and having put an entire nation to unnecessary hardship and uncertainty, it would be prudent for the government to not do the same with the Budget.

But if Modi-Jaitley must present it on February 1 regardless, then one must pray that they will at least do so acknowledging that the currency supply is not going to improve until at least the second half of the fiscal, neither will the digital economy pick up sufficient scale to fill in the gap.

These are fundamental, because returning cash supply to pre-November 8 levels is key to reviving economic activity in the sectors that have been hurt by DeMo.

The government will also do well to realise that in 2017, and perhaps even next year, private investments by big companies are unlikely to pick up, even if cheaper credit is now available thanks to the cash that has been deposited in the banks. Most large companies and conglomerates are still too deep in debt, but have been let off the Raghuram Rajan hook.

At the same time, small industries, which were doing pretty well on credit offtake until recently, have been badly hit by DeMo and are going to take some time to recover. Meanwhile, the start-up sector, except for fintech companies, has seen funding dry up. Bottomline: the formal economy is unlikely to perk up this year.

The one trick that the government can resort to is, of course, loosening the fiscal strings to compensate for the monetary contraction, and pump money into infrastructure -- this seems to be the recommendation of the Niti Aayog, calling for China-style coastal economic zones - but availability of funds is not the only reason why many projects have stalled. Also, the Chinese export model of growth is not available to India; and after DeMo, neither is the domestic market, at least for the coming year.

Perhaps, therefore, this year's Budget will do well to focus on the farm and rural sector, pumping credit to the informal sector in general. A Budget for the vegetable vendor, the kirana trader and the like, rather than one for Adani and Ambani. For the latter, a little loan recovery scheme, just like the black money amnesty scheme, wouldn't be out of place, though.

The big push for investments and jobs will have to come from FDI. It may be the right time to bring in multi-brand retail to draw in big bucks, create jobs, and help realty and construction recover. A conspiracy theorist would, in fact, read this as one of the motives behind the government's push to destroy the informal sector!

The time for needless, heedless, politically or ideologically motivated tinkering or, equally worse, making changes merely to show one's strong leadership credentials is over. Whatever Modi might say, the economy he inherited from the UPA government was nowhere near as bad as the one P.V. Narasimha Rao inherited 25 years ago. Rao did not whine about it on television. He simply tore down the entire economic system and rebuilt it. Today, we call him Half-Lion. No such demand is being made of Modi, and he should craft an economic policy with a cool head, drawing on the knowledge of expert economists. After all, he would not want to be looking back at his own legacy and be called anything but a full man !

(The author is a Bengaluru-based economist and commentator)
In recent months, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been one of the very few Opposition chief ministers to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Narendra Modi government at the Centre. This bitter feud has spilled into many areas, and most recently, in the functioning of the Tea Board. Specifically, it revolves around the post of deputy chairman of the board.

The post of deputy chairman is considered important in terms of promoting the tea industry as he is the executive head of the body. Earlier, the chairman used to be the executive head of the Tea Board, but the Centre amended rules in October last year, making the deputy chairman the executive head.

The issue arose due to the reluctance of the chief minister to release state cadre officer Arnab Roy, a 1991-batch IAS officer, for the post. Sources say she was miffed at the Centres decision that made the chairmans post non-executive in order to appoint a political person. Clearly, she does not want a state cadre officer to work with a BJP appointee at the board.

Now the Centre has indicated that if Mr Roy is not made available for the post of deputy chairman, it may decide not to consider West Bengal cadre IAS officer for the post. That would not augur well for the states interests in the tea industry.

Vigilance woes in Kerala

Though the mass leave threat by Keralas IAS officers has been dropped for the moment, the babus face-off with the Left Democratic Front government continues. The babus have been protesting a series of corruption cases lodged against some senior officers by the IPS head of state vigilance department Jacob Thomas.

The IAS officers claim that they are being victimised by Mr Thomas, who they accuse of abusing his powers. Resentment against Mr Thomas stirred when he sought action against three bureaucrats late last year. But the recent threat of mass protest was triggered by the vigilance departments decision to make Paul Antony, additional chief secretary (industries), a co-accused in a corruption case against former industries minister E.P. Jayarajan.

But sources say that Mr Thomas, a 1985-batch IPS officer known as an anti-corruption crusader, was chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans choice for the vigilance directors post after his government assumed power last May. So opinions on the issue are clearly divided along political lines. But so long as Mr Thomas has the CMs back, the vigilance probes are likely to continue.

An embarrassing slip-up

A bureaucratic faux pas has left the Rajasthan government embarrassed. The slip-up has led to two Indian Police Service officers of inspector general rank given promotion while six Indian Administrative Service officers have been overlooked, despite sharing the same date of joining.

Sources say that the oversight happened because the IPS officers Sanjay Agrawal and Hemant Priyadarshy are from the 1992 batch, but joined service a year later. This coincided with the date when the six IAS officers  Tanmay Kumar, Akhil Arora, Alok, Aparna Arora, Shikhar Agrawal and Sandeep Verma  also joined. Ideally, the promotions should have been based on the date of joining, but this was overlooked.

Now the department of personnel is working to rectify the error that led to two IPS officers superseding six IAS officers in rank. Sources add that the government has two options  either roll back the promotion to the IPS officers or promote the six IAS officers to the rank of principal secretary. Indications are that the government is likely to go for the second option.
Over 30 years ago, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called off talks with Pakistan on a no-war pact because Pakistans representative to the UN Human Rights Commission, Agha Hilaly, had compared Kashmir with Palestine. That was before the eruption of militancy in the former in 1989. Since then, the parallel has become even more apt. In both places, the peoples resistance finds itself forsaken by the international community and its leaders divided.

Six months since the killing of Burhan Wani, the situation in Kashmir remains depressing, with little prospect of improvement in sight. The BJP-PDP coalition, headed by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, is torn by rifts. She lacks the most elementary qualities of a leader. The BJP raises issues like the return of Pandits to the area; acceptance of Hindu refugees from Pakistan as state subjects, entitled to own property and to vote in elections; on police reforms; and even on transfer of civil servants. This was a marriage in which each partner had kept its left hand on the door knob of the divorce court.

Unsurprisingly, the Indian government does not take her seriously, and knows she has no other option but to yield to its snubs and orders. Orders for the house arrests of separatist leaders come from bureaucrats in New Delhi.

On January 3, she told the Srinagar Assembly that 59 youths had joined armed outfits. In December, she said at a public meeting, We were left with no option other than to take tough measures to protect life and property. Punjab and the Northeast have seen worse cases of violence; bullets, not stones, were used. Pellet guns were freely used with her approval and support.

In a report published in December, entitled Blind to Justice: Excessive Use of Force and Attacks on Health case in J&K, India, Physicians for Human Rights stated that pellet guns are inherently inaccurate, indiscriminate, and capable of penetrating soft tissues even at a distance. The report gives a well-documented account of human rights violations in the second half of 2016. The authorities lack respect for the right to health. It goes on to catalogue numerous incidents of ambulance drivers being prevented from taking the injured to hospitals, of doctors and patients being intimidated and even beaten.

The Centre poured more troops into Kashmir in August. Some of them took over schools to use as barracks. Development economist and activist Jean Drez, upon visiting the region after a 16-year gap, reported that he found popular resentment had intensified amidst a massive military presence.

In this terrible situation, the response of Kashmiri leaders is an essay in irresponsibility. Omar Abdullah seeks to acquire credibility by belatedly uttering some truths others had already accepted  for instance, that the present unrest is not inspired or sponsored by Pakistan and the Kashmir issue itself has local roots.

Advocates of dialogue never answer the question: on what? The Narendra Modi government aims to resolve the Kashmir dispute; internally, by crushing the peoples agitation, and externally, by rejecting any negotiations with Pakistan. In short, perpetuate the status quo by sheer force.

The biggest disappointment is the joint resistance leadership comprised of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. It is no secret that it is Geelani who does the running. The hartals and shutdowns inflicted heavy losses on traders and grave stress on the populace.

On December 14, 2016, the joint resistance leadership finally resolved, after wide-ranging talks with members of civil society, to call it a day. The leadership felt that a long term sustainable strategy... is the way forward. It promised to hold consultations on such a strategy. Its deliberations and their result will be an acid test of the quality of its leadership. A truly sustainable long-term strategy is sorely needed. Civil society must contribute to the debate.

By arrangement with Dawn
Indias foreign minister has apparently recovered national pride after making the worlds largest online retailer bend. What happened was as follows. On January 11, an Indian tweeted her a shot of Amazon Canadas online store, which sold personalised doormats, some of which were in the colours of the Indian flag. Sushma Swarajs correspondent wrote: Madam. Amazon Canada must be censured and warned not to sell India flag doormats. Please take action.

Madam took action through three tweets. The first, fired off at 5.43 am read: Indian High Commission in Canada: This is unacceptable. Please take this up with Amazon at the highest level. The second one, after she had digested the momentous event, was at 6.41 am and it read: Amazon must tender unconditional apology. They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately.

Two minutes later, she sent a threat through her last tweet: If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian Visa to any Amazon official. We will also rescind the Visas issued earlier.

The doormat maker was of course not familiar with Indian culture. Western doormats have things like Welcome written on them, and it is fine to step on them because there is no cultural offence. The doormats are offered in the colours of any nations flag and most people buy their own to show their pride. In India, or rather South Asia, the feet are supposed to be unclean (perhaps because we are unable to keep our surroundings clean) and therefore doormats are seen in a different light.

Amazon Canada acted immediately and withdrew the link, which was from a third party supplier. The Amazon website is only a marketplace, where people sell their product. The majority of Twitter comments were in favour of Ms Swarajs actions, because national pride runs strong in India. Some people felt Ms Swaraj had overreacted. Firstly saying that Indias self-respect and national pride was not so fragile as to be damaged by such things. And secondly, particularly because Amazon has invested billions of dollars in India, it should have been treated with more respect.

I disagree. It does not matter who the individual or entity is. The Government of India must deal with all equally. My problems with her actions are different. First,

Ms Swarajs threats confirm what many suspect to be true of India. That it is not a nation that functions on the basis of rules and laws, but arbitrary and knee-jerk decision making. If Amazons officials had secured their visas through proper paperwork, under what rule or law was Ms Swaraj threatening to cancel them? If she felt a crime had been committed, as a law-abiding citizen she should have registered a first information report or a complaint. Instead she fired off a Twitter fatwa, acting like a despot.

The second thing is that, as has been noted, Amazon is a global marketplace. If one looks hard enough, there will be something causing offence to someone or the others god or guru or prophet. And I can guarantee that this has not changed with the removal of the doormat product. Indeed, reports the next day said there were shoes being sold with the Indian flag (also offensive in our part of the world). What will Ms Swaraj do the next time something like this pops up?

The third thing is that this sort of angry public nationalism comes very easily to our leaders. This time, last year, we were again discussing nationalism.

It was in February 2016 that the Jawaharlal Nehru University slogan shouting issue erupted. It was the dominant story for two weeks in the media, because apparently these slogans had caused great damage to India. The Lok Sabha took up three days to debate it. The education minister was so moved that she threatened to cut off her head. The home minister said Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Hafiz Saeed were behind the slogan shouting. The Prime Minister himself entered the debate and tweeted about it, saying Satyamev Jayate, meaning truth always prevails. The National Investigation Agency was apparently going to probe the thing. The offending young men were arrested and one of them beaten up while in custody.

After all of this drama, what was the ultimate result? The BJP government has not filed the chargesheet. Raat gayi, baat gayi. This fraudulent, dhongi, nationalism, this showy, nautanki, emotional but insubstantial nationalism, is the same type that Ms Swaraj has again shown.

It is a waste of national time and energy and ministers, particularly those who carry heavy responsibilities, should not participate in the circus.
Vinay Sitapati, author of the acclaimed Half-Lion  How P.V. Narasimha Rao transformed India

As India marks 25 years since former prime minister Narasimha Rao set in motion the economic liberalisation that catapulted India into the big leagues in the nineties, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares in the coming weeks to unveil a budget and an economic reboot that is already being described as Liberali-sation 2.0, Vinay Sitapati, author of the book Half-Lion  How P.V. Narasimha Rao transformed India gives Deccan Chronicle an insight into how Narasimha Rao charted the tricky post socialist world he was given to rule without the popular mandate that most politicians used to justify their actions.

1. Former prime minister Narasimha Rao's economic liberalization in 1991 came when India's gold and cash reserves had dipped to an all time low and India was on the verge of economic meltdown. How bad was it? And in retrospect, do you believe that anyone else in the place of P.V. Narasimha Rao would have done the same and opened up the economy, and that as many in the Congress believe, that it was Rajiv Gandhi who sowed the first seeds of economic liberalisation and Rao only followed Rajiv's roadmap, that it was not solely Mr Narasimha Rao's idea. He only followed the instructions from the World Bank and IMF. What do you know and believe to be true.

The evidence is clear that the IMF was only an excuse. As I show in my book Half-Lion, Indias economy was chronically weak, and we had suffered many economic crises in the past. We had even taken a loan from the IMF earlier, in 1981. But those crises had not caused the prime ministers of the day to open up the economy. Rao was the only one who knew how to make use of a crisis. Besides, the economic crisis of 1991 ends by February 1992. Our forex reserves are back to normal. What then explains all the big reforms  on telecom, infra, airlines etc.  that took place after the crisis ended? The answer has to be political leadership. Rajivs views on liberalisation are clearly seen in the 1989 and 1991 Congress manifestos. Rajiv had begun as a reformer in 1985, but post-Bofors and general mismanagement on his part, he had grown risk averse. The evidence strongly suggests that had Rajiv come back as PM in 1991, he would have been risk-averse and populist. That was what he had become post 1987. Reforms in India are fundamentally political, and but for Rao it is unlikely to have happened.

2. Can you take us through some of the details of the inner workings of Narasimha Rao, and how he homed in on Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister and how the two of them pulled India's irons out of the fire.

My book describes this in much detail, and it would be hard to reproduce the extent to which Rao micro-managed the economy. Rao pretended to be asleep and silent. But it was a complete act. He was making political choices, and he needed someone with a technocratic and incorruptible image to hide behind. Manmohan Singh was that person. Singh also steadied Raos nerve when it failed him  like with the devaluation of the rupee in July 1991. But most other reforms were micromanaged by Rao. Rao grasped that the principal roadblock to reforms were political: big business, left-wing intellectuals, bureaucrats, and of course, the Congress party. His genius was that he was able to outmanouvre the opponents and push unpopular reform, all the while pretending to do little.

3. Do you think, 25 years since he took over that history has been kind to PVN? Was he the best Prime Minister? Is PVN India's Deng Xiaoping? What is his place in history?

Deng was Raos idol, as I point out in the book. But Deng is still revered by his party, while history has been really unkind to Rao. The way the Congress party has treated him has been nothing short of shameful. The treatment of his dead body especially  refusing a cremation in Delhi, and refusing to allow the body into the Congress HQ  is telling. Rao has not just been denied authorship for economic reforms, many of his other achievements lie forgotten  like foreign policy, and welfare schemes. Nobody talks about the fact that Raos contribution to national policy on education, health, and employment guarantee is unmatched by any other PM.

4. India's economic growth has been stupendous since that initial push. But don't you think it is also because of the other Prime Ministers who followed PVN and pursued sound economic policies as Dr Manmohan Singh did?

Certainly the PMs who followed Rao deserve a lot of credit. But it was Rao who first set India off on a new trajectory. He showed other PMs that economic reforms was not political suicide (even though he was not able to show that it was politically beneficial). Other PMs may have even done more than Rao, but it was he who changed the direction.

5. 25 years on, what do you think are the major flaws of PVN's brand of economic liberalisation? Could he have done anything differently?

He certainly didnt sell it to the public. The evidence is overwhelming that liberalisation has not just improved Indian growth indicators, the health, education, and other HDI indicators of India has improved because of it. Some of it is of course indirect: increase in government revenue has led to large schemes that benefits the common man and woman. I think that because Rao had a weak mandate, he was afraid to sell the fact that liberalisation already has a human face. Of course much more needs to be done. But could we please compare Raos actions on education, health to what it was in, say, Indira Gandhis socialist india. The argument that somehow Indira was pro-poor and Rao anti-poor is not borne out by the data.

6. Apart from Manmohan Singh, are there any other prominent Congress leaders who still think Mr Narasimha Rao did a great deal of good? Do you believe that the Gandhi family has not given him his just due because he was reluctant to kowtow to them and set out on his own path without doffing a hat to his former mentors, Indira and Rajiv, and gave the Congress party a new Gandhi-less identity?

Manmohan is of course very public about his respect for Rao. He has never hidden it. It shows Manmohans character. And Jairam Ramesh was bold enough to write a book on liberalisation where he gave credit to Rao. I also spoke to many many Congressmen and women who privately respect him. But they are afraid to speak publicly for fear that 10 Janpath will notice.

7. With the advent of the Modi-Jaitley era, how would you compare them to the PVN-Manmohan duo?

Its too early to tell. The one thing I realise about writing accurate political history is that you need some distance. For instance, on July 25th 1991, the day after the landmark de-licensing policy was announced, the press sought to focus on Manmohan Singhs budget of the same day (though the delicensing policy, announced the previous morning was more important). So you do need time and distance to see what is important. I needed 25 years of distance to be able to see and appreciate Rao.

8. Liberalisation has made India's GDP grow without commensurate growth in job opportunities. Comment.

This is undeniably true. And Rao does share some blame for not kickstarting manufacturing. I can only say in his defence that the roadblocks to doing that  labour reforms for example  were too high for someone with as weak a mandate as Rao. But yes, its a failure of his, as I point out in my book.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 14

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), a financial institution headquartered in Toronto, Canada agreed to pay $516,105 to settle its potential civil liability for violations of the US sanctions on Iran and Cuba.

TD Bank processed 39 transactions totaling $515,071 between Dec. 1, 2008 and March 28, 2012, to or through the United States in apparent violation of the Iranian transactions and sanctions regulations, the US Treasury Department said.

In 2014, the United States imposed a record fine on French bank BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA), which agreed to pay almost $9 billion to resolve accusations on its violation of US sanctions against Sudan, Cuba and Iran.

In another similar case, Commerzbank AG (CBKG.DE), Germanys second largest lender, agreed in 2015 to pay US authorities $1.45 billion to resolve an investigation of its dealings with Iran and other countries under sanctions as well as a separate probe on money laundering.

Over the past decade, in a bid to curb Iran's nuclear program, international community took measures against Tehran, including restrictions imposed on the countrys financial system, as well as its connection to the SWIFT, which have had catastrophic impacts on Iranians' economic situation and life conditions.

Although the nuclear related sanctions on Iran were lifted following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in January 2016, Iran still has difficulty in establishing ties with leading European banks as they are worried about running afoul of US regulations.
Derek OBrien, Trinamul Congress MP, says that his party is not bothered by the Modi governments political vendetta against it. In an interview to Sreeparna Chakrabarty, Mr OBrien claims that Mamata Banerjee is the only leader to have survived after coming out of the fold of a big party.

With senior leaders like Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Pal being arrested in the chit-fund case, do you think the Modi government is getting back at your party for your high-pitched protest against demonetisation and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee sharing stage with Rahul Gandhi in the capital?

The fact that you ask this question implies what everyone thinks. Even a middle-school student would understand whats going on here. Plain and simple political vendetta because Ms Banerejee spoke up against the draconian and ill-thought move of demonetisation announced on November 8 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

You think the pressure from the Centre will increase in the coming days?

I am not bothered about what they do or plan to do. We, in the Trinamul Congress, under Ms Banerjee have spearheaded many peoples movements in the last few decades. So let the Centre unleash its caged parrot... Yes, thats what the Supreme Court called the CBI. Bring it on. This will only strengthen our resolve to fight on behalf of millions affected by notebandi. The economy has taken a beating and people across the board are facing an acute crisis.

Does the Trinamul Congress have plans to scale up its protests and campaign against the Modi government?

When we raised our voice against Modi babu and his hair-brained announcement over two months ago, we were the only voice of dissent. Today, more than 15 political parties are opposing the move. Thats a strong Opposition. The Trinamul Congress has held protests in nine states. Last week, all our MPs peacefully but effectively protested for five days in the capital. Parliament starts later in January. We are in touch with other parties. Civil society and the corporate world must also raise their voices. This is not the time to sit on the fence.

Do you see Ms Banerjee as a natural leader of an anti-BJP front for the 2019 polls?

Over the years, Ms Banerjee has a track record that is impeccable. Under her leadership, the Communists were overthrown after 34 years. Name me one leader who left the grand old party and survived on his/her own? Since Independence, no one has. You see others get subsumed by the parent party, form an alliance with them or go into oblivion. Ms Banerjee is the only one who has set her own benchmark. For a cause she called the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary or even allowed the Shiv Sena to join her march to Rashtrapati Bhavan. People make leaders and she has the support of millions of people.

The Trinamul Congress has been accused of violence and making mock issues like the presence of Army at toll plazas. What are your views?

It was never an Army versus Trinamul issue. Nor was it an Army versus state government issue. We have the highest regard for the armed forces  200 per cent. It was an issue of federalism. Centre versus state. Dont get drawn into the spins, the BJP and some of its cheerleaders in the media try to give these incidents.

Do you think it was a weak Opposition, which allowed the Narendra Modi government to get away with demonetisation?

Fifteen-plus parties meeting everyday before Parliament begins. Thats not weak. Thats strong. But, yes, the 8/10 unity strength quotient could have been 10/10. We will do all it takes to reach that level of Opposition unity. The Trinamul plays hard. We also know how to play as a team.

How far do you think the Modi government will go to target the Trinamul Congress?

Who cares! Try as they might, we will fight them. Politically.

Mr Bandyopadhyay has said that he has been arrested for his performance in Parliament. What do you think?

I will leave that to the judgment of your readers. The timing. The action. Isnt it all too blatant?
The platform shall be based on QNX Operating Systems which is incidentally, owned by BlackBerry.

BlackBerry has announced its most advanced and secure embedded software platform for autonomous drive and connected. In layman terms, BlackBerry intends to provide the computer code for everything from cars driving themselves, to the way a smartphone hooks up to the touchscreen in the dash.

From sophisticated infotainment systems to the artificial intelligence enabling autonomous driving, vehicles are looking more and more like computers on wheels. Which means the software  not hardware like engines  is what really sets one car apart from its competitors.

The platform shall be based on QNX Operating Systems which is incidentally, owned by BlackBerry. As of now, BlackBerrys QNX is running on more than 60 million vehicles, with over 40 automakers relying on the software platform.

BlackBerry is now modifying its QNX platform so it can run self-driving car tech as well. The idea is to give automakers a secure platform to run their self-driving car software. Since self-driving cars are still in their early days, many automakers are running the software on massive computers sitting in car trunks.

BlackBerry is looking to get a slice of the self-driving car space by offering a secure, integrated platform to support self-driving car software later on. (Doing so also gives BlackBerry some cushion to ensure its product stays in cars as they evolve.)

As part of that aim, BlackBerry has opened an Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre in Ontario, where it was also approved to test self-driving cars on public roads. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an appearance on the centres opening day.

A self-driving Lincoln MKZ running on BlackBerry QNX software also drove itself on a test track at CES this year.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Shares in Renault fell more than 4 percent to their lowest level in around a month.

European carmakers were drawn into a widening probe of diesel emissions testing on Friday, with French prosecutors examining Renault and British authorities seeking answers from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

Volkswagen's admission that some of its diesel vehicles were fitted with software designed to hide their true level of emissions has highlighted that most cars spew out far higher levels of health-threatening nitrogen oxide (NOx) in everyday driving conditions than in laboratory tests.

Shares in Renault fell more than 4 percent to their lowest level in around a month after a source at the Paris prosecutor's office said it had launched a judicial investigation into possible cheating on exhaust emissions at the French carmaker.

Renault said it respected all laws concerning exhaust emissions, adding that its vehicles did not have software enabling them to cheat on emissions standards.

The French clampdown follows allegations by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday that Fiat Chrysler, like Volkswagen, was potentially using illegal software to hide excess diesel emissions.

No manufacturer other than VW has been found to have installed software designed solely for the purpose of circumventing emissions tests, but regulators in Britain and Germany say that carmakers have made extensive use of a "thermal window" which allows manufacturers to turn down pollution-control systems for the sake of protecting an engine.

German investigators said they had found that some carmakers defined the "thermal window" in such a way that exhaust treatment systems were switched off most of the time.

Switching off or throttling back emissions treatment systems in cold weather reduces the risk of condensation building up in catalytic converters, which may otherwise cause rust and reduce exhaust-filtering effectiveness in the long run.

It also improves engine performance and stretches the intervals between refilling vehicles with urea, an expensive substance needed to extract NOx from exhaust fumes.

Regulators across the globe are now seeking to determine when a "thermal window" engine management system becomes an illegal "defeat device."

Under US law, there is an obligation for manufacturers to declare their emission control strategy. This has been the basis for EPA action against Volkswagen and now against Fiat Chrysler.

NEW TESTING REGIME

The European Commission said it had been informed about the "worrying" EPA allegations and would look at what implications they might have for the European Union.

"We will now work with the EPA, national member state authorities and of course Fiat in order to establish potential implications for vehicles sold in the EU," it said.

The European Commission has limited powers to force polluting cars off European roads, since vehicle licensing in the EU is still conducted on a national level.

But European regulators have introduced a more stringent testing regime designed to reflect everyday driving conditions in the wake of the VW scandal that will take effect this year.

Under the revised Real Driving Emissions (RDE) cycle, the disparity between road and laboratory test results will be narrowed.

Britain on Friday said it was urgently seeking information from the EPA over its allegation that Fiat Chrysler used hidden software to allow excess diesel emissions to go undetected.

"We are urgently seeking further information from the US Environmental Protection Agency... and will also be seeking information from the manufacturer regarding vehicles in the UK market," a spokesman at the Department for Transport said.

Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne angrily rejected the allegations on Thursday, saying there was no wrongdoing and Fiat never attempted to cheat emissions rules with software detecting a vehicle was in test mode.

Fiat's volatile shares surged 7 percent in Europe, after falling sharply in US trading on Thursday, and were trading 5 percent higher at 1453 GMT.

The automaker's stock has risen by around 70 percent this year since Donald Trump's election, on expectations of less stringent emissions policies under the next US administration.

But carmakers continue to face scrutiny in Europe. Earlier this week the European Commission called on Italy to cooperate with a German probe investigating allegations that the Fiat 500X, Fiat Doblo and Jeep Renegade models were equipped with illegal cheating software. Fiat rejects the allegations.

Germany's motor vehicle authority KBA began testing the vehicles of several foreign manufacturers as part of a blanket probe of vehicle emissions after the Volkswagen scandal first came to light.

And the country's transport ministry asked the European Commission to investigate Fiat's emissions after being stonewalled by Italian authorities.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Microsoft also announced that Yoshua Bengio, head of the University of Montreals Institute for Learning Algorithms  would become an adviser to the companys Artificial Intelligence and Research Group.

Microsoft is acquiring Canadas deep-learning and AI technology startup Maluuba. The Waterloo based startup founded in 2011 by two University of Waterloo grads, focuses on teaching machines to read like a human brain.

Microsoft in a statement said Microsoft representatives met with Maluuba employees earlier today in both Waterloo and Montreal. We are currently working on integration plans and expect most, if not all, employees will join Microsoft.

Microsoft also announced that Yoshua Bengio, head of the University of Montreals Institute for Learning Algorithms  would become an adviser to the companys Artificial Intelligence and Research Group.

Maluuba raised over $9 million in venture funding in January last year, but both companies are yet to disclose the sale price. The company also makes most of its research available to other AI developers. In December the company also joined hands with McGill Universitys Reasoning and Learning Lab, a collaboration that received an NSERC Engage grant from the federal government.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
These investments are proposed to be financed largely through an equity offering to strengthen its balancesheet for growth.

New telecom operator Reliance Jio Infocomm is planning to invest Rs 30,000 crore more to expand coverage and increase network capacity. With this, its total investment in the network will reach close to Rs 1.9 lakh crore.

"In view of the unprecedented customer response to RJIL's services as well as address the anticipated growth in demand for digital services, additional investments are proposed to be made into the network to enhance its coverage and capacity," Reliance Jio said in a rights issue notice for existing shareholders today.

These investments are proposed to be financed largely through an equity offering to strengthen its balancesheet for growth, it added.

"... the company wishes to inform that board of directors at its meeting held on January 13, 2017, has decided to make a rights issue of 6 billion - 9 per cent non-cumulative optionally convertible preference shares of Rs 10 each for cash, a premium of Rs 40 per OCPS, aggregating Rs 30,000 crore," the notice read.

As of December 31, within four months of its commercial launch, the company garnered 72.4 million subscribers. It started offering free 4G service during the trial phase which it continued even after its commercial launch on September 5. Jio is also offering free unlimited local and STD call for lifetime even during roaming. Jio has extended its free 4G service till March 31, 2017.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Facebook has repeatedly refused to take the posts down, saying they do not violate the company's rules, Modamani's lawyer said.

A Syrian refugee whose selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel went viral is suing Facebook for defamation, his lawyer said, after the social networking site failed to take down a series of posts accusing him of being a militant and criminal.

Anas Modamani, a 19-year-old refugee from Damascus, was pictured in September 2015 taking a selfie with Merkel during her visit to a refugee shelter in Berlin's Spandau district.

The image came to define Germany's response to the refugee crisis, when Merkel opened the country's borders to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers.

But in the following months Modamani's image was shared on Facebook on a series of anonymous accounts, alongside posts claiming he was responsible for militant attacks and murder, including the Brussels Airport bombing of March 2016.

Facebook has repeatedly refused to take the posts down, saying they do not violate the company's rules, Modamani's lawyer said.

"Whenever something happens in the news related to refugees, his picture reappears," Modamani's lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. Facebook could not be reached immediately for comment by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

A Facebook spokesperson told Britain's Guardian newspaper they had received a takedown request from Jun "alleging that a specific item of content on our platform violates Mr Modamani's right of personality".

"Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction," the spokesperson said.

One post falsely linked Modamani to an incident in Berlin last month, when a group set fire to a sleeping homeless man on a train station platform, Jun said.

The post was shared 500 times and was likely to have been seen by at least 25,000 people, he said. Jun filed a preliminary injunction against Facebook Europe in December, and a court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 in Wurzburg, southern Germany, he said.

The case comes as Germany's justice ministry considers new policies to crack down on fake news by making Facebook and other social media companies criminally liable for failing to remove hate speech.

Facebook should be treated as a media company rather than a technology company, the justice minister said in November. Modamani now works in a fast-food restaurant in Berlin, his lawyer said.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Nokia 6 has bagged a quarter million registrations in less than 24-hours since the window for its sale opened up online in China.

HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the right to use Nokias brand on mobile phones, had launched the Nokia 6 smartphone earlier this month. A smartphone targeted for mid-range smartphone customers, Nokia 6 has been priced at Rs 1,699 yuan (approx. Rs 17,000). The smartphone is set to go on sale in China through an online retailer JD.com from January 19, and is already available for registration on the website.

According to a report by playfuldroid, Nokia 6 smartphone has garnered over 250,000 of registrations in less than 24 hours.

However, another report from China Business News stated there have been more than 100,000 pre-orders in four days.

The Nokia 6 smartphone features a hybrid, in-cell 5.5-inch screen with full HD resolution protected with a 2.5D Gorilla Glass. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with X6 LTE modem and offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It runs on Googles Android 7.0 Nougat platform and is backed by a 3000mAh non-removable battery.

Nokia is also in plans to launch another Android smartphone on February 26, a day before the Mobile World Conference starts in Barcelona.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Plymouth: Towns along the Susquehanna River are filled with people whose grandparents worked in coal mines, garment factories and small manufacturing companies.

But those jobs are long gone in Luzerne County, and Wilkes-Barre, the county seat, has seen its population drop by more than half. Dozens of public officials have fallen to scandal.

All of which helps explain how Ed Harry who, at 70, has spent most of his working life as a union president and a Democratic party activist, running phone banks for candidates and even serving as a delegate for Bill Clinton in 1992 became an unlikely apostle for Donald Trump.

When the billionaire businessman and reality TV star entered the presidential race, "I laughed, like everyone else," Harry says. Then he took note of Trump's opposition.

"The Rs said they hated him, the Ds wanted no part of him, the lobbyists didn't like him. China came out against him, India came out against him, Mexico came out against him.

"And I said, 'I think I might have a candidate.'" Harry, who had grown disillusioned with what he saw as Washington's broken and corrupt politics, switched parties, publicly endorsed Trump and resigned his labour post.

He expects the new president to renegotiate trade deals and reduce corporate taxes, which he believes will help lure back manufacturing jobs. And he is not alone.

In Luzerne County, Trump crushed Hillary Clinton by 20 points in no small part because lifelong Democrats like Harry believed she was the candidate of Wall Street, ignoring the working class while taking its vote for granted.

As Trump enters office, these largely older, white, blue- collar voters want him to keep his promise on manufacturing jobs, rebuild deteriorating roads and bridges, crack down on illegal immigration and "drain the swamp."

"There's no hope the way things were," Harry explains. "It had to be something different."

And listen to Tom Pikas, who is also counting on Trump to bring change. The 61-year-old Wilkes-Barre native remembers a time when you could easily get a decent-paying job right out of high school. He worked in a shoe factory, then for an electrical contractor, and downtown Wilkes-Barre pulsed with life. "This used to be a nice town," Pikas says.

More recently, Pikas has toiled in a series of temp jobs, the last one paying USD 8 an hour. Now looking for work, he found himself at the unemployment office this month, enrolling in a jobs program for seniors. The waiting area was packed.

He has faith that Trump will find a way to turn things around, but also counsels patience. "Some people expect he's gonna do miracles the first month," Pikas says. "No. No. You gotta at least give the guy a year."
Florida: Bradley Jean Hubbard, 23, of Florida has been booked on charges of bestiality for allegedly sexually abusing his pet dog, a pit bull by the name of Baby Girl, for over 100 times.

According to a report in Daily Mail, a member of Hubbard's family called the police when she "could not take it anymore" after seeing the accused take the dog to his room to allegedly sodomise it. This had been going on for the last 3 years.

The woman also claimed to have witnessed the abuse through a hole in Hubbard's bedroom door. Initially, she said, the dog whimpered and cried in pain, but eventually succumbed to victimization.

When taken to a veterinarian, investigations concluded that the dog's genitals showed signs of abuse.

Hubbard could be charged with engaging in sexual acts with an animal and causing pain, suffering or death of an animal.

Previously arrested on charges of battery, larceny and resisting arrest, Hubbard has been released on a $15,000 bond.
Washington: An Indian-American student has won a USD 5,000 scholarship for writing an essay on contribution of dental health on the well-being of children and families in the US.

Arth Patel, a student at the UCLA School of Dentistry, discussed his experience growing up in rural India where quality dental care was not available and how his family benefited from access to community-based dental healthcare programmes after moving to the US.

Patel earned a USD 5,000 scholarship for his winning essay on how dental health contributes to the well-being of children and families, the university said in a statement.

Kool Smiles, a provider of quality dental care in underserved communities in the US, announced the winner of its first annual My Kool Smiles Scholarship Fund essay contest, sponsored by the Benevis Foundation, the statement added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 14

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran is negotiating with Russia and Kazakhstan to resume crude oil swap, Gholamreza Manouchehri, deputy director for development and engineering affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said.

Talks are underway with Kazakh firms and government as well as Russia in this regard, Manouchehri said, ISNA news agency reported Jan. 14.

He further said that grounds are prepared for resuming crude oil swap with Caspian states, adding that it is not clear when the talks would be concluded.

Last year Iran announced that will start crude oil swap with Caspian states within weeks, however the issue is not realized so far.

In 2010, Iran stopped oil swaps with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

The Hague International Court of Justice fined the National Iranian Oil Company $5.5 million due to stopping the swap of oil with its international partners.

Under the oil swap agreements, which started in 1997 and were in place for over 12 years, Iran received crude oil of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the Neka port and delivered an equal volume to the clients of the same countries in Persian Gulf.

The total income received by Iran from these swap transactions from 1997 to 2009 amounted to about $880 million.
Sean Spicer arrives at Trump Tower in New York. The Obama administration is aware of frequent contacts between President-elect Donald Trumps top national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russias ambassador to the U.S., including on the day President Barack Obama hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking. (Photo: AP)

Washington: President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser and Russia's ambassador to the US have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior official said Friday.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged contacts between Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, but said a phone conversation occurred on December 28, one day before the sanctions were levied. Spicer said the men did not discuss sanctions. He did not specifically deny additional contacts the following day.

It's not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as President Barack Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trump's team discussed - or even helped shape - Russia's response to the penalties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the US for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised, new closer relationship with Moscow. That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials' assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the US election to benefit Trump.

During a news conference Wednesday, Trump pointedly would not say whether he planned to repeal the sanctions ordered by Obama. He again highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader.

"If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia," he said.

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the US said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The US also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol. He accepted a call from Taiwan's president, ignoring the longstanding "One China" policy that does not recognize the island's sovereignty. He also publicly urged the US to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

Questions about Trump's friendly posture toward Russia have deepened since the election, as he has dismissed US intelligence agencies' assertions about Russia's role in the hacking of Democratic groups. In briefing Trump on their findings, intelligence officials also presented the president-elect with unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him, according to a separate US official.

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced late Friday that it would investigate possible contacts between Russia and people associated with US political campaigns as part of a broader investigation into Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump acknowledged for the first time this week that he accepts that Russia was behind the hacking. But he questioned whether officials were leaking information about their meetings with him, warning that would be a "tremendous blot" on their record.

Flynn's own ties with Russia have worried some Republicans who are more skeptical of the Kremlin than Trump appears to be. After leaving his position as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, Flynn made appearances on RT, a state-run Russian television network. In 2015, he was paid to attend an RT gala in Moscow, where he sat next to Putin.

As national security adviser, Flynn will work in the West Wing close to the Oval Office and have frequent access to Trump. Unlike Trump's nominees to lead the Pentagon, State Department and other national security agencies, Flynn's post does not require Senate confirmation.

Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The US official who spoke, was not authorized to confirm the contacts publicly and insisted on anonymity.

Spicer, the Trump spokesman, initially said there was one phone call between Flynn and Kislyak on December 28, as well as a Christmas greeting via text messages over the holidays. He said sanctions were not part of the discussions.

"The call centered around the logistics of setting up a call with the president of Russia and the President-elect after he was sworn in, and they exchanged logistical information on how to initiate and schedule that call," Spicer told reporters Friday. "That was it, plain and simple."

A transition official later cited a second phone call that occurred earlier in December. That official said Kislyak reached out to Flynn for the second phone call on December 28, and by the time Flynn called him back, it may have been December 29 in Moscow.

Trump spoke with Putin about a week after his victory. The transition team has not disclosed any other contact between the leaders. The transition official said the Russian ambassador also invited US officials to a conference on Syria later this month that is being held in Kazakhstan.

It's unclear how US officials became aware of the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak, who has served as Russia's envoy to the US since 2008. US monitoring of Russian officials' communication within the United States is known to be common.

Flynn has spoken with other foreign officials since Trump won the November election, as have incoming White House senior advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he saw nothing inappropriate in Trump's transition team contacting Russian or any other foreign officials.
Washington: President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he may lift sanctions on Russia and won't stand by the "One China" policy unless Beijing improves its currency and trade practices.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday that he would keep intact "at least for a period of time" sanctions President Barack Obama's administration imposed on Russia in December over Moscow's alleged cyber attacks to influence the US election.

But, if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting violent extremists, Trump suggested he may scrap the punitive measures altogether.

He also said he was prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking office January 20.

Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

Turning to the longstanding US practice of not recognizing Taiwan diplomatically, Trump said: "Everything is under negotiation, including One China."

Trump has already irked China by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen after he won the election, upending decades of diplomatic precedent in which the White House has foregone direct communication with the island's leader.

He defended that move in his interview with the Journal, saying: "We sold them $2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment but we're not allowed to accept a phone call. First of all, it would have been very rude not to accept the phone call."

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, by force if necessary

Trump has threatened to get tough with what he sees as unfair Chinese trade practices, and suggested that the "One China" policy could become a bargaining chip in other disputes.
New York: President-elect Donald Trump lashed out Saturday at a prominent civil rights icon and lawmaker who said he is skipping next week's inauguration ceremony because he sees the New York businessman's election as illegitimate.

"Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results," Trump said in a tweet.

"All talk, talk, talk no action or results. Sad!" he added.

Lewis, who represents a district in the southern state of Georgia that includes Atlanta and surrounding areas, on Friday became the most high-profile Democratic lawmaker to boycott Trump's inauguration.

At least eight House Democrats have publicly stated they will not be attending Trump's swearing-in at the US Capitol next Friday, with several indicating their absence will be an act of political protest.

"I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis told NBC's "Meet the Press" talk show in an interview that will air Sunday.

"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," he said, adding that he will skip the presidential inauguration for the first time since becoming a member of Congress in 1987.

"You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong."

US intelligence organizations have accused Russia of cyberattacks on the Democratic National Committee and distributing hacked emails from senior Clinton aides in an effort to influence the US election.

Lewis, 76, is known for his decades of work in the civil rights movement, and marched with Martin Luther King at the August 1963 rally in Washington at which King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Lewis took part in so-called Freedom Rides challenges to segregated facilities at bus terminals in the South.

On March 7, 1965, he led a march in Selma, Alabama that ended in an attack by state troopers on the protesters that later became known as "Bloody Sunday."
Washington: President-elect Donald Trump's meetings with CEOs seeking federal approval for major mergers are raising red flags for ethics lawyers concerned about the possible erosion of a firewall between the incoming White House and regulators reviewing those billion-dollar deals.

Trump met this past week with the heads of German chemical company Bayer and seed and herbicide giant Monsanto, who made their case for their $57 billion merger. The deal would likely need to be approved by Trump's choices to lead antitrust enforcement at the Justice Department. On Thursday, Trump sat down to discuss jobs with the chief executive of AT&T, which is trying to acquire Time Warner.

Presidents typically keep their distance from such reviews, so as not to appear to be exerting political influence on a regulatory process intended to evaluate the impact a merger could have on competition and consumers. Trump's private sessions suggest he may be less worried with appearing to be close to pending deals that require government approval.

"While it's true the Department of Justice is under the executive branch, it's not appropriate for the president to make that regulatory decision and certainly not for political considerations," said Bruce Green, a law school professor at Fordham University who specializes in ethics.

Green equated the meetings to a 2016 campaign controversy: Bill Clinton's conversation with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the Phoenix airport tarmac at a time when the Justice Department was looking into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

"If the conversation is private, it will raise questions and suspicions," Green said.

Part of the challenge is not knowing what was precisely said at the meetings.

"We don't know really what they were discussing, what Trump's response was to that and to what extent that will influence the antitrust review," said Maurice Stucke, a former attorney in the Justice Department's antitrust division who teaches at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

On Wednesday, Werner Baumann, Bayer CEO, and Hugh Grant, Monsanto CEO, talked about their merger as in the broader conversation on innovation, Monsanto said in a statement.

AT&T specifically denied talking about its proposed $85.4 billion merger when CEO Randall Stephenson met Thursday with Trump. The company said its conversation focused on how it could increase its U.S. investments, create jobs and make American companies more competitive.

Trump's choice for attorney general told senators this week that incoming administration would be transparent.

"The antitrust policies of the United States have to be consistent and as clear as possible," Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions said at his confirmation hearings.

"I have no hesitation, if the finding justifies it, to say that certain mergers should not occur and there will not be political influence in that process," he said.

During the campaign, Trump opposed the combination of the telecom AT&T and Time Warner, the media conglomerate that owns HBO and CNN. "It's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few," Trump said at the time.

The meetings are part of Trump's aggressive and unorthodox strategy for job creation, in which he openly cheers on, and sometimes jeers, individual companies. He's shown himself willing to intervene in even relatively small corporate matters.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted that people should shop at Maine retailer L.L. Bean, after The Associated Press reported that heiress Linda Bean had contributed to a pro-Trump political action committee and the company was facing calls for a boycott.

Trump has praised the Japanese tech mogul Masayoshi Son, who controls the wireless carrier Sprint, for a commitment to create jobs. He has pushed Ford to scrap plans to build an auto plant in Mexico, which the company did this month in large part due to lower gasoline prices reducing demand for smaller cars.

While Trump has celebrated his approach as using his negotiation skills to save American jobs, others worry the president is inappropriately intervening.

"You're having companies ingratiating themselves with him - and then decisions being made that affect those companies," said Bruce Freed, president of the Center for Political Accountability. "That poses serious conflict problems."

Multiple lawyers told The Associated Press that the meetings with companies under antitrust review by the president-elect were unusual, though not necessarily unethical since these meetings could be considered a form of lobbying. Past presidents have waded into antitrust issues, notably Theodore Roosevelt, who sought in 1902 to break up a railroad monopoly.

Trump's meeting with Bayer and Monsanto generated concerns from the National Farmers Union, which opposes the merger on the grounds that it could harm competition and increase the price of seeds.

"Our members were baffled by that meeting - that there would be time made out for it before a secretary of agriculture nominee is even presented," said Rob Larew, senior vice president of public policy at the farmers' trade group.
Boston: Lynda Waldman, 74, was found to be living in a 1920's $1.2 million derelict house, with the decaying corpse of her sister for well over one year, in an affluent town close to Boston.

While people were concerned about the two aged women staying at the sprawling house, the neighbours only discovered that Waldman had been living with the corpse of her sister Hope Wheaton, 67, when they went by the house to help with the heat when temperature fell in December, The Washington Post reported.

The decomposing body of Wheaton was found in the kitchen of the 2-and-a-half storey home.

Authorities said, they believed Wheaton had died some time around the summer of 2015. However, the prosecutor said there were no signs of trauma or foul play, pending medical examination.

A neighbour who knew Hope Wheaton, Harriet Allen, told The Post, "We always asked where she was. She [Waldman] would ignore it."

Brookline TAB newspaper, which first reported the story, mentioned Waldman saying that her late sister used to get sick and fall, unable to get up. She would give her water and fudgesicles until she got better. The last time she fell and did not get up, Waldman told the police, she did not know what she was supposed to do.

The Health Department deemed the home unfit for human occupancy until it is repaired and cleared out. Besides the clutter and the decomposing body, the building also has some structural issues, Patrick Maloney of the Health Department said.
Washington: US senators have launched a probe into Russian spying, saying intelligence reports of Moscow's interference in the 2016 election and possible ties to American political parties "raise profound concerns."

The investigation, backed by both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, could trigger forced testimony by officials of both Barack Obama's outgoing administration and the incoming government of Donald Trump, who won the November 8 presidential vote.

US intelligence agencies allege that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

A report from the Director of National Intelligence released early January says the Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim.

But the public version of the report was questioned for offering only weak evidence of its claims.

An unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent also alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and Russian government, and said Moscow had lurid video of Trump with prostitutes while in Russia.

British ex-spy's report

"It is critical to have a full understanding of the scope of Russian intelligence activities impacting the United States," the Senate panel said Friday.

Trump, who will take office in one week, has repeatedly rejected suggestions that Moscow aided in his election victory.

He has also compared US intelligence agencies to "Nazi Germany" for allegedly leaking to the media their analyses to undermine him.

The probe will review the intelligence community's assessments and also other assessments, "including any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns," the committee said.

That suggested the former British spy's explosive report could also be reviewed.

Vowing to "get it right," the panel said most of the work will be done out of public scrutiny to protect classified information.

In light of the hacking allegations, Trump's close ties with Russia, and especially President Vladimir Putin, have come under growing scrutiny.

Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

Improper contact with Russian envoy

The Washington Post reported that Trump's incoming national security advisor Michael Flynn telephoned Moscow's ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, several times the day before Obama unveiled punitive measures over Russia's alleged cyber attacks to influence the US election.

Flynn receives a speaking fee from Russian government-funded Russia Today.

Trump's incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, said Flynn in fact spoke with the envoy on Christmas Day, sending him a text to wish him a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

"I look forward to touching base with you, and working with you, and I wish you all the best," Spicer quoted Flynn as telling the ambassador, adding that the envoy responded with holiday greetings.

On December 28, the pair spoke by phone about "the logistics of setting up a call with the president of Russia and the president-elect after he was sworn in, and they exchanged logistical information on how to initiate and schedule that call," Spicer said.

He added: "That was it. Plain and simple."

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump hinted he may scrap Obama's punitive measures altogether, and said he was prepared to meet with Putin after taking office January 20.

Separately, he blasted the leak of the unsubstantiated report that Russia had gathered compromising personal and financial material on him as "totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives."

He promised a "full report" on the hacking claims within 90 days.

In the first round of hearings for Trump nominees that wrapped up Friday, a week before Obama hands the Manhattan billionaire the keys to the White House, several of his cabinet picks publicly contradicted him.

But the President-elect dismissed talk of ideological splits.

"All of my Cabinet nominee (sic) are looking good and doing a great job," he said in an early morning tweet. "I want them to be themselves and express their own thoughts, not mine!"

The 70-year-old Republican later elaborated, telling reporters at Trump Tower: "I could have said, 'Do this, say that.' I don't want that. I want them all to be themselves."

"And I'm going to do the right thing, whatever it is. I may be right. And they may be right."

Over three days of feisty hearings this week, Trump's nominees warned of the threat posed by Russia, hailed NATO, repudiated torture, defended the US intelligence community and cautioned against withdrawing from the Iran nuclear treaty and the Paris climate accord.

On virtually every controversial foreign policy stance that Trump took during the campaign, they hedged and backtracked and sought to assure senators that they shared the consensus that has shaped Western strategic thinking and institutions since World War II.
Lausanne: A 47-year-old French man was convicted on charges of rape, in Switzerland, after he took off his condom during sexual intercourse, without the knowledge of his partner.

A 12-month suspended sentence was given to the man, after his encounter with a Swiss woman who he had met over the popular dating application Tinder, Independent reported.

During their second date, the duo engaged in coitus using a condom, but the woman did not understand that it had been taken off before it was over.

The Criminal Court of Laussane, Switzerland, in a ruling passed for the very first time, mandated that sex without condom, where one was expected to wear one, would amount to rape.

The ruling by the court was passed on the grounds that, if the woman had known that the condom would not be used, she would have refused to have sex.

The conviction has been called "a first" by the prosecutor of the victim.
A Dutch-led criminal investigation into the attack concluded in September that a BUK missile, transported from Russia, was fired from a field in a part of war-torn Ukraine then controlled by pro-Russian rebels, and hit the plane. (Photo: AP)

The Hague: Families of the MH17 plane disaster victims may push for a renewed search of the crash site in eastern Ukraine after the recent discovery of a bone fragment belonging to one of the dead.

"We are considering speaking to authorities about another search for human remains," Evert van Zijtveld, chairman of the MH17 victims' foundation, said on Saturday.

"As relatives, we simply don't want any human remains to be left behind," Van Zijtveld, who lost a son, daughter and his parents-in-law, told AFP.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur killing all 298 on board, most of them Dutch citizens.

Last Sunday, when freelance journalist Michel Spekkers returned to Amsterdam from Ukraine, Dutch police confiscated the items he had collected including the human bone fragment.

DNA tests this week showed that the bone belonged to one of the victims, whose other remains were identified in 2014, Dutch prosecutors said in a statement Friday. The victim's family was informed.

The rest of the articles brought back by Spekkers were "not relevant to the criminal investigation," prosecutors said.

A Dutch-led criminal investigation into the attack concluded in September that a BUK missile, transported from Russia, was fired from a field in a part of war-torn Ukraine then controlled by pro-Russian rebels, and hit the plane. But it stopped short of saying who pulled the trigger.

Van Zijtveld said the new findings had opened painful wounds for victims' relatives, who now wanted to know why a journalist was able to find the human remains.

He earlier told the NOS public broadcaster that Spekkers did not find the bone in a isolated area but at a shed where a search team had brought together all items found from the crash site.

"If it turns out that not all commitments to return human remains have been heeded, we'll consider discussing the possibility of another mission go and bring back our loved ones," Van Zijtveld said.
Vatican City: The Palestinian leader meets on Saturday with Pope Francis as he rallies international support ahead of this weekend's Paris peace summit.

Among other things, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to raise with Francis Palestinian concern about a possible move of the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Palestinians strongly oppose the move, saying it would kill any hopes for negotiating peace and rile the region by undercutting Muslim and Christian claims to the holy city.

The Vatican has long sought an internationally guaranteed status for Jerusalem that safeguards its sacred character.

After the papal audience, Abbas will open an embassy of his own: The Palestinian embassy to the Holy See, fruit of recent accords in which the Vatican formally recognized the "Palestinian state."
Serbian officials saw off a Russian-made train decorated with the Serb flags, churches, monasteries and medieval towns, and inscribed with 'Kosovo is Serbian' in 20 world languages. (Photo: AP)

Belgrade: Serbia has launched a railway service to Serb-dominated northern Kosovo despite protests from the government in Pristina which called it a provocation and an aggressive violation of its sovereignty.

Serbian officials in Belgrade on Saturday saw off a Russian-made train decorated with the Serb flags, churches, monasteries and medieval towns, and inscribed with "Kosovo is Serbian" in 20 world languages.

A former Serbian province, Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade does not recognize the split and has sought to maintain influence in Kosovo's north where most of the Serb minority is located.

Today's train to Mitrovica was a promotional event; a regular schedule has not been announced.

Kosovo State Minister Edita Tahiri on Friday accused Serbia of threatening regional stability and urged the European Union to intervene.
Tehran, Iran, January 14

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran is going to hold a high-level international auto industry congress and exhibition in mid-February, Cyrus Razzaghi, president of ARA Enterprise told Trend January 14.

We are organizing an important event for Irans Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade and IDRO (Iran Development and Renovation Organization) which is the largest auto conference in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region and also the largest industrial event in Iran for the next 15 months, he said.

According to Razzaghi, tens of Turkish companies will participate in the event and the Chairman of the Turkish Automotive Parts Association will attend as a Keynote Speaker.

ARA Enterprise has told Trend that major auto companies such as Mercedes, Volkswagen, Renault, Citroen, etc. will attend the event.

During the congress, speakers will discuss such topics as the role and share of after-sales services in brand image, value chain of sales and after-sales services, customer satisfaction through sales and after-sales services, the impact of the government and regulations on sales and after-sales services, patterns and successful international strategies in sales and after-sales services, and the economics of sales and after-sales services.
Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Saturday against protectionist tendencies of US President-elect Donald Trump, citing lessons learned in the 2008 global financial crash and stressing the need to move forward together.

My profound conviction is that there are more advantages... to moving forward together than when everyone resolves their problems for themselves. I am truly convinced of this, Ms Merkel said at a press conference at a meeting of her CDU party.

Asked if she believed protectionist tendencies by Mr Trump could pose a threat, Ms Merkel recalled the example of the 2008 global financial crisis, which came from the United States.

As heads of state and government (of the G20), we said, We must resolve the problem facing us together, she said.

And the response to overcome that financial crisis was not a response based on closing oneself off, but a response which called for cooperation, for common rules, for regulation of financial markets.

I think this way worked, and naturally we are going to seek dialogue with the new American president, who will be inaugurated on January 20. On the campaign trail, Mr Trump notably threatened to take protectionist measures against Chinese and Mexican imports.
Islamic State controls most of Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq, including more than half the city. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Beirut: Islamic State militants launched a new offensive on government-held areas in the contested city of Deir el-Zour on Saturday, attacking the eastern city from several sides in the most intense action in a year, the Syrian government and opposition activists said.

Syrian television said three people were killed and nine were wounded in IS rocket attacks on several neighbourhoods of the city.

Intense fighting broke out between Syrian troops and IS members in the city and in the vicinity of a nearby military airport controlled by government forces after the militants launched their multi-pronged attack starting from the area of Baghaliyeh near the northwestern tip of the city.

Loud explosions that shook the city were reported. Activists said Syrian warplanes were taking part in the battles.

The Deir Ezzor 24 news network reported ongoing clashes since the morning near Deir el-Zour military airport and other fronts in the city and said Syrian warplanes targeted Baghaliyeh and Ayash areas and the vicinity of an army base known as Brigade 137 west of the city.

The extremist group, which controls most of Deir el-Zour province, has kept the provincial capital under siege since 2014. Government forces have withstood the encirclement thanks to air-dropped humanitarian assistance and weapons and ammunition flown into the airport. Remaining residents have reported malnourishment and starvation amid severe shortages of food, water and fuel.

IS has tried to capture the government-held neighborhoods of Deir el-Zour and the city's suburbs over the past months without much success.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday's offensive was the most intense since mid-January 2016, when the group killed dozens of people, most of them pro-government militiamen, in wide-scale attacks on the city that saw the group make significant advances. Most of those casualties took place in Baghaliyeh and the killings many people were shot dead or beheaded were some of the worst carried out by the extremist group.

The Observatory said the group has recently brought in reinforcements, including large amounts of ammunition and fuel, in preparation for the battle.

The Islamic State group, which in 2014 seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and established a so-called Islamic caliphate straddling both sides of the border, is under intense pressure in both countries where it has lost significant territory in recent months.
Mosul: As Iraqi government forces advanced towards his eastern Mosul neighbourhood in November, a group of Islamic State militants stormed Abu Rami's home, put a gun to his head and told him and his family to get out immediately.

The militants, including a local man whose name he knew, brought with them a bearded comrade clutching a sniper rifle whom Abu Rami suspects was Russian or Chechen. The foreigner took up position in a rooftop chicken coop.

When Abu Rami returned 11 days later, the fighting had ended and the militants had slipped away, but his two-storey house was destroyed by an air strike. His family is now distributed among relatives and friends across the city.

"Destruction occurs in a few moments, but rebuilding takes time," he said outside the rubble of his home where men huddled around a well to collect water because pipes have been damaged.

The Mosul campaign, involving a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government troops and militarized police, Kurdish security forces and mainly Shi'ite Muslim militiamen, is the most complex battle in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

With nearly all of eastern Mosul under government control three months into the U.S.-backed offensive, most residents have stayed in the city, complicating the task of the military which must fight among civilians in built-up areas against an enemy that has targeted non-combatants and hidden among them.

Residents told Reuters during a visit to the Muharibeen district on Friday how the battle played out for them, describing scenes likely repeated in one form or another across the city.

The militants hung curtains across roadways to try to obscure the view of Iraqi army marksmen as they dashed from houses to pray in a tan-colored mosque where they also posted a sniper in the minaret, Abu Rami said.

They kept a car packed with explosives parked opposite his house for more than a week. When they deployed it to a main street, an army tank shelled it, destroying an adjacent building.

Division of labour

When it launched the offensive in October, the Iraqi government hoped to retake Mosul, Islamic State's last major stronghold in the country and the largest urban center anywhere in its self-styled caliphate spanning neighboring Syria by the end of 2016.

But Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in December it could now take another three months to drive the militants out.

Commanders have said the presence of up to 1.5 million residents and attempts to minimize destruction to homes and key infrastructure has slowed their troops' advance, though hundreds of civilians have already been killed and many areas heavily damaged.

Abu Rami, a 54-year-old former government employee, described a division of labor among Islamic State militants at the frontlines: a group that plants explosives, one that has snipers and another that serves as local guides.

The snipers are usually Russians, Chechens or Afghans, he said. The Iraqis, many from Mosul and the nearby city of Tel Afar, ride around on motorcycles telling them where to take up positions.

Abu Rami said he was surprised when the fair-skinned sniper who posted up in his house spoke to him in broken Arabic, saying: "For the sake of Allah, get out."

"They do not know the area so the motorcycle guides the suicide car bomb (to its target) and tells the fighters, 'You go here, you go there. Go detonate here'", he said.

U.S. Army Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend, commander of the international coalition backing Iraqi forces, told Reuters last week that Islamic State's local leadership had proven effective without a hierarchical chain of command.

But he said separate cells fighting in different neighborhoods appeared increasingly unable to coordinate across different areas it controlled inside the city.

Another U.S. military official said fighters the coalition observes moving skilfully across Mosul's urban terrain usually turn out to be foreigners.

According to another Muharibeen resident, who asked not to be named, Islamic State will shoot from a position for several minutes until the military identifies the location. The militants often escape to another house through holes previously knocked through outer walls.

"Then there is bombardment to destroy the house, to destroy the sniper position," he said. "But the sniper will pop up again here or there."
Damascus: International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document.

A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously identified only military units and did not name any commanders or officials.

Now a list has been produced of individuals whom the investigators have linked to a series of chlorine bomb attacks in 2014-15 - including Assad, his younger brother Maher and other high-ranking figures - indicating the decision to use toxic weapons came from the very top, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.

The Assads could not be reached for comment but a Syrian government official said accusations that government forces had used chemical weapons had "no basis in truth". The government has repeatedly denied using such weapons during the civil war, which is almost six years old, saying all the attacks highlighted by the inquiry were the work of rebels or the Islamic State militant group.

The list, which has not been made public, was based on a combination of evidence compiled by the UN-OPCW team in Syria and information from Western and regional intelligence agencies, according to the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

It was not possible to independently review the evidence or to verify it.

The UN-OPCW inquiry - known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) - is led by a panel of three independent experts, supported by a team of technical and administrative staff. It is mandated by the UN Security Council to identify individuals and organizations responsible for chemical attacks in Syria.

Virginia Gamba, the head of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, denied any list of individual suspects had yet been compiled by the inquiry.

"There are no ... identification of individuals being considered at this time," she said by email.

The use of chemical weapons is banned under international law and could constitute a war crime.

While the inquiry has no judicial powers, any naming of suspects could lead to their prosecution. Syria is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but alleged war crimes could be referred to the court by the Security Council - although splits among global powers over the war make this a distant prospect at present.

"The ICC is concerned about any country where crimes are reported to be committed," a spokesman for the court said when asked for comment. "Unless Syria accepts the ICC jurisdiction, the only way that (the) ICC would have jurisdiction over the situation would be through a referral by the Security Council."

The list seen could form the basis for the inquiry team's investigations this year, according to the source. It is unclear whether the United Nations or OPCW will publish the list separately.

Highest levels

The list identifies 15 people "to be scrutinized in relation to use of CW (chemical weapons) by Syrian Arab Republic Armed Forces in 2014 and 2015". It does not specify what role they are suspected of playing, but lists their titles.

It is split into three sections. The first, titled "Inner Circle President" lists six people including Assad, his brother who commands the elite 4th Armoured Division, the defense minister and the head of military intelligence.

The second section names the air force chief as well as four commanders of air force divisions. They include the heads of the 22nd Air Force Division and the 63rd Helicopter Brigade, units that the inquiry has previously said dropped chlorine bombs.

The third part of the list - "Other relevant Senior Mil Personnel" - names two colonels and two major-generals.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an independent specialist in biological and chemical weapons who monitors Syria, said the list reflected the military chain of command.

"The decisions would be made at the highest levels initially and then delegated down. Hence the first use would need to be authorized by Assad," said de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of British and NATO chemical and biological defense divisions who frequently visits Syria for professional consultancy work.

The Syrian defense ministry and air force could not be reached for comment.

Chlorine barrel bombs

Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a US-Russian deal that followed the deaths of hundreds of civilians in a sarin gas attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus in August 2013.

It was the deadliest use of chemicals in global warfare since the 1988 Halabja massacre at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, which killed at least 5,000 people in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Syrian government, which denied its forces were behind the Ghouta attack, also agreed to hand over its declared stockpile of 1,300 tonnes of toxic weaponry and dismantle its chemical weapons program under international supervision.

The United Nations and OPCW have been investigating whether Damascus is adhering to its commitments under the agreement, which averted the threat of US-led military intervention.

The bodies appointed the panel of experts to conduct the inquiry, and its mandate runs until November. The panel published a report in October last year which said Syrian government forces used chemical weapons at least three times in 2014-2015 and that Islamic State used mustard gas in 2015.

The October report identified Syria's 22nd Air Force Division and 63rd Helicopter Brigade as having dropped chlorine bombs and said people "with effective control in the military units ... must be held accountable".

The source familiar with the inquiry said the October report had clearly established the institutions responsible and that the next step was to go after the individuals.

Washington on Thursday blacklisted 18 senior Syrian officials based on the U.N.-OPCW inquiry's October report - some of whom also appear on the list seen by but not Assad or his brother.

The issue of chemical weapons use in Syria has become a deeply political one, and the UN-OPCW inquiry's allegations of chlorine bomb attacks by government forces have split the UN Security Council's veto-wielding members.

The United States, Britain and France have called for sanctions against Syria, while Assad's ally Russia has said the evidence presented is insufficient to justify such measures.

A Security Council resolution would be required to bring Assad and other senior Syrian officials before the International Criminal Court for any possible war crimes prosecution - something Russia would likely block.
Of the 39 killed in the glamourous nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq and Morocco. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul: Turkey has arrested two Chinese nationals of Uighur origin in connection with a mass shooting in a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Eve claimed by the Islamic State group, media reports said.

The suspects, named as Omar Asim and Abuliezi Abuduhamiti, were arrested on charges of "being members of a terrorist organisation", of "purchasing unlicensed firearms" and "being accomplices to the murder of 39 people", state-run Anadolu Agency cited a prosecutor as saying.

A witness in the central Anatolian city of Konya had reportedly seen Asim with the Reina nightclub attacker, the agency said late Friday. The gunman remains at large despite a massive manhunt.

Officials said last week the attacker was likely a Turkic Uighur, with authorities reportedly looking into the possible existence of a cell, including other jihadists from Central Asia.

Uighurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims from the restive Xinjiang region of far-western China.

The killer, reportedly known by the code name Ebu Muhammed Horasani, slipped into the night after mowing down 39 revellers at the Reina nightclub just 75 minutes into 2017.

At least 35 people have been detained so far in connection with the attack, according to Anadolu.

Of the 39 killed in the glamourous nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq and Morocco.

The so-called Islamic State claimed the nightclub massacre, the first time it has ever clearly claimed a major attack in Turkey despite being blamed for several strikes including the Istanbul airport bombings.
Islamic State attacks government positions in the city of Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)

Beirut: The Islamic State group launched a ferocious assault on Saturday on a city in eastern Syria, leaving more than 30 jihadists and regime fighters dead, a monitoring group said.

At least 12 members of government forces and 20 IS militants were among the dead in the IS attack on regime positions in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Both the Observatory and Syrian state news agency SANA said two civilians were also killed in IS rocket fire on government-controlled zones in the city.

Around 200,000 people live in Deir Ezzor city, which has been besieged by IS since early 2015 and is the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name.

IS has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday's attack was the "most violent" assault mounted by IS on the city in more than a year.

He said IS was using tunnel bombs and suicide attackers, while Syrian and allied warplanes battered jihadist positions with air strikes.

"Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines," a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

He said jihadists had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped IS.

"Warplanes attacked Daesh's supply lines in all the battlefronts and around the airport," he said.

IS is excluded from a nationwide truce that was brokered by Turkey and Russia and came into effect on December 30.

Diplomatic efforts to end Syria's nearly six-year war have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.
Bangladesh police securing the area after the attack at the Dhaka cafe. (Photo: File)

Dhaka: Bangladeshi police Saturday said they have arrested an Islamist extremist accused of being one of the "masterminds" of 2016's deadly siege at a Dhaka cafe where 22 hostages were killed.

A police spokesman said Jahangir Alam was detained Friday night by counter-terrorism forces in Elenga, a town some 120 kilometres north of the capital.

"He is one of the main masterminds of the Holey Artisan Bakery (cafe) attack," Yusuf Ali, an Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Dhaka police force, said.

"He was a member of a new faction of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and was directly involved in the murder of at least 22 religious minorities including Hindu priests and a Christian and foreigners (at the cafe)," he said.

Japanese and Italian diners were among the 18 foreigners shot and hacked to death in the attack on July 1, 2016.

The siege lasted for 10 hours until army commandos, using armoured vehicles, stormed the compound.

Sanwar Hossain, an Additional Deputy Commissioner of the police's counter-terrorism and transnational crime unit, said Alam was a close associate of Tamim Chowdhury, the slain Bangladeshi Canadian, who was named as the primary architect of the cafe siege.

"(Alam) was notorious. He led around two dozen attacks on religious minorities outside the capital," he said.

Alam, 32, was present with Chowdhury at a Dhaka hideout where they planned and organised the cafe attack, Hossain added.

The arrest comes a week after police killed two Islamist extremists including another plotter of the cafe siege in a shootout in Dhaka. Chowdhury was killed during a raid outside the capital in August 2016.

The country's security forces launched a deadly crackdown against Islamist extremists following the attack, which badly undermined Bangladesh's reputation as a relatively moderate Muslim nation.

Since the siege, security forces have killed around 50 Islamist extremists, including most of the alleged leaders of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

However, the Islamic State (IS) organisation also claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, posting images of the carnage as it happened and photos of the gunmen who had posed with the group's black flag.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities.

While many of those attacks have been claimed by IS or Al Qaeda, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has blamed local militants, denying that international jihadists have gained a foothold in Bangladesh.
Beijing: China sought to improve political and military ties with Vietnam, shelving the maritime dispute over the South China Sea, during Vietnamese Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong's ongoing visit amid Hanoi's push for closer relations with India, state-run media in Beijing has said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also heads the ruling Communist Party of China, during his meeting with Phu on Friday termed China and Vietnam as "Comrades and Brothers", highlighting fraternal ties between the two neighbours ruled by Communist parties.

With regards to the South China Sea dispute, Xi said both sides should increase communication and consolidate mutual trust in order to lay a solid political foundation for the settlement of disputes and work together on maritime exploration and cooperation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Fan Changlong told Vietnamese Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich during their meeting here yesterday that the armies of the two countries should continue to enhance mutual trust, properly manage and control disputes, and help push the China-Vietnam all-round strategic cooperative partnership to a new level.

A commentary by Xinhua news agency said China and Vietnam are looking forward to a promising future in relations and during Phu's visit he and his high-level delegation has met Xi, Premier Li Keqiang and other top Chinese leaders.

About the South China Sea (SCS) dispute, the commentary said in recent years, China and Vietnam have jointly patrolled and explored for oil in the Beibu Gulf, demarcation of which set an example for the handling of South China Sea disputes.

Vietnam, besides the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's claims over almost all of SCS.

"Success stories demonstrate that both countries are committed to shelving their maritime differences through cooperation rather than confrontation, which will yield more win-win results and larger-scale cooperation," it said.

Ahead of Phu's visit, Chinese state-run daily Global Times took exception to reports that India plans to sell Akash surface-to-air missile system to Hanoi.

Any moves by India to step up military ties with Vietnam to counter China will create "disturbance" in the region and Beijing will not "sit with its arms crossed", an oped in the paper had said.

While striking a threatening posture against India over its increasingly close-knit ties with Vietnam, another article in the same daily had warned Hanoi that it must improve ties with China notwithstanding the South China Sea dispute.
Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed along with others at Kashmir Conference rally in Faisalabad, Pakistan. (Photo: PTI)

Lahore: Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on Friday claimed that Kashmiri militants are giving a "befitting reply" to India at Akhnoor, Uri and other places in Kashmir.

Speaking at a large Kashmir Conference rally at Faisalabad, some 130 kms from Lahore, Saeed said "Indian army is responsible for the killing of 650,000 Kashmiri Muslims. Now the Kashmiri Mujahideen are giving a befitting reply to India at Akhnoor, Uri and other places".

He said the "Mujaheedin are destroying India". "India cannot stop them from carrying out their mission...It is not me alone but now Baloch people and other Pakistanis are with us," he said, adding Baloch leader Shahzain Bugti has joined hands with him.

Bugti, chairman of Jamhuri Watan Party, announced his support at the rally for the Kashmir cause saying Balochistan is with Kashmiri people.

"As many as 50,000 Baloch youth are ready to join the Kashmir freedom movement and waiting for Hafiz Saeeds call," Bugti said.

"Participation of the leader of Bugti tribe in Kashmir Conference is a message to India that Baloch are joining the Kashmir freedom movement," he said.

The alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying if India stopped the river waters of Pakistan then there would be "blood in the rivers".

India has been, since the escalation of tensions after the Uri attack, indicating its intention to revisit the Indus Water Treaty.

On November 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that waters of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers "rightfully" belong to India will be stopped from going "waste" in Pakistan.

"We will stand with Kashmiris for Kashmir's freedom as Pakistan is incomplete without it," he said.

Saeed who has a bounty of USD 10 million on his head hailed former Pakistan army chief Gen Raheel Sharif's appointment as head of a 39-country Islamic military alliance.
The Syrian governments negotiator Ahmad Ghadban was killed on Saturday by militants in Barada Valley, a source in a security agency told Sputnik.

Ghadban is said to have been shot from a sniper rifle when he was going with a maintenance crew from the Ain al-Fija water pumping station.

In late December, terrorists blew up a water pipeline in the Wadi Barada area, which was used to supply the Syrian capital with drinking water. Al-Nusra Front militants also seized the Ain al-Fija water pumping station.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday defended his widely criticised meeting with popular extremist leaders, saying it was unfair to link everything to a sectarian leader also known as the godfather of militants.

Nisar was referring to the criticism he faced from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for his meeting with Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi, chief of the proscribed anti-Shiite Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ).

The party had also accused him of maintaining friendly ties with Ludhianvi.

"How is it fair to link everything to Maulana Ludhianvi?" Khan told reporters in Rawalpindi in response to a question.

"Which PPP leader did not meet leaders of proscribed organisations in their time?" he asked.

Khan created a storm after his last year's meeting with so-called godfather of militants Maulana Samiul Haq and Ludhianvi among others which was widely covered by the mainstream media.

The minister created another controversy last week when he told Senate that outlawed sectarian organisations should not be equated with terrorist outfits.

Responding to criticism, Khan said that he was suggesting that there should be a separate law to deal with groups banned on sectarian basis from the militants groups.

He said there was nothing wrong in saying that the Shia-Sunni conflict dated back 1300 years and is a part of the Islamic history.

Taking credit for action against militants, Khan said, "During my tenure, about 450,000 Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) and 32,400 passports have been blocked.

There is no record of a single CNIC being blocked from 2002till 2007, which reflects on negligence of previous governments".

He said that efforts were being made to recover the five civil society activists who went missing in the past week.

"We are making efforts to recover all missing men so they could return to their families," Khan said.

The minister also said that a meeting was held to discuss the future of special military courts to try 'hard-core' terrorists but no decision has been taken so far.
Islamabad: Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Shahi Syed has suggested death penalty for politicians who consume alcohol.

He made the remarks at the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that met on Friday to hold discussions on local and foreign booze, reports the Geo News.

"Parliamentarians represent the people and if they are not punished for doing a wrong thing then why should poor people be?" Syed questioned, adding that politicians should be hanged to death for consuming liquor, while a lay man should face 6 months or a year in prison.

Commenting on the consumption of marijuana, he said, "People call it darwesh's intoxicant, but that too is wrong and should also be prohibited".

Senator Rehman Malik, who chaired the meeting, said, "It should be declared whether someone ever consumed alcohol, marijuana or opium, prior to contesting an election".

To this, Syed added that if this happens then majority of politicians would be disqualified. The ANP senator regretted that a Hindu is named for selling and consuming liquor, but it is actually done by a Muslim.

Consuming and selling liquor is prohibited in Pakistan; it's sale, however, is permitted to people of other religions through licensed liquor stores.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has said that Islamabad is looking forward to working closely with the Trump administration.

Ambassador Jilani made these remarks during a New Year luncheon hosted by the Embassy of Pakistan for Washington based print and electronic media.

He welcomed the mainstream US correspondents and briefed them on the state of Pak-US relations emphasizing that Pakistan and United States had a historic nature of relationship spanning over seven decades.

The envoy said those people who had been designated in the new US administration, knew Pakistan very well and there had been a better realization of the problems Islamabad was facing in the region.

"Moreover, there was a convergence of interests between the two countries on number of issues likely to strengthen the bilateral relations in future," he said.

Ambassador Jilani remarked that Pakistan had successfully launched a campaign of historical proportion to address the menace of terrorism.

He expressed the hope that Pak-US cooperation would be further strengthened in the fight against terrorism by revisiting sale of F-16s and Coalition Fund issues.

The Ambassador said that over the last few years, the terrorist incidents in Pakistan had reduced significantly, approx. by 70% with a positive impact on economy.

He highlighted the surge in the number of visitors from US to Pakistan which symbolized a renewed interest in Pakistan.

Jilani stressed on Pakistan's firm belief in having a closer cooperation in the region.

He contended that the emergence of extremist and violent organizations was the outcome of instability & violence all over the world.

While responding to a question, Jilani reiterated that Pakistan had not seen any organized presence of ISIS in Pakistan. However, Pakistan was concerned about the growing influence of ISIS in Afghanistan.

On Indus Water Treaty, the envoy said Pakistan had requested the World Bank to play the role of an administrator in terms of the legal and technical objections raised by Pakistan on Kishan Ganga and Ratle hydro-power projects in India.

He reiterated that Pakistan would like to engage in a sustained, meaningful dialogue with India in order to resolve all the outstanding issues peacefully.
Islamabad: Pakistan's ex-army chief Gen(retd) Raheel Sharif will speak at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, discussing terrorism and security issues in the country, a first for a former military head of Pakistan at Davos.

Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf has also addressed the forum but as head of state. This is the first time that a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the WEF, The Express Tribune reported.

Raheel, who has the vast counter-insurgency experience, would highlight Pakistan Army's counter-insurgency operations and improved security environment in the country as well as in the region besides discussing opportunities under the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The annual WEF meetings will start from January 17 and continue for four days.

He will address three sessions of the WEF in addition to speaking at as many events arranged on the sidelines of the sessions. This includes a dinner by Munich Security Conference.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif last week said that Raheel had been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism.

Later, he backtracked from his statement and said Raheel did not seek government's permission before joining the Saudi- led alliance.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting which will be chaired jointly by Brian T Moynihan of the Bank of America, award-winning documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Helle Thorning- Schmidt, Frans van Houten and Meg Whitman, reports said.
China's official media today warned of a "large-scale war" if the US blocks it from accessing the artificial islands China has built in the contested South China Sea, a day after secretary of state nominee said Washington should deny Beijing access to the new islands.



In a scathing editorial titled "Is (Rex) Tillerson's bluster just a bluff for Senate?" state-run Global Times said his comments were aimed to "curry favour from senators and increase his chances of being confirmed by intentionally showing a tough stance toward China".



In testimony before the Senate, Tillerson who is nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the post of Secretary of State, likened China's island-building in the South China Sea to "Russia's taking of Crimea".



The new US government would send China a clear signal that "first the island building stops, and second your access to those islands is also not going to be allowed," he was reported to have said.



"It is not clear which point, among the many he made, he will prioritise. But it is worth looking at his remarks that China should not be allowed access to the islands, since this is the most radical statement from the US side so far" the editorial said.



"China has enough determination and strength to make sure that his rabble rousing will not succeed. Unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish," it said.



Another official newspaper, the China Daily said: "It remains a question whether Tillerson, former Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and chief executive, as secretary of state will get through Senate scrutiny."



"If he is appointed, it remains to be seen to what extent his views against China will translate into US foreign policies. After all, what we heard at Wednesday's confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee was essentially his personal policy inclinations," it said.



"Not only were his views divergent from, even contrary to, those of Trump on some critical issues. He openly conceded he is yet to have a serious, in-depth discussion with Trump on foreign policy imperatives," it said.



"Such remarks are not worth taking seriously because they are a mish-mash of naivety, shortsightedness, worn-out prejudices, and unrealistic political fantasies. Should he act on them in the real world, it would be disastrous," it said.



However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a sedate reaction said that China and the US share a lot of common interests and have a great potential for cooperation.



The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reacted guardedly to Tillerson comments as his government awaited Trump to take over the Presidency to have a diplomatic engagement.



Lu said China and the US share a lot of common interests and shoulder important responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace, security and development as permanent members of the UN Security Council.



"China and the US cooperation has brought tremendous benefits to the two countries and the two peoples and Beijing hopes to maintain that momentum," he said.
The seers will support BJP in the upcoming UP elections only if Prime Minister Narendra Modi promises to get the Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya during his tenure, the chief priest of the makeshift temple at the Ram Janm Bhumi-Babri Masjid disputed site said here.



The chief priest, Acharya Satyendra Das, said that 'mahanat' and 'sadhu' are believers of Lord Rama and their only wish is to see a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.



"After Modi government took over, we hoped that now the temple would be constructed.



"Modi must visit Ayodhya, give us a guarantee and announce that that he will get the Ram temple constructed during his tenure," said Das.

"Then we will mobilise the Hindu masses to vote for BJP as 'mahant' and 'sadhu' in Uttar Pradesh enjoy a strong following. If we support BJP, it will definitely win," he said.

Reacting to Das' demand, the Mahant of Rasik Niwas temple in Ayodhya, Raghuvar Sharan, alleged that the BJP leaders who gained politically due to the Ayodhya Ram temple movement never raised the issue in Parliament.

"The BJP leaders, who rose to politics due to Ayodhya issue including Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar and Uma Bharti, are all members of Parliament," he said.



"They never raised their voice for Ram temple in the House, neither did they demand that Prime Minister Modi bring a resolution in Parliament for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," Sharan said.


Meanwhile, popular Tamil actress Trisha, who has been targeted by pro-Jallikattu groups for her association with PETA today asserted that she never spoke against the popular sport. Some Jallikattu supporters had yesterday briefly picketed the site of the shooting of Tamil film "Garjanai", starring Trisha, in Sivaganga district, though the actress was not present at that spot.



Actors Kamal Haasan and Simbu have come out in defence of the leading actress. Trisha, an animal lover and advocate of animal rights, has appeared in PETA advertisements supporting adoption of homeless dogs. PETA had been opposing Jallikattu and yesterday wrote to the President and the Prime Minister arguing against any ordinance for holding the bull taming sport in the state. The animal rights group has come under severe attack from Jallikattu supporters who even demanded that PETA be "banned".



Determined in their efforts to conduct 'Jallikattu', people today mounted pressure on the Central and state governments by launching agitations against the ban on the bull taming sport, leading to detention of 149 protesters. The die-hard supporters of the sport along with major political parties in the state have been demanding an ordinance for conducting Jallikattu after the Supreme Court imposed a ban on it.While Jallikattu is held in Avaniapuram on Pongal day today, it shifts to Palamedu and Alanganallur in the district during the next two days. While 68 villagers were detained at Alanganallur staging a rail roko, several groups of young men led by film director Gowthaman, were held at Avaniapuram bus-stand near here for demanding lifting of the ban on the sport, police said."To ensure maintenance of law and order and compliance of Supreme Court orders, we detained Gowthaman and 148 others," Commissioner of Police, Madurai City, Shailesh Kumar Yadav told PTI. He said while the police allowed the film director to address the gathering for about 15-20 minutes, but his speech became "instigating" later.On claims that symbolic Jallikattu was held in one or two places to show opposition to the ban, Yadav said, "No Jallikattu was held and nothing will be held. We are ensuring that law is followed." He said all across the 27 km of the city and suburbs, adequate police personnel have been deployed to ensure that none got anywhere near the 'Vadivaasal' (entry points for bulls to the open grounds where Jallikattu used to be held).In a village off Alanganallur, a youth climbed a mobile phone tower seeking nod for Jallikattu. CPI state secretary R Mutharasan and PMK chief Ramadoss claimed that the protesters were lathicharged at Avaniapuram, and demanded action against those responsible. Police, however, said the protesters were only detained.Meanwhile, BJP's state president Tamilisai Soundararajan told reporters in Coimbatore that the party had been hopeful and was expecting that the Supreme Court would give a favourable verdict on Jallikkattu. But the postponement of verdict has come as shock to all, she said.To a specific question on PETA writing to the President to dismiss the Tamil Nadu government if the sport was allowed during Pongal festival, she said the organisation had no right to make such a demand and that the animal rights group should be banned.Stating that the ban on Jallikattu was imposed in 2012 during UPA rule, in which DMK was an ally, Tamilisai said, "The Dravidian party, which neither came out of the alliance nor from the government, had no moral right to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue." "The Centre has taken cautious steps apprehending the possibility of a permanent ban on the traditional Tamil sport if an ordinance is promulgated," she said, adding, even now it is considering taking steps for its conduct.On demand for resignation of Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan for his failure to see the Jallikkattu through this year, Tamilisai said it was not right to make such a demand. DMK working president M K Stalin condemned the alleged police lathicharge on the supporters of the sport.
The BJP on Friday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of Uttar Pradesh against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi following his claims of seeing partys symbol in the photos of gods and saints.



BJP delegation led by former MLC Shayam Nandan Singh alleged that Rahul has violated the Model Code of Conduct by "co-relating the Congress election symbol with religious figures".



The delegation which also handed over a video footage of Rahul Gandh's speech, alleged that the comments were against the recent Supreme Court's order. The delegation also demanded disqualification the Congress.



"Rahul Gandhi's behaviour is not only violative of the apex court's orders but also against section 123 (3) of Representation of the People's Act 1951," they said. Last week, the Supreme Court had ordered not to seek votes in the name of religion or caste.


Except for BJP, prominent leaders of Grand Alliance government participated in the feast hosted by Prasad at 10 Circular Road residence of his wife Rabri Devi. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Chairman of Legislative Council Awdesh Narayan Singh and Congress state chief and minister Ashok Choudhary attended the feast.



JD(U)'s invitation to BJP on 'Dahi-Chura' feast tomorrow on the occasion of Makarsankranti heated political pot in Bihar today. It is being seen as an extension of bonhomie between the two parties after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's support to demonetisation and which got strength after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's effusive praise of Kumar during Prakash Parva. JD(U) ally Congress and some other parties expressed displeasure over the invitation to BJP.Invitation to BJP for 'Dahi-Chura', the first since 2013 when JD(U) severed ties with the saffron party, has set the tongue wagging in political circles. The JD(U) feast would be held at the residence of Bihar party chief Basistha Narayan Singh. "Since its an auspicious occasion, I have invited everybody in the 'bhoj' irrespective of political affiliations," Basistha Narayan Singh told PTI today. "I have invited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD president Lalu Prasad, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, Congress leaders and also those from CPI and CPI(M)," Singh said.Sushil Modi, who skipped the Makarsankranti feast hosted by Prasad today, told reporters that he would attend the 'bhoj' organised by Basistha Narayan Singh tomorrow. The senior BJP leader gave strength to media speculations over display of bonhomie between former allies BJP and JD(U) that started from Nitish Kumar's support to demonetisation and peaked after PM's praise of Kumar. He said, "During Makarsankranti, the sun changes direction from South to North. Like change in weather, change in politics could never be ruled out. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"On inviting Modi, Basistha Narayan Singh said, "Its a social gathering to promote 'sadbhavna' (harmony) and no political meaning should be derived from it." "Bihar is witnessing a rare display of unity among all parties over passing of new Excise Law, 2016, and all parties deciding to participate in human chain on coming January 21 to express strong commitment to prohibition. We wish to further strengthen this sadbhavna," Singh said. But, Congress is not impressed.State Congress president and minister Ashok Choudhary told reporters that JD(U) could explain better why they have invited BJP in a political feast after no such invitation for two years. "Had it been some personal occasion like marriage, it could be understood. But inviting BJP in a political feast is something only JD(U) can explain," Choudhary said. He was non-committal over attending the feast and said tomorrow he would go to Siwan.Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union Minister of State for HRD Upendra Kushwaha, an ally of BJP, reminded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had cancelled a dinner to be hosted in honour of BJP leaders in the past. The cancellation had taken place in February 2014 when BJP and JD(U) were in alliance and during the national executive meeting of the saffron party.On not attending 'Dahi-Chura' feast thrown by Prasad, Sushil Kumar Modi said, "Instead of extending the invitation by himself or through any of his family members, he (Prasad) asked his PA to telephone me for the feast. When his PA is inviting, my PA will attend it.""He keeps saying that I (Sushil Modi) was his secretary during days of Patna University students union. Is it justified that a president does not talk directly to his secretary," Modi said and claimed that it showed "the RJD chief did not want us to attend his feast."
Belgian police have launched an anti-terrorist operation in the Molenbeek municipality of Brussels, Sputnik reported.

Several raids are being carried out in the Molenbeek districts under the supervision of the Brussels prosecutor's office.

Several people were detained within the raid, according to the broadcaster. Police cars reportedly blocked one of the streets.

No other details of the operation have been provided so far.

Belgium's terror alert level remains high after bomb attacks on a Brussels airport and a metro station killed 32 and injured over 300 people in March. The Islamic State jihadist group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Bride might as well clothe herself with a garment of the wind as stand forth publicly naked under her clouds of muslin.

 Galius Petronius Arbiter





We may be familiar with the term muslin, but do we know the real muslin? Have we felt that fine fabric which Marco Polo likened to white gold, or seen anything close to the delicate and diaphanous folds of Bengal muslin kameezes that were packed in snuff boxes, and gifted to Madame de Pompadour? Do we know the rigour of those that farmed the phuti karpas, spun the shimmering silvery, cotton fibre into extremely fine yarn, and the ardour of hands that wove it into the finest of fabrics, whose very charm became the crux of its demise?



Working with mulmul some years ago, I researched the fabric to discover that I was working with machine-made cotton voile that merely mimicked the muslin of yore. Muslin was unique. A fabric so fine that Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb is said to have chided his daughter for appearing in the nude when, in fact, she was draped in seven layers of it.



Making it involved an arduous process that engaged 10 different professionals from spinning to packing, and its history dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. To refer to the mulmul we get in the marketplace today as muslin was a travesty. The story of muslin is the stuff that legends are made of, carrying within its folds a telling tale of power and politics, poetics of fashion, and the declining value of working with the hand.



Renowned cotton



Muslin defined a broad category of fabric generally implying fine, white or off-white cotton cloth. There are few indicators to tell us how fine this fabric was, but 250 count and above was the starting point for what was called muslin. It was mostly plain, edged with gold or red, woven or embroidered with motifs, and rarely dyed. Among the few places that produced fine muslin in undivided India, Dhaka muslin was considered the benchmark. Its cotton was glossy, feather-light and transparent. Its fibre was capable of being spun into threads of above a thousand count.



The weavers produced both plain fabric and the flowered jamdani  also called Aurangzebi because it was favoured by this Mughal emperor. Mughal rulers adopted muslin, especially the mulmul khas, as the fabric of their choice. The fine, loosely-woven cotton fabric allowed air to move easily through the material and was suitable for a hot and dry clime. It was also befitting from the ascetic view of Islam that frowned upon male ostentation. Plain white muslin jamas teamed with pearls and rubies emphasised the understated elegance and symbolic simplicity of the clothing of the Mughals.



The unique Dhaka muslin, woven from a special cotton plant called the phuti karpas, was identified by William Roxburgh, the father of Indian botany, (1751-1815) as Gosspypium arboreum (tree cotton). Grown along the mud-lined banks of the Brahmaputra, this rain-fed cotton was nourished by flood-borne nutrients of the Meghna river in East Bengal. It is now extinct and nothing quite resembles the red-stemmed plant that had bloomed in Bengals unique riverine nursery. The fact that the plant which created this legendary fabric has been wiped out, speaks of the ethics adopted by mechanisation.



The use of muslin was not confined to the subcontinent alone. Muslin circled the globe with trade dating back to the ancient Greeks, who bought it from Machalipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Roman statesman and scholar Pliny lamented on the expensive tastes of Roman women for muslin that withdrew from our empire one hundred million of sesterces every year  so dearly do we pay for our luxury and our women.



References of trade with the Roman and the Chinese empires are found in Ptolemys Geography, in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, and documents by ancient Chinese travellers. Roman trade started to decline in 475 CE, and by early 17th century, Arabs became Indias dominant trade partners. Italian traveller Ludovico di Varthema (1503-1508) noted that fifty ships are laden every year in this place (Gaur or Bengal) with cotton and silk stuffsthese same stuffs go through all Turkey, through Syria, through Persia, through Arab Felix, through Ethiopia, and through India.



An item of luxury



European historical records are replete with accounts of muslin as an item of luxury; an accessory for royalty, a necessity for the privileged and an aspiration for the emerging merchant class. Marie Antoinette was introduced to the fabric by her milliner, and despite Napoleons aversion for a fabric symbolic of his arch enemy, Josephine owned 100 dresses of muslin. Europe used to procure the muslin through Iranian and Armenian merchants, but with the establishment of European companies and their settlements in Bengal in the 17th century, export of Muslin from India increased enormously. Its later decline was due to loss of patronage from the Mughal emperors who lost power, prestige and buying capacity. With the establishment of East India Companys monopoly, trade with other European companies diminished.



However, the most significant reason for change in the status and decline of the muslin handloom production in India was the industrial revolution in England. Costly handcrafted cotton goods, particularly muslin, lost out in competition with cheaper fabric produced by machines. As Karl Marx noted, It was the British intruder who broke up the Indian handloom and destroyed the spinning-wheel. England began with driving the Indian cottons from the European market and in the end inundated the very mother country of cotton with cottons.



When muslin fever began to sweep across England in the 1680s, English weavers and wool manufacturers lobbied for restrictions and eventually, it was their sophisticated mechanical inventions which replaced the handmade muslin forever. Exports of muslin from Britain sky-rocketed between 1760 and 1780, cotton exports from Dhaka dropped 50% between 1747 and 1797, and by 1817, had ceased altogether. Incompatible with mechanised spinning, the short-staple cotton of the phuti karpas was replaced by long-staple American cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), leading to the extinction of phuti karpas. Aided further by the famines in Bengal, the fabric that had once captured the imagination of poets as woven air with light vapours of dawn, vanished forever.
Skyfire

Aroon Raman

Pan Macmillan

2016, pp 242,Rs 299





Indias Robert Ludlum (or Dan Brown, if you will!) presents his new book, Skyfire. The main characters of The Shadow Throne join hands again to save the nation, and the world. Since I have not read Aroon Ramans previous books, I dived into this one with a sense of expectancy for the unknown. And an enjoyable satisfying dive it was!



Freak floods in the Karakoram ranges close to the Indo-Pak border. Acid rains in many towns. People, especially children, go missing without a trace in Delhi. Is there any link among these events? None whatsoever on the face of it. But the trio from The Shadow Throne  journalist Chandrasekhar, history professor Meenakshi Pirzada, and intelligence officer Hassan  are smarter than you or I. Along with some new characters who play a pivotal role in this book, they join hands to get to the bottom of the sinister plot.



The story grips you from the first chapter on (a marker of a readable book), where the author deftly mixes fact and fiction to set the pace. The flooding and tsunami-like gushing waters resulting from the unusual and unexpected storm remind one of the floods in Leh in 2010 where a years worth of rain fell in one night, leading to mudflows and carnage that the authorities and residents were totally unprepared to cope with. This makes the tale even more credible. And frightening.



Two years down the line, in Delhi, a street child from a school run by Chandra and Meenakshi goes missing. Their search for this bright and curious kid reveals that other destitute kids too have vanished without a trace. The duo snoop around on their own in order to find the missing kids, but eventually they have to enlist the help of their friend Hassan to find an answer to the disturbing incidents.



Much as he would like to help, Hassan is on an official mission to solve the mystery of fluke weather patterns across the country that are causing havoc, disease, deaths, and is therefore barred by his bosses to work on the missing kids case. Expert meteorologists suggest that the odd weather patterns (acid rain in Indore, burning winds in Salem) are abnormal and are probably caused by weather manipulation by humans. Intelligence departments are involved to get to the bottom of these events and find the baddies. However, Hassan, in his personal capacity, does lend a hand to his friends in solving the missing- children mystery but ends up goes missing himself!



This strengthens the resolve of our intrepid lead characters, Chandra and Meenakshi, who seek help from government as well as non-government but powerful agencies to find their friend and the missing kids. The influential Harshvardhan Dharma of the NGO Dharma Foundation (that steps in whenever the government is not able to cope with natural disasters) is their only hope. He agrees to help and, based on clues, the trio, accompanied by the beauteous Vaishali (who uncannily resembles Chandras dead wife) and the passionate meteorologist Dr Das go to Bhutan. What is the connection between the two disparate and parallel mysteries? Is there any, or is there not? Well, for that, the book needs to be read.



Raman is a master storyteller who grips the reader from page one. The narrative is pacy with the heart going lub-dup, lub-dup on occasions. The research is commendable with two biggest agendas of the United Nations, global terror and climate change, coalescing in this yarn competently. However, as it inches towards the end, the planning for the Bhutan adventure seems shoddy; for a mission of such enormity, where lives could be put in danger, the planning seems lacklustre. Or is that how things work in real life? The language is taut, except for a few heavy, labouring sentences that make one want to get on with the story by speed-reading them. But, thats nitpicking!



Most of the tale is backed up by scientific research that is explained simply, so as to be understood easily by even non-scientific readers who need not go running to Uncle Google. HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program), which has been termed the Moby Dick of conspiracy theories, plays an important part, and shows the kind of research Raman has done in the creation of this perfect nail-biter, or peanut-muncher. Not only are floods, droughts, famines and acid rain blamed on HAARP in real life, but mind-control of people, downing of flights and even the Gulf War syndrome are thought to be triggered by the programme. Oh boy! As if we didnt have enough military, chemical, biological and nuclear warfare to frighten us already, now we have meteorological warfare as well.



Aside: the identity of the bad people is not hard to guess. But never mind, go read it.




The displaced tribals at Diddalli in Chennayanakote Gram Panchayat of Virajpet taluk have refused to move to the land identified by the district administration for rehabilitation.





The Diddalli tribals arrived at a decision to reject the land identified at a meeting of Bhoomi Matthu Vasathi Hakku Vanchithara Horata Samithi held at Kodagu Community Hall here on Saturday.



The tribals said, There are enough documents to prove that Diddalli was a Paisari land (land identified for distribution among siteless poor). As a result, the sites should be distributed for the displaced tribals at Diddalli itself. The land identified by the district administration for rehabilitation at Basavanahalli and Rampura in Kushalnagar taluk and Kedamullur in Virajpet taluk lack basic facilities. If we reside in the land identified, we will not get work for our livelihood. We will not accept an alternative land identified by the district administration.



In a press meet after the meeting, senior advocate A K Subbaiah said, There is 8,500 acres of Paisari land on Survey Number 106/7 A at Maldare in Diddalli. Let the district administration provide rehabilitation on the sites cleared by the Forest Department. The district administration had conspired against the activists by not inviting them to a meeting convened by District In-Charge Minister M R Seetharam. The issue should be sorted out in a meeting convened by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.



Mega meet in Madikeri

He said a mega convention will be held at Madikeri March. A state-level convention will be held in Bengaluru on April 14. A 22-member committee has been constituted to fight for the cause of displaced, he said.



Subbaiah said that the fight should continue till the displaced get justice.

The timber lobby and individuals with vested interests are involved in clearing of tribals from Diddalli. Even politicians are hand-in-glove with them. District In-charge Minister M R Seetharam and Deputy Commissioner Richard Vincent DSouza are acting as puppets in their hands, he charged.



Documents on land

At a meeting held under the chairmanship of Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya, it was decided to collect the documents to prove that Diddalli land was a Paisari land and later convene a meeting under the leadership of the chief minister.



We have all documents to prove that it is a Paisari land. Now, the ball is in the chief ministers court. Let him solve the issue, he said.



Tribal leader Muthappa said, Title deeds are given to the members of Erava, Paniya, Jenu Kuruba community members. But RTC has not been given to them so far. We are not asking for 10 acres of land. Let the authorities sanction minimum of three acres of land, he said.
This is the last Indian village along the international border in Uttar Pradesh. The Nepal border is barely 500 metres away from perhaps its closest neighbourhood.





Fakirpuri is 120 km from the states Baharaich district headquarters. One has to drive through 53 km of dense forests and lush green fields from Mihinpurwa block to reach this small village dominated by the Tharu tribe with a population of about 1,440. Tharu community is an ethnic group indigenous to the Terai region (Himalayan foothills) in India and Nepal.



Inaccessibility and proximity to the international border make this village difficult to reach. Mobile and internet connectivity is also poor. Other than the deployment of security forces, an anganwadi centre and a primary school there are no other traces to show the administrations presence.



The healthcare system operates from a sub-centre, which is situated about 8 km away. The Aamba sub-centre is run by an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) Sumitra Devi and assisted by an accredited social health activist (ASHA) Prem Kumari, who is the first port of call in case any health-related issue arises. If Sumitra Devi has been instrumental in ensuring the safety of young mothers and children since 1989, Prem Kumari has been promoting ante-natal care, institutional deliveries, postpartum care, immunisation and even family planning. The closest tertiary care facility is the District Hospital at Baharaich.



It is very challenging but satisfying also, says Sumitra with a smile. The community also contributes its bit in running the show, she adds.



Just a few months back during the monsoon season, the region had witnessed massive floods and the village had been totally cut-off from the mainland resulting in acute shortage of drinking water, vaccines and medicines at the sub-centre with the threat of water-borne diseases looming large.



The ANM started functioning from a nearby sub-centre where her mobile was partially functional. The sub-centre was not totally submerged. One of the ASHAs coordinated with the community resource person  posted by the technical support unit which is helping the Uttar Pradesh government in implementing a comprehensive programme to improve the maternal and child healthcare. She coordinated with the ANM to alert the staff at the one of the larger facilities in the block regarding the urgent need for medicines, vaccines and clean water.



The staff from the Motipur Primary Health Centre brought supplies to the sub-centre where the ANM was stationed at that time. To transport the medicines and vaccines to the flooded area of the block, local villagers packed them in polythene bags which they tied to their bodies. The villagers used rubber tubes to swim across the flooded area, ferrying supplies to Aamba sub-centre and Fakirpuri village.



Even during normal times, Sumitra Devi has to fetch medicines and vaccines from Bicchiya railway station, approximately 15 km from Fakirpuri, and the last rail head to the region, on her scooter. Alternately, when she goes for the weekly cluster meetings, she picks up the required stock.



Prem Kumari has been running the show efficiently. She has all details on her fingertips and narrates without hesitation that there should to be 39 pregnant women registered with her as per the population norms. Her village and health index register (VHIR) was updated and she was proficient in discussing the five key indicators of mother and child care-- registration, ANC, Institutional Delivery, PNC and use of contraceptives.



Despite all these initiatives, some deliveries still take place at home. This was primarily because of lack of mobile connectivity. The BSNL connectivity here is not very good and sometimes it is not possible to call an ambulance. Therefore, we have to plan the birth well in advance. I tell families that they should make alternative arrangements for deliveries just in case the ambulance could not arrive, she says. But, there are times when deliveries are done at home due to logistical problems, she explains. She was trained in home-based neonatal care as well.



ASHA batayin raha kewal apna doodh pilana pani bhi nahi dena, (ASHA had asked me to feed the child only breast milk), said a lactating mother, when asked what she learnt from ASHA. She is a highly respected individual in the village with people taking her seriously. The umbilical cord of Sumitras new born child was dry and nothing was applied, which normally is the practice in the communities. Her husband said he would have the second child only after a gap of at least four years, and her wife would opt for intra uterine contraceptive device. A large number of eligible couples have opted for modern methods of contraception.



But this change did not come overnight. According to Prem Kumari, whenever she used to ask women to adopt family planning methods, some would tell her that she also had two children, so why had she not opted for sterilisation. Then I decided to set an example and opted for sterilisation, she said. Interestingly, the community does not hanker after male child and there is no discrimination between girls and boys. Girls are, in fact, called babu, something often used for boys. The use of babu explains the status of girls.



The induction of community resources persons has brought about a massive change in the healthcare systems in far-off areas. She coordinated well with the frontline workers and services are being delivered, and little wonder then that healthcare indicators are improving at all levels, Jairam Pathak, Zonal Community Specialist, said.




Despite a high court ban on cockfights and warnings by the state police, bets worth crores of rupees were placed in the costal districts of Andhra Pradesh.





The traditional Sankranthi time cockfights which began in both the Godavari districts, Krishna and parts of Guntur on Friday, were expected to generate a turnover of Rs 300 crore by Monday despite a cash crunch post demonetisation. This time the punters found alternative modes of cash transfer.



Plastic money and Aadhaar-based apps saved the day, with the organisers providing free Wi-Fi facility at the huge arenas. In some places like Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Bhimavaram, the organisers even deployed drones to alert them on the movement of police parties. The organisers, who had initially agreed to abide by the police direction against tying blades to the legs of the fighting cocks and indulging in betting, found full support to break the law from their political bosses across all political parties. So far the police have arrested only 20 people for betting and one businessman from Telangana for firing in the air with a licensed arm.



The rich and famous from Telangana, in their swanky SUVs, descended on the coastal towns of Kakinada, Palakollu, Kovvur, Rajahmundry and Amalapuram to take part in betting. On Friday, the turnover crossed Rs 100 crore, according to the estimates of experienced punters.



The Hyderabad High Court, responding to a batch of petitions filed by several animal rights organisations, in its order had directed district collectors to ensure that no cock fights take place.


The BJP is fighting resentment within its ranks as its loyalists feel that party hoppers are preferred over loyalists in ticket distribution for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.





Just as it prepares to release its first list of candidates on Monday, the party has received inputs from the district units that there could be fierce opposition if outsiders are preferred over the old leaders, BJP sources said.



Party workers have taken to the streets and are protesting in many places against inclusion of outsiders, as the leadership is thought to have assured tickets to 26 of the sitting MLAs who joined the BJP in recent months.



Sources revealed that a hundred former BJP members who had returned to the party fold have also been promised tickets.



Some district units have written to the party top leadership warning of a revolt if local leaders are left out.



Former state Congress unit president Reeta Bahuguna Joshi and former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya were among the prominent outsiders who are assured of a ticket.



A few days ago, local BJP leaders staged a protest against the possible nomination of Joshi from the Lucknow Cantonment seat, while protests were also held in Lalitpur, Agra, Aligarh and other places.



We should have thought about it before admitting such a large number of leaders from other parties, rued a senior BJP leader.


Prime Minister Narendra Modis diktat to BJP leaders that they should not seek ticket for their family members has dampened the mood of some seniors, particularly in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.





Though the prime ministers call came a week ago, when he had wrapped up the partys national executive, the message has begun to sink in only now. With party chief Amit Shah setting in motion an elaborate selection process, senior leaders are wondering whether the futures of their kith and kin will be totally disregarded, as the winning ability of any aspirant will be the key factor for getting nomination.



Among those hoping for a ticket include Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs son Pankaj, the partys state unit general secretary, who has been hoping for a ticket since 2000.

During the period when his father was the national party chief, Pankaj had opted out of the race. When the prime minister spoke at the national executive on the issue of nepotism, the home minister was not present.



State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya has already said the party would only consider the children of leaders, if they, apart from figuring in the party survey, have served the party for at least 10 years.



Many leaders who recently joined the party from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are also seeking tickets for their family. They include Swami Prasad Maurya, Brajesh Pathak and Jugal Kishore.



Those who joined the BJP recently, including former state Congress committee chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Maurya, are also members of the BJPs state election committee that would recommend candidates from a huge pile of 25,000 applicants.



Maurya joined the BJP with his son Utkrisht and daughter Sanghamitra, for whom he is seeking a party ticket along with him. Mauryas son and daughters had contested the 2012 polls on BSP tickets.


Even as protests continued for the fourth day, more than 100 people courted arrest in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu after they tried to organise Jallikattu in defiance of the apex court ban on the event.





The police also arrested several Jallikattu supporters for organising the bull-taming sport, defying Section 144, which was imposed in several sensitive areas on Friday.



In Coimbatore district, nearly 200 villagers organised a rekla (ox cart) race in Ettimadi taluk in protest against the ban on Jallikattu. However, no arrests were made since the event organisers dispersed before the police arrived at the spot.



All attention is on Alanganallur, famous for conducting Jallikattu during Pongal, after villagers warned that they would go ahead with the event on Sunday. Additional security forces have been deployed in the area.
India is likely to be cautious in its response to Chinas latest proposal to start negotiations on a bilateral treaty of friendship and cooperation.





New Delhi was surprised by the latest set of proposals from Beijing, which included not only a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, but also a Free Trade Agreement and an early harvest deal to partially settle the long-pending boundary dispute.



Beijing also offered to discuss with New Delhi ways to find common ground between the Belt and Road initiative of China and Indias Act East policy. New Delhi has so far been opposed to the Belt and Road initiative.



China put forward the fresh set of proposals to mend its ties with India, even as the complex relations between the two neighbours came under stress over the past few months.



Beijing not only stonewalled New Delhis bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group, but also blocked its move at the United Nations to impose international sanctions on terrorist Masood Azhar, who lives in Pakistan and masterminded several attacks in India, including one on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, Punjab, in January 2016.



Lao Zhouhui, Beijings envoy to New Delhi, publicly articulated Chinas latest set of proposals to add new momentum to its ties with India.



We should negotiate the bilateral Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, Free Trade Agreement, early harvest related to border issues and so on, said Lou, delivering a speech at the University of Mumbai on Tuesday. We should also discuss how to synergise Chinas Belt and Road initiative with Indias Act East Policy, he added.



Sources in New Delhi said that India will cautiously study the set of proposals put forward by China, particularly the one for starting negotiation on the proposed Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. While New Delhi remained committed to improving ties with Beijing, its engagements with the communist country in the coming days would be guided by the national interests of India, sources told DH.




In what seemed like a break from the usual militant stance, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in Kolkata on Saturday that the organisations job is to preserve the Hindu way of life and not oppose other communities.





Bhagwat urged his comrades to invest some time and money every day for the betterment of the Hindu society.



Are Hindus safe in India? Can they worship their deities as they want?said Bhagwat, addressing the organisations first-ever rally at the Brigade Parade grounds, barely a kilometre from downtown Kolkata and the central business district.



Its not a wonder that Hindus are not in good shape across the world. When they are not living in glory even in their motherland, how can we talk about how they survive elsewhere? he said.



A unified stand



Invoking RSS founder K B Hedgewar, Bhagwat said, He asked us through his writings not to blame the Mughals and the British rulers for our problems. We need to be unified and we should work towards the betterment of Hindus so that nobody dares to look down upon us. People respect the powerful.



Swami Vivekananda asked us not to be weak because weakness is death, he added.

Reiterating the need to uplift the cause of Hindus instead of focusing on other communities, Bhagwat said, The RSS mission is to empower Hindus, not to react to others. Even if there were no Muslims or Christians in India and Hindus were still living in the same state as they are now, our goal would have remained the same.



The RSS chief said that even the Supreme Court has acknowledged that Hindutva is more than a religion, and that it is a way of life, and urged his Sangh comrades to give one-third of a day and one-third of their daily income for the betterment of the Hindu society.



Referring to the hurdles faced by the RSS in organising the rally, as the Mamata Banerjee-administration had refused to grant permission, Bhagwat said, Its an age-old thing for politicians to disrupt the activities of thinkers, but they have never let their mission get affected.



The rally was organised with permission from the Calcutta High Court, which specified that only 4,000 invitees would be allowed to participate.


ADS ADS

At the end of a breathtaking ice show performed by Stephane Lambiel, the renowned Swiss figure skater and Hublot ambassador, the Swiss watch Manufacture unveiled a new model on the ice of the Megeve ice rink to mark the start of the year: the Classic Fusion "La Grande Odyssee 2017". This limited edition of 100 numbered pieces pays a spirited tribute to La Grande Odyssee Savoie Mont Blanc, an epic sled dog race through the fairytale landscapes of Haute-Savoie, which Hublot is partner for the third consecutive year.



La Grande Odyssee Savoie Mont Blanc is one of the last remaining playgrounds for these sailors of the white seas, in search of the absolute. La Grande Odyssee Savoie Mont Blanc is also the story of a dream. The dream of a great adventure that would traverse our Alpine peaks, despite the fact that, for many decades, the standard in this sport had been to race the icy plains, with very little elevation. This dream, born of the imaginations of Nicolas Vanier and Henry Kam, became a reality in January 2005, when the first ever La Grande Odyssee Savoie Mont Blanc took place. Beyond the sporting competition, while in the northern regions, snowmobiles have replaced sleds, La Grande Odyssee Savoie Mont Blanc recreates a link with adventure with a capital A, extolling a certain vision of sport, nature and respect for the environment.







As Official Timekeeper of La Grande Odyssee Savoie Mont Blanc, Hublot is reaffirming the unique commitment of a traditional watch Manufacture: the measurement of time. This measurement is critical to the mushers from around the world, for whom the passage of time is both their worst enemy and closest ally. Between 7th and 18th January 2017, seeking both adventure and victory, the participants will take part in a modern-day saga through the snow-covered peaks of France's Savoie region, completing 10 stages over a distance of 1000 gruelling kilometres.





The Classic Fusion "La Grande Odyssee 2017" watch pays tribute to a unique race The combination of the blue of the dial and the titanium case evokes the striking contrast of the immaculate white of virgin snow against the blue of the sky. This shade of blue also matches the eyes of the sled dogs who loyally accompany their mushers. The satin finish of the dial echoes the way the sun's rays reflect off the powder snow. The wind rose at three o'clock, the precursor to the compass, symbolises the spirit of adventure and authenticity so dear to Hublot. The "vintage" treatment of its strap evokes the harshness of such a trek, where the mushers are constantly pushed to the limits, drawing on immense mental strength.




Air India chief Ashwani Lohani on Saturday made a veiled attack on the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for a CBI probe against the national carrier.





Lohani said the omnipresent shadow of vigilance is causing maximum damage to the public sector.



Lohanis strong words in a blog post  Pinning the executive down  came a day after the CBI registered a case on a reference from the CVC for procedural irregularities in the procurement of software worth Rs 225 crore in 2011.



Without naming the CVC, he said, I am unable to appreciate the basic premise that we require a non-executive to keep an eye on every single aspect of the working of the executive and that we should have checks and balances that are highly tilted in favour of the checks.



Starting his blog with those who idle shall commit no mistake, Lohani said whether the variety of watchdogs were able to reduce the levels of corruption is a matter of debate, but the fact remains that they have been successful in stifling deliverance almost everywhere. He said the ever-lasting shadow of vigilance and investigative agencies over the minutest processes undertaken by the executive is one single factor that has caused the maximum damage to the public sector.



Echoing the executives frustration, he said commercial organisations need to be swift in decision-making processes to face competition from the private sector.



...but how the hell and also why the hell would an executive take a decision if he knows that it would be dissected in hindsight, motives would be ascribed even where there are none and he may even face a life of ignominy for a long time later, if the investigative agencies so desire, he said.



Describing the lodging of the case a shock, he said there could be procedural lacunae, but there is no apparent malafide in it. The investigation is bound to hit the company hard as it would further strengthen the belief that following processes is important and deliverance can take a backseat. Lohani said merely following the laid-down system guarantees personal safety is sadly becoming the norm in the public sector.


In a hit-and-run case, a 25-year-old engineer was run over by a bus near the entrance of Terminal 3 of Kempegowda bus stand on Saturday.





The deceased is Srinivas Rao, a native of Hindupur, who was living in CV Raman Nagar. He was working as a contract engineer for a Central government establishment, said the police.



Around 6.50 am, Rao was waiting to board an Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bus to go to Hindupur. As the bus arrived, passengers rushed towards the bus. Rao, who was also trying to board the bus through the front door, lost balance and fell down. The driver moved the vehicle and Rao fell under the front wheel of the bus and was run over, added the police.



The passengers raised an alarm and the driver stopped the bus. The public informed a traffic police constable, who alerted the Upparpet traffic police and shifted Rao to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The driver of the bus fled with the vehicle. APSRTC officials in Hindupur were informed and have asked the driver to surrender.
Proving that feminism is not only for women, Sangam Iyer, a media person, led a peaceful protest in Freedom Park against molestation of women on the night of December 31.





Around a hundred men and women from different backgrounds, dressed in black, gathered in the evening to demand a safer city for women.



After I read about the incidents on New Years eve, I could not sleep in peace. I wanted to do something about it, Iyer said. To take discussions beyond likes and shares on Facebook, he created an event titled Peaceful Protest against Mass Molestation. The group raised slogans such as Its a dress, not a yes and See it, hear it, report it. Many women described personal experiences of being harassed.



Online petition



Iyer has also started a petition on Change.org addressed to the commissioner of police. The petition makes several recommendations to the police to ensure safety of women and has received more than 1,300 signatures. Increasing patrolling at night in areas with heavy footfall consulting women to identify unsafe areas are some of the measures suggested.



The petition also recommends that the police run a campaign to educate people on how to make a report and the course of action available to them. Iyer will submit the recommendations to the commissioner in person next week.




The decision of the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) to provide the question paper and answer booklet separately in this years SSLC exam has caused anxiety among high school teachers.



In a hurry, the students may write the wrong question number against their answers or forget to write numbers for sub-questions. They may stand to lose marks for such errors, said the headmaster of a private school in Bengaluru.



While the system of providing the question paper separately did exist earlier, he said providing a combined booklet was better for Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE). In the CCE system, students are required to write specific answers. The space provided in the booklet used to be just right. Now they may write long answers, unnecessarily, he added.



This may result in students losing precious time, said Shashi Kumar D, general secretary of Associated Managements of Private Unaided English Medium School in Karnataka (KAMS). There should have been a consultation with teachers and headmasters before the decision was taken. A committee should have been formed to see whether the change had merit, Kumar said.



While announcing the move, KSEEB said students will benefit because they would be able to carry the question paper back with them for reference.



Teachers are also worried that it will make the evaluation process complicated and time-consuming. The student can attempt questions in any order which means the evaluator will have to repeatedly look through the sheets for the matching answer. This may be time-consuming, said a science teacher from Koppal taluk. Earlier, students could write only one answer for one question in the space provided.



With the booklet, students are likely to attempt the same question more than once, making the task of evaluation difficult, he said. A senior official from the Board dismissed the concerns, saying it was a minor change and students will not face problems.




There is a possible twist to the sensational murder of a 35-year-old lawyer from Nelamangala and the subsequent suicide of a 32-year-old panchayat development officer (PDO).





Amit Keshavamurthy, the lawyer, was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity, his cousin, Manjunath Gowda, claimed on Saturday. Amit was not the paramour Shruthi Gowdas husband and father-in-law thought he was, he said.



Amit was sitting with Shruthi, the PDO, in her white Maruti Swift in Hesaraghatta, north Bengaluru, on Friday afternoon. Shruthis husband, Rajesh Gowda, and father-in-law, Gopalakrishna, followed her in a Toyota Innova, on the basis of GPS installed in her automobile. They both suspected she was having an affair. Amits presence in the car validated their suspicion and one of them shot him dead with Gopalakrishnas licensed revolver.



Manjunath said Rajesh and Gopalakrishna had mistaken Amit for Shruthis paramour. Amit had gone with Shruthi to discuss a case related to her work. He wasnt having an affair with her. Her lover was a man named Ravindra. But Shruthis husband and father-in-law mistook Amit, Manjunath said. He added that Ravindras house is close to the place where the shooting happened.



Police, however, do not believe the story. They still suspect that Amit and Shruthi were having an affair. Quoting Rajeshs relatives, police sources said Shruthi had lied to her husband about having a meeting at her office at Railway Gollahalli. She had actually gone out with Amit to Hesaraghatta. Rajesh had installed GPS in Shruthis car to track her movement. He was appalled to trace the car to Chikkabanavara, more than 30 km from Railway Gollahalli.



Police said Rajesh wanted to catch her red-handed and kill Amit. He told his father about Shruthis act. They called their chauffeur to drive them to Hesaraghatta, police said.



Investigators clarified that the shooter had fired only one bullet. Amit had kept his right fist on the left chest. The bullet pierced the fist before embedding itself in the chest. The twin bullet injuries led police to infer that two rounds had been fired.



The incident took a drastic turn when Shruthi drove Amit to Sapthagiri Hospital. Once hospital staff told he was dead, she drove to Hotel Raj Vista nearby and checked into room number 301.



A hotel staffer said, She was calm and composed. She gave her PAN card. We also took the details of her car.



After she checked in, our room service staff called her repeatedly to ask if she needed anything. There was no response even after two hours. Her relatives and police arrived and found her hanging from the fan with a bedspread.




Faced with acute water shortage, particularly during the summer months, Bengaluru is struggling hard to cope . If this is the scenario now, how scary will it be in 2031? The Revised Master Plan 2031 document released recently by the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) offers some clues.





The scary part is this: To cater to the needs of a projected population of 20.3 million in 2031, the water demand will be 5,340 Million Litres per Day (MLD). This includes 3,920 MLD for domestic potable purposes and 2,745 MLD for non-potable and commercial purposes.



The RMP has stressed the need to finalise a perennial source capable of meeting the water demand till 2031 and beyond. The estimated demand may be reduced in the long term by reducing the Unaccounted For Water (UFW) to 15-20%, implementation of Dual Pipeline System, use of lakes for water sourcing, etc.



The document has put forward a set of short, medium and long-term proposals to meet the shortfalls by 2021, 2031 and 2051. The cumulative shortfall will be 69.45 TMCft by 2051.



One key proposal to address the shortage by 2021 is to reduce the UFW to 16%. To get an additional 12.88 TMCft of water from Cauvery within the framework of the Cauvery Water Tribunal Award is another proposal. This should be taken up in two phases of 500 MLD each, one immediately and the other after five years.



Rejuvenation of the Arkavathi catchment is a third short-term proposal. This can be achieved by diverting for the present, about 100 MLD (1.20TMC) from the Vrishabhavathi valley Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to the Arkavathi catchment.



The mid-term proposals include diversion of water from Yettinahole and other streams to the catchment of TG Halli. This, the document indicates, will fetch 10 tmcft. Diverting water from Linganamakki reservoir to TG Halli will fetch another 10 tmcft. Long-term proposals include the construction of a reservoir at Mekedattu, further drawal of water from Linganamakki reservoir to Bengaluru and more focus on rainwater harvesting.



Currently, BWSSB draws about 19 tmcft of water from Cauvery to meet the citys demand. The plan is now to get an additional 10 tmcft (775 MLD) as accorded by the Cauvery Tribunal to meet the water demand in the BBMP area alone. However, due to the high proportion of UFW, the document warns that the dependency on ground water will increase further. In the villages in and around the city, this trend will be particularly apparent.




The Solana Beach City Council approved two construction projects at its meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 11, one to install pedestrian ramps at a number of street corners in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and another to repair a storm drain on Palmitas Street.

The two projects were approved unanimously, without discussion, as part of the councils consent agenda.

Pedestrian ramps will be installed at 15 corners under the ADA project, which was funded by a Community Development Block Grant through the County of San Diego, according to a staff report. The intersections are on Santa Rosita, Santa Hidalgo, Santa Queta, Fresca Street and Solana Hills Drive.

The city received a grant of $53,399 for the project, and the lowest bid, by Miramar General Engineering, came in at $39,450, said the staff report. The additional money will be used for construction contingencies, and could also be used to construct additional pedestrian ramps.

Unused funds could also be used for a future project in the city, said the report. Community Development Block Grants are a program of the federal department of Housing and Urban Development. San Diego County administers the program for unincorporated areas, as well as the cities of Solana Beach, Del Mar, Poway, Coronado, Lemon Grove and Imperial Beach.

The Council also approved a project to replace part of a rock-lined concrete ditch along Palmitas Street with an underground storm drain system. The project will cost $77,481, and is scheduled to be completed by March, according to a staff report.

The city awarded the construction contract to Miramar General Engineering, which submitted the lowest of 15 bids for the project, said the staff report.

Removal of the failed section of the ditch will prevent future erosion and also create an additional pedestrian walkway, said the report. The project also includes the creation of a concrete swale along the roadway to improve pavement durability.
Dan Ayoub, Studio Head at 343 Industries, introduces the video game 'Halo Wars 2' during Microsoft Corp. Xbox at the Galen Center on June 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/ Kevork Djansezian)

While answering a question to Xbox fans on Twitter, Xbox executive Phil Spencer has admitted that even he himself is not sure if Xbox Scorpio will make an appearance at E3 2017. This implies that the release date is far from being known as well.



Spencer was in a Twitter spree, where he answered dozens of questions from the Xbox community. During the query session, he managed to update Xbox fans on the current status of Project Scorpio, saying that he was "absolutely" happy with the state of things so far.



Advertisement

@Sn4kee @BeastFireTimdog Honestly not sure yet but I know people want this.

 Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 11, 2017





@BeastFireTimdog Absolutely, great that our 1st party teams are getting engines up and tuned, great progress across studios, platform and hw

 Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 11, 2017





This update comes over six months since Microsoft first teased Project Scorpio at E3 2016. In between these two updates, the company had remained mum, with many rumors coming from different forums and online platforms.



Nevertheless, Franchise Development Director for Halo and a head of 343 industries Frank O'Connor has disclosed through Neo Gaf Forums that Xbox Scorpio is beefier than it had earlier been expected.This description closely matches an earlier one given by Microsoft, labeling the upcoming console as the "most powerful console ever."



Being a renowned personality in the world of tech, O'Conner's praise for Scorpio has reawakened the Xbox community. His commentary has seemingly canceled out Spencer's uncertainties, with many fans expressing their enthusiasm and expectations, particularly on the console's release.



Project Scorpio's release date is not yet clear although the most likely one is at E3 2017, according to MS Power User. Notably, Microsoft had earlier announced at E3 2017 that the console would be available somewhere around 2017 Holiday so there is still some glimmer of hope.



Back at E3 2016, the company briefly introduced Scorpio, mentioning some of the key specs of the console. The company said that it will bring true 4K gaming and high-fidelity virtual reality via its 6 Teraflops of power, a powerful Octa-core processor, and 320 GB/s of memory bandwidth.



Project Scorpio is expected to be a big leap over Xbox One S and Xbox One and the next promotional card for Microsoft in the console market. Here is a complete specs analysis and price:


Washington, DC, 12 January 2017 (Human Rights Watch)  The rise of populist leaders in the United States and Europe poses a dangerous threat to basic rights protections while encouraging abuse by autocrats around the world, Human Rights Watch said today in launching its World Report 2017 [pdf]. Donald Trumps election as US president after a campaign fomenting hatred and intolerance, and the rising influence of political parties in Europe that reject universal rights, have put the postwar human rights system at risk. Meanwhile, strongman leaders in Russia, Turkey, the Philippines, and China have substituted their own authority, rather than accountable government and the rule of law, as a guarantor of prosperity and security. These converging trends, bolstered by propaganda operations that denigrate legal standards and disdain factual analysis, directly challenge the laws and institutions that promote dignity, tolerance, and equality, Human Rights Watch said. In the 687-page World Report, its 27th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that a new generation of authoritarian populists seeks to overturn the concept of human rights protections, treating rights not as an essential check on official power but as an impediment to the majority will. The rise of populism poses a profound threat to human rights, Roth said. Trump and various politicians in Europe seek power through appeals to racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and nativism. They all claim that the public accepts violations of human rights as supposedly necessary to secure jobs, avoid cultural change, or prevent terrorist attacks. In fact, disregard for human rights offers the likeliest route to tyranny. Roth cited Trumps presidential campaign in the US as a vivid illustration of the politics of intolerance. He said that Trump responded to those discontented with their economic situation and an increasingly multicultural society with rhetoric that rejected basic principles of dignity and equality. His campaign floated proposals that would harm millions of people, including plans to engage in massive deportations of immigrants, to curtail womens rights and media freedoms, and to use torture. Unless Trump repudiates these proposals, his administration risks committing massive rights violations in the US and shirking a longstanding, bipartisan belief, however imperfectly applied, in a rights-based foreign policy agenda. The rise of populist leaders in the United States and Europe poses a dangerous threat to basic rights protections while encouraging abuse by autocrats around the world. In Europe, a similar populism sought to blame economic dislocation on migration. The campaign for Brexit was perhaps the most prominent illustration, Roth said. Instead of scapegoating those fleeing persecution, torture, and war, governments should invest to help immigrant communities integrate and fully participate in society, Roth said. Public officials also have a duty to reject the hatred and intolerance of the populists while supporting independent and impartial courts as a bulwark against the targeting of vulnerable minorities, Roth said. The populist-fueled passions of the moment tend to obscure the longer-term dangers to a society of strongman rule, Roth said. In Russia, Vladimir Putin responded to popular discontent in 2011 with a repressive agenda, including draconian restrictions on free speech and assembly, unprecedented sanctions for online dissent, and laws severely restricting independent groups. Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, concerned about the slowdown in economic growth, has embarked on the most intense crackdown on dissent since the Tiananmen era. In Syria, President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, has honed a war-crime strategy of targeting civilians in opposition areas, flouting the most fundamental requirements of the laws of war. Forces of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS, have also routinely attacked civilians and executed people in custody while encouraging and carrying out attacks on civilian populations around the globe. More than 5 million Syrians fleeing the conflict have faced daunting obstacles in finding safety. Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon are hosting millions of Syrian refugees but have largely closed their borders to new arrivals. European Union leaders have failed to share responsibility fairly for asylum seekers or to create safe routes for refugees. Despite years of US leadership on refugee resettlement, the US resettled only 12,000 Syrian refugees last year, and Trump has threatened to end the program. In Africa, a disconcerting number of leaders have removed or extended term limits  the constitutional coup  to stay in office, while others have used violent crackdowns to suppress protests over unfair elections or corrupt or predatory rule. Several African leaders, feeling vulnerable to prosecution, harshly criticized the International Criminal Court and three countries announced their withdrawal. This global attack needs a vigorous reaffirmation and defense of the human rights values underpinning the system, Roth said. Yet too many public officials seem to have their heads in the sand, hoping the winds of populism will blow over. Others emulate the populists, hoping to pre-empt their message but instead reinforcing it, Roth said. Governments ostensibly committed to human rights should defend these principles far more vigorously and consistently, Roth said, including democracies in Latin America, Africa, and Asia that support broad initiatives at the United Nations but rarely take the lead in responding to particular countries in crisis. Ultimately, responsibility lies with the public, Roth said. Demagogues build popular support by proffering false explanations and cheap solutions to genuine ills. The antidote is for voters to demand a politics based on truth and the values on which rights-respecting democracy is built. A strong popular reaction, using every means available  civic groups, political parties, traditional and social media  is the best defense of the values that so many still cherish. We forget at our peril the demagogues of the past: the fascists, communists, and their ilk who claimed privileged insight into the majoritys interest but ended up crushing the individual, Roth said. When populists treat rights as obstacles to their vision of the majority will, it is only a matter of time before they turn on those who disagree with their agenda.
A Source Close To Ajay-Kajol Reveal That It's Actually Karan Johar Who's The Villain Of The Story!
Milla Jovovich poses on stage with cast at the world premiere of 'Resident Evil: The Final Chapter' at the Roppongi Hills on December 13, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo : Getty Images/Matt Roberts)

Lee Joon Gi is one of the most versatile actors in South Korea. However, the 34-year-old Hallyu star, who will be making his Hollywood debut in "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter," revealed he had initially said no to the movie helmed by director Paul W. S. Anderson.



On Jan. 13, Friday, "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" held a promotional press conference in South Korea with Lee, Milla Jovovich, and director Anderson in attendance, Drama Fever reported. There, the Korean actor admitted he was perplexed when the supporting role was first offered to him.



Advertisement

Since it is the sixth and final installment in the "Resident Evil" series, he worried a lot about whether he could be a help or not. He added, "I remember politely rejecting the offer at first to the director."



The Hallyu star decided to give the project a chance after director Anderson re-checked the action scenes and then mailed them back to him. He then made the final decision with a grateful mind in hopes to become a help to the popular series even with a small role.



Director Anderson also talked about his decision to cast Lee as Umbrella Corporation's Commander Lee. The latter's diverse array of emotions and martial arts skills helped convince the director to cast him in the film.



"It's not easy to meet a great male actor, and when I met Lee Jun Ki, I thought, 'Finally, I've found a male actor who can be Milla's opponent'," All Kpop quoted director Anderson as saying. "The two had great chemistry on set, so I only had to set up the cameras and the filming was completed fabulously."



Though Lee and Jovovich have only met in the last part of the series, director Anderson assured everyone that the two will be cast together in his future projects.



"Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" is scheduled to be released on Jan. 27. Check out the trailer here:






Bicycle advocates want more protected lanes as Columbus develops plan

Columbus bicycle advocates want more protected bike lanes for safety as city embarks on new bikeways plan.
An attendee inspects the new Apple Watch during an Apple special event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts. (Photo : Getty Images/ Justin Sullivan)

Samsung Electronics recently announced a major shift concerning health care devices. During the recent CES event, Samsung expressed their will to develop wearable healthcare devices over robots.



There has been a major announcement made by Samsung during the recent tech trade fair, marking their strong endeavor for the wearables. The company sees more growth potential of the wearable healthcare devices over hardware roles of robots.



Advertisement

"The roles of home robots recently introduced by home appliance companies can be realized by adding artificial intelligence (AI) to existing devices such as smartphones, TVs and IoT refrigerators," Business Korea quoted a senior representative of Samsung Electronics as saying. "Rather, we believe that health care based on wearable appliances has more future growth potential."



The company believes that they may be able to compete with the current leading brands in the wearable industry. Samsung is confident that they will be able to do well in such particular business industry, despite Apple's obvious dominance in the market.



The wearable industry, in comparison to the smartphone industry, has not been quite friendly with other brands in the market. Various known brands, including Motorola tried to persuade consumers with their latest offerings, but fell short.



The wearable industry remains to be one of the least appreciated market in a global context. Most people are unaware or not interested of the functionality of the wearable devices. Thus leading companies, like Motorola, to push off their wearable devices.



"Wearables do not have broad enough appeal for us to continue to build on it year after year," The Verge quoted the head of global product development at Moto Shakil Barkat as saying.



Now with the growing interest of Samsung to venture into a relatively challenging territory, a more distinct feature and approach is expected from the company. The lessons learned from other companies who fell short in the wearable industry and the company's previous experience with it may be of great help in realizing success.



Watch here below Samsung's previous wearable device:






Russia has invited the incoming administration of Donald Trump to attend upcoming Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan, bypassing the Obama administration, which has been notably absent from the process, The Washington Post reported Turkey, which would be co-hosting the talks with Russia, had said Washington would be asked to join the talks likely to be held in the Kazakh capital Astana on 23 January. However, there had been no confirmation from Moscow, and the current US administration said yesterday that it had not been asked to take part. "We have not received any kind of formal invitation to the meeting," said state department spokesman Mark Toner. "But if we do receive an invitation, we will certainly make a recommendation" to Trump's incoming administration to honour it, he said, AFP reported. The timetable would put the meeting just three days after the Republican president-elect assumed office on 20 January, succeeding Democrat Barack Obama. Invitations to the talks had to be yet sent out, and the format of the discussions remained unclear. However, according to The Washington Post, the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, extended an invitation to attend the upcoming talks in a 28 Dec telephone conversation with Trump's incoming national security advisor Michael Flynn. Meanwhile, the Syrian regime said yesterday that Israeli missile strikes had caused a series of explosions at an air base outside Damascus before dawn. ''In a desperate attempt to support terrorist organizations, Israeli enemy aircraft launched missiles from the north of Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) at 00:25 am (2225 GMT Thursday),'' a military source told the state SANA news agency, www.arabnews.com said in a report credited to AFP, Reuters. ''The Syrian armed forces warns the Israeli enemy of the repercussions of this blatant aggression, and insists on continuing the war on terrorism to eliminate it,'' the source added.










Priyanka Chopra at The Weinstein Company and Netflix Golden Globes Party presented with FIJI Water at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 8, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Jonathan Leibson)

Priyanka Chopra was recently released from the hospital after a stunt accident on the set of the ABC series "Quantico." Meanwhile, coinciding with news of the actress' hospitalization, showrunner Joshua Safran shared some interesting information on what viewers can expect when "Quantico" Season 2 returns to the small screens.



Advertisement

Avid "Quantico" viewers have witnessed the various action scenes that some of the cast members have had to do in the ABC series. The cast and crew members may have used stunt doubles to film a few of the dangerous sequences while several shots featured action moves made by the actors and actresses themselves.



Chopra has been known to do some of her stunts in the ABC show. However, the actress recently suffered a concussion when she fell and hit her head while filming an action scene.



Sources told TMZ that the actress was immediately rushed to the hospital on Jan. 12, Thursday night, for emergency treatment. She was released several hours later and is currently recuperating at home.



In an interview with the same news outlet, Chopra's representative confirmed the actress' scary on-set incident and described the stunt slip as a "minor accident." The representative also commented that the Indian star is expected to resume filming activities on Jan. 16, Monday.



Meanwhile, showrunner Safran recently shared some of the planned storyline changes for the remaining episodes of "Quantico" Season 2. The executive producer told TVLine, during an interview held Jan. 13, Friday, that the viewers will only see a single timeline in upcoming episodes.



Viewers can expect to see the final set of The Farm flashbacks in the upcoming episode 14. Safran explained that the change in timeline was something that they already identified before Season 2 premiered.



The showrunner added, "It's clearer to follow. It's more romantic. It's not soapy; weirdly, it's got a level of 'us against the world' to it."



"Quantico" Season 2 is set to air episode 9 in a new timeslot on Jan. 23, Monday at 10/9c on ABC. Watch a teaser clip for the upcoming episode below:






India's trade deficit with China rose to a whopping $46.56 billion in 2016 despite a 2.1 per cent decline in bilateral trade to nearly $71 billion, as Indian exports continued to decline.

India-China bilateral trade in 2016 stood at $70.8 billion, down 2.1 per cent a PTI report said citing trade figures released by General Administration of Customs (GAC).

China exports totaled $58.33 billion, posting an increase of 0.2 per cent compared to $58.25 billion in 2015, as per GAC data, the report sad..

While the report did not give a break-up of figures for various goods and sectors and there are no details of the areas of decline in India's exports, it quoted officials as saying that this is an extension of the continuing declining trend in India's exports in the last few years.

India's exports to China is pegged lower at $11.76 billion in 2016, a nearly 12 per cent decline compared to 2015.

Indian exports, which stood at $16.4 billion in 2014 declined $13.38 billion in 2015 and to $11.76 billon in 2016. In 2016, the trade deficit was $12.46 billion.

The overall trade between the two countries in 2015 touched $71.64 registering a marginal increase compared to $70.59 in 2014.

The trade deficit has mounted to $46.56 billion in 2016 from $44.87 billion in 2015 as per the data from Chinese customs.

However, there is considerable differences between India and China trade figures as Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Lok Sabha on November 28 last year that India's trade deficit with China increased to $52.69 billion in 2015-16 from $48.48 billion in the previous financial year.

"Increasing trade deficit with China can be attributed primarily to the fact that Chinese exports to India rely strongly on manufactured items to meet the demand of fast expanding sectors like telecom and power," she had said.


A Donegal coast guard volunteer who took part in a dangerous nine-hour cliff rescue at Slieve League has said the coast guard continues to put into practice what it learnt from the operation four years ago.

Shane McCrudden, deputy officer in charge of Killybegs Coast Guard station, was speaking on the Late Late Show last night in a special tribute to Irish Coast Guard and RNLI volunteers.

The programme featured an emotional interview with Bernard Lucas, husband of coast guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas (41) who died during a rescue mission in Co Clare in September last year.

The mother-of-two was the first member of the Irish Coast Guard to lose their life during a rescue mission.

Mr Lucas, who was joined by his son Ben, spoke of Caitrionas love of helping others. Caitriona was a marvellous person, very bubbly. Full of life - loved helping others and being involved in different projects.

Mr Lucas, who is also a coast guard volunteer, told how he went back to the coast guard a week after his wifes death. Its what we do and it's what Caitriona did and loved. I suppose I get comfort from it.

Shane McCrudden was among a number of coast guard and lifeboat volunteers who featured on the programme.

He was one of the 24 members of the Killybegs Coast Guard that took part of the rescue of 28-year-old Cormac Nolan from Carlow on New Years Day 2013.

As weather conditions made an airlift impossible, members of the coast guard team had to abseil down the 400 metres to the man who was trapped on a ledge in a rescue that took nine hours to carry out.

Speaking on the programme, Shane outlined the operation which involved two descents by two pairs of climbers to the stranded walker who was 400 metres from the top of the cliff.

It was a massive multi agency resource that we have learned so much from and every rescue from then on there is parts of it we will use. But it was a good outcome. He was a good rescue for us.

Shane also told Ryan told host Ryan Tubridy how much he enjoys being involved in the coast guard.

For me it's an addiction... just being in there, being in jobs, call outs, giving back to the community. I just love being in there. There is administration work, the whole climbing aspect of it in terms of the climbing rescue system, the boating operations, the searching operations - theres an endless amount of jobs there.
Last week, the Alabama State Bar announced the names of the 30 attorneys selected as members of the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum Class 13, and only one Wiregrass lawyer made the list.

Amy Marshall of the Carmen Howell and Amy Marshall Law Firm was selected to be a part of the prestigious group.

Created in 2005, the bars Leadership Forum has produced 348 graduated. Participants undergo a rigorous education and training process focusing on servant leadership, ethics and career development. Candidates are required to attend five separate sessions including a three-day orientation program.

Our state is fortunate to have a solid core of young lawyers who are accomplished. Through the Leadership Forum, we bring together a diverse group of young lawyers who are further trained to become servant leaders to their community neighbors and to their brothers and sisters in the legal profession, said Alabama State Bar President J. Cole Portis of the Beasley Allen Law Firm in Montgomery. The lawyers selected for this years Leadership Forum will experience an intense educational program to better understand the core values of ethics and professionalism in the practice of law. Once they finish these classes, they will join past graduates to become ambassadors for our profession who epitomize the bars motto Lawyers Render Service.'

While there is no age requirement, participants must have practiced law for at least five years and no more than 15 years. Candidates are selected based on demonstrated leadership qualities and service to their communities. Entry to the program is competitive, with approximately 40 percent of applicants chosen for the 30 positions each year.

In 2013, the American Bar Association awarded the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum with the E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award, the nations leading award honoring the best professionalism programs and practices of law schools, bar associations, professional commissions and other law-related organizations.
The Southeast Alabama Camellia Society in cooperation with the American Camellia Society will present its 2017 Camellia Show on Feb. 11 from 1-4 p.m. at the Family Life Center of First United Methodist Church in Dothan.

The show is open to the public, and admission is free. The church is located at 1380 W. Main St.

Those who want to enter their blooms need to have their entries at the church between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in order to register blooms. You need to know the name of your bloom to enter it in the show. The show has a novice category open to anyone who has never won an award.

For more information, call Linda Nichols at 334-677-3333.

Old and new varieties of camellias will be for sale during the show. If you are interested in joining the Southeast Alabama Camellia Society, the group meets the second Tuesday of each month from September to May at 6 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Dothan.
St. Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Skipperville will be celebrating the 28th Pastoral Anniversary of the Rev. Jerry Bennett and Dorothy Bennett on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. Guest speaker will be the Rev. Bruce Burks, pastor of Oak Grove and Mount Olive Baptist churches in Midway as well as Mount Azure Baptist Church in the Three Notch Community.

St. John AME Church in Abbeville will host the 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program on Monday, Jan. 16, beginning at 10 a.m. Guest speaker will be Bishop Harry L. Smith, pastor, Emmanuel Temple United Covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ in Dothan. The programs theme is I Can Dream TOO  Ignite the Dream in YOU. St. John AME is located at 03 St. John St. For more information, contact Richard Trailer at 334-435-8586 or Willie Green at 334-585-2678.

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast takes place from 7-9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, at North Highland Baptist Church, 407 Houston St., in Dothan. A minimum donation of $5 per ticket is requested in advance. Contact 334-618-9830 or llaw357@yahoo.com for tickets. The event is hosted by the Dothan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

New Home Baptist Church, 2734 County Road 617, Enterprise, will have Missions Night on Jan. 18. A meal will be served at 6 p.m. and the event will begin at 7 p.m. The Chamberlains, missionaries, and the Cameroonian Kids from Cameroon Africa will sing and share about the culture in their country. Everyone is welcome. RSVP by calling 334-347-3646.

The Dothan Evening Community Lighthouse of Aglow International will meet at Shoney's Restaurant, located at 3054 Ross Clark Circle, in Dothan on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m. The guest speaker is Holly Brooks of Enterprise. All are invited to attend.

First Free Will Baptist Church, 404 Park St., Enterprise, will host a gospel sing on Jan. 21 from 6-8:30 p.m. The Singing Echoes will be in concert.

Klondyke Gospel Music Center, located between Newton and Ozark at 3885 Highway 123 S., will host: The Hendersons of Milton, Florida, Jan. 21; and The Men of Cornerstone Quartet of Newnan, Georgia, Jan. 28. Music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, contact Ron Jeffers, president and concert coordinator, at 334-797-9862.

Grimes Gospel Lighthouse, 1512 County Road 25, Grimes, will host Ken Robertson of Panama City, Florida, on Jan. 21 and Southern Glory of Panama City, Florida, on Jan. 28. Music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free; offering will be taken. Call 334-983-4654 or 334-714-4658 for more information.

The Kempters, a family vintage gospel band, will be at Ozark Baptist Church on Jan. 22. Doors open at 5 p.m. and concert will begin at 6 p.m. This is a free event but an offering will be taken. The Kempters are from Slapout and have held concerts all over the U.S., performing a variety of music and humor. For more information, call 334-774-9381. Ozark Baptist Church is located at 282 S. Union Ave. in Ozark. To learn more about the group, visit www.thekempters.com.

The New Hope Freewill Baptist Church, 3819 County Road 31, Abbeville, will celebrate its Annual Usher's Anniversary on Sunday, Jan. 22, beginning at 11:15 a.m. Pastor Eddie L. Baker of New Hope Freewill Baptist Church will deliver the sermon. Refreshments will be served. All churches are invited to attend.

Bethany Divinity College and Seminar in Dothan will host a winter seminar titled The Art of Teacher on Jan. 27, 6-9 p.m., and Jan. 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with Dr. Rodney George as professor. The seminar is good for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders and is free to the general public. Students taking for credit should call for pricing information. Call 334-793-3189 for more information or to register by Jan. 25. Bethany is located at 2573 Hodgesville Road.

The Southeast Alabama Conference Lay Organization will meet Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. at St. John AME Church, located at 03 St. John St. in Abbeville.

Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church II in Dothan will hold the service Shopping at Heavens Grocery Store on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. The church is at 1547 Lucy Grade Road. Songs will be performed by Burdeshaw Street Choir and there will be a number of speakers. A benediction will be led by Shady Grove Pastor Gamaska Vickers. All churches are invited.

Pastor James C. Harvey Sr. and the St. Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church family invite the community to the first sermon of Rodney D. Harvey Sr. on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2:30 p.m. St. Elizabeth is at 611 Florida St. in Geneva.

Chancellor Assembly of God Church is having a Fifth Sunday Night Sing on Jan. 29 featuring The Thompsons from Grand Ridge, Florida. Starting time is 5 p.m. The church is located at 10527 N. State Highway 27 in Chancellor.

Burdeshaw Street Church presents the 21st Pastorial Appreciation Banquet on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. for the churchs pastor, Wilbert Dawsey, and his wife, Alice Dawsey. The banquet will be held at The Red Barn on Napier Field Road. Tickets cost $10 and should be purchased by Jan. 15. Additional appreciation services will be held on Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. with Pastor Larry Butler of Friendship Freewill Church in Dothan and at 2:30 p.m. with Pastor Jackson Glover of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Pinckard.

New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Dothan will hold a Deacon and Deaconess Day service on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 2:30 p.m. The church is at 2627 Kinsey Road. Guest speaker will be the Rev. James Dawsey of Countyline Missionary Baptist Church in Slocomb. The theme is Brothers and Sisters Worthy of the Call. Lunch will be served. Call 334-673-9770 for information.

Southside Baptist Church in Dothan will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a service on Jan. 22 at 10:30 a.m. The church is at 423 E. Cottonwood Road. Former pastors Tommy White and Kenneth Harrison will speak along with current pastor Stacy Stafford. The Rev. Billy Rich, the churchs former minister of education and music, will direct the music for the service and perform a solo. There will be other special guests sharing their musical talents, and souvenirs will be given to each family by the church. Lunch will be served following the morning service. For directions or information, call 334-794-6794.

The Perrys will be in concert at First Free Will Baptist Church in Dothan on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. The event is free and a love offering will be received. The church is located at 1461 Timbers Drive, Dothan, one block off Highway 52 West and Honeysuckle Road, (behind Dollar General). Call 334-792-3316 for more information.

A special day of prayer for the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville will be held Jan. 29. The day was set aside by the Florida Baptist State Convention to lift up those who work and study at the institution. For more information on this special day of prayer and how to be involved in praying for The Baptist College of Florida, call 800-328-2660 ext. 460.

The Nelons will perform during services on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Slocomb, located at 225 N. Dalton St. The Nelons have won multiple Dove awards, have been nominated for Grammy awards, and were recently inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. The music ministry has also performed as part of the prestigious Gaither Homecoming Tour and Video Series. Vocalist Amber Nelon Thompson, named as the youngest Dove Award nominee in history by the Gospel Music Association, will join The Nelons for the performance. For more information, call 334-886-2200 or visit www.thenelons.com.

The Hoppers will be in concert on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. in the wellness center at the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville. Over the years, The Hoppers have received numerous accolades and have also been popular guest performers on the Gaither Homecoming Tour. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and tickets for the evening can be purchased for $12 in the colleges business office by calling 850-263-3261 ext. 418 or by visiting www.baptistcollege.edu. All seating will be general admission.
In an increasingly competitive local market for Japanese food, restaurants often differentiate themselves from their rivals to stay ahead. Thats why Dong Bin-Im, proprietor of the recently opened Oishi restaurant, makes frequent trips to larger cities to see what the latest trends are in sushi.

Dong opened Oishi about five months ago, renovating the location of the old Fuji restaurant on Ross Clark Circle for his new venture. There are at least seven Japanese restaurants in Dothan, so Dong knows he faces quite a bit of competition, although the demand for Japanese food, particularly sushi, is growing.

Before, it was all about hibachi, he said. When Mikata opened up, people didnt know about sushi at all. Now we have sushi in Publix  everywhere.

Dong came to the United States from South Korea in 1999 to work in his uncles restaurant, the Dothan Mikata. He later struck out on his own to open a Japanese restaurant in Daleville, which he still runs.

Dong said many Koreans open Japanese restaurants instead of Korean restaurants because they feel Japanese food is more acceptable to American palates.

Its tough to Americanize Korean food, he said. Its too spicy.

Dong said one exception is a dish called pulgogi, a thin slice of beef marinated with soy sauce.

Every Japanese restaurant has pulgogi, even though its a Korean dish, he said.

Dongs restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat option, which differs from the buffets offered at other restaurants. For a flat $26.95 fee, customers can order what they like and have it brought to their table. Theres no sharing and theres a fee for taking leftovers home, but the option gives customers the opportunity to sample a wide selection of food.

Dong said the non-buffet, all-you-can-eat option is common among Japanese restaurants in larger cities.

If you go to Las Vegas, just about all Japanese restaurants are all-you-can-eat, he said.

Dong said he frequently travels to Las Vegas and Atlanta to stay current on emerging trends in sushi preparation and presentation.

As a chef, I like to think first about the basics, keeping it clean and being nice to people, he said. After that, I think about ways to make it special.
An Illinois man linked to a currency fraud case with Dothan ties was sentenced to a year in federal prison on Friday.

Husam Usama Tayeh, 36, of Oak Lawn, Illinois, was convicted earlier this year of wire fraud. According to the U.S. Attorneys office for the Middle District of Alabama, Tayeh was involved in the unlawful selling of Iraqi currency over the Internet to people throughout the U.S.

Court documents say Tayeh owned the Dinar Corporation, Inc., a company registered in Nevada and headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago. The company operated a website that offered Iraqi dinars for sale. When a customer entered into an installment contract, Tayeh promised to place in reserve the quantity of dinars to be purchased by the customer. Tayeh assured customers that he would ship them the reserved dinars upon the customers making their final contract payments. Prosecutors say that Tayeh defrauded customers in that he never actually placed dinars in reserve and never had access to enough dinars to fulfill all orders should they all come due.

According to court documents, Tayeh was unable to find a Chicago bank willing to accept his money, so he worked with a Dothan resident to launder proceeds from his fraudulent activities through Dothan banks.

The Dothan man involved with the scheme, Theodore Stanley Hudson II, 52, pleaded guilty last September to a misdemeanor resulting from his involvement. Hudsons Whatley Drive house was searched by the FBI in 2015 and about $994,000 belonging to Hudson, Tayeh and other parties was seized from bank accounts related to the scheme. Hudsons sentencing is still pending.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama Securities Commission participated in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross and Kevin P. Davidson prosecuted the case, along with Steven P. Feaga, deputy director of the Alabama Securities Commission for Enforcement and Prosecution, and Amanda W. Senn, general counsel of the Alabama Securities Commission.
Sean Walsh from Tallanstown proves the value of DkIT's Springboard courses when it comes to providing people with a second chance at higher education.

Despite having to deal with the effects of undiagnosed dyslexia at school in the 70s, and missing out on third level education as a result, Sean nevertheless managed to carve out a successful career, first as the owner of his own transport business for 20 years, and then as a Customer Service Supervisor and Senior Traffic Operator with P&O Ferrymasters in Dublin Port for 18 years.

When P&O closed the Dublin office in August 2015 to move to Larne, Sean knew it was time to make his own move into a completely different area.

He has always been a lifelong learner and even when working full-time with a growing family, he was always attending work-related evening and adult learning courses, constantly updating his skills and attaining numerous accreditations and certificates.

It was his lifeskills, can do attitude and keenness to learn, together with his track record in lifelong learning, that impressed Dundalk Institute of Technology enough to offer him a place on the Springboard course of his choice, the Level 7 Certificate in Digital Marketing and Digital Media Management.

Sean is an unpaid director of Lensmen, one of Dublins leading photographic and videographic agencies. Established in 1952, Lensmen boasts an extensive image collection of historical note and in 2012 it set up a sister company, Irish Photo Archives, to manage it, which is overseen by him. Sean said, I was drawn to Digital Marketing because photo agencies have now evolved to include videography, an essential part of digital marketing communications.

It also links in with a project close to my heart, the transfer onto digital of the images in Irish Photo Archives. They were taken at almost every key Irish event so its an historical treasure trove of visual memories.

Sean became involved in the project while working full-time at P&O and when the redundancy came, he decided to use the opportunity to learn a new skill. DkITs Digital Marketing course seemed like a natural progression for him.

Not only did he find himself thoroughly relishing the challenges of the course, he also discovered support for his dyslexia as well.

Speaking about his experience on Springboard, Sean said, I wasnt expecting written exams and it set me back a bit because of my dyslexia, which of course, I had said nothing about because I was so used to hiding it, a legacy of my schooldays and the fear that it would hamper me getting work. When my son found out, he soon put me right and once I told the college, the support they gave me was exceptional. There were no more written exams as I was able to use a PC so I flew after that.

Sean still has a passion for transport and is now looking at where he could combine this with his newly-acquired skills. Im continuing to work on the photo archives but I also love where I live and it has some wonderful areas that are completely overlooked by Irish and international tourists. I think there is definitely scope in working with affiliates to establish a niche tourism business and that is going to be my next project.
Orndorffs experimental writing began when he discovered a way to take his reading automaticity (effectively used for over thirty years of grading senior students many expository essays and research papers) and use the automaticity in his writing. The errors produced add to his sense of humility that I find refreshing. He preached the rules of General Manuscript Specifications his whole career and now finds he cant live up to them himself. He may not see the humor in this, but his many former students and colleagues might sense a secret delight in his lightly buried misery of my conditional. I would not be here but for his determination and humility to see this experimental and self-imposed writing project through. Humanity is my standard in orndorff's writing, not GMS perfection.  Amorella
To share with friends and brethren The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (the Everlasting Gospel), and to prepare a people to stand when He returns to redeem His remnant. Also, to share relevant information of current events, and to show how they relate to prophecy; By means of articles, editorials, opinions, scripture readings, and poetry.

Disclaimer

Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.
My daughter and I had a Magical Easter Adventure at Enchanted Kingdom last Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010 where we get to have a close encounter with a live white lion, Zoori.

Zoori is barely a year old and lives at the Residence Inn at Tagaytay since he was a cub so he is very tame and is used to people already. He was at Enchanted Kingdom to meet us for the blessing of the Zooris Advenure, an interactive museum for kids where guest can have an interactive encounter with the mechanical white lions in different chambers of the museum.

My daughter and I was able to pet Zoori for a bit and had a photo opp with him! Zoori is such a sweet white lion, I called it the way I call my pet cat mimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing and it looked right at me and I took a nice shot!



Isnt he so adorable! I wanna hug him and take him home! He is like a giant kitty cat!







Zooris care taker told us not to touch Zoori while taking a photo with him so he will not look back at us. But daughter wanted to touch him so if you notice I restrained her hand a bit. Not touching him is for photo qualitys sake and not because he will bite or claw you.

You can have a close encounter with a white lion too if you visit Enchanted Kingdom now as Zoori will be staying there for as long as you want him there.

Zooris adventure is a partnership of EK with the Yupangco group that brought Zoobic Safari and Residence Inn.

Facts about White Lions

1. White Lions are a rare specie and can only be found in the Timbavati region. It is a genetic rarity and the light discoloration of their fur cannot be liken to albinism.

2. The cause of their discoloration of the white lion is still unidentified.

3. The White Lions belong to the Panthera leo.

4. The earliest recorded sighting of white lions in the Timbavati region was in 1938. However, the oral records of African elders indicate that these unique animals survived in this region for many centuries.

5. Since their discovery by the West, white lions and those lions carrying the unique gene have been hunted, and forcibly removed from their natural endemic habitat.

6. The last white lion was seen in the wild in 1994, after which time they were technically extinct in the wild.

7. Currently, there is no law nationally or internationally that protects the White Lions from extinction.

(source: Global White Lion Protection Trust)

Zooris Adventure Launch Photos:




















My sister, my daughter and I along with the other 177 passengers ofon July 25,2010 got a(However, only 8 of us got the tickets/flight voucher as the other 169 were not present when we filed the complaint, so if you are on AirPhil flight2P 937 get your boarding pass and head to the AirPhil office and claim your round trip ticket/flight voucher) .



I should be happy right? But I am not.

Why?

10 hours flight delay

Our flight at AirPhil Express in Mactan Cebu Airport was scheduled at 10:10PM of Sunday (July 25, 2010) but because of the bad weather condition in Manila that night, we were re-scheduled to leave at 1AM of Monday, July 26, 2010.



This was understandable on our part, they just wanted our safety. Besides all other airline flights bound to Manila from Mactan Cebu that night were delayed some were even there as early as 3PM. Mom even said the weather was really bad in Manila so this was understandable.

1AM came and we were asked to board the airplane. Everyone were seated comfortably in their seat designations. Some, including I even fell asleep immediately. We were hearing some few announcements here and there that the flight will be a bit delayed because of ground servicing. But since we were all in the airplane we were all O.K.

2AM came and a flight attendant announced that we should disembark the plane . No reason was stated we were just asked to go down again . We thought the weather was really bad in Manila so we have to cancel flight.

The flight wasnt canceled when everyone was at the waiting area, Gate 8 of the departure area of Mactan Airport in Cebu, an announcement was made that our flight will be delayed for 5PM.



This is when the passengers started to get aggravated, including me. No reason was stated or we were not able to grasp whatever they were saying anymore because we are all exhausted and want some decent sleep. We want to go home. Its a Monday for Christ sake, most of the passengers have a work and school to catch.

Segfred Santiago the idiot ground supervisor of AirPhil Express Mactan

Hungry and exhausted with a kid who has been inconveniently been moved from the lounge/ departure area Gate 5 , to the airplane, to lounge/departure area Gate 8 (she was half awake as we move her) I immediately approached this man to ask for an explanation.

This idiot told me that this is none of my concern and that he dont need to explain anything to me. I raised my voice immediately and told him how could this not be my concern when this is my flight going home and you are delaying my flight back home, how dare he tell me this is not my concern.



Segfred Santiago said it wasnt my concern because its an airplane problem and I dont have anything to do with it.

What? An airplane problem?



Apparently, the ground crew or the pilot of AirPhil Express did something that caused them to hit their own cargo bay after landing. A slip of the tongue of Segfred Santiago said this happen before their staff made us board the plane just to have us deplane afterwards.



Santiago even pulled his ID card away when one of the agitated passengers tried to take a photo of him and his ID card and said you dont have to know my name you dont have to take photos of me. But of course this angered the passenger the more to which some took their video camera and video taped our discussion.

5am flight delayed

Knowing about the problem all the passengers have no choice but to surrender to the fact that we have to wait at the departure area Gate 8 for 3 more hours since the announced was made at 2am. We were all complaining because we all wanted to go home but since its out of our hands we have no choice but to wait.

At this point Segfred Santiago, who was the ground manager of the Airphil Express Mactan operation has the authority to do whatever he deemed necessary and is in line with their company policy which is  friendlier andcustomer-centric.



He tried to calm us by giving us some cold sandwich (a choice of Tuna, Chicken or Ham and Cheese) from Dunkin Donuts and a bottle of lukewarm mineral water. It would have been nicer if the sandwiches were warm and instead of water hot chocolate or coffee was offered.

Also, by the time the Airphil Express operations at that time already offered to check us in a nice hotel so we can all rest and not sleep and get more exhausted trying to squeeze our body on the cold and stiff metal chairs at the departure area.

We also learned that after we disembarked the airplane, the captain and the crew of that airplane booked themselves at Days Hotel so they can all have a good rest before the next flight.





AirPhil Express Poor customer service

Ten minutes before 5AM another announcement was made to inform all frazzled passengers that our flight will be delayed again for another hour because of the bad weather conditions in Manila which is a complete bull. The weather was fine in Manila that time as Cebu Pacifics first flight bound to Manila already flown already.



All of us were livid at that time because we were all hoping to go board a plane and fly to Manila that time. This time the morning shift manager of AirPhil Express Jim Patindol arrived and was confronted by upset customers and tried to tell us some crap which we dont accept at all. We wanted action weve been patient for 10 hours with them they should do something.





At 6AM AirPhil Express buses arrived and picked us up without a word or announcement that delayed passengers will now fly back to Manila.



In the airplane bound to Manila the usual round of food cart while up in the air did not happen. They didnt realize all of us were hungry. They didnt even offer us coffee or anything.

Filed a complaint against AirPhil Express Mactan Staff in Manila

We were back in Manila at 8AM. Most of the passengers missed their work, some were even suspended from work for not making it in time, missed school and connecting flights out-of-the-country. The inconvenience this delayed flight have caused us is not to be left alone.

At the Terminal 3 in Manila Airport some of the passengers went to the authorities to file a complaint which was backed up by the signature of the other passengers. We passed around a paper to get the number and names of our co-passengers. We plan to file a formal complaint because they never offered us anything to calm us down.

It took us 3 hours to get a result of our complaint.

We didnt leave the airport without any assurance that something will happen. We were offered the round trip ticket to any of their 24 destination flights and the hotel accommodation at our chosen destination. This was admitting their wrong.

We were asked what else do we want.

We said we want the manager at the Mactan Airport to be fired because he is incompetent. We were told we were too brutal to have someone lost his job and livelihood. On our part that manager was the one who was brutal to us.

There was a baby among the 177 passengers and his milk supply/medicine was checked in. The parents asked for them when we were told we will leave at 5AM it was given to him at 5AM only. Someone missed a flight to China for an important business meeting. Someone was suspended from work because he didnt make it on time. The lechon we intend to give as coming home gift to all perished! This was the inconvenience this delay caused us. Now they tell us we are rude?

The comfort they offered us at the Mactan Airport was a cheap way to avoid spending for hotel accommodations. That manager should be removed from his post for being incompetent.

Filing a complaint is a waste of time and useless

It saddens me to know that some of the passengers with us that day did not waste time to join us confront the management of AirPhil Express because they said wala namang mangyayari dyan (filing a complaint is a waste of time and useless).

This mentality we have here in the Philippines taking in shit should be changed if we want to improve the quality of customer service. We should not let them bully us around because its our right. The almost perfect weekend trip in Cebu I had was ruined by this flight delay and inconsiderate airline staff.

I know being passed around is very inconvenient and yes a big waste of time with the bureaucracy we are so used to. But if we want change we should strive to get the change we want.

It was a good thing that there were eight of us who got some time to spare to talk to the higher ups of AirPhil Express, if not this will all be forgotten and incidence like this will happen to other passengers again and again and again.



This will be my worst airport experience ever. This was the first time I had a flight delayed. What was your worst airport experience? Care to share?

Stay gorgeous everyone!
Plan your travels now and save money and time. Here is the Palace official release of the list of holidays for 2015.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has issued a proclamation declaring all national holidays to be observed for the year 2015.

Malacanang released the copy of Proclamation No. 831, which was signed by the President on July 17.

The proclamation listed 18 holidays, with 8 long weekends on 2015.

Regular Holidays:

New Years Day  January 1 (Thursday) Maundy Thursday  April 2

Good Friday  April 3

Araw ng Kagitingan  April 9 (Thursday) Labor Day  May 1 (Friday)

Independence Day  June 12 (Friday) National Heroes Day  August 31 (last Monday of August)

Bonifacio Day November 30 (Monday) Christmas Day  December 25 (Friday) Rizal Day  December 30 (Wednesday)

Special (Non-Working) Days:

Chinese New Year  February 19 (Thursday)

Black Saturday  April 4

Ninoy Aquino Day  August 21 (Friday) All Saints Day  November 1 (Sunday)

Additional Special Non-Working Days:

January 2 (Friday)

December 24 (Thursday)

December 31 (Thursday)

Special Holiday (for all schools):

EDSA Revolution Anniversary  February 25 (Wednesday)

List of Long Weekends of 2015

April 2 (Thursday)  April 5,2015 (Sunday) April 9 (Thursday)  April 12, 2015 (Sunday) altho April 10 is a Friday and not declared Holiday you can get a leave or something haha! May 1 (Friday) to June 2,2015 (Sunday) June 12 (Friday) to June 14,2015 (Sunday) August 29 (Saturday)  August 31,2015 (Monday) August 21 (Friday)  August 23,2015 (Sunday) November 28 (Saturday)  Novemver 30, 2015 (Monday) December 24 (Thursday)  December 27, 2015 (Sunday) December 30 (Wednesday)  January 4, 2016 (Sunday)

The list does not include other specially declared Holidays yet such as Ramadan, End of Ramadan and even Iglesia ni Kristo anniversary of sorts.

So! Happy planning your getaways!
The ministry is also currently following up on three crew members of another Egyptian ship, held by Tunisian authorities for trespassing in October, facing prosecution

Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely following up on the situation of 16 fishermen detained in Tunisia for trespassing in Tunisian territorial waters, state news agency MENA quoted the ministrys spokesman as saying Saturday.

Once the [Egyptian] embassy knew about the detention of the fishermen, an envoy was sent to make sure they were alright, ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid stated.

The crew of the ship Seas Angel surrendered to Tunisian authorities without resistance, Abu Zeid added.

The foreign ministry is working on deporting back to Egypt as many detained fishermen as possible, according to the spokesman.

Meanwhile, Abu Zeid said the ministry is currently following up on three crew members of another Egyptian ship held by Tunisian authorities for trespassing in October, and that are being prosecuted in front of a Tunisian court.

This is the latest incident involving Egyptian fishermen arrested in the territorial waters of neighbouring countries like Sudan, Libya and Tunisia.

Egypts foreign ministry has repeatedly intervened in these cases to ensure the release of the fishermen and has warned Egyptians against trespassing in foreign waters.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


At a press conference on Wednesday, Donald Trump told the nation that CNN is fake news. That stunning declaration is part of a long-term strategy, honed by the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler, to discredit information sources that keep the citizenry informed about reality. For his most ardent followers, Trumps statement just confirms what they already wanted to believe because so often the man they hold in such high regard is shown by the mainstream media to be a pathological liar, a misogynist who treats women as objects to be used for pleasure only, a racist who betrays our most basic American values, and a narcissistic bully who uses intimidation to cow people and bend them to his will.

Who wants to believe THAT?

And let us be very clear: Donald Trump isnt the only person benefiting from that desire to be shielded from reality. Here in Michigan, for example, its much easier for the people who vote for Republicans to pretend that the Flint Water Crisis was created by Democrats, that the poor school children in our urban areas, and most especially Detroit, deserve to go to school in rat-infested, mold-shrouded classrooms, and that the reasons behind Republicans controlling every aspect of our state government have nothing to do with 17 years of dedicated and determined gerrymandering. That same thing is happening in every red and purple state in the country.

Thats why websites like Eclectablog are going to be such an important asset to democracy in the new era of disinformation and deliberate ignorance we are now woefully in. In addition to our own reporting and analysis, we amplify the important stories to make sure they arent overwhelmed and overrun by those for whom the shouting of fake news is a sufficient response to hearing things they dont want to believe about the world they live in.

We need your help. All the regular contributors to Eclectablog are paid and we have bills to pay to maintain the web servers, to protect us from attacks on the site, and to keep Eclectablog up and loading quickly when we get slammed with viral traffic. Not only that, we want to expand, adding new writers, improving our podcast recording equipment, and upgrading the site on a regular basis. We dont run ads (other than those that are served with the Disqus commenting system.) Instead, we count on the community of readers to support our efforts with a little money from time to time.

If you are able to help support us financially, we would be most grateful. There are two ways to help. First, you can use the handy PayPal forms at the top of the right sidebar to make a one-time donation via Paypal or to set up a monthly donation. Second, you can send a check (which avoids Paypal taking out a percentage of your donation) to Chris Savage, P.O. Box 32, Dexter, MI 48130. Please make the check payable to Eclectablog.

To sweeten the pot this time, for every donation of $75 or more, we will send you my wife Annes incredible photomosaic of Barack Obama titled Out of Many, We are One. This image, created out of the faces of people attending his rallies in 2008, appeared as a two-page spread in TIME magazine in their January 2009 Person of the Year issue and has been on the cover of magazines and books around the world:



If you want a closer look, head over HERE where you can zoom in on the individual faces.

Thank you for your continued support.

[CC Trump image credit: Thomas Hawk | Flickr]


Former Michigan Governor John Engler is out with a new piece on The Hill touting his friend, West Michigan billionaire heiress Betsy DeVos, as a champion for all American students. As a resident of Michigan, this strikes me as Lord Voldemort endorsing Dolores Umbridge as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, or perhaps as Stannis Baratheon offering his strong support for Melisandre of Asshai in Game of Thrones. In other words, caveat emptor.

Now, I may not be a former governor, or a billionaire, and Ive only been involved in education since 1980 as a teacher, teacher educator, and policy researcher and author, but Id like to respond to some of Gov. Englers assertions and humbly offer my thoughts on Ms. DeVos qualifications for this important position

NoBetsy is not a businesswoman. Shes just rich. She was born rich, and married richer. Thats it. Nada. Ms. DeVos has never applied for, interviewed for, or been offered a job. You cant just start out at the top as a board memberthats not a job. Thats a rewardfor being rich.

NoBetsy does not have the heart of a teacher. And just to be clearthats a nonsensical term. No one has the heart of a teacher. Thats just silly talk. Being a teacher is a job, and a darned hard one at that. Its not about having the heart of a teacher. Its about attending a college or university teacher preparation program and studying the art and craft of teachingpedagogy, child development, subject matter content, learning theories, philosophies, and curricular approaches. Ms. DeVos never attended a public school, never sent her kids to a public school, never studied education, never applied for or received Michigan teacher certification, never taught anyone anything, and only spends time with children in order to sell her water. Just as Donald Trump spending a couple of years at a military school doesnt mean that he knows more than the generals, Betsy DeVos hawking her boxed water to kids in Flint doesnt give her the heart of a teacher.

NoBetsy has not been singularly focused on accountability. Lets get something straight: accountability without meaningful assessment, instruction, and capacity building is merely punishment. Betsy has been singularly focused on punishment. Thats not an education strategythats just punitive.

NoBetsy doesnt know how to fix the schools. Because #1: the schools are not broken. And if there are some schools, like those in our urban centers, that are in pretty bad shape in MI, its likely that Betsy had something to do with that. And #2: Betsys only school fixin tool is money. The same green stuff that she and her acolytes dont want spent on public schools, but is somehow magic fairy dust when sprinkled on religious and private schools and baked into vouchers. A word of advice to Ms. DeVos: You cant fix what has been broken by competition and choicewith even more competition and choice.

NoBetsy has not passed reforms on literacy. She paid millions in last minute political contributions to Republican legislators in Michigan to ram through a 3rd grade reading bill that every single reading teacher and professional education association in the state said was a form of educational malpractice, wouldnt help any kids to read any better, and would lead to even moremostly minoritykids dropping out of school.

Based on her background, education, and experience, Betsy DeVos is barely qualified to serve as a volunteer aide in an elementary school in Michigan. Shes clearly and glaringly unqualified to serve as Secretary of Education for our nations school system.

This is fundraiser week at Eclectablog. If you value what we do here and want to help us keep growing and paying our writers, please consider making a donation. If you do, we have a special gift for you. Click HERE for details. Thanks so much!
2016 really was a year like no other. We had yet another election defined by the misuse of analytics  and folks seem to be getting worse rather than better at this. We had a rush to robotics, particularly self-driving cars, and some firms even leaped ahead to self-flying, people-delivering drones (which we called flying cars just a few years back).

We had a wave of fake news, mostly paid for by Google, because that company, as always, has no compass. It appears to be shaming nations into regulating it, suggesting it has no sense, either. We also had a lot of interesting products, but I think one stood out as the next iPod, and it didnt come from Apple.

Ill go further into all of that this week, as you recover from what I hope was a wonderful Christmas day full of presents, family, and a sense of dread for January, when we all have to go back to work. Sorry, that was my inner Scrooge.

Analytics Miss

If one thing stood out for me this past year, it was the election. After two elections in which Obama, a Democrat, out-executed his Republican rivals with analytics, we had Trump do the same thing to Clinton in the last 10 days of the election. That was in spite of the fact that Clinton was the candidate tech loved, suggesting someone really missed a meeting.

This takes me back to the oft-heard criticisms of Clintons opponents who maintained she showed bad judgment. The lesson here is that tech cant fix bad judgment, and it is a force multiplier. So, if you have bad judgment, it likely will make things worse. You know, it still strikes me that if folks spent more time understanding why someone screwed up so badly rather than just finding folks to blame and shoot, things might improve over time. Just saying

Bad Judgment

Speaking of bad judgment, Meg Whitman likely takes the cake. She came out late against Donald Trump and for Hillary Clinton, even though she is tied at the hip to the Republican Party. Maybe it would have resulted in a minor cabinet post for Whitman had Clinton won, but getting this wrong made her look not only like a traitor to her party, but also like a foolish one.

This is the sad part: HPE sells analytics products, suggesting Whitman has no better handle on that technology  even though her firm sells it  than Clinton does. I guess this means shell have to go back to executing a strategy that will make HPE small enough to fit in the garage it started from.

Good Judgment

Peter Thiel stands out as the tech executive of the year, largely because he was the only one who saw that there were enough people in both parties who were sick of politicians to get Trump elected.

Unlike virtually every other tech exec, he focused on tech, which is what he knows  not politics. Thiel has had a material and largely positive impact on Trumps agenda, so much so that at a meeting earlier this month, Trump asked what he could do to help tech firms rather than yelling at them for their lack of support.

In the end, I think Thiel may showcase how tech and government should work together to make the U.S. a better place. It wont be by donating money, as tech leaders did with Clinton, but by sharing and using the very technology they sell to make the nation better  and that should be a bipartisan goal. Sadly, Thiel is the exception and not the rule, but the industry learns from example and he is one hell of an example.

Fixing Judgment

That is a sharp contrast on judgment. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, backed by my old friend Genevieve Bell, earlier this year made a timely announcement on focusing AI to help folks with their judgment. Both Clinton and Whitman should sign up for the alpha test.

This is really the eventual promise of analytics. Its not a tool that multiplies the impact of a decision, good or bad, but a tool that helps people ensure their decisions are good ones. I think we all could use a tool that would help us with our judgment from time to time.

Dell Technology

In 2016, we saw the birth of the new super-company in tech, Dell Technologies. Instead of mucking around with politics, Michael Dell buckled down and took EMC private, saving Joe Tuccis legacy and creating the most powerful hardware company in tech.

This is important in a market increasingly defined by cloud companies like Amazon, Google, and now even Microsoft. It still strikes me that Dell has the best acquisition and merger process, yet largely stands alone when using it. However, I did talk to an Intel exec who told me Intel recently adopted something similar, so thats good news for you folks in smaller tech firms. If this is a trend, you are less likely to get a surprise layoff in 2017 due to a bad acquisition.

Product of the Year Runners-Up

Dells XPS 13: This was my go-to laptop for much of the year, though I actually came to prefer the XPS15, largely because it was better for playing Ashes of the Singularity, my new favorite strategy game. The XPS 13 is a nice balance of size, style, battery life and functionality, with the only downside being the lack of a good fingerprint reader.

Dell XPS 13

Lenovo Yoga Book: At launch, this was a breakout product  ultra-thin, ultra-portable and very reasonably priced. Artists raved over it. It reminds me a lot of the Courier tablet that Microsofts advanced development team came up with, which effectively led to its being disbanded. Sadly, Im not an artist  it is best for those who are.

Lenovo Yoga Book

Varonis: As I noted last week, this product and its entire class of intrusion and behavior monitoring tools could have changed the U.S. election outcome, had both the U.S. government and DNC had used them. Varonis would have prevented the hack of the DNC (and other) email servers. However, it wasnt used and didnt have the impact it should have had (granted, if it had, we never would have known).

(By the way, Varonis has posted a series of videos on how to secure your home for the holidays that is worth watching, and its free.)

BlackBerry DTEK 60: This phone showcased that you actually could have a secure BlackBerry. Thin and with glass on both sides, a decent camera, a fingerprint sensor (sensibly placed on the back of the camera, not the front), and a full Android implementation, this is the phone that BlackBerry should have made a long time ago, and it has been serving me as my primary phone ever since I got it. In a world increasingly defined by breaches, this phone is a godsend because it is secure.

BlackBerry DTEK60

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Solution: This was big  the only ARM solution that has been blessed by Microsoft for Windows. Microsoft hadnt considered another platform since the 1980s, and to make the jump to Snapdragon was a huge win for Qualcomm and for users who want laptops with battery life comparable to tablets.

It also suggests that Apple is likely close to a similar decision, since its rumored that it has been exploring the same jump for MacBooks. However, products wont show up until 2017, suggesting well revisit this next year.

Mercedes GLA 45 AMG: I liked this car so much I bought it. The car has been a dream  Mercedes not so much. First, we had a trip from hell to pick it up in Germany. Then, to make it up to me, the company put me through its advanced driver course. However, Mercedes so overburdened the instructors that the thing became unsafe as a consequence, and there was an accident. Finally, Mercedes actually configured my car wrong, making a last-minute change that eliminated one of the features I expressly had ordered and paid for. Its a great car, but I think Im done with Mercedes.

AMD RX-460 Card: We are ramping to VR, but the best solutions are way too expensive as you jump from a US$100 dollar range headset for your smartphone to a $3,000 solution for a full PC with an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift solution. Well, AMD pushed back and brought out its Radeon 460 card, which dramatically lowered the cost of entry for those wanting to get in on VR.

Nvidia Drive PX2: Perhaps the greatest sleeper product in the market was the Nvidia Drive PX2. Basically it is an AI system in a box, and Im convinced it is capable of much more than driving cars. This product and its predecessor vaulted Nvidia into the lead with autonomous cars, and likely will help move it into autonomous aircraft at some point. There no doubt will be other circumstances where having an AI in a box that can see and make decisions would be useful.

The Amazon Echo Dot is the product Apple should have built. The Dot and its siblings have everyone from Google to Microsoft and Intel, among others, looking to build similar offerings. It is the critical link between homeowners and their IoT future, and it has cut through the market like a hot knife through butter.

The Dot was my go-to gift to relatives this year, and at under $50. it remains one of the true bargains available. I think the Amazon Echo is this decades iPod, and well soon see if Amazon can do as good a job locking everyone else out of the market as Apple did.

It is licensing the technology, suggesting that next year we could be up to our armpits in Echo clones and competitors. Overall, though, the Echo has become the core driver for in-home IoT. When a product spins a market on its head, that showcases true market power, and my product of the year needs to showcase leadership and power.

Amazon did that  first with the Echo, and now with the Echo Dot, making the Echo Dot my product of the year. Congratulations, Amazon and thanks also for offering it in bundles of six, because I now have one in nearly every room of the house.
By Anna McGurk

With avenues of protest and online discussion strictly controlled, artists in China are finding increasingly creative ways to voice their frustration at their cities appalling air pollution.

Its easy to see why: at the end of 2016, an area of China larger than Spain and Portugal put together was trapped under a cloud of smog that didnt leave for five days, causing a spike in respiratory illnesses, grounding flights and causing a panicked exodus from the city (for those who could afford it).

Northern China's #smog is affecting 460 million people, equal to the populations of the US, Canada & Mexico combined https://t.co/AX5sevEhjT pic.twitter.com/j81HRtBw8G  Greenpeace East Asia (@GreenpeaceEAsia) December 20, 2016

2017 then began inauspiciously with the longest air pollution episode seen this century.

Years of winters spent under a seemingly endless cloud of smog has spawned some seriously creative protest art. Here are five artists that found unique ways to speak up against air pollution.

1. Nut Brother: Smog Bricks

In December 2015, when Beijings air quality was so bad that it triggered the very first red alert, one artist used a very interesting weapon of choice: an industrial-sized vacuum cleaner.

Meet Nut Brother, China's vacuum-cleaner wielding artist turning Beijing's smog into bricks https://t.co/6juSboaVCe pic.twitter.com/gTyjQ2zcAt  Greenpeace East Asia (@GreenpeaceEAsia) December 2, 2015

For 100 days, Nut Brother wandered the streets of Beijing sucking in the capitals dense, soupy air. When hed finished, he mixed the pollution he had hoovered up with clay and compressed it into a dense block, roughly the size and shape of a building brick. Nut Brother and his smog bricks quickly went viral as his quirky art performance showed the world a new and powerful symbol of Chinas smog battle.

His project, while playful in tonesome reports stated that he planned to reintroduce the smog brick into a building site, like returning an animal to the wildNut Brother had a poignant message to impart: The day we exhaust all of the Earths resources, we will ourselves turn into dust.

2. The Invisible Man: Smog Vest

Artist Liu Bolin is best known for his incredible ability to camouflage himself into almost any background. But during the Beijings third red alert in December 2016, he went down a decidedly more conspicuous route.

Recent pollution warnings in China inspired artist Liu Bolin to live stream smog scenes. pic.twitter.com/Xcz7Nnijef  TRT World (@trtworld) December 21, 2016

Masked and wearing a high-vis jacket on which were strapped 24 cell phones, Liu live-streamed the smoggy cityscape as he walked the streets. The artist and sculptor, who described Chinas air quality as a disaster has gained international attention for his Hiding in the City series and has been photographed for fashion campaigns by Annie Liebowitz.

3. Wen Fang: Maskbook

Sick of feeling helpless in the face of Chinas toxic air pollution and worried for her childs health, Beijing artist Wen Fang fought back in the only way she could: through art.

For a global climate art project, she took part in Maskbook a series of images that takes the pollution maska mundane symbol of the very real fears that Chinese urban residents faceand turns it into an absurd work of art.

The name comes from a common Chinese joke about Facebook: In China, since we all wear masks to protect us against the pollution, we say that Facebook for us should be renamed Maskbook.

Project participants come from all over the world and included more than1,500 participants, each of which designed their own unique masks.

In my opinion, individual participation is important. The special thing about Maskbook is that it all comes from common people, from all different colours and nations, said Wen Fang.

4. Zhang Lingling: Smog Perfume

We all know what air pollution looks like, but how can we truly experience it if were not living with it? Scent can be exceptionally evocative as Zhang Lingling learnt when she spoke to people of their experience living in smog and heard their descriptions of the smell of pollution.

With that in mind, she collaborated with a friend to make the first ever smog perfume, a scent that has been described by a test audience as smelling of eggs, rotten fish and burning alcohol.

By making the perfume and testing it on the unsuspecting public of Shanghai, Zhang wanted to remind people that air pollution is a continuous problem, even when you cant see it.

Kong Ning: Marry the Blue Sky

When airpocalypse hits, Beijing artist Kong Ning can be found at the citys most popular landmarks and out on the streets, in striking dresses of her own creation.

Chinafotopress

In December 2015, she stepped out in a wedding dress adorned with hundreds of air pollution masks and walked the streets appealing to Beijingers to take public transport rather than contribute to the choking smog by driving. The year before, she was photographed outside the Beijing Exhibition center in another, wedding dress complete with a 10-meter-long train in a piece entitled Marry the Sky.

Her most striking outfit was created in response to an orange alert called by the government when she appeared at Beijings historic Drum tower in a dress covered in bright orange cones.

Kong Nings approach stems from the idea that humans are married to nature. We need to show that we love the environment.

Anna McGurk is an editor for Greenpeace East Asia.
As Pawnee, Oklahoma

still picks up the pieces from Septembers record-breaking earthquake, environmental and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich and lawyers from Weitz & Luxenberg have traveled to the Sooner State to speak with residents about the alarming number of induced earthquakes affecting the area.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/773265817152684032

Meetings were held in Pawnee and Cushing on Thursday. The legal team also made plans to stop in Stillwater.



The communities definitely [are] feeling frustrated and voiceless and helpless and not sure where to turn Brockovich told KOCO 5 News at the Pawnee meeting.

For most, as News 9 pointed out, insurance companies are not covering repairs from the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Pawnee.

The Midwestern state has seen a shocking

increase in magnitude-3 or larger earthquakes in recent years. Scientists have linked the seismic activity to the injection of large volumes of wastewater from oil and natural gas production into underground disposal wells. Fracking itself can cause earthquakes, although they are usually smaller and less frequently felt than earthquakes produced from underground injection.

The phenomenon has been dubbed as man-made or

induced earthquakes as they are triggered by human activities as opposed to natural seismicity.

In a Facebook post describing her visit to Oklahoma, Brockovich wrote:

In 2009, Oklahoma recorded a maximum of 195 earthquakes in any given year, but by 2014, seismologists recorded over 5,000 earthquakes. The increase in earthquakes has been linked to the growing volume of wastewater injected deep into the ground by companies with fracking operations. The total volume of wastewater injected into ground wells has grown from 2 billion barrels in 2009 to over 12 billion barrels in 2014. This must stop!





State regulators have implemented regulations to reduce the frequency of induced earthquakes, including the closing of wells and a disposal volume reduction plan.



This year, disposal well operators placed about 23 percent less wastewater into geological formations within the earthquake zone compared to the previous year, the

Associated Press reported. In all, Oklahoma Geological Survey data determined there were 623 quakes of 3.0 or greater in 2016, a 31 percent reduction from 2015.

At Thursdays meeting in Cushingthe oil hub town that saw a

5.0 quake in NovemberBrockovich acknowledged that many Oklahomans rely on the oil and natural gas industry for jobs. At the same time, she believes that residents affected by the earthquakes need protection.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/795751492938592261

We want you to have jobs. We understand that, Brockovich said, according to

Tusla World. But we also understand homes have been damaged. People are fearful. They dont know who to trust.

She added that the oil and gas industry should do whats right by your health and safety.

This isnt a (political) party issue, Brockovich said. This is a right or wrong.

New York-based firm Weitz & Luxenberg recently filed two class-action suits against oil and gas companies in response to severe damage caused by the powerful earthquakes in Cushing and Pawnee.

Oklahomans continue to be put at risk by human-induced earthquakes, with hundreds of tremorsincluding the biggest in state historyrattling the area since my first town hall here last year, Brockovich, a Weitz & Luxenberg consultant, said in a statement provided to EcoWatch. This problem is clearly not going away, and it is critical that we show the businesses behind these quakes that we arent going away either.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/702977724965642240

Chad Warmington, president of the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association, responded to Brockovichs appearance in a statement to Tulsa World.

I expect what Ms. Brockovich will find on her business trip from California is that over the past year seismic events in Oklahoma have declined by 31 percent and that Oklahomas oil and natural gas industry has been quick to comply with state regulators directives on disposal well operations, Warmington said. Industry has also supplied its own data and millions of dollars in proprietary research to help all concerned parties better understand our states geology and fault lines.
(Photo: Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call)The religious composition of the 115th U.S. Congress.

The Christian credentials of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump may seem suspect to many progressive believers as he gets ready to step into office Jan. 20.

It is well known, however, that voting analysis showed in the presidential election, he had strong support from evangelicals and many Catholics.

By the time the votes were totalled, 81 percent of white evangelical and born-again Christian voters had cast their ballots for Trump, even if the real estate mogul on his thrid marriage is an adulterer who has boated about sexual assault, Alertnet reported.

But will this count for anything in the new U.S. Congress that was voted for on the same day as Trump upset the pundits and strode into the presidency?

His powerful showing of electoral college votes even if he got around 2.8 million votes than his rival Hilary Clinton shocked the world, which is digesting the impending reality of Trump on the political stage.

Yet how is Trump going to fare with those in Congress in an America where the share of believers has been shrinking for many years?

American adults who describe themselves as Christians have been declining for some time, but the U.S. Congress is about as Christian today as it was in the early 1960s, according to a new analysis by Pew Research Center.

Indeed, among members of the new, 115th Congress, 91 percent describe themselves as Christians.

This percentage is almost the same as in the 87th Congress (1961 to 1962, the earliest years for which comparable data are available), when 95 percent of members were Christian.

Among the 293 Republicans elected to serve in the new Congress, all but two identify as Christians; there are two Jewish Republicans  Lee Zeldin of New York and David Kustoff of Tennessee  who both serve in the House.

(Pew Research Center)

While Democrats in Congress are overwhelmingly Christian (80 percent), but there is more religious diversity among them.

The 242 Democrats in Congress include 28 Jews, three Buddhists, three Hindus, two Muslims and one Unitarian Universalist. There is also one member of Congress who describe herself as religiously unaffiliated, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona.

In addition, all 10 members of Congress who decline to state their religious affiliation are Democrats.

As with the whole nation, Congress has become much less Protestant over time.

PROTESTANT REPRESENTATION IN CONGRESS DECLINES

The total percentage of Protestants in Congress has whittled down from 75 percent in 1961 (at the beginning of the 87th Congress) to 56 percent today.

Catholics during this period have grown in representation from 19 percent to 31 percent.

Among the Republicans in the new Congress, 67 percent are Protestant, while 27 percent are Catholic.

The breakdown between Protestants and Catholics is more even among the Democrats; 42% of the Democratic members are Protestants and 37 percent are Catholics.

These are some of the key findings from an analysis by Pew Research Center of congressional data compiled by CQ Roll Call.

CQ Roll Call gathered information on the religious affiliations of members of Congress through questionnaires and follow-up phone calls to members' and candidates' offices.

The new analysis compares the religious affiliations of members of Congress with Pew Research Center survey data on the U.S. public.

The analysis finds that some religious groups, including Protestants, Catholics and Jews, have greater representation in Congress than in the general population.

Jews, for example, account for 2 percent of the U.S. adult population but account for 6 percent of Congress.

Other groups such as Buddhists, Mormons, Muslims and Orthodox Christians, are represented in Congress in roughly equal proportion to their share of the U.S. public.

Most notably underrepresented, however, is the religiously unaffiliated.

This group is also known as religious "nones" and now accounts for 23 percent of the U.S. general public but just 0.2 percent of Congress.

Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is the only member who describes herself as religiously unaffiliated.

"Among Protestant denominational families, Baptists had the biggest losses (down seven seats), followed by Anglicans and Episcopalians (down six seats). Nondenominational Protestants gained a total of three seats," writes Aleksandra Sandstrom in the Pew analysis.

"Protestants in the 'unspecified/other' category also gained six seats. The number of seats held by members of other Protestant groups remained roughly the same."
The resumption of Russian flights to Egyptian Red Sea resorts will happen in the "near future, Russias Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov suggested Friday.

"As for resumption of charter flights to the destinations that are popular among our tourists  to the Red Sea coast, Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada  that is a matter of the near future," Sokolov said in statements reported by Russian news agency TASS.

Sokolov said the ministry will prepare a final report on the security of Egypts Red Sea resort airports after 20 January.

The report is then expected to be referred to the Russian government.

The statements by the Russian minister come days after a team of Russian experts arrived Egypt for a security inspection of Red Seas airports Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada.

Biometric equipment, one of the demands of Russian experts for enhancing Egyptian airport security, has already been installed at some staff gates of the two Red Sea resorts' airports.

Cairo International Airports newly inaugurated Terminal 2 was set to receive the same equipment on 12 January from Germany for immediate installation.

Egypt has been implementing tighter security measures at its airports since the crash of a Russian passenger flight shortly after it took off from Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport in late 2015.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for downing the plane, which killed all 224 people on board. Egyptian investigations into the cause of the crash are still ongoing.

Egypt's tourism industry has been hit hard since the crash, with the number of tourists visiting the country dropping by 50 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the previous year, according to Egypt's Tourism Authority.

A number of European countries that suspended flights to Sharm El-Sheikh following the 2015 crash have recently reinstated direct flights to the South Sinai tourist hotspot.

Russia, which leads European countries in sending tourists to Egypt, has inspected Egyptian airport security measures several times, promising to resume flights to the country soon.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The Egyptian FM spokesman said that countries that have 'set themselves as judges' should look to their own 'domestic affairs and flawed political and social conditions'

Egypts foreign ministry said on Saturday that recent statements by the European Union and the United Kingdom critical of a recent court decision to uphold asset freezes on two NGOs in Cairo showed a double standards exercised by some countries when dealing with Egypt.

Such countries call for respecting the rule of law and [the separation of the branches of government] only when this comes in accordance with their visions and interests, while at other times criticising court verdicts and asking the executive authority in Egypt to interfere in judicial affairs when verdicts are not in line [with their interests], foreign ministry spokesman Abu Zeid in a statement.

He reiterated Egypts commitment to supporting NGO activities, adding that there are currently 48,000 NGOs operating in Egypt with full freedom and in accordance with the countrys legal regulations.

He called on countries that have set themselves as judges over other nations, communities and legal apparatuses to look to their own domestic affairs and flawed political and social conditions, which are no secret to anyone.

He said that these countries should leave Egypt to continue its path towards building a modern civil state that is based on the rule of law, respect of legal verdicts and a protection of the interests of its people.

Saturdays statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry comes two days after the EU said on that an Egyptian court decision to uphold an asset freeze on two NGOs  the Arab Penal Reform Organisation (APRO) and Nazra for Feminist Studies  continues a worrying trend of restricting civil society in Egypt.

On Wednesday, a Cairo criminal court upheld a previous court decision to freeze the assets of Nazra director Mozn Hassan and APRO director Mohamed Zaree over charges that they illegally received foreign funding.

Human rights defenders and an active civil society play a key role in democratic and economic development, helping build political stability this regard, an EU spokesperson said in the Thursday statement.

On Friday, the UKs Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood said he was deeply concerned by the court decisions.

A strong civil society is vital to Egypts long term stability and economic development. Restrictions and sanctions on civil society organisations take Egypt further away from implementing the freedoms set out in the 2014 Constitution. The impact of this decision on the work of those striving to protect womens rights in Egypt is particularly troubling, the UK minister said.

Hassan and Zaree are among a number of prominent Egyptian human rights activists slammed with asset freezes and travel bans in 2016 pending trial into charges of receiving illegal foreign funding.

A law managing the activities of NGOs was passed last December by Egypt's parliament  yet to be ratified by the president  sparked widespread criticism by human rights activists locally and internationally.

Twenty-two NGOs and six political parties have signed a statement saying that the draft law would end civil society by putting it under the control of government and security bodies.

Egypt has repeatedly described international reports on the countrys human rights record as biased and politically motivated, stressing that it rejects comments by international organisations on Egyptian court verdicts.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


After Jan. 30, 2017, the base will not accept drivers licenses and state IDs from Kentucky, Maine, Montana and Pennsylvania.

This is an update to the REAL ID Act, which was initially implemented Sept. 15, 2016.

These new state licenses and IDs are being added to the originally listed states - Missouri, Minnesota, Washington or American Samoa  as invalid for access to the installation without an escort. However, there are two exceptions -- Minnesota and Washington residents have an option to obtain an enhanced drivers license which are compliant with the new regulations.

This change aligns the Air Forces installation access policy with requirements of the REAL ID Act, which focuses on improving the reliability of state-issued identification documents, and helps prevent a persons ability to evade detection by using a fraudulent form of ID.

These adjustments will affect the way many of us bring visitors onto the installation. For example, if you are a military ID card holder and you want to bring someone on the installation who only has an ID from states listed, your guest will only be issued an escorted entry pass - meaning he or she must be escorted by you at all times while on the base unless you have an approved alternate form of ID.

The following are alternative forms of ID that license/ID card holders from these states can use to gain unescorted entry to the base when you sponsor them:

U.S. Passport.

U.S Passport Card.

Permanent Resident Card/Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551).

A foreign passport with a temporary (I-551) stamp or temporary (I-551) printed notation on a machine readable immigrant visa.

An employment authorization document that contains a photograph (Form I- 766).

Identification card issued by Federal, State, or local government agencies, provided it contains a photograph and biographic information such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color, and address.

U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Cards/Credentials.

PIV or Federally-Issued PIV-1 Cards (Personal Identification Verification) issued by the Federal Government.

PIV-I card (Personal identification verification-Interoperable Issued by Non-Federal Government entities).

DHS Trusted Traveler Cards (Global entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST).

Merchant Mariner card issued by DHS/ United States Coast Guard (USCG).

Border Crossing Card (Form DSP-150).

U.S. Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-550) and U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).

U.S. Refugee travel document or other travel document or evidence of immigration status issued by DHS containing a photograph.

A Foreign Government Issued Passport.

If your guest has REAL ID Act compliant credentials, he or she may be issued an unescorted pass and will be allowed to enter and move around the base without an escort. As always, all personnel visiting Ellsworth AFB will receive a background check.

Contractors who possess a current Common Access Card (CaC) will not be affected by these changes. Additionally, if a contractor has a Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) card for access to the base, he or she is not affected until the card expires. However, once the card expires or is up for annual renewal, the contractor must have a REAL ID Act compliant credential to receive a new card. If he or she does not have a compliant credential, that individual will have to be escorted on the base to perform his or her work. Furthermore, if a contractor is on a current temporary (paper) pass and does not have a compliant credential, the pass will no longer be honored as of Feb. 1, and that person will need to be escorted onto the installation.

If you have any questions, please call the Visitor Control Center at (605) 385-2895 or visit the Dept. of Homeland Security website (https://www.dhs.gov/current-status-states-territories).
Egypts foreign minister Sameh Shoukry flew to France on Saturday to attend an international conference in Paris on Sunday that aims to revive peace negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli authorities.

Shoukry is set to chair the Egyptian delegation at the conference, which has been organised by France, according to a statement by foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid.

The peace conference, which will be chaired by President Francois Hollande, will be attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry as well as dozens of countries and organisations.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the conference  where an international framework for peace between Israel and the Palestinians may be endorsed  claiming it will be "rigged" against Israel.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority, which has welcomed the conference and described a "one last chance to achieve peace," does not plan on sending representatives.

Egyptian FM Shoukry is expected to give a speech during the conference to outline Egypt's vision on reaching a just and comprehensive settlement for the Palestinian cause, which is considered the cornerstone of stability and peaceful coexistence in the region.

Abu Zeid added that Shoukry will stress the importance of ensuring that the Palestinian people receive their legitimate rights, primarily the establishment of their independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He will also stress Egypt's readiness to contribute to achieving this objective through encouraging both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to resume direct talks.

Shoukry will also sit for bilateral meetings with his European and Arab counterparts on the sidelines of the conference.

In December, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that he hopes the conference will set a timetable and mechanisms to end the building of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.

Sundays conference comes a few weeks after the UN Security Councils adoption of a resolution deeming the building of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 as having no legal validity.

On 23 December, the 15-member council adopted the resolution by a vote of 14 in favour with one abstention by the United States.

The resolution was sponsored by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal after Egypt withdrew its own proposal a day earlier.

Abu Zeid said in Saturdays statement that all sincere and serious initiatives can provide a real opportunity for the Palestinian and Israeli sides to affirm their political will and put in place the foundations for confidence-building measures.

He stressed on Egypt's readiness to exert all efforts to ensure the success of every initiative that aims at reaching a lasting solution to the conflict.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has maintained that peace, prosperity and cooperation will only be possible if both parties are able to reach a two-state solution.

In July, FM Shoukry visited Israel  a first for an Egyptian foreign minister since 2007  where he stressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Egypt supports the two-state solution.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Alexis Manigo is the 18-year-old who was kidnapped eight hours after she was born. In 1998, Gloria Williams suffered a miscarriage. A week later she drove from Florida to South Carolina where she stole Kamiyah Mobley from the University Medical Center in Jacksonville. Kamiyahs mother, Shanara Mobley received $1.5 million after suing the hospital.

As a parent, I can tell you first hand that there is no amount of money that you can give me for my children. A childs presence is priceless. Kamiyah needs our prayers. After Gloria, the woman she thought was her mother, was arrested, Kamiyah shared an emotional post on Facebook.

Alexis Manigo South Carolina Facebook

In the Facebook post, Kamiyah defended her mothers actions, explaining that she gave her everything she has ever needed. Kamiyah will need some serious psychological support. The woman that raised her, like she was her mother, is a criminal who kidnapped her at birth.

This story teaches us to believe in miracles. Kamiyahs mother thought she would never see her again but then a miracle happened. It took 18 years and Kamiyahs entire life has been a life but shes alive. Better late than never. Were hoping Kamiyah and her biological parents will be able to make up for lost time.
MSPCA roof damaged by gales

One of the Island's animal charities sustained damage to it's small animal pen in the recent bout of adverse weather.

Severe gale force winds overnight on Thursday into Friday took the roof off the building at the Manx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' facility in Foxdale.

None of the society's animals were injured and have all been moved to other areas of the site while the damage is repaired.
The Egyptian campaign We Want to Live launched its first conference in Cairo on Friday, with its members asserting their determination to face what they called the harsh attack on the living conditions of working people caused by the governments recent economic reforms.

The campaign was launched in December by a number of political and union forces to fight the impoverishing policies and the recent economic decisions taken by the government and the central bank.

The campaign decided at the Friday conference to form local committees in different governorates, syndicates and universities to find alternatives to the governments economic policies.

The conference was attended by representatives from labour and professional syndicates, independent unions, and representatives of political parties and movements including the Constitution Party, the Bread and Freedom Party, and the 6 April Movement.

The campaign asserts that the recent decision by the central bank to float the local currency  and the ensuing hike in prices for goods and services  puts economic burdens on citizens with medium and low incomes.

The campaign says that although the government had other options that were more just and responsible, it chose a path that is "harmful to millions of Egyptians and jeopardises and their ability to provide basic needs for themselves."

We Want to Live accuses the government of siding with top businessmen and using oppressive tactics against any labour movement, including putting [their members] on trial and banning independent unions.

The conference organisers said that they aim to push for an increase in wages, pensions and insurance, independence for unions and the right to organise, and the availability of affordable medicines.

They also aim to build solidarity with labour movements and support workers that have been fired; campaign for the provision of necessary work equipment and social and health insurance for farmers and fishermen; and advocate for the implementation of constitutional guarantees regarding health, education and scientific research.

[Egyptians salaries have] lost at least half their value, [and there has been an] increase in the cost of farming, tuition fees, and hardships for day labourers and pensioners, the statement said.

The campaign also asserted its rejection of the government's deal with Saudi Arabia to hand over control to the Gulf country the Red Sea islands Tiran and Sanafir.

Campaign member and secretary of farmers and workers at the Egyptian Social Democratic Party Moheb Aboud told Ahram Online that the campaign is mainly composed of 35 labour syndicates and is backed by a number of political forces.

The government is undermining the economic demands of the people, and ignoring the severe and rapid deterioration [caused by] their economic decisions, Aboud said, adding that the campaign will be working to achieve its goals through three committees; the work and wages committee, the medicine and health insurance committee, and the labour committee.

Our work will be decentralized, we have studies and draft laws to be submitted to the government, as well as projects concerning work regulating, education, taxes and wages, Aboud said.

We will hold conferences around Egypt to gain public support, and we will organise all syndicate workers to hold peaceful protest actions to call for fair wages, Aboud concluded.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The day after the announcement of the death of J Jayalalithaa, a journalist called and asked me if I was relieved by the news. Surely you must be happy, because she made you suffer so much bringing a court injunction against the release of your book on her, I was told.

I was too embarrassed to answer. It seemed insensitive and crude. The journalist was testing my emotions. It was an attempt to provoke me at a time when a state of six crore people had lost a charismatic leader who was adored, revered, feared and despised in almost equal measure like no one else before her.
New Zealand 292 for 3 (Latham 119*, Williamson 53) trail Bangladesh 595 for 8 dec (Shakib 217, Mushfiqur 159, Mominul 64, Tamim 56, Sabbir 54*, Wagner 4-151) by 303 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 292 for 3 (Latham 119*, Williamson 53) trail595 for 8 dec (Shakib 217, Mushfiqur 159, Mominul 64, Tamim 56, Sabbir 54*, Wagner 4-151) by 303 runs

Winds of change blew over Wellington on the third day as Tom Latham became only the second New Zealand opener to make a century at Basin Reserve since 1931. His 119 slashed the deficit down to 303 and though he spent all but one hour of play today at the batting crease, no one learnt anything new about him. That, in itself, was remarkable.

Latham has always been strong on the cut and the flick - 83 of his runs came behind the wicket. He succeeds by playing the ball late, and close to the body. Most of all, his ability to bat on and on, without feeling flustered by scoreboard pressure, without allowing his concentration to be upset, was on show again. While wondering how to describe the innings, it was hard not to imagine Latham as a jukebox and one of his fans taking full control of it for the entire day.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, were like that person who becomes the life of the party for the first time. They began the day on 542 for 7, batting through the first hour when they could easily have cracked on and bowled. They had had a taste of the limelight and didn't want to give it up. Then again, considering one of their bowlers picked up a wicket off his first ball of the match and another on Test debut - and playing his first first-class match in four years - dismissed one of the best batsman in the world when he was well set, they earned the right to live it up a bit.

Latham's rare ton 2 New Zealand openers to score a century in the last 58 Tests at Basin Reserve. Both New Zealand openers - Stewie Demptser and Jackie Mills - had got hundreds in the first ever Test at this venue in 1930. Since then John Wright was the only centurion, before Latham.

6 Hundreds by Latham in 27 Tests - already the third most for any New Zealand opener. Wright made 12 hundreds in 80 Tests and Glenn Turner made seven in 38 Tests.

1 Only instance before this Test when each of New Zealand's first-four wickets added 50 or more runs in an innings - in the Dunedin Test against Sri Lanka in 1996-97.

1 Higher totals by Bangladesh in Tests than their first-innings score of 595 for 8. They had made 638 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2012-13.

1 Only previous instance when five Bangladesh batsmen got fifty-plus scores in a Test innings - against against West Indies in Mirpur in 2012-13. Sabbir Rahman - who was not out on 10 overnight - was the fifth Bangladesh batsman to score fifty or more in their first innings in Wellington

Taskin Ahmed and long-form cricket have been on break since 2013. It was just too demanding and his body just couldn't keep up. The 21-year-old fast bowler could have picked up a wicket in his first over back but he had a catch dropped in the slips. He suffered further, conceding 10 fours in his 15 overs but, eventually, he found the edge again and Kane Williamson , having just got to fifty, was walking back. Taskin had hit the jackpot as far as maiden Test wickets were concerned and a smile as poignant as the tears he shed upon receiving his Bangladesh cap from bowling coach Courtney Walsh indicated he knew it too.

New Zealand, for their part, made sure the bowlers had to produce moments of brilliance to earn their wickets. The pitch was flat, it had perhaps got a bit quicker as well after two days in the sun, meaning there was little danger in hitting the ball through the line. That fact was best represented by the middle session's numbers: 131 runs in 25 overs at 5.24 per over. Ross Taylor , back in the New Zealand team after eye surgery, was whacking the ball so beautifully that there was no question of his form being affected by the break. One of the few times he mistimed a shot - perhaps it was the first time - he was caught at square leg for 40 off 51.

New Zealand's rush for runs was instigated by their captain. It was unclear whether Williamson was venting against the fact that he had captained the team into giving away their second-biggest total - 595 for 8 - after inserting the opposition but he did begin his innings with a flurry of boundaries. There were three in four balls - a punch through mid-off, a flick through square leg and a glide past gully, all of the back foot.

Confirmation that Williamson was indeed going on a cathartic rant came in the 22nd over. For one, it was set off by a perfectly innocuous thing - a back of a length delivery on fourth stump. For another, he went to a great deal of effort to make his point, leaping up off his toes to get on top of the bounce while still somehow keeping the bat face straight. That poor red Kookaburra was so scared that it went and hid at the point boundary. Most of his runs came off the back foot, but when he was asked to come forward to a good length delivery just outside off stump in the 34th over, he feathered an edge through to stand-in wicketkeeper Imrul Kayes. The regular man behind the stumps, the Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, had injured his fingers taking blows to the hand while batting yesterday and did not take the field. Vice-captain Tamim Iqbal led the side in his absence.

Latham's innings was the library to Williamson's theme park . There were neat little glides behind point and deft little flicks through square led and midwicket. He frustrated the opposition with leaves and looked the perfect man for the rest of the line-up to bat around. Jeet Raval, though, couldn't quite pull off that mandate. He was given a life in the 10th over when Sabbir Rahman shelled a catch at third slip, but the next time he nicked a ball behind the wicket, courtesy Kamrul Islam Rabbi's extra bounce, he was gone. But not before he had given New Zealand the chance to record fifty-plus stands for all of their first four wickets, for only the second time in Test cricket. Latham was involved in all of four stands.
South Africa advanced determinedly towards a 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka by taking just 17 overs to dismiss the opposition on the third morning

South Africa 426 (Duminy 155, Amla 134, Pradeep 4-78, Kumara 4-107) beat Sri Lanka 131 (Philander 3-28, Rabada 3-44) and 177 (Karunaratne 50, Parnell 4-51, Olivier 3-38) by an innings and 118 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Duanne Olivier claimed five wickets in the match on debut  Gallo Images

Sixteen wickets, 228 runs, 59.3 overs. South Africa's pace attack delivered a swift and brutal dismemberment to seal victory at the Wanderers inside three days and confirm a 3-0 sweep in the series. Sri Lanka only managed one half-century in the match - although that was an improvement on the second Test - and could not even last long enough for the possibility of a Johannesburg thunderstorm to provide a stay of execution.

Faf du Plessis had hesitated to enforce the follow-on in Cape Town but showed no search mercy as the Bullring bayed for blood. Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander started the job, Wayne Parnell and the debutant Duanne Olivier took sadistic pleasure in twisting the knife. Parnell finished with six wickets in the match and Olivier five, heartening performances for South African cricket after a week spent in the shadow of Kolpak.

Having capitulated in the morning session to concede a 295-run deficit, Sri Lanka lost a wicket in the second over of their second attempt and needed Dimuth Karunaratne 's 50, as well as some lost-cause humpty for the eighth wicket, to prevent total humiliation. Karunaratne, having avoided a pair, survived being dropped on 16 to record his highest score of the series but there was little resistance forthcoming from elsewhere.

South Africa's bowlers gave an exhibition in how to hunt tentative prey on a fast pitch but some of the catching was just as spectacular. They saved their best efforts in the field for Sri Lanka's captain, Angelo Mathews, who was dismissed twice in the day. Quinton de Kock had produced a pearler in the first innings but du Plessis surpassed him with another one-handed effort (without the aid of gloves) at second slip, from a fierce, top-edged hack by Mathews, leaping to take the ball high above his head before landing on his knees and roaring like a gladiator over a vanquished opponent.

When Rabada burst through to rattle Karunaratne's stumps shortly before tea - which was put back to make up for time lost on day two - the end was in sight. Suranga Lakmal proceeded to thrash 31 off 26 during a 43-run frolic with Upul Tharanga to take Sri Lanka past their first-innings 131 but another brilliant running catch from JP Duminy ended the fun as Parnell and Olivier shared the last three wickets without conceding a run to seal a hefty innings win.

Rabada had been held back until second change in the first innings but this time du Plessis gave the crowd what they wanted. His opening salvo was a beast of a delivery: Kaushal Silva reacted as if bitten by a cobra but could not remove his glove in time as the ball reared at him from a length.

Kusal Mendis almost suffered the same fate to his first ball and also edged short of first slip but Sri Lanka made it to lunch one down. Rabada beat Mendis with the regularity of a sheet-metal worker as the close catchers prowled and supporters on the grass banks hooted encouragement; Mendis responded by shifting his stance on to leg stump and trying to come down the pitch to Philander. It was a high-wire act and, after striking five boundaries, Mendis chopped an inswinging delivery from Parnell into the top of off stump.

Parnell ought to have had the wicket of Karunaratne earlier in the over but Dean Elgar could not hold a low edge going two-handed to his right from third slip. The second-wicket stand did yield 37 runs but Sri Lanka were trying to construct a cardboard fort in a howling Highveld gale, as Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal both fell providing catching practice to the slips.

During the morning session, South Africa claimed the six wickets they required to make Sri Lanka bat again in just 17 overs. With a lively Wanderers surface at their disposal, Du Plessis judged correctly that his attack had enough left in the tank, having lost some 25 overs on the second evening and with the possibility of rain returning at some point.

It had threatened to be a carve up from the moment South Africa had the ball in hand and, without the bad weather to delay them, the bowlers were quickly back into their work. In his second over of the morning, Philander moved the ball seductively away from Chandimal to graze the outside edge and provide a catch for de Kock.

Mathews fell to the same manner of dismissal - at least as far as the scorecard was concerned. He had already successfully reviewed Bruce Oxenford's lbw decision off Philander, saved by a thin inside edge with height also in question, when he fended at a rapid delivery from Rabada that held its line outside off. The edge may have been travelling straight to Hashim Amla at first slip but de Kock got there first, intercepting one-handed at full stretch, a magnificent catch even if it didn't quite stick cleanly in the glove at the first attempt.

Sri Lanka had raised three figures by that point but would not get much further. Olivier claimed his first Test wicket with a venomous bouncer that Rangana Herath could only dolly to square leg via an awkward contortion and a brief flurry of blows from Tharanga could not delay the inevitable.
Patryk Pawlak (The European Parliamentary Research Service)

The connection between security, peace and development has been widely recognized in Europe. Their relationship, however, presents challenges, especially with regard to the rapidly evolving security environment in the world. The EU cooperation in the area of peace and security comes in different forms through budget support in the framework of the Common Security and Defense Policy, but the existing rules of financing via the EU budget exclude the strengthening of the cooperation with the ministries of defense and armies themselves in third countries.

For this reason, in July 2016, the European Commission presented a proposal for the amendment to the regulation, which establishes a tool contributing to stability and peace. The proposed amendment aims to rectify this situation by creating such conditions, which will encourage third countries to introduce a budget support for capacity-building programs aimed at training, mentoring, assistance for improving infrastructure and the strengthening of the capacity of military subjects. The key aim here is to contribute to a peaceful and inclusive development of the societies in the countries concerned, such as in Africa.

European non-profit organizations, however, warn against a disproportional focus on the military dimension and emphasize the need to pay sufficient attention to the risks associated with such support. They argue that the institutions that are easily corruptible could be thereby strengthened and therefore unpredictable. Their arming could lead to further human rights violations and therefore to more deaths. Thus, they urge the EU to ensure that the priorities of the draft would reflect a broader political strategy for a long-term peace and development rather than separate one-off interventions. This means the need to ensure financial and political control over the security sector, including the involvement of civil society in the assessment of the needs while creating capacity-building programs.

The European Parliament has not yet delivered a binding opinion on this issue. In the resolution of April last year, it only emphasized that development without security is impossible to achieve and pointed to the fact that the EU development policy must be an integral part of the EUs Global Strategy in the area of foreign and security policy. The proposal is still at the beginning of the EUs legislative process. The EP Committee on Foreign Affairs has not yet chosen its rapporteur, so the EU will still be guided by the existing legal framework for some time.

(The study can be downloaded here)
Egypt's chief of staff of the armed forces Mahmoud Hegazy discussed with Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Martin Kobler the mechanisms to reach consensus between the numerous rival factions in the war-torn country through the agreed upon declaration of principles, the army spokesman said on Saturday.

On 13 December, Libyan officials and representatives from the country's various political factions gathered in Cairo, issuing a declaration of principles, along with five proposed amendments to the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of 2015, which aims at ending Libya's civil war.

In a statement on its official page, the spokesman said the two counterparts discussed the latest developments in the Libyan talks.

Kobler, on his part, hailed Egypt's recent efforts "to achieve a convergence of views between the Libyan parties as it constitutes an important step to reach a consensus guaranteeing the restoration of security and stability in Libya."

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Thursday in Cairo the latest developments in Libya with the chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayaz Al-Sarraj.

Egypt's president also received in late 2016 Libyas House of Representative speaker Aguila Saleh, who conveyed his intention to call on his country's parliament to consider the proposed changes in the Skhirat agreement.

The Skhirat agreement, which was reached in Morocco in 2015, mandated the reaching of a peaceful transition of power in Libya and the establishment of a national unity government.

There are currently five proposed amendments in the agreement, including a change in the makeup of the Libyan national dialogue committee to better achieve balance the country's rival factions, a change in the duties of the army commander, and measures to maintain the independence of the armed forces and insulate it from involvement in political disputes.

Libya currently has two parliaments and two rival governments, effectively dividing the country into east and west.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Swiss culture has hit the news in a couple of ways this week, so I thought Id share my experiences. Keep in mind, I cant possibly explain all Swiss culture because I dont get all of it, but maybe a few of the things I say will make some sense.

First, theres the lady described in this article: Left-wing Dutch vegan who moved to Switzerland is denied a Swiss passport because she is too annoying

Now, all of you might be saying, Hey, thats a great idea! Lets deny citizenship to anyone who is annoying! while fully understanding that annoying is a little hard to put into statutory law: Who decides who is annoying and how annoying does it need to be before you get denied due to getting on everyones nerves?

The process for obtaining Swiss citizenship isnt consistent across the country. It varies from canton to canton (a canton is like a state, except because Switzerland is so small, they are quite tiny compared to US standards). The Swiss really believe in Federalism, and so each Canton gets to vary the rules to fit their local culture and needs.

Some things are standardlike the number of years you need to live here to apply. (For US citizens with no Swiss relatives, like us, we have to be here 12 years to apply.) The language requirement is also fixed: You have to have a B1 level in an official language (German, French, Italian, or Romansch.)

But, the wild card is the vote. Some cantons require your town to give you a thumbs up or a thumbs down. To be honest, I dont know if my town gets to vote on us when that time comes.

As you might expect, in a larger town, this can be used to weed people out by their undesireable last names. (Ive been told well have no problem, because people will think were Germans with the last name of Lucas.) However, this woman appears to have lost her towns supporttwicebecause shes annoying.

This does not mean she sings loudly while walking the aisles of the grocery store, or that she paints her house purple (which would also be bad, by the way), but because she is actively trying to destroy Swiss Culture.

I used a capital C for Culture because it is a Very Important Thing in Switzerland. She specifically wants to get rid of cow bells. This is not funny for Swiss people. It eats at the heart of Swiss culture and people dont want it.

Switzerland is a small country and the cantons are tiny, and the people want to maintain their way of life. I dont see this as a bad thing at all. Why shouldnt a country be able to maintain their identity? Cow bells are part of their identity. They just are, and if you dont like it, you shouldnt be a Swiss citizen. Notably, they arent kicking her out of the countrythey are just saying you cant be Swiss because you reject Swiss traditions.

The other story sounds like a case of religious discrimination, but its really another culture thing. Heres the NYT article: Muslim Girls in Switzerland Must Attend Swim Classes With Boys, Court Says.

From an American viewpoint, this freaks me out. The girls say its against their religion, so dang it, its against their religion, and they shouldnt be required to take the swim classes with boys. The Swiss (and the European Court of Human Rights) see it as a culture issue.

Treating boys and girls the same is part of Swiss Cultureyou can be denied a residency permit if you dont subscribe to that philosophy. This all went down in BaselI live in suburban Baselin 2008, but the court just issued the final ruling.

Now, one note of interest: the parents are Swiss and Turkish Citizens, so they werent denied citizenship like the cow bell lady, but the community pushed back when they attempted to circumvent a school tradition. (Incidentally, my sons school does not have swimming lessons, which makes me sad because dragging kids to swimming lessons is one of the worst parts of parenting.)

The court ruled that The public interest in following the full school curriculum should prevail over the applicants private interest in obtaining an exemption from mixed swimming lessons for their daughters.

But wait, isnt this a religious thing? To the Swiss, no its not. Why? Because the parents admit that Muslim rules would only require that separation after puberty, but they wanted to get their girls used to the separation before that. Since the girls (7 and 9 when this started), had not yet gone through puberty, the Swiss saw it as a Culture issue. Essentially, the policy is you can practice your religion, no problem, but you better make sure its actually your religion and not your culture. Since their religion doesnt officially require separation at this age, they arent allowed.

When I wrap my brain around that, it makes more sense than my immediate reaction of what in the heck? And it reminded me of growing up in Mormon-heavy Utah and having Mormons saying they want a religious exemption for vaccination when the LDS church has a worldwide immunization program through its charitable arm. It kind of made me want to slap those people. (Also, for the love of Pete, vaccinate yourself and your kids!)

But, I also have a lot of empathy for the parents of these girls. They want to choose the way to raise their children and its frustrating to have the government push back and say youre doing it wrong. They could, of course, move back to Turkey, and Turkey is a lovely place that is politically unstable at the moment. Id pick Switzerland too.

Theres another Swiss rule thats mentioned in the articleshaking teachers hands. The case involving that also involved a Basel suburb. (Basel and her suburbs have an incredibly high immigrant/expat population, which is why these things pop up here.) Hand shaking is so, so, so, important to the Swiss. I still dont live up the expectation, which is to shake everyones hand when you enter a room and shake it again when you leave. Im known to sneak in and out. Also, they like hugging and kissing on the cheek (3 times!).

When I was working with the children at church (Im now doing the adult music), every Sunday all the kids would line up to shake my hand. They wouldnt leave until they had done so. I was a teacher, so they must shake my hand. If I was trying to do something else, theyd wait until I was done, so they could shake my hand. Culture.

Hopefully, this was interesting and helps you understand where they are coming from. Also, more cow bell!
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
As per this article it was extended but they didn't say for how long. It sounds like it was extended to help out with the last minute rush.Get it sortedas if you get caught without the insurance they can backdate the fine as per this article:
brit choclates and snacks etc, im a big sunpat peanut butter guy lol but i can't find that in dubai so whenever i fly back i stock up on that



generally speaking with how the pound has been going, everything in uk is cheaper than in dubai now, so whatever is easy to transport in a suitcase, buy that!
Hi,

Novices and long range assault rifles - what could possibly go wrong?





Never been to Jebel Ali - we were members at Sharjah shooting club when we lived in Dubai and are now members at Al Forsan in Abu Dhabi, now that we live in Abu Dhabi.

Shooting in the UAE is great - but very expensive unless you join a club and get the member discounts.

Cheers

Steve
Turkey has arrested two Chinese nationals of Uighur origin in connection with a mass shooting in a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Eve claimed by the Islamic State group, media reports said.

The suspects, named as Omar Asim and Abuliezi Abuduhamiti, were arrested on charges of "being members of a terrorist organisation", of "purchasing unlicensed firearms" and "being accomplices to the murder of 39 people", state-run Anadolu Agency cited a prosecutor as saying.

A witness in the central Anatolian city of Konya had reportedly seen Asim with the Reina nightclub attacker, the agency said late Friday.

The gunman remains at large despite a massive manhunt.

Officials said last week the attacker was likely a Turkic Uighur, with authorities reportedly looking into the possible existence of a cell, including other Islamist militants from Central Asia.

Uighurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims from the restive Xinjiang region of far-western China.

The killer, reportedly known by the code name Ebu Muhammed Horasani, slipped into the night after mowing down 39 revellers at the Reina nightclub just 75 minutes into 2017.

At least 35 people have been detained so far in connection with the attack, according to Anadolu.

Of the 39 killed in the glamourous nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq and Morocco.

The so-called Islamic State claimed the nightclub massacre, the first time it has ever clearly claimed a major attack in Turkey despite being blamed for several strikes including the Istanbul airport bombings.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Heres a radical thesis about the best way to eliminate poverty: Give money.

Dont give stuff. Dont give conditional money, either, expecting the recipients to do something you want them to do.

Im intrigued by an international charity called GiveDirectly, which puts this radical thesis to the test. I understand this just money, no stuff, no strings attached approach runs contrary to our most cherished charitable instincts. It also goes against our typical Dont give a man a fish, teach a man to fish plans, delightful as that cliche may be.

International groups addressing poverty usually focus on building infrastructure capacity in poor areas  stuff like digging wells for clean water, or building housing. Other groups might provide a family with a goat, enroll a girl in school, or teach sustainable farming techniques.

These are all supernice, well-intentioned plans. One teensy problem, however, is that international development like this might not work very well for eradicating poverty.

I named give only cash, no strings just a thesis, because I dont actually know if its better than traditional poverty-relief or traditional development projects. But a series of well-conceived experiments are going on right now to test the thesis. And they are on the cusp of launching an even bigger test.

A group of economists who believe in the thesis of cash only, no strings founded GiveDirectly, an organization that I think of as a radical critique of both traditional development organizations and traditional poverty-reduction schemes.

Heres what they do: They just give cash, unconditionally, to poor adults in Africa. Right now they mostly operate in Kenya and Uganda but are expanding into Rwanda.

GiveDirectly doesnt demand recipients raise a specific protein-rich crop, get sober or build a fuel-efficient oven out of local mud.

It simply transfers money to households in extreme poverty, accessible through a mobile payments system. And then it lets the poor recipients figure out what they need. In that way its the simplest poverty-eradication plan imaginable.

Governments around the world have experimented  even before GiveDirectly  with programs like this, known in policy wonk circles as unconditional cash transfers.

Unlike most development or poverty-relief charities, however, GiveDirectly measures the results of its programs using the gold standard of data analysis, a series of randomized control trials. That means picking randomly selected cash recipients according to a set of criteria (poverty being one criteria, obviously) and then comparing their outcomes with people under the same conditions who didnt receive any cash. Then it tries to improve the program design, based on the evidence.

GiveDirectly spokesman Max Chapnick said the charity raised and earmarked close to $40 million for direct cash transfers last year. Thats not as big as international development organizations like Save The Children or Oxfam, or international governmental aid, but it aint chicken feed either.

If radical disruption of an industry, evidence-based giving, randomized control trials and continuous design improvement all sound very Silicon Valley to you (it does to me), then you will not be surprised to learn that Facebook co-founder Dustin Moscovitz and Google.org are early and aggressive backers of GiveDirectly.

But what if poor people quickly spend their unearned money on alcohol, drugs or other vices?

A research paper published in April found no increase in alcohol and tobacco consumption among GiveDirectly recipients from 2011 to 2013.

Not only that, but other research on unconditional cash transfers suggests this fear about cash transfers may be overblown. A December study from the University of Chicago of 19 cash transfer programs worldwide also found no increase in alcohol or tobacco use among recipients.

Or another big objection: What if free money discourages people from working?

An MIT study from 2015 of seven randomized controlled trials found no evidence that cash transfers discouraged work.

You can choose to believe these researchers, or your own lying eyes.

GiveDirectlys next experiment, for which its targeted a $30 million fundraising campaign, will be its biggest cash transfer program yet.

It has $23 million raised so far, but if it reaches the $30 million goal, its next experiment will be in something known as universal basic income (which wonks call UBI), which is closely related  but distinct from  unconditional cash transfers.

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.

Under its new plan, GiveDirectly will transfer cash to Kenyan households in three ways to compare the effects on poverty:

1. 75 cents per day (the poverty level in Kenya in U.S. dollars) to every adult in 40 villages, paid monthly for 12 years;

2. 75 cents per day to every adult in 80 villages, paid monthly for two years; and

3. 75 cents per day to every adult in 80 villages for two years, paid in a single lump sum.

Researchers will compare the effects on health, well-being, poverty, education and stress, and the impact on the local economy of households and villages between these groups. Theyll also compare the results to a control group of 100 villages that does not receive payments.

With its two-year and 12-year commitment to incomes, it will have a way to measure both short-term and long-term effects of the universal basic income theory on poverty. This program is universal because every adult in a chosen village will receive income. GiveDirectly chose 75 cents per day because it approximates the poverty level in Kenya, qualifying as basic aid.

I know this all may sound a bit kooky and maybe too radical and hard to take. It goes against our charitable instincts. We naturally want to bequeath tangible goods instead of free money, and we want to control and improve the poor recipients behavior. But what if that approach  and a few centuries of failed development work  is totally wrong?

Every 10-year-old knows the coffee-mug wisdom: Instead of giving a man a fish, teach a man to fish. What if we learned that all wrong?

As one of the co-founders of GiveDirectly, Paul Niehaus, cleverly tweeted recently: The implicit hubris in teach a man to fish is that were great at fishing lessons. Were not.
MagicJack VocalTec rebuffed San Antonios Carnegie Technologies Holdings hostile takeover bid Friday, saying a push to nominate new board directors was invalid because the shareholder proposal didnt meet Israeli company requirements, according to a preliminary proxy statement.

Carnegie has proposed to nominate five candidates to magicJacks board to force the sale and said last week that it plans to submit an unsolicited bid to buy the Netanya, Israel-based company for $8.50 a share, or about $135 million. MagicJack is a cloud communications company and considered a pioneer in Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, providing users free phone service through the internet.

Carnegie founder Paul Posner accused magicJack of trying to deny its shareholders the chance to vote for the nominees by wrongly claiming the nominations were technically flawed.

We are confident that we have met every standard for the nomination process and that the definitive proxy materials will include Carnegies director nominees, Posner said in a statement.

A Carnegie spokesman declined to comment beyond what it disclosed in the statement. MagicJack officials didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Posner holds 1.6 percent of magicJacks stock and has been critical of the company, saying that its failed to deploy or return cash to shareholders, among other things.

Carnegie indicated last week that it intends to submit a proposal to buy magicJack after the companys Feb. 28 shareholders meeting. MagicJacks shares were trading at $8.23 Friday afternoon.

According to magicJacks filing Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Carnegie first expressed interest in July in exploring a strategic transaction, including the acquisition of one or more of magicJacks businesses.

That same month, Carnegie sent a letter indicating it was interested in acquiring all of the magicJacks outstanding shares for $8 to $10 each. The price range was later narrowed to $8.50 to $9.50 a share.

MagicJacks board rejected the proposal on Aug. 12, but said it wanted to pursue further negotiations, the proxy stated. The two companies entered into nondisclosure agreements three days later. MagicJack engaged Bank of America to perform a valuation analysis.

In September, Carnegie offered to acquire the shares for $8.50 each. MagicJack countered with an offer of $10 a share, the proxy said.

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.

MagicJacks board met on Oct. 15, when it was disclosed that Carnegie was unwilling to increase its offer, the proxy said. The next development occurred on Jan. 4, when magicJack said Carnegie expressed displeasure about not reaching a strategic transaction.

The following day, Carnegie issued its press release disclosing its nominees and its proposal to buy the company.

On Thursday, magicJacks lawyers sent Carnegies attorneys a letter informing them that the information provided to magicJack was invalid. The same day, another law firm for magicJack sent a letter to Carnegie demanding an explanation of how Carnegie could legally acquire a 1.6 percent stake in (magicJack) while being in possession of inside information. The proxy filing didnt elaborate.

Meanwhile, Kanen Wealth Management of Parkland, Florida, has nominated seven candidates for magicJacks board. MagicJack is recommending its shareholders disregard Kanens nominees.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Near the corner of Old Pearsall Road and Ray Ellison Boulevard stands the skeleton of a new charter elementary school.

In front of large construction equipment and an unfinished structure, a sign invites pre-K, first- and sixth-grade students to apply.

Set to open in August, IDEA Brackenridges campus is directly adjacent to Shepard Middle School and almost a stones throw from the administration building for South San Antonio Independent School District.

In the face of competition at its doorstep, South San ISD has initiated the process of becoming a district of innovation, a concept passed by the Texas Legislature in 2015 that grants traditional independent school districts many of the flexibilities afforded to open enrollment charter schools.

School officials hope the designation will help them to better retain and serve students. The status allows districts in good academic standing to seek exemptions from the Education Code to adjust areas such as the first and last day of the school year, school day length, teacher certification requirements and contracts, class sizes and policies on handling disruptive students, among others.

In December, the South San ISD board voted to explore the designation, a decision met with strong opposition by the local teachers union. Board members tasked a committee of nearly two dozen people with developing a local innovation plan tailored to the districts needs. If approved, the plan could be implemented as early as the next academic year.

Its basically more local control over the needs of our students, said Delinda Castro, chief academic officer for the district.

During their first meeting, on Thursday, 21 committee members gathered in the district boardroom and sat at round tables, which replaced the usual rows of chairs. The committee comprised a mix of administrators, teachers, district staff, graduates and community members. The majority of board members, who have final approval on a plan, attended only to observe.

The debate over seeking a district of innovation designation coincides with anxiety in the district about declining enrollment and the possibility of losing students to nearby charter schools. In November, the close competition prompted the launch of Viva South San, a promotional campaign that touted the districts accomplishments in the community.

There are students in our district leaving our district to go to other schools that provide this type of flexibility and innovation, board member Elda Flores said at a December board meeting. If we dont get on board with it, then were going to be losing them in droves.

Over the past 25 years, total enrollment at South San ISD has shrunk about 6 percent, according to Texas Education Agency data. More recently, district data indicates that enrollment has fluctuated, climbing to 9,842 in 2013-14 before dipping to 9,642 this school year. Though the difference may seem small, the loss of a couple hundred students translates to a significant loss in state funding for the district.

However, several teachers with the union worry an innovation plan could open the door to broad changes that would negatively impact instructors, such as the removal of duty-free lunches, changes to teacher contracts and the hiring of underqualified instructors.

I have three pages of possible exemptions. Youre opening up a can of worms by accepting this, Belinda Zepeda, president of South San AFT, said at a December public hearing. We do not need this.

Zepeda, an arts teacher at Shepard who has taught in the district for 18 years, said district officials ignored charters until its actually in the neighborhood.

Instead of creating an innovation plan, she said, the board should focus on bond and tax ratification elections to fund upgrades of the districts aging facilities.

Castro said pursuing an innovation plan predated recent discussions over charters. Instead, she said, it stemmed from the districts strategic design plan, which was initiated in March 2015. To suss out the districts needs, a consultant conducted numerous focus groups with students, teachers, administrators and community members, followed by a trio of educational summits.

Though the innovation plans design is in the hands of the committee, Castro said some of the focus groups identified interest in creating STEM or fine arts magnet programs. In those cases, being able to hire a former professional dancer or retired military personnel who may not have the proper teaching certification would be useful, she said. Another possibility is an over-age recovery high school for dropouts, she told committee members Thursday.

Any exemptions South San ISD may seek with an innovation plan will be driven by the districts goals, not by the exemptions themselves, Castro said. Educational purpose will be behind each exemption, she added.

Were not going to just go through the Education Code to cherry pick exemptions, she said.

Since districts of innovation became state law, at least 65 districts across Texas have notified the state about their adopted innovation plans, including one district in San Antonio. San Antonio ISDs plan created smaller class sizes, lengthened school days and started the academic year earlier. Annual stipends were offered to teachers on campuses with extended instructional days.

In December, Alamo Heights ISD approved a plan that adjusts its start date, class sizes, minutes of instruction and a rule requiring that students attend 90 percent of classes to receive credit for a course. Edgewood ISD is also in the process of developing an innovation plan.

A draft of South San ISDs innovation plan is expected by late March. If approved, the plan would remain in effect for five years and undergo annual reviews.

lcaruba@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Alamo Colleges board plans to vote next week on a proposal to rebrand as the Alamo Colleges District, among other changes they hope will satisfy the agency that accredits the districts five community colleges  which has warned three of them over how they maintain their institutional autonomy.

Trustees will also vote on proposed policies to clarify that the district chancellor hires college employees in consultation with college presidents and to eliminate requirements that had narrowed their choices for a district-wide leadership curriculum.

The board is confident that all of the accrediting agency recommendations will be satisfactorily addressed in a timely manner, said Yvonne Katz, board chairwoman, at a Friday press conference.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges last month issued warnings to San Antonio College, Northwest Vista College and St. Philips College, using identical wording in letters the colleges received this week. The letters listed six accreditation standards the colleges failed to comply with, including one that requires each college to represent itself as a separately accredited entity.

Palo Alto College was not scheduled for an accreditation review last year, and the newest college, Northeast Lakeview, remains unaccredited, with a commission site visit set for next month.

Trustees think rebranding as Alamo Colleges District will clarify that the structure is a family of separately accredited colleges, Katz said.

The colleges also failed to comply with a standard that governs the distinction between the board and administration.

It appears that the Board, in some instances, has been overly specific in operational areas, such as curriculum and employment practices, wrote Belle S. Wheelan, president of the accrediting agency, in the letters.

The agency said the colleges failed to prove faculty are responsible for curriculum, citing a board policy that required the inclusion of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in district-wide leadership development courses.

The board had removed all references to the 7 Habits from its policy last month, deciding to name one at a future date that is nationally recognized and approved by SA Works, an experiential learning program led by local employers. The board will consider dropping those two requirements next week.

The letters also faulted the board for delegating to Chancellor Bruce Leslie the authority to hire employees for individual colleges. They said the colleges have not proved they are properly awarding federal Title IV funds, which are funneled to all five colleges through San Antonio College, a process now being revisited with the U.S. Department of Education.

The accrediting agency also asked for proof that courses are being accepted for transfer by individual colleges rather than the district.

The three warned colleges have a Sept. 8 deadline to submit a report proving their compliance with the accreditation standards. The college presidents plan to ask the agency to move up the deadline, which could allow the colleges accreditation statuses to be revisited in June. If the standards are not met within two years, the colleges can be placed on probation or their accreditations can be removed.

The accreditation warnings have not affected enrollment district-wide, according to a headcount of 49,857 taken Tuesday, an increase of 41 students from the spring 2016 semester.

The quality of the education is not questioned here, said Ric Baser, president of Northwest Vista College. We will continue to offer the highest quality of education available.

amalik@express-news.net

Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN
The Paris Peace Conference to discuss a solution the Palestinian-Israeli is due to assemble Sunday in, in the twilight of the Obama and Hollande administrations. Can it resuscitate the peace process?

With less than a week before it signs off, the Barack Obama administration has an opportunity to give its last word on ever elusive Middle East peace  an issue that Obama promised in 2009 to make a focus of his tenure, but on which he failed to deliver.

The Paris Peace Conference will finally assemble Sunday in the French capital, after months of intensive engagement by French diplomacy.

The conference is comes less than three weeks after the UN Security Council managed, thanks to a rare US abstention, to adopt a resolution against the Israeli policy of settlement construction on the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, upon which a Palestinian state could be established under the formula of a two-state solution to end the conflict.

Decrying the illegal annexation of Palestinian territories by Israeli settlements is expected to be a key message to come out of the Paris meeting that is to be attended by some 70 states and organisations, but with no representation of either the Palestinian Authority (PA), which had praised the conference against the backdrop of long neglect on the part of the international community, or Israel that has lobbied hard against the conference, calling the idea a Palestinian-French ploy.

On Friday, in New York, opposite the French mission, a few hundred pro-Israel Jewish protestors demonstrated against the Paris conference and said that it showed an anti-Israeli bias by France that had in during World War II took part in deporting Jews to concentration camps.

The Paris conference is to convene at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is counting the days until the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has openly promised to side with Israel in a way that no other US president has done. Trump has promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, a move PA official Saeb Erekat appealed to Russian Foreign Minister Serge Lavrov, in Moscow, to block.

A Palestinian diplomat told Ahram Online that if the Paris conference is not able to produce anything but a clear position against the recognition of de facto changes introduced by Israel to the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem as the capital of the aspired Palestinian state, it still would not be a flop.

It would be a mistake to dismiss the Paris conference as a mere photo op, the Palestinian diplomat said, But he insisted that it should do more than merely kickstart momentum towards a negotiated settlement.

However, the Palestinian diplomat added, that conference faces an uphill battle from the beginning by convening in the 11th hour not only of the Obama administration, but also of the presidency of host Francois Hollande, whose term in office comes to an end in spring, with no serious chances for any candidate from his Socialist Party to make it to the Elysee Palace.

French diplomacy had hoped the conference would be convened late summer or in the early autumn of 2016. Now, French diplomacy is acting, in the words of a French diplomat who requested anonymity, to "remind" the international community of the need to keep pursuing the two-state solution, and the basis upon which this solution could be reached, because the alternative is possibly a sudden eruption of anger and maybe violence.

French diplomacy is not unaware of Israeli resilience to efforts of the international community to put negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis back on track after a moratorium for over five years; first because of the reluctance of Israel to stop the construction of illegal settlements on Palestinian territories, as expected by the parameters of all successive initiatives for Middle East peace, and also because the Arab world has been so involved in "managing" the Arab Spring.

In the words of the Palestinian diplomat, it is better than nothing; I mean it is a reminder to the world that there is still a Palestinian people suffering under Israeli occupation.

Coming in the wake of the UN Security Council resolution that denounced Israel's settlement construction policy, the Palestinian diplomat added, the expected Paris declaration should provide two things: a blueprint for any possible process of negotiations that anyone in the Middle East or elsewhere would want to start, and a reminder to the Trump administration of what Washington would have agreed to.

I am not saying that this or anything would necessarily stop Trump from taking whatever measures he would wish to take, but it would at least prompt the State Department under Trump to remind the new US president of the diplomatic cost of reversing positions, he said.

And, he added, it grants the PA with a position to stick to if asked to go to the negotiations table with Israel.

The PA had not been very forthcoming about an Egyptian proposal for a meeting to bring together Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

Abbas has reportedly told El-Sisi that he was willing to join any serious effort revive the peace process from the ashes, but that he could not do so while Netanyahu is refusing to suspend illegal settlement construction and refusing that peace talks come under an international umbrella.

I stick by what I said in the summer of 2016, we in the PA are done with direct bilateral talks with Israel that would at best produce a temporary improvement to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza or in the West Bank. We have been doing this for years and now we need to get serious, internationally-sponsored peace talks, the Palestinian diplomat said.

He added that this is why the PA is actually quite keen on the Paris conference" and this is why "Netanyahu had tried so hard to block it; not because it would produce anything that Netanyahu would have to stick to, but because it would remind the world that it cannot be leaving the fate of Palestinians to the will of Netanyahu.

In this sense, the same Palestinian diplomat added, the Paris conference would strengthen the many brave movements working to support Palestinian rights, including those on boycotting the products of Israeli settlements.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Courtesy photo / Border Patrol Agent Jose Diaz de Leon

The Border Patrol says it rescued a Honduran girl who was stranded on an island in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass.

The Eagle Pass Police Department received a call from someone in Mexico whod seen the girl at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a news release from the Border Patrol. Agents in a boat found her on a small island north of town.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Amid the solemn pomp of a military funeral, Luis Torres was laid to rest Friday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 66 years after he went missing as a Korean War prisoner of war.

After a long procession of cars crawled up Broadway to the cemetery, a caisson with four horses appeared, bringing his flag-draped casket along a winding road to the burial grounds. Five current soldiers from his unit  C Company, 1st Battalion, 23 Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division  served as his color guard and presented a Purple Heart to the family.

His family, unaware for decades what happened to Torres, received an Ambassador of Peace Medal from the Consulate General of South Korea in Houston.

Throughout the funeral, his brother, Greg Torres, 71, clutched his folded flag close to his heart. Carlos Mendoza, a nephew who had worked on an effort to locate Luis Torres, sat nearby. The family members said they looked forward to visiting his grave, now that he had been found.

I feel very happy, because my brother is here, said Guadalupe Torres, at 92 the oldest of Torres surviving sisters. Hes here with all of us.

Torres joined the Army and arrived in Pusan on Aug. 5, 1950, when the war in Korea was barely 2 months old. On Aug. 31, a battle on the east bank of the Naktong River decimated his unit. Just 20 soldiers in the company returned that day. Torres was not among them.

Greg Torres had seen his brother shortly before he left for Korea. He was a young boy then. When the Army told his mother, Esther, that Luis was presumed killed in action, she didnt believe them, not to the end of her life.

Greg Torres also believed that his brother would return one day. After joining the military himself and serving in the Vietnam War, he became active in veterans ceremonies in San Antonio. He would always bring a picture of his brother.

In 2005, Mendoza, a retired Army staff sergeant from Eagle Pass, began interviewing those who knew Luis. His uncle was nicknamed Shorty, he loved music and his female admirers thought he was very handsome.

Mendoza received a possible lead in 2013 on the whereabouts of his uncle. Based on witness statements and records of who fought at what battle, a grave in a cemetery of unknown soldiers in Hawaii was exhumed.

A briefing given to the family Dec. 15 confirmed that Torres remains had been found and identified. They were earlier found 6 miles from the battlefield. Its believed that he was a short-term prisoner held by the North Koreans before he was executed. Three bullets, one of them near his spine, pierced his body.

For years, the family had assumed that he had been tortured. Their fears were confirmed when they were told in the briefing that he was missing his feet and his left hand.

His remains were returned to San Antonio on Tuesday.

Omar Torres, son of Greg Torres, said that since he was a young boy, he always wondered what his great-uncle was like. Omar, 46, resembled Luis, according to his relatives. He would wonder if his great-uncle had the same sense of humor. He had learned about the disappearance when he was very young, and he had made sure to teach his children about Luis.

When he arrived on Tuesday, and I saw him come off that plane, I felt it right here, Omar Torres said, clutching his heart. Almost as if I had just lost him. I felt a rush of emotion.

At the visitation, Omar Torres said he brought his family to the casket. He told his great-uncle, This is my family. Then he hugged his family. He said what he felt was relief.

jlawrence@express-news.net
Tornadoes, strong-to-severe thunderstorms and heavy rain may hit the San Antonio-area this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

All of South Central Texas is under threat for severe weather, with the possibility of flooding, winds reaching up to 60 mph and quarter-sized or greater hail from Sunday afternoon until Monday morning.

Steve Smart, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said confidence in the severe weather threat is continually increasing as the weekend approaches.

The main threats will be damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, Smart said. The flooding potential might be greatest from Sunday to Monday.

The thunderstorms are expected to develop Sunday afternoon and move into the Hill County and Interstate 35 corridor later that evening.

There is also the potential for flooding from Sunday evening into Monday morning. Minor river flooding could occur until mid-week, as light showers are expected in the area until Thursday.

Theres a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain from Friday through Saturday, and that chance increases to 50 to 60 percent beginning Sunday, as a cold front enters the San Antonio region.

Smart said San Antonio hit near record highs Thursday, with temperatures reaching 79 degrees. The record for Jan. 13 was set in 1907 with 81 degree weather.

Its not typical to have temperatures like this, Smart said. This isn't normal for San Antonio.

Smart advised all residents of the South Central Texas area to take extra precautions this MLK holiday weekend.

Now is the time to plan, he said. Make sure you know what to do and have a means for receiving severe weather information. Know what to do to keep you, your family and others you love safe when the weather begins.

cdowns@express-news.net

Twitter: @calebjdowns
Few would accuse Rep. Louie Terror Baby Gohmert of regularly dispensing trenchant social commentary, but in just 10 words this week he summed up the state of journalism in the age of the Internet.

The story is not there, he said. The story is over there.

The Tyler Republican said this while trying to block a photojournalist from snapping pictures of protesters being removed from the confirmation hearings of attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, according to The Dallas Morning News. He reportedly said it in response to the photographers question, Are you seriously blocking me from making these pictures of these protesters?

Gohmert is not alone these days among non-journalists in defining newsworthiness to journalists. These days, its the norm. And unfortunately, journalists are to blame  at least, the type who behave as if the mere existence of something justifies its publication.

This was BuzzFeeds defense of its decision this week to publish a dossier of serious but unsubstantiated accusations against President-elect Donald Trump gathered by a former British intelligence operative.

Now BuzzFeed News is publishing the full document so that Americans can make up their own minds about allegations about the president-elect that have circulated at the highest levels of government, the story stated.

In other words, readers should decide whats real and whats fake. And should readers perceive fake news as real, thats not the fault of the news media.

Unfortunately, this rationale thumbs its nose at the First Amendment, which protects the publication of truthful information of public concern, as the Supreme Court phrased it in 2001. It also undermines the basic enterprise of journalism. By denying the role of journalists as gatekeepers of truth, it gives a green light to the Gohmerts of the world.

After all, if anyone can make up their own minds about what constitutes a legitimate story, whats to stop a congressman from doing so?

Or a president?

You are fake news, Trump told Jim Acosta of CNN this week, as he refused to allow the journalist to ask a question at a news conference.

Trump was angry that CNN had reported the dossier story. The nuance: CNN had not published the actual document, but rather the fact that intelligence officials had given Trump a two-page memo summarizing the allegations against him.

This distinction did not matter. To the president-elect, any story that reflects poorly upon him is a product of terrible news judgment.

This attitude is also discernible in Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is on a quest this session to pass a law that would require transgender men to use womens restrooms and transgender women to use mens restrooms.

The only people who oppose this bill in your poll or my poll are Anglo liberals, and many of them work in the media, he said this week in a conversation with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith.

Any criticism of Patricks bill, then, is the product of poor news judgment, the sort that churns out fake news.

Mayor Ivy Taylor has also proven susceptible to this thinking. I wrote in November about a visit she made to the San Antonio Express-News to express her displeasure at our coverage of her Council on Police-Community Relations.

Yes, we need reporters, columnists and editors to help hold leaders accountable, she told us, but that has to be within the context of advancing the community, not merely to erode confidence in leaders and processes and in the potential to resolve difficult and emotional issues.

In response, I wrote, I could not disagree more. Sometimes, leaders and processes must be questioned, regardless of the context.

Your just an idiot, a reader emailed after the column ran.

You misspelled youre, I responded.

Thanks! the reader wrote back.

I was refreshed. Perhaps, in proper spelling, we had found common ground.

Then, 20 minutes later, another email arrived: I never said you could not spell or I could, the reader clarified. It is just the fact that what you write is stupid.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

You cant go home again.

That phrase is the title of a Thomas Wolfe novel, but its also applicable to the brewing fight over the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

Conventional wisdom tells us that this fight is really no fight at all.

Republicans, who control both houses of Congress and will welcome Donald Trump to the White House on Friday, are set to relegate Barack Obamas legacy achievement  the one that required a painful year to pass and seven painful years to defend  to the dustbin of history.

Over the past week, both the House and Senate laid the groundwork for a budget reconciliation that will strip the wheels off the ACA car, removing its funding mechanisms so that it ceases to function. Time to write Obamacares obituary, were being told.

But its not that simple.

Obamacare created new expectations for 20 million previously uninsured Americans. You dont pull those expectations away without paying a political price. As much as congressional Republicans are salivating at the thought of getting their victory lap, it doesnt take much sober reflection to see the dangers that await them.

By closing an ever-widening donut hole of coverage, Obama opened a door that his predecessors had tried  and failed  to crack for nearly 40 years. Republicans cant shut that door now.

The simple fact that Republicans are talking about crafting a replacement for the law means they realize we cant go back to the pre-2010 order on health care. If Obamas legacy on insurance coverage turns out to be nothing more than the fact that he created the imperative, that he forced the other side to find an alternative way to cover the people his law covered, thats still a substantial legacy.

Consider that Republican President Richard Nixon proposed universal coverage back in 1974. His plan (which included the kind of employer mandate now so despised by Republicans) went nowhere.

Bill Clinton staked the first two years of his presidency on a health-care plan developed by his wife, Hillary. It was a political Hindenburg, a flaming legislative dirigible that crashed to the earth and nearly engulfed Clintons political career.

Al Gore and George W. Bush spent much of the 2000 presidential campaign debating how to deal with the 42.6 million Americans who lacked coverage at the time. A 2000 Pew Research Center poll found that voters considered it the second-most important issue in the country, behind only education. Nonetheless, a decade passed after that campaign without the problem being addressed.

Obama cracked the code, and if the resulting law was compromised and structurally flawed, it also offered new protections to people with pre-existing conditions, new incentive for entrepreneurial innovators to strike out on their own, without fear of losing coverage.

It also gave hope to members of the so-called gig economy: artists, actors, musicians, roadies, sound engineers and others who give this country its creative pulse, but have often depended on the charity of friends to help them when they face serious illness.

An old friend of mine from Dallas who has been a pillar of that citys music scene for three decades recently signed up for health insurance on an Obamacare exchange. For the first time in 25 years, he had health coverage. Now he feels like hes in limbo.

On Thursday night, House Speaker Paul Ryan held a CNN town hall. Along the way, Ryan took a question from a self-employed Arizona man named Jeff Jeans, a former Republican who said he voted against Obama and hated the ACA when it passed. But Jeans went on to say that the law ultimately saved his life when he got cancer.

I want to thank President Obama from the bottom of my heart, Jeans said in a soft, hoarse voice, because I would be dead right now if it werent for him.

A somber-looking Ryan assured him that the GOP would not dismantle the law without having a replacement ready.

Maybe Im crazy, but I still consider it possible that rising political pressure from people like Jeans will scare Republicans. They know they cant repeal the entirety of the law because Democrats will filibuster them in the Senate. If they keep the laws shell and take away its subsidies, the insurance markets will spiral out of control and many people will lose coverage. The fallout will land on the GOP.

The American health insurance system cant go home again, and Republicans still have to figure out what that means.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Iraq's foreign minister said he had carried messages between Iran and Saudi Arabia in a continuing attempt to curb a feud involving its two neighbors, Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday.

Relations between the two regional rivals worsened after hundreds of people, many of them Iranians, died in a crush at the 2015 Muslim haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Iran blamed the disaster on organizers' incompetence, and boycotted last year's haj.

Ties worsened further when Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia executed a Shia cleric a year ago, angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and Riyadh severed diplomatic relations.

"The (mediation) steps have continued since last year, and I have exchanged messages between the two countries ... because any crisis in Iranian-Saudi relations affects Iraq as well, and a rapprochement between them would also benefit Iraq," Iraq's Ibrahim al-Jaafari was quoted by IRIB's website as saying.

"I have carried oral messages between officials of the two countries in the past few months and we will try to bring their positions closer," Jaafari said.

An Iranian official confirmed on Monday that Saudi Arabia had invited Tehran to discuss arrangements for the annual haj.

Iraq sent Jaafari to Tehran a year ago with an offer to mediate in the feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran, reflecting Baghdad's fears that new sectarian conflict could affect its military campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Germany's farming association has voiced concerns about the lack of plans to deal with the impact of Brexit on the EU's CAP.

Brexit could have a major impact on funding of the EU's farming support scheme, the common agricultural policy (CAP), because Britain is a huge net contributor to EU finances, Joachim Rukwied, the president of the German farming association DBV, said.

"The discussion about the implications of Brexit on the CAP has not yet taken place," Rukwied told Reuters. He said farmers should not face cuts to their EU support payments because of Brexit.

A major challenge will be creating a satisfactory trading relationship with Britain after Brexit, he said.

Farming minister George Eustice and Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom has sought to reassure the British agricultural sector, saying it is the government's intention to maintain as low tariffs as possible, and zero tariffs where it can.

Big German food exports

German farmers are worried about the status of big German food exports to Britain which totalled about 4.8 billion euros (4.19 billion pounds) in 2015 or about 6 percent of German food exports. Sales include German meat, milk, grains, fruit and vegetables.

Britain exported 1.4 billion euros of farm produce to Germany in 2015.

"We have a surplus in trade with food from Germany to the United Kingdom of 3.4 billion euros," he said. "I cannot see that any progress has been made on this issue in the United Kingdom."

Britain could be involved in a food free trade deal with the EU after Brexit, German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt told Reuters in July.

The loss of sales to Russia of German milk, pork, fruit and vegetables had caused downward price pressure on the country.
The Farmers Union of Wales has rejected proposals to split Wales into five bovine TB regions in its response to a Welsh Government consultation, highlighting the need to tackle the disease in badger populations instead.

The Welsh Government proposes splitting Wales into two high, two intermediate and one low TB level regions, with different rules applying in each region.

The proposals would mean a heightening of Wales cattle TB rules, which are considered amongst the strictest in the world.

But following a consultation with its twelve county branches, the majority of FUW members rejected the proposals, highlighting the need for 'meaningful' controls which address transmission of the disease from badgers to cattle.

'Strictest TB controls in Europe'

FUW TB Spokesman Brian Walters said: The consultation paper acknowledges that the level of disease found in badgers in Wales is 6.6%, around 1420% higher than the level found in cattle  which is 0.4 percent.

Members made it clear that the proposal to split Wales up into five regions and further add to what are already the strictest TB controls in Europe would only make sense if badger numbers were reduced in the areas where they are passing the disease on to cattle.

In 2012, the Bovine Tuberculosis subgroup of the EU Task Force for Monitoring Animal Disease Eradication criticised Welsh Government politicians for replacing a previously planned badger cull with a badger vaccination programme.

It stated: There is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that badger vaccination will reduce the incidence of TB in cattle. However there is considerable evidence to support the removal of badgers in order to improve the TB status of both badgers and cattle.

The latest official report on the badger vaccination programme, which lasted four years and cost 3.7 million, concludes that Consistent trends in indicators of bTB incidence have not yet been seen

By contrast, the governments official scientific advice had concluded that a badger cull in the area would have led to a significant reduction in the number of herds with TB and cattle slaughtered and actually saved money, despite costs being similar to those of the vaccination programme.

'Elephant in the room'

Amongst the proposals consulted upon by the Welsh Government was the adoption of a New Zealand type informed purchasing approach to cattle trading.

During a recent Welsh Assembly Climate Change Committee hearing, Dr Paul Livingstone, who previously led New Zealands successful eradication programme, said nothing was being done in Wales about the disease in badgers, describing the issue as the elephant in the room.

Brian Walters said: A New Zealand type approach is one the Welsh farming industry would fully support, because it is a genuine partnership between government and farmers in which politicians recognise the need to cull wildlife to control TB.

Without that commitment by Welsh politicians we will never achieve the success seen in New Zealand, Australia and other countries which have implemented successful eradication programmes by tackling the disease in both cattle and wildlife, added Mr Walters.
Plans are well underway to resurrect an ancient species of super cow, echoing a project once planned by the Nazis.

The oversized wild cattle known as the aurochs died out in the 1627, but Adolf Hitler's followers tried to breed a similar beast as part of their Aryan mythology.

Since 2009, two European teams have been 'back-breeding' cattle which still carry the DNA of aurochs in an attempt to bring them back to life.

Founder and ecologist Ronald Goderie told CNN: "We thought we needed a grazer that is fully self-sufficient in case of big predators and could do the job of grazing big wild areas. We reasoned that this animal would have to resemble an auroch.

"We see progress not only in looks and behavior but also in de-domestication of the animals."

'Key ecological role'

The reason it would be beneficial to have herds of aurochs roaming free, they argue, is that the large grazers can serve a key ecological role in maintaining and encouraging the biodiversity of Europe's landscapes.

Conservationists now believe the loss of the keystone herbivore was tragic for biodiversity in Europe.

Of today's cattle, the ecologists said: "None of the current breeds is the optimal grazer for wilderness areas, especially not with big predators around such as wolves, in the bigger European wilderness areas."

Mr Goderie believes that by 2025, the seventh generation of neo-aurochs will be as close as possible to the originals.

In 2015 a British farmer was forced to kill off half his herd of auroch-derived Heck cattle because they kept trying to kill him.
Northern Irelands agri-food industry will embrace the 'unprecedented and exciting' opportunities offered by the United Kingdom, the Government has said.

That was the key message from Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen when she addressed the Oxford Farming Conference this week.

Northern Ireland's long term aim is to promote a sustainable, competitive, high performing, knowledge-based agri-food sector that is' prosperous and compliant.'

Miss McIlveen said: That means it will be more resilient to shocks and challenges, have high standards of animal health and welfare, deliver for the environment and have increased market access.

Brexit represents an unprecedented and exciting opportunity for Northern Ireland. We are, undoubtedly, in unchartered waters but this provide us with significant opportunities such: as the ability to develop a future agricultural policy framework better suited to local needs, one that will provide for and secure long term sustainability; the opportunity to remove the unnecessary bureaucracy associated with current arrangements and the option to look at a different type of agricultural policy which will provide the necessary incentives for our farmers.

It is quite clear that we are not going to have a system like the one we currently have. But why copy a system heavy on regulations and penalties that is not working for many farmers. Leaving the EU creates the opportunity to develop something different.

'Promote and protect'

Miss McIlveen made it clear that she will work diligently to promote and protect the needs of agriculture in Northern Ireland.

She continued: As a region, Northern Ireland will look for some type of flexibility because as a region, we are unique. Our agri-food sector is much more important to the local economy than is the case in the other parts of the United Kingdom. Future trade and support arrangements will be vital to the future prospects of our industry.

The Minister, who joined a panel discussion with political representatives from the Scottish and Welsh Governments as well as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told delegates that any change in support mechanisms would need to involve a period of transition but added that both she and the Executive remain committed to getting the best deal for Northern Ireland.

I have met with virtually every stakeholder from the agri-food, rural development, fisheries and environment sectors in Northern Ireland and set up the joint Brexit Consultative Committee with the Economy Minister Simon Hamilton to maintain constant communication.

The Northern Ireland Executive will play its part to ensure we get the best possible deal for local agri-food sector, farmers, producers, processors and fishermen. I want to see a farming industry that is innovative, competitive, profitable and resilient, she concluded.
A farmer from Northumberland has been fined nearly 4,400 for moving unfit and lame sheep.

Jeffery Thomas Dunn, from Ponteland, in Northumberland, moved 14 of his animals, which were later found to have either foot rot, suspected mastitis or arthritis.

The 57-year-old has now been prosecuted by Durham County Council and made to pay 4,367.40.

Darlington Magistrates Court heard that all but one of the 14 sheep were lame.

Prosecutors told how Dunn transported 34 animals from the farm where he lives to an abattoir at Spennymoor on March 6 last year.

On inspecting the sheep the next day, a vet from the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) believed 14 of the animals were unfit to travel.

Thirteen of the sheep were lame and unable to walk on all four limbs.

Specimens were sent to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for examination.

The vet there confirmed that the sheep suffering with foot rot had chronic infections that would have been present for several weeks.

The APHA vet believed that all the conditions present in the sheep would cause them pain, discomfort and unnecessary suffering, and that the animals should not have been transported as they were not fit.

Read More
Related Tunisian police fire tear gas at protesters demanding jobs

Hundreds of protesters demanding jobs clashed with police in several Tunisian towns on Saturday, blocking the route of visiting President Beji Caid Essebsi in one region, on the sixth anniversary of the country's revolution.

Local residents said protests that erupted in the southern town of Ben Guerdane had spread over the weekend to several other areas such as Sidi Bouzid, Meknassi and Gafsa, where Essebsi visited to mark the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Six years after that revolt, Tunisia is hailed as a model of democratic transition, but rural central and southern regions remain flashpoints for rioting in marginalised towns where many young Tunisians see little economic opportunity or progress.

In Gafsa, angry youths protested against Essebsi's visit, throwing stones and blocking the road. Local media and residents said the president's convoy was forced to change its route before he left by air.

In Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the Tunisian revolution sparked by the death of a street vendor protesting against official corruption and abuses, hundreds demonstrated in front of the local governorate, making the same demands as six years ago.

"We raised the same slogans as 2011 ... work is our right ... no fear, and the street belongs to the people," Attia Athmouni, a local resident told Reuters.

In Meknassi, police arrested some protesters late on Friday. But the protests continued in Meknassi and Manzel Bouziane on Saturday.

The presidency said that Essebsi announced development projects which will provide more job opportunities in Gafsa, the heart of the country's state-run phosphate business, whose exports have also been disrupted by protests over jobs.

After a day of calm following a visit by a delegation of ministers to Ben Guerdane, near the Libyan border, protesters clashed again on Saturday with police, local residents said.

Since the 2011 uprising, Tunisia has mostly avoided the political violence that has plagued much of the Arab world. The North African country emerged as a symbol of peaceful democratic change with free elections, a new constitution and compromise between Islamist and secular rivals.

But economic progress, a central demand of many Tunisians, has failed to match the country's political advances. In rural southern and central regions, where farming remains one of the few sources of income, tensions often flare over the lack of jobs and economic opportunities.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Thanks to 32.2pc growth in the value of its Australian dairy imports, to just on $75m for the third quarter 2016 compared to 2015, China nudged out Japan as our most valued dairy export customer, and Indonesia slipped from third to fifth place behind Singapore and Malaysia.
The future of Fauquier Times now depends on community support. Your donation will help us continue to improve our journalism through in-depth local news coverage and expanded reader engagement.

Support
Events and things to do to celebrate Veterans Day in Cumberland County

Cumberland County will honor veterans for two weeks starting with the annual Veterans Day Parade on Saturday in downtown Fayetteville.
A suspect has been arrested, police said on Friday, in the slaying of a University of Wisconsin student from Saudi Arabia who was reported to have been fatally beaten outside a pizzeria in the college town of Menomonie in late October.

The victim, Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, was assaulted in the early morning hours of Oct. 30 on a downtown street near the UW-Stout campus in western Wisconsin, and died of his injuries the next day at a hospital in nearby Eau Claire, according to school officials.

Alnahdi, from Buraydah, Saudia Arabia, was a junior undergraduate student majoring in business administration. He began attending the university in Menomonie in 2015, UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer said.

Authorities released little information about the circumstances of his slaying. But local media, citing a criminal complaint filed in the case, said police responding to a fight outside Topper's Pizza in Menomonie found Alnahdi unconscious and bleeding from the nose and mouth.

The official cause of death was reported to be traumatic brain injury.

A 27-year-old man Minnesota man, identified as Cullen M. Osburn, was arrested on Thursday in the St. Paul area and was jailed on charges of felony murder and battery, police and university officials said.

Police offered no explanation for a possible motive behind the killing, which had stirred concerns on campus that the assault may have been a hate crime.

But a Facebook statement posted by Meyer on Friday quoted the criminal complaint as noting that the suspect, in statements to investigators, "was adamant that the altercation was not a result of anybody's race."

The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram newspaper and other media outlets cited eyewitness accounts from court documents of a man arguing with and shouting at Alnahdi outside the pizza parlor before Alnahdi was punched and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the side of a building.

One bystander told investigators she saw Alnahdi at one point raise his hands as if to indicate to his assailant that he wanted to avoid a confrontation.

The university campus reportedly enrolls some 9,600 students, a including a group of about 140 from Saudia Arabia.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Summary

Company Announcement Date: January 13, 2017 FDA Publish Date: February 09, 2018 Product Type: Medical Devices Reason for Announcement: Recall Reason Description Due to reported instances where the device has shut down unexpectedly during patient treatment Company Name: Physio-Control Brand Name: Brand Name(s) LIFEPAK Product Description: Product Description LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator

Company Announcement

(Redmond, WA)  January 13, 2017  Physio-Control announced today that the company is launching a voluntary field action for the LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator due to reported instances where the device has shut down unexpectedly during patient treatment.

The company is notifying LIFEPAK 1000 customers of an issue that may affect the readiness of the device. The company has received 34 reports where customers have attempted to use their LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator and the device has shut down unexpectedly due to an intermittent connection between the battery and device electrical contacts. A defibrillator in this scenario may not be able to deliver therapy during a resuscitation attempt, which may expose patients to the risk of serious harm or death. The company is aware of 8 adverse events related to this issue.

The company has determined that this intermittent connection is a result of wear and subsequent oxidation formation between the battery and device electrical contacts. This condition can occur over time in LIFEPAK 1000 devices that are exposed to vibration and have a battery installed for long periods of time. This issue can potentially affect any LIFEPAK 1000 device, however customers with non-rechargeable batteries who do not routinely remove the battery for inspection, as indicated in the LIFEPAK 1000 Defibrillator Operating Instructions, are more susceptible to this issue.

The company is contacting customers and advising them to immediately remove and reinstall the battery from their device(s). Customers are also being advised to implement a weekly schedule of battery removal and reinstallation for all LIFEPAK 1000 devices. The removal and reinstallation of the battery will clean the contacts of oxidation and will reduce the likelihood of this issue from occurring. Physio-Control will be initiating a hardware device correction for all affected LIFEPAK 1000 devices and the company will contact customers to schedule device corrections once the hardware correction is ready for implementation. The company will provide customers with updated information regarding the timing for this device correction at the website URL shown below, when it is available.

Information about this notice is available at: www.physio-control.com/lifepak1000-274. Affected customers will be notified by letter. Customers with questions regarding this notification, please contact Physio-Control by calling 1-866-231-1220, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Pacific) Monday  Friday, or by email to rsrecalls@physio-control.com or fax to 1-866-448-9567.

In addition to contacting Physio-Control, any potential quality problems or adverse reactions or events associated with the use of a Physio-Control product may be reported to the U. S. Food and Drug Administrations MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program online at www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm, by phone 1-800-332-1088 or fax 1-800-FDA-0178.

About Physio-Control

Physio-Control is the worlds leading provider of professional emergency medical response solutions that predict or intervene in life-threatening emergencies. The companys products include LIFEPAK monitor/defibrillators and automated external defibrillators (AED), LUCAS Chest Compression Systems, the LIFENET System, HeartSine AEDs and more. Learn more at www.physio-control.com, or connect on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Consumers Media Matt Fikse

matt.fikse@physio-control.com

425-867-4208 Matt Fikse425-867-4208
The Spice Girls reunion has been axed.

Mel B, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner [Instagram]

While Geri Horner, Mel B and Emma Bunton were planning to resurrect the group as a trio after Victoria Beckham and Mel C opted not to return, pregnant Geri has now pulled out to focus on her family.

Geri - who has 10-year-old Bluebell from a past relationship - is expecting her first child with husband Christian Horner.

A source told The Sun: "Geri's priorities have changed.

"Her baby is due later this year and rather than force a reunion, she's needs to concentrate on more personal matters.

"Getting all the girls in the studio at the same time proved a tough task.

"What they needed was one main boss-style figure to pull the strings otherwise they would be constantly in limbo."

And Rolling Stones' manager Joyce Smyth has also walked away from the project.

However, there is still a possibility that the group will reunite in the future.

News of Geri's departure from the band comes not long after Mel B insisted they would record new music at her home-built studio.

She said: "We have written new material and I have a studio at my house in LA. As soon as Emma and Geri get their schedules sorted they will be over in LA and we can start working on new music.

"Nothing's set in stone yet. We're just working towards getting something sorted this year, so there's nothing to talk about yet."
The first three performers have been announced for this years BRIT Awards, with Little Mix, Emeli Sande and The 1975 all scheduled to take to the stage at some point across the night of music celebrations.

Matty Healy of The 1975

As some of the UKs biggest acts, the three should bring in some huge pulling power for the ceremony. BRITs Chairman Jason Iley comments: Today we have confirmed three of the biggest artists to perform at the BRITs. They have not only sold millions of records but they are incredible live artists renowned for their memorable performances. We are incredibly excited to welcome them to the BRITs stage.

Whilst both Little Mix and Emeli Sande have performed in the past at the BRIT Awards, this will be indie group The 1975s first time on the BRITs stage. Theyre no strangers to Londons O2 Arena however, recently performing at the venue to a sell-out crowd. Their last five years have seen them establish themselves as a huge force in the industry, and last year saw the release of their follow-up album to their number 1 debut. Second studio record I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it also stormed straight to the top of the British album charts.

Sande is making her return to the BRITs stage for the first time since winning two awards back in 2013. After dominating the charts with her debut album release, shes back once more with new record Long Love The Angels, which achieved 2016s biggest week one sales for a British female solo artist.

Finally, Little Mix will be returning after selling over 300,000 tickets and claiming the biggest arena tour in the UK of 2016. Their latest album Glory Days topped the charts and took the highest first week sales for a British girl group since the Spice Girls back in 1997, also claiming the fastest-selling by any girl group title in the past 15 years.

The 2017 BRIT nominations are to be announced tonight (January 14) on ITV at 6pm on The BRITs Are Coming, with the show also featuring special performances from Calum Scott, Christine and the Queens, Craig David and 2017 BRITs Critics Choice winner, RagNBone Man.

The BRIT Awards with MasterCard exclusively broadcast live on ITV on Wednesday, February 22 from The O2 Arena in London.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

find me on and follow me on
Priyanka Chopra who recently went back to LA to resume shooting for Quantico 2 met with an accident on Thursday. Shocking, isn't it? Well, it so happened that the actress slipped, fell hard on her head and suffered a concussion while she was filming an action packed scene for the show.

Priyanka spokesperson too has released an official statement confirming the mishap which read, "Yes, I can confirm there was a minor incident last night on set. Priyanka was immediately taken to the hospital, examined by a doctor and released. She will return to work after the weekend." PeeCee is currently resting at home.

We wish PC a speedy recovery!

Talking about films, the actress is all set to make her Hollywood debut with Dwayne Johnson-Zac Efron's Baywatch which has her esaaying the role of the antagonist, Victoria Leeds.

On Bollywood front, the actress had recently revealed that she is planning to sign three films this year.

OK Jaanu Movie Review: A Lesson In Love Along With Aditya Roy Kapur-Shraddha Kapoor's Charm!
Renowned Hollywood star James McAvoy says ever since he had a separation with his former wife Anne-Marie Duff, his life has headed for a drastic change.

"My life has changed massively, at the same time, so much has stayed the same," the X-Men actor revealed.

McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff, declared their separation after their nine years relationship and marriage. The couple had married on Oct. 18, 2006, and they also have a six-year-old son named Brendan.

However, the actor always preferred to keep his relationship with wife Anne a private affair and never liked to discuss it in the public. The actor says he is happy to continue the same even after his divorce.

"One of the things that's stayed the same is that I still don't talk about my personal life, really," James McAvoy stated.

"Me and Anne-Marie, when we were together, it was our policy not to speak about each other in public. We rarely broke that and if we did, it was for tiny things - 'Yes, we are cooking turkey this Christmas' - and that policy still stands." Said the actor.

"Even separated, we're still respectful of each other and committed to doing that publicly and personally," McAvoy explained.

Adding to it the actor also said "things are really good,"soon he conceded jokingly "is a rubbish, pat answer."
Nair San, the Mohanlal-Jackie Chan movie is one of the most anticipated upcoming projects of Malayalam cinema. According to Albert Antony, the director, Nair San is made with a massive budget of 400 Crores.

Reportedly, the movie will be produced by a foreign production house, as the Indian production houses are reluctant to fund such a massive budget venture. The production is still under the pre-production stage.

Nair San, which was announced in 2009, was delayed indefinitely after the production house decided to back out from the project. It was reported that the banner was doubtful about Mohanlal's hold in the international market.

But now, the makers decide to revive the project, considering the massive success of Mohanlal's recent movie Pulimurugan. The team feels that the actor can now easily make an impression in the international market.

Mohanlal is now undoubtedly one of the most bankable actors of the Indian film industry. If Nair San becomes true, the actor will succeed in establishing himself as one of the leading Indian stars in the global level.

The movie, which is set in the pre-independence era, will have Mohanlal in the role of an Indian soldier named Ayyappan Nair. Jackie Chan, on the other hand, will appear as a Japanese martial arts expert.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/14/17 -- Today, the first day of the month of Thai on the Tamil calendar, marks the joyous festival of Thai Pongal. Originally a harvest festival, the holiday is now celebrated by Tamil people in Canada and around the world with family reunions, gift giving and special treats like the traditional sweet rice pudding, known as pongal.

Diversity and inclusion are a vital part of what makes our country a great place to live and are a pillar of the Canada 150 celebrations taking place this year. The Tamil-Canadian community is a shining example of how Canada is enriched by its cultural diversity, and Thai Pongal is an opportunity to recognize the community's many contributions and achievements. This year's festival is especially significant as it takes place during the first-ever Tamil Heritage Month in Canada, which won unanimous support in Parliament last October.

As Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for multiculturalism, I wish everyone celebrating Thai Pongal a wonderful festival among family and friends.

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.

Contacts:

For more information (media only):

Pierre-Olivier Herbert

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage

819-997-7788




Transmit Security, a Newton, MA and Tel Aviv, Israel-based programmable authentication company, raised $40M in a self-funded round of financing.

Co-founded by Mickey Boodaei and Rakesh K. Loonkar, Transmit Security also launched an authentication software platform that enables organizations to displace passwords and implement any form of identity verification, on any device, across all their customer/partner facing channels.

The Transmit Security Platform (SP) uses mobile devices as the primary delivery mechanism to add any form of primary or secondary identity verification (facial/selfie, eye, touch ID and fingerprint, voice biometrics, SMS, etc.) to any application (web, mobile, call center, point of sale, ATMs, etc.). Once deployed, an enterprise can make changes to all their authentication methods and identity risk flows without any code changes to their applications.

The technology can be deployed on-premise, in the cloud, or in a hybrid configuration.

The companys founders, Mickey Boodaei and Rakesh K. Loonkar, previously created online banking security pioneer Trusteer, which was acquired by IBM in 2013. Boodaei also co-founded Imperva, a billion dollar provider of cyber and data security products.

FinSMEs

14/01/2017
Ila Ananya

Ok Jaanu has many scenes of Tara (Shraddha Kapoor) and Adi (Aditya Roy Kapur) jumping onto departing buses and trains. Twice, its a taxi. The one time they miss a train, they fall in love. They talk about how attracted they are to each other on the buses and Bombay trains. But they do this so many times that you begin to suspect that it isnt just an effort to set the movie in Bombay. You begin to wonder if its a weird metaphor for their lives. They always get what they want.

Its a bit like that scene in Jab We Met, when Geet talks to Aditya  is Adi/Aditya is the new Rahul?  about getting back together with her ex. She says shes feeling becheini, like shes missing a train.

But in Ok Jaanu  let me also just say I dont like the word jaanu  the metaphor isnt only a feeling. It is also a reminder that all the we-dont-want-to-get-married, and the we-want-to-focus-on-our-careers will ultimately end in marriage after a tensed fight sitting in a jeep in the middle of Bombay rains. It almost seems like in no scenario in life can marriage successfully come second, or third, or somewhere down the list of priorities.

When I watch Shaad Alis Ok Jaanu, a remake of Mani Ratnams 2015 Tamil hit O Kadhal Kanmani, I hadnt yet seen the original. Ive heard enough about how lovely Ok Kanmani is from Tamilian friends who cannot talk about Dulquer Salman without their voices getting a little high-pitched.

When Ok Jaanus trailer released, my Facebook newsfeed was filled with distraught statuses about the ruined original because Kapoor and Kapur were nothing like Salman and Menen. And its true, they arent.

But after watching both these movies in one evening, Im nervous about telling my Ok Kanmani-loving friends that even though Salman and Menen are more endearing, and Im much more invested in their story than I am in Kapoor and Kapurs, both the movies do nothing. Ok Jaanu stays so faithful to Ok Kanmani even in how it is shot  I swear, the light falls on Taras face the same way  and in dialogue, that there is almost no space for anything new to happen. In short, they are both boring.

If in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, we were introduced to shiddat (intensity) to measure the emotions of pyaar and dosti, in Ok Jaanu we are introduced to aadat. When two people live together, we are told, they get used to each other (aadat)  when the time comes, neither aadat, nor pyaar can be let go of. This gyan is given to us by Adis sister-in-law, who disapproves of their live-in-relationship.

The movie also always has women who are disapproving (except for their landlord who is easily converted to non-disapproving)  first it is the sister-in-law, and then its Taras mother.

The aadat in both Ok Jaanu and Ok Kanmani comes to us in the fleeting way that relationships are usually shown when movies allow them grow only in songs. We see Tara and Adi fall in love on bike rides (where Tara is always doing that apparently carefree arms waving around move), stealing coke bottles from moving trucks or food from peoples tables at restaurants, and in trains  but we never know what they talk about.

So why is there the aadat really? And what is the aadat? Surely, I will miss the way we used to steal Coke bottles is less of an urge to stay together than I will miss the way we do coke together. We will never know.

Even though this imaginary aadat drives the movie, it affects Tara more than it affects Adi. It means that we only see Tara skipping her job, because Adi shows up secretly at her office or Adi showing up on her work trip  even though theres very little career being shown in the movie anyway. It also means that we never see her working at her architect job like the few occasions we see Adi designing his video game.

Gopi (Naseeruddin Shah) and Charulata (Leela Samson) are the more-than-understanding landlords who allow them to live together in their huge house, but the aadat means that when the moment arrives and Tara gets her admission in an architecture school in Paris, Gopi asks her what is more important to her  her career, or Adi.

Six months ago it would have been career, she says and trails off as Gopi nods wisely. Its true that Gopi and Charulata are lovely in this movie, but its annoying how their love is used as lessons on the true meaning of commitment. Even if we somehow force ourselves to ignore the fact that Adi never gets asked to choose between Tara and his career, and fast-forward to the scene where Adi gets his job in the US, he gets to just very conveniently look a little morose and call Tara his biggest mistake.

Apparently thats a romantic line. By this point Im just looking for Coke bottles to throw.

I have friends who argue that the movie is cool because its tolerant of live-in relationships. Others say that even though they get married, Tara and Adi go on to travel to Paris and the United States for their careers. But these are hardly excuses. The movie just keeps moving forward with half-hearted ideas and then goes back (more than happily) to not doing anything.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine
Of late, particularly after Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to demonetise Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes on 8 November midnight, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has become an object of ridicule and has come under sharp criticism for giving up its autonomy. The institution, which is otherwise regarded as among the few in the country that can claim the highest standards of professionalism and institutional integrity, is now facing flak for giving away its independence in functions and operating as just another department of the finance ministry. Not just by social media enthusiasts, but former RBI governors and deputy governors, economists and now, even RBI staff unions, have lamented central banks current plight.

A letter written by various employee unions under the United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees, to governor Urjit Patel (Firstpost has reviewed the letter), has raised the issue of Modi-government "impinging on RBI autonomy" and has asked Patel to act against the finance ministrys "unwarranted interference" in its operations. Apart from showing RBI operations and its gigantic performance in poor light, the government now blatantly encroaches on its jurisdiction, which we cannot accept, the report quotes the union as saying. RBI's autonomy and image have been dented beyond repair, the letter to Patel says.

An image of efficiency and independence that RBI assiduously built up over decades by the strenuous efforts of its staff and judicious policy making has gone into smithereens in no time. We feel extremely pained, the letter says. This isnt the first instance someone is raising the issue of RBI autonomy in connection with the demonetisation.

Many other noted personalities, including former RBI top brass, have cited the problem of RBI being forced to toe the Modi-governments line and the danger of an RBI sans its integrity. The chorus began with former deputy governor, Usha Thorat, who in her Op-ed in The Indian Express, wrote.  There have been times when the Old Lady of Mint Street was criticised for being too conservative and cautious  for not being able to keep up with innovation and markets  never has she been accused of not knowing her job. Never has she been the butt of as many jokes as in the last few days. Similarly, Y V Reddy and Bimal Jalan, former RBI governors, too have spoken out in support of central banks autonomy.

In separate media interactions, both of them highlighted why the government must strive to maintain RBIs autonomy in the interest of the larger economy. Jalan was RBI governor between 1997 and 2003, succeeded by Reddy till 2008, followed by D Subbarao and Raghuram Rajan.

The other prominent voice who raised this issue was Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who in his interview to India Today TV, said I dont think this is RBIs decision (demonetisation). This must be Prime Ministers ...I dont think RBI decides anything at this time." This is, in other words, Sens way of saying that the central bank has been reduced to an institution operating at the instructions of the central government. Such an image of the RBI wouldnt help the Indian economy to emerge stronger.

But, demonetisation has probably been only a trigger to expose the change in the working style of the central bank post the Raghuram Rajan era. The RBI leadership under Urjit Patel has so far been a near-failure to carry forward the virtues the central bank has guarded over several decades. There have been major shortcomings on many accounts, some of which Thorat has mentioned in her piece.

As this writer argued in an earlier Firstpost column, the issues that led to the deterioration in RBIs credibility can be summarised mainly into two issues  lack of transparency and absence of effective communication. Beginning late evening of 8 November, government functionaries have dominated the demonetisation scene with the RBI largely reduced to an agency whose job is to only notify what is already there in public domain.

At a time when the common man was gripped with panic seeing closed ATMs/ bank branches, long queues (which continues to an extent even now) and uncertainty regarding how long the cash crunch situation will continue, the RBI should have addressed the public to calm nerves and offer firm guidance, but Patel chose to remain silent for a long time. About 60-circulars in just one month of demonetisation doesnt give a sense to the public that the RBI had any plan or conviction about the demonetisation rollout.

Recently, the Bloomberg news reported that the RBI refused to share specific details on the government's decision to recall high-value banknotes, citing threat to the country's sovereignty, integrity and security besides danger to life.

This response is perplexing since RBI is the guardian of sovereign currency and the only authority equipped to respond on the details of demonetisation, though note ban was largely a political decision. An RTI query on the same subject filed by Firstpost is yet to yield any response. Theoretically, the central bank is not an absolutely independent organisation, it is answerable to the finance ministry.

As former finance minister, P Chiidambaram writes in his Indian Express column, The word autonomous does not occur in the Act but, over the years, the principle of Central Bank autonomy has been raised to the level of an immutable law. Under Section 7 of the Act, the Central government may give such directions to the RBI as it may consider necessary in the public interest, but the power has never been exercised in the 83 years of the Act.

For the sake of Indias aspiring economy and its larger democratic ideals, it is vital that the RBIs autonomy is protected. This is the reason some of the former RBI governors, including those who came from North Block, have had to lock horns with finance ministry in the past on matters pertaining to RBIs independence. Right now, the duty of regaining the central banks lost glory primarily rests with current governor, Urjit Patel, who has so far largely remained silent on the issue. Patel must stand up now to save the stature of the central bank and ensure, the RBI doesnt become just another extended division of the central government, dancing to its whims.
At least 20 people were drowned, including some minors, when a boat capsized on the Ganga in Patna on Saturday, suspectedly because of overloading.

"So far 20 persons have been reported to be dead in the boat tragedy," Principal Secretary, Disaster Management department Pratyay Amrit told PTI.

Efforts are on to look for possible survivors and bodies.

A boat carrying 40 people capsizes in river Ganga in Patna (Bihar). Rescue operations underway. pic.twitter.com/HfyKQ6jiUm  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

Amrit, DIG Shalin and Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal are camping at the river bank, close to which the tragedy occurred, to supervise the rescue operation.

Around 40 people were said to be onboard the country boat when it capsized near NIT ghat in the evening.

The passengers were returning to Ranighat in Patna from Sabalpur diara across the river after watching a kite festival on occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'.

Patna boat capsize incident: Death toll rises to 19, Rs 4 lakh compensation each to be given to the kin of the deceased persons. pic.twitter.com/aWbQaEnojA  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

A few on the ill-fated boat swam to safety, while some families said their fellow members had gone missing after the accident. Nine persons have been admitted to Patna Medical College Hospital. The search has been called off for the night due to darkness, officials said. Family members of the deceased and those missing were seen wailing at the ghat. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the tragedy and ordered a probe. Kumar has ordered cancellation of all subsequent events to organised in the diara (riverine) area as part of the Makar Sankranti festivities.

There were no proper arrangements, state Govt is responsible for this, serious lapse: Prem Kumar, BJP leader on Patna Boat capsize incident pic.twitter.com/i2cgV4rcKe  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

The kite festival from where the victims were returning was scheduled to continue for the next three days.

Bihar JD(U) President Basistha Narayan Singh said the JD(U) feast on Sunday, to which BJP leaders were invited for the first time since 2013 when the two allies had parted ways, also stood cancelled.

The CM has instructed senior officials to seek details about the programme as to whether proper arrangements were made for the event, an official statement said.

Kumar was closely monitoring the situation, it said.

"In order to share the grief of the families of the victims, I have decided to cancel the Makar Sankranti feast at my residence tomorrow," Singh told PTI.

"All the guests including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and others have been informed about cancellation of the feast," the state JD(U) chief said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too condoled the loss of lives in Patna boat tragedy after which his programme scheduled for Sunday in the Bihar capital was postponed.

"PM expressed grief on the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar. He extended condolences to the bereaved families," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
New Delhi: The Election Commission has directed Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of five poll-bound states to ask top police brass that cash transfers during the election period be done under the protection of cops and that they be kept "informed" about such movements from banks or currency chests.

The Election Commission, in its directives to the CEOs of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, has cited the standing orders of the poll-body in this regard even as it appended the recent instructions issued by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Finance Ministry on the subject.

The DFS has said the "operating procedure for transportation of cash by banks and transfer of currency from one chest to another operated by the banks within the state or inter-state level as laid down in the above mentioned letters shall be followed scrupulously."

"(CEOs) are also requested to kindly advise the Directors General and Commissioners of Police to ensure adequate police protection for the safe, secure and speedy inter-state and intra-state movement of currency chests to the various bank branches/ATMs at some places where banks may apprehend security concerns and while doing so, the police authorities shall have to keep the CEO informed in the poll going states," it added.

The EC directives on transportation of cash are seen in the backdrop of an incident in poll-bound Tamil Nadu last year, when three trucks carrying Rs 570 crore were intercepted by EC-appointed surveillance teams.

Between 4 February and 8 March, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur will go for assembly polls and the model code of conduct came into force on 4 January when the EC announced the election schedule.
New Delhi: Army chief General Bipin Rawat made it clear that more surgical strikes cannot be ruled out, as India has the "right to retaliate" if Pakistan does not react positively to offers of peace.

Rawat also said India needs to "wait and watch" the Pakistani response in Jammu and Kashmir. He accepted that the challenges of a proxy war, insurgency and terrorism will keep India embroiled for "years to come".

He said DGMOs of both sides have spoken to each other and want peace and tranquillity along the Line of Control (LoC). The two officers spoke on 23 November and since then there has been relative peace along the LoC, he said.

Asked if surgical strikes along the LoC, and operations conducted in Myanmar, would now be part of the doctrine, the Army chief said, "We have told the adversary to accept peace, and in case that offer is not reciprocated, this method of operations (surgical strikes) shall continue."

He also said the aim is to ensure peace and tranquillity and it (surgical strike) shall not be needed if there is peace. "Our offer to the adversary is if you reciprocate our offer of peace in the same manner, the need to conduct a surgical strike will not arise," he said, addressing his first annual press conference after taking over as Army chief on 31 December.

He also said the proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir was started to target India's secular fabric under which "people" moved out from the state.

Rawat said to ensure the secular credentials of the country are not affected, one must ensure the State reverses to what it was before 1989, with everybody there living in harmony.

He was referring to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, when militancy started in the state. The central government has already made it clear that it wants to ensure displaced Pandits are rehabilitated in the state.

The army chief said the proxy war, terrorism and insurgency target the secular fabric of our country. "We are a secular country and we need to ensure it remains so," Rawat said, adding that one could see what happened when the proxy war was started in the valley in 1989.

"The secular credentials of our country were targeted, and people were moved out from that state. So, when we are looking at a harmonious relationship and making sure these credentials are not affected, we have to make sure that Jammu and Kashmir reverses to what it was pre-1989, with everybody there living in harmony," he said.
Mumbai: The great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Tushar A Gandhi, on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) diary-calendar controversy.

First Bapu disappeared from few 2/-K notes now he disappeares from KVIC office and callander. Replaced by 10 Lakh Ka suit loving PM.  Tushar (@TusharG) January 12, 2017

PM models for Polyvastra. Bapu wore Khaddar to Buckingham Palace not a 10/- Lakh suit.  Tushar (@TusharG) January 13, 2017

The patronised & organised campaign to abuse Bapu by PeeliChaddis continues I am certain they will be rewarded.  Tushar (@TusharG) January 14, 2017

"Prime minister models for polyvastra (polyesterene). Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) wore khaddar (khadi) to Buckingham Palace, not a Rs 10 lakh suit," Gandhi said in a sharp tweet.

He added: "Haath me Charkha, Dil me Nathuram. No sin in calling a spade a spade and a joker a joker on television," and demanded shutting down the KVIC.

Gandhi was referring to his iconic great-grandfather's historic visit to Britain in 1931, when he met Britain's King George V and Queen Mary, clad in his trademark plain loincloth and a shawl.

In comparison, Modi wore a controversial expensive suit during US President Barack Obama's visit to India in January 2015.

In an earlier tweet, Gandhi said: "Tera Charkha le gaya Chor, Sun le Bapu ye Paigaam, Meri Chitthi tere naam (Your spinning wheel has been stolen  a message to Bapu)... First, Bapu disappeared from few Rs 2,000 currency notes, now he disappears from KVIC office and calendar. Replaced by Rs 10 lakh-ka suit loving prime minister."

Protesting the KVIC decision, Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said it is "an insult to the Father of Nation".

"We strongly condemn this...and demand that the calendars be withdrawn immediately," Nirupam said in a statement late Friday night.

Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan termed it "an illness of self-patting" plaguing the government and demanded "an apology" from KVIC for replacing Gandhi's photos with Modi's in its 2017 diaries and calendars.

"Mahatma Gandhi gave the message of "swadeshi" and self-dependence to the nation, for which the KVIC was formed in 1956... However, this government spares no effort for self-praises even if it's a wrong step," Chavan said in a statement on Friday night.

Decrying what he called attempts to remove the Father of Nation from different spheres, Chavan pointed out that "you cannot erase Mahatma Gandhi from the hearts of the people".

After the matter was first exposed on Thursday, the government and KVIC have been at the receiving end of the ire of masses and political parties.
New Delhi: The NDA government's ambitious Rs 9,393 crore Ken-Betwa river interlinking project that will irrigate 6.35 lakh hectares and mitigate drinking water woes of Bundelkhand region has received clearance from the green panel and Tribal Affairs ministry.

Announcing this, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said her ministry was working with NITI Aayog to finalise funding pattern for the project.

However, the final clearance for the project is yet to be given by Union Minister of Environment and Forest, which normally takes into account the green panel EAC's recommendation.

"I am quite happy that the first river inter-linking project has received green panel's nod as well as the tribal clearances formally. The project has already received wildlife clearance," said Bharti.

"We are now working with NITI Aayog to see funding pattern for the project is finalised. The project will be launched once the funding pattern is clear," she said at third edition of Jal Manthan conference here.

The environmental appraisal committee (EAC) had "duly considered" and "agreed" for the phase I of the project in its meeting held on December 30, 2016.

The project envisages construction of a dam across river Ken in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh to irrigate 6.35 lakh hectares of land, serve drinking water purposes in Bundelkhand region and generation of 78 MW hydropower.

Of this, 3.69 lakh hectares will be covered in Madhya Pradesh's Chattarpur, Tikamgarh and Panna districts. The remaining 2.65 lakh hectares of area falls in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba, Banda and Jhansi districts.

According to the Water Resources Ministry, a total of 10 villages consisting of 1,585 families are likely to be affected by this project.

The project comprises two powerhouses of 2x30 MW and 3x6 MW each, two tunnels of 1.9 km long upper level, 1.1 km long tunnel lower level and a 221 km long Ken-Betwa link canal, proposed on the left bank of the river.

The project was first mooted in the early 1980s but was actively taken up by the NDA government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was then challenged in the Supreme Court, which finally gave the nod in 2013.
There will be festivities galore across the length and breadth of our nation over the next few days. Even though large parts of the country are shivering under the influence of the intense cold waves, the fields are green again and the harvest is beckoning, the gods have woken up and the sun has begun its northward journey. There is enough and more reason to rejoice as India gear up for its harvest festivals.

In the Northern and eastern states, it's known as Makar Sankranti. The word "sankranti" in Sanskrit means "passage from one point to another, a transition". On Makar Sankranti, the sun moves into the zodiac sign  Makar (Capricorn) and it is considered to be one of the most important sankrantis of the year (there are 12 through the year). The days are now gradually getting longer, the longest night of the year is behind us  this is the period of uttarayan  the period when the sun travels north. The period of uttarayan is believed to be the day of the devatas (gods) (dakshinayan is night for them) and hence mortals hope to be showered with their bounty and express their gratitude for this bounty.

Lohri is regarded as the coldest night of the winter in Punjab. On the night of Lohri, there are ritual fires around which families and communities gather, and sing and dance. The mesmerising blazing flames are fed with gazak (a traditional sweet of sesame and jaggery), popcorn, kheel and rewri. The sound of traditional folk songs and laughter pierces through the chilly winds and the warmth of the fire turns a cold night into a night of fun and frolic and thanksgiving.

In the Southern parts of the country, the festival is variously known as Pongal (primarily Tamil Nadu) and Sankranti. The festivities last typically for three-four days. The day before Sankranti is Bhogi  a day when the old  old possessions (material) which are no longer useful and old thoughts which inhibit growth and movement are to be burnt in fire. The second day is Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu. The new rice is offered to the gods before being partaken by mortals. In a common ritual, the new rice is cooked in open pots with milk in open spaces and allowed to boil over. The boiling over (the word ponga implies this) is symbolic of prosperity and bounty. The next day is important  it is the day of Kanumma (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) or Mattu Pongal. It is a day when the cattle are worshipped  cows who sustain us with their milk and the bulls who help in tilling the land.

In Assam, this is the time for Magha Bihu  celebrating the harvest. In most parts of the country, sankranti or sankrat or khichadi is characterised (with regional variations) by ritual bathing, flying kites (particularly in Gujarat and Maharashtra), til (sesame) ladoos or other delicacies made of til (sesame keeps the body warm), khichadi (primarily in UP and Bihar, khichadi is made of rice and lentils), daana (giving) and offering of food prepared lovingly from the new crop to the gods who nurtured it all along.

Makar Sankranti is also the time for melas (fairs) on most major and minor river banks of the country. The ones at Prayag (Allahabad) and Gangasagar deserve special mention and a dip in the holy waters of the sangam on this day is considered to be a boon. It is also the day when thousands of pilgrims gather at the Sabarimala Temple to witness the makarjyothi.

The festivities are truly representative of the diversity of our land. And yet there is subliminal unity in the thought behind these ritualistic celebrations. Bathing is symbolic of purification not only the physical body but also an essential cleansing of the mind and the soul. Daana or giving is perhaps the most important virtue of being human. It is enjoined upon us to first give and then partake for self-consumption only from what remains. The harvest is a gift of nature. The rituals of Sankranti exhort us to thank those elements that are external to human beings and are yet sine qua non for our lives and livelihoods. The Surya (sun), the agni (fire) and the cattle are worshipped because they are representatives of our environment, of vasudha (earth) and are essential to our being. Sankranti is a time to celebrate but it is also a time to introspect

Garima Chaudhry is an independent business consultant, mentors startups and is an Indic Studies enthusiast.
Chennai: In a brazen defiance of the Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu politicians have come out in support of Jallikattu, encouraging people to join the traditional bull taming sport.

Jallikattu has been held in at least 10 places, although on a smaller scale, with the authorities mainly looking the other way, reports reaching Chennai said.

On Friday, it was held at Kalathangal near Madurai, drawing a large number of tourists, foreigners included.

Police on Friday broke up structures set up by Jallikattu organisers at one place and dispersed those gathered there.

But three MLAs present at the site warned that people would defy ban order and take part in Jallikattu.

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has already declared that the event would be held this year.

An AIADMK leader who did not want to be named said people would be happy if Jallikattu, a part of the Pongal tradition, was organised  as it used to happen in earlier years.

At the Marina beach in Chennai, hundreds of college students formed a human chain demanding the lifting of the ban on Jallikattu.

Several organisations have plans to organise Jallikattu events during the three-day Pongal festival starting on Saturday.

The Supreme Court has ruled out giving a ruling on an appeal against the ban on Jallikattu before Pongal, effectively banning the whole sport which involves young men attempting to "tame" a running bull  briefly.

Naam Tamizhar Katchi, a fringe Tamil outfit, held a Jallikattu event on Thursday at Cuddalore and gave away prizes to the winners. About 35 people were later taken into custody.

Some Tamil Nadu parties have urged the central government to issue an ordinance to overrule the Supreme Court ban on Jallikattu.

Protests against the ban have been reported from parts of Tamil Nadu.

In the last two years, the state government and police foiled Jallikattu in keeping with the apex court ban.

But now, political parties themselves have come out strongly in favour of the traditional sport.

Meanwhile, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) have urged President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to issue any ordinance to allow Jallikattu.

PETA has also asked Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and police chief Ashok Kumar to prevent any breach or violation of the law and prevent contempt of court.

"Why should we support the abuse of bulls?" PETA asked.
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday slammed the Modi government for taking away the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry from the purview of Information Commissioner M. Sridhar Acharyulu.

Acharyulu had issued an order allowing inspection of the Delhi University's 1978 Bachelors degree records to be made public.

The Congress said that it is vendetta politics and the politics of punishing those who disagree with the government.

An IANS story had revealed that Information Commissioner Acharyulu had slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on the Delhi University's Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) for rejecting an RTI application seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's graduation degree.

"For world's largest proud democracy, this is symptomatic of several ills and as time goes by, if this is not curbed, it can be fatal to our democracy.

"This is the politics of vendetta, politics of fear psychosis, politics of punishment to anyone who disagrees with you and the arrogance of infallibility," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Singhvi further said: "He (Acharyulu) did this statutory duty to pronounce a reasoned order saying that at least the documents and degrees of the Prime Minister can be disclosed."

He said: "The order is appealable, the order is passed in respect of thousands of people like us every day in our favour or against us. We may or may not go in appeal, but the moment it is passed against Narendra Modi, the whole country gets upside down, topsy-turvy," Singhvi added.
Kolkata: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said his organisation was working to make the Hindu community united and strong, asserting it is "not opposed to anybody". Bhagwat also said it's only the weakness of Hindus in Bangladesh that's to be blamed for their oppression.

He was speaking at an RSS rally for which the city police had earlier refused permission. The Calcutta high court had allowed RSS to hold the programme on Friday.

"We have formed this organisation not to oppose anybody, but to strengthen ourselves. The Hindu Samaj has a glorious history in this country," he said. "Despite such a glorious history, is the condition of the Hindu Samaj same as the way it should have been? Are the Hindus able to perform their religious rites and activities freely and fairly across India? Are human rights of the Hindus well established in this country?" he asked.

"If the answer is no, then why are you surprised when Hindus are being oppressed in Bangladesh? Hindus are responsible for their own condition. Hindus are facing this situation because they are not united and strong. We should work in uniting the Hindu Samaj, without opposing anybody," Bhagwat said.

In October last year during the Durga Puja festival, the RSS had complained to state governor KN Tripathi that Hindus were not being able to perform their religious rites properly in some parts of the state.

In a subtle dig at the state administration, which had opposed the rally, Bhagwat said it is always fun to work and reach the target despite all odds and hurdles. "Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of RSS, despite all odds had formed this organisation for the unity of Hindus. Many people had opposed us and our work, but we are standing firm," he said, asking the RSS cadres to increase their activities to strengthen the Hindu community.

"We all need to take a oath that to strengthen Bharat, the Hindu Samaj has to unite and spread the message of love. You should spend one-third of your time each day and one-third of your income in the development of the country. You should not stand outside, rather you have to be part of this developmental process," Bhagwat said.
New Delhi: Hitting out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its Haryana Minister Anil Vij's comments on Mahatma Gandhi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said even "Hitler and Mussolini were very powerful brands".

"Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands," said Gandhi on his official Twitter account attaching Vij's video with it.

Sparking a new controversy over the Father of the Nation, Vij said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a "bigger brand" than Mahatma Gandhi.

Vij, who is known for his controversial comments, told media persons in Ambala that after Mahatma's photographs were replaced with Modi's in the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) calendar 2017, Gandhi's picture would also be removed from currency notes.

"Mahatma Gandhi ka aisa naam hai, note ke upar chipak gaya jis din se, note ki devaluation ho gayi. Achha kiya hai ke Gandhi ka hata ke Modi ka lagaya hai. Modi ziyada better brand name hai aur Modi ki photo lagney se 14 percent sale badi hai khadi ki (Mahatma Gandhi's name is such that from the day his picture was pasted on the (currency) note, the note got devalued. It is good that they (KVIC) removed Gandhi's photo and put Modi's. Modi is a much better brand. Khadi sales have increased by 14 percent after putting Modi's photo)," he said.

Asked why Mahatma's photographs were still printed on new currency notes issued under the Modi government, Vij said: "Hatt jayengey dheere dheere (They will be removed slowly)."
As if Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo in the calendar and the diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) could not cause more controversy, Haryana Minister Anil Vij added fuel to the fire by blaming Mahatma Gandhi for the decline in demand for khadi and even said that Gandhi's face on Indian currency notes was also responsible for its devaluation.

"Ever since khadi became linked with Gandhi's name, khadi (industry) has not been able to rise and it has been on a decline," said BJP leader Anil Vij.

"Gandhi has such a name that since the day his picture was printed on the currency notes, the currency's devaluation began," Vij further said. The Haryana minister even said that Gandhi's image will be eventually removed from the currency notes too.

"It is good that Modi's photo replaced that of Gandhi in the calendar. Modi has a better brand name than Gandhi," Vij said.

Good that Mahatma was replaced by Modi on khadi calendar,Gandhi will also gradually be removed from currency notes says Haryana Min Anil Vij pic.twitter.com/e8AXr7WJFw  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

Vij's foot-in-mouth remarks come after Modi's image replaced that of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi from the 2017 wall calendar and table diary published by the KVIC. Most employees and officials were taken aback to see the cover photo of the calendar and diary showing Modi weaving khadi on a large charkha, in the same classic pose as Gandhi.

We are pained at this systematic easing out of Mahatma Gandhis ideas, philosophy and ideals by the government. Last year, the first attempt was made by including the PMs photos in the calendar, a senior KVIC staffer had told IANS, requesting anonymity amid fear of official reprisals.

Reacting to Vij's remarks, BJP leader Jawahar Yadav, trying to control the damage, told CNN-News18, "This is his personal opinion. It is not the stand of the party. Gandhi's principles are enshrined in the constitution of the BJP."

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also said that the views expressed were personal and had "nothing to do with the party".

It is his personal opinion and has nothing to do with the party: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on Anil Vij pic.twitter.com/Cg9RDv5dG2  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

Another BJP leader Shrikant Sharma said the party "strongly condemns Vij's statement.

BJP strongly condemns statement of Anil Vij,its his personal remark & not party's stand. Mahatma Gandhi is our icon: Shrikant Sharma,BJP pic.twitter.com/WX1IQZUlFo  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

But the outrage over Anil Vij's statements has already begun. Congress leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "It's an extremely shameful comment and it also reflects what the BJP has been all about. The thinking of the BJP is similar to that of Nathuram Godse."

Another Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said "such kind of objectionable and nonsensical statements from BJP's leaders and ministers" were expected.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav expressed his anger in his own way.

Ye nalayak bete hain desh ke, bohot durbhagya ki baat hai: Lalu Prasad Yadav on Anil Vij pic.twitter.com/pF0RIh4qqJ  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

And the outrage on social media has also begun. Currently, 'Anil Vij' is the top trend on Twitter in India.

Haryana minister Anil Vij gets pumpkin of day award! Says money started devaluing the day Mahatma Gandhi face was stuck to notes!!  Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) January 14, 2017

Now joker Haryana Min Anil Vij says good Modi has replaced Gandhi. Brand Modi bigger. Soon Gandhi will go out of currency notes too! Hey Ram  Zakka Jacob (@Zakka_Jacob) January 14, 2017

So our honourable minister from Haryana will finally fulfil Churchill's fantasy: banishing Gandhi from our minds https://t.co/T6Z9Y49Dnm  Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) January 14, 2017

I'm not even a staunch Mahatma Gandhi supporter ..

This outrageous comment by Anil Vij can't be tolerated ..#ConfrontSanghism  Shuvankar Mukherjee (@shuvankr) January 14, 2017

Anil vij seeking space in delhi (bhai makkhan zyada laga diya toh iss kursi sey bhi fisal jaogey)  Mr. Nonentity (@abbaslw) January 14, 2017

With inputs from IANS
Mumbai: Ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, the BJP's city unit has invited suggestions from citizens, saying it plans to incorporate them in its election manifesto.

A committee, which was formed to draft a manifesto for the civic polls, held its first meeting on Friday, headed by BJP city unit chief Ashish Shelar. "Taking a cue from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' address to BJP party workers at a meeting in Thane, in which he talked about transparency in civic administration, Shelar also emphasised on the need for a transparent governance in BMC and announced that the party has begun drafting the manifesto for pardarshi (transparent) Mumbai," a BJP leader said.

The manifesto panel has called for suggestions from people on email and through its social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. "Transparent Mumbai means there will be pothole-free roads, online services to people, including those regarding building and factory departments, no cartel of contractors, better infrastructure facilities like elevated roads, metro rails," said Manoj Kotak, one of the member of manifesto committee.

When asked if the manifesto will be prepared taking the Sena into confidence, Kotak said, "Although we are allies, BJP is a separate political party. There may be few common programmes in the manifesto."

He said citizens can can mail or post their views, opinion and ideas on e-mail (pardarshimumbai@gmail.com), through Twitter (@pardarshimumbai) or Facebook (Pardarshi Mumbai).

Meanwhile, the saffron allies seem to have decided to go it solo for the upcoming civic polls, with both confident of claiming a comfortable majority by contesting separately.

A BJP office-bearer said the party had an internal survey done, which predicted that anywhere between 90 to 103 seats, out of the total 227, on its own. On the other hand, a Sena leader said it would win 80 to 85 seats independently. The Sena leader added that if the party fails to get the required numbers, it may approach the BJP to form a post-poll alliance, on the lines of the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) polls.
Amritsar: Giving an interesting turn to Punjab's politics, state Congress president Amarinder Singh has sought the Congress high command's permission to fight next month's Assembly elections against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from the latter's assembly constituency of Lambi.

Amarinder, whose name has already been announced by the Congress for his traditional assembly seat of Patiala-urban, told media here that he wanted to contest against Chief Minister Badal from Lambi to defeat the Akali leader whom he blamed for the "ruin of Punjab".

"I want to fight the chief minister on his home turf of Lambi as I want to defeat all the top Akali leaders responsible for destroying the state through their drugs, mafia and goonda raj, and are guilty of ruining its trade, industry and agriculture," Singh told media in Amritsar on Saturday.

Amarinder said he had requested the Congress high command to allow him to fight the assembly polls from Lambi so that he could "free Punjab from the vicious and destructive rule of the Badals".

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is posing a serious challenge to the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the Congress for the 4 February Assembly polls on 117 seats, has already announced Delhi lawmaker Jarnail Singh to contest against Badal from Lambi.

Singh said he would fight the election both in Lambi and Patiala, if permitted by the Congress high command.

"The entire state is in shambles. Badal and his family, and associates have brought Punjab to such a shameful pass," the former chief minister said.

"My government would open a probe into all Akali scams and punish every person found guilty of any criminal deed, especially drugs trade," Singh said.

The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been in power in Punjab since 2007.
Chandigarh: Surjit Singh Barnala, who almost became prime minister in the mid-90s but for his party ditching him, was a moderate Akali politician and played a role in the Rajiv-Longowal Accord that catapulted him to the chief minister's seat in Punjab during its worst period of militancy.

Painter, politician and author, 91-year-old Barnala was among the few who held various posts including that of chief minister, governor and Union minister.

Barnala was a candidate of the BJP and its allies in the election of the Vice President of India in 1997. But in the previous year, he almost emerged as a consensus candidate for prime ministership when motley combine of parties formed the United Front after defeat of Congress.

His party Akali Dal, however, did not support him as it chose to go with the BJP which had just lost power after 13 days in government.

When Punjab was rocked by militancy in the 80s, Barnala stood by another moderate Akali leader Sant Harchand Singh Longowal who signed the Punjab Peace Accord in 1985 with Rajiv Gandhi, months after he had become Prime Minister.

Barnala was elected from the Barnala assembly constituency during the 1985 assembly polls held after the signing of the Rajiv Longowal accord.

He was unanimously elected leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislature party on Sept 27, 1985. He remained Chief Minister till May 11, 1987 during the peak period of militancy.

He was elected acting President of SAD on 25 August 1985 following the assassination of Longowal by terrorists.

Barnala was appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu a post he held from May 1990 to February 1991. He was Governor of Tamil Nadu for a second time from Nov 2004 to August 2011 holding two successive tenures.

In his first term as Governor of Tamil Nadu, Barnala had famously refused to recommend dismissal of the DMK government in 1991 when the late Chandrashekhar was the Prime Minister for a short time. When he was transferred to Bihar following his refusal, he chose to resign as Governor.

The government headed by Chandrashekhar then dismissed the Karunanidhi ministry using the "otherwise" provision in Article 356 of the Constitution after Barnala's refusal to make a recommendation.

Born on 21 October 1925 in Ateli village in Gurgaon district of joint Punjab, Barnala did schooling from Nabha and did his graduation in Ll.B from Lucknow.

He was involved in the Quit India Movement of 1942 after which he practiced law for some years.

He was a five-time member of Punjab Assembly -- 1967, 1969, 1972, 1980 and 1985 -- and twice a member of the Lok

Sabha in 1977 and 1998.

He entered politics in 1952 and unsuccessfully contested from Dhanaula assembly constituency losing by just three

votes.

Barnala was Education Minister in the Gurnam Singh government and was instrumental in setting of the Guru Nanak

Dev University at Amritsar.

He fought the Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 1977 and served as Union Agriculture, Irrigation, Water

Resources, Forests minister in the Morarji Desai-led Janta Party government from 1977 to 1980.

He was also Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Power, Chemical and Fertilisers and Rural Development and

signed the historic Ganga Waters Agreement (Farakka Agreement) with Bangladesh.

In 1998 Barnala was again elected to Parliament and became the minister for Chemical & Fertilisers and Food &

Consumer Affairs in the Atal Behari Vajpayee Cabinet.

Following the rift with Parkash Singh Badal and bifurcation of the SAD, he resigned from the post of party

president but was later on again made President.

He was also a former Governor of Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh besides being Lieutenant Governor of Andaman

and Nicobar Islands.

After his differences with Badal, he became patron of a four-party alliance and formed the "Sanjha Morch" in Punjab but it failed to make any impact.

Barnala authored Story of an Escape which was translated from English to Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. His second book My Other Two Daughters was also transliterated in braille by Kunwar Singh Negi.

Barnala had faced tragedies on the personal front. His youngest son Neelinder died in a road accident in 1996 and his daughter Amrit Kaur died of cancer in 2012.

He is survived by his wife Surjit Kaur and two sons Jasjit and Gaganjit.
SALZBURG The head of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) on Saturday called for a law banning "fascistic Islam" and Muslim symbols, comparable to an existing law banning Nazi symbols, saying Islam could wipe out European society.Austria needs "a law which prohibits fascistic Islam", Heinz Christian Strache told several thousand supporters at the party's new year meeting in Salzburg."Let us put an end to this policy of Islamisation... otherwise we Austrians, we Europeans will come to an abrupt end," Strache said, in an apparent reference to the course pursued by the coalition government.The junior coalition party OVP called on Wednesday for halving the number of asylum applications accepted this year to around 17,000. Strache responded by saying: "We need zero and minus immigration."

Any law against extreme elements of Islam should be similar to the law Austria introduced after WW2 banning the Nazi Party and Nazi symbols, a party spokesman said when asked for clarification.The Freedom Party's anti-Muslim message has been well-received by a large minority of Austria's electorate. Its presidential candidate Norbert Hofer was defeated in a run-off vote last month but gained 47 percent support.

The nation of 8.7 million people has received more than 130,000 claims for asylum from people fleeing war and poverty in countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq since the summer of 2015.About 600,000 Muslims, some of whom arrived during Europe's migration crisis, live in Austria.

The party, which has long called for a ban on face veils, also called for changing the way refugees are taken care of.The state, not NGOs like the Catholic charity Caritas, should be in charge of their care to make sure money is spent efficiently, Hofer himself said at the same event on Saturday. (Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Dhaka: Bangladesh Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested Neo-JMB terrorist Jahangir Alam, one of the key figures behind the Gulshan cafe terror attack in 2016 in which over 20 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) spokesperson Masudur Rahman said they arrested Alam, alias Rajib Gandhi, a Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen leader, from Tangail, some 100 km from Dhaka, late on Friday.

The 35-year-old Alam's arrest came about during a drive conducted by members of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of DMP, police said, bd24news reported.

He is a wanted criminal and an accused in 20 to 22 cases filed in connection with terrorist attacks, CTTC unit Chief Monirul Islam told The Daily Star.

Police earlier said the name 'Rajib Gandhi' surfaced during the 1 July Holey Artisan Bakery attack. Investigators said they came to know that he was the "commander" of Neo-JMB for the northern districts.

He was quite young when he joined the mainstream JMB, which carried out synchronised bomb attacks across Bangladesh in 2005.

Rajib had close connections with Tamim, the mastermind of the cafe siege, who was killed last year.

Rajib sent two militants from Bogra to take part in the Gulshan attack and another from Dinajpur for the Sholakia attack.

In September 2016, Islam told the media that Alam had personally trained them.

The police had earlier said they were on the trail of 'Rajib Gandhi' and Basaruzzaman alias Chocolate, after recent raids that led to the deaths of terrorists Tamim Chowdhury, former Bangladesh Army major Jahidul Islam, Tanvir Qaderi and Nurul Islam Marzan.

On 1 July, 2016, five militants took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, killing over 20 persons, mostly foreigners, including 19-year-old Indian Tarishi Jain.
Indian budget airline SpiceJet will buy up to 205 Boeing planes worth $22 billion -- one of the biggest deals in India's booming airline industry, the two companies announced Friday.

Boeing had reported an order for one hundred 737 MAX jets in 2016 from an unnamed buyer, confirmed Friday to be India's SpiceJet. The budget airline said the deal was for "up to" 205 planes, but 50 of those are from an earlier deal and 50 more are an add-on option to the initial 100.


Washington: Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, held five phone calls with Russia's ambassador to Washington on the day the United States retaliated for Moscow's interference in the US presidential election, three sources familiar with the matter said. The calls occurred between the time the Russian embassy was told about US sanctions and the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he had decided against reprisals, said the sources.

They spoke on condition of anonymity, citing internal US government deliberations about the issue.The calls raised fresh questions among some US officials about contacts between Trump's advisers and Russian officials at a time when U.S. intelligence agencies contend that Moscow waged a multifaceted campaign of hacking and other actions to boost Republican Trump's election chances against Democrat Hillary Clinton. On 29 December US President Barack Obama announced he had ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats suspected of being spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking US political groups.

The administration told Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, an hour before the decision was made public, one of the sources said. The phone calls between Flynn and Kislyak were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. A Trump official confirmed one phone conversation between the two men on 29 December, and said their understanding was they did not discuss the sanctions. The three sources stressed to Reuters that they did not know who initiated the five calls between Flynn, a former three-star Army general who headed the US Defense Intelligence Agency under Obama, and Kislyak.

Nor did they know the contents of the conversations, and declined to say how they learned of them.One source said there was nothing intrinsically odd or wrong about a Russian diplomat speaking to a member of Trump's team following the US announcement. Moscow, the source added, probably would want to have some sense of what Trump's team thought about the measures.

That sentiment was echoed Friday by State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "This building doesnt see anything necessarily inappropriate about contact between members of the incoming administration and foreign officials," Toner said.

The other two sources, however, said the timing of the calls raised a question about whether Flynn had given Kislyak any assurances to soothe Russian anger over the US moves. If that were the case, it would have raised a possible entanglement with the Logan Act. The 1799 law bars unauthorised US citizens from negotiating with foreign governments with which the United States has disputes. It is aimed at preventing the undermining of official US government positions.

Alexey Mosin, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington, said, "The Embassy does not comment on multiple contacts, which are carried out on a daily basis with local interlocutors." Flynn raised eyebrows among some US foreign policy veterans when he was pictured sitting at the head table with Putin at a banquet in Moscow in late 2015 celebrating Russia Today, an international broadcasting network funded by the Russian government.

However, Flynn has also expressed scepticism about Moscow's intentions - a view that does not seem to fit Trump's vision of closer ties with Moscow. Classified documents that the heads of four US intelligence agencies presented last week to Trump included unsubstantiated information compiled by a private security firm suggesting Moscow had compromising personal and financial details about Trump. Trump called a dossier that contains salacious claims about him in Russia "fake news" and "phony stuff."One of the sources said the US actions "took the Russians by surprise." Russian officials threatened to shutter the Anglo-American School of Moscow, the source said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed tit-for-tat expulsions.

But on 30 December, Putin announced that he would not retaliate. Trump praised Putin for the decision, writing in a Twitter post, "Great move on delay (by V.Putin). I always knew he was very smart!"Trump spokesman Sean Spicer earlier Friday said Flynn and Kislyak had spoken on 28 December, the day before Washington announced the expulsions and sanctions.

But a Trump official acknowledged later in the day that they held one conversation on 29 December about setting up a telephone call between Trump and Putin after Trump's 20 January inauguration. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was aware of only one phone call between the two that day and did not know if they spoke again since. After the 8 November election, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the state-run Interfax news agency that the Russian government was in touch with members of Trump's political team during the US election campaign and knew most of his entourage.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Trump declined to answer whether anyone connected to him or the campaign had contact with Moscow during the campaign and said he had no loans or business deals with or in Russia.White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Friday said it remained unclear whether such a call between Flynn and the Russian ambassador would be objectionable . "It depends on what they discussed," Earnest told reporters. He said he could not weigh in without knowing the content.
Washington: President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he may lift sanctions on Russia and won't stand by the 'One China' policy either, unless Beijing improves its currency and trade practices.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Friday that he would keep the sanctions intact "at least for a period of time". But if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting violent extremists, Trump suggested he may scrap the punitive measures altogether. The sanctions were imposed by President Barack Obama's administration on Russia last month over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks to influence the US election.

He also said he was prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking office on 20 January. Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

Turning to the long-standing US practice of not recognising Taiwan diplomatically, Trump said, "Everything is under negotiation, including One China." Trump has already irked China by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen after he won the election, upending decades of diplomatic precedent in which the White House has foregone direct communication with the island's leader.

He defended that move in his interview with the Journal, saying, "We sold them $2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment, but we're not allowed to accept a phone call? First of all, it would have been very rude not to accept the phone call."

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, by force if necessary. Trump has threatened to get tough with what he sees as unfair Chinese trade practices, and suggested that the 'One China' policy could become a bargaining chip in other disputes.
Donald Trump's press conference on Wednesday became an issue only because the White House press corps are a largely elitist and spoilt bunch, rotten and accustomed to having the inside track. And because they don't support each other. In that lies the fourth estate's problem.

For all the piety that we in the media spray over togetherness, solidarity and the ethical foundations of our grand watchdog role, it really is 'dog eat dog'. We, the media, are our own worst enemies. Nobody came to the rescue of the CNN correspondent who kept asking for his moment in the sun, kept accusing the president-elect of being inappropriate. In fact, when Trump was consigning BuzzFeed to the garbage pile, there were titters of appreciation! Even if they were from strategically placed pro-Trump elements, the majority of the media did nothing to back a colleague; they just basked in it.

The press interaction became a stampede of self-preservation. To hell with principles. We will write about it later, but we are not going to risk our necks now.

Fact is we enjoy our competitors' discomfort while pretending to be collective. Indira Gandhi, radiating power, as she entered with her entourage, would put her "friends" in the first row. If you ever asked her a leading "uncomfortable" question, they would shout you down or strengthen her rude response with loud laughs and mock the questioner. You were literally pulled back into your chair.

Even now, that tradition of drowning out a persistent journalist with derision continues. From his fellow mediapersons, who are all encouraged by bureaucrats placed around the room to exercise damage control.

It happens all the time. Sycophants invariably take over the show. Rajiv Gandhi tried his TV talk show conference and journalists lost their minds, so completely that all they wanted was to be on TV. It resulted in convoluted, long-winded, tedious questions  just to ensure the camera stays on them longer. At the end of this verbal saga, Gandhi would say "yes" or "no" or "we will see".

Morarji Desai, however, takes the cake. At one press meet, I think it was Times editor Inder Malhotra  although I may be wrong  who asked a reasonable question about India's nuclear stand. Morarji asked, "Who are you?"

The senior editor identified himself.

At which the then prime minister said, "You should know the answer then. Now sit down."

Among all Indian prime ministers, Narsimha Rao came closest to Trump. He wouldn't even bother answering a difficult question.

Those familiar with Indian press conferences would recognise Trump's inaugural effort. The brusque man of power, surrounded by security, sycophants, lickspittles and fawning supporters up front. The well-positioned pro-PM individuals, already knowing what to ask and when to ask, followed by a line of hostile minority who seldom get a look-in, and then the rest of the press, which spends entire careers without asking a single question.

Chief ministers are even worse. They are the king of their turf, and well-padded by the hired media. They just sneer past those who might fling an awkward question at them.

History is tepid and one has to ask after the Trump-ing of the media if we need to look at ourselves and reinvent our courage and conviction. Could the media have walked out, saying if you insult one journalist, you insult them all? We tried that once when the Emergency was announced and Khushwant Singh led a band of brothers and sisters to boycott a conference. But nobody did, because the draconian penalties shut everyone up.
KHARTOUM The Obama administration's preliminary decision to ease sanctions on Sudan came with the full approval of the incoming Trump administration and after months of secret meetings, Sudan's foreign minister said on Saturday.The United States said on Friday it would lift a 20-year-old trade embargo against Sudan, unfreeze assets and remove financial sanctions as a response to Khartoum's cooperation in fighting Islamic State and other groups.The move will be delayed by 180 days to see whether Sudan acts further to improve its human rights record and resolve political and military conflicts, including in Darfur.This puts the final decision in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump and his secretary of state, who is likely to be Rex Tillerson, a former oil executive.Addressing a news conference, Sudan Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said the potential sanctions relief are the result of six months of secret meetings held in Khartoum on issues ranging from combatting the Lord's Resistance Army to peace in South Sudan and the country's own warring regions, such as Darfur.

Sudan's director of intelligence said he had met with U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan twice to discuss cooperation on combating terrorism and extremism.The measures do not affect Sudan's label as a state sponsor of terrorism nor does it impact sanctions tied to Khartoum's role in the conflict in Darfur, where the United Nations says up to 300,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since 2003.

Ghandour called the decision the start to improved relations with the United States that would attract foreign investment.Sudan will review its monetary and exchange rate policies in a bid to lure new foreign investment after the United States lifts sanctions, the finance minister said without providing further detail.

Sudan's economic problems have been building since the south seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of oil output, the main source of foreign currency and government income.The sanctions relief is expected to impact businesses that deal with agriculture, import-export services, transportation, technology and medical equipment, and oil. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
YAMOUSSOUKRO Mutinying soldiers sealed off Ivory Coast's second-largest city on Friday as senior government and military officials inside sought to head off a repeat of an army revolt that paralysed much of the West African nation last week.A soldier with the mutiny said the main accesses to Bouake, a city of a half million residents, had been seized and would be held until a solution to the standoff with the government was found."The entrance to the city is blocked. There are some people who tried to leave for Abidjan a little while ago and had to return (to Bouake)," said a resident who asked not to be named.

(Reporting by Ange Aboa, Writing by Joe Bavier, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Pakistan's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan defended his widely criticised meeting with popular extremist leaders, saying it was unfair to link everything to a sectarian leader considered the godfather of militants.

Nisar was referring to the criticism he faced from Pakistan People's Party (PPP) for his meeting with Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi, chief of the proscribed anti-Shiite Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ). The party had also accused him of maintaining friendly ties with Ludhianvi.

"How is it fair to link everything to Maulana Ludhianvi?" Khan asked. "Which PPP leader did not meet leaders of proscribed

organisations in their time?"

Khan had created a storm after meeting the so-called godfather of militants, Maulana Samiul Haq, and Ludhianvi last year, which was widely covered by the mainstream media. The minister created another controversy last week when he told Senate that outlawed sectarian organisations should not be equated with terrorist outfits.

Responding to criticism, Khan said he was suggesting that there should be a separate law to deal with groups banned on sectarian basis from the militants groups. He said there was nothing wrong in saying the Shia-Sunni conflict dated back 1,300 years and is a part of Islamic history.

Taking credit for action against militants, Khan said, "During my tenure, about 450,000 Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) and 32,400 passports have been blocked. There is no record of a single CNIC being blocked from 2002 till 2007, which reflects on negligence of previous governments."

He said that efforts were being made to recover the five civil society activists who went missing in the past week. "We are making efforts to recover all missing men so they could return to their families," Khan said.

The minister also said that a meeting was held to discuss the future of special military courts to try 'hard-core' terrorists but no decision has been taken so far.
Islamabad: Pakistan's former army chief Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif will speak at the annual meeting of World Economic Forum in Switzerland, discussing security issues.

This is the first time that a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the WEF, The Express Tribune reported. Though, Gen Pervez Musharraf also addressed the forum but as the head of a state.

Raheel would highlight Pakistan Army's counter-insurgency operations and improved security environment in the country as well as in the region besides discussing opportunities under multi-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The annual WEF meetings will start from 17 January and continue for four days.

He will address three sessions of the WEF in addition to speaking at as many events arranged on the sidelines of the sessions. This includes a dinner by Munich Security Conference.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif last week said that Raheel had been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism.

Later, he backtracked from his statement and said Raheel did not seek government's permission before joining the Saudi-led alliance.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting, which will be chaired jointly by Brian T Moynihan of the Bank of America, award-winning documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Frans van Houten and Meg Whitman, reports said.
Ill always remember my turbulent introduction to Barack Hussein Obama. It was 2007; I was a senior at Longview High School and my US History teacher held up a Jet magazine with the image of a Black guy on the cover and told the class: this will be our next President.

I quickly rebutted: Please, a Black man in America? This is US History, and according to this textbook, it aint happening. My teacher, less than enthusiastic about my remarks, forced the class to watch the 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address; I was deeply inspired. Like most of my peers, I began to think about his unifying message but still, I couldnt imagine America with an African American President.

The year progressed, I graduated high school, and the primaries were in full motion. Now, a freshman at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, I was further engaged in the democratic process. Inundated with campaign materials, organisational flyers, and the adjustment of being in college, not to mention a historically Black university, I didnt know how I would get engaged with the electoral process but I wanted to participate in democracy as a newly minted 18-year-old voter.

At this time, I was still eager to hear John Edwards stories about his father working in a textile mill  he was so likable. However, on campus there were three options: join Students for Obama, Students for Hillary, or the Republican student chapter, which appeared defunct but existed. I was naturally drawn to the Students for Obama chapter despite the democratic split amongst the Arkansas contingency on campus.

Immediately, I became a doorknocker; canvassing neighborhoods throughout Houstons 3rd Ward community encouraging people to get out and vote for Senator Obama. Honestly, I do not know if I was excited to be involved in a political campaign, voting for a President, or the fact that an African American man could potentially be the Democratic nominee. In hindsight, I am sure it was the combination of the three. Houston, Texas was a campaign hot spot for advocacy; it was common to see celebrities like Kerry Washington on campus rallying for Obama and Rocking The Vote.

After volunteering at local events, canvassing neighbourhoods, and phone banking, it was not uncommon to spend weekends working with the campaign in some capacity and meeting local and state officials. However, I will never forget the October morning when a small group of students were asked to suit up and volunteer at a Major Donor event in River Oaks. Given the geography of this event, it was not strange that we were required to wear our Sundays Best but this event was particularly small and a major campaign representative was supposed to speak at the event.

Various speeches were made in the room full of approximately 50 people. While hors d'oeuvres were being passed out, a caravan of Black SUVs quickly pulled into the circular drive and a number of large men exited the vehicle and made space for a tall, skinny, African American man to enter the home of Tony Chase. That man, then Senator Barack H Obama, stepped out of the vehicle, smiled, waved, shook hands, and entered the home. After given his twenty-minute stomp speech, I remembered my teachers words: this man is going to be the next President of the United States. After sweeping the room off their feet, he entertained a few small conversations and took a photo with small team of college volunteers. It was that October morning that I began to believe in the impossible.

After the event, I remember driving down 610 South with our on-campus advisor reflecting over those thirty minutes. Now on campus, I called my grandmother and told her about the meeting to which she quickly exclaimed, Baby Boy, I hope you got some photos because that might be the next President. She was right; on 20 January 2008, I stood in the freezing Washington, DC winter and watched Barack H Obama raise his right hand and become a two-term President of the United States.

A lot has changed since that cold January morning in DC. My grandmother is deceased; I graduated undergrad, graduate school, and I have developed a more pronounced opinion of America, the Obama Presidency, and politics in general. As the Obama era comes culminates, America is experiencing growing pains. Immigration, marriage equality, police brutality, health care, and the rising cost of higher education are just a few of the issues that President Obama was tasked with while rebuilding the economy, creating jobs, appointing Supreme Court Justices, and protecting our borders in an increasingly terroristic society.

As I reflect over the last eight years, I see myself. Its strange because the America of my grandparents isnt reflected in President Obamas administration. Leading one of the most demographically diverse administrations in US History, the Obama appointments elevated the faces of women and minorities to long-term spaces that will impact generations. Federal judges, cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court nominees, and a few ambassadors are positions that reflected the diversity of the American population; however, those placements were hard fought. Naturally, I desired to see representation in Congress and gubernatorial elections to balance the federal representation but that is another article.

The impact that President Obama had on millennials cannot be overstated but it is coupled with the complexity of deportation, job loss, and a housing market that still has not fully recovered from 2008 market crash. And although the issues of access to healthcare and the rising cost of college tuition, the tragedy of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown Jr., Laquan McDonald, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, The Emanuel Nine, Sean Bell, Jordan Davis, and Alton Sterling are all moments that became all too common under an African American President. It was during these moments when I desired the symbolism of an African American President to speak for us, African Americans, Black men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, to articulate the experience to America. Too often were tears rolling down my face as the Black community chatted Black Lives Matter to an administration that responded with ineffective commissions, committees, and high-level meetings. We wanted to feel that we, too, were American and that our lives matter.

Trolled, disrespected, and continuously pandered to by candidates vying for the highest office, I almost feel taken advantage off in todays political landscape. I must admit, Ill miss the personality and leadership that President Obama and his family exhibited throughout these past eight years, but moving forward I am more reluctant to allow identity politics to become too factorial in my voting process. As a Black man in America, I have come to terms with the challenges placed before me simply due to the colour of my skin. I understand that policy and politics are not too kind to people like me but I also realise the importance of advancement over representation.

While there were a few cringe inducing moments throughout Obamas Presidency, he normalised excellence, exhibited unparalleled temperament, and overcame adversity which further proves that regardless of my heritage, economical background, religion, and/or sexual orientation, there is space here in America for me.

As 20 January 2017 quickly approaches and the leadership of America changes, Ill cherish these eight years. Ill cherish the photo, the handshake, and the unparalleled message of hope and unity with me forever. There is not a term limit on hope and one day, I, too, will tell the non-contextualised story to my children and grandchildren of the time I met Americas greatest President.

The writer is a Reese Miller Scholar (2014-2015) and is pursuing a Masters in Sociology and Social Anthropology at Central European University, Budapest
BANGKOK Thailand's military-backed parliament voted overwhelmingly on Friday to make amendments to the constitution as suggested by the new king's office, a move likely to delay a general election scheduled for the end of the year.The military-backed constitution is a key part of the junta's plans to hold an election to return Thailand to democratic rule following a 2014 coup.The draft constitution was approved in a referendum last year and has been awaiting endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who took the throne in December after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who commanded immense respect from Thais during his 70-year reign.Promulgation of the charter, which was forwarded to the palace for royal endorsement in November, was expected in early February.Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday the office of King Vajiralongkorn had asked for several changes to clauses related to royal power in the draft constitution, a rare intervention by a sitting Thai monarch.In order to make those changes, the National Legislative Assembly has first to amend the interim constitution.Of 231 assembly members, 228 voted in favour of the changes on Friday with three abstaining.

The assembly also made changes allowing the king to travel overseas without having to appoint a regent to rule in his stead. King Vajiralongkorn travelled frequently while he was crown prince and has spent a significant amount of his adult life abroad, mostly in Germany.Somjet Boonthanom, a member of parliament, said it was likely that elections would now take place next year.

"The election will take place 15 months after the constitution is endorsed," Somjet told Reuters.The U.S. State Department said the United States, a long-time ally of Thailand which scaled back contacts after the coup, wanted to see Thailand "return to inclusive, democratic rule as soon as possible." "We want Thailand to emerge from this transition period as a strong, sustainable, and prosperous democracy that reflects and represents the views of all Thais and protects human rights and fundamental freedoms," said Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the department.

The government must first make the requested amendments. The king then has 90 days to approve the amended charter, Somjet said. "According to the steps, the election should happen early to mid-2018," he said.Both the junta and the Royal Household Bureau declined to comment on why the changes were requested by the king. (Reporting by Bangkok Bureau; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Nick Macfie and James Dalgleish)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Claire (27) comes from France and is a professional mermaid. She has performed all over the world, including the Aquarium of Paris, Weeki Wachee Springs Park and in Cannes for the Film Festival. The flag she is holding at the end of the performance is Morocco's flag, a red field with a green, five-pointed star, representing the Seal of Solomon. Music: "I See Fire" by Kygo.



FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER: Get the latest videos delivered to your inbox by subscribing to the FREE "Video of the Day" newsletter. Flixxy editors search the internet daily, to find the very best videos for you: SELECTION: From over 300,000 videos uploaded to YouTube daily, we select only a few videos to be added to the site daily. PG RATING: Flixxy videos and comments are all PG rated. They are "Safe For All Ages" and "Safe For Work". Our content is uplifting. SELECTED START AND END POINTS: Many of Flixxys videos start late or end early. We skip lengthy introductions and get to the point. CONCISE CAPTION AND DESCRIPTION: We don't use "click-bait." Your time is valuable, so we distill the information down to what you want to know.
With the exception of 1996, when California first legalized medical cannabis, or 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational pot, 2016 was probably marijuana's best year ever.

When 2016 began, medical marijuana was legal in 23 states, and recreational weed could be purchased legally by adults 21 and up in four states. By year's end, 28 states had legalized medicinal cannabis (two of which did so entirely through the legislative process), while the number of recreation-legal states had doubled to eight. Among those was California, which on its own is one of the largest economies in the world. Once the recreational business is ramped up, California is expected to generate $1 billion or more in added annual tax and licensing revenue from marijuana.

Changing perceptions of pot among the public is a big reason marijuana has flourished in recent years. Gallup, which conducts somewhat regular surveys on the public's opinion of weed, has shown that in roughly 20 years, the percentage of respondents who want to see marijuana legalized nationally has more than doubled to 60% from 25%.

What's next for marijuana with Sessions as attorney general?

The industry is facing a brand-new challenge in 2017: the appointment of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Al.) as the nation's next Attorney General.

Sessions is an ardent opponent of the legalization of marijuana. In a Senate drug hearing last April, Sessions cited a 20% increase in the number of traffic deaths in certain states where marijuana has been legalized as a reason the drug is a problem. Furthermore, Sessions has blamed the Obama administration's relaxed marijuana policies for reversing what he believes was a positive hostility toward illegal drugs, including pot, that began during the Reagan years.

Perhaps the biggest uncertainty to face the marijuana industry in 2017 and beyond is what will happen once Donald Trump takes office and Sessions becomes the nation's attorney general. Though there are a handful of possible scenarios, three seem most likely.

Most likely: The status quo continues

Though the appointment of Sessions should rightly strike fear in pro-legalization enthusiasts and among the marijuana industry, Sessions also has to contend with two key elements.

First, the public is overwhelmingly behind the idea of legalizing pot. Gallup's poll shows that 6 in 10 Americans favor the full legalization of weed, while a CBS News poll from 2015 found that 84% of Americans favor the nationwide legalization of medical cannabis. Scaling back state-level pot laws now could be a devastating blow to the Republican Party's popularity when so many Americans' views on cannabis have changed over the past two decades.

The other factor here is that Donald Trump has come out on a few occasions during his campaigning to support the legalization of medical cannabis nationally. His opinion on recreational cannabis could be construed as mixed, with Trump advocating more of a wait-and-see approach, but he's been clear about his stance that medical marijuana should be federally legal.

Can Trump convince a Republican congress to legalize medical marijuana? My guess is probably not, since many of the states that continue to hold cannabis as illegal on all levels are run by Republicans lawmakers. However, Sessions could have difficultly swaying Trump to make any changes to the current status quo given Trump's campaign opinions and a desire not to anger a majority of the public. More than likely, the status quo of state-level legalization and regulation will remain intact.

Second most likely: Restrictions on new states, status quo continues for existing legal states

A second possibility, though I would put the likelihood of this happening pretty far behind the first scenario, is that Sessions could put the kibosh on state-level legalizations for new states, at least when it comes to recreational marijuana. Under such a scenario, the eight existing legal marijuana states would serve as something of a guinea pig for Congress to monitor before deciding whether or not to allow additional states to legalize.

Banning new states from legalizing pot would be a modest win for Sessions, but I don't believe he could convince Congress or Trump to disallow the state-level legalization of medical marijuana in any of the remaining 22 states that haven't legalized (should they decide to do so). Even though the Food and Drug Administration and Drug Enforcement Agency don't recognize cannabis as having medically beneficial qualities, a number of university research studies have observed benefits from either marijuana itself or its cannabinoids. Plus, with so many people favoring the legalization of medical cannabis, cutting off access to medical pot could be negative publicity that Trump and his cabinet simply don't need.

Third most likely: Recreational pot legalization is taken off the table at the state level

A third scenario, which is probably the least likely of the bunch, is that Sessions manages to convince Trump and a conservative Congress to remove the hands-off approach when it comes to recreational marijuana. In other words, this scenario would allow states that have legalized medical cannabis to keep their dispensaries intact, but it would shut down the recreational sale of pot in the eight legal states.

For Sessions, this would probably represent his greatest victory as attorney general, given his stance on marijuana. Of course, it's also the least likely given the heat Congress and Trump would take from both the marijuana industry and the American public. In order for Sessions to succeed in pulling the cord on recreational marijuana, he would need to present some unequivocal evidence demonstrating the dangers of recreational marijuana to society. Traffic fatality data could potentially help his case, but he'd likely need far more to sway Trump and Congress.

Uncertainty begets caution

There's little denying the huge dollar potential behind the steady expansion of the marijuana industry. According to investment company Cowen & Co., the legal pot industry could be worth $50 billion in a decade. These figures are certainly juicy enough to entice investors to take a shot on the pot industry.

Unfortunately, the appointment of Sessions, even if the status quo remains, makes investing in marijuana far too risky.

Aside from Sessions likely looking to scale back the marijuana industry by any means possible, pot businesses are set to face ongoing inherent disadvantages. For example, marijuana companies have limited access to basic banking services since most banks fear federal prosecution at some point in the future for dealing with pot businesses. Being forced to deal solely with cash is a security concern and an expansion inhibitor.

Additionally, marijuana businesses are stuck paying tax on their gross profits instead of net profits because they're disallowed from taking normal corporate income tax deductions. Neither of these disadvantages is expected to change with Sessions as attorney general.

Long story short, the uncertainty of having Sessions as attorney general means investors should keep their distance from marijuana stocks and monitor them from afar.
While retirement might seem like an extended period of leisure, for countless seniors, it's a financially trying time. Not only do many retirees struggle to pay the bills, but more than 25 million seniors are currently living at or below the poverty line. Throw in the fact that a large percentage of soon-to-be retirees are woefully behind on savings, and it's no wonder 60% of baby boomers are more worried about running out of money in retirement than actually dying.

But one thing many people don't realize about retirement is that it offers ample opportunities to make money. Whether you're approaching retirement with a skimpy nest egg or are a current retiree having trouble making ends meet, here are a few options for generating some much-needed income.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

1. Choose investments that pay you more

Seniors are often advised to move away from stocks and to limit themselves to safe investments. But while it's a smart idea to shift some of your assets into low-risk alternatives, keeping stocks in your portfolio is a good way to bring in additional income. As long as you don't anticipate the need to liquidate your stock positions within five years, there's a good chance they'll grow in value over time, which means you'll eventually be able to sell them at a gain. But just as importantly, if you buy dividend stocks issued by established companies and keep them in retirement, you'll get what's essentially a quarterly paycheck.

2. Open a Roth IRA

While the traditional IRA is an important savings tool in its own right, if your goal is to have access to as much money as possible in retirement, you really can't beat a Roth IRA. Unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRA withdrawals are taken tax-free, which means whatever amount you have sitting in your account is yours to use in full.

Furthermore, unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs don't impose required minimum distributions starting at age 70 1/2. This means that if you can hold off on touching your IRA for a few extra years, you'll get to grow your savings tax-free for longer.

3. Start a business

Just because you're retired doesn't mean you aren't capable of working and earning extra money. If you have a talent or hobby you're passionate about, retirement is the perfect time to turn that skill into an actual business. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, seniors 65 and older are more likely to be self-employed than any other age group. When you start your own venture in retirement, you get the benefit of making your own hours, setting your own rules, and doing something you love -- all the while bringing in extra income.

4. Consult in your former field

Maybe you're not the creative type, or you're not looking to take on the risks associated with starting a business of your own. If that's the case, you still have the option to consult in your former field and earn a little money on the side. You might even start by contacting your previous employer and seeing if there's an opportunity there.

5. Become a landlord

If you have a larger property that lends itself to a rental situation, finding a tenant could improve your financial situation considerably. Even if you can't, or don't want to, accommodate a full-time tenant, if you live in a desirable area, you might consider renting out your home (or a portion thereof) on occasion to bring in additional income. This could be an option if you live in or a near a big city, ski area, or beach.

In fact, renting out your home on a short-term basis only has its benefits -- namely, the ability to take in rental income without paying taxes. As long as your rental period doesn't exceed 14 days within a calendar year, you won't have to share any of your income with IRS. All you need to do to qualify for this benefit is use your home yourself for more than 14 days during the year, or more than 10% of the total number of days you rent it out.

Though we all tend to use the words "fixed income" when talking about retirees, the truth is that you have more opportunities to earn money in retirement than you may have realized. If you fund a Roth IRA, hold the right investments, open up your home to paying guests, and put in a little work time, you'll be well on your way to boosting your income and enjoying a much less financially stressful retirement.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Two members of Tower of Power who were hit by a train Thursday night are responsive and being treated in an Oakland hospital, a rep for the band told FOX411.

"In an unfortunate accident tonight, two members of the award-winning group Tower Of Power, drummer David Garibaldi and current bassist Marc van Wageningen, were struck by a train in California," the band's rep told us.

The two men were hit by a train Thursday night as they walked across tracks before a performance in their hometown of Oakland, but both survived.

Bandleader Emilio Castillo told FOX411, "I was at the hospital last night and saw David but Marc was in intensive care and I wasn't able to see him. Dave's head and face were pretty swollen and bruised but he was lucid and expected to recover. Marc came through surgery well; his internal bleeding was stopped and they were waiting for him to stabilize in order to do further testing. The doctors were cautiously optimistic. We appreciate the responses and prayers from our former bandmates, friends, and fans and we all remain hopeful and in prayer."

Garibaldi has been with the group since 1970. Van Wageningen is substituting as bass player. Tower of Power has been an R&B institution for nearly 50 years.

GUITARIST WHO AVOIDED BUDDY HOLLY PLANE CRASH DIES AT 85

Without identifying them, the Oakland Fire Department said earlier that two pedestrians were hit by a passenger train at Jack London Square about 7:30 p.m. and taken to a hospital.

The accident was near Yoshi's, a jazz and R&B club where the group had been scheduled to play two shows Thursday night. Both were canceled.

It wasn't clear why the men were on the tracks, but pedestrians often need to cross them in the area with trains running across and in between streets, including right outside Yoshi's.

The Tower of Power, a band of about a dozen members, most of them horns, has been beloved members of the R&B and pop communities since forming in Oakland in 1968. The group and its rotating cast of musicians have recorded behind many far more famous names including Elton John, Otis Redding, Aerosmith and Santana.

They were also a national TV fixture in the 1980s with frequent appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman."

Tributes and well wishes were quickly emerging on Twitter, including one from pop star and drummer Sheila E., who tweeted "Pleez pray for my frenz."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The cold cuts to the bone and little puffs of steam escape from the mouths of people stopping on their walk to work to drink a glass of fresh donkey milk, believing it will fight respiratory problems during the raw winter of the Bolivian Andes.

Aymara women position their female donkeys every morning on a street corner in El Alto, a city neighboring the capital of La Paz. Then they milk them for clients lining up in the cold air.

"I had a cough for five years and couldn't sleep," Luz Mamani said, ordering a small glass. Mamani said she's been healthy since she started drinking the milk.

Among the vendors is Petrona Yujra, who has sold donkey milk for 35 years.

Yujra said the milk helped clear up a problem in her lungs. According to popular belief, it can help fight colds, asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia, she said.

Elizabeth Canipa, director of the maternal milk program at Bolivia's Health Ministry, said there is no scientific study showing that donkey milk has curative properties. "But we know that it has more protein and it could be because it has more colostrum," a form of milk produced by mammals in late pregnancy containing antibodies that protect against disease.

Bus driver Luis Lari Huanca said his co-workers recommended donkey milk for the pains he suffers in his lungs and kidneys.

"It's my third day drinking it," he said. "I hope it cures me like my friends said it would."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Patient Number Two was born to first-time parents, late 20s, white. The pregnancy was normal and the birth uncomplicated. But after a few months, it became clear something was wrong. The child had ear infection after ear infection and trouble breathing at night. He was small for his age, and by his fifth birthday, still hadnt spoken. He started having seizures. Brain MRIs, molecular analyses, basic genetic testing, scores of doctors; nothing turned up answers. With no further options, in 2015 his family decided to sequence their exomesthe portion of the genome that codes for proteinsto see if he had inherited a genetic disorder from his parents. A single variant showed up: ARID1B.

The mutation suggested he had a disease called Coffin-Siris syndrome. But Patient Number Two didnt have that diseases typical symptoms, like sparse scalp hair and incomplete pinky fingers. So, doctors, including Karen Gripp, who met with Twos family to discuss the exome results, hadnt really considered it. Gripp was doubly surprised when she uploaded a photo of Twos face to Face2Gene. The app, developed by the same programmers who taught Facebook to find your face in your friends photos, conducted millions of tiny calculations in rapid successionhow much slant in the eye? How narrow is that eyelid fissure? How low are the ears? Quantified, computed, and ranked to suggest the most probable syndromes associated with the facial phenotype. Theres even a heat map overlay on the photo that shows which the features are the most indicative match.

RELATED: The Muddled Link Between Booze and Cancer

In hindsight it was all clear to me, says Gripp, who is chief of the Division of Medical Genetics at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware, and had been seeing the patient for years. But it hadnt been clear to anyone before. What had taken Patient Number Twos doctors 16 years to find took Face2Gene just a few minutes.

Face2Gene takes advantage of the fact that so many genetic conditions have a tell-tale facea unique constellation of features that can provide clues to a potential diagnosis. It is just one of several new technologies taking advantage of how quickly modern computers can analyze, sort, and find patterns across huge reams of data. They are built in fields of artificial intelligence known as deep learning and neural netsamong the most promising to deliver AIs 50-year old promise to revolutionize medicine by recognizing and diagnosing disease.

Genetic syndromes arent the only diagnoses that could get help from machine learning. The RightEye GeoPref Autism Test can identify the early stages of autism in infants as young as 12 monthsthe crucial stages where early intervention can make a big difference. Unveiled January 2 at CES in Las Vegas, the technology uses infrared sensors test the childs eye movement as they watch a split-screen video: one side fills with people and faces, the other with moving geometric shapes. Children at that age should be much more attracted to faces than abstract objects, so the amount of time they look at each screen can indicate where on the autism spectrum a child might fall.

In validation studies done by the tests inventor, UC San Diego researcher Karen Pierce,1 the test correctly predicted autism spectrum disorder 86 percent of the time in more than 400 toddlers. That said, its still pretty new, and hasnt yet been approved by the FDA as a diagnostic tool. In terms of machine learning, its the simplest test we have, says RightEyes Chief Science Officer Melissa Hunfalvay. But before this, it was just physician or parent observations that might lead to a diagnosis. And the problem with that is it hasnt been quantifiable.

A similar tool could help with early detection of Americas sixth leading cause of death: Alzheimers disease. Often, doctors dont recognize physical symptoms in time to try any of the diseases few existing interventions. But machine learning hears what doctors cant: Signs of cognitive impairment in speech. This is how Toronto-based Winterlight Labs is developing a tool to pick out hints of dementia in its very early stages. Co-founder Frank Rudzicz calls these clues jitters, and shimmers: high frequency wavelets only computers, not humans, can hear.

Winterlights tool is way more sensitive than the pencil and paper-based tests doctors currently use to assess Alzheimers. Besides being crude, data-wise, those tests cant be taken more than once every six months. Rudziczs tool can be used multiple times a week, which lets it track good days, bad days, and measure a patients cognitive functions over time. The product is still in beta, but is currently being piloted by medical professionals in Canada, the US, and France.

If this all feels a little scarily sci-fi to you, its useful to remember that doctors have been trusting computers with your diagnoses for a long time. Thats because machines are much more sensitive at both detecting and analyzing the many subtle indications that our bodies are misbehaving. For instance, without computers, Patient Number Two would never have been able to compare his exome to thousands of others, and find the genetic mutation marking him with Coffin-Siris syndrome.

But none of this makes doctors obsolete. Even Face2Genewhich, according to its inventors, can diagnose up to half of the 8,000 known genetic syndromes using facial patterns gleaned from the hundreds of thousands of images in its databaseneeds a doctor (like Karen Gripp) with enough experience to verify the results. In that way, machines are an extension of what medicine has always been: A science that grows more powerful with every new data point.

1UPDATE 3:00 pm Eastern 1/9/17 This story has been updated to correct Dr. Pierces relationship to RightEye; she is the author of the GeoPref Autism Test, which was licensed and further developed for commercialization by RightEye. An earlier version of this story incorrectly cited Dr. Pierce as RightEyes inventor.
North Korea reportedly rejected the idea of resuming talks to abandon its nuclear program on Saturday, but said it would welcome negotiations for a peace treaty with Washington.

North Koreas foreign ministry made the statement one day after President Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye said they were ready to open talks with Pyongyang on sanctions if they were serious about dissolving its nuclear program, according to Reuters.

If the United States insists on taking a different path, the Korean peninsula will only see our unlimited nuclear deterrent being strengthened further, the North said in a statement.

North and South Korea are still technically at war after signing a truce in 1953 to temporarily end their conflict. The U.S. also signed the deal after backing the South.

Obama, while meeting with Park on Friday, said Iran had been prepared to have a serious conversation about the possibility of giving up the pursuit of nuclear weapons. He said theres no indication of that in North Koreas case.

"At the point where Pyongyang says, `We're interested in seeing relief from sanctions and improved relations, and we are prepared to have a serious conversation about denuclearization,' it's fair to say we'll be right there at the table," Obama told a joint news conference.

In a joint statement after Fridays meeting, the U.S. and South Korea said that if North Korea decides to launch another rocket into space or test a nuclear explosion, it will face consequences, including seeking further significant measures by the U.N. Security Council. The statement also said they would never accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.

North Korea had walked away from talks involving the U.S. and four other countries in 2008 and continued to conduct nuclear tests. It claims the only way to end conflict with Washington is to sign a peace treaty.

Parks visit Friday further strengthened South Koreas ties with the U.S.

U.S. retains 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, and nearly 50,000 troops in Japan. Obama called the U.S.-South Korean alliance "unbreakable." Park called it a "lynchpin" of regional security.

In August, the two Koreas threatened each other with war after two South Korean soldiers were wounded by land mines Seoul says were planted by the North. The tensions have since eased, and the two sides have agreed to resume next week reunions of Korean families divided by the Korean War.

The Obama administration has faced criticism from hawks and doves alike for a lack of high-level attention on North Korea, which estimated to have enough fissile material for between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons.

Click for more from Reuters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trumps pledge to build a U.S.-Mexico wall has touched off a fierce debate in the U.S. border towns that would be most affected  with local Democrats vowing to fight Trump tooth and nail if he proceeds.

Mexico is an ally, not an enemy, Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas, told FoxNews.com. It is our second-largest trading partner, and building a wall between two countries with such important ties is a senseless and wasteful exercise."

Vela is a colorful Trump critic. He made headlines after calling the president-elect's illegal immigrant policies hateful, dehumanizing, and frankly shameful. In a public letter, he also advised Trump to take your border wall and shove it up your ass.

Vela is part of a growing number of Democratic lawmakers bracing for a fight with Trump over his proposed 1,933-mile border wall with Mexico -- one of several big immigration clashes on the horizon. Many Democratic officials in "sanctuary cities" also are preparing to battle Trump over his threat to cut their federal funding.

On Wednesday, Trump stood by his promise that the U.S. would begin building the wall immediately after he takes office and force Mexico to pay for it, whether by tax or direct payment.

"It's not a fence -- it's a wall," he stressed at a press conference, citing support he heard during his campaign rallies for the plan. "I don't want to wait."

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, in an interview with The Guardian, insisted Mexico "absolutely" will not pay for the project.

Stateside, Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar told FoxNews.com he thinks the wall is an antiquated idea.

I think we need to secure our border. I just want to do it in a smart way  in a way thats efficient, its effective, its something that works instead of just saying a wall, Cuellar said. Its a 14th century solution to a 21st century problem.

Trumps own pick for secretary of Homeland Security testified Tuesday at his Senate confirmation hearing that a border wall isnt the only answer.

A physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly said. He pushed for a layered defense that includes deploying drones to patrol the gaps in the existing wall as well as an increase in Border Patrol agents.

House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, has indicated hell offer a bill later this month that supports more fencing and resources to prohibit illegal entry into the United States.

In Brownsville, Texas, which shares a border with Matamoros, Mexico, Democratic Mayor Tony Martinez argues Washington is out of touch with conditions on the ground. A trial lawyer by trade, he believes the wall sends the wrong message.

Why dont you go to the source of the problem? Martinez said. Lets address real immigration reform.

Republicans for years have argued that border security should come before other aspects of immigration reform.

Martinez advocates for bi-national talks between the United States and Mexico. The two nations already collaborate closely on security issues and often share intelligence through a partnership forged in 2007 to help stem drug trafficking.

Martinez has been invited to Mexico City in February to discuss options between the neighboring countries. As for the wall, Martinez calls it an illusion.

Trump still has allies in Congress who support his goal of constructing a complete physical barrier, parts of which already exist. GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, in a FoxNews.com column, urged Trump to follow through on the campaign promise.

Local law enforcement, meanwhile, are waiting to see how the debate shakes out.

In Cameron County, Sheriff Omar Lucio dislikes the wall idea and blames the media for trumping up security fears. Lucio and his staff of around 100 are responsible for securing 60-70 miles on the most southern tip of Texas.

Lucio, who was just elected to his fifth term as sheriff, told FoxNews.com he found it insulting that the majority of Washington lawmakers have never set foot in Texas. He noted his county already has a border barrier in spots and suggested it hasn't helped.

Perception becomes reality, he said. Come down here and see for yourself.
Pro-Israel groups and Israeli officials say that a Middle East peace summit and United Nations Security Council meeting in the coming days are aimed at forcing a last-minute anti-Israel initiative.

Still smarting over a last month's UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, pro-Israel groups see the two high-level gatherings taking place Sunday and Tuesday, respectively, as a last-ditch effort to sway foreign policy before Donald Trump is inaugurated as U.S. president on Jan. 20.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said in a statement released on Friday that the conference, which neither the Israelis nor Palestinians are attending, is counterproductive to peace in the region.

"This conference constitutes a reward to the Palestinians for continuing to avoid negotiations while promoting terrorism," said Danon in the statement. We are witnessing an attempt to promote a last-minute initiative before the new U.S. administration takes office. Supporters of the Palestinians are looking for further anti-Israel measures at the Security Council."

Israeli officials took exception in recent days to the news that Secretary of State John Kerry would be among representatives of some 70 countries planning to attend the Paris summit.

U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement to FoxNews.com that the Obama administration, which declined to veto the settlement resolution, stands with Israel against terrorism.

"Weve seen Ambassador Danons tweets...We condemn in the strongest possible terms last weeks horrific vehicular attack by a terrorist in Jerusalem," Danon said. "There is absolutely no justification for these brutal and senseless attacks."

The official purpose of the conference, organizers say, is to breathe new life into peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

French President Francois Hollande has said that he hopes that the conference will affirm international commitment to a two-state solution and more direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

I can see that this [the peace process] has been weakened on the ground and in the minds, Hollande said, according to The Guardian. If we let it wither away then it would be a risk for Israelis security to which we are resolutely attached.

Pro-Palestinian groups were skpetical that the Paris conference or Kerry's pressure will do much to push for a two-state solution.

Though Kerry calls for a general recognition of the collective suffering of Palestinian refugees, he stops short of calling on Israel to acknowledge the role it played in causing that suffering, Zaha Hassan, a human rights attorney, said in a statement.

The U.S. decision to abstain in December from the U.N. Security Council's 14-0 vote marked one of the biggest American rebukes of its longstanding ally in recent memory. Nevertheless, after the U.N. vote Trump vowed via Twitter: "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th."

The resolution said Israels settlements in lands the Palestinians want to include in their future state have no legal validity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee who was forced to step down last year over her own leaked emails grilled FBI Director James Comey Friday during a closed-door meeting on alleged Russian interference during the election, Fox News confirmed.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., served as chairwoman the for over five years but decided to step down in July amid fallout over leaked emails indicating an anti-Bernie Sanders bias in her operation.

The closed-door meeting included intelligence chiefs and members of Congress.

The Hill reported that it was tense. At one point, one Democrat yelled, You let us down!

The main question was why Comey withheld information about the hacking scandal from its members.

"Essentially Debbie asked, how was it that the FBI knew that the DNC was being hacked and they didnt tell her? He gave some bulls--t explanation, Thats our standard, we called this one, we called that one  [she said] Well, why didnt you call me?  one Democrat told The Hill.

Wasserman Schultz said in a statement that she would not discuss what occurred in the classified meeting. Comey reportedly seemed unflinching and was criticized by Rep. Nancy Pelosi for being condescending to members.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who was on "The O'Reilly Factor" Friday said he hopes investigators determine if any Americans played a role in the Russian hacking.

President-elect Donald Trump was briefed last week on intelligence community findings about Russian hacking and other meddling during the campaign that allegedly included the breach and leak of emails from Democratic official accounts.

Some Democrats say the alleged influence benefitted Trumps campaign. They are also bothered by Comeys handling to the Clinton email probe and his announcement-- 11 days before the election-- to reopen the investigation.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, summed up the meeting: Their questions and comments seemed to make the case that Hillary Clinton would be president if it were not for hacking.
There was Pussy Riot, the female punk music act jailed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and condemned as sacrilegious by the Russian Orthodox Church after an unauthorized performance inside a Moscow cathedral.

Political art?

Pablo Picassos massive mural Guernica depicts the horrors of the German Luftwaffe bombing a tiny, Basque village at the request of Spanish nationalists. The wretched scene shows gored animals, dismembered soldiers, skulls and the hell-scape of war.

A debate over where to display Guernica raged since Picasso completed the work. A tour of the painting helped raise money to recover from the war. While at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, anti-Vietnam war protesters often rallied in front of the painting. A 1974 protest of the My Lai massacre scarred Guernica with spray paint.

Picasso himself refused to allow Guernica to return to Spain until Francisco Franco was out of power. When it finally returned to Spain, officials shielded Guernica behind bomb-proof glass. Picasso wanted Guernica shown only at the Museo del Prado, in Madrid. But its now on display at the Reina Sofia. Now Basque nationalists demand it be on display in Bilbao.

Political art?

Norman Rockwells The Problem We All Live With shows U.S. marshals escorting 6-year-old, African American student Ruby Bridges to an all-white school during the 1960 New Orleans desegregation crisis. Rockwell painted racial epithets on the wall behind the child and the carcass of a splattered tomato.

Political art?

Now there is Untitled #1 by teenage artist David Pulphus. It shows marchers descending on police officers with the St. Louis Arch in the background. Pulphus draws police as warthogs -- with weapons drawn. A protester is cast as a wolf.

Pulphuss painting won the right to represent the district of Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, in the annual Congressional Art Competition last year. The House annually displays the winning works of some 400 student artists.

The painting portrays a colorful landscape of symbolic characters representing social injustice, the tragic events in Ferguson and the lingering elements of inequality in modern American society, said Clay upon Pulphuss win last year.

Political art?

For now the painting hangs in a tunnel linking the U.S. Capitol with the Cannon House Office Building. But on Tuesday, the architect of the Capitol plans to remove the painting.

Washington GOP Rep. Dave Reichert, the former sheriff of the states King County, demanded that Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers remove the painting. He argued the painting is in clear violation of the Suitability Guidelines outlined in the official rules for the competition.

In particular, Reichert asserted the rules bar art that depicts subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature.

Clay says removing the painting is a problem because a board that picks paintings for the competition approved it long ago. Never mind that Untitled #1 hung in the tunnel for seven months without anyone paying it much mind.

These rules exist for a reason, Reichert said. This painting hung in clear defiance to those rules and was a slap in the face to the countless men and women who put their lives on the line everyday on behalf of our safety and freedom.

But the paint is in violation of the competition rules. So, Untitled #1 will come down.

But do other paintings displayed in that corridor also comply with those rules?

A painting titled POTUS showing President Obama in a cubist style by Robert Mason Jr. is on display from the district of Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

Surely there are no political controversies surrounding the current President of the United States.

How about a photo of a haggard U.S. veteran, titled Veteran, by Cain Nocera, from the district of Illinois Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski. No controversies of late with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Welcome Home is a painting by Sydni VanHoose, from the district of Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Missouri.

The drawing is of a male solider in camouflage clutching a young girl who clings to his neck. The girl waves a United States flag. No controversies in recent years about the length of deployments of U.S. service personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Nearby in the tunnel, a large sign trumpets the merits of the competition.

An Artistic Discovery shouts the placard. Encouraging the Creative Endeavors of our Nations Young Artists.

Before the architect of the Capitol decided to remove the painting, Reichert engaged in a dialogue to de-escalate the situation with Clay.

Reichert says he suggested to Clay that Pulphus submit another painting to replace the negative view (of police) with a more positive piece to show progress. Were working together.

Clay said that Pulphuss painting represents his life experience.

Reichert said he feared that continuing to display the painting could result in the death of another police officer.



Part of the historic controversy over Guernica is where its shown. And thats the issue here, too. Those who want it down say go hang it in a gallery somewhere, just not on Capitol grounds. Beginning last week, Untitled #1 wasnt the only art in question in the Cannon Tunnel.

Lawmakers assumed thespian roles acting out an unscripted drama with the painting playing a central role. One could best characterize this part of the saga as performance art.

It started when Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr., R-Calif., took it upon himself to unilaterally yank the painting off the wall and deliver it to Clays office.

He has no authority to do that, Clay protested.

When asked whether lawmakers could in turn pull down the student painting of an American eagle representing his district, Hunter replied nothing prevents that.

On Tuesday morning, Clay and members of the Congressional Black Caucus huddled in the tunnel to rehang Untitled #1.

Hunters removal of this art showed a disregard for the Constitution, protested CBC member and North Carolina Democratic Rep. Alma Adams, an artist and art professor.

By afternoon, Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., strolled through the passageway, pulled down the painting and deposited it at Clays office.

I could not in good conscience continue to walk by a painting that so flagrantly disrespected the brave police officers that protect us in the Capitol, he said.

Clay brought the painting back an hour later.

If they have an objection to a picture, they should go through a procedure and get it removed, Clay complained. Dont arbitrarily take the kids picture down, OK?

Two hours later, GOP Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Calif., and Brian Babin, Texas, conducted a joint heist of the art and walked the painting over to Clays office, members of the press in tow.

Its an absolute disgrace, Babin declared.

An hour later, Clay re-hung the painting in the hall for a third time.

Im getting a little dizzy coming back here, complained Clay, also saying the e GOP stunts were childish and adverse to civility.

On Wednesday, someone Scotch-taped a paper Blue Lives Matter flag above Untitled #1. Such flags look just like the U.S. flag -- substituting a thin, blue line for the red stripe that runs immediately below the field of 50 stars.

The Congressional Art competition rules are silent as to whether such guerilla commentary is allowed to accompany the works on display. Its unclear whether the AOC will permit the Blue Lives Matter flag to remain once Untitled #1 is removed Tuesday.

It is often said that all politics is local. Perhaps its no surprise that in the stagecraft surrounding Untitled #1 lawmakers retreat to archetypes that best represent their districts. After all, thats what lawmakers are supposed to do: represent their constituents.

For instance, what would Clays constituents say if he wasnt vigilant in repeatedly defending Pulphus and his painting -- to say nothing of how some of his constituents feel about law enforcement after what went down in Ferguson?

By the same token, is it any surprise that law and order Congressmen like Hunter, Lamborn, Rohrabacher and Babin injected themselves into this play to show the lengths they go to defend police?

One lawmaker who asked not to be identified said the public will distill the debate two ways: This is bad for Democrats because it looks like theyre against law enforcement. And this is bad for Republicans because it looks like theyre against the First Amendment.

This raised the issue as to whether this was all just agitprop -- theatrical political action that helps Republicans and Democrats mold into their ideal paradigms.

Everything on Capitol Hill has a cycle. Congresses begin. Congresses end. Members are elected. Members are voted out.

Such is the case with the current collection of artwork now hanging in the Cannon Tunnel. In a few months, all will meet the same fate facing David Pulphuss Untitled #1 on Tuesday: Theyll be removed.

Another crop of paintings will succeed this cycles collection. Sounds a little like congressional term-limits. Only Pulphuss painting got the boot early.

The question now is whether artists and lawmakers will try to push the envelope to hang more provocative art after the next competition -- or whether the removal of Untitled #1 casts a chilling effect which yields more vanilla submissions and winners.

Pulphuss art was political. But as the competition rules state, the irony is that they dont want political art on Capitol Hill.
A growing number of Democrats, Hollywood celebrities and some Republicans came to the defense of civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis amid fallout from Donald Trump's comments earlier on Saturday.

Trump said that Lewis, who has argued the president-elect won't be a legitimate leader, should focus more on fixing his Georgia district.

Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart, Trump tweeted.

The response on Twitter was swift. GOP Sen. Ben Sassse of Nebraska tweeted that "John Lewis and his "talk" have changed the world."

On this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, let it be clear that John Lewis is an American patriot. Trump's attacks on him further confirm it. pic.twitter.com/WavPT36Atu  Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) January 14, 2017

Trump assumes John Lewis represents a poor district that's "falling apart" simply because he is black. Textbook definition of racism. https://t.co/3Vi93Oq9T2  Guy Cecil (@guycecil) January 14, 2017

My friend @repjohnlewis is an American hero. A champion for justice and reconciliation. @realDonaldTrump could learn smth from his example  Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) January 14, 2017

Residents of Lewis' district in Atlanta, meanwhile, in response to a tweet from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, began to post pictures of their neighborhoods on Twitter -- many of which did not fit with Trump's characterization.

@ajc I live in the #fifthdistrict and couldn't be prouder to cast my vote for @repjohnlewis! pic.twitter.com/Vbu1H4u40H  Kevin Finke (@kevin_finke) January 14, 2017

Lewis, a leader in the civil rights movement of the 1960s who was beaten by state troopers during the "Bloody Sunday" march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama, says in an NBC's "Meet the Press" to air Sunday that he does not consider Trump a "legitimate president," and blamed the Russians for helping the Republican win the White House.

"You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said.

Trump, in followup tweet Saturday, said Lewis should spend more time helping his "crime invested" district, instead of "falsely complaining about the election results."

"All talk, talk, talk -- no action or results. Sad." Trump concluded.

Lewsi has said he will skip next week's inauguration of Trump at the Capitol, joining several other Democrats who have decided to boycott the historic event.

"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said.

The Lewis-Trump fued escalted on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

U.S. Intelligence agencies have said Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win. After spending weeks challenging that assessment, Trump finally accepted that the Russians were behind the election-year hacking of Democrats that roiled the White House race. However, he also emphasized that "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."

Lewis explained his decision to stay away from the inauguration as "you cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right."

He said it will be the first inauguration he has missed in three decades, a time that includes Democrats and Republicans taking the oath of office.

Other Democratic lawmakers who have announced plans to skip the inauguration include Reps. Barbara Lee of California, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois. They cite an array of reasons, but have one at least one thing in common. All represent heavily Democratic districts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Congressional Republicans are trying to change federal guns regulations to make buying a silencer, or suppressor, easier. But critics dont agree with the argument that the proposed legislation is a safety measure to prevent hearing injuries.

The Hearing Protection Act, introduced earlier this week in the GOP-controlled House and Senate, if passed, would still require a background check to buy a silencer, which muffles or suppresses more than silences the sound of a shot.

However, buyers would no longer have to pay a $200 fee or wait for months after filing extensive paperwork with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Ive been shooting since I was a young child -- beginning with plinking with a .22 rifle and dove hunting with my Dad. My hearing has been damaged because of gun noise, South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan said Monday after introducing the bill in the House with Texas Rep. John Carter, a fellow Republican.

Had I had access to a suppressor, it may have protected me, as well as millions of other Americans, from this sort of hearing loss. This is a health issue, Duncan continued.

The National Rifle Associations lobbying arm supports the measures, saying suppressors are harmless and very rarely used in crime and that the joint bill would end the cumbersome and lengthy application process.

A similar measure failed in 2015. But supporters are optimistic this time with Republican Donald Trump set Friday to officially become president.

They point to the NRA having endorsed Trump and Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., a hunter, recently appearing in a promotional video for Utah-based SilencerCo.

I believe in American manufacturing. I love your product, Trump says in the video, in which he also argues that European countries freely allow the accessory. Its a safety issue.

The GOP lawmakers say the bill aims to cut through the red tape of owning a suppressor and, if passed, would remove the accessory from the scope of the National Firearms Act. They also say it would replace the outdated federal application process with the instantaneous National Instant Criminal Background Check.

The bill calls for a refund of the $200 transfer tax for applicants who purchased a suppressor after Oct. 22, 2015, the original date of introduction.

Critics point to a February 2013 situation in which fired Los Angles police officer Christopher Dorner killed four people in a series of attacks over 10 days that targeted law enforcement officials. They argue the fatal attacks might have been stopped earlier had Dorner not been using silencers.

Theres no evidence of a public health issue associated with hearing loss from gunfire, Kristin Brown, of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, told The Los Angeles Times. There is evidence of a public health crisis from gun violence, and we think thats where legislative efforts should be directed.

The bill is being introduced in the Senate by Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, and its co-sponsors include fellow GOP Sens. Rand Paul, Kentucky, and Jerry Moran, Kansas.
The fate of President-elect Donald Trumps selection for his administrations Secretary of State hinges in the vote of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

The Wall Street Journal reported that three Republican senators have expressed concern over Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil. Rubio is reportedly undecided on his vote and said he will not discuss the matter until he comes to a decision.

Were just going to continue to go through the process, he said, according to the report. And well make a decision soon.

Tillerson and Rubio clashed during a pair of contentious exchanges Wednesday, with an incredulous Rubio pressing the prospective diplomat to brand Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" and Tillerson coolly blunting Rubio's broadsides by explaining his more deliberative vision.

The other Republicans concerned about Tillerson are Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain.

During the tense back-and-forths at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing, Rubio, R-Fla., cross-examined Tillerson on policy regarding Russia, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. At the end of Rubio's second questioning period, Tillerson sought to allay any concerns the aggressive Rubio may have had.

"There seems to be some misunderstanding that I see the world through a different lens, and I do not," Tillerson said. "...But I'm also clear-eyed and realistic about dealing with cultures."

Tillerson's statement followed a heated initial session during which the ExxonMobil CEO refused to specifically call Putin a "war criminal."

"I find it discouraging your ability to cite that, which I think is globally accepted," Rubio said.
The Donald Trump transition team has acknowledged that its incoming national security adviser has been in contact with Russia's ambassador but denies reports they were plotting over recently imposed sanctions on Moscow.



A transition team official acknowledged a call on Dec. 29, the day President Obama hit Russia for election-related hacking, but said the conversation was about logistics for a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, who on Friday is sworn-in as president.

That was it. Plain and simple, the official told reporters on the teams daily conference call.

The official said retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps pick for national security adviser, texted Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to wish him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. He said Kislyak, in a return text, requested and was granted a phone conversation in late December about the logistics of setting up call with the president of Russia and the president-elect.

Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius.

I believe Ignatius will print an update now that he has been provided information to clarify, the transition official also said.

It's not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions raised questions about whether Trump's team discussed -- or even helped shape -- Russia's response.

Reuters reports that Flynn and Kislyak talked several times on Dec. 29.

Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the U.S. for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow.

That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials' assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump.

In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obama's sanctions if Russia works with the U.S. on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

"If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions?" he asked.

During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader.

"If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia," he said.

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the U.S. said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The U.S. also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol.

He accepted a call from Taiwan's president, ignoring the longstanding "One China" policy that does not recognize the island's sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, "Everything is under negotiation."

He also publicly urged the U.S. to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

Questions about Trump's friendly posture toward Russia have deepened since the election, as he has dismissed U.S. intelligence agencies' assertions about Russia's role in the hacking of Democratic groups.

In briefing Trump on their findings, intelligence officials also presented the president-elect with unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him, according to a separate U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to publicly discuss the matter.

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced late Friday that it would investigate possible contacts between Russia and people associated with U.S. political campaigns as part of a broader investigation into Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump acknowledged for the first time this week that he accepts that Russia was behind the hacking. But he questioned whether officials were leaking information about their meetings with him, warning that would be a "tremendous blot" on their record.

Flynn's own ties with Russia have worried some Republicans who are more skeptical of the Kremlin than Trump appears to be. After leaving his position as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, Flynn made appearances on RT, a state-run Russian television network. In 2015, he was paid to attend an RT gala in Moscow, where he sat next to Putin.

As national security adviser, Flynn will work in the West Wing close to the Oval Office and will have frequent access to Trump. Unlike Trump's nominees to lead the Pentagon, State Department and other national security agencies, Flynn's post does not require Senate confirmation.

Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press was not authorized to confirm the contacts publicly and insisted on anonymity.

The Trump team's account of Flynn's contacts with the Russian envoy changed throughout the day Friday.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer initially said there was one phone call between Flynn and Kislyak on Dec. 28, as well as a Christmas greeting via text messages over the holidays. He said sanctions were not part of the discussions.

Later Friday, a transition official said Flynn and Kislyak had spoken by phone on Dec. 29, following a text message from the ambassador the day before. During the call, the Russian ambassador invited U.S. officials to a conference on Syria later this month that is being held in Kazakhstan, according to the transition official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and insisted on anonymity.

The official also confirmed a phone call between the men earlier in December.

The U.S. official who spoke to the AP Friday described the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak as "very frequent."

It's unclear how U.S. officials became aware of the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak, who has served as Russia's envoy to the U.S. since 2008. U.S. monitoring of Russian officials' communication within the United States is known to be common.

Flynn has spoken with other foreign officials since Trump won the November election, as have incoming White House senior advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. State

Department spokesman Mark Toner said he saw nothing inappropriate in Trump's transition team contacting Russian or any other foreign officials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trumps inaugural committee has raised a record $90 million in private donations to pay for the steep costs of next weekends festivities.

It's the most any president has raised for their inauguration and it outpaces the amount collected by President Barack Obamas two inaugural committees - $55 million in 2009 and $43 million in 2013, the Associated Press reported.

Donations include $500,000 from Chevron and $1 million given by Boeing. AT&T says it has made both cash and in-kind donations, including quintupling phone capacity on the National Mall.

DEMOCRATIC REP. LEWIS: TRUMP NOT A 'LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT'

The committee has 90 days after the Jan. 20 inauguration to reveal the rest of the donors.

Trumps committee has declined to provide details on how its aiming to spend the money. However, lead inaugural planner Tom Barrack said this week the team wants to avoid a circus-like atmosphere in favor of a more back to work mindset that surrounds Trump with the soft sensuality of the place.

Trump himself promised the event would be a "very, very elegant day" with "massive crowds."

Trump is holding three inaugural balls; Obama had 10 balls at his first inaugural. Trump's team also hopes to keep its parade to 90 minutes. The longest parade, with 73 bands and 59 floats, lasted more than four and half hours, at Dwight Eisenhower's first inauguration, in 1953

Spokesman Boris Epshteyn said the inaugural committee is "fully focused on organizing world-class events that honor our nation's tremendous history and reach every corner of the globe." Any excess money raised will be donated to charity.

Steve Kerrigan, CEO for Obama's inaugural committee in 2013 and chief of staff in 2009, said the $90 million fundraising haul looks like overkill.

"I can't imagine how they are going to spend that amount of money  and why they would even keep raising money," he said. "We planned the two largest inaugurations in the history of our country and we never spent anywhere near that."

HEAD OF DC NATIONAL GUARD TO STEP DOWN DURING INAUGURATION

While a big share of the cost is covered by the private donations, taxpayers provide a considerable amount as well. They're on the hook, for example, to cover the close to $5 million cost of building the bunting-decorated 10,000 square-foot platform built on the West Front of the Capitol for the swearing-in.

The public also pays security costs for an event that brings together a big chunk of the U.S. political leadership, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans and a fair share of protesters. Because those expenses are scattered throughout the federal budget, it's hard to get a fix on just how much the day will cost.

Some tabs are spelled out: $1.25 million for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which is responsible for the swearing-in ceremony, inaugural luncheon and review of troops, and $2.5 million for overtime for U.S. Capitol Police.

More than 5,000 active duty service members and 7,500 National Guard members will take part, too. In 2009, spending by the military's inaugural joint task force and the Defense Department totaled $21.6 million.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city expects to spend at least $30 million, with the federal government reimbursing the full amount. So far, Congress has appropriated $19 million, and the city will go back to Congress after the swearing-in to ask for the rest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The leader of the District of Columbia National Guard has been told to step down the minute after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, sparking political controversy about who ordered the decision and the timing of the departure.

Maj. Gen. Errol Schwartz, a political appointee, says the timing is "very unusual, considering hell send Guardsmen out to protect Trump and hundreds of thousands of others on Inauguration Day but must resign the minute after Trump is sworn in Jan. 20 at noon.

My troops will be on the street, he told The Washington Post. Ill see them off, but I wont be able to welcome them back to the armory.

However, the head of the District's National Guard serves at the pleasure of the president, unlike the commanders of state-level National Guard units.

And a senior Defense Department official tells Fox News that the Trump presidential transition team, after learning about the situation, offered Schwartz, a Bush appointee, a few additional days on the job but that he refused.

A person close to the team reportedly said members indeed wanted to keep Schwartz but that the Army pushed for a replacement.

A senior Defense official also told Fox that the Army was neither consulted nor notified about the Schwartz decision.

The Army leadership had nothing to do with the decision," the official said.

Schwartz reportedly said the final orders came in an email from the Pentagon.

Like hundreds of other political appointees, Schwartz must tender his resignation and leave his post immediately after Trump, a Republican, officially takes office.

But Phil Mendelson, a Democrat and chairman of the D.C. Council, is also questioning the timing of the move.

It doesnt make sense to can the general in the middle of an active deployment, he told The Post.

He also said that Schwartzs sudden departure will be a long-term loss for the District.

Hes been really very good at working with the community, and my impression was that he was good for the Guard.

Schwartz will be replaced by Brig. Gen. William J. Walker, who is in the D.C. National Guard and will be the incoming acting commanding general.

Fox News Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Polish leaders declared themselves alone no longer at a ceremony Saturday welcoming the arrival of U.S. troops as part of a deployment that has angered Russia.

The presence of U.S. troops on Polish soil marks a historic momentthe first time Western forces are being deployed on a continuous basis to bolster NATOs eastern flank.

"We have waited for you for a very long time, the soliders heard Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz say at Saturdays event in Zagan amid falling snow. We waited for decades, sometimes feeling we had been left alone, sometimes almost losing hope, sometimes feeling that we were the only one who protected civilization from aggression that came from the east.

The event also drew hundreds of ordinary Poles.

The American deployment includes an armored brigade of 3,500 American troops from Fort Carson, Colorado. It comes in reactions to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and its backing of separatist insurgents in Ukraine's east.

Those actions have frightened many in Poland, the Baltic states and other countries in Eastern Europe that were once under Moscow's control.

This is America's most capable fighting force: a combat-ready, highly trained US armoured brigade, with our most advanced equipment and weaponry, U.S. ambassador to Poland Paul James said at the ceremonies, according to an AFP report.

"This force embodies America's iron-clad commitment to honor our NATO treaty obligation to defend our NATO allies."

The Polish government organized several other events across the country, including in downtown Warsaw, to welcome the Americans.

This is an important day for Poland, for Europe, for our common defense, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told the U.S. soldiers.

The troops are due to fan out across seven countries from Estonia to Bulgaria for exercises. A headquarters unit will be stationed in Germany. After nine months they will be replaced by another unit.

NATO will also deploy four multinational battalions to its eastern flank later this year, one each to Poland and the three Baltic states. The U.S. will also lead one of those battalions.

The Kremlin has denounced all these deployments, saying it considers them a threat to its own security and interests.

One of the newly arrived Americans M.P Peter Gomez told AFP he felt very welcome as he posed for selfies with Polish citizens.

I'm surprised actually, he was quoted as saying. People are very excited to see us.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man who dropped out of high school to fight in World War II earned his high school diploma Friday at age 90, according to a report Saturday.

Lou Schipper persuaded his mother to let him enlist before he graduated and never looked back, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He became a Navy Seabee in the Pacific.

The graduation ceremony was held at a senior living residence in Cincinnati with Tony Schad, a representative from St. Xavier.

Schad choked with emotion as he presented Schipper with his diploma.

"Mr. Louis Schipper, on behalf of your classmates from St. Xavier High School class of 1946, the faculty, staff and administration, I'm happy to officially welcome you to the long blue line, St. X," Schad said, the paper reported.

The school heard about Schipper from one of his old classmates, George Wood.

"He was the only freshman in the class who was interviewed with callouses on his hands because that farm boy knew how to do a days work," Wood told the paper.

Dottie Schipper said her husband was reluctant at first to become a high school graduate.

"He said, 'What the hell do I need with a diploma? I'm 90 years old. Do you want me to get a resume and go to work now?'" she told the paper. "He didn't act like he was really excited, but he was really excited."

The Navy discharged Schipper after the war and he became an electrician.

He worked until he was nearly 60.

Schad told the Enquirer that Schipper represents all the best things about St. X.

I really appreciate it, Schipper said. I never thought Id make it.
The only leisure tourist among the U.N. peacekeepers, aid workers, embassy personnel and missionaries on this beach north of the Haitian capital must have been Anne Fournier.

She didn't live or work in Haiti or pretend to help. Fournier was here for fun, traveling to Haiti for the first time with her Port-au-Prince-born husband of almost two years. The couple visited a few of his relatives but otherwise has spent their 10-day vacation seeing the historic town of Jacmel in the south, wading in a nearby waterfall and relaxing on the beach.

"You can tell that the tourism isn't very developed yet, and that's the big charm of it," Fournier, 26, of Montreal, Canada, as she sipped juice from a cut-open coconut. "Everything is an adventure here."

Haitian President Michel Martelly and his administration are to trying to woo Fournier and others like her as they aim high to revive the country's long stagnant tourism industry with investments totaling more than $160 million.

While many in Haiti welcome anything that can create jobs, some critics are questioning the government's priority of trying to attract high-end tourists at a time when the country faces so many other problems, such as high unemployment, a deadly cholera outbreak and lack of housing for people displaced by the earthquake more than three years ago.

"It's good that the government is thinking about tourism but I think it's thinking about it in a very narrow way," said Robert Maguire, a longtime Haiti scholar at George Washington University. "It's an exclusive, high-end model that benefits a small group of the elite."

Haiti's tourism ministry had about $2 million in its budget under the previous administration, and received another $1 million from a Venezuelan oil fund in the aftermath of a destructive storm season, according to the former tourism minister. Today, the department has a budget that's $4.7 million, plus $27 million from Venezuela's PetroCaribe fund.

"Haiti is ready for tourism. Haiti is a tourism destination," said Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin, a rare constant in the shakeup-prone Martelly administration. "If we want to be a sovereign country, if we don't want to depend on other countries, we need to figure out ourselves how to move forward and how to get revenue, and tourism must be number one on the list."

The government's projects include $13.2 million to build an airport and infrastructure on the southern island of Ile-a-Vache and another $8 million to develop the coastal town of Jacmel. Officials say these efforts will create more than 1,600 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs. Tourism generated $200 million last year, Villedrouin said. This in a country whose annual budget is $1 billion.

Lest tourists fear Haiti unravels with unrest, the government is also building a force of 53 "tourism police officers" who will learn Spanish and English, first aid skills, customer service and work in the outposts where officials want to bring tourists. Funding comes from the Justice Ministry.

Other plans include making use of a little-known "investment code" that gives 15-year tax breaks to the owners of new hotels, many of whom are from the country's powerful and wealthy families. This law also allows hotel owners to ship supplies through customs without paying taxes.

Haiti used to be the stomping grounds for the rich and famous in the 1970s and early 1980s as they came in search of late-night Voodoo ceremonies, rum-fueled revelry and Cold War-era conspiracy theories. Guests included Mick Jagger, Truman Capote and Jackie Onassis.

But an AIDS scare in the early 1980s sent tourists to less exciting destinations. And the ouster of former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" in 1986 spawned years of political upheaval as governments took turns toppling one another. The lone visitors became diplomats, peacekeepers, aid workers, missionaries and emigrants, all symbols of the country's problems.

They largely remain so today. The bona fide tourists who mostly visit are those who hop off the cruise ships docked in Labadie, a fenced-in beach attraction on the country's north coast; Villedrouin said 600,000 of these people visit each year.

Villedrouin couldn't say how many other real tourists came last year. But so far only 120 have showed up since January as part of holiday package with Air Transat, a leading charter carrier in Canada. Air Transat flies weekly between Montreal and Port-au-Prince, and reserves 30 seats a month for its holiday packages in Haiti, which cost between $1,399 and $1,600.

These tourists, however, are the exception, the country a tough sell not just because of its history of political unrest, dysfunction and disease or because it was designated by the U.S. State Department in 2012 as a "major drug trafficking country." It's also difficult to sell because its Caribbean neighbors are cheaper; hotels are relatively expensive and fees such as generator fuel and potable water are often included in room rates.

"You pay more but get more," Villedrouin said, citing Haiti's "added value" of culture.

The government is holding out that the tourism industry will create jobs as a construction boom for high-end hotels plays out in the capital and countryside. In fact, the government is making use of a little-known "investment code" that was revised in 2002. The law enables tourism investors to receive a 15-year tax break and import supplies without paying taxes. After the grace period ends, 15 percent of the company's income will be taxable at the end of the first year.

"Think about something: They create jobs. They create a lot of jobs," Villedrouin said, noting that each hotel room built creates two jobs and four indirect jobs. She adds that hotels charge a 10 percent tax on all purchases. Haiti's minimum wage has held at 200 Haitian gourdes a day, or about $4.54, since 2009. "These investments will definitely create jobs."

One bright Sunday morning, Fournier and her husband, Sadrack Duclair, relaxed in beach chairs under the straw-hut canopy. He photographed her as she laughed and played the role of Caribbean tourist, sipping juice from a cut-open coconut. Earlier, they had rented a car and found a driver to shuttle them among the tourist attractions.

"I knew coming here that it was going to be a big adventure," said Duclair, who left Haiti as a child and last visited in 1999. "I think it began at the airport, the first day. After that I was like: Haiti."
No ransom demand has been received since gunmen snatched a 4-year-old boy over the weekend and killed the American missionary who had raised him since he was a severely malnourished infant, church officials said Wednesday.

Longtime Haiti-based missionary Roberta Edwards was fatally shot by two attackers who cut off her car on a rutted, dirt road late Saturday near the foster care home and food-distribution site she has run on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince since 2002. She was returning from a gas station with three of her young charges.

The Estes Church of Christ in Henderson, Tennessee, which sponsored Edwards' work at the Sonlight Children's Home, said her two teenage passengers managed to escape after she told them to run for their lives.

Edwards was shot multiple times at the wheel of her car, and the gunmen then grabbed terrified youngster Jonathan "JoJo" Paul and sped off in a vehicle with tinted windows, fellow missionaries said.

"Hearts are breaking for him. And we certainly hope that whoever took him, wherever he is, whoever has him, will return him as soon as possible," said Larry Waymire, a longtime colleague and friend of the 55-year-old Edwards.

Police have given only the broadest outline of the case and no details of the investigation. The motive behind the killing and apparent kidnapping remains unclear.

Harold Pirtle, a church elder who traveled from Tennessee to comfort the children at the home run by Edwards in Croix-des-Bouquets, said she was well aware of the dangers in Haiti. She had lived in the impoverished country for two decades, initially moving here with her Haitian husband. The marriage didn't last.

During a trip back to Tennessee a couple of months ago, Edwards told church elders that she had considered leaving Haiti, saying she had been feeling "tired" and "scared," Pirtle said. But she never mentioned receiving any threats or provided any specific reasons she felt frightened, he said.

"You can imagine being here and doing this work  she'd been doing it for 20 years. And so she had considered leaving the work, but then she said: 'I can't leave the kids,'" Pirtle said.

Waymire said the abducted boy came to the children's home when he was 9 months old. He was just "skin and bones" at the time, and being raised in northeastern Haiti by his blind grandmother, who apparently asked a local preacher to find decent care for him. His mother was dead.

Recently taken photographs show a healthy-looking child with bright eyes and a ready smile. Waymire said Jonathan, the second youngest resident at the foster home, rarely left Edwards' side. One of the photos shows him resting in her lap.

The killing stunned residents along the area's narrow dirt roads. Hundreds of people, some weeping, gathered outside the gates of the children's home and abutting nutrition center the morning after Edwards' killing.

The youngsters at the home, many of them teenagers, gathered together Wednesday to prepare for a counselor's arrival and plan a memorial service for Edwards, who they called "mom."

One of the youngsters wrote on a dusty car window: "Mom, Pierre loved you."
Egypt has blasted the EU and Britain for criticizing a recent court decision to freeze the assets of three rights activists, accusing them of double standards and telling them to mind their own business.

An Egyptian court on Wednesday ruled to freeze the assets of three rights activists, the latest chapter in a widening crackdown against civil society groups. The freezing and those of five other rights campaigners in September is part of a wider case against at least 12 rights groups that dates back to 2011.

Britain and the EU said they were concerned by the verdict, and that it "continues a worrying trend."

An Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement on Saturday says the comments by the EU and Britain amounted to "flagrant" interference in the country's domestic affairs.
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

It sounds far-fetched at best: holding a Mideast peace conference without Israelis, Palestinians or the incoming U.S. government.

But the French organizers say that's the whole point. They want Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump to see that much of the world wants a two-state solution.

With chances for a Mideast peace deal lower than in years  perhaps a generation  French President Francois Hollande figures there's nothing to lose.

French diplomats fear that Trump's administration will unleash new tensions in the region by condoning settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians and potentially moving the U.S. Embassy to contested Jerusalem.

So more than 70 foreign ministers and other top envoys are gathering Sunday in Paris to urge the establishment of a Palestinian state.

.
Iraqi special forces raised the Iraqi flag above the buildings at the Mosul University complex on Friday as they continued the battle for control of the city against Islamic State militants.

Senior Iraqi officers and U.S.-led coalition said the troops entered the university grounds in the morning hours and by afternoon they had taken control of a neighborhood on the northeastern edge of the university compound and the technical institute within the campus, according to special forces Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi.

By evening, Iraqi forces had also taken control of the Nineveh governorate and council buildings, according to a statement from the U.S.-led coalition.

IRAQI FORCES ENTER MOSUL UNIVERSITY, TACTICAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ISIS BATTLE

"We congratulate the Iraqi Security Forces on their continued progress in Eastern Mosul, U.S. army Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition said in a statement. Work still needs to be done but ISIL's days in Mosul are quickly coming to an end.

Thick clouds of black smoke rose over the sprawling complex Saturday morning. By afternoon, clashes had intensified with volleys of sniper and mortar fire targeting the advancing Iraqi forces. Convoys of Iraqi Humvees snaked through the complex, pausing for artillery and airstrikes to clear snipers perched within classrooms, dormitories and behind the trees that line the campus streets.

The university is located in the eastern section of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city which is divided by the Tigris River into roughly an eastern and a western half.

The push into Mosul University came a day after Iraqi army forces north of the city linked up with troops pushing in from the city's eastern edge. Iraqi forces have largely surrounded Mosul, but the most significant advances on the city have come from the eastern front and in the eastern half of the city. IS still controls Mosul's west.

The U.S.-led coalition supporting the Iraqi forces offensive on Mosul told The Associated Press on Friday that the Islamic State group "warped the purpose of a beloved institution of higher learning when they used the university for military purposes."

"The entire university has been burned," said Muhammad Dhia, a 26-year-old former university student who was fleeing Mosul on Thursday to try and complete his studies in Baghdad.

"I think it will take at least two or three years to rebuild," he added

Meanwhile in Syria, IS militants launched a new offensive on government-held areas in the city of Deir El-Zour on Saturday, attacking the eastern city from several sides in the most intense action in a year, the Syrian government and opposition activists said.

Syrian television said three people were killed and nine were wounded in IS rocket attacks on several neighborhoods of the city.

Intense fighting broke out between Syrian troops and IS members in the city and in the vicinity of a nearby military airport controlled by government forces after the militants launched their multi-pronged attack starting from the area of Baghaliyeh near the northwestern tip of the city.

Loud explosions that shook the city were reported. Activists said Syrian warplanes were taking part in the battles.

The Deir Ezzor 24 news network reported ongoing clashes since the morning near Deir el-Zour military airport and other fronts in the city and said Syrian warplanes targeted Baghaliyeh and Ayash areas and the vicinity of an army base known as Brigade 137 west of the city.

The extremist group, which controls most of Deir el-Zour province, has kept the provincial capital under siege since 2014. Government forces have withstood the encirclement thanks to air-dropped humanitarian assistance and weapons and ammunition flown into the airport. Remaining residents have reported malnourishment and starvation amid severe shortages of food, water and fuel.

The Islamic State group, which in 2014 seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and established a so-called Islamic caliphate straddling both sides of the border, is under intense pressure in both countries where it has lost significant territory in recent months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An official says Jordan's Cabinet ministers have resigned ahead of a planned government reshuffle, at a time of public discontent with perceived security lapses and rising unemployment.

The official said the ministers submitted their resignations Saturday to the prime minister, ahead of a reshuffle to be announced Sunday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters on the issue.

Jordanian media said Interior Minister Salameh Hamad is expected to be among the ministers losing their jobs. Hamad has been criticized for his handling of December shooting attacks by Islamic State militants that killed 11 members of the security forces and three civilians, including a Canadian tourist.

Cabinet reshuffles are relatively common in Jordan, in part as a way of addressing public discontent.
Local attorney David R. Danieli has been nominated by the Fredericksburg area Bar Association to fill an upcoming general district judgeship vacancy.

Danieli, a family law attorney, was chosen at a special bar meeting Wednesday in Fredericksburg General District Court. He will be seeking the vacancy created by the pending retirement of Judge John R. Stevens, who will retire at the end of the month.

According to the minutes of the bar meeting, Danieli was selected over five other candidates.

The final decision will be made by the General Assembly. At one time, the area bar nomination was usually accepted by the legislature. However, that has not been the case for a number of years.
When Lynette Zerkle and her son, Josh Zerkle, 7, walk into school in the morning, they are warmly greeted by the receptionist, Mrs. Howard.

As they make their way to Joshs classroom, Principal Underwood greets them by name and the janitor, Mr. Brown, waves and flashes a smile.

Zerkle said this warmth and familiarity is just part of the culture at the Stafford County campus of Fredericksburg Christian School.

It is an experience you cannot put into wordsyou have to observe it, Zerkle said. We love the staff and teachers. This is not a job to them. They are doing this because they love our kids.

That is why many of the schools families were shocked to hear during a Monday meeting that FCSs North Stafford campus will be closing its doors at the end of the school year.

In addition to its Stafford elementary campus, which opened off State Route 610 in 2004, FCS has a lower school for preschool through fifth grade in Fredericksburg and an upper-school campus, which accommodates grades six through 12 in Spotsylvania County.

FCS decided to consolidate the Stafford campus with the lower-school campus beginning in the 201718 school year. Rising sixth-grade students will continue on to the upper school as planned.

FCSs long-term goal is to consolidate all campuses to the upper school campus, which includes a 90,000-square-foot building on 75 acres on Thornton Rolling Road just off the U.S. 17 Bypass not far from the new commuter rail station. The schools capital campaign to raise funds for a new building to serve preschool through elementary school children is underway.

Suzie Medina of FCS said school leaders made the decision to consolidate after the Stafford campus failed to show the growth they expected.

Our building in Stafford accommodates roughly 300 students and originally we had plans to multiply the space and add a middle school, but the enrollment has not supported that plan, Medina said.

FCS hopes to ease the transition to the new campus by providing free bus transportation for families from Stafford to the lower school.

In addition, school officials have planned two open-house events specifically for Stafford families to get to know the campus. They can visit the lower school and meet with teachers and staff.

While we have a lot of families from the Stafford Campus who would prefer that we remain in Stafford, we believe it is the best course of action for Fredericksburg Christian School going forward, Superintendent Rick Yost said in a news release.

Even with those accommodations, many families are struggling with the decision. Zerkle said there is no other way to describe her response to the schools closing other than devastated. And she is not alone.

Several parents have banded together to save their school. They created a Facebook page, Save our Stafford Campus, which includes 18 members, and they plan to hold a meeting next week to brainstorm ways to keep the doors open.

Although the parents understand the financial motivation behind the decision, they wish they had known about the possibility of consolidation sooner. Zerkle said parents, several of whom work in marketing and development, may have offered suggestions to improve enrollment.

FCS is an amazing school, Zerkle said. We, as parents, just want an opportunity to express our ideas. Our hope is the school will give us a year to see if we can help build the enrollment back up.

Brandy Gaitens, who has three children at the Stafford school, was not completely surprised to hear the school was closing. She said FCS officials have been open about the financial issues at the Stafford campus.

She said most of the parents she has spoken to are not opposed to the consolidation. They understand the schools decision and are just hoping for an opportunity to explore ways to keep the Stafford school open.

With prayer, anything is possible, and I am confident the Lord will provide, Gaitens said.

Gaitens said her children enrolled at FCS a year ago after the family relocated to the Stafford area from California. While she has considered sending them to public school, she said her children have reaped the benefits of the education offered at the school.

We fell in love with it right away, she said. It is really small, and, above all, we love the Christ-centered education that our children are getting. I have noticed my children are kinder, gentler, and more respectful as a result.

If FCS continues with its plan to close the Stafford campus, Zerkle said she is open to sending her son to the Fredericksburg location, and she believes many other families will, too.

We just want what is best for our children, staff and teachers, she said. We love them and they are just like our family.
Free Freightnet Membership

List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.
Readers, we need your help to prove a merry Christmas for victims of domestic violence.
A lawsuit aimed at ridding a rural property west of Philomath of accumulated junk and squatters living in travel trailers appears to be having the desired effect, according to Benton County Counsel Vance Croney.

Croney filed papers on Nov. 11 in Benton County Circuit Court asking a judge to order Virginia Farmer, 94, and her son Danny Farmer, 56, to remove the heaps of old tires, auto parts, junk cars, castoff furniture, broken appliances and other trash that had piled up on their 30-acre parcel at 24030 Old Peak Road. The suit also asked for an injunction requiring the Farmers to evict an undetermined number of people living illegally in recreational vehicles on the site and have the RVs moved elsewhere.

A half-dozen residents of the rural neighborhood along Blair Creek had complained to county officials about the growing solid waste problem and the illegal campers who started squatting on the Farmer property several months ago.

A county code inspector issued a $500 citation last summer after the Farmers missed deadlines for cleaning up the property. But the lawsuit, which accuses the Farmers of violating zoning laws by operating an unlicensed junkyard and permitting RVs to be used as permanent dwellings, seems to have gotten their attention.

Right now Im working with their attorney  to see if we can come up with a workable solution up there, Croney said.

Justin Wirth, an associate with the Reynolds Law Firm in Corvallis, is representing the Farmers. He said his clients are in the process of having the junk removed from their property.

My understanding from Dan Farmer is that hes done quite a bit of work to clean the place up already and that work is continuing, he said.

Wirth added that hes been assured all the illegal residents have left the property and some of the RVs have been removed as well.

Its a situation where theres quite a bit to do, and its going to take some time, he said. But Im pretty optimistic that were going to be able to address the countys concerns and bring it to a condition where the county will no longer be able to object.

Wirth said he didnt know how many people had been illegally occupying campers and travel trailers on the Old Peak Road property or how they came to be there. The Farmers did not return a phone call seeking comment from the Gazette-Times or respond to an interview request submitted through their attorney.

Croney said theres no firm deadline for the Farmers to complete the cleanup of their property, and as long as reasonable progress is being made, no additional penalties will be imposed. However, he added, the lawsuit will not be dropped until after the accumulated junk is removed and all the squatters are gone.

At this point, we are in discussions with the Farmers through their attorney, Croney said. If those discussions fall apart, then we put it in the courts hands.
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

THURSDAY, JAN. 12

HARASSMENT: 8:09 p.m., 1501 N.W. Monroe Ave. Officers responded to Clodfelter's Bar for a report of a bar patron refusing to leave. Officers later arrested Brian Benjamin Cook, 26, no address listed, on charges of harassment, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass after Cook allegedly pushed a bartender.

Benton County Sheriff's Office

MONDAY, JAN. 9

PRESS BASHING: 4:11 p.m., 24500 block of Alpine Road, Monroe. A woman reported that sometime during the night her "newspaper tube" was knocked off its post. The woman reported that several mailboxes nearby were also damaged the same night.

NOW THAT'S BOTTLE SERVICE: 3:08 p.m., 25600 block Alpine Road, Monroe. A woman reported that she was "snowed in" and was out of water. She reported that she only drinks filtered bottled water and could not get out of her driveway due to snow. A representative with the Monroe Rural Fire District said he would deliver a case of bottled water to the woman.

FRIDAY, JAN. 6

CHASE, ASSAULT: 8:48 p.m., Highway 34 and milepost 30, Alsea. Deputies responded to a report of a recklessly driven Jeep Wrangler on Highway 34. The driver of the Jeep, later identified as Tyler Duran Crabb, 36, of Brookings, reportedly got out, jumped into another vehicle's passenger window and tried to burn the driver with a cigarette lighter after burning himself. The Reedsport Police Department later located Crabb in North Bend after two separate pursuits, arrested him and booked him into the Coos County Jail. In addition to charges in Reedsport, deputies charged Crabb with unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and fourth-degree assault.
Here are some local events taking place today:

Second Saturday Bird Walk, 7:30 a.m.; meet in the parking area, 777 N.W. Ninth St., to carpool to Lebanon and Sweet Home. Geared toward beginning birders, birders new to Oregons mid-valley area and those looking for a pleasant outing.

Opening of Corvallis Indoor Winter Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Guerber Hall, Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 S.W. 53rd St., Corvallis. Winter market features food, produce and craft vendors. Information: http://tiny.cc/op1eiy.

Annual Elks Hoop Shoot, 11 a.m., Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, 1112 N.W. Circle Blvd. Registration, 10 a.m. Open to boys and girls 8 to 13 as of April 1. Information: 541-757-1909.

Live music by Triple Play, 7 p.m., Imagine Coffee, 5460 S.W. Philomath Blvd.

Deep Woods Band CD Release Show, 10 p.m., Cloud & Kellys Public House, 126 S.W. First St.

For more information, see Thursdays E, the calendar in each days edition or www.gazettetimes.com.
A falling tree branch took the life of 41-year-old David M. Schrock Monday while the former Philomath resident worked in the vicinity of downed power lines in northern California.

The Siskiyou County (California) Sheriffs Office responded to a report of an industrial accident at 10:17 a.m. Jan. 9 in the vicinity of State Route 89 near Interstate 5 south of Mount Shasta, which is about 60 miles north of Redding.

According to the sheriffs offices preliminary investigation, a hazardous tree branch was being removed when it struck a worker at the location. The victim sustained fatal injuries as a result of the incident.

Schrock was a journeyman lineman working for Michels Corp., on a contracting job with Pacific Power. Workers were needed to repair downed power lines following the winter storm that struck the region early this week.

It has been confirmed that the victim was working away from the main roadway, after traversing a snow-covered area in a Sno-Cat type vehicle when he was struck by a tree branch removed from the vicinity of a nearby power line, the sheriffs offices press release reported.

Schrock attended Philomath High School for a short time in the 1990s and was living in Waldport with his wife and two sons. A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. Monday at the Waldport Foursquare Church (180 Huckleberry St.).

On behalf of the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office, I would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family, friends and workers of Mr. Schrock in the aftermath of his tragic death.

Schrock was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 125.

Dave was an extraordinary IBEW lineman, husband, father, son and friend, reads a GoFundMe page created in his memory and to help the family. Dave was the man that would give anyone the shirt off his back.

The GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/fallen-lineman-david-schrock) had an original goal of raising $25,000, but that was quickly surpassed. As of noon Friday, people had donated $45,746.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Dog attack in Beuel : German shepherd injures 27-year-old

Beuel A 27-year-old woman suffered severe injuries on the face, upper body and hand when she was attacked by a German shepherd on Thursday evening around 11:45 pm in Beuel.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

From her hospital bed, she is using Facebook to find people who may know the owner. It was evening and Pegah Jahanmiri was out walking at the corner of Siegburger Strae and Brotalbahnweg when a German shepherd came towards her. The dog was not on a leash.

As her sister says, the 27-year-old thought nothing of it, especially because she likes German shepherds. Because the animal did not seem aggressive, she went up to it and was suddenly bitten in the face. A piece of my cheek the size of a 2 euro coin has been bitten out, my chest is injured and I have a hematoma the size of an orange on my wrist, says Jahanmiri. She screamed loudly, but the dog owner who was nearby did not respond.

He did not speak and he did not help her either. Only when the man ran away on the bike path in the direction of Mirecourtstrae did the dog let up and run along to follow his owner.
High-end Smartphone

As Bloomberg notes, Armed with about a 40-person team, filled with recruits from Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Rubin is preparing to announce a new company and serve as its Chief Executive Officer, citing unnamed sources with the matter. It also reports that the company has designed a platform to tie multiple devices together, and is working on a suite of consumer hardware products, including ones for the mobile and smart home markets.

From what has been revealed it looks like the centerpiece of the company will be a high-end smartphone with a large edge-to-edge screen that lacks a surrounding bezel. And, Rubin has already discussed the smartphone with mobile carrier executives just a few days back at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Unique Features

On the other hand, the smartphone is still in the prototyping stage but it is aimed at the top of the market where Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Google's Pixel reside. The smartphone is expected to include high-end materials and the ability to gain new hardware features over time.

Reports also say that Rubin's company is experimenting with enabling the phone's screen to sense different levels of pressure, similar to an iPhone and the company's engineering team is also testing an industrial design with metal edges and a back made of ceramic, which is more difficult to manufacture than typical smartphone materials.

SEE ALSO: Nokia 6 receives 250,000 registrations in 24 Hours

Essential's engineers are developing a proprietary connector that serves double duty for charging the battery and expanding the phone's functionality. The smartphone has also been deemed to come with a magnetic connector that would allow hardware accessories to be attached which will add additional features to the smartphone. According to sources, Rubin's engineers are working on a sphere-shaped camera add-on that shoots high-resolution 360-degree photographs.

Confirmation

Rubin is planning to put the phone on sale around the middle of this year for a price close to that of an iPhone 7, although the plans are still in flux.

All these developments come after Rubin registering Essential Products Inc. with California regulators in November 2015. In 2016, the company also registered "Essential" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, listing smartphones, tablets, accessories and "computer operating software for mobile phones" among its goods and services. However, whether the devices will run on software based on Android is still a mystery.

SEE ALSO: Take a Look at the Must-have Apps that Ensure Women Safety

Funds and Investments

Rubin co-founded Android in 2003 and Google acquired the company in 2005 before officially launching the first version of the OS in 2008. Rubin remained with Google in its Android division until 2013, when he moved over to its robotics unit. In 2014, Rubin departed Google entirely and in 2015 he formed his own tech hardware incubator called Playground Global. The company occupies a sprawling warehouse in Silicon Valley

Bloomberg has reported that the incubator has raised a total of $300 million so far from a number of investors, including Google, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., and HP. The company is in talks with Foxconn to manufacture the new smartphone from Essential.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals
Motorola Moto Z Play will start receiving Android Nougat by the end of January News oi -Chakri Kudikala The update will be rolled out incrementally.

Lenovo-owned Motorola had an entirely successful 2016. Under the new owner, the company released semi-modular smartphones in the form of Moto Z series. Unlike LG G5, the Moto Z series were well received by the audience from every corner of the world.

As you might be aware of the fact that Motorola recently started rolling out Android Nougat for their mid-range Moto G (4th Gen) and Moto G Play (4th Gen) smartphones, the company is now slated to release the Android Nougat update to their cheapest modular phone, the Motorola Moto Z Play.

Also Read: The so-called Nokia 8 is just the Qualcomm reference model, confirms the chip maker

Motorola Germany, on their official Twitter handle, revealed the news saying that the phone will be updated to the latest version of Android by the end of January, which is less than two weeks away from now. However, this news came from the Motorola Germany, but there is no information on when the phone will start receiving an update on other countries including India and the US.

Having said that, Kodoo Mobile, one of Canadian carrier on their Android update rollout map have written that the update will start rolling out from March 4. But, we are expecting the date to be preponed to sometime in February.

SOURCE

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
British MPs Demand Trump Dossier Inquiry

By Jamie Dettmer January 13, 2017

British lawmakers are demanding an inquiry into what role, if any, British security agencies played in the handling of the controversial Trump intelligence dossier prepared by a former member of the country's secret services.

Fears are mounting in London that the lurid allegations contained in the 35-page dossier about Republican U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could impact relations between Britain and the United States.

Lawmakers say the British parliament's intelligence oversight committee should launch an inquiry into whether the intelligence services and government ministers, including Prime Minister Theresa May, saw the document prepared by Christopher Steele, a former member of Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6.

And they want to know if the government evaluated the dossier, which includes tawdry and compromising information that could have been used to discredit Trump, if accurate, before passing it on to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Steele, the co-owner of a London-based private intelligence firm, was retained during the U.S. presidential race by political opponents of Trump to investigate the billionaire's ties with Russia. British government officials have confirmed to VOA that the former MI6 agent spoke to British intelligence officials about his probe and sought the agency's clearance, as a matter of courtesy, before supplying the FBI with his findings and meeting with U.S. law enforcement personnel to discuss them.

Susceptibility to blackmail discussed

The controversial dossier was also supplied to Republican U.S. Senator John McCain and its contents were discussed with him by Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Russia, on the sidelines of an international security conference in Halifax, Canada, in November, just after the U.S. presidential election.

Wood admitted to Britain's Independent newspaper Friday that he did discuss with McCain concerns that the president-elect could be susceptible to blackmail by the Kremlin and allegations that Trump's team had colluded with Moscow during the presidential election race on the hacking of Democratic Party emails and databases.

Wood did not respond Thursday to a VOA email requesting an interview; but, on Friday he told the Independent, "Yes I did meet Senator McCain and his aides at the conference."

He said, "The issue of Donald Trump and Russia was very much in the news and it was natural to talk about it. We spoke about the kind of activities the Russians can be engaged in. We also spoke about how Mr. Trump may find himself in a position where there could be an attempt to blackmail him with "kompromat" (compromising material) and claims that there were audio and video tapes in existence."

Wood's role is adding to anxiety in London that the situation could drag Britain and its intelligence services into the sharp dispute between the president-elect and U.S. security agencies. Trump has accused U.S. intelligence services of leaking the dossier to the media. At a news conference this week in New York, Trump dismissed the dossier as false and on Friday tweeted, "Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans - FAKE NEWS."

U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper Wednesday said he told Trump the intelligence community did not create a document featuring claims Russia compiled information in an attempt to compromise the incoming president.

British government mum on issue

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister May has so far refused to discuss with the media whether there was any British government involvement in or knowledge of the intelligence allegations gathered by Steele. The prime minister's office has emphasized that Steele is a former member of the intelligence service, not a current one.

A growing number of British lawmakers appears frustrated by what they argue is stonewalling. Some are demanding that Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, who oversees MI6, should make a statement to the House of Commons to give his assessment of the dossier and to explain what the impact might be on U.S.-British relations.

"This is a dossier that has emanated from the U.K., from a former member of the U.K. intelligence services," said Labor lawmaker Mary Creagh, who is among MPs calling for an inquiry. "It is clearly something that has been seen and considered by U.K. intelligence and I would hope by U.K. ministers," she said.

She wants to know if the dossier informed the warnings delivered before Christmas by MI6 head Alex Younger, who in a speech said Britain and Western nations are facing grave threats to their security and political systems from the hostile propaganda and cyberattacks by rival states, singling out Russia for its aggressive subversion campaigns.

Contents 'pretty shaky'

Labor lawmaker Ben Bradshaw, a former Foreign Office minister, says it is essential for the intelligence and security committee to launch a probe, given the refusal by May's office to comment on the document.

Doubts are mounting about the claims contained in the dossier. Another former British ambassador to Russia, Tony Brenton, said Friday, "There are some things in it that look pretty shaky."

And Russian journalist Andrei Soldatov, a specialist on Russian intelligence agencies, says factual errors in the dossier "raise questions about its credibility at the very least." In an opinion article for Britain's The Guardian newspaper, he wrote, "Beyond the factual detail, there are problems too with the document's analysis."

Some intelligence analysts argue Russian intelligence misled Steele by giving him false or heavily embellished information about Trump.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Humanitarian crisis in Lake Chad Basin 'growing in dramatic fashion,' Security Council told

12 January 2017  Briefing the Security Council today, senior United Nations officials underlined the significant challenges and deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad Basin region, including in particular those posed by the militant group, Boko Haram, and urged for sustained support to national and regional security, political and humanitarian action.

"The humanitarian crisis across north-east Nigeria and parts of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, triggered by the horrendous, violent and inhuman campaign of Boko Haram, is deepening," said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien.

He added that since his last briefing (in July 2016), the crisis had further deepened and as a consequence, more than 10.7 million people were in need of assistance. Some 2.4 million people are currently displaced, with the vast majority among them  over 1.5 million  children.

On top of these challenges, the region also faces a major food and nutrition crisis and despite the response of UN and other relief organizations, the number of severely food insecure people in need of assistance rose from about three million a year back to more than 7.1 million.

Updating the 15-member Council of continued efforts of UN entities, including total releases of more than $91 million from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), since July 2015, for lifesaving humanitarian assistance in the region, Mr. O'Brien, also the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which manages the Fund, appealed for continued and increased support from donors.

"In spite of all the assistance going in today, it is clear that the range of forecasts that this situation may get even worse and the numbers in need still climb," he added, noting that the 2017 humanitarian response plan and appeal for the Lake Chad Basin had doubled compared to the 2016 one to $1.5 billion reflecting the deteriorating situation in the region.

At the same briefing, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun told the Security Council that despite military operations against Boko Haram, the militant group continued to threaten security and stability in the region, as illustrated in recent attacks over the last few days.

Mr. Zerihoun, however, expressed concern over alleged human rights violations, as well as breeches of humanitarian law, which reportedly accompanied Boko Haram attacks and counter-insurgency responses, including allegations of sexual violence, forced marriage and sexual slavery.

"The promotion and protection of the human rights of victims of terrorism must be a priority in national responses to acts of terrorism," he stressed, adding: "Respect for due process and prompt trials for persons detained for Boko Haram related offences, especially children, who should be treated as victims and dealt with in accordance with international standards for juvenile justice, should guide broader counter-terrorism measure."

Further, underlining that a military approach would not bring an end to Boko Haram, Mr. Zerihoun urged the affected countries to simultaneously tackle the humanitarian consequences and the root causes that led to the group's emergence.

"Military operations should be followed with stabilization measures, the restoration of state authority and addressing the social, economic and political grievances of marginalized communities," he added.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Jan. 13, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an oil pumpjack.

-- Near Ayn Isa, a strike destroyed a bunker.

-- Near Dayr Ar Zawr, two strikes destroyed 15 oil refinement stills and nine oil tanker trucks.

-- Near Manbij, two strikes damaged a vehicle and a mortar system.

-- Near Raqqa, 11 strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 30 oil refinement stills, six fighting positions, three oil tanker trailers, an ISIL headquarters, a weapons cache and an oil wellhead.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft and rocket artillery conducted eight strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Haditha, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Mosul, nine strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units; destroyed five vehicles, three mortar systems, two unmanned aircraft launch sites, three fighting positions, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a vehicle bomb manufacturing and armoring facility, a heavy machine gun, a supply cache and an anti-air artillery system; and damaged 18 supply routes and two bridges.

-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a command-and-control node and a weapons storage facility.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed a mortar system.

-- Near Tal Afar, three strikes destroyed a vehicle, a vehicle bomb facility and an unmanned aircraft launch site.

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 they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






DoD Officials Hail Iraqi Forces' Progress in Eastern Mosul

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2017  Iraqi security forces today reached key buildings in eastern Mosul and raised the Iraqi flag there; an event that U.S. defense officials hailed as important progress in liberating the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Iraqi forces reached the Nineveh governorate and counsel buildings, according to Elissa Slotkin, the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

"It's both a symbolic victory and a significant operational victory. [I'm] so thrilled to see that the success continues, and we got that momentum that's so required," Slotkin told reporters at a Pentagon news briefing today.

In a statement, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve congratulated the Iraqis on their continued progress in eastern Mosul.

"Work still needs to be done, but ISIL's days in Mosul are quickly coming to an end," Air Force Col. John Dorrian said in the release.

The counter-ISIL campaign continues to target senior ISIL leaders, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said at today's briefing with Slotkin.

The coalition is continuing to apply pressure and gain territory in Iraq and Syria, Cook said.

"We're going to continue to use that intelligence and use what we learn about their movements, about their activities to try and again intensify the pressure, including intensify the pressure on senior ISIL leaders," he said.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently outlined efforts to remove ISIL leaders from the battlefield, Cook said.

"The secretary and the chairman, I think, echoed here that those leaders should be worried about their safety at this moment in time, and that includes Baghdadi," Cook said.

'Momentum, Simultaneous Pressure'

ISIL is a global threat that requires a global response, Slotkin said. "Momentum and simultaneous pressure" are required in the fight, she said.

"We have learned through many, many years that unless there is simultaneous pressure across multiple ends of their flank, they just have the ability to disappear and pop up somewhere else," Slotkin said.

In addition, she said, it is necessary to work "by, with and through" local partners in order for a "success to stick." For example, coalition members are working with Iraqi forces at the pace and timing of the local forces, Slotkin said.

Stabilization and governance are critical to success as well, she said.

"It cannot be left out if you want to actually have a lasting defeat," she said. "It's something that is sometimes harder to do than the military victory but it is absolutely required."

And, in a statement released today, Cook reported on the recent death of an Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terrorist leader. On Jan. 8, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in a remote area of al-Bayda governorate, Yemen, resulting in the death of Abd al-Ghani al-Rasas. That strike, Cook said, removed an AQAP senior leader and facilitator in the area, and will disrupt AQAP's terrorism operations in Yemen and the region.

The United States remains committed to eradicating the threats posed by al Qaida and denying them safe haven, Cook said. The operation, he added, is an example of the U.S. government and its allies' commitment to the people and the government of Yemen to detect, deter, disrupt and defeat violent extremists who threaten progress in the region, as well as threaten to conduct terrorist attacks against innocent people in the region and around the world.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Navy, Marine Corps 'Significantly Stronger' Today, Navy Secretary Says

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2017  Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the Navy and Marine Corps is "significantly stronger" and "significantly different" today than they were when he took office nearly eight years ago.

Mabus told the Defense Writers' Group Jan. 11 that he is particularly proud of reversing the decline in the size of the fleet. There were 316 ships in 2001, which dropped to 278 in 2008. The drop had effects not only on the seas, but in shipyards. "I've put 86 ships under contract, and done so with a considerably smaller topline [budget]," Mabus said.

Driving Down Costs

The Navy has dramatically driven down the cost of every type of ship and the service did not increase the ship building budget at the expense of air power, he said. The service is recapitalizing every air platform.

Another aspect of his term is the service dramatically changed its use of energy and the types of energy it uses, he said. "We've done this to be better warfighters, and it gives us a combat edge," he said. "When I came in. oil was at $140 a barrel and we were having to decide between operations and training."

Transporting fuel and protecting those convoys in combat zones also put an unnecessary risk to Marines. "We were losing a Marine killed or wounded in every 50 convoys we brought in to Afghanistan," Mabus said.

The Navy and Marine Corps team is on track to meet the ambitious goal of 50 percent non-fossil fuel both ashore and afloat by 2020, he said. The Navy reached 60 percent non-fossil fuel ashore five years early. "Energy can and is used as a weapon," he said. "If you want to see how, look at what Russia did to  Crimea or Ukraine."

Partnerships

Mabus also touted the Navy's growing partnerships around the world. He has traveled 1.3 million miles during his term to meet with sailors and Marines, and to network with friends and allies around the world. "You can surge people. You can surge equipment, but you cannot surge trust," he said.

All this said, the force is stressed. During Mabus's term, the United States has had forces in contact in countries around the world. Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, the South China Sea, North Korea, Iran, Syria -- the list goes on. Deployments are longer, with less time between them, he said. But sailors and Marines have responded magnificently to the increase in operations tempo and the challenges of making do with less.

In addition, the service had to delay needed yardwork for ships because of sequestration and other budget imperatives, Mabus noted. It will take years for the Navy and Marine Corps to recover from those budgetary blows, but they are on track to do so, he said.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






South Carolina National Guard gears up for deployment

By Sgt. 1st Class Joe Cashion January 13, 2017

EASTOVER, S.C. -- Under the sunny skies of a cool January mid-afternoon, Soldiers of the South Carolina National Guard, 742nd Support Maintenance Company (SMC) continued preparations for their upcoming deployment.

"The chow truck is here," said U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Alex Schmidt, 3rd platoon leader of the electronics section, as a number of troops then took a much deserved break to get a hot meal.

On this day, the unit of approximately 140 Soldiers was nearing completion of a week-long field training event at McEntire Joint National Guard Base (JNGB) in Eastover, South Carolina, Jan. 9-13, 2017. They were putting the finishing touches on getting ready for a nine-month deployment to Eastern Europe beginning at the end of February to support Operation Atlantic Resolve.

"What I am most looking forward to on this deployment is really getting to know the troops since we only have a limited number of days with them during a typical year," said Schmidt. "We have a lot of great Soldiers in this unit who have worked hard to get ready for this mission."

The 742nd SMC consists of Soldiers who are experts in radio electronic technology, vehicle recovery operations and vehicle maintenance, as well as maintenance of small arms weapons. For a large portion of the unit, it will be their first deployment, to include U.S. Army Spc. Duran Jones, a radio repair specialist.

"I am looking forward getting good training while on this mission and getting more hands-on time with the equipment so I can improve my skills," Jones said. "Without communications, nothing can work effectively."

The 742nd SMC will primarily operate from two countries while deployed and will be in support of the active component's 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Carson, Colorado. For the Soldiers of the 742nd, the training event at McEntire JNGB was extremely beneficial, explained U.S. Army Capt. Taurus Gardin, company commander.

"Our Soldiers have gotten on-the-job training which will help them greatly when we get downrange," Gardin said. "During this exercise, we have also been able to work with the Combined Support Maintenance Shop (CSMS) here at McEntire and their help to get our Soldiers prepared has been outstanding."

Another benefit of the exercise was from a familiarization standpoint. For this deployment, Soldiers from other units have been incorporated into the 742nd and spending the week together with new counterparts is an advantage.

"The new Soldiers have been able to come here and integrate," said Gardin. "It helps for Soldiers to be able to get to know each other, working side-by-side, eating chow together and training together before we leave. That way everyone will know what to expect when we get to Europe and it becomes real."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook; Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Elissa Slotkin January 13, 2017

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Cook and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Slotkin in the Pentagon Briefing Room

PETER COOK: Almost afternoon. Just wanted to -- we thought it'd be a good opportunity, as we were at a key moment in the fight against ISIL, to assess the progress that the coalition has made at this particular moment in time and also look back at how far the coalition has come, working with our local partners in Iraq and Syria.

As you all know, Acting Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs Elissa Slotkin has been a critical member of the secretary's team throughout the counter-ISIL campaign and been actively engaged with all of our coalition partners throughout this entire process. So we thought it'd be a good opportunity to have Elissa walk you through a little bit her perspective on where the coalition stands at this point, and again, how we got to this particular moment in time. She's also available to answer questions on other areas of her responsibility and authority.

But I'll also be standing by. If we can keep her focused on her world and I'll be standing by to answer questions on other topics at the -- when she's wrapped up.

So with that, Elissa --

ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ELISSA SLOTKIN: All right.

MR. COOK: -- thank you for being here and it's all yours.

MS. SLOTKIN: Great. It's great to be here. This is my last day, so it's particularly nice to see everyone that we've traveled with and spent time with. And thanks to all of you guys for all your great support and educating me on the world that is the press.

So I just thought I'd offer a couple of comments after working the counter-ISIL issue set since -- well, since a long time ago. I thought I'd offer a few concluding comments just on my takeaways.

I think first is that momentum and simultaneous pressure are required to succeed against this target. The military has done a fantastic job at furthering that, but we have learned through many, many years that unless there's simultaneous pressure across multiple ends of their flank, they just have the ability to disappear and pop up somewhere else. We've all learned that since 9/11 and I think I've -- I've had that affirmed for me through our operations the importance of simultaneous pressure.

We continue to make really good progress, and I think right before I came in here, we got the quick report that the Iraqi security forces have progressed all the way to that Nineveh Governance Building, the provincial council building, and hoisted the Iraqi flag above it. That's the seed of the government for Nineveh Province. Those of you who know Iraq very well, that's a place you may have visited. It's both a symbolic victory and a significant operational victory, so thrilled to see that the success continues and we've got that momentum that's so required.

The other lesson -- we've talked about this before -- is that working by, with and through local partners, the Iraqi security forces, it's not just for our health. It's because we've learned that you need to go through those partners in order for the success to stick.

Working by, with and through partners often means that we work at their speed. And sometimes we hear the echoed comment, "Why aren't we moving faster? Why isn't this done already?" and that's because we want it to stick.

And I just wanted to make that point as I depart here, particularly learning lessons from the previous Iraq war. By, with and through I think has really borne out as something that has helped us make these victories stick on the ground.

Related to that is that I really believe that stabilization and governance in these areas is phase four of the military operation. It cannot be left out if you want to actually have a lasting defeat. It's something that is sometimes harder to do than the military victory but it is absolutely required.

So, something that we've worked hard with the Iraqis to do is figure out what is the plan after the military victory. And they've learned through hard experience in Tikrit, in Fallujah, in Ramadi, and now they will have that challenge ahead of them in Mosul.

And I just wanted to make the point that without that stabilization and governance plan, the job is not done.

The other thing I've learned -- and many of you have traveled with us and seen this in action -- ISIL is a global threat, so it requires a global response. We cannot do this by ourselves. We cannot do this bilaterally with just a few other countries. We need a global response.

So, we've invested heavily in global coalitions, 60-plus countries. And I feel very firmly that that will be required and a significant level of coalition engagement will be required in order to actually complete the task. And it may not just be a military lead in the future -- I hope that it won't be a military lead -- but you must have that global response.

It also requires senior leader engagement. That's why the coalition structure, the minister-level meetings that we've brought together are so important, because you need to have senior leaders at the top of their governments forcing their political systems to constantly be looking at contributions.

Right now the coalition makes up over 40 percent of the forces that we have on the ground in Iraq. We cannot do that -- we cannot do the level of effort we need without the coalition. So, I have come away with the firm belief that that is needed.

The coalition engagement continues unabated despite the transition that is going on right now. Every country has an LNO down at CENTCOM. They are living and working together. I saw the Australians yesterday. It is an engagement that we are handing off as responsibly as we can as a new team comes in here.

The -- the reason the coalition -- another reason the coalition is so important is because in this campaign versus the last war, the requirements on the ground change every six months. This is not that we have one plan sealed -- one operational set of requirements sealed and delivered that doesn't change. This campaign, and going by, with and through local partners, requires you to constantly be looking at what more do you need? What should be tweaked?

We saw this Ramadi, when we had a -- the Iraqi security forces had a really hard time with the IEDs. We needed to adjust our training, we needed to send in trainers who had an expertise on IEDs. We adjusted, we gave them that training, and then they went in.

That's the kind of flexibility on the ground that I've always said is a strength even when people criticize it as sort of adjusting the strategy regularly. That to me is a strength, not a weakness.

And then going forward, you know, we -- the Middle East is a complicated place, and for the Department of Defense, the counter-ISIL campaign has been our primary effort in the region. And even as regional policies change, I really think that the counter-ISIL campaign must be the North Star. And a new administration is coming in, they may decide to do something very different, but making sure we maintain focus on the counter-ISIL campaign first I think is absolutely critical to maintaining the level of pressure on the organization.

So let me stop there and happy to take your questions.

MR. COOK: (Off mic)

Q: Elissa, on your point about the speed of operations being governed somewhat by the pace by local partners, in his testimony yesterday, General Mattis mentioned that he would see accelerating operations in Raqqa. I'm wondering what would stand in the way of doing that -- why you haven't done that already, what are the limitations there?

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah, so I think that we have worked hard to accelerate the campaign and we've been very open with you all when we have done that. And as the secretary and the chairman have said, everything that we've asked the president for, he's given us. So we are asking for the things that are needed on the ground.

I can't suppose what the -- General Mattis is particularly thinking of or what ideas that he has. All ideas are great, so I think that's -- that is a good thing. But you know, our campaign is deeply tied to supporting the local forces on the ground, so as the chairman said the other day, when they accelerate, we accelerate. When they need a minute to reset, you see the quieter period in our air campaign.

So, you know, I think it's always good to be reflecting on what more we can do, but I -- I do not feel like we've been held back in any way from accelerating the campaign to the greatest extent possible.

Q: So is it possible under circumstances to accelerate the attack on Raqqa or are you saying it's just not possible?

MS. SLOTKIN: On Raqqa?

Q: Yes.

MS. SLOTKIN: So our commanders have a plan. You know that we're in the beginning -- or we're in the middle actually of isolation of Raqqa, and that's going well. They have a plan that I believe is pushing to the limit what we can do on intensifying that campaign. But you know, all ideas are going to be on the table, but I believe we have in place a plan right now that it moves as fast as the local forces on the ground are able to move.

MR. COOK: Courtney?

Q: Thank you for doing this, by the way. Thank you for your willingness to engage with the media. It's not always common people in your position.

On Syria still, can you just talk a little about the -- like the increasingly complicated relationship between the U.S. and Turkey, specifically with regard to Syria? What does the Russian involvement specifically with al-Bab do to the situation? Do you see it actually plausible that the U.S. will provide more support or any support, frankly, to Turkey, specifically with regards to al-Bab or do you see that becoming more of a Turkish and Russian effort there?

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah, so you know, we are engaged on an hourly basis with the Turks on counter-ISIL campaign in Syria. We have a liaison team that's resident in Ankara. They are engaging every single day on the full spectrum of coalition support to the campaign. You know that we've done everything from air support, surveillance, we've had to forces on the ground helping and advising. So the -- the full suite of coalition support is there and that's something we talk about every day with the Turks.

The -- you know, we have talked with them about al-Bab. They know that we are in that conversation with them and there's a whole suite of things that we're talking about providing. I don't want to get into the details, that's part of our private conversation with the Turks. But the -- the -- I don't see al-Bab as radically different than other places in Syria where we're -- we've actively worked with the Turks.

Now, the Russians are there, and so that -- that definitely is an important factor. But we have, over the past I guess it's now almost 18 months, figured out how to work and keep ourselves safe with all the aircraft that are -- that are flying in that airspace. Obviously, with the coalition that's very easy. And with the Russians, we've worked out procedures that help keep us safe.

So those kinds of things are still working, they're still functioning, including on al-Bab. I don't think al-Bab signals some new change in something. I think that -- that wherever there's ISIL, we want to counter that and we are in support of that. So --

Q: But -- but the Turks have been pretty open about how they want to take al-Bab and then move northeast towards Manbij to take Manbij, which in the U.S. view, has already been cleared of ISIS.

So is that an impediment? Is there some -- is in -- I know you won't talk about any specifics. But with -- is there some -- is that sort of a stopping point for the U.S., the U.S. will not provide any help to the Turks for al-Bab unless they say they won't go to -- on to Manbij? Or is there -- is there -- what -- I guess, if the U.S. keeps saying they've been offering help to the Turks and the Turks are -- are having a tough fight in al-Bab, why are they not accepting it? And they why have they accepted help from the Russians?

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah. So again, I'm not going to get into the back and forth of the conversation. I will just tell you we are all about hitting ISIL where there is ISIL. If there's not ISIL, that's not our mandate. So that is a -- an important distinction. We have always made it in any kind of conversation we've been having with any ally on Syria. That continues. But I am not aware of any conditionality, any kind of quid-pro-quo.

We are having those conversations and there is support that's being provided. And I just -- I can't get into the details of the -- the back and forth. And we don't want that conversation to be happening via the press, to be honest.

Q: Is this support provided from the U.S. to the Turks, you mean?

MS. SLOTKIN: There are -- of course there is support, yes.

Q: Specifically to al-Bab though?

MS. SLOTKIN: Yes.

Q: Thank you.

MR. COOK: Idrees?

MS. SLOTKIN: Sorry?

Q: What support has been provided? Because I think we've heard that -- that there's been one sort of flight -- over-flight or show of force. Has that happened again? Is there ISR going on? I mean, what's happened in the past in al-Bab for Turkey?

MS. SLOTKIN: So, again, we have the -- these liaison teams who are working on a daily basis with the Turks. So obviously they're having conversations about al-Bab, about strategy and approach. We have provided some ISR support on al-Bab. We have -- in areas north of there, as you know, provided ground forces and the whole suite of -- of air support.

So those are the kinds of things that we're talking about sort of on an hourly basis with the Turks.

Q: Are you dropping munitions in al-Bab?

MS. SLOTKIN: I am not aware that we have, no.

MR. COOK: Yes, Tara?

Q: Thanks, Elissa.

Have you been meeting with the transition team? And if so, what have -- to the extent you can share with us, what have you been advising them on like the next steps ahead for the war on ISIS?

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah, so I don't want to get into the details of those conversations, but we have been meeting with the transition team. They've been very open. The secretary -- I mean, from the president on down, we were given guidance to do as open and transparent and healthy a transition as possible. I was part of that transition when it went from Bush to Obama. So it's part of our -- our responsibility here and we -- I feel very positive that we've been living up to it.

As you can imagine, they've been asking about the big issues, the big defense and security issues that are in my area of responsibility. They've been open, they've been interested and -- and we have been giving them our best policy advice based on our experience, but that's the level of the detail I feel comfortable going into.

Q: Okay. And then one more. You know, in the two years or so under Secretary Carter, are there specific actions where there was a lesson learned? Like for example, the first generation of Syria train and equip, were there lesson learned from that that applied to the -- to the fight now?

MS. SLOTKIN: Lessons learned the hard way, is that what you mean?

Q: Yeah, exactly.

MS. SLOTKIN: I will say I learned a lot from the operations that took place around Tikrit. That was some of the -- the first time where we had the Iraqis launching an operation to retake an important city and needed our support. We figured out how to work in real time to provide the local forces on the ground with the support that they needed and then work through some of the really difficult issues of stabilization and getting people back in that city.

That was the first time we saw in real time how important it was to have Iraqis in charge of getting people back into their homes. And I was -- I was very proud that, you know, a year later, you have the majority of the city is back. But in those early days, it became abundantly clear how critical it was to have Iraqis in charge of that messaging, Iraqis in charge of getting people safe passage back into the city. So I learned a lot of lessons from that and I think the Iraqis did too.

You know, listen, every operation -- we've talked about the importance of flexibility, and you know, I -- obviously, Syria train and equip is something that was a very public problem, but we learned a lot from it. We learned a lot about vetting, about how to run a program, how to think about who was going to be the right folks to go back in and we've learned from it and we've improved from it. But you know, every campaign I think learns from things that don't go as well as you'd like.

MR. COOK: Yes, Laurent?

Q: Coming to -- to the situation in al-Bab, the Russians have said that they have signed an agreement with the Turks on the coordination for strikes in al-Bab. Have you -- have the Turks informed you about that agreement? And do you think it's a positive step in the fight --

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah --

Q: -- that is going on?

MS. SLOTKIN: So I did see -- I did see that and I -- to be honest with you, on a policy level, I have -- I had not heard that, but on a military level, we're checking to see if folks have seen a copy of it or have -- are aware of it, confirming that it's true.

Honestly, when I saw the reports, I was pleased because I know how important our MOU has been to safety negotiations. I negotiated that with the Russians and we both, I think, lived up to it in good faith and it's helped keep -- keep our pilots safe. You know, we are operating in historically close distances and we needed a structure, and that structure has worked. We've also learned from moments of tension that we've had.

But if -- if the Turks and the Russians have such an agreement, I think that's a positive thing. Anything that helps promote transparency and safety is better than not.

MR. COOK: Missy?

Q: I have two questions. Hi.

Can you talk a little bit about the tension between trying to build up a force in Syria to do the Raqqa operation that, you know, is capable enough and -- and available to do an operation in the near-term, you know, with the YPG and then wanting it to have a sufficient number of Arabs so that you don't exacerbate the sort of long-term ethnic tensions?

And then the questions on Iraq is can you just talk a little bit about the stabilization and governance plans for post-Mosul? Because it hasn't gone, you know, entirely smoothly in some of the other places.

MS. SLOTKIN: Sure.

So on Syria, I mean, the local forces there, you know, I think we -- this -- this concept that we all banked on, frankly, the snowball effect of success breeding success and success breeding additional recruits who are interested in working with you, I think that has borne out in Syria. And you know, our numbers are somewhere around 50,000 for the SDF, for the Syrian Democratic Forces. That's a big number and that is not the number it was a year ago. And the theory of the case that as you liberate new areas for ISIL -- people did not like living under ISIL and they volunteer.

So we have seen that borne out, and even since the Manbij operations, frankly, we've seen a number of more -- a significantly larger number of Arabs come into the fight. So I think it's about 50 percent at this point is sort of Arab-Turkoman, the whole host of other folks besides the Kurds, and I think that's a pretty healthy number given the importance of the coming fight in Raqqa, which is an Arab town.

So you have to be conscious of it, you have to work on it every single day, but I think that theory, the case that success breeds success, is -- has borne out.

Q: Does Manbij, like the aftermath of Manbij, make you worried because there have been some tensions there about who's in control and stuff?

MS. SLOTKIN: You know, I think, again, it just sort of hits on my governance point. I mean, that's -- tension comes when people don't know who's going to be in charge and how they're going to govern. So that's the importance of being transparent about those kinds of things.

So I'm not worried. I think that people on net absolutely prefer the SDF to ISIL and I think we've seen that borne out. And what they're concerned about, which there is a legitimate concern, is who's going to be in charge and how are they going to incorporate my views, my concerns, and I think that's natural and I think that has to be addressed. But I don't think those concerns are greater than their concerns over living under ISIL.

On the Iraq -- on stabilization and governance there, so you know, the -- the process that I think the Iraqis have learned from experience that works is as areas are liberated and cleared, particularly of IEDs, then the Iraqi government sends in people with a large inject of cash and support for local clean-up and kind of rehab projects, get people working, get people, you know, getting some income and then relying on the -- the elected councils from that area to put together a bit of a stabilization plan.

That worked in a number of other Iraqi cities and I think that is the approach that they are taking in Mosul. Mosul is obviously much larger, so it's a much more important and difficult task, but at least they've had the experience of multiple other cities to go with.

The governance issue, which in -- in -- in our (parlance, stabilization is kind of the sort of more short and medium-term, where as governance is sort of the big what is the long -- more longer-term way forward. Those are very much the really tough work that the Iraqi government must do. Some of the fundamental tensions that have existed since 2003, they are borne out in things like governance, so they're very difficult and they will require the highest levels of the Iraqi government to solve those issues.

And I think the good news is, Prime Minister Abadi, President Barzani, they know the importance of getting this right. They are motivated to try and solve it and they have the cooperation -- the unusual cooperation, frankly, and positive cooperation of the Mosul campaign as a backdrop for that important political work they're going to have to do.

MR. COOK: (Off mic)

Q: Thanks for doing this.

So, at the top you said that the pace of the campaign is dictated largely by the by, with and through component and, you know, you're going as fast as you can per the local forces.

How worried are you personally that there is going to be this new pressure to energize, to speed up and increase the tempo of the campaign? And it could actually ultimately -- could it have deleterious effect? Could it slow things down where the pace goes beyond that of the local forces?

MS. SLOTKIN: I guess because our uniformed military is not transitioning, because it's the same leaders on the ground, here in the building and I've been hearing their best military advice for years now on this, I am not -- that is not a concern of mine that we're going to get ahead of the local forces.

I think that our -- particularly the -- the air campaign is so deeply tied to the movement of the forces on the ground that I have a hard time understanding how we would get so far ahead.

Now, will we continue to take unilateral strikes to go after key ISIL leaders? Absolutely. But we're doing that now.

So, our military has developed a plan that I believe in and I just don't -- I'm having a hard time seeing how it would get so radically ahead of the local forces.

Q: Does that mean that you don't really -- you don't necessarily see, like, a big increase coming from the -- you know, despite what we're hearing here in Washington, you don't necessarily see, like, a sudden new increase in --

MS. SLOTKIN: I just don't know what the new team has in mind.

But I think -- I guess I would have -- I would have some questions about what exactly are you striking if you just launched a big campaign?

I -- I would -- I've just been learning from our military how deeply tied the air campaign is to the local movements on the ground, so I -- I just -- I would have some questions about, what is the effect you're going for?

MR. COOK: (Off mic)

Q: I want to get back to what you were talking about before about the safety MOU. We spoke to some aviators out at Al Udeid who were talking about close calls with Russian aircraft. Because you did help set up that MOU, I was wondering if you thought there was room to expand on that agreement and whether or not you thought there was a need to expand on it.

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah. So I think that we've done a lot of work. You know, we wrote the MOU -- I believe it was October of '15, is when we finished it, and -- right when the -- the Russians came into Syria. And since then, we've done a lot of work together. I mean, we've learned a lot of things about how to operate.

Some things are very basic, like just making sure the pilots can communicate with ease. Sometimes it's understanding each other and making sure there's transparency on what they're doing versus what we're doing.

And we have constantly improved upon that document since we started. So, I'm in total favor of, as necessary, in order to keep all these guys safe, to expand upon it as needed. Absolutely.

MR. COOK: (Off mic)

Q: I wanted to ask you about -- thanks for doing this by the way -- post-Mosul. I think a lot of people are probably under the impression that once Mosul is finished that, you know, that's the end of the caliphate in Iraq and so forth. But there are in fact more battles to be had, especially in western Iraq. And so, what is the enduring U.S. presence in Iraq, as far as what you're seeing now, what this building is seeing in this administration?

I'm sure that's probably something the incoming administration has been concerned about as well.

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah. Yeah.

And I think there -- that question will have to be put to the next team.

But honestly, it will be up to the Iraqis. I mean, they -- just like the last time around, they will have to give us their sense of what is of interest to them in the long term.

I think the prime minister has been pretty open about the need at least, you know beyond Mosul, we are going to need a strong coalition presence, because the fight is not done.

But in terms of the long-term disposition, it's just an inherently Iraqi question.

Now, will the next team have to make a recommendation? Of course.

And my feeling is that some sort of relationship with the United States over the long-term is a positive thing. That doesn't mean it looks like what it looks like today.

But I think, again because of the lessons we've learned on meeting a lasting defeat, this is not something that's a short-term conversation. We have a -- we have a ways to go still.

Q: Is the U.S. preparing for a long presence in Iraq in places like Al Asad and these other bases where we have numbers of America troops?

MS. SLOTKIN: I wouldn't describe it that way, no.

Q: Where do you see the next battles?

MS. SLOTKIN: Well, I think -- I mean, all you do is look at a map and that, sort of, inkblot chart that -- that is always out there and where is ISIL? They are in western Iraq and that border needs to be reestablished.

I mean, this is -- this is an issue of Iraqi sovereignty. And right now we have some areas that still remain an open -- you know, an open place, an open plane. And we've seen ISIL in the past exploit that. We are trying to cut that off. The Iraqis are -- are very focused on how do we get to the border after Mosul. And I think that to me is where I will be watching from the sidelines, as the -- you know, you go up the valley and -- and try to reestablish some sort of traditional border.

Q: (Off mic) Mosul having to be held at that point?

MS. SLOTKIN: Well, that's why stabilization and governance is going to be so critical, because they need forces to be shifted around Iraq and to focus on other battles. And so -- and I think the prime minister gets this intimately, that he does not want Iraqi forces -- Iraqi army forces in the downtown area. He knows that that is not healthy. And that's a great thing.

But you need to have enough police forces, hold forces, and the -- the city needs to be stable enough that other forces can be moved to other battles. And that's why stabilization is so critical, because if you're -- if things are unsettled, then they can't go on to finish the fight.

MR. COOK: We have time for probably one or two more.

(inaudible)?

Q: (Off mic)

Forgive me if this has been asked, but in your role, has there been much discussion of what impact keeping 3,000 to 4,000 troops in Iraq after 2011 -- if we didn't pull out of Iraq -- you know the debate -- would that have had much an impact or any impact on stemming ISIL's rise in Iraq?

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah. So, I think the key piece of information that's always missed in this conversation is that the Iraqis play a critical role in deciding whether any country has a presence within their borders. That's their sovereign right.

And the Iraqis at that time, their political process did not support the U.S. presence. So, whether we should have, could have, all that is -- I don't want to say it's moot, but it is -- certainly needs to be looked at as deeply affected by what the Iraqis decided at that time.

Now, we have new leadership, we have a new relationship with them, the question will still go to them, it is their country, so they will have to make that decision.

But I think that the debate on should we have, could we have, all that kind of stuff always gets -- they leave this big part out, and that's the Iraqi government and what the prime minister wanted and didn't want at that time.

Q: (inaudible) -- U.S. troops -- (inaudible).

MS. SLOTKIN: The political system could not support, at that time, an enduring U.S. presence. I -- you know, those of you who know Iraqi politics well, you can go into the details of it. But it -- the prime minister and the parliament together could not support that.

Q: So, anybody who claims that the Obama administration lost Iraq, it's an irrelevant argument unless you factor in Iraqi politics?

MS. SLOTKIN: Yeah, I think that argument is premised on the fact that we would be an occupying power into eternity; that we could just decide to be in a country without the permission of the people, and somehow that would be good for us; that our folks would be safe.

Both legally and security wise, I think that that is a misperception. And, yeah, so.

MR. COOK: All right, go ahead.

Q: Peter, are you going to still take some questions?

(CROSSTALK)

Q: On Syria, on the SDF, it sounds like you've had a pretty good influx of Arab and Turkmen forces. How quickly can you train them to be -- to be effective?

And then, also, this is just speculation on my part, but I would assume that the next administration might consider adding more American troops into Syria. Can you talk to why or why not maybe that would be a good idea, I guess?

MS. SLOTKIN: So, we recently announced adding more forces, so I think our views on that are -- are pretty clear. I'm not -- I can't suppose what the next administration is going to do. But we just added some ourselves. It's a natural thing to relook the campaign. That -- that does not surprise me.

In terms of -- I'm sorry, I'm forgetting your first question.

Q: How quickly can you train --

MS. SLOTKIN: Oh, train.

Q: -- this influx of --

MS. SLOTKIN: That's right.

So -- so, with any force on the ground, you -- you take in these new folks, you vet them to make sure that they're up to our new standards in terms of age and health and then also, you know, not being a terrorist list -- all those things -- and then you see what they can do.

And some folks are just -- they want to defend their town. They don't have skills and training as a -- in any military background. And some folks may have more experience, you know. But you -- you -- you need all kinds in a force that's going to take Raqqa. A force of 50,000, not everyone's on the front lines and not everyone's doing the checkpoints, you know.

So, there -- the guys on the ground, that's why we needed more forces was to engage -- more U.S. forces, we needed to engage with these guys and make sure that we were helping them as best we could with the plan for Raqqa.

MR. COOK: Do you -- on that note, I really want to wrap so we have time for other questions and you do have a hard out at the end.

Let me just -- personally, I want to thank Elissa as well, to echo Courtney's comments, for your willingness to engage with the press corps and to help me and everyone on my team explain so much of what is a very complicated fight against ISIL. And thank you for your service as well.

MS. SLOTKIN: Thank you.

Thanks, guys. Great to spend time with you. See you, thanks.

Q: Good luck.

MR. COOK: Thanks, Elissa.

Okay, Barbara?

Q: Peter, two questions, two different subjects.

First on China and the South China Sea, Chinese state-sanctioned media is saying that -- I think you're aware -- that the U.S. would have to wage large-scale war in the South China Sea if it wanted to prevent Chinese access to the islands it's developing. Does the Pentagon have a reaction to that from the Chinese, please?

MR. COOK: You -- I'm not aware of that particular report this morning.

I will just reiterate what we've been saying all along about the South China Sea and the -- you've heard the secretary, even yesterday, talking about this.

That we have been operating in the South China Sea and the Asia Pacific for decades, the U.S. military has. We continue to believe that these disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved in a peaceful fashion through dialogue and through diplomacy. There's been court rulings to this effect that are, of course, we think significant and should be abided by claimants there.

We don't take sides in these disputes and the secretary has talked at length about a principled security network that is inclusive in the Asia-Pacific, inclusive to include China, should it be willing to abide by those principled rules that have allowed that part of the world to prosper and to flourish. We see that as an opportunity for all those participants and we will continue to fly, sail and operate everywhere international law allows, including in the South China Sea.

And we, again, call on all those claimants, all those who are part of these disputes to do what they can to reduce tensions there, including to refrain from any militarization of those features, and -- and we think that is a step that -- that all those countries could take, China included.

Q: And very quickly on another topic, the secretary's statements on Charlie Rose last night regarding Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The secretary was very definitive about this. When asked about Baghdadi, the secretary said, "He moves around." That is a current statement from the secretary, much more definitive than he has been recently.

What should we take away from the secretary's statement that has led him to say Baghdadi -- that led him to say last night Baghdadi moves around?

MR. COOK: You should take from that much of what he said here in the press conference the other day, that it is certainly among the coalition's continuing efforts to target and to try and identify the location of senior ISIL leaders, including Baghdadi, and we will continue to do that.

And we -- as we continue to apply pressure, as we continue to gain territory, as we continue to recover sensitive intelligence in locations in Iraq and Syria, we're going to continue to use that intelligence and use what we learn about their movements, about their activities to try and, again, intensify the pressure, including intensify the pressure on the -- on senior ISIL leaders. And the secretary and the chairman, I think, echoed here that those leaders should be worried about their safety at this moment in time, and that includes Baghdadi.

Q: But he is saying that you know that Baghdadi's moving around now?

MR. COOK: I think -- Barbara, I think it's logical to think first of all, that given the kind of pressure we've applied and our partners on the ground have applied and the loss of territory that any ISIL leader who is not on the move and trying to -- is at risk.

And so I think it's fair to say that we anticipate that Baghdadi and other senior ISIL leaders have been moving around to try and avoid detection and they can -- undoubtedly will continue to try to do that and we will continue to try and reduce their ability to move freely and we'll continue to -- to try and track as best we can their movements and they'll know when we find them.

Q: Peter?

MR. COOK: Yes, David?

Q: The -- the head of the D.C. National Guard, Major General Schwartz, has just given an interview in which he said he's been ordered removed from his command effective one minute after noon on the 20th. Can you explain that situation?

MR. COOK: David, I -- I honestly do not know. That's the first I've heard of that report, so I'll try and find out whatever information I can. But I'm not aware of that particular situation.

Q: Could you get us an answer on that? And also, does that mean --

MR. COOK: Have you checked with the -- with the National Guard Bureau?

Q: (Off mic)

MR. COOK: Okay. Again, I'm -- this is news to me.

Q: And whether all 50 heads of National Guards in the states are -- are going to be removed as of one minute after noon?

MR. COOK: We'll try and get whatever information we can appropriate for us to speak to with regard obviously to National Guard issues.

Q: And who would've had the authority to do that?

MR. COOK: Barbara, I'm -- again, I'm trying to understand a situation I don't know about from the podium since I've been in here. And again, I can't speak to individual State Guard issues, as you all know.

Q: Most people -- (inaudible) -- think the military's immune from the transition. I recognize the Nation Guard is different from -- from active duty, but it might -- it would help if you could explain.

MR. COOK: I will do my best to try and ascertain what's happened here and the reasons behind it.

Yes?

Q: Peter -- (inaudible) -- transition issue. Traditionally, the outgoing administration leaves a budget for the incoming guys and they can decide what to do with it. There's been some question as to whether the Pentagon has actually prepared a budget in any formal way or just given outlines to the incoming team.

MR. COOK: I know that as the secretary has indicated, we -- he sent the message on down to have a seamless transition, to do everything we possible -- everything possible to ensure the next team can hit the ground running, and that includes preparing information with regard to -- to the budget as well. And so, you can be sure that those responsible for the budget here have done their due diligence and have provided whatever information they could to the incoming administration.

Q: (inaudible) -- it's actually a drafted budget that could have been --

MR. COOK: I know that they have done everything that's been asked of them to prepare the next administration, including preparing numbers for them that would be useful to the next team coming in.

Okay. Laurent?

Q: Will Deputy Secretary Work stay in office a little longer?

MR. COOK: I'll leave that to the -- to the transition folks to speak to. And so, if we've got anything more on that, we'll let you know. But for now, any terms of any positions and staffing that they see fit to announce, I'll leave it to the transition team to talk to.

All right. Thanks, everyone. Going to come right back in here for a promotion ceremony, so nice day for us here in this room.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/1050127/

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Deputy Secretary General joins security leaders at Snow meeting

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

13 Jan. 2017

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller visited Lithuania on Thursday and Friday (12 and 13 January 2016) to participate in the high-level Snow Meeting, bringing together Lithuanian and international security experts. In the margins of the forum, Ambassador Gottemoeller met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius and Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis.

The "Snow Meeting" is an annual high-level discussion forum organised by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry to address challenges facing the Euro-Atlantic community. 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the Snow Meeting. This year's discussions in Trakai, Lithuania will examine the decisions taken at the Warsaw Summit and closer NATO-EU cooperation. The sessions will be attended by senior security experts and government officials, including Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser and Georgian Foreign Minister Mikhail Janelidze.

In her meetings with Foreign Minister Linkevicius and Defence Minister Karoblis, the Deputy Secretary General discussed the implementation of NATO's enhanced forward presence in the Baltic States and Poland. She also commended Lithuania for its decision to host a multinational NATO battalion in Rukla, as well as its commitment to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2018.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






SNA Concludes Annual Symposium

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170113-10

Release Date: 1/13/2017 12:25:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bill Dodge and Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Deven Leigh Ellis

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- The Surface Navy Association (SNA) concluded its 29th annual three-day symposium in Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 12.

The symposium focused on distributed lethality to enable sea control and facilitated professional discussions between military members, industry representatives and lawmakers regarding surface warfare technology, tactics, training and career development.

The first day commenced with welcomes, roundtable discussions and keynote addresses by Navy leaders, including Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Moran and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven Giordano.

Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, commander, Naval Surface Forces/Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, detailed his new Naval Surface Force Strategy and related it to the symposium's objectives.

"It's all about deterring conflict, and that's what the strategy lays down," Rowden said. "The idea behind distributed lethality is to make all of our forces more lethal so any potential adversary not only has to worry about the aircraft carrier, but has to worry about all those submarines and all those surface ships, and the potential threat of those surface ships. Sea control is a foundational thing that enables everything we do in the United States Navy."

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, in what was likely his final official address in office, spoke at the symposium on the second day. Mabus focused on the Navy's accomplishments during his tenure and encouraged the audience to continue acting on distributed lethality and sea control, the overarching symposium themes.

"Distributed lethality makes the job of potential adversaries much more difficult," Mabus said. "We've got to be forward; we've got to be out there."

Wednesday continued with a Coast Guard update, followed by a discussion panel on the takeaways from last year's 3rd Fleet Pacific Surface Action Group operations and current and future logistics in the mine warfare community. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Christopher Owens, director, Expeditionary Warfare, also elaborated on ongoing efforts to leverage unmanned technology to decrease risk to Sailors from mines.

"We are moving to using unmanned systems that have the capability to not only go off board ships, but over the horizon into minefields," Owens said.

Members of the British, Canadian, Norwegian and Danish navies met for a luncheon to discuss the importance of interoperability between the U.S. and its allies, highlighting aspects of their respective navies as key to future cooperation.

The symposium concluded Thursday with an awards luncheon and shipbuilding and maintenance panels, which explored the risks and benefits to introducing new technology into shipyards.

"There is stability across all platforms, and we have some design changes, and the level of quality is good," said Rear Adm. William Galinis, Program Executive Officer, Ships, the office responsible for Navy shipbuilding. "We have a high level of quality in all of our shipyards, and we are pleased with where we are in progressing-going to 355 ships. From a shipbuilding perspective, the capacity is there."

Vice Adm. Barry McCullough (Ret.), the president of SNA, offered closing remarks at the conclusion of the symposium, thanking participants and encouraging input for future symposiums.

"We really value your participation, your ideas, and your questions, and we invite you to continue your part with us in the future," McCullough said.

SNA was incorporated in 1985 to promote greater coordination and communication among the military, business and academic communities, which share a common interest in naval surface warfare and support the activities of surface naval forces.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Serbia: Two Suspects Detained In Alleged Montenegro Coup Attempt

RFE/RL January 13, 2017

Serbia has arrested two of its citizens wanted in connection with an alleged coup attempt in Montenegro, including a well-known right-wing agitator who made headlines last month when he appeared in a photograph standing near Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Serbia's Interior Ministry told RFE/RL on January 13 that Nemanja Ristic and Predrag Bogicevic were arrested earlier in the day on suspicion of involvement in the alleged plot to overthrow Montenegro's government, which Montenegrin authorities say was aimed at thwarting the nation's accession to NATO.

Montenegro has previously urged Serbia to arrest and extradite the two men to face charges of involvement in the purported coup attempt in October.

Ristic was detained in Belgrade, while Bogicevic was detained in Kragujevac, a town south of the Serbian capital.

Later on January 13, Belgrade's high court released Ristic from custody but banned him from leaving the Serbian capital, court spokeswoman Bojana Stankovic told RFE/RL. The court ordered him to appear every Monday before a special unit of the court, she said.

Bogicevic is to remain in custody, Stankovic said.

Ristic raised eyebrows in December when he appeared in a photograph standing near Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the official's visit to Belgrade.

His presence so close to Russia's top diplomat raised multiple questions, including how he entered Belgrade's Grave Of Liberators cemetery, which had been tightly secured for Lavrov's visit there. Soviet soldiers who died while liberating Belgrade during World War II are interred at the cemetery.

Montenegrin authorities in October arrested some 20 people, including two Russians and three Serbian citizens, on suspicion of trying to foment a coup to prevent the election of a government that supported the NATO membership bid.

Prosecutors in Montenegro have identified two Russian citizens as suspected organizers of the alleged coup attempt in Podgorica.

In November, they accused Eduard Shirokov and Vladimir Popov of organizing a criminal group with the aim of assassinating then Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic as part of the alleged plot. The whereabouts of the two Russians remain unclear.

Montenegro received an invitation to join NATO in December 2015 and signed an accession protocol with the alliance in May.

Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said in November that the Balkan nation's integration into NATO could be completed by the end of 2017.

Russia opposes Montenegrin membership in NATO and Serbia remains one of the Kremlin's staunchest allies.

Moscow has said it had no "official involvement" in the alleged coup attempt.

"We, obviously, categorically deny a possibility of official involvement in arranging any illegal actions," Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, told reporters in November.

Montenegro's pro-Russian opposition parties have called the alleged coup plot a fabrication aimed at frightening voters on the eve of the election into backing the ruling party.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, AP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-arrests- montenegro-coup-suspects-ristic- bogicevic/28231807.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Afghan Security Forces' Military Operations Decrease by 17% in December

Sputnik News

22:30 13.01.2017(updated 22:44 13.01.2017)

The Afghan security forces' military operations against insurgents decreased by 17 percent in December compared to the previous month, a study by a local broadcaster revealed on Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the study conducted by the TOLOnews, in December, the Afghan security forces and foreign troops carried out 488 operations and 25 airstrikes. Over 750 security incidents and three suicide attack took place in the country in December, which left a total of 87 civilians dead and over 110 wounded.

Nangarhar, Kunduz, Kandahar, Faryab and Uruzgan are among the most insecure provinces in the country, according to the study.

Earlier this week, a total of three terrorist attacks took place in Afghanistan, including the Kabul twin suicide bombing, which left over 50 people dead, and an explosion at a hotel in the city of Kandahar that left at least 11 people dead, including five UAE diplomats.

Afghanistan is experiencing political, social and security instability, in particular, due to the activity of Taliban, a militant group formed in the 1990s, seeking to establish Sharia law in the country. 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.

The instability has persisted in the country since the 2001 US-led invasion to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Beijing Predicts 'Military Clash' If US Blockades South China Sea

Sputnik News

22:09 13.01.2017(updated 23:37 13.01.2017)

In response to Rex Tillerson's rocky confirmation hearing, Chinese state media Global Times published an op-ed blasting the former ExxonMobil CEO for "unprofessional" comments that could lead to a "military clash."

Tillerson criticized previous American foreign policy that, he asserts, has allowed China "to keep pushing the envelope" on island-building in the disputed South China Sea. Like Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, Tillerson noted US policy in the South China Sea has been inadequate. But Tillerson broke with Trump's most recent stance when he said that the US Navy should consider blocking China's economic operations via warships, submarines, and airplanes.

Such a move could quickly produce a violent military escalation between the two nations. Tillerson showed some softer diplomatic tactics in noting that Beijing and Washington "should not let disagreements over other issue exclude areas for productive partnership," adding that the world's two largest economies by GDP are "deeply intertwined."

Tillerson made a few comments to spark the ire of Beijing. He declared that Chinese construction on the Spratly islands in the South China Sea was "illegal,"causing even casual domestic observers to turn their heads. "In my view, building islands and then putting military assets on those islands is akin to Russia's taking of Crimea," Tillerson said.

Beijing has expressed displeasure at Trump's antagonistic comments, such as advocating import tariffs on Chinese products, and chastising the country for not doing more to contain the erratic threat posed by North Korea. In a break from custom, the President-elect has tweeted most of his pronouncements. Left-leaning news outlet Vox claimed that Trump "has weaponized Twitter" and there have been discussions in Seoul that the Foreign Ministry may install a position dedicated solely to monitoring Trump tweets. As one Senate staffer recently told Sputnik, "anything Congress does that Trump doesn't like, he's going to tweet about it."

The Chinese paper noted that Tillerson may have been trying to impress the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in order to secure votes for the US Secretary of State post, America's top diplomat.

US Senate Democrats remain coy on whether they will vote to approve Tillerson's nomination. "I haven't talked to any Democrats that are voting for him, I'll put it that way," said Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat.

Meanwhile, Florida Republican Marco Rubio fired numerous pointed, tough questions at Tillerson, the former remarking that the answers provided by the latter were "discouraging." Rubio would not confirm whether he would vote yay or nay. In response to a question of whether he was prepared to be the only Republican Senator to vote no on the nomination, a move that would stall the nomination, Rubio said, "I'm prepared to do what's right" instead of "analyzing it from a partisan standpoint."

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Afghanistan Disputes US Report on Taliban Gains

By Noor Zahid January 13, 2017

The Afghan Government on Thursday pushed back against a U.S. Inspector General's report that said Afghan forces are losing significant territory to Taliban insurgents and are not capable of keeping the nation secure.

"These calculations are not constant," Mohammad Radmanesh, a spokesperson for the Afghan defense ministry, told VOA's Afghan service. "Now we have recaptured many areas from the enemy."

On Wednesday, the U.S. Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR) reported that territory under the Afghan government diminished significantly in 2016 and that the Taliban made large gains.

"The Afghan national defense and security force has not yet been capable of securing all of Afghanistan and has lost territory to the insurgency," SIGAR reported.

"Last August, the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan  said only 63.4 percent of the country's territory was under government control -- compared to the 72 percent that the military said was controlled by Kabul in November 2015," SIGAR noted.

But the Afghan government said the report does not take into account gains made by Afghan troops in retaking areas after Taliban assaults.

The government said it controls nearly two-thirds of the country's 407 districts. Afghan officials said the Taliban controls 33 districts, less than 10 percent of the national total, and a recent U.S. military assessment lists 116 districts -- more than one-quarter of the country -- as "contested" areas.

Overall, defense and interior ministry officials in Kabul said counterinsurgency operations during 2016 by Afghan police and military forces throughout the country killed more than 18,500 enemy fighters and wounded another 12,000.

Operation Shafaq

The Afghan national army last month announced the second phase of a campaign called Operation Shafaq, which began as a summer offensive. Afghan forces are concentrating on 13 of the country's 34 provinces, where Taliban fighters and the so-called Khorasan branch of the Islamic State group are stronger.

Afghan provincial authorities insist the focused effort by the national army has begun to pay off.

They cited their recent experience in a remote eastern district of the country where hundreds of men signed up to join a government-sponsored militia after the Islamic State fighters occupying their villages were driven off.

But the U.S. SIGAR, created to provide oversight of U.S. reconstruction funds for Afghanistan, said Taliban gains have come despite more the half of the U.S. current aid budget going to help improve Afghan forces.

"To combat the Taliban and other threats, the United States has provided more than $64 billion since 2002, including $3.45 billion in fiscal year 2016 alone, to support the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police, and the Afghan Air Force," Inspector General John Sopko said in the report.

Fighting upsurge

Fighting between Taliban and government forces increased during December in southwestern Helmand province, where insurgents are active in two key districts.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in December praised the "growing capabilities and resilience" that Afghan security forces have demonstrated in battling Taliban insurgency and conducting joint operations with American partners against IS.

Afghan forces are "generally capable and effective at protecting major population centers, preventing the Taliban from maintaining prolonged control of specific areas, and at responding to Taliban attacks," the SIGAR report said.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US Lifts Some Sanctions Against Sudan

By VOA News January 13, 2017

The Obama administration announced Friday that it will lift some financial sanctions against Sudan, citing "positive" actions made by the country over the past six months.

The easing of sanctions, Obama said in a letter to Congress, comes after the Sudanese government stepped up in fighting terrorism, reducing conflict, denying safe haven to South Sudanese rebels and improved humanitarian access to people in need.

The easing of sanctions, though, also is contingent on the continuation of the positive steps taken Sudan's government over the next 180 days.

"The 180-day delay period of the order's effective date with respect to removing these provisions is intended to encourage the Government of Sudan to sustain its efforts in these areas," the letter reads.

The United States first imposed sanctions on Sudan in 1997, including a trade embargo and blocking the government's assets, for human rights violations and terrorism concerns. The United States layered on more sanctions in 2006 for what it said was complicity in the violence in Darfur.

Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal, speaking with VOA's James Butty, welcomed the news of the lifting of the sanctions because, he said, they "have had a devastating impact on the country and its people." He said sanctions increased "the misery of the people" who could not leave the country to get medical treatment or import technology.

He said Sudan Airways was forced to shut down because it could no longer receive the technology it once did from the U.S. Bilal said the sanctions were not against the regime, but were instead "against human rights."

U.S. officials said the lifting of the sanctions had no bearing on Sudan's designation by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide.

In September, the State Department issued a statement welcoming Khartoum's cooperation in fighting Islamic extremist groups, without mentioning any specific development or reason for the public release. It said Sudan had taken "important steps'' to take on Islamic State and other terrorist organizations, adding that the U.S. would work with the country on security matters while pressing it on human rights and democracy.

At the time, the department said the U.S. maintained grave concerns about Sudan's policies, notably its handling of unrest in the western Darfur region, but it described normalized relations as not out of the question.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






South China Sea is Potential Flashpoint as Trump Takes Office

By Nike Ching January 13, 2017

If the weeks before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration are any indication, the South China Sea could be a potential flashpoint in 2017.

Trump's secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson voiced a much tougher tone with China at his Senate confirmation hearing, telling U.S. lawmakers that China's island-building in the disputed waters was illegal and "akin to Russia's taking of Crimea."

"We are going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops. And second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed," said Tillerson.

Trump's secretary of defense nominee, Retired General James Mattis, also signaled grave concerns during his confirmation hearing.

"I think it [the world order] is under the biggest attack since World War II, and that's from Russia, from terrorist groups and with what China is doing in the South China Sea," said Mattis.

Their remarks set the tone for a much tougher stand of the new administration in its relations with China.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed earlier this month that a group of Chinese warships led by its Liaoning aircraft carrier is testing weapons and equipment in exercises in the South China Sea.

China's state-run Global Times wrote in an editorial that the drill is an indication the combat capability of Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, "has enhanced and its areas of operation have expanded."

"The Chinese fleet will cruise to the Eastern Pacific sooner or later," which would extend to the seas off the West coast of the U.S., said Global Times in the commentary.

And while China has returned an American unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that was seized last month by a Chinese navy ship, it was seen as a sign of what is to come from an increasingly assertive Beijing in the South China Sea.

That signal is reinforced by China's ongoing efforts to fortify its man-made islands in the South China Sea.

How Trump decides to push back against China's assertiveness could become a source of escalated tensions or even military strife, according to analysts.

"Just the fact that the U.S. will continue to accelerate the freedom of navigation operations, and then you have the number of Chinese ships, including their maritime militia which are basically disguised as fishing boats, the likelihood of some sort of confrontation flare-up remains, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if something happened," Robert Manning from the Atlantic Council told VOA.

Vital to US interests

Trump has said that China is "building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which it shouldn't be doing." Commercial satellite imagery shows China has been building anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems on the artificial islands it has constructed.

During the campaign, Trump also pledged to rebuild the U.S. armed forces from the damage suffered under the sequestration budget cuts. His advocacy for an increase to the Navy and Air Force are particularly significant in the context of the Asia-Pacific region.

Observers said they would be watching closely for any sign of the new administration's willingness, or unwillingness, to accept risk in response to China's recent assertive behavior.

"Regional experts will judge the new administration on where and when it conducts its first freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in Asia. China too may be tempted to test the new administration's policies with assertive operations," reads a commentary published by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS.)

Bonnie Glaser, who is CSIS Senior Adviser, is one of the authors of the commentary.

"The incoming administration probably wants to signal that these FONOPs will continue, so I would expect that one will take place before the end of February," Glaser who told VOA.

Glaser said "the intended warning" by Tillerson "was probably that the Chinese shouldn't use these islands to interfere with freedom of navigation in the air and sea."

Although the United States is not a claimant to the sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea, Washington said it is vital to its national interests that various claimants pursue their claims peacefully, and in accordance with the international law.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a vessel is permitted to conduct innocent passage through a coastal state's territorial sea without prior permission as long as it does so continuously and expeditiously.

The U.S. freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea reaffirmed this right against China's attempt to impose restraints on it.

"It's important for the president-elect to push back and say that America is going to stand by its national interest," Chairman of the Idaho Republican Party Stephen Yates told VOA.

Early challenge?

In a Skype interview, Yates said, "China may do something to challenge early on" in the Trump administration. Yates served in the White House during the George W. Bush administration from 2001 through 2005.

"I recalled the 2001 April 1st EP-3 incidence, it's a big difficulty for the Bush administration. I certainly hope nothing like that will be on the horizon, but we have to be careful."

The serious incident of April 2001 between Washington and Beijing involved a collision over the South China Sea between a U.S. Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane and a People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval F-8 fighter that crashed.

After surviving the near-fatal accident, the U.S. crew made an emergency landing of their damaged plane onto a PLA airfield on Hainan Island, where they were detained for 11 days. Washington and Beijing disagreed over the cause of the accident, and argued over the release of the crew and plane.

In the longer term, the incident has implications for the right of the United States and other nations' aircraft to fly in international airspace over the South China Sea.

While freedom of navigation operations are necessary to assert maritime rights available to all governments under international law, observers said such operations should not be confused as efforts to reverse China's reclamation, construction or militarization in the South China Sea because the time is too late for that.

"I think there is a consensus growing in Washington, and in other capitals like Canberra and Tokyo, that the Obama administration was too passive, too reactive, and too slow, as China reclaims land, builds military facilities, runways, increases the operations and the numbers of its PLAs, coast guard ships and planes," Georgetown University associate professor Michael Green told VOA.

Green, who served as a senior official at the White House National Security Council during the Bush administration from 2001 to 2005, said "there has to be a more robust [U.S.] presence" in the South China Sea.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Cyprus Talks Moving Toward Endgame

By Lisa Schlein January 13, 2017

United Nations officials say negotiations aimed at wrapping up a reunification deal for the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus will resume next week.

The adviser to the U.N. secretary general on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, described Thursday's international conference on the island as a turning point for negotiations. For the first time over decades of off-again, on-again negotiations, he noted the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides presented maps of their preferred internal administrative borders of a newly-formed federated union of Cyprus.

"It was seen by both sides as a sign that this thing is moving towards the endgame. And I think there is a momentum now and I think that larger political developments remind us that it is probably, or quite securely, very important that we use these coming days as effectively as we can and in as constructive a spirit as possible," Eide said.

A working group of senior technical experts will meet January 18 in Geneva to hold discussions on critical security issues. At the same time, leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities will continue negotiations in Cyprus to overcome remaining stumbling blocks on matters including property rights, territorial disputes and governance.

Hopes 'a united federal Cyprus can emerge'

The possibility of a reunification pact could hinge on a resolution of security guarantees for a unified Cyprus. Turkey currently has 30,000 troops stationed in the northern Turkish part of Cyprus. In recent statements, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected a full withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus unless Greece also agrees to withdraw its troops.

Eide said he understands the security concerns, but expressed hope that this long-standing dispute finally can be laid to rest.

"And a united federal Cyprus can emerge and also be embraced in a security arrangement that is mutually acceptable for all sides, hence the involvement of the guarantor powers," Eide said.

Foreign ministers of Turkey, Greece and Britain, the three so-called guarantor powers, attended the international conference. Eide said it is likely that heads of those governments will attend a future international conference if negotiations are successful in removing remaining obstacles to a reunification deal.

Cyprus has been split between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded the island after a military coup aimed at reunifying Cyprus with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes the separate Turkish Cypriot government.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Reports: Trump National Security Pick Had Multiple Calls With Russian Envoy

By Wayne Lee, Esha Sarai January 13, 2017

Donald Trump's incoming national security advisor, Michael Flynn, reportedly had several telephone conversations with Russia's ambassador on December 29, the same day President Barack Obama ousted 35 Russian diplomats and imposed other sanctions in response to Russia's apparent attempts to influence last year's presidential election.

A senior U.S. official said Friday the Obama administration is aware of the calls and other frequent communications between Flynn and Russia's ambassador, according to The Associated Press.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer confirmed to reporters Friday that Flynn and the ambassador communicated on December 28 and discussed setting up a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after Trump's January 20 inauguration. Spicer added they also exchanged Christmas greetings via text message (SMS) over the holidays. He did not confirm that Flynn spoke with the Russian diplomat on December 29.

Discussions between incoming administrations and foreign governments are not unusual, but multiple discussions on the day of the U.S. retaliatory actions would raise questions about whether Flynn and the ambassador discussed a possible Russian response.

One day after the sanctions and the expulsion of dozens of Russian officials from the U.S., Putin said he did not plan to retaliate. Trump, who has repeatedly praised Putin, applauded the Russian president's decision.

Flynn's multiple phone calls with Russia's ambassador was first reported Thursday by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who wrote that the calls could be in violation of the Logan Act, a more than 200-year-old law that prohibits U.S. citizens from trying to influence foreign governments that are engaged in disputes with the U.S.

Meanwhile, in a series of tweets Friday, Donald Trump renewed last week's vow to release a report on Russia's alleged hacking of last year's presidential election within 90 days, made accusations about unconfirmed reports containing compromising information about him, and launched another attack against former presidential opponent Hillary Clinton.

U.S. Intelligence agencies have said that Russian hacking interfered with election results, a claim the president-elect asserted to be true Wednesday during a news conference.

But Trump appeared to reverse himself on Friday, when he tweeted the conclusions reached by the U.S. intelligence community were not based on evidence of Russian cyber-interference in the presidential election.

The president-elect also strongly denied unsubstantiated reports that Russia has compromising personal information about him. Trump accused "sleazebag political operatives," "political opponents," and "intelligence" operatives of fabricating and releasing the information.

Earlier this week, the BuzzFeed digital media site posted online what it said was the full dossier in question, which alleged tawdry personal conduct by Trump on a visit to Moscow and that Russia's government had been "cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump" for years.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Wednesday he told Trump the intelligence community did not create the document of unconfirmed claims.

Although Trump's victorious presidential run ended more than two months ago, he continues to attack his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.

Trump's latest attacks against Clinton came one day after the Justice Department announced it will investigate F.B.I. Director James Comey's decision to again review Clinton's improper use of emails while she was Secretary of State days before the election, prompting accusations from Clinton's campaign aides that the F.B.I. influenced voters.

Trump has several meetings scheduled Friday, including with Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, which manufactures the F-35 fighter jet. After meeting in Trump tower with the president-elect, Hewson told reporters she is close to finalizing an agreement to significantly lower the cost of the fifth-generation combat plane.

Hewson also said Lockheed plans to create 1,800 new jobs at its Fort Worth, Texas facility, a move she said would add "thousands and thousands of jobs" across the supply chain in 45 U.S. states.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Nigeria Offers Gambian President Asylum, If He Steps Down

By Fern Robinson January 13, 2017

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari headed up a delegation to Gambia Friday to offer President Yahya Jammeh asylum if he steps down to allow for a peaceful transfer of power following last month's election.

Jammeh, who has ruled the tiny West African country for 22 years, was declared the loser in Gambia's December 1 election. His government was accused of numerous rights abuses during his time in office, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and forced disappearances.

The U.S. State Department Human Rights report said "officials routinely used various methods of intimidation to retain power."

Opposition candidate Adama Barrow, who was declared the winner in the election, said he will continue to plan his inauguration for January 19.

Initially, Jammeh accepted the results, but his political party filed a legal complaint against the electoral commission about a week later, citing voting irregularities.

The Associated Press reports that Gambia's Supreme Court might not be able to hear the challenge until May because it is short of judges. Jammeh wants to wait for the court's decision, according to the AP.

The head of the electoral commission fled to neighboring Senegal after Jammeh accused him in his New Year's address of falsifying results. Jammeh said no one would cheat him. It was seen as a veiled threat.

Earlier this month, Gambia's army chief reaffirmed his support for Jammeh in a letter published in a pro-government newspaper.

The United Nations and several other African leaders have asked Jammeh to step down peacefully.

West African regional bloc ECOWAS has placed its military force on standby if Jammeh does not step down next week.

Speaking of the ECOWAS high-level mission to Banjul, the head of the U.N.'s office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Friday told the Security Council that "they plan to leave no doubt about the determination of ECOWAS to use all necessary means, including force, to have the will of the Gambian people upheld."

"Should this be deemed necessary," Ibn Chambas continued, "ECOWAS intends to seek the endorsement of the AU Peace and Security Council and the formal approval of this council to deploy troops to the Gambia."

International military historian at the University Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Arthur Banga, says the Gambian military would likely be no match for ECOWAS forces.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Kerry Expects No Changes in US-Vietnam Relations Under Trump

By VOA News January 13, 2017

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience at Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh University Friday that the upcoming change in administrations will not affect the relationship shared between the two countries.

Kerry said the two countries share a set of values that cannot be altered by changing leadership.

"Our friendship doesn't depend on individuals or personalities, one president or the other, one party or the other. Our friendship is rooted in interests that we share, and in the things that we agree upon about the future," he said.

Kerry did note President-elect Donald Trump's opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership could sink the deal when he takes office next week, but added that technology, not trade agreements, is what leads to job loss.

"Now, when machines do more, productivity generally goes up, and the demand for labor begins to shift to other places, other industries. That's one of the reasons why if you engage in protectionist policy, it isn't going to work," he said.

On South China Sea

Kerry also addressed recent tensions in the South China Sea, pointing out that the U.S. does not take a position on different countries' claims to the territory, but asks that all those involved not engage in "provocative acts."

"We believe in all the countries in the region, whether big or small, and that they should all refrain from provocative acts that add to tensions or might lead to a greater militarization of the area," he said.

Currently, six countries, including China and Vietnam, claim at least some part of the sea as their own.

On Saturday, Kerry is scheduled to visit the Mekong Delta where he fought during the Vietnam War.

After Vietnam, Kerry travels to Paris for a conference on Middle East peace and to London to meet with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

On the final leg of his last trip as secretary of state, Kerry will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Why France May Not Be Russia's Next Hacking Target

By Lisa Bryant January 13, 2017

Amid growing alarm Europe may be the next target of Russian cyberattacks, some believe France  which is gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections this year  may not be the obvious choice.

The reasons range from the candidates themselves to the lack of a powerful motive or payback for the same kind of election hacking that U.S. intelligence authorities have blamed on Russia.

"I think there's a lot of fear out there that Russia will meddle in every election in Europe for whatever concern," said Stefan Soesanto, a London-based digital policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

"But if you look at Russia, there's always an objective behind what they're doing and the technology to support it," he added. "And in the French elections, there's no real outcome that would be really beneficial or really negative."

To be sure, that does not mean Russia or other outside players may not try to influence the French vote in other ways, experts say. Or that officials are not alarmed over existential cyber threats.

"We can't be naive," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, as he announced France aimed to boost its cyber defenses over the next two years.

In 2016 alone, he said, security agencies had thwarted 24,000 external attacks, although Le Drian did not specifically cite Russia as a point of origination of hacking. French infrastructure -- including water, health, communications and transportation  was at risk ahead of the elections, he said.

"France reserves the right to respond by all the means it judges appropriate," Le Drian added.

Still, analyst Soesanto believes France is well prepared for cyberthreats, suggesting Le Drian's remarks might be politically motivated during an election year.

"I would argue the current French defense posture is very good," he said.

Others believe France is right to be worried.

"I think France is absolutely part of this style of information operation," analyst Molly McKew told France 24 TV, referring to Russia's alleged meddling in the U.S. vote. "Germany has very clearly been put in the target as well."

There is also a precedent  a 2015 cyberattack against French international broadcaster TV5 that came close to destroying it. A group calling itself the Cyber Caliphate claimed responsibility for the strike, which targeted malicious software against the network. But TV5's chief later identified Russian hackers, not the Islamic Sate group, as behind it.

Fears of Russian interference are being echoed across the European Union this year, as several member states, including Germany, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic prepare for voting.

Earlier this week, Germany's domestic security chief said Berlin must be capable of counter-attacking cyber assailants. "We cannot only operate defensively," Hans-Georg Maassen told German news media.

"Germany is a much neater and easier target," for Russia than France, Soesanto said, partly because information cooperation among German states can be difficult. "And Putin and Merkel are not on the best terms."

European intelligence cooperation in identifying Russia's cyber activities is also woefully lacking, he said.

"Currently every member state is left on their own, so the response is not that strong  or there's no response at all," Soesanto said.

In France, which holds presidential elections in April and May and legislative elections in June, the ruling Socialist Party's security head Sebastien Pietrasanta has also called for stepped-up preparedness.

"The stakes are enormous," he told Le Journal du Dimanche, adding that "this isn't political fiction."

To be sure, French-Russian relations under the ruling Socialists could not be frostier. President Francois Hollande led the push for EU sanctions for the Ukraine crisis and has fiercely criticized Russia's role in Syria.

In October, President Vladimir Putin canceled a visit to Paris to inaugurate a new Russian Orthodox cathedral after President Hollande said Moscow could face war crimes charges for bombing Syria's second-largest city of Aleppo.

But Hollande is not running for re-election, and the Socialists are expected to fare badly.

By contrast, the two leading presidential contenders  center-right candidate Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front  have both criticized sanctions against Russia and called for resetting relations with Moscow. They have also called for cooperating with Russia and the Syrian regime in fighting the Islamic State group.

"The Russians do not see one candidate as being a friend and another a foe," said French analyst Jean-Yves Camus of Le Pen and Fillon. "So they would not put this at risk by interfering in the French election to the extent they did in the US."

Russia expert Anton Koslov, of the American Graduate School in Paris, said while Russia does have an interest in influencing the French electorate, cyberattacks would not be "logical."

"There are other means," he said, including through pro-Russian sympathizers in the French media and parliament and France's sizeable Russian diaspora.

Digital policy analyst Soesanto adds another, more unusual obstacle thwarting Russia's potential cyber ambitions.

"There are various attack vectors they can leverage," he said, including hacking Twitter, news and email accounts, or putting out fake news.

"But I'm not sure the Russians would actually do that," he added, "because all the information they would exfiltrate would have to be put out in French. And the international impact would not be that big."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China, Russia Promise 'Countermeasures' To U.S.-Korean Defense System

RFE/RL January 13, 2017

China and Russia have expressed concern about a U.S. plan to deploy an antimissile system in South Korea and vowed to take unspecified "countermeasures," state media reported.

The countermeasures "will be aimed at safeguarding interests of China and Russia and the strategic balance in the region," China's state news service Xinhua said on January 13.

"China and Russia urged the United States and South Korea to address their security concerns and stop the deployment of [the antimissile system] on the Korean Peninsula," Xinhua said.

China and Russia held a joint antimissile drill in May after Washington and Seoul began discussions about installing the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to counter increasing missile threats from North Korea. They said they would hold a second drill this year.

Moscow and Beijing have criticized THAAD, saying that they fear the system's powerful radar will compromise their security and charging that it will do nothing to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula.

While China, which is North Korea's only major diplomatic and economic supporter, has recognized the danger of Pyongyang's drive to develop nuclear weapons with frequent missile and nuclear tests, it views the THAAD response as overkill, pointing out that the system's radar has a range that extends into China.

Russian and Chinese diplomats discussed the matter at a meeting in Moscow on January 12 led by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Uauanyou, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

They agreed that introducing THAAD on the Korean Peninsula will "damage regional stability and security," giving the region a "high conflict potential" by "boosting the arms race" there, the ministry said.

The ministry said the diplomats "highlighted the need to exert joint efforts aimed at finding a meaningful strategy that would show the way out of the current deadlock and help settle the nuclear issue and other problems facing the Korean Peninsula so that the atmosphere of confrontation in Southeast Asia evaporates."

With reporting by Reuters and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/china- russia-express-concern-us-south-korean missile-defense-system-thaad-vow- countermeasures/28230460.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






U.S., French Astronauts Complete Spacewalk To Upgrade ISS Power System

January 13, 2017

A pair of astronauts on January 13 successfully completed a six-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS), plugging in modern new batteries for use by the craft's solar power system.

ISS Commander Shane Kimbrough of the United States and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet attached three new lithium-ion batteries, adding to the three hooked up last week by Kimbrough and astronaut Peggy Whitson during a spacewalk.

Russian cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko, Sergei Ryzhikov, and Oleg Novitsky are also part of the six-member ISS crew.

NASA said the lithium-ion batteries were important upgrades to the space station's solar power system. The new batteries provide improved power capacity with a lighter mass and a smaller volume than previous nickel-hydrogen batteries.

Along with the six currently installed, 18 more need to be plugged in over the next two to three years, with the next batch scheduled for late this year or early 2018, NASA says.

Kimbrough and Pesquet finished the battery work within about three hours of the spacewalk and spent three more hours performing other tasks before re-entering the ISS. It was the fourth career spacewalk for Kimbrough and Pesquet's first.

The walk was completed at 12:20 ET, with NASA tweeting "We did it!" and publishing video and photos on its Twitter feed and website. In a statement, the space agency described the spacewalk as "very successful." Twitter feed:

NASA said the three Russian cosmonauts were focusing on research and lab-maintenance duties.

Borisenko and Novitsky collected blood samples for research on possible stress and bone loss caused by living in space. Rookie cosmonaut Ryzhikov is studying chemical reactions caused by jet-engine exhaust in the Earth's upper atmosphere, NASA said.

With reporting by AP and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iss-french-us- astronauts-spacewalk-upgrade/28232286.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China's aircraft carrier returns to port after drill

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 20:53, January 13, 2017

China's aircraft carrier formation returned to Qingdao port Friday after finishing a drill, the Chinese navy said Friday.

Comprised of aircraft carrier Liaoning, a number of destroyers, some J-15 carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters, the fleet sailed through the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China sea.

The formation passed through the Miyakato, Bashi and Taiwan straits, according to the People's Liberation ArmyNavy (PLAN).

J-15 fighter jets carried out exercises including taking off and landing in different hydrological and meteorological conditions, air-combat tactics, air refueling, and others.

The drill verified the combat capability of the aircraft carrier formation and construction and command of the high sea combat system, the PLAN said.

Chen Yueqi, commander of the formation, said the drill simulated real combat as much as possible, and achieved expected results.

Future drills of Liaoning will be determined by actual situations, the PLAN said.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Obama Ends Preferential Asylum Policy for Cuban Migrants

By VOA News January 13, 2017

U.S. President Barack Obama has ended a controversial policy that let any Cuban who steps foot on U.S. soil remain in the United States without a visa and become a legal resident.

"Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with U.S. law and enforcement priorities," Obama said in a statement Thursday. "By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries."

Thursday's repeal of the 22 year-old so-called "wet foot, dry foot" policy required Cubans who were caught at sea trying to reach the U.S. to return home, but allowed those who reached land to stay and eventually obtain legal residential status.

The repeal effectively guts the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, which presumed Cuban migrants were political refugees who required protection. The act allowed those who remained in the U.S. for more than a year to become eligible for legal residency.

Cubans who are concerned they will be persecuted upon return to the island nation will still be allowed to apply for political asylum when they reach the U.S.

Not surprised

Average Cubans and opponents of the island's communist leaders said they expected repeal of the law that siphoned off the island's most dissatisfied citizens and turned them into sources of remittances supporting relatives who remained on the island.

"This law, originated to protect Cuban political exiles, had become a means of abuse that helped people to defraud the United States government," said Jose Azel, a senior scholar at the University of Miami's Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American studies.

"This is a decision that was expected," Azel said in a Friday interview with VOA's Spanish Service. However, he noted, "no one thought that it would be taken" in the last week of the Obama administration. "Even if you don't like it, [it] is part of the unilateral concessions" the president made with Cuba.

Lorena Pena, who is four months pregnant and left Cuba four months ago on a journey to the U.S. with her husband and four-year-old daughter, is now staying in a Catholic shelter in Panama City. "We feel sadness because we are all coming with a dream that comes from pain, hunger and a lot of work to get this far," she said.

Clinton policy

Former President Bill Clinton approved the "wet foot, dry foot" policy in 1995, when Cubans who were returned home after trying to escape were subjected to harsh treatment and more repression.

Cuba had long complained that the policy encouraged Cubans to put their lives at risk trying to get to the U.S. across the sometimes dangerous Straits of Florida.

Geoff Thale, head of the Washington Office on Latin America, praised Obama's decision Thursday, saying the policy had given Cubans an advantage over other Latin Americans who are trying to escape violence and poverty in Central America.

Thale calls the new rules a "positive step toward a more sensible Cuban immigration policy."

But New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat whose parents were Cuban immigrants, said Thursday's announcement "will only serve to tighten the noose the Castro regime continues to have around the neck of its own people."

VOA's Spanish Service contributed to this report, some material came from the Associated Press

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






German Special Forces Want New Assault Rifle

Sputnik News

22:14 13.01.2017(updated 23:04 13.01.2017)

The German defense procurement office has issued tender for new assault rifles for the country's special forces. The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), which equips the German armed forces with cost-effective modern weapons, reportedly issued tender for the purchase of 1,750 rifles.

The Kommando Spezialkrafte Marine (KSM) unit of the navy, and the army's Kommando Spezialkrafte (KSK) currently use the G36 rifle. The new contract is valued at $11.6 million and offers must be submitted by February 9. Deliveries are set to begin September 10 and end by late June 2019.

Deutsche Welle reported in 2015 that the G36 had issues with overheating and shooting inaccurately in hot environments. This was one in a number of embarrassing issues facing the German military, including missing spare parts, poor helicopter maintenance, and broken-down tanks.

Tender requirements dictate that a new assault rifle must be a gas-operated weapon with automatic and single-fire capability, while also chambered in the 5.56x45 mm NATO format. The firearm must also be outfitted with a STANAG 4694 NATO Accessory Rail (NAR), a fire suppressor, and other NARs to be situated on the handguard.

According to IHS Janes, dual controls to accommodate left- and right-hand users has also been requested, and the contract includes the delivery of carrying equipment, a flashlight and a laser designator.

Without a suppressor, the rifle must be less than 900mm and without ammunition, optics and magazine, the maximum weight is set at a little over 8 pounds, with a receiver life of 30,000 rounds and a barrel life of 10,000 rounds.

Five comparison models will be included in the 1,750 serially-produced rifles, along with 40 for compatibility checks with optical sights and qualification tests.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Deputy FM: Iran will not allow JCPOA file re-opening

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 13, IRNA -- Deputy Foreign Minister for the Euro-American Affairs, Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, said on Friday that Iran will never allow re-opening of the JCPOA file.

Takht-e Ravanchi made the remarks in response to recent claims of the US President-elect Donald Trump's choice for the secretary of state regarding the JCPOA revising.

'This is not only our stand but also that of all the G5+1 member states,' the official said.

Commenting on the last week joint meeting of Iran and the G5+1, Takht-Ravanchi said the meeting convened upon the request of Iran to discuss the US extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), which Tehran believes runs contrary to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed last year.

The meeting also aimed at reviewing the US disloyalties in implementing the JCPOA over the past year, he said.

The official noted all the participating parties stressed that nothing should be allowed to impede implementation of the JCPOA.

The US side has also provided assurances that the ISA extension would not harm the JCPOA, Takht-e Ravanchi said, adding, 'We have to wait and see what will happen in practice.'

9341**1420

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iran briefs JCPOA joint commission on technical decisions

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 13, IRNA -- Iran briefed the Joint Commission on its plan, following the IAEA's safeguards-related nuclear material accountancy activities in the Enriched UO2 Powder Plant (EUPP).

The Joint Commission has considered and approved the plan in accordance with the parameters below, under its authority in consulting and providing guidance on implementation matters. This decision of the Joint Commission represents a common understanding of the scope of the relevant commitments of the JCPOA.

1. Low enriched uranium (LEU) hold up in the EUPP equipment, which is deemed unrecoverable in accordance with the process described below, is not part of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as specified in the JCPOA provided that Iran does not build or operate any facility capable of recovering LEU from such hold up for 15 years starting from Implementation Day. If, in the future, Iran introduces enriched uranium into the EUPP equipment, the process described below may be used to deem future equivalent EUPP hold up in the portions specified in paragraph 2 as unrecoverable.

2. LEU hold up at the EUPP will be deemed unrecoverable once the IAEA verifies that Iran has fed depleted uranium through the portion of the EUPP equipment that converts uranyl fluoride solution to uranium dioxide and the scrap processing system until the output material from each portion is at the level of natural uranium or less. Any enriched uranium in the resulting output material does not count against Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as specified in the JCPOA, provided that Iran downblends such material to the level of natural uranium or less within the timeframe specified below.

3. The estimated amount of enriched uranium in the EUPP equipment and the output material from the process described in paragraph 2 do not count against Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as specified in the JCPOA while such process is ongoing, but for no more than 120 days from the start of the process.

4. The Joint Commission at experts' levels will engage with Iran's concerns about the enriched uranium stockpile, as defined in paragraph 56 of Annex I of the JCPOA.

9191**1394

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi Forces Secure Key Buildings in East Mosul

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2017  The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service today raised the Iraqi flag above the Nineveh governorate and counsel buildings at Mosul University on the east side of the city, according to a Combined Joint Task Force  Operation Inherent Resolve news release.

"We congratulate the Iraqi Security Forces on their continued progress in Eastern Mosul," Air Force Col. John Dorrian, a CJTF-OIR spokesman, said in the release. "Work still needs to be done, but ISIL's days in Mosul are quickly coming to an end."

Iraqi security forces have made significant progress in clearing Mosul's east side of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces.

The ISF joined their three axes and successfully pushed ISIL forces to the Tigris River, liberating several Mosul neighborhoods and thousands of people from ISIL's brutal captivity.

The coalition is committed to supporting its Iraqi partners in the liberation of Mosul, and the effort to militarily defeat ISIL.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi Forces Advancing in Mosul, Entering University Campus

Sputnik News

16:45 13.01.2017

The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) forces entered the campus of Mosul University during the operation to retake Mosul from the Daesh terrorist group, according to media reports.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) forces took over several building on the campus of Mosul University in their ongoing operation to retake Iraqi's second-largest city from the terrorists, media reported Friday.

The ICTS is running a two-pronged offensive, making progress in Faisaliah neighborhood from the east and entering Mosul University from the north, Rudaw news agency reported, citing the Iraqi forces.

On Thursday, US Department of Defense said that Iraqi forces were in control of 70 to 80 percent of eastern Mosul.

In October 2016, Iraqi forces, backed by the US-led international coalition, began an offensive to liberate Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State, also known as Daesh.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Over 144,500 Iraqis Displaced Amid Operation to Liberate Mosul From Daesh

Sputnik News

15:41 13.01.2017

12,354 people have been displaced in the past week alone from their homes in Mosul, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Almost 144,600 Iraqis have fled from their homes in Mosul as a result of the ongoing military operation to retake the city from the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh), the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed Friday.

According to IOM's Emergency Tracking (DTM), 12,354 people have been displaced in the past week alone, the press release stated. The DTM further estimated that a total of 24,102 families remain displaced.

Over 126,000 displaced persons are currently in camps and emergency sites operated by the government, IOM, and other UN agencies. The rest reside in host communities, and private or public buildings, the migration agency added.

The operation to liberate Mosul from IS terrorists, outlawed in many countries, including Russia, began on October 17, 2016. Iraqi troops have managed to advance in the eastern part of the city, but the western part  on the right bank of the Tigris River  remains under militant control.

The offensive is led by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi soldiers backed by the US-led anti-terror coalition.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US 'Thrilled' With Iraqi Progress in Mosul

By Jeff Seldin January 13, 2017

U.S. officials are hailing the latest push by Iraqi forces into Mosul, confirming reports that a key government building has been retaken from Islamic State fighters.

A senior U.S. defense official said Friday that Iraqi forces had captured the Ninevah province council building from the terror group and had raised the Iraqi flag.

"It's both a symbolic victory and a significant operational victory," acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Elissa Slotkin told reporters during a Pentagon briefing.

"[We are] thrilled to see the success continue and that we've got the momentum that's so required," she added.

Also Friday, Iraqi special forces stormed Mosul University, taking control of a neighborhood to the northeast, as well as some parts of the campus. Witnesses said IS was putting up a fight and reported heavy clashes in some areas.

"Work still needs to be done. But ISIL's days in Mosul are quickly coming to an end," Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said in a statement, using another acronym for the Islamic State group.

Much of the latest progress to retake Mosul has come in the city's east. But a spokesman for Iraq's counterterrorism service told Reuters that its forces also had reached two of the five bridges connecting the eastern and western parts of the city, which are separated by the Tigris River.

Still, U.S. defense officials remained cautious, warning the fight against IS in Iraq was most likely far from over.

"Beyond Mosul, we are going to need a strong coalition presence, because the fight is not done," said Slotkin.

"They [IS] are in western Iraq, and that border needs to be re-established," she added. "We have some areas that remain an open plain, and we've seen ISIL in the past exploit that."

There have been questions about how the U.S. role in the fight against IS in Iraq and Syria may change, with some officials of the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump having talked openly about speeding up the campaign.

Slotkin said Pentagon officials have been meeting with members of the Trump transition team, describing the talks as "very open." She also said, however, there is only so much more the U.S. and the coalition can do.

"We have a plan in place right now," she said, referring to the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa as an example. "It moves as fast as local forces on the ground are able to move."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russia's Western Military District to Get Four S-400 Missile Systems in 2017

Sputnik News

08:49 13.01.2017(updated 12:27 13.01.2017)

The Russian Aerospace Forces and the Western Military District's air defense will be equipped with four new sets of advanced S-400 Triumf missile systems this year, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The ministry's press service said Thursday that four sets of the air defense systems were expected to equip the Aerospace Forces in 2017. This year's first regiment armed with S-400 entered combat duty in Moscow Region.

"The soldiers will soon begin the planned training of operating and applying the new technology. The systems will be part of Northwest Russia's air defense system," Western Military District spokesman Col. Igor Muginov said.

Russia's anti-aircraft missile regiment armed with the S-400 Triumf system has entered combat duty in Crimea, the Southern Military District said Friday.

"The regiment's personnel successfully passed retraining, and training missile launches took place in August last year as part of Kavkaz-2016 strategic command-and-staff exercise," the district's press service said.

It said the S-400s equipped the Guards Air Defense Missile Regiment of Sevastopol and Feodosia in 2016.

S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) is Russia's most advanced surface-to-air missile system that has a range of 400 kilometers (248 miles) and is capable of tracking and destroying all existing aerial targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syrian Army Retakes Vital Source of Freshwater Near Damascus  Source

Sputnik News

20:15 13.01.2017

The Syrian army has freed the Bassemeh village in the Wadi Barada valley and has returned control of the Ein Al Fejeh spring that supplies the capital of Damascus and its suburbs, according to a source.

BEIRUT (Sputnik)  The army loyal to the Syrian government has reclaimed a vital spring in the Wadi Barada valley that supplies water to Damascus, a source familiar with the matter told RIA Novosti on Friday.

The Syrian capital gets most of the water from springs in the Wadi Barada valley. Water supplies were drastically reduced in late December.

"The Syrian army has freed the Bassemeh village in the Wadi Barada valley and has returned control of the Ein Al Fejeh spring that supplies the capital of Damascus and its suburbs," the source said.

According to the source, Syrian bomb squads were combing the area to defuse landmines that retreating Islamists had left behind. He said militants from the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, banned in Russia and formerly known as Nusra Front, had damaged all water pumps.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Pentagon Backs Expanding Flight Deconfliction Agreement With Russia in Syria

Sputnik News

19:57 13.01.2017(updated 20:02 13.01.2017)

The Pentagon welcomes the expansion of the Memorandum of Understanding with Russia on flight operations in Syria, a US official said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US Department of Defense supports the expansion of the Memorandum of Understanding with Russia on flight operations in Syria, Acting US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Elissa Slotkin said in a briefing on Friday.

"We have constantly improved upon that document since we started," Slotkin told reporters. "I am in total favor to expand upon it as needed."

On October 20, 2015, senior officials from the US Defense Department and the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a Memorandum of Understanding on flight safety in Syria's airspace which, to date, has proven effective.

In October 2016, US Central Command spokesman John Thomas told Sputnik the United States is searching for processes and technologies that can improve the effectiveness of communication and deconfliction with Russia.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syrian Army, Opposition Militants Agree on Truce in Barada Valley Near Damascus

Sputnik News

19:05 13.01.2017(updated 19:06 13.01.2017)

The government troops and armed opposition concluded a truce in Barada Valley near the Syrian capital.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Syrian army and militants of the armed opposition have agreed on a truce in Barada Valley, the agreement was reached without the UN participation, Syrian state media reported.

"The agreement will cover 10 villages and was signed with 1,200 people [militants]. The situation was settled by the Syrian government and interested sides without UN interference or presence," the Al-Ikhbariya television channel reported.

In late December, terrorists blew up a water pipeline in the Wadi Barada area, which was used to supply the Syrian capital with drinking water. Al-Nusra Front militants also seized the Ain al-Fija water pumping station. On Wednesday, January 11, the Damascus province governor said agreements had been reached with militants for engineers to access the Ain al-Fija facilities and on repair of the water pipeline in Barada Valley. A few hours later, militants denied that any deals had been reached with the Syrian leadership.

Al-Ikhbariya reported Friday citing the Damascus governor that engineers had been allowed to enter the facilities in Ain al-Fija, and water supply would be restored in full soon.

A source told Sputnik Thursday that the Syrian army would continue the military operation in Barada Valley until militants started honoring the reached agreements.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front and Daesh, which is banned in a range of countries, including Russia.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






As Many as 27 Syrian Armed Opposition Groups Sign Final Document at Ankara Talks

Sputnik News

15:49 13.01.2017(updated 16:30 13.01.2017)

As many as 27 groups of the armed Syrian opposition and the so-called interim government of Syria signed a final document at the opposition meeting in Ankara, according to the document seen by Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A total of 31 groups, the interim government and a group of independent opposition figures took part in the event.

The document contains a number of conditions under which the opposition would form a single delegation to participate in Astana talks. For instance, an introduction of a 10-day truce in southern Syria and Damascus since Friday was included in the list.

The document was in particular signed by Ajnad al-Sham, Free Idlib Army, Northern Division, as well as by Jaysh al-Islam and Fastaqim, cooperating with al-Nusra Front terrorist group, outlawed in Russia.

However, such groups as Ahrar al-Sham, Bayan Movement, Faylaq al-Sham refused to sign the agreement.

A major conference of opposition and government delegations is scheduled for January 23 in Kazakhstan's capital Astana. The talks are expected to be followed by a new round of negotiations on Syrian peace in Geneva on February 8.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front and Daesh, which is banned in a range of countries, including Russia.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syria: Israel Launched Attack on Air Base Near Damascus

By VOA News January 13, 2017

The Syrian army said Friday Israel has launched a missile strike on a Syrian military air base near Damascus that has caused a series of explosions.

The army, in a statement, accused Israel of aiding the "terrorist groups" in Syria with the bombing.

"The Syrian army command and armed forces warn the Israeli enemy of the repercussions of this blatant attack and stress it will continue its war on terrorism," the statement said.

State media report the attack on Mezzah air base was launched from somewhere near Lake Tiberias in northern Israel.

The Syrian military airport had been used as a base to fire rockets into rebel-held areas in the Damascus suburbs.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported eight explosions around the air base when explosives apparently hit ammunition stockpiles. No casualties were reported.

Israel has been accused of launching several attacks against weapons systems and positions held by the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group in Syria since civil war broke out in the country nearly six years ago, including three missile strikes in 2016.

The Israeli military has not commented on Friday's reported attack.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Taiwan's New Southbound Policy sees initial fruit

ROC Central News Agency

2017/01/13 23:05:48

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) The Executive Yuan said Friday Taiwan's exports to countries covered under the government's New Southbound Policy totaled US$5.37 billion in December, up 20 percent from the same month last year.

Among them, exports to the 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos -- totaled US$4.72 billion, up 22.9 percent from December last year.

The New Southbound Policy, introduced by President Tsai Ing-wen (), seeks to promote ties with the 10 ASEAN nations along with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Australia and New Zealand.

However, talent exchanges between the two sides increased at a much slower pace. Students from the above 18 countries studying in Taiwan totaled 29,145 in the 2016 academic year, up only 2.1 percent from the 28,550 in the 2015 academic year.

Among them, the number of students from the ASEAN totaled 27,264, up 1.9 percent year-on-year. One noteworthy change was that the number of students from South Asia was up 12.4 percent year-on-year, totaling 1,443.

The office said that relevant government agencies will put in more resources this year to boost the number of South Asian or Southeast Asian students coming here.

In addition to various trade promotion, it will also expand the number of scholarships offered to students from those two regions as a way to attract them to study in Taiwan's higher education institutions.

(By Tang Pei-chun and Lilian Wu)

Enditem/cs

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






President Tsai addresses Guatemalan Congress, reaffirms bilateral ties

ROC Central News Agency

2017/01/13 13:38:46

Guatemala City, Jan. 12 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () delivered a speech to the Congress of Guatemala Thursday, during which she reaffirmed the value of the long-standing relations between Taiwan and the Central American country and her administration's commitment to "steadfast diplomacy."

Although Taiwan is geographically far from Guatemala, the two countries have maintained a friendship for more than 80 years and they share common values such as democracy, she said.

Tsai's speech was broadcast live on Guatemala's congressional TV channel, which was set up with Taiwan's assistance, and marked the launch of the system.

Since she took office in May 2016, Tsai said, her administration has been promoting relations with other countries based on "steadfast diplomacy," which seeks mutually beneficial cooperation.

She cited the example of an ongoing highway expansion project in Guatemala, which is being carried out with Taiwan's assistance and involves the work of a Taiwanese engineering construction company.

"We believe that infrastructure construction is conducive to industrial development and prosperity in the society," Tsai said.

She said Taiwan is providing assistance to Guatemala, not only in the area of public infrastructure, but also in education and the cultivation of talent.

The 51 Guatemalans currently studying in Taiwan on scholarships provided by Taiwan will become citizen ambassadors when they return home and will help deepen bilateral relations, Tsai said.

She said the two countries are also engaged in cooperation in the area of public health and are discussing a new project to provide medical care for pregnant women and newborns.

Furthermore, industries such as agro-processing, green energy, logistics, digital information and communication technology, which Central American countries are seeking to develop, are also of interest to Taiwan, Tsai said.

She expressed the hope the Taiwanese businesses representatives in her delegation would learn more about business opportunities in Guatemala.

In an effort to build Taiwan's trade relations with Central America, Tsai said, her government will organize more regular visits by Taiwanese business delegations to Central America to explore investment and procurement opportunities.

In the spirit of reciprocity, Taiwan will try to find new paths for bilateral cooperation with its diplomatic allies to achieve mutually beneficial results, Tsai said.

At the Congress, she also signed the visitors' book, writing "fight for democracy, pursue freedom."

The previous day, Tsai assured Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales that Taiwan was willing to continue its assistance into the fourth stage of Guatemala's CA-9 highway expansion project.

Guatemala was the third leg of Tsai's state visit to four Central American countries, including Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

She has since traveled to El Salvador on the final leg of her nine-day state visit and is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Jan. 15 via San Francisco.

Tsai's visit to Central America is aimed at consolidating ties with Taiwan's diplomatic allies in that region after the small West African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan on Dec. 20, 2016.

(By Sophia Yeh and Elaine Hou)

ENDITEM/pc

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Why Did Taiwan President Meet with Influential Texas Lawmakers?

By Steve Miller January 13, 2017

Following the 2016 presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump took a call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and questioned whether the U.S. should continue following the policy laid out in 1979 recognizing the communist-led People's Republic of China as the sole government of China, or "one China."

This week, when Tsai was traveling to Central America, she had a brief stopover in Houston, Texas. There, she met with Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

John Minnich, senior East Asia analyst with intelligence firm Stratfor says the significance isn't in the meeting itself, but, "There is a significance that lays in the broader context of the visit and it takes place against the backdrop of real flux in cross strait relations and US-Taiwan relations. I mean this is a moment of incredible uncertainty as to what's going to happen."

Minnich says that Tsai is essentially caught in the middle as the U.S. and China are re-thinking their relationships.

However; Harry Kazianis, the Director of Defense Studies at the Center for the National Interest called the meeting "extremely significant because they're trying to reach out to beyond the Trump camp and to reach out to other mainstream Republicans to try and build these connections and these linkages."

Not first meeting in US for Tsai

While in the "here and now," attention is focused on the Tsai-Cruz-Abbott meeting in Texas, Minnich points out that last year, Tsai met Senator Marco Rubio in Florida, so this type of meeting isn't a first of its kind.

Kazianis also emphasized its "low-key" nature and how Taiwan doesn't necessarily want to upset the status quo.

But as Minnich points out "on the most fundamental level, Taiwan sovereignty is an issue of other countries and with that in mind, Taiwan is in a very precarious situation right now because China has been very adamant [and] steadfast in working to further isolate Taiwan diplomatically."

Why meet with Tsai?

"I think that Senator Cruz has made it very clear that he's interested in Asia policy, he's very interested also trying to build ties with Taiwan for his state," said Kazianis, noting that there's a significant trade relationship between the US and Taiwan.

"So we're talking about billions and billions of dollars in bilateral trade," he added, "and I think that's very important for individual states to try and work with Taiwan and for Taiwan it's very important. It's difficult for them to increase the bilateral relationship as much as they want with the United States, but individual states can do that very reasonably and very effectively."

China has established the adherence of the "one China" policy as the basis for continued relations with Beijing. And because it has a robust military and is the second largest world economy with global ties, Kazianis suggests "no country is going to change the "one China" policy however, there's a lot of room to maneuver just below that threshold."

If a country does decide to break with that, Minnich says China would respond "through diplomatic isolation and military intimidation of Taiwan to compel Taiwan to back off but also do what it can through economic coercion to affect that country."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Turkish Constitutional Amendments May Be Put to Referendum by End of Week

Sputnik News

15:43 13.01.2017(updated 15:48 13.01.2017)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that amendments to the Turkish Constitution, introducing a full presidential system, may be put to the referendum by the end of the week.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  Amendments to the Turkish Constitution, introducing a full presidential system, may be put to the referendum by the end of the week, the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Friday.

"Article 8 [on the expansion of presidential powers] has been passed. The presidential system is a well-established approach in the developed countries. If the parliament would work just as stable, then this week, after a discussion of the remaining clauses of the draft, constitutional amendments would be put to a referendum. If the parliament becomes dysfunctional, it would be possible to consider early elections," Erdogan said as quoted by NTV broadcaster.

Under Article 8, the president will have the powers to appoint and dismiss ministers. The provision passed the parliament early on Friday with 340 votes in favor to 135 against. Voting on the remaining 10 articles is set to continue through the day.

If the entire package is adopted with the approval of at least 330 lawmakers, a national referendum will be held on the issue. However, if 367 or more lawmakers support the bill, it can be passed into law without a referendum.

The controversial bill is described as a power-grab by Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party and pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






VANCOUVER, Jan. 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Eco Oro Minerals Corp. ("Eco Oro" or the "Company") (TSX: EOM) announces that the independent members of the Board of Directors of Eco Oro (excluding the President and CEO, Executive Chairman and Trexs appointed director) have unanimously approved and the Company has implemented a management incentive plan (the "Plan") to incentivize certain key personnel with the successful prosecution and collection of the Company's arbitration claim against Colombia under the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (the "Arbitration"). Implementation of a management incentive plan is a requirement under the terms of the investment agreement entered into by the Company and Trexs Investments, LLC ("Trexs") on July 21, 2016.

Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, a committee of the board of directors of the Company (the "Committee") has been appointed to administer the Plan. The Committee will, among other things, be responsible for determining whether to grant participants under the Plan certain cash retention amounts that will not exceed, in aggregate, 7% of the gross proceeds of the Arbitration.

Awards under the Plan will be at the sole discretion of the Committee taking into consideration, among other things, the amount of the proceeds received from the Arbitration and the time dedicated by each participant to the Arbitration proceedings. No member of the Committee is a participant under the Plan.

Company Profile

Eco Oro Minerals Corp. is a publicly?traded precious metals exploration and development company with a portfolio of projects in Colombia. Eco Oro has been focused on its wholly?owned, multi?million ounce Angostura gold?silver deposit, located in northeastern Colombia.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward?Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward?looking" within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Arbitration, proceeds from the Arbitration, the determinations of the Committee, grants and payments pursuant to the Plan and the Company's ability to retain the participants under the Plan. Forward-looking statements are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "in the event", "if", "believes", "asserts", "position", "intends", "envisages", "assumes", "recommends", "estimates", "approximate", "projects", "potential", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward?looking statements are necessarily based upon the current belief, opinions and expectations of management that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant litigation, business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and other contingencies. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward?looking statements. These factors include, among others, uncertainties related to the Arbitration, the likelihood of the Company being successful in the Arbitration, whether any awards are granted pursuant to the Plan and the amount of any such grants, the determinations of the Committee, as well as other risk factors set out under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Annual Information Form dated March 11, 2016, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward?looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE Eco Oro Minerals Corp.










This is an interesting tidbit about the upcoming presidential inauguration, see Head of D.C. National Guard to be removed from post in middle of inauguration. I'm assuming that the incoming administration considers the commander of the D.C. National Guard as just another political appointee whose term will end somewhere during the inauguration.If I was defending the move, which I'm not, I'd say that the incoming and interim brigadier general (one star) has been involved in the planning for the inauguration and that there are no command issues.Personally, I'd say, you get to stay on an additional day/week and then you are gone. But, there is nothing that's going to be "usual" about the next four years.Jennifer Grosman shared the link above.
Russian hackers may have conducted cyberattacks against the nations two main political parties, influenced the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and hacked a voter registration system in Arizona, but contrary to what they said earlier this week, Arizona officials now believe a recent password-reset email sent to lawmakers and staffers could have been malware  not another Russian breach.That could be good news for Arizona officials, TV viewers jarred on Thursday by a 10-minute replacement of C-SPAN coverage with state-run Russian TV network footage, and anyone stirred by the recent revelation of an unverified but salacious file on President-elect Donald Trumps ties to Russia.But its far from the only recent example of unauthorized attempts to gain access to official computers and networks, amid serious concerns about their security.In Arizona, as reported by The Arizona Republic , the state shuttered outside access to its payroll and human resources system over the Jan. 7 weekend after about 100 officials and employees received a password-reset email. When some clicked on a link provided, a window with Russian writing opened.State Chief Information Security Officer Mike Lettman emailed legislative staffers on the evening of Jan. 6 letting them know anyone who clicked the link or changed their password had had their login and password compromised  and that doing so could have compromised their desktop or laptop.But on Monday, Jan. 9, Megan Rose, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Administration, told the newspaper a phishing attack had been ruled out, the payroll system hadnt been tampered with and the emails could have been legitimate.The department has been analyzing PCs to determine whether malware could have prompted them to change browser language settings.The incident came roughly seven months after the FBI alerted Arizona officials in June that Russian hackers had targeted the states voter registration system. As The Washington Post reported, the FBI considered the threat credible and significant, an eight on a scale of one to 10, and as a result the Arizona secretary of state closed the system for almost a week.The hackers, it later became clear, hadnt actually compromised any voting system but had stolen the username and password of a Gila County election official.Elsewhere during the past year: Hacking, phishing and distributed denial of service attacks aside, Government Technology columnist and cybersecurity expert Dan Lohrmann concluded days before the Nov. 8 general election that the process would remain trustworthy. Among 10 reasons, Lohrmann pointed out that voting machines arent connected to the Internet; most have a paper ballot backup process; states were getting help from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and state governments, not the feds, count votes. Amid nationwide concern over cyberattacks, Hawaiian election officials ramped up their vigilance in November. Hawaiis Office of Elections reached out for guidance on additional security procedures to the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, an elections official told Following massive DDoS attacks in September and October, Lohrmann noted manufacturers had already been warned that Internet of Things (IoT) devices should be secured. After attending Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walkers fourth annual cybersecurity summit, he cited key points from the keynote address  among them that makers of IoT devices generally arent computer or security companies and dont see security as their responsibility; and that few incentives currently exist to get IoT security right. While I would prefer to see voluntary action taken by industry rather than new regulation, it appears that the voluntary approach is not working, Lohrmann wrote in In September, the 2016 Deloitte-National Association of State CIOs Cybersecurity Study arrived. Its executive summary found rising high-level state awareness, with governors increasingly likely to receive updates from their CIOs and CISOs, and that cybersecurity was becoming part of governments operational fabric. But it warned of a need to rethink recruitment strategies to attract younger talent. In late August, FBI Director James Comey told the Symantec Government Symposium how the bureau was increasing its efforts to identify and rebuff cyberattackers. He identified state-backed efforts as the highest level of cyberthreats, said the FBI has set up teams nationwide to combat the problem, and warned of the threat posed by encrypted devices. With rising national concern over the security of votes about to be cast in the presidential election, McClatchy reporter David Goldstein highlighted sobering recent revelations on that front. Among them: Georgia uses older voting machines that dont automatically produce a paper trail. In June, information from up to 90,000 Illinois voters was hacked in a one-month cyberattack on the State Board of Elections that could have been foreign in origin. No files of registered voters were erased or modified and no voting histories or signatures were captured, the Chicago Tribune reported. After this attack and the June attempt in Arizona, the FBI issued a flash alert to warn about malicious attempts to access states voter registration information.
Officials in the state of Georgia have outlined a plan to boost the states cybersecurity positioning through a series of partnerships with academic, federal and private allies in one central location. Earlier this week , Gov. Nathan Deal announced an ambitious effort to build the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center in conjunction with Augusta University, the U.S. Armys Cyber Command at Fort Gordon and private-industry partners.The undertaking is part of a $50 million investment to help the state leverage the regions existing cyber-resources and further develop the educational opportunities circling the computer science and cybersecurity industry.So often, people talk about the way we are going to solve cybersecurity is academia, industry and government agencies are going to have to come together, and really this building is about being a catalyst to bring all of those groups together, Joanne Sexton, director of the Augusta University Cyber Institute, explained.The 150,000-square-foot center is set to be constructed and occupied by a mix of public and private partners over the course of the next 18 months.One of the things about the Augusta area, we are very, very fortunate as a university to be located right next door to Fort Gordon, which is the home of the Cyber Center of Excellence, NSA Georgia and the future home of the Armys Cyber Command Headquarters. So partly, the concept of the state of Georgia, Gov. Deal, his vision of creating this center here is to take advantage of what is already here The center could also address the ongoing challenge of new talent development, which is one Sexton said she sees playing out at the state level. Within the public sector, the training and retention of new staff has been an ongoing challenge nationwide  especially as private-sector jobs tend to pay more and offer more flexibility.By focusing opportunities and resources into one location, Sexton and other officials are hopeful that students will hone their skill sets and become valuable assets in government and private industry.Under current plans, businesses will be able to rent space in the state-owned, university-managed facility next to academic and public-sector cohorts. Sexton refers to the potential for idea sharing as cross-pollination.We certainly hope that industries think that this is definitely a winning solution that they want to be part of, she said. From the university standpoint, the fact that our students will actually go to school in this center and they can just go walk across the hallway and rub elbows with the professionals who they want to be like, what an opportunity.In cyber, its all about hands on activity and keeping your skills very, very fresh. Well, we need a mechanism to do that. And thats what this center is.In a statement, Fort Gordons Maj. Gen. John B. Morrison Jr. said the addition of the cyber-range to the mix of the centers offerings provide additional opportunity to parter with the larger community.With the establishment of Fort Gordon as the Army's Cyber Center of Excellence and soon as the Headquarters for Army Cyber Command, Fort Gordon will quickly become the hub of Cyberspace Operations for the Army, he said. Investments such as the cyber-range will not only enable our nation to maintain its advantage in a highly contested cyberspace domain, it will also allow for the type of partnerships between the Department of Defense, academia, and industry that is required to attract, produce, and retain the caliber of workforce necessary to be a global leader in cyberspace operations and cyber technologies.
Frederic Vasseur says he might not be done with his F1 career.

The Frenchman says he quit as Renault team boss after a single year because the management team together with Cyril Abiteboul was not effective.

And now in conversation with the French broadcaster Canal Plus, he credited inspiration from Nico Rosberg in helping to make the call.

"During the break, I thought that you should not compromise and you should do what is true to your heart," said Vasseur.

"I thought of Nico, who was not driven by fame or money but by what he wanted to do, and I found that very attractive," he added.

Vasseur said his biggest achievement in 2016 was convincing Nico Hulkenberg to leave Force India in order to drive for the French works team this year and beyond.

"This was the hardest part of my decision," he said, "because I am close to Nico and I put everything into convincing him to join us.

"I think he's one of the most talented drivers of the junior series of the last ten years," Vasseur added. "There were three who won GP2 as rookies: Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg, and I hope that the third will also be world champion."

As for his own future, Vasseur said: "Formula one may be an option, it just depends in what form. We'll see."

(GMM)
According to the companys admissions, in the late 1990s, Takata began developing airbag inflators that relied upon ammonium nitrate as their primary propellant. From at least in or around 2000, Takata knew that certain ammonium nitrate-based inflators were not performing to the specifications required by the auto manufacturers. Takata also knew that certain inflators had sustained failures, including ruptures, during testing.

Tokyo-based Takata Corporation, one of the worlds largest suppliers of automotive safety-related equipment, agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and pay a total of $1 billion in criminal penalties stemming from the companys fraudulent conduct in relation to sales of defective airbag inflators. An indictment was also unsealed charging three Takata executives with wire fraud and conspiracy in relation to the same conduct.

Nevertheless, Takata induced its customers to purchase these airbag systems by submitting false and fraudulent reports and other information that concealed the true condition of the inflators. This fraudulent data made the performance of the companys airbag inflators appear better than it actually was, including by omitting that, in some instances, inflators ruptured during testing.

Takata employeesincluding a number of key executivesroutinely discussed the falsification of test reports being provided to Takatas customers in email and in verbal communications. Even after the inflators began to experience repeated problems in the fieldincluding ruptures causing injuries and deathsTakata executives continued to withhold the true and accurate inflator test information and data from their customers.

Takata took no disciplinary actions against those involved in the falsification of test data until 2015, despite the fact that senior executives had been made aware of the fraudulent conduct years earlier.

Takata agreed to plead guilty to a one-count criminal information filed in the Eastern District of Michigan and assigned to US District Judge George Caram Steeh, charging the company with one count of wire fraud. Under the terms of the agreement, Takata will pay a total criminal penalty of $1 billion, including $975 million in restitution and a $25 million fine.

Two restitution funds will be established: a $125-million fund for individuals who have been physically injured by Takatas airbags and who have not already reached a settlement with the company, and a $850 million fund for airbag recall and replacement costs incurred by auto manufacturers who were victims of Takatas fraud scheme. A court-appointed special master will oversee administration of the restitution funds. Takata has also agreed to implement rigorous internal controls, retain a compliance monitor for a term of three years and cooperate fully with the departments ongoing investigation, including its investigation of individuals.

The three Takata executivesShinichi Tanaka, 59; Hideo Nakajima, 65; and Tsuneo Chikaraishi, 61, all Japanese citizenswere each charged in an indictment filed on Dec. 7, 2016, in the Eastern District of Michigan with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud for their alleged conduct in connection with the above-described fraud scheme.

The Department of Justice reached this resolution based on a number of factors, including Takatas cooperation with the governments investigation. However, the company did not receive more significant mitigation credit, either in the penalty or the form of resolution, because of the nature of the conduct to which the company is pleading guilty, including the approximate 15-year duration of the fraud, the pervasiveness of the scheme into the executive level of management and the potential risk the fraud posed to drivers and passengers.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Resources
Teslas Kurt Kelty will deliver one of the opening plenary keynotes at the 34th Annual International Battery Seminar & Exhibit 20-23 March 2017 in Florida. Kelty, Senior Director, Cell Supply Chain & Business Development, will examine the status of material sourcing and sustainable material sourcing for the Gigafactory.

In addition, he will discuss the production of cells for energy products manufactured at the Gigafactory including the Powerwall and Powerpack.

Kelty is the Senior Director of Battery Technology at Tesla Motors in Palo Alto, California. His team in Palo Alto is responsible for setting and implementing Teslas battery cell usage strategy. Kelty is responsible for the technical exchanges and commercial negotiations with each of the battery cell suppliers and early stage battery cell developers.

He leads the team that is particularly focused on evaluating the performance and reliability of cells. Kelty also leads the partnerships and battery cell material sourcing efforts at the Gigafactory. He is responsible for forming and implementing relationships to co-locate at the Gigafactory or to source materials from external suppliers. Ultimately, Kelty is responsible for all the material costs and performance of the battery cells made at the Gigafactory.
Eric Berthel says hes ready for the seven-week dash to the special election for the 32nd District seat in the state Senate.

Its going to be hectic, but it helps that I already know a lot of people in each of the 10 towns, Berthel said.

A Watertown Republican who last week started his second term as state representative for the 68th House District, Berthel established a campaign committee on Monday to capture the Senate seat, which Republicans reportedly have held for more than a century.

Fellow Republican Rob Kane vacated the seat last week after nine years to become a state auditor.

Over the last generation, the 32nd has been represented by two Republican Senate leaders - Lou DeLuca of Woodbury and Richard Bozzuto of Watertown - and by former congressional hopeful Jamie McLaughlin, who lived in Woodbury and then Brookfield.

Geographically, the 32nd District is one of the largest of the states 36 Senate districts, with towns ranging from rural Bridgewater, with just over 1,700 people, to suburban Watertown, which has almost 23,000. The district also includes such metro Danbury towns as Southbury, Washington and Roxbury.

Berthel, the only announced candidate for the GOP nomination, is familiar to the party faithful, having served on the Republican State Central Committee for the district for three years. He also served four years on the Watertown Board of Education, including a stint as interim chairman.

There are no announced Democratic candidates for the special election, which will be held Feb. 28. But Democratic State Central Committee spokesman Leigh Appleby said that there are several potential candidates.

Berthel, who is a vice president for strategic outreach at Hartford Healthcare Federal Credit Union, said he hopes in about two weeks to have the $11,250 in small contributions and 225 signatures required to qualify for a $72,000 grant from the state Citizens Elections Program.

In a special election campaign with a short calendar, you have to get organized right away, said state Rep. Steve Harding (R-107) of Brookfield, who won a seven-week race in February 2015.

Berthel said the campaign will rely heavily on digital advertising, which reportedly helped several GOP legislative candidates last fall, along with phone banks and direct mail.

We probably wont do as much of some of the conventional campaigning, he said. You dont have time for big fundraisers and with snow out its difficult to put up a lot of lawn signs.

Berthel said he hopes to open a headquarters soon at the same site in Watertown that he used during last Novembers election, when he ran unopposed.

Berthel said the prime campaign issue is that Connecticut is broken, facing a projected budget deficit of $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion for the fiscal year starting in July that will fall heavily on municipalities.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced last week that Connecticut needs to find new ways to provide town aid, which at $5.1 billion is the largest expense in the budget.

Berthel said in the 32nd District, Watertown faces a $125,000 reduction in municipal aid.

All of them are middle-class towns that are trying to figure out how they can operate with less state money, he added. Some of the towns in the district are getting a disproportionately lower rate of money from the [Education Cost Sharing] formula. Its putting pressure on them to increase their mill rates.

Berthel said the state needs a shared sacrifice agreement with state employees that could include a three-year wage freeze, larger contributions from them for their pensions and a less expensive pension program for future hires.

Right now in Connecticut, 40 cents of every tax dollar goes to pension costs, he said.

Berthel said even with an agreement with the state employees and a reduction in municipal aid, further reductions will probably have to be made in social services and higher education.

Berthel said he would oppose a tax increase.

We cant tax our way out of this, he said. Its just going to take away money that would be spent on new consumer items and in the restaurants. We saw what happened when taxes were increased in 2011 and 2015.

Berthel said across Connecticut, a largely suburban state, residents are fleeing to big-city innovation hubs such as Boston and New York. In his 2015 book, American Ascendant, Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg wrote that two-thirds of the college-educated millennials live in the nations 51 largest cities.

In the late 1970s Union Carbide moved its world headquarters from New York City to Danbury. In 2016 General Electric moved most of its headquarters from Fairfield to Boston.

The state is not attractive to young people, Berthel said. We dont have a good [transportation] infrastructure.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GREENWICH  At the open house designed to attract new families to New Lebanon Schools magnet program Thursday night, teachers and administrators outnumbered prospective parents.

In the semi-dark library, two parents sat at round tables to watch a PowerPoint presentation on the schools offerings.

New Lebanon Principal Barbara Riccio said the turnout was not unusual. Last year, seven parents came to one of the schools open houses; one parent came to the other.

Hours earlier Thursday, two mothers attended a

magnet open house at Hamilton Avenue School.

I think were just getting the word out, Principal Cindy Rigling said quietly after her presentation.

For New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue schools, magnet students are supposed to be the solution to their racial balance problems. Both schools have been cited as racially imbalanced by the state because their student bodies have much higher percentages of minority students than the district average.

Despite the low turnout, administrators have high hopes. A proposed $37 million new building for New Lebanon is intended to make the school big enough for an influx of students from other parts of town. The thinking is enough families will be attracted to New Lebanons International Baccalaureate magnet program to integrate its student population.

But New Lebanon has been considered racially imbalanced for 10 years, Hamilton Avenue even longer. Similar plans, based on magnets, have not worked in the past. Some are questioning why one would work now.

More Information Magnet school applications These are the number of applicants to each of the four Greenwich magnet elementary schools over the last four years. 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Hamilton Avenue 17 22 31 34 International School at Dundee 110 174 160 181 Julian Curtiss 37 59 59 64 New Lebanon 17 1 11 11 See More Collapse

The state should not step in to pay for a new school  which may or may not solve the problem of racial disparity within the Greenwich school district  until the town has made much greater efforts within its existing school infrastructure.

That was the message Ben Barnes, secretary of the state Office of Policy and Management and a key adviser to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, sent recently to legislators who will vote whether or not to subsidize most of the New Leb building costs.

Barnes memo riled officials in Greenwich, who took state reimbursement for granted  the New Lebanon project being central to a racial balance plan required and approved by the state.

But not everyone was upset. Several community members have written letters to Barnes, the state Board of Education and legislators sharing their own doubts that a larger New Lebanon School will improve racial balance.

I think Ben Barnes is correct when he said in his letter that a magnet school is not an appropriate solution for racial imbalance, said Peter Berg, an RTM member and chairman of its Land Use Committee. How can you vote for a project when you know that its not going to work? Whats the point of constructing a big building thats not going to solve the problem?

Why would someone from Riverside send their kid to Byram? asked Matt Popp, a landscape architect who has opposed the project. I dont think they would.

Popp agrees New Lebanon should be replaced, the current building is overcrowded, but not at the scale being proposed.

I want a school thats sized for Byram, he said, and if were going build a bigger school for magnet students, I want an assurance that it is going to work.

Few applications

New Lebanon implemented its IB magnet program in 2009.

The most applicants it has had in one year is 17. Only 11 students applied to New Lebanon for the current school year. The same number applied in 2015-16. One student applied in 2014-15.

By contrast, 219 students applied to the IB magnet program at the International School at Dundee, on the eastern side of town, over the past four years.

At least 87 nonminority magnet students are needed at New Lebanon to counter the increasing number of minority students residing within the attendance area, and bring the school into balance, according to the districts 2014 magnet school report.

School officials hope more students will apply when a larger school is constructed, postulating that the crowded school, which has no room for new students, has discouraged applications.

Hamilton Avenue, close to New Lebanon on Greenwichs west side, was first cited by the state for being racially imbalanced in 2000. It has changed magnet themes a few times in an effort to attract more applicants. The schools current theme, implemented last school year, is science, technology, engineering and math.

Its magnet applications peaked at 66 in 2009-10, the year after the Hamilton Avenues renovated building opened. Since that year, magnet applications have been about half of that, some years lower. This year, 34 students applied to Hamilton Avenue.

Though it has performed better than New Lebanons, Hamilton Avenues magnet program has not brought the school close to compliance. One reason could be the fact that 24 of the 48 magnet students currently at Hamilton Avenue come from the New Lebanon attendance area, according to the 2016 annual enrollment report.

At New Lebanon, more students are moving out of the attendance area to other schools through the choice program than are coming in. And those leaving are disproportionately white, according to a 2015-16 magnet school report.

The net impact of school choice is neutral at HA and increases racial imbalance at NL, the report states.

Moreover, a 2013 survey of Greenwich families suggests results are not likely to change dramatically in the future.

Of parents surveyed from Parkway, Cos Cob, North Street, Glenville, North Mianus and Old Greenwich schools, more than 73 percent said they would definitely prefer their neighborhood school to another school in Greenwich. Among white parents surveyed, 86 percent said they definitely or probably preferred their neighborhood school.

The right recipe

Board of Education Chairman Peter Sherr this week compared designing a magnet school to making a souffle.

If you get the recipe right, its magnificent. If you get it wrong, its not so great, he said. To me, that is the essence of our challenge.

Last week he said if the district gets the recipe right for New Lebanon, a magnet program there could be successful in addressing racial balance. In the past, however, Sherr has been a voice against the New Lebanon project.

At an October 2014 school board meeting, Sherr questioned the wisdom of creating a much-larger school in Byram.

I think its going to make it very difficult to address the rest of the community, whos going to say, Wait a second, you want to grow that school by 162 percent, you have schools that are under capacity, and you want a lot of capital dollars to do it,  he said.

Sherr last week said he is not sure whether facility ranks compared to magnet theme, student test scores and school reputation when parents are considering potential magnet schools.

Theres no doubt that the administration and the building committee believe that a wow facility is a very important ingredient to the success of a magnet, he said.

When it comes to the importance of a new facility to parents, we could do a lot more work to understand that, he said.

Interim Superintendent Sal Corda said he does not expect a quick, drastic turnaround at New Lebanon.

I dont think it is reasonable to expect that you are going to see a flood of students the minute the doors of the new school open up, he said.

Like Sherr, he argued the success of a magnet school depends on many factors. He suggested parents should consider the academic performance of a magnet school by looking at how it serves children similar to their own.

We have to market the schools, if you will, in a way that encourages people to  read the label. Find out what all of the ingredients are, he said.

The state approved Greenwichs most recent racial balance plan, centered around the New Lebanon project, in 2014. Cordas voice rose last week when asked if legislators should fund the new school, despite Barnes memo.

If you change the rules, you change the rules for those folks going forward. You dont change the rules for people who have operated in good faith under the existing law, and thats what we did, he said. I dont think it is a reasonable argument to make what in effect says, We dont care what the law said. We dont think it is good policy. And our recommendation is ignore the law because we dont think its good policy. To me, theres a disconnect there.

Mr. Barnes may presume that this will be a failure and not worthy of investment, Sherr said. We dont share his view.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
NEW CANAAN  Eleven Wesleyan students were looking for a night of fun when they took MDMA, otherwise known as molly in February 2015. What they got was 108-degree temperatures, causing them to be hospitalized.

U.S. attorney for Connecticut Deirdre Daly charged the Wesleyan students who sold the molly with distributing controlled substances. At least two faced jail time.

It was really precedent-setting, said Bridgeport attorney Ed Gavin. Normally, the federal government doesnt get involved if a kid is smoking a joint in his dorm. Deirdre Dalys logic was it was a public health concern.

Gavin agrees with Dalys logic and has seen cases against dealers increase in the past few years. Even gifting someone with drugs can be viewed as distribution or even manslaughter if the user dies from an overdose.

Distributors are always being charged on a public health basis, Gavin said. Prosecutors are going after individuals, even if theyre younger because theyre concerned.

This has trickled down to New Canaan. Mark Lynch, 57, of Parade Hill Road, is facing manslaughter, possession and distribution charges after providing the heroin that led to his sons fatal overdose. The charges reflect a shift in the legal system where prosecutors are shifting their focus from addicts to the people supplying the drugs.

With possession of small amounts of narcotics going from a felony to a misdemeanor, courts are more attuned to the needs of people with drug addictions. Initiatives like diversionary programs allow addicts facing possession charges to attend drug education classes and do community service to have charges dismissed.

Throwing these people in jail for two to three years, taxpayers pay $150,000, Gavin said. Then they come out and are in the same position. People are realizing that locking up people is costly and theyre better off getting treatment.

Many judges are also willing to show leniency toward a defendant if they are getting treatment, often letting them defer court dates while they complete an approved program. Patients, with the courts approval, can choose between intensive inpatient programs or outpatient programs that allow them to live outside the hospital while they receive treatment.

Typically judges will, with court permission and sufficient proof of inpatient treatment, tend to allow defendant with an open case to stay inpatient until they finish treatment, said Stamford-based attorney Mark Sherman. That seems to be an unspoken rule because the courts typically want to encourage sobriety, especially when accused is making a commitment to inpatient. Thats essentially jail but with added bonus of resources you need to rehabilitate yourself.

Sherman said courts focus on individual cases to deem whats best. He said generally, judges want to see recovery and have been sensitive to the wave of opioid abuse. But the problem lies in addicts being charged as distributors when they sell small amounts to support their own habits.

If you have someone selling for the sole purpose to make money, theyre the people who are going to get punished the most, but the people that are selling small amounts of opiates to support an addiction, its really critical that defense attorneys explain that to judges and prosecutors to distinguish them from profiteering dealers, Sherman said. Initially, all charges look the same on the front of a file, but a defense attorney really needs to drill down and construct a narrative about a client that shows an addiction struggle and get leniency in the system.

Right now, the mandatory minimum sentence for selling up to one ounce of heroin in Connecticut is five years.

The mandatory minimum that were established by lawmakers predate the recent popularity of opiates, Sherman said. It doesnt take into consideration how addictive and widespread this problem is, so we have young kids facing felony mandatory minimum jail time and thankfully, prosecutors have the discretion to look at cases and reduce charges where they see fit which they do.

This search to target distributors has also led to police using people facing drug charges as informants, offering defendants lighter penalties in exchange for them offering information on dealers.

The police, and I dont begrudge them for this, but they lean very hard on people arrested for opiates to be concealed informants so they can get to the source of the drugs, Sherman said. Sometimes that can be very helpful for a defendant, but sometimes can be very dangerous and that really should be discussed with lawyer before any decisions made.

Sherman said being an informant can lead to potential retaliation from dealers, putting an already vulnerable defendant in danger.

Another area of concern is when an addict goes to jail according to Dr. Eric Collins, physician-in-chief at Silver Hill Hospital. Collins said in his experience, courts have been very willing to work with hospital patients in treatment, whether it be one of Silver Hills inpatient programs, outpatient programs or a residential program where patients live on the grounds but have a lower level of treatment.

We dont have complete control and there are situations where the legal system wont be flexible if the charges are purely drug-related, Collins said. But Ive never seen a case where they didnt work with us flexibly to accommodate someone in treatment...Its case-by-case. In certain situations and circumstances, the court might not be entirely flexible, but by and large patient problems with legal consequences are usually well accommodated for treatment.

But the problem arises when someone is in prison and cant get help for their addiction. Some may not be able to continue the medications they were on for detox when they enter a correctional facility. After going through withdrawal in prison others are likely to come out and possibly overdose when they begin to use again.

Most criminal justice settings dont make it possible or easy for patients to continue on methadone treatments, Collins said. Thats a major concern and theres some people pushing for maintenance for the criminal justice population with a once a month shot.

This shot of naltrexone blocks the opioid receptors so the drug doesnt get into the nervous system and users dont feel high. While Collins said it isnt recommended for everyone, it may help prevent overdoses once users are out of prison and at the highest risk for overdose.

Despite this treatment option, many addicts in prison may still struggle to access methadone, often used to treat opioid addiction, as well as access things like therapy which may help them deal with their addiction.

But things are improving as attorneys, prosecutors and judges learn more about an increasingly sweeping epidemic.

The courts arent here to throw addicts in jail, Sherman said. Thats not their purpose, thats not what they can do and I dont think theres enough bandwidth in the state to even put all addicts in jail. Thats not what they want to do.

ekayata@hearstmediact.com; @erin_kayata
The former Pakistan PM, who survived an assassination attempt on Thursday, delivered an address from a Lahore hospital on Friday.
It looks like Samsung enjoys silent announcements this Friday the 13th. Following the quiet unveiling of the Galaxy C7 Pro in China, the company has now listed the Galaxy J3 Emerge on its official website for the US. This handset is a slightly tweaked version of the still unannounced Galaxy J3 (2017) that will be sold in international markets. The J3 Emerge's existence (and launch in the first half of January) was revealed last month.

That said, the leak in question spoke of a January 6 unveiling, so Samsung was a week late compared to that. The Galaxy J3 Emerge will be sold by Sprint as well as its prepaid brands, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. In fact, Samsung has specific versions for all three carriers up on its website. There are no hardware differences, though.

Regardless of whether you buy your J3 Emerge from or for Sprint, Boost, or Virgin Mobile, it will come with the same 5-inch 720p display, 5 MP rear camera with f/1.9 aperture and 1080p video recording, 2 MP selfie shooter with f/2.2 aperture, Snapdragon 430 chipset at the helm, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and 2,600 mAh battery. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Its dimensions are 140.9 x 70.1 x 8.7 mm and it weighs 147g. Only one color version is listed, namely silver. Samsung says the Galaxy J3 Emerge's recommended retail pricing is $234.99, and it will even let you pre-order the Sprint model from its online store.

However, if you must have this phone as soon as possible, you should probably order it from Best Buy, since the retailer claims it will get it to you by January 23 if you act now. Once again the full price is $234.99, but Best Buy is also offering you the possibility of signing up for Sprint's device payment plan, in which case you shell out nothing upfront, then followed by 24 monthly installments of $7.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Via (in Dutch)
Honor is just about ready to roll out the update for Honor 8 users in Japan. Huawei Japan has officially announced that the Nougat update will begin to deploy to Honor 8 users on Monday January 16 after 12:00 and the rollout take about a full month to reach all users.

Honor has been beta testing the Android Nougat update for the Honor 8 for the past few months. Users participating in the Nougat beta have been receiving periodic beta builds since around November of last year. With the Nougat update, the Honor 8 will run EMUI 5.0 which brings significant aesthetic differences, as well as a hyper-optimized user experience.

The Nougat update brings dual-window functionality, improved notifications and quick toggles, as well as a more refined version of Doze.

The update will be about 1.97GB in size and Honor recommends your battery should be at more than 50% capacity before installing. To manually check for a firmware update, you can go to Settings > System update > Check for updates.

With the Japanese rollout of Nougat on the Honor 8 coming next week, it shouldnt be much longer before the Honor 8 gets updated in other markets, notably, the US, UK, and Euro markets should be next in line.

Source (Translated) | Via




Haiti - Politics : Demonstration of support to Guy Philippe front US embassy





Friday, more than 200 people, supporters and sympathizers of Senator Guy Philippe, brandishing his photo, Haitian flags and shouting slogans hostile to the Americans, demonstrated in front of the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, where an important security device of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) and the peacekeepers of Minustah, had been deployed to avoid any overflow.



The protesters demanded the return to Haiti of Senator Guy Philippe, arrested and extradited to the United States on January 5, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19721-haiti-flash-senator-guy-philippe-extradited-to-the-usa.html , accused by the American justice of drug trafficking and money laundering and targeted by an arrest warrant issued in 2005 by a US federal court.



"We want to tell the Americans to bring Guy Philippe back to the airport, where they kidnapped him. It is not because we do not have an army, because we are a small country, that Americansmay think they are allowed to enter here and arrest an elected Senator," said a very motivated supporter of Senator Philippe.



It is worth mentioning that it was not the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that arrested the Haitian Senator on the national territory, but Haitian agents of the Anti-Trafficking Bureau (BLTS), and it was the Haitian security forces who subsequently handed over the same day to the DEA Senator Guy Phlippe for his transfer to the United States.



The same Friday, Guy Philippe, went to the Miami Federal Court for the arraignment hearing https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19731-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-the-charges-are-known-appearing-on-january-13-2017.html accompanied by his American lawyers Zeljka Bozanic and Richard Okyere Dansoh, he pleaded not guilty before a Miami judge to the charges the federal government had against him https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19796-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-pleads-not-guilty.html . No date has been set for the next hearing.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19796-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-pleads-not-guilty.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19790-haiti-security-all-closed-schools-in-the-department-of-grande-anse.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19774-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-was-extradited-on-what-legal-basis.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19767-haiti-flash-americans-attacked-houses-burned-down.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19757-haiti-flash-violent-reprisals-of-guy-philippe-s-supporters.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19731-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-the-charges-are-known-appearing-on-january-13-2017.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19730-haiti-justice-guy-philippe-appeared-the-minister-of-justice-convened.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19721-haiti-flash-senator-guy-philippe-extradited-to-the-usa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19720-haiti-flash-arrest-of-senator-guy-philippe.html



TB/ HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Culture : D-1, beginning of pre-carnival activities in the Capital





Friday, members of the Municipal Council of Port-au-Prince held a working session with the main officials of the Departmental Directorate of the West (DDO) of the Police, as part of pre-carnival exercises in the commune of Port-au-Prince which will begin on Sunday 15 January.



The Principal Mayor of the Municipal Council, Youri Chevry took the opportunity to announce the theme chosen for the 2017 Carnival "An'n fe Ayiti reviv" and announced a whole series of measures discussed with the DDO, in order to allow the pre-carnival, take place under optimal conditions of safety. To this end, the DDO will put at the disposal of the town hall, spotlights to illuminate the entire route of the parade, said Mayor Chevry.



In addition, the Mayor announced that work was under way to cover all open-air sewers identified in the metropolitan area in order to avoid accidents, particularly during the performance of walking bands.



In addition, the Mayor of Port-au-Prince reminded the DJ's of the measures agreed with them on Wednesday, namely :



The departure schedule for all DJs must be scrupulously respected ;



DJs will have to respect the order of the parade from a line-up previously established and communicated to each ;



Formal prohibition to play foreign songs on the course ;



Formal prohibition to play obscene songs



All the tanks, before starting the route, will inevitably have to undergo a rigorous technical and mechanical inspection by agents of the city council and the National Police of Haiti, attendant for this purpose ;



All tanks shall be equipped with a fire extinguisher and a toilet.



He reiterated that the Municipal Administration of Port-au-Prince, anxious to make the pre-carnival exercises a success, intended to take all the necessary steps, by common agreement with the concerned bodies to guarantee the order, public peace and to prevent any kind of accident that could occur on the course.



The members of the 2017 Carnival Committee will be introduced shortly to the public, concluded Mayor Chevry, who said he relies on the support of musical groups and artists for the full success of the 2017 Carnival.



HL/ S/ HaitiLibre
























Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Ballot papers printed in Dubai

For the second round of elections on January 29, 2017, the ballots will once again be printed by the Dubai firm "Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing", Uder Antoine, the Executive Director of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) who confirmed the information, said he did not yet have figures on the cost of these impressions, adding, on the other hand, that all essential sensitive materials (ballots, minutes, etc.), will arrive in Haiti on 18 and 21 January.



Special messages and thoughts...

"On January 12, 2017, the General Direction of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) has a special thought for the many police officers killed during the earthquake of January 12, 2010. We share the pain of family members, colleagues and fellows. May their souls rest in peace ! Recognition and gratitude to the UNPol (United Nations police) victims alongside the PNH !" declared Michel-Ange Gedeon, Director General of the PNH.



On Thursday, the Ministry of National Education had a special thought to all its employees who died in the earthquake of 12 January 2010, notably at the central office of the Ministry: Ginette Etienne, Director of Human Resources: Anne Prophete, Hermancile Viaud, Desjamin Cius, Herman Petit, at the Directorate of Vocational Training Gedeus Walter, at the State Examining Office (BUNEXE): Smith Cius, and Isabelle Hall; At the DAJ: Domingue Nessime and to the Directorate of Planning and External Cooperation: Jean Kenson Moise and Mildrene Simon.



Japanese support in education

This Friday morning was launched the project to support the development of teaching materials in mathematics for student learning. Note that this project is being carried out in partnership with the Japanese Cooperation which supports the initiative for around one million US dollars, ie  67 million gourdes.



On the Agenda

On Friday, 13 January, the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) met with producers of audiovisual content as part of the pilot experiment on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19603-haiti-technology-first-digital-tv-test-succeeds-in-haiti.html



On Friday, the elected President of the Republic, Jovenel Moise, held a working meeting with his transition team.



On Friday morning, French Ambassador Elisabeth Beton Delegue, accredited in Haiti, received representatives of the Group of Support for Returnees and Refugees (GARR), recipient of the Human Rights Award 2016 https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19530-icihaiti-social-the-gaar-laureate-of-the-human-rights-prize.html handed last month in Paris by Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2017/01/14 | Source

Added the upcoming Korean movie "Female Wars: The Reason for Women"'s page to HanCinema database

Advertisement

"Female Wars: The Reason for Women" (2015)

Directed by Song Chang-soo

With Kim Se-in, Ra Yong, Ahn Sang-hoi, Kim Ki-hyeon, Lee Yong-nyeo, Park Sun-woo,...

Synopsis

Ip-se (Kim Se-in) is a caregiver with a body so full and voluptuous her clothes might burst off of her any time. All the men in her hospital ward wish dearly to be touched and cared by her. But all she has eyes for is her husband Cheon-dong (Ra Yong). However, her husband becomes sexually handicapped due to an accident even before they get to spend their first night together. Ip-se tells her husband, "My love for you is eternal although we may not have physical bonding" but Cheon-dong doesn't believe in love that can't be proven physically and decides to kill her...

"I won't let you go on your own. Life without you is meaningless to me".

Se-ip decides to die with Cheon-dong and they leave on a suicide trip together. As if they were destined, Se-ip meets Ha-gyoon (Ahn Sang-hwe) and becomes curious about the body of a man. She spends a night with Ha-gyoon and realizes there is another meaning to love. She breaks up with Cheon-dong and he feels betrayed.

Release date in Korea : 2017/01/17
SERVICES

ABINGDON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Abingdon, Va. 101 East Main St. Jan. 14, 2 p.m.: 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. March begin 12:30 p.m. at Charles Wesley Methodist Church, service to follow, several guest speakers, various choirs to perform.

LEE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 1 West Mary Street. Jan. 15, 4 p.m.: 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, guest speaker Michael Cummings of Johnson City, Tennessee, gospel singing by Tri Cities Mass Choir, director Troy Shelley, 276-669-2760.

WISE BAPTIST CHURCH: Wise, Va. 211 Spring Avenue NE. Jan. 16, 7 p.m.: 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration sponsored by UVa-Wise, guest speaker, Rev. Herbert W. Scott, special music featuring UVa-Wise Wise Guys, Mt. Sinai Spirituals from Kentucky, Angels Rose of Wise, Virginia.

SINGING

CLAY HILL BAPTIST CHURCH: Blountville, Tenn., 122 Hobbs Hollow Road. Jan. 21, 5 p.m. meets every third Saturday: Gospel singing, Sullivan County Red Back Church Hymnal Sing, 423-323-4085.

COMMUNITY

FIRST BROAD STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Kingsport, Tenn., 101 East Church Circle. Volunteer two hours any day Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marlene Hudson, 423-817-8332, to help with food, Bob Smith, 423-246-3966. Clothing and other donations can be brought to Single Vision or taken to Shades of Grace.

FAIRVIEW UNITED METHODISH CHURCH: Jonesborough, Tenn., 878 Highway 81 North. Third Saturday each month, 7-10 a.m.: Country breakfast, bacon, fresh ground sausage, eggs, pancakes, gravy, biscuits and more. Donations. Located 5 miles from downtown Jonesborough going toward Fall Branch.

YARD SALE

WORD OF GOD MISSION COGIC: Bristol, Tenn., 710 Southside Avenue. Jan 14, 7 a.m.: Fundraiser indoor yard sale, fill a bag for $5, come find your treasure.

PENTECOSTAL CHURCH: Abingdon, Va., 17535 Jeb Stuart Highway off Exit 19 toward Damascus: Yard Sale, second Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Name brand childrens and maternity clothes, plus tons of good quality baby equipment. Proceeds benefit the Mayan malnourished children of Guatemala, and children in our orphanage and those in our orphans at home program. www.safehomesforchildren.org.

HOW TO SUBMIT

News and calendar items for the Religion section should be emailed only to features@bristolnews.com with Religion Calendar in the subject line or sent by mail to Religion Editor, Bristol Herald Courier, P.O. Box 606, Bristol, VA 24203. Mailed items must be typewritten. Deadline is noon Monday. Please include the complete address of event location, name and telephone number of a contact person. If you have questions, contact Dorothy Hurt at 276-645-2556 or email dhurt@bristolnews.com. The service is free.
It's been 125 years since Dracula was published. And it's still scary.

lifestyle
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A top administrator of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul will lead the department that manages Medicaid in North Carolina, an appointment the state's new Democratic governor made as he tries to expand coverage through the law that's now in danger of repeal.

Cooper presented Dr. Mandy Cohen, chief operating officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the past 18 months, as his choice for secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Cohen was a top official overseeing the insurance marketplaces created under the 2010 health overhaul law. The marketplaces offer taxpayer-subsidized private insurance to people who don't have access to job-based coverage. North Carolina uses HealthCare.gov, the federal marketplace serving 39 states.

Last week, Cooper unveiled a proposal to expand Medicaid to more than 500,000 people under the law even as the tide rises in Washington against Obama's signature legislation. President-elect Donald Trump pledged to repeal the law during his campaign and Republicans, who control Congress, have said they want to do the same. The U.S. House was scheduled Friday to take the first formal step toward gutting the law.

"Clearly we're going to be entering difficult times in the area of health care. We need a good manager  someone who understands health care policy and the health care arena," Cooper said at an Executive Mansion news conference. "And we are lucky to get Dr. Cohen."

In Raleigh, Republican leaders at the General Assembly argue Cooper is acting illegally to seek Medicaid expansion unilaterally, and that the state's portion of the expansion cost could reach $600 million annually. They've asked the administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reject the request, citing in part a 2013 state law that specifically requires formal legislative support before the governor can apply.

Cooper, who took office Jan. 1 after narrowly defeating GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, says the 2013 law impedes on the governor's core executive powers.

Cohen, an internal medicine specialist who got her medical degree at Yale University, said she looked forward to implementing the governor's expansion proposal.

"I know how important it is to have that critical access to affordable health care," she said. "I know there's a lot of work ahead of us but it's work I know well that I have done at the federal level."

Cohen soldiered through some of the worst days of HealthCare.gov, when the computer system crashed after the administration rolled out the program in fall 2013. Those problems have long since been overcome, and the Obama administration was hoping to hand off the marketplaces to a supportive Democratic White House under Hillary Clinton.

Cooper said her work history should be considered an asset when she interacts with the General Assembly.

The legislature passed a law two weeks before Cooper took office requiring his Cabinet secretaries to be confirmed by the Senate. Cooper challenged the confirmation requirement in a lawsuit this week. The governor has now announced seven of 11 Cabinet-level officers the law says would be subject to confirmation.

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-Pitt, and a surgeon, said in a news release that he looked forward to working with Cohen but raised concerns about her leadership at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Murphy cited her oversight of a program for nonprofit insurance co-ops that were supposed to sell insurance through the health overhaul law. Many of the co-ops closed because of solvency problems.

The finances of the state Department of Health and Human Services have finished in the black for three consecutive years.
This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/
The Congress better put its act together fast in Punjab. For it has a lot of ground to cover in the key border state. Times short and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its main contender for the anti-incumbency vote is making good use of its first-mover advantage.

The AAP was the first party to announce candidates for the 112 seats it is contesting in the state assembly, having left the remaining five to the Lok Insaf Party of the Ludhiana-based Bains brothers. The Akali Dal-BJP combine are through as well with their choice of candidates.

That makes the Congress the prime laggard. The party hasnt fielded nominees for over a dozen seats even ten days after the January 4 announcement of the poll schedule. They better hurry up to get their infantry in place. Or else itll be a repeat of 2012, said a party veteran.

The Congresss campaign has indeed floundered in recent weeks with Amarinder Singh captive in Delhi over ticket disputes while the AAPs Arvind Kejriwal electioneered at a frenzied pace. For the party to remain in contest, its campaign needs a booster doze to pick up pace -- and capture popular imagination.

Now what could that be: Navjot Singh Sidhu ends months of suspense, joins the party? Sonia Gandhi and Rahul formally endorse Amarinder as the partys chief ministerial candidate?

A puzzle really it is that how a party with pretentions to power in the state could be so nonchalant on the leadership question and timely candidatures. In many ways, its akin to joining the battle without a general and full strength of foot-soldiers.

It is well known that Amarinder has a mind of his own. About time the Congresss central leadership realised that he also has connect of his own-- beyond the party appealwith the Punjab electorate. Ask a diehard Congress voter as to which side he was and hed invariably say: Captain naal ..

Barring certain leaders who have a personal rapport with their constituents, Amarinder is the Congresss foremost calling card in the state. A delay in his projection as the CM candidate would hurt the partys campaign in what many see as a repeat of the 2012 poll mistake.

The sooner its done the better it would be. The Captain, so to speak, should be named the general while he kick-starts the second phase of his electioneering with a visit on January 15 to Mehraj, his ancestral village in Bhatinda.

If Sidhu stops playing hard to get ---and coincides his arrival with the Captains designation--- it will add ammunition to the partys poll fire. That wouldnt be short of a miracle, and the Congress needs a miracle!
A lawyer, educationist, poet, Shalini Singh is set to embark on her artistic journey with her debut exhibition in the Capital. Titled, The Untrodden Abyss, the artist has given a poetic touch to her artworks.

Her approach to art is unique. Unlike other artists, she uses butter knives, pizza cutters, toothpicks, lipstick caps and not just paint brushes.

I am a self-taught artist and nature has always been my inspiration. I have experimented with almost all things but I choose to refrain from using brushes. There is only 4-5% usage of brush in my artworks. I even use butt of the brush to make my paintings more abstract, says the artist, who graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.

Singh only began to paint three years ago. She says I hadnt even touched a brush till I received a painting as a gift and I really enjoyed looking at it. So, I thought of trying to make my own artwork and added a flavour of poetry to it.

Her works bear an association with life. I have tried to amalgamate art, life and poetry in my works. For example, the series, Bricks of Life is a contrast of fluidity and geometry. While, fluidity showcases destiny and unplanned events of life, geometry highlights planned decisions. Together they make our life beautiful and thats what I have portrayed, says Singh.

CATCH IT LIVE WHAT: The Untrodden Abyss, an exhibition WHERE: Art Centrix, Jain Farms, near The Heritage School, Behind Sector D2, Vasant Kunj, Delhi WHEN: 15th January - 21st January TIMINGS: 11am to 6pm NEAREST METRO STATION: Chattarpur on Yellow Line

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
I had spent productive years of my life raising voice for environment issues and this remains close to my heart.

I always opposed construction of huge dams such as Tehri in Uttarakhand because it serves no purpose to the locals and cause enormous loss to ecology. See, we have adequate water in Ganga river basin but locals have little or no access to water. Between I understand we need electricity to bring change in the life of highlanders.

I would like to suggest new government to focus on three points  generate electricity from small run of the river hydro power projects, make arrangements to lift water from rivers and find a solution to replace pine trees with broad leaf trees that can restore water and bear fruits. Pine works as a catalyst for the fire that takes toll of the thousands of acres of forest every year. Pine was introduced by Britons and now needs to be rooted out.

In the last few years, hills had paid in the name of development. But enough is enough. I am against making roads by blasting mountains to construct new roads or widening existing one. Blasting develops cracks and ultimately leads to sliding. There should be fewer roads in hills and air and ropeway connectivity should be enhanced. I fear that recent announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to construct all-weather roads for pilgrimage circuit in Garhwal region could hurt fragile ecology of the region.

Locals play a crucial role in restoring an environment and it is important to ensure that they remain connected with their roots. Remember Chipko movement of early 70s. It was hard working women who came forward to save the forest from notorious timber mafia. The government should work for making a change in the land use pattern in a bid to give rights on the resources to natives.

The successive governments have tweaked policies for their interest. Take the case of liquor. No government can sustain or guarantee public welfare if it fills it coffers with the revenue earned by selling liquor. I was told state earns some R 1500-1600 crores annually from liquor. Why we need it? Cant we look out for other options for revenue? Liquor has become big menace, particularly in the hills. I am for a complete prohibition on liquor. We had experienced a positive side of liquor prohibition in hills when we were part of parent state  Uttar Pradesh. Now it is the right time to introduce prohibition, this time in Uttarakhand.

(As told to Anupam Trivedi)
The writing is on the wall, literally.

Even as the Congress and Samajwadi Party inch closer to an alliance, local leaders have already launched a poster campaign extending support to the likely tie-up they feel will prove to be formidable in checking the communal forces in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

We are not aware about developments on the alliance front. But we want both the parties to join hands and check the communal forces, says Anil Dwivedi, district chief of Congress in Allahabad where posters carrying pictures of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Dimple Yadav have come up across the city.

Laced with slogans hailing women power, the posters read: Mahilaon ka bajega danka (women will lead from the front and emerge victorious).

A poster bearing Priyanka and Dimples images, who could be the most sought after star campaigners this election, urges the two to take the state on the path of development. Jhuthe vaadon se dilaao nijat- Uttar Pradesh ka karo vikaas, reads a banner.

Read | UP elections: Samajwadi Party and Congress stand to gain from a goodwill formula

Putting up such posters is natural for partymen, says Dwivedi, who along with many others is keeping tabs on the unfolding developments in the Samajwadi Party with a hope.

A poster campaign to support an issue or a demand is not new in Allahabad. It was from here that posters demanding a greater role for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in leading the Congress had come up first.

In their zeal to exhibit creativity on canvas, partymen have, on occasions, even crossed the laxmanrekha and have been censured.

The Congress had expelled one of its members from Allahabad for breaching party code and printing posters on its internal functioning.

The former party member, however, has come up with a digital poster that has images of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav and stresses that the Congress and SP join hands to combat anti-national forces.

The poster also has pictures of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and partys Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari. Although the poster is available on some websites it is not found in Allahabad, said a Congress partymen.

Read | Tie-up with Samajwadi Party may be Congresss only route back to power in UP

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Posing a challenge to the Congress, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said he would not mind taking on its national vice president Rahul Gandhi in Lambi in the coming elections. Talking to media persons here on Saturday, he said no matter whom the Congress fields against him, it would hardly change its fortunes. Refusing to comment on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Jarnail Singhs fate, he said the election results would explain everything.

Badal kick started election campaign in the Doaba region by holding a rally in favour of SAD candidate Surinder Singh Bhulewal Rathan in the grain market. Making a vitriolic attack on the Congresss first family, he said the Gandhis hated people of Punjab. They cannot stand Punjabis at all, he remarked. Accusing the Congress of trying to push Punjab back in to the days of militancy, he cautioned people not to vote for it.

Read | Lambi poll meet: Punjab CM Badal injured in shoe attack; Sikh radical leaders relative held

He said what Congress did to Punjab in the eighties, AAP was bent on doing now. AAP has aligned with the radicals to destabilise the state. They are resorting to hooliganism which is very condemnable, he said. If people wanted peace and harmony, they must vote for the SAD-BJP alliance, he said.

Touching upon on almost all sensitive issues like attack on Harmandar Sahib, 1984 riots and innocent killings during the militancy era, Badal said the Congress had committed unpardonable sins against humanity. If till date Chandigarh and other Punjabi speaking areas were not allotted to Punjab, it was also due to the nefarious designs of the Congress, he alleged.

Terming AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal an enemy of Punjab and Punjabis, he asked him why he had not taken any Punjabi in his ministry. In Punjab too he is promoting outsiders and if a local leader raises his head, he is shown the door, he said adding that Kejriwal had fielded only those candidates against him, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia whom he wanted to sideline. He said Kejriwal could never be loyal to Punjab as his roots were in Haryana.

Read | Badal, Sukhbir, Manpreet among 23 candidates who file nominations on Day 2

Promising to fulfill all their pending demands, he exhorted people to vote for SAD-BJP alliance. Visibly elated at the large gathering, he said he expected a huge win from Garhshankar.
The BJP on Friday lodged a complaint with the chief electoral officer of Uttar Pradesh against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his party for allegedly violating the Model of Conduct (MCC) by co-relating the Congress election symbol with religious figures.

The Bharatiya Janata Party sought the withdrawal of the Congress election symbol hand as well as cancellation of its recognition as a national party.

Shri Rahul Gandhi, at a convention, named as Jan Vedna Sammelan in Delhi on January 11, 2017, made religious comments by co-relating the symbol of Indian National Congress with religious gods such as Shivji, Guru Nanak, Buddha, Mahavir and Islam, violating the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, MCC and the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, the BJP wrote in its complaint.

It also attached a CD of Rahul Gandhis speech along with the letter.

The Congress party has not disassociated itself from the statements of Shri Rahul Gandhi. Therefore, it has also further violated the Model Code of Conduct, the complaint said.

Therefore, it is liable to be proceeded against under Para 16A and 18 of the Election Symbols Order, 1968, and the allotment of hand symbol of Congress party may kindly be withdrawn with immediate effect, along with cancellation of its recognition as a national party, the BJP letter read.

It said that since the Indian National Congress and its leaders are flouting the code, appropriate action should be taken against the Indian National Congress as well as Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking at a Congress convention in New Delhi, Gandhi said his partys symbol is present in every religion and it signifies that people of any religion should not fear the government as the Congress is with them.

I found Congress symbol in Shivji, Guru Nanak, Buddha, Mahavirs pictures. I asked Karan Singhji what does it mean? He said (it means) dont get afraid, Gandhi had said.
Samajwadi Partys national and Uttar Pradesh units are in a disarray due to the protracted family feud that has reached the doors of the Election Commission (EC) in Delhi. But unlike UP, the party units in other states have no factionalism.

There are no factions in the Uttarakhand unit, said Dr Satyanarayan Sachchan, the president of Uttarakhand unit of SP.

Devendra Prasad Yadav, the Bihar unit chief says, We have no confusion. Bihar has only one Samajwadi Party.

The Shivpal-Akhilesh tussle has not touched the party units in 18 states, including Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.

Despite the unity in Uttarakhand, there is some level of restiveness among party cadre due to the divisions visible in UP.

Read | Politics of compulsion: Why SP and Congress want a poll tie-up in Uttar Pradesh

This is because we are going to elections before Uttar Pradesh . We have decided our candidates but are waiting to announce them. We will contest polls on 50 of the 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand, Sachchan said

Uttarakhand has only one list of SP candidates but we are anxiously watching the developments and waiting for a positive outcome at the election commission in Delhi. That decision will have a bearing on us. He added.

Devendra Prasad Yadav said, We dont have elections in Bihar. However, a batch of 5,000 party workers and leaders has plans to be in UP to give a helping hand in SPs UP poll campaign. We will campaign in constituencies that have a sizable Bihari population, such as, Bhadoi, Mathura, Agra and districts in eastern UP. In a day or two, the picture of the national and UP units will be clear.

Read | Varanasi: Ahead of UP assembly elections, police seize Rs 40 lakh cash, arms

An office-bearer of the Delhi unit of the party said, Western UP areas are going to the polls first. West UP is close to Delhi. We will go to there to campaign. However, we will finalise the programme once Netaji (Mulayam) and Akhileshji clear the air.

Sachchan added, I have been speaking to both Netaji and the CM. They have asked me to go ahead with poll preparations without any confusion. We want Netaji, Akhileshji, Dimpleji and Shivpalji to campaign for our candidates

Read | No decision on Samajwadi Party cycle symbol, EC hears Akhilesh, Mulayam camps

Follow our assembly elections 2017 coverage here

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav might have stayed in the shadows of her family seniors so far, but political insiders say that she might emerge as a force to reckon with in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Dimple, second-term MP from Kannauj, is lending a strong support to her husband Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in building an alliance with Congress for the crucial state polls.

Since Akhilesh is mired in family and party affairs, Dimple is being used as an emissary by him to convey the message for formulating a strong alliance, a Congress leader said.

Read | UP elections: Priyanka, Dimple posters make debut amid talks of SP-Cong alliance

With Dimple taking the role of the main negotiator for her party, Priyanka Gandhi appears to be donning the same role for Congress as the two have had atleast one meeting in New Delhi a couple of days ago, he said.

Akhilesh Yadav has publicly supported an alliance with the Congress saying that it will help win over 300 seats in the 403 constituencies in the state, whereas his father and party supremo Mulayam Singh has opposed such a tie-up.

Although posters featuring Dimple and Priyanka came up in Allahabad recently, party functionaries said it was an act of a few individuals.

Read | Akhilesh Yadav shuns Mulayam offer, wont give up Samajwadi Party president post

It seems that some individuals have worked on their own in this regard (posters)....we will go ahead on any such thing only after a green signal from the party high command, district unit president of Congress Anil Dwivedi said.

The party insiders believe that the coming together of Samajwadi Party and Congress will be in the interest of both, especially the latter, which has been out of power for 27 years.

Another Congress leader said the alliance will be formally announced as soon as the Election Commission gives its verdict on the Samajwadi Party symbol, with some smaller outfits also finding a place in the tie-up.

The Mulayam and Akhilesh Yadav camps of the ruling Samajwadi Party have staked claim over cycle symbol of the party. The Election Commission, which has heard both the sides, has said that a judgement will be delivered at the earliest as the process of filing nominations for the phase one of the Assembly elections will begin on January 17.

Read more | Politics of compulsion: Why SP and Congress want a poll tie-up in Uttar Pradesh
Compulsion, thy name is politics.

Both Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have their own reasons for forming a potential alliance in Uttar Pradesh. While its important for Akhilesh Yadav to convert his positive image into votes in 2017, the Congress desperately wants to deflate the BJPs strength in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by not letting it win the most electorally crucial state in India.

The battle to divide or unite the Muslim vote will play a key role in how the election pans out. While dividing their votes would suit the BJP, the Congress-SP alliance will seek to check that.

However, both SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati believe sharing of vote banks could weaken the partys hold on possible supporters. Soon after Congress governor Moti Lal Vora invited the BSP to form its maiden government with outside support from the BJP in 1995 (when Mayawati enjoyed political sympathy of both the national parties in the aftermath of the state guest house attack), SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav quipped: The Congress is committing a political blunder. They will lose Dalit votes to Mayawati forever.

His prediction was bang on.

Today, with Akhilesh inching towards a tie-up with the Congress, the SP patriarch may be uttering the same words in the privacy of their home.

It is another matter that Mulayam himself, along with friend Amar Singh, had initiated a dialogue with the Congress before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Though they met Sonia Gandhi in November that year, their talks failed over two contentious issues: Mulayam wanted the alliance extended to other states, but the Congress wouldnt agree because it sensed the SPs desperation for national status. The other issue was seat sharing. Back then, the Congress had argued that talks should be based on the national strength of a party, not regional.

Read | UP elections: Priyanka, Dimple posters make debut amid talks of SP-Cong alliance

The Congress reasons

The younger generation of Gandhis and Yadavs has taken control of their respective parties. Of the two factions in the SP, Congress knows brand Akhilesh will sell. It foresees politics gradually shifting gears in the state  from caste-communal to aspirational.

The Congress also wants to relegate the trust deficit between senior leaders of the two parties to the past. After all, their younger generations share a better chemistry. Being down in the dumps for over two decades, the Congress sees an ally in Akhilesh  if not the Samajwadi Party, which they have accused of goonda raj in the past.

Moreover, the Congress realises now that revival in the state is possible only through the road to power. If it cant come to power independently, why not piggyback on the SP for a while?

The third and probably the most important reason is the Congress desperation to prevent the Narendra Modi-led BJP from coming to power in 2019. Political experts agree that national politics will revolve around two pivots, the UPA and NDA, and the Congress needs a strong regional ally to take on a resurgent BJP.

The BSP could have been an option too, but the Congress past experience with Mayawati has proved to be a major deterrent. In any case, Mayawati seems determined to go it alone.

Both late Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao and BSP founder Kanshi Ram had entered into an alliance in 1996, with the Congress playing the smaller partner. The Congress contested 126 seats and won 33, while the BSP contested 296 seats and won 67.

As no party held the majority to form the government, the state went under Presidents rule. However, after a few months, the BSP dumped its electoral ally and joined hands with the BJP to form the government on a six-month rotational basis.

Read | UP polls: Congress, Akhilesh-led SP alliance talks to revive after EC hearing

The SPs reasons

While the senior Yadav has earned the Maulana Mulayam sobriquet, the junior talks only of development. He inaugurated the Ala Hazrat Haj house in Ghaziabad while laying the foundation stone for an international museum in Ayodhya. He visited temples, and openly took the blessings of both sadhus and imams.

The chief minister knows that besides anti-incumbency, the Mulayam factor will also harm his prospects in the upcoming elections. Senior voters in many villages across Uttar Pradesh  especially in their home districts of Etawah, Mainpuri and Kannauj  are upset with Akhilesh for rebelling against his father.

So, if Akhilesh cannot count on Mulayam for support, he will need another ally to supplement his factions loss. Ailing as the Congress may be, every village has dormant supporters of the grand old party who will be galvanised by an alliance.

Akhilesh, at the age of 43, also wants the party to grow at the national level  an ambition his father always harboured. Way back in 2009, this is what a senior Congress leader said about his partys attempts to tie up with the SP: It would be an alliance driven by mutual interest. If we need the Samajwadi Party to improve our tally in the Lok Sabha, the Samajwadi Party needs us to play a significant role in central politics. Of the two national parties, it is Mulayam with his secular flag who cant walk up to the BJP.

Swap Mulayam with Akhilesh, and his words stand true even today.
Anushka Sharma is one proud army kid. The actor has often credited her father Col. Ajay Kumar Sharma for her success and spoken about her upbringing as a defence ward. Shes also spoken of the familys fears during the 1999 Kargil War, in which her father fought. Check her interviews, or Twitter timeline and one gets an idea of how proudly she wears the tag of a soldiers daughter.

On Army day today, thanking soldiers for their selfless service, she says she owes everything to the organisation.I wish to extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all ranks and officers of the Indian Army, specially to all deployed in field areas. To the Indian Army, I owe my being, my persona and my outlook. Being an army kid has instilled great confidence in me because of the open, non gender-bias environment I was raised in. We become adaptive, open-minded and survivors, says the actor, who has given hits such as Sultan (2016), Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) .

Anushkas childhood picture with her father Col. Ajay Kumar Sharma (Instagram/Anushka Sharma)

The 28-year-old actor, who has done stunts in films, refusing body doubles, shares that the army shaped her growth. Personally, I have harnessed a great sense of adventure and fun. I can relate to continuous changes, which have added to my personal growth from an early age. Our parents get posted in remote areas of India, where we naturally get trained to adapt to the ever changing dynamics and transform into tough survivors.

She also says that she had a very liberal upbringing because of her parents army mindset. Parents from defence background have a more liberated set of values which adds to the inherent confidence and self-belief their children display, she says.
In our world of theatre romances blossom easily and often end up in beautiful marriages, says Alyque Padamasee, and one look at the Mumbai theatre circuit is enough to prove him right. Sabitri and Late Heisnam Kanhailal, Divya Jagdale and Shiv Subramaniam, Arundhati and Jagdish Raja, Preeta Mathur and Late Dinesh Thakur, the instances are many. But then there are some who pass on their love for theatre to the next generation, and to the next.

Rage Theatres Shernaz Patel hails from the first family of Parsi-Gujarati theatre. Her parents Ruby and Burjor Patel are still remembered for their rollicking Gujarati comedies of the 60s. Lillete Dubeys two daughters, Neha and Ira, have followed in their mothers footsteps and are today balancing a career between movies and theatre. Most of the theatre production companies of the city are today run by families. Ekjute is helmed by the mother-daughter duo of Nadira and Juhi Babbar, Poor-Box Productions is co-owned by Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and her son Kaizaad Kotwal. Manoj and Seema Pahwa have just launched their own theatre company Kopal, along with their two kids, Manukriti and Mayank. Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampats son Aditya recently made his debut as a playwright. His grandfather Bachu Sampat was Chief Producer at Indian National Theatre. We look at some such families whose dinner table conversations involve Brecht and Beckett and who eat, drink and sleep theatre.

The torchbearer Kapoors

Sanjana and Kunal with their father Shashi Kapoor

Kunal Kapoor, trustee of Prithvi Theatre and Sanjna Kapoor, co-founder of Junoon, are the third generation in theatre. Their parents, actors Jennifer and Shashi Kapoor, were the masterminds behind Prithvi Theatre. While the Kapoor family is the first family of Hindi cinema, not many are aware that Prithviraj Kapoor had his travelling theatre company and Kunal and Sanjnas maternal grandparents, Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Liddell, were doyens of English theatre in India and had a travelling theatre company called Shakespearana.

The inimitable Alkazis

Ebrahim Alkazi

Trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, Padma Vibhushan awardee Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential theatre artistes of the country. He was associated with the Bombay Progressive Artists Group, and had artists like MF Husain, FN Souza, S H Raza, Akbar Padamsee and Tyeb Mehta design his sets. As the director of National School of Drama (NSD), he has taught the likes of Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Rohini Hattangadi, and is credited for revolutionising Hindi theatre. His wife, Roshan Alkazi was a renowned costume designer who had worked with him in many plays. Their two children Amal Allana and Feisal Alkazi are theatre directors and Amal was also associated with NSD as its chairperson.

The Padamsee Pack

Raell and Alyque Padamsee

The Padamsees are a big happy family. Alyque Padamsees three wives (late) Pearl Padamsee, Dolly Thakore and Sharon Prabhakar and their three kids, Raell, Quasar and Shazahn are all bound by their one true love: theatre. As Dolly Thakore puts it, The Padamsees breathe theatre. But each has his/her own brand of it. While Shazahn just made her theatre debut last year under his fathers direction, Raell and Quasar have been helming their own theatre companies, Ace Productions and QTP (Q Theatre Productions) respectively.

The pioneering Patels

Burjor Patel with wife Rudy and daughter Shernaz

Actor-producer Shernaz Patel, one of the three co-founders of Rage Productions, is theatre royalty. Although she hers is one of the most prolific English theatre groups, her parents, actor-producers Ruby and Burjor Patel, were among the pioneers of Parsi-Gujarati theatre and are still remembered for their roles in Adi Marzbans rollicking comedies of the 1960s. Later they started their own group, Burjor Patel Productions which even travelled to Africa and the US with its plays.

The Babbar bastion

Nadira Babbar with daughter Juhi

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Nadira Babbar started her own theatre group, Ekjute, after relocating to Bombay. When I came to Bombay, it didnt work out as most established groups had their own of set of regular actors. Hume koi poochta nahi tha, says the matriarch. The group, which turned 35 last year, has come a long way since its humble Prithvi days and a few years back her daughter Juhi has joined force with her.

The gutsy Kotwals

Mahabanoo (second from left) and Kaizaad Kotwal (first from right)

It was their sheer passion for theatre that made Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal and her Emmy-award winning son, Kaizaad Kotwal, form their own company, Poor-Box Productions, in 1999. Its most famous play, The Vagina Monologues, has been running to packed houses since 2003. More recently, the duo kicked the hornets nest with their bold adaptation of Agnes of God.

The prolific Senguptas

Rudraprasd (second from left) and Swatilekha shares the stage

Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee actor-director Rudraprasad Sengupta helms one of Kolkatas oldest and most prolific groups, Nandikar. He married Swatilekha, actor and his colleague at Nandikar who apart from her plays is best known for playing the lead in Satyajit Rays Ghare Baire. Their daughter Sohini has also taken after them and is today a force to reckon with at Nandikar. She also won National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Aparna Sens Paromitar Ek Din.

The dynamic da Cunhas

Gerson da Cunha

The da Cunha family has too many claims to fame. Dr J Gerson da Cunha wrote the first book on Mumbais history, while his brother AM da Cunha started Goas first newspaper. But their theatre connect began with Gerson and Sylvesterthe brothers who were both into advertising and made Dalda and Amul the brand that they are today, have several plays to their credit. And today, Sylvesters son Rahul is continuing with the family legacy dividing his time between advertising and theatre. He is another founding members of Rage Productions.

The versatile Khuranas

Akash Khurrana and family

Akash Khurana and his two sons, Akarsh and Adhaar are AKvarious. But they are not the only theatre people in the family. Akashs wife Meera, who has already directed four plays under the banner and Akarshs wife Dilshad Edibam Khurana has been working in theatre for more than a decade. Today the family has five directors, who double up as actors and they have worked in almost every permutation and combination possible.

The dashing Dubeys

Lillette and Ira Dubey

While Lillete is best known for her turns in movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Monsoon Wedding, last year belonged to her daughter Ira, who grabbed eyeballs with her short but affable role in Dear Zindegi. But the first love of this mother-daughter duo remains theatre. Lilletes Primetime Theatre Company, which turned 25 last year, is one of the biggest names in Mumbais English theatre scene with hit plays like Adhe Adhure, Dance like a Man and 9 Parts of Desire. Lilletes sister Lushin is also into theatre and is known for her solo acts.

The Husain hegemony

Aamir Raza Husain and Virat Talwar with their kids

Pamasree Aamir Raza Husain, the creative director of Stagedoor Production, is best known for his huge outdoor productions like Sare Jahan Se Acha, Shehanshahnama, Satyamev Jayate, The Fifty Day War and The Legend of Ram. He is married to actor Virat Talwar and theirs was another love story where theatre played cupid and it was but natural that their children will also eventually take baby steps into the world of theatre. Their latest production The Lion in Winter is codirected by the duo.

From HT Brunch, January 15, 2017

Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch

Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Alyque Padamsees three children, Raell, Quasar and Shazahn, do not share the same mother, but the siblings are bound by their one true love: theatre. The Padamsees breathe theatre, says Dolly Thakore, Alyques second wife and Quasars mother, a well-known theatre artist herself.

Alyque made his stage debut when he was just seven, in a play directed by his elder brother Bobby Padamsee, whose theatre company was probably the first by Indians that did only English plays. It was Merchant of Venice. My younger brother Chhotu and I played the two boys accompanying the Prince of Morocco. As soon as I went on the stage and the lights came on, I knew I wanted to be in theatre. When I was on stage I felt really alive and its the same today. I only feel at home when I am in a theatre, says Alyque.

Raell, Alyeques daughter from his first wife Pearl is helming his new production. We have done almost a dozen of plays together and she takes all the weight off my shoulders so that I can just concentrate on my actors and my play, says Alyque. Although they often brainstorm together, and Raell herself is a director, each knows their area of expertise well and director and producer seldom fight.

But Alyque believes it is easier to work with non-family people. I always say a husband and wife team in theatre is not a good idea. After you have a difference of opinion during rehearsal where do you go? You go home, to your family, and if that is the same person you had a fight with, then god help you, says Alyque who has worked with all his three wives, Pearl Padamsee, Dolly Thakore and Sharon Prabhakar.

With Pearl, however, it was a different equation, he adds. Pearl Padamsee has produced more than 40 of Alyques plays, and the two met when Pearl produced Alyques first directoral play, The Taming of the Shrew. She was very accommodating and I was very pushy, so it worked out. We worked as a team. If I came up with an idea, she would add to it. If I didnt like her suggestion, she would come up with another one. But when I work with my children, they always treat me as Daddy, he grouses, recalling shouting matches with Quasar during Romeo and Juliet, a play he directed and his son produced. Oh yes we had fights! Lots of them. Now he is in the same situation with Shazahn. Suppose I tell Shazahn that in the scene her character is supposed to be unhappy, her immediate reaction is Why? So I explain but then she will say, No, I dont agree Then the gadbad starts.

Shahazn is not finding this any easier. This is my first time working with him so its quite a different experience to suddenly switch roles from daughter to actress. I keep having to remind myself that we have a professional relationship. And my father is an absolute perfectionist! So if I replace a but with an and in a scene, Ive had it! she says.

Raell and Quasar (fondly called Q) have their own theatre companies, Ace Productions and QTP (Q Theatre Productions) respectively, and although theatre binds the family together, each has his/her own brand of it.

We can argue from very different angles because the plays we have seen or been part of are so very different. It is not a I like your work and you like my work kind of bland discussion, says Quasar.

Quasar Padamsee and Dolly Thakore (Kunal Patil)

Unlike Raell, who grew up in a house that Alyque had designed as a theatre, with the dining hall doubling up as stage and the terrace being the sitting area for the audience, Quasar spent most of his early years in a boarding school.

Raell picked up nuances of acting as well as production from very early on. From wrapping a floor with silver foil to looking after guests, no job was to be considered small. Her mother, the queen of drama queens, insisted she take up acting. Eventually she became a director, and then a producer.

Though Quasar had spent his childhood crawling around the house during script-reading sessions, he does not have many theatre memories. My mother was a single parent then and there was no housekeeper or babysitter. She would go to review movies and plays, and I remember being dragged along to these events, says Quasar.

So it was awkward when, as an 18-year-old, he met Shantaram while doing a play at Sophiya Bhaba Auditorium. It was a bit role. I was standing in the wings and caught this old bald man looking at me. He kept staring and it was a rather off-putting experience. He waited till the end of the play and came up to me. His name was Shantaram and he worked there. Apparently when my mother worked while I was a baby, she would leave me backstage in his arms, do her scene, and come back and breastfeed me!

Quasar insists his journey into theatre was his own, not via watching his parents perform, and it is just a coincidence that both he and Alyque took up the same piece to direct, with Dolly part of both. I had randomly picked up Arthur Millers All My Sons off Dads shelves and wanted to do a play. It turned out Dad had done a reading of the same book, and with mom! says Quasar.

QTP was formed because when he was in college, he met 10 odd people who were mad about theatre. This might also explain why his kind of theatre is so different from his fathers. We are different individuals. He gets excited by scale and I get excited by the opposite. In his Jesus Christ Superstar, when the storm kicks in, you are blown by the special effects. I am sure that had kept him awake for three months trying to figure out how to do it. Mine would be a pause in the middle of a line, he says.

His mother Dolly, an integral part of Alyques troupe of actors and who has also worked with Quasar, says, He gives his actors a lot of liberty to improvise, it is a team effort, while Alyque is very meticulous. He will even choreograph the way you flick your cigarette. However, she feels her son is wasting his potential as an actor.

Quasar admits it helps to have knowledgeable parents who support your work without putting undue pressure on you. Mom came to the rehearsal and made some very astute comments and thanks to that the play became what it was, he says. On the dress rehearsal night, my father turned up with a cake to wish us all. The first act was going on. He didnt come inside but waited till the interval and then handed me the cake, said he would watch the play when it opened, and went. It was an incredible show of faith. There was no handholding, he says.

Alyque says he often finds it awkward to tell his children what he doesnt like about their plays, although he usually takes them aside later and casually points it out. It is up to them if they want to take my suggestions, he says. Raell cuts him short: Now, thats so not you, dad! she laughs, revealing that whenever Alyque watches their plays, he sits with a notepad and jots down points.

After the play ends, the notepad comes out: You see darling in scene one when he opens the door, there is a problem and thus it begins! she laughs, sitting with a notepad herself.

Clearly, apart from theatre, the Padamsees are also obsessed with notepads.

*

Follow @ananya1281 on Twitter

Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch

Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Even as the last word on the pricing war in Indias telecom space is yet to be heard, JP Morgan in an analysis says the 4G offering by the latest player Reliance Jio is gaining traction and will see its subscriber base double by the end of this financial year.

Over the last few months, as Jios free offering has gathered subscribers, and more importantly, impacted data consumption on existing telcos networks. There has been a pricing reaction from t he incumbents for their existing telecom offering especially on data, the investment bankers latest report said.

The companys (Jios) free scheme launched in September 2016 has been extended to March 2017. Jio has gathered around 52 million subscribers as of December-end, and the expectation is to hit 100 million subscribers by March 2017, after which the company would start billing commercially, it said.

Speaking about tariffs, the report said while Jio has released a tariff plan -- given that subscribers are not being charged for it -- there are some concerns on whether the tariff plans would be adjusted lower when the actual commercial operations are launched in April 2017. JP Morgan said Jio should seek to maximize average revenue per user, than pricing go for a per-GB data offer.

To that extent, the initial price scheme launched by Jio was a positive one as the effective pack started at Rs 499 per month, although there is a lower priced plan of Rs 149 per month.

However, given the way incumbents have cut tariff plans, it remains to be seen how Jio reacts from April, when commercial operations are launched and whether we see tweaks in the currently announced pricing plans or whether Jio sticks with the announced plan,said the report.

JP Morgan analysis also felt a lot would depend on how many of the existing Jio users migrate into paying subscribers and at what level of revenues per user.

Given the financial strength of Reliance Industries to back Jio, they could likely play the pricing game for longer. But given that most incumbents are comfortably based on financial metrics, any pricing strategy will likely be matched and thus the market share gains would be limited for RJio.
Vishal Dhavan, 37, an operator of school vans in Lower Parel has not been able to get a good nights sleep since he received a WhatsApp message about the Union governments recent amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989, which deals with school buses.

The ministry of road transport and highways introduced a new definition of school buses on September 8 last year, worrying thousands of van owners across the state.

School buses are vehicles that have a seating capacity of 13 passengers and more, excluding the driver. The buses must be designed and constructed specially for transporting children to and from schools, the new definition reads.

Former transport officials said the vehicles that have 12 seats and fewer will only able to ply only till their school bus permit  which has a validity of five years  is valid.

In Maharashtra, school vans have been registered under the school bus category since 2011, after the state government introduced a new school bus policy and rules for the safe transportation of children to and from school. Currently, 22,322 vehicles are registered under this category.

In Maharashtra, the number of school vans  which have between six and 12 seats  could be around 6,000, said officials. The owners of such vehicles are worried about losing their bread and butter, if transport authorities act on the demand of school bus operators and implement the amendment.

The School Bus Owners Association (SBOA) has written to the transport and traffic authorities, demanding the cancellation of the permits of all school vans, with the retrospective effect, in the wake of the new definition.

Bus operators demanded action against the school vans, calling them illegal. Anil Garg, SBOA leader, questioned why the transport department did not take action against the vans after the new definition was introduced.

Pandurang Humane, president of Maharashtra RajyaVidyarthi Vahatuk Sanghatana, said those who own school vans plan to protest against the amendment. Humane said members of the group will meet in Panvel on Sunday to brainstorm what can be done.

School van operators will also call a meeting of statewide members in Pune this month, to discuss their next course of action.

Transport department officials said that if small vans are banned, then the illegal transportation of children to and from school is likely to start. They added that this will inconvenience parents.

We are expanding the definition, so there is no contradiction, said an official, who is not authorised to speak to media.

Read

School buses wont go off roads in Mumbai

School bus owners to protest against bad city roads

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Two months into demonetisation is an opportune moment to assess what weve achieved. I plan to do so in terms of its main aim to eliminate black money which, undoubtedly, has attracted resounding support. The others simply do not justify extinguishing 86% of all currency. Actually, nor does an attack on black wealth held in cash but since the cause is so popular I propose to overlook the fact a virtual nuclear strike was deployed to tackle what seems like a mosquito.

On November 8 currency amounting to Rs 15.4 lakh-crore was demonetised. We now have three separate reports claiming that possibly up to 97% of that amount has been banked by December 30. If this is true, it can only mean two things: Either nearly all the black money is back in the system or the Reserve Bank of India grossly underestimated the currency in circulation.

Lets go with the first interpretation. The second, I hope, is unfounded. Even if all the money is securely credited in banks it doesnt mean its been laundered. However, this is where the governments problem starts and its a huge challenge it faces.

Can the authorities detect which deposits are legitimate and, therefore, money on which tax has been paid and which is black? The Union finance minister has asserted this can and will be done but that depends on how easy and feasible this task is.

Read: Demonetisation: RBI refuses to give information, cites threat to life

Sudhir Chandra, a former chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, has told The Hindu (December 19) that if even 1% of the countrys 450 million accounts are scrutinised it means investigating 4.5 million in one year. Given that the CBDT scrutinises 300,000 annually this is a 15-fold jump. Do we have the trained manpower for this 1,400% increase?

A report in this paper on January 6 suggests how this could be made easier. Allegedly Rs 7 lakh-crore has been deposited in around 6 million accounts, which have received deposits of Rs 2 lakh and more. So if this is the broad number that has to be scrutinised the challenge is less daunting. Of course, you can still question whether its doable and, indeed, many will.

Read: Demonetisation has led to higher bank deposits but why wont companies borrow

Now, lets assume the government does detect most or all of the black money deposited in various accounts. On that basis, Surjit Bhalla (Indian Express, December 6) has calculated it will receive additional revenue in the first year of Rs 2.5 lakh-crore with a further Rs 1.5 lakh-crore every year in perpetuity. If hes right, its a significant gain and demonetisation will be deemed successful.

But something else is also possible. The process of scrutinising so many accounts could unleash another inspector-raid raj. That means harassment, intrusion and vengeful scrutiny. It also opens the door to extortion, corruption and bribery. And at the end of it all the gain may be a lot less than Bhallas prediction.

Finally, even if there is a revenue gain  which would suggest the old stock of black money has been, partly or substantially, eliminated  the curse of black money is unlikely to disappear. Why? Because the well-known and widely recognised incentives for creating black money remain firmly intact. As yet the government has not addressed this more important issue. As long as it doesnt, black money will continue to be generated and bedevil our economy.

The views expressed are personal

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday announced the first list of 50 candidates for the assembly polls ahead of the Congress and the BJP. It is likely to announce candidates on the remaining 20 seats in next two days, party sources said. The state goes to polls on February 15.

Candidates in most of the seats in the three major districts of Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar (USN) and Dehradun, which account for 30 seats, were announced. In a few other districts, like Rudraprayag and Chamoli, the party has announced candidates in some seats. In Nainital district, the BSP has finalised all seats barring Nainital city.

On December 14, the party had unofficially announced names of Ram Suhag Singh from Roorkee and Bhagmal from Jhabreda in Haridwar district.

According to party sources, the BSP has finalised the candidates with two factors on its mind  to increase its vote share and winning from Haridwar and USN, its two focus areas. In 2007, the party had won two seats from USN, but failed to win any in 2012.

Nonetheless, in the previous (2012) assembly polls, the BSP had emerged the third largest party with 12% vote share, after the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. It won three seats from Haridwar district and went on to become a part of the ruling Congress coalition.

This time the party dropped sitting MLA from Jhabrera seat in Haridwar and fielded a new face from Bhagwanpur that was won by Surendra Rakesh, who later died of cancer.

Interestingly, the first list has a mix of candidates cutting across caste and community lines. The party has fielded nine Muslims, one Sikh, three Brahmins, besides Rajputs and its traditional vote base -- schedule castes and OBCs.

Partys state in-charge Pradeep Jatav said the BSP believes in giving due representation to every caste. We are contesting in every part of the state. Party is hopeful of winning most seats in terai (plain areas), he told HT soon after the list was announced.

This time the party is keeping a close tab on both the Congress and the BJP, which are yet to announce candidates. The partys strategy is clear  it is expecting hung assembly in the state and eyeing a bigger role in the government.

The BSP had supported the Congress to form the government and also during the floor test, had earlier claimed that it would not support either of the two national parties  Congress and BJP.

(With inputs from Nihi Sharma and MS Nawaz)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Congress has launched a campaign titled Dhol Ki Pol targeting the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll-bound Uttarakhand.

Through the hashtag campaign that kicked off on January 13, the state Congress will be throwing one question everyday for 30 days at the opposition BJP as a run up to the February 15 assembly elections.

While the first question targeted the contribution of the BJPs five Lok Sabha members towards the hill states core issues since getting elected in 2014, the second question posted on Saturday asked the BJP how it will face the public after murdering democracy in Uttarakhand in March last year.

As per the information technology (IT) Cell of the state Congress, the move has been launched with a special focus on reaching out to the social media savvy youth voters, who comprise over 57% of the states total electorate. Of over 74.95 lakh voters in Uttarakhand, around 42.84 lakh voters are aged below 40 years.

Amarjeet Singh, state head of the Congress IT cell, said that the campaign will be accentuated on major online platforms like social networking site Facebook, micro blogging site Twitter, photo-sharing service Instagram and mobile messenger WhatsApp.

Our social media team members are active down till the booth levelthey will further propagate the campaign besides ensuring direct debate with the BJP, if it chooses to answer our questions, Singh said.

The idea is to connect with people, especially with the youngsters who are highly active on social media and constitute more than half of the states voters, by prompting them to ask critical questions to the BJP, he said.

In September last year, the state Congress had launched another social media campaign, which exhorted people to upload their pictures along with a brief question for PM Narendra Modi using hashtag #15_lakh. The campaign drew on the PMs promise of bringing back the black money stashed abroad and crediting Rs 15 lakh to each citizens account, made ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, retorting to the Congress campaign, the opposition BJP said that it was not answerable to anyone but the public. People know what we have done for the states development. Why should we answer their questions? We are answerable to the public and not to them (Congress)? Devendra Bhasin, BJPs state media in charge, told HT.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Haldwani

With assembly elections in the state only a month away, focus is back on the states multi-crore stone quarrying business for allegedly making clandestine political funding in a bid to influence the poll results.

Environmentalists say due to such funding the quarry lobby enjoys a tremendous political clout that granted them protection against any violation of environment norms.

Dushyant Mainali, who has been fighting legal battles against the pollution generated by the quarry business, pointed out that guidelines on the stone crushers were changed seven times due to pressure from the influential lobby.

This shows the money power and clout they enjoy in the state, he said.

In the alleged sting operation that rocked the state a few months ago, Congress legislator from Dwarahat was heard saying how the quarry lobby from the states Terai region allegedly provided money to protect the Harish Rawat led Congress government.

Rawat was accused of bribing 12 dissident Congress legislators to get their support during the trust vote in May last year.

Many ministers are themselves involved in running quarry business through proxy. A candidate from a seat in Kumaon region runs his own stone crusher, Mainali alleged.

Observers say Haldwani stone crushers and quarry lobby is the most powerful in the state and they are the major source of funding for the political parties during elections.

The annual turnover of the quarrying done on the Gola river in Haldwani is about Rs 400 crore, according to deputy director mining Rajpal Legha.

Mafia don Prakash Pandey alias PP who was the aide of Chhota Rajan and liquor baron Ponty Chadha had started their career by dabbling in quarrying activities on the Gola river in Haldwani.

The Haldwani and Lalkuan areas have close to 30 stone crushers. More than 30,000 dumpers, vehicles and horse carts are involved in ferrying the minerals extracted from the river bed. Around 1.5 lakh people are directly or indirectly involved in the business.

Bhumesh Agarwal, who is the former president of the Stone Crushers Association, says that some quarrying businessmen might be giving funds to the political parties, but the association is not involved in any such activities.

The state will go to poll on February 15.
More than 30 policemen, and municipal officials in Delhi will be probed by the CBI on the charges of seeking bribes from bus operators and bootleggers and indulging in other corrupt practices.

The policemen and municipal employees were allegedly caught taking money on a spy camera by a man named Chetan Sharma between 2008 and 2010.

The Delhi Police crime branch registered an FIR in the case in 2012 but in November last year, the Delhi high court, following a petition by Sharma directed the CBI to take over the probe.

The high court roped in the CBI following allegations that the police was going slow on the probe.

Before this case I had also conducted a sting operation on more than 100 corrupt traffic policemen and that probe is also with the CBI. In the current case also the number of policemen caught on camera may go up to 70, said Sharma.

In his complaint to the Delhi Police, which is now part of the CBI FIR, Sharma named some of the policemen and erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) employees stung by him on the spy camera. Sharma submitted original recordings of the sting operation in the high court.

He told the police that he caught dozens of policemen on camera taking bribes from bus operators for illegal entries at various traffic points in the city. He also managed to film policemen and excise officials extorting money from bootleggers. He caught on camera MCD employees and staff at sub-divisional magistrates office for corrupt practices.

Sharma told the police that he had earlier complained about the alleged corrupt officials to concerned authorities. Sharma submitted affidavits of people who the policemen has sought bribes from in the high court.

Due to my campaign against corrupt policemen, I was implicated in an attempt to murder case also. For the last two years, no one has come to depose in that case, said Sharma.
A passion for gambling turned a 62-year-old man into an alleged criminal, as he allegedly started stealing passbooks of account holders from banks and later withdrawing money by forging signatures. The senior citizen, Ashok Kumar, tasted success last Wednesday when he managed to withdraw 10,000 from a nationalized bank using forged signature with ease.

But it was his greed and overconfidence that landed him in police net. He was caught on Thursday when he attempted to withdraw the same amount of money from the same account just a day after the first transaction. The account holder had alerted the bank about the illegal withdrawal the moment he received an alert on his mobile phone about the transaction.

The bank staff scanned the CCTV cameras footage of the bank and found the elderly mans activities suspicious. When the suspect visited the bank the next day and submitted his request to withdraw money from the complainants account, all that the cashier took was seconds to identify him and alert the local police, said Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara district).

Six passbooks for different banks, two withdrawal forms, one filled application for issuing ATM card against one of the accounts, and withdrawal receipt of10,000 were recovered from the possession of Ashok Kumar, a resident of Mandoli Road, Delhi.

During the interrogation, the DCP said, Kumar revealed that he earlier worked in a printing press but was unemployed for the past few years. Kumar told his interrogators that he allegedly was a habitual gambler but due to financial crunch he was not able to fulfill his habit.

As Kumar did not have a source of earning money, he developed the idea of earning quick bucks through illegal means. Inspired by a cheating modus operandi shown in a popular TV crime show he had recently seen, Kumar hatched the plan of stealing passbooks from banks and withdrawing money from the accounts using forged signatures of the account holders.

Kumar, a senior investigator said, started visiting banks near his residential locality and carefully monitored the functioning of bankers. He soon realised that bankers do not show much attention on signatures whenever any elderly person applies for cash withdrawal.

As he learnt that passbooks contain all details, including signatures of account holders, the elderly man started stealing passbooks of customers visiting the banks. He then practised imitating signatures of account holders at home.

Once sure that his forged signature would not be detected, Kumar visited the bank, filled the withdrawal form and withdrew 10,000. He was taking advantage of his age to avoid suspicion among bankers, the officer said.

Though Kumar planned everything carefully, he was unaware that some account holders do get transactions alerts on their mobile phone. The complainant Dharmender Sharma, 41, received a similar alter when 10,000 was illegally withdrawn from his account on Wednesday. Sharmas alert eventually led to Kumars arrest.

Kumar had also applied for issuing ATM card of another customer Devender Kumar Arora, who had 8 lakh in his account. His arrest foiled his attempt to withdraw the amount, police said.
The strike by sanitation workers in east Delhi seemed to be heading towards an end, with more around 83% of workers reporting back to work on Saturday.

Officials said the sanitation conditions in east Delhi started getting normal on Saturday after a majority of workers resumed work.

A section of sanitation workers, however, continued to protest outside the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) headquarter on Saturday, the tenth day of the strike, to demand payment of pending dues. These workers, too later, hinted that they might join work after a final meeting with EDMC commissioner Mohanjeet Singh on Monday morning.

East Delhi is divided into two districts, Shahdara south and Shahdara north.

As per a senior EDMC official, of the 8,595 sanitation workers (regular and daily wagers) in Shahdara south zone, 6,800 resumed work on Saturday.

Though 7,700 (90 %) staff marked their attendance, only 6,800 (78-80%) started work and helped in cleaning dhalaos, lifting garbage from localities with the help of tippers and also de-silting drains. The remaining workers went and continued the strike outside the EDMC headquarters, said the official.

A total of 1,450 metric tonnes of garbage was lifted from dhalaos in Shahdara south zone with the help of 33 trucks on Saturday.

In Shahdara north, of the 7,900 sanitation workers, 7,000 were back to work on Saturday. On Saturday, they lifted 1,200 MT of garbage with the help of 35 trucks, said another senior EDMC official. About 17,000 sanitation workers are employed with EDMC, out of which about 15,000 are employed full-time.

Aakriti Sahni, a resident of Anand Vihar said: Sanitation workers collected garbage from roadsides and also cleaned the drains on Friday morning. On Saturday, tippers visited various colonies to clean internal lanes.

Some of the places worst affected by the strikes  like Raghubar Pura, Ajeet Nagar, Dharam Pura and other neighbouring areas  however, continued to wait for relief as most sanitation workers remained absent from work on Saturday again.

We dont want residents to suffer, but we have no other way of getting the authoritys attention. We know that EDMC is running in huge losses and it doesnt have money to pay our arrears, but it can at least pursue the matter with the state government, said Sanjay Gehlot, president of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union, which is affiliated to Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).

Another protest on Feb 7

MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union has announced a mass protest on February 7, which will see participation of municipal staff from various departments, such as horticulture, education, health and others. The sanitation workers will gather at Rajghat and later protest outside the chief ministers office and Delhi Secretariat and demand the implementation of the recommendations of the fourth Delhi Finance Commission report and pending arrears.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Four minors were killed when a fire broke out at two huts in a slum cluster at Mohammadpur Jharsa village near Kherki Daula on the outskirts of Gurgaon on Friday night.

The children who died in the fire have been identified as Kanchan (10), her brothers Rohit (6) and Mohit (3), and cousin Kusum (13). Two others were critically injured in the incident, which occurred while the victims were asleep.

The fire department remained clueless about the incident until it was too late. Fire safety officer Balbir Sharma said they were intimated about the incident only around 5 am, but the flames had already been doused by then.

The cause of the blaze had not been ascertained until reports last came in.

Police said the fire broke out around 12.30 am while the families of one Kripal and his brother-in-law, Balesh, were fast asleep. The four children were charred to death before Balesh could even wake up and sound the alarm.

Kripal and Santoshi  the parents of Kanchan, Rohit and Mohit  sustained injuries. Balesh and others in the locality managed to rescue the couple as well as their 16-day-old infant, who was sleeping with them.

Kherki Daula assistant sub-inspector Mohammad Shareef, who is investigating the case, said the four children died before police reached the spot. Kripal and his wife are undergoing treatment at Safdarjung hospital, where their condition is said to be critical, he added.

A team of senior police and district administration officials, including deputy commissioner TL Satyaprakash, reached the accident site in the wee hours of Saturday to take stock of the situation. We are trying to identify the cause of the fire, said Shareef.

Kripal and Balesh  hailing from Uttar Pradeshs Badaon district  work as tillers at a nearby farm, police said.
Do cough syrups cure a cough? No, they dont, simply because a cough is not a disease. Its a symptom of an underlying disorder, a reflex response to irritation of the airways because of triggers such as throat and lung infection, excess secretions in the airways and lung, allergens or environmental irritants such as dust and smoke, among others.

Yet millions swallow several spoonfuls of cough and cold formulations each day in the misplaced belief that it will make them better, making cough syrups among the top five medicines sold in India.

Using cough suppressants can do more harm than good because it does not cure the underlying disease. Suppressing or controlling cough is clinically irrational without first determining and then treating the disorder. Much like fever and diarrhoea, a cough is an early sign to draw attention to an underlying disease, said drug expert Dr Chandra M. Gulhati, editor, Monthly Index of Medical Specialties.

For those convinced cough medicines work, theres a huge variety to choose from. Over-the-counter cough products include decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines, and antitussives (cough suppressants) to suppress cough, that may be wet when you need to expel extra mucous (phlegm) produced in the airways and lungs because of infection, or a dry cough that occurs when no extra mucus is produced.

Most cough medicines contain an antitussive, such as dextromethorphan, that suppresses coughing by blocking the bodys cough reflex. It may be combined with other ingredients, such as expectorants thin mucous to make it easier to cough it out; decongestants to open airways by narrowing blood vessels; and antihistamines (anti-allergy medicines) to reduce swelling in the nose and throat that restricts breathing.

According to the British National Formulary, the drawback of administering cough suppressants is rarely outweighed by the benefits. (Shutterstock)

Do cough syrups help?

There is no evidence that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines  both expectorants that promote expulsion of bronchial secretions and suppressants that prevent coughing -- suppress or stop coughing better than a placebo.

According to the British National Formulary, the drawback of administering cough suppressants is rarely outweighed by the benefits... in fact, cough suppressants can cause sputum retention which is harmful in patients of chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis. Opioid cough suppressants such as codeine are seldom sufficiently potent to be effective in severe cough.

Cough suppressants contain soothing substances such as syrup or glycerol to relieve symptoms of a dry, irritating cough, but their use rarely outweigh the benefits. Cough suppressants cause sputum retention, which harms people with chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis, says Dr Guhlati. At best, suppressants make you drowsy and help you sleep better.

The US Food and Drug Administration has warned of deaths in children given codeine. In the UK, medicines with codeine are banned for use in children less than 18 years. (Shutterstock)

Can cough remedies hurt?

Non-prescription cough and cold medicines contain multiple ingredients that can lead to accidental overdosing when more than one product containing the same active ingredient is used and must never be given to children under 4 years.

Codeine, a morphine derivative, is the most dangerous ingredient in many cough remedies. The US Food and Drug Administration has warned of deaths in children given codeine. In the UK, medicines with codeine are banned for use in children less than 18 years.

Codeine gets rapidly converted to morphine in the body, with conversion being accelerated in people with the CYP2D6 gene. This can lead to respiratory depression and death, which has resulted in its being banned for use in children below the age of 12 years and among breast-feeding women in several developed countries such as US, Britain, Canada, EU, Australia and New Zealand.

Since morphine is excreted in breast milk, the USFDA advisory warns against giving codeine-containing products must not be given to nursing mothers who are ultra-rapid metabolisers of codeine. Signs of morphine toxicity in babies include drowsiness, breathing difficulties and difficulty feeding.

Codeine, a morphine derivative, is the most dangerous ingredient in many cough remedies. Sucking on cough drops or just a hard candy relives a dry cough, as does adding lemon or honey in hot water or tea. (Shutterstock)

What works

Home remedies work best to relieve cold and cough symptoms. Steam inhalation helps clear airway and chest of excess mucous, while using a cool mist humidifier or taking a steamy shower helps nasal passages shrink to make breathing easier. Do not use warm mist humidifiers as they cause nasal passages to swell and restrict difficult.

Saline nose drops and sprays help keep nasal passages moist and make your nose feel less stuffy. Sucking on cough drops or just a hard candy relives a dry cough, as does adding lemon or honey in hot water or tea. That apart, all you need to do is drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated and use paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce fever, aches and pains.

A cough that persists for two weeks or more could be a symptom on an underlying disease, such as tuberculosis or chronic bronchitis, so you must get the disorder diagnosed and treated.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
When Gopal Agarwal, a 55-year-old businessman from Noida, was bitten by a large insect at home recently, he didnt rush to an emergency ward; he just logged on to his laptop.

A friend had told me about E-Clinic and it took me just 10 minutes to create an account on their website and consult a doctor via video chat, he says.

The doctor suggested an ointment; Agarwal paid Rs 400 plus taxes, and he did it all from the comfort of his home.

EClinic247 is among a host of new websites offering online diagnosis and treatment, a doctors opinion in minutes  and a second opinion within hours at extra cost.

Consultations are available via video, phone or live chat, with costs per consultation ranging from Rs 199 to Rs 400. Some, like Doctor Insta, also offer an annual subscription fee for a family of four, at flat rates that start at Rs 1,000.

In India, its tedious for a patient to get to a doctor, even in the cities. Time is one issue; traffic, timings and convenience are others, says entrepreneur Amit Munjal, who set up and heads Doctor Insta. Doctor Insta was set up a year ago to bridge that gap  and hopefully reduce the self-medicating that Indians are notorious for, where we just head to the local chemist and ask him what he would recommend.

There are, of course, questions about the accuracy of online diagnoses too, and the issue of how much you ought to trust the verdict of a doctor you have never met.

We are very strict about quality checks, says Jeyandran Venugopal, founder and CEO of EClinic247, which is two years old. All our doctors are certified, with an active license to practice medicine in the country. We also do background checks to confirm that they have a degree from a recognised institution.

Its a good option if you want a specialists opinion on a mild conditiona common cold, a dermatological issue, a small cut or wound, says Dr Neeraj Tulara, specialist in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Mumbais super-specialty Hiranandani Hospital. But for serious diseases or even orthopedic or gynaecological issues, you must see a doctor in person, because you cannot always rely on the patients narration of a problem. A doctor must be able to corroborate the patients account with his or her own examination in order to diagnose an ailment with greater accuracy.

INSTANT ACCESS

There are serious areas of healthcare where an expert opinion, even long-distance, can be invaluable, however.

There is a sea of people who do not know any specialists and usually dont have any option of seeking a second opinion. They follow their doctors advice blindly. We need to empower patients, says Dr Kavita Singh, a UK-based cancer surgeon and founder of a start-up called Healo Medicine.

Dr Singh has had been travelling to India regularly for 20 years to provide consultations. I felt the need to guide people and decided to start this project. I have a team of 100 specialists from around the world, who are available to help patients make correct decisions about their treatment based on the latest developments in medical sciences, she says.

Currently, the facility is available to patients living in Delhi-NCR, and doctors can be contacted via email, telephone or video link, via www.healomedicine.com, at a cost of about Rs 6,000 per session.

Gradually we will also open kiosks in more remote areas, so people can call in, says Dr Singh.

Healo also offers paid membership to small doctors, especially in Tier 2 or Tier 3 cities, so they can request guidance or support.

In addition to second opinions, there are also services that offer to create a central database of your test results and maintain your medical records.

medECUBE, launched last year, has an offering called DR.SCAN (short for, Discovery, Records & Alerts, Second Opinion, Coordination, Access and Navigation).

The aim here is to eliminate all friction points and even enable patients to get second opinions from experts at major global centres for specialised treatment.

medECUBE is an aggregator layer, offering to make life easier by hand-holding patients through various processes, says Dr Dilpreet Brar, founder and MD of medECUBE.

Subscription costs Rs 25,000 annually.

HealthCareAtHomeIndia, meanwhile, has been offering technology-driven home-based medical services since 2013.

The concept of homecare services is very popular abroad and we aim to replicate the same in India. During the past three years we have provided service to about 3 lakh patients across the country, says Gaurav Thukral, senior vice president and business unit director at HCAH.

The company offers a multitude of services, ranging from routine procedures like injection administration to home chemotherapy, home ICU services and even pre- and post-natal maternity services.

WHY THEY MATTER

India has the second largest geriatric population in the world. Currently, 9% of Indians are over 60  roughly 103 million people. This number is expected to go up to 300 million by 2050, which means one in five Indians will be a senior citizen, making home-based care a sort of necessity.

Also, non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer cause about 50% of deaths in India.

The market was always there for home-based care; now it has become more organised, says Thukral.

Which is not to say that the convenience comes with a glitch-free guarantee.

Such a company or doctor can be taken to court, just as a hospital or medical practitioner can be, if the patient is not satisfied. If a doctor hasnt examined the patient physically then chances of a wrong diagnosis or miscommunication increase. Though we havent received a case of this nature yet, the way such services are catching on, we might soon get one, says Dr Girish Tyagi, member of the Delhi Medical Council.
Actor Lindsay Lohan has scrubbed clean two of her social media accounts and posted the message Alaikum salam on Instagram, triggering speculation that she has converted to Islam.

Lohan is no stranger to controversy  the star of The Parent Trap (1998) and Mean Girls (2004) has been in the news in recent years more for her legal problems and visits to rehab clinics.

In 2015, Lohan had faced a backlash in the US after she was photographed with a Quran in her hands on the streets of New York.

Over the past few days, the 30-year-old wiped out all posts on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, which have a combined total of near 15 million followers. On Instagram, her bio only bears the words Alaikum salam, which is the response to the traditional Arabic greeting of As-salam alaikum (Peace be unto you).

The post on Instagram led to a flurry of tweets from Muslims around the world, offering congratulations to Lohan even though there was no official word on whether she had converted to Islam.

Lindsay Lohan remove all her instagram photos and left Salam in her bio. May Allah Guide Her. pic.twitter.com/xXfkmyjomX  Protein Shaykh (@ProteinShaykh) January 13, 2017

Lindsay Lohan deleted all her pictures after converts to Islam with the caption 'Alaikum salam' on her instagram. May Allah bless you  pic.twitter.com/Yk04HjxJo6  goldilocks (@thepocahontas98) January 13, 2017

In of her most recent posts on her Facebook page  an interview with CNN  Lohan talked of her visits to refugee camps in Turkey and how she was greeted in UAE, which is going to be home, and how strong women are appreciated in the emirate.

Photo of Lindsay Lohan wearing a headscarf during a recent visit to Turkey. (Twitter)

Lohan shifted to Dubai late last year and has said that she plans to spend this year volunteering at camps in Turkey for Syrian refugees and setting up her production company in the United Arab Emirates. Her management has said she is in a period of renewal.

She also told the media recently that she was so excited for this new chapter in my life.

Lohan first travelled to Dubai last November, where she spent time with her friend Karen Wazen Bakhazi and entrepreneur Joelle Mardinian. She has also travelled to Turkey and said that she is studying Arabic.

After facing criticism when she was photographed with the Quran in her hands, Lohan told a Turkish TV channel: My very close friends, who have been there for me a lot, in London, are Saudi and they gave me the Quran and I brought it to New York because I was learning.

She added, It opened doors for me to experience spiritually, to find another true meaning. This is who I am. She also said that if Islam is something that I want to learn, this is my own will.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Many were left in an emotional flux after the first episode of the popular Sherlock series, season 4. British actor Mark Gatiss who has created and plays the role of Mycroft Holmes in the popular series starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which airs on AXN, spoke to us on the phone from London, about Mary Watsons death, the show and its popularity, and more.

After Mary was shot in the first episode of the fourth season, many took to social media and were unhappy about it. Do you bother much about what people have to say on social media about the show?

I am not really bothered much about what social media has got to say about the plot twists, or the fact that they like a particular twist or not. The thing is we cant over analyse things, because if we start doing that, then we would never be able to finish the episode or the show. Personally, all I can say is that I am not making a show to get reactions on the internet.

But, what prompted you to show her death in the first episode itself?

We had to do justice to the 120 year-old story, for starters. Secondly, you know a person like Mary, who was an assassin before she met John, you cant expect someone like her to live a normal life. There had to be something that provides closure to her character. So we decided to kill her because her death will have huge consequences on the show, as you will see.

We decided to kill her because her death will have huge consequences on the show, as you will see.

Apart from setting up Sherlock in the modern times, your portrayal of Professor Moriarty is also very different from the books. Whose idea was it and what made you do a different treatment to such a popular villainous character?

In a way Professor Moriarty from the books was a bit like old Bond Villlains. That persona wouldnt have somehow gone with the modern adaptation. So we had to do it differently. The only two things that I have kept as they were from the books about Moriarty is the fact that he (Andrew Scott) is an Irish, and second is the way Moriarty moves his head while talking. Rest I left everything else on Andrew, and everything you see of Moriarty is him and not me. Right from the charm, the glint in the eyes- all of it is Andrews work.

Almost every adaptation of Sherlock Holmes has been appreciated and became quite popular. How difficult was it for you to make sure that the show stands up in its own way and doesnt get up getting compared with other versions of the show?

At the time of making the show, the idea was to do something different . The idea for us, was to use these those popular stories, which were written a century ago, in a modern context and see how would have the fit, if someone had written them in the current context. It was a joyous thing we did and its been a great feeling since that fans have accepted the idea of a modern day Sherlock.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Film star Johnny Depps tumultuous divorce from actor Amber Heard was finalised on Friday, ending the couples marriage after months of highly publicised claims by Heard of domestic violence and counterclaims from Depp of financial blackmail.

Court papers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday detailed a splitting of marital assets and an agreement by Depp, 53, to pay a previously announced sum of $7 million to Heard, 30, that she said will be donated to charity.

Heard filed for divorce in May after 15 months of marriage, and days later obtained a temporary restraining order against Depp.

She said in court filings that Depp was abusive to her throughout their marriage, culminating in an argument in May in which he hurled a cell phone into her face and shattered various objects in her apartment.

A lawyer for Depp denied allegations of abuse and argued that Heard was attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse.

Amber Heard has decided to split her $7 million divorce settlement equally between the American Civil Liberties Union and the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. (AFP)

We are all pleased to put this unpleasant chapter in Mr Depp and his familys lives behind them, said Laura Wasser, a lawyer for Depp.

Having his request for entry of the dissolution judgment granted today made it a particularly lucky Friday the 13th.

As part of the divorce settlement, Heard dismissed her request for a continued restraining order against Depp.

She also dropped her defamation lawsuit against Depps friend, comedian Doug Stanhope, over an article he had written accusing the actor of blackmailing and manipulating her estranged husband.

The divorce papers showed that Depp would retain sole possession of numerous real estate assets, including properties in Los Angeles, Paris and his private island in the Bahamas. He will also keep more than 40 vehicles and vessels, including vintage cars and his motorcycle collection.

Heard will maintain custody of her dogs Pistol and Boo, the two canines at the centre of a scandal in Australia in which Heard pleaded guilty to falsifying travel documents to sneak her pets into the country in 2015 without proper quarantine procedures.

Heard said she would split her $7 million divorce settlement equally between the American Civil Liberties Union and the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles.

(File) Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in happier times. (AP)

Court papers said Depp has paid $200,000 of the settlement so far, and will pay the rest over the course of the year.

The payments will be made from Depps compensation from his upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and sale of some of his properties, the papers showed.

Heards attorney, Pierce ODonnell, hailed the finalization as a great day for his client, adding, All Amber wanted was to be divorced and now she is.

There was no immediate statement from Depp.

Meanwhile, aside from his highly public divorce case, Depp has been entangled in another case. On Friday, he sued his former business managers alleging they mismanaged his earnings throughout a lucrative period of his career, although the company says the actors spending is to blame.

Depps lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against The Management Group seeks more than $25 million, alleging its owners failed to properly pay his taxes, made unauthorized loans and overpaid for security and other services.

Michael J Kump, an attorney for The Management Group, calls Depps lawsuit a fabrication and wrote in a statement that Depp never alleged any wrongdoing. The company did everything possible to protect Depp from his irresponsible and profligate spending, Kump wrote.

Depps lawsuit accuses the company and its owners, attorneys Joel and Robert Mandel, of receiving $28 million in payments for their services over the roughly 16 years they managed his finances. The company actively concealed the true state of Mr Depps finances while driving him deeper and deeper into financial distress, the lawsuit states.

Depp hired the Mandels in 1999 and their compensation was not subject to a written contract, his lawsuit states. It states they received 5 percent of his income on hit films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and other major releases, including Alice in Wonderland and the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It alleges the company failed to file Depps tax returns on time, costing him nearly $5.7 million in penalties. The lawsuit also alleges the company overpaid for several services, including forgetting to terminate the lease on a home where Depps mother lived temporarily, and spending $8 million on security between 2012 and 2015 alone.

Depps learned of the problems after hiring a new management company in March 2016, the complaint states.

Johnny Depp sued his former business managers alleging they mismanaged his earnings throughout a lucrative period of his career. (REUTERS)

Kump wrote that Depp owes The Management Group $4.2 million from a $5 million loan they provided the actor. His tactics and lawsuit will fail, and he will be forced to pay back the loan as promised, Kump wrote.

The lawsuit came on the same day Depp finalized his divorce from actor Amber Heard. Their divorce judgment calls for the actor to pay his ex-wife $7 million in installments -- which she has earmarked for two charities -- while allowing him to keep numerous properties and vehicles.

Depp isnt the only blockbuster star to take his former managers to court alleging mismanagement. Nicolas Cage sued his former business manager seeking $20 million for alleged mismanagement in 2009 and the manager in a countersuit cited the actors spending for his financial troubles. The case was resolved before trial.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The studio behind the Star Wars movie franchise said on Friday it has no plans to digitally recreate film performances of the late actor Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia, in upcoming installments of the blockbuster series.

Speculation had mounted since Fisher died unexpectedly last month, at age 60, that filmmakers might use new advances in computer graphics technology to resurrect digital images of the actor in forthcoming chapters of the Star Wars film epic.

Such technology was notably utilized in the newly released Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which a digital embodiment of British actor Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, returned for the role of the Grand Moff Tarkin that he first played in the original 1977 Star Wars adventure.

The Walt Disney Co-owned Lucasfilm, producers of the Star Wars franchise, posted a statement online putting to rest the notion that Fishers image would likewise be recreated.

We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fishers performance as Princess or General Leia Organa, the studio said.

A man and his dog walk past a mural depicting Princess Leia from the film Star Wars played by Carrie Fisher in Belfast, Northern Ireland January 11, 2017. (REUTERS)

Carrie Fisher was, is and always will be part of the Lucasfilm family, the statement added. She was our princess, our general and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honour everything she gave to Star Wars.

Fisher appeared in four of the Star Wars films, beginning with the original 1977 movie and its two sequels, playing the intrepid Princess Leia as a young actor.

She returned in Disneys 2015 reboot of the franchise, the The Force Awakens, appearing as the more matronly General Leia Organa, leader of the Resistance movement fighting the evil First Order.

In this December 16, 2016 photo, late Carrie Fisher poses for cameras at the European premiere of Star Wars, The Force Awakens in Leicester Square, London. (REUTERS)

She had already filmed her role for the upcoming untitled sequel to that film - Episode VIII - which is due for release in 2017, and had been expected to reappear in Episode IX out in 2019.

The statement by Lucasfilm on Friday left in question whether her character would be written out of that film or another actor would be hired to play the Leia role.

Fisher died following a heart attack she suffered during a flight to Los Angeles from London, where she had been shooting the third season of the British sitcom Catastrophe.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
They have kept mum about their relationship status, but actors Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone couldnt stop Hollywood star Vin Diesel from giving out their dating secret while he was on his maiden India trip.

Diesel was in Mumbai on a two-day trip to promote xXx: Return of Xander Cage, which also features Deepika in a key role.

During an interview, Diesel said that Deepikas boyfriend Ranveer paid him a sweet compliment.

Hollywood actor Vin Diesel with actress Deepika Padukone during a press conference to promote their film XXX : Return of Xander Cage in Mumbai on Thursday. (PTI)

Life experience gives you swag... It was just so funny. Just last night, Ranveer, her boyfriend, paid me this really sweet compliment. He said your body swag...he didnt use the word swag, Diesel said in an interview to digital show Film Companion, hosted by critic Anupama Chopra.

He said the mastery of your body is so impressive from a third persons point of view because of the way you turn and the way you stand impacts more than the words and the lines and I explained that comes from being a bouncer.

And standing on the front door with a look on my face that says Dont even think about it, he added.

The rumours about Deepika and Ranveers relationship have been doing the rounds for long, but they have just maintained that they are special for each other.

On the big screen, their chemistry has worked magic for Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani. They will next be seen on the big screen in the filmmakers upcoming project Padmavati.
The easiest way to ruin the most stunning outfit in the world is to pick up a wrong fit. Actor Priyanka Chopra recently wore a sparkly gown with a plunging neckline at the Golden Globes 2017. And just a few days later, Deepika Padukone too, wore a gold gown at the premiere of xXx: Return of Xander Cage, in Mumbai. While Priyankas Ralph Lauren number was a hand-embroidered gown, Deepikas Naeem Khan gown was a sequin gold, with a plunging neckline and low cut back. Beautiful as they were, poor fits turned their fashion choices into a fashion faux pas.

Priyankas gown was a stunner, but we really wish Priyanka had paid attention to its fit. Despite being a custom gown, it looked several sizes smaller, creating a bit of belly bulge. Priyanka also didnt need that necklace with her gown. It was a distraction that killed the elegance of the gown. Her makeup, though, was flawless  we loved the deep oxblood lip shade and her centre parted hair left loose in soft waves.

Deepikas gown, too, had a plunging neckline, and the low cut back made it interesting. But sadly, poor fit made it lose its sheen. The gown looked uncomfortably tight. We are also not a fan of her makeup. Deepika wore a nude lip colour teamed with sharply defined eyes. A dark lip shade would have spiced the look. The gown also demanded a more interesting hairstyle  something like the soft side swept waves that she rocked at Golden Globes.

(Yogen Shah/HT Photo)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Makar Sankranti, which has been celebrated on January 14 for the last 100 years, will from 2019 be marked on January 15 or January 16, except in 2021.

What is sankranti?

Makar Sankranti marks the end of Malmaas, an inauspicious month in the Hindu (Panchang) calendar, and the transition of the Sun to the zodiacal sign of Makar (Capricorn) to herald a change in season. It is celebrated in the north as Lohri, in Assam as Bhogali Bihu and in the south as Pongal.

Students dance during the Lohri celebration at a School in Patiala. (PTI)

Makar Sankratis special significance is the Sun rays coming from the direction of North which is supposed to be the abode of gods. Hence, from this day, good forces are on the rise and the power of evil forces which reside in the direction of South diminishes, said Pt Anand Shankar Vyas of Ujjain.

Tribals participate in community fishing as part of Bhogali Bihu celebrations in Panbari village, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of Guwahati. (AP Photo)

Why the shift?

According to Pandit Diwakar Tripathi Poorvanchali, director of the Utthan Jyotish Sansthan that decides on the Hindu annual calendar, there is a change in the planetary configuration of the Sun, on the basis of which the calendar is decided.

Students celebrating Pongal festival at their college in Chennai. (PTI Photo)

What stays unchanged?

Lohri, Pongal and Bihu will continue to be celebrated on January 13 and 14 because they are held according to date, and not as per the transition of change in the Hindu calendar
Close on the heels of the Indian flag incident, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has now received several complaints of Amazon selling flip-flops with Mahatma Gandhis image.

Some Twitter users have tagged Swaraj in their tweets complaining that the beach sandals with Gandhis image were being sold on the Amazon US site.

Read | Not just Amazon doormat: Websites sell Indian flag, emblem as shoe, dog coat

The posting on the Amazon says, CafePress - gandhi Flip Flops - Flip Flops, Funny Thong Sandles, Beach Sandles with a listed price of $16.99.

Earlier this week, after she received a complaint about Amazon Canada selling doormats depicting Indian flag on its site, Swaraj reacted sharply and asked the e-retailer to withdraw the products and tender an unconditional apology, failing which no official of Amazon will be granted Indian visa and the ones issued earlier will also be rescinded.

Following the stern message, Amazon expressed regret for offending Indian sentiments and informed Swaraj about removal of the offensive product from its Canadian website.

In the wake of Mahatma Gandhi flip-flops being sold on Amazon website, the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said the company should respect Indian sensitiveness and sentiments.

As a follow up to the matter regarding the sale of doormats with the Indian flag on Amazon, our Ambassador in Washington has been instructed to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third party vendors, they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments, said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
West Bengal police arrested the state BJP vice-president and spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumder on Saturday evening in connection with a cheating case.

The BJP leader was called to Bidhannagar North Police station and arrested after over eight hours of interrogation. Police have slapped Majumder with sections 420, 506 and 406 of the IPC relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust and intimidation.

Majumder is accused of taking Rs 7.2 lakh from examinees of teachers eligibility test (TET) for primary sections. According to a complaint by one Arup Roy in August, 2016, the BJP leader had promised to get the TET examinees jobs against the money.

Jay Prakash Majumdar met us during a hunger strike we had organised near the School Service Commission office demanding jobs. He said give me around Rs 8-10 lakh and I will help you to get the job. Later, we handed over Rs 7.20 lakh to him in two tranches, Roy told IANS.

But when we met him after three months he completely denied taking any money from us, Roy said.

After interrogation it was found that he was not co-operating and there were discrepancies in his statements. Therefore we have arrested him. He will be produced before the court tomorrow, said a senior officer of Bidhannagar police station.

BJPs Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh said, The complaint was lodged by someone who was not a TET examinee. The complaint was lodged six months back. We believe that this is a conspiracy to malign the BJP in Bengal.

After Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Banerjee was arrested, this issue was picked up by police. Thats why we suspect that this is to malign us, BJP state secretary said.

Majumder was called to the police station around 11.30am and was interrogated. He was ultimately he was arrested around 7.30pm.

Political circles in Bengal however felt that this is the first retaliatory step by the Trinamool Congress government targeting BJP leaders in Bengal. Recently CBI arrested Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal and later party chief whip in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay in connection with Rose Valley chit fund scam.

Recently a case was also initiated at Alipore police station in Kolkata against BJP MP and union minister Babul Supriyo after complaints of outrage of modesty by a Trinamool Congress MLA. This was after alleged derogatory remarks by Supriyo at a debate in a new channel.
In a move that wont win any praise from neighbouring Bihar, the cash-strapped Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal has set up a state-owned agency to enter the alcohol distribution business in both IMFL and country liquor segments.

The state government, which established the West Bengal State Beverages Corporation to shore up its revenues through the alcohol business, has directed district magistrates to identify godowns where bottles can be stored.

The Nitish Kumar-led Bihar administration, in contrast, had banned the manufacture, possession, sale and consumption of alcohol across the state on April 5 last year.

Bengal has around 2,000 bars and a little over 3,000 liquor retailers, besides 104 distributors. The state-owned company will buy both country-made alcohol and Indian-made foreign liquor from manufacturers and sell it to distributors. They, in turn, will sell the liquor to shops, bars and hotels across the state, a senior official of the state excise department told HT.

This way, the state hopes to generate about Rs 150 crore in its first year of operations.

Bengal is in a debt trap, and chief minister Mamata Banerjee is desperately looking for ways to shore up its tax revenues. In this backdrop, alcohol has become one of the fattest milch cows for finance minister Amit Mitra to milk.

IMFL distributors have asked the chief minister to stay out of their business, pointing out that it will adversely affect a large number of people dependent on the trade for their livelihood.

In 2014-15, 8.3% of the states tax revenues of Rs 45,413 crore  or Rs 3,810 crore  came from alcohol. In 2015-16, it rose to 9.5%  or Rs 4,418 crore  of its total revenue of Rs 46,496 crore. The state excise department intends to mop up to Rs 4,698 crore from the sale of liquor in 2016-17.

Last year, the state government had pulled out all stops to push the sale of liquor in the state. It reduced the number of dry days from 12 a year to just four, and allowed bars to open a window for selling bottles (as is done at liquor shops). Besides this, the government also allowed bars to entertain customers till 2 am on weekends.

The alcohol market in Bengal also got a shot in the arm after Bihar turned dry. Bars and liquor shops in areas bordering Bihar recorded an overnight jump in sales, with residents of the neighbouring state rushing in to quench their thirst.

Industry experts believe the governments decision will harm wholesalers who supply liquor to shops, bars and hotels across Bengal. Around 5,000 employees directly associated with the wholesale liquor business will be affected, and the interests of another 12,000 people indirectly involved may also be compromised, said an industry expert.

West Bengal, however, is not the first state to take such a step. Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Kerala had also introduced similar measures earlier.

The Bengal chief minister faces the task of paying off a staggering Rs 3.34-lakh crore debt. If one adds up the expenditure under the four heads of loan repayment, salaries, pension and subsidies for 2016-17, the sum stands at Rs 94,256 crore  almost double its projected tax revenue of Rs 50,773 crore.

The notification was issued in the first week of January. The corporation is being set up with an initial investment of Rs 20 crore.
Family members and neighbours of Balbir Singh, a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan who shot dead four of his colleagues in Aurangabad in Bihar on Thursday have said that he was suffering from mental illness.

In what could be a damning indictment of his employers, family members claimed that they had intimated CISF officials about Balbirs mental illness and had sent his medical report but no serious note was taken. They allege their representation was dismissed as routine excuse by officials of CISF.

Residents of Raupur village in Aligarh district are in shock after Balbirs killing spree. Deployed as havildar with CISF in Bihar, 30 year old Balbir Singh is said to be a patient of mental illness for last five years for which he had taken treatment in a hospital in Delhi.

According to family members and villagers, Balbir Singh was patient of mental illness for last five years. Balbir used to visit Delhi for treatment occasionally, revealed a family member.

Balbir used to lose his mental balance now and then and get disconnected with the surroundings. There had been cases when he used to beat up those nearing him and on other occasions throw away money from the house, said a villager.

Balbir was apparently angry over leave issues and fired at his colleagues from his service rifle, killing two of them on the spot at the company campus. Two others died shortly after.

Balbir Singh had returned home after losing mental balance about couple of months and was taken to Max Hospital in Delhi by brother Vinod Singh Jaiveer Singh, a villager told HT.

In past, Balbir Singh had taken along his wife Vimlesh but struck her with rifle butt, and since than his wife stopped living with him where he was posted. Balbir and Vimlesh and have two young sons  Vishal, a fourth standard student and Sagar who is in the second standard.

Family members said Balbir had studied up to the 10th standard. His father, who was also a CISF employee, died in harness ten years ago. Balbir got the job as part of the CISFs scheme of providing employment to a dependent of its personnel who die in service.

Balbir has no criminal past and was otherwise considered to be a simple man. He is second one amongst three brothers. His elder brother Sher Singh was killed last year over some enmity during panchayat elections which, their mother Saroj Devi had contested. Balbirs younger brother Vinod Singh works at clothes shop.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Congress high command has tweaked its earlier stand of avoiding sharp criticism of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her party in Bengal on the issue of arrest of two high-profile Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MPs in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam.

In its new approach the party leaders have decided that while it will continue floor coordination with Trinamool Congress and other opposition parties within Parliament on the demonetisation issue, it will give Congress leaders in Bengal a free hand in coordinating with Left Front in organising united opposition in the state mainly on the two issues of TMCs involvement in chit fund scam and the deteriorating law and order situation.

The man responsible for convincing the Congress high command to change its earlier stand of silence is the leader of the Congress legislative party in West Bengal, Abdul Mannan. Incidentally, he had a prominent role in striking an understanding with the Left Front before the 2016 West Bengal assembly elections.

Mannan argued that Congress, which is now the principal opposition party in West Bengal with 40 MLAs in a house of 294 (two MLAs have joined TMC after 2016 assembly polls), will lose all its relevance unless it aggressively organises protest meetings against the state government.

Every day Congress workers are attacked and killed in Bengal. Trinamool is continuously poaching workers of Congress either by use of muscle or money power. Over two crore people were affected by the Ponzi scam. In such a situation, Congress cannot remain silent on such matters, and our central leadership is well aware of the situation, Mannan told HT.

Incidentally, immediately after the arrest of Trinamool Lok Sabha members Tapas Pal on December 30 and Sudip Bandopadhyay on January 4, Congress openly backed Mamata Banerjees allegations that the arrests were prompted by political vendetta to silence Trinamools relentless criticism against the demonetisation issue.

A senior AICC member told HT that Mannans argument was that since Congress is not maintaining floor coordination on demonetisation not only with TMC but also with other opposition parties including CPI(M), there is no harm in the Bengal unit of Congress to have coordination with Left Front against Trinamool in the state.

His argument that the political strategy nationally need not be matching state-specific game plan sounded valid and, therefore, WBPCC was given a free-hand to chalk out its own strategy, the AICC member said.

Over the past decades, Congress in Bengal has lost much of its significance first during the 34-year Left rule, and subsequently in Mamata Banerjees regime since 2011. However, the results of the 2016 assembly polls proved that the Left have performed the worst since Independence, a fact that improved the position of Congress by comparison.

Significantly, the CBI investigation into the chit fund scams is a culmination of a long court battle by Congress leader Abdul Mannan. The investigation into Rose Valley (about Rs 17,000 crore involved), MPS group (about Rs 4,000 crore) and Saradha group (about Rs 2,500 crore) apart from a host of other firms are all fruits of that litigation.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Uttarakhand BJP on Saturday alleged that release on parole of 19 murder convicts serving jail terms, in less than a month, is a deliberate act of the ruling Congress aimed at vitiating the atmosphere of the poll-bound state.

BJP claimed that information procured under RTI revealed that 19 murder convicts serving their terms in different jails of the state were released on parole from December 7 to January 3 and expressed apprehension that they could be used by the ruling party in the upcoming Uttarakhand assembly elections.

Cornered on the issue of corruption, Congress now wants to use such elements for electoral gains. We will take the matter to the election commission, BJP national spokesperson Anil Baluni said.

However Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawats spokesperson Surendra Kumar said, Getting parole from time to time is the right of prisoners and Congress has no intention to use them in election.
Jaan Mohammad, whose brother Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched at Bisada village in Uttar Pradeshs Dadri district in September 2015, will attend a public gathering on January 17 at University of Hyderabad to pay homage to Rohith Vemula.

Vemula was a research scholar who committed suicide on the university campus on January 17, 2016. His death was seen as a mark of protest the discrimination against Dalits.

Others who will be present include four Dalit youth from Gujarats Una, who were flogged by a group of cow vigilantes for skinning dead cows in July last year.

The students, under the banner UoH Joint Action Committee for Justice for Rohith, began observing Vemulas death anniversary on Saturday evening, singing songs of resistance at Velivada, a make-shift platform at the university shopping complex where Vemula and four other students had sat on a dharna in protest after they were suspended by the varsity.

The songs of resistance programme will continue on Sunday at the south campus junction, followed by a torch rally on Monday evening on the campus. There will be a protest gathering at the ladies hostel late at night, said JAC leader Sannaki Munna.

On January 17  which the students have declared Rohith Shahadat Din, Vemulas portrait will be garlanded in all hostels, followed by a remembrance rally. And in the evening, there will be public gathering at Velivada, which will be attended by Rohiths mother Radhika Vemula, Jaan Mohammad and the Una survivors, Munna said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Indian authorities are working with the Bangladesh government to address problems faced by more than 400 Indian students at a university in Chittagong who have been staging protests since Monday as they have not been registered by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC).

Officials swung into action after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj took up a report on the issue by Hindustan Times on Thursday. In a set of tweets late on Friday, Swaraj said she had received a report from the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Harsh Shringla.

She tweeted the problem had arisen because the Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Science and Technology, Chittagong, had admitted more students than permissible.

The Indian envoy is in touch with the university and BMDC to find a satisfactory solution, she said. Swaraj also asked the Indian students to remain in touch with the Indian mission in Dhaka.

Despite the assurances from Swaraj, the Indian students continued their protests on Saturday. They held a rally near the university and demanded speedy action by the universitys administration. The protests had begun on Monday.

I have received the report from Mr.Harsh Shringla Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh. /1 https://t.co/1d8uRFelQC  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 13, 2017

The University has admitted more students than permissible. He is in touch with the University and Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council /2  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 13, 2017

to find a satisfactory solution. Indian students should remain in touch with our mission in Dhaka. /3  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 13, 2017

We wanted to block a nearby highway but we were turned away by police. So we marched in a rally. No one from the high commission has come to meet us but we are hopeful that action will be taken as we have seen the external affairs ministers tweets, an Indian student, who did not want to be named, told Hindustan Times.

The Indian students drawn from across the country are part of three batches, comprising a total of about 1,000 students, who have not been registered by BMDC. Students from Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh too are part of the affected batches.

Some Indian students said the situation is particularly difficult for candidates who have to sit for their final MBBS examination from January 23.

Officials of the university acknowledged that the problem had arisen because BMDC had decided to register only a fixed number of students from every institution after a larger number had already been admitted. They said the registration is done after the admission.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Four children of a family were burnt to death and their parents injured when a house caught fire here on Saturday morning, police said.

Kusum, 14, Kanchan, 10, Rohit, 6, and Mohit, 5, were burnt alive and Kirpal Singh and Surajwati were injured when a fire broke out in their house in the fields of Mohammadpur village, near the Delhi-Gurugram expressway.

Singh, hailing from Badaun district in Uttar Pradesh, does farming on nearly 4 acres of land on a contract basis.

He has been referred to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi as his condition is said to be critical, a relative of the victims told IANS here.

The reason behind the blaze could not be ascertained immediately.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday after he threatened to kill a judge in a working court. The incident occurred on Wednesday in Ganaur court in Sonepat district. The minor reportedly got upset at the judge for giving a decision in opposition partys favour.

Police said the case traced back to 2007. The minor boys mother had a long-term dispute with another resident of the village. On Wednesday, the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate Amit Kumar discharged the other party. Much to everyones surprise, the minor boy sitting in the court at the time of decision, got so angry that he threatened to kill the judge.

The judge lodged a complaint with Ganaur Police, who booked the boy and arrested him. Ganaur police station incharge said they have sent the minor to a juvenile home in Ambala after producing him in court. Police said the accused boy had been arrested earlier as well for criminal intention.
The government fully respects the Reserve Bank of Indias autonomy and consults it according to the law, the finance ministry has said after the central banks employees alleged the institutions image has been dented beyond repair.

Consultations mandated by law or as evolved by practice should not be taken as infringement of autonomy of RBI, said the ministry in a press statement on Saturday.

At least three employees unions, in a letter to RBI governor Urjit Patel, had on Friday accused the government of impinging on RBI autonomy with the November 8 announcement of scrapping Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

May we request that as the governor of RBI, its highest functionary and protector of its autonomy and prestige, you will please do the needful urgently to do away with this unwarranted interference from the ministry of finance, and assure the staff accordingly, as the staff feel humiliated, the unions said.

Its (the RBIs) autonomy and image have been dented beyond repair, added the letter, which was signed by Samir Ghosh of All India Reserve Bank Employees Association, Suryakant Mahadik of All India Reserve Bank Workers Federation, CM Paulsil of All India Reserve Bank Officers Association and R N Vatsa of RBI Officers Association.

The RBI was widely criticised for frequent rule changes during the 50 days of the demonetisation drive, which aimed to crack down on black money and corruption, but later was promoted to make the Indian economy cashless and digital.

Read | RBI at Modis command? Amartya Sen calls demonetisation a gigantic mistake
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at Haryana minister Anil Vij for his controversial remark that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is better brand than Mahatma Gandhi, saying the dictators Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands.

The Congress vice-president took to Twitter to chastise the senior BJP leader in Haryana for his comments that drew widespread criticism, even his party condemning the statement.

Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands, Rahul said in a tweet.

Vij on Saturday told reporters that it was good that the image of Mahatma Gandhi has been replaced with that of Prime Minister in the calendar and diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) as Modi is a better brand and went on to add that Gandhis image would be removed gradually from the currency notes too.

Asked about the controversy over Modis photo on KVIC calendar and diary, the five-time MLA from Ambala Cantt, said that Gandhijis name has no patent over Khadi.

Since Gandhis name has been attached with Khadi, it has only gone down. When Gandhis image was put on notes, the currency also got devalued, he had said.

Vij, however, later withdrew the remarks.

The statement given by me in connection with Mahatma Gandhi was given in my personal capacity. To avoid hurting anyones sentiments, I am withdrawing it, Vij tweeted.
Shalini Chhetri had ventured into Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary close to her home at Batahghuli in Panjabari area of Guwahati, a day prior to Christmas, to fetch grass for her goats. She didnt return home that night.

The next day after a three-hour search, forest personnel found her body trampled by a herd of elephants, which had strayed out of the wildlife sanctuary on the eastern outskirts of Assams capital.

On Wednesday, Robin Murmu, was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants at Gohpur, nearly 310 km north-east of Guwahati.

Assam, which has the highest number of wild elephants in Indiaup from 5,246 in 2002 to 5,620 in 2011and over one third of area under forests, has witnessed hundreds of human-elephant conflicts.

Between 2006 and 2016, wild elephants have killed 785 people in the state, while 225 pachyderms fell victim to poaching, speeding trains, poisoning, electrocution, etc. between 2001 and 2014. Its a conflict with no winners on both sides.

On Wednesday night, an adult tusker was killed after being hit by the Lido-Dibrugarh passenger train at Tingrai in Digboi.

In December, eight elephants, including two pregnant ones and a calf, were killed after being hit by trains. A month earlier, a female elephant fell into a pit at Patanjalis mega food park in Tezpur district and died.

The man-elephant conflict is on the rise in Assam. Factors like rapid loss of dense forests, infrastructure projects falling in elephant habitats and rising frustration of villagers due to loss of property and lives have contributed to it, says Bibhab Talukdar, a wildlife expert.

Unable to find enough resources to sustain in their old habitats, the pachyderms venture out close to human settlements and damage farms and property, and attack people.

To save themselves, people try to chase away the wild animals with drums, sticks, spears and fire-torches. Some even resort to poisoning and electrocuting them.

Talukdar observed that people did not have enough awareness on how to deal with the situations. Excessive delays in getting compensation for damage to crop and property is also a cause of their frustration, he said.

Deforestation and encroachment of reserve forests by humans is also shrinking the habitats of pachyderms.

In a bid to reduce killings of elephants, the forest department has launched measures such as awareness drives, increased patrolling along the 29 elephant corridors near railway tracks and set up anti-depredation squads.

Our initiatives will not bear fruit unless there is public participation. We appeal to all to help the forest department in protecting Assams wildlife and forests, forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma said last month.

Besides short-term measures, experts feel afforestation drives and capturing of wild elephants and training them for various tourism and anti-poaching related activities would help reduce the conflict in the years ahead.

- - -

GFX:

1. Elephant census Assam

2002 5,246

2008 5,281

2011 5,620

2. Humans killed in man-elephant conflict

2006 80

2007 41

2008 52

2009 82

2010 61

2011 68

2012 84

2013 81

2014 51

2015 118

2016 67

Figures: Assam forest department

EOM

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Close on the heels of a terror attack on the GREF Camp in Akhnoor sector on January 8 and 9, which left three labourers dead, the Border Security Force (BSF) foiled a major infiltration bid by a group of five to six terrorists on the International Border in Hiranagar sub-sector of Kathua district on Friday night. It was also successful in shooting dead one of them.

BSF Jammu Frontier DIG, D Pareekh, told Hindustan Times that around 9pm, a group of five to six terrorists were seen via night vision devices in a low-lying area behind a mound (higher ground) near the International Border in the Hiranagar sub-sector.

While others remained in the low-lying area, one of them, who probably could be a guide, crawled and entered our territory. The alert BSF jawans opened two rounds of fire to check the movement. Consequently, other members of the group opened fire and there was an exchange of fire between the two sides, said the DIG.

BSF personnel also fired at the intruder, who had entered our territory. He was hit by three to four bullets and fell. Other suspected ultras fled back to Pakistan taking advantage of the darkness and undulating ground, he added.

BSF didnt suffer any casualties in the encounter.

The officer informed that the entire incident happened near Tarnah Nullah, a seasonal rivulet.

In the past, it It has been seen that during winters, when heavy snowfall plugs mountain passes, ultras from Pakistan try to infiltrate via the 198 km long International Border--largely a plain area--and Hiranagar sub-sector has always remained a preferred route for them.

On Saturday morning, we retrieved the body from the site where fire exchanges took place on Friday night, said DIG Pareekh.

While no weapon was found from the spot, it appears that the slain intruder might have been a guide and was sent by his handlers to gauge our alertness, he said.

In the aftermaths of the November 29 terror attack on Nagrota cantonment last year, followed by the January 9 attack on a GREF camp along the LoC in Akhnoor sector, a high alert has been sounded along the International Border and the 744km long LoC in the state.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat has warned Pakistan of more surgical strikes if it didnt stop proxy war in the state and intrusion bids on the borders.

Earlier, on in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday the army killed two terrorists and on Thursday recovered their bodies along with two AK 47 rifles, 14 magazines, 392 rounds, 23 grenades and propaganda material in the Poonch sector.

On Friday too, the army recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from a forest in Surankote area of Poonch district.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Two policemen left their 80-year-old mother shivering in the veranda outside their home in severe cold weather, shocking both the public and police fraternity in this district in western Madhya Pradesh after a video depicting her condition went viral.

SP Mahesh Chandra Jain said, Someone in the neighbourhood informed me about the womans plight and I sent a police team and rescued the woman and warned her two sons  ASI Mahavir Verma and his elder brother Madan Verma  to look after their mother properly or face legal action.

The police team found the woman lying in a pitiable condition in shackles under a makeshift tin shed screened by a flimsy cloth instead of a door.

She told the cops that she had not been fed for two days and had been asking for water for the past several hours.

The wives of the two policemen told local media that their mother-in-law had to be kept in chains as she was mentally ill.
Haryana minister Anil Vij said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a better brand name than Mahatma Gandhi amid a raging controversy over Modis photograph replacing that of the father of the nation in the 2017 calendar published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

At an interaction with journalists at his residence in Ambala, Vij who is the health and sports minister in BJP-ruled Haryana, also and that Gandhis picture would soon be removed from bank notes.

Jab se Khadi ke saath Gandhi ka naam juda hai, khadi uth hi nahi saki. Khadi doob gayi (From the time Gandhis name has been associated with Khadi, the industry has never been able to stand up. Khadi has sunk), Vij said.

Its good that Modis photo replaced that of Gandhis in the calendar. Modi is a better brand name, the BJP leader said.

Read | Is Modi Khadis new face or systematically easing out Gandhi? Twitter reacts

If that wasnt enough, Vij even went on to say that the rupee has devalued from the time Gandhis photo started appearing on currency notes.

Gandhi ka aisa naam hai ki jis din se note pe chhapi hai tasveer us din se note ki devaluation ho gayi (Gandhis name is such that from the day his photo started appearing on currency notes, the note has devalued), Vij said.

For good measure, he added that Gandhis picture would disappear from bank notes too. Hat jayenge dheere dheere. (Gandhis picture will disappear from currency eventually.)

Vijs controversial statements drew angry response from the opposition. The BJP also quickly distanced itself from his remarks saying the party does not endorse it.

It is his personal opinion and has nothing to do with the party, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said.

Vij is a senior leader in our party but it could be his individual view and I cannot comment on it as it could be his understanding on the issue in some context or to some reference, Khattar added.

On Vijs remark on Mahatama Gandhis picture on bank notes, Khattar held that it could be Vijs personal view and had no link with the party. Devaluation of currency could have been because of wrong policy of Congress and it had nothing to do with the image of Gandhiji, Khattar added..

The chief minister said Gandhiji was universally respected for his efforts to promote khadi and Modis photo with charkha was also with the aim to promote khadi and not with any aim to lower the father of the nations respect.

Shrikant Sharma, BJP spokesperson, was less indulgent.BJP strongly condemns statement of Anil Vij, its his personal remark and not the partys stand. Mahatma Gandhi is our icon, he said.

The Congress too went after Vij. One can only expect such kind of objectionable and nonsensical statements from BJPs leaders and ministers, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress spokesperson said.

Read | Wont be surprised if Modi replaces Gandhi on currency notes: AAP

Under fire from the opposition and with no defence from his own party, Vij sought to control the damage. The comment I made on Mahatma Gandhi is my personal opinion. To avoid hurting anyones sentiments I take it back, he said in a statement.

Vij, BJPs enfant terrible is no stranger to controversies and has a record of making nasty remarks. Among those who have been at the receiving end of his ire include Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, actor Parineeti Chopra and boxer Vijender Singh.

A five-time MLA from Ambala cantonment, Vij, who enjoys a reputation for honesty, also does not mind taking pot shots at the chief minister, his other government and party colleagues, speaking or tweeting out of turn in utter disregard of protocol or the concept of collective responsibility.

He often quickly retracts his statements and has acquired the image of a flip-flop minister.

Read | Charkha now fashion accessory to gain credibility: Tushar Gandhi
Known as the ruling BJPs enfant terrible, Anil Vij is notorious for shooting his mouth off, making remarks, usually nasty ones.

There is a long list of people from actor Parineeti Chopra and boxer Vijender Singh to politicians Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi  who have faced his ire or have been the target of his unprovoked barbs in the past two years.

The minister even told a woman IPS officer to get out of a grievance committee meeting after a brief argument.

In 2016, Anil Vij also accused the state CID of spying on him, causing embarrassment to the state government.

A five-time MLA from Ambala cantonment, Anil Vij, who enjoys a reputation for honesty, also does not mind taking pot shots at Ha ryan a chief minister Man oh ar Lal Khattar, his other government and party colleagues, speaking or tweeting out of turn in utter disregard of protocol or the concept of collective responsibility. He also often quickly retracts his statements and has acquired the image of a flip-flop minister.

CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS BY ANIL VIJ

When Olympian pugilist Vijender Singh, who is deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in Haryana police, turned professional, Vij ranted before media that Singhs opting for money over nationalism, not correct. The minister suddenly fell silent on the subject later stating that it was for the state police to take a decision on his leave application to turn professional. Singh finally turned professional and toured abroad.

On the issue of transfer of IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who had cancelled the mutation of a land deal between Robert Vadra and DLF during the previous regime, from transport department after he pointed out certain irregularities in that department, Vij came out openly in the IAS officers support last year, tweeting that he would talk to chief minister about transfer. Vij retreated later softening his take and told reporters that everyone should be honest and one should not take it as medal. He also got upset over not being kept in the loop by officials regarding official functions of his departments where the CM had been invited. Vij tweeted: Thank you chief minister for taking keen interest into my departments, I am relaxed.

Vij but quickly retreated when asked about his tweet and insisted that he was only thanking the chief minister. Khattar and I are great friends. One should not read too much into it, he said. Those who cannot live without eating beef should not come to Haryana. What is the need for them to come here? There are many countries Indians do not visit because of their food habits.  Vij on beef ban.

The people in the Congress are Angrezon Ki Aulaad-Vij said in the state assembly.

Rahul should quit politics and open property dealing shop with his brother-in-law, Robert Vadra - Rahul & Vadra properties  Vijs tweet on the Gandhi family.

I do not have any information of anybody appointed brand ambassador of my department for Beti Bachao programme. Vijs tweet on Parineeti Chopras appointment by Khattar.

Everyone knows that Congress leaders are not afraid of doing wrong things. The DNA of all of you (Congress people) is the same  Vijs tweet on Congress.

In 2016, Anil Vij donated Rs 50 lakhs to Dera Sacha Sauda.

In 2015, Haryana woman IPS Kalia was transferred after a spat with Anil Vij.

While the state government was under fire for violence during Jat agitation in February, Vij came out in support of officials indicted by one-member commission Prakash Singh report.

The health minister, questioning the report, said, Prakash Singh report is not the Geeta that everything written in it has to be right.
Opposition parties criticised the Centre on Saturday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) employees wrote a letter to its governor Urjit Patel, protesting against operational mismanagement in the exercise and the Centre impinging its autonomy by appointing an official for currency coordination.

Condemning the demonetisation drive, the opposition parties said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have destroyed the credibility of the autonomous body that controls the countrys monetary policy.

Read | Demonetisation: RBI refuses to give information, cites threat to life

I dont think ever before, the employees of a government institution especially an independent and respectable institution like RBI have written against its national policy. Very clearly RBI has compromised to an extent never seen before. Prime Minister Modi and his government have destroyed RBI, its credibility and the role of an institution, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.

He said the way in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is compromising and corrupting the RBI, it is going to be a dangerous signal for the nation.

JD (U) leader Pawan Varma said, The RBI must retain its autonomy to advice and formulate or recommend policy to the government. It appears in the case of demonetisation that the RBI relinquished its autonomy in order to blindly toe the line as dictated to it by the government.

Read | RBI at Modis command? Amartya Sen calls demonetisation a gigantic mistake

In a letter, RBI employees said the autonomy and image of RBI has been dented beyond repair due to mismanagement and termed appointment of a senior finance ministry official as a blatant encroachment of its exclusive turf of currency management.

At least two of the four signatories - Samir Ghosh of All India Reserve Bank Employees Association and Suryakant Mahadik of All India Reserve Bank Workers Federation - confirmed the letter. The other signatories are CM Paulsil of All India Reserve Bank Officers Association and R N Vatsa of RBI Officers Association.

The letter comes days after concerns being raised about RBIs functioning by at least three former governors - Manmohan Singh (also the former prime minister), Y V Reddy and Bimal Jalan. Former deputy governors, including Usha Thorat and KC Chakrabarty, have also voiced their concerns.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended greetings to people of various communities as they celebrate harvest festivals, and said diversity is Indias greatest strength.

In a series of tweets, Modi greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan.

Today (January 14) people across India are celebrating various festivals. My greetings to everyone celebrating these auspicious festivals, Modi tweeted.

May these festivals bring abundance of happiness and prosperity in the lives of our hardworking farmers, Modi said.

These and many other festivals celebrated across India that add great colour and happiness in our lives. This diversity is Indias greatest strength.

Modi also greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and wished that this day bring joy and prosperity in everyones lives.

He wished Tamil people a happy and blessed Pongal, greeted Gujaratis for Uttarayan and people of Assam on the occasion of Magh Bihu.
People of a Madhya Pradesh town have taken to the streets to protest the transfer of a police officer after he exposed a hawala racket allegedly involving a state minister, a chain of events dubbed as a battle between khaki and khadi.

IPS officer Gaurav Tiwari, transferred from Katni on Monday, has also found support on social media with some drawing parallel with the story of an honest police officer in the hit Bollywood film, Singham, starring Ajay Devgn.

Tiwari was shifted as the Chhindwara superintendent of police barely six months after he was posted at Katni, about 350 kms from capital Bhopal.

Thousands of people have staged demonstrations over the past few days in Katni while many more have pledged support to Tiwari on social media.

The protests have come as a major embarrassment for the BJP government led by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has been highlighting his zero-tolerance policy on corruption.

There are allegations that Tiwaris transfer came after he busted a Rs 500-crore hawala racket with links to minister of state for MSME Sanjay Pathak, who is also a mining baron.

Pathak, 46, joined the BJP from the Congress in March 2014 after resigning from the state assembly. He later won his seat Vijayraghavgarh (Katni) in a by-poll and was inducted in the Chouhan ministry in June last year despite resentment in a section of BJP workers and leaders.

People staging protest over the transfer of IPS officer Gaurav Tiwari in Katni. (HT Photo)

State Congress spokesperson KK Mishra also released a photograph which purportedly shows the alleged hawala operator with Sanjay Pathak and Chouhan.

Pathak, however, has denied the charges and called for a probe to clear his name. The chief minister also announced an inquiry by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Indias financial crime investigation agency.

The photo released by Congress was taken in October 2014 when CM visited the industrial area and there were many people who wanted their photographs with the CM. I knew Satish Saraogi as a businessman, Pathak told HT.

However, till date none of the agencies have established if it is a hawala racket or opening of some fake bank accounts or something else.

Tiwaris Facebook page has been flooded with messages of support.

That lakhs of people take to street agitated over a SPs transfer you must have seen in the film Gangajal only, posted one Dileep Kumar Asaati, using the title of another Bollywood film, also about a police officer.

Another user Kavindra Narayan wrote: Are these achchhe din? On one hand Modiji talks of corruption free India on the other in a BJP ruled state an honest officer is being punished to shield a minister.

The protests over Tiwaris transfer has also echoed in the French capital Paris, with international chess champion Akshat Kamparia -- who also hails from Katni -- joining forces with Paris-based painter Jeevan Singh.

Sources said Kamparia will stage a symbolic protest at the iconic Eiffel Tower, holding placards on the political violence in Katni, India.

However, the government has refused to budge from its stand.

Another IPS officer Shashikant Shukla assumed charge as the new superintendent of police in Katni on Friday even as protests continued.

More than 500 women led by former MLA and JD(U) leader Saroj Nayak courted arrest in Katni town while similar protests were led by former Congress MLA Chandarsen Gaur.

The district administration clamped prohibitory orders at Subhash Chowk, used for political protests.
Several supporters of Jallikattu were on Saturday taken into preventive custody near Madurai for allegedly trying to defy a ban on the traditional bull-taming sport associated with Pongal festivities.

Anticipating trouble, police in large number was deployed in sensitive areas where the sport is generally held like Avaniapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur, locations famous for Jallikattu in Madurai district.

The step came following indications by various organisations that they will organise the sport on Saturday, the day of Pongal.

Tamil Nadu: Police lathi charge protesters in Avanivapuram(Madurai). 30 people detained #jallikattu pic.twitter.com/wtPgXNM1NM  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

The Supreme Court on Thursday had said it could not give its verdict on Jallikattu before Pongal even as political parties cutting across party lines had demanded that Centre promulgate an ordinance to allow the sport.

On Friday, the sport was held in an open ground for a few minutes in Karisalkulam village near Madurai.

In a symbolic protest, around five bulls were let into the ground by a group of youths, police had said, adding no arrests were made.

DMK working president MK Stalin had led a protest in Chennai on Friday over the ban where he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly not giving time for AIADMK MPs to discuss the Jallikattu issue.

Also on Friday, some Jallikattu supporters briefly picketed the shooting locale of Tamil film Garjanai, starring Trisha, in Sivaganga district, angered by the actors pro-PETA stand.

However, Trisha, a known animal lover who has featured in PETAs advertisement for adopting homeless dogs, was not present there at that time.

Police said all preventive steps have been taken to ensure maintenance of law and order and compliance of courts ban.
For more than half a century, The 90 feet road in Dharavi, Mumbai has been home to migrants from Tamil Nadu and on Pongal, they gathered to celebrate the Tamil festival of harvest.

Pongal, the harvest festival is a thanks giving ceremony in which the farmers celebrate the event to thank the Sun and the farm animals.

The first day of the festivity, known as Bhogi, was observed on Friday with people burning discarded items. Thai Pongal, which is the main day of the festivities, was celebrated on Saturday.

Pongal is a harvest festival and since rice is one of the main crops grown, it is given due importance during the rituals. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

In Dharavi a section of the road is closed to traffic and temporary brick fire places are assembled. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Devotees prepare a traditional sweet dish on open fires during an event marking Pongal festival at Dharavi in Mumbai. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Tiny flames light up the road as devotees prepare rice dishes to offer to the Hindu Sun God in Dharavi, Mumbai. (Reuters Photo)

Pongal is also called Thai Pongal as the festival marks the beginning of the Tamil month Thai. (Reuters Photo)

Traditionally, pongal is made in households across the state using freshly harvested rice grains. (Reuters Photo)

Maatu Pongal, observed on the third day, is when traditionally Jallikattu events are held. (Reuters Photo)
Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaires White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honouring Martin Luther King Jr. and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office.

Trump tweeted on Saturday

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

The incoming president added: All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!

Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than a half-century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans.

For many African-Americans the contrast between this inauguration and Barack Obamas first one, in 2009, was striking.

The 16-term congressman said Friday that he would not attend Trumps swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol this coming Friday, and that it would be the first time he had skipped an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago.

You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. Its going to be very difficult. I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president, Lewis said in an interview with NBCs Meet the Press that is set to air Sunday.

I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, Lewis said.

Lewis spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, declined to respond to Trump and said the lawmakers opinion speaks for itself.

We as a nation do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election, she said.

US intelligence agencies have said Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win. After spending weeks challenging that assessment, Trump finally accepted that the Russians were behind the election-year hacking of Democrats. But he also emphasised that there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines.

Democrat Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College vote.

Lewis Democratic colleagues quickly came to his defence on Saturday.

Let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed, US house minority leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from California, tweeted:



Ahead of #MLKday2017, let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed.  Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) January 14, 2017

John Lewis is an American hero, Rep. David Cicilline, Democrat from Rhode Island, said in a tweet directed at Trump. Youre a fake billionaire who wont release his taxes. Put down Twitter and get serious about governing.

Trump continues to use Twitter to attack his adversaries, just as he did throughout the campaign.

Trumps assertion that Lewis district is falling apart and crime infested is hard to prove.

Georgias 5th Congressional District includes the Atlanta metro region, which has a large African-American population. The district is considered one of the nations fastest growing areas, but its crime and poverty rates are higher than the national average.

The district has an 8.2% unemployment rate and the median household income is about $48,000, according to the Census Bureau.

The area also covers part of the upscale Atlanta neighbourhood of Buckhead, along with the headquarters for Fortune 500 companies such Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, Emory University, Georgia Tech, several historically black colleges and universities and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the worlds busiest.
At least 23 people drowned and another 12 were missing when an overloaded boat capsized in the Ganga near Patna on Saturday evening.

The dead included men, women and children who had gone to a kite flying festival organised on the sandbar across the ghats. The boat, designed to carry 25 people, was carrying at least 50 people when it overturned at 5.45pm.

Seven people were rescued, most of them having ingested water while struggling to come to shore.

The administration had run a free ferry service to take people to festival site in the morning. But as it became colder in the evening, people flocked to whatever boats were available to return, eyewitnesses said.

The boat was overloaded and it capsized when it started from the diara side (Sabalpur), said Manju Devi of Ranipur, one of the survivors of the tragedy, undergoing treatment at PMCH.

Reports said chief minister Nitish Kumar ordered an investigation into the accident and announced a payout of Rs 4 lakh for the victims families.

Members of the state disaster response force carried out search and rescue operations into the night as relatives of those who had gone to the festival crowded the NIT ghat, the closest point to the site where the boat flipped over.

The rescue operations would resume again on Sunday morning.

The rescue operation has been stopped for the time being due to darkness. It will resume tomorrow morning, Patna district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal told reporters.

Some 75,000 people had attended the festival for the Makar Sankranti celebrations throughout Saturday.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A 30-year-old woman died on Saturday after her throat was slit by a kite string while riding a two-wheeler in Ahmedabad, police said.

Maltiben was passing through Dharnidhar bridge when a string of a kite slit her throat. She was rushed to the civil hospital where she was declared brought dead due to over-bleeding, a Paldi police official said.

A resident of Vasna locality, Maltiben was on her way to Ambawadi when she met with the accident, he added.

The incident occurred on the day when Gujarat celebrates the Uttarayan festival of Sankranti by flying kites.

In a related incident, a 12-year-old boy died after coming in contact with a live electric wire while chasing a kite at Kankwadi village in Valsad district in South Gujarat, police said.

Victim Achan Tandel (12) was chasing a kite when he entered into a farm land where he came in contact with a live electric wire and died on the spot, an official of Dungri police station in the district said.
Union Minister and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged on Saturday.

Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after hisfull recovery, Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unitof PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said.

Paswans officer on special duty (OSD) R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi this evening.

Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality here by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan.

70-year-old Paswan was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since yesterday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day.

Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halimhad yesterday stated Paswans condition to be stable, sayinghe was expected to be discharged today.

The Union Minister had arrived here on Thursday on a four-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makarsankranti feast in Patna on January 15.

Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire abouthis health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of Nishchay Yatra. Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior BJP leader Sushil mar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, visited Paswan at the hospital.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said it was for women to take a call on serving alongside male soldiers in tough conditions and be a part of close combat roles.

Rawat said equal opportunities bring equal responsibilities to stress that women would have to operate in the same challenging conditions as men. He said a tank crew sleeps under the tank during the night and there are no separate toilets or accommodation.

You have to see society as whole. I have said that if we induct women into combat role, they will have to share equal responsibility like their male counterparts because equal opportunity must come with equal responsibility. Which means that they will have to perform exactly the same task, he said addressing his first annual conference after taking over as Chief of Army Staff on December 31.

He said soldiers are also required to go on long patrols that can sometimes stretch up to 35 days.

Now at night, when you halt, all that happens is a blue sheet is pulled out and everybody sleeps on it togetherIf women are willing to move out in that environment, they need to take a call. Once they are willing to take this call, we will address this issue, he added.

He said rather than thrusting it down, one has to look at the society and think.

While women are inducted into the Corps of Engineers and Signals, they have been left out of the Infantry, Armoured Corps and Mechanised Infantry.

The Air Force has already inducted women into the combat role but are not likely to post them at forward bases.

The navy has allowed women to fly all aircraft not operating from an aircraft carrier since they dont have separate facilities on board as of now. However, future ships are being designed keeping in mind that women may join them on board.

(With inputs from PTI)
Amid celebrations of Makar Sankranti festival, over 100 people, mostly children, were injured on Saturday in kite-flying related accidents in the city, officials said.

56 cases were reported to SMS government hospital while the remaining cases were treated at other hospitals.

Read | Two die in Ahmedabad: Kite-string slits womans throat, teen touches live wire

49 people with mild injuries were given first-aid treatment and discharged while seven including three children were admitted. They have head injuries and deep cut in throat, Jagdish Modi, in charge of the SMS hospitals emergency, said.

21 people who received injuries due to manjhas or due to mishap were treated at SMS hospital. Of the 21 people, an elderly man with cut on his throat and a 13-14 year-old-girl with head injuries were admitted. The remaining were discharged, he said.

Over 50 persons were treated at other hospitals in the city.

On the other hand, many birds were also injured due to manjha and they were treated by veterinary doctors. NGOs also rescued several birds in the city, he said.

Read more | Supreme Court refuses to lift NGT ban on kite manja
The murder of noted surgeon Dr Ashwini Kumar Bansal on Thursday evening created a sensation in the city with the incensed medical fraternity paralysing medical services on Friday and the under-pressure cops summoning senior STF officials from Lucknow to help nab the assailants.

Doctors have given a 48-hour ultimatum to the cops to arrest the killers or they would go on a statewide strike.

The police are scanning call details of Bansal and have taken out stills from the CCTV footages. Also, sketch of the shooters is being prepared with the help of hospital staff. The CCTV footage shows two persons entering the hospital from the entrance at the back side. The duo is later seen fleeing from the same exit.

The post mortem report revealed that Bansal was shot thrice in the head. Two of the .32 bore bullets passed through his head while the third one was found trapped inside. Four empty cartridges were found at the crime scene.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Shalabh Mathur said six teams, including STF and LIU, have been pressed into service to arrest the killers.

Cops are also trying to find out if Bansal had enmity with anyone, Mathur said.

Bansals body was cremated on Friday afternoon. The cremation was performed by his two sonsboth doctors. It was attended by several prominent persons and politicians and doctors.

Meanwhile, over 200 private hospitals and nursing homes in the city went on strike to protest against the murder. Most of the diagnostic centres, chemist shops and private clinics also remained closed. Dentists also kept their clinics closed in protest

In government hospitals like Tej Bahadur Sapru (Beli) Hospital, Moti Lal Nehru (Colvin) Hospital, Dufferin Womens Hospital and Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital the staff tied black ribbons on their arms as a token of protest.

The OPD services in the hospitals functioned till 1pm only.

We are in talks with the state unit of IMA and can even go on a state-wide strike if the assailants were not arrested within 48 hours, said Dr Alok Mishra, president of Allahabad Medical Association.

Dr Mishra said they also convened a meeting with Vyapar Mandal, Bar Association, IDA, NIMA etc to plan for an Allahabad Bandh. We demand swift and strict action against the miscreants, he said.

Besides arrest of the assailants, the doctors are demanding proper security for them and allowing them to retain their arms licences even while the code of conduct is in place due to the forthcoming polls.

BJP workers led by Narendra Singh Gaur staged a protest and demanded early arrest of the killers. Gaur flayed the state government over poor law and order.

BSP and Congress leaders also condemned the murder and demanded its early workout.

Read more: Top Allahabad surgeon AK Bansal shot dead in his hospital
In the wake of the mass molestation at Bengaluru, which sent shock waves to the nation, colleges in Delhi University (DU) are going a step ahead by encouraging students to enrol for self-defence classes, and some are even imparting skill development training to empower.

Were running a 15-day self-defence program in collaboration with Delhi police. The Bengaluru incident made us realise that we will have to take responsibility for our own safety, says Hemant Ghai, a second year B Sc (H) student of Kirori Mal College (KMC), What happened that night was not only sad but was also a wake up call. This is an initiative on our part to urge the authority to bring bold changes, and to also empower our students at the same time. We want people to stop playing the blame game.

The program has been initiated by National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of Kirori Mal College under their women empowerment program Sahas. Started on January 9, the program was conceived after the Bengaluru mass molestation case. We want to make a change in whatever way possible and keeping that in mind, the program is open to all  not just college students. A nominal registration amount of Rs 100 which will be provided as a refreshment to the trainees, adds Ghai.

Hindu college too has initiated a self-defence and skill development program called Project Veerangana. An initiative of Enactus Hindu, the program imparts basic self-defence training for women and also helps them to turn their self-defence skills into a source of livelihood.

The objective of our project is not to just impart self-defence training to women but also help them become young entrepreneurs so that they can market their skills for a basic livelihood and teach more women how to be safe, says Vishruti Jain, president of Enactus Hindu College.

The training of women under the age group of 16-25 has begun in the New Ashok Nagar slum area. Under a

three-tier process, the first 10 days saw a workshop conducted by the special police unit for women and children in association with Evergreen Public School. The self-defence workshop included 40 school students and 30 women from the slum area. After the training process, these women will in turn impart lessons to the other women under the supervisions of colleges and schools.

The next step is to impart soft skills to the group by introducing them to concepts of entrepreneurship and teaching them about time management, communication, and so on. For the final and ongoing step, the group is getting trained under the guidance of experienced martial arts trainers. The young women will then spread their skills in the form of workshops in various schools, colleges, and housing complexes, from where they will earn money via a nominal fee.

This may not be much but it is something. Not only will these women become empowered themselves, they will help others too. In current times, every small step counts, finishes Jain.

The NSS Unit of Satyawati college is also organising a 15-day self-defence training program from 20th January to 8 February in association with Delhi Police Ashok Vihar Police station.With increasing molestation cases, the students felt its important for women to know self defence. Rashi Nimi, the NSS vice president of Satywati College says, Crime is increasing day-by-day and so are the numbers of molestation cases. In such times, it is important that women be empowered in whatever way they can be. The students are very happy that such programs are being conducted, and if the response is good, we will organise it again.
Even as seat-sharing talks for the upcoming civic polls are underway, the Shiv Sena on Saturday took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its comments about transparency in administration saying the soldiers suffering on the border and distressed farmers should be asked about transparency.

In an editorial in the partys mouthpiece, Saamana, the Shiv Sena said while the rulers are talking about transparency in administration, one solider at the border has shown how this transparency exactly works.

Referring to the video posted by a Border Security Force jawan about the bad quality of food served and which went viral, the Sena said, He has to eat burnt roti with holes. That is transparency. The yellow water without any trace of dal, though which one can see the bottom of the bowl, should be treated as signs of transparency and clean governance, the Sena said in the editorial, adding that the government simply termed the jawan as mentally unstable.

The party said, Jai jawaan, jai kisaan (hail the soldier, hail the farmer) was a slogan people would proudly chant in the country, but today the condition of soldiers as well as farmers is deplorable. Innumerable soldiers are being martyred on the border every day, and farmers who were already distressed owing to an agrarian crisis now dont even have money to buy poison to commit suicide because of the governments demonetisation move, the Sena said.

The editorial added, there have been more incidents of soldiers from across the Centres security forces registering their resentment, such as the case of the Central Industrial Security Force personnel in Bihar who opened fire on four of his colleagues because he was upset for not being granted leave for a long time.

In short, from the governments point of view, the frustration of any jawaan or police personnel is termed as indiscipline and strict action is taken against them, or they are simply termed as mentally unstable. So, the soldiers are mad, the farmers committing suicides are mad, those speaking out the bitter truth on a topic like demonetisation are traitors, then who exactly in this country is sane?, the Sena said, saying the government should clarify.

Close on the heels of the elections to ten municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, BJP leaders have been throwing veiled taunts at the Shiv Sena on wanting more transparency in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), after the allegations of corruption in road and desilting contracts. While the Shiv Sena-BJP combine currently rule the BMC, the former has an upper hand with a majority of seats.

Read

Shiv Sena positive about alliance but ridicules BJPs talk of transparency

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
There is a reason why the top echelons of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, who have so far been at constant loggerheads, will now sit across a table and hammer out a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Mumbai civic polls. Hint: Just read between the numbers. Neither of the two parties has been able to strengthen its grip over the city at the councilor ward level for the past three civic polls, and a united front will only ensure a more comfortable victory.

Between 2002 and 2012, the strike rate and vote share of both the BJP and the Shiv Sena in the civic polls has been more or less stagnant, tending towards a slight dip, data from the State Election Commission (SEC) shows. The two parties have always contested in an alliance since 1997, with the Shiv Sena taking a lions share of the 227 seats in Mumbai.

In 2012, the party fought 135 seats and won 75, registering a strike rate of 55.55%, and polling 21.86% of the total votes. In contrast, in 2002, the party contested in 168 wards, won 98, and registered a strike rate of 58.3% with a total vote share of 28.1%.

Similarly, the BJP had a hit rate of 49.2% in 2012, winning 31 of the 63 seats it contested, and polled a vote share of 8.64%, as against a strike rate of 50.7% in 2002 with a vote share of 9.06%.

The strike rate and vote share of the two parties in the 2007 civic polls were also range-bound with the Sena getting a hit rate of 54.2% and a vote share of 22.71%, and the BJP at 38.9% and 8.69%.

A senior Mumbai-based BJP leader said, Trying to work out an alliance despite our differences is more of a precautionary approach to ensure success. At present, there is space for both the parties to grow, but we dont want to risk hiving off each others votes and dampening our chances.

He said as an alliance, both the Sena and the BJP have a good chance of improving their strike rate and the vote share at the local councilor ward level, with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) being on a downward spiral. Despite anti-incumbency, there are no other credible alternatives for people, so the Shiv Sena and the BJP as a combine will definitely benefit, he said.

The Congress vote share in the civic polls, too, has been more or less consistent at 21.23% in 2012, and 26% in both 2007 and 2002. The party lost its hold on the city during the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in 2014 owing to anti-incumbency and a strong pro-BJP wave, and there is a fear that infighting and factionalism within the party will dampen its performance in the Mumbai civic polls too.

The BJP leaders, however, insist the party stands to gain if it contests solo.

Former BJP legislator Madhu Chavan said the party can grow in Mumbai this time even if it fights solo with its massive victory in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections percolating to the councilor wards too. Besides, the state and the Central government have taken a lot of decisions for Mumbais major problems of transportation and housing. If we contest by ourselves, the BJP is capable of touching even 107-108 seats, he added.

However, even as the BJP benefited from the Congress deceleration in 2014, it could not sweep the city in the assembly polls as it contested independently and ended up neck-to-neck with Shiv Sena with the former winning in 15 constituencies and the latter in 14. Besides, the factors for state- and Centre-level polls as against local polls are considered to be quite different, with the turnout being lower, more parties in the fray and voters looking more at local problems than wider policy issues.

Sena leader Anil Parab said the circumstances in every election are different, and an opportunity to grow doesnt present itself always. In such a scenario, the party tries to maintain its existing strength, which both the Sena and the BJP have been doing. But this time, there is an opportunity to grow with the lack of a credible opposition and MNS impact on the wane. Together, we can touch a minimum of 150 seats and even improve the Senas strike rate to about 70%, he said.

Read more:

Fadnavis, Uddhav driving talks for an alliance in BMC elections

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Students in ICSE, CBSE schools may begin classes late in the 2017-18 academic year. Owing to the state legislative Assembly elections, non-state board schools, which usually begin classes by March-April, may have to start their upcoming academic year in June.

According to the revised timetable announced by the Council of Indian School Certificate (CISCE) on Friday, the Class 10 equivalent, ICSE exams will be held between March 10 and April 21.

It was earlier scheduled to begin on February 27 and end by March 31. Also, Class 12 ISC exams will continue till April 26, instead of wrapping up by April 5.

Similarly, Class 10 and 12 exams of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have also been pushed back by more than a week to March 10. Every year, these exams start on March 1.

As a result, schools that are busy conducting exams nearly till the end of April, will have to postpone classes that are usually held that month. Rajhans Vidyalaya in Andheri, for instance, may have to delay classes for all their students. We are a CBSE exam centre, so our entire staff and classrooms are occupied during the exam period, said Deepshikha Srivastava, principal of the school. Our home exams are also getting delayed because of this and we may have to begin classes later than our usual schedule.

The situation is the same at Cathedral and John Connon School in Fort where at Class 11 students will begin their academic year a moth late.

Class 11 students will have to come in June this year. They are losing a whole month because of the delay in exams, said the principal of the school Meera Isaacs.

She also said that the ongoing academic year too has been prolonged. Our academic year was to end on April 21 but we might have to call in the teachers for supervision since ISC exams will continue till April 26, she said.

The CISCE had appealed to schools to follow a uniform academic year, preferably one starting in June and concluding in March, said principals of several schools. Keeping in mind the delayed exams this year and to bring in uniformity in school calendars, the council had requested schools to stick to starting the academic year in June, said Father Francis Swamy, principal, St Marys (ICSE) School, Mazgaon and joint-secretary of the Archdiocesan Board of Education, which runs 150 schools in Mumbai.

Also read: ICSE and ISC exam 2017: Revised timetable released, check them here

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Meetings to plan the shooting of Ajay Gosalia  a former bookie turned developer  in 2013, were held in JJ Hospital by the key accused and extradited gangster Chhota Rajans aid Satish Kalia, claimed accused-turned-witness Amit Sinha. Kalia was jailed in 2011 over the murder of crime journalist J Dey.

Sinhas statement, which remained in a sealed envelope, was opened last month and copies of it were released by the court recently. In it, Sinha has given a detailed account of how the conspiracy was hatched and executed on Rajans instructions.

According to Sinha, Kalia played an important role in the incident as he used to pass on Rajans instructions to his henchmen. He also held a few meetings at JJ Hospital where Kalia was brought in for treatment on several occasions.

The prosecutions case was that Gosalia was attacked by three people on August 28, 2013 when he was walking out of the Infiniti Mall in Malad (West). The firing was ordered by Rajan because of old rivalry with Gosalia. Sinha and Kalia had given their aides the order to kill the former bookie and had also planned the firing.

In his statement, Sinha has claimed that he came in touch with Kalia as he was in needed money for his mothers operation and Kalia had promised to help him if he followed his instructions.

Elaborating on how the firing worked out, Sinha stated that it all started with Kalia asking to meet outside Arthur Road Jail where the other accused  Arvind Shinde and Prakash Nikam  were also present.

Sinha had purportedly arranged weapons and bullets while another accused Kaushik Rajgore was financing the apparent murder. While Nikam arranged for the assailants for the job, on Kalias instructions, Sinha supplied weapons to them.

After that, Sinha claimed that he met Kalia in JJ Hospital. I visited JJ Hospital and met Kalia who was brought there for treatment. I told him that Rajendra Tiwari (one of the shooters) and another person are ready to shoot Gosalia, read the statement.

It added, Kalia told me to get a new number and that he would call me from jail. He also said that Kalia would frequently call Sinha and Rajghore to discuss the plan.

Also read: CBI files two more cases against Chhota Rajan

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In run-up to the elections of cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and nine other municipal corporations in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena and BJP appear to be engaged in a poster war.

While some BJP leaders, including Thane MLA Sanjay Kelkar, have put up hoardings urging the party to go solo in the civic polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has also put up banners claiming to have achieved some major infrastructure projects in BMC.

Interestingly, Shiv Sena has changed its election catchline from karun dakhawale (we did it), which was widely used in the 2012 BMC and 2014 assembly elections, to did you know (about Senas development works) in the current run for BMC.

The hoardings that have come up in Thane and Pune in the last few days reflect a large section of BJP, which is demanding that the party should contest the civic elections all alone. This is not just about breaking an alliance, but about creating more opportunities for the party to grow, Kelkar said.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe told PTI, There is nothing wrong in both parties aspiring for expansion. As the final decision about the alliance is going to be taken by Uddhav Thackeray and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, then why should we bother about the comments made by any other leader.

Another Sena leader said, The hoardings are nothing but assertion of the BJP workers views. Even Shiv sainiks have put up billboards to strongly present our work and achievements. This time, we are better prepared and hence countering them through hoardings.

Elections to 10 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Thane and Pune, will be held on February 21, while polls to 26 zilla parishads (ZP) will be held in two phases on February 16 and 21, followed by counting of votes on February 23.

Over seven crore voters in major cities and vast rural stretches areas will elect 1,258 corporators, 1,558 members of district councils and 3,116 panchayat samiti members.

Stakes are high in the battle for the ruling BJP, which emerged as the winner in the just-concluded four-phase elections to 191 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats of Maharashtra.

Whether the saffron allies will clinch a firm pre-poll pact, given the strains in their relations despite sharing power in the state and central government, remains to be seen.
Prolonged separation does not affect the womans right to seek maintenance from her husband  under section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code  if she is unable to sustain herself, held the Bombay high court.

It recently upheld an order of the family court in Bandra, which granted maintenance to a 63-year-old city resident who asked her hotelier husband for financial aid, 28 years after she left him and started residing separately.

Justice RM Savant said the woman was entitled to file an application seeking maintenance when the need arose, even though she had not sought it in years.

If the husbands contention that the application was filed after an inordinate delay is accepted, then section 125 of the CrPC will become redundant. The wife will then be driven to destitution, said the judge.

On October 29, 2015, the family court had directed the man to pay his wife Rs40,00 a month towards interim maintenance starting in March that year, when she had filed the application.

The woman had filed the application in her husbands pending divorce petition, stating that after she and her husband separated, her father and brother had been caring for her. She added that she was finding it difficult to sustain herself after they died.

She said her husband was wealthy and owned several hotels in South India, along with several cars. She added that he had a lifetime membership to several well-known clubs, for which he paid a hefty amount.The man, however, denied that he owned either hotels or cars, and said he was burdened by several loans.

The family court found merit in the womans submissions and ordered him to pay the interim maintenance.

The husband then approached the high court challenging this order. His argument, however, failed to impress justice Savant. The judge rejected the argument on the grounds that the husbands divorce petition was still pending, and therefore the marriage between the parties was still valid.

He added it was the mans responsibility to take care of his wife.

The judge, however, accepted the husbands contention that Rs 40,00 a month was exorbitant. The judge stated that Rs15,00 would be sufficient for the womans daily expenses and an equal amount would be required to take care of her medical expenses.

He thus reduced the interim maintenance amount to Rs30,00 a month.

Read

Maintenance to wife should rise with income: HC

Second wife entitled to maintenance: HC
The rising incidents of crime in the city have left residents in fear. Victims of burglary and chain snatching incidents put the blame squarely on slack policing claiming that lack of patrolling by the men in uniform in the areas they reside in has led to a spurt in such incidents.

A victim of chain snatching last October, Sunita Dhar says she has to summon every ounce of courage at her command before stepping out of her society  HRC Professionals Hub Apartments, Indirapuram.

Even though the street outside our society is well-lit and bustling through the day, the snatcher tore off my chain and bolted while I was on my way home from a nearby market on a busy Monday evening. The incident left me so scared that I fear moving out alone. For weeks, I only went outdoors with my husband in our car. While I have started stepping out on foot again, I dont wear a single piece of jewellery anymore, Dhar said.

Her chain was snatched by two bike-borne men on the evening of October 7. Though her husband gave a written complaint to the police station in the wake of the incident, no FIR has been lodged as yet.

We submitted a written complaint to the police station and the officer on duty said we could obtain a copy of the FIR the day after. However, as I arrived at the police station with my husband the day after, were told it could only be obtained the next day. My husband visited the police station at least four times, but all that he got each time was an excuse, Dhar said.

Manju Varshney, a resident of Sector 4, Vasundhara, had to pull some strings and rely on her good offices with some top police contacts to get an FIR lodged after her chain was snatched by bike-borne men on November 20.

The police officers were only making excuses. I had to speak to some of my friends (in the police) and use their influence to get the FIR lodged. It was a good five days after the incident that I managed to get a copy of the FIR, Varshney, a senior official with the Delhi government, said.

Such is rising crime graph in the city that burglaries have almost become commonplace in the delta colonies. Burglars struck several shops in the area decamped with valuables worth lakhs.

Nitin Gupta, a Brij Vihar resident, has been deep in debt from the day burglars broke into his Chander Nagar shop. The incident took place on October 8. It was the second time in the last seven years that burglars struck his store.

The batteries and invertors that the burglars took were worth R4 lakh. Since I hadnt made the full payment for the items that was stolen, I am in debt, Gupta said.

He said since an FIR had been lodged in the earlier incident where he lost items worth R6 lakh, no fresh FIR was lodged in the wake of the October 8 burglary.

Vehicle thefts have also been a major cause for concern among residents lately. The residents of Shipra Suncity Apartments said vehicle thefts are reported almost every week at the society.

Vehicle-lifters mostly target bikes and scooties. Though we have a police post just outside our societys gate, theyve been unable to curb such incidents, Tapan Verma, a member of Shipra Suncity Windsor Nova Apartment Owners Association in Ghaziabad, said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Janata Dal (United)s invite to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the customary Makar Sankranti feast on Sunday has not gone down well with ally Congress, which accused its Grand Alliance (GA) lead party of misconduct.

Taking umbrage at the JD (U) move, state Congress chief and education minister Ashok Choudhary on Saturday expressed his inability to participate in the dahi-chura bhoj hosted at the Bihar JD (U) chief Bashishtha Narayan Singhs residence.

Already unnerved by the growing bonhomie between the BJP and the JD (U) and exchange of praise between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar at the recently concluded Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh, Choudhary said he would not attend the JD (U) feast as he would be out of the state capital on Sunday.

The state JD (U) chief should be asked why did he invite BJP to the feast after a gap of two years? Let us see what happens tomorrow, said Choudhary, hinting that a few party leaders might be sent to complete the formalities.

Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi, however said, leaders of his party would definitely attend the JD (U) feast if the invite was not withdrawn, as it did with Narendra Modi in 2010.

As far as we understand, the feast has nothing to do with politics. Its just a get together in a festive atmosphere. What harm they see, I do not understand, said Sushil Modi. He, however, hastened to add that politics was a game of possibilities.

The Congress and the RJD, of late, have not been contented with the way both Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi have kept showering accolades and backing each others policies.

While RJD laughed away the hints at bonhomie between former NDA allies, Kumars party putting off a promised review of its stand on demonetisation has set off alarm bells in the GA, with RJD and Congress hinting at betrayal.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Two motorcycle-borne men shot Amit Sharma, 35, district publicity manager of an organisation called Sri Hindu Takht, near Jagraon Bridge in Ludhiana around 9pm on Saturday.

Sharma, who had joined the organisation two months ago, had come to meet a friend at a flower shop near a temple. He was about to get back into his car when the two attackers fired four shots, killing him on the spot; and escaped. The body was later taken to the local civil hospital.

Senior police officials, including commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulkah, reached the spot and started investigations.

Raman Sood, a resident of the locality where the car was parked, said the gunshots were not heard. Maybe a silencer was installed on the pistol. I was sitting at home when I heard police sirens and came out, he told HT.

Four bullets hit Sharma and he died on the spot. The killers used a 7.65-bore pistol, said Aulakh. Police also suspect that two more men on a bike were tailing the killers. No motive was yet established.

He was receiving regular threats from Khalistani militants through phone, claimed Rohit Sahni, state publicity manager of the organisation. To seek security, he also met the director general of police (DGP), who had asked him to meet police commissioner Aulakh, he added, blaming the death on negligence of the Ludhiana police.

Sharma, who was an exporter of machine tools for hosiery industry, is survived by his wife and a five-year-old son.
He is not in politics by chance. Politically erudite Dalvir Singh Goldy, 33, had planned a career in politics when he was a university student. Things are going as per the plan, he says, alighting from his Mitsubishi SUV in Dhuri market where he is supposed to attend a nukkad meeting.

Belonging to Punnawala village, soft spoken and suave Goldy became the Panjab University students council president in 2006. His political journey started when he was elected as a class representative in SD College, Chandigarh. He completed his post-graduation in History in 2007. The same year, he came back to his native village and started nurturing the constituency he is now a candidate from.

Facts Name: Dalvir Singh Goldy Age: 33 Party: Congress Education: MA (History) Role model: Shaheed Bhagat Singh Poll quotient: Plays the native card and doesnt hesitate in telling the voters that he belongs to a middle-class family. By the way: Wears turban at religious functions, but otherwise prefers to be without the headgear

In 2010, he became national coordinator of National Students Union of India (NSUI) and currently is the general secretary of Punjab Youth Congress. He formed an NGO, Aashirwaad Foundation, for taking up the issues of the locals. I got confiscated two truckloads of bicycles during the parliamentary polls in 2014, which were to be distributed to the voters when poll code was already in force, says Goldy , sitting at a Congress councillors house.

Main Punjab da putt haa, par meri jummevaari Dhuri prati vadd hai, kyonki main es dharti te janmiyaa haan. (I am son of Punjab, but my responsibilities towards Dhuri are more as I was born here)

Oho bazurgo, godey hath taan la lain deo, was what Goldy told an elderly when he hugged him during a mohalla meeting. Main Punjab da putt haa, par meri jummevaari Dhuri prati vadd hai, kyonki main es dharti te janmiyaa haan. Je main Dhuri da nahee bann sakiya, main Punjab da putt akhvaun de kabil nahee (I am son of Punjab, but my responsibilities towards Dhuri are more as I was born here. If I am not Dhuris son, I dont qualify to be that of Punjabs, he says at a poll speech.

Goldy is mainly selling his native credentials. I was born here, grew up and went to school in Dhuri, all the MLAs in the past were outsiders, and Dhuri remained neglected, he says. Then in the next breath, he lists what ails his segment the bridge connecting Dhuri to Malerkotla is in a dilapidated state, a toll plaza has come up on the main road that runs through the constituency, bus stand is in a congested area, civil hospital exists only in the name and local sugar mill not making timely payments to the farmers.

A plan is ready to tackle all the issues once I am elected as an MLA, he says.

Akali Dal has fielded entrepreneur Hari Singh MD of Preet Tractors from the constituency and AAPs choice is Jassi Sekhon. I have no worry even though Hari Singh has all the money to buy votes. Sekhon makes big claims, but I have my own strengths, says Goldy, saying he is an ordinary man  son of a retired employee of Food Corporation of India (FCI). But the art of raising peoples issues is in his blood. My father remained a unionist during his service days and fought for employee rights, he explains.

Goldy was lucky to have taken a head start in the campaigning as his name was announced in the first list announced on December 16. By now, he has covered most parts of the constituency  74 villages with 45,000 voters and Dhuri town with 1.1-lakh voters. He launched his campaign by paying obeisance at a gurdwara and a Shiv mandir. Besides the family members and relatives who are already campaigning for him, Goldy says his university days friends will boost the campaigning in the last 15 days.

My wife Simrat plans and executes meetings on her won. Striking a rapport with the women in the constituency is mainly her responsibility, he adds. His father-in-law late Manpreet Singh Moranwali, a man with Left leanings, had unsuccessfully contested the assembly polls from Dhuri in 1997. His presence would have helped me a lot, he says.

The segments 55% population is in the age group of 18 to 40 years. And since Goldy belongs to this bracket, he is a popular face among the youth here.

FRESH FACES IN FRAY: SIXTH OF 13 PART SERIES

NEXT: DEEPAK BANSAL
Surjit Singh Barnala died at 91 on Saturday after a protracted illness in Chandigarh hospital. Survived by his wife and two sons, the former chief minister of Punjab had also served as governor of Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

A law graduate, Barnala was a key player in the Rajiv-Longowal accord of 1985 and remained CM from September 1985 to May 1987. He also took over as president of the Shiromani Akali Dal after the killing of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal in 1985.

Barnala, who came close to becoming vice-president of India, steered Punjab as CM in difficult times, when militancy was at its peak after Operation Bluestar in Golden Temple. The accord of 1985 that was signed with his active involvement remains a point of debate by experts, but it was a turning point in returning peace to turmoil-hit Punjab.

Born in Ateli village  in what is now Mahendergarh district of Haryana  on October 21 1925, he got his LLB degree from Lucknow University and became active in politics at the age of 27, when he contested the Punjab assembly polls in 1952. In 1969, he became education minister in the Gurnam Singh-led government and was instrumental in setting up Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.

In the late 1970s, his sudden political rise took him to the Union cabinet as agriculture minister after he got elected to Parliament from Sangrur.

Historic lapses

If one looks at his biodata, he had a dazzling career, but political experts say he committed two historic lapses that would remain etched in Punjabs history.

The entry of police into Golden Temple during his term as Punjab CM in April 1987, and his failure to keep the promise of resigning as CM when Chandigarh was not transferred to Punjab as capital in January 1986, pushed Barnala to the margins. And he could never really re-emerge on the states political and mainstream Akali Dal scene, despite having a earned a good name for himself on the national front.

He fell out with Parkash Singh Badal (now Punjab CM) and the then president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Gurcharan Singh Tohra. Protesting against the entry of police into Golden Temple, Badal detached himself and formed a breakaway SAD (Badal). Capt Amarinder Singh, who is now Punjab Congress president, was agriculture minister in Barnalas cabinet; and had resigned along with two other ministers over the police entry.

Then started the rise of the Badals, and Barnala  though he remained governor of different states and also Union minister between 1990 and 2011  could not stage a comeback despite his wife and namesake, Surjit Kaur Barnala, having formed SAD (Longowal). That party has since been merged into the Congress.

Mixed legacy

He would be remembered for doing something and for not doing something  both times he faltered, said CM Badals adviser Harcharan Singh Bains, who worked with Barnala too.

Historian Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon remembered Barnala as a weak Akali leader who succumbed to the Centres pressure.

Despite having been on top positions, he could not nurture a legacy. His son Gaganjit Singh Barnala is a one-time MLA and despite having merged the SAD (Longowal) into the Congress in 2015, the family ha failed to get a ticket for the ensuing state elections.

He was ailing for some time, and passed away at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Few leaders in Punjabs chequered history of the 80s would invite such intense debate as former chief minister Sardar Surjit Singh Barnala would. Was he a visionary who strayed into a politics  a painter who used his brush on the wrong canvas? Or, was he the right man at the wrong time?

Should he be looked at as a genuine moderate whose political fortunes did not match the temper of the age nor of the people he was asked to lead? Or, was he one of those who first created a glorious opportunity in history, both for himself and for his state and community, and possibly even for his country, but then flinched at the hour of reckoning and refused to live up to that opportunity?

Surjit Singh Barnala with wife Surjit Kaur. (HT File Photo)

Opinions will always vary, often violently. It is hard to paint him entirely in a single colour and, much as his own temper and his style of paintings did, the colour one uses for him will have to be dipped in ink of soft hues. As one of the powerful Akali trinity of Parkash Singh Badal, Gurcharan Singh Tohra and himself, Barnala was the quietest and the most low-profile of the lot, and yet it was he who ended up with the harshest menu on his plate.

He could have chosen the honourable way of turning down a few of such assignments which did not agree with his temperament, but therein lies the whole tale of what he could have achieved and what he ended up not achieving.

Unfortunately for Barnala, his real place in history will be judged solely by his tenure as chief minister of Punjab at one of the most troubled times the state has ever faced. The Centre backed him to take on the ideological extreme in Sikh politics. Even if the choice had not been questionable, the fact that the Centre never gave him the political ammunition to carry forward the agenda of sanity is a significant part of the story of Barnalas failure to deliver.

But, to most Sikhs, his failure was one personal inability to look the tough moment in the eye.

Three issues defined that failure. One was his eventual refusal to resign in the wake of non-transfer of Chandigarh on January 26, 1986. The Centre had clearly backstabbed him and that was the moment for him to stand up and cry foul. Until two days before the date, Barnala appeared convinced that there is no point in my staying as CM if the accord that got us here is not implemented in a sacred spriit.

Something happened  hectic calls from Rajiv Gandhi assuring Barnala that the transfer was only being delayed by a few weeks, not withheld. Arun Nehru came huffing in, followed by Buta Singh. Eventually, it all came down to his trusting the word of a Prime Minister of India. He did.

That proved his undoing and Punjabs tragedy.

The second hour came when he was asked to decide between sending the police into the Goden Temple or risk angering the national opinion. In the end, his act was seen as vindicating Operation Bluestar that he has himself had opposed. As on January 26 the year before, he had the option of making a political statement by resigning in protest  this time against his own people. He could have argued that forces within the community were sabotaging a peaceful way out of the conflict which had already cost thousands of Sikh lives.

Once again, he blinked.

He would be judged harshly for both these acts  plus a third, not taking the popular duo of Parkash Singh Badal and Gurcharan Singh Tohra along.

In the end, he was perhaps asked to lead the state at the wrong time. A peaceful man of modest temperament and moderate language, he was told to control fires that were too harsh for his skin.

His greatest achievement was that he spoke the right script for his community  the language of peace with dignity. But his failure lies in his inability to bring up the dignity part in that equation. The things he spoke are still relevant  their relevance marred by his inability to lend them meat with his own flesh. Therein lies a lesson for all Sikh leaders, and for the country.

(The writer, who was media adviser to Surjit Singh Barnala during his stint as Punjab CM, is now adviser on national affairs and media to CM Parkash Singh Badal)
A 20-year-old woman from Kanpur, struck by cupid over Facebook, travelled over 700km to her virtual lovers home in Jharkhands Dhanbad hoping to get married, only to find that he had fled.

Welcomed with ridicule and rejection by his family, the woman, who did not want to be named, has threatened to commit suicide at his doorsteps.

Now, either my dolly (palanquin) or arthi (coffin) will leave this house, she said.

The aspiring doctor has been staging a dharna at the door of Santosh Sharma, also in his 20s, for the past 72 hours, claiming that they have been in relationship over Facebook over the past three years.

The situation appeared humorous to most of the villagers of Bada Jamua initially, but turned grave on Friday after Santoshs father Kamta Sharma refused to entertain her and she threatened suicide.

The woman, preparing for medical entrance, said she befriended Santosh, an engineering student in West Bengals Burdwan, on Facebook in 2013. They soon exchanged contact numbers and started interacting over phone. They first met in 2015 in Patna and later in Kolkata.

He promised he would marry me. The infinite selfies are evidence of our surreal love, she said, accusing Santosh of distancing himself from her over the past six months.

So she decided to come to Dhanbad, along with a friend, and confront Santosh, but he decided to flee on seeing his virtual girlfriend in flesh and blood at his residence.

Police were called, but they were also helpless. They took her to the police station for negotiation, but failed.

The drama took another turn on Friday morning, when the womans father Sudhir Ram came looking for her.

I cant forcibly take her away. I can only request and try to convince her, said the helpless father, who too is camping in the village.

Police have now asked Santoshs father to bring him home by Saturday evening to resolve the issue.

I have never seen such a case till date. We need to deal with it maturely, said Dinesh Kumar, officer in-charge of Barbadda police station.

Psychiatrists ruled out possibility of a psychological disorder in the woman. However, they said she needs counselling, not from experts, but her own parents and friends.

The virtual world is all rosy. People usually cant cope up if the real world fails to match their imagination. She needs time and counselling, said Dr Amool Ranjan of Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences.
Targeted by pro-Jallikattu groups for her association with animal rights group PETA which opposes the bull taming sport, actor Trisha on Saturday said she has never spoken against Jallikattu.

Some Jallikattu supporters on Friday briefly picketed the site of the shooting of Tamil film Garjanai, starring Trisha, in Sivaganga district, though the actor was not present there at that time.

Abusive text messages accompanied with images of Trisha wearing a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) T-shirt have gone viral on social media.

The actor on Saturday asked if such an attitude was in line with Tamil culture.

Supporters of Jallikattu have, while opposing the ban on the sport, maintained that it is part of their tradition.

Disrespecting a woman and her family is Tamil culture? You should be ashamed to call urself a Tamilian or even speak about Tamil culture, the actor said in another tweet.

Disrespecting a woman and her family is tamil culture?You should be ashamed to call urself a Tamilian or even speak about Tamil culture.  Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

Secondly, I have never spoken against Jallikattu at any given point. Thank u @iam_str for making my stand clear and talking up for me as always, she tweeted.

Secondly,I have never spoken against Jallikattu at any given point.Thank u @iam_str for making my stand clear and takin up for me as always  Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

She thanked Tamil actor Simbu (@iam_str) for standing up for her. Actor Simbu had said Trisha did not know that PETA will oppose Jallikattu. He had said it will be appropriate to talk about her good work in adopting homeless street dogs.

Trisha is an animal lover and advocate of animal rights. She had appeared in PETA advertisements supporting adoption of homeless dogs.

Pls stop hurting MsTrisha.          .     Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) January 14, 2017

You may choose to disagree, but be respectful when u express that difference of opinion. What happpened to @trishtrashers is not OK.  arvind swami (@thearvindswami) January 14, 2017

PETA had been opposing Jallikattu and on Friday wrote to the President and the Prime Minister arguing against any ordinance for holding the bull taming sport in the state as demanded by the state government and others.

The group has come under severe attack from Jallikattu supporters who even demanded that PETA be banned.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
Children who are influenced by superheroes are more likely to show aggressive behaviours, claims a new American study, published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

However, parents can rest assured that theres no need to ban children from playing with their favourite superhero figurines, watching superhero cartoons or movies, or dressing up as their heroes.

Superhero fans arent likely to be any more inclined to defend friends being picked on by bullies, claims a new research.

This new study from researchers at Brigham Young University, USA, instead recommends that parents make sure kids have a wide range of activities and interests.

Kids who often engage with the world of superheroes like Superman, Batman, Iron Man and Captain America, may be more likely to show physically and relationally aggressive behaviours one year later, the study reports. Whats more, superhero fans arent likely to be any more inclined to defend friends being picked on by bullies.

To come to this conclusion, the researchers studied 240 children whose parents answered questions about their level of engagement with superhero culture: how long they spent watching movies or shows, how much they identified with specific superhero characters, etc.

The children were also interviewed individually. They were asked to list 10 of the most popular superheroes they could think of then to pick their favourite and explain their choice.

Ten percent of the children noticed some kind of defending behaviour in superheroes, with answers such as Because he shoots webs and he saves people. Twenty percent admired some kind of violent skills, saying things like Hes big and can punch and He smashes and gets angry. The most aggressive answers include: Because he can smash and destroy everything, and he doesnt care because hes a big bully.

However, for 70% of the children interviewed, superpowers remained the biggest source of fascination, with answers including Because he is big and strong and Because he is cool and can fly.

Back in July, the same team of researchers studied the impact of Disney princesses on the behaviour of young girls. They concluded that these characters reinforce female stereotypes.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
Fridays episode of Bigg Boss 10 had all the drama that the reality TV shows viewers long for. In fact, it went a step further with one participant getting into a physical fight with another, providing more fodder for Salman Khan to comment on this weekend. Bani Judge and Lopamudra Raut stooped to a new low as the former kicked the latter and the house was a chaotic mess.



Here are the highlights from Fridays episode:

Bani-Lopa fight



In the course of their conversation during the luxury budget task of Rohans team (where Bani is a customer care executive), Lopa asks Bani bluntly: why does she carry so much hatred towards her. If that wasnt enough, she makes a reference to Banis mother and thats what triggered Banis anger. Lopa said, Apki mom ke sath jo hua aap hamesha us ko ek auzaar ki tarha use karti ho logo ki sympathy gain karne k liye. She also says Bani had taken several injections to enhance her beauty and called her fake.

Lopa emerges the villain



At the onset, everyone tried to stop Bani from hurting Lopa. However, later they were seen discussing how Lopa stopped at nothing to irritate Bani and thats what triggered the latters anger. Talking to Monalisa and Manveer Gujjar, Manu Punjabi commented that Lopa was talking rubbish about Banis mother and that it was natural for her to react violently. Nitibha told Bani that Lopa was the culprit in the fight. Rohan too was seen telling Lopa that she shouldnt have brought Banis mother into the conversation.

Manu tells Bani she was not a good friend to Gaurav Chopra



During the task, Manu tells Bani that her treatment of Gaurav was just not right. He added that she often cooked for herself without bothering about Gaurav, who kept waiting for others. He added how she even bitched about him.

These are our picks from last nights episode.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
A girl stolen as a newborn from a hospital in Florida by a woman has been found in South Carolina after more than 18 years, police say on Saturday.

Kamiyah Mobley, who was abducted from a hospital in Jacksonville in July 1998, was found after a tip.

The baby was only eight hours old when she was taken by a woman posing as a healthcare worker at the University Medical Centre. The woman told Kamiyahs mother, Shanara, that her baby had a fever and needed to be checked. She took the baby out of the room and disappeared.

Authorities in Walterboro, South Carolina, have charged Gloria Williams, 51, with kidnapping.

Mobley was living under another name and believed Williams to be her mother. The biological family have been notified of the news.

Jacksonville sherriffs office said DNA tests had confirmed Mobleys identity.

She appeared in good health, a normal 18-year-old woman, it said.

The office said it had acted on 2,500 tips since the abduction.

It showed the original composite images released at the time of the kidnapping, along with a photograph of Williams, who was arrested at her home on Friday.

The case had brought significant media attention as Shanara tried to locate her child.

Although the biological family had been notified of the discovery and were elated, the Jacksonville sherriffs office said: It is up to the victim on how contact will be made. The victim is now an adult.

Jacksonville sheriff Mike Williams said: She had an idea that something may have occurred but... imagine her trying to process this.

She was abducted as a newborn and needs time to process this... We want to respect her privacy and we ask that you do too, sheriff Williams said.
Bangladeshi police Saturday said they have arrested an Islamist extremist accused of being one of the masterminds of last years deadly siege at a Dhaka cafe where 22 hostages were killed.

A police spokesman said Jahangir Alam was detained Friday night by counter-terrorism forces in Elenga, a town some 120 kilometres (63 miles) north of the capital.

He is one of the main masterminds of the Holey Artisan Bakery (cafe) attack, Yusuf Ali, an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka police force, told AFP.

He was a member of a new faction of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and was directly involved in the murder of at least 22 religious minorities including Hindu priests and a Christian and foreigners (at the cafe), he said.

Japanese and Italian diners were among the 18 foreigners shot and hacked to death in the attack on July 1 last year.

The siege lasted for 10 hours until army commandos, using armoured vehicles, stormed the compound.

Sanwar Hossain, an additional deputy commissioner of the polices counter-terrorism and transnational crime unit, said Alam was a close associate of Tamim Chowdhury, the slain Bangladeshi Canadian, who was named as the primary architect of the cafe siege.

(Alam) was notorious. He led around two dozen attacks on religious minorities outside the capital, he told AFP.

Alam, 32, was present with Chowdhury at a Dhaka hideout where they planned and organised the cafe attack, Hossain added.

The arrest comes a week after police killed two Islamist extremists including another plotter of the cafe siege in a shootout in Dhaka. Chowdhury was killed during a raid outside the capital in August last year.

The countrys security forces launched a deadly crackdown against Islamist extremists following the attack, which badly undermined Bangladeshs reputation as a relatively moderate Muslim nation.

Since the siege, security forces have killed around 50 Islamist extremists, including most of the alleged leaders of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

However, the Islamic State (IS) organisation also claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, posting images of the carnage as it happened and photos of the gunmen who had posed with the groups black flag.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities.

While many of those attacks have been claimed by IS or Al Qaeda, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas secular government has blamed local militants, denying that international jihadists have gained a foothold in Bangladesh.

Read| We have the same spirit: Dhaka cafe hit by brutal hostage-taking attack reopens
Bangladesh police on Saturday said they have arrested a top Islamist militant accused of being one of the masterminds of the countrys worst terror attack at a popular Dhaka cafe and plotting murders of religious minorities including two Hindu priests.

Islamic State-linked outlawed Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen recruiter Jahangir Alam alias Rajib alias Gandhi was arrested last night from Elenga, some 120km north of Dhaka, counterterrorism and transnational police unit chief Monirul Islam told media.

He said that Alam was one of the key players of the July attack on Holey Artisan restaurant who were captured alive so far as 13 of the 17 militants who were presumed to have plotted the attack were killed in encounters so far.

During the initial interrogation he has admitted to his direct link to plot of staging the attack on Gulshans Holey Artisan and the subsequent Eid congregation in Sholakia, Islam said.

The official said the police investigations found that Alam was involved in plotting murders of 22 people including a slain Japanese national, a Hindu tailor, two Hindu priests, a village doctor, a Sufi Muslim, a professor of state-run Rajshahi University and several others in the past four years.

The development came two weeks after five suspected JMB operatives were arrested over plotting attacks on the New Years Eve and 30kg explosives were seized from them.

A breakaway faction of JMB constituted the Neo-JMB which was behind the July 1 attack on the Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. An Indian girl was among those killed in Bangladeshs worst terror attack.

Police said Alams name surfaced during investigations when they found that he served Neo-JMB as the commander of the outfit for the Northern districts.

The arrest was made a week after Neo-JMBs most wanted leader Nurul Islam alias Marzan and another extremist were killed by counter-terrorism forces in Mohammadpur Beribadh area of the capital during a pre-dawn raid.

Police had claimed that Marzan coordinated the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.

Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Chowdhury, who was singled out by the police as the neo-JMB chief and the key player in the recent terror activities in Bangladesh, and two others were killed in a police operation in Narayanganj on August 27.

Last week, RAB arrested 10 people from different parts of Dhaka for their suspected involvement with the cafe attackers.

A dozen other top and second-tier leaders of the Neo-JMB group are still absconding.
A man in Chinas central Henan province has become the latest person reported to have died this winter from H7N9 bird flu, the state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday citing local health authorities.

The 36-year-old roast duck salesman developed a fever and a cough around December 25 in coastal Zhejiang province, near Shanghai, and returned to Henan in early January, Xinhua said. He was diagnosed with H7N9 on Jan 10 and died the next day.

Bird flu is most likely to strike in winter and spring. In recent years, farmers have stepped up cleaning regimes, animal detention techniques, and built roofs to cover hen pens, in their efforts to prevent the disease.

Chinas last major outbreak killed 36 people and caused more than $6 billion in losses for the agricultural sector.

The H7N9 strain does not seem to transmit easily among people, and sustained human-to-human infection has not been reported, the World Health Organization says. The danger is that any such virus mutates and acquires genetic changes that could boost its pandemic potential.
#PM-trapped miners PM urges utmost efforts to rescue 2 trapped miners Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday called for utmost efforts to rescue two miners trapped underground for 10 days. They have been isolated in a vertical shaft about 190 mete...
President-elect Donald Trumps national security adviser and Russias ambassador to the US have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior US official said Friday.

After initially denying that Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke Dec 29, a Trump official said late Friday that the transition team was aware of one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions.

Its not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trumps team discussed  or even helped shape  Russias response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the US for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynns contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow. That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the US election to benefit Trump.

In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obamas sanctions if Russia works with the US on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions? he asked.

During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader.

If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia, he said.

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the U.S. said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The US also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol.

He accepted a call from Taiwans president, ignoring the longstanding One China policy that does not recognize the islands sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, Everything is under negotiation.

He also publicly urged the U.S. to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

Questions about Trumps friendly posture toward Russia have deepened since the election, as he has dismissed US intelligence agencies assertions about Russias role in the hacking of Democratic groups. In briefing Trump on their findings, intelligence officials also presented the president-elect with unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him, according to a separate US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to publicly discuss the matter.

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced late Friday that it would investigate possible contacts between Russia and people associated with US political campaigns as part of a broader investigation into Moscows meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump acknowledged for the first time this week that he accepts that Russia was behind the hacking. But he questioned whether officials were leaking information about their meetings with him, warning that would be a tremendous blot on their record.

Flynns own ties with Russia have worried some Republicans who are more skeptical of the Kremlin than Trump appears to be. After leaving his position as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, Flynn made appearances on RT, a state-run Russian television network. In 2015, he was paid to attend an RT gala in Moscow, where he sat next to Putin.

As national security adviser, Flynn will work in the West Wing close to the Oval Office and will have frequent access to Trump. Unlike Trumps nominees to lead the Pentagon, State Department and other national security agencies, Flynns post does not require Senate confirmation.

Flynns contacts with the Russian ambassador were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The US official who spoke to The Associated Press was not authorized to confirm the contacts publicly and insisted on anonymity.

The Trump teams account of Flynns contacts with the Russian envoy changed throughout the day Friday.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer initially said there was one phone call between Flynn and Kislyak on Dec 28, as well as a Christmas greeting via text messages over the holidays. He said sanctions were not part of the discussions.

Later Friday, a transition official said Flynn and Kislyak had spoken by phone on Dec 29, following a text message from the ambassador the day before. During the call, the Russian ambassador invited U.S. officials to a conference on Syria later this month that is being held in Kazakhstan, according to the transition official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and insisted on anonymity.

The official also confirmed a phone call between the men earlier in December.

The US official who spoke to the AP Friday described the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak as very frequent.

Its unclear how US officials became aware of the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak, who has served as Russias envoy to the US since 2008. US monitoring of Russian officials communication within the United States is known to be common.

Flynn has spoken with other foreign officials since Trump won the November election, as have incoming White House senior advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he saw nothing inappropriate in Trumps transition team contacting Russian or any other foreign officials.
China seems to be so far above its competitors in constructing buildings that are 200 metres or higher, it can barely see those below.

The Communist country built 84 of the 128 buildings in that height range in 2016, leading Asias charge to build the largest number of tall buildings, the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) said in its annual report.

India does not figure in the list, which includes South Korea, Indonesia and Philippines. Of the completed 128 buildings, 107 were in Asia.

The US was Chinas closest competitor  it completed seven buildings in the category.

This brings the total number of 200-metre-plus buildings in the world to 1,168, marking a 441% increase from the year 2000, when only 265 existed, the CTBUH, considered an authority in tracking tall buildings, reported.

The tallest building to be completed last year was in China  the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, it said calling it the tallest building in Guangzhou, the second tallest building in China, and the fifth tallest building in the world at 530 metres.

Chinas dominance was spearheaded by the trading hub and metropolis of Shenzhen in the south.

Shenzhen had the highest number of 200-metre-plus completions of any city in 2016 with 11 (more than any country other than China managed to complete), while Chinas Chongqing and Guangzhou, and Goyang in South Korea tied for second place with six each, the report said.

The total height of buildings completed in Shenzhen was a dizzying 2,608 metres.

To be fair, China topping the list in 2016 wasnt exactly a shock  this was the ninth year in a row that CTBUH announced it was the leader.

Thirty-one cities in China had at least one 200-meter-plus building completion, with Shenzhen outperforming any other city in the world, with 11. Trailing behind Shenzhen are Chongqing and Guangzhou, each with six completions; followed by Chengdu and Dalian with five apiece, the CTBUH report added.

Analysts at CTBUH said it was impossible to separate urbanisation in China from the boom in skyscraper construction globally. And, though its economy might be cooling, the construction sector is still hot.

Additionally, over the past several years, there has been a major uptick in the amount of real estate investment coming out of China, rather than remaining within it, it said.

This, in combination with a still-cooling national economy, has caused some to assume that the nations era of unprecedented construction is on the decline. While that may be the case in the long run, short-term prospects remain high, with 328 buildings in the 200-plus-metre range currently under construction in the country.

Not surprisingly, the tallest building set to be completed in 2017 is the Ping An Finance Centre. At 599 metres, it will be the tallest in Shenzhen, the second tallest in China, and the fourth tallest in the world.

THE FIVE TALLEST BUILDINGS COMPLETED IN 2016

1) GUANGZHOU CTF

Guangzhou, China

530 meters (1,739 ft)

2) ETON PLACE DALIAN

Dalian, China

383 meters (1,257 ft)

3) VOSTOK TOWER

Moscow, Russia

374 meters (1,226 ft)

4) TIANJIN MODERN CITY

TIanjin, China

338 meters (1,109 ft)

5) GLOBAL CITY SQUARE

Guangzhou, China

319 meters (1,046 ft)
Governments stung by the political backlash from disgruntled voters left worse off by three decades of globalisation are now scrambling for solutions, but there is no easy fix and the populist remedies on offer risk making things even worse, analysts say.

Globalisation has been a boon for many, but western elites should have addressed its inequalities much earlier instead of sweeping them under the rug.

Rich countries have too often forgotten those who lost out, the workers threatened by imports from low-cost countries, Radu Vranceanu, a professor at the French Essec business school, told AFP.

More than 20 years ago the man behind the annual Davos forum, Klaus Schwab, warned of a mounting backlash which could threaten economic activity and social stability.

You have to listen to the people who have entrusted you with leadership, the founder of the World Economic Forum wrote in the New York Times. But in the end, its not enough just to listen. You have to solve the issues. You have to address... the root causes.

Supporters cheer president-elect Donald Trump as he leaves a thank you rally in Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Alabama. Trumps campaign railed against loss of US jobs due to open trade policies. (AFP)

Two decades on, the chickens have come home to roost: Britains shock vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trumps US election victory are seen as a cry of protest by voters who feel they are getting poorer while the rich get richer.

The issues of growing income inequality and what to do about it are likely to dominate discussion when political and business elites gather in Davos next week.

The share of wealth taken by the highest income brackets has risen in almost all countries over the past decade, both in developed and in developing countries said French economist Thomas Piketty, a best-selling writer on modern capitalism and inequality who also runs a wealth database.

Deepen inequality

Even the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a champion of free trade, recently acknowledged that international trade can deepen inequality in developing countries.

But some observers say often-heard calls for fairer globalisation have done little to change reality.

This talk today seems bland and naive, Xavier Timbeau, director of French economic think tank OFCE, told AFP.

Still reeling from sudden changes in the political landscape, elites are seeking a response to the anti-establishment voter backlash, but no consensus has emerged.

Demonstrators supporting Brexit protest outside of the Houses of Parliament in London. The shocking leave verdict of Britains EU referendum was attributed to disillusionment of middle class Britons

Even before taking office, Trump threatened protectionist measures against Chinese and Mexican imports and claimed credit when automaker Ford and others dropped plans for new investment in Mexico.

European governments are also scratching their heads. Two junior ministers in the French government, Christophe Sirugue and Matthias Fekl, have come up with an idea for a Buy European Act and a Made in Europe label.

Such initiatives can be seen as forms of mild isolationism, but OFCEs Timbeau suspects there may be a new form of economic selfishness at work.

No more goodwill

We are entering a stage in which there is no more goodwill in developed countries towards developing countries. On the contrary, everybody is defending their own interests against the others, he said. Everybody is looking out for number one.

Apart from being perceived as unfriendly, such strategies may also be counter-productive, warned Vranceanu, at Essec.

Trumps protectionist threats could diminish the American economys capacity to develop. They run counter to his promise as a candidate to give the US a strong growth push, he said.

A small group of anti-globalisation activists shouting "Get Out Obama" and "TPP kills" protest during the APEC summit. (AP Photo)

There are more productive ways to level the playing field, such as taxes on products from countries which dont respect climate agreements or which use social dumping to keep prices low, said Thomas Guenole, a political scientist and author of a book called Unhappy globalisation.

If such taxes are high enough, they will restore the local economy to competitiveness and put the brakes on offshore production, he told AFP, perhaps even encourage a return, so called re-shoring.

Whatever cure is attempted, 2015 Nobel prize winner Angus Deaton warned in a recent article, governments must ensure its not worse than the disease.

True bogeymen

We cannot ignore those who are hurting, but we need to ensure that our fixes dont make the problem worse, he wrote.

The biggest problem facing economies are business leaders getting rich on the backs of others while not contributing anything of value to the economy, according to Deaton.

Activists hold signs as they rally during an anti-TPP protest in Washington, DC. Activists held a rally and a march "to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (AFP Photo)

The true bogeymen are the rent-seekers who have captured so much of our government. The inequality that they have wrought is the inequality that needs to be eliminated, he said, citing as an example bankers who seek looser regulation and then lobby governments for taxpayer money if their banks fail.

The resulting bailouts have given breathtaking sums of public money to people who were already fabulously rich, he said.
A 16-year-old Indian American teenager was arrested last week for crushing to death another Indian resident of Florida while racing his pickup truck.

Priya Pachauri, 31, was struck and killed by the speeding truck on December 8 and police have determined that the driver of the car, Madhav Sood, was racing at the time of the incident.

Sood was arrested last week in Lake Mary on allegations of striking and killing a woman who was on a sidewalk while he was street racing.

Lake Mary police said Sood was arrested on a charge of vehicular homicide in the death of Pachauri.

Police said Pachauri was walking on the sidewalk along Lake Emma Road when she was hit.

Police said that Sood was racing another car at the time of the crash, according to a WFTV Orlando report.

Sood had three other teenage passengers in the truck with him when it veered off the road, hit Pachauri and took out a section of the guard rail.

The Lake Mary Police Department said Sood was driving recklessly and well above the posted speed limit of 72 kph at the time.

Pachauris husband is in India.

None of the passengers in the pickup were injured despite the vehicle overturning from the crash.

Sood was taken to a juvenile justice centre and charged with vehicular homicide.

Via social media, Pachauris brother-in-law has been demanding justice in the wake of what he calls a brutal crime, Wesh.com reported.

The drivers irresponsible behaviour should be punished, wrote Dewansh Pachauri in the post, Indiawest.com reported.

Should the teen gain release from custody, police are asking that he be placed on electronic monitoring and not be permitted to operate any and all motor vehicles, the WESH.com report said.

--IANS

rn/vd
Families of the MH17 plane disaster victims may push for a renewed search of the crash site in eastern Ukraine after the recent discovery of a bone fragment belonging to one of the dead.

We are considering speaking to authorities about another search for human remains, Evert van Zijtveld, chairman of the MH17 victims foundation, said on Saturday.

As relatives, we simply dont want any human remains to be left behind, Van Zijtveld, who lost a son, daughter and his parents-in-law, told AFP.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur killing all 298 on board, most of them Dutch citizens.

Last Sunday, when freelance journalist Michel Spekkers returned to Amsterdam from Ukraine, Dutch police confiscated the items he had collected including the human bone fragment.

DNA tests this week showed that the bone belonged to one of the victims, whose other remains were identified in 2014, Dutch prosecutors said in a statement Friday. The victims family was informed.

The rest of the articles brought back by Spekkers were not relevant to the criminal investigation, prosecutors said.

A Dutch-led criminal investigation into the attack concluded in September that a BUK missile, transported from Russia, was fired from a field in a part of war-torn Ukraine then controlled by pro-Russian rebels, and hit the plane. But it stopped short of saying who pulled the trigger.

Van Zijtveld said the new findings had opened painful wounds for victims relatives, who now wanted to know why a journalist was able to find the human remains.

He earlier told the NOS public broadcaster that Spekkers did not find the bone in a isolated area but at a shed where a search team had brought together all items found from the crash site.

If it turns out that not all commitments to return human remains have been heeded, well consider discussing the possibility of another mission go and bring back our loved ones, Van Zijtveld said.
Iraqi forces on Saturday retook Mosuls university from the Islamic State jihadist group, the latest key advance in efforts to recapture the eastern side of the city, officers said.

We can say that the university has been liberated, Maan Saadi, a major general in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP.

The vast Mosul University campus, one of the biggest in Iraq, lies in the north of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River that splits Mosul in two.

We have done the hardest part... we may recapture the entirety of the eastern side in the next 10 days or so, Saadi said.

The top CTS commander, General Taleb Sheghati al-Kenani, spoke to state-run Iraqiya TV from the university.

Read | Iraqi forces fight on at Mosul university, find chemicals: Officers

Saadi estimated Iraqi forces had now recaptured 85 percent of the eastern side since the October 17 launch of a huge offensive to retake Mosul, the jihadists main stronghold in the country.

The initial phase of the offensive saw a variety of forces retake significant swathes of land in little time but the going has been tough inside the city itself.

After a lull in operations, the CTS and other forces stepped up their coordination and, with increased air and advisory support from a US-led coalition, launched a fresh push just before the New Year.

Over the past two weeks, Iraqi forces have overrun several districts and reached the Tigris River.

The destruction of all bridges over the river in air strikes has made it difficult for IS fighters in east Mosul to resupply or escape to the west bank, which they still fully control.

The western side of Mosul, which is home to the old city and some of the jihadists traditional bastions, was always tipped as likely to offer the most resistance.

Read more | On Mosul frontlines, Islamic States local fighters direct the battle
As Iraqi government forces advanced towards his eastern Mosul neighbourhood in November, a group of Islamic State militants stormed Abu Ramis home, put a gun to his head and told him and his family to get out immediately.

The militants, including a local man whose name he knew, brought with them a bearded comrade clutching a sniper rifle whom Abu Rami suspects was Russian or Chechen. The foreigner took up position in a rooftop chicken coop.

When Abu Rami returned 11 days later, the fighting had ended and the militants had slipped away, but his two-storey house was destroyed by an air strike. His family is now distributed among relatives and friends across the city.

Destruction occurs in a few moments, but rebuilding takes time, he said outside the rubble of his home where men huddled around a well to collect water because pipes have been damaged.

The Mosul campaign, involving a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government troops and militarised police, Kurdish security forces and mainly Shiite Muslim militiamen, is the most complex battle in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Read | Iraqi forces fight on at Mosul university, find chemicals: Officers

With nearly all of eastern Mosul under government control three months into the U.S.-backed offensive, most residents have stayed in the city, complicating the task of the military which must fight among civilians in built-up areas against an enemy that has targeted non-combatants and hidden among them.

Residents told Reuters during a visit to the Muharibeen district on Friday how the battle played out for them, describing scenes likely repeated in one form or another across the city.

The militants hung curtains across roadways to try to obscure the view of Iraqi army marksmen as they dashed from houses to pray in a tan-coloured mosque where they also posted a sniper in the minaret, Abu Rami said.

They kept a car packed with explosives parked opposite his house for more than a week. When they deployed it to a main street, an army tank shelled it, destroying an adjacent building.

Division of Labour

When it launched the offensive in October, the Iraqi government hoped to retake Mosul - Islamic States last major stronghold in the country and the largest urban centre anywhere in its self-styled caliphate spanning neighbouring Syria - by the end of 2016.

But Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in December it could now take another three months to drive the militants out.

Commanders have said the presence of up to 1.5 million residents and attempts to minimise destruction to homes and key infrastructure has slowed their troops advance, though hundreds of civilians have already been killed and many areas heavily damaged.

Abu Rami, a 54-year-old former government employee, described a division of labour among Islamic State militants at the frontlines: a group that plants explosives, one that has snipers and another that serves as local guides.

Read | Iraqi forces reach second Mosul bridge, enter university complex says Iraq Army

The snipers are usually Russians, Chechens or Afghans, he said. The Iraqis, many from Mosul and the nearby city of Tel Afar, ride around on motorcycles telling them where to take up positions.

Abu Rami said he was surprised when the fair-skinned sniper who posted up in his house spoke to him in broken Arabic, saying: For the sake of Allah, get out.

They do not know the area so the motorcycle guides the suicide car bomb (to its target) and tells the fighters, You go here, you go there. Go detonate here, he said.

U.S. Army Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend, commander of the international coalition backing Iraqi forces, told Reuters last week that Islamic States local leadership had proven effective without a hierarchical chain of command.

But he said separate cells fighting in different neighbourhoods appeared increasingly unable to coordinate across different areas it controlled inside the city.

Another U.S. military official said fighters the coalition observes moving skilfully across Mosuls urban terrain usually turn out to be foreigners.

Read | In Mosul, Iraq forces battle Islamic State drones, mortars, car bombs

According to another Muharibeen resident, who asked not to be named, Islamic State will shoot from a position for several minutes until the military identifies the location. The militants often escape to another house through holes previously knocked through outer walls.

Then there is bombardment to destroy the house, to destroy the sniper position, he said. But the sniper will pop up again here or there.
US vice president Joe Biden has singled out Pakistan along with Russia, North Korea and others for making counterproductive moves that only heightened the risk that nuclear weapons could be used in a regional conflict.

Not just North Korea, but Russia, Pakistan, and others have made counterproductive moves that only increase the risk that nuclear weapons could be used in a regional conflict in Europe, South Asia, or East Asia, Biden said in his remarks on nuclear security.

Working with the Congress, the next administration will have to navigate these dangers and continue leading the global consensus to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our world, Biden said a week before the end of eight years of the Obama administration.

Nuclear weapons, the proliferation of this deadly knowledge to more nations, and the possibility of a terrorist obtaining nuclear materials, remain among the most pressing security challenges, he said.

Even one nuclear bomb can still cause hideous damage. Thats why, from the moment President Obama and I took office eight years ago, reducing the threat of a nuclear attack has been a chief national security priority, he said adding that thanks to Americas leadership, the international community is newly focused on preventing nuclear terrorism.

We know that terrorists have both the capacity and the goal of transforming nuclear materials into weapons to sow havoc. And we know that no nation acting alone can defeat this threat, he said.

Referring to the series of steps taken by the Obama administration in last eight years, Biden said these efforts have reduced the supply of nuclear weapons-usable material.

Read| US Vice-President Joe Biden tells Donald Trump to grow up

And weve not only stepped up the physical protection of facilities where nuclear materials are stored weve greatly improved our ability to detect and seize unregulated nuclear and radiological materials being smuggled in secret, he said.

Biden said as North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities continue to expand, it poses a growing threat to international security and our own national defense.

Thats why weve been so vigilant in keeping the international community united to raise the costs on North Korea for its flagrant violations of nuclear norms, he said.

Just last year, in response to two illegal nuclear tests by North Korea, the United Nations Security Council including China and Russiaunanimously adopted two resolutions imposing the most far-reaching and comprehensive sanctions on North Korea to date, he said and called for enforcing these sanctions to ensure North Korea understands that we will continue to impose costs for their illegal behaviour.

North Koreas growing capability is one of the most significant challenges the next administration will face. There are no simple solutions. But any viable path forward must include standing with our Asian allies to send a clear message to Pyongyang: Attempts at coercion or intimidation will fail, Biden said.

Security and international respect cannot be attained through illegal weapons. And as long as that is the choice North Koreas leaders continue to make, their country will remain economically isolated and an international pariah, he said.

Read| US slaps sanctions on 7 Pak entities for acting against its national security
The Palestinians may consider reversing recognition of Israel if Donald Trump moves the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has said in an interview released by the French daily Le Figaro.

I wrote to president(-elect) Trump to ask him not to do it. Not only would this move deprive the United States of all legitimacy in playing a role in conflict resolution, it would also destroy the two-state solution, Abbas was quoted as saying yesterday.

Trump -- who takes office next Friday -- has said he plans to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

The move is bitterly opposed by Palestinians, who see it as a destructive and unilateral action as the status of the city is still contested.

The United States and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, and the citys status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel supports Trumps plan and has encouraged previous US presidents to take similar steps but to no avail.

If the embassy transfer takes place, there would be several options for us, and we would discuss them with Arab countries, Abbas said.

Reversing our recognition of the State of Israel is one of them. But we hope that it doesnt reach that point, and that, on the contrary, we will be able to work with the next American administration, he added.

Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) recognised each other under the 1993 Oslo agreements. But the process which was supposed to deliver a lasting peace is moribund.

More than 70 countries meet in Paris on Sunday at a conference expected to reaffirm support for the two-state solution in which Palestinian and Israeli states would live side-by-side in peace and security.

The Paris meeting may be the last chance for implementing the two-state solution, Abbas warned.

On Monday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said Abbas had written to Trump, warning an embassy move would have a disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region.
SpaceX plans to blast off a rocket on Saturday for the first time since a launch pad explosion in the fall sidetracked the ambitious flight plans of company founder and entrepreneur Elon Musk.

A 20-story tall Falcon 9 rocket is slated to launch from Californias Vandenberg Air Force Base at 9:54 am PST (1754 GMT) to put into orbit 10 satellites for Iridium Communications Inc, which will use them to enhance mobile voice and data relay capabilities.

The mission will test changes implemented by Space Exploration Technologies Corp, known as SpaceX, after another Falcon 9 exploded on a launch pad in Florida in September during a routine preflight test.

Accident investigators determined that a canister of helium burst inside the rockets second-stage liquid oxygen tank, triggering the explosion. The canister is being redesigned, but until then SpaceX is addressing the issue by modifying its fueling procedures.

Diagrams of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and landing process. (Reuters)

The explosion destroyed a $62 million SpaceX booster and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite that it was to put into orbit two days later.

Read | SpaceX 2015 accident cost it hundreds of millions: WSJ

The accident clouded the companys aggressive agenda, which includes beginning to ferry U.S. astronauts into space next year, when it also plans to make its first voyage to Mars.

Saturdays flight would begin to clear a logjam of more than 70 missions, worth more than $10 billion, awaiting flights on SpaceX Falcon rockets, which last flew in August, SpaceX said.

The launch is the first in a seven-flight contract with Iridium worth $468.1 million, company spokeswoman Diane Hockenberry said.

The rocket flying on Saturday will attempt to touch down on a platform in the Pacific Ocean, a feat previously accomplished by four other returning Falcon rockets. SpaceX intends to reuse its rockets, slashing launch costs so it can offer cut-rate services.

Also Read | Elon Musk calls SpaceX blast a most difficult, complex failure

In addition to its dozens of commercial customers, SpaceX is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

The companys 2017 agenda includes the debut launch of a heavy-lift booster, flying its first reused rocket and repairing the Florida launch pad damaged in the explosion.
A Thai military air show for children was marred by tragedy Saturday when a fighter jet plunged from the sky and burst into flames, killing the pilot.

Families were gathered at the airport in the southern city of Hat Yai to watch the show put on for Thailands annual Childrens Day.

Footage of the accident captured shrieks from a startled crowd as the jet took a nosedive and crashed near the airports runway, releasing fiery plumes of smoke.

One pilot was killed in the accident this morning, defence ministry spokesman Major General Kongcheep Tantravanich told AFP.

The cause of the crash was under investigation, he added.

No one else was harmed in the incident, according to an airport official, as the audience was gathered a considerable distance away from the crash site.

A junta spokesman said the 35-year-old pilot was flying a Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen jet.

The Prime Minister has expressed his condolences to (the) pilot, his family and the Royal Thai Air Force, said Major General Werachon Sukondhapatipak.

Thailands national Childrens Day is celebrated yearly on the second Saturday of January.

The holiday sees military bases around the country open up their gates to let youngsters handle guns and climb over tanks and warships.

Many zoos and museums also allow children in for free.
High levels of toxic chemicals were found in groundwater tests at a new facility scheduled to replace Tokyos Tsukiji fish market -- the worlds largest -- clouding the costly relocation plan, news reports said Saturday.

The controversial project has been delayed over fears about toxic contamination, which also impacted the 2020 Olympics to be hosted by the Japanese capital.

The megacitys new governor, Yuriko Koike, has said she would postpone the move originally set for November last year, as she awaits final groundwater testing results at the new site, a former gas plant.

The relocation plan has been marred by problems, including the discovery that contractors had inexplicably failed to fill in a basement at the new site with clean soil as a buffer against underground pollution.

Results of the final testing showed that levels of toxic materials, including benzene, detected in underground water at the new site were above nationally set limits, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Jiji Press said.

It came after the previous test also showed high levels of mercury were found inside the facilitys basement.

Plans to uproot the more than 80-year-old market, a popular tourist attraction, have been in the works for years, with advocates citing the need for upgraded technology.

The local government paid a whopping 86 billion yen ($750 million) in cleanup costs.

But Koike, a former TV anchorwoman elected last year as Tokyos first female governor, has pledged to reconsider the plan.

What we have to uphold is food security, Koike said Saturday, according to Jiji Press. We may have to study further.

Koike, however, has not said if she would consider scrapping the relocation altogether if the test results are bad.

She has also questioned the 588 billion yen in relocation costs -- more than one-third higher than earlier estimates -- to put the market on a site several kilometres away and build a modern facility about 40 percent larger with state-of-the-art refrigeration.

Postponing Tsukijis move has also prompted Koike to suspend plans to construct a tunnel under the current Tsukiji market leading to an athletes village for the 2020 Games because it could not be built in time.

Meanwhile, Tsukijis wholesalers have voiced frustration over the delay, saying that postponing the move will cost them millions of dollars a month.

si/mtp
US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal he would keep intact sanctions against Russia at least for a period of time, and also said he wouldnt commit to the one China policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.

In excerpts from an hourlong interview published by the Journal on Friday, Trump said: If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebodys doing some really great things?

Trump suggested he might do away with the sanctions - imposed by the Obama administration in late December in response to Moscows alleged cyber attacks - if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to Washington, the Journal reported.

Trump told the newspaper he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he is sworn in on Jan. 20.

I understand that they would like to meet, and thats absolutely fine with me, he said.

Asked if he supported the one China policy on Taiwan that has underpinned US relations with Beijing for decades, Trump told the Journal: Everything is under negotiation including One China.

Trump angered the Chinese by taking a congratulatory phone call after his election win from Taiwans leader and questioning the one China policy.

The United States has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

Trump has said in the past he would label China a currency manipulator after he takes office. In the interview, he said he wouldnt take that step on his first day in the White House. I would talk to them first, he said.

Certainly they are manipulators, he added. But Im not looking to do that.

But he made plain his displeasure with Chinas currency practices. Instead of saying, Were devaluating our currency, they say, Oh, our currency is dropping. Its not dropping. Theyre doing it on purpose, he said, according to the Journal.

Our companies cant compete with them now because our currency is strong and its killing us, the Journal quoted Trump as saying.

Calls to the Chinese foreign ministry spokesmans office were not answered, and the ministry did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment on the Wall Street Journal interview.
A two-year old Indian-origin baby boy was burned by his nanny with a curling iron and the incident was captured by a security camera leading to her arrest, according to media reports quoting police.

The babys mother, Angela Persaud, noticed the signs of the burning on little Alexanders hand and feet and checked the security camera video in their home in the New York suburb of Baldwin, WABC TV reported on Friday. The recording showed the nanny, Nasipho Nxumalo, burning him and she called the police, the station said.

Police arrested Nxumalo, 21, on Thursday and charged her with assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to media reports.

NBC New York reported that according to court documents, the woman admitted to the attack, saying, The child wouldnt listen. I wanted to discipline him using the iron, so I burned him.

Curling irons are small devices with a heating element that are used to curl the hair.

The injuries were not serious, according to the mother. Its a little superficial burn now, but it was welted (Thursday), she told WABC. The alleged incident took place while the parents were at work and the nanny was looking after the baby.

Describing what she saw on the security camera video, Angela Persaud told WCBS that the nanny pulled out the curling iron several times. She heated it up. You see her showing him that its going to be hot, and, aIam going to use it on you. You see her yelling at him. You see her grab him a few times.
The US House of Representatives on Friday joined the Senate in passing a critical measure that marks the first major step toward repealing outgoing President Barack Obamas landmark but controversial health care reforms.

The Houses near party-line vote of 227 to 198 approved a budget blueprint which provides Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, with a framework for dismantling the Affordable Care Act.

But one week before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office, a sense of urgency has swept over Washington about what his party will put forward as a replacement for the law, with Democrats warning of disastrous consequences should Republicans act too hastily.

This resolution essentially fires the starting pistol... for repealing Obamacare, said Representative Bill Johnson, an Ohio Republican.

This is a critical first step to deliver relief to Americans struggling under this law, House Speaker Paul Ryan told fellow members, describing as a rescue mission the latest effort to unwind Obamacare.

This experiment has failed, and we have to step in before things get worse.

The Senate passed the resolution Thursday. It received no Democratic support in either chamber, highlighting the intensely partisan fight that lies ahead.

The resolution provides Republicans with a powerful tool, called reconciliation, which allows repeal legislation to proceed through the 100-member Senate with a simple majority, protected from a Democratic filibuster that requires a 60-vote threshold to overcome.

Trump made repeal of the law a central plank of his insurgent campaign, and he sounded triumphant ahead of the vote.

The Unaffordable Care Act will soon be history! he tweeted early Friday.

Days earlier he said the Republicans ought to repeal and replace Obamacare quickly and simultaneously.

During a Thursday town hall style event Ryan said he was on board, and that he envisioned action on a plan within the first hundred days.

Cut and run?

Unwinding Obamacare will be a monumental task. Republican leadership is moving carefully, stressing it does not want to pull the rug out from anyone who might lose coverage if there is no replacement plan on offer.

But there is debate among Republicans about how -- and how fast -- to proceed.

Charlie Dent, one of nine House Republicans who voted against the resolution, expressed reservations about quickly repealing parts of Obamacare without a credible replacement at the ready.

I think the repeal plan needs to be fully developed and better articulated prior to moving forward, he told CNN.

The White House touts Obamacare as a success, saying more than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance through the law.

The Affordable Care Act forbids insurance companies from denying health care due to pre-existing conditions, abolishes lifetime caps on care, and allows children to stay on their parents plans until age 26, three provisions that have proved popular nationwide.

Ryan insists the Republican plan that moves forward will include its own versions of such provisions.

Democrats warn that scrapping the law could result in tens of millions of Americans losing coverage.

They want to cut benefits and run. They want to cut access and run, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said of Republicans, and accused Ryan of peddling mythology about the law.

House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries offered harsher criticism about Republican efforts to swiftly dismantle the reforms, despite not formulating a viable replacement plan in the last six years.

All you have is smoke and mirrors, and the American people are getting ready to get screwed, Jeffries said on the House floor.
Based in Paris, Jochem-Jan Sleiffer will expand his activities to oversee 51 hotels under the Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton and Curio brands A Collection by Hilton, as well as 13 other properties that are under development. After joining Hilton in 1990 in the Netherlands, his native country, Jochem-Jan Sleiffer climbed the ladder within the group, and held various operational positions. In particular he held managerial positions in Brussels, London, Paris and Athens until recently, holding the position of Vice President Operations, Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. In recent years he steered noteworthy openings such as the Waldorf Astoria Berlin, Double Tree by Hilton Wroclaw and the first Hilton property in Estonia, Hilton Tallinn Park. Mr Sleiffer is a fierce supporter of Hilton's strategy in terms of corporate responsibility known as Travel with Purpose', which prioritizes promoting a diverse workforce, and especially increasing the number of women in managerial positions in the group. He also played a leading role in promoting Hilton's participation in events to raise the awareness of work in the hotel industry and training programs for young people, which shows his passion to share the necessary skills with the next generation and offer them career opportunities in the sector.
Interracial dating remains a taboo in some parts of the country, as hard as it is to fathom. Old prejudices die hard, and its up to the younger generation to finally bury the outdated beliefs of their parents.

Allie Dowdle, a white high school senior at a private school outside of Memphis, was crushed to experience intense backlash from her parents upon showing them a picture of her boyfriend Michael, who happens to be black. Ill never forget the yelling my parents did, when they expressed how disappointed they were in me, that I could do so much better, Allie said. I still cant comprehend it, and I never will be able to.

That was a year ago, and in the wake of the disapproval of her parents, Allie and Michael continued to date secretly. About a month ago, Allie brought Michael to see her parents in an attempt to reconcile with them, though this time, their reaction was even more extreme. They took away her car as well as her phone, cut her off from her savings account, and most drastically, refused to pay a dime towards her college tuition.

Still set on going to college, Allie has resorted to seeking out the publics goodwill in order to help her reach the $10,000 she needs for her first year.

She has set up a GoFundMe page in order to compensate for her parents withdrawing their funds. Because my parents have listed me, their own daughter, as someone who is not worthy of their time and money, I have turned to the public for support, she wrote on the page. It hurts me to have to ask for money, as Id rather be out working for it myself, but I currently have no other options.

After just one day after going live, her campaign has amazingly surpassed its goal. At this point in time, she has already raised over $16,000 as a result of over 600 individual donations.

Allie claims to have received some financial aid and to have attained some funds through grants and loans, but she says she cannot cover the rest of her tuition on her own, partly due to her not having a car and thus not being able to drive herself to a job.

In hearing about his daughters attempt to go public about her dating situation, Allies father, Bill Dowdle, told the New York Daily News that his concerns about her and Michael were never about race, though he did admit that seeing her date a black guy was not his preference, due to issues regarding interracial dating in the South. He said that he was more so opposed to the relationship because it was conducted in secret.

Allies father expressed that she portrayed the situation as being all about race so she could feel like she had the the moral high ground. He claims that he cut off her college tuition because he thought she was spoiled, saying, it became obvious that she needed to go out into the world and grow up.

As she has already carried out a successful GoFundMe launch, it seems Allie will safely be able to attend college next semester. Though many have found her efforts to be inspiring, others have deemed the fundraiser to be misguided. She has called her GoFundMe campaign Allies Tuition  Say No to Racism, and some people on the site have suggested that the drive is doing little to fight racism, and is instead just giving a white girl a free ride to college. In any case, Allie and Michael look like a happy couple, and its encouraging to see them staying together despite her naysaying parents.

You can donate to Allies college fund here.

Allie
Pics & Vids

13 Jan 17

WATCH: Olaf gets snap happy with Picture This at Eurosonic
If you are Christian because it is the best ethical system around or because everyone else seems to be Christian too, you may want to rethink your religious label. In the end, those are not the apostolic or biblical reasons to claim Christ.

Christianity is firmly rooted in the radical claim that Jesus was risen from the dead, and that in Christ is a hope and a life that can be found in no one else. For the apostles, to be a follower of Jesus meant that, above all else, they trusted in the resurrected Jesus, and that they joyfully bore suffering that came as a result of proclaiming his name.

In Acts 5, the apostles are on trial for preaching the name and work of Jesus. But they are not merely proclaiming that Christ is a great teacher or a wise man or an ethical example. No, they claim that he is the one and only Son of God, that he is risen from the dead, and that in him alone is life. This is their Gospel; this is The Gospel.

It is this Gospel, and this Gospel alone, that offers the basis for unity in the Church today. The Church has a divided witness precisely because there is no agreement on what the Gospel is even among those who follow Christ. We have lost confidence in the real Gospel and so we have changed how we define the Gospel. Whereas the apostles knew what it was and proclaimed it with joy, we have embraced alternative gospels and that explains why the Church - or at least the visible Church - is so divided.

As the Enlightenment took hold, Christians were accused of believing silly and outlandish things. So we tamed it or spiritualized our beliefs. Men don't rise from the dead, don't you know? So Jesus' bodily resurrection became some kind of "spiritual resurrection."

When it became an offense to say that people are sinners, the Gospel became empowerment for living better lives. When we were accused of being cold-hearted and judgmental, we drew wider and wider boundaries than the historic Church to be seen in a better light. When we were accused of exclusivity, we slowly adopted universalism, because who are we to say that some may not be saved?

When our relativistic world taught us that there is no absolute truth, we began to wonder if we had any transcendent or lasting meaning or purpose in our life. So we embraced a purpose-driven gospel. This is especially appealing because while the world tells us we are just protoplasm floating along in a meaningless soup we call the universe, we begin to wonder if the highest good we can hope for is a little happiness in this life before we sleep forever.

But these are all compromises of the Gospel. The good news of Jesus was never described as "purpose driven" by the apostles. Jesus did not die and rise to give the world purpose. The Gospel is that Jesus was the Son of God whose death took away the stain of sin, and whose resurrection offers the believer everlasting life.

It is true, of course, that we ought to care for others, fight for others, and love our neighbors. To know we live lives of purpose also is a great good. But all of that comes in light of the Gospel, not because those things are the Gospel.

This is the Gospel the apostles defended before the Jewish council, and it was Gamaliel, the greatest teacher of his day (and thought to be Paul's instructor) that said the following: " but if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them - in that case you may even be found fighting against God!" It's amazing how he understood what modern Christians fail to see: that God will see that the real Gospel cannot be overthrown, but any other Gospel is actually fighting against God.

So whether it is satisfying or not, whether it is all we want it to be or not, the scriptures plainly teach again and again that the Gospel is the exchange of God's righteousness for our sin, accomplished through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Anything other than that Gospel doesn't move us towards unity. And anything less than that doesn't measure up to the apostles' high standards.

Let us be joyful that you and me, through Jesus' resurrection from the dead, with the body that Thomas saw and felt, are freed to hope for our futures. And let us with joy say what Thomas said when he saw the risen Jesus: "My Lord, and my God."
As it prepares to release its 2016 Annual Crime Report, the Friendswood Police Department has announced a decline in serious incidents, noting the city's crime rate is one of the lowest in the greater Houston area.

Officials remind residents that while crimes will occur, prevention efforts can be effective in reducing the opportunities for criminal activity.

"Residents play a key role in our crime prevention efforts," according to the city's police activity report for the week of Jan. 2-9. "Be cautious, careful and alert to your own safety and protection of your possessions."

Theft

Four pieces of outdoor furniture were stolen from a fenced-in area around 8 a.m. Dec. 30 at Friends Pub, 2407 W. Parkwood Ave. The suspect, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 200 pounds and wearing a ski mask, jumped over the fence and took four chairs, police said. The suspect also was reportedly driving a white Chevrolet Malibu.

More Information FRIENDSWOOD Police Department Where: 1600 Whitaker Drive, Friendswood Office Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday for records checks, copies of traffic accidents or crime reports Telephone: Records Unit: 281-996-3318 or 281-996-3319 Online: incident and accident reports may be obtained 24 hours a day from http://p2c.friendswood.com/ See More Collapse

Assault

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of a 49-year-old Friendswood man charged with assault causing bodily injury-strangulation and family violence. The incident occurred Jan. 4 at the Enclave at Quail Crossing apartments, 5000 Watkins Way. The victim said his stepfather choked him and threw him into a glass and metal table.

A 34-year-old Lake St. Louis, Missouri man was charged with interfering with an emergency phone call Jan. 4 after a disturbance in the 800 block of Tanglewood. The man reportedly was exhibiting signs of intoxication, and family members had hidden his car keys. When his wife tried to call police, he took her cell phone. He then found his keys, got into his vehicle and hit a truck. He fled on foot before officers arrived. An officer found him just north of the Friendswood and Pearland city limits. His bond was set at $1,500.

Police have charged a 28-year-old Friendswood man with assault by contact-family violence after a Jan. 6 disturbance in the 16400 block of Hibiscus Lane. Police arrived to find a husband and wife arguing in the front yard. A witness said the man told his wife he was going to kill her and threatened her with a knife. When the wife tried to leave, he punched the window and took her cell phone. He reportedly pushed her against a wall and disconnected the car battery. The victim was taken to the hospital with a back injury, and the suspect was taken into custody.

Narcotics

A 52-year-old Houston man was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after a Jan. 3 traffic stop in the 16800 block of Bending Creek Lane. The passengers, a 28-year-old Houston woman and a 32-year-old Friendswood woman, were charged with possession of a controlled substance. A search of the vehicle revealed a glass pipe and methamphetamine residue in the center console, methamphetamine, loose pills and syringes in one passenger's bag, and syringes containing heroin and a meth pipe in the other's bag, police said. More heroin was found in a small box in the passenger door.

A 21-year-old Alvin man was charged with possession of marijuana Jan. 4 after he was observed driving on the shoulder, passing cars before returning to the main roadway and running a red light. He was stopped in the 900 block of West Parkwood Avenue, and a police K-9 unit indicated the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. The officer found marijuana, according to the report.

Police charged a 19-year-old League City man with possession of marijuana Jan. 5. The man was stopped for a vehicle equipment violation in the 3900 block of Laura Leigh. The officer found two bags of marijuana, a scale and $400 in the vehicle, according to the report.

A 19-year-old San Leon woman was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 5 at the Oasis Car Wash in the 2400 block of FM 528. A search of her backpack revealed a scale with marijuana and methamphetamine residue, along with small plastic bags used for packaging narcotics, police said.

A 29-year-old Houston man was charged with possession of a controlled substance Jan. 6. A Friendswood officer transporting him from the custody of a Harris County officer to the Friendswood jail for an outstanding warrant reportedly discovered methamphetamine in his pants pocket. Bond was set at $2,000.

A 23-year-old Houston man was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 8 in the 2800 block of Wimbledon Lane following a disturbance with his girlfriend's father. Officers said they discovered fireworks and a small amount of marijuana in the suspect's vehicle.

Driving while intoxicated

A 20-year-old Houston woman was charged with driving while intoxicated after a witness reported seeing her passed out in a vehicle in the middle of traffic Jan. 7 in the 900 block of West Edgewood Drive. As the officer approached the vehicle, the suspect's foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas. The car's back tires spun out until she woke up and hit the brake again. The officer reported a strong smell of alcohol. Bond was set at $1,000.

A 58-year-old Kingwood man was charged with driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying of a handgun by a licensed holder Jan. 7. He reportedly exhibited signs of intoxication and was carrying a concealed firearm in his glove box when he was approached in the 16900 block of Manowar. He failed a field sobriety test and a breath test, police said.

Public intoxication

The on-duty attendant at Harbor Liquor, 2407 W. Parkwood Ave., was charged with public intoxication Jan. 3 after a customer grew concerned about her welfare and called police. The incident was reported to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

An 18-year-old Rosenberg man and a 19-year-old Simpsonville, South Carolina, man were charged with public intoxication and possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 4 after a suspicious vehicle was reported in the 5100 block of Encino Court. The vehicle was parked in front of a home with the engine revving loudly and horn honking. An officer arrived to find the driver passed out and the passenger scraping marijuana residue off of his lap, according to the report. The men reportedly displayed signs of intoxication and were taken into custody. A search of the vehicle uncovered a bag of marijuana, a glass pipe and two Xanax pills, police said.

A 20-year-old Pearland man was charged with public intoxication and possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 8 after he and a passenger were reported to be intoxicated and drinking beer in a fast-food drive-through in the 100 block of North Friendswood Drive. The men were detained when an officer reportedly detected the smell of alcohol and marijuana. During a search of the vehicle, the officer found open containers of beer and a bag of marijuana, according to the report. The passenger, a 20-year-old Pearland man, was charged with public intoxication.

Weapons

A 22-year-old Friendswood man was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon after he was discovered driving with expired registration Jan. 5 in the 17600 block of Heritage Bay. The suspect produced an expired identification card and was found to have outstanding warrants with the Oak Ridge North Police Department, according to the report. During a search of the vehicle, the officer reportedly found a digital scale, marijuana residue, a knife, a window punch tool and knuckles.

Traffic

A 24-year-old Pearland man was charged with driving while license invalid Jan. 4 in the 1400 block of South Friendswood Drive. After stopping him for not having a front license plate, traveling well below the posted speed limit and making several lane changes, the officer discovered the driver's registration was expired and he did not have insurance. The officer also found the driver's license was suspended, according to the report.

Police charged an 18-year-old Baytown man with no driver's license, no insurance and possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 6 after he was observed speeding, changing lanes and passing other motorists in the 300 block of East Edgewood Drive. An officer reportedly detected the smell of marijuana and noticed the passenger, a 21-year-old Cleveland man, appeared nervous. A check revealed the driver had outstanding traffic warrants with Baytown, and the passenger had a felony warrant out of Harris County for indecency with a child. During a search of the vehicle, the officer found five partially smoked marijuana cigarettes, according to the report.

Fraud

A Friendswood woman reported someone had hacked her bank account and withdrawn $800, according to a Jan. 4 police report.

A fraudulent Verizon account was opened using a Friendswood man's personal information, according to a Jan. 5 police report. Verizon had contacted the victim regarding a delinquent account.

After receiving a request for documentation regarding disputed charges, a Friendswood man called customer service and discovered a Chase Paymentech account had been opened using his information, according to a Jan. 5 report. Thousands of dollars had been charged on the account.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Liz Bias was surprised and encouraged when she learned that a federal judge had ruled that the city of Pasadena had been trying to mute the Hispanic voice in city elections.

"When I found out what had happened, I thought, 'Wow. It really happened, (the city) lost,' " she said.

Bias, 46, is a onetime community activist who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2011. She became frustrated with what she calls 'good ole boy' politics.

"Now we know they can be defeated, and it's time for a change," she said.

The lawsuit, filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund on behalf of Latino voters, charged that by changing the city's election process, Pasadena's leadership had attempted to diminish the Hispanic vote and as a result had violated the Voting Rights Act. U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal agreed, ordering Pasadena to dump its current voting plan, which provides for six City Council members from districts and two for at-large positions. The city must revert in its next election to a plan used before 2014 in which all eight council members were elected from districts.

'Can't get people to vote'

That, some groups say, signals a chance for a more representative government in a city in which Hispanics form the majority. But some residents were less enthusiastic, pointing to the city's political history and to low interest in local politics and voting among some Hispanics.

"Maybe things will change, but Pasadena has always been that way," said Ethel Christina Castillo, a Pasadena-based musician.

Castillo, 43, didn't follow the trial and admitted she didn't know anything about it. She is encouraged at the ruling but said she'll wait and see.

Castillo, moved to Pasadena with her parents when she was 9 and is old enough to remember a nondescript building somewhere off of Red Bluff.

"When we first moved in, we would come down (Texas 225), exit Red Bluff and there was a KKK office right there, and we saw it every day," she said, referring to the white supremacy organization the Klu Kux Klan.

The fact that Hispanics have become the majority in the city hasn't seemed to register in ways that matter, she said.

"There is more of a Hispanic face now, but it seems like it's still the same," she said.

Juan Rodriguez, a barber at Choppers on Richey Street, lives in Houston, but grew up in Pasadena. Although he said he didn't "dig deep enough" into the trial, he doesn't believe the outcome will make a difference.

"I don't understand how they were trying to keep people from voting, because they can't get people to vote in the first place," he said.

Rodriguez, 34, whose ethnicity is Anglo-Hispanic, believes that the city is not so much racially biased as class-biased. When people make more money, they move to the more developed areas, he said.

"I don't think its about race, I think it's just a different type of people. But that's everywhere, not just Pasadena," he said.

He said he never experienced discrimination while growing up in Pasadena but added, "Everyone has there own experience."

'Makes me mad'

For many residents, Pasadena is a city divided. The north side, predominantly Hispanic, is marked by drainage problems, cracked roads and closing chain stores.

South of Spencer Highway, the community thrives with retail development and buzzes with road construction and other improvement projects.

"People say it's all white people (in south Pasadena), but I think it's a mix," Rodriguez said.

Choppers customer Jorge Estrada said the judge's citing of Pasadena's history of discriminatory attitudes toward Hispanics reflects Estrada's own experience as a business owner.

"I own several businesses and commercial properties, and I still feel I'm not treated right," he said. "I feel like I'm treated different because I'm Hispanic."

Estrada, 46, who said he lives on Preston "on the Mexican side," said he wasn't surprised that the judge cited tactics used to suppress Hispanic voting.

"I'm not surprised it's happening, but it makes me mad because I pay taxes like everybody else," he said.

"I have friends that have successful businesses, but they don't speak English and they feel the same because they don't have a vote, they don't have a word."

"It's the 'good old boy' mentality of Pasadena that needs to change," said another Choppers regular, Joe Alonzo.

Alonzo, 44, lives in downtown Houston but comes to Pasadena for his haircut. He formed an outsider's perspective of the city's ethnic dynamics from his father.

"My father was a radiologist, and when he would come to Pasadena to visit friends, in the early '70s, he would feel racism even though he was going to medical school," he said. "As he became more successful, he just stopped coming."

Castillo said she has no personal experience with discrimination in Pasadena but believes the city's history in how it addresses its minority population still resonates with Hispanic voters.

"My parents have always voted, but we knew that (white people) were up there," she said motioning upward, "and we're down here, keeping quiet."

Planning to register to vote

For some younger Pasadena residents, the lawsuit did shed light on how the city's voting process was manipulated.

"That's messed up," said Joey Rivera, 18. "I hope it (ruling) makes a difference."

Like Castillo, Melissa Espinoza, 24, and Sabrina Hernandez, 19, who work at a retail chain store at Pasadena de Paseo (formerly the Pasadena Town Square), did not follow the trial.

"I never was aware of this (lawsuit), but I don't find it shocking at all - it's Pasadena," Espinoza said.

Distrust runs deep, she said.

"My dad's answer to not voting is that it doesn't really matter what his vote is because they're going to choose to do whatever they want," Espinoza said.

She wondered why the city would labor to weaken the Hispanic vote.

"How can you keep control of the majority? Walk around and look at the culture that's around here. This is home for us," she said.

Both Espinoza and Hernandez said they planned to register to vote in the upcoming city elections.

Bias believes that resignation, not apathy, keeps Hispanics from voting in larger numbers and that the outcome of the trial should be a motivating factor for making their voices heard.

"People can't just sit in the back and not say anything," she said.
PIERCE - Shanghai Pierce, the larger-than-life cattleman with the instantly memorable nickname, was always a man of vision. Several years before his death in 1900, he commissioned a majestic marble statue of himself to mark his future grave, explaining that if he didn't do it, nobody else would. Thanks to his foresight, so to speak, you can visit the rural Hawley Cemetery near Bay City and see Old Shanghai standing tall on a granite pedestal more than 20 feet high. Wide-brimmed hat in hand, his sightless eyes are set on the coastal prairie where his vast herds once grazed.

The rancher credited with bringing the brahman breed of cattle to Texas is still tending to his legacy. His great-great grandson, Laurance Armour III, the fifth-generation family overseer of the ranch, told me earlier this week that in the old ranch house near this faded ghost town south of Wharton, Shanghai's shade has been known to appear.

"My brother woke up one night when we were growing up, and he was standing at the foot of the bed," Armour said, laughing. "Shanghai told him, 'Don't sell this place.' "

Despite hosting several ghosts, not just Shanghai's, the two-story, six-bedroom house beneath a grove of live oaks is a comfortable and welcoming place; I can see why the old rancher would want to hold on. The house, the land, the cattle - these were the essence of the man's life. "The guy was driven, absolutely driven," Armour said. "He was always wheeling and dealing, always buying and selling."

Escape from family business

He was born Abel Head Pierce in Rhode Island in 1834. At 16, he told his parents he had no intention of busting sod or hammering red-hot metal in his father's blacksmith shop, so they sent him to Petersburg, Va., where he worked as an apprentice in the dry-goods store of his uncle and namesake, Abel Head. The future cattle baron learned bookkeeping, a skill that would come in handy for a man who would come to see himself as a businessman above all.

At 18, tired of working under the gimlet gaze of a sternly religious relative, he stowed away on a coastal trading schooner and ended up five months later at Port Lavaca. The ship's captain had taken a liking to the teenager but advised him to go ashore and catch on with a friend of his named Richard Grimes, who operated a cattle ranch near the mouth of the Colorado River. Pierce took his advice.

Six-and-a-half-feet tall, gangly as a young colt, Pierce caught on as a rail-splitter. "That's one thing the captain had noticed about Shanghai. He was big and strong and wasn't scared of work at all," Armour said.

He was promoted to wrangler and given the task of breaking wild horses after Grimes' daughter-in-law questioned why the rancher was risking injury to a slave worth $200 when a 25-cents-a-day cowboy could do the job.

Abel Pierce also picked up a nickname on the Grimes ranch. Tall, his pants usually too short for his long legs, he bought himself a pair of Spanish spurs with prominent rowels. With the spurs jangling around his ankles, his fellow cowhands decided he looked like a long-legged Shanghai fighting rooster. "He hated the name, but it stuck with him his whole life," Armour said. "He wanted to be called Colonel." (A nickname that didn't stick, perhaps because he'd been a corporal with Hood's Brigade during the Civil War.)

Bing Grimes, the son of the man who hired Pierce, was not as honorable as his father. When Pierce told the younger Grimes he planned to go into the cattle business and wanted to take his first year's pay in cattle, Grimes agreed - and gave him all the worthless culls.

He left Grimes and went to work as a wrangler and then brander for William Demetris Lacy, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. After the Civil War, a minor interruption for Shanghai, he and his brother Jonathan established El Rancho Grande on Tres Palacios River near Blessing. Shanghai also married his former boss's daughter, Fanny Lacy; his brother married her sister.

Big, bold, brash, loud

Fanny and Shanghai Pierce had two children - a daughter, Mary Francis, and a son who died at 4 months. Fanny died shortly afterward, and Shanghai sold out in 1871 and moved to Kansas City. His departure may have had something to do with his grief but also perhaps with a lynching incident involving cattle rustlers. After about 18 months, he came back home to Texas, and started buying up land in Wharton and Matagorda counties, eventually amassing a half million acres. He also put together the first cattle drives from the Texas Gulf Coast to New Orleans, herding close to a thousand head to market despite the countless streams, the bayous and the gator-ridden swamps.

He was the quintessential Texas cattleman - big, bold, brash and loud. The late T.R. Fehrenbach, writing in "Lone Star," described Shanghai and his peers "as wild and tumultuous and dangerous as the surly longhorns they drove to market." They also were shrewd businessmen, who "forged new ties," including hooking up with the railroads that were beginning to push their way closer to Texas. The Northeast, hungry for beef after four years of war, had the market, and Texas had the cattle.

An old cowboy named George W. Saunders, quoted in the book "Trail Drivers of Texas," knew Shanghai from the rancher's cattle-buying trips. Shanghai, he said, "was a large portly man, always rode a fine horse, and would be accompanied by a Negro who led a pack horse loaded with gold and silver, which, when he reached our camp, was dumped on the ground and remained there until the cattle were classed and counted out to him; then he would empty the money on a blanket in camp and pay it out to the different stockmen from whom he had purchased cattle. He would generally buy 200 or 300 head at a time."

In 1894, Shanghai laid out the town he christened Pierce, hoping it would become the Wharton County seat, but it never developed. The magnificent hotel he built as its centerpiece stood empty most of the time and was demolished in 1980.

Ranch house as hunting lodge

Shanghai had his own troubles, as well. He went broke during the Panic of 1891, the result of an ill-considered investment in a Galveston bank, but, as his great-great-grandson notes, he made good on his debts.

The Pierce Ranch survived that crisis and others in the decades following Shanghai's death. These days it consists of about 32,000 acres of pastureland, rice and row crops.

Armour, who grew up in the Chicago area as scion of the famous meat-packing family, is low-key and unassuming, unlike his famous ancestor. Like most ranching families, he has to worry these days about keeping his family's legacy a thriving enterprise and making sure it stays intact through successive generations.

The old ranch house, he told me this week, is becoming a high-end lodge for hunters, business groups and family events. I didn't mention it to Armour, but I'm hoping that when guests retire for the evening they'll get a special greeting: Ol' Shang himself at the foot of the bed, offering a bellowing-voice welcome.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Anne Bunting's heart failed a week before Barack Obama was elected president in 2008.

Eight years later, she wrote him a letter:

"Dear Mr. President," it began. "Thank you for saving my life."

Bunting isn't an insurance expert and doesn't know if the Affordable Care Act was the best way to reform health care coverage.

She only knew it came along at the right time for her.

***

On the night Obama gave his first victory speech a little more than eight years ago at Grant Park in Chicago, Bunting was at home in Houston, getting used to life with a pacemaker.

A temporary fix, her doctors had said.

The 58-year-old voted for Obama but had never considered herself very political. She hadn't paid much attention to his campaign promises to overhaul the health care system. She was self-employed and had always been able to afford decent insurance.

Her view of the industry changed four years later when, after weeks of feeling short of breath, she sat with a cardiologist at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in Houston. "Ms. Bunting, you can't go home," the doctor said. "You need a heart transplant."

Dr. Stephanie Coulter and her colleagues began the work of adding Bunting to the national transplant waiting list. The next day, the physicians got an upsetting message from Bunting's insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield: The company wouldn't be paying for a heart transplant, a representative said, because the patient's heart failure was considered a pre-existing condition.

"They told me, 'You can't give her a heart transplant,' which is what she needed," said Coulter, the head of women's health at Texas Heart Institute. "They said we could give her this other device instead, a pump that's implanted in the left ventricle to help the heart continue beating. The insurance company was literally telling us, the physicians, how to proceed with her treatment. It was crazy."

And, for the time being, it was legal.

***

Bunting barely survived the operation.

Just as Coulter had feared, the battery-powered pump implanted in her left ventricle put an immediate strain on the right side of her heart. To save her, doctors had no choice but to add a second pump to that ventricle.

Coulter felt terrible, she said. No patient of hers had ever survived with a dual pump.

Bunting was different. "She was the most amazing fighter woman," Coulter said. "She recovered, which is a miracle, and then she actually left the hospital. She was walking around with two pumps."

By then, Obama was a few months into his second term. He'd survived a campaign in which his opponent vowed to undo his signature policy achievement, the Affordable Care Act, with most of its biggest changes set to go into effect at the start of 2014.

Critics and supporters alike had taken to calling it "Obamacare," an acknowledgment that the divisive law wouldn't have happened without the president who championed it.

For better or worse, he was uniquely responsible for its consequences.

***

By that spring, doctors were worried her heart wouldn't work much longer, even with the mechanical pumps.

An insurance agent helped Bunting find a new Blue Cross Blue Shield plan on the marketplace exchange created by Obamacare. This time, under the new law, the insurer was barred from denying payment for specific treatments based on preexisting conditions.

Bunting's new plan went into effect on April 1, 2014. The next day, her doctors added her to the waiting list for a new heart. Ten days later, she had a life-saving transplant.

Members of her care team, amazed by all that she'd endured, clapped and cheered in the operating room as her new heart began to beat inside her chest.

"Suddenly, after that, it was like I was back to normal," Bunting recalled. "Finally I could breathe. I could go hiking and work out and travel. I was alive again."

She had the thought then, but didn't voice it:

Thanks, Obama.

***

She got the idea to write to him in the fall, in the midst of a bitter presidential campaign that seemed as much about his legacy as anything.

Hillary Clinton promised to build on Obamacare, despite premium spikes, the rise of high-deductible plans and a growing chorus of critics who'd said the law had been a failure. Donald Trump promised to kill it and replace it with something different.

A few days after Trump's victory, she sat at her computer and typed a note. Four paragraphs, 286 words:

"My name is Anne Record Bunting  I was told I needed a heart transplant  in 2014, the Affordable Care Act came into being  10 days later, I received the gift of life  thank you."

She didn't expect to get a response. It came a few weeks later, printed on White House stationery:

"Dear Anne  Thank you for your kind words  I am glad that the Affordable Care Act helped you  It is why I worked so hard  Michelle and I send our love."

Bunting read and re-read the letter, tracing her finger over the looping letters of his signature. Then she put it in a frame.

On Friday, as members of the U.S. House voted to begin the process of repealing the health care law - exactly a week before Trump's inauguration - Bunting carried her letter from the president to Texas Heart Institute and showed it to some of the physicians who'd helped save her, wiping away tears as they recalled together how close she'd been to death.

"This woman is one of the bravest people I have ever met," said Dr. Leo Simpson, one of her cardiologists, before pulling her into a hug.

A few weeks ago, an Obama aide had asked if the president could share her story with reporters to highlight ways the law has been successful, a last-ditch effort to sway the public as Congress begins to craft a replacement plan.

If people want to use her letter for political means, that's fine, she said. But it's not why she wrote it.

She just wanted the president to know that he'd had a major impact on her life.

"When someone does that," Bunting said, "I think you should tell them."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Stepping carefully through the dusty sand in a homeless camp under the dim overpass of the Southwest Freeway, George Ruano found a glimmer of hope.

Someone may have seen his missing brother recently at Hermann Park.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you," Ruano replied gratefully Thursday. "We've been everywhere. He just disappeared."

He pivoted on one foot in the moment, as if unsure whether to leave or stay. Then he headed back to Hermann Park, where earlier in the day a police officer had directed him to the congregation of transients among the tents and mattresses near downtown.

His brother - Daniel Almendi, who has been diagnosed as schizophrenic with paranoia - has been missing since Nov. 30, when he was discharged from the UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center and disappeared into the urban jungle.

No one notified Ruano that his brother was being released, and Almendi's whereabouts remain unknown.

More Information Have you seen Daniel Almendi? Daniel Almendi is 5 feet 7 inches tall with a stocky build and weighs about 230 pounds. He is Hispanic with a light complexion, brown eyes and black curly hair. His full, bushy beard has probably grown long and unkempt. He speaks English and Spanish. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red shorts and white socks with sandals. See More Collapse

It's an all-too-common problem for the families of mentally ill people: They want to help but often are stymied by the health system, according to mental health advocates. Attempts to balance the privacy of adults and loved ones concerned about their safety can leave individuals unaccounted for and relatives frustrated.

"The family can be so helpful and the more involved they can be with the hospital and the treatment, the more they can be supportive to their family member," said Susan Fordice, chief executive of the nonprofit Mental Health America of Greater Houston. "There is no prohibition against the family being very proactive in talking to the treatment provider."

Almendi, 34, needs his medication. His ID, wallet and cell phone remain at home, and there have been no transactions on his bank account.

There's been no Amber Alert because he isn't a minor and no Silver Alert because he's not an older person with dementia.

For six weeks, Ruano has visited Houston soup kitchens, homeless shelters, bus stops and highway underpasses frantically posting fliers in hopes that someone had seen Almendi.

Almendi had been living with his brother but had stopped taking the medication that helps regulate his condition. Ruano finally obtained a mental health warrant last year to have his brother admitted to the hospital for treatment.

A soft-spoken man who is shorter and smaller than his brother, Ruano, 53, is the eldest of their mother's four sons. Almendi is the youngest. Their mother cared for her youngest son until her death five years ago. Now the caregiver, Ruano works evenings and tries to keep up with his brother.

"I can't watch him all the time," he said.

Brother warns of danger

Two weeks after being committed, Almendi was released. With previous hospitalizations, a hospital social worker had called to have family members retrieve him when he was discharged. This time, however, no one contacted Ruano, though it's possible that relatives were not listed or had been removed at Almendi's request from the medical file.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, requires the confidentiality of health care data.

"Patient information cannot be disclosed to anyone without patient consent," UTHealth spokeswoman Deborah Mann Lake said. She declined to confirm the date of Almendi's release and referred questions about the psychiatric center's discharge policy to the organization's legal office.

Ruano still doesn't know what changed.

"The HIPAA law is just so strict," Ruano said. "In this situation we have a mentally ill person who's in danger because he has no medicine. He's just out there and I don't know if he's alive or dead."

Ruano said he, too, has been unable to get any information from the hospital.

"I don't understand why the hospital didn't call me if I got the mental health warrant and put him in the hospital," he said. "I don't know if they just listen to the patient. They stabilize him for two weeks, but it takes a whole month for the medication to kick in real well. I don't understand what happened at the hospital."

Ruano reached out to police, local media and missing persons organizations. Most of the groups that actively search for missing people place priority on children, women and the elderly, he found.

So Ruano and friends set out on their own manhunt with fistfuls of fliers showing the missing man's driver's license snapshot with a second photo that is a rendering of what he would look like with a scraggly beard. They diligently canvassed areas where Almendi might be cocooned.

There is hope that he is surviving on the streets, but his paranoia may make him more difficult to find.

"He's a very loving person. He's just very reclusive. He keeps to himself," Ruano said.

Officials with the Harris County medical examiner's office said they have received no bodies matching Almendi's description since Nov. 30.

Fliers sent to agencies

On Thursday, Ruano learned that there had been a sighting of his brother in mid-December - clothed in the same items he was last seen wearing - in Hermann Park. That's not far from the psychiatric center, a Texas Medical Center institution on South MacGregor Way.

"I'd been looking in the wrong place the whole time," Ruano said.

On an unusually warm January day this week, the frustrated-but-hopeful brother continued looking in a different section of Hermann Park, but found no sign of Almendi.

The search may be complicated by the recent upheaval of transient residents. There have been city efforts to relocate homeless people in recent weeks, and advocates report having problems keeping track of their loved ones.

The Houston Police Department opened a case on Almendi, and entered his information into national databases for missing people.

"We also did a flier for him and that was sent out to law enforcement, transportation services and medical facilities," said Officer E. Claburn with HPD's missing person unit.

She and her partner went to Hermann Park after receiving a tip on Dec. 16 about a man who looked like Almendi sitting on a bench near a bathroom wearing the same clothes listed on the flier.

"We have gone out two or three times, but were unable to find him," Claburn said. "We have a lot of people being released from these psychiatric institutions and their families aren't called."

Fordice advises people to seek the support, knowledge and experience of other individuals and families as well as resources available through chapters of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, known as NAMI. She also said an advance directive for mental health treatment, which can address medications and notifications, might also assist in maintaining the patient-family link.

"What I've heard from people living with a diagnosis is how empowering it was when they created an advance directive," she said. "I sure hope this family finds their loved one."

Holding out hope

Almendi was young when his father left the family, Ruano said. Longing for his dad may have contributed to Almendi's first disappearance, when he was in his 20s.

He caught a flight from Houston to Florida to look for his dad. Relatives coordinated with Florida authorities to have him committed and transported back to Houston, Ruano said.

Ruano said Almendi's mental health declined after high school. He earned credentials from San Jacinto College to work as a pharmacy technician but never got his career going.

The brothers have been reeling since colon cancer claimed their mother. The loss hit Almendi the hardest, but Ruano hasn't given up hope of finding his brother.

"Unfortunately," he said, "his mental illness just kept getting worse and worse over the years."
A middle school teacher who pleaded guilty to having a long-term sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.

Alexandria Vera, 24, a former Aldine ISD teacher, admitted to the relationship last year in exchange for a sentence decided by the judge.

State District Judge Michael McSpadden said Friday he believes Vera is not a classic pedophile and poses no danger to other children, but that he wanted to send a message to the community.

"We want our educators to teach our students," he told Vera, who earlier pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child. "We want them to keep their hands off the students."

The sentencing was complicated by the boy's family's knowledge and approval of the relationship, the judge said. Letters from the boy and his mother sought to put some of the responsibility on the eighth grade boy, and the victim's mother worried that Vera might lose her job, the judge said.

In court, however, prosecutors outlined a string of deceptions from Vera, including moving the child and his father into her home and pretending to the outside world to date the father.

History of deception

Prosecutor Denise Nichols said Vera had a pattern of manipulation to "groom" the child and his family so she could continue the illicit behavior.

"She has a history of straight-out deception," Nichols said.

Vera also paid cell phone bills, bought groceries for the family and attended holiday events with them as the boy's girlfriend.

Prosecutors hammered Vera for inappropriate behavior beginning in the classroom and extending to other students. She apparently let two eighth graders have sex at her home, prosecutors said in court.

The prosecutor also said Vera's 6-year-old daughter knew about the illicit relationship and for some time called the 13-year-old "dad."

While her possible punishment was capped at 30 years, she was eligible for probation, which her lawyer argued would have been appropriate.

Defense attorney Ricardo Rodriguez called only one witness Friday, a therapist who profiled Vera to outline her mental state.

"I think she was driven by being in love with him," said Karen Lawson, a mental health professional who works with sex offenders, including sex addicts.

'Has a big heart'

Lawson said Vera's history of seeing domestic violence situations as she was growing up, coupled with a deep need for love, led her to a relationship with a young man who flattered and seemed to adore her.

"She's someone who has a big heart," Lawson said.

Vera has been free on $100,000 bail, but has had to wear a GPS ankle monitor, stay away from schools and have no contact with the teen. Investigators said she became pregnant by the teen, but had an abortion, according to court records.

Vera had faced a punishment range of 25 years to life in prison if convicted of continuous sexual assault of a child, a felony with a heightened punishment, even for first offenders.

Vera was arrested after officials with Child Protective Services were notified about a possible sexual relationship.

Vera and the teen apparently met when he was a student of hers in summer school at Stovall Middle School, according to court records.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

As Anne Sung and Holly Flynn Vilaseca took their oaths of office to became Houston ISD's newest Board of Education trustees this week, their husbands held babies in one hand and holy books in the other.

Sung's 11-month-old daughter, Sarita, and Flynn Vilaseca's 1-year-old, Nicolas, hardly made a peep as their mothers became leaders of the nation's seventh-largest school district.

Sung was elected as the District 7 trustee and will replace Harvin Moore, who resigned last summer. Vilaseca was unanimously appointed by the board Monday to fill the District 6 seat vacated by Greg Meyers, who resigned at the board's December meeting.

Both will serve through the end of 2017.

"I'm excited, energized and as pumped as ever," Flynn Vilaseca said after the ceremony Thursday. "I'm ready to serve my district and the City of Houston to the best of my ability."

Flynn Vilaseca, who is fluent in English and Spanish, worked as a bilingual teacher at HISD's Windsor Village Elementary School through the Teach for America corps from 2004 to 2006.

Since leaving the school, she has worked with Battelle for Kids, K12 Inc., and thinkLaw, which encourages the teaching of critical thinking through case law.

Sung, an HISD and Harvard graduate, currently is chief strategy officer and vice president of Project GRAD Houston. She previously taught in Houston ISD and the Rio Grande Valley with Teach for America and was named Teacher of the Year by Lee High School in 2011.

Time of rapid change

The election and appointment of Sung and Flynn Vilaseca, respectively, come at a time of rapid change in Houston ISD. The district hired Richard Carranza as superintendent in August, and district and school board leaders continue to press the state to better fund Houston schools.

Moore, who served on the board for 13 years, said it's a "fairly unprecedented time for the district."

"The real financial emergency we've had unfolding before us for some years now keeps getting worse relating to state funding," he said. "And there has been a lot of leadership turnover in our district, which is very tough on an organization."

Sung and Flynn Vilaseca said top priorities include ensuring equity in terms of the number of talented teachers, funding and facilities across Houston. Flynn Vilaseca said she also would like to focus on lobbying the state to abandon "recapture," which takes money from so-called property-rich districts to assist those with lower property values.

Houston ISD officials have argued that because 75 percent of district students are considered low income, the money it pays to the state for recapture would be better spent locally.

Sung also hopes to make sure the board and district are operating ethically and transparently, particularly in the way it spends money.

Prep students for life

Both also plan to focus on improving student achievement, especially among the district's lowest-performing students.

"We need to bring attention back to doing what's right for students and preparing them for life after high school," Sung said. "We need to make sure we align what we're teaching with what's happening in the world."

Sung and Flynn Vilaseca said their teaching experience gives them an edge because they know the inner workings of the district and how central administration decisions can affect the classroom.

Their teaching experiences taught the two new board members about equity, student achievement and the struggles that lower-income and minority students face. Sung said her ability to empathize as a former teacher and mother will inform her decision-making.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is blasting Mayor Sylvester Turner's recent rejection of a subsidized housing project near the Galleria and said the city violates the federal Civil Rights Act by giving too much weight to "racially motivated opposition" from neighborhood residents when deciding where to locate a key form of low-income housing.

HUD's findings, detailed in a scathing 14-page letter sent Wednesday, fault the city for "blocking and deterring affordable housing proposals in integrated neighborhoods" and require Houston officials to implement a series of corrective actions.

Those remedies include providing the remaining construction costs for the Houston Housing Authority's proposed 2640 Fountain View complex, which Turner blocked in August, or financing an alternative in a so-called "high-opportunity" census tract.

HUD also called on the city to develop a formal policy to ensure the placement of tax credit housing does not maintain segregation, establish a local fair housing commission to diminish segregation and help housing voucher recipients find homes in low-poverty neighborhoods.

"The city's refusal to issue a resolution of no objection for Fountain View was motivated either in whole or in part by the race, color, or national origin of the likely tenants," Garry Sweeney, director of HUD's Fort Worth's regional office of fair housing and equal opportunity, wrote in a letter to Turner. "More generally, the department finds that the city's procedures for approving Low-Income Housing Tax Credit applications are influenced by racially motivated opposition to affordable housing and perpetuate segregation."

Affordable housing is a critical issue in Houston, a city of 2.3 million where demand outstrips the roughly 78,000 subsidized units provided by a web of agencies.

HUD opened its five-month investigation into potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act - which prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating based on race, color or national origin - after Turner failed to sign off on the Fountain View plan.

'Hard look at letter'

The project would have been the agency's first in a low-poverty, low-crime neighborhood with good schools and access to jobs. Research shows that children benefit long-term from living in these so-called "high opportunity" neighborhoods.

The Fountain View proposal, however, sparked fierce community and political opposition.

Turner cited "costs and other concerns" in blocking the 233-unit, $53 million project.

The mayor reiterated those worries Friday and said he is "in strong disagreement" with HUD's conclusions, pledging to use "all available avenues to challenge their findings."

"We are taking a hard look at the letter, but there should be no misunderstanding about my commitment to providing options for low-income families. I do not believe that only wealthy areas can provide what our children need," Turner said in a statement. "I have chosen to stay in the neighborhood where I grew up and I will not tell children in similar communities they must live somewhere else."

Turner added that the city and the housing authority are set to announce a plan to provide vouchers for up to 350 low-income housing units in neighborhoods with high-performing schools.

'Coded language'

The potential political fallout of HUD's findings are unclear for Turner, a progressive African-American mayor who speaks passionately about the need to mitigate the city's vast inequality.

HUD's letter notes, however, that failing to comply could result in sanctions - which can include the withholding of federal funding - or a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Some have speculated that President-elect Donald Trump's administration could be less inclined to pursue sanctions.

John Trasvina, who served as HUD assistant secretary for fair housing from 2009 to 2013, said career staff, not political appointees, typically handle resolutions to the agency's investigations.

However, he added, "Since we don't know who the assistant secretary will be and we don't know who the leadership of HUD will be after Jan. 20, we're in uncharted territory."

The federal probe was two-pronged, examining the mayor's decision to stymie Fountain View, as well as the city's general policies for reviewing tax credit housing proposals.

HUD noted that local elected officials and residents used "coded language" in opposing Fountain View, which the agency said "when considered in context has been recognized by courts as expressing racial animus."

The agency also said the mayor's financial justification for declining to bring the Fountain View proposal before City Council "is unsupported by the facts."

"The investigation found that (Low-Income Housing Tax Credit) projects seeking resolutions are not typically vetted by the city for issues like cost, especially when no city funds are involved," Sweeney's letter states. "In fact, city review of projects generally is so minimal that the mayor did not recall the city reviewing any other resolutions during his tenure, although the city has issued at least ten LIHTC resolutions since the mayor took office."

Turner was elected in 2015.

HUD noted that the city long was aware of Fountain View's price tag and did not pursue available options to lower the cost.

Additionally, after rejecting the proposal, Turner requested the Houston Housing Authority's board chair to resign and instructed the board not to renew the authority president Tory Gunsolley's contract "due to his support of the project," HUD's letter states.

Tax credit housing

HUD framed Fountain View as an integral part of the Houston Housing Authority's efforts to address the history of segregation in its housing programs.

The property's census tract has a poverty rate of 7 percent and is 87 percent white, 3 percent black and 11 percent Hispanic of any race, according to HUD. Houston tax credit housing residents are, on average, 58 percent black and 33 percent Hispanic.

Local options for tax credit housing are concentrated in minority neighborhoods. Between 2012 and early last year, 85 percent of the tax credit proposals the city's housing department recommended for approval were for sites located in majority-minority census tracts, according to HUD. More than two-thirds of the sites are in areas where 80 percent of residents or more are minority.

Gunsolley said the agency looks forward to cooperating with the city.

"The housing authority looks forward to working together with the city of Houston in any way that it can to encourage strategic affordable housing development in a way that affirmatively furthers fair housing, while also being able to revitalize neighborhoods in need of investment," Gunsolley said.

Housing advocate John Henneberger, who co-directs the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, criticized Houston's pattern of racial segregation in subsidized housing as morally and legally wrong.

"For decades, the politicians have made decisions that compelled poor families in subsidized housing to live in racially segregated, high poverty areas," Henneberger said. "Mayor Turner has exercised his power to choose where he wants to live. The Fair Housing Act says that he must stop denying the citizens he governs that same right."
As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.
Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com
When Socrates and his two great disciples composed a system of rational ethics, they were hardly proposing practical legislation for mankind. . . They were merely writing an eloquent epitaph for their country. George Santayana, The Life of Reason



It all happened within hours after the 115th Congress convened in January 2017. There was considerable anticipation that the first thing members of the House would do was introduce legislation to rid themselves and the country of the Affordable Care Act. To everyone's surprise, however, that was not the first item on the agenda. The first item of business was to draw the public's attention to the existence of a non-partisan ethics board that many of the 20 million people who had gotten insurance under Obamacare (and millions of others) did not even know existed-the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE).

OCE is an independent board which is charged with investigating violations of the congressional ethics rules by members of Congress and their aides. If it finds violations, it votes on whether or not to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee so that that committee can conduct its own review. The OCE has no enforcement powers. Duncan Hunter, a Member of Congress from Alpine, California, affords us an example of how the office works.

Advertisement

In April 2016, OCE was asked to review Mr. Duncan's use of campaign funds for personal expenses, by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington D.C. OCE referred the results of its investigation to the House Ethics Committee on August 31, 2016 and further action is in the hands of that committee. According to Mr. Duncan's Chief of Staff, Mr. Duncan has reimbursed his campaign committee for more than $60,000 in expenditures that were made for such things as paying for private school tuitions, video games, travel to Hawaii and, most recently, $600 to fly a pet rabbit that was accompanying the family. The House Ethics Committee has not yet issued its report.

On January 2, 2017, one of the first items of business that was addressed by the House Republican Conference Committee, was voting to effectively kill the OCE by amending the package of rules the party planned to adopt the following day. In explaining the action, Representative Robert Goodlatte (R.Va.), said it would give lawmakers better protection from what some members see as overzealousness by the OCE. The lawmakers were probably also thinking that the OCE was a bit superfluous since only seven members or former members of Congress were convicted of criminal activities during the Obama administration, six during the George W. Bush administration, ten under the Clinton administration, and four under the George H.W. Bush administration. The kinds of offenses of which Members were convicted included, inter alia, such things felony tax evasion, possession of cocaine, wire fraud, extortion, racketeering, destroying evidence, felony theft, and financial corruption. It is entirely possible that if one were to pick a random group of 535 people (the same number as serve in Congress) and study them for an eight-year period, one would find a similar number convicted of criminal activities. Or maybe not.

With what Republicans in Congress see as being so few criminal convictions of members of Congress during preceding years, it is easy to see why they would like to strip the OCE of some of its powers. Nonetheless, before noon on the following day, members of the House responded to cooler heads, and a Trump tweet, and stripped the amendment from the rules that had been approved the night before. That was not, however, quite the end of their efforts to protect House members.

Advertisement

An unnoticed rule change that passed without public comment on the same day that the other amendment was abandoned, provides that: "Records created, generated, or received by the congressional office of a Member ... are exclusively the personal property of the individual Member ... and such Member ... has control over such records." Thus, if a member is being investigated by the OCE or the Justice Department for activities such as, for example, public corruption or misuse of funds, and the investigating authority needs access to records that are in the sole possession of the person being investigated, the person being investigated can decline to turn them over.

Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics spoke to the Fiscal Times after the new rule was passed and asked: "Why on earth would Congress now create barriers to investigation and subpoenas of a member's spending records? This only benefits the incumbent politicians who passed this rule and those who would flout it, not the system and certainly not the public." The answer is, of course, because they could. That's one of the perks that come with being in the majority.

(The following is a bit of whimsical trivia that has nothing to do with Congressional rule making:

Actual Donald Trump tweet of January 7, 2017: "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only 'stupid people', or 'fools', would think that it is bad."

Fake news tweets from Joseph Stalin:

August 23, 1939, after signing the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact: "Having a good relationship with Adolph Hitler is a good thing. Only 'stupid people', or 'fools' would think that it is bad."

Joseph Stalin, June 21, 1941, following invasion of Russia by Germany: "Hitler is bad. So sad.")

Christopher Brauchli can be emailed at brauchli.56@post.harvard.edu. For political commentary see his web page at http://humanraceandothersports.com

Advertisement
In the realm of higher education, behind bars correspondence studies reign supreme. While traditional college students attend school in-person, and some even via internet technologies such as Blackboard, prisoners largely participate in higher education the very old fashioned way: through correspondence courses, where all communication between school and student is accomplished through the U.S. Mail.

A large problem for prisoners desiring to further their education is a lack of viable information on what correspondence programs are available to them. After all, American prisoners almost categorically lack access to the internet. As such, they often ask their loved ones and friends to search online for suitable educational offerings. That is where this article comes in.

Below you will find the top five college correspondence programs for prisoners. As a long-time incarcerated student, and holder of a bachelor's degree earned entirely through correspondence education while in prison, I have taken courses from many of these educational providers. These are the college correspondence course providers that I recommend for incarcerated students.

Advertisement

1. Adams State University

Adams State University's Prison College Program is my top pick by far. Regionally accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, ASU offers a plethora of certificates, associates and bachelors degrees, all of which are available entirely through correspondence education. Each course costs around $500 and incarcerated students have 12 months to complete each. Currently certificates are available in paralegal studies and associates and bachelors degrees are offered in business, business administration, English/liberal arts, history, interdisciplinary studies, political science, and sociology. [Full Disclosure: I received my bachelor's degree from ASU.]

2. Upper Iowa University

Upper Iowa University's Self-Paced Degree Program is a newer player in higher education for prisoners, but they make a bold statement. Regionally accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, they offer a large number of certificates, associates and bachelor degrees. Many of their courses can be completed entirely through the mail. The only draw is that their courses run just shy of $1,000 each. Incarcerated students have six months to complete each course, but can request a free six-month extension if needed. Certificates are offered in management and psychology, while associates and bachelors degrees are available in business, liberal arts, psychology, business administration, management, public administration, and social sciences.

3. Colorado State University at Pueblo

Colorado State University's Distance Education Program is another great option for incarcerated students, though their degree offerings are somewhat limited. Regionally accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, they offer bachelors degrees in social sciences and sociology. Each course runs around $500 and students have six months to complete each. While the offerings aren't as extensive as Adams State University's, Colorado State University is a very well-respected institution of higher education for prisoners.

4. Ohio University

Ohio University's Correctional Education Program is also a great provider of correspondence courses for prisoners. Back in the 1990s, Ohio University was the hottest thing in prison education, but in the past several years they have slimmed down their course offerings. Regionally accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Ohio University offers several associates and bachelors degrees, though more limited than ASU and CSU. Courses run around $1,000 each and students have eight months to complete each.

Advertisement

5. California Coast University

California Coast University is the wildcard of the batch. Not regionally accredited, which means that their courses might not transfer to other colleges and universities, CCU offers a surprisingly wide range of certificates, associates, bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees through the mail. Courses run around $500 each. While any non-regionally accredited school that offers so many options immediately raises red flags in my mind, California Coast University does appear to be a legitimate university, albeit one with special distance learning focus.
Hard working White House correspondents are respectful of the new Administration, but we also intend to educate them and fight for our rights. About a hundred of us gathered for our annual meeting in a Washington law office on Thursday night, January 12. We are all concerned about the upcoming press arrangements under the Trump Administration. Can we keep our existing press credentials, if we have them? (Mine have been renewed every two years, since 1968! We believe this makes me the longest serving White House correspondent at this time, although the legendary Helen Thomas shattered all records). Other questions include the type of briefings, if we have them. Will they be public or private? Televised or print only? Will they be as controlled and managed as they were under the Obama Administration, with only a few favored reporters getting chosen? When selected, they asked long questions, and often received long, convoluted, repetitive answers. This leaves most other reporters out in the cold, although we do fill up the press room. For the record, I was told I had the laugh line of the night, when I said the last eight years had been very boring!

Other questions included assigned seats in the press room, and the future location of the press quarters (we are now in a prime location, above the old swimming pool but steps away from the lower and upper press offices and the powerful Oval Office). There was detailed discussion of the selection and workings of the pool reporters, who cover events when the entire press corps cannot get in. President Trump does not like to be followed all the time!

Jeffrey Mason, President of the White House Correspondents Association, led the discussion. He and other Board members recently met with the Trump press staff in New York. They had frank discussions. Hope we can give you some answers in the future! Connie Lawn, Washington DC
Massive Funding Shortages Leave a Vast Population at Acute Health Risk in Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile

Eric Reeves | November 19, 2016 | http://wp.me/p45rOG-1Yn

For Khartoum, these shortages--in part engineered by the regime--are welcome news from the three marginalized areas in which they are engaged in genocidal counter-insurgency efforts. The news comes even as reports indicate that UN actions have forced some more than 27,500 Nuba to return to South Kordofan from South Sudan, including some 15,000 from Yida refugee camp in Unity State, South Sudan (see below).

OCHA Sudan Bulletin #46 (November 7 - 13, 2016) | http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-bulletin-issue-46-7-13-november-2016

 11 clinics have closed and 49 are at risk of closure in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile due to funding shortages.

 About 769,000 people (IDPs and host communities) are affected by these funding shortages.

The following is the Radio Dabanga dispatch on this disturbing OCHA report | https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/relief-news/article/sudan-ocha-bulletin-46-funding-shortages-cause-closure-of-health-units-in-sudan

OCHA Sudan Bulletin #46: Funding shortages cause closure of health units in Sudan | November 19, 2016 | KHARTOUM

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan reports in its latest weekly bulletin that a lack of funding is forcing humanitarian organisations to either hand over or close down their health facilities in some parts of Sudan. In Um Keddada in North Darfur, about 140 suspected cases of diphtheria have been recorded. From January to September, 173,973 children suffering from acute malnutrition have been treated across Sudan. About 27,500 Sudanese refugees have returned from Yida camp in South Sudan to Sudan's South Kordofan.

The latest Sudan Health Sector Quarterly bulletin reports that the Sudanese Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed 60 health facilities in North, South, and West Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. They found that 11 clinics have already closed and 49 are at risk of closure.

The bulletin said that 769,000 people, including displaced and their host communities, in these states may face significant difficulties in accessing primary health care services as a result of funding shortages. About $7 million is needed to keep these facilities running for one year.

According to the report, consequences of funding shortages include people not being able to access health services or buy medicine; no access to immunisation services; less assistance in the control of communicable diseases and outbreaks; and lack of referrals of complicated cases to other facilities.
"Then they came for me...."

Progressive Christians Pray in Solidarity with Muslims at Mosques

Inauguration Day, 1/20, 1 pm

For more information: Rev. Jim Burklo



First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.

--- Martin Niemoller, German Protestant pastor during the Nazi era



Progressive Christians Uniting is mobilizing its network in solidarity and support for Muslims by attending mosques for Friday juma'a prayer on Inauguration Day, 1/20.



PCU will participate in an interfaith demonstration of solidarity and support at the Islamic Center of Southern California at 434 S Vermont in LA at 12:45. Members of First Congregational Church of LA will be present for juma'a prayers, as well. Contact: Rev. Timothy Murphy.
The following article is adapted from my "State of the City" address which I gave to the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce in October of 2016.

In Martin Buber's collection, the "Tales of the Hasidim," he relates the tale of Rabbi Zusya.

Before his death, Rabbi Zusya said, "In the coming world, if they shall ask me 'Why were you not Moses,' I shall have an answer. But if they ask me, 'Why were you not Zusya?' I will be left with no reply."

We have heard from our Supreme Court and from some politicians that "Corporations are people, my friend." I couldn't disagree with this more. It's a ridiculous proposition, just as ridiculous as the notion that "money is speech." And until we get rid of two of the worst Supreme Court rulings since the Dred Scott decision, money will continue to pollute and corrupt our political system in every manner imaginable.

Advertisement

In the New Testament, Timothy 6:10, we hear that "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." Sadly, these words also perfectly describe our own flawed political system.

In a democracy, in a true marketplace of ideas, it is those with the best ideas who should win the day, not those with the biggest megaphones. Not those with the most megaphones. While the Supreme Court seems to feel our system was not designed to create a level playing field, without a level playing field we can never truly fulfill our potential as a nation.

If corporations are not people, if they are not living, breathing organisms, it is a very different situation with cities and communities. It would be far more appropriate to compare a community, a city like our own, with a human being. While a corporation has one goal and one goal only, namely, to turn a profit, cities are where we make our lives, cities are our home. Cities encompass the entire spectrum of human endeavor and so we are connected with cities, in this case Beverly Hills, our home, in a very different way.

We are all Rabbi Zusya. And so is our beloved home town, Beverly Hills. The question "Why is Beverly Hills not New York, or Dubai, or Coral Gables, or Hong Kong?" is a question we can probably answer if we want to, though it isn't necessarily a question we need to ask. The real question we should be asking ourselves, like Rabbi Zusya, is: "Why are we not being Beverly Hills?"

Advertisement

And so we need to work to remember what the potential of this special place is and always to ask ourselves what we can do to be a better first-rate Beverly Hills and not a second-rate Manhattan or London or Milan. When we look at the development and growth of cities and urban areas, we can very well continue to use the metaphor that a City is like a human being. It's a very fitting metaphor. Each one of us has a G-d given potential and each of our potentials is in some way very unique to us. One size really rarely fits all. And as we grow into adulthood and try to reach our ideal sizes and weights, we should exercise, eat nutritiously and live a healthy lifestyle to achieve our peak potential.

But if, after we have finally grown into our ideal size and weight, we continue to try to force ourselves to grow by continuing to eat indiscriminately, by continuing to stuff our throats because we somehow think that growth per se is good, we will eventually become bloated and our arteries will become clogged. So it is with cities when they misuse land use planning principles and allow unbridled development. As we see in so many places, the arteries of our cities are quite literally becoming clogged.

While I don't know if Rabbi Zusya was interested in the wonky politics of his day, when it comes to local land use planning and the future of cities, many of our politicians seem to want to take a top-down approach. Recently President Obama weighed in, making statements which seemed to suggest that it should be easier for developers to densify across the board, with less local control for communities to try to determine what works for them to ensure their quality of life. We have heard similar rhetoric from Governor Brown and Assemblymember Bloom.

While we absolutely need to look at solutions to the housing crisis, in my opinion, we need less Big Brother and more local control. Local government, if done correctly, is the best form of democracy. It is closest to home, and home is an almost sacred concept. Communities should be able to decide for themselves what kind of development they feel is appropriate for their residents, for their own vision of the future and they should not be forced into models which don't allow them to fulfill their unique, individual potential.

Once again, the Good Book, gives good advice. In Ecclesiastes 3, we read:

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,



And if I may add myself, "A time -- and a place -- to densify and a time and a place to let it be."



Advertisement

In an article in the LA Daily News early this week, Chapman university urban fellow Joel Kotkin writes about "how to make post-suburbanism work."

It's an insightful and courageous article, from which I am now going to quote at length because it is so relevant to what I have been saying and was planning to say. Writes Kotkin:

Our cognitive elites dislike the very idea that Los Angeles, as Dorothy Parker once supposedly described, has long been "72 suburbs in search of a city." Yet, Southern California, as I discuss in a new Chapman University report, has from its early emergence grown around a "post-suburban" model of dynamic, smaller clusters. This urban form has become common in many major metropolitan areas as automobiles have replaced transit as the primary means of getting around.

This model worked here brilliantly for most of the last half century -- until planners, real estate speculators and California bureaucrats decided that we needed to emulate New York City and other older monocentric core cities. Like the provincials they consistently prove themselves to be, our leaders have generally complied.

So, after nearly 15 years spent in pushing this direction, what have we accomplished? A transit system that barely serves as many people as it did before we started building trains, housing prices among the highest in the nation, super-high poverty rates and a population that continues to seek to go somewhere else, including some 1.6 million net domestic migrants who have left the L.A. and Orange County area since 2000.

Advertisement

Some see densification as necessary to meet the demands of an expanding population. Yet, both L.A. and O.C.'s populations are growing slower than both the state and national average. Nor has the pro-density regime relieved any of the pressure on housing and rent...

The advocates of the "new" dense Los Angeles have stirred opposition throughout the region. True, some of those objecting to new growth may be too concerned with preserving the past, but many others, including some in Los Angeles, have rightly concluded that the region's once splendid quality of life is being consciously undermined by planners, politicians and their real estate paymasters.



(Unquote).

Bingo. Kotkin hits the nail on the head in this article. We might well ask ourselves - perhaps mixing holiday metaphors - "Why is Southern California different from other regions?" Kotkin correctly recognizes that our urban model is in many ways organically unique compared to other cities. The fact that "planners, politicians and their real estate paymasters" are focusing on the density chimera as an urban planning silver bullet proves they really don't understand Southern California and they most certainly don't understand Martin Buber's Rabbi Zusya parable or the Ecclesiastes quote about "a time (and place, my embellishment) for everything."

Not surprisingly, the "density mirage," as Kotkin calls it, has created a backlash and the proponents of LA's "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative," which will appear on the ballot in Los Angeles next March, have quite rightly seized upon ordinary residents' frustration with a planning process which is stacked against residents and quality of life in favor of corporatized profits and all the political influence they afford. Ah, yes, we come back to Citizens United and Buckley vs. Valeo and the polluting influence of money throughout our political system, including urban planning. I certainly personally support the idea of putting the brakes upon development-run-amok in our neighboring city because we ourselves suffer from bad planning decisions made in a city in which the planning process is notoriously "pay to play" and "forget it, Jake: it's Chinatown." Just look at the monstrosity next to the High School. Just look at our traffic, 70% of which is pass through.

Interestingly enough, in all of these discussions in which indiscriminate densification is seen as a solution to all our housing problems, there is one critical question which nobody ever asks. Not President Obama. Not Governor Brown. Not Assemblymember Bloom. And yet it is perhaps most important question we can ask. And we need to ask it.

What is the end game? Yes, what is the end game? OK, let's say we densify according to these half-baked patchwork plans. What then?

Indeed, the proposed densification model almost assumes an endless spiral of growth. But why are we not instead talking about sustainability? We talk about it almost every other context: energy policy, water usage, agriculture, you name it. Why not in urban planning? Isn't an endless spiral of densification the very definition of unsustainability?

The densification efforts supported by President Obama, Governor Brown, Assemblymember Bloom, and of course all the diverse members of what I'll call the "Developer/Construction Industrial Complex" have presented a "solution" (and yes I am putting the word in quotation marks), which is essentially a trickle-down theory of housing, because almost all of the new dense housing being constructed is luxury, high-end housing. I will note not a little bit of irony in the warm embrace of what was a central tenet of Reaganomics by just these politicians. By the way, and here's an interesting fact, Kotkin points out that all high-density housing -- not just the luxury variety -- is more expensive to construct.

But the big problem with the "trickle-down theory of housing and densification" is not the ideological irony; it's that it doesn't really work. Vacancy rates in LA County of luxury housing remain at 15-20% while regular housing vacancy rates are much lower.

In transportation, there is a theory of "induced demand." Essentially, the theory says if we add lanes to a freeway, traffic will not improve because the additional capacity will attract more vehicles. It's water seeking its own level.

One could make a similar case about the construction of more housing, especially affordable housing. Let's face it. Southern California can be a great place to live. Think about it. We have wonderful weather, something none of us who have ever lived in colder climes will ever take for granted. There isn't a wall around Southern California, it is not a closed ecosystem. So if a glut of affordable housing becomes available, we would quite naturally attract people from around the country and around the world who would love to live here. And then we're back to square one with an increased demand on our collective infrastructure, transportation, water and everything else. Yes, that's also a logical example of inducing demand, though urban planners with their blinders on have been ignoring it.

It all goes back to the question of the end game, which no urban planners seem to want to talk about. What will the region look like in 50 years, 100 years? What should it look like? We're great at a lot of things in this country; but long-term thinking often doesn't seem to be one of them, whether it's corporate America or American politics.

While some growth within the region may be inevitable, whether we like it or not, not everyone in the entire world can move to Southern California. So in dealing with our housing crisis, we need to look at a combination of old and new solutions. A combination of housing subsidies and rent control might be able to ensure a continued diverse mix of residents within the county, while the "let's build it" densification espoused by these politicians who incorrectly feel we can build our way out of housing shortages actually leads to displacement and gentrification.

Instead of looking at tired old models which may work elsewhere, instead of urging Zusya to try to be Moses, we need to look at solutions which work for our own unique region and our own unique City.

Advertisement

Last month the Chamber voted narrowly to support the MTA's Forever Tax, Measure M. This was not only misguided from a fiscal perspective - I mean, come on, a Chamber of Commerce supporting a pro-tax measure which would bring our sales tax rate up to a gobsmacking 9.5%, among the highest in the nation - but this was also stunningly short-sighted from an urban planning perspective.

The Forever Tax is planning on sucking up well over a hundred billion dollars of taxpayer dollars in the next few decades. If the money were actually well spent on actually increasing mobility, we might feel we are getting good value for our taxpayer dollars. But as Joel Kotkin mentioned, we would be continuing to fund "A transit system that barely serves as many people as it did before we started building trains."

In fact, the MTA has already increased sales taxes three times in the past and yet ridership is actually down. The notion that another half-cent sales tax increase will somehow magically provide "traffic relief" is the very kind of myth and fairy tale which allowed the likes of PT Barnum to create a sucker every minute. Fool me once, shame on you; but fool me four times?

In fact, the MTA's obsession with trains and tunneling would pump taxpayer dollars into a planned system which one regional transportation expert called, "a great plan for the turn of the century. And I don't mean the turn of the 21st century. I mean the turn of the 20th century." We are looking at an investment which a fellow LA County mayor called, "planned obsolescence."

Indeed, if we are building a transportation system for the next 100 years, as MTA's CEO Phil Washington has said, then we need to look to the next hundred years, not just to the past.

Advertisement

It should be so obvious. If we heeded Martin Buber and the sage wisdom of Rabbi Zusya, we would realize that disruptive, new transportation technologies which we in Beverly Hills as a City have embraced and which the MTA is studiously ignoring, will help not only revolutionize public transportation itself, but also the way we plan and develop cities and our region.

Beverly Hills has taken a lead in working towards developing a public transportation system based on emerging autonomous vehicle technology. As envisioned, our Municipal Autonomous Shuttle System will provide on demand, point to point mobility. It will solve the so-called first and last mile challenge - something the MTA bizarrely has ignored - and it will achieve nothing short of the democratization of public transportation. The potential outside of our City for the entire region is enormous. It is a system which is particularly well suited to what Kotkin calls the "post suburban model of smaller, dynamic clusters."

So, for example, instead of spending $10 billion on a tunnel through the Sepulveda Pass, as the MTA is proposing with Forever Tax revenue, imagine if we dedicated one or two lanes on the 405 to autonomous vehicles. Our technology committee, in which AJ Willmer and Grayson Brulte are spearheading our AV efforts, has suggested that autonomous vehicles could exponentially expand the capacity of the 405 so that the Sepulveda Pass Tunnel would not be necessary. Just imagine what we could do with those $10 billion. Yes, $10 billion.

Autonomous vehicles, both as a form of public transportation and replacing the current paradigm of car ownership for individual rides, not only has the potential to democratize public transportation by making public transportation a first choice for mobility, it also has the potential to revolutionize land use planning. We need to start thinking ahead about that potential now and we need to start asking the questions about how autonomous vehicles can and should change urban planning.

Density advocates today like to talk about the questionable theory of TOD or "transit oriented development," which suggests there should be automatically more density around fixed rail stations. Yet in many if not most cases, the transportation system is used as an alibi for densification which may not be neighborhood appropriate. In fact it often is not neighborhood-appropriate. The totally out-of-place Cumulus project, a 30 story skyscraper, near Jefferson and La Cienega is a perfect example why a build-out of our transportation system must not be used as a bogus justification to ruin the integrity of neighborhoods. It is a case in point of why LA's Neighborhood Integrity Initiative needs to be taken seriously and why cities must have a General Plan and a standard, fair development process which they adhere to. And, yes, process does matter and, yes, we need to collectively resist all efforts to circumvent a process which was designed to protect the residents and our Community. Here too, we need a level playing field.

Advertisement

While TOD (which spells "Tod" and incidentally means "death" in German) has largely been discredited for our region, we should in fact be looking at the more dynamic AOD or "Autonomous Oriented Development," a new model based on the potential of autonomous vehicles, which would provide us with the opportunity to address housing needs without destroying communities, because development would not be limited to fixed-line rail stations. AOD and autonomous vehicles will open up new horizons in urban planning with the significant potential to leverage our existing road infrastructure and allow better access to jobs throughout the region - a solution which would be critical in combatting income inequality. And, yes, in contrast with the MTA's Forever Tax plans, a fully integrated mobility plan which features autonomous vehicles will also achieve what the MTA has long promised us without ever in reality delivering. In addition to increasing safety, providing better mobility for all of us, including seniors, the disabled and children, integration of AV's within public transportation will actually provide real traffic relief.

And what's more. It will allow Beverly Hills and the entire region to develop in a way which truly allows all of us to fulfill our unique potential. As Joel Kotkin writes: "Southern California can only enjoy a greater future if it embraces our bold history of urban innovation."

A forward-thinking mobility system integrating autonomous vehicle technology would not only embrace our bold history of urban innovation, it would also allow us to continue to focus on our quality of life, it would provide for continued local control and it would allow Beverly Hills, our home, to emulate Rabbi Zusya - or the incomparable Vin Scully for that matter -- and to be the very best version of ourselves possible.

Advertisement
A federal court has found enough evidence against ExxonMobil to require the company to face trial for its complicity in human rights egregious abuses in Indonesia. Exxon is accused of complicity in killings and torture--shootings, beatings, kidnapping, sexual assault, electric shocks to genitals, and destruction of homes and property. Evidence from this case indicates that high-level Exxon Mobil executives knew about such abuses by Exxon's security forces in Indonesia and received frequent detailed reports on "deployment goals" and "operational strategy" of military security personnel and "set standards, plans, and tasks" for security in Aceh. Many of the documents and evidence in this case remain sealed at Exxon's request and unavailable to the public.

We've signed on to letters. We submitted an amicus brief. But something I would really like to do is ask Rex Tillerson these questions:

1. Were you aware of the human rights abuses that your company was responsible for in Indonesia? What steps would you take as Secretary of State to ensure that you would know about similar abuses carried out by US Corporations? And what steps would you take to respond to that information?"

Advertisement

2. Will you release documents that indicate your knowledge or participation in the deliberations about human rights violations alleged in Exxon's operations in Aceh, Indonesia, by soldiers and police paid by Exxon?

3. When meeting with Indonesian officials as a highly-placed Exxon executive, what did you do to stop the abuses? Why didn't the abuses stop?

In addition to legal actions against Exxon for complicity in human rights abuses, there are a number of legal actions both against Exxon, and by Exxon against environmental advocates and organizations, around what #ExxonKnew regarding climate change.

4. How can you reassure the Senate and the American public that as Secretary of State, you will uphold and promote America's commitment to the fundamental human rights of free speech, expression and association when your company is so vigorously attacking those rights of our own citizens here in the U.S.?

Advertisement
For more mental health day ideas, pay a visit to offMetro.com.

Jump-start your plans for a healthier new year with a visit to Kripalu, a yoga retreat in the Berkshire Mountains. If you've made a wellness resolution, you've come to the right place. The low-pressure daily schedule of yoga, workshops, outdoor activities and time for reflection offers guests the chance to do as much or as little as they choose. The emphasis here is on inner beauty, so all sizes and shapes are welcome. Many visitors venture to this stress-busting sanctuary alone, so solo travelers should be in their comfort zone. Whether you spend a weekend or a week, you're guaranteed to return home feeling renewed.

The Activities

Kripalu's Zen-like atmosphere is conducive to spending quiet time practicing yoga, hiking the lakeside trails and heating up in the sauna, all while nourishing yourself with three all-natural meals daily. For the ultimate in flexibility, book the R&R Retreat (starting at $376 for a 2-night stay, including all meals and classes). Practice as much or as little yoga as you desire and participate in as many workshops as you please.

There are a variety of yoga classes and styles on the schedule so everyone from novices to yoga teachers, from the lithe and limber to those who suffer from chronic pain, should be satisfied. The vibe is non-intimidating and inclusive; as long as you can roll out your mat you'll fit right in. Aside from the invigorating benefits of improved body conditioning, focusing on your breathing may have a centering effect.

Advertisement

A typical day at Kripalu might include a sunrise yoga class, a morning workshop on mindfulness and an afternoon stroll followed by a pre-dinner Vinyasa class. Evening options include meditation or rest and unwind yoga. If you crave communing with nature, join a guided hike or kayak on the sparkling lake.

The Digs

The accommodations are the essence of simplicity, with the minimalist style designed to support your Kripalu experience. You won't find a television or phone in this uncluttered space purposefully planned to maximize regeneration. The newest rooms are in the Annex building, a model of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. The linoleum flooring is made from linseed oil and is both hypoallergenic and non-toxic. The regionally sourced mattress contains no petrochemicals and the room furnishings are made from natural New England materials. Rooms in the Annex have Wi-Fi.

Budget travelers may opt for a bunk in the clean and cozy dormitory, sharing space with visitors from around the globe.

The Eats

Exercise, contemplation and fresh air will awaken your appetite. The three daily buffet meals are made with produce and dairy products sourced from local farms with an eye towards sustainable practices. The kitchen staff cares deeply about the transformative power of food and they work hard to use the least processed foods possible.

Advertisement

You'll find lots of choices at each meal, including a bountiful salad bar, hot homemade breads, savory soups, all-natural poultry, fresh fish, vegetarian hot entrees and desserts. Additionally, the Buddha Bar offers a range of vegan and gluten-free dishes such as quinoa, beans and steamed veggies. Breakfast is a silent meal, so you'll have plenty of time to reflect on how thankful you are that there is coffee served in the a.m.

Get Here

Take the Peter Pan/Bonanza Bus Lines from Port Authority to Lenox. MA. Pre-book the shuttle for the short ride to Kripalu for $7 each way. A more expensive alternative is to ride Metro-North to Wassaic in New York State and book Kripalu's shuttle service for $70. You must pre-book at least 48 hours in advance.
Betsy DeVos, picked by US President-elect Donald Trump for education secretary, speaks during the USA Thank You Tour December 9, 2016 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. / AFP / DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

Senate hearings on Herr Trump's cabinet picks are coming up soon, and you should be calling your Senator. Regardless of your political leanings, there are many good reasons for opposing Betsy DeVos as a Secretary of Education.

1) No experience with public education.

This is not like appointing someone to the post of Attorney General who is not a lawyer -- this is like appointing someone Attorney General who has never been to court. DeVos grew up in private school, sent her kids to private school, and has spent her adult life advocating for private schools. She has literally no first hand knowledge of how the public education system works, for better or worse. As Senator Elizabeth Warren put it in her letter to DeVos:



There is no precedent for an Education Department Secretary nominee with your lack of experience in public education. While past nominees for Secretary of Education have served as teachers, school system leaders, and governors, and came to the Department of Education with deep executive experience in public education, you have held no such position.



Advertisement

2) No organizational experience.

DeVos's experience is strictly in philanthropic advocacy, a sort of checkbook lobbying that has never required her to work with people with whom she disagrees. As Secretary of Education, she will need to work with governors, congresspersons, and the sprawling USED staff, many of whom are going to disagree with her in matters of policy and philosophy. As a philanthropic advocate, she has been able to surround herself with people who are like-minded and/or beholden to her. That would not be her situation as Secretary; she would have to build coalitions, reach compromise, earn trust and cooperation, and all without the use of her checkbook-- she cannot simply threaten her way to compliance as she has in Michigan. One of the great criticisms of Arne Duncan was that he could not play well with Congress, instead insisting on dictating as if he were The Boss. Everything in DeVos's background, including her dismissal of both political parties as failures, suggests that she would be even worse.

3) No administrative experience.

DeVos has never run an organization or corporation close to the size of the Department of Education. The department has 5,000 employees and oversees a budget of around $73 billion. Windquest, the energy investment she runs with her husband, has ten employees with revenue around $15 million.Her husband helped fund the 2012 Broadway production Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson, which closed after twenty-nine days. She was chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party for four years, and she has been a successful fund-raiser for many GOP candidates, as witnessed by her group American Federation for Children, a group that exists primarily as a funnel for dark money. But she has never run a company and never managed a business. Given her belief that "government sucks," it seems unlikely that she will be a quick study in how to manage a sprawling government department -- particularly if she has manage some combination of holdovers from previous administrations and newbies just learning the ropes.

Advertisement

4) Vouchers are bad news for everybody.

Whether we are talking about the traditional school vouchers that DeVos has long advocated for, or newer Education Savings Accounts, there is much for both the left and the right to fear. For the left, vouchers represent a financial attack on public schools. The first moment vouchers go into effect, before a single child leaves a public school, millions of tax dollars will go out of the public system and into private schools. For the right, vouchers are a trojan horse. Where government money goes, government strings follow. Maybe not today -- but some day, inevitably, every school that accepts federal education money will feel the hand of federal regulation.

5) Nobody voted for Jeb Bush or the Common Core

DeVos is a long-time supporter of Jeb Bush and a partner in his Foundation for Excellence in Education, one of the leading think tanks for Common Core promotion. Nobody was fooled when Candidate Jeb tried to disown the Core, and nobody on either the left or the right should be fooled when DeVos does the same. She would have made a great Bush USED pick, but as you may recall, Jeb Bush didn't win much of anything or anyone in his sad Presidential campaign. We didn't elect Bush or his failed education policies -- why should we get a cabinet pick that is just what he would have wanted?

But now comes word that Allan B. Hubbard is in line to be the #2 man at Education. Hubbard who served in both Bush administrations and has close ties to the Lumina Foundation, an organization that has pushed both Common Core and the use of data mining to track students and workers for the benefit of businesses.

6) Her track record is terrible.

DeVos has used her family's financial muscle to push Detroit schools to try most of her favorite, favored reform ideas, and the result has been a disaster. The big-money reformers have abandoned it, and Doug Harris, who has done extensive research in New Orleans (the other haven for educational disaster capitalism) where he finds the results of a total charter conversion "impressive" -- that Doug Harris declares DeVosified Detroit an educational disaster area. And while DeVos supporters are trying to paint her as someone interested in holding charter schools accountable for results, a closer look at the law she pushed shows that it creates far more loopholes than accountability requirements. DeVos's educational ideas have been field-tested, and they have failed.

Advertisement

Contact your Senator -- by email, letter, or phone. Make sure they understand that this is a mistake.

Yes, a candidate who had positives in place of DeVos' negatives could still be a terrible Secretary of Education. There is no guarantee that another candidate with better qualifications would not be terrible; however, someone whose qualification deficit is this large is a guaranteed failure.
In this week's episode of KCRW's "Scheer Intelligence," host Robert Scheer is joined by Russian-born professor Sergei Plekhanov. Plekhanov teaches at York University in Toronto and has a wealth of knowledge about Russian culture and politics, which, he argues, are overlooked by Western media.

The conversation begins with a brief discussion of the history between the United States and Russia, particularly during the Cold War. Scheer then asks Plekhanov about U.S. attitudes toward Russia today.

Listen to the interview below:

Advertisement

In the eyes of some in the United States, "Russia has undermined the international order," Plekhanov says. "So," he continued, "Russia needs to be punished, Russia needs to be contained. That's the view."

Scheer brings up the recent political mayhem over allegations of Russian hacking, particularly the role of FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Clapper makes it seem like we are entering another chapter of the Cold War, Scheer says, but "Putin is not, any longer, a Communist."

Plekhanov delves into how Russia is "transitioning," and argues that Putin "is concerned about the survivability of Russia."

Advertisement

Western beliefs about Russia aren't accurate, he continues. "Russians are informed," he explains, refuting Western beliefs that Russians only get their daily news from KGB-run sources.

"Can you have both security and democracy?" Plekhanov muses. "Understandably enough, the Russians are more concerned about security."

Scheer and Plekhanov discuss how Russia is advancing its infrastructure and economy, and how this will continue during the Trump administration. Plekhanov says:

"Somebody like Trump, who thinks like a businessman--I really think that there are more opportunities than dangers with regards to Russia. So we're stuck in this obsolete policy of containment. ... But in the meantime, we might actually benefit tremendously from being part of this larger network of economic ties and economic development that is growing in Eurasia.

"I'm sure some people will say, 'Well, Sergei is just a propagandist for Putin,' " he concludes. "By the way, I've never voted for Putin as a Russian, and I'm not a Putin supporter. I'm an academic who's trying to make sense of what's happening in the world. And I'm appalled at the quality of reporting on Russia that dominates the media here in the West."

Advertisement
Less than a week from today, Donald Trump will become the 45th President of the United States, and immigrant and refugee communities in New York are poised to face that reality with a profound strength and resilience. We understand and believe in the true story of New York: the story of diverse groups of people building robust and full lives by leaning on each other. And this story will only continue, no matter what happens during a Trump Presidency.

Donald Trump's candidacy and election have had a tangible impact on immigrant communities - in New York and across the country. Since he kicked off his campaign eighteen months ago by calling Mexican immigrants "rapists" and "criminals," his actions and words targeting immigrants have unleashed a tidal wave of hate, intolerance, and intimidation. On the eve of a Trump Presidency, immigrant New Yorkers are worried for themselves, for their children, for their neighbors and for their communities.

But they are also emboldened by the spirit of our New York - a state that thrives when we all thrive.

Advertisement

Much of New York's vitality and prosperity is driven by the four million immigrants who call the Empire State home. Together, they account for more than 1 out of every 4 New Yorkers and a quarter of its economic output. Every day, in millions of moments small and large, immigrant and native-born New Yorkers' lives are woven together. Our New York is a place where we buy our milk from a store owned by a second-generation Jamaican, take a taxi driven by a refugee from Ethiopia and go to a cultural show with a performer on tour from Australia. We believe that immigrants make our New York strong - that their dreams, drive and hope powers us all forward.

The New York Immigration Coalition is ready to double down on these beliefs. Today we launch the "This Is Our New York" campaign to engage all of our New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, in a multi-faceted effort to showcase the true, inclusive values of our New York. Through comprehensive outreach, community education, legal services, advocacy, organizing, capacity building, and public engagement, we will protect, defend and stand up for immigrant New York - for our New York.

President-elect Donald Trump might have been born in New York, he may still live in New York, but through this campaign, we will send him a clear message about what it means to represent this great state. Because real New Yorkers are welcoming and inclusive. They are foreign and native-born alike, who share the same dreams, who believe in justice and who stand up for each other. They are the 8,300 people who signed up to accompany their Muslim neighbors on public transit in the wake of increasing hate crimes. They are the thousands of people who've volunteered with our member organizations in the wake of the election. They are the teachers dedicating extra hours to comfort scared immigrant children, the faith leaders who seek to protect their members from deportation, the thousands who came out on a rainy day in December to march on our streets to Trump Tower and proclaim loudly and in one voice that immigrant New Yorkers are here to stay.

Advertisement
US President Barack Obama speaks during his farewell address in Chicago, Illinois on January 10, 2017.Barack Obama closes the book on his presidency, with a farewell speech in Chicago that will try to lift supporters shaken by Donald Trump's shock election. / AFP / Nicholas Kamm (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

As the old aphorism says, it's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. Assessing the legacy of Barack Obama will be easier in a few decades when we can see the long-term consequences of his presidential decisions and initiatives.

An immediate analysis of his science and technology policies, however, reveals significant accomplishments in the promotion of science and technology, education, space exploitation, clean energy, climate change and the environment. While major endeavors like the Precision Medicine Initiative and Paris climate agreement received the headlines, they were part of a larger, mostly successful goal to "restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders" in forming and implementing government policy.

Advertisement

The administration's shortcomings around science - some of which reflected Republican political pressures - included limited funding overall and travel restrictions for government workers, both of which reduced the effectiveness of positive science and tech policies.

Psyched about science

In office Obama was fundamentally an optimist about the potential of science and technology to improve society and safely expand the economy. His most significant (and low profile) near-term initiatives elevated and institutionalized the foundations of scientific research - exploration, data-based experimentation and policy, openness, transparency, and access to information - into routine government activities. These steps should accelerate the commercialization and diffusion of research.

Many changes were small but improved the efficiency of programs. For example, modifications made based on the outcomes of behavioral science experiments increased military employees' participation in the Thrift Saving Plan while cutting program costs.

One visible sign of the importance the Obama administration placed on making sure research results made it out of labs and into practice was the expansion of the phrase "science and technology" (S&T) to "science, technology and innovation" (ST&I) by president Obama. The creation of the new positions of federal Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, and Chief Data Officer was another indication of this integration.

Advertisement

Environmentally, Obama focused on slowing global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy and increasing the efficiency of energy use domestically and internationally. The incoming Trump administration with its climate deniers may try to reverse many of Obama's policies, but the last eight years have significantly reshaped the structure of energy production and consumption worldwide. In 2015, new electricity capacity from renewables exceeded new capacity from fossil fuels for the first time.

In space, the Obama administration strongly promoted commercialization, directing NASA to pay private firms to launch supplies and, in 2018, astronauts to the International Space Station. This should reduce the high cost of reaching earth orbit and thus the exploration and exploitation of space.

While attracting fewer headlines, initiatives on space weather and the asteroids and comets that might strike our planet may end up preserving civilization. In 1859, an extremely powerful solar storm disrupted Earth's magnetic field. A similar "Carrington event" today would destroy satellites and much of the world's electric power transmission grid. Worst-case scenarios (always good for pushing people to act) predict tens of millions of people dying because of the loss of electric power for years. A large asteroid striking Earth could devastate a large area, kill millions, and spark a new ice age.

Guarding against these rare but inevitable natural events will not excite voters, but demonstrates preventive stewardship. These initiatives coordinated government efforts across multiple departments to predict a dangerous event, provide warning, and equip satellites and terrestrial infrastructure to minimize harm and maximize resiliency.

Advertisement

On the other hand, restricted travel

One major negative effect on science from the Obama administration was its crippling of federal employees attending conferences.

In 2010, the General Services Administration, which supports federal agencies, held a lavish conference in Las Vegas. Congressional Republicans and Democrats attacked this very visible misuse of taxpayer dollars. In response, the Obama administration overreacted by sharply restricting federal spending on conferences and creating an elaborate, expensive bureaucratic process for government employees to get permission to attend a conference, workshop or other professional meetings. Reflecting these restrictions, the number of defense scientists attending the Defense Security and Scanning conference of the International Society for Optics and Photonics dropped from 648 in 2012 to 206 in 2013, for example.

The sharply curtailed government presence frustrated scientific societies and researchers, both federal employees and those in academia and the private sector. Despite the increasing ease of electronic communications, professional meetings remain one of the most productive ways for people to learn, exchange and debate ideas.

By decreasing opportunities for researchers to meet in person, the Obama administration hurt the creativity and productivity of the entire ST&I community, not just federal workers. This was an entirely self-inflicted wound.

Advertisement

No real progress on cybersecurity

Cybersecurity remains a weak area for the Obama administration. The White House released a policy review in 2009, voluntary guidelines for critical infrastructure in 2013 and its cybersecurity report last month.

In fairness, cybersecurity was a fairly low priority throughout the country. There were seemingly few consequences to firms that fail to maintain adequate defenses. The burden of identity theft, for example, falls on the individual. The revelations of American cyberspying by Edward Snowden and the deployment of the American-Israeli computer Stuxnet virus to destroy Iranian uranium centrifuges put the Obama administration on the defensive. Congressional and business skepticism, some partisan but mostly motivated by disagreement about what to do, resulted in little legislative action.

And never enough funding

Perhaps the most important shortcoming of the Obama administration's science and technology agenda was its inability to increase S&T funding.

Advertisement

Partly this reflects the demographic trend of an aging U.S. population focused more on its retirement and medical costs than investing in research and development for the future. As more people retire and live longer, entitlements - like Social Security and Medicare - increasingly crowd out the discretionary part of the federal budget.

Coupled with budget battles with Congressional Republicans, including a costly government shutdown in 2013 and sequestration, the result has been near-stagnant ST&I budgets. That's in contrast to the long-term increases proposed by the president in 2009 to expand public and private spending on research and development from 2.8 to 3.0 percent of GDP.

Consequently, many opportunities went unfunded or underfunded. Success rates for grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and NASA all decreased. Indeed, President Obama in 2010 and again in 2016 called for sending astronauts to Mars but did not try to convince Congress to fund that undertaking, the latest of a series of presidents to do so.

Science's rightful place?

Unsurprisingly, the Obama administration's rhetoric outpaced its resources and restrictions. Nonetheless, the 44th president left a strong legacy of supporting ST&I not just for the goals of discovery and economic growth but to strengthen democracy and improve the processes of government.

Advertisement
Bill Self, Kurtis Townsend won't be on sidelines for KU's first four games
Jill Ryder brought a petition to the Board of Selectmen with a dozen names of opponents to the day care operation.

Lanesborough Neighbors Opposing Day Care On Residential Street

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  Should a day-care center operate in a residential neighborhood?

That is a question facing officials in Lanesborough as a day-care center opened in a Sunrise Street home and the neighbors are worried about the effect it will have on the neighborhood. Those opposing the child care operation say it is operating as a business and needs to be treated as such  and therefore isn't allowed by zoning laws.

But the building inspector has ruled that it is not a business but rather is an "accessory use" and a home occupation.

The town allows home occupations and zoning says nothing more than a sign can be evident of the business. The inspector ruled that the external signs were minimal. So the question is, do additional children and a swingset count as external signs of a business or are they typical for any family with children?

"How is a playground evidence of a business?" Town Manager Paul Sieloff asked Monday night when the issue came before the Board of Selectmen and led to a lengthy and heated discussion. "It would only be a business if the only use was a day care."

Sieloff says the ruling has been made that the day care fits zoning and the only way to change that would be through an appeal process with the Zoning Board of Appeals. Sieloff said that process was determined by legal counsel, who reviewed the legality of the situation.

Jill Ryder live across the street and she doesn't see it that way. She says the couple running it are making money from it and therefore should be taxed like a business, have a local license, and be in an appropriate place. Her street is not an appropriate place, she said.

"I feel that our neighborhood is a residential neighborhood and not for a business," Ryder said.

She presented a petition signed by a dozen residents on the street opposing the day care center. The road is one of the narrow ones on Pontoosuc Lake, has limited sidewalks in the winter, and already sees traffic for access to the town beach. Now, she says there will be even more traffic from parents dropping their children off and turning around, and then deliveries of supplies.

"That external issue as far as being disruptive, it is not just visual, there are noise levels and traffic issues," Ryder said. "It changes my life a little bit. It changes my neighborhood a little bit. And the way I read the zoning, it is not supposed to be there."

One of those neighbors opposing the day-care center is chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals Ronald Tinkham. Tinkham also served on the Planning Board when new zoning bylaws were passed.

"I believe the law is clear and I believe our zoning bylaws are clear. Businesses are not allowed in a residential zone," Tinkham said.

The owner of the property in question is Board of Selectmen Chairman John Goerlach. He stepped away from the board during the discussion Monday, taking a seat in the audience, but continued to debate the issue.

Goerlach argued that a day-care center is a home occupation, that there are plenty of others operating in town the same way, and that the town shouldn't be stopping somebody who is enterprising to make ends meet.

"A family of 20 could move in there and it would be way worse," Goerlach said.

Ryder responded, "I don't begrudge them for trying to make an income." But, at what point do its operations become a nuisance to the residential areas?

"I was looking to live in a residential area and not a commercial area," Ryder said, also at another point saying, "I believe there are plenty of other sites in town that are vacant and available."

Tinkham said residential areas are quiet and controlled and the year-round business has operational hours and is taking money. That's a commercial enterprise, he said.

"We are talking about a business with daily operational hours. A business where you are taking in money and making money," Tinkham said.

Barbara Hassan also crafted the zoning bylaws and runs a realty business out of a Main Street home and she says she is limited to just a sign. If she put a playground up and had groups of children in it, that would exceed the limits for home occupations, she argues.

"A day care is as close to a home occupation there is, as long as it is limited to nothing more than a sign out front," Hassan said.

Hassan says the bylaws need to be much more clear to address the issue. Meanwhile, Selectman Robert Ericson said there are plenty of businesses being run out of residential areas throughout town. If the town starts clamping down on those operations, many people will be put out of work.

"It has been the nature of our town to allow that. We've been loose about it, maybe to a fault, but we try to accommodate the turns and twists of our residents in their lives," Ericson said.
Imperial Valley News Center

AMAC urges lawmakers to stay focused on the repeal and replacement of Obamacare

Washington, DC - "One of the principal motivations that inspired the creation of the Association of Mature American Citizens was to overturn the Affordable Care Act and return control of healthcare to we the people. The unilateral creation of Obamacare by Democrats in Congress and their ideological leader, Barak Obama, was an overt attempt to put the way Americans care for themselves firmly in the hands of Big Government and it did just that," says AMAC president Dan Weber.

Weber adds that the senior advocacy organization has not lost sight of the goal of repealing and replacing of the Affordable Care Act and AMAC is delighted that the new Republican leadership in Washington is now in a position to do just that.

"Despite the naysayers, it can be done, as the Republican Congress proved in 2015 when it actually passed legislation to repeal the most egregious provisions of the law. Our representatives on the Hill knew that President Obama would veto the measure but the legislation gave us hope that it could be done. We are mindful that it will not be an easy process and that it may take longer than we might like to see it happen but now - under the leadership of President-elect Trump - there is real hope."

Recently, the Conservative Action Project, an organization made up of the CEOs of over 100 organizations including AMAC, sent a clear message to lawmakers calling on Congress to deliver on the mandate the American people gave them in November to repeal Obamacare completely.

The memo reads, in part: "For the last six years, Americans have endured extraordinary hardship under Obamacare, a thousand-page law of broken promises and failed policies. Sadly, millions of families and individuals have had their insurance plans cancelled and access to their doctors and drugs limited. And they have lacked affordable insurance options. Those Americans who are stuck with Obamacare are facing skyrocketing premiums, soaring deductibles, and shrinking health care networks. Tragically, many of our most vulnerable citizens, who were participating in safety-net health programs long before implementation of Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, must now wait interminably to see overwhelmed health care providers --- and some of those people die while they wait. It is true, of course, that some people have benefitted from the President's law, but given the money spent, it would be extraordinary if there had been no benefit at all."

Weber notes that the Senate, the House and Mr. Trump have put Obamacare at their top of their to-do list.

"Congress and President-elect Trump have a daunting task ahead of them, but we are confident that they will be able to overcome the many challenges they face. The Affordable Care Act is loaded with landmines, but we know where they are and with a little ingenuity they can - and they must - be disarmed. What's at stake here is not the promises of repeal that helped the GOP regain the reigns of government; it is the future of our nation. Obamacare not only did great damage to the healthcare infrastructure of America, it put the entire economy of the country at great risk."

Weber concludes by saying, "Despite the mistake by the Supreme Court in allowing this law- calling it a tax- the fact remains the Constitution never intended for the federal government to control our individual freedom by dictating how we may provide for our health care"
Hubbard Mesa at Rifle, Colorado

A remarkable area

Heading north out of Rifle

A unique landscape

An enchanting sunset

Below staggered mesas

The region was surreal

The clouds began to recede

Warm tones mingled with cool tones

A colorful twilight

Patches of pinon and sagebrush

The canyon was washed clean

Light was filtered through the valley

A surprising spectacle

Wandering into the wilderness

An unforgettable moment of solitude

Ive travelled all over the backroads of Colorado searching for beautiful places to photograph. Earlier this winter, I stumbled upon a remarkable area that really caught my attention.If you head north out of Rifle, youll discover a unique landscape distinguished by enchanting sunsets. My experience below the staggered mesas of that region was nothing short of surreal.After a gray day shrouded in mist, the clouds began to recede and the sun started to set. Warm tones mingled with cool tones, resulting in a broad spectrum of colorful twilight.The muddy desert floor was decorated with patches of pinon pine and splashes of blue sagebrush. Up above, the dark peaks were laced with stripes of white snow.As the curtain of darkness continued to descend, shafts of filtered light permeated the wide valley. The moist atmosphere hung over the canyon, washing it to a glossy sheen.I was lucky to be rewarded with such a surprising spectacle after wandering into the wilderness that evening. Standing out there during dusk was a moment of solitude Ill never forget.
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Today's Google Doodle celebrates the 97th birthday of the man who is considered to be the musical chronicler of Mexico City.

The image shows the late Chava Flores, a composer, musician and actor, serenading his home town of Mexico City.

Mr Floress father died when he was 13, so he was forced to start working to support his family.

The best Google Doodles Show all 50 1 /50 The best Google Doodles The best Google Doodles Mister Rogers Google Doodle celebrating children's TV presenter Mister Rogers Google The best Google Doodles Lucy Wills Google Doodle celebrating haematologist Lucy Wills Google The best Google Doodles Falafel Google Doodle celebrating falafel Google The best Google Doodles St George's Day Google Doodle celebrating St George's Day Google The best Google Doodles James Wong Howe Google Doodle celebrating Hollywood golden age cinematographer James Wong Howe Google The best Google Doodles Seiichi Miyake Google Doodle celebrating Seiichi Miyake, developer of tactile paving Google The best Google Doodles Walter Cronkite Google celebrates US broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite's 100th birthday The best Google Doodles Lantern Festival 2016 Google celebrates the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations with a doodle of the Lantern Festival Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating Sergei Diaghilev Google Doodle celebrating art critic Sergei Diaghilev Google The best Google Doodles George Boole Google marks mathematician George Boole's 200th birthday The best Google Doodles Sergei Eisenstein Google Doodle celebrating soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein Google The best Google Doodles 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy' Google marks the 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy', the name given to a collection of fossilised bones that once made up the skeleton of a hominid from the Australopithecus afarensis species, who lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago The best Google Doodles Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Google celebrates physician and suffragist Elizabeth Garrett Anderson 180th birthday The best Google Doodles Sir William Henry Perkin Google Doodle celebrating chemist Sir William Henry Perkin Google The best Google Doodles Nelly Sachs Google Doodle celebrating poet and playwright Nelly Sachs Google The best Google Doodles Thanksgiving 2018 Google Doodle celebrating Thanksgiving 2018 Google The best Google Doodles Nigerian Independence Day Google Doodle celebrating Nigerian Independence Day Google The best Google Doodles Mary Prince Google Doodle celebrating abolitionist Mary Prince Google The best Google Doodles Father's Day 2016 Google celebrates Father's Day The best Google Doodles Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google Doodle celebrating "father of football" Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google The best Google Doodles Octavia E Butler Google Doodle celebrating science fiction author Octavia E Butler Google The best Google Doodles Tamara de Lempicka Google Doodle celebrating painter Tamara de Lempicka Google The best Google Doodles Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google Doodle celebrating mathematician and physicist Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google The best Google Doodles Fanny Blankers-Koen Google Doodle celebrating Dutch Olympic gold medalist Fanny Blankers-Koen Google The best Google Doodles John Harrison Google Doodle celebrating clockmaker John Harrison Google The best Google Doodles Guillermo Haro Google Doodle celebrating astronomer Guillermo Haro Google The best Google Doodles St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google The best Google Doodles Carter G Woodson Google Doodle celebrating Carter G Woodson, a pioneering African-American historian Google The best Google Doodles St Andrew's Day Google Doodle celebrating St Andrew's Day Google The best Google Doodles Gertrude Jekyll Google Doodle celebrating horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll Google The best Google Doodles Children's Day 2017 Google Doodle celebrating Children's Day 2017 Google The best Google Doodles Studio for Electronic Music Google Doodle celebrating the Studio for Electronic Music Google The best Google Doodles Olaudah Equiano Google Doodle celebrating abolitionist Olaudah Equiano Google The best Google Doodles Fridtjof Nansen Google Doodle celebrating Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen Google The best Google Doodles Ladislao Jose Biro Google celebrates Ladislao Jose Biro's 117th birthday The best Google Doodles Amalia Hernandez Google Doodle celebrating ballet choreographer Amalia Hernandez Google The best Google Doodles Dr Samuel Johnson Google Doodle celebrating lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson Google The best Google Doodles British Sign Language Google Doodle celebrating British Sign Language Google The best Google Doodles Eduard Khil Google Doodle celebrating baritone singer Eduard Khil Google The best Google Doodles Fourth of July Google Doodle celebrating Fourth of July Google The best Google Doodles Victor Hugo Google Doodle celebrating author Victor Hugo Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google The best Google Doodles Steve Biko Today's Google Doodle features anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko Google The best Google Doodles The history of tea in Britain Google celebrates the 385th anniversary of tea in the UK The best Google Doodles Nettie Stevens Google celebrates geneticist Nettie Stevens 155th birthday The best Google Doodles William Morris Google celebrates English polymath William Morris' 182 birthday with a doodle showcasing his most famous designs Google The best Google Doodles Professor Scoville Google marks Professor Scovilles 151st birthday The best Google Doodles Sophie Taeuber-Arp Google marks artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp's 127th birthday

He had several professions, ranging from door-to-door salesman to a warehouse manager, before joining a small printing press aged 26.

It was here he created the magazine Album de Oro de la Cancion which translates to Golden Album of Songs. This led him to meeting a range of songwriters and musicians from across the country.

Through these meetings he was inspired into a career as a composer which eventually propelled him to fame in his home nation.

Mr Flores composed more than 200 songs and also appeared in seven films in Mexican cinema including My Influential Woman and Under the Sky of Mexico.

He passed away in 1987 aged 67 and a book titled Stories of my neighbourhood: musical chronicle of Mexico City describing his upbringing was released the following year.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Oh, to be a teenager again, eh? Those wild days of youth where youd get giddy off Smirnoff Ices in the park and stay out all night are but a dear memory by the time you reach your mid-twenties.

Those precious years between the ages of 24 and 27 can seem a bit of a no-mans land - I like to think of it as a golden period, where you get the best balance between the crazy clubbing days of most peoples late teens and early 20s, and the often wine-fuelled nights on the sofa so beloved of those nearing the 30 milestone. As Hannah Montana would say: we get the best of both worlds.

We still like to go out, party, dance, let our hair down and get a bit - or occasionally a lot - drunk (please drink responsibly), but lets face it: no one wants to spend a night in the grimiest of clubs any more.

Here are 11 of the ways nights out are different in your mid-twenties compared to your youth:

1. Your pre-drink of choice is probably prosecco, and the prospect of supermarket own-brand vodka mixed with orange squash makes you shudder.

2. You no longer walk to the club with a water bottle of vodka cranberry - lets be real, you probably treat yourself to an Uber because you are classy.

3. Actually, youre more likely to be in a pub or bar than a club anyway. For the most part, clubs are so noisy you cant hear yourself think, let alone have a conversation.

4. Youll pay to check-in your coat rather than go out without one and save 2, and you worry for the coat-less youths in the queue alongside you - theyre bound to catch their death of cold. Put a scarf on, dear.

5. You wont queue to get in anywhere for more than 15 minutes, and you have been known to give up, leave a queue and go back home, possibly to carry on drinking, possibly just to go to bed.

The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 10. Poland Results from an OECD report The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 9. Germany The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 8. Luxembourg Rex Features The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 7. France The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 6. Hungary Rex Features The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 5. Russia AFP/Getty Images The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 4. Czech Republic The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 3. Estonia Rex Features The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 2. Austria Getty Images The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 1. Lithuania AFP/Getty Images

6. You actually drink the occasional glass of water when out - maybe not every other drink, as were told, but cmon, you dont want to be running to the loo all night and youve probably already broken the seal.

7. Your drink choices arent solely based on what will get you the most drunk for the least amount of money. Yes I will have a champagne cocktail thank you very much (but only if its happy hour).

8. You buy drinks in rounds as opposed to everyone just looking out for number one. Sometimes.

9. Youll probably be on your way home by 2am. Weekends are precious when you work all week, and you dont want to waste the whole next day asleep.

10. Youll skip the drunken kebab in favour of the artisan flatbread and caramelised onion humous you have at home. Or perhaps you have some leftover quinoa with Mediterranean vegetables. Delicious.

11. You bother to get into your pyjamas, brush your teeth and take your makeup off before bed. Unless it was a particularly heavy night and you don't make it further than the floor - but hey, were not old yet.
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Brunching out

The London Fields Brewery is about to become known for something other than beer  its delicious brunch. Or brunch, to be more specific. What began as a Berlin-inspired pop-up has now become a permanent fixture at The Taproom, the brewerys on-site bar and cafe.

While simplicity is at the heart of the cafes new brunch menu, the complexity of flavours that make up its signature meal, The Berliner, could be described as anything but simple.

Those looking for a true taste of Germanys capital wont want to pass this smorgasbord up. The Berliner, which also comes with a vegetarian option, offers a mouth-watering array of traditional Berlin breakfast bites from sweet to savoury.

I tried the vegetarian version, which proved to be more than enough to share between two people. Served on a traditional wooden board, the hearty meal includes two topless Burford Brown eggs with remoulade, a range of cheeses, fresh seasonal fruits, brunch amaranth and chia granola with vanilla quark (more on this later), avocado with toasted sesame, sweet potato with pomegranate, beetroot spread with watercress and homemade jams, peanut butter and Nutella.

The Berliner Waffles feature different toppings each week

Another favourite was the Berliner Waffles, made with buckwheat flour and different toppings every week. On the weekend I happened to visit, the garnishes du jour were homemade almond butter, banana, pomegranates, thyme and pine nuts, all deliciously drizzled in honey.

For those looking for something on the lighter side, the chia granola with vanilla quark on its own is a must-try. With a consistency similar to Greek yoghurt, but a rich taste that puts the more popular dairy product to shame, quark is the breakfast item you didnt know you needed in your life until you tried it at The Taproom.

Food and drink news Show all 35 1 /35 Food and drink news Food and drink news Healthy living makes us more inclined to binge, research suggests Gluten-free breads, dairy-free milks and other plant-based products have been some of the most favoured foods in British supermarkets this year. However, while were busy filling our shopping trolleys with gluten-free goodness, were also jamming it with junk food and alcohol, new research suggests Getty/iStock Food and drink news Growing list of Vegan celebs Making the switch to veganism is a major lifestyle choice, one that many claim can improve energy levels, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and clear up any skin issues. Beyonce, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain are among the growing list of Hollywood stars who have eschewed animal products from their diets in recent years. Theres also been an increasing number of professional athletes who have gone vegan, such as boxing champions Mike Tyson and David Haye, thus debunking the myth that following a plant-based diet will leave you feeling weak and malnourished. AFP/Getty/NARAS/iHeartMedia Food and drink news McDonald's has announced the launch of a new vegan burger on its menu in Germany This will mark the first time the German franchise of the fast food chain has offered a vegan burger to its customers. The Big Vegan TS burger consists of a patty made from soy and wheat. It is served in a classic sesame seed bun, and contains salad, tomato, pickles and red onion. McDonald's Germany Food and drink news Drinking too many protein shakes could lead to an increased risk of obesity and a reduced lifespan, a new study has claimed Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre carried out an investigation to determine the impact excessive consumption of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) has on the body. BCAA supplements are often consumed in the form of powder, which is then added to water to make a shake. Published in journal Nature Metabolism, the study found that while BCAAs help to build muscle, they can also negatively impact an individual's temperament, cause weight gain and lead to a shortened lifespan Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Britain consumes more chocolate than any other country Most people love chocolate but it turns out no one does more than the Brits  with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to new data. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which found that in the past year alone, Easter chocolate production has risen by 23 per cent Food and drink news 'Easter eggs should be banned for children under four' Dr Becky Spelman, chief psychologist at Harley Streets Private Therapy Clinic, is calling for Easter eggs to be banned for consumption for children under the age of four, claiming that giving them the opportunity to binge on chocolate so young will give them an unhealthy relationship with food later on. "This is a nightmare situation for parents of this generation as they have no idea how to teach their children to delay their response to cravings, she said, explaining that too many young kids binge on these chocolates because their parents dont know how to stop them. "Once a child starts overeating behaviour at a young age its very hard to turn things around for them in terms of food and their eating habits moving forward, leading to obesity from at very young age," she added PA Food and drink news Pineapple overtakes avocado as the UK's fastest-selling fruit According to Tesco, pineapple has overtaken avocado as the UKs fastest-selling fruit, with sales increasing by 15 per cent in 2017. In comparison, avocado sales rose by just under 10 per cent last year. The popular supermarket says the surge in popularity comes as shoppers buying the versatile fruit are beginning to use it as a main ingredient in everything from curries and barbecues, to juices and cocktails Getty Food and drink news Marks & Spencers launches stoneless avocados Rather than the result of genetic modification, the avocados are formed by an unpollinated avocado blossom. The fruit develops without a seed which in turns stops the growth, creating a small, seedless fruit. Whats more, the skin is actually edible, unlike a regular avocado. The flesh is much like that of a normal avocado - smooth and creamy, pale in colour and rich in flavour M&S Food and drink news Office teabags contain 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, reveals study The average bacterial reading of an office teabag was 3,785, in comparison to only 220 for a toilet seat. Other pieces of kitchen equipment also stacked up highly in their findings, with the bacterial readings averaging at 2,483 on kettle handles, 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New study shows drinking more coffee leads to a longer life There is good news and a final hope for coffee addicts and lovers. You will now be able to drink coffee for longer as new study shows its can lead to a prolonged life. Scientists showed that those who drank between two and four cups of coffee a day had 18% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. PA Food and drink news Coke Zero is replaced with Coke Zero Sugar Coca-Cola is pulling the plug on its Coke Zero. The much loved drink will be replaced with a new improved taste. The move, backed with a 10 million campaign, is said to come from Coca-Cola supporting people to reduce their sugar intake. Coca-Cola want people make this move while not sacrificing sugary taste of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Food and drink news Starbucks introduce new avocado spread The avocado craze has grown from hipster brunch restaurants to Starbucks. Starbucks have introduced their new avocado spread earlier this year and it has the internet in debate. Some argue that it not a spread but guacamole while others question if there is any avocado in there at all. When buying the new spread you can also buy an optional toasted bagel. It is a must try for all avocado connoisseurs. Starbucks Food and drink news New Mars chocolate bar The iconic British chocolate bar is about to get its partner in crime. The new bar, named Goodness Knows, will replace the gooey caramel goodness of the mars bar with oats. It is said to be more like a Florentine biscuit with a thin dark chocolate bottom. While being moderately healthy Mars says that is has good intentions. One pack has 154 calories and will sell for about 90p. Mars Food and drink news Wine prices could increase because of Brexit Wine lovers across the UK might soon have to shell out close to a quarter more for their favourite tipple after Brexit, as a weaker pound and sluggish economy takes its toll, a new study shows Rex Food and drink news Chocolate may be good for the heart A new study, published in the British Medical Journal: Heart, found that moderate chocolate intake can be positively associated with lessening the risk of the heart arrhythmia condition Atrial Fibrillation Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Brits throw away 1.4 million bananas each year British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day at cost of 80m a year, new figures have shown PA/Armin Weigel Food and drink news Rosemary sales spike over exam time There has been a surge a surge in sales of the herb rosemary after a recent study found it helps improve memory. According to high street health food chain Holland & Barrett, sales of the herb have increased by 187 per cent compared to the same time last year Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Gluten-free diets 'not recommended' for people without coeliac disease Avoiding wheat, barley and rye in the belief that a gluten-free diet brings health benefits may do more harm than good, according to a team of US nutrition and medicine experts Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Starbucks launches two new coffee-based drinks Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from the start of May Twitter/@SbuxCountyHall Food and drink news Cadburys Dairy Milk Tiffin is making a permanent comeback after 80 years The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. The raisin and biscuit-filled chocolate bar is being launched after a successful trial last summer saw 3 million chocolate treats  at the cost of 1.49 for each 95g bar- purchased by nostalgic customers Cadburys Food and drink news Pizza restaurant makes worlds cheesiest 'Scottie's Pizza Parlor' in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Facebook/Scottie's Pizza Parlor Food and drink news A pizza joint in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Why not eating before a workout could be better for your health A study published in the American Journal of Physiology by researchers at the University of Bath found you might be likely to burn more fat if you have not eaten first Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New York restaurant named best in the world A New York restaurant where an average meal for two will cost $700 has been named the best in the world. Eleven Madison Park won the accolade for the first time after debuting on the list at number 50 in 2010. The restaurant was praised for a fun sense of fine-dining, blurring the line between the kitchen and the dining room Getty Images Food and drink news Why you crave bad food when youre tired Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption. Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep Shutterstock Food and drink news Drinking wine engages more of your brain than solving maths problems Drinking wine is the ideal workout for your brain, engaging more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to a leading neuroscientist. Dr Gordon Shepherd, from the Yale School of Medicine, said sniffing and analysing a wine before drinking it requires exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February : In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths once again. New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news US congress debates definition of milk alternatives A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk. Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day. It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too Getty Images Food and drink news Cadburys launches two new chocolate bars UK confectionary giant Cadbury has launched two new chocolate bars, hoping to lure those with a sweet tooth and perhaps help combat some of the challenges it faces from rising commodity prices and a post-Brexit slump in the value of the pound.The companys new products will be peanut butter and mint flavoured. They will be available in most major super markets as 120g bars, priced at 1.49, according to the company Cadburys Food and drink news You can now get a job as a professional chocolate eater The company responsible for some of your favourite chocolate brands  think Cadbury, Milks, Prince and Oreo  have officially announced an opening to join their team as a professional chocolate taster. The successful candidate will help them to test, perfect and launch new products all over the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news MSG additive used in Chinese food is actually good for you, scientist claims For years, weve been told MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) - often associated with cheap Chinese takeaways - is awful for our health and to be avoided at all costs. But one scientist argues it should be used as a supersalt and encourages adding it to food. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Lettuce prices are rising Not only are lettuces becoming an increasingly rare commodity in supermarkets, but prices for the leafy vegetables seem to be rising too. According to the weekly report from the Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a pair of Little Gem lettuces had an average market price of 0.86 in the week that ended on Friday, up from an average of 0.56 in the previous week  thats an almost 54 per cent increase. Getty Images Food and drink news Do-It-Yourself restaurant To encourage more people to cook and eat together, IKEA has launched The Dining Club in Shoreditch  a fully immersive Do-It-Yourself restaurant . Members of the public can book to host a brunch, lunch or dinner party for up to 20 friends and family. Supported by their very own sous chef and maitre de, the host and their guests will orchestrate an intimate dining experience where cooking together is celebrated and eating together is inspirational Mikael Buck / IKEA Food and drink news Ping Pong menu with a twist Gatwick Airport has teamed up with London dim sum restaurant Ping Pong to create a limited edition menu with a distinctly British twist; including a Full English Bao and Beef Wellington Puff, to celebrate the launch of the airports new route to Hong Kong Food and drink news Zizzi unveil the Maamgharita Unique pizza art has been created by Zizzi in celebration of the Queens 90th birthday. The pizza features the queen in an iconic pose illustrated with fresh and tasty Italian ingredients on a backdrop of the Union Jack Food and drink news Blue potatoes make a comeback Blue potatoes, once a staple part of British potato crops, are back on the menu thanks to a Cambridge scientist turned-organic farmer and Farmdrop, an online marketplace that lets people buy direct from local farms. Cambridge PhD graduate-turned farmer, Adrian Izzard has used traditional growing techniques at Wild Country Organics to produce the colourful spuds, packed with healthy cell-protecting anthocyanin, which had previously disappeared from UK plates when post-war farmers were pushed towards higher-yielding varieties

As Berlin-born Noemi Dulischewski, who crafted the brunch menu, tells me, quark is actually a healthier alternative to Greek yoghurt and despite its similar taste and texture, its technically more of a curd or cottage cheese.

Dulischewski says she started the brunch as a pop-up to give London a taste of Berlin and is happy to have found a permanent home at The Taphouse. She also helped decorate the cafes interior, creating a rustic and airy atmosphere with urban industrial touches true to her home city.

As far as drinks go, if its too early for a pint, the cafe has a delicious pick of lattes on tap, including a beetroot latte and turmeric latte, sure to stir your senses.

Breakfast for two, including two hot drinks, comes to about 28.40.

London Fields  The Taproom, 365-366 Warburton St, London E8 3RR; www.londonfieldstaproom.co.uk; Open Tues-Sun

Brunching in...

Veggie breakfast in a taco bowl

Making your taco bowl from scratch is pretty simple but does take a bit of time, so this recipe makes use of ready-made tortilla wraps. The sweet potato and carrot fritters are a delicious blend of sweet and spicy flavours  make them into a quenelle shape for perfect presentation, otherwise flat, rosti-shaped fritters are just as good.

Makes 6 taco bowls

6 soft tortilla wraps (white or wholemeal)

6 eggs

2 avocados

1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)

Sweet potato fritters:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely grated

2 carrots, peeled and finely grated

handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons plain (all-purpose)

flour

 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

cooking oil, for shallow frying

Mushrooms:

1 tablespoon olive oil

600 g (1 lb 5 oz/7 cups) mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 fresh thyme sprigs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place three ovenproof soup bowls on a baking tray. Brush the bowls with a thin layer of oil. Nestle the wraps into the bowls and brush the tops with a thin layer of oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, rotating them after five minutes. The wraps should be lightly golden in colour. Once all the bowls are cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the fritters, mix the grated potato and carrots together in a large bowl. Make sure you squeeze out all of the excess water from the mix. Set aside a small bunch of coriander for the garnish and finely chop the remainder. Add the ground coriander, chopped coriander, cumin, chilli, lemon zest and salt to the mix. Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes.

Whisk the flour with the baking powder and eggs. Add to the potato mix and combine all the ingredients with your hands. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mix and form into a quenelle or fritter shape. Heat a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and a 5mm ( in) layer of oil. Fry each fritter for about one minute on each side until they turn a crispy, golden colour. Place the cooked fritters on a plate lined with kitchen towel, then transfer to a baking tray and put in the oven to keep warm.

To make the mushrooms, wipe out the pan and place it over a medium heat. Add the oil. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes. Strip the thyme leaves from the stalks and add the leaves to the mushrooms. Season to taste. Cook gently for a further 1-2 minutes. Put the frying pan in the oven (or cover it), to keep the mushrooms warm.

Poach the eggs in a pan of water for three minutes on a rolling boil. Meanwhile, de-stone and slice the avocado and roughly chop the reserved coriander. Remove the fitters and mushrooms from the oven. When all your components are ready, assemble your bowls by spooning the mushrooms into the taco bowl first, followed by the fritters, poached egg and avocado. Top with the chopped coriander and fresh chilli, if you like, to garnish.

Extracted from Spoon by Annie Morris and Johnny Shimmin (Hardie Grant, 15) Photography by Jacqui Melville
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Fiery eggs and peppers

With an egg or two slipped on top, menemen is a dish that sustains truckers and sailors across Turkey, somewhere between breakfast and a snack lunch. It concentrates all that is simple, delicious and colourful about the eastern Mediterranean. Without eggs, the peppery dish makes a good hot accompaniment to rice and meat, or can be eaten cold as a meze.

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 peppers, red, yellow or green, sliced lengthways

1 fresh red chilli, sliced, or 1 tsp kirmizi biber

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

 tsp sugar

 tsp each of salt and pepper

4 eggs

Recommended Mustard fish curry recipe from Indian cook Mallika Basu

On a medium heat, set the onion to melt in the olive oil. When it becomes translucent, add the garlic. Stir it around for a few moments and then add the peppers, with the chilli or kirmizi biber. Let the peppers soften before adding the tomatoes and sugar. Cook for another ten minutes or so to reduce the liquid, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and make four hollows in the sauce with the back of a spoon. Crack an egg over each hollow, it doesnt matter if the whites run, as they will. Cover the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, until the whites are set.

Menemen is served with yoghurt garlic sauce, a sprinkling of chopped parsley, and fresh toast at breakfast time. Try it with coriander seeds, too, scattered in the pan as it heats up and crushed with the back of a wooden spoon before the oil goes in.

Lahmacun: lamb and tomato flatbreads

Also known as Turkish pizza, lahmacun is a soft thin dough spread with delicious spicy lamb. You can use this recipe to make any size you like; four, two, or even a dozen little meze lahmacuns to nibble with drinks.

For the flatbreads

350g strong white flour

 tsp salt

1 tsp fast-acting yeast

150ml warm water

For the topping

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 garlic cloves, squashed and chopped with salt

1 onion, grated

250g minced lamb

2 tsp kirmizi biber

2 tsp chopped fresh mint, or 1 tsp dried

1 onion, sliced into rings

2 tomatoes, sliced into rings

1 tsp sumac

A bunch of parsley, chopped

1 lemon

Salt

Food and drink news Show all 35 1 /35 Food and drink news Food and drink news Healthy living makes us more inclined to binge, research suggests Gluten-free breads, dairy-free milks and other plant-based products have been some of the most favoured foods in British supermarkets this year. However, while were busy filling our shopping trolleys with gluten-free goodness, were also jamming it with junk food and alcohol, new research suggests Getty/iStock Food and drink news Growing list of Vegan celebs Making the switch to veganism is a major lifestyle choice, one that many claim can improve energy levels, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and clear up any skin issues. Beyonce, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain are among the growing list of Hollywood stars who have eschewed animal products from their diets in recent years. Theres also been an increasing number of professional athletes who have gone vegan, such as boxing champions Mike Tyson and David Haye, thus debunking the myth that following a plant-based diet will leave you feeling weak and malnourished. AFP/Getty/NARAS/iHeartMedia Food and drink news McDonald's has announced the launch of a new vegan burger on its menu in Germany This will mark the first time the German franchise of the fast food chain has offered a vegan burger to its customers. The Big Vegan TS burger consists of a patty made from soy and wheat. It is served in a classic sesame seed bun, and contains salad, tomato, pickles and red onion. McDonald's Germany Food and drink news Drinking too many protein shakes could lead to an increased risk of obesity and a reduced lifespan, a new study has claimed Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre carried out an investigation to determine the impact excessive consumption of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) has on the body. BCAA supplements are often consumed in the form of powder, which is then added to water to make a shake. Published in journal Nature Metabolism, the study found that while BCAAs help to build muscle, they can also negatively impact an individual's temperament, cause weight gain and lead to a shortened lifespan Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Britain consumes more chocolate than any other country Most people love chocolate but it turns out no one does more than the Brits  with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to new data. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which found that in the past year alone, Easter chocolate production has risen by 23 per cent Food and drink news 'Easter eggs should be banned for children under four' Dr Becky Spelman, chief psychologist at Harley Streets Private Therapy Clinic, is calling for Easter eggs to be banned for consumption for children under the age of four, claiming that giving them the opportunity to binge on chocolate so young will give them an unhealthy relationship with food later on. "This is a nightmare situation for parents of this generation as they have no idea how to teach their children to delay their response to cravings, she said, explaining that too many young kids binge on these chocolates because their parents dont know how to stop them. "Once a child starts overeating behaviour at a young age its very hard to turn things around for them in terms of food and their eating habits moving forward, leading to obesity from at very young age," she added PA Food and drink news Pineapple overtakes avocado as the UK's fastest-selling fruit According to Tesco, pineapple has overtaken avocado as the UKs fastest-selling fruit, with sales increasing by 15 per cent in 2017. In comparison, avocado sales rose by just under 10 per cent last year. The popular supermarket says the surge in popularity comes as shoppers buying the versatile fruit are beginning to use it as a main ingredient in everything from curries and barbecues, to juices and cocktails Getty Food and drink news Marks & Spencers launches stoneless avocados Rather than the result of genetic modification, the avocados are formed by an unpollinated avocado blossom. The fruit develops without a seed which in turns stops the growth, creating a small, seedless fruit. Whats more, the skin is actually edible, unlike a regular avocado. The flesh is much like that of a normal avocado - smooth and creamy, pale in colour and rich in flavour M&S Food and drink news Office teabags contain 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, reveals study The average bacterial reading of an office teabag was 3,785, in comparison to only 220 for a toilet seat. Other pieces of kitchen equipment also stacked up highly in their findings, with the bacterial readings averaging at 2,483 on kettle handles, 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New study shows drinking more coffee leads to a longer life There is good news and a final hope for coffee addicts and lovers. You will now be able to drink coffee for longer as new study shows its can lead to a prolonged life. Scientists showed that those who drank between two and four cups of coffee a day had 18% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. PA Food and drink news Coke Zero is replaced with Coke Zero Sugar Coca-Cola is pulling the plug on its Coke Zero. The much loved drink will be replaced with a new improved taste. The move, backed with a 10 million campaign, is said to come from Coca-Cola supporting people to reduce their sugar intake. Coca-Cola want people make this move while not sacrificing sugary taste of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Food and drink news Starbucks introduce new avocado spread The avocado craze has grown from hipster brunch restaurants to Starbucks. Starbucks have introduced their new avocado spread earlier this year and it has the internet in debate. Some argue that it not a spread but guacamole while others question if there is any avocado in there at all. When buying the new spread you can also buy an optional toasted bagel. It is a must try for all avocado connoisseurs. Starbucks Food and drink news New Mars chocolate bar The iconic British chocolate bar is about to get its partner in crime. The new bar, named Goodness Knows, will replace the gooey caramel goodness of the mars bar with oats. It is said to be more like a Florentine biscuit with a thin dark chocolate bottom. While being moderately healthy Mars says that is has good intentions. One pack has 154 calories and will sell for about 90p. Mars Food and drink news Wine prices could increase because of Brexit Wine lovers across the UK might soon have to shell out close to a quarter more for their favourite tipple after Brexit, as a weaker pound and sluggish economy takes its toll, a new study shows Rex Food and drink news Chocolate may be good for the heart A new study, published in the British Medical Journal: Heart, found that moderate chocolate intake can be positively associated with lessening the risk of the heart arrhythmia condition Atrial Fibrillation Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Brits throw away 1.4 million bananas each year British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day at cost of 80m a year, new figures have shown PA/Armin Weigel Food and drink news Rosemary sales spike over exam time There has been a surge a surge in sales of the herb rosemary after a recent study found it helps improve memory. According to high street health food chain Holland & Barrett, sales of the herb have increased by 187 per cent compared to the same time last year Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Gluten-free diets 'not recommended' for people without coeliac disease Avoiding wheat, barley and rye in the belief that a gluten-free diet brings health benefits may do more harm than good, according to a team of US nutrition and medicine experts Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Starbucks launches two new coffee-based drinks Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from the start of May Twitter/@SbuxCountyHall Food and drink news Cadburys Dairy Milk Tiffin is making a permanent comeback after 80 years The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. The raisin and biscuit-filled chocolate bar is being launched after a successful trial last summer saw 3 million chocolate treats  at the cost of 1.49 for each 95g bar- purchased by nostalgic customers Cadburys Food and drink news Pizza restaurant makes worlds cheesiest 'Scottie's Pizza Parlor' in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Facebook/Scottie's Pizza Parlor Food and drink news A pizza joint in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Why not eating before a workout could be better for your health A study published in the American Journal of Physiology by researchers at the University of Bath found you might be likely to burn more fat if you have not eaten first Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New York restaurant named best in the world A New York restaurant where an average meal for two will cost $700 has been named the best in the world. Eleven Madison Park won the accolade for the first time after debuting on the list at number 50 in 2010. The restaurant was praised for a fun sense of fine-dining, blurring the line between the kitchen and the dining room Getty Images Food and drink news Why you crave bad food when youre tired Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption. Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep Shutterstock Food and drink news Drinking wine engages more of your brain than solving maths problems Drinking wine is the ideal workout for your brain, engaging more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to a leading neuroscientist. Dr Gordon Shepherd, from the Yale School of Medicine, said sniffing and analysing a wine before drinking it requires exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February : In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths once again. New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news US congress debates definition of milk alternatives A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk. Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day. It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too Getty Images Food and drink news Cadburys launches two new chocolate bars UK confectionary giant Cadbury has launched two new chocolate bars, hoping to lure those with a sweet tooth and perhaps help combat some of the challenges it faces from rising commodity prices and a post-Brexit slump in the value of the pound.The companys new products will be peanut butter and mint flavoured. They will be available in most major super markets as 120g bars, priced at 1.49, according to the company Cadburys Food and drink news You can now get a job as a professional chocolate eater The company responsible for some of your favourite chocolate brands  think Cadbury, Milks, Prince and Oreo  have officially announced an opening to join their team as a professional chocolate taster. The successful candidate will help them to test, perfect and launch new products all over the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news MSG additive used in Chinese food is actually good for you, scientist claims For years, weve been told MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) - often associated with cheap Chinese takeaways - is awful for our health and to be avoided at all costs. But one scientist argues it should be used as a supersalt and encourages adding it to food. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Lettuce prices are rising Not only are lettuces becoming an increasingly rare commodity in supermarkets, but prices for the leafy vegetables seem to be rising too. According to the weekly report from the Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a pair of Little Gem lettuces had an average market price of 0.86 in the week that ended on Friday, up from an average of 0.56 in the previous week  thats an almost 54 per cent increase. Getty Images Food and drink news Do-It-Yourself restaurant To encourage more people to cook and eat together, IKEA has launched The Dining Club in Shoreditch  a fully immersive Do-It-Yourself restaurant . Members of the public can book to host a brunch, lunch or dinner party for up to 20 friends and family. Supported by their very own sous chef and maitre de, the host and their guests will orchestrate an intimate dining experience where cooking together is celebrated and eating together is inspirational Mikael Buck / IKEA Food and drink news Ping Pong menu with a twist Gatwick Airport has teamed up with London dim sum restaurant Ping Pong to create a limited edition menu with a distinctly British twist; including a Full English Bao and Beef Wellington Puff, to celebrate the launch of the airports new route to Hong Kong Food and drink news Zizzi unveil the Maamgharita Unique pizza art has been created by Zizzi in celebration of the Queens 90th birthday. The pizza features the queen in an iconic pose illustrated with fresh and tasty Italian ingredients on a backdrop of the Union Jack Food and drink news Blue potatoes make a comeback Blue potatoes, once a staple part of British potato crops, are back on the menu thanks to a Cambridge scientist turned-organic farmer and Farmdrop, an online marketplace that lets people buy direct from local farms. Cambridge PhD graduate-turned farmer, Adrian Izzard has used traditional growing techniques at Wild Country Organics to produce the colourful spuds, packed with healthy cell-protecting anthocyanin, which had previously disappeared from UK plates when post-war farmers were pushed towards higher-yielding varieties

Start with the dough. Put the flour, salt and yeast into a mixing bowl, add warm water little by little and work it until it forms a ball. Knead the ball on a floured surface for five to 10 minutes, until it is springy and smooth. Return to the bowl, and cover with a damp cloth somewhere warm.

For the topping, mix the first seven ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate. In an hour, your dough will have doubled in size. Rub two baking trays with olive oil and put them in the oven, setting it to 220C. Knock back the dough, knead it briefly on a floured board, and divide it into two, four, or more pieces. Roll and stretch each piece into a circle, pulling the dough with your hands. Spread a thin layer of the topping onto each lahmacun, and scatter with the sliced onion and tomato rings. Give them a little drizzle of oil and pop them into the oven as quickly as you can, to stop the heat escaping.

Check the lahmacun after 20 minutes: the meat should be cooked. Sprinkle them with the parsley, the sumac and a squeeze of lemon, and share them round.

Pastirma: pressed beef

The Turkish horsemen of central Asia used to preserve meat in pockets on the sides of their saddles, pressing it with their legs as they rode. Pastirma means pressed and this pressed, dry-cured beef off the steppe is the origin of the Italian pastrami and consequently the mainstay of a thousand New York delis. The best pastirma comes from Kayseri in central Turkey  Evliya Celebi, the great and witty traveller, recommended it in the 17th century. Most of it is eaten in Istanbul. If you want to have a go making your own, its not very difficult but requires patience and a fortnight. The best quality pastirma is made with fillet but topside can be used, too. Given the effort, it is worth starting with the very best beef you can afford.

1kg fillet of beef (or topside)

Plenty of fine sea salt

8 tbsp fenugreek seeds, ground

65g red pepper, diced

15g hot chillies, chopped

100g garlic cloves, peeled

2 tsp cumin, ground

Recommended The best ways to cook sausages

Trim the fillet to remove any fat, then rinse it and pat it dry. Lay the meat out flat in an earthenware dish and cover it with salt. After four hours or so, rinse the fillet, chuck the salt, and start again. This time, place a layer of greaseproof paper over the top, cover with a board, and weigh the board down with something heavy  a pan of water, a stone, whatever. Put the fillet somewhere cool, or in the fridge.

Every day, for the next two weeks, pour away the brine formed as the salt draws out the moisture from the beef, and replace with fresh salt. Once the salt stays dry, wash it off, and put the fillet in a pan of cold water overnight. Next day, pat the beef dry and hang it for a couple of days in a cool, dry place in your larder would be ideal, or a chilly barn, but the porch or a fridge is fine.

Now make the paste, called Cemen, whizzing the remaining ingredients together in a food processor or bashing them in a mortar, then adding water to make a sticky paste. Work the paste into the meat, coating it entirely. Hang it up again, where the air can get at it  the fenugreek and the garlic seem to stop flies  for 24 hours in hot weather, two or three days if it is cold. The Cemen paste should be tacky, and the meat itself hard, but not without some give when you press it.

Wrap the pastirma in a cheesecloth and keep it in the fridge. It can be served in very thin slices as a cold hors doeuvre, or cooked with eggs and tomatoes. You can eat it on toast or pop it into the bean stew.

Yashim Cooks Istanbul by Jason Goodwin (Argonaut Books, 25)
Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

It might sound like a scenario straight out of the dystopian novel Brave New World, but babies born without mothers and intensive embryo farming could be on the horizon, according to a new report.

Produced by embryologists at Ivy League American universities, Harvard and Brown, it has called on countries to urgently consider the impact of in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG).

The technique could lead to designer babies and ethical minefield, it says.

The possibility of motherless children is something researchers have contemplated since the development of a procedure enabling clinics to make both sperm and eggs from skin, adds the study, published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Recommended Woman killed by superbug resistant to every single antibiotic

In late 2016, scientists at the University of Bath developed a technique that allowed healthy baby mice to be born without the need for a female mouse.

Eggs were tricked into developing into an embryos without fertilisation and these were then injected with sperm.

Baby mice were then born without the need for a mother, with a 24 per cent success rate.

At the time, the researchers said the prospect of children being conceived without mothers was speculative and fanciful.

However, the US report paints a rather different picture.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

With science and medicine hurtling forward at breakneck speed, the rapid transformation of reproductive and regenerative medicine may surprise us, it says.

Before the inevitable, society will be well advised to strike and maintain a vigorous public conversation on the ethical challenges of IVG.

The report's authors also warned that the technique could enable parents to artificially select from dozens of embryos and effectively create so-called designer babies.

There's something troubling about an inexhaustible supply of gametes that can be fertilised into an inexhaustible supply of embryos, wrote Dr Adashi, a professor of medical science and former dean of medicine and biological sciences at Brown University.

IVG could also revolutionise in vitro fertilisation (IVF) by vastly expanding the supply of eggs, which must currently be drug-induced and then harvested in small quantities.

Although healthy men can produce millions of sperm, women of reproductive age usually only produce one egg a month.

IVG may raise the spectre of 'embryo farming' on a scale currently unimagined, which might exacerbate concerns about the devaluation of human life, wrote Dr Adashi, who produced the report, with co-authors Glenn Cohen of Harvard Law School and George Daley of Harvard Medical School.

He added: IVG could, depending on its ultimate financial cost, greatly increase the number of embryos from which to select, thus exacerbating concerns about parents selecting for their 'ideal' future child.

If the technique is developed for humans, producing sperm or eggs without the need for reproductive organs could help patients who have fertility problems, perhaps because of chemotherapy or disease.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The technique could also assist post-menopausal women, gay couples and single people to have children.

One of the more speculative scenarios suggested by the study is the creation of a baby with just one parents genes  which could potentially be very risky to a babys health.

Another suggested scenario is the prospect of people being made parents without their knowledge or consent.

Should the law criminalise such an action? If it takes place, should the law consider the source of the skin cells to be a legal parent to the child, or should it distinguish an individuals genetic and legal parentage? the authors wrote.

In the UK, recent advancements in IVF led to the controversial three parent baby technique being given the go-ahead in December last year.

The technique, which prevents babies from inheriting genetic diseases by using a tiny amount of DNA from a second woman as well as genetic information from the mother and father, was approved by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

The Governments chief scientific advisor, Sir Mark Walport welcomed this careful and considered decision by the HFEA.

The UK leads the world in the development of new medical technologies," he said. "This decision demonstrates that, thanks to organisations like the HFEA, we also lead the world in our ability to have a rigorous public debate around their adoption.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

With friends like these A fraudster who took control of her "vulnerable" friend's finances before selling her 200,000 home from under her, has been jailed for six years.

Ravina Rattan has shown no remorse for her crimes, police said after she was found guilty of two counts of fraud by abuse of position and one count of money laundering at St Albans Crown Court.

The long-term abuse of her position of trust began in January 2007 when the vulnerable, elderly woman who cannot speak English asked her for help after the death of her husband, Scotland Yard said.

The victim was living in a mortgage-free, four-bedroom house in Greenford, West London with her daughter and young granddaughter when Rattan agreed to look after all of her financial affairs, taking possession of her identity documents and banking information, including chequebooks and bank cards in the process.

Four months later a mortgage application was accepted for a loan secured against the victim's property. A mortgage advance of 198,891.25 was then paid into a Barclays Bank Account that was set up in the victim's name but controlled by Rattan.

An investigation by Londons Metropolitan police later established that Rattan had used copies of the victim's signature to complete the application.

No direct debit was set up to pay the mortgage and, although intermittent cheque payments were made, the account fell into arrears and repossession proceedings were started on the home in 2012.

Later that year, the victim came home from work to find the house had been boarded up. Rattan told her there was a gas leak and said the family could not enter the property, refusing to allow them in to get their belongings.

As time went by she provided them with a number of excuses as to why they could not return.

During this period, through the falsification of documents, Rattan sold the property and the proceeds were deposited in a bank account opened in the name of the victim. However, Rattan continued to control the account.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images 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 pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

After the victim contacted police in December 2014, officers searching Rattans office found a large amount of paperwork relating to the victim, including her bank cards and passports.

They also found a number of blank cheques containing the victim's signature and correspondence regarding the sale of the house.

"This was a sustained and malicious abuse of trust of a vulnerable woman that resulted in the loss of a family home, Detective Constable Simon Allen, said after the verdict.

"Rattan has shown no remorse for her crimes and has continued to deny any knowledge of the fraud despite the overwhelming evidence against her gathered by investigating officers.

"The sentence handed down by the court today reflects the severity of Rattan's crimes and the devastating result of her fraudulent behaviour."
Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A Muslim woman who was racially assaulted and spat on by a stranger in a restaurant has urged more female Muslims who have experienced hate crime to speak out.

Nahella Ashraf, 46, was wearing a head scarf when she was attacked as she sat around a table with four friends in the restaurant in Hammersmith, London.

Ms Ashraf, from Manchester, was left shaken after a man sitting behind her, who was smartly dressed and well put together, grabbed her from the side and tried to pull her out of her seat, before launching a barrage of racist remarks and spitting in her face.

Wed been in there for about 45 minutes and wed all finished eating. There was a guy sat behind me. I assumed he was getting up to leave but he grabbed me and was screaming at me, she told The Independent.

He just grabbed me from the side, my arm. It felt like he was trying to pull me out of my seat. The first thing I remember him saying was something about him not tolerating people like me. Right in my face.

It all happened really fast. I think the guys behind the counter came out straight away, and got between him and me.

They asked him what his problem was. He said Its not me, how can you have her in here? and then he spat at me. He leaned forward past this guy and he spat in my face.

As soon as he did that they started pushing him out. As they were pushing him out, he was just saying something like: Her kind of people kill people and Theyre the problem kind of thing.

It was racist. He kept saying those kinds of people. He couldve grabbed the white woman on the side of me that wouldve been easier, but he went for the Muslim woman in the crowd.

Police were called to the incident but the suspect had already fled the scene.

Officers were treating the incident as a racially motivated hate crime.

Recommended Muslim woman dragged along pavement by headscarf in London attack

Ms Ashraf, who had been working in London during the week as part of her job as a researcher, said it was the first time she had been physically assaulted because of her race, adding that she was particularly shocked that it had happened in such a public setting.

I was really shaken up. I was really shocked that it happened somewhere in public, she said.

Ive had people walk past me and shout abuse, but it had never been to the extent that theyve physically touched me.

You think it might happen when youre walking late at night on your own. Id heard people make comments about me on a bus or a train before, but never when youre in a group.

She added the experience had made her realise that while many female Muslim victims of race hate crime choose not to talk about their experience, it was important for victims of such crimes to speak out in order to set the record straight.

Initially I thought I didnt want to talk about it. But actually it makes me think if it can happen to me in the centre of London, its happening everywhere. People just dont seem able to talk about it, said Ms Ashraf.

I think its important that we do talk about it. I think its important for Muslim women themselves to have a voice in this narrative and actually set the record straight that we arent the threat.

Brexit racism and the fightback Show all 9 1 /9 Brexit racism and the fightback Brexit racism and the fightback Demonstrators protest against an increase in post-ref racism at London's March for Europe in July 2016 PA Brexit racism and the fightback These cards were found near a school in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, the day after the EU referendum Twitter/@howgilb Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback Romford, Essex, June 25 @diamondgeezer Brexit racism and the fightback A worker at this Romanian food shop was asleep upstairs at the time of this arson attack in Norwich on July 8, but escaped unharmed. Hundreds later participated in a love bombing rally outside the shop to express their opposition to racism and their support of the shop owners. JustGiving/Helen Linehan Brexit racism and the fightback This neo-Nazi sticker was spotted in Glasgow on June 26 Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback But after news emerged of neo-Nazi stickers appearing in Glasgow, some in the city struck back with slogans of their own. Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback More signs began to appear in some parts of the UK, created by people who wanted to show their opposition to post-referendum racism Courtesy of Bernadette Russell

The researcher, who is a member of campaign organisation Stand Up To Racism, said she and her Muslim friends had noticed a marked rise in hate crime against them since the EU referendum, but that it had been steadily rising in recent years.

I think weve seen more since the referendum, theres no doubt about it. Especially in the first couple of weeks. But definitely over the last couple of years weve become more cautious when were out and about, she said.

A lot of Muslims I know, especially my female Muslim friends, have commented on how its gotten worse. Were a bit more careful about where we go. Were an easy target nowadays.

It seems to happen more to Muslim women than to Muslim men, and its usually men who are targeting us.

I think the fact that its okay for the media to talk about how we dress ... for any other women its not really acceptable to comment on how they dress, but when it comes to Muslim women, its seen as open season.

There's this idea that were all submissive and were all forced to dress the way we do and we dont have a voice, and that its okay for the rest of the world to speak about us on our behalf and make judgements about us.

The idea that Im somehow against British values is just rubbish.

In response to the attack, Stand Up To Racisms West London branch held a vigil in Hammersmith in protest against such racist incidents.

Balwinder Rana, convener of Stand Up To Racism in West London, told The Independent the organisation had seen a noticeable rise in hate crimes since the EU referendum.

Mr Rana said: We were very shocked to hear about this incident. Just a few months ago there was a crime against a Polish centre on the same road.

We held a vigil in the area to show solidarity, and I was very pleased with the outcome. Nearly 40 people came out in the cold, and we had a fantastic response from passers-by. Many locals signed up to aid our cause.

The atmosphere around here has changed since the referendum. There has been a spike in these kinds of crimes. Politicians, and also the media, are mainly to blame for spreading the idea that migrants are to blame for the nations problems.

Nahella was born and bred in Manchester  so this is affecting more than just migrants. Theres a toxic atmosphere of fear, and were doing all we can to curb this sentiment.

There was a sharp increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by police in England and Wales following the EU referendum, with a 41 per cent rise in July 2016 compared to the same month the year before.

A survey carried out in December showed most British people believe hate crime had got worse since the referendum, with 58 per cent feeling they had increased since the referendum in June and 76 per cent believing hate crime was a problem in the UK today.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The crew of a cargo ship which sank off the Kent coast were rescued from life rafts and airlifted to hospital.

As force nine winds whipped around them, the seven people aboard were forced to abandon the 90m vessel after making a mayday call around 35 nautical miles (65km) north east of Ramsgate late Friday night.

Search and rescue helicopters were dispatched from both the UK and the Netherlands and an RNLI lifeboat also went to the sinking ship to help the crew.

But nearby merchant ships managed to reach them first and took them on board before they were airlifted to hospital.

Following a mayday broadcast from the sinking vessel, we sent multiple assets to the scene to rescue the crew who abandoned ship, Steve Carson, the UK Coastguard duty commander, said.

The weather on scene has been challenging but we are pleased to report that all the crew have been rescued and are on their way to hospital.

It is unclear what caused the ship to sink or whether any cargo was on board.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Acting on the Brexit vote without consulting Parliament is not legitimate as only 37 per cent of the population voted to leave the EU  and the Government is enacting a kind of coup by trying to do so, A C Grayling has argued.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, the philosopher dubbed the brains of remain said a general strike should be called if the Government attempted to trigger Article 50 without a parliamentary vote or a second referendum.

The effort to talk about hard Brexit, soft Brexit and whats going to happen after Brexit is an attempt to normalise acceptance of leaving the EU, he said. We're nowhere near, and shouldnt be anywhere near such a decision.

We haven't seen Parliament play any role at all yet in discussing or making any decision with what happened in connection with the referendum.

Theresa May is expected to reveal more details on the Governments strategy to leave the EU next week, potentially just days before a crucial Supreme Court ruling on whether Parliament must give its consent to leaving the EU.

Downing Street has decided to get ahead of a likely defeat in the Supreme Court, which is expected to confirm that the House of Commons and House of Lords must approve the triggering of the Article 50 exit clause.

Speaking ahead of a talk in Bristol on Monday, in which he will urge Remain voters to fight for Europe, Professor Grayling accused the Government of trying to sideline Parliament as it knows the majority of MPs and peers are in favour of staying in the European Union.

Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Show all 13 1 /13 Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Supreme Court Brexit Challenge People wait to enter the public gallery outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Gina Miller, co-founder of investment fund SCM Private arrives at the Supreme court in London on the first day of a four-day hearing Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waves the EU flag in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Satirical artist Kaya Mar poses with two of his paintings in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin. The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Businesswoman Gina Miller arrives at the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Attorney General Jeremy Wright arrives at the Supreme Court in London EPA Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Protesters outside the Supreme Court in London, where the Government is appealing against a ruling that the Prime Minister must seek MPs' approval to trigger the process of taking Britain out of the European Union PA wire Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protesters wearing a judge's wigs and robes stands outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protester holds up a placard outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waiting to enter the public gallery waves a European Union flag outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters

If Parliament is sovereign, then for a major constitutional decision that has a huge impact on the country, the role of Parliament has to be centre stage, he said. The Government is trying to hustle us past the point of no return before Parliament can have a decision.

There is no advanced or major country in the world where an enormously consequential constitutional change could be allowed to happen on a mere 37 per cent of the electorate, he added, citing the fact that the 51.9 per cent of people who voted to leave did not represent over half of those eligible to vote.

There is something politically and constitutionally illegitimate about whats happening. If that argument about legitimacy held water, then it would raise questions about what the country should do about the fact that its own Government seems to be in effect enacting a kind of coup by behaving unconstitutionally.

The philosopher, who is Master of New College of the Humanities, urged people to persistently lobby their MP to push for a second referendum or parliamentary vote  but said if that was refused, more drastic measures should be taken.

The Government published their response to yet another petition saying there is going to be absolutely no second referendum, no vote in parliament. In that event, I think it would a perfectly legitimate thing to do to call for a general strike.

The Government is believed to have already drawn up at least two versions of a bill that could be tabled to comply with the ruling  which could come later in the week.

In the speech, the Prime Minister will be under pressure to finally state clearly whether she wants Britain to remain in the EUs single market or customs union after Brexit.

 Ken Clarke lambasts abusive Hard Brexit 'zealots'

Consider the following very likely scenario: the Supreme Court says Parliament must be consulted before an Article 50 trigger. The Government has a very short, two-line bill waiting for a second reading, which has been suspended twice now, waiting for a Supreme Court judgement to come out, said Professor Grayling.

What the Government is hoping it will do is that the Supreme Court will say: this is a matter for Parliament to deal with.

Then the Government will try to hustle through Parliament a two-line bill which in effect shuts down the possibility of a proper vote, a proper discussion, and a vote which should be free and MPs are allowed to vote on their judgement.

Recommended Merkel vows to block full single market access without free movement

The two-line bill will actually usurp the intention of a Supreme Court judgement about Parliament and would in effect bypass the true function of Parliament. Theyve got this prepared, and its a very worrying development, that parliamentary sovereignty can be used against itself.

Angela Merkel, Germanys chancellor, has led EU leaders who insist Britain cannot enjoy favourable access to the single market if it ends free movement of people.

Last weekend, Ms May gave her clearest signal yet that single market exit is therefore inevitable  in order to achieve border controls  but stopped short of saying so.

Even her hints were enough to send the pound to its lowest level since October, as the markets interpreted her remarks as evidence of a looming hard Brexit.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Theresa May has been given a one-month deadline to finally end the secrecy surrounding her Brexit strategy, a hard-hitting report by MPs revealed today.

Crucial issues including membership of the EUs single market and customs union  and plans for a transitional deal  must be revealed by the middle of February, they say.

The Prime Minister is also told to guarantee her promised Brexit plan is a fully fleshed-out White Paper, rather than a rumoured brief note.

 Theresa May avoids directly answering four questions in a row on Brexit

And she is warned of the stark cliff edge danger to businesses if Britain crashes out of the EU with no deal at all, in 2019  a scenario favoured by some hardline Tory MPs.

It would be extremely disruptive and could lead to some firms re-locating out of the UK or investing elsewhere in future, the report says.

It is the first issued by the Commons new cross-party Brexit Select Committee, whose members include prominent Tory Leave supporters Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Peter Lilley.

The committee also demands that Parliament is granted a vote on the final Brexit deal  after the Prime Minister hinted she would deny one.

Hilary Benn, its Labour chairman, said: This is going to be a hugely complex task and the outcome will affect us all.

The Government needs to publish its Brexit plan by mid-February at the latest, including its position on membership of the Single Market and the Customs Union, so that it can be scrutinised by Parliament and the public.

Later than mid-February would deny MPs sufficient time to debate and vote on the plan before the Prime Minister kicks off negotiations by tabling Article 50 at the end of March.

 2016: The year of Brexit

Ms May should seek appropriate transitional arrangements in the interests of business, if no final trade deal could be concluded by the time Britain leaves the EU, probably in 2019, Mr Benn said.

And he added: Whatever deal is concluded, Parliament must be given a vote on it and the Government should make this clear now.

The report is released three days before the Prime Ministers long-awaited Brexit speech, during which she has promised to reveal more details.

However, many MPs fear and expect that she will continue to fall back on slogans about her ambition to secure the best possible deal for Britain  rather than set out her negotiating strategy.

Earlier this week, Ms May refused to confirm she intends to pull Britain out of the single market, despite saying she would not keep bits of membership of the EU.

Even her hints were enough to send the pound to its lowest level since October, as the markets interpreted her remarks as evidence of a looming hard Brexit.

Unsurprisingly, the 21-strong committee  with both Leave and Remain backers  does not reach a view on whether Britain should stay in the single market or customs union.

However, its unanimous report does use stark language to raise the threat of the cliff edge, something Ms May herself appeared to recognise in a speech last year.

If Britain leaves the EUs trading arrangements  and cannot strike a new deal within two years  it will fall back on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

This, the committee points out, will mean hefty export tariffs on, for example, dairy products (36 per cent), cars (ten per cent), food and drink (20 per cent) and clothing and textiles (10-20 per cent).

The report reads: A cliff edge change in circumstances could be extremely disruptive in some sectors to businesses both in the UK and in the EU.

A transitional deal is also needed to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation on defence, foreign policy, security, financial crime and the fight against terrorism is not brought to an abrupt end by Brexit.

The report also argues it is essential that the stability of Northern Ireland  already facing a snap election, after power-sharing broke down  is not jeopardised by EU withdrawal.

The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the English regions, must be duly involved in the process and have their views taken into account.

Mr Benn added: Were not asking the Government to give away its red lines or negotiating fall back positions, but we do want clarity on its broad aims.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Half of the British population think that Theresa May should pursue a close relationship with the incoming President Donald Trump because it is in Britains best interests, according to a new poll.

Taken by ComRes for The Independent, the findings come as the man tipped to be Mr Trumps ambassador to the EU suggested in an interview that he would advise the President to offer Britain a game-changing trade deal with the US after Brexit.

Sir Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the US, has previously suggested the so-called special relationship will continue and that the two leaders will build on the legacy of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Respondents were asked whether they agreed that Theresa May should pursue a close relationship with Donald Trump because it is in Britains best interests or should not pursue a close relationship with Trump even if Britains interests would be harmed.

The poll found that 49 per cent supported a close relationship, while 31 per cent thought it would be better for Downing Street to turn its back on the new American administration. The other 20 per cent said they didnt know.

Labour voters were split when it comes to deciding whether the Prime Minister should cosy up to the US President-elect, with 37 per cent saying that she should while 46 per cent thought she shouldnt pander to Mr Trump who will be confirmed as the next President of the United States at his inauguration on Friday.

Among those who voted Conservative at the 2015 general election, there is a clear majority with 63 per cent believing Ms May should continue to foster the so-called special relationship.

In late 2016, two of Ms Mays most senior aides, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, travelled to Washington to meet some of Mr Trumps closest aides.

When the secret mission by Ms Mays joint chiefs-of-staff was announced earlier this month, a Government source said it was part of the process leading towards the Prime Ministers first visit in the spring.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images 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 pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

During the second phone call with President-elect Trump, the Prime Minister suggested it would be a good idea for key staff from both teams to meet. President-elect Trump agreed this would be useful, they added.

We are pleased to have been able to make that happen and the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting the new president in the spring. Despite having criticised Mr Trump during the presidential campaign, Ms May has recently said he is very easy to talk to.

On Twitter, Mr Trump added: I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime US ally, is very special!

ComRes interviewed 2,038 GB adults online between 11 and 13 January. Full details on ComRes website.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The deputy prime minister of the Netherlands has said his country will block any post-Brexit EU trade deal with the UK unless it can agree on firmly tackling tax avoidance.

Lodewijk Asscher, leader of the Dutch Labour party, fears a race to the bottom led by a British Conservative government, which would have negative ramifications across Europe.

This is reminiscent of the fears of many Remain campaigners, who believe the government could try to entice businesses to the UK after EU withdrawal by cutting taxes and regulation.

 Theresa May denies 'muddled thinking' over Brexit

Critics say this could lead to the UK being turned into a low regulation tax haven  which would also affect Europe, particularly if companies chose to take advantage of the tax savings.

Mr Asschers remarks were written in a letter to left leaning politicians across the EU and republished by the Guardian.

He said: If you and I pay taxes, so should the large enterprises. Lets fight the race to the bottom for profits taxation together which threatens to come into existence if it is up to the Conservative UK government.

This will affect all Europeans, as it deteriorates our support for our social security system and leaves ordinary people to bear the costs.

This is why I propose to come to a new trade agreement with Great Britain, but only if we can agree firmly upon tackling tax avoidance and stopping the fiscal race to the bottom.

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

Tax rules are not the only regulation the EU enforces. Workers rights, such as paid holiday and maternity leave, are also protected and campaigners fear these could be eroded on withdrawing from the bloc.

While Theresa May has pledged to keep these rights as part of the Great Repeal Bill which will follow Brexit, there are fears the legal transition process may leave them vulnerable to interference and not provide the same level of protection.

A Private Members Bill, put forward by Great Grimsby MP Melanie Onn and aimed at maintaining EU levels of protections for workers, was filibustered by Tory politicians on Friday.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Theresa May is in denial over the crisis facing the NHS and scapegoating health professionals with a demand to move to a seven day-a-week opening for GP surgeries, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

In his second major speech of 2017, the Labour leader also reiterated his calls to take failing private care homes and the railways into public ownership. He added that 380 care home businesses have been declared insolvent since 2010 and that the social care system is at serious risk of breakdown unless more money is invested.

His speech  part of his relaunch and attempt to build on a populist momentum  came after Ms May expressed frustration at the failure of more GP practices to offer extended opening hours, amid intensifying pressure on NHS hospital services.

Downing Street warned surgeries in England, which refuse to move to opening 8am to 8pm, seven days a week will lose funding unless they can prove there is no demand from patients.

But Mr Corbyn criticised the warning, adding: The Prime Minister tells us this morning that the real reason we have a crisis in the NHS is not because her Government has slashed billions from social care budgets and underfunded our health service.

No. Shes told her No 10 advisors to tell the media the real people to blame are the hard pressed and under pressure GPs. The BMA has accused the prime minister of scapegoating overstretched GP services and deflecting blame because funding is not keeping up with demand. This is another example of a prime minister in denial.

Speaking to around 300 people at the Fabian Society, he added: A Prime Minister who would much rather listen to spin doctors than real doctors.

The Labour leader also pointed to figures from the Care Quality Commission which found last year that one in five nursing homes did not have sufficient staff on duty to ensure residents received good, safe care.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images 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 pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

Labour will not let the elderly down, people who've worked all their lives, paid their taxes and made a massive contribution to society, he said.

So a Labour government would give social care the funding it needs and give a firm commitment to take failed private care homes into public ownership to maintain social care protection.

It's the least we can do to guarantee dignity for people who've given so much to our country.

On the railways, Mr Corbyn, who was welcomed on stage by Kate Green, the MP who ran Owen Smiths unsuccessful leadership bid, said the party was committed to bringing the shambolic private train system back into public ownership.

Thats not ideological, its straightforwardly logical, he said.

When Labour took the East Coast line into public ownership, over six years it delivered a better service, improved passenger satisfaction and gave 1 billion in profit back to the taxpayer.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

More people believe Theresa May and the Conservatives would do a better job than Labour managing the NHS this winter despite many agreeing with the description of the health service facing a humanitarian crisis, a new poll suggests.

The ComRes poll for The Independent comes as the Prime Minister faces calls to apologise after scapegoating GPs and warning they should offer extended opening hours, amid intensifying pressure on the NHS hospital services.

Downing Street warned surgeries in England, which refuse to move to opening 8am to 8pm, seven days a week will lose funding unless they can prove there is no demand from patients.

Sarah Wollaston, a Conservative MP and chair of the Health Select Committee in Westminster, said: I do feel this is going to backfire, I think it was the wrong thing to say, and I think frankly they should apologise.

But despite Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, suggesting the NHS is Labours comfort zone at a speech in London on Saturday, 43 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement: Theresa May and the Conservatives would do a better job than Jeremy Corbyn and Labour managing the NHS this winter. Around 30 per cent agreed that Mr Corbyn and Labour would do a better job than the Tories, while 26 per cent responded dont know.

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, however, has poor personal ratings  a likely reflection of his prolonged battle with the junior doctors over their new contract, which led to historic strikes in the profession across the country. Satisfaction with his performance has fallen since 2013 with a 16-point increase in the proportion of people who disagree that he is doing a good job.

Just 12 per cent of respondents said Mr Hunt was doing a good job while 53 per cent disagreed and 35 per cent said registered dont know.

Just last week the British Red Cross warned the health service was facing a humanitarian crisis as the NHS appeared to struggle with rising demand. The organisations chief executive Mike Adamson said: [We are] responding to the humanitarian crisis in our hospital and ambulance services across the country. We have been called in to support the NHS and help get people home from hospital and free up much needed beds.

When ComRes asked members of the public about the description 47 per cent said the British Red Cross was right to use the term vehemently dismissed by the Government. 36 per cent, meanwhile, said the description was overblowing the situation. Despite this, sentiment towards the NHS is nonetheless positive, with 71 per cent of respondents believing the health service provides a high standard of care to patients  a 13 point increase on 2013 when ComRes last asked the question.

And its clear the vast majority believe that NHS should remain free at the point of use. A majority of voters of nearly every party disagree that NHS treatment should chargeable for people who can afford to pay. The only exception being Ukip voters who are split: 39 per cent agree versus 43 per cent who disagree.

ComRes interviewed 2,038 Great British adults online between 11 and 13 January. Full details on ComRes website
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Britain will try to strike a free trade agreement with New Zealand when it leaves the European Union, Theresa May has said.

The Prime Minister said, after a working lunch with her New Zealand counterpart Bill English at Downing Street, that the two countries agree on the potential for a "bold" new trading relationship after Brexit.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will visit the Commonwealth nation in the coming months to begin a bilateral dialogue between the two nations with the ultimate aim of striking a trade deal.

The small Oceanic country of less than five million people is believed to be seen in Government circles as one of the best prospects for an early trade deal once Britain quits the EU.

It is also one of the global "five eyes" partners who share their security intelligence with the UK, along with the US, Canada and Australia.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Mr English, Mrs May said the two countries have a "strong and growing" trading relationship worth more than 3 billion a year.

Britain is also the second largest foreign investor in New Zealand and its fifth largest bilateral trading partner, she said.

Mrs May went on: "As two island nations we know that trade is essential to the prosperity of our countries and so it's natural that we share a firm, deep-rooted belief in the power of free trade and open markets to drive economic progress and the importance of ensuring the benefits of growth are shared widely and fairly.

"While the UK remains in the EU we will work together to support an EU-New Zealand trade deal and we will also look to the future and how we can expand our trade and investment partnership.

"Through our new bilateral trade dialogue, we will push for greater global trade liberalisation and reform, share expertise, and identify ways to strengthen our own trade relationship.

"And the International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will visit New Zealand in the coming months to launch these important talks.

"In the longer term we agree on the potential for a bold, new UK-New Zealand free trade agreement and I look forward to starting early discussions on this in due course."

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

Mrs May said that she hoped it would be possible to conclude a trade deal with New Zealand "in a reasonable space of time".

She said: "You know the legal position that we can't formally sign up to free trade agreements while we remain a member of the European Union. But as I indicated earlier, a dialogue has started to see how we can scope out the work that needs to be done."

Mr English said he wanted to see a trade deal concluded "as soon as possible" after Brexit, and his country was the "ideal partner" for the UK to demonstrate its ability to secure a high-quality agreement.

Asked how soon a deal could be reached, the New Zealand premier said: "With respect to the trade agreement, we would hope that we could negotiate as soon as possible after the exit is completed.

"If the UK want to demonstrate that they can negotiate a high-quality trade agreement, then New Zealand is the ideal partner for that."

Mrs May added: "New Zealand is an important country for us precisely because of the historic ties that we share, the shared values that we have, the shared belief in free trade that we have.

"I think it's natural that we would look to a partner like New Zealand. Of course we will be negotiating a free trade agreement but we will be looking to get an agreement that is going to work for both sides."

Mrs May's comments appear to suggest that Britain will leave the EU customs union after Brexit so it can strike trade deals with other countries outside the tariff-free zone.

Mr English said New Zealand stands ready to strike a "comprehensive" free trade deal.

He said: "We are here to work with both the UK and the EU and we are ready to negotiate a high-quality free trade agreement with the UK when it is in a position to do so.

"We already have a strong and diversified trading relationship with the UK and a free trade agreement will build on that.

"We will seek a comprehensive and high-quality trade agreement because we know the benefits that free trade delivers - it helps create jobs, to raise incomes and delivers prosperity and opportunity at the level that New Zealanders and Britons deserve."

Mrs May was challenged by a reporter from New Zealand, who said her Government had "chipped away" the rights of Kiwis living in the UK.

 Theresa May avoids directly answering four questions in a row on Brexit

The Prime Minister insisted that 97 per cent of visa requests from New Zealanders were granted and that Britain welcomed "the brightest and best".

But she added: "It's also important here in the UK that we do ensure that we have that control. We want to see net migration coming down because of the impact that we feel it has on people here in the UK."

Mr English was asked whether there was any prospect of a Commonwealth free trade area including freedom of movement, but said it was "a fairly adventurous idea".

"We would be focusing in the first place on an agreement with the UK," he said. "What we can bring to that is the commitment to the values and principles of open trade and a pretty wide range of experience ... for instance, in our close economic integration with Australia, which is not a customs union, and also a range of other agreements we've been part of, including a long negotiation on the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership).

"We come to the table as an experienced trader but also experienced in the understanding of what could work for the particular circumstances of the UK."

Press Association
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

An eight-year-old boy who became the first UK child to be diagnosed with a rare condition is desperately trying to raise funds for a life-saving operation.

Oliver Brown learned he had Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), brought on by a mutation of his GATA2 gene, after being rushed to hospital late at night following a bad cough.

Only a handful people are thought to suffer from the gene mutation in the UK, with Oliver believed to be the only child.

Doctors initially feared the schoolboy had leukaemia, but they eventually diagnosed him with the much rarer condition.

Wed never heard of it before, we didnt know anything about it, we didnt know what to do about it," said Oliver's father, Mike Brown 37.

For any parent, going to the GP for a blood test on a Tuesday, getting a call at 8pm telling you to go straight to hospital you know its not good news.

The engineer added: No one would wish this on their children or anyone elses children.

"I wouldnt wish anyone to be sat where I am now. Its had a huge impact on us.

The complex genetic condition is also thought to be the cause of Olivers deafness.

Oliver is believed to be the only UK child - with most MDS sufferers typically over 50 - who developed the condition as a result of the mutated gene.

MDS is a potentially fatal condition which affects bone marrow production and exacerbates the chance of developing acute leukaemia.

His parents are now fundraising for a life-saving bone marrow transplant as there is a high risk the first could fail.

A leading blood cancer charity said the schoolboy's condition was extremely rare, adding the genetic link was only discovered five years ago.

Oliver with kids entertainer Nutty Noah (Mike Brown)

Matt Kaiser, of Bloodwise, said: There have been reported cases of people inheriting a faulty GATA2 gene before, but it is incredibly rare  fewer than one in a million people have the fault.

Currently in Bristol Childrens Hospital waiting for his bone marrow transplant and undergoing chemotherapy, his parents said they were optimistic for the future, adding Oliver was his usual amazing, stunning, charismatic and funny self.

 Little girl going through chemotherapy bravely climbs stairs

As the family anxiously wait to see if the transplant will be a success, a process which could take months, they have launched a fundraising page raising 12,000 of their 120,000 target.

The fundraising is in anticipation of a second transplant should Olivers body reject the first one.

13 ways to help prevent cancer Show all 13 1 /13 13 ways to help prevent cancer 13 ways to help prevent cancer Stopping smoking. This notoriously difficult habit to break sees tar build-up in the lungs and DNA alteration and causes 15,558 cancer deaths a year 13 ways to help prevent cancer Avoiding the sun, and the melanoma that comes with overexposure to harmful UV rays, could help conscientious shade-lovers dodge being one of the 7,220 people who die from it 13 ways to help prevent cancer A diet that is low in red meat can help to prevent bowel cancer, according to the research - with 30 grams a day recommended for men, and 25 a day recommended for women 13 ways to help prevent cancer Foods high in fibre, meanwhile, can further make for healthier bowels. Processed foods in developed countries appear to be causing higher rates of colon cancer than diets in continents such as Africa, which have high bean and pulse intakes 13 ways to help prevent cancer Two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables a day were given as the magic number for good diet in the research. Overall, diet causes only slightly fewer cancer deaths than sun exposure in Australia, at 7,000 a year 13 ways to help prevent cancer Obesity and being overweight, linked to poor diet and lack of exercise, causes 3,917 deaths by cancer a year on its own Getty 13 ways to help prevent cancer Dying of a cancer caused by infection also comes in highly, linked to 3,421 cancer deaths a year. Infections such as human papilloma virus - which can cause cervical cancer in women - and hepatitis - can be prevented by vaccinations and having regular check-ups 13 ways to help prevent cancer Cutting back on drinks could reduce the risk of cancers caused by alcohol - such as liver cancer, bowel cancer, breast cancer and mouth cancer - that are leading to 3,208 deaths a year 2014 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Sitting around and not getting the heart pumping - less than one hour's exercise a day - is directly leading to about 1,800 people having lower immune functions and higher hormone levels, among other factors, that cause cancers 2011 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Hormone replacement therapy, which is used to relieve symptoms of the menopause in women, caused 539 deaths from (mainly breast) cancer in Australia last year. It did, however, prevent 52 cases of colorectal cancers 2003 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Insufficient breastfeeding, bizarrely, makes the top 10. Breastfeeding for 12 months could prevent 235 cancer cases a year, said the research AFP/Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Oral contraceptives, like the Pill, caused about 105 breast cancers and 52 cervical cancers - but it also prevented about 1,440 ovarian and uterine (womb) cases of cancer last year 2006 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Taking aspirin also prevented 232 cases in the Queensland research of colorectal and oesophagal cancers - but as it can also cause strokes, is not yet recommended as a formal treatment against the risk of cancer

The NHS rarely funds second operations, which Mr Brown said was a sad but realistic truth of the health service.

Its a difficult one. Hes my son but the NHS is strapped for cash. I think they should fund when appropriate, but its a difficult question because he's my son I absolutely think it should be funded, but 120,000 is a lot of money, he said.

The family, including Oliver's five-year-old brother, Benjamin, are pinning their hopes on the current donor who is a 9/10 match.

Rather than wait an unknown amount of time for a 10/10 match, his parents, from Plymouth, Devon, decided to proceed with the near-perfect donor.

Oliver Brown is currently undergoing chemotherapy (Mike Brown)

Mr Brown said: It wouldnt be worth waiting. If we dont get on with it his health could deteriorate. The stronger, the healthier you are the better chance you have."

He added: Olivers is a very complicated case, theres a high probability it wont be successful, but Im not thinking about that Im being positive. If its not successful that would be heart-breaking, devastating.

But he stressed how important it is for people to register as potential donors.

The dad-of-two said: Ill re-mortgage the house, Ill sell my house, work four jobs, Ill do anything to get the money.

But if Oliver does need a second transplant, if theres no one on the register I could have 210 million it wouldnt make a difference because theres no match.

If a second operation is not needed any leftover funds will be split between charities Anthony Nolan and Clic Sargent.

Mr Brown added they had been overwhelmed by the support from family, friends and strangers.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Barack Obamas first major discourse on race, was prompted by controversy over inflammatory remarks by Obamas African-American pastor in Chicago, the Rev Jeremiah Wright. It came at a moment when he was establishing a small lead over Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, but when a misstep on so sensitive an issue might have doomed his chances.

On 18 March, 2008, in Philadelphia, Obama took sharp issue with Wrights incendiary language, but explained it in the light of slavery and Americas anguished racial history.

He placed the problem in the context of his own background, son of a Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother. I can no more disown him [Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother  a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me ... but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed her on the street, and who ... has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

The words had an enormous impact. A poll found that half of all Americans had heard a lot about it. It undoubtedly nurtured a sense that Obama might be the cure for Americas racial problems, and helped him win the presidency that November.

Mr Obamas speech resonated with voters and undoubtedly helped him win the presidency (AP)

Read the full transcript below:

We the people, in order to form a more perfect union ...  221 years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched Americas improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars, statesmen and patriots who had travelled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nations original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least 20 more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution  a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty and justice and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every colour and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part  through protests and struggles, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience, and always at great risk  to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this presidential campaign  to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for president at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together, unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction  toward a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Pattons Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. Ive gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the worlds poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners  an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

Its a story that hasn't made me the most conventional of candidates. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts  that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African-Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in this campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either too black or not black enough. We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every single exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarisation, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, weve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation, and that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy and, in some cases, pain. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in the church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely  just as Im sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They werent simply a religious leader's efforts to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country  a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wrights comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems  two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change  problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television sets and YouTube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way.

But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than 20 years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another, to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a United States Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over 30 years has led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth  by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I describe the experience of my first service at Trinity:

People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverends voice up into the rafters. And in that single note  hope!  I heard something else: At the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiels field of dry bones. Those stories  of survival and freedom and hope  became our stories, my story. The blood that spilled was our blood, the tears our tears, until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black. In chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a meaning to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about  memories that all people might study and cherish, and with which we could start to rebuild.

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety  the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humour. They are full of dancing and clapping and screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and, yes, the bitterness and biases that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptised my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions  the good and the bad  of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother  a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed her by on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing to do would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harbouring some deep-seated bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America  to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that weve never really worked through  a part of our union that we have not yet made perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care or education or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past. We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist between the African-American community and the larger American community today can be traced directly to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were and are inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education. And the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

Legalised discrimination  where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions or the police force or the fire department  meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between blacks and whites, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persist in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family contributed to the erosion of black families  a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighbourhoods  parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pickup, building code enforcement  all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continues to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late Fifties and early Sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way, for those like me who would come after them.

For all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it  those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations  those young men and, increasingly, young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race and racism continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white coworkers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or the beauty shop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour of American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity within the African-American community in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful. And to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans dont feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience  as far as they're concerned, no one handed them anything. They built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pensions dumped after a lifetime of labour. They are anxious about their futures, and they feel their dreams slipping away. And in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear an African-American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighbourhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze  a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practises and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favour the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognising they are grounded in legitimate concerns  this too widens the racial divide and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy  particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction  a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people  that, working together, we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances  for better health care and better schools and better jobs  to the larger aspirations of all Americans: the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man who has been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for our own lives  by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American  and yes, conservative  notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wrights sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wrights sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress had been made; as if this country  a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black, Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old  is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know  what we have seen  is that America can change. That is the true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope  the audacity to hope  for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination  and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past  are real and must be addressed, not just with words, but with deeds, by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realise that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more and nothing less than what all the world's great religions demand  that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brothers keeper, scripture tells us. Let us be our sisters keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division and conflict and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle  as we did in the OJ trial  or in the wake of tragedy  as we did in the aftermath of Katrina  or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wrights sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathise with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, Not this time. This time, we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time, we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the emergency room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care, who dont have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time, we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time, we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time, we want to talk about the men and women of every colour and creed who serve together and fight together and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that should have never been authorised and should have never been waged. And we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them and their families, and giving them the benefits that they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation  the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that Id like to leave you with today  a story I told when I had the great honour of speaking on Dr Kings birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, 23-year-old white woman named Ashley Baia who organised for our campaign in Florence, SC She had been working to organise a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches  because that was the cheapest way to eat. Thats the mind of a 9-year-old.

She did this for a year until her mom got better. So she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents, too.

Now, Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mothers problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didnt. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why theyre supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and different reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why hes there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, I am here because of Ashley.

I'm here because of Ashley. By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realise over the course of the 221 years since a band of patriots signed that document right here in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Army general who heads the DC National Guard and has an integral part in overseeing the inauguration said Friday that he will be removed from command effective at 12:01 pm on 20 January, just as Donald Trump is sworn in as president.

Maj-Gen Errol R Schwartzs departure will come in the middle of the presidential ceremony  classified as a national special security event  and while thousands of his troops are deployed to help protect the nations capital during an inauguration he has spent months helping to plan.

The timing is extremely unusual, Schwartz said in an interview Friday morning, confirming a memo announcing his ouster that was obtained by The Washington Post. During the inauguration, Schwartz will command not only members of the DC Guard but also 5,000 unarmed troops dispatched from across the country to help. He also will oversee military air support protecting Washington during the inauguration.

 Donald Trump's inauguration: All you need to know

My troops will be on the street, said Schwartz, who turned 65 in October. Ill see them off, but I wont be able to welcome them back to the armory. He said he would never plan to leave a mission in the middle of a battle.

Unlike in the states, where the governor appoints the National Guard commander, in the District that duty falls to the president.

Military officials and Trump transition officials provided contradictory versions of the decision to replace General Schwartz. As is customary for presidential appointees, the general submitted a letter of resignation to give the new administration a clean start.

Two military officials with knowledge of the situation said the Trump team decided to accept the resignation. A person close to the transition said transition officials wanted to keep Schwartz in the job for continuity, but the Army pushed to replace him.

Schwartz, who was appointed to head the Guard by President George W Bush in 2008, maintained the position through President Obamas two terms. He said his orders came from the Pentagon in the form of an email that names his interim successor, a brigadier general, who takes over at 12:01pm. next Friday.

Recommended Mexican traders debate buying Twitter to silence Donald Trump

Army Major Jamie Davis, a spokesman at the Defence Department, said Schwartz is classified as a non-career status employee. He noted that the interim commander is ready to assume complete mission and handle the inauguration.

One of the military officials said the Trump transition team receives lists of political appointees and can decide which resignations to accept. All resignations are effective at 12:01pm. on Inauguration Day.

DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson blasted the decision to remove Schwartz, particularly during the inauguration.

It doesnt make sense to can the general in the middle of an active deployment, Mr Mendelson said. He added that Schwartzs sudden departure will be a long-term loss for the District. Hes been really very good at working with the community, and my impression was that he was good for the Guard.

Schwartz said he will work up until that moment, and then plans to retire from the Army. Im a soldier, he said. Im a presidential appointee. Therefore, the president has the power to remove me.

Like other deployments, Inauguration Day will be a complicated one for the DC National Guard  at least on paper. Since the District is not a state, its mayor cannot call up Guard members to active duty as a state governor can.

The District must send a letter to the secretary of the Army requesting the support. The District and the Army must then go through a seven-step process to initiate the deployment, during which Guard members carry out duties at the request of the mayor and city homeland security officials.

The two entities have been able to work together to make that happen quickly in response to unfolding natural disasters, such as last years record January snowfall. During that storm, which dumped 22 inches of snow, the Guard was activated in anticipation of the storms arrival, and troops helped shuttle officials, plow drivers and supplies back and forth across the city.

Schwartz began his military career in 1976 by enlisting in the Guard, formally called the Militia of the District of Columbia National Guard. He also oversees the Air National Guard, which combined with the Army Guard has an authorised strength of 2,700. He has served in several leadership positions, notably commanding the 372nd Military Police Battalion.

He graduated in 1980 from the University of the District of Columbia with a degree in electrical engineering and received a masters degree in business management from Central Michigan University and in national security strategy from the National Defence University at Fort McNair in the District.

Schwartz said that he is most proud of the Youth Challenge Academy, a school for teenage dropouts run by the Guard with an infusion of federal money. The school, separate from DC public and charter schools, is located at the former Oak Hill facility, the Districts old juvenile jail. Schwartz said that about 60 per cent of the student body have obtained high school diplomas, and some have gone on to college.

Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 1 /14 Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Getty

These are kids with high potential, Schwartz said. They just need to be steered a little bit. Thats what guardsmen can do. He said he has told his wife that he might stay active in the school.

I dont mind walking the halls and knocking on doors wearing a suit and tie, he said.

Washington Post
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trump has ignited fresh controversy  on the eve of Martin Luther King Day  by accusing one of the civil rights leaders who marched and struggled with him of talk and no action.

In a pair of tweets on Saturday morning, he said Congressman John Lewis should not have falsely complained about the election result.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart, said Mr Trump.

(Not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!

Mr Trump's comments came after the 76-year-old politician and former freedom rider said he did not believe the New York tycoons victory was legitimate as a result of Russians attempt to interfere with the election. As a result, he said he would not be attending next weeks inauguration  the first he will have missed in three decades

I dont see this President-elect as a legitimate president, Mr Lewis, a Democrat who represents Georgias 5th congressional district, told NBC in an interview to be broadcast in its entirety on Sunday.

 Donald Trump points to business papers that appear to be blank

I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

Asked about forging a relationship with the incoming administration, he added: I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It's going to be hard. Its going to be very difficult.

Mr Lewis, who has been a member of Congress since 1987, is an elder statesman of the party and a figure of huge respect for his role in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s.

He took part in the march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama, led by Dr King. In the bloody conflict that followed when police broke up the peaceful marchers, Mr Lewis suffered serious injuries.

Mr Lewis originally endorsed the candidacy of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign but as Barack Obamas momentum grew, the Georgia Congressman formally switched his backing.

After Mr Obama secured the partys nomination, Mr Lewis said: If someone had told me this would be happening now, I would have told them they were crazy, out of their mind, they didnt know what they were talking about.... I just wish the others were around to see this day.

Mr Lewis campaigned vigorously for Ms Clinton during the 2016 and took part in marches designed to draw attention to what he said were efforts to suppress black voter turn out.

At one event in Charlotte, he told The Independent: We will not give up, we will continue to press on. We can make history. We can elect Hillary Clinton the next president of the United States.

Mr Trump has sought to reject claims from the US intelligence community that Russia sought to influence the presidential election in his favour, as part of campaign that included hacking into the computers of the two major parties. A number of emails from Ms Clintons senior staff were published by Wikileaks.

He has also dismissed as fake news that Russian intelligence had gathered compromising business and personal information on him during his visits to the country.

Some of these unverified claims were included in a briefing provided to Mr Obama, Mr Trump and senior members of Congress by US intelligence officials.

Much of the information had been gathered by a former MI6 official, Christopher Steele, who had been employed by Republican and Democratic opponents of Mr Trump. Mr Steele later worked without pay, amid concern the material about Mr Trump was not being properly probed by the FBI.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent who investigated Donald Trumps alleged Kremlin links, was so worried by what he was discovering that at the end he was working without pay, The Independent has learned.

Mr Steele also decided to pass on information to both British and American intelligence officials, after concluding that such material should not just be in the hands of political opponents of President Trump  who had hired his services  but was a matter of national security for both countries.

However, security sources say Mr Steele became increasingly frustrated that the FBI was failing to take action on the intelligence from others as well as him.

He came to believe there was a cover-up: that a cabal within the Bureau blocked a thorough inquiry into Mr Trump, focusing instead on the investigation into Hillary Clintons emails.

 Donald Trump says unverified claims are blot on intelligence agencies

It is believed that a colleague of Mr Steele in Washington, Glenn Simpson (a former Wall Street Journal reporter who runs the firm Fusion GPS) felt the same way, and at the end also continued working on the Trump case without being paid.

Fusion GPS had been hired by Republican opponents of Mr Trump in September 2015. In June 2016, Mr Steele came on the team. He was, and continues to be, highly regarded in the intelligence world.

In July, Mr Trump won the Republican nomination and the Democrats became new employers of Mr Steele and Fusion GPS. In the same month, Mr Steele produced a memo, which went to the FBI, stating that Mr Trumps campaign team had agreed to a Russian request to dilute attention on Moscows intervention in Ukraine.

Four days later, Mr Trump stated that he would recognise Moscows annexation of Crimea. Officials involved in his campaign had already asked the Republican partys election platform to remove a pledge for military assistance to the Ukrainian government against separatist rebels in the east of the country.

Mr Steele claimed that the Trump campaign was taking this path because it was aware that the Russians were hacking Democratic Party emails. No evidence of this has been made public, but the same day that Mr Trump spoke about Crimea he called on the Kremlin to hack Hillary Clintons emails.

By late July and early August, MI6 was also receiving information about Mr Trump. By September, information to the FBI began to grow in volume: Mr Steele compiled a set of his memos into one document and passed it to his contacts at the FBI.

But there seemed to be little progress in a proper inquiry into Mr Trump. The Bureau, instead, seemed to be devoting their resources in the pursuit of Hillary Clintons email transgressions.

The New York office, in particular, appeared to be on a crusade against Ms Clinton. Some of its agents had a long working relationship with Rudy Giuliani  by then a member of the Trump campaign  since his days as public prosecutor and then-Mayor of the city.

As the election approached, FBI director James Comey made public his bombshell letter saying that Ms Clinton would face another email investigation. Two days before that, Mr Giuliani, then a part of the Trump team, talked about a surprise or two youre going to hear about in the next few days.

Weve got a couple of things up our sleeve that should turn things around, he said.

 CNN anchor calls out Trump team over criticism of Russia allegations

After the letter was published, Mr Giuliani claimed he had heard from current and former agents that theres a kind of revolution going on inside the FBI over the original decision not to charge Ms Clinton, and that Mr Comey had been forced by some of his agents to announce the reinvestigation.

Democrats demanded an investigation into how Mr Giuliani acquired this knowledge  without getting an answer.

In October a frustrated and demoralised Mr Steele, while on a trip to New York, spoke about what he has discovered to David Corn, the Washington editor of magazine Mother Jones. There was a little flurry of interest that quickly died down.

Mr Trumps surprise election victory came and the Democrat employers of Mr Steele and Mr Johnson no longer needed them. But the pair continued with their work, hopeful that the wider investigation into Russian hacking in the US would allow the Trump material to be properly examined.

It was against this background that Senator John McCain, who had been hearing with growing alarm reports about Mr Trump and the Kremlin, met Sir Andrew Wood (a former British ambassador to Moscow, who had spent 10 years in Russia and is highly respected for his knowledge of Russian affairs) at a security conference in Halifax, Canada.

Sir Andrew stressed to Senator McCain that he had not read the dossier, but vouched for Mr Steeles professionalism and integrity. The chair of the Senate Armed Forces Committee then sent an emissary to London who picked up the dossier from an intermediary acting on behalf of Mr Steele. The Senator personally took the material to Mr Comey.

Mr Trump and Barack Obama were briefed about the allegations as part of a report into Russian hacking a week ago. Mr Trump remained silent about them until they were published this week, and then he angrily denounced them as lies. His spokesperson said he could not recall the briefing.

Mr Steele is now in hiding, under attack from some Tory MPs for supposedly trying to ruin the chances of Theresa Mays Government building a fruitful relationship with the Trump administration. Some of them accuse him of being part of an anti-Brexit conspiracy. A right-wing tabloid has outed him as being a confirmed socialist while at university.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced that it is launching an inquiry into the alleged Russian hacks to influence the US election, during which they plan to interview senior members of the incoming Trump administration.

In a joint statement, committee chairman Republican Sen Richard Burr and vice chairman Democratic Sen Mark Warner said they would examine counterintelligence concerns related to Russia and the 2016 US election, including intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns.

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly lambasted the intelligence community since the December revelation that the Russian government was behind hacks against Democrats with the intention to help Mr Trump win.

Mr Trump has admitted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the likely culprit behind the hacks of the Democratic National Committee. Still, he has doubled-down on his plans to continue to foster a relationship with the Kremlin as president despite the intelligence assessment that they conducted the cyber attack on the US.

In the statement released Friday evening, Mr Burr said the committee would subpoena members of the Trump team and the Obama administration if necessary.

As part of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligences oversight responsibilities, the statement said, we believe that it is crucial to have a full understanding of the scope of Russian intelligence activities impacting the United States.

Mr Warner said in a separate statement that the issue impacts the foundations of our democratic system, its that important.

 Trump calls leak "fake news" and "something that Nazi Germany would have done"

He added that the committee is best positioned to take on the responsibility of full, deep bipartisan examination.

If it turns out that SSCI cannot properly conduct this investigation, he added, I will support legislation to empower whoever can do it right.

Russia has denied any involvement in the DNC hacking controversy.

The announcement of the Senate probe into the issue comes after ranking Democrats left a briefing with FBI director James Comey. They left the closed-door meeting "concerned" and "angry" because he declined to comment on whether the FBI was investigating the reported ties between Mr Trump's team and Russia.

Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 1 /14 Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Getty

Security sources told The Independent that ex-MI6 agent Christopher Steele, who conducted opposition research on Mr Trump for both Republicans and Democrats, grew frustrated that the FBI failed to take action when presented with a dossier of allegations linking the New York businessman to the Russian government.

The FBI instead sat on the dossier  which alleged Trump surrogates had been in contact with Russian officials for as many as five years  and chose to pursue inquiries into Hillary Clinton's email server, long after Mr Comey had said investigators found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General is conducting an investigation into Mr Comey's alleged mishandling of the Clinton email probe.

"Allegations that decisions regarding the timing of the FBI's release of certain Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents on October 30 and November 1, 2016, and the use of a Twitter account to publicize same, were influenced by improper considerations," said inspector general Michael Horowitz.

Clinton campaign spokesperson Brian Fallon was reassured by the investigation.

"This is highly encouraging and to be expected, given Director Comeys drastic deviation from Justice Department protocol," he said. "A probe of this sort, however long it takes to conduct, is utterly necessary in order to take the first step to restore the FBIs reputation as a nonpartisan institution."
A cruise under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province, Jan 13, 2016. [Photo by Dai Tian/chinadaily.com.cn]

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC), one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the country, is charting a new course to overcome decline in global demand.

Based in Dalian in Northeast China's Liaoning province, the State-owned company is shifting its focus away from conventional shipbuilding to high-end vessels such as very-large crude and ore carriers and bulk carriers.

The shipping giant, which has 12,000 employees, recorded revenue of 23.4 billion yuan ($ 3.4 billion) in 2016 and net profit of 760 million.

DSIC's service spans the entire life cycle of a ship, including research and development, construction, repair and scraping. It's the only domestic equipment manufacturing enterprise that has expertise in all five industrial sectors: military project undertaking, shipbuilding, offshore equipment building, ship repair/ship scraping and heavy industrial project undertaking.

As the flagship of China's shipbuilding industry, DSIC has made great contribution to national defense and modernization of navy.

More than 800 naval ships of 44 types have been built in Dalian since the founding of the People's Republic of China, with DSIC building the greatest number of warships for the navy.

The company, which was formed in 2005 after a merger between Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company and Dalian New Shipbuilding Industry Company, is part of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), one of the two State-owned shipbuilding enterprises in the nation.

Currently, CSIC manufactures products not only for the maritime industry, but also designs and produces advanced large turnkey equipment and high-tech products for sectors ranging from energy to transportation to logistics.

It has established an industrial fund with an initial capital of 10 billion yuan to further invest in fields such as offshore engineering products, power, electronic information and intelligent equipment, and underwater defense, said an earlier report in China Daily.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Sanctions placed on Russia by Barack Obama could be lifted if the country works with the US on battling terrorists and other goals, Donald Trump has suggested.

The President-elect told the Wall Street Journal he would keep sanctions against Russia intact at least for a period of time, as scrutiny over his relationship with the Kremlin intensifies.

If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things? he said during the hour-long interview.

Mr Trump also said he wouldnt commit to the one China policy on Taiwan until he sees signs of cooperation from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.

The Obama administration imposed sanctions against Russia, including the ejection of 35 suspected Russian spies from the US, late last month in response to alleged cyber attacks from Moscow.

This followed successive moves by Mr Obama and the EU to punish Russia for continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, which erupted in 2014.

Consecutive rounds of sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezing, have been imposed on Russia over the conflict and its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, with the most recent batch to expire in January.

The Russian government has denied stoking the unrest in the face of evidence by Nato and monitors claiming to show its troops and weapons in rebel-controlled areas of the country.

An inquiry into alleged Russian hacking during the US election has also been opened by the Senates intelligence committee, with senior figures in Trumps team set to be questioned over their Russian links, the committee chair has announced.

 Trump's message to Putin

Mr Trump said he was prepared to meet Vladimir Putin following his 20 January inauguration, amid allegations  denied by the President-elect  that Russia may hold compromising footage of a sexual nature which could be used to blackmail him.

I understand that they [the Kremlin] would like to meet, and that's absolutely fine with me, he told the newspaper.

Asked if he supported the one China policy on Taiwan that has underpinned US relations with Beijing for decades, Mr Trump told the Journal: Everything is under negotiation including One China.

Mr Trump angered the Chinese by taking a congratulatory phone call after his election win from Taiwan's leader and questioning the one China policy.

The United States has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

The President-elect has said in the past he would label China a currency manipulator after he takes office.

In the interview, he said he wouldn't take that step on his first day in the White House. I would talk to them first, he said.

Certainly they are manipulators, he added. But I'm not looking to do that.

Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 1 /14 Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Getty

But he made plain his displeasure with China's currency practices. Instead of saying, 'We're devaluating our currency,' they say, 'Oh, our currency is dropping.' It's not dropping. They're doing it on purpose, he said, according to the Journal.

Our companies can't compete with them now because our currency is strong and it's killing us, the Journal quoted Mr Trump as saying.

Calls to the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman's office by Reuters were not answered, and the ministry did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment on the Wall Street Journal interview.

Additional reporting from agencies
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trumps national security adviser has been in very frequent contact with Russias ambassador to the US, and the pair spoke on the day Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia for its part in election hacking, according to a senior US official.

Mr Trumps team initially denied that Michael Flynn and Russias ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke on 29 December, but later admitted that one call had been made on that day and another call made the day before.

However, Reuters reports that three different sources familiar with the situation said five calls were made between the pair on the day the sanctions were imposed.

The cosy relationship has raised questions about whether repeated contact with the President-elects team has helped shape Moscows response to the imposition of sanctions.

 Trump's message to Putin

Following the enforcement of the sanctions, in which Washington expelled 35 Russian diplomats, Vladimir Putin did not retaliate, and instead said he would not deport US diplomats in response.

Mr Trump described Mr Putins actions as very smart, putting himself at odds with his own countrys government, its intelligence service and with his own party.

The President-elects stance has prompted outrage in Washington, including among Republicans, after US security officials advised that Russia had been behind a hacking operation aimed at influencing the US election to benefit Mr Trump.

Mr Trump has already indicated he may lift the sanctions once he takes office.

If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions? he asked in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

During an earlier press conference, he emphasised his rapport with the Russian leader.

If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia, Mr Trump said.

Recommended Intelligence committee to probe Trump team over alleged Russia ties

Mr Flynns regular contact with Mr Kislyak suggests Mr Trumps desire to build closer ties with Russia is well underway despite mounting concerns over the nature of the relationship.

The shifting accounts of Mr Flynns contact with Mr Kislyak, have also done little to alleviate the worries of many in Washington.

According to the Associated Press, one of Mr Trumps officials confirmed Mr Flynn and Mr Kislyak had spoken by phone on 29 December, following a text message from the ambassador the day before. During the call, the Russian ambassador invited US officials to a conference on Syria later this month in Kazakhstan.

The official also confirmed a phone call between the men earlier in December.

A separate US official who spoke to the Associated Press on Friday described the contact between the two men as very frequent.

 Boris Johnson 'not worried' about Trump and Putin's relationship

The revelations of close ties with Russia come immediately after the CIA warned that Russia may hold more than one recording of compromising footage of Mr Trump, containing video and audio of a sexual nature, which could be used to blackmail him.

The allegations follow the publication of documents compiled by a former British spy who the CIA described as a credible source.

Ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele, 52, reportedly prepared the documents for Mr Trumps Democratic and Republican opponents during the US presidential primary election.

Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 1 /14 Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Getty

The claims were deemed grave enough for both President Obama and the President-elect to receive security briefings on the documents content.

After the documents were published in full by Buzzfeed, Mr Trump took to Twitter to denounce the allegations as fake news, and asked: Are we living in Nazi Germany?
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Ivanka Trump has revealed she will take time out from her fathers business empire to focus on her three children in their new Washington D.C. home.

The President-elects daughter says she will take a formal leave of absence from her eponymous fashion brand and the Trump Organisation.

It follows Donald Trumps announcement that, in a bid to avoid a conflict of interest once in the White House, he will shift his assets into a blind trust and leave the Trump Organization in his sons hands.

I will no longer be involved with the management or operations of either company, said the 35-year-old in a statement posted on her Facebook page.

The former fashion model said she had appointed former lawyer Abigail Klem.

Ms Klem will apparently manage the strategic and day-to-day operations of the business.

She went on to say that she and husband Jared Kushner will move the family to the capital, where he will be Mr Trumps senior advisor, and she will settle our three young children in to their new home and schools.

Recommended Ivanka Trump and the Obamas are about to become neighbours in DC

Reports have previously said Ms Trump wants to fight for various causes in her spare time, including climate change, and she yesterday said she was thinking about impactful and appropriate ways to serve the country.

Ms Trumps fashion line makes the majority of its clothes in China and Vietnam.

Her announcement also follows the US Office of Government Ethics director branding Mr Trumps business divestiture attempts as wholly inadequate.

Brand licencing expert Michael Stone, who believes Ms Trumps business will be more successful if customers know she is involved, told the Boston Globe: Is it going to fail completely? I doubt it. But will it have the same growth curve?

The Independent has asked Ivankatrump.com whether she has taken the step back to help lessen her father's potential conflict of interests in office.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Rules to ban politicians in the US state of South Dakota from having sexual contact with interns have been voted down by the very people the proposed changes would have applied to.

Senator Stace Nelson proposed the rule change, which was designed to prevent legislators from engaging in appropriate situations with their legislative interns and pages.

He told the Joint Committee on Legislative Procedure that South Dakotas lawmakers have previously become embroiled in scandals involving sexual harassment and sexual contact with interns and high school pages.

At least one legislator faced charges in 2007 for allegedly groping a legislative page, South Dakotas Argus Leader reports.

Legislative pages apply through their schools to gain work experience in the states legislative sessions and are given accommodation while working for a term.

Mr Nelson said: The facts are, this body went through a very public and ugly trial about a decade ago. There's been events in history that indicate these rules should have been put in stone and they havent.

This is a rule we brought forth to address this so that there is no grey area.

However, opponents maintained that such behaviour was already barred.

US sexual assault statistics Show all 8 1 /8 US sexual assault statistics US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq US sexual assault statistics Graphiq

Representative David Lust said: I'm hesitant to pass something when we get into itemising every potential wrongdoing that a legislator could commit, lest this become a criminal code rather than a code of ethics.

The proposal was defeated by nine votes to four.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A teacher who became pregnant after sleeping with one of her 13-year-old pupils, has pled guilty to having a long term relationship with the boy and been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Alexandria Vera, 24, claimed the victims family were excited by the news but she terminated the pregnancy after becoming nervous when child protection officers questioned her at Stovall Middle School in Houston, Texas where she worked.

The relationship between the teacher and student began after they exchanged Instagram usernames and turned sexual nine months later.

Vera told the Harris County District Court that she met his parents at an open house and was introduced as his girlfriend.

The victim would also spend nights at her house and she would drive him back to his home so he could take the bus to school.

State District Judge Michael McSpadden said Vera was not a classic paedophile and was not a danger to other children but needed to make an example of her.

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

We want out educators to teach our students, we want them to keep their hands off the students, he said, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Vera will be eligible for parole in five years and pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A teenager who was abducted at birth has told her alleged kidnapper, who is believed to have raised her for the rest of her life, that she loves her.

The 18-year-old had been living as Alexis Manigo but is now believed to actually be Kamiyah Mobley, who was taken from a hospital in Florida as a baby.

She was reunited with the people who are believed to be her biological family for the first time in 18 years via video chat.

A woman posing as a nurse took the child just hours after she was born, leading to a massive search with helicopters circling Jacksonville University Medical Centre.

Investigators said a DNA test had confirmed the teenager was the child who was kidnapped and police have arrested Gloria Williams in South Carolina about 200 miles from the hospital.

Ms Mobley walked up to Ms Williams during a hearing and told the 51-year-old: I love you Mom.

My mother raised me with everything I needed and most of all everything I wanted, Ms Mobley said on Facebook, according to the New York Post.

The ignorant ones won't understand it. My mother is no felon.

The Jacksonville sheriff said Ms Mobley had an inclination beginning a couple of months ago that she may have been kidnapped, according to CNN.

She's taking it as well as you can imagine, he said. She has a lot to process. She has a lot to think about.

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

Ms Mobleys biological parents and grandmother were extremely excited and overwhelmed according to the sheriff.

Shanara Mobley, Kamiyahs apparent biological mother, told the Florida Times-Union that on every one of Kamiyahs birthdays she wrapped a piece of cake in foil and put it in her freezer.

Its stressful to wake up every day, knowing that your child is out there and you have no way to reach her or talk to her, she said.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A porn producer has addressed allegations of abuse made against him by adult video veteran Nikki Benz for the first time.

The Ukrainian Canadian actress claimed last month that during a "horrific" shoot she was stomped on and Tony T was choked her and failed to stop the filming after she shouted "cut"

She later tweeted: "I guess rape scenes are in now huh?"

But addressing the allegations for the first time, Tony T said: "None of the stuff she ever claimed happened. There's no 'stomping' and that the one time she said stop, we stopped right away."

Recommended Porn producer fired after Nikki Benz claims she was assaulted on set

:"When you accuse someone of raping  you better come correct," he told the Vocativ website.

The director said he would sue Ms Benz and Brazzers, the company she is employed by, and that he would stage a screening of the footage to prove his detractors wrong.

In responde Ms Benz told the wesbite: "We all know footage can be edited, deleted, and tampered with."

Brazzers ended its relationship with Tony T after the allegations surfaced.

They said the company "considers performers consent, boundaries and limits and safety to be fundamental and paramount issues and unequivocally stands for the respect of the performers."
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A surfer is lucky to be alive after spending 16 hours adrift in the ocean clinging to his surfboard, before he was almost miraculously spotted by a passing ship.

The Japanese man, who has not been named, told police he was enjoying the surf on Bulli Beach, on the east coast of Australia, when a current pulled him out to sea.

The 37-year-old was dragged nearly four miles offshore, and became exhausted trying to paddle back.

Recommended Oregon surfer bitten in rare shark attack

Inspector Darren Wood, of New South Wales Police, said: "He was attempting to paddle back in for six hours before he ran out of energy and drifted at sea.

"It went dark and, being by himself, no-one knew he was out there."

The tourist spent the night in the water, but did not develop hypothermia as temperatures only dropped to roughly 21 degrees Celsius.

In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-1.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-12.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-11.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-2.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-3.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-4.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-6.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-7.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-8.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-5.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-13.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-9.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-14.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-10.jpg EPA In pictures: Dog surfing championships in California dog-surfing-15.jpg EPA

By chance sailors from the 300m shipping container, the MSC Damla, spotted the man clinging to his yellow surfboard the following morning.

They threw a lifebuoy out to hoist him aboard and gave him food, water and warm clothing.

A boat was sent to bring the surfer back to shore, and after being checked over by doctors at a nearby hospital he was declared to be in good health.

But surfer safety group Surf Life Saving NSW highlighted the dangers of taking to the water without telling anyone.

 Air New Zealand safety surfing video denounced by authorities

A spokesman told ABC: "This incident is a reminder of the need to let people know your plans before setting out, as well as the importance of knowing local conditions.

Police confirmed no search party had been launched for the man as he was not reported missing.

Inspector Wood said: "He appears to be travelling by himself, and that was why no-one was alerted to the fact that he was stuck in this rip and that he was out there.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The EU may look to negotiate a special relationship with the City of London as part of the Brexit process to avoid "financial instability", according to reports.

Unpublished minutes detailing a closed-door meeting between MEPs and Michel Barnier, the French politician charged with negotiating Brexit from the European side, indicate the EU may be hesitant to cut off access to Europes biggest financial centre.

Negotiators are fearful of destabilising the delicate economic environment which exists in many EU countries and creating monetary difficulties.

The remarks are the first indicators of a less hard line European stance towards Britain for voting to leave the bloc.

 Theresa May avoids directly answering four questions in a row on Brexit

According to the minutes, published in the Guardian, Mr Barnier referenced the City of London and said: Some very specific work has to be done in this area. There will be a special/specific relationship. There will need to be work outside of the negotiation box  in order to avoid financial instability.

However, a European commission spokesman told the newspaper the minutes did not correctly reflect what Mr Barnier said.

Some European leaders had previously indicated they wanted to take advantage of Brexit and entice financial businesses from London to the continent.

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 City of London relies on a system called passporting to work across the European Economic Area but the UK is set to lose this once it exits the EU.

This will make it more difficult for companies based in London to do business in Europe, making the UKs financial sector potentially vulnerable.

But a special agreement with the City would ease anxieties over this issue.

It would also indicate the EU does not want to punish the UK over Brexit, as some have predicted, for putting the bloc in jeopardy.

Instead, Mr Barnier struck a more conciliatory tone in the minutes, saying there would be no aggressiveness, no revenge, no punishment in the unique and extraordinary negotiation of Britains withdrawal.

However, he maintained outcome would still have to show that remaining in the EU was the best option for members.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Two alleged supporters of a neo-Nazi terrorist group have been arrested after 155kg of explosives were discovered in Germany.

One suspect had built a homemade bomb emblazoned with a swastika and symbol of the Nazi SS, prosecutors announced on Saturday.

The men, aged 18 and 24, were arrested after the explosives were discovered inside a house in Lauterecken, causing more than 80 local residents to be evacuated from the surrounding area so the material could be safely removed.

Numerous weapons and items with banned Nazi symbols were found in the raids related to a separate neo-Nazi plot in Bamberg (EPA)

The pair denied planning a terror attack when they were arrested in December, SWR television reported, claiming to be amateur pyrotechnics preparing for a New Years Eve firework display.

The two men, of German origin, are being held on suspicion of violating explosives laws and preparing a serious act of state-threatening violence.

Prosecutors are examining a possible link to the Oldschool Society (OSS), an extremist organisation known to have planned attacks on refugee centres and mosques since it emerged in 2014.

A spokesperson said the teenage suspect told investigators he had attended an OSS meeting in Rhineland-Palatinate state over the summer, the DPA news agency reported.

Four members of the group are already on trial in Munich for allegedly planning an attack on asylum seekers.

Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images

Federal prosecutors charged the three men and a woman with establishing a terror organisation and preparing attacks using explosives in January 2015.

Officials said members had planned to bomb refugee accommodation in the German town of Borna, and travelled to the Czech Republic to buy pyrotechnics which they planned to make into bombs packed with nails and fuel.

The interior ministry has classified the OSS as a dangerous organisation but it was also dubbed the stupidest terror group in Germany by media reporting that members discussed plots openly on Facebook.

A rise in extremism has been documented in Germany since the start of the refugee crisis and a series of terror attacks, with far-right groups including Pegida staging protests against immigration and the Islamification of Europe.

Numerous attacks on refugee centres have been documented as part of a rise in political violence by both the right and left wing.

German security services also remain on alert for possible Isis-inspired terror attacks following the massacre at a Berlin Christmas market and two previous attacks over the summer.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

More than 500 migrants have been rescued in a single day in the Mediterranean Sea as the refugee crisis shows little sign of slowing.

Two people were found dead at the bottom of one of the four boats saved and four other migrants were found drowned off the coast of Spain, bringing the number of asylum seekers killed attempting sea journeys to Europe so far this year to at least 17.

The Italian coastguard said more than 550 asylum seekers were rescued on Friday by two of its vessels, a navy ship, a fishing boat, merchant ship and humanitarian vessel.

Women being rescued by the Aquarius humanitarian ship from a refugee boat in the Mediterranean Sea on 13 January (AP)

Footage captured by a coastguards helmet camera showed men and women clambering from a dinghy onto a speedboat, with several falling into the water.

The man jumped into the sea to save several struggling migrants as they clung onto the side of the boat to stay afloat, dragging them to safety.

SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Aquarius rescue ship alongside Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said it recovered two dead bodies from the bottom of an overcrowded inflatable boat.

Aid workers believe they were crushed beneath the 191 other people crammed on board the vessel, launched by smugglers in Libya.

Survivors told MSF panic had broken out as they departed from Libya after shooting started off the coastline. It was unclear who may have opened fire or why.

One of those rescued later had to be evacuated from the ship by helicopter because of a medical emergency as it sailed back to the Italian mainland on Saturday.

Ed Taylor, MSFs project coordinator on the Aquarius, said the crisis that saw more than 360,000 refugees arrive by sea in Europe last year was not stopping.

In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A baby being taken on to MSF's Bourbon Argos ship from a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A refugee boat carrying 101 people being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A refugee boat carrying 101 people being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos all images by Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A baby among refugees on a boat carrying 185 people off the coast of Libya Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea Migrants and refugees sleeping after being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos ship Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A crew from MSF's Bourbon Argos ship rescuing a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees off the coast of Libya, at sunrise Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A woman in a stretcher being lifted onto MSF's Bourbon Argos ship from a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees off the coast of Libya Lizzie Dearden

He said the sea conditions were making crossings ever more treacherous in the winter, with wind, waves and large swells combining with temperatures cold enough to induce hypothermia.

People are still making the crossings and we should be focusing on why they are taking this risk in the winter, Mr Taylor told The Independent.

No one gets in these boats without taking serious consideration of the risk theyre taking.

Its not just the danger of the boats being so insecure and flimsy, its now the waves and the cold as well.

Several refugees have died of hypothermia at sea, while at least four more have died on the European mainland in extreme weather conditions in recent weeks.

The bodies of four migrants were found on the Spanish coast on Saturday after apparently attempting to cross from Morocco.

Migrants being rescued rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO in the Mediterranean Sea on 12 January (AP)

Spanish police said two bodies were found in the sea off Algeciras and two others were floating in nearby Tarifa.

More than 5,000 refugees were drowned, suffocated or crushed while attempting to cross the Mediterranean and Aegean seas in 2016, making it the deadliest year on record.

Recommended The stories of the refugees rescued from the Mediterranean

Many deaths are thought to go unrecorded, with bodies either disappearing or washing up on the shores of Libya, where authorities do not routinely release casualty figures. Some boats are sighted by Italian authorities but disappear before they can be reached by rescue ships.

The Unravelling the Mediterranean Migration Crisis (Medmig) project partly blamed Britain and EU nations for rocketing death rates, concluding that the refusal to open up legal routes for those seeking safety in Europe has increased demand for people smuggling on ever more dangerous routes.

Operations to combat the thriving trade have driven the use of smaller and less seaworthy boats to cross the Mediterranean, which are harder to spot by ships patrolling as part of the EUs Operation Sophia and authorities in north Africa.

Poorly made dinghies are now being loaded with more than 150 people a time, creating the risk of sinkings, capsizings or the inflatable bursting under the strain, as well as deadly fuel spills.

Since the EU-Turkey deal was implemented in March to deter crossings over the Aegean Sea, the longer and more dangerous journey over the central Mediterranean has become the dominant sea route to Europe.

MSF staff on the Aquarius handle the body of a migrant who died on a boat crossing the Mediterranean Sea on 13 January (AP)

The vast majority of those arriving in Italy are African, from countries including Nigeria, Eritrea and Guinea, while most of the much lower number of asylum seekers reaching Greek islands are Syrian, Afghan or Iraqi.

The United Nations says there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of children and teenagers risking the journey alone.

Almost 26,000 unaccompanied minors arrived in Italy by sea last year, more than double the number in 2015, mainly from Eritrea, Egypt, the Gambia and Nigeria.

While most of the children were boys aged 15 to 17 years, Unicef said younger children and girls have also been among the new arrivals.

Several girls reported being forced into prostitution in Libya as a means to pay off the cost their boat journey, while many of the boys arriving had been forced into manual labour.

Lucio Melandri, Unicefs senior emergency manager, said the findings indicated a serious and growing problem that Europe is failing to address.

These figures indicate an alarming trend of an increasing number of highly vulnerable children risking their lives to get to Europe, he added.

Current systems in place are failing to protect these children who find themselves alone in a totally unfamiliar environment. Because they are on the move, a coordinated European response is needed to keep them safe.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

More than 100 refugees have drowned after a boat sank in rough conditions in the Mediterranean Sea as the crisis shows no sign of slowing.

The Italian Navy was searching for survivors from the vessel, which was believed to be carrying up to 110 people.

Only four survivors were pulled from the water, with at least eight bodies found so far.

Recommended More than 500 refugees rescued in single day as crisis continues

Flavio Di Giacomo, from the International Organisation for Migration, told The Independent around 106 people were thought to have died and described the conditions at sea as "extremely bad".

The boat went down in waters between Libya and Italy, which has become the deadliest sea crossing in the world since the start of the refugee crisis.

It claimed the vast majority of more than 5,000 lives lost in treacherous boat journeys to Europe in 2016, the deadliest year on record, with people drowning or being crushed or suffocated in overcrowded smugglers' boats.

Saturday's disaster was the worst single incident so far this year, which has already seen at least 122 deaths at sea.

In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A baby being taken on to MSF's Bourbon Argos ship from a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A refugee boat carrying 101 people being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A refugee boat carrying 101 people being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos all images by Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A baby among refugees on a boat carrying 185 people off the coast of Libya Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea Migrants and refugees sleeping after being rescued by MSF's Bourbon Argos ship Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A crew from MSF's Bourbon Argos ship rescuing a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees off the coast of Libya, at sunrise Lizzie Dearden In pictures: A day of refugee rescues in the Mediterranean Sea A woman in a stretcher being lifted onto MSF's Bourbon Argos ship from a boat carrying 130 migrants and refugees off the coast of Libya Lizzie Dearden

Rescue workers warn that the crisis is showing no sign of slowing in the Central Mediterranean, which has become the main route since the EU-Turkey deal was implemented in March to reduce comparatively shorter and safer crossings over the Aegean Sea.

At least 550 refugees were rescued on Friday alone off the coast of Libya, where continuing conflict and lawlessness since the British-backed defeat of Muammar Gaddafi has allowed the smuggling and exploitation of migrants to thrive.

Two people were found dead at the bottom of one of the four boats saved and the bodies of four other migrants were found off the coast of Spain. Several asylum seekers have also died in the extreme weather conditions gripping much of Europe in recent weeks.

More than 5,000 refugees were drowned, suffocated or crushed while attempting to cross the Mediterranean and Aegean seas in 2016, making it the deadliest year on record.

Many deaths are thought to go unrecorded, with bodies either disappearing or washing up on the shores of Libya, where authorities do not routinely release casualty figures. Some boats are sighted by Italian authorities but disappear before they can be reached by rescue ships.

MSF staff on the Aquarius handle the body of a migrant who died on a boat crossing the Mediterranean Sea on 13 January (AP)

The Unravelling the Mediterranean Migration Crisis (Medmig) project partly blamed Britain and EU nations for rocketing death rates, concluding that the refusal to open up legal routes for those seeking safety in Europe has increased demand for people smuggling on ever more dangerous routes.

Operations to combat the thriving trade have driven the use of smaller and less seaworthy boats to cross the Mediterranean, which are harder to spot by ships patrolling as part of the EUs Operation Sophia and authorities in north Africa.

Poorly made dinghies are now being loaded with more than 150 people a time, creating the risk of sinkings, capsizings or the inflatable bursting under the strain, as well as deadly fuel spills.

More than 1,600 migrants and refugees have arrived by sea in Europe so far this year. The vast majority of those arriving in Italy are African, from countries including Nigeria, Eritrea and Guinea, while most of the much lower number of asylum seekers reaching Greek islands are Syrian, Afghan or Iraqi.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A Russian yoga teacher has been arrested for "illegal missionary activity" under controversial new laws designed to combat terrorism.

Dmitry Ugay is said to have fallen foul of the countrys anti-terror measures, dubbed a Big Brother' law by Edward Snowden, while giving a talk about the philosophy of yoga at a St Petersburg festival.

The computer programmer was arrested and charged with allegedly conducting illegal missionary activity, which is an offence under the so-called Yarovaya laws brought in last year.

Named after its author MP Irinia Yarovaya, the new legislation, signed off by President Vladimir Putin, includes restrictions on missionary activity, religious groups, and followers of what the government deems non-traditional religions.

Mr Ugays arrest comes after he was accused by fellow festival-goer, Nail Nasibulin, of recruiting young people to join his pseudo-Hindu organisation".

The 44-year-old claims he was bundled into a police car and ordered to sign a blank piece of paper, which he refused to do.

 Meet Tao Porchon-Lynch, the 98-year-old yoga instructor

Two months after his arrest and subsequent release, he now faces a fine at a court hearing next week in St Petersburg, state news agency Rapsi reported.

But Mr Ugay, who admits following Hinduism, strenuously denied the other claims, telling the Meduza news agency: I did not name a single religious organisation in my speech, nor did I use a single religious book, and did not name a single religious figure apart from Christ and Buddha.

13 Nude Yoga poses Show all 13 1 /13 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses 13 Nude Yoga poses

The arrest has been met with concern in Russia, with critics calling the wording of the Yarovaya law open to interpretation.

Alexander Verkhovsky, head of the Moscow-based Sova Centre which monitors the exploitation of anti-terror measures, said: Its entirely unsurprising that police officers on the ground cannot work it out.

Because the law exists, it is going to be implemented somehow. It cannot be implemented well because of the stupidity of the phrasing.

He said in Mr Ugays case it was unclear what religious group he was allegedly persuading people to follow.

Mr Verkhovsky added: What was he calling people to join? Yoga is in no way a religious group.

A Hare Krishna follower has also been charged with illegal missionary activity for handing out literature, and faces a 50,000 rouble (68) fine.

And the Salvation Army was also fined and had 36 copies of the bible confiscated after they were not properly labelled as religious material.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Up to 30 civilians have allegedly been killed in an air strike targeting an Isis commander in Mosul as Iraqi forces continue their advance into their city.

The US-led coalition is investigating whether its planes were responsible for the reported massacre in the al-Jadida district, which came as the UN warned that almost 50 per cent of all casualties in the military operation are believed to be civilians.

Witnesses said they saw at least three missiles hit the house of a senior Isis militant called Harbi Abdel Qader on Thursday.

 Islamic State video purports to show fighting in Mosul

He was not inside the building at the time but several members of his family were among around 30 people who died, one resident told Reuters.

The Iraq Body Count group said at least 25 people were killed in the incident.

A spokesperson for US Central Command, which coordinates coalition air strikes, told The Independent it had bombed targets in the area on the day as part of numerous strikes targeting Isis fighters and infrastructure.

The Coalition and Iraqi Air Force routinely conduct strikes throughout Western Mosul targeting Isis fighters and other military targets, he added.

Due to the relative proximity of the Coalition strikes to the vague location of alleged of civilian casualties Combined Joint Task Force  Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) will further assess this allegation.

The spokesperson said all reports of civilian casualties are assessed and forces work diligently to be precise with targeting in accordance with international law.

The official total for civilians confirmed killed in US-led coalition air strikes stands at 188, although monitors say the real figure is far higher and a number of investigations are underway.

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 UN has warned the Iraqi government and its foreign supporters of the risks posed to families trapped inside Isis-held parts of Mosul.

Iraqi troops, Kurdish forces and Shia militias have advanced through much of eastern Mosul, regaining control of key local government buildings and the citys university on Friday, but areas to the west of the river Tigris remains under Isis control.

Around 1.5 million civilians were living in the city when the operation to retake it began in October, according to UN figures, and 400,000 have now been freed.

But Isis is known to be forcibly displacing families as it retreats to use them as human shields, with an estimated 750,000 people remaining in the more densely populated western part.

Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, cautioned that civilian deaths and the lack of a proper humanitarian response will fuel Isis, which bases its narrative on a perceived war between Muslims and the West.

You would expect in a conflict like this that the number of civilian casualties would be around 15 per cent, a high of 20 per cent, she said.

What were seeing in Mosul is that nearly 50 per cent of all casualties are in fact civilians.

Its clear that this is because of direct targeting by combatants. Theyre being targeted by Isil. Theyre being shot as they try and leave the city and theyre being shot as they try and secure food and other resources.

Iraqi children flash the sign for victory in the Al-Natsar neighbourhood in the eastern part of the embattled Iraqi city of Mosul (Getty)

A plan by the Iraqi security forces is seeking to limit civilian casualties by banning artillery strikes, urging civilians to remain in their homes and providing humanitarian corridors.

But as the army and its allies close in on Mosul, humanitarian groups are concerned over the looming possibility of a siege and its dire consequences.

As soon as Daesh [Isis] is defeated, there are a lot of people who need to get back home, to get back to their lives, Ms Grande said. If they dont, the conditions which led to the rise of Isis will continue to be there.

The American military hailed the success of Iraqi forces raising their flag over the Nineveh Governorate buildings retaking part of the Mosul University campus and a strategic third bridge on Friday.

Thick clouds of black smoke rose from the middle of the sprawling university complex as clashes continued on Saturday, with volleys of sniper and mortar fire targeting the advancing Iraqi forces from classrooms, dormitories and behind trees.

Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said: Work still needs to be done but Isis days in Mosul are quickly coming to an end.

That assessment is not shared by the vast majority of security analysts, who foresee a gruelling battle lasting for months at least as Isis digs into the city under the cover of the civilians it will prevent leaving.

Iraqi rapid response forces ride on an armoured vehicle during a battle with Isis militants east of Mosul, Iraq, 14 January 2017 (Reuters)

The group has honed its guerrilla warfare techniques even while losing previous strongholds including Fallujah in Iraq and Jarabulus in Syria, rigging deserted buildings and roads with explosives as they withdraw and sending suicide bombers into enemy lines.

Residents told how jihadis forced them out of their homes to use them as sniper positions, knocking through walls so they could move to safety between buildings after being spotted by Iraqi forces.

Then there is bombardment to destroy the house, to destroy the sniper position, one man told Reuters. But the sniper will pop up again here or there.

Isis fighters overran Mosul in the summer of 2014, with leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi using the citys Grand Mosque to declare his caliphate after a rapid advance across Iraq and Syria.

Access to the city's central bank, a large taxable civilian population and nearby oilfields quickly made Isis the world's wealthiest terrorist group.

Mosul is now the last city Isis controls in Iraq, while in Syria it continues to battle against government forces, Kurds and opposing rebels on several fronts.

In Deir Ezzor, jihadis launched their biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested city in an attempt to maintain a grip on the eastern stretch of Raqqa province, where its de facto capital lies.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Failing private care homes will be taken into public ownership under a Labour government, Jeremy Corbyn is expected to promise.

In a speech to the Fabian Society in central London on Saturday morning, the Labour leader will say that 380 care home businesses have been declared insolvent since 2010  and that the social care system is at serious risk of breakdown unless more money is invested.

Thats because the amount councils pay towards fees for residents is falling while costs are increasing, he will add.

So we warn Theresa May today; if you dont put the money into social care now, the system is at serious risk of breakdown.

Last year, the Care Quality Commission found that one in five nursing homes did not have enough staff on duty to ensure people received good, safe care. Its an outrage.

So a Labour Government would give social care the funding it needs and give a firm commitment to take failed private care homes into public ownership to maintain social care protection. Its the least we can do to guarantee dignity for people whove given so much to our country.

On the health service, Mr Corbyn will say that while the rich have benefited from tax break after tax break under Ms Mays administration, they couldnt find a penny for the NHS or social care in the Autumn Statement last year.

He will add: The thousands waiting more than four hours at A&E and the million elderly people not getting the social care they need, and the young people with mental health problems who dont get the help and care they need.

We will provide a long-term funding solution to our most precious national treasure, our NHS.

I dont keep talking about the NHS because its in Labours comfort zone. I talk about the National Health Service because its in a danger zone.

On Friday the Labour leader was forced to dismiss the suggestion that he had lost control of the party after a second MP resigned in a matter of weeks. Tristram Hunt, the former Shadow Education Secretary, quit the party to take up the role of director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

William Hague, the former Tory leader and Foreign Secretary, wants EU citizens to be automatically given work permits if they come to work in Britain or already live and work here after Brexit. It is not clear how this differs from the Worker Registration Scheme set up when I was Minister of Europe in 2004, when the decision was taken to let EU workers come to the UK.

Then, the UK already had hundreds of thousands of Polish residents and other Eastern Europeans who took advantage of visa free travel to come to Britain and work illegally. The EU Worker Registration scheme combined with the requirement to have National Insurance cards meant enhanced internal control.

Lord Hague appears to be saying that all EU workers who find a job can automatically be given a work permit. That is no different from the Worker Registration Scheme and is a form of internal rather than external control on worker movement such as quotas, requiring a job offer in writing before coming to the UK, or seasonal worker systems.

This move from external to internal controls on free movement, proposed by Lord Hague, should be welcomed as they do not, on the face of it, contradict EU treaty law and rules. They are also in line with what the Swiss have recently decided after their own referendum in February 2014, which voted to ban EU immigration.

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

At the annual New Year gathering of British and Swiss parliamentarians, Christa Markwalder, a Swiss Liberal MP and the youngest ever chair of the Swiss parliament, explained to Tory MPs how the Swiss handled their February 2014 referendum mandating an end to EU immigration.

Like you we also had an important referendum three years ago about taking back control of immigration to Switzerland. A tight majority of the voters accepted it, she told them.

As the dust settled and excitement died away we began to see that the emotion of saying managing immigration ourselves may answer a question on a ballot paper. But it does not answer the question of what should be done.

It should be clear that we cannot shut borders and hope to survive, let alone prosper. So in the three years since the referendum of February 2014 we parliamentarians and the economic actors of Switzerland had to decide whether emotion against foreigners should have greater weight than the economic interests of our country.

We had many talks with the EU and the message was firm and clear. Brussels respected the Swiss referendum but could not change the rules and treaty obligations that the 28 EU member states had agreed to live under.

And so in the end we produced a compromise based on strengthening internal controls of our labour market instead of preventing European citizens getting access to jobs in Switzerland.

This proposal has won support of the Swiss Peoples Party, which has always taken a hard line on Switzerland getting too close to the EU.

These internal controls are based on a requirement for firms to advertise jobs locally so that any Swiss citizen can apply and be interviewed. If the Swiss candidate is not qualified or suitable then the Swiss firm may turn to an EU worker. This compromise based on internal rather than external controls has been accepted by Brussels.

Now Austrias social democratic chancellor Christian Kern has made a similar suggestion as Austria and Switzerland copycat each other; and Vienna politicians often follow Swiss initiatives.

 Labour does not rule out backing freedom of movement after Brexit, says Corbyn

Next year Austria goes to the polls and the strong showing for the far right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) in the presidential election in December means the Social Democrats need to regain working class votes.

But the Austrian idea is not based on external controls. EU freedom of movement does not apply to state employment and local labour markets can demand qualifications or ID checks on social security contributions within EU rules. William Hagues proposal needs spelling out but the automatic granting of a work permit is just an updating of the 2004 Worker Registration Scheme. It is different from the calls by some Labour MPs for external controls, like having a job offer in writing before getting on Ryanair flight to come to the UK or quotas for different regions.

Like the Swiss plan this avoids directly confronting the EU by imposing Cold War era external controls on workers from Europe who want to add to the British economy.

Denis MacShane is the former Minister of Europe who worked for 15 years in Switzerland before becoming an MP. He is a Senior Advisor at Avisa Partners and is the author of 'Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe'
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Next week we will learn the Brexit plan. Or rather we will get a feel for the balance of objectives that the UK has in seeking its divorce, for a) we would be very stupid ahead of tricky negotiations to reveal our red lines, and b) the other party will have ideas too about the split. Who gets the house? Who takes care of the children? How messy will the whole break-up be? But the Prime Minister will have to sketch what she thinks the best relationship might be  not so much what we want or unpleasant we think the tussle will be, but rather how might there be a more harmonious relationship in the future than there has been in the past.

So the thing to look for will be the extent to which the UK thinks the whole business could end up as a plus for both sides. In short, this is not a zero-sum game, or a negative for both, but rather a positive outcome for the continent of Europe as a whole.

If that seems Panglossian, consider this. A successful UK economy is good for Europe, and in the past few weeks there has been a shift in mood about the future of the UK post-Brexit. The key driver behind this has been the insouciant way consumers have shrugged off the supposed threat to their living standards. Now, this may be temporary: Armageddon may simply be postponed. But there has been a growing awareness, evident in share markets, that growth this year may be barely dented by political upheaval. There are several elements to this.

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

One, articulated by Mark Carney, is the Bank of England view that a hard Brexit would be more damaging to Europe than it would be to the UK. Now that is a negative sum game point, and Im sure he is right that disruption in financial services is unequivocally a negative for everyone. But there is a growing feeling in the City that the worst-case scenario  that UK financial services deal with Europe on the same basis as they do with everywhere else  would not be too bad. As for Europe, the chief negotiator Michel Barnier is understood to have warned of financial instability in the Eurozone if the UK did not get a special deal maintaining European access to UK financial services.

A second comes from the universities, a section of society generally anti-Brexit. Here there have been two shifts. One is the realisation that non-EU students pay more than EU ones, and so financially higher education may actually benefit from Brexit if fewer EU students come. That is, of course, provided open access to universities is maintained. That is the big worry. The other point is that European research funding may have skewed collaboration away from the best US, Canadian, Australian and East Asian universities, and towards lower-ranked European ones. (On the QS ranking the top non-UK EU university comes in at 33.)

A third is the awareness that the failure to reach agreement with Europe, which is a real possibility, while not ideal would be acceptable in the short-term and positive in the long. Out of the top five export markets, three are outside the EU  they go the US, Germany, Switzerland, China and France in that order.

 Theresa May avoids directly answering four questions in a row on Brexit

This has shifted the debate. The UK position is still unclear, even muddled as critics of Brexit assert. There is almost certainly a difference of emphasis between Philip Hammond and Theresa May, quite aside from the different objectives of the three Brexit ministers. But you can see the outlines of a deal that would work for all. The question is whether that deal can be struck.

So this week the question is whether Theresa May will go beyond outlining the UK position and start to sketch a wider vision for the UK as a harmonious partner of the EU. The phrase Continental Partnership was coined in a paper last summer by the Bruegel Institute, an influential Brussels think tank, to describe a Europe of an inner core and an outer ring, with the UK the initial member of the second group. I heard a former European Prime Minister talking privately about just such an idea at a meeting in Europe just before Christmas.

Legally there will be a divorce. There is no question about that. But it could be of a living apart together nature. We would still function as a couple, just a couple that needed rather a lot of space between us.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Europes refugee crisis may have been forgotten as winter has closed in, but it has not ended. People are still dying as they try to cross the Mediterranean, and those in France trying to reach Britain are still suffering.

Although the cold has made it harder and even more dangerous to attempt the crossing from north Africa, the numbers attempting it appear not to have fallen greatly.

More than 100 refugees drowned when a boat sank, as we report today. On Friday 550 refugees were rescued by the Italian coastguard, when two died in the crush on the boats and four more were drowned.

This should suggest that those attempting the crossing are mostly not economic migrants, but desperate people fleeing conflict or persecution. Most of them know the risks and yet are still prepared to run them.

The Prime Minister is right, therefore, to continue the policy of her predecessor in emphasising the importance of dealing with the problem at source. The problem is that the British and other European governments have been impotent in resolving the conflict in Syria, and so the British governments policy has been heavily weighted towards providing help to refugees in camps in neighbouring countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.

 Video shows poor standard of living for refugees in France

This is undoubtedly worthwhile, but it is impossible to escape the suspicion that it is partly an attempt to distract attention from Britains absence of compassion towards refugees once they have made it to Europe. Theresa May has continued to insist, as Mr Cameron did, that it is better to help refugees in their own region. Slow progress has been made towards fulfilling the previous Prime Ministers promise of settling 20,000 Syrian refugees in Britain by 2020. So far only about 3,000 have been resettled.

Meanwhile other European countries have accepted their responsibilities. The Italian authorities do most of the work of preventing more people from drowning in the Mediterranean, and Germany has taken more than its fair share of the refugees who have survived.

Not only are people dying in large numbers in unsafe boats in the unusually cold Mediterranean, but refugees trying to reach Britain are suffering in France. The Calais camp may have been broken up, but many people are still trying to get here, many of them hoping to reach friends and family here, some of them children. They are in accommodation centres elsewhere in France, or sleeping rough. Our joint responsibility for them, shared with the French government, has not ended with the clearance of the so-called Jungle at Calais.

One of the largely unspoken motives behind the British vote to leave the European Union may have been an attempt to insulate this country from the pressures of the refugee crisis affecting most of Europe. The Independent did not share this view. Not only is the UK relatively insulated anyway, by geography and by national control of asylum policy, but we ought to assume more of the responsibility for dealing with the crisis, because ultimately our interests cannot be separated from those of our continental partners.

Even when Britain has left the EU, we will be a member of the European family of nations, and we ought to assume our share of the responsibilities that go with that.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The opposition Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces to Israels colonial designs on the occupied Palestinian territory looms large on the world stage in the upcoming Paris peace conference on 15 January. The conference reportedly seeks to adopt parameters for a resolution of the conflict that may then be enshrined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 January in a last-ditch attempt to save a two-state solution.

From a Palestinian perspective, any such parameters are likely to weaken UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2334, adopted on 23 December 2016, and thus the modest legacy of the Obama administration  especially if they are based on US Secretary of State John Kerrys six principles to resolve the conflict.

Kerrys principles are full of internal contradictions. For example, saying that Israel must be a Jewish state in which the 1.7 million Palestinian citizens of Israel must be able to live as equal citizens is not grounded in reality: there are already over 50 laws that discriminate against them, and Kerrys principles do nothing to address these.

 John Kerry lays into Netanyahu for Israeli settlement-building

Both the Kerry principles and the UN resolution's attempt to balance between the illegality of Israels settlements on the one hand, and incitement to violence, on the other. However, only UNSCR 2334 is grounded in international law.

This is why Kerrys  and the Obama administrations  true legacy on Palestine is its abstention on UNSCR 2334. By standing aside and letting it pass, with its clear denunciation of Israels military occupation and the illegality of its settlements, including in East Jerusalem, the Obama Administration reaffirmed the application of international law to the conflict.

UNSCR 2334 is significant for the Palestinian people, even though it also has its critics on the Palestinian side and is in any case unlikely to be implemented in the foreseeable future. Moreover, it has broader implications for global peace and security that go well beyond the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

For Palestinians, it is important because it holds the line  the so-called Green Line that demarcated what became Israel in 1948 from the Palestinian land it conquered in 1967. The Israeli government has been trying hard to erase that line and to win international legitimacy for its illegally implanted settlements and settlers.

For example, its UN ambassador Danny Danon wants to annex the West Bank and Education Minister Naftali Bennett wants to start by annexing the massive  and illegal under international law  settlement of Maale Adumim as a first step to annexing Area C, which accounts for some 60 per cent of occupied West Bank land. With the election of Donald Trump as the next US president, Israel appears unstoppable.

Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Show all 15 1 /15 Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden watch Barack Obama's farewell speech on 11 January. Obama called Biden his 'brother' Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years US President Barack Obama speaks alongside US Vice President Joe Biden about the Affordable Care Act AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Obama listens to Joe Biden speak of his work on defeating cancer on 18 October in the White House Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama is applauded by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden while delivering his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. Vice President Joe Biden interjects as President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a reception for the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics at the White House in Washington REUTERS Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Obama and Vice President Joe Biden react after a heckler was removed for their extended interruption (Reuters) Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) as Vice President Joe Biden looks on Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack and Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden observing a moment of silence outside the White House to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack Obama and Joe Biden putt on the White House putting green Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama and Joe Biden in April 2013 AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years January 1, 2013: U.S. President Barack Obama winks as he arrives with Vice President Joe Biden (L) in the briefing room Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and others receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011 in Washington, DC Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice-President Joe Biden, right, confirmed that the US was looking at ways of taking legal action against Julian Assange - back in December 2010 GETTY IMAGES Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden, left, and retired military officers watch President Barack Obama sign orders to close down the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2009 GETTY IMAGES

However, UNSCR 2334 has put a spoke in this fast-moving wheel. Trump may move the US Embassy to Jerusalem but other countries that might have followed suit have now been given pause.

The resolution went further than any previous text in calling on all States to distinguish in their dealings between Israeli territory and the territories it occupied in 1967. European and other governments are encouraged to reinforce decisions they have already made on labelling imports from Israeli settlements and go further in differentiating their dealings with Israel.

UNSCR 2334 also strengthens civil society organisations efforts to push for banning settlement products altogether as part of their work to hold Israel accountable for human rights violations through boycotts, divestment, and sanctions. Perhaps most importantly, the resolution provides the International Criminal Court with a reaffirmed international position as it considers the status of settlements as war crimes.

It is here that UNSCR 2334 is bigger than the question of Palestine. In order to legalise its settlements, Israel would have to overturn much of the legal order painstakingly put in place to prevent the recurrence of the world wars of the 20th century. For Europe, this is especially vital.

As a European diplomat put it during a 2014 off-the-record meeting organised by The Elders, a group of global leaders working for peace and human rights founded by Nelson Mandela, We need to make Israel feel that settlements are not acceptable to us not only because it violates your rights but because it violates our efforts to build an international system that is respected.

It is the sanctity of that international system which is at stake. International law is far from perfect, but it is all there is. Just ask Ukraine. Prime Minister Netanyahu cancelled the Ukrainian prime ministers planned visit to protest the countrys vote for UNSCR 2334. In response, Ukraine pointed out that it had itself fallen victim to a violation of international law and has consistently called for international law to be observed everywhere.

Yes, there is hypocrisy: the states that immediately slapped sanctions against Russia for its occupation of Ukrainian territory two years ago have yet to do so over Israels occupation of Palestinian territory 50 years ago.

And yet, UNSCR 2334 shows the world is not ready to give up on international law for the sake of Israels settlements. This, for Palestinians, is a powerful, non-violent tool against Israels military power that can provide much-needed protection during the Trump years. And Kerry's speech, however late and problematic, has helped to lay bare the harsh, apartheid reality Israel has created and that needs to be dismantled if there is ever to be peace.

Nadia Hijab is Executive Director of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Your review of the TV documentary Hospital mentioned that 7,000 NHS beds have been lost in England over the last six years, but the actual total is much larger. Official NHS data show that available general and acute medicine beds have reduced by 9,000, while those for mental health and learning disability have declined by 6,000, giving an overall loss of 15,000 beds. So far, so bad.

But this is not the most alarming part of the story. One in 16 beds have been lost in general and acute medicine  but one in five beds in mental health. Given that mental health services had already, in the move to community-based care, lost the majority of their beds, this subsequent reduction seems particularly disproportionate.

As a result, the remaining mental health beds have been continually over-occupied. The accepted level of bed occupancy for efficient use is 85 per cent  for mental health, this has continued to increase from 87 per cent in 2011 to over 90 per cent now. The pressure on these beds, already excessive, has reached a level that too often renders impossible any efficient management of these expensive resources.

We have heard much from politicians, and others, of the notion of parity of esteem for mental health services. The inexorable degradation of these services suggests that this phrase has become a sentimental nostrum to disguise political inertia and disinterest rather than a genuinely felt activating principle that could drive significant change. Meanwhile, time that should be spent with patients is, instead, frittered away in wrestling with successive bed crises, each of which follows hot on the heels of the last.

Dr Philip Timms FRCPsych, honorary senior lecturer, KCL

London

Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May need to accept responsibility for the NHS

Anybody familiar with Freudian Theory will be aware of defence mechanisms, the means we use to avoid responsibility or self-awareness.

None of the current Health Ministers are competent or qualified to do their jobs. Theresa May has no experience whatsoever in this area. Claiming that the crisis in the NHS is down to GP surgeries not being open for long enough is either projection or displacement.

The result of these two defence mechanisms is scapegoating and that is exactly what she and

Hunt especially are doing. She's even gone so far as to make the statement about GPs from Downing Street rather than herself.

They are responsible, let's be clear, not GPs.

Terry Maunder

Kirkstall

Blame Chris Grayling, not the strikers

Julian Self wrote (Letters): Each time there is a Southern rail strike or an underground strike, I keep seeing letters in the press calling for the outlawing of strike action for vital public services, which I find rather unsettling. I question only his wording: Each time there is a Southern rail strike. There is just the one strike and it has taken place for months (and continues to do so) on various weekdays every week. It's a massive annoyance and inconvenience, wasting potential working hours of each those days for thousands of people (and companies).

I agree with Julian Self about the dangers of a non-strike bill, but they are irrelevant in this instance because as the terms of their franchise currently stand Southern is impervious to strike action. Bosses get paid even if they run no trains.

Chris Grayling's pronouncement that he would not consider allowing TfL to take over Southern on the grounds that he could not bear to see it in the hands of a Labour London mayor is an insult to companies, workers and other members of the public who rely upon Southern rail services. He publicly puts his perception of the good of his party over any good of any citizen of his country. What a little man. And what a poor understanding of (or, worse, acceptance of) the ebb and flow of democratic elections. Is there any hope that we can see the end of such people in public office any time soon?

Beryl Wall

London, W4

Religions should appreciate other teachings  but not forget their own in the process

It is more than strange that leaders of a Christian cathedral should consider it appropriate to read passages of the Islamic holy book, which contradict the teaching of Jesus, during a service.

It is most appropriate that leaders of a Christian church should find opportunities to inform their flock about teachings of other faiths, so individuals are able to understand their neighbours and build positive relationships with those who are not familiar with the Christian faith.

However, Church services are about worshipping God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and building the faith of church members rather than giving voice to ideas, whether from atheists or other faiths, which deny teachings of the Bible.

J Longstaff

Buxted

Brexit is epitome of regression

In his criticism of the phrase going forward used in a news report, John Rentoul mused: One of these days there will be an event that affects people going backwards.

There is. It's called Brexit.

Terence A. Carr

Prestatyn

The Brexit timeline, if Labour had their way

Step 1: Trigger Article 50.

Step 2: Negotiate an exit deal that is better than no deal at all.

Step 3: Deal is approved by the EU.

Step 4: Deal is not approved by the Commons.

Step 5: Exit without a deal.

Lee Davis

Newcastle
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

President Barack Obama (how comforting those words feel) has seven days to save the life of Private Chelsea Manning after two failed suicide bids. In a twist to the tale worthy of a Le Carre novel, Mannings life is at risk after the whistleblowing website she leaked to helped elect a demagogue whose inner circle believes that she should be executed for treason.

People close to Manning fear for her future. She spent six months in solitary confinement, an arbitrary punishment defined as torture under international law. An army board even confined her to solitary confinement as punishment after her suicide attempt last July. She was found not guilty of the charge of resisting the force cell move team  but only because she may have been unconscious when her jailers arrived.

After two suicide attempts and a hunger strike in just over six months, Manning is in serious danger. President Obama, a former constitutional lawyer, can free her with a stroke of his pen this week. If he doesnt, the consequences will be grave.

Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison, the longest sentence ever for a US whistleblower. Instead, she should be feted: the leaked documents she exposed demonstrated US complicity in crimes in Iraq, showed how US private contractors abusing civilians and led to the public in Tunisia turning against their ruthless tyrant President Ben Ali (and commenced the Arab Spring).

 Watch President Obama award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Vice President Biden in full

As activist Sami Ben Gharbia wrote on the impact of Mannings leaks on the Tunisian revolution: If the US will take 35 years from Chelsea Mannings life, may it console her that she has given us, Arabs, the secret gift that helped expose and topple 50 years of dictatorships.

It should be said unambiguously: Chelsea Manning is a hero who has freed people from dictatorship. Yet the election of Donald Trump now poses a risk to her life. Trumps inner circle has called for the death penalty for whistleblowers, except when it suits their narrow interests.

Here lies a dark irony: the whistleblowing website Chelsea Manning approached to leak the cables she downloaded, Wikileaks, played a major role in the election of President-elect Donald Trump. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Russian government authorised a hack on both US presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, during the campaign. This was confirmed by an extraordinary joint statement of the Homeland Security Department and the Director of National Intelligence on behalf of Americas 17 intelligence agencies which said:

The US Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organisations. The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks... are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts. These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process.

Wikileaks denies this. It is also known that, while Wikileaks aligned itself with Trump by publishing leaked emails to derail Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, the site made no disclosures about Trump. This is despite Trump refusing to disclose his tax returns  the first president not to do so since Gerald Ford. Rumours now abound that the Russians may have more than one sex tape on Trump and information on his private businesses.

Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 1 /14 Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Getty

In a worrying turn, the Russian government is now claiming Britains MI6 was involved in the leak on Trumps private behaviour in Moscow, in order to drive a wedge between the President-elect and the UK. All the while, Wikileaks Julian Assange protests his innocence though the evidence on his collusion with the Russians to bolster Trump appears to mount.

By allying with Trump, Assange has hurt Manning. He has also made it harder for Edward Snowden to return home to the US.

Snowden is also now in danger due to the Trump presidency. Mike Pompeo, the Kansas congressman who Trump has given the job of running the CIA, has called for the execution of traitor Edward Snowden.

Maybe we could give Assange the benefit of the doubt and assume the Kremlin disguised its activity and gave Wikileaks the leaked materials on Clinton via a third party. It is also the case that it is unlikely Assange was passed any damning evidence on Trump, after all, why would they?

Yet, it makes it all the more important for Wikileaks to understand its responsibility in publishing leaked materials. By doing so, and publishing documents that aid Putins autocracy, Assange has caused harm to two people I imagine he would not want to hurt.

Ultimately, one man can end his relentless war on whistleblowers: President Barack Obama. His administration has used the 1917 Espionage Act more than any other in American history - and this includes President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II.

Obama is in many ways a liberal hero, but here he has fallen short. He has just a week to defend the First Amendment right to speak out against the governments misuse of power.

Snowden and Manning revealed truths that needed to be told. Obama should pardon them both now, for they are in real peril from President-elect Trump.

Mike Harris is CEO of 89up and the publisher of Little Atoms
This week various obituaries to TK Whitaker were constant in their praise of Mr Whitaker's ability to break with conventional wisdom. It is ironic that many of these obituaries came from people deep inside the Irish establishment who have never questioned Ireland's conventional wisdom in their lives.

I suppose that's why they are deep in the establishment. The establishment rewards conventional thinking. In this regard, Mr Whitaker, it appears, was different.

He had the courage and the intelligence to see through the Irish conventional wisdom of the 1950s and realise that our future was an open, trading future, rather than the neurotic isolationism of De Valera and his ilk.

It is hard to overstate how revolutionary Mr Whitaker's alternative vision of Ireland in the 1950s must have seemed to the old Civil War warriors. Here was a young economist telling them that everything they had believed was wrong. Their conventional wisdom was leading the country down an economic and social cul-de-sac. Even though it appears totally logical now, Mr Whitaker's plan for Ireland in the late 1950s was a radical departure from the economic conventional wisdom and status quo of the previous 45 years.

The term "conventional wisdom" was coined by JK Galbraith to describe ideas that are so commonplace and accepted in society that they are resistant to facts that might diminish them. Conventional wisdom is articulated and upheld by conventional people. The conventional man, according to Galbraith, is the type who "when faced with the choice between changing his mind and finding proof not to do so, gets busy looking for the proof".

Therefore, the conventional man dismisses those people who question the conventional wisdom as cranks, mavericks or eccentrics. This is how conventional wisdom becomes a self-evident fact rather than just an idea or policy to be questioned, debated and ultimately overruled, if necessary.

Expand Close EU Commissioner Phil Hogan / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp EU Commissioner Phil Hogan

The conventional wisdom in time becomes a slogan, which replaces hard thinking. This conformity of view makes those who repeat the slogan highly susceptible to groupthink.

Because Ireland is a small country, groupthink at the top can take hold quickly. We saw this most recently with the 'soft landing' brigade during the boom.

Ultimately, as Galbraith observed, conventional wisdom is rarely, if ever, overturned by some brilliant countervailing argument that persuades the conventional man to change his mind. Conventional wisdom is only brushed aside by the great march of events. Recently, in Ireland the economic collapse was the event that smashed the 'soft landing' conventional wisdom.

Back in Mr Whitaker's day, the great event or series of events was the abject failure of the Irish Republic to provide a living for its citizens. In the 1950s, close to half a million people emigrated to England alone. The State was bankrupt, out of ideas, close to collapse and quickly running out of people.

Events forced the country to change course, allowing us to forge a new future and open up. Had the economy not collapsed in the 1950s, the isolation of De Valera might have continued for another 10 years.

That change of course and that opening culminated, together with the UK, in Ireland joining the EEC. There was never any question of Ireland joining the EEC without Britain. We joined in 1973 with the UK and Denmark. The rest is history, the history of our lives.

I wonder now, 44 years later, whether Ireland's EU membership is a similar accepted truth like the Ireland First policy of Dev and his mates? Is it a kind of slogan that has replaced hard thinking, leaving us susceptible to groupthink?

The conventional wisdom now is that Ireland's economic development has been the result of EU membership. This notion has become so ingrained that even to question it is dismissed by the mainstream as the work of a crank.

However, it seems to me that questioning the EU will become more and more commonplace in the years ahead, not least because our economy became more Anglo-American after we joined the EU than it was before we joined.

Furthermore, there is a significant strand of EU thinking that believes that the best response to any EU crisis is more and deeper federalism. Federalism is written in Brussels' DNA and this implies more and more dilution of sovereignty. This is not in our short-term or long-term interest because our economy is in the Atlantic orbit rather than the European space.

This dichotomy explains why Ireland is regularly cited as either the fastest growing or deepest slumping European economy. Have you noticed that we are never in the middle?

The reason for this is that Ireland isn't a European economy in the true sense of the word. Ireland is a global economy that happens to be in that part of the Atlantic Ocean that is closest to the European continent. That accident of geography doesn't make us a continental economy in any material way. Consequently, it is meaningless to say we are the fastest growing economy in Europe because the economy isn't European at all. It would be more accurate to compare us to a state in the USA because our capital base and trade is American.

Economically, we are Connecticut with lousy weather.

Geo-strategically, Ireland is like the jockey riding two horses: the EU political/diplomatic horse and the Atlantic economic/investment horse. When the horses are moving together, the jockey's position is tenable. When they move apart, the jockey's position becomes more awkward.

We now do more trade with America and Britain combined than with the EU. The Americans are by far our biggest investor and when Irish people lose their jobs, we still go to England looking for work. These are the economic facts.

But equally, much of the investment is here because we are in the EU's internal market.

As a result, it makes sense to tread the fine line between the Atlantic and the Continent, avoiding any dramatic choice between the two. However, events may not allow us to do so. And events shatter groupthink. If you doubt this, just ask the 'soft landing' brigade in Merrion Street.

My fear is that rather than remaining open to the possibility that the world is changing, not just with Brexit, the Apple tax issue and Trump but with Le Pen and a myriad of other political and economic factors, Official Ireland is digging its heels in, embracing the conventional wisdom even more tightly than before.

For example, at the clear behest of his paymasters, this week the EU Commissioner Phil Hogan warned that Ireland should avoid "excessive reliance" on the UK. In an ideal world who would disagree? But the fact is that we are deeply intertwined with the UK, much more so than any other EU country. Brexit will be asymmetric. It will affect Ireland more than any other country.

But consider the language the commissioner used because it reveals the mindset.

What does an "excessive reliance" on the UK mean? When you got a job in London because you couldn't get one in Ireland, was your reliance on the UK excessive? Is your cousin from Birmingham with the Brummie accent, and the Irish passport, being excessively reliant? When people in England buy Irish butter, meat or lamb, is that a commercial choice or excessive reliance? Should we be arguing that they buy less? When you support Manchester United or Liverpool, is that excessive? When we watch excellent programmes on the BBC, are we being excessively reliant? When the UK Treasury offered us a no-strings-attached loan in 2010, were they being excessive? When a few of the hundreds of thousands of English tourists to Ireland buy a pint in Connemara, is that pub excessively reliant on Britain?

Only a politician whose wages are paid by Brussels would say something as meaningless.

There is an echo chamber in Brussels that wills away the iron law of economics, which is that we all rely on each other. Because of history, geography and culture, we and the British are intertwined.

This European federalist talk is unrealistic. In truth, it's worse than unrealistic, it is not in Ireland's interest.

What is in Ireland's interest is to remain as open as possible to all sides. This means that we need to object to further EU integration. We should not do what the British did. Rather than leave the EU, we should promise never to leave. They can't kick us out. We should stay on our terms and should say we've had enough of this federalist carry-on. Like Denmark and Sweden, who both stayed out of the euro, we should say no more. No more tax harmonisation, in particular. Are Denmark or Sweden any less European for not being in the euro? No, they are just small countries that stand up for their own interests.

With Britain gone we will have to stand up for ourselves in a more robust fashion if needs be. My hunch is that the EU's reaction to the British leaving will be a move for deeper integration.

We have to be flexible and try to navigate among all.

And, of course, if Le Pen wins in France, the EU project is all over anyway. She will pull France out of the euro. The euro can't survive without France. If France goes, Italy could follow. Then it's over and we will have to figure out a different set of relationships.

If our political class embeds us too closely with the Europhiles of Brussels, the people will not accept it. The population is much less pro-European than the political, media and bureaucratic elite.

If the conventional wisdom pulls us too far in one direction - the European one - it will swing back and the other end of the spectrum is Irexit - now who wants that?
Gerry Langen is heading off for a weekend in Iceland at the end of the month - courtesy of Massey Ferguson Tractors - which likes to reward its best tractor salesmen on these islands with a New Year's break.

He's off with a fellow Massey salesman from Clare and "three lads from England".

While away, he will leave the heavy lifting on his family's 300 acre suckler and sheep enterprise at Castletown in Co Sligo to his parents Anne and Paddy, with whom he farms with on a partnership basis.

It will probably be Gerry's only break in 2017 because "busy, busy, busy" does not adequately sum up the 31-year-old's working life.

Apart from rearing and selling an average of 60 Texel sheep and a similar number of Limousin sucklers, he is a salesman with McHale machinery in Kilmaine, Co Mayo.

The job involves selling McHale balers and the Masseys from the company's main outlet - a 60-mile commute.

In the evening and weekends he is helping run and expand the family's 150ac (owned) and 150ac (leased) farming enterprise. The self-confessed "machinery head" is currently concentrating on the farm and is busy supervising the build of a new three-bay shed on the farm for the suckler herd.

"It should be finished in a few weeks which will be good for the herd. We are also busy reseeding. The land on the farm is good but the grass is old so we have to do this job," Gerry explains.

"Then there is lambing in February and calving later in the spring and then it's my busy time with McHales. The summer is the busiest time for machinery sales.

"My sales break down roughly 50-50 between the balers made by McHale's and the Massey Fergusons - and I am responsible for making sure all this machinery works correctly so I would be on call most evenings during the busy summer season.

"I am also part of the McHales' team at the various agricultural shows in the west and at the Ploughing."

So how does he manage to combine both jobs, I ask.

"Very simple," he replies. "I get great help from my customers at McHales and great help from my neighbours at home."

The Langens have been farming at Castletown since his grandfather began with 20ac in the area and they have incrementally build up the farm from there to what it is today.

And they plan to expand further. "I bought an extra 20 acres about two years ago and intend over time to add to that," he says.

Gerry was born to agriculture. He passed his green cert at Mountbellew while he was still a teenager and then went on to complete an ag science degree at GMIT.

Partnership

He has been with McHales for the past 10 years and has been in the farm partnership with his parents for five years.

He is unsparing in his praise towards his mother Anne, who is the driving force behind the Langen enterprise and a farming award winner herself.

His dad Paddy is part-time retired as is the case of most Irish farmers in their 70s, while younger sister, Marie is married and now off farm and rearing two young children.

Asked if there might be nuptials in the offing for himself, Gerry goes no further than stating that he has a girlfriend.

"I am a typical young farmer and I am definitely in farming for the long haul. I intend to develop the home farm over the next few years and keep my interest going on the machinery side."
Pre-tax profits at Dublin-headquartered aircraft leasing firm Avolon soared to $111.6m (105m) in 2015, compared to a $28.8m (27m) loss in 2014, as revenue rose 25pc to $677.2m (637m), newly-filed accounts for the business show.

Avolon - previously listed on the New York Stock Exchange - was acquired by Bohai Leasing in January 2016 and delisted, and so did not have to file an annual report for 2015 with the stock exchange.

The accounts show that Avolon, co-founded by Domhnal Slattery, had 141 owned aircraft at the end of 2015, and had acquired 32 jets during the year and disposed of 17.

But in the space of just a year, the company has been transformed.

Its acquisition by Bohai Leasing, part of China's HNA group, marked the beginning of an aggressive expansion strategy under its new owners.

The sale placed a $7.6bn (7.15bn) enterprise value on Avolon. It included about $5bn (4.7bn) of debt.

Mr Slattery remains Avolon's ceo, while co-founders John Higgins and Andy Cronin also continue as chief commercial officer and chief commercial officer respectively. In the third quarter of 2016, Avolon agreed to buy 45 aircraft worth $2bn (1.8bn) from GECAS, and also agreed to pay $10bn (9.41bn) to buy the leasing business of CIT Group.

The CIT deal - expected to be finalised this quarter - will effectively double the size of Avolon.

Avolon currently has an owned, managed and on-order fleet of 429 aircraft.

Following the CIT acquisition, it will have about 910. It will also propel Avolon to being the world's third-largest aircraft lessor.

When Avolon clinched the deal to buy the CIT business last October, Mr Slattery told the Irish Independent that he now plans to make Avolon the world's biggest aircraft leasing firm.

"Our aspiration is to be the largest aircraft leasing company in the world, in terms of size, shape and scale," he said.

"We've got plenty of work ahead to get to that." Gecas, the world's biggest aircraft lessor, currently has a fleet of just under 2,000 aircraft, including 1,700 fixed-wing jets and 250 rotary aircraft.

Mr Slattery co-founded Avolon in 2010, securing $7bn (6.5bn) in private equity backing.

The company floated on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 but was sold to Bohai just months later.

The 2015 accounts for Avolon show it paid its 74 staff a total of $26.1m (24.4m) in salaries and benefits. The company also paid $7.5m (7m) in share-based compensation, compared to $53.6m (50.4m) in 2014 - the year it hit the stock market.

Total management compensation totalled $4.7m (4.4m) in 2015, down from $6.3m in 2014 when Mr Slattery received a discretionary $2.6m bonus. Also in 2014, the company repurchased shares valued to $5.6m (5.2m) from Mr Slattery.

Avolon appointed three new non-executive directors this month: Ciaran O hOgartaigh, Joe Nellis and Denis Kalscheur.

Mr O hOgartaigh is the dean of UCD's College of Business.

Mr Nellis was most recently a managing director at GE Capital. Mr Kalscheur is a former ceo of Aviation Capital Group.
WATERFORD Credit Union (WCU) claims a stockbroking firm made a secret profit on 5.3m it gave to the firm to invest.

WCU is suing J & E Davy over the investment which was put into an AIB Step-up Perpetual bond, a Barclays Bank Step-up Perpetual bond, a Jyske Bank bond and a Nordea Bank AB bond, between January 2005 and August 2006.

WCU's High Court action followed an investigation by the Irish Stock Exchange (ISE), which in 2009 found breaches of business rules by Davy stockbrokers.

The ISE stated publicly that the investigation related to the sale of a number of perpetual Constant Maturity Swap (CMS) bonds to some of its credit union clients.

The ISE found the breaches related to the completeness of disclosure of certain information to the credit unions about the bonds and in relation to ensuring the bonds were in full compliance with the Trustee (Authorised Investment) Order, 1998.

As a result, Davy commenced a process with the credit unions involved in which most of the credit unions accepted a negotiated settlement to deal with loss of value of the bonds.

It cost Davy more than 35m, the ISE said in its statement following the investigation.

WCU issued proceedings in 2011 claiming the bonds were not authorised investments.

It also claimed Davy did not comply with its obligations to furnish WCU with all necessary information to know the characteristics and risks associated with the bonds.

It claimed Davy failed to disclose it was acting as principal in the sale of the bonds and was thus making an undisclosed profit. WCU says it is entitled to an indemnity or damages from Davy for the 5.3m invested.

Davy denies it acted as a principal in the sale of the bonds or that it made a profit from the sales.

It denies it was engaged as an investment advisor by WCU or that the bonds fell within the terms of the 1998 authorised investments order. Davy denies failing to comply with any obligations imposed on it by legislation governing the stock exchange.

The case was before the High Court following applications from both sides for discovery of documents in advance of the hearing.

Mr Justice David Keane ruled Davy should provide a numbers of categories of documents to WCU, and ordered WCU to discover documents including evidence of the alleged retention of Davy as its investment advisor.
Revenue at Grafton Group's Irish business soared 11.9pc last year as it reaped the benefits of an increase in construction activity and generally improved consumer spending.

Total revenue at the group rose 13.4pc to 2.51bn (2.87bn) in 2015. That was 10.4pc higher on a constant currency basis.

Sales were 4.1pc ahead on a like-for-like basis during the year, and 5.3pc higher on that basis in the final quarter.

Shares in Grafton, which are listed in the UK, soared almost 8pc by mid-afternoon yesterday.

The company, headed by ceo Gavin Slark, said that the group has benefited from exposure to a number of markets. However, it still generates the bulk of its revenue in the UK.

He pointed out that Grafton opened seven new Selco branches in the UK, and completed two bolt-on acquisitions there during 2016.

Last November, it also agreed to buy Dutch firm Gunters en Meuse.

That transaction has now completed and strengthens Grafton's position in the Amsterdam market.

"A strong balance sheet and excellent cash generation from operations support these developments and our ongoing strategic initiatives," added Mr Slark.

Grafton said that its Selco business - a builders' provider - outperformed the UK merchanting market with revenue gains in established branches and growth from new outlets.

There are 47 outlets in the chain and Grafton plans to open at least 10 new branches this year given the resilient repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market in the UK.

Grafton also noted that revenue growth accelerated in the final quarter of 2016 at its traditional UK merchanting businesses, including Buildbase and Plumbase, but warned that the market remains very price competitive.

Its Irish merchanting business notched up double-digit revenue growth in 2016 - the third year in a row it has done so. Its Irish retail business - which includes Woodies DIY and Atlantic Homecare - also performed strongly, with Woodies reporting a "solid increase in volumes".

Grafton's retail businesses, which operate solely in Ireland, account for just 6pc of its group revenue.

In the Netherlands, Grafton said that its existing merchanting business there, which it acquired in November 2015, had performed well, supported by good economic growth and a "strong recovery" in the residential new-build and RMI markets.

Davy Stockbrokers said the prospects for the performance of Grafton's shares this year will be determined by the underlying conditions in its most important end-market - the UK.

"While recent evidence suggests that the group is navigating difficult conditions admirably, we still expect 2017 to be challenging," the broker noted.

It added: "We expect its exposure to the fast-recovering Irish and Netherlands markets (not to mention the current pace of growth of its highly profitable manufacturing operations) to generate above-sector average growth in 2017."
Developers have failed to build almost 24,000 new homes which in some cases have been granted planning permission more than a decade ago.

Data from the Department of Housing shows that permission is in place for houses and apartments across prime sites in Dublin, with some given the green light as far back as 2004.

An analysis of official data shows that 10 developers have permission for almost 9,000 units but construction has yet to begin. While some plan to begin works this year, most have refused to comment on the delays.

The department is conducting an in-depth trawl of planning permissions in the four local authorities as the shortage of homes coming onto the market fuels price hikes and exacerbates the homeless crisis.

Even on prime sites in upmarket areas where hundreds of homes have been approved, they are being built in blocks of 10 or 20 units because banks are refusing to lend for bigger schemes.

The data is based on construction activity at the end of September 2016 and includes planning permissions of 10 or more units which can be implemented "immediately". It shows that permission was granted to schemes in Balbriggan, Lucan, Citywest and Malahide more than a decade ago. In many cases, local authorities have granted extensions of planning permission, giving more time to complete developments.

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Leading developers in possession of sizeable landbanks include Joe OReilly. Photo: Steve Humphreys Garrett Kelleher. Photo. Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland Gerry Gannon. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Leading developers in possession of sizeable landbanks include Joe OReilly. Photo: Steve Humphreys

While there are currently 126 'active' sites across the city, where 5,500 homes are under construction, a total of 331 sites are capable of delivering another 23,746. The reasons cited for the failure to build homes included difficulties accessing development finance and high building costs.

Read More

Industry sources said a big factor slowing the supply of houses has been nervousness among the banks and Nama about lending.

It means that even on sites that have planning for hundreds of new homes, builders are getting only enough funds to develop a fraction of the potential houses at any one time. "Build 20, sell 20, is what keeps the bank happy," one insider said.

The data shows that 10 developers have obtained planning permission to build 11,928 homes. Some 1,935 have been completed, and works are under way on another 1,010. Permission remains in place for another 8,983.

Expand Close Stalled: 410 jobs - Churchtown / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Stalled: 410 jobs - Churchtown

Just two of the 10 developers responded to queries as to their plans for the sites, Viscount Securities/Park Developments, and Flynn & O'Flaherty, which controls the biggest development site in the city at the former Phoenix Park Racecourse in Dublin 15.

Permission for 2,390 homes was granted in October 2012. To date, 590 have been completed. According to the Dublin Taskforce, construction works on 51 units are under way, and works have yet to begin on 1,749.

Spokesman Ken MacDonald, from selling agents Hooke & MacDonald, said that works were under way on 136 houses at the 'Fairhaven' section of the development, and on two apartment blocks.

"They are very keen to accelerate the rate of construction but they are constrained in doing so by the build costs for the apartment element of the project," he said.

"They're keen to supply the market and accelerate the build-out of the balance of the site. They have plans to build a further level of three and four-bedroom houses over the next 12 months."

Industry sources said there had been a "churn" of distressed loans and bankrupt developers in recent years, and that land was beginning to be taken over by firms with funding "who can do something with it".

"This is all part of a process in a sector destroyed by a crash, and steadily restructuring itself and trying to find an optimum position where it can sell and the bank will fund," one said.

The Department of Housing said in many cases planning permissions were amended to reflect a market need for houses instead of apartments, and that in other cases the owners of existing permissions did not have the funding to build.

Permission was granted for 16,000 new homes up to September last year, and measures announced under the Government's housing plan needed time to produce results. "We keep a track of all of these permissions, and every site is being watched," a spokesman said.

"There are very positive signs in terms of planning applications and mobilisation of sites, with bigger sites opening. What we're seeing is a settling out of the real operators from those who don't have funds. We need to give all the measures being deployed (under the Government's housing plan) a chance."

Supermarkets are now checking out Dublin's property market

Supermarkets, State agencies and even the health service are among those with planning permission to build homes in the capital.

German retail giant Aldi has approval for a mixed-use development in Balbriggan, which includes 103 homes. It was given an extension of planning permission in October 2014, and a spokeswoman said the company did not wish to comment on its future plans.

Rival Lidl also has the green light from a local authority for homes in Castleknock. It purchased a site in 2013 with an existing permission for a mixed-use development which included 33 apartments. It has since sought approval for a revised development which includes eight homes, and which is under appeal to An Bord Pleanala.

The HSE received permission in May last year for 48 homes at Cluain Mhuire on Newtownpark Avenue in Blackrock. It did not respond to requests for comment.

The ESB's redevelopment of its HQ on Fitzwilliam Street also includes 11 units.
It beggars belief that in the midst of a national housing crisis, which is particularly acute in the capital, that so few homes are being delivered.

The figures from the Department of Housing suggest it's time for a 'use it or lose it' clause to be included when planning permission is granted.

It beggars belief that in the midst of a national housing crisis, which is particularly acute in the capital, that so few homes are being delivered.

In the first 10 months of last year, just under 11,800 homes were built nationally. This figure is unlikely to exceed 15,000 when the final tallies are complete, at a time when a minimum of 25,000 are needed.

But while some developers have suggested the planning system is to blame for the lack of new homes coming onto the market, the official Government figures from the Department of Housing suggest there are more profound problems.

There is no planning reason why 23,746 units across 331 sites in the capital are not being built to help address rising prices, inflating rents and bringing the homeless crisis to an end. Sources suggest a lack of finance and the imposition of development levies and high building costs, particularly the imposition of VAT on new homes, is hampering delivery. This is a problem particularly prevalent in construction of apartments.

But it must be asked: did the applicants not factor in building and development costs before seeking permission, many of which were recently secured?

The figures are compiled by the Housing Supply Coordination Task Force for Dublin, the so-called Dublin Taskforce.

Published in November, they are based on activity at the end of September 2016. It is based on approved planning applications of 10 or more units, where permission has been obtained and can be implemented "immediately". This means that essential services such as roads, water and electricity are in place. There is no impediment to starting works.

Some of the biggest developers are building, or preparing to do so. Cosgrave Developments is working on 534 homes. Park Developments is building 153, and has permission for another 679. It said works began on one site at Clay Farm at Ballyogan late last year, and was at "detailed design and tender stage" for another 210 at the Notre Dames Des Missions school site at Churchtown in Dublin 14.

But not all developers are so active. Crescent Park Properties has permission for 1,569 homes across four sites. It has 29 under construction. Gannon Homes has permission for 1,291 homes across 15 sites. It is currently building 138 on three sites.

Sources insist developers are not sitting on land, waiting for prices to rise. "They're all raring to go," one said, adding that the market is demanding homes and they will sell.

But it remains the case that for a variety of reasons, many sites are lying idle.

While the Government's vacant site levy is designed to force developers to build or pay an annual penalty of 3pc of the land value, it doesn't kick in until 2019. While you cannot retrospectively impose a 'use it or lose it' clause, first mooted in 2005 but never implemented, it is something which should be considered from here on in.

The 'Rebuilding Ireland' housing plan aims to deliver an annual average of 25,000 units between 2017 and 2021. Nama has promised to deliver 20,000 homes by 2020, and a fast-track planning process for 100 or more units is due to come into force later this year.

But a lack of planning permission isn't the problem. Questions must be asked as to why developers aren't building.
The Strand apartment blocks, Limerick, where some tenants had been given eviction notices. Photo: Liam Burke/Press 22.

Campaigners have claimed a victory for "people power" after eviction notices to tenants in a Limerick apartment complex were withdrawn.

Residents in the upmarket Strand apartment complex in the city had faced uncertainty following termination notices being sent.

But last night a statement released on behalf of the owners of Sova Properties Ltd stated the eviction notices had been withdrawn.

"Sova Limited has written to tenants at the Strand apartment complex in Limerick to confirm its commitment to respecting the spirit and the letter of the upcoming Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 which is being brought into effect next week," the statement read.

"To further underpin that commitment Sova has withdrawn all termination notices that are currently outstanding in respect of tenants at the Strand apartments in Limerick City. Sova has also indicated that any future apartment sales at the Strand will be progressed in a measured manner and at a pace that would enable any tenants wishing to purchase apartments at market price to do so."

Read More

Sova Properties Ltd, a subsidiary of Lalco Properties Ltd, entered Nama in 2010 with net liabilities of 64m and 118m in back loans. Nama sold the debt to US vulture fund Oaktree Capital.

It is believed that around 30 residents have already walked away from their Strand apartments after receiving similar eviction notices over the past 12 months.

The latest batch of eviction orders are said to involve around 16 residents who were ordered before Christmas to vacate their homes.

A statement from the Department of Housing said the decision by the owners followed contact from Housing Minister Simon Coveney in which he asked that the spirit of the Tyrrelstown amendment, which does not take effect until next week, would be respected.

Mr Coveney welcomed the decision as providing "an important reassurance for households who had been facing significant uncertainty".

Local AAA councillor Cian Prendiville, who had organised residents to fight the eviction orders, claimed it was a victory for "people power".

"This shows that when people get organised and stand up for themselves, they can defeat these vulture funds," he said.
In the first half of 2016, just 3,600 of us, or 0.06pc, switched our current account to another bank.

This is a far cry from the first half of 2014, when over 26,000 customers switched, although this was mainly due to the exit of Danske Bank and ACC Bank from the current account market.

"The main reason for inertia in switching current accounts is fear that something will go wrong," said Simon Moynihan of price comparison site Bonkers.ie. "Many consumers are concerned that their direct debits will be cancelled and that they will miss important payments on their mortgage or energy bills by switching current accounts."

The existence of the Central Bank's Switching Code (designed to make switching current accounts easier and quicker for consumers) and the banks' own efforts to ease these fears, such as with new types of current account, appear to have had little influence, he says.

"Until the fear of something going wrong is properly tackled, those low switching figures are likely to remain stagnant."

A few years ago, consumers could avail of genuinely free-fee banking thanks to strong competition among a greater number of banks for new customers, but things are a little different now, especially with only six players in the market.

AIB, KBC and Ulster Bank are offering fee-free banking to customers, but only when a number of strict criteria are met. With AIB, customers must keep 2,500 on deposit at all times and with Ulster Bank, that figure stands at 3,000. With KBC, customers can avail of fee-free banking by lodging 2,500 every month.

Bank of Ireland charges a 5 quarterly maintenance fee to all customers, but will waive transaction fees for customers who keep 3,000 on deposit at all times.

Permanent TSB is a little bit different, says Moynihan. "With the bank's Explore Account, customers are charged 4 every month, but this can be offset by the fact that the bank will pay back 10c on every debit card transaction. However, this is capped at 5 a month.

"So, it is possible to actually make 12 over the course of a year by banking with Permanent TSB, but customers will have to transact a lot."

Contactless payments remain free of charge with KBC, Ulster Bank and Permanent TSB, while Bank of Ireland charges 2pc of the transaction value up to a maximum of 11.43 per transaction), while AIB is set to start charging 20c each from next month.

When it comes to credit cards, there are signs of increased competition among banks, with many now offering 0pc APR on transfers for a certain period of time, according to Moynihan.

The Bank of Ireland is offer 0pc interest on balance transfers for seven months on its Classic credit card, although it does have a rate of 22.1pc. KBC is offering 0pc APR on transfers for six months, with a rate of 18.25pc kicking in after that.

Permanent TSB are also offering six months of a 0pc APR on balance transfers, but with a rate of 20.7pc.

One of the best rates on the market is AIB's CLICK Credit Card, which comes with 13.8pc APR, but this does not have any balance transfer option.

How to switch ...Current account

Step 1

Pick a new provider and ask for a 'Switching Pack'. Agree a 'Switching Date' - when there is least activity on your account, e.g. mid-month.

Step 2

Inform your employer of the new details.

Step 3

If you have an existing overdraft, you'll need to negotiate its terms with your new bank. You are not automatically entitled to move it also. The new bank may carry out a credit check.

Step 4

Provide your new bank with proof of identity and confirm whether you need a cheque book, debit card, etc.

Step 5

Complete an 'Account Transfer Form'. This tells your new bank about direct debits, standing orders, etc which they will liaise with your old bank to switch across. The balance of funds in your old account will also be moved.

Potential saving: 20+ a year

Total time: 120 mins

How to switch ...Credit card

Step 1

The process involves completing an application form either online, or on paper - you will be asked for:

your current bank details;

existing credit cards and loans;

existing mortgage (if this is in arrears you may be refused);

existing savings accounts.

Step 2

You must be over 18, in receipt of an income (which may be restricted to over a certain level, e.g. 16,000 pa) and have a current account.

Step 3

Credit checks will be carried out with a credit bureau to see if you have outstanding loans or have ever missed payments on them.

Clearing 5,000 debt at 22.8pc at 300 per month takes one year, nine months.

Switching the balance to a 0pc card for six months takes one year, six months.

Potential saving: 900

Total time: 30 mins

Read more:
RTE has wisely chosen a troupe of beautiful, fit young dancers who have shimmied and sashayed around our celebrities on 'Dancing with the Stars'.

But while the appeal of watching our actors, presenters and sportspeople master the intricate foxtrot, all anyone wants to know behind-the-scenes is will the 'Strictly Curse' hit the Irish show?

Expand Close Aidan OMahony in Dancing With The Stars. Photo: Damien Eagers / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Aidan OMahony in Dancing With The Stars. Photo: Damien Eagers

The UK's 'Strictly Come Dancing' is notorious for dangerous liaisons between dancers, their partners and celebrities.

It seems that things have already taken a turn for the saucy here.

One well-placed source has revealed that at least four of the professional dancers have fallen into each other's arms off-camera.

And there may be more to come as the tango passion intensifies and the salsa becomes more sensual.

"Some of the dancers would have performed together professionally on the dance circuit so would know each other very well. There's at least two relationships going on already and it's still only early days," she said.

Part of the draw of the show is speculating about off-screen romances or trying to read the signs behind the body language.

"Last week everyone was talking about the chemistry between Dayl Cronin and his gorgeous partner Ksenia Zsikhotska, that really caught people's attention and got them talking," a source said.

Speaking about 'The Curse' recently, celebrity performer Thalia Heffernan said she "totally understood" how it could happen.

"It's such an intense experience," she said. "I've never ever been that close to someone I wasn't in a relationship with, be it the number of hours you spend with them or the dancing itself.

"You're one-on-one in a studio for hours. We do 12 hours a week, sometimes less, sometimes more."

Video of the Day

The top model has been partnered with hunky young dancer Chris Pritchard, who she describes as a "tough boss" mentoring her through the whole process.

She's one of six female celebrities who'll be taking to the stage solo for the first time tomorrow night and in terms of talent, the ladies are said to have mastered the routines far better than their male competitors.

Joining Thalia will be RTE's western correspondent Teresa Mannion alongside actresses Aoibhin Garrihy, Denise McCormack, comedian Katherine Lynch and controversial Dr Eva Orsmond.

ShinAwil producer Larry Bass said that the entire cast and crew on the show were very carefully chosen.

"Casting is king. What we try to do is get the balance right, to try to get light and shade into our casting. This is a show for everyone, a family show and that's reflected in the casting," he told the Irish Independent.

The show certainly has appeal, pulling an impressive 640,00 viewers - and it could be dancing back onto the schedule next year.

Mr Bass confirmed that although he has a one-year contract for the show, he's very hopeful about its future.

"We never set out to build it [the set] for just one year, we designed it to last," he said.
Emma O'Keeffe was killed after her car collided with a truck on January 13 2017

A seven-year-old boy is fighting for his life - after his mother died following a road crash in rural Co Meath.

Mum-of-two, Emma O'Keeffe (26) was killed after her car collided with a truck on Thursday afternoon on the Nobber to Kingscourt Road.

Ms O'Keeffe's two children, aged two and seven, were also injured in the accident.

It is understood that four garda units and four fire units and a helicopter attended the scene shortly after 1pm.

Expand Close Emma OKeeffe (26), who was killed in a road crash with a truck / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Emma OKeeffe (26), who was killed in a road crash with a truck

The driver of the truck was not injured in the crash.

The incident took place a short distance from the family home in the small townland of Wilkinstown.

Ms O'Keeffe was rushed to the intensive care unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda after being removed from the car.

However, despite desperate efforts to save her she was pronounced dead yesterday morning.

Ms O'Keeffe's husband Robin was being comforted last night by family and friends.

The couple's seven-year-old son was in critical condition last night at Temple Street in Dublin.

Read More

Principal at Scoil Naomh Barra in Wilkinstown, James Minnock, said the community were hoping the boy - who is a pupil in first class - could pull through.

It is understood Robin and Emma got married just over two-and-a-half years ago.

Their other son was also injured in the crash and is being treated in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, though his condition is understood to be less serious.

In a statement, Mr Minnock said that they were praying for the whole family.

"This is a terrible tragedy for the family, our school, and our community," he said.

"We are deeply saddened by these events. Our sympathy, prayers and thoughts are with the family at this time," he added.

The principal also said that teachers and staff members in the school were focusing on the young pupils who were trying to come to terms with the tragedy.

"The school has implemented its critical incident plan. Psychologists from the National Education Psychological Service (NEPS) have been supporting and advising the school in our efforts to assist our students at this time," Mr Minnock added.

Wilkinstown man, Patsy O'Neill, who worked as a local councillor for almost three decades, knows the O'Keeffe family and said the pain around the community was still "raw".

"When you know somebody it does click more," Mr O'Neill said.

"Certainly the area is stunned, everyone has been talking about it, even as far as Navan.

"Accidents will happen but you just don't expect it to be so serious," he added.

Local councillor Michael Gallagher offered his condolences to the family.

"The family only moved into a house in Nobber about a year ago and people in the area are shocked and saddened.

"We're going through a very bad spell on Irish roads at the moment.

"My thoughts are with the family at this difficult time," he said.
School authorities informed parents at a meeting on Thursday night that the senior school would move over the summer to Old Conna House on 14 acres of parkland and forest at Rathmichael, Co Dublin

Parents at a small private school in leafy Dublin 4 have been left "shocked" following the announcement it intends to move to new premises almost 20km away by next September.

John Scottus School operates both primary and secondary education from separate buildings on Morehampton Road in Donnybrook.

School authorities informed parents at a meeting on Thursday night that the senior school would move over the summer to Old Conna House on 14 acres of parkland and forest at Rathmichael, Co Dublin. The stately building was designed by Charles Lanyon, designer of the National Gallery.

Old Conna was formerly the home of Aravon School, which went into liquidation in 2013, having previously been bailed out by Chris de Burgh.

In a statement posted on its website, John Scottus said the decision to relocate the senior school offers "the facilities, space and environment" to "transform the lives of our students and our wider community".

The school intends to start junior infants at the Old Conna in September, though it plans to also maintain the existing junior school facility - though operating from new permanent premises in Dublin city centre, yet to be determined.

One father with children in both the senior and junior schools claimed John Scottus, which has a special "ethos and thoughtfulness", was "pulling the plug on its students, supporters and families".

"Most parents spent the night looking at alternative schools," he said.

The effect for senior students "is very immediate and dramatic" he said.

A mother with pupils in the junior school told the Irish Independent that at the meeting, school authorities pledged to lay on buses to the new campus.

"But I'm not jumping up and down for joy," she said, adding she had never wanted to send her children to a non-local school. The school authorities were not available for comment.
BT Young Scientist of the Year Shane Curran, from Terenure College in Dublin. Photos: Gerry Mooney

Dublin student Shane Curran was crowned the 2017 BT Young Scientist following another hugely successful year for the exbihition.

The Terenure College pupil (16) won the award for his project, qCrypt, which is a device to protect sensitive data and secrets.

This year's awards again proved a roaring success, with almost 50,000 people visiting the RDS in Dublin.

It was the fourth time Shane had entered the popular competition and he said it was "phenomenal" to win the big prize.

"I'm absolutely delighted, I wasn't expecting it at all so it was a real shock to hear my name called out," he told the Irish Independent.

"In essence, qCrypt is a system for storing secrets. That secret can either be secure forever or until the person who stored the secret has died."

The Dubliner also said that recent events in the US presidential election showed data security was a big issue.

"WhatsApp has done some really cool stuff lately, it's definitely a space that has been getting bigger every year and I suppose recent events in the US lately have triggered that with the DNC hacking," he added.

Shane picked up a prize of 5,000 and he will represent Ireland in the EU contest for young scientists in Estonia later this year.

Runner-up in the top category was Cormac Larkin from Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh in Cork for a project on how to identify huge stars.

The Best Group award went to Michael Sheehan and Jack Murphy from Colaiste Treasa, Kanturk, Co Cork, for their investigation into how to protect the endangered hen harrier.

Sligo students Matthew Blakeney and Mark McDermott from Jesus and Mary Secondary School in Enniscrone finished second in this category.

The award for the best school in the Republic of Ireland was scooped by Colaiste Treasa in Co Cork.

Loreto College in Coleraine claimed the prize for the best school in Northern Ireland.

Education Minister Richard Bruton praised the stellar work of all the students who entered.

"It is wonderful to see so many students entering the world of Stem [science technology engineering maths] through the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition," he said.

"Initiatives such as this have a critical role to play in raising awareness and engagement around science and technology.

"I would like to congratulate every student, teacher and school community involved for their fantastic work this week.

"The exhibition is a highlight for the education calendar every year, and I am delighted that BT will continue to support this event until 2020."

There were 2,091 projects entered this year and 375 schools competed. A total of 1,142 students entered the competition overall.

Diaspora Minister Joe McHugh said the exhibition this year was "fascinating" and the future was in safe hands.

"People have come all the way from Tanzania this year and some of the projects this year will affect people's lives from all over the world," he said.

"The students will be having great craic here but when they go back they will be influencing their peers and the people in their own communities.

"I'm so impressed because it gives you hope when there are so many challenges in the world but there's people here who are going to be working towards the next generation and solving the problems."
It is understood that Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has been made aware of the allegations. Stock Image

A middle-aged man has claimed he was sexually assaulted on Catholic church property by a young cleric he met through a gay dating site.

It is understood that Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has been made aware of the allegations.

The gardai's sexual assault unit has reportedly also been informed but cannot launch an investigation until the alleged victim comes forward to them.

It is alleged that the young member of the clergy first met the individual in 2015 on the site which is geared towards those interested in mature men.

In his profile, the young cleric expressed a preference for men aged between 50 and 90.

The man alleges he visited the cleric at a presbytery in 2015 and stayed there overnight.

He claims that he left to go to bed early, and was later awoken by the cleric who proceeded to sexually assault him.

The man, who is described as a rural-based professional, this week informed an inside source in the church of what had occurred in the Catholic presbytery.

The man told the source that he had not yet approached the gardai as he was fearful that this would result in his sexuality being revealed.

The alleged victim claimed that after he tried to confront the cleric about the alleged assault, he received a number of aggressive messages from the young cleric. The man has told the source he was fearful that the young cleric would tell others that he was gay.

An inside source in the church told the Irish Independent that he had this week emailed all the relevant information to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

He said that he had also spoken to Dr Martin twice by telephone, once on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday evening.

Some of the material emailed to Dr Martin relates to one sexually explicit image and one facial image of the cleric which he had emailed to his alleged victim.

"I believe this young man is not suitable for priesthood," the source told the Irish Independent.

The source expressed concern that the young cleric, who recently took a vow of celibacy, "may do this (sexual assault) again in the future".

Allegations

The Irish Independent asked the archbishop if he was aware of the allegations and if he was investigating them or reporting them to gardai.

However, despite several requests for a comment, no response was forthcoming from the archbishop.

The allegations come as the archbishop lands in Rome ahead of the Irish bishops' ad limina visit to the Vatican, which will see all of the country's Catholic bishops meet Pope Francis next Friday.

While a papal visit in 2018 is likely to be high on the agenda, last year's scandal in Maynooth seminary is also likely to figure prominently.

The Pope has on a number of occasions made his concerns about priestly formation known.

In his profile on the gay dating website, which is no longer online, the young cleric describes himself as 'versatile' when it comes to sex. The description said that although he likes deep conversations, he also enjoys "no-strings-attached" sex "every now and then".

Last August, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin announced he was withdrawing some of his seminarians from Maynooth after it was revealed that some trainee priests were using the gay dating app Grindr.

The latest scandal emerges as the Irish bishops signalled that they are unwilling to bring before Pope Francis calls by members of the Irish laity for married priests, despite the crisis in vocations and collapse in priestly numbers.
Doctors have given a cautious welcome to news that University Hospital Waterford is to get a mobile cath lab to treat cardiac patients.

Waterford hospital specialists Rob Landers and Patrick Owens have yet to receive details of the mobile unit which was part of a surprise announcement by Independent Alliance Minister John Halligan yesterday morning.

Key information about the unit - which aims to defuse the row over the refusal to build a second cath lab in the hospital - was even unavailable to the hospital.

However, the doctors, who had requested the mobile unit, said they hoped it would help cut the waiting list of around 700 patients, many of whom are waiting two years for vital heart procedures such as angioplasty.

Mr Halligan threatened to resign last year after an independent review failed to recommend a second cath lab for his local hospital, despite it being an original condition of his support for the Government. Despite his threats, Mr Halligan remained as Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation.

Mr Halligan said yesterday that agreement on the mobile lab was reached late on Thursday night following sometimes "hair-raising" negotiations between the Independent Alliance and Health Minister Simon Harris.

"It is a step forward but is not designed as an alternative to a permanent second cath lab," he added.

The news comes in advance of pressure being piled on Mr Halligan today at a march in Waterford in protest at the failure to deliver a second permanent unit.

It is also planned to send more than 300 patients from the backlog in Waterford hospital to Cork for treatment in a bid to clear the list.

Dr Landers warned yesterday the condition of some of these patients who were on the waiting list had now deteriorated and some needed a procedure within 10 days.

"We are hoping that this mobile unit will show the need for a second permanent lab," he added. Doctors in Waterford said they would provide the additional hours to staff the unit in order to try to clear the list.

The Department of Health was unable to say when it will be in place or if it will be exclusive to Waterford Hospital.

A spokesman said the minister was considering a national cardiology waiting list initiative. "This will address waiting times for cardiology treatments in a number of hospitals including Waterford.

"A range of measures are envisaged including sharing of facilities and resources amongst public hospitals, use of private facilities and the deployment of a mobile cath lab. Further detail will be available in the coming weeks," they said.

The South East Patient Advocacy Group, which is organising today's march, described the mobile unit as only a paltry offer and a "temporary solution to a permanent problem".

Spokeswoman Yvonne Cooney said: "The south-east region still needs 24/7 cardiac care as 500,000 people will still be at risk. We have been down this road before with broken promises."
The book will be provided later this year and the HSE has commissioned Oscar-nominated author and comedian Kathleen O'Rourke to write it

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is spending 50,000 on a new sex education book for children aged under 10.

Up to 60,000 copies will be circulated across the country and be made available free of charge to parents.

The book will be provided later this year and the HSE has commissioned Oscar-nominated author and comedian Kathleen O'Rourke to write it.

Ms O'Rourke shot to fame in 2010 when she was nominated in the Best Animated Short Film category for her comedic creation, Granny O'Grimm.

'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty' was written and voiced from an original idea by the 37-year-old Carlow-born author. Now she has put her talents towards helping parents explain 'the facts of life'.

The subject matter of the book is human reproduction, the human body and other elements of the Relationships and Sexuality curriculum.

A study by the HSE's Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme found parents want to talk to their children openly about relationships, human reproduction and growing up, "but find it challenging to translate understandings they hold into terms children can understand".

The HSE has also awarded a contract to award-winning Dublin animation firm Igloo Promotions to illustrate, design and layout Ms O'Rourke's 30-page full-colour children's book to a similar standard of a commercial children's book.

The project relates to Action 6 of the National Sexual Health Strategy Action Plan 2015-2016 which aims to "develop and disseminate guidelines and advice to parents of children aged under 10 years on sexuality, sexual development and growing up".
Fresh price proposals for the expensive cystic fibrosis drugs Orkambi and Kalydeco have been made to the HSE by the pharmaceutical company Vertex, it was confirmed yesterday.

Around 550 people in Ireland with cystic fibrosis are desperate to try the newest "miracle drug" Orkambi, which targets the underlying cause of the disease - but the original price of 159,900 per patient was deemed too expensive by the HSE.

A spokeswoman for Vertex said it met with the HSE and presented a proposal that recognises "the unique situation in Ireland as well as the importance of our continued significant investment in new medicines".

The company has declined to divulge the new offer on the grounds of commerical confidentiality.

Separately, it made a new proposal on a price for the drug Kalydeco to extend it to around 18 children aged two to five years old.

The HSE's drugs committee is currently examining the offers and will decide what recommendation it will make to the executive.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that former Tanaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney (pictured) has been hired by the international public relations company representing Vertex, which has opened a Dublin office. Hanover Group said its Irish office plans to deliver 2m revenue targets within two years.

Ms Harney, who now has her own website and is available for business advisory services and speaking engagements, retired from politics in 2011.

Lorna Jennings, managing director of Hanover in Dublin, confirmed that Ms Harney has been appointed to its board as a "senior advisor." She said: "We are delighted to have Mary on board as a senior advisor. She is going to provide strategic insight, support and advice to myself and to the wider team as we scale and grow."

However, she said that "while Mary will be a valued advisor to the company and its clients, she has had no role or contact in relation to Hanover's work with Vertex."

During her term as minister for health, Ms Harney gave the go-ahead to the screening of all newborns for cystic fibrosis.

The screening was added in July 2011 to the standard heel-prick test which is automatically given to all newborns to check for a range of disorders.

Previously, some babies were being diagnosed late, putting them at increased risk of malnutrition and respiratory distress. Crucially, the earlier diagnosis has also been cited as increasing life expectancy.

Around three babies a week are diagnosed with the disease or identified as a healthy carrier of the altered gene that causes it.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition with an incidence of as high as one in every 1,353 births here. The indications are that the screening is already leading to less hospitalisation of babies.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has come under fire for their "deeply offensive" and "disrespectful" social media post about the work of staff nurses.

The image shared on the INMO Twitter page depicts a staff nurse doing all the manual labour while other hospital staff stand around watching.

"Hiring so many managers will not resolve your problems. It will just slow things down and confuse the only one person that is really doing the job," the image reads.

The INMO have been criticised for the image, which members of the public called "insulting".

Paul Staunton wrote: "Nurses are fantastic, hard-working colleagues. What does this say about the union's attitudes to other health care workers?"

Read More

Mark Murphy took to Twitter to slam the post saying: "Poor show from INMO. From a surgeon who just finished operating for 12 hours today."

@brianmlucey @Stauntpr @INMO_IRL Come walk a mile in our shoes. I couldn't imagine sharing an image like this making fun of nurses  Gabriel Beecham (@GBeecham) January 14, 2017

@brianmlucey @Stauntpr @INMO_IRL Come walk a mile in our shoes. I couldn't imagine sharing an image like this making fun of nurses  Gabriel Beecham (@GBeecham) January 14, 2017

Poor show from INMO. From a surgeon who just finished operating for 12 hours today. https://t.co/GwP13eKtBc  John Duddy (@DrJohnDuddy) January 13, 2017

@MarianRTE what the @INMO_IRL tweeted yesterday actively disrespecting their doctor colleagues pic.twitter.com/YH2MocP5w2  Catherine Mangan (@catherinem23) January 14, 2017

The post comes after controversy surrounding the work of nurses, as hospitals across the country face huge overcrowding issues.

Officials from the Department of Health and the HSE met with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) yesterday to discuss demands for an improved package to incentivise nurses to apply for jobs here.
Bus Eireann is to announce a ban on all overtime for staff as part of radical measures to save up to 8m over the next few weeks.

According to the Irish Times, the State-owned firm will also put a hold on recruitment and restrict staff carrying annual leave days from last year.

Acting CEO Ray Hernan has told staff that forecasted losses for 2016 are now estimated at 8m, and that "collectively we cannot allow this trend to continue".

Earlier this week, Mr Hernan said that "change is required across the entire company to ensure it can compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace, which is more customer focused".

"Operational efficiencies and a sharp focus on cost drivers will form part of this, along with initiatives to deliver savings that will be announced shortly and activated without delay," the company said.

Mr Hernan has recently been appointed to his current role following the departure of Martin Nolan who stepped down from his role, a year before he was due to depart this week.
The book will be provided later this year and the HSE has commissioned Oscar-nominated author and comedian Kathleen O'Rourke to write it

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is spending 50,000 on a new sex education book for children aged under 10.

Up to 60,000 copies will be circulated across the country and made available free of charge to parents later this year.

The HSE has commissioned Oscar-nominated author and comedian Kathleen O'Rourke to write the book.

Ms O'Rourke shot to fame in 2010 when she was nominated for the Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category for her ingenious comedic creation, Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty.

The 37-year-old Carlow author now faces the challenge of putting her talents towards helping parents explain "the facts of life" to their young children.

The subject matter of the book is human reproduction, the body and other elements of the Relationships and Sexuality (RSE) curriculum.

Ms O'Rourke was commissioned after a study by the HSE's Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP) found that parents want to be able to talk to their children openly about relationships, human reproduction and growing up

However, they "find it challenging to translate understandings they hold into terms children can understand".

It stated that "parents were interested in receiving resources to support them communicating with children. This book is one of the actions that the HSE is taking in response to these findings".

As part of the project, the HSE has also awarded a contract to award-winning Dublin animation firm, Igloo Promotions, to illustrate, design and lay out Ms O'Rourke's 30-page children's book.

According to the tender that Igloo won, the project relates to action six of the National Sexual Health Strategy Action Plan 2015-2016, which aims to "develop and disseminate guidelines and advice to parents of children aged under 10 years on sexuality, sexual development and growing up".

The HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme has published a number of resources for parents and teachers to support them in prov- iding relationships and sex- uality education to young people.

These include the Busybodies Booklet and DVD for 10 to 14-year-olds, You Can Talk To Me for parents of 11 to 15-year-olds and Tips for Talking to Older Teenagers.
Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness speak to journalists as they leave Number 10 Downing Street in London, last year. Photo: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Just hours after she was crowned DUP leader at a glittering ceremony in Belfast, Arlene Foster did something which epitomised why so many saw her as a tidal wave of inspiration in the stale sea of unionist suits.

The local Q Radio Breakfast show received a telephone call from "Arlene from Fermanagh" who gave a light-hearted weather update and complained that there was no snow.

When asked by the intrigued presenters for more personal details, she quipped that she once served on the local council before she landed a job in Belfast. You could never have imagined her predecessor, Peter Robinson, doing something so humorously down-to-earth.

The entire exchange appeared certain to set the likely tone for Mrs Foster's tenure as first minister of Northern Ireland - confident, relaxed, quick-witted and in touch with real people.

That was only a year ago yet it seems like another political lifetime. Today, Mrs Foster is the most ridiculed political leader in the last quarter-of-a-century on either side of the Border.

Since the 'cash-for-ash' scandal broke, she has come across as all those things we believed she was not - arrogant, out of touch, and contemptuous of public opinion.

As the North looks set to go to the polls, what must petrify the DUP is that this image of Mrs Foster isn't restricted to the nationalist community, and that their party could be in line for an electoral battering.

There are indications that those who stood with the DUP through thick and thin, in times of war and peace, are disgusted by what has unfolded over the last month. The party has just weeks to win them back.

Mrs Foster, who never fired a shot or planted a bomb, has bizarrely managed to make Martin McGuinness, the man once dubbed the 'Butcher of the Bogside', seem reasonable and statesmanlike to many who aren't Sinn Fein supporters.

A frail and deeply ill deputy first minister chose to make his way to Stormont to announce his resignation on Monday and answer questions from the media. It appeared to even some of his fiercest critics as a courageous act by a man determined to fulfil his political duty in public despite intensely challenging personal circumstances.

By contrast, Mrs Foster handed Sinn Fein and her unionist opponents a major propaganda victory. She posted a video of herself delivering a monologue as she sat stiffly in front of a marble fireplace - of all locations - in the lavish surroundings of Stormont Castle.

Social media went wild, saying that the DUP leader thought she was the queen. This was more Marie Antoinette meets amateur anchorwoman.

Reading from an autocue, Mrs Foster apologised, as she did last month in the Assembly, for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme which is set to cost the Northern Ireland taxpayer almost 500m (560m). But the problem was that she didn't come across as sufficiently sorry. Nobody expected her to wear sackcloth and ashes but, when the public required humility, they got haughtiness.

The DUP leader mentioned Sinn Fein a staggering eight times in two minutes. But attempting to appeal to sectarian sensibilities in this scandal isn't working.

The next day Mrs Foster appeared wearing a Union flag scarf. Rather than rallying the troops to her side, she came across as a replica of the 'Wrap the Green Flag around me' brigade of Irish nationalism.

If her party suffers significant losses in the forthcoming election, Mrs Foster may not survive as DUP leader. The perplexing aspect of the whole RHI crisis is that she could have avoided it completely had she ceded to Sinn Fein's simple request to step aside for four weeks to allow for an investigation's preliminary report.

The Assembly was about to break for Christmas anyway, and she would by now be back in office. The woman who had once been so surefooted in her career has made strategic error after error recently. It has led the ordinary person on the street to ask who is advising her.

Yet the blame can't be put entirely on her senior advisers. She is a strong, independent woman who knows her own mind and wouldn't hesitate to disregard the advice of the backroom boys if she so desired.

One possible explanation is that her success in bringing the DUP to its best ever Assembly election victory last May could have gone to her head, and her instinctive political intelligence has been replaced by hubris.

By comparison, Sinn Fein has gained the upper hand precisely because it has abandoned its previously sacred tenet that the Stormont institutions must be protected at all costs.

The moment Martin McGuinness announced his resignation, the party's credibility shot up in nationalist areas. It's not that the Shinners' top tier can take credit for devising a smart, bold political strategy. They were forced to change course by an angry grassroots who viewed them as constantly sitting at the back of the bus.

Unlike Gerry Adams, Mr McGuinness displayed little ego in office and appeared willing to serve in Stormont regardless what the DUP threw at him.

But Mrs Foster's perceived arrogance - and the DUP's decision to cut 50,000 Liofa funding to send children to the Gaeltacht while it had just blown 10,000 times that sum on the RHI scheme - created the conditions that forced Sinn Fein to toughen up. And then when it did, it saw how popular that move was with its base and it has no reason to throw the DUP any lifeline.

So far the RHI scandal has hurt only the DUP but if anything emerges linking senior Sinn Fein figures to it, the party will be damaged. Yet for now, Sinn Fein has energised its grassroots.

Despite its talented young team of MLAs, the SDLP's already greatly reduced vote is under renewed pressure.

For all its bravado, the DUP is dreading the election. The next Assembly will have 90, rather than 108 members, as the North moves from six- to five-seater constituencies which means that sitting DUP MLAs may not even be selected to contest the election. The DUP will hope that talk of Mr Adams' possible return to Stormont is true. So strongly do ordinary unionists despise the Sinn Fein president personally that nothing could better help Mrs Foster recover support.

But the candidate now favourite to replace Mr McGuinness is Sinn Fein's young health minister Michelle O'Neill. Her affable manner and lack of IRA baggage would make it hard for the DUP to cast her as a political bogeyman.

Some old hands in local politics predict that, despite the anger currently on the streets over 'cash for ash', the tribal drumbeat will resonate with unionist voters as polling day nears and, with a heavy heart, they will vote DUP.

But Brexit and Donald Trump's election show that, in politics today, nothing is certain. The big question is whether the winds of change, that have brought unexpected results across the world, will finally sweep across Northern Ireland.
Breege and Stephen Quinn stand in front of a photograph of their murdered son Paul. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

The parents of a young man who was savagely beaten to death by an IRA mob say they are "utterly disgusted" by the prospect of Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy being the most likely contender to replace Martin McGuinness in Stormont.

In an exclusive interview with the Irish Independent, Breege and Stephen Quinn from South Armagh accused Mr Murphy of withholding information about the murder of their son Paul in 2007.

"Conor Murphy clearly has information which would be of assistance to the gardai about the murder of our son, but he has avoided them and us at every opportunity he has serious questions to answer but he is getting away with saying nothing," said Breege Quinn.

The 21-year-old died from horrific injuries inflicted when up to a dozen IRA men beat him with iron bars and nail-studded cudgels after he was lured to a farm shed across the Border in Co Monaghan.

Paul Quinn was targeted by the IRA after he stood up to a number of local republicans, including a local Provo godfather who is heavily involved in organised crime in the area.

The problem came to a head when the murder victim beat the Provo's son in a fist fight.

Expand Close Conor Murphy. Photo: Reuters / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Conor Murphy. Photo: Reuters

The gang held three friends of Paul Quinn hostage and forced them to arrange a meeting with him at the isolated farm shed on October 20, 2007.

When Paul Quinn arrived, he was set upon and beaten by the mob for over half-an-hour, breaking every bone in his body - he died a few hours later in hospital.

"All the people around Conor Murphy know who murdered Paul, the dogs on the streets know who murdered Paul.

"They were members of Sinn Fein and the IRA and, what is more, Conor Murphy knows them personally," she added.

"I would be disgusted and sickened knowing that man (Murphy) is sitting up in the deputy first minister's office in Stormont and what he knows about the murder of an innocent young man."

Immediately after the murder, Mr Murphy, who was then an MP, took the unusual step of issuing a public statement claiming that he had spoken to the IRA in South Armagh and was satisfied they weren't involved.

Mr Murphy also branded the victim as "a criminal" and linked his murder to a gangland feud which, he claimed, had no connections with the republican movement.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and other senior figures in the party also repeated the allegations, which have been refuted by the police on both sides of the Border.

Despite repeated calls from the friends and family of the murdered man, Mr Murphy has not offered any information to investigating gardai.

He has also refused to apologise to the Quinn family for calling their son a criminal.

The Garda investigation, based at Monaghan station, has seen the arrest of more than 20 people - including Padraig 'Paudie' Treanor, a former driver for Mr Murphy. No one has yet been charged.

Breege Quinn said she and her family had no intention of giving up their quest for justice.

"Conor Murphy said he spoke to the IRA immediately after Paul's murder and they said they didn't do it; and then he cast a slur on our son by calling him a criminal," the heartbroken mother added.

"We called on Murphy to tell us who he spoke to in the IRA and to share his information with the gardai investigating Paul's murder but he has done nothing.

"We also called on him to publicly apologise for the slur on our son's good name, but again he has done absolutely nothing and has completely snubbed us.

"Conor Murphy has not gone to the gardai or the PSNI even though every day you hear him and other members of Sinn Fein encouraging people to go to the police if they have any information - it illustrates the liars and hypocrites that they are. The reason he tried to claim that Paul was involved in crime was to imply that he had it coming to him and also to take the attention away from the IRA in South Armagh.

"The truth is that the only people involved in crime in this part of the country are members of the IRA and Sinn Fein - they control everything."

Gardai and the PSNI have repeatedly confirmed their belief that Paul Quinn was not a criminal and that he was murdered by known members of the IRA, who are also active members of Sinn Fein, on the orders of a senior Provo in South Armagh.

The then Foreign Affairs Minister, Dermot Ahern, and the SDLP also stated their belief that the victim was not a criminal and that the murder was intended to reinforce the republican movement's stranglehold over the people of South Armagh.

Despite Sinn Fein's repeated denials, the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) - set up to monitor the activities of paramilitaries - also confirmed the involvement of the IRA in the murder.

In November 2007, the IMC stated: "We do believe that those involved included people who are members or former members, or have associations with members or former members of the Provisional IRA."

Breege Quinn said: "We have no intention of giving up our campaign for justice, no matter how long it takes."
From Dingle to Donegal and onto Dubai, we have the lowdown on readers' favourite places to travel.

From Dingle to Donegal and onto Dubai, we have the lowdown on readers' favourite places to travel.

For the Irish Independent Reader Travel Awards 2017: The Results are here.

We have identified Ireland's favourite destination, the airline we prefer to travel with and the holiday hidden gem, as voted by you, our loyal readers.

In today's 'Weekend Magazine' and online on Independent.ie we have sourced the best breakfast in Ireland, the most beautiful beach and the most thrilling Irish adventure.

Food is proving a huge draw for Dingle with everything from local gins to ice-cream and the Kerry town has been selected as the Best Home Holiday Destination.

Readers listed everything from the Slea Head drive to the Blaskets to the Other Voices festival as reasons to select Dingle as a winner.

It'll come as no surprise that our intense love affair with Spain has ensured the Mediterranean country has secured its spot as Ireland's favourite destination.

Chapter One is an institution in itself and our readers have voted Martin Corbett, co-owner and host of the Dublin restaurant, as the face of Irish hospitality.

Our judges have deliberated and agreed on the awards which will mean much more than what the industry thinks.

These are the top spots of go-to getaways and tell-a-friend tips.

Also featured in the magazine are the nine winners of our amazing travel prizes - a tantalising selection of getaways both at home and overseas.
The son of murdered prison officer Brian Stack said it was "scandalous" that Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams had not been questioned by gardai about the brutal killing.

The Irish Independent recently revealed Mr Adams last year sent an email to Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan naming Sinn Fein members who may have information on Mr Stack's murder.

It has since emerged gardai plan to question Mr Adams about the names he claimed he received from Mr Stack's son Austin. Austin Stack has categorically denied he gave the names to Mr Adams.

Speaking before a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Mr Stack said he was concerned Mr Adams had not been questioned by gardai at this stage.

After the meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Stack and his family said they received assurances from Mr Kenny and Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald about concerns they had.

Brian Stack's wife Sheila said her husband "served the State to the best of his ability but the State has let him down".

She said Mr Adams is "concealing information" and asked him to do "the honourable thing" so she and her family could have closure.

TDs Martin Ferris and Dessie Ellis were named in Mr Adams' letter to Garda Headquarters.

Mr Stack said he had no information suggesting Mr Ellis knew anything about his father's murder but said Mr Ferris was questioned by gardai.

He also said Mr Ferris was a "lead operative in the IRA" at the time of the murder.

"Martin Ferris is an individual who wrote scandalous and very hurtful things about my father and then went on Radio Kerry and described the prison management in Portlaoise as Nazis," Mr Stack said.

"I received confidential information in the last couple of weeks that would suggest to me that the only people who were brutal in Portlaoise Prison at the time was the officer-commanding of the IRA who brutally beat and had beaten the younger IRA prisoners at the time," he added.

Mr Stack also read out a statement detailing the events leading up to Mr Adams bringing him to meet a senior IRA figure who told him and his brother Oliver that the terrorist group was responsible for their father's murder.

Mr Adams has until now refused to reveal the name of the IRA figure. Mr Stack said details of the meeting read into the Dail record by Mr Adams were inaccurate.

He said the family refused to issue a statement calling for no prosecutions for their father's murder despite a request from Mr Adams.

He said it was misleading to suggest that the meeting arranged by Mr Adams was part of the peace process.

The Sinn Fein leader last night said he would co-operate with gardai.
TWEET ME



DISCLAIMER *COMMENTS, LINKS, AND CUT AND PASTE ARTICLES, ARE NOT ALL ENDORSED BY THE PUBLISHER.



THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.





MORE DISCLAIMERS



This is a commercial free blog. Money is nice, but being able to speak my mind is better.









"Real talk: Daniel Rubin has a great little piece up wherein he chats with The Field Negro, the Philly-based blogger who sharply ponders all things black on a daily basis. (Seriously, if youve never checked in with TFN, you should: Its author, Wayne Bennett, is a fantastic read who can cut through bullshit like a hot knife through butter, which is a far grosser analogy than I wanted to make, but there you have it.)"

~Philebrity~



"One of the most precocious and hilarious Black political minds on the net. Ive been a long-time fan!" ~Asad Malik~









"..While most of what he writes is tongue-in-cheek, his space is a safe house for candid discussions about race, especially in the comments section, where people of all colors meet."



~~Daniel Rubin, "The Philadelphia Inquirer"~~



"To white people, Bennett's musings are like kitchen-table talk from a kitchen they may otherwise never set foot in. To African Americans, he is part of a growing army of black Internet amateurs who have taken up the work once reserved for ministers and professional activists: the work of setting a black agenda, shaping black opinion and calling attention to the state of the nation's racial affairs."



~~Richard Fausset, "L.A. Times"~~~











~Erik Hare, "The Twin Cities Daily Planet"~



"That's why I love the blog " Field Negro " so much. Field, as he's known to his fans, has the sense of reality that it takes to call out the ( CowPuckey ) of blame beating by those who are in positions of power and their lackeys. Because of his handle and his unabashed way of writing about racial issues, Field is often cited as a "Black blogger." What he is, however, is a first-class detector of blame deflection and an excellent student of history. If you want to write about the past and future of repression there's really no other perspective to take - which is why everyone should read Field."~Erik Hare, "The Twin Cities Daily Planet"~





411 On The Field field negro Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Raised in the house, but field certified. Jamaica is the land of my birth, but I consider myself a citizen of the world. I currently practice law in the city of "brotherly love". View my complete profile



"Half a century after Little Rock, the Montgomery bus boycott and the tumultuous dawn of the modern civil rights era, the new face of the movement is Facebook, MySpace and some 150 black blogs united in an Internet alliance they call the

AfroSpear.



Older, familiar leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, are under challenge by a younger generation of bloggers known by such provocative screen names as Field Negro, thefreeslave

and African American Political Pundit. And many of the newest struggles are being waged online."



~Howard Witt-The Chicago Tribune~



"I had no idea, for example, of the extent of the African-American blogging world out there and its collective powers of dissemination.But now, after reading thousands of anguished, thoughtful comments posted on these blogs reflecting on issues of persistent racial discrimination in the nation's schools and courtrooms, what's clear to me is that there's a new, "virtual" civil rights movement out there on the Internet that can reach more people in a few hours than all the protest marches, sit-ins and boycotts of the 1950s and 60s put together." ~Chicago Tribune Reporter, Howard Witt~

IF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FLAUNT IT. Come visit my store on CafePress!




































Martin Corbett, winner of Weekend Magazine & Independent.ie's ' Face of Irish Hospitality' in the Reader Travel Awards 2017, at Chapter One in Dublin. Picture: Frank Mc Grath

Martin Corbett, winner of Weekend Magazine & Independent.ie's ' Face of Irish Hospitality' in the Reader Travel Awards 2017, at Chapter One restaurant in Dublin. Picture: Frank Mc Grath

What one person embodies the spirit of Irish hospitality? Aoife Carrigy meets your 'Face of Irish Hospitality' for 2017.

Winner: Martin Corbett

You named Martin Corbett, co-owner and former host of Dublins Chapter One restaurant, as the Face of Irish Hospitality' for

The story goes that when a certain late, lamented restaurant reviewer turned up at Dublins Chapter One restaurant to report for a London-based newspaper, his undercover status was already blown.

At least two loyal Dubliners  a tailor and a fellow hack  had called ahead with advance warning. The resulting review captures Martin Corbett brilliantly: A maitre d, who was so effusive and charming he could have given a Christmas tree diabetes, said Mr Gill, its an honour and a great, great pleasure to have you here, which was three lies in the first sentence alone.

The story not only demonstrates how fast word travels in our village of a capital city, but captures the lavish, loquacious welcome for which this stellar Irish restaurant and its Roscommon-born frontman are famed.

Read the full results of our 2017 Reader Travel Awards.

But it misses a couple of essential footnotes. Firstly, a maitre d with Martin Corbetts profound professionalism  never mind his photographic memory  needed no tip-off. He would have recognised AA Gill as sure as he would any other past customer of his Parnell Square restaurant. Besides, as the ever-present front-of-house face of Chapter One until his retirement last June, Martin led a consummate team that always, always put its best foot forward.

Expand Close Chapter One on Parnell Street. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Chapter One on Parnell Street.

Secondly, Chapter One regulars will know that Martins welcome catchphrase was as well-worn as the many pairs of immaculate shoes he must have gone through in his 45-year hospitality career.

Surprisingly, however, Martin is by his own admission, actually a very shy person. I dont interview very well, he anxiously repeats before our chat.

Of course, it transpires hes a great talker  just not one who is very comfortable talking about himself. Over the years weve picked up a few awards for best service, and it would be killing me to have to get up on stage. Thankfully his business partner and executive chef Ross Lewis could talk for Ireland and would usually say a few words instead.

The only reward I ever wanted was customers coming back to the restaurant.

The way Martin says it, you believe it. On a Saturday night at 11 oclock, when you have a room full of diners singing the praise of the food, and of course the service, that to me is very, very rewarding.

Shyness might seem a handicap for a host. But Martin discovered early on that his real role was to deflect attention back onto the most important person in the restaurant: the customer. He began his career as a teen pulling pints in his uncles Clonmel hotel.

A dessert that is the essence of Irish milk & honey? We have it right here. "Flavours and textures of Irish milk and honey" is sublime pic.twitter.com/YJhnKuURjG  Chapter One (@ChapterOneDub) December 9, 2016

It was a glorified pub with a few rooms over it, looking back now, but even at that young age I loved the interaction with people. In the mid-1970s, he landed a role in The Shelbourne, where he saw that the key to a great welcome is to treat people as individuals.

In my years in the Shelbourne, we had a pianist, Fergus Sheil, who knew everybody by their favourite tune. When theyd walk in hed break out of what he was playing and play a line of maybe Dr Zhivago or The Days Of The Kerry Dances or whatever it was. What I learnt from him as a very young man, early in my career, was that everybody loves their identity being recognised.

The Lord blessed me with a photographic memory so I could remember peoples faces even if I havent seen them for five or 10 or 20 years. That helped me an awful lot, he admits, as did his strategy for remembering names: LAURA, which stands for Look At, Use, Re-use and Associate.

Fast forward to the mid-1980s, when Martin found himself working in Eamonn Walshs Old Dublin Restaurant on Francis Street, where Ross Lewis was a rising star.

It wasnt exactly the most fashionable part of Dublin, he says. But he relished its character. I remember one day looking out the window and there was David Bowie going into Cookes Antiques.

In 1993, with the backing of Eamonn Walsh, Ross and Martin secured a basement restaurant space in an equally unfashionable part of town, below Parnell Squares Dublin Writers Museum. Many predicted that a northside fine-dining restaurant would fail, he recalls, but Ross proved that if you get your product and your food right, people will find you.

Today, Chapter One is one of Irelands most acclaimed restaurants. But it took hard graft to make it so. We always had to work twice as hard as our competitors across the river, no doubt about it, Martin agrees. I spent the first two years parking cars... (Anxious about the safety of their vehicle, first-time customers would be told, you double-park your car and Ill take it from there). Well-heeled ladies regularly arrived with designer handbags wrapped in plastic supermarket bags. I wouldnt dare cross the road with this, do you know how much it cost me? theyd say!

Expand Close Ross Lewis at Chapter One / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Ross Lewis at Chapter One

Gradually, things began to come together. Long before the days of social media, Martin could be found handing out flyers on the Gate Theatre steps.

Running one or two banquets a week in the Gallery of Writers upstairs would pay the wages, he says (years of banqueting experience made them the perfect choice to cook for and serve Queen Elizabeth in Dublin Castle in 2001), and high-profile corporate gigs with the likes of Goldman Sachs and Fiat helped build their reputation in the fledgling Irish Financial Services Centre.

Soon, word about town was that Chapter One was the top spot for a pre-theatre meal, especially if you returned for dessert post-show: one of Martins signature Irish coffees, flambeed table-side.

Before long, the restaurant was unmissable when visiting Dublin. Arthur Miller, Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Gabriel Byrne, Al Pacino, Pierce Brosnan... the famous names roll easily off Martins tongue. His mobile number was shared among the Kennedy family, with Jean Kennedy Smith a regular. (I used to be blown away by that these people are royalty.)

But the greatest honour was hosting the restaurants real VIPs, he says: first-time customers for whom a fine-dining restaurant mightnt be their natural habitat  yet.

You would get couples coming in, saying you know we had to save to come here tonight, or with a voucher from their kids in Australia. And you would go the extra mile for those people, he says, adding: thats how we built our business.

Such customers werent always the easiest to serve, he says  often youd know that a fella would rather be at home watching the match  but he enjoyed the challenge.

The meeting and greeting is terribly important  eye contact, a good smile, all that kind of stuff, relax them when they arrive and make them feel welcome to the Chapter One club. And what is probably even more important is to take the time when theyre leaving to walk them to the door or to their taxi and say thank you very much for coming here this evening.

And presumably mean it, as our readers Face of Irish Hospitality nominations attest.

Expand Close Queen Elizabeth delivering her speech, watched by Mary McAleese during the Stte dinner at Dublin Castle in 2011 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Queen Elizabeth delivering her speech, watched by Mary McAleese during the Stte dinner at Dublin Castle in 2011

Martin is quick to remind me that he was blessed with a business partner who could turn out such reliably brilliant food, allowing the front of house team to focus on the customer. Every day of the 30-odd years I worked with Ross was a happy day, he says. Now dont get me wrong, every good marriage has the occasional barney. But looking back on it, he made my life very, very easy with the food and the consistency of the product.

Despite working long hours  youre with people from 10am to 2am, often six days a week  Martin always found time to connect with the green island that his restaurants food so beautifully represents.

Its kept me going for years, he says. Id often driven down early to Wexford on a Sunday morning and walk the beach, and then be ready to engage again.

Looking back on a long and illustrious career, Martin has some sound advice for the next generation of hospitality professionals.

Dont drink too much of that coffee, watch the alcohol intake, and keep yourself right, both physically and mentally. Do your swimming in the sea, do your running. Because you have to manage this business or it will manage you very quickly.

If you can find that balance, he says, and arent shy of hard work, then you too could live a professional life that is an honour, a privilege and a great, great pleasure.

If I had my life to live over, Id do it all again.

What made Martin's welcome so special?

Expand Close Martin Corbett, winner of Weekend Magazine & Independent.ie's ' Face of Irish Hospitality' in the Reader Travel Awards 2017, at Chapter One restaurant in Dublin. Picture: Frank Mc Grath / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Martin Corbett, winner of Weekend Magazine & Independent.ie's ' Face of Irish Hospitality' in the Reader Travel Awards 2017, at Chapter One restaurant in Dublin. Picture: Frank Mc Grath

In asking you to nominate your Face of Irish Hospitality 2017, we looked for an individual that not only made your holidays super-special, but that embodied the Irish spirit of hospitality. We didnt specify their role that was up to you.

Readers cited Martin Corbett's as the best welcome in Dublin. Chapter One has staff who make you feel like youre meant to be there, you added.

Ive only been to Chapter One once, as one satisfied customer put it. But I felt truly welcome for such an upmarket restaurant.

Katy McGuinness, restaurant reviewer

The first time I went to Chapter One in a professional capacity, having not been for several years, I was almost embarrassed by the effusiveness of the greeting from Martin. I thought that somehow he knew I was there to review  even though this was impossible  and that I was getting special treatment. It took a few more visits to realise that everyone who eats at Chapter One is treated to the same warm welcome, and that Martin is honoured to host them all.

Ross Lewis, business partner and executive chef at Chapter One

Martin was the ultimate expression of Irish hospitality. Warm and humorous, he was always willing to share quick-witted anecdotes to entertain but mostly to put people at their ease. His greatest legacy is that the democratic and warm welcome he showed everyone has become our hallmark.

John McKenna, food writer Reader Travel Awards judge

Martins brilliance has always been his ability to unify utter professionalism with the most disarming geniality. As such, he showed how the art of service was a noble, and profound, calling. And in making a success of Chapter One, Martin and Ross Lewis did what everyone said couldnt be done: have a Northside, inner-city, basement restaurant that ranks with the best restaurants in the world.

Declan Maxwell, former restaurant manager at Chapter One

Martin is the ultimate professional who had a special knack of making people feel so important, like they were the only people in the room. He has an amazing ability to remember faces and names and special occasions in peoples lives, which he helped them to celebrate in style in Chapter One.

Michael Colgan, director of The Gate Theatre

My favourite restaurant, and not because its near, is Chapter One. The magnificent food, due to the brilliance of Ross Lewis, and the extraordinary welcome afforded by Martin Corbett made the place legendary. Martin had a great understanding of his customers, was tireless and forever cheerful. He will be missed but in his replacement, Darren, the restaurant will continue to uphold its prestigious reputation and well-deserved reputation.

More from our Reader Travel Awards 2017:
Short-haul, long-haul, frills, no-frills  airlines can impress in any number of ways, but which is your favourite?

WINNER: Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus by a country mile! you said. And you voted that way too.

Aer Lingus got more than twice as many nominations as its closest rival (a much-improved Ryanair, see below), highlighting our emotional attachment to an airline and brand that remains deeply Irish despite its recent acquisition by IAG.

Its that sense of being cared for by our own, the friendly welcome and attention of the staff, you said. Words like warm, personal, welcome and service cropped up over and again, with Aer Lingus staff (below) cited as excellent, well-trained, professional, kind and polite.

Read the full results of our 2017 Reader Travel Awards.

They are always willing to go the extra mile, you told us. There's nothing like the feeling of getting on board and feeling like you're already home.

Since its acquisition by IAG, Aer Lingus has expanded its North American route network, added a new business class, and a direct service to Miami is just one addition that will make 2017 its busiest ever transatlantic schedule.

Expand Close Aer Lingus Cabin Crew / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Aer Lingus Cabin Crew

New flights to Porto in Portugal and Split in Croatia are coming this summer, and the airline is working on introducing Wi-Fi to its short-haul flights in the near future, too.

And the prices? Readers shared a clear sense that Aer Lingus is more expensive than Ryanair, but they frame this as value repaid in terms of service and comfort on board.

Its still Irelands airline," as you put it. "No matter what airport you are in abroad, its always nice to see the shamrock on the tail.

Ryanair's Revolution

Expand Close Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. Passengers board a Ryanair passenger plane. Photo by Ulrich Baumgarrten via Getty Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. Passengers board a Ryanair passenger plane. Photo by Ulrich Baumgarrten via Getty Images

Ryanair may be a runner-up in 2017, but readers were quick to note its website and customer service improvements (our judges too, commented on simple pleasures such as being able to take a handbag on board).

This, combined with its comprehensive route network, reliability and affordability, suggests Aer Lingus shouldnt rest on its laurels.

What they fall down on with service and food, they make up for by providing an affordable and reliable way to travel, you told us.

Holidaymakers, students, grandparents and emigrants sung the praises of an airline making adventures affordable.

I remember a time when I couldnt just fly away on a sun holiday or hop on a plane for a weekend away because the cost was totally beyond my wage packet. Ryanair, it has to be acknowledged, has changed the entire airline business.

I don't want fancy dinners at 30,000 feet, as one reader put it. I want fancy dinners 3,000 miles away.

TRAVEL TRENDS: Going via the Gulf

Expand Close Emirates Boeing 777-300, serving the Dublin to Dubai route. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Emirates Boeing 777-300, serving the Dublin to Dubai route.

In 2017, Dublin Airport will have direct flights to Dubai (Emirates), Abu Dhabi (Etihad) and a new direct service to Doha (Qatar Airways).

The difference these routes are making to the way you travel to Asia, Australia and Africa was clear from your replies. One reader shared an enviable moment from their Emirates flight into Cape Town...

6.00am and just a chink of light showing through the cabin blind on opening it, the South African desert dawn was breaking on the horizon  you couldn't capture the minute!

More from our Reader Travel Awards 2017:
Liam Daly adds some support at the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland Christmas Workshop held in the Ramada Hotel

John Flannery on trombone at the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland Christmas Workshop held in the Ramada Hotel

Emily Ward, Emma Treacy and Ciara O'Connor at the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland Christmas Workshop held in the Ramada Hotel

Members of the Michelle Johnston School of Highland Dance rehearse with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland at their Christmas Workshop held in the Ramada Hotel

Conor Horan at the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland Christmas Workshop held in the Ramada Hotel

Ciara Sweeney, Viola and Niamh Beggy, Violin at the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland Christmas Workshop held in the Ramada Hotel

The Dundalk based Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) held a stunning rehearsal at the Ramada hotel last week as they prepared to lead the Peace Proms UK 2017 in Liverpool later this month.

The orchestra, which was founded by Dundalk woman Sharon Treacey Dunne, will play a starring role in the large-scale choral and orchestral performance at the world famous Echo Arena on Saturday 28 January.

Almost 3,000 children from primary schools in Liverpool and beyond will sing with the Cross Border Orchestra in what is expected to be a stunning event.

The performance will be conducted by internationally acclaimed Greg Beardsell, who is one of the most outstanding and inspirational conductors of his generation.

Soloists will include many local talents, including virtuoso violinist Patricia Treacy; stunning vocalists Zean Donnelly, Eoin Hynes and Lauren Murphy and champion Uilleann Piper Cormac Keegan along with top solo Bag Piper Grahame Harris; World Champion St. Colmcille Drum and Pipe Corps; as well as champion Ulster Scots dancers and Irish dancers.
Ava Tinsley before, during and after her transformation for the Rapunzel Foundation. Pictures from the Hair Shop

Blackrock teenager Ava Tinsley got 2017 off to a wonderful start when she donated an amazing 17 inches of her hair to the Rapunzel Foundation who provide real-hair wigs to young people suffering from hair loss.

The 14-year-old St Vincent's student went to the Hair Shop at Williamson's Mall last week to have the hair cut by stylist Niall. Ava said it was something she had been thinking about for some time and wanted to make the donation to the foundation when her hair was long enough.

She said: 'There are young people going through hair loss and I wanted to help. I was really nervous about getting my hair cut as I had been growing it since I was seven but I was also really excited'.

After plaiting the hair, Niall chopped it and also provided Ava with a gorgeous new bob. Already, more than 500 has been raised for the Rapunzel Foundation thanks to Ava's generous donation and further donations can be made to the charity at the Hair Shop.

The Rapunzel Foundation is a charitable organization that works to improve the lives of those living with hair loss through fund raising as well as through hair raising. People commit to growing their hair 14 inches or longer to make much needed wigs.
Lewis MacDougall as Conor with the creature (voiced by Liam Neeson) in A Monster Calls.

Adapted by Patrick Ness from his award-winning novel, A Monster Calls is a tender coming of age story that will strike a chord with anyone who has lost a loved one to terminal illness.

'Most of us just get messily ever after... and that's all right,' reflects one character in JA Bayona's haunting and elegiac film, which witnesses the devastation wrought by cancer through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy, who has yet to come to terms with the impending loss of a parent.

In the hands of another filmmaker, the teenage protagonist's inner turmoil could provide a road map to emotional manipulation via crocodile tears and mawkish sentimentality.

Spanish filmmaker Bayona, who deftly handled the destruction of the 2004 tsunami through the eyes of another adolescent in his drama the Impossible, allows our tears to well gradually, rather than bludgeon us into submission.

Edinburgh-born relative newcomer Lewis Mac Dougall is mesmerising as the film's fulcrum, tearing at his character's fractured heart with maturity beyond his years.

Felicity Jones and Sigourney Weaver offer sterling support, while director Bayona marshals impressive visual effects to elegantly underline each haunting dramatic note.

Reclusive schoolboy Conor O'Malley (Mac Dougall) is in denial about the dark shadow hanging over his mother Lizzie (Jones).

He silently soaks up physical abuse at school from bullying classmate Harry (James Melville), and seeks refuge each night in his vivid illustrations.

As darkness falls and midnight strikes, the yew tree which stands guard over the nearby church magically comes to life and morphs into a gnarled creature (voiced by Liam Neeson).

The behemoth visits Conor and promises to share three parables.

'Stories are like wild animals. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they may wreak,' growls the hulking visitor.

The creature demands just one thing from Conor in return: 'Tell me your nightmare.'

Each night, the creature spins his yarn and the boy listens intently, searching for meaning in the words.

He only finds bitterness and confusion.

'Many things that are true feel like a cheat,' warns the creature.

Meanwhile, Conor struggles to articulate his churning maelstrom of fears to his well-to-do grandmother (Weaver) and estranged father (Toby Kebbell).

A Monster Calls is an unforgettable start to the new year, crafted with love, tenderness and sensitivity.

The catharsis of the final act is a thing of exquisite, heartbreaking beauty.

I surrendered to juddering, uncontrollable sobs, remembering the loss of my mother eight years ago to the same merciless and monstrous disease.

Some wounds never heal, nor should they, for they are an important reminder of the fragility of our precious day-to-day existence, which we take for granted at our peril.
If you are among the 56% people from Leinster received an unwanted Christmas gift, why not donate it to the Oxfam shop in Clanbrassil Street and help the charity raise vital funds to help people in need.

Oxfam shops across Ireland are in critical need of donations to raise funds for the charity's programmes, including the ongoing refugee crisis in Syria, Europe and beyond. Oxfam anticipates that much of their humanitarian work in 2017 will focus on supporting people forced to flee their homes due to conflict or poverty.

Items which can be donated include Good quality, clean clothing and shoes, bags and accessories, jewellery, unopened gift sets, books, CDs, DVDs, LPs, musical instruments, and homewares.
The death has taken place of Very Rev Fr James (Jim) Shevlin, PE tor the Parish of Carlingford and Omeath, at The Mater Private Hospital, Dublin, on Saturday January 7.

The popular priest who was in his 80th year, had served locally as a curate in Ardee and as Parish Priest of Kilkerley and Dunleer, before taking up his final ministry in the Parish Carlingford and Omeath in 2006.

He studied at the Patrician Brothers' school, Carrickmacross before beginning his theological studies with the Society of African Missions, Dromantine, Newry, Co Down. He was ordained to the priesthood in December 1961 for the Society of African Missions (SMA).

Fr Shevlin's first mission abroad was as curate to the Archdiocese of Joseph, Nigeria where he served for ten years from 1962. He was then posted to New York in 1972 where he worked as curate before returning to Nigeria in 1977. He went back to New York for a further year before being appointed as curate to Ardee Parish in 1978. He was appointed as Parish Priest of Kilkerley in 1994, serving there for four years before being moved to Dunleer in 1998 where he served for eight years. He spent the last ten years of his life in the parish of Carlingford and Omeath, where the Golden Jubilee of his ordination was marked with a special Mass in St Laurence's Church in December 2011.

Fr Shevlin was predeceased by his sister Mary and brother Noel, and is survived his brothers Brendan (London), Tom (Carrickmacross), sister-in-law Ann, nephews, nieces, grand-nephews, grand-nieces, relatives, friends, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Cardinal Brady, the clergy, religious and people of the Archdiocese of Armagh.

Reposing at his residence at 21 Village Green, Omeath, from 4pm on Tuesday and from 12.00 noon on Wednesday. Removal on Wednesday evening at 7pm to St. Laurence's Church, Omeath arriving for Evening Prayers at 7.30pm. Requiem Mass on Thursday at 12 noon, followed by burial in adjoining cemetery.
The late Dr TK Whitaker was honoured as an Irishman of the century for his extraordinary work on economic development in Ireland and building cross border relations in the 1960s

There was great sadness at the death of TK Whitaker who died on Monday, aged 100.

Dr. Whitaker was honoured as an 'Irishman of the century' for his extraordinary work on economic development in Ireland and building cross border relations in the 1960's.

Born in Rostrevor, County Down, his family moved to Louth when he was a child, marking the beginning of his love for the wee county.

Settling in Drogheda, he went on to become a major figure in Ireland's economic expansion in the 1960's and 70's, aiming to reverse the soaring emigration which plagued the country. He also served as a Senator in the late 1970's and 80's and later founded the Economic and Social Research Institute.

He was notably credited for his work in helping to establish the first real links between authorities north and south. His incredible work saw him honoured with a building at Dundalk Institute of Technology named the TK Whitaker building.

Paying tribute to his extraordinary life and career, Louth TD Fergus O'Dowd said: 'The people of Louth can be very proud of Dr Whitaker's contribution to the nation. As Secretary of the Department of Finance in the late 1950's he laid the ground work of much of the prosperity that Ireland has subsequently enjoyed, and his work helped drag Ireland out of its post-independence mire and transformed the Irish economy.

His efforts to modernise Ireland will surely see him remembered as a towering figure of twentieth century Ireland.

Senator Ged Nash added: 'I had the honour of being invited to speak at his 98th birthday celebrations in DkIT just two short years ago. He was a true patriot and gentleman, and generations of Irish citizens owe him a great debt of gratitude.'
A Dundalk man who pleaded guilty to making out cheques, belonging to his then father in law, to himself had the theft charge against his struck out after the judge heard from the victim and read a probation report.

Keith Halpenny, (35), 31 Willowdale, Bay Estate, admitted charges, at an earlier sitting of the district court, relating to four cheques - two in 2010, and one each in 2011 and 2012.

The court heard how the defendant's former father in law brought the four cheques to the attention of Gardai. One was made out to Halpenny in the sum of 1,100 for wages. The victim said it was not his signature on the cheque. The defendant admitted making out the cheque to himself, but denied forging the signature.

The second cheque was for 1045, again for wages, and again the victim claimed the signature was not his. Halpenny said he made the cheque payable to himself, but didn't forge the signature.

A further cheque for 755 was made out, with the same allegation made by the victim and the same admission and forgery denial by the defendant. The last cheque, for 650, was, the victim said, pre-signed and Halpenny made it out to himself, he admitted. Gardai said the total sum involved was 3,550 and added officers had been told the Bank of Ireland in Dundalk had reimbursed the victim for the amounts of the cheques.

Solicitor Niall Lavery said the injured party was his client's father in law and there had been 'a number of cross allegations made' between the parties. The solicitor added there was 'quite a conflict in the evidence in terms of what was said by both about each other'.

He said there had been a marital dispute going on and Halpenny and his wife, the victim's daughter, are now broken up. Mr Lavery said Halpenny had given full explanations to Gardai and there was 'considerable disagreement between him and his wife about how he got the cheques', but the defendant is 'accepting responsibility for his actions'.

Mr Lavery said: 'He's pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and his admitted in full his role and helped with their inquiries'. He had brought a bank draft for the full amount involved to court by way of restitution to the bank.

Gardai said there were allegations about a second person in the case and the bank had reimbursed the victim a total of 12,000.

Halpenny, who has no previous convictions, has never come to the attention of Gardai before, Mr Lavery, said and had led a 'blameless life'. He has 'taken a mature view of this and has made full restitution to the financial institution'.

Mr Lavery said his client, who works as a health and safety officer, would co-operate with the probation service for a report, which was before the judge last week.

The victim told the court how he discovered the money was missing when he looked for a bank statement. He alleged that Halpenny had not apologised to him but he accepted that Halpenny had apologised to him in a text when it was put to him by Mr Lavery.

Halpenny told the court he was deeply sorry for everything that's gone on and his former wife's parents had shown him 'nothing but kindness and consideration'.

He said he now has two small children with a new partner and a conviction of any kind would impact on his work as he travels to Australia and America for his job.

Judge Brennan said the case was 'extremely serious' and while Halpenny had entered a guilty plea and had paid compensation, the charges arose where the defendant 'was effectively a member of the family'.

He said the offences 'involved a breach of trust both to them and to their unfortunate daughter' and he wanted to make it 'quite clear that no blame whatsoever attaches to them' for what he termed 'a shameful offence and a shameful breach of trust'.

He found the facts proven and dismissed the charges and added: 'I want Mr Halpenny to go from this court and know my view of these matters. It was a shameful breach of trust and he has to live with that'.
Thousands of drivers and pedestrians passing along Crowe Street at the weekend would have seen an image of a dignified woman projected onto the gable of the Cathedral Insurances building beside the Town Hall.

The accompanying name, Dorothy Macardle, might have brought a flicker of recognition to some, but for most people she would not be a household name. The projection deliberately set out to remedy this, and Louth County Council organised the event as a way of highlighting the achievements of this Dundalk woman who died in 1958.

The council's Mary T. Daly said: 'Celebrating the achievements of Louth people makes a positive contribution to community pride, and the creation and projection of the image over last weekend in the town centre is a small gesture in returning the work of Dorothy Macardle to a wider audience.

So who was Dorothy Macardle? Born into the well-known and well-to-do Dundalk brewing family in 1889, Dorothy grew up with all the trappings of an upper middle class childhood, but soon exhibited a rebellious streak, which came more to the fore as she reached adulthood. The Easter Rising and the Abbey Theatre were pivotal influences in her development as a Republican.

Perhaps Dorothy Macardle's most famous piece of writing was the publication in 1937 of The Irish Republic. Regarded still, after 80 years, as a book of lasting historical significance, it was to become a foundational text of the new state.

The Irish government invited her to lecture on Irish literature at the New York World's Fair, and she subsequently embarked on a lecture tour throughout America.

Her first novel, Uneasy Freehold, was published in 1941, and proved to be a commercial and critical success. An American edition, retitled The Uninvited, was published the following year, and went on to sell half a million copies. A film version was released in 1944, starring Ray Milland.

Further novels followed, but it was Children of Europe, her social history of World War II, which was to define the final years of her life. Her long-held interest in humanitarianism and child welfare was to bear fruit in her co-founding of The Irish Association for Civil Liberties.

Macardle had an unorthodox, varied and singular life. As the projection in Crowe Street described her last weekend, she was a historian, a writer and an advocate of human rights, but her influence and profile has waned in recent decades.

Ms Daly said: 'Louth has been the birthplace of many creative and principled people who should be celebrated more, and their names and achievements should be better known.

'This small gesture will, we hope, inspire people to learn more about a talented and committed Dundalk woman.

'I'm delighted to see the Arts Service, the Library Service, and An Tain Arts Centre working together on this initiative'.
The annual senior citizens dinner was held last Saturday in the Parochial Hall in Enniskerry.

Formerly known as the 'ICA Christmas Party', the party is organised by some of the daughters of former ICA members.

It was a great day, with around 50 guests enjoying a delicious meal, music and lots of conversation.

Rosemary Kavanagh said that the turkey, ham and gravy were all provided by the Powerscourt Arms.

A team of volunteers pulled together to deliver all the remaining food and desserts, in what was a real community effort.

A small group of women took the lead in organising everything, with no shortage of helpers to ensure the day was a huge success.

Unfortunately around 10 of the guests expected were unable to attend due to illness.

Some of the guests themselves sang or did a recital, with other musicians on hand to perform Irish ballads, and two violin players to entertain everyone.

The whole event was made possible due to a wealth of community spirit.
An Bord Pleanala has upheld permission for Lidl to expand their store at Blacklion in Greystones.

The application seeks permission to demolish and redevelop the existing store. The new store will be two storeys and have a gross floor area of 2,752 square metres.

The permission granted by Wicklow County Council had been appealed to An Bord Pleanala by Cllr Derek Mitchell, independent retailers' body RGDATA and Temple Carrig Secondary School.

Cllr Mitchell said that traffic at Blacklion is very severely congested in the morning and afternoon peak hours. 'People frequently complain to me that it takes up to an hour to get from Hillside estate through this junction,' he said in his appeal. 'There are 11 scheduled bus services going north, and again in the evening peak.

'During the day there are very large delays for traffic turning right from Lidl. A number of external factors will increase traffic in the area - the building of 370 houses at the harbour and two schemes each of about 200 up the road from Lidl, as well as the increase in school numbers each year as Temple Carrig school takes on a new year each year.'

Temple Carrig school objected on the grounds of traffic, access, scale and safety.

'We are concerned that the intensification of use of the site by the applicant will raise traffic safety issues for pupils attending our school,' they said. 'At present some pupils take a desired line through the applicant's site towards the main road. Given the near gridlock that often occurs at the site during school drop-offs and pick-ups, many children are rushing and under pressure to get into school on time.

RGDTA said that the proposed development would have a 'profound negative impact' on the existing town centre, with an increase in store size of 59 per cent.

The German supermarket chain has recently opened new stores in Glenageary and in County Cavan.
A deputation of employees of companies working within Ardmore Studios sought reassurances from County Councillors that the Bray site would remain zoned for films and movies.

At last Monday's meeting, the elected members vowed to do everything in their power to ensure the studio is retained for film and movie use.

Speaking at the meeting were Graham Waters, a representative for film workers, Michael O'Toole, who runs a lighting and generator hire company from Ardmore, and Paddy Trainer, a movie grip.

Wicklow currently has the only two purpose-built film studios in Ireland, the other being Ashford Studios. When at full capacity over 500 people work at Ardmore daily.

RTE studios obtained a prospectus of sale for Ardmore which included a full page dedicated to potential residential development.

State Agency Enterprise Ireland has a 32 per cent stake in Ardmore Studios. The majority of the site is zoned for film and movie use but a section is zoned for housing.

Cllr Joe Behan said Ardmore's value to the economy was 'enormous' and he proposed that Wicklow County Council, as a body, support the workers. He further proposed that all members would agreed to retaining the film and movie use zoning, while reverting the section zoned as housing back to film and movie use.

A delegation of councillors and workers had met with Minister of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, but found her non-committal regarding Ardmore's future.

Cllr Michael O'Connor said: 'Ardmore is vital to the economy of Wicklow. It provides jobs and puts money back into the economy. Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor was very non-committal at the meeting I attended. She said she was fully behind film production in Wicklow but I am not interested in the film industry in Ireland. I am interested in film production in Wicklow. Enterprise Ireland were very non-committal as well.'

Cllr Gerry Walsh also attended the meeting with the Minister but found some of the questions asked by the delegation were met with a response that certain information was too commercially sensitive.
McEgan students set for European Parliament visit: Huge congratulations go to McEgan College Leaving Cert Applied (LCA) students Claire Leahy and Stephanie Kelly, as well as their teacher Ms Creedon, who have been selected to travel to the European Parliament for a four day educational trip later this month.

The LCA students entered the Michael Sweetman Educational Trust Competition. Each year, the Michael Sweetman Educational Trust awards a trip to Euroscola in Strasbourg, France to 24 Leaving Certificate Applied students, attending an ETB school, college or centre.

The girls' Social Education project showcased their work on their own contemporary issue, ranging from LGBT in schools, female genital mutilation and Donald Trump igniting racism.

The students will highlight their knowledge of the European Union and in particular Youth Employment.

The visit is from January 24 to January 27.

Macroom Library has relocated

Macroom Library relocated to a new spot on Railway View, - opposite the bus stop - just before Christmas.

The space - bright and airy -is conveniently located near all amenities, with shopping and free parking nearby. The service is back to normal as book lending, library groups and events will continue as before.

The next meeting of the Irish Conversation Circle is 11.30am this morning, Thursday, January 12, also the Music Morning with guest Connie Foley is this Friday, January 13.

For details of the groups that meet up and other seasonal events running throughout the year, contact Macroom Library on 026 42483.

The staff at the library would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who wished them well and gave them encouragement over the last several months. They would ALSO like to wish all patrons a very Happy New Year.

Register boost for Laochra Og

Laochra Og Hurling and Camogie Club have a new and easy system for our on line registrations. Register before the end of January for a chance to win 50 in a club draw. Family Membership on line is linked to a new GRMA scheme run by the GAA to encourage more family memberships and reward people by attending inter county games etc.

All details on the club website www.laochraog.com. Thanks for all your support.

Info night for parents on teenage online activity

St Mary's Secondary School, Macroom will be hosting a presentation on teenage online activity on Monday, January 23, at 7pm, as part of their dedicated Mental Health and Wellbeing Week.

The talk, entitled, 'Social Media: Challenges for parents', will be delivered by Dr Sinead Devine. Topics including social networking sites, social messaging/chatting apps, dating sites, video-streaming sites, mobile device safety, sexting and cyber-bullying will all be addressed.

Dr Sinead Devine is a Forensic Psychologist who works with the well known advocate of online safety, Dr Maureen Griffin of MGMS Training. Maureen and her team speak regularly to groups of students, parents, teachers and Boards of Management in schools on the topic of online safety.

The organisation also provides training for the HSE, An Garda Siocana and the legal profession. In addition, the group is involved in policy formation on child protection.

The presentation will give an overview of what is currently popular among students, potential dangers as well as practical advice on how to protect children when they are online or using mobile devices.

The talk is not about how to block students from online activity but rather how to teach them to be responsible when online.

The school would like to issue an invitation to all parents and guardians of young people in the area to the presentation on this very important topic on Monday, January 23, at 7pm in the school.
Le Cheile health programme back on track: Mallow Community Health Project is up and running for 2017 with a number of initiatives that can help you get healthy in the New Year.

The walking group is resuming on Thursday, January 12 at 7pm with meeting point at Le Cheile Family Resource Centre. Le Cheile are also getting on board the Operation Transformation programme and will be running extra walks for eight weeks starting on Tuesday, January 17 at 6.30pm with meeting point at the Southside Community Centre. Walkers of all levels are welcome and they plan to do a walk for 40 minutes.

In early February, the health project, in collaboration with Le Cheile Family Resource Centre, will be starting the 'We Can Quit' smoking cessation programme for women. This is a 12 week programme designed by the Irish Cancer Society to help women quit smoking.

The programme involves a weekly group support meeting and access to free nicotine replacement therapy worth 400 and there will be support of a local pharmacist. This is the second time the programme will be run in Mallow after a very successful pilot.

If you are interested in registering for a place, please contact Le Cheile FRC 022-42349 and ask for Martina or Lorraine. If you would like information about the walking groups you can also contact Martina on 087-4335047.

Bungee jumping is back again this year

In May of 2016 people thronged the grounds of the Arches Bar in very much a family and friendly atmosphere in glorious sunshine to view the day long bungee jumping performance in which over 80 thrill seekers, including 30 girls, took to the sky in a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis.

On site were a UK team of professional bungee organisers accompanied by a huge crane with safety being of prime importance for the jumpers and the thousands of onlookers.

This year's event, as a CF fundraiser, will be held on Sunday, April 30 commencing at 12 noon. There are a limited number of sponsored cards and those taking the fall will have to raise a minimum of 250.

For further information and registration please contact Kieran on 087 2230920 or Aisling at 085 8638522.

Toastmasters offers a lively new pursuit for 2017

Speakeasy Toastmasters will hold their first meeting of 2017 at the Hibernian Hotel on tonight Thursday, January 12 commencing at 8pm.

Speakeasy Toastmasters are part of Toastmasters International which is a non-profit educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Speakeasy Toastmasters is one of many clubs that can be found all over Ireland and was formed in 1993.

A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a friendly atmosphere. Members learn communication skills by working in the Competent Communication manual, a series of 10 self-paced speaking assignments designed to instil a basic foundation in public speaking.

Participants learn skills related to use of humour, gestures, eye contact, speech organization and overall delivery. When finished with the basic manual members can chose from 15 advanced manuals to learn skills related to specific interests.

Members also learn leadership skills by taking on various meeting roles and serving as officers at the club and district levels.

Now that 2017 is well and truly here why not come along to any one of the TM meetings as a guest. Guest are never asked to speak at a toastmasters meeting so come along, relax and enjoy the evening.

Speakeasy Toastmasters meet just once a fortnight, on Thursday nights, for two hours from 8pm to 10 p.m. In the Hibernian Hotel. Further information on Speakeasy Toastmasters can be had by visiting www.speakeasytoastmasters.com or by contacting Marie Fitzpatrick, President of Mallow TM.

Obituaries

The late Julia Mary Hickey (nee Reardan) RIP: The death took place on Wednesday, December 28 of Julia Mary Hickey at Bridhaven Nursing Home.

Formerly of Rockmount Terrace, Julia cane from a popular and large Mallow family. She is predeceased by her husband, John Anthony, and survived by her sons John, Billy, Pat, Peter and Paul, daughters Frankie, Lily, Theresa and Majella, relations and friends.

Requiem Mass was celebrated in St. Mary's Church at 2.45pm on Friday December 30 with burial later in St. Gobnait's Cemetery.

To the Hickey family we extend our deepest sympathy.

Philomena Murphy (nee Sheahan) RIP

There was widespread regret at the news of the unexpected passing of Philomena Murphy at her residence in Main Street last week.

Affectionately known by many as 'Mrs Monument House', she will always be remembered as a very friendly and kind woman who was always out and about early in the morning as she opened the old Monument House and the newly established World Of Wonder shop. She greeted people with a friendly smile and was always there for others.

Philomena is predeceased by her husband, Gerard, brothers Denis and Seamus, and sister Joan and survived by her sons Gerald and Aidan, relations, neighbours and many friends.

Requiem Mass was celebrated in St. Mary's Church on Friday, January 6 at 12 noon followed by burial in St. Gobnait's Cemetery.

To the Murphy family we express our sincere condolences.

Tim Neville RIP

The death took place on Saturday, January 7 in his 96th year of Tim Neville at Bridhaven Nursing Home.

From Upper Lachnalooha and formerly of Spa Terrace, Tim worked for many years at Telecom Eireann. Tim is predeceased by his wife, Kathleen, and survived by his sons Raymond, Ger, John and Brendan, daughters Margaret, Theresa (Garahy), Cathereine (Murray) and Helen (O'Sullivan), relatives and friends.

Requiem Mass was celebrated in St. Mary's Church on Monday, January 9 with burial later in St. Gobnait's Cemetery.

To the Neville family we extend our deepest sympathy.
Fianna Fail TD for Cork East, Kevin O'Keeffe is confident full construction of the Dunkettle upgrade will begin in 2019.

"In a reply I received from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, I was informed that land acquisition is currently ongoing in, and around, the site.

"I have also been informed that advance works, including fencing etc, will continue in 2017 and 2018," Deputy O'Keeffe said.

He added that the route represents one of the most important for the county and city: "The Dunkettle Interchange re-development is of crucial importance to both the city and county of Cork.

"For years, local commuters and businesses have been calling for this upgrade to get started. While there will be a delay of a couple of years before full construction begins, the news that advanced works will continue over the next 24 months, will be good news for all involved.

"What is now needed is Government support for the much needed M20 project that will link Cork and Limerick, and help us to fully integrate Cork and Munster's transport network.

"Fine Gael TDs in Cork should impress upon the Minister for Public Expenditure the need to find the resources to deliver on these projects, and have the projects included as part of the Capital Review due to take place this year. It's time they delivered on their promises," concluded O'Keeffe.
The local branch of the Irish Guide Dogs Association (IGDA) would like to thank the people of Drogheda and surrounding areas for their wonderful support with their recent car raffle.

The event proved very successful in raising funds for the local branch of the organisation.

'We really do appreciate their continued support over the years,' said a spokesperson.

The winner of the new car was Ann Horgan from Swords and the ticket was sold by local volunteer Des Callaghan.

Congratulations to everyone involved.

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind is Ireland's national charity dedicated to helping persons who are blind or vision impaired and families of children with autism to achieve improved mobility and independence.

The charity receives over 80% of its income through voluntary donations and fundraising through a network of volunteers across the country. It will cost over 4 million to run the organisation this year.
There was positive developments for the future of the Slane Bypass this week as funding of more than 1m euro has been allocated for the project in 2017.

Local councillor Wayne Harding said the project is well and truly 'back on track' after Transport Infrastructure Ireland allocated 1.2m in funding for the bypass in its 2017 spend.

'This really is fantastic news for the people of Slane, there is now real certainty that the project will return to planning and it will be sooner rather than later,' said Councillor Harding.

'This is a highly significant allocation and will bring it along way towards the oral hearing stage of the process. The first step in the process is a meeting that will take place between officials and the consultants who have been engaged to look at the reasons for refusal in 2012 and rectify these issues.'

He said this meeting will take place later this month.

'An important change in legislation since the last refusal, is that Meath County Council can now engage with An Bord Pleanala prior to a new application being made. This process has already begun,' Cllr Harding said.

'A meeting was held with the TII prior to Christmas where I got a clear commitment that the Slane By pass was one of only eleven national projects ear marked for funding. They have now put there money where their mouth is.'

He described the allocation of funding as good news for the people of Slane and said he is confident that people will see the Bypass go ahead.
A local man caught up in a deadly shooting at a Florida aiport has spoken of the shock and confusion in the aftermath of the attack.

Eoin Reynolds was at Fort Lauderdale airport when suspect Esteban Santiago (26) opened fire on people waiting for their luggage.

The drama unfolded around 1pm local time on Friday when the gunman, armed with a semi-automatic handgun, began his killing spree. Five people were shot dead and six others were injured.

Former Drogheda Independent journalist Eoin has described how people ran in panic after the attack.

The Julianstown man was waiting for a flight with his girlfriend when they became embroiled in the drama unfolding around them.

'In the blink of an eye, the whole mood in the place changed,' he stated, as reports began to filter through that a gunman had opened fire.

''There was absolute panic. People were screaming and running and diving under tables.

'We ducked under a chair and waited, but nobody knew what was happening. In the end, we just ran,' he stated.

They had been waiting in Terminal 3 when a report came through of a shooting in a neighbouring terminal.

'We were waiting to go to Philadelphia,' he explained. 'We then heard that there had been a shooting, but everyone was pretty calm. We heard an announcement that all services were cancelled, but nobody really knew was happening.'

But then all hell broke loose.

'People just began to run. Some were pointing and gesturing but we didn't know if there was gunman coming or someone with a knife.'

Leaving their luggage, Eoin and his girlfriend decided to flee the area, getting to a stairwell that brought them down to the tarmac.

'Staff were ushering us into a room, but it was small and there was just two entrances,. it felt likes lambs to the slaughter if someone came in,' he stated.

Finally, armed police arrived and took everyone onto the tarmac and got them to sit down for hours.

At one stage, it was announced that there was going to be a controlled ecplosion on a suspect device, but it never happened. 'We just sat there, waiting for the bang.'

They were then brought to the front of the terminal, but again, were simply held there for hours.

About 12 hours after the incident, they were loaded onto buses and taken away to Port Everglades.

Due to the drama, Eoin still found himself stuck in Florida on Monday, hoping to get a flight to Dallas and on to London this week.

'We just felt helpless during the whole thing. It is something I never want to go through again,' he stated.
Up to 30 staff members at a local company are facing an uncertain future after news of redundancies were announced.

Shocked staff at Multi-Color Labels on the Donore Road in Drogheda were informed they are facing the possibility of redundancy at a meeting with management on Friday.

The American-owned company, which is located in the Donore Industrial Estate, specialises in manufacturing labels for the pharmacuetical and beverage markets.

Multi-Color Ireland supports the Healthcare, Food & Beverage and Consumer Durables markets with premium label solutions.

Management at the company broke the news to staff at a meeting on Friday.

The company has production facilities and offices across Ireland including Drogheda, Roscommon and Castlebar and employs around 120 people.

Multi-Color has been in Drogheda for over 30 years.

Internationally, Multi-Color Labels is one of the largest label companies in areas including Home and Personal Care, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Specialty, Consumer Durables, and Wine and Spirits.

Multi-Color Corporation services these markets around the world with business interests in the North American, Latin American, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia Pacific regions.
A Swords playwright and actor who showcased his latest play to launch The Atrium space at Fingal County Council County Hall has described it as 'the proudest moment' of his career.

David Gilna (30) from Ellen Wood brought his play 'The Unsung Hero' to The Atrium where over 100 people were in attendance along with Fingal County Council CEO Paul Reid and Mayor of Fingal Cllr Darragh Butler.

'I met Paul Reid about two years ago to talk about the Arts in Swords and we both talked about vision for the Arts,' David told the Fingal Independent.

'He booked my play to perform at The Lord Mayor's pub first and then I was booked to launch The Atrium space.'

'Having my play launch The Atrium is my proudest moment of my career,' he said. 'My work has travelled all over the world but this is my hometown. The place that shaped me as a writer, my roots. I'm very proud of the community I come from,' said David, who started out performing at The Brackenstown Talent Competition when he was very young.

'I can't thank Paul and his team, the Mayor for their passion and vision for the Arts. It's been a breath of fresh air and we have a very strong community of artists in the parish. It's great that we can start building now an audience for the new Civic Centre.'

David's play is about The O'Rahilly and his wife Nannie. The O'Rahilly co-founded The Irish Volunteers and died at the back of Moore Street fighting for freedom.

The play opened at the Theatre Upstairs on Eden Quay in Dublin or the 1916 commemorations and has been on tour ever since.

The Minister for The Irish Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan has booked David's play to mark the Government official commemorations at The O'Rahilly's hometown of Ballylongford in Co Kerry.

The play is starring award-winning actor Conor Delaney and international harpist and soprano Rebecca Murphy.

'The play will continue touring throughout 2017 but Swords for me will always be the highlight,' said David.
Hollywood-born Belinda Carlisle, the daughter of a vacuum cleaner salesman, first achieved fame in the Go-Go's, one of the world's most successful girlbands who sold more than eight million albums in just three years. Our number one from 29 years ago this week is from Carlisle's hugely successful solo career which continues in tandem with Go-Go's tours and occasional recordings. 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth', the lead single from her second studio album, was a number one on many countries, including Ireland, and is now considered Belinda Carlisle's signature tune. Some notable stars lend a hand on the track, including Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas on backing vocals, and Thomas Dolby on keyboards.

1 Heaven Is A Place On Earth Belinda Carlisle

2 Always On My Mind Pet Shop Boys

3 House Arrest Krush

4 Stutter Rap (No Sleep Til Bedtime) Morris Minor and the Majors

5 I Found Someone Cher

6 Angel Eyes Wet Wet Wet

7 All Day And All Of The Night The Stranglers

8 Sign Your Name Terence Trent D'Arby

9 Come Into My Life Joyce Sims

10 Rise To The Occasion Climie Fisher
Ann Marie Collins and Marie Beirnes of Keelings, David Keeling, CEO Keelings Retail, Sandra Nugent,The Ross Nugent Foundation, Paddy Delaney Managing Director, The Beaumount Foundation, and Grainne Kennedy The Irish Cancer Society

Three Irish charities are to enjoy the fruits of the labours of Keelings staff in St Margaret's as the food company distributes almost 22,000 in funds raised in staff charity events over the last year.

Keelings is delighted to announce that the company has raised nearly 22,000 for three separate charities in 2016; The Irish Cancer Society, St Claire's Ward in Beaumont Hospital hospital and The Ross Nugent Foundation.

Keelings staff joined forces to participate in an array of activities throughout the year including bake sales, a Christmas Jumper Day, and Movember.

The Irish Cancer Society, Keelings nominated charity for 2016, received a cheque for 8,297.24. Additionally, St. Claire's Ward and The Ross Nugent Foundation were recipients of 6,606 each. A special donation was made to St Claire's Ward as a tribute to a colleague of the staff at Keelings, Rosie Lunney, who tragically passed away this year from the illness.

Specific funds were raised for machinery and equipment for St. Claire's Ward along with other wards and hospitals for cancer patients.

Speaking about the donations, David Keeling said: 'We are delighted to make such a wonderful contribution to three charities dedicated to improving the quality of research and care available to cancer patients and their families in Ireland.

'I am thrilled for the staff and incredibly proud that their efforts generated such a large donation for such an important cause and of course, in honour of our dear colleague Rosie.'

Keelings is a 100% Irish-owned family business, focused on growing, sourcing, shipping, marketing, sales, distributing fresh produce and supplying first in class produce specific ERP software solutions and consultancy.

Its head office is located in FoodCentral, St. Margaret's, Co. Dublin. Keelings started producing fruits and salads in the 1930's supplying produce to local Dublin markets.

The company currently employs approximately 2,000 people across five business units.

The Keelings family story stretches all the way back to 1926 when the current farm was established. From the early 1920's to the late 1960's, rhubarb was one of its main crops. In the 1930s, it began growing fruits and salads and supplying them to local Dublin markets.

It first planted strawberries in 1937, with Bramleys following in 1949. Since then it's expanded its range but continue to grow, and source, the very best quality fresh produce for its customers to enjoy.

Keelings is passionate about what it does and use its years of expertise to work with growers and suppliers to constantly develop fresh produce to the highest level of best value, best quality, best appearance, best taste and best flavour.

In 2013, it launched its 'Love To Grow' brand so when you see the Keelings name, you know you're getting fresh, quality and great tasting healthy produce.

Today, in addition to growing berries on its farms, it also grows peppers, lettuce, pumpkins and even Irish lilies.
The HSE has confirmed to the Fingal Independent that construction work on Balbriggan's brand new primary care centre will be completed in the first quarter of this year with the first patients expected through the door in the second quarter of 2017.

In response to a query from the Fingal Independent, a spokesperson for the HSE confirmed: 'We expect that the Primary Care Centre in Balbriggan will be completed in Quarter 1 and will become operational in Quarter 2, 2017.'

The HSE spokesperson also detailed the services that will be available to patients in the new primary care centre, which will include speech and language therapy, public health nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, a dental service and GP services.

As well as looking after the physical health of the community, the primary care centre will also have mental health services available and will house a new CAMHS (Child Adult Mental Health Services) centre.

The project was the subject of national controversy when it appeared on a short-list of priority primary care centres under the then Minister for Health, James Reilly.

It was later removed from that list and proceeded separately from that process under what is called a 'direct lease' arrangement.

In this arrangement, the developer secures the building and GP co-operation for the centre and then invites the HSE to lease the building and provide other healthcare professionals to staff it.

The long-awaited project for the town was first granted planning permission back in 2013 and is a badly needed modern health facility in a town that has grown hugely over the past couple of decades.

The huge new building on a prominent site in Dublin Street will at last be welcoming patients through its doors soon.
The passage of a bill that will implement recommendations from the Mahon Tribunal must be prioritised to prevent 'irresponsible and corrupt planning decisions' that have occurred in the past, according to a local TD.

Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell, has said the passage of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 must be prioritised to give effect to the planning related recommendations of the Mahon Tribunal report.

Deputy Farrell explained: 'The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 is important in terms of giving legislative effect to the planning related recommendations of the Mahon Tribunal.

'While I understand this Bill has made it to second stage debate in Dail Eireann twice in the past few months, it cannot be delayed any longer.

'The simple fact is that this Bill is long overdue and, as such, I believe it must now be fast-tracked in order to ensure our planning systems are properly regulated and the events of the past do not happen again.'

The local Fine Gael TD explained why the legislation is important, saying: 'We have seen first-hand the planning irregularities which result from a planning system beholden to corrupt influence.

'Preventing the irresponsible and corrupt planning decisions from reoccurring is one of the reasons for which I first became involved in politics.'

The Fine Gael TD added: 'It is essential now that we ensure the principles of proper planning are followed by all involved in the planning process at all stages, and that the level of transparency in the system is enhanced greatly.

'The passage of this Bill would do this, and it would allow a newly established, independent Office of the Planning Regulator to carry out reviews into the organisation of, and the systems and procedures used, by planning authorities and An Bord Pleanala.

'Furthermore, this independent body would have responsibility for the overall assessment and evaluation of many planning decisions including local authority development plans, and proposals on land zoning.'

Deputy Farrell concluded: 'I would hope that the lessons of the Mahon Tribunal have been learned, however the implementation of the recommendations of the Mahon Tribunal report, and the establishment of the Office of the Planning Regulator, must be treated as a matter of urgency.

'An independent body which can provide comprehensive oversight of our planning system is exactly what is needed to ensure the planning process in Ireland is both robust and beyond reproach.

'The final report of the Mahon Tribunal was published in March 2012, it would certainly not be unreasonable to expect its recommendations to be implemented now in 2017.'

The tribunal looked into corruption allegations in the planning system and ran for several years.
Fingal County Council is being encouraged to avail of a European-wide initiative to provide free wi-fi in public buildings and parks and in selected villages and towns.

Fine Gael MEP, Brian Hayes has called on the four Dublin Local Authorities to apply for the new EU free wi-fi initiative.

The initiative, known as 'WIFI4EU' is expected to be launched in the first half of 2017 and will provide free high quality internet access in parks, public buildings, villages and towns.

Mr Hayes said: 'Three months ago WIFI4EU was unveiled with the aim of providing free wi-fi access in all villages and towns in the EU by 2020. A lot of progress has been made since then with plans to put the initiative into practice in a number of towns and villages expected before summer 2017. WIFI4EU will be funded directly by the EU's Connecting Europe programme. A total of 120 million will be provided for the initial roll-out. It will allow Local Authorities such as Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council to apply for funding to equip parks, public buildings and village squares with high quality wi-fi access.'

The MEP added: 'Roll-out of the initiative will be on a first come, first served basis. It is a great opportunity for the four local authorities to provide a service to Dublin citizens. I strongly support the initiative and hope the Dublin authorities will apply to participate.'
Another 26 Fingal small businesses and start-ups that have been approved for financial supports in the last month by the Fingal Local Enterprise Office are poised to create permanent new jobs.

New positions are being created immediately and it is expected that over the next 12 months, more than 50 new jobs will result from the LEO funding.

Announcing the latest LEO investment of almost 160,000 in small businesses, Fingal LEO stated that 2016 has seen significant growth in employment in the small business sector.

The 26 local businesses were approved for business priming grants, business expansion grants, business innovation grants, export voucher and E-commerce grants. The Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Darragh Butler and the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council Paul Reid presented grant approval letters to each of the businesses at a specially convened awards event in County Hall.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Darragh Butler said: 'Local business is the lifeblood of our economy and the local authority has a crucial role to ensure that small businesses and start-ups are given every opportunity to succeed. I am delighted that our Local Enterprise Office in Fingal is proactively and successfully encouraging and incentivising entrepreneurship.'

Included in this crop of exciting businesses are three food and drink start-ups, including a business that drops ready to cook healthy foods with cooking instructions to the door, a rustic smoked fish pate producer and a powdered milk producer. In addition, the Local Enterprise office approved funding for a delivery business that operates on a crowd source format similar to that of Hailo and also a company that creates global tracking software designed to assist global corporates track the impacts of their business travellers.

Announcing the latest grant approvals, the Head of Enterprise in Fingal, Oisin Geoghegan said: 'Financial supports provided by the Fingal Local Enterprise Office can be crucial in helping start-ups to flourish in their first year of operation. This month we have a range of exciting new small businesses that have great potential to create further jobs in Fingal in the coming years. This is just the start of the journey for many of these businesses and I expect they will continue to create new jobs over the coming years.'

Presenting letters of offer to each of the twenty six grant approved businesses, Paul Reid, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council said: 'In 2016 we have seen increasingly strong demand for services provided by our Local Enterprise Office. On the back of continued improvement in our economy, the Local Enterprise Office has reported acceleration in actual job creation and investment among small businesses in Fingal".

'By the end of this year 2016 we will have provided one to one business support services to over 900 businesses and would-be entrepreneurs, not to mention the many hundreds of others that have availed of all of the wide variety of business support programmes, financial assistance and management development training programmes that the Fingal Local Enterprise Office has organised. All of this is having a profoundly positive impact on our local economy and continued growth.'
Lidl has told the Fingal Independent that it held a public meeting on its project to build a new 'state of the art' store in Portmarnock to 'address a number of concerns and queries regarding our new development'.

The company said it was 'delighted' with the level of engagement at the event from the local community and reported that around 100 people attended the information day.

In a statement issued in response to query from the Fingal Independent, a Lidl spokesperson said: 'Lidl together with our construction firm, architects and engineers provided a detailed overview and visuals of the new Lidl store and answered queries from the public.

'We had approximately 100 attendees throughout the day and, although there were some concerns initially with the development, we feel the majority of the community were appreciative of the open communication and impressed with the quality of the proposed development.'

The company spokesperson added: 'We were delighted with the engagement from the community and have made our Construction Project Manager available to address any concern on a weekly basis for the duration of the Lidl store build.'

Asked to comment on why the development's facade had changed from using 'old stone' favoured by some members of the community to a more modern look, the company spokesperson said: 'With regards the facade of the development, Lidl's architects engaged extensively with Fingal County Council over a number of months to agree the finishes to the building and we believe that the final design represents a modern look that compliments the surrounding area.'

A neighbour of the site, Catherine McMahon told the Fingal Independent that the stone design would have been more in keeping with the area and criticised county planners for allowing the more modern design, saying they had 'a different vision for Portmarnock than the residents have for the village'.

But the project is now underway and Lidl updated the Fingal Independent on its construction schedule and when it is likely to welcome customers for the first time.

The German discount retail store told the Fingal Independent last Friday that construction was due to begin yesterday (Monday) .

A company spokesperson said that Lidl is now 'looking forward to opening a state of the art Lidl store by late summer 2017'.

The site's neighbours are likely to watch the construction project's progress very closely and Lidl have said its project manager will be available to address their concerns.
A man who was found guilty of punching a former Olympic swimmer, knocking him unconscious and leaving him requiring three stitches to his lip while they were in a pub, has been convicted and fined 300.

Des Darragh (55) said he acted in self-defence as he claimed Nick O'Hare (44) spat at him and had given him the finger - although no witnesses could corroborate this in court.

The defendant also said Mr O'Hare was 'taunting and shouting' at him during the course of the evening.

Former Olympic swimmer Mr O'Hare, who represented Ireland in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, said he was in The Snug Bar in Skerries having a few drinks with his partner. While on his way to the bathroom he interacted with a number of people who were in the defendant's company. He said he ignored Darragh as they had fallen out several months prior to the assault.

He said the next thing he remembers is the barman standing over him asking him to wake up.

'I was struck by Des Darragh while I was sitting on a high stool,' said Mr O'Hare. 'I didn't see it coming as it was a blindside shot and I hit my head on the ground.'

He said he was unconscious for around 60 seconds and received a laceration to his lip, a sore head and a sore nose. He said had to get three stitches in his upper lip and still has a scar.

Darragh, of South Strand in Skerries, pleaded not guilty at Swords District Court to assaulting Mr O'Hare, causing him harm on January 16th 2015 at The Snug Bar in Skerries.

Mr O'Hare said he has no recollection of giving him the finger and denied shouting at him as he had his back to the defendant. He also denied he was drunk.

A witness for the defence, Mark Broderick, said he went to the pub to meet two friends including Darragh.

He claimed Mr O'Hare was giving Darragh the fingers to intimidate him.

He said Darragh got off his bar stool and went down to Mr O'Hare 'to see what the problem was.'

'I have no recollection of any shouting and I didn't see any spitting,' said Mr Broderick.

Giving evidence, Darragh claimed he was being taunted and shouted at by Mr O'Hare.

'Once or twice I told him to stop. He was about five metres away from me,' said Darragh.

He said he was 'happy to ignore' Mr O'Hare but he claimed he got 'louder and louder.'

'I went down to ask him to stop and then he spat at me,' said Darragh.

'As he is considerably taller than me I thought he was going to hit me and I feared for my safety.'

He admitted assaulting Mr O'Hare but claimed he acted in self-defence.

Judge Dermot Dempsey said he does not accept the defence argument of self-defence.

'There may have been banter and verbals but the defendant took it a step further to approach Mr O'Hare and assault him,' said Judge Dempsey and convicted Darragh of assaulting Mr O'Hare causing him harm.

Mr Costello said Darragh has no previous convictions and is 'very upset and embarrassed being in court.'

'I am asking you to be as lenient as you can,' Mr Costello said adding that it was 'totally out of character.'

Judge Dempsey said he will proceed by way of monetary penalty and convicted and fined Darragh 300. He fixed recognisance in the event of an appeal.
A twenty tonne, 40ft humpback whale was spotted feeding off the coast of County Wexford on Wednesday.

The whale, which is over 12 metres in length and which weighs around 20 tonne, was spotted by Martin Colfer, who runs a whale and angling boat from Duncannon harbour.

Colfer, 45, was taking a group out on a whale finding journey when they came across the whale which could have been in the area for a fortnight.

'We left at 10 a.m. and came across a pin whale and the first humpback of 2017 spotted in Ireland. It was his first time in Irish waters. This was at around 12.15 p.m. three miles south of Hook Head. They come here on an annual basis around this time to feed. The whales are identified by marks on their tails. This one is a fine specimen. He was feeding and would come up for three blows before going down again to feed and returning to breach the surface. It was a fantastic sight to behold.'

He said humpback whales are common in the area, adding that fin whales, which are the second largest mammals on the planet after blue whales, often return to the same feeding grounds year after year off the County Wexford coastline.

'The mammal was never in Irish waters before. We know this through studying the markings on the tail. His topside is black and he is white and other colours underneath. He could be here for another two or three weeks or he could be gone in a week once the herrings shift further east.'

Anyone who wants to go in search of the humpback whale or a similar whale can contact Colfer, who runs the Rebecca C angling and whale boat from Duncannon, on 087 2657177.
Wexford's Siobhan McGuire has been crowned Weightwatchers' Leader of the Year.

Despite being in the role for just four years, she was announced the winner of the 3,000 prize at an awards ceremony in Dublin recently.

The mother of two daughters, aged seven and nine, runs Weightwatchers groups in Wexford town and Gorey.

She initially joined the organisation around the time of her 21st birthday in 2001, after reaching 12 stone in weight.

Her father died when she was 18, and she found she had to go home from college in Waterford each evening to care for her mother, and she developed bad eating habits.

'I decided to join a class in Waterford as I was attending college there at the time,' she said. 'This was the best decision I've ever made. The programme worked for me and the weight was coming off.'

'I was starting to regain my confidence and was feeling better about myself,' she added. 'When I finished college, I started attending the Clonard class in Wexford town, which is now one of the classes which I run.'

'I got to my goal weight after losing two stone,' she continued. 'Over the years, I've stayed at my goal weight. After each pregnancy, I returned to class and regained control of my weight again.'

'I'm now a leader for nearly five years,' said Siobhan. 'It really is the most fulfilling job imaginable. It's hard to believe that my job transpired from me losing my own weight.

'There are not many jobs that allow you to witness and be privy to somebody making the most positive changes to their lives, looking better, feeling better and getting healthier.'

She said that there is no better feeling than seeing someone walk through the door on week one, ready to make a change but quite apprehensive about whether it will work or not, and every week seeing them change in front of your eyes.

'It's really quite amazing and because I was that member, I know exactly how they are feeling and how fantastic it feels when they are successful,' she said. 'I give my classes and my members 100 per cent. I put a huge amount of effort and thought into my talks.'
Sean Keane will take to the Listowel stage later this month on Thursday January 26

It's an eclectic start to the New Year in St John's with big names in the world of Irish music bringing their latest shows to town in the mix.

Jack L and Sean Keane head the January bill at the theatre. Jack L arrives in show The King of Soho, set to feature performances of tracks from his recently released album Magic Days. That's on Friday, January 20 next.

County Galway native Sean Keane meanwhile will play St John's on Thursday 26 in a concert that's not to be missed for fans of trad, sean nos and the song in general.

This Friday - January 13 - sees Sharon Lyons singing for the Sera Husky charity, a performer who was involved in many of the past year's 1916 commemorations.

It's a dramatic double bill on Saturday 14 with Wilde's The Happy Prince and The Remarkable Rocket a la Bewley's Cafe Theatre.

The following day sees Grammy-nominated Chicago country and bluegrass group Special Consensus taking the stage in the Square.

Fred and Alice, the hilarious story of two mischievious characters who meet in a home stages on Wednesday 18 with the month brought to an end in St John's by Dublin company Literature Through Music in their 'modern musical interpretation' of Shakespeare's classic plays King Lear and Hamlet.
Brian Scanlon and Patrick Treacy with the famous signed Irish jersey nabbed by the latter following the All-Black defeat in Chicago and now up for auction in aid of Arus Mhuire's Brain Injury unit. Photo by Domnick Walsh

Great interest is building ahead of the forthcoming black tie ball in aid of one of North Kerry's most deserving charities, the Aras Mhuire Nursing Home in Listowel.

Organised by local men Pat Treacy, Brian Scanlon, Jimmy Deenihan, Billy Keane and Christy Walsh along with Trish Joy of Aras Mhuire, it's set to become one of the big fundraisers of the year in the region.

And interest is growing fast in this ticketed affair as the people of North Kerry look to making a significant gesture to the great charity.

Helping the interest along is the fact the night - taking place at the Listowel Arms on Saturday, February 11 - will see what is believed to be the only jersey signed by the Irish rugby squad in the minutes after their victory over the All Blacks in November auctioned. The jersey, which Pat managed to get the players to sign after attending the historic game, is one of a number of jerseys to be auctioned online in a sale that will conclude on the big night.

"The ball will be a fist class event with the finest of food, wine and music making it really special," Pat told The Kerryman. "There's great interest in it already as tickets go up for sale and we're hoping for massive support as it is in aid of such a great cause."

Specifically it is the acquired brain/spinal injury unit of Aras Mhuire that is to benefit. The late Mary B Keane and friends from the St Vincent de Paul established the nursing home in 1971, and today it is home to 38 adult s with 54 employed for their 24-hour care - it's a payroll that contributes over 1.3 million to the local economy.

But thanks to the vision of staff and directors it is now also the only nursing home in Kerry with a dedicated neurological care unit. This unit is made up of two rooms, built-for-purpose with the latest in cutting edge communications technology and other to enhance life as much as possible for patients.

Despite all the great work, Aras Mhuire is ranked eleventh lowest of the country's 425 nursing homes in terms of funding. As it receives no HSE funding, the home is heavily reliant on fundraising activities to maintain services vital to the community. That it has achieved so much is surely testament to the generosity of locals. Tickets for the ball, priced at 100, are available from Aras Mhuire or John B Keane's.
Birthday celebrations were put on hold for Rose of Tralee Maggie McEldowney so that she could announce details of the 2017 Rose of Tralee International Festival, which runs from August 16 to 22 this year.

Instead of blowing out 28 birthday candles in her native city of Chicago, Maggie arrived into Ireland to launch the search for her successor. More than 60 Roses from Ireland and Irish communities around the globe will travel to Kerry for the seven-day festival while the 2017 Rose of Tralee will be crowned live on RTE on Tuesday August 22.
Members of Tralee Municipal District Council have signed off on plans to demolish the old Denny factory in the town.

The Council is preparing plans for the long term development of the site - which was gifted to the people of Tralee by Kerry Group in 2014 - but in the meantime the factory is to be torn down and replaced with a temporary landscaped park.

The only part of the plant that is due to remain in place is the distinctive red brick chimney - located towards the centre of the site - which has towered over the rest of the factory for decades.

Following two periods of public consultation - which attracted a massive 800 submissions from the public on the site's future use - the council, on Monday, finally signed off on the plan.

With plans for the demolition now formally approved, work to tear down the historic factory is expected to commence within weeks.

Director of Services Mike Scannell said that as the demolition work progresses a decision will be made on whether to preserve distinctive wooden roof trusses that are a feature of at least two buildings on the site.

In a submission Tommy Collins called for the "high timber roof area" in the factory to be preserved.

The meeting was told it may be possible to preserve examples of the wooden Belfast truss roofs on the site. Alternatively "a recording approach" could be taken which would see the trusses removed and stored elsewhere.

Conservation Architects Southgate Associates were hired to asses the trusses before the final report was submitted to councillors.

"We may need to maintain a few of the buildings but I think the best move is to press ahead (with the demolition) and see what to do as we go ahead," said Mike Scannell.

Councillors unanimously voted to approve the plan and allow work proceed.
Revenue says it is taking a threat to a female member of its Kerry staff very seriously after men called to her home within the past week warning her they would return if a tax demand sent to Kerry Co-Op farmers was not withdrawn in a deeply sinister twist to the dispute.

The woman - who signed the letters that were issued to 400 of the biggest Kerry Group milk supplier members of the Kerry Co-op - also received threatening hate mail to her Limerick home in recent days.

Gardai in Limerick are now monitoring her home as their investigation into the sinister behaviour continues.

The Kerryman understands that Revenue is taking no chances with security at its offices in Kerry, where the official works meanwhile.

A spokesperson for the tax service told The Kerryman it was taking the threat very seriously. They said Revenue would assess any situation as it might arise before taking appropriate action, including the referral of matters to gardai.

"Revenue cannot comment on individual cases. However, in general terms, it is not unknown for individuals to seek to highlight dissatisfaction with an organisation through bullying or threatening behaviour targeting individual staff members, or groups of staff," the spokesperson said.

"Such behaviour is totally unacceptable and Revenue takes any threat against our staff very seriously."

"Our policy is to assess and take appropriate action, including referral to An Garda Siochana."

Kerry Fianna Fail TD John Brassil, who quized tax chiefs before the Joint Oireachtas Finance Committee less than a fortnight after the letters issued last year condemned what he described, as a 'personalised attack' on the official.

"We had a very good strong meeting with Revenue where I did my job as a public representative in probing them and where they did their job as public officials in explaining Revenue's handling of this issue.

"I disagree fundamentally with what they have done, the way they did it and the principle but at the end of the day they are doing a job and personalising attacks on officials like this is totally uncalled for and I in no way condone it."

Kerry's five TDs met with Kerry Co-op representatives in Farranfore on Monday as the dispute continues with all now awaiting the results of a test case before the Tax Appeals Commission expected to determine the exact legal standing of the demand.

Deputies succeeded in getting Revenue to row back on its initial demand at the December 7 Oireachtas hearing.

The 400 farmers were directed in the letter to make payment to Revenue within 21 days initially based on their holding of patronage shares issued by Kerry Co-op in the years 2011, 2012 and 2013.

However, at the hearing Revenue said it would give farmers 60 days to respond for the tax it claimed was owed for just one year - 2011.

"One of the main grounds on which we will be arguing against this decision is on fairness," Deputy Brassil said.

"Tax code is based on fairness with everyone being treated equally. There are 400 farmers in Kerry Co-op singled out under this demand, despite the fact there are thousands of other farmers in the Co-op holding preferential shares and thousands of others across the country holding similar shares in other food producing companies."

He said the move has opened a hornet's nest. "It's a very complex issue, not nearly as black and white as Revenue present it. For instance, what happens any farmer who would have qualified for grant aid to educate their children? If the shares are now being taken as income would that place them beyond the threshold for qualifying and affect future grant aid?"
Irish Water has confirmed to The Kerryman that it has approved funding for works on the troublesome Breanlee water scheme in mid Kerry.

The national water utility will invest 900,000 to replace over seven kilometres of watermains which runs from the water treatment plant and serves parts of Killorglin and nearby townlands. Some of the watermains are up to 70-years old.

It follows widespread complaints about the scheme, as leaks along the supply are commonplace. Mayor of Kerry Michael O'Shea told The Kerryman that there were eight breaks along the system in the fortnight running up to Christmas alone.

"The scheme was commissioned in 1938, and while the plant was upgraded some years ago the pipes are like cardboard now and they're leaking constantly," he said.

"The scheme serves a very large hinterland including parts of Killorglin town and nearby town-lands. There's a strong agricultural base area, so you can imagine how much torment its causing for locals, particularly at this time of year."

Councillor Michael Chaill raised the Breanlee issues at a recent South and West Kerry Municipal District meeting. He said he was delighted at the allocation, and praised Irish Water's response. Cllr O'Shea described the news as 'fantastic.'
The IDA have promised that it will bring more potential investors to Kerry once its new facility in Tralee is completed.

Builders are currently constructing a 5 million Advance Manufacturing Facility at Kerry Technology Park in Tralee.

The IDA owned building - which will be offered as a turnkey premises to potential foreign investors - is due to be completed by the end of June.

Addressing Monday's meeting of Tralee Municipal District Council the IDA's South West Regional Manager Ray O'Connor said the new facility will lead to more investors visits to the county.

His comments follows ongoing criticism of the agency over the lack of investors brought to Kerry in comparison with neighbouring counties.

In the first nine months of last year three investors were brought to Kerry by the IDA compared with 43 visits to Cork and 39 in Limerick.

Mr O'Connor said the new facility would lead to more visits and that the IDA is determined to find and tenant for the facility as quickly as possible.

"Having a building of this quality will help attract more site visits to Kerry. The facility represents a considerable commitment by the taxpayer and we are focussed and committed to securing a tenant," he said.

"The new building is a statement of intent and I guarantee you will see more site visits," he told councillors.

Mr O'Connor said that when it came to marketing Tralee to investors in the past the lack of '"clean new" locations like the new facility had been a problem.

He added that many vacant units in the town did not meet investors' requirements.

"We have previously marketed old buildings in Tralee - for example both the Amann and Goblin plants have been shown - and there is a need for upgrades. There are some buildings I wouldn't be happy to show again," Mr O'Connor said.

Mr O'Connor said in many cases investors wished only to locate in urban areas.
The use of Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) were responsible for directly saving the lives of five mariners last year, including one in Wexford.

In its end of year report the Coast Guard outlined how one of these incidents related to a Coast Guard helicopter rescue of a lone yachtsman, whose yacht had overturned, 20 miles south of Wexford.

The incident occurred at 8pm on July 26 last when the man triggered his Personal Locator Beacon which alerted the Marine Rescue Centre (MRCC) in Dublin of his position.

The Coast Guard Rescue coordination centre in Dublin coordinated his successful rescue of the lone yachtsman.

A second related to the location and recovery of three fishermen whose vessel had sunk. The third incident concerned the location of a single crewed yacht which had become dis-masted off the SW Coast and was subsequently towed to Castletownbere, Co Cork.

Overall last year the Coast Guard coordinated some 2,500 incidents through its three Marine Rescue Coordination Centres based in Valentia, Malin and its Dublin Head Quarters. A total of 405 people who were rescued or assisted were categorised as 'lives saved' on the basis that the intervention precluded loss of life or severe risk of loss of life. RNLI lifeboats were requested to launch on 837 occasions marginally higher that the figure for 2015.
A Wexford-based photographer has been announced as the winner of a photographic competition run by Astronomy Ireland to find the best photograph of the last supermoon, which appeared in our skies on November 28 last.

Des Kiely managed to get a picture of the moon in the sky over Wexford's iconic Pikeman statue in the Bullring and, inspired by the Dubliners' song, captioned it 'The Rising of the Moon'.

The photograph was selected as the winner from hundreds of entries submitted by professional and amateur photgraphers all around the country, netting Des a 500 prize with the photograph being given pride of place on the front cover of the January 2017 edition of Astronomy Ireland magazine.

Des is the photographer whose exhibition of photographs entitled 'Wexford Past and Present' was hosted by Wexford Library during 2016 featuring present day photos of Wexford with old photos of the same locations superimposed on them for historical contrast. The Red Kettle cafe also hosted a display of his photographs last autumn.

Originally from Dublin, Des is a full-time graphic designer and a part-time photographer based in Wexford town.
The same variety of bird flu found in a duck in Wexford has now been reported directly across the water from the county in South Wales.

The Department of Agriculture said last week that that a wigeon was found alive but unable to fly in Wexford on December 28. It has been confirmed the duck had the H5N8 subtype of bird flu.

In recent weeks, birds with the H5N8 subtype have been found in the UK and the department is warning that the disease can cause serious disease in poultry and other birds.

However, no human has been affected by this form of the virus as of yet.

A department statement said: 'No human infections with this virus have been reported world-wide and therefore risk to humans is considered to be very low.'

The disease has been seen to highly pathogenic across Europe and strict measures are being urged to ensure the virus doesn't affect poultry here in Ireland.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed introduced regulations requiring the compulsory housing of poultry as a result of the increased threat of this form of bird flu.

'Flock owners should remain vigilant for any signs of disease in their flocks, and report any disease suspicion to their nearest department veterinary office.'

Bird flu has been confirmed in chickens and ducks in Wales, in the latest instance of the spread of the avian disease across Britain.

Last Monday, it was reported that the same H5N8 variety of bid flu found in Wexford had been found on a premises near Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire, in Wales.

The disease has also affected other parts of Europe where thousands of farmed birds have been slaughtered following outbreaks.
ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's business minister said he supported the Swiss National Bank and its monetary policy, but added that a euro-Swiss franc exchange rate of 1.15 would be welcome.

The currency is currently trading at 1.0721 versus the euro. Two years ago, the bank upended currency markets by suddenly scrapping its limit on the franc.

"I have great confidence in the SNB and its policies," Johann Schneider-Ammann said in Saturday's Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper.

"The SNB is not infallible, but it is independent and is aware of its responsibilities," he added. "It operates with a great deal of sensitivity and skill."

The Swiss franc soared in value versus the euro, the currency of Switzerland's main export market, when the SNB scrapped a long-standing cap on the currency on January 15, 2015.

Schneider-Ammann said a euro-franc exchange rate of around 1.15 would be tolerable for most Swiss business, and would allow long-term investments to be made.

Swiss companies had coped better than expected with the stronger currency, he said, although there could be long-term consequences, he said.

"The longer that business, above all SMEs, sacrifice their profit margins to stay in the market, the less are they able to invest and innovate.

"Because the investment ability of some SMEs has suffered, the full effect of the currency shock has been delayed."

(Reporting by John Revill; editing by Andrew Roche)
The Kennedy Summer School hosted a special gala preview screening on Friday night of the new major Hollywood movie on Jackie Kennedy which is to be released in cinemas nationwide later this month.

The Kennedy Summer School invited 180 guests to the gala screening in St Michael's Theatre New Ross, as the opening event of what the Summer School Committee hopes will be another successful year. The committee have already announced that the summer school, which is organised in association with Wexford County Council and the John F Kennedy Trust, will be held again this year in New Ross from Thursday to Saturday, September 7 to 9.

The movie Jackie tells the story of how following the assassination of President Kennedy, First Lady Jackie Kennedy fought through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children and define her husband's historic legacy. The title role is played by leading actress Natalie Portman whom many reviewers are saying is likely to be nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the movie.

Chairman of the Summer School Willie Keilthy said: 'We are delighted that the distributors have decided to bring the gala screening of this wonderful movie to New Ross. As well as providing an opportunity to thank those who worked on, supported and sponsored last year's programme it will mark a very appropriate and dramatic start to our Programme of Events for 2017.'

The special screening was followed by a panel discussion on Jackie Kennedy's relationship with Ireland, including her visits to Wexford and Waterford after the assassination and on the role played by Irish Cadets as part of the guard of honour at President Kennedy's funeral.

Last month the Kennedy Summer School announced that the guest directors for this year's summer school would be the well-known US political analyst and UCG Law Lecturer Larry Donnelly, and the historian and DIT lecturer Brian Murphy. They are already busy working with the summer school founder Noel Whelan on this year's programme which hopes to build on last year's very successful summer school.

They have arranged this month to meet with the Kennedy Library and Edward M Kennedy Institute of the Senate in Boston to liaise on plans for the three day event in September. As well as looking at the many themes which will arise for the United States and Ireland from the Donald Trump presidency this year's summer school will also mark the 100th anniversary of John F Kennedy's birth in 1917.
Sligo County Council has been asked to explain why it turned down the offer of NAMA homes despite over 1,000 families on its waiting list.

The council was offered 111 social housing units by NAMA but 40 of these were rejected on the grounds of "sustainable community reasons" while a further 29 were not wanted on the reason there was no demand. In a further 29 cases the council confirmed there was a demand.

Independent councillor Declan Bree has written to Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes demanding an explanation and details of the location of the homes offered.

Cllr Bree has been informed that the he will receive a reply "in the coming days" and that the matter was being looked after by a Director of Services.

Cllr Bree said more than 1 billion had been cut from the housing budget since 2008. "The decision to slash funding for the construction of local authority housing has led to a major housing crisis. In addition it has led to the enrichment of private landlords and speculators by forcing more and more people into rent supplement arrangements.

"In 2014 when the Government reluctantly acknowledged there was a growing homelessness crisis and launched its so-called 'Social Housing Strategy' it set a target for the provision of only 101 housing units for Sligo between 2015 -2017.

"It was indicated that there were to be 22 new houses built at Fr Flanagan Terrace, in addition to 28 units at Knappagh Road. Fourteen houses were to be constructed on Council lands on the Rosses Point road, 11 in Collooney, and an additional 20 units on Council lands in Strandhill. However, in the period since the government's strategy was launched only one rural house has been constructed by the Council while there are in excess of 1,000 households on the Council's Housing Waiting list.

"The reality is that approval for the Fr Flanagan scheme was first announced in 2012 and it has been re-announced by government spokespersons on numerous occasions in the intervening period. It clearly cannot be delayed much longer. We have no indication or idea when we will see the other schemes commence.

"The Council's housing department has also pointed to the potential for Council housing schemes on council lands at Maugheraboy (60 houses), Carney (35 to 40 houses) Finisklin and Grange, but to date the government has not been willing to approve such schemes.

"Funding provided to the Council by the Department for the purchase of houses is totally inadequate with an average of only 20 houses being acquired each year.

"While the Council's homeless action team and local social housing services are managing to ensure that there are an adequate number of emergency beds available in Sligo, the fact is that many applicants and families on the housing waiting list are compelled to live in overcrowded or unfit conditions with little or no security of tenure.

"Thanks to the occupation of the Apollo building in Dublin the issue is at last beginning to get the public and political attention it needs."
Four Dublin teenagers were arrested last Sunday after crashing a stolen car into a ditch at Sraghmore, Roundwood, while being pursued by the Gardai.

The teens tried to escape on foot but were apprehended two hours later after local residents used the Roundwood Text Alert to make Gardai aware that four youths had been witnessed by individuals running through neighbouring fields.

At around 2 p.m. a garda patrol car attempted to flag down a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction which appeared suspicious to them.

The car failed to stop and instead took off at high speed. The patrol car turned around and pursued the vehicle.

The car crashed into a ditch at Sraghmore and the four occupants abandoned the vehicle and attempted to make a getaway through fields and woodland.

Several text alerts were sent out to the public from the Gardai seeking assistance as they searched for the four teenagers.

The response from the public resulted in the apprehension of all four suspects around two hours later.

Three of the males are aged 17, while the fourth is aged 18. They all live in the Tallaght area.

'When we arrested them they were all soaking wet and covered in mud. They were spotted by members of the public running through fields and they were able to help us apprehend them,' said a Garda spokesperson.

Three of the youths were brought to Wicklow Garda Station, while the other was interviewed at Roundwood Garda Station.

The car they were driving was reported stolen by fast food delivery person in Ballyogan, Dublin 18, on New Year's Eve.

Speaking at Monday's Joint Policing Committee meeting held in the County Buildings, local Roundwood Councillor Shay Cullen noted the vital role of the text alert scheme in assisting gardai to catch the four teenagers.

'The apprehension of these four individuals shows the power of the text alert scheme.

'I think three alerts went out which showed the serious role the public can play in incidents like these,' said Cllr Cullen.

Superintendent Paul Hogan also praised the success of the local text alert scheme.

All four were later released without charge and a file is currently being prepared for the DPP.
Charge it.

If youre thinking about buying a Tesla take note: The company will soon start charging to power up vehicles purchased after Jan. 15.

The electric car maker this week unveiled new fees to charge Model S and Model X cars at Teslas Supercharger stations. Price will vary from country to country, and within the US, state to state. For example, stations in New York will charge $0.19 per kilowatt hour, $0.20 in California and $0.13 cents in Florida. New buyers will receive an annual 400-kilowatt hour Supercharging creditworth about 1,000 mileson each anniversary of their vehicles purchase, Tesla said. Unused credits do not rollover.

To put that in road-trip terms, Tesla estimates customers will pay around $15 for a trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco, which works out to about $0.04 a mile. That compares with around $45 for the same trip on gasoline based on current AAA gas rates and the national fuel economy average for 2015 model vehicleswhich comes out to $0.12 a mile.

Based on Teslas pricing, it would cost $120 for a trip from Los Angeles to New York, 60 ($64) from Paris to Rome, and 400 ($58) from Beijing to Shanghai.

Tesla had announced the plan to start charging at the Supercharger stations in November 2016; the reason, the company said, is so that it could reinvest in the charging station network.

Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news.

More stories from Quartz:
Carrie Fisher's likeness will not be digitally recreated to appear as General Leia in new Star Wars movies, the filmmakers have confirmed.

Lucasfilm denied rumours Fisher's performance would be recreated for further instalments of the franchise, after it was reported the company was in negotiations with her estate.

A statement on StarWars.com said: " We don't normally respond to fan or press speculation, but there is a rumour circulating that we would like to address.

"We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.

"Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend.

"We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honour everything she gave to Star Wars."

Fisher, 60, died on December 27 after suffering a heart attack on board a flight from London to Los Angeles four days earlier.

Her mother, Singin' In The Rain star Debbie Reynolds, died a day later at the age of 84.

Fisher reprised her role as Leia in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens in 2015 and had finished shooting the next instalment in the saga, Episode VIII, which is due for UK release in December.

She had also been slated to appear in Episode IX, which is slated for release in 2019 and the writers are still deciding how to handle her death.

Speculation her performance would be recreated using special effects was fuelled by the brief digital appearance of Episode IV-era Princess Leia in spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The character Grand Moff Tarkin was also digitally recreated in the 2016 film. The actor Peter Cushing died in 1994.
Johnny Depp claims his former business managers lost him millions of dollars

Johnny Depp has launched a 25 million-dollar (20.5m) court action against his former business managers, on the day his divorce from Amber Heard was finalised.

The Hollywood star has filed a lawsuit against The Management Group (TMG) over claims he has been the victim of "gross mismanagement" which has cost him "tens of millions of dollars".

According to documents filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court, Depp, 53, claims the company and its owners, Joel and Robert Mandel, failed to properly pay his taxes, made unauthorised loans and overpaid for security and other services.

He has filed 11 complaints, including fraud, breach of contract and professional negligence, and is seeking damages of more than 25 million dollars.

The complaint states: "As a result of years of gross mismanagement and sometimes outright fraud, Mr Depp lost tens of millions of dollars and has been forced to dispose of significant assets to pay for TMG's self-dealing and gross misconduct.

"In essence, TMG treated Mr Depp's income as their own, available to either TMG or third parties to draw upon as desired."

Lawyer Michael Kump, representing TMG, said Depp's lawsuit was a "fabrication" and the firm did "everything possible to protect Depp from his irresponsible and profligate spending".

He also claimed the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor owed TMG 4.2 million dollars (3.4m) from a five million-dollar loan it provided.

"His tactics and lawsuit will fail, and he will be forced to pay back the loan as promised," Mr Kump added.

Depp's lawsuit was filed on Friday, the same day his divorce from actress Heard was finalised at Los Angeles Superior Court.

Video of the Day

Depp - who was accused of domestic violence by Heard after their split in April - has agreed to pay her seven million dollars (5.7m), which she has pledged to donate to charity.

Heard, 30, will keep their dogs, Pistol and Boo, and a horse named Arrow, under their divorce agreement.

A confidentiality provision calls for them to refrain from discussing their relationship in interviews or on social media.

In a statement, Depp's Laura Wasser said: "We are all pleased to put this unpleasant chapter in Mr Depp and his family's lives behind them. Having his request for entry of the dissolution judgment granted today made it a particularly lucky Friday the 13th."

Heard's lawyer Pierce O'Donnell said: "My client would be very happy to move on with her life."

Following the domestic abuse allegations, Depp and Heard, who split up after 15 months of marriage, issued a joint statement in August saying there was there was "never any intent of physical or emotional harm".
Kamiyah Mobley was abducted from her mother by Gloria Williams in July 1998. Photo: Reuters

An 18-year-old woman taken from a US hospital hours after she was born has been reunited with her birth family almost two decades later.

Kamiyah Mobley spoke to her birth family via video chat after DNA analysis confirmed her identity.

Expand Close Kamiyah Mobley / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Kamiyah Mobley

The woman she thought was her mother has been charged with kidnapping.

Police arrested Gloria Williams (51) in Walterboro, South Carolina, where Ms Mobley was raised in a small house, about 300km from the hospital where she was born in July 1998.

She will be extradited to Florida on charges of kidnapping and interference with custody.

Ms Mobley was in good health but understandably overwhelmed, Jacksonville sheriff Mike Williams said.

Her birth family cried "tears of joy" after a detective told them the missing baby had been found. Within hours, the Jacksonville family were able to talk to her by video chat.

"She looks just like her daddy," said grandmother Velma Aiken.

Ms Mobley was only eight hours old when she was taken from her young mother by a woman posing as a nurse at University Medical Centre in Jacksonville, Florida, 18 years ago. Ms Mobley's neighbours in Walterboro knew her as Ms Williams' daughter, Alexis Manigo.

Her mother, Shanara Mobley, never gave up hope. In 2008, she said that on every one of her daughter's birthdays, she wrapped a piece of cake in foil and froze it for her.
Doctors tried 26 antibiotics on the superbug but all failed to save the womans life.

A woman in Nevada has been killed by a superbug that proved resistant to every antibiotic available in the US, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said.

The woman's condition was deemed incurable, and 26 different antibiotics were tested in vain before she died in September last year.

She was in her 70s, and had recently returned to the US after an extended visit to India, according to the CDC's 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'.

She had been hospitalised there multiple times before returning to the US and being admitted to an acute care hospital in Nevada in mid-August.

One week later local health authorities were notified that every possible medication had been tried without success.

The CDC later determined that no drug currently on the market would have stopped the bacteria's spread. "It was tested against everything that's available in the United States and was not effective," Dr Alexander Kallen, one of the report's authors told Stat, the health news website which first reported on the discovery of the superbug.

"It's concerning. We have relied for so long on just newer and newer antibiotics. But obviously the bugs can often [develop resistance] faster than we can make new ones," he said.

The sample sent to the CDC was found to contain New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM), an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to many antibiotics.

According to the CDC, "pan-resistant" bacteria are very uncommon, and "infection control contact precautions" are important in such situations, meaning patients will be isolated.

A different superbug was found in at least four patients in the US last year. It was found to be resistant even to colistin, considered the last resort among antibiotics because of its harmful side effects.

Fortunately that bug, known as mcr-1, was not found to be highly contagious.

The CDC considers antimicrobial resistance "one of the most serious health threats" currently facing the US. ( Daily Telegraph London)
A politician has called for US-style border checks in the UK after a murderer was able to holiday in England before launching a hammer attack on two police officers after missing his flight home.

Jamshid Piruz, who was born in Afghanistan but has Dutch citzenship, was initially jailed in the Netherlands and served six years of a 12-year jail term after he slit the throat of his female tenant in 2007.

Yesterday, Hove Crown Court heard that after arriving in Britain in December 2015 to visit relatives, Dutch citizen Piruz missed his return flight home from Gatwick Airport on January 4 2016.

After attempting a break in on January 7, he attacked Police Constables Jessica Chick and Stuart Young with a claw hammer in an incident "akin to a horror film".

Dramatic police bodycam footage showed Piruz being cornered by officers in a tool shed before he lashed out with the weapon.

Piruz pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to burglary, two counts of attempting to cause GBH with intent and affray.

Jailing Piruz to life with a minimum of six years, Judge Jeremy Gold QC told him: "This was an incident of truly terrifying violence, the officers were in fear of their lives and you had no reason to attack them whatsoever."

Simon Blackford, defending, said his client, who sobbed in the dock, was remorseful for his actions.

PC Chick told the court: "I have never been so scared in my life" while PC Young described it as "akin to a horror film".

The case raised questions over Britain's ability to protect itself from high-risk offenders who travel across borders, and over the sharing of information about criminals among countries.

One MP said it was a "shocking case" that highlighted the need to end free movement rules and for Britain to introduce a US-style pre-entry check system paid for by visitors.

Conservative Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke said following the case that it highlighted the need for Britain to introduce more robust border checks.

He said: "This is a truly shocking case. It's simply unacceptable that a convicted murderer like this was allowed into Britain. This is why we need to end free movement and take back control of our borders with stronger border checks.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Over the last year in France, I have been struck by the number of conversations I have had with French people who believe their Muslim compatriots are "taking over" the country. While some of those making this claim have been supporters of the increasingly popular far-right Front National, a party that uses anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric, often conflating the two, others have been staunch critics of the Front National and its fellow travellers.

Their arguments bear little resemblance to reality. France does not collect census data on the religion of its citizens, but demographers estimate Muslims make up less than 8pc of the population. When I put those figures to the French who talk of a supposed 'Muslim take over', they were shocked.

It came as no surprise to me then to read an Ipsos Mori survey published last month which found that out of 40 countries, French respondents were by far the most likely to overstate their country's current and projected Muslim population.

While Ipsos Mori said that nearly all countries overestimate their Muslim population, and many are "extraordinarily wrong", the French findings stood out, not least because France is home to Europe's largest number of Muslims.

The average French estimate held that 31pc of the current population was Muslim - around one-in-three residents - compared with the reality of less than 8pc.

French respondents were also widest off the mark when it came to the projected Muslim population in 2020. The average prediction held that Muslims would make up 40pc of the population of France four years from now, almost five times the 8.3pc forecast by demographers.

Sociologist Raphael Liogier told a French newspaper that the survey findings showed how too many are "trying to find scapegoats for our problems instead of trying to solve them" as France heads towards a presidential election in late April which will see Front National leader Marine Le Pen as one of the main contenders.

Some commentators in France have argued that the 'burkini' controversy last summer - where several towns banned the all-over swimsuit worn by some Muslim women - was orchestrated for political reasons as the country's mainstream right-wing tries to counter Le Pen and her cohort.

"We need to have responsible politicians who tell people what the real situation is and not feed their fear," Mr Liogier said.

"For the last four years, we have fed the fear and prejudices  People used to say that Muslims are not adapting to our culture and values, but now they're saying Muslims intend to take over - to steal our jobs, our lives, our identity."

And it's not just France. The Ipsos Mori survey recorded similar gaps between public perception of Muslim populations and reality in other European countries where, like France, far-right parties and movements have encouraged anti-Muslim sentiment to fuel their expansion.

In Germany where Angela Merkel, facing elections later this year, recently called for a burka ban - though few Muslim women in the country wear the full-face veil - people also greatly overestimated the size of the Muslim population, by as much as 16 percentage points.

British respondents put the current Muslim population at 15pc, three times the actual figure, while they overestimated the projected 2020 population by an even greater margin (22pc against an actual projection of 6pc).

Italian and Belgian respondents believed Muslims comprise a fifth of their countries' populations, when the actual figure is less than 7pc. Similar results were recorded in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. In Poland, where Muslims make up just 0.1pc of the population, respondents believed it was 5pc, and predicted it would more than double by 2020.

These are dangerous days for Europe, not least due to the rise of ultra-nationalist movements peddling bigotry and racism to citizens uncertain about what the future holds. Attacks claimed by Isil in several European countries have stirred anxieties subsequently exploited by such groups for political capital.

A key narrative pushed by the far-right across Europe is the idea of Muslims 'taking over' even though it is not rooted in reality.

Some of this dates back a decade or so, when ultra-conservative American pundits - some of whom are now close to the incoming Trump administration - coined the term 'Eurabia' to fear-monger about demographic changes in Europe. These ideas greatly inspired Anders Breivik who killed over 70 people in Norway in 2011. Much has changed in the last five years, not least the explosion of social media which has been used to great effect by populist movements across Europe.

Perception has become 'truth' for a growing number of people and the result is a fuelling of xenophobia, racism and anti-Muslim sentiment that plays to the hand of the far-right.
A man has been found dead in a suspected suicide at British detention centre - the second death at the facility in little more than a month.

The Home Office confirmed to The Independent that the 27-year-old Polish detainee died at Morton Hall detention centre on Wednesday.

The announcement comes just over a month after a 49-year old inmate was found dead at the same centre on 6 December, and has prompted calls for better levels of health care and mental health support.

The Home Office has not yet confirmed the cause of death, but detainee support group The Unity Centre said fellow detainees at Morton Hall believe he killed himself, and was found hanged in his room.

The group claims the man was refused bail on 23 December, because his heavily pregnant partner was unable to travel to a bail hearing, and therefore could not act as his surety - a person who the courts believe will help a detainee adhere to the terms of their bail conditions.

A statement from the Unity Centre said: [The deceaseds] baby was born on the day of the suicide. It is believed he was aware of the birth before he took his life, and that he had expressed enormous grief at not being allowed to see the birth of his child.

Detainees in Heathrow Removal Centre, Colnbrook, Morton Hall and Yarls Wood [Immigration Removal Centres] overwhelmingly report on the poor levels of health care and mental health support.

The latest announcement brings the total death toll in immigration removal centres to 29 since 2000. In the same week as the death of the 49-year-old detainee at Morton Hall, Tarek Chowdury, 64, was murdered at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, near Heathrow.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We can confirm that a 27-year-old Polish man who was detained at Morton Hall immigration removal centre was found dead on Wednesday 11 January. Our thoughts are with the individuals family at this very sad time.

As is the case with any death in detention, the police have been informed and a full independent investigation will be conducted by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
Islamic State militants launched a new attack on the besieged city of Deir el-Zour on Saturday - in the most fierce fighting in a year, the Syrian government and opposition activists said.

Syrian television said three people were killed and nine wounded in the IS rocket attacks which targeted government-held neighbourhoods from several sides.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported several explosions that rocked the eastern city in the intense offensive. Activists said Syrian warplanes were taking part in the battles to beat back the militants.

Fighting broke out between Syrian troops and IS members in the city and at the nearby military airport controlled by government forces after IS launched their multi-pronged attacks - starting from Baghaliyeh near the north western tip of the city.

The Deir Ezzor 24 news network reported clashes since the morning near Deir el-Zour military airport and other fronts in the city.

It said Syrian warplanes targeted Baghaliyeh and Ayash areas and the vicinity of an army base known as Brigade 137 west of the city.

The group, which controls most of Deir el-Zour province, has kept the provincial capital under siege since 2014.

Government forces have withstood the encirclement thanks to air-dropped humanitarian assistance and weapons and ammunition flown into the airport.

Remaining residents have reported malnourishment and starvation amid severe shortages of food, water and fuel.

IS has tried to capture the government-held neighbourhoods of Deir el-Zour and the city's suburbs over the past months without much success.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday's offensive was the most intense since mid-January 2016, when the group killed dozens of people, most of them pro-government militiamen.

Most of those casualties took place in Baghaliyeh and the killings - many people were shot dead or beheaded - were some of the worst carried out by the extremist group.

The observatory said the group has recently brought in reinforcements, including large amounts of ammunition and fuel, in preparation for the battle.

The Islamic State group, which in 2014 seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and established a so-called Islamic caliphate straddling both sides of the border, is under intense pressure in both countries where it has lost significant territory in recent months.

AP
Rep. John Lewis

Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia on Friday leveled harsh words at President-elect Donald Trump, saying he doesn't think Trump's presidency is legitimate.

"I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis told NBC's Chuck Todd during a "Meet the Press" interview set to air on Sunday.

Lewis pointed to allegations of Russian interference in the recent election, including a dossier of unverified claims about Trump's potential ties to Russia.

"The Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said.

The long-serving Democrat from Georgia was the youngest member of the "Big Six" group of civil-rights leaders, which included Martin Luther King Jr., in the 1960s, and he was instrumental in organizing the marches from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama.

Lewis said he won't attend Trump's inauguration.

"You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong," Lewis told Todd. He said it was a "conspiracy on the part of the Russians" to help Trump get elected.

"That's not right. That's not fair," Lewis said. "That's not the open, democratic process."

NOW WATCH: Watch President Obama tear up while addressing Michelle in his farewell speech





More From Business Insider


Karim Habib never imagined he would join the millions of refugees fleeing his country, but on Monday he got a call he had long been dreading.

When a friend in the Syrian army informed him that he would soon be called up for military service, the 48-year-old oil worker decided to pack his bags and head for the border.

"I did not think they would come for me," he said from a relative's house in Beirut.

"But they are recruiting more men now than at any other time during the war. The age limit is supposed to be 42, but now even those in their fifties and those with health problems are having to fight."

Fresh from victory in Aleppo, President Assad's regime may appear stronger than ever, but its army is struggling. The 300,000-strong pre-war force has been halved by deaths and defections.

"There are no longer any men from 18-50 on the streets any more," Mr Habib - a pseudonym to protect his family - said. "Those who try to avoid the call are imprisoned and tortured, so I felt I had no option but to leave."

Mr Habib had a good job as a manager at an oil company in the capital. For now, he waits in Lebanon for his wife and three young children to be granted visas for Germany, where he holds citizenship and hopes to start a new life.

But many others in Mr Habib's position did not have the option of fleeing. Under the cover of the regime's offensive on Aleppo, thousands of civilians were forcibly conscripted. The UN has said as many as 6,000 Syrian military-aged men are missing after heading from east Aleppo into government-controlled areas.

"The regime has a serious manpower problem, which has so far been compensated by tens of thousands of foreign fighters and loyalist militias along with the Russian air force and Iranian advisers," Faysal Itani, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Centre for the Middle East said. "How it will control the territory it captures if the foreigners get bored and leave is an important question."

Mr Assad has pledged to retake the whole country, but it is likely a promise he cannot keep. The opposing powers brokering peace talks later this month in Kazakhstan look set to carve Syria up into different zones of influence.

Mr Assad would keep Aleppo but will be sure to lose much of northern Syria, where Turkey has stationed troops to create a "buffer zone" along the border.

It may be some time before Mr Habib is able to return.

"All I know is that I cannot serve for this brutal regime which has destroyed the country," he says. "There can be no peace under Assad." ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) run with their weapons during clashes with Islamic State militants in frontline near university of Mosul, Iraq. Photo: Reuters/Ahmed Saad

Iraqi special forces stormed the Mosul University complex in the city's northeast yesterday and pushed Isil back to reach two farther bridges across the Tigris river, the military said.

The militants were fighting back at Mosul University, which they seized when they took over the city in 2014. A Reuters reporter witnessed heavy clashes inside the campus.

Iraqi forces have recaptured most districts in eastern Mosul in nearly three months of a US-backed offensive, which accelerated at the turn of the year with new tactics and better co-ordination.

They aim to take full control of the eastern bank of the Tigris river, which bisects Mosul from north to south, before launching attacks on the west, still fully in Isil hands.

Driving the ultra-hardline Islamist group out of its Mosul stronghold will probably spell the end for the Iraqi side of the caliphate it has declared, stretching into Syria.

By late yesterday, Iraqi elite forces had taken control of part of the university complex and reached two more of the five bridges that link east and west Mosul, Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the counter-terrorism service (CTS) said.

"God willing, in a very short while we will announce the clearing of the entire left bank...there are not many areas left [under Isil control] on this bank," he told state television.

Iraqi forces have now reached Mosul's three southernmost bridges, having battled their way to the Fourth Bridge several days ago.

Senior CTS commander Sami al-Aridhi said the university was the most important Isil base in the eastern half of the city.

"Forces are heading into the depths of the university," Mr Aridhi said early in the day, after bulldozers smashed through a wall surrounding the campus and dozens of CTS troops sprinted through carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

An Iraqi officer said army units backed by air strikes had also taken control of Hadba district, north of the university, and would aid the assault on the complex.
Tourists walk past scaffolding being put up as part of a stage to be used in the presidential inauguration in Washington next Friday. Photo: Getty Images

US spies reportedly warned their Israeli counterparts that Russia may have "levers of pressure" over Donald Trump and told them to be careful about sharing intelligence with the White House in case it was passed on to the Kremlin.

The American intelligence officials reportedly told the Israelis not to share sensitive information with Mr Trump's aides until the incoming president's relationship with Russia had been fully investigated.

Expand Close Senator John McCain gave the dossier on Trump to the FBI. Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Senator John McCain gave the dossier on Trump to the FBI. Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

The claim was made in the Israeli newspaper 'Yedioth Ahronoth'.

A spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu did not respond to a request for comment, and the CIA also declined to comment.

But if true, it underscores the extraordinary state of relations between Mr Trump and US intelligence, with American spies openly warning foreign allies that the president-elect may be compromised by Russia.

The 'Yedioth Ahronoth' story, written by the investigative journalist Ronen Bergman, claimed to have details about a recent meeting between American and Israeli intelligence officials.

"Israeli officials who attended that meeting said that their American counterparts spoke despairingly about the election of Trump, who has repeatedly lashed out at the American intelligence community," Mr Bergman wrote.

He continued: "The American officials went on to say that they believed that Putin has 'levers of pressure' over Trump - but refrained from going into any detail."

The potential leverage referred to is believed to be a dossier of unverified but potentially explosive allegations against Mr Trump which was compiled by Christopher Steele, a former MI6 agent. The dossier was known to US intelligence for months before it became public this week.

Mr Trump has strongly denied that Russia has any leverage over him.

Yesterday, he tweeted that the "phony allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued".

Tense

While relations between the US and Israeli governments have often been tense during the Obama administration, their spy agencies have worked closely together.

The two sides collaborated on Operation Olympic Games, a covert campaign of cyber warfare designed to sabotage Iran's nuclear programme.

Israel is alleged to have also assassinated four Iranian nuclear scientists as part of its effort to disrupt Iranian nuclear development.

While Israel has cordial relations with Russia, Israeli intelligence would be afraid that any secrets which reached Moscow might be passed on to Tehran. Russia and Iran are known to share some intelligence.

"The Israelis who attended the meeting said that the Americans advised them not to expose any sensitive sources to members of the Trump administration, lest that information reach Iranian hands, until it becomes clear that Trump does not have a compromised relationship with Russia and is not vulnerable to extortion," the 'Yedioth Ahronoth' story said.

Meanwhile, Andrew Wood, Britain's former ambassador to Moscow, has admitted briefing a US senator on the so-called "dirty dossier", further entwining Britain in the international controversy.

Moscow has accused the UK of "briefing both ways" against Russia and Trump after it emerged that the dossier on Mr Trump was compiled by Mr Steele.

Mr Wood, a friend of Mr Steele, said he had been sought out by John McCain, an anti-Trump Republican senator, at a convention in Canada last November, after Mr Trump had won the presidential election.

The former ambassador to Moscow from 1995-2000 told the BBC: "I know Chris Steele and the report had already been seen by quite a lot of people in Washington, but not by Senator McCain. I told him I was aware of what was in the report, that it might be true, it might be untrue."

Mr Wood denied he had given Mr McCain a copy of the 35-page dossier, saying: "He  made his own arrangements to get hold of a copy of the report."

He described Mr Steele as "a very competent professional operator. I do not think he would make things up".

"I do not necessarily think he would always draw correct judgment, but that's not the same thing at all." ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent who investigated Donald Trumps alleged Kremlin links, was so worried by what he was discovering that at the end he was working without pay, The Independent has learned.

Mr Steele also decided to pass on information to both British and American intelligence officials after concluding that such material should not just be in the hands of political opponents of Mr Trump, who had hired his services, but was a matter of national security for both countries.

However, say security sources, Mr Steele became increasingly frustrated that the FBI was failing to take action on the intelligence from others as well as him. He came to believe there was a cover-up, that a cabal within the Bureau blocked a thorough inquiry into Mr Trump, focusing instead on the investigation into Hillary Clintons emails.

It is believed that a colleague of Mr Steele in Washington, Glenn Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who runs the firm Fusion GPS, felt the same way and, at the end also continued with the Trump case without being paid.

Fusion GPS had been hired by Republican opponents of Mr Trump in September 2015. In June 2016 Mr Steele came on the team. He was, and continues to be, highly regarded in the intelligence world. In July, Mr Trump won the Republican nomination and the Democrats became new employers of Mr Steele and Fusion GPS.

In the same month Mr Steele produced a memo, which went to the FBI, stating that Mr Trumps campaign team had agreed to a Russian request to dilute attention on Moscows intervention in Ukraine. Four days later Mr Trump stated that he would recognise Moscows annexation of Crimea. A month later officials involved in his campaign asked the Republican partys election platform to remove a pledge for military assistance to the Ukrainian government against separatist rebels in the east of the country.

Mr Steele claimed that the Trump campaign was taking this path because it was aware that the Russians were hacking Democratic Party emails. No evidence of this has been made public, but the same day that Mr Trump spoke about Crimea he called on the Kremlin to hack Hillary Clintons emails.

Read More

By late July and early August MI6 was also receiving information about Mr Trump. By September, information to the FBI began to grow in volume: Mr Steele compiled a set of his memos into one document and passed it to his contacts at the FBI. But there seemed to be little progress in a proper inquiry into Mr Trump. The Bureau, instead, seemed to be devoting their resources in the pursuit of Hillary Clintons email transgressions.

The New York office, in particular, appeared to be on a crusade against Ms Clinton. Some of its agents had a long working relationship with Rudy Giuliani, by then a member of the Trump campaign, since his days as public prosecutor and then Mayor of the city.

As the election approached, FBI director James Comey made public his bombshell letter saying that Ms Clinton would face another email investigation. Two days before that Mr Giuliani, then a part of the Trump team, talked about a surprise or two youre going to hear about in the next few days. Weve got a couple of things up our sleeve that should turn things around.

After the letter was published Mr Giuliani claimed he had heard from current and former agents that theres a kind of revolution going on inside the FBI over the original decision not to charge Ms Clinton and that Mr Comey had been forced by some of his agents to announce the reinvestigation. Democrats demanded an investigation into how Mr Giuliani acquired this knowledge without getting an answer.

In October a frustrated and demoralised Mr Steele, while on a trip to New York, spoke about what he has discovered to David Corn, the Washington editor of the magazine Mother Jones. There was a little flurry of interest that quickly died down.

Mr Trumps surprise election victory came and the Democrat employers of Mr Steele and Mr Johnson no longer needed them. But the pair continued with their work, hopeful that the wider investigation into Russian hacking in the US would allow the Trump material to be properly examined.

Read More

It was against this background that Senator John McCain, who had been hearing with growing alarm reports about Mr Trump and the Kremlin, met Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Moscow, who had spent 10 years in Russia and is highly respected for his knowledge of Russian affairs, at a security conference in Halifax, Canada.

Sir Andrew stressed to Senator McCain that he had not read the dossier, but vouched for Mr Steeles professionalism and integrity. The chair of the Senate Armed Forces Committee then sent an emissary to London who picked up the dossier from an intermediary acting on behalf of Mr Steele. The Senator personally took the material to Mr Comey.

Mr Trump and Barack Obama were briefed about the allegations as part of a report into Russian hacking a week ago. Mr Trump remained silent about them until they were published this week and then he angrily denounced them as lies. His spokesperson said he could not recall the briefing.

Mr Steele is now in hiding, under attack from some Tory MPs for supposedly trying to ruin the chances of Theresa Mays Government building a fruitful relationship with the Trump administration. Some of them accuse him of being part of an anti-Brexit conspiracy. A right-wing tabloid has outed him as being a confirmed socialist while at university.
US President-elect Donald Trump has said "only 'stupid' people or fools" would dismiss closer ties with Russia.(AP)

Donald Trump has said he will probably maintain some of the Obama administration's sanctions against Russia, but might change his mind if Moscow works with the US on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

In an interview, the US president-elect told The Wall Street Journal that "if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions?".

Mr Trump also said he was open to meeting Russian president Vladimir Putin after his inauguration.

Barack Obama imposed the sanctions in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the US election.

Asked if he was committed to the "One China" policy, in which the US does not officially recognise Taiwan's breakaway government, Mr Trump responded: "Everything is under negotiation."

Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee says it will investigate possible contacts between Russia and the people associated with US political campaigns, in a broader investigation into Moscow's alleged election meddling.

In a statement, Republican committee chairman Richard Burr and its top Democrat senator Mark Warner said the panel "will follow the intelligence where it leads".

Mr Burr and Mr Warner said they would interview both senior Obama officials and those in the incoming Trump administration and subpoenas would be issued "if necessary to compel testimony".

"We will conduct this inquiry expeditiously, and we will get it right," they said.

A declassified intelligence report released last week said Mr Putin ordered a hidden campaign to influence the election to favour Mr Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton - revelations that have rocked Washington.

Expand Close Vladimir Putin said that Donald Trump is a smart man / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Vladimir Putin said that Donald Trump is a smart man

Mr Trump and his supporters have staunchly resisted the findings and Mr Trump has fired a series of broadsides at US intelligence agencies, even though he will have to rely on their expertise to help him make major national security decisions once he takes over at the White House next week.

He will be sworn in January 20.

At a news conference this week, he speculated that US intelligence agencies might have leaked details about a classified briefing with him that included unsubstantiated allegations that Russia had collected compromising sexual and financial information about him.

He said any such information was "all fake news. It's phoney stuff. It didn't happen".

The bulk of the intelligence committee's work will be done in secret, although the senators said they would hold open hearings when possible.

"As the committee's investigation progresses, we will keep Senate leadership, and the broader body, apprised of our findings," they said.

Democrats and some Republicans have pressed for a special, select bi-partisan committee to conduct the investigation, but Republican leaders have maintained that the existing committees are capable of handling the inquiries.

According to the committee's statement, the inquiry will include:

:: A review of the intelligence that informed the declassified report about Russia's interference in the election;

:: "Counterintelligence concerns" related to Russia and the election, "including any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns";

:: Russian cyber activity and other "active measures" against the United States during the election, and more broadly.
Donald Trump says he will probably keep some of Barack Obama's sanctions against Russia

President-elect Donald Trump began a long holiday weekend that honors slain black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. by attacking another rights activist and politician who had said he doesn't see Trump as a "legitimate president".

Democratic Representative John Lewis, of Georgia, said on a segment of "Meet the Press" released by NBC on Friday he thought hacking by Russians had helped Trump, a Republican, get elected in November. Lewis said he does not plan to attend Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, the first time he would miss such an event since being elected to the House in 1986.

On Saturday Trump tweeted that Lewis had falsely complained about the election results and instead "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested)."

"All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!" Trump tweeted.

During the campaign, Trump said Democrats had failed African-Americans and Hispanics. "What the hell do you have to lose? Give me a chance," he said at a rally last year in Ohio.

Trump won the presidency with less support from black and Hispanic voters than any president in the last 40 years, only 8 percent and 28 percent respectively, polling data showed.

Lewis, who has been a civil rights leader for more than half a century, was beaten by police during a march he helped lead in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, drawing attention to hurdles for blacks to vote. He protested alongside King that day and on other occasions.

"I believe in forgiveness," Lewis said in the NBC segment about Trump. "I believe in trying to work with people," he said. "It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president."

At least 10 other Democratic U.S. politicians have also said they plan to skip the inauguration including Representatives Raul Grijalva, Lacy Clay and Mark Takano.

Supporters of Trump see him as a brash person who tells things as they are. His comments about Lewis came ahead of an anti-Trump march in Washington headed by the Rev. Al Sharpton. The protest by about 2,000 marchers kicked off a week of rallies planned by dozens of groups against Trump before, during and after the inauguration.

DisruptJ20, which is working with Black Lives Matter and other protest groups, said they are planning to disrupt balls celebrating the inauguration in Washington.

Several of Trump's fellow Republicans also criticized the president-elect's tweets.

Michael Steele, who served as the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee until 2011, said Trump's tweets were unfortunate.

"John Lewis has a walk that very few people in this country, least of all Donald Trump, have ever walked, so you have to respect that," Steele said on MSNBC.

If Trump is looking to fix a bridge to black voters, their expectation is he "will do so in a way that shows respect for our leadership," Steele said.

Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska tweeted that "John Lewis and his 'talk' have changed the world."

Conservative critic Bill Kristol tweeted "It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats (Russian President) Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis."
A boat is trapped by ice on the Danube (AP)

Serbia has asked Hungary to send ice-breakers to clear the Danube river after large chunks of ice formed during the past week of extremely low temperatures.

Authorities said they have declared an emergency situation along a stretch of the Danube near the Hungarian border. A Hungarian ice-breaker could arrive on Monday.

River traffic along the Danube - one of Europe's main waterways - has largely been suspended in eastern Europe during the cold spell.

Other rivers and lakes throughout the region have also been covered in ice.

Temperatures have risen above freezing in Serbia but more bad weather is expected next week.

AP
oil rig

The US oil rig count fell this week for the first time in 11 weeks, according to Baker Hughes.

The number of active oil rigs fell by seven to a total of 522. One gas rig was added, taking that total to 136. The additional miscellaneous rig put the combined count at 659, down by six on net.

The tally of oil rigs rose last week to the highest level in one year, as demand for oilfield-services equipment increased with oil prices.

The renewed confidence to return to the market again could cement US shale drillers as the swing producers of the global oil market. If the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries follows through on its agreement to lower output, strong US production could undermine how much higher oil prices could rise.

Crude oil prices were lower on Friday, with West Texas Intermediate crude futures  the US benchmark  down by 0.8% to $52.59 after the rig count. WTI was on pace for its first weekly decline in five weeks.

1 13 17 oil rigs chart

NOW WATCH: Watch Yellen explain why the Federal Reserve decided to raise rates





More From Business Insider


Donald Trump has torn into revered civil rights campaigner John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaire's White House victory.

His move intensified a feud with the black congressman days before the US national holiday honouring Martin Luther King Junior, and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office.

Trump tweeted on Saturday that Lewis "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results".

The incoming president added: "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!"

John Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than half a century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans.

The weekend clash highlighted the sharp contrast between how many African-Americans view Trump's inauguration compared with Barack Obama's eight years ago.

It also demonstrated that no-one is untouchable for scorn from a president-elect with little tolerance for public criticism.

Trump has found political success even while attacking widely-lauded figures before and after the campaign - a prisoner of war, parents of a dead US soldier, a beauty queen and now a civil rights campaigner.

Mr Lewis, a 16-term congressman, said on Friday that he would not attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol this coming Friday. It will mark the first time he has missed an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago.

"You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, set to air on Sunday.

"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said.

Lewis' spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, declined to respond to Trump and said his "opinion speaks for itself".

"We as a nation do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election," she said.

US intelligence agencies have said that Russia, in a campaign ordered by President Vladimir Putin, meddled in the election to help Trump win.

After spending weeks challenging that assessment, Trump finally accepted that the Russians were behind the election-year hacking of Democrats.

But he also emphasised that "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines".

Democrat Hillary Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College vote.

The Democratic Party of Georgia called on Mr Trump to apologise to Lewis and the people of his district.

"It is disheartening that Trump would rather sing the praises of Vladimir Putin than Georgia's own living social justice legend and civil rights icon," state party spokesman Michael Smith said.

AP
The Dow declined over the week even as investors were disappointed by Donald Trumps first news conference in months. The President elect provided few details about how he would go about executing his economic promises. Instead, he chose to lash out at exorbitant drug prices and at U.S. spy and news agencies over what he called a 'phony' Russia dossier. Oil prices continued to remain volatile and exerted a significant impact on energy shares as well as the broader market.

Last Weeks Performance

The Dow increased 0.3% last Friday following a solid December U.S. jobs report. The U.S. added 156,000 jobs in December, below the consensus estimate of 178,000 job additions. But, a sharp upward revision of Novembers job numbers and a slight trimming of Octobers job numbers indicated that employment growth was more or less in line with broader expectations.

Steady gains in employment have pushed workers pay higher, with average hourly wages climbing 0.4% in December. This in turn pushed the annual gain last year to 2.9%, the fastest rise since the economy started to recover in mid-2009.The unemployment rate, meantime, ticked up to 4.7% from 4.6% in November, matching the consensus expectation. Meanwhile, the U.S. trade deficit increased about 7% in November as imports touched the highest level in almost a year.

The index gained 1% over last week. Benchmarks closed in positive territory for the week following encouraging auto sales data and release of Fed minutes. Additionally, encouraging manufacturing and construction spending data had a positive impact on investor sentiment.

The Dow This Week

The index lost 0.4% on Monday led by declines in energy shares. A decline in oil prices dragged energy shares down. Oil prices tumbled almost 4% on Monday after record Iraqi crude exports raised concerns that OPECs initiative to trim abundant supply of oil would be undermined. Rise in active U.S. oil rigs also hinted at further increase in crude production levels. According to Baker Hughes Incorporated (BHI) the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil jumped by 4 to 529 rigs last week, marking the tenth weekly climb in a row.

Story continues

The index declined again on Tuesday, moving 0.2% lower as investors mostly remained cautious ahead of a news conference by President-elect Donald Trump, to be held on Wednesday, his first since being elected on Nov 8. Beyond Trumps comments, investors also eagerly awaited the commencement of the earnings season and whether it could provide some support to the recent Trump-induced market rally.

The index increased 0.5% on Wednesday following President-elect Donald Trumps first news conference in months. Energy shares were among the days biggest gainers, thanks to rise in oil prices. OPECs decision to trim production levels along with expectations of strong demand growth in China helped oil prices move north. Healthcare shares, on the other hand, finished in the red after Trump said that pharma companies are getting away with murder by charging exorbitant drug prices.

The index closed lower on Thursday, losing 0.3% Thursday after President-elect Donald Trump provided little clarity on economic policies during his first news conference on Wednesday. Trump offered no details on tax cuts and infrastructure outlays that had powered a record-breaking rally over the last two months. Investors began to question the run-up in stock prices following Trumps promises of fiscal stimulus measures even as they gear up for the start of the earnings season.

Components Moving the Index

American Express Company AXP acquired Boston, MA-based mobile device authentication and intelligence solutions provider, InAuth, Inc. Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) rated American Express, as part of its fraud management capabilities, already uses InAuths technology. The latest acquisition follows an investment in InAuth, made earlier this year, by a strategic investment wing of American Express. (Read: American Express Buys InAuth to Boost Digital Security)

In a separate development, last week, American Express released the delinquency and write-off rate statistics for its U.S. Consumer Services (USCS) and U.S. Small Business card member loans, for the month of Nov 2016.

Total USCS card member loans increased 2.6% from the preceding month and 4% from the prior-year period to $46.7 billion in Nov 2016. The 30-day plus delinquency rate remained unchanged at 1.1%, from both the comparable periods. Net write-off rate for the month was 1.5%, down 10 basis points (bps), from the preceding month as well as year over year. (Read: American Express' Delinquency Rate Flat Y/Y in November)

Apple Inc. AAPL recently announced that its App Store generated record sales of more than $20 billion for developers in 2016, up almost 40% from 2015. According to The Wall Street Journal, the revenue figure was nearly $28.5 billion and the company collected almost $8.5 billion from these sales compared with roughly $6 million in 2015. Notably, Zacks Rank #3 rated Apple keeps 30% of all App Store sales. (Read: Apple's (AAPL) App Store Reports Record Sales for 2016)

Meanwhile, per media reports, declining iPhone sales have resulted in Apple cutting CEO Tim Cooks compensation. As a result, Cook took home a compensation of $8.7 million in fiscal 2016, down 15% from $10.3 million received in fiscal 2015. (Read: Apple (AAPL) Slashes CEO Tim Cook's Compensation by 15%)

The Boeing Company BA has received an order for three Next-Generation 737-800 airplanes from South Korea-based Jeju Air, Korea's first low-cost carrier which was established in 2005 and began operations in 2006. The value of the airplanes at current list prices comes to nearly $300 million. (Read: Boeing Wins Order for Next-Gen 737-800 Jets from Jeju Air)

In another development, Boeing reported 2016 deliveries, which show that both commercial and defense shipments were down 1.8% and 2.6%, respectively, on a year-over-year basis. The stock holds a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

McDonalds Corporation MCD recently entered into a strategic partnership with CITIC Limited, CITIC Capital Holdings and The Carlyle Group LP (CG) to form a master franchisee company in charge of Zacks Rank #3 rated McDonald's operations in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Total consideration of around $2.1 billion will be payable by the newly formed company to purchase McDonalds China division. The amount will be settled partly in cash and partly by issuing shares in the new company to McDonalds.

Post the completion of the transaction, CITIC and CITIC Capital will have a controlling stake of 52%, Carlyle will hold 28% while McDonalds share will be brought down to 20%. (Read: McDonald's (MCD) Reduces Stake in China Division to 20%)

Visa Inc. V has finally reached an agreement with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. WMT, which would allow acceptance of Visa credit cards as a form of payment in all Canadian Wal-Mart stores. The latest move undoubtedly seems to put an end to the lingering tussle over credit card transaction fees between the payment network giant and the retail behemoth. Visa has a Zacks Rank #3. (Read: Visa Inks Deal with Wal-Mart, Lifts Credit Card Ban in Canada)

Wal-Mart Stores reported that it will eliminate about 1000 jobs this month, mostly in the human resources department, as the company is struggling with rising expenses. This move is in sync with the retail giants efforts to streamline its stores and make them more efficient. The stock has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). (Read: Wal-Mart (WMT) Announces Job Cuts to Bring Down Expenses)

Merck & Co., Inc.s MRK supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for its anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda, has been accepted under priority review by the FDA. Note that this is the first sBLA filing for Keytruda as combination therapy. Also, if approved, it would be the first treatment option to combine chemotherapy with an immuno-oncology agent for the treatment of advanced lung cancer. With the FDA granting priority review, a response should be out by May 10, 2017. The sBLA will be reviewed under the FDAs accelerated approval program. Merck has a Zacks Rank #3. (Read: Merck: Keytruda+Chemo Gets Priority Review for Lung Cancer)

Performance of the Top 10 Dow Companies

The table given below shows the price movements of the 10 largest components of the Dow, which is a price weighted index, over the last five days and during the last six months. Over the last five trading days, the Dow has gained 0.1%.

Ticker Last 5 Days Performance 6-Month Performance MMM NA -1% GS +1.1% +54.4% IBM -0.2% +6.3% HD +0.5% +1.1% BA -0.5% +21.7% UNH +0.5% +14.8% MCD +3.1% -0.6% TRV +0.1% -0.6% JNJ -2.3% -6.8% AAPL +1.7% +23.1%

Next Weeks Outlook

Investors expectations had built up around the President-elects first news conference in months. Now that they have been dashed, investors will await further signals from the new administration on details about its likely policies. These will surely have a majorimpact on market proceedings in the days ahead. However, markets seem to have lost some of the enthusiasm gained since election results were declared. In such an event, stocks will look at other factors for direction next week.

Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest tickers for the entirety of 2017?

Who wouldn't? These 10 are painstakingly hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. They are our primary picks to buy and hold. Be among the very first to see them >>



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



Merck & Company, Inc. (MRK): Free Stock Analysis Report



Boeing Company (The) (BA): Free Stock Analysis Report



Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report



American Express Company (AXP): Free Stock Analysis Report



Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report



McDonald's Corporation (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report



Visa Inc. (V): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
1. Vin Diesel Calls Ranveer Singh Deepika's 'Boyfriend' And The Smile On Her Face Says It All

A video that is going viral on the internet has Deepika-Vin talking to Anupama Chopra and for the first time ever, Vin Diesel addressed Ranveer as her 'boyfriend'. And guess what? Deepika's shy smile said it all.

2. Priyanka Chopra And Michelle Obama Will Join Hands In A Campaign For Girls' Education, Claim Reports

The call me mellow yellow... @byrdiebeauty  A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Nov 7, 2016 at 6:38am PST

A report quoted PC saying, "She (Michelle Obama) discussed the work I do with UNICEF and how we should work together for the education of the girl child. It was like they knew all about me. Can you imagine being the head of State and having to keep in mind everyone, but being able to do that? That, to me, was impressive."



3. After Bengaluru And Mumbai, Police Deny Permission For David Guetta's Sunburn Concert In Delhi

As per latest reports, the Delhi event that was scheduled for 15th January has been called off. The permission has been rejected after police cited that the organisers didn't have the requisite clearances.

4. My Friendship With Shah Rukh Khan Just Cannot Die, Reveals KJo, In His Autobiography

Karan writes that Shah Rukh is a possessive friend and he may have been hurt when the director went on to make a film without him. "Shah Rukh is a very possessive person. He is a possessive friend. I think I may have hurt him when I made a film without him. And I think I got hurt because when I did, I felt he didn't give me that paternal or fraternal feeling that I had from him otherwise. I think we were two hurt friends for no reason."

U look stunning @simonealex_ @therock your baby looks way better than I ever could in that outfit !! Adorable .. #alexparrish #Halloween with @repostapp  my name is Alex Parrish ... it all started 9 months ago at the FBI academy. A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Oct 31, 2016 at 6:15pm PDT

She was quoted saying, "I don't like the fact that I get paid less than the boys even though I've worked as hard as them. I don't like the fact that the disparity is so massive."
Can you spot the nauvari saris and biker boots?

How does one match the tough style of a Hollywood action star with our Bollywood sweetheart in tow? You give them the most badass welcome you can think of.

That's exactly what happened when Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone landed in Mumbai to promote their upcoming movie xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. Only this time, there was a whole bunch of women clad in nauvari saris and biker boots riding Royal Enfield Bullets.

Deepika's and Vin's total surprise and eventual awe is easy for anyone to see. Check out the cool pics below:

A photo posted by YuppTVBazaar (@yupptvbazaar) on Jan 12, 2017 at 4:02am PST

A photo posted by Daanish Dhansi  (@daanishdhansi) on Jan 11, 2017 at 7:13pm PST

A photo posted by KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI! (@deepikaaddicts) on Jan 11, 2017 at 9:40pm PST

Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images

A photo posted by Deepika Padukone Brasil  (@deepikapadukonebr) on Jan 11, 2017 at 9:18pm PST

deccanchronicle.com

Lead images (L-R): deepikapadukonebr/Instagram; Paramount India
The Union home ministry has informed the PMO that its probe did not find any substance in soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav's allegations on the quality of food served to them.

Facebook

In its report to PMO, MHA has said that "there was no widespread discontent" in constabulary over food, adding that there was no shortage of rations at any post in paramilitary forces and quality check is being conducted regularly.

PMO had sought a report from the Home Ministry after four videos of Yadav complaining about the poor quality of food and their working conditions went viral.

Meanwhile, miffed by the lack of support that the BSF has shown and attempts to discredit his character Yadav's family has decided to end a long standing practice sending their sons to serve in the army.

Facebook

According to DNA, Rohit Yadav the 17-year-old son of Tej Bahadur who was wanting to follow his father's footsteps has now decided not to do so.

"It is an open secret. The food the jawans get is unpalatable, yet they endure it for the love of the nation. Look at what has the same love brought my father: disrepute and baseless allegations," Rohit was quoted saying.

Rohit's cousin, 21-year-old Omvir Yadav, whose father is currently serving in the BSF has also decided with a pained hear to say no to joining the army.

Facebook

For the Yadav family, to serve the nation is a legacy that runs into generations.

"My father went to jail with Netaji and even (former President) Giani Zail Singh in his autobiography has mentioned his name as his political guru. Our entire family has a legacy and that is how I have brought up my children," Sher Singh, Tej Bahadur's father said.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said "Every jawan matters to us" adding that the Army is setting up suggestion-cum-grievances boxes at Army headquarters and at other commands.

PTI

"Suggestion-cum-grievance boxes are being installed at the Army headquarters and at other commands. Anybody having any complaint can use those boxes to voice dissatisfaction. We will address it," Gen Rawat said.

"Still if the grievance is not addressed, whoever has any problem can come to me directly," he said. The Army chief also assured that the identity of any jawan lodging a complaint through suggestion-cum-grievance boxes would be kept secret.

He also expressed concerns over proxy war being waged by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and said that it "is affecting the secular fabric of our country".

PTI

"While we have challenges along our borders, we've to be concerned about the proxy war, terror that are affecting secular fabric of our nation," the Army chief said during an interaction with media in Delhi today.

However, "With synergised efforts of security forces, we have been able to bring the situation under control in Jammu and Kashmir," Bipin Rawat said.
The Army continues to hone its "Cold Start" strategy for conventional military operations as well as keep options like limited "surgical strikes" open while closely watching whether Pakistan actually takes steps towards stemming cross-border terrorism.

BCCL

The "surgical strikes" against terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on September 29, coupled with the massive retaliatory fire assaults across the Line of Control, sent a clear signal to Pakistan that it will no longer be business as usual, said Army chief General Bipin Rawat.

"Our aim is to ensure peace and tranquility on the borders. If the adversary reciprocates our offer, there won't be any need for more surgical strikes. But if they pay no heed, then such operations (surgical strikes) will continue," said Gen Rawat, addressing the customary press conference ahead of the Army Day on January 15.

BCCL

It's "too premature" to assess whether the change in guard in Pakistan Army, with Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa taking over from Gen Raheel Sharif last November, will make any concrete difference in the ground situation. "Let's see if the new chief on the other side wants peace...We will wait-and-watch," he said, holding that the proxy war, terrorism and insurgencies were "affecting the secular fabric of the nation".

The terror launch pads near the LoC, which are fed by the 17 full-fledged terror-training camps deep inside Pakistan and PoK, had virtually "emptied out" after the September 29 surgical strikes. But the militants have once again begun to assemble at the make-shift launch pads, which often relocate depending on the weather and terrain.

"Though ceasefire violations have gone down, infiltration attempts continue. Our troops are ready for winter infiltration also," said General Rawat.

Similarly, the 1.3 million-strong Indian Army has also repeatedly war-gamed its "pro-active war strategy" -- colloquially called the "Cold Start" doctrine - to swiftly mobilise and strike hard across the border within 96 hours or so.

The Army has refined the strategy through a series of theatre-level exercises, apart from progressively moving several armoured formations to forward locations, despite Pakistan often recklessly threatening the use of tactical nuclear weapons to thwart any such conventional military operation.

Reuters

Noting that it involved a high degree of preparation and the ability to achieve surprise, Gen Rawat said, "Future wars will be short and intense. So, one has to be prepared to move and mobilise fast. But it's up to the government to decide to go to war or not."

"The government has given us the task to ensure the country's territorial integrity. Not all tasks to ensure territorial integrity can be done in a defensive mode. Offense, after all, is the best defence," he added.

Gen Rawat is not the first Army chief to talk about the Cold Start strategy, which aims to swiftly punish Pakistan with multiple strikes across the border without necessarily occupying its territory in the event of a terror strike that crosses India's threshold.

In December 2009, in a closed-door military seminar on the `Indian Army Doctrine', the then Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor had declared, "A major leap in our approach to conduct of operations has been the successful firming-in of the `Cold Start' strategy.''

BCCL

This had come after Operation Parakram in 2002 had exposed major operational gaps and the slow troop mobilisation along the border after the terror attack on Parliament in December 2001.

Since then, the Army has been reorganising formations, including the creation of a new South-Western Command in Jaipur in 2005, to acquire a much greater offensive punch along the western front.
It's the 50th year of his graduation from IIT-Kharagpur, and he decided to make the occasion special. On Friday, he returned to his alma mater with $90,000 as a gift. It's not that he has donated for the first time to IIT-Kharagpur, but for Vinod Gupta, the experience has never been so fulfilling. The institute on Friday honoured Gupta for his association with it while kickstarting the alumni meet that will be held over the weekend.

BCCL

An alumnus of the 1967 batch of the department of agriculture, Gupta went on to become the CEO of a number of companies in the US, including infoGROUP, DatabaseUSA.com and Infofree.com.

He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as a trustee of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Gupta was also the US consul general to Bermuda and was nominated by the President to be the US ambassador to Fiji.

In 1993, Gupta stunned the academic world by donating $2 million to IIT-Kharagpur to start the first ever b-school inside any IIT. Thus, the Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSOM) was set up.

A few years later, Gupta felt that like top US campuses, IIT-Kharagpur should also have a law school of its own that would focus on intellectual property rights, which is globally emerging as a new zone for legal inquiries. Consequently, the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law was established with $1 million donation from Gupta.

BCCL

"I consider myself fortunate that I am being able to contribute a bit towards the growth of IIT-Kharagpur, which has made me who I am. Internationalization rules the world of education today. A larger number of exchange programmes, more international students on campus and inbound international faculty will strengthen the institute on the global map," Gupta told TOI.
Over 6400 migrants and refugees are stuck amid acute winters at the Serbian-Hungarian border to enter the European Union. Serbian police is raiding various camps of the refugees, but refugees and migrants are constantly shifting places in search of an entry into the European Union through Hungary border.

Reuters

Syrian government, however, has clarified that every refugee and migrant will find shelter, especially as the winter weather grips the region and temperatures plummet to as low as minus 20C, but refugees dont wanna take chance of getting deported and wanna take the chance of entering EU, no matter how miniscule they are.

Reuters

Serbian Police recently raided camps hugging the Serbian-Hungarian border, but many of the hundreds of refugees and migrants previously camping in a sparsely populated area moved elsewhere.

Though the border sealed with barbed wires has made it extremely difficult for refugees to enter, but Kelebija border crossing remains their last hope of entering the European Union through Hungary.

AFP

According to Danijela Korac-Mandic of the Novi Sad Humanitarian Centre, a group that provides food and other assistance to refugees and migrants in the area, Serbian police raided the area on Wednesday.

The police packed three buses of refugees and migrants who didnt get themselves registered with Serbian authorities and dismantled their tents before sending them to Preservo reception centre.

Reuters

Many out of 150 asylum seekers who managed to escape from the raid have taken refuge in nearby forest, barns and an abandoned shops. Others sleep in tents near the already crowded Subotica reception centre and a bus station.

Reuters

The Hungarian government, which deployed 500 new border police officers, has also announced plans to detain all asylum-seekers until their applications are processed.
In order to take on the gender inequality, a group of men in South American country Chile have come up with a new idea. Every month, this group of Chilean men gather in a public space in the capital Santiago and start knitting.

But for these hombres tejedores (men who knit in Spanish), knitting isnt just a passion, its their way to fight against gender inequality because knitting is still largely considered to be a chore done by women.

It is also a way to promote a society that is more tolerant and less macho.

Rodrigo Isla of the Hombres Tejedores

In business district of the capital Santiago, you might come across men wearing suits and ties, knitting. For many, its a novel sight, but these men want to fight the sexist norms or cliches within the Chilean society. These men created their group a year ago to push for change in a country they find too patriarchal. Ricardo Higuera, 36, has been part of the hombres tejedores group since its launch.

The collective was founded by the artist Claudio Castillo, who wanted to create a space where men felt comfortable just sitting around and knitting. At first, he gave classes where guys could come to learn to knit and weave. However, on June 18, on International Knitting Day, we decided to try knitting outside, in the street. Passers-by were surprised to see a group of men knitting! Higuera was quoted by Observer.France24.com

Since then, weve made a point to gather in public spaces, where everyone can see us, at least once a month. Our hobby has turned political! Our group is made up of 12 guys between the ages of 26 and 42. We all work in different professions. What brings us together is the fact that we grew up in a patriarchal society that teaches us that, as men, we have to play a specific role: a man shouldnt be sensitive, he shouldnt cry, he has to be strong, added Higuera.

Rodrigo Isla.

In just a year, the groups Facebook page has garnered more than 85,000 likes. Other men in different Latin American countries  including Brazil and Uruguay  have also been inspired to pick up their knitting needles. According to Higuera, the hombres tejedores regularly receive messages from all over the world from people who want to launch similar projects. Recently, they were contacted by organisations in Germany and Ukraine.

We were taught that certain activities are reserved for women, like knitting. Men are supposed to do other activities. However, we believe strongly that these gender inequalities should disappear from modern society. Firstly because women suffer the most from this machismo. However, we also think men should be able to break free from this role that they were instructed to fill, adds Higuera.

Those who think that knitting in open is an easy in Chile need to listen to Higuera who says that for a man knitting in open in Chilean society is dangerous because in Chilean society knitting is considered to be a job for women because they are seen weak.

Rodrigo Isla.

Knitting in open may invite trouble as other men could come and harass a man whos knitting because hes doing womens work. In Chile, its hard for a man to sit on a bench and get out his knitting. It might even be dangerous. Other men could come and harass him because he is doing womens work, adds Higuera.

All of this comes from the fact that women are seen as weak, so a man who knits must be weak, too! Thats what we want to fight. We are fighting for a society that is more tolerant and that has more gender equality. But, more than anything, we want to transform the image of what a man should be within Chilean society, so that each person can live how he or she wants, says Higuera.
Thanks to the design company Next Architects, Changsha in China now has what is called the Lucky Knot bridge that opens at eight separate access points.

nextarchitects.com

Suffice it to say, crossing the Dragon King Harbor River is much easier for pedestrians now than it ever was before.

nextarchitects.com

And it isn't your average grey coloured bridge either. The bright red colour here not only adds to the ambiance, it stands for prosperity and joy, much in keeping with what the Chinese believe.

nextarchitects.com

The 600-foot long bridge takes its design from the Chinese knot (which explains the name) and overlaps at five points that've been named "moon gates," explains Michel Schreimachers, a partner at Next Architects.

nextarchitects.com

But why walk when you can have fun? The topsy-turvy body of the bridge also serves as a playground or simply a place to stand and admire the view over the river. Meanwhile, there's plenty of space below the bridge - all 78 feet of it - so boats can pass through.

nextarchitects.com

Lucky? We sure think so.

nextarchitects.com

(H/t: businessinsider.com)
With Syrian regime once again in full control of major parts of the country, including Aleppo - the last bastion of the rebels - the need to resurrect the damaged heritage sites which were once the pride the Syria has been acknowledged by the Syrian government and UNESCO.

According to a report in Al Jazeera most of the heritage buildings in Syria have been destroyed and the city of Aleppo, which was full of UNESCO heritage sites have witnessed the maximum damage.

Therefore, the UNESCO representatives are expected in Damascus next week to discuss ways of salvaging Aleppo's heritage.

Reuters

"What happened in Aleppo is a disaster," Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria's Director General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview from Damascus this week.

"We have more than 150 heritage buildings with different levels of damage, without taking into account places like the ancient souk, 60 per cent of which is destroyed  Many of the traditional houses, dating from around the first century AD, are also damaged, added Abdulkarim.

Syrian had been under war since 2011 and its quite expected that the war torn country doesnt have enough money to resurrect its mildewed heritage. "It's very sad and it's a very dramatic situation," Abdulkarim said. "In Palmyra, if we have to wait years for peace to return, or because we don't have funds, we can wait. But in Aleppo every new winter will be a further attack on the cultural sites. A lot of the buildings were built using traditional materials - not like the stones in Palmyra, which can wait three or four years, no problem. Aleppo is in danger."

Photographs show snow blanketing the damaged buildings, some of which have lost their roofs or collapsed almost entirely owing to the shelling. "Syrians have a lot of needs at the moment; it's not only their patrimony," he said. "But the situation permits us to carry out preventative emergency work to secure the sites from the winter and the water. We can't leave things the way they are because in a few years there will be more deterioration."

AFP

Though steps have been taken of removing the rubble and debis from around two of Aleppo's most famous landmarks, the citadel and the Umayyad Mosque.

Other sites await the results of DGAM's survey.

"We've asked the mayor not to move any of the old stones. We have a team there gathering information about the damage, which they will present to us. We will start working in the most at-risk areas," explained Abdulkarim.

Its a good thing that the Aleppo citadel has suffered only minor damage, he revealed. However, the minaret of 1090s Umayyad Mosque was destroyed by shelling in April 2013, but Abdulkarim believes restoration is possible.

"We had thought that the damage to the mosque would be much worse than what we saw when we visited it," he said. "In general the damage is possible to repair, but we need to go back again in the future to collect the ancient stones from the minaret, make sure that they are protected, and prepare them according to the architectural plans," he added.

Reuters

"There are certain parts of the mosque where we need to intervene now, because it's an emergency, but if we compare the Umayyad Mosque with the souk, the souk is a lot worse."

Parts of Aleppo's ancient souk dates back to the 13th century, although most of it was built during the Ottoman era, between the 16th and the 19th centuries. Large areas of the souk were burnt down during fighting in September 2012.

Reuters

"We have lost more than 60 per cent of Aleppo's ancient souk, which was either burned or blown up. It's completely destroyed," said Abdulkarim.

"We will see if it's possible to restore it  We need advice from all our international partners, our Syrian architects and engineers and other local partners  Figuring out the best strategy will take a lot of work."

In July 2015, the DGAM removed 24,000 pieces from the National Museum of Aleppo, transporting them to Damascus to prevent looting or destruction. Although the DGAM is a government-owned agency, Abdulkarim, an archaeologist and professor at the University of Damascus, stresses that the work they are doing to save Syria's heritage is non-partisan and non-political.
...putting to rest the biggest misconception about sharks.

Rick Anderson has been diving into the ocean off the coast of Nobbys Beach in New South Wales, Australia for a long time now. Only seven years back Anderson met a friend underwater and the two have been really thick since. They always cuddle when they meet.

Rick Anderson

His friend's a 6-foot female Port Jackson shark. While she doesn't have a name, Anderson recognises her with her markings and she recognises him back

Rick Anderson

"I started playing with her about seven years ago when she was just a pup about 6 inches long," Anderson told The Dodo. "I approached her carefully so as not to spook her, then began to gently pat her. Once she got used to me, I would cradle her in my hand and talk soothingly to her through my regulator."

Rick Anderson

"She soon got used to me  to the point where she will swim up to me when I'm going past, and tap me on the legs until I hold my arms out for her to lay on for a cuddle." He doesn't feed his cuddly friend though and admits to treating her as he would a dog.

Rick Anderson

Apart from this adorable Port Jackson shark, Anderson also has a soft spot for tiger sharks, bull sharks, nurse sharks, banjo sharks, hammerheads and even the great white.

Rick Anderson

"The biggest misconception about sharks is that they are all mindless killers lying in wait for people to enter the water so they can be devoured," Anderson explains.

Rick Anderson

Anderson, who's been diving for 27 years and has a diving school hopes this mindset changes. This unusual friendship sure makes a lot of sense now.

Rick Anderson

(H/t: thedodo.com)
(Adds comment from IMF official, credit line details)

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Friday its executive board approved a new two-year flexible credit line arrangement for Poland worth about 8.24 billion euros, about half the size of the country's previous credit line.

The IMF said the arrangement is expected to be treated by Polish authorities as precautionary, with no plans draw upon it.

"Poland continues to benefit from very strong economic fundamentals and policy frameworks," IMF Deputy Managing Director Mitsuhiro Furasawa said in a statement. "Economic growth remains robust, unemployment continues to decline, and deflation has dissipated."

Despite the Polish economy's strengths, the Furusawa said that external risks remain elevated, including potential spillovers from slower euro-area growth, stress in the European banking sector and looming negotiations for Britain's exit from the European Union.

"A faster-than-expected pace of monetary policy normalization in the United States and bouts of financial market volatility could affect Poland's economy, given its sizable external financing needs," Furusawa added.

The flexible credit line is intended as insurance against such external shocks, the IMF said, supplementing Poland's flexible exchange rate and strong reserve buffers.

The IMF first established Poland's flexible credit line in 2009 during the financial crisis. The latest arrangement is equal to about 159 percent of Poland's quota, or share in the IMF.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy)
Treason, Treachery, Disloyalty, Betrayal

US Spies 'Warned Israel not to Share Intelligence with Trump'



By Raf Sanchez, Jerusalem January 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Telegraph " - U S spies warned their Israeli counterparts that Russia may have levers of pressure over Donald Trump and told them to be careful about sharing intelligence with the White House in case it was passed on to the Kremlin, according to Israeli media reports. The American intelligence officials reportedly told the Israelis not to share sensitive information with Mr Trumps aides until the incoming presidents relationship with Russia had been fully investigated. The claim was made in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth and cannot be confirmed. A spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu did not respond to a request for comment, and the CIA also declined to comment. But if true it underscores the extraordinary state of relations between Mr Trump and US intelligence, with American spies openly warning foreign allies that the new president may be compromised by Russia. T he Yedioth Ahronoth story, written by the investigative journalist Ronen Bergman, claimed to have details about a recent meeting between American and Israeli intelligence officials. Israeli officials who attended that meeting said that their American counterparts spoke despairingly about the election of Trump, who has repeatedly lashed out at the American intelligence community, Mr Bergman wrote. He continued: The American officials went on to say that they believed that Putin has levers of pressure over Trumpbut refrained from going into any detail. The potential leverage referred to is believed to be a dossier of unverified but potentially explosive allegations against Mr Trump which was compiled by Christopher Steele, a former MI6 agent. The dossier was known to US intelligence for months before it erupted into the public sphere this week. Mr Trump has strongly denied that Russia has any leverage over him. On Friday, he tweeted that the phony allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued. It now turns out that the phony allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 13, 2017 Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans - FAKE NEWS! Russia says nothing exists. Probably...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 13, 2017 released by "Intelligence" even knowing there is no proof, and never will be. My people will have a full report on hacking within 90 days!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 13, 2017 While relations between the US and Israeli governments have often been publicly tense during the Obama administration, their spy agencies have worked closely together. T he two sides collaborated on Operation Olympic Games, a covert campaign of cyber warfare designed to sabotage Irans nuclear programme. Israel is alleged to have also assassinated four Iranian nuclear scientists as part of its effort to disrupt Iranian nuclear development. While Israel has cordial relations with Russia, Israeli intelligence would be afraid that any secrets which reached Moscow might then be passed on to Tehran. Russia and Iran are both fighting on the side of the Assad regime in Syria and are known to share some intelligence. The Israelis who attended the meeting said that the Americans advised them not to expose any sensitive sources to members of the Trump administration, lest that information reach Iranian hands, until it becomes clear that Trump does not have a compromised relationship with Russia and is not vulnerable to extortion, the Yedioth Ahronoth story said. U.S. Intelligence Officials Reportedly Warn Israeli Counterparts Against Sharing Info With Trump Administration



Shared information could be leaked to Russia and onward to Iran, American officials implied to Israelis in closed meeting, saying Kremlin has 'leverages of pressure' over Trump, Ronen Bergman reports.



By Haaretz January 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Haaretz " - Israeli intelligence officials are concerned that the exposure of classified information to their American counterparts under a Trump administration could lead to their being leaked to Russia and onward to Iran, investigative journalist Ronen Bergman reported by Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot on Thursday. The intelligence concerns, which have been discussed in closed forums recently, are based on suspicions of unreported ties between President-elect Donald Trump, or his associates, and the government of Vladimir Putin in Moscow. As Russian intelligence is associated with intelligence officials in Tehran, highly classified information, such as Israel's clandestine methods of operation and intelligence sources, could potentially reach Iran. Such information has been shared with the United States in the past. American intelligence officials expressed despair at the election of Trump during a recent meeting with their Israeli counterparts, Bergman reported. They said that they believed that Putin had leverages of pressure over Trump, though they did not elaborate. The American media reported on Wednesday that Russia has embarrassing intelligence about the president-elect. According to Bergman, the American intelligence officials implied that Israel should be careful when transferring intelligence information to the White House and the National Security Council (NSC) following Trump's inauguration  at least until it is clear that Trump does not have inappropriate connections with Russia. Cooperation between the Israeli and U.S. intelligence communities has intensified over the past two decades, with most of the joint operations directed, according to reports, against Iran. Hezbollah and Hamas were also intelligence targets. An official agreement in 2008 for comprehensive cooperation, including the exposure of sources and methods of action, reportedly led to impressive results, including the disruption of the Iranian nuclear program. President Barack Obama put an end to offensive activity against Iran in 2013, at the start of secret talks between the U.S, and Iran over a nuclear agreement. However, the exposure of Israeli intelligence to the U.S. continued. American officials are convinced that whistleblower Edward Snowden handed over intelligence to Moscow  in return for which he received political asylum  and that some of it was handed over to Tehran, in the context of Putins policy of increasing Iranian dependence on Moscow. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Outrage at BBC claims of SECOND Russian 'dirty dossier' on Trump : BBC claim that former MI6 spy 'not the only source' about Trump sex tape Sir Andrew Wood, former UK-Moscow ambassador, consulted on Trump dossier ; Sir Andrew Wood was consulted about the claims by Senator John McCain at a security conference in Canada shortly after the US election.
Did John McCain 'Launder' Dodgy Trump Intel Dossier? By Daniel McAdams January 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - We all know what money laundering is. When you need to hide the fact that the money in your possession comes by way of nefarious sources, you transfer it through legitimate sources and it appears clean on the other end. It's standard practice among thieves, extortionists, drug dealers, and the like.



The same practice can even be used to "clean" intelligence that comes by dubious sources, and sometimes even US Senators may involve themselves in such dark activities. Case in point US Senator John McCain (R-AZ), whose virulent opposition to Donald Trump is outmatched only by his total dedication to fomenting a new cold (or hot?) war with Russia.



While the world was caught up in the more salacious passages from a purported opposition research report on Donald Trump showing all manner of collusion with Putin's Russia -- and Russia's possession of blackmail-able kompromat on Trump -- something very interesting was revealed about the custody of the information. The "dossier" on Trump seemed to follow two chains of custody. One involved the media, which in October were given and encouraged to publish the "report" by the authors of the report (or their sponsors), purportedly a former British intelligence officer working for a private intelligence company. Only David Corn of Mother Jones bit, and his resulting story picked over the report to construct a mess of innuendo on Trump's relation to Russia that was short on any evidence.



The other chain of custody is what interests us. Remember, we have a dubious report constructed for the purpose of discrediting Donald Trump, which was first commissioned by one of his Republican primary rivals and later completed under the patronage of someone in Hillary's camp. It was created for a specific political purpose, which may have tainted its reception among more objective governmental sources had that been known. Enter John McCain. According to media reports, the dossier was handed to Sen. McCain -- again, a strong Trump opponent and proponent of conflict with Russia -- by a former UK ambassador (who presumably received it from the source, a former British intelligence officer).



Senator McCain then felt duty-bound to bring this "intelligence report" directly (and privately) to the personal attention of FBI Director James Comey. From this hand-off to Comey, the report then became part of the Intelligence Community's assessment of Russian interference in the US presidential election.



Senator McCain is the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, one of the most powerful members of the US Senate. Consider the impact of being handed a strange report by some private intelligence-firm-for-hire or a media outlet versus being handed a report by one of the most powerful men in the US government. McCain's involving himself in the case gave the report a sense of legitimacy that it would not otherwise have had. Was this "laundering" intentional on his part? We do not know, but given his position on Trump and Russia that possibility must be considered.



So great was the pressure on McCain to come clean on his decision to meet privately with the FBI Director to hand over this report that he released a statement earlier today portraying himself as nothing more than a good citizen, passing information to the proper authorities for them to act on if they see fit.



Do you believe the Senator from Arizona? Copyright  2017 by RonPaul Institute. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
US Watched ISIS Rise in Syria and Hoped to Manage it  Kerry on Leaked Tape



By Philip Weiss January 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Mondoweiss " - Last fall Secretary of State Kerry met privately with anti-Assad Syrian activists at the U.N. The meeting was secretly taped, and you can listen to the tape here: The New York Times got a hold of the tape back in September and wrote a story about it. So did CNN. More on their accounts later. The thrust of the conversation was the mutual frustration of Kerry and the Syrians that Bashar al-Assad was still in power and able to commit atrocities with the support of the Russians, who dont adhere to international law the way we Americans do. Id recommend listening to the whole tape; but the conversation went something like this: The Syrians complained we arent helping enough. Kerry and his associates said we and the Saudis and Qatar and Turkey had provided huge amounts of aid to the rebels, who unfortunately were sort of aligned with extremists. Nusra makes it hard, Kerry said, referring to Jabhat al-Nusra, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Nusra and Daesh [ISIS] both make it hard, because you have this extreme element out there and unfortunately some of the opposition has kind of chosen to work with them. The rise of extremists had led to Russias intervention. Kerry said (at minute 26) that when Daesh, or ISIS, started to grow, the US watched and thought we could manage the ISIS situation, because it might push Assad to negotiate, but instead Putin came in. Kerry: The reason Russia came in is because ISIL was getting stronger, Daesh was threatening the possibility of going to Damascus and so forth. And thats why Russia went in. Because they didnt want a Daesh government and they supported Assad. And we know that this was growing. We were watching. We saw that Daesh was growing in strength, and we thought Assad was threatened. We thought, however, we could probably manage, that Assad would then negotiate. Instead of negotiating, he got Putin to support him. The Syrian activists present wanted more US aid, but Kerry and an aide said more military aid was problematic. Right now were putting an extraordinary amount of arms in, the secretary of state said. His aide said that arms are a double edged sword, because when you pump more weapons into a place like Syria, it doesnt end well for Syria. Because theres always someone willing to put in arms from the other side. Kerry spelled that out: The problem is that, you know, you get, quote, enforcers in there and then everybody ups the ante, right? Russia puts in more, Iran puts in more; Hezbollah is there more and Nusra is more; and Saudi Arabia and Turkey put all their surrogate money in, and you all are destroyed. Kerry said the US wants a political process to supplant the fighting: elections, with millions of Syrian refugees in other countries allowed to vote so that in his view Assad was sure to lose. The Syrians present rejected this. One insisted that Assad had to be toppled by an invasion, because Syrians even outside the country would fear for their loved ones in the country. Kerry said a ground invasion by America would not be supported by Americans, due to thousands dead from our other wars. Kerry said he was one of those within the Administration who wanted more action, but he lost the argument. He was as frustrated as they were. Its hard because Congress will not authorize the use of force. So the conversation was mostly about that frustration, but along the way Kerry said some rather revealing things. Combine this with the wikileaks revelation that the US State Department and Hillary Clinton knew our Arab allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar were giving ISIS clandestine financial and logistic support as it swept across Iraq and Syria in 2014, and you have the anti-interventionist view of Americas role in the Syrian war all nicely set out by John Kerry and someone in the State Department: We and our Arab allies supplied weapons. This caused the violence to escalate. The good rebels kind of work with extremists, who get direct funding from our Arab allies. We thought the rise of ISIS would prove useful in pressuring Assad, but Putin intervened not because Russia wants to bomb civilians but because of the rise of ISIS. So our arming of the rebels and our clever hopes to manage the rise of ISIS while it put pressure on Assad led to more violence. This all sounds like a list of reasons for why the U.S. shouldnt have intervened, along with the fact that we had no right to do so. How was this presented in the New York Times story of September 30, 2016? Anne Barnard framed it in terms of the US failing to exert the beneficent use of force. Secretary of State John Kerry was clearly exasperated, not least at his own government. Over and over again, he complained to a small group of Syrian civilians that his diplomacy had not been backed by a serious threat of military force, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times. In fairness, Barnard did focus on what the participants in this conversation would have thought importantKerry representing American Good Intentions and the views of those who want America to use its military might to overthrow a brutal government that isnt one of our own clients. So you think the only solution is for somebody to come in and get rid of Assad? Mr. Kerry asked. Yes, Ms. [Marcell] Shehwaro said. Whos that going to be? he asked. Whos going to do that? Three years ago, I would say: You. But right now, I dont know. But the emphasis was on the fact that in the view of those present, the US hasnt done enough. The geopolitical context the tape provided was simply absent from the story. No doubt Assad and the Russians are responsible for many atrocities, but surely anyone listening should have been able to pick up on the fact that Kerry was inadvertently making a devastating case against US intervention in Syria. As for the arms we put in, Barnard states: But he also said any further American effort to arm rebels or join the fight could backfire. What about the arms already sent? Right now were putting an extraordinary amount of arms in, Kerry said, unquoted by the Times. Was there something in Kerrys logic that would show our past arms support did no harm, but future support would? Doesnt his argument point to the painful awareness that some of the hundreds of thousands who have died in Syria died because we and our allies kept the war going? CNN had a similar focus to the Times. Kerry also expressed sympathy for the Syrians demands that the United States intervene more forcefully amid Syrian and Russian airstrikes against civilians, telling the group that he lost the argument for using military force against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad One would be hard pressed to think of an example where activists passionately opposed to US interventions or crimes or the crimes of our allies had a private conversation with an American Secretary of State. How many Palestinians or victims in Yemen or for that matter, Syrians opposed to the rebels ever get to have such meetings? No need to worry about media bias in reporting such conversations, because they never seem to happen anyway. So Kerry can go on about our adherence to international law, drawing a distinction between us and the Russians, in the certainty he wont be contradicted by people in Yemen, as 1000 children die each week largely because of our Saudi allies, with our support. And Kerry probably wont be speaking with people from Gaza, though in a hot-mic situation Kerry himself angrily referred to the Israeli bombing of the strip in 2014 as a hell of a pinpoint operation. Wikileaks tweeted about the tape last week, spiking interest in the matter. The audio has received a fair amount of attention on some rightwing blogs, who call Obama a traitor for supporting ISIS. That exaggerates what is on the tape. On the left the references have been intermittent so far. Joe Lauria at Common Dreams correctly summarized the conversation: Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S., rather than seriously fight Islamic State in Syria, was ready to use the growing strength of the jihadists to pressure Assad to resign This left libertarian site also seized on the gist: Leaked Tapes Reveal John Kerry Admission That U.S. Was Pulling For ISIS In Syria, Russia Fighting Terror Mark Ames  How is this Kerry recording not a major scandal? The cynicism is stunning Even NBCs Bill Neely has picked up on the disturbing content of the audio: Why #Russia intervened in #Syria, by John Kerry. And why the US watched #ISIS rise & wanted to use it. This is puzzling. One would expect the MSM to suppress the really interesting parts which go against the narrative usually pushed, which is one where we are the undoubted good guys, if somewhat feckless, and the Russians are pure evil. But why hasnt it gotten more attention on the left? You arent going to find a better case against our intervention in Syria than the one made by Kerry here. Great thanks to Donald Johnson. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Trump's Enemies See an Opening By Patrick Buchanan January 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - "Fake news!" roared Donald Trump, the work of "sick people." The president-elect was referring to a 35-page dossier of lurid details of his alleged sexual misconduct in Russia, worked up by a former British spy. A two-page summary of the 35 pages had been added to Trumps briefing by the CIA and FBI  and then leaked to CNN. This is "something that Nazi Germany would have done," Trump said. Here, basically, is the story. During the primaries, anti-Trump Republicans hired the ex-spy to do "oppo research" on Trump, i.e., to dig up dirt. The spy contacted the Russians. They told him that Trump, at a Moscow hotel in 2013, had been engaged in depraved behavior, that they had the films to blackmail him, and that Trumps aides had been colluding with them. When Trump won the nomination, Democrats got the dossier and began shopping it around to the mainstream media. Some sought to substantiate the allegations. None could. So none of them published the charges. In December, a British diplomat gave the dossier to Sen. John McCain, who personally turned it over to James Comey of the FBI. On Jan. 7, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and his colleagues at the NSA, CIA and FBI decided the new president needed to know about the dossier. They provided him with a two-page synopsis. Once CNN learned Trump had been briefed, the cable news network reported on the unpublished dossier, without going into the lurid details. BuzzFeed released all 35 pages. The story exploded. Besides Trumps understandable outrage, his Jan. 11 press conference produced related news. U.S. intelligence agencies had for months contended that it was Russia who hacked the DNC emails and those of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta. Putins objectives, they contend, were to damage both U.S. democracy and Hillary Clinton, whom Putin detests, and to aid Trump. Trump had previously dismissed claims of Russian hacking as unproved conjecture, and also as being advanced to delegitimize his victory. Wednesday, Trump conceded Russia did it: "As far as hacking, I think it was Russia," adding, Vladimir Putin "should not be doing it." The stakes in all of this are becoming huge. Clearly, Trump hopes to work out with Putin the kind of detente that President Nixon achieved with Leonid Brezhnev. This should not be impossible. For, unlike the 1970s, there is no Soviet Empire stretching from Havana to Hanoi, no Warsaw Pact dominating Central Europe, no Communist ideology steering Moscow into constant Cold War conflict with the West. Russia is a great power with great power interests. But she does not seek to restore a global empire or remake the world in her image. U.S.-Russian relations are thus ripe for change. But any such hope is now suddenly impaired. The howls of indignation from Democrats and the media  that Trumps victory and Clintons defeat were due to Putins involvement in our election  have begun to limit Trumps freedom of action in dealing with Russia. And they are beginning to strengthen the hand of the Russophobes and the Putin-is-Hitler crowd in both parties. When Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson went before the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Marco Rubio demanded to know why he would not publicly declare Putin a "war criminal." The more toxic Putin-haters can make the Russian president, the more difficult for President Trump to deal with him, even if that is in the vital national interest of the United States. The sort of investigation for which McCain has been clamoring, and the Beltway drums have now begun to beat, could make it almost impossible for President Trump to work with President Putin. The Washington Post describes the engine it wishes to see built: "The investigators of Russian meddling, whether a Congressional select committee or an independent commission, should have bipartisan balance, full subpoena authority, no time limit and a commitment to make public as much as possible of what they find." What the Post seeks is a Watergate Committee like the one that investigated the Nixon White House, or a commission like the ones that investigated 9/11 and the JFK assassination. Trump "should recognize," writes the Post, "that the credibility of his denials of any Russian connections is undermined by his refusal to release tax returns and business records." In short, when the investigation begins, Trump must produce the evidence to establish his innocence. Else, he is Putins man. This city is salivating over another Watergate, another broken president. But President-elect Trump should be aware of what is at stake. As The Wall Street Journal writes: "Mr. Trumps vehement denials (of collusion with Moscow and corrupt behavior) also mean that if we learn in the future that Russia does have compromising details about him, his Presidency could be over." Yes, indeed, very big stakes. Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of the new book "The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority." To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2014 CREATORS.COM The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
U.S. in Need of Democracy Promotion The U.S. government lectures other countries about democracy  and finances internal opposition in the name of democracy promotion  but its own behavior falls far short of democratic norms, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar January 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - The health, or sickness, of democracy in foreign countries has long been a matter of concern in the United States, notwithstanding disagreements regarding exactly what the United States can, or should, do to promote democracy abroad. Consider the case of the following country  for now, let us call it Slobbovia  as outsiders would view it and as it might be the subject of something equivalent to a State Department dispatch or a report from a nongovernmental organization concerned with democracy. Slobbovia has a legal and constitutional structure that provides for political and civil rights and is in the form of a representative democracy with built-in checks and balances. In practice, much political activity derives not from that legal and constitutional framework but instead consists of crude use of levers of power by those with access to those levers. Elements with the most power routinely show less regard for democratic procedures than for solidification of their own partys power. Ultimate motivations for such behavior may include retention of power for its own sake and the advancement of minority economic interests that would be unable to prevail under majority rule. The ruling party  the party that as of later this month will be in full control of both the executive and legislative branches of the national government  aggressively uses non-democratic means to preserve and expand its position. Among these has been enactment at the state level  where the ruling party also controls most of the legislatures  of laws designed to impede voting by citizens deemed more likely to vote for the opposition, by imposing requirements difficult for many of those citizens to meet. The rationale for such laws has been to counter voting fraud, even though such fraud has been so rare as to be almost nonexistent. The voter suppression laws have effectively disenfranchised what is probably a substantial, although admittedly impossible to quantify, portion of the electorate. The rationale  echoed by the incoming president, who has made accusations, without support, of widespread voting fraud  also has undermined confidence in Slobbovian democracy. Gerrymandering Voting Districts Both the ruling party and the principal opposition party extensively manipulate the boundaries of legislative districts to benefit their own party and to entrench incumbents, but this practice has disproportionately benefited the ruling party because of its control over most state legislatures, where the manipulative line-drawing occurs. Because members of state legislatures can draw their own district boundaries, this districting technique is another way for a minority to continue in power even after it has lost whatever majority support it once had. At the national level, the manipulation of district lines has enabled the ruling party to retain a majority of seats in the lower house of the legislature even when it has won fewer votes than the opposition party did. The ruling party also benefits from an archaic feature of Slobbovian presidential elections  a holdover from a system devised partly to propitiate slave-holding interests  in which the candidate winning the most votes does not necessarily get the presidency. This has happened twice in the last five presidential elections. The oddity was especially marked in the most recent election, in which the presidency is being given to a candidate who finished a full two percentage points behind the opposition partys candidate. When the opposition party has managed despite these handicaps to make inroads  as it did in winning the two previous presidential elections  the dominant party has used its position in the national legislature to flout the majority will and to impede the ability of the other party to govern. Its techniques have included a form of extortion in which, lacking the votes to enact its policies through normal democratic means, it threatens to shut down the government altogether or to destroy Slobbovias credit rating through a debt default if it does not get its way. The partys leader in the upper house of the national legislature openly declared his intention, as his highest priority, to make the president a failure. He and his party acted consistently with that declaration. This approach included automatic and total opposition to what was the principal domestic policy initiative of the day, even though this meant the party did not have any alternative to offer once it regained full control of the policymaking branches of government. Controlling the Courts The ruling party has placed heavy emphasis on controlling as well the judiciary, which is significant in that Slobbovias highest court has become in effect another policymaking branch of government, with justices in ideological camps that clearly correspond to the preferences of the two major political parties. The death a year ago of one justice threatened a loss of the dominant partys hold on the court. The partys members in the upper house of the legislature  which the constitution says must provide advice and consent regarding presidential appointments to the court  disregarded that constitutional provision and refused to consider the incumbent presidents nominee, even though it meant the vacancy would last at least a year and the nominee in question was a moderate. The sympathy of a majority of the court toward the dominant partys ideology has played a major role in increasing the part of money in Slobbovian politics, especially by striking down legislation intended to regulate moneys role in election campaigns. Slobbovia is no kleptocracy, and for the most part the role of money in politics does not take the form of what is undeniably corruption, as it does in many other countries. It is worthy of note, however, that the first attempted action by the ruling partys members in the lower house of the newly convened national legislature was to disable an office with the mission of investigating corruption among members. The action was scuttled after it provoked outrage. (The incoming president criticized the timing, but not the substance, of the attempted disabling of the office.) The increasing role of money is instead more a matter of deference to minority moneyed interests, based on disproportionate access of those interests to the corridors of power, at the expense of majority interests as would be expressed through democratic means. This trend involves the flouting of previous custom and in some respects the flouting of law. The incoming president, contrary to the practice of his predecessors, refuses to disclose fully his financial interests and specifically his tax returns. He is a businessman with worldwide interests that he is not divesting, making it almost inevitable that during his administration there will be violations of a provision in the Slobbovian constitution that prohibits U.S. officials from receiving private gain from foreign governments. The intermingling of public business with private business interests also involves members of the Presidents family who evidently are going to have hands in both, notwithstanding Slobbovian law that is supposed to restrict nepotism. Some observers have even seen similarities to family rule in North Korea. Some senior appointees of the incoming president who also have extensive private interests that could conflict with the public interest appear likely to be confirmed in their appointments even though they have failed to complete ethics-related submissions that are supposed to be required for confirmation. The financial donations that some wealthy nominees have made to the same members of the upper house who will be voting on their nominations may have something to do with this outcome. Also of concern regarding the intermingling of private and public interests are informal advisers who have extensive financial interests that would be affected by policy decisions and whose grey-area status keeps them outside even the ostensible legal restrictions that apply to formally appointed officials. An Unfavorable Trend An overall assessment of the state of democracy in Slobbovia must begin with the observation that this is a nation with a long history and strong tradition of representative democracy. But this tradition is visibly and seriously eroding. The trend is unfavorable. The defects in Slobbovian democracy are growing and becoming more obvious. This country is increasingly a place where minority interests can, and do, use nondemocratic means to prevail over the will and interests of a majority. As both a cause and effect of this pattern, the aspects of political culture that, at least as much as constitutional and legal provisions, are critical to the sustaining of a liberal representative democracy have been weakening. The most important aspect of such culture is widespread acceptance that observing and nourishing democratic norms themselves are more important than any one policy outcome or the fortunes of any one political party. Too often this is not the set of priorities one observes. Realizing that this particular Slobbovia is actually the United States, one can get a sense of how non-Americans are viewing American democracy. This in turn can have implications for democracy in the observers own lands. Right now there is uncertainty about what effect the direct actions of the incoming Trump administration will have on democracy abroad. Anne Applebaum expresses a pessimistic view that Trump, far from promoting any expansion of democracy, may undermine hitherto well-established democracies in Europe by making common cause with racist and anti-immigration elements in hard-right nationalist movements. Democracy scholar Thomas Carothers believes, somewhat more optimistically, that as Trump and his team move to actual policymaking, their support for democracy and human rights abroad will prove less consistently negative than their initial signals might indicate. Carothers correctly identifies, however, the biggest negative of all: Various problematic features of U.S. political life in recent years  the institutional gridlock, the ever-rising role of money in politics, and the frequent skirmishing over basic electoral rules and procedures  have already tarnished the United States image abroad. But the recent U.S. presidential election process damaged this image much more widely and deeply. Although this damage had many sources, numerous actions that Trump took during the campaign and since the election  from his vows to prosecute his main opponent to his baseless postelection assertions of massive electoral fraud  figure significantly in the dispiriting diminishment of Americas global political brand. For anyone interested in expanding democracy abroad, this is a reason for deep pessimism. America is more likely to be successful in encouraging such expansion by setting an example than by direct manipulation or intervention. Because stable democracy requires those critical elements of political culture  including genuine and willing commitment to democratic procedures themselves  it must arise in large part inwardly, even if inspired by a salient example such as the United States, rather than being imposed from the outside. For all Americans, the biggest reason to be bothered by the trends in American democracy is that it is their own country. That is a reason to be pessimistic even if not giving a hoot about the expansion of democracy abroad. That is also one of the biggest problems to think about in connection with the alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election. Primary among the likely Russian motives, as suggested in the official government report on the Russian initiative, was to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process. Sure, what the Russians allegedly did is worthy of condemnation, but Americans ought to be most disturbed by the fact that there already were enough reasons to shake such faith that the Russians would have known they had a vulnerable target. The recent election, with or without Russian interference, provided still more reasons. Paul R. Pillar, in his 28 years at the Central Intelligence Agency, rose to be one of the agencys top analysts. He is author most recently of Why America Misunderstands the World . (This article first appeared as a blog post at The National Interests Web site. Reprinted with authors permission.) The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
From Obama to Trump: The Failure of Passive Revolution By William I. Robinson



January 14, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " teleSur " - The seeds of 21st century fascism were planted, fertilized, and watered by the Obama administration and the politically bankrupt liberal elite.



President Barack Obama declared to CNN on Dec. 26 that he could have beaten Trump had he the chance to run against the president-elect for a third term. However, he may have done more than anyone else to assure Trumps victory. While Trumps election has triggered a rapid expansion of fascist currents in U.S. civil society, a fascist outcome for the political system is far from inevitable and will depend on the fight back that has already begun. But that fight back requires clarity as to how we got to such a dangerous precipice. The seeds of a 21st century fascism were planted, fertilized, and watered by the government of outgoing President Obama and the bankrupt liberal elite that Obamas presidency represents. By the final years of the George W. Bush regime, and especially with the financial collapse of 2008, seething discontent burst out into mass protest in the U.S. and around the world. The Obama project was, from the start, an effort by dominant groups to re-establish hegemony in the wake of its deterioration during the Bush years. Obamas election was a challenge to the system at the cultural and ideological level that shook up racial/ethnic foundations upon which the U.S. Republic has always rested  although it certainly did not dismantle those foundations. However, the Obama project was never intended to challenge the socio-economic order. To the contrary, it sought to preserve and strengthen that order and to sustain capitalist globalization by reconstituting hegemony and conducting a passive revolution against the mass discontent and growing popular resistance that began to percolate in the final years of the Bush presidency. The Italian socialist Antonio Gramsci developed the concept of passive revolution to refer to efforts by dominant groups to bring about mild change from above in order to defuse mobilization from below for more far-reaching transformation. Integral to passive revolution is the cooptation of leadership from below and the integration of that leadership into the dominant project. Obamas 2008 election campaign tapped into and helped expand mass mobilization and popular aspirations for change not seen in many years in the United States. The Obama project co-opted the brewing storm from below, channeled it into the electoral campaign and then betrayed its aspirations. The Democratic Party establishment effectively demobilized the insurgency from below with a more passive revolution even as it resumed and actually accelerated the project of capitalist globalization and neoliberalism. The mass enthusiasm that the first Obama electoral campaign generated quickly dissipated. ransnational corporate capital financed both of the Obama presidential campaigns and purchased the Obama presidency. Obama pushed forward the agenda of global war, neoliberalism, and the drift towards an authoritarian state. He became the corporate bailout president, the mass deportation president, and the drone-warfare president. His government pushed the construction of a repressive police and surveillance state. It authorized the indefinite detention without writ of habeas corpus of anyone the state deems an enemy, waged war against whistleblowers and leakers, and defended NSA domestic and global spying. It ramped up the military budget, which had already reached a historic high under the Bush regime. It brokered the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and the Trade in Services Agreement. In this sense, the Obama project weakened the popular and left response from below to the crisis, which opened space for the right-wing response: an insurgent project of 21st century fascism. The Obama administration appeared, certainly in this respect, as a Weimar Republic. Although the Social Democrats were in power during the Weimar Republic of Germany in the 1920s and early 1930s they did not pursue a leftist response to the crisis, but rather sidelined the militant trade unions, Communists and Socialists, and progressively pandered to capital and the right before turning over power to the Nazis in 1933. Obamas 21st century Weimar Republic generated conditions propitious to the development of neo-fascist forces in the United States. During the Bush regime, these neo-fascist forces spread throughout U.S. civil society, exhibiting a growing cross-pollination between different sectors of the radical right not seen in years. Right-wing elements among the transnational corporate community broadly funded during Obamas presidency neo-fascist movements like the Tea Party and neo-fascist legislation such as Arizonas notorious 2010 anti-immigrant law, SB1070. That legislation sparked copy-cat laws around the country and helped spawn a vicious anti-immigrant, border vigilante, and white supremacist movement. The far right-wing billionaire Koch brothers, for instance, were the prime bankrollers of the Tea Party and also of a host of foundations and front organizations such as Americans for Prosperity, the Cato Institute and the Mercatus Center. These organizations pushed an extreme version of the neoliberal corporate agenda, including the reduction and elimination of corporate taxes, cutbacks in social services, the gutting of public education, and the total liberation of capital from any state regulation. This neoliberalism on steroids is precisely the economic program of the incoming Trump regime and converges perfectly with the interests of the transnational capitalist class, even if its cultural and ideological garb is dramatically distinct from that of Obama and the liberals. Trumpisms far-right agenda  contrary to superficial interpretations  constitutes a deepening, not a reversal, of the program of capitalist globalization pursued by the Obama administration and every U.S. administration since Ronald Reagan. The crisis of global capitalism has become more acute in the face of economic stagnation and the rise of anti-globalization populism on both the left and the right of the political spectrum. Trumpism does not represent a break with capitalist globalization, but rather the recomposition of political forces and ideological discourse as the crisis deepens and as international tensions reach new depths. Whether in its 20th or its emerging 21st century variants, fascism is, above all, a response to deep structural crises of capitalism, such as that of the 1930s and the one that began with the financial meltdown of 2008. I have been writing for the past decade about the rise of 21st century fascist currents in the context of the new global capitalism. One key difference between 20th century fascism and 21st century fascism is that the former involved the fusion of national capital with reactionary and repressive political power, whereas the latter involves the fusion of transnational capital with reactionary political power. Trumpism is not a departure from but an incarnation of the emerging dictatorship of the transnational capitalist class. Trumpism and the sharp turn to the extreme right is the logical progression of the political system in the face of the crisis of global capitalism. The liberal elite and its project of capitalist globalization through a kinder, gentler discourse of multiculturalism reached a dead end and led the system into a new crisis of hegemony. To paraphrase Clausewitz famous dictum that war is an extension of politics by other means, Trumpism is an extension of neo-liberalism by other means. There is a near-straight line here from Obama to Trump. It was the Obama government and the liberal elite that more fully opened the Pandoras box of Trumpism and 21st century fascism. As the 2016 elections approached, the question was how renewed mass discontent would be expressed. The liberal elite marginalized Senator Bernie Sanders and his insurgent progressive campaign and lined up behind neoliberal hawk Hillary Clinton. But unlike 2008, this time it failed in its effort to pull off another passive revolution. By once again quashing a left-wing response to the crisis the liberal elite fed the turn to the far right. The liberal elites refusal to challenge the rapaciousness of transnational capital and its brand of identity politics served to eclipse the language of the working and popular classes and of anti-capitalism, pushing white workers into an "identity" of white nationalism and helping the neo-fascist right organize them politically. Alongside voter suppression of largely Black and Latino voters, Trump deftly mobilized a significant portion of the white working class around a demagogic discourse of racist scapegoating, misogyny, imperial bluster and the manipulation of fear and economic destabilization. Trumpisms veiled and at times openly racist and neo-fascist discourse has legitimated and unleashed ultra-racist and fascist movements in U.S. civil society. These forces seem to be achieving a toehold in the U.S. state through the emerging Trump regime. This regime brings together billionaire bankers and businessmen with politicized warrior generals and neo-fascist activists in a deadly cocktail that threatens to lead us to disaster if the fight back is not able to derail Trumpism. This is an extremely dangerous moment but it is very fluid. Political and economic elites are divided and confused. Trumpism has further fractured ruling groups and may well be generating a crisis of the state that opens up space for popular and leftist responses from below. A significant portion of the elite opposed Trump during the electoral campaign. Will they accommodate themselves to his regime or turn against it? We are not at this time in a fascist system and it can be averted if the fight back is expansive, organized, and unified into an anti-neo-fascist front. In order to do that, the fight back cannot turn to the decadent liberal elite organized in the Democratic Party. Foundations and corporations will fund the liberal anti-Trump groups to try and shape the agenda of the anti-Trump fight back. The Democrats and their corporate backers will try to channel the fight back it into the next legislative and presidential elections. Working-class politics must achieve hegemony in any united front against neo-fascism. Trumps electoral base among the white working class will discover very early on in his regime that his promises were a hoax. How will their rage be contained? Will they be recruited into projects of 21st century fascism or into a popular and leftist project of resistance and transformation? For the latter to happen we need to move beyond identity politics to reconstruct a working class identity by coupling anti-racism and defense of immigrants with a program of economic and social reconstruction that brings the language of class and socialism back into the vocabulary. Only by building up the organization of the global working class in all its diversity and placing its multitude of struggles at the center of the fight back can we win. William I. Robinson is a professor of Sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
The Establishment Is Trying To Steal The Presidency From Trump And the Liberal-Left Is Helping By Paul Craig Roberts January 14, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Reuters reports that 2,700 US troops accompanied by tanks are moving across Poland toward the Russian border. Col. Christopher Norrie, commander of the 3rd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, declared: The main goal of our mission is deterrence and prevention of threats. Apparently, the colonel is not sufficiently bright to realize that far from preventing threats, the force he is leading presents as a threat. And to no less a military power than Russia. What is the point of this miniscule force? It would not constitute a threat to Russia if it were 100 times larger, perhaps even one thousand times larger. Remember, Hitler invaded Russia against an unprepared Stalin with the largest and best military force the world had ever seen in the largest military operation in human history. The German invasion force was comprised of 3,800,000 troops, 600,000 motorized vehicles, 3,350 tanks, 7,200 artillery pieces, and 2,770 aircraft. The Red Army, despite its officer corps having been purged by Stalin, ate up this magnificient force and won the war against Germany. Compared to Stalins Russia, Putins Russia is prepared. NATO is not capable of assembling a large enough force to invade Russia. So what is the point of the 2,700 US troops moving across Poland toward Russia? The answer is to keep alive the Western propaganda that Russia is a threat and to make it as difficult as possible for Trump to normalize relations with Russia. It is extraordinary that the US military is conducting this provocative exercise that contradicts the policy of the incoming president. The US military, the CIA, and their whores in the US media are undemocratically pursuing their own agenda independently of the policy of the president-elect. According to the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, US intelligence officials have even warned the Israeli government not to share intelligence information with the Trump administration, because Putin has leverages of pressure over Trump and Trump will leak the information to Russia and Iran. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.764711 We can see how the military/security complexs sabotage of Trumps policy works. Constant accusations have forced Trump to say that possibly the Russians were involved in a hacking that never occured, neither by Russia nor anyone else. Trumps nominee for Secretary of State, Tillerson, has to declare Russia to be a threat in his confirmation hearing in order to be confirmed. Trumps nominee for Secretary of Defense, Mattis, has had to say in his confirmation hearing that the US needs to be prepared to confront Russia militarily, adding that there are few areas in which the US can cooperate with Russia which he says is trying to break NATO. We could dismiss Trumps admission as throwing a bone to the CIA so they can feel vindicated and get off his back, and the statements by Tillerson and Mattis could be dismissed as what has to be said in order to be confirmed. Nevertheless, these statements from Trumps top appointments are being used as confirmations that everyone except Trump, even Trumps own government, realize that Russia is a threat. The propaganda picture of Russia that the Obama regime worked so hard to create now has the luster of acceptance by Trumps nominees for State and Defense. Whether Tillerson and Mattis mean it or not, clearly the US Congress in thrall to the campaign donations from the military/security complex is determined that Russia be regarded as a threat. The Russians watching all this must quickly be losing their hopes for normalized relations. The US ruling establishment is causing hope to fade and suspicion to rise in the Russian government, thus raising barriers within Russia herself to Trumps policy of better relations. Nothing speaks more clearly of the unbridled evil of the US Establishment than its willingness to risk conflict with Russia for the sake of its hold on power and profit. Where is the liberal-lefts moral conscience? Why is the liberal-left helping the military/security complex delegitimize Trump and box him in so that his agenda is dead on arrival and thermo-nuclear war remains an option? Is Trump Already Finished? By Paul Craig Roberts It did not take long before we knew there was no hope of change from President Obama. But at least he went into his inauguration with an unprecedented number of Americans on the Mall showing their support for the President of Change. Hope was abundant. But with Trump, we are already losing faith, if not yet with him, at least with his choice of those who comprise his government even before Trump is inaugurated. Trumps choice for Secretary of State not only sounds like the neoconservatives in declaring Russia to be a threat to the United States and all of Europe, but also sounds like Hillary Clinton in declaring the South China Sea to be an area of US dominance. One would think that the chaiman of Exxon was not an idiot, but I am no longer sure. In his confirmation hearing, Rex Tillerson said that Chinas access to its own South China Sea is not going to be allowed. Here is Tillersons statement: Were going to have to send China a clear signal that first, the island-building stops, and second, your access to those islands also not going to be allowed. I mean, really, what is Tillerson going to do about it except get the world blown up. Chinas response was as pointed as a response can be: Tillerson should not be misled into thinking that Beijing will be fearful of threats. If Trumps diplomatic team shapes future Sino-US ties as it is doing now, the two sides had better prepare for a military clash. Tillerson had better bone up on nuclear power stategies if he wants to force a big nuclear power to withdraw from its own territories. So Trump is not even inaugurated and his idiot nominee for Secretary of State has already created an animosity relationship with two nuclear powers capable of completely destroying all of the West for eternity. And this makes the US Senate comfortable with Tillerson. The imbeciles should be scared out of their wits, assuming they have any. One of the reasons that Russia rescued Syria from Washingtons overthrow is that Russia understood that Washingtons next target would be Iran and from a destroyed Iran terrorism would be exported into the Russian Federation. There is an axis of countries threatened by US supported terrorismSyria, Iran, Russia, China. Trump says he wants to normalize relations with Russia and to open up business opportunities in the place of conflict. But to normalize relations with Russia requires also normalizing relations with Iran and China. Judging from their public statements, Trumps announced government has targeted Iran for destabilization. Trumps appointees as National Security Advisor, Secretary of Defense, and Director of the CIA all regard Iran incorrectly as a terrorist state that must be overthrown. But Russia cannot allow Washington to ovethrow the stable government in Iran and will not allow it. Chinas investments in Iranian oil imply that China also will not permit Washingtons overthrow of Iran. China has already suffered from its lost investments in Libyan oil as the result of the Obama regimes overthrow of the Libyan government. Realistically speaking, it looks like the Trump Presidency is already defeated by his own appointees independently of the ridiculous and completely unbelievable propaganda put out by the CIA and broadcast by the presstitute media in the US, UK, and Europe. The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and BBC have lowered themselves below the National Enquirer. Possibly, as I wrote earlier today (http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/01/13/the-establishment-is-trying-to-steal-the-presidency-from-trump-paul-craig-roberts/), these statements from Trumps appointees are nothing but what is required to be confirmed and are not operational in any sense. However, it is possible to stand up to the bastards in confirmation hearings. I stood up in my confirming hearing, and the embarrassed Democrats requested that the entire hearing be deleted from the record. If the Chairman of Exxon and a Lt. General are not capable of standing up to the imbecilic Congress, they are unfit for office. That they did not stand up is an indication that they lack the strength that Trump needs if he is to bring change from the top. If Trump is unable to change US foreign policy, thermo-nuclear war and the destruction of Earth are inevitable. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . Trump will be assassinated! - Dr. Paul Craig Roberts on Trump, Putin & Hacking Paul Craig Roberts, explains the attempted Electoral College coup on Trump, and the differences between the last Cold War and the new one. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
The Deep State Wants to Deep Six Us

By David Swanson

January 14, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - What do these pieces of evidence tell you?

The United States and Russia each possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy all life on earth many times over.

Pentagon officials say the cold war with Russia is for profit and bureaucracy.

When there was danger of peace breaking out in Syria, the U.S. military acted to prevent it, apparently against the will of President Obama.

The U.S. facilitated a coup in Ukraine, characterized a secession vote in Crimea as an invasion and seizure by force, made unsubstantiated claims about the shooting down of an airplane, opened a missile base in Romania, started building a missile base in Poland, moved more troops and equipment into Eastern Europe than seen since World War II, dropped all pretense that the enemy provoking all this was Iran, and spread the word through endless repetition that Russia was threatening Europe (even though Russia, for all its real crimes and offenses, including bombing Syria, was not threatening Europe).

The U.S. so-called intelligence so-called community put out the word that Russia had hacked Vermont's electricity grid -- a story it had simply made up.

It may have been the same people who first claimed Trump had a computer server tied to a Russian bank. There was no evidence.

The media began running with stories that C-Span and other channels had been hacked by Russia. There was no evidence. C-Span said Russia didn't do it. Someone other than Russia had made Russian TV content air on C-Span.

The Washington Post whose owner makes far more from the CIA than from the Washington Post published an article promoting a ridiculous list of news sources, many of them among the best we've got, as being Russian propaganda.

The so-called "intelligence" so-called "services" put out a series of evidence-free reports and stories that convinced many Americans that Vladimir Putin had broken into U.S. election machines. The reports attempted to imply without actually claiming the possession of evidence that Russia hacked into Democrats' emails and gave them to WikiLeaks. Attempts at evidence of the first half of that fell wildly short, and the second half was not even attempted.

Things in those reports that could be checked independently tended to fall apart. ISPs identified as Russian were not Russian. When the reports were augmented with publicly available information about a Russian TV network, many of the details were stupidly screwed up, suggesting a serious lack of concern with accuracy.

When Donald Trump suggested evidence should be required before believing the CIA, out popped an unverified story of a Trump sex scandal and corruption.

To my mind, the above evidence suggests a death wish, an inclination toward speciecide. It should not be equated with simply opposing Donald Trump, though. I think the media's willingness to hand Trump billions of dollars worth of free airtime and, consequently, the White House, as well as the FBI director's possible support for Trump come from a similar inclination.
Nigeria being a densely populated country with over 160million people is stocked with a lot of business opportunity with host of potential costumers. In Nigeria, every business is lucrative and have a potential of yielding reasonable profits.

Your business plan should include market research, a comprehensive look at your competitors, explain your target audience,outline marketing plans, and offer a solid budget projection.

However, the business must have to stand out thus must be unique. The number one step to running a successful business is dedication.

Below are some of the dirty business in Nigeria that fetch profit

1. LIVESTOCK BUSINESS

Most times when we hear the word agriculture what comes to our mind is farming. Now ask yourself, is agriculture really farming? Do business opportunities exist in agriculture? Agriculture is open to a wide range of business opportunity.

Livestock is an aspect of agriculture with wide range of business opportunity with maximum profit. Demand for Fish and meat in Nigeria for instance is so cumbersome that the demand supersedes the supply. Thus the market can never be saturated. Livestock business is a business you can start with very little capital even in your backyard.

However most persons fail to tap into this business venture.

2. EVENT PLANNING

Event planning otherwise called Catering is a business venture open to all, both male and female, students and graduates, poor and rich. In Nigeria today weekends are flooded with varieties of events from Weddings to birthdays even burials.Individuals often find they lack the expertise and time to plan events themselves. Independent planners can step in and give these special events the attention they deserve.

Event planning entails cooking and serving of different cuisines and also decorating the event centre, thus The number one step to being a successful event planner is creativity.

3. BEAUTY SALOON

One things ladies can never shy away from is their looks. Having a beauty saloon is lucrative far beyond what an average Nigerian thinks. The most striking fact about this business is that it can be done from the comfort of your home. All you need is to have the skill and your workwill advertise for you. For a successful beauty saloon, it must be located in an easily accessible location for your costumers even if its your house with a very conducive environment to give a relaxing service for your costumers.

4. SLIPPERS AND SHOE MAKING

A footwear is an accessory to complete your dressing and it comes in various types depending on the occasion, and thecloth the person is putting on. Everybody needs a pair of shoe or slippers to go to everywhere; be it church, work, school or informal outings, thus making it an everyday item.

Slippers and shoe making is a business neglected by many but are neglected by many.

Though requires apprenticeship its a business that can fetch you cool cash and the resources needed are readily available.

Many shoes and slippers abound in the market today, thus Your brand is what unique features that will make your shoes stand out. This will anybody that sees your shoes anywhere to instantly identify it as produced from your company.

5. RESTAURANT

Food is an inevitable need of man.

While starting a restaurant is exciting, its also time consuming and one of the toughest businesses to successfully launch. In fact, 60 percent of restaurants fail in the first year.

Restaurant can only rely on word of mouthto bring in so many customers, so youll need a marketing plan in place to keep new people streaming through your doors.

Raw material needed to run a restaurant is cheap and readily available.

Source: Vast Finder
Former Military head of state, General Abubakar Abdulsalam (Retd), the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar, Catholic Bishops of Abuja and Sokoto, John Cardinal former head of state General Abubakar Abdulsalam (Retd), The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar, the Catholic Bishops of Abuja and Sokoto Diocesese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah yesterday held a closed door meeting with Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai over the killings in Southern Kaduna.

This was part of efforts by the members of the National Peace Committee to tackle the incesant attacks in the Southern part of Kaduna State.

Addressing newsmen after a close door meeting with the state Governor, General Abdulsalam said, We are here due to the recent happenings in Southern Kaduna. And from here within the week, we are going to meet with other stakeholders, religious leaders, the Chiefs in the area and also visit the site where these problems are and discuss with the people. After which we will now sit down and see what we think should be done.

Then we come back to the governor and also if necessary to the federal government. Considering that these clashes and killings are not only limited to Kaduna state, it is something that is engulfing the country.

So we want to make sure that peace reigns in Nigeria, to make sure that people know that we are together, we have to live in peace with each other and we have what it is to give and take. We are reaching a situation in the country where human live doesnt mean anyting to people and this is wrong.

There is no religion on earth or anywhere that preaches violence. So this is why we are here today. We thank the governor and his team for recieving us. One of the points that the governor drew our attention to is the way people take law into their hands and they go scot free. And this impunity must be checked. These are some of the issues we discussed.

 Everybody is aggrieved in one way or the other, so what we prevail on the people to be patient, try as much as to forgive and to be each others keeper. We must live together, we must find solution to the problems to sit down and talk to ourselves because there is no problem that cannot be solved when you are talking to each other.

Fielding questions from journalists after the meeting , Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah disclosed that the visit is more of a Solidarity with the people of Kaduna State.

According to him , the National Peace Committee members are in Kaduna to hear first hand what exactly is happening and what they can do with the hope to find a way forward based on the situation.

He also explained that as part of the delegation, who convened the peace committee, he said ,  What we are doing now is trying to bring about peace.Wedidnt just hold the election ,we are looking at how we can achieve peace and stability .

I think what the people of Kaduna State, including the government should be doing now is to look into how we can achieve peace and development and I think that is the reason we have democracy.

So whatever contributions anybody can make, we need to make it people have expressed their voices.

What is going now is a very sad phase in our history, but I believe that we can get over it and we will get over it and come out much more stronger and committed to peace. 

Source: Leadership
The Kaduna State Government has begun verification of workers both in the employ of the state and the local governments.

Only 71 out of the 9, 786 workers whose names were removed from the payroll recently, have been verified in the ongoing exercise at the Government House, Kaduna.

Mr Bashir Mohammad Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reform, told reporters shortly after the verification that the government would still carry out further scrutiny to determine who should be on the payroll of the government.

The governor directed that those affected could write to him and those found to be unjustly removed from the payroll would be restored.

Recently, 21 civil servants who wrote letters of protest to the governor were eventually cleared, he said.

According to him, the first phase of the verification was conducted at the Government House because of the governors desire to discuss with those affected and that it was not a witch-hunting exercise.

One of the civil servants, Mr Justin Barusa, from Chikum Local Government, expressed satisfaction with the verification exercise and hoped that the conclusion of the exercise would ensure the payment of her 11 months salary.

According to her, it was as a result of the letter she wrote to the governor that she was invited for the verification.

Mr Shehu Abubakar, who works for Kaduna South Council, said: The verification went on smoothly, I am satisfied with the procedure.

Mrs Salina John, a staff of the Government College, Unguwan Rimi, was happy that her salary which was stopped since February 20

16 had been restored during the verification.
Miss Universe contestants from around the world have arrived the Philippines ahead of the January 30 pageant.

Miss Nigeria Unoaku Anyadike, arrived late Friday night to the Filippino capital and shared her safe arrival with an Instagram post captioned, finally in Manilaaaa.

She later shared this photo with her roommate, Miss Namibia.

Prior to her departure, the beauty queen was pictured at the Murtala International airport, Lagos, where she proudly displayed the Nigerian flag.

See photos of other Miss Universe contestants below.
Nigerian newspaper headlines January 14, 2017.

Punch

Members of the National Peace Committee led by its Chairman and a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), on Friday had a closed-door meeting with Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, over the killings in the Southern part of the state.

Vanguard

OBA of Benin, Omo NOba NEdo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare 11 has thrown his weight behind a proposed meeting of traditional rulers in Nigeria on how the activities of Fulani herdsmen could be curtailed.

Guardian

The Borno State government has banned illegal motor parks, markets, structures and sale of alcohol in Maiduguri metropolis, which it said continue to endanger the collective safety and security of peoples lives and property in the state following the Nigerian militarys routing of Boko Haram terrorists last December.

Thisday

President Muhammadu Buhari led a regional delegation to Gambia yesterday in a last-ditch attempt to persuade its longtime leader, Yahaya Jammeh to step down and allow his rivals inauguration next week, while fears grow that the impasse could turn violent.

Leadership

The African Union (AU) says it will not recognize Jammehs presidency if he does not step aside when his mandate expires on January 19.

Premium Times

The global unemployment rate is expected to rise from 5.7 to 5.8 per cent in 2017, a new report has said.

The Sun

No fewer than nine persons were confirmed dead and 14 others hospitalised in an early morning bomb blast in Madagali town in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The Nation

A prominent ex-militant leader, Mr. Africanus Ukparasia, yesterday, vowed to resist renewed threats by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to begin attacks on oil installations in the region.
Following the circulation of an embarrassing clip of Oyo state Governor Abiola Ajimobi acting like a dictator while addressing LAUTECH students who held a peaceful protest at his office, Nigerians have come out to blast the politician.

In the video, Ajimobi dared the students, who were protesting their situation of an 8 month-long strike, to do their worst.

Below are some posts:

https://twitter.com/phelumy/status/820173719909859330

It's obvious you people don't know Ajimobi. That's why y'all are surprised. That's the monster Oyo state is contending with  Nameless (@Uber_Gooner) January 14, 2017

Ajimobi just proved it: governors are kings  emeka (@mazi_emekar) January 14, 2017

Loooool

Ajimobi no respect anybody for ds life  CINEFANG PICTURES (@looyeh) January 14, 2017

I was hurt! Sad! Perplexed when watching that Ajimobi video. Such a useless, uneducated and guilible man. Oh, a shame to this country.  director D. (@DirectedByDiji) January 14, 2017
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be visiting a number of oil communities across some Niger Delta States starting on Monday.

He will visit Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers State.

His office said the visits are in further demonstration of President Muhammadu Buharis readiness and determination to comprehensively address the Niger Delta situation

At these visits, Mr. Osinbajo will lead high-level delegations of the Federal Government that will interact with leaders and representatives of the oil-producing communities in continuation of ongoing outreach efforts of the Buhari administration towards a long lasting and permanent resolution of the Niger Delta crisis, a statement signed by the vice presidents spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said.

Attacks by militant groups in the oil rich region have seen oil production significantly reduced since 2016.

Peace initiatives of the government failed to end the attacks on pipelines and oil and gas platforms.

The Buhari presidency is fully committed to having an effective dialogue and positive engagement that will end the crisis in the oil-producing areas, and believes that these visits would further boost the confidence necessary for the attainment of peace and prosperity in the areas and the Nigerian nation in general, the vice presidents office said.
The Lagos State Police Command have arrested a pregnant woman, Eniola Kareem, 21, alongside her two accomplices, her husband, 23-year-old Paul Kareem and another suspect, Ayoola sodiq, 21, for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of one Idris Saheed.

According to the Police, the suspects were arrested last week after they have successfully received the ransom of N100,000 paid by the victims parents.

Recounting how they planned the kidnap to the Police, the woman who claimed to be the mastermind said, the victim, (Idris) had been making advances at her and she thought she should that opportunity to collect money from his parents who are rich.

One day, during a telephone conversation with him, she said, he informed me that he was coming to Mowe and would like to see me since I lived there. I obliged him. Thereafter, I muted the idea of kidnapping him because I know how rich his parents are. I told my husband about how we would kidnap him and tie him with a rope. I told him that when he comes to the house, I will do anything he wants. I planned the kidnap with my husband and his friend Sodiq and we demanded N100,000 from his parents before we released him.

In his statement, Mr.Paul claimed he met his wife with whom they planned it together in a club where dances and they started dating.

He added that, The person we kidnapped told my wife that he was coming to the house, thinking she was still single and that was what prompted the kidnap. We did not harm him or use any ammunition, it was a docile operation. The boy is gentle and cooperated with us . My wife told me that the boy is from a very wealthy home and that his father is a multi-millionaire but we only requested for N100,000 and we were paid three days later.. We are not real kidnappers and we have not done this before.

Immediately he entered the house to see my wife, we pounced on him and tied him to a chair and demanded that he should call his parents and tell them that he had been kidnapped and needed a sum of N100,000 to be released.

Ayoola sodiq, the third suspect said, he was not part of the initial plan of the kidnapping, he only got to know about it later from his friend Paul whom he met at a club in Mowe Ibafo.

He said, There he introduced me to this business and told me how he was planning to kidnap the victim. He called me and told me about his plan of kidnapping a young boy with his wife. She called the boy and when he came to the house, they pounced on him and told him to sit on the floor.

After that, they called his parents and informed them of the kidnap demanding that they pay N100,000 to her husbands account . After the kidnap , I was given N30,000 while Paul took N40,000 and gave the left over which is N30,000 to his wife. The police tracked me and arrested me after they already arrested Paul and his pregnant wife and since then , I ve been in police custody.

Confirming the arrests, Dolapo Badmus, the Lagos State Police Spokesperson said investigations are still ongoing and the suspects would be charged to court soon.
A woman from Louisiana, USA says she is done having babies after her fourth child came out weighing a staggering 14 pounds, 1 ounce.

LaQueena Hunter Grover said her largest baby was 11.9 pounds before Dec. 6, when she gave birth to Loyalty Adonis Grover at an hospital in Metairie.

Right when the doctor was taking him out, my husband was like  his mouth just literally dropped  he was like, Thats a big baby,' Grover told WDSU-TV.

Grover said she previously thought she might have been pregnant with multiples.

People would come up to me and say, Oh I think thats twins or even triplets. Maybe theres another hiding behind one of the babies,' she said.

Baby Loyalty, now about a month old, currently weighs in at nearly 15 pounds and measures 2 feet tall, his mother said.

He wears a size three Pamper. Hes supposed to be in a size one as a newborn. He wears 3-to-6-month-old clothes and he wears some 6-to-9-month clothes. I put on him some shorts that were for 18-month-olds, Grover said.

Grover said Loyalty is already developing a big personality to go with his size.

He acts like the Incredible Hulk when he does not get what he wants. He does not like to be wet. He likes to be changed immediately. And he wants to eat as soon as he gets hungry, she said.

Grover said she is done having children after giving birth to a 14-pound baby.

The doctors told me that the last time they heard of a 14-pound baby, they were starting for the Saints or something, Grover said.

Guinness World Records lists the largest baby ever born as coming out weighing 22 pounds. The child survived for only 11 hours.
Oyo state Governor Abiola Ajimobi was in his display of arrogance and tyranny when his office was visited by protesting students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho (LAUTECH).

The students held a peaceful protest to demand the reopening of their school which is jointly owned by Oyo and Osun states, but it wasnt met well by the Governor.

Ajimobi who addressed the protesters in Yoruba and then English told the students to do whatever they want to do.

He also dared them to do their worst if thats how they want to talk to him regarding the strike.

He said some of the protesting students ought to have little respect for constituted authority, no matter what.

He later called on security personnel to bring forth a protester  just like a dictator  who he claimed was insolent.

Watch below:
NY Cocoa Prices Rally on Dollar Weakness Barchart - 7 minutes ago December ICE NY cocoa (CCZ22 ) on Friday closed up +62 (+2.61%), and December ICE London cocoa #7 (CAZ22 ) closed up +49 (+2.46%). Cocoa prices rallied Friday as the dollar index (DXY00 ) fell sharply... CCZ22 : 2,434s (+2.61%) CAH23 : 1,996s (+2.25%) DXY00 : 110.946 (-1.76%)

Sugar Rallies on Strong Crude Oil Prices Barchart - 24 minutes ago March NY world sugar #11 (SBH23 ) Friday closed +0.24 (+1.30%), and Dec London white sugar #5 (SWZ22 ) closed up +3.10 (+0.58%). Sugar prices Friday closed higher on the sharp rally of more than +4% in... SBH23 : 18.71s (+1.30%) SWZ22 : 539.00s (+0.58%) ^USDBRL : 5.02516 (-1.74%)

Friday Gains in Lean Hogs Barchart - Fri Nov 4, 11:53AM CDT Hog futures are back up by 7 to 40 cents through midday of the weeks last trade session. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was $3.36 weaker in the Thursday PM report to $86.12. The CME Lean Hog... HEZ22 : 82.975s (-0.48%) HEJ23 : 92.400s (-0.16%) KMZ22 : 93.875 (-0.13%)

Cotton Adding another Triple Digits Barchart - Fri Nov 4, 11:53AM CDT Dec cotton is off the high at midday, printed near 87.87 points, but is still trading stronger by 126 to 427 points in the front months. Census data reported 703,536 bales of cotton were exported during... CTZ22 : 86.93s (+4.73%) CTH23 : 85.67s (+4.26%) CTK23 : 84.63s (+3.21%)

Soybeans Up on Friday Barchart - Fri Nov 4, 11:53AM CDT Front month soy futures are trading higher through midday. The products are gaining on the beans with 0.9% to 1.2% gains in midday soymeal, and triple digit 2.3% to 2.7% gains in BO. Soybean contracts... ZSX22 : 1451-4s (+1.73%) ZSPAUS.CM : 14.2520 (+1.90%) ZSF23 : 1462-2s (+1.76%) ZSH23 : 1469-0s (+1.73%)

Wheat Gaining into Weekend Barchart - Fri Nov 4, 11:53AM CDT After a wide ranged week of up and back down, the front month wheat markets are looking to add value to end the week. CBT futures are trading 7 1/2 to 9 3/4 cents in the black. KC wheat futures are up... ZWZ22 : 847-6s (+0.86%) ZWH23 : 866-6s (+0.81%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.7988 (+0.94%) KEZ22 : 953-2s (+1.27%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.1129 (+1.33%) MWZ22 : 954-4s (+1.22%)

Cattle Mixed on Higher Feeders Barchart - Fri Nov 4, 11:53AM CDT Feeder cattle are up by 30 to 62 cents through the Friday midday, while fats are down 7 to 40 cents so far. Thursdays cash market was confirmed from $149 to $155, with the bulk of the Southern trade... LEZ22 : 151.650s (-0.20%) LEG23 : 154.375s (-0.32%) LEJ23 : 158.000s (-0.19%) GFX22 : 177.825s (-0.10%) GFF23 : 179.625s (+0.11%)

Corn Prices Firming into Weekend Barchart - Fri Nov 4, 11:53AM CDT So far for the final trade day of the week, corn prices are up by 2 to 2 3/4 cents. IHS Markit expects the national U.S. corn yield at 172.9 bpa, compared to their prior 171.2 bpa forecast. Their production... ZCZ22 : 681-0s (+0.26%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7756 (+0.30%) ZCH23 : 686-6s (+0.29%) ZCK23 : 686-6s (+0.29%)
Johnny Depp settled a bitter divorce dispute with Amber Heard, but it seems he will remain in the courts after he filed a $25 million lawsuit against his business managers the same day.

According to Deadline, the Pirates of the Caribbean star believes that The Management Group swindled him and is alleging fraud and a slew of other claims in his lawsuit. In a complaint, filed by Depps attorneys, Manatt, Phelps and Phillips LLC, in a Los Angeles Superior Court, it was revealed that the 52-year-olds business managers had cost him tens of millions of dollars, using his assets for personal gain and without authority.

Johnny Depp sues business managers, accuses them of fraud https://t.co/EWHPvyvwty  Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 14, 2017

As a result of years of gross mismanagement and sometimes outright fraud, Mr. Depp lost tens of millions of dollars and has been forced to dispose of significant assets to pay for TMGs self-dealing and gross misconduct. In essence, TMG treated Mr. Depps income as their own, available to either TMG or third parties to draw upon as desired

The lawsuit pinpointed 11 wrongdoings which included professional negligence, breach of contract and fraud. It alleges that The Management Group failed to pay the Black Mass actors taxes on time, which amounted to over $5.6 million in fees and penalties on his federal returns. TMG also reportedly went ahead to loan out close to $10 million to third parties without proper documentation or Depps approval.

Click here to continue and read more...

Johnny Depp Sues Business Managers For $25 Million, Same Day He Finalizes Divorce From Amber Heard is an article from: The Inquisitr News
This content is from: Video

Inflation remains the primary concern for the worlds central banks, which have engaged in the broadest and fastest tightening regime in history, according to Alejandra Grindal, chief economist at Ned Davis Research.
A defecting North Korean diplomat has said that North Korea until recently earned tens of millions of dollars every year through insurance fraud.Thae Yong-ho, who defected from Pyongyanys embassy in London, said North Koreas insurance scams have been going on for 30 years, according to a UPI report. North Korea allegedly began scamming the London international insurance market when founder Kim Il Sung was still head of the country and his son Kim Jong Il was his second in command.In North Korea, there is only one state-owned insurance company, so that even if it fabricates an accident, there is no way to verify its claims, Thae told South Korean news outlet Yonhap. After purchasing international insurance or reinsurance for state infrastructure, documents are forged (for phony claims), which earns the state tens of millions of dollars a year.However, economic sanctions against North Korea implemented by Britain and the EU cut off that revenue stream in May, according to UPI.
You have probably heard about various 401(k) benefits, but even if you already have one of these employer-sponsored retirement plans, you might not understand exactly how a 401(k) works. Of course, the more you know about 401(k)s, the more you'll be able to take advantage of those 401(k) benefits.

More than 60 million workers actively participate in 401(k)s, with over 600,000 different company plans in place, according to the 2020 (the most recent figures available as of May 2022) report by the Investment Company Institute. Overall, $7.3 trillion in assets are held within 401(k)s in the U.S, according to the Investment Company Institute.

Key Takeaways You can deduct your 401(k) contributions from your tax return in the year that you make them.

A 401(k) employer match can help you grow your nest egg even faster.

401(k)s offer protection from creditors, including the IRS, in some cases.

Roth 401(k)s are ideal for high earners who aren't eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA and for people who expect to be in a higher tax bracket in retirement.

If you remove money from your 401(k) before age 59, you will have to penalties and taxes on it.



What Is a 401(k)?

Named after a section of the Internal Revenue Code, 401(k)s are employer-sponsored defined-contribution plans (DC) that give workers a tax-advantaged way to save for retirement.

If your employer offers a 401(k), you can opt to contribute a percentage of your income to the plan. The contributions are automatically taken out of your paycheck, and you can deduct them on your taxes.

The average 401(k) plan offers numerous investment options, and many include additional features such as automatic enrollment and low-cost index fund options.

401(k) Benefits

401(k)s offer workers a lot of benefits, including:

Tax breaks

Employer match

High contribution limits

Contributions after age 72

Shelter from creditors

Below, we'll take a closer look at these 401(k) benefits.

401(k) Taxes

The tax advantages of a 401(k) begin with the fact that you make contributions on a pre-tax basis. That means you can deduct your contributions in the year you make them, which lowers your taxable income for the year.

To compound the benefit, your 401(k) earnings accrue on a tax-deferred basis. That means the dividends and capital gains that accumulate inside your 401(k) are also not subject to tax until you begin withdrawals.

The tax treatment can be a significant benefit if youll be in a lower tax bracket in retirementwhen you take money outthan you are when you make the contributions.

401(k) Match

Some employers offer to match the amount you contribute to your 401(k) plan. And some even add a profit-sharing feature that contributes a portion of the company's profits to the pot. If your company offers one or both of these features, sign up for themthey essentially represent free money.

Here's how those employer perks can work. Many companies offer to match 50% of up to the first 6% you contribute to a 401(k). Let's say you earn a $45,000 salary. If you contribute 6% of your annual earnings ($2,700) to your 401(k), your employer would contribute an additional 50% of that amount. That's $1,350 of easy money.

Some employers even go one better and match your contributions dollar-for-dollar for up to the first 6%, which would add another $2,700 in this scenario, thus doubling your annual contributions to the plan.

401(k) Contribution Limits

You can save much more each year in a 401(k) than in an IRA. For 2021, the 401(k) contribution limits are $19,500 and $26,000 (includes a $6,500 catch-up for those age 50 and older), respectively. In 2022, this amount rises to $20,500 plus the $6,500 catch-up.

Your employer can contribute, too. In 2021, the contribution limit is up to $58,000, or (with the $6,500 catch-up) $64,500 and in 2022, the limit is $61,000 plus the $6,500 catch-up amount.

401(k) Contributions After Age 72

With some retirement accounts, you cannot contribute once you turn age 72, even if you're still working. That means any money you might have contributed on a pre-tax basis is instead taxed at your current rate. And that's likely to be higher than the rate you'll pay once you retire.

Notably, 401(k)s don't have this drawback. You can continue to contribute to these for as long you're still working. Even better, while you're working, you're spared from taking mandatory distributions from the plan, provided you own less than 5% of the business that employs you.

Shelter From Creditors

If you run into financial trouble, it's helpful to have your money in places that creditors cannot access. As it happens, 401(k)s offer excellent creditor protection. That's because these plans are set up under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)and ERISA accounts are generally protected from judgment creditors.

Additionally, 401(k)s often offer some protection from federal tax liens, which are government claims against a taxpayer's assets with unpaid back taxes. The fact that 401(k) plans legally belong to your employer rather than you makes it difficult for the IRS to place a lien on the account. Depending on the language in the fine print of your account, your plan administrators may be able to refuse outright to comply with an IRS lien.

401(k) Disadvantages

Withdrawals from your 401(k) are taxed at your prevailing income-tax rate when you take money out. There are restrictions on how and when you can withdraw money from the account.

Age Requirements

If you withdraw funds from a 401(k) before you reach age 59, you'll be hit with a 10% early-withdrawal penalty fee as well as any applicable taxes.

Mandatory Withdrawals

At age 72, you must begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from the plan. Previously, the RMD was 70, but following the Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act in December 2019, the RMD age is now 72.

If you're still working at age 72, you don't have to take RMDs from the plan at your current workplace (see below for details). You will, however, need to start making withdrawals from 401(k)s at any former employers if you have any.

Roth 401(k)

The advantages of contributing pre-tax income to a regular 401(k) when your earnings (and tax rate) are at their peak may diminish as your career is winding down. Indeed, your income and tax rate may rise as you get older, as Social Security payments, dividends, and RMDs kick inespecially if you keep working.

Enter a different flavor of retirement accountthe Roth 401(k). An ever-increasing number of companies offer Roth 401(k)s. Like its sibling, the Roth IRA, this account receives your contributions as after-tax dollars, but withdrawals are fully tax-free if you meet certain conditions.

Roth 401(k) Contribution Limits

Roth 401(k) contribution limits follow those of 401(k)snot Roth IRAs. For 2021 that amount is $58,000, or $64,500 with the catch-up contribution, and $61,000 plus the additional $6,500 catch-up amount.

Roth 401(k) Income Limits

Roth 401(k)s are also an ideal avenue for high earners who want to invest in a Roth but may have their contributions to a Roth IRA limited by their income. For example, if you are a single person, you can't contribute to a Roth IRA in 2021 if your MAGI is over $140,000 (or $144,000 in 2022), but there are no income limits for contributing to a Roth 401(k).

1:33 Those Who Retire Early Share These Traits

How Much Will a 401(k) Reduce My Taxes? In 2021, the contribution limit is $19,500 and $26,000 for those 50 and older, (including a catch-up contribution). For 2022, those numbers rise to $20,500 and $27,000, respectively.

What Should You Do With Your 401(k) When You Leave Your Job?

If you leave a job ahead of retirement, such as for a new job or to start a business, there are several options for what to do with your 401(k). You can leave the 401(k) with your previous employer, consolidate your old 401(k) into your new employer's retirement plan, cash out your 401(k), or roll over the assets into an individual retirement account (IRA), or convert to a Roth IRA.

What Are the Advantages of Rolling Over a 401(K) to an IRA? Rolling over your old 401(k) to an IRA gives you control and options, because an IRA typically has a greater variety of investment vehicles than a 401(k). IRAs fees are typically lower than those of a 401(k). Those who chose to rollover their 401(k) can choose between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA.

The Bottom Line

It's little wonder that the 401(k) is the most popular employer-sponsored retirement plan in the nation. With the numerous 401(k) benefits, this savings plan should be part of your retirement financial portfolio, especially if your employer offers a match.

Once you're aboard with a 401(k), however, don't simply sit back and allow it to run on auto-pilot. Changes from year to year in contribution limits, tax advantages, and your financial needs make it prudent to regularly review your plan's performance and any alternatives that may suit you better.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.
Investopedia / Zoe Hansen

What Is an Initial Public Offering (IPO)?

An initial public offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance for the first time. An IPO allows a company to raise equity capital from public investors.

The transition from a private to a public company can be an important time for private investors to fully realize gains from their investment as it typically includes a share premium for current private investors. Meanwhile, it also allows public investors to participate in the offering.

Key Takeaways An initial public offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance.

Companies must meet requirements by exchanges and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to hold an IPO.

IPOs provide companies with an opportunity to obtain capital by offering shares through the primary market.

Companies hire investment banks to market, gauge demand, set the IPO price and date, and more.

An IPO can be seen as an exit strategy for the companys founders and early investors, realizing the full profit from their private investment.

4:46 Initial Public Offering (IPO) Explained

How an Initial Public Offering (IPO) Works

Before an IPO, a company is considered private. As a pre-IPO private company, the business has grown with a relatively small number of shareholders including early investors like the founders, family, and friends along with professional investors such as venture capitalists or angel investors.

An IPO is a big step for a company as it provides the company with access to raising a lot of money. This gives the company a greater ability to grow and expand. The increased transparency and share listing credibility can also be a factor in helping it obtain better terms when seeking borrowed funds as well.

When a company reaches a stage in its growth process where it believes it is mature enough for the rigors of SEC regulations along with the benefits and responsibilities to public shareholders, it will begin to advertise its interest in going public.

Typically, this stage of growth will occur when a company has reached a private valuation of approximately $1 billion, also known as unicorn status. However, private companies at various valuations with strong fundamentals and proven profitability potential can also qualify for an IPO, depending on the market competition and their ability to meet listing requirements.

IPO shares of a company are priced through underwriting due diligence. When a company goes public, the previously owned private share ownership converts to public ownership, and the existing private shareholders shares become worth the public trading price. Share underwriting can also include special provisions for private to public share ownership.

Generally, the transition from private to public is a key time for private investors to cash in and earn the returns they were expecting. Private shareholders may hold onto their shares in the public market or sell a portion or all of them for gains.

Meanwhile, the public market opens up a huge opportunity for millions of investors to buy shares in the company and contribute capital to a companys shareholders' equity. The public consists of any individual or institutional investor who is interested in investing in the company.

Overall, the number of shares the company sells and the price for which shares sell are the generating factors for the companys new shareholders' equity value. Shareholders' equity still represents shares owned by investors when it is both private and public, but with an IPO, the shareholders' equity increases significantly with cash from the primary issuance.

History of IPOs

The term initial public offering (IPO) has been a buzzword on Wall Street and among investors for decades. The Dutch are credited with conducting the first modern IPO by offering shares of the Dutch East India Company to the general public.

Since then, IPOs have been used as a way for companies to raise capital from public investors through the issuance of public share ownership.

Through the years, IPOs have been known for uptrends and downtrends in issuance. Individual sectors also experience uptrends and downtrends in issuance due to innovation and various other economic factors. Tech IPOs multiplied at the height of the dotcom boom as startups without revenues rushed to list themselves on the stock market.

The 2008 financial crisis resulted in a year with the least number of IPOs. After the recession following the 2008 financial crisis, IPOs ground to a halt, and for some years after, new listings were rare. More recently, much of the IPO buzz has moved to a focus on so-called unicornsstartup companies that have reached private valuations of more than $1 billion. Investors and the media heavily speculate on these companies and their decision to go public via an IPO or stay private.

What Is the IPO Process?

The IPO process essentially consists of two parts. The first is the pre-marketing phase of the offering, while the second is the initial public offering itself. When a company is interested in an IPO, it will advertise to underwriters by soliciting private bids or it can also make a public statement to generate interest.

The underwriters lead the IPO process and are chosen by the company. A company may choose one or several underwriters to manage different parts of the IPO process collaboratively. The underwriters are involved in every aspect of the IPO due diligence, document preparation, filing, marketing, and issuance.

Steps to an IPO

Proposals. Underwriters present proposals and valuations discussing their services, the best type of security to issue, offering price, amount of shares, and estimated time frame for the market offering. Underwriter. The company chooses its underwriters and formally agrees to underwrite terms through an underwriting agreement. Team. IPO teams are formed comprising underwriters, lawyers, certified public accountants (CPAs), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) experts. Documentation. Information regarding the company is compiled for required IPO documentation. The S-1 Registration Statement is the primary IPO filing document. It has two partsthe prospectus and the privately held filing information. The S-1 includes preliminary information about the expected date of the filing. It will be revised often throughout the pre-IPO process. The included prospectus is also revised continuously. Marketing & Updates. Marketing materials are created for pre-marketing of the new stock issuance. Underwriters and executives market the share issuance to estimate demand and establish a final offering price. Underwriters can make revisions to their financial analysis throughout the marketing process. This can include changing the IPO price or issuance date as they see fit. Companies take the necessary steps to meet specific public share offering requirements. Companies must adhere to both exchange listing requirements and SEC requirements for public companies. Board & Processes. Form a board of directors and ensure processes for reporting auditable financial and accounting information every quarter. Shares Issued. The company issues its shares on an IPO date. Capital from the primary issuance to shareholders is received as cash and recorded as stockholders' equity on the balance sheet. Subsequently, the balance sheet share value becomes dependent on the companys stockholders' equity per share valuation comprehensively. Post IPO. Some post-IPO provisions may be instituted. Underwriters may have a specified time frame to buy an additional amount of shares after the initial public offering (IPO) date. Meanwhile, certain investors may be subject to quiet periods.

Advantages and Disadvantages of an IPO

The primary objective of an IPO is to raise capital for a business. It can also come with other advantages as well as disadvantages.

Advantages

One of the key advantages is that the company gets access to investment from the entire investing public to raise capital. This facilitates easier acquisition deals (share conversions) and increases the companys exposure, prestige, and public image, which can help the companys sales and profits.

Increased transparency that comes with required quarterly reporting can usually help a company receive more favorable credit borrowing terms than a private company.



Disadvantages

Companies may confront several disadvantages to going public and potentially choose alternative strategies. Some of the major disadvantages include the fact that IPOs are expensive, and the costs of maintaining a public company are ongoing and usually unrelated to the other costs of doing business.

Fluctuations in a company's share price can be a distraction for management, which may be compensated and evaluated based on stock performance rather than real financial results. Additionally, the company becomes required to disclose financial, accounting, tax, and other business information. During these disclosures, it may have to publicly reveal secrets and business methods that could help competitors.



Rigid leadership and governance by the board of directors can make it more difficult to retain good managers willing to take risks. Remaining private is always an option. Instead of going public, companies may also solicit bids for a buyout. Additionally, there can be some alternatives that companies may explore.

Pros Can raise additional funds in the future through secondary offerings



Attracts and retains better management and skilled employees through liquid stock equity participation (e.g., ESOPs)



IPOs can give a company a lower cost of capital for both equity and debt

Cons Significant legal, accounting, and marketing costs arise, many of which are ongoing

Increased time, effort, and attention required of management for reporting

There is a loss of control and stronger agency problems

IPO Alternatives

Direct Listing

A direct listing is when an IPO is conducted without any underwriters. Direct listings skip the underwriting process, which means the issuer has more risk if the offering does not do well, but issuers also may benefit from a higher share price. A direct offering is usually only feasible for a company with a well-known brand and an attractive business.

Dutch Auction

In a Dutch auction, an IPO price is not set. Potential buyers can bid for the shares they want and the price they are willing to pay. The bidders who were willing to pay the highest price are then allocated the shares available.

Investing in an IPO

When a company decides to raise money via an IPO it is only after careful consideration and analysis that this particular exit strategy will maximize the returns of early investors and raise the most capital for the business. Therefore, when the IPO decision is reached, the prospects for future growth are likely to be high, and many public investors will line up to get their hands on some shares for the first time. IPOs are usually discounted to ensure sales, which makes them even more attractive, especially when they generate a lot of buyers from the primary issuance.

Initially, the price of the IPO is usually set by the underwriters through their pre-marketing process. At its core, the IPO price is based on the valuation of the company using fundamental techniques. The most common technique used is discounted cash flow, which is the net present value of the companys expected future cash flows.

Underwriters and interested investors look at this value on a per-share basis. Other methods that may be used for setting the price include equity value, enterprise value, comparable firm adjustments, and more. The underwriters do factor in demand but they also typically discount the price to ensure success on the IPO day.

It can be quite hard to analyze the fundamentals and technicals of an IPO issuance. Investors will watch news headlines but the main source for information should be the prospectus, which is available as soon as the company files its S-1 Registration. The prospectus provides a lot of useful information. Investors should pay special attention to the management team and their commentary as well as the quality of the underwriters and the specifics of the deal. Successful IPOs will typically be supported by big investment banks that can promote a new issue well.

Overall, the road to an IPO is a very long one. As such, public investors building interest can follow developing headlines and other information along the way to help supplement their assessment of the best and potential offering price.

The pre-marketing process typically includes demand from large private accredited investors and institutional investors, which heavily influence the IPOs trading on its opening day. Investors in the public dont become involved until the final offering day. All investors can participate but individual investors specifically must have trading access in place. The most common way for an individual investor to get shares is to have an account with a brokerage platform that itself has received an allocation and wishes to share it with its clients.

Performance of IPOs

Several factors may affect the return from an IPO which is often closely watched by investors. Some IPOs may be overly hyped by investment banks which can lead to initial losses. However, the majority of IPOs are known for gaining in short-term trading as they become introduced to the public. There are a few key considerations for IPO performance.

Lock-Up

If you look at the charts following many IPOs, you'll notice that after a few months the stock takes a steep downturn. This is often because of the expiration of the lock-up period. When a company goes public, the underwriters make company insiders, such as officials and employees, sign a lock-up agreement.

Lock-up agreements are legally binding contracts between the underwriters and insiders of the company, prohibiting them from selling any shares of stock for a specified period. The period can range anywhere from three to 24 months. Ninety days is the minimum period stated under Rule 144 (SEC law) but the lock-up specified by the underwriters can last much longer. The problem is, when lockups expire, all the insiders are permitted to sell their stock. The result is a rush of people trying to sell their stock to realize their profit. This excess supply can put severe downward pressure on the stock price.

Waiting Periods

Some investment banks include waiting periods in their offering terms. This sets aside some shares for purchase after a specific period. The price may increase if this allocation is bought by the underwriters and decrease if not.

Flipping

Flipping is the practice of reselling an IPO stock in the first few days to earn a quick profit. It is common when the stock is discounted and soars on its first day of trading.

Tracking IPO Stocks

Closely related to a traditional IPO is when an existing company spins off a part of the business as its standalone entity, creating tracking stocks. The rationale behind spin-offs and the creation of tracking stocks is that in some cases individual divisions of a company can be worth more separately than as a whole. For example, if a division has high growth potential but large current losses within an otherwise slowly growing company, it may be worthwhile to carve it out and keep the parent company as a large shareholder then let it raise additional capital from an IPO.

From an investors perspective, these can be interesting IPO opportunities. In general, a spin-off of an existing company provides investors with a lot of information about the parent company and its stake in the divesting company. More information available for potential investors is usually better than less and so savvy investors may find good opportunities from this type of scenario. Spin-offs can usually experience less initial volatility because investors have more awareness.

IPOs are known for having volatile opening day returns that can attract investors looking to benefit from the discounts involved. Over the long term, an IPO's price will settle into a steady value, which can be followed by traditional stock price metrics like moving averages. Investors who like the IPO opportunity but may not want to take the individual stock risk may look into managed funds focused on IPO universes. But also look out for so-called hot IPOs that could be more hype than anything else.

What Is the Purpose of an Initial Public Offering? An IPO is essentially a fundraising method used by large companies, in which the company sells its shares to the public for the first time. Following an IPO, the companys shares are traded on a stock exchange. Some of the main motivations for undertaking an IPO include: raising capital from the sale of the shares, providing liquidity to company founders and early investors, and taking advantage of a higher valuation.

Can Anybody Invest in an IPO? Oftentimes, there will be more demand than supply for a new IPO. For this reason, there is no guarantee that all investors interested in an IPO will be able to purchase shares. Those interested in participating in an IPO may be able to do so through their brokerage firm, although access to an IPO can sometimes be limited to a firms larger clients. Another option is to invest through a mutual fund or another investment vehicle that focuses on IPOs.

Is an IPO a Good Investment? IPOs tend to garner a lot of media attention, some of which is deliberately cultivated by the company going public. Generally speaking, IPOs are popular among investors because they tend to produce volatile price movements on the day of the IPO and shortly thereafter. This can occasionally produce large gains, although it can also produce large losses. Ultimately, investors should judge each IPO according to the prospectus of the company going public as well as their financial circumstances and risk tolerance.
Thirteen arrests have been made by Gardai in Dublin as part of a so-called 'day of action' under Operation Thor.

Eleven men, aged between 19 and 53 years, and two women aged in their early 30s and mid 50s were arrested on warrant in connection with breaches of court related offences, including theft and traffic violations.
An Bord Pleanala has overturned a grant decision by South Dublin County Council and refused planning permission for the development.

The owner of Citywest, Tetrarch Capital  which paid 29m for the hotel in 2014  was seeking to increase the capacity of the hotels convention centre from 4,100 to 6,000 and stage concerts there.

Anne Mansfield  the widow of the former owner of Citywest, Jim Mansfield also opposed the plan.

In refusing planning permission, An Bord Pleanala on a 6:2 majority voted to disregard the recommendation of its own inspector who recommended that planning permission be granted.

The planning board stated it wasnt satisfied with the information submitted and that the proposal would have a significant negative impact on the residential amenities of the area due to traffic congestion and evening and night time noise.

The inspector in the case recommended that planning be granted after concluding that the development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety.

The planning boards decision represents a major blow to Tetrarch Capitals expansion plans for the hotel, where it was anticipating double-digit growth in revenue and profitability last year.

The business recorded pre-tax profits of 1.5m in 2015 as revenues soared to 22.8m. Jim Mansfield developed Citywest and it remains Irelands largest hotel with 789 rooms.

In a submission to An Bord Pleanala, consultants for Amphitheatre Ltd  the company which operates the 3Arena  stated that the [Citywest] site is almost 15km from Dublin city centre and a concert venue in this location is likely to detract from venues in the city centre such as the seated area of the 3Arena, the Gaiety Theatre, the Bord Gais Energy Theatre and the Olympia; and as a result have a negative impact on the vitality and primacy of the city centre.

The 3Arenas planning consultants also stated that the use of this edge of city site for public concerts is highly inconsistent with the overall character of the area which is typically residential, including local amenities and uses such as schools and convenience retail.

Citywest said that there was an anti-competitive agenda at play in the 3Arena opposing the plan.
By Michelle Price and Lisa Jucca HONG KONG (Reuters) - A proposal by France's National Front leader Marine Le Pen to ditch the euro and return to a national currency that would be part of a basket of European currencies with a system to manage exchange rate fluctuations is "not very credible", Luxembourg's finance minister said on Friday. Speaking to Reuters during a visit to Hong Kong, Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said the euro had been strengthened by a series of crises in the European Union, including the Greek sovereign debt crisis. He said improving fiscal conditions among euro zone countries allowed for greater integration and public spending. "I think the euro is strengthening permanently. That doesn't mean everything is perfect in the euro zone," Gramegna said. "But I don't think it's a very credible alternative to revert to the currency baskets that we used to have before and that haven't worked," he added, commenting on the proposal by Le Pen to return to a system similar to the pre-euro era. "I think that today the euro is more credible than it was at its inception, and certainly strengthened compared to the Greek crisis." Le Pen, the far-right leader who hopes to be elected president of France in May, outlined her proposed alternative to the euro currency, which she has long said France should leave, in an interview with Reuters earlier this month. Her comments evoked the era of the European Currency Unit (ECU) basket which was used as a unit of account by members of the bloc in the two decades leading up to the introduction of the single currency in 1999. It existed in parallel with the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) which attempted to narrow fluctuations between the currencies of member states. Gramegna said falling annual budget deficits and a decline in debt across Europe had given the bloc more room to increase public spending, bringing the EU more in line with the promised expansionist policies of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. "One still has to be careful, some countries have more room for manoeuvre than others," he said. "I think we have suffered from a lack of investment in the European Union since the world financial crisis. Europe needs more high quality investment and to a certain extent this is similar to what President-elect Trump has said." Some leading EU figures have called for London's euro-denominated trade clearing business to be relocated to a euro zone city following Britain's vote last year to quit the European Union. Britain is resisting those calls. Gramegna said it was too early in the so-called Brexit discussions to focus on single issues, but added it was "counterintuitive" for euro-clearing to remain in London. (Reporting by Michelle Price and Lisa Jucca; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
The average rate charged for a new mortgage in Ireland was just under 3.4% at the end of November, compared with the eurozones average rate of just over 1.7%, the data show.

New home loans have nonetheless fallen by just over a quarter of a point in the year  by 28 basis points as lenders cut the elevated costs of their standard variable mortgage rates. Buy-to-let variable mortgage rates stood at just over 4.7%.
Analysts here warn that her speech on Tuesday could spark a further bout of selling for sterling against the euro, an outcome which would heap even more pressure on Irish firms selling across the Irish Sea because a weak sterling makes their exports of goods and services so much more expensive.

Conall Mac Coille, chief economist at Davy Stockbrokers, predicted that markets would likely be highly sceptical of the comments Ms May will make on Britains exit plans, saying that no matter what she says, sterling would likely face another sell-off.

Amid signs her government is taking a hard line, when and if formal talks with Brussels over its EU divorce terms, begin in the spring, sterling this week fell back to below 87p, a level last seen in early November.

Ms May has said she will trigger the start of formal talks under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March, but those plans may yet be delayed by political or legal considerations.

Noting that the UK currency was hit hard by the resignation of its ambassador to Brussels this month, sterling could fall back to its October low of below 90p as early as next week, if markets do not like what they hear from Ms May, warned Alan McQuaid, chief economist at Merrion Capital.

If she is not convincing, the currency will fall, Mr McQuaid said.

Head of policy and chief economist at the Irish Business Employers Confederation, Fergal OBrien, said many observers on this side of the Irish Sea were now braced for an adverse Brexit outcome for Ireland, as the UK government makes immigration its number one issue even if there is to be an economic cost for Britain.

The soundings from Europe suggested the EU powers were not going to relinquish the principle of free movement of people to meet the UKs demands.

A benign outcome for Ireland from some sort of soft Brexit has therefore been taken off the table, said Mr OBrien, adding that the British government needs to be made more aware of the importance for businesses here of an uninterrupted access to an-island economy.

Supply chains for businesses rely on a healthy all-island economy and at the end of the day there is no other economy as affected as this one, he said.

John Whelan, a leading consultant on Irish trade with the rest of the world, said that Ms May will probably say that the UK will seek to control immigration in the looming talks with Brussels, and that the UK will not strike a deal over free trade.

There were opportunities under a hard Brexit for Ireland to exploit, but our agri-food industry will be severely hit, said Mr Whelan.

There are signs that powerful UK industries, such as the City of London, which rely on free trade have also grasped that Ms Mays government would keep pressing for immigration controls.

The lobby group TheCityUK this week dropped its campaign to maintain full so-called passporting rights to sell financial services from the UK across the EU after Brexit.
Health Minister Simon Harris visited the hospital on Thursday to hear from consultants why it is that more than 4,200 women are awaiting outpatient appointments, with more than 900 waiting in excess of 18 months.

While short-term initiatives such as use of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and the HSEs waiting list plan for 2017 will be used to reduce the waiting times, Mr Harris has promised to meet again with consultants in four to six weeks to flesh out the details for a more comprehensive solution.

Fianna Fail TD for Cork North West, Aindrias Moynihan, who has repeatedly highlighted the long waiting times in the Dail, said the focus must be on ensuring those currently on waiting lists for gynaecological procedures are seen, and treated as soon as possible.

Mr Moynihan said: On Thursday, Minister Harris announced the appointment of a new clinical director for maternity services (Prof John Higgins, head of UCCs College of Medicine). This is to be welcomed, but it, in itself, will not reduce waiting lists.

The focus needs to be on the over 4,000 women who urgently need to be seen and treated by consultant-level gynaecologists.

He said the NTPF will not make a meaningful difference to the waiting lists in the long term, and that alternatives have to be found.

Consultant obstetrician/gynaecologists at the hospital are seeking four additional consultant obs/gynae posts; additional theatre time; a gynaecology day unit and a gynaecology one-stop shop to help solve the waiting list problem.

Mr Harris said on Thursday that he recognised there was a resource issue at CUMH and that he was clear we are going to provide that resource.

Im not in any way underestimating the seriousness of this and the element of clinical risk associated with it. And when a group of eminent consultants have made clear to me the clinical risks associated with that, Im absolutely determined that we address it, he said.

He also said there needed to be clearer governance structures to protect, and perhaps ringfence, the budget and staffing resources at CUMH.

Consultants have expressed dissatisfaction with the existing governance arrangement.

Mr Moynihan said lives remained at risk by leaving women waiting more than a year for treatment, with the potential for delayed cancer diagnosis.

Independent senator Colette Kelleher, who has also campaigned for resources to tackle the waiting lists, said she will be watching the space closely to make sure Mr Harris delivers on his commitment.

The women of Cork and the region deserve nothing less than full delivery on promises made and an end to waiting lists for essential healthcare which women, as taxpayers, are entitled to and deserve.
Ageing priests and a lack of vocations to priesthood are seen as some of the biggest threats to the Irish and European Church but this trend is not mirrored worldwide.

Globally, there have never been higher numbers of seminarians with 117,000 studying worldwide and there has been a noted increase in numbers in Britain and the US.

Because of this, it had been previously reported the bishops were also to ask Pope Francis to consider allowing priests who left ministry to get married to return to priestly work. The bishops are due to meet Pope Francis next Friday.

However, a failure to reach consensus on the proposals among the bishops meant the proposal, which came from Bishop of Kilmore Leo OReilly, will not be made.

The Irish Catholic had reported that it is rumoured that Pope Francis is willing to allow married former priests to return to ministry in Brazil on a phased and experimental basis.

The countrys bishops, headed by Archbishop Eamon Martin, are to travel to the Vatican as part of their mandatory Ad Limina pilgrimage to the tombs of Ss Peter and Paul [Ad Limina means to the threshold of the apostles].

Prior to the Ad Limina visit, each diocesan bishop submits an overview to the Holy See of what is happening in their diocese to the Holy See.

Bishop of Cork and Ross, John Buckley said that his report outlines how his diocese will experience a vocations crisis unless numbers increase.

It is also, despite record attendances this Christmas, challenged by falling mass attendance and a need for more people to become ministers of the word and eucharist.

There are green shoots however with the improvements in the UK and US. Maybe people are seeing that secularisation is not the answer. I am hopeful that these things are cyclical and my focus is on strengthening families and the faith in families and local communities, he said.

He also noted in his submission to the Vatican the big increase in young people taking their own lives and the great distress many young people are experiencing because of the great expectations coming from social media.

The dioceses inclusive approach to education in primary schools is also highlighted. There are up to 25 nationalities at St Mary of the Isle school in Cork city and the diocese plays a very important pastoral role in providing a chaplain and diocesan priest at UCC, he said.

Bishop Buckley said the diocese helps the migrant community in any way we can.

Bishop Buckley visited the direct provision centre on Corks Kinsale Road recently and remarked that it was grossly unfair that the asylum seekers are not allowed to seek work as their applications to are taking far too long to process.
Annie Dunne, from Nenagh, in Tipperary, was working in a packing shed in Shepparton, in Victoria, run by Kalafatis Packing, when she sustained the gruesome injuries.

According to WorkSafe, the body which enforces Australias health and safety regulations, two conveyers were being used to deliver pears for distribution. It emerged in court that workers were required to clean the conveyors while they were energised and moving.

On November 7, 2015, an Irish backpacker (Annie Dunne) was assessing the underside of the second conveyor, in order to scrub its surfaces, when her hair became entangled in a rotating drive shaft and her scalp was torn from her head. She also had one of her ears torn off in the incident, WorkSafe said.

T&R Contracting, the labour-hire company which had supplied Ms Dunne, has now pleaded guilty at a Victoria Magistrates Court to one breach of the countrys 2004 Occupational Health and Safety Act, for failing to provide a safe working environment, by failing to provide instruction and training. As well as the $60,000 fine, it was ordered to pay a further $8,000 in costs.

WorkSafes executive director of health and safety, Marnie Williams, said the circumstances of the incident were appalling: This truly was a shocking incident that has changed this young womans life in a split second.

Its staggering that workers were expected to clean machines which were still in operation. All workers at this business were exposed to serious risks to their health and safety, because a safe system of work was not in place. There was no requirement to isolate the conveyors from energy sources, during the cleaning process, and no training provided to workers.

Ms Williams said there was a blatant risk of serious injury from entanglement, crushing, or entrapment with both conveyors.

Kalafatis Packing Pty Ltd and Dimitrios Vagelatos, the manager of the packing shed, are both facing charges over the incident.

According to Australias ABC News, a crowdfunding campaign to help Ms Dunne with her recovery has raised more than $35,500 towards a target of $50,000.

The young woman had been trying to complete the requirements of rural employment  89 days of regional work is required  to gain a second year on her working holiday visa when the accident happened.
The development came yesterday in a hearing brought on the families behalf by the Dublin solicitor firm of Simon McGarr.

Padraig McCartan, instructed by Mr McGarr, said the case was now moot and was being withdrawn. He asked there be no order as to costs as they were refugees who had lost everything.
The support came after it was announced that Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon will welcome 82 Syrian refugees in early March.

The group is comprised of families, which includes 37 children.

I think overall the response has been quite positive, said Caroline Reid, communications officer with the council.

She said generally the welcome refugees have received from communities around Ireland has been warm and fantastic.

I spoke at an event late last year and it was a full house. The local teacher was full of praise for the young people who arrived and she said the welcome from the school body was fantastic and the students were working on developing a programme of events aimed at integration for the parents.

I know the families who settled in Portlaoise also seem to have had a very warm welcome, she said.

CEO of the council Nick Henderson told the Irish Examiner it received various offers of support this week from the general public.

Weve received offers of support and assistance. They vary from accommodation to general support and a willingness to use their own speciality or experience, he said.

In the last number of days, the council has received several offers of assistance from members of the public with a medical background.

Mr Henderson said it was heartening to see the overwhelmingly positive reception from the community in Ballaghaderreen.

However, he said that the lack of prior engagement with the people there was a cause for concern.

A consistent theme in comments from people living in the community has been the lack of notice or consultation that was given.

It is crucial that in circumstances, such as these, local communities are properly informed so that questions can be answered, a welcome prepared and services organised. Unfortunately, this doesnt seem to have happened in this case, the IRC chief said.

News broke last week that the former Abbeyfield Hotel would not be re-opening as a hotel but would instead be turned into an emergency reception and orientation centre for Syrian refugees.

Then, according to a report in The Western People , a group of four or five individuals, who are believed not to be from the north-west Co Roscommon town, handed out anti-Islamic leaflets in the town centre on Saturday, ahead of the refugees arrival.

However, there was widespread shock at the dissemination of such literature with the locals rallying together to hold a Ballaghaderreen Welcomes Refugees meeting.

Organisers said they were inundated with offers of assistance from the people in the area.

Mr Henderson said that locals will play a crucial role in the resettlement of the refugees to be relocated here.

Around 3,200 refugees are due to be resettled and relocated to Ireland by the end of 2017.

This is a significant humanitarian undertaking that we strongly commend but one that cannot be underestimated.

It will only work if transparency and information are embedded in the process and resources given to all stakeholders, he said.
The Independent Alliance TD is to tie the knot to his partner of more than 20 years, Elaine Powell, in a civil ceremony.

We are staying in Kinsale. Its a place that we both love and we have gone to many times over the years, said Mr Halligan.

The coastal town is an apt choice of wedding venue for the minister of state for training and skills as he is an avid sailor and has sailed aboard the historic tall ships.

The separated father of three daughters said it would be a low-key event but he is looking forward to going straight to Cork for the ceremony when the Dail adjourns next week.

Mr Halligan has previously revealed how he and Ms Powell, who is a lifeguard, came close to death while on holiday in Spain two-and-a-half years ago.

The Waterford TD said the couple nearly drowned while swimming in the sea in Torreblanca in southern Spain in 2014.

Despite being strong swimmers both got into difficulty when conditions turned and they were slammed against rocks.

I was cut and I saw Elaine being turned [by the water].

It was really unbelievable. At this stage we were taking in water and I knew something was really wrong, he said.

Mr Halligan was able to swim back to shore and a number of people on the beach went to Ms Powells aid.

I actually thought she was dead.

You kind of feel you could have done more, but when I was coming in I was shook and then when I looked around she had been carried all the way out.

We dont talk about it a lot, he told the Sunday Business Post.
Lockheed Martin (LMT) CEO Marillyn Hewson said on Friday the aerospace company is "close to a deal" to bring down the cost of its F-35 program following repeated criticisms from President-elect Donald Trump .

"I certainly share [Trump's] views that we need to get the best capability to our men and women in uniform. And we need to get it at the lowest possible price," Hewson told reporters on Friday after a meeting at Trump Tower.

"I'm glad I had an opportunity to tell him that we are close to a deal that will bring the cost down significantly from the previous lot of aircraft for the next lot of aircraft," she said. "And, moreover, it's going to bring a lot of jobs to the United States. In fact, we're going to increase our jobs in Fort Worth by 1,800 jobs."

Hewson's discussions with Trump mark her second such meeting.

Trump has been critical of Lockheed's programs' delays and costs. In December, Trump said via Twitter (TWTR) that "billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases" once he takes office in January.

During his press conference Wednesday, Trump criticized the F-35 program again and even suggested Boeing (BA)'s F-18 fighter could be an alternative. "It's way, way behind schedule and many billions of dollars over budget," he said.

"There's an attempt here to come to some sort of reconciliation (with Lockheed)," said Richard Safran, Buckingham Research Group director of equity research. He said there's "an expectation or hope on Lockheed's side that they can get the cost down similar to what Boeing promised for the F-18."



The analyst said Trump's "heart seems to be in the right place to save taxpayer's money." Safran suggested one way to perhaps save money is to do a multiyear procurement on the F-35 instead of the current low-rate initial production lots.

Indeed, if the government were to agree to a large block buy on the F-35 fighter it could change the economics of the aircraft's costs. Analysts say a large block buy could give Lockheed the chance to do a better deal with its partner contractors and supply base through a commitment of several years of production.



Story continues

Since his election, Trump has focused on defense costs. His comments have led to volatility in industry stocks such as Boeing and Lockheed.

"This is just classic political posturing on both sides," said Moody's analyst Russell Solomon, who covers the aerospace and defense industry. "It won't have a discernible adverse impact on the company. But it's an indication that everything is in negotiation these days."



Added Solomon, "The F-35 is critically important to the country in terms of global defense and NATO partners. A lot of interested parties here in making sure that this program continues and continues to grow as expected so that they can get the operating efficiencies that they've committed to."



In a written statement issued after her meeting, Hewson said: "I look forward to continuing to work together with President-elect Trump to drive the costs down on this critical military capability."



Hewson said the meeting with Trump was "outstanding" and plans to create "thousands and thousands" of jobs. She also said she gave the president-elect ideas on how to drive the program's cost down further.



Lockheed has an earnings call coming up later this month and they will likely get asked by analysts about the outlook for the F-35 given Trump's recent criticism.



"The question now is going to be what's your relationship with the president-elect and his transition team," said Safran.



According to Safran, Lockheed's CEO has "a very good reputation within government circles. She has very good negotiating skills."



Hewson inherited some of the problems with the F-35 from her predecessor. "She had to do a good job of smoothing over some ruffled feathers," Safran said.

The F-35 stealth fighter program is expected to cost more than $1 trillion over its projected 55-year life cycle. Lockheed said Wednesday it delivered the 200th operational jet of the F-35 to Japan, one of the nine original partner nations buying the aircraft.
Mr Daly told the Patricia Messenger Show on C103 the media was overly enthusiastic in relation to publicising water charges protests.

The media, particularly RTE, really went to town at the time as well on the water charges issues. And when I think of the time when they were on RTEs website putting up all the lists of protests and the times they were happening as if they were Patricks Day parades. These were protests and gatherings for people to be disobedient but they were really being egged on by a very enthusiastic media.
Curtis Keniry of City Park House, Sullivans Quay, Cork, was convicted in his absence earlier this month at Cork District for the unprovoked assault.

Keniry, aged 20, should have appeared before Judge Marie Keane on January 4 for a hearing of the assault case. He did not appear, and Judge Keane heard the evidence, convicted him of assault, and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Garda Anthony Kelleher arrested Keniry on the warrant and brought him before Cork District Court.

Judge Olann Kelleher remanded him in custody yesterday until Monday when a date will be set for him to be sentenced by Judge Keane.

Keniry applied unsuccessfully for bail and explained his absence from court for his case by reference to moving address and the birth of a child to his partner.

Solicitor Frank Buttimer said to Keniry in the bail application yesterday: The guards think you should be locked up because you are not attending to your business in court.

Keniry said he would attend court as required.

Inspector John Deasy said gardai still had concerns about the accused showing up in court.

Earlier this month Judge Keane said: This was a vicious unprovoked attack on an innocent man walking on Patrick St at 9.30pm on a Sunday. For no reason whatsoever, Mr Keniry began to engage in provocative behaviour, culminating in a vicious assault.

Eyewitness Jim Faulkner had said he was standing on the corner of Patrick St and Grand Parade that night when he heard a man shouting at another man to get away from me, leave me alone. He beats him around the head, he (the injured party) drops to the ground. I heard a crack. I felt the vibration of his head hitting the ground come up through my shoes, the eyewitness said.

The gentleman doing the assaulting never saw the guard coming. He just kept laying into the guy, Mr Faulkner told Inspector Finbarr OSullivan.

CCTV shown in court yesterday showed John Lynch walking backwards to avoid another man walking directly at him.

Mr Lynch initially tried to fend off blows before turning to run.

Mr Lynch said that when the incident continued out of sight of the CCTV camera he was knocked to the ground. He testified that he did not know the attacker.
Laura Kenna, who is homeless, made no application for bail when she first appeared before Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court on January 6.

She is charged with assault causing harm to the woman, a 35-year-old civil servant, and robbing her of her handbag and her phone, at Lower Drumcondra Rd, on the evening of January 3.
Although its own inspector recommended turning down the project, An Bord Pleanala upheld Cork City Councils decision of last August to give planning permission. The development is to be built on a former service station site on Lancaster Quay, but one of the six storeys must be left out.

While the complex could help meet significant shortfalls in purpose-built student accommodation, it raised concerns on a number of issues for nearby residents.

They submitted most of the 11 appeals against the councils decision on the application submitted last June by Ziggurat, UK-based student accommodation developers. The company is a major player in the sector in Britain, and already has Dublin facilities.

It rejected issues raised by local residents and guesthouse owners that the scheme would lead to unacceptable antisocial behaviour, saying that it has detailed operational management plans in all its student accommodation centres.

The appeals also cited concerns about traffic but the applicant firm said the volume of increased parking demands being suggested would not be needed because of the schemes location just more than 100 metres from the UCC campus. Management of the River Lee Hotel, located across a narrow river channel from the site, had also raised concerns about being overlooked and loss of light and privacy.

The height and scale of the proposed development prompted An Bord Pleanalas inspector to recommend refusal of permission, saying it would be overdevelopment of a limited site and out of character with development in the area.

But the appeals board decided not to accept her recommendation, stating that the plans are appropriate to the location and will not affect the areas visual or residential amenity.

The board has imposed a condition, similar to one previously proposed by the council, requiring the removal of a fifth floor set out in the original planning application for 30 apartments of between four and eight bedrooms. It is not certain how many bed spaces would be lost but Ziggurat appealed that original condition, claiming the reduced height should not be contemplated when student accommodation is in short supply.

The decision emerges as proposals to expand the number of student apartments in part of the Cork events centre development on the old Beamish brewery site face further delay. Cork City Council was due to decide this week on BAM Property Ltds application to increase the number of apartments in the northern side of the city centre development at South Main Street.

But, as reported in yesterdays Irish Examiner, the council has sought clarification in relation to the companys response to a previous request for further information on the plans. It is proposed to provide bed spaces for more than 470 students, increasing the number of apartments at the expense of retail and office elements of the 2011 parent planning permission.

The company had hoped to have work begin, with letting of the student accommodation in autumn 2018, but the delays may cast doubts over that possibility even if the plans are permitted.
They were withdrawn following the intervention of Housing Minister Simon Coveney.

The owners said yesterday they are writing to residents affected by the recent termination notices to confirm the notices are being withdrawn and that they will abide by the spirit of the so-called Tyrrelstown amendment legislation, which comes into effect next week.

That amendment to the Residential Tenancies Act was brought through the Oireachtas in December as part of the Governments rental strategy. It will ensure tenancies are protected where a landlord or investor wishes to sell more than 10 properties in a single development, as happened at Tyrrelstown, Dublin 15, last year.

The decision follows contact from Mr Coveney in which he asked that the spirit of the Tyrrelstown amendment would be respected to ensure that the existing tenancies are unaffected by transfer of ownership.

Sova Properties yesterday replied formally to the minister to confirm that it will respect the change and that it will write to tenants to confirm withdrawal of the original notices.

Mr Coveney said that it was an important reassurance for households who had been facing significant uncertainty.

There was no legal requirement for Sova to take this approach so I commend them for doing what was the socially responsible thing, by respecting the will of the Government and the Oireachtas.
Scrawled across an image of a large cross with a celtic design, the tattoo reads: An bhfuil cead agam dul go dti an leithreas. The image features the caption: My new unfinished piece of back art, it says in gaelic you will forever be in my heart.

The Irish phrase translates as, Can I go to the toilet and is familiar to many people from their school days. The picture has sparked an online debate as to whether the image is authentic or a hoax.
The teenager was before a juvenile sitting of Cork District Court. He cannot be identified as he is a juvenile.

The 16-year-old pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage at the premises by kicking in a door and a charge of assaulting a female member of staff.

Insp Gary McPolin said the accused put his fist to a care workers face and threatened to throw her down the stairs at the height of the disturbance.

The inspector said the teenager first kicked in a door during a counselling meeting and the care worker intervened and asked him to relax.

He dug his first into her jaw and threatened to throw her down the stairs, the inspector said.

The defendant is presently before courts on unrelated charges.

Judge Con OLeary remanded him in detention for a fortnight.

The judge said he was getting really tired of the constant offending by the accused who was now facing a multiplicity of charges.

Emmet Boyle, defence solicitor, said he hoped there would be news of a sustained period of good behaviour between now and the sentencing date.
Thomas Kenneth (TK) Whitaker died on Monday at the age of 100. Eminent figures in politics, justice, and finance were among hundreds who thronged the Church of the Sacred Heart in Donnybrook, Dublin, to pay their respects.

The late economist, credited with designing the blueprint of Irelands economic success, attended early morning Mass every day in the same church for decades, his friend and chief celebrant Fr Loman Mac Aodha told mourners.

Asked how hed like to be remembered, he replied: As a civil servant, who did his best, said Fr MacAodha.

Born in 1916 in Rostrevor, Co Down, he developed in the 1950s a cornerstone policy that helped end Irelands economic protectionism and led to greater participation in world trade, with the aid of foreign investment.

Grandchildren console each other at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook at the funeral of TK Whitaker, who died at the age of 100.

He was one of the youngest secretaries of the Department of Finance when appointed aged 39, and played a prominent role in the countrys economic affairs for decades.

Mr Whitaker later became governor general of the Central Bank and a member of the Seanad and Council of State.

He is also credited with playing a key role in early events which led ultimately to the peace process in the North.

President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina arrive at the funeral Mass. Picture: PA

His funeral heard he also had an enduring love of fly fishing, golf, playing the piano, listening to classical music loudly, and the Irish language  while his eyes would light up any time one of his 27 grandchildren or 12 great-grandchildren walked into the room.

President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, former president Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, were among the mourners.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was represented by aide-de-camp Commandant Kieran Carey. Government ministers Michael Noonan and Frances Fitzgerald; former Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan; Chief Justice Susan Denham; Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin; and former ministers Des OMalley and Mary Hanafin also attended.

TK Whitakers son Ken and FFs Micheal Martin.

Mr Whitakers son Ken noted that his father is celebrated as a great patriot, but said: He was to us, just our Dad. He was the most wonderful father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
Im afraid I simply couldnt do without the cheering presence of a bottle of wine at my dinner table in January and personally believe that it should be a requirement for anyone prone to melancholia at this time of year.

My suggestions this week are all red wines but red wines with a streak of freshness to keep them lively and to cheer up your palate as well as the cold dark evenings.

One suggestion below may surprise you as there are not many Moroccan wines for sale in Ireland.

I visited Morocco last Autumn and was completely charmed by the country and pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food from street stalls to fine dining.

What surprised me more was the quality of Moroccan wine.

Morocco has lots of upland regions suitable for grape growing and there has been a lot of investment in recent years, especially from France.

The best of the wines I tasted were from the Atlas Mountains les Coteaux dAtlas Appellation but they were not cheap  as much as 50 on wine lists. The wine below is from the Guerrouane region near Fez.

The supermarkets will be continuing with their special offers this month and SuperValu has a particularly large range under 10 so I recommend two below including a Chilean Carmenere.

Carmenere is an ancient Bordeaux grape that died out in France after the downy mildew and Phylloxera problems in the mid-late 19th centurybut it continues to thrive in the more favourable climate of Chile.

Dont forget that wine courses are about to begin in wine shops and night schools throughout the country. For an easier crash course however come along to the New Zealand wine fair and talk to some winemakers.

For the Diary:

The Great New Zealand Wine Tasting Consumer Event  6.30pm to 8:30pm, January 19, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8. Tickets: 15 via www.eventbrite.ie (search for New Zealand Dublin)

BEST VALUE UNDER 15

Ramon Roqueta Garnacha 2015, Catalunya, Spain - 14

Stockists: Mitchells CHQ, Glasthule and Avoca Kilmacanogue or via www.mitchellandson.com

From the generic Catalonia appellation where Grenache is king, this has pristine bright pomegranate and red currant fruits, soft and generous fruit on the palate and a clean finish.

Try with charceuterie or with Bolognese.

Las Moras Dada Malbec-Bonarda, Argentina - 10-13

Stockists: SuperValu, Baggot Street Wines, JJ ODriscolls

Named for the subversive Dada art movement the addition of Bonarda adds an injection of freshness to the dark brooding Malbec giving this a pleasing mix of red fruits and darker black chocolaty flavours.

On special in SuperValu for the next two weeks but well worth its full price also.

In Situ Reserva Carmenere, Chile - 10

Stockists: SuperValu

Carmenere always has admirable freshness compared to say Merlot but it can be a little green in its youth so it is usually a good idea to seek out older vintages.

This has a mix of bright blackcurrants and plush wine gum flavoured soft fruits on the finish.

BEST VALUE OVER 15

Domaine de la Zouina Volubilla, Morocco - 22.95

Stockists: Le Caveau Kilkenny www.lecaveau.ie, Greenman Terenure, Bradleys Cork

This is my first time mentioning a Moroccan wine on this page.

This winery is owned by a couple of Bordeaux producers so naturally has 50% cabernet sauvignon plus some syrah and mourvedre with solid earthy black fruits and a dry clean finish.

Try with a lamb and apricot tagine.

Montebaco Semele, Ribera del Duero, Spain - 18.25

Stockist: Karwig Wines Carrigaline www.karwigwines.ie

Ive praised the Ribera del Duero region here before and here is another fine example.

Fresh vibrant black cherry and plum tinged fruit, supple and fresh with lingering hints of tobacco and chocolate. Try with a hearty meat- based paella.

DArrys Original Shiraz Grenache, McLaren Vale, Australia - 19.99-23.99

Stockists: ODonovans, Ardkeen, McHughs, Martins, Molloys, Independents

Prices for this vary but you should be able to find it at around 20 which is not cheap for January but it packs quite a punch.

Full juicy black fruits with clove and cinnamon, ripe and soft but with good acidity and cut. Perfect for spicy food or warming up January.
Business The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (January 14)

Passengers at a bus stop in Rangoon. A local consortium is set to start assembling buses at a plant in the commercial capital. / Reuters

Bus Production Receives Green Light

A consortium of 31 Burmese firms is set to start producing buses for the local and export markets, DealStreet Asia reported.

The Rangoon-based Myanmar Motor Corporation (MMC) has received permission from the Myanmar Investment Commission to conduct operations at an assembly plant in Mingaladon Township.

The plant will have the capacity to produce 30 vehicles a month, MMC president U Htay Aung told DealStreet Asia, though initial targets are to produce 100 buses per year.

Buses will be of two sizes, 49-seaters and 55-seaters, and will be for city and highway use. Eventually, the company hopes to export to markets such as Singapore, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

U Htay Aung is the founder of Sakura Auto Co, and he also built the Sakura Hospital in Rangoon. MMC was established in 2012, and its members include Sakura Trade Center, Sakura Engineering and Construction Development, Sakura Technical Services, Three Color Cherry, Myanmar New Way, and Ngwe Kyar Yan.

MMC is seeking access to financing from the Global Treasure Bank, formerly the Myanma Livestock and Fisheries Development Bank, according to the report.

Thai Oil Company to Maintain Focus on Burma Investments

Burma will account for most of the capital expenditure of Thai oil company PTT in Southeast Asia this year, according to a report.

PTTs spending in Burma in 2017 will focus on maintaining production levels at its Zawtika and Yadana projects, as well as continuing exploration activities at the Myanmar MOGE 3 and Myanmar M11 projects.

PTT has reduced its total annual budget this year by 30 percent to US$2.9 billion, while it focuses on maintaining production levels to meet domestic energy demand in Thailand.

Projects in Thailand will account for 64 percent of capital expenditure in 2017, while capital spending in Southeast Asia, mainly in Burma, will account for 24 percent of spending. Another 12 percent will go toward developments in Australia, Africa and the Americas, according to the report.

This investment plan reflects the groups strategic directions of 3Rs  Reset, Refocus, Renew  with a priority on maintaining the production level to effectively serve domestic energy demand, as well as accelerating the development of existing projects in the pipeline, PTT president and CEO Somporn Vongvuthipornchai said in a statement.

He said the groups financial position remains robust, with cash in hand of more than $3 billion, leaving it ready to cope with the fluctuation in global crude prices as well as to seek new opportunities.

Meanwhile, foreign companies will drill in a total of 37 new offshore blocks in Burma this year, deputy permanent secretary for electricity U Htay Aung told the Global Times.

Burma earned $1.82 billion from natural gas exports as of Dec. 9 in the fiscal year 2016-2017, he said.

1-Net and Burst Networks Plan a Singapore-Burma Data Corridor

A plan to boost network connectivity between Singapore and Burma has been announced by 1-Net and Burst Networks data centers.

The I-Net data center in Singapore and the Burst Networks data center in Burma will be connected via two subsea and terrestrial routes operated by the Campana Group.

This high-speed data center corridor is unprecedented and will support many value-added services on this platform. With this seamless connection and one network model, both Burst and 1-Net are able to achieve the lowest latency and highest quality link for their customers, Campana Group CEO Dr. Myo Ohn told telecomasia.net.

Burst will serve as Burmas first internet exchange, connecting international networks to local operators and ISPs, according to the report. The exchange will also support a transmission facility to host satellite and cable termination facilities as well as fully redundant systems as well as C-Band and Ka-Band satellite facilities.

The projects form part of a wider agreement for 1-Net to provide operational support for Burst Networks data center at the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) outside Rangoon.

Yoma Gets Nod for Downtown Rangoon Projects

Yoma Strategic Holdings said this week that its development projects in downtown Rangoon have been approved by the Myanmar Investment Commission, Businessnews Asia reported.

The projects are a major mixed-used development on ten acres at Bogyoke Aung San Road and the conversion of the adjacent heritage-listed 19th-century Burma Railways headquarters building into a Peninsula hotel.

This is a major milestone towards satisfaction of conditions in the companys shareholders agreements with its respective joint venture partners, Yoma said in the report.

The landmark project in a prime location in Rangoon was delayed for two years as Yoma sought lease extensions it claimed were necessary for the projects viability.

Telecoms Provided Most Jobs in 2016

Jobs website work.com.mm said that the telecommunication sector was responsible for hiring the most staff in 2016, Eleven Media reported.

State-owned Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) hired the largest number of employees, with Huawei and Ooredoo taking second and third places, the survey said.

The distribution and logistics sector came second, followed by construction, trade, manufacturing, computers and technology, and the hotels and tourism sectors, according to the survey which polled more than 400 companies.

Information technology skills were in high demand, according to the poll.
Princess Leia

Lucasfilm is officially shooting down rumors that they will use a digital body double of the late actress Carrie Fisher in future "Star Wars" movies, after her death at age 60 in December 2016.

"We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fishers performance as Princess or General Leia Organa," says an official blog post on StarWars.com.

Earlier, Lucasfilm had confirmed that Fisher had already finished shooting her scenes for 2017's "Episode VIII," the next film slated for release in the "Star Wars" saga.

But rumors about a digital version of Fisher in other yet-to-be-made Star Wars films were borne out of the most controversial part of 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," where a computer-animated body double of the late Peter Cushing was used so his character Grand Moff Tarkin could play a supporting role in the film.

It should be noted that "Rogue One" also used a digital body double of a younger Carrie Fisher in the final shot of the film, as her character Princess Leia receives the plans for the sinister Death Star megaweapon.

Rogue One Tarkin final

"We're not planning on doing this digital re-creation extensively from now on," John Knoll, chief creative officer of ILM and visual effects supervisor on "Rogue One," told The New York Times. "It just made sense for this particular movie."

NOW WATCH: Heres why so many people connect with Star Wars'





More From Business Insider


In Person Dateline Irrawaddy: The Politics of Young People Today Is About Their Part in Rebuilding the State

On this weeks Dateline, Ye Ni speaks with Ko Aung Ko Ko and Ko Htet Paing Soe about the role of Burmas youth in shaping the political landscape.

Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! Our topic this week is the politics of the country and the role of youth. Ko Aung Ko Ko of Pegu Youth Network and Ko Htet Paing Soe of the work committee to draft Myanmar youth policy will join me for the discussion. Im Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni.

You two took part in the discussion between Burmas State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and youths [on Jan.1 in Naypyidaw]. I would like you to share with our audience your thoughts and feelings about the discussion. The discussion was the first time that a state leader invited youths to listen to their voices, exchange her views, and answer their questions. Were you satisfied with the discussion? Or if not, why were you dissatisfied?

Aung Ko Ko: I am a member of the committee to draft youth policy representing Pegu Division. It has been around seven months since we designed the draft policy. On the evening of Dec. 30, the government mailed and also made phone calls to us, and invited us to attend peace talks with the State Counselor on Jan. 1. So, it was a rush. We went [to Naypyidaw] hurriedly, and we arrived on Dec. 31. We were still in a fog.

Then the youths held discussions to choose 18 representatives to hold talks with the State Counselor on Jan.1. Until that point, we didnt know if we would be among those 18. There were arguments over selecting a representative for each state and division[committees of] some divisions and states sent more than one youth. Other divisions and states sent only one representative, and some didnt send any at all.

In the end, we selected 18 representatives, including those to represent the LGBT community, the disabled, and women. It was a rush as some divisions and states had to choose by drawing lots, a process we were not satisfied with. And we didnt have enough time to prepare [because we were not informed in advance]. Though the discussion was held under the topic of peace, we could not meet youth organizations and other organizations that are actively engaging in the peace process.

As a result, we could not ask the State Counselor some questions about the military. But then, the talk was the first of its kind and we want many similar talks to be held. We want such talks to be held in divisions and states. So, as it was the first ever talk [between a state leader and youths], we exercised restraint and used diplomacy for fear that the government [might feel confronted by our questions and] might not want to organize such an event in the future.

So we were rather more dissatisfied than satisfied. However, we could hold face-to-face discussions with the State Counselor, and we were satisfied to a certain extent with our discussions. For example, we spoke about the importance of a common consensus for internal peace, the weaknesses of administrative mechanisms, the undemocratic Constitution, and union spirit.

YN: Representatives made a proposal during the talks, which attracted widespread attention and became the talk of the town on social media. You proposed having similar talks with Burma Army Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Ko Htet Paing Soe, why do representatives want to meet with the army chief? What questions would you ask him, if you were to meet him?

Htet Paing Soe: It is clear. Civil war is going on in our country, and it is mainly about the armed clashes between ethnic armed groups and the army. Speaking of the key players of civil war, the army chief is the most responsible person for the army. So we have questions to ask him.

The State Counselor said during the peace talks with us that negotiations called for give and take. So, we would like to ask him his view about what she said and what give and take he is prepared to make. Ethnic groups are demanding it, and we also aspire to ita federal union. What is the army chiefs view of federalism? And what is the concept of federalism that he would like to establish?

Another thing isand it is critically importantabout the parliamentary political system. Our country now has a parliamentary government, and the army plays a role in that system. So we would like to ask the army chief how he would reduce the armys role in the parliamentary political system. We would like to ask these three questions. Even if we can meet him, the time would be limited and we would like to ask these three points during the meeting.

YN: What you two said reminds me of how we were involved in politics in our younger days. As Ko Htet Paing Soe has pointed out, the military has been involved in the countrys politics for more than five decades. It only holds 25 percent [of seats in the parliament] now. But in our days, we had to oppose a totalitarian military regime. People were subjected to imprisonment, forced to go underground and go into exile. But today, we are undergoing a political transition. So what is the politics [political objectives] of young people today about?

AKK: The politics of young people today is about their part in rebuilding the state. The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) has said that youths must pursue their education and take part in state-building tasks. There is a saying think globally, act locally. It is important for us to think globally and act locally. Here I see two important points. Firstly we should be informedyouths ourselves must absorb information, and the government and the media have to make sure we have access to information. It is also important that youths have a desire to learn in order to be informed.

Secondly, there must be active citizenship. By active citizenship, I mean citizens should not turn a blind eye when unfair things happen right before them. If we are going on the democratic path and we youths are taking part in this process, surely we must change our attitudewe are obliged to do our part to change society. I have thought about what fundamental changes should be made first to mend a broken society. Then I think unfair things should be changed. For example, if you see unfairness in front of you, dont walk away, but speak out loudly against it. Citizens should not walk away from unfair things, but there must be active citizenship.

YN: Now I would like to discuss something that has just crossed my mind. I think youths today are facing some of the same things we faced when we were young. It not only means youths from the mainland, but also from ethnic and hilly regions. I think their role is also important. Ko Htet Paing Soe has mentioned federalism. As ethnic groups have a desire for federalism, you might have seen that ethnic youths brought this to the fore in talks. Youths have formed youth networks. How is the relationship between mainland and ethnic youths of hilly regions?

HPS: We are under the same flag as youths. But youths have inherited a legacy from their forebears. The country has gone through military dictatorships for a long time. Youths have also experienced it for a certain period of time, and that military dictatorship had existed even before our birth. So, my view is that we are suffering from a bad legacy of that military dictatorship. The old grudges that are engraved in the hearts and minds of our forebears who fully experienced the bad legacy of that military dictatorship were passed down to youths. So, the youths may have those views, and those feelings caused by bad legacies.

And our State Counselor always talks about the importance of national reconciliation. So, how do ethnic groups from the mainland and hilly regions define national reconciliation? Bamar are also ethnic people and so are other ethnic groups. So, what are their definitions of national reconciliation? What are Bamars expectations of national reconciliation, and what are other ethnic groups? This is something we need to think about.

And the most important thing is we want to build a federal union, [and some ethnic groups] have stuck to the pledges of the 1947 Panglong Agreement. So we need to understand what the 1947 Panglong pledges are, how they were broken, and how trust was undermined. There were causes and effects.

But if we are really going to have a democratic federal union, we should let bygones be bygones. Youths are now able to forget some things, but might not still be able to forget other things. We have always said that there were many things that our forebears refused to forgive and forget when they shouldve. So only when youths get our hearts closerthrough having greater broadmindedness, magnanimity, and far-sightedness than our forebears hadcan real reconciliation take place. Only then will we foster a good relationship and achieve the meaningful and peaceful federal union that we aspire to.

YN: Ko Htet Paing Soe and Ko Aung Ko, thank you for your contributions. There is a saying that the youths of today are the leaders of the future. We have to leave the future of our country in the hands of todays youths. Only when we see the mistakes of the past and correct them in the present, will we be able to build a path for our youths, one that leads in the right direction. Only then will we feel safe about our future. So, I would like to urge the younger generations to try to the best of their abilities to be better than the older generationsin all aspects. Thank you all!
Burma Burma Army Chief Calls for Peace Talks Without International Pressure

Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing receives Mr. Sun Guoxiang, special envoy of Asian Affairs from Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at Bayintnaung Hall in Naypyidaw on Jan. 10, 2017. / Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing / Facebook

RANGOON In a Tuesday meeting in Naypyidaw, Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing told Sun Guoxiang, of Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that demanding rights through armed revolution would not succeed under the mandates of Burmas democratic transition.

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings statement comes after members of the ethnic armed group coalition the Northern Alliance asked China to provide witnesses to peace talks with the Burma Army in Kunming, Yunnan Province. Yetin Tuesdays meeting, the senior general emphasized the importance of participating in peace talks without international pressure.

The military chiefs comments to the Special Envoy of Asian Affairs are not his first provocative statement of 2017. On Jan. 4, at the commemoration of Burmas independence from Britain 69 years ago, Min Aung Hlaing referred to some ethnic armed group leaders as narrow-minded in their approach to peace.

The Irrawaddy could not reach the Northern Alliances spokesperson to respond to the military chiefs comments on Tuesday.

On Nov. 20, the four member groups of the Northern Alliancethe Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA)launched a joint offensive against the Burma Army in northern Shan State, targeting bases in Muse, Kutkai and Namkham townships, near the Chinese border.

Later that month, the Chinese foreign ministry invited government peacemakers and representatives from the four armed groups to Kunming to re-start peace talks. The meetings collapsed early on, with the Northern Alliance asking that the Chinese government and UWSA act as witnesses to the discussions.

The Northern Alliance forces retreated from Muse Townships Mong Ko area following air strikes by the Burmese air force in the first week of December.

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said in Tuesdays statement that army peace efforts have increased in recent years, highlighting how eightof the countrys more than 20ethnic armed groups signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) under the previous, military-backed government in 2015. He added that the Burma Army would continue to try to bring remaining non-signatories to the table to endorse the NCA, but clarified that in MNDAA and TNLA strongholds, the next step would be political talks.
Burma Government Releases Trafficking Statistics for 2016

Campaign poster that reads Stop Human Trafficking. / Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons

RANGOON  More than 300 peopleof whom 41 were minorswere trafficked last year to countries including China, Thailand and Malaysia for forced marriage, labor and prostitution, according to government statistics.

The Central Body for the Suppression of Trafficking in Persons under Burmas Ministry of Home Affairs said a total of 131 instances of trafficking led to 307 victims, of whom 213 were women and 94 were men. Forty-one were children under 16, according to the office.

China topped the list with 88 cases. Twenty-eight people were trafficked within Burma, while nine were trafficked to Thailand and six were trafficked to Malaysia.

There were 85 cases of forced marriage, 32 cases of forced labor, 12 cases of prostitution, one debt case and one case of adoption.

Lt-Col Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy that in Rangoon, 27 human trafficking cases happened last year, 10 more than in 2015.

Thirteen were trafficked to China for forced marriages, he said.

He added that 42 traffickers, including 28 women and 14 men, had been arrested and 47 were still at-large. The anti-human trafficking unit rescued 40 survivors from Rangoon this year, while nine are still missing in the division.

The US State Department 2016 Trafficking In Persons report shows that the numbers of victims may be largely underreported by the government. The report stated that more than 1,000 men and boys were repatriated after being taken for forced labor on Thai fishing boats. It added that thousands of people displaced by conflict within the country were especially vulnerable to trafficking. Burma was classified as a Tier 3 country by the reportthe lowest possible ranking.

The government of Burma does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the report stated.
Burma Israel Rejects Call to Suspend Weapons Exports to Burma

Min Aung Hlaing tours a naval base and defense manufacturers in Israel in September 2015.

Israels defense ministry rejected a call from human rights activists and lawyers in the country to suspend military exports to Burma.

Jerusalem-based human rights lawyer Eitay Mack told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the Israeli defense ministry said in a letter sent on Jan. 8 that it would go ahead with exports of military equipment to Burma as they were approved by the foreign ministry and stood within international law.

He said that after the ministrys rejection he would file an urgent petition with the Israeli Supreme Court in an attempt to prevent the export.

Eitay Mack and other activists wrote to head of the Israeli Ministry of Defenses export control department Racheli Chen in December 2016 and called for a review of all defense export licenses purchased by the Burma Army.

It stated that the Burma Army still wages war with ethnic minorities in northern and eastern Burma, while also committing serious human rights violations against the Rohingya Muslim minority in western Burma.

It is surprising that the State of Israel, while struggling for continued sanctions against Iran, has no qualms about ignoring the US and EU sanctions against Burma for the most severe crimes being committed there, read the letter dated Dec. 11.

During his visit to Israel in September 2015, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing along with military officials from Burmas Air Force and Navy toured the offices Elbit Systems, an Israel-based defense manufacturing company, Israeli Aerospace Industries and its subsidiary, Elta Systems Ltd.

Eitay Mack said that Elbit Systems and another manufacturer TAR Ideal Concepts had signed deals to provide security equipment to the Burma Army.

They also toured an Israeli naval base, the countrys Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv and a memorial to fallen soldiers in the Gaza Strip. Reports and pictures of the trip were revealed on the Burma Army chiefs Facebook, saying that he had spoken with Israeli representatives about purchasing military equipment and training

The ministry also told Eitay Mack they would not comment on deals with specific states.

The secrecy is strange given the fact that the head of the Burma Army already published details of his visit to Israel in September 2015 and his Naypyidaw meeting with the head of the Israeli defense exports in August 2016, Eitay Mack told The Irrawaddy.
Burma Kachin IDPs Turned Away at China Border

IDPs from Zai Awng camp tried to cross the Chinese border. / Joint Strategy Team

Internally displaced people (IDPs) near the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) Battalion 3 area in Waingmaw Township were trapped in a conflict zone after being turned away by China as they tried to cross the border following the Burma Armys capture of four KIA outposts on Tuesday.

Some 4,000 IDPs from Zai Awng/Mugga Zuap and Hkau Shau camps were on their way to cross the Burma-China border, but those who arrived on Chinese soil were told to return home by Chinese police on Wednesday, said the spokesperson of the Joint Strategy Team (JST) supporting the IDPs.

Gum Sha Awng, a relief worker and JST spokesperson, said the IDPs are being affected physically and mentally by repeated evacuations due to nearby airstrikes. Artillery shelling and Burma Army airstrikes have continued for months as fighting between the Burma Army and the KIA has intensified.

The IDPs live under constant fear, as they have experienced artillery explosions and aerial bombardments near their camps, said Gum Sha Awng.

Three IDP campsMagayang, Hkau Shau and Zai Awng (also known as Mugga Zup)host about 7,000 people and face the most serious consequences as their locations are near the conflict areas.

On Dec. 27, some 2,600 IDPs left their shelters when an artillery shell hit their camps. Many settled in Lungbyen, some 10 miles away from Zai Awng. Chinese authorities denied entry to those who crossed the border in this instance as well.

Fighting has intensified during the recent seizure of further KIA outposts. The JST raised concerns regarding the safety and security of IDPs, especially elders, children, breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women.

We do not know which side uses more military action, but unarmed civilians are the ones who suffer, said Dr. Rev Hlalam Sam Sun, the secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention in Myitkyina.

Gum Sha Awng urged the government, the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups to stop internal war for the benefit of the people.

They must have the will [to end the fighting] and they must consider the best interest of the people, he added.
Burma NCA Non-Signatories, Govt Peace Commission to Hold Informal Talks

Children at an IDP camp in Chipwi Township on the Burma-China border. / J Paing / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  Non-signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) are set to meet with the Burmese governments Peace Commission in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Jan. 13 to discuss the peace process.

Our goal is to persuade them to sign the NCA and to join the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference, U Hla Maung Shwe, a commission member, told The Irrawaddy.

We will keep the channel open for negotiation. We expect to continue talks with them in Rangoon after holding informal discussions in Chiang Mai, he said.

The Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)a nine-member ethnic alliance which opted out of signing the nationwide ceasefire agreement in October 2015will meet representatives of the governments Peace Commission, which is overseen by the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) and chaired by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The last round of discussion between the Peace Commission and the DPN took place two months ago. Both sides are making preparations for the talks in Chiang Mai, he said.

The informal discussion will not focus on new agenda items, but it will re-examine eight points on which the two sides have not yet reached agreement, according to U Tun Zaw, the UNFC joint general secretary.

We have to continue discussion on those points related to the signing of the NCA. So, well have an informal discussion, U Tun Zaw said.

Among the eight points to be discussed is the inclusion of all ethnic armed groups in a ceasefire agreement and in the political dialogue process. The talks will also address tripartite discussions between the Burma Army, government, and ethnic armed groups, as well as the inclusion of international witnesses in a joint ceasefire monitoring committee (JMC).

The 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference began in Naypyidaw in August. The second round of the conference is scheduled for February.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma State Counselor Sends Envoy to Bangladesh over Arakan State Crisis

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh stand guard on the bank of the Naf River near the Bangladesh-Burma border. / Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters

RANGOON & DHAKA, Bangladesh  A special envoy of Burmas leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will begin top-level talks in Bangladesh on Wednesday, as the UN said the Rohingya crisis prompted 65,000 people to flee Burma for Bangladesh in the past three months.

U Kyaw Tin, Burmas deputy minister of foreign affairs, will make a three-day visit to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, in a rare diplomatic foray to tackle the biggest challenge facing Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyis nine-month old administration.

The stream of new refugees, and reports that Burmas navy has shot at Bangladeshi fishermen, have further tested historically strained ties between the neighbors, who each see the stateless Rohingya Muslims as the other sides problem.

The visit marks a shift away from Burmas reluctant approach to cooperation with its western neighbor, which analysts see as key to solving the growing crisis.

Rohingya insurgents attacked Burma border posts on Oct. 9, killing nine police. In response Burma sent the army into the Muslim-majority northern part of Arakan State.

Residents and refugees have described summary executions, arbitrary arrests and rape in the operation. The government has denied almost all abuse allegations.

During the visit, the neighbors will discuss bilateral relations, but the Burma side was unlikely to bring up the complicated issue of border security, said Daw Aye Aye Soe, deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For the border situation, an operation is still in progress to create stability, so I dont think there will be a lot of results from this first-time meeting, she said.

International Pressure

U Kyaw Tin will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, said a senior official at the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The official, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Burma had initiated the visit so that Bangladesh does not raise pressure on Burma on the Rohingya issue in international forums, such as an upcoming meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.

Southeast Asias Muslim-majority nations, Indonesia and Malaysia, have publicly pressured Burma over the crisis.

Bangladesh has been persuading and pressing in international forums behind the scenes so as not to hamper the relationship, the Bangladeshi official said.

Talks between the neighbors are complicated by the fact that as many as 500,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh during decades of persecution in Burma are not recognized as citizens there either.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that by Jan. 5 about 65,000 more people had arrived in Bangladesh since Oct. 9.

Burmas Daw Aye Aye Soe questioned the UN figure, saying anyone claiming to be a refugee from Burma would have to be scrutinized.

She referred to a longstanding government policy that repatriation talks can only cover 2,415 people in Bangladesh whom Burma recognizes as citizens.

We need to make sure how many people arrived and where they are from, but no one can confirm exactly, she said.
Burma TNLA Attacks Burma Army Bases in Namhsan

Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) members march in Mantong in 2014. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Schools, shops, and government offices in Shan States Namhsan were shut on Wednesday after the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) attacked two Burma Army bases on Tuesday night.

The fighting began at 7pm and stopped at 10pm, but skirmishes continued to break out, said U Ba Taung, of the Taang Literature and Culture Organization in Namhsan town.

There are only a few people out on the streets, many people are scared of the fightingwe did not have such a bad experience before, he said, adding that a local high school and tea factory sustained damage but he had not heard of any injuries.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed Wednesday that the Burma Army repelled attacks by the TNLA on two of their bases in Namhsan town. They did not report any casualties.

General secretary of the TNLA Col Tar Phone Kyaw told The Irrawaddy that TNLA did not normally launch offensives in Namhsan town but were retaliating against recent Burma Army action.

We just intended to show the Burma Army where we are as they have been launching shells around Namhsan and Mantong townships, he said.

The defense ministry said that the TNLA also attacked a Burma Army base in Kyaukme Township last night.
Burma Who is Burmas New Security Adviser?

U Thaung Tun in his role as ambassador to the European Commission. / EC

RANGOON  A former ambassador who once said detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi must not rock the boat was appointed as national security adviser by her National League for Democracy (NLD) government, according to the Presidents Office on Wednesday.

The new position was created as the government faces ongoing clashes with ethnic armed groups in the countrys north and east while attacks by Muslim militants with international connections sparked a large security operation in western Burmas Arakan State.

The new security adviser U Thaung Tun previously served as Burmas ambassador to the Philippines, Belgium, the Netherlands and the EU as well as director-general for political affairs within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the early 2000s.

In his role as ambassador to the Philippines, U Thaung Tun warned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi must not rock the boat when commenting on the NLD boycott of the military juntas controversial constitution convention at a 2006 press conference in Manila.

The Nobel Laureate was under house arrest in 2006, and her party representatives boycotted the convention for being undemocratic. Eleven years later, amending the constitution remains on the to-do list for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD.

U Thaung Tun joined the foreign ministry in 1972 and served at headquarters and various diplomatic posts abroad until his retirement in April 2010. His overseas postings included Bern, Brussels, Geneva, Manila, New York, and Washington.

His latest diplomatic posting was in Brussels where he served concurrently as Burmas Ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands and the European Union from 2008 to 2010. He was Burmas ambassador to the Philippines from 2005 to 2008.

U Thaung Tun served as director-general of political affairs within the foreign ministry and leader of Burmas delegation to the Asean Senior Officials Meetings from 2001 to 2005.

Previously, he was Secretary of the National Commission for Environmental Affairs where he led the working group that drew up the sustainable development plan called Myanmar Agenda 21. He also served as Secretary of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic Studies.

U Thaung Tun holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Rangoon Arts and

Science University and a diploma in French from the Institute of Foreign Languages, Rangoon. He also attended the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University near Washington, DC as a Fulbright Scholar from 1984 to 1985.

In 2016, he served as Government Relations Advisor for Shell Myanmar Energy PTE.

U Thaung Tun will advise the president and the government on internal and external threats by assessing situations from a strategic point of view, and he will hold the same status as a Union minister, according to the Presidents Office.

He is the second person from the former military regime appointed to a high position in the civilian government.

Last year U Kyaw Tint Swea career diplomat and defender of Burmas dire human rights record under military rulewas chosen to head the powerful new Ministry of the State Counselors Office under Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
News Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Fondly Recalls Obama Visits

President Barack Obama hugs Daw Aung San Suu Kyi following their remarks to the media at her residence in Rangoon, November 19, 2012. / REUTERS

RANGOON  As President Barack Obama of the United States gave a tearful farewell speech in Chicago on Wednesday, Burmas State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi described the outgoing presidents visits to her house as something that I would always remember.

Obama teared up during his hour-long final address. He governed the United States for eight years, the same length of time as his predecessor, President George W. Bush, and in line with US constitutional limits. Obamas term will end on Jan. 20.

On Wednesday, the British news site The Independent published a five-minute vox pop video on the departing US president that included some friendly words from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The State Counselor recalled Obamas visit to her home in 2012, when he became the first sitting US president to visit Burma.

What I remember most about the visit is how excited everybody at my house was, especially all the young people. I think the way we got so excited and happy about it was something that I will always remember, said the State Counselor.

During Obamas two terms in the Oval Office, Burma played a major role in his Asia pivot foreign policy. In 2011, he sent then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Burma when the country began undergoing a democratic transition. In 2012, he opened diplomatic channels by appointing US Ambassador Derek Mitchell, the first US ambassador to Burma in 22 years. In 2016, the 55-year-old US president lifted his countrys economic sanctions against Burma.

Obama came to Burma twice. During his first visit in November 2012, he visited Daw Aung San Suu Kyis residence in Rangoon. He also met with students and civil society leaders at Rangoon Universitys Convocation Hall.

On his second trip to Burma, Obama attended the 25th Asean Summit in Naypyidaw and conducted meetings with former President Thein Sein. He also paid a second visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at her home.

That visit provoked U Htay Oo, then the joint-chair of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), to make a mocking comment about Obamas warm kisses and affectionate hugs for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The leaders of powerful nations, who are trying to take action against us, have even visited us twice, U Htay Oo said. Mr. Barack Obama visited us two times. What happened? He kissed her twice!

But the USDP campaign catch phrase never became popular. In the November 2015 elections, the NLD won 77 percent of the open seats while the USDP only managed a humiliating 10.
One of the many frightening cyber threats making headlines is the possibility that terrorists or an enemy nation will create chaos by cracking the industrial control system/ supervisory control and data acquisition (ICS/SCADA) systems that run utilities and other large infrastructure entities.

This, of course, could be catastrophic. Richard Clarke, who was the U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counterterrorism and an advisor to three administrations, delivered a keynote this week at the S4 conference in Miami that called on a Y2K-like initiative to tighten these ICS/SCADA systems.

Though the threats are new, the resistance is familiar. Light Reading quotes Clarke, who is now Chairman of the Good Harbor consultancy, as saying that it is not an easy sell:

Clarkes regulation recommendation would address a major challenge faced by ICS/SCADA operators: getting the budget and resources to protect industrial control systems from damaging cyberattacks requires convincing upper management or Boards of Directors to plan for the unexpected or never-before seen incidents, Clarke said.

Sparse Month for Microsoft Patches

Release of patches is sometimes a big deal for Microsoft. On occasion, dozens were released at a time. That is quite a contrast to the first Microsoft patch release of 2017, when only three vulnerabilities were addressed. Actually, four security bulletins were covered. One, however, was for Flash and was just distributed by Microsoft.

Only one was critical, for Microsoft Office and Office Services and Web Apps. The patch is for a memory corruption vulnerability that, according to PC World, can be exploited by tricking users to open specially crafted files and can lead to remote code execution.

Giuliani: Americas Cyber Security Expert

This week, President-elect Donald Trump named supporter and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani as the bridge between the administration and the business community.

The story on the appointment doesnt cite a specific title. Giuliani, who had been considered for the Secretary of State post, will meet with technology experts and corporate leaders on security issues.

Giuliani is quoted as telling Fox News that cybersecurity answers are best found in the private sector. For the past year, Giuliani has been the cyber security chair for the Greenberg Traurig law firm.

Alphabet Abandons One Coverage Project, Maintains Another

One of the more innovative ideas of the past few years is the use of drones to help with connectivity in areas without access to traditional coverage technology.

eWeek reports that one company looking at a variation of this idea has called it quits, at least for one approach it was considering. Googles Alphabet has a semi-secret X division that has pulled the plug on Operation Titan. The project was aimed at providing services to remote, poorly served and disaster areas.

The project traced its roots to Titan Aerospace, which Google acquired three years ago. Employees from that company still with Google have been reassigned within X. The concept is far from dead at Alphabet, however:

X has not entirely abandoned its plans to deliver Internet services using cell towers floating in the sky. But instead of using drones as it had planned to with Project Titan the focus now is on Project Loon, a separate and ongoing initiative involving the use of high-altitude hot air balloons.

The importance that Google puts on achieving this goal is illustrated by the fact that it had two initiatives aimed at the same goal, ongoing, in parallel. Project Loon is the concept that is still aloft.

Verizon Achieves NG-PON2 Interoperability

One of the important steps in the evolution of any technology is proving that it can interoperate with equipment from different vendors. That is, after all, a key to successful commercialization.

Verizon has demonstrated Next Generation Passive Optical Network 2 (NGPON2) interoperability. Light Reading says that without such interoperability, customers would be restricted to using the same vendor for both the optical line terminals and optical network terminals.

The drive to create interoperability is a change from the previous big change, which was from Broadband Passive Optical Networks to Gigabit Passive Optional Networks (BPON to GPON). The interoperability tests featured Adtran, Broadcom, Cortina Access and Ericsson AB.

Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at [email protected] and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.
What is sleep apnea? Here's what you need to identify about the sleeping disorder that poses a hazard to your health. So, what are its indications and how can you prevent it efficiently?

What Is Sleep Apnea: Definition And Dangers

Sleep apnea is a condition where a person abruptly stops breathing while asleep. That's because the body suddenly stops supplying oxygen without you knowing it. How would you know when you're asleep?

This state has two types: First, obstructive sleep apnea is when a person's airway has obstruction because a tissue at the back of the throat fails during sleep. The other one is called central sleep apnea. This is when the person's breathing system becomes rickety and the brain fails to give a signal to the muscles in control for breathing, Metro UK reports.

Sleep apnea has hostile effects. These include high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, stroke, heart failure and heart attacks, and makes lung cancer more at risks.

The academics from universities in Chicago and Barcelona have a fascinating finding. Their study reveals that erratic hypoxia, which is an unbalanced lack of air due to sleep apnea, causes an increase in tumor growth. That's because it helps the release of circulating exosomes, Know Ridge reports.

In short, sleep apnea, especially the obstructive one, leaks the malignant assets of the cancer cells. Exosomes promote cancer cell growth and they grow in number when a person grieves from hypoxia.

What Is Sleep Apnea: The Prevention And Treatment Methods

Per a Metro UK report, a person can avoid sleep apnea if he or she lives a meticulously healthy lifestyle. That means you must exercise frequently, eat healthy food, and form a healthy sleeping pattern to fend off sleep apnea.

Evading large meals before bed will also benefit. One must also moderate or avoid the use of illegal drugs or alcohol. Moreover, there's a gadget called CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure, which is a mask that will help you sleep healthily at night.

Then again, you can also try throat workouts or sing to avoid this illness. It only takes persuasion and pledge to keep this condition at bay.
Even before he became the American public enemy number one during the presidential elections, one of the things that WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange has feared the most is a possible extradition to the U.S., given the fact that he could gain several years in prison because of his leaking activities, having published several classified documents regarding the U.S. government and its inner activities in several events. However, Assange recently confessed that he would agree to be extradited, only if the president Barack Obama is willing to concede in one condition.

WikiLeaks Leader Wants The Freedom Of Chelsea Manning

Apparently, this would be the clemency and freedom of former U.S. soldier Chelsea Manning, jailed in 2013 for providing classified files of the U.S. military involvement both in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although many criticized this action against Jennings and considered extremely severe, the whistleblower soldier was sentenced to 35-years in prison and was dishonorably discharged from the Army.

Recently, the WikiLeaks leader has been framed by the accusations of collaborating with the Kremlin to sabotage the U.S. presidential election in order to get Donald Trump elected. In fact, the U.S. intelligence agencies provide a document in which is assured that Russian hackers aligned with Vladimir Putins regime were the group who stole the DNC and John Podestas emails and provided to the pro-transparency organization in order to publish it. However, Julian Assange has repeatedly denied the allegations and claimed that WikiLeaks sources werent from Russia.

A Condition That Is Unlikely To Be Granted

In addition to WikiLeaks leader, former NSA agent Edward Snowden also showed a similar position on Mannings case, stating through a Twitter post that if president Obama wants to grant a single act of clemency before he leaves the presidency, this should be Mannings freedom. However, even when there are rumors regarding this possibility, the White House recently said that the chief of state will not be granting the former soldier clemency.
A patient recently diagnosed with tuberculosis reportedly visited Ohio's Hospital Neonatal Unit, potentially exposing infants, staff, and other visitors to the bacteria. Before being diagnosed, the patient had been visiting the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Summa Akron Hospital from November to December. Summit County Public Health confirmed the tuberculosis case and have urged visitors and staff present at the time to get themselves tested for the disease.

Officials stated that the patient was not diagnosed until January 3.Over 50 people are estimated to have been exposed to the patient during the whole duration of his visit in the NICU. Although the risk is low, health officials are worried about the potential harm the bacteria could do to the infants.

Similar stories of infections have been reported this week but this one is unusually alarming as it involves infants.Ohio's Hospital Neonatal Unit pediatrician, Dr. John Bower, says that even thought the risk of spread of the infection is low, infants can still be affected due to their underdeveloped immune system. He also adds that tuberculosis can be more serious in young children, so complete assessment is their priority The neonates are also set to begin protective antibiotic administration after evaluation, the Fox News reports.

The disease takes 10 to 12 weeks to incubate inside the body and can only be transmitted through prolonged contact when the infected person laughs, coughs, or sings. Casual contact does not spread the disease that's why health officials do not ask visitors in other hospital areas to get tested. Only those who were constantly present at the time the infected patient visited the NICU were aggressively urged to get the test, the Cleveland says.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that typically attacks the lungs but can also infect the kidneys and bones. Not everyone affected by it shows symptoms of coughing, pain in chest, blood in phlegm, and chills at night among other things. That's why it's important to have everyone at the Ohio's Hospital Neonatal Unit present at the time to get tested and immediately treated.


Microsoft has acquired Canadian Montreal-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup Maluuba.

Microsoft Acquires Maluuba

Details about the acquisition have been posted on Maluuba's company blog. Microsoft is expected to leverage the company's expertise in natural language processing. Maluuba has been founded by University of Waterloo grads Sam Pasupalak and Kaheer Suleman. According to TechCrunch, they participated in 2012 San Francisco Startup Battlefield competition. Maluuba focuses on pursuing general artificial intelligence and building computers that can simulate the way people think.

The Montreal-based company is using reinforcement learning and deep learning in order to increase the effectiveness and proficiency of computer-based systems that can make decisions and answer questions. According to a blog post by Microsoft, Maluuba's work will help with the tech giant's broad goal of making artificial intelligence more useful and accessible to the general public.

Maluuba has been working on improving computer systems' ability to understand natural dialog between individuals, to comprehend what they're reading and to get better at tasks like common-sense reasoning, memory and finding information when missing from their own knowledge. These are great problems to be solved by the artificial intelligence industry. According to Maluuba, it became clear that the best way to make progress in these AI fields is to tap into the significant resources made available from a larger partner.

The startup's goals with AI align with those of Microsoft, Maluuba said in its announcement of the news. The tech giant also offers access to billions of users, as well as talent support and infrastructure, in addition to financial resources.

Montreal is starting to accumulate exquisite expertise in AI that is also gaining global attention. For instance, the search giant Google recently invested funds in local academic efforts and opened there a research office focused on AI.

Maluuba advisor and leading global AI researcher Yoshua Bengio is also joining Microsoft as an advisor. Bengio heads the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms. By gaining access to Bengio's expertise, Microsoft will have much to gain, especially as all major tech companies are focusing on AI research and product development, investing considerable resources.

Startup Maluuba's Legacy

Maluuba impressed by demonstrating a virtual assistant product early in startup's life cycle. For intelligent software, cross-domain expertise is typically difficult. Up to date, the most successful efforts in AI have focused on a narrow domain focus. However, Maluuba's more general focus can lead to product breakthroughs for the big players in tech.

The deep learning approach to artificial intelligence is currently very trendy, as it has driven over the last five years some incredible gains in the field. Microsoft has recently set new milestones for image and speech recognition by using deep learning techniques. With this acquisition, the company is establishing firm grounds for the next big thing in AI, machine literacy

Maluuba's AI expertise can help developing machine reading and writing applications. According to The Verge, in the summer of 2016, the startup announced an AI system that could read and comprehend text with near human capability. Maluuba's machine literacy system is outperforming similar systems shown off by Facebook and Google.
Christina Jenkins, a University of Oregon student, is filing a lawsuit seeking $3 million in damages against Oregon Medical Group Clinic for allegedly not diagnosing her properly. Christina was told to be suffering from a "viral syndrome" by the physician's assistant that time and advised to go home, rest, and take plenty of fluids. By her mother's insistence, she went against the clinic's recommendation and went to a different facility where she was diagnosed with meningococcal disease.

Christina was one of several people affected by a meningitis outbreak that struck the University of Oregon between January and May 2015. Early morning in mid-January, Christina showed signs of the infection such as high fever, vomiting, cough, chills, and sore throat. She went to Oregon Medical Group clinic at 1 PM where her mother specifically asked for the doctor's assistant to give a test for meningitis.

Instead, Elizabeth Struble, the assistant, administered a nasal swab test to check for flu. The University of Oregon student was then told to go home, rest, and rehydrate. Suspecting something serious was causing her daughter's illness, Christina's mother urged to seek a second opinion. That's when she was properly diagnosed with meningitis by a different medical provider and was then transferred to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, the Daily Emerald says.

The lawsuit alleges medical negligence against Oregon Medical Group for not checking the plaintiff thoroughly which resulted to delayed diagnosis of the infection which could have resulted to her death. It also seeks financial reparation for the permanent damages she incurred in her heart and lungs, for the emotional distress it caused her, and for the $500,000 hospital bill her family had to pay due to the misdiagnosis, the Register Guard reports.

Meningococcal disease have been active this week as it infected and killed a healthy teenager hours after waking up. Health officials are warning hospitals to consider meningitis as they diagnose patients with high fever, rashes that won't go away, and vomiting. The lawsuit filed by the university of Oregon student is a good reminder for hospitals to be vigilant in making their diagnosis.
Takata, one of the Japanese air bag manufacturers, has reached a $1 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department due to air bag fraud that led to a massive recall.

Takata Corporation To Pay $1B Over Air Bag Fraud

According to NPR, at least 16 confirmed deaths have been linked to the defect and 11 of them is in the U.S. As part of the deal, Takata agreed to plead guilty to the crime offense of wire fraud. On Friday, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade announced that Takata Corp. has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and pay $1 billion in criminal penalties stemming from the companys fraudulent conduct related to sales of defective air bag inflators.

Automotive suppliers who sell products that are supposed to protect consumers from injury or death must put safety ahead of profits, McQuade said as per The Detroit News. If they choose instead to engage in fraud, we will hold accountable the individuals and business entities who are responsible.

Of the total of $1 billion, the $25 million will be funded as a fine to the U.S. government and the $125 million will be used for the compensation to all the people who are physically injured by the mislead air bags. The remaining money from the $1B will go to automakers that were defrauded by Takata, this is to cover the cost of replacing recalled parts.

Three Executives Criminally Charged

Three high-level executives from Takata Corp. were also indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges, McQuade confirms it at a news conference in Detroit to announce the settlement. The 3 Japanese executives are Shinichi Tanaka, Hideo Nakajima, and Tsuneo Chikaraishi. They are all allegedly concealed deadly defects in the inflator inside the Takata's air bags.

In the emails, the 3 executives are allegedly referred to submitting false reports of test data to all the automakers that were using their products, specifically the air bags, even after initial reports that the inflators were failing and injuring people.

"Corporations and individuals who cheat will be held accountable," McQuade said. "Cheaters will not be allowed to gain an advantage over those who play by the rules."
Baxter Healthcare Corp, subsidiary of Baxter International based on Deerfield has agreed to shell out $18 million and pay the federal government over allegations that the company had violated federal drug manufacturing standards . The government alleges that between 2011 and 2012, the company had manufactured sterile intravenous solutions in a North Carolina facility.

It was later found out that the production room were the supposed sterile solutions were manufactured, supposedly had molds in the air filters in the ceiling. Allegedly, a Baxter company employee had informed the company's management about the mold but the company failed to act on this report and continued to manufacture drugs in that particular room.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration had conducted an unannounced inspection and found molds on the filters although no evidence that the IV solutions were contaminated by the mold. Baxter has admitted that they distributed products in interstate commerce that were adulterated. This was a violation of federal law.

Baxter spokeswoman Deborah Spak states that although the production of the lines were not consistent with the company's standards, there was no evidence that the products manufactured during that time period were impacted. Several of the members of the North Carolina facility's management team have been laid off as a result of the occurrence according to Spak.

Spak also said that enhanced training and compliances processes are now being given to employees of the facility. The company has also made organizational changes and improved inspections and environmental monitoring.

Spak went on to say that health care providers and patients rely on their product in critical situations. It is an important responsibility on the part of the company to maintain the highest standards for the company, its products and the process as reported in Chicago Tribune.

Baxter Healthcare Corp will also pay a Marion whistleblower Chris Wall who reported the moldy air filters. Wall is set to receive $430,000. Wall's action had sparked the investigation of the company's practices by the federal government in 2012.

Baxter is the largest employer in McDowell County and employs more than 2,000 people according to N.C. Department of Commerce data from 2015.

The Marion facility manufactures premixed drugs, IV therapies, renal therapies and other sterile solution. The products comprises about 60 percent of all IV solutions in the U.S. market according to an article by Citizen-Times.
Last year, Tesla announced that it would start requiring payment for its Supercharging services and the details of this move have finally be announced. New owners will be charged moving forward, although those who already have the Model S or Model X in their garages will continue to benefit from free Supercharging. The fees are detailed below.

According to CNBC, only cars purchased after January 15th or delivered after April 15th will be affected. But while older cars definitely have the upper hand in this regard - frees fees all around - there is still a long-term benefit for purchasing the Model S and the Model X. These units will receive 400 kWh of free charging annually, which is good for about 1000 miles of driving. Tesla has not announced whether or not the upcoming Model 3 will be provided any amount of complimentary charging.

In excess of the free charging, fees differ per state - monetary amounts are charged either by wattage or by charging minute, as local regulations dictate. Tesla has stated that the money generated from these charging stations will not be count as profit for the company. The plan is to use the money in order to develop existing or build new Superchargers.

As Engadget notes, California residents will be charged to pay US$0.20 per kWh, but New Yorkers will be charged US$0.19 per kWh. The company provided international examples to quantify the costs. On average, a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles will cost about US$15, while a trip from Los Angeles to New York will cost about US$120. And in Europe, a trip from Paris to Rome will cost about EUR60, while in China, a trip from Beijing to Shanghai will require about 400 Yen.

Tesla claims that, on average, the complimentary 400 kWh should be enough for a yearly car. However, one must consider the different factors, such as idle time and traffic. A more detailed list of charges can be viewed here, but the public must wait until fees for the Model 3 are released.
A trio of TV ads by Samsung Display highlights a Samsung product that is yet to be released but has been the talk of the town these past few days.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more than a month away from being officially introduced but this early a number of renders from third-party companies have shown what the Galaxy S8 might look like. And now, Samsung Display has released promotional videos with the Galaxy S8 as the star.

As BGR noted in its report, it does not directly say that the phone in the videos is indeed the Galaxy S8 or some other model. It may just be a version of the much-awaited handset or just a concept the makers of the ads cooked up.

However, there are some similarities and differences between the details of the device in the videos to the rumored features of the Korean tech giant's next flagship device.

AMOLED Display

The ads clearly indicated that the display is an AMOLED screen. CNET sees this as an indication that the Galaxy S8 will sport the said display. A rumor which surfaced last year, in fact, indicates that the Galaxy S8 will sport a 4K AMOLED display with 2,160 x 3,840-pixel resolution. As impressive as the graphics of the videos are, it is hard to tell if the AMOLED screen is indeed 4K capable or if it does have that much resolution.

No Home Button

The lack of a home button is clearly noticeable. As rumored before, the Galaxy S8 will be ditching the physical home button in favor of a virtual one which will be embedded under the display. This feature is consistent with the renders by Ghostek and Olixar, a couple of companies which make smartphone cases for Samsung among others.

Curved or Flat?

There is one glaring difference, however, between the phone in the ads and the rumored look of the Galaxy S8. The version in the ads does not sport a curved screen. Instead of the screen spilling over the sides of the handset, the one in the videos has slim bezels.
A father was woken up in the wee hour of the morning by his crying son and saw the multi-colored alien lights outside his house in Ontario, Canada. On January 6, Timmy Joe Elzinga, 33, immediately took his smartphone outside and started taking photos of the light pillars. He said that looking at the bright beams reminded him of Star Trek, like somebody is "beaming up" people.

At 1:30 in the morning, Elzinga was running around his front yard, excitedly taking photos of the unusual light occurrence. Despite living in the northern hemisphere for years, he has never seen anything like the pillar lights before. He was not aware of such phenomenon so when he saw these amazing pastel-colored beams of alien lights surrounding his neighborhood, he immediately thought of an alien vision.

"It looked almost supernatural - like some kind of intergalactic wars, with beams shooting down from the sky", he said of the photos he had taken that night. He further stated that if not for his crying son, he would have missed the rare phenomenon. Despite its alien-like appearance, NASA explains the real fact behind the pillar lights, the Live Science says.

These are formed by flat ice in high altitudes that come fluttering near the ground, NASA explains. The ice crystals reflect lights from nearby cars and other sources on man-made light resulting to the glorious light show that Elzinga saw. Les Cowley, a retired physicist further explains that light pillars are a result of temperatures plummeting so low that water molecules in the air freeze but remain motionless in vertical shafts.

According to the Mirror, similar light shows can be seen in Niagara Falls where the mist from the rush of the waterfall interacts with the upward facing lights of the city. Similar cases of mysterious light appearances have been reported this year where people thought of the light as a ghost. Alien lights like these have also spurred people to make reports about UFOs.
The Swedish smart billboard that coughs when you smoke near it is a campaign against smoking. It is one way to remind narcotic addicts that smoking is bad for their health. A billboard equipped with smoke detectors that coughs as they pass by helping them be reminded.

The electronic sign that appears normal to non smokers, featuring a black and white picture of a man that seems usual enough for non-smokers at first glance. However, smokers will see a different side of the billboard. As smokers pass by the bill board starts coughing as a response to second hand smoking.

The Swedish smart billboard is an innovative advertisement paid by the Swedish pharmacy chain that wants to encourage smokers to kick their smelly habit. After coughing the screen, then changes again, offering various products sold by pharmacy chain Apotek Hjartat that can help smokers quit.

According to the CNN, the agency behind the campaign, Akestam Holst, created the effect by attaching smoke detectors to the digital advertising screen. They chose a location where so many smokers are passing by, then the coughing begins. The agency filmed the different reactions of the crowd.

Fredrik Kullberg, marketing director at Apotek Hjartat said that the purpose was to drive the conversation about this topic, documenting the reactions, encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle. And most of the reactions were positive.

Some examples of reactions, a man was continuing to puff and looking at the billboard. Another example is a woman laughing after realizing she was the one causing the billboard to cough. Most are confused and amused with the smart billboard.

According to the RT, although the billboard was placed in a location where a lot of smokers pass by, Sweden actually has the lowest smoking rate all over Europe. This is according to the 2012 report by the European Council, only 13 percent. The Swedish smart billboard is an interesting way to campaign against excessive smoking.
Women with congenital heart disease can still have healthy pregnancies with the help of an experienced team of healthcare providers. Women with serious congenital heart defects should work closely with their doctors before, during and after the pregnancy according to the American Heart Association.

According to Dr. Jamil Aboulhasn, a cardiologist at AHA, in the past, women who were born with congenital heart conditions were told that they would never be able to have babies. But according to Dr. Aboulhasn, who is based at California, Los Angeles Medical Center, that old way of thinking has evolved. Recent studies have shown that those women can generally have healthy pregnancies when they work with an experienced team of health care providers.

According to Mary Canobbio, a registered nurse who led the committee that formed the new recommendations, the key to it is planning. Pregnancy planning is a must, according to Canobbio. She is also a lecturer at UCLA School of Nursing. Ideally, talks of the pregnancy should come early before the woman is ready to have a baby. In this way, the woman is made aware of how the pregnancy could affect her own health and that of the future baby.

The risks of managing the pregnancy will vary from woman to woman. Dr. Aboulhasn explains that the risks depends on the particular heart condition and the woman's overall health. A person with a small hole in the heart that was surgically corrected and is in good shape, functioning and exercising well, will do relatively fine during pregnancy.

On the other hand, there are more complicated cases of heart defects. Dr. Aboulhosn cited as an example a woman who was born with two large holes in her heart. She now has high blood pressure affecting the arteries in the lungs and becomes blue from exertion and has shortness of breath, obviously her case is different.

Women who have congenital heart defects have greater risks of miscarriages, preterm labor and poor fetal growth as compared to normal women. In general, the strains of pregnancy can raise the risks of complications such as arrythemias or heart failure as reported in an article by Health 24.

The medical team can anticipate problems that may happen during pregnancy and after delivery. It was recommended by the authors that the women should deliver their babies at centers that an experienced cardiologist who have dealt with complex cases of congenital heart diseases, obstetricians who are trained in maternal-fetal medicine and a cardiac surgical team. Monitoring the mother after delivery is also important because the effects of pregnancy could linger for as long as six months according to an article by Health Canal.
Tesla Motors Inc. announced that the company will charge new customers fees for using the Supercharging stations if they exceed to an annual limit, detailing its price structure to help pay for the expansion of its network of stations.

Tesla Motors Unveils Pricing System For Supercharging Stations

Tesla Motors announced Thursday the company's first attempt to monetize a service for their electric-car owners to have long enjoyed for free as it prepares to launch the more affordable Tesla Model 3 sedan later this year. The company which is led by Elon Musk stressed that Tesla Motors is only aiming to recover a portion of our costs and set up a fair system for everyone; this will never be a profit center for Tesla.

According to Yahoo News, Tesla vehicles ordered after Jan. 15, 2017, those cars will receive roughly 400 kilowatts per hour of the free Supercharging credits, that is about 1,000 miles, annually on the anniversary of their delivery.

If customers travel beyond their annual credit, they will be charged a small fee to Supercharge, Tesla said in a blog posted on Thursday. In North America, pricing is fixed within each state or province; overseas, pricing is fixed within each country.

Tesla also said that the cost of the Supercharging fee would be about $15 for a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles and about $120 for a cross-country trip from Los Angeles to New York. "We carefully considered current Supercharger usage and found that 400 kWh covers the annual long-distance driving needs of the majority of our owners. As a result, most owners will continue to enjoy the benefits of Supercharging on road trips at no additional cost, Tesla posted.

Tesla's Supercharging Stations

Tesla's Supercharging stations are typically located in malls and on highways between major cities. It aims to ease car owners' anxiety about running out of battery capacity while driving and enable long-distance road trips using Tesla's vehicles. The company has 795 Supercharging stations around the world. Typically, each station has 6 to 8 spots for each car to park and charge. The Superchargers currently deliver roughly 130 miles of range in 30 minutes.

According to an Investopedia report, BMW, Daimler AG, Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Company are also planning to build 400 next-generation charging stations all around Europe. These stations will take minutes to charge an electric vehicle, instead of an hour or more.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA and JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA--(Marketwired - Jan 13, 2017) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (PTM.TO)(NYSE MKT:PLG) ("Platinum Group" or the "Company") reports the Company's operating and financial results for the three months ended November 30, 2016 and provides an operational update and outlook. For details of the consolidated interim financial statements (the "Financial Statements") and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended November 30, 2016, please see the Company's filings on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or on EDGAR (www.sec.gov). Shareholders are encouraged to visit the Company's website at www.platinumgroupmetals.net. Shareholders may receive a hard copy of the complete Financial Statements from the Company free of charge upon request.

All amounts herein are reported in United States dollars unless otherwise specified.

Operations at Maseve Mine

The Company is currently focused on development and stoping in the best grade thickness areas in Block 11 of the Maseve Mine, which was accessed and opened for mining late in calendar 2016. Block 11 is modelled to be flat dipping with good grade and thickness and is the most important block to the near-term mine plan.

Redpath Mining South Africa Pty Limited, a subsidiary of Canadian headquartered Redpath Mining Contractors and Engineers ("Redpath"), recently won the tender to provide bord and pillar mining, hybrid mechanized mining and ore transport from Block 11. Since June 2016 Redpath has been providing efficient long hole mining services in Blocks 9 and 12 of the Maseve Mine. The changeover to Redpath as the principal mining contractor at the Maseve Mine was undertaken with affected parties during the latter part of the first fiscal quarter ended November 30, 2016 and into early January 2017. The operational and administrative changeover is now well advanced.

Redpath has also entered into a letter of intent whereby they will install, operate and maintain a 1.0 km conveyor towards Block 11, linking into underground silos and the existing 1.4 km conveyor to surface and 1.7 km conveyor system into the mill. Cost for the conveyor installation to be borne by Redpath is estimated at Rand 25.0 million (approximately US $1.8 million) and Redpath will recoup their investment by way of a per tonne charge now being negotiated. Redpath has also added four units to the trucking fleet on a rental basis to ensure efficient ore transport.

Story continues

R. Michael Jones, CEO of Platinum Group Metals said "We are pleased that after working with us on the mining of some of our smaller blocks, Redpath has won the tender to mine Block 11 and will become an important partner in the Maseve Mine ramp up. Redpath will continue with mining in Blocks 9 and 12 and will takeover ore transport for these blocks from the previous development contractor. Redpath is also scheduled to set up for mining in Block 16 early in 2017. Redpath has demonstrated excellent leadership skills with a commitment to safety and a disciplined and open approach. The engagement with Redpath is a win-win collaboration that demonstrates confidence in the potential at the Maseve Mine from a well regarded global mining contractor. The more tonnes mined from Block 11, the better both Redpath and the Company will do. We see Redpath as an excellent partner."

Management changes have been made at the Maseve Mine and a process of rationalizing and consolidating underperforming and redundant contractors was undertaken in late calendar 2016. Safety has remained a priority during these changes. Many mining services previously provided by several contractors will now be consolidated under the management of Redpath, increasing efficiency.

During December 2016, Block 11 began to produce mined tonnes, contributing approximately 21.3% (8,388 tonnes) of mined ore flow to monthly production. Double decline access and through ventilation to Block 11 was completed in late December 2106. Now that infrastructure is coming on line where needed, and with contractor changeover being undertaken, Block 11 is scheduled to contribute approximately 50% (30,000 tonnes) to mined ore flow in January 2017. Mining rates in the second half of January 2017 and in the months ahead are scheduled to continue improving as Block 11 is further developed. During 2017 Block 11 is scheduled to build up to 70-80% of mined ore flow. At full production Block 11 is planned to provide up to 76,000 tonnes of ore a month.

Production ramp up at the Maseve Mine has been behind plan since commissioning in April 2016 due primarily to poor mining contractor performance and delayed infrastructure completion. As disclosed in the Company's press release dated November 29, 2016, a much-publicized safety drive in the Northwest Region by the inspectorate branch of the South African Department of Mineral Resources ("DMR") during the latter part of the Company's first fiscal quarter resulted in intermittent work stoppages at the Maseve Mine, also causing a loss of some development and production.

Production in September, October, November and December 2016 was 1,823, 907, 1,237 and 1,509 4E ounces respectively. Contractor issues, changeover of contractors, and concerns raised by the DMR have been addressed and the Company is again focused on safely increasing mined tonnage at grade from planned blocks while at the same time reducing costs in 2017.

Platinum Group will be focussed on turning the Maseve Mine to positive cash flow in the first half of calendar 2017. Development to other blocks near Block 11 with good grade thickness is scheduled to continue during 2017. Twelve-month aggregate production guidance for calendar 2017 is modelled at 100,000 to 120,000 4E ounces. Prior production guidance should not be relied upon.

Results For The Three Months Ended November 30, 2016

During the three-months ended November 30, 2016, the Company incurred a net loss of $2.45 million (November 30, 2015 - net loss of $0.712 million). General and administrative expenses during the three-month period were $1.167 million (November 30, 2015 - $1.394 million), losses on foreign exchange were $1.543 million (November 30, 2015 - gain of $0.399 million) while stock based compensation expense, a non-cash item, totalled $0.40 million (November 30, 2015 - nil). Finance income consisting of interest earned and property rental fees in the three-month period amounted to $0.30 million (November 30, 2015 - $0.283 million). Loss per share for the period ended November 30, 2016 amounted to $0.03 (November 30, 2015 - $0.01 per share).

Accounts receivable at November 30, 2016 totalled $5.8 million while accounts payable and accrued liabilities amounted to $16.832 million. Accounts receivable were comprised of amounts receivable on sale of concentrate, value added taxes repayable to the Company in South Africa and amounts receivable from partners. Accounts payable included contract development and mining fees, drilling expenses, engineering fees, accrued professional fees and regular trade payables for ongoing exploration, development and administration costs.

During the period ended November 30, 2016 the Company incurred approximately $27 million (November 30, 2015 - $34 million) in development, construction, equipment and other costs for the Maseve Mine. Initial proceeds from concentrate sales before commercial production are treated as a reduction in project capital cost with $3.1 million being recognized to development costs in the period ended November 30, 2016. As at November 30, 2016, the Company carried total deferred acquisition, development, construction, equipment and other costs related to the Maseve Mine of $514 million.

During the period ended November 30, 2016 approximately $1.73 million was spent at the Waterberg Project for engineering and exploration activities. At period end $21.7 million in net costs are capitalized to the Waterberg Project. The current budget for work at Waterberg is fully funded by 28.35% joint venture partner the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation.

For more information on mineral properties, see Notes 4 and 5 of the Financial Statements.

Loan Facilities Amended

To accommodate the Company for delayed production ramp up at the Maseve Mine, the Sprott Resource Lending Partnership ("Sprott") and Liberty Metals & Mining Holdings, LLC ("LMM") have agreed to provide the following waiver and amendments to their existing loan facilities to the Company:

a three-month extension to the covenant whereby Maseve must reach and maintain a three-month rolling average of at least 60% of planned production for a three-month period to commence with the first measurement month of the original plan moved to February 2017;

a three-month extension to the covenant whereby Maseve must reach and maintain a three-month rolling average of at least 70% of planned production for a three-month period to commence with the first measurement month of the original plan moved May 2017;

to waive until February 15, 2017 the covenant to maintain at all times a working capital in excess of $5,000,000; and

to postpone from January 31, 2017 to March 31, 2017 the commencement of the requirement to pay the Sprott Lenders 50% of the proceeds of equity and debt financings (excluding intercompany financings) of the Company or its subsidiaries having a value exceeding $1,000,000 in the aggregate, in partial repayment of the Sprott Facility.

In consideration of the above the Company has agreed to issue 568,819 common shares of the Company as directed by Sprott and to LMM pursuant to the amended Sprott Facility and amended LMM Facility. This amount is based on 1.0% of the outstanding principal amount advanced by both the Sprott and LMM, being $425,000 and $453,440 respectively, converted to $1,153,391 Canadian dollars using the Bank of Canada noon spot rate on January 12, 2017. The shares were then priced at the ten-day volume weighted average price on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") of $2.253 Canadian dollars per share, less a ten percent discount. The amendment fee shares shall be issued within three business days after the Company's receipt of the conditional approval of the TSX and the approval of the NYSE MKT LLC for the listing of the amendment fee shares, whichever occurs later, subject to compliance with applicable law. If the Company is unable to obtain such approvals or does not issue the amendment fee shares by January 27, 2017 or either the TSX or the NYSE MKT LLC advises the Company that it will not approve the listing of the amendment fee shares, the Company is required to pay the amendment fee in cash within two business days thereafter. The shares will be subject to a four month and one day hold period from the date of issuance under applicable securities laws in Canada and where applicable will also be subject to resale restrictions under the securities laws of the United States.

Outlook

The Company's key business objectives for fiscal 2017 will be to safely ramp-up the Maseve Mine and to advance the Waterberg Project through feasibility and into preparations for a mining right application.

At the time of writing the Company is well advanced in a changeover process to improve contractor and labour performance, increase stope mining, reduce contractor redundancy, improve efficiencies and reduce costs. The Maseve Mine has demonstrated good grade thickness confirmation to block model estimates and good recovery to design specifications. At present good progress is being made developing Block 11 and mined tonnage is beginning to come on line.

At November 30, 2016, the Company held $27.507 million in cash. In order to achieve positive cash flow and to maintain its working capital covenants under existing loan facilities, the Company estimates that it will need to source $5 million to $15 million of additional funding by way of refinancing its existing debt, the issuance of new debt, private or public offerings of equity or the sale of project or property interests.

About Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Platinum Group, based in Johannesburg, South Africa and Vancouver, Canada, has a successful track record with more than 20 years of experience in exploration, mine discovery, mine construction and mine operations.

Formed in 2002, Platinum Group holds significant mineral rights in the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa, which is host to over 70% of the world's primary platinum production. The Company is currently focused on ramping up the Maseve Mine, its first near-surface platinum mine, to commercial production.

Platinum Group has delineated new reserves on the North Limb of the Bushveld Complex on the Waterberg Project. Waterberg represents a new bulk type of large scale, shallow low cost platinum, palladium and gold deposit.

Qualified Person

R. Michael Jones, P.Eng., the Company's President, Chief Executive Officer and a significant shareholder of the Company, is a non-independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and is responsible for preparing the technical information contained in this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Frank R. Hallam, CFO and Director

Disclosure

The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE MKT LLC have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.

The securities described herein will not be 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 or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the adequacy of capital; potential financings; the use of proceeds of financings; potential share issuances or payments under the credit facility amendments; repayment of indebtedness; ramp up and potential achievement of commercial production at the Maseve Mine; the Company's key objectives; the potential to change underperforming contractors, increase mining, reduce contractor redundancy, improve efficiencies and reduce costs; advancing the Waterberg Project through feasibility and into preparations for a mining right application; and the Company's plans and estimates regarding exploration, studies, development, construction, production, cash flows and other activities and developments. Statements of mineral resources and mineral reserves also constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they represent estimates of mineralization that will be encountered on a property and/or estimates regarding future costs, revenues and other matters.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. 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 the Company's discretion in the use of proceeds of financings; risks related to indebtedness; the Company's capital requirements may exceed its current expectations; the uncertainty of cost, operational and economic projections; the ability of the Company to negotiate and complete future funding transactions; variations in market conditions; the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located; metal prices; other prices and costs; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities; the Company's ability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; and other risk factors described in the Company's Form 40-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively.

Cautionary Note to U.S. and other Investors

Estimates of mineralization and other technical information included or referenced in this press release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101. The definitions of proven and probable reserves used in NI 43-101 differ from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7. Under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical average price is used in any reserve or cash flow analysis to designate reserves and the primary environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority. As a result, the reserves reported by the Company in accordance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. In addition, the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and normally are not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Additionally, disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian securities laws; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measurements. Accordingly, information contained or referenced in this press release containing descriptions of the Company's mineral deposits may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus.
Donald Trump

A US counterintelligence task force was established by the CIA in 2016 to investigate possible Russian funding of President-elect Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the BBC reported on Friday.

The task force included the FBI, the Treasury and Justice Departments, the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Agency (NSA).

It was set up after the director of the CIA, John Brennan, received a recording of a conversation about money from the Kremlin going into Trump's campaign coffers, the BBC's Paul Wood reported. The recording was apparently passed to the CIA by the intelligence agency of one of the Baltic States.

On October 15, the task force was reportedly granted a warrant by a judge in the FISA court  named after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act  to intercept the electronic records from two Russian banks that may have been implicated in the money transfer, a senior intelligence official told the BBC. Trump was not named in the warrant, but three of his associates were the subject of the inquiry.

All three associates contacted, but not named, by the BBC, denied the allegations. The current status of the investigation is unclear.

The BBC report comes amid claims, contained in a dossier written by former British spy Christopher Steele, of Trump's extensive ties to Russia.

Steele, who was the head of the British intelligence agency MI6's Moscow desk and is known for his "knowledge of the intricate web" of Kremlin-tied companies and associates, wrote the dossier between July and December of 2016 as part of an opposition research project funded by anti-Trump Republicans. Democrats later took over funding for the project.

A two-page summary of Steele's memos was attached to the intelligence community's classified report on Russia's meddling in the US election, which was presented to Trump, President Barack Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden earlier this month. The nation's top lawmakers on intelligence matters, known as the "gang of eight," were also briefed.

Story continues

FBI Director James Comey discussed the dossier with Trump verbally after presenting the president-elect with the report on Russian meddling, intelligence sources told CNN and NBC last week.

The Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, released a statement last Wednesday reiterating that, while the intelligence community had "not made any judgment that the information in this document is reliable, "part of our obligation is to ensure that policymakers are provided with the fullest possible picture of any matters that might affect national security."

The dossier has apparently been circulating among journalists and top lawmakers since early last year. Sen. John McCain of Arizona obtained a copy that he handed over to the FBI before the election. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada obtained an early copy of the dossier as well.

NOW WATCH: The president's close friend of 40 years explains Trump's sense of humor





More From Business Insider


By Jane Lanhee Lee

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, carving a careful diplomatic path on her stopovers in the United States, visited the headquarters of micro-messaging service Twitter Inc and opened her official account on Saturday.

A source with knowledge of the president's travel through San Francisco told Reuters she met with the "head of Twitter" but declined to confirm if that person was CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not provide further details of her meetings in the U.S. tech capital.

Tsai was returning from a week-long visit to Central America. But it was her stopovers in the United States that raised more interest after President-elect Donald Trump said last month he would reconsider the long-standing "one China" policy, whereby the United States acknowledges the Chinese position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

He reiterated that possibility in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday, a week before his inauguration. China responded that the "one China" principle was the non-negotiable political basis for China-U.S. relations.

Trump took a congratulatory call from Tsai after his Nov. 8 victory, sparking outrage from China, which believes the Taiwanese leader wants to seek formal independence from the mainland.

Tsai made a stopover in Houston on Jan. 7 and 8 before heading to Central America and arrived Friday night in San Francisco on her way back home. She did not appear to have met with any representatives of the Trump team during her short U.S. stays. But in Houston last Sunday, she met with Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott and sparked more ire in Beijing.

China had asked the United States not to allow Tsai to enter or have formal government meetings under the one China policy.

Cruz was pointed in his criticism of the Chinese, saying they needed to "understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves."

Story continues

Beijing considers self-governing Taiwan a renegade province ineligible for state-to-state relations. The subject is a sensitive one for China.

More than a hundred people were gathered outside the Hyatt Regency near San Francisco International Airport, some to protest and some to support the president.

Tsai will wind up her trip with a lunch with hundreds of people from the Taiwanese community before her plane departs for Taiwan in the afternoon.

(Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
In the next 18 months, Amazon is going to create a hundred thousand jobs in the United States. The new jobs will be open to people with varying skills and backgrounds.

According to a news article published by Bloomberg, the online commerce company is going to hire more than 100, 000 jobs. Last year alone, it hired an average of 6,400 people a month which is also 76,800 on average for the year.

What are the jobs available and who can apply? Jobs range from engineers, software developers, entry level positions, on the job trainings or internships. This news also affects aspiring entrepreneurs who can look to Marketplace and Amazon Flex to create jobs that would make it possible for them to start their own businesses and set their own work schedule at the same time.

Furthermore, the report stated that workers from diverse backgrounds, experiences, educational attainment, and level of skill are welcome. This suggests that not all of the jobs offered will require a technical background.

This announcement made great timing, says an analyst at Tigress Financial Partners LLC, Ivan Feinseth. The job growth will happen in the first year and a half of President Elect Donald J. Trumps administration which ran on a platform of bringing jobs to Americans.

Amazon has now joined companies like Alibaba, IBM, and Ford who have also announced hiring sprees. This comes after the Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos of Amazon and other leading executives in the technology industry met with Trump in New York last December to talk about matters concerning immigration, jobs, as well as China.

The additional 100,000 jobs is positive and favorable news especially when Amazon has been criticized for stealing traditional retail jobs. Its new grocery, for instance, called Amazon Go runs on a cashier free system. Read here to know more about it.
President-elect Donald Trump is planning to offer jobs to two people who have ties with billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel. If all goes well, Balaji Srinivasan and Jim O'Neill could be working within the Food and Drug Administration in the near future.

Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the president-elect, said a meeting among Trump, Srinivasan and O'Neill will take place in order to talk about the possible job offers, The Hill reported. Both Srinivasan and O'Neill had previously criticized the regulator.

Srinivasan claimed that the regulator is putting a downward pressure on innovation. O'Neill took an issue on the FDA's authority to regulate drugs and questioned the regulator's power when it comes to selling organs. If their earlier comments against the FDA are any indication, the regulator could be up for a shakeup.

Srinivasan and O'Neill are Silicon Valley associates of billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel, who have supported Trump's campaign. Srinivasan's startup is a recipient of funding from Thiel, while O'Neill is an employee at Mithril Capital Management co-founded by the billionaire tech investor.

Thiel, who is also a co-founder of PayPal, continues to support Trump. In a recent interview, Thiel said he does not expect the president-elect to work against gay rights, Techspot reported. Despite his support for the president-elect, it appears that Thiel will not go along with some of Trump's idea.

Thiel has explicitly said that his Palantir, a data-mining company where he serves as chairman, will not help Trump build a Muslim registry. Creating a Muslim registry is supposedly part of Trump's plan to combat domestic and international terrorism.

Trump's close association with billionaires and players in the business world is not surprising given that he is a businessman before he aimed for the presidency. Some, however, are seeing it as a red flag that the president-elect may prioritize corporations over others. Jobs & Hire previously reported that Alibaba's Jack Ma promised one million jobs to Trump.
In a bid to reclaim personal time and bring a better work-life balance, France has enacted what it called "right to disconnect." With this, workers can ignore emails after work hours. Here's why the same law would not work in the United States.

Because of the advancement of technology and the wide use of mobile devices today, it can't be helped that work would spill over employees' time outside the office. This has led to unpaid overtime and workers experiencing burnout.

That were some of the reasons that French workers lobbied for a right not to check work-related messages after their office hours. The law came into effect in France on Jan. 1.

However, in the United States, the same rule might not work. "Inc. Uncensored" podcast discusses the case in the U.S., saying that the right to disconnect might not fly in the country. For one, Americans have an "always on" culture, which means that being able to respond immediately is one of the expectations among workers.

Inc.com also pointed out a weak union presence in the country, so pushing for such a law would certainly not be easy. And lastly, there's a pervasive use of smartphones among Americans, which makes it not that easy to unplug.

Regardless of the law, there are many good reasons to impose a "right to disconnect" on a personal level. Forbes listed some of the benefits of unplugging from technology during off hours. First is that everyone needs a downtime to recover from stress and recharge for the next day.

Too much use technology can lead to mental and psychological health problems. One needs some quiet and peaceful hours at home to focus on other things and spend some dedicated time with their family. Put away your gadgets and take the time to really connect with your friends face to face.
Email

Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday.
(Adds army advance)

BEIRUT, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Syria's army and its allies advanced near Damascus on Friday, according to an organisation that monitors the conflict, and the region's governor said rebels had let engineers enter a damaged pumping station that supplies most of the capital's water.

The Wadi Barada area has become the most intense battlefront in the Syrian civil war, and the disruption to water supplies has caused severe shortages in Damascus since the beginning of the year.

The army and the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim militia Hezbollah gained complete control of the town of Baseimah, taking them close to Ain al-Fija where the water springs are located, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The governor of Damascus Countryside Province said in comments broadcast on television that engineers had entered Ain al-Fija to fix the damage to the pumping station.

He said it was part of a wider agreement for rebels to stop fighting in Wadi Barada. This would include the departure of some of them for other insurgent-held areas in the country and a settlement with others who would remain there.

Reuters could not immediately reach rebels in Wadi Barada for comment on the governor's statement.

The area has become the main focus of fighting between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran and Shi'ite militias, and the rebels seeking to oust him, since the government retook full control of the city of Aleppo last month.

It comes despite a two-week-old ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey, which is one of the main supporters of many rebel groups. Since the truce, nearly 180 civilians have died in clashes and bombardment, the British-based Observatory said.

(Reporting by Angus McDowall in Beirut and Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Lets talk about offbeat news: We humans get ourselves into some interesting situations, to put it mildly. The first one made me laugh out loud. I felt bad for the cop, but lol. Read moreSmith Says: Deputy uses taser on K9 unit that attacked cow
BEIRUT, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee said on Saturday it supported efforts towards planned peace talks in Kazakhstan, and viewed the meeting as a preliminary step for resuming the next round of political negotiations in Geneva.

A nationwide ceasefire began in Syria on Dec. 30 to pave the way for new peace talks, which Russia hopes to convene in the Kazakh capital Astana later this month with Turkish and Iranian support.

(Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Reddit Email 0 Shares

TeleSur |  

Manning is currently serving a 35-year sentence in solitary confinement for handing over 700,000 sensitive documents from the U.S. State Department.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will agree to be extradited to the United States if President Barack Obama grants clemency to the former U.S. soldier Chelsea Manning, jailed for leaking documents, the organization said on Thursday.

If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (US Department of Justice) case, WikiLeaks wrote on Twitter.

Assange has been living in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.

The Australian former computer hacker said he fears Stockholm will in turn extradite him to the U.S., where he angered Washington over WikiLeaks publication of thousands of U.S. military and diplomatic documents leaked by former US soldier Manning.

Manning is currently serving a 35-year sentence in solitary confinement for handing over the 700,000 sensitive documents from the U.S. State Department.

Supporters of the transgender soldier are putting their hopes in a pardon by Obama before he leaves office later this month, although the White House has said the president will not be granting her clemency.

Manning has already made two suicide attempts and currently has an appeal pending before a military court.

Washington has maintained the threat of prosecuting Assange over the 2010 leak, though no charges have been filed.

WikiLeaks post on Twitter was accompanied by a letter addressed to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, in which Assanges lawyer Barry Pollack argues there is no legitimate basis for continuing the investigation into the WikiLeaks founder.

Via TeleSur
Reddit Email 0 Shares

Mustafa Habib| (Niqash.org) |  

The border of Syria and Iraq looks likely to be the next testing ground for the newly conciliatory  yet unsteady  relationship between Iran and the US. Various powers are already jockeying for position on the frontier.

As the fight against the extremist group known as the Islamic State continues to succeed, albeit at a slower pace than hoped for, the Iraqi government is starting to consider what to do about the countrys borders with Syria. To the west of Mosul, for example, the borders have been porous, allowing fighters from the extremist group to come and go between the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Islamic State, or IS, groups base in Syria, the city of Raqqa.

As the IS group is pushed out of the eastern side of Mosul this week, questions remain as to what will happen to IS fighters on the western side of the city; many believe they will leave on roads that lead toward the Syrian border. Assuming the remaining fighters from the extremist group eventually flee the city and head toward Raqqa, and if the Syrian-Iraq border is not secured somehow, then it is clear that the city of Mosul and the surrounding areas can never be completely safe.

The main problem is: Who will do the securing?

The border area has political significance. It is highly likely that Iran would like a land corridor connecting it to long-time allies in Syria.

The Shiite Muslim militias, formerly volunteers but recently classified as a legitimate force by the Iraqi government, fighting the IS group are developing plans to guard this border. Many of these militias receive support, in terms of finances and training, from the Iranian government.

Meanwhile the US has also been encouraging Sunni Muslim tribes in the area to launch operations in the border areas too, underscoring the military importance of the area.

But of course, the border area also has a political significance. It is highly likely that Iran would like a land corridor connecting it to long-time allies in Syria. It is also highly likely that the US and some Iraqis would like to prevent this. Each country will use its allies in Iraq to try and get what it wants.

When the battle to re-claim Mosul and surrounds from the IS group began, there were strong reservations about how the Shiite Muslim militias could participate. Generally, it was thought they shouldnt be involved inside the city, which is populated mostly by Sunni Muslims. Instead the Shiite Muslim militias headed towards the nearby town of Tal Afar, which sits just east of the Syrian border.

In November 2016, Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said during a press conference that the Iraqi-Syrian border needed special security in order to prevent extremist fighters from returning to Iraq. A delegation was sent to Syria to discuss this with the government there.

Several Shiite Muslim militias said they were ready to do the job of guarding the borders. The Badr organization, which is known for its close ties to Iran, was particularly keen.

Guarding the borders here is important to stop the IS groups supply route, Razzaq al-Hayderi, an MP from the Badr organization, told NIQASH. The militias can help the Iraqi military and security forces achieve this goal because they are trained in fighting the extremists.

During his visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, last week, Iraqs former prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, who is known to have close ties both with the militias and with Iran, suggested that the Shiite Muslim militias cross the Syrian border and help eliminate the IS group there too.

As yet, the current Prime Minister al-Abadi, has not given the Shite Muslim militias either of these responsibilities.

Additionally, there is a lot of border to defend  around 600 kilometres worth  and much of it goes through rugged desert. There are only three proper crossings. One at Al Qaem, which is held by the IS group, one at Rabia, which is controlled by the Iraqi Kurdish military and one at Waleed, controlled by the Iraqi army. When the IS group declared that it was founding its own country in August of 2014, the group announced that the old borders were obsolete and that there was no more difference between Iraq and Syria in this area. Since then the Al Qaem area has become a conduit for weapons, supplies and manpower.

The conflict as to who controls the Iraqi-Syrian borders is only just starting. Further debate will arise after the city of Mosul has been freed.

Last Thursday, the Sunni Muslim tribal fighters of Anbar province announced that they were launching a military operation in the border areas near them, to push the IS group out of the last remaining towns they are in. These are Anah, Rawa and Al Qaem, with the last being a particularly important stronghold for the IS group.

The tribal fighters said that the operation was coordinated by the Iraqi government and that US forces from the nearby Ain al-Asad military base, also assisted them.

A joint force consisting of more than 2,000 fighters along with forces from the [Iraqi armys] 7th Division, launched a surprise attackon Anah, Omar al-Mahalawi, one of the fighters from Anbar, based in Haditha, where the operation was launched from, confirmed. It was a secret plan and was not announced, so that the IS fighters didnt have any time to prepare.

Senior US military officers helped to coordinate with the operation and preparations took place at Ain al-Asad military base, al-Mahalawi noted. The US forces gave the Iraqi army and the tribal fighters important intelligence about where the IS fighters were and their planes also provided air support. There were even US special forces troops participating, al-Mahalawi said.

Over the past weeks, US air support had mainly been centred in western Anbar but over the past few days, the strikes have increased and have helped progress toward Anah and further down the road leading toward the border and Syria.

The conflict as to who controls the Iraqi-Syrian borders is only just starting. Further debate will arise after the city of Mosul has been freed of all IS fighters. It is quite possible that certain strips will be controlled by certain parties.

For example, Turkey is opposed to having the Shiite Muslim militias in the west of Ninawa province, of which Mosul is the capital. Additionally, there have already been clashes between the Iraqi Kurdish military in this area and the Shiite Muslim militias.

The fight over Anbars borders wont progress much until the town of Al Qaem is back under the control of the Iraqi government. Al Qaem is the lesser-known headquarters for the IS group, where many of its leaders are based, where it receives foreign recruits and where it has its largest explosives-manufacturing factory. There has been no fighting near Al Qaem for nearly two years.

The battle for Anah and Rawa will be easy compared to that for Al Qaem, a senior military officer told NIQASH  he requested anonymity as he was not authorised to comment to media. We expect the extremists to fight there just as fiercely as they are now fighting in Mosul.

Via Niqash.org



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Euronews: Iraq mounts new bid to retake cities under Islamic State militant control
Reddit Email 138 Shares

Human Rights Watch |  

(Washington, DC)  The rise of populist leaders in the United States and Europe poses a dangerous threat to basic rights protections while encouraging abuse by autocrats around the world, Human Rights Watch said today in launching its World Report 2017. Donald Trumps election as US president after a campaign fomenting hatred and intolerance, and the rising influence of political parties in Europe that reject universal rights, have put the postwar human rights system at risk.

Meanwhile, strongman leaders in Russia, Turkey, the Philippines, and China have substituted their own authority, rather than accountable government and the rule of law, as a guarantor of prosperity and security. These converging trends, bolstered by propaganda operations that denigrate legal standards and disdain factual analysis, directly challenge the laws and institutions that promote dignity, tolerance, and equality, Human Rights Watch said.

In the 687-page World Report, its 27th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that a new generation of authoritarian populists seeks to overturn the concept of human rights protections, treating rights not as an essential check on official power but as an impediment to the majority will.

The rise of populism poses a profound threat to human rights, Roth said. Trump and various politicians in Europe seek power through appeals to racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and nativism. They all claim that the public accepts violations of human rights as supposedly necessary to secure jobs, avoid cultural change, or prevent terrorist attacks. In fact, disregard for human rights offers the likeliest route to tyranny.

Roth cited Trumps presidential campaign in the US as a vivid illustration of the politics of intolerance. He said that Trump responded to those discontented with their economic situation and an increasingly multicultural society with rhetoric that rejected basic principles of dignity and equality. His campaign floated proposals that would harm millions of people, including plans to engage in massive deportations of immigrants, to curtail womens rights and media freedoms, and to use torture. Unless Trump repudiates these proposals, his administration risks committing massive rights violations in the US and shirking a longstanding, bipartisan belief, however imperfectly applied, in a rights-based foreign policy agenda.

The rise of populist leaders in the United States and Europe poses a dangerous threat to basic rights protections while encouraging abuse by autocrats around the world.

In Europe, a similar populism sought to blame economic dislocation on migration. The campaign for Brexit was perhaps the most prominent illustration, Roth said.

Instead of scapegoating those fleeing persecution, torture, and war, governments should invest to help immigrant communities integrate and fully participate in society, Roth said. Public officials also have a duty to reject the hatred and intolerance of the populists while supporting independent and impartial courts as a bulwark against the targeting of vulnerable minorities, Roth said.

The populist-fueled passions of the moment tend to obscure the longer-term dangers to a society of strongman rule, Roth said. In Russia, Vladimir Putin responded to popular discontent in 2011 with a repressive agenda, including draconian restrictions on free speech and assembly, unprecedented sanctions for online dissent, and laws severely restricting independent groups. Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, concerned about the slowdown in economic growth, has embarked on the most intense crackdown on dissent since the Tiananmen era.

In Syria, President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, has honed a war-crime strategy of targeting civilians in opposition areas, flouting the most fundamental requirements of the laws of war. Forces of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS, have also routinely attacked civilians and executed people in custody while encouraging and carrying out attacks on civilian populations around the globe.

More than 5 million Syrians fleeing the conflict have faced daunting obstacles in finding safety. Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon are hosting millions of Syrian refugees but have largely closed their borders to new arrivals. European Union leaders have failed to share responsibility fairly for asylum seekers or to create safe routes for refugees. Despite years of US leadership on refugee resettlement, the US resettled only 12,000 Syrian refugees last year, and Trump has threatened to end the program.

2016 in Numbers

In Africa, a disconcerting number of leaders have removed or extended term limits  the constitutional coup  to stay in office, while others have used violent crackdowns to suppress protests over unfair elections or corrupt or predatory rule. Several African leaders, feeling vulnerable to prosecution, harshly criticized the International Criminal Court and three countries announced their withdrawal.

This global attack needs a vigorous reaffirmation and defense of the human rights values underpinning the system, Roth said. Yet too many public officials seem to have their heads in the sand, hoping the winds of populism will blow over. Others emulate the populists, hoping to pre-empt their message but instead reinforcing it, Roth said. Governments ostensibly committed to human rights should defend these principles far more vigorously and consistently, Roth said, including democracies in Latin America, Africa, and Asia that support broad initiatives at the United Nations but rarely take the lead in responding to particular countries in crisis.

Ultimately, responsibility lies with the public, Roth said. Demagogues build popular support by proffering false explanations and cheap solutions to genuine ills. The antidote is for voters to demand a politics based on truth and the values on which rights-respecting democracy is built. A strong popular reaction, using every means available  civic groups, political parties, traditional and social media  is the best defense of the values that so many still cherish.

We forget at our peril the demagogues of the past: the fascists, communists, and their ilk who claimed privileged insight into the majoritys interest but ended up crushing the individual, Roth said. When populists treat rights as obstacles to their vision of the majority will, it is only a matter of time before they turn on those who disagree with their agenda.

Human Rights Watch



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Slavic Languages and Literatures Department Upenn: TRUMP  PUTIN  BERLUSCONI  ORBAN  KACZYNSKI  FARAGE: A POPULIST COCKTAIL?
Reddit Email 0 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The headlines about Trump and his team on the one hand and the Russian Federation on the other are coming fast and furious. The items are often, however, merely isolated data points. Can we draw them together?

First, while the Obama administration was imposing sanctions on Russia over its hacking attempts and other activities aimed at influencing the US presidential election, we now know that incoming National Security adviser Mike Flynn was calling the Russian embassy, on December 25. The current cover story for this call, delivered by Sean Spicer, is that Flynn was wishing the Russians merry Christmas. All the policy people are falling down laughing at this assertion. Flynn doesnt seem to have called any other embassies to wish them a merry Christmas. And as he surely knew but Sean Spicer apparently does not, Eastern Orthodox Christians in Russia do not celebrate Christmas on December 25 but usually two weeks later. And moreover, New Years is the big holiday in Russia, not Christmas. Finally, Flynn called the Russians five times that day, which is a lot of holiday cheer.

So we may conclude that Flynn was actually doing something other than conveying holiday greetings. The most likely hypothesis is that he was reassuring Russia that Trump did not agree with Obamas sanctions and that they would be lifted.

The second bit of news is that Trump told the Wall Street Journal Friday that he might remove sanctions on Russia entirely if they are helpful in, e.g., fighting terrorism. US sanctions on Russia are reducing Foreign Direct Investment and so harming the Russian economy. They also ruined a $500 billion deal Putin had done with ExxonMobil, whose CEO, Rex Tillerson, has been nominated for the Secretary of State position. You could imagine Putin and Tillerson wanting the sacntions lifted so that they could get back to pumping oil and making money.

The third piece of the puzzle is that the Russians have abruptly invited the United States to join them, the Turks, the Iranians and the Syrians at Astana in Kazakhstan on January 23. Trump will be sworn in on January 20. The Russians had not extended any similar invitation to the US in recent months during Obamas last months in office. So we may conclude that the Russians hope that the incoming Trump administration will be a more constructive diplomatic partner in Syria than had the Obama administration (at least as Moscow defines constructive). The Russians represent themselves as fighting Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) and the Levantine Conquest Front (i.e. al-Qaeda in Syria) in that country, and so as indeed helping the US versus terrorism. The Obama administration had been dismayed that the Russians mainly focused on al-Qaeda and its battlefield allies. Some of the Salafi groups the CIA had allegedly vetted as moderate are in fact extremist and in recent weeks have been making closer alliances with al-Qaeda. But the Obama administration kept calling them moderates even if they had obviously become Salafi Jihadis. With Obama out and Trump in, the political geography of Syria may well be redefined, so that Washington will see the people the Russians are targeting as bona fide terrorists.

Maybe it is a coincidence that all three stories have broken in the past couple days. Or maybe the stories are threaded together, with Flynn at the center. Flynn perhaps reassures Russia about Obamas new sanctions. Then Trump hints strongly that he will lift the sanctions on Russia growing out of its unilateral annexation of Crimea and its election hacking efforts. He makes this end of sanctions dependent on Russia helping with terrorism.

And now the US is being suddenly invited again to the diplomatic table regarding Syria at Astana, in what is being advertised as, in part, an anti-terrorism effort.



Related video:

CNN: Coons: Flynns calls with Russia very suspicious
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit [official website] on Thursday vacated [order, PDF] its damages determination in the longstanding patent lawsuit between Samsung and Apple [corporate websites]. The previous $399 million damages award was overturned [opinion, PDF] by the Supreme Court last month. Apples damages were initially calculated on Samsungs total profits from the sale of phones that infringed on the iPhones patented design but the Supreme Court partially rejected this approach stating that profits could also be associated with the individual components of a product. It will now be a matter for the appeals court to decide.

This is the most recent installment of the ongoing patent dispute [JURIST op-ed] between the two electronics giants. In October the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated the $399 million award [JURIST report] after originally overturning it. In July Apple filed a brief [JURIST report] asking the Supreme Court to rule against Samsung in its patent infringement lawsuit. Last January the US District Court for the Northern District of California [official website] granted [JURIST report] Apples motion for a permanent injunction against Samsung for infringing upon three software patents. In August 2014 the US District Court for the Northern District of California denied [JURIST report] Apples request to ban Samsung from selling any of its products that infringed on Apples patented technology. Earlier in August 2014 Apple and Samsung agreed to drop [JURIST report] all patent infringement lawsuits in courts outside of the US.
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia ordered [text, PDF] the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [official website] on Wednesday to evaluate how many power plant and coal mining jobs have been lost due to air pollution regulations. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy [official profile] had previously declared it would take about two years to establish a system that accomplishes such a goal. Judge John Preston Bailey found the EPAs excuse inadequate, ruling that the agency is required by law to continuously analyze economic shifts when enforcing the Clean Air Act [materials]. Bailey ordered the EPA to complete an analysis by July 1 that details the facilities affected by the regulations during Obamas presidential term. Bailey further ordered the agency to show documentation by the years end proving the agencys compliance with its obligation to monitor job losses.

Regulating power plant emissions has been a contentious issue. In June the US Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that the EPA must consider costs of the regulations it puts on power plants. The Clean Power plan was introduced as a set of proposed rules in June 2014 and challenged [JURIST report] in April. In February Murray Energy Corporation [corporate website] won their suit contesting [press release] the Clean Power Plan resulting in the delay of its implementation.
The US Supreme Court [official website] on Friday granted certiorari to 16 new cases [order]. The Court granted review on a variety of civil and criminal cases. The civil cases include both substantive and procedural questions.

Substantively, in Sandoz, Inc. v. Amgen, Inc. and Amgen, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc. the Court will review the process for settling patent disputes on biologics such as vaccines and viruses. In National Association of Manufacturers v. Department of Defense, the Court will decide whether a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agencys rule defining waters of the United States should originate in the federal district courts or federal courts of appeals. The Court will decide the same initial-appeal level issue in Perry v. Merit Systems Protection Board, which involves a challenge to a decision by the board on an adverse employment action and claims alleging violations of federal anti-discrimination laws. The issue in Henson v. Santander Consumer USA, Inc. [SCOTUSblog backgrounders] is whether a firm that purchases debt after it has defaulted is considered a debt collector for the purposes of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The Court also granted certiorari to determine procedural issues. The Court will hear consolidated argument in National Labor Relations Board v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc., Ernst & Young LLP v. Morris and Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis. In these cases, the Court will decide whether agreements to resolve employer-employee disputes individually through arbitration, foregoing class-action status, violates the Federal Arbitration Act. Another procedural question will be decided in Kokesh v. SEC, which will determine whether the five-year statute of limitations in 28 U.S.C.  2462 applies to claims of disgorgement. In California Public Employees Retirement System v. ANZ Securities, Inc., the Court will determine the proper time for filing an individual securities fraud action related to a securities fraud class action. BNSF Railway Co. v. Tyrrell asks the Court whether a Montana state court may exercise general personal jurisdiction over a US citizen from a foreign state in violation of that Courts ruling in Daimler AG v. Bauman. And in Town of Chester v. Laroe Estates, Inc. [SCOTUSblog backgrounders], the Court will be asked whether intervenors in a lawsuit must have independent standing to sue.

In the criminal realm, the Court will determine in Weaver v. Massachusetts whether a structural error in a criminal case caused by inadequate representation also requires the defendant to prove prejudice to be appealable. In Maslenjak v. U.S. the Court will determine whether a naturalized US citizen can be stripped of citizenship based on an immaterial false statement in a criminal proceeding. In McWilliams v. Dunn, the Court will review its decision in Ake v. Oklahoma to determine whether that cases guarantee of an expert to assist indigent defendants with trial preparation requires that the expert be independent of the prosecution. And finally the Court in Davila v. Davis [SCOTUSblog backgrounders] will determine if prior Court precedent holding that ineffective assistance of state habeas counsel can overcome state procedural default on such claims (where the state has a rule requiring such claims to be brought collateral to an initial appeal), thereby allowing a federal court to hear such claims for the first time, should extend to claims of ineffective assistance of appeals counsel.
Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump lashed out at Rep. John Lewis on Saturday morning, telling the Georgia Democrat to "spend more time on fixing and helping his district."

"Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to ... mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk  no action or results. Sad!" Trump said as part of a Saturday morning tweetstorm.

Lewis, a former civil-rights leader who has served in Congress since 1987, called Trump an "illegitimate president-elect" during a "Meet the Press" interview with NBC's Chuck Todd set to air on Sunday. Lewis pointed to allegations of Russian hacking in the election, as well as a dossier of unverified, salacious claims about Trump's potential ties to Russia.

Lewis's district contains most of Atlanta, Georgia's capital and largest city.

"The Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis told Todd.

As part of his Twitter storm Saturday, Trump lashed out at the dossier, which was compiled by a former British intelligence official and published in full by BuzzFeed last week. He cited One America News Network, a conservative-leaning outlet.

"INTELLIGENCE INSIDERS NOW CLAIM THE TRUMP DOSSIER IS "A COMPLETE FRAUD!" @OANN," Trump tweeted on Saturday.

Lewis, for his part, said that he won't be attending Trump's inauguration.

"You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong," Lewis told NBC's Todd.

Here are the tweets:

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

INTELLIGENCE INSIDERS NOW CLAIM THE TRUMP DOSSIER IS "A COMPLETE FRAUD!" @OANN  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

NOW WATCH: Here are some incredible things you didnt know about Putin's life





More From Business Insider


New Orleans police said burglars broke into an officer's rented car and found keys to an unmarked police car and a truck, and stole them both.

A police spokesman said the unmarked car held the officer's gun and ammunition. Officer Aaron Looney said both vehicles were missing Friday, a day after the thefts.

He said investigators are looking into why keys were in the rental car.

The stolen vehicles are a silver 2015 Ford Taurus with public license plate No. 244838, and a white 2010 GMC Sierra truck with license B819594.

Police said the two drove off in the Taurus, then returned about 20 minutes later and took the truck.

They said the thieves may have arrived in a 2008 Lincoln MKX, reported as stolen earlier and also still missing.
Only the best paid.

Every year, about 300,000 people (pdf) are awarded a visa allowing them to work in the US; over half get to the country holding an highly-coveted H-1B visa.

By definition, the H-1B visa is for a temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse, and technically, only 65,000 of them are available every year, plus 20,000 extras available for especially qualified workers. But in reality, each year it brings into the country many more highly skilled workers than that, from engineers to chefs and university professors. In 2015, 172,748 H-1B visas were awarded, the highest number yet.

The way these visas are assigned is, unsurprisingly, quite complicated. Certain kinds of institutionssuch as universities or research facilitiescan apply for however many visas they require, while most other organizations get to apply for just a single one. (People with masters degrees can apply for one of the especially qualified version.)

Every year, applications open on April 1, and typically close within a few days, since the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) gets flooded with applications (for 2015, for instance, 172,500 were received). The visas are then assigned at random, through whats known as a visa lottery.

The incoming presidential administration may want to change that, according to a report by Reuters, which spoke to anonymous sources close to the matter. According to Reuters sources, Stephen Miller, president-elect Donald Trumps senior policy advisor, is proposing doing away with the lottery system, and replacing it with a system that privileges applications from those with job offers that pay higher salaries.

This would likely cause problems for outsourcing firms, like Indias Infosys. These firms send in mass applications on behalf of lower-level workers, often paid less competitive wages than their American counterparts. Outsourcing firms end up receiving the majority of H-1B visas: in 2014, for instance, they got a third of the available visas.

Story continues

According to Reuters sources, the discussion on how to modify the program was initiated at meeting in December between the president elect and representatives of large, high-profile American tech companies. These are the firms that stand to benefit the most from a program that privileged visa applicants with higher salaries, since the talent they recruit tend to be more highly paid.

Trumps businesses, too, have brought in foreign talent through H-1B visas, including the special H-1B3, for fashion models of distinguished merit and abilitythe visa that brought Melania Trump to the US.

Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news.

More stories from Quartz:
donald trump

President-elect Donald Trump seemed to offer more detail about his positions on Russia and China under his incoming administration.

Trump left open the possibility that the US could reconsider its adherence to the "One China" policy during an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday night.

The policy was established decades ago, in part to support diplomatic ties between China and the US.

Trump told The Journal any new developments between the US and China might hinge upon China's trade and currency practices, which the president-elect has characterized as unfair to the US.

Trump rattled Washington and China shortly after he won the election when he took a congratulatory call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, the first direct communication between US and Taiwanese leadership in more than 30 years

US-Russia relations

On Russia, Trump told The Journal he would consider keeping in place new sanctions against Russia  which President Barack Obama announced late last year in response to Russia's election-related cyberattacks against the Democratic Party.

Trump said sanctions against the Kremlin could remain intact "for at least a period time" under his presidency. The new sanctions Obama outlined in December included the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the US, who were promptly sent packing.

Trump suggested continued sanctions against Russia may not make sense under certain circumstances.

"If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebodys doing some really great things?," the president-elect asked the newspaper.

It was unclear what Trump meant by "really great things." The president-elect has repeatedly exalted Russia during and after the election, and applauded Russian President Vladimir Putin. The day after Obama announced the new sanctions against Russia, Trump praised Putin again, saying Putin's response to the sanctions  that Russia would not retaliate, in hopes of friendlier ties with the Trump administration  was a "great move."

Story continues

"I always knew he was very smart," Trump said of Putin.

Barack Obama

Condemning Russia

Trump's platitudes came against a backdrop of Republican and Democratic condemnation of Russia and Putin over the cyberattacks.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued statements slamming Russia, Sen. John McCain of Arizona said "every American should be alarmed by Russia's attack on our nation."

Sen, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina torched Putin and demanded "crippling sanctions" against the Kremlin. Obama called Russia's cyber activities against the US a "national emergency."

Putin has denied any wrongdoing.

Trump recently acknowledged that Russia was indeed behind the cyberattacks, but attempted to publicly dress down the US intelligence community as well, accusing the nation's top spy agencies of leaking info about the Russia hacking investigation to journalists.

The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee announced Friday it would investigate Russian intelligence operations in the US.

Committee chairman Sen. Richard Burr, who is a Republican from North Carolina, and vice chairman Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said in a statement: "We believe that it is critical to have a full understanding of the scope of Russian intelligence activities impacting the United States."

The committee plans to interview senior officials of both the Trump and Obama administrations and may issue subpoenas, Reuters reported.

Donald Trump.

The Trump dossier

Trump's one-sided battle with the US intelligence community continued this week, with the publication of a file that contained unverified research on Trump, intended to draw links between Trump and Russian operatives.

During a long-awaited news conference on Wednesday, Trump and his advisers attempted to scold reporters they accused of spreading details about the dossier.

The incoming president revived his attacks Friday in a raging early morning tweetstorm:

"It now turns out that the phony allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued," Trump tweeted. "Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans  FAKE NEWS!"

He continued: "Russia says nothing exists. Probably released by 'Intelligence' even knowing there is no proof, and never will be. My people will have a full report on hacking within 90 days!"

Trump is set to be inaugurated as the 45th US president on January 20.

NOW WATCH: 'I'm asking you a simple question': Fox News host confronts RNC chair over Trump's denial of Russia hacks





More From Business Insider


(In 6th paragraph, refiles to say the API's lawyers told her in a letter, not that they told her by telephone)

By Emily Flitter

NEW YORK, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Rex Tillerson, the former oil executive under consideration for U.S. secretary of state, is trying to avoid giving testimony in a federal lawsuit over climate change, according to a lawyer for a group of teenagers who filed the suit.

Lawyers for the teenagers, who sued the federal government claiming it violated their constitutional rights by causing global warming, were scheduled to depose Tillerson, the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil, in his capacity as a board member of the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group.

The lawyers planned to ask Tillerson when he first learned of the impact the burning of fossil fuels was having on the Earth's atmosphere.

His answers might then be used to prove the government, working with the energy and manufacturing industries, continued to allow activities harmful to the environment despite knowing the risks to future generations, said Julia Olson, a lawyer in Eugene, Oregon, who is executive director of Our Children's Trust and representing the teenagers.

Tillerson's deposition was set for Jan. 19, a day before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

But Olson said the API's lawyers told her in a letter that Tillerson should not have to testify because he is no longer affiliated with the group. Her team has asked API to prove Tillerson had left the group on Dec. 28, when they sent notice of their intent to depose him.

"If he was still on the board on the date of notice of deposition, he can still be deposed," Olson said.

The lawsuit, brought in federal court in Oregon, says the U.S. government helped to cause climate change through its policies, thus denying a group of young people their constitutional right to life, liberty and property.

The API and two other industry groups intervened in the case, claiming a judgment requiring the government to tighten environmental regulations would harm their business interests.

Story continues

Tillerson announced he was retiring from ExxonMobil on Dec. 14, a day after Trump announced his nomination as secretary of state. The API has not announced any change to Tillerson's role in its organization, but its president released a statement congratulating Tillerson on his nomination on Dec. 13.

An API spokesman, lawyers for the API and a spokesman for the Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case is Juliana v. U.S., U.S. District Court, District of Oregon (Eugene), No. 15-cv-01517.

(Reporting By Emily Flitter; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
The Wall Street Journal recently ignited an online forest fire when some of the early champions of the 401(k) surprisingly disclosed a change of heart, seeing that the retirement investment accounts havent lived up to their expectations.

Why the lament? Herbert Whitehouse, a former Johnson & Johnson human-resources executive, and one of the first in the U.S. to urge workers to use a 401(k), now says he intended the retirement investment accounts to supplement, not replace, company pensions.

Ted Benna, a retired benefits consultant and a so-called father of the 401(k), frets that the accounts provide savers too many opportunities to make deadly investment mistakes. Other pioneers say that because the market has changed, early, low calculations of how much saving would be necessary to retire comfortably have proved unrealistic.

Defined-benefit pensions, which guarantee workers monthly checks after they retire, arent going to make a comeback. Plus, 401(k) accounts have worked for those disciplined (and fortunate) enough to set aside bigger chunks of their salary for several decades in the right investments. In many instances, these accounts have provided more in retirement benefits than a traditional private-sector pension would have.

The reality is that most Americans  especially the working poor and those without access to employer-sponsored 401(k) accounts  have woefully undersaved for retirement. And despite bull markets since the 1980s, many with 401(k) accounts havent amassed enough individual wealth to leave the workforce.

About 52 percent of U.S. households are at risk of running out of money during retirement, up from 31 percent in 1983, according to Boston Colleges Center for Retirement Research. And a staggering 45 percent of all households have put aside nothing in retirement savings. This isnt likely a problem that government or business can solve. Americans must be prepared to take control of their future. Schools and parents need to start treating financial literacy as a required life skill.
FILE - This file frame grab from video provided on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016 by the Wadi Barada, a Syrian opposition media outlet that is consistent with independent AP reporting, shows the damaged Ain el-Fijeh water processing facility which supply the capital, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Opposition activists and Syria's state TV said on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 that maintenance workers have arrived in the rebel-held valley near Damascus to fix the water facility there, ending a violent standoff that has dried out the capital for weeks. (Wadi Barada, via AP, File)
NEW ORLEANS, LA--(Marketwired - January 13, 2017) - 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. (UHS), if they purchased the Company's 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 Health's 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 Health's 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.
By Dave McKinney

CHICAGO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Chicago's cash-strapped public school system ordered its teachers and administrators on Friday to take four unpaid days off to offset state funding withheld by Illinois' Republican governor.

The nation's third-largest school system had been counting on a $215 million infusion of state funds to stabilize its pensions and had included that amount in its $5.46 billion fiscal 2017 operating budget.

The junk-rated system faces an escalating pension tab that will jump to about $720 million this fiscal year from $676 million in fiscal 2016. The school district, controlled by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, also is struggling with drained reserves and debt dependency.

In December, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed legislation containing the one-time $215 million payment that had been conditional on passage of statewide comprehensive pension reform. An overarching, statewide pension fix gained no traction in the Democratic-led state legislature. "With a hole of this size in our budget, we have no choice but to begin to take immediate action to preserve CPS' solvency," schools CEO Forrest Claypool wrote in a letter released on Friday announcing the furloughs.

Unpaid days off set for Feb. 3, April 7, June 21 and June 22 for Chicago Public Schools' nearly 40,000 teachers, principals and administrators will save approximately $35 million, the district said.

Claypool raised the prospect of additional cuts, which he said would "fall squarely at the governor's feet."

But Rauner's administration fired back at Claypool.

"Continuing to blame the governor, who has been in office two years, for decades of fiscal mismanagement and bad decision-making is getting old," Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. "CPS willingly chose to budget for money they had not received and knew was contingent upon real pension reform."

Kelly said the governor remains "open" to considering the $215 million allotment to CPS if state lawmakers move on a workable plan to reduce unfunded state pension liabilities of $129.8 billion.

The union representing nearly 25,000 teachers blasted the furlough announcement and blamed Emanuel and Claypool for failing to wrest more dollars from the state.

"Our students lose days of learning because the mayor and his CEO, while attempting to place the blame solely on Springfield, have been stubborn and ineffective in pushing for the resources to properly fund our schools," the union said in a prepared statement.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By Senor John Stringer  formerly coNZervative (and perhaps again).

The largest dinosaur ever known, found in the 1970s, is the massive Titanosaur Argentinosaurus Huinculensis, at 96.4 metric tons (106.3 short tons) and 39.7 m (130 ft) long.

South America is known for its dinosaurs so we had to visit Buenos Aries Bernadino Rovadavia Natural Sciences Museum that has an awesome collection. One of my childhood dreams was to visit the Le Brea tar pits after reading about them in a magazine; so I made a bee-line there on my first ever trip to LA (amazing place). Thus Rovadavia while in BA. (Ive never understood why we dont have better dinosaur displays in NZ  we could easily trade facsimiles of our unique moa skeletons for dinosaur skeletons from other museums ??).

Above: Sabre-Tooth Tigers (Smilodons) cavort outside the entrance to the Bernadino Rovadavia Natural Sciences Museum. Known in numbers at the Le Brea tar pits in LA these large lion-tigers (Napoleon Dynamites Ligers?) clearly roamed much of the Americas before going extinct along with the other mega fauna of these continents.

A huge Redback climbs out of a window at the entrance way opposite the Smilodons.

The BA museum is not that well lit and some of the displays are a bit nineteenth-century however their collection rivals Te Papa or Canterbury Museum (our best regional museum in my view alongside Waiouru Army and the Auckland War Museum). BA will cost you $40 pesos ($3.61 NZ). There is no cafeteria and it is very hot inside with no air-conditioning so take a water bottle.

Great collection for study but some halls need curation  a bit nineteenth-century.

A cave bear; many of the displays are really well articulated such as this raptor.

This was weird a Cyclops lamb perhaps a hoax or a real mutant: there is one in formaldehyde either to extend the hoax or prove it was a real deformity.

Below: Only one of the six images below is a dinosaur  can you tell which one?

DINOSAUR? Left to right clockwise: Seal; Hippo; Hippo; Dinosaur; Equus (horse). The latter died out in the Americas only to be reintroduced by the Spanish and taken up by select tribes of Plains Indians; the short Siberian pony was almost extinct on those Steppes too but a collector had some and now wild herds have been re-established on the Mongolian Steppe.

A dinosaur foot? Nope  elephant!

There was actually a real taniwha.

Some of the dinosaurs were truly gargantuan.

Some old guy checking out a ground sloth. Personally I dont think they inhabited the ground  too easy as prey (built for climbing not running) and their feet dont suit walking; I believe they lived most of their lives up in the titanic prehistoric trees like sloth do today and just ate and crapped up there safe from predators. Beware below of golden rain.

In the central dinosaur hall is this very cool sand pit with buried dinosaur bones that kids can excavate as budding archaeologists.

The mammals in the museum are beautifully displayed and there are some great animations such as the leopard and hyena wrestling with a dead warthog; the leopard in a tree the hyena pulling from the ground.

Below: I really liked this display that shows the birds of Buenos Aries with a photographic backdrop. The bird dioramas at the Canterbury Museum and its famous bird hall are painted so Im not sure which I prefer photos or painted backdrops.

Plenty or creepy crawlies and this majestic Condor the largest wingspan of any bird and famous to Argentina.

Humans appear amidst the prehistoric animals and there is this great diorama that equals those of the Moa Hunter and archaic Maori dioramas at the Canterbury Museum.

The museum is great and cheap and well worth a look. I recommend you go on the weekend as ringing it are these 200-300 crap stalls selling everything from an old fencing hat to a dried armadillo to a stuffed duck.

Next Post: FINAL thoughts ~ J.

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Reddit

WhatsApp

More

Pinterest

Print



Tumblr


The DP editorial:

Bill English is right to turn down the invitation to go to Waitangi for Waitangi Day. It is not acceptable to ask the countrys leader to such an event and then ban him from speaking.

This is a simple matter of good manners as well as fundamental democratic rights.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Rain. Thunder possible. High 43F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain. Snow may mix in late. Low 31F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
South Koreans braved biting cold on Saturday to take to the streets to demand scandal-tainted President Park Geun-hye resign.

It was the 12th consecutive Saturday rally, which has been organized over an influence-peddling scandal centered on Park and her long-time friend Choi Soon-sil.

With some 1,500 civic groups involved, the New Year's second rally at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square -- held with the mercury well below zero -- also called for the arrest of corporate leaders who allegedly bribed organizations linked to Choi in exchange for favors from the government.

About 14,700 riot police were mobilized to the scene.

Following the National Assembly's vote to oust her on Dec. 9, Park was suspended from all powers and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn took over as acting president.

Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court officially kicked off its procedure to judge whether Park's impeachment should be formalized. The court's first open hearing was on Jan. 3 but Park wasn't present. The court has up to six months from the day of the impeachment vote to complete its legal review. (Yonhap)
South Korea's Safety Minister Park In-yong on Wednesday urged China to implement measures to crack down on its fishing boats illegally operating in Korean waters.

During a press conference held in line with a New Year policy briefing to Acting President and Prime Minister Hwan Kyo-ahn, the minister said he expects China to resolve the issue "in accordance with the country's status and dignity."

"During the talks for the two countries' fisheries agreement, China presented opinions close to what we expected regarding the illegal fishing issue," Minister Park said. "We are looking forward to seeing China's (implementation of the) changed stance."

During their annual talks on the fishing quota in December, South Korea and China agreed that any boat carrying unnecessary equipment such as pikes or spears that can be used as weapons in order to resist inspection will be immediately penalized.

The agreement came after a South Korean Coast Guard patrol boat sank while pursuing a Chinese boat that was fishing illegally in South Korean waters in October.

South Korea handed over the relevant information to China but its investigation has made no major progress so far.

"Whether China promptly confirms the identity of the problematic boat and takes legal steps is a matter of the country's dignity," Minister Park said. "I am sure that it will arrest the boat and take legal steps, and if not, the Chinese government should be held responsible." (Yonhap)
PRESS RELEASE

China, Russia Warn Seoul and Washington on THAAD Deployment

Jan. 13, 2017 (EIRNS)Following a meeting yesterday of the Sixth Russian-Chinese consultation on the security of Southeast Asia, Russia and China warned they intend to take "countermeasures" in response to the proposed deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Defense system (THAAD) in South Korea.

Those countermeasures are designed to protect Chinas and Russias interests and the strategic balance in the region, which they consider threatened by the THAAD deployment. Both nations, through their Foreign Ministries, urged the U.S. and South Korea to address these security concerns and halt the planned deployment. According to TASS, Russias Foreign Ministry warned that by pursuing the THAAD deployment, Washington and Seoul will "heighten tensions and boost the arms race in the region as well as expand military drills" and "damage regional stability and security." Given the "high conflict potential" and the "complex and sensitive" situation on the Peninsula, the Ministry underscored, it is essential to seek "joint efforts aimed at finding a meaningful strategy that would show the way out of the current deadlock and help settle the nuclear issue and other problems facing the Korean Peninsula."

Xinhua emphasized that the two nations insisted on the goal of "denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, to safeguard peace and stability."
PRESS RELEASE

Russian Embassy in London: Theres No Such Thing as Ex MI6

Jan. 13, 2017 (EIRNS)In a series of tweets, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in London has charged that the British intelligence service MI6 is involved, not only in putting together the dodgy dossier on Donald Trump, but in ongoing operations against both him and the Russian government.

In a tweet issued yesterday, the embassy asserted, "MI6 are never ex. Briefing both ways, against Russia and the U.S. President." In response to a request for comment on the dossier by the Daily Mail tabloid, the embassy replied:

"We have obvious questions. We dont raise them with HM Government, given the frozen state of our official relationship. The tweet reflects the mood in Rusia and speaks for itself."

The embassy has pulled no punches in identifying what is behind the wild charges against Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier this week, it posted an article to its website directly accusing "HMG" (Her Majestys Government) of preparing to launch an Obama-like official witch hunt against Russia, as well as planning to brief the incoming Trump administration against Russia.

"It seems that the Western elites will go to great lengths to save their own world with its Washington Consensus, Davos and austerity, even if it does no longer benefit anybody else,"

the article asserted.

In additional tweets today, the embassy wrote, "MI6 colluding with neocons to rescue status quo and impose Western elites agenda through back door," and went on to chastise the Financial Times for scaremongering about "U.S. submission to the Kremlin."

From Moscow, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that the Kremlin considers the case of the Trump dossier to be closed.
PRESS RELEASE

Leading U.S. Nuclear Expert to Trump: You Must Talk to North Korea

Jan. 13, 2017 (EIRNS)Dr. Siegfried Hecker, the emeritus director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, now at Stanford, is one of Americas leading experts on nuclear weapons, and has been deeply involved in negotiations with North Korea since 2004. Tody. Hecker issued a strident appeal to Trump to immediately open up negotiations with North Korea as the necessary step to prevent an unnecessary war in Asia. He also exposed the failed and destructive policies of both the GW Bush Administration and the Obama Administration, showing that their failed policies are in fact RESPONSIBLE for North Koreas nuclear weapon program.

Although Hecker doesnt mention it, his appeal comes in the context of North Korea sending out several feelers to the Trump team that they are open to discussions, emphasizing that the only reason they are building nuclear weapons is because the U.S. is threatening to do to them what was done to Iraq and Libya.

Hecker writes today in an op-ed in the NY Times:

"After decades of broken policies toward Pyongyang, talking to the North Koreans is the best option for the Trump administration at this late date to limit the growing threat."

He explains that he has witnessed first hand the development of the North Korean nuclear weapons program since his first visit to North Korea in 2004.

He reviews the failed history under Bush and Obama:

"North Korea broke out to build the bomb because President George W. Bush was determined to kill President Bill Clintons 1994 Agreed Framework, a bilateral agreement with the North to freeze and eventually dismantle the Norths nuclear program."

He describes how "hard-liners in the Bush administration" (meaning Dick Cheney, without naming him), found excuses to kill the program, leading to Bush backing Chinas "Six Party Talks," which, in 2005, reached an agreement for Pyongyang to dismantle their nuclear weapons program, but when

"the Bush administration concurrently slapped financial sanctions on Pyongyang, the North Koreans walked out of the six-party talks and responded with their first nuclear test in October 2006."

Hecker then reports that Obama made things even worse: "Obama was also unwilling to engage directly with Pyongyang, insisting instead that the North denuclearize before starting talks," while imposing ever tighter sanctions and preparing for war, while holding China responsible.

Over the years, North Korea showed Hecker its plutonium and its modern uranium centrifuge facility, as a message to the U.S. that they would pay a price if they were invaded.

He concludes:
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Fund Manager Warns of Global Financial Collapse

Jan. 13, 2017 (EIRNS)Mitchell Feierstein, a U.S. manager of the London-based Glacier Environmental Fund who has been exposed to LaRouches ideas, warned of a collapsing real estate bubble in the United Kingdom and of the incoming next global financial collapse, in a piece in the Evening Standard Jan. 11.

Feierstein blasts central banks policy of keeping zombie banks alive, manipulating asset prices and destroying the real economy, focusing in particular on Marc Carney, the head of the Bank of England. The BOE policy under Carney

"has resulted in a U.K. commercial and residential property bubble that is ready to explode. In Chelsea and Kensington, property transaction volumes have plummeted. Prices collapsed nearly 15% in November as property agents quietly close shop and sack employees across London." Central banks policy "has killed savers, students and seniors while generating record bonuses for chief executives. While earnings may have peaked almost 18 months ago, stock prices keep bubbling and wealth inequality continues to surge to record highsalong with homelessness and underemployment."

Maybe Carney will blame Putin and Brexit for the upcoming problems, Feierstein ironically says.

The oldest bank in the world, Monte dei Paschi, was destroyed

"thanks to the handiwork of JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and Nomura. They sold Monte billions of dollars of derivative trades it did not understand. These predictably exploded, leaving the bank bust":

"We are approaching a collapse of the global financial system that will make 2007-09 look minuscule," Feierstein wrote, "and right now we need to audit and abolish the Fed, the Bank and the ECB, which started this mess, and slay the zombies." Feierstein then calls for "a new global banking paradigm," without specifying what it should be.

Feierstein has written a book, Planet Ponzi, which calls for writing off the non-performing debt held by Too Big to Fail banks.
PRESS RELEASE

Washington State Senators Call for Glass-Steagall Resolution

Jan. 13, 2017 (EIRNS)A resolution calling on Trump and Congress to enact legislation reinstating the 1933 Glass-Steagall banking separation law has been submitted to the Senate of the State of Washington, by a group of five sponsoring senators. It states that

"the Glass-Steagall act was repealed in 1999, partially contributing to the greatest speculative bubble and worldwide recession since the Great Depression of 1933,"

and calls on
In Californias southeastern desert, where an abundance of clean energy boils just beneath the surface, two start-up firms aim to build the nations largest geothermal power plant and mining operation.

Controlled Thermal Resources and Alger Alternative Energy plan to tap the Imperial Valleys geothermal resources to bring a power plant online as early as 2020 that would be able to generate nearly six times the electricity as similar facilities in the area. In addition, the mining operation would begin extracting lithium carbonate  used for battery production  as well as manganese, zinc and other minerals in 2019.

The Salton Sea area is one of the worlds largest sources of geothermal energy  where the earths heat and pressure create hot water and steam to turn electricity generating turbines 24 hours a day.

Advertisement

California is no stranger to geothermal power.

The state first began using the resource to generate electricity in 1960 at the Geysers, north of San Francisco. Federal energy legislation in 1978 further spurred geothermal development, but it was deemed too expensive a renewable energy and fell out of favor as solar- and wind-energy projects became more affordable.

Although power plant developers have built several small geothermal units around the Salton Sea, none has attempted the kind of operation now proposed. Thats because the typically high cost of drilling wells and building power plants is further complicated there by the high salt content of the shrinking sea.

The two companies say they have resolved the economic challenges by planning bigger operations and designing processes to minimize the adverse effect of the salt.

Were taking advantages of economies of scale to produce power cheaply enough to lure utilities and other buyers, said James Turner, business development manager for Controlled Thermal Resources, which is building the power plant. Weve chosen to base our financial modeling with no government subsidies at all.

In addition, CTR will receive royalties from Alger Alternative Energys sale of the minerals it extracts from the operation, which will bolster the power plant operations bottom line. One of the primary minerals is the resource used in making lithium-ion batteries, which are becoming increasingly popular in energy storage for cars, homes and utility power plants.

Alger Alternative estimates there are 100 million metric tons of recoverable lithium around the Salton Sea. Experts estimate that lithium-ion battery demand could reach 300,000 metric tons a year by 2020, so the company sees a growing market for the product.

This is a substantial reservoir, said Tracy Sizemore, chief executive of Alger Alternative. People have looked at mineral production there for a long time.

A previous attempt to harvest the minerals resulted in a notable failure.

Symbol Inc. attempted a mining operation that drew attention from billionaire Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla Motors. Tesla offered to buy Symbol for a reported $325 million, but Sizemore said the company refused the offer in hopes of a better deal.

Before that could happen, Symbol ran out of money and the mining operation faltered. Alger Alternative formed to buy it out of receivership.

Sizemore, who worked at one time for Symbol, said the company was hurt by financial management problems but Symbols mining technology is solid.

The technology has been validated, Sizemore said. There was no technology risk.

The Imperial Irrigation District awarded CTR an agreement for up to 50 years to lease 1,880 acres for the power plant and mining operations, if milestones are reached.

Marion Champion, a spokeswoman for the irrigation district, said a 2003 study estimated that mining royalties at the Salton Sea could reach $1.5 billion  $51 million annually to mineral rights owners like the Imperial Irrigation District  between 2016 and 2045.

Of course those are just estimates, Champion said. However, IID believes that geothermal development and additional research into mineral extracting are key components of a well-balanced solution for the Salton Sea.

Royalties from mineral extraction and revenue to the irrigation district from the power plant operations are seen by environmentalists as a potential help for restoration of the Salton Sea, which has been shrinking in the years-long state drought.

The exposure of more of the Salton Sea shoreline has revealed geothermals further potential.

Champion noted that experts have estimated there is between 1,600 and 2,000 megawatts of untapped geothermal potential at the sea. The irrigation district and Imperial County have been working to develop the resource.

CTR initially proposes to tap the geothermal for a 280-megawatt plant with an eye toward developing 750 megawatts of the resource. Coupled with the existing 450 megawatts of geothermal power, the Imperial Valley would be a leader in use of the energy source for electricity as well as tapping the available minerals.

With the current roughly 450 megawatts of geothermal power plant development, the additional 750 megawatts would make the Imperial Valley a leader in use of the energy source for electricity.

Geothermal plants have virtual no emissions and the mining operation will register as negative emitter of carbon.

What is unclear is whether Controlled Thermal Resources, which was formed in 2013 by Australian investors, will deliver the large scale power plant it proposes along with Alger Alternatives mineral operation.

CTR declined to discuss specifics but did say that its power plant would be cost-competitive with coal-fired plants, although natural gas, wind and solar probably still would be cheaper.

As a new player, Controlled Thermal Resources is an unknown, said Micah Mitrosky, environmental organizer for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 569 union. If they are done right, geothermal projects at the Salton Sea can create middle-class construction careers for local residents, provide clean reliable energy to address our climate crisis and complement conservation efforts to help protect public health and prevent a crisis at the Salton Sea.

CTRs power plant design mirrors a facility built in New Zealand. The company plans to apply for permits to drill exploratory wells in February and to submit an application for the plant to the California Energy Commission toward the end of 2017.

The company has not secured agreements with utilities to buy the power but is negotiating with public and investor-owned power companies.

The risk is all on us because were a private company, said Turner, CTRs chief executive. Well be able to offer a competitive geothermal price. Were competitive with this.

ivan.penn@latimes.com

For more energy news, follow Ivan Penn on Twitter: @ivanlpenn

ALSO

Nearly 200 earthquakes hit Salton Sea amid quake swarm

Risk of big earthquake on San Andreas fault rises after quake swarm at Salton Sea

Trump brings Koch networks green-energy foes from the fringe to the center of power

Op-Ed: Wheres the money and the plan that will save the Salton Sea?
Pasadenas Huntington Hospital has sent letters to all patients having open heart surgery in the last four years warning them that they may have been infected with a dangerous bacteria.

The hospital is one of many across the country using a device that has been linked to dozens of infections in heart surgery patients, including some who died.

Federal health officials have estimated that the risk of getting an infection from the device is very low  between about 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000.

Advertisement

Huntington officials said Friday that they had not yet found a patient who was sickened. They said they sent the letters on the advice of federal health officials, who have urged hospitals using the device to inform all patients at risk.

Fresno County health officials said Nov. 16 that they had been notified of an outbreak of the infections. They did not say where the outbreak occurred.

Two weeks later, state public health officials said they had received reports of two heart surgery patients who were sickened by the bacteria. They did not name the hospital or say whether the patients survived.

More than 250,000 heart bypass procedures are performed using the heater-cooler devices each year in the U.S., according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. The devices help keep a patients blood and organs at a specific temperature during the operation.

About 60% of heart bypass procedures in the U.S. use the Sorin Stockert 3T heater-cooler device that has been linked to the bacteria.

Patients can become ill years after their procedure, making the infections difficult to diagnose. There is no test to determine whether a patient has been exposed to the slow-growing bacteria, federal officials said.

You can have a ticking bomb in your chest and you dont know, said Lawrence Muscarella, a medical safety expert in Montgomeryville, Pa. They may have symptoms and have no idea what they are from.

Officials say patients who have had open heart surgery should seek medical care if they experience night sweats, muscle aches, weight loss, fatigue or unexplained fever.

The bacteria, Mycobacterium chimaera, is often found in soil and water, where it rarely makes healthy people sick.

The heater-cooler devices have a tank that contains water that is not intended to come into direct contact with the patient. But if the water is contaminated with the bacteria it can become aerosolized in the operating room and enter a patients open chest cavity, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Federal officials say some of the devices may have been contaminated with the bacteria during manufacturing.

Our hospital has followed this issue closely and has implemented CDC and FDAs recommendations as they have been issued, said Derek Clark, a spokesman for Huntington. We encourage these patients to contact us with any questions or concerns.

melody.petersen@latimes.com

Follow @melodypetersen on Twitter

ALSO

Wells Fargo quarterly earnings fall in wake of bogus-accounts scandal

Chargers move shows California is over spending public money on the NFL

California farm labor board chairman quits in anger
The uniform tussle at the worlds largest airline is getting its combatants hot under the collar.

In the latest wrinkle, the manufacturer of the uniforms, Twin Hill, fired off a letter this week, declaring that the uniforms it shipped to American Airlines workers are safe to wear.

The controversy ignited last year when American Airlines began  for the first time in about 30 years  to roll out new uniforms for its flight attendants, pilots and other employees.

Advertisement

But workers quickly began to complain that the uniforms were causing hives, rashes, headaches and other health problems. So far, 2,300 flight attendants have reported uniform-related health problems to their union, the Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants.

American Airlines has said that tests have shown the material used in the uniforms does not contain hazardous chemicals in levels high enough to cause the health problems

Last week, Twin Hill senior vice president Daryl Stilley wrote to the flight attendants union defending the safety of the uniforms and accusing union representatives of making inaccurate and damaging statements concerning Twin Hills reputation.

Union President Bob Ross fired back with a letter that said the union never accused Twin Hill of wrongdoing.

Instead of trying to point the finger at APFA by distorting the facts, your efforts should be focused on providing the information needed to scientifically get to the bottom of the health issues flight attendants are reporting, he wrote.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.

ALSO

Wi-Fi available on 83% of U.S. airline seats

Assaulting an airport gate agent can now lead to major prison time

SpaceX sends 10 satellites into orbit, lands rocket booster on drone ship in first flight since September explosion
Every couple of years, husband-and-wife photographers Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee pack up their Bucks County, Pa., photography lab into a 1978 Land Rover with a tent on the roof and send it in a shipping container to Iceland.

The rocky, open, dramatically lighted terrain has been an artistic inspiration for the couple, now in their 70s, on excursions since 2004. They spend eight weeks roaming the remote lagoons and farmlands as well as the rugged shorelines and small fishing villages, lugging their hulking, 8-by-20-inch and 8-by-10-inch-view cameras until something calls to them visually. Then they work side by side, each capturing the landscape in large-format, black-and-white photographs  specifically, gelatin silver chloride contact prints, something of a lost art.

A detail from Jkulsrln, Iceland, 2004, a gelatin silver chloride contact print. (Michael A. Smith)

Their work  featured in more than 140 museums worldwide, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art , the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York  is on display this weekend at the Photo L.A. art fair.

Smith and Chamlees images are closer to abstraction than landscape photography. Each picture is emotionally resonant, not necessarily a literal reflection of the subject but an expression of what inspired it  the geometric lines, shapes and shadows giving the image a new narrative.

Melting iceberg fragments washed ashore on a wet, black-lava sand beach in one photograph appear delicate and lacy, like glimmering, falling snowflakes or rock candy tossed in the air. Swirls of peeling paint on a fish-oil storage tank in another picture are reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting. Jagged, silvery iceberg tips in a still lagoon appear ethereal, otherworldly, as if on an abandoned planet. The repetitive formations on a volcanic rock wall are curiously meditative, like a graphite rendering of an artists mandala.

A detail from Reynisfjara, Iceland, 2006, a gelatin silver chloride contact print. (Michael A. Smith)

A detail from Jkulsrln, 2004, a gelatin silver chloride contact print. (Paula Chamlee)

I like to say we photograph space, not things, Smith says, adding that he and Chamlee feel a kinship with photographer Edward Weston.

We just look and try to be open to new visual discoveries, Chamlee says, and you do that by exploring and just responding when it feels right. Because every day is different, the light is different. That low arc of the sun makes magical, arctic light.

Stateside, the couple is just as prolific. Chamlee is also a painter who recently has been combining sumi ink drawings with watercolors. She spent a year documenting a Bucks County womans idiosyncratic holiday lawn decorations. Smith photographed inmates in solitary confinement at Maricopa County 4th Avenue Jail in Phoenix. One portrait was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2009 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Theyve also traveled the globe, making photographs from southern Oregon to the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana to the Tuscan countryside.

But Icelands natural and city landscapes are a hallmark of their joint photography practice.

A detail from Budir, 2010, a gelatin silver chloride contact print. (Paula Chamlee)

A detail from Grindavik, 2010, a gelatin silver chloride contact print. (Paula Chamlee)

Iceland was for both of us a revelation  unexpected and beautiful and energizing and surreal, Chamlee says. Though we work in different ways, we both photograph things we feel deeply connected to, things we want to know on a more personal level just by being deeply observant and being with it, so we can respond to it. Iceland was just a great adventure.

Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee

Where: Photo L.A., Booth 216, the Reef/L.A. Mart, 1933 Broadway, L.A.

When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $15-$25

Information: www.photola.com.

deborah.vankin@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter: @debvankin

ALSO

The L.A. Art Show reinvents itself again  with help from major museums

Los Angeles will be home to George Lucas' $1-billion museum

Art after Fidel: What Castro's death means for a rising generation of Cuban artists

'It hasn't left me': How Black Lives Matter used performance to create unforgettable 2016 moments
James Conlon, the popular music director of the L.A. Opera celebrating his 10th anniversary with the company this year, will be sticking around for a while longer. Conlon has renewed his contract through the 2020-21 season, General Director Placido Domingo announced Friday.

Domingo called Conlons contributions in Los Angeles impossible to overstate.

The astounding energy and infectious enthusiasm that he brings to his work has made him a beloved figure for our audiences, Domingo said in a statement. Thanks to his prodigious musical talents, our magnificent orchestra sounds better and better every season. I myself have taken great pride in the numerous musical partnerships that James and I have shared  most recently in Verdis Macbeth earlier this season  and I look forward to many more such collaborations.

Advertisement

Conlon joined the L.A. Opera in 2006, succeeding conductor Kent Nagano. During his tenure, he has conducted a record number of performances: 314 stagings of 50 operas, starting with Verdis La Traviata. Later this month, he will conduct Mozarts The Abduction From the Seraglio.

My first 10 seasons with L.A. Opera have been enormously meaningful, and I am very happy to continue my associations with Placido and Christopher, Conlon said, referring to Christopher Koelsch, president and chief executive of the company since 2012. I am especially proud of our orchestra and chorus, and their unwavering devotion and uncompromising artistic standards.

Conlon, 66, is originally from New York  his debut was with the New York Philharmonic in 1974. He has served as principal conductor for the Paris National Opera, music director of the Cologne Opera and music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic. This season, Conlon became the first American to be named principal conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai in Turin, Italy.

In Los Angeles, Conlon hosts pre-performance talks for audiences at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and, in 2007, he launched a free community opera series held annually at downtown L.A.s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Marc Stern, chairman of the L.A. Opera board of directors, added that Conlons leadership over the past decade has dramatically strengthened the L.A. Opera orchestra and its reputation.

His leadership and musical acumen have served as the backbone for our companys artistic success, Stern said. Im grateful that we can continue to rely on him as we drive the company forward.

deborah.vankin@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter: @debvankin

ALSO

Los Angeles will be home to George Lucas $1-billion museum

The designs: The first peek at Lucas L.A. and S.F. proposals

Arts District development along L.A. River races for approval; heres an early look
Another museum lands in Los Angeles. What zoot suits reveal about youth culture. And how a young choreographer made it to the Wallis. Plus: Looking long and hard at how our culture industries reflect American culture. Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, and heres everything you need to know about arts and culture this week:

Lucas museum lands in L.A.

After much back and forth, Los Angeles has been chosen to house George Lucas collection of paintings, illustrations and film memorabilia in the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The new museum is predicted to open in Exposition Park sometime in 2021. Times reporter Deborah Vankin has the story. Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

In the meantime, architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne examines the plans within the context of Exposition Park, which consists largely of state-controlled lands in a part of Los Angeles that is notoriously park poor. It also played to  and in the end confirmed  certain ideas Los Angeles has about itself, writes Hawthorne of the process of site selection, that its a city without a robust culture of civic engagement, that builds first and asks questions later. Los Angeles Times

Speaking of which, this week, Hawthorne launches a new weekly column called Building Type that will examine contemporary architecture in the broad terms  from a single new building to larger questions of design in the context of city, culture and place. Los Angeles Times

How clear is our cultural mirror?

(Edel Rodriguez / For the Times )

How do film, book publishing, art and television reflect  or not  the social realities of American society? That was the big, messy topic a team of Times writers tackled in a package of stories that examined Hollywood Values as everything from the depiction of women and Muslims in TV and the movies to the ways in which Gamergate offered a cultural preview of Donald Trumps election. Fill your coffee cup and get reading. This is an excellent primer on the burning cultural issues of our time. Los Angeles Times

Actor Sylvester Stallone. (Matt Slocum / Associated Press )

Times classical music critic Mark Swed contributed an essay to the package on why the idea of naming Sylvester Stallone the head of the National Endowment for the Arts (as floated by a British tabloid) wasnt all bad. What the agency needs now more than vision is a fighter, he writes. A little star power wouldnt hurt, either. Could Rocky save it? Los Angeles Times

And I spoke with artists who attended the Dakota Access pipeline protest at Standing Rock in North Dakota, to see how culture shaped that action, and how it will shape protest in turn: A cultural encounter that has provided fresh ways of thinking about everything from the contours of the landscape to the nature of protest. Los Angeles Times

I have a related interview with artist Cannupa Hanska Luger, who was born on the Standing Rock reservation and is a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. Everybody came in hoping to experience something new, he told me of Standing Rock. But when they got there, they realized theyre not a part of something new, theyve just been absorbed into something that is much older than the entire country. Thats incredibly humbling. Los Angeles Times

The power of Obamas oratory

President Obama delivers his farewell speech Tuesday in Chicago. (Darren Hauck / Getty Images)

Times staff writer Jeffrey Fleishman reflects on President Obamas oratorical skills, exploring how poetry and literature influenced his words and his ideas. The nations narrative in coming years will change not only politically, writes Fleishman, but also poetically in how our essences are framed and our meanings distilled. Los Angeles Times

Zoot suits and beyond

Zoot suits are part of an installation by John Carlos De Luna at the Vincent Price Art Museum. (Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times )

The exhibition Tastemakers & Earthshakers at the Vincent Price art Museum at East Los Angeles College is a sprawling look at the intersection of youth culture and society  starting with the all iconic zoot suit, a symbol of Mexican American identity that also became a source of persecution in the 40s. The show, writes Times art critic Christopher Knight, is big and loose-limbed, but it smartly pick[s] and choose[s] in order to locate style within a specific narrative  a story of social justice. Los Angeles Times

Edme Bouchardons Cupid Carving a Bow From Hercules Club, 1745-50, at the Getty Museum. (Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times)

Meanwhile on the Westside, Knight checks in with the Getty Museums new exhibition of work by 18th century French sculptor Edme Bouchardon, renowned for his naturalistic depictions of the human form. His work nudged the visually delightful excesses of Rococo art toward the more sober gravity of Neo-Classicism, reports Knight. It also got pretty bawdy. Just get a gander at that hubba hubba man-spreading Satyr currently parked in the museums rotunda. Los Angeles Times

Love and lies

Penny Fuller and Paul Greenwood in the musical 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti at the Edye at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

In the wake of losing her husband, a widow discovers the secrets he kept buried in life. 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti, a cabaret-scale musical currently on view at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, is just the sort of intimate vehicle for the Emmy-winning actress Penny Fuller, writer Times theater critic Charles McNulty. Her portrayal, of a woman filled with contradictory feelings for the man she loved, he writes, delivers a humane truth. Los Angeles Times

Plus, McNulty attended a tribute to Mark Taper Forum founder Gordon Davidson organized by the Center Theatre Group. The event, he writes, reminded us of the gentleness of this theater giant. Los Angeles Times

A resonant recital

Mark Robson in his Piano Spheres recital at Redcat on Tuesday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

Pianist Mark Robson  wearing bells  rang in the new year for the Piano Spheres series at REDCAT and Times classical music critic Mark Swed was there to check it out. It was a performance that included compositions by Stockhausen, Philip Glass and Furruccio Busoni. Of Robson, Swed writes: His Old World virtuoso lack of theatricality, tied to his exacting musicality, is one of the things that makes him special. Los Angeles Times

Choreographing a career

The dancers of Jacob Jonas the Company pause during a rehearsal for their show at the Wallis. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

Times culture writer Jessica Gelt reports on Jacob Jonas, who has built a successful career as a choreographer with unique combinations of movement  featuring acrobatics, modern dance and ballet  via flash-mob-style performances that are shared on social media. This week, his troupe is premiering two new pieces at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Los Angeles Times

In other news

 The U.S. Department of the Interior has named 24 new National Historic Landmarks, including Richard Neutras VDL Research House in Silver Lake, Chicano Park in San Diego and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel in San Jose. Los Angeles Times

 Kriston Capps parses the Ben Carson confirmation hearings to try to get a sense of what the future holds for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and therefore, the shape of our cities. So far, he writes, much remains a mystery. Citylab

 That new L.A. Chargers logo  looks an awful lot like the L.A. Dodgers logo. KPCC asked Angelenos how they would redesign it. Some creative responses. Take Two

 The L.A. Art Show reinvents itself with on-site programming from eight Southern California arts institutions, including LACMA, MOCA and the Autry Museum of the American West. Los Angeles Times

 New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art will delay construction of a new $600 million wing until it manages its current budgetary deficits. New York Times

 Art dealer Guy Wildenstein is cleared by a judge after one of the biggest tax fraud trials in French history. The Guardian

 From the annals of artist activism: British artist Jake Chapman has donated a 75-class lifeboat to refugee rescue efforts and artist Richard Prince has disavowed a work he sold to Ivanka Trump, returning payment as protest. Artnet, New York Times

 Plus: A tongue-in-cheek petition by artist Luis Camnitzer, suggesting that Trump ask artist Christo to build the border fence to help improve the image of the U.S., has picked up steam online. Artnet

 A group of prominent artists have called for a culture strike on Inauguration Day, dubbed #J20, to protest Trumps policies. Critic Coco Fusco argues for; Jonathan Jones, against. Hyperallergic, The Guardian

 In the meantime, CalArts students prepare to walk out on Inauguration Day as well. Hyperallergic

 A two-movement violin concerto inspired by civil rights activist Rabbi Joachim Prinz will soon land at UCLAs Royce Hall. Los Angeles Times

 And the new documentary that tracks choreographer Benjamin Millepieds time at the Paris Opera Ballet. Los Angeles Times

Last but not least

Because I seem to be on a ballet kick: Your moment of Bauhaus ballet. Love the dudes dressed like medieval pole weapons. Atlas Obscura

Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

carolina.miranda@latimes.com

@cmonstah
To learn that Justin Timberlake, the multi-platinum pop star, actor and owner of handfuls of Grammys and Emmys, composed an orchestral film score feels very, shall we say, left field. But the seed was actually planted at a young age.

I think when I was a kid I would hear movies more than I would watch them, said Timberlake, 35. I saw E.T. at a drive-in with my father, and hearing that main theme to the movie, and how its used when the bikes take off and they fly over the police barricade, and you hear that sweeping melody  Ill never forget that moment.

The Tennessee natives scoring debut is for the new indie drama, The Book of Love, now in theaters and video on demand. The film stars Jason Sudeikis as a grieving widower  his wife is played by producer and Timberlakes wife, Jessica Biel  who befriends a teen orphan played by Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones).

Advertisement

It was directed by Bill Purple, who met Biel as an assistant director on the 2005 film Stealth. Biel and Purples wife, Michelle, formed the production company Iron Ocean Films  and Purple cast Biel in his directing debut, the 2007 short Hole in the Paper Sky.

We were shooting that, Purple recalled, and Jessica  whos the most punctual person ever  showed up 45 minutes late. My wife immediately started ribbing her, and shes like, I met somebody last night. Who? Justin Timberlake. [My wife] was like, All right, youre forgiven. (When Biel and Timberlake got married in 2012, they asked Purple to officiate.)

All the while, the director was developing his debut feature based on Robbie Pickerings screenplay (then titled The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea). It crawled in fits and starts for almost a decade, hindered by the difficulty of finding finances for a quirky $5-million indie. At one point Zach Braff and Chloe Grace Moretz were the two leads, but it was a constant seesaw of scheduling and money never lining up.

Six years ago, when things finally seemed to be moving, the Purples were having dinner at Timberlakes house.

And he brought it up, Purple said. Hey, whos going to score your film? I hadnt even thought of it yet. He was like, Id be interested in doing it. And I was immediately like, Yes, thats interesting to me.

The Book of Love finally shot in early 2015. Timberlake began composing in earnest that summer  having just come off his yearlong 20/20 Experience World Tour, and having a son with Biel.

I would chip away at different melodies, just arranging on the piano, and record voice notes and send them to Bill every now and then, he said.

He cited a famous classical work as inspiration for his approach.

Peter and the Wolf is like the classic breakdown of character and melody, he said. I remember seeing that when I was really young. Every time Peter was in the forest, youd hear his melody. And then you hear the wolfs melody, and you hear all these different animals melodies played with either strings, or different woodwinds, or percussion. So we sort of tackled it that way.

Going into it I felt like, Well, hes going to come into this with an electronic or pop sort of modern sound, said Purple. And when you get to know him, you realize his music is so based in blues and country and the roots of music  the music he listens to. I didnt expect him to come from a much more traditional score standpoint, which he did  which I loved.

The theme for Henry (Sudeikis) was assigned to acoustic guitar (because hes so grounded, said Timberlake) and Williams edgy character was represented by electric guitar. A solo female voice stands in for Biels character, who  spoiler alert  dies within the first few minutes and appears mostly in flashbacks.

Its almost like her spirit is living through the movie, said Timberlake, so we wanted to make the sound of her more ethereal, something otherworldly. We actually created some synth sounds for her that just felt interesting and different.

In some ways, he said, writing dramatic score was similar to songwriting  the script and action, those are basically your lyrics  but also fundamentally different.

The payoff in writing pop music is always like, Oh yeah, here comes the chorus, right? But making a score, there may never be a payoff. Youre more following suit. I find scoring is basically creating music that stays out of the way.

Since this was his first film score, Timberlake called in a composer friend, Mitchell Owens, to help with the technical aspects of composition and arranging for strings. (Owens is credited as a co-composer.) They performed most of the solo instruments  piano, guitar, bass  themselves.

If you heard a part, you would just jump on an instrument and start picking it out, said Timberlake. Sometimes its just easier when youre hearing something one way to just [play it] yourself. Even if the players are there, Ill beatbox something or Ill sing what I think the bass melody should do, and theyll start playing with me. But we were under a bit of a budget, so we were kind of the players as well.

Unlike a more traditional, symphonic score, Timberlakes music for The Book of Love doesnt outline a dramatic narrative so much as sustain a mood or a groove. I think groove will always be a part of any type of music that Im involved with, he said.

In that way its reminiscent of the scores of Mark Knopfler, another recording musician who has composed for films. In fact, Timberlake is just the latest in a lineage of popular artists who have either dabbled in or migrated to film scoring, from Danny Elfman to Trent Reznor, whose scoring debut, The Social Network, featured Timberlake the actor.

I think Trent got the bug in [Justins] ears, said Purple. Because theres no pressure. You can do something musically, and if it bombs or blips, hes not going to get hell for it. And if its great, then great. If he wants to go write a song ... he knows the moment he does that it becomes this promotional giant machine.

That machine has been in high gear for the last eight months as Timberlake has promoted his Grammy-nominated song Cant Stop the Feeling for Trolls. He got that gig right in the middle of scoring Book of Love, which is what made the score take a diced-up six month to write.

Timberlake said he would definitely consider writing more film music, and was glad to get his bumps and bruises working with friends and family on a project he cared about.

I grew up being such a cinephile that this is something Ive always wanted to do, he said. You just never think youre going to get the opportunity. But youre always thinking, Wow, wouldnt it be amazing to write music for a whole movie? I think sometimes when Im making albums, because of my acting background as well, I almost feel like Im writing for a character.

Purple said Timberlakes film composing inexperience was actually a boon.

I knew I was in good hands because he was immediately scared, the director said. And hes not a guy thats ever afraid of anything. Hes the most confident person youve ever met. But he was frightened, because it was something new. But I know that, creatively, thats a good space to be in.
Lesli Linka Glatter is very concerned about cookies.

On this fall day on the set of Homeland, as drowsy crew members nurse cups of takeout coffee, the director is rehearsing with McKenna Keane, who plays Franny, the 4-year-old daughter of Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) on the series, which returns to Showtime Sunday.

The young actress, still in her bunny slippers, is sitting next to Rupert Friend, who stars as former CIA operative Peter Quinn and is resting his sprained ankle on a wooden box. They are prepping for a sweet, intimate scene in which Franny invites Peter, who is recovering from a stroke, inside her apartment for a cup of hot chocolate and some cookies.

Glatter wants to hit just the right tone of familiar teasing between the two.

Advertisement

Make him work for the cookie, says Glatter kneeling so that she is at eye level with Keane. Its your cookie. OK?

Glatters ability to shift between these quiet, character-driven beats and pulse-pounding action sequences has made her an essential part of Homeland, where she also serves as an executive producer.

This versatility has earned the 63-year-old Texas native six Emmy nominations and made her one of the most prolific television directors of the last three decades, with more than 100 hours of episodic television under her belt. Her impressive list of credits includes Twin Peaks, Freaks and Geeks, ER, The West Wing, Mad Men and Gilmore Girls.

Shes blazed a trail for women in a profession that continues to be dominated by men, and was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year.

And yet for someone so accomplished, Glatter wasnt always set on becoming a filmmaker. As a young woman, she spent a decade teaching and performing modern dance across Europe and Asia. A chance encounter in a Tokyo cafe altered the course of her life. There, she struck up an hours-long conversation with an elderly Japanese man whod once been a Buddhist monk and spoke 12 languages.

His stories inspired her to make a short film, Tales of Meeting and Parting, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1985. It was an early lesson in the power of inclusive storytelling.

I was told not to tell that story if I ever wanted a job in Hollywood, Glatter recalls, sitting in her office on the set of Homeland, which is returning to domestic soil this year after seasons produced in South Africa and Germany. It was a period piece set in World War II, and it had one Caucasian character. People were like, Thats insane.

Quite the contrary. The film earned Glatter the notice of Steven Spielberg, whod seen it on a plane and hired her to direct episodes of his anthology series, Amazing Stories. (She also shadowed Spielberg and the director of another episode  Clint Eastwood.)

She learned another valuable lesson on the set of Twin Peaks. Creator David Lynch explained a wonderfully surreal scene from the pilot in which two characters converse around a table where an enormous stuffed deer head is resting, for no apparent reason. The set dresser was going to hang the deer head on the wall, but Lynch saw it sitting on the table and decided to leave it where it was.

Something cracked open for me, in that moment, Glatter says. Yes, plan everything, but be sure you dont miss the magic thats sitting right in front of you.

Glatter has directed two features, the 1995 coming-of-age tale Now and Then and 1998s The Proposition a drama set in the 1930s, but was happy to work in television long before it became cool. I never thought of it as the lesser medium, she says. TV is where I was able to tell the best stories,

Those stories have included Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency, a.k.a. the notorious lawnmower episode of Mad Men, which earned Glatter her first Emmy nomination.

Her first Homeland episode, Q&A, was just as challenging  and as singular. It was built around a lengthy, agonizing interrogation in which Carrie gets POW-turned-terrorist sympathizer Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) to reveal the details of a plot against the United States. The scene took place in a single room and ran for 40 script pages  a challenge for any director, much less a Homeland newbie.

Glatter now directs four episodes a season, often pivotal premieres or finales involving intense action sequences such as last seasons thwarted Berlin subway attack. She was a choreographer, she really understands time and space, how to put people and objects in motion in a way thats really kinetic, says Danes later by phone.

As a director-producer, she weighs in on major creative decisions and takes part in the annual visit to Washington D.C., where show runner Alex Gansa and his writers meet with members of the intelligence community.

She was a cheerleader in high school and that positivity and ebullience is still very much with her, says Danes, noting Glatters tendency to get very animated while watching performances on the monitors. That enthusiasm is very motivating. The performer feels it on the other end. They are being watched and kind of held by her.

For Danes, who was pregnant with her son, now 4, during Q&A, its also been a blessing to have a leader whos not afraid to be female.

I cant really envision a male director scooping up my 5-month-old and calling action.

Glatter leads by example on set, where she is warm, accessible and unabashedly stylish, defying the stereotype of the brooding, dictatorial director. As Christmas presents, she purchased several crew members shearling-lined Doc Martens to match her own. The only time she gets even remotely irritated is when discussing the notion that women cant direct action.

Its absurd, she says. Were storytellers.

Glatter also makes it a point to mentor young women filmmakers and take part in industry diversity initiatives. (Danes calls her as much of an advocate and activist as she is a director.)

Only 17% of TV episodes in 2015-16 were directed by women, according to a DGA survey, a slight uptick from the year before and still nowhere close to gender parity.

Glatter is doing her part to level the playing field. Shes an executive producer and director on Six, a series about Navy SEALs premiering Wednesday on History, and is developing War Torn, a drama about female journalists in Vietnam for TNT.

When I started 25 years ago, I never would have thought this would still be an issue, she says as she makes her way back to the Homeland soundstage. I am hoping and looking forward to the day that its not.

Homeland

Where: Showtime

When: 9 p.m. Sunday

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

meredith.blake@latimes.com

Follow me @MeredithBlake
Victoria, debuting Sunday on PBS Masterpiece, is a perfectly entertaining period piece that has the misfortune of arriving shortly after a similarly themed but dramatically more compelling series, Netflixs The Crown.

The seven-part series, which has already been renewed for a second season, follows the first few years in the reign of Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne at age 18 and ruled the British Empire at the height of its global power.

It charts her transformation from sheltered young princess to savvy stateswoman, a journey complicated by her gender and the pressure to marry and produce a healthy heir.

Advertisement

Not only must Victoria (Jenna Coleman) deal with meddling family members eager to portray her as flighty and temperamental so they can undermine her influence, she also has to tread lightly on the ego of her German husband, Prince Albert (Tom Hughes). Future seasons of the ongoing series will chronicle Victorias 64-year tenure as monarch.

Its territory that will be familiar to anyone who enjoyed the lavishly produced The Crown, which just won a Golden Globe for drama series  or for that matter, watched Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth or Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria.

While Shakespeare had his Richards and Henrys, contemporary pop culture seems particularly fixated with female royals, both real and fictional (e.g., Game of Thrones Daenerys Targaryen).

And its not hard to see why. From our modern vantage point, the seeming contradiction between unimaginable wealth and power of being a queen and the strictly circumscribed gender roles of the past is a tantalizing source of drama. (Even if we Americans still arent exactly comfortable with women in the highest leadership positions.)

Written by Daisy Goodwin, Victoria is focused on themes of gender, political power and romance, and zips along divertingly. It will surely satisfy fans of Masterpiece. The problem is it does little to liven up what, by now, has become a reliable period-piece formula: take a flawed but sympathetic woman, add lots of frustrating societal restraints and a brooding love interest, and bake at 350 degrees for seven to 10 episodes.

Coleman, best known for playing the Doctors companion on Doctor Who, is quite convincing as the young monarch. With her saucer-like eyes and perfect button nose, Coleman doesnt much resemble Victoria (or at least the version of her weve seen in various portraits), but she captures her transformation rather beautifully.

In early scenes, we see Drina, as she was known before she became queen (her birth name was Alexandrina), literally playing with dolls. Once she ascends to the throne, Victoria is brash and impetuous, with a teenagers knee-jerk tendency to defy her mother, the Duchess of Kent (Catherine Flemming). An early scandal erupts when she suspects one of her mothers ladies-in-waiting of being pregnant, and forces her to undergo a gynecological exam.

Thankfully, Victoria has sound enough judgment to turn to prime minister Lord Melbourne, who becomes her close adviser, surrogate father and quasi-romantic interest. Like a freshman English major with the hots for her Brit Lit professor, Victoria develops an intense crush on Lord M, as she calls him, which, given that hes played by Rufus Sewell, is perfectly understandable. (Sewell is especially charming in a rare, non-villainous role.)

Later, her relationship with Albert unfolds in the enjoyably predictable manner first established by Pride and Prejudice. The headstrong Victoria resists a match with Albert, mostly because its supported by her mother and uncle, King Leopold of Belgium (Alex Jennings, who also happened to play Queen Elizabeth IIs uncle in The Crown).

Albert is a German Mr. Darcy, aloof and deadly serious with a mop of emo rocker hair. Shes a silly flibbertigibbet who feeds her pet dog at the table. But  spoiler alert  opposites eventually attract, and a passionate romance ensues. (Just try not to linger on the fact that Albert and Victoria were also first cousins. Sorry, did I just ruin it for you?)

In a seemingly obligatory attempt to mimic the upstairs-downstairs drama of Downton Abbey, the series also dabbles into the lives of the servants who serve Victoria at Buckingham Palace. Victoria blends in real-life figures, such as Baroness Lehzen (Daniela Holtz), the German governess who effectively raised Victoria and managed the royal household.

A major subplot revolves around the tentative courtship between Miss Skerrett, the queens dresser (Nell Hudson of Outlander), and her cook, Charles Elme Francatelli (Ferdinand Kingsley). (Though Francatelli was a real person, the romance is presumably fiction.)

Alas, their story feels tacked on and superfluous to the main action. Yes, theres an implied comparison between Victoria, who must marry and produce an heir, and Miss Skerrett, whos determined to preserve her freedom by remaining unattached, but the narratives never really come together meaningfully.

What made Downton Abbey work on two levels was the inextricable connection, the symbiotic relationship between the aristocrats and their servants. Victoria seems to have missed that memo.

Likewise, it never reaches the same heights as The Crown, which elevated the royal biography through episodes that played like self-contained movies and told a deeply personal tale while never losing sight of historical perspective.

There are references to the rise of steam power and the abolitionist movement in Victoria, but a greater sense of Englands place in the world, circa 1840, would help this queen shine.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

Victoria on Masterpiece

Where: KOCE

When: 9 p.m. Sunday

Rating: TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children)

meredith.blake@latimes.com

Follow me @MeredithBlake
Thursday evening at Cecconis in West Hollywood was a study in contrasts. As cameras flashed and waiters squeezed by small clusters of guests chatting away at a private area for a dinner hosted by Tome and Swarovski Collective, it was juxtaposed with the evenings darker undertones to raise awareness for Freedom For All. The charity raises money to go to freeing girls and women from human trafficking and slavery.

The organizations founder Katie Ford met Tome designers Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin about four years ago through her familys modeling agency that she previously helmed as chief executive officer. The White Shirt Project, a capsule collection released every six to nine months, aims to raise awareness and also donates proceeds from sales to the charity.

When we met Katie we just wanted to find a way to promote what shes doing because shes actively and quite literally saving lives, Lobo said. Theyre on the ground in the Philippines or Mozambique or Jersey actually saving peoples lives and she doesnt have time to be a publicity machine behind what shes doing and what we thought we could do is use what we do in fashion.

Advertisement

The dinner also celebrated Swarovskis partnering with Tome on the fourth and latest iteration of the white shirtsold at Net-a-Porter and Tomes online siteto offer buyers the option of now being able to monogram their initials in crystals.

The heart and DNA of Tome is a white shirt and we saw that as a perfect metaphor for a clean slate, which women and men and children are given after emancipation. Its heavy and its dark and its bleak. But the opposite of that is a white shirt and its optimistic and light, Lobo said.

The charity has managed to harness the support of celebrities such as Kristin Bell, January Jones and Mena Suvariwho were in attendance at the dinnerto lend their names and time to the organization. Other dinner guests included Natalie Joos, Louise Roe and China Chow.

I just couldnt believe how many people there were in slavery today and I didnt know it, said Ford of how she became involved in the cause. I had so many contacts in business and I thought, I think we can do something around the world.

The charity is now focused on expanding and studying other similar charities programs to potentially replicate them elsewhere. Ford also hopes the organization can help more people.

Last year we freed about 3,000 people, she said. So I think Id like to try maybe to get it up 15 percent this year.

ALSO

La La Land, Hidden Figures, Nocturnal Animals, The Crown among nominees for Costume Designers Guild Awards

Stars including Janelle Monae and Cindy Crawford help Marie Claire magazine fete its 2017 Image Makers

This L.A. designer has his Hidden Figures moment
If there was ever a model of a small-scale family business that embraces creative and strategic thinking in near equal measure while making beautiful, soulful goods, Block Shop is it.

Sisters Hopie and Lily Stockmans social media savvy, matched with their approach to making scarves, pillows, baby quilts and, most recently, dhurrie flat-weave cotton rugs, is a case study in how entrepreneurs can do well, and do good.

For starters, they took their time to see where and how their passions and opportunities best overlapped. Before beginning an MFA program in painting at New York University, Lily and her husband, Peter Brooks, lived in India for a year. There she met Vijendra Viju Chhipa, a fifth-generation master block printer who taught her the traditional technique of transferring designs from hand-carved wooden blocks to textiles and other surfaces.

Advertisement

1 / 7 A scarf with packaging from Block Shop. (Christina House / For The Times) 2 / 7 An inspiration wall at the Block Shop studio. (Christina House / For The Times) 3 / 7 The sisters behind Block Shop textiles: Lily, left, and Hopie Stockman, with their dogs in their downtown Los Angeles studio. (Christina House / For The Times) 4 / 7 Hopie Stockman sports a tent scarf. (Christina House / For The Times) 5 / 7 A collection of Block Shop baby quilts. (Christina House / For The Times) 6 / 7 Lily, left, and Hopie Stockman work on designs at their downtown Los Angeles studio. (Christina House / For The Times) 7 / 7 Lily Stockman works on designs. (Christina House / For The Times)

Lily said that she and Chhipa started collaborating and making what I thought of as paintings, which shed mail to Hopie back in the U.S. When Hopie visited in 2010, they placed a small order of textiles and then let their idea for a business germinate.

When the Stockman sisters officially launched Block Shop 3 years ago with a line of six scarves, Hopie was earning her MBA at Harvard, and Lily was also at Harvard for a teaching fellowship in the visual and environmental studies department. Lilys trained eye and relationships with makers in India dovetailed with Hopies complementary business skills and specific interest in social enterprise.

Master printer Chhipa has since become the foreman at the printing co-op located in Bagru, outside of Jaipur, where more than 20 craftspeople create Block Shop wares. Everything  from the carved wood blocks, to the textile dying and the sewing  is done by hand. A team led by a master weaver makes Block Shops rugs in Jodhpur.

The sisters, New Jersey natives, moved to Los Angeles two years ago, where they now run their operation from a light-flooded studio space on the 11th floor of a historic building on Spring Street downtown. They sell their products on their website, and locally at Individual Medley in Atwater Village, Venices General Store and the Hammer Museum shop, among others.

Most of our designs are done in a weird, shared sister brain way, and are inspired by either architectural motifs in the two cities we spend time in: here and Jaipur, Hopie said. Colors rendered in natural dyes are very much in the vernacular of the California desert landscape.

Because developing the line and figuring out how to translate their watercolor paintings to block prints and woven rugs requires face-to-face interaction with the makers, they both visit India twice a year. Its such a collaborative, hands-on process, Lily said.

Hence, no PDFs are emailed in the process of making any Block Shop items.

Engaging with the co-op members and their families is also a key component of their ethos. Five percent of profits are reinvested in community health and well-being; a full-time employee, Sonia Jain, provides additional support by organizing workshops for women, in particular about issues such as financial management.

Hopie and Lily speak fondly of the welcoming community theyve found in Los Angeles. Southern California collaborations have included blankets for the Ojai Rancho Inn, wrappers for Mast Brothers chocolates and textile designs for the L.A.-based Capsule Home design incubator and online retailer.

Textile block printing workshops theyve held in Joshua Tree have all sold out too. (More are planned for the spring.)

Its part of an evolution that makes perfect sense in the context of a project thats been nurtured slowly and deliberately. Theyve traveled the world, but feel like they belong here.

Even before they arrived in L.A., we were designing things for a modern, warm, cozy California home, Hopie said.

home@latimes.com

ALSO:

More Southern California home tours

This new guesthouse is a mere 380 square feet  but still feels sunny and spacious

They replaced the lawn with a gorgeous drought-tolerant meadow that doesnt need mowing
We value your privacy.

Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy.
If youre getting on in years and your income is flat but your expenses are not, finding an affordable home in Southern California may require a small miracle.

It feels like Im rich, 67-year-old Zenaida Jose declared in a studio apartment that, in her mind, is a magnificent palace.

The Wilshire Towers, subsidized affordable housing for seniors, rise near the intersection of Wilshire and Normandie in Koreatown. Id never heard of the place until I wrote about another senior high-rise, in Westwood, where elderly residents have been told to relocate during a lengthy renovation.

Advertisement

Many of the Westwooders, some of them with walkers and wheelchairs, decided theyd rather fight than deal with the physical and emotional trauma of a move. Their attorneys are trying to negotiate a way for them to stay put while the building is updated.

The owners of Wilshire Towers, I learned, are completing a similar renovation but managed to avoid booting everyone out of the building. The residents are grateful to Thomas Safran & Associates for that, and the ones I spoke to are thrilled with the wall-to-wall upgrades in the 283 rooms and all the common areas.

But more than that, theyre happy to have beaten the odds in a region where thousands are on waiting lists for existing affordable senior housing. With many new properties, you literally have to win a lottery to get in.

Jordan Pynes, president of Safran, said the company has built 3,000 affordable housing units in the last 11 years, mostly for seniors, and bought the Wilshire property in 2015.

When we open a new property, well have thousands of applicants for every unit available, said Pynes.

Wilshire Towers is a Section 8 building. Low-income tenants pay a little less than $300 monthly  one-third of their Social Security income  on rent. Market rates in the heart of Koreatown run much, much higher. But the project pencils out for Safran because a tax credit is available when you develop affordable housing, and Pynes said the companys mission is to do good along with doing well.

At the moment, 286 applicants are trying to get into Wilshire Towers. The waiting list is closed because itll take years to work through it. This is common in Southern California. I checked other senior housing websites with notices that no new applications are being taken, and people in the industry told me the housing shortage is nothing short of a crisis.

Jose, who lived in an apartment across the street from Wilshire Towers, was on a waiting list for three years.

Zenaida Jose, 67, prays the rosary in her studio apartment. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

One of my dreams was to live in this building, said Jose, who drew blood at a hospital, but the pay wasnt great and neither was her health. She had diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure. Shed taken two falls.

Her rent inched up every year, and the $540 she paid for a studio swallowed nearly half her monthly take-home. She did all her food shopping at a 99-cent store.

In retirement, she had two options, neither ideal. The first was to see if she could squeeze into a relatives home.

Otherwise, she said, Id live on the street.

Every evening, at meal time, Jose says the rosary in her dream home, and through the window, she can see the apartment she was priced out of.

Alma Hammond, a 79-year-old Air Force veteran, said she felt just as lucky when she landed at Wilshire Towers in 1999. It was one of those right place at the right time stories, she told me. She worked at the church next door and got hit with a series of health problems, including breast cancer, which made her commute to the Valley all the tougher. The church owned Wilshire Towers at the time and the minister managed to get her an apartment.

If she hits the lottery, Hammond said, maybe she could buy her own house. But I hear through the grapevine that houses can cost 800-some thousand dollars in the Los Angeles area. So forget that.

Alma Hammond, 79, felt lucky when she landed at Wilshire Towers in 1999. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

This is really all I need, she said.

While I spoke to Hammond and Jose, a man sat nearby at a computer. He suddenly turned and offered that his story was somewhat different.

Mr. Lee, 70, was reluctant to share his full name but happy to pull up a chair. He said he landed in Los Angeles from Seoul in 1978, became naturalized in 1983, raised two sons with his now-divorced wife, and had his own furniture store for many years. One son became a doctor; the other went into law enforcement.

When business was good, Mr. Lee rented rooms in Koreatown homes over a span of two decades, paying between $300 and $550 a month. When business wasnt good, he lived in a storage area in his furniture store. Thats where he was the last several years, after losing a lung to cancer.

I couldnt work hard enough to make enough money, said Mr. Lee, who did not tell his family about his circumstances. He didnt want to impose.

Mr. Lee, 70, goes for a walk each day for exercise. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

For his bedding, he laid a sheet of wood on the floor, topped it with a rug and slept under an electric blanket. He had a toilet but no hot water, and says he showered at the nearby 24-Hour Fitness.

On two occasions, he sold and delivered furniture to residents of Wilshire Towers and decided he liked the place. He filled out an application, as he had at about 20 other places, and continued sleeping in the store. It wasnt that tough, he said, because hed grown up sleeping on the floor.

I waited almost three years, then somebody called me and I moved right in, said Mr. Lee.

He took me along on one of his twice-daily strolls through the neighborhood  hes trying to build his lung strength  and insisted on buying Korean cookies for me and photographer Francine Orr.

With a look of concern, Mr. Lee shared a thought. People might read this column, he said, and see an immigrant taking advantage of subsidized housing.

I reminded him that he worked for years, paid taxes, helped build the safety net and raised two sons who are now contributing.

Looking after elders is what a civil society does, and theres more work to be done.

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez

ALSO

Californias bullet train is hurtling toward a multibillion-dollar overrun, a confidential federal report warns

After pretty extraordinary snowfall, Sierra Nevada braces for another battering from atmospheric river

Protests at UC Davis lead to canceling of speech by Breitbarts Milo Yiannopoulos
Sara Saravia arrived in the United States in 1981 and quickly got a piece of advice: watch out for the men in uniforms. If they catch you, Saravia was told, youll find yourself back in El Salvador.

One afternoon, she sat in a restaurant when three men walked in. They wore uniforms. Saravia bolted.

I left my tacos on the table and took off running, she said, remembering that she ran so suddenly and so far that she didnt realize she was fleeing from security guards, not immigration agents.

Advertisement

As she peeled an orange outside of her apartment in Boyle Heights, the 77-year-old Saravia, now a U.S. citizen, shuddered at the memory.

You felt so afraid, she said, you couldnt even walk to the market.

In the 1980s, the federal government launched aggressive immigration raids in Mexican and Central American communities in Los Angeles. Raids were carried out at homes; bus stops, nightclubs, vast agricultural fields and warehouses. They were so frequent that, for many immigrants in the country illegally, their children and other Latinos, it became a fact of life.

The raids inspired everything from art to movies, such as the 1987 comedy film Born in East L.A., written and directed by its lead actor, Richard Cheech Marin.

I remember how normal it was, Marin said of the roundups. They were happening all around, and you were reading about it in the newspapers all the time.

Now comes the impending presidency of Donald Trump, who staked much of his campaign on promises of being tough on illegal immigration and rallied large, boisterous crowds of supporters with those vows.

Trump has promised to deport people here illegally but has not yet provided specifics of his plans. Some of his advisers have said workplace raids are likely to be part of Trumps crackdown.

The president-elects tough talk has won praise from some who believe illegal immigration is harmful to the country and takes away jobs from citizens.

But it has sparked anxiety in places like Southern California with large populations of undocumented workers.

I think right now theres lot of fear and uncertainty about how Trump is going to implement the policies that he promised to carry out when he was running as a candidate, said Angela Sanbrano, founder and former director of CARECEN, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to immigrants. She said some fear he may bring back all those terrifying moments and feelings of being afraid of the police and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement].

Angela Sanbrano, Chair of CARECEN, Central American Resource Center, holds a photograph of refugees from El Salvador staging a hunger strike calling for refugee status in 1979 in L.A. At the time, Sanbrano was a law student and joined the refugees in solidarity for their cause. (Christina House / For The Times )

The workplace raids became a searing symbol of the get-tough policies of a different era, mostly notably Proposition 187, the California ballot measure that banned immigrants here illegally from receiving many public services.

Over the last 20 years, the tensions eased. Federal officials reduced workplace raids, in part after criticism from business groups and immigration activists. Both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations focused on new tactics, such as forcing employers to fire workers here illegally.

Trump has promised to build a wall on the border and make Mexico pay for it. During a Republican debate, he hailed the Eisenhower administration effort known by the outdated, racist name Operation Wetback as a model for a deportation force he said could remove 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally.

Trump has since said the U.S. will pay for the wall and seek reimbursement from Mexico. He reduced the number of deportable immigrants to about 3 million, mostly those with criminal backgrounds  a number that experts say is far higher than the actual number of immigrants in the country illegally with criminal records.

Trump said he wants to triple the number of ICE agents, expand Border Patrol stations and terminate two amnesty programs ushered under the Obama Administration.

Claude Arnold, former special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in Los Angeles, said he believes work site enforcement will increase under Trump.

The majority of people come to the U.S. for work opportunity. Its a magnet that brings them here, he said.

Immigration agents lead suspected illegal immigrants out of a workplace in the City of Industry in 1985. (Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times )

Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates restricting immigration, said she doesnt think were going to see people being randomly picked up at bus stops or grocery stores.

Its more likely that immigration enforcement will return to what it was like from 2007-2011, when ICE had stepped-up immigration enforcement and received a lot of funding from congress to boost operations, she added.

Perhaps no other state would be more affected by the incoming administration immigration policies than California, where more than 2.3 million immigrants who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas are located, according to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank. Texas has the second-largest population.

Californias past hard views of illegal immigration have softened over the years. Since Trumps election victory, mayors and police chiefs in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles have vowed to uphold policies supportive of immigrants without legal status.

In 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown signed immigration-related measures that included one that removed the word alien from the states labor code. He also signed legislation allowing noncitizens in high school to serve as election poll workers and protecting the rights of immigrant minors in civil suits. The state also allows people in the country illegally to obtain drivers licenses.

L.A. is considering legalizing the now-common but largely illegal practice of street vending, hoping to avoid misdemeanor convictions that could be used to deport people.

State legislators are already preparing for a showdown with Trump, hiring former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr. as an outside counsel to advise on the states legal strategy toward the incoming administration.

Joe Del Bosque, a 67-year-old from the Merced County city of Los Banos who farms in Firebaugh, Calif., said he has vivid memories of the raids that happened in the cantaloupe farms he used to help manage in the 1970s and 80s.

A small federal government plane would fly overhead looking for work crews, he said. Soon, green-colored vans would follow. Workers would panic, scatter and run. Farms would lose fruit because they didnt have enough people to pick.

INS would come with their vans and circle the fields and then capture as many as they could, Del Bosque said.

Ultimately, he said, the raids appeared to be more of a show, with immigrants dropped just across the border. Many returned within a few days, Del Bosque said, recalling a time when it was easier to cross the border.

In the more than 30 years since he started his own farm, Del Bosque said, hes never been subject to an immigration workplace-enforcement operation. A labor shortage has forced him to not care about the background of the people who are hired as long as they can satisfy the legal requirements of filling out I-9 and W4 forms.

We do everything legally, he said. If they can provide us with the documents to fill out these documents, then theyve got a job.

Marin said Born in East L.A. was the product of a different era, when California was a trailblazer of some of the strongest measures  and rhetoric  against immigrants in the country illegally.

He said the idea for the movie came as he sat in his kitchen and read about a local teen who was in the country legally but was accidentally deported. At the same time, Bruce Springsteens Born in the USA was playing on the radio, he said.

Marin made a parody of the song ahead of the film, which became a success.

The film starred Marin as a Mexican-American who spoke no Spanish but was deported to Mexico anyway. Though it was a comedy, Marin said, the film had an underlying truth about it.

Theres a reason why the movie has endured. It touched on those real emotions and real situations, Marin said.

In strongly Mexican-American neighborhoods like Boyle Heights and East L.A., children born in the U.S. would often jokingly and suddenly call out to each other la migra, a slang term for immigration agents, in mock warning.

A Border Patrol agent chases a suspected illegal immigrant through an Irvine strawberry field in 1983. (Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times )

Now, many immigrants who lived through the 80s find themselves remembering their stories of being captured by or narrowly escaping immigration officers.

Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said he recalled a story of a man at a day laborer site who was in the middle of getting his blood drawn as part of a county HIV test program when immigration officers pulled up in white vans.

He ripped the needle from his arm and ran, Alvarado said.

Jesus Aguilar, co-founder of CARECEN, was standing with three other men at a corner street in the Pico-Union area on a January morning in 1981 when LAPD officers approached them.

Aguilar said they assumed we didnt have papers.

And the officers assumed right, he said.

Aguilar said the officers drove him and the others to the immigration center downtown, where he said they were told to sign documents that would expedite their deportations. Aguilar said he never signed.

He said he didnt want to return to El Salvador, which was roiled by civil war. He had done everything possible to escape it.

Some people I knew who were Salvadoran and were deported had been assassinated, Aguilar said, adding that he applied for political asylum to delay his deportation.

It was the only alternative we could use as defense, he said.

Until he could post bail, he remained under the custody of immigration officials for nearly a year.

Aguilars efforts to delay his deportation eventually allowed him to receive permanent residency after the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Saravia, the Salvadoran immigrant who had abandoned her meal when she mistook security guards for immigration agents, said she calculated her every move until that law passed. She worked as a housekeeper in Beverly Hills because she believed working alongside Latinos increased her chance of getting deported. She took the bus to and from work in the early morning to avoid bus raids, and rarely left her apartment

Maria Jaramillo, 55, said she was only 20 years old when she came to U.S. from Mexico in 1981. Now a U.S. citizen, she said no one told her about the immigration raids until she learned about it on the news. After that, she spent the next five years wondering when immigration officers would storm the factory she worked at in downtowns garment district.

They would always come to the factories around there, but for some reason they would never come to mine, Jaramillo said. You know, luck was on my side.

@LATVives

ruben.vives@latimes.com

Times staff writer Cindy Carcamo contributed to this report.

MORE ON IMMIGRATION

A changing border: Barricades wont solve tough new challenges at the Southwest frontier

Dozens of migrants braved jungles, seas and bandits to reach the U.S. Then they were sent home

Traversing the Rio Suchiate: Between Africa and the U.S., an illicit river crossing in Latin America
Torrents of meltwater coursed down the granite crevices below the moonscape of the Desolation Wilderness.

Just miles from its source in the High Sierra, the South Fork of the American River was already roaring down toward the oaken foothills, bursting over the spillways of dams that humans had erected to control it.

As it moved, it gathered streams and rivulets  pink and brown and orange from the minerals they leached. The heavy rain turned dusty creek beds into full-fledged tributaries. Running through narrowing clefts they burst forth as from hydraulic jets.

Advertisement

Isidro Soberanes was preparing to jump into the maelstrom in a kayak.

He stood at the Chili Bar parking lot watching the South Fork as he had never seen it. Willow trees that had sprouted in drier times now found themselves bending in a 25-mile-per-hour current, shredding the flow into rooster tails of spray. He watched a big sodden log crash at speed into underwater rocks, sending splinters flying, and race on to the next collision.

Ill have to watch for those, said Soberanes, a local professional kayaker originally from Veracruz, Mexico.

Ive been waiting for this.

So had so many. The boom and bust of water has always been the arid Wests existential conundrum. The biggest water projects in the world were built to control it, to allow millions of people to live in places only thousands otherwise could survive. From the Mormon settlers first efforts to irrigate the Salt Lake Valley to the colossal dams along the Colorado River to the vastly complex Central Valley Project that transformed California  including this river  American engineers did everything they could to keep water from escaping to the sea.

We havent seen water like this for 10 years, at least.  Bob Hunden, 82

This weeks storm roaring out of a six-year drought provided an explosive reminder that, even with all that plumbing, we survive in a harsh and moody climate.

The 90-mile-long South Fork of the American River brought us to this point. When John Marshall discovered a gold flake at Sutters Mill in Coloma in 1848, he set off the original mass migration that would transform the West into one of the worlds great civilizations. Since then, only Herculean efforts by the mighty U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers keep it from falling to ruin.

The three forks of the American River flow into Folsom Lake. Two years ago, the reservoir was at 14% capacity, so low that people could hike to the remains of a Gold Rush-era town that had been submerged when the dam was finished in 1955. Last years El Nino storms swallowed them up.

The storms from Monday to Wednesday brought the lake up 17 feet, approaching the brim. Every second on Wednesday afternoon, 590,000 gallons flowed in and nearly 400,000 gallons roared out of five of the dams spillways, twisting into the Sacramento River, on a race to the Pacific.

Water managers at the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers had it calculated and under control, but a belt of storms like this makes even their efforts look fickle.

For the first time in a decade, water managers opened floodgates on the Sacramento River to turn a the vast Yolo flood basin into a veritable inland sea.

1 / 6 Rafters hit Trouble Maker rapids on the south fork of the American River near Coloma. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 6 The Trouble Maker rapids on the American River in Coloma swell after a week of rains in Northern California. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 6 Water is released from Folsom Dam into the American River in Folsom. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 6 Isidro Soberanes, 36, a professional kayaker from Veracruz, Mexico, and now living in Colfax, prepares to launch from Chili Bar River Park in order to kayak the south fork of the American River in Placerville. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 6 Recent storms have dropped large amounts of snow near South Lake Tahoe. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 6 An automobile is submerged along Green Valley Road near Folsom Dam in Folsom. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

We havent seen water like this for 10 years, at least, said Bob Hunden, 82, standing in the rain at Chili Bar.

He stopped by just to take in the awesome power of the river. In the way the vastness of the stars on a clear mountain night elicits that expansive feeling of being infinitesimal in the grand scheme, so can the raw power of a weather system that crossed a big swath of the planet.

The molecules in the drops falling on Hundens shoulders had risen as vapor thousands of miles away in the tropical heat of the central Pacific.

Condensed into a warm storm system called a Pineapple Express, it hit California and was driven upward by the Western slopes of the Sierra and Cascades. As the pressure dropped in the thinner atmosphere, the relative humidity climbed. The cold air  and high-altitude dust and microbes blown across the Pacific from deserts in Africa and China  created ice particles.

That ice started to congeal to more vapor and grow bigger and heavier and fall as snow, wringing the water out the sky.

Without that orographic lift of the High Sierra, the clouds might have just kept blowing east.

During the first storm on Sunday, the snow melted before it hit the ground, except at the highest elevations, causing fears that it would melt the snowpack and cause a catastrophic flood.

The entire water system in California and the Southwest relies on snowpack  in the Sierra, Cascades and Rockies  slowly melting in spring, at rates the reservoirs can handle.

We like winter storms that snow down to 2,000 feet, followed by a gentle spring, said Howard Penn, a local paddler and executive director of the Planning and Conservation League, which works to protect the states water, air and natural areas.

But he notes that warm winter storms also bring benefits. Decades of irrigation in the Central Valley had leached out all manner of salts and heavy metals and pesticides from the soil, and those leachates flow out with the farm runoff to pollute the Sacramento Delta, a vital breeding area for fish.

Now we got a huge volume of water coming down the Sacramento and San Joaquin, flushing the Delta out, cleaning out those fish estuaries.

By Wednesday, the snow level lowered in the mountains. The flakes fell heavy, not as dry Utah powder, but a wet slurry dubbed Sierra Cement by skiers. Avalanche danger closed ski resorts in Lake Tahoe and sections of the roads getting there from the valley. But big concerns of a ravaged snowpack diminished.

Down at Chili Bar, the mood was giddy. With a whole lot of rain hitting the lower and midslopes, the South Fork was heaving at about 150,000 gallons per second. A fun springtime trip for kayakers would run on less than a sixth of that rate.

Soberanes put on a thermal shirt, then a fleece jacket, and sealed himself into a drysuit. He kissed his wife Fernanda, and his 10-month-old daughter, Alondra, and paddled upstream through some trees in an eddy.

Fernanda got in the their old red Ford F150 and headed down Highway 49 to his takeout spot.

Soberanes knew the biggest danger was getting stuck in one of those tree thickets  strainers in river-runner parlance  because they catch you like a colander while the fast current pulls you under.

He moved into the 45-degree water and was soon in a section of colliding, oncoming waves that thrashed him from all directions. Cold whitewater smashed his face every other second.

He launched over massive tepees of brown water and torn up weeds, and then hit several beautiful nonbreaking waves at a rapid called Meat Grinder, one as high as 15 feet.

At this rate, hed finish an 8-mile run that normally took an hour and a half in about 25 minutes.

Brian Kallen, a rafting guide going down the fork with friends, kept his eye on a 10-foot log floating down next to them for the first 15 minutes. If they got stuck in the trough of a stationary wave, that heavy beast could do a lot of damage, breaching like a whale on your boat.

Those deep stationary waves flipped many a boat, launching rafters into the roiling current without a chance to fill their lungs, then  eventually  popping them to the surface to dodge deadly strainers and hope they could scramble to shore before the onset of hypothermia.

The river Kallen knew had totally changed. Giant boulders he once passed by were now underwater and creating drops and waves he had never seen.

Soberanes moved more nimbly in his kayak, so he liked to flirt with such dangers.

Soon he was racing down a fast bumpy section, slaloming between trees, hooting along the way, like a powder skier billowing through the aspen.

He crossed under the old Coloma Bridge, then a rock monument  a good 10 feet into the river today  marking the very spot John Marshall discovered gold. The sun shone for the first time in days.

At the takeout, Fernanda, 30, sat on a blanket under some mossy oaks, cooing to her baby. The sun lit up big drops hanging from the tips of tree twigs like chandelier crystals. It suddenly felt like a picnic day in the English countryside.

She pointed to Soberanes as he rounded the bend.

Papa viene, she said. Daddys coming.

He pulled into a little eddy, still amped up on endorphins of the run, and pondered going to the next spot down the river.

Nah, I got to get to work, he ultimately decided. His day job is a tree-trimmer.

Hed swap his kayak for his chain saw. The wind had left him plenty of work.

joe.mozingo@latimes.com

@joemozingo

ALSO

Is the great California drought finally ending?

Storm slams into Southern California, bringing flood risk, snow, mudslide warning

How California went from drought to dangerous rain and snow
Ten Southern California journalists are fighting an effort by prosecutors to compel them to testify in the San Bernardino County corruption trials of a developer, a former supervisor and other former county officials.

Prosecutors say they want the reporters to testify about 56 statements contained in numerous articles that were published starting in 2005, as the corruption scandal unfolded.

Attorneys representing the journalists say the government has overreached and are asking a judge to reject the subpoenas or to strictly limit the questioning of the reporters to certain published statements.

Advertisement

In court filings, the attorneys called the effort to subpoena such a large number of journalists extraordinary and said it stands to weaken press freedoms by converting the resources of the press into an arm of state government.

The California Shield Law, a provision of the state constitution, provides legal protections for journalists who seek to keep from disclosing sources and unpublished information that is obtained while gathering news.

Prosecutors have said the information they are seeking does not fall under the protections of the law.

Subpoenas were issued to Southern California News Group Executive Editor Frank Pine, San Bernardino Sun reporter Joe Nelson and Riverside Press-Enterprise reporters Imran Ghori and Mark Muckenfuss. Muckenfuss was later released from the subpoena, said attorney Duffy Carolan, who represents the journalists.

In addition, subpoenas were also issued to former Press-Enterprise reporters Cassie MacDuff, Sharon McNary and Jim Miller, former Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reporter Mason Stockstill and former Sun reporters Jeff Horwitz and Guy McCarthy.

Another former Press-Enterprise reporter who now works in Tennessee was served Thursday with a notice to appear in court, Carolan said.

Southern California News Group includes those three publications as well as the Los Angeles Daily News, the Orange County Register and other newspapers.

Prosecutors in San Bernardino have sought the journalists testimony to bolster their case in the public corruption trials of developer Jeff Burum, former Supervisor Paul Biane and former county officials James Erwin and Mark Kirk, which got underway this month. The case is being jointly prosecuted by county prosecutors and the state attorney generals office.

The four were indicted in 2011 on multiple charges stemming from a land dispute between the county and Rancho Cucamonga-based investor group Colonies Partners LP.

Prosecutors have alleged that they participated in a bribery scheme that was concocted to settle the matter in favor of the company. In 2006, county supervisors agreed to a $102-million settlement with Colonies, over the objection of county legal staff.

In court filings, prosecutors have said they want to ask the journalists whether the defendants made statements that were attributed to them in their articles.

Those statements appear in stories that detail the run up to the settlement and its aftermath over a six-year period.

They include comments by the defendants about political contributions, the propriety of accepting a Rolex watch, the reasonableness of the settlement, and support for a local ballot measure, among others.

In several of the statements, many of which are paraphrased, its unclear whether the information came from a one-on-one interview with the defendant or through some other source.

Attorneys for the reporters said establishing the foundation for many of the statements would require disclosure of sources and unpublished information, which is protected under the Shield Law.

In addition, Carolan said, prosecutors are seeking some information that could be obtained through other means, since some of the statements were made by the defendants in press releases or public settings, where there were other people present who could verify what was said.

To me it shows the overreach thats happening here, she said.

In a statement, Pine, the executive editor, said he is worried prosecutors will seek to go beyond asking the journalists to authenticate published stories.

We are concerned that their questioning will go further and could infringe upon the legal protections that safeguard our sources and the process by which we develop our news coverage, he said. The Shield Law protections journalists enjoy are critical to carrying out our Fourth Estate responsibility to ensure government is accountable to the people.

Representatives for the San Bernardino County district attorneys office and the attorney generals office declined to comment.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Tuesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

In December, former L.A. Times reporter Robert Faturechi was called to testify against his will in the federal trial of former L.A. Sheriff Lee Baca, though the judge in that case imposed strict limits on Faturechis testimony.

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com

For more Inland Empire news follow me @palomaesquivel

ALSO

Californias bullet train is hurtling toward a multibillion-dollar overrun, a confidential federal report warns

Two out of three Border Patrol job applicants fail polygraph test, making hiring difficult

After pretty extraordinary snowfall, Sierra Nevada braces for another battering from atmospheric river
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the flight of an EVA Air Boeing 777 that headed the wrong way after departing Los Angeles International Airport last month and narrowly missed crashing into Mt. Wilson.

Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman, said Friday that the agency will look into the actions of an air traffic controller who issued incorrect orders and the pilots of EVA Air Flight 15 that took off to the east from LAX on Dec. 16 early in the morning.

Holloway said the investigation will include evaluations of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the Boeing 777, a wide-body jet that was carrying 353 passengers and crew during the mishap.

Advertisement

Though obligated to obey instructions from air traffic control, federal regulations also state that the pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of their aircraft.

Holloway said the investigation will determine whether there are safety problems that need to be addressed.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the incident began about 1:30 am when the controller mistakenly ordered the flight to turn left to the north after the pilot shifted air traffic control responsibilities from the LAX tower to approach control in San Diego, a common practice.

The standard procedure for eastern departures from the southern runways at LAX is to make a right turn to the south after takeoff and then head toward the ocean.

FAA officials said the incorrect order sent the Taiwan-bound airliner across the flight path of a departing Air Canada passenger jet and toward the San Gabriel Mountains.

When the controller realized the EVA flight had turned in the wrong direction, FAA officials said, she took immediate action to keep the EVA Air and Air Canada flights safely separated.

The controller then turned her attention to getting the EVA pilot to turn south and repeatedly ordered him to do so until he finally complied, according to recorded radio transmissions. At one point, the controller said, EVA 15 what are you doing? Turn southbound now!

The Boeing 777 appeared to clear the 5,713-foot peak of Mt. Wilson by 500 to 800 feet. However, broadcast towers along the summit rise anywhere from several hundred feet to almost 1,000 feet in the air. Solar towers at the nearby Mt. Wilson Observatory are 60 and 150 feet high.

EVA officials have said the airline is cooperating with federal investigators and that their passenger jet was never too close to the mountains or other aircraft. The FAA also is looking into the incident.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LADeadline16

ALSO

5 accused of helping suspect evade capture after killing of L.A. sheriffs sergeant

Woman accused of framing husbands ex-fiancee is extradited to face charges in Craigslist rape fantasy plot

After pretty extraordinary snowfall, Sierra Nevada brace for another battering from atmospheric river
A hiker who tumbled 30 feet down a waterfall and hurt her back was rescued Friday afternoon in a restricted section of Eaton Canyon in Altadena, authorities reported.

Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies and a Pasadena Fire Department search and rescue team went to the aid of a woman who fell while climbing in an area that had been posted with warning signs because of dangerous conditions.

Firefighters said recent rains have raised the water volume of the falls and turned the adjoining stream into a raging torrent. Several deaths have occurred in the area.

Advertisement

Two of the victims friends reported the fall to authorities about 3 p.m. The woman, who was in her 30s and not identified, was taken to a trauma center for treatment.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LADeadline16

ALSO

Investigation underway into airplane that narrowly missed Mt. Wilson last month

Laguna parents file hate-crime complaint after watermelon is thrown at their home

San Ysidro port cafeteria worker gets 5 years in prison for trying to bribe border officer
The proposed home of a convicted child predator was destroyed Thursday in what investigators described as a suspicious fire, just days after the Fresno County district attorneys office had announced a hearing regarding his placement on the rural property.

Firefighters responded just after 11 a.m. to a report of black smoke in the area of 36000 Sage Lane in Squaw Valley, said Capt. Jeremiah Wittwer, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for Fresno County. When firefighters arrived, they saw flames razing a single-wide mobile home proposed for child molester Jeffrey F. Snyder. The mobile home was empty and unfurnished, but had power, Wittwer said. No one was injured.

It was unclear what started the blaze, Wittwer said, but the timing raised some flags.

Advertisement

We cannot rule out arson, he said.

Investigators will be inspecting the homes wiring and looking into whether the fire has anything to do with an announcement about Snyders hearing.

The district attorney said Tuesday that a Feb. 28 hearing had been scheduled for Snyder, 61, a sexually violent predator convicted seven times of molesting children. At the hearing, attorneys planned to discuss Snyders home, a site proposed by the California Department of State Hospitals.

Snyders placement has been contentious for Fresno County residents. In September, a county judge rejected a bid to move him to northwest Fresno after owners of nearly 300 properties declined to rent to him, the Fresno Bee reported.

Alluding to that communitys success in blocking Snyder, the Fresno County Sheriffs Office took to Facebook on Wednesday to urge Squaw Valley residents to speak up.

We are sending this message out to the entire county because we want you to be aware that he or another offender could be scheduled to move to your neighborhood in the future, so its beneficial to be aware of the power you hold and how the process works, the sheriffs office wrote. We know many will say, just ship him to another state. However, under the law, Snyder must be relocated in Fresno County because this is where he was prosecuted.

Details about the proposed 756-square-foot home and its address were listed in the district attorneys release. The two-bedroom home with one bathroom, a main residence and detached garage is on 4.6 acres in rustic area in southwest Fresno County.

Snyders attorney Curtis Sok said he suspected the fire was arson, but was not discouraged about finding a place for his client. He said he hoped to replace the burned shell with another mobile home on the same property. The land, Sok said, is far from other homes and people, and placing Snyder there would be protecting everybody.

This is a very good location, he said. Its out in the boonies.

Sok said Snyder has passed every treatment program, received glowing reports from his doctors and has earned his release. Snyder, he said, would be on a very tight leash.

We and my client are very aware of the publics concern, he said. We are going to do the right thing.

California Department of State Hospitals spokesman Ralph Montano told The Times that its contractor would continue to work with the court to identify potential housing that a judge deems appropriate for patients who are conditionally released.

Asst. Dist. Atty. Steve Wright said he expected Liberty Healthcare, the contractor hired to help find housing for Snyder, to inform the Fresno County judge at the hearing that the property was no longer available and to ask for additional time to search for new housing.

This has never happened before, he said.

Snyder has been in custody since September 2002, when he violated parole for having contact with a minor. According to the district attorneys office, Snyders victims are males 8 to 17. He has been in and out of prison since 1979, when he was found to be a mentally disordered sex offender.

After he was released from prison, Snyder was sent to Coalinga State Hospital, where he has been receiving sex offender treatment.

A judge ruled in March that Snyder was still a sexually violent predator, but had qualified for outpatient treatment only through a conditional release program. He would wear a GPS ankle monitor and be under supervision 24 hours a day, seven days a week, his attorney said.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday he has tapped his in-house lawyer to serve as the temporary replacement for departing City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, the top budget advisor at City Hall.

Rich Llewellyn, 60, will hold the powerful post on an interim basis starting Feb. 1, Garcetti said. In that job, he will provide policy guidance to both the mayor and the City Council.

Garcetti said a permanent city administrative officer, or CAO, wont be appointed until after the budget for the next fiscal year is approved  an act that typically occurs in May.

Advertisement

I want to have stable leadership during the time when CAO staff does the most important thing they do, which is working on the budget, he said.

Garcetti said the city will conduct a national search for Santanas replacement. In the interim, city officials will face some serious financial challenges, including rapidly growing legal bills and lower-than-expected revenues.

Llewellyn, who lives in Hollywood, would not say whether he will seek the permanent post. I think I can serve this city, and well see how it goes, he said.

Garcetti said Llewellyn will not have a leg up on the permanent job simply because he is filling the temporary position. Hes an interim CAO, and I want to make sure were looking throughout the country  for the best person, Garcetti said.

Santana played a pivotal role during his tenure, helping the city to emerge from a major financial crisis. At the depth of that crisis, he recommended painful and politically unpopular budget-cutting strategies, including layoffs and furloughs.

After Santana in November announced his departure to lead the L.A. County Fair Assn., council members began calling for a nationwide search for his replacement.

Llewellyn has a lengthy history at City Hall. He was Garcettis chief of staff from 2001 to 2005, when Garcetti was a council member representing an Echo Park-to-Hollywood district. He left to oversee the office of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and later became chief of staff to Councilman Paul Koretz, who represents a Westside council district.

After Garcetti won the 2013 mayoral election, Llewellyn played a major role in the transition and was named in-house attorney for the mayors office.

Before coming to City Hall, Llewellyn worked as special counsel to Garcettis father, then-Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti. In that post and in others, he was involved in putting together budgets.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidZahniser
An Encino attorney accused of making racist threats against Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, arguing that his free speech and other constitutional rights were violated.

Wayne Spindler, who has frequently appeared at City Hall to criticize city officials, was arrested two days after a May public meeting where he submitted a comment card featuring racially incendiary drawings. The card included drawings of a burning cross and a person hanging from a tree, as well as a racial slur against Wesson, who is black.

At the time, Wesson said he saw the comment card as a potential threat to himself and others, one that echoed an ugly history of racist attacks on the black community. City lawyers obtained a restraining order barring Spindler from coming near Wessons home, vehicle or city office, but allowed him to speak at public meetings.

Advertisement

County prosecutors ultimately decided not to prosecute Spindler. A memo released by Dist. Atty. Jackie Laceys office in December said that although the card was deeply offensive, morally wrong and socially reprehensible, there was insufficient evidence to adequately prove that Spindler had crossed the line from protected speech to a true threat.

Spindler has denied threatening Wesson. In his lawsuit, Spindler claimed the arrest was a malicious and illegal attempt to suppress his free speech.

He argued that the burning cross was meant to symbolize the city being destroyed by corruption and that the person hanging from a tree symbolized the Department of Water and Power lynching Angelenos with high rates. Spindler, citing rappers such as Ice-T and the group N.W.A, said the racial slur he used was a way of calling Wesson a sell-out.

Spindler also wrote that he had been oppressed as a white American by black and Jewish city officials. His lawsuit argued that city rules governing public comment are unconstitutional and that the restraining order was a form of malicious prosecution.

They were manufacturing a way to get me out of City Hall for good, Spindler said Friday.

Wesson spokeswoman Vanessa Rodriguez declined to discuss the lawsuit, and a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer did not respond to requests for comment.

Los Angeles has been challenged before over how it handles inflammatory speech at public meetings: Three years ago, the city paid $215,000 to settle a lawsuit by a Venice resident who was kicked out of a city commission meeting. The man, who is black, went to the meeting wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood and a T-shirt featuring a message with a racial slur.

Federal courts have ruled that people cannot be ejected from council meetings simply for using profanity or hateful speech, though the city can act if someone disrupts a meeting.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesEmily

ALSO

Protests at UC Davis lead to canceling of speech by Breitbarts Milo Yiannopoulos

I left my tacos on the table and took off running. Immigrants remember the workplace raids of the 1980s

Californias bullet train is hurtling toward a multibillion-dollar overrun, a confidential federal report warns
Speeches by conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli were canceled after heated protests erupted Friday night at UC Davis.

University police put up barricades as protesters shouting Shut it down! grew increasingly rowdy in the hours leading up to the talks. The UC Davis College Republicans, which sponsored the event, chose to cancel.

Yiannopoulos writes for the Breitbart.com website and is permanently banned from Twitter after leading a harassment campaign against Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones. He said on his Facebook page that the event was canceled after violence from left-wing protesters.

Advertisement

But campus police said there was no violence or property destruction, and no arrests were made.

The schools interim chancellor, Ralph Hexter, said he was deeply disappointed by the protests and cancellation.

Our community is founded on principles of respect for all views, even those that we personally find repellent, Hexter said after the cancellation. As I have stated repeatedly, a university is at its best when it listens to and critically engages opposing views, especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive.

Yiannopoulos has been on a college speaking tour and has drawn similar reactions at other universities, and a lucrative book deal he recently signed has caused a similar outcry.

Shkreli stepped down as the head of Turing Pharmaceuticals last year after he was charged with securities fraud. He was heavily criticized in 2015 for raising the price of a lifesaving malaria medication and recently was suspended from Twitter for harassing a journalist.

Yiannopoulos took to Facebook on Saturday, attacking both the university and the protesters.

Left-wing thugs scared UC Davis into canceling my event last night by damaging property, hurling excrement at guests and starting fights. It was the university and campus PD who told us the event could not go ahead. Why is the university and its police force trying to pretend otherwise? Who are they trying to protect? he wrote.

Davis Republican club cancels event with Milo Yiannopoulos, Martin Shkreli https://t.co/p2Z8Gm76hE pic.twitter.com/wq3VNBRnpu  Sacramento NewsChan (@Sacramento_NC) January 14, 2017

University of California, Davis cancels event featuring Milo Yiannopoulos and Martin Shkreli after protests, fights pic.twitter.com/xbsYsbRn2n  BNO News (@BNONews) January 14, 2017

ALSO

I left my tacos on the table and took off running. Immigrants remember the workplace raids of the 1980s

Californias bullet train is hurtling toward a multibillion-dollar overrun, a confidential federal report warns

Comfort, dignity, security; seniors extol virtues of low-rent housing while thousands of others wait in long line

UPDATES:

Jan. 14, 9:50 a.m.: This article was updated with a response from Yiannopoulos.

10:20 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from Hexter and additional background information.

This article was originally published at 10 p.m. Jan. 13.
A motel room once used by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to plan civil rights protests is the centerpiece of a new national monument in Alabama.

President Obama signed an order creating the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in one of his final acts as the nations first black president. The announcement, made Thursday, coincides with the upcoming national holiday for Kings birthday.

Ed Hall, who served as tourism director for both the city and state, said discussions about restoring the motel go back decades. He is glad to see the site finally getting its due.

Advertisement

This whole thing is so rewarding that were going to get this done, Hall said Friday. The National Park Service will do it the right way.

In the spring of 1963, King stayed at the A.G. Gaston Motel while planning protests against legalized segregation in Birmingham, a bastion of racial hatred marred by years of bombings and other attacks on blacks.

King worked with aides in an upstairs, two-room suite known as the war room. Their discussions led to weeks of protests, including marches that ended with police dogs and fire hoses being unleashed on children on downtown streets.

The room was gutted and the motel was abandoned long ago, but restoration work already is underway. Laser guides recently used to measure the rooms dimensions hang inside; an interior wall has a big hole where workers checked the structure for environmental hazards.

Now owned by the city, the motel will be restored as part of a more than $10-million project. In the war room, workers will demolish a small kitchen that was added when the motel was converted to apartments in the 1980s. Theyll also restore it to its 1963 appearance, with period furnishings.

The Birmingham monument also includes the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a museum, and the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four black girls died in a Ku Klux Klan bombing in September 1963.

About 60 miles east of Birmingham, the Freedom Riders National Monument created by Obama will include a yet-to-be restored Greyhound bus station where a racially integrated bus of activists was attacked by whites in 1961. And in Beaufort County, S.C., the Reconstruction Era National Monument features a community built by freed slaves after the Civil War.

The abandoned A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Ala., will be renovated as the citys civil rights district joins the National Park Service under a proclamation signed by President Obama. (Jay Reeves / Associated Press )

ALSO

Trump kicks off Martin Luther King weekend by sharply criticizing civil rights icon John Lewis

Bitter, disbelieving: Cuban migrants en route to U.S. hope for some kind of eleventh-hour reprieve

Obama envisioned a bridge across party lines. Instead he oversaw a deepening chasm
Its a cliche that definitive judgments of a presidency take time to develop. Presidents praised in their own era  think of John F. Kennedy  are often subject to revisionist reappraisals by later historians, and the process also works in reverse.

Yet as Barack Obama prepares to vacate the White House we can say this much with confidence: The 44th president was a conscientious and intelligent leader who espoused humane values, inspired millions of Americans and successfully fulfilled some of his most significant promises.

They include skillfully managing a recovery from a recession he inherited; protecting the rights of racial minorities and gay, lesbian and transgender Americans; combating international terrorism without engaging in religious stereotyping; providing health insurance to tens of millions of Americans who had previously gone without; and promulgating a Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon pollution from power plants.

Advertisement

Obamas dignity and gravitas seem, of course, only more appealing as the Trump presidency approaches.

His administration joined with other nations in forging an agreement with Iran that blocked its path  at least for a 10-year period  to developing a nuclear weapon; it endorsed the Paris Agreement on climate change; and it ended an anachronistic and counterproductive Cold War policy of refusing to deal with Cuba.

Obamas White House was free of the corruption that tarnished the administrations of some of his predecessors. And Obama throughout his tenure displayed dignity, even in the face of vicious and sometimes racist attacks that no other president has had to endure.

There were also disappointments, at home and abroad, including his failure to persuade Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform or to close the infamous detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Ultimately, despite coming to office as the anti-George W. Bush, Obama was unable to extricate the United States militarily from the Middle East and Afghanistan.

On election night in 2008, Obama told a jubilant crowd in Chicago that on this date, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. The 47-year-old first-term senator, the first African American to be elected president, encouraged his supporters  and the country  to resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. In the flush of his improbable victory, such a magical transformation briefly seemed possible.

Of course, partisanship and pettiness persisted, and frustrated many of Obamas legislative initiatives, not to mention a nomination to the Supreme Court that the Republican Senate shamefully refused even to consider. The sad truth is that Obamas election didnt usher in a post-partisan America any more than it did a post-racial one. He leaves behind a divided and acrimonious nation.

Republicans argued that the president has only himself to blame for the partisan chasm that prevented much of his domestic agenda from being enacted. More generally, they accused him of high-handedness and a propensity to short-circuit the legislative process with executive actions such as his temporary legalization of some immigrants in the country illegally and his aggressive use of recess appointments, for which he was reprimanded by the Supreme Court. But Obamas pen and phone unilateralism was mostly a response to Republican obstructionism.

On foreign policy, Obama campaigned on a platform of ending the wars that had cost thousands of Americans lives in the aftermath of 9/11, including the ill-considered invasion of Iraq. In his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic convention, he promised to end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

U.S. troops did completely withdraw from Iraq at the end of 2011. But the rise of Islamic State persuaded Obama to order air strikes in that country and to deploy 5,200 U.S. troops in train, advise and assist roles. In Afghanistan, Obamas advisers warned him that complete withdrawal of U.S. troops would undermine the weak central government in its battle with the Taliban; some 8,400 U.S. troops will remain after Obama leaves office.

But if Obama has been too interventionist for some of his supporters, he hasnt been interventionist enough for some of his critics  particularly when it comes to Syria. He has been criticized  including by some members of his own State Department  for not taking military action against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad in an attempt to end that countrys civil war.

The Syrian civil war has been a humanitarian disaster, yet we understand Obamas concern that a U.S. effort to topple Assad  directly or in alliance with supposedly moderate Syrian rebels  would have dangerous consequences, including the possibility of involving the U.S. in another major war in the Middle East. Overall, Obamas use of U.S. military force has been prudent and pragmatic; we would recommend his careful approach to his successor, who inherits a dangerous and increasingly disordered world.

And speaking of that successor, Obamas dignity and gravitas seem, of course, only more appealing as the Trump presidency approaches. The incoming president, who fired up his political career by cynically questioning Obamas citizenship, has betrayed a reckless, petulant, bullying demeanor that threatens his ability to do the job. Trump may not embrace many of Obamas policies; but he would serve himself and the country well by studying the way his predecessor conducted himself.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Much more so than in 2012, many of the letters about last years election have been written about the supporters of the nominees rather than the candidates themselves. In other words, readers have nearly as much to say about the people who voted for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton as they do about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

The missive that lead off Tuesdays letters page is a case in point. Reacting to the intelligence report on Russian hacking, reader Michael Murphy of San Pedro accused Democrats of being in denial about Trumps victory. He said he cannot help but chuckle when he thinks of Clinton supporters dismay, a taunt that did not sit well with some readers.

Here is what some of those readers wrote in reply.

Advertisement

Paul Thornton, letters editor

Jan Rainbird of Irvine predicts that the Trump presidency will galvanize liberals:

A particular letter writer goes to great effort to chortle about the Trump presidency and leaps to the conclusion that Clinton supporters are in denial.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Denial implies that an observer is choosing to not see the obvious; what we see, as plainly as possible, is a litigious, unqualified narcissist thrust into the presidency even though he lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes.

Who is really in denial here? Also, Trumps supporters should be aware that we will indeed be confronting and contesting every appalling decision made by his administration, which could be an almost daily occurrence.

Camarillo resident Wendy Fisch says the left is prepared to do what Republicans did under President Obama:

I am a liberal Democrat, yet I too find the results of the election amusing.

For one thing, I also laugh at the idea of Trump as president, so I have something in common with the letter writer.

I sincerely hope it will rid the country of that constant annoying whine that has interfered with every effort to get Congress moving for the last eight years.

Unfortunately, the right has held that ground for a long time and may find the position hard to give up.

On the other hand,

while there has been no official announcement, I suspect there might be an effort afoot to confront, contest and obstruct the new administration at every possible turn.

Liberals have learned from the masters, after all. By the way, where was Trump born?

Jordan Goodman of Burbank believes the future is bright for liberals:

I hate to ruin the letter writers giggle fest, but there is one irrefutable fact that he and his fellow Trump supporters are overlooking.

The United States has become and will continue to become a more liberal nation over time. People demand freedom, pure and simple.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: The striking sight of the sea of humanity, a mixture of multiple ethnicities and genders, braving the bitter Chicago cold Tuesday night to bid farewell to President Obama  a path-breaking president, good husband, caring father and man of integrity, honesty and decency  was a testament to the peoples admiration for the outgoing president. This is a man who made history eight years ago, whose election exemplified the American values of tolerance and equality.

Even the presidents ardent critics ought to concede that Obama was instrumental in steering the nation out of its terrible recession. His signature accomplishment, the Affordable Care Act, has made health insurance accessible to millions of previously uninsured Americans, for whom basic medical care was a dream.

( Yes, we did. Yes, we can, Jan. 11)

Advertisement

The presidents farewell speech was oratory at its best. It came straight from his heart and reached those who watched with mixed emotions over whats next. After profusely thanking the people who propelled him into the Oval Office, Obama ended with his hopeful message: Not only yes, we did, but also yes, we can. This hope is what America is all about.

Atul M. Karnik, Woodside, N.Y.

::

To the editor: Obama still accuses others of doing the bad things he had done. He takes credit for what others have done. He claims transparency, but has none.

Eight years of Obama has seriously harmed this country. His is a failed presidency in every respect.

Ray Shelton, Glendale

::

To the editor: Obamas farewell speech pointedly revealed the differences in our outgoing and incoming presidents.

Obama is intelligent, articulate, thinking, compassionate and embracing of kindness, hope and the ideals of our democracy, preferring to believe that the better angels of our nature will prevail. President-elect Donald Trump is ignorant, inarticulate, impulsive, rude, crude, dismissive and bullying, and embracing of and encouraging hate and divisiveness which threaten our democracy.

Sad.

Margaret Quiett, San Gabriel

::

To the editor: I dont want to say goodbye. Third term, please.

Rob Briner, Anaheim

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: Let me make clear the Pioneer Cabin Sequoia was not killed by recent storms. This magnificent tree that had been growing for more than 1,000 years was put to a slow, drawn out death by short-term thinking, greedy people who could only see an opportunity to make money by carving the trees heart out so tourists could drive their cars through it.

( A big tree falls in the forest, Jan. 10)

Those who created this tourist attraction killed the tree slowly.

Advertisement

We appear to be a nation of short-term thinkers, and people who take the long view seem to be in the minority. I wonder why humans cant simply see the beauty of nature as it exists. Rather, they need to improve it or make it into a profit center Why cant a millennium-old tree just be valued because it exists?

I fear for the future of our planet as the short-term thinkers appear to be winning.

Ed Hieshetter, San Diego

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
In the 2018 governors race, Gavin Newsom leads the pack in fundraising Gavin Newsom, the first major candidate to jump into CA's 2018 governor's race, narrowly lead the pack in 2016 fundraising w/ $4.27 million  Phil Willon (@philwillon) February 1, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Schwarzenegger: Were going through some difficult moments ... but I guarantee we will work our way out of this By Seema Mehta (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the United States had faced trying times and political crises before, and has always persevered. Yes, were going through some difficult moments right now, as we have in the past, but I guarantee we will work our way out of this, Schwarzenegger said, speaking at an electoral reform event at the University of Southern California. He recalled immigrating to the United States and seeing the violent protests at the Democratic National Convention in 1968, Watergate and the economic troubles during President Jimmy Carters tenure. One thing you can count on in America is even though it falls every so often  as we all do  it dusts itself off, gets up and gets going again, Schwarzenegger said. That is why  its the number one country in the world. Although Schwarzenegger did not mention President Donald Trump by name during his remarks, the comments appeared to be a reference to the turbulence since Trump took office less than two weeks ago. Tensions between Schwarzenegger, who replaced Trump as the host of Celebrity Apprentice, and the new president and fellow Republican have been escalating. On Monday, Schwarzenegger called the implementation of Trumps temporary ban on immigration from several Muslim-majority countries crazy. The previous week, Schwarzenegger slammed Trumps pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt, as a hypocrite. Earlier in January, Trump mocked Schwarzenegger for the first ratings of Celebrity Apprentice after the former governor took over as the host. During the presidential campaign, Schwarzenegger repeatedly made clear his disdain for Trump, pointedly casting his ballot in the California primary for Ohio Gov. John Kasich after he had dropped out. On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger was headlining an event about redistricting reform at his namesake institute at USC. He did not respond to reporters questions after the event. While governor, Schwarzenegger championed electoral reform, including an ultimately successful effort to take the redrawing of congressional and legislative districts away from politicians and give them instead to an independent commission. Both political parties have long tried to use gerrymandering to create districts that favor their politicians. But David Daley, author of The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal Americas Democracy, argued that Republicans were able to make unprecedented changes in the 2010 redistricting that will have long-lasting effects on this nations politics because of a confluence of factors, including unprecedented technology such as mapping software, and a flood of anonymous money due to the Citizens United ruling. In 2010, gerrymandering enters its steroid era, Daley said. The end result, he said, was that while the nation remained relatively closely divided between the two parties, the GOP was able to exponentially expand its hold of statehouses, governors mansions and congressional seats. Speakers urged Californians to take the lessons they had learned through the states redistricting reform and try to help voters apply them in other states, through the initiative, or legislative or legal systems. We are the model for the rest of the nation and that is why we in California have to do everything we can to pull together all the things that happen successfully in California and nationwide, Schwarzenegger said. Because the rest of the states are waiting for us. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Top Democratic donor Tom Steyer is planning a larger role opposing President Trump By Chris Megerian On Sunday, Tom Steyer was holding a cardboard sign saying not on my watch at San Franciscos airport, one of thousands protesting President Trumps order preventing visitors from several predominantly Muslim countries. I went out there to participate, but also to listen, he said. Like other liberal leaders, hes been hunting for the right approach to counter Trump. Now the deep-pocketed Democratic donor is launching a new effort that could expand the scope of NextGen Climate, the San Francisco-based organization he created and funded. Although Steyer expects to stay active on environmental issues  the onetime hedge fund manager is best known for advocating stronger steps to fight climate change and support clean energy  hes looking to play a more expansive role in opposing Trump. The number of issues that have to be addressed are broader, he said in an interview, pointing to Trumps statements on issues such as voting that he considers to be a broader attack on fundamental American rights. In a video posted on Tuesday night, Steyer says, I promise to do everything in my power to stand up to Trump and asks for the publics thoughts on what next steps should be taken. Steyer spent $74 million in the 2014 midterm election, and then millions more last year to support Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. Although results have been mixed  Republicans gained ground in both years  Steyer said the experiences have positioned NextGen to educate and mobilize voters across the country. There are very few people who are set up organizationally to do what were trying to do, he said. Steyer has already played a role in opposing Trumps nominees, running advertisements criticizing his choice for secretary of State, former Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson. Besides simply fighting Trump, Steyer also hopes to project an alternative view of the country  one that comes with a dose of California sunshine. America can pursue a much more optimistic, a much more prosperous, a much more equitable and a much healthier future, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Former aide is preparing to run for Rep. Grace Napolitanos seat if she retires By Javier Panzar Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk), who turned 80 last year, has not made plans to retire. But one San Gabriel Valley politician is raising funds to run in case Napolitano does decide to bow out after 10 terms in Congress. Mary Ann Lutz, the former mayor of Monrovia and a former aide to Napolitano, reported having $101,000 in the bank to run for Napolitanos 32nd Congressional District seat, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission. But Lutz says she will run only if Napolitano retires. I have enormous respect for my former boss, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, and would never run against her for any office, Lutz said in a statement. In the event that the 32nd Congressional District seat eventually opens up, I plan to run, and run aggressively. Napolitano suffered a minor stroke last February that affected her ability to write and slightly slowed her walk. She continued her reelection campaign and beat state Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina), who effectively ended his campaign in August after a judge granted his ex-wifes request for a domestic violence restraining order against him. During an interview with The Times a day before the November election, Napolitano said the health of her 90-year-old husband would be a key factor in her decision on whether to run for an 11th term in 2018. I would love to stay but it depends, she said. I will be ready to hang it up when I am ready. Lutz was elected in 2003 to the City Council in Monrovia, a city of 36,000 in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, and was elected mayor in 2009. She lost her reelection bid in 2015 and went on to work for Napolitano as an advisor on water issues. Lutz raised $26,000 and loaned her campaign committee an additional $75,000. Napolitano has $144,692 in the bank if she wants to run again. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

State Senate committee votes in favor of funding legal aid for immigrants in California facing deportation By Jazmine Ulloa (John Moore / Getty Images) A state legislative bill seeking to expand legal services for immigrants in the U.S. illegally moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday on a 5-2 vote. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), would create a legal defense program funded with state money that would provide lawyers for immigrants caught in deportation or removal proceedings. It comes roughly three years after the Unaccompanied Undocumented Minors program began providing state-funded legal services for young refugees fleeing gang violence in Central America. Hueso said the measure faced new urgency given President Trumps executive orders last week on immigration. This is a bill protecting Californians, protecting their families, but also protecting Californias economic prominence, Hueso said. I hope we can all stand united on this and say, Yes, we stand by our immigrant community in California. Members of the committee raised concerns about whether it whittled away at defense services available for detainees convicted of certain crimes  and over how the state would be able to afford it amid a looming deficit and budget cuts from the federal government. It is well-meaning, but it is a whole different agency that we are setting up in an expedited way, Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California assemblyman wants state to make cleaner purchases By Chris Megerian (Alexis Cuarezma / For The Times) A California lawmaker wants state officials to consider greenhouse gas emissions when making new purchases, a proposal that would add a new wrinkle to the bidding process for government contracts. Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) said the legislation (AB 262) would harness the states enormous buying power to support clean manufacturing. The measure, which includes state agencies and university systems, would affect the purchase of materials such as asphalt, cement, steel and glass for projects such as hospitals, dormitories and roads. Companies bidding on state contracts would be required to report greenhouse gas emissions generated by the manufacturing and transportation of supplies. Officials would then factor that information into their decision. Given Californias goal of slashing emissions, Bonta said he hopes that the legislation puts the states money where its values are. He doesnt expect the requirement to report more information would be a significant burden on companies seeking contracts. This will just be one more piece of information that will need to be added, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

First of several immigrant protection bills clears state Senate Public Safety Committee By Jazmine Ulloa (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) As national debate and protests have taken place over President Donald Trumps executive actions on immigration and refugees, the state Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday passed the first of several bills aimed at protecting immigrants in California. Senate Bill 54, introduced by Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, detain, report or arrest persons for the purposes of immigration enforcement. The proposal, dubbed the California Values Act, also aims to protect immigrants personal data, requiring state agencies to review their confidentiality policies and to ensure that they are only collecting information necessary to their departments. It moved out of committee with a 5-2 vote. Long line of advocates, lawyers in support SB 54, prohibiting law enforcement agencies from using resources for immigrants enforcement. pic.twitter.com/G0IV9ihRjE  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) January 31, 2017 The bill seeks to strengthen immigrant protections threatened under Trumps executive actions. In orders signed last week, the president pledged to cut federal dollars from so-called sanctuary cities, which have policies limiting the cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. At a committee hearing Tuesday, De Leon said the proposal builds on the California Trust Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed in October 2013. The state law prevents law enforcement agencies from detaining immigrants longer than necessary for minor crimes so that federal immigration authorities can take them into custody. A long line of immigrant advocates, lawyers and lobbyists rose in support of the bill, saying it would continue to help law enforcement officials build trust within immigrant communities and allow more victims and witnesses to report crime. Democratic members in the committee urged their Republican colleagues to vote for the legislation and move away from Trumps rhetoric, which they said stereotyped immigrants as criminals. They pointed to low crime rates in immigrant communities and stressed that many police chiefs do not want to enforce immigration laws. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), chair of the committee, said people across California were under economic stress that could be manipulated into fear. All of us want hardened criminals prosecuted under the law, she said. All of us. But what we are watching now is a pitting of people against each other, a targeting of immigrants. Opponents were not swayed. They said the bills language was too broad and could prevent communication among police agencies at different levels of government, allowing dangerous criminals to escape prosecution. Im concerned that you are basically making the state of California a de facto sanctuary state, Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Murrieta) told De Leon. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California lawmakers seek stricter enforcement, more transparency at state toxics control agency By Melanie Mason Jose Gomez, at his home on South Hicks Avenue in East Los Angeles, is among thousands whose yards have been tested for contamination from the former Exide plant. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Assembly Democrats unveiled a package of five bills Tuesday aimed at reforming the state agency tasked with regulating toxic substances. The Department of Toxic Substances Control has been roundly criticized for its flat-footed response in regulating and cleaning up pollution from the now-closed Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon. A Los Angeles Times review in 2015 found the department knew for years that the plant was violating environmental regulations but was slow to act on it. Too many communities, including communities I represent, have been harmed by toxic emissions that were released into their neighborhoods  emissions that could and should have been stopped, Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said in a statement. The goal of this legislative package is a more transparent, accountable, and responsive Department of Toxic Substances Control  and safer and healthier communities throughout California. The proposed legislation includes: AB 245 by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles), which would require hazardous waste facilities to comply with higher financial assurance requirements to make sure there are adequate funds for contamination cleanup.

AB 249 (Gomez), which would increase maximum penalties the department can assess to match what the federal government can assess in similar situations.

AB 248 by Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-San Bernardino), which would require hazardous waste facilities to submit permit renewals two years prior to the current permits expiration to avoid lapses.

AB 246 by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), which would promote the use of fence line monitoring by facilities to better detect leaks.

AB 247 by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), which would create a statewide task force focused on reducing lead poisoning in the state. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she will vote no on Jeff Sessions nomination for U.S. attorney general By Sarah D. Wire California Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced this morning that she will vote no on the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for U.S. attorney general. The statement comes after protestors visited Feinsteins home and office out of concern that she may vote in favor of the nomination. Protesters marched on her home and California offices last night. #CASen https://t.co/U0HhsJxwTB  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) January 31, 2017 JUST NOW: On Sessions attorney general nomination: I must vote no. pic.twitter.com/lfQnX5Khug  Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) January 31, 2017 It is very difficult to reconcile for me the independence and objectivity necessary for the position of attorney general with the partisanship this nominee has demonstrated, Feinstein said Tuesday. We are being asked to determine whether this nominees record demonstrates that he will have the objectivity to enforce the law for all Americans and be an independent attorney general and not an arm of the White House. Feinstein is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which votes today on the confirmation of Sessions to be President Trumps attorney general. Feinstein pointed to former acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Sally Yates as an example of what she is looking for. Yates was fired Monday, just hours after she announced that the Justice Department would not defend Trumps controversial executive order banning refugees and travelers from certain countries. Yesterday, early in the evening, we clearly saw what a truly independent attorney general doesI have no confidence that Senator Sessions will do that, Feinstein said. Instead, he has been the fiercest, most dedicated, and most loyal promoter in Congress of the Trump agenda, and has played a critical role as the clearinghouse for policy and philosophy to undergird the implementation of that agenda. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Where do Californias members of Congress stand on President Trumps refugee order? By Sarah D. Wire Noor Hindi, left, and Shah Najjar, middle, join the protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) President Trumps executive order Friday, which blocked U.S. entry to refugees and nationals of seven Muslim-majority nations, brought thousands of Americans to the nations airports in protest over the weekend. Several Democrats from Californias 54-member congressional delegation joined constituents at airports, and lobbied customs and Border Patrol officials to release the detained visa holders. Many of the states 14 Republican representatives were initially silent on the executive order. Several have since voiced their support, while others were critical of the orders rollout. Heres a look at what each member of the California congressional delegation has said about the executive order: Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California state Senate passes resolution condemning President Trumps refugee ban By Jazmine Ulloa Protesters are held back by airport police on Sunday at LAX. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) After nearly two hours of debate, the state Senate on Monday passed a resolution that condemned President Trumps executive order banning immigrants and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries, calling it discriminatory overreach. Democrats introduced the resolution after the presidents order Friday spurred a weekend of protests and chaos at airports across the country. The resolution denounces Trumps actions and urges the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to comply with federal court orders permitting detainees to have timely access to counsel. It cleared the Senate floor with a 26-11 vote largely along party lines, reflecting the national rift over Trumps immigration order. Two Republican members abstained. On the Senate floor, Democrats called the executive order an affront on religious freedom that panders to fear and foments discrimination, and said it would not further public safety. Reaching to members across the aisle, they said the resolution was not about partisanship or opposing Trump, but about protecting American institutions. In a fiery speech, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said the order is unconstitutional and violates fundamental rights. You see this is how we end up with fascism and totalitarianism, she said. Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said she did not want four more years of executive orders crafted in the cover of darkness. But Republican members said that President Obama had taken similar actions and that they had a duty to their constituents, who were worried about national security and a vetting process they said did not stop terrorists from entering the nations borders. Obama has rejected comparisons of his policy to Trumps. We do not welcome those who have come here to harm us, Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) said, urging a no vote. We cannot ignore contemporary reality. Our enemies do not reside beyond our shores. They are within. The resolution states that 134 million people are temporarily barred from entering or reentering the United States, including nationals with dual citizenship. Hundreds of thousands with visas are also blocked, it says. The resolution also denounces the manner in which the executive order was executed, saying it was not fully vetted by the departments tasked with protecting the nations national security interests. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

State attorneys general met in Florida to strategize on how to counter Trump, Becerra says By Patrick McGreevy California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. ((Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) ) A joint statement by 15 attorneys general over the weekend condemning President Trumps refugee order grew out of a meeting in Florida between California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and some of his concerned counterparts, Becerra said Monday. Becerra gathered Thursday in Fort Lauderdale with other attorneys general, including Washington Atty. Gen. Bob Ferguson, to strategize about responding to the Trump administration on various issues. The meeting took place at the annual winter conference of the Democratic Attorneys General Assn. Several of the AGs have been in communication, Becerra said in an interview with The Times. We made it very clear in our joint statement that we are going to do everything we can to make sure that the unlawful, unconstitutional executive orders by the Trump administration dont see the light of day. Officials who signed the joint statement included legal representatives from Washington, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia. On Monday, Ferguson announced he was suing Trump over the executive order that suspended refugee entries for 120 days and barred entry to the U.S. for 90 days for those traveling from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Becerra said that he had been in contact with Ferguson and that the option to pursue legal action is under consideration for California. Thats one of many avenues of how we are looking to approach this, Becerra said. As a result of the Florida meeting, Becerra said, the top lawyers from the 15 states are collaborating on how to address various Trump directives. Everyone is doing a little bit of something, he said. Everyones trying to figure out how best to address this. Florida Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, a Republican, did not attend the meeting, Becerra said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California warily watches President Trump while pushing forward on climate change By Chris Megerian (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Its been a decade since California set its first target for slashing greenhouse gas emissions, one of several policies that has made the state an international leader in the fight against global warming. So while President Trump suggests hes going to roll back the countrys environmental regulations, state leaders insist they wont be knocked off track here. This is when you do your best work, said John Laird, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. We cant worry about pulling back just to sink with everyone else who isnt moving at all. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Rep. Duncan Hunter urges Trump to make an executive order exemption for Iraqis who aided U.S. military By Sarah D. Wire Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) are asking President Trump to approve waivers to his executive order for Iraqis who helped the American military. Hunter and Kinzinger, who both served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in the letter to Trump that they supported a request from Defense Secretary James N. Mattis that visa reviews for some Iraqis be fast-tracked. For the safety of these courageous individuals and their families, and in the interest of our national security, its critical that we make this exception and do so swiftly, the congressmen said in a statement. The executive order Trump signed Friday bars all refugee entries for 120 days, blocks Syrian refugees indefinitely and bars for 90 days the entry of citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia. Some of the earliest stories of people caught up in the ban included military interpreters from Iraq who had visas. We respectfully ask that you take this action to ensure these individuals are not put in any further danger. Doing so would send a strong signal to those who show such immense courage to advance U.S. security interests at a risk to their own safety, as well as the many veterans and warfighters whove relied on the service of these individuals for their own protection and to accomplish their objectives, their letter states. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Democrats in the California Legislature move to condemn President Trumps immigration orders Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes voices his misgivings about refugee order By Patrick McGreevy Assembly Minority Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) speaks in the Capitol on Jan. 11. (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley on Monday joined a number of GOP politicians who are voicing misgivings about President Trumps order temporarily barring refugees from some majority-Muslim countries from entering the country. Religious liberty is a core value of our nation. My ancestors immigrated to America to flee religious persecution, Mayes said in a statement. While bolstering our national security is important, when forced to decide between security and liberty, I will always side with liberty. He is concerned about them [the orders], said Matt Mahon, a spokesman for the assemblyman. Trumps directives suspended refugee entries for 120 days and barred entry to the U.S. for 90 days for those traveling from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Rep. Zoe Lofgren and other ranking Democrats demand emergency meeting on refugee ban By Sarah D. Wire After two days of protests across the country over President Trumps order Friday banning refugees from seven countries, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and the ranking Democrats of three committees that oversee immigration issues are demanding a meeting with President Trumps new Homeland Security secretary, John F. Kelly. The move by Trump prevented green card and visa holders from reentering the country, and led to the detention of more than a hundred people landing at U.S. airports with valid entry documents. Late Saturday, a federal judge in New York issued a temporary stay against the deportation of anyone who had arrived with a valid visa. The letter demanding the meeting, signed by Lofgren, Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Elliot Engel (D-N.Y.), calls for it be scheduled by the close of business Wednesday. The Democrats also ask for more information about how the order is being implemented, whether the stays placed by federal judges over the weekend are being followed and whether green card holders are affected. Only two days after the order was signed it is clear that it has already led to panic and disorder, not to mention protests, the letter states. This is apparently due in part to the lack of internal administration review prior to its issuance as well as a lack of clarity and guidance provided thereafter. Lofgren, a former immigration attorney and the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committees Immigration Subcommittee, also plans to file legislation today to rescind the executive order. Getting such legislation through the House could be difficult with Speaker Paul Ryan supporting the executive order. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is proposing similar legislation in the Senate. House and Senate Democrats plan to hold a rally against the order outside the Supreme Court Monday evening. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

As California Democrats blast Trumps refugee order, Republicans in the congressional delegation hold their fire By Sarah D. Wire Only a few of the states 14 Republican representatives have publicly commented on an executive order signed by President Trump on Friday that barred refugees and green card holders from seven countries from entering the U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) released a statement Sunday night saying some tweaks are needed, but his background as chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee leads him to support the executive order. In light of attempts by jihadist groups to infiltrate fighters into refugee flows to the West, along with Europes tragic experience coping with this problem, the Trump administrations executive order on refugees is a common-sense security measure to prevent terror attacks on the homeland. While accommodations should be made for green card holders and those whove assisted the U.S. armed forces, this is a useful temporary measure on seven nations of concern until we can verify who is entering the United States, he said. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) told the Washington Post that pausing the intake of refugees from terror hotspots is the right call to keep America safe, but he hopes the cases of people traveling on visas who were prevented from reentering the country are resolved quickly. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said on Twitter on Sunday that the rollout has created confusion, and that executive orders arent the way to fix the countrys long-term problems. View Twitter post View Twitter post Several of Californias 38 Democratic congressional representatives and the states two senators were out in force over the weekend demanding the release of refugees and green card holders, and an end to the executive order. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced two pieces of legislation shell file in response. One would immediately rescind the presidents order. The second would limit executive authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to prevent a president from unilaterally banning groups of immigrants. Its clear that the president gave little consideration to the chaos and heartbreak that would result from this order, she said in a statement. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) joined protesters outside the White House Sunday afternoon. We will fight against racism. We will fight against anti-Muslim rhetoric. We will fight against those who will marginalize who we are. pic.twitter.com/R54f3MDhvo  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2017 In Los Angeles, Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) joined protesters at Los Angeles International Airport. On Saturday, Reps. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro) and Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) joined the initial protests at the airport, and worked to get some of those being held released. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) accompanied protesters at San Francisco International Airport Sunday. Congresswoman @MaxineWaters is here at LAX protest leading the crowd in the chant "no ban, no wall, you build it up we'll tear it down" pic.twitter.com/iNEmkVVkmW  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) January 29, 2017 2:31 p.m. Jan. 30: This post was updated to clarify Rep. Ed Royces statement about the executive order. It was originally published Jan. 29. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

State Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra condemns Trumps refugee order and explores challenge By Patrick McGreevy Assyrian Christians, who fled unrest in Syria and Iraq, attend Mass at St. Georges Assyrian Church in Jdeideh, Lebanon. Trumps directive provides an exception for religious minorities. ( (AFP/Getty Images)) California state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Saturday condemned an executive order by President Donald Trump barring people from some Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. and said he is consulting with legal advisors over a way to challenge the directive. Trump has suspended all refugee entries for 120 days and barred entry to the U.S. for 90 days for those traveling from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Justice in America doesnt live or die on the stroke of one mans pen regardless of how high his office, Becerra said in a statement late Saturday, less than a week after taking office. The Trump Administrations anti-religion, anti-refugee executive order is in so many ways unjust and anti-American He said the order discriminates against people based on their faith and denies entry to those with fears of death and persecution. I have conferred with my team, and we are reaching out to others as well, to find every avenue possible to defend our family members and those who live permanently in our communities who may be barred from re-entry into America, Becerra said. The Trump executive order should not stand and must be confronted as a constitutional overreach, he added. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California Politics Podcast: Reactions to President Trumps first week By John Myers Even before the weekend controversy and protests, Californias top elected officials spent much of the last week reacting to the first moves by President Donald Trump. On this weeks California Politics Podcast, we take a closer look at the sharp words offered by Gov. Jerry Brown in his State of the State speech when it comes to the new politics of Washington. We also focus much of this weeks discussion around three big topics that caught the attention of a number of California lawmakers: immigration moves by Trump; the rough week that was for the nations environmental protection enforcers; and rekindled but unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud. Im joined by Marisa Lagos of KQED News and Anthony York of the Grizzly Bear Project. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Gov. Jerry Brown will undergo new round of treatment for prostate cancer, but wont miss any work By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown, who first was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, will begin a new round of treatment for the disease, his office reported on Saturday. Brown, 78, will maintain his duties as governor during the treatment, according to his staff. No additional details were provided about how long the treatment will take, or what prompted its timing. Fortunately this is not extensive disease, can be readily treated with a short course of radiotherapy, and there are not expected to be any significant side effects, said Dr. Eric Small, a UC San Francisco oncologist, in an emailed statement provided to reporters. The prognosis for Gov. Brown is excellent. Brown initially learned he had prostate cancer in late 2012 and underwent similar treatment for several weeks. The governor has also been treated for basal cell carcinoma  a type of skin cancer  twice in the past nine years, with reconstructive surgery on the right side of his nose in 2011. With almost two years remaining on his final term in office, Brown is already the oldest governor in California history. He often made a point of pointing out his physical fitness in his return to the job in 2011, including a 2012 challenge to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie of a 3-mile race, a push-up contest and a chin-up contest. Though hes been treated in San Francisco, the governor and First Lady Anne Gust Brown now live full-time in the historic governors mansion in Sacramento after moving out of Oakland last year. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra takes a jab at the Trump administration when asked about the battles to come Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Proposed law would make penalties for using fake immigration papers the same as those for using fake drivers license By Jazmine Ulloa A proposed California law seeks to ensure that a person who uses false documents to conceal their citizenship status faces the same punishment as a person who uses a fake drivers license. The legislation by Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) would amend the penal code to make both crimes wobblers,

meaning prosecutors would have the discretion to charge suspects in such cases with either felony offenses or lower-level misdemeanors. Under the proposal, the repercussions for defendants would be the same: If convicted of a misdemeanor, offenders would have to serve up to one year in county jail, while a felony conviction would mean up to 16 months in county jail, or two or three years in prison. A spokesman for Bocangera said the measure was introduced as a proactive response to President Trumps hard-line stance on immigration and would reverse part of Proposition 187, a controversial ballot measure to deny public services, such as education and healthcare, to immigrants in the country illegally. The proposition, approved by voters in 1994, requires any person who uses false immigration records to face felony charges. Bocangeras bill amending those provisions would need a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and the state Senate to pass. Today, if an underage college student uses a fake ID to purchase a six-pack of beer, he or she can be charged with a misdemeanor, Bocanegra said in a statement. However, if an immigrant is caught using that same fake ID, he or she is automatically charged with a felony and is subject to five years in prison. This is fundamentally unfair. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Fearing catastrophe, Californias Gov. Jerry Brown wants the worlds leaders to stop goofing off By Chris Megerian Gov. Jerry Brown pointedly criticized world leaders for goofing off instead of addressing looming problems with climate change and nuclear weapons during a radio interview on Friday. Theyre really averting their gaze, he said. And that is dangerous, very dangerous. Brown has become increasingly outspoken about issues he describes as existential threats to humanity, and the election of Donald Trump has only made him more concerned. During the interview, he spoke in sweeping terms about the need to support scientific research in the face of political denial. Darkness cannot totally extinguish the light, Brown said while criticizing Republicans for refusing to accept the scientific consensus around climate change and the need for dramatic changes to confront global warming. @JerryBrownGov in our studio (in fact, in my chair!) as he chats w/ Ira Flatow on @scifri pic.twitter.com/kIyGBFQW9X  Beth Ruyak (@CapRadioRuyak) January 27, 2017 At another point, Brown mused that humans have accumulated vast power without a corresponding increase in wisdom. That creates a gap between the power to destroy and the wisdom to control those destructive forces. Brown reiterated his plan to push forward Californias policies on climate change even if Trump follows through on the federal governments plans. Were going to do everything we can to stay on track, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Some California lawmakers say its time to expand how the state defines violent crime By Jazmine Ulloa As California undergoes the largest overhaul of prison parole in a generation, some lawmakers and law enforcement officials say its time to revisit how the state legally defines a violent crime. Gov. Jerry Browns Proposition 57, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November, continues a statewide effort to increase rehabilitation services and decrease the prison population. Among its provisions, the initiative gives the state parole board greater latitude to consider the early release of prisoners who have served their primary sentences, and whose crimes are not designated as violent under the California penal code. But since the early days of the ballot measure campaign, debate has brewed over just who the law will benefit, with prosecutors saying that short and porous list excludes certain rape crimes and other dangerous offenses. This legislative session, the discussion moves to the Capitol. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Fearing deletion, Tom Steyer copies Environmental Protection Agency website on climate change By Chris Megerian (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) With President Trump in the White House, information about climate change has been disappearing from government websites. Some fear the same thing could happen with the Environmental Protection Agency. Now the advocacy organization run by environmentalist and political donor Tom Steyer is taking steps to preserve the information. We will not allow Trump and the oil corporations to push us towards an Orwellian world full of official lies and misinformation.  Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) January 27, 2017 NextGen Climate copied the website and made it available at SaveOurEPA.com. As Americans, we will not allow Donald Trump to erase the truth or rewrite history, Steyer said in a statement. This information belongs to the people, and the public has a right to know the truth. Trump has taken other steps that have alarmed environmentalists. For example, he greenlighted two oil pipelines that had been stopped by former President Obama. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

For California, a return to center stage in the 2020 presidential contest By Mark Z. Barabak (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press) Kamala Harris hadnt even arrived in Washington to take up her job as Californias spanking-new U.S. senator when the chatter began: Kamala for president! Never mind her disavowals  Seriously?  or the fact that the first balloting of the 2020 race is, at a minimum, 1,000-plus days away. The soul-sapping election of Donald Trump has Democrats desperately looking far, far down the road. Usually the candidates start sending signals, said Jim Demers, a longtime party strategist in New Hampshire, the state that traditionally holds the first presidential primary. This time Im hearing activists begging for the race to begin. With a wide-open contest (read: not a Clinton or Obama in sight), the list of would-be contenders, real and imagined, is lengthy, even by the prodigious standards of this early stage. Whats different in 2020 is that California  huge in population, mighty in economic power, desperate to matter in presidential politics  figures to be at the center of speculation in a way it hasnt for a generation. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Theres a major fight on the way over Trumps plans for sanctuary cities By Liam Dillon Immigrant workers marching in Los Angeles in 2014. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) Cities in California are gearing up for a legal fight against President Trumps plans to take away federal dollars from so-called sanctuary cities. These cities typically are defined as those that dont cooperate with federal immigration officials for deportation purposes, and the new president wants to strip them of funding unless they start doing so. But the language in Trumps executive order on the issue is vague, and San Francisco officials believe their city is already exempt from the mandate. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Fighting Trumps border wall on environmental grounds probably wont win in court By Liam Dillon A pair of fences separates Mexico, left, and the U.S. south of San Diego. (Bill Wechter / AFP) California political leaders are seeking all sorts of strategies to fight President Trumps plans to build a wall along the border with Mexico. One strategy thats likely to fail is a lawsuit based on state and federal environmental laws, legal experts said. Congress already has given the federal government broad authority to waive environmental laws to build a border fence and the courts have upheld that power. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Calexit organizers can now start collecting signatures to get California secession on the ballot By Christine Mai-Duc Supporters of the campaign for California to secede from the United States can now begin collecting the hundreds of thousands of signatures they need to get a proposed Calexit initiative on the ballot. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla cleared the proposed initiative to begin collecting signatures on Thursday. If the measure gets on the ballot and gains approval by a majority of voters, it would repeal clauses in the California Constitution stating that the state is an inseparable part of the United States and that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, according to the title and summary prepared by the state attorney generals office. The measure would place another question on the ballot in 2019, asking whether California should become a separate country. If at least half of registered voters participate in that vote, with at least 55% of those voting to approve, the results would be treated as Californias declaration of independence. The current measures fiscal effect is dependent on various factors, writes the states nonpartisan legislative analyst, and if it succeeds would result in major, but unknown budgetary impacts. The proposals backers, known as Yes California, have argued that the state is culturally out of step with the rest of the U.S. and that California pays more money to the federal government than it receives in spending. The election of President Trump has only strengthened their argument, they say. California loses [by] being a part of America culturally and financially, said Marcus Ruiz Evans, one of the groups founders. It could be a nation all its own, everybody knows that. The only question is if they want to break off. Its unclear how the group will collect the required 585,407 valid signatures from registered voters over the next 180 days to qualify for the ballot. A campaign committee, Yes California Independence Committee, has raised no funds so far, according to records from the secretary of state. But Evans says that his group has more than 7,000 volunteers (significantly down from a 13,000 estimate in December) ready to gather signatures and that voters can expect to see signature gatherers on the streets in the next couple of days. Yes California says that even if the proposed initiative does land on the ballot and voters approve it, such an unprecedented move to secede would need to receive approval of at least a majority of the states in the union, among other legal hurdles. Evans says hes not fazed. America already hates California, and America votes on emotions, he said. I think wed have the votes today if we held it. UPDATE 7:01 p.m.: This post has been updated to clarify that the proposed initiative would place a future vote on Californias secession on the ballot in 2019. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Rep. Ted Lieu is trolling Donald Trump, and he hopes youre watching By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Ted Lieu is now placing an asterisk next to President Trumps name in news releases. Its the Torrance Democrats way of drawing attention to his concerns about the new administration, he said. Sometimes the best way to respond to crazy is with satire, Lieu said. Never before have I had this feeling where our leader is potentially unhinged and has a problem with the truth, and that is highly disturbing for the leader of the free world. So Ive decided Im just going to point that out as much as I can. The asterisk leads readers to the bottom of the email, where a postscript says:  ***In addition to losing the popular vote, Trump  as of January 20, 2017  is in violation of the Emoluments Clause set forth in Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution due to massive conflicts of interests and his refusal to put his global business holdings in blind trusts. Trump also benefitted from Vladimir Putin ordering a multifaceted and brazen Russian influence and cyber hacking campaign with the goals of undermining faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrating Secretary Clintons electability, and helping Trumps election chances. Trump and his press secretary also routinely make stuff up. The sophomore congressman said he initially planned to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, hoping his rhetoric was a campaign tactic and that he would pivot to uniting the country following the election. Then Lieu listened to the presidents inaugural speech. I was hoping he would govern different than how he campaigned, he said. I came to the conclusion that it would be worse for America to normalize him. Lieu followed the addition to his news releases with a Cloud of Illegitimacy Clock that counts the time since Trumps swearing-in, which is how long Lieu says Trump has been in violation of the Constitution by not divesting from his businesses or putting them in a blind trust. The Constitution bans government officials from receiving gifts or payments from foreign governments. Next he posted a series of tweets mocking White House spokesman Sean Spicer for giving incorrect figures on how many people attended the inauguration, and top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway for using the term alternative facts. Was charged $2.99 for coffee listed at $2.59. That's why I have trust issues. Oh, and the fact that @seanspicer at #WhiteHouse makes shit up  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 23, 2017 Ive decided that the administration using alternative facts is more profane than anything that I could say, he said. When the administration lies, they just need to be called out on that. If they are going to lie about stupid little things, like crowd size, imagine what theyre going to say when they roll out their healthcare plan, whenever that might be. Lieu has needled Trump in responses to several executive orders this week, including by saying he would bet a nice bottle of California wine that the Administration will be unable to find a credible witness to testify under oath to the allegation that 3-5 million people illegally cast votes in 2016, and by mentioning the inauguration crowd while talking about Trumps proposed border wall. Lieu said hes absolutely hoping Trump will respond. I think satire is an effective way to highlight issues, and I want the American people to see who this president really is, because in 22 months they get to vote again on every member of Congress, and that will be a referendum on Donald Trump, Lieu said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California Democrats propose adding third, nonbinary gender option for drivers licenses and other official documents By Melanie Mason View Twitter post California drivers licenses and birth certificates could have a third option for gender in addition to male or female under legislation unveiled Thursday by Democratic lawmakers. The bill by state Sens. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would establish a new nonbinary gender marker for official state documents. Lawmakers framed the measure as an expansion of rights for transgender, intersex and other people who do not identify as male or female. It will keep California at the forefront of LGBTQ civil rights, Atkins said at a Capitol news conference. The bill, SB 179, also would streamline the process for people to change their gender on such documents. It would remove the requirement that an individual obtain a sworn statement from a physician certifying medical treatment for gender transition. It also would create a process for people younger than 18 to apply for a change of gender on their birth certificate. Jo Michael, of Equality California, a gay rights advocacy group, said the bill had personal resonance. Michael identifies as transgender and nonbinary. For the first time, Californians like me could have accurate gender markers that truly reflect who we are, Michael said. Wiener said the proposal places California in stark relief to other states in the country, including North Carolina, where a high-profile law regulating transgender peoples use of public bathrooms roiled the state. As the LGBT community  but especially the trans community  is under assault in this country, California needs to go in the opposite direction and embrace the trans community and support the trans community and modernize these laws, he said. The legislation does not specify what the alternate gender marker would be, but other countries that have implemented such a policy, such as Australia and New Zealand, have used the letter X alongside M for male and F for female, according to Sasha Buchert of the Transgender Law Center. Atkins, who is a lesbian and a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, said this proposal marks an evolution for her in better understanding the concerns of the transgender and intersex community. She authored a law in 2014 that ensures death certificates reflect a persons gender identity, an experience she said made her more aware of the bureaucratic hurdles that transgender people often face. This years bill, she said, is moving us forward into a new world, where acceptance is ... letting people be who they tell you they are. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder will visit Sacramento to meet with Democratic legislators next month By Melanie Mason (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) California lawmakers will have a chance to meet the Legislatures new outside counsel on Feb. 7, when former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. travels to the state to address Senate and Assembly Democrats. Holder, leading a team of attorneys from the firm Covington & Burling, has been hired by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) to serve as outside counsel as the state prepares a legal strategy to deal with the administration of President Trump. But Senate and Assembly staff officials said his invitation to meet with lawmakers was extended prior to the contract, which begins in February, and that Holder is making the trip on his own personal time. His travel and accommodations expenses will not be paid with state funds, and his appearances will not be part of his billable hours, they said. Holder will address Senate Democrats at their annual policy retreat, and will speak to the Assembly Democratic caucus. His visit comes soon after state Democratic leaders this week denounced Trumps executive orders on immigration and pledged to take his administration to court should other legislative means of resistance fail. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

A guide to the guessing game that is the 2018 California governors race By Phil Willon While the race to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown already has attracted a small cadre of well-known Democrats, the behind-the-scenes strategizing, cajoling and guessing games surrounding a handful of other potential contenders could create havoc in whats expected to be Californias biggest political showdown since 2010. Among those watching closely are the candidates already definitely in the running, including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang. Delaine Eastin, who spent eight years as Californias top education official, announced she was running in November and officially launched her campaign  and fundraising operation  on Thursday. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

This is not a monarchy: California Senate leader Kevin de Leon bashes Trumps immigration orders By Jazmine Ulloa (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) California Senate leader Kevin de Leon took another shot at President Trump and his executive orders on immigration Wednesday night, calling his threat to withhold federal dollars from so-called sanctuary cities political blackmail and political vengeance. In an interview on the MSNBC show The Last Word with Lawrence ODonnell, De Leon said California was working with former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to study all of its legal options to oppose the directives. Under the 10th Amendment, the state Senate leader said, the federal government cannot commandeer and force local municipalities and police agencies from carrying out their work. The appearance came hours after Trump signed orders to temporarily halt the U.S. refugee program, cut funding for cities that offer immigrants protections and order federal officials to construct a U.S.-Mexico border wall. California will not become a cog in the Trump deportation machine, De Leon said. This is not a monarchy, and I know he fancies himself as a king, but this is a republic. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

President Trumps voter fraud allegation is a lie, says Californias top elections officer By John Myers Secretary of State Alex Padilla. (Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press) With President Donald Trump rehashing last years accusation of widespread voter fraud in California and elsewhere, the states top elections official is also restating his take: Its not true. When the president says millions of illegal ballots are cast, thats simply not the case, said Secretary of State Alex Padilla in an interview on CNN Wednesday. Its a lie. As was the case when Trump made the accusation in November, theres no evidence of such a broad attempt to sway the outcome in California. The president lost the Golden State to Democrat Hillary Clinton by almost 4.3 million votes. Trumps announcement on Wednesday of a major investigation into voter fraud reignited the issue, even though there was also Republican skepticism in the wake of the new round of accusations. Is it a question of millions of people? Thats a pretty steep hill to climb, said Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach), the vice chairman of the Assemblys elections committee. Youd have to have a very strong coordinated effort across California to pull that off. Harper said he believes the better discussion is whether new, independent audit capabilities need to be in place to examine election results. Others, though, were sharply critical of the presidents motives. Allegations of widespread voter fraud are not just alternative facts, they are a calculated and sinister attempt at voter suppression that takes a page from this nations bleak history of segregation, said Laphonza Butler, president of the state council of the Service Employees International Union. In the CNN interview, Padilla said he worried the president was sowing doubt in an effort to legitimize efforts such as a purging of voter rolls. I hope that its not a sign of things to come, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Intelligence committee led by Californians investigating Russian influence in 2016 election By Sarah D. Wire The House Select Intelligence Committee is examining allegations that the Russian government tried to influence the 2016 election, Republican Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes and ranking Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff said in a statement Wednesday. The two Californians said the committee is looking at Russian cyber activity and other active measures directed against the U.S. It also will examine links between Russia and people working for political campaigns as well as the federal response to Russia, including leaks of classified assessments from the intelligence community. The statement does not specifically mention President Trump, the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia attempted to intervene in the presidential election to ensure he would win or news that Trumps national security advisor was in frequent contact with the Russian ambassador as President Obama was considering sanctions against Russia. This issue is not about party, but about country. The Committee will continue to follow the facts wherever they may lead, the statement said. The Senate Intelligence Committee, on which Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) serves, also is investigating Russian interference in the election, and the U.S. response. Two Republican senators have joined a number of House and Senate Democrats, including House Select Intelligence Committee member Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) in pushing for a nonpartisan independent commission to examine the issue. Nunes, who served on Trumps transition committee, has previously said he doesnt think an independent commission is necessary. The statement also asked the new, Trump-appointed heads of intelligence agencies to bring documents requested by the committee directly to committee members. It will not be adequate to review these documents, expected to be in the thousands of pages, at the agencies. They should be delivered to the House Intelligence Committee to provide members adequate time to examine their content, it states. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

No stamp, no problem: Lawmaker says postage-paid ballots should be available to all Californians By John Myers (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) California voters would no longer have to scrounge around in search of a stamp to mail in their ballot under new legislation introduced this week at the state Capitol. We want to make sure voters dont have any barriers, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), the bills author. Ballot envelopes sent by elections officials would be marked as prepaid postage and the postage costs would be paid for by individual counties. A key question will be the cost for mailing in as many as 10 million ballots statewide. Not all ballots will weigh the same, given the numerous city and county measures that also are considered in regularly scheduled elections. The initial language of Assembly Bill 216 doesnt offer specifics on reimbursing counties, though Gonzalez Fletcher said she expects the proposals ultimate cost could be under $2 million, if the law also makes clear that voters can still place a stamp on their ballot. Regardless, postage fees are likely to be deemed a mandated cost that state government must cover. Gonzalez Fletcher said the advent of email and online bill-paying services have meant that fewer voters have stamps readily available, with busy working Californians scrambling just to find the time to exercise their right to vote. It starts to feel like a very small poll tax, she said. The proposal is another example of the steady evolution of elections conducted less by the ballot box than the mailbox in California, as more than half of all registered voters now permanently receive absentee ballots. A number of the states most populous counties are expected to soon embrace a sweeping new law shifting elections away from neighborhood polling places and toward a substantial number of votes being cast by mail. This is welcome legislation, said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. Requiring voters to pay for ballot postage sends a message that the government is putting up obstacles to make it more difficult to vote. In many cases, ballots placed in the mail without proper postage are already being delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Some counties in California have offered prepaid postage in the past, but the vast majority have not. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California improves grades from anti-smoking group with barrage of anti-tobacco laws By Patrick McGreevy California led other states in adopting a flurry of new laws restricting tobacco products last year, resulting in a big improvement in the states grades from the American Lung Assn. In a report released Wednesday, the health group boosted the states grade for the level of tobacco taxes from an F last year to a B, in recognition that California voters in November approved a $2-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax. The Legislature last year also adopted a half-dozen new laws, including an increase in the minimum age for smoking from 18 to 21 and an expansion of a smoking ban in public places, including restaurants and theaters, to also include use of electronic cigarettes. The states grade for smoke-free air policies rose from a B to an A, while California received a B for restricting tobacco to young people. The group gave the state an incomplete for funding of tobacco prevention programs because officials have not yet started collecting money from the tobacco tax increase in Proposition 56. In 2016, Californians fought back against Big Tobaccos grip on our state, said David Pogue, chairman of the American Lung Assn. in Californias governing board. Tobacco-related illnesses remain the single most preventable cause of disease and death in California, and were proud to reaffirm ourselves as a national leader in the effort to reduce smoking rates and exposure to secondhand smoke and to protect our children from a lifetime of addiction. The group cited the lack of significant new tobacco laws passed in Los Angeles for its decision to leave the citys C grade unchanged. El Monte and West Hollywood passed some new tobacco policies and raised their grades. Santa Ana earned a C, but was at top of the list in Orange County, where almost all the other cities received Fs, officials said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Sen. Kamala Harris pushes Trumps budget director pick on timely disaster relief By Sarah D. Wire Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) pushed President Trumps budget chief pick Tuesday on whether hed advise the new Republican leader to offer timely disaster relief, especially to states like California that face earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural disasters. Can you assure me that when natural disasters hit various parts of the country like California, that you will be willing to put the immediate interests of people in need as the first priority for you, or will you insist that the budget cuts be made before agreeing to provide critical assistance to those victims? Harris asked Rep. Mick Mulvaney during a confirmation hearing Tuesday. The South Carolina Republican asked for spending cuts to offset billions in relief funding after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. There is a proper federal role in dealing with natural disaster relief, Mulvaney said in response to Harris questioning. Sandy is a tremendous example of something so large, its simply too large for one state or local government to deal with, it is an appropriate function of the federal government. Harris pushed a second time, So can you assure me that if a natural disaster hits other states, like California for example, that you will not hold up relief for the state, waiting to determine whether there are going to be budget cuts or cuts in order to provide that relief? Or are you going to sit back and crunch the numbers while people are waiting for help? Mulvaney replied, No, I see my role in that particular circumstance as advising the president. Mr. President, heres what weve done it in the past, heres how it worked out, heres how I think we should proceed in this circumstance and heres why. And then whatever the president says to do, I will enforce. Harris is still weighing how to vote on Mulvaneys confirmation, her staff said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Trump is a hot topic in Californias race for governor, but not in a good way By Phil Willon Donald Trump at the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame in April. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) One of the most talked about politicians in Californias 2018 governors campaign isnt even running. Rarely does a day go by when Republican President Donald Trump isnt used as a political pinata by one of the top Democrats in the race. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom took some jabs Tuesday when he addressed the California Legislature before Gov. Jerry Browns annual State of the State speech. Newsom mocked the Trump administration for its reliance on alternative facts  a phrase used by a Trump senior advisor when defending inflated inauguration crowd figures  and took a subtle shot at the presidents comment about American carnage in the nations cities. The insecurity of this man is near incomprehensible. These lies damage our democracy & country's reputation-Shameful https://t.co/ib7i6DqfH8  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 24, 2017 On Monday, state Treasurer John Chiang criticized Trump for doubting the scientific evidence of climate change. President Trump may believe global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive, Chiang said. We Californians stand with the scientific community and the 195 nations that have declared climate change is an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet. When Antonio Villaraigosa announced his bid for governor right after the general election, the former Los Angeles mayor was sure to include a dig at Trump. Im running because I think the answer to the divisiveness we see in the country right now is unity, and the answer to fear is hope, he said. Last May, Villaraigosa compared Trump to segregationist George Wallace. Californias former superintendent of public instruction, Delaine Eastin, last week ripped Trump for nominating Betsy DeVos for Education secretary. Eastin said DeVos, a charter school advocate and Republican fundraiser from Michigan, was a threat to public education in the country. In speeches, in fundraising emails, in tweets and Facebook posts, the Democrats have liberally excoriated Trump while largely avoiding lobbing any criticism at one another. Its a safe and easy tactic that appeals to a sizeable majority of voters in left-leaning California. In the November election, Trump was trounced by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in California  losing to her by more than 4.2 million votes. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican being urged to run by fellow party members, has also rebuked Trump in the past. In May, Faulconer said he rejected Trumps divisive rhetoric about women and immigrants. Faulconer was absent at Trumps inauguration and skipped a Trump campaign rally in San Diego last spring. For any Republican to have a legitimate shot in the governors race, or any statewide election, the more distance they put between themselves and Trump the better, said GOP political consultant Rob Stutzman. Its important that youre not on the record gushing about Trump, Stutzman said. 3:30 p.m.: This story was updated to correct the title of Delaine Eastin. She is a former state superintendent of public instruction. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias House members vote along party lines on permanently banning federal funds for abortion By Sarah D. Wire Californias House delegation split along party lines Tuesday on a bill to permanently prohibit the use of certain federal funds for abortions. President Trump promised the anti-abortion community during the campaign that he would make the funding ban  commonly called the Hyde Amendment  permanent. It passed the House 238-183 and goes next to the Senate. The 52 members who represent California in the House split along party lines, with 36 Democrats against for it, and 14 Republicans voting for it. Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Jim Costa (D-Lieu) did not vote. Their staffs each said the member would have joined Democrats in voting against the measure. If passed by the Senate, it would permanently prohibit federal funding from being used to cover abortion costs except in cases of rape, incest or if the mothers life is in danger. It effects government employees health plans, Medicaid and health insurance plans offered under the Affordable Care Act. The amendment has been added to the annual appropriations bill for the past 40 years and the bill approved by the House Tuesday would make it permanent. During debate on the House floor Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) called the bill a womens health catastrophe that will keep poor women on Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act from having access to insurance. In effect it makes abortion only an option for the wealthy, she said. Previous versions of the bill twice passed the House but were not considered by the Senate while President Obama was in office. 11:09 a.m. Jan. 25: An earlier version of this article reported that Democrats voted for the bill and Republicans voted against the bill. It was the opposite. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California lawmakers to weigh whether younger children should be allowed to testify in custody cases By Jazmine Ulloa California lawmakers will weigh whether family courts should allow children as young as 10 to testify before judges regarding parent custody or visitation rights. A bill filed by state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) would lower the current threshold from age 14 to enable more children to express their wishes in court, some of whom she said could find themselves in life-threatening situations. The legislation was co-sponsored by the California Protective Parents Assn. and the Center for Judicial Excellence. Neither current law nor the bill would require children to testify in family cases unless they choose to. In a statement, Levya called the proposal an important child safety measure. As a family court makes critical life decisions for children, it makes sense for them to be granted a greater voice in court proceedings since they can contribute essential information before final decisions are made, she said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Support for California secession is up, one poll says By Phil Willon Students from several high schools rally at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 14 after walking out of class to protest the election of Donald Trump. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press) Californians support for a breakaway California republic has increased, one poll has found. One-third of state residents support peacefully seceding from the United States, up from 20% since Californians were last asked the same question in 2014, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. The polls margin of error for the California answers was plus or minus 5 percentage points. Still, half of Californians opposed the idea of succession, though Democrats were more inclined to support it than Republicans. The survey found that 60% of Republicans gave the idea of peacefully seceding a thumbs down compared with 48% of Democrats and 50% of independents. Nationally, 22% of those polled supported having their state break away from the U.S., according to the survey. A Calexit campaign already is underway to make California an independent nation. The effort faces extremely long odds. The poll surveyed 14,000 adults nationwide, and 500 in California, from Dec. 6 to Jan. 19. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Gov. Jerry Brown defiantly tells lawmakers California is not turning back in face of Trump and GOP proposals By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown used his State of the State speech on Tuesday to promise a forceful defense of Californias efforts on climate change, healthcare and assistance to those in the country illegally against new proposals by President Donald Trump and national Republican leadership. California is not turning back, Brown said to applause. Not now, not ever. The governors remarks, delivered in front of lawmakers and state elected officials in the Assembly chambers, came just four days after President Trumps forceful inaugural address that signaled a dramatic new course for the federal government. While he never mentioned the president by name during the 16-minute speech, Brown said there are disturbing signs as to whats on the horizon. We have seen the bald assertion of alternative facts, whatever those are, he said, a reference to top Trump advisor Kellyanne Conways weekend comments on NBCs Meet the Press. We have heard the blatant attacks on science. Familiar signposts of our democracy  truth, civility, working together  have been obscured or swept aside. The annual event in the chamber of the state Assembly was unusual from the outset. Just minutes before beginning his speech, Brown gave the oath of office to Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, the former Los Angeles congressman confirmed to the post on Monday afternoon by the state Senate. Legislators have had a decidedly unusual start to their new two-year session. After a raucous opening day in December that laid bare wounds from the presidential race, lawmakers were presented two weeks ago with Browns projection of a $1.6-billion budget deficit looming on the states fiscal horizon. But the sea change in national politics has been a persistent buzz in the state Capitol, and Brown promised a strong defense of Californias unique view on major policy issues. The governor made a special mention of the issue of illegal immigration, offering perhaps his strongest words to date. Let me be clear, the governor said, his voice rising. We will defend everybody  every man, woman and child who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state. Even with those critiques, the governor veered from his prepared remarks to praise Trumps call for a new focus on infrastructure projects. I say, Amen to that, man!  he said. And Brown urged members of the Legislature to reject the bitter partisan divisions of this moment in the nations history. Democrats are in the majority, but Republicans represent real Californians, too, he said to bipartisan applause. We have generally been civil to one another and avoided the rancor of Washington. I urge you to go even further and look for new ways to work beyond party and act as Californians first. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Xavier Becerra takes oath of office, is first Latino to become California attorney general By Patrick McGreevy Xavier Becerra ((Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) ) Minutes after resigning his seat in Congress on Tuesday, Xavier Becerra took the oath of office as Californias new attorney general, and he immediately made plans for a sit-down with sheriffs from throughout the state to talk about law enforcement issues. Becerra, 58, was given the oath of office at the Capitol by Gov. Jerry Brown, who predicted earlier that Xavier will be a champion for all Californians. The ceremony was held before Brown was scheduled to deliver his annual State of the State address, and a day after Becerra received final confirmation by the state Senate. I will do my utmost to uphold your faith in me to serve as our great states next chief law enforcement officer and legal advocate, Becerra said in a letter to Brown on Tuesday, letting him know he had resigned from Congress. And while I leave Congress with mixed emotions, I am ready to begin my work as Attorney General. Californias hard-working families are counting on us, and we wont let them down, Becerra said. Becerra was accompanied at the ceremony by his wife, physician Carolina Reyes, two of his three daughters, and his parents, both immigrants from Mexico. Brown appointed Becerra to fill a vacancy after former Atty. Gen.l Kamala Harris won election to a seat in the U.S. Senate. Becerra has pledged to challenge any attempts by the new administration of President Trump to roll back state policies on immigration, civil rights and the environment. Brown noted his appointees background during his speech. Like so many others, he is the son of immigrants who saw California as a place where, through grit and determination, they could realize their dreams, Brown said. And they are not alone, millions of Californians have come here from Mexico and a hundred other countries, making our state what it is today: vibrant, even turbulent, and a beacon of hope to the rest of the world. The first Latino to become state attorney general in California spent the last two weeks meeting with dozens of legislators as he went through confirmation hearings in both houses. Governor Brown and state legislators have already shared valuable ideas on our path forward, Becerra said in a statement after his confirmation. And next week I hope to sit down with sheriffs from across our state to begin our work together keeping our families safe and enforcing our laws fairly. The first focus on local law enforcement was welcomed by Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, president of the California State Sheriffs Assn. He wants to start with law enforcement in the San Joaquin Valley, and I think thats a really positive step, Youngblood said. Im impressed with his credentials. Im impressed with his background, and I think hes going to be a good attorney general. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Watch: Gov. Jerry Brown delivers his State of the State address Gov. Jerry Brown will deliver his State of the State address at 10 a.m. PST. Watch live here: Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Xavier Becerras resignation from Congress took effect at 9:15 a.m.; he calls serving a distinct honor Xavier Becerra has submitted letter of resignation from Congress ahead of swearing in for California attorney general today  Patrick McGreevy (@mcgreevy99) January 24, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias senators split on CIA director confirmation By Sarah D. Wire Californias senators split Monday night on the confirmation of Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), President Trumps pick to lead the CIA. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who serves on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee and backed Pompeo, said in a statement that Pompeo gave straightforward answers to her questions, and that House colleagues called him smart, hardworking and devoted to protecting our country. Congressman Pompeo has committed to following the law regarding torture, promised to provide objective analysis of Irans compliance with the nuclear agreement and insisted that he would continue to keep the Senate Intelligence Committee fully informed of CIA activities, Feinstein said. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said in a statement that she appreciated that Pompeo was responsive, engaging, and has made a number of positive commitments during the confirmation process, but said she couldnt vote for him after looking at his entire record on issues such as torture, surveillance, and the collection and use of metadata. Pompeo was confirmed 66 to 32 Monday evening. Thirteen Democrats joined Feinstein in voting for him. While House members dont get to vote for confirmation, the leaders of the House Select Intelligence Committee, Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) and ranking Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) joined Feinstein in congratulating Pompeo for his confirmation. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Sen. Kamala Harris moves into some familiar digs on Capitol Hill By Sarah D. Wire (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and her staff can begin moving today into her official Senate office, the same space she interned in as a college student. Few offices can hold a staff as large as the ones allocated to the California members and as expected, Harris was assigned an office in the Hart Senate Office Building, the same space occupied by former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Harris can start moving in this morning, her staff said. Back home, Harris plans to have state offices in Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco, her staff said. It is a bit of a change from Boxer, who had additional offices in Oakland and Riverside, but did not have an office in San Francisco. The space in Washington should feel familiar. It was occupied by Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) when Harris interned for him as a mailroom clerk for a summer when she was a Howard University student in the 1980s. Two floors up in the same building is Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Except for states where staff size is a consideration, Senate offices are assigned based on seniority and sitting senators have months to decide if they want to move offices. That means some new senators could spend months working out of temporary space. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Assembly speaker taps former Obama spokesman for communications strategy By Melanie Mason Bill Burton (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) With Californias face-off against Washington, D.C., getting widespread attention, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has turned to a veteran of national politics to help shape his public image: White House veteran Bill Burton. Burton, who once worked as deputy press secretary in the Obama administration, was hired this month by Rendon, a Democrat from Paramount, for communications strategy. Now a managing partner in the Los Angeles office for SKDKnickerbocker, a prominent liberal public affairs firm, Burton said he relished being involved in California politics, which he said sets a model for liberals nationwide. With President Trump and congressional Republicans controlling the national agenda, Speaker Rendon and his incredible staff are at the center of some of the most important progressive fights in the country and we couldnt be more excited to be helping any way we can, he said. Burton said his services, paid for out of Rendons campaign account, are meant to offer a more intentional approach to how hes been dealing with media  a recognition, he said, of Rendons and Californias elevated role in national politics. Rendon is not the only legislative Democrat to be represented by SKDKnickerbocker. Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia of Bell Gardens also is a client. The firm also worked with Democratic Reps. Grace Napolitano and Linda Sanchez in their reelection bids, as well as freshman Rep. Nanette Barragan in her heated congressional race against fellow Democrat, former state Sen. Isadore Hall. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

State Senate votes for final confirmation of Xavier Becerra as state attorney general By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown, left, appointed Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) as state attorney general. ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) The state Senate on Monday voted 26-9 in favor of final confirmation of Rep. Xavier Becerra as Californias attorney general, putting on watch a veteran politician who has promised to block efforts by President Trump to roll back state policies on immigration, civil rights and the environment. Becerra, a Los Angeles Democrat and 12-term congressman, is set to take the oath of office on Tuesday before Gov. Jerry Browns State of the State address. As Attorney General, Xavier will be a champion for all Californians, Brown said in a statement after the party-line vote. Brown appointed Becerra as the states first Latino attorney general to fill the vacancy left when former state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said Becerra will be an effective counter force to Trump, who has threatened mass deportations and the repeal of some environmental laws. Many of us know him personally and can attest to his character, to his integrity and to his qualifications, De Leon said of Becerra. He will be a strong partner for our state to help us work with the federal government when we can and to resist when we must. State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said Becerra understands the challenges ahead. He will indeed vigorously defend the values of our state by taking the fight to the federal government when necessary, said Jackson, who chairs the state Senate Judiciary Committee. Becerra, 58, said during two weeks of confirmation hearings that he would also fight any attempt to weaken environmental protections or adopt stop-and-frisk police policies that allow officers to search anyone on the street. All Republican senators voted against Becerra or withheld their vote. I think when you are the top cop you have to enforce the law to the fullest extent, said state Sen. Joel Anderson (R-San Diego) before he voted against Becerra. Opponents cited Becerras support for sanctuary cities that refuse to have their officers help enforce immigration laws. San Francisco prohibits local authorities from holding immigrants for immigration officials if they have no violent felonies on their records and do not currently face charges. Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities. Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) also opposed Becerra, saying he is worried that the antagonistic tone being set by Democratic lawmakers with Becerra could put at risk the $86 billion the state and its cities gets annually from the federal government. I dont want to jeopardize those funds, Moorlach said. Becerra said he was humbled by the vote and ready to get working.He plans to meet soon with county sheriffs to discuss local law enforcement issues. As I embark on this new journey, my compass will be the experiences of hard-working families like the one I grew up in, Becerra said. As the son of immigrants, I know how important it is to protect the rights and dreams of every aspiring American. I will make sure no headwinds from outside our state can knock us down. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Attorney general nominee Becerra questioned on guns, death penalty and pot during confirmation hearings By Patrick McGreevy Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), shown at a gun violence event in June, was selected by Gov. Jerry Brown to be Californias next attorney general. ((Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) ) In two weeks of confirmation hearings, state attorney general nominee Xavier Becerra has been asked for his position on many issues, including new gun control laws, the states death penalty policy and the recent voter approval of an initiative that legalized recreational marijuana use. The 12-term congressman is up for a possible final confirmation vote Monday in the state Senate. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California attorney general nominee Xavier Becerra is warned against suing Trump early and often By Patrick McGreevy Rep. Xavier Becerra (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) With Xavier Becerra facing a final confirmation vote Monday for state attorney general, two former high-level officials in the office are warning against drowning President Trump in lawsuits. The pressure to sue Trump early and often is a trap, according to Michael Troncos, former chief counsel in the California attorney generals office, and Debbie Mesloh, a former senior advisor to the California attorney general, writing in an op-ed piece published by the Los Angeles Times. In this right-wing political moment, a major legal case on our climate change laws or our policies benefiting (young immigrant) Dreamers may well lead to a Trump White House victory, establishing precedents that far outlast this presidency, the two write. In fact, the cases Becerra chooses not to bring may be among his most important achievements. Courts cant rule on whats not before them. Troncos and Mesloh said California will be up against a U.S. Supreme Court remade in Trumps image, and that [a]sking a federal court to overturn federal immigration policies could be a fools errand. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California cities would have to make it easier to build houses under new legislation By Liam Dillon California cities that are falling behind on housing production goals set by the state would be forced to remove some of their development restrictions under legislation from a Bay Area state senator. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) released new details in his bill, SB 35, Monday morning that would require cities to approve new housing in areas already zoned for high-density development provided developers set aside some units for low-income residents. The bills provisions would only apply in cities where growth isnt keeping pace with housing production targets developed by the state every eight years that are designed to ensure California has enough homes for its growing population to live affordably. Right now, thats not happening. The states median home price of $485,800 is more than 2 1/2 times the national average, with the states poorest residents the hardest hit. And in the most recent eight-year housing cycle ending in 2014, production was less than half of the state target. Wiener, a former San Francisco supervisor, said Californias affordability crisis requires the state to involve its
Unwilling to let criticism pass, Donald Trump on Saturday pilloried as all talk  no action national icon John Lewis, who was repeatedly beaten by police and nearly lost his life during protests in the long struggle for civil rights.

Trumps Twitter comments about the Georgia congressman came in response to Lewis assertion in an interview Friday that he did not see Trump as a legitimate president because of Russian involvement in the defeat of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The president-elects comments were rife with irony. At the start of a weekend dedicated to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump was using his potent social media platform to hurl insults at a civil rights leader. And the trigger for the outburst was doubt being raised about Trumps legitimacy, even after Trump himself led a more than five-year effort to delegitimize President Obama by falsely claiming that he was foreign born.

Advertisement

Trump also used racially freighted language when he said that Lewis Atlanta district was crime infested and falling apart. The district, which is mostly African American, includes many of the Atlanta areas most prominent neighborhoods.

The furor, along with continued investigations into the Russian activities, threatened to mar a period during which an incoming president would traditionally want to unify the nation. Trump will be inaugurated on Friday.

The back-and-forth began with the release of part of an interview for NBCs Meet the Press in which anchor Chuck Todd asked Lewis if he would try to work with Trump despite their political differences.

I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. Its going to be hard, Lewis said. I dont see the president-elect as a legitimate president.

The veteran Democrat said he believed the Russians participated in Trumps election and added: They helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. As a result, he said, he would not attend Trumps inauguration.

I dont see the president-elect as a legitimate president.  John Lewis, civil rights leader

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at the second day of a confirmation hearing for Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. (Cliff Owen / Associated Press)

Lewis is among a handful of congressional lawmakers to announce they will not attend the inauguration, but the first to be called out by Trump. Lewis had already emerged as a high-profile Trump opponent on Capitol Hill; on Wednesday he appeared before a Senate committee to urge that it turn aside Trumps designation of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as his attorney general.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad! Trump tweeted Saturday.

Trumps assessment does not match Lewis district. It is home to Atlantas airport and upscale neighborhoods; it houses corporate headquarters like those of Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines.

Most of the areas many colleges and universities are situated in the 5th District, where the average annual household income is $73,000. The area is at the national average for college degrees, if somewhat higher on measures of poverty and unemployment.

Trumps transition team did not immediately elaborate on the basis for Trumps statement.

About 12 hours after his initial communication, Trump added another tweet: Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S. I can use all the help I can get!

Trumps assessment also does not reflect the views of Lewis, a nearly universally admired figure of moral authority in a Capitol usually divided by partisanship. Even among those who disagreed with Lewis criticism of Trump, there was shock at the president-elects decision to hit back at someone of his stature.

Lewis was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, by then already a central figure in the efforts of African Americans to secure civil rights. For years, he was repeatedly arrested and beaten at Southern protests.

In 1965, during the celebrated Bloody Sunday march at the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Ala., Lewis was clubbed so severely that he suffered a skull fracture. He recovered and led other protests, and 30 years ago he was elected to Congress.

In 2011, President Obama awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor.

Generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of John Lewis will come to mind  an American who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time; whose life is a lesson in the fierce urgency of now, Obama said as he presented the award.

In 2015, Obama joined Lewis and other civil rights veterans for a 50th anniversary walk over the bridge where Lewis was wounded.

Trumps remarks were reminiscent of his summer attack on a Gold Star family who spoke against him at the Democratic convention. In that case, as seemed to occur Saturday, Trump made assumptions based on the people he was criticizing.

After Khizr Khan criticized Trump from the convention stage, his wife standing silently by his side, Trump suggested that she had not been allowed to speak. She and her husband later said that she was too distraught to speak as the convention displayed a picture of her son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who died in a 2004 car bombing in Iraq while trying to save his fellow soldiers.

Democrats on Saturday swiftly defended Lewis.

John Lewis is an icon of the civil rights movement who is fearless in the pursuit of justice and equality, tweeted Sen. Kamala Harris, the California Democrat. He deserves better than this.

New Yorks Charles E. Schumer, the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, declared that As we honor MLK, Ill always stand by my friend, American hero @repjohnlewis. Well lock arms & resist any effort to roll back civil rights.

Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska who has long disagreed with the president-elect, tweeted a reproach to Trump: John Lewis and his talk have changed the world. Earlier, Sasse had implored Lewis to attend the inauguration to celebrate the peaceful transfer of power.

Other Republican elected officials were largely silent Saturday, although well-known party activists criticized Trumps decision to take on Lewis.

Its telling, Im afraid, that Donald Trump treats Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis, tweeted Bill Kristol, the founder and editor-at-large of the Weekly Standard and a former aide to Republican Vice President Dan Quayle.

Added John Feehery, a veteran aide to Republican members of Congress: Picking a fight with John Lewis is stupid. If you dont like what he says, ignore him.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker

ALSO:

Trumps approach might seem new, but Arnold Schwarzenegger tried it first. It was a disaster

Pro-Trump Californians hope his victory can fuel a GOP revival in the Golden State

Updates on California politics

Live coverage of the Trump transition

UPDATES:

5:25 p.m.: This article was updated to report a tweet Donald Trump sent about 12 hours after his initial comment on John Lewis.

This article was originally published at 1:05 p.m.
Heres a social networking site you can find with your nose. Scientists studying the communal pooping areas of white rhinos in South Africa have found that the animals use them like social messaging boards  to leave notes about their status and to read the posts of others.

The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, offers insight into the behaviors of these and other social animals  and could even help researchers develop new tools to aid in their conservation.

Mammals are known to leave one another scent signals in their urine (as anyone watching a dog studiously sniff a lamppost while his owner tugs on the leash might suspect).

Advertisement

But the potential signal-sending power of poo has garnered relatively less attention, scientists said.

Urine has been more heavily studied, lead author Courtney Marneweck, an ecologist and doctoral student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, said in an email. Perhaps because the behavior of urine marking is so obvious (i.e. it normally comes via urine spraying), its function is obviously more than pure elimination. Because specific behaviors are less common when defecating, perhaps the communicatory significance was unrealized.

But scientists have begun to suspect that dung may actually play an important role in social communication  especially for animals like the Oribi antelope, the coyote and the white rhinoceros, which uses communal defecation sites (also known as middens).

From behavioral observations we were really sure that rhinos were using middens to gather information about each other, Marneweck said. This was first noticed by [South African researcher] Norman Owen-Smith in the early 1970s. But only recent developments in technology have allowed us to really understand odors.

There were several reasons white rhinos were the perfect study subjects, Marneweck said.

White rhinos are a great model species to study olfactory communication (thats communication via smell), she wrote. Firstly, they have very bad eyesight and rely on olfaction heavily. Second, the middens that they use are large (up to 20 meters in diameter), frequent, and really easy to find.

The plan was to gather dung immediately after a rhinoceros relieved itself. That way researchers would know exactly which individual deposited each sample, which would allow them to figure out whether there were any telltale chemicals that correlated with that animals identifying characteristics (like sex or age).

Finding these smelly, sizable middens may have been easy  but catching a rhino in the act was no walk in the park, she added.

Field work is always challenging, but collecting all this data took a long time. I think my record for waiting for a rhino to poo was 7.5 hours! Marneweck wrote. Thats after walking and tracking it!

After sampling the volatile, or airborne, chemicals from 150 dung samples, she used a pattern-recognition algorithm to figure out the smell profiles of each animal in terms of sex, age, territorial state (for males) and whether they were in heat (for females).

(For those who are curious: According to the study, 2,3-dimethylundecane signaled an animals sex, heptanal revealed its age group, nonane indicated a males territorial status, and 2,6-dimethylundecane revealed whether a female was in heat.)

Once she and her colleagues knew which airborne chemicals correlated with each characteristic, Marneweck created a faux deposit for a territorial male and a female in heat (known as an estrous female) and put them in the field to see what effect they had in the wild.

Sure enough, when a territorial male smelled the estrous female, he sniffed the source for a long time and then went to track her down. But if he smelled a territorial rival, he immediately became vigilant and then tried to search out the threat. (Smelling non-dominant males and non-estrous females didnt seem to matter to the territorial male.)

The findings show that rhinoceroses really do leave very specific posts about themselves at these middens that help drive the local populations social activity.

Theres a good reason to use urine and dung to deliver these messages, Marneweck pointed out  it doesnt cost any extra energy to do so.

Using a waste product for a scent marking signal is energetically smart, she said. It is costly for animals to create specialized scent secretions, but urine and dung require no extra energy costs. Dung is larger and therefore easier to find, but the longevity of dung vs. urine is species-specific.

Plenty of other animals, both plant- and meat-eaters, use such communal pooping grounds  and identifying the telltale compounds in their dung could open a new door to studying them as well as to creating new tools for land management and species conservation.

For example, encouraging animals to cross a corridor to increase genetic flow, or discouraging animals from dangerous areas such as human conflict zones, Marneweck said, noting a few of the possibilities. There are even captive applications such as aiding breeding programs by providing olfactory stimuli.

amina.khan@latimes.com

Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

MORE IN SCIENCE

Rallying support for economic fairness? Better chase off the needy

Meet the Hidden Figures mathematician who helped send Americans into space

Seven science stories we cant wait to follow in 2017
With Proposition 64 passing and making the recreational use of marijuana legal in the state, the initiative allows cities to impose their own taxes on the sale of the drug.

Burbank city staff members recognized the opportunity to earn revenue from cannabis sales to fund crime prevention and police services. During a City Council meeting on Tuesday, they brought an item forward asking council members to decide if a ballot measure for a new tax would be appropriate.

Though they said they understood the intentions of the staff members, council members unanimously agreed to not place a measure on the April ballot.

Join the conversation on Facebook >>

City Atty. Amy Albano told council members that the item was brought forward on Tuesday because the deadline to place an initiative on the upcoming municipal election was coming up the following Friday.

We need more information, Mayor Jess Talamantes said. I think were rushing. Id rather do it right and not rush.

Vice Mayor Will Rogers concurred with Talamantes, adding that he did not want to create a precedent of taxing specific industries just for the sake of generating more revenue.

Cindy Giraldo, financial services director for Burbank, said the city currently does not have any legal marijuana businesses and that dispensaries are not legal within its borders.

However, Giraldo said that more than 60% of Burbank voters approved the legalization of marijuana and that this City Council or a future one may decide to make weed-selling businesses legal in the city.

Its important to understand that having a tax or not having a tax, if [marijuana sales] activities are legalized, could impact whether or not businesses are drawn to the city, she said, adding that 55 cities in California already impose taxes on marijuana sales.

Should the City Council have approved a tax initiative, it would have cost $65,000 to place it on the ballot.

If Burbank does tax marijuana sales in the future, Giraldo said the city could bring in between $100,000 and $400,000 annually.

This is a very rough estimate since we currently dont have any [marijuana] businesses operating in the city, and we have no way of knowing what kind of businesses would ultimately be allowed to operate within the city, she said.

--

Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
Parents of a Laguna Beach High School student said their son was the target of a hate crime two days after Christmas involving a watermelon that was tossed toward the family home and splattered on the concrete driveway.

I know what throwing a watermelon at a person who is black is designed to connote, the father, Maurice Possley, said in an interview with the Daily Pilot.

Possley, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who is a former reporter and editor with the Chicago Tribune, and his wife, Cathleen Falsani, also a journalist, are both white. They said their 17-year-old adopted son, Vasco, was targeted because he is black.

Laguna Beach police, who received the complaint, said they are investigating five juveniles with possible connections to the Dec. 27 incident.

The Laguna Beach Unified School District wrote in a letter sent to families and staff Friday that high school administrators were notified of the complaint by police.

The district letter seems to indicate that the suspects are Laguna students. Police later confirmed that the juveniles theyre investigating are district students.

Please be assured that we are addressing this matter with the individuals involved to the fullest extent possible within the limits of our jurisdiction, according to the districts statement. While it is natural to want to know the consequences of the incident, we cannot disclose further details about any proposed or implemented disciplinary action that has or may occur due to privacy laws.

The family was getting ready to eat dinner shortly before 9 p.m. that night when Possley heard something through an open door.

They were calling Vasco by name, and as I headed to the door, there was a thud, Possley said.

Because it was dark outside at the time and the area is without streetlights, Possley did not see any faces or the vehicle used. The Daily Pilot is not publishing the homes location to protect the family.

Possley said he noticed that one of the pieces of watermelon had a sticker on it showing the brand. He typed the brand name into Google and discovered a distributor.

Possley said Falsani, an award-winning religion journalist who was a reporter and columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times, called a local grocery store to see if any employees remembered juveniles purchasing the fruit.

----------------------------------

FOR THE RECORD

A previous version of this post stated that Cathleen Falsani was a reporter and columnist at the Chicago Tribune. She formerly was a reporter and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.

----------------------------------

One employee did, and meanwhile, a neighbors security camera had captured a truck, believed to be the getaway vehicle, in front of Possleys house, he said.

In a written statement to the Daily Pilot, Possley said he and Falsani are not looking for sympathy. They want to raise awareness to prevent such incidents.

We are not here to talk about retribution or to paint ourselves or our son as victims, Possley said in the statement. We are not. He is not.

We are here to let the people of Laguna Beach know the facts of what happened to us and call upon everyone to stand together to send a clear, articulate message that this kind of hateful act is not tolerated in Laguna Beach.

To remain silent is to give tacit permission for others to engage in similar corrosive behavior. We will not be silent.

Meanwhile, the districts letter offered the same sort of plea for tolerance.

As a school district, we continue to work on teaching cultural proficiency, including self-awareness of how each students ethnicity, culture and life experiences may impact others, it said.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
The Costa Mesa City Council is scheduled to review a revised version of a controversial plan to replace a College Park commercial center with a multi-story housing development.

Even if council members were to approve the project proposed for 440 Fair Drive during their meeting Tuesday, local voters would have the final say.

While the project that will go before the council next week differs in several respects from the version that drew the wrath of the College Park neighborhood in recent months, the fundamental idea is the same.

The applicant, Newport Beach-based Sheldon Development LLC, is seeking city approval to demolish the existing two-story building on the 1.66-acre site and replace it with 28 residential units.

Steve Sheldon, the developers chief executive, said the project will rid the area of an aging and blighted building and reduce traffic to and from the site, as residential properties typically generate fewer car trips than commercial uses.

Youre trading out a very busy office building for the homes, which have a third of the traffic, he said in an interview Friday.

Businesses currently at the center include Hotties Pizza, small offices and several spas and massage parlors.

Numerous College Park residents, though, have bristled at the project.

More high-density housing is a terrible burden for our community, College Park resident Molly McLarney wrote in an email the city in December. On a daily basis, we already deal with College Park being used as a speedway and the streets in front of our single-family homes are used as parking lots for other high-density projects off Fairview Road. We do not need more of this type of housing in our community.

College Park resident Ranell Nystrom called the project a flawed proposal that will destroy the integrity of the existing neighborhood in an email to the city in November.

One particular point of contention for many area residents was that the originally proposed project provided access to the property from Carnegie Avenue, rather than Fair, as is currently the case.

Allowing access from Carnegie, some residents claimed, would increase traffic in their neighborhood.

Under the revised project up for council review, the entrance to the property would remain off Fair.

A number of residents also raised issues with the height of the proposed new buildings.

Originally, Sheldon had sought permission to build eight detached units and 20 duplex units in multi-level buildings that would be 33 and 37.5 feet tall, respectively.

As revised, the eight detached units would instead be 27 feet tall, while the duplex units would remain the same height.

Sheldon said hes spoken with many, many residents in the area and tried to adjust the project to address their concerns.

Traffic was the No. 1 perceived issue among all the comments, and weve addressed that issue, Sheldon said. I believe everyone needs to compromise. I cant address all the issues 100%.

The city Planning Commission voted 3-0 in November to recommend the council deny the first version of the project, citing concerns about building a high-density project next to the single-family neighborhood.

The council could decide to deny the project, approve it, or refer it back to the Planning Commission so that body can review the retooled version.

Even if the council were to OK the project, it would still have to pass muster with local voters as a result of a growth-control measure approved in Novembers election.

That initiative, which was on the ballot as Measure Y, stipulates that voters must also sign off on development projects that require a general plan amendment or zoning change and would also add 40 or more additional dwelling units or 10,000 or more additional square feet of commercial space on top of what already exists.

While the project at 440 Fair Drive does include requests for a general plan amendment and to rezone the property to residential, it doesnt meet the measures thresholds on its own.

However, Measure Y also requires the city to consider other developments approved within a half-mile of the project site over the last eight years. Should a combination of previous projects and a proposed development meet or exceed the measures criteria, a public vote would be required.

In the case of 440 Fair, there are two previously approved sizable projects located within a half-mile  the proposal to build 224 high-end apartments to replace the Costa Mesa Motor Inn at 2277 Harbor Blvd. and the Azulon at Mesa Verde complex at 1500 Mesa Verde Drive East.

The City Council approved those developments in November 2015 and December 2010, respectively. Azulon is currently open, while the Motor Inn redevelopment project is tied up pending the outcome of a lawsuit by affordable-housing advocates and some former motel residents.

Under Measure Y, the project would need to be placed on the ballot at the next regular municipal election following City Council approval, unless the applicant wished [to] pay for a special election, council agenda documents state.

The citys next regularly scheduled election is in November 2018.

Sheldon, though, said hes focused on Tuesdays hearing.

Ill cross that Measure Y bridge when I come to it, he said.

Tuesdays Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. in City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter: @LukeMMoney
Edison High School in Huntington Beach was locked down briefly Friday afternoon as police searched for two juveniles who witnesses said had climbed onto the roof, authorities said.

Huntington Beach police received a call about 2 p.m. after two people who do not attend Edison were seen on campus, Lt. Tim Martin said.

Students and teachers were told to stay in their classrooms as police scoured the campus on foot and searched the roof via helicopter. Authorities did not find anyone suspicious.

The lockdown was lifted around 2:30 p.m., Martin said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
The Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday is expected to consider which company should take the lead on a project to rehabilitate two major city streets.

Also on the agenda is whether the Central Library should start opening on Sundays, but City Manager Fred Wilson is recommending that the council vote to move that item to the Jan. 26 meeting to coincide with a discussion of the city budget.

The Edinger and Warner avenues rehabilitation project will include replacing old asphalt and dilapidated sidewalks, as well as adjusting sewer manholes and water meter boxes.

In a report, Wilson recommends that the city contract with the R.J. Noble Co., an engineering business that primarily serves Orange and Riverside counties.

R.J. Nobles bid of $1,416,298 is the lowest among those submitted by the five companies that responded after bidding opened Dec. 29, Wilson said.

Wilson said he also favors the company because it provided acceptable work while heading a reconstruction project on Talbert Avenue that wrapped up in December.

For the work, the city will be using a special rubberized asphalt created from over 290,000 used tires, keeping them out of landfills, the report says.

The two streets have not been renovated since 1999. The cost of the project is estimated at $1.65 million, the report says. It is being funded by Measure M funds and a $500,000 Orange County Transportation Authority grant. Measure M funds are specifically slated for transportation improvements. It was first passed by county voters in 1990 and then renewed in 2006.

The city has also been grappling with the possibility of opening the Huntington Beach Central Library on Sundays.

Former council member Dave Sullivan, who retired from his post in 2016, proposed the item on Nov. 21.

The library had been open on Sundays from 1997 to 2010, the reduction to six days a week coming during the national recession.

The decision to end Sunday hours was difficult, but was necessary to address the budget reductions at that time, the city managers report says.

The report estimates that the cost of adding Sunday hours could vary from $70,000 to $260,000 annually, depending on the added staffing and maintenance demands.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
Juice Served Here, a cold-pressed juice chain with locations throughout the Los Angeles area and at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, is bringing its first restaurant concept to Newports Lido Marina Village with a soft opening scheduled for Jan. 23.

JSH Marina Cafe at 3418 Via Lido will serve breakfast and lunch. Items will include smoothie bowls, nut milk-based shakes and lemonades.

*

H.B. hotel to renovate guest rooms and open new restaurant

The Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach recently began a refresh of its 157 guest rooms and its public spaces.

The rooms will get updates such as new furniture and flooring. A news release described the decor as sleek and modern art and graphics, moody ocean shades, windswept ripples and retro-inspired prints and furnishings.

The work is scheduled to be completed in March.

The hotels Zimzala restaurant and bar has closed and will reopen in April as Pacific Hideaway, described as a modern American restaurant with Asian roots, celebrating island flavors of Southeast Asia, Latin America and Japan.

Pacific Hideaway will feature a patio and lounge with views of the Huntington Beach Pier.

*

Costa Mesa clothing company launches online store

Costa Mesa-based womens clothing company AU & Co. has launched an online store at auandcompany.com.

AU & Co. designs apparel inspired by a sense of West Coast ease using [locally sourced] deadstock and recycled fabric, creating an individual and unique touch to each piece, the company, founded last year, said in a statement.

*

Shopoff acquires Newport office building

Shopoff Realty Investments, based in Irvine, has acquired a Newport Beach office building for $15.4 million, according to a news release.

The three-story building at 4440 Von Karman Ave. contains 44,434 square feet.

We are employing our strategic plan to actively lease up the property and to increase rents that are currently below market rates, Shopoff Executive Vice President David Placek said in a statement. With high market occupancy, upward momentum on rental rates and an attractive location, this asset is well-positioned to be stabilized in the near future.

*

Newport-based developer plans Beaumont housing community

Newport Beach-based RSI Communities recently bought 228 acres in Beaumont in Riverside County to develop a 981-unit master-planned community of energy-efficient homes, according to a news release.

The development, called Olivewood, is scheduled to break ground this year. Homes priced in the high $200,000s to $300,000s will be available starting in 2018.

*

Newport Beach law firm donates shoes

Johnson Attorneys Group, based in Newport Beach, collected 210 pairs of new and used shoes in its holiday drive for Soles4Souls.

The shoes were delivered to Soles4Souls warehouse in Fullerton. The company also is collecting shoes this month to donate in February.

We may not be able to walk in the shoes of the less fortunate, but at least we can take steps to do something positive and get shoes on their feet, Johnson Attorneys Group founder James Johnson said in a statement.

*

Charity event raises $15,000 for water stations

Arbor Real Estate, based in Newport Beach, recently hosted a party to benefit the Rob Machado Foundation.

The event featured food, music and a raffle and raised more than $15,000 to help install refillable water stations at Newport Beach schools, starting with Newport Elementary School.
Boredom. Is it inevitable? No, only to conform to an unwanted routine, every day lifestyle that keeps leading me back to the subtle, blatant invisible death I know is slowly but surely creeping up on my weak heels.

Thats how Jeff Cullens poem Dump Truck starts.

Denise Cullen said she discovered the poem after her son was found dead on Aug. 5, 2008, from an overdose of Xanax and morphine following a long battle with drugs.

In March, Denise will be dedicating a bench to her only child near the pier in Huntington Beach, the city of Jeffs birth. City workers installed it last month in a small plaza on the boardwalk, across from the Junior Lifeguard building. Denise and husband Gary financed the project for $6,000 after getting a supportive go-ahead from the Huntington Beach Art Center.

Since her sons death, Denise considers it her duty to help fight the affliction that took her son: addiction. The former AIDS social worker at UC Irvine Medical Center heads an organization that provides community support for grieving family and friends who have lost loved ones to drugs, the nonprofit Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing.

With opioids claiming more than 33,000 American lives in 2015, Denise hopes that her sons story can be used to help others.

*

Is there a way out? Id love to know.

*

Jeff tried his best to find his way out of dependencys cold grip.

The lanky kid spent most of his life growing up in Costa Mesa. His true love, like a lot of Southern California kids, was surfing. When he would eventually be enrolled in drug treatment programs that required a higher power, Jeff made his the ocean.

His ashes would later be released into the sea by his family.

Jeffs war with addiction began when he was just 13, when he got drunk on his parents alcohol stash while they were at work. His father, Gary, even considered taking him to the emergency room.

Denise said this first incident seemed like the experimenting that many teenagers are inclined toward.

The trouble came about a year later, when Jeff was cited by a police officer for smoking marijuana on the roof of an abandoned elementary school.

It was shocking because we never expected it from him, Denise said.

It got worse. Denise found out that her son had experimented with other drugs, including LSD.

Jeffs parents enrolled him in a 30-day rehabilitation center, the first of many treatment facilities, where he spent his 15th birthday.

There was never really any length in time after that where he wasnt at least smoking pot, Denise said.

A protective mother, Denise began recording her sons phone calls off the landline in his room. She would listen to the tapes in her car as she drove to her social worker job. Many times, she said, she would cry from things she heard on the tapes.

*

Scattered thoughts know no higher being, just a mere shadow in the corner of my eye.

*

Jeff knew that his addiction was hurting him and his parents. Denise said he would regularly refer to his fairy tale life, yet, his addiction menacingly followed him wherever he went, like a shadow.

When Jeff was 20, Gary went into his room without knocking and found him injecting methamphetamine into his arm with a syringe.

To save them from further pain, Jeff left in his truck, telling his parents he wasnt going to use again but needed a few days to himself.

Denise said recovering from the highly addictive meth is really tough, with the sufferer being up for days and then sleeping for days.

Jeff was found by a police officer sleeping in his car in a parking lot in Orange County. The door was slightly ajar and Jeffs foot was hanging out.

The officer found a syringe and pipe in the truck, but instead of giving him a ticket, decided to take him to jail to give him a wake up call, Denise said.

After his parents picked him up, he was enrolled in another treatment program.

During this time, Jeff regressed after drinking a beer and disappeared from the facility for days.

Denise, with her background in AIDS work, began to leave clean needles at the door of her sons room at the facility so that he wouldnt contract the deadly disease if he was still using. Near them, the mother would also leave a note pleading with Jeff to come back to the facility.

Denise said that when she would return to the room, she would find the syringes gone and the note still there  suggesting that her son was returning at night to the facility, if only for the needles.

Denise doesnt really know when it happened but Jeff began using opiates. The new round of drugs brought forth more attempts to break the habit, including a stay at a methadone clinic that Jeff financed himself.

In all, Denise said, Jeff had been to nine treatment facilities over 12 years.

*

So far, the second decade has brought nothing but rare sight of day, consistent puncture, and an awaiting collapse of a flowing source of life I call a mainline.

*

Jeffs reckoning finally came when he was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs in 2008.

Denise said Jeff was adamant that he wasnt under the influence.

He was not using at that time, Denise said. This is important to me because my son was honest to a fault, and anytime anything happened to him, he took responsibility for it.

Jeff was sentenced to four months in jail at Theo Lacy Jail in Orange.

Being imprisoned had a freeing effect on Jeff. Addiction being a puppet master all its own, his inability to access drugs and the segregation from outside temptations and triggers allowed him time to heal and reflect.

Denise and Gary visited every weekend and she talked to Jeff every night over the phone.

Jeff felt that he had turned a corner in jail, Denise said. He, for once, felt hopeful that he may have escaped his shadow.

He was released from Theo Lacy on Aug. 3, 2008, and immediately reported to a drug-recovery house in Anaheim under court order.

But the facility had no room for Jeff and placed him on a waiting list.

Jeff tried another treatment center. Again, no luck.

Denise said its crazy for the court to have thrown Jeff in jail, knowing he had a drug problem, and then not planned for him to be admitted to a drug treatment center immediately upon his release, giving him only a list of centers to choose from. She said when people who have had drug problems leave jail, it is a risky time because the tolerance of the user has been diminished. They need help at that time more than ever.

In the late-night hours of Aug. 5, 2008, two days after being released from jail, Jeff was found dead of a drug overdose on the front lawn of an apartment in Costa Mesa. He was 27.

*

What the future holds? A ticking clock we lay our eyes on, day after day to tell what we call time, which is all it will tell.

*

Denise went through the next year being numb with grief.

Jeffs room became an archaeological site, with clues to his struggle buried in previously undiscovered sheets of paper.

On a cork bulletin board, hidden behind a photo, was a piece of paper exclaiming change your life in Jeffs handwriting.

Denise came upon papers with the word broken doodled on them.

She uncovered sketches that spoke of self-contempt.

She also found the poem. Jeff seemed to write eloquently of an inner demon that he could not tame.

Eventually, Denise arose with a new kind of fire.

Utilizing her social worker acumen and her love for her son, she now heads Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing, which holds gatherings in the United States and Canada for grieving people who have lost loved ones to drug use. Under her and Garys tutelage, the program has expanded to over 120 chapters from the original four when she first got involved.

Denise also runs GRASPs umbrella group Broken No More.

Denise said the nonprofit largely engages with the public through its Facebook page.

Denise also travels a lot, going to conferences on grief and addiction and organizing speakers.

Denise is the most selfless person I know, said Sam Snodgrass, who works with Broken No More. She took her grief after Jeff died and channeled it into helping others. This is her mission.

Denise made her mark in California by testifying in Sacramento for the passage of the 911 Good Samaritan law, which was passed in 2013. Such laws protect people from arrest and prosecution for drug possession when they call 911 to report an overdose.

It is healing to do something positive in your childs name and to make their life matter, Denise said.

Epilogue

City workers installed the bench in remembrance of Jeff on Dec. 17. Wesley Horn, an artist based in Davis, created the artwork featured on the bench.

Horn was approached by Denise in the spring after she had seen a bench that he created for another member of Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing.

Horn said he was moved by Denises story because he has had close friends who died from overdoses.

Horns mother, Donna Billick, had created art for the lifeguard building when it was built about 15 years ago. Some of the artwork, a mural of a whale tail, had been damaged, so Horn proposed the bench as a replacement, said Kate Hoffman, senior supervisor of cultural affairs at the Huntington Beach Art Center.

Hoffman felt the bench would be a good replacement for the original mural. Horn said the project took about a year to complete.

Horn said he spoke with Jeffs friends and family to get a sense of his personality so the art would depict his life.

The very colorful and lively bench is largely ocean-related, paying homage to Jeffs love for the sea. Horn said the only part of the bench suggestive of drugs are representations of three vinyl records from artists Prince, Janis Joplin and Bradley Nowell.

All had a lot to offer and were gone too soon because of opioids, Horn said about the musical artists.

Denise plans to hold a dedication for Jeffs bench in March with family and friends but has no details yet.

Because Jeffs ashes were released into the ocean, Denise and Gary dont have a headstone to visit. Denise said she hopes the Huntington Beach bench will provide her a place to be with her son.

*

Like denial almost, unwilling to easily take some control over decisions where vital consequences dwell and linger overhead, shown to be obviously detrimental to oneself, very grim source of self destruction, only an imbecile would do anything but attempt an immediate 180 turn, especially with the knowledge and awareness of this incredibly strong force I choose to call a motivated beast growing stronger day in day out.

In over his head he immaturely takes more huge steps towards the edge, not having concern for what lies ahead in a fairy tale life that has pointlessly been turned into a struggle that eventually starts to ripple like a slight breeze on a glassed off cove at dawn.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
"Street Fighter" is one of the most iconic gaming franchises known to old gamers but it seems Capcom is carrying it over to the new generation as it will be on Nintendo Switch. "Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers" will come to the device which has been recently revealed will be released to the public on March 3, 2017.

"Ultra Street Fighter 2" Game News & Details

Capcom has added new features for "Ultra Street Fighter 2." According to a press release by Capcom via Gematsu, the new game will feature a co-op gaming play with a friend against a CPU opponent. Additionally, the Joy-Con feature can also be used to challenge another player at any time.

Additionally, "Ultra Street Fighter 2" will feature all "classic" characters from the previous titles and added Evil Ryu and Violent Ken. The version of Evil Ryu is Ryu being overcome with Satsui no Hado and obsessed with proving to become the strongest. Meanwhile, Violent Ken is the result of being brainwashed after being kidnapped by M. Bison. Violent Ken's abilities have been enhanced and his brotherly relationship with Ryu has been twisted into a bloodthirsty rivalry.

Nintendo Switch News & Updates

In the latest Nintendo livestream, it was revealed that the Switch will be officially released by March 3, 2017. The console is an innovative gaming system that connects to a TV for players to game but it can be brought on the go after detaching a gaming handheld with a 6.2-inch gaming screen. The Nintendo Switch retails at $300 each, IGN reports.

More information regarding the "Ultra Street Fighter 2" game in terms of release date and pricing are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.

What do you think about Nintendo Switch getting an old school fighting game like "Ultra Street Fighter 2" soon? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Jan 14, 2017, 8:15am ET

Renault accused of cheating on diesel emissions

Renault denies the government\'s accusations.

The French government has accused Renault of building diesel-powered cars that don't comply with emissions regulations. Officials launched an investigation into the brand yesterday.

Details about the allegations are still few and far between. The government simply stated that many new and late-model Renault cars are a public health hazard because they emit more nitrogen oxide (NOx) than they are legally allowed to in France, and in the European Union.

A list of affected models hasn't been published yet, but the probe is believed to focus on the dCi turbodiesel engine that powers numerous members of the company's lineup. Variations of the four-cylinder are also found in millions of Dacia-, Nissan-, and even Mercedes-Benz-badged cars in Europe. It goes without saying that none of the affected cars are registered in the United States.

Renault flatly denied the accusations. The company stresses all of its cars have always complied with emissions regulations, and it emphasizes that it has never built an engine with an emissions defeat device.

Executives from the Paris-based automaker are cooperating with government officials. Renault will face fines if it is found guilty of building non-compliant cars.

The news comes just a few days after the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) accused Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) of selling a 3.0-liter V6 engine that emits too much NOx. Like Renault, FCA denied any wrongdoing.

Note: 2016 Renault Scenic pictured. Photo by Ronan Glon.
One answer Nicole Green gave to a question during her testimony in the murder trial of her ex-boyfriend may have jeopardized the entire fairness of the trial.

At least that's what the attorney for Patrick Hughes is arguing.

Defense attorney Brian Monahan called for a mistrial Friday afternoon after Green told jurors on the witness stand why their relationship was "off and on" over the years.

"He was in jail most of the time we were together," Green said.

Northampton County Judge Jennifer Sletvold then ordered the jurors out of the courtroom and Monahan made his motion for mistrial, citing that the jury can't hear testimony about Hughes' previous incarceration.

Sletvold dismissed the motion, but said she would further research the issue over the weekend. She instead brought the jury back in and instructed them not to consider Green's testimony about Hughes' incarceration.

Prosecutors said Hughes killed Ervin Holton, a 43-year-old disc jockey known as "DJ E," because of jealousy over Holton and Green starting an intimate relationship.

The fatal shooting happened Nov. 23, 2012, in the doorway of a home in the 100 block of West St. Joseph Street on South Side Easton.

Omar Robinson, 37, of Palmer Township, is also charged with Holton's murder. The two are being tried together. The proceedings started Monday with jury selection.

Green testified that she and Hughes became a couple in 2005. They broke up a few years later but rekindled the relationship in 2011, she said.

She started dating Holton after she and Hughes once again separated, but prosecutors suggested in their questioning that Hughes wasn't on board with the separation.

Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Richard Pepper presented a number of letters Hughes wrote to Green.

Green said the letters often requested money or other favors. Pepper asked if Hughes also professed his love to her in the letters. She responded "yes."

Monahan and Robinson's defense attorney declined to cross-examine Green.

She was Friday's last witness. The trial resumes on Tuesday because court is closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The entrance of a proposed trucking school will likely be moved away from a residential neighborhood and toward a highway interchange.

The school for tractor-trailer drivers and mechanics is proposed by Werner Enterprises at 1460 Tatamy Road in Palmer Township.

The plan was introduced a year ago. About 100 people attended a community meeting about the proposal in June.

The outpouring of concerns from neighbors sent Werner back to the drawing board, according to Werner Vice President Randy J. Kraft.

He anticipates coming before the township planning commission in February to discuss some revisions.

He said Werner bought more land so the school site has grown from 25 to 50 acres.

"We're reconfiguring the building and laying out of the site differently because we have more room to do it," Kraft said. "By having a little more land it gives us more options."

He didn't want to discuss details about the plan in advance of any public meetings. The rear of the project is close to the new Route 33 interchange in the Chrin Commerce Center.

Chad Harrington from Werner told the planning commission in February 2015 that the school would have about 100 full-time employees. There would be about 50 students on the site at any given time.

The initial plan called for 75 parking spaces for truck tractors, 169 spaces for trailers and 179 car parking spaces. The school unveiled last year was 67,000 square feet. Kraft said the revised plans call for a smaller school.

A group of neighbors at the Villages of Mill Race and Tatamy Hunt developments oppose the school. They think noise, traffic and the school's appearance will detract from their home values and quality of life.

"We have started a GoFundMe account to help us spread the word throughout the township to notify residents of what the township has become. All money collected will be used for newspaper ads to spread the word," said neighbor Ed Calderone.

Werner needs conditional use approval to build the school. Trucking terminals aren't approved by right in that area but can be approved conditionally.

Werner will pursue the conditional use approval first and then seek permission to build the school if that initial approval is granted, according to township Planning Director Cyndie Carman. Last year Werner sought conditional use approval and land development approval simultaneously.

Werner recently submitted a one-page revised sketch plan to the township, Carman said.

Kraft anticipates going before the planning commission on Feb. 14.

Werner Enterprises is based in Omaha, Nebraska. The international trucking company was founded 60 years ago and has a facility in Upper Macungie Township.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
A detective on Friday detailed injuries to a 3-year-old boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a Slatington man.

James Heck is facing trial on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated assault and child endangerment in the case involving the toddler, and a separate assault case involving the child's mother.

Heck, 38, remains in Lehigh County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Heck waived his preliminary hearing in the case, but on Friday Judge Kelly Banach held a hearing, similar to a preliminary hearing.

Slatington police said Heck was alone with the boy and his sister for about four hours the night of Aug. 5.

When the children's mother went to check on them, Heck, whom police say was drunk and acting strangely, blocked the doorway and assaulted her, police said.

The mother was able to get into the children's room, where Heck assaulted her again. The woman discovered the toddler boy had marks and bruising on him, police said.

The children were taken to the emergency room at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, where the boy was cleared and released, Det. Andrew Millen testified. Police said the boy's mother was not pleased the child was released, and took him to Lehigh Valley Hospital at 17th Street for a second opinion.

Doctors found evidence of sexual assault and concluded that the child had been abused, according to testimony.

Police seized several items as evidence, including a spatula, a toy wand and two staplers.

Defense attorney David Ritter said his client maintains his innocence. Ritter told the judge that no evidence was presented Friday indicating that Heck was the attacker.

"It's only speculation as to who could have been in the home," Ritter argued. "This is just guesswork."

The judge upheld the charges and set a new court date of Feb. 14 in the case.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
Bluegrass legends The Special Consensus return to Portarlington next week, for a night of toe-tapping music in the surroundings of the Anvil Inn.

Twenty years ago in 1997 The Special Consensus made a stop in Portarlington on their first Irish tour. Two years ago they returned to the town where they had an exceptional reception, so they asked to come back this January as part of their now biennial tour or Ireland.

Formed in the Chicago area in 1975, The Special Consensus is a four-person acoustic bluegrass band with a repertoire that features traditional bluegrass standards, original compositions by band members and professional songwriters, and songs from other musical genres performed in the bluegrass format.

The Grammy nominated Bluegrass band has been led for 40 years by Greg Cahill (banjo/ vocals) and features Rick Faris (guitar/vocals), Dan Eubanks (bass/vocals), and newest member Nick Dumas (mandolin/vocals).

They recently won the IBMA Recorded Performance of the Year Award for Fireball from their new album Long I Ride.

The band has released 18 recordings and has appeared on numerous national public radio programs and cable television shows, including The Nashville Network and the Grand Ole Opry at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

International tours have brought the band to Australia, Canada, Europe, South America, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The Special Consensus has appeared in concert with many symphony orchestras nationwide and has brought an informative in-school presentation to schools nationally and internationally since 1984.

Band leader/banjo player Greg Cahill is the former President/Board Chair of the Nashville-based International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the former Board Chair of the Nashville-based Foundation for Bluegrass Music and a recipient of the prestigious IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award (in 2011).

The 2012 band release Scratch Gravel Road (Compass Records) was Grammy nominated for Best Bluegrass Album and two songs from the 2014 band release Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute To John Denver (Compass Records) won IBMA awards for Recorded Event of the Year and Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year.

The brand new Special Consensus recording Long I Ride is available for download at www.compassrecords.com and is also available in hard copy CD format.

The Special Consensus will play in the Anvil Inn, Portarlington, next Monday, January 16, at 8pm.

Tickets are available online through www.specialc.com or from the venue.
A poem by well known writer Tom Sigafoos has been shortlisted for an award at Strokestown International Poetry Festival.

The work 'Blanket on the Ground (Unexpurgated)' is up for the Percy French Poetry Prize 2017.

Tom Sigafoos is the author of the e-books Hello, My Lovely and Code Blue. His crime novel Pool of Darkness was shortlisted for the 2016 Penny Dreadful Novella Prize.

His Irish historical novel The Cursing Stone was excerpted in The Copperfield Review, A Journal for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

His short stories and memoir have been published in The Quiet Quarter Anthology: Ten Years of Great Irish Writing, in Crannog Literary Magazine, in The Cathach Literary Journal, in The Leitim Observer, and in The Irish Times. Samples of his work are posted online at www.tomsigafoos.com

His American Scrapbook, a series of radio essays, was broadcast on The Quiet Quarter on RTE Lyric FM.

He has served as chair of the Allingham Festival since 2014. A member of the Irish Writers' Centre and the Irish Writers' Union, he lives and writes in Ballyshannon.
Commencing next week Macra na Feirme in association with the Irish Farmers Journal will begin a consultation with young farmers around the country on the ideal Common Agricultural Policy post 2020.

Speaking ahead of the consultation Macra na Feirme President Sean Finan said, Through our involvement with CEJA supported by IFAC we have begun exploratory discussions in Brussels on CAP 2020. During these discussions young European farmers have asked if older farmers should continue to receive a direct payment as well as a statutory state pension.

'In Macra na Feirmes opinion some of the European thought process suggests that farmers should have to make a choice. Macra actively encourages young farmers into the industry and firmly believes every support necessary should be made available to them.

'However Macra also believes that while encouraging new entrants, financial provision must be made in CAP 2020 for the young at heart farmer.

'Therefore, those involved in farming throughout Ireland should ask themselves, is it sustainable that a farmer who reaches retirement age is financially better off through receipt of a direct payment and a pension once they reach eligibility?

'Should you receive a pension and direct payment?

'This and many other questions must be addressed and we are asking young farmers to give us an answer. Our CAP 2020 consultation meetings are taking place around the country in the coming weeks and Macra wants young farmers to come along and have their voice heard.

Sean Finan concluded, CAP needs to support all active, productive farmers regardless of age, who are delivering public goods in a sustainable manner.

A meeting will be held on 1st February in the Radisson Hotel, Sligo.
Nick Cleggs excellent book, Politics: Between the Extremes, released in September, provides a useful perspective on the new parameters which seem to define British politics. As became clear in 2016, politics is not just a battle between right and left or statist versus anti-statist perspectives any more, but between open versus closed economies and Brexit versus Remain.

But I think Cleggs analysis would have benefited from exploring more deeply how old and therefore un-random these changes are. Specifically, Cleggs Twelfth Chapter Was Roy Right? suggests Roy Jenkins who died in 2003 and in the 1980s was the leading political and intellectual force behind the SDP and Lib Dems would not have agreed with his view of cross-party cooperation, or that the only division in politics is between left and right.

There is, in fact, plenty of evidence to suggest that Jenkins would have shared Cleggs analysis. Indeed, I think Jenkins would have likely been his strongest supporter in the Coalition years and would have spoken against the criticisms made of Clegg, implicitly in his name, principally by Lord Oakeshott, Jenkins former Special Adviser, who see the Liberal Democrats as effectively a subsidiary of the wider left.

Whilst Clegg is right to acknowledge the logic that runs from Oakeshotts bipolar view, he is not correct to believe Jenkins would have shared it: in fact, he moved away from it.

Jenkins gave up on Labour to create the SDP and he wished to cooperate with them in the 1990s in order to bring in voting reform and break it up. Just before he did, his 1979 BBC Dimbleby lecture made plain his view that liberalism could no longer be defended in a two party model moulded by the tyranny of first past the post voting and a tight skinof old labels which have become increasingly irrelevant. His text was written partly out of guilt for not doing more to help Labour moderates like Barbara Castle in the decade before, and partly as a warning to the Conservative left (its first draft was shared, notably, with his closest political friend and father of his God-Child, Tory MP Ian Gilmour).

Gilmour was a crucial ally of Jenkins in the 1967 Bill which decriminalised homosexuality and the 1975 Remain campaign. Gilmour warned Thatcher presciently in 1977 in Inside Right of the dangers for the liberal-right of blind tribalism, and like Jenkins, he sensed that though left-right politics was the most important signpost in politics, it should no longer be its Chinese Wall. Jenkins, then President of the European Commission challenged British exceptionalism compared to the rest of Europe. As became gradually clearer between 1979 and 2016, the UK can now be reached by aeroplane and is no longer an island and never can be again and as Jenkins pointed out, Britain had evolved to become less deferential and more European, whilst its politics had drawn too tight for effective national performance.

For Jenkins, the fault of the two-party left-right structure was that the liberal values within their memberships had no focus, and was instead displaced with excessive partisan rage about hobgoblins of the past.

When the Chinese Wall of two-party politics did collapse in 1975, just as it briefly did in 2016, moderates in the big two parties found they had a lot in common and needed to cooperate more for their mutual benefit. As Jenkins reflected in 1991: With the party system looseningthings were never quite the same for Labour after June 1975. The 1975 referendum campaign which he chaired, showed that it was as much about what Jenkins learned about the Tory party as the Labour party, which shaped his decision to try to reorganise the centre-left, but the whole radical centre.

Jenkins words could serve, today, as guidance for Cameroonians and Blairites, whose projects foundered on the idea that Britain had not changed and only left-right distinctions had any democratic relevance, and saw openness as a valuable but less important side-project. For years, both appeased populists like Len McCluskey and Daniel Hannan, rather than looking to other parties as Clegg had. If more of them had fought as hard and smart as Clegg and Jenkins, British politics (and its economy) would be stronger today.

The ideas and actions of some Blairites and Cameroonians, like Jenkins in the first part of his career, are a reminder of the potential of the moderate wings of the Tory party and Labour parties. But Jenkins displacement theory explains why these liberal-minded people weigh less in their two parties than their parts: the structure traps them fighting irrelevant wars against the hobgoblins of trade unionism and class, and isolated in two minorities with incompatible people, and still more important, incompatible philosophies.

But Jenkins words from 1979 leave an awkward message to Liberal Democrats, too. Whilst politics is not just about left and right, it remains a crucial divider: as he said even before the SDP a

 break out might succeedbut does not invalidate the argument that the present system which militates too much against a shift in the pattern, which makes the moderates too much the prisoners of the extremists.

Jenkins conception of a new political mould logically aligns with a four party model which Clegg would recognise well from his shared experience of northern Europe and the European Commission: a Dutch-style split between the liberal right of (VVD) and the liberal left (D66). In the meantime, ironically, Lib Dems have an identity problem because we have too much political choice, not too little as is often said.

Realignment, of course, is not just logistically tricky but emotionally problematic for people in all parties  including, sometimes, ourselves  who are too easily haunted by hobgoblins of the past. We, of course, did a lot between 2010-15, but the cost of inaction will be clearer to most like-minded people in other parties after 2016 too, and sooner or later liberals or remainers will hopefully now realise they need to organise under some new structure, even if it is not some single entity. However radical, the concept is not new and it was this kind of pluralism that protected Britain from the Tory Brexit crowd during the successful Coalition years, and it remains the Liberal Democrats founding and enduring idea: Roy was right, and so was Nick.

* Douglas Oliver is secretary of the Liberal Democrat History Group and is based in London.
SINN Fein is seeking to build on Maurice Quinlivans election as a TD in 2016, which was a considerable breakthrough, according to party president Gerry Adams.

Mr Adams was in Limerick on Sunday to attend the 60th anniversary of Sean Souths death, using his graveside oration to hail the Limerick man, mortally wounded in the 1957 Border campaign, as iconic.

The procession, which began at Bedford Row and finished at the republican plot in Mount St. Laurence Cemetery, was according to Sinn Fein  the largest commemoration in memory to take place in the city, with an estimated 500 people in attendance.

It was led by Adams and local Sinn Fein TD Quinlivan, who said the life and death of Sean Sabhat (South) is an integral part of the history of Limerick.

Adams used his speech to discuss Irish unity, the state of politics both north and south of the border as well as Brexit, referencing too the problem of homelessness in Limerick and the trolley crisis at University Hospital Limerick. He was speaking before the dramatic resignation of Martin McGuinness the following day.

I believe if we advance together, united behind our republican goals, we will win our freedom and build the united Ireland for which Sean Sabhat (South) and Fergal O hAnnluain gave their lives, Mr Adams said.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader before the annual commemoration, he said the names such as South were iconic and it was important to be able to reflect.

I think it is important that this is not just about the past, about commemorating or looking back, it is only necessary to do that to look forward, he said.

I take considerable pride from the fact that we dont need any more Sean Souths, and there might be some people who say that you never needed them, but that is a matter of their opinion.

Praising Quinlivan, who was elected in February of last year, the first Sinn Fein TD in 93 years from Limerick, Mr Adams said his party colleagues election was a considerable breakthrough for us, well and hard worked for, and we would be seeking to build on that.

We havent studied precisely how we would go forward in any particular constituency, but we would be seeking to strengthen what we have, and we will do that in consultation with the people here in this constituency, he added.

Of Limericks rebounding economy, he said there should be no horizon or limit or boundary to how this place should grow. It is a lovely city, it is in a beautiful setting, it has brilliant history behind it. There is no reason at all why this city cant prosper.

Deputy Quinlivan said he would like to see a tribute to South in his native city.

The uniform is there and whatever peoples opinions are, it is a historic item so it should be on display somewhere, he said.
COUNCILLORS have given a broad welcome to new proposals which could significantly cut developer levies across Limerick.

At a special briefing session this Monday, councillors were briefed on the new development levy scheme, which includes proposals to cut the charges due by some developers in the city centre by up to 76%.

The scheme would see developers pay levies of 25 per square metre on office spaces in the city centre, while contributions for housing would be reduced to 7 per square metre.

At present, the builder of a one-off house in rural Co Limerick would pay a flat rate of 3,000 up to 150 square metres, and 20 per square metre after this.

However, the new development scheme would see that rate cut to just 20 per square metre, without the flat rate.

And there could be no charges for development in regeneration areas, as the council seeks to incentivise economic activity there.

While it will be Monday, January 23, when the scheme is voted upon, only councillors Cian Prendiville and John Gilligan have spoken publicly against the new scheme so far.

Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor Prendiville does not believe there is a need for such a scheme, pointing out that it will lead to a drop of around 5m coming into the council which could be spent on public projects.

But Fine Gael leader John Sheahan has rejected his assessment as being pie in the sky.

It has been mooted that the old schemes, if left as they were could bring in 24.8m, and this scheme would only bring in 19m. If we look retrospectively, even in the great boom times, we didnt get the money we were supposed to. So how are we going to get the money now? Id be happy if we get 19m by the end of the scheme, as it will mean a lot of development has happened in both the city and county.

Cllr Sheahan said he was keen that rural Limerick get its fair share under the new scheme, claiming that the city centre has had a fair old hand since the amalgamation of the council in 2014.

There are commercial buildings in some of our villages which will never again be used as commercial buildings, he explained. We need to incentivise people to reopened these as family homes and raise the occupation of our towns and villages.

In a similar vein, Cllr Seamus Browne, Sinn Fein, added: I see rural villages going into decline, and I ask myself what can be done to get people living in these villages, and businesses operating? What message would it send out if we have high development levies? I do not think this is the magic bullet which is going to solve the issue, but it is needed to get people working in rural Limerick.

Yet Cllr Prendiville said there was no need to reduce developer levies, saying the arguments that cuts would bring in more money do not stack up to scrutiny, adding that the take from the current development scheme has been increasing year-on-year.

But in response, Independent councillor Emmett OBrien said: He is trying to convince the room that there was an economic developer-led boom in Limerick city. Unless he is living in some kind of Marxist paradise, this is news to me. I have travelled the length and breadth of the countys bye-roads, and walked around all the streets of Limerick city, and compared to elsewhere, no development is going on.

Independent councillor Gilligan said he was sceptical about the reforms, saying that due to Brexit and an improvement in the local economy, such aggressive cuts were not necessary.

There is always going to be development  people will always want to develop. Britain made a disastrous decision in pulling out of the EU. But I believe this will open a space for Ireland and Limerick to take some of its business. I dont think we need any extra impetus or incentive.

Fianna Fail councillor James Collins said: This is all about jobs. It is about creating jobs and housing. We are charging zero in levies in the regeneration areas for commercial, retail or housing. The idea behind this is we want developers to develop there. If we charge them less, it is viable for them to build in these areas to provide jobs and housing which are badly needed.
STUDENTS from six schools across Limerick have won awards at the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition.

Science teams from Ard Scoil Ris, Castletroy College, Desmond College in Newcastle West, Colaiste Iosaef in Kilmallock, Gaelcholaiste Luimni in the city and Colaiste Chiarain in Croom all triumphed at the annual event, which is taking place in Dublins RDS this weekend.

There were also commendations for John the Baptist Community School, Hospital, Glenstal Abbey, and the Salesian Secondary College in Pallaskenry.

David Hamilton from Ard Scoil Ris won in the intermediate individual category, with the project To Bee or not to Bee winning first place here.

This project is aimed at investigating solutions to falling bee populations.

It was double delight for the North Circular Road secondary school, as Niall Meade led the way in the junior individual category.

His project is a referee wrist band which connects all match officials allowing better and quicker decisions to be made.

Niall was also recognised for the Commission for Communications Regulation for his project.

The winner of the overall exhibition is 16-year-old Shane Curran from Terenure College, Dublin.

Over 1,100 students from 375 schools across the island of Ireland competed in the BT Young Scientist exhibition.

Education Minister Richard Bruton said: It is wonderful to see so many students entering the world of science, technology, engineering and maths through the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Initiatives such as this have a critical role to play in raising awareness and engagement around science and technology and the impact it has on every aspect of our lives. I would like to congratulate every student, teacher and school community involved for their fantastic work this week. The Exhibition is a highlight for the education calendar every year, and I am delighted that BT will continue to support this event until 2020.

For more pictures and reaction from the event, see the Limerick Leader print editions
MORE than 100 people have taken part in a protest against conditions in the accident and emergency unit at University Hospital Limerick.

A mock-up of a trolley with a dummy patient and a placard asking the question: 'How long will you be waiting for a hospital bed' headed the march, which started from opposite the gates of the Dooradoyle hospital, before heading to the Ballykeefe roundabout, and back.

Demonstrators chanted: 'Simon Harris, hear our plea, open up our A&E', as a message to the incumbent Health Minister.

There were also chants directed at Limerick Finance Minister Michael Noonan, who was not present.

One of those taking part, mother-of-four Lolly Hayes from Corbally said: "I have been a victim inside the regional for many a year. I have waited 28 hours on a trolley before. These problems go back ten years. They have not just happened all of a sudden. But it is a holy disgrace."

The 'people's protest' was organised by Donal O'Brien, Pallaskenry and Ken McCarthy, Raheen.

Following the march, there was a rally which saw speeches from Cllrs Kevin Sheahan, Fianna Fail, Cian Prendiville, Anti-Austerity Alliance and Emmett O'Brien, Independent.

Also addressing the crowd were the former Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan - who was greeted with a hostile reception - and Sinn Fein Senator Paul Gavan.

The organisers claimed Fine Gael Senator Kieran O'Donnell had planned to attend, but pulled out at the last minute.

Apologies were also received from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Patients Association.
May 1, 2021, 2 PM

By Michael Baadke

Albert Schweitzer, a medical doctor, philosopher, theologian, musician, and author, was born Jan. 14, 1875, in Kayserberg, Alsace-Lorraine, then part of the German Empire, but later controlled alternately by France and Germany during and between the World Wars. Schweitzers birthplace today is in a French department known as Haut-Rhin.

He earned doctorates in philosophy and theology from the University of Strasbourg in 1899 and 1900, respectively, and conducted research while writing his 1906 book, which would be translated into English and published four years later as The Quest of the Historical Jesus. His later theological works included The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle in 1931.

Schweitzer was also an accomplished musician on the organ, and he became a recognized and respected authority on the development and construction of organs. He also wrote a biography of Johann Sebastian Bach that was published in 1905. That same year, he began to study medicine at Strasbourg for the purpose of becoming a medical missionary and devoting his life to assist others.

He earned his medical degree and, with his wife Helene Bresslau Schweitzer, established a hospital in French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon). Today known as the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, it continues to serve the region and conduct important medical research.

Schweitzer developed a philosophy based upon Reverence for Life, and his writings on this subject led to his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. Schweitzer died at his hospital in Lambarene, Gabon, on Sept. 4, 1965.

He has been honored on many stamps from countries worldwide, including France, Germany, and Gabon.

France issued an 80-centime+20c semipostal stamp honoring Schweitzer in 1975, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth (Scott B483).
Film review: Live by Night Ben Affleck is caught between being an outlaw and a gangster in the new film he has written and directed /how-to-lounge/movies-tv/film-review-live-by-night-111646911630260.html 111646911630260 story

In Live by Night, Ben Afflecks Joe works in the fringes of the crime world. But he is not interested in getting into the circle or climbing the hierarchy. He is there to simply make some money. If he has to attach a romantic notion to his profession, he prefers to see himself as an outlaw: those rogue heroes from Americas mythical Wild West, who, despite their unlawful histrionics, have a nobility about them. Live by Night is a gangster movie set in a time when the heady lifestyle of gangsters was yet to enter pop culture. In real life, organized crime in cities were in the nascent stage, born out of the Prohibition era. The Saturday shows we see Joe taking his son to plays Riders of the Eastern Ridge". It is about an honest sheriff and a dirty town".

The outlaw, in a sense, is the proto-gangster. Even as Live by Night points at the commonalities of these two quintessentially American figures, it centers on their moral difference. Afflecks Joe is a smooth businessman and a natural leader, yet there are things his code of ethics simply wont allow him to do: like bump off Albert White, his employer in his initial days of working with criminals in Boston, when a rival gives him the proposal. He threatens to reveal Joes affair with Whites girlfriend if he doesnt do the job.

Religion creeps into the movie when Joes plans of building a casino clashes with the sermons of a rising, young preacher (Elle Fanning). Fannings character is that of a teenager who finds the path of god after she goes through hell when she goes to Los Angeles to become a Hollywood actress. Instead of disliking each other, these two people form a connection. Thats because he knows what it is to be gnawed at by thoughts of mortal sin.

Joe is all for inclusivity, working with Cubans and blacks, communities the rest of the American underworld sneers at. These are remarkable virtues for the period and the kind of hero he is portrayed as: the early Westerns were notoriously racist. But this is a fantasy for Affleck, director of the film and writer of the screenplaybased on Denis Lehanes novel of the same namewho has tried to meld his love for these genres with his ideological beliefs.

The movie looks gorgeous; Robert Richardson captures the snowy nights of Boston and the warm, sunny tones of Tampa Bay with great style. I wasnt bored one bit but a lot of what goes on the surface may seem too full of the genre cliches: the back stabbings, the Churchs omnipresence in the life of a Catholic gangster and the elusive happy life that he seeks but never finds.
This electroconvulsive therapy machine was used at a mental hospital in Norway in the 1970s and 1980s. Shown here, at an exhibit at the Technical Museum of Norway, Oslo.

Carrie Fisher's ashes are in an urn designed to look like a Prozac pill. It's fitting that in death she continues to be both brash and wryly funny about a treatment for depression.

The public grief over Carrie Fisher's death was not only for an actress who played one of the most iconic roles in film history. It was also for one who spoke with wit and courage about her struggle with mental illness. In a way, the fearless General Leia Organa on screen was not much of an act.

Fisher's bravery, though, was not just in fighting the stigma of her illness, but also in declaring in her memoir "Shockaholic" her voluntary use of a stigmatized treatment: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), often known as shock treatment.

Many critics have portrayed ECT as a form of medical abuse, and depictions in film and television are usually scary. Yet many psychiatrists, and more importantly, patients, consider it to be a safe and effective treatment for severe depression and bipolar disorder. Few medical treatments have such disparate images.

I am a historian of psychiatry, and I have published a book on the history of ECT. I had, like many people, been exposed only to the frightening images of ECT, and I grew interested in the history of the treatment after learning how many clinicians and patients consider it a valuable treatment. My book asks the question: Why has this treatment been so controversial?

ECT's origins in the 1930s

ECT works by using electricity to induce seizures. This is certainly a counterintuitive way of treating illness. But many medical treatments, such as chemotherapy for cancer, require us to undergo terrible physical experiences for therapeutic purposes. The conflicts over ECT have other sources.

ECT was invented in Italy in the late 1930s. Psychiatrists had already discovered that inducing seizures could relieve symptoms of mental illness. Before ECT, this was done with the use of chemicals, usually one called Metrazol. By many reports, patients experienced a feeling of terror after taking Metrazol, just before the seizure started. A Cleveland psychiatrist who was active then once told me that the doctors and nurses used to chase the patients around the room to get them to take Metrazol.

Ironically, given that ECT would become iconic as a frightening treatment, the Italian researchers who proposed using electricity instead were searching for a safer, more humane and less fearsome method of inducing the seizures. Their colleagues, internationally, believed they had succeeded. Within only a few years of its invention, ECT was widely used in mental hospitals all over the world.

ECT used as a threat in hospitals in 1950s

Many depictions of ECT in film and television have portrayed the therapy as an abusive form of control. Most famous is the film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," in which an unruly patient is subjected to the procedure as a punishment. There is probably no fictional story that so haunts our consciousness of a medical treatment.

"Cuckoo's Nest," and many other depictions, are sensational, but we cannot grasp the historical background to the stigma around ECT if we do not acknowledge that "Cuckoo's Nest," while released as a movie in 1975, was not completely unrealistic for the era it depicts, the 1950s.

There is no question that ECT was benefiting patients then, but there is also a lot of evidence from that period showing that ECT, and the threat of it, were used in mental hospitals to control difficult patients and to maintain order on wards. ECT was also physically dangerous when first developed. Now there are ways to mitigate those dangers. Current practice, known as modified ECT, uses muscle relaxants to avoid the physical dangers of a seizure and anesthesia to avoid pain from the electricity.

These modifications were learned early, but it took a while for them to become standard practice. Ken Kesey, who wrote the original novel of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," released in 1962, worked in a mental hospital in the 1950s. He would have been able to witness all of this. Kesey, though, would also have known about ECT's power to relieve symptoms of mental illness, and one of the characters in the book attests to this.

At that time, ECT was also used as a "treatment" for homosexuality, then considered by psychiatrists to be an illness. This was not a major part of ECT practice, but this is not a comfort to gay people who received the treatment, for whom it could be traumatizing. The psychiatrists who used ECT in this way sincerely believed they were trying to help sick people, which serves as a warning against "medicalizing" behavior, and assuming that this will reduce stigma. This use of ECT did not last, in part because there was no evidence it did alter anyone's sexuality. But it survived in the social memory of the therapy.

The rise of the anti-psychiatry movement

By the 1960s, the evidence that ECT was very effective for treating depression was robust. But there were also good reasons for patients to fear ECT. These reasons, combined with widespread revolts against authority and conformity that flourished in the 1960s, also gave rise to a revolt against medical authority  the anti-psychiatry movement.

In its most extreme versions, the anti-psychiatry movement rejected the very idea of mental illness. But physical treatments, and most especially ECT, aroused its strongest rejections. Most advocates of anti-psychiatry  even those who questioned the very reality of mental illness  were supportive of talk therapy.

This provides another clue about why ECT occasions such deep divides. By acting so directly on the body, without any delving into the life history of the patient, ECT's powerful effects raise questions about what mental illness is, and what kind of psychiatry is best. It evens raises questions about who we are, and what a person is.

ECT use declined in the 1960s and 1970s, but revived starting in the early 1980s. During the years since, there have been a growing number of positive portrayals, often in patient memoirs like Fisher's. Writers such as Norman Endler and Martha Manning wrote moving accounts of how ECT brought them back from very bleak depression.

Increasingly, ECT came to be provided with consent, and the use of modified ECT became standard. Now, psychiatrists estimate that about 100,000 Americans receive ECT.

With the rise of the age of Prozac, our culture became more comfortable with physical fixes for those illnesses we continue to call "mental." According to psychiatrists who provide the treatment, many patients often go back for voluntary repeat ECT treatments, as Fisher did. That is hard to square with a stereotyped view of ECT as a form of abusive social control. ECT continues to have many critics, often people who received the treatment unwillingly, or who felt pressured into receiving it. For example, Wendy Funk wrote about this in her book "What Difference Does it Make?"

The main source of continuing controversy concerns a possible adverse effect: memory loss.

There is no question that ECT causes some memory loss, particularly of events near the time of the treatment. These memories often return, however. And there is also little doubt that many patients get potent therapeutic results, and many patients say they have little, if any, permanent memory loss.

But permanent long-term memory loss does occur, and it is uncertain how common it is. Many clinicians believe it to be exceedingly rare, based on their experience treating many patients over the years.

The scientific studies are not very conclusive, however, and serious and permanent memory loss is everywhere in patient memoirs  not least in those patients who have written positive accounts of ECT's therapeutic effects. In her book "Shockaholic," Fisher was emphatic about the power of ECT to reverse stubborn depression, but added, "the truly negative thing about ECT is that it's incredibly hungry and the only thing it has a taste for is memory."

ECT can be an invaluable treatment for many people. Many providers lament that that it is a stigmatized treatment. Dispelling the stigma, though, will require more than just testimony to its therapeutic effect, but also a full reckoning with its costs, both past and present.

Jonathan Sadowsky, Theodore J. Castele Professor of Medical History, Case Western Reserve University
Bumblebees are large, fuzzy insects with short, stubby wings. They are larger than honeybees, but they don't produce as much honey. However, they are very important pollinators. Without them, food wouldn't grow.

Two-thirds of the world's crop species depend on animals to transfer pollen between male and female flower parts, according to ecologist Rachel Winfree, an assistant professor in the department of entomology at Rutgers University. Many animals are pollinators  including birds, bats and butterflies  but "there's no question that bees are the most important in most ecosystems," she said in a 2009 article in National Wildlife magazine.

While other animals pollinate, bumblebees are particularly good at it. Their wings beat 130 times or more per second, according to the National Wildlife Federation, and the beating combined with their large bodies vibrates flowers until they release pollen, which is called buzz pollination. Buzz pollination helps plants produce more fruit.

Size

There are over 255 species of bumblebees, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), so bumblebees can be many sizes. The largest is the queen of the Bombus dahlbomii, which can grow up to 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) long. This is three to four times longer than the American bumblebee, according to Scientific American.

Flight

It has often been said that bumblebees defy aerodynamics and should not be able to fly. However, a recent study resolved the enigma and showed how the tiny wings keep the bee in the air. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2005, used high-speed photography to show that bumblebees flap their wings back and forth rather than up and down.

The wing sweeping is a bit like a partial spin of a "somewhat crappy" helicopter propeller, researcher Michael Dickinson, a professor of biology and insect flight expert at the University of Washington, told Live Science in a 2011 article. However, the angle to the wing also creates vortices in the air  like small hurricanes. The eyes of those mini-hurricanes have lower pressure than the surrounding air, so, keeping those eddies of air above its wings helps the bee stay aloft. [Related: Explained: The Physics-Defying Flight of the Bumblebee]

A bumblebee nest. (Image credit: Annette Van Oystaeyen)

Habitat

With so many species, it isn't surprising that bumblebees are found all over the world. For example, the largest bumblebee is found in Argentina and Chile and the rusty patched bumblebee is found in the United States and Canada.

Bumblebees usually build their nests close to the ground  under piles of wood, dead leaves and compost piles  or even below ground in abandoned rodent tunnels, according to Orkin.

Habits

Bumblebees are some of the most social creatures in the animal kingdom. A group of bumblebees is called a colony. Colonies can contain between 50 and 500 individuals, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

A dominant female called the queen rules the colony. The other bees serve her or gather food or care for developing larvae. During the late fall, the entire colony dies, except for the queen. She hibernates during the winter months underground and starts a new colony in the spring.

Diet

Bumblebees eat nectar and pollen made by flowers. The sugary nectar provides the bees with energy while the pollen provides them with protein, according to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust. They make honey by chewing the pollen and mixing it with their saliva, according to Animal Diversity Web (ADW). They feed the honey to the queen and the developing brood.

Offspring

The queen is the mother of all the bees in a colony. After waking from hibernation, the queen finds food and looks for a good location for a nest. Once the nest is found, she lays her eggs and stores up food for herself and the babies, according to ADW.

The queen sits on the eggs for about two weeks to keep them warm. When the eggs hatch, the queen feeds pollen to the baby bees, called larvae. At two weeks old, the larvae spin cocoons around themselves and stay there until they develop into adult bees.

The queen only takes care of the first batch of babies. The first batch grows into worker bees that will clean and guard the nest, find food and take care of the next batch of baby bees. The queen is left to do nothing but lay and hatch new eggs.

Bees born in late summer are male bees, called drones, and future queen bees. Both leave the nest as soon as they are mature. The males from other nests mate with future queens and then die. After mating, the future queens fatten themselves up and hibernate throughout the winter.

Compared to wasps, bumblebees are quite gentle and docile. They generally are not inclined to sting unless their nests are disturbed, and spend their days buzzing from flower to flower as they collect pollen. They dwell in ground nests and die when autumn rolls around. (Image credit: Ron James )

Classification/taxonomy

Here is the taxonomy of bumblebees, according to ITIS:

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Protostomia Superphylum: Ecdysozoa Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Hexapoda Class: Insecta Subclass: Pterygota Infraclass: Neoptera Superorder: Holometabola Order: Hymenoptera Suborder: Apocrita Infraorder: Aculeata Superfamily: Apoidea Family: Apidae Subfamily: Apinae Tribe: Bombini Genus: Bombus

Conservation status

Many bumblebees are listed as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource's Red List of Threatened Species.

The variable cuckoo bumblebee is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN and is considered one of the rarest species in North American. The rusty patched bumblebee is also listed as critically endangered, and in early 2017 it became the first wild bee in the continental United States to get federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, according to Scientific American.

There is a lot of discussion as to why the overall be population is declining. Some scientists think that there may be a sickness killing off the bees. Others think pollution, global warming or lack of native flowers may be to blame.

Other facts

Bumblebees are larger than honey bees and generate more heat. This allows them to work during cooler weather.

Bumblebees don't die when they sting. This is trait found in honey bees.

Bees are covered in an oil that makes them waterproof.

Queens shiver to warm up and keep eggs toasty.

Additional Resources
U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, the only Democrat appointed to the powerful House Committee on Appropriations from Region 6, which consists of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, has been appointed to the Defense Subcommittee and will continue his role on the Homeland Security Subcommittee for the 115th Congress, rising to the second-ranking member position.

As a member of the Defense Subcommittee, Cuellar will review funding for Department of Defense, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency. The subcommittee has oversight of the largest component of federal discretionary spending. It provides funding for troops, weapons programs and military conflicts abroad.
Webb County Judge Jesus Chuy Garza, who was indicted this week on a misdemeanor influence-peddling charge, was suspended without pay Friday by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

The commission may suspend a judge with or without pay upon being indicted by a grand jury for a misdemeanor involving official misconduct.

We advised the commission that we were voluntarily moving for the rule to be applied at this time, said Jesus M. Dominguez, one of Garzas attorneys. We can still contest (the suspension) if we file for a hearing within 30 days after the order is issued in order for the order to be terminated, modified or amended.

Garzas suspension is effective immediately.

The order from the commission states that he can request a post-suspension hearing to demonstrate that continued service would not jeopardize the interests of parties involved in court proceedings over which the judge would preside nor impair public confidence in the judiciary.

Garza, who has served as Webb County Court at Law II judge since 1993, was arrested and charged Thursday with one count of gift to a public servant by a person subject to his jurisdiction, a Class A misdemeanor. He posted a $2,500 bond about 30 minutes after he was booked at the Webb County Jail, Sheriff Martin Cuellar said.

The indictment  returned by a grand jury Wednesday in the 111th District Court  alleges that in January 2015, Garza asked local attorney Shirley Mathis for a $3,000 loan in exchange for appointing her to represent the wealthy Carlos Y. Benavides Jr. estate in a civil dispute. The loan was intended for Christopher Casarez, one of Garzas court coordinators, the indictment states.

Casarez died by suicide Dec. 11 in his home in the Lakeside Subdivision, according to Laredo police.

Mathis did not respond to requests for comment from the Laredo Morning Times. She told the San Antonio Express-News, Im sorry, I cannot speak with you, and hung up when asked for comment Thursday.

Garzas attorney, Oscar O. Pena, said in a statement that his client maintains his innocence.

He intends to investigate the states claim and he looks forward to defending himself and putting this matter behind him, the statement reads. This is a difficult time for the judge, his family and his friends, but he has faced many challenges in his life and he intends to face this one too.

The FBI, Texas Attorney Generals Office and the Texas Rangers conducted a joint investigation into the case.

Garza is scheduled to appear Feb. 13 before 111th District Court Judge Monica Z. Notzon.

The last time the State Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended a judge in Webb County was in September 2014, when then-Justice of the Peace Ricardo Rangel was indicted for accepting bribes while in office in exchange for reducing bonds for defendants.

Rangel was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison.

Taryn Walters may be reached at 956-728-2528 or twalters@lmtonline.com.
A woman was allegedly drunk when she crashed her vehicle into a car, killing one man and seriously injuring three others in May, according to Laredo police.

Raquel La Bubbles Carreon-Ibarra, 35, was charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and three counts intoxicated assault with a vehicle.

Laredo police served her with the arrest warrants Friday in the 700 block of East Olive Street. Carreon-Ibarra remained behind bars at the Webb County Jail as of late Friday.

At 2:17 a.m. May 27, officers responded to a crash in the 400 block of West Saunders Street by East San Francisco Avenue.

A 2013 Nissan Sentra driven by Carreon-Ibarra was traveling west on the wrong side of the road when it collided with a 2007 Mitsubishi Galant, according to police.

Police said a Chevy Cruze was also damaged due to the collision.

Carreon-Ibarra was taken to a San Antonio hospital due to her injuries, the LPD report states. A 25-year-old female passenger in the Sentra was taken to Laredo Medical Center for care.

There were three male occupants in the Galant. Ricardo Castillo Jr., 28, the front-seat passenger, was pronounced dead after he was taken to LMC. The two other occupants were rushed to Doctors Hospital and later airlifted to a San Antonio hospital for further treatment.

Investigators said Carreon-Ibarras blood-alcohol content was 0.10 on the night of the crash. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08.
Dying wishes take many forms. Sometimes, it is simply to play in the snow while others serve as a warning to the living.
If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option.
Check out our latest E-Edition

Accessible anytime and anywhere on your desktop, tablet and smart phone devices. The Lodi News e-Edition is enhanced with the latest digital tools, including RSS feeds, social networking and much more.

Check out our latest E-edition!
A smash-hit Paris show of one the worlds greatest private collections of modern art is to be extended after 600,000 people flocked to see it in just 10 weeks. Icons of Modern Art at the Louis Vuitton Foundation features the cream of the staggering collection of 250 paintings put together by Sergei Shchukin before the Bolshevik Revolution, which had never before been seen outside Russia.

The show includes 29 works by Picasso, 22 by Matisse, 12 by Gauguin and other top-notch Cezannes and Van Goghs that the super-rich textile merchant picked up on trips to Paris before World War I. With 60,000 people a week flocking to the spectacular though relatively modest-sized private gallery designed by Frank Gehry, its hours are being extended to try to cope with the demand, with doors opening seven days a week until 11:00 pm (2200 GMT) in February.

In the final week of the extended run, which ends on March 5, the foundation in the west of the French capital will stay open till 1:00 am. The gallery  paid for by the French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault  will lay on a breakfast every morning for visitors in the final week when doors open at 7:00 am, it told AFP.

Magritte blockbuster

That could end up amounting to quite a mountain of croissants as the shows attendance is already outstripping the blockbuster Magritte exhibit at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, which is currently pulling in 6,000 people a day. As well as the impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces, the exhibition also includes 30 major pieces from the Russian avant-garde suprematist and constructivist movements, loaned by the Tretyakov State Gallery in Moscow and the Russian Museum in St Petersburg.

Shchukin, who fled Russia for France after the revolution, had a particularly close relationship with Henri Matisse, whom he brought to Moscow in 1911 to decorate his palatial home. He also commissioned two of the artists most important works, The Dance and Music, which are the centrepieces of the Paris show, curated by the former head of the citys Picasso Museum, Anne Baldassari.

Lenin himself signed the decree to expropriate the works, before Stalin scattered the collection to museums in Moscow and St Petersburg, condemning some of the greatest masterpieces of 20th-century art as bourgeois and cosmopolitan.

The exhibition is the fruit of years of negotiations between LVMH boss Arnault and the Russian authorities, with a partnership agreement signed last year between the foundation and the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and Moscows Pushkin Museum.
Former beauty queen may lose sight after ex allegedly threw acid in her facePostmedia NetworkFirst posted: Friday, January 13, 2017 01:22 PM EST | Updated: Friday, January 13, 2017 01:28 PM ESTA former Miss Italy beauty contestant was left permanently scarred and could lose her sight after her ex-boyfriend allegedly threw acid in her face.Gessica Notaro, a 28-year-old model and one-time dolphin trainer who competed in the 2007 Miss Italy contest, was viciously attacked outside her house in eastern Italy, according to the U.K. Sun.Acid was thrown into her face and eyes, leaving her with deep burns and blindness, and other injuries to her hips and legs. She will have plastic surgery in an effort to ease the scarring but she may never see again.She was always smiling, always optimistic, a friend of Notaro told La Repubblica. Her mother is destroyed by this.Notaros one-time beau, Jorge Edson Tavares, 29, has been charged in connection with the attack. He allegedly stalked her after the couple broke up in August and he had been warned to stop harassing her.Notaro, crowned Miss Romagna in 2007, met Tavares, a native of Cape Verde, while working in the dolphin show at an aquarium in Rimini in 2014, according to the Daily Mail.Gessica Notaro. (Facebook photo)
Chelsey Mackey needed help.

Last spring, the young woman had come from North Dakota to Fremont for a friend shed met while attending Cedar Bluffs High School. The friend was in poor health.

Mackey was in Fremont when her housing situation in North Dakota fell apart.

Now, she would have to start all over again, find a new place to live and a job. Mackey, who needed a first months rent and a deposit, was referred to Uniquely Yours Stability Support in Fremont.

At Uniquely Yours, Mackey found the help she needed to begin a new life  one of promise.

UYSS, at 240 N. Main St., works to help prevent homelessness or move people out of this situation.

The local agency provides a host of services, such as free life skills classes on various topics including budgeting, employment skills, resume writing, nutrition education, and support groups.

Supported by community donations, the agency offers free items such as job interview outfits and reading glasses. Clients can shop in a community closet area for clothing, coats, shoes, bedding, books and other things.

Since 2014, UYSS has offered Community Resource Navigation (CRN). This free service provides a chance for clients to have a confidential dialogue. During that time, a UYSS representative can find out what they need as far as items and services.

Mackey, whod aged out of the foster care system, had never called landlords to see about available rentals before.

So Heather Evans, UYSS program director, worked with her.

And Evans had a plan.

Im going to call the first one (landlord) and youre going to listen and then were going to divide up this list of landlords and were both going to start calling, Evans said. So we sat side by side, making phone calls, until we found something that worked.

Mackey discovered that landlords wanted a rental history, something she didnt have, but she found one willing to work with her and Uniquely Yours.

We coordinated the funding, Evans said. She went to (Dodge County) General Assistance. She got part of the funding from them and part of it from us.

Mackey moved into an apartment in May 2016.

It was scary, at first, she said. I really didnt have anything, but it was also exciting.

Mackey shopped for items she needed at garage sales.

I was able to put my first place together and Im still living there, she said.

UYSS helped in other ways.

We were able to help get you some dishes, Evan said.

And a coffee pot. I absolutely love my coffee pot, Mackey said.

Evans went with Mackey to the Salvation Army to get food she would need.

Mackey got a job last May at Caseys General Store in Fremont, where she makes pizzas. She works there full time and enjoys her job.

Shes also working with the Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation program, which helps people with disabilities prepare for, find and keep jobs.

Mackey is working with this agency to determine how she can get her general education diploma (GED).

In the meantime, shes been spreading the word about UYSS.

Ive been telling people how Uniquely Yours has helped me get to where I am now, Mackey, 22, said. They are an amazing, but small organization  but their size is insignificant compared to enormity of their impact on society and the good that they can do.

Mackeys life has changed a lot.

Its changed for the better, she said. I continue to change and evolve, but I couldnt have done any of this without that first stepping stone  that big milestone  working with Heather and getting the (apartment).

Evans noted something else.

The money was crucial, because she had to have the money to get into the place, but I think a big part of it was just teaching her do for herself, she said.

Mackey said she plans to return to Uniquely Yours to take some cooking and budgeting classes.

She also hopes to return for a different reason.

I definitely want to come back to try to help  pay it forward, where I can, she said.

She continues to look toward the future.

Ive got lots of goals, Mackey said. Im just taking one goal at a time and knocking it out of the park.
Oil prices rallied yesterday following the EIA weekly data and are up further today. Despite the rise in US inventories (4.1 mln barrels) more than four times greater than expected, participants focused on other details. In particular, the stocks in Cushing fell by almost 580k barrels, while the market had been looking for an increase of around the same magnitude. Also, the 17.4 mln barrel demand by refineries was the most in nearly 30 years.

The bullish case for oil was predicated on rising demand, OPEC cuts and a natural decline in output in some countries, like Mexico. Chinas economy appears to be stabilizing (with a continued robust increase in credit expansion. Europe growth appears to have accelerated in Q4. Earlier today, EMU reported industrial output jumped 1.5% in November, more than twice what was expected. Even if the output was flat in December, the industrial output is set to expand in Q4 by the most since Q4 2010. Japans November industrial output rose 1.5%, the most in five months. Indias output surged 5.7% year-over-year in November after contracting 1.8% year-over-year in October.

What has captured the attention of the markets today are the reports indicating that Saudi Arabia (and Kuwait) have cut output more than they were committed to delivering. The Saudi oil minister announced that output has fallen below 10 mln barrels for the first time in almost two years. Kuwait also reports that its output is a little less than it committed to as well.

At least for the moment, this addresses a nagging concern of many market participants that OPECs adherence to their agreements is often questionable. Of course, the risk of defections from the agreement increase as the price of oil increases. Also, the participation of non-OPEC countries, especially Russia, has yet to be seen. At the same time, US output is increasing. At 8.95 mln barrels a day, US output is the highest since last April. US producers have added about 100 new rigs since the end of Q3. Recall too that in 2015 and early 2016 some well were drilled, but then capped as if the producer was storing the oil in the ground.

The February light sweet oil futures contract set a low set on Tuesday and Wednesday (~$50.70) that met a 50% retracement objective of the rally since the OPEC agreement. It also matches the low from December 8. Prices have bounced smartly. However, the $53.50 area, which is being tested, needs to be overcome to suggest another run at $55.
MARTINSVILLE-The lights are in the process of being assembled and now we know when theyll be used. Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said that Sept. 23 will be the date night racing comes to Henry County.

Im really excited, Campbell said. This is the most looked forward to event that I can remember here. I hope the fans feel the same way.

Previously, Campbell had said the Late Model Stock Car teams would be the first to test the new equipment, competing in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Now the schedule has been set. In addition, Campbell said that he and ValleyStar CEO Delbert Morgan finalized talks to extend its sponsorship of the race through 2021.

The relationship with the speedway has been tremendous for us at the credit union, Morgan said. Its great for Virginia. Its great for Martinsville and Henry County. Its something Clay and I have been working on and were very proud to get it done.

The $5 million LED light project, called Light Up Martinsville is on schedule, Campbell said, and should be finished in the next month. All total, 19 lights will be installed at the track, making the speedway the first motorsport facility with 100 percent LED lighting.

The difference between LED lights, also known as light emitting diodes, and traditional lights, is that LEDs can be switched on and off instantly. That way it eliminates the time needed to warm up traditional bulbs. These lights can also be dimmed or brightened as needed throughout the race, something fans will get to experience Sept. 23.

Campbell said he wanted to wait until Sept. 23 for the event to make sure he wasnt getting in the way of some of the other tracks.

We had to wait until the weekly tracks were done with their seasons to make sure we werent stepping on their toes, Campbell said. But I think moving it back to September will make it more conducive to a night race.

This past year, the race was held on Oct. 16 as Mike Looney took home the grandfather clock. Typically, about 80 teams take part in the race, with $25,000 going to the winner. Unlike other races that qualify days before, the ValleyStar 300 starts with three 25 lap heats and then one last chance to get into the field, before the final event. In 2017, theres also a bit of history in play, as Martinsville Speedway turns 70 this year.

The LED project was fully funded by Martinsville Speedway and International Speedway Corporation. It came about after the ending to the Goodys Fast Relief 500 in 2015. Jeff Gordon took the win, but it was becoming harder for some drivers and crews to see clear on the track as the sun went down. After that, Campbell decided the track needed lights.

The excitement this race produces in the daytime; its going to be multiplied at night, Campbell said.
MARTINSVILLE  Sorry, city school students. Youre losing an upcoming holiday.

Presidents Day on Feb. 20 was to be a teachers workday in the Martinsville City Public Schools. Students now will be attending classes that day, according to Superintendent Zeb Talley, to make up for one of three school days canceled last week due to ice and snow on area roads.

But the other two days will not have to be made up. At the Martinsville School Board meeting Thursday night, Talley said enough time is included in regular school days to, based on state rules, make up for the time lost when classes were not held those two days.

In deciding whether to close schools because of wintry weather, Talley said, he and other school division staff members travel roads and streets and take into consideration how much frozen precipitation is on them.

They also take into the consideration the conditions of roads and streets in Henry County, he said, because some city students live in the county. In addition to February 20, if the area sees more snowfall, March 20 to 24, April 14, April 17 and May 26 have all been designated as makeup days.

As far as Henry County goes, students and teachers will have to wait and see. Monica Hatchett, the districts director of communications, said that officials havent decided yet.

We will be making a decision on makeup days in the next few weeks, Hatchett said.

Henry County doesnt have designated makeup days as such, Hatchett explained. They do have multiple planning days throughout the year, however, which can be used to make up the time.

Our calendar is constructed with the knowledge that we may have to sacrifice professional development time for makeup days in the event of inclement weather,Hatchett said. But we do not calculate a particular number of built in days.

When Henry County makes the decision to hold or cancel school, Hatchett explained that they look at AccuWeather, consult with VDOT and talk with local law enforcement. That typically begins the night before anything is expected to happen, to give time for discussions. The final vote comes down to Transportation Director Tim Fulcher, Assistant Superintendent for Operations and Administrative Services Bill Bullins and Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton.

Both districts do have a few options, when it comes to snow days and making them up. The Virginia Code requires that schools be in session either 180 teaching days or 990 teaching hours. Thats the minimum each district has to meet. Now in times of emergency, if theyre not certain either requirement can be met, district officials can request a waiver from the Virginia Board of Education. That request has to include evidence of efforts made by the division to reschedule as many days as possible. Also, the local superintendent has to certify all of that.

Both districts are out of school again on Monday, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jrs birthday. Thats the last scheduled holiday until next month. In Martinsville on Feb. 8, students get dismissed two hours early to allow time for parent conferences. In Henry County, the next break in February is set for Feb. 24, which is listed as a professional development day.
Prospera is very excited to announce that we are seeking a full-time Finance & Accounting Manager to join the Prospera team.

Brief Job Overview:

This position plays a vital role in managing the financial health of Prospera, and ensures the proper management of both Prospera, a member-supported 501(c)(4), and our affiliated 501(c)(3) Prospera Foundation. The Finance and Accounting Manager will serve as the lead staff member responsible for Prosperas financial operations including: accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, A/R and A/P, grant reporting, preparation for annual audits, and tax filings.

The position is a full-time salaried exempt position. Starting salary is $50,000  $60,000 DOE. Benefits include paid vacation, health insurance, and a SEP- IRA match.

Applicant review will begin Wednesday, January 25, 2017.

Job posting details and application instructions can be found on Prosperas Contact Us page: https://www.prosperabusinessnetwork.org/contact-us

About Us

Prospera Business Network (Prospera) is a local nonprofit that leads the way in building strong businesses, establishing powerful partnerships and sustaining vibrant communities in southwest Montana. Our focus is helping people start and grow their businesses ? in turn strengthening our region?s economy and communities. Our services are individualized, offering entrepreneurs and business owners an accessible and comprehensive pathway to success. Prospera provides confidential business counseling, premier events and trainings, small business loans, grant assistance and timely economic research. Since 1985, all of Prospera?s offerings have been provided at no-cost or low-cost thanks to the support of our industry-leading members, generous sponsors, and visionary charitable donors.
The Impact Analyst will work in collaboration with other UWYC staff and partners to collect, analyze, and communicate data related to UWYC goals in the areas of School Readiness, School Success, and Crisis Stabilization, and related to UWYC business strategies of Give, Advocate, and Volunteer.

This will include analyzing and reporting out community grant results, the results of UWYC programs, and coalition results; overseeing the implementation of ArcGis online and desktop tools; analyzing donor and campaign data utilizing donation tracker; and analyzing volunteer data using Volunteer Solutions.

The Impact Analyst will assist the organization to develop a results-oriented culture and build capacity to use performance and results data to assess strategies, measure results, and engage in an ongoing improvement effort.

All Opportunity Information https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=b88ca2b5ba6ea004&tk=1b6cbq6h6b83cb7m&from=company

Wed appreciate it if youd mention that you found this opportunity on MATR.net Thank you
During my first few weeks at Google, I read through the internal resumes of my new colleagues, which detailed their work and promotion paths. Google promoted people quickly. Some college graduates who had distinguished themselves had been promoted every quarter for more than a year, and were managers, senior managers, even directors. And I wanted the same type of trajectory.

So I resolved to work as much as possible to achieve it. At the outset, I began to take on other projects. Small things like an extra research project. Or helping a friend with a presentation.

TOMASZ TUNGUZ  venture capitalist at redpoint

Full Story: http://tomtunguz.com/lessons-from-my-first-burnout/
Baxter Healthcare will pay more than $18 million to the federal government to settle its criminal and civil liability because of the companys failure to follow the FDAs rules when making sterile drug products at the North Cove plant.

And the employee who blew the whistle  and kept his job  was awarded more than $400,000 in the settlement.

The payment by the pharmaceutical company will resolve the federal complaint filed by an employee who alleged Baxter knowingly sold drug products exposed to mold. The resolution includes a deferred prosecution agreement and penalties and forfeiture totaling $16 million and a civil settlement under the False Claims Act (FCA) with the federal government totaling approximately $2.158 million.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Ill., Baxter has numerous manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and the world, including the one at the North Cove plant in Marion.

In July 2013, The McDowell News reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to the Baxter Healthcare plant about significant violations of good manufacturing practice, specifically mold that was found in the air filters and fill lines use to manufacture pharmaceutical products. That warning letter from the FDA stated that the Baxter plant should do more to correct these problems.

At that time, The McDowell News had heard rumors about the FDA looking into problems associated with the local Baxter plant. Started in 1972, the plant, covering 1.4 million square feet, produces large-volume intravenous (IV) solutions and related products. The massive facility makes hundreds of different IV and peritoneal dialysis solutions, as well as empty containers and component parts for other Baxter plants. The facility supplies finished goods which are used in 57 countries, according to information from the company.

The number of employees at the massive plant varies but it usually employs approximately 2,000 people.

Christopher Wall is one of those employees. He works in HVAC maintenance and has been there since 1979, said Tommy Odom, a Charlotte attorney who helped represent Wall.

Tony Scheer, a second attorney on the case, said Wall and another technician were performing a scheduled maintenance of the HVAC system in July 2011 when they discovered mold on the high-efficiency particulate absorption (HEPA) filters installed in the ceiling. Air was pushed into a clean room through the HEPA filters.

From July 2011 to November 2012, Production Lines 10 and 11 at the North Cove plant each had separate clean rooms used to fill the bags with sterile IV solutions. These solutions are used at hospitals and are placed directly into the bloodstreams of patients. Approximately 20 percent of the bags made at the North Cove plant, which is 300,000 bags a day, were filled in the Line 11 clean room, according to a lawsuit filed by Wall.

Wall reported the presence of mold on the filters to plant management. He and the other technician began replacing the filters they believed to be moldy. After approximately five of them had been changed out, they were told by a supervisor to stop changing the filters. As a result, the five remaining filters believed to be moldy were left in place, some of which were directly over equipment used to fill IV bags, according to the complaint.

Baxter continued to make IV solutions in that clean room for months while those filters with mold remained in place.

Subsequent testing of the filters following an unannounced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection revealed several mold species on the filters, reads a news release from the Department of Justice. There was no evidence of impact on the IV solutions from the mold found on the filters.

As a result of the investigation, the federal government charged that between July 2011 and November 2012, Baxter did not follow current the FDAs Good Manufacturing Practices rules when making those products.

The complaint also alleges that in 2006, Baxters HVAC employees were told to stop using the word mold on paperwork in describing the filters. They were instructed to use the words stain or discoloration instead.

In late October, the then-plant manager had a plant-wide, face-to-face meeting in which he emphasized that employees should come to him with any concerns they might have. After this meeting, Wall told the plant manager about the five moldy filters in the Line 11 clean room and he feared his maintenance supervisors would retaliate against him for reporting the moldy filters. The plant manager assigned the human resources director to investigate the complaints and his Walls fears of retaliation. It was treated more as a personnel problem and the human resources director had no knowledge or experience with these filters, according to the complaint.

Similar moldy filters were discovered during maintenance shutdowns in December 2011 and July 2012.

From Nov. 7-16, 2012, the FDA conducted an unannounced inspection of the plant and found numerous moldy filters in the plants clean room. In 2013, the FDA sent the warning letter to the Baxter plant.

In a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve the charge, Baxter admitted that it distributed products in interstate commerce that were adulterated in violation of the FDCA. Under the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement, Baxter will pay a total of $16 million in monetary penalties and forfeiture and will implement enhanced compliance provisions, including periodic certifications to the government concerning its implementation of those provisions. The deferred prosecution agreement will not be final until accepted by the U.S. District Court, according to the news release from the Department of Justice.

Following current Good Manufacturing Practices is essential to ensure the safety and efficacy of our drugs, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Departments Civil Division in the news release on Thursday. Todays settlement shows that the government will continue to hold companies accountable for failing to fulfill this critically important responsibility.

Despite notification by an employee of potential contamination concerns, Baxter was poorly focused on instituting sufficient safety standards for their products, said U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose for the Western District of North Carolina (WDNC). Todays resolution reflects WDNCs commitment to hold accountable drug companies that violate manufacturing standards and wrongly profit from those violations.

FDAs manufacturing standards are designed to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of drugs distributed to American consumers, and FDA expects pharmaceutical companies to correct deficiencies in an expedited manner, said Special Agent in Charge Justin Green of FDAs Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office. We will remain vigilant in our efforts to protect the U.S. public health from potentially dangerous products.

In addition, Baxter will pay approximately $2.158 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the FCA by submitting false claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs based upon Baxters failure to follow cGMPs.

The civil settlement resolves the lawsuit filed by Wall under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the governments recovery. The civil lawsuit was filed in the Western District of North Carolina and is captioned United States ex rel. Christopher Wall v. Baxter International, Inc. et al., No. 13cv42 (W.D.N.C.). Mr. Wall will receive $431,535.99 from the proceeds of the civil settlement, the news release stated.

That was all a result of Mr. Wall going forward, said attorney Scheer, who specializes in whistleblower cases. Who knows what might have happened under those managers had Chris Wall not come forward?

Selling drugs that will be used in the Veteran Administration hospitals and other hospitals across the country that have been knowingly manufactured in non-sterile conditions and in violation of the current good manufacturing practices (CGMP) has potential serious and far reaching consequences to people of the United States who are prescribed these IV fluids, said Odom in a prepared statement. Further, our government paid for these IV bags based upon the representations of Baxter they were manufactured in sterile conditions and in accordance with the CGMPs.

Scheer added that Wall was a perfect whistleblower.

This guy did everything youd want of a loyal employee, said Scheer in a prepared statement. He tried repeatedly to get his managers to make it right. He went up the chain of command like hed learned to do in his days in the Air Force. He only sought us out to help him stop it when it was clear that those production lines were going to keep cranking out hundreds of thousands of IV bags a day where he feared potentially deadly conditions existed. He risked his job and his career to stop those drugs from reaching any more patients. To this day, Mr. Wall believes he did Baxter a favor by exposing the problem, and the fact that he still works there is a testament to the companys good faith and gratitude.

In response, Deborah Spak, director of communication for Baxter International, sent an emailed statement to The McDowell News on Friday.

While the handling of these concerns was not consistent with Baxters standards, there has been no evidence that products manufactured on this line during the time period were impacted, said Spak in her email. Manufacturing processes at the facility include extensive sterilization, monitoring and testing procedures, and during the relevant time frame there were no out of limit results. Our extensive monitoring systems also revealed no increases in complaints or patient adverse events associated with the products made on these lines during this time period.

This matter resulted in several managers at the plant losing their jobs.

We took a number of actions to address these issues, including terminating several members of the facilitys management team and enhancing the training and compliance processes for employees throughout the facility, said Spak in her email. As you may recall, we also undertook a number of actions to remediate the line and ensure continued compliance with quality standards, including physical changes to the line and implementing enhanced measures for inspections and environmental monitoring. And weve made a number of organizational and operational changes since 2012 that have served to elevate and enhance our quality systems, measurement and documentation, and operational oversight, in order to ensure we have the structure and processes in place to consistently deliver the high quality products our patients need and our customers expect.

In addition, Spak stated that patient safety and product quality are the cornerstones of our work at Baxter.

Healthcare providers and patients rely on our products to support them in critical situations, she stated. That is an important responsibility, and one that requires us to maintain the highest standards for ourselves, our products and our processes. We have cooperated fully and responsively with the FDA, Department of Justice and others to drive toward resolution of this matter.

The settlement with Baxter was the result of a coordinated effort among the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of North Carolina and the Civil Divisions Consumer Protection Branch and Commercial Litigation Branch, with assistance from the FDAs Office of Chief Counsel. The criminal investigation was conducted by the FDAs Office of Criminal Investigations, according to the Department of Justices news release.
by Jess Nelson , January 13, 2017

Microsoft on Friday announced the acquisition of Maluuba, a deep-learning and natural language-processing startup that helps computers communicate more effectively.

Based in Montreal, Maluuba uses deep learning and reinforcement-learning to improve a computers ability to understand what it is processing. The goal is to build machines that can think like people, including making decisions on their own and comprehending when they need to acquire new information to fill any knowledge gaps.

Cue the Westworld comparisons.

Microsoft has gobbled up a number of AI-minded startups recently to compete with the likes of Google and Salesforce, including Genee and SwiftKey. Last September the company launched a new AI department, the Microsoft Artificial Intelligence and Research Group, to expand its efforts in the field.

Imagine a future where, instead of frantically searching through your organizations directory, documents or emails to find the top tax-law experts in your company, for example, you could communicate with an AI agent that would leverage Maluubas machine comprehension capabilities to immediately respond to your request, writes

advertisement advertisement

Harry Shum, executive vice president of Microsoft Artificial Intelligence and Research Group, writes in a blog post announcing the acquisition that marketers will be able to communicate with an AI agent that can answer questions in a "company security-compliant manner by having a deeper understanding of the contents of your organizations documents and emails, instead of simply retrieving a document by keyword matching."

Maluuba's founders note that understanding human language is "an extremely complex task and, ultimately, the holy grail in the field of AI" in a blog post announcing the acquisition.

Microsoft and Mulaaba both expressed how their ultimate goals align, and how they want to make AI more accessible and useful to the general public.

As part of the Maluuba acquisition, Microsoft has also gained the talents of AI expert Yoshua Bengio. Bengio is a professor of computer science and operations research at the University of Montreal and leads the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms. He previously served as an advisor for Maluuba and will be joining Microsoft in the same capacity.

Maluuba co-founders, Sam Pasupalak and Kaheer Suleman, will also become a part of Shum's organization.
IOWA FALLS -- An educational program for North Central Iowa youth who want to learn more about beef production -- "All About That Beef" -- will be held Saturday, January 28, at the Ellsworth Community College Agriculture & Renewable Energy Center, Highway 65 south of Iowa Falls at 705 Ellsworth Ave.

It will be sponsored by Iowa State University Extension & Outreach and Ellsworth Community College For a map and directions go to www.iavalley.cc.ia.us/ecc/maps_directions.html.

The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with registration beginning at 9 a.m. in the Equine Center.

A variety of interactive workshops and sessions are being planned for youth in fourth through 12th grades as they learn what's involved with producing high-quality beef.

Amy Powell, ISU Extension & Outreach, animal science and 4-H, will teach youth the science behind how we taste foods.

Russ Euken, ISU Extension & Outreach livestock field specialist, will explain what the new Veterinary Feed Directive is and how it affects 4-H youth involved with raising livestock.

Lori Hardman, Hardin County Extension youth coordinator, and Kimberly Booth, Franklin County Extension after school coordinator, will engage youth in discovering the differences in different types of raised beef.

Kevin Butt, associate professor of agriculture at Ellsworth Community College will teach youth what to look for when evaluating a class of beef heifers and market steers as a part of a beef skill-a-thon.

4-H youth who attend will be able to get their Food Safety Quality Assurance certification for the current year. It is a requirement for 4-H members who wish to exhibit livestock at the Iowa State Fair as well as county and regional fairs.

Cost to attend is $5 per person. Parents are welcome to stay. Pre-register by Jan. 17 at local ISU Extension & Outreach Offices, or send to the Franklin County Extension Office, 3 First Ave. N.W., Hampton, IA 50441. Registration forms are available at www.extension.iastate.edu/franklin.

For more information contact the Franklin County Extension Office at 641-456-4811 or e-mail jackied@iastate.edu.
by Barbara Lippert , Featured Columnist, January 13, 2017

In response to my Facebook post that President-Elect Trumps first formal press conference in months was a circus, a Trump supporter told me that it was a tour-de-force that Trump had handled with aplomb.

Similarly, in his defense, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway announced during an interview that we shouldnt listen to his words, but rather, look at whats in his heart.

There were no MRIs available, but certainly this particular conference was loaded with both visual and verbal cues, some of them unintended, that we can plumb.

It started with a bigger bang than expected, with Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Vice President-Elect Pence slamming fake news and throwing around the words disgrace and "outrage by way of introduction.

And then, Trump stepped to the podium, in front of the forest of American flags. He said: Thank you very much, this is very familiar territory  news conferences  because we used to give them on an almost daily basis.

advertisement advertisement

This statement, meant to blame and punish the media, suggested he had to stop giving the almost-daily events because he hadnt been covered honestly, is imprecise, to put it nicely.

Granted, while he was campaigning, Trump made himself available for interviews with TV personalities and anchors on news shows at least every day and mostly several times a day.

One of Trumps great strengths was how much free airtime he garnered, and how good he was at filling it. He avoided the need for paid media that way, and it was win-win: The media was totally complicit in using him for ratings.

Still, Trump never gave almost daily press conferences by any stretch of the imagination.

But why get bogged down on what he said right out of the gate, when there are so many other issues at stake?

Speaking of steaks, there was some beef about the second of Trumps three memorable press conferences. (The first, of course, started with the unforgettable down-escalator ride, after which he announced his candidacy.)

At the second, in Florida, he spoke in front of an enormous table laden with Trump products. His visual instincts as a salesman are dazzling; the eye was drawn to all those delicious and important-looking Trump goods. But on closer inspection, it turned out most of them no longer existed  or were not owned by him.

Trump was going for a similar visually symbolic display at this weeks presser, where a table teeming with manila folders was set up on the side of the podium.

To his credit, the plan with this press conference was to speak about conflicts of interest, ethics and signing over the running of his businesses to his sons, Don and Eric. Thus, the folders symbolized all of the deals he had signed away in order to serve as president.

So it is unfortunate the entire conference got monopolized by BuzzFeeds decision, the previous day, to dump a dossier of pages that made unsubstantiated claims about Trumps putative kinky behavior in a Moscow hotel room years ago.

Never verified, the content had been collected as oppo-research  and as such, had been floating around in D.C. government and press circles for months.

To me, what Trump was heard on tape saying on the bus with Billy Bush about pussy-grabbing was far worse than any putative peeing set-up.

But the point here is that the Russians, through sexpionage, might have collected information on our now-President they could eventually use to blackmail him. (An act known as Compromat.)

CNN did not link to the BuzzFeed report on its Web site, as the Trump campaign maintained. The cabler had reported the story legitimately because, as has now been discovered, both Trump and President Obama had been briefed on what was in the dossier.

At the morning press conference, however, the outrage was still fresh. Trump could now be furious and newly sanctimonious about the horrors of the press. As a result, more like an Eastern European strongman than any president Ive ever seen, he pointed at a CNN reporter, and in a version of No soup for you! yelled: You are fake news! 

We will leave the Soup Nazi reference for another time, since, more seriously, Trump also used the presser to excoriate the intelligence community, whom he accused of using Nazi-like tactics.

But in their attempt to get their hacking questions answered, the press never asked Trump about his own time in the fake news biz, when he fathered the search for President Obamas birth certificate.

At the conference, Trump did admit, briefly, that Russia was involved in the hacking of the DNC, and that it was wrong, but quickly dissembled and scrambled in another direction.

But look at what was learned from that hacking, he said. That Hillary Clinton got the questions to the debate and didnt report it? Thats a horrible thing...Can you imagine what if Donald Trump got the questions to the debate? It would have been the biggest story in the history of stories. And they would have said, Immediately, you have to get out of the race.

Well, he did, and it wasnt, and they didnt.

As I wrote about last week, in information that Fox anchor Megyn Kelly saved to put in the post-election publication of her book, she said Trump knew she was going to question him about women at the debate. He had already called on then-Fox News head Roger Ailes to complain.

(She also mentioned she may or may not have been poisoned on the day of the debate, by a driver who insisted on bringing her coffee. She started vomiting violently immediately after taking a few sips. That sounds very Soviet-like.)

Certainly, the results of the email hacks of Hillarys campaign were reported with glee. No one investigated whether what was reported in John Podestas hacked email was true. (Nor can anyone find the horrible things that Trump claims Podesta said about Hillary in the emails, either.)

Donna Brazile, who reportedly told Clintons organization there would be a Flint, Michigan, question in one of the debates, resigned from the DNC.

Back to the original point of the press conference: Trump talking about divesting himself from running his business to avoid questions of ethics and conflicts of interest. He brought up a lawyer, Sheri Dillon, to explain why he cant have a fire sale or enter into standard behavior for presidents: a blind trust.

By the end, Trump said: But these papers [meaning folders] are all just a piece of the many, many companies that are being put into trust to be run by my two sons. He announced he would have no communication with them about the businesses.

Still, as showman and brander-in-chief, he just couldnt help himself. He had to add a self-referential branding joke: At the end of eight years, I'll come back and say, Oh, you did a good job. Otherwise, if they do a bad job, I'll say, 'You're fired.'"

So there we have it. Thats his psychological tell, showing there is no way he won't have communication or overreach with his sons. If you believe that he wont, I have some Trump steaks to sell you.

If we cant believe his words, and cant see inside his heart, maybe we can check inside his folders.

Reporters who were there said the pages inside the folders appeared to be blank.
Delaware Online, Saturday, January 14, 2017 5:09 PM

Former Wilmington Delaware Mayor Dennis P. Williams almost never used his official email address during his four years in office. The News Journal made this discovery during a Freedom of Information Act request for four years of sent emails. The request returned 11 emails, nine of which were sent automatically from Microsoft Outlook, one was a link related to the city code from Williams to a city assistant and one was a city message about pay stubs forwarded from Williams' city account to his personal account.

Read the whole story at Delaware Online 
Advertisement

The longer it takes for patients to gather the funding the longer the procedure is delayed, which in turn increases cost."Given that findings suggest that aid for second-trimester procedures has increased from 2010 to 2015, it appears that the quest for funding may be causing delays in accessing an abortion. This parallels increasing state-level restrictions," said Ely. "It shows the dire circumstances of people who are vulnerable - that includes vulnerability because of race or where they live."In the U.S., the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) is the main umbrella organization for 70 independent-member abortion funds. The NNAF also maintains the Tiller Memorial Fund, its own abortion fund, which provides financial assistance to patients who are unable to cover the entire cost of the procedure on their own. Data of patients funded through the Tiller fund was used for this study."These abortion funds are filling in where public health policy should be picking up the costs," said Ely.Ely analyzed nearly 4,000 NNAF case records between 2010 and 2015 and compared the data with the demographics from the Abortion Surveillance Report, which collects data on the national level from abortion patients.The results suggest that women who couldn't afford an abortion and received funding to pay for their procedures were more likely to be single, young adolescent or African-American, populations that also sought to fund expensive procedures performed later in the pregnancy, averaging about $2,000, but received about half that in aid.The increase in funding pledges for second trimester abortions parallels the unprecedented state-level restrictions on abortion that picked up after the 2010 midterm elections, according to Ely.The legality of abortion does not always translate into access. In fact, Ely said, although it varies by region, abortion services are very inaccessible in the U.S.Texas recently finalized new laws requiring fetal remains to be buried or cremated. Utah recently became the first state to require doctors to administer anesthesia to women having abortions. Tennessee now has a mandatory waiting period that involves visiting a doctor two days before an abortion, then returning for the procedure.Ely said these kinds of requirements cause delays and increase costs, impeding the process and pushing abortions into the second trimester."A good many people who need abortion services are already using Medicaid," said Ely. "If funds were available to everyone, they would not have to piece together financing, which would promote access to very early, less expensive first trimester abortions."Source: Eurekalert
MASON CITY  A driver was injured Friday evening in a rollover accident southeast of Mason City.

Cerro Gordo County sheriff's deputies were called to a report of an accident at the intersection of 150th Street and Yarrow Avenue.

The driver, Anthony Henning, 33, of Fort Dodge, lost control of his 2014 Toyota Tundra, owned by FramChem Corp., when he was unable to stop at the snow-and-ice-covered intersection, according to a report filed by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office.

Henning was trapped inside the truck until a crew from the Dougherty Fire Department was able to open the passenger door.

Henning was transported to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa by Mason City Fire Ambulance.

The accident remains under investigation.
MASON CITY | The Knights of Columbus St. Patricks Council No. 7898 in Clear Lake recently gave a $431 donation to the Caring Pregnancy Center to help cover the costs of its ultrasound program.

Gifts have been coming in from KC chapters all over North Iowa, according to a press release from the Caring Pregnancy Center, which is located in Mason City. The current total is $42,549.

The CPC helps those who have been touched by abortion or are considering one, according to a press release. The ultrasound program confirms pregnancy.

The CPC has an education program and material help for those who chose to carry a pregnancy to term. The center also offers a Forgiven & Set Free program to help those who are dealing with the aftermath of an abortion.

All services are free and confidential.
FOREST CITY | For the first time in 15 years, the Bash on the Farm Christian music festival will not be held in North Iowa this summer.

"We just needed to take a little break," said John Wacker, one of the organizers of the two-day June festival.

Wacker said there's a possibility Bash on the Farm could return to North Iowa in 2018, "but we don't know where God is going to direct us."

Bash on the Farm began in 2002 as a get-together for friends and neighbors on John and Cindy Wacker's acreage south of Garner. Four bands performed and about 150 people attended.

Bash on the Farm draws fans, volunteers, bands FOREST CITY - The band 7eventh Time Down helped make a memory for a Parkersburg family Frida

Over the years the number of acts increased to around 50 annually. In recent years attendance averaged 3,000 people.

Musicians from a variety of genres, including gospel, rap, hip hop, alternative rock, punk, metal, hardcore and folk, performed on three stages.

Bash on the Farm moved from rural Garner to Heritage Park of North Iowa in Forest City in 2012.

Chad Eastman, a member of the core team for Bash on the Farm who has moved to Cedar Rapids, started a Christian music festival there last year called Bash@CR.

Cedar Rapids was hit by a flood at the same time, but the festival continued. People were filling sandbags while the music played, according to Wacker.

Bash@CR returns on Aug. 26 this year in a different part of Cedar Rapids. It is expanding to two stages.

Organizers were committed to keeping Bash on the Farm a free festival, and they were able to do so thanks to the generosity of their sponsors and donors, according to Wacker.

He also said he wants to thank the volunteers, the bands and the attendees.

"It's such an effort on everyone's part to make it possible," Wacker said.
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
MASON CITY  Shirley K. Stoyles, 76, of Mason City, Iowa, died Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, at St. Johns Episcopal Church, with the Rev. Kris Leaman and the Rev. Barbara McCaulley officiating.

Inurnment will take place in St. Johns Episcopal Church Columbarium at a later date. There will be a gathering of family and friends from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, Mason City.

Memorials may be directed to the Shirley Stoyles memorial fund in care of the family.

Arrangements: Major Erickson Funeral Home, Mason City.
MASON CITY  Although the state has designated some of Mason Citys schools as needing improvement in its annual report card process, 2015-16 data shows several of those schools have shown measurable growth the past year.

Iowa School Report Cards, an easy-to-understand Department of Education online service annually evaluating school performance in certain areas, were introduced following recent state and national K-12 educational reforms.

Data: North Iowa School Report Cards The Iowa Department of Education annually determines school ratings based on two-year perfor

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015 replaced the No Child Left Behind Act, which used to produce a complicated state report card on district and school progress each year. Iowa's report was 153 pages long in 2015.

Ratings  exceptional, high-performing, commendable, acceptable, needs improvement and priority  are based on two-year performance in eight areas like reading and math assessments, college and career readiness, closing achievement gaps and graduation rates, according to the Department of Education.

Although among the 15 percent of Iowa elementary schools labeled as needs improvement, Harding Elementary and Hoover Elementary increased their overall scores the past year, coming close to the "acceptable" rating score of 61.

Harding increased from 57.4 to 59.7 and Hoover increased from 59.8 to 60.2.

The majority of Iowa elementary schools  about 66 percent  are in the mid-level acceptable or commendable range, according to the report cards.

About 65.2 percent of Hardings 309 students were considered proficient in reading and math testing, the report card states, while 72.5 percent of Hoovers 344 students met that standard. The state average for elementary students is 79 percent.

The Department of Education says proficiency describes a schools success at meeting minimally sufficient performance level benchmarks in those subjects.

At least half of students at the two schools qualified for free or reduced lunch, creating what the Department of Education refers to as an achievement gap.

An achievement gap in education refers to the disparity in academic performance between groups of students, the department says on its website. Iowa faces significant gaps in achievement for students who are part of these groups.

Other groups include English Language Learners, minorities and those enrolled in special education services.

Lincoln Intermediate is among the 9 percent of Iowa middle schools labeled as priority, with a 51.7 score. The report card indicates it was considered acceptable the previous year, with a score of 65.

About 67 percent of its 560 students were considered proficient in reading and math, compared to the state average of 79 percent. Approximately 40 percent of its students qualified for free and reduced lunch, while another 5 percent are enrolled in special education.

It had the second-lowest attendance rate in the district, 93.7 percent in 2014-15, the most recent available on the report card, which also factored into scoring. The state average that year was 95.5 percent.

Roosevelt Elementary was also listed as needs improvement. About 65.3 percent of its 460 students were considered proficient in reading and math, compared to the 79 percent state average.

About 45 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, while another 6 percent receive special education services.

Jefferson Elementary fared the best in the district, receiving commendable status, which has been given to 34 percent of Iowa elementary schools. About 82.6 percent of its 394 students were considered proficient in reading and math, exceeding the state average of 79 percent.

John Adams Middle School and Mason City High School both received acceptable ratings, in which students nearly met or exceeded proficiency standards.

The high schools graduation rate exceeded the state average by more than 3 percentage points.

College and career readiness of high school students  which the department defines as meeting certain educational milestones predicting post-secondary success  was more than 1 percent point higher than the state average.

No report card was available for the Alternative High School, which was listed as unable to rate.
MASON CITY | Tonight's drive home in Mason City is looking to be just as wet as the rest of the day has been.

Forecasters say freezing rain, and possibly some sleet, is expected to continue throughout the evening on Monday.

The chance of precipitation is one hundred percent.

The National Weather Service expects total daytime ice accumulation to range from a tenth to three-tenths of an inch.

Although the roads in Mason City weren't bad, untreated sidewalks and parking lots were coated in a smooth, extremely slippery glaze of ice.

Forecasters say overnight rain and sleet could add another tenth to two-tenths of an inch of ice to that.

There's also a chance of up to a half-inch of snow tonight.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Update: North Iowa roads improving, but some stretches still 100% ice-covered

10 a.m. Monday update

MASON CITY | Motorists in Cerro Gordo County navigated the icy roads early Monday morning without any major incidents, officials say.

That is in spite of the fact that roads were extremely icy before daybreak due to freezing rain overnight.

Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals believed that was because people altered their driving to match the road conditions.

"I think people were going slower," he said.

He said conditions have improved since the road crews salted, sanded and plowed the roads.

"Now theyre ice and slush covered so most people are traveling about 40-45 (mph) right now," Pals said.

The Iowa Department of Transportation's 511ia.org website listed roads across North Iowa as at least partially covered in snow and ice.

As of 10:05 a.m., two sections of North Iowa roadway were listed as completely covered in snow or ice:

*Highway 65 from Sheffield to Highway 57.

* Highway 3 from Rowan (Highway 69) to Dumont (County Road T16).

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Update: Many teachers also get day off due to North Iowa ice storm

8:30 a.m. Update

MASON CITY | Several agencies and some schools canceled or delayed business hours due to bad road conditions on Monday.

Although some schoolchildren already had Monday off in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, others got to sleep in thanks to Mother Nature.

In many cases, teachers also got to stay home because staff development days set for Monday were also canceled.

School-related announcements include:

* Clear Lake Community Schools: Professional development day set for today has been canceled. Tonight's basketball games are postponed until Jan. 23.

* Mason City Community Schools: The professional development day scheduled for teachers on Monday has been postponed. It will now be held Tuesday, Feb. 21.

* Northwood-Kensett Community School: School and all activities canceled due to weather.

* Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community Schools: Staff in-service is canceled.

Other closings/delays:

* The march in Charles City celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., set for Monday night has been postponed.

* The Wright County Courthouse will open at 10 a.m.

* Garbage and recycling pickup in Clear Lake and Ventura will be delayed one day for the duration of this week.

* The Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank in Mason City will be closed due to the icy weather.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Update: Ice causing dangerous travel conditions in Mason City

7:30 a.m. Monday Update

MASON CITY | Freezing rain continues to fall over North Iowa making for slick roads and sidewalks.

Many schools and businesses have closed for the day.

According to the National Weather Service in Des Moines freezing rain and sleet will continue throughout the day.

Total daytime ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.3 of an inch is possible in our area.

Expect more freezing rain and sleet tonight, possibly mixed with snow until around 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Update: Timing keeps changing, but storm's still coming to Mason City

Sunday update

MASON CITY | Don't let the blue skies and sun on Sunday fool you: a storm packing snow, freezing rain and sleet is still headed for Mason City.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for much of North Iowa from midnight Monday to midnight Tuesday.

Forecasters from the National Weather Service expect the storm to arrive in Mason City around 1 a.m. Monday in the form of snow.

It's expected to change into a combination of snow, freezing rain and sleet later Monday morning. There's a chance or more sleet and freezing rain Monday afternoon, but forecasters say the heaviest ice accumulations -- up to a quarter inch -- will be in southern and central areas of the state.

Those areas extend as far north as northern Hamilton and Harden counties, as well as south of Fort Dodge in Webster County, according to the National Weather Service's forecast maps.

North Iowa is expected to receive more snow than freezing rain.

The heaviest snowfall in North Iowa is expected to be in Winnebago County and northern portions of Worth and Hancock counties.

Forecasters say those areas could get 1-2 inches of snow.

Other area counties, including Cerro Gordo County, are expected to get an inch of snow or less.

However, even though forecasters don't expect North Iowa to get as much ice as the rest of the state, they say there will still be enough to make roadways and sidewalks slippery.

There's also a 30 percent chance of freezing rain or drizzle before noon Tuesday in Mason City.

However, the temperatures are expected to climb into the 40s later in the week.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Update: Storm expected to arrive in Mason City Sunday night

2:45 p.m. Saturday update

MASON CITY | A storm expected to bring snow and ice is now expected to hit Mason City on Sunday evening.

The National Weather Service's winter storm watch is now in effect from 9 p.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday.

The storm system is expected to hit southern Iowa Sunday afternoon and move into North Iowa several hours later.

Forecasters say northern parts of the state will see more sleet and snow, while central and southern Iowa will receive more freezing rain and rain and thus have heavier icing.

Sleet, snow and freezing rain is expected to fall in North Iowa through Monday night.

The heaviest icing is expected to happen late Sunday night and early Monday morning.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Weather: Expect 'significant ice' in weekend storm in Mason City

Friday Update

MASON CITY  A winter storm capable of producing "significant ice accumulations" is expected to roll into Mason City on Sunday.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch in effect from noon Sunday until noon Monday.

According to the bulletin, communities along the Iowa-Minnesota border may receive up to 2-3 inches of sleet and snow, and one-tenth to one-quarter inch of ice.

The northern-most areas of the state will likely receive more sleet and snow, while communities further south will likely experience more ice, National Weather Service meteorologist Kurt Kotenberg said during a web briefing.

"Northern Iowa will likely see more of that snow-sleet combination where central to southern Iowa will likely see more freezing rain and ice than snow, he said.

North Iowa should begin feeling the impact Sunday with a chance of snow before midnight, transitioning to freezing rain and sleet early Monday morning and continuing through the morning commute.

The mix of snow, freezing rain, sleet and rain will continue throughout Monday.

There's also a 40 percent chance of snow Tuesday morning.

People should expect slick roads, sidewalks and parking lots.

Forecasters say tree damage and power outages also are possible from ice accumulating on limbs and lines.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.
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.

Read More
5. An artist who explored Spanish cultural themes, Julio Gonzalez was world renowned for his art .

(A) An artist who explored Spanish cultural themes, Julio Gonzalez was world renowned for his

- CORRECT

(B) Julio Gonzalez is an artist whose art explores world renowned Spanish cultural themes

-Both options B & E introduces the same error. It's not the ART that explored Spanish themes but the Artist himself. Thus INCORRECT. One can argue that art can mimic the Spanish themes (In Metaphorical sense) but in that case we need to a different word (barring EXPLORE) to avoid ambiguity

(C) Artist Julio Gonzalez has explored Spanish cultural themes, the art of whom is world renowned

-Placement of highlighted portion is Awkward as it introduces confusion & GMAT prefers simplicity. Thus INCORRECT

(D) An artist who has explored Spanish cultural themes, Julio Gonzalez art is world renowned.

- ART is not an artist (Misplace modifier error). Thus INCORRECT

(E) Julio Gonzalez is a world-renowned artist whose art explored Spanish cultural themes

It's not the ART that explored Spanish themes but the Artist himself. Thus INCORRECT

This is toughest question of all 5 & in my view definitely a 700+ question. KUDOS to the poster. I have tried to answer questions in terms of increasing difficulty level.Hope my detailed explanation will help many.Regards,Fame
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...
SATURDAY: Solarte will receive a $7.5MM guarantee, Fan Rags Robert Murray tweets. Hell get a $250K signing bonus, $2.5MM next season and $4MM in 2018. In addition, the options will be worth $5.5MM and $8MM, with a $750K buyout attached to each. (Heyman tweeted information about the signing bonus and buyouts.)

FRIDAY: The Padres have announced a two-year deal with infielder Yangervis Solarte. Hell pick up guaranteed money for the next two seasons while giving the club a pair of options for the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.

Its an unusual contract structure for the 29-year-old, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time as a 3+ service-class player. The options will cover his final season of arb eligibility and one would-be free agent campaign.

Solarte had been projected by MLBTR to earn $2.7MM through the arb process, but he was set to earn a bit more. He filed at $3.2MM with the team countering at $2.8MM, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweeted. But that never seemed likely to matter, as various reports suggested that a lengthier arrangement was in the works.

The contract comes on the heels of a year in which Solarte posted a career-best .286/.341/.467 batting line with 15 home runs over 443 plate appearances. He has hit at better than the league-average rate in every one of his three MLB campaigns since emerging as a surprisingly useful player as a minor-league signee of the Yankees.

Though Solarte has typically drawn average or slightly below average grades for his glovework, hes capable of playing both second and third base and has also seen a bit of time at shortstop and the corner outfield. That makes him a versatile piece for San Diego, which has a variety of options but little in the way of sure things in its current infield depth chart.

Solarte joins first baseman Wil Myers in securing multi-year deals from the Padres today. While his is surely to come in well shy of the $80MM+ that Myers is reportedly set to receive, itll add to the future obligations of an organization that had nothing on its future books except for salary owed to previously traded players.
FILM REVIEW

'Silence'

3 stars (out of 4)

MPAA rating: R for some disturbing violent content

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Yosuke Kubozuka, Liam Neeson

Director: Martin Scorsese

Run time: 161 minutes

"Silence" inspires in me great internal conflict. It's a film of resonant, expansive depth and passion, fueled by director Martin Scorsese's cinematically sacrosanct conviction. It's also a tiresome, tedious and occasionally agonizing watch. I very much wanted to see it, and then I just as intensely felt like never seeing it again.

The film functions thematically within the narrative, and within our experience of it. Andrew Garfield is the principal, playing Rodrigues, an Italian priest whose faith is tested over and over and over again. And via this repetitive and grueling and hypnotizing and fascinating story, our faith in Scorsese is tested. Our predilection to follow one of film's greatest storytellers anywhere he may go results in a troublesome journey, arresting in fits and starts, sometimes enlightening, but more often fatiguing.

And yet, I emerged from the film's cocoon-like hibernation experience with the sense that pain is beauty and beauty is pain, that pursuing the tattered and ragged ends of faith in an invisible god is to chase question after question into an eternal fog. "Silence" is far from meaningless, but it's a wearying free-fall into bottomless spiritual fathoms.

The film is based on Shusaku Endo's novel, which Scorsese read not long after completing 1988's "The Last Temptation of Christ," and could function as its thematic bookend; the filmmaker, who once considered entering the priesthood, has said it mirrors his own struggles with Catholicism. Set in the 17th century, the story puts Rodrigues and fellow priest Garrpe (Adam Driver) on a quest to find their mentor, Father Ferreria (Liam Neeson), said to be lost in Japan, where Christians are the subject of an inquisition, and therefore imprisoned, tortured and executed.

Rodrigues and Garrpe's odyssey has the feel of an ecclesiastical black-ops mission, an "Apocalypse Now" for the heavily frocked. To help them sneak into and through the country, they recruit a drunkard guide, Kichijiro (Yosuke Kubozuka), who eventually becomes the Judas figure to Rodrigues' suffering Christ. The two men sneak through darkened seaside caves, and hide in windowless huts; in one sequence, they are quite literally deep in the weeds. Their secret confessionals and absolutions for long-suffering Japanese Christians act as an oasis to lost desert travelers. Salvation is their promise, and they are the gatekeepers.

There will be, of course, much suffering. That's the way these things go. The priests are frequently flushed out of hiding, and in one terrifying sequence, they witness a grotesque pageantry of torture, as a trio of men are crucified by the sea, and left to drown in the tide. Rodrigues and Garrpe are divided, and the story follows the former as he's placed in a prison camp, unharmed as his faithful Christian followers are tortured. His rival is the Inquisitor, played with numerous darkly comedic left turns by Issei Ogata, whose irksome, vexing sarcastic smirk dynamites stereotypes of stiff, inexpressive Japanese men.

Apostasy is offered to Rodrigues in symbolic form: he must step on a plate bearing an image of the Madonna. He resists; the Inquisitor sneers; repeat. For Rodrigues, every breath is a test of faith, and credit Garfield for his empathetic, impressively committed and sincere performance. For better or worse, we feel the great weight of his metaphysical burdens intently.

"Silence" is captivating and dull in its quest for Christ, or an answer, or even a sign, all of which may or may not be there. In the silence of his mind, Rodrigues wages war like a pure and valiant knight battling the fire-breathing dragon of doubt. His internal conflict is deep and wearisome, but it's not without artistic value. What purpose does faith serve? Why must we suffer? Where do our hearts and minds diverge? What do you hear in the silence?
ANN ARBOR, MI - A nearly block-long stretch of South Main Street in Ann Arbor between Madison and Mosley streets is now demolished.

That includes the South Main Market and a car wash, which were expected to come down to make way for a new mixed-use development.

But to the surprise of some residents, a 19th-century buggy factory building at 637 S. Main St., the brick facade of which is supposed to be preserved as part of the new retail/apartment development that's coming, also is gone now.

That has left some wondering: Why is the old Ann Arbor Buggy Company building, built in 1889, no longer standing at the corner of Main and Mosley?

"It is being disassembled and reconstructed, which was a permitted option in the approved site plan," said project architect Brad Moore.

Moore said it was sectionally removed and is being disassembled at a mason's facility where the bricks can be examined for integrity before reconstruction.

The building was one of Ann Arbor's remaining relics from bygone days when horse and carriage was a popular way to get around.

In the spirit of historic preservation, portions of the two-story facade facing Main and Mosley are being incorporated into the new development, and behind the old brick walls will be new retail spaces.

That's something the developer offered as a public benefit while seeking special approval for a 75-foot tall building that would be 15 feet taller than what's permitted in the D2 zoning district. The city approved the plan last year.

The Collegiate Development Group is behind the new six-story development that will include 229 apartments plus retail spaces, an interior courtyard with a pool and a pathway running along the railroad right-of-way behind the building, which is intended to be part of the future Allen Creek Greenway trail. The development is being called The Residences at 615 South Main.

The property was first developed prior to 1900 and its early uses included a feed mill, residence, carriage maker and blacksmith shop.

The development team explained in writing last year its plans for saving a portion of the old buggy factory building on the site, saying the two-story portion along Main and Mosley would be retained through restoration and/or reconstruction in a more significant manner than merely a "facadectomy."

"More than merely a one- or two-dimensional effort, our project is incorporating the significant architectural character of the two-story portion of the buggy factory into the modern construction above and around it," the team wrote.

"Although the interior retail space will be fully modern, the portion of the buggy factory exterior incorporated into the development projects between 5 and 10 feet beyond the modern construction of the project in both the western and southern directions giving a significant three-dimensional component to the retained architectural feature. This approach will allow everyone to enjoy this historic structure for another 100-plus years."

It continued, "Furthermore the insensitive and unattractive modern addition to the Main Street side of the old buggy factory will be removed. Given that the City Council has felt it important and desirable that one-dimensional facades of old buildings (that are part of the city's history) be retained elsewhere, it would be inconsistent to argue that incorporating the western and southern portions of the old, two-story, buggy factory, in its historic location, standing apart from the rest of the structure, is not significant and desirable."

The old buggy factory building has had many different uses over the years, including serving as home to The Ark, Neutral Zone and Firefly Club, as well as the original South Main Market before the market moved just to the north.

It also was the home of a food co-op run by the Ann Arbor Co-Operative Society, which was organized in 1933 as a coal-buying cooperative and branched out into grocery and filling station operations in 1936.

A September 1950 article in The Ann Arbor News shows the co-op had recently remodeled its store in the old building.

Another photo taken in 1957 shows the building looking much different, then occupied by the Electric Wholesale Supply Co.

Ann Arbor developer Alex de Parry of Ann Arbor Builders restored the building and converted it into a European-style market in 1981 and that was the original South Main Market. The Ark, a popular folk music club in Ann Arbor, once operated in a space above the original South Main Market.

It was the second incarnation of The Ark, moving there in 1984 after operating out of a house on Hill Street.

The Ark continued to grow during its years above the South Main Market and eventually moved to its new home at 316 S. Main St. in 1996.

O'Neal Properties closed on a $2.3 million deal to purchase the old buggy factory building from previous owner Edward Kloian in 2014 with plans to renovate it and create office space on the second floor.

It sold for $3.5 million in October to CCSHP Ann Arbor I LLC, a company that shares an address with Philadelphia-based Campus Apartments.

The new development will take shape directly across from 618 South Main, another new apartment development similar in scale.

It's expected there will be 588 bedrooms total. The target population is young professionals, empty nesters and graduate students.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor officials are asking residents to step up and make the investment in a cleaner and more sustainable future by going solar.

At the same time, the city assessor has been raising people's property taxes for adding solar panels to their homes, saying the city has no choice but to do so under state law, even if other Michigan communities don't do the same.

Since the issue was recently publicized by The Ann Arbor News/MLive, members of the city's Energy Commission say they've had productive talks with the city's administration about finding a solution to offset or mitigate solar taxes.

Some people are hoping the city will just stop raising people's taxes for installing solar panels, but the city hasn't determined it has that option.

"I think everybody has to understand it is state law that they have to be taxed, but the city is interested in working to, as we've said, somehow mitigate or offset that, and there's a number of different options that we discussed," said Energy Commissioner John Mirsky, who has been closely studying the issue along with fellow Energy Commissioner Mark Clevey.

As a new solar discount program was announced this week, members of the Energy Commission reported they met with City Administrator Howard Lazarus and it's looking very likely the city will work out a way to mitigate or offset the added taxes for Ann Arborites who go solar.

Until the issue of solar taxation is addressed, some remain hesitant to put solar panels on their homes, and it could potentially hinder the city's efforts to get a substantial number of people going solar through the new program.

Cassandra Fletcher-Martin, director of business operations for the Clean Energy Coalition, which is partnering with the city on the new program, acknowledged the tax issue is weighing heavy on some people's minds.

"The city administration is behind trying to make progress in this area very quickly," she assured solar-curious residents at a meeting Thursday night at Conor O'Neill's after the question of taxes came up.

One option being considered is having the city buy the Solar Renewable Energy Credits that come with installing solar from each property owner, essentially giving property owners a rebate worth the value of the property tax increases.

The city is going to explore different options and a report on possible next steps is expected at the Energy Commission's meeting on Feb. 14.

In addition to trying to address the financial disincentives, Lazarus said the city is going to look at getting some better clarity from the state.

"We're going to work to address it so -- consistent with the Climate Action Plan --we can get rid of some of the hurdles," he said.

Lazarus said the city also will be considering the financial impacts, and it's premature to say anything other than the city is going to look at the options and the city is committed to reducing the disincentive.

"And I don't know what that looks like yet," he said.

Lazarus said he hasn't yet spoken with City Attorney Stephen Postema, but he has heard from City Council members interested in looking into the issue. He said he also had a good conversation with members of the Energy Commission.

"I listened to what they had to say," he said. "We had an honest discussion and the message is we want to go down a path that's consistent with the values the community holds."

Clevey, founder of the Ann Arbor Solar Users Network, said he's encouraged after speaking with the city administrator.

"There was a wonderful meeting of the minds. He gets it," he said. "By helping citizens do solar on their houses, it's a wonderful way to engage citizens."

Council Member Chip Smith, D-5th Ward, recommended Energy Commission members meet with Lazarus and he joined them this week.

"I'm very encouraged by the city administrator's commitment to figure out how to either offset the increased assessment or to not assess," he said. "He understands the end goal, which is to remove self-created hurdles to installing solar."

Smith added, "Mark Clevey deserves considerable credit for his dogged and diligent attention to this problem and how to fix it."

When solar panels are added to a property, the Ann Arbor assessor's office bases the added assessment value on the size of the installation, specifically the rated kilowatts of installed capacity, and it works out to an increase in annual taxes of about $37 per kilowatt, though that can vary by geography and other factors, according to information presented at an Energy Commission meeting.

Mirsky said that means the likely increase in annual taxes on a 3.12-kilowatt installation in Ann Arbor is about $115, negating about 31 percent of the expected $372 in energy cost savings. As a result, he said, the payback period on such an installation increases to about 22 years.

"We are killing solar's financial justification," he said last month.

Clevey considers it questionable to tax property based on energy production and he said it seems Ann Arbor is unique in doing so.

City Assessor Dave Petrak points to a section of Michigan law that states "all property, real and personal, within the jurisdiction of this state, not expressly exempt, shall be subject to taxation." And he notes there currently is no exemption in Michigan law for solar panels on residential property.

Clevey acknowledges he's personally affected by this. He had solar panels installed on his roof back in May, and he's expecting his assessment to go up in March based on communications he has had with the city assessor.

He's planning to appeal his assessment to the city's Board of Review in March, and, if necessary, up to the Michigan Tax Tribunal in hopes of at least getting some added clarity on the issue of solar taxation.

If raising taxes is unavoidable, he said, he's hoping the city at least can offset the increase and he's looking forward to hearing the city attorney's assessment of the legality of buying renewable credits from people who go solar.

Clevey said the city could buy the credits at above-market rates to compensate homeowners for the increase in property taxes, and then the city could sell the credits to companies that want to offset their carbon output. He said there's an international market for renewable credits.

"I think they will come back with a plan to do this," he said. "It's an easy fix for them, to be honest with you. There are ways to do this."

Clevey said he believes the city would have to do this retroactively for all people who've installed solar panels and had their taxes raised.

"If they don't, they're going to have a bunch of mad people," he said.

From a revenue standpoint, he said, the annual taxes collected from solar installations in the city is likely in the tens of thousands of dollars. He notes that's tax revenue that would not exist but for people going solar, which he said lowers people's energy costs, putting more money into the local economy.
Adam_Zemke_101116_RJS_01.jpg

State Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor.

(Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR, MI - State Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, has been chosen to lead the House Democratic Caucus as chairman for 2017-18.

The House Democrats held elections this week to fill their caucus's leadership positions for the next two years as the legislative session begins.

Zemke, 33, joins a leadership team headed by House Democratic Leader Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, and House Democratic Floor Leader Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills. They're still the minority party, as the Republicans maintained control of the state House following the 2016 election.

"In a time when it may seem that there is more that divides us than unites us, I am ready to bring the House Democratic Caucus together to remember why it is we all came to Lansing in the first place," Zemke said in a statement.

"Michigan's working families, seniors and students depend on us to provide better-paying jobs, to maintain the stability of their retirement and to improve the affordability of their education. I look forward to uniting the caucus in these next two years to fight as one for Michiganders everywhere."

Zemke's first act as caucus chairman was to appoint state Rep. Jewell Jones, D-Inkster, to serve as his deputy.

Jones is serving his first term representing Michigan's 11th House District. Before coming to the state House, he served on the Inkster City Council.

He currently attends the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he is studying political science and finance.

"I have been impressed and inspired by Rep. Jones long before he came to serve in the state House, so he seemed like an excellent choice to help me bring our caucus together over these next two years," Zemke said.

"He will provide a fresh perspective to the caucus, and his passion for progressive issues should inspire the rest of us to keep up the good fight on behalf of Michigan's working families, seniors and young people."

Zemke notes Jones is both the youngest state representative ever at the age of 21 and black. Zemke said he wants the party to be able to connect with young people and people of color, but more importantly, the reason he appointed Jones, he said, is because he wants to see young people of color elevated to leadership roles.

Zemke said he intends to work as caucus chairman to rebuild the Democratic brand over the next two years.

"The reason I ran for this leadership position is I feel strongly, especially after the last campaign, that we have got to rebuild our base," Zemke said. "We have to get back people who used to vote for Democrats."

Zemke said that includes people who voted for Barack Obama in the past but this past year supported Donald Trump.

Zemke said he intends to hold listening sessions around the state to hear from Michiganders about what they want to see out of House Democrats and to better communicate to residents what they're doing.

"I think people need to understand Democrats represent them," he said. "We are missing a whole host of folks who, absolutely, we are proposing policy on behalf of, and they're not recognizing that, and that's not their fault. That's our fault.

"I want to go around and listen to folks and then talk with them about what policies we can do to help them out based on what they're telling us. It's not about telling them. It's about listening to them and responding."

Zemke is serving his third and final term representing Michigan's 55th House District, which includes parts of Ann Arbor and surrounding areas in Washtenaw County. He previously served as Democratic vice chairman of the House Education Committee and sat on the House Appropriations Committee.

He is considering a run for state Senate in 2018, a move that could pit him against former Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, who also is considering running. Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, will be term-limited in 2018.

Before coming to the Legislature, Zemke worked as an engineer in the aerospace, defense and automotive fields. He serves on the Foundation Board for the Society of Automotive Engineers and has served on the city of Ann Arbor's Housing and Human Services Advisory Board and the Washtenaw County Community Action Board. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the College of Engineering at Michigan State University.
Arnets New Showroom.JPG

A look inside the showroom at Arnet's, Inc.'s new location at 5060 Jackson Road, Suite H, in Ann Arbor. The 113-year-old business will continue to serve the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas under the ownership of Grand Rapids-based Patten Monuments.

(Courtesy)

ANN ARBOR, MI - Arnet's Inc., an Ann Arbor business that has offered cemetery memorials, cremation products and related services, as well as signage, to the area for more than 100 years, has been purchased by Grand Rapids-based Patten Monuments as of December 2016.

Longtime owner Caryl Arnet said the company, which was founded in 1904, is retaining the family name and will continue to serve the Ann Arbor area but will move to a new location along Jackson Road, a process that was scheduled to take place in the early part of January.

Arnet will now serve as manager of the new Ann Arbor location, in addition to serving as manager of the company's Ypsilanti location on North River Street.

"I'm really excited about it because I've been doing this an awful long time and (Patten Monuments) is the biggest monument company in Michigan," Arnet said. "There were only very few people I would even consider for this because I am very proud of my family name and didn't want to hand it off to just anybody."

Andy Bolt, president of Patten Monuments, said Arnet reached out last year to see if his company would be interested in purchasing Arnet's.

"The time was right for Caryl with her long-range plans to ... find someone else to do their manufacturing of the monuments," Bolt said. "She called ... last year and we decided it was good for Patten, good for Arnet's and for Caryl and good for the local market that Arnet's still be a quality place to buy monuments in Ann Arbor."

Bolt said Patten serves the entire state of Michigan and the northern portion of Indiana, and that the company is celebrating 100 years of business in 2017.

Both Bolt and Arnet said they are excited to be in business with one another going forward.

"The changes that are occurring and how we will integrate more in the industry, I think it's going to be for the best for the consumer," Arnet said.

Arnet's new Ann Arbor location, at 5060 Jackson Road, Suite H, opened Jan. 6.
BANGOR TWP, MI -- Area police are inviting citizens to come have a cup of joe with them.

The Michigan State Police are hosting Coffee with a Cop at Tim Hortons, 3460 E. Wilder Road in Bangor Township, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

Troopers from the state police's Tri-City Post, Bay County Sheriff's deputies, and Bay City public safety officers will be present.

"Coffee with a Cop brings police officers, and the community members they serve, together over a cup of coffee to discuss and learn more about each other," said Trooper Mike Burch in a press release. "This opportunity gives officers a chance to step out of their patrol cars and into a more casual atmosphere to talk with and learn more about the citizens they serve."
As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
Close

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is one of the unscripted reality series that can be watched on Bravo TV. Cast members Cynthia Bailey, Kandi Burruss, and Kenya Moore were the focus of the recently released promo, and this trio is about to reveal something scandalous.

As seen on the "RHOA" teaser video, the three reality TV stars are discussing a group text that was about co-star Phaedra Parks. According to them, they had received a message about Parks asking to get 50 percent of the proceeds from her pop-up shop.

The girls all agree that they do not recall Parks ever asking for 50 percent. Bailey then added that Sheree Whitfield, whom she trusts remembers every single thing correctly, remembers the figure was much lower than 50. "Sheree Whitfield is a human tape recorder, okay?" Bailey said.

Burruss, however, does not agree with her. "She always brings stuff back wrong," she responded. Apparently, someone else had confronted Burruss about something she allegedly said - the source being Whitfield, as reported by Us Weekly.

"Porsha goes, 'Sheree was telling me how you had said that me and Block [Spencer] had sex,'" Burruss explained. "The part that I had spoke on was that they had dated before. I guess Sheree threw in the part of them having sex."

While the "RHOA" girls were discussing Whitfield, Moore suddenly lights up and goes off-topic. "Is he the one that peed on her?" The girls then discuss that Whitfield admitted to having previously had a "golden shower" when they played the drinking game Never Have I Ever while they were in Miami. Burruss does not want to be part of the pee-related discussion and tells them, "Leave me out of the pee!"

Golden showers are being widely talked about of late, especially following the allegations that the current US president, Donald Trump, had hired prostitutes to do the same to him. Since the news of these allegations came out, the Internet nearly broke with memes and jokes about the subject.

 Copyright 2020 Mobile & Apps, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
you are here:
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
January 14, 2017

Open Thread 2017-02

News & views ...

Posted by b on January 14, 2017 at 16:00 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page 
Well, that was quite the spectacle.

In his first news conference since July, President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday likened the U.S. intelligence community to Nazi Germany, talked about himself in the third person as he described Vladimir Putin's affection for him and attacked not one but two news organizations.

He refused to take a question from CNN reporter Jim Acosta, accusing him of working for "fake news." He called BuzzFeed "a failing pile of garbage" for publishing 35 pages of unverified allegations about ties between Trump and the Russian government.

"I think they're going to suffer the consequences," he said about BuzzFeed.

He also predicted, "I will be the greatest jobs producer that God ever created."

"And I mean that," he added, in case anyone might have wondered aloud, "Did he just say 'God'?"

Oh, yeah.

For the rest of that afternoon, emergency alert tests kept popping up on my TV screen. Coincidental, I'm sure, but it does have a way of focusing one's mind.

CNN, by the way, only reported that both President Barack Obama and Trump had received a two-page synopsis of the allegations, without providing details. Trump still thinks CNN is stinky. So there.

Social media were full of criticism of the other reporters in the room for not defending Acosta in the moment. I hope to see such unity in the future, but I won't pile on here. We've never seen the likes of this. No president loves the media, but in the past, they've typically vented their grievances privately and, sometimes, strategically.

Trump hates us and loves reminding all of America just how much. The journalists in that room had a lot of questions and no idea how long they'd have before he shut the whole thing down. I appreciate their attempts to get answers, even after it was clear that Trump had no intention of giving straight answers.

Everything's going to be (SET ITAL)very, very great(END ITAL). That's all you need to know.

As for BuzzFeed, this is not its finest hour.

Its initial explanation for the story: "BuzzFeed News is publishing the full document so that Americans can make up their own minds about allegations about the president-elect that have circulated at the highest levels of the US government."

That's not what we're supposed to do as journalists. Our job is to hunt down the claims and prove or disprove them. "Sources," we call them. "Facts," too.

In a memo to staff, BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith wrote: "As we noted in our story, there is serious reason to doubt the allegations. We have been chasing specific claims in this document for weeks, and will continue to.

"Publishing this document was not an easy or simple call, and people of good will may disagree with our choice. But publishing this dossier reflects how we see the job of reporters in 2017."

I would not characterize myself as one of those people of goodwill at this moment. As a journalist, I'm steamin' mad right now, because the last thing we need is a high-profile example of jumping the gun for clicks. As someone teaching future journalists, this is Exhibit A of what will not happen in any classroom of mine.

In the meantime, more of us journalists need to become advocates for our profession. One of the things that newspapers got so wrong during their heyday was the insistence that we shouldn't promote what we do. The work speaks for itself, editors used to tell us. Do a good job and the readers will find you.

Boy, was that a losing strategy.

Still, journalists get squeamish at the notion of being activists for anything, for obvious reasons. But that's what we need to be now. We must let our readers and viewers know how we do what we do and why it matters.

It'll be a slog, if Twitter is any indication. After Trump's news conference, I tweeted about the importance of being an activist for journalism. Trump supporters climbed all over that one, calling me the kind of stuff best left for those dark fantasies most people don't say out loud.

It's clear that the angriest of Trump supporters feel emboldened by his election and his behavior ever since.

What they don't seem to understand yet is that so do we.

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State University's school of journalism. To find out more about Connie Schultz (con.schultz@yahoo.com), visit www.creators.com.
Europes New Indispensable Nations



BERLIN  After the shock of the United Kingdoms Brexit referendum and Donald Trumps election as President of the United States in 2016, this will be a decisive year for Europe.



Upcoming parliamentary elections in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and possibly Italy will decide whether the European Union will hold together, or whether it will disintegrate under the neo-nationalist wave sweeping the West.

Meanwhile, the Brexit negotiations will begin in earnest, providing a glimpse of the future of the EU-UK relationship. And Trumps inauguration on January 20 may someday be remembered as a watershed moment for Europe.

Judging by Trumps past statements about Europe and its relationship with the US, the EU should be preparing for some profound shocks. The incoming US president, an exponent of the new nationalism, does not believe in European integration.

Here he has an ally in Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long tried to destabilize the EU by supporting nationalist forces and movements in its member states. If the Trump administration supports or turns a blind eye to those efforts, the EU  sandwiched between Russian trolls and Breitbart News  will have to brace itself for challenging times indeed.

The consequences for the EU will be even more serious if, in addition to setting the US relationship with Russia on a new foundation, Trump continues to call into question Americas security guarantee for Europe. Such a move would be at the expense of NATO, which has institutionalized the US security umbrella for more than six decades. Europeans would suddenly find themselves standing alone against a Russia that has increasingly employed military means to challenge borders, such as in Ukraine, and to reassert its influence  or even hegemony  over Eastern Europe.

We will soon know what comes next for NATO, but much harm has already been done.



Security guarantees are not just a matter of military hardware. The guarantor also must project a credible message that it is willing to defend its allies whenever necessary. Thus, such arrangements depend largely on psychology, and on a countrys trustworthiness vis-a-vis friends and foes alike. When that credibility is damaged, there is a growing risk of provocation  and, with it, the threat of escalation into larger crises, or even armed conflict.

Given this risk, the EU should now shore up what it has left with respect to NATO and focus on salvaging its own institutional, economic, and legal integration. But it should also look to its member states to provide a second security option.

The EU itself is based on soft power: it was not designed to guarantee European security, and it is not positioned in its current form to confront a hard-power challenge. This means that it will fall to its two largest and economically strongest countries, France and Germany, to bolster Europes defense. Other countries such as Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, and Poland will also have a role to play, but France and Germany are indispensable.

Of course, living in continental Europe means having Russia as a neighbor, and neighborly relations, generally speaking, should be based on peace, cooperation, and mutual respect (especially when ones neighbor is a nuclear power). But Europeans cannot harbor any illusions about Russias intent. The Kremlin approaches foreign policy as a zero-sum game, which means that it will always prioritize military strength and geopolitical power over cooperative security arrangements.

Russia does not view weakness or the lack of a threat from its neighbors as a basis for peace, but rather as an invitation to extend its own sphere of influence. So, power asymmetry in Eastern Europe will lead only to instability. If Europe wants a stable, enduring peace, it first must ensure that it is taken seriously, which is clearly not the case today. Europe can credibly strengthen its security only if France and Germany work together toward the same goal, which they will have an opportunity to do after their elections this year.

EU diplomats used to murmur off the record that Germany and France would never see eye to eye on military and financial issues, owing to their different histories and cultures. But if security conditions take a turn for the worse, that may no longer be the case. Indeed, reaching a compromise on both sides of the Rhine should not be so difficult: France undoubtedly has the experience to lead on defense; and the same goes for Germany on financial matters.

If pursuing this European security option prompts the US to renew its own security guarantee, so much the better. Meanwhile, the EU should also forge a post-Brexit cooperative strategic arrangement with the UK, whose geopolitical position and security interests will remain unchanged.

The old EU developed into an economic power because it was protected beneath the US security umbrella. But without this guarantee, it can address its current geopolitical realities only by developing its own capacity to project political and military power. Six decades after the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community, history and current developments are pushing France and Germany to shape Europes future once again.
Jimmy's, the Greenpoint offshoot of Williamsburg's popular Jimmy's Diner, closed at the end of last year, but the space already has a new tenant and a talented chef ready to take the helm. Chef Aidan O'Neal has plans to turn the space into a new restaurant serving French and British food sometime in early spring.

O'Neal, a native of Vancouver who spent five years in Montreal prior to moving to NYC, paid homage to a restaurant he loved in Montreal, naming this new restaurant Chez Ma Tante ("at my aunt's").

O'Neal worked as head chef with fellow Canadians at the M. Wells restaurants, and late last year, he left a job at celebrated Cafe Altro Paradiso, where he'd been chef de cuisine since the restaurant opened in early 2016. This is the first restaurant where he'll be the master of his domain and he's partnering with prolific restaurateur Josh Cohen to transform the former Jimmy's into his vision.

"It's more of underselling and over-delivering," he says to describe what he's aiming for. "It's taking a reference point from humble French and English food and trying to elevate it a little bit."

A bit of raw bar, some smaller plates and salads and between five or six entrees a night is the plan right now. Classic dishes like terrines and sausages are also part of O'Neal's vision.

"I want the menu to be very accessible and easy to read," O'Neal says. "I'd like it to be a place where people go to have dinner with their friends as opposed to having dinner with the restaurant. We won't be too intrusive."

French influences joining O'Neal's Canadian heritage, essentially. "There'll be maple syrup everywhere," he promises.
New members inducted into Institute of ...
We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today
A man was arrested early Saturday morning after officials say he struck a deputy with his vehicle, lead authorities on a chase, and crashed into two parked cars.

Drunk club patron leads deputies on chaotic series of events: Marcel Stanovick hits deputy with vehicle Leads deputies on a chase; drove into oncoming traffic Crashes into two parked cars; flees on foot



The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was called out to the Oz Gentleman's Club on US 19 around 2 a.m. due to a trespassing.

Security at the club attempted to remove Marcel Stanovick, 28, from the premises for being intoxicated, but he refused.

When deputies arrived, Stanovick smelled of alcohol, his eyes were blood shot, and he was unstable on his feet.

Security informed deputies that Stanovick was so drunk that they had to park his vehicle for him when got to the club.

Deputies said they arranged for an Uber ride to take Stanovick home, but he returned to the club shortly after.

Deputy Jason Fineran was flagged down by the Uber driver, informing him that Stanovick insisted to return to the club.

Fineran found Stanovick in his Chevrolet Tahoe with the vehicle running. That's when officials say, Stanovick put the vehicle in reverse and accelerated, pinning Deputy Fineran into between the Tahoe and another vehicle.

Deputy Fineran only received minor injuries to his arm and hand.

Stanovick then fled the scene traveling down US 19. During the pursuit, officials said Stanovick drove into oncoming traffic and turned his headlights off in an attempt to elude deputies.

He eventually ended up crashing into two parked cars along 40th Avenue North in St. Petersburg, and still tried to flee from deputies on foot.

Deputies found Stanovick hiding near a home on 41st Avenue North and was taken into custody.

Stanovick was arrested and charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, driving under the influence, aggravated fleeing and eluding, resisting an officer without violence, and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.
A few of Mayor de Blasio's tactics for moving homeless families out of shelter and into permanent housing appear to be working, according to a new report [PDF] from the Coalition for the Homeless. But these gains aren't making a dent in the overall shelter population as people continue to enter the system at a near-record pace.

Since 2013, the report shows, the number of homeless families returning to the shelter system has decreased by 13 percent. The number of people entering the system for the first time, however, has increased 45 percent.

"While the City and the Mayor have taken important steps to combat homelessness, bold action is still required to remedy this unprecedented crisis," said Coalition for the Homeless policy director Giselle Routhier.

The report reiterates an argument that Steven Banks, Mayor de Blasio's Human Resources Administration head, makes frequently when trying to put his own homelessness-fighting efforts into context: Governor Andrew Cuomo and former mayor Michael Bloomberg exacerbated homelessness in NYC when they eliminated the Advantage rental assistance program in 2011 (according to the city, the homelessness count spiked more than 5,000 per year between 2011 and 2014). Back in 2005, well before Advantage was wiped, Bloomberg cut off shelter residents' access to public housing apartments and Section 8 vouchersaccording to City Limits, because he feared New Yorkers were entering shelters in order to take advantage of city services.

Mayor de Blasio reversed that decision in 2014, ending what Coalition for the Homeless has dubbed the "lost decade." And the results have been positive. In his first two-and-a-half years in office, the city placed about 10,000 homeless New Yorkers into stable, affordable housing. This is about seven times the number of placements the Bloomberg administration made during his entire second term.

Put another way: in 2013, under Bloomberg, only two percent of families who left the shelter system ended up in stable apartments. In Fiscal Year 2015, under de Blasio, 30 percent of families found permanent placements. In the last fiscal year, 40 percent did.

Still, the situation is far from rosy. There were 16,000 families living in city shelters last November, up 14 percent from January 2014.

Here, too, the city has no illusions: Commissioner Banks has often cited New York City's housing crisis, and stagnant wages. Coalition for the Homeless notes that 73 percent of low-income households in NYC were rent burdened as of 2014, up from 71 percent in 2006. This, in turn, has contributed high rates of eviction and overcrowding. In the first 11 months of Fiscal year 2016, 42 percent of families that entered the shelter system blamed one of those two factors.

Within that 42 percent, however, six percent fewer families are blaming eviction than they were last year. For this, Coalition for the Homeless credits Mayor de Blasio's investment in housing lawyers for families facing eviction.



(via Coalition for the Homeless).

But the Coalition says there is much more de Blasio could do. In addition to significantly increasing the rate of NYCHA placements and LINC vouchers, he could do a better job of enforcing landlord discrimination against said voucher holders.

There's also the matter of the mayor's affordable housing plan, which critics say values quantity over quality, building a bulk of below-market rate apartments for middle and upper-class New Yorkers, and gentrifying low-income neighborhoods in the process.

Many of the Coalition's critiques are leveraged at the state. Last year, Governor Cuomo announced a $20 billion 5-year plan to create 100,000 units of affordable housing, 6,000 beds of supportive housing, and 1,000 emergency shelter beds. By June 2016, Cuomo had released just $150 million of the promised amount in starter funding. The legislative session ended without any contractual agreement between the legislative branches as to when the rest of the funding would be released, or from where.

Cuomo mentioned the withheld funding during the New York City installment of his State of the State tour this week, blaming the delay on the Senate and the Assembly.

"The money is there, the largest state commitment in history," Cuomo promised. "Neither the Assembly nor the Senate has agreed to move the funds forward. Today I call on them to advance the plan."

The overture rang hollow for affordable housing advocates, who argue that Cuomo has managed to negotiate agreements with the legislature on his priority issues, like the $15 per hour minimum wage and paid family leave. "If housing were an important goal one would think he could achieve it," Legal Aid attorney Ellen Davidson told Gothamist.

Commissioner Banks focused on the positives in this week's report.

"This report shows our comprehensive reforms are in fact making headway with more New Yorkers being placed in stable housing than at any time since 2004," he said in a statement to City Limits. "While we know we have more work to do, we also know that the lack of affordable housing, the gap between income and rent, and domestic violence are the primary drivers for families entering shelter in the city."
This story was last updated on: 7:52 p.m., Friday, Jan. 13, 2017.

As the community prepares for Orange County Deputy 1st Class Norman Lewis' services on Sunday, employees at a Chick-fil-A in Orlando are remembering the fallen hero in a unique way.

Chick-fil-A near UCF honors fallen Orange County deputy

Deputy Norman Lewis' favorite meal sits on a table at the restaurant

"He's going to be missed forever," said Reannon Gondek, of Chick-fil-A

Reannon Gondek serves hundreds of people every day, so it's hard to remember what one person orders.

But, she said when Lewis came in to the Chick-fil-A on University Boulevard near Rouse Road, he didn't have to say a word.

Gondek knew his order: a medium fruit cup, a 12-count nugget and a large Powerade.

Lewis would always act surprised, Gondek said.

"(He) would be surprised I would remember his order, and he'd smile from ear to ear," she said.

That's something that Gondek will now miss.

"Now we won't be able to see that big smile," she said.

Lewis will always have a place at the Chick-fil-A near UCF, though. Gondek and other employees set up a permanent place-setting for the man known as Big Norm.

Lewis was involved in a crash with a minivan on Monday, Jan. 9, on Balboa Drive and Pine Hills Road while he was involved with the manhunt for accused cop-killer Markeith Loyd.

The Missing Man Table, a military tradition that originated as an honor for missing or fallen service members, now sits near the entrance to the restaurant.

There's a red rose that represents bloodshed in sacrifice, a white tablecloth that's a symbol of one's pure intentions to respond to the call of duty and, of course, containers representing Lewis' favorite meal.

It all sits on a ceramic plate accompanied by silverware.

The memorial at the Chick-fil-A has become a place for people from all over Central Florida  and even other parts of the country  to write notes to Lewis.

One of the notes is from someone who stopped by from Virginia. Another note is from Oviedo firefighters. UCF graduates wrote some words, too.

Gondek said seeing Big Norm's smile isnt the only thing she'll miss.

"He would come say hi and he'd ask me how my family was, my husband, my girls," she said.

It's the caring attitude Lewis possessed that Gondek will always remember.

"He's missed," she said. "He's going to be missed forever, and I think it's a way that everybody who comes into Chick-fil-A who knew him and didn't know him will be able to see what we think of him."

The Chick-fil-A location posted about it on Facebook:
This story was last updated on: 7:01 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017.

Hundreds of people packed First Baptist Church of Orlando Saturday to celebrate the life of fallen Orlando police officer Debra Clayton.

Clayton was shot and killed in the line of duty Monday morning.

The accused gunman, Markeith Loyd, is still on the run.

Arrival at First Baptist Orlando. pic.twitter.com/Q3Ssna1Xi1  Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) January 14, 2017

One of the first people to speak at the funeral was Orlando Police Chief John Mina, who shared his deepest condolences and memories of Clayton.

"We have all struggled this past week to come up with words to soften your loss," Mina said during a tribute. "And, there really aren't any. Words cannot begin to express our heartache."

He also highlighted her passion to help her community.

She wore the blue for over 17 years, but I want to honor her community work.

During the service, Mina posthumously promoted Clayton to the rank of lieutenant.

Congresswoman and former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings also spoke at the service.

She was one of the good guys not just because of the job she did, but because of her unwavering commitment to change community for the better, Demings said.

Throughout the morning different law enforcement agencies arrived at the church to pay their respects.

Claytons co-workers say she was loved by her community.

The sky matches the mood here as we prepare to lay Master Sergeant Debra Clayton to rest. pic.twitter.com/yjJDgSiAsT  Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) January 14, 2017

First Baptist Church is packed with people for Sgt. Clayton's funeral. Apostle Lizelle Bradley calls it a celebration of life. @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/fMNIWRX3D7  Erin Murray News 13 (@emurray1) January 14, 2017

Clayton was allegedly shot and killed by Markeith Loyd on Jan. 9.

Since then, several agencies have been searching day and night to catch Loyd, but so far have not been successful.

However, three people have been arrested, accused of helping Loyd hide from authorities since December, when he was accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Authorities are offering a reward up to $100,000 for information that leads to Loyd's arrest. Anyone with information can call Crimeline anonymously at 1-800-423-TIPS.

A funeral for Deputy First Class Norman Lewis, who was killed in a crash during the manhunt for Markeith Loyd on Monday will be held Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Orlando.
As a Wayland Baptist University student in the early 1990s, Donnie Brown joked with faculty member Dr. Gary Manning that one day he would return and take Dr. Mannings job. That didnt exactly happen as Dr. Manning retired in 2012, but Brown has finally made his way back to the School of Religion and Philosophy as the new director of the Wayland Mission Center and Kaleo Program.

Brown takes over the directors position that was held by Dr. Richard Shaw, who will now be able to spend more time in the classroom and focus more heavily on his duties as director of the Kenya Program. Brown has spent the past 15 years as the director of Baptist Student Ministries at Wayland, a position he didnt want to leave.

As dean of the School of Religion and Philosophy, Dr. Clinton Lowin was writing the grant for the Kaleo program, which focuses on developing young men and women into church and religious leaders, he approached Brown about moving into the directors position.

I said, No, I dont want to, Brown said.

As time went by, Brown assisted Lowin in the search for a new director. He recommended several people, but none of them worked out.

He came back to me and said he thought I was the person for it and I said Im not, Brown said. But we seriously prayed about it and I talked to my wife. I asked my boss at the BGCT, when he switched from being a BSM director to being an administrator, how did he know. He said he just went back over his life and looked at how God prepared him for that time.

Brown followed suit and realized that he has been involved in student ministry. Hes been involved with missions work. He has partnerships around the world. He has students serving in missions. He has been a pastor and an interim pastor  all areas with which he will work as director of the Mission Center and Kaleo Program.

I really had to say, OK, God, Ill do it, Brown said.

As director, Brown says he will build on the solid foundation set by Dr. Shaw, working with academic schools, extension campuses and local churches to foster missions locally and throughout the world.

Its not me leading them, but instead giving them the resources they need and partnering with them to share the gospel around the world, Brown said. Its a partnership and expanding on that to get more people involved in doing missions.

Brown can be contacted at 806-291-1168 or brownd@wbu.edu.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Twice a month on Tuesdays a diverse group of local volunteers come together for less than an hour to take part in an assembly-line activity that directly impacts more than 650 elementary students each weekend.

And they have been making a real difference in the lives of those and other children since 2013.

Thats when Plainviews Snack Pak 4Kids program began, with an aim of fighting weekend hunger for children who might otherwise not get enough to eat on days when the school lunch program is not available.

Last Tuesday, the Plainview Police Departments SWAT Team joined with community volunteers from Runningwater Draw RSVP, Hale County 4-H, Wal-Mart Distribution Center, Hale County District Attorneys Office, Hale County Sheriffs Department, PISD and others to pack food bags.

More than 1,300 bags are packed every two weeks. A companion program, Snack Shack, was launched in March for students at Plainview High School. It now serves about 30 students.

If your group would like to volunteer for Snack Pak 4Kids packing night, contact Joyce Sinor at 292-5028. Packing nights for spring are Jan. 24, Feb. 7 and 21, March 7 and 21, Apr. 4 and 18, and May 2 and 16. Packing time is 5:30 p.m. at the SP4K warehouse on the north end of the Education Complex, 24th and Yonkers streets.

Susan Hurt launched Plainviews Snack Pak 4Kids program after seeing a hungry fourth grader scraping crumbs off the cafeteria floor. Theres a tremendous need to provide food to these hungry children during the 66 hours they are away from school each weekend, explained Terra James last spring while speaking at PHS about Snack Pak and Snack Shack.

Dyron Howell of Amarillo, who lunched Snack Pak 4Kids in his own kitchen 6 years ago, says the program is now in 40 school districts across the Texas Panhandle, and is helping feed 7,000 hungry kids each weekend.

Snack Pac started in my kitchen as an effort to serve 10 kids after I saw a Nightline program on the Back Pack Buddies program in Bowie, Howell told PHS students in March. It started after a teacher saw a student licking their plate because they didnt have enough to eat at home.

If students go hungry over the weekend when theyre away from school and the food they received through the free and reduced price lunch program, Howell said, They will not be prepared to learn on Monday. And we have found about 90 percent of the kids we spend home with Snack Packs share them with their siblings.

Last spring, James noted that 70 percent of Plainview elementary students receive either free or reduced price lunches.

In the past, Plainviews Snack Pac 4Kids accepted packages of Pop Tarts as a special treat to add to the bags. However, such food donations are no longer being accepted. We need to be able to trace the source and lot numbers of everything that goes into the food bags in the event of a recall, James said Tuesday. Unfortunately, if we continued receiving donations of Pop Tarts, we couldnt do that very easily. Instead, we are including Nutri Grain Bars instead of Pop Tarts as a treat.

On average, more than 70 volunteers participate every other Tuesday to pack sacks for the program. With a two-tier system, an empty sack makes it way down the line as volunteers fill it with their corresponding bin of snacks. The prep team works hours the day before, assembling the line and

during assembly, the prep crew is on hand ready to re-stock any empty totes on line.

After the packing is done, the crew stays behind and instills a rotation system to ensure all food is utilized and food orders are more accurate.
Ken Blackmon/Courtesy

The name of one of the San Francisco police officers involved in the shooting of a mentally ill man during an arrest attempt on Jan. 6 has been released by the department.

The officer involved was Kenneth Cha, according to a statement released by the department Friday evening. Such disclosures are in accordance with department policy, the statement said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Courtesy of Richard Hayes Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy of Douglas/Twitter: @787FirstClass Show More Show Less 3 of 3





A Sig-alert was issued after a motor home burst into flames Friday afternoon on southbound Highway 101 near the San Francisco International Airport, slowing traffic in the area, officials said.

No one was injured in the fire, reported around 2:45 p.m. near the ramp leading to the airport, the California Highway Patrol said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

William K. Bowes Jr., a pioneer investor in the biotechnology industry, an ardent supporter of basic medical research, and long an active philanthropist, died of cardiac arrest at his home in San Francisco on Dec. 28 with his wife, Ute, by his side. He was 90.

Mr. Bowes was a founder of U.S. Venture Partners, the wide-ranging Silicon Valley firm that has backed more than 450 startup companies in varied new fields, and that focuses now on information technology and health care.

As an investment banker nearly 40 years ago, Mr. Bowes became aware of a new and still controversial gene-splicing science known as recombinant DNA, and it led to his investment in one of the first commercial ventures in genetic engineering, a young Emeryville gene-splicing company called Cetus.

When management issues plagued that company in 1983, Mr. Bowes recruited a team of scientists and founded a new firm at first called Applied Molecular Genetics. He raised $200,000 from six other investors to finance it.

The firm became Amgen, and it is now the largest independent pharmaceutical company in the world, valued at more than $120 billion.

Its first bioengineered product was the recombinant hormone called erythropoietin, which treats the often fatal anemia from chronic kidney failure and cancer. It still saves lives.

As his venture capital investments in varied companies grew through U.S. Venture Partners, Mr. Bowes turned to what he called venture philanthropy, and over the years he became a major contributor to UCSF. His most recent investment in the university was a $50 million pledge to support young medical researchers and it brought his gifts for the medical center to more than $100 million.

With his wide range of interests in science, culture, the environment and humanitarian causes, Mr. Bowes created the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation and gave financial and often leadership support to many local and national organizations.

Among them were the Exploratorium, where he had served as chairman of the board; the San Francisco Opera; the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; the Asian Art Museum; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; the Environmental Defense Fund; the interdisciplinary biosciences institute called Stanford Bio-X; the Harvard Stem Cell Research Institute; the Institute for Systems Biology; the California Academy of Sciences; Teach for America; and the International Rescue Committee.

He was also a dedicated supporter of San Franciscos Grace Cathedral and of Bishop William E. Swings United Religions Initiative, an international organization that promotes interfaith cooperation, and seeks to end religiously motivated violence.

Bill was so widely respected and beloved in the Bay Area community that when he said something was worth investing in, others trusted his instincts and followed his lead, said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood.

Mr. Bowes was born in San Francisco and graduated from Lowell High School. He interrupted his college years at Stanford to join the infantry during World War II, and served in the Philippines and Japan before returning to Stanford to earn his bachelors degree in economics in 1950. He obtained his MBA from Harvard in 1952.

He is survived by his wife, Ute Conchita Bowes; by Frances Fay Bowes, the widow of his late brother, John; and by his nieces, Alexandra, Diana and Elena Bowes.

Memorial services will be held at Grace Cathedral on Feb. 6 at 4 p.m.

David Perlman is The San Francisco Chronicles science editor. Email: dperlman@sfchronicle.com
Famed jazz and swing violinist and music teacher Sebastian Campesi has died.

Over his long career, the beloved Jamestown, New York-born, musician performed with the San Antonio Symphony, Jim Cullum, Small World and even once jammed with Benny Goodman.

A San Antonio resident since 1955, Campesi died Friday at his near-North Side home. He was 95.

As a young boy, Campesi fell under the spell of jazz violin pioneer Joe Venuti, a friend and mentor. During World War II, he served in the Army as part of the North African Campaign.

He was legendary for breathing new life into unlikely sources: an uptempo arrangement of Amazing Grace, for example.

It swings, Campesi told the San Antonio Express-News with no apologies in 1999. You can praise the Lord and swing. I think He gets tired of that groggy music. I think the Lord likes to have fun.

Acclaimed musician Hank Harrison of Tennessee Valley Authority, who studied fiddle under Campesi, recounted one his favorite stories about his old teacher and Goodman. The setting was a symphony concert.

Benny Goodman turned around to the (violinists), and asked, Any of you want to play? Campesi stood up, Harrison said. He taught a million people, from me to Johnny Bush.

Cullum remembered many late-night jam sessions at the old Landing nightclub on the River Walk when Campesi (known to his friends by the nickname Campi) would solo with the best of visiting musicians. He was a good swingin player, Cullum said.

Campesi  a huge fan and student of the Texas swing of Bob Wills and a former music director for the Edgewood School District  had been in failing health the last few years, suffering from complications of emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He rarely played in later years but famously, if too briefly, came out of retirement in May 2009 to trade fiddle licks with Harrisons TVA at the Boardwalk Bistro.

It was like a horse being let out of the barn, said friend Tommy Dukes who was in the crowd that night.

Services are pending but are expected to be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Campesi is survived by his wife Ida Campesi, daughter Paola Campesi and stepson James Aulds.

hsaldana@express-news.net
Dreaming of ditching this concrete landmass for a breezy life on the open sea? While theres no shortage of charming and affordable houseboats on the market, theres only one Ellis Island ferry-turned-marine mansion. And now it can now be yours for a mere $1.25 million (remember, in this imaginary world where buying a floating home is not a terrible idea, you also have a million bucks lying around).

The 11-bedroom, 150-foot ferry comes with quite the backstory. Built in 1907, the ship spent its first decade ferrying passengers and cargo through different parts of New England. After the United States entered the war in 1917, the Navy commissioned the ship as the USS Machigonne, and used it to move men and supplies between Boston and Bumpkin Island Training Station. The steel hulled ferry was also fit with two one-pounder guns as a defensive measure.

Following the war, the decommissioned ship was purchased by US immigration services and moved to New York Harbor, where it shuttled new immigrants from Ellis Island to Manhattan for much of the 1920s. (It is the oldest existing Ellis Island ferry.) The ship was called back into service for World War II, again as a troop carrier, before spending the next fifty years as a commercial tour boat. In 1990, the decaying ferry was purchased by a private citizen and towed to Pier 25 in Tribeca for repair. Two years later, it was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Curbed reports that the ferrys current residents, artists Richard and Victoria MacKenzie-Childs, are looking to sell after 15 years of living off the shores of New York City. The couple, who also run a home decor business, have overseen some major renovations and restorations in that time. Much of the original wood flooring is still in place, but the upper deck has been turned an open living area and a lower level ballroom, accommodating 150 people, has been added.You could have a huge party on the top deck or passenger deck or both, broker Michael Franklin of Franklin Ruttan told TODAY Home.

But don't let the prohibitive cost of this history-rich party boat sink your seafaring dreams. The regular old ferry will do, and its getting a dramatic expansion this summer!
Albany

A reputed disciple of the anti-government "sovereign citizen" movement told jurors Friday he properly owns a former restaurant site in Colonie  even if prosecutors say he broke into the place, illegally tried to sell it and filed bogus deeds with the county.

"Did you ever pay a dime for that property?" Assistant District Attorney Brittany Grome asked the defendant, 22-year-old Zacharia Latnie.

"For that property? No," Latnie replied, saying he used another process to obtain the former Hibachi X restaurant in Colonie at 1893 Central Ave.

"Did you ever get permission from anyone to be on that property?" Grome asked.

"From anyone? I guess you can say not," Latnie replied.

In August 2014, Colonie police charged Latnie with trespassing but he returned to the site and was arrested again. He now faces a 21-count indictment charging him with burglary, possessing burglar's tools, attempted grand larceny, conspiracy, filing false documents, falsifying business records and tampering with public records. The charges carry up to 30 years.

Sovereign citizens adhere to what the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, calls a "conspiratorial belief system that argues that most Americans are not subject to most tax and criminal laws promulgated by the government." In 2011, the SPLC said the movement originally had ideological roots in anti-black racism, but a growing number of "Moorish" African-American sovereign citizens had emerged.

On Friday, Latnie, who is black, vehemently denied being a sovereign citizen even as prosecutors confronted him with evidence showing him using sovereign citizen terminology. Grome noted Latnie wrote a letter referencing the "Murakush Society," "Moorish" groups and a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen named "Brother Polight," who has a book called, "Real Estate or Legal Fiction."

Grome asked Latnie  who has identified himself as a "flesh and blood person"  about a website he follows about something called the "Tarhaka Archives."

Latnie said it was not linked to sovereign citizens, but Grome fired back, "Are you aware that when you go to their website, the first word on the website is 'sovereign?' "

"No, I'm not aware of that," he replied.

Latnie said he took over the Central Avenue building through "adverse possession" after staking out the location and placing a notice on it. He said he followed the advice of Tex Mason, a man whose website, http://thctrust.org, calls itself a "trust organization."

Grome reminded Latnie that Thomas Marcelle, the county attorney at the time, told Latnie's sister and co-defendant, Kazia Latnie, that Latnie had no legal interest in the building. Latnie questioned how Marcelle could draw such a conclusion.

"There are a number of ways legal interest may be acquired or derived from," Latnie testified. "Any legal interest? That's a swooping term. I don't know how he was able to apply that to my specific process."

Moments later, the prosecutor asked Latnie, "You don't really believe the penal law of New York state applies to you, do you?"

"I never said it didn't apply to me," he answered.

Grome reminded Latnie he was charged with trespassing and went back to the property.

"So you clearly don't think it applies to you," the prosecutor pressed.

"In that instance? No," Latnie answered. "And that would be a defense I would offer at the trespassing proceedings. I'm not guilty of trespassing  I was charged with trespassing. Same way I've been charged with these charges and have not been found guilty."

"No further questions," Grome replied.

Latnie's testimony concluded. The case, before Judge Peter Lynch, could go to the jury Tuesday after Grome and defense attorney Paul Edwards deliver summations.

Cases against Latnie's brother, Delyn, and sister, Kazia, are pending.

rgavin@timesunion.com  518-434-2403  @RobertGavinTU
HARTFORD  A Milford fifth-grader who campaigned on a platform promoting the humane treatment of animals, was awarded the blue sash of Connecticuts Kid Governor during a ceremony Friday morning in the historic Old State House.

Jessica Brocksom of the John F. Kennedy School was joined by hundreds of fifth graders from throughout the state who celebrated her political success along with six finalists from throughout the state.
Technology has been transforming the educational world for the past few years. Every year, new edtech companies bring innovative products to the table -- from online certification platforms to websites that offer interactive learning apps.

Weve seen a lot of well-established eLearning websites that do their part in nurturing the next generation. But this didnt stop innovators from introducing features that set the tone for the future of the edtech industry.

Here are four of the most promising edtech startups that could become the key players:

1. Studypool

Working out of their dorm rooms as college freshman, Studypool founders Richard Werbe and Jimmy Zhong ironically skipped weeks of classes to reinvent how students learn through a concept called "Microtutoring."

CEO Richard Werbe explains, "Microtutoring breaks down conventional tutoring into smaller, more digestible pieces of learning. By eliminating the barrier of set-time tutoring sessions, students can master subjects more efficiently on a time interval tailored to their needs. Typical sessions last one to 10 minutes but can take up to several hours depending on the student. Werbe emphasizes that learning is all about mastery, and Studypools mission is to make mastering a particular subject matter easier for students.

He continues, Think about when you were stuck on that tricky algebra question in high school and you called your smart friend for help. That was microtutoring! Studypool is doing that times ten million. It's like having thousands of friends that are professional tutors that can help 24/7, on demand. By using today's online technology, Studypool has created the infrastructure needed to support Microtutoring.

Related: Top 5 Freelancing Jobs That Are Best Suited For Women

Studypools aggressive approach has made a splash on the Internet since its launch in 2014 as students discovered the appeal of Microtutoring. One early customer Daniel Zhang gave the website a glowing review: "I got help with a kinematic physics equation lying in bed in my dorm room at two in the morning! Within a month of its launch, Studypool had thousands of users.

Today the company has raised $2.3 million in seed funding, has helped over a million students, and offers services from over 40,000 verified tutors. Werbe reports that the platform is growing faster than ever and is seeing significant revenues.

2. Peergrade

Other than reading books and gaining experience, accepting feedback is one of the best ways to learn. True, evaluating a students performance and providing assessments are normally for teachers. But with Peergrade, students can evaluate and grade each others work through peer assessment sessions.

Launched in 2015 by co-founders David Kofoed Wind, Malthe Jrgensen, and Simon Lind, Peergrades original goal was to help teachers keep up with a growing number of students while still providing the close attention and fair evaluation they deserve.

Continuous budget limitations for educational institutions force teachers to teach larger classes and consequently cut back on the number of written assignments or grade more homework, says David. Letting students partake in the process of evaluating and giving feedback enables them to learn from the work of others.

The platform works by allowing teachers to create online assignments and specify the criteria for evaluation. As students hand in their work, it goes through other students for peer-assessment first. Once all feedback is given, the teacher can get a full overview of the session.

Last year, Peergrade received a total of $300,000 in seed funding. It is now being used in major universities across Denmark and neighboring countries. Interested organizations can also use their service for free through their website.

3. Time Machine Tours

Its no secret that a lot of students find history as one of the most boring subjects. Perhaps its due to the heavy reliance on thick textbooks and bland teaching methods available in the school system.

Time Machine Tours -- an iOS app founded by Kyle Hudson in 2015 -- is set to forever change the way history is learned. Utilizing GPS technology, users can tell the exact location of photographers when they took historical photos.

History lessons are presented to them in big blocks of text and their eyes glaze over. Time Machine Tours lets kids access and experience history in a way theyve never been able to before, says Hudson.

The app offers tours that utilize augmented reality, with which users can hold their phones over the actual locations. This creates the illusion that makes users feel as if theyre staring into the past. Like it or not, it is a much more engaging way to learn history than reading in a classroom or library.

Currently, Time Machine Tours is only available in selection locations -- namely New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. New content is being added monthly with new locations, but for now, theres no announcement of a major expansion or funding.

Related: Lessons for the New CEO From 5 Great Leaders of History

4. ClassTag

ClassTag is a different kind of startup that focuses not on the students, but on the parent-teacher relationship. Everyone should be aware that it is both the parent and teachers job to foster learning minds. Thats why schools hold parent-teacher conferences that allow collaboration and create a better learning environment for students -- at home and in the classroom.

Related: How Social Media is Reshaping Today's Education System

Founded by Vlada Lotkina in 2015, a Wharton MBA and former Fortune 500 executive, ClassTags main objective is to provide a classroom community. This utilizes the collective effort of teachers and parents in tending to the needs of the students. With the platform, teachers can organize events, schedule conferences, and launch newsletter campaigns to maintain open communication.

ClassTags mission is to help teachers engage parents in the classroom by handling the busy work, says Lotkina. Our service is carefully crafted to simplify logistics and communications issues in classrooms.

Currently, ClassTag is being used by leading private and public schools. According to Lotkina, the platform borrows from corporations the concept of getting employees involved in programs that match their interests, particularly in charity and volunteering events. Since parents highly value their childrens education, they are guaranteed to participate in opportunities provided by platforms like ClassTag.

Related:

4 Startups Revolutionizing the EdTech World

What Took Edtech so Long to Gain Ground?

How 1 EdTech Company Thrives Amid the High-Stakes State-Testing Turbulence



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Jeff Bezos, the world's second-richest person, no longer needs to stay in a hotel when he visits Washington, D.C., to drop in on The Washington Post or visit the White House.

The founder of Amazon and owner of the Post was revealed as the newest resident of the biggest house in our nations capital, a nearly 27,000 square-foot mansion (that is actually two buildings put together) that he bought for $23 million.

Until 2013, the property housed The Textile Museum. George Washington University took on its collection and the museums new location opened in the universitys campus across town during the spring of 2015.

Heres some fun facts about Bezoss new home.

Related: 5 Things Jeff Bezos Does Other Than Work

1. Its big. Like, really big.

The property is four stories high, has 10 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and 11 fireplaces. Thats 24 Amazon echo devices before you include the kitchen, living rooms and any other rooms that you think would be in a 100-year-old mansion.

Just to get a sense for its sheer scale, a 27,000 foot aquarium recently opened in Fort Worth, Utah. The D.C. single family home could ostensibly hold a plethora of ocean life, including a handful of sharks.

2. Its good for entertaining.

While it was still the Textile Museum, it was considered an ideal wedding venue. If Bezos was so inclined, the space would certainly let him throw all the 200-person dinner parties his heart desires.

3. The neighborhood is POTUS-approved.

When Bezos takes up residence in his new home, hell have a pretty famous neighbor: President Barack Obama. A few other presidents were fans of Kalorama too: Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson all had homes there.

Related: Jeff Bezos Unveils New Rocket to Compete With SpaceX

4. The house has a historic pedigree.

The property is in the National Register of Historic Places for a pretty cool reason.

In 1912, the Textile Museums founder, George Hewitt Meyers, asked architect John Russell Pope to build him a mansion. In 1915, Meyers and his family moved in, and 10 years later, he opened the museum after he purchased the property next door to house his massive collection of textiles from all over the world.

Pope was responsible for a few other buildings you might have heard of, such as the National Gallery of Art and the Jefferson Memorial. That neighboring building was designed by Waddy Butler Wood, who was also behind well known D.C. landmarks such as Woodrow Wilson House and the headquarters of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

5. The first owner was a bit of a renaissance man.

George Hewitt Meyers had a variety of interests. He was an academic, had a passion for the environment and worked for the U.S. Forest Service and was world traveler. When he died in 1957, he had amassed a collection of nearly 5,000 textiles. Perhaps Bezos, with his interest in media and exploring new worlds with Blue Origin, found a kindred spirit in the homes original owner.

Related:

5 Fun Facts About Jeff Bezos's New D.C. Home

6 Things Amazon Is Doing To Give Better Customer Service In India Over Its Competitors

Inspiration From 7 Legendary Business Titans



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
State Farm Insurance Co. is ignoring part of an order to reduce rates by 7 percent for homeowners and renters in California and must cut rates immediately for more than 260,000 customers, the states top insurance regulator said Friday.

I expect every insurance company to comply with my rate orders, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in issuing a notice of noncompliance. He ordered reductions for customers who buy or renew insurance policies between Dec. 8 and Feb. 13.

State Farm had sought a 6.9 percent rate increase for residential policies last year, but Jones, after holding hearings, concluded in November that the companys rates were already higher than needed to pay its costs and a reasonable profit.

He ordered reductions of 5.37 percent for homeowners, 20.39 percent for renters and 13.81 percent for condominium owners. The statewide average came to 7 percent, because most of the policies are for homeowners, and the savings amounted to $84 million for 1.7 million California policyholders. Jones applied the same 7 percent reduction to rates charged since July 2015, requiring an additional $110 million in refunds.

State Farm sought to suspend the order while it challenged Jones order in court, but on Dec. 16, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal ruled that the company must reduce ongoing rates during its appeal. She agreed to suspend the $110 million refund for past payments, noting that policyholders would receive those refunds, plus interest, if she eventually upheld the commissioners order.

But customers soon complained that State Farm wasnt lowering rates for those who had been sent notices before Dec. 16 telling them they had 45 days to renew their policies. The company insisted it was in compliance, but Jones said late Friday that State Farm was required to issue reductions for everyone who had a policy in effect on Dec. 8  the day his order was due to take effect  regardless of when it was to expire.

Based on the number of State Farm ratepayers, he said, the companys refusal to timely implement the rate reduction could affect more than 4,000 policyholders each day from Dec. 8 to Feb. 13, when State Farm was planning to start lowering rates. That adds up to about 264,000 customers.

State Farm denied violating Jones order and repeated its earlier assertion of the proper timing of rate reductions.

We took immediate steps to comply with the rate reduction after receiving the ruling of the trial court over the weekend of Dec. 16. The new reduced rates currently are and, after that weekend, have been included in outgoing renewal bills, which must be sent out by law at least 45 days in advance, company spokesman Sevag Sarkissian said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
The community is invited to shimmy into the roaring 20s to celebrate a momentous occasion.

The Conroe/Greater Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce will honor "The Godfather" outgoing Board chairman Hector Forestier, and welcome incoming Chairman Matt Davis at the 39th annual Chairman's Ball Jan. 21 at La Toretta Lake Resort & Spa.

The grand party presented by Sam Houston State University begins with cocktail hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. with a casino, dancing and live music from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Tickets are on sale now for $80 which includes $2,000 in gaming chips. A table of 10 can be reserved for $750 which includes $30,000 in gaming chips.

A short presentation will honor the Diplomat of the Year, the Chairman's Key Person and the Chairman's Horizon Award. New this year, awards will be given to the Small Business of the Year and Large Business of the Year.

For tickets or sponsorship information, contact Courtney Galle at courtneyg@conroe.org or 936-538-7111.

INCOMING CHAIRMAN MATT DAVIS

Since Sept. 2013, Davis has served as Conroe Regional Medical Center's Chief Executive Officer, where he successfully pushed to obtain the hospital's level II trauma designation, made official in December. The hospital is able to provide acute critical medical care as the only level II trauma facility in Montgomery County, one of only three in the region. The "game changer" means patients with traumatic injuries, who previously had to be transported to Houston are able to be treated closer, sooner, with more resources, equipment, specialists, and access--ultimately saving more lives.

As CEO, Davis is responsible for overseeing the operations and strategic direction of CRMC, which is a comprehensive, regional, tertiary referral center with 342 beds, 1,200 employees, and more than 400 physicians on staff.

But for the last three years he has also dedicated his time to the Chamber, including by serving as the Chair-elect for the last year along Forestier's side.

"He's a true professional," Forestier said. "He has been with Conroe Regional for at least four years. He's done a great job. He's brought up the quality of medical services in the area. The hospital itself, the aesthetics, look extremely nice. It's very beautiful. He's worked very hard."

To become a Chairman, the individual must be a part of the executive committee and serve as chairman-elect. The chairman is decided by confirmation among the executive committee members, according to Forestier.

"It's exciting to represent the community in such an important endeavor like the Chamber of Commerce and being a part of the team at the Chamber and on the Board that is continue the successes of previous Board members and Board chairs and continue to improve the Chamber," Davis said.

Besides chairing meetings, Forestier said the chairman will adhere to the budget, help grow and maintain membership, and be involved in major fundraiser events throughout the year including Lobsterfest, the Go-Texan Parade, Tastefest and more as well as day-to-day Chamber business and activities such as Business After Hours and monthly business breakfast meetings.

"I believe it is our responsibility as leaders in our community to give back to the community and not only focus solely on the role you play in your career but also the job you have in helping build the community," Davis said. "... We've set as a board some specific goals around membership recruitment, community involvement as well as offerings as a Chamber that are more relevant to what the community business folks want."

The father of five lives in Montgomery where is active in a variety of community organizations, including being a member of Leadership Montgomery County.

"I really appreciate my family for allowing me to be involved in things like the Chamber," Davis said.

Davis is the former Chief Operating Officer of North Florida Regional Medical, where he worked for six years before joining the HCA-affiliated CRMC. He has 12-plus years of healthcare experience in the investor-owned sector, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives with his bachelor's degree from DePauw University, and his master's degree from Indiana University.

Outgoing Chairman Hector Forestier

Forestier, who also serves as the City Manager for Willis, stepped into his role following the immediate past chairman, Conroe ISD Superintendent Dr. Don Stockton.

"It's a once in a lifetime experience for the board at that time to ask an ex-officio government official to be part of the board and eventually become the chairman of an up and coming Chamber like the one we have in Montgomery County especially in Conroe," Forestier said. "It started a little bit rocky in the sense we started the year without a president but we moved forward pretty fast."

Forestier worked with a group of professionals in the search for the next Chamber president, which led them to Brian Bondi from the Chamber of Commerce in San Marcos who filled the position in Spring 2016. Finding Bondi to run the helm of the organization for years to come and being able to host a new membership event, the first in the Houston Galveston area, bringing over $100,000 worth of new membership as part of an exclusive club are the highlights of Forestier's year, he said.

"(Bondi) has done a great job," Forestier said. "We finished the year with a great membership event, our numbers are looking really good not only membership numbers but financial numbers as well. We have a solid board going into 2017."

Davis described working with Forestier, who will continue to serve as the immediate past Chairman, as a pleasure.

"He is such a respected individual and approaches his business in such a professional manner," Davis said. "You always seek out mentor-style people and Hector is one of those people that I think a lot of our community leaders look at as sort of a pillar of our community with regards to how he carries himself and how he treats people. It is a testament to how he ran his role as a chairman and how he lives daily life."

"It was such an honor to be on board with him," he added.
Private colleges in Michigan have been afforded power to create their own licensed police forces, but a local college says there may not be a need to do so.

Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth, introduced House Bill 4588 in May 2015. It was signed into law on Nov. 29, 2016, and allows security officers at private colleges to be sworn as law enforcement officers licensed by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.

Sworn officers would be able to enforce local and state law beyond campus boundaries, while security officers not sworn have power to make arrests only on property owned or leased by the college.

Colleges would need local law enforcement approval before creating an armed force.

Before signed into law, the Senate unanimously agreed to amend the bill to require private colleges ensure at least half of the officers have been employed as certified or licensed police officers with the state for at least five years.

Reps Gary Glenn, R-Midland, and Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant, were among House supporters in an 80-25 vote.

Jason vonReichbauer, Northwood Universitys director of safety and security, spoke with the Daily News in June as the bill moved in the House (story: http://bit.ly/2juVoEh).

Since then, Northwood added one full-time security officer to its team of 12, contracted by Mount Pleasant-based STT Security. The college also works closely with Midland police, he said.

All of Northwoods security officers are unarmed. There has not been further discussion to license and arm officers after the bill passed, vonReichbauer recently told the Daily News.

The crime rate in Midland is low and the rate on campus is even lower, he said in June.

Northwood published its 2016 annual security and fire safety report as the bill awaited approval. Updated figures show four burglaries, one stalking incident, 70 liquor law violations  up from 16 in 2013 and 31 in 2014  resulting in eight arrests, and eight drug abuse violations in 2015 at Northwoods Midland campus. The college reported no hate crimes for 2012, 2013, 2014 or 2015.

The Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities, the voice of Michigans not-for-profit institutions of higher education of which Northwood and Davenport University are members, indicated support for the bill.

Davenport Universitys Midland campus reported one burglary in 2012  the only reported crime on the campus in the past four years that appears on the universitys 2016 annual security and fire report. Davenport officials initially declined an interview for the Daily News June story.

Rep. Heise also introduced a bill in December 2015 the governor signed into law as Public Act 326 on Nov. 29, which gives more power to police. It amends a 1927 act that sets the code of criminal procedure to authorize officers at public airports to exercise authority outside the airports boundary when an officer witnesses a violation to state or local laws.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

SHELTON - A 69-year-old man was killed early Saturday morning while trying to escape from a burning commercial building on Hull Street.

The man - identified as Randol Rios, of Shelton - was discovered at the foot of the building, badly burned and injured, police said.

An early investigation revealed that Rios jumped from a fourth-floor window to escape the fire, said Detective Richard Bango.

Rios was transported to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Shelton police said Rios, who lived on Hillside Avenue, was an employee of Machine Builders of New England that occupied the fourth floor.

A Shelton firefighter was also injured fighting the fire and transported to the hospital, where he was treated and released.

Upon arrival Shelton police and fire discovered the fourth floor of the building was fully engulfed in flames, Bango said.

First-responders responded around 5 a.m. Saturday after the Shelton Police Department received several 911 calls that a commercial building at 33 Hull Street was on fire. Flames were shooting from the the top floor of the building.

Fire Marshal Jim Tortora said the fire started in a small room of the machine shop. He said Rios was the lone occupant in the room.

While attempting to escape the fire, Rios fell several floors to the ground. An autopsy will determine whether he died from injuries from the fall or fire.

All of Sheltons fire companies responded to the blaze along with crews from Derby. Monroe firefighters also provided mutual aid.

The building that also houses the Better Athletic Development training gym, is near the banks of the Housatonic River, less than a mile from the heart of downtown Shelton.

A sign outside of the building at 33 Hull St. lists it as the home of RTS and Associates, a limited liability company that, according to the Better Business Bureau, specializes in door-to-door sales of Kirby vacuum cleaner equipment and supplies.

According to Machine Builders of New Englands web site, the business is a company composed of former employees of Bridgeport Machines Inc. Together we have many decades of experience producing the original Bridgeport Milling Machine. The company says it still continues to re-manufacture and assemble Bridgeport knee mills to the same specifications that made Bridgeport the world renowned name in vertical knee mills. Our employees have over 200 years combined experience working at the original Bridgeport, Inc factory and re-manufacturing Bridgeport knee mills. They have experience, skills and proven craftsmanship not to be found anywhere else.

According to Shelton property records, 33 Hull St. is owned by Real Assets, LLC and has an assssed value of $449,540 for the building and 3.7 acres.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Shelton Police Department, Shelton Fire Marshals Office and the Connecticut Fire Marshals Office.

Hull Street is located a block from the Housatonic River and alongside the Route 8s Commodore Issac Hull Bridge. Three stories of the building rise above Hull Street. a densly populated area of the city with multi-family houses.

Hull street and the nearby Route 8 bridge, are named after Issac Hull, a Naugatuck Valley native, who commanded of the USS Constiution in the War of 1812. On Aug. 19, 1812, the Constiution met HMS Guerriere, a British frigate. The two ships fired at one another while a great distance still separated them. During the battle a Constitution crew member witnessed English shot bounce off the sides of the American ship without causing significant damage, according to the USS Constitution Museum. He was moved to exclaim: Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!. From this remark sprang the famous moniker of Old Ironsides, for which Constitution has been known ever since.
When your business adds a new employee, one of the first steps is to provide work-specific training. This may be something as simple as acclimating the person to the policies and procedures unique to your organization or as complex as learning the set of tasks necessary to operate equipment or software.

However, long after an employee has begun work, your business needs to invest in occasional training. If professionals can gain career traction through taking a particular course or getting certified in a certain area, your business stands to gain by signing them up for training. Its important to offer these opportunities equally, across all departments, constantly looking for ways to help each employee improve and advance. Here are a few ways employee training can boost your businesss bottom line.

Related: How Investing In Employee Training Benefits Your Business

Training improves retention.

When any employee leaves, you have the not-so-desirable task of recruiting, interviewing and onboarding a replacement worker. You may think that the primary reason employees leave surrounds salary, but in actuality, the motivation for changing jobs goes much deeper. Many times they're looking more intently at the future career potential of a new position than the salary.

For that reason, even an occasional course might make the difference between an employee leaving and staying. Many businesses fear that if they send employees to a type of training that will improve their credentials, those employees will simply leverage what theyve learned and find a better position elsewhere. In fact, that's proven not to be the case. Even if each course or certification costs your business thousands of dollars, that amount can quickly be recouped in replacement hiring costs if an employee stays rather than leaves.

Training shows career investment.

As businesses try to create a work culture that attracts top talent and keeps them on staff, theyre beginning to see the many benefits of investing in a persons career rather than merely waiting for the results of their daily work output. Businesses that take an interest in whether or not each employee has job satisfaction are more likely to keep those employees. This means learning what each employees career aspirations are and doing whatever it takes to help.

Related: Will Training Help Improve Employee Performance?

Training can be a large part of that investment. By first understanding each workers long-term goals, you can create customized training plans that help them get from their current positions to where they want to go. You dont have to send every employee offsite for third-party training, either. You can create branded training sessions and host them via webinar, record the results and offer past classes as part of a training library on your company intranet. This will let you provide consistent training to everyone on your team, whether theyre in the office or working from home.

Training creates higher-skilled employees.

When businesses go through economic slumps, sometimes training is the only thing they can offer to help their employees. While pay raises are always appreciated, employees have actually listed many other factors as more important. Appreciation for the hard work they do actually ranks at the top of that list, demonstrating the full value of caring about your workers. In a highly competitive business environment, businesses often find that if they dont invest in their employees, they may be easily won over by competitors trying to lure them away.

When a business has a full staff of highly-qualified employees on staff, it can use those qualifications to impress clients, get funding and more. If you dont put that investment in and your competitors do, you may find they are winning the market in your specialty area. The qualifications of your team do make a big difference and when you invest in them, you boost your own businesss image.

Related: 4 Secrets Behind the Best Employee Training

If you havent sent your employees to training recently, it might be time to change that. For best results, sit down with each employee and outline individual career goals, creating a training plan that will get the best results.

Related:

Here's How Going Cheap on Employee Training Is Costing You

5 Tips for Dealing With Explosive Growth

Will Training Help Improve Employee Performance?



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
... Since 1950 ...



1951 - July 13 -

FLOOD

In the early morning darkness, the

Kansas River over-tops the flood-walls in both Kansas Citys

May 20

TORNADO

Ruskin Heights is dissected by an F-5 tornado

.

The tornado formed southwest of Ottawa- near Williamsburg, Kansas around 6 pm and by 7:30 pm- the killer vortex had crossed the state line into Missouri.



Most of the unincorporated town of Martin City and nearly half of the homes in the fairly-new Ruskin Heights subdivision were either heavily damaged or destroyed.





Forty-four deaths are officially attributed to the entire tornado's 71-mile path- 39 of those dying in Missouri.





This is the deadliest tornado in Metro KC weather history.









September

FLOOD - FLASH FLOOD

April 12

TORNADO

July

FLASH FLOOD

April 19

TORNADO

May 15

TORNADO

1966

June 8

TORNADO

January 24

TORNADO

June 29

TORNADO

1973

January 3 & 4

ICE STORM

September

FLASH FLOOD













1977 - May 4 - TORNADO - A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.



There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.



There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..



More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.



It was







1977 - September 12 & 13 - FLASH FLOOD - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.



Twenty-five people died.



Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.



Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.



Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.



Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.



Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.



The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.







1980 - July-August - HEAT WAVE - Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far: A prolonged heat wave . Floodwater inundates a mobile home park in Northmoor mobile home park where emergency rescue of residents had to be conducted.- A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.It was the first time I got on the tail of a twister - following it into Pleasant Hill - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.- Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far:



More than 200 people are reported to have died from various heat-related causes from late June through August.



One July day was tinder-dry with Santa-Ana-like conditions.



Grass, brush and other fires citywide had the Fire Department down to a handful of companies in service when a grass fire spread to an apartment complex near 76th St. & Blue Ridge.



Four other fire departments - including Johnson County KS. - had to help what few KC-MO companies that made it there.



No one was injured - but several buildings were damaged.







1982 - August - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding strikes southern & southeastern KC-MO..



One fatality was reported.



The not-yet completed Longview Lake saved the Little Blue Valley from major flooding.







1984 - March - ICE STORM - A damaging ice storm affects a wide area of eastern Kansas and western Missouri - including the Kansas City Metro.







1984 - June 8 & 9 - FLASH FLOOD - Severe flash flooding affects Indian Creek from Olathe and Overland Park to it's mouth with the Blue River in KC-MO..



Hundreds of residents along Indian Creek from Olathe, Overland Park into KC, MO.. flee the record flood crests.



No one was reported hurt - but 2 young women were stranded on a traffic island by floodwaters at 103rd St. & Conser in OP-KS for more than 2 hours.



The author's 6-inch rain gauge in Olathe overflowed before it could be emptied and yet another 2.5 inches fell into it by 2 am on the 9th.



Based on this information plus flooding I was both witnessing and listening to in the Indian Creek headwaters and downstream, KCTV-CBS-5's meteorologist Mike Thompson was able to warn those downstream along Indian Creek of the danger via bulletins.







1986 - September - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding along Rock Creek in Mission, KS. & Brush Creek sends water again lapping at the curbs in the Plaza.



The Brush Creek flood control project - undertaken in the 1990's - has greatly reduced the flood threat for the Plaza.



However middle portions of the project not yet completed would have fatal effects on Brush Creek 12 years later.







1990 - May 15 - FLOOD - More than 8-inches of rain in 4 hours sends the Big Blue river into a massive flood and- at many points - flood crests exceeded records set during the 1961 flood.



By evening drive - there were only 2 routes open east or west across the Blue unless you lived south of Bannister Road: Independence Avenue ("Armco") viaduct and Interstate-70.



The Blue was channelized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the 1990's and greatly reduced flooding as would be illustrated 8 years later during the 1998 flash floods.







1993 - July 9 - FLASH FLOOD - After a slow-moving thunderstorm complex threatens Lawrence, KS with tornadoes then floods it - the complex moves into northern Johnson County KS..



Flash flooding is by far the worst on Turkey Creek - it's entire floodplain is inundated from Overland Park & Merriam into KC-KS then into Southwest Boulevard and the West Bottoms in KC-MO..



Dozens of residents have to be swiftly evacuated by police & fire departments on both sides of the state line. Several people have to be rescued from rooftops of flooded buildings along Southwest Blvd..



One man is later found dead.



Kemper Arena and the American Royal complex is also flooded and damage figures reach the tens of millions of dollars.



WDAF-NBC4's Mike Thompson stays on the air all night- relaying high water reports I was receiving by radio.



Later that day - the now-swollen Kansas River caused two boats to be torn from their moorings.



One - the sand dredge The General Mitchell - struck 4 bridges and was severely damaged before 2 tugboats could push the Mitchell onto the Missouri River levee east of the Paseo bridge.



Along with post-8 am flooding and the General Mitchell- the author also videotaped the Missouri rising in Parkville, a make-shift levee and a "conga-line" of people heaving sandbags onto an overtopping Line Creek levee in Riverside, MO..







1993 - July 26-27 - FLOOD - Record Missouri River flood crest at Kansas City.



Squeezed into a narrow channel by levees- the Missouri River reaches an all-time highest flood crest of 48.87-feet near Downtown (old Municipal) Airport.





That surpassed the previous record 48-foot crest estimated during the legendary 1844 flood.





Downtown Parkville and most of Riverside are under water.









The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

Sandbagging and the additional pumping power of nearly a half-dozen Fire department pumper companies save the city's water supply from contamination.



In KC-KS -residents of the Argentine, Armourdale and the Rosedale neighborhoods - nearly destroyed in the 1951 flood - are evacuated.

The higher levees built after the '51 flood hold.

The flood crest in that flood is now No. 3 at 46.20-feet.



Parts of the Turner area of KC-KS are not so lucky and are flooded.

A mobile home park for about 100 people off K-32 is inundated and eventually abandoned.



At least no one dies in this flood.



1996 - May 26 - TORNADO - Southern Lee's Summit-MO. - what the NWS ultimately determined to be a "micro-burst" struck the Raintree Lake subdivision just after sunset.



There was tornadic circulation in that "micro-burst" - with winds "officially estimated at around 125 m.p.h.."



I saw 2 x 6 lumber driven into the ground at the correct angle & position on the northern edge of the damage path 20 minutes after the strike.



Several people suffered minor injuries and nearly 4-dozen homes received damage varying from slight to major.



Damage was in the $10-million range.







1998 - October 4 & 5 - FLASH FLOOD - It's the deadliest flash-flooding event in the KC Metro since "The Plaza Flood" of 1977.



September 1998 had already been a wet month and the ground across the entire K.C. Metro was saturated.



On Sunday, October 4 - a morning of off and on heavy showers and thunderstorms produced up to 5-inches of rain and flash- flooding in southeastern & eastern parts of the Metro.

Damaging flooding occurred in parts of Lee's Summit and a youth was swept away and drowned in a rain-swollen creek by early afternoon.



By mid-afternoon- the area was under not only under a NWS-issued flash flood watch but also a tornado watch.



Just before sunset- a huge thunderstorm complex formed west of Lawrence, KS. and- after deluging them- the complex moves eastward across northern Johnson County KS. into western and central Jackson County MO..



Over mid-town KC-MO - the storm dropped rain rates of 5-inches per hour during the 7-o'clock hour.

A huge- sudden flood-wave on Brush Creek swept over the top of the old Prospect bridge - sweeping seven people in and on top of their cars downstream.



Despite rescue attempts by by-standers and- eventually- firefighters- all 7 people drown.



(Minutes before this happened- an audio tape has this author pleading with a local TV weatherman over the phone to emphasize the flash flooding- rather than the tornado threat that we also were under.)



There were two other fatalities during the evening deluge - one each in Overland Park at a storm-water culvert that flowed toward I-435 east of Quivira and in Lenexa, KS on Little Mill Creek.



For the first time since the highway was opened around 1970 - both eastbound AND westbound lanes of I-435 just east of Quivira in OP-KS are flooded.



One man is barely saved from his pickup truck when it was washed off the eastbound lanes into the creek the gorged underground culvert was feeding.



Severe flooding again occurs on Turkey Creek - especially in Merriam- a portion of I-35 is closed by flooding for a couple of hours.



Southwest Boulevard is again flooded but water levels are not as high as in 1993.



Millions across America had tuned into the Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks NFL football game on TV and watched as Arrowhead Stadium's walkways turn into waterfalls.

The game was halted and nearly 75000 people were advised to seek cover for nearly an hour during the deluge.





2000 - May 11 - TORNADO - Surprise tornado north of The River.



"The threat of tornadoes in K.C. appears to be over."



That's what at least 2 TV "chief" weatherpersons say over the airwaves 15 to 30 minutes prior to a tornado touching down about 11:25 pm at 40th St. & North Oak in KC-MO..



The tornado destroys a car dealership- then rises to tree-top level for another several miles across heavily-populated KC-MO North towards the Worlds of Fun area.



Fortunately, there were no injuries.







2002 - January 27-30 - ICE STORM - MetroRegion-wide ice storm that persists over 3 days.



Damage to trees and the utility grids was tremendous - at one point more than a million people in the KC MetroRegion lost power.



There were at least 4 fatalities attributed to some aspect of this storm.







2003 - May 4 - TORNADO - First fatality tornado in Metro Kansas City since 1977 - and on the 26th anniversary of the '77 storm .



A tornado touches down in S.E. Leavenworth County about 4 pm in the afternoon and intensifies to F-4 as it moves across I-435 into western & northwestern KC-KS..



Both fatalities occurred in a heavily-devastated area around 91st St. & Leavenworth Road.



The tornado moved across the Missouri river into Riverside & Northmoor, MO.- producing varying degrees of damage.



The now-weakened circulation reorganized about a mile north - then moves from southwestern into eastern Gladstone- causing most of the heavy damage there.



The again F-4 tornado now roars into adjacent KC North subdivisions and on northeastward into Liberty- weakened- yet causing heavy damage on the town square and the nearby William Jewell College campus.



Two die with around a dozen people injured along the total path of the tornado. Damage was in the several tens of millions of dollars.



This outbreak began an almost week stretch of severe weather- culminating with a May 8th tornado in southwestern Lawrence-KS that damaged an apartment complex and nearby homes and caused several injuries..







2008 - May 1 - 2 - TORNADO - Another surprise tornado north of The River.



An intense- but compact storm system produces severe weather around Metro Kansas City starting the evening of May 1 (SEE CaptGSpaulding's video on YouTube).



Just after sunset on May 1- a tornado warning is issued by the NWS when a small tornado touches down in an open field southwest of Belton-MO.. A van-load of us were there to video that which we never actually saw.



Yet no tornado warning is in effect in the early-morning hours of May 2 when an F-4 tornado strikes Gladstone- then an F-3 twister strikes a subdivision in far northeast Kansas City-MO North.



Hurricane force winds also struck other areas- especially portions of Independence- Raytown and eastern KC-MO..



Less than a dozen people suffered minor injuries Metro-wide but daylight on the morning of May 2 reveal a man dead of what were reported as storm-related injuries near M-291 and Gudgell in Independence.



Damages Metro-wide were later estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.





Passage across the Missouri is not possible between Kansas City and St. Joseph.The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

-Flash flooding caused by a dying Gulf hurricane caused record floods on the Big and Little Blue rivers and their tributaries.The heavy damage done to one of General Motors' first Chevrolet assembly plant in the Leeds district of KC-MO. helps lead to the plant's closing by the mid 1970's.The flood brings about planning and in the 1980's construction of 2 new flood-control reservoirs - Lake Longview and Lake Blue Springs.This greatly reduces flooding on the Little Blue River - opening up the floodplain to development in southeastern Independence and northern Lee's Summit, MO..Yet land in neighboring Johnson County KS. is too expensive for flood-control projects for the Big Blue River - and continued flooding of the Blue Valley over then next 30 years would help lead to it's industrial-base demise.-It's the first tornado outbreak in the Kansas City MetroRegion for many years.Tornadoes cause damage southwest and west of Lawrence and in Leavenworth County and the city itself.Other supercells produced tornadoes in Cass County MO. and around Pleasant Hill where one fatality occurred.There were dozens of injuries all told in the affected areas with damage in the millions of dollars.- Smithville, MO. is ravaged by a flash flood on the Little Platte River.Tracy - on the Platte River a few miles downstream from the confluence of the Little Platte - also suffers major flooding as the Platte River reaches a record crest that stands early into the 21st Century.- A tornado forms over what was then farmland east of I-35 & 119th Street in Johnson County KS. and moves northeastward.Within 10 minutes - the F-3-rated tornado strikes a new housing subdivision and barely misses an elementary school at West 96th St. & Knox in Overland Park There are several minor injuries and the tornado-bearing storm moves over highly-populated areas of southern K.C. & Independence, MO..The official tornado warning wasn't issued by the National Weather Service or the local broadcast media until after the tornado had touched down - traveled it's roughly 4 to 5-mile-long path and lifted.- A weak "white" tornado touches down near 15th St. & Minnesota in KC-KS.It's only on the ground a few minutes but wreaks F-1 destruction to buildings & car dealerships along Minnesota.A few people suffered minor injuries.- A day of tornado-producing thunderstorm supercells across eastern and northeastern Kansas.One produced an F-3 tornado that struck Manhattan, KS. around 6 pm.Another cell spawns the first U.S. tornado to produce 100-million-dollars worth or more of damage - the devastating F-5 tornado that struck Topeka, KS ..The wedge-shaped, multi-vortex tornado roared over legendary Burnett's Mound just after 7 pm and diagonally sliced through the entire city.Sixteen people were killed and hundreds were injured that Wednesday evening.Around 8:30 pm- a tornado then moved across Leavenworth County and kills one in the tiny town of Jarbalo.- The Orrick, MO. tornado.A rare mid-winter thunderstorm formed on the Kansas side just after noon and became severe over southern KC-MO..Just after 1 pm- a tornado forms southwest of Buckner. MO. - gains F-3 strength after it crosses the Missouri River - and heads for the southwestern Ray County community of Orrick. It strikes the in-session high school on the western side of Orrick - where 2 are killed and more than a dozen are injured inside the shattered school building.- A tornado - rated as strong as F-3 - hits parts of southern Platte County and western Clay county MO..Damage is reported in Riverside and northwestern Gladstone with at least 6 persons injured along the tornado's path.- A massive ice & snowstorm -beginning around noon on the 3rd - hits Metro K.C..Nearly a foot of snow falls on the several inches of freezing rain and sleet.Tens of thousands of residents who lose power suffer sub-zero temperatures following the storm.The tree & power line damage I see far and away exceeds that witnessed in the 1984 and 2002 storms.- Failure of a private lake dam in the upper watershed of Line Creek in KC-MO leads to flash flooding downstream.
Downtown Edwardsville was eerily quiet during the typically-busy noon-hour Friday as Winter Storm Jupiter slowly crept in from the south.

The Madison County Courthouse and Administration Building were both closed for the day and many businesses cut their hours short or didn't open at all.

Edwardsville District 7 schools, local parochial schools and SIUE were also closed for the day.

The Metro East Humane Society announced that it will be closed today as well.

And while the threat of ice kept many indoors, Edwardsville's streets were in good shape as the few motorists out were able to drive near the speed limit.

"We've got salt on every road  a little bit of wash of with the rain that came in," Edwardsville Superintendent of Streets and Fleet Maintenance Matt Taul said Friday. "Roads are doing fantastic."

Taul's crews treated the streets Thursday and Friday mornings, ahead of the storm.

And so far, so good.

"As far as the roads go  knock on wood  I feel like we're in pretty good position."

Taul, however, noted that untreated surfaces and sidewalks were growing slick as the afternoon wore on.

Glen Carbon Police Lieutenant Wayne White was concerned about those same areas.

"If you don't have to go out, don't go out," White said. "That's not just driving, that's sidewalks, driveways, decks, lawns. Ice can accumulate easily."

White said over the years, he's seen the results of many falls on slick surfaces.

"There's so many injuries during these kind of storms  broken wrists, broken arms," White said.

Glen Carbon Village Hall closed at noon Friday and White said his department had already handled a couple of minor traffic accidents.

Ameren, meanwhile, announced it was prepared to deal with potential power outages.

Ameren Illinois opened its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate efforts to restore power outages, the utility company said in a press release.

Ameren officials said field personnel and supporting contractors were placed on alert days in advance to prepare for freezing rain and ice accumulation on the electric grid as the severe weather system moved closer to the Ameren Illinois service territory. The Emergency Operations Center will be staffed around the clock to coordinate electric service restoration, logistical support and communications.

Ameren Senior Vice President, Operations and Technical Services Ron Pate said more 750 personnel are standing by with an additional 1,000 linemen and workers on call.

We are taking the appropriate steps to safely address service disruptions as they occur, Pate said. In situations like this, we concentrate first on restoring power to critical public safety facilities. We then prioritize our efforts by repairing large transmission lines, then distribution lines and feeder circuits that bring power to neighborhoods and customer premises. All of our customers can be assured that we will get to everyone as quickly and safely as possible.

The National Weather Service forecast indicates a critical period for Jupiter will begin at approximately 11 p.m. tonight, when another round of precipitation will roll across the area.

That rain/freezing rain will hang around until at least noon Sunday.

Throughout that period, the temperature is expected to remain in the 31 to 32 degree range.

Jupiter had grown in scope by noon Friday and all or part of 14 states were expected to feel its impact.
To the Editor:

Jim Camerons commentary to Hearst Newspapers is a truly welcome addition.

As a former commuter for over 17 years, I have always listened to his honest and truthful perspective and his foresight has always been spot-on.

Never subjective, but always clear and an excellent advocate for any traveler, whether by train or other vehicle, Jims candor and knowledge is most appreciated in these often difficult commuting times.

Thanks for all you share, Jim.

Michael Lennhoff

Fairfield

Phony rhetoric

To the Editor:

Trump phony rhetoric (aka lie) exposed: Exhibit A. We will build a wall and Mexico is going to pay for it, is now We will build a wall, U.S. taxpayers will pay for it, and we will ask Mexico to reimburse us.

Buyers remorse to follow soon. Sad.

Richard Ross

Fairfield

A good resolution

To the Editor:

A new year is usually the time when we make personal resolutions to improve ourselves: eating right, exercising, having more patience.

As I think about the state of our environment, this may be the year to also make resolutions to improve the world around us.

Climate change affects everyone, including our parents, our children and our grandchildren.

We can no longer sit back as the impact of global warming intensifies and threatens our beaches, our drinking water and the air we breathe  the quality of our lives. We need to take action.

One good first step is to work together for bipartisan Congressional solutions to environmental problems, including a revenue-neutral carbon tax. This tax would put a steadily rising fee on the amount of carbon dioxide that fossil fuel emits when burned, with the revenue returned directly to our households. This approach would reduce emissions and add jobs.

Please make a resolution to work on climate change solutions and save our world.

Barbara Edinberg

Fairfield

Address the threat

To the Editor:

Global warming is one of the most serious threats to the quality of life on our planet.

Ninety-seven percent of all scientists studying global warming agree it is primarily caused by man-made activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels. What can we do about it? At times like these we need to be creative.

Im a member of Citizens Climate Lobby. Our organization suggests a carbon tax and dividend approach.

This would mean carbon would be taxed and thereby increase the cost of gasoline, etc. The increased cost would discourage use like cigarette taxes discourage use.

The revenue received would be given back to each individual or family in the form of a monthly rebate. So the total tax received would be given back to taxpayers.

The administrative cost of the rebate is estimated at less than 1 percent.

Larry Ludwig

Fairfield

Congress must step up

To the Editor:

Until now, the U.S. policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been driven by executive action through the Clean Power Plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions at electrical generation facilities.

This is our commitment as the worlds second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide when we signed the Paris Climate Agreement.

With the new administration likely to rescind climate initiatives, we must turn to Congress to provide a solution.

The policy that has the best chance of attracting support from both Republicans and Democrats is a revenue-neutral fee on carbon. The carbon fee and dividend approach levies a steadily-rising fee on carbon dioxide emitted by fuel from oil or gas wells or coal mines and border adjustment tariffs on goods imported from nations lacking an equivalent price on carbon.

The revenue from the fee would be returned to all households.

The election exposed the risk of depending on executive actions to reduce climate threats. Congress must provide effective bipartisan action through a revenue-neutral fee to offer the promise of a livable world for future generations.

Monica Roche
Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

One of the newest McDonalds locations caused quite a stir when it opened its doors on Dec. 30.

The restaurant is housed in a building owned by the Vatican, steps away from St. Peters Basilica, so perhaps its not surprising that several members of the Church werent super thrilled with the new addition.
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP  Algonquin Power officials say the Deerfield Wind Energy Project should be commissioned in a couple more weeks.

Two blades broke on separate turbines in the wind park this fall.

Officials at a recent Huron County Planning Commission meeting discussed the repair issue.

Commission Chairman Clark Brock, who lives near the operation, noted that not all turbines were turning.

Officials also said Algonquin Power personnel were working late hours over the Christmas holiday to get the turbines up and running.

Brock added that they were trying to figure out whether the blades can be trusted with minor repairs.

Alison Holditch, an Algonquin spokesperson, said this was not the case.

The repair integrity is not in question, she wrote in an email to the Tribune. The necessary repair is cleared through Vestas robust quality process by qualified engineers and once repaired, the blade is safe to operate as normal.

The two blades broke in half and dangled from their towers near the intersection of Redman and Iseler roads in October.

Lack of adhesive was discovered to be the problem, according to officials from park owner Algonquin of Ontario, Canada, and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.

Fifty blades in the 72-turbine park shared the flaw.

Algonquin officials have recently clarified that they do not consider the blades to be defective, but that they share a manufacturing anomaly that required repairs to be made.

In December, Algonquin officials had said that they expected the operation to be online by years end.

Now they are saying it will be a couple more weeks.

The commissioning activities at Deerfield, including the limited number of blade repairs, are still underway, and are impacted by weather and wind speeds, Holditch wrote.
Runningwater Draw RSVP volunteer Emma Herring reads a book about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to second grade students at La Mesa Elementary on Friday. RSVP joined with Hale County Literacy Council and Wayland Baptist University during a special assembly on Friday to tell students about the civil rights leader and to encourage them to fellow their own dream. "Although Monday is a national holiday, and a day off for many," said retired educator Alfred Henderson, "instead of a day off, it should be a day of service to benefit others. That's an appropriate way to honor Dr. King's memory." The participating organizations visit a different school each year with a special message about Martin Luther King Jr. Last year, according to RSVP Director Irma Shackelford, they shared the story of Dr. King with students at Highland Elementary.
Sen. Jim Stamas office is open and ready to meet the needs of constituents in the 36th Senate District.

As we kick off a new legislative session serving the hardworking people of the 36th District, my aim continues to be to provide you with the best service possible, said Stamas, R-Midland. We are here to help, and I encourage anyone who needs assistance or wants to share their viewpoint on state issues to stop by or contact me.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider reviving an attempt by the California Public Employees Retirement System to recover some of the $300 million it lost when the Lehman Brothers investment bank collapsed in 2008.

CalPERS, the nations largest public pension fund with more than 1.7 million state and local government workers as members, bought Lehman stocks and bonds between July 2007 and September 2008, when the bank filed for bankruptcy. The chief cause of the bankruptcy was the downward spiral of the U.S. housing market, in which Lehman had invested much of its assets.

At first, CalPERS was part of a class-action suit by other investors, but it decided to drop out and file its own suit rather than sharing in a $417 million settlement in 2011. The pension fund, which estimated its losses at $300 million, has reported recovering $90 million from Lehmans bankruptcy proceedings and another $28 million in settlements with the banks auditor, former officers and directors, and some underwriters.

But its suit against other underwriters and financial institutions, whom it accused of misrepresentations in the investment offerings, was dismissed by federal courts in New York, where all Lehman-related cases were transferred. The courts said the three-year legal deadline for filing securities lawsuits had started to run in July 2007, when the bank made its first securities offering, so CalPERS February 2011 suit was too late.

CalPERS argued that the deadline should have been suspended when it joined the class-action suit, which was filed before the three-year deadline. The Supreme Court had ruled nearly 43 years ago that plaintiffs who take part in a class action can be allowed more time to file their own suits, but hasnt yet decided whether such an extension applies to securities cases.

The justices indicated they would resolve that issue when they announced Friday that they had granted review of CalPERS appeal. The court has only eight members, following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February, so it may wait until the term that starts in October before hearing the case.

The case is CalPERS vs. ANZ Securities, 16-373.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@egelko
Houston police are investigating after an overnight shooting at a convenience store near University of Houston left two injured.

Two men were standing outside of the store on Scott street around 2:30 a.m., when a dark colored car with tinted windows drove up. The two people inside the car shot the two male victims in the stomach.
The 911 calls started coming in about 9 p.m. Friday. Multiple drivers near Galveston reported a vehicle speeding recklessly on the freeway and nearly crashing into other vehicles.

Police gave this account of the chase:
When Arthur Scott Lind got wind of a story, he never let go.

As a newspaper reporter working along the Mexican border, Lind was really attracted to the story where the little guy was getting the short end, his brother Walt Lind said.

Whether writing about the effects of pesticides on migrant workers or workers rights on both sides of the border, Lind was fearless when he was reporting, his brother said. He didnt back off.

Lind, 62, died Dec. 23 from an illness he contracted 28 years ago that left him unable to communicate or care for himself.

A San Antonio native, Lind graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1972 before enrolling at the University of Texas at Austin.

Although hed always been interested in writing, he was at loose ends.

He was artistic, and had all the artist flair, but he wasnt driven, Walt Lind said.

Acting on his brothers suggestion that he try reporting, Lind worked on the Daily Texan, the universitys student-produced newspaper.

There, he found his calling.

Graduating in 1979, Lind was hired by The Monitor in McAllen and soon gained a reputation for his prolific turnout about any story that came his way.

More Information Arthur Scott Lind Born: July 12, 1954, San Antonio Died: Dec. 23, 2016, Manchaca Preceded by: Parents Lloyd and Eleanor Lind. Survived by: Sister Pamela Lind; brother Walt Lind and sister-in-law Deborah; two nieces and two nephews. Services: Memorial at 3 p.m. today at Marbridge Chapel, 2504 Bliss Spillar Road, Manchaca. See More Collapse

He went down there and got integrated pretty quickly into that society in the Valley, Walt Lind said. He had a real touch for people, and compassion for their situation.

Especially when he got sent across the border and saw the plight of the Mexican labor force, his brother said. He  got involved in a lot of very politically charged stories  had to ask powerful people questions they didnt want to answer, and he didnt back off.

Lind was covering a strike at a maquiladora plant for The Monitor in 1984 when he was arrested and tortured by the Mexican Federales, Walt Lind said. Although the incident affected him deeply, Lind continued to be an aggressive reporter.

Traveling to Honduras and Nicaragua in the mid-1980s, Lind covered, among other subjects, the Sandinista revolution.

He was working for the English-language newspaper The News in Mexico City in the late 1980s when he came down with an illness in his mid-30s that doctors were never able to diagnose.

Treated first in Mexico City, Lind was later brought back to the states by his family and lived in care facilities in San Antonio and near Austin until his death.

mheidbrink@express-news.net
The Republican majority in Congress has voted to kill the Affordable Care Act dozens of times. Its done this knowing that President Obama would veto the bill, thus sparing members from the consequences. So obviously, it was always a game. It was posturing before a public that largely didnt know what Obamacare did for them.

Still, Republicans could have thrown the American people a crumb of respect by saying, When the day comes, this is what were going to replace it with. Or, Theres no replacement. Were just going back to the world before Obamacare.

Either response would have been honest. Republicans would have put their cards on the table, exposing their ideas to scrutiny. And importantly, they would have let patients, doctors, hospitals and insurers know what was up and plan for the future.

But that would have ended their game  which has been politics, not governing. Politics is telling people they can get what they want without paying for it. Governing is specifying where the money will come from. Governing, in short, requires work, much of it unpleasant.

In a matter of days, Donald Trump takes over the presidency. Hes demanded a repeal of Obamacare on day one of his administration. Congressional Republicans still dont have a replacement, so theyve designed a new game called Repeal and Delay.

This game operates under the dubious assumption that you can vote to repeal Obamacare but leave the benefits in place while you come up with a new plan. Or not. Many Republicans back passing a budget bill that strips Obamacare of funding, at which point it all would be over. Some are having second thoughts. Who knows what theyll do.

The uncertainly, meanwhile, is traumatizing the health care system. Insurers are being jolted by a possible meltdown of their markets. Doctors happily adjusted to Obamacare are rattled, while hospitals are already laying off people as a precaution.

And what about the American people? Some 20 million are at risk of losing their health coverage. The group includes large numbers for whom the stakes are extraordinarily high. Theyre wondering whether theyll be able to contain their chemo treatments or get heart surgery.

If Republicans came out and said that Obamacare is over, period, the medically needy would at least be able to make their own arrangements  sell the house, file for bankruptcy, rewrite their will. But Republicans havent done them that minimal courtesy.

Every other modern nation guarantees health care as a right of citizenship. Even their conservative leaders dont touch benefits that beat ours by a mile.

This Obamacare repeal game is, at bottom, an insult to the dignity of the American people. Actually, its a disgrace.

fharrop@gmail.com
Re: Heartland protected, Your Turn, Jan. 5:

I am very glad my children did not have the author of this letter as a history teacher. They were spared her biased and so called explanation  of the Electoral College.

Her specious assumption that California voters are not representative of U.S. voters just because they live in a densely populated state smacks of the worst kind of prejudice. The idea that the common man (what happened to women, by the way?) can be found only in small population states is narrow-minded thinking, hardly what we demand of history teachers.

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by close to 3 million votes from across the entire United States. It is time to rethink the undue and unfair influence the Electoral College gives low population states on presidential elections. Every persons vote should count. The common people live in every state.

Loretta Carrillo

Where bluebirds

Re: Dreams that we wouldnt like to see come true, Brian Chasnoff, Jan. 5:

Brian Chasnoff is not the only one who wishes that he was somewhere over the rainbow, far away.

Penelope Talley

All about respect

Re: Abortion burial was seen as cheap option; Officials envisioned using a mass grave, Front Page, Jan. 4:

Gov. Greg Abbott fully supports the Texas law requiring that all tissue from a miscarriage or abortion be cremated or buried.

He is correct. The key, after all, is whether the substance is of human origin. I think we should support him and demand that all human matter get the same respect. Things such as nail clippings, hair cuttings  in short, everything of human origin.

Dale McCarty, Boerne

Power play

Re: Bathroom legislation now ready for debate, Front Page, Jan. 6:

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is the worst type of zealot. Using his Christianity as a weapon, he tries to skewer children and women. He is a big bad warrior. Coward is more like it.

Picking on transgenders, gays, women who utilize care from Planned Parenthood is this cowards mantra. Every sensible Texan knows this is his power play wanting to be governor. So Patrick keeps his name out front.

Businesses will be hurt by this bill, people will be hurt, and all for politics.

Sandra Scott, Schertz

Monitors next?

When will Dan Patrick and his GOP cronies get it through their thick skulls that mens rooms and womens rooms are different? Go into any ladies room and you will see sinks along one wall and stalls with locks along the other. Not exactly a sneak-peekers paradise.

If a person is hidden away in a locked stall until his/her business is done, why should I care?

Considering this has apparently never caused any problem, why it should suddenly become a problem because people trapped in the wrong sex body can get an operation to change that is beyond me.

And since were on the subject, how does Patrick propose enforcing his bathroom rules? Is he going to steal more money from schools to hire bathroom monitors to make sure everyone has a birth certificate on him/her before he/she can use the restroom?

Separating these transgender children and making them feel even more different will result in a massive number of problems  fights, crimes and, worst of all, suicides among young people who should be allowed to fit in.

Margaret Palermo, Uvalde

Trumps ally

I dont get Donald Trumps beef against what wordsmith Sarah Palin calls the lamestream media.

Throughout the presidential campaign, the media were Donalds friend. We all remember when Trump threw his hat  or rather his cap  into the ring and called illegal Mexican immigrants drug dealers and rapists. When it went viral, the media moguls had a winner  for their bottom line.

It was clear that it wasnt about the issues. It was about whom Trump was going to insult and threaten next: blacks, Muslims, homosexuals (the list goes on and on). Hillary Clinton thought Trumps mouth would be his downfall. So wrong! So, wheres the beef?

Carl Lloyd

Editorial stances

Re: Education, downtown and police/community relations will take priority this year, Opinion, Jan. 1:

Thank you, Editorial Board and editorial writers. You are off to a great start. The priorities, especially education, are exactly right. So are your editorials on voting rights (U.S. Congress must act on voting rights, Jan. 1), the fake news about Planned Parenthood (A dodge and feint in latest culture war, Jan. 4) and your editorial on Russia (U.S. pressure on Russians must remain, Jan. 5).

Black and brown citizens have enormous faith in America to believe they will ever have equal voting rights. The pope said fake news is a sin and false witness is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments; nevertheless, people who call themselves Christians and religious  and who want to post the Ten Commandments in public places  use them as their preferred strategy to attack Planned Parenthood and to limit what it can do to protect poor men, women and children.

Russia must be a concern, even to conservatives. If, on 9/11, it had been Russia that attacked us for almost an hour and a half, this nation would have ceased to exist, but Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump want to expand nuclear weapons.

Thank you, Express News. You are doing what you can.

Robert Lopez Flynn,

Shavano Park

Start in Fresno?

A clone of Ted Baxter is about to become president.

Enough said!

Gerald Geracia
Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling continues to rack upmajor awards from the American Craft Spirits Association for their acclaimed Texas whiskey, all of which is distilled from grain to glass in San Antonio.

The combined brewery/distillery recently won the 2016 San Antonio Express-News Critics Choice Award for Best Local Beer & Booze, the same award it won in 2015. In addition, Ranger Creek won a gold medal and five silver medals from the Third Annual Judging of Craft Spirits of the American Craft Spirits Association last March.

Ranger Creek handcrafts beer and bourbon one batch at a time. They are the first modern microbrewery in San Antonio, one of a few combined brewery/distilleries in the U.S. and the only combined operation making both beer and bourbon.

With Take it Easy, Ranger Creek delivers a refreshing, easy drinkin beer with more character than the typical American lager. Thats exactly what a cream ale is all about, and theirs is 5.7 percent ABV. Its one of the few beer styles indigenous to America and was a popular style in the 1800s. Contrary to the name, it contains no dairy and is brewed with American 2-row and an addition of corn sugar in the kettle. Like the cream ale, blues is one of the few music styles indigenous to America. Lightnin Hopkins, the iconic blues musician from the Texas town of Centerville, inspired the name.

Ranger Creek focuses on interesting recipes and uses local ingredients from Texas as much as possible. Their beer is available at select bars, restaurants and stores in San Antonio, Austin and Houston.

For more information, go to www.DrinkRangerCreek.com or contact Mark McDavid at (832) 969-3800.

Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

4834 Whirlwind Drive

San Antonio, TX 78217

(210) 775-2099

www.DrinkRangerCreek.com

Brewstillery Tours: 2-4 p.m. Saturdays

Tasting Room: 5-9 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
Business

Here's how this free app turned amateurs into UAE's top professional stock market traders

Going into business without first having some basic knowledge of how the market works and the tools at our disposal increases your risk of getting into trouble. Simulators provide learning platforms for people who want to start learning how to invest.
State-owned mobile network operator (MNO), NetOne has announced that it will be increasing Data and SMS bundle prices effective Thursday 8 August 2019.

This follows a similar move by another state-owned MNO, Telecel a few weeks ago.

The notice reads:

Dear Valued Customer,

Please be advised that NetOne will be adjusting Data and SMS bundle prices effective Thursday 8 August 2019.

NB: All other prices remain unchanged.

Breaking News via Email
By Gaius Publius, a professional writer living on the West Coast of the United States and frequent contributor to DownWithTyranny, digby, Truthout, and Naked Capitalism. Follow him on Twitter @Gaius_Publius, Tumblr and Facebook. GP article archive here. Originally published at DownWithTyranny

Until now, getting into the news and reports about Russia and Trump meant getting into some rather dense weeds (PDF of declassified report here), but with the recent release by Buzzfeed of the full 35-page dossier on Trump and Russia (the explosive one, with the women peeing on Obamas former hotel room bed), which was distilled into a two-page appendix in the classified version of the report, the road to clarity just presented itself.

So I offer the text of three tweets (mine), a longer discussion of those main points, and comments by Glenn Greenwald on the latest Trump-Russia-intel community contretemps. Everything else, as I now see it, is detail, a gloss on these three points.

First, the tweets, a bullet-point capsule of all the main points up to now:

1) It certainly looks like our Security State is using Russian blackmail material against Trump to blackmail him for their own purposes.  Gaius Publius (@Gaius_Publius) January 11, 2017

2) Where's the outrage from the usual Dem suspects about federal agents interfering in the political process now?  Gaius Publius (@Gaius_Publius) January 11, 2017

3) is this difference in treatment obvious only to me, or is the nation noticing as well? If so, not good for "usual Dems" & their cred.  Gaius Publius (@Gaius_Publius) January 11, 2017

This hits, I think, the main elements to watch in tightly compressed form. Read on for the long version of these three points. Click here to jump ahead to Greenwalds take on all this.

Blackmailing the U.S. President

As I said above, there only three elements to get to get this story. First, theres the blackmail element. According to the 35-page dossier, Russia (supposedly) prepared blackmail material on Trump but isnt using it.

But its clear that American intelligence services certainly are using it, or using the threat of using it, and doing so very publicly (per CNN, quoted here, my emphasis):

One reason the nations intelligence chiefs took the extraordinary step of including the synopsis in the briefing documents was to make the President-elect aware that such allegations involving him are circulating among intelligence agencies, senior members of Congress and other government officials in Washington, multiple sources tell CNN.

For your information, sir? Or Careful; you dont know what all us intel types know about you  sir? Again, Trump was presented with just a two-page summary of the full dossier. The actual information, which we have thanks to the later publication of the 35-page dossier, was reportedly not presented to him, perhaps to leave to his imagination what it contained.

Now the detail: According to an ex-MI6 (the British CIA) agent, whose dossier, I understand from talking with journalists, was shopped around to a number of publications and rejected as unreliable before it seems to have found a home on David Corns desk  according to this ex-agent, Russia had assembled a fair amount of blackmail material on Donald Trump, including his sexual practices while staying at first-class hotels in Russia. But Russia, were told, isnt using the material against him since Trump is in sync with their goals anyway.

American sources, however, have published this material since it came to them as well from the same ex-MI6 agent. In other words, the 35-page dossier was available both to American intel services and the U.S. press because its author had been shopping it around broadly for publication. But almost without exception, the American press considered it unreliable and wouldnt touch it.

Yet a summary of this widely-considered-unreliable dossier appeared in the classified briefing the U.S. intel chiefs presented to Donald Trump. Why? The obvious answer is to blackmail Trump for their own purposes.

We can speculate on what those purposes are. My best guess is to keep alive the new cold war with Russia; others like Corey Robin think maybe just agency revenge. But using unreliable information to frighten Trump is an obvious shot across his bow. It says, Were the we-know-everything National Security State. Theres more where this came from. Youre vulnerable to anyone who knows this stuff. Think that through  sir.

The Security Services, the Political Process, and the Democratic Party

Second, theres the element of multiple intrusions into the political process. Russia certainly attempted to tilt the election their way, but they were not alone in that effort. For example, the present use of blackmail material by U.S. intel chiefs, or the threat of its use, is itself an intrusion of the U.S. security services (what Greenwald calls the deep state) into the 2016-2017 political process.

But even this is not unique. Consider the James Comey affair. Prior to the election, there were many hands meddling to tilt the political outcome as well. For example, Comeys no charge charges against Clinton count as one attempt to intrude. As I viewed the evidence against her (see here), a Comey recommendation to indict would have been justifiable. (Remember, the FBI doesnt indict; thats left to Loretta Lynch and the Dept. of Justice, a duty she couldnt credibly perform after her secret tarmac meeting Bill Clinton was revealed.)

Or barring a recommendation to indict, Comey could have just stood down, recommended not to indict  and then kept his mouth shut. Had he done that, it might have been a political act since Comey is a careerist serving a Democratic president and a Democratic Attorney General. (Again, there was ample cause to turn what he correctly called gross negligence into a recommendation to pursue the investigation to the grand jury level. After all, the same statute has been wielded by Obama many times to punish less well-placed individuals for far less negligence running a secret, private, wide-open server through which all her government communications were passed, whether classified or not.)

But caught between an Obama administration that signaled clearly it wanted no indictment  political interference on their part  and a group of right-wing agents who clearly wanted one, Comey tried to have it both ways and failed to please anyone at all. The speech in which he indicted without indicting was certainly a political act in both senses of the phrase. He tried to get the political outcome of a recommendation to indict without recommending to indict, and in the office politics sense, he tried to please both his bosses and his employees to preserve his standing and his job.

Unfortunately, his bosses and his employees wanted opposite things. Many of the FBI agents involved in the server investigation clearly wanted an indictment, and when one wasnt forthcoming, started leaking what they knew  or what they wanted people to think they knew  to the press. This represented political interference as well, not only by agents of the FBI, but also by investigators in the NY Police Dept, which had control of Anthony Wieners laptop, and who were also leaking to the press.

The Democrats at this point, I think rightly, felt heavy cop hands on the scale of this election (without at all acknowledging the presidents own hand, or that of Loretta Lynch), and said so  loudly.

But Comey was not alone. The CIA and NSA (the largest part of the national security state) were intruding politically in the other direction, by endorsing Clinton and demonizing Trump (my emphasis):

For months , the CIA, with unprecedented clarity, overtly threw its weight behind Hillary Clintons candidacy and sought to defeat Donald Trump. In August, former acting CIA Director Michael Morell announced his endorsement of Clinton in the New York Times and claimed that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation. The CIA and NSA director under George W. Bush, Gen. Michael Hayden, also endorsed Clinton, and went to the Washington Post to warn, in the week before the election, that Donald Trump really does sound a lot like Vladimir Putin, adding that Trump is the useful fool, some naif, manipulated by Moscow, secretly held in contempt, but whose blind support is happily accepted and exploited. It is not hard to understand why the CIA preferred Clinton over Trump. Clinton was critical of Obama for restraining the CIAs proxy war in Syria and was eager to expand that war, while Trump denounced it.

Now Trump is president and the pro-war national security forces are at it again, leaning again on Trump in yet another intrusion into the political process.

So who again tried to tilt the field for or against Clinton or Trump? Including Russia, the administration, Comey, agents of the FBI and NY police, the CIA and national security forces, I count five groups. This is a lot of political intrusion, regardless of which candidate you favored  all within the last year  and were still not done. Im sure were only halfway through this extended drama.

The Selective Blindness of the Democratic Party

Third, with all this political interference, where are the Democrats? Do they condemn it all, praise it all, or pick and choose?

Bottom line: They see what they want to see, not whats in front of us all and in plain sight. Which is not only unprincipled, its dangerous  for them as well as us.

Again, they did not see Obamas original declarations of Clintons innocence as political intrusion. But they did see Comeys eventual wont indict, but will condemn speech, and his and other investigators pre-election actions, as political intrusion. They did notsee the pro-war security apparatus endorsement of Clinton and trashing of Trump as intrusions. But they do see Russian interference as intrusion. And they absolutely dont see the security services present blackmail threats against a duly elected president as political interference.

They see what they want to see, what they think helps them politically and electorally, and theyre blind to the rest. This is highly unprincipled. And again, its dangerous as well.

After all, one reason the institutional Democratic Party nearly lost to Sanders, a highly principled man  and did lose to Trump, a man who pretended to be principled  is that plenty of voters in key states were just tired of being taken for a ride by say one thing, do another Democrats. Tired, in other words, of unprincipled Democrats  tired of job-promising. job-killing trade deals pushed hard by both Democratic presidents, tired of the bank bailout that made every banker whole but rescued almost no mortgagees, tired of their reduced lives, their mountain of personal debt, tired of the overly complex, profit-infected, still-unsolved medical care system  tired of what 16 years of Democrats had done to them, not for them.

If Democrats want to start winning again, not just the White House, but Congress and state houses, they cant continue to be theseDemocrats  unprincipled and self-serving. They must be thoseDemocrats, Sanders Democrats, principled Democrats instead.

Does the above litany of complaint about political interference when it suits them, and non-complaint when it doesnt, look like principled behavior to you?

Which brings me to the end of this part of the discussion. If some people see this party behavior as self-serving hypocrisy, you can bet others do as well. Democrats can only turn this decade-long collapse around by not being who they appeared to be in the last three election cycles. They have to attract the Sanders voters who stood aside in the general election and see them very negatively. Yes, Democrats will continue to get votes  some people will always vote Democratic. But in the post-Sanders, post-Trump era, will they get enough votes to turn the current tide, which runs heavily against them?

Im not alone in thinking, not a chance.

But this is the long form of what I wanted to say. For the elevator speech version, just read the three tweets at the top. I think they capture the main points very nicely.

Glenn Greenwald: The Deep State Goes to War with the President-Elect, and Democrats Cheer

Greenwalds take is very similar to mine, and theres much more research in his excellent piece. Writing at The Intercept, he says (emphasis in original):

The Deep State Goes to War with President-Elect, Using Unverified Claims, as Democrats Cheer In January, 1961, Dwight Eisenhower delivered his farewell address after serving two terms as U.S. president; the five-star general chose to warn Americans of this specific threat to democracy: In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. That warning was issued prior to the decadelong escalation of the Vietnam War, three more decades of Cold War mania, and the post-9/11 era, all of which radically expanded that unelected factions power even further. This is the faction that is now engaged in open warfare against the duly elected and already widely disliked president-elect, Donald Trump. They are using classic Cold War dirty tactics and the defining ingredients of what has until recently been denounced as Fake News. Their most valuable instrument is the U.S. media, much of which reflexively reveres, serves, believes, and sides with hidden intelligence officials. And Democrats, still reeling from their unexpected and traumatic election loss as well as a systemic collapse of their party, seemingly divorced further and further from reason with each passing day, are willing  eager  to embrace any claim, cheer any tactic, align with any villain, regardless of how unsupported, tawdry and damaging those behaviors might be.

You can see where this is going. The deep state, the CIA, NSA and the rest of the unelected national security apparatus of the U.S., is going to war with an elected president even before he takes office, and Democrats are so eager for a win that theyre siding with them.

Did Russia attempt to interfere in the U.S. election? Of course, and Democrats condemned it. Did the agents of the FBI et al attempt to interfere in the U.S. election? Of course, and Democrats condemned it. Is the national security state today interfering in the outcome of a U.S. election, by trying to destabilize and force its will on the incoming administration? Of course, and Democrats are cheering it.

As horrible and as monstrous as this incoming administration is  and it will prove to be the worst in American history  who would aid the national security apparatus in undermining it?

Apparently, the Democratic Party. Greenwald continues:

The serious dangers posed by a Trump presidency are numerous and manifest. There are a wide array of legitimate and effective tactics for combatting those threats: from bipartisan congressional coalitions and constitutional legal challenges to citizen uprisings and sustained and aggressive civil disobedience. All of those strategies have periodically proven themselves effective in times of political crisis or authoritarian overreach. But cheering for the CIA and its shadowy allies to unilaterally subvert the U.S. election and impose its own policy dictates on the elected president is both warped and self-destructive. Empowering the very entities that have produced the most shameful atrocities and systemic deceit over the last six decades is desperation of the worst kind. Demanding that evidence-free, anonymous assertions be instantly venerated as Truth  despite emanating from the very precincts designed to propagandize and lie  is an assault on journalism, democracy, and basic human rationality. And casually branding domestic adversaries who refuse to go along as traitors and disloyal foreign operatives is morally bankrupt and certain to backfire on those doing it.

And Greenwald agrees that this tactic is not just craven; its also dangerous:

Beyond all that, there is no bigger favor that Trump opponents can do for him than attacking him with such lowly, shabby, obvious shams, recruiting large media outlets to lead the way. When it comes time to expose actual Trump corruption and criminality, who is going to believe the people and institutions who have demonstrated they are willing to endorse any assertions no matter how factually baseless, who deploy any journalistic tactic no matter how unreliable and removed from basic means of ensuring accuracy?

All of this, dont forget, rests on the one document mentioned above, the material summarized in an appendix to the classified version of the security services report on Russia (emphasis mine):

the Deep State unleashed its tawdriest and most aggressive assault yet on Trump: vesting credibility in and then causing the public disclosure of a completely unvetted and unverified document, compiled by a paid, anonymous operative while he was working for both GOP and Democratic opponents of Trump, accusing Trump of a wide range of crimes, corrupt acts and salacious private conduct. The reaction to all of this illustrates that while the Trump presidency poses grave dangers, so, too, do those who are increasingly unhinged in their flailing, slapdash, and destructive attempts to undermine it.

Ill send you to the Greenwald piece for much more of this detail. As I said above, this story has seemed muddy until now, but it just came clear.

A Coup in the Making

This is not a game, even at the electoral level. It has nation-changing, anti-democratic consequences. Democratic voters fear a coup, or a kind of coup, led by the Trump administration, and for good reason. But theres another coup in the making as well, and Democrats are cheering it.

If a Republican elected official had publicly warned Obama not oppose a policy the Republicans and the CIA/NSA favored because they have six ways from Sunday of getting back at you, what would  what should  our response to that be? Mine would be horror and shock that a Republican had dared make that threat, followed by fear that he, and the agencies behind him, will make good on it. At which point, its farewell democracy, likely for a long long time.

Yet the following actually did happen (Greenwald again, my emphasis): Just last week, Chuck Schumer issued a warning to Trump, telling Rachel Maddow that Trump was being really dumb by challenging the unelected intelligence community because of all the ways they possess to destroy those who dare to stand up to them. And yet there was no shock or fear, at least from Maddow or her viewers.

And Schumer really did use the phrase they have six ways from Sunday of getting back at you. The video is embedded here. Is that how Democrats plan to defeat Trump? Is it better, more comforting, if a Democrat makes that threat and appears to side with the security agencies (the deep states) strong-arm tactics?

A coup in the making  not the one we fear, which may also occur  but a coup nonetheless. This really is not a game, and both sides are playing for keeps.
Bankers are trying to stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from allowing consumers to rank how companies handle complaints on a one- to five-star scale and to publish narratives of consumer experiences in an online public database.

The financial services industry is outraged at the proposal, which could go into effect as early as Jan. 29 if approved by the Office of Management and Budget. The OMB has approved all of the CFPB's past data collection requests, a CFPB spokesman said.

The CFPB wants to allow consumers to rate firms on a five-star scale about how their complaint was handled.

The American Bankers Association and Consumer Bankers Association have asked the OMB's desk officer for the CFPB to deny the agency's collection request. They argue that ranking companies based on how they handle consumer complaints would provide "minimal, if any, utility," because the data would be "prone to misleading impressions."

"We are disappointed that the bureau seeks to continue and further expand its troubling practice of publishing unreliable information under U.S. Government imprimatur, abusing its status as an agency of the federal government," wrote Jonathan Thessin, the ABA's senior counsel for the Center for Regulatory Compliance. The Dec. 28 letter to the OMB also was signed by Kate Larson, the CBA's vice president and regulatory counsel.

But consumer advocates argue that the five-star rating system allows the free market to police financial companies.

"Market power is one of the most important ways to keep abusive practices in check," said Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center. "And frankly, I think banks should welcome ratings as a way to allow the free market to stop abuses so they don't need to have another regulation. If the free market can stop abuses, I would think both consumers and businesses will be better off."

Banks have countered that consumers with complaints would be motivated to give a company a low rating. But Saunders said the CFPB would not allow for fake ratings, which is a problem with private ratings systems generally.

"The only people who can put in ratings are those who have complained and gotten a response from a company," Saunders said.

The CFPB first proposed using a one- to five-point scale in August by adding a short survey to its consumer complaint portal where consumers could rate a company's response to their complaint. The bureau has said it plans to replace the so-called 'dispute' function in its online database with the survey and a narrative box where consumers can comment on how their complaint was handled.

Under the CFPB's collection proposal, consumers will be asked to use a one- to five-point scale to determine whether they agreed or disagreed with three statements: "The company addressed all of my issues," "I understood the company's response to my complaint," and "The company did what it said it would do with my complaint."

Currently, the CFPB does not have any ranking system on how companies respond to complaints. The agency is working on the proposed rollout, which is expected in the first quarter, Larson said.

For now, one of the few ways to halt the proposed data collection would be if the OMB determined that the collection request lacked "utility," to consumers, a standard that includes improving "the functioning, transparency and efficiency of markets for [financial] products and services."

To be sure, the proposal could be withdrawn altogether if CFPB Director Richard Cordray were replaced, an issue that is the subject of much speculation, or CFPB management somehow put a halt to the effort, Larson said in an interview.

Consumer complaints have been a sore spot for both industry and the agency. The CFPB uses consumer complaints as a partial basis for industry guidance, rulemaking and enforcement actions.

But bankers have accused the CFPB of using a back-door process to collect data on consumer complaints in violation of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Gathering data from "the narrow field of consumers that file complaints," would provide subjective responses, the banking groups said.

"Since its creation, the bureau has aggressively sought attention for the database while failing to solve the problems in the accuracy, integrity and usefulness of the information publicly reported to the database," the groups wrote in the letter.

The groups cited several reasons why the CFPB should not make public the rankings and comments about complaints.

Consumers who file complaints may expect to get some relief or monetary award that they are not entitled to, which would skew the data, the bank trade groups allege. Whether a consumer is satisfied with the resolution of a complaint is "subjectively measured by the complainants' expectations of the relief to which they believed or hoped that they were due," the letter said.

The bank groups also have faulted the CFPB for not conducting a study on the usefulness of the information.

"What is really comes down to is what's the benefit?" asked Larson of the CBA. "By putting out this subjective one-to-five scale, who is benefiting? Everyone's experiences are so different and as the CFPB sinks more taxpayer dollars into a complaint database, what is the utility of these one-off complaints?"

Credit unions are also concerned that the CFPB would not verify all facts or allegations made by consumers, particularly those expressed in written narratives, which could harm a firm's reputation.

"The survey is designed to amplify dissatisfaction rather than facilitate communication," wrote Andrew Morris, regulatory affairs counsel at the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, in a Sept. 29 letter to the CFPB. "The survey would impair the effectiveness of [other customer service channels] by redirecting consumers to a government platform that practically operates as a showcase for subjective criticism."

The Credit Union National Association cautioned against the unintended consequences of more customer feedback that "may not necessarily be better."

"Under the current system, we believe it is possible that some institutions are effectively unable to respond to consumers' narrative description of complaints due to privacy restrictions," wrote Luke Martone, a senior director of advocacy & counsel at CUNA, in a Dec. 12 letter.
Saturday, January 14, 2017 by: Howard Roark Tags: cybersecurity , healthcare industry This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Big Med has been hit hard this past year by cyber criminals intent on disrupting and disabling the industry. The vulnerabilities exposed by these attacks point to the need for more robust security measures in 2017. At issue is not only invasion of privacy when personal medical records are hacked, but also rising costs to the healthcare industry, which as always, is passed on to the consumer. And losing access to computer systems via ransomware could cripple a healthcare business, endangering patient safety. (RELATED: Read more cyber security news at Cyberwar.news)

Health Care IT News spoke with four experts regarding recent security breaches. Pam Hepp of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, Cynergis CEO and co-founder Mac McMillan, ESET Security Researcher Lysa Myers, and ICIT Senior Fellow James Scott offered their take on the most significant weaknesses, dangers, and insights gathered from the events of 2016:

1. Human error allows hackers an entrance of attack. Unconcerned and unaware persons are targeted as a prime defect in the system.

2. The Internet of Things and obsolete technology create a shortcoming. A connected device such as a digital camera can be exploited if the item is not sufficiently updated. This can become a big problem when an unprotected piece of equipment is not taken into account, because with automated tools in the hands of criminals, a single vulnerability can be uncovered.

3. Vendors and associates can be the point of entry for a breach. A thorough vetting of third parties is essential to assure security, along with having a good understanding between all parties.

4. Ransomware is malicious computer code that when surreptitiously installed can render a system unusable until the entity pays a sum of money to the cyber pirates. Once successful, its a way introduce further attacks.

5. Cyber breaches are increasing in frequency. Medical data is a valuable for an organization to operate, as well as for a hacker to exploit.

6. Backups are key to providing continuity not only for hardware or software glitches, but also to elude the grip of a ransomer.

7. Impeccable cyber-hygiene, including improvements in infrastructure, networks, and software; and pertinent hands-on training, can eliminate nearly all pitfalls.

8. Cybercrime is big business, and the lucrative healthcare industry is a prime target.

9. Contingency planning and risk management are vitally important, to mitigate and recover from a worst case scenario.

10. Partnerships are essential as a strategy for success, for the ability to share expertise and resources.

We are all patients

One egregious shortcoming of Obamacare is the laying bare of patients private, personal and intimate information; things most people are reluctant to share with anyone besides their physician, if that. The ramifications go beyond possible public humiliation; the leaking of personal medical records could conceivably be a strategic threat to ones career or personal relationships. Natural Society notes the idiocracy that reigns in Washington that has manifested as a sizable cybersecurity liability.

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act provided $30 billion for the medical industry to digitize patient records. At first glance, this would seem to be a good idea; the quick, accurate, and efficient storage, retrieval and portability of patient histories would save lives, one would hope. But studies suggest a cost of up to $100 billion to implement, and the undertaking does nothing to save money, nor improve patient health. The glaring problem is that the software designed by Epic Systems, the firm that stores the largest number of patient records, does not allow hospitals to share them. So the obvious question becomes, why bother? This boondoggle is not only useless, it opens up patients to the theft of their medical recordsall of the risk with none of the benefit. This is not a theoretical problem; it is already happening. You can thank the inept and unresponsive federal bureaucracy for this one. And so much for the Obama legacy. (Read more news about technology glitches and failures at Glitch.news)

Sources:

HealthcareITNews.com

NaturalSociety.com
Saturday, January 14, 2017 by: JD Heyes Tags: College , higher education , Safe Spaces This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) There is a saying that goes, The inmates are running the asylum. Soon, that may well be the case for all of Britains institutions of higher education.

As reported by The Telegraph, universities will be forced to pander to every single demand, no matter how inappropriate, ridiculous or stupid they may be, of snowflake student pansies if highly controversial changes to the countrys university ranking system are approved, education leaders say. (RELATED: Read more news about stupidity at Stupid.news)

Currently, the British government is facing a cross-party revolt in the House of Lords over a proposal to reform higher education that include putting student satisfaction at the center of the new ranking system.

Any rational person can see where this will lead, say opponents: Unreasonable demands for more safe spaces, the outright banning of any speech that the snowflakes dont like, the adoption of goofy new curriculum that will become mandatory for all students, and so on.

Opponents also believe that the new ranking system will create a fantastically dangerous culture, where school officials will be regularly forced to give in to all kinds of student demands, no matter how unreasonable.

The Telegraph reported further:

Safe space and no platform movements have swept across campuses including a campaign to ban Germaine Greer from giving a speech over her offensive comments.

Thanks to outsized influence on Western educational standards by the loony political Left, this is what higher education is becoming: Catering to namby-pamby crybabies who have been systematically stripped of any and all normal coping mechanisms that come with something we call life.

Universities are increasingly nervous about doing anything that will create overt dissatisfaction among students because they are being told that student satisfaction is key, said Baroness Wolf, a Kings College London (KCL) professor. She added that such nervousness is dramatically affecting the willingness of university officials to push back against even the most ridiculous demands, which in the past have been removing statues, safe spaces and no-platforming.

The entire movement to change the ranking system is nothing short of a direct threat to university education and academic standards, as well as a schools ability to stand up for freedom of speech, she said.

The new system is fantastically dangerous because the primary way to satisfy a student is to not give them any serious work but still give them a high grade, which of course, teaches them nothing while preparing them for nothing in the real world.

This will reduce standards and undermine quality, Wolf continued. I just think this is totally mad, and destructive of everything universities stand for.

Wolf, Baroness Deech, a former senior proctor at Oxford, Prof. Julia Black, interim director at London School of Economics, and Gill Evans, a professor emeritus at Cambridge University, also spoke to The Telegraph of their concerns.

The reforms are contained in the Higher Education and Research Bill, which is being supported by the Universities Minister Jo Johnson. It recently reached the House of Lords, where it was met with widespread criticism.

The proposed measure will essentially institutionalize mediocracy and under-achievement. Though not every student will want to be coddled and protectedmany will actually want to earn a degree by learning somethingfar too many will be intentionally under-served and ill-prepared to handle the rigors of life, and all at their demand.

Evans, a professor of Medieval Theology, said the new criteria will also create an attitude among university chancellors of bother the kids but we had better give in as we stand to suffer more for fighting it out, she said.

The same craziness is spreading throughout American institutions of higher learning as well, as evidenced by a series of protests last year tied to racial issues, as well as the banning of any conservative opinion on campuses.

Natural News founder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, believes millions of these precious little snowflakes wont survive the next natural selection event because they simply wont have the skills to cope with it.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

Telegraph.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

Stupid.news
Protesters in the Bay Area are preparing for several demonstrations ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration.

One of the planned demonstrations will start Saturday in San Jose. The rally will coincide with similar immigration rallies across the nation before Trump is official sworn in as president.

Organizers said the rallies on Saturday and next week will be peaceful. San Jose police are also on alert and said they will be ready for the demonstrations.

"We're not going to tolerate violence," San Jose Police Department spokesman Albert Morales said. "That is something that is not going to happen."

Anti-Trump protests in San Jose over the summer made national headlines for turning violent. Police said they are working with organizers of two scheduled protest during inauguration weekend.

Police realize people not affiliated with the groups protesting could still show up and cause trouble.

"There are some lessons learned, and we are implementing those in our training," Morales said. "We will be prepared."

On Inauguration Day, the Sacred Heart Community Services agency will be holding a so-called teach-in, training people how to fight for the rights of the undocumented and under served.

But the agency said it too will not tolerate violence.

"Sometimes we have to be very strong," said Eunice Hernandez with Sacred Heart. "But you can't use violence because it doesn't help anything."

Sacred Heart vows to be peaceful, but vocal during the four years of Trump's presidency.
The battle over a large iconic cross in the South Bay has come to an end.

After standing in Santa Clara for more than six decades, the 14-foot cross was taken down -- by a lawsuit.

A Santa Clara man and Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation sued the city last April, claiming the cross violated the separation of church and state because it stood in a public park.

"We are happy that the city divested itself of this religious symbol, and that the constitution is now being complied with," said Rebecca Markert, attorney for Freedom From Religion Foundation.

UPDATE: The 14-ft cross in a Santa Clara public park has been removed, after a man sued SC saying it violated separation of church and state pic.twitter.com/H7TqQKrDzI  Ian Cull (@NBCian) January 14, 2017

The granite cross was donated by the Santa Clara Lion's Club in 1953 to mark the site of the second Spanish Catholic mission established in the city in 1777.

City councilmembers settled with the man who filed the suit, and said a compromise was necessary.

"Some people feel like we've caved in or succumbed to the arguments of a relatively small number of people, but as I said, they do have a number of legal precedents on their side," councilmember Teresa O'Neill said.

As part of the settlement, the city donated the cross to Santa Clara University, where it will be placed on campus in the future.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is promising more than $1 million for immigrant-related services ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration.

Trump, who will be sworn-in as president Jan. 20, has promised to deport those with criminal records and witthold funding from sanctuary cities like San Francisco.

Lee said there are two goals with his promise: First is to calm fears of what may happen when Trump comes into office, and second is to protect immigrant rights.

"It's all about getting rid of and reducing fear in our city," Lee said.

But not everyone is on board with the spending and how the plan is laid out.

At the Islamic Society of San Francisco, Lee announced $1.5 million as part of a campaign aimed at boosting services after fears of deportation.

"No matter what potential attacks there might be coming from the federal authorities, we are going to be that city of refuge and sanctuary for everyone," Lee said.

The funds are on top of $3.8 million that will go toward helping community-based groups.

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi said it is a good step, but may not go far enough.

"This does not address what our proposal sought to do, which is to provide representation to all the people who couldn't be here today because they're behind bars facing immigration proceedings," Adachi.

Lee said the money will come from the general fund.
Chances are the next time you take a trip into unknown terrain, youll whip out your phone and consult the digital mapping wizard for a preferred route. Jimmy Schein would probably more likely go old school  unfold a paper map to gander at the possibilities.

I wouldnt use a GPS, Schein said, because they tell you to take a right hand turn down the wrong one way street.

Its fitting that Scheins antique map store Schein & Schein sits on one-way Grant street in San Franciscos North Beach, piled to the hilt with maps dating back to the 1500s. Schein doesnt really need a gadget to tell him where to go  hes a walking encyclopedia of maps.

We sell the maps, Schein said in his shop, which looks like it was plucked from 1848, the history tends to come with it.

Even in an age when consumers line-up for the latest iPhone thingy, Scheins shop is unabashedly so last-century. As Schein avidly points out, each map has its own story.

There are maps that pinpoint every buried ship in San Francisco. An early 1900s map of San Francisco which shows a man riding a camel in what was then a sand dune covered Sunset District. Another charts the citys water supplies circa 1910.

Schein held up a 1939 map based on a Richard Guggenheim book called Where to sin in San Francisco. Small characters of scantily clad ladies and men in top hats marked the spots in the city where a good time could be had.

A guide to the the three Ds, Schein read from the maps index, dining, drinking and dancing.

Schein can chart his fascination with maps back to his childhood. There were maps on the walls of his home. And when he ditched school, it was to look at maps.

Used to skip school and go to museums that had maps, Schein said.

Schein worked for years in the rock and roll industry, driving trucks for bands like Santana before returning to his first love of maps.

His store, he said, is basically a map collection gone bad. Gone wild, corrected his wife Marti Schein, the second Schein in Schein & Schein.

Jimmy has his little saying of no bad maps, Mari said. we like them all.

Schein slid opened an antique wooden drawer revealing a thick stack of maps. He picked out a hand colored one that read A Celebration of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, with characters marking illustrious spots and events around the citys Chinatown. Another map revealed a guide to the Renaissance Faire in Marin County.

Heres a great San Francisco map, he said holding up another one. Very contemporary for us  this is 1976.

Schein admits he has troubling turning down maps that come his way. As a result, his shop looks as if it was wallpapered by a map aficionado  they hang from the ceiling, they sit in rolls in the rafters.

Among Scheins devoted customers is San Francisco City and County Surveyor Bruce Storrs who is a collector of vintage maps, and often consults them for surveying work around the city.

Theres valuable information for boundary resolution, Storrs said, giving a tour of his departments own collection of vintage city maps, some dating back to the citys infancy in 1847.

Storrs said on occasion Schein will visit the department to provide information about vintage maps  including a 45 minute presentation on one early city map in the departments collection. To some such a presentation might be akin to torture. For the surveyors it is a slice of pure heaven.

That stuff, we go crazy, Storrs said, its like throwing blood in the water with sharks around.

Schein said even though his antiquated wares might fly in the face of the tech obsessive culture, his clientele increasingly include younger people.

"For people under their thirties, Schein said, the realities of a shop that has all this printed material that was worthy of being printed is somewhat novel and pretty interesting.

Schein has also printed some of his own maps  modern versions of hard-to-find relics. He said maps are ultimately based on individual perspective  interpreted through the eyes and hand of the map maker. Some of his favorite maps are ones where that perspective was slightly askew.

We assume the map is factual when in fact, some of the most interesting maps are maps that are wrong, Schein said. California used to be documented as an island.

But nary to belief, Schein isnt strictly anti-technology. His store makes use of computers and he admits to using his phone occasionally to navigate unknown destinations. In fact, he said in their own way, smart phones are mapping devices in and of themselves.

Were mapping more now than we did in my grandparents time, Schein reasoned, because ultimately just navigating your phone is mapping.

Scheins love for maps goes deeper than the printed page  he can cite the backstory of each marking  the history behind the culture when the maps were created.

It was almost as if each map itself was a living, breathing version of Jimmy Schein - filled with tales and stories few others could unfold.

The real thing bears age, Schein said of his collection. It bears scars of its travel in life.
A teenage boy was killed in a double shooting Friday evening in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Two male victims were shot around 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Shurtleff Street and Grove Street, according to Chelsea police.

Jimmy Vasquez, a 15-year-old boy, was shot in the abdomen before being found in a hallway at the intersection of Shurtleff Street and Bellingham Street. The other victim, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was shot in the foot and found on Walnut Street. Also 15, his injuries were non-life threatening and he has since been released.

Vasquez was transported to Whidden Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Police are searching for the vehicle they believe the suspects used to flee the scene. Officers say the car appears to be a 2010 gray Toyota Corolla with a resident parking sticker on the back.

Chelsea Police Department

State police are assisting in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Chelsea Police detectives at 617-466-4880.

Additionally, a Go Fund Me page has been set up for anyone who wishes to make a donation and assist Vasquez's family with his funeral.
A Massachusetts man was captured while hiding in an attic after stealing two vehicles and leading police on a wild chase through four communities on Friday morning.

Joseph Hart, 35, of Westborough, Massachusetts is now being held on fugitive from justice charges by Massachusetts State Police.

The chase began around 7:50 a.m. when police in Manchester, New Hampshire attempted to stop a 1996 Chevrolet pickup truck that had been reported stolen from their city.

Manchester police pursued the vehicle onto Interstate 93 south toward Londonderry, at which time New Hampshire State Police took over the pursuit. Spike strips were deployed near Exit 4 in Derry. After the vehicle hit the spikes, Hart, the driver, fled on foot into the woods.

A state police aircraft tracked Hart as he fled on foot. He then stole a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu that was left running in a driveway by the owner. He drove into Windham, where police officers there attempted to stop the vehicle.

Hart again refused to stop and a second pursuit began, continuing onto I-93 south into Lawrence, Massachusetts. He eventually pulled the stolen vehicle into a public works garage on Auburn Street and fled on foot into an adjacent multi-level building on Chestnut Street. He was found hiding in an attic crawl space by a police dog and taken into custody.

Hart was expected to be arraigned on Friday. Once that happens, he will be brought to New Hampshire to answer to multiple charges from Manchester, Derry, Windham and state police.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the findings of a Department of Justice probe into the Chicago Police Department "sobering," and vowed the troubling issues within the city's policing can be solved.

Emanuel and Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson stood at the side of Attorney General Loretta Lynch as she announced "serious problems," including civil rights violations, found within the department.

Police misconduct will not be tolerated anywhere in this city and those who break the rules will be held accountable for their actions.

"Misconduct not only harms the individuals affected, it damages the reputation of the Chicago Police Department," Emanuel said. "At the same time  it is important to recognize that the incidents of misconduct cited in this report do not represent the values of the city of Chicago - and I believe firmly they do not represent the good work of the vast majority of the men and women of the Chicago Police Department  as the report itself cites."

The highly anticipated report, released just one week before President Barack Obama's presidency comes to an end, revealed landmark findings about the Chicago Police Department aimed at eliciting change as the city battles a cloud of distrust as well as spiking violence.

The report describes a police force whose unreasonable" use of excessive and deadly force allegedly reflects poor training and oversight, putting citizens and its own officers in danger. Standing beside Chicagos mayor and police superintendent, Lynch said the Justice Department and city are negotiating over a court-enforced suite of changes called a consent decree.

Emanuel's statements were echoed by Johnson who vowed the department would "do better."

"What the findings in their report say to me is that we need to do a much better job at mentoring, supporting, and training our police officers - its what they deserve for putting their lives on the line for us and what the city deserves when we ask for its trust," Johnson said. "Quite simply, as a department, we need to do better. And you have my promise and commitment that we will do better."
After the Department of Justice announced an investigation into the Chicago Police Department found a pattern of civil rights violations, reactions from across the city and state started to pour in.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson stood at the side of Attorney General Loretta Lynch as she announced the "serious problems" found within the department.

"While the Chicago Police Department has made real progress and achieved meaningful reforms, the incidents described in this report are sobering to all of us," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

His statements were echoed by Johnson who vowed the department would "do better."

"What the findings in their report say to me is that we need to do a much better job at mentoring, supporting, and training our police officers - its what they deserve for putting their lives on the line for us and what the city deserves when we ask for its trust," Johnson said. "Quite simply, as a department, we need to do better. And you have my promise and commitment that we will do better."

US Attorney Zach Fardon, who also spoke during the Department of Justice announcement, called the findings "an historic turning point and a major step toward sustained change."

Other statements from Illinois officials include:

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle

"While I want to reserve full judgment on the findings until my staff has a chance to completely digest the report, I have long felt that policing in Chicago is in desperate need of a reset. It has been clear to me for many years that residents in communities of color are policed far differently than communities with a preponderance of white residents. Such a strategy can only result in distrust between police and residents of these black and brown communities. The Justice Department report hopefully will put us on a path to honestly address critical issues in the relationship between police and residents, and allow us to confront the very real issues of crime and violence that plague too many of our communities."

Congresswoman Robin Kelly

Todays report is deeply concerning. It is clear that more reforms are needed and needed immediately. We all agree that law enforcement has a difficult job. The vast majority of officers are drawn to law enforcement because they care deeply about their community and want to serve and protect it. However, we cannot ignore the small, but real minority who actively use their position of authority to violate the rights and safety of others. While the city has already taken steps to address these issues, many more reforms are needed. We simply cannot allow this level of disregard for citizens and their Constitutional rights to continue."

Senator Tammy Duckworth

Attorney General Lynch confirmed today in troubling detail that the Chicago Police Department has deprived Chicagoans of their constitutional rights and engaged in patterns of racial bias and excessive--even needless--use of force far too frequently for far too long. I appreciate the Department of Justices confirmation that the city has made important progress over the last year on several meaningful reforms like equipping more officers with body cameras and improving de-escalation training so officers can better recognize the difference between mental health emergencies and criminal situations. Todays report is a necessary step to help repair the frayed relationship between Chicagos law enforcement officials and the communities they are sworn to protect, but the systemic failures within the Chicago Police Department cannot be solved in a day, a month or even a year. Regaining the peoples trust will take time, and the city and federal government must work together to rebuild the strong community relationships every police force needs to effectively protect and defend its citizens...Countless police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, and we should all recognize the good work the vast majority of them do under difficult circumstances. I hope the next Administration will support and continue the collaborative efforts announced today to enable these officers to regain the trust broken by bad actors and ensure all Chicagoans receive equal protection under the law.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin

Following the shocking video of the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, I wrote Attorney General Lynch urging her to open an investigation into whether the Chicago Police Department was engaged in a pattern or practice of violating constitutional and civil rights. The Justice Departments findings are challenging, revealing serious problems that must be swiftly and responsibly addressed in order to restore trust between the police and the communities they serve. I commend Attorney General Lynch, Mayor Emanuel, and Superintendent Johnson for accepting the challenge of identifying and committing to solve these problems, and for the important changes that have already been made in recent months. I also greatly appreciate the efforts of the career Justice Department and Chicago Police Department officials who worked together cooperatively throughout this investigation and will now be charged with implementing further reforms to address the investigations findings."

Congressman Bobby Rush

At the conclusion of a 13 month long U.S. Department of Justice investigation, (the largest and longest of a police department in Justice Department history), report findings were issued that reveal scathing, disturbing, and completely unacceptable patterns of unconstitutional policing as executed by the Chicago Police Department against the very citizens they are sworn to protect. Shooting at vehicles without justification; using force to retaliate against and punish individuals; and failing to deescalate situations, all without predictable, timely, and transparent discipline are just a few examples of the outrageous practices outlined in the report. In spite of these disturbing findings, the citizens of Chicago are only left with platitudes, promises, and politics from the Mayor, the Chicago Police Department, and the Justice Department. Their announcement of intent to sign an agreement to work together on a consent decree is thoroughly inadequate and insulting because at the conclusion, we are left with no consent decree in place. I found the Mayors remarks and those of the Superintendent to be weak regarding the consent decree. This way of responding to unearthed and unveiled corrupt patterns and practices is the Chicago way but that simply does not work and does not match up with the extraordinary circumstances made plan by the report. Just like the city of Baltimore, we must have a consent decree now. One that puts the leadership and oversight of CPD squarely in the hands of the courts. That is why over the next few days, I will convene a series of meetings with some of the citys top constitutional lawyers to bring a case to court that will result in the Justice Department being ordered to institute a consent decree now."
Hailing the "remarkable work" of French police, Paris prosecutors on Friday announced preliminary charges against six more suspects in the armed jewelry heist of Kim Kardashian West.

That brings the total number of people charged so far in the probe to 10. All but one of the suspects are men, including at least one previously known to police for robbery and money forgery.

Robbers are believed to have forced their way into the apartment where Kardashian West was staying during Paris Fashion Week in October. They allegedly tied up the reality TV star and stole more than $10 million worth of jewelry. Authorities are now looking at a possible inside job.

The preliminary charges filed Friday against six suspects ranging in age from 29 to 72 covered an array of alleged crimes. They included: armed robbery in an organized gang; kidnapping; criminal association; illegal possession of firearms  including a Kalashnikov rifle  and ammunition; use of forged papers and a fake identity, and complicity.

Preliminary charges  the first in the case  were also filed against four other people on Thursday.

Paris prosecutors have identified the 10 suspects only by their first names and surname initials and their dates of birth. Those charged Friday were:

Aomar A., 60; faces preliminary charges of armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping, criminal association, illegal possession of ammunition, using a fake identify and false papers.

Pierre B., 72; preliminary charges of armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping and criminal association.

Didier D., 61; preliminary charges of armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping, criminal association and illegally possessing a Kalashnikov rifle.

Francois D., 54; preliminary charges of armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping, criminal association and possession of false papers.

Harminy A., 29; preliminary charges of armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping and criminal association.

Christiane G., 70. The only woman among the 10 was handed preliminary charges of complicity in armed robbery and kidnapping, criminal association and the illegal possession of ammunition.

On Thursday, Kardashian West's sister, Khloe Kardashian, welcomed the filing of charges as a "kind of closure" and denounced the robbery as "a disgusting act."

Rich or poor, nobody deserves "anything to be taken from them," she told The Associated Press.
Blake Lively may want to re-examine her family tree.

The actress was being mocked on social media for a new L'Oreal commercial aimed at promoting a makeup foundation that matches a wide range of skin tones. Lively states in the L'Oreal ad that she is "English, German, Irish and Cherokee."

The statement set Twitter amok.

Blake Lively is about as Cherokee as I am. (Spoiler: I am 0% Cherokee.)  Jeff Fecke (@jkfecke) January 13, 2017

But this is not the first time Lively has said she's part Cherokee. In 2015, the same L'Oreal True Match Foundation ad promoted her ancestry.

It's also not the first time Lively's caught social media fire. In 2016 she was also mocked for posting a picture of herself in a tight-fitting gown with the caption "L.A. face with an Oakland booty."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFhx9lGR4Jj/

According to Cherokee Nation Tribal Registration, you must be able to provide documents that connect you to a direct Cherokee ancestor listed on the Dawes Final Rolls with a blood degree. Today, the Cherokee Nations has more than 315,000 citizens, but we do not know if Blake Lively is one of them.

L'Oreal did not respond to a request for comment.
Umm. Has anyone broken the news to Mr. Fantastic?

'Fantastic Four' co-stars Kate Mara and Jamie Bell, who portrayed Sue Storm and the Thing in the 2015 reboot, are getting married, the actress' rep confirmed to E! News exclusively Friday.

Mara, 33, and Bell, 30, sparked engagement rumors last year after the actress was seen wearing a different ring on her ring finger. When asked then if they were engaged, the British actor told E! News, "No," while the actress chucked at the question.

Celeb Wedding Dresses

Mara and Bell met on the set of Fantastic Four in 2014. They first fueled dating rumors at the Met Gala in May 2015, holding hands as they made their way into a private after-party. That September, they were spotted looking cozy on a beach in Malibu.

A month later, they were seen kissing on a street corner in New York City.

This will mark the first marriage for both Mara and Bell. He and Westworld's Evan Rachel Wood split in 2014 after a 19 month relationship and welcoming a son.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, who has been on the front lines of the battle to reform the Chicago Police Department, says the Department of Justice report released Friday only goes so far.

Those things are not new to us, he said, speaking of the DOJs findings. The one thing I didnt hear, that may be in the report, hopefullythat may be the most difficult is the culture.

A culture that groups like the American Civil Liberties Union say needs to change.

The report told Chicagoans what we have known for yearsthe system of policing is broken, said ACLU Director of Police Practice Karen Sheley. There are problems with the use of force policy, training and oversight that has damaged both the community and police officers who are attempting to serve the city with dignity.

The ACLU has proposed a series of reforms, but like many, they say a consent decree is necessary to make sure things actually change.

The Rev. Janette Wilson is one of the activists meeting with the attorney general in the wake of Fridays report.

We need a consent decree of some type that will remain in force even in the next administration, said Wilson. I think its helpful to have the chief lawyer for the country to indicate that, yes, you have a serious problem and here are some suggestions for change.

William Calloway, who fought to win the release of the Laquan McDonald tape, said it was a successful meeting.

I think it was a great meeting, Calloway said. I think she was very receptive to what is going on.

Others, like activist JMal Green, say they were excluded because their agenda is not the same as the Justice Departments.

Dont tell us what we already know. Do something. We want justice, Green said Friday. We want officers charged, we want Mayor Emanuel charged."
Local law enforcement officials were reacting Friday after the Department of Justice released its findings of constitutional abuse by the Chicago Police Departmentbut some say the report is politically motivated.

The Fraternal Order of Police tells NBC 5 that it endorses many of the recommendations as wellbut takes issue with the DOJs findings of constitutional violationscalling the 13-month investigation a rush job.

If we stretch it out were looking at an 11-month investigation, said Dean Angelo of the FOP, adding that investigating 12,000 people in that time frame is pretty quick.

Retired Chicago police officer Richard Wooten said he welcomes proposed changes in the wake of the findings. The 23-year veteran met with DOJ investigators in 2016 and pointed to the need for more community policing, transparent hiring practices and improved training.

The majority of the officers on the job, they want change, Wooten told NBC 5. This department is still operating behind the times.

Investigators reviewed hundreds of documents, visited 22 police districts, did 60 ride-alongs and interviewed 340 Chicago Police Department members. The DOJ says it attempted to contact former superintendent Gary McCarthy but he was unavailable. McCarthy told NBC 5 in a text message that the DOJs assertion that he was unavailable is a lie.

With all the investigative resources of the federal government, they cant find me here in River North? McCarthys text read.

But Chicago Police Board President Lori Lightfoot says McCarthy had his chance to speak up.

Mr. McCarthy clearly could have availed himself of those opportunities if he felt like his voice was important and needed to be heard, she told reporters.

Lightfoot also said DOJs report is similar to the citys task force findings.

She says improved training and transparency will benefit everyoneotherwise the city will continue to hemorrhage money in legal battles.

That is madness, we need to stop that, she said.
Ten people were shot across the city over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, leaving four dead, according to Chicago Police.

The most recent killing happened Saturday morning in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. Two men, ages 27 and 39, were standing in the street at 8:05 a.m. in the 1100 block of South Francisco when someone got out of a black car and fired multiple shots, according to police. The shooter then got back into the vehicle and drove off northbound on Francisco. The 27-year-old was shot in the head and chest and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The older man suffered a gunshot wound to the back and was also taken to Mount Sinai, where he was listed in good condition.

Another man was killed and a woman was wounded about 3:30 a.m. in the South Side Englewood neighborhood, where at least five people went into a house in the 6000 block of South Carpenter and shot two people repeatedly, police said. A man thought to be between 25 and 35 years old was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 26-year-old woman was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital.

The Cook County medical examiners office has not released the victims names.

A 20-year-old man slain shortly before 10 p.m. Friday in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Devonta Spraggins was driving east on 72nd Street when a white Ford Explorer pulled up to him near Washtenaw Avenue and someone inside it shot him in the chest, police and the medical examiners office said. Spraggins, who lived a block away in the 7200 block of South Talman, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 10:22 p.m.

The first fatal shooting happened about 4 p.m. in Austin on the West Side, where a 21-year-old man got into an argument with someone who shot him repeatedly in the 600 block of North Central Avenue. He died at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, police said. His identity was not released Saturday morning.

A 17-year-old boy was critically wounded in the weekends latest nonfatal shooting, which happened about 12:30 a.m. Saturday inside a Little Village restaurant. He got into an argument with a group of people, and one of them pulled out a gun to shoot him numerous times, police said. He was in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Less than an hour earlier in the same neighborhood, someone in a passing vehicle opened fire on a 21-year-old man standing outside in the 2300 block of South Kedzie at 11:40 p.m. He was shot in the leg and taken to Mount Sinai, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Ten minutes earlier, a 28-year-old man was wounded in a Washington Heights neighborhood drive-by shooting on the Far South Side. It happened about 11:30 p.m. in the 10500 block of South Sangamon, and he was taken to Christ Medical Center in good condition with an arm wound, police said.

The first nonfatal attack of the weekend happened about 5:15 p.m. in West Garfield Park, where a 19-year-old man heard gunfire in the 4000 block of West Madison and realized hed been hit in the leg, police said. His condition was stabilized at Stroger Hospital.

Nine people were shot in Chicago last weekend.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner kicked off planning for the state's 200th birthday Thursday by unveiling the bicentennial logo at the historic Old State Capitol in Springfield, where Abraham Lincoln once served in the Legislature.

Rauner showed off the gold-and-blue symbol with its designer at the first meeting of the Illinois Bicentennial Commission, which was formed to organize the festivities in 2018.

"We reflect virtually every aspect of America," the Republican said. "We are a crossroads of the nation."

The logo, which was designed and donated by Ben Olson of the Schaumburg-based public relations firm 3 Monkeys and an Aardvark Studios, reflects those strengths, bicentennial organizers said. [[410734415, C]]

Twenty-one gold stars  marking Illinois' 1818 entry into the union as its 21st state  surround a blue outline of the state. In the middle of the bicentennial logo is a gold-colored "200" in a white sunburst with rays emanating in all directions.

"The sunburst in the middle of the state outline portrays the impact Illinois has made on the country and the world over the past two centuries and the bright future we aspire to for the next 200 years," said Stuart Layne, the commission's executive director.

Although Native Americans have lived in Illinois for centuries  Cahokia in southern Illinois had an advanced city of as many as 40,000 people 1,000 years ago  French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to record their sighting of Illinois in 1673. It was claimed by the French and later the British before joining the U.S. as a territory in 1787.

Lincoln was elected to the state Legislature in 1834, when the young state was just 16 years old.

Rauner, a wealthy private-equity investor who often calls himself a "volunteer" because he accepts a nominal $1 annual salary as governor, expressed his excitement about the upcoming celebration.

"I want this to be a better place for everyone," he said. "This is my chance to give back. I want to make a difference; I want to do it on a bipartisan basis."

The commission is chaired by Gloria Castillo, president of nonprofit Chicago United, and Randy Dunn, president of the Southern Illinois University system, and includes 40 members drawn from different career fields across the state. Its goal is to publicize the state and its achievements and generate interest among young people in its history.
A car crashed into a suburban Chicago home Friday morning after an 84-year-old driver blew through a stop sign.

Before smashing into an elderly couples kitchen in Park Ridge, the car struck two trees and a lamppost before smashing through the brick wall and coming to rest inside the home in the 1300 block of Greenwood Avenue about 10:50 a.m., police said.

We were just finishing our breakfast and I was doing some bills over thereright in front of  when it came, resident Donna Larson said. It was like a bomb blowI mean it was that loud.

Larson and another resident in the home at the time of the crash were uninjured, police said. The driver was treated at the scene for non-life threatening and minor injuries before being transported to Lutheran General Hospital.

Im feeling really fortunate that we didnt lose this whole kitchen, Larson said, pointed to bricks, debris and flipped-over furniture thrown throughout the home.

The home was being boarded up Friday morning and police said the family would be able to reoccupy the residence once that effort was finished.

This house is a wonderful house, its very sturdy, it was built by a good builder andthank God, she said.

Police said the driver will be cited for "several driving violations" and an investigation was ongoing. Drugs and alcohol were not suspected.
The Chicago Cubs had only a handful of players that were eligible for salary arbitration this season, and they have reportedly reached deals with two of those key contributors on Friday.

According to multiple reports, the Cubs reached a new one-year contract with reliever Hector Rondon. That deal will reportedly pay the former closer $5.8 million next season and will lock him into a role at the back-end of the teams bullpen.

In addition, the Cubs also avoided arbitration with Justin Grimm, signing him to a one-year deal worth $1.8 million, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Both players will still be arbitration eligible next year as well, meaning that the Cubs maintain at least one more year of control before Rondon hits free agency and two more years before Grimm can.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, Fridays deadline to come to an agreement before arbitration figures are exchanged may have passed without new deals for starting pitcher Jake Arrieta and reliever Pedro Strop. There is still time to get a new deal agreed to before any hearing could take place, but things are likely going to be tough with Arrieta as hell be a free agent at the end of the 2017 season.

As for what the new deals mean for the players that have signed, it seems as though Rondon will remain in an eighth inning role with the Cubs next season. With the acquisition of Wade Davis, Rondon doesnt appear to be in line to close games, a job that he lost last season when the Cubs got Aroldis Chapman in a trade with the New York Yankees.

Grimm likely wont see an elevated role either, as Strop will likely be the seventh inning man and guys like Koji Uehara and Carl Edwards Jr. figure to be more prominent members of the teams relief corps.
Third baseman Todd Frazier has agreed to a $12 million, one-year contract with the White Sox after a mixed first season in Chicago.

The deal Friday, which avoided salary arbitration, gives Frazier a substantial raise from the $7.5 million he earned last year. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

A two-time NL All-Star, Frazier was acquired last offseason from Cincinnati in a three-team deal that included the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a career-low .225 but set personal bests with 40 home runs, 98 RBIs, 89 runs and 64 walks.

The White Sox have no more players eligible for arbitration after reaching a $5.9 million deal with right-hander Miguel Gonzalez and a $1,117,500 deal with right-hander Zach Putnam.

Gonzalez went 5-8 with a 3.73 ERA in 23 starts and 24 appearances after signing with the White Sox on April 7.

Putnam made 25 relief appearances before season-ending right elbow surgery.
Takata Corp. has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal charge and will pay $1 billion in fines and restitution for a years-long scheme to conceal a deadly defect in its automotive air bag inflators.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit announced the plea deal on Friday, the same day it unsealed a six-count grand jury indictment against three former Takata executives who are accused of executing the scheme by falsifying and altering test reports that showed the inflators could rupture.

Takata inflators can explode with too much force, spewing shrapnel into automobiles. At least 11 people have been killed by the inflators in the U.S. and 16 worldwide. More than 180 have been injured.

Under the plea deal, Takata will pay a $25 million criminal fine, $125 million to individuals injured by the air bags and $850 million to automakers that purchased the inflators.

A U.S. District Court judge in Detroit has appointed attorney Kenneth Feinberg to distribute restitution payments.

Payments to individuals must be made soon. Money due to automakers must be paid within five days of Takata's anticipated sale or merger. Takata is expected to be sold to another auto supplier or investor sometime this year.

"Automotive suppliers who sell products that are supposed to protect consumers from injury or death must put safety ahead of profits," said Barbara McQuade, the U.S. Attorney in Detroit, whose office worked on a two-year investigation into the company. "If they choose instead to engage in fraud, we will hold accountable the individuals and business entities who are responsible."

Takata, based in Japan, has its U.S. headquarters in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

As of 2015, Takata was the second-largest supplier of air bags in the world, accounting for 20 percent of the air bags sold.

The government said Takata had minimal internal controls and failed to notice its executives' misconduct for years. It alleged that Takata falsified test data to deceive automakers that used its inflators in their vehicles. Once senior Takata executives did learn that employees had falsified air bag reports, in 2009, they failed to take disciplinary action against those employees until 2015.

"Cheaters will not be allowed to gain an advantage over the good corporate citizens who play by the rules," McQuade said.

All three executives who were charged are now in Japan and were suspended by Takata last year.

McQuade said her office will work with Japanese authorities and do everything in its power to extradite them to the U.S. to face trial.
House Republicans have shown no inclination to challenge President-elect Donald Trump on ethics matters. Instead, they are going after the federal ethics official who questioned Trump's potential conflicts of interest.

Democrats slammed the move, saying GOP lawmakers are trying to intimidate an independent watchdog for having the temerity to challenge Trump's business arrangements.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has summoned Walter Shaub Jr., the director of the Office of Government Ethics, to answer questions about his public comments on Trump.

This week, Shaub issued a scathing review of Trump's plan to turn over control of his business to his sons. Shaub said in a speech Wednesday that the only way Trump could avoid a conflict of interest as president would be to divest from his business and have his assets placed in a blind trust. "Stepping back from running his business is meaningless from a conflict of interest perspective," Shaub said of Trump.

Chaffetz sent Shaub a sternly worded letter late Thursday requesting that he sit for a transcribed interview. He said the interview would "help the committee understand how you perceive OGE's role, among other things."

"Your agency's mission is to provide clear ethics guidance, not engage in public relations," Chaffetz wrote.

In an interview, Chaffetz said Shaub is offering opinions on conflicts of interest without fully researching the circumstances. "What he's doing is highly unethical," Chaffetz said.

Chaffetz said his own letter was drafted before Shaub's speech. Chaffetz said he has been trying to meet with Shaub since the fall but that Shaub has declined his invitations. "All I wanted to do is try to get him to come in and talk to us," Chaffetz said.

Chaffetz' letter cited a series of tweets by Shaub in November. In the tweets, Shaub congratulated Trump for agreeing to divest from his business  an agreement that Trump never made.

The congressman's letter did not mention Shaub's speech.

In the speech, Shaub noted that members of Trump's Cabinet  some of them very wealthy, like Trump  are required to place their assets in a blind trust. Shaub said the president should be held to the same standard. "The plan the president-elect has announced doesn't meet the standards that the best of his nominees are meeting and that every president in the past four decades has met," Shaub said.

Shaub's criticism of Trump has been echoed by several government watchdog groups and both Republican and Democratic government ethics experts. They include Norman Eisen, a former chief ethics counselor for President Barack Obama, and Richard Painter, who served in the same role for President George W. Bush.

Congressional Democrats sharply criticized Chaffetz for summoning Shaub.

"The Oversight Committee has not held one hearing, conducted one interview, or obtained one document about President-elect Donald Trump's massive global entanglements, yet it is now apparently rushing to launch an investigation of the key government official for warning against the risks caused by President-elect Donald Trump's current plans," said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, then top Democrat on the committee.

Some Democrats see a coordinated effort by Republicans to undermine the office responsible for ethics reviews of Cabinet nominees and ensuring they will avoid conflicts of interests.

"Instead of honoring his committee's responsibility to hold the administration accountable, Chairman Chaffetz has appointed himself President-elect Trump's chief strongman and enforcer," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

A week ago, Shaub complained that Senate Republicans were moving ahead with confirmation hearings before Trump's choices had reached ethics agreements.

This week, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., circulated an online petition that says, "It's time for the bureaucrats at the Office of Government Ethics to pick up the pace on vetting President-elect Trump's nominees for the cabinet."
Steve Harvey was invited by the Obama and Trump transition teams to meet with President-Elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower earlier Friday.

"Well, you know, it's not my jump into politics. I'm not gonna pass a background check. But it's just me following orders from my friend, President Obama, who says, 'Steve, you gotta,' as he told everybody, get out from behind your computer, stop tweeting and texting, and get out there and sit down and talk," Harvey told reporters following the meeting. "So I stepped from behind my microphone and I came and talked to the guy that's gonna be the 45th president of the United States. I did what I was supposed to do."

At the meeting, Trump introduced Harvey to Dr. Ben Carson, Trump's pick for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, over the phone. They discussed housing and mentoring programs for inner cities youths. Harvey wants to "bring about some positive in the inner cities," which he felt was his "only agenda."

Harvey and Carson say they want to make a difference in cities like Chicago and Detroit. "Carson expressed that cause, quite naturally, he's from Detroit," said Harvey.

"I walked away feeling like I had just talked with a man who genuinely wants to make a difference in this area," said Harvey in a tweet posted after the meeting.

"It's an honor to be invited to talk and I think that's the only way that we're gonna unify our country. We gotta talk, you know. President Obama said, 'You gotta sit down and talk,'" Harvey told a reporter.

When asked about Trump's pick for Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, who has been criticized for his work against civil rights, Harvey said "I don't really like commenting on stuff I don't really understand or know about."

Harvey, who turns 60 on Jan. 17, told reporters he would not be attending Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 because, he deadpanned, his wife informed him they would not be attending.
Keep an eye on the picnic basket. Bear sightings are surging across Connecticut.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says there were about 6,700 black bear sightings in 2016, a 49 percent increase over the previous year. Compare that to only about 450 sightings in 2000.

State wildlife biologist Paul Rego says black bear populations in Connecticut and other states have been increasing as land once used for farming has reverted back to forest. About 58 percent of the state is forest now, compared with 29 percent in 1860.

Rego says black bears disappeared from the state in the mid-1800s and didn't return until the early 1980s.

State officials urge residents to take precautions against attracting bears, including removing bird feeders and other sources of food from yards.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, says he will attend next week's presidential inauguration even though his "first inclination was to decline" the invitation.

An active surrogate for Democrat Hillary Clinton during the campaign, Malloy noted Friday how President-Elect Donald Trump was not his preferred candidate or that of most Connecticut voters.

And while Malloy says Trump's recent conduct hasn't "assuaged my grave concern that he intends to fundamentally lead this nation in the wrong direction," the Democrat contends "compassionate and reasoned voices" shouldn't shrink away -- "be they Democrat, Republican or independent."

Malloy was an outspoken Trump critic during the campaign, describing him as having "fascist tendencies." Trump took political shots at Malloy during a Connecticut rally, calling him a "bad governor."
The inauguration has been a key event at the start of each presidency since George Washington took the first oath of office in 1789.

Certain features have remained fairly constant over the years, including the oath and the inaugural address. Other aspects, such as the date, have changed. The event has grown and evolved with the times, and there have been some mishaps along the way.

Inaugural Addresses and Botched Oaths

The inaugural address has been an important staple of the ceremony. Presidents use the speech to inform the country of their intentions. George Washington was able to convey his in 135 words during his second inauguration, the shortest inaugural address on record.

William Henry Harrison set the record for longest speech at 8,495 words, which he delivered over nearly two hours without hat or coat in the middle of a snowstorm. His death has long been attributed to his prolonged exposure to bad weather at his March 4 inauguration, but modern historians and public health specialists believe he died due to sewage-contaminated water at the White House.

At least five times during a presidential swearing-in ceremony, either the incoming president taking the presidential oath or the justice administering it has stumbled over the words, according to Jim Bendat, author of Democracys Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President 1789-2013.

One of the most awkward moments in inauguration history occurred in 2009, when Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the oath during President Barack Obamas swearing-in ceremony, putting the word faithfully in the wrong place. Though it was a minor slip of the tongue, concern was raised that Obama may not have been properly sworn in. They later repeated the 35-word oath, in the right order, at the White House.

President Lyndon B. Johnson, however, takes the prize for the most botched oath. During President John F. Kennedy's inauguration, then-Vice President Johnson pledged to accept his post without any mental reservation whatever, instead of without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. At the time, no one seemed to notice or care.

So Help Me God

Prior to his swearing-in ceremony on March 4, 1933, President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, attended a service at St. John's Episcopal Church, near the White House. The couple repeated the ritual before Roosevelts 1937 and 1941 inaugurations, and arranged for a private service at the White House the morning of his fourth inauguration.

Following his custom of attending church on each anniversary of his first inauguration on March 4, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt went to prayer services at St. Johns Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 1942. As he left the church he stopped to chat with the Rev. Endicott Peabody, left, headmaster emeritus of Groton school. At right is Major General Edwin M. Watson, presidential secretary and military aide.

The Roosevelts set a precedent that has been followed by every president since, with nearly all making their morning worship stop at St. John's Episcopal.

Passing the Torch

In 1789, George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States. As we prepare for President-elect Joe Biden's swearing-in, here is a look at our country's very first presidential inauguration.

The president-elect and the outgoing president proceed together to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremonies. It's an image that helps convey the peaceful transfer of power. This tradition has endured, with few exceptions, since 1837, when Martin Van Buren and Andrew Jackson rode together in a carriage made from wood taken from the U.S.S. Constitution.

Outgoing President John Quincy Adams did not attend the ceremony of his successor, President Andrew Jackson, in 1829. The relationship between the two men was damaged by the bitter campaign of 1828. Jackson blamed the verbal attacks made by Adams and his political allies for the death of his wife.

History could repeat itself on Jan. 21. President Donald Trump, who has refused to accept his electoral defeat, is expected to skip the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, NBC News reports.

President George W. Bush escorts President-elect Barack Obama out of the North Portico of the White House to the limousine they will share on their ride to the Capitol on January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC.

President Andrew Johnson did not accompany President-elect Ulysses S. Grant to the Capitol, nor did he attend the inaugural ceremonies. Instead, he remained at the White House signing last-minute legislation.

Pomp and Circumstance

After his second inauguration, in 1805, President Thomas Jefferson rode on horseback from the Capitol to the White House amid a spontaneous gathering of members of Congress and citizens, accompanied by music performed by the Marine Band  a procession that grew into the present-day's inaugural parade. The Marine Band has played at every presidential inauguration since.

Over the years, the parades have become more elaborate. In 1837, Martin Van Buren became the first president to have floats at his parade. Nearly two centuries later, in 2009, more than 10,000 people from all 50 states marched in President Barack Obama's first inauguration.

A band marches in President Barack Obama's second inaugural parade, Jan. 20, 2009.

And though turnout to witness the inauguration of the first black president of the United States shattered records, it was Dwight D. Eisenhower's first inaugural parade in 1953 that takes the cake for most extravagant. That one had 25,000 marchers, 73 bands, 59 floats, horses and elephants, and went on for more than four hours. The Texas-born president was even lassoed in the reviewing stand by a cowboy who rode up to him on horse.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, center, seems to be getting a big kick out of being lassoed by Monte Montana, dressed in cowboy style, as he reviewed the inaugural parade from presidential stand in front of the White House, Jan. 20, 1953, Washington, D.C.

It was that excess that forced a cap on the number of marchers at 15,000.

President-elect Biden's inauguration will be mostly virtual to deter large crowds from gathering and possibly spreading the coronavirus era. It will include a "virtual parade across America" and a pared-down gathering of government officials and dignitaries for his swearing-in.

A Ball of a Time

While some tickets for President Donald Trump's Washingtonian Inaugural Ball  one of three he held  went for as much as $1,250 a pop, the 400 tickets to James Madisons celebration went for $4 each.

The Inaugural ball is a highlight of Washington society. Over the years, organizers have increased the number of events due to a high demand for tickets. Obama attended 10 official balls for his first inaugural in 2009. President Bill Clinton's second inauguration in 1997 had an all-time high with 14.

PHOTOS: First Ladies' Inaugural Ball Gowns Through the Years

The most riotous inauguration reception goes to President Andrew Jackson. After Jackson was sworn-in on March 4, 1829, he invited the American public to the White House for a celebration. Overwhelming crowds ruined many White House furnishings, and forced the new president to make a getaway through a window. White House staff reported the carpets smelled of cheese for months afterward.

Crowd in front of White House during Andrew Jackson's first inaugural reception in 1829.

A Stormy History

President Franklin Pierce awoke to heavy snow on his inauguration day on March 4, 1853. Though the skies looked to be clearing by noon, it began to snow again as he began his inaugural address. It came down heavier than ever, dispersing much of the crowd and ruining plans for the parade. Abigail Fillmore, first lady to outgoing President Millard Fillmore, caught a cold as she sat on the frigid, damp platform during the swearing-in ceremony. The cold developed into pneumonia and she died at the end of the month.

The day before President William H. Taft's ceremony, a blizzard pummeled Washington, D.C. Strong winds toppled trees and telephone poles, trains were stalled and city streets were impassable. Sanitation workers shoveled sand and snow through half the night. It took 6,000 men and 500 wagons to clear 58,000 tons of snow and slush from the parade route.

Despite the freezing temperatures, a large crowd gathered in front of the Capitol to view the inauguration, but the weather forced the ceremony indoors. Just after the swearing-in, the snow tapered off.

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan's second swearing-in ceremony, on Jan. 21, had to be held indoors and the inaugural parade canceled because of record low temperatures  the coldest inauguration ever. Medical and military authorities had warned Reagan that "exposed flesh can freeze within five to 10 minutes, triggering considerable danger to many of the parade and ceremony participants, spectators and the general public."
A dogfight between Lockheed Martin and President-elect Donald Trump seems to be settling, and Fort Worth could come out on top.

Lockheed Martin's CEO, Marillyn Hewson, was all smiles as she walked out of Trump Tower on Friday.

"I had a great meeting with president-elect," she told reporters.

It's a big difference from another meeting Dec. 22 that didn't seem to end so well. After it ended, Trump tweeted:

"Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!"

Trump criticized the cost of the F-35 program, calling it "out of control."

The comment didn't sit well with employees in North Texas, where the jets are built.

"I think he's crazy," said Lino Garay, a maintenance worker for Lockheed Martin for 38 years.

According to Lockheed Martin, the F-35 program employs nearly 39,000 Texans and pumps $3.4 billion into the economy.

Losing the deal would be a major blow, perhaps the reason just three weeks later, Hewson now says she is a close to landing a deal to lower costs.

"I certainly share his views that we need to get the best capability to our men and women in uniform, and we have to get it at the lowest possible price," Hewson said.

Hewson also said the latest deal would bring 1,800 new jobs to Fort Worth. That's 800 more than they originally anticipated.

"When you think about the supply chain across 45 states in the U.S., it's going to be thousands and thousands of jobs," Hewson said.
It's hard to forget what happened to Christopher Robran when he threw some extra batteries for his nicotine device in his pants pocket.

"It sounded like a fuse going off, and then there's like fireworks going off in my pants," Robran said.

Two years ago, the North Texas man showed us the hole left behind in his blue jeans and the damage done to his thigh after those batteries exploded.

He says flames were shooting from his pants.

"So, I'm pulling my pants down, and my two friends come running over to me," Robran said.

The problem is pretty simple if you were paying attention in science class.

The two batteries were in his pocket with his keys. The metal interacted with the lithum ion batteries. That's when the power started flowing.

The company that makes them said it caused a short circuit and led to the fire in his pants.

But with so many people using these devices, and often needing backup because the battery dies, the government is taking action.

The Food and Drug Administration is holding a meeting of the minds in April to discuss what happened to Robran and other Americans who have had batteries overheat, catch fire or explode.

They're hoping to come up with safety features, design changes and some other alternative form of powering the electronic nicotine devices to make sure what happened to people like Robran doesn't happen again.

"I want everyone to know about the dangers of these, and they need to take precautions if they're looking into buying these," he said.

In the meantime, remember to be cautious about how and where you store your batteries.
The city of Dallas will partner with a local non-profit group to assess the needs of hundreds of low-income West Dallas tenants who could be forced to leave their homes in June.

The city confirmed details of the plan to NBC 5 on Friday.

The plan calls for volunteers to survey the residents' financial and medical needs  among other things  to better understand the resources they need to stay in their homes or find a new place to live.

Barring an extension, tenants have until June 3 to buy their homes from their current landlord, HMK Ltd., or move out.

"I think the plan was a little late in coming. We have already lost a lot of families," said Stephanie Hanson, an HMK tenant living on disability. "The best scenario is for them not to be displaced out of the neighborhood, for their kids to continue in the schools."

HMK announced last year that it was pulling more than 300 of its properties off the rental market after a dispute with the city over new minimum housing standards.

HMK has put out a detailed, long-term plan to bring affordable housing to West Dallas, but the company has not responded to questions from NBC 5 about its plans to help residents who cannot afford to buy their homes.

In its plan HMK said it wants the city of Dallas to help acquire federal funding for multiple projects.

The city has told the company's executive, Khraish Khraish, that HMK is free to do what it wants with its property and does not need the city's help to apply for federal funding for affordable housing projects.

As the two sides continue their stalemate, community advocates like Alex Garcia are on the ground in the community making sure tenants understand their rights. He said some families have already given up and left. Others do not trust the city or HMK.

"You have to be transparent. They've got know that you are for real. You've got to know how to communicate, because they don't know whats going on," he said. "What's lacking right now is empowerment."

Next week, city leaders will meet with tenants and community advocates to discuss the plan. An official announcement is expected by February.

As an Army veteran, Hanson is already planning for the future, whether it's in West Dallas or somewhere else.

"I got plan A, B, and C. Sometimes I just think about moving into an Inwood Suites, taking a few months to regroup," she said, chuckling. "That might be a good avenue."
Governor Ige

Hawaii State Capitol

Dear Governor, January 12, 2017

I would like to bring a distressing situation to your attention, and ask that you immediately take action to correct this egregious problem.

The Veterans memorial for Korean War and Vietnam veterans on the grounds of the State Capitol has literally become an open latrine for homeless people (see attached photos). As a Marine veteran myself, I find this problem to be intolerable. On Monday (Jan. 9), while showing the memorial to an out-of-state visitor we were confronted by debris left by nesting homeless people and large piles of excrement. Needless to say our guest was not impressed. I returned days later (Jan 11) to see if the area had been cleaned up in the course of normal maintenance activity only to discover that it had now grown far, far worse. The accumulation of excrement and hundreds of flies have now become a serious public health problem. I might point out that this deplorable scene is in the front yard of the Hawaii State Capitol.

What was intended to be a dignified memorial to the sacrifices of our combat veterans has become a symbol of the States irresponsibility and lack of respect.

The continued increase in the number of homeless around Iolani Palace and the State Capitol has created an environment that encourages criminal activity including vandalism, littering and now serious public health issues. This is no longer just another facet of our vexing homeless problem; it is now a problem involving criminal behavior that puts the public at risk. This situation has reached a tipping point with the desecration of the Veterans Memorial and must be addressed as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Bob McDermott

State House of Representatives

KHON: Veterans memorial defiled on state Capitol grounds

HNN: Lawmaker calls for action after human feces found at Honolulu war memorials
A North Texas mother is searching for help after she was surprised with a huge hospital bill. Even though her hospital was in-network, it turns out her specific doctor was not.

When Axelle Brown welcomed the newest member of her family, Colton, she had taken all the steps: picking the right doctor, hospital and birthing classes, and making sure it was all within budget.

"One of the first questions they asked me is, 'Do you want anesthesia?' And I being a first time mom, I said yes," Brown said.

But when she left Baylor All Saints Hospital with her bundle of joy, she didn't know she'd also be bringing home some serious unexpected debt.

"I get a bill a few months later for almost $6,000, which was shocking to me because I was at an in-network hospital," she said.

Brown's hospital visit was covered. But when she decided to get an epidural for the extra pain, they sent in a doctor to do it who wasn't on her insurance plan.

Her insurance paid part of the bill, but the nearly $6,000 that was left had to come out of her pocket.

"I'm a teacher. I don't make very much. This bill is more than I make in two months. I called them and was crying on the phone with them," Brown said.

The surprise bill is not unique to just the Brown family. In the NBC 5 Responds Consumer Investigative Center we've logged more than dozen calls from people in North Texas with similar stories from different hospitals and insurance companies across the Metroplex. Their hospital visits were covered but specific doctors who weren't.

"I don't know if it's the hospital, the insurance company, the anesthesiologist, I don't know what it is," Brown said.

Her insurance company, Aetna, says it does pay a set amount, but in Texas, out-of-network doctors have the right to charge more.

In a statement, Aetna said, in part:

"We have long supported legislation that prohibits out-of-network providers from billing patients at outrageous rates."

Baylor All Saints, where Colton was born, said navigating the health-care system is complex and it has processes to help when the unexpected happens.

And Northstar Anesthesia, the doctors who sent the $6,000 bill, said they've been working with insurance companies, and now 80 percent of patients at Baylor are in-network, and in the next 45 days 99 percent of patients will be covered.

So what happened to the Browns should go away for other mothers, and thanks to NBC 5 Responds, it goes away for them, too. Northstar Anesthesia agreed to reduce Brown's bill to only $170 after we stepped in to help.

"This shouldn't be a surprise to people. If you go to a in-network hospital, it should be an in-network doctor. Your insurance should cover it. It shouldn't be thousands of dollars," Brown said.

Here's what you should know:
Iraqi forces have won a string of swift territorial gains in Mosul in the fight against the Islamic State group after months of slow progress. Government troops retook the eastern edge of a third bridge in Mosul Saturday and a cluster of buildings inside Mosul university, according to a senior Iraqi officer overseeing the operation.

IS fighters overran Mosul in the summer of 2014, announcing from there their self-styled "caliphate" after taking a large swath of Iraq and Syria in a lightning surge. Access to the city's central bank, a large taxable civilian population and nearby oilfields quickly made IS the world's wealthiest terrorist group.

Yet even as a punishing campaign of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes has pushed the militants underground, IS leaders continued to use Mosul as a key logistical hub for planning meetings. If recaptured by the Iraqi forces, IS territory in Iraq that once stretched across a third of the country would be reduced to small pockets in the north and west that troops will likely be able to mop up relatively quickly.

Iraqi forces now control the eastern sides of three of the city's five bridges that span the Tigris river connecting Mosul's east to west. Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition bombed the city's bridges late last year in an effort to isolate IS fighters in the city's east by disrupting resupply routes.

At Mosul University, senior commanders said that Iraqi forces have secured more than half of the campus Saturday amid stiff resistance, but clashes were ongoing into the afternoon. Iraqi forces entered the university from the southeast Friday morning and by nightfall had secured a handful of buildings, Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said on a tour of the university Saturday.

"We watched all the IS fighters gather in that building, so we blew it up," said special forces Sgt. Maj. Haytham Ghani pointing to one of the blackened technical college buildings where charred desks could be seen inside. "You can still see some of their corpses," he added.

Thick clouds of black smoke rose from the middle of the sprawling complex Saturday morning. By afternoon, clashes had intensified with volleys of sniper and mortar fire targeting the advancing Iraqi forces. Convoys of Iraqi Humvees snaked through the campus, pausing for artillery and airstrikes to clear snipers perched within classrooms, dormitories and behind the trees that line the campus streets.

As Iraqi forces have closed in on the Tigris river that roughly divides Mosul into eastern and western halves, their pace has quickened. IS defenses in the city's east appear to be thinning and unlike in the surrounding neighborhoods, Iraqi officers said they believe Mosul university and recently retaken government buildings are largely empty of civilians  allowing them to use air cover more liberally.

Iraqi soldiers at Mosul university said while they were still coming under heavy small arms fire, IS resistance was significantly less than they faced during the first weeks of the Mosul operation.

"We were targeted with only four car bombs where before (IS) would send 20 in one day," special forces Lt. Zain al-Abadeen said. "And they aren't armored like before, they're just using civilian cars."

Medics operating a small field hospital in eastern Mosul said civilian casualties have dropped significantly over the past three days as Iraqi forces moved into government complexes like the university rather than dense civilian neighborhoods.

The massive operation to retake Mosul from IS was launched in October. Since then Iraqi forces have slowly clawed back more than a third of the city. IS maintains tight control of the city's western half where Iraqi forces will likely encounter another wave of heavy IS resistance. The west of the city is home to some of Mosul's densest neighborhoods and an estimated 700,000 civilians.

Also Saturday, IS launched its biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested Syrian city of Deir el-Zour in an attempt to maintain a grip on the eastern stretch of the neighboring country where the group's de facto capital of Raqqa lies.
The University of California, San Diego will receive $10.5 million from Switzerlands Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation to research the mysteries of human breast milk.

Breast milk is known to be the best source of nutrition for babies, but the composition of human milk still puzzles researchers. The foundation is funding a new initiative to provide an evidence-based understanding of how genetic and environmental factors affect human milk. The initiative also will research how human milk affects the health of the recipient over their lifespan.

"UC San Diego has a strong track record for interdisciplinary collaborations and researchers who aren't afraid to challenge conventional wisdom," UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said in a statement. "As one of the world's top research universities, we are committed to advancing the wellbeing of our society.

The Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation's gift includes seed funding for a new center at UC San Diego (called Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence). The cash will also go towards an endowed faculty chair in collaborative human milk research, as well as a collaboration and fellow fund for collaborative studies either within UC San Diego or with external researchers.

The center will accept further gifts and endowments, which will allow it to grow over time, the university stated in a press release.

Lars Bode, associate professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine, has been named the center's director.

Based in Zug, Switzerland, the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation is an independent charitable group that supports research in human milk and lactation. The gift to UC San Diego follows the foundation's endowment of two professorships in this field at the University of Western Australia and the University of Zurich.

[[283098621,C]]
Five people were arrested for allegedly helping the accused killer of sheriff's Sgt. Steve Owen evade arrest before his capture, authorities said Friday.

The accused killer, 27-year-old Trenton Trevon Lovell of Lancaster, pleaded not guilty Monday to a murder charge in the Oct. 5 killing of Owen.

Lovell, who is being held without bail, is due back in court Feb. 15 for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

Owen, 53, was fatally shot while responding to a young mother's 911 call reporting a burglary at her apartment building in the 3200 block of West Avenue J-7.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Lovell shot Owen behind a residence after being confronted by the sergeant, who radioed that he had the suspect at gunpoint before he was shot. The first responding deputy fired numerous times at Lovell, who had pointed his weapon at him, striking the suspect once in the shoulder.

Lovell allegedly jumped into the sergeant's patrol vehicle while a second deputy arrived at the scene, then rammed the deputy's vehicle with Owen's patrol car.

"Not only did the suspect want to kill our deputies, he held two teenagers hostage in a neighboring house until they were rescued by the heroic efforts of our Special Enforcement Bureau and our Lancaster Station personnel," Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.

On Thursday, sheriff's homicide detectives arrested five men on suspicion of helping Lovell evade arrest after the killing. They were identified as Lydell Herd, 31; Robert Thomas, 28; Richard Cowley, 24; and Larry Johnson, 27, all of Los Angeles; and Deshawn Peterson, 18, of Lancaster.

The suspects were arrested on warrants at or near their residences.

"Homicide detectives developed undisclosed information that the suspects attempted to help Trenton Lovell evade arrest after he shot Sgt. Steve Owen and held two teens hostage at their home near the shooting scene," according to the sheriff's department. "Lovell was ultimately arrested outside of the teens' residence without incident."

During Thursday's warrant service operation, authorities also arrested Sakina Rashiduddin, a 24-year-old Los Angeles woman, on outstanding warrants.

In addition to the warrants for allegedly helping Lovell evade arrest, Herd was arrested on suspicion of possession of narcotics for sale; Thomas and Cowley were arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm; and Johnson was arrested on suspicion of a parole violation.

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
A mother working three jobs, including as an Uber and Lyft driver, was killed and her passenger critically injured in a crash early Saturday in Arlington Heights.

The other driver involved in the crash ran away from the wreck, but was later arrested hours later.

The two-vehicle crash occurred after 3:45 a.m. at Arlington Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Batallion Chief Steve Skelly.

The Uber and Lyft driver was identified by family as 52-year-old Folesha Parker-Iverson.

Both occupants, Parker-Iverson and her passenger, were trapped in the dark-colored car for several minutes.

The mother died at the scene and the other woman was taken to the hospital with critical injuries, Skelly said.

Chales Parker and Ryandi Iverson, her two young daughters, say their mother worked three jobs as a counselor technician at A.B. Miller High School in Fontana and as an Uber and Lyft driver every day of the week.

Their mother's death comes not long after they lost their father to lung cancer.

"God chooses people like he chooses flowers," Parker said. "He picks the prettiest ones. The ones that are ready, that are bloomed. The ones that he wants for his bouquet. So it's like she was one of the flowers he picked."

What led up to the crash is still under investigation.

The driver of the silver sedan faces felony hit-and-run charges, police said.

Several streets, including Arlington Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, were closed during the investigation.

If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe account set up to help the family, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 7.9 percent of all funds raised in the form of platform and payment processing charges.
Cindy Chafian planned to renew her wedding vows for her 20th anniversary at the historic Obici House in Suffolk, Virginia.



Instead, she'll be at a hospital recovering from kidney transplant surgery. Her husband is her donor.



"Instead of celebrating by having a big party, we're going to celebrate by being in different hospital rooms," Cindy, 45, said. "He is literally giving me the gift of life. Grateful, humbled, thankful and a little excited."



Scott's humble.

"I'm the one who's lucky here," Scott, 47, said. "She's been so sick for several years now. She'll say, I'm giving her life back, but I'm getting my wife back."



Cindy suffers from polycystic kidney disease that eventually shuts down the kidneys and leaves patients on dialysis for the rest of their lives or on waiting lists for a kidney.



"Unfortunately both my children inherited it," said Cindy's mother, Ann Walters, 61.



Cindy, raised in Southern California, has been living with her husband, a Navy veteran, in Virginia for nearly 20 years. She, her husband, and their five children in tow, will go to the hospital on Jan. 24 for the transplant surgery. Cindy's mom is flying out. The surgery will take up to 10 hours for both Cindy and Scott.



Scott will recover at the hospital for up to four days. Cindy will be in the hospital for five days.



This is familiar territory for Cindy. Her uncle got a transplant from his wife 17 years ago.



"It's comforting," she said. "You know what to expect. It's not uncharted territory."



The decision wasn't easy. But she was in so much pain -- her kidneys were failing, her body shutting down, that her kids hardly saw their mom.



She was fatigued. She had no energy. She lost muscle mass. Walking up stairs was taxing.



She had been on dialysis for two years. It was no way to live.



The couple learned Scott was a match and she gave her blessing to have him be her donor in October. Everything was a go before Christmas.



If they hadn't decided on surgery, they would be planning their 20th wedding anniversary. They had picked a place, The Obici House, whose namesake, Amedeo Obici, founded Planters Nut and Chocolate Company.



The romantic location is an Italian Renaissance-style house that overlooks the Nansemond River.



They had a date -- July 17. They told the family to save the date.



Instead they'll have time to reflect on their love, the obstacles they overcame and how much they care about each other while recovering at home.



It'll be a full year before she can get back to a more active lifestyle.



"Maybe when we get home, we'll do a little something ... it'll be us and the kids," Scott said. "And that'll be totally OK."
A judge has ordered a notorious serial rapist who muffled victim's screams with a pillowcase back to a California state mental hospital because he violated terms of his release.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said Friday that a judge in Northern California revoked the conditional release of Christopher Hubbart.

Lacey says the judge recommitted Hubbart to Coalinga State Hospital for at least a year.

Lacey says the 65-year-old who raped dozens of women between 1971 and 1982 remains a danger and needs additional treatment.

Hubbart was taken into custody at his Los Angeles County residence in August after failing five polygraph tests.

Hubbart's release in 2014 was widely criticized and protesters routinely demonstrated outside his house in a sparsely populated desert area.
A woman accused of framing the ex-fiancee of her husband pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that could land her behind bars for up to nearly 14 years.

Angela Maria Diaz, 31, of Phoenix, Arizona, was charged last Friday with two counts each of kidnapping, false imprisonment, forgery and possession of a forged check exceeding $950, and single counts of perjury and grand theft.

She also faces a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime to police.

Diaz, who was extradited from Arizona on Thursday, remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail pending a Jan. 24 pretrial hearing at the North Justice Center in Fullerton. Diaz's attorney, Allison Margolin, declined comment.

The 30-year-old alleged victim, Michelle Suzanne Hadley, previously spent several months behind bars in the case due to what turned out to be bogus allegations, prosecutors said. Charges were recently dropped against Hadley, who was falsely accused of using online classified ads to encourage men to fulfill rape fantasies with Diaz in Anaheim, according to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.

Hadley was engaged for about two years to a U.S. Marshals Service agent. After they broke up, he married Diaz in February of last year. The man, whose name was not released, is separated from Diaz now. Diaz allegedly used sophisticated computer software to spoof emails and make it appear Hadley was posting online classified ads encouraging men to sexually assault Diaz.

After Diaz allegedly staged an attempted sexual assault on herself in which she had red marks on her neck and breast, police arrested Hadley, Rackauckas said. At some point during the investigation, as authorities were seeking computer addresses for the origin of those emails, they began to suspect Diaz was framing Hadley, Deputy District Attorney Rick Zimmer said. Diaz also is accused of doctoring a paycheck to add $2,000, an alleged crime uncovered during the investigation.

Diaz is additionally accused of faking cervical cancer, masquerading as an attorney, forging doctor's notes, faking a pregnancy and posing as two ex-girlfriends of her estranged husband.

"From what we're seeing, she's a serial con artist," Zimmer told reporters last week. "She duped us. It was very sophisticated, well thought out and took a great deal of planning."

The estranged husband has not been accused of wrongdoing, but the investigation is ongoing, Rackauckas said. Hadley was previously falsely accused of directing multiple threats against Diaz and an "unborn child" via email between June and July of last year.

It appears Diaz "faked a sonogram" of twins at one point, Zimmer said. "We don't believe she was ever actually pregnant," he said. Hadley was served with a protective order June 6 prohibiting her from contacting Diaz, but the false "stalking" continued, according to Zimmer.

After the posting of Craigslist ads inviting men over to fulfill "rape fantasies," at least two responded, including a 17-year-old boy, Zimmer said. Diaz called Anaheim police June 24 to report that a man got into her garage and attempted to rape her before she was able to call for help and scare off her attacker, Rackauckas said.

Hadley was arrested later that day and the threatening emails ceased, Rackauckas said. But once Hadley posted bail and was released, the threats resumed, he said. The emailed threats included images of decapitated bodies and aborted fetuses, the county's top prosecutor said. Hadley was arrested again on July 14 and was ordered held on $1 million bail.

She was released on her own recognizance Oct. 7 when investigators noticed the alleged cracks in Diaz's story. Zimmer said last week that he "felt sick to my stomach" when he began to realize an innocent person had been jailed.

"I've had more sleepless nights these past six months than I've ever had," he said. "The last thing our office wants to do is charge an innocent person." Investigators suspect Diaz might have learned how to spoof emails and disguise the origins of the correspondence through her job with a U.S. Bankruptcy trustee, Zimmer said.

In that line of work, she became familiar with virtual private networks, or VPNs. "When a person who has committed a crime gets arrested and charged, that's a bad day," Rackauckas said. "But when someone who is innocent gets arrested and charged with some crime, that's not just a bad day -- it's a nightmare.

This is the tale of a woman who faced such a nightmare, but with the help of her attorney and law enforcement, who continued to seek the truth, she will be able to be exonerated."

Hadley's attorney, Michael Guisti, told reporters that he thought prosecutors should have waited to check the Internet addresses on the emails before moving in for the arrest, but he was grateful that investigators worked to exonerate his client. The defense attorney believes the man the two women have in common was somehow involved, characterizing him as "manipulative." But Zimmer said there is no evidence so far that Diaz's estranged husband conspired with her to frame Hadley.
U.S. & World

News from around the country and around the globe
A new court is now hearing cases in Miami-Dade, and the defendants all have one important thing in common they're all veterans.

Elliot Lovett served his country in the army, but battled a different war when he cane home.

"I had an episode with PTSD, flashbacks or whatever," he said.

Post-traumatic stress disorder caused the veteran to live a life of crime, but the court system is looking to help veterans like Lovett with something new.

The new veterans treatment court intends to provide rehab services for veterans charged with non violent crimes who suffer from mental health and substance abuse disorders.

"We hope that they will become healthy citizens participating citizens in our community and law abiding citizens, which protects all of us," said Marisa Tinkler Mendez, associate administrative judge.

The 11th Judicial Circuit Court received a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to support the veterans treatment court.

Judges say this treatment court took over five years to complete. For veterans like Lovett, the new system means a new start for another chapter in their lives.

"This program is going to help a lot of veterans, and I'm just one of them," Lovett said. "One of the first, one of the few."
Dr. William Hume, one of my professors at Luther Seminary, wrote a book entitled  Vintage Years: Growing Older With Meaning and Hope. In one chapter he lifts up the positive aspects of aging, such as becoming free from the cultural demands on us to prove our worth or competence, having greater enjoyment of life by living in the present moment, and gaining deeper insights into spiritual realities.

Those in the Vintage Years have gifts of wisdom, faith and service that are like a fine wine that matures and gets better with age.

I stand in awe of the faithfulness, energy and service that our Senior Saints share. When the snow and freezing cold Montana winters come on Sundays, the Senior Saints at my church are present at worship, when younger members choose to stay home. There is a deep reservoir of faith that abides in our Senior Saints that I admire and respect.

While attending an Alban Institute workshop, Dr. Roy Ostwald jokingly remarked that there are three categories of Seniors, the Go Goes, the Slow Goes  and the No Goes. We have many Go Goes  at St. Johns, and I bet you do too in your church. The Senior Saints in their 70s and 80s enthusiastically serve on our committees, host funeral receptions, make quilts to send overseas, serve at the coffee hours between services, teach Sunday School, do visitations, and are the core of our volunteer ministry for our church.

Some of these Go Goes not only babysit their grandchildren but raise them in their own homes, often caring for their aging parents as well. They are passing down the legacy of faith to their grandchildren and our younger members. Im reminded of St. Pauls words in 2 Timothy 1:5  I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, Im sure, lives in you. I call them Gospel Grandmothers, Gospel Grandparents. They are Gods good news that live and serve joyfully in our midst.

The Bible has many stories of Senior Saints such as Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Simeon and Anna, whom God used in their vintage years in powerful ways. I still see God using our Senior Saints in wonderful ways in our communities and churches. For many seniors, retirement has become a time of refirement. They have a passion and energy that seems unbounded.

We know that our population is aging and have heard that the segment of the population that is growing fastest is the 85+ group. Why do we see this trend as a negative one for our churches and community? Media and society glorify youth. It has been said, Youth is a gift. Aging is a work of art. The truth is that many Senior Saints have taken the experiences of life and created a true work of art with their lives. They are still creating and are a valuable segment of our society. Almost one third of our lives will now be lived following retirement. What is God calling us to be and do in the last third of our lives on earth?

The Ten Commandments teach us: Honor your father and mother. How can we honor our Senior Saints for who they are and what they do? We can sincerely thank them for the faithful service they share so freely. We can be patient with them when they are not moving as fast as we would like. We can listen to them as they share their stories and wisdom in this fast changing world. We can visit them and show them the love of God, that they are valued and honored, not for what they do or produce but as wise saints of God.

We can learn from them as they have walked through grief and loss and the changes of life and still have the courage to live vibrant lives. We can learn from them the art of visiting with one another and how to gather together to comfort one another and to celebrate life. We can advocate and speak up for them when leaders in our country threaten to cut Social Security, Medicare and other benefits.

We give thanks for the Senior Saints who have enriched our lives. We stand on the shoulders of these faithful saints who are now in their vintage years, who have provided a foundation of faith and showed us what unselfish service and what love is all about. Lets not wait till they have passed on to say good things about them and to them. Senior Saints, our heartfelt thanks are extended to you. You are like a fine wine. Thanks for pouring out your lives upon us. You inspire us and we are indebted to you!
Recently-released photos are giving an inside look at the scene where prosecutors say a student in a federal job training program in Homestead was allegedly killed by his own classmates.

Police say 17-year-old Jose Amaya Guardado was hacked with a machete and made to lie in a grave in his final moments in July 2015. Five suspects have been charged with killing their classmate and their cases are working their way through the courts.

Family members say Guardado was a quiet teen trying to better himself at the Homestead Job Corps program. But prosecutors say it was at a shallow grave in southwest Miami-Dade where his life came to a tragic end.

Detectives say those charged with killing Guardado spent time to dig the grave, lured him to the area, and with him subdued made Guardado lay down in the grave.

"It's really hard because my brother was an honest kid," brother Freddy Amaya Guardado said.

NBC 6 also obtained photos showing two of those charged - Jonathan Lucas and alleged ringleader Kaheem Arabello - shortly after police grabbed them, both showing their hands to the police photographer.

Detectives were looking for marks on their hands as police say Guardado was killed with a machete. The photos from the wooded area show the tree branches sliced in multiple locations. Police say those charged got rid of the weapon.

Detectives say the killers tried to cover their tracks by burning the clothes Guardado was wearing. Police say the five charged suspects also set their own clothes on fire, and a green cigarette lighter was also found, along with a glove and a sock.

Guardado's brother was the one who found his body.

"Every day, every night, every time I'm working I cannot think about it, every time I pass by there I can not stop looking back where I found him," he said.

Police say after the murder the female charged, Desiray Strickland, had sex with Arabello in the woods not far from where Guardado's body was in the shallow grave.

The five charged have all entered not guilty pleas and their lawyers have taken extraordinary steps to in their view make sure they get a fair trial. Those efforts have involved getting hearings normally public closed, and keeping material like the recently-released photos out of the public view.
Authorities in a small central Florida city located 40 miles southwest of Orlando are warning residents that a fugitive wanted for the fatal shooting of an Orlando police officer may be hiding in the area.

The Haines City police posted on social media Friday that 41-year-old Markeith Loyd is believed to have family in the area. A reward of $100,000 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.

Authorities have been searching for Loyd since Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was killed Monday in the parking lot of an Orlando Wal-Mart.

Clayton's funeral service is planned for Saturday.

A police motorcade escorted a hearse with her body through downtown Orlando.

Orlando Police Department workers lined the street outside as the motorcade passed headquarters.
Police are searching for the culprit who's stolen over $3,500 worth of lawn equipment and tools from a North Miami Home Depot.

North Miami Police Department is investigating multiple grand thefts that occurred at the Home Depot located at 12055 Biscayne Boulevard.

The suspect is described as a black male, medium build, 40 to 50 years old, 57 and 150 lbs.

Anyone with information on the suspect, or the stolen merchandise, is asked to call the North Miami Police Department at 305-891-8111 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).
A Harlem woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly burning a 2-year-old boy with a curling iron on Long Island, police say.

The boy's mother was bathing him at their Baldwin home when he suddenly screamed in pain as she touched his left hand, Nassau County police said. She noticed redness on his hand and that he was in a significant amount of pain.

Authorities said the 2-year-old replied that the nanny burned him with an iron when his mom asked what happened. She then reviewed video from a home security camera, which allegedly showed the nanny touching a red curling iron to the hand and leg of the child.

The child's mother, Angela Persaud, recounted to NBC 4 New York the horrifying discovery on video.

"After she burns him several times, you see her -- you could tell she was telling him, 'See that's what happens when you don't listen,' and then she hugs him," said Persaud.

"She's playing these warped mind games with my child, and it's the most disgusting thing I've ever witnessed in my life," Persaud said, choking up in tears.

Persaud called police, and authorities arrested the 21-year-old nanny, Nosipho Nxumalo of Harlem, at 10:40 p.m Thursday without incident, officials said.

Court documents indicate Nxumalo admitted to the attack, saying "The child wouldn't listen. I wanted to discipline him using the iron so I burned him."

Nxumalo had been taking care of the boy for about two months. The child's mother told NBC 4 New York the nanny had been recommended by a local agency, Moms Helper Inc. The agency didn't return a call for comment Friday.

"This isn't something that just happened once. So my heart skips beats because I don't know what I don't know," said Persaud.

"You play everything over in your mind. Could I have prevented this, should I have asked her to leave earlier?" she said.

Nxumalo is being charged with two counts of assault in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and endangering the welfare of a child.

Nxumalo has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held on $25,000 bail. She received a stay away order of protection for the child and his parents, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.

She is represented by Legal Aid, but a specific attorney wasn't available.
The owner of a New Jersey truck company was arrested at Newark Airport as he was about to board a flight to Aruba Thursday, accused of racking up more than $1 million in unpaid E-ZPass tolls and fees, authorities say.

Lester Morales, 34, of Little Ferry, owns EAB Transport LLC/Do It Right Trucking in Jersey City, and had about 100 trucks going through tolls more than 100 times a day with a delinquent E-ZPass account for 13 months, according to New Jersey State Police.

After the two-month investigation, troopers learned that Morales was about to fly to Aruba on Thursday, and they alerted Port Authority police, who arrested him at Newark Airport, police said.

Morales was charged with theft of services and remanded to Middlesex County Jail without bail. Attorney information for him was not immediately available.
A trucker driving erratically on the Sunrise Highway on Long Island flipped over a guardrail and crashed into at least two parked cars off the highway Friday night, sparking a huge fire that killed him, police and witnesses say.

The crash off Sunrise Highway at Seaford Avenue in Wantagh at about 7:30 p.m. closed westbound lanes between Oakland and Seaford avenues for hours.

Witnesses say they saw a box truck driver weaving in and out of traffic with his hazard lights on.

Christine Walz told NBC 4 New York she was driving on the highway when she saw the truck driver swerving between cars.

"All of a sudden as we were going, he was a half-mile away from us, and all of a sudden a big cloud of smoke, it was unbelievable," she said.

Passenger Debbie Dorney recounted: "He thought he was a race car driver, driving crazy, up everyone's rear, beeping. We just turned around and said, 'Oh, my God, he's going to kill somebody.' And then all of a sudden, boom, it was a big burst of flames."

Bystander Allie Krill said she heard two explosions when the truck crashed. She said she tried to get to the truck after the first explosion and heard the driver scream, "Help me, help me," but it was too dangerous.

"We couldn't get to him, it was too hot. And when the [second] explosion went on, it was too late," she said, shaken.

Dorney said it was a "pure miracle" no one else but the driver was hurt in the crash because the road was packed.

The driver has not been identified.
The Architect of the Capitol, a federal agency that oversees maintenance of the US Capitol Complex, is responsible for the port-a-potty cover-up just ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

"The AOC is in the process of covering or removing signage on the portable toilets to bring them into compliance with Capitol Grounds restrictions on advertising," Justin Kieffer, spokesman for the Architect of the Capitol, told NBC News. "Our staff determined that the Gene's Johns signs can be easily peeled off. The Don's Johns signs cannot and are being covered with tape."

Thousands of port-a-potties are being installed on the National Mall for Inauguration Day and word spread Friday that blue tape was being placed over "Don's Johns" on the toilets, the name of one of the port-a-john suppliers.

Don's Johns Sanitation Services, of Virginia, has has long supplied portable restrooms for major outdoor events.

Under the blue tape, the company's name is clearly visible upon close inspection, but would be blocked for a wide-angle view by a camera.
It all started at an unheralded event called the Black Banjo Gathering, held in 2005 at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. That four-day conclave of young African American musicians explored the African and African American roots of American vernacular stylesa knifes edge if there ever was one, for the banjo was the icon of the racist minstrel shows of the nineteenth century. The gathering spawned the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops trio, who went out to learn from one of the few living black old-time country fiddlers, Joe Thompson, and built on his repertoire in fascinating and often challenging ways. Dom Flemons, who comes to the Ark on January 16, was that bands virtuoso multi-instrumentalist, and his growing solo career has produced traditional music of an unusual sort.

In contrast to the increasingly eclectic music of the Drops lead vocalist, Rhiannon Giddens, Flemons has cultivated the repertoire of old-time music along with its look and feel. He takes the stage in the classic folk uniform of suspenders and checked flannel shirt, and his 2014 album Prospect Hill contained traditional tunes from both black and white traditions as well as jug band music and originals in classic molds. Old-time country music and its distinctive African American twist continue to be present in his work, and he says that his background in percussion has influenced his banjo playingan African American outlook with deep resonances. A fluent player of the banjo, guitar, harmonica, fife, bones, bass drum, snare drum, and quills, Flemons is well equipped to explore a wide variety of forgotten sounds, and his generously long show takes you to a lot of corners of American music you may not know.

He calls himself simply the American Songster, and he lives up to that ambitious name. But the music he has made since Prospect Hill shows hints of new directions. Flemons website contains this statement of his aims: he would like to use the traditional forms of music he has heard and immersed himself in over the years to create new soundscapes that generate interest in old-time folk music. Focusing very much on creating music that is rooted in history but taking a contemporary approach, Dom hopes to reexamine what traditional music can become.

That aim showed up on Prospect Hill with a novel original called Grotto Beat that took off from the Southern African American fife-and-drum genre (which has roots as far back as the Revolutionary War) but added rap-like spoken-word elements to it. A recent EP, What Got Over, shows further experiments in the same vein; the title track adds electric guitar to contemporary but blues-like vocal lines (You tried to murder my soul, but you only lost me) and a big bass drum.

Lots of people are doing old-time music right now, of various kinds, and Flemons does it all well. But he also seems to be trying to create music thats rooted in American tradition in whole new ways. And, given the impressive history of this unique musician, thats an exciting prospect indeed.
A former Marine who disappeared Dec. 2 after a confrontation at a local bar in Camden County was found in a nearby lake, authorities said Saturday.

Lance James, 29, disappeared on Dec. 2 following an altercation at Hide-A-Way Tavern in Clementon. Family and friends searched with the help of state police the week before Christmas, but his body was not found in three nearby lakes and a wooded area.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced that James's body was found Friday during a search of Bottom Lake. The prosecutor's office said the cause of death was not yet determined, but there were no signs of trauma.

The bar, Hide-A-Way, was less than a mile from James' apartment.

NBC10.com first reported on James' disappearance in the immediate days after he went missing. Since then, police had searched the woods on foot, deployed drones to survey from the air and used sonar and dredging equipment to check three lakes near Clementon Park.

None of the efforts proved fruitful until Friday.

James spent five years as an active duty Marine, completing one-year tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Field Radio Technician. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and battles severe depression, his sister Jessica Hassan said.

"He has a big heart but he wears it on his sleeve. He will make you laugh and he is by far one of the most loyal people you will meet. When you befriend him you have a friend for life," Hassan said in December.
At David Packer's sentencing in 2011 for sex with a foster daughter and indecent assault of an adopted daughter, since identified as Grace Packer, a judge said the young girls "will struggle with this for quite a while."

Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach admonished Packer for taking the two underage girls into his home, "the place where these girls could seek safe haven and sort of determine their moral compass from you and you totally blew it."

"Hopefully, they will get the appropriate treatment," Banach said, according to court transcripts obtained by NBC10. "Hopefully, they are resilient enough that they will just move beyond this. But you had the potential to have caused them significant trauma."

At the time of the abuses, David Packer was married to Sara Packer, who is charged with Grace's rape and murder.

NBC10

The documents are proof that Grace Packer, described by friends and acquaintances as a sweet, friendly teenager, endured abuse from an early age.

Her troubled life came to an end in July when, authorities allege, her adoptive mother, Sara Packer, and Sara's boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan, carried out a "rape-murder fantasy" on the teenager.

The couple allegedly beat, raped and killed Grace Packer in their rented home in Quakertown and left her in the attic for months before eventually dumping the body in a wooded area of Luzerne County, according to authorities.

Sara Packer and Jacob Sullivan are being held without bail and scheduled to next appear in court Jan. 20.

According to the transcripts, Banach sentenced David Packer to 18 months to eight years in state prison for one count of statutory sexual assault of the foster daughter, who has never been identified, and one count of indecent assault of Grace Packer.

Identified in the transcripts as "Miss G.P.," Grace was 9 years old when her adoptive father forced her to touch his penis "numerous times," according to the documents.

In addition, David Packer admitted to having oral sex and intercourse with the foster daughter in 2007, when the girl was 15 and he was 31.

The court transcripts are dated June 21, 2011 and Oct. 10, 2011. At the June hearing, David Packer admitted to taking prescribed medication to treat depression and anxiety. He told Banach that 15 months earlier he had been hospitalized for mental illness.

"I take Lamictal, Effexor-XR and Klonopin," he testified.

At the October sentencing, Banach said a court-ordered clinical assessment concluded David Packer "does suffer from a mental abnormality or personality disorder, specifically, I believe it was pedophilia and paraphilia."

"I believe that (the clinician) opined that there was a likelihood that he would re-offend," the judge said.

In addition to his jail sentence, David Packer was ordered to register as a sex offender for life under Megan's Law.

In an interview with NBC10.com last month, David Packer denied that Grace Packer was one of the two victims. He told a reporter earlier this week that he would not comment any more about his conviction.

On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that Grace Packer was one of his victims.

At David Packer's plea hearing, the Lehigh County assistant district attorney who prosecuted David Packer said the victim, Miss G.P., told a detective of the indecent sexual touching involving her adoptive father.

Sara Packer, who until August of 2016 remained legally married to David Packer, was not mentioned in either court documents.

Authorities have not publicly discussed what she knew of David Packer's abuses at the time of their occurrences last decade.

However, Sara Packer was fired from her job as a case supervisor with the Northampton County Child, Youth and Family Office in April 2010, two months before David Packer was arrested and charged in the sex assault cases, according to a termination letter obtained by NBC10.com.

The exact reason for her termination was redacted by the county solicitor's office, but County Administrator Kevin Dolan wrote in the letter that Packer initially told him of what were deemed fireable offenses on Jan. 20, 2010.

"Based on the seriousness of these allegations of misconduct, you were suspended without pay effective January 20, 2010, pending the completion of the investigation," Dolan wrote.

The letter went on to note that the termination was based in part on documents Packer provided and that her "undisputed actions" violated the county's ethics and disciplinary employee codes.

The state Department of Human Services has opened an investigation into Sara Packer, who fostered 30 children since 1998 in addition to adopting Grace Packer and Grace's younger brother. The adoption took place in 2004 in Berks County.

The Packers, who are now divorced, received subsidies for fostering those children and for their custody of Grace and her brother. The brother is reportedly with extended family, but authorities have declined to be more specific about his care.

David Packer currently lives in Northampton Borough and works in Allentown, according to his Megan's Law entry. He is one of 1,928 offenders on the list of sexually violent predators.

During the two hearings in 2011, he said very little. He acknowledged the judge's instructions and answered her questions about the allegations and his ongoing treatment.

Banach said Packer had no one to blame but himself.

"It's all on you, you were the authority, you were the parental figure," the judge said. "You know, as Nancy Reagan says, just say no. There was no excuse for the behavior."
UPDATE: Mayor Kenney plans on discussing the ban next week.

A park in a posh section of Philadelphia has banned people from sitting on walls near a fountain after neighbors complained the practice led to pot smoking.

The ban at Rittenhouse Square went into effect Thursday.

Jackie Whyte is a member of Friends of Rittenhouse, which manages the park. Whyte says the decision was made "due to continuous vandalism and marijuana smoking."

The city decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2014.

The walls are popular places to sit at lunchtime, especially in warmer months as benches fill with office workers and area residents.

A Facebook group is organizing a Sittenhouse Lunch Time Sit-On on Tuesday to perch on walls in protest of the ban. The group notes "the forecast is 50 and sunny, perfect for wall-sitting."

Another group is planning a Toke Back the Wall gathering on Inauguration Day, Friday, January 20th.
Friends and family are mourning a father of two who was gunned down while waiting to be picked up for work Friday night in the Tacony section of Philadelphia.

Khayyan Fruster, 28, was outside his home on the 6600 block of Hegerman Street Friday around 8:15 p.m. Fruster worked at A Bobs Towing and was waiting for his coworker, a 48-year-old man, to pick him up.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video showing an unidentified gunman walking toward Fruster as he entered his coworker's tow truck. The gunman opened fire and then fled the scene.

Fruster was struck in the head and his coworker was shot several times. The coworker managed to make it up to the front steps of Fruster's home. His moans alerted Fruster's family members who were inside. Neighbors, including Harvey King, ran outside and called 911.

"First thought was to try to help this guy," King said. "But he was already gone."

Police took Fruster to Hahnemann Hospital where he died from his injury at 10:26 p.m. Frusters coworker was taken to Aria-Torresdale Hospital where he is currently in critical condition.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video of a gunman killing a father of two who was on his way to work and critically injuring the victims coworker.

Fruster had two children, ages 8 and 11. He worked at A Bobs Towing for more than four years and was preparing to buy his own home prior to his death, according to his friends.

"I'm becoming a future officer of the Philadelphia Police Department," said Khayyan's best friend Job Henri. "That's one thing Khayyan wanted to do with himself. He wanted to protect and serve."

No arrests have been made in the shooting. Police continue to investigate.

"Khayyan had no enemies," said Frankie Brown, a family friend. "He goes to work. He comes home."

Brown had a message for the gunman.

"I don't know how you sleep or how you're going to be able to sleep," she said. "You took away something special. Something precious from all of us."
The FBI released images of a suspect wanted in connection to a series of bank robberies across San Diego.

The suspect was dubbed "The Bag Trick Bandit" for hiding his hand inside a bag during two of the robberies, as if he was concealing a weapon.

According to authorities, the most recent robbery occurred on Jan. 8 at the US Bank on Midway Drive. During this robbery, the suspect actually held up a semi-automatic handgun.

There were two consecutive robberies reported on Dec. 21, 2016 at the US Bank on Clairemont Drive in Clairemont and the Bank of America on Ulric Street in Linda Vista.

Another robbery was reported at the Wells Fargo Bank on Clairemont Drive on Jan. 5.

The suspect is described to be around 30-years-old, 6-feet tall with a thin build.

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the San Diego Police Department are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at (858)320-1800 or San Diego Police.
With the Chargers now gone, Mayor Kevin Faulconer has shifted his focus on keeping Comic-Con in San Diego by increasing hotel room taxes to support a Convention Center expansion.

Faulconer highlighted the idea in his State of the City address at Balboa Theatre on Thursday night, essentially defibrillating a proposal that critics say is on life support.

The proposal to expand the Convention Center has some obvious hurdles, and they are coming to light as the proposal is challenged in court.

One big issue is the fact that there is no financing plan to pay for the approximately $700 million construction project. In fact, the city doesnt even have access to the land where it would go. To complicate things further, another company is planning to build a 500-room hotel in the exact same spot.

A Superior Court decision on a lawsuit aimed at stopping the decades-long push for expansion will be made soon.

There are several challenges that remain ahead. The first of which were going to have an answer on pretty soon, said Port Commissioner Bob Nelson, who has also served as the chairman of the Convention Center.

Nelson said despite the many obstacles, the plan has broad public support.

Whether its because people realize the Convention Center generates tens of millions of dollars of tax revenue a year to use for police services, roads and parks, or whether its just because they like to attend the Auto Show every year, the plan to expand has strong public support, Nelson said.

People out enjoying Marina Park Friday agreed.

We need more money and revenue to come here to San Diego, so building that expansion here will definitely bring more people out, said Gabriel Tan, a runner who was enjoying the Embarcadero on Friday.

Greg Bartz, who was also enjoying the waterfront, agreed.

They need to keep Comic-Con here and keep the money flowing into San Diego, especially now with the Chargers gone, Bartz said.

It could be a tough road to getting it done, though.

The city doesnt have access to a swath of land in between the Convention Center and the San Diego Bay where it wants to build the extra convention space.

The company that does have the lease plans to build a hotel in the exact same spot where the Convention Center would expand.

Nelson said the city could negotiate a deal with that company or even take the land by eminent domain.

A study into the environmental impacts of the proposed hotel just began, and the hotel blueprint has not gained approval of the Coastal Commission.

Faulconer said in his State-of-the-City address that he wants to raise the tax on hotel room rates to fund the expansion, after the previous financing plan was thrown out in court.

That could be the biggest hurdle because it would now require approval of two-thirds of voters, thanks to a recent change in state law.

The financing is a big deal. When you have to get two-thirds of the voters to agree on anything, its very, very difficult, Nelson said. Im not even sure that you could get two-thirds of voters to agree that today is Friday.
Three men wearing masks walked into an Oak Park jewelry store and robbed the owner at gunpoint Tuesday, leaving with several pieces of jewelry.

Surveillance video captured the robbery that took place at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday in the Westover Jewelry store inside Fam-Mart on Euclid Avenue.

Three men carried hammers and a gun while wearing white masks and dark hoodies, San Diego Police said.

The owner was held at gunpoint while two of the suspects used the hammers to smash a display case and take off with the items from inside.

The suspects drove away in a light color four-door sedan, possibly a Kia, police said.

Police told NBC 7 the suspects fired multiple rounds at a customer who followed the trio in his own car.

One shell casing was recovered at McGann Drive near Grape Street, according to police.

Anyone with information on the identity or location of the suspects can call SDPD at (619) 531-2299 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.
San Diego is positioning itself to be a global leader in cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is responsible for 7,620 direct jobs and 16,580 total jobs impacted in San Diego, according to a Cybersecurity Impact Study.

The demand for security online is only going to grow over time, according Richard Quinones, Vice President of State, Local Education at iboss Cybersecurity.

If you use your credit card, youre vulnerable. Big data has now become a big vulnerability, Quinones said.

The cybersecurity company has offices around the world and its headquarters in San Diego. It was founded by San Diego natives and twin brothers Peter and Paul Martini in 2003.

In October 2015, iboss completed a new $14 million office in Campus Point.

Quinones said the brothers went to UC San Diego and San Diego State University, and wanted to stay close to home because talent coming out of the local universities is strong.

It just made a great deal of sense to recruit from here because of the excellence in education, Quinones said.

Education and research in cybersecurity is growing at local schools.

Right now, San Diegos universities and colleges graduate 3,000 students annually with computer science and engineering degrees, according to an economic impact analysis and workforce study.

Recently Cal State San Marcos and the University of San Diego (USD) also launched two masters programs in cybersecurity.

Winnie Callahan is the Director for the Center of Cybersecurity, Engineering and Technology at USD. She said the layman is finally understanding that data breaches can impact everyone.

Hospitals, police departments around the country  this is a big problem, she said.

USDs masters program is only a year old. In its inaugural year, there were 17 students enrolled in the programnow there are over 100 students, with more on the wait list.

Callahan said students with a cybersecurity masters degree in engineering can expect to add $50,000 to their annual salary because the demand is so high.

The San Diego area is becoming well known as an incubator for companies in the IT space and certainly cybersecurity is one of those areas where there is great emphasis, Callahan said.
Thirty-five years ago Friday, in the midst of a blizzard, an Air Florida jetliner crashed into the 14th Street Bridge and the frozen Potomac River, killing 78 people.

Despite the dangerous weather, U.S. Park Police pilot Don Usher and his rescue technician Gene Windsor took off in their helicopter and performed what is now considered one of the greatest rescues in aviation history.

"The weather as bad as it was, I dont think anyone thought a helicopter would get up on that day, but that helicopter got up and it went out and it saved lives," said U.S. Park Police Deputy Chief Scott Fear.

One by one, Usher and Windsor plucked five people from the icy water and delivered them to the safety of rescue workers on shore.

Stay informed about local news and weather in the D.C. area. Get the NBC4 Washington app for iOS or Android and pick your alerts.

While the weather made the rescue dangerous, pulling the victims and bringing them to the shore was a greater challenge.

"Had that tail rotor come in contact with the water, this might be a very very different story," said Sgt. Ken Burchell, a pilot for the U.S. Park Police.

Burchell trained in that chopper with Usher and said he and Windsor pulled off a highly dangerous maneuver that day.

When the last survivor struggled to stay afloat, Usher made the decision to dip the skid of the helicopter into the river so Windsor could reach the victim and get her to safety.

"That is not something we hope to ever do," Burchell said. "A tremendously risky maneuver. High risk for high results."

The rescue inspired a future generation of park police officers.

After the rescue, the chopper spent a few more years in service with the park police. But, like a lot of government equipment, it was eventually set to be retired and scrapped.

That's when the National Law Enforcement Museum stepped in and through an act of Congress, it managed to save the helicopter and have it restored.

"It was pretty rough and it didn't look like - it didnt have the U.S. Park Police colors anymore. The interior had been changed over. It had worked hard," said Rebecca Looney, with the National Law Enforcement Museum.

The helicopter is now fully restored and is back at the park police hanger in Anacostia.

It will be the centerpiece of the National Law Enforcement Museum, which is set to open in 2018.
The Montana Historical Society is asking the Legislature a sixth time for money to construct a new building during a session so far dominated by budget cuts.

Gov. Steve Bullocks infrastructure bill once again includes funding for the Montana Historical Society to build a new center and renovate its current space. The bill failed by one vote in the 2015 session, and will likely be a point of contention again with Democrats and Republicans disagreeing on which projects are a critical need.

The $200 million infrastructure bill for the 2017 session is a combination of cash and bonds and a dedicated trust account from coal severance taxes.

Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, has previously said the Republican caucus will consider bonding this session, but likely for water, sewer and roads projects.

On Friday, Chair of House Appropriations Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, said state buildings generally dont make the cut.

Despite a dim outlook for any agency seeking funds, the Montana Historical Society is asking again to address its lack of space and poor storage conditions. Theyve asked the Legislature to partially fund the project since the 2005 session.

We expect it to pass, Bruce Whittenberg, executive director of the Montana Historical Society, said. We certainly work hard to justify that investment.

With each session, the expansion project gets more expensive. When MHS originally asked for funding in 2005, the total cost was $37.5 million. In 2017, it will cost $44 million.

The governors infrastructure bill would allocate $27.6 million to the project. In 2005, the Legislature allowed $7.5 million of the total in bonding authority for the project, and $6.7 remains after paying for the project design. The historical society received over $3 million in private donations and expects the remaining $7 million to come when donors have the assurance of legislative funding.

Whittenberg and other experts at the museum are concerned about the age of the building. There are air quality issues that could damage items in the collection, and space limitations keep the historical society from showing a maximum of 8 percent of its collection at any given time.

The Montana Historical Society was chartered in 1865 in Virginia City by the territorial legislature. It moved to Helena in 1874 and was housed in the basement of the Capitol from 1902 until the Veterans and Pioneers Memorial Building was constructed in 1950.

If the Legislature approves, the historical society will renovate its current space and use surrounding state-owned property to construct a new facility, The Montana Heritage Center, and connect the two with a concourse gallery under Sixth Avenue. The Montana Heritage Center would provide 65,604 gross square feet of space for new exhibits, educational space, an outdoor amphitheatre and adequate storage for the collection when its not on display.

The renovated building would expand both the research center and the library and provide office space for the State Historic Preservation Office. There would also be a dedicated gallery for C.M. Russell art, which Whittenberg said is in high demand.

A 2016 economic impact analysis from the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana reports the expansion would create 427 temporary jobs in the construction phase and 180 permanent jobs to support new operations. Visitation is expected to increase by 78,000 visitors per year.

This year, the historical society faces cuts in its operational budget, which had its first hearing on Friday.

In preparation for the hearing, four of the seven-member joint education appropriations subcommittee attended a tour at the Montana Historical Society on Wednesday to better understand the space restraints and storage conditions of the building.

Reps. Tom Woods, Bradley Hamlett, Donald Jones and Sen. Terry Gauthier attended the tour, while senators Llew Jones, Lea Whitford and Rep. Tom Burnett did not.

The committee members saw a letter from Flora Wong, who escaped the Chinese communist revolution through an arranged marriage and came to live in Helena. In the basement were stored pieces from artist and author Stan Lyndes collection and a silver set from the USS Montana.

After discussing some of the challenges with the current space, the Montana Historical Society provided an update on its services, which include the museum, a research center, archiving state and local government records, publishing books on Montana history and Montana: The Magazine of Western History and educating students and teachers across the state.

Gov. Bullocks budget suggested a $335,000 cut to the historical societys base budget for the biennium. The education appropriations subcommittee introduced an additional $162,742 in cuts to total $497,742 for the biennium.

At the hearing on Friday, Whittenberg and Central Services Administrator Denise King tried to communicate their passion for preserving the states history and providing education to the 64,000 people who visit the Montana Historical Society each year.

King quoted Article IX section IV of the Montana Constitution, which states The Legislature shall provide for the identification, acquisition, restoration, enhancement, preservation, and administration of scenic, historic, archaeologic, scientific, cultural, and recreational areas, sites, records and objects, and for their use and enjoyment by the people.

Their one monetary request was a $40,000 appropriation to comply with a requirement to replace computers every five years. Of 100 desktops, 28 are five years or older.

As far as operations go, Whittenberg said additional cuts werent possible without affecting the care of art, ability to reach the public and the function of the research center.

There isnt any fat, he said. These are painful cuts to deal with.
One man was killed when he was shot inside of a vehicle in Prince Georges County, Maryland, according to police.

Officers responded to the 2900 block of Mueserbush Court, in Glenarden, Maryland, for reports of a shooting just after midnight Saturday. When they arrived, they found the victim with a gunshot wound inside a vehicle.

Police said the man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators remained on the scene throughout the early morning.
Soon-to-be Vice President Mike Pence makes emergency ice cream runs just like the rest of us -- except for the gang of Secret Service agents trailing him, of course.

Pence confirmed a Washington Post report Thursday that said he was spotted at a Safeway store not far from the Chevy Chase house he is renting until he moves into the United States Naval Observatory.

He tweeted, "I can confirm that when Mrs. Pence asks me to pick up ice cream, I pick up ice cream."

I can confirm that when Mrs. Pence asks me to pick up ice cream, I pick up ice cream.  https://t.co/GaQDqvIFZz  Mike Pence (@mike_pence) January 13, 2017

A shopper who saw Pence told the Post the Vice President-elect grapped two half-gallon tubs of Turkey Hill brand ice cream.

"Pence shook hands with a cashier on the way out but otherwise went undisturbed. He left in a convoy of three SUVs," the report said.

The report did not say which ice cream flavors Pence bought.
Note: This story is no longer being updated. Go here to see the latest Union Station information.

Commuters who use D.C.'s Union Station on Thursday, Jan. 19 will find the main entrance and part of the station closed.

Union Station's main hall, west hall and main entrance near Massachusetts Avenue NE will be closed all day for an event related to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, the head of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) said Friday afternoon.

The closure is not expected to change Amtrak, Metro, MARC, VRE or Greyhound service, USRC president and CEO Beverley Swaim-Staley said.

"None of the transportation service will be affected," she said. "What the impact will be is to entrances in the building."

USRC manages leased portions of the historic building and leads restoration efforts.

Commuters are advised to use the entrances to the building on H Street NE and 1st Street NE, which will be open all day Jan. 19.

Taxis will pick up and drop off passengers at the H Street NE entrance.

The west entrances will be open all day except for 7 p.m. to midnight, when they will be closed.

Go here to see a map of Union Station.

Swaim-Staley said the H Street NE entrance will be commuters' best bet.

"If Mass. Ave. is blocked off for any reason, they can always use H Street," she said.

Anyone who expects to ride a train or bus into or out of Union Station in the days surrounding the inauguration is advised to check the website of the relevant service.

The presidential inaugural committee did not respond to an inquiry about the event, which is not listed on the inauguration website.

Federal and business officials said Thursday that the busy transit station will be the site of a candlelit, invitation-only event in Trump's honor.

Information on whether Trump is expected to attend was not available.

Earlier in the day, Trump will attend the "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration" and "Voices of the People" concert from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial.
A Montgomery County jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict Friday in the murder trial of a man who was charged with the October 2015 shooting death of a transgender woman.

Rico LeBlond was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Zella Ziona, 21.

Ziona was found in an alley in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with gunshot wounds to the head and groin. She later died at a hospital.

LeBlond had known Ziona since middle school.

Prosecutors told the jury LeBlond attacked Ziona, because he was embarrassed after she flirted with him in front of his male friends, WTOP reported.

Police had been called to the scene shortly before the shooting death to break up a fight in which Ziona was hit with a stick.

Later that night, police believe Ziona was lured to the alley, where she was shot.

Defense attorney David Felsen said police gave substantially different descriptions of the person or people with guns who were fleeing the scene, WTOP reported.

After three days of deliberation, the jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of conviction. Judge Anne Albright declared a mistrial, WTOP reported.

A spokesman for the state attorneys office said prosecutors plan to retry the case this summer.

Family members had sought hate crime charges against LeBlond.

Transgender people face an increased rate of violence, and more transgender people were killed in 2015 -- 21 people -- than in any other year on record, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy organization.
Boston Police Commissioner William Evans is backing off plans to purchase high-tech software designed to comb social media for criminal activity.

On Friday, Evans released a statement saying he's instead asking his team to consider re-drafting the request for proposals.

"After reviewing the submitted proposals I felt that the technology that was presented exceeds the needs of the department. I met with Mayor Walsh and with his support we have decided not to enter into a contract at this time. Our plan from the beginning was to use this process to learn and examine the capabilities of the technology and use that information to make informed decisions," said Evans. "Moving forward, we will continue the process of inspecting what is available and ensuring that it meets the needs of the department while protecting the privacy of the public."

Evans is also looking for feedback from the public on the police department's use of technology and how it can be best used to ensure public safety. To do this, he has asked City Councilor Andrea Campbell, Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice, to initiate a public process to solicit feedback on key policy issues.

Several civil-rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts had urged the city to scrap plan to spend $1.4 million on the software saying they were concerned that it would be used to target minority populations.

Boston Police have released the following documents for more information on the software.

Superintendent Fitzgeral memo to Commissioner Evans

Boston Police Department Request for Proposals

Verint Technologies Proposal

Verint Technologies Cover Letter

Dataminr Proposal

Uncharted Proposal
A Maine woman was arrested Friday night and charged with the murder of her 7-week-old son, state police say.

Miranda Hopkins, a 32-year-old Troy resident, is accused of killing her son, Jaxson Hopkins, born Nov. 21.

The suspect called 911 early Thursday morning to tell police the baby was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead around 2:30 a.m. after police arrived at her trailer home on North Dixmont Road.

An autopsy was performed, but police are not releasing the cause of death.

Hopkins has two other sons, a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old. They are staying with relatives.

Police say Hopkins was taken to Waldo County Jail before she was expected to be sent to Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset.

It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney.
A man has been charged in connection with a 2014 Vermont highway crash that killed one retired Massachusetts police chief riding a motorcycle and critically injured another.

Vermont state police say Frank Sargent was charged Friday with gross negligent operation with serious bodily injury or death. They say a car driven by Sargent crossed the center line of Route 14 in Woodbury on June 29, 2014, and collided with the motorcyclists.

Killed was Joseph Rebello, a former police chief in Kingston, Massachusetts. Injured was Richard Braga, a former police chief from Hudson, Massachusetts. Two other motorcyclists avoided being struck.

Police say Sargent's car sustained extensive front-end damage.

Sargent says he has no comment on the crash or the charge against him and will appear in court Jan. 19 as scheduled.
A small marching band from the northernmost town in Maine has received a big honor: they have been invited to play at the Presidential Inauguration.

The Pride of Madawaska marching band, 28 members strong, will be playing at the Make America Great! Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday, Jan. 19, the day before Donald Trump is inaugurated.

Im probably going to be really nervous, but it will be worth it in the end, because well be able to show our talent in front of so many people at a very special event, said Madawaska marching band member Taylor Dionne.

The invitation was a complete surprise to the students. Marching Band Director Ben Meiklejohn quietly applied to be a part of the performance in November. The band just found out about the trip a few weeks ago.

Its a testament to the hard work these students have, and the passion they have for music, to be able to put together a program on short notice, said Meiklejohn.

Madawaskas band is the only ensemble from Maine  and the only from New England  to be invited to perform.

It gives us a great sense of pride for being a small town band, representing small town America, said Meiklejohn.

The Madawaska community has rallied around the band to help fundraise the $20,000 needed for the trip.
Opponents of a proposed irrigation district in Broadwater and Lewis and Clark counties implored legislators against providing state grants or loans for the project. But the district developer testified that opposition is largely stemming from one design option that is no longer being considered.

The Joint Subcommittee on Long-Range Planning heard House Bills 8 and 14 Thursday and Friday respectively. HB8 authorizes low-interest state loans for natural resource projects. HB14 authorizes grants for infrastructure projects.

The Avalanche Irrigation District proposed north of Canyon Ferry Reservoir is asking for a $6 million loan and $125,000 grant as it looks to bring water to up to 12,000 acres. While the area is a closed basin for new water rights, the districts water would be contracted through the Bureau of Reclamation, which holds stored water rights.

The project generated concerns among some area residents about impacts to ground water if wells were drilled as part of the project. Only wells deemed hydrologically connected to the reservoirs water could be considered part of Reclamations water right, and test wells were drilled to study the local hydrology.

Project developer Dennis Williams told the committee Thursday that wells will not be part of the project. The test well, he said, affected ground water up to two miles away. Plans now call for taking the water directly from Canyon Ferry.

We could not pump without effects on other water rights out there, he testified.

Rancher Daniel Davis testified in support, saying irrigation would open up new economic opportunities with new varieties of crops.

Opponents criticized the project on several fronts, saying the design has changed multiple times and stating unequivocally that new wells jeopardized the water rights and property values of area landowners.

Any additional drawdown will destroy some of our pasture, Jan Finn told the committee. (The project) has changed to multiple high capacity wells with the ability to destroy property rights.

Other residents voiced similar concerns about impacts from wells, suggesting dishonesty from developers who they said, had garnered support for a pump from the lake project only to bring wells into the conversation later.

Ive seen that the opponents have an absolutely legitimate complaint, Rep. Kelly Flynn, R-Townsend, said in opposition. This, Mr. Chairman, can be a great project for Broadwater County, but what you see has changed immensely over time.

Ranch manager Jeff Brozovich testified that his ranch had been included in the legal description of the district, but neither he nor the owner had ever been contacted. They have since petitioned the district court to be removed.

A December hearing to form the district before former District Court Judge DeeAnn Cooney ended in continuance following similar objections. That hearing is rescheduled for March 1, but the project and funding asks are sponsored by the Broadwater Conservation District, Williams told the committee.

As the irrigation district does not legally exist, opponents encouraged denial of the funding.

Its premature to give a loan to something that has not been formed, Jean Riley testified.

Under questioning from lawmakers Williams reiterated that the feasibility of wells was only explored as one option.

We developed several alternatives  theyve gotten ahold of one proposed alternative action that says we could drill wells out there, he said. As I told you we studied it and spent a lot of money with test wells and it turns out (pumping from the lake) is the preferred alternative. So all the furor is over us just looking at options.
Woman and 15-year-old boy were targeted between Newbury and Hungerford

DO you recognise this man?

British Transport Police released this image following a vicious, unprovoked attack on a woman and a boy on a train approaching Hungerford rail station.

At around 8.32pm to 8.45pm on Friday, December 30 last year, the victims - a 15-year-old boy and a woman aged 20, were on board the delayed 8.10pm service from Newbury.

While on the train, the woman was using the Snapchat application on her phone to take pictures and she took a selfie.

This prompted a male passenger sitting nearby to ask her what she was doing. He then verbally abused her.

The victims did not respond and, as they were preparing to leave the train, the man approached the 15-year-old boy and punched him in the face.

His glasses were knocked off from the force of the blow and as he bent down to pick them up the offender punched him again, breaking his glasses.

The female victim stepped in and the offender spat in her face then slapped her.

When she tried to push him away he spat and slapped her again.

Both victims disembarked at Hungerford.

They sustained minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.

Investigating officer Pc Connor Crespin said: No one expects to be attacked in this manner when they are travelling on the railway.

This was an unprovoked assault by a man on a child and a young woman which has left them very shaken by what happened.

He added: I would like to speak to the man shown in the CCTV images as he may have information which could help with our investigation.

If you recognise the man, contact Pc Crespin by calling 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting reference number 296 13/01/17.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: British technology company Dyson wants to set up single-brand retail stores in India for which it has sought government approval.

The company designs and manufactures vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, bladeless fans, and heaters. It sells machines in over 70 countries and employs 7,000 people worldwide.

Dyson founder and chief engineer Sir James Dyson, who was part of British Prime Minister Theresa Mays business delegation last year, had said that the company needed the right products suitable for the Indian market before it invests here.

Dyson had declared that it would invest 150 million British pounds (Rs 124.32 crore) in the next 3-5 years to set up stores and open a retail network in India. The other players in the consumer electronics market in India are Eureka Forbes, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Blueair, Kent, Honeywell. Shapoorji Pallonji Groups Eureka Forbes is the biggest domestic manufacturing company.

Coimbatore has the largest number of vacuum cleaner manufacturers such as Cleantek, Dynavac India and Altomech, which will be facing stiff competition with the arrival of Dyson in India.

The company also wants a relaxation in the mandatory sourcing norms, recently sought by Apple Inc, because of its state-of-the-art products.

Under current foreign direct investment policy, companies making state-of-the-art technology items are exempted from the mandatory local sourcing norms in the single-brand retail sector for up to three years. After this, companies would be given five years to comply with the mandatory 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms.

Dyson has filed 7,500 patents for its technology worldwide. It invests 5 million British Pounds each week with over 40 universities to develop early stage technologies.

BENGALURU: British technology company Dyson wants to set up single-brand retail stores in India for which it has sought government approval. The company designs and manufactures vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, bladeless fans, and heaters. It sells machines in over 70 countries and employs 7,000 people worldwide. Dyson founder and chief engineer Sir James Dyson, who was part of British Prime Minister Theresa Mays business delegation last year, had said that the company needed the right products suitable for the Indian market before it invests here. Dyson had declared that it would invest 150 million British pounds (Rs 124.32 crore) in the next 3-5 years to set up stores and open a retail network in India. The other players in the consumer electronics market in India are Eureka Forbes, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Blueair, Kent, Honeywell. Shapoorji Pallonji Groups Eureka Forbes is the biggest domestic manufacturing company. Coimbatore has the largest number of vacuum cleaner manufacturers such as Cleantek, Dynavac India and Altomech, which will be facing stiff competition with the arrival of Dyson in India. The company also wants a relaxation in the mandatory sourcing norms, recently sought by Apple Inc, because of its state-of-the-art products. Under current foreign direct investment policy, companies making state-of-the-art technology items are exempted from the mandatory local sourcing norms in the single-brand retail sector for up to three years. After this, companies would be given five years to comply with the mandatory 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms. Dyson has filed 7,500 patents for its technology worldwide. It invests 5 million British Pounds each week with over 40 universities to develop early stage technologies.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI/CHENNAI:Maruti Suzuki India, Indias largest automobile maker, added another product to its portfolio on Friday with the launch of its premium urban compact Ignis. Priced between Rs 4.59 lakh and Rs 7.8 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the mini-sports utility vehicle expands on the automakers Baleno platform.

The launch buttresses the shift in focus that the company has established over the past few years. We are aware that the life and priorities of our customers are fast evolving. If we have to keep pace, we must demolish traditional categories and think afresh. Just like the customer, said managing director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa, adding that the company is ready to demolish traditional categories while challenging itself to create new segments.

The product might well help the company redefine categories, built along the lines of the Renault Kwid in styling and situated higher on the price band. The Ignis, Ayakawa pointed out, shatters the existing categories in the Indian car market and challenges conventional design and styling. The compact is available in both petrol and diesel with an auto-gear shift feature.

The petrol version is powered by a 1.2-litre engine and is priced between Rs 4.59 lakh and Rs 6.69 lakh. The diesel variant has a 1.3-litre engine and the price ranges from Rs 6.39 lakh to Rs 7.8 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). According to the company, along with its suppliers, it has invested over Rs 950 crore towards development of the vehicle. The Ignis will join the Baleno in being retailed through the companys premium retail chain Nexa.

NEW DELHI/CHENNAI:Maruti Suzuki India, Indias largest automobile maker, added another product to its portfolio on Friday with the launch of its premium urban compact Ignis. Priced between Rs 4.59 lakh and Rs 7.8 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the mini-sports utility vehicle expands on the automakers Baleno platform. The launch buttresses the shift in focus that the company has established over the past few years. We are aware that the life and priorities of our customers are fast evolving. If we have to keep pace, we must demolish traditional categories and think afresh. Just like the customer, said managing director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa, adding that the company is ready to demolish traditional categories while challenging itself to create new segments. The product might well help the company redefine categories, built along the lines of the Renault Kwid in styling and situated higher on the price band. The Ignis, Ayakawa pointed out, shatters the existing categories in the Indian car market and challenges conventional design and styling. The compact is available in both petrol and diesel with an auto-gear shift feature. The petrol version is powered by a 1.2-litre engine and is priced between Rs 4.59 lakh and Rs 6.69 lakh. The diesel variant has a 1.3-litre engine and the price ranges from Rs 6.39 lakh to Rs 7.8 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). According to the company, along with its suppliers, it has invested over Rs 950 crore towards development of the vehicle. The Ignis will join the Baleno in being retailed through the companys premium retail chain Nexa.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: An affair between two married lovers ended in a dramatic murder and suicide in the city on Friday. Amith Keshavamurthy, a 34-year-old lawyer, was shot dead by his lovers husband and father-in-law. The lover, 29-year-old Shruthi Gowda, who was with him in her car, drove the bleeding Amith to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Later, Shruthi committed suicide by hanging from a lodge room near the hospital.

Shruthis husband Rajesh and her father-in-law Gopalakrishna have been arrested in the case. The incidents happened in Hessaraghatta on Friday afternoon.

Amith Keshavamurthy, a resident of MEI Layout in Hessaraghatta, was in an alleged extramarital relationship with Shruthi, a panchayath development officer from Gollahalli in Nelamangala.

Police sources said that at around 3.30pm, Amith and Shruthi were sitting in her car near Acharya College when Rajesh and Gopalakrishna approached them and opened three rounds of fire on Amith and fled. One bullet pierced Amiths chest.

Shruthi quickly drove the car to the nearby Sapthagiri hospital, where Amith was declared brought dead. She left the hospital without giving any information.

Hospital sources alerted Soladevanahalli police who took over the case. Police later discovered Shruthi hanging inside a room in a lodge near the hospital in the evening, said DCP (North) Labhuram.

BENGALURU: An affair between two married lovers ended in a dramatic murder and suicide in the city on Friday. Amith Keshavamurthy, a 34-year-old lawyer, was shot dead by his lovers husband and father-in-law. The lover, 29-year-old Shruthi Gowda, who was with him in her car, drove the bleeding Amith to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Later, Shruthi committed suicide by hanging from a lodge room near the hospital. Shruthis husband Rajesh and her father-in-law Gopalakrishna have been arrested in the case. The incidents happened in Hessaraghatta on Friday afternoon. Amith Keshavamurthy, a resident of MEI Layout in Hessaraghatta, was in an alleged extramarital relationship with Shruthi, a panchayath development officer from Gollahalli in Nelamangala. Police sources said that at around 3.30pm, Amith and Shruthi were sitting in her car near Acharya College when Rajesh and Gopalakrishna approached them and opened three rounds of fire on Amith and fled. One bullet pierced Amiths chest. Shruthi quickly drove the car to the nearby Sapthagiri hospital, where Amith was declared brought dead. She left the hospital without giving any information. Hospital sources alerted Soladevanahalli police who took over the case. Police later discovered Shruthi hanging inside a room in a lodge near the hospital in the evening, said DCP (North) Labhuram.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Minutes before Shruthi Gowda (29) committed suicide, she had called her cousin in Bengaluru and asked them to forgive her for creating the worst situation, said a police officer. She had also told the cousin that she was ending her life, the officer added.

On Friday, Amith Keshavamurthy (34) was shot dead by Shruthis husband Rajesh Gopalkrishna and father-in-law Gopalakrishna Gowda when Amith and Shruthi were in her car near Acharya College. Shruthi later committed suicide by hanging at a lodge.

According to police, on Friday afternoon, Shruthis husband Rajesh had called her. She told him that she would return home early to prepare for Makara Sankranti. She later called him saying she had to attend a meeting and would be late. She asked him not to disturb her while the meeting is on and also sent a photo of a previous meeting, the officer added.

During the probe, police found that if Shruthis phone was busy, Rajesh would call Amiths phone to check if they were talking to each other. Rajesh had forced her to show her text messages and found that she had been texting Amith. The couple had fought several times over this issue, police said.

Police said Shruthi and Rajesh got married when she was a PUC student. He encouraged her to study further and she completed her degree. Shruthi worked as a panchayat development officer. The couple have two children. She was also preparing for Karnataka Administrative Services exam, said police.

The incident has come as a shock to many of Amiths friends. Speaking to Express, a friend of his said, Amith and I studied together in KLE College and later he went to Melbourne. He was a very responsible and polished person. He was very ambitious as well. I was shaken after the incident. If there was an issue, the families should have talked to each other to solve it instead of killing him.

BENGALURU: Minutes before Shruthi Gowda (29) committed suicide, she had called her cousin in Bengaluru and asked them to forgive her for creating the worst situation, said a police officer. She had also told the cousin that she was ending her life, the officer added. On Friday, Amith Keshavamurthy (34) was shot dead by Shruthis husband Rajesh Gopalkrishna and father-in-law Gopalakrishna Gowda when Amith and Shruthi were in her car near Acharya College. Shruthi later committed suicide by hanging at a lodge. According to police, on Friday afternoon, Shruthis husband Rajesh had called her. She told him that she would return home early to prepare for Makara Sankranti. She later called him saying she had to attend a meeting and would be late. She asked him not to disturb her while the meeting is on and also sent a photo of a previous meeting, the officer added. During the probe, police found that if Shruthis phone was busy, Rajesh would call Amiths phone to check if they were talking to each other. Rajesh had forced her to show her text messages and found that she had been texting Amith. The couple had fought several times over this issue, police said. Police said Shruthi and Rajesh got married when she was a PUC student. He encouraged her to study further and she completed her degree. Shruthi worked as a panchayat development officer. The couple have two children. She was also preparing for Karnataka Administrative Services exam, said police. The incident has come as a shock to many of Amiths friends. Speaking to Express, a friend of his said, Amith and I studied together in KLE College and later he went to Melbourne. He was a very responsible and polished person. He was very ambitious as well. I was shaken after the incident. If there was an issue, the families should have talked to each other to solve it instead of killing him.
Venkatesan Parthasarathy By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: It was a warm Friday afternoon, a day before Pongal festival, and commuters were waiting at Nungambakkam railway station for the local EMU. Minutes before a train was to enter the station, a young man, in his mid-twenties, dropped a small packet on the platform and casually walked off, as if he was strolling in a park. A ticket inspector nearby wasnt bothered, nor were others. The packet lay on the ground for about twenty minutes unattended, before it disappeared.

Who was that young man? What did he drop off? Who picked it up? Could it have possibly been a contraband or any other dangerous item? Perhaps, the above questions could have been better answered if only there was a CCTV camera, capturing every single detail. But, unfortunately, not a single camera could be found at the station, where just six months back, an IT employee was murdered while waiting on the same platform.

The absence of security cameras is more galling as work on installing them was supposed to have been completed by December last. Now, there is a fresh deadline.

In the aftermath of that horrific murder, railway officials decided to enhance surveillance at stations. Chennai division has 165 railway stations with more than 50 on the suburban network, where close monitoring is much needed. It was announced that Video Surveillance System (VSS) was sanctioned for 136 stations in Southern Railway Zone, which includes 82 stations in Chennai division. The money for the project was to come from Nirbhaya Fund, for which the central government had allocated `500 crore. With each station scheduled to get at least 8 cameras, the deadline was set for December 2016. However, work has not even started at the identified stations, causing a blind eye situation.

Stating that there has been a policy change leading to the delay, Chief Security Commissioner cum Inspector General, Southern Railway, S C Parhi, said zonal railways were earlier entrusted with the work. But upon a review, the railway board has handed over the project to RailTel. It will be done on a pan-India basis to ensure uniformity, he said. Parhi added that a fresh deadline has been set for the work, to be carried out in phases by June 2017 and December 2017.

We have written to the railway board pressing for work to be taken up in Southern Railway on priority, he said. Presently, only seven stations in Chennai division, including Chennai Central and Egmore, have CCTV cameras as they are covered under the Integrated Security System (ISS), a comprehensive surveillance mechanism.

CHENNAI: It was a warm Friday afternoon, a day before Pongal festival, and commuters were waiting at Nungambakkam railway station for the local EMU. Minutes before a train was to enter the station, a young man, in his mid-twenties, dropped a small packet on the platform and casually walked off, as if he was strolling in a park. A ticket inspector nearby wasnt bothered, nor were others. The packet lay on the ground for about twenty minutes unattended, before it disappeared. Who was that young man? What did he drop off? Who picked it up? Could it have possibly been a contraband or any other dangerous item? Perhaps, the above questions could have been better answered if only there was a CCTV camera, capturing every single detail. But, unfortunately, not a single camera could be found at the station, where just six months back, an IT employee was murdered while waiting on the same platform. The absence of security cameras is more galling as work on installing them was supposed to have been completed by December last. Now, there is a fresh deadline. In the aftermath of that horrific murder, railway officials decided to enhance surveillance at stations. Chennai division has 165 railway stations with more than 50 on the suburban network, where close monitoring is much needed. It was announced that Video Surveillance System (VSS) was sanctioned for 136 stations in Southern Railway Zone, which includes 82 stations in Chennai division. The money for the project was to come from Nirbhaya Fund, for which the central government had allocated `500 crore. With each station scheduled to get at least 8 cameras, the deadline was set for December 2016. However, work has not even started at the identified stations, causing a blind eye situation. Stating that there has been a policy change leading to the delay, Chief Security Commissioner cum Inspector General, Southern Railway, S C Parhi, said zonal railways were earlier entrusted with the work. But upon a review, the railway board has handed over the project to RailTel. It will be done on a pan-India basis to ensure uniformity, he said. Parhi added that a fresh deadline has been set for the work, to be carried out in phases by June 2017 and December 2017. We have written to the railway board pressing for work to be taken up in Southern Railway on priority, he said. Presently, only seven stations in Chennai division, including Chennai Central and Egmore, have CCTV cameras as they are covered under the Integrated Security System (ISS), a comprehensive surveillance mechanism.
BILLINGS  A bill that would take money from Fish, Wildlife and Parks general fund to pay more for a state hunter access program faced opposition from the agency on Thursday in Helena, raising the sponsors ire.

House Bill 164, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Flynn, R-Townsend, would divert $2 from the resident hunter access enhancement fee from the FWP general fund to the Block Management Program, as well as increase nonresidents payment of the fee by $5 with all of it going to block management.

If not now, when? Flynn said, his voice rising with emotion, and then repeated the question before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee.

The biggest issue in the state to sportsmen is access, and the No. 1 program we have is block management, Flynn said.

Participation in the program peaked at 9 million acres in 2009, Flynn said, and has since declined to 7.4 million. By paying participants in the program more than the $11 per hunter day that is now allowed, FWP could boost interest among landowners as well as more fairly compensate those already participating, he added.

A fiscal note for the bill estimated the diversion and fee increase would generate more than $800,000 for the program.

Although his measure was supported by the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association and the Montana Stockgrowers, FWP and two conservation groups opposed the measure out of concern that it would drain $543,000 from the agencys general fund.

What were disagreeing with is the mechanism, said Ben Lamb of the Montana Wildlife Federation. This bill really does rob Peter to pay Paul.

Prior to the hearing on Flynns bill, the committee considered HB 97, which would increase the total payment allowed each year to participating block management landowners from $12,000 to $15,000. The fee was last raised in 2001. The measure was a consensus recommendation from the Private Land/Public Wildlife Council, a group composed of sportsmen, landowners, outfitters and anglers.

Already 68 block management landowners have reached the cap, so FWP estimates the bump in payouts would cost about $219,000 in the first year and could climb to $234,000 after that. Money would come from fees already being collected from nonresident hunting license revenue.

Block management participant and landowner Scott Perkins, from Deer Lodge, said this past hunting season his property logged 1,700 hunter days. With the current payment of $11 per hunter day, hes easily passed the current cap of $12,000 and would even still be above the increased fee of $15,000. Yet hes been offered $25,000 by an outfitter for exclusive use of his property, Perkins said, even though he added he didnt think that was the right way to go.

Since it was the first reading for both bills, no action was taken.
By ANI

WASHINGTON DC: Priyanka Chopra, who does a lot of her own stunts, was recently discharged after a brief hospitalisation for an injury during the set of Quantico.

According to E! Online, the 34-year-old actress has since been released, and a spokesperson for ABC tells that it was a minor incident.

The Baywatch actress was examined by a doctor and subsequently released, so she is now home resting comfortably and she will return to work after the weekend.

Chopra has been filming for the second season of the drama thriller series since July last year.

WASHINGTON DC: Priyanka Chopra, who does a lot of her own stunts, was recently discharged after a brief hospitalisation for an injury during the set of Quantico. According to E! Online, the 34-year-old actress has since been released, and a spokesperson for ABC tells that it was a minor incident. The Baywatch actress was examined by a doctor and subsequently released, so she is now home resting comfortably and she will return to work after the weekend. Chopra has been filming for the second season of the drama thriller series since July last year.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: As the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vinayan issued an ultimatum the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF), made a sudden announcement on Saturday that they were calling off the strike. Ruling out a a vertical split in the organisation of A class cinemas in the State, KFEF President Liberty Basheer said the decision was taken after the governments intervention.  We are calling off the strike as the government has announced a date for discussion. If we continue the strike despite a statement from the Chief Minister, it would be as good as insulting him, said Liberty Basheer.

We would start screening movies from today, he added. Chief Minister had said on Friday that the organization should withdraw the strike and attend the talks being convened by the government on January 25 to sort out various issues in the industry. Basheer said the new organization of theatre owners under the leadership of Dileep will not be a challenge to KFEF. I don't think there will be a split in our organization. It is a 30 year old oraganisation which once had leaders including Ziayad Kokker who is now heading the distributors association, he said.

The latest crisis in the Malayalam film industry started as the KFEF shutting down 353 A-class theatres under the organisation demanding a change in the sharing ratio of from the first week collection of Malayalam films between distributors and exhibitors.

The exhibitors wanted the ratio to be 50:50, instead of the present 60:40,which has been opposed by the producers. Earlier, Basheer had said KFEF will initiate action against those who violated the unanimous decision to close down the screens. However, there is an erosion in the membership of KFEF following the tough stand taken by the producers, distributors and prominent actors by drawing alternative methods to release the films.

KOCHI: As the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vinayan issued an ultimatum the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF), made a sudden announcement on Saturday that they were calling off the strike. Ruling out a a vertical split in the organisation of A class cinemas in the State, KFEF President Liberty Basheer said the decision was taken after the governments intervention.  We are calling off the strike as the government has announced a date for discussion. If we continue the strike despite a statement from the Chief Minister, it would be as good as insulting him, said Liberty Basheer. We would start screening movies from today, he added. Chief Minister had said on Friday that the organization should withdraw the strike and attend the talks being convened by the government on January 25 to sort out various issues in the industry. Basheer said the new organization of theatre owners under the leadership of Dileep will not be a challenge to KFEF. I don't think there will be a split in our organization. It is a 30 year old oraganisation which once had leaders including Ziayad Kokker who is now heading the distributors association, he said. The latest crisis in the Malayalam film industry started as the KFEF shutting down 353 A-class theatres under the organisation demanding a change in the sharing ratio of from the first week collection of Malayalam films between distributors and exhibitors. The exhibitors wanted the ratio to be 50:50, instead of the present 60:40,which has been opposed by the producers. Earlier, Basheer had said KFEF will initiate action against those who violated the unanimous decision to close down the screens. However, there is an erosion in the membership of KFEF following the tough stand taken by the producers, distributors and prominent actors by drawing alternative methods to release the films.
Rahul Singh By

Express News Service

The Koh-i-Noor (Mountain of Light) may not be the worlds largest diamond, as many people believe (it actually ranks at only 90th, as the authors of this riveting book reveal) but it is certainly one that has been the most written and talked about. It has also perhaps been the most coveted.



Frustrating as it is, we simply do not know for sure the origin of the Kohinoor, conclude the authors convincingly, and have no hard information as to when, how or where it entered Mughal hands. We only know for sure how it left.

In 1739, after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire was in decline but its spread was vast, consisting of almost all of present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It was also fabulously wealthy, its Capital, Delhi, having in the Imperial coffers several generations of accumulated gold and gems of all kinds and sizes. These were in the very unsafe hands of the effete and pleasure-seeking Mohammed Shah (nicknamed rangeela, the colourful). Among the treasures he possessed was the Shah Jahan-commissioned Peacock Throne, the most spectacular jewelled object ever made. Since the Mughals somehow valued diamonds less than other gemstones such as rubies and emeralds, the Kohinoor probably adorned one of the two peacocks on this throne.

Eyeing the immense riches of Delhi was an illiterate, ruthless but militarily proficient neighbour, Nader Shah, an Afshar Turkman who rose to become Persias ruler. After subduing Afghanistan, he faced a Mughal force, one-million strong. He only had some light cavalry but 1,50,000 deadly musketeers. He outmaneuvred the Mughal army and within a few minutes, the flower of Mughal chivalry lay dead on the ground. The military rout was followed by a massacre of Delhis civilian population.



Nader Shah finally left carrying with him the accumulated wealth of eight generations of Mughal conquest, loaded on 700 elephants, 4,000 camels and 12,000 horses carrying wagons all laden with gold, silver and precious stones.

In the loot was the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor. Soon after, Nader Shah was assassinated and the diamond came into the possession of Ahmed Shah Abdali, an Afghan warlord and the victor of the 1761 battle of Panipat, where he crushed the Maratha Confederacy, creating a formidable Muslim Empire that included Afghanistan, part of Persia, Kashmir, Punjab and Sindh.



Sikh Emperor Ranjit Singh is the next ruler who figures in the fascinating history of the Kohinoor. He prised the diamond from the then Afghan ruler, after defeating him, stooping to torture to get his way. Ranjit Singh loved wearing the diamond, strapped to his bicep. After his death, the British defeated the Sikhs in a series of close and ferociously-fought battles. Needless to say, the Kohinoor was among the spoils of war. It eventually found its way to the Tower of London and the crown of the British regent, where it now lies. India is not the only country that has laid claim for its return. Pakistan has, too. After all, the Capital of Ranjit Singhs Empire was Lahore. So has Iran, with even more justification. Believe it or not, the Taliban is another claimant! Probably because the diamond spent some years in Afghanistan, which was once ruled by them. Sadly for all these claimants, including New Delhi, the UK is where it belongs and where it will stay, at least for the forseeable future. You cannot reverse history.

The book is divided into two parts. The first by William Dalrymple, who takes the history of the diamond to the death of Ranjit Singh and the second by Anita Anand (a Britisher of Indian origin) to the diamonds ownership by the British. Dalrymple is well-known as somebody who has brought Indian history alive as no other writer has. He does not let us down with Kohinoor. Anand matches him and the two parts of the book become seamlessly one. A must read for history buffs.

The Koh-i-Noor (Mountain of Light) may not be the worlds largest diamond, as many people believe (it actually ranks at only 90th, as the authors of this riveting book reveal) but it is certainly one that has been the most written and talked about. It has also perhaps been the most coveted. Frustrating as it is, we simply do not know for sure the origin of the Kohinoor, conclude the authors convincingly, and have no hard information as to when, how or where it entered Mughal hands. We only know for sure how it left. In 1739, after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire was in decline but its spread was vast, consisting of almost all of present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It was also fabulously wealthy, its Capital, Delhi, having in the Imperial coffers several generations of accumulated gold and gems of all kinds and sizes. These were in the very unsafe hands of the effete and pleasure-seeking Mohammed Shah (nicknamed rangeela, the colourful). Among the treasures he possessed was the Shah Jahan-commissioned Peacock Throne, the most spectacular jewelled object ever made. Since the Mughals somehow valued diamonds less than other gemstones such as rubies and emeralds, the Kohinoor probably adorned one of the two peacocks on this throne. Eyeing the immense riches of Delhi was an illiterate, ruthless but militarily proficient neighbour, Nader Shah, an Afshar Turkman who rose to become Persias ruler. After subduing Afghanistan, he faced a Mughal force, one-million strong. He only had some light cavalry but 1,50,000 deadly musketeers. He outmaneuvred the Mughal army and within a few minutes, the flower of Mughal chivalry lay dead on the ground. The military rout was followed by a massacre of Delhis civilian population. Nader Shah finally left carrying with him the accumulated wealth of eight generations of Mughal conquest, loaded on 700 elephants, 4,000 camels and 12,000 horses carrying wagons all laden with gold, silver and precious stones. In the loot was the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor. Soon after, Nader Shah was assassinated and the diamond came into the possession of Ahmed Shah Abdali, an Afghan warlord and the victor of the 1761 battle of Panipat, where he crushed the Maratha Confederacy, creating a formidable Muslim Empire that included Afghanistan, part of Persia, Kashmir, Punjab and Sindh. Sikh Emperor Ranjit Singh is the next ruler who figures in the fascinating history of the Kohinoor. He prised the diamond from the then Afghan ruler, after defeating him, stooping to torture to get his way. Ranjit Singh loved wearing the diamond, strapped to his bicep. After his death, the British defeated the Sikhs in a series of close and ferociously-fought battles. Needless to say, the Kohinoor was among the spoils of war. It eventually found its way to the Tower of London and the crown of the British regent, where it now lies. India is not the only country that has laid claim for its return. Pakistan has, too. After all, the Capital of Ranjit Singhs Empire was Lahore. So has Iran, with even more justification. Believe it or not, the Taliban is another claimant! Probably because the diamond spent some years in Afghanistan, which was once ruled by them. Sadly for all these claimants, including New Delhi, the UK is where it belongs and where it will stay, at least for the forseeable future. You cannot reverse history. The book is divided into two parts. The first by William Dalrymple, who takes the history of the diamond to the death of Ranjit Singh and the second by Anita Anand (a Britisher of Indian origin) to the diamonds ownership by the British. Dalrymple is well-known as somebody who has brought Indian history alive as no other writer has. He does not let us down with Kohinoor. Anand matches him and the two parts of the book become seamlessly one. A must read for history buffs.
Uma Balasubramaniam By

Express News Service

Food can do strange things to people. For Rohan Ahuja, it changed his life. The 25-year-old managing partner of Asian Station restaurant in Chennais Anna Nagar gave up his studies when he discovered his passion was food. I loved to try different food and improvised on their taste by giving them different flavours, he says. This penchant for good food translated into him opening the restaurant, which serves a variety of Asian cuisine, which he co-runs with his brother Rahul.

After graduating from Chennais Loyola College, Ahuja went to Srathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2011 to study Business Management. In 2013, he worked in medical company Karl Storz in Germany to learn selling medical instruments. His family are distributors of endoscopes. After working with his family for two years, Rohan realised that the culinary line of business was his calling. In November 2016, he opened Asian Station, which he claims serves the best from the best flavours from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar and China.



At Asian Station, black and white tile cladding on the wall opposite the buffet table creates a mosaic effect and compliments the pink, blue and yellow cushions on the two-seater and high-backed chairs. At night, lanterns are lit outside, while during the day natural light filters in through large glass windows. A sleek mocktail bar serves drinks.

Most restaurants serve popular Asian dishes, but we have only specialised ones such as pearl spring rolls from Vietnam with homemade black pepper dip or honey sweet chilly dip, which is a combination of our special flavours, says Rohan. Our Japanese vegetarian and non-vegetarian teppanyaki is one of our signature dishes. We have live cooking by our Japanese chef, which involves tricks like throwing egg yolk in the air and catching it in a spoon.

His signature dish is Panfried Char Siv Baopaniyaaram stuffed with chicken or prawns and served with his signature black pepper sauce. Another is triple fusion noodles, a mix of hakka, ordinary noodles and crisp rice served with saucy schezwan sauce. Wonton Cup Salad is a combination of corn, cucumber, carrots and zucchini topped with mayonnaise and served in a wonton cup. We do not serve Indian cuisine as it is common in restaurants. We serve only pan-Asian food. My passion is introducing new dishes into casual dining while serving standard dishes, he says.



Mocktails are their speciality, particularly Steam Express, a mix of cranberry and orange juices and masala tea served cold in a vinegar oil bottle with dry ice on one side. When hot water is poured on it, it lets off steam.



Rohan and Rahul plan to start Asian Station outlets closer to the main city and residential areas.

Food can do strange things to people. For Rohan Ahuja, it changed his life. The 25-year-old managing partner of Asian Station restaurant in Chennais Anna Nagar gave up his studies when he discovered his passion was food. I loved to try different food and improvised on their taste by giving them different flavours, he says. This penchant for good food translated into him opening the restaurant, which serves a variety of Asian cuisine, which he co-runs with his brother Rahul. After graduating from Chennais Loyola College, Ahuja went to Srathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2011 to study Business Management. In 2013, he worked in medical company Karl Storz in Germany to learn selling medical instruments. His family are distributors of endoscopes. After working with his family for two years, Rohan realised that the culinary line of business was his calling. In November 2016, he opened Asian Station, which he claims serves the best from the best flavours from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar and China.  At Asian Station, black and white tile cladding on the wall opposite the buffet table creates a mosaic effect and compliments the pink, blue and yellow cushions on the two-seater and high-backed chairs. At night, lanterns are lit outside, while during the day natural light filters in through large glass windows. A sleek mocktail bar serves drinks. Most restaurants serve popular Asian dishes, but we have only specialised ones such as pearl spring rolls from Vietnam with homemade black pepper dip or honey sweet chilly dip, which is a combination of our special flavours, says Rohan. Our Japanese vegetarian and non-vegetarian teppanyaki is one of our signature dishes. We have live cooking by our Japanese chef, which involves tricks like throwing egg yolk in the air and catching it in a spoon. His signature dish is Panfried Char Siv Baopaniyaaram stuffed with chicken or prawns and served with his signature black pepper sauce. Another is triple fusion noodles, a mix of hakka, ordinary noodles and crisp rice served with saucy schezwan sauce. Wonton Cup Salad is a combination of corn, cucumber, carrots and zucchini topped with mayonnaise and served in a wonton cup. We do not serve Indian cuisine as it is common in restaurants. We serve only pan-Asian food. My passion is introducing new dishes into casual dining while serving standard dishes, he says. Mocktails are their speciality, particularly Steam Express, a mix of cranberry and orange juices and masala tea served cold in a vinegar oil bottle with dry ice on one side. When hot water is poured on it, it lets off steam. Rohan and Rahul plan to start Asian Station outlets closer to the main city and residential areas.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: In a surprise development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ejected Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in the 2017 wall calendar and table diary published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC). Most employees and officials were taken aback to see the cover photo of the calendar and diary showing Modi weaving khadi on a large charkha, in the same classic pose as Gandhiji.

While Gandhis historic picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark loin cloth, is legendary and imprinted in the minds of the masses since generations, Modi comes across in his signature attire of kurta-pyjama-waistcoat, weaving khadi on a slightly modern charkha.

When contacted KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said this was not unusual and there have been deviations in the past.

Workers at KVIC here have expressed their resentment over the use of Prime Minister Narendra Modis photograph on the cover of KVIC calendar and dairy. However, KVIC authorities have hailed Modi as the new brand ambassador for Khadi.

Employees of KVIC at its headquarters in Vile Parle here staged a silent soul-cleansing by wearing black bands on their mouths during lunch hour on Thursday to protest the decision to use Modis photograph in place of that of Mahatma Gandhi.

This is a systematic attempt to phase out Mahatma. Modis photograph was used on last years calendar also. After our protest, we were assured that it would not be repeated. But, this year it is a complete wash-out, a senior KVIC staff member said.

KVIC chairman V K Saxena defended the decision. Gandhi is the soul of the KVIC. He is inseparable, as the entire industry is based on his philosophy and ideals, he said, adding that Modi is the biggest brand ambassador of Khadi now. Our aim is to popularise Khadi.

Modi is doing that. Several initiatives taken by him are generating more employment in the sector. He is also a youth icon. All these things were considered before using his picture, Saxena said.

MUMBAI: In a surprise development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ejected Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in the 2017 wall calendar and table diary published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC). Most employees and officials were taken aback to see the cover photo of the calendar and diary showing Modi weaving khadi on a large charkha, in the same classic pose as Gandhiji. While Gandhis historic picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark loin cloth, is legendary and imprinted in the minds of the masses since generations, Modi comes across in his signature attire of kurta-pyjama-waistcoat, weaving khadi on a slightly modern charkha. When contacted KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said this was not unusual and there have been deviations in the past. Workers at KVIC here have expressed their resentment over the use of Prime Minister Narendra Modis photograph on the cover of KVIC calendar and dairy. However, KVIC authorities have hailed Modi as the new brand ambassador for Khadi. Employees of KVIC at its headquarters in Vile Parle here staged a silent soul-cleansing by wearing black bands on their mouths during lunch hour on Thursday to protest the decision to use Modis photograph in place of that of Mahatma Gandhi. This is a systematic attempt to phase out Mahatma. Modis photograph was used on last years calendar also. After our protest, we were assured that it would not be repeated. But, this year it is a complete wash-out, a senior KVIC staff member said. KVIC chairman V K Saxena defended the decision. Gandhi is the soul of the KVIC. He is inseparable, as the entire industry is based on his philosophy and ideals, he said, adding that Modi is the biggest brand ambassador of Khadi now. Our aim is to popularise Khadi. Modi is doing that. Several initiatives taken by him are generating more employment in the sector. He is also a youth icon. All these things were considered before using his picture, Saxena said.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: A festive kite-flying session during Makar Sankranti celebrations ended in tragedy as a boat carrying nearly 80 people capsized in the Ganga in Patna on Saturday evening, killing at least 21 people. More than 30 others were untraceable till late at night even as rescue operations were on.

The mishap took place reportedly due to overcrowding as the state tourism department that had organised the kite-flying festival had failed to make sufficient number of boats available. Thousands of people had gathered on a sandy plain (diyara) in the middle of the Ganga near NIT Ghat to take part in the festival.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar condoled the deaths and ordered a probe into the causes of the mishap. He also announced ex gratia payments of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each dead person. There were

Personnel from NDRF and SDRF managed to rescue 13 people in a critical condition from the river within minutes after the capsize and sent them to Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH). Sources said eight people, including three children, were being treated at the hospital.

The tragic incident took place at about 5 PM, but it was allegedly 45 minutes later when rescue teams reached the site. Unconfirmed reports said the engine of the boat exploded after a technical snag. Some eyewitnesses, however, claimed that two boats sailing close side by side capsized. By the time NDRF and SDRF teams were deployed, some people in the boat had allegedly been flown away by several kilometers in the river, they added.

The Patna district administration faced allegations of not providing enough boats to bring the people back to the riverbank from the middle of the river after the festival was over. Besides, the boats were old and in bad shape.

A search operation is on, spread over a 20 km area in both directions of the Ganga around the accident spot. The biting cold and darkness is impeding rescue operations, said a district administration official. Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agrawal and SSP Manu Maharaj rushed to the spot to oversee rescue operations, but they declined to speak on the likely cause of the mishap and the death toll.

CM Nitish Kumar also ordered the health department principal secretary to ensure proper treatment to all those admitted at PMCH. Senior BJP leader Prem Kumar, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, rushed to the site and blamed the tragedy on extremely poor arrangements by the state government.

Meanwhile, Kumars JD(U) cancelled its dahi-chuda Makar Sankranti feast scheduled for Sunday in view of the tragedy. The Opposition BJPs leaders were going to attend this feast on an invitation from JD(U) state chief Vashistha Narayan Singh. RJD, which organised a similar feast for all political parties at its chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs residence on Saturday, also cancelled another feast it had planned for Sunday exclusively for minority communities.

PATNA: A festive kite-flying session during Makar Sankranti celebrations ended in tragedy as a boat carrying nearly 80 people capsized in the Ganga in Patna on Saturday evening, killing at least 21 people. More than 30 others were untraceable till late at night even as rescue operations were on. The mishap took place reportedly due to overcrowding as the state tourism department that had organised the kite-flying festival had failed to make sufficient number of boats available. Thousands of people had gathered on a sandy plain (diyara) in the middle of the Ganga near NIT Ghat to take part in the festival. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar condoled the deaths and ordered a probe into the causes of the mishap. He also announced ex gratia payments of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each dead person. There were Personnel from NDRF and SDRF managed to rescue 13 people in a critical condition from the river within minutes after the capsize and sent them to Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH). Sources said eight people, including three children, were being treated at the hospital. The tragic incident took place at about 5 PM, but it was allegedly 45 minutes later when rescue teams reached the site. Unconfirmed reports said the engine of the boat exploded after a technical snag. Some eyewitnesses, however, claimed that two boats sailing close side by side capsized. By the time NDRF and SDRF teams were deployed, some people in the boat had allegedly been flown away by several kilometers in the river, they added. The Patna district administration faced allegations of not providing enough boats to bring the people back to the riverbank from the middle of the river after the festival was over. Besides, the boats were old and in bad shape. A search operation is on, spread over a 20 km area in both directions of the Ganga around the accident spot. The biting cold and darkness is impeding rescue operations, said a district administration official. Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agrawal and SSP Manu Maharaj rushed to the spot to oversee rescue operations, but they declined to speak on the likely cause of the mishap and the death toll. CM Nitish Kumar also ordered the health department principal secretary to ensure proper treatment to all those admitted at PMCH. Senior BJP leader Prem Kumar, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, rushed to the site and blamed the tragedy on extremely poor arrangements by the state government. Meanwhile, Kumars JD(U) cancelled its dahi-chuda Makar Sankranti feast scheduled for Sunday in view of the tragedy. The Opposition BJPs leaders were going to attend this feast on an invitation from JD(U) state chief Vashistha Narayan Singh. RJD, which organised a similar feast for all political parties at its chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs residence on Saturday, also cancelled another feast it had planned for Sunday exclusively for minority communities.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI:The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea urging it to pass an order on Jallikattu before the harvest festival of Pongal, which begins on Saturday.

The Bench refused to allow the plea from a group of lawyers, who sought pronouncement of the verdict early. We are not here to give an explanation to anyone whether the draft is ready or not, the Bench said.

The court had reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the Centres notification allowing the sport and issued a statement clarifying that the same Bench of Justices Dipak Mishra and R F Nariman will pronounce the verdict, and not Justice R Banumathi who belongs to Tamil Nadu.

The development came just a day after the AIADMK urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately issue an ordinance to remove bulls from the list of animals that are banned from being exhibited or trained, so that Jallikattu could be held smoothly this year. The apex court had banned Jallikattu on grounds of cruelty towards animals in a 2014 verdict.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, who met a delegation led by Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha M Thambidurai earlier this week on the issue, blamed the previous UPA government for including bulls in the list of animals prohibited from being exhibited or trained as performing animals.

Dave asserted that there was no ill-treatment of bulls and expressed confidence that the SC will look into all the aspects while giving its verdict.

The court had earlier questioned the Centre for its January 2016 notification allowing use of bulls in events like Jallikattu, saying its 2014 verdict banning the use of the animals cannot be negated. The Centre, however, had justified the stand saying it could ensure that the bulls were not tortured or fed with alcohol before the sport.

NEW DELHI:The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea urging it to pass an order on Jallikattu before the harvest festival of Pongal, which begins on Saturday. The Bench refused to allow the plea from a group of lawyers, who sought pronouncement of the verdict early. We are not here to give an explanation to anyone whether the draft is ready or not, the Bench said. The court had reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the Centres notification allowing the sport and issued a statement clarifying that the same Bench of Justices Dipak Mishra and R F Nariman will pronounce the verdict, and not Justice R Banumathi who belongs to Tamil Nadu. The development came just a day after the AIADMK urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately issue an ordinance to remove bulls from the list of animals that are banned from being exhibited or trained, so that Jallikattu could be held smoothly this year. The apex court had banned Jallikattu on grounds of cruelty towards animals in a 2014 verdict. Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, who met a delegation led by Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha M Thambidurai earlier this week on the issue, blamed the previous UPA government for including bulls in the list of animals prohibited from being exhibited or trained as performing animals. Dave asserted that there was no ill-treatment of bulls and expressed confidence that the SC will look into all the aspects while giving its verdict. The court had earlier questioned the Centre for its January 2016 notification allowing use of bulls in events like Jallikattu, saying its 2014 verdict banning the use of the animals cannot be negated. The Centre, however, had justified the stand saying it could ensure that the bulls were not tortured or fed with alcohol before the sport.
By PTI

KALIGANJ: A 36-year-old man died and his two sisters were injured after falling from a two-wheeler which was allegedly being chased by a group of eve-teasers in Nadia district.

Golam Murtaja Ahmed died on the spot last night after he fell from the scooter while driving at break-neck speed to elude the five youths, who were making lewd comments at his two sisters and tried to catch them, a senior police officer said.

The siblings were on their way back to their home at Shewratala village in the district from a cultural event at Debagram at around 10 PM when the incident took place.

On arrival at Debagram Primary Hospital, Golam was declared dead.

His two sisters also fell from the scooter and suffered injuries. After which the eveteasers escaped from the spot.

The injured girls were referred to Shaktinagar Hospital.

One of them was discharged later.

Nasimuddin Seikh, father of the victims, lodged a complaint at Kaliganj police station today.

KALIGANJ: A 36-year-old man died and his two sisters were injured after falling from a two-wheeler which was allegedly being chased by a group of eve-teasers in Nadia district. Golam Murtaja Ahmed died on the spot last night after he fell from the scooter while driving at break-neck speed to elude the five youths, who were making lewd comments at his two sisters and tried to catch them, a senior police officer said. The siblings were on their way back to their home at Shewratala village in the district from a cultural event at Debagram at around 10 PM when the incident took place. On arrival at Debagram Primary Hospital, Golam was declared dead. His two sisters also fell from the scooter and suffered injuries. After which the eveteasers escaped from the spot. The injured girls were referred to Shaktinagar Hospital. One of them was discharged later. Nasimuddin Seikh, father of the victims, lodged a complaint at Kaliganj police station today.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs residence in Patna was on Saturday the venue for a grand get-together of all top leaders of Bihars ruling grand alliance as they attended a feast organised to mark Makar Sankranti.

Chief Minister and JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar, accompanied by several ministers from his party, also attended the feast on Yadavs invitation. As Kumar relished dahi (curd) and chuda (beaten rice), the bonhomie between the two top leaders was visible. Most leaders from JD(U), RJD and Congress were present at the feast.

Yadav, accompanied by his wife and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, welcomed Kumar into the house and then Yadav himself put a mark of dahi on Kumars forehead. The two leaders then embraced each other and flashed smiles to indicate that all is well between their two parties.

Yadav, Rabri Devi and their daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member, served the food to Kumar. Yadavs two sons  deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav and health minister Tej Pratap Yadav  were also present.

Significantly, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi skipped the feast despite an invitation from Yadav. In fact, no BJP leader attended this feast at Yadavs residence.

I did not attend the feast as the invitation was not conveyed with proper dignity. If he (Yadav) considered me of the same stature as he is, he would have personally sent the invitation. But it was his PA who had called, and I chose not to attend, said Modi later. Modi, a former Bihar deputy chief minister and strident critic of Yadav, attended the Makar Sankranti feast at a BJP MLCs residence.

BJP leaders also derided Yadav for extending the invitation to them. He, in fact, does not want any BJP leader to be at his feast. This is why he personally did not make phone calls to any BJP leader. He is afraid of BJP because we keep exposing his unholy political tricks, said senior BJP leader Vinod Narayan Jha.

JD(U) is organising a feast for Makar Sankranti at party state president and RS member Vashistha Narayan Singhs residence on Sunday. Unlike the previous two years, JD(U) has invited BJP this time. Sushil Modi said he would attend this feast. Several BJP leaders are also likely to be there. JD(U) and BJP were partners in the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar for eight years between 2005 and 2013.

PATNA: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs residence in Patna was on Saturday the venue for a grand get-together of all top leaders of Bihars ruling grand alliance as they attended a feast organised to mark Makar Sankranti. Chief Minister and JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar, accompanied by several ministers from his party, also attended the feast on Yadavs invitation. As Kumar relished dahi (curd) and chuda (beaten rice), the bonhomie between the two top leaders was visible. Most leaders from JD(U), RJD and Congress were present at the feast. Yadav, accompanied by his wife and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, welcomed Kumar into the house and then Yadav himself put a mark of dahi on Kumars forehead. The two leaders then embraced each other and flashed smiles to indicate that all is well between their two parties. Yadav, Rabri Devi and their daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member, served the food to Kumar. Yadavs two sons  deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav and health minister Tej Pratap Yadav  were also present. Significantly, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi skipped the feast despite an invitation from Yadav. In fact, no BJP leader attended this feast at Yadavs residence. I did not attend the feast as the invitation was not conveyed with proper dignity. If he (Yadav) considered me of the same stature as he is, he would have personally sent the invitation. But it was his PA who had called, and I chose not to attend, said Modi later. Modi, a former Bihar deputy chief minister and strident critic of Yadav, attended the Makar Sankranti feast at a BJP MLCs residence. BJP leaders also derided Yadav for extending the invitation to them. He, in fact, does not want any BJP leader to be at his feast. This is why he personally did not make phone calls to any BJP leader. He is afraid of BJP because we keep exposing his unholy political tricks, said senior BJP leader Vinod Narayan Jha. JD(U) is organising a feast for Makar Sankranti at party state president and RS member Vashistha Narayan Singhs residence on Sunday. Unlike the previous two years, JD(U) has invited BJP this time. Sushil Modi said he would attend this feast. Several BJP leaders are also likely to be there. JD(U) and BJP were partners in the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar for eight years between 2005 and 2013.
A day after hearing emotional testimony in favor of a stricter Montana seat belt law, the bill was tabled by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Supporters said the bill would save lives and money, while opponents said mandating seat belt use isn't an appropriate role for government.

Montana law currently allows officers to issue citations for not wearing seatbelts only if the driver has been pulled over for a different traffic violation.

State lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on the Senate bill that would allow police to pull over cars and ticket people just for not wearing seat belts. Supporters included family and friends of crash victims who were not wearing seat belts, doctors, Montana Highway Patrol troopers and other state officials.

Pat Goldhahn testified that a stricter seat belt law would have saved the life of his 15-year-old daughter, Lauryn. She died in August of injuries suffered when she was thrown from a vehicle during a crash near Fairfield.

His daughter was not wearing a seat belt but Goldhahn said he believes she would have if Montana had the stricter law in place.

"She was a rule-follower and she would still be with us today," he said.

Montana's legislature has rejected enacting a primary seat belt law several times and opponents continued to argue such a law would infringe on their rights, Lee Newspapers of Montana reports.

State Transportation Director Mike Tooley, the former chief of the Montana Highway Patrol, called the lack of a seat belt law a threat to public health and said seat belts were not worn in just over half of the state's 224 fatal crashes last year.

About $36 million annually is spent in Montana by various government programs on hospital costs that could be avoided if more people wore seat belts, said Sheila Hogan, director of the state health department.

Mark French, a citizen who testified, said the statistics were compelling but that the law would be intrusive.

"In America we get to choose our risk level. We also get to reap the result of our choices, good or bad," French said.

Montana is behind only Wyoming and Mississippi in the rate of motor vehicle fatalities per 100,000 people.
By PTI

PATNA: Union Minister and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged today. "Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after his full recovery," Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unit of PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said. Paswan's officer on special duty (OSD) R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi this evening.

Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality here by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan. 70-year-old Paswan was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since yesterday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day. Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halim had yesterday stated Paswan's condition to be stable, saying he was expected to be discharged today.

The Union Minister had arrived here on Thursday on a four-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makarsankranti feast in Patna on January 15.

Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire about his health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of 'Nishchay Yatra'. Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, visited Paswan at the hospital.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital

PATNA: Union Minister and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged today. "Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after his full recovery," Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unit of PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said. Paswan's officer on special duty (OSD) R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi this evening. Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality here by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan. 70-year-old Paswan was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since yesterday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day. Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halim had yesterday stated Paswan's condition to be stable, saying he was expected to be discharged today. The Union Minister had arrived here on Thursday on a four-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makarsankranti feast in Patna on January 15. Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire about his health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of 'Nishchay Yatra'. Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, visited Paswan at the hospital. RJD chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital
By ANI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished the nation on the festivals of Makar Sakranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan.

Today people across India are celebrating various festivals. My greetings to everyone celebrating these auspicious festivals, Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister extended his greetings to all those celebrating various festivals.

Makar Sankranti greetings. May this day bring joy & prosperity in everyone's lives, he tweeted.

Wishing my Tamil friends a happy & blessed Pongal, read another tweet.

On the special occasion of Magh Bihu, my greetings to the people of Assam, the Prime Minister wrote in another tweet.

Uttarayan greetings to the people of Gujarat, his tweet read.

Terming Indias diversity as its biggest strength, Prime Minister Modi wished that the festivals bring happiness and prosperity in lives of farmers.

These & many other festivals celebrated across India add great colour & happiness in our lives. This diversity is India's greatest strength, he tweeted.

May these festivals bring abundance of happiness and prosperity in the lives of our hardworking farmers, he added.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished the nation on the festivals of Makar Sakranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan. Today people across India are celebrating various festivals. My greetings to everyone celebrating these auspicious festivals, Prime Minister Modi tweeted. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister extended his greetings to all those celebrating various festivals. Makar Sankranti greetings. May this day bring joy & prosperity in everyone's lives, he tweeted. Wishing my Tamil friends a happy & blessed Pongal, read another tweet. On the special occasion of Magh Bihu, my greetings to the people of Assam, the Prime Minister wrote in another tweet. Uttarayan greetings to the people of Gujarat, his tweet read. Terming Indias diversity as its biggest strength, Prime Minister Modi wished that the festivals bring happiness and prosperity in lives of farmers. These & many other festivals celebrated across India add great colour & happiness in our lives. This diversity is India's greatest strength, he tweeted. May these festivals bring abundance of happiness and prosperity in the lives of our hardworking farmers, he added.
By PTI

PUNE: A man was booked here for allegedly raping his 12-year-old daughter, said police.

They said the mother of the victim too was booked, who after knowing that the minor girl was pregnant, forced her to leave the home.

"Both parents have been booked under the relevant sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012," said a police inspector with Wakad police station.

He said the father of the victim was allegedly sexually assaulting her for last 6 years and whenever she resisted, the accused used to beat her.

"Whenever, the girl complained to her mother, she used to tell her not to utter a word outside," the officer said, adding, today when the mother got to know that her daughter was pregnant, she asked her to leave the home.

Later the girl approached police and a case was registered, the officer said.

PUNE: A man was booked here for allegedly raping his 12-year-old daughter, said police. They said the mother of the victim too was booked, who after knowing that the minor girl was pregnant, forced her to leave the home. "Both parents have been booked under the relevant sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012," said a police inspector with Wakad police station. He said the father of the victim was allegedly sexually assaulting her for last 6 years and whenever she resisted, the accused used to beat her. "Whenever, the girl complained to her mother, she used to tell her not to utter a word outside," the officer said, adding, today when the mother got to know that her daughter was pregnant, she asked her to leave the home. Later the girl approached police and a case was registered, the officer said.
During World War II, US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met in the Moroccan city of Casablanca in 1943. The meeting, which started on January 14, concluded 11 days later with a declaration calling on Germany to surrender unconditionally

Casablanca & the Soviets

Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin who was invited couldnt attend the conference as his army was battling to hold Stalingrad, a turning point in the war between USSR and Germany. While the Western Allies harped on unconditional surrender, Stalin had emphasised in his radio propaganda that he was fighting not against the German people but against the Hitlerites

This led German General Claus von Stauffenberg and others plotting against Hitler to believe they might get a better peace deal with USSR. But they abandoned such wishful thinking when in October 1943, the Soviets formally adhered to the Casablanca declaration

Heres looking at you, kid

A year earlier, in 1942, the acclaimed film Casablanca was released. Set during World War II in the town which was then under French Vichy, the romantic drama starred superstars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The Vichy government was a puppet state of Nazi Germany

First US Prez to fly on a plane

Roosevelt became the first US President to fly on an plane when he flew 8,000 km across the Atlantic to attend the Casablanca Conference. When he again flew abroad to Yalta in 1945, he had to wear oxygen masks as the plane did not have a pressurised cabin

During World War II, US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met in the Moroccan city of Casablanca in 1943. The meeting, which started on January 14, concluded 11 days later with a declaration calling on Germany to surrender unconditionally Casablanca & the Soviets Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin who was invited couldnt attend the conference as his army was battling to hold Stalingrad, a turning point in the war between USSR and Germany. While the Western Allies harped on unconditional surrender, Stalin had emphasised in his radio propaganda that he was fighting not against the German people but against the Hitlerites This led German General Claus von Stauffenberg and others plotting against Hitler to believe they might get a better peace deal with USSR. But they abandoned such wishful thinking when in October 1943, the Soviets formally adhered to the Casablanca declaration Heres looking at you, kid A year earlier, in 1942, the acclaimed film Casablanca was released. Set during World War II in the town which was then under French Vichy, the romantic drama starred superstars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The Vichy government was a puppet state of Nazi Germany First US Prez to fly on a plane Roosevelt became the first US President to fly on an plane when he flew 8,000 km across the Atlantic to attend the Casablanca Conference. When he again flew abroad to Yalta in 1945, he had to wear oxygen masks as the plane did not have a pressurised cabin
T J S George By

China has been gaining significantly in Indias neighbourhood and at Indias cost. Pre-occupied as we are with unprecedented internal schisms, setbacks in our external relations have not caught public attention. That only adds to the gravity of the diplomatic failures. To see how grievous they are, a glance is enough at the way we walked into a mess in Mongolia, alienated the Nepalese people and lost opportunities in Iran, all in the course of about a year.

Considering Chinas not-so-friendly moves against India of late, it looked like a smart move when Prime Minister Modi began sending some signals to Beijing. One was his visit to Mongolia in 2015. A bolder step followed last November when the Dalai Lama was encouraged to visit Mongolia.

China went livid with anger. Unlike in the past, China was now a big player asserting its power across the globe and having its way in almost all its strategic moves. It responded to the Mongolia-Dalai Lama-India tactic by virtually blockading Mongolias transportation lifelines. Mountainous Mongolia is a landlocked country, sandwiched between Russia and China and dependent almost wholly on truck traffic through Chinese (Inner Mongolia) territory. To block this traffic is like strangling Mongolia.

The hapless countrys first move was to appeal to India for help. No doubt it remembered the promise of $1 billion PM Modi had made during his visit. The pledge had not moved beyond the announcement stage and access to it at this juncture would mean considerable relief to Mongolia. Our foreign ministry responded to the friendly countrys SOS by saying that it was working to implement the credit line. Apparently nothing happened. Unable to wait, Mongolia apologised to China and said it would never welcome the Dalai Lama on its soil again. China promptly resumed talks for a $4.2 billion loan to Mongolia.

Now look at what happened when Nepal, another landlocked country, was blockaded from the Indian side in September 2015. India was insensitive to Nepalese sovereignty from Jawaharlal Nehrus days. The proprietorial attitude with which Indian Embassy officials in Kathmandu conducted themselves is part of foreign service lore. After Kingdom gave way to democracy in Nepal, India should have adjusted its approach. But it did not. It sat back and watched as Indian-origin Madhesis of Nepals plains blockaded roads from India to Nepal to back their demand for special status in Nepals new constitution. Daily life in Nepal was derailed.



What did China do? Within a month of the blockade, it rushed 1.3 million litres of petrol to Nepal as a grant, the first time in history that fuel from a source other than India reached Nepal. Steps were also taken to establish regular and long-term trade in petroleum between the two countries.

Looking far ahead as is its wont, China began work on several projectsNepals access to Chinese ports for exports to third countries, free-trade agreement with duty-free access for Nepalese goods to China, upgrading nine roads from Tibet to Nepal, scheduling a railway line to reach Nepal by 2022. Geography will force Nepal to depend on India for many things, but the little Himalayan country is unlikely to feel helpless in a future crisis.

With Iran, too, India has a long history of unimaginative relations. Manmohan Singh, with his inexplicable closeness to George Bush, implicitly obeyed US-sponsored sanctions against Iran. Even when the US position changed under Barack Obama, Delhi did not get the message. In January last year, Irans ambassador to India felt constrained to say: In my three years as ambassador I have often been advised by Delhi to be patient with big India-Iran projects. Does India want to wait for centuries before capturing the right opportunities?

Sometime after that unusual reprimand, India formally approved the $150 million Chabahar project to develop the strategic Iranian port, including a transit route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The political-economic importance of such a port cannot be overstated. Yet, there is no report of any significant progress. Meanwhile, 72 km away, China has already set up the Gwadar port in Baluchistan. China has been busy in Iran itself, ignoring the sanctions. It has set up steel mills, constructed Tehrans metro system and is progressing with a massive elevated expressway. In February last year, the first freight train from Chinas eastern province reached Teheran after a 14-day, 10,000-km journey along the old Silk Road route.



There is a saying in China: It is not enough to succeed; others must fail. Evidently, others agree.

China has been gaining significantly in Indias neighbourhood and at Indias cost. Pre-occupied as we are with unprecedented internal schisms, setbacks in our external relations have not caught public attention. That only adds to the gravity of the diplomatic failures. To see how grievous they are, a glance is enough at the way we walked into a mess in Mongolia, alienated the Nepalese people and lost opportunities in Iran, all in the course of about a year. Considering Chinas not-so-friendly moves against India of late, it looked like a smart move when Prime Minister Modi began sending some signals to Beijing. One was his visit to Mongolia in 2015. A bolder step followed last November when the Dalai Lama was encouraged to visit Mongolia. China went livid with anger. Unlike in the past, China was now a big player asserting its power across the globe and having its way in almost all its strategic moves. It responded to the Mongolia-Dalai Lama-India tactic by virtually blockading Mongolias transportation lifelines. Mountainous Mongolia is a landlocked country, sandwiched between Russia and China and dependent almost wholly on truck traffic through Chinese (Inner Mongolia) territory. To block this traffic is like strangling Mongolia. The hapless countrys first move was to appeal to India for help. No doubt it remembered the promise of $1 billion PM Modi had made during his visit. The pledge had not moved beyond the announcement stage and access to it at this juncture would mean considerable relief to Mongolia. Our foreign ministry responded to the friendly countrys SOS by saying that it was working to implement the credit line. Apparently nothing happened. Unable to wait, Mongolia apologised to China and said it would never welcome the Dalai Lama on its soil again. China promptly resumed talks for a $4.2 billion loan to Mongolia. Now look at what happened when Nepal, another landlocked country, was blockaded from the Indian side in September 2015. India was insensitive to Nepalese sovereignty from Jawaharlal Nehrus days. The proprietorial attitude with which Indian Embassy officials in Kathmandu conducted themselves is part of foreign service lore. After Kingdom gave way to democracy in Nepal, India should have adjusted its approach. But it did not. It sat back and watched as Indian-origin Madhesis of Nepals plains blockaded roads from India to Nepal to back their demand for special status in Nepals new constitution. Daily life in Nepal was derailed. What did China do? Within a month of the blockade, it rushed 1.3 million litres of petrol to Nepal as a grant, the first time in history that fuel from a source other than India reached Nepal. Steps were also taken to establish regular and long-term trade in petroleum between the two countries. Looking far ahead as is its wont, China began work on several projectsNepals access to Chinese ports for exports to third countries, free-trade agreement with duty-free access for Nepalese goods to China, upgrading nine roads from Tibet to Nepal, scheduling a railway line to reach Nepal by 2022. Geography will force Nepal to depend on India for many things, but the little Himalayan country is unlikely to feel helpless in a future crisis. With Iran, too, India has a long history of unimaginative relations. Manmohan Singh, with his inexplicable closeness to George Bush, implicitly obeyed US-sponsored sanctions against Iran. Even when the US position changed under Barack Obama, Delhi did not get the message. In January last year, Irans ambassador to India felt constrained to say: In my three years as ambassador I have often been advised by Delhi to be patient with big India-Iran projects. Does India want to wait for centuries before capturing the right opportunities? Sometime after that unusual reprimand, India formally approved the $150 million Chabahar project to develop the strategic Iranian port, including a transit route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The political-economic importance of such a port cannot be overstated. Yet, there is no report of any significant progress. Meanwhile, 72 km away, China has already set up the Gwadar port in Baluchistan. China has been busy in Iran itself, ignoring the sanctions. It has set up steel mills, constructed Tehrans metro system and is progressing with a massive elevated expressway. In February last year, the first freight train from Chinas eastern province reached Teheran after a 14-day, 10,000-km journey along the old Silk Road route. There is a saying in China: It is not enough to succeed; others must fail. Evidently, others agree.
Toby Antony By

Express News Service

KOCHI: The NIA team probing the terror link of 22 Keralites who went missing from the state last year and allegedly joined the Islamic State (IS) found that more Malayalis had attended radicalisation classes in Mumbai, along with the missing persons. During interrogation of suspected IS sympathisers in Kerala, the NIA found that 12 youths from different parts of the state had underwent radicalisation in Mumbai and were familiar with the missing persons. The NIA is currently conducting a probe into the conspiracy that resulted in the Kerala youths travelling to Afghanistan and performing hijra (holy migration).

The agency has also initiated measures to bring them back. A number of Indian citizens, including Malayalis, attended classes in Mumbai, along with those who left the country to join the IS. We have also received information about some radical leaders who promote the extremist ideology. An NIA team has left for Mumbai to collect evidence related to the class attended by the Kerala youths. Interestingly, they are well educated individuals, said NIA officials.

We have unofficial information that the missing men had moved to IS camps at Jalalabad in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. We have approached the National Central Bureau (NCB), a unit under the CBI that conducts international investigations, to bring out a red-corner notice against the missing persons, said the officials. Earlier, the NIA had registered two cases in Kerala in connection with the missing of 22 persons including five women and three children from the Kasargod and Palakkad districts last year. During the probe, two persons who had played a key role in radicalising the youths were arrested in Mumbai.

KOCHI: The NIA team probing the terror link of 22 Keralites who went missing from the state last year and allegedly joined the Islamic State (IS) found that more Malayalis had attended radicalisation classes in Mumbai, along with the missing persons. During interrogation of suspected IS sympathisers in Kerala, the NIA found that 12 youths from different parts of the state had underwent radicalisation in Mumbai and were familiar with the missing persons. The NIA is currently conducting a probe into the conspiracy that resulted in the Kerala youths travelling to Afghanistan and performing hijra (holy migration). The agency has also initiated measures to bring them back. A number of Indian citizens, including Malayalis, attended classes in Mumbai, along with those who left the country to join the IS. We have also received information about some radical leaders who promote the extremist ideology. An NIA team has left for Mumbai to collect evidence related to the class attended by the Kerala youths. Interestingly, they are well educated individuals, said NIA officials. We have unofficial information that the missing men had moved to IS camps at Jalalabad in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. We have approached the National Central Bureau (NCB), a unit under the CBI that conducts international investigations, to bring out a red-corner notice against the missing persons, said the officials. Earlier, the NIA had registered two cases in Kerala in connection with the missing of 22 persons including five women and three children from the Kasargod and Palakkad districts last year. During the probe, two persons who had played a key role in radicalising the youths were arrested in Mumbai.
By Express News Service

KOZHIKODE Malayalam writer Kamal C Chavara, who was charged with sedition recently based on a Facebook post, on Saturday burnt his book alleging police highhandedness and threats from unidentified forces.

The writer along with a group of activists burnt the novel "Smashanangalude Nottupusthakam" at Kidson corner shouting slogans against the police for unleashing terror in the state. Kamal C Chavara had alleged that he was undergoing trauma after the police registered the case against him.

He was booked with sedition charges after he published a portion from his book on Facebook,which took jibe at the Supreme Court order directing to play national anthem in cinemas before each screening. The writer alleges that though the DGP and the government officials promised to repeal sedition charges against him, the police continued to harass him. It was based on a complaint lodged by Yuva Morcha, the BJP's youth wing, that Kamal was taken into custody by Kozhikode police in December. Following public roar against the arrest, mainly from political leaders like veteran CPM leader V S Achuthananadan, Kamal was let off by the police.

KOZHIKODE Malayalam writer Kamal C Chavara, who was charged with sedition recently based on a Facebook post, on Saturday burnt his book alleging police highhandedness and threats from unidentified forces. The writer along with a group of activists burnt the novel "Smashanangalude Nottupusthakam" at Kidson corner shouting slogans against the police for unleashing terror in the state. Kamal C Chavara had alleged that he was undergoing trauma after the police registered the case against him. He was booked with sedition charges after he published a portion from his book on Facebook,which took jibe at the Supreme Court order directing to play national anthem in cinemas before each screening. The writer alleges that though the DGP and the government officials promised to repeal sedition charges against him, the police continued to harass him. It was based on a complaint lodged by Yuva Morcha, the BJP's youth wing, that Kamal was taken into custody by Kozhikode police in December. Following public roar against the arrest, mainly from political leaders like veteran CPM leader V S Achuthananadan, Kamal was let off by the police.
By Express News Service

SAMBALPUR: Taking selfie atop a train proved fatal for an engineering student after he was electrocuted in Jharsuguda on Friday. His friend, who also climbed atop the train, sustained injuries.

The deceased is Rajpal Gourav Patra of Koraput. Jharsuguda Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel reached the spot and seized the body and shifted the injured student to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital. Family members of the deceased student have been informed and the autopsy will be conducted on Saturday.

Gourav was pursing his Diploma in Civil Engineering at Jharsuguda Engineering School. On Friday, he had gone out with his friends, including the injured student, Lokesh Das, to Bhuliatikra located nearby. On reaching Bhuliatikra, they saw a goods train with oil tanker standing on the tracks waiting for signal. Unmindful of the high tension line running above, Rajpal climbed the stationary goods train to take selfie standing atop the container. However, he came in contact with the field of electrostatic force of high tension wire and was thrown away with serious burn injuries resulting in his death at the spot. Lokesh sustained serious injuries.

Meanwhile, the parents of Lokesh have shifted their son to another hospital without informing the GRP. The GRP officials said details about the incident can only be ascertained after they record the statement of Lokesh.

SAMBALPUR: Taking selfie atop a train proved fatal for an engineering student after he was electrocuted in Jharsuguda on Friday. His friend, who also climbed atop the train, sustained injuries. The deceased is Rajpal Gourav Patra of Koraput. Jharsuguda Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel reached the spot and seized the body and shifted the injured student to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital. Family members of the deceased student have been informed and the autopsy will be conducted on Saturday. Gourav was pursing his Diploma in Civil Engineering at Jharsuguda Engineering School. On Friday, he had gone out with his friends, including the injured student, Lokesh Das, to Bhuliatikra located nearby. On reaching Bhuliatikra, they saw a goods train with oil tanker standing on the tracks waiting for signal. Unmindful of the high tension line running above, Rajpal climbed the stationary goods train to take selfie standing atop the container. However, he came in contact with the field of electrostatic force of high tension wire and was thrown away with serious burn injuries resulting in his death at the spot. Lokesh sustained serious injuries. Meanwhile, the parents of Lokesh have shifted their son to another hospital without informing the GRP. The GRP officials said details about the incident can only be ascertained after they record the statement of Lokesh.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Health experts expressed concern over rapidly spreading lung cancer which is a leading cause of death and most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. Speaking at the seventh national conference NALCCON-2016 of Indian Society for the Study of Lung Cancer (ISSLC) here on Saturday, Head of Department of Pulmonary Medicine of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Prof Digambar Behera said lung cancer is now a major healthcare problem in the country.

The most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide were those of lung, which is around 1.8 million (13 percent of the total cancer patients) while breast cancer constitutes nearly 1.7 million (11.9 percent) and colorectum cancer 1.4 million (9.7 per cent), he said. Citing that GLOBOCAN 2012 Estimates of WHO predicts a substantive increase to 19.3 million new cancer cases per year by 2025 due to growth and aging of the global population, Prof Behera said patients need to take advantage of technology like endobronchial ultrasound, positron emission tomography (PET) and Computed tomography (CT), mutation analysis, appropriate staging and targeted treatment.

Though there is no population-based cancer registry to document the incidence of this fatal disease in Odisha, in clinical practice, it is one of the leading causes of death in cancer-related deaths. With 90 percent of patients who are in an advanced inoperable stage, the future looks extremely challenging, he warned. Speaking on the occasion, Director of Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, Prof Sudhakar Panda said now physics is being used for medical treatment, making the healthcare more advanced.

Over the last 10 years, survival in lung cancer has increased. This benefit is mainly due to the availability of targeted therapy drugs and appropriate selection of patients for precision oncology and personalised medicine, he said. A book on lung cancer by Head of Pulmonary Medicines of KGMC, Lucknow, Dr. Suryakant was released on the occasion. Among others, AIIMS Director Prof Gitanjali Batmanabane, Medical Superintendent Prof Dilip Kumar Parida, Dean Prof Vikas Bhatia and Head of Surgical Oncology Prof Madhabananda Kar were present.

BHUBANESWAR: Health experts expressed concern over rapidly spreading lung cancer which is a leading cause of death and most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. Speaking at the seventh national conference NALCCON-2016 of Indian Society for the Study of Lung Cancer (ISSLC) here on Saturday, Head of Department of Pulmonary Medicine of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Prof Digambar Behera said lung cancer is now a major healthcare problem in the country. The most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide were those of lung, which is around 1.8 million (13 percent of the total cancer patients) while breast cancer constitutes nearly 1.7 million (11.9 percent) and colorectum cancer 1.4 million (9.7 per cent), he said. Citing that GLOBOCAN 2012 Estimates of WHO predicts a substantive increase to 19.3 million new cancer cases per year by 2025 due to growth and aging of the global population, Prof Behera said patients need to take advantage of technology like endobronchial ultrasound, positron emission tomography (PET) and Computed tomography (CT), mutation analysis, appropriate staging and targeted treatment. Though there is no population-based cancer registry to document the incidence of this fatal disease in Odisha, in clinical practice, it is one of the leading causes of death in cancer-related deaths. With 90 percent of patients who are in an advanced inoperable stage, the future looks extremely challenging, he warned. Speaking on the occasion, Director of Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, Prof Sudhakar Panda said now physics is being used for medical treatment, making the healthcare more advanced. Over the last 10 years, survival in lung cancer has increased. This benefit is mainly due to the availability of targeted therapy drugs and appropriate selection of patients for precision oncology and personalised medicine, he said. A book on lung cancer by Head of Pulmonary Medicines of KGMC, Lucknow, Dr. Suryakant was released on the occasion. Among others, AIIMS Director Prof Gitanjali Batmanabane, Medical Superintendent Prof Dilip Kumar Parida, Dean Prof Vikas Bhatia and Head of Surgical Oncology Prof Madhabananda Kar were present.
By Express News Service

CUTTACK: Commissionerate Police on Saturday unearthed an online fraud racket and arrested five persons including an employee and a contractual staffer of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The five arrested are Akhilesh Pandey, Satish Yadav and Arun Mishra of West Bengal, head clerk Dhruba Charan Khatoi and a contractual employee Krutibas Kandi of BSNLs Salepur Telecom sub-division.

Police also seized Rs 95,000, one gold chain and three motorcycles from the possession of the arrested persons. DCP Sanjeev Arora said one Sanjeev Das of Sector 8 in CDA had filed an FIR with Markatnagar police on December 18 last year alleging that Rs 25,11,084 had been transferred online from his daughters account in the branch of Bank of India (BOI) without her knowledge. Acting on the FIR, Markatnagar police registered a case. During investigation, it was revealed that the racketeers hacked the bank accounts and transferred the money using duplicate SIM cards.

Arora said the accused duplicated the victims registered mobile number used in Internet banking from BSNLs Salepur Telecom sub-divisional office by submitting forged documents in the name of Sanjeev Das. After securing the one time password (OTP), the accused transferred the amount from the victims account 71 times through online transactions on November 27 and 28 by using the forged SIM card.

The three accused, who were arrested from West Bengal, were brought on transit remand for three days for interrogation after being produced in Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court at Barrakpore. They were produced before SDJM Court in Cuttack on Saturday. The two BSNL employees, who were arrested on the charges of providing duplicate SIM card without verifying the documents, have been forwarded to the court.

CUTTACK: Commissionerate Police on Saturday unearthed an online fraud racket and arrested five persons including an employee and a contractual staffer of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The five arrested are Akhilesh Pandey, Satish Yadav and Arun Mishra of West Bengal, head clerk Dhruba Charan Khatoi and a contractual employee Krutibas Kandi of BSNLs Salepur Telecom sub-division. Police also seized Rs 95,000, one gold chain and three motorcycles from the possession of the arrested persons. DCP Sanjeev Arora said one Sanjeev Das of Sector 8 in CDA had filed an FIR with Markatnagar police on December 18 last year alleging that Rs 25,11,084 had been transferred online from his daughters account in the branch of Bank of India (BOI) without her knowledge. Acting on the FIR, Markatnagar police registered a case. During investigation, it was revealed that the racketeers hacked the bank accounts and transferred the money using duplicate SIM cards. Arora said the accused duplicated the victims registered mobile number used in Internet banking from BSNLs Salepur Telecom sub-divisional office by submitting forged documents in the name of Sanjeev Das. After securing the one time password (OTP), the accused transferred the amount from the victims account 71 times through online transactions on November 27 and 28 by using the forged SIM card. The three accused, who were arrested from West Bengal, were brought on transit remand for three days for interrogation after being produced in Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court at Barrakpore. They were produced before SDJM Court in Cuttack on Saturday. The two BSNL employees, who were arrested on the charges of providing duplicate SIM card without verifying the documents, have been forwarded to the court.
Montana firefighters repeated their request to legislators Thursday to make it easier for them to secure workers compensation coverage for job-caused lung diseases, a proposal that has failed several times in recent years despite being law in most states.

Sen. Pat Connell of Hamilton argued firefighters should not have to prove their cancer or other serious illness was caused by longterm hazardous exposures because mounting scientific evidence has clearly shown the connection. In part because the illnesses develop from long-term exposure -- rather than a single, identifiable incident like a breaking a leg from falling through a floor -- many firefighters who seek coverage are denied. Instead, Senate Bill 72 would amend state law so coverage would be presumed unless the insurer can prove the illness was the result of something else.

Connell is the first Republican in memory to carry the bill.

I know what its like to suck smoke, he said, noting he fought forest fires and later was a director of the Corvallis Volunteer Fire Department. I know what my guys faced in going into buildings, risking their lives to protect Montana citizens and property.

The measures first hearing drew numerous supporters and, for the first time, no opponents.

This is the best bill regarding this issue Ive ever seen and Ive been up here since 1973, said Don Judge with the Montana Trial Lawyers Association, listing relatives who have fought fires. Firefighters, they take an awful risk to save us, to save our property, to save whatever it is thats important to us. They deserve this kind of protection.

The Montana Fire Alliance, a coalition of firefighter organizations, supports the bill, which would cover both professionals and volunteers.

We finally have a bill the entire fire service can get behind, said Leonard Lundby, the Fire Chief of Manchester Volunteer Fire Department and Vice Chairman of the Montana State Fire Chiefs Association.

Supporters and a state health professional who testified Friday cited studies showing that firefighters are exposed to toxic chemicals even when wearing head-to-toe protective gear and masks, because of limitations in that equipment as building materials change or because they are exposed to particulates that accumulate on the exterior while in a fire. They also noted that lightweight construction techniques that have become increasingly popular for reducing costs do so by using synthetic materials that burn hotter than traditional ones and expose firefighters to new risks.

Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, wondered: Why are we picking firefighters and not other professions with known chemical exposures?

In those professions, people have the ability to know exactly what types of chemicals theyre working around, Helena Firefighter of the Year Dave Maslowski said, noting chemical safety warnings that must be posted. In almost all work environments, chemicals can be stored properly and in the right container.Firefighters do not have the luxury of knowing what kind of environment we run into. Its completely out of our control.

This is just a presumption. Not a promise and definitely not a guarantee, he said. If the firefighter is a smoker, they wont be covered. If they have a family history of lung disease, they wont be covered. If they were exposed somewhere else, they wont be covered.

The bill also requires firefighters to have had a medical examination within 90 days of being hired to demonstrate they did not have a pre-existing condition. After leaving the fire service, firefighters could receive up to five years of coverage for an illness, an amount that is scaled based on the length of their employment.

The sideboards on this bill are so high and so sturdy it limits exposure, Sen. Tom Facey, D-Missoula, said.

Historically, lobbyists for insurance companies, towns and counties have opposed the bill, worried about increased costs.

No national studies on the overall costs to insurers or about the number of claims that qualify for presumptive coverage have been completed, although insurance organizations have said generally that costs do increase, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which compiles policy research.

The prevalence rate is pretty small, said Eric Strauss, the Employment Relations Administrator at the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

In a 12-year period, 26 claims were denied, he said, noting they could not see details on why they had been turned down. We can assume some of them likely would be presumptive under this bill.

In Montana, volunteer firefighters outnumber their professional counterparts. Lundby estimated about 4,000 of the states 7,000 volunteers have workers compensation insurance.

Williamson said Medicare claims for lung cancer average out to $60,000 for the first year of treatment and $116,000 for the final year of life.

Connells bill proposes taking a portion of the states tax on fire insurance premiums, which currently flows into the general fund to be spent on anything, to create a new special fund that would pay for the care of firefighters receiving presumptive coverage. The bill would cap the fund at $1 million. Only enough collections to meet that cap would go to the fund to replenish anything spent the previous year. He does not expect the fund to ever be depleted in a single year.
By Express News Service

Jallikattu held in Madurai, Dindigul, Nagapattinam; rekla race involving 200 bulls organised near Coimbatore; Trisha-starrer films shoot stopped as protesters oppose her pro-PETA stand; people hoist black flags atop houses in Salem district; over 1,500 take out rally in Tirupurs Kangayam region, famed for its native bulls

SIVAGANGA, MADURAI, NAGAPATTINAM, COIMBATORE, DINDIGUL, SALEM, TIRUPUR: The Supreme Court ban on Jallikattu could not stop the adrenaline rush as youth in villages in different parts of the State conducted Jallikattu, albeit secretly, on Friday. On the other hand, protests against the ban continued across the State.

Angered over actor Trishas stand in support of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a group of Jallikattu supporters picketed the shooting location of Tamil film Garjanai, starring Trisha and Arya, at Nemathanpatti near Karaikudi on Friday. They demanded that shooting be stopped and sought an apology from Trisha. But they soon learnt that Trisha was not present at the location.

Police said the shooting was stopped as the crew did not have permission, and the shoot manager along with area manager were likely to booked.

At Karisalkulam in Madurai, a group of people conducted Vadam Jallikattu, in which the bull would be tied using a long rope and several tamers would try and tame it within the circle where the bull could reach. Later, Karisalkulam VAO Rajavel lodged a police complaint. Based on it, the Koodal Pudur Police booked 20 people. In Nagapattinam, over 20 youth of Kodiyalanthoor in Valivalam organised a Jallikattu.

A few farmers and rekla racers in and around Ettimadai in Coimbatore organised a rekla race involving 200 race bulls in 100 makeshift carts on Friday. Around 200 bulls tied to 100 carts completed a round from Ettimadai Pirivu to K G Chavadi. We have defied the ban, said A Udhay Kumar, a farmer from Navakkarai. We will conduct another rekla race on January 16 in Coimbatore. We kept quiet all these years expecting a favourable verdict, but in vain, he said.

At Aandipatti in Dindigul, 10 bulls were let loose in an open ground with 20 men trying to tame them. Police said they were not aware of it. At Sirukudi, the owners tied black cloth on the horns of bulls and youth held black flag demonstration.

With hopes of Jallikattu fading, people living in the foothills of Perumal Malai in Salem district hoisted black flags atop their houses in protest. Shopkeepers followed suit.

More than 1,500 people took out a rally appealing to the public to conduct Jallikattu and rekla race in Tirupurs Kangayam region, which is famed for its native bulls. A demonstration was also held.

lambasting PETA, the speakers claimed the NGO had no connection or knowledge about Jallikattu and the protection of native cattle breeds.

The organisers also vowed to hold a Jallikattu at Azhagumalai near Pongalur in the district on January 17.

Jallikattu held in Madurai, Dindigul, Nagapattinam; rekla race involving 200 bulls organised near Coimbatore; Trisha-starrer films shoot stopped as protesters oppose her pro-PETA stand; people hoist black flags atop houses in Salem district; over 1,500 take out rally in Tirupurs Kangayam region, famed for its native bulls SIVAGANGA, MADURAI, NAGAPATTINAM, COIMBATORE, DINDIGUL, SALEM, TIRUPUR: The Supreme Court ban on Jallikattu could not stop the adrenaline rush as youth in villages in different parts of the State conducted Jallikattu, albeit secretly, on Friday. On the other hand, protests against the ban continued across the State. Angered over actor Trishas stand in support of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a group of Jallikattu supporters picketed the shooting location of Tamil film Garjanai, starring Trisha and Arya, at Nemathanpatti near Karaikudi on Friday. They demanded that shooting be stopped and sought an apology from Trisha. But they soon learnt that Trisha was not present at the location. Police said the shooting was stopped as the crew did not have permission, and the shoot manager along with area manager were likely to booked. At Karisalkulam in Madurai, a group of people conducted Vadam Jallikattu, in which the bull would be tied using a long rope and several tamers would try and tame it within the circle where the bull could reach. Later, Karisalkulam VAO Rajavel lodged a police complaint. Based on it, the Koodal Pudur Police booked 20 people. In Nagapattinam, over 20 youth of Kodiyalanthoor in Valivalam organised a Jallikattu. A few farmers and rekla racers in and around Ettimadai in Coimbatore organised a rekla race involving 200 race bulls in 100 makeshift carts on Friday. Around 200 bulls tied to 100 carts completed a round from Ettimadai Pirivu to K G Chavadi. We have defied the ban, said A Udhay Kumar, a farmer from Navakkarai. We will conduct another rekla race on January 16 in Coimbatore. We kept quiet all these years expecting a favourable verdict, but in vain, he said. At Aandipatti in Dindigul, 10 bulls were let loose in an open ground with 20 men trying to tame them. Police said they were not aware of it. At Sirukudi, the owners tied black cloth on the horns of bulls and youth held black flag demonstration. With hopes of Jallikattu fading, people living in the foothills of Perumal Malai in Salem district hoisted black flags atop their houses in protest. Shopkeepers followed suit. More than 1,500 people took out a rally appealing to the public to conduct Jallikattu and rekla race in Tirupurs Kangayam region, which is famed for its native bulls. A demonstration was also held. lambasting PETA, the speakers claimed the NGO had no connection or knowledge about Jallikattu and the protection of native cattle breeds. The organisers also vowed to hold a Jallikattu at Azhagumalai near Pongalur in the district on January 17.
By AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh police Saturday said they have arrested an Islamist extremist accused of being one of the "masterminds" of last year's deadly siege at a Dhaka cafe where 22 hostages were killed.

A police spokesman said Jahangir Alam was detained Friday night by counter-terrorism forces in Elenga, a town some 120 kilometres (63 miles) north of the capital.

"He is one of the main masterminds of the Holey Artisan Bakery (cafe) attack," Yusuf Ali, an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka police force, told AFP.

"He was a member of a new faction of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and was directly involved in the murder of at least 22 religious minorities including Hindu priests and a Christian and foreigners (at the cafe)," he said.

Japanese and Italian diners were among the 18 foreigners shot and hacked to death in the attack on July 1 last year.

The siege lasted for 10 hours until army commandos, using armoured vehicles, stormed the compound.

Sanwar Hossain, an additional deputy commissioner of the police's counter-terrorism and transnational crime unit, said Alam was a close associate of Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi Canadian who was named as the primary architect of the cafe siege.

"(Alam) was notorious. He led around two dozen attacks on religious minorities outside the capital," he told AFP.

Alam, 32, was present with Chowdhury at a Dhaka hideout where they planned and organised the cafe attack, Hossain added.

The arrest comes a week after police killed two Islamist extremists including another plotter of the cafe siege in a shootout in Dhaka. Chowdhury was killed during a raid outside the capital in August last year.

The country's security forces launched a deadly crackdown against Islamist extremists following the attack, which badly undermined Bangladesh's reputation as a relatively moderate Muslim nation.

Since the siege, security forces have killed around 50 Islamist extremists, including most of the alleged leaders of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

However, the Islamic State (IS) organisation also claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, posting images of the carnage as it happened and photos of the gunmen who had posed with the group's black flag.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities.

While many of those attacks have been claimed by IS or Al-Qaeda, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has blamed local militants, denying that international jihadists have gained a foothold in Bangladesh.

Critics say Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents.

Last August US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Dhaka that there was evidence to link the extremists behind the recent spate of deadly attacks in Bangladesh to IS.

DHAKA: Bangladesh police Saturday said they have arrested an Islamist extremist accused of being one of the "masterminds" of last year's deadly siege at a Dhaka cafe where 22 hostages were killed. A police spokesman said Jahangir Alam was detained Friday night by counter-terrorism forces in Elenga, a town some 120 kilometres (63 miles) north of the capital. "He is one of the main masterminds of the Holey Artisan Bakery (cafe) attack," Yusuf Ali, an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka police force, told AFP. "He was a member of a new faction of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and was directly involved in the murder of at least 22 religious minorities including Hindu priests and a Christian and foreigners (at the cafe)," he said. Japanese and Italian diners were among the 18 foreigners shot and hacked to death in the attack on July 1 last year. The siege lasted for 10 hours until army commandos, using armoured vehicles, stormed the compound. Sanwar Hossain, an additional deputy commissioner of the police's counter-terrorism and transnational crime unit, said Alam was a close associate of Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi Canadian who was named as the primary architect of the cafe siege. "(Alam) was notorious. He led around two dozen attacks on religious minorities outside the capital," he told AFP. Alam, 32, was present with Chowdhury at a Dhaka hideout where they planned and organised the cafe attack, Hossain added. The arrest comes a week after police killed two Islamist extremists including another plotter of the cafe siege in a shootout in Dhaka. Chowdhury was killed during a raid outside the capital in August last year. The country's security forces launched a deadly crackdown against Islamist extremists following the attack, which badly undermined Bangladesh's reputation as a relatively moderate Muslim nation. Since the siege, security forces have killed around 50 Islamist extremists, including most of the alleged leaders of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh. However, the Islamic State (IS) organisation also claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, posting images of the carnage as it happened and photos of the gunmen who had posed with the group's black flag. Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities. While many of those attacks have been claimed by IS or Al-Qaeda, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has blamed local militants, denying that international jihadists have gained a foothold in Bangladesh. Critics say Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents. Last August US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Dhaka that there was evidence to link the extremists behind the recent spate of deadly attacks in Bangladesh to IS.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has admitted that the transition period leading to Donald Trump's inauguration has been "unusual" and warned that the CEO's "improvisational" style might not translate well to the presidency.

In excerpts of an interview with the CBS news program "60 Minutes" released today, Obama laid bare some of the tensions between the 44th and the soon-to-be 45th president.

"It's unusual," Obama said in the interview, to air in full on Sunday.

"I suspect the president-elect would agree with that. Look, he was an unconventional candidate."

But Obama also cautioned that Trump's freewheeling style will be put to the test in the Oval Office.

"It'll be a test, I think, for him and the people that he's designated to be able to execute on his vision," he said.

"Don't underestimate the guy, because he's going to be 45th president of the United States," Obama added.

"The one thing I've said to him directly, and I would advise my Republican friends in Congress and supporters around the country, is just make sure that as we go forward, certain norms, certain institutional traditions don't get eroded, because there's a reason they're in place."

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has admitted that the transition period leading to Donald Trump's inauguration has been "unusual" and warned that the CEO's "improvisational" style might not translate well to the presidency. In excerpts of an interview with the CBS news program "60 Minutes" released today, Obama laid bare some of the tensions between the 44th and the soon-to-be 45th president. "It's unusual," Obama said in the interview, to air in full on Sunday. "I suspect the president-elect would agree with that. Look, he was an unconventional candidate." But Obama also cautioned that Trump's freewheeling style will be put to the test in the Oval Office. "It'll be a test, I think, for him and the people that he's designated to be able to execute on his vision," he said. "Don't underestimate the guy, because he's going to be 45th president of the United States," Obama added. "The one thing I've said to him directly, and I would advise my Republican friends in Congress and supporters around the country, is just make sure that as we go forward, certain norms, certain institutional traditions don't get eroded, because there's a reason they're in place."
Express News Service

COLOMBO: In its latest report on Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation, China has said that since 2015, Sino-Indian strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity has been further deepened. Practical cooperation between the two countries has made solid progress in various areas. The two countries have maintained communication and coordination on international affairs and enhanced collaboration in the UN, BRICS, G20, China-India-Russia and other mechanisms.

They have cooperated on climate change, the WTO Doha Round of negotiations, energy and food security, reform of international financial and monetary institutions, and global governance. Such cooperation has helped safeguard the common interests of China, India and other developing countries, the report released in January says.

The two countries have set the goal of forging a closer development partnership, made new progress in exchanges and cooperation in various areas and stayed in close communication and coordination on regional and international issues. The two countries have held frequent exchanges of high-level visits, and enhanced political mutual trust, the report released in January says. Sino-Indian Military Relations On the issue of military relations given the fact that there is a border dispute which led a war in 1962, the report said: The relations between the Chinese and Indian militaries remain healthy and stable in general, with increasingly close communication and exchanges, and pragmatic cooperation in greater breadth and depth.

Eight rounds of defense and security consultation and six joint military anti-terrorism training exercises have been held so far. Sound cooperation in personnel training, professional exchanges and other fields is being carried out. The two sides have also conducted border defense cooperation, which plays a positive role in maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas between China and India. Military leaders of the two sides visited each other in 2015 and 2016, and reached an important consensus on strengthening pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries and working together to maintain peace and stability in the border areas.

Afghanistan Issue On Afghanistan, the report says that China hopes to see an Afghanistan that is united, stable, prosperous and at peace with its neighboring countries. China believes that only an inclusive reconciliation process that is "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" can provide the ultimate solution to the Afghanistan issue. China will continue to play a constructive role in advancing the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The report makes no mention of other countries in South Asia ,such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal ,Bhutan and the Maldives Counter-Terrorism Cooperation On the critical issue of terrorism and counter terrorism, the report says that the Chinese government opposes terrorism in all forms and calls on the international community to cooperate in fighting terrorism on the basis of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and other universally recognized norms governing international relations. However, it adds that China believes that dialogue among different civilizations should be enhanced and a holistic approach taken to eliminate the breeding grounds of terrorism by addressing both its symptoms and root causes by political, economic and diplomatic means.

At the same time, there should be no double standard in fighting terrorism, which should not be associated with any particular country, ethnicity or religion. China apparently has difficulty in accepting the Western characterization of West Asia-based terrorism as Islamic terrorism. China-US Relations Interestingly, the report is positive on Sino-US relations. It says:  Since 2015 the overall relationship between China and the United States has remained stable and even made new progress. The two countries have maintained communication and coordination in the field of Asia-Pacific affairs through bilateral exchanges and relevant mechanisms at all levels, and agreed to build a bilateral relationship of positive interaction and inclusive cooperation in the region.

They have stayed in a state of communication and cooperation on regional and global affairs, including climate change, counter-terrorism, marine environmental protection, combating wild life smuggling, and disaster prevention and reduction within multilateral frameworks such as APEC, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Moreover, the two sides have smoothly carried out trilateral personnel and agriculture training cooperation projects in Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. China-US military relations have generally maintained a momentum of steady progress. Since 2015 the two militaries have continued to improve their two mutual-confidence-building mechanisms: the Mutual Notification of Major Military Activities and the Rules of Behavior for the Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters. In 2015 they held their Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster-Relief Field Exercise and Disaster Management Exchanges in China and the US, respectively, and participated in Khaan Quest 2015 multinational peacekeeping military exercise and Exercise Kowari, a China-US-Australia trilateral military exercise.

Cooperation Despite Differences Enunciating Chinas basic principle in international relations, the report said that partnerships can be built even when there are no shared ideals. Differences need not be obliterated for cooperation to take place ,China believes. Countries can seek common ground while reserving differences.

The key is to remain committed to treating each other as equals and carrying out mutually beneficial cooperation. How major countries in the Asia-Pacific region get along with each other is critical for maintaining regional peace and development. Major countries should treat the strategic intentions of others in an objective and rational manner, reject the Cold War mentality, respect others' legitimate interests and concerns, strengthen positive interactions and respond to challenges with concerted efforts.

This should give comfort to countries which are under the scanner in the West and the UN for alleged violation of human rights and democratic rules as prescribed by the West. Warning To Small Countries Dismayed by small and medium-sized countries in the Asia-Pacific region becoming handmaidens of the West, the report warns: Small and medium-sized countries need not and should not take sides among big countries. All countries should make joint efforts to pursue a new path of dialogue instead of confrontation and pursue partnerships rather than alliances, and build an Asia-Pacific partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation.

COLOMBO: In its latest report on Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation, China has said that since 2015, Sino-Indian strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity has been further deepened. Practical cooperation between the two countries has made solid progress in various areas. The two countries have maintained communication and coordination on international affairs and enhanced collaboration in the UN, BRICS, G20, China-India-Russia and other mechanisms. They have cooperated on climate change, the WTO Doha Round of negotiations, energy and food security, reform of international financial and monetary institutions, and global governance. Such cooperation has helped safeguard the common interests of China, India and other developing countries, the report released in January says. The two countries have set the goal of forging a closer development partnership, made new progress in exchanges and cooperation in various areas and stayed in close communication and coordination on regional and international issues. The two countries have held frequent exchanges of high-level visits, and enhanced political mutual trust, the report released in January says. Sino-Indian Military Relations On the issue of military relations given the fact that there is a border dispute which led a war in 1962, the report said: The relations between the Chinese and Indian militaries remain healthy and stable in general, with increasingly close communication and exchanges, and pragmatic cooperation in greater breadth and depth. Eight rounds of defense and security consultation and six joint military anti-terrorism training exercises have been held so far. Sound cooperation in personnel training, professional exchanges and other fields is being carried out. The two sides have also conducted border defense cooperation, which plays a positive role in maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas between China and India. Military leaders of the two sides visited each other in 2015 and 2016, and reached an important consensus on strengthening pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries and working together to maintain peace and stability in the border areas. Afghanistan Issue On Afghanistan, the report says that China hopes to see an Afghanistan that is united, stable, prosperous and at peace with its neighboring countries. China believes that only an inclusive reconciliation process that is "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" can provide the ultimate solution to the Afghanistan issue. China will continue to play a constructive role in advancing the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The report makes no mention of other countries in South Asia ,such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal ,Bhutan and the Maldives Counter-Terrorism Cooperation On the critical issue of terrorism and counter terrorism, the report says that the Chinese government opposes terrorism in all forms and calls on the international community to cooperate in fighting terrorism on the basis of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and other universally recognized norms governing international relations. However, it adds that China believes that dialogue among different civilizations should be enhanced and a holistic approach taken to eliminate the breeding grounds of terrorism by addressing both its symptoms and root causes by political, economic and diplomatic means. At the same time, there should be no double standard in fighting terrorism, which should not be associated with any particular country, ethnicity or religion. China apparently has difficulty in accepting the Western characterization of West Asia-based terrorism as Islamic terrorism. China-US Relations Interestingly, the report is positive on Sino-US relations. It says:  Since 2015 the overall relationship between China and the United States has remained stable and even made new progress. The two countries have maintained communication and coordination in the field of Asia-Pacific affairs through bilateral exchanges and relevant mechanisms at all levels, and agreed to build a bilateral relationship of positive interaction and inclusive cooperation in the region. They have stayed in a state of communication and cooperation on regional and global affairs, including climate change, counter-terrorism, marine environmental protection, combating wild life smuggling, and disaster prevention and reduction within multilateral frameworks such as APEC, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Moreover, the two sides have smoothly carried out trilateral personnel and agriculture training cooperation projects in Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. China-US military relations have generally maintained a momentum of steady progress. Since 2015 the two militaries have continued to improve their two mutual-confidence-building mechanisms: the Mutual Notification of Major Military Activities and the Rules of Behavior for the Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters. In 2015 they held their Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster-Relief Field Exercise and Disaster Management Exchanges in China and the US, respectively, and participated in Khaan Quest 2015 multinational peacekeeping military exercise and Exercise Kowari, a China-US-Australia trilateral military exercise. Cooperation Despite Differences Enunciating Chinas basic principle in international relations, the report said that partnerships can be built even when there are no shared ideals. Differences need not be obliterated for cooperation to take place ,China believes. Countries can seek common ground while reserving differences. The key is to remain committed to treating each other as equals and carrying out mutually beneficial cooperation. How major countries in the Asia-Pacific region get along with each other is critical for maintaining regional peace and development. Major countries should treat the strategic intentions of others in an objective and rational manner, reject the Cold War mentality, respect others' legitimate interests and concerns, strengthen positive interactions and respond to challenges with concerted efforts. This should give comfort to countries which are under the scanner in the West and the UN for alleged violation of human rights and democratic rules as prescribed by the West. Warning To Small Countries Dismayed by small and medium-sized countries in the Asia-Pacific region becoming handmaidens of the West, the report warns: Small and medium-sized countries need not and should not take sides among big countries. All countries should make joint efforts to pursue a new path of dialogue instead of confrontation and pursue partnerships rather than alliances, and build an Asia-Pacific partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: Congress has approved legislation that allows retired Marine Gen James Mattis to run the Pentagon in the Trump administration.

The House easily cleared the bill, 268-151, despite complaints from many Democrats that Republicans had rushed the measure unnecessarily. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation a day earlier.

A White House spokesman said President Barack Obama would sign the measure if Congress approved it before he leaves office.

The bill grants a one-time exception for Mattis from the law that bars former service members who have been out of uniform for less than seven years from holding the top Pentagon job. The restriction is meant to preserve civilian control of the military. Mattis, 66, retired from the Marine Corps in 2013.

Congress last granted an exception to the law in 1950 for George Marshall, a former five-star Army general and secretary of state.

Rep Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the panel held no substantive hearings to examine the impact of the legislation.

He also faulted Republicans for not pushing back when he Trump transition team refused to allow Mattis to testify before the panel Thursday afternoon after he had completed his confirmation hearing in the Senate.

"We are being treated as irrelevant," Smith said. Rep Mac Thornberry of Texas, the committee's top Republican, blamed the transition team for "short-sightedness." But he rejected Smith's assessment.

"We're not irrelevant because if we do not vote for this legislation, (Mattis) does not serve," Thornberry said.

He also said that passing the bill before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in ensures a seamless transition at the Pentagon at a time when the United States faces an array of threats.

"The fact is unless we pass this bill today we are not able to have a secretary of defense on Jan. 20," Thornberry said. The House will not be in session next week.

The Senate passed the legislation by an 81-17 vote with 30 Democrats backing the bill. The legislation is separate from a Senate confirmation vote on Mattis. But the strong bipartisan support signals there are no real hurdles to approving Trump's choice for defense secretary.

During a military career than lasted four decades, Mattis served in numerous senior military positions, including commander of US Central Command in charge of all American forces in the Middle East.

WASHINGTON: Congress has approved legislation that allows retired Marine Gen James Mattis to run the Pentagon in the Trump administration. The House easily cleared the bill, 268-151, despite complaints from many Democrats that Republicans had rushed the measure unnecessarily. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation a day earlier. A White House spokesman said President Barack Obama would sign the measure if Congress approved it before he leaves office. The bill grants a one-time exception for Mattis from the law that bars former service members who have been out of uniform for less than seven years from holding the top Pentagon job. The restriction is meant to preserve civilian control of the military. Mattis, 66, retired from the Marine Corps in 2013. Congress last granted an exception to the law in 1950 for George Marshall, a former five-star Army general and secretary of state. Rep Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the panel held no substantive hearings to examine the impact of the legislation. He also faulted Republicans for not pushing back when he Trump transition team refused to allow Mattis to testify before the panel Thursday afternoon after he had completed his confirmation hearing in the Senate. "We are being treated as irrelevant," Smith said. Rep Mac Thornberry of Texas, the committee's top Republican, blamed the transition team for "short-sightedness." But he rejected Smith's assessment. "We're not irrelevant because if we do not vote for this legislation, (Mattis) does not serve," Thornberry said. He also said that passing the bill before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in ensures a seamless transition at the Pentagon at a time when the United States faces an array of threats. "The fact is unless we pass this bill today we are not able to have a secretary of defense on Jan. 20," Thornberry said. The House will not be in session next week. The Senate passed the legislation by an 81-17 vote with 30 Democrats backing the bill. The legislation is separate from a Senate confirmation vote on Mattis. But the strong bipartisan support signals there are no real hurdles to approving Trump's choice for defense secretary. During a military career than lasted four decades, Mattis served in numerous senior military positions, including commander of US Central Command in charge of all American forces in the Middle East.
By IANS

KABUL: Militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group have set 60 residential houses on fire in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, an official said on Saturday.



"A group of IS rebels stormed some areas in Kot district on Friday evening and set ablaze the houses," Xinhua news agency quoted the provincial official as saying.



However, the locals had vacated their houses before the attack and therefore there is no report of any casualty.

KABUL: Militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group have set 60 residential houses on fire in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, an official said on Saturday. "A group of IS rebels stormed some areas in Kot district on Friday evening and set ablaze the houses," Xinhua news agency quoted the provincial official as saying. However, the locals had vacated their houses before the attack and therefore there is no report of any casualty.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: When Mike Pence landed in Congress after the 2000 election, he was a conservative agitator who often bucked President George W. Bush's agenda. Seventeen years later, he's the vice president-elect and Donald Trump's inside man on Capitol Hill.

Pence, who spent a dozen years in Congress before becoming Indiana's governor, is visiting frequently with lawmakers and promising close coordination after Trump's inauguration Friday. In a sign of his attentiveness, Pence will have an office in the House as well as the traditional honorary office in the Senate.

Pence's role takes on greater importance, given Trump's ascension to the White House without any experience in elective office.

Trump has few long-standing political alliances in Congress and a strained relationship with the Republican establishment, a hangover from the 2016 campaign. Trump's agenda doesn't always align with Republicans' priorities, and his inflammatory remarks about immigrants, Muslims and women made many in the GOP cringe.

Pence has forged an enduring friendship with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., dating to their early years in Congress, along with other House Republicans crucial to advancing Trump's agenda. In early meetings with lawmakers, Pence has passed out his personal cell phone number and promised an open line to the administration.

"He's the trusted intermediary. He's the person that people on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue know and trust," said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla.

If Trump is known for his brash form of disruptive politics, Pence represents the incoming administration in a more traditional manner, exemplified by his polite, Midwestern demeanour. He joined Trump in New York on Wednesday for the president-elect's first news conference since the Nov. 8 election. Pence soon returned to Capitol Hill for meetings with several senators, including Democrats Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tim Kaine of Virginia. The latter was Hillary Clinton's running mate and Pence's adversary in October's vice president debate.

"Opportunities to work together on issues like infrastructure and child care we think represent a significant chance to bring together leaders in both political parties," Pence said after meeting with Kaine.

Pence's early days in Washington were marked more by his role as a conservative purist than deal-maker.

He opposed the Bush administration on issues such as the president's No Child Left Behind education law and an overhaul of Medicare that provided new prescription drug coverage in 2003. Pence was a leading conservative voice, often arguing that the Republican administration had strayed from conservative principles and had failed to curb federal spending.

After Republicans were swept from power in the 2006 elections, Pence unsuccessfully challenged Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, to become minority leader. Two years later, Boehner backed Pence's entry into the leadership team, elevating the Indiana congressman to the chairman of the House GOP conference, the party's No. 3 post.

One of the ways Pence built lasting ties with fellow lawmakers was through Bible study.

Pence often joined Ryan, House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Georgia Rep. Tom Price, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, for weekly Bible study sessions. House Republicans say those are the types of interactions that will help him in Trump's administration.

"Mike Pence is a House man. He cares about us and he will make sure that we are in the loop," said Rep. Jack Carter, R-Texas, who also attended Bible study with Pence.

By having an office in the House along with the ceremonial one in the Senate for his role as the chamber's president, Pence will follow a path set by Vice President Dick Cheney, a former Wyoming congressman who maintained a House office during the Bush presidency.

Pence's conservative record gives rank-and-file Democrats few reasons to be hopeful that he could be a bipartisan deal-maker on Trump's behalf.

Planned Parenthood, for example, mobilised after Ryan said he planned to strip federal dollars from their organisation as part of the repeal of Obama's healthcare law. The organisation pointed to Pence's anti-abortion record and history of seeking to block federal dollars from the health care provider as one of the reasons for the quick GOP push.

"Mike Pence's fingerprints are all over that," said Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood's executive vice president.

But Pence has tried to build some bridges.

When Manchin, a centrist Democrat facing re-election next year, called incoming Trump White House adviser Katie Walsh in early January to request a meeting with Pence, the senator found himself face to face with Pence only a few hours later. They exchanged cell phone numbers and Manchin again sat down with Pence on Wednesday for a discussion that included the Supreme Court vacancy and federal judicial appointments.

"My job is going to be trying to find pathways forward  how do you find a way to fix things, repair things and make things happen? So you've got to build these relationships," Manchin said.

WASHINGTON: When Mike Pence landed in Congress after the 2000 election, he was a conservative agitator who often bucked President George W. Bush's agenda. Seventeen years later, he's the vice president-elect and Donald Trump's inside man on Capitol Hill. Pence, who spent a dozen years in Congress before becoming Indiana's governor, is visiting frequently with lawmakers and promising close coordination after Trump's inauguration Friday. In a sign of his attentiveness, Pence will have an office in the House as well as the traditional honorary office in the Senate. Pence's role takes on greater importance, given Trump's ascension to the White House without any experience in elective office. Trump has few long-standing political alliances in Congress and a strained relationship with the Republican establishment, a hangover from the 2016 campaign. Trump's agenda doesn't always align with Republicans' priorities, and his inflammatory remarks about immigrants, Muslims and women made many in the GOP cringe. Pence has forged an enduring friendship with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., dating to their early years in Congress, along with other House Republicans crucial to advancing Trump's agenda. In early meetings with lawmakers, Pence has passed out his personal cell phone number and promised an open line to the administration. "He's the trusted intermediary. He's the person that people on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue know and trust," said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. If Trump is known for his brash form of disruptive politics, Pence represents the incoming administration in a more traditional manner, exemplified by his polite, Midwestern demeanour. He joined Trump in New York on Wednesday for the president-elect's first news conference since the Nov. 8 election. Pence soon returned to Capitol Hill for meetings with several senators, including Democrats Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tim Kaine of Virginia. The latter was Hillary Clinton's running mate and Pence's adversary in October's vice president debate. "Opportunities to work together on issues like infrastructure and child care we think represent a significant chance to bring together leaders in both political parties," Pence said after meeting with Kaine. Pence's early days in Washington were marked more by his role as a conservative purist than deal-maker. He opposed the Bush administration on issues such as the president's No Child Left Behind education law and an overhaul of Medicare that provided new prescription drug coverage in 2003. Pence was a leading conservative voice, often arguing that the Republican administration had strayed from conservative principles and had failed to curb federal spending. After Republicans were swept from power in the 2006 elections, Pence unsuccessfully challenged Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, to become minority leader. Two years later, Boehner backed Pence's entry into the leadership team, elevating the Indiana congressman to the chairman of the House GOP conference, the party's No. 3 post. One of the ways Pence built lasting ties with fellow lawmakers was through Bible study. Pence often joined Ryan, House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Georgia Rep. Tom Price, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, for weekly Bible study sessions. House Republicans say those are the types of interactions that will help him in Trump's administration. "Mike Pence is a House man. He cares about us and he will make sure that we are in the loop," said Rep. Jack Carter, R-Texas, who also attended Bible study with Pence. By having an office in the House along with the ceremonial one in the Senate for his role as the chamber's president, Pence will follow a path set by Vice President Dick Cheney, a former Wyoming congressman who maintained a House office during the Bush presidency. Pence's conservative record gives rank-and-file Democrats few reasons to be hopeful that he could be a bipartisan deal-maker on Trump's behalf. Planned Parenthood, for example, mobilised after Ryan said he planned to strip federal dollars from their organisation as part of the repeal of Obama's healthcare law. The organisation pointed to Pence's anti-abortion record and history of seeking to block federal dollars from the health care provider as one of the reasons for the quick GOP push. "Mike Pence's fingerprints are all over that," said Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood's executive vice president. But Pence has tried to build some bridges. When Manchin, a centrist Democrat facing re-election next year, called incoming Trump White House adviser Katie Walsh in early January to request a meeting with Pence, the senator found himself face to face with Pence only a few hours later. They exchanged cell phone numbers and Manchin again sat down with Pence on Wednesday for a discussion that included the Supreme Court vacancy and federal judicial appointments. "My job is going to be trying to find pathways forward  how do you find a way to fix things, repair things and make things happen? So you've got to build these relationships," Manchin said.
By AFP

LEBANON: The Islamic State group launched a ferocious assault on Saturday on a city in eastern Syria, leaving more than 30 jihadists and regime fighters dead, a monitoring group said.

At least 12 members of government forces and 20 IS militants were among the dead in the IS attack on regime positions in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Both the Observatory and Syrian state news agency SANA said two civilians were also killed in IS rocket fire on government-controlled zones in the city.

Around 200,000 people live in Deir Ezzor city, which has been besieged by IS since early 2015 and is the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name.

IS has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday's attack was the "most violent" assault mounted by IS on the city in more than a year.

He said IS was using tunnel bombs and suicide attackers, while Syrian and allied warplanes battered jihadist positions with air strikes.

"Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines," a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

He said jihadists had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped IS.

"Warplanes attacked Daesh's supply lines in all the battlefronts and around the airport," he said.

IS is excluded from a nationwide truce that was brokered by Turkey and Russia and came into effect on December 30.

Diplomatic efforts to end Syria's nearly six-year war have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.

LEBANON: The Islamic State group launched a ferocious assault on Saturday on a city in eastern Syria, leaving more than 30 jihadists and regime fighters dead, a monitoring group said. At least 12 members of government forces and 20 IS militants were among the dead in the IS attack on regime positions in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Both the Observatory and Syrian state news agency SANA said two civilians were also killed in IS rocket fire on government-controlled zones in the city. Around 200,000 people live in Deir Ezzor city, which has been besieged by IS since early 2015 and is the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name. IS has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday's attack was the "most violent" assault mounted by IS on the city in more than a year. He said IS was using tunnel bombs and suicide attackers, while Syrian and allied warplanes battered jihadist positions with air strikes. "Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines," a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. He said jihadists had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped IS. "Warplanes attacked Daesh's supply lines in all the battlefronts and around the airport," he said. IS is excluded from a nationwide truce that was brokered by Turkey and Russia and came into effect on December 30. Diplomatic efforts to end Syria's nearly six-year war have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.
By IANS

WASHINGTON: Several Democrat congressmen have announced that they will break away from a bipartisan tradition by not attending the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump as the President of the US next week.



Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva said on Friday that on January 20 he will be working in his constituency and that his absence from Washington is not due to a lack of respect for the institution, but a challenge to the man who has lacked respect towards millions of Americans, Efe news reported.



"My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy. But as an individual act, yes, of defiance, at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration and by the actions we are taking in this Congress," The Hill quoted Grijalva as saying.



Long time Georgia congressman John Lewis, a noted civil rights activist, will be absent from the ceremony for the first time since being elected in 1987, as he does not believe Trump will be a legitimate president due to Russia's alleged attempts to meddle in the elections.



He told NBC News that he does not think Trump is a "legitimate president" given Russia's attempts to help elect the real estate mogul.



"You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right," Lewis said.



Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez, who is scheduled to take part in a women's demonstration against Trump in Washington on January 21, will also not attend the swearing-in ceremony.



He was the first lawmaker to say that he would boycott Trump's inauguration.



"I cannot go to (the) inauguration of a man who's going to appoint people to the Supreme Court and turn back the clock on women and turn back the clock on immigrants and the safety and freedom that we fought for them," he earlier told CNN in December.



Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark, California congressman Jared Huffman and Oakland congresswoman Barbara Lee have stated their intention not to attend the inauguration.



WASHINGTON: Several Democrat congressmen have announced that they will break away from a bipartisan tradition by not attending the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump as the President of the US next week. Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva said on Friday that on January 20 he will be working in his constituency and that his absence from Washington is not due to a lack of respect for the institution, but a challenge to the man who has lacked respect towards millions of Americans, Efe news reported. "My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy. But as an individual act, yes, of defiance, at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration and by the actions we are taking in this Congress," The Hill quoted Grijalva as saying. Long time Georgia congressman John Lewis, a noted civil rights activist, will be absent from the ceremony for the first time since being elected in 1987, as he does not believe Trump will be a legitimate president due to Russia's alleged attempts to meddle in the elections. He told NBC News that he does not think Trump is a "legitimate president" given Russia's attempts to help elect the real estate mogul. "You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right," Lewis said. Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez, who is scheduled to take part in a women's demonstration against Trump in Washington on January 21, will also not attend the swearing-in ceremony. He was the first lawmaker to say that he would boycott Trump's inauguration. "I cannot go to (the) inauguration of a man who's going to appoint people to the Supreme Court and turn back the clock on women and turn back the clock on immigrants and the safety and freedom that we fought for them," he earlier told CNN in December. Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark, California congressman Jared Huffman and Oakland congresswoman Barbara Lee have stated their intention not to attend the inauguration.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The place shot to fame after being featured in Hollywood actress Angelina Jolies starrer Tomb Raider. But it is the Indian archaeologists who are restoring Ta Prohm temple near Angkor Wat to its ancient glory and the project has now entered in its third phase.

The temple dating back to 12th century is said to be dedicated to the Hindu deity Brahma and is part of the Angkor Wat temple complex. The third phase of the project has been launched by a team from the Archaeological Survey of India and is being carried out under the supervision of a multi-national committee of 20 countries.

The project is estimated to cost Rs. 27 crore and would take 10 years to complete. The first phase of the project had started in 2004 following then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees visit to Cambodia. The Cambodian Government had requested India to help in salvaging the temple as it has been encumbered by huge tree roots. The ASI has decided to not to cut the trees to retain the ancient glory of the heritage complex, ASI officials said.

Before Ta Prohm, the ASI had restored the Angkor Wat temple complex from 1986 to 1993.

It has been part of Indias religion diplomacy as it has been restoring heritage complex in South East Asian country. India has also offered help to Vietnam to restore a Hindu temple in the country belonging to the Champ civilization. The Myson temple has a striking resemblance to Indian temples built during the same period.

The ASI has already surveyed the temple located in the Quang Nam Province and would take care of the reconstruction work.

NEW DELHI: The place shot to fame after being featured in Hollywood actress Angelina Jolies starrer Tomb Raider. But it is the Indian archaeologists who are restoring Ta Prohm temple near Angkor Wat to its ancient glory and the project has now entered in its third phase. The temple dating back to 12th century is said to be dedicated to the Hindu deity Brahma and is part of the Angkor Wat temple complex. The third phase of the project has been launched by a team from the Archaeological Survey of India and is being carried out under the supervision of a multi-national committee of 20 countries. The project is estimated to cost Rs. 27 crore and would take 10 years to complete. The first phase of the project had started in 2004 following then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees visit to Cambodia. The Cambodian Government had requested India to help in salvaging the temple as it has been encumbered by huge tree roots. The ASI has decided to not to cut the trees to retain the ancient glory of the heritage complex, ASI officials said. Before Ta Prohm, the ASI had restored the Angkor Wat temple complex from 1986 to 1993. It has been part of Indias religion diplomacy as it has been restoring heritage complex in South East Asian country. India has also offered help to Vietnam to restore a Hindu temple in the country belonging to the Champ civilization. The Myson temple has a striking resemblance to Indian temples built during the same period. The ASI has already surveyed the temple located in the Quang Nam Province and would take care of the reconstruction work.
MISSOULA -- A Bozeman Democrat and Wilsall Republican have teamed up on a bill to allow certain misdemeanors to be cleared from a persons record after completing sentencing terms and a wait period with no new offenses.

I like to call it the Montana Clean Slate Act, Rep. Zach Brown of Bozeman said when introducing the bill to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday.

House Bill 168 would allow anyone who has not been convicted of any new offenses in the five years after completing his or her sentence to petition district court to clear records of arrest, investigation, detention and court proceedings in a particular case.

The request could only be made once by each person. The ability to expunge records would not be available to people with two or more convictions of assault or family member assault. An amendment proposed by the sponsors also would not allow expungement of traffic violations, such as drunken driving.

Wilsall Sen. Nels Swandal said the bill would provide a reasonable second chance for convicts who have learned their lesson. He noted that some deferred sentence programs available for more serious crimes allow for that opportunity, but it is not available for misdemeanors.

It affects your family, your job, it can affect your whole life for some stupid moment, said the former public defender, prosecutor and judge. If you get convicted of rape as an adult, you can get a deferred sentence for a first charge and if you abide by the terms of your probation, you can get that off your record. I bet you didnt know that. (Minor in Possession) is not off your record.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana said it supported the bill without any exemptions for DUIs or other charges as the sponsors say will be included, calling it an arbitrary distinction of which crimes are worse. The Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence wanted the bill to be amended so people with any convictions of family member assault could not be expunged, noting how difficult it is to secure even one conviction and the escalating pattern of violence often seen.

Clerks of court and a representative from the Montana Department of Justice also raised questions about how to technically destroy all the records and costs associated with modifying their systems to track when it happened, so that a person could only seek expungement once.

Swandal said he and Brown would work with clerks and IT professionals to find the cheapest, easiest solution.

In closing, Brown shared the story of a veteran in his late 20s who had called him about a year ago.

He said the man had served in the military for nearly a decade and had prepared himself to go to attend a military academy for officers training, but he was ineligible because he had an arrest record for a nonviolent offense when he was 18 years old.

When he asked how he could deal with this dumb mistake, the academy told him, Well, you dont have an explicit expungement process in Montana, so theres nothing you can do. Lots of us made dumb decisions when we were kids and theres a valid argument to be made that there ought to be a forgiveness process in our society to help people get back on their feet.

Swandal agreed.

Frankly, its the fair and the right thing to do, he said.

The committee took no action on the bill Friday.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser and Russia's ambassador to the US have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior US official said.

After initially denying that Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke December 29, a Trump official said late Friday that the transition team was aware of one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions.

It's not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trump's team discussed or even helped shape Russia's response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the US for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow.

That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over

intelligence officials' assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the US election to

benefit Trump.

In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obama's sanctions if Russia works with the US on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

"If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions?" he asked. During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader.

"If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia," he said.

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the US said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups.

The US also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times

contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol.

He accepted a call from Taiwan's president, ignoring the longstanding "One China" policy that does not recognize the

island's sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, "Everything is under negotiation."

He also publicly urged the US to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser and Russia's ambassador to the US have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior US official said. After initially denying that Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke December 29, a Trump official said late Friday that the transition team was aware of one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions. It's not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trump's team discussed or even helped shape Russia's response. Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the US for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised. More broadly, Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow. That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials' assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the US election to benefit Trump. In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obama's sanctions if Russia works with the US on battling terrorists and achieving other goals. "If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions?" he asked. During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader. "If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia," he said. The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the US said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The US also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives. Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol. He accepted a call from Taiwan's president, ignoring the longstanding "One China" policy that does not recognize the island's sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, "Everything is under negotiation." He also publicly urged the US to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.
By Associated Press

NEW YORK: Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaire's White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honouring Martin Luther King Jr. and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office.

Trump tweeted on Saturday that Lewis, D-Ga., "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results."

The incoming president added: "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!"

Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than a half-century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans.

For many African-Americans, the contrast between this inauguration and Barack Obama's first one, in 2009, was striking.

The 16-term congressman said Friday that he would not attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol this coming Friday and that it would be the first time he had skipped an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago.

"You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that is set to air Sunday.

"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said.

Lewis' spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, declined to respond to Trump and said the lawmaker's "opinion speaks for itself."

"We as a nation do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election," she said.

U.S. intelligence agencies have said Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win. After spending weeks challenging that assessment, Trump finally accepted that the Russians were behind the election-year hacking of Democrats. But he also emphasised that "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."

Democrat Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College vote.

Lewis' Democratic colleagues quickly came to his defence Saturday.

"Let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed," tweeted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

"John Lewis is an American hero," Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said in a tweet directed at Trump. "You're a fake billionaire who won't release his taxes. Put down Twitter and get serious about governing."

Trump continues to use Twitter to attack his adversaries, just as he did throughout the campaign.

Trump's assertion that Lewis' district is "falling apart" and "crime infested" is hard to prove.

Georgia's 5th Congressional District includes the Atlanta metro region, which has a large African-American population. The district is considered one of the nation's fastest growing areas, but its crime and poverty rates are higher than the national average.

Lewis' office notes that the district is home to several historically black colleges and universities in addition to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports.

NEW YORK: Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaire's White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honouring Martin Luther King Jr. and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office. Trump tweeted on Saturday that Lewis, D-Ga., "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results." The incoming president added: "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!" Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than a half-century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans. For many African-Americans, the contrast between this inauguration and Barack Obama's first one, in 2009, was striking. The 16-term congressman said Friday that he would not attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol this coming Friday and that it would be the first time he had skipped an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago. "You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that is set to air Sunday. "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said. Lewis' spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, declined to respond to Trump and said the lawmaker's "opinion speaks for itself." "We as a nation do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election," she said. U.S. intelligence agencies have said Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win. After spending weeks challenging that assessment, Trump finally accepted that the Russians were behind the election-year hacking of Democrats. But he also emphasised that "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines." Democrat Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College vote. Lewis' Democratic colleagues quickly came to his defence Saturday. "Let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed," tweeted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "John Lewis is an American hero," Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said in a tweet directed at Trump. "You're a fake billionaire who won't release his taxes. Put down Twitter and get serious about governing." Trump continues to use Twitter to attack his adversaries, just as he did throughout the campaign. Trump's assertion that Lewis' district is "falling apart" and "crime infested" is hard to prove. Georgia's 5th Congressional District includes the Atlanta metro region, which has a large African-American population. The district is considered one of the nation's fastest growing areas, but its crime and poverty rates are higher than the national average. Lewis' office notes that the district is home to several historically black colleges and universities in addition to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports.
The ethics report on Ryan Zinke has been released ahead of his confirmation hearing for interior secretary, and as cabinet picks go, Montanas lone congressman is pretty low-budget.

Zinkes net worth is between $601,002 and $2.3 million according to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, which reports the income, assets and debts in a broad range. Financial disclosure estimates from Congress would put Zinkes net worth at about $675,502. Forbes estimated Zinkes worth to be $800,000 shortly before Christmas.

Forbes listed Zinke and Vice President-elect Mike Pence as the only two members of President-elect Donald Trumps cabinet who were worth less than $1 million. The publication put the cabinets worth at $4.5 billion.

By comparison, the woman Ryan Zinke would replace, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, had an estimated net worth of $6.6 million when she took office in 2013. Jewell was the former CEO of outdoor sporting goods retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. She was also a bank president or chief executive for 15 years.

Zinke, a Whitefish native, is a Navy SEAL veteran. He has had an interest in four different businesses but reports income from only two:

Continental Divide International, a business development consulting company that also holds the title to Zinkes house, is worth $500,000 to $1 million. Zinke is the corporations CEO and has drawn $15,001 to $50,000 income.

Double Tap LLC is a microbrewery Zinke formed with his sister in 2011. Zinke reported rent or royalties from Double Tap worth $15,001 or less, though business records show the company has dissolved.

The two other business interests he had ended in 2014:

Save the World Air was a California-registered oil pipeline company, of which Zinke was a board member. He is no longer involved in STWA.

On Point Montana was a consulting business of which Zinke was president.

The representative reported an art and auto collection worth $150,000 to $500,000. House personal financial disclosure records show that the auto collection includes a 1938 Series 65 Cadillac and a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle.

He lists some rental properties and $61,000 to $265,000 in bank accounts and investment funds.

Zinkes liabilities are $200,000 to $550,000, from two 30-year mortgages and a personal truck loan.

Zinke signed an agreement to resign from his business positions and become a nonmanaging member, not to participate in the decision making of his two businesses and also to resign from the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation, which converted part of the Whitefish cemetery into a park.

Zinke acknowledged potential profit from his new book American Commander: Serving a Country Worth Fighting For and Training the Brave Soldiers Who Lead the Way. However, the book was released Nov. 29, and he reported no profit.

Zinke agreed not to participate personally or substantially in any matters concerning his publisher, Thomas Nelson. He also agreed not to participate in anything involving the financial interests of his wifes family trust, which consists of several California rental properties and a vacant lot.

Zinke's staff said they could not comment Thursday.
Sorry, that page not found!



Please visit our Home Page for latest updates
Madhya Pradesh: Mass 'Surya-Namaskar' programme in schools, colleges today

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Jan. 12: Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday will hold mass 'Surya-Namaskar' in all schools, colleges, academic bodies and gram panchayats all across the state to mark the birth anniversary of spiritual leader Swami Vivekanada.





(Posted on 12 January 2017, 1667588562 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 12 January 2017, 1667588562 173O212O198O32)

"Surya-Namaskar will be held in all schools, colleges, academic institutions, gram panchayats and residential schools of the state from 9 AM to 10.30 AM on January 12," said a Public Relations department officer.The day, also observed as 'Yuva Diwas', will see the programme of 'Surya-Namaskar' to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanada.Various academic and cultural programmes putting light on the life of Swami Vivekananda will be organised.The programme is to start at around 9 a.m.Bhopal Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's message will be broadcast at 9.30 a.m., followed by 'Surya Namaskar' and 'Pranayam'.Class 6-12 students and college students will perform 'asans', whereas, class 1-5 schoolchildren will only witness it.Swami Vivekananda was a key figure in introducing the concept of Yoga to the western world.
Sakshi Maharaj a breed of politicians nurtured on divisive politics: Congress

New Delhi , Jan. 13 : The Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Sakshi Maharaj terming him a breed of politicians nurtured on divisive politics.





(Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588563 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588563 173O212O198O32)

"I have fought Sakshi Maharaj on two occasions. I know what his politics is. I know what his personality is all about. This is a breed and brand of politicians who have been nurtured on divisive politics, on politics of the other, on politics of hate, politics of ridicule and they have prospered. They have come so far that they are now part of a government," Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid told ANI.Commending the Election Commission for its immediate action, Khurshid hoped more and more involvement of people to turn people against the kind of politics played by making such comments."I don't always agree with the Election Commission but on this occasion what they are doing is to be commended. I think this is just the beginning of the battle. We have a long way to go and a lot of good people have to pitch in and ensure that we turn the mood of the country against this kind of politics," said Khurshid.Meanwhile, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also did not miss the chance to hit out at BJP, saying that the party is in a habit of playing politics based on religious polarisation."Sakshi Maharaj is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BBJP) member and many other ministers of the party have passed similar comments. BJP is in a habit of doing politics based on religious polarisation," BSP member Sudhindra Bhadoria told ANI.The EC on Thursday censured Sakshi Maharaj for violating the Model Code of Conduct and the Supreme Court's decision not to seek votes in the name of religion.The EC in its letter issued to Maharaj said he being a reputed political leader/MP is expected to be more circumspect in his public utterances during the upcoming assembly elections.The Election Commission also issued a stern warning to the BJP MP, saying strict action would be taken in case of any violation of the Model Code of Conduct in future.Addressing a gathering in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, last week, Maharaj had urged all political parties to come together to frame "population control" laws."This population rise is not because of Hindus. The population has risen because of those who support the concept of four wives and 40 children. It is not acceptable," he said.
Idea Cellular to raise Rs. 500 crore via non-convertible debentures

New Delhi , Jan 13 : Telecom operator Idea Cellular on Friday announced its plans to raise Rs. 500 crore through issuance of non-convertible debentures.





(Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588563 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/telecom-news.php  (Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588563 173O212O198O32)

The telecom company is proposing to issue unsecured redeemable non-convertible debentures amounting to Rs 500 crore on private placement basis.Idea in a regulatory filing today announced its plan is to issue NCDs on January 17 on National Stock Exchange on which it is offering 7.77 percent annual interest."The date of maturity for these NCDs will be January 17, 2022. This would be the third fund raising round by Idea within a period of two months. Idea raised Rs. 1,500 crore on December 13 and Rs. 1,000 crore on January 4 through issue of debentures on private placement," added the regulatory filing.
HELENA  A local couple accused of forcing a 67-year-old woman to panhandle for them pleaded not guilty in Butte district court Thursday to felony elder abuse charges.

Prosecutors allege Anna George, 29, and her husband, Steven Cothren, 47, forced Anna's developmentally disabled mother to panhandle, even in freezing temperatures, since 2013.

According to court documents, police first became aware of the victim in November 2012, when an older disabled woman was reported panhandling at Walmart, 3901 Harrison Ave. Police encountered the woman in similar circumstances multiple times until July 2013, by which time Butte police Sgt. Russ Robertson became worried about the victim.

"Throughout the next years, the officers became familiar with (the victim) and her panhandling activities. However things escalated in 2016," the charging document read.

Robertson encountered the victim in February at Walmart, where George and Cothren were being thrown out for being disorderly. Court documents say an employee told police the victim had been dropped off by a man and a woman police identified as George and Cothren. Police asked the victim if she was being forced to panhandle, which she denied.

Despite police warnings not to return to Walmart, all three were back the next day, and the victim was arrested. Robertson found George and Cothren hiding under a bridge, and the couple denied they were forcing the victim to panhandle.

The victim was arrested for panhandling on Harrison Avenue in April and May and in June testified in court that her daughter Anna George and son-in-law Cothren were forcing her to panhandle and that they would sometimes get mad if she didn't come back with enough money.

Later that month police got a call from a witness who reported a woman police identified as the victim panhandling on Harrison Avenue and giving money to a man in a nearby parking lot. Police identified the man as Cothren, but the victim denied she was being forced to give money to Cothren, and he was not arrested.

In September the victim was found panhandling at the Interstate 15-90 interchange at Rocker, and police identified Cothren's car in the area.

The victim was arrested in November for failure to appear in court for multiple citations, and on Dec. 5 Robertson interviewed her in the presence of her attorney. The victim said she was driven by her daughter and son-in-law to panhandle for them even in the cold.

The victim said she wouldn't have to panhandle if George and Cothren had not been taking some or most of her Social Security check or food stamps and that the couple made her pay rent to live with them in a trailer. The victim testified that she had not been to a doctor in some time and that her legs were so swollen her shoes barely fit.

Robertson requested and was granted an arrest warrant for George and Cothren on elder abuse charges, and the two were arrested the next day and posted bail on Dec. 7. Cothren told the Justice of the Peace that day that as his bail condition required no contact with the victim, he was therefore kicking her out of the trailer.

The temperature that night was below freezing, and the victim was found the next day at the Butte Rescue Mission wearing warm clothing.

Trial dates have not been set for George or Cothren.
Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurates silver jubilee celebrations of NBCFDC

New Delhi, Jan 13 : Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the Silver Jubilee celebrations of National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC), on Friday.





(Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588566 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588566 173O212O198O32)

NBCFDC is a Government of India Undertaking under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.Ramdas Athawale, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Latha Krishna Rao, Secretary, M/o SJE and other dignitaries were present at the inauguration.Gehlot distributed awards to the Channel Training partners of NBCFDC and launched the pilot of Loan Employee Information Automation Project (LEAP) system.He released a short film HamariKahani based on the experiences of beneficiaries of NBCFDC and a book entitled Safalata Ki Kahaniyan brought out by NBCFDC on the success stories of the beneficiaries on the occasion.{image_1}In his address, Gehlot said that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is working through channelizing agencies and banking institutions in all states for the welfare of Backward Classes.He said that all corporations under his ministry are working very effectively in the service of needy persons.The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry organizes Job Fairs regularly through its corporations for providing jobs to Backward Class youths.NBCFDC was incorporated on Jan 13, 1992, as not for profit company with an objective to promote economic and developmental activities for the benefit of Backward Classes and to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self employment ventures.NBCFDC provides financial assistance through State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) nominated by the State Governments/ UTs.It also provides Micro Financing through SCAs/ Self Help Groups (SHGs).The Corporation can assist a wide range of income generating activities to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self-employment ventures under the broad sectors viz.: (1) Agriculture and Allied Activities ; (2) Small Business : (3) Artisan and Traditional Occupation ; (4) Technical and Professional Trades/Courses ; and (5) Transport and Service Sector etc.Images: PIB
Delhi garbage menace: NGT seeks account details of EDMC, Delhi Govt. and DDA

New Delhi , Jan. 13 : With the national capital reeling under garbage menace, the National Green Tribunal on Friday sought account details of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), Delhi government and Delhi Development Authority (DDA).





(Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588566 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588566 173O212O198O32)

The decision comes a day after Delhi government told the NGT that Rs 1,800 crore was given by EDMC to DDA, which was denied by both EDMC and DDA today.The NGT earlier on Tuesday issued notices to the Delhi Government, the EDMC and Sanitation Workers Union, asking them to appear before it tomorrow in connection with the issue of garbage disposal in the national capital.The NGT has also formed a committee to tackle the menace of solid waste in Delhi.The committee, including representatives of the NPCB, DPCC, DDA, MCD, DG Health and four independent members, will visit the site and give report about the capacity and sewage management plant. .It will also look after the solid waste management of five star hotels, hospital, big colonies and colleges, which have more than 500 students.The national capital has been reeling under garbage menace as the sanitation workers have called for an indefinite strike on January 5, demanding payment of pending salaries of three months.
Ajivasan organised first ever 'Ajivasan's Karaoke Club'

New Delhi , Jan 13 : It was fun time at Ajivasan Music Academy when students across various branches came together for the first time ever Ajivasan Karaoke Club. It was a day full of music when students of all age groups sang their favourite songs on karaoke. Post karaoke sessions, was the time to get engage into musical activities.





(Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588568 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/education-news.php  (Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588568 173O212O198O32)

Ajivasan, earlier known as Vasant Sangeet Vidyalay was founded in 1932 in Srinagar by Acharya Jialal Vasant under the patronage of Smt. Rameshwari Nehru. With about twenty-five students under his tutelage, Guruji started out on the musical journey of Sangeet Sandhana. The Institute had repute for providing scientific training in Hindustani Classical Music and the students had the opportunity to perform with the master himself on several occasions.After his demise, his daughter Prem Vasant, along with his disciple Suresh Wadkar, decided to fulfill Guruji's dream of establishing a Gurukul, a place where the music aspirants get the benefit of residing and learning music.Thus, was born Suresh Wadkar's Ajivasan Music Academy (the term Ajivasan was coined from Acharya Jialal Vasant Sangeet Niketan in fond memory of Guruji).As Ajivasan completes 84 years of excellence in music training and is growing by leaps and bounds, they are also celebrating 2017 as the centenary year of Acharya Jialal Vasant. The institute has 09 branches in Mumbai, 01 in Dubai and has recently opened 01 branch in USA. Mumbai branches are located at Kemps Corner, Prabhadevi, Bandra, Santacruz, Powai, Kandivali, Ghatkopar, Chembur and Thane.Over 1500 students are provided training in Hindustani & Western Classical Vocals, Instrumental as well as in popular classical dance forms like Kathak and Bharatnatyam under the guidance of experienced teachers. Standing apart from all other institutes, Ajivasan believes in giving equal opportunities to every aspiring talent and thus, has recently started "Classes for special students" as well. (ANI-NewsVoir)
Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi's leave cut short, resumes office

New Delhi, Jan. 13: Eastern Army Commander Lt General Praveen Bakshi, who was ordered to cut short his leave, resumed his duties at Fort William in Kolkata today.





(Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588568 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 13 January 2017, 1667588568 173O212O198O32)

Bakshi joined back his office on Friday as he was on leave since January 1.The move comes after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar sent across a stern message to Lt Gen Bakshi, who had proceeded on a month-long leave on December 26 after he was superseded and General Bipin Rawat was appointed as Chief of Army Staff (COAS).According to reports, him taking leave after promising support to General Rawat had not gone down well with the Ministry of Defence.Lt Gen Bakshi will be attending the combined commanders conference slated in Dehradun on January 21.
Australia and India deepen school partnerships

New Delhi, Jan 13 : Australia and India have enhanced their bilateral school collaboration with the arrival of Australian teachers in Delhi under the 2017 Australia-India BRIDGE School Partnership program.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588569 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/education-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588569 173O212O198O32)

Australias High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, on Friday hosted an event to bring together the 2017 BRIDGE participants and alumni of previous Australia-India school partnership programs.Such programs have been operating between Australia and India since 1998. More than 290 Australian and 230 Indian teachers have benefited from them, and many have continued to expand relationships with partner schools in the years since.At the event, Sidhu presented awards to a number of Indian schools for their achievements in strengthening Australia-India school relationships.Sidhu congratulated the participants on their efforts.Engagement between our school systems is so important for Australia-India ties, she said.By influencing our childrens views of each others countries, we influence the future of our bilateral relationship. There is also much we can learn from each others experiences in delivering best practice school education, Sidhu added.BRIDGE is funded by the Australian Government and delivered by the Asia Education Foundation (AEF).It aims to build teacher capacity in developing intercultural understanding, and enhancing information communication technology (ICT) skills and establish sustainable school partnerships.It maximises the use of ICT in classrooms and provides students with personal, real-time connection with their peers in the region.
Ratan Tata welcomes N. Chandrasekaran's appointment as Chairman of Tata Sons

New Delhi, Jan 13 : Businessman Ratan Tata, who was serving as Tata Sons' interim Chairman, on Friday appreciated the appointment of N. Chandrasekaran as the Executive Chairman of the group.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588570 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588570 173O212O198O32)

The Board of Directors of Tata Sons, at its meeting on Thursday, appointed N. Chandrasekaran as Executive Chairman.This is as per the unanimous recommendation of the Selection Committee.Chandrasekaran shall take charge from Feb 21.Appreciating the move, Ratan Tata on Friday said in a statement: I congratulate Chandra on his appointment as Chairman of Tata Sons and the Group.He said: It is a well-deserved recognition of his proven leadership capabilities.Tata said he is hopeful that Chandrasekaran will take the group to new heights and protect its values and ethics.Along with the statement, Tata tweeted: Congratulations to Chandra! See link.
Ministry of DoNER celebrates Magh Bihu (Makar Sankranti) festival

Guwahati, Jan 13 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh addressed at the celebrations of Magh Bihu (Makar Sankranti) festival, organised by Ministry of Development of North-East Region (DoNER) at Dilli Haat here on Friday.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588570 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588570 173O212O198O32)

The theme of the festival was Integration through fusion.Addressing on the occasion, Jitendra Singh said that Bihu is the biggest post-harvest festival of Assam and other parts of the North-East and it coincides with the other festivals such as Pongal, Lohri and Makar Sankranti.He wished the people on this occasion as it is the beginning of new year. He also said that dance performances by artists symbolize the unity in diversity of Indian culture.On the auspicious occasion, Singh announced the setting up of multi-purpose DoNER House complex at Guwahati, Assam.He said that it will be a complex which will have meeting hall, conference hall and other infrastructural support.Singh said that the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken various steps for the development of North Eastern region.He said that earlier the emphasis was on bringing the North east region closer to the national mainstream, but now the emphasis is being laid on bringing the rest of India closer to the culture and diversity of north east.The north east region is now visible in the national capital and the celebration of such festivals in Delhi is an instance of that, he added.Singh said that the development of north east has been the priority of the Government and the wholesome growth of the nation is not possible without the development of all regions including Northeast.He also said that the Government has laid special emphasis on the development of infrastructure in the north-east region. There is exclusive scheme for road development in the north east region, he added. He also said that air and rail connectivity is being given priority by the Government. The connectivity will attract investments in the region which will lead to the development of the North east.It will also encourage start ups to come to north east, he added.He also said that the region rates high in terms of many social indicators such as literacy and women empowerment and there is lot to learn from it. He said that the unexplored potential of the region needs to be explored and utilised.The Minister said that in February, 2015, the Government started with the practice of having a camp office in each state of north east on a rotational basis which has helped the officers to understand the problems on the region on the ground level.On the occasion, the artists from Song and Drama Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting presented dance performances from various states which symbolized the rich Indian culture as well as unity in diversity.Senior officers of the Ministry were also present on the occasion.
HAMILTON  A former Ravalli County Justice Court clerk pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzling $8,123 over a seven-year period.

Charlene Ray Groves, 59, of Anaconda accepted a plea bargain agreement that calls for a 10-year suspended sentence to the Montana State Womens Prison, 14 days of local jail time and $2,500 in restitution.

She will be sentenced April 13.

Groves was arrested in 2015 after discrepancies in the courts financial account came to light following a change in judges in the justice court.

Groves worked as the court administrator for former Justice of the Peace Robin Clute. At the time she was employed with the county, her last name was Hanson.

Justice Jennifer Ray took over that position in 2015 following Clutes retirement.

The irregularities were found when Ray and her staff were balancing the 2014 financial accounts and the numbers did not add up properly.

Ray reported the irregularities to the sheriffs office in April 2015. The sheriffs office retained an investigator from the Montana State Auditors office, who spent months reviewing the financial records.

That investigation found Groves had embezzled $8,123.40 between December 2006 and September 2014.

When authorities interviewed Groves at her Anaconda residence, she admitted that she cashed personal checks out of the justice court account, according to court documents. She told investigators she had been going through a rough time and used the money to pay for gas, groceries and other household expenses.

Groves said she didnt know how much she had taken.

The former clerk also told investigators that her boss, Clute, didnt know anything about the thefts. Groves said she provided the former justice with monthly statements that appeared to balance.

The Ravalli County commission responded to the embezzlement case by adding new safeguards to financial transactions coming from that office.

Ravalli County Commissioner Jeff Burrows said the county now requires two employee signatures on all checks and deposits from justice court.

We want to make sure that all of those deposits are true and correct, Burrows said.
Maruti Suzuki unveils IGNIS

New Delhi, Jan 13 : Maruti Suzuki India Limited, leader in passenger vehicles, launched the much awaited premium urban compact vehicle for the millennials, IGNIS here on Friday.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588571 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/automobile-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588571 173O212O198O32)

Presenting the IGNIS to the millennials, Managing Director CEO, Maruti Suzuki, Kenichi Ayukawa said:NEXA, our premium automotive retail channel, now has an offering for the millennials -- IGNIS. It combines unconventional design, seamless smartphone experience with AndroidAuto and Apple CarPlay, technological supremacy with AGS on petrol and diesel, advanced safety features as standard and personalization options, making it unique on every parameter. IGNIS at NEXA will help us expand our presence in the premium compact segment.IGNIS is built on a new generation rigid platform embodying Suzuki Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) for occupant protection.The company, alongwith its suppliers, has invested over Rs 950 Crore towards development of IGNIS. IGNIS comes with 98.5% localization.IGNIS was unveiled at an enthralling Electronic Dance and Music (EDM) concert featuring AXWELL, amongst a gathering of over 5,000 millennials.AXWELL is a globally acclaimed Swedish DJ music producer and remixer, is highly popular among youth.Image: MarutiSuzuki Website
Mamata Banerjee hands over keys of Bonhooghly Tenement Redevelopment Project

Kolkata, jan 13 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Oon Friday handed over keys to the owner's of the apartments of Bonorini, the much awaited Bonhooghly Tenement Project - a unique Public Private Partnership initiative inspired by the Chief Minister herself and taken up by Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Government Of West Bengal, Siddha Group and Eden Realty Group.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588572 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/west-bengal-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588572 173O212O198O32)

Owners of these apartments received the keys from the stage of Yatra Utsab held at Barasat, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.All the apartments have also been upgraded by providing Tiled flooring instead of Cement finish.All the walls now have Plaster-of-Paris (POP) finish instead of regular whitewash.The lobby and staircase have been made with Kota stone instead of regular Cement finish.All these upgrades have been provided at no extra cost as a part of the CSR initiative of Siddha Group and Eden Realty Group in order to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants.The project was completed on time.We are very happy to be a part of this unique initiative undertaken by the Government of West Bengal. We have joined hands with Eden Realty and completed the project on time, said Sanjay Jain, Managing Director, Siddha Group.The challenge of earning confidence of all families and exceeding their expectations by delivering in record time beautiful homes for them has been the proudest moment of my career. We congratulate the state Government for taking this initiative and reposing faith on us in completing the project. This is the pathfinder for all future redevelopment projects, said Sachchidanand Rai, Chairman, Eden Realty Group.
More than 1 million people urge Obama to pardon Snowden

New York, Jan 13 : The Pardon Snowden campaign has been delivered more than 1 million signatures to President Barack Obama, urging him to pardon whistleblower Edward Snowden before he leaves office on Jan 20.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588573 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588573 173O212O198O32)

The signatures delivered to the White House, totaling 1,101,252 in number, were collected by the campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Demand Progress and CREDO Action.People from all over the world have come together to show their support for Edward Snowden and thank him for the public service he performed in standing up for their human rights. Edward Snowden is a hero, not a traitor, and that he remains in limbo years after sparking such an important global debate about surveillance and privacy is a gross injustice. He deserves better than a life in exile, said Salil Shetty, Amnesty Internationals Secretary General.By pardoning Snowden President Obama would place himself on the right side of history, and demonstrate that he stands with all those who fight for what is right, even at great personal cost.Announced in September by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, the Pardon Snowden campaign has attracted support from prominent legal scholars, intelligence experts, technologists, artists and advocates. Among its signatories are George Soros, the founder and chair of the Open Society Foundations; Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak; Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey; Timothy Edgar, the former director of the National Security Staff at the White House; Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg; actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Danny Glover and Mark Ruffalo; and writers Cheryl Strayed, Joyce Carol Oates and Teju Cole.The campaign has made the case that:Snowdens disclosures sparked a critical global debate about government surveillance, increased oversight by all three branches of government, and significant reforms by Congress and the executive branch;Snowden took great care to disclose information responsibly and only to trusted, established journalists, on the condition that they would allow the U.S. government to make a case against publication;Whistleblowers are a check on government power and should not be tried under the World War One-era Espionage Act, which does not distinguish between selling secrets to foreign governments and giving them to journalists working in the public interest.When the internet first came along, we thought it was going to be a beacon for freedom, sharing, and learning. Edward Snowden showed us that the internet was actually being used by governments and companies to monitor us and invade our privacy, said Wozniak. He gave up his whole life to stand up against secret spying and for the Constitution. Thats why hes a hero, and its why he deserves a pardon.The petition signatures were delivered to the White House with a letter from ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth, and Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty.You said yourself in 2014 that the debate spurred by Snowden will make us stronger. You were proven right, the letter reads. We are confident that Edward Snowden will be remembered as a human rights hero and one of historys most important whistleblowers. A presidential pardon for Snowden would be a brave affirmation of citizens right to hold governments to account when power is abused.Ellsberg, who famously blew the whistle on the Pentagon Papers, the Department of Defense report detailing the U.S. governments involvement in Vietnam, appealed to President Obama to act:There is no one in this world with whom I identify more closely than with Edward Snowden. He saw dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional policies that fundamentally threatened our democracy, and instead of turning away, he sacrificed everything to stop them. I hope government employees who see wrongdoing will follow his example in fulfilling their oath to defend the Constitution. President Obama should recognize his bravery and allow him to come home.In November of last year, more than a dozen former staffers of the Senate Church Committee, which oversaw a bipartisan investigation into the U.S. governments intelligence activities in the 1970s, asked President Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch to show leniency to Snowden. Arguing that Snowdens actions benefited democracy, they cited the governments treatment of National Security Advisor Sandy Berger and ex-CIA directors John Deutch and David Petraeus, all of whom disclosed classified information.President Obama has commuted the prison sentences of a total of 1,176 people, and granted pardons to 78 people. This includes pre-trial pardons for three Iranian American men in the framework of the Iranian nuclear deal, reached in 2015.Cases like Edward Snowdens are precisely the reason that the pardon power exists, said Ben Wizner, Snowdens ACLU attorney. President Obama has the opportunity to use this power in recognition of one of the most important acts of whistleblowing in modern history. Taking action while its still possible would send a powerful signal to the world, in troubled times, that many Americans are still committed to human rights and democratic principles.Image : wikimedia commons
Bihar Education Budget: High On Inclusion, Low On Per-Student Spending, CRY report says

Patna, Jan 13 : Even though having allocated close to one-fifth of the total state-budget for school education, which is one among major states in the country, Bihar still remains the state with overcrowded classrooms attended by fewest number of teachers, a recent study done by CRY and CBGA revealed.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588574 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588574 173O212O198O32)

According to the findings of a recent analysis of Government Financing of School Education in India, the state continues to fall short on many social indicators, especially in indices related to child education.In India, the total budgetary spending on school-education nationally has remained stagnant at 2.7 percent of GDP since last four years (2012-13 to 2015-16).In comparison, Bihar budgets an average of 5.6% of the Gross State Domestic Produce (GSDP) on education.This was revealed in the recent study by CRY- Child Rights and You and Centre for Budgets, Governance and Accountability (CBGA), which looks at the overall scenario of budgetary spending (including central and states funds) on school education (Classes I to XII).The study examines in detail the composition of school budgets of ten states viz. Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.While Bihar stands as one of the highest among the study states spending 17.7% percent of its total budget on school education, it is concerning that this allocation has been reduced by 2% points over the last four years (from 19.3% in 2012-13 to 17.7% in 2015-16 [BE+SB]). With about 15% growth rate, Bihars spending on school education remains stagnant around 25 thousand crores.Worryingly, the state spends only a meagre Rs. 9,583/- per student, compared to Rs. 32,263/- per student spending by Kendriya Vidyalayas in the country. Per student spending of Bihar also remains way too less than that spent by states like Goa (Rs. 67,041/-), Kerala (RS. 38,811/-), Tamilnadu (Rs. 23,617/-) and Karnataka (Rs. 22,856/-). Evidently, more investment is required for addressing existing gaps and meeting the desired outcomes for meeting RTE standards on infrastructure and quality of teaching learning, the study revealed.The study further highlights the poor emphasis given by the state on several parameters defined by Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE).Bihar state is home to nearly 34 million of school going children in the age group of 6 to 18 years. It is a sad scenario with about 2 million posts of teachers vacant, leaving Bihars Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) very high (one teacher for every 56 students). 63% of all primary schools in Bihar do not meet the mandated PTR ratio (1:30) (Source: DISE 2014-15), it said.The recruitment and training of duly qualified teachers have also not been given due priority which is evident from the study findings, which shows only 1.6% of the total school budget has been earmarked for teachers training.The state also reports lowest percentage of professionally trained teachers (52%) among the studied states, implying that this is a state with severe underfunding in critical RTE parametres resulting in overcrowded classrooms attended by just a handful of under-qualified teachers. This is also evident from the study finding which shows that Bihar spends 51.6% of school education budget on teachers salary which is lowest among the study states.On a positive side, the state is committed towards reserving budget for the most marginalized children with state spending 22% of its budget on SC/ST children, who constitute nearly 30% of its population of school-going age, the study stated.Indias prevailing quantum of budgetary spending on education is inadequate not just because it falls short of the benchmark recommended decades ago by the Kothari Commission, said Subrat Das, Director of CBGA. But also because the paucity of funds for almost all important areas of public provisioning of school educationbe it availability of teachers, their training, monitoring of schools, interventions for children from marginalised sections or those for strengthening community engagement with schoolsis glaring in most of the poorer states, Das added.Mohua Chatterjee, Programme Head, CRY East said, We need to delve deeper in analyzing and identifying the gaps where deficiency of funds is visible. Bihar is one of the fastest growing states clocking a growth rate of 15+% over the last few years and allocating more in social budgeting. Over the past four years it has consistently spent almost one-fifth of its state budget for school education, and allocated budget for the most marginalized children, which is certainly an indicator of the states positive intent. But at the same time, the state lags behind in per-student spending.Other education components like recruitment, training and capacity building of teachers, and development of school infrastructure need more significant investment, Chatterjee added.Image: UNICEF
INTERVIEW: Space technology can help create a better world - Simonetta Di Pippo, UN Office for Outer Space Affairs

New York, Jan 13 : The heads of national space agencies, government officials and representatives from the space community worldwide are being challenged to get more women into the aerospace industry.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588574 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588574 173O212O198O32)

The call has been issued by one of the few women leaders in the sector: Italian astrophysicist Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).Based in Vienna, UNOOSA promotes international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space, and in the utilization of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development.Di Pippo studied Astrophysics and Space Physics at the University of Rome she was the only woman in a graduating class of ten people. Subsequently, she held senior posts with the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency, in addition to co-founding an association for women in the industry, before taking up her appointment with the UN in March 2014.UNOOSA has been busy recently with increasing awareness about the role of space technology in supporting development priorities stemming from a gathering held in Dubai late last year, where the global space community met to discuss how it can contribute to the push for sustainable development.The High-Level Forum on Space as a Driver for Socio-Economic Sustainable Development, organized by UNOOSA and the Government of the United Arab Emirates, paves the way for the June 2018 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first UN Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE+50), which is expected to strengthen efforts in shaping global space governance at a time when more countries and non-governmental actors are increasingly involved in space activities.Di Pippo spoke to UN News about UNOOSAs plans to help developing countries to access space, and to get more women into the space sector.UN News: The High Level Forum in Dubai centred around four aspects of space. Can you tell us about them and why they are important to sustainable development?Simonetta Di Pippo: This High Level Forum was organized under the scheme of four pillars: space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy. We do believe that governments, the private sector, academia and civil society can better understand why we should put so much attention on space activities. So in a way, the four pillars explain why we do what we do at the United Nations, also because investing in space at times could sound inappropriate for a lot of reasons.If we are able to demonstrate that space activities are really part of our day-to-day life, and the quality of life on Earth is improving thanks to space activities and space-based data, and what we are able to do in terms of putting a lot of different players together, this can help governments to become partners in this process and also developing countries to be able to get more advantages and more benefits from the use of space-related technologies on Earth.UN News: UNOOSA is looking to launch the first UN mission to outer space. Tell us about that.Simonetta Di Pippo: We have started to understand that access to space is really important for developing countries to be part of this space community and to get more and more benefits from being part of this process.We are working with the Sierra Nevada Corporation, which has developed the Dream Chaser vehicle. This is quite an interesting spaceship because it goes up as a normal space object and comes back as a normal plane so it can land on a normal landing strip. What we are trying to do now is to put together a mission which should fly, we hope, by the end of 2021. The current baseline is for two weeks in orbit and it could bring between 25-30 experiments. So the announcement of opportunity, which I hope will be out in the second half of 2017, will be open essentially to developing countries, but also to others. The experiments will be selected with the main criteria being that they have to be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).UN News: One of your goals is to advance womens involvement and leadership in the space sector. You also want to encourage more women to study the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as the numbers are quite low. Why has it been hard to attract women to this field?Simonetta Di Pippo: Its not exactly clear why. There are a lot of studies going on, on a global scale. Its true that even if you have more and more women graduating and getting their masters degrees, in the outer space field the percentage is quite low. And the more you go up, I mean, leadership positions there is more or less no one.Now, why? There are a lot of reasons. It is a difficult field. You need a lot of commitment and dedication but women are very good at that. Gender balance and gender representation in the outer space field has always been one of my main priorities. Under the thematic priority of capacity building for the 21st century, which is one of the most important thematic priorities we have to deal with for UNISPACE+50, our Member States are asking us to work on STEM education but with specific attention to women, particularly women in developing countries.So, we are putting together a project called Space for Women, and space, you know, has a double meaning. I would like to bring Space for Women to the attention of Member States in June 2018, UNISPACE+50, hoping they will be supportive, also in terms of the financial resources I will need to bring the project to the right level.UN News: What else could be done to encourage women to pursue STEM, or to support women already working in the space industry?Simonetta Di Pippo: It is complicated. I can tell you about my experience. A few years ago, I was talking to a lady who said, You are really a role model for us. And I have to tell you: I was looking around, like, Are you talking to me?Now, from that moment on, I started to feel more responsibility towards young women and other women because: yes, if I am seen as a role model then I have to act in a way that I can really help because if we can do something, this helps the entire society to become better. And Im fully convinced that diversity should not be an issue; diversity is an asset. And what counts is the real merit of each of us.If we are treated equally, if we have the same opportunities, then it is up to us to work hard, to be committed in order to get what we want. And there is no difference between men and women. In principle there should not be any difference. There are a certain number of biases in men and women, I have to say, and we have to work on that. And clearly the UN is the best environment in which to do that because it is so multicultural, so open, and it is really the right place.UN News: Speaking about Space for Women and women in space: What was your own path into this field?Simonetta Di Pippo: One of the reasons why I looked at space as my field was that I was ten years old when the first man landed on the moon. I was already a science-oriented kid, and I wanted to do something that would keep my brain alive. And that is exactly what I am doing.After 30 years of developing spacecraft and sending astronauts to the space station, collaborating on real projects, I am now looking at the other side of space how you can use space for the benefit of humankind, how space can help improve the quality of life on Earth so it is the right time in my career to be at the United Nations and to bring my expertise in developing huge projects for the benefit of all UN Member States. So I am very happy, by the way, to be here now!UN News: How would you finish the following sentence: Space is important for sustainable development because.Simonetta Di Pippo: Space-based data and infrastructure can really support the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals in different ways. For example, through (satellite) images or information services or applications. This is the reason why we have appointed the former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly as UN Champion for Space. His role is to help us to increase awareness about the SDGs; plus, a testimonial can help in increasing awareness of the fact that every day, each of us uses between 20 and 25 satellites. And we dont know that. Yes, we know that but the public, a little bit less. Scott has been in space, looking at the Earth from the outside, and looking at how fragile it is and the issue of climate change and space debris around the Earth, but also global health, space weather, water and food security. We have so many topics relevant to the 17 SDGs, including gender equality. Really, we can do a lot in helping the world become a better world.Source: www.justearthnews.com
Pak senator suggests death penalty for politicians consuming alcohol

Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan. 14 : Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Shahi Syed has suggested death penalty for politicians who consume alcohol.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588576 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588576 173O212O198O32)

He made the remarks at the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that met on Friday to hold discussions on local and foreign booze, reports the Geo News."Parliamentarians represent the people and if they are not punished for doing a wrong thing then why should poor people be?" Syed questioned, adding that politicians should be hanged to death for consuming liquor, while a lay man should face 6 months or a year in prison.Commenting on the consumption of marijuana, he said, "People call it darwesh's intoxicant, but that too is wrong and should also be prohibited".Senator Rehman Malik, who chaired the meeting, said, "It should be declared whether someone ever consumed alcohol, marijuana or opium, prior to contesting an election".To this, Syed added that if this happens then majority of politicians would be disqualified. The ANP senator regretted that a Hindu is named for selling and consuming liquor, but it is actually done by a Muslim.Consuming and selling liquor is prohibited in Pakistan; it's sale, however, is permitted to people of other religions through licensed liquor stores.
DECATUR -- Richland Community College will eliminate five positions as part of a restructuring caused by a severe loss of state funding.

The restructuring is not a reflection of any employees performance, rather, the need to restructure in light of the colleges limited financial resources, said Richland President Cris Valdez in a prepared statement released Friday evening.

The cuts include three administrative officers, including chief of staff, vice president of economic development and innovative workforce solutions and director of human resources. Two positions will also be eliminated in the Duplication Center, which will close this spring.

The cuts will be effective Feb. 28.

Colleges and universities across the state have engaged in cost-cutting measures that have resulted in personnel cuts and program cuts, Valdez said in the statement. Richland Community College has avoided personnel changes up to this point.

The statement did not make clear whether those holding the administrative positions would be moved to other positions within the college. Current Chief of Staff Lisa Gregory declined to comment, while Vice President of Economic Development Douglas Brauer referred questions to Valdez.

Richland Board President Bruce Campbell also referred questions to Valdez.

Valdez could not be reached for further comment Friday evening.

Richland has seen a nearly 13 percent drop in enrollment over the past six years, as well as a 12 percent decrease in state funds over that same time period.

The board of trustees recently passed a budget that did not include any money from the state, relying solely on the tax levy and enrollment to fund the college.

News of the cuts were proof once again for state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, that the state must do more to support education at all levels.

One of the big losers right now in the budget situation is our schools, Mitchell said. The state isnt living up to what it should be doing. Asinine is the only word I can use to describe it.

He said he was hopeful that lawmakers could come together in the new session to pass a budget for the first time in nearly two years and provide some funding and stability for Richland and other institutions of learning.

Recently, the Illinois Community College Board released $3 million in state emergency funding to seven community college districts. Richland was not among those to receive help.

The districts were selected based on criteria established by the board during a special meeting on Dec. 7. The criteria were formulated on the assumption that districts with the least amount of local property tax funding would have the hardest time operating without state funding.

Colleges meeting these criteria were also required to demonstrate evidence of measures taken to reduce expenditures that required a reduction in staff and programs.

In September, the state board passed a resolution declaring a state of emergency for the entire community college system due to the drastic loss of state revenue over the past two years.

In July, the state approved a short-term budget deal that pumped nearly $1 billion into the state's higher education system. Of that, community colleges were in line to receive about $114 million.

Other parts of the larger budget agreement in July included funding for stalled construction projects on college campus, including $4.2 million for the Student Success Center at Richland.
Former Pak army chief to speak at World Economic Forum

Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan. 14 : Former Pakistan army chief General (Retd.) Raheel Sharif will speak at the four-day annual meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588577 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588577 173O212O198O32)

The ex-chief will discuss security issues reshaping global agenda and highlight developing opportunities in South Asia under the USD 55 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, reports the Express Tribune.Gen Raheel, who retired in November last year, would also highlight Pakistan Army's counter insurgency operations and improved security environment in the country as well as in the region.He will address three sessions of the WEF in addition to speaking at as many events arranged on the sidelines of the sessions.This year the theme of the meeting is Responsive and Responsible Leadership and over half of the programme's 400 sessions will address strategies for fostering greater social inclusion and human development.A record 3,000 participants, coming from all continents, are attending the event which will be held from January 17 to 20.
Kate Mara engaged to 'Fantastic Four' co-star Jamie Bell

Washington D.C. [USA], Jan. 14 : Kate Mara, who played Sue Storm in the 2015 reboot film 'The Fantastic Four' is probably gearing ready to walk down the aisle.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588578 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/hollywood-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588578 173O212O198O32)

The 33-year-old actress and Jamie Bell, who met on the set of the movie playing superheroes, are engaged, reports E! Online.Mara was earlier spotted walking in New York City sporting a large stone on her ring finger.During the past weekend , the 'House of Cards' star was also seen wearing the same in a photo posted on social media.Reportedly, Mara and the 30-year-old British actor had sparked engagement rumors last year after the actress was spotted with the new jewelry addition to her finger.While this will mark the first marriage for the 'Man Down' actress, Bell had been married to Evan Rachel Wood, from whom he split in 2014 after 19 months of marriage.
DECATUR  When Erick F. Hubbard joined the staff in the circuit clerk's office in 1989, he had no interest in studying law.

But when he served in courtrooms as a deputy clerk during trials, that piqued his interest in possibly becoming an attorney.

At Hubbard's installation ceremony Friday, attended by a gallery packed with family members and colleagues, Presiding Macon County Judge A.G. Webber recalled that he was approached by the young clerk about 20 years ago, when Webber was a lawyer.

Erick came over to me and said, 'Should I go to law school? said Webber, recalling the moment during introductory remarks. I said, 'Sure, give it a try. It might work out.' Webber and Hubbard had been neighbors as they grew up on the West End.

Hubbard left his clerk job, earned a bachelor's degree in history at Millikin University and went on to Southern Illinois University School of Law, graduating with honors in 2003.

A 1986 MacArthur High School graduate, Hubbard returned to Decatur after law school, joining the firm where he became a partner and worked for the next 13 years.

During his stint at Featherstun, Gaumer, Postlewait, Stocks, Flynn & Hubbard, he litigated civil cases, including representation of government entities, and defense of insurance and workers compensation cases.

In his remarks, Hubbard, 48, said that Webber advised him 20 years ago that medical school is for the smart, law school is for the persistent.

When he started out on the legal pathway, he had no idea he would one day be standing in a courtroom as a judge, which now seemed surreal.

I couldn't be happier to be here, Hubbard said.

Dan Flannell, chief judge of the sixth judicial circuit until his retirement effective Friday, called Hubbard to deliver the news of his election.

I was completely surprised, Hubbard said, adding this was the third time he applied to gain a seat on the bench. There were 14 applicants. All were very strong applicants and very well qualified. I read it as a 1-of-14 shot.

Webber said that when selecting new judges, circuit judges consider experience, personality and temperament.

Erick had the qualities we thought would be best to serve Macon County, Webber said.

Hubbard was elected by the 14 circuit judges in the sixth circuit. He fills the spot vacated by Thomas E. Little, who left an associate seat to win public election to circuit judge. Hubbard will initially be assigned to handle cases involving traffic, orders of protection and landlord/tenant disputes.

Hubbard was the first judge sworn in by Richard Rick Broch, 60, of Tuscola, who was appointed chief judge of the circuit by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Priyanka Chopra lands in hospital after set accident

Los Angeles, Jan 14 : Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra has been rushed to a hospital in the US, following a nasty fall on the sets of Quantico, media reports said.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588582 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/bollywood-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588582 173O212O198O32)

Priyanka reportedly suffered a concussion after falling head-first.The ridiculously gorgeous actress -- who is resting at home -- was noticeably absent during a Friday event to promote the show, a TMZ report said.TMZ also quoted a representative as saying, Yes, we can confirm there was a minor accident ... and [she] will return to work after the weekend.
Continuous exports growth more than encouraging, says FIEO President

New Delhi , Jan. 14 : Commenting on the December, 2016 Trade Data, FIEO President, Mr S C Ralhan said that exports for the month of December, 2016 continued with its positive trend and touched the base of over USD 23 billion exhibiting a growth of 5.72 percent during the month. The overall exports for the period April-December, 2016-17 is also positive for the second time in a row showing a growth of 0.75 percent during the period.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588583 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588583 173O212O198O32)

"The growth across sectors in 18 out of 30 major product groups, have not only been positive in December but sectors specially Iron ore have continued to show an overwhelming growth of well over 800 percent. Other major sectors like Jute Manufacturing, Oil Meals, Oil Seeds, Coffee, Marine Products, Cashew, Engineering Goods, Organic and Inorganic Chemicals, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals and Gems and Jewellery have also shown impressive growth contributing in a major way to the growth in exports during the month," FIEO Chief further added.Ralhan reiterated that Petroleum exports, which has a major contribution in the exports basket, has continued to growth with a positive growth of well over eight percent.FIEO President also said, "Global sentiments have started showing positive signs and US Fed-rate hike and demonetisation have had very limited impact on exports. The labour-intensive sectors like gems and jewellery, handicraft, marine and engineering have shown impressive growth.""Looking at the continuous positive trend of growth in exports, we are on our course to achieve exports of about USD 270-280 billion during the current fiscal. The focus in such challenging times should be on marketing with proactive support from the Government. We think our request for an Export Development Fund in the Union Budget is well timed. GST has to ensure a system which does not affect the liquidity of exporters both of input tax for manufacturers and final product tax for merchant exporters. The interest equalisation scheme has been very effective in cutting the cost of credit and should be extended to merchant exporters in this Budget," Ralhan added.
Nawaz Sharif declines proposal to abandon 1,200MW LNG plant

Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan. 14 : Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declined a proposal to set aside a planned 1,200-megawatt LNG-based power plant in Muzaffargarh, Punjab as it is likely to get completed after the end of his tenure.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588584 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588584 173O212O198O32)

The Express Tribune quoted a senior official of the Ministry of Water and Power, as saying that the Prime Minister was informed about the progress on the bidding process of the power plant during a high-level meeting.The project processing framework and request for proposals has already been approved by the Private Power and Infrastructure Board on October 28 last year.The project has also been granted one-off exemption from the boards on its earlier decision that no new imported fuel-based power plants would be approved.The power ministry official informed the high-level meeting that some issues were raised by the prospective bidders regarding the bid submission deadline, the time frame for open-cycle operation, the commissioning date and deadlines for key project activities.Sharif was also informed by the officials that the project had not been included in the power generation projection of the Ministry of Water and Power.The Prime Minister directed the water and power ministry to go ahead with the project and said that the electricity produced by the plant would be added to the national grid which would contribute to the economic and industrial growth of the country.
Anil Vij is an unworthy son of the nation: Lalu Prasad Yadav

Patna(Bihar) , Jan. 14: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday came down heavily on Anil Vij for saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a bigger brand than Mahatma Gandhi, and branded the Haryana Minister as an unworthy son of the nation.





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588584 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588584 173O212O198O32)

"This is very unfortunate. He (Vij) is an unworthy son of the nation for saying this." Lalu said.The controversial Haryana Minister had said earlier that from the time Gandhi's name has been associated with Khadi, the industry has never been able to stand up.Vij's comment comes in connection with the ongoing controversy over the photo of the Prime Minister replacing that of Gandhi in the 2017 wall calendar and table diary published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC).The cover photo on the calendar and the diary showed Prime Minister Modi weaving khadi on a large 'charkha' in the same pose as Gandhiji.However, the BJP was quick in condemning the remarks clarifying that it was not the stand of the party.Minutes after making the controversial comment, Vij retracted his statement saying, "the comment I made on Mahatma Gandhi is my personal opinion. To avoid hurting anyone's sentiments, I take it back," he said.Vij's remarks about the Father of the Nation had invited angry reactions from all corners.
Key decisions taken in the SEBI Board Meeting held at Jaipur

Jaipur, Rajasthan , Jan. 14 : The SEBI Board met in Jaipur on Saturday and took the following decisions:





(Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588586 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php  (Posted on 14 January 2017, 1667588586 173O212O198O32)

I. Reduction of fees payable by brokers by 25 percent and calibration of other fees:SEBI has been following the practice of calibrating the fees either upwards or downwards as per SEBI's requirements from time to time so as to keep a balance between the financial resources required to ensure regulatory efficiency while maintaining reasonableness to avoid any undue burden on any particular class of intermediaries. Keeping this objective in mind and taking into consideration the projected income and expenditure of SEBI for the next three financial years, the Board has decided to reduce the fees payable by broker by 25 percent, i.e. from Rs 20/- per crore of turnover to Rs 15/- per crore of turnover. This will result in reduction of overall cost of transactions and will benefit the investors and promote the development of securities market.The Board also decided to align the fees payable under SEBI (Buy-back of Securities) Regulations, 1998 with the fee payable under SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011. It was also decided to introduce filing fee for draft scheme of arrangement and processing fee for application seeking relaxation under Regulation 113 of SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009. The fee charged under Regulation 11 of the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011 has been revised to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 3 lakh.II. Review of advertisement guidelines for Mutual Funds:SEBI Board deliberated the proposals relating to review of existing advertisement guidelines for Mutual Funds. It considered that the existing guidelines on publishing performance of schemes in advertisements issued by Mutual Funds should be reviewed, so that performance related information may be disclosed in a simpler and effective manner, while providing precise and latest information to investors. Further, the Board considered that for the purpose of increasing awareness of Mutual Funds as a financial product category, celebrity endorsements of Mutual Funds may be allowed at an industry level.Accordingly, the Board decided that: While publishing performance related information in advertisement of Mutual Fund schemes, performance of Mutual Fund schemes shall be advertised in terms of CAGR for the past 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and since inception; in place of current requirement to publish scheme's returns for as many twelve month periods as possible for the past 3 years. Performance advertisement of Mutual Fund schemes should provide information based on last day of month-end preceding the date of advertisement, instead of current requirement of publishing such data based on last day of preceding quarter-end. Performance of other schemes managed by the fund manager shall be disclosed in a summarized manner and in internet-enabled media; Mutual Funds shall be permitted to provide an exact link to such summarized information.On allowing celebrity endorsements at industry level: Celebrity endorsements of Mutual Funds shall be permitted at industry level; however, not for endorsing a particular scheme of a Mutual Fund or as a branding exercise of a Mutual Fund house. Further, prior approval of SEBI shall be required for issuance of such advertisements which feature celebrities.III. Investment by Mutual Funds in Hybrid Instruments:1) SEBI Board noted that units of REITs/InvITs are hybrid instruments. However, the features are more like equity securities and the concentration and liquidity risks require to be addressed.2) In light of the above, the Board decided that the following investment restrictions will be applicable:(i) A Mutual Fund scheme shall not invest more than 5 percent of its NAV in units of a single issuer of REITs and InvITs. Such limit of 5 percent shall not be applicable for investments in case of index fund or sector or industry specific scheme pertaining to REITs and InvITs.(ii) A Mutual Fund scheme shall not invest more than 10 percent of its NAV in units of REITs and InvITs. Such limit of 10 percent shall not be applicable for investments in case of index fund or sector or industry specific scheme pertaining to REITs and InvITs.(iii) No Mutual Fund under all its schemes should own more than 10 percent of units issued by a single issuer of REITs and InvITs.3) Applicability(i) The aforesaid investment restrictions shall be applicable to all fresh investments by all schemes or an existing scheme.(ii) Any existing scheme intending to invest in units of REITs/InvITs shall abide by the provisions of Regulation 18 (15A) of SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996.IV. Regulatory Framework on Schemes of Arrangements - Mergers and DemergersSEBI Board approved the proposals to revise and streamline the regulatory framework governing schemes of arrangement:1. In case of merger of an unlisted company with a listed company:a) With a view to improve the disclosure standards, the unlisted company, inter-alia, shall comply with the requirement of disclosure of material information as specified in the format for abridged prospectus.b) The holding of pre-scheme public shareholders of the listed entity and the Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) of the unlisted company, in the post scheme shareholding pattern of the 'merged' company shall not be less than 25 percent. The objective is to have wider public shareholding and to prevent very large unlisted company to get listed by merging with a very small company.c) Unlisted company can be merged with a listed company if it is listed on a stock exchange having nationwide trading terminals2. In order to prevent issue of shares to select group of shareholders instead of all shareholders pursuant to the scheme, it is clarified that the pricing formula specified under the ICDR Regulations shall be applicable in such cases.3. To ensure larger participation of public shareholders, the requirement to obtain their approval through e-voting has been extended to the following cases:a) The schemes involving merger of an unlisted company resulting in reduction in the voting share percentage of pre-scheme public shareholders by more than 5 percent of total capital of merged entity.b) Schemes involving transfer of whole or substantially the whole of the undertaking of a listed company and consideration for such transfer is not in the form of listed equity shares.c) Schemes involving merger of unlisted subsidiary with listed holding company where the shares of the unlisted subsidiary have been acquired by the holding company directly or indirectly from the promoters/promoter group.4. Companies would be required to submit compliance report confirming compliance with the circular and Accounting Standards duly certified by Company Secretary, CFO and Managing Director.5. With a view to simplify the process, schemes which provide for merger of a Wholly owned Subsidiary (WoS) with the parent company shall not be required to be filed with SEBI. Such schemes shall be filed with stock exchanges for the limited purpose of disclosures only.V. Empowerment of Stock Exchanges for effective regulation of Listed Entities1. SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 ('LODR Regulations') specifically provide for imposition of fines, etc. by the stock exchanges. However, a similar provision is not available in the SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009 ('ICDR Regulations'), which contain provisions for companies for raising fund through public/rights/preferential/bonus issue of securities.2. In order to empower the stock exchanges for effective regulation of listed entities, the Board has approved insertion of a similar clause in the ICDR Regulations to enable actions such as imposition of fines, suspension of trading, etc. by stock exchanges for contravention of ICDR Regulations. Based on the amended Regulations, SEBI would issue appropriate circular/guidelines providing for standard operating procedure for imposing of fines, etc. on violation of certain provisions of ICDR Regulations in consultation with stock exchanges.3. This will reduce cost of undertaking adjudication/quasi-judicial actions in case of minor violations for the listed entities.VI. SEBI (Issue and listing of Debt Securities by Municipalities) Regulations, 2015 to provide for a criteria alternative to 'Net Worth' for municipalities making public issue of debt securities under these regulationsThe SEBI (Issue and listing of Debt Securities by Municipalities) Regulations, 2015 (ILDM) provides that a municipality or a Corporate Municipal Entity (CME) making public issue of debt securities, under these regulations shall not have negative net worth in any of three immediately preceding financial years.In order to facilitate issuance of debt securities under these regulations by entities other than CME, the Board agreed that the Municipalities making public issue of debt securities under these regulations shall have surplus as per its Income and Expenditure Statement, in any of the three immediately preceding financial years or any other financial criteria as specified by SEBI from time to time.VII. SEBI (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014On the basis of experience gained and with the purpose of streamlining and strengthening the settlement process, Board approved amendments to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014. The amendments, inter alia, provide for charging of interest in case of excessive delays in filing of applications or payment of settlement amount; settlement Notice before issuance of a formal show cause notice, except those which are excluded from settlement; re-application of rejected or withdrawn applications in deserving cases, subject to payment of additional fees and interest; situations when joint and several liability is taken into account for determining settlement amount and Incentive for defaulters to come voluntarily on their own, before initiation of investigation or enforcement action.VIII. Enabling Payment by Digital ModeThe Board approved the proposal to amend various Regulations to enable the market participants to make payments to SEBI through digital mode (such as NEFT/RTGS) as well.
Another Melkite liturgy has been scheduled for later this month, on January 28th at 5pm at the Gesu Chapel of at the Jesuit School of Theology, in Berkeley, California, located at 1735 Le Roy Avenue.The last liturgy was deemed a great success (over 60 people attended). Many came, we were told, because they read about it on this site, so thank you NLM!The liturgy on the Berkeley campus is celebrated by Fr Sebastian Carnazzo. Fr Carnazzo is pastor of St Elias Melkite Church , in Los Gatos, CA. He is seen in the video which is taken from the St Elias website.The liturgy in Berkeley will be celebrated by Fr Carnazzo and Fr Christopher Hadley. I will be present, singing the eison, or drone, as part of the choir, so we hope to see some of you there. Here is a clip of him at St Elias.Fr Carnazzo, incidentally, is also teaching a series of classes for www.Pontifex.University , in which he explains content of the canon of holy icons of Church and connects it to Scripture and to the feast days of the liturgical year, both West and East. As such, they are courses simultaneously in theology, in which the imagery deepens understanding of mysteries and doctrine described, and courses in the art of the Church by which students understand its roots in Scripture and Catholic doctrine.
3 Newport County teams are one win from playing for a title

The playoffs are underway, and there are teams still alive, while others have been eliminated.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 78F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Windy. Thunderstorms becoming likely late. Low around 60F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible.
New Delhi: A day after his appointment as the Chairman of Tata Sons, N Chandrasekaran has written to the employees of TCS to re-assure them of his continued association with them and the company in his new role.



In a letter to employees, he exuded confidence in his successors, saying he strongly believes that "TCS' best years lie ahead".



"I have confidence that the new management team will take TCS to the next levels of our aspirations," he added.



Reminiscing his over three decade-journey at the IT services firm, Chandrasekaran said TCS is the only company he has worked for all his life and that he was very proud of being a TCSer.



"I have enjoyed every one of the 31-plus incredible years I have spent with the company. The successes TCS and I have enjoyed during this period would not have been possible without the amazing support from all of you, my colleagues," he said.



He further wrote, "I look forward to continuing my association with TCS and in turn with all of you in my new capacity as the Chairman."



Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has named Rajesh Gopinathan as its new MD and CEO to succeed Chandrasekaran and has also appointed N Ganapathy Subramaniam as President and Chief Operating Officer.



Previously serving as the Chief Financial Officer at TCS, Gopinathan has been with TCS since 2001. He was appointed as CFO in February 2013. He has also worked with Tata Industries.



He has played a key role in helping TCS becoming a USD 16.5 billion global company with over 3.7 lakh employees.



Subramaniam, or NGS as he is called, has been part of TCS and the Indian IT Industry for the past 34 years.



"As you know, Rajesh is a 16-year veteran of TCS and has been a long-standing member of my management team, worked very closely with me in formulating and executing the company strategy...Rajesh will be supported by N Ganapathy Subramaniam as the President and Chief Operating Officer and a very able executive team of senior leaders and presidents," he said.



Chandra has played an active role in voicing the USD 150 billion software industry's wishes and also serves as a member on the board of the Reserve Bank.



Born in 1963 in Tamil Nadu, the technopreneur is known for his ability to make big bets on new technology. He has been driving TCS' strong positioning in the emerging digital economy with a suite of innovative digital products and platforms for enterprises, some of which have since scaled into sizeable new businesses.



Under his leadership, TCS generated consolidated revenues of USD 16.5 billion in 2015-16 and is India's largest software company in terms of revenue. With over Rs 4.6 trillion in m-cap (on Friday), TCS is also the most valued company in the country.
New Delhi: Lance Naik Yagya Pratap Singh - who alleged that soldiers are being exploited by their officers - sat on a hunger strike in demand of justice.



His wife Richa Singh said, My husband called me in the morning (around 8 am) and he was crying. No one is believing my husbands allegations against superior officers. We want justice.



In the video Lance Pratap Singh said, "I have been in the army for 15 years. I have been concerned about the exploitation of jawans in the army, I was gathering courage to raise my voice. All powers are with the officers... if we complain, they get angry and take action against us".



He said he wrote letters to the President, the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Home Minister and the Supreme Court, after which his officers accused him of sedition and also threatened his court martial.



"...When the PMO sought an answer, Brigade Commander tortured me. Any other soldier would have either committed suicide or would have done something wrong with the officers. But I did not do that. I am a soldier, and I felt it would not be right as it would taint my uniform," the soldier says.



"The officers tell us you will be court-martialled. I did not divulge any service details in the letter, then how is this sedition? This is my last letter. Jawans are taking dogs for walk, looking after children," he goes on.



Meanwhile, wife of BSF jawan Taj Bahadur Yadav said that they don't want an internal inquiry, CBI must inquire.Truth will be out only then.







A video by Tej Bahadur had complained about the quality of food and it had gone viral, triggering a flurry of reactions. He had uploaded a video alleging troops were being served bad quality food and had to even gone hungry at times. He had claimed that while government procures essentials for them, the higher-ups and officers "sell it off" in an "illegal" manner in the market.



(With IANS inputs)
Protest continues across Tamil Nadu on Saturday after Supreme Court (SC) banned bull-taming sport  Jallikattu.

The issue has taken political overtones with both the AIADMK, which is in power in Tamil Nadu and the DMK vying for the credit to bring the controversial event back in the state. Animal rights activists, too, have joined the debate.

The AIADMK government wrote to the Centre last week asking for its intervention and urging it to promulgate an ordinance to allow holding of the festivities.

Stay Tune for Live Updates

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Patna: Union Minister and LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged on Saturday.



"Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after his full recovery," Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unit of PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said.



Paswan's officer on special duty (OSD) R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi this evening.



Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality here by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan.



70-year-old Paswan was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since Friday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day.



Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halim on Friday had stated Paswan's condition to be stable, saying he was expected to be discharged on Saturday.



The Union Minister had arrived here on Thursday on a four-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makarsankranti feast in Patna on January 15.



Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire about his health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of 'Nishchay Yatra'.



Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, visited Paswan at the hospital.



RJD chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital.
A boat carrying 40 people capsizes in river Ganga in Patna (Bihar). Rescue operations underway. pic.twitter.com/HfyKQ6jiUm  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

PM expressed grief on the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar. He extended condolences to the bereaved families.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 14, 2017

Shocked to hear about the boat capsizing in Bihar. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased.  Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) January 14, 2017

Most unfortunate that many people drowned in Ganga on Makar Sankranti .  Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) January 14, 2017

: At least 21 people are presumed dead due to drowning and many are missing after a boat carrying 40 people capsized near the banks of Ganga in Patna on Saturday, police said.The incident took place around 6pm, when the boat was returning from a kite flying festival that was organised in an island in the middle of the river as part of Makar Sankranti celebration, rescue officials added.Some of the passengers were able to swim to safety but many continue to be missing, the officials said.NDRF has been rushed to the spot and rescue operations are on in full swing.According to sources, it was a small boat which was overloaded with people.The boat was about to reach the bank when it capsized.Rescue operations are on to trace the missing passengers.Six of the eight people rescued were pulled out from the river by the National Disaster Response Force.One of the survivors has claimed that over 100 people were on the boat and all of a sudden the water started entering the boat leading to an inundation.Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agarwal and district police officials are camping at the site.Reacting to the incident Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief and asked the officials to fasten the rescue operations. He spoke to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari over phone and requested him to cancel Mahatma Gandhi Setu rehabilitation foundation stone laying program which was scheduled to be held on Sunday. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has also cancelled 'Dahi-Chura' feast for minorities due to the tragedy.Patna's DIG Shaleen said, "It's a sad incident ...the rescue operations are on and 20 dead bodies have been recovered from the Ganga. It is possible that few more dead bodies will be recovered as the operations are still on.ADG (law and order) Alok Raj said, "The overcrowded boat capsized as it lost its balance. No Individual was found trapped inside the boat. Rescue teams are doing their job and death toll may rise."Principal Secretary, Disaster Management department Pratyay Amrit, said, "A huge crowd had assembled at an illegal entertainment park and they were coming back in boats. We have finished with rescue operations for tonight. Rescue operations will resume at 7 am on Sunday.Bihar BJP leader Sushil Modi too expressed sadness over the incident.
: Eyewitnesses of Patna boat tragedy narrated their narrate harrowing experiences and blamed the administration for the death of 21 people who were drowned in the Ganga on Saturday evening.An eyewitness compared the sinking of the overcrowded boat to Titanic. He said," The scene of sinking of the boat can be compared to that of Titanic. Thick smoke billowed from the engine of the boat and it exploded with a loud thud after which the boat broke into halves down in the middle and sank immediately"."There were about 150 people on board the boat," he claimed.Another eyewitness blamed the Bihar government for the boat capsize. He said, "There were no proper arrangements, the state government is responsible for the tragedy."A bereaved parent said, "I have lost my 10-year-old boy who had gone to join the kite flying ceremony and yet to receive his body. The police should have managed the crowd who were boarding the overcrowded boat."However, the state government on Saturday announced Rs 4 lakh compensation for kin of those drowned in the accident.The ill-fated boat carrying 40 people capsized in the Ganga river near Patna on Saturday evening. Six of the eight people rescued were pulled out from the river by the National Disaster Response Force while several people are reported missing.Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe into the incident.
: Attending the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) programme at Central Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday, Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said that RSS is only working to unite and strengthen the Hindu community.Bhagwat made it clear that RSS is not working against the interest of any particular community. He said, "We (RSS) are not working against anyone but only working to unite the Hindu community and for its empowerment"."Can anyone stop us? No one can stop us. We have to work. We have and we will keep on doing it. Increase activism, it doesn't increase from preaching," he said in his message on Makar Sankranti.The Sangh chief also accepted obstacles as challenges and expressed his satisfaction at the manner at which the organisation is working. "RSS now enjoys working amid obstacles," he added.After police refused permission, the Calcutta High Court on Friday allowed the RSS to hold the programme at Central Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday with some conditions.Earlier, Bhagwat had asked Hindus what was stopping them from increasing their population and if there is any law that says they shouldn't increase in numbers, prompting the Congress and the BSP to attack him.
: Nitish Kumar has set the pot boiling in Bihar...infact rocked the political alliance or Mahagathbandhan, as it's called. Kumar is in the firing line of Congress for extending an invitation to BJP for Makar Sankranti feast being hosted by JD(U). Congress has declined JD(U)'s invitation for the event, refusing to share the dais with its main political opponent BJP.Bihar Congress President Ashok Chaudhary, also Bihar's HRD minister, minced no words in expressing his displeasure. "Makar Sankranti feast is a political event, not a personal one...BJP will be part of it...in that case, Congress will not be comfortable being part of the same event," he said.Chaudhary's open displeasure has triggered off political controversy in Bihar raising serious questions over the tensile strength of Mahagathbandhan. War of words has already started. Vashishtah Narayan Singh, JD(U)'s state president, wasted no time in giving it back to Congress. "It's a JD(U) event. It is festival season. Why should political consideration be made in sending the invitation? Congress is jumping the gun."Eyebrows were first raised when Kumar broke ranks with other opposition parties and went ahead to praise Centre's demonetisation drive. The speculation was further cemented when Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly praised Kumar's anti-liquor prohibition policy in Bihar. Now, only to make this puzzle more complex, BJP has given its consent to be part of the mega human chain, being organised by the state government on 21st January to send out a strong message against liquor. And now, to top it all, BJP received an unexpected invitation from JD(U) for the Makar Sankranti feast.The growing bonhomie between Modi and Kumar and both leaders patting each other's back for their various policies has only caused serious discomfort to both their alliance partners - RJD and Congress.And to add fuel to the fire, senior BJP leader Sushil Modi added, "During Makar Sankranti, the sun changes direction from South to North. Like change in weather, change in politics could never be ruled out. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"
Chennai: After giving repeated assurances that jallikattu would be conducted in Tamil Nadu this year, Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan on Friday night said there was a "situation" that the bull taming sport cannot be held this Pongal and sought an "open apology" from the Tamil people.



He also said he would not celebrate Pongal, the harvest festival, on Saturday, and offered to give away his one month's salary and allowances of Rs 1.5 lakh towards farmers' welfare.



Making the statement in the wake of growing chorus in the state for a central ordinance for conducting jallikattu, the Minister told reporters here that he had been very confident that the sport would be held this year and was "repeatedly" saying the same to the people of Tamil Nadu.



"Unfortunately, since the Supreme Court verdict has not come, there is a situation that jallikattu cannot be held. I want to openly apologise with the Tamil community," he said.



However, Radhakrishnan said he would continue to strive to ensure that the banned sport could be held in the state and expressed confidence that he would achieve this.



Since he could not fulfil his promise on jallikattu, he will not celebrate Pongal, the Minister said.



Further, he said farmers' situation was "bad" this year due to drought and expressed concern over it. That also was a reason for skipping Pongal festivities, he added.



To help the farmers, Radhakrishnan said he will donate his one month's salary and allowance of Rs 1.5 lakh.
New Delhi: A cool behaviour should be maintained with the neighbouring countries but if someone attacks us there is a need to retaliate, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said on Saturday.



"We need to maintain a cool behaviour with our neighbours but if someone attacks us there is a need to retaliate and show our strength to them," Swamy said addressing a gathering.



Swamy was speaking during a two-day seminar on "Continuity of Indian identity" organised by Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth (AVAP), a research organisation founded by late VHP leader Ashok Singhal.



"We also need to maintain a distinction between identity and citizenship. There are so many countries who allow dual citizenship but not India because here we are more particular about the identity and that is how citizenship is granted," he said.



"There have been exceptions though. Like Congress, President Sonia Gandhi was granted the citizenship in 1982 without fulfilling the clause of continuously staying in the country for a certain period of time. I wanted to file a petition against it but our government, the NDA government, decided to forgive her for this," Swamy added.
Meerut: Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary on Friday said political parties in Uttar Pradesh need to unite against BJP as it has "deceived" the people of the country.



The party national general secretary also said RLD has not entered into an alliance with Congress.



On a question about the ongoing feud in Samajwadi Party, he said the party has to decide its future. Only after the row on the election symbol is settled can anything be said about an alliance, he added.



To another question he said, they are in the opposition but they don't want a rift in the family which would benefit RLD.



He also lashed out at BJP over demonetisation, saying after promising 'Acche Din' old women were made to stand in bank queues from morning to evening.



He also alleged that BJP party workers are looking to gain power in Uttar Pradesh on basis of issues like religion and caste.
Amritsar: Congress president Amarinder Singh on Saturday sought the Congress high command's permission to fight next month's assembly elections against Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal from the latter's assembly constituency of Lambi.



"I want to fight the Chief Minister on his home turf of Lambi as I want to defeat all the top Akali leaders responsible for destroying the state through their drugs, mafia and goonda raj, and are guilty of ruining its trade, industry and agriculture," Amarinder told media here on Saturday.



Amarinder, whose name has already been announced by the Congress for his traditional assembly seat of Patiala-urban, told media here that he wanted to contest against Chief Minister Badal from Lambi to defeat the Akali leader whom he blamed for the "ruin of Punjab".



Amarinder said he had requested the Congress high command to allow him to fight the assembly polls from Lambi so that he could "free Punjab from the vicious and destructive rule of the Badals".



The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is posing a serious challenge to the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the Congress for the February 4 assembly polls on 117 seats, has already announced Delhi lawmaker Jarnail Singh to contest against Badal from Lambi.



Amarinder said he would fight the election both in Lambi and Patiala, if permitted by the Congress high command.



"The entire state is in shambles. Badal and his family and associates have brought Punjab to such a shameful pass," the former Chief Minister said.



"My government would open a probe into all Akali scams and punish every person found guilty of any criminal deed, especially drugs trade," Amarinder said.



The Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been in power in Punjab since 2007.



(With inputs from IANS)
Lenovo's sub-brand Motorola is all set to launch the Moto G5 Plus at Mobile World Congress 2017 that will be held in Barcelona this year. The company also plans to get the phone to India sooner than expected.According to sources, the Moto G5 Plus will launch in India in March 2017 at a starting price of Rs 14,999. The company has not yet commented on the exact date of launch for the Indian market.Also Read: Moto G5, Moto G5 Plus to Launch on Feb 26 The Moto G5 Plus is expected to house a 5.5-inch display and is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC.The device will also sport a 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. This phone will also come with 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory.The device will be powered by a 3,080 mAh battery and will support 4G VoLTE connectivity.The phone has been already making a buzz on the internet after images of the phone was leaked on a Chinese social media platform.Also Read: Moto G5 Plus With Android Nougat, Snapdragon 625 Revealed Watch this space for more on the Moto G5 Plus.
Samsung got the smartphone enthusiasts buzzing with two new ads on YouTube recently. The ads show Samsung's brand-new AMOLED displays.And at the end of these ads there is a mysterious smartphone that shows up. It's believed that the phone is the upcoming Smasung Galaxy S8. The phone has been much talked about in recent months and will be the first major release by the company after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. The device is expected to launch at Mobile World Congress 2017 that will be held in Barcelona.The Korean promo also suggests a high screen to body ratio and a 4K display. The promo also shows a sharp display and low power consumption.The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to come with two different display sizes of 5-inch and 6-inch. The bigger display model is expected to be named as Galaxy S8 Plus.The device will also retain a 3.5 mm audio jack and is expected to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB RAM. Rumours also suggest that there will be an 8GB RAM also on offer. Samsung might offer the device with their own Exynos processor in India as they have been doing this for the past several years.Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Six Months Review: Still The Champion Android Flagship The Galaxy S8 will also be IP68 certified - dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes. Teh device will run on Android Nougat operating system and sport a 3000 mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery.The camera on the Galaxy S8 will be a similar to what we saw on the Note 7. The primary camera will be 12-megapixel with phase detection autofocus, OIS and dual-LED flash. The selfie camera will be an 8-megapixel camera.The expected price for the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be Rs 64,999 in India. The device might land in India by May 2017 as Samsung would also like to get sooner, as they could never offer the 2016 flagship Galaxy Note 7 in India last year.
Uzbekistan said Monday it was cancelling plans to expand visa-free entry to the country this year, putting off a move seen as opening up the reclusive nation.



The Central Asian nation's government said in early December that citizens of 15 countries, including Germany, Britain and Canada, would no longer need visas to enter the country starting in April.



The move came days after the election as president of interim leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who took control after the death of the strongman Islam Karimov in September, and was interpreted as a sign of a potential thaw in one of the world's most tightly-controlled nations.



But the new visa regime -- which was also set to include visa-free travel for French and American citizens 55 or older -- will only come into force on January 1, 2021, according to a presidential order signed in late December but only published online Monday.



Uzbekistan is home to Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand, three cities considered jewels along the ancient Silk Road trade routes that connected Europe and Asia.



Thousands of tourists visit the cities every year but the visa regime in place for all but a few of countries has thwarted the growth of the tourist industry.



Neighbouring Kazakhstan earlier this month announced that it had lifted visa requirements for citizens of the European Union and OECD countries in a bid to boost investment and tourism.
Washington: US President Barack Obama will hold the final press conference of his eight-year administration on Wednesday, just two days before leaving office.



The White House said Obama would appear before the press corps as he prepares to hand over power to Donald Trump on January 20.



It follows a tradition of past presidents of holding a concluding news conference. President George W. Bush took his final round of questions from reporters on January 12, 2009, eight days before Obama was sworn in.



During his final address on Tuesday, outgoing President Barack Obama said goodbye to the US citizens in an emotional speech. Obama also thanked his supporters, staff, his wife and Vice-President Joe Biden, who he said was like a brother to him.



Instead of the Oval Office or East Room for his last formal set of remarks, Obama chose Chicago -- the city where he declared victory in 2008 and 2012 -- to address a sold-out crowd of supporters.



He said that he received a lot of messages and it was his turn to say thanks. While noting that America was a better place now, Obama told his supporters that they made him a better President.


International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters.



A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously identified only military units and did not name any commanders or officials.



Now a list has been produced of individuals whom the investigators have linked to a series of chlorine bomb attacks in 2014-15 - including Assad, his younger brother Maher and other high-ranking figures - indicating the decision to use toxic weapons came from the very top, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.



The Assads could not be reached for comment but a Syrian government official said accusations that government forces had used chemical weapons had "no basis in truth". The government has repeatedly denied using such weapons during the civil war, which is almost six years old, saying all the attacks highlighted by the inquiry were the work of rebels or the Islamic State militant group.



The list, which has been seen by Reuters but has not been made public, was based on a combination of evidence compiled by the U.N.-OPCW team in Syria and information from Western and regional intelligence agencies, according to the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.



Reuters was unable to independently review the evidence or to verify it.



The U.N.-OPCW inquiry - known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) - is led by a panel of three independent experts, supported by a team of technical and administrative staff. It is mandated by the U.N. Security Council to identify individuals and organisations responsible for chemical attacks in Syria.



Virginia Gamba, the head of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, denied any list of individual suspects had yet been compiled by the inquiry.



"There are no ... identification of individuals being considered at this time," she told Reuters by email.



The use of chemical weapons is banned under international law and could constitute a war crime.



While the inquiry has no judicial powers, any naming of suspects could lead to their prosecution. Syria is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but alleged war crimes could be referred to the court by the Security Council - although splits among global powers over the war make this a distant prospect at present.



"The ICC is concerned about any country where crimes are reported to be committed," a spokesman for the court said when asked for comment. "Unless Syria accepts the ICC jurisdiction, the only way that (the) ICC would have jurisdiction over the situation would be through a referral by the Security Council."



The list seen by Reuters could form the basis for the inquiry team's investigations this year, according to the source. It is unclear whether the United Nations or OPCW will publish the list separately.



'HIGHEST LEVELS'



The list identifies 15 people "to be scrutinized in relation to use of CW (chemical weapons) by Syrian Arab Republic Armed Forces in 2014 and 2015". It does not specify what role they are suspected of playing, but lists their titles.



It is split into three sections. The first, titled "Inner Circle President" lists six people including Assad, his brother who commands the elite 4th Armoured Division, the defence minister and the head of military intelligence.



The second section names the air force chief as well as four commanders of air force divisions. They include the heads of the 22nd Air Force Division and the 63rd Helicopter Brigade, units that the inquiry has previously said dropped chlorine bombs.



The third part of the list - "Other relevant Senior Mil Personnel" - names two colonels and two major-generals.



Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an independent specialist in biological and chemical weapons who monitors Syria, told Reuters the list reflected the military chain of command.



"The decisions would be made at the highest levels initially and then delegated down. Hence the first use would need to be authorised by Assad," said de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of British and NATO chemical and biological defence divisions who frequently visits Syria for professional consultancy work.



The Syrian defence ministry and air force could not be reached for comment.



CHLORINE BARREL BOMBS



Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a U.S.-Russian deal that followed the deaths of hundreds of civilians in a sarin gas attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus in August 2013.



It was the deadliest use of chemicals in global warfare since the 1988 Halabja massacre at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, which killed at least 5,000 people in Iraqi Kurdistan.



The Syrian government, which denied its forces were behind the Ghouta attack, also agreed to hand over its declared stockpile of 1,300 tonnes of toxic weaponry and dismantle its chemical weapons programme under international supervision.



The United Nations and OPCW have been investigating whether Damascus is adhering to its commitments under the agreement, which averted the threat of U.S.-led military intervention.



The bodies appointed the panel of experts to conduct the inquiry, and its mandate runs until November. The panel published a report in October last year which said Syrian government forces used chemical weapons at least three times in 2014-2015 and that Islamic State used mustard gas in 2015.



The October report identified Syria's 22nd Air Force Division and 63rd Helicopter Brigade as having dropped chlorine bombs and said people "with effective control in the military units ... must be held accountable".



The source familiar with the inquiry said the October report had clearly established the institutions responsible and that the next step was to go after the individuals.



Washington on Thursday blacklisted 18 senior Syrian officials based on the U.N.-OPCW inquiry's October report - some of whom also appear on the list seen by but not Assad or his brother.



The issue of chemical weapons use in Syria has become a deeply political one, and the U.N.-OPCW inquiry's allegations of chlorine bomb attacks by government forces have split the U.N. Security Council's veto-wielding members.



The United States, Britain and France have called for sanctions against Syria, while Assad's ally Russia has said the evidence presented is insufficient to justify such measures.



A Security Council resolution would be required to bring Assad and other senior Syrian officials before the International Criminal Court for any possible war crimes prosecution - something Russia would likely block.










Kellyanne Conway, who will be a senior adviser in Donald Trump's White House, had a heated discussion with CNN's Anderson Cooper this week over the veracity of a story produced by the network. During the discussion, Conway disputed the accuracy of CNN's report that the heads of four intelligence agencies presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him.



"What's inaccurate about what CNN reported?" Cooper asked.



"Oh my goodness, the whole headline," she replied. "Go read the entire story. Four bylines and a story that's just not true that the President-elect was presented with this information that it was appended in a two-page document to the briefing. NBC has said it was not. Other people have said it was not."



Let's take a look at that.



NBC merely cited an unnamed source who said that these unverified reports of Russia's efforts were not verbally communicated to Trump during the meeting. The NBC report clearly stated "a summary of the unverified reports was prepared as background material for the briefing, but not discussed at the meeting."



In addition, James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, confirmed the material was provided to Trump when he said in a statement Wednesday, "part of our obligation is to ensure that policymakers are provided with the fullest possible picture of any matters that might affect national security."



This one is clearly FALSE.



Trump on 96 million workers out of the job market:



This one is a hardy perennial for Trump. He has referenced it several times. He cited it once again at his press conference, casting the job market as weaker than it truly is.



"96 million really wanting a job and they can't get. You know that story. The real number. That's the real number," he said.



Here's the real deal on that stat: Some 93.8 million people are not in the labor force, but the vast majority of them don't want a job, according to the most recent quarterly data from the Atlanta Federal Reserve. Some 44 million are retired, 15.3 million are disabled, 13.3 million are taking care of a family member and another 13.2 million are in college or job training. They are listed as not wanting a job.



Some economists argue that the official unemployment figure -- 7.5 million in December -- understates the true state of the job market because it only counts people who are out of a job and have looked for work in the past four weeks.



A wider measure of unemployment includes people who've left the labor force but want a job, and part-timers who want full-time positions. Altogether, these three types of job-seekers total about 16 million, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Because 16 million is a far cry from 96 million, we rate Trump's claim as FALSE.



Trump's claim he has no business ties with Russia:



During his press conference, Trump declared emphatically, "I have no deals in Russia. I have no deals that could happen in Russia because we've stayed away. ... We could make deals in Russia very easily if we wanted to. I just don't want to because I think that would be a conflict."



Trump clearly has attempted to cut deals there in the past. As recently as 2013, the President-elect was negotiating a deal with Aras Agalarov, a Russian billionaire, to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to a Washington Post investigation. Agalarov told the Post that although the plan to bring the Trump brand to Moscow didn't pan out, he hopes his family can partner with the Trumps at some point in the future.



Trump also has been trying unsuccessfully to build a Trump tower in Moscow for three decades. In 1987, he visited the Soviet Union with his first wife, Ivana, and announced plans to develop a luxury hotel there. Nine years later, he filed paperwork to trademark the name Trump Tower in Russia and subsequently registered other business names like Trump International Hotel and Tower, and Trump Home, according to a CNN Money report.



"Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment," Trump said during a 2007 court deposition. "We will be in Moscow at some point."



Trump journeyed to Moscow in 2013 for the Miss Universe Pageant, schmoozed with a clutch of oligarchs at a nightspot and ultimately collected $14 million from Russians who invested in the beauty contest, according to the Washington Post.



Trump's son, Donald Jr., made a half dozen business trips to Russia in 2007 and 2008 on behalf of the Trump Organization, according to the travel industry publication eTurboNews.



"In terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets; say in Dubai, and certainly with our project in SoHo and anywhere in New York," Trump Jr. said in the eTurboNews story. "We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."



Indeed. Trump earned nearly $100 million when he sold a Florida mansion to a Russian oligarch named Dmitry Rybolovlev in 2008. During a press conference in July, Trump said that the sale of the mansion was his one and only link to Russia.



It is true that there are no Trump-branded properties under construction in Moscow or elsewhere in the country but there is no way to verify the President-elect's claim that he is completely clear of business links to Russia without seeing his tax returns. Without them, we cannot determine if his claim is true or not true.



Pompeo: ISIS in control:



At his confirmation hearing for CIA director, Mike Pompeo seems to overstate the amount of territory ISIS controls.

"This is the most complicated threat environment the United States has faced in recent memory," Pompeo told the Senate Intelligence Committee.



That may be true, but what was the first piece of evidence Pompeo cited as proof of ISIS's reach? "ISIS remains a resilient movement that still controls major urban centers in the Middle East," Pompeo said.



No doubt ISIS is resilient. But the only major urban center it controls today is Raqqa a modest-sized city in Eastern Syria, hardly a major center like Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad, or even Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city. ISIS is currently fighting against America-backed Iraqi and Kurdish forces to maintain its hold on Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. It's hard to say that it's in "control" there. To say that ISIS "controls major urban centers" is, at best, MISLEADING.



Tillerson on whether he opposed sanctions:



At his confirmation hearing, Rex Tillerson, the nominee for Secretary of State, startled senators by stating flatly that he never worked against economic sanctions against Russia and Iran when he was CEO of Exxon-Mobil. "I have never lobbied against sanctions, personally," and "To my knowledge, Exxon never lobbied directly against sanctions, not to my knowledge," Tillerson said.



There may be a kind of rhetorical tap-dancing going on here. After the Obama administration slapped economic sanctions against Russia in 2014, Tillerson, whose company could have lost out in billions of dollars in Russian oil deals, told Exxon-Mobil shareholders, "We do not support sanctions, generally, because we do not find them to be effective.



Documents also show that Exxon-Mobil did lobby Congress about the sanctions, although Tillerson says the company was just making sure lawmakers were aware of the impact sanctions would have, not necessarily that Congress should halt them.



This kind of hair-splitting leads us to brand this claim: MISLEADING.
New York: Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaire's White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office.



Trump tweeted on Saturday that Lewis, D-Ga., "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results."



The incoming president added: "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!"



Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than a half-century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans.



For many African-Americans the contrast between this inauguration and Barack Obama's first one, in 2009, was striking.



The 16-term congressman said Friday that he would not attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol this coming Friday, and that it would be the first time he had skipped an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago.



"You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that is set to air Sunday.



"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said.



Lewis' spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, declined to respond to Trump and said the lawmaker's "opinion speaks for itself."



"We as a nation do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election," she said.



U.S. intelligence agencies have said Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win. After spending weeks challenging that assessment, Trump finally accepted that the Russians were behind the election-year hacking of Democrats. But he also emphasized that "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."



Democrat Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College vote.



Lewis' Democratic colleagues quickly came to his defense Saturday.



"Let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed," tweeted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.



"John Lewis is an American hero," Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said in a tweet directed at Trump. "You're a fake billionaire who won't release his taxes. Put down Twitter and get serious about governing."



Trump continues to use Twitter to attack his adversaries, just as he did throughout the campaign.



Trump's assertion that Lewis' district is "falling apart" and "crime infested" is hard to prove.



Georgia's 5th Congressional District includes the Atlanta metro region, which has a large African-American population. The district is considered one of the nation's fastest growing areas, but its crime and poverty rates are higher than the national average.



The area also covers part of the upscale Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead, along with the headquarters for Fortune 500 companies such Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, the Georgia Institute of Technology, several historically black colleges and universities and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest.
Mosul: Iraqi forces have retaken the eastern edges of three of Mosul's five bridges, according to a senior Iraqi officer overseeing the operation to retake Iraq's second-largest city from the Islamic State group.



The retaken bridges are in the city's southeast and come as Iraqi forces also advance in the northeast, where they have begun battling IS fighters on the grounds of Mosul university. Warplanes from the US-led coalition had bombed the city's bridges late last year in an effort to isolate IS fighters in the city's east by disrupting resupply routes.



At Mosul University, senior commanders said that Iraqi forces have secured just under a quarter of the campus amid stiff resistance. Iraqi forces entered the university from the southeast Friday morning and by nightfall had secured a handful of buildings, Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said on a tour of the university Saturday.



Thick clouds of black smoke rose over the sprawling complex Saturday morning. By afternoon, clashes had intensified with volleys of sniper and mortar fire targeting the advancing Iraqi forces. Convoys of Iraqi Humvees snaked through the complex, pausing for artillery and airstrikes to clear snipers perched within classrooms, dormitories and behind the trees that line the campus streets.



Unlike in the surrounding neighborhoods, Iraqi officers said they believe the university grounds are largely empty of civilians and so they've been able to use air cover more liberally.



Iraqi soldiers said their initial advance faced less resistance than they faced during the first weeks of the Mosul operation.



"We were targeted with only four car bombs where before (IS) would send 20 in one day," special forces Lt. Zain al-Abadeen said. "And they aren't armored like before, they're just using civilian cars."



The massive operation to retake Mosul from IS was launched in October. Since then Iraqi forces have slowly clawed back about a third of the city.
While driving through Lynchburg on the way to visit their son at the University of North Carolina Asheville in 1999, Jeffery and Sally Schneider fell in love with the old historic houses on Washington Street.

The couple, who had always longed to own a historic home, came back to the city later that year, took a walking home tour and eventually purchased a house in one of the neighborhoods they visited on the tour  the Diamond Hill Historic District.

While Schneider did not know it at the time, her future lay with the Lynchburg Historical Foundation (LHF), the same organization through which she took that walking tour.

Since its founding in 1972, the LHF has raised awareness for the citys roots while taking on projects to preserve elements of its history and culture.

After 15 years as the groups executive director, Schneider, who officially retired near the end of last month and handed the reigns over to new director Hank Mullins, has left an impact on the organization and the city of Lynchburgs history.

I believe she has changed it for the greater good, says Troy Deacon, president of the foundations board of directors, when asked of Schneiders impact on the organization. Shes a dynamic lady that will truly be missed by a lot of people. She's made working with the foundation and wanting to serve very easy.

Prior to hiring Schneider in December 2001, LHF had gone through three executive directors in six years, Deacon says. It held just one event per year and had 229 members.

Schneider says she knew nothing about running an organization when she accepted the position. She had worked for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and had volunteered extensively for the American Red Cross and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (her husband is a retired Navy captain). Their family was also constantly moving across the country in accordance with Jefferys 27-year military career.

What Schneider lacked in previous job titles she made up for in organization, enthusiasm and sheer will, says Cham Light, former president of the LHF board, who has known Schneider for 15 years.

After all, she had a mission from the very beginning.

There is so much history here, Schneider says. We have history already. So many things happen in a day and the next day is history again. If we erase everything, what do the generations behind us even understand about where they're living or whatever happened?

During her tenure as executive director, the foundation spearheaded the local campaign to save the Dabney Scott Adams Dependency House on Cabell Street from demolition, renovated the Miller-Claytor House, and raised funds to build a protective shelter over the remaining hull of the Packet Boat Marshall, which now rests in Riverside Park.

The last project holds great historical significance; the small boat transported Gen. Stonewall Jacksons body from Lynchburg to Lexington during a mourning processional through the state of Virginia.

The LHF also raised funds to repair the Listening Post statue at Monument Terrace in 2012 and the 2nd Virginia Cavalry marker in Miller Park, in addition to funding the recasting and move of the Water Bearer statue to its current home on the downtown Bluffwalk.

Her fingerprints are all over Miller Park  Riverfront Park, says Kimball Payne, former Lynchburg city manager, who worked closely with Schneider.

I think its good to have this relationship where you get a sense of what the community values, he says, and then the government can respond to that by removing roadblocks, providing some assistance.

Schneider, who received the YWCAs Academy of Women Award in 2012, also co-authored The Mouse at Miller-Claytor House, a childrens book that incorporates the history of the 18th century home.

She hopes to write two more, she says.

Two years after Schneider took the job, LHF had almost doubled its membership and 15 years later, those numbers have an overall boost of 39 percent, says Deacon.

In 2007 and 2008, when nonprofits were closing doors one after another, we stayed fiscally sound through membership and fundraising in our programs, which were all led by her, he adds.

The foundation also expanded its yearly programs to include such events as the Ghosts of Historic Lynchburg walking tour, Storytime with Santa, and Corks and Forks, programs that were created by Schneider.

It also established educational initiatives for both LHF members and the surrounding community.

But beyond individual accomplishments and accolades, Schneider built strong partnerships with the city of Lynchburg as well as other organizations, including the Lynchburg Museum System, Old City and Presbyterian cemeteries, the Academy Center of the Arts and Lynchs Landing, that will continue after she leaves.

We needed to be more than just our small organization, Schneider says. We needed to branch out, saying, We are the Historical Foundation. We believe in preserving history. You are preserving history. What can we do to help you?

Whether it was offering the Lynchburg Museum temporary housing in its headquarters, the old Bragassa Toy Store on the corner of Twelfth and Court streets, during the renovation of the museums current location, helping other organizations raise funds for projects, or writing letters of support for neighborhoods that sought to become historic districts, Schneider strengthened the foundation of downtown.

It was sort of a serendipitous time, Light says. When we have the whole community focused on these improvement opportunities ... you see the results, which is the turn-around and renaissance of downtown Lynchburg.

Schneider, he says, helped foster an environment for growth and was instrumental in drawing organizations and the city to opportunities for community preservation  so much so that she helped the city obtain its designation in 2004 as a Preserve America community, a city recognized by the White House under a national initiative of the same name for its commitment to protecting and celebrating U.S. history.

Because of Schneiders work, Lynchburg is and will remain a more vibrant, cultural place that not only respects its history, but seeks to secure its legacy.

You can look at a lot of things  you can look at buildings that werent torn down, you can look at statues that have been restored or replaced, says Payne. There's not going to be plaques on all these things, but people in the know know that she had a lot to do with them being there. It just adds to the fabric of the city.
As budget season nears, school divisions across Virginia are finalizing plans on how to tackle a proposed 2 percent cost-of-living raise for employees after the state balked on its commitment.

In March, the General Assembly passed a budget that included a 2 percent cost-of-living raise that required a local match. That raise later was rescinded when state revenue came in below projections.

Some central Virginia school divisions took action as early as this past summer, while others only recently have finalized plans for how to handle the raise despite the lack of promised state funding.

Ahead of the pack was Appomattox County Public Schools, which gave all employees a 3 percent pay raise that went into effect July 1 of last year.

According to Appomattox Finance Director Bruce McMillan, $120,000 was built into the divisions budget for an anticipated increase in the cost of health insurance. However, McMillan said health insurance costs decreased slightly, allowing the division the flexibility to put funds toward a raise.

The amount expected from the state to cover its portion of the cost of a raise was $110,000.

We were able to use the $120,000 we had put in the budget for a health insurance increase to cover the lost revenue of $110,000 from the state, McMillan told The News & Advance via email.

He estimated the total cost of the 3 percent raise for all school employees at $360,000.

Nelson County Public Schools also provided its employees with a July pay raise of 2 percent.

Assistant Superintendent Shannon Irvin said a raise for all employees cost $363,223, and the school division was able to fund the pay increase through employee turnover and other savings within the budget.

Bedford County Public Schools was the next local school division to settle the speculation on pay when the Bedford County Board of Supervisors approved raises for all county employees, including school division workers, at its Nov. 21 meeting. The cost for raises for all school employees is $763,000, with $336,000 coming from the school division and $427,000 coming from the county as allocated by the Board of Supervisors.

Lynchburg City Schools addressed the issue next when it confirmed at the Dec. 6 school board meeting the division would fund teacher raises despite the lack of state support.

The Lynchburg school board unanimously approved a $360,828 budget reallocation for raises for all employees.

Even though the state budget shortfall prevented state support for teacher raises this year, we needed to send a message to our teachers and our support staff that their work is valued. We have to continue compensating our personnel if we hope to attract and retain the best and brightest educators for our children, Brabrand told The News & Advance via email.

In lieu of raises, Amherst and Campbell County public schools opted to give employees a one-time bonus. Both will provide a bonus of $500 to full-time employees and $250 for part-time employees. In Amherst, the bonus extends to administrators, who are excluded in Campbell County.

The Amherst County School Board decided to offer employees a bonus Dec. 8.

Though Amherst County had elected to provide staff members with a 2 percent pay raise, the division backed out when the state declined to honor its part of the commitment. For Amherst County, the cost of the bonus is $347,844 and was disbursed this month.

The bonus was funded with $178,489 originally allocated for the raise, and the remaining state portion was composed of savings in utilities, according to Chief Financial Officer Teresa Crouch.

Campbell County was the last division in the Lynchburg region to reach a decision on a pay raise or bonus. The school board approved a bonus of $500 to full-time employees and $250 for part-time employees at its Wednesday meeting, a decision made after months of deliberation and debate on the pay issue.

They need to be adequately recognized and compensated, Superintendent Robert Johnson said at the meeting, where the school board unanimously approved the employee bonus.

Though a final number for the bonus is not yet available, Johnson estimated the cost at $600,000 for all school employees combined.

Campbell County plans to pay for the bonus in part through an estimated $300,000 in additional Virginia Lottery funds, not originally budgeted for, to be disbursed in February. The remainder will be composed of budget reallocations, as each department is asked to trim its current operating budget by 0.75 percent.

This action comes after a one-time $600,000 bonus for staff members was denied by the Campbell County Board of Supervisors in October, which opted instead to tap those funds for needed maintenance projects within the division. The school board had requested $350,000 from remaining funds, unused from last year, and state revenue of $150,000 to $200,000 not budgeted for.

The bonus is part of a larger, ongoing conversation about pay raises within Campbell County, which currently has the lowest starting salary for teachers with a bachelors degree within area school divisions.

In May, the school board trimmed its annual budget request by nearly $1 million at the direction of the Board of Supervisors, eliminating the possibility of a raise for staff members.

The most recent budget proposal from Gov. Terry McAuliffe for 2017 and 2018 includes a 1.5 percent bonus for state employees to be disbursed at the end of 2017. Unlike the proposed 2 percent raise for state employees that was adopted in March, this bonus requires no local match from schools.
Despite leading the nation in cranberry production, Wisconsin doesnt have an outdoor research station for the tart fruit, but a partnership between growers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is about to change that.

New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington have cranberry farms dedicated to plant research. But Tom Lochner of the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association said thats not the case in Wisconsin.

Researchers here have to rely on growers who volunteer valuable acres for them to do their work.

That limits some of the work that they can do because theyre reluctant to ask a grower if they can release a population of disease or insects into the farm to take a look at how they behave or how to control them, Lochner said.

The association created a foundation to raise private funds. Now, with $750,000 in private donations and $655,000 from the USDA, the association is looking for a farm to turn into research plots.

That will allow us to buy a farm and prepare it for research and to get all of the capital improvements done to the property so that it is truly a world-class facility, Lochner said.

Researchers will study pest and disease management, among other things. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wausau, helped secure the USDA funding through the federal budget.
GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us.
Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Capturing wolverines with pixels and wire brushes January 13, 2017 By Roger Phillips

IDFG Public Information Specialist



The forest floor has a thick blanket of snow topped by a layer of bone-chilling air thats so still a creaking tree sounds like an airhorn. It appears all animals have abandoned the forest for warmer climes, but biologist Diane Evans Macks remote cameras tell a different story.



A handful of hardy animals roam Idahos snowy, mountainous forests, and among them are wolverines. Only a tiny fraction of the public has ever encountered one, and its difficult to determine how many are out there, but Idaho Fish and Game is trying to learn where they live, or at least, where they are likely to live.



Wolverines are solitary animals that inhabit large swaths of rugged mountainous terrain in very small numbers, and Fish and Game biologists are trying to determine where wolverines live in Idaho. Its part of a four-state project with Wyoming, Montana and Washington thats trying to predict the likelihood that wolverine inhabit certain areas.



Biologists across the four states identified suitable wolverine habitat and overlaid a grid onto the map, then randomly selected grid cells and placed cameras in them during October and November.



Each camera site is as uniform as possible with the same model of camera, same bait, and same array of four wire brushes that jut out from the trunk at 90 degree angles. The brushes catch hair as the animals climb the trunk to get the bait.



Having hair samples gives biologists a genetic sample so they can tell if more than one wolverine visited the site, or if its a known individual from a previous study.



Through the research, biologists will generate a probability of occupancy map that predicts the chances of wolverines being present in a given area of suitable habitat.



Understanding and managing all of Idahos wildlife is part of the agencys mission, and at times, it can be challenging. Knowing where wolverines are likely to live helps managers understand their needs and have baseline data about their habitat and population.



Wildlife technicians Luke Ferguson of McCall and Peter Ott of Marsing face long winter treks into Central Idahos mountains to check the cameras and retrieve the memory cards.



They ride snowmobiles and ski into remote sites that are typically between 7,000 and 9,000 feet during some of the most inhospitable winter weather. Short day light hours and up to 66-mile, round-trip snowmobile/ski trips mean theyre up long before sunrise and making long drives so they can be at the trailhead at first light.



Its a lot of fun and real rewarding, but its not easy, Ott said.



Not only do they check the cameras memory cards, they have to replace the bait, which is road-killed deer or elk quarters (which they also have to collect). An additional lure is is a sponge saturated with a viscous blend of skunk scent and beaver castor, which is a combo that smells as pungent as it sounds.



After a long day of winter driving and backcountry trekking, the highlight of their trip is downloading the card onto a computer to see what visited their bait sites.



So far, weve had an animal of some variety on every camera, Ferguson said.



Aside from wolverines, their cameras have captured fishers, martens, birds, foxes, coyotes, wolves and even deer before the snow got too deep.



Some cameras are placed in areas that are so remote they cant feasibly be checked during winter. Those have a slightly different system in place. Instead of a deer leg, a cows femur is attached to the tree and a special container periodically drips scent onto the femur. Those cameras will be checked and recovered in the spring after the project wraps up for the season.



One of the 61 sites in Idaho where cameras are stationed is about 12 miles northeast of McCall, an area where wolverines have been known to inhabit in recent years.



The camera triggered a sequence of five photos whenever there was movement at the bait site, and it recorded an intriguing scene in time lapse where at least one wolverine and American marten consumed an entire deer leg during a series of visits.



Through digital images, the scene showed that the silent, seemingly lifeless forest was actually a hub of activity for these specialized predators.



If it was a male wolverine, chances are good it was the only one in the area. Males are highly territorial and can claim up to 500 square miles of exclusive territory while typically allowing a few females to share that terrain, but they have an uncanny knack for securing it from other males.



Previous research in the McCall area showed a clear demarcation line between two adjacent males' territories. Data from radio telemetry collars showed their locations throughout winter, and the locations of one is represented by purple dots and the other blue dots. Except for a few cross overs along the border, each respected the other's territory. (Story continues below)



Why would a wolverine remain in the forest during winter when nearly all of its prey has migrated to lower elevations or hibernated? The why part is unknown, but scientists know how they survive winter conditions that would likely kill other animals.



During winter, wolverines largely switch from carnivores to scavengers, and theyre experts at finding and consuming carrion, which explains how a frozen deer leg was devoured like a Thanksgiving turkey.



Wolverines can find food beneath a thick layer of snow, and they even have a specialized upper molar in the back of their mouths that helps them chew meat thats frozen solid.



That ability to find food in the dead of winter is key to Fish and Games project. Ferguson and Ott will continue to brave winter weather to discover secrets that the cold, silent woods reveal thanks to modern technology, skunk scent, a frozen deer leg and wolverines keen senses. Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
ALEXANDER CHARGED

The charges were formalised at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court on Thursday and the investigator will proceed by way of a summons which must be served on both Insp Alexander and PC Mieres and they will appear in court subsequently.

It was alleged that on July 12, officers went to Santa Cruz Old Road where an altercation took place with contractor Christopher Charles, over ownership of land. Charles later made a report to police and also went to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) which began an investigation. After several months of intense investigations, the case file was completed and forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC on Thursday, who instructed that the charges be laid.

Efforts yesterday to reach Insp Alexander on the matter proved futile as all calls to his cell phone went unanswered. Yesterday on the Beyond The Tape show, a sombre co-host Marlan Hopkinson announced live that Insp Alexander would not be on the programme but expressed confidence that his co-host would return soon. Substituting for Insp Alexander yesterday was Ag Snr Supt (Tobago) Joanne Archie. It is not known if she would continue on the programme in Alexanders absence.

ALLEYNE OVERJOYED On the competing crime talk show Crime Watch, aired on Synergy TV and hosted by Ian Alleyne, there was joy as Alleyne used music and quoted Scripture profusely as he made mas on Alexander, his former co-host when Crime Watch was aired on TV6 in 2011. Last February, Insp Alexander arrested and charged Alleyne for resisting arrest and using obscene language.

This case is still pending before the courts.

I am still standing! There may be weeping in the night, but joy cometh in the morning, Alexander exclaimed as the majority of yesterdays show was dedicated to the charges laid against Insp Alexander.

Alleyne also used video footage showing him being arrested by Insp Alexander last year.

Retired Snr Supt Johnny Abraham, also called in on the Crime Watch programme to weigh in on the laying of charges on Alexander.

ITS A BIG BLOW Commenting yesterday on the laying of the charges, Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams said the Beyond the Tape show which is a production of the TT Police Service will continue despite Alexander being charged. He spoke at the launch of a new drivers permit at the Ministry of Works and Transport office in Port-of- Spain. Getting a suitable replacement for Inspector Alexander is not an easy thing. It is a challenge and it will take a period of time to work through. But we will be continuing with the programme. It is a fantastic programme and one which gives the police service an opportunity to engage with the public, share information, get feedback from the public...

so it is a useful programme for us, Williams said.

He said that the credibility of the TT Police Service suffered a blow by the laying of charges against Insp Alexander, who through the Beyond The Tape series, had become the public face of the TT Police Services fight against crime.

Secretary of the Police Social Welfare Association (PSWA) Ag ASP Anand Ramesar said, this development is most unfortunate both for the officer and the Service, given the fact that this officer was charged with the responsibility of improving the image of the Service.
Laventille brothers gunned down

The victims have been identified as Dexter Williams, 43, and Lloyd Johnson 31. Relatives yesterday said the two brothers may have been murdered by persons who wanted to gain access to their house which was located in an area of Laventille being fought over by two rival criminal gangs.

Relatives added that they are prepared to do whatever they have to in order to protect their home where they all grew up.

These gunmen have been after that house for the longest while, said a relative who did not want to be publicly identified. My mother and stepfather worked hard to build that house. All my siblings, my children and my grandchildren were born and grew up in that house. And these men want to take it during their turf war. If is the house that they want, they will not get it! We will do what we have to do to protect our home, the relative said.

Williams and Johnson were described as hard working men.

Williams, a mason had his left arm severed during an altercation several years ago yet he continued to work despite his disability.

Johnson, a welder by trade and father of a ten-year-old boy.
Schoolgirl found dead in bushes

Rachel Ramkissoon, 16, was a student of North Eastern College and lived in Talparo.

According to reports, at about 1.30 pm yesterday, residents of the Balata Terrace in San Raphael were passing through a track, when they came across the body.

A report was made to the police and up to press time, officers were still at the scene where the teens body was found. While police were processing the scene at 6.30 pm, Ramkissoons parents made their way to the San Raphael station and reported that she had left home yesterday morning for school but never returned home. Officers, on getting a description of the teen, took the parents to the scene where they positively identified Ramkissoons body.

Police sources said they are viewing the girls death as suspicious but will await the result of an autopsy to be done Monday at the Forensic Science Centre in St James to ascertain if she was murdered, committed suicide or died of natural causes
PM: Govt receiving free advice on Petrotrin

Responding to questions in the House of Representatives from Opposition MPs on Petrotrin, Rowley said, There are no terms and conditions involved or payments or contracts. Referring to the address he delivered to the nation on Wednesday about Petrotrin, the PM added, This is a question of getting proper advice and we will consult widely...

looking at possibilities. He said the report which Mottley and these experts will compile has not yet gone to Cabinet.

Indicating that should happen in the very near future, Rowley said there are no plans to either make that report public or lay it in Parliament. He explained the contents of the report are really meant to guide the decisions of Cabinet with respect to Petrotrin.

In response to a question from Barataria/ San Juan MP, Dr Fuad Khan, Rowley said he mentioned in his address that Petrotrin is expected to fund the interim five percent wage increase it agreed to with the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU).

He added this would involve some kind of cost cutting exercises by the company. Stating this was a matter for Petrotrins board and management to decide upon, Rowley said, I am not aware that Petrotrin has no money. As a multi-billion dollar enterprise, the Prime Minister explained, It is not a question of having no money, it is how the money is spent and what the money is spent on. On whether there would be any negative impact for Petrotrin workers as a result of the interim settlement for the 2011 to 2014 collective bargaining period, including job losses, Rowley recalled the former Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration boasted of settling, all outstanding agreements. As the then Opposition, Rowley said the Peoples National Movement (PNM), kept asking, which of these matters is it that you have settled. Rowley said he presumed that the 2011 to 2014 period was settled by the former administration. In his address to the nation, Rowley said the former government offered the OWTU a zero-zero-zero wage proposal and this was why the matter ended up in the Industrial Court. Rowley also hoped the Gas Master Plan should be laid in Parliament by March 31.
Pensioner dies of smoke inhalation

The autopsy was performed on Thursday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James.

The pensioners badly burnt body was found by relatives at his Palm Avenue, Esperanza Village home on Wednesday evening.

Doctors said that 80 percent of the elderly mans body was burnt.

According to a police report, at about 3.30pm Ramnanans son, Sunil went to the family home in Couva to check on his father after efforts to contact him on his cellphone proved futile.

Reports said when Sunil arrived at the family home, he saw smoke coming from the back of the house.

The son said he called out to his father several times but received no response.

Minutes later, he heard his fathers groans approximately 500 feet from the house near a bushy area.

Sunil then found his fathers burnt body.

When he was found he had burns about his entire body and the groans had stopped.

He had on a tall boots and where the boots covered his legs he did not get burn, said the emotional son. Ramnanan was rushed to the Couva Health Centre and later transferred to the San Fernando General hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10.45pm. Speaking with Newsday at the family home, Sunil said that the death of his father came as a shock to the family.

It was really unexpected in the manner he was taken from us, he said.

He told Newsday his father was a very active man for his age.

He loved cleaning and loved to see the backyard clean always and would take it upon himself to clean the area, by burning the grass, he explained.

He believes that his father may have stumbled and fell unto the burning garbage he set.

My father had problems with his legs, so I believe he fell and inhaled the smoke and could not get up so and he burnt there, the tearful son said.

Ramnanan would be cremated at the Waterloo Cremation Site following a funeral service at the family Couva home on Sunday.

Investigations are continuing.
New drivers permit introduced

Minister of Works and Transport, Senator Rohan Sinanan, said at the launch at the ministrys Headquarters on Richmond Street, Port of Spain, that the new permit will be part of a new centralised digital system aimed at making the licensing process more efficient.

The new permit, he said, is embedded with bar code technology and will allow authorise officers to scan permits on the scene and obtain all relevant information about the holder of the particular drivers permit.

The relevant information includes whether the holder has any recorded and/or outstanding infractions of the law thereby establishing an independent and reliable tracking system for those who have had any interaction with the legal system. In a few months, Sinanan explained, he will take legislation to Parliament that will permit the relevant officers to scan the permits on the scene.

Overall, the new system will create an efficient licensing service where authorised licensing staff can easily access and provide information to permit holders and where permit holders can easily access their information online.

It will be implemented in Tobago on Monday and will include the same-day production of certificates.

However, the system will be introduced into Trinidad on a phased basis, but the Ministry could not say when.

The new system does not invalidate, the Minister said, existing permits.
If you were an entrepreneur in the Madison area, 2016 was probably a good year for you.

At least, thats what the latest figures would imply.

Madison area startups added 150 full-time and 135 part-time jobs in 2016.

That means the young companies now account for at least 825 full-time and 300 part-time employees  or a total of 1,125 people  according to the replies of 58 companies to a poll by the Capital Entrepreneurs mentorship group.

The startups raised a combined $114 million in funding, up 71 percent over the $66.5 million local startups drew in 2015 and $44 million in 2014. That includes 11 businesses  such as mobile restaurant ordering service EatStreet, asthma sensor company Propeller Health and weather data provider Understory  that each raised $4 million or more.

In 2016, Madison startups continued to be an engine of economic growth, said the Capital Entrepreneurs report, released Friday.

Not only did the numbers of new companies jump, so did the space they occupied.

The newly remodeled, former AT&T building just off the Capitol Square at 316 W. Washington Ave., known as the 316 Building, became the newest tech hub with companies such as EatStreet, Understory and apartment rental facilitator Abodo among those that moved into the 10-story building last year.

Meanwhile, the planned StartingBlock Madison entepreneurial hub landed the final piece of its $3 million capital campaign, co-working groups Horizon, Madworks and 100State all expanded and maker space Sector67 began fundraising for a bigger facility.

There has been a large amount of entrepreneurial ecosystem infrastructure that has been established over the past few years between work spaces, accelerators and support resources. It provides new entrepreneurs with better access to resources that hopefully will increase their chances of success, said Forrest Woolworth, a co-founder of Capital Entrepreneurs and chief operating officer of mobile game development company PerBlue.

Woolworth said some of the more established startups raised large amounts of money and may be nearing an exit  which means they could be acquired or perhaps sell their stock publicly. There were also many companies raising their first outside investments, which means potentially strong startups are still coming forward.

Health technology startups, in particular, seem to be among those on the rise, Woolworth said.

100State fetes

new location

100State celebrated its new offices Wednesday evening with grand opening festivities. About 100 people attended.

100State, which calls itself Wisconsins largest co-working community, moved on Jan. 2 to offices on the sixth floor of the 316 Building from its previous location at 30 W. Mifflin St.

Launched in June 2013, 100State has nearly 300 members. It also will welcome a new generation of potential entrepreneurs. Maydm, which teaches computer coding to third- through 12th-graders, and CEOs of Tomorrow, which encourages social entrepreneurship among teens, will hold programs at 100State.

In another new development, 100State will designate an office for startups that emerge from the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane Countys new business incubator.

We are partners with the Latino Chamber, said 100State executive director Gregory St. Fort. The goal of our partnership is to create a pipeline for Latino entrepreneurs and access to more resources.

100State also added two board members, for a total of seven. The new additions are Rachel Neill, founder of Carex Consulting Group, and Drew Coursin, an attorney with Neider & Boucher.

GrocerKey attracts investors

GrocerKey, a Madison startup that sets up and manages online ordering for grocery stores, has drawn $700,000 from several local investors, including Clint Woodman, vice president of Woodmans Markets, and serial entrepreneur Mark Bakken, founder of the HealthX Ventures fund.

The money will help GrocerKey expand the availability of ShopWoodmans.com from the current two locations to all of the companys 16 grocery stores in the next year and a half, GrocerKey founder and CEO Jeremy Neren said.

The first two stores are getting as many as 800 online orders a week, and the average e-commerce grocery order is six times larger than the average bill in the store itself, Neren said.

Additionally, we have 11 other retailers signed that are either in pilot (stage) or in the implementation process, he said. The company also is developing product upgrades.

Neren said GrocerKey has more than 50 employees, including about 30 in Madison. He said the companys goal is to raise a total of $2 million in equity financing and up to $1 million in loans.
A small increase in airfare is justifiable

It is reported that two of the ATR aircraft are out of service and that the parent company has loaned CAL an aircraft to assist in alleviating this shortfall.

Is the public aware that when the ATRs were first brought into service to replace the Dash 8s which had given good service, that the CAL captains, who had preferred the 78 seater Dash 8 Q400,as the replacement expressed their dissatisfaction with the performance of the ATRs to the management.

The reaction from the management was a request to the captains to immediately withdraw their letter of complaint or face disciplinary action. Remember that the captains were flying the aircraft while the management were happily esconced in their air-conditioned offices at Piarco.

In my opinion, the management should have been pleased to receive a list of aircraft defects for forwarding to the manufacturer.

The Airbridge has been operating at a loss even with the Governments subsidy.

The flying public has been complaining of poor service ,frequent delays, and inability to obtain a seat especially during the peak periods of Carnival, Easter,August and Christmas.

But there is no money available to upgrade the service and to lease aircraft for short periods. Now CAL is proposing ancillary fees to increase its revenue.

In my opinion if there are approximately 800,000 passengers using the service annually a minimal increase of a paltry $50 on a one-way ticket will increase CALs revenue by $40 million annually.

The $150 one-way fare was introduced in 1994, 23 years ago.

Are you aware of any commodity which has retained the same price for the past 23 years.

Why is the Government reluctant to implement a small increase in the fare while maintaining pressure on the CAL management to reduce the burden on the Government purse.

It is stated that the cost to CAL per passenger is $600 to $800 for a round-trip ticket.

Lets be realistic and accept a small increase of $50 on a oneway ticket while at the same time demanding an improved service.

Ian Lambie via email
Trump: 'I'll Very, Very, Very

Probably Do It Again'
After more than two months, a man has been charged in a killing that shook the University of Wisconsin-Stout community. Cullen Osborn, a 27-year-old from Minneapolis, has been charged with felony murder and battery in the beating death of Saudi student Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram reports. The 24-year-old Alnahdi died Oct. 31, the day after police found him unconscious and bleeding outside a pizza restaurant in Menomonie around 2am. Witnesses said he had been beaten during an altercation with a tall white man. The death led to increased police patrols amid fears it could have been a hate crime.

Police, however, said during the investigation that they do not believe this was a hate crime, and a criminal complaint unveiled late Thursday states that Osburn insisted the incident had nothing to do with anybody's race, NBC reports. Witnesses gave police varying accounts of the confrontation between the men, though more than one said that Osborn was behaving aggressively and appeared to have started an argument with Alnahdi. "I hope this arrest brings some measure of peace and comfort to Hussain's family in Saudi Arabia," UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer said in a statement Friday. After Alnahdi's death, the community offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to his assailant. (Read more Wisconsin stories.)
Speeches by far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and former pharma exec Martin Shkreli were canceled Friday night after heated protests at the University of California, Davis. Police put up barricades as protesters shouting "shut it down" grew increasingly rowdy in the hours leading up to the talks. The UC Davis College Republicans, who sponsored the event, chose to cancel about a half-hour before the event began, the AP reports. Yiannopoulos, who writes for Breitbart News and is permanently banned from Twitter after leading a harassment campaign against Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones, said the event was canceled after "violence from left-wing protesters." But campus police said there was no violence or property destruction, and no arrests were made.

UC Davis Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter, who had staunchly defended allowing the event, said he was "deeply disappointed" by the protests and cancellation. "Our community is founded on principles of respect for all views, even those that we personally find repellent," Hexter said after the cancellation. "A university is at its best when it listens to and critically engages opposing views, especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive. Yiannopoulos has been on a college speaking tour and has drawn similar reaction at other universities. Shkreli, who stepped down as the head of Turing Pharmaceuticals last year after he was charged with securities fraud, was recently suspended from Twitter for harassing a journalist. (Read more Milo Yiannopoulos stories.)
Donald Trump dropped some big hints about changes to US policy on its biggest world rivals in a Wall Street Journal interview released Friday evening. On Russia, Trump said he is planning to keep the latest American sanctions in place "at least for a period of time," but he will certainly consider dropping them when he decides the time is right. "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebodys doing some really great things?" he wondered. Some US sanctions were imposed after Russia's internationally condemned annexation of Crimea in 2014, USA Today notes, but the latest ones were brought in last month as punishment for election-related hacking.

Trump, who said he is "absolutely fine" with meeting Vladimir Putin soon, took a more combative tone on China. He said everything about the US relationship with Beijing is under consideration, including the "One China" policy on Taiwan. He complained about China's currency policies, and about Beijing's reaction to his phone conversation with Taiwan's president. "We sold them $2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment but we're not allowed to accept a phone call," he said. He did, however, show the Journal the Christmas card he received from China's President Xi Jinping. "I have a beautiful card from the chairman," he said. (Earlier in the week, Trump met with China's second-richest man.)
Heartbreaking video shows Kamiyah Mobley, the 18-year-old abducted as a newborn and raised by a family not her own, sobbing and reaching out toward the woman accused of kidnapping her all those years ago. Gloria Williams, 51, who is accused of posing as a nurse and taking Mobley from her mother's Florida hospital room, had a hearing in South Carolina Friday to waive her right to an extradition hearing. In video obtained by First Coast News, Williams can be seen blowing a kiss to Mobley at the end of the hearing as Mobley begins to cry. A longer version of the video posted to Twitter shows Mobley walking over to the screened window, behind which Williams stood, and reaching out for her through the mesh screen while crying, "Mama." A First Coast News reporter tweeted that Mobley told Williams "she was 'praying for her' and 'loved her.'"

Williams reportedly had a miscarriage a week before she drove to Jacksonville and allegedly took Kamiyah, raising her as her own daughter in South Carolina, Walterboro Live reports. Williams has two younger children, and officials have determined she is their biological mother. Kamiyah was raised Alexis Manigo, News4Jax reports. "I've seen Alexis grow up," says a friend who's known the family for 15 years. "I've seen her in church and in the community. She's very well read, very mannerly, disciplined." Per AP, the Jacksonville sheriff says that since learning the truth, Kamiyahwho reportedly "had an inclination" months ago that she may have been kidnapped, though authorities won't say why that washas been emotionally overwhelmed. But her birth family is overjoyed to learn she's alive and well, and was able to FaceTime with her Friday. "She act like she been talking to us all the time," her grandmother says. "She told us she'd be here soon to see us." (Read more kidnapping stories.)
A man was taken to a hospital with minor burns Saturday morning after a fire in a Sun Prairie assisted-living facility, the Sun Prairie Fire Department said.

Crews were sent to Faith Living Center, 131 Clarmar Drive, around 4:30 a.m. after a person at the facility saw smoke filling a room,

Fire Chief Chris Garrison said.

Garrison said the first responders extinguished a fire next to a mans bed. The man was taken to UW Hospital with minor burns, he said.

Additional fire crews helped relocate disabled residents to a safe place within the facility.

One person was treated at the scene for respiratory problems, Garrison said.

Damage is estimated at $20,000.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Sorry!

This content is not available in your region
Detroit:

Takata Corp. has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal charge and will pay USD 1 billionin fines and restitution for concealing a deadly defect in its air bag inflators.

The US Attorney's Office in Detroit announced the plea deal on Saturday. Takata will pay a USD 25 million criminal fine, USD 125 million to individuals who were injured by the air bags andUSD 850 million to automakers that purchased the inflators.

The US district court in Detroit has appointed attorney Kenneth Feinberg to distribute restitution payments.



Payments to individuals must be made soon. Money due to automakers must be paid within five days of Takata's anticipated sale or merger.

Takata is expected to be sold to another auto supplier or investor sometime this year.
New Delhi:

Chaos prevailed at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport after a failure in the radar system led to suspension of several flights on Saturday.

Stranded passengers expressed their dissent after airport authorities failed to clear the air on the situation.A

According to sources, at least 20 incoming and outbound flights were suspended due to the technical glitch that occurred around 4.30pm.

According to reports, at least 16 flights were also diverted to a nearby airport.A

Sources said that private carrier Jet Airways decided to cancel its Delhi-Lucknow flight 9W 755 and 9W 756 Lucknow-Delhi citing technical issues.A

The reason behind the radar failure is still not known, and airport authorities called it a technical snag.

Further details on the matter are awaited.

Jet Airways flight 9W 755 Delhi - Lucknow and 9W 756 Lucknow - Delhi cancelled due to technical issues at the Lucknow airport.

Lucknow Airport Director PK Srivastava told news agency ANI 'We are doing our best to repair DVOR as soon as possible;no international flight effect as of now'.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi:

On Monday, a committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be meeting to select the next CBI chief, a post which is lying vacant for some time.

The meeting, which also includes Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Justice of India, will take place in the evening of Monday, the sources said.

Also Read: UP elections 2017: Will mobilise Hindu votes for BJP only if PM Modi promises Ram temple in Ayodhya, says Acharya Satyendra Das

The post of CBI has been lying vacant for some time. Last month, the government had appointed Gujarat-cadreIPS officer Rakesh Asthana as the interim Director of the premier investigating agency.

This had angered the Congress, with Kharge accusing the government of trying to manipulate the selection process. The PMO had then said the selection committee could meet anytime after December 16 at the conclusion of Winter session of Parliament, which was underway at that time.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said that female Army personnel should themselves decide on their deployment at border. At present, female Army personnel are not deployed at front-line border.

General Bipin Rawat also mentioned that when jawans are deployed on tanks, they cook on their cook and sleep inside tanks. He also stressed that there are also no toilet facilities available on front-line deployments. Now, it is up to females to decide on their deployment.

General Rawat stressed that if females are ready to confront such situations, then we will consider about their deployment at front-line. He also added that they should work in the same manner as the male personnel.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Pune:

A man was booked for allegedly raping his 12-year-old daughter in Pune, said police.

They said the mother of the victim too was booked, who after knowing that the minor girl was pregnant, forced her to leave the home.

Both parents have been booked under the relevant sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, said a police inspector with Wakad police station.

He said the father of the victim was allegedly sexually assaulting her for last 6 years and whenever she resisted, the accused used to beat her.

Whenever, the girl complained to her mother, she used to tell her not to utter a word outside, the officer said, adding, today when the mother got to know that her daughter was pregnant, she asked her to leave the home.

Later the girl approached police and a case was registered, the officer said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Mumbai:

BJP ally Shiv Sena and opposition Congress and NCP on Friday reacted sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modis photo in the calendar and the diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

Shiv Sena MP from South Mumbai Arvind Sawant said he was extremely pained over the development.

Nobody would have objected if it was PM Modis photo spinning khadi on a charkha. What is objectionable is removing Mahatma Gandhis photos and placing his (Modis) instead. This is extremely painful, he told reporters.

Also Read: Unhappy PM Narendra Modi leaves presentations made by secreatries midway

It is an example of what can happen when a person is self-centered and obsessed, he said.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Narayan Rane lashed out at the Prime Minister and said people will never forget the move.

Does he (Modi) think that by putting his pictures next to a charkha will make him a great figure or a Mahatma? He can never rise to Gandhijis status by doing such things, Rane said.

Also Read: ICSE, ISC, CBSE reschedule examination dates ahead of Assembly polls

He added that after demonetisation, the Modi government has made life miserable for masses and that reality cannot be changed through such gimmicks.

Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar claimed it was Modis strategy to compare himself with great historical personalities.

Can anybody be compared with Gandhiji or Jyotiba Phule. Can there be a comparison with Mother Teresa? Because of her greatness, she was declared a saint, Pawar said.

NCPs Mumbai women wing president Surekha Pednekar led a silent protest near Mahatma Gandhis statue at Nariman Point.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Answers Africa is one of a kind platform created for Africans both locally and in the diaspora and those seeking for more in-depth information about Africa. We have always focused on creating the highest quality informational contents right from the beginning. We share the most relevant information on the latest and trending news, events, people, and places in Africa.

We produce contents across various categories including Politics, People, Love and Romance, Nature, Entertainment, Technology and pretty much everything else that Africans may find relevant.

We aim to answer the most relevant questions about Africa in areas of entertainment, famous people, emerging technologies while we also engage with various distribution capabilities to connect with Africans in need of information who rely on our website to keep in touch with the world that is changing so fast.

These are some of the articles you may be interested in reading:

10 Famous TV Personalities Born In Ethiopia Ethiopia is a country best known for its fast athletes like Dibaba and Bekele, breathtaking models like Liya Kebede and of course Haile Selassie but there are also famous TV personalities who are doing a great job in entertainment and pushing the country to civilization. The following is a list of ten most famous TV ...

Top 10 African Authors of All Time The pace of present African literature is moving at a high-speed; more defiant in both style and tone than those of the great independence writers generation. Here, the subjects of taboo are widely explored. The emerging African authors of this generation are not afraid to go further afield for the literary fodder. Meanwhile, since the birth ...

Maina Kageni Biography  Daughter, Salary and Gay Rumors Maina Kageni is one of those Kenyans who has remained as interesting as ever in the eyes of the public. A strong Red devil fan and lover of football, the man is currently a Breakfast Show presenter with Mwalimu Kingangi on Nairobis Classic 105 Radio Station. Many questions have always emerged on the man in serious ...

Kalekye Mumo  Biography, Boyfriend and Salary Kalekye Mumo has been described as someone who is as vibrant as she is beautiful, a Kenyan radio queen, TV host and media personality, movie actress, Musician, businesswoman, and fashionista but what else is there to know about this Kenyan icon, Kalekye Mumo and her co-host Shaffie Weru have been among the most listened to radio presenters ...

Julie Gichuru Bio  Age, Husband & Children In Africa, women have a long history of bringing under control obstacles to keep their heads above the water. So, it comes as no surprise whenever African women are recognized and decorated across the continent and globe for performing brilliantly well in their various fields of endeavor. In Kenya for instance, a list of national ...

Jeff Koinange Biography  All About His Age, Wife  Shaila Koinange & Family Jeff Koinange is a well-known Kenyan journalist. He currently hosts Jeff Koinange Live on KTN. Koinange has served as a journalist in the United States and has also worked for a few U.S. broadcasters. He was born in Kenya but attended college in the United States, which may explain his accent. There are several interesting ...

Caroline Mutoko Biography  Age, Daughter & House Caroline Mutoko is a Kenyan radio presenter, famously known for hosting a morning breakfast show on Kiss 100 FM. The station is based in Nairobi and ranks among the highly-rated radio stations in Kenya with online streaming services as well. Learn more about the Kenyan-born journalist. Caroline Mutokos Age and Bio Born on January 4, 1973, Caroline is ...

The Most Stunning News Presenter In Kenya Discloses Her Real Age  You Would Not Believe It In modern African societies, it is often regarded as impolite or outright lack of disrespect to ask a woman of her age. We also have seen celebrities lie about how old they are when asked their age. People, mostly women have refused to let people know their real age, despite being public figures. The few ...

Demystifying Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies Biography, Husband & Education Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian novelist, non-fiction writer, short story writer and actress. As a seasoned Nigerian writer, she has been called the most prominent of a procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors that is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature. She has been making Nigeria proud in the global scene ...

Wole Soyinka  Biography, Wife, Children, Family, Quick Facts Professor Wole Soyinka, a great and brilliant Nigerian writer and political activist, who was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The name, Wole Soyinka, is a household name both in Africa and beyond especially in the field of literature. With over 50 pieces of work, his writing includes poems, novels, memoirs ...

5 Most Vulgar Kenyan Radio Presenters It appears being vulgar is the real deal nowadays especially for the fact that the world is becoming more exposed and civilized. Sadly, but true, young people are constantly being exposed to images, discussions, and content that most people would deem detrimental to the African culture and moral statutes. This is because most of us ...

6 Sexiest News Anchors In Kenya Some news anchors have been stealing eyes every time they appear on-screen. Most of us hardly concentrate on the programme they present as our entire focus is usually on their striking physique and beautiful faces. It is common knowledge that Kenyan women are amazingly beautiful. From the celebrities to the everyday woman, they are all in ...

Interesting Oprah Winfrey Quotes To Keep You Motivated Oprah Winfrey is one of the worlds most powerful women in the media and business sectors. Her life is the typical success story that motivates and lifts ones morale. One amazing thing about this media mogul is her sincerity about past hurts, mistakes, healing, and success. The renowned talk show host and media personality is the first ...

Chinua Albert Achebe Biography- Family, Net Worth & Death Chinua Albert Achebe, of blessed memory, was a Nigerian prolific author best known for his inventive style of writing and simplicity of expressions. Famed as one of the finest writers Nigeria has ever produced, Achebe lived and died an international hero and a literary giant, who left behind unforgettable legacies and footprints in the sands of ...

Steve Harvey  His Wife, Kids & Height Steve Harvey is an American comedian, actor, radio and TV show host, producer and an author of different relationship advice books. Steve Harveys Early Life Born in Welch, West Virginia, on January 17, 1957, as Broderick Stephen Harvey, Steve was the last of five children. His family relocated to Cleveland when he was young and there, he attended Glenville High School from ...

Intriguing Things You Should Know About Danny Kokers Rise to Fame and Who His Wife Is Danny Koker is popular as the star of the History Channel reality TV series, Counting Cars. Prior to him appearing on the show, the TV personality was a musician who had embarked on a number of national tours with his rock group, Counts 77. He and his group have released quite a number of songs ...

Fun Facts You Didnt Know About Andy Cohens Rise to Prominence and His Partner Andy Cohen is one of Americas top media personalities who gained prominence after helping to bring the Bravo network back to life. He also hosted a couple of shows on the network, including the popular nightly series Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. After rising to the position of head of production and development at ...

Tracing Isha Sesays Career Until CNN, Her Worth And Why She Divorce Her Husband As far as journalists of African origin go, Isha Sesay is one of the most famous on the continent  and by extension, the world. The Sierra Leonean and British journalist has had a successful career since she joined the industry in 1998. In that time, she has worked for a host of major media ...

Open Secrets of How Joanna Gaines Balances Her Career With Being a Wife and Mother Joanna Gaines is the co-founder of Magnolia Homes, a business she runs with one goal: converting houses to homes. She doubles as the lead designer of the company which she co-owns with her husband, Chip Gaines. Lady Gaines gained massive popularity when she became a co-star with her husband on the HGTVs show, Fixer Upper. ...

Juicy Details of Ayesha Currys Love Story With Stephen, Her Family Members and Recent Pursuits When your husband is one of the greatest basketballers that the NBA has ever seen, then it bestows on you the status of a celebrity wife  and may not even demand that you do anything extra to maintain that status. However, Ayesha Curry, the wife of multiple NBA champion, Steph Curry, is not one ...

What Is Tarek el Moussas Ethnicity, Why Did He Divorce His Wife and Who Is He Dating? Tarek El Moussa has made himself one of the most recognizable men on reality television, especially to fans of HGTV. Thanks to his expertise in the world of real estate, Tarek has become a national star. But even to his hardcore followers, there are questions about Tarek El Moussa that remain unanswered, such as his ...

Fun Facts About Natalie Beckers Lonely Childhood and Eventual Career Success Natalie Becker is an actress of South African descent who became famous for her appearance in films like The World Unseen and The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. A multitalented individual, Natalie is also a television/radio presenter. She is also a co-founder of the Thought Leader Global Media which she runs together with ...

Top 3 Female CNN News Anchors You Didnt Know Were Africans CNN is one of the leading news agencies in the world. The satellite and cable news network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and has been one of the best sources of news for a number of years. It also boasts of the best journalists and presenters all around in media broadcasting. The company is a ...

Channels That Aided Katie Pavlichs Growth as a Journalist and All About Her Marriage To Friedson If you have ever come across any Fast and Furious featuring Barack Obama, it is the handiwork of Katie Pavlich. The book which claims to have exposed Obamas bloodiest scandal and the shameless cover-up thereof, has been earning Pavlich much praise and fame ever since it was published in 2012. Nonetheless, Pavlich is more famed ...

Is Oprah Winfrey Married? Husband, Children, Biography, House, Facts Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire philanthropist, talk show icon, producer, actress, and writer. The media icon famously dubbed The Queen Of All Media owns and hosts the highest-rated television program in the media circle. Read more about the powerful television star below. Oprah Winfrey Biography Oprah was born as Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954, to a ...

Who Is Arsenio Hall, What Happened To His Talk Show and Why Do Fans Think He Is Gay? He is one of the funniest beings to have graced the comedy constituent of the American entertainment industry. Arsenio Hall has a reputation for the rib-cracking disposition always portrayed in his comedy roles. He is not just a comedian; he is also an actor and a former talk show host for his popular show, The ...

What Is Woah Vicky Famous For and Who Are Her Family Members? Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Woah Vicky is one of those stars that have utilized the internet as a powerful tool to propel themselves to instant fame. The social media space, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., offers lots of people the right opportunities and potentials to become superstars overnight. Not everyone achieves ...

Where Is Michael Strahan Since His Retirement From The NFL and Who Is His Partner? Michael Strahan is a retired American football player turned media personality. He played the defensive lineman position and holds the record for most sacks in a single NFL season. He also only played for the New York Giants throughout the entire 15-year professional career that saw him win a Super Bowl ring. In February 2014, ...

How Wendy Williams Went From Being a College DJ to Having Her Own Talk Show and More About Her Divorce Wendy Williams is a former radio personality, now talk show host, who is known for her outspokenness and brash no-nonsense attitude. She gained fame and notoriety for her on-air clashes with celebrities before moving on to host her own talk show. Since 2008, Williams has hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. ...

Who is Sunny Hostin? Her Husband, Family & Net Worth Sunny Hostin is no ordinary Latina  American lawyer but also a successful columnist, multi-platform journalist, and social commentator. A happily married woman and mother of two, Hostin is the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and co-host of ABCs popular morning talk show, The View. She is a legal expert popularly known as a former ...

Who Is Robert Costa and Is He Married, Who Is His Wife? Robert Costa is a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC who is regarded as being part of Americas next generation of journalists. The University of Notre Dame graduate, who is of Italian/Portuguese descent, has been lauded for his fresh political perspectives in an industry full of old heads. In addition to his work listed above, Costa ...

Team Valor Pokemon Go  7 Key Facts You Need To Know Team Valor Pokemon Go  The craze of the new game Pokemon Go is one that took the gaming world by storm sending teenagers and adults alike into a frenzy and one of its teams Team Valor, has proven to be instrumental in making it so. Before the game was created, Pokemon was a cartoon ...

Sheryl Underwood  Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ...

Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ...

Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias  Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ...

Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo  The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ...

Millie Weaver  Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ...

Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ...

Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols  Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ...

Who Is Bree Morgan  Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ...

Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ...

Liz Wheeler  Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ...

Betty White  Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ...

Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ...

Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ...

Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ...

Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ...

Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ...

Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ...

Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ...

Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ...

Joel Osteen  Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ...

Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ...

Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ...

Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ...

Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...

Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...

Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...

Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...

Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...

Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...

Demystifying Pokimane  Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...

A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...

Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...

Alex Aiono Biography  Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...

Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...

Princess Love Bio  Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...

Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...

Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

Kay Adams Biography  Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...

Ben Shapiros Family  Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ...

QVC Shawn Killinger Bio  Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ...

Liv Lo  Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ...

Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ...

Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ...

Who Is Jessica Gadsden  Age, Net Worth & All About Charlamagne tha Gods Wife Jessica Gadsden is an American fitness coach as well as a personal trainer. She is better known as the spouse of popular American media personality, Charlamagne Tha God. Charlamange Tha God is a well-known TV and radio personality in the U.S. He has featured in several shows (both on the radio and TV) and is ...

Who Is Collins Tuohy  Michael Ohers sister ? Her Wedding, Husband & Net Worth Collins Tuohy is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, blogger, and social media personality. She is also better known as the adoptive sister of NFL player, Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the Hollywood blockbuster The Blind Side. The Blind Side tells the true life story of Oher who grew up in an impoverished background consisting of a ...

Eye-Popping Facts About The Personal Life And Career Success Of Sportscaster Heidi Watney Heidi Watney is a media personality who has created a niche for herself as a sportscaster. Starting out as a radio presenter, the brilliant young lady has gone on to work for several prominent sports networks, and currently, she is with the MLB. The sportscaster is also known to have been an avid sports lady right ...

Marty Lagina Bio  Siblings (Martina and Rick Lagina), Net Worth and Wife Marty Lagina is an American engineer and businessman who has risen to fame as a reality TV star. This is thanks to his involvement in the adventure TV series, The Curse of Oak Island. The Curse of Oak Island is a long-running TV series which airs on the history channel. The show aims to solve ...

Is Jordan Schlansky Just A Character or a Real Life Person and What Does He Do? The world of late-night television is an interesting one. Shows during that time are geared towards giving viewers comedic relief from a long day at work through interviews and comedy sketches. The often charismatic host of this show requires the balancing talent of a producer whose primary job is to deliver great episodes. It is ...

Heres How Wealthy Jimmy Kimmel Is From All The Phases of His Career, Marriages and Sons Health Jimmy Kimmel is a renowned late-night talk show host known for his charm, wit, and the A-list guests he features on his show. As the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC, Jimmy has been serving comedy to television viewers for years which played a pivotal role in launching him into mainstream fame and enabled ...

Natasha Bertrand Biography  Is She Married? Who Is the Husband & What Is Her Age? Natasha Bertrand is not just a young prominent journalist but a first-rate investigative reporter. With her natural beauty and smile, Natashas sharp, insightful political commentary also makes her a thorough reporter. Her sound political perspective and coverage in the country have made her a force to be reckoned with in the profession. Renowned for her ...

What Happened to Shane Kilcher? His Injury Update, Net Worth and More Shane Kilcher is well-known thanks to the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier. It is a show that documents the daily lives of the extended Kilcher family, people who live without plumbing or modern heating. The episodes follow their routines as they rely on hunting and farming for their nutritional needs as well as ...

Is Stephanie Gosk Gay or Lesbian, Who is the Wife or Partner  Jenna Wolfe? In August 2013, NBCs Today viewers were greeted with two shocking news. Today weekend anchor, Jenna Wolfe, announced that she was as a lesbian, introducing her partner as NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk, and said the two are expecting their first child. A long time has passed since then and certainly, a lot of things ...

Nikki Mudarris  Bio and Net Worth: 5 Interesting Facts You Need to Know Nikki Mudarris, also known as Miss Nikki Baby, is a reality television star, model and fashionista. Shes best known for VH1s reality TV series Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood. Her entrepreneurial skills enable her to create and run a successful lingerie line Nude by Nikki. Not only that, but Nikki has also successfully run the Las ...

5 Interesting Things You Need To Know About Kelly Nash Ever heard of the lady who gained national prominence for taking a selfie with a dangerous ball just a few inches away from hitting her? Its no other person than Kelly Nash, an American sports broadcaster currently working as host of The Rundown show which airs on MLB Network every weekday at 2 pm ET. ...

Understanding The Height of Fame John Oliver Achieved With The Daily Show and How He Met His Wife Without knowledge of who he is and his exemplary career, John Oliver cuts an unassuming figure of a regular man but he is one of the most influential personalities in America, especially on television. Since he began his career in 1998, he has been a loud and unapologetic agent of change, using his wit and ...

Why Did Big Chief Leave Street Outlaws, Where Is He Now And Why Did He Divorce His Wife? Justin Shearer, otherwise known by his professional name Big Chief is a famous street racer and television personality. He is famously known for being one of the main characters on the racing reality television series, Street Outlaws. Justin, who had been a significant part of the show since its premiere in 2013, appeared in a ...

Who is Josina Anderson of ESPN? Her Husband and Family Facts There has been a gradual paradigm shift in the world of sports which has today produced the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and other female athletes that are pulling great feats in different sporting fields. Their achievements have also been followed by the emergence of female sports journalists such as Jillian Mele, Eboni Williams, ...

Is Brittany Wagner Married, Who Is The Husband, How Old Is She? Brittany Wagner has been an inspiration to a lot of sports youngster. She has won the hearts of many athletic students with her role as a life coach and an academic counselor. She is well groomed in her career and has worked over a decade for The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and The National ...

Tati Westbrook Bio  Age, Husband & Net Worth With five videos dished out every week, alongside running her own brand, beauty guru, and YouTube superstar Tati Westbrook has proved to the world that theres utterly no impossibility or limit to whatever one is passionate about. Tati is best known for being the owner and manager of the worlds most-viewed beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel, ...

Cathy Areus Long Road to Becoming a Freelance Journalist and What to Know About Her Kids An American freelance journalist, news analyst, and author, Cathy Areu has built a lasting reputation for herself on cable television. Popular for her skillful and sassy presentation of professional views on varying topics including cultural and feminist issues, Cathy is an inspiration to many women across the globe. In addition to being a journalist, she ...

Tucker Carlsons Love Story With Wife Susan Andrews, their Children and Net Worth Today On the TV screens, Tucker Carlson is that fiery fellow who passionately dishes out his conservative and often controversial views on issues of national importance. Such brazenness has fetched him many enemies, especially on the left-wing, but it has also helped him cement a reputation as one of the foremost broadcast journalists in America. His ...

Paige Wyatts Net Worth, Boyfriend and Where She Is Now Paige Wyatt became popular after the Wyatt family began running the reality television show, American Guns. The Wyatt family comprises Rich Wyatt (father), Renee Wyatt (mother), Paige and Kurt Wyatt (children). Rich Wyatt originally ran a gun shop, the Gunsmoke Guns in Wheat Ridge, Colorado which is outside of Denver. The business which he ran together ...

The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ...

Lisa Joyners Biography  Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ...

Amanda Balionis Rise Through the Ranks of Sportscasting and the Identity of Her Boyfriend Amanda Balionis is an American sportscaster currently working as a golf broadcaster for CBS Sports. Among so many of her works in the field of sports reporting, Amandas PGA Tour coverage seems to be the most popular so far. She covered the Super Bowl working with CBS Sports social media team in Atlanta, where she ...

Dissecting Charles Paynes Sexual Allegations, Its After Effects and More About His Wife Charles Payne had a respectable career as an analyst on Wall Street before he made the transition to television and became a contributor and later a host on Fox. In that time, his expertise has come under scrutiny, and he has been at the center of at least one major controversy. The major controversy in question ...

Erik Asla And Tryra Banks Split: Everything You Need To Know Tyra Banks and Erik Asla have called it quits! The couple, who began dating in 2013 and have a son named York Banks Asla, has decided to end what everybody taught was the perfect relationship. Neither person has come out to give a reason for the breakup, but what is obvious right now is that ...

What to Note About Dr Terry Dubrows Qualifications, TV Works and Marriage to Heather Kent In the realm of people that we expect to see regularly on our screens, medical doctors are closer to the bottom of the list. Aside from the fact that their work has little correlation with TV, they are presumably too busy to pursue life as TV personalities. Yet, a few of them have usurped this ...

Jessica Goch  Bio: 5 Things You Didnt Know About Ninjas Wife Jessica Goch is the Schofield-born American Social Media Influencer who has worked as a model but is now better known as a host and interviewer of prominent Electronic sports celebrities at popular gaming events/tournaments. The screen queen also serves as the manager of her famous husband Ninja aka Tyler Blevins whose exploits on Twitch and Fortnite has ...

CNNs Chris Cuomo Biography  Wife, Family & Net worth Chris Cuomo needs no elaborate introduction as he has starred graced many prominent Television cable networks and his voice has been heard through acknowledged radio shows. He is a television journalist and Lawyer who has previously worked for ABC News as Chief law and justice correspondent as well as a co-anchor on 20/20. If you still ...

Neil deGrasse Tyson  Family, Religion & Net Worth Neil deGrasse Tyson is a distinguished American astrophysicist and author who has been able to achieve so much after falling in love with astronomy at the age of 9. He has since attended and become an alumnus of prestigious universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and also recorded numerous achievements in his field of ...

Is Simon Cowell Gay? Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend and Why is He Famous? Simon Cowell is a well-known talent show judge, TV producer, entrepreneur and one of the most popular TV personalities that Britain has ever produced. In conjunction with his company, Syco, Cowell is the brain behind hugely successful talent hunt shows such as The X-Factor UK, The X-Factor US, Britains Got Talent, Americas Got Talent and ...

Everything To Know About Joanna Gaines Life With Chip Gaines, Their Business Pursuits and Kids Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip Gaines became celebrities after their television show Fixer Upper began airing back in 2013. The show which was about home renovation and decoration ran for about 6 seasons with a total of 79 episodes before the couple bade farewell to it in April 2018. Apart from their appearances on ...

Who Is Larry The Cable Guy? What To Know About His Wife And Net Worth Larry the Cable Guy is a self-professed country kid renowned for his trademark Southern accent and sensational catchphrase Git-R-Done! The famous comedian who talks about anything under the sun has gone on to become one of the most memorable characters in comedy history. Join us in unearthing lesser-known facts about the former on-air-personality, standup comedy superstar, movie ...

Who Is Patrick Starr, What Is His Net Worth and Gender? The make-up industry over the years has grown to become a billion dollar industry not just because there are probably more women wearing make-up but because a whole lot of men, especially the young ones, have become bold enough to wear it unlike before. A few of these men, like Patrick Starr, have even gone ...

How Did Chris Jansing Become a Senior Correspondent at MSNBC and Who Is Her Husband? An award-winning American television news reporter and journalist, Chris Jansing has succeeded in carving a spectacular niche for herself in the field of TV journalism. Outstanding for not just her excellence in journalism, Chris is also cherished for her incredibly gorgeous looks post 60! For close to four decades, Jansing has continued to soar in her ...

Jaclyn Glenn Biography  Age, Height & Ex-Boyfriend American Youtuber, Jaclyn Glenn, rose to prominence through her self-titled YouTube channel Jaclyn Glenn. She has remained an acclaimed atheist and continues to air her views on hot issues from politics, religion, animal rights, to atheism. During the heated 2016 US Presidential elections, Glenn featured in Hump Trump: Official Donald Trump Song. Her parallel acting career ...

Is Pat Sajak Married to a Wife or is He Gay With a Partner? Pat Sajak is one of the most popular TV game show hosts in America. He commenced his career as a radio disk jockey as well as a TV weatherman before being tapped to host Wheel of Fortune, the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States. Sajak has hosted the popular game show from 1983 ...

Nayyera Haqs Bio  What To Know About Her Husband, Parents And Family Nayyera Haq can take anyone on political debates as well as discussions on social issues affecting many. Her ability to masterfully deliver her stance on every issue or political debate has made her a regular face in morning and evening news media platforms. This is not a common feat especially for someone from her kind ...

Inside Guy Fieris Family With Wife, Kids and Sister Who Died of Cancer Over the years we have seen men dominate the kitchen and churn out amazing delicacies from it. Some do it way better than their female counterparts and one of such men is Guy Ramsay Fieri  an American TV host, celebrity chef, restaurant owner, bestselling author of four culinary books, and game show host. His ...

Meet Phil Mudd of CNN  The Former CIA and FBI Exec, Is He Married, Who Is The Wife? When it comes to discussing issues surrounding terrorism, American Counterterrorism and National Security Expert, Phil Mudd, occupies a globally significant position. He has voiced his interest in the fight against terrorism and insecurity on many popular media platforms, both print and broadcast, such as CNN, BBC, CBS, MSNBC, al-Jazeera, ABC, NBC, Fox, The New York Times, ...

Jim Hoffer: Biography, Wife  Mika Brzezinski, Children and Net Worth Jim Hoffer is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works as an investigative reporter for Eyewitness News, New York City. In his over two decades of investigative journalism, Hoffer has been at the front lines of several crucial stories from the 9/11 attack to the crash of American Flight 587 to the 2003 Blackout. On top of ...

The Ups and Downs of Erin Mcpikes Journalism Career and Other Facts About Her Personal Life Erin McPike is a journalist working for the Independent Journal Review (IJR) as a White House Correspondent but she gained widespread recognition for her coverage of general news. Whether its breaking news or some mainstream story, McPike has a reputation of baring the facts. As a journalist, her work as a White House Correspondent for Independent ...

Bert Kreischer Is Married To LeeAnn Kreischer With 2 Kids  Meet His Family Those familiar with Bert Kreischer mainly have the image of a large-bellied party man whose college life inspired the National Lampoon film, Van Wilder. It is an image that one would not naturally associate with a wholesome family. The standup comedian still maintains his wild party animal image on stage. But, back at home, he is ...

How Brendan Greene Became a Game Designer to Look Out For and Facts About His Failed Marriage The name Brendan Greene may not easily ring a bell in the larger society but for gaming enthusiasts, he is considered a god and this is because of his invention of the video game, Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, also called PUBG. Based on the popular last-man-standing/battle royale concept, Greenes creation has taken the gaming world by ...

WFAAs Sonia Azad Bio  Does The Reporter Have A Husband Or Boyfriend? Emmy Award-winning journalist and Health & Wellness reporter Sonia Azad is on the news segment News 8 Daybreak for the television station WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, a channel which she joined in October of 2015. Besides her time on the news, Azad is also a marathon runner and a certified yoga instructor. She has covered major news ...

This Is Everything You Should Know About Caroline Heldman, Her Career Portfolio and Other Facts Love it or hate it, there is no escaping the fact that feminism has come to stay in our world. The movement has continued to garner momentum over the years and this is due to the sustained push by several women, and even men, including the likes of Caroline Heldman. A Professor of Politics at ...

Understanding The Enigma That Is Gavin McInnes, The Controversies He Has Stirred and All About His Wife Gavin McInnes is a polemical English-born writer and TV personality, who is best known for his racist and fascist ideologies, as well as his co-ownership of Vice Media and Vice Magazine. He is also an actor a
Heres how members of Wisconsins congressional delegation voted on major issues this week.

Note: In all votes except the Houses action on the first step in repealing the Affordable Care Act, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, did not vote. By custom, the speaker does not vote except in rare circumstances.

Stock market deregulation: The House on Tuesday voted 344-73 to ease Securities and Exchange Commission regulations to make it easier for small, unproven companies to market their stock. A yes vote was to send the Senate a bipartisan bill (HR 79) aimed at helping startups raise capital.

Voting yes: Ron Kind, D-3, James Sensenbrenner, R-5, Glenn Grothman, R-6, Sean Duffy, R-7, Mike Gallagher, R-8

Voting no: Mark Pocan, D-2, Gwen Moore, D-4

Judicial freeze of federal rules: The House on Wednesday voted 238-183 to allow courts to indefinitely freeze proposed rules projected to cost the economy at least $1 billion per year. A yes vote was to send GOP-sponsored HR 5 to the Senate, where it could face a filibuster.

Voting yes: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Black lung, workplace safety: The House on Wednesday refused on a 195-227 vote to exempt from HR 5 rules issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Act to protect workers from diseases such as black lung. A yes vote backed the Democratic-sponsored exemption.

Voting yes: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Voting no: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Start of Obamacare repeal: The House on Friday adopted, 227-198, a fiscal 2017 budget blueprint for later action on bills to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act and possibly cut Social Security and Medicare. A yes vote was to clear the way for expected passage next month of an Obamacare repeal bill. (SCR 3)

Voting yes: Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Reins on Securities and Exchange Commission: The House on Thursday voted 243-184 to place new requirements on the Securities and Exchange Commission in setting rules for investors and markets. A yes vote was to pass HR 78, which would establish higher hurdles for proposed SEC rules to clear.

Voting yes: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Divestiture by SEC chairman: The House on Thursday refused, 194-233, to require the Securities and Exchange Commission chairman to divest himself of holdings in financial institutions that the SEC regulates. A yes vote backed the amendment to HR 5 over arguments that the chairman already is subject to conflict-of-interest prohibitions.

Voting yes: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Voting no: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Derivatives deregulation: The House on Thursday voted, 239-182, to reduce the power of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to regulate the derivatives (swaps) market. A yes vote was to send the Senate a bill (HR 238) that reauthorizes the commission for five years.

Voting yes: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Secretary of defense waiver: Voting 268-151, the House on Friday joined the Senate in granting a waiver allowing retired Gen. James Mattis to serve as defense secretary even though he has been out of uniform for fewer than the seven years required by law. A yes vote was to pass S 84.

Voting yes: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid: On a 49-49 tie vote, senators on Tuesday turned back an amendment to S Con Res 3 by which the Senate would formally endorse President-elect Donald Trumps campaign statements that he would not cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. A yes vote backed the Democratic-sponsored amendment.

Voting yes: Tammy Baldwin, D

Voting no: Ron Johnson, R

Next week the Senate will conduct confirmation votes on Trump Cabinet nominees. The House schedule was to be announced.

 Thomas Voting Reports
New Delhi:

Union Minister and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged on Saturday.

"Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after his full recovery," Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unitof PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said.

Paswan's officer on special duty (OSD) R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi this evening. Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan.

70-year-old Paswan was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since Friday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day.

Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halim had on Friday stated Paswan's condition to be stable, saying he was expected to be discharged on Saturday.

Also Read: Union minister Ramvilas Paswan admitted to Patna hospital after complaining of breathlessness

The Union Minister had arrived on Thursday on afour-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makar sankranti feast in Patna on January 15.

Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire abouthis health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of 'Nishchay Yatra'.

Also Read: Ramvilas Paswan stable, doctors keep watch over him in ICU

Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior BJP leader SushilKumar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi,visited Paswan at the hospital. RJD chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Lucknow:

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav might have stayed in the shadows of her family seniors so far, but political insiders say that she might emerge as a force to reckon with in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.



Dimple, second-term MP from Kannauj, is lending a strong support to her husband Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in building an alliance with Congress for the crucial state polls.



Since Akhilesh is mired in family and party affairs, Dimple is being used as an emissary by him to convey the message for formulating a strong alliance, a Congress leader said.



With Dimple taking the role of the main negotiator for her party, Priyanka Gandhi appears to be donning the same role for Congress as the two have had at least one meeting in New Delhi a couple of days ago, he said.



Akhilesh Yadav has publicly supported an alliance with the Congress saying that it will help win over 300 seats in the 403 constituencies in the state, whereas his father and party supremo Mulayam Singh has opposed such a tie-up.



Although posters featuring Dimple and Priyanka came up in Allahabad recently, party functionaries said it was an act of a few individuals.



It seems that some individuals have worked on their own in this regard (posters)....we will go ahead on any such thing only after a green signal from the party high command, district unit president of Congress Anil Dwivedi said.



The party insiders believe that the coming together of Samajwadi Party and Congress will be in the interest of both, especially the latter, which has been out of power for 27 years.



Another Congress leader said the alliance will be formally announced as soon as the Election Commission gives its verdict on the Samajwadi Party symbol, with some smaller outfits also finding a place in the tie-up.



The Mulayam and Akhilesh Yadav camps of the ruling Samajwadi Party have staked claim over cycle symbol of the party. The Election Commission, which has heard both the sides, has said that a judgement will be delivered at the earliest as the process of filing nominations for the phase one of the Assembly elections will begin on January 17.

Also read:

Samajwadi Party feud: 'Bicycle' war may end in truce as 'Margdarshak' Mulayam tones down stance, EC reserves order on symbol, expected to pass interim order before Jan 17

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

India is a land of unity in diversity and it is evidently observed during the festivals.

Each festival in the country is celebrated with utmost fervour and gaeity. One such festival is Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated across the country with different names but with a common purpose.

Celebrated as a harvest festival, Makar Sankranti is a day to thank mother nature for all the natural resources and the production.

Besides, it is the biggest festival dedicated to the Sun God.

So as India celebrates the beginning of the harvest season, we bring you some interesting facts about Makar Sankranti:

1. Signifance of the name

Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the sun into the zodiacal sign of Makara on its celestial path, which is the first change in the zodiac after the winter solstice and is the first day of the month of Magha. It also signifies the return of longer days.

2. One festival different celebration

Makar Sankranti is celebrated in different ways with different names across the country. In north India, it is celebrated as Lohri; in Bihar and Jharkhand, peopl prefer taking holy dip in rivers to wash away their sins, while the day is celebrated as a kite flying day in Gujarat. In fact, International Kite Festival is also celebrated on this day in India.

3. A day of til and gud

Though Makar Sankranti is celebrated with different names across India, one thing is common in the celebration - jaggery or gur. Several dishes are made of jaggery and til (sesame seeds) to keep the body warm in winter. Till ke laddu (seasame) made with jaggery is prepared on this occasion and it is the speciality of this festival. Everyone says til-gul ghya ani gud gud bola which means eats these sesame seeds and jaggery and speak sweet words.

4. Makar Sankranti Mela

Several fairs are organised in different parts of the country to mark the festival of Makar Sankranti. The popular Kumbh Mela, which is held after every 12 years begins on this day, whereas in West Bengal the Gangasagar or Sagardweep mela begins where pilgrims take a dip in the holy river water to wash off their sins.

5. Makar Sankranti is also known as Thanksgiving Day



Makar Sankranti draws parallel with the Thanksgiving festival, as both festivals mark the beginning of the harvest season and are celebrated to show our gratitude towards food and a noble excuse to spend a good time with family and friendsone that weve lost in the hustle and bustle of city life.

For all the Latest Lifestyle News, Others News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Dubai:

The UAE has launched its first "robot pharmacy" where robots will dispense prescribed medication at the click of a button.

The robot is one of the latest smart technologies adopted by the authority to meet the 2016-2021 strategy, which aims to achieve a happy and healthy society, said Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of Dubai HealthAuthority.

The robot, which can store up to 35,000 medicines and dispense around 12 prescriptions in less than a minute, will start serving customers from tomorrow, Saudi news agency WAM reported.

The smart pharmacy was inaugurated in the presence of AliAl Syed, Director of the Pharmaceutical Services Department; Ahmad Bin Kalban, CEO of Hospital Services Sector, and Alya AlMazroui, CEO of Rashid Hospital.

As the robot can dispense up to 12 prescriptions in less than a minute, it will significantly reduce a person's waiting time, Al Syed said. The dispensing process will be paper-free as the robot will store the prescription as soon as a doctor documents it electronically.

Leveraging the robot for dispensing medication will alsoallow the pharmacist to focus on giving the customers right instructions on taking the medication, he added.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing:

China has asked its officials to adopt plans to cut emissions and mitigate pollution as smog is again likely to hit central and northern parts of the country.

The smog, which will return to Hebei, Shanxi, Shandongand Henan provinces, is expected to last until a cold front comes to the rescue around Thursday, the ministry said.

The Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) in the affected regions were asked to adopt plans to cute missions and mitigate pollution.

The environment ministry will send inspection teams to check implementation of the plans, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Despite government efforts to fight pollution, outbreaks of smog have become increasingly common in winter in northern China where cold weather conditions and the burning of coal for heating combine to exacerbate the situation.

Earlier the government came under severe criticism whenofficials failed to enforce red alerts after Beijing and several other cities were enveloped by the worst smog allowing the factories to continue production.

After that Beijing announced formation of environmentalpolice to enforce rules during smog days. Severe smog triggered alerts in more than 20 cities atthe beginning of the new year.

When authorities issue red alerts, some manufacturers are required to cut production, and heavily polluting vehicles are banned from the roads.

In environment inspections last year, the MEP said a total of 720 people were detained and 6,454 held accountable for environment-related wrong doing.

In 2016, the government refused 11 high-pollution andhigh-energy consuming projects, involving total investment of97 billion yuan (about USD 14 billion). Partly due to those efforts, Chinese cities reported lessthan PM 2.5 pollution in 2016, with the average density of PM2.5 in 338 cities falling by 6 per cent. China is aiming for a 10-per cent reduction in air emissions from 2012 levels by 2017 in cities at the prefecture level and above.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
London:

A British Sikh businessman has been arrested at Heathrow Airport in London on tax fraud charges filed by German authorities and faces extradition along with a 15-year jail term if found guilty.



Peter Singh Virdee was arrested earlier this week on a European arrest warrant, Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday.



Virdee faces extradition to Germany and a 15-year jail term if found guilty of value added tax (VAT) fraud allegations worth around 100 million pounds, which he denies.



"Peter Singh Virdee, 43, a UK national, was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Extradition Unit on Tuesday January 10 at Heathrow Airport.



He was arrested on a European arrest warrant on behalf of the authorities in Germany, where he is wanted in relation to tax evasion," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.



Virdee appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was released on bail. A spokesperson from Carter-Ruck, the legal firm representing him, said, "Our client categorically denies these allegations; he has never been involved in carbon trading let alone in any kind of fraud." "While he is happy to cooperate with the authorities he intends to defend himself fully against these allegations and the attempts to extradite him to Germany," the spokesperson said.



Prosecutors in Germany allege Virdee was one of the "central organisers" of a criminal enterprise to defraud the authorities of VAT on carbon credits under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

The businessman, who has a property company based in London, operated "in the background" and took pains to conceal his identity, prosecutors claim.

He is believed to have used several aliases and was known within the group as "Batman", according to UK media reports.

The German authorities have formally requested his extradition. Virdee is accused of operating a so-called "VAT carousel" scheme on EU carbon credits, under which traders export the credits from one member state to another in order to take advantage of EU VAT rules.

As exports, the sales are exempt from VAT, but the traders charge their customers VAT which they never declare to the authorities.

The scheme ran from 2008 to 2012. Prosecutors in the German city of Frankfurt have been pursuing the case for several years. German prosecutors, who are not allowed to name suspects, claim in reference to Virdee that he has extensive contacts abroad, in India and Pakistan among other countries.

Virdee describes himself as the first Sikh patron of the English National Opera and a philanthropist via his Peter Virdee Foundation.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Islamabad:

Pakistans former army chief Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif will speak at the annual meeting of World Economic Forum in Switzerland, discussing security issues.

This is the first time that a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the WEF, The Express Tribune reported. Though, Gen Pervez Musharraf also addressed the forum but as the head of a state.

Raheel would highlight Pakistan Armys counter-insurgency operations and improved security environment in the country as well as in the region besides discussing opportunities under multi-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The annual WEF meetings will start from January 17 and continue for four days.

He will address three sessions of the WEF in addition to speaking at as many events arranged on the sidelines of the sessions. This includes a dinner by Munich Security Conference.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif last week said that Raheel had been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism.

Later, he backtracked from his statement and said Raheel did not seek governments permission before joining the Saudi-led alliance.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting, which will be chaired jointly by Brian T Moynihan of the Bank of America, award-winning documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Frans van Houten and Meg Whitman, reports said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Islamabad:

Pakistans Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday defended his widely criticised meeting with popular extremist leaders, saying it was unfair to link everything to a sectarian leader also known as the godfather of militants.



Nisar was referring to the criticism he faced from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for his meeting with Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi, chief of the proscribed anti-Shiite Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ).The party had also accused him of maintaining friendly ties with Ludhianvi.



How is it fair to link everything to Maulana Ludhianvi? Khan told reporters in Rawalpindi in response to a question.



Which PPP leader did not meet leaders of proscribed organisations in their time? he asked.Khan created a storm after his last years meeting with so-called godfather of militants Maulana Samiul Haq and Ludhianvi among others which was widely covered by the mainstream media.



The minister created another controversy last week when he told Senate that outlawed sectarian organisations should not be equated with terrorist outfits.



Responding to criticism, Khan said that he was suggesting that there should be a separate law to deal with groups banned on sectarian basis from the militants groups.



He said there was nothing wrong in saying that the Shia-Sunni conflict dated back 1300 years and is a part of the Islamic history.



Taking credit for action against militants, Khan said, During my tenure, about 450,000 Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) and 32,400 passports have been blocked. There is no record of a single CNIC being blocked from 2002 till 2007, which reflects on negligence of previous governments.



He said that efforts were being made to recover the five civil society activists who went missing in the past week.



We are making efforts to recover all missing men so they could return to their families, Khan said.



The minister also said that a meeting was held to discuss the future of special military courts to try hard-core terrorists but no decision has been taken so far.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

In a startling revelation and major embarrassment for Nawaz Sharif government, a Pashtun activist has alleged that Pakistan is using Pashtun women as sex slaves to fund terror camps in the area.

Umar Khattak, a Pashtun activist claimed that Pakistan has kept hundreds of Pashtun girls in Lahore as sex slaves, kidnapped girls from SWAT and Waziristan.

Talking about the atrocities, Khattak told ANI that Pakistan Army bulldozed several of the houses, looted markets and raped women.

Pakistan has misled Pashtuns enough, now we won't be fooled. Pakistan wants to use the area for terror camps hence wants us to evict. We are forming a Pashtunistan liberation army, we will launch an armed struggle against Pakistan. This Pashtunistan liberation army will put an end to terror. We appeal to the global community to support us, said Khattak.

According to UNHCR about 5 lakh people from the area have fled to Afghanistan to escape atrocites of Pak Army:Umar Khattak,Pashtun activist pic.twitter.com/Y5SHEdsxUj  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

Making serious charges against Pakistan, Khattak claimed that Pakistan is not a country, its a project of the western imperialists, destroyed identity of local ethnicities.

ALSO READ | Musharraf says ex-army chief Raheel Sharif helped him in leaving Pakistan

Appealing to the International community to help the Pashtuns, Khattak added that Pakistan can use nuclear weapons against us.Its a nuclear black market selling such weapons to rogue nations.

Pashtuns are predominantly an ethnic group native to Afghanistan and North-Western Pakistan. They are an important community in Pakistan, which has the largest Pashtun population and constitute the second-largest ethnic group.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Madrid:

Five people with suspected links to Islamic State jihadists were arrested in separate incidents in Spain and Hungary, with several weapons also being seized, authorities said.

Spain's interior ministry yesterday said police detained a Moroccan man with Dutch identity documents in the north western city of Figueras suspected of belonging to IS who recently returned to Spain from Turkey.

The authorities are investigating whether his return "was motivated by a desire to carry out some sort of action in Europe," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said Spanish police were able to locate the man thanks to the help of Dutch authorities and of the intelligence services of several unnamed countries.

"Investigators are currently trying to determine the degree of radicalization of the detainee, his possible linksin Europe, the activities he has been carrying out for Daesh and what his purpose was since his arrival in Spain," the statement said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

In a separate operation, police detained two Spanish menwho were part of a group "that had reached a very high levelof determination to carry out terrorist activities".

The group was "fully aligned with the strategy of theterrorist organisation Daesh," the ministry said in a separate statement. Police seized a long gun and three knives during searches of six houses carried out as part of the operation in Ceuta, the tiny Spanish territory bordered by Morocco on one side and the Mediterranean Sea.

Meanwhile, Hungarian authorities said they arrested two young women from France and Belgium allegedly seeking to joinIS in Syria. The Belgian, 18, and the French national, 19, were trying to cross into Serbia, a police spokes person told Hungarian news agency MTI.

The women, who were not named, were travelling on a bus from Vienna to Sofia from where they planned to reach Syria and join IS. They were subject to warrants issued for previous "acts in connection with terrorism," Gyorgy Bakondi, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief security advisor, told public television.

No further details were released. Spanish police have arrested 181 people accused ofconnections to Islamist militant groups since 2015 when Spainraised its terror alert level to four on a scale of five following deadly attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait.

It is the highest alert level since Al-Qaeda-inspiredbombers blew up four packed commuter trains and killed 191people in Madrid on March 11, 2004. Spain has been mentioned on extremist websites as apossible attack target for historical reasons, given much ofits territory was under Muslim rule from 711 to 1492.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
This State Journal editorial ran on Jan. 21, 1981, the morning after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th president of the United States:

The holding of American hostages in Iran has been played out as an international chess game. It was easy sometimes to forget the 52 people kept in isolation as the innocent pawns.

That has turned about with the return of the hostages as the nation shares, at a respectful distance, the grateful emotions of the hostages and their families.

A mixture of circumstances led to their release. Foremost, the Iranians had milked the holding of hostages for all it was worth  and then some. Then came the war with Iraq that drained Irans resources and made more critical the return of the billions of dollars held by the United States.

Finally, Iran didnt want to risk dealing with President Reagan, who had been harsh in his statements regarding the Iranians. These events reopened the door for negotiations, which the Carter administration seized and worked around the clock to bring release of the hostages.

Irans last-minute squabbling  perhaps intentional  prevented Carter from flying to West Germany to welcome the hostages while still president. But Reagan graciously named Carter his envoy to welcome the hostages on behalf of the United States.

It was a great way for Carter to end his administration, and a joyous note on which the new president can begin his.
Washington:

President-elect Donald Trumps national security adviser and Russias ambassador to the US have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior US official said.

After initially denying that Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke December 29, a Trump official said late Friday that the transition team was aware of one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions.

Its not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trumps team discussed or even helped shape Russias response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the US for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynns contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow.

That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the US election to benefit Trump.

In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obamas sanctions if Russia works with the US on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions? he asked. During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader. If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia, he said.

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the US said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups.

The US also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol.

He accepted a call from Taiwans president, ignoring the longstanding One China policy that does not recognize the islands sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, Everything is under negotiation.

He also publicly urged the US to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Warsaw:

Poland's president on Saturday signed into law the country's disputed 2017 budget, which was at the centre of an unprecedented parliamentary sit-in staged by opposition MPs who allege it was adopted illegally.

In mid-December, lawmakers from the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party passed the budget in a room outside the main parliamentary chamber.

The move came after liberal Civic Platform (PO) opposition MPs staged an unprecedented occupation of the lower house of parliament over government plans to restrict media access to debates.

Opposition lawmakers then demanded a re-run of the budget vote, insisting it's adoption breached parliamentary regulations and was therefore "illegal".

But the governing party dismissed the allegation and the PiS-controlled Senate passed the disputed 2017 budget on Wednesday.

PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna on Friday appealed to PiS-allied President Andrzej Duda not to endorse the budget, arguing that its validity could be questioned by Poland's partners, including the European Union.

PO lawmakers however ended their occupation of parliament earlier the same day after the PiS government withdrew plans to restrict media access to parliament.

The contested budget forecasts that Poland's economy will expand by 3.6 per cent this year while spending will comprise 2.9 per cent of GDP, just shy of the 3.0 per cent of GDP limit required by the EU.

But critics warn that the deficit could balloon as the PiS government delivers on its generous social welfare promises, including a new child benefit programme.

Poland has been mired in political crisis for months.

In December, the EU gave the PiS government another two months to reverse changes it made to Poland's constitutional court or face sanctions, warning they posed a "substantial" challenge to the rule of law.

This and the crisis in parliament come just over one year after the PiS swept to power and began pushing through legislation that critics allege undermines democracy.

Although the moves have sparked mass anti-government street protests, the PiS remains widely supported and has kept well ahead in recent opinion polls due in large part to its generous social spending schemes.

Warsaw Polands president today signed into law the countrys disputed 2017 budget, which was at the centre of an unprecedented parliamentary sit-in staged by opposition MPs who allege it was adopted illegally. In mid-December, lawmakers from the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party passed the budget in a room outside the main parliamentary chamber. The move came after liberal Civic Platform (PO) opposition MPs staged an unprecedented occupation of the lower house of parliament over government plans to restrict media access to debates there. Opposition lawmakers then demanded a re-run of the budget vote, insisting its adoption breached parliamentary regulations and was therefore illegal. But the governing party dismissed the allegation and the PiS-controlled Senate passed the disputed 2017 budget on Wednesday. PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna yesterday appealed to PiS-allied President Andrzej Duda not to endorse the budget, arguing that its validity could be questioned by Polands partners, including the European Union. PO lawmakers however ended their occupation of parliament earlier the same day after the PiS government withdrew plans to restrict media access to parliament. The contested budget forecasts that Polands economy will expand by 3.6 per cent this year while spending will comprise 2.9 per cent of GDP, just shy of the 3.0 per cent of GDP limit required by the EU. But critics warn that the deficit could balloon as the PiS government delivers on its generous social welfare promises, including a new child benefit programme. Poland has been mired in political crisis for months. In December, the EU gave the PiS government another two months to reverse changes it made to Polands constitutional court or face sanctions, warning they posed a substantial challenge to the rule of law. This and the crisis in parliament come just over one year after the PiS swept to power and began pushing through legislation that critics allege undermines democracy. Although the moves have sparked mass anti-government street protests, the PiS remains widely supported and has kept well ahead in recent opinion polls due in large part to its generous social spending schemes.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Policies that prohibit college students from drinking alcohol are lethal.

Binge drinking, which produces a blood-alcohol concentration to more than 0.08 percent, is popular among American college students, even though few of them are old enough legally to imbibe. Underage drinkers constitute an estimated 11 percent to 20 percent of the market for alcohol. Many students social-media accounts are filled with keg-stand selfies and Instagram photos of friends chugging bottles of cheap vodka.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, four out of five college students drink. Almost two out of every three engaged in binge drinking. Some experts report that as much as 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by young people is consumed while binge drinking.

As a result, nearly 700,000 students between 18 and 24 are assaulted each year by other students who have consumed alcohol. Some 97,000 sexual assaults among college students are attributed to drinking each year. About one in four college students report adverse academic outcomes as a result of their drinking, from missing classes to failing courses. Perhaps most tragically, more than 1,800 college students die every year of alcohol-related injuries, including car crashes.

These trends are nearly unique to the United States. While Europeans consume more alcohol overall than their American counterparts, they have lower rates of binge drinking. Some explain this by cultural differences, but economics suggests a different culprit  bad policy. Indeed, binge drinking among college students is a classic example of unintended consequences.

The legal drinking age in the United States is 21. But this was not the case until 1984, when the National Minimum Drinking Age Act required the 50 states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose 10 percent of their federal highway money. While this was expected to prevent dangerous behavior, it actually has made young Americans more likely to binge-drink.

Economists would call college students demand for alcohol inelastic, which means that even if it becomes more expensive or harder to find, students are unlikely to change their behavior very much.

Prohibiting young people from consuming alcohol doesnt stop them from drinking. But it does make drinking much less safe. Instead of drinking at a bar, for example, students drink secretly in dorm rooms or at clandestine parties, where they are much less likely to be supervised and where drinks spiked with drugs are much more likely.

If someone overindulges or becomes ill, their friends are less likely to seek medical and other assistance. Why? Because underage drinking is illegal, and calls for help risk self-incrimination.

Moreover, banning the sale of alcohol to people under 21 is certain to encourage binge drinking. As already noted, college students demand for alcohol doesnt really change when it becomes more costly. But what does change is its supply: it becomes less reliable. Since most college students are unable to buy their own alcohol, they have friends, family members, or even strangers buy it for them.

But these people are not always available. This lack of a reliable supply makes young drinkers more likely to overindulge when alcohol is available.

Lowering the drinking age would help mitigate or reverse these effects. With a reliable supply, young drinkers would have less incentive to binge. And when binging did occur, they would be more likely to seek help.

Besides being ineffective, the drinking laws are incredibly costly. In 2005 the consequences of the underage drinking (missed work, health care costs, etc.) spurred by current policy cost taxpayers $60.3 billion. The U.S. government also spends millions of dollars every year enforcing these ineffective policies.

For example, researchers in Oregon found that the state spends $33 million a year to enforce its laws against underage drinking. If the drinking age were lowered, this money could go other programs, such as treatment for alcohol problems and education.

Current policies do more harm than good. If we really want to make college campuses safer, its time to lower the drinking age.


Alex Jones Trial Moves To Punitive Damages Phase Watch Video Infowars host Alex Jones is facing the possibility of having more penalties heaped onto the amount he already owes for spreading conspiracy...







Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 254 of the invasion UN nuclear watchdog finds no sign of undeclared nuclear activity in Ukraine following Russian dirty bomb allegations; Kyiv fears Moscow is setting a trap...







Ryan Reynolds Trolls Nick Cannon After Baby No. 11 Announcement Ryan Reynolds is poking some fun at pal Nick Cannon! On Thursday (November 3), the 42-year-old Masked Singer host announced that he was expecting his second...







Flight diverted so passengers could go to the toilet A flight from Gran Canaria to Manchester had to be diverted so that passengers could go to the toilet.







Winter energy bills to plunge as European country races to UKs rescue Heavy rains in the country that supplies most of the UK's gas are cause for celebration







Dad of toddler who died after choking on grape reverses car into wife with baby in back David Jenkins knocked over his ex wife, Abigail and dangerously sped off with their crying baby daughter standing in the back seat who her distressed mother said...







Chinas Xi warns Putin not to use nuclear arms in Ukraine Chinese leader makes the call during a visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. #olafscholz #xi #putin #ukraine







Ottawa Senators officially for sale The Ottawa Senators have officially announced the team is going up for sale, saying any new ownership would not be allowed to move the team from the city.







Body found in search of missing Scots man last seen in Rangers top Although formal identification is yet to take place, the family of missing Ryan Cree have been informed.







Lowe's to sell Canadian business, including RONA stores, to private equity firm Lowe's Companies, Inc. is selling its Canadian retail business to New York-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners for US$400 million plus a...







Police staff member shared dead body image with WhatsApp group and his partner A police control room worker who shared a picture of a teenagers body in a WhatsApp group was arrested after telling a colleague he had also sent the image to...







Two seriously injured after four-car crash in Gloucester One was taken to Southmead Hospital in a serious but stable condition, another is in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with serious injuries







King Charles to 'break Queen's tradition' on Remembrance Sunday The wreath King Charles will lay at the Cenotaph is said to be of a different design than of his mother's







Schools clash with parents over bans on student cellphones Cellphones  the ultimate distraction  keep children from learning, educators say. But in attempts to keep the phones at bay, the most vocal pushback...







'I just want to live': Jamaican migrant worker with cancer begs to stay in Nova Scotia A seasonal farm worker from Jamaica is fighting to remain in Nova Scotia to complete cancer treatment, saying it would be a death sentence for her to go home.







Pfizer study says updated COVID boosters rev up protection Pfizers updated COVID-19 booster significantly revved up adults virus-fighting antibodies, the company said Friday, releasing early findings from a...







Twitter Layoffs to Begin WebProNews Twitter Layoffs to Begin Twitter has notified employees that layoffs will soon begin, with notifications being sent via email. Twitter Layoffs...







Dig at B.C. shopping mall reveals Indigenous artifacts, and evolution of archeology Time changes everything  including the way archeology works.







South Korea scrambles fighter jets after detecting 180 North Korean warplanes near border South Korea said it has scrambled 80 fighter jets after detecting around 180 North Korean warplanes near the military border between the two countries.







Urgent warning as number of kids in hospital with deadly virus rises Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) could be particularly dangerous to children aged two to three, who may not have built up much natural immunity







Some Quebec colleges say Ottawa denies 80 to 90 per cent of study permits from Africa Some Quebec junior colleges say 80 to 90 per cent of the international students they've accepted from Africa are being refused study permits by the federal...







'Freedom Convoy' leader Tamara Lich to be cross-examined at Emergencies Act inquiry Prominent "Freedom Convoy" organizer Tamara Lich is expected to continue her testimony today at the public inquiry into the federal government's use of the...







Trump news - live: Trump tells rally to vote in giant red wave as he rants about weaponised justice system Marjorie Taylor Greene goads Trump supporters into booing Paul Pelosi Donald Trump spoke at a Save America rally in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday night in...







Boy who gunned down own dad confessed shocking truth behind 'accident' a decade later Corey Breininger initially told police in 2003 he had mistakenly shot his father dead with a gun that he had been showing him how to use.







Rival Koreas scramble warplanes in extension of tensions South Korea has scrambled dozens of military aircraft, including advanced F35 fighter jets, after spotting 180 North Korean warplanes flying in North Korean...




C-SPAN coverage mysteriously overtaken by Russia state television

At 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was speaking out against H.R. 78  a bill that would decrease regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission when C-SPANs live feed of her testimony abruptly switched to a stream of Russian state-owned television.

(Article by Aaron Rupar by thinkprogress.org)

Notably, the unusual switch happened just after Waters expressed concern that Trumps SEC might be unduly friendly with Russia.

I urge my colleagues to join me, investor and consumer advocates, public pension plans, civil rights groups, labor unions and supporters of financial reform in opposing H.R. 78 to ensure that the actions of Trumps SEC are in the interests of Americans economic stability and not in Russias or Wall Streets interest, Waters said. At this time, with the bill that would basically take our cop on the block, the SEC, and literally obliterate  

The C-SPAN feed switched to Russia Today before Waters finished her sentence.

Deadspin editor Timothy Burke posted the footage:

Heres the moment Russia Today took over the C-SPAN1 feed. Unclear what happened. RT aired for about ten minutes before C-SPAN1 came back. pic.twitter.com/mhWVgCoFxF  Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 12, 2017

The legitimacy of the video was confirmed by Brandon Richards, a press intern for Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA). Boyle told ThinkProgress he was watching a C-SPAN livestream on his computer when it switched over to RT. He was obviously confused, and when he looked at TVs in Boyles office, they were suddenly airing RT as well.

C-SPAN didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. But later Thursday afternoon, the station posted a statement saying staffers are operating under the assumption that it was an internal routing issue.

The incident occured six days after the U.S. intelligence community released its declassified intelligence report about Russias meddling in the presidential election. A significant portion of it details RTs efforts to help Donald Trump.

In addition to accusing RT employees of collaborating with WikiLeaks, the report says RT consistently cast President-elect Trump as the target of unfair coverage from traditional U.S. media outlets that they claimed were subservient to a corrupt political establishment.

Following Trumps victory, RT hailed President-elect Trumps victory as vindication of Putins advocacy of global populist movements  the theme of Putins annual conference for Western academics in October 2016  and the latest example of Western liberalisms collapse.

Read more at: thinkprogress.org

Submit a correction >>
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Walking her dog Scout through the streets of Kiev, and sampling the pierogi-like dumplings known as varenyky, Maria Yovanovitch is acclimating to life as the ninth American ambassador to Ukraine.

And although she cannot speak much Ukrainian, the career diplomat who was raised in Kent has learned the most important phrase for many in this East European country of 48 million fighting to maintain territorial sovereignty and democratic government.

Slava Ukraini, or Glory to Ukraine - a traditional call to arms that elicits the response Glory to the heroes - has become a modern rallying cry in the fight against Russian occupation of the Crimea and Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country.

Its the phrase Yovanovitch used to salute Ukrainians in a YouTube greeting she posted in August when she began her three-year assignment, and it will be a key theme during the celebration in Kiev next week of the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Embassys opening.

The sovereignty issue and the fight for territorial integrity are going on simultaneously with very difficult reforms in terms of anti-corruption measures in the government, and getting the economy moving, Yovanovitch said during an interview last week from Kiev. Any one of those things are difficult to do while fighting a war.

The high stakes in Ukraine are the reason why its important to have a diplomat of Yovanovitchs character representing American interests, a State Department official said.

She of course has a lot of background, being a third-time ambassador, and she was born to an immigrant family (and) grew up speaking Russian, so she has that special sensitivity to those issues in Ukraine, said longtime friend Sigrid Emrich, the deputy director of policy coordination at the State Department. What I like about Masha is that she is very humble but also very principled.

The former ambassador to both Armenia and the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia, Yovanovitch has long lived in a world thats a workday ahead of Connecticut time. But this is the first time she has lived in an embassy with her mother.

My mom is doing well - shes 88  and this is the first time shes been with me like this, Yovanovitch said. So we are starting on this new adventure.

It was in Montreal that Yovanovitchs mother, Nadia, who emigrated from Germany, met a man from Siberia named Michel. They moved to Kent when Yovanovitch was 3 years old.

She credits her interest in foreign service to her teachers, beginning at Kent School, a private school on 1,200 acres overlooking the Housatonic River.

I am biased, of course, but I think that working for the state department is so rewarding, she said. There really isnt a higher purpose than to represent the United States abroad.

A new spirit

The first thing Yovanovitch noticed when she arrived in Kiev last year was the excitement people had about putting their dreams into action.

That impression was in contrast to her earlier experience in Ukraine at the turn of the millennium.

While deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev from 2001 to 2004, she had seen peoples desire for a democratic government and a free markets being limited by doubts that living like other European nations was possible.

The culture of doubt was one of the challenges for a country that had been ruled by the Communist Party under the former Soviet Union until Ukraines independence in 1991.

As a result, Yovanovitch said, the potential in a country of vast natural resources and educated people was not being realized.

When I got here in August, I saw people who had left their careers in journalism and lucrative businesses to work for what they wanted, because they believed it was possible, Yovanovitch said. This was not just people in Kiev but in the rural areas as well, who had this expectation that the government was there to serve the people, and not the other way around.

The democratic spirit is good news for the United States, said Yovanovitch, whose overarching priority is to protect and advance Americas interests in Ukraine.

In practical terms, she said, U.S. policy coincides with the national ambition of most Ukrainians: to help Ukraine rule itself, protect its territory, form a democratic government and form a free-market system.

Neighboring Russia has made those goals challenging, Yovanovitch said.

The challenge worsened in 2014 after Ukrainian protesters chased a Russian-backed leader from power in the Crimea, Russian soldiers invaded and Russia annexed the territory. The United States does recognize the annexation.

Russia also sent soldiers and equipment to help Russia-leaning separatists in eastern Ukraine fight against the countrys government.

Among the aid the United States is providing Ukraine is support for soldiers fighting those separatists, Yovanovitch said.

The American people are very generous, and Ukraine is a country with tremendous potential, so as part of the assistance programs we have for reform and economic issues, we have given $600 million in security assistance over the last two years, she said. This has increased the effectiveness of the military.

Meanwhile there is a transition underway in the United States.

Yovanovitch, as a career diplomat, was not among the politically appointed ambassadors who were recently asked to resign, as is customary with the inauguration of a new president.

Speaking of home, the picturesque hills of Yovanovichs Kent are never far from her mind.

She plans to return soon. She just doesnt know when.

I do want to give a shout-out to my friends back home and at the Kent School, she said. I hope to come back for a visit soon.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
NEW MILFORD  For the second time in four months, Louie the emu has escaped the Smith Family Farm on Tamarack Road. But this time, his owners fear he is gone for good.

Louie, 7, has been on the run for a week, said his owner, Val Smith, and shes worried.

We hear the coyotes, and we know there are bobcats out there, she said.

Emus are flightless birds, native to Australia, that stand up to 6 feet tall  second only to the ostrich in height. They are good swimmers and can run at speeds up to 30 mph. They are hardy birds that can survive temperatures down to 10 degrees, Smith said.

Emus can also defend themselves, kicking at predators with powerful legs and sharp talons.

But Louie is a kind bird, trained to be ridden by children and used to playing with dogs, Smith said. He might not perceive a predator as a threat.

Louie has not been since since Jan. 7, when he hopped a 6-foot fence and took off, leaving his almost prehistoric three-toed footprints in the snow, Smith said.

We think he just walked on down the driveway, she said.

The first time Louie went AWOL was on Halloween, when he hopped the fence and ran for several hours until the Smiths lured him back with his favorite foods: lettuce and water-soaked bread.

The Smith family has already formed two search parties for Louie, and Val has posted missing emu signs as far north as Kent.

Val and Al Smith are asking people who see Louie to call them at 860-355-1694. They are offering a $100 reward for his safe return.

Its not every day you see a 6-foot bird walking down the street, Val Smith said.

She vows to build a taller fence if the bird makes it home.

When he gets back, were gonna put a lid on him, she said.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

For opioid addicts hoping to stay clean after residential treatment, finding a safe and drug-free place to live can be challenging.

A growing number of addicts turn to sober homes, group facilities that bill themselves as supportive environments to help addicts transition to a healthier lifestyle.

But the deaths in recent weeks of a Ridgefield man and a Danbury woman living at sober homes in Torrington cast a shadow on the industry, which is growing rapidly but remains unsupervised and unregulated by state or local authorities.

Officials estimate that Connecticut has about 240 such homes, but because they are not required to be licensed or even make themselves known to authorities, there is no way to be sure of the number. Some homes provide support programs including group 12-step meetings, strict curfews and monitoring of residents activities, while others, officials say, are nothing more than boarding houses.

My frustration is that individuals with money are buying up properties and calling themselves a sober home with very little regulation, said state Rep. Michelle Cook, a Democrat from Torrington.

Cook has proposed legislation that would require sober houses to register as businesses, the first step in regulating the industry. The bill died in the last legislative session, but she intends to reintroduce it soon.

Brett Handrahan, whose daughter, Kaitlyn Knapp, 21, died of a heroin overdose on Dec. 29 while staying at one of the Torrington sober homes, agrees that more regulation is necessary.

Sober houses are the last step in recovery and somebody should be regulating this, she said. Boarding houses are regulated but sober houses arent. It just doesnt make any sense.

David Anderson, 29, of Ridgefield, died a week after Knapp, just blocks away, in a sober home operated by Key Recovery Community, which has several such homes in Torrington. Key officials declined to comment for this story.

A report by the states Office of Legislative Research in 2015 found that because sober houses provide support and not treatment, they are not subject to existing regulations like those that apply to residential treatment centers. Local officials also have difficulties regulating sober houses because addiction is considered a disability under the American with Disabilities Act and regulations could be seen as restricting access to needed care.

Cook said the effort has to be made nonetheless, so that those living in sober homes can be sure of getting they services and support they need.

We need to figure out a way to regulate these homes so that owners out there who are just trying to make a quick buck can be held accountable, she said.

Allison Fulton, the executive director of the Bethel-based Housatonic Valley Coalition Against Substance Abuse, said sober houses can be an integral part of the recovery process, but there is no guarantee of success.

Statistically speaking, if you are suffering from an opioid disorder, it can take on average nine times in rehab to get clean, Fulton said. Its a really difficult substance to break free from. There may be a false sense of hope associated with sober homes because there is still a very high risk of using again.

Recovery generally requires detox and rehab, followed by some form of transitional housing, sometimes including sober homes. Most insurance companies cover the detoxification and 30 days of rehab, Fulton said, but sober homes typically arent covered and can be costly for addicts and their families.

Handrahan said her daughter lived for a time at a sober home operated by Key Recovery, which did a good job monitoring her case and communicating with family members. But her daughter eventually decided to move to a less structured environment in another home, and days later she overdosed.

Handrahan learned about Kaitlyns death when her friends posted memorials on Facebook. The sober home where she was staying has still not contacted her, weeks after Kaitlyns death.

We cant continue to allow this to happen, Cook said. We have to figure out how to get a handle on this because things right now just arent working, she said. We need to take more aggressive steps.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

When federal justice officials in Connecticut saw a sharp increase in overdose deaths in late 2015, they knew they needed to be more aggressive.

There was a dramatic increase, and we felt like we needed a better strategy to deal with this, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Spector, deputy chief of the Justice Departments Violent Crimes and Narcotics Unit. We started putting out calls to see who could help us, and everyone stepped up very quickly. People felt strongly about wanting to help.

The task force he put together in January 2016 joins federal, state and local authorities in tracking down the drug dealers responsible for overdose deaths in the state. Since the launch one year ago, more than 50 dealers have been arrested.

If you sold drugs two years ago to someone who died, you probably wouldnt have found yourself in federal court, Spector said. But now you can expect to get charged with a federal felony, and the judges are taking these cases very seriously.

Danbury States Attorney Stephen Sedensky welcomed the work of the task force.

We have high hopes for the program for holding people accountable for these deaths, Sedensky said.

Final figures for 2016 are incomplete, but the state Medical Examiners Office projected in September that nearly 900 people would die of overdoses before the year ended, well over twice the 357 overdose deaths reported in 2012.

In the past, Spector said, overdose deaths were often treated as medical calls by emergency responders, rather than as crimes from which evidence needed to be collected.

We worked with the state attorneys in Connecticut to put together a protocol of how these scenes should be handled, and distributed that protocol to all of the local police departments in the state, Spector said. Its made a huge difference for us making sure the evidence is preserved.

Among the accused dealers arrested by the task force are several in the Danbury area, including Bethel resident Paul Mignani, who police say provided heroin to two local women who died after overdoses.

According to court documents, Mignani sold depressants, opioids and amphetamines to a drug-dependent 25-year-old before her death in mid-December. Earlier in the year, a 54-year-old woman had succumbed to a fatal mix of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine that police say Mignani provided.

Mignani faces up to 20 years in prison on federal drug charges in the two cases. He also faces state charges.

Task force investigators collect a range of evidence in overdose cases, from drugs left at the scene to the contents of the victims cellphone. Sometimes the work requires special expertise.

The task force has found an invaluable resource, for example, in Monroe Police Detective Michael Chaves, an expert at unlocking phones and extracting potential evidence.

Chaves, who studied computer engineering before becoming a police officer, said he knew early on the importance digital devices would have in investigations. He immersed himself in digital forensics and became one of the few officers in the state with the software and equipment needed to do the work.

I can typically crack a phone within 30 to 90 minutes, Chaves said. It helps the task force to act more quickly, and I believe its paying dividends.

While the enforcement arm of the task force is busy taking drug dealers off the streets, others work on treatment and prevention programs.

Often witnesses and other people we come across while investigating these crimes are addicts themselves, and we try to get them the treatment they need, Spector said. Many times its the lower-level defendants themselves.

Task force members also view themselves as educators. They visit high schools throughout the state, showing a documentary film about opiate addiction, Chasing the Dragon, which was created by the FBI and DEA. Theyve already spoken to more than 5,000 students, Spector said.

Often we look for people in that community who have been impacted by drug use, Spector said. Its sad, but we usually dont have any problems finding people. Our goal is to visit every high school in the state by the end of the year.

Its a bold goal, but something has to be done, he said.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
If things go as planned, a 20-megawatt solar project will be built on the side of a hill off Candlewood Mountain Road in New Milford by 2018. It will provide enough clean energy to power 2,400 homes.

But 60 acres of forest will have to be cleared completely before Ameresco Solar of Framingham, Mass., can landscape the hill, drive posts and start hanging solar arrays.

Whats the best choice? Adding solar energy to the states mix, and thereby cutting the use of fossil fuels? Or saving woods that are just as important to the environment?

These are complex problems, said New Milford Mayor David Gronbach, who cast the deciding vote to allow the Ameresco project to proceed.

Or can the state have it both ways? Can it promote the use of alternative energy without despoiling farm and forest land? Can it avoid what some are now calling energy sprawl  building alternative energy projects in the wrong places?

These were the issues farmers, foresters, environmentalists and legislators began discussing at length last week, one day after the New Milford vote.

Meeting at the headquarters of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in Hartford, state leaders acknowledged that balancing all the different viewpoints in this debate would not be easy.

Its a process, but we can do both, DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said at the meeting. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Lynn Werner, executive director of the Housatonic Valley Association, which advocates for environmental issues throughout western Connecticut, was at the DEEP meeting. Asked if the conversation about this issue was resonating throughout the region. Werner said absolutely.

Its not the next wave, Werner said. Its the big wave were already in: Its crashing down around us.

In some ways the DEEP has driven the debate by setting a goal of having 20 percent of the states energy produced by alternative energy sources  solar, wind, hydropower and fuel cells  by 2020. This is part of the larger goal of reducing the states greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2001 to 2050.

To do this, Connecticut, working jointly with Massachusetts and Rhode Island, asked developers in 2016 to submit proposals for alternative energy project proposals. The New Milford project is part of this effort.

But the Council on Environmental Quality  the states environmental watchdog organization  noted that of the 11 projects selected, nine were for solar and two were for wind. No fuel cell or hydropower projects were part of the mix.

The council also found that in 2016, the solar projects the state has approved would displace a combined 1,115 acres of forest and 510 acres of agricultural land, for a total of 1,625 acres. In comparison, the DEEP and the state Department of Agriculture jointly preserve about 1.745 acres a year from development.

In effect, the council said, the state is losing almost as much open space to alternative energy projects as it is paying millions of dollars to preserve.

Solar energy projects, the council said in a draft report posted online at http://www.ct.gov/ceq/lib/ceq/Energy_Sprawl_in_Connecticut_--_1-4-17_DRAFT.pdf are now the largest single factor in the loss of agricultural land in the state.

The council is recommending that DEEP change its selection process to take into account the environmental importance of project sites along with bottom-line energy costs. By doing so, the council said, the agency could find other sites  brownfields, industrial land, closed landfills, the roofs of residential and commercial buildings  that would serve solar projects without reducing open space.

Weve heard the word balance a lot here, council Director Karl Wagener said at last weeks meeting. We think balance is exactly the wrong approach to take. To balance two objectives, you have to diminish them.

But there are other issues to consider as well.

The land on Candlewood Mountain was once slated for a 500-unit residential community. Which is better, environmentally: solar panels or homes laced together with pavement?

Many farmers and woodlot owners need cash to keep at least some of their space open. Leasing land for solar projects  which could be removed someday  might be better than selling to a home builder.

Look at Litchfield County, said the Housatonic Valley Associations Werner. Farmers cut off 10 acres here, 10 acres there, for sale. That land goes into residential development and its gone forever.

Contact Robert Miller at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
Abu Sayyaf frees 2 hostages in Philippines

Philippines,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Manila, Jan 14 (IANS) The Abu Sayyaf terror group has released a South Korean captain and Filipino crewman who had been held hostage since an assault on their cargo ship last October on the island of Jolo.

South Korean national Park Chul-hong, 38, and Filipino Glenn Alindajao, 31, "have departed to their homes with their families after two and a half months of captivity," the spokeswoman of the Philippine Presidential Office in Manila, Patmei Ruivivar, told Efe news.

Park was the captain and Alindajao was a member of the crew on the South Korean flag carrier Dong Bang Giant 2, which was the biggest ship to be attacked by the group, who more frequently target smaller fishing boats.

Philippines chief negotiator and advisor to the Presidency for the Peace Process, Jesus Dureza, presented the hostages in a televised press conference in Jolo, where they landed by plane after being released earlier in the day.

Dureza said no ransom was paid for their release, but other sources told local media that 25 million pesos ($502,000) was paid to the kidnappers.

The Dong Bang Giant 2 was boarded on October 21 by 10 Abu Sayyaf assailants near the southern mouth of the Sibutu passage, a 30 km-wide sea channel between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea commonly used by cargo ships.

The terrorists currently hold 21 other hostages: four Filipinos, seven Malaysians, six Vietnamese, two Indonesians, one German and one Dutch, according to the authorities.

--IANS

ksk/bg
Turkish parliament bans Armenian for using the term genocide

Turkey,Politics, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Ankara, Jan 14 (IANS) A Turkish-Armenian member of parliament was temporarily banned from Turkey's National Assembly after he used the term genocide to describe the deaths of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire a century ago, officials said on Saturday.

Garo Paylan, a lawmaker belonging to the pro-minority Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), said during a constitutional reform debate that Armenians had at one time made up 40 per cent of the Turkish population and now only constituted 0.1 per cent, Efe news reported.

"Obviously, something has happened to us, and I call it a genocide," Paylan said.

"The Armenian people know very well what happened to them. I know very well what happened to my grandparents," he added.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) called for Paylan's expulsion from the assembly, claiming he had "insulted the Turkish nation".

In the end, Paylan has been banned for three full sessions before he was allowed to return to his parliamentary seat.

According to Armenian activists and an overwhelming majority of international historians, between one and 1.5 million Armenians were systematically murdered during World War I by Ottoman troops and Kurdish irregulars.

Turkey, the Ottoman Empire's legal successor state, denies "genocide" is an accurate term for the massacres.

Revisionists allege that accusations of genocide are an Armenian conspiracy or a form of anti-Turkish propaganda, instead claiming that the killings have been exaggerated or were justified due to the historical context of the time.

Another argument used by negationists is that many Armenians allied themselves with Russia, with the ensuing clashes causing hundreds of thousands of deaths on both sides.

On the other hand, 29 countries have officially recognized the events as a planned genocide, and there is a general consensus among most historians that the mass killings constituted the first modern genocide.

The term was coined by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1943 in reference to the organised deportation and extermination of Armenians between 1915-1923.

--IANS

ksk/vm
Florence imam urges Muslims to report IS suspects

Italy,International, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Florence, Jan 14 (IANS/AKI) Muslims should report suspected members of the Islamic State terrorist group to police, as Italians did with leftwing terrorists in the 1970s and 1980s, Florence's imam said on Friday.

"The Muslim community also contains terrorists," Izzedin Elzir told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview.

"We must report them in the way you did with the Red Brigades," said Elzir, who heads Italy's largest Muslim organisation UCOII.

"It is a moral imperative," added Elzir, who is also involved in an Italian project to combat the radicalisation of Muslim prisoners.

Muslims must deny Islamic extremists material, logistical, vocal or moral support, Elzir argued.

Moderate Muslim clerics are working with Italian authorities on a new project aimed at fighting radicalisation in jails, where there are known to be at least 100 extremists, Elzir said.

--IANS

sku/
Cubans cheer end of US 'wet foot, dry foot' policy

Cuba,Defence/Security,Diplomacy,Immigration/Law/Rights, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Havana, Jan 14 (IANS) Cubans have welcomed a White House decision to end "wet foot, dry foot" immigration practice that allowed undocumented Cuban migrants to remain and become permanent residents of the US.

Cubans on Friday said the longstanding policy incited some migrants to risk dangerous crossings into the US by water, Xinhua news agency reported.

On the streets of Havana, locals talked about the new measure, which is expected to promote orderly, safe and legal migration by eliminating special treatment for Cuban citizens when they illegally landed in the US.

"Over the years it was a very unfair law, because many migrants died at sea and created many inconveniences for Cuba. It was a very good decision to eliminate that policy," state worker Lazaro Barcaza told Xinhua.

Outgoing President Barack Obama on Thursday said the US was ending this special immigration policy that granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the country without visas.

Cubans also feel the new step implies a commitment on both sides to promote orderly imigration to the US, due to its geographical proximity and the large number of Cubans who currently live there.

"We have long been waiting for that measure and it is a good step to re-establish and improve immigration ties with the US," retiree Jose Cabrera, 77, said.

In place since 1995, the "wet foot, dry foot" policy allowed Cubans who succeeded in stepping foot on US soil -- often following hazardous journeys aboard rickety boats -- to remain in the country and apply for permanent residency.

Cuba has been calling for an end to the policy since 2002, but that was rejected by then-president George W. Bush.

After almost a year of negotiations with the Obama administration, the two governments reached a deal to end the polemic policy earlier this week.

The new decision is one of the measures concerning Cuba that Obama is making in his final days in office, with an eye to consolidating his foreign policy changes towards the Caribbean island.

Since formal diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015, agreements in security, energy, air transportation, environment, commerce and tourism have been signed between the two countries.

However, there is no guarantee that the next US President Donald Trump will not override them.

--IANS

py/
Trump hints at lifting sanctions against Russia, changing 'One China' policy

United States,Politics,Diplomacy, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Washington, Jan 14 (IANS) US President-elect Donald Trump has hinted at lifting sanctions against Russia and said he was not committed to the longstanding 'One-China' policy.

The incoming President who is scheduled to take office on January 20, suggested he would be open to lifting sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the US, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Trump said he will keep the sanctions, imposed by the Obama administration on Moscow for its alleged cyber attacks to influence last year's US presidential election, "at least for a period of time".

Trump said he was not committed to the agreement with China over Taiwan, a sign that he would use any available leverage to realign the US's relationship with its biggest strategic partner.

He said he would not commit to America's agreement with China that Taiwan was not to be recognised diplomatically, a policy known as 'One China', until he saw progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.

Trump said: "Everything is under negotiation including 'One China'."

He seemed impatient with diplomatic protocols involving China and Taiwan. After his victory the Republican took a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's leader, triggering objections from Beijing and stoking concerns among some US foreign policy experts who questioned whether he understood the implications of such a conversation.

Trump said he was prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he takes office.

"I understand that they would like to meet, and that's absolutely fine with me," he said.

Trump's spokesman Michael Flynn early on Friday said the President-elect's pick for National Security Adviser took a phone call from Russia's Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak late last month.

The two discussed setting up a call between Trump and Putin after the Republican is sworn in next Friday.

At his first news conference after winning the White House race, Trump on Wednesday accepted the conclusion that Russia indeed sought to influence the presidential election with hacking.

But he quickly added that Russia was not the only country that launched cyber attacks against the US.

--IANS

py/bg
SpaceX aims to regain momentum with new rocket launch

United States,Science/Tech, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Washington, Jan 14 (IANS) The American SpaceX rocket company faces a crucial test on Saturday with its latest rocket launch - the first since a rocket exploded in a ball of flames last September on a Florida launch pad.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to blast off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, California at 9.54 a.m. It is loaded with satellites to deploy in space, CBS News reported.

On September 1 during a pre-launch test at Cape Canaveral, Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 exploded on the launch pad, destroying the $62 million rocket and a nearly $200 million satellite.

Company founder Elon Musk called it the most difficult failure in SpaceX's history.

Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said a lot is at stake as the company rolls its new rocket to the launch pad in California.

"This will be a tough flight for us coming back after our event on September 1," Shotwell told CBS News.

SpaceX said it has fixed the problem with the rocket's helium tank that caused last year's explosion.

--IANS

ksk/bg
Several Democrats not to attend Trump's inauguration

United States,Politics, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Washington, Jan 14 (IANS) Several Democrat congressmen have announced that they will break away from a bipartisan tradition by not attending the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump as the President of the US next week.

Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva said on Friday that on January 20 he will be working in his constituency and that his absence from Washington is not due to a lack of respect for the institution, but a challenge to the man who has lacked respect towards millions of Americans, Efe news reported.

"My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy. But as an individual act, yes, of defiance, at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration and by the actions we are taking in this Congress," The Hill quoted Grijalva as saying.

Long time Georgia congressman John Lewis, a noted civil rights activist, will be absent from the ceremony for the first time since being elected in 1987, as he does not believe Trump will be a legitimate president due to Russia's alleged attempts to meddle in the elections.

He told NBC News that he does not think Trump is a "legitimate president" given Russia's attempts to help elect the real estate mogul.

"You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right," Lewis said.

Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez, who is scheduled to take part in a women's demonstration against Trump in Washington on January 21, will also not attend the swearing-in ceremony.

He was the first lawmaker to say that he would boycott Trump's inauguration.

"I cannot go to (the) inauguration of a man who's going to appoint people to the Supreme Court and turn back the clock on women and turn back the clock on immigrants and the safety and freedom that we fought for them," he earlier told CNN in December.

Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark, California congressman Jared Huffman and Oakland congresswoman Barbara Lee have stated their intention not to attend the inauguration.

--IANS

ksk/bg
Pilot killed in crash during Thailand exhibition

Thailand,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sat, 14 Jan 2017 IANS

Bangkok, Jan 14 (IANS) A pilot was killed on Saturday in a plane crash while taking part in a Children's Day exhibition in Thailand's Songkhla province.

The Swedish-made Saab 39 Gripen fighter aircraft crashed on an air strip at Hat Yai airport after carrying out a manoeuver simulating an attack, according to the Bangkok Post.

A fire truck was dispatched to the area to put out the resultant fire, and several flights had to be temporarily diverted.

Thai Prime Minister and chief of the ruling military junta, Prayut Chan-ocha, expressed his condolences to the family of the pilot, who was identified as Dilokrit Pattavee.

Children's Day in Thailand, which is celebrated on every second Saturday in January since 1955, includes visits by children to government headquarters, parliament, natural parks and military barracks, as well as concerts and street performances.

--IANS

ksk/bg




LIB has just received an exclusive tip that a respected US Army Veteran Chuks Okebata was shot dead in an alleged case of 'broad day light assassination'.



who claims to be cousins with the late Chuks, According to the tip we got from a source

'my Cousin Chuks Okebata, A USA Veteran, who has spent most part of his life working and defending the United States of America.

After a very long time living in the USA, and because of the love he has for his country Nigeria and his home town (Umuduruorie Umuomumu Mbieri in Mbaitoli LGA) he started building a house at home as a bond that make him to be frequenting his mother land. Just as he returned last Xmas to spend his vacation in Nigeria and also to move into his new home. At Exactly 5pm on the 12th of Jan 2017, some gun men abducted and shot him'.



'for all I know about my cousin, he has always been a free, gentle, and relates to everyone irrespective of your age. He's survived by his two lovely sons and a wife (he has been in a serious battle with his wife in the US). A bounty has been placed on anybody with any clue whatsoever that can lead to the arrest of the Hoodlums. A sum of 2.5mil Naira reward as the family is out to seek Justice for the Assassinated son'. He continued to say,

Already, friends of the late Chuks Okebata have since taken to social media with heart warming tributes to mourn his demise.
Gambia Talks Fail As President Refuses To Step Down

Nigerias president flew to Banjul to try to broker a deal but Mr Jammeh would not relinquish power.Mr Barrow is now heading to Mali, where he will meet West African leaders attending a summit there.The former estate agent wants to resolve the transitional deadlock so he can be sworn in next week.President Jammehs term ends on Thursday.The African Union has said it will no longer recognise Mr Jammehs rule beyond this point.Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari had flown to The Gambias capital, Banjul, to try to broker a deal, as the region fears the consequences of a non-peaceful transition.Ecowas, a 15-nation bloc of West African states that organised the delegation, has it said it would consider removing Mr Jammeh using military force if he refuses to step aside.Mr Barrow is travelling to Mali with the Ecowas delegation for further discussions this weekend.Mr Jammeh had initially admitted defeat after the December election. But shortly afterwards he called for the result to be annulled.The 51-year-old leader seized power in the country in 1994 and has been accused of human rights abuses, although he has held regular elections.A lawyer for Mr Jammeh filed a request with the Supreme Court on Thursday, asking for an injunction to block Mr Barrows swearing-in.The Supreme Court is unable to hear the challenge until May because of a shortage of judges, and Mr Jammeh says he will not step down until then.There are growing fears that the uncertainty could cause a refugee exodus.Thousands of Gambians, mostly women and children, have already crossed the border into neighbouring Senegal and further afield to Guinea-Bissau, where they do not require a visa, officials say.Mr Barrow won 43.3% of the vote in Decembers election, compared with Mr Jammehs 39.6%. A third candidate, Mama Kandeh, got 17.1%.
In this final article in my series of replies to Simon Kolawoles The Welcome Party (Thisday newspaper of Sunday December 25, 2016), where he condemned the massive celebration Chief James OnanefeIboris release from UK jail elicited in Nigeria, I will face the sixth untruth in his single article.



In this final article in my series of replies to Simon Kolawoles The Welcome Party (THISDAY newspaper of Sunday December 25, 2016), where he condemned the massive celebration Chief James OnanefeIboris release from UK jail elicited in Nigeria, I will face the sixth untruth in his single article. He wrote: Season Three, I call it The Journey, started in 2010 when the government of President Goodluck Jonathan re-opened the case and Ibori, in an attempt to escape another trial, ran to Dubai.

OlusegunObasanjosAso Rock had spent its entire second term setting traps for Ibori, but he was re-elected, was not impeached, and completed his tenure. The first obstacle was that Iboris name mysteriously disappeared from the list of those cleared to contest the 2003 elections, which was displayed at Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, Abuja on a Saturday. The then INEC Secretary, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, was in charge as Dr. Abel Guobadia had travelled to Benin for the weekend. I called Guobadia in Benin, and he denied that INEC stopped Ibori; he addressed the press in Benin the following day to insist that Ibori was cleared. Today, Baba-Ahmed is a columnist that pontificates on right and wrong, and I laugh, knowing that talk is cheap.

The next attack was the ex-convict court judgment forgery. That too failed to fly. Then after Ibori had completed his two terms of office, as Delta State Governor, Mr. NuhuRibadu stepped in to stop his forward match in Nigerian politics. He arrested and arraigned Ibori in Federal High Court, Kaduna. Why Kaduna? Forum shopping is the answer! Between Asaba and Kaduna, there are well over eighteen Federal High Courts starting from the Benin Division of the Federal High Court. That is a story for another day. His real weapon was to keep an accused in Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody and torture him until he would choose either to die or plead guilty. D.S.P Alamieyeseigha got this treatment and he was counseled by several people to plead guilty and live. My witness here is no less a person than former President Goodluck Jonathan himself. He met with Alamieyesiagha at the Vice Presidents Lodge, Marina, Lagos, and convinced him to plead guilty. Jonathan, on that occasion, was an emissary of late President UmaruYar Adua s, who promised to grant Alamieyeseigha state pardon because he was convinced that he was a victim of a witch hunt.

What pained YarAdua the most was that Alamieyeseigha was accused of purchasing Chelsea Hotel, , Abuja, for himself, when it was bought for Bayelsa State. If this is true, then only God can understand why Jonathan who was Alamieyesieghas deputy did not correct this impression, even when he became President. Till today, that hotel lies totally fallow!

Iboriescaped Ribadus deadly plot by requesting the court to remand him in Kaduna prison. What followed; that it took the Judge two complete months to decide whether to grant Ibori bail is a sign of what had been plotted for him. Ibori would have been given the Alamieyeseigha treatment, denied bail; trial would have stalled indefinitely, until he would be forced to plead guilty.

May 2010, things had changed drastically. Jonathan was now President, and after Jonathan had declared that Ibori should be arrested DEAD or ALIVE, as newspapers widely reported, his administration attempted to slap a coup d e tat charge against Ibori; a charge whose punishment is death.

Pretentious investigations actually began after which arrests would follow. The Chief Apostle of that plot from hell was Jonathans one-time National Security Adviser (NSA) late Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi followed by the then Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike whom late Azazi reported the fake intelligence to; the two then went to work onthe then Chief of Army Sfaff. Azazi had already set plans in motion before he told Iboris brother, friend and comrade Chief D.S.P Alamiesiegha who then dragged him to see Ibori in Lagos to repeat his allegation to him face to face. What delayed their planned arrest of Ibori was the stance of the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (the present Interior Minister) who refused to join in that devilish plot. He told them that they could not make a coup plot against Ibori stick without dragging in some innocent soldiers. He said to Azazi: Sir, you have been everything in the Army, including its head. So, why will you destroy the Army just because you want to rope in a politician into a non-existent coup plot? How many troops are under Ibori? Were he to contemplate a coup plot, would he, a bloody civilian, even know who to recruit? Would Ibori not prefer to wait for the next election and work against the re-election of a sitting President, which you and I know he has the power to do? To make this thing stick, you know you have to rope in a lot of innocent soldiers, and destroy many families  all because of politics. You and I know that no real intelligence report has brought this up or fingered Ibori. Sir, if you want to take him out, find other ways to do it but dont involve any innocent soldier; no officer, no troop, under me.

Then he promised to talk with Ibori. On leaving General Dambazau, the lawyer who accompanied Ibori to that meeting advised him to leave Nigeria if he wanted to remain alive. Ibori did not return to his house, which by then was being watched by strange faces: without getting home to collect anything, he left Nigeria for Dubai, where he did not bother to hide but stayed in a hotel to contemplate his next move.

Just one more thing, before we close this chapter; last Monday, Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, Obasanjos former Special Adviser, International Relations, published Return of James Ibori in the Vanguard. He bore witness to what I wrote last week that Obasanjo declared an all-out war against Ibori, using the Federal Government, EFCC, the Police, the diplomatic trail and heaps and heaps of lies. Cole granted this much: (Iboris) achievements are considerable, he belonged to the club of rich men; though he was fantastically generous and he carried himself as a successful rich man. James Ibori, like most PDP members, did not believe that General OlusegunObasanjo, OBJ, would want a second term. Ibori had said electing OBJ for second term was unwise and that OBJ was unelectable. This is why OBJ had it in for Ibori who had led the movement to stop Obasanjos second term bid because that was the original agreement at the time of recruiting OBJ to run in 1999. OBJ was to be President for only one term, so even the third term proposal was unaccepted.

Have it in for Ibori is an idiom, meaning to persistently try or desire to criticize, cause harm to, or harass someone, especially due to a grudge. So, the truth is that it was not an anti-corruption fight that led to Obasanjos misuse of the EFCC to hound Ibori; it was Iboris opposition to Obasanjos crudity which was giving politics a bad name, according to Cole, ObasanjosUnder Secretary in Dodan Barracks, Lagos, whom Obasanjo appointed Daily Times M.D in 1976, 1987 -1990 Ambassador to Brazil and who returned as ObasanjosAdviser inAso Rock, Abuja in 1999. And when Cole wrote that Ibori led the Southern revolt he should know what he was talking about. Often, he was the one Obasanjo sent, whenever the 1999  2007 set of South-South Governors metto advance the Fiscal Federalism (Resource Control) course, to whittle down the effect of any collective stance. Unfortunately, Cole is from the South-South.

Rather than reveling in the witness of Dr. Cole (PhD, Cambridge) that I wrote the truth in my last article, I mentioned him for thedeceptive philosophy in his essays introduction and conclusion. His intro: HIS (Iboris) achievements are as considerable as his background is somewhat murky and unclear. So, right from the first line, he had to detract from Iboris achievements by bringing in unclear and murky background. How does Dr. Cole define murky and unclear? Would he agree that some things about himself are really murky and unclear? When Obasanjo dropped him, only Aso Rock insiders knew it was because of an oily business concerning Sahara Oil and Ghana. Does that make Coles life murky and unclear ever after? I dont think so.

Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole and Chief YomiEdu are two people that can testify to how most of the PDP Governors of 1999-2007 spent their own resources in their various states to get Obasanjo and the PDP in power. Most of them were men of means before contesting for the position in their various states. That is one admission he makes and probably accounts for PDPs solid structure in Delta State today.

His concluding paragraph: Showing his angst at the heroic welcome Lagos crowds accorded the late Biafran leader Chief EmekaOdumegwu  Ojukwu on his return from exile and the one Ibori is sure to receive, he asked a totally illogical question: What if at the end of the World War II, Hitler was to come back to Germany, what would be Germanys reaction? Hitler was the aggressor in the Second World War. That some people still believe in his Nazism, Aryan race and anti-Semitism nonsense has no bearing with the Ibori issue, which is strictly that of governments forgery of indictments against him. The example of the most publicly known charge against Ibori, the $15m bribery allegation, will do: Ibori was not asked about it when EFCC questioned him on July 4th 2007. It was never mentioned while he was being questioned after his arrest on 10th December 2007; EFCC never questioned Ibori at all on it. So Ibori never made any statement about it.

Interestingly, Ibori was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on December 11, 2007, but the three statements about that bribe allegation  Ribadu  s, Lamorde s and James Garbas were dated December 12, 2007. That is, two days after Iboris arrest and a day after he was arraigned in court.

Such leaves doubts in Iboris followers minds  doubts about the moneys origin, Senator Ubas role, etc. Uba himself would later issue a press statement saying Ibori handed out the money in his presence and house but he was ignorant of the reason for that transaction. Thus Uba, a Senator of the Federal Republic, was contradicting Ibrahim Lamorde and James Garba, who said in their police statements that when they collected the money from Ubas houseIbori was not there, and that Andy Ubas aides brought out the money. That is yet another set of contradictions in the various statements as though all the accusers have been condemned by an unknown force never to agree on any material particular except on the name Ibori. Ribadu himself has made some five statements and all contradicted every other one! And if Ibori handed out the money, in Ubas presence, why did EFCC lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs say in open court that the money came from IBORIS UNKNOWN AGENTS? Hey, how many versions should truth have? The real truth will come out one day.

For lack of space Ill reserve my expose of all the lies in Ribadus several statements as well as in those of Lamorde and James Garbafor next week.

Coles last statement: One thing is clear; Iboris arrival in Delta will change the political dynamics of Delta State and thereby of South-South. Wrong: Delta state and South-South politics never changed; the people have remained loyal to Iboris leadership though he has and remains absent from home for almost a decade. This is truly remarkable! Cole may not understand this; just as he did not understand Ndigbos ever enchantment by Ojukwu. May it never be forgotten that Ibori has not yet returned, yet he is causing this entire ripple. This is because the South-South celebrates the grace of God which kept their hero alive despite all the devilish machinations against him which began during Nigerias, no, Obasanjos, era of brigandage, gangsterism and banditry which claimed the lives of Bola Ige, A.K Dikibo, Harry Marshal, ChubaOkadigbi, DSP Alamieyesigha, and countless others. And none stood as stoutly in the turf of battle as the Odidigboigbo himself.

Tony Eluemunor is Iboris Media Assistant.

Tony Eluemunor is Ibori's media assistant. Read his article below... He wrote: Season Three, I call it The Journey, started in 2010 when the government of President Goodluck Jonathan re-opened the case and Ibori, in an attempt to escape another trial, ran to Dubai.
WASHINGTON DC - Congressman Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) took to the House floor Wednesday to criticize President-elect Trump's and the Republican House majority's views on immigration.

"As I have said, we hope for the best from the new president, but we must prepare for the worst," the representative, who is starting his 25th year in Congress, said.

"Everyone who has looked at the records of the key advisors of President-elect Trump on the issue of immigration has reason for very deep concern for the new president is going to follow some of the most extreme voices in the immigration debate."

"As for the president himself, he's a bit of an unknown because he changes his mind just as quickly as his Twitter feed refreshes. He says he has a plan for this and a plan for that, but they are secret plans, and as far as we know, they are secrets to him."
Retired military generals from zone also discuss with governor

Former head of state, Gen. Abubakar Abdulsalami (rtd), the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar II and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Rev. Matthew Kukah yesterday visited the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai at the Government House, Kaduna, in a bid to resolve the raging crisis in the southern part of the state.

During the visit, they held a closed-door meeting with the governor, during which they were briefed about the crisis that led to the killings of many people and destruction of property worth billions of Naira in the trouble area.

Before the meeting with Abdulsalami and co, retired military generals from Southern Kaduna, led by the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Martins Luther Agwai had met with the governor on the way forward to ending the crisis.

Agwai was the chairman of the 16-member committee set up by El-Rufai in June 2015 to find solutions to the incessant killings in the southern part of the state.

Speaking in an interview with journalists shortly after their meeting with the governor, Abdulsalami said their visit was due to recent happenings in southern Kaduna.

He disclosed that his group would also hold a meeting within the week with all stakeholders in Southern Kaduna, especially traditional rulers, religious and community leaders as well as visit the areas affected by the crisis.

We are here due to the recent happenings in Southern Kaduna. And from here within the week, we are going to meet with other stakeholders, religious leaders, the chiefs in the area and also visit the site where these problems are and discuss with the people. After which we will now sit down and see what we think should be done.

Then we will return to the governor and also if necessary to the federal government. Considering that these clashes and killings are not only limited to Kaduna State, it is something that is engulfing the country.

So we want to make sure that peace reigns in Nigeria; to make sure that people know that we are together. We have to live in peace with each other and we have what it is to give and take. We are reaching a situation in the country where human live doesnt mean anything to people and this is wrong.

There is no religion on earth or anywhere that preaches violence. So this is why we are here today. We thank the governor and his team for receiving us. One of the points that the governor drew our attention to is the way people take laws into their hands and they go scot free. And this impunity must be checked. These are some of the issues we discussed.

Everybody is aggrieved in one way or the other. So, what we beg of people is to be patient; try as much as possible to forgive and to be each others keeper. We must live together, we must find solution to the problems, and to sit down and talk to ourselves because there is no problem that cannot be solved when you are talking, Abdulsalami said.

Also speaking after the meeting, Bishop Kukah who is from the southern part of Kaduna State said the meeting was to find out what is happening in Southern Kaduna, with a view to finding solutions to the problem.

I think the visit is more of solidarity with the people of Kaduna State. We are here to hear for ourselves what exactly is happening and what we can do with the hope that we can find a way forward based on the situation.

We are part of the delegation. I convened the peace committee and what we are doing now is to try to bring about peace. We are looking at how we can achieve peace and stability.

I think what the people of Kaduna State, including the government should be doing now is looking into how we can achieve peace and development and I think that is the reason we have democracy.

What is going on now is a very sad phase in our history, but I believe that we can get over it and we will get over it and come out much more stronger and committed to peace, Kukah said.

According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), over 800 people have been killed in Southern Kaduna by rampaging herdsmen in the last few months. Scores of homes and school buildings have also been destroyed.

British, German Envoys Meet Ambode to Strenghten Partnership, Recommend Lagos Model out of Recession
A group known as the Ijaw Nation Youths Worldwide has admonished the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Nigeria Police Force to stop harassing the wife of former First Lady, Patience Jonathan.The youths gave the warning during a protest against the probe of the former First Lady by security agencies in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.The protesters who matched to the State Police Command and the Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Port Harcourt, submitted a protest letter to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris through the State Commissioner of Police expressing their displeasure with the probe of the former First Lady.The letter was recieved by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr. Ahmed Magaji on behalf of the police and the Deputy Head of EFCC, Port Harcourt, Mr. Usman Muhammed Mutai.Speaking while handing over the letter at the representatives of the police, President of the youths, Sukubo Sara-Igbe said, The EFCC, DSS and Police at various times have come out to say that they are only in court or at conflict with the former First Lady Dr. Dame Patience Ebele Jonathan.This is laughable, there is no way these agencies can separate a humble, loyal and loving wife from the physical.This treatment of disrespect is coming after a man had served this country meritoriously by leaving behind the biggest economy in Africa and as Africans exemplary leader.
Non-academic unions in the Nigerian universities say they will on Monday embark on a five-day warning strike over the inability of the Federal Government to implement the 2009 Agreements with the unions.The unions are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions in a statement stated that the warning strike became necessary in order for government to fully implement the 2009 FGN/Non-Teaching Staff Unions Agreements it freely entered into with the unions.JAC said that a letter of the warning strike signed by Samson Ugwoke, SSANU President, Sani Suleiman, President of NAAT and Chris Ani, NASU President had been send to the Minister of Education.JAC said the letter was also copied to the Minister Labour and Employment, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission and President of Nigeria Labour Congress.The statement quoted the committee as saying that the University system is challenged by poor governance and administrative lapses which needs to be addressed holistically.Poor funding of our universities, shortfall in payment of staff salaries, increasing corruption in the university system should be addressed.It also listed as among the problems that required attention of the government was inadequate physical infrastructure and abandoned projects which they said had reduced the capacity and output of its members.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of alleged clandestine moves to withdraw the cas...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of alleged clandestine moves to withdraw the case of alleged theft of $50,000 in the Government House already filed before an Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrates Court.Fayoses aides, Bamidele Temitope and Afolabi Sunday, and street forex operator, Shuaibu Amidu, were on Wednesday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adegboye in Ado-Ekiti over theft of $50,000 purportedly belonging to Fayoses aide on Domestic Affairs, Sunday Omosilade.Police charge sheet( MAD/019C/2017) stated that the money belonged to Fayoses Personal Assistant, Sunday Omosilade but the party maintains that the money belongs to the governor.This is a governor who has refused to pay workers salary and pensioners allowances as a result of which many workers have now turned beggars while pensioners are dying for lack of adequate care.In a statement on Friday by Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said Fayose had allegedly started making moves to withdraw the case against the culprits on the counsel of the governors senior advisers.He said the party was aware of governors advisers counsel to withdraw the damaging story that had found its way to the media, and warned the governor of the consequences of the arrest of his Personal Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Sunday Omosilade, who in the police charge sheet admitted that he was the owner of the $50,000 found on the arrested suspects.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, in a swift reaction said: The money in question does not belong to the governor and it is laughable for anybody to create falsehood that the governor wants to withdraw the case.The money belongs to the governors PA and there is no way it would have caused the governor any embarrassment. This is part of lies and propaganda of APC and that is how they have been misinforming the public about the governor and the government of Ekiti State.Olatunbosun said further: We are aware of deft moves by the governor to manipulate the court and the police to destroy court records on this matter after Fayoses advisers told him that he made a mistake by arresting the suspects and making Omosilade, who doesnt have N30,000 in his account balances, to claim that he is the owner of $50,000, and pointing out that the boy cannot escape EFCC investigation that can turn awry for the governor.We are also aware how Fayose is pained by media leak of this crime, wondering how an in-house matter became a matter of media hype, Olatubosun said.He added: We are also aware that Fayose had recalled Omosilade who he had earlier sent packing from the Government House over his involvement in the matter to return to his job, including giving him a brand new car he was earlier denied while other aides got theirs and as we speak, Omosilade has relocated to the Government House again.Olatunbosun called the attention of the Commissioner of Police and the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Mr Justice Ayodeji Daramola, to the alleged plan to destroy court records in the criminal matter.He warned that it is too late to manipulate the case as all court processes in the matter are in public domain.The party reiterated its earlier call on the EFCC to step in to investigate a young man who cant boast of N20,000 in his account to explain how he got $50,000 in Ekiti State Government House.We want to reiterate that Governor Fayose is the owner of that $50,000 but he wants to use Omosilade as a cannon-folder to escape investigation by security agencies in a clear case of money laundering.We have been crying everyday that there is a massive looting of Ekiti money, and with this incident, it is now near clear how Ekiti States funds, including federal allocations and bailout of N20b, are being spent privately on women of easy virtues in the Government House to service the lavish and reckless lifestyle of the governor while Ekiti workers and pensioners remain unpaid for six months.We call on the EFCC to immediately arrest Omosilade to explain where he got $50,000 while the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) is being put on notice to monitor the activities of Ekiti State Judiciary in this criminal matter, even as we call on the Inspector General of Police to monitor his men in Ekiti State in the manipulation of this criminal matter, he added.
In continuous efforts to rebuild the northeast region, Nigerias First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has presented some building materials and f...

In continuous efforts to rebuild the northeast region, Nigerias First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has presented some building materials and food items to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), in Yobe state.The items are also to be shared to other vulnerable groups in the insecurity prone north east state, to help cushion the hardships being faced.Materials presented include: wood, facing boards, batting, as well as tying iron, ceilings, roofing sheets, nails, as well as several food items.Presenting the materials to the Yobe state Government, the first lady represented by the Borno state Commissioner of Women Affairs Mrs Yabawa Kolo, said the Mrs Buhari, is always saddened by the touching situation of vulnerable groups in the society, hence the need for the assistance.The First Lady wants to use her good office to reach out to these IDPs and the vulnerable who must be the poorest among the poor and the vulnerable among the most vulnerable, with the hope that it will help them at this most trying period of their lives.She explained that the returning IDPs could use the building materials to erect destroyed structures, while the food items would help to fight hunger which according to her, is evident among them.The Yobe State Deputy Governor, Abubakar Aliyu, on the other hand, expressed appreciation while receiving the materials.Describing the act as a kind gesture, he said it was very timely: as it would help the returning IDPs in the rebuilding of their ancestral homes which were destroyed by the insurgents.I want to place it on records that this is not the first time we are receiving relief materials from the First Lady.I wish to state categorically that we will transport these materials to the beneficiaries where ever they may be.Yobe state according to the Deputy Governor, has never been found wanting in the distribution of relief materials sent to the state.Mr Aliyu, who is also the Chairman of the Resettlement of IDPs in the state, therefore assured the first lady that the materials received would serve the purpose for which it was intended.The materials are currently under the custody of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in preparation for distribution.
The Federal Government has invited the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group for day and search sorties for missing Chibok girls to Sambisa For...

The Federal Government has invited the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group for day and search sorties for missing Chibok girls to Sambisa Forest.The trip will enable the campaigners to have firsthand information on the efforts being made by the Nigerian military to rescue the girls.The governments invitation was contained in a January 11, 2016 letter to the Convener of BBOG, Dr. (Mrs.) Oby Ezekwesili against the backdrop of continued protest by the campaigners for the rescue of Chibok girls.The letter, which was signed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed asked the BBOG campaigners to nominate two representatives who will join some journalists and others for a trip to Sambisa Forest on Monday.But the BBOG was yet to officially respond to the governments offer as at press time on Saturday.The invitation letter reads: Let me congratulate you most sincerely for the continuing interest of your group, Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), in the fate of the Chibok girls, including those who have regained freedom and those who remain in captivity.In recognition of your unwavering commitment to the freedom of the girls who remain in captivity, you are invited to nominate three of the BBOG members to join you on a guided trip to the North-East on Monday, 16 Jan. 2017.The trip, being planned by the military, will see the Ministers of Defence and Information as well the Chief of Air Staff joining the invited BBOG members and a select group of journalists, first to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Command Centre in Yola to witness first-hand the efforts being made to search for the girls by the NAF and then join the day and night sorties with the NAF to the Sambisa Forest.Please note that due to limited seats on the search planes; only two of the invited BBOG members will join the NAF sorties.
West African leaders flew out of Banjul late Friday with The Gambias president-elect Adama Barrow, en route to Mali for crisis talks wi...

West African leaders flew out of Banjul late Friday with The Gambias president-elect Adama Barrow, en route to Mali for crisis talks with regional heavyweights in hopes of ending the nations political impasse. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari led a three-nation delegation to Banjul earlier in the day, which his foreign minister admitted had not succeeded in getting longtime Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to step down.Jammeh has made clear he will not stand aside until the countrys Supreme Court decides on his legal challenge seeking to annul the results of last months polls, which he initially conceded losing. The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), a 15-nation bloc, has repeatedly called on Jammeh to respect the result of the vote that delivered Barrow to victory, and step down after 22 years in power. The ECOWAS team has decided to depart Banjul tonight in the company of president-elect Barrow headed for Bamako, Mali, Nigerias foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama told journalists.Ghanas former president John Mahama, Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Buhari have spent the last month attempting to cajole Jammeh into ceding the presidency. Onyeama expressed west Africas determination to find a peaceful solution that accords with the constitution of The Gambia and also reflects the will of the Gambian people, and said this was best served by Barrow meeting representatives from all ECOWAS member nations.West African heads of state are gathered in Bamako for the Africa-France summit which resumes Saturday. The African Union said there would be serious consequences for Jammeh, without elaborating, if violence or disorder were to break out as a result of the deadlock. And Mohamed Ibn Chambas, head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, said Friday that ECOWAS would ask the security council to approve the deployment of troops to The Gambia if Jammeh refuses to cede power. There are just five days left of Jammehs five-year term, but he warned the international community on Tuesday that undue external interference was unnecessary. The Supreme Court is unlikely to sit and hear his legal challenge before May, ratcheting up tensions with Barrow, whose inauguration is due Thursday. Gambians fleeing Meanwhile the prolonged political uncertainty and fear of unrest has pushed thousands of Gambians across the border into neighbouring Senegal and further afield to Guinea-Bissau. Tibna Sambe Na Wana, the national coordinator for Guinea-Bissaus refugee commission, said more than 1,000 Gambians had crossed into the country, where they do not require a visa, in recent days. It is clear that the total number is far higher than a thousand and rising daily, Na Wana said. Women, children and the elderly made up the greatest numbers, the official said, with more than 500 passing one border post near the town of Jegue in three days. They say they are scared of a military escalation, Na Wana added.In Senegal, the UNs refugee agency said several thousand people had crossed into the southern Casamance region from The Gambia, especially children. Senegal and The Gambia have deep ethnic and linguistic ties, and most families have relatives living across the border.Most arrivals in Senegal are Gambians and Senegalese who have been working or living in The Gambia, said Liz Ahua, UNHCRs representative for West Africa in Dakar, but added Africans from several other nations were also crossing. A nation of fewer than two million people, The Gambia already accounts for the highest number of migrants per capita of any nationality crossing the Mediterranean on smugglers boats to Italy.
David Oyedepo, founder of The Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners Chapel, says he made the comments in the video trending onli...

David Oyedepo, founder of The Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners Chapel, says he made the comments in the video trending online, during the heat of the Boko Haram crisis.In the video, Oyedepo said he had placed a curse on those attacking Christians, and charged the people to rise up and defend themselves.He said he heard that there was a plan to attack his church, and told his members to resist such plot and spill the blood of those behind it.But speaking through Sheriff Folarin, chairman of the churchs editorial and media board, Oyedepo said he cannot make such utterances at the moment in light of the challenges the country is experiencing.He said mischief makers were circulating the video to make it look as if he was commenting about the recent happenings in southern Kaduna.Oyedepo said he has not made any comment, either in private or public, about the crisis in Kaduna state, which he described as his second home.The video from which the quotes were taken is a 2015 video at a Sunday service in the heat of the Boko Haram crisis, when churches, including our northern assemblies were under frequent attacks. This was before the present administration took office, read statement signed by Folarin.The message bears no relevance to todays happenings; not even developments of 2016. The reporter(s) made the 2015 message look like a 2017 church service message. The trending video is NOT a 2016 or 2017 video.To this end, we can unequivocally and authoritatively say that this quote, the report and other similar reports do not fit the context of the Kaduna crisis or any developments whatsoever in the last one year.Bishop Oyedepo has not said, either in private or public, anything related to the Southern Kaduna killings: not now, not hitherto. If there has been anything done, it has been prayer for peace and unity of Nigeria. The intent of the original author(s) or fabricators is best known to them.For the records and for posterity, Bishop Oyedepo will not say any of those things in view of current dire straits in which Nigeria has found itself. There are too many problems at hand, which require divine intervention. He will not add to the throes and utter such divisive words.As a father of the nation and a Pan Africanist in his own right as a religious leader whose ministry spreads across the continent and beyond, he is a huge believer in the corporate entity called Nigeria and has been a messenger of national love, hope, peace and unity.While he feels for the victimised people across the length and breadth of the country and his heart goes to them, he has always worked with government at all levels to keep Nigeria safe and strongly unified.The Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners Chapel International) has never been a Yoruba church, or a Southern Nigeria church; it has always been a church for all Nigerian church, a platform where all persons of all walks of life bond in the name of Jesus Christ. For those who may not know, Bishop Oyedepos first major break in Christian ministry was in Kaduna, his second home, where he is a friend and father to millions of people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.Indeed, our church has been a catalyst for the Nigerian hope and dream and with its two universities and numerous secondary and primary schools nationwide, the church has made it possible for Nigerians to come closer as one people to rebuild our fatherland.
Following the return of Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, a Ponzi scheme known simply as MMM, on Friday after one month of break, many investors ...

recalls that MMM had announced the resumption on its Twitter handle, saying it was now open even though it had initially promised to reopen today, Saturday, January 14.With about three million Nigerians involved in the scheme and huge investments at stake, the freezing of the MMMs accounts a month ago had sparked fears that the ponzi scheme had crashed.While some investors in the scheme celebrated the come back of their darling MMM, other investors have expressed their frustrations as they might have to wait much longer to recover their much needed money from the scheme.Some of the participants toldthat their funds that were tied down in MMM were meant for various uses including purchase of goods, payment of tuition, debts, rent etc.The fears and frustrations are further heightened by MMMs declaration that it would introduce bitcoins as the new mode of payment ahead of its comeback, which some participants of the scheme have described as confusing.For example, Frank Bunna who deals in computer accessories at Olugbede market in Idimu, Lagos, said he was stranded as he had invested all the money for his goods in MMM.The Igbo trader, who was looking dejected when our correspondent visited the market, said his future was dashed as he expressed disappointment that he would not be able to get his money back today (Saturday).He said, This is my life! How will I live? I invested N2m! Look at my shop, it is totally empty. I invested the whole money for my business on this MMM; I even borrowed N300, 000 that I added to it. I spent six days in the hospital as soon as I heard the account was frozen. I am hypertensive so my blood pressure shot up when I heard the news. To hear that I would not be paid immediately means that I am dead.Another Lagos resident simply identified as Korede, who invested over N500, 000 in the scheme, said, There is going to be crisis in my home. I borrowed my wifes N300, 000 to invest in the scheme. I didnt tell her, but I guess shes suspicious now.I promised to return the money December ending, but couldnt. That was when MMM froze our accounts. It appears that there is going to be some delay before I can get the money. I just hope my wife will forgive me in case this thing fails. To be sincere, I am afraid.An undergraduate of the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, who identified himself as Chiboy because he did not want his parents to know he invested his tuition and money meant for his dissertation in MMM, said he had been left stranded since December 2016, when MMM was suspended and desperately needed his money back.I had thought that I would be able to get my money back immediately MMM reopened but from what I heard, it would not be possible. My mother will kill me. I dont even know what to do, he said.A teacher in a private secondary school in Egbeda, Lagos, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bursar of the school had invested N1.5m belonging to the institution in the scheme before the scheme was suspended last month.According to the teacher, when the bursar could not provide the money, he was sacked by the school management and asked to sign an undertaking to return the money when MMM reopened on Saturday, January 14.The bursar has since been arrested and in his undertaking, he had said he would get the money back immediately MMM resumed operations. But with this development, it will take some time before he can get paid, and that is if he gets paid at all, the teacher said.A travel agent in Lagos, who identified himself as Mr. Oduntan, lamented that he has been going through difficulty after investing N900, 000 meant for paying his rent in MMM with the hope that he would get about N1.2m in return.Oduntan said he was desperate to recover his funds as his landlord had been on his neck since then.Also, a banker in a new generation bank in Ikeja, Lagos, told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity that three of her colleagues were sacked for introducing some customers to MMM.According to the banker, his colleagues were sacked after the aggrieved customers officially complained to the bank manager that they were stranded because they had invested in MMM, which was introduced to them by some employees of the bank.The source said, The customers said they needed their money back. They blamed some of my colleagues for introducing them to MMM and the bank had to sack them.One of the customers complained that the money he had put in MMM was meant to roof his house and that his planned relocation to the house has had to be delayed because of that. Another one said the money he had invested in MMM was meant to pay his debts while another said the money was meant for his wifes business.Another banker working in a commercial bank in Akute, Ogun State, also said one of her colleagues was sacked for investing N2m he had loaned from the bank in MMM and was unable to pay back the loan.A barbing salon operator in Ilorin, Kwara State, Adejare Lawal, who spoke with newsmen on Thursday, said he had invested money belonging to some of his colleagues, which was from their contributory scheme, in the investment.According to him, he invested around N350, 000 in November, hoping to get a profit of at least N80, 000 by the second week of December before accounts were frozen.This is the biggest risk I have taken in my life and at the moment all I can think about is how to get the money back. I was the one coordinating the barbers associations contribution in my area and I invested it in MMM.In Oyo State, an estate agent, Mr. Funso Ogungbade, said he had invested the sum of N3.5m, part of which was from the rents he had collected from tenants on behalf of some landlords, in MMM. My target was that by Saturday, everything would be sorted out but as it is now, I cannot get the money back soon. MMM is saying that it will start by paying the people with small funds and that it will also put a peg on how much we can get, he said.A student at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, simply identified as Wole, said he had invested N50, 000 into the scheme a week before it froze all accounts.Another MMM investor, who simply identified himself as Olayinka, said, Im desperate to recover my money. All my investment has gone into it, he added.Olayinka, who lost his job over a year ago, said he had invested N700,000 that was paid to him as entitlement in MMM, given how profitable the scheme was before it collapsed.He said, I have been counting down since the day MMM announced the closure. Everything I had went into it so I am seriously stranded.Another MMM investor, Miss Janet (surname withheld), said, I lied to my brother to lend me money to pursue my Masters programme. Ive not been working for some time, and he was the one who advised me to go for a postgraduate degree. So, when I asked for money, he gave me N150, 000.With the way it was booming, I invested my N600, 000 in it, including the money I had saved from my previous workplace. So, Im in a fix as Im talking to you.On January 11, 2017, the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof. Labode Popoola, told journalists that the schools authorities would publish in national newspapers names of students who owe tuition, claiming that some of them had invested the money in the MMM scheme.Noting that the affected students had owed since their enrolment, Popoola said it had come to the knowledge of the school that most of them were enrolled in MMM.He disclosed that the cumulative debt being owed the school by the students was N2 Billlion.He said, We are aware that parents of most defaulting students had given them their school fees and it was revealed that the students had diverted the monies into the MMM scheme.
Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested one Kelvin Nwanaji, who was accused of operating a fake Facebook account in t...

Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested one Kelvin Nwanaji, who was accused of operating a fake Facebook account in the name of the Director-General of the Service, Mr. Lawan Daura.Nwanaji, who was said to have been arrested at Ojo, Lagos State, was accused of using the fake Facebook account to dupe unsuspecting job seekers.A statement issued by the spokesperson for the DSS, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, in Abuja on Friday, said that further investigation was ongoing to arrest Nwanajis collaborators.He said, Nwanaji had opened a Facebook account in the name of the Director-General of the SSS and had been using it to defraud unsuspecting members of the public, who he promised jobs in the service.His arrest was sequel to investigation arising from the messages circulating in the social media that the service was recruiting.Further investigation is being undertaken to arrest all those connected with this scam.Opuiyo asked the public to disregard the falsehood, which originated from Nwanaji, saying that the service was not embarking on any recruitment exercise currently.He said it should be noted that employment into the Service is conducted in the most transparent manner in line with laid down procedures and processes.He asked the public to be wary of fraudsters whom he said may use this opportunity to extort money from them.Meanwhile, Opuiyo also said that the service rescued four oil company kidnap victims from their abductors on Friday at White House Estate, Rumukwurushi, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.He alleged that the kidnap gang was led by one Emmanuel Eyo, who was earlier arrested in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.Opuiyo said that during the rescue operation which was supported by the military, a staff of the service sustained gunshot injuries in his leg while three members of the gang were killed in the exchange of fire.He listed items recovered from the gang to include one AK47 rifle, one magazine containing 59 rounds of 7.5mm ammunition and three locally made pistols.Similarly, Opuiyo added that one Alkasim Salisu, an alleged Boko Haram member was arrested at Rigasa area of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.Salisu, he said, had fled the military operation in Yobe State to settle in Kaduna where he and his cohorts were said to be planning to launch attacks on select targets in Kaduna metropolis including the railway station.He said the latest successful operations demonstrated the services effort towards providing a safe and peaceful environment for law abiding citizens and residents to go about their legitimate businesses.Opuiyo said the service would not relent in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities and therefore encouraged all and sundry to support security agencies by promptly reporting security breaches to them.
The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP...

The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) no longer exists in the state.Igbokwe also told the Lagos PDP to stop making noise about local government elections in the state.The Lagos APC spokesman made the comments during an interview with Vanguard.Excerpts below:For PDP, they dont conduct local government elections. I know a PDP State that has not conducted local government elections in the last 16 years. Lagos State has been conducting elections since the advent of the Fourth Republic. I do not know why the PDP will be sounding as if something is happening somewhere or as if they have anything to offer.By the way, do we still have PDP in Lagos? They are no longer in existence and so, why the noise about local government elections as if they have anything to offer. They sound as if they can win one local government area, if elections are conducted.(Cuts in) Jittery of what? PDP is no longer in Lagos, they are no longer in Nigeria. They are no longer in existence. We are in firm control and we are coming from a background of performance of so many years. So, why should we be jittery? The truth of the matter is that the PDP whether they are in existence in Lagos or not, are not the ones that would force us into elections.We need to prepare, we need to put structures in place, we are creating new polling units. There are so many things to be done, but be rest assured that the elections will be conducted. The PDP cannot force us to conducted local government elections.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday congratulated Nigerian author and scholar, Wale Adebanwi, on his appointment as Rhodes Professor ...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday congratulated Nigerian author and scholar, Wale Adebanwi, on his appointment as Rhodes Professor in Race Relations in the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President described Adebanwi as an African gem and role model who has brought honour and respect to the continent.As the first black African scholar to be appointed to the endowed Chair since it was created more than 60 years ago, Buhari affirmed that Adebanwis sharp intellect and distinguished learning is worthy of emulation by other young Nigerians.The statement read, The President, who has maintained a keen interest in the soaring profile of the scholar right from his early years in journalism in Nigeria to a lecturer in the University of Ibadan, is delighted to see him achieve this much very early in his life.At just 47 years, President Buhari notes that young Africans like Adebanwi are showing the wit, steadfastness, creative energy and astuteness of renowned African writers and intellectuals such as Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, John Pepper Clark and Abubakar Imam who put the continent on the worlds knowledge map.He is a source of pride and inspiration to Black Africa as a whole.President Buhari wishes the distinguished scholar more notable successes as he clinches laurel upon laurel on his steady rise as a scholar of international distinction.
Following the sack of Mr. Jim Obazee as Executive Secretary of Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), he appears to have landed i...

Following the sack of Mr. Jim Obazee as Executive Secretary of Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), he appears to have landed into fresh trouble.Few days after he was removed as the scribe of the body, the Federal Government is considering probing his tenure.Some other top officials of the council may also be asked to make way as government prepares for the overhaul of the parastatal.The planned reorganisation is a consequence of allegations of wrongdoings in the establishment.One of the allegations is that over N1 billion cash of the council, meant for International Financial Reporting Standards Academy (IFRS) is trapped in a bank, contrary to the decision of the board to invest it in treasury bills.Investigation revealed that FRCN had been under probe radar since 2014 but the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan did not act.Some of the other allegations against the council border on curious budget and expenses as follows:His memo said: Please arrange to reimburse me for my trip to Abuja to meet and brief the Permanent Secretary on the activities of the FRC.I travelled on Monday, July 14, 2014 and returned to Lagos on Tuesday, July 15, 2014.Details are as follows: Return ticket (Lagos-Abuja-Lagos) N150,000; Hotel Expenses (N86, 250); Incidental Expenses (N500,000), amount due to me, (N736,250).In a similar claim, the official on August 18, 2014 asked for a reimbursement of N836, 250 for a trip to Abuja.The official had applied for the reimbursement of the cash through a memo addressed to Assistant Director (FIND).The memo, which was obtained by our correspondent said: Please arrange to reimburse me for my trip to Abuja for a meeting to attend the meeting of Heads of Parastatals with the Honourable Minister at Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment on Thursday, August 14, 2014.I travelled on Thursday, August 14, 2014 and returned back to Lagos on Friday, August 15, 2014.Details are as follows: (i) Return ticket( Lagos-Abuja-Lagos)N150,000; (ii) Hotel expenses (N86,250); and (iii) Incidental expenses (N600,000).Amount due to me is N836, 250.A top government official said: There were a lot of issues during the tenure of Obazee which the government will look into.There were allegations of mismanagement of funds and huge incidental expenses incurred by some top officials of the council.For instance, it was alleged that about N36 million was spent on local travel to investigate the books of the Central Bank of Nigeria during Sanusi Lamido Sanusis tenure.We have a report on how a top official of FRCN allegedly bought a N47 million mansion in Houston, Texas.The council made suspicious payments to hired consultants, who were suspected to be proxies for some of its officials.Some contracts awarded were questionable. Also, some outrageous allowances were paid outside the approved rates in the civil service. So, we may probe the administration of FCRN anytime from now.The probe of Obazee and others will be part of plans to overhaul the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria. The agency stinks a lot.These allegations are not new but the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan did not act on them.Actually, a member of the Audit Committee of the former board of FRCN had raised some of these issues, especially on poor management of resources.There are allegations that council did not publish its annual reports for some years contrary to Section 38 of the FRCN Act. This is not in line with international best practices.We will ask the new board to restructure the FRCN in a manner that it will disallow a sit-tight syndrome. Until he was removed, Obazee had served as FRCN chief for more than 10 years as Technical Director through CEO in NASB and to the Executive Secretary level.The FRCNs stipulation of a maximum period of 20 years for the heads of all registered churches, mosques, and civil society organizations and its Governance Code 2016 have caused tension in the last few days.The FRCs regulations, which had not received final approval, led to the exit at the weekend of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) General Overseer Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye.Worried by the religious tension, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sacked Obazee and reconstituted the board of FRC.A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, announced the Presidents decision.The statement said: President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate removal and replacement of the Executive Secretary and the reconstitution of the board of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.He has appointed a Chairman and a new Executive Secretary for the council. The new Council as approved by the President has Mr. Adedotun Sulaiman, MFR, as Chairman.Mr. Sulaiman was a former Managing Partner/Director of Arthur Anderson and later, Accenture. He is a Chartered Accountant and a product of the University of Lagos and Harvard Business School.The President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Daniel Asapokhai as the Executive Secretary of the Council. Mr. Asopokhai is a partner and a Financial Reporting Specialist at the Price water House Coopers, Nigeria.
Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations has warned Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Nigerian Police Force to stop th...

Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations has warned Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Nigerian Police Force to stop the harassment on the former Nigerian first lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.The youths of Ijaw Nation Worldwide who protested yesterday in Port Harcourt described ongoing probe of Mrs. Jonathan as political witch-hunt.Speaking while handing over a protest letter to the Rivers State Police Command and the Zonal office of the EFCC in Port Harcourt, the president of the youths, Amb Sukubo Sara-Igbe alleged that the security agencies and the EFCC were carrying out the bidding of some few politicians the nation.Sara-Igbe noted that the probe was an act of injustice, and humiliation against the former President who he said saved democracy in the nation.Submitting the protest letter to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris through the State Commissioner of Police said: The EFCC, DSS and Police at various times have come out to say that they are only in court or at conflict with the former First Lady Dr. Dame Patience Ebele Jonathan.This is laughable, there is no way these agencies can separate a humble, loyal and loving wife from the physical. This treatment of disrespect is coming after a man had served this country meritoriously by leaving behind the biggest economy in Africa and as Africans exemplary leader.He, however, warned that the continued attack on Jonathans family may elicit national and international reactions that would not do the country any good. Meanwhile, the representatives of the police, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr. Ahmed Magaji and the Deputy Head of EFCC, Port Harcourt, Mr. Usman Muhammed Mutai, promised to communicate appropriate quarters for immediate response on the matter.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be visiting a number of oil communities across some Niger Delta States starting on Monday.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be visiting a number of oil communities across some Niger Delta States starting on Monday.He will visit Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers State.His office said the visits are in further demonstration of President Muhammadu Buharis readiness and determination to comprehensively address the Niger Delta situationAt these visits, Mr. Osinbajo will lead high-level delegations of the Federal Government that will interact with leaders and representatives of the oil-producing communities in continuation of ongoing outreach efforts of the Buhari administration towards a long lasting and permanent resolution of the Niger Delta crisis, a statement signed by the vice presidents spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said.Attacks by militant groups in the oil rich region have seen oil production significantly reduced since 2016.Peace initiatives of the government failed to end the attacks on pipelines and oil and gas platforms.The Buhari presidency is fully committed to having an effective dialogue and positive engagement that will end the crisis in the oil-producing areas, and believes that these visits would further boost the confidence necessary for the attainment of peace and prosperity in the areas and the Nigerian nation in general, the vice presidents office said.
BRIDGETON -- A man fleeing police was killed Friday night after crashing into a utility pole, according to authorities.

Police identified the driver as Devonte Brooks, 21, of Millville, who was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after New Jersey State Police broke off a chase with him.

The Bridgeton Police Department issued a bulletin Friday for police to be on the lookout for a Lincoln Continental involved in a crash earlier that evening where the car struck a police officer and drove off, according to a press release issued by New Jersey State Police and the state Attorney General's Office.

A New Jersey State Police trooper was in the area of Route 49 and South West Avenue around 9 p.m. when the trooper spotted a car matching the description, the release said.

The trooper tired to stop the Lincoln but the car did not stop, which led to a short pursuit, according to State Police. The pursuit ended when the trooper lost sight of the Lincoln, the release said.

Bridgeton police reported to State Police a short time later that the car was found crashed into a utility pole on Route 49 east near milepost 25.7. According to State Police, the driver was traveling fast and attempting to turn when it ran off the road and slammed into the utility pole.

According to Bridgeton police Chief Michael Gaimari, the officer allegedly struck earlier by Brooks was treated for minor injuries and later released.

The fatal crash is under investigation by the New Jersey State Police and Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
MILLVILLE -- The United States Post Office thanked Millville Police Department for helping to keep $5 million worth of drugs off the streets over the past year that would have come through the mail.

The post office used Millville officers John Butschy and Mike Calchi, along with their K-9 partners Rio and Chase, to inspect packages sent through offices in the Delaware Valley area. Using the K-9s, the post office seized 446 pounds of marijuana, 28 kilograms of cocaine, 21 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 4.25 ounces of heroin and $44,430 in money related to narcotics.

"As you can see, these are significant amounts of illegal narcotics which, thanks to your officers, we were able to seize and prevent from being distributed," states a letter to Millville Police Department from John Crockett, group supervisor of the United States Postal Inspection Service's narcotics investigations for the Philadelphia and South Jersey division.

Crockett's group is responsible for the investigation of narcotics shipped in the mail.

The marijuana seized has a street value of $2.2 million and the cocaine seized has a street value of $2.8 million, according to authorities.

"We are very proud that we are able to collaborate and work with other agencies and we will continue to do that with United Stated Postal Service," said Chief Jody Farabella of Millville Police Department. "These K-9 officers go above and beyond."

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
EAST ORANGE -- Police are investigating a double shooting that occurred overnight that left a retired Hudson County corrections officer injured, officials say.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office, Newark police and East Orange police are investigating the shooting, which occurred at or near a Tremont Avenue bar, said Thomas Fennelly, chief assistant Essex County prosecutor.

He said a woman and a retired Hudson County corrections officer who was working security were hit by gunfire and both sustained non-fatal injuries.

The shooting was first reported at 2 a.m. in Newark at the Tremont Lounge with a Newark special police officer as the person shot, according to Newark police spokesman Capt. Derek Glenn.

Police later ruled the incident happened on the East Orange portion of the road, which is less than a mile long, and that the Newark special officer was not a victim, Glenn said. The Newark officer reported the shooting, he said.

East Orange spokeswoman Connie Jackson told NJ Advance Media the shooting happened in Newark, near the Tremont Lounge, and East Orange officers only assisted in crowd control.

Glenn said East Orange police initially had the investigation but decided at some point during the night that it belonged to Newark. He said that Newark police weren't notified initially when that decision was made but are now working on the case.

No further details were known.

Glenn said the Newark Police's Alcohol Beverage Control Unit is temporarily closing the Tremont Lounge in response to the recent violence in the immediate area of the bar.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WASHINGTON TWP. -- Two township police officers are suing current and former police supervisors and township officials, alleging they are victims of a hostile work environment, retaliation and due process violations.

Retired Washington Township Chief Rafael Muniz speaks at a 2016 police graduatiuon ceremony. (Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media)

Timothy V. Attanasi and Kevin Tarasevich are represented by attorney Jacqueline M. Vigilante in separate cases filed last week in Superior Court.

Attanasi, a 25-year veteran of the department, claims he was retaliated against for filing grievances regarding promotions and claiming that the department's promotion process was corrupt.

His suit names former chief Rafael Muniz, former mayor Barbara Wallace, township business administrator Robert Smith and police Capt. Dennis Sims among others. He claims he took allegations of improper promotion practices and harassment to township officials, but that his concerns were not taken seriously.

As a corporal, he sued Muniz in 2013 over pay and promotion issues. As a result of that suit, Attanasi and another corporal were given the opportunity to take a promotional exam.

Although he passed the test, Attanisi says in the new suit that his promotion to sergeant was "improperly delayed" by an internal affairs complaint filed by Sims. This complaint was simply a tactic to delay the promotion, the suit alleges, and was one of several "unwarranted and baseless" internal affairs complaints filed against him.

Attanasi also claims that Muniz told him, "you might have won here, but in the long run you will never win as long as I'm here."

Muniz refused to issue him sergeant badges, identification and insignia, or even display Attanasi's rank as sergeant first class on his work mailbox. Attanasi had to purchase his sergeant insignia at his own expense, the suit states.

He claims Muniz and Sims "began a pattern of harassment and intimidation" in 2016, ordering him to wear body armor even though he had a long-standing doctor's note permitting him to wear the armor for short periods at a time because of a medical condition.

In another incident, Attanasi was issued a notice of disciplinary action over an alleged failure to perform his duties and he was placed on an on-duty suspension from all patrol and supervisory functions.

Attanasi called the situation "embarrassing and humiliating."

As a result of this treatment, Attanasi said he has been forced to use paid time off to "avoid further discipline, harassment, humiliation and retaliation."

Tarasevich, who names Muniz, Sims, Smith and Capt. Robert Borkowski in his suit, joined the department in 2007. He claims he was the target of an internal affairs investigation that stemmed from a December 2014 incident in which he issued a ticket to a driver who happened to be related to an incoming township council member.

The motorist "communicated" with Sims and other police officials about the traffic stop, but the stop was not recorded, the suit states, because of a malfunctioning microphone on his car's mobile video recording system. The suit doesn't describe what issue the motorist had with Tarasevich's conduct.

Sims pursued the matter even after the motorist refused to pursue it, according to the suit. Tarasevich also claimed he was denied the opportunity to have his attorney present during an interview about the case.

Sims ordered a review of Tarasevich's performance in March 2015, resulting in a suspension, according to the suit.

Later that year, Tarasevich was assigned for training on use of Taser equipment.

The suit states that Sims created a policy and procedure detailing where the Taser should be placed on an officer's duty belt.

Because of the placement of the radio and Taser on the belt, "an officer assigned a Taser had to reach around the Taser equipment to utilize the radio equipment," according to the suit. "This maneuver caused severe pain in the plaintiff's left shoulder."

Tarasevich's doctor recommended placement of the Taser in a different location, but that request was rejected, according to the lawsuit, and he was ordered to continue training immediately.

"During the course of training, plaintiff was required to remove and re-holster the Taser numerous times in quick succession, further aggravating plaintiff's shoulder," the suit states.

A township workmen's compensation doctor ordered the Taser moved, prompting further retaliation, the suit alleges, and ongoing requirements that the weapon be worn in the original location. This aggravated the shoulder injury.

Tarasevich claims lost time from work and lost compensation because of this treatment.

Both officers are seeking compensatory and punitive damages

Vigilante expressed hope that both officers will fare better under the new Washington Township administration. A new mayor and new police chief were sworn in earlier this month.

"In the environment we live in today, police officers are far too often the targets of violence, allegations and abuse," she said. "It is unfortunate that, with all of the threats they face on the streets, Officer Tarasevich and Sgt. Attanasi have been targeted by their own police department.

"It is our hope that with these lawsuits, and the new administration in Washington Township, these wrongs will be corrected and the officers can return to their police duties and responsibilities without being subjected to this kind of harassment."

Efforts to reach a township solicitor for comment were unsuccessful.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
Mega-pack of paper towels - check.

Cheap gas - check.

Body fat reading - check?

Walmart and Sam's Club stores will be offering free health screenings at all 72 New Jersey locations Saturday.

The screenings are available to the public. People need not be Sam's Club members to participate, a company spokeswoman said.

Sam's Club locations will provide body fat readings, while for the first time in Walmart stores, customers can test for both body fat and body mass index.

The Body Mass Index is a simple computation based on height and weight. The body fat reading uses actual body measurements to estimate the percentage of fat.

Pharmacists will be on hand at many locations to provide immunizations - although these will be available under the normal fee structure.

Customers can also get immediate readings of their blood glucose and blood pressure. Vision screenings will also be available.

The Sam's Club's screenings are scheduled to be available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., while Walmart screenings will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Last year the two stores collectively provided nearly a half million free health screenings nationwide, according to the company. At Walmart alone, nearly 250,000 were conducted in October. Sam's Club began offering free health screenings in 2010 and has conducted more than one million screenings since the program began.

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The Extreme Mustang Makeover (EMM) will return to the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth, Texas in September. The competition will feature a new, exciting format called Player's Choice. Eligible adult trainers will be allowed to bid on the mustang of their choosing for use in competition from a selection of 200 mares and geldings and compete for their share of $130,000.

Adult Division

Available horses will be catalogued by video through Superior Auction Services and displayed at extrememustangmakeover.com in February for viewing. Mustangs will be available for competitive bid through a mustang selection event held at the Fort Worth Stockyards on April 8. Approved and selected trainers will be allowed to bid in person, online or through call in. Trainers will pick up their horses on May 12-13 and bring them back for competition Sept. 14-16. Trainer entry application deadline is March 1. Interested persons can apply online at extrememustangmakeover.com.

Incentives will also be added in trainer payout and prize money. The top-10 trainers will split a purse of over $100,000, with the champion receiving $50,000. Preliminary classes will also have added money totaling $30,000. Competing mustangs will be placed in an adoption auction at the conclusion of the event with trainers receiving 50 percent commission of the adoption price of their animal.

The revised format was developed in order to increase participation by allowing trainers the chance to bid on the right to train the horse they wish for competition. Pending Bureau of Land Management facility approval, trainers will be allowed to bid on a maximum of two horses though only one horse may be used for the EMM competition. After a horse is declared for competition, the trainer must place the remaining animal into the Trainer Incentive Program (TIP) and find a suitable adopter within 90 days in order to be eligible for the program's $1,000 incentive.

Holding with original EMM competitions, mustangs and trainers will continue to compete in preliminary classes for a chance to be selected as one of the top-10 trainers who will participate in the Freestyle Finals performance scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16.

Youth Division

Selected youth trainers, ages 8-17, will be assigned an 18-24-month-old mustang to be trained for competition. Youth will also continue to compete in traditional EMM event format with preliminary classes, including a freestyle performance, in order to determine a champion. The top three trainers will split a purse of $9,000, with the champion receiving $3,000.

Trainers encouraged to apply

The Extreme Mustang Makeover is stopping in West Springfield, Mass., June 15-17; Reno, Nev., June 23-24; and Lexington, Ky., Aug. 17-19. This event, produced by the Mustang Heritage Foundation, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management's Wild Horse and Burro Program, is currently seeking youth and adult trainers to participate in the 100-day wild horse training challenge.

Adult Division

The purpose of the competition is to showcase the beauty, versatility and trainability of these rugged horses that roam freely on public lands throughout the West, where they are protected by the BLM under federal law. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range to ensure herd health and protect rangeland resources. Thousands of the removed animals are held in off-range facilities and are made available each year to the public for adoption.

Adults, ages 18 and over, and their assigned mustangs will compete in preliminary classes, including: handling and conditioning, a pattern class, and a trail course with in-hand and riding obstacles in hopes of winning their share of $25,000. For each event, the top-10 trainers will be selected to participate in the exciting Freestyle Finals performance scheduled for Saturdays, June 17, June 24 and July 8, where competitors showcase their mustang's skills with costumes, music and props.

Adult mustangs competing in the Extreme Mustang Makeover will be available to the public for adoption via competitive bid immediately following the freestyle finals. BLM representatives will be on-site to approve interested adopters.

Youth Division

Youth trainers, ages 8 to 17, will compete in-hand with 18-24-month-old mustangs in three classes, including: handling and conditioning, leading trail, and a freestyle class. Peter Whitmore of Orange, Mass. will be hosting the youth division of the Massachusetts Extreme Mustang Makeover. Rebecca Bowman of Emerson, Ga. will be hosting the youth division of the Kentucky Extreme Mustang Makeover. Awards and prizes will be determined by event manager. More details to be announced.

There will not be a youth division offered for the Nevada Extreme Mustang Makeover.

Interested horsemen and women are encouraged to visit http://extrememustangmakeover.com/ for application and rules. Completed applications must be received by application deadlines listed below to be considered for the event.

Selected trainers will pick up their assigned mustangs in March and work to train and gentle the mustang through the competition date. Trainers for the Massachusetts EMM will pick up their mustangs March 3-4 in Logan Township, N.J. Trainers for the Nevada EMM will pick up their mustangs March 10-11 in Palomino Valley, Nev. Trainers for the Kentucky EMM will pick up March 17-18 in Ewing, Ill.

Deadlines

West Springfield, Massachusetts - Feb. 3

Reno, Nevada - Feb. 3

Lexington, Kentucky - Feb. 24

About the Mustang Heritage Foundation

The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation is to create and promote programs and activities that provide information and education about wild horses, elevate their image and desirability, provide opportunities to become involved in the wild horse experience and secure adequate numbers of caring homes for excess horses. Working in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, the Mustang Heritage Foundation is passionate about the successful placement of mustangs into private care so future generations can enjoy this distinctive feature of our American heritage. The Mustang Heritage Foundation has placed over 7,500 mustangs into private care since 2007.

About the Bureau of Land Management

The BLM offers wild horses and burros that were removed from the range for adoption into private care. Since 1971, the BLM has adopted out more than 235,000 wild horses and burros nationwide. Potential adopters can attend an offsite adoption event, visit a BLM adoption facility, or participate in an Internet Adoption event. For general questions on adopting a wild horse or burro, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page. The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America's public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2015, the BLM generated $4.1 billion in receipts from activities occurring on public lands.

For more equestrian news see Horse News

Horse News covers everything equestrian in the mid-Atlantic area and can be reached at horsenews@hcdemocrat.com

Find Horse News on Facebook

For more racing and steeplechasing news see http://connect.nj.com/user/aorrjr/posts.html
raj12.JPG

Two bills sponsored by Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, D-Jersey City, that waive the fees for homeless people to get nin-driver ID and copies of the birth certificate have been signed into law.

(Journal file photo)

A couple new laws may mean a lot in the lives of homeless people across the state.

The two new laws, sponsored by Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, D-Jersey City, waive the fees for birth certificates and non-driver state identification cards for homeless people. The fees would be roughly $25 each.

Identification is often required for most types of general assistance, medical coverage, food stamps and disability benefits.

"Many homeless citizens have no hope of getting off the streets and accessing social services and government benefits without proof of identity," Mukherji said in a statement. "For homeless New Jerseyans' looking to get identification, a birth certificate may be a prerequisite.

"The enactment of this law can be a first step toward healthcare, government assistance, and a path to self-sufficiency and a roof over their heads."

Under the new law, a social worker and emergency shelter coordinator where the person is staying will make the request for a birth certificate, using the letterhead of the shelter or the social worker's agency or professional practice.

Under the new law regarding non-driver IDs, the Motor Vehicle Commission chief administrator may waive the fees for a homeless person who submits proof of temporary residence through either a social worker or the emergency shelter coordinator where the person is temporarily residing.

"The administration fee is the only thing preventing many homeless people from acquiring identification, when shelters and social services organizations are willing to help these citizens," Mukherji said. "Identification will be useful in many ways by allowing them access to services that will help them in the long run. It is a simple, common-sense change in the law that can make a huge impact in the lives of our homeless citizens."

The non-driver ID bill was also sponsored by Jamel Holley, D-Union, and Reed Gusciora, D-Mercer/Hunterdon.

On Thursday, the Hudson County freeholders approved a resolution thanking Mukherji, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Gov. Chris Christie for their roles in creating the new laws.
LITTLE EGG HARBOR -- The search for a fisherman missing since Thursday night resumed Saturday morning.

Christopher Hugg, 45, of Tuckerton, was reported missing Friday after he did not return home from a fishing trip, authorities have said.

Hugg, a clam fisherman, was last reported to be on his 17-foot Bowrider near Hither Channel off Little Egg Harbor at 8 p.m. on Thursday.

The U.S. Coast Guard was on scene all day Friday along with New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau as well as its Missing Persons Unit and Aviation Bureau before concluding the search for the evening.

Trooper Alejandro Goez, a New Jersey State Police spokesman, said the search resumed Saturday morning.

Hugg called a family member and said his boat ran aground but that he did not need help. When he failed to return home, the U.S. Coast Guard, State Police and the Tuckerton Fire Department began searching for him Friday morning.

His boat, containing clamming gear, was found Friday morning on Hither Island, which is west of the Holgate section of Long Beach Township on Long Beach Island.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
After putting the Sheridan family through pointless emotional agony for two years, the state on Friday finally admitted to its screaming incompetence by withdrawing its claim that John Sheridan killed his wife, Joyce, and then himself, in 2014.

It never should have taken this long. The truth is that no one but the killer or killers knows what happened that night. But instead of admitting that, the state medical examiner, along with the Somerset County prosecutor, filled in every blank with a malicious fantasy.

They concluded, almost immediately, that John Sheridan stabbed his wife of 47 years to death, then somehow stabbed himself as he started a fire that consumed their Somerset County home.

They never found a murder weapon, or a motive. There was no history of violence, nor any evidence of drug or alcohol abuse, a gambling habit, financial problems, or romantic affairs.

The theory of Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano, as far as it went, was that a marriage everyone knew as solid spontaneously combusted after 47 years, and that John Sheridan, a gentleman trusted to senior posts by governors of both parties, suddenly lost his mind in a violent rage, for reasons unknown.

This one is tough to excuse. Had prosecutors not jumped to this conclusion, as though they were following the scent of psychic, they might have found the real killers. No doubt Soriano, who got his job through political connections despite his lack of qualifications, felt pressure to reassure a jittery public that no murdered was on the loose, so he grabbed at the first easy explanation. As a result, the mystery of these deaths will likely live forever. The only small consolation is that Soriano lost his job as a result.

The failure, though, is not just Soriano's. The state medical examiner's office was revealed as incompetent. And the attorney general's office oversaw the case, and then dragged its feet for these two years before coming this inescapable conclusion.

One thing is missing now: An apology to the Sheridan family. They had to hire outside experts with far more experience in murder cases to challenge this. Among the undisputed conclusions was that the knife prosecutors alleged that John Sheridan used to stab himself did not remotely match the wounds in his neck. Every other core finding was similarly knocked down.

It took two years for the state to admit its vast errors in this case, adding an ugly insult to an unimaginable injury. Now, finally, this stain has been removed and the family can mourn in peace.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Trump-Attorney-General

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), right, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee Jan. 11 as U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) looks on. (AP Photo | Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday went after U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights icon who is boycotting his inauguration.

It was the latest Twitter war launched by the incoming president, who has continued to tweet out attacks against his critics. It came a day before the birthday of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who led the U.S. civil rights movement in which Lewis played a major role.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

Lewis (D-Ga.), who was beaten at the Edmund Pettis Bridge when marchers sought to travel from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. to demand voting rights, told NBC's "Meet the Press'' in a segment airing Sunday that he would not attend Trump's inauguration.

"I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said. "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton."

As a result, Lewis said, he won't be at the Capitol on Friday to see Trump sworn in.

"I don't plan to attend the inauguration," Lewis said. "It will be the first one that I miss since I've been in the Congress. You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right."

U.S. intelligence officials have said they had "high confidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered efforts to intervene in the U.S. presidential election on behalf of Trump. This included hacking into Democratic files and questioning the legitimacy of an expected Clinton victory.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), has introduced legislation to sanction Russia for its actions.

Menendez and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are among those calling for an independent congressional investigation.

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th Dist.) came to Lewis' defense.

Lewis joined Booker Tuesday on a panel testifying against Trump's nomination of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to be attorney general.

"When faced with a challenge, Senator Sessions has frequently chosen to stand on the wrong side of history," Lewis told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Lewis was one of the marchers who received the Congressional Gold Medal for their protest, which led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The marchers' first attempt ended in violence at the Edmund Pettus Bridge where state and local troopers attacked them in an incident known as "Bloody Sunday." The protesters eventually completed the 50-mile trek between the two cities.

Trump has promised to nominate Supreme Court justices with "similar views and principles" as the late Antonin Scalia, who had called the landmark legislation a "perpetuation of racial entitlement." Sessions has described the law as "a piece of intrusive legislation"

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
The Turkish court accepted the eighth indictment report of the case into the coup attempt on July 15 of the year past.

January 14, 2017, 09:10 71 military members face life in prison for Turkey coup attempt

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 14, ARTSAKHPRESS: In the eighth indictment report, which the Ankara Prosecutors Office prepared, life sentences are sought for 71 members of the Turkish Naval Forces, according to Evrensel newspaper of Turkey.

Admirals are also among these accused members of the Turkish military.
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.
As parts of Nebraska prepare for a major winter storm, forecasters say the North Platte region may not face the same type of weather as other areas of the state. However, the outlook still includes a chance for icy roads Sunday  and snow is expected to follow.

In our area I wouldnt necessarily call it an ice storm, said Cory Martin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in North Platte. He said there is a 50 percent chance that freezing rain will start Sunday afternoon, with the greatest chance for precipitation in the overnight hours. Martin estimated a couple hundredths to a 10th of an inch of ice, which doesnt sound like much but its enough to create problems, he said.

Can't see the video? Click here.

He said residents should check conditions and stay alert, especially when traveling. Roads are likely to be slick, he added. In a release, the Nebraska State Patrol also suggested that drivers check conditions ahead of scheduled traveling. The release suggests residents dial 511, use the Nebraska 511 website or mobile app to check road conditions and closures. In the release, officials with State Patrol also advised motorists to use well-traveled roads and account for extra time during travel. In the case of becoming stranded, officials advised motorists to stay with their vehicle until they could get help.

Wind chill and freezing temperatures can be life-threatening, the release noted.

In the event that a vehicle becomes stuck, the release advised drivers to crack a window in the running car so that carbon monoxide would not become a risk. It also suggested carrying a red flag or bandanna to make ones vehicle more easily recognized, as well as a winter survival kit, emergency first aid and an ice scraper.

The heaviest snowfall Monday will hit areas as southwest as Imperial, through the North Platte area and as northeast as ONeill, Martin said. He said several inches of snow are possible. Despite the conditions, temperatures are expected to stay as high as 32 degrees, and winds wont be extensive, he said.

As the week goes on, were going to quickly put this system behind us, Martin said. Temperatures will be well above normal by Wednesday, soaring into the 50s.
Summer Moore Deputy Editor - Digital/Audience Engagement Summer is Digital and Audience Engagement Editor at The Times. Her blog documents The Times and Gary Chamber of Commerces Community Civility Counts campaign. The idea is simple: Treat everyone with respect and dignity, even those you disagree with. Follow Summer Moore Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

As I mentioned last week, we are so excited that Civility in the Classroom has become a full class for credit at Lighthouse College Prep Academy, the school where we piloted the program last year.

The teacher of this class is Michael Carson. I've met with him twice and had the opportunity to watch him work this week.

Carson is a young teacher. He's passionate about the kids and learning. The students are drawn to him and clearly see him as someone they can talk to.

I'm so excited he's leading this charge. He's the perfect leader.

The class is juniors and seniors, so a little older than we've focused on in the past.

The class started with the new semester, so they are two weeks in. So far they have been focusing on what this class is and why they are taking it (same as we did at Steel City last week).

They also are well into the news literacy part of the class. Like I mentioned, we are using the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age. It was created in partnership with the News Literacy Project.

When I visited Tuesday, they were working on a lesson about images.

The lesson plan is about the Police Officer in Ferguson photo (attached) that ran on the St. Luis Dispatch's front page during the Michael Brown protests.

The students are asked about the photo. How does it make them feel? What do they think is going on in this photo? Who would like this photo? Who wouldn't?

It produced a fantastic discussion in the class about the responsibility newspapers have to represent the whole truth, and not just focus on the most chaos.

One thing I did find interesting: When the students were asked to pick a front page image of either a violent looting scene or a peaceful protest, they were split. The students who wanted the looting scene said they knew it would sell more papers and papers have to make money.

True.

Yet, our industry has spent decades furiously protecting the editorial decisions from that way of thinking. We aren't supposed to bring that into our decisions. We are responsible to our readers only. What we print needs to be accurate and produce the least amount of harm.

So, we are going to spend a little time next week on journalism ethics. I want to make sure this generation of leaders understands where we are coming from. We need to get the trust back, and this is a way to do that.

I'm excited for the discussion next week.

Thanks for reading.
Fagen Pharmacy is now open in a new retail block that East Chicago officials hope will revive the North Harbor neighborhood's retail fortunes in the years to come.

The pharmacy moved from its former location at 2002 E. Columbus Drive to 2106 Broadway St., where it has expanded its services and offerings in a new 3,500-square-foot space.

"The City of East Chicago invested over $3.2 million to build 14,500 square feet of new retail space along the 2100 and 2200 blocks of Broadway," said Mayor Anthony Copeland. "What once were vacant lots are now a thing of beauty and will continue our efforts to make East Chicago a great place to call home."

Copeland promised there will be several other agencies and businesses moving into the new buildings soon. A ribbon cutting at the Fagen Pharmacy is planned for Tuesday.

Fagen Pharmacy has operated in East Chicago for 23 years. It has been expanding services and its Region footprint in recent years, with upgraded stores in several communities. Fagen has 24 locations in Indiana and Illinois. It was founded in 1972 and is the largest family-owned and operated chain of pharmacies in the state of Indiana.
Ivy Tech Gary Campus President Marlon Mitchell will sign a pledge to promote entrepreneurship this week, joining 200 other colleges across the nation to promote economic development.

Mitchell said the pledge is particularly important given the community college's role in local economic development.

Theres no time to spare, he said. Were having better conversations with community partners and those conversations have a significantly different tenor than just three years ago. Among the four key partners we work with who represent area industry, weve had strategic conversations with each of them to prepare for the future.

The Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge is a project of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Mitchell's signing will take place during a meeting of the The Society of Innovators at noon, Wednesday, in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Ivy Tech Gary Campus, 1440 E. 35th Ave., Gary.

Through the pledge, presidents of community colleges throughout the country promise to take five actions:

 Develop transparency of community college and community assets

 Create internal and external teams dedicated to entrepreneurship

 Increase entrepreneurs engagement in community colleges

 Engage in industry cluster development

 Create broad exposure to their colleges commitment to entrepreneurship
JASPER COUNTY  Another Northwest Indiana destination eatery has closed and is up for sale.

Marti's Place at Ramsey's Landing served its final plates of lake perch and prime rib Jan. 8.

The restaurant on the southern banks of the Kankakee River, was known for its American comfort food and its free birthday dinners.

Ron Klauer, son of owner Marti Klauer, said they maintained a database of more than 18,000 names and sent out cards inviting people to enjoy a free dinner for their birthday.

He said serving people on memorable occasions, like their birthdays, is a humbling experience.

The restaurant was also known for its garlic salad dressing, which it sold by the bottle. He said he's looking for a store that would be interested in making the dressing for sale locally.

Marti Klauer has owned the restaurant since 1977.

From 1938 to 1977, the restaurant was known as Forest River Lodge, Ron Klauer said.

They grew the business from 80 seats when they purchased the restaurant to 240.

Ron Klauer said the riverside location made Marti's a special place to eat. It offered outside dining, and they maintained walking paths on their property.

A landowner across the river used to maintain a small airstrip and customers would occasionally fly in, according to Klauer. And, during warm weather, boaters could dock at the restaurant.

Klauer described business lately as "OK," but said his father had some health issues and he recently took a job that would allow him to spend more time with his family.

"Quality of life is something you cant put a price on," he said.

The property was listed for sale last spring, and a few people have shown interest, he said. But no sale is in sight.

"We hope that someone will come in and take care of the community the way we did," he said.

Klauer said the business supported many local causes and purchased items locally when possible. He said they're not necessarily looking for a buyer to run a business like they did.

"We talked at great lengths about it. We hope that someone comes in establishes their own identity. If someone wants to keep things the way they are, fine. We just want someone to succeed."

The last few days of business were busy, Klauer said, with many longtime customers coming in one last time to order their favorite meal and reminisce.

He said many families of employees joined them during their final days, some who had three generations of family members who worked there.

"Weve been so blessed for our customers and employees weve been able to work with," Klauer said. "But things change."

The Port Drive-In in Chesterton and Zuni's House of Pizza in Highland closed in recent months.

T.J. Maloney's Authentic Irish Pub at Star Plaza in Merrillville closed its doors Dec. 20. That restaurant, in addition to the Star Cafe, at Star Plaza, both closed in preparation for the razing of the Radisson Hotel.
Caffeine junkies in Northwest Indiana could soon get their coffee fix directly from a wholesaler.

A gourmet coffee distributor in Porter County is looking to branch out into online coffee orders for individuals this year.

Fast Coffee Services, in Burns Harbor, currently distributes coffee to about 300 customers in Northwest Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. The 35-year-old company sells about 30 different types of coffee, teas and related products to restaurants, convenience stores and offices within a 50-mile radius of its office at U.S. 20 and Indiana 149.

This area, this location is ideal for commerce," owner Tandra Robinson said. "Everything is right here. The location is very advantageous for us geographically."

Fast Coffee Service also distributes spring water to offices and homes, and is looking to diversify its business by distributing to residential customers this year. It offers a variety of coffees, including a Tandra Cs fine specialty signature blend, a Columbian median roast and Michigan cherry-flavored coffee.

Once we define your needs, we can put together a plan thats perfect for you, Robinson said. Were not cookie cutter. Our customers never feel limited as we have a variety of options.

For more information, call 219-787-JAVA (5282).
Call it an empire, or simply an initiative to help teenagers feel comfortable in their own skin.

Either way, its the start of something big, and Angelo McCaskle is at the helm.

The 14-year-old freshman at Thornton Fractional North High School in Calumet City is like most teens his age  often found hanging out with friends or helping out at his church.

But his spare time also involves doing something many would consider beyond his years  running a fashion line.

As the founder of his company, ADM fashion, McCaskle spends his days at school and his evenings and weekends creating a vision that will make fashion unique again.

Its a slogan McCaskle lives by and meticulously executes in each piece he designs as a way to encourage other teens  and adults  to embrace their own style.

My slogan is so important to me because every teenager and adult wants to copy their style from an idol, he said. I used to be like that, but I felt if my idols can dress and make clothing so unique, I can do the same.

As someone who loves design and shopping, McCaskle initially focused on writing a blog about his interests. After consulting his cousin who works in the fashion industry, however, he decided to take it one step further and build a website that would showcase his talents. Eight months later, ADM is growing piece by piece.

Because of the companys growth, McCaskle has enlisted the help of two of his friends, freshman India Cooper, who serves as the creative director and website director, and freshman Devin Thomas, who serves as the marketing representative and co-CEO. Currently, the company focuses primarily on producing T-shirts.

My goals are to take ADM to the top, said Thomas, who handles the side of the business that involves paperwork, business calls and emails. Its not too much to handle and we have good team chemistry, so were always willing to lend a hand to one another.

As creative director, Cooper reviews the designs McCaskle creates and adds finishing touches.

What its like to collaborate with Angelo is a pretty cool thing, Cooper said. I love helping him, especially since I love fashion.

Routinely, the three meet to discuss ideas for shirts, and after landing on an idea, call one of McCaskles friends, Trevon Washington, who is also a local T-shirt entrepreneur. Washington works with the group to produce the shirts, which McCaskle then sells to classmates and community members.

Though running a business can be a test itself, McCaskle said one of his biggest challenges is dispelling myths about his age.

Everyone thinks since youre 14 you cant do a lot, he said. Thats not true at all. I was discouraged a lot because people didnt think this was a teenager job, but there are designers who started early like Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren.

In addition to coming up with new clothing designs, McCaskle and his team are working on ways to grow the company.

ADM fashion is really looking to expand because we want everyone to know that there are highly effective teens in the world that they should always support, McCaskle said.

After high school, he plans to attend college to major in business and fashion.

I then see myself opening up my own stores and working on giving back to the community, he said.

For more information, go to admfashion.com.
EAST CHICAGO  A man told police he was struck by gunfire Thursday night while walking in the alley of the 1900 block of Columbus Drive.

East Chicago officers were dispatched to the area about 7:20 p.m. for a report of shots fired, said police Lt. Marguerite Wilder. The victim told police a Chevy Impala with tinted windows drove past him and, without warning, fired a gun at him. The victim was struck on to the left side of his bicep.
GARY  The Gary Frontiers Service Club and its guests Saturday celebrated the fact that the Dream is Real during the 38th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast at the Genesis Convention Center.

Eight recipients of the annual Marchers and Drum Awards, various dignitaries and guests shared a meal and saw a program that focused on Kings legacy and the challenges facing those who share his vision.

Denise C. Dillard, chief consultant for governmental and external affairs at Methodist Hospitals, and James L. Holloway, a deacon at Trinity Baptist Church for 40 years, received the 2017 Drum Major awards.

The awards are named for the Drum Major Instinct sermon King delivered two months before his assassination. In it, he praised lives of service, saying, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice.

Vanessa Allen, W.D. Brewer, the Rev. R. Jerry Protho, Natalie Ammons, Patrician Owens-Lee and Kerry Rice Sr. were given the 2017 Marchers Awards. Both awards are given in recognition of a person who has dedicated their lives to improving the human condition of others, according to the club.

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, Indiana Attorney General Curtis L. Hill, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, were among the special guests and speakers. Most touched on the past, present and future of civil rights and equality.

Freeman-Wilson spoke on what she called her dubious honor  a recent appearance on Undercover Boss. City employees, she said, serve the public by working hard and with dignity. Service encourages empathy, and everyone would be better off if we would help more and judge less.

Hill spoke of the inspirational example of his parents, who were leading lights in their local chapter of the NAACP. When others stepped back, they stepped forward, he said.

Donnelly reflected not only on King but on Barack Obamas two terms as president. We are exceeding grateful for (Obamas) service, he said.

Americans face new challenges in the current environment, Visclosky said. The Voting Rights Act has been weakened, and it should be strengthened. The need for community activism is as great as it was 50 years ago in Selma, Alabama, he added. Collectively our effort has to be as loud as the rolling sea to turn back the current (tide) in America.
EAST CHICAGO  The citys emergency management consultant on Friday said he was encouraged by a new joint agreement reached this week between federal agencies that aims to deal with lead contamination of subsidized housing.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency signed the agreement Wednesday, giving the agencies more proactive means to test and clean up contaminated public housing complexes and subsidized multifamily housing on or near Superfund sites, according to The Associated Press.

Were happy to see that theyre collaborating, Cruz said Friday during a meeting with residents of the USS Lead Superfund site. This is going to do nothing but benefit everybody here.

According to the signed agreement, HUD and EPA will start identifying HUD-assisted and public housing units near Superfund locations and expedite those that need immediate action. Then HUD will test the soil at the locations to pinpoint any contamination, according to AP.

East Chicago residents on Friday questioned if the agreement could result in testing properties like the John B. Nicosia Senior Building, which is just northwest of the USS Lead Superfund site. It was first reported in November that some Nicosia residents were testing positive for lead in their blood.

Sherlene Lowe, president of the high-rise buildings Resident Council, said she wants the soil tested and, if warranted, the property to join the EPA's National Priorities List for cleanup.

Weber Insulation Co. operated many years ago at 4821 Railroad Ave., where workers transformed heavy, misshapen metal chunks, known as lead slag, into soft fibre to be used for insulation, documents show.

Jennifer Fiore, deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, said the results from the soil testing will be available within 120 days. She said if contamination is found then HUD and EPA will start remediation work.

"There's going to be a lot of data sharing and communication," Fiore told The Associated Press.
Whatever the weather, Patti Grenchik loves walking on the sand and along the boardwalk at Whitings Lakefront Park and Whihala Beach.

I have a love affair with the lake, said the 53-year-old lifelong Whiting resident. We drive through there after church.

Two elements of Grenchiks lakefront traditions  feeding the seagulls and taking photos  merged this past summer. Her photo of seagulls Taking Flight won the Region Category of The Times End of the Year Photo Contest.

When I was growing up, my favorite book was 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull,'"said Grenchik, an RN. That warm summer day I went to the store to buy bread to feed the seagulls.

A friend sent her the link for The Times End of the Year Photo Contest, and she decided to enter a number of her seagull photos.

Ive never entered my photos in a contest, Grenchik said. I keep my pictures to share with friends and family. Its like opening up my diary.

Winning the top prize in the Region Category left her in shock, Grenchik said. However, she added that focusing attention on Whiting and the Calumet Region thrills her.

I love to see how far Whiting has come. I love sitting on the new benches and seeing the new gazebo, the beauty of the lake, she said about the citys lakefront.

Grenchik was one of nearly 1,300 people who submitted photos in one of the five contest categories which also included Outside the Region, Cubs Victory Celebration, Indiana Bicentennial and Local Sports. More than 3,000 people voted online for their favorite photos in those categories.

As a winner, Grenchik will receive a poster of The Times' front page featuring the Cubs World Series title. Winning photos have been published in The Times this week and will be considered for publication in the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority promotional materials.
Its difficult to define justice. I guess its pretty much in the eye of the beholder.

Justice sometimes is served. Oftentimes its not.

Justice just recently waived its fickle finger in Lake Station.

Thirty years earlier, justice came down in the form of a clenched fist involving the very same allegations.

I spent much too much time in the 1980s in a federal courtroom in Hammond as the government prosecuted judges, other officials and lawyers for their roles in what was called Operation Bar Tab.

Several were convicted of the heinous crime of mail fraud.

What they all conspired to do was withhold from the state some records of convictions for drunken driving and reckless driving.

For the defendants, that meant there would be no points placed against their drivers licenses and no penalties from their insurance companies.

And what did Lake County Court Judges Steven Bielak and Orval Anderson get for their kindness? Well, actually, nothing.

U.S. Attorney James G. Richmond said Bielak never received money for his benevolence.

And, during all those years in court, never did I hear an accusation that a dime changed hands.

Almost a dozen folks were convicted. And they went to prison. Lives were shattered. Careers were lost.

Were they wrong? Sure. Did they deserve to go to prison? I guess that depends on ones interpretation of justice.

Three decades later we have a similar thing happening on a lesser scale.

Miranda Brakley, a former Lake Station City Court clerk, was accused of failing to send the records of drunken-driving convictions and other moving violations to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

The operative word here is accused. She was never charged.

LaPorte County Prosecutor John Espar, who supervised a state police investigation, called Brakleys conduct a general and widespread failure of the courts legal duty.

Espar also said there was no evidence that money changed hands.

One of the keys to what happened in the mid-1980s and what took place in recent years is what the General Assembly did in 2011.

The legislators changed the legal definition of official misconduct in 2011 to decriminalize a public officials failure to perform official duties. Any of Brakleys failures to report convictions to the BMV prior to 2011 are beyond the states five-year statute of limitations.

Was Brakley wrong? Sure. Should she have gone to prison? Again, I guess it depends on ones interpretation of justice.

Had the state penalty for official misconduct been in place back in the 1980s, Bielak and others might not have been prosecuted by the feds, although the mail fraud statute can be draped around almost anything that borders wrongdoing.

Bielak and others went to prison for their wrongdoing. Brakley never was charged for doing the same thing. Some call that justice. Others dont.
YOLA, Nigeria  Three women suicide bombers, including two carrying babies on their backs, detonated explosions Friday at a checkpoint in Nigeria's northeastern town of Madagali where people were being searched before entering a bustling weekly market, witnesses and an official said.

The blasts killed the women, the babies and two self-defense fighters who wanted to search the bombers, they said.

The fighters' challenge likely saved many lives. In December, two women suicide bombers killed 57 people and wounded 177, including 120 children, at the Madagali market. Last week, three girl suicide bombers were killed on the outskirts of the same town.

Residents blamed Boko Haram Islamic extremists for the attacks. Madagali is 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Maiduguri, the largest city in northeast Nigeria and the birthplace of Boko Haram's insurgency.

"They blew up themselves after they were intercepted by local vigilantes stationed at the checkpoint at the entry to town," resident David Abawu said by telephone. "Two vigilantes lost their lives in the process."

Two of the bombers had babies strapped to their backs who also died, Adamawa state spokesman Ahmed Sajo told The Associated Press.

Nigeria's military and civilian self-defense fighters who work with them have intercepted many suicide bombers in recent months.

Boko Haram has used dozens of female suicide bombers, including girls as young as 7, raising questions about whether some of them are coming from their thousands of kidnap victims. A Nigerian army bomb disposal expert also has said some explosives carried by suicide bombers are being detonated remotely, indicating the carriers may not be acting of their free will.

President Muhammadu Buhari declared last month that Boko Haram had been crushed, but it is unlikely there will be a swift end to the suicide bombings and attacks on remote villages and army outposts.

Boko Haram's seven-year uprising has killed more than 20,000 people, driven 2.6 million from their homes and created a massive humanitarian crisis. The U.N. says 5.1 million people in Nigeria are facing starvation.
Police have made an arrest in connection to the death of a man whose body was found in his Upper West Side apartment.

Daquan King, 23, is charged with second-degree murder.

The victim, Savyon Zabar, was found dead in a bedroom in his apartment on West 81st Street near Amsterdam Avenue on January 4.

The medical examiners office says Zabar was strangled and reported the cause of death as "compression of neck."

Zabar, also known as Big Ben, was well-known in the gay nightlife scene and had been the owner of a club.

Sources say King was a regular visitor to the apartment. According to sources, he was Zabar's masseur, and the two men may have had a sexual relationship.
Charges against a man who said he was arrested for videotaping police officers were dropped this week. This is a follow-up to a story NY1's Criminal Justice reporter Dean Meminger first brought you over the summer.

Jose LaSalle says he was wrongfully arrested twice within 24 hours in August after he recorded NYPD officers carrying out what looked like stop-and-frisks at a Bronx public housing development.

This week The Bronx district attorney dropped all the charges against LaSalle, including illegal possession of a police radio, and the case is now sealed.

LaSalle is the leader of an activist group called Cop Watch Patrol. He and his lawyer defend the act of videotaping police activity.

"We (are) putting our bodies on the line to the point that we could get arrested, we could get falsely charged, sometimes we could even get assaulted and sometimes god forbid, something worse can happen," LaSalle said.

"Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation in which individuals who exercise their first amendment right to videotape encounters involving the police and do not interfere, wind up on the other side in being arrested themselves," said attorney Jeffrey Emdin.

LaSalle says he's still waiting to get his smartphones back from the NYPD, and that he'll continue to monitor and record police encounters.
The ACLU of Southern California on Friday made public a proposal to settle a 2015 federal civil rights lawsuit against Laguna Beach over treatment of disabled and mentally ill homeless individuals.

The ACLU released the document in the hope of convincing the city to continue settlement talks  and to bring public pressure  before a trial set for April, said Eve Garrow, homelessness policy analyst for the ACLUs Orange County office.

Weve also drafted a letter to engage local stakeholders to sign on to and encourage the city council to consider the settlement proposal and jump-start these talks again, Garrow said.

The court complaint alleges aggressive policing of disabled homeless people violates their constitutional rights and that the city-run Alternative Sleeping Location homeless shelter on Laguna Canyon Road is not in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The proposed settlement calls for law enforcement reforms and other measures that include: a commitment of land and/or funds for permanent supportive housing; hiring a coordinator to ensure compliance with the ADA; and providing job opportunities for homeless individuals, particularly those with disabilities.

Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig issued a response to the settlement demands late Friday in a community letter that characterized the ACLUs tactics as a misguided effort to disparage the compassionate, effective, and best-in-county efforts of the city.

The City has been engaged in discussions with the ACLU, overseen by the assigned magistrate judge, to determine whether an agreeable resolution is possible, Pietig wrote in the statement, declining to speak on the matter. Unfortunately, the ACLUs demands thus far remain unreasonable.

In a previous lawsuit, the ACLU in 2008 challenged a Laguna Beach ordinance that allowed police to ticket homeless individuals who had no place to sleep. That case was settled the following year when the city agreed to repeal sections of the ordinance that prohibited sleeping or camping in public places.

The city has operated the Alternative Sleeping Location shelter continuously since 2010, Pietig said. He pointed out in his statement that the site remains the only municipally-funded homeless shelter in the county.

The complaint filed by the ACLU in August 2015 stems from what the civil rights organization said was a reinstatement of the prohibitions and renewed ticketing that allegedly target homeless individuals with mental or physical disabilities.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com
BATON ROUGE, LA. (AP)  A Louisiana man who was born in an Indonesian refugee camp is asking a federal judge to immediately block enforcement of a state law that prevents him and other immigrants from getting married because they cant produce birth certificates.

A court filing Friday by attorneys for Lafayette resident Viet Victor Anh Vo asks for a preliminary injunction that would allow him and others to obtain marriage licenses. The court didnt immediately rule on the request.

Vo originally sued in October to challenge recent changes in the states marriage laws. The legislations Republican sponsor said it was designed to crack down on people using sham marriages to gain visas and citizenship. Vos suit claims the law violates his constitutional rights and discriminates against foreign-born people.

Vo, 31, has lived in Louisiana since he was an infant and became a U.S. citizen when he was 8 years old. But he doesnt have any official record of his 1985 birth in an Indonesian refugee camp after his parents fled Vietnam. Vietnamese and Indonesian authorities didnt officially recognize his birth or issue his family a birth certificate, according to his suit.

Vo and his U.S.-born fiancee, Heather Pham, spent thousands of dollars on their wedding before a court clerk rejected their application for a marriage license last year. The couple went ahead with Februarys ceremony without a license to make it official.

Mr. Vo and his fiancee are devastated and feel a loss of hope as a result of being denied the right to legally marry in their home state, Fridays court filing says.

Vo and Pham could have petitioned a judge to waive the birth certificate requirement if they had applied for a marriage license before the laws changes took effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

But the amended law eliminated the waiver option for foreign-born applicants. U.S.-born applicants who cant produce a birth certificate are still eligible for judicial waivers.

State Rep. Valarie Hodges, who sponsored the changes in the marriage law, has said she will push for another amendment that would allow foreign-born people who are legally in the U.S. to get married here if they cant produce a birth certificate. Hodges said it was basically a technical oversight that they werent eligible for judicial waivers under her legislation.

Louisianas next regular legislative session starts in April.

Among the defendants named in the lawsuit are State Health Secretary Rebekah Gee, whose department compiles marriage licenses and other vital records, and the court clerks for three south Louisiana parishes.

Vo is represented by attorneys from the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice and the National Immigration Law Center, a Los Angeles-based group that advocates for immigrants rights.

This story has been corrected to show Vo originally sued in October, not November.
A community college teacher who attracted national attention for describing the election of Donald Trump as an act of terrorism said her comments were meant to comfort her students, not ignite political controversy.

Olga Perez Stable Cox defended her statements  secretly videotaped by a student in clips that went viral online and made national news last month.

I didnt say anything wrong or do anything wrong. I didnt say anything that thousands of Americans werent feeling or saying, Cox, 66, said in a recent interview at her home. I dont regret it.

To those who demand the Orange Coast College instructor apologize for making statements such as We have been assaulted, Cox said no apology would be forthcoming. She also denied telling students to stand up if they voted for Trump.

Instead, Cox repeatedly labeled the secret filming, and what has happened since the video clips ricocheted across television screens and online forums, as an attack on her.

She said the videotaping was premeditated and part of a national campaign to intimidate liberal professors. Her name, which became fodder for conservative talk hosts such as Bill OReilly and Tucker Carlson, now appears on a Professor Watchlist, a project of a conservative group called Turning Point USA to expose college professors who discriminate against conservative students.

My privacy has been demolished. And thats awful. Im a very private person. And its very scary, said Cox, sitting in her living room along with her longtime partner, who asked not to be identified.

The two women left town for about a week last month because, they said, they feared for Coxs safety following angry emails and threats, including one that displayed her home address. Her last week of classes was canceled. The couple disconnected their home phone. They are considering a safety alarm system.

The Costa Mesa Police Department said it is investigating threats against Cox. Last week, police and a Hazmat unit arrived at the Costa Mesa campus to investigate a letter that contained a suspicious powder. It wasnt dangerous, authorities determined.

We were terrorized, said Cox. We were afraid people were going to follow us  that they were going to follow on their suggestions, that I should be shot in the face and things like that.

College officials said they are investigating the matter and looking into whether Coxs comments were appropriate in the context of her class.

But in a Dec. 12 joint statement with faculty and union representatives, OCC President Dennis Harkins said the administration supports instructors rights to respectfully respond to student questions and to express views that may challenge student opinions, world view, or ideology. The administration and faculty, they said, do not condone violations of an instructors syllabus, district code of conduct and California Education Code that prohibit recording in class without prior consent.

College officials are investigating whether the student who videotaped Cox violated school code and other laws.

On Thursday, three leaders from the campus College Republicans learned that the college has expanded its investigation and is looking into whether they, too, possibly violated the schools student code of conduct by posting the anonymously taped video on their Facebook page Dec. 6.

The 18-year-old leader of the College Republicans said they have been targeted because of their political ideology.

Its frightening they are using Gestapo-like tactics on our students, said Joshua Recalde-Martinez, the clubs president.

The controversy began when Cox opened her three human sexuality classes on Nov. 15 and 16 by talking about the election. The videos that went viral were taken during the evening class on Nov. 15.

The first clip opens with her referring to someone as a white supremacist. Students said she was referring to Trump. She said she doesnt remember.

Why bring up the election in a human sexuality class?

It was just a few moments to acknowledge an experience most of us were having, Cox said.

Cox said it was relevant because many students had earlier approached her and expressed fears of what a Trump presidency would mean to gays, Latinos and other minorities  a fear she said she shares as a woman, as a Latina, as a lesbian, as a refugee.

She said her goal was to assure the students, many of them minorities, that they were safe on campus and to provide them with coping tools and resources should they face discrimination following the election of a president who has called for a registry of Muslims and the deportation of undocumented immigrants.

When asked whether she provides a safe space for conservative students who disagree with her, she said: My class is a safe space for everybody. And any student that wants to can raise their hand and share their opinion.

Asked several times whether she could understand why her choice of words could make conservative students feel uncomfortable or insulted, Cox said she could not control how others interpreted her statements.

What did she mean then when she called the election an act of terrorism? Are people who voted for Trump terrorists?

I was talking about feelings people had feeling betrayed. I didnt attack anyone.

I never said anyone was a terrorist.  A lot of us were in pain and were afraid because of all the things that had been said throughout the campaign and all the ways women and minority groups had been disrespected and made fun of.

My goal was to help create a safe space for (students)  to reassure them and help them deal with the fears and feelings they were having.

Cox insisted that the student who taped her was on a gotcha mission commissioned by the schools College Republicans to target liberal teachers on campus.

Its part of a national campaign to, I guess, destroy liberal education, she said. By attacking me, theyre hoping to intimidate and scare others to not open their mouths. This is an attack on freedom of speech.

Leaders from the schools College Republicans and their attorney, Shawn Steel, called Coxs claims ludicrous.

Recalde-Martinez acknowledged working for a couple of months early last year as a field representative for Turning Point USA, the organization that placed Coxs name on its professor watch list, but he denied having a role in seeing Coxs name added to the list.

Members of the College Republicans were advised to document if anyone felt attacked on campus, he said.

I never said go out and record your professors, he said, noting that no one from the club gave Cox a script to read. That was her rant.

Recalde-Martinez said he and his group posted the video clips online after first approaching Orange Coast College administrators with their concerns and not hearing back from them.

Recalde-Martinez said he has received threatening hate mail, too. And so has Steel, who has called for Coxs firing.

Coxs rhetoric, Steel said, amounted to bullying.

Cox asked students to stand up and show the rest of the class who to watch out for and protect yourself from, according to Tanner Webb of Huntington Beach, one of two students not affiliated with the College Republicans who stepped forward last month to say Cox asked Trump supporters to identify themselves.

I think Mrs. Cox is a good teacher when teaching the curriculum and I have enjoyed her class, said Webb, who described himself as apolitical. Webb was in a different class than the one that was videotaped, but in his session, Cox continually bashed on Trump supporters, belittling them and making it seem like every person who voted for Trump was an LGBT community hating white supremacist.

Cox denies it.

I never did that.

What I said was, for those of you who are happy that your candidate won, celebrate. Stand up, cheer. Whatever. It was generic. It wasnt stand up now. It wasnt that at all. That didnt happen.

With the holidays over, Orange Coast College is open again, but Cox is skipping teaching the short session between semesters. She plans to be back at work at the end of the month.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7829 or rkopetman@scng.com and twitter@roxanakopetman
ANAHEIM  Family members of the victims of this weeks murder-kidnapping at an Anaheim motel pleaded for the publics help Friday in finding the suspect  a 35-year-old transient on the lam after fleeing in an orange Nissan Cube.

Luke Theodore Lampers, 35, is suspected of fatally shooting Douglas Navarro, 49, of Anaheim during a dispute and then forcing 23-year-old Brianne Deese into his car at gunpoint, said Sgt. Daron Wyatt of the Anaheim Police Department.

It wont bring my son back, but it could help her, said Linda Navarro, 69. Please call somebody.

At a Friday press conference, new details emerged about what occurred Wednesday evening at the Crystal Inn on Lincoln Avenue, just east of Brookhurst Street.

Deese, who had some type of relationship with Lampers in the past, had at one point stayed at the Crystal Inn, although investigators are still unsure when and for how long, Wyatt said.

Prior to the shooting, Lampers took Deese from the motel, possibly by force, Wyatt said. It is unknown how long the two were away from the motel, but on Wednesday evening they returned.

Deese tried to enter an area where she was not authorized, he added. Navarro, who was staying at the motel with his mother, a maid and maintenance worker there, told Deese that she wasnt allowed in the area.

Lampers got out of his car and shot Navarro around 7:30 p.m., Wyatt said. He then forced Deese into the car at gunpoint and fled.

I guess he would say he was Superman, Linda Navarro said of her son, tears streaming down her cheeks. He thought he could save the world.

He was my best friend, she added.

Deeses father, David Deese, described his daughter as beautiful, smart and kind  but fighting a battle with addiction.

Her drug of choice was heroin, he said. She found the path of drugs at an early age. It was very hard to find her the help she needed. 

There is no stronger bond than a parents love for their child, he said. She means the world to me, and I need her back.

Wyatt stressed that drugs do not seem to be central to the case.

Lampers car has a California license plate number of 6SOY425.

Wyatt warned that Lampers or his vehicle should not be approached  just call 911. To report tips anonymously, call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227).

Contact the writer: 714-796-6979 or chaire@scng.com
On an afternoon earmarked for Christmas shopping, my car battery went kaput. Annoying.

Then a friendly AAA guy showed up on my front porch raving about the doorbell he had just rung. All my frustrations instantly melted away.

A camera! he gushed. I love it!

My photographer husband found the objet dart at the OC Fair many moons ago. Its flash is the doorbells button.

Without a passing glance at my comatose Kia, he continued to survey my humble kingdom  commenting on the gargoyle in the ivy and the trio of bird tiles plastered in stucco above the garage.

Peering inside the entryway, the visitor complimented a colorful glass bowl  aglow with glittery, minilight-illuminated balls of grapevine. Last holiday season, I threw together the simple decoration in minutes and later deemed it too perennially cute to pack away.

Are you an artist? he asked, still looking around. I love all your details.

I assured him I am not much of an artist  just someone who appreciates details and the people who appreciate details.

Details, details, details  the unexpected flourishes that wholly personalize your home.

In my cozy abode, they are the floral towel hooks, the rococo drawer pulls, the Caribbean school bus toilet paper holder, the baubles dangling from ceiling fan chains, the globe finial rising out of a lampshade.

Clay birds that once belonged to a mobile I bought in Guatemala fly on delicate threads from our wrought-iron chandelier.

While installing solid interior doors some 15 years back, my husband and I picked up typical brass knobs at Home Depot. Dont you want something that makes more of a statement? our contractor asked.

Why not? Mike and I recalled our admiration for the red crystal doorknob Bruce Willis kept fiddling with in The Sixth Sense. (This is how we get our inspiration.) So with the help of Ganahl Lumber, we ordered antique-style crystal knobs in amethyst, topaz and emerald. Ironically, the manufacturer did not offer ruby.

Other embellishments, too, quickly became subtle but significant facets of our houses personality: the garland of stars draped across the mantel, the garland of wooden animals draped across a bathroom window, the dozens of tin milagros scattered everywhere  including an armadillo, rooster, burro, fish, turtle, snail and coyote bordering our master bathroom ceiling.

Along those lines, tiny photos in tiny frames make sweet eye-catchers that fit between the molding of close-set hallway doors.

Like that bowl of lights, some decor originally intended for the holidays can enchant year-round. Twin handmade ceramic poinsettias, for instance, hang above both sides of a passageway into our kitchen. They and the three stars above the dining area door once beautified the Christmas tree at the Texas governors mansion when my mother served as a docent there.

I like displaying stuff in the space above doors. I find mirror-imaging fun  such as with the vintage-looking clocks, one tangerine and one turquoise, on each side of the kitchen/dining area archway.

All the beige plastic light-switch plates in our house gradually have been usurped by more unconventional varieties. Here a gecko, there a tropical hut, here a calla lily, there an angel.

I have saved both the best and the least for last  minuscule magnetic charms randomly stuck on various door hinges, so unassuming that I had to go on a hunt to remember their locations.

Reminiscent of Monopoly and Clue game pieces, these are niche details in the extreme  scarcely notable to the naked eye. My own collection of hinge jewelry includes Rios Christ the Redeemer, a bucking bronco, a dog (of course), a ballerina, a cowboy and, my pride and joy, a flag-planting astronaut.

Designed by Los Angeles artists, the pewter curios sell for $20 each on the website hingeheads.com. Go ahead and peruse. You will be enraptured. Maybe.

I ordered a boatload for Christmas gifts several years ago, but soon intuited that some recipients didnt quite know what to make of such unabashedly trifling trinkets. It wasnt the first time, nor will it be the last, that my enthusiasm to share new-found novelties has been met with head scratching.

Oh, details, details.

Contact the writer: sgoulding@scng.com
Authorities on Saturday identified a 29-year-old Arizona woman who was killed when the pickup truck she was riding in skidded on wet pavement and crashed into a FedEx truck on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway in Buena Park.

Isabel Brewer of Phoenix died in the crash that occurred about 1 a.m. on Friday on the southbound 5 Freeway south of Stanton Avenue, according to the Orange County Coroner.

Brewer was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, authorities said.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 34-year-old man, was transported to UCI Medical Center in critical condition.

City News Service contributed to this report.
SANTA ANA  A woman accused of framing her husbands ex-fiancee as a dangerous stalker in a bizarre Craigslist rape fantasy plot pleaded not guilty on Friday to multiple criminal charges.

Angela Diaz, 31, was accused of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perjury for allegedly framing 30-year-old Michelle Hadley of Ontario.

Diaz, who was arrested and extradited from Arizona this week, made her first appearance in Orange County Superior Court on Friday. She remained in custody in lieu of $1.1 million bail.

Authorities said Diaz called police twice last year saying that strange men were showing up at her Anaheim condo in response to rape fantasy ads on Craigslist.

Diaz told police that Hadley had been stalking her and was the culprit behind the ads, authorities said. There were threatening emails supposedly sent by Hadley as well.

Hadley went to jail for months. Later, authorities changed course, arrested Diaz and dropped the charges against Hadley, who they now say was set up.

Hadleys attorney, Michael Guisti, said on Friday that she has filed a claim against the city of Anaheim alleging a civil rights violation and wrongful arrest. A claim is the first step before a lawsuit can be filed.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has said authorities had good reason to arrest and charge Hadley for safety concerns, because of the continuing email threats and responses on Craigslist, and an Anaheim Police Department spokesman has said there was strong evidence.

Hadley dated her former fiance, a U.S. Marshals Service agent, from 2013 to 2015, prosecutors said. He married Diaz in February 2016. Diaz and her husband have separated and are going through a divorce, a prosecutor has said.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com
How many times have you seen a beautiful home in a movie and thought, Wow, I could just move right in?

Hollywood has long been a source of inspiration for fashion and design trends. When it comes to I want that look rooms  especially kitchens  one director-designer team has dominated the scene for more than a decade: Nancy Meyers and Jon Hutman.

Meyers, Hollywoods highest-paid female director, makes films with strong, likable women in leading roles. In Somethings Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006) and Its Complicated (2009), Diane Keaton, Cameron Diaz and Meryl Streep live in upscale houses with spectacularly stylish kitchens that share certain traits: pale neutral colors dominated by white, lots of counter space and natural light, and open designs in which the kitchen and larger living space are separated by an island. Flower arrangements, fruit bowls and other non-permanent elements provide splashes of color.

Hutmans sets for these three films have made the best movie kitchen lists on thekitchn.com, Food52 and other popular websites. He has probably exerted more influence on the look of the contemporary kitchen than even the most popular interior-design professional.

The white kitchen has been popular for several years, and not just because of Hollywood. Houzz explains some of the reasons for its enduring success: White makes a space look bigger and airier, and enhances other design elements. Wood floors look richer against white, pendant lights stand out as sculptural elements, and stainless steel appliances sparkle.

He didnt invent the look

Hutman studied architecture as an undergraduate at Yale University and admired Yale professor and legendary theatrical scenic designer Ming Cho Lee. I was an unofficial hanger-on at Yales school of drama, which has a great set design program, he said of his college days.

While Hutman admits to a fascination with domestic design, he is reluctant to take any personal credit for influencing contemporary kitchen trends. Yes, I know people love the kitchens in those movies that Nancy made. But heres what I think: I didnt invent any of these looks. Im just a guy who designs sets for movies.

Hutman thinks that movie-goers are influenced by plot and character as much as anything else when they identify with a set.

When people like a (movie) kitchen they are responding to the story, even if they dont consciously know it. If they like the character, they like the place where she lives. Meyers characters, Hutman said, are positive yet plausible role models for women, who usually call the shots in matters of kitchen redesign.

Hutman says his ideas and inspirations always emanate from story and character. My approach to doing a stylish romantic comedy is the same as for Unbroken.  (Hutman was the scenic designer for director Angelina Jolies harrowing historical drama about an American prisoner enduring grim hardships during World War II.) I try to get inside that world and make everything real and specific. And I pay attention to what the character is telling me about herself.

Hutman says his success in making kitchens seem real and desirable is partly attributable to his research.

When we did Somethings Gotta Give we shot in the Hamptons. I scouted every house of a certain style and size in the area. I did thorough research in books and magazines. The same process is true of Its Complicated and The Holiday. I look at how real people in that social sphere actually live.

Comfortably chic

In Somethings Gotta Give, The Holiday and Its Complicated, Hutman worked with respected Los Angeles interior designer James Radin, whose airy and spare interiors, casual yet subtly informed by classicism, bear a strong family resemblance to domestic interiors in the Hutman-Meyers films.

We worked with him in the same way youd work with a historical researcher, Hutman said. He would show us what was going on in his world and what he thought would be next. What we were able to do was not invent a style but take a style that already existed and bring it to another, slightly more advanced level.

Hutman points to the Hamptons, the well-heeled Long Island setting of Somethings Gotta Give, as a possible wellspring for the white kitchen movement that he helped to create. A typical Hamptons beach house, which is where that character lived, is essentially all white with pops of color here and there.

But that Hamptons style, Hutman suggested, is itself a co-opting of other, more downscale looks. A lot of elements in the typical Hamptons home, like the white cupboards and the shingle-style exteriors, is an imitation of elements that you find in older houses in Nantucket and on Marthas Vine-yard and Cape Cod.

All these sources share a common goal, Hutman believes: Casual elegance. Its chic but comfortable, stylish but approachable, always relaxed and airy  a place where good cooking and good living are one and the same.

Hutman is surprised that a style so deeply rooted in Americas Northeast has taken flight in far-flung parts of the country.

But such universal adoption of geographically specific styles has happened before.

There was a period of time when everyone wanted a Santa Fe-looking house. That style was rooted in a very specific time and place and culture, but it didnt stop people in other parts of the world from embracing it.

Hutman shies away from predicting kitchen design trends. But he is confident the next generation of stylish movie kitchens will exhibit the same qualities that his famous sets have. Theyll reflect the character who inhabits them. And if that character is likable, if people relate to her, then theyll want to have her world too.

The film: Somethings Gotta Give (2003)

The character: Diane

Keaton is successful playwright Erica Barry, who strikes up an unlikely romance with Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson), a music mogul who was originally dating Ericas daughter.

The look: Ericas Hamptons beach home has a huge kitchen thats predominantly white, with contrasting dark countertops, a large central island, plenty of natural light from windows over the sink and French doors. A vase of hydrangeas and bowls of fruit provide brilliant pops of color.

The film: The Holiday (2006)

The character: Cameron Diaz is Amanda Woods, a workaholic who owns a Los Angeles company that produces movie trailers.

The look: The airy kitchen gets natural light from two huge windows flanking the stove as well as a side window. Its black cabinets and gray countertops contrast with off-white walls, pale beige slip-covered stools and chairs, and a lightly stained farmhouse table. A bowl of red apples is the only note of saturated color.

The film: Its Complicated (2009)

The character: Meryl Streep is Jane, who owns a successful bakery in Santa Barbara.

The look: The kitchen in Janes Spanish colonial home isnt large, but a commanding window above the sink looks out onto the attractive yard. White walls and dishware and a marble-topped island contrast with brown Saltillo floor tiles and black chairs. Bowls of ripe fruit and bunches of leafy greens add color.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@scng.com
JERUSALEM  In a strong message to Israel and the incoming Trump administration, dozens of countries are expected this weekend to reiterate their opposition to Israeli settlements and call for the establishment of a Palestinian state as the only way to ensure peace in the region.

France is hosting more than 70 countries on Sunday at a Mideast peace summit, in what will be a final chance for the Obama administration to lay out its positions for the region.

According to a draft statement obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the conference will urge Israel and the Palestinians to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution.

It also will affirm that the international community will not recognize changes to Israels pre-1967 lines without agreement by both sides.

The draft says that participants will affirm that a negotiated solution with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, is the only way to achieve enduring peace.

Israel has settled some 600,000 of its citizens in the West Bank and east Jerusalem  occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast war.

The summit comes on the heels of a U.N. Security Council resolution last month that condemned the settlements as illegal. The resolution passed 14-0 after the United States declined to use its traditional veto power and instead abstained.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is attending Sundays summit as one of his last international appearances in official capacity, said in a farewell speech last month that Israels continued settlement growth threatens the possibility of a two-state solution. He also criticized Palestinian attacks on civilians and incitement to violence.

On Sunday, a Palestinian truck driver rammed his vehicle into a crowd of Israeli soldiers at a popular Jerusalem tourist spot, killing four people and wounding 17 others in the deadliest single attack of more than a year of violence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a return to the 1967 lines, and many members of his nationalist coalition oppose Palestinian independence and support expanded settlements.

Netanyahu has rejected the U.N. resolution and accuses the Obama administration of conspiring behind Israels back. Israel has refused to participate in the French conference, which Netanyahu on Thursday claimed was rigged against his country.

The Palestinians, who also are not invited to this weekends conference, have welcomed the French initiative. In recent years, they have campaigned for the international community to assume a greater role in resolving the conflict.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit France in the coming weeks to follow up on the conference.

Netanyahu rejects international attempts to impose a solution and says peace can only be reached through direction negotiations.

On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande said the conference aims at ensuring the support of the international community for the two-state solution as a reference for future direct negotiations.

I cannot accept the status quo, letting people think that the conflict would resolve itself. It is not true. That is why France took the initiative of a conference on Middle East, Hollande said. The objective is to reaffirm the support of the international community to the two-state solution and ensure that this solution remains the reference. But I see that has weakened, on the ground and in the minds (of the people). If we let it decay, it would be a risk for the security of Israel.

French diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media about the event, said the timing of the conference  days before U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration  is intentional and meant to present him with a collective international push for peace once he takes office.

Trump has not yet laid out a clear policy for the region, but has signaled he will be more sympathetic to Israels hard-line right than previous administrations. While indicating an eagerness to broker a peace agreement, his election platform did not mention a Palestinian state.

In a possible sign of that new approach, the West Bank settlers council said Friday it has been invited to send a delegation to Donald Trumps presidential inauguration next week. It said that Oded Revivi, chairman of the Yesha settlers council, will lead the delegation. He will be joined by Benny Kasriel, mayor of Maaleh Adumim, a large settlement next to Jerusalem.

Revivi said the invitation is a clear indication that the new administration understands the importance of his group. He says he is looking forward to working with our new friends in the White House.

Trump has appointed David Friedman, a Jewish-American lawyer with close ties to the settlement movement, as his ambassador to Israel. Trump also has vowed to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step the Palestinians strongly oppose.

In their confirmation hearings, Trumps Cabinet picks have voiced mixed messages. His nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said a two-state solution is the dream that everyone is in pursuit of, but he also questioned its feasibility.
WARSAW, Poland  Polish leaders welcomed U.S. troops to their country Saturday, with the defense minister expressing gratitude for their arrival and calling it the fulfillment of a dream Poles have had for decades.

The ceremony in the western Polish town of Zagan comes some 23 years after the last Soviet troops left Poland. It marks a new historic moment  the first time Western forces are being deployed on a continuous basis to NATOs eastern flank. The move has infuriated Moscow.

We have waited for you for a very long time, Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz told the troops as snow fell. We waited for decades, sometimes feeling we had been left alone, sometimes almost losing hope, sometimes feeling that we were the only one who protected civilization from aggression that came from the east.

The American deployment includes an armored brigade of 3,500 American troops from Fort Carson, Colorado. It comes in reactions to Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and its backing of separatist insurgents in Ukraines east.

Those actions have frightened many in Poland, the Baltic states and other countries in Eastern Europe that were once under Moscows control.

The Polish government organized several other events across the country, including in downtown Warsaw, to welcome the Americans.

This is an important day for Poland, for Europe, for our common defense, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said.

The troops are due to fan out across seven countries from Estonia to Bulgaria for exercises. A headquarters unit will be stationed in Germany. After nine months they will be replaced by another unit.

NATO will also deploy four multinational battalions to its eastern flank later this year, one each to Poland and the three Baltic states. The U.S. will also lead one of those battalions.

The Kremlin has denounced all these deployments, saying it considers them a threat to its own security and interests.
Sacramentos agenda isnt always in sync with Washingtons, regardless of which party controls the White House. And given the recent posturing by Democratic legislators in the Golden State, California is likely to be in greater conflict than typical with the incoming Trump administration. However much friction will ensue over any number of issues, California leaders ought not pre-emptively antagonize the Trump administration. Instead, they should attempt to work with it on a whole host of issues.

One particular issue that needs immediate attention for California, the administration and Congress is creating a fix to the discrepancies between state and federal law on marijuana. Its not the foremost issue. Its not the only issue. But it is most certainly economically and socially consequential, and has sweeping ramifications for the Golden State and other states with similar marijuana laws.

The problem is nettlesome: With the passage of Proposition 64 last year, marijuana is legal under state law but remains illegal under federal laws, causing remarkable financial and criminal issues for California and other states with laws permitting marijuana cultivation, sale and consumption  whether for medical or recreational purposes.

The root of this disconnect is found in the Controlled Substance Act, which categorizes marijuana as a Schedule I drug. That means, according to federal law, pot is a drug with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Because the federal government considers marijuana to be unlawful and dangerous, its fair game for the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Justice Department. The Obama administration essentially has taken a hands-off approach, but thats not enough  there needs to be clarity and predictability in the law and enforcement. It should not be a policy that changes on a whim from administration to administration.

Considering that some estimates suggest that marijuana has the potential to be a $25 billion industry for California, and tax revenues could top $1.5 billion, there is a lot at stake.

Some California Democratic political leaders recognize the issue and have already begun attempting to work with Washington on this particular policy, seeking some necessary common ground where there otherwise appears to be little. California Treasurer John Chiang recently sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump asking for a resolution on the issue.

His letter astutely noted that the discrepancy in law creates a number of difficulties for states that have legalized cannabis use, including collecting taxes, increased risk of serious crime and the inability of a legal industry under state law to engage in banking and commerce.

Of the issues Chiang raised, banking is the most serious. Because marijuana is illegal under federal laws, banks will not accept deposits from marijuana businesses because they could be prosecuted for doing so. That means legal marijuana operators in California, Colorado and elsewhere are largely cash businesses, storing cash in safes instead of banks. And, as any police officer would tell you, cash businesses are targets for serious crime.

Since Prop. 64 takes effect in 2018, there is only a year to ramp up the policies California will need to transition effectively to legalized pot. It will be a chore to get a handle on the discrepancies with federal law as it stands today. If Trump opts to shift or muddy enforcement rules, however, Sacramento could face an insurmountable hurdle. Uncertainty about the position of your administration creates even more of a challenge, Chiang warned, imploring Trump to adopt a simple, smart and necessary approach to reconciling conflicting laws.

So far, Trumps cabinet choices do not offer clarity as to how hed handle Chiangs request. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Trumps pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, sued Colorado (unsuccessfully) to block it from legalizing marijuana. And Trumps designate to run the Department of Homeland Security, Gen. John Kelly, has recently argued that legal pot hurts the drug war by signaling hypocrisy to the Latin American cartels he worked to oppose as the former chief of U.S. Southern Command. Finally, and most importantly, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, a key Trump supporter nominated for the position of attorney general, has long been an outspoken foe of legalization.

Nevertheless, influential pot industry figures are fairly optimistic that Trump wont mire his administration in a costly and divisive fight thats outside his core group of priority issues like infrastructure and jobs. California Cannabis Industry Association Executive Director Nate Bradley, for instance, told USA Today that marijuana advocates are hopeful that states rights principles will tip Trump away from pushing Sessions views.

In his confirmation hearing last week, Sessions told fellow senators, The United States Congress has made the possession of marijuana in every state, and distribution of it, an illegal act. So if thats something thats not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule. Sessions intentionally or unintentionally signaled to Congress that if they are worried about drug law enforcement, then the onus is on them to change the laws. Congress should do so swiftly.

For Trump, he ought to view continued liberalization of federal drug policy as a prudent, efficient and legitimate part of the broader reform agenda most Republicans (and many Americans) hope to see him pursue. While California is increasingly portrayed today as a maverick or ideological outlier on any number of policies, on pot its clearly part of a swift, but thoughtful, nationwide trend. Medical and recreational marijuana legalization is on the march, not only on the coasts but also in the Mountain West and beyond. Trump does not need to become a pot advocate or activist in order to let federalism do its work on pot.

California should recognize that pot policy is one example of the many issues it needs the Trump administration to settle. Antagonizing and posturing against Trump for political purposes could have unintended consequences, starting with marijuana. If Trumps administration oversteps, challenge it, but state officials should try to find common ground, at least to start. Marijuana law could be a place to begin.

Brian Calle is Opinion Editor for the Southern California News Group.
Southern California contractor among first to install renewable energy storage systems in homes

When people think of renewable energy storage, they may think of large-scale systems such as hydroelectric dams or solar plants that capture heat from the sun and store the energy in water, molten salts or other fluids.

But batteries are the most ubiquitous and consumer-friendly form of renewable energy storage  and now, theyre starting to be installed in homes (with or without solar panels) to not only be used in the event of blackouts, but to reduce monthly utility bills by up to 25 percent. This new solution is due to a shift in utility regulations in the summer of 2014 which allowed for battery backups.

Thats the word from Joseph Flournoy, who two years ago founded his own company, Energy Renovation Center, that since December has been installing in homes a new AC battery product made by Enphase Energy Inc. of Petaluma, Calif. Josephs company is part of Renovate Americas network of home improvement contractors who are approved to offer HERO Program financing to customers.

In November, Enphases system became the first in North America to receive UL 9540 certification  a stamp of approval from Underwriters Laboratories, a global safety science organization, the company said in a news release. Basically, its like a savings account, Flournoy said of the Enphase energy storage system, which helps lower utility demand. For example, during peak usage times, a homeowner can use power stored in the battery rather than on the electrical grid, reducing usage and therefore the monthly electric bill as well.

When used in conjunction with solar panels, homeowners who purchase an Enphase system can deduct 30 percent of the cost of installing it as part of the federal solar tax credit, said Flournoy, whose Southern California-based company specializes in solar, HVAC, windows and roofs.

Flournoy expects the new Enphase renewable energy storage system to further fuel the growth of his general contracting company, which last year worked on more than 300 homes in Southern California. Flournoy said the HERO Program accounts for about 85 percent of his business. For me, its been huge, Flournoy said.

Since 2011, the HERO Program, the nations leading provider of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, has been partnering with municipalities to offer innovative financing to homeowners for energy-efficient, renewable energy and water-saving home improvement projects.

The HERO Program allows homeowners to make energy- and water-saving improvements to their homes with no money upfront and to pay for them over time through voluntary assessments to their property tax bill. Since its inception, HERO has financed $2.10 billion in home energy and efficiency improvements in 86,900 homes. A total of 442 communities within 49 of Californias 58 counties have adopted HERO.

Flournoy said that in addition to allowing homeowners to afford a vast array of home improvements  from solar panels to artificial turf to double-paned windows  HERO has other big plusses. I love the fact that HERO has its own compliance department, which not only protects us but also homeowners, he said. And unlike banks, which only are interested in the financing side of transactions, the professionals at HERO really have a deep understand of the contracting business, which makes the process go a lot smoother.
BOUAKE, Ivory Coast  Ivory Coast announced a deal Friday night to end a standoff with soldiers who staged a mutiny last week, though the terms were not confirmed and it was unclear whether security would be fully restored in Africas fastest-growing economy.

The deal was reached after tense negotiations in Bouake, the countrys second-largest city, between soldiers and a delegation led by the defense minister, said government spokesman Bruno Kone.

In the hours before the deal was announced, hundreds of soldiers converged on the house where the negotiations were taking place, and gunfire erupted at multiple military bases in Abidjan, the commercial capital.

The mutineers demands included unpaid bonuses, higher salaries, faster promotions and improved living conditions. The bonuses amounted to nearly $20,000 each for more than 8,000 soldiers, according to several people who participated in the negotiations.

Officials would not confirm the terms of the deal, but one soldier, who insisted on anonymity, said the government had agreed to pay the bonuses in installments beginning with payments of over $8,000 to each soldier on Monday. If accurate, the resolution could end up costing the government over $150 million for the bonuses alone.

It is the second time the government has announced a deal to end the standoff. President Alassane Ouattara said a deal was reached Jan. 7, one day after the mutiny began.

But almost as soon as that first deal was announced, some soldiers in Bouake made clear they were dissatisfied with it, firing their weapons and temporarily holding the defense minister hostage.

Ouattara came to power in 2011 after a postelection crisis that claimed more than 3,000 lives. The crisis was triggered by former President Laurent Gbagbos refusal to accept defeat and step down. It capped more than a decade of turmoil that began with the countrys first coup in 1999.

Ivory Coast has seen about 10 mutinies since 1990, with the most recent taking place in 2014.

Ouattara has criticized the soldiers tactics during the latest crisis, and many Ivorians expressed frustration with the renewed unrest. Before the talks began Friday, soldiers fired weapons to disperse a protest by civilians in Bouake who were angry that the standoff had disrupted economic activity in the city, said Fanta Kourouma, a Bouake resident.

The security situation deteriorated quickly Friday evening, with soldiers assuming control of main roads in Bouake. Phone service to the city was severely impaired for several hours.

In Abidjan, witnesses reported gunfire at military installations in the residential Cocody district and in the central Plateau district, where Camp Gallieni, the army headquarters, is located.

A gendarmerie official in Plateau, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press, said he heard shots near the gendarmerie headquarters there.

They chased our guys from their post, he said, referring to the mutinous soldiers.

The mutiny shows that while progress has been made in demobilizing tens of thousands of combatants and reintegrating fighters from various factions since the 2011 conflict, a sense of discipline and respect for a chain of command are still lacking, said Cynthia Ohayon, West Africa analyst for the International Crisis Group.
MOSUL, Iraq  Iraqi special forces raised the Iraqi flag above buildings within the Mosul University complex Friday as they battled Islamic State militants for control of the city, according to senior Iraqi officers and the U.S.-led coalition.

The troops entered the university grounds in the morning hours and by afternoon they had taken control of a neighborhood on the northeastern edge of the university compound and the technical institute within the campus, according to special forces Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi.

By evening, Iraqi forces had also taken control of the Nineveh governorate and council buildings, according to a statement from the U.S.-led coalition.

Work still needs to be done but ISILs days in Mosul are quickly coming to an end, said U.S. army Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.

Al-Aridi, who was overseeing the assault Friday, said, We broke through the terrorists defenses and we destroyed their lines and their units and their bases.

The university is located in the eastern section of Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city which is divided by the Tigris River into roughly an eastern and a western half.

Sgt. Saad Jabar said that over the past two years since Islamic State seized Mosul in a 2014 blitz that captured much of northern and western Iraq, the militants have had time to prepare for an assault by Iraqi forces, building tunnels and getaways across the city, including on the university grounds.

They had reinforced their positions and had plans. They knew where to come in and where to get out, Jabar said.

The push into Mosul University came a day after Iraqi army forces north of the city linked up with troops pushing in from the citys eastern edge. Iraqi forces have largely surrounded Mosul, but the most significant advances on the city have come from the eastern front and in the eastern half of the city. Islamic State still controls Mosuls west.

The university, founded in the 1960s, was one of the top educational institutions in Iraq, drawing students from all over the country and reflecting the citys once diverse ethnic makeup. As the security situation in Mosul deteriorated following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, enrollments declined.

After the city fell to Islamic State in the summer 2014, the sprawling complex was shuttered, most of the professors fled and the university was quickly converted into a base by the militants who used its medical and engineering departments.

Residents fleeing Mosul say the university had been largely destroyed by airstrikes and artillery fire. The U.S.-led coalition said that since Dec. 29, coalition planes have dropped at least 43 munitions on the university in a series of strikes targeting laboratories Islamic State used to research chemical weapons, buildings used to build car bombs and other Islamic State command and control points.

The U.S.-led coalition supporting the Iraqi forces offensive on Mosul told The Associated Press on Friday that the Islamic State group warped the purpose of a beloved institution of higher learning when they used the university for military purposes.

The entire university has been burned, said Muhammad Dhia, a 26-year-old former university student who was fleeing Mosul on Thursday to try and complete his studies in Baghdad.

I think it will take at least two or three years to rebuild, he added.

Iraqi special forces Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi told the AP it was unclear if the complex was still being used as an Islamic State base. Under heavy bombardment from US-led coalition airstrikes, Islamic State has repeatedly moved bases out of government buildings and under cover of civilians. Earlier this month, Iraqi forces retook a hospital that had been converted into an Islamic State base.

Regardless, al-Saadi said retaking the university would be a major symbolic victory in the fight for Mosul.

As the Mosul operation enters its fourth month, Iraqi forces have retaken about a third of the city that has been under tight Islamic State control for more than two years. While Iraqi officials initially pledged the city would be liberated this year, the fight is likely last many more months.
A Superior Court judge on Friday found serious misconduct by the prosecution team, but not enough to boot the entire Orange County District Attorneys Office from the murder case against former construction worker-turned-burglar Cole Wilkins.

Wilkins will be retried  as expected  and the misconduct finding is likely to be added to the body of evidence being looked at by the U.S. Department of Justice in its ongoing investigation of the countys District Attorneys Office and Sheriffs Department.

The ruling is the latest step in a complex murder case.

In 2008, Wilkins was found guilty of felony murder after a stove hed stolen from a construction site fell off the back of his pickup, on the 91 freeway in Anaheim, and became a key element in a fatal accident involving an off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputy.

In the original trial, Orange County prosecutors presented as evidence a report by the California Highway Patrol that said the deputy wasnt to blame for the accident. That CHP finding beefed up the charge against Wilkins. What wasnt presented was an earlier CHP report that blamed the deputys rate of speed for the accident. The jury never found out that two reports, both by the CHP, reached differing opinions.

On Friday, Judge Thomas Goethals banned the original prosecutors, Larry Yellin and Michael Murray, from the retrial, holding them responsible for the CHP officials who altered traffic reports to support the prosecution. The move is largely symbolic because Yellin and Murray left the district attorneys office this month to be sworn-in as judges.

If the justice system is to maintain its integrity, judicial transparency must be an essential part of the process, Goethals told the courtroom.

Prosecutor Howard Gundy declined comment.

Deputy Public Defender Sara Ross, representing Wilkins, said the ruling was a partial victory.

While we are disappointed that the entire Orange County DAs Office was not recused, Judge Goethals reached some very important conclusions in determining that Mr. Yellin and Mr. Murray needed to be recused and that the prosecution team engaged in serious misconduct, Ross said in a written statement.

Goethals is the same judge who in 2015 booted the district attorneys office from the penalty phase of the trial of admitted mass murderer Scott Dekraai, who killed eight people in a shooting rampage in Seal Beach in 2011. In the Dekraai case, Goethals found evidence that prosecutors and sheriff deputies misused jailhouse informants in an effort to ensure that Dekraai got the death penalty.

The Dekraai ruling and similar rulings by other judges in at least a half-dozen cases have sparked a wider controversy into the way Orange County prosecutors and deputies break or bend rules to gain convictions by misusing informants or withholding evidence from defense teams. The Dept. of Justice, the California Attorney General and the Orange County Grand Jury are conducting independent investigations into how local prosecutors do their jobs.

The Wilkins case doesnt involve an informant, but the lack of disclosure about both CHP reports  or a lack of effort to find out why two reports existed and what they said  sparked Goethals decision. He said Friday that prosecutors in the Wilkins case should have done more to alert the defense that accident reports had been changed and, in at least one case, shredded.

On July 7, 2006, Wilkins stole large kitchen appliances from a house under construction in Menifee, Riverside County. He had driven about 60 miles when a boxed stove fell out of his truck about 5 a.m. on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim. Wilkins didnt know the stove was gone and kept driving until he was pulled over miles away by an angry motorist.

Drivers swerved to miss the stove, including David Piquette, who was on his way to work as a Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputy. Piquette collided with a cement truck and was killed. His death sparked a public wave of mourning by the community and his brethren in law enforcement.

Prosecutors charged Wilkins with felony murder in Piquettes death, which carries a life sentence. He was initially convicted in 2008, but the case was overturned in appellate court because jury instructions did not include important information.

Ross wanted the District Attorneys Office barred from the retrial of Wilkins, believing the CHP reports were purposely mishandled by prosecutors. In a month-long hearing, Ross presented evidence that the accident investigation report by the California Highway Patrol initially faulted Piquette for the crash that killed him. A CHP officer concluded that Piquette should have been able to safely avoid a stationary object.

While Goethals agreed that prosecutors should have done a better job of getting the CHP information into court, he said Friday that Ross had not proved that there was systemic bias against Wilkins.

Before the defendant was sentenced, Mr. Murray, the trial prosecutor, was twice alerted to the possibility of investigative misconduct, and  he did nothing.

Another prosecutor, Eric Scarbrough, was not recused as requested. Wilkins retrial is slated to start April 17.

Contact the writer: tsaavedra@scng.com
WPPs Group M Worldwide is handling Ukraines Ministry of Culture and Information Policys Advantage Ukraine campaign to promote confidence among businesses, investors and policymakers that the battered country will recover from the Russian invasion.
Lutherans will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation at an unlikely place in Omaha  a Catholic church.

On Oct. 29, Reformation Sunday, as many as 1,000 Lutherans are expected for the big event, which will be held at St. Johns Catholic Church on the campus of Creighton University.

The church is owned by the Catholic archdiocese, not by the Jesuit order that runs Creighton, and Archbishop George Lucas granted Lutheran leaders request to use it.

Its a profound and very warm extension of Christian hospitality, said the Rev. H. Ashley Hall, a Lutheran pastor working on the event. Its a spirit-filled moment.

In planning for the commemoration, Hall said, Lutherans in Nebraska and western Iowa realized they didnt have a church large enough to accommodate the expected attendance.

That as many as a thousand Lutherans will rise and sing Martin Luthers stirring A Mighty Fortress Is Our God in a Catholic church on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation may seem surprising or even jarring to some  but to others, it may be a great example of ecumenism and reconciliation.

Hall said Lutheran planners are calling the event at St. Johns a commemoration rather than a celebration. It is important, he said, to present it not in a triumphalistic way.

Still, few would begrudge a time of celebration to followers of a half-millennium movement that changed the practice of Christianity.

Last fall at the Vatican in Rome, Pope Francis welcomed a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation and said it is truly important for everyone to confront in dialogue the historical reality of the Reformation, its consequences and the responses it elicited.

The pope added that Catholics and Lutherans can ask forgiveness for the harm they have caused one another.

Francis then traveled to Sweden on the 499th anniversary of the Reformation and led a service at a Lutheran cathedral. Sweden is a majority-Lutheran country, and Oct. 31 marked the beginning of a yearlong celebration, or commemoration.

On that date in 1517, Friar Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of his Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany, denouncing the Catholic sale of indulgences  pardons for sins  and questioning papal authority.

That led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church and the start of the Protestant Reformation.

The Rev. Hall noted that Luther was just one reformer and that some considered him too conservative in his criticisms. But his impact is undeniable.

In Omaha, Hall is perhaps a natural go-between for Lutherans and Catholics. He serves as associate pastor of Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church, blocks from Creighton, and is an associate professor of theology at that Catholic university.

He holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University in New York, and is a delegate to the official dialogue between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

ELCA members and Catholics still have differences, such as on married clergy and the ordination of women. (The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, like the Catholic Church, does not ordain women.)

Catholics generally observe the authority of church hierarchy, with priests assigned to parishes by bishops. Lutherans tend to view their local congregations as democratic, decision-making bodies, and hire, or call, their own pastors.

The faiths have slight theological differences in the salvational role of faith and good works.

In other ways, Catholics and Lutherans are similar. Churches in both faiths use altars, and the faithful receive Communion, with a belief in the real presence of Christ.

The Rev. Ryan Lewis, ecumenical officer for the Omaha Archdiocese, said Friday that Catholics and Lutherans for years have gathered at interfaith ministries.

Praying together is one of the most important things we do, he said. What ties us together is baptism and a shared belief in Jesus Christ.

Besides the Lutheran event in Omaha on Reformation Sunday, the Rev. Hall said, two ecumenical events are tentatively planned. One may be at St. Cecilia Cathedral and the other at a large Lutheran church, hosted, respectively, by Archbishop Lucas and by Bishop Brian Maas of the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA. Dates have not been selected, but the events may be in late May, near the feast of the Ascension.

Hall said some on both sides may dismiss such gatherings, as well as the Lutherans holding a milestone commemoration at a Catholic church, as mere Kumbaya moments.

They may not be aware of the long period of dialogue, he said. This was a 50-year process.

In a global sense, he said, it dates to the Catholic Churchs embracing of ecumenism at the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s.

Archbishop Lucas, in a statement through a spokesman, said Friday: I offer my best wishes to our Lutheran brothers and sisters during this commemorative year. I look forward to the opportunities we will have to pray and work for greater unity, in accord with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Dean Bard, interim senior pastor at Kountze Memorial, is a former director of the ELCA center in Wittenberg. In October he attended the rededication of the All Saints Church there, the Castle Church where Martin Luther posted his famed document.

They have done mighty things in that town preparing for the 500th anniversary, Bard said. Its a really big thing in Germany, which doesnt have separation of church and state in the way we have it here.

Many Lutherans will be pleased, he said, to observe the anniversary in Omaha at such a sacred space as St. Johns.

We think its just terrific, Bard said. Were very, very pleased about that.
LINCOLN  It started much like it ended.

Eric Church stood, acoustic guitar in hand, and basked in the adoration of thousands.

In the beginning, Church stepped to the microphone and strummed the first chords to Mistress Named Music, thus kicking off his 2017 tour.

More than three hours later he had completed the tours opening date and left 14,700 fans satisfied.

Church started quietly strumming his guitar and quickly ramped things up. He was joined by his choir of fans singing every word, then by his full band, and finally by an actual 24-member vocal choir from Omaha South High as the opening song swelled to a crescendo.

In front of one of the largest crowds ever at a Pinnacle Bank Arena concert, Church led his adoring fans through 37 songs that stretched an epic, three-hours-plus performance.

Heres the thing: Were gonna play everything. I dont care how long the show may be, I still want you to give it to me the whole time, he said. At the end of the night, either youre gonna drop or Im gonna drop.

In his trademark aviator sunglasses, black T-shirt, black leather jacket and a guitar strap that read CHIEF, Church did indeed keep playing. At the end of the night, while stagehands in hard hats stood at the side of the stage ready to take down the production, Church kept strumming. After the swelling singalong of Springsteen, Church still kept strumming. He closed the main set with Holdin My Own, and then emerged without his band to cap the night with Sinners Like Me.

Church spent the night energized. He laughed at fans, high-fived as many as he could, led the audience in singalongs and signed a pair of baby boots for a couple during These Boots.

Before playing Jack Daniels, he traded a fan one of his guitar picks for a tiny bottle of Tennessee whiskey. Church downed the whole thing and began the song. Then in the middle of the tune, he disappeared behind the stage, but a camera caught him pouring Jack Daniels shots for himself and his crew.

To Lincoln, Nebraska, baby! he said.

Fridays performance wasnt without a few hiccups. Church forgot the words to Im Gettin Stoned and briefly mixed up the chorus and verse to Sinners Like Me, but he managed to laugh it off and keep the songs going.

Promising a different set list every night, Church went off book to play Without You Here. He called it his Omaha Red Dog audible. Church also did a new, reworked version of Two Pink Lines.

If you had a favorite Church song, he most certainly played it. Fans raised cups of beer and sang along to songs such as Drink in My Hand, Over When Its Over, That Was a Cold One and Talladega.

At the end, Church stood with his guitar, the word CHIEF inlaid on the fretboard, and spoke to his adoring fans one more time.

You guys have a good time? he said. Ive dreamed my whole life about a tour where we could come out and play as long as we want and everyone knew every song. For that, I thank you, Lincoln.

He stepped back, then added, Its been a helluva night.
COUNCIL BLUFFS  Fourth-grader Maddy Ausdemore could think of one word for how to describe what it felt like to give back to her community: joyous.

Students at Titan Hill Intermediate School in Council Bluffs participated in a three-week donation drive last month raising a total of $6,359. That far exceeded their original goal of $2,500.

"They were just really passionate about wanting to help kids, said Kellie Vinchattle, school reading specialist. And this was really geared toward helping kids and families who have been diagnosed with blood cancers.

Last week, Ausdemore and her fellow classmates presented a check to the Nebraska area chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The chapter serves Nebraska, western Iowa and three counties in South Dakota.

I think these kids here are astounding, said Anne DeVries, campaign manager for the organizations student series. Theyre enthusiastic, polite, attentive and obviously very compassionate.

The students got involved with the donation campaign after DeVries contacted the school last year asking if the students would be interested in participating. Vinchattle then presented the idea to the schools student council.

Our student council representatives are amazing kids, Vinchattle said. Theyre true leaders, and their ideas of wanting to help others amaze me. They have great leadership, and I think students really look up to them and get behind their initiatives.

Once the word got out about the campaign, donations started pouring in from students, families and the community, Vinchattle said.

Our community always gets around wanting to help people so really my part in everything was really easy, she added. The community just got behind the cause and donated.

DeVries said the money donated by the students will go toward things like helping families with medical copays and gas expenses for families traveling from rural areas to the hospital.

In the last 50 years the survival rate of patients with Leukemia has gone from 3 percent to 90 percent so the schools are really, really helping, she said.
Warren Buffett will appear Monday evening on an episode of NBCs Celebrity Apprentice as an adviser to celebrity contestants who are competing for charity.

The program is the sixth episode in the current season. Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. of Omaha, is in the second of two episodes to be aired Monday.

Its the same program where President-elect Donald Trump often said, Youre fired, but this year actor and former politician Arnold Schwarzenegger is the chairman in charge of weeding out apprentices until he finds a winner.

In 2003, Buffett was a semi-official economic adviser for Schwarzeneggers campaign for governor of California, until he suggested raising property taxes, which was not a popular idea with California voters.

In Buffetts Apprentice episode, two teams of contestants try to come up with a new product for Sees Candies, a Berkshire subsidiary. Team members come to Omaha to have Buffett, a widely known fan of Sees products, taste-test their samples.

Preparation is key in this task as one team fails to do their homework, according to an NBC blurb on the Buffett episode.

Sees CEO Brad Kinstler said hes been sworn to secrecy about the outcome of taste-testing and the filming of the episode, which took place in February last year.

How successful were the apprentices in coming up with a new, marketable candy?

Heres a clue: The Sees Candies outlet at the Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha doesnt have any new candy among its peanut brittle, chocolates, licorice or other boxes, nor any candy with a Celebrity Apprentice label.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns the Omaha World-Herald
The adversary violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces around 40 times, from late Friday night to early Saturday morning.

January 14, 2017, 09:35 Azerbaijan used grenade launcher at night

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 14, ARTSAKHPRESS: During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired more than 500 shots toward the Armenian position-holders, and with different-caliber shooting weapons, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Army informed.

In addition, the adversary fired one shell from a grenade launcher, in a northeasterly direction of the line of contact.

But the NKR Defense Army vanguard units continued to reliably maintain their military positions, and they took actions in response when absolutely necessary.
A 28-year-old Council Bluffs man is facing charges in connection with injuries that his infant son suffered.

Bluffs police said they were dispatched Thursday around 1:50 a.m. to the American Inn Motel, 2717 S. 24th St. A 4-month-old had stopped breathing, officers said, but his parents were able to resuscitate him.

The child was taken by a rescue squad to Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital. Medical staff members at the hospital found injuries on the infant that were consistent with physical abuse, police said.

The childs condition deteriorated, and he was transferred to Childrens Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, where he was in critical condition Friday, police said.

An investigation determined that the infants father was the sole caretaker when the injuries were suffered, police said.

About 3:10 p.m. Thursday, police found the infants father at the motel and arrested him, they said.

The man was charged with child endangerment resulting in serious injury and held in the Pottawattamie County Jail, police said.
John Lotter has joined a fellow death row inmate in lodging a challenge to Nebraskas three-judge method for determining whether a killer should receive a death sentence.

And a veteran death penalty attorney expects the other eight members of Nebraskas death row to follow suit.

A three-judge panel made the decision to send Lotter to death row in 1996 for his role in a 1993 triple murder near Humboldt that inspired the film Boys Dont Cry. The now-45-year-old targeted Teena Brandon for being transgender and reporting a rape to police.

Lotters attorneys argue that Lotter had a right to have jurors, not judges, weigh his ultimate fate, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared Floridas scheme unconstitutional.

Lotter argues that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling renders the Nebraska capital sentencing scheme unconstitutional and void.

The Nebraska Attorney Generals Office disagrees  and has filed motions resisting a similar attempt in another death row inmates appeal.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Floridas capital punishment scheme, noting that defendants didnt have the right to have jurors be the finder of every fact necessary for the death penalty.

After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Floridas sentencing scheme, Delawares high court followed suit and threw out that states scheme.

Attorney Jerry Soucie, who has represented several death row inmates, said Friday that Nebraskas death penalty scheme has been ripe for challenge.

Soucies reason: Nebraska has jurors weigh only aggravating factors that lead to death and not mitigating circumstances that might weigh in a defendants favor. And a defendant doesnt have the right to have jurors, rather than judges, make the ultimate determination of death or life.

It is really a big deal, Soucie said. This issue has been floating around a long time.

Omaha attorney Alan Stoler filed a similar appeal on behalf of Jeffrey Hessler, convicted in the rape and murder of 15-year-old newspaper carrier Heather Guerrero.

State officials have argued that Nebraskas sentencing scheme allows jury participation and is not identical to the one struck down in Florida.

In Nebraska, a second trial takes place after a defendant is convicted in a death penalty case. The same jury that decided guilt also decides whether aggravating factors exist to justify the defendants execution.

If the jury finds that aggravating factors were present in the murder, a three-judge panel is convened to determine whether they outweigh any mitigating factors in the defendants favor. The three judges also must determine if the death sentence is warranted and, if so, whether it is proportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases.

After making the necessary determinations, the judges impose the sentence.

The State of Nebraska denies that Nebraskas capital sentencing statutes violated the defendants ... right to a jury, Assistant Attorney General Doug Warner wrote in a recent filing in the Hessler case.

Lotters attorneys, Rebecca Woodman and Tim Noerrlinger, wrote that Nebraskas sentencing setup doesnt go far enough in requiring jury determinations.

Nebraska (law) unconstitutionally permits a judge, rather than a jury, to find facts necessary to impose a sentence of death, they wrote.

Both challenges currently are at the district court level; it could be months before they reach the Nebraska Supreme Court.
Saint Margaret Mary School recently celebrated the Feast of Epiphany  commonly known as Three Kings Day  on Jan. 6. Students dressed in costumes and carried gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh to present to Jesus.

Other local church news includes:

Soul food: St. John A.M.E. Church, 2402 N. 22nd St., will celebrate its annual Soul Food Weekend from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. The price of meals begin at $10. Carry-out orders will be available.

Guest clergy: St. Paul United Methodist Church, 5410 Corby St., will host the Rev. Carol Windrum as guest preacher for worship at 5 p.m. Saturday and at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Windrum, who served as the director for Peace with Justice ministries of the Great Plains Conference, will speak on radical hospitality in the mission of the United Methodist Church.

Dinner & movie: First United Methodist Church and Countryside Community Church will host a dinner and a movie event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12. The event was rescheduled from Jan. 15 due to severe weather. The event  which will be held at the Methodist church at 7020 Cass St.  is free and open to the public. The featured movie is 13th, a documentary about the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. To reserve seats, email kellyk@countrysideucc.org.

 Submit your church news to goodnews@owh.com.
Staff donations: The United Way received a big boost from Papillion-La Vista Community Schools this holiday season as district staff raised nearly $8,000 for the annual campaign. Jeans Days allowed staff members to wear jeans to work in exchange for a donation to United Way, whether through cash, check or monthly gifts through payroll deductions.

Thanks, teach: In honor of Nebraska Teacher Recognition Day  March 7  Lincoln Public Schools and KFOR/KFRX Radio are collaborating with their annual Thank You Teacher contest. Nominations should be postmarked or sent by 5 p.m. Feb. 10 and mailed to: Thank You Teacher, Communications, LPS District Offices, 5905 O St., Lincoln, NE 68510. Nominations can also be made online at http://lps.org/go/recognize. Anyone who lives in Lincoln/Lancaster County can nominate a teacher in any of five categories: preschool to second grade, third to fifth grades, middle school, high school and retired. Five teachers will be chosen and honored at a special breakfast on March 7 at the Governors Mansion; the five students who submitted the winning nominations also will be invited to attend and read their winning letters.

Poster contest: The Nebraska Department of Agriculture wants kids to channel their creativity and enter this years poster contest highlighting the states ag industry. The contest, open to all Nebraska students in grades first through sixth, is in its 14th year. This years theme is Good Life. Great Roots. The poster contest is divided into three age categories: first- and second- grade students; third- and fourth-grade students; and fifth- and sixth-grade students. The deadline to submit entries is March 1. The department will announce the winners during National Ag Week, March 19-25. Contest rules and official entry forms are available online at nda.nebraska.gov/kids.

Be kind: Wilson Focus School, 5141 F St., will host a Kindness Retreat for staff and students on Jan. 31 in the schools multipurpose room. Youth Frontiers sponsors the event, which promotes empathy; kindness and helps students learn how to prevent bullying.

Health screenings: The Papillion Area Lions Club provided free in-school vision and hearing screenings to students at Patriot Elementary School on Wednesday. The Papillion Area Lions Club is expanding a pilot program serving Papillion-La Vista Community Schools preschoolers to test all students in prekindergarten through fourth grade. Seventh-graders and some high school freshmen also will be served by the screenings, which will test students vision and hearing. Club members brought the Nebraska Lions Foundation Mobile Screening Unit to PLVS schools at no cost to the district.

 Send school news and photos to goodnews@owh.com.
LINCOLN  A committee of state senators voted Friday against advancing proposals to change filibuster rules and require open votes for leadership positions in the Nebraska Legislature.

The Legislatures Rules Committee voted 2-3 on motions to advance the proposals for debate by all 49 senators.

The votes do not preclude supporters of the proposals from offering them as amendments during floor debate next week. But the two senators who submitted the proposals said they will not bring them up on the floor.

Meanwhile, a similar proposal submitted by Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion to end the use of secret ballots for leadership posts died for lack of a second.

Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, chairman of the Rules Committee, proposed a rule that would require 17 votes to defeat a cloture motion. Cloture motions are filed when a supporter of a bill wants to end a filibuster, which is a delay tactic used by senators who want to kill a piece of legislation.

Under the Legislatures current rules, those who want to end a filibuster must obtain 33 votes, which equates to a 2/3 majority of the 49 senators.

Hilgers said he proposed the change in an effort to reduce the number of filibusters, which hit a record high of 24 in 2016.

He insisted it was not his intent to make it easier for the majority to impose its will, but to require senators to go on the record with their votes when they oppose a bill. He argued his rule would compel opponents of a bill to cast a vote rather than abstaining.

During his seven years in the Legislature, Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus said his respect has grown for the 33-vote standard, which has been in place since 1992.

I think it should be difficult to pass a law, said Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha, who also supports the existing filibuster rule.

Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell proposed ending the Legislatures tradition of electing leadership positions by secret ballot. Instead, they would have been elected by a voice vote, with the results reported in the Legislatures official record at the request of each senator.

He argued the Nebraska Constitution prohibits members of the Legislature from voting in secret and the practice otherwise conflicts with the states tradition of governmental transparency.

Supporters of secret ballots argued they help insulate the Legislature from outside partisan influence by allowing members to vote for the best candidates for leadership roles, regardless of political party affiliation. Republican Party officials have long called on the Legislature to end the practice.

Sens. Kuehn and Hilgers voted to advance each measure. Voting against both proposals were Schumacher, Harr and Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha.

Members of the committee did vote to advance rules that would require the Legislative Fiscal Office to complete fiscal notes 72 hours before a bill comes up for a public hearing. The current rule requires the notes to be done 24 hours before hearings, which several senators said doesnt leave them enough time to prepare.
On most Friday nights, the Sons of Italy Hall just south of downtown Omaha would be open, its members serving sandwiches and pasta, with people eating and chatting with old friends from the neighborhood.

But that wasnt the case this Friday night. And it is not clear when that will happen again.

A two-alarm fire Friday afternoon damaged the hall, a former carriage house on 10th Street in Omahas Little Italy neighborhood.

No one was injured, but the blaze caused $250,000 in damage to the structure and its contents, the fire department said. Other details remained scant Friday evening.

The second alarm was called because the initial firefighters on the scene could not locate the source of the fire, said acting Battalion Chief Steve Thornburg.

A fire alarm was reported at 2:25, and a second alarm was called at 2:34 p.m. The blaze in the building that dates to 1905 was under control at 3 p.m.

As firefighters cleaned up after bringing the blaze under control, longtime Sons members Rose DiMauro, 86, and Margaret Mary Novak, 80, watched from across the street.

This cant happen. I want to go in the corner and cry, DiMauro said. That was a second home for me.

Charles Butch Turco, former president of the Sons state lodge, was at the scene Friday night.

I was out having lunch and a guy walked up and said, Butch, Sons of Italy is on fire,  he said. As you can see Im going to cry.

The Sons are a fraternal order that, among other things, raises money for the needy. Its history in Omaha dates to the 1920s.

Many in Omaha associate the group with its popular Thursday pasta luncheons, which draw people from across the city.

When things settle down, we hope to be back in business, said George Grillo, vice president of the Sons state lodge. Hopefully it will all come together and be back to normal.
LINCOLN  While many Nebraskans prepared for an ice storm, about 5,000 people enjoyed a sunny morning while taking part in the Walk for Life on Saturday.

Gov. Pete Ricketts spoke, as did Nebraska Right to Life President Sandy Danek, Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, Sen. Ben Sasse and members of the Nebraska Legislature.

Children held signs that read Defend life and Stop abortion now.

The Walk for Life is held each year to protest the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. The event is sponsored by Nebraska Right to Life.

Ricketts thanked the people for attending and for being engaged in their communities.

The national March for Life in Washington, D.C., is scheduled for Jan. 27. The march at the U.S. Capitol typically takes place near the Jan. 22 anniversary of the ruling, but this year the date was pushed back because of Donald Trumps inauguration on Friday.

Last year six of the seven buses that traveled to D.C. from Omaha became stuck in a snowstorm on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on the way home. Whitney Bradley, coordinator of the Archdiocese of Omahas Respect Life Apostolate, said last years circumstances havent discouraged students from signing up to travel again.

The storm provided the opportunity to slow down and get to know each other and contemplate why we were there, Bradley said. He said the same number of buses will make the trip from Omaha, with all major high schools in the area represented.

One of those who spoke Saturday was University of Nebraska at Kearney junior Marilyn Synek, 20. She started the UNK Students for Life organization on her campus and has participated in the walk for more than five years, including two years as an emcee.

I help represent the young people, and Im a voice for all of my peers who are in the crowd, Synek said.

A group of abortion rights advocates was on hand to protest the walk. The group began with about 25 standing on the north side of K Street and grew to more than 35 by the end of the program.

Kathryn Russell of Omaha said people argue for babies being born but dont do anything to care for them, their mothers or their families.

By speaking out, she said, she encourages people to consider their positions on the subject. I hope I changed one persons mind.

Following the program at the Capitol, participants made their way to the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Nebraska Union.

Inside, keynote speaker Rebekah Buell spoke to the group. The California native talked about her experience with starting a chemically induced abortion before changing her mind and later delivering son Zechariah, now 3.

Buell has traveled for the past two years to speak at events similar to Walk for Life. She said it is important to get her story out to instill hope and let women know they are cared about. We cant spread our message until we come together, Buell said.

The keynote speaker at the national event is Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to President-elect Trump.

Correction, Jan. 16: In an earlier version of this story, an attached photo incorrectly described the stance of Sydnee Woznick, Lyndie Christensen-Nader, Emma Beal and Morgan Beal.
Open trade benefits Midlanders

Nebraska ranks fifth among the 50 states in the value of its agricultural exports while just 37th in population. If you also include Iowa (which ranks 30th in population), we are the nations largest producer of crops and livestock for export.

Our economy, and well over 50 percent of our jobs, are dependent on agricultural exports, primarily to Canada, Mexico, China and Asia.

Livestock and crops are grown and exported by many other countries. If we become an unreliable supplier, we can permanently lose those markets. Trade barriers and protectionism would be severe blow to the good life.

Vicki Krecek, Omaha

What will Fischer do for uninsured?

After reading Nebraska U.S. Sen. Deb Fischers Jan. 7 letter, Obamacare impact has been negative, I concluded the senator will not support the replacement in repeal-replace Affordable Care Act legislation.

She says she will fight for those Nebraskans with preexisting conditions, but what solutions does she have for whose who cannot afford health insurance in the first place?

Karen Carpenter, Papillion

Stothert is very accessible

I find the recent criticism of Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert for a supposed lack of transparency (Transparency fight flares up in mayoral race, Jan. 7 World-Herald) curious because every time I turn around I see her contributing at community events  answering questions, speaking to groups and sponsoring events.

Almost anything one might want to know about city business is now online, thanks to her direction. She is by far one of the most available and approachable politicians in recent city history.

Patrick Bonnett, Omaha

Ms Pub fire was sad but no tragedy

With all of the press coverage that the fire at Ms Pub continues to receive a year later, one would think that an orphanage had burned with multiple casualties.

Yes, there was loss of property, but no loss of life. Lets be thankful for that and move on.

Gregg D. Rhoades, Plattsmouth, Neb.

Dismantling the Obama years

It seems as though the only permanent legacy item to survive the eight years of the Obama administration will probably be his presidential portrait.

Klaus P. Lindner, La Vista

Millennials must make voices heard

Im a millennial, and the general attitude toward politics right now among my generation is one of apathy and disgust. There is strong sentiment that the system is rigged against us, but I dont see much action when it comes to democratic participation.

When I look at other generations who have fought for freedom  for womens rights, civil rights and other vital causes  I have to think about how cozy weve had it in our relatively peaceful lives.

We cannot take our rights for granted in this country. We must vote. We must participate. We must simply pay attention to the city, state and federal policies and representatives that impact our daily lives. It matters.

My generation is one where continuous improvement is the hallmark of personal and professional success. We have innovative ideas that are needed right now to overcome differences and arguments that older generations have fought over and wasted millions of dollars on for decades.

When we use our collective voice, we become the shared power of the people to ensure that our mutual interests are protected and that we truly can attain the American dream.

Stephanie Gaughen, Omaha

Trump benefited from hacking

President-elect Donald Trump says Russian hacking did not affect the U.S. election outcome because there were no voting machines affected. But Trump used the ammo provided by the Russians to attack Hillary Clinton based on what WikiLeaks said. He even asked the Russians to find missing emails as a joke.

While we may never know with certainty what the effects of the Russian hacking had on our election, we do know that they did it and that we voted for a candidate who benefited from it. What does that say about us?

Doug Schrawger, Omaha

Postal Service really delivered

On Tuesday, my 83-year-old mother fell on ice in her driveway on the way to her mailbox. Remarkably, she was rescued by the postman, who told her he was just doing his job.

He deserves a thank you, as do the Omaha Fire Department first responders and Immanuel Hospital emergency room team who took care of her head injury. Thanks to them, mom is on the mend.

And the U.S. Postal Service is to be commended for going above and beyond in its care for an elder among us.

I am sure this happens more often than we may know.

John G. Sullivan, Omaha
An ex-US prez & ex-first lady were doing something at McCains funeral and the media saw it

Bush twins welcome Obama girls to 'the elite club of former first children'

Feature

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Bengaluru, Jan 14: Former President George W. Bush Jr.'s daughters, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, have written an open letter of advice to President Barack Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia. On January 20, the Obama family is to officially move out of White House.

Jenna and Barbara had on January 20, 2009, written a letter to the Obama girls and shared their experience of living in White House. The twins had talked about how they were impressed by the grandeur of White House as seven-year-olds when they had entered it for the first time when their grandfather George Bush Sr was elected as the president.

They had shared advice with Obama girls and asked them to surround themselves with loyal friends, have fun and enjoy childhood. Bush twins had also talked about how as 18-year-olds they had again got an opportunity to live in White House when their father became the US president.

They had talked about how as grown up girls they enjoyed dining with royalty, heads of states, authors, and activists. Bush sisters had in their welcome letter for the Obama girls written that after Christmas they were going to vacate White House for them and they will have to fill it with their laughter.

Bush sister's most touching advice in the welcome letter to Obama sisters was to remember who their dad really is and had told the girls that only they will know the pride he felt at the time of their birth, on their first day at school.

The Bush sisters have set a wonderful tradition by sharing their feeling with Obama girls and welcoming them to the elite club of former first children.

OneIndia

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, January 14, 2017, 18:19 [IST]
UP elections 2014 & 2017: Looking at vote-shares of BJP and its opponents

2 senior SP leaders hitch the BJP bandwagon

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Lucknow, Jan 14: In a blow to the ruling Samajwadi Party, two of its senior party leaders on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Former Transport Minister in the Akhilesh Yadav-led government and many time legislator Raja Aridaman Singh hitched the bandwagon in presence of the state BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya.

The district Cooperative Bank chairperson and declared SP candidate for the Khairagarh assembly seat, Pakshalika Singh, also joined the BJP, expressing his faith in the party policies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Welcoming the leaders into the party fold, Maurya said it was good that leaders of other parties were deserting their parties due to their "wrong policies" and migrating to the BJP, which was a nationalistic party with development as its core agenda. Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8.

IANS
West Bengal BJP Vice President arrested for taking money from SSC candidates

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kolkata, Jan 14: BJP's West Bengal unit Vice President Jayprakash Majumdar was on Saturday arrested for allegedly taking money from School Service Commission candidates on the pretext of getting them jobs, police said.

"He has been arrested because he took money from some of the SSC candidates and promised them to help in getting jobs. He will be produced in court tomorrow (Sunday)," the Deputy Commissioner, Detective Department of Bidhannagar Commissionerate, Santosh Pandey told IANS.

The arrest came after seven hours of intense grilling at the Bidhannagar North police station following a complaint by a candidate Arup Ratan Roy.

Majumdar, also the spokesperson of the state unit of the BJP, has been booked under section 420 (cheating), section 406 (criminal breach of trust) and section 506 (threat to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the complainant, Majumdar met them during a protest demonstration by the SSC candidates and promised to help them in getting jobs in return of money.

"Jayprakash Majumdar met us during a hunger strike we had organised near the School Service Commission office demanding jobs. He said give me around Rs 8-10 lakh and I will help you to get the job. Later, we handed over Rs 7.20 lakh to him in two tranches.

"But when we met him after three months he completely denied taking any money from us," Roy said.

"When we asked him to return our money, he threatened us by brandishing a revolver and forced us to leave his office," he said.

--IANS

mgr/ssp/lok/vm
Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000

Boat capsise in Ganga takes at least 20 lives

India

oi-PTI

Patna, Jan 14: At least 20 passengers were killed and many others were missing as a boat carrying 40 people capsised in the Ganga river near here on Saturday evening, officials said. Only eight people have been rescued so far.

"So far 20 persons have been reported to be dead in the boat tragedy," Principal Secretary, Disaster Management department Pratyay Amrit told PTI.

Efforts are on to look for possible survivors and bodies. Amrit, DIG Shalin and Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal are camping at the river bank, close to which the tragedy occurred, to supervise the rescue operation.

Around 40 people were said to be onboard the country boat when it capsized near NIT ghat in the evening. The passengers were returning to Ranighat in Patna from Sabalpur diara across the river after watching a kite festival on occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'.

A few on the ill-fated boat swam to safety, while some families said their fellow members had gone missing after the accident. Family members of the deceased and those missing were seen wailing at the ghat.

Sources said the tragedy was suspected to have been caused by overloading.

PTI
Coastal Andhra to get heavy rainfall in next 2-3 days: IMD

Chandrababu Naidu to attend World Economic Forum in Davos

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Hyderabad, Jan 14: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will participate in 47th Annual General Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

A delegation led by the Chief Minister will leave for Zurich on January 16. This was the third consecutive year that Naidu has been invited to attend the annual meet.

The delegation will visit Zurich, Davos and Klosters till January 21. The theme of the WEF meeting this year is "Responsive and responsible leadership".

During the five-day visit, Naidu will attend 45-50 bilateral meetings. He will also hold multilateral meetings, and one-on-one meetings arranged by the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, according to an official statement.

Naidu will be key speaker at the session on "Preparing for the City Century". He will represent India in the boardroom discussion titled "India and South Asia Regional Strategy Group Meeting".

He will also attend Boston Consulting Group breakfast session titled "India and Emerging Markets in the New Phase of Globalization".

Naidu will also participate in the Time India Awards and will hold meetings with CPP Investment Board and The Global Fund group.

On January 18, he will participate in the CII CEO roundtable, and also hold a bilateral meeting with Beh Swan Gin, Chairman, Singapore EDB. He would also interact with leading global financing and healthcare companies.

The Chief Minister will hold meetings with heads of leading companies including General Electric, JETRO, Medtronic, Lockheed Martin Corporation, CISCO and New Development Bank.

IANS
Gandhi will be removed from currency notes too: Haryana minister's shocker

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Chandigarh, Jan 14: Haryana Minister Anil Vij on Saturday sparked controversy by saying that Mahatma Gandhi will gradually be removed from currency notes too. ''Good that Mahatma was replaced by Modi on khadi calendar, Gandhi will also gradually be removed from currency notes,''Vij said.

[Also read: Haryana: CBI to look into plot allotment to AJL]

Soon after this controversial remark Vij now takes a U- turn and said, ''The comment I made on Mahatma Gandhi is my personal opinion, to avoid hurting anyone's sentiments I take it back''.

                         ANIL VIJ Minister (@anilvijminister) January 14, 2017

His remarks was made in connection with the ongoing controversy over the photo of the PM's charkha photo replacing that of Gandhi in the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) 2017 wall calendar.

Good that Mahatma was replaced by Modi on khadi calendar,Gandhi will also gradually be removed from currency notes says Haryana Min Anil Vij pic.twitter.com/e8AXr7WJFw  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

Meanwhile, many politicians including BJP leaders have condemned Vij's statement.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said that Anil Vij's comments was his personal remark opinion not the party's stand. While, BJP's Shrikant Sharma told ANI,''BJP strongly condemns statement of Anil Vij,its his personal remark & not party's stand. Mahatma Gandhi is our icon''.

Also, Congress leader RS Surjewala said,''One can only expect such kind of objectionable and nonsensical statements from BJP's leaders and ministers''.

OneIndia News
NEET-UG to be conducted in 13 languages for first time; exam centre opened in Kuwait: Dharmendra Pradhan

All institutions to be part of NIRF: Pradhan

Gatecrasher, says BJP on TMC leader's claim that Pradhan offered him sweets

Gas agency owned by Dharmendra Pradhan's brother raided

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Bhubaneswar, Jan 14: The vigilance sleuths on Saturday conducted raids at various petrol pumps and gas agencies including a gas agency owned by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's brother at Talcher in Odisha.

The vigilance officials conducted raids at 'Pradhan's Gas Service' owned by Soumendra Kumar Pradhan, brother of the Union minister, said vigilance sources.

The officials conducted raids at Pradhan Gas Service's main office, godown and Soumendra's personal residence. The raids were ALSO conducted at several petrol pumps and gas agencies in other places of the state. Interestingly, the raids came after CBI raids on BJD leaders for their alleged involvement in the Seashore chit fund scam.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had on Thursday conducted raids at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide Saroj Sahu (a former employee working in the Chief Minister's residence), BJD MP Rabindra Jena and BJD MLA Prabhat Biswal.

Protesting the raids, the BJD leaders had burnt the effigy of Dharmendra Pradhan in front of CBI office here. However, vigilance sources said the raids was conducted on the basis of allegations of adulteration.

"Statewide joint surprise check of petrol pumps and some LPG Gas depots is conducted. A joint check is conducted by Vigilance along with the departments of Civil Supplies and Weights and Measures," said Odisha Vigilance Director R.P. Sharma.

IANS
Indigo to fly mortal remains free to Northeast

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Jan 14: DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday lauded the Indigo airlines' decision to fly "mortal remains" of people from the Northeast free of cost to their native places as part of "Aakhri Aahuti" initiative.

The Union Minister said that "a request to this effect had been made to all the airlines operating in the region and I am glad that Indigo has been prompt to respond".

Indigo Vice President Vikram Chona handed over a letter from airlines' President Aditya Ghosh, announcing that mortal remains will be carried to such airports in the northeast where Indigo has its operations.

From Delhi, Indigo is currently operating to Guwahati, Agartala, Dibrugarh, Dimapur and Imphal.

Chona also told Singh that, as and when Indigo starts operations to other destinations in the northeast, the same facility shall be provided on these routes too.

He also informed that the first such facility was provided to a native of Manipur who died here and his mortal remains were subsequently flown to Imphal.

Complementing Indigo on behalf of the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry, Singh said that people from the region residing in Delhi often faced a very unfortunate situation whenever there was a death in the family.

"Due to financial constraints, the relatives of the deceased were often unable to take the dead body to their native place in the northeast. As a result, very often, the last rites of several such deceased persons had to be carried out in Delhi itself by compulsion, even though, the relatives and the family wished otherwise," he said.

He further said that the gesture shown by Indigo, is not only a reflection of human concern, but is also an extension of the Public Private Partnership model with the government and private sectors.

IANS
Kabra's arrest height of vendetta: Raj Congress

India

oi-PTI

Jaipur, Jan 14: Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi today alleged that the arrest of former MLA Jugal Kabra was the "height of vendetta" by the BJP government.

Dudi alleged that the government has made Anti-Corruption Bureau a tool against Congress for political revenge and got the former MLA arrested in Jodhpur. He claimed that the government is trying to cover up mines scam by hatching conspiracy against Congress leaders.

"The arrest is politically motivated. Congress never protected a guilty person and if allegations are proven, the guilty should be punished. But the CM pressurised the ACB to arrest Kabra which is the height of vendetta," he said.

The former MLA was arrested by ACB yesterday in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers in JNV University of Jodhpur in 2012 where he was the then syndicate member.

PTI
Narendra Modi bats for more humour and satire

India

oi-PTI

Chennai, Jan 14: Batting for more humour and satire in daily life, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today termed humour as the "best healer" and said the power of a smile or laughter is more powerful than abuse or any other weapon.

Addressing the 47th anniversary of Tamil magazine Thuglaq, founded by the late Cho S Ramaswamy, Modi particularly referred to the noted journalist's ability for satire and humour and called for more of this in daily life.

"I think we need more satire and humour. Humour brings happiness in our lives. Humour is the best healer. The power of a smile or the power of laughter is more than the power of abuse or any other weapon," he said.

"Humour builds bridges instead of breaking them... And this is exactly what we require today. Building bridges, bridges between people, bridges between communities, bridges between societies," the Prime Minister said through video conferencing from New Delhi.

Heaping encomiums on his "friend" Ramaswamy, Modi said the actor-journalist had mastered the art of satire and humour and he was adept at communicating through a sentence or a cartoon. He recalled a particular cartoon Ramaswamy had done of him and said it was "apt" to the current situation.

"This reminds me a cartoon of Cho wherein people are targeting me with their guns and the common people are standing in front of me. Cho asks who is the real target, me or the common people? How apt is the cartoon in today's context," he said without referring to any incident. Modi also did not elaborate.

The Prime Minister has, however, been receiving flak from opposition parties, including Congress and TMC, besides the Left, over his demonetisation move, saying it had affected the common man though it was rolled out with the objectives of addressing black money, fake notes and terror funding issues. The Prime Minister said humour brings out "human creativity".

"We are living in an age where one speech or one event can create multiple memes," he said.

PTI
Nothing substantial in BSF soldier's food complaint: MHA

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Jan 14: Putting an end to the controversy surrounding the jawan from the Border Security Force, who complained about the poor quality of food, the Union Home Ministry has said that there is no widespread discontentment among the forces.

[Also Read: BSF jawan who complained about food shifted, inquiry under way]

It may be recalled that earlier this week, BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav had posted a video, that went viral, in which he said that the food being served to the jawans was of poor quality.

The HM, while quoting the BSF report prepared in the aftermath of the incident, said that there is no shortage of ration. Further the report states that there is no widespread discontentment in the constabulary about food.

The report stated that there was no substance in the complaint of the soldier that poor quality ration was given. The matter has been probed into and nothing substantial has come out of the charges levelled by Yadav, the HM report added.

To avoid such instances from repeating, the HM has told the Prime Minister's Office that issues relating to all the forces must be addressed immediately. We have directed that grievances must be redressed immediately, the report to the PMO stated.

It was also stated that all paramilitary forces have been told to accept complaints through e-letters. The paramilitary forces have also been told to inform their personnel about the existing grievance redressal cell and register complaints without fail or fear.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, January 14, 2017, 6:53 [IST]
Opposition criticises government over interference in RBI

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Jan 14: The opposition parties on Saturday accused the government of eroding the autonomy of the RBI following media reports that a Finance Ministry official was sent to the bank to oversee its chest currency operations in view of demonetisation.

The Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Janata Dal United (JDU) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said that the Modi government's move had weakened the regulatory body. Even the Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led alliance at the centre and in Maharashtra, has slammed the move.

The employee unions of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday had expressed deep concern over alleged interference by the central government in the affairs of the apex bank. Calling the development 'regretful and unfortunate', Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said the independence of several independent institutions in the country were compromised by the Modi government.

"RBI is a daylight manifestation how autonomy and independence of the most critical financial regulatory body in the country has been compromised. RBI is signing on dotted lines like a paper tiger. Nowhere in the world a government intervenes in such a brazen fashion," Jha told IANS.

He added that the unions at RBI were justified in holding a protest and taking it forward. CPI- M leader Brinda Karat took strong exception to the appointment of the offocial and supported the unions.

"The RBI's mandate of autonomy given by Parliament has been not only eroded but destroyed by the Modi government. And now it is adding insult to injury by sending an official directly to oversee (its operations). The unions are absolutely correct in strongly protesting against it," Karat told IANS.

JDU leader K.C. Tyagi opposed the move saying that several such attempts were made in the past to weaken the RBI. NCP leader Tariq Anwer called the attempt to depute a government official at RBI inappropriate. "It has been a tradition that RBI should be allowed to work independently. Any kind of direct monitoring by the government is not appropriate."

Union leader and Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai, Gajanan Kirtikar said "As per the RBI Act, the central bank is autonomous and the government can not interfere in its operations. Monitoring chest currency operations of RBI is not the finance ministry's job." "Now, we are going to hold discussions with those concerned. We will take to agitations if the decision is not rolled back," Kirtikar said.

IANS
Why Punjab farmers burn stubble at this scale when others do not

Surjit Singh Barnala is no more

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Chandigarh, Jan 14: In the hurly-burly of Indian politics, one name that stood out for a clean political innings would be that of Surjit Singh Barnala.

The tall politician from Punjab had the charm and a mild manner that endeared him to people and political personalities across state boundaries and party lines.

It was not without reason that Barnala, who became Union Cabinet Minister twice (in 1977 and 1998) and was Chief Minister of Punjab (1985-87) during turbulent times of Sikh militancy, was also one of the longest serving Governors in the country, had his name in the running for being the Prime Minister twice (in 1979 and 1996) and ran for the post of Vice President in 1997, but lost to Krishan Kant.

Barnala, who passed away in Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Saturday at the age of 91, had remained dignified even after largely withdrawing from public life in the last five years.

During the height of terrorism in Punjab and just over a year after the Operation Bluestar ordered by the Indira Gandhi-led government to flush out heavily armed militants from inside the Golden Temple complex, where the holiest of Sikh shrines 'Harmandir Sahib' is located, Barnala became Chief Minister in September 1985 in elections following the accord between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Akali leader, Sant Harcharan Singh Longowal.

A leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Longowal, Barnala tried to restore normalcy in the state but in view of the continuing violence, his government was dismissed in May 1987 and the state brought back under President's Rule.

Born on Oct 21, 1925 in Ateli Begpur village (now in Mahendergarh district of Haryana), Barnala did his graduation in law from Lucknow's Christian College in 1946. He even participated in Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement in 1942.

Barnala came into political life when he was elected as a legislator in Punjab in 1967 and served as Education Minister from 1969 to 1971. Elected to the sixth Lok Sabha in 1977, the general elections following the Emergency, and became Union Agriculture and Food Minister (1977-79) in the Janta Party government led by Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

After his stint in Punjab politics came to an end, Barnala was appointed the Governor of Tamil Nadu in 1990 but chose to step down the next year after refusing to dismiss the DMK government and was transferred to Bihar.

He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and 1998 from Punjab, and became Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 1998 to 2000.

Barnala would be known for his latter stints as governor of various states.

Becoming the the first governor of the then newly created state of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand) from November 2000 to January 2003, he returned to the south as Governor of Andhra Pradesh (2003-04) and then again of Tamil Nadu. Unlike his first short stint, he remained Governor of the southern state from 2004-2011, close to the leaders of both DMK and AIDMK, both of which had a bitter political rivalry otherwise.

He also held additional charge of governor in Orissa (now Odisha). He was also Lt governor of Andaman and Nicobar and Pondicherry (now Pudducherry).

A keen painter, Barnala also loved to read and travel.

During a few years that he spent in imprisonment during political life, including solitary confinement, Barnala ended up with a repertoire of 15 paintings.

In 1994, fed up with the state of public life, Barnala went incognito for a few months, travelling through various parts of India to experience the life of an ordinary man. He wrote a book, "Story of an Escape", based on his experiences, including travelling on trucks and buses.

In Lucknow, where he had studied earlier, Barnala was detained by the local police, which mistook him for a terrorist. He later, as Tamil Nadu Governor, shared his experience while addressing students in Lucknow.

After ending his last assignment as Governor in 2011, Barnala tried to recreate political space for himself in Punjab and even headed the 'Sanjha Morcha', a front of four parties. But the ageing leader, given his gentlemanly ways, was never a match for wily politicians who had earlier rubbed shoulders with him.

IANS
This man was Kasabs Hindi tutor

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative Abu Jundal, also known as Zabiuddin Ansari was charged by the National Investigation Agency on Friday for his role in the Mumbai 26/11 attack. Investigators have said after his deportation from Saudi Arabia in 2012 that he was the man who had given Hindi tuitions to the 10 terrorists who carried out the attack.

Jundal was a prize catch for the Indian agencies. Not only did it help them find the Indian link to the 26/11 attack, but also crack the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. If Jundal is convicted, it would be a major closure for both the NIA as well as the Mumbai crime branch.

[Also Read: Abu Jundal: The man who knows too much]

An NIA officer says that Jundal was an important player in the LeT. He was so high up in the hierarchy that he was one of the few persons who was allowed into the Karachi control room from where the attack was monitored and controlled.

What makes Jundal so important?

His interrogation report in possession of OneIndia makes several points which goes on to show how close he was to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. "I was in touch with two ISI operatives who exclusively handle the India desk. Right from the recruitment to the operations stage, there are always two high-ranking officers in charge of the Indian operatives. I used to report to Colonel Mohammad and Lt Colonel Asad of the ISI, " he told the NIA.

"There are many Indians in the Lashkar, but I was among the very few who was chosen for this operation. The other Indians were Lal Baba, Abu Musab, Abu Sherjil and Abu Jarar. Musab hails from Kashmir while the other two are from Maharashtra."

Jundal speaks extensively about the control room in Karachi which was set up during the 26/11 attack. He says that the control room comprised several members including Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and several other ISI officers. The control room was destroyed immediately after the attack came to a close, Jundal says.

The ISI had apprehensions that the Indian agencies may hit at Karachi and hence the control room was immediately destroyed. Jundal also speaks about the jubilation in the Karachi control room after the 26/11 attack, following which, it was immediately destroyed.

The intention post the attack was to ensure that none of the members in the core team came under the radar of the international agencies, especially India. Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed were placed under arrest only as a preventive measure. They were whisked away into safe homes and placed under arrest, but, of course, with adequate security from the Pakistan establishment.

26/11 was just the beginning:

For the ISI the 26/11 attack was meant to do wonders. Not only were they trying to catch the Indian establishment unawares, but also ensure that the ongoing Karachi Project aimed at widespread destruction in India got the necessary boost.

For the Karachi Project to be a success, it was necessary for the ISI to continue nurturing the home grown Indian Mujahideen. Jundal who hails from Beed in Maharashtra says that they were focusing on building up the Indian Mujahideen.

"We proposed to set up the maximum number of modules in Gujarat. My primary focus was always Gujarat," Jundal says during his interrogation. "The Gujarat module was however beaten down and hence the Lashkar decided that it needs to get into this state in a big way only to aid the Indian Mujahideen. I was looking for an army of 1,000 members. This army was not meant to carry out just routine bomb blasts. We wanted blasts with an impact," Jundal says.

OneIndia News
UP elections: Will the ghost of Muzzafarnagar riots return to haunt this village?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The ghost of the Muzzafarnagar riots continues to haunt this small village, Phugana. There were around 2,000 Muslim families living in this village peacefully until August 2013 changed everything. A riot that broke changed the lives of many and several Muslim families were forced to leave this village which they once called home.

It was a peaceful village once upon a time and the Muslims were in peaceful co-existence with the 18,000 Jat families in this village. Today it resembles a ghost town with many families living in colonies in nearby villages, too scared to go back to Phugana.

With the Uttar Pradesh Elections underway, the Muzzafarngar riots will play a key part in which way the Muslims vote. They are a confused lot no doubt. They had voted the Samajwadi Party no doubt, but today complain that they were not protected. It has been three long years, the state administration has been blamed of not doing enough to ensure the return of the Muslim families to their village.

A member of the local administration who did not wish to be named tells OneIndia most of the houses remain locked. No amount of coaxing and assurance has helped in bringing the displaced families back. The village looks as though the riots had taken place just yesterday, he also says.

Most of the families do want to return, but have no idea when. This is election season and they fear that there could be another riot just to polarise the votes. Most Muslims have already indicated that they would vote for the BSP this time. The SP they feel has failed them and the BJP is not an option for them. With regard to the Congress, they feel that the party cannot form a government on its own and hence the BSP is the best bet.

OneIndia News
Donald Trump says he may scrap Russia sanctions

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Jan 14: President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he may lift sanctions on Russia and won't stand by the "One China" policy unless Beijing improves its currency and trade practices.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday that he would keep intact "at least for a period of time" sanctions President Barack Obama's administration imposed on Russia last month over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks to influence the US election. But, if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting violent extremists, Trump suggested he may scrap the punitive measures altogether.

He also said he was prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking office January 20. Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

Turning to the longstanding US practice of not recognising Taiwan diplomatically, Trump said: "Everything is under negotiation, including One China." Trump has already irked China by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen after he won the election, upending decades of diplomatic precedent in which the White House has foregone direct communication with the island's leader.

He defended that move in his interview with the Journal, saying: "We sold them 2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment but we're not allowed to accept a phone call. First of all, it would have been very rude not to accept the phone call."

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, by force if necessary Trump has threatened to get tough with what he sees as unfair Chinese trade practices, and suggested that the "One China" policy could become a bargaining chip in other disputes.

AFP
Iraqi forces recapture University of Mosul from ISIS

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Mosul, Jan 14: Iraqi government forces on Friday extended grip in the city of Mosul after intense fighting with Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, recapturing several buildings of Mosul University, the Iraqi military said.

In the eastern front, the commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed in the morning the complex of Mosul University and managed to seize large part of the University complex, including its technical institute and student dormitories, after heavy clashes with IS terrorists, Xinhua quoted a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) as saying.

The elite CTS forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, also recaptured al-Kafa'at neighbourhood adjacent to the University complex and raised the Iraqi on some of its buildings, leaving some 30 IS terrorists killed and destroying three car bombs, the statement said.

Moreover, the CTS troops advanced in the early morning into the three neighbourhoods of al-Sadriya, al-Naser and al-Faisaliyah in the central part of Mosul's eastern side and engaged in heavy clashes with IS terrorists and managed to free the three neighbourhoods after killing some 25 IS terrorists and destroying two car bombs, the statement said.

The troops also reached the eastern bank of the Tigris in central the eastern side of the city and seized the Old Bridge and al-Hurriyah Bridge, which both are partially destroyed, the statement added.

The recapture of Mosul University complex is a significant step, as the complex included important headquarters of the extremist group, the officer said, adding that the next significant target will be the former presidential palaces in eastern the city.

The Iraqi security force have so far recaptured up to 85 per cent of the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River which bisects the city, the officer said.

IANS


From PM Modi to ex-US Prez Obama, see Cyrus Mistry's rare pics with politicians

Obama thanks NASA for sending his signature to Mars

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New York, Jan 14: Although US President Barack Obama is set to leave office in less than a week, his signature will stand testimony on Mars that he once held the highest office in America.

[Also read: Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama]

Responding to the moment of galactic glory, Obama tweeted, "That is out of this world. Thanks." NASA's Curiosity Mars rover's Twitter handle on Thursday posted a photo of a plaque bearing the signatures of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and the other US officials.

"Signed, sealed, delivered. I carried @POTUS's signature to the surface of #Mars," @MarsCuriosity tweeted. The photo was taken on September 19, 2012, the rover's 44th Martian day, by the Mars Hand Lens Imager.

The plaque was affixed to the rover's deck with four bolts. "Similar plaques with signatures... adorn the lander platforms for NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which landed on Mars in January of 2004," NASA added.

IANS
'Allah has given me another life': Imran Khan after surviving assassination bid

Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan vows to continue protest march after attack on him

Shocking revelations: Pakistan, like IS, kidnaps Pashtun girls and turns them into sex slaves

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, Jan 14: On Saturday, a Pashtun activist alleged that the government of Pakistan has kidnapped hundreds of Pashtun girls and the captives have been turned into sex slaves.

Umar Daud Khattak, a Pashtun activist based in Afghanistan, told ANI, "Pakistan has kept hundreds of Pashtun girls in Lahore as sex slaves. The girls were kidnapped from Swat and Waziristan."

Pakistan has kept hundreds of Pashtun girls in Lahore as sex slaves,kidnapped girls from SWAT & Waziristan:Umar Khattak,Pashtun activist pic.twitter.com/vvdQP4k90s  ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

The allegations levelled by the activist are of serious nature and the Nawaz Sharif-led government in the country is now answerable to the international community.

Khattak said that the Pakistan Army has bulldozed several of Pashtun houses, looted markets and raped their women. "It's a catastrophe," Khattak rued.

According to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about five lakhs people from the area have fled to Afghanistan to escape atrocities meted by the Pakistan Army.

Khattak fears that Pakistan might use nuclear weapons against them.

"Pakistan has misled Pashtuns enough, now we won't be fooled. Pakistan wants to use the area for terror camps hence wants to evict us," said the activist.

Khattak also announced that he and his community members are forming an organisation-- Pashtunistan Liberation Army--to start an armed struggle against Pakistan.

"This Pashtunistan Liberation Army will put an end to terror. We appeal to the global community to support us," he added.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, January 14, 2017, 13:18 [IST]
US envoy warns against cutting funding to UN

International

oi-PTI

United Nations, Jan 14: US Ambassador Samantha Power has warned that cutting US funding to the United Nations would be "extremely detrimental" to American interests, one week before Donald Trump's administration takes office.

Addressing her final news conference, Power told reporters yesterday that "countries like Russia and China" would benefit from Washington's reduced standing at the United Nations if funding were withdrawn. "We lead the world, in part, by leading at the UN," said Power, who is stepping down next week after four years as President Barack Obama's ambassador to the United Nations.

"If we were to tie our hands behind our back or strip this organization of programming" to support peace mediation or humanitarian work, "this would be extremely detrimental to US interests," she said. Power spoke after a bill was introduced in the US Senate that would slash all US funding to the United Nations until a Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements is repealed.

The United States refrained from using its veto to block the resolution and instead abstained, allowing the measure to pass by a vote of 14-0 in the council, triggering a furious response from Israel. Much of Power's parting words were in defence of US engagement at the United Nations, saying that while the "UN system is flawed" with a bloated bureaucracy, there is a need for a global body to pool common efforts. "The United States needs the UN," Power said.

"The UN goes to places that the US will not go," she added, pointing to peace missions in Mali and South Sudan, where African troops are taking the lead. "If there's less US leadership at the UN, it will be other countries that step in to fill the void," many of which do not share the US view on fighting terrorism or advancing human rights, she noted.

Power also warned the incoming Trump administration that it would be "very wise" to preserve the Iran nuclear deal that the president-elect has vowed to scrap. The United States is by far the UN's biggest financial contributor, providing 22 percent of its operating budget and funding 28 percent of peacekeeping missions, which currently cost USD 8 billion annually. Trump, who will take office on January 20, has dismissed the United Nations as "just a club for people to get together and have a good time."

PTI
 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
In a drone vs. ambulance showdown, first aid supplies get to patients faster when flown rather than driven through surface streets,..

Mashable 18 Aug 2019
NPR 01 Nov 2022

As fans marked Julia Roberts' birthday last week, they also uncovered a connection between her family and that of the civil rights..
CNN.com 31 Oct 2022

Jury selection begins Monday in a civil trial for protesters who say they were roughed up by then-candidate Donald Trump's security..
Rumble 01 Nov 2022

In GA US House Dist 13, the democrat candidate David Scott has not been seen for a while. Reports are saying that he is in hospice.
From Consortium News



Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. October 29, 2016.

(Image by (Flickr Gage Skidmore)) Details DMCA



Is a military coup in the works? Or are U.S. intelligence agencies laying the political groundwork for forcing Donald Trump from the presidency because they can't abide his rejection of a new cold war with Russia? Not long ago, even asking such questions would have marked one as the sort of paranoid nut who believes that lizard people run the government. But no longer.

Thanks to the now-notorious 35-page dossier concerning Donald Trump's alleged sexual improprieties in a Moscow luxury hotel, it's clear that strange maneuverings are underway in Washington and that no one is quite sure how they will end.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper added to the mystery Wednesday evening by releasing a 200-word statement to the effect that he was shocked, shocked, that the dossier had found its way into the press. Such leaks, the statement said, "are extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security."

Clapper added: "that this document is not a US Intelligence Community product and that I do not believe the leaks came from within the IC. The IC has not made any judgment that the information in this document is reliable, and we did not rely upon it in any way for our conclusions. However, part of our obligation is to ensure that policymakers are provided with the fullest possible picture of any matters that might affect national security."

Rather than vouching for the dossier's contents, in other words, all Clapper says he did was inform Trump that it was making the rounds in Washington and that he should know what it said -- and that he thus couldn't have been more horrified than when Buzzfeed posted all 35 pages on its website.

But it doesn't make sense. As The New York Times noted, "putting the summary in a report that went to multiple people in Congress and the executive branch made it very likely that it would be leaked" (emphasis in the original). So even if the "intelligence community" didn't leak the dossier itself, it distributed it knowing that someone else would.

Then there is the Guardian, second to none in its loathing for Trump and Vladimir Putin and hence intent on giving the dossier the best possible spin. It printed a quasi-defense not of the memo itself but of the man who wrote it: Christopher Steele, an ex-MI6 officer who now heads his own private intelligence firm. "A sober, cautious and meticulous professional with a formidable record" is how the Guardian described him. Then it quoted an unnamed ex-Foreign Office official on the subject of Steele's credibility:

"The idea his work is fake or a cowboy operation is false, completely untrue. Chris is an experienced and highly regarded professional. He's not the sort of person who will simply pass on gossip. ... If he puts something in a report, he believes there's sufficient credibility in it for it to be worth considering. Chris is a very straight guy. He could not have survived in the job he was in if he had been prone to flights of fancy or doing things in an ill-considered way."

In other words, Steele is a straight-shooter, so it's worth paying attention to what he has to say. Or so the Guardian assures us. "That is the way the CIA and the FBI, not to mention the British government, regarded him, too," it adds, so presumably Clapper felt the same way.

What is Afoot?

So what does it all mean? Simply that U.S. intelligence agencies believed that the dossier came from a reliable source and that, as a consequence, there was a significant possibility that Trump was a "Siberian candidate," as Times columnist Paul Krugman once described him. They therefore sent out multiple copies of a two-page summary on the assumption that at least one would find its way to the press.

Even if Clapper & Co. took no position concerning the dossier's contents, they knew that preparing and distributing such a summary amounted to a tacit endorsement. They also knew, presumably, that it would provide editors with an excuse to go public. If the CIA, FBI, and National Security Agency feel that Steele's findings are worthy of attention, then why shouldn't the average reader have an opportunity to examine them as well?

How did Clapper expect Trump to respond when presented with allegations that he was vulnerable to Russian blackmail and potentially under the Kremlin's thumb? Did he expect him to hang his head in shame, break into great racking sobs, and admit that it was all true? If so, did Clapper then plan to place a comforting hand on Trump's shoulder and suggest, gently but firmly, that it was time to step aside and allow a trusted insider like Mike Pence to take the reins?

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
The most important thing to happen in American politics since Ronald Reagan contrary to what people believe was not Barack Obama. It was Bernie Sanders. Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign did more to introduce mainstream Americans to real left progressive politics than any person in the modern history of American politics, and I say that as someone who was not a Bernie Sanders supporter. Barack Obama, on the other hand, had the most toxic effect on American politics ever imagined. Barack Obama got Black America, the constituency with the most extensive and proud history of challenging the American political status quo to almost full throatily support and endorse neoliberal privatization, corporatism, and horrific imperialism all under the guise of racial symbolism. Black America has now moved to the right of a whole segment of the Democratic party when in reality it has traditionally been the other way around.





Sanders, on the other hand, did something that many with true progressive and left politics thought was almost impossible. He shattered the neoliberal pro corporatist consensus in the Democratic party. Bernie Sanders should be remembered as one of the most important figures in modern American political history, and I truly hope he is remembered as such.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Putting real power into the hands of voters and consumers, has made bottom-up approaches massively disruptive for politics and brands. It's the present and future of politics and business. Rob Kall's book Bottom-Up pulls together the wisdom and experience of some of the leading thinkers who have brought the bottom-up revolution to full bloom."



Joe Trippi, pioneering Internet campaign manager of Howard Dean, digital campaign consultant
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's book, Bottom-Up: Tapping the Power of the Connection Revolution has really caused me to relook and reframe many of my thoughts on where our connectedness using social media tools like LinkedIn is headed, and not just for career trajectory but for life. If you are looking for a new perspective on our sometimes zany digital world we live in, this book will keep you reading and may ultimately revise but for sure challenge your current paradigm."



Wayne Breitbarth, author of The Power Formula for Linkedin Success: Kick-Start Your Business, Brand, and Job Search
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's Bottom-Up weaves together the many strands of new thinking about how to use decentralized, non-hierarchical approaches to solve crucial social and economic problems. Bottom-Up presents a tapestry of ideas and examples that can inspire and guide readers."



Peter Plastrik, coauthor of Connecting to Change the World: Harnessing the Power of Networks for Social Impact
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall has been the center of a vast, decentralized conversation for years, letting us hear in interviewees' own words the power of connection in every realm. His new book brings it all together, showing us that the old order is broken and fast being replaced from the bottom up. The old power elite may not know it yet, but millions of us -- organizers, artists, thinkers and doers -- have gotten the message. So should you, by reading Bottom-Up."



Arlene Goldbard, author of The Culture of Possibility: Art, Artists & The Future
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's book Bottom-Up: Tapping the Power of the Connection Revolution is both a welcomed manifesto and a guide for rethinking the power of human agency, understanding the connections that both make us human and legitimate human planetary relations. Moreover it is a powerful call for providing the ideas, social practices, and relations that make human connections possible, enable them to work together from the bottom up, and to transform such connections into a powerful movement in which people take control of their lives and create a better future for everyone."



Henry Giroux, Director of the McMaster Centre for Research in the Public Interest, author of Zombie Politics and Culture in the Age of Casino Capitalism, Americas Education Deficit and The War on Youth, and dozens more.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"There's no dispute that we now live in a hyper-connected, globalized world--but plenty of argument over the type of globalization that's best for our collective future. In this timely work, Rob Kall makes a persuasive case for 'trickle-up' globalization from below and that the truest, best, and most long-lasting fundamental change always comes from the bottom up. Read this bookthen act on it!"



Rory O'Connor, award-winning filmmaker and author of Friends, Followers, and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's writings on the "bottom-up" revolution have real potential to show people that they can hold power accountable and improve justice. A book on this subject could help to repair the economic, legal, social, and political fabric of the United States."



Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, former editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Scripps Howard News Service.
Quicklink Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them.



To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." MLK

By Edward Curtin

As Martin Luther King's birthday is celebrated with a national holiday, his death day disappears down the memory hole. Across the country -- in response to the King Holiday and Service Act passed by Congress and signed by Bill Clinton in 1994 -- people will be encouraged to make the day one of service (from Latin, servus = slave). Etymological irony aside, such service does not include King's commitment to protesting a decadent system of racial and economic injustice or non-violently resisting the warfare state that is the United States. Government sponsored service is cultural neo-liberalism at its finest.

The word service is a loaded word. It connotes many things, such as military service ("Were you ever in the service?"), community service ("She was sentenced to 30 days of community service."), being of service to others, etc. It has also become a vogue word over the past 25 years -- e.g. Service Learning (1995), etc. Its popularity and use arose and expanded in tandem with the privatization of social life, services, and the expansion of work for free, such as unpaid internships and articles like this for which this author receives no remuneration. I see it as part of the privatization and unpaid volunteer movement engineered by the elites in recent decades. This cult of the service volunteer is a form of social control and capitalist exploitation aimed at inducing passivity in an individualized and divided population to prevent radical social change.

Its use for MLK Day is clear: individuals are encouraged to volunteer for activities such as tutoring children, painting senior centers, or delivering meals to the elderly. Clearly these are wonderful deeds when done on individual initiative and not through government, corporate, and institutional public relations aimed at concealing an American prophet's radical message and his brutal assassination.

The America Association of State Colleges and Universities describes it as follows: "The MLK Day of Service is part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a 'Beloved Community'."

This is sheer nonsense. Such service is a far cry from King's campaign to transform the institutional structures of American society. It in no way provides solutions to "our most pressing national problems" or "creates solutions to social problems." But a day of such individual volunteer service once a year does make people feel good about themselves. Thus the government, corporate, and educational institutions strongly encourage it, as if Martin Luther King were born volunteering at the local food pantry and Oprah Winfrey were cheering him on.

After all, King was not assassinated because he had spent his heroic life promoting individual volunteerism. To understand his life and death -- to celebrate the man -- "it is essential to realize although he is popularly depicted and perceived as a civil rights leader, he was much more than that. A non-violent revolutionary, he personified the most powerful force for a long overdue social, political, and economic reconstruction of the nation." Those are the words of William Pepper, the King family lawyer, from his comprehensive and definitive study of the King assassination, The Plot to Kill King.

In other words, Martin Luther King was a transmitter of a radical non-violent spiritual and political energy so plenipotent that his very existence was a threat to an established order based on institutionalized violence, racism, and economic exploitation. He was a very dangerous man to the U.S. government and all the institutional and deep state forces armed against him. That is why they spied on him (and his father and grandfather going back to 1917) and used dirty tricks to try to destroy him. When he denounced the Vietnam War and announced his Poor People's Campaign and intent to lead a massive peaceful encampment of hundreds of thousands in Washington, D.C., he set off panic in the bowels of government spies and their masters. As Stokely Carmichael, co-chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, said to King in a conversation secretly recorded by Army Intelligence, "The man don't care you call ghettos concentration camps, but when you tell him his war machine is nothing but hired killers, you got trouble."

Revolutionaries are, of course, anathema to the power elites who, with all their might, resist such rebels' efforts to transform society. If they can't buy them off, they knock them off. Forty-nine years after King's assassination, the causes he fought for -- civil rights, the end to U.S. wars of aggression, and economic justice for all -- remain not only unfulfilled, but have worsened in so many respects. And King's message has been enervated by the sly trick of giving him a national holiday and then urging Americans to make it "a day of service." The vast majority of those who innocently participate in these activities have no idea who killed King, or why. If they did, they might pause in their tracks, suspend their "service" activities, and convene a teach-in on the truth of these matters. William Pepper would be summoned.

Because MLK repeatedly called the United States the "greatest purveyor of violence on earth," he was universally condemned by the mass media and government that later -- once he was long and safely dead and no longer a threat -- praised him to the heavens. This has continued to the present day of historical amnesia.

For the government that honors Dr. King with a national holiday killed him. This is the suppressed truth behind the highly promoted day of service. It is what you are not supposed to know.

If you are supposed to know anything about his death day as you go about your day of service, it is the following.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at 6:01 PM as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was shot in the lower right side of his face by one rifle bullet that shattered his jaw, damaged his upper spine, and came to rest below his left shoulder blade. The U. S. government claimed the assassin was a racist loner named James Earl Ray, a petty criminal, who had escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary on April 23, 1967. Ray was alleged to have fired the fatal shot from a second-floor bathroom window of a rooming house above the rear of Jim's Grill across the street. Running to his rented room, Ray allegedly gathered his belongings, including the rifle, in a bedspread-wrapped bundle, rushed out the front door onto the adjoining street, and in a panic dropped the bundle in the doorway of the Canipe Amusement Company a few doors down. He was then said to have jumped into his white Mustang and driven to Atlanta where he abandoned the car. From there he fled to Canada and then England where he was eventually arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 8, 1968 and extradited to the U.S. The state claims that the money Ray needed to purchase the car and for all his travel was secured through various robberies and a bank heist. They allege that he was motivated by racism and that he was a bitter and deranged loner.

However, William Pepper's decades-long investigation not only refutes the flimsy case against James Earl Ray, but definitively proves that King was killed by a government conspiracy led by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, Army Intelligence, and Memphis Police, assisted by southern Mafia figures. He is right to assert that "we have probably acquired more detailed knowledge about this political assassination than we have ever had about any previous historical event." This makes the silence around this case even more shocking.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
See original here

By Jen Hayden

In 2001, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) was the one and only member of Congress who voted to oppose authorizing the Bush administration to use military force in response to the 9/11 attack. She called the vote and the authorization a "rush to judgement" and warned it could lead to blank checks and endless war.

Lee emerged as a resistance leader to George W. Bush's agenda and now she's stepping up to lead the resistance again, saying she will not be a part of normalizing "the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party."

Her full statement is required reading today:

"Inaugurations are celebratory events, a time to welcome the peaceful transition of power and honor the new administration. On January 20th, I will not be celebrating or honoring an incoming president who rode racism, sexism, xenophobia and bigotry to the White House.

"Donald Trump ran one of the most divisive and prejudiced campaigns in modern history. He began his campaign by insulting Mexican immigrants, pledging to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and then spent a year and a half denigrating communities of color and normalizing bigotry. He called women 'pigs', stoked Islamophobia, and attacked a Gold Star family. He mocked a disabled reporter and appealed to people's worst instincts. I cannot in good conscience attend an inauguration that would celebrate this divisive approach to governance.

"After the election, many hoped the president-elect would turn toward unifying our country. Instead he has shown us that he will utilize the same tools of division he employed on the campaign trail as our nation's Commander-in-Chief. We need look no further than the team he is assembling to find signals that the era of Trump will be one of chaos and devastation for our communities.

"The president-elect has named Steve Bannon, a white nationalist as his chief strategist. He has nominated Senator Jeff Sessions to the office of Attorney General, despite his long career of opposition to civil and human rights. And in perhaps the most damning sign of the chaos to come, the president-elect has expedited the process to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make America sick again...

"To make matters worse, after the intelligence community reported Russian interference in our election, Donald Trump frequently and forcefully defended Vladimir Putin. He insulted senior intelligence officials in order to preserve his reputation and disguise the truth. The American people will never forget that when a foreign government violated our democracy, Donald Trump chose the interests of another nation over our own.

"Donald Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party. On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance."
Set aside all feelings for Donald Trump, and reflect for a moment on the historical happenings of the last couple of months.

Early in the primary, Trump was the media darling, with non-stop coverage of everything he said or did. He was constantly on media outlets, so much so, rivals in his own party started complaining of unfair coverage. They argued Trump was getting free air time, while they were excluded. To their point, Media Quant, a company that does media analysis, estimated that Trump had been given about 2 billion dollars' worth of free coverage by media outlets.

Suddenly the honeymoon ended, and Trump went from media darling, to the devil incarnate. Media suddenly turned with vengeance on Mr. Trump, and his every move was analyzed and ridiculed. Some argue the turning point occurred, because media realized they had created a Frankenstein, and they might be, in part, responsible for a possible Trump victory, and were shocked at what they had done.

Further reflection on the precise "turning point" shows things dramatically changed and reversed, when Mr Trump expressed his sentiments about Russia. He insisted, he did not want a war with Russia, and he would move to "reset" US relations with Russia. That was the turning point, and from that day on he was subjected to relentless criticism and ridicule, by corporate media outlets. He was accused of being an unwitting tool of Putin. This was followed by a plethora of stories about his close relations with Russia, and the possible relationships members of his administration had with Russia. Now there were two villains; Trump and Russia, and they were always depicted as more or less one in the same. The Russophobes were in full attack. Russia, their new scapegoat, was vilified and called all kinds of nonsensical things, and was accused of all that is evil in the world.

But Trump held fast and brushed aside most of the accusations and stood by his belief that better relations with Putin and Russia was a good thing. Things escalated, when accusations without proof were made and repeated by corporate media, that Russia had hacked the e-mails of the DNC, and interfered in the election to assist Trump in his victory. This story went viral despite the absence of any credible evidence. Journalism was thrown aside, and any rumor, accusation, based on no source or anonymous sources, circulated widely. Papers like the NYT and the Washington Post became shameless in their unfounded, unsubstantiated, repetition of rumors and accusations. It appeared a modern-day McCarthy-like witch hunt was in progress.

Early on, the FBI would not go along with the intelligence agencies, but was eventually bullied into compliance. The intelligence agencies produced laughable reports and "proof" of their accusations, and still Mr Trump stuck to his belief that a better relationship with Russia is a good thing. Trump refused to knuckle under to the government, corporate media, and intelligence narrative. They got desperate and pulled out of their hat, a completely made up story about Trump's sexual behavior, which was plastered and repeated all over corporate media for one day, until it was categorically and unequivocally proven to be a "fake" story, but the damage had been done. BuzzFeed, who originally published the bogus report, after CNN announced it, got over 2 million reads, and no one knows how many times the story was read or heard on subsequent venues of corporate media. The damage had been done.

The stakes have been vicariously raised with the leak of disinformation by the intelligence agencies. It was either a "leak", or release of information, depending on your point of view. Formerly, the military industrial complex, along with the support of neocons, the media, and intelligence agencies, had been trying to bring Trump into the "fold" of demonizing Russia and Putin. With this latest however, things have changed, with the goal of the Deep State (a collection of the above forces) apparently having decided, to bring Mr Trump down. The intelligence agencies have refined their trade of bringing down governments for the past fifty years all over the world, and now have decided to take down our own. Far-fetched? Think about the whole thing, especially the time and sequence of events. Think about the timing of the latest "leak" of the fake bogus story of Mr. Trumps alleged exploits. It was "leaked", and appeared just in time for Mr Trumps first press conference. We are spectators to a historical battle between a President elect and the "Deep State". Certainly, there have been many other such battles, but they have never erupted in open warfare with the intent of bringing down a sitting president. If this be true, continue to watch the constant dribble by corporate media, working in conjunction with the military industrial complex and the neocons, to undermine this President. Their goal is to render him useless by throwing so much adverse publicity at him, the public will demand his impeachment. Time will tell, but it is very apparent that the battle lines have been drawn. Will Trump fold and be beaten into submission by those powerful forces, and jump on the demonizing Russia bandwagon, or will he continue to defy them?

Some readers hate Mr Trump so much they are probably wishing for his demise. I believe Trump is horrible, and in no way, would I ever support such a horrible person to be president, but put all that aside and ponder the happenings. Those who cannot put their emotional hard feelings aside should be very cautious about getting what you wish for. If those Deep State forces prevail, and run Trump out of town, what next? For Mr. Trump, a bit of parting advice. Don't be hanging around any grassy knolls.
From The Nation

Rex Tillerson's witless, contradictory, and obfuscatory testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmed fears that the ExxonMobil CEO is too conflicted, too ill-prepared, and too disengaged from accepted understandings with regard to diplomacy, sustainable development, and human rights to be seriously considered for the position of secretary of state.

But the most unsettling exchange took place after an initial round of questioning by New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez. The veteran member of the Foreign Relations Committee asked what should have been a simple concluding question.

Tillerson's response was incredible.

Senator Menendez: "For all of these answers you've given me, does the president-elect agree with you?"

Rex Tillerson: "The president-elect and I have not had the opportunity to discuss this specific issue or this specific area."

Senator Menendez: "Well, in your statement on page three, you say, 'In his campaign, president-elect Trump proposed a bold new commitment to advancing American interests in our foreign policy. I hope to explain what this approach means and how I'd implement that policy if I am confirmed as Secretary of State.' I assumed to some degree you've had some discussion about what it is that that world view is going to be in order to understand whether you are willing to execute that on behalf of the person you're going to work for?"

Rex Tillerson: "In a broad construct and in terms of the principles that are going to guide that, yes, sir."

Senator Menendez: "I would have thought Russia would be at the very top of that, considering all that's taken place. Did that not happen?"

Rex Tillerson: "That has not occurred yet, Senator."

Senator Menendez: "That's pretty amazing."

In an interview following the exchange on Wednesday, Senator Menendez said it was "beyond my imagination" that Tillerson had not engaged in serious discussions about major foreign-policy issues and concerns with President-elect Donald Trump.

Click Here to Read Whole Article

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
From Paul Craig Roberts Website

And the Liberal-Left Is Helping

Reuters reports that 2,700 US troops accompanied by tanks are moving across Poland toward the Russian border. Col. Christopher Norrie, commander of the 3rd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, declared: "The main goal of our mission is deterrence and prevention of threats." Apparently, the colonel is not sufficiently bright to realize that far from preventing threats, the force he is leading presents as a threat. And to no less a military power than Russia.

What is the point of this miniscule force? It would not constitute a threat to Russia if it were 100 times larger, perhaps even 1,000 times larger. Remember, Hitler invaded Russia against an unprepared Stalin with the largest and best military force the world had ever seen in the largest military operation in human history. The German invasion force was comprised of 3,800,000 troops, 600,000 motorized vehicles, 3,350 tanks, 7,200 artillery pieces, and 2,770 aircraft. The Red Army, despite its officer corps having been purged by Stalin, ate up this magnificent force and won the war against Germany.

Compared to Stalin's Russia, Putin's Russia is prepared. NATO is not capable of assembling a large enough force to invade Russia. So what is the point of the 2,700 US troops moving across Poland toward Russia?

The answer is to keep alive the Western propaganda that Russia is a threat and to make it as difficult as possible for Trump to normalize relations with Russia. It is extraordinary that the US military is conducting this provocative exercise that contradicts the policy of the incoming president. The US military, the CIA, and their whores in the US media are undemocratically pursuing their own agenda independently of the policy of the president-elect.

According to the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, US intelligence officials have even warned the Israeli government not to share intelligence information with the Trump administration, because Putin has "leverages of pressure" over Trump, and Trump will leak the information to Russia and Iran.

We can see how the military/security complex's sabotage of Trump's policy works. Constant accusations have forced Trump to say that possibly the Russians were involved in a hacking that never occurred, neither by Russia nor anyone else. Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, Tillerson, has to declare Russia to be a threat in his confirmation hearing in order to be confirmed. Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Mattis, has had to say in his confirmation hearing that the US needs to be prepared to confront Russia militarily, adding that there are few areas in which the US can cooperate with Russia which he says is trying to break NATO.

We could dismiss Trump's admission as throwing a bone to the CIA so they can feel vindicated and get off his back, and the statements by Tillerson and Mattis could be dismissed as what has to be said in order to be confirmed. Nevertheless, these statements from Trump's top appointments are being used as confirmations that everyone except Trump, even Trump's own government, realize that Russia is a threat. The propaganda picture of Russia that the Obama regime worked so hard to create now has the luster of acceptance by Trump's nominees for State and Defense. Whether Tillerson and Mattis mean it or not, clearly the US Congress in thrall to the campaign donations from the military/security complex is determined that Russia be regarded as a threat.

The Russians watching all this must quickly be losing their hopes for normalized relations. The US ruling establishment is causing hope to fade and suspicion to rise in the Russian government, thus raising barriers within Russia herself to Trump's policy of better relations.

Nothing speaks more clearly of the unbridled evil of the US Establishment than its willingness to risk conflict with Russia for the sake of its hold on power and profit.

Where is the liberal-left's moral conscience? Why is the liberal-left helping the military/security complex delegitimize Trump and box him in so that his agenda is dead on arrival and thermo-nuclear war remains an option?
When I broke the story in October, I spoke with him. Here's what he said.

Last fall, a week before the election, I broke the story that a former Western counterintelligence official had sent memos to the FBI with troubling allegations related to Donald Trump. The memos noted that this spy's sources had provided him with information indicating that Russian intelligence had mounted a years-long operation to co-opt or cultivate Trump and had gathered secret compromising material on Trump. They also alleged that Trump and his inner circle had accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin. These memos caused a media and political firestorm this week when CNN reported that President Barack Obama and Trump had been told about their existence, as part of briefings on the intelligence community's assessment that Russia hacked political targets during the 2016 campaign to help Trump become president. For my story in October, I spoke with the former spy who wrote these memos, under the condition that I not name him or reveal his nationality or the spy service where he had worked for nearly two decades, mostly on Russian matters.

The former spy told me that he had been retained in early June by a private research firm in the United States to look into Trump's activity in Europe and Russia. "It started off as a fairly general inquiry," he recalled. One question for him, he said, was, "Are there business ties in Russia?" The American firm was conducting a Trump opposition research project that was first financed by a Republican source until the funding switched to a Democratic one. The former spy said he was never told the identity of the client.

Go to Mother Jones to read the rest of this article.
From Wallwritings

One week before his inauguration, President-elect Trump was dealt an irresponsible, "warped and self-destructive" blow by the CIA and its allies in the media.

This conclusion was reached by Glenn Greenwald, in The Intercept.

Greenwald was quick to point out that the "serious dangers posed by a Trump presidency are numerous and manifest. There is a wide array of legitimate and effective tactics for combating those threats: from bipartisan congressional coalitions and constitutional legal challenges to citizen uprisings and sustained and aggressive civil disobedience."

But, as Greenwald also noted, "cheering for the CIA and its shadowy allies to unilaterally subvert the U.S. election and impose its own policy dictates on the elected president is both warped and self-destructive"...

This subversion involved the granting of official credence to a salacious, unsubstantiated document by a former British MI16 operative which claimed to have proof of conduct in a hotel room by President-elect Trump while he was in Moscow.

The document, which became known as the Trump dossier, originated from "opposition research" funded by enemies of Trump, first by Republicans who opposed his nomination, and then by Democrats who wanted him to lose to Hillary Clinton.

The salacious document, Greenwald writes, "was just an anonymous claim unaccompanied by any evidence or any specifics."

Of course, the anonymous claim was of a sexual nature. Sex and violence are media's bread and butter.

The document was circulated through unofficial channels during the presidential race, but on Thursday, January 12, it received a guaranteed ticket to public attention. Greenwald wrote:

"At some point last week, the chiefs of the intelligence agencies decided to declare that this ex-British intelligence operative was 'credible' enough that his allegations warranted briefing both Trump and Obama about them, thus stamping some sort of vague, indirect, and deniable official approval on these accusations."

What prompted this move from the dark corners of rumor and innuendo, to the glaring sunlight of media attention? Why did the salacious document become sufficiently "credible"?

If you want to believe "the chiefs of the [American] intelligence agencies," the document was moving so rapidly through social media and other internet channels, that it was necessary to brief both Trump and President Obama.

The intelligence chiefs thus stamped "some sort of vague, indirect and deniable official approval" on what could be pure fiction conjured by a retired British spy now doing political dirty work.

Or, the spy's document may be rooted in reality. Take your choice. Give it credence, or not. But remember, if there are video or written proofs of the alleged hotel hanky-panky, it has yet to surface or be verified.

So here we are, one week before the inauguration, and our next president is being harassed by unsubstantiated allegations of sexual conduct in Moscow. The harassment continues in the unholy alliance between intelligence agencies and media outlets, initially BuzzFeed and CNN.

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Adam Ferrara.jpg

Adam Ferrara, who's appeared on shows such as "Top Gear," "Nurse Jackie," "Rescue Me" and "The Job." will return to his standup comedy roots at Portland's Helium Comedy Club Jan. 26-28.

(Courtesy of Parosegarten Media Group)

As a young comedian from Long Island working the East Coast club circuit, Adam Ferrara had something unique to get a leg up on other aspiring comedians at the tail end of the 1980s comedy boom: a car.

"Agents who booked bars in Connecticut and Jersey would get a headliner and they needed an opening act. I was an attractive opening act because I could drive," Ferrara said. "I would pick (the headliner) up at the Improv, I would drive to the gig and I would drive them home. They wanted to work with me because they didn't want to take a cab home, the car was clean and I was on time."

Ferrara parlayed his clean vehicle and punctuality into a nearly 30-year career that has taken him well beyond the stand-up stage. He'll be in Portland to headline the Helium Comedy Club Jan. 26-28.

Ferrara transitioned to television in the 1990s, landing roles in sitcoms like "Caroline in the City." In the early 2000s he hooked up with fellow stand-up Denis Leary for the police comedy-drama "The Job."

Leary, who co-created "The Job," didn't realize he and his new cast-mate had a shared history.

"The second or third day of shooting I'm in the makeup trailer, and (Denis) comes in with a cigarette and kicks my chair and says, 'I didn't know you were a stand-up, I saw you on Letterman last night.' "

After their initial collaboration, Ferrara and Leary teamed-up for "Rescue Me," a comedy-drama series about New York firefighters.

"I'm fortunate because I can do everything. I can do drama, comedy, stand-up," Ferrara said. "And I have (Attention Deficit Disorder) so it fits my personality because I can't focus on anything for too long."

For Ferrara, "everything" included a two-season run alongside Edie Falco in the Emmy Award-winning "Nurse Jackie" and a hosting gig on the action adventure show "Top Gear."

The American version of one of the most popular shows in the United Kingdom, "Top Gear" took Ferrara around the world.

"It's me and two other idiots and we go on these adventures. We drove American pickup trucks up a volcano in Iceland. We went to Cuba and drove their '50s cars," Ferrara said. "We went to Germany and they gave me the brand-new Lamborghini and put me on an open road and said 'Go!' "

With his latest television obligations finished, Ferrara is back to focusing on stand-up full-time. While touring, Ferrara has a chance to watch comics trying to break into the big time just like he was all those years ago.

"It's nice to see that there are still comics out there. It's not just people on YouTube with five minutes," Ferrara said. "That's fine, but it's not the craft of stand-up. I have a great deal of admiration for comics who practice craft."

One of those young comics might even have a car.

--Mike Acker, for The Oregonian/OregonLive

***

Adam Ferrara

Where: Helium Comedy Club, 1510 S.E. Ninth Ave.

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28

Tickets: $16-$32, portland.heliumcomedy.com or 888-643-8669
port_of_portland_graves.JPG

The Port is a crucial player in economic development statewide, from travel and tourism to shipping Oregon-made products around the globe.

(Mark Graves/The Oregonian)

The Port of Portland has hired a California executive search firm to lead the hunt for a new executive director, the agency announced Friday.

McDermott and Bull of Irvine, California, has been tasked with assisting the Port's nine commissioners in finding a replacement for retiring Executive Director Bill Wyatt, Port spokeswoman Melanie Mesaros said in a news release. Wyatt departs June 30 after nearly 16 years on the job.

The Port is a crucial player in economic development statewide, from travel and tourism to shipping Oregon-made products around the globe. It manages Portland International Airport, as well as the Hillsboro and Troutdale airports, and oversees four marine shipping terminals and industrial properties around the city. Billions of dollars of goods and millions of passengers pass through its facilities each year.

The Port's deputy executive director, Curtis Robinhold, will be in the running for the position, Mesaros said in the release.

The Port is accepting public comment on the search criteria and job profile. The comment period began Friday and runs through Jan. 27 at http://mbsearch.com/port-of-portland-public-comment/.

The Port Commission will sign off on a job profile and finalize the search process Feb. 8 during its regular public meeting.

An advisory group will help winnow down the applicant pool in the spring, and the Port Commission will interview the finalists.

The commissioners will make their selection during a regular public hearing in June.

The Port's executive director is one of best-paid positions in state government. According to the agency's website, the annual salary ranges from about $303,000 to $530,000. Wyatt currently earns $418,419 a year, Mensaros told The Oregonian/OregonLive this week.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive
UO campus in Eugene

The University of Oregon's campus in Eugene

(Andrew Theen/Staff)

A University of Oregon student seeks $3 million in a lawsuit against medical providers who she says failed to properly diagnose her with meningococcal disease in 2015.

The Register-Guard reports that Christina Jenkins' lawsuit is the second from the disease outbreak that struck the campus in 2015.

The lawsuit asserts a physician's assistant at an Oregon Medical Group clinic administered a nasal swab test for the flu. When that test came back negative, she advised Jenkins to drink more fluids and get some rest.

When Jenkins started feeling worse, her mother insisted see visit another clinic. There, Jenkins was properly diagnosed. She was rushed to a Portland hospital, and remained there for more than two weeks.

The lawsuit states that as a result of the delayed diagnosis, Jenkins went into septic shock, causing permanent damage to her heart and lungs.

-- The Associated Press
Oregon and Washington's plans for regulating commercial fishing on the lower Columbia River appear to be drifting apart, like an unmoored boat bobbing away from a dock.

Since 1915, the states have agreed on how to manage the salmon industry on more than 145 shared miles of the river - from the mouth to Bonneville Dam. Five years ago, they decided they would phase out gillnets on the main channel of the Columbia by 2017 as part of a broader package of river reforms.

But now, Oregon is wavering: Last month, the state's Fish & Wildlife Commission voted to delay implementing gillnet reforms for a year.

The decision raised alarm bells across the river, prompting a coalition of 51 Washington state lawmakers to send a letter to fish and wildlife leaders expressing concern about Oregon's reversal. Allowing commercial gillnets in the main channel of the river is a "highly controversial" move that would "negatively impact recreational fisheries from the river's mouth to the upper Columbia in Eastern Washington," they wrote.

It also resurrected a more than century-old debate with a vengeance.

Washington's commission is expected to meet Saturday in Vancouver and decide what it wants to do.

Gillnet opponents contend the delay has nothing to do with fish but is rather a cynical move, enabled by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, to win support of an influential lawmaker with close ties to the commercial fishing industry. Supporters say that's nonsense. They argue that it's a natural time to reevaluate river reforms set in motion by former Gov. John Kitzhaber, because the plan doesn't do enough to help commercial fishermen and will cost Oregonians access to a prized culinary icon.

"The governor is 100 percent responsible for this," said Sen. Fred Girod (R-Stayton), a lawmaker and avid fisherman who opposed gillnets for years amid concerns for wild salmon and steelhead runs. "This is a political pawn for her," he said of the gillnet debate. "She wants to do better in Clatsop County, and that's what this is all about. It's all political."

Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose), the influential Democrat in question, said that while she and Girod were "at each other's throats" on the gillnet issue years ago, she finds hurtful the accusations of political horse-trading.

"There was no quid pro quo with the governor," Johnson told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Bryan Hockaday, a spokesman for the governor, said she has not given any direction to the fish and wildlife commission one way or another. "She respects the process," he said. "They are meeting next week." Hockaday also said the governor appoints commissioners based on their qualifications.

Johnson said the underlying conflict in Oregon pits commercial fishermen against recreational anglers for access to salmon, and that's just an argument that dates to the 1880s.

Limiting commercial fishermen's access would open up more fishing opportunities for sport anglers. But the commercial side said they would lose the bulk of their income.

"What we really have here are two groups fighting over who catches the most fish," she said, then paused.

"Or the last fish."

CASCADE LOCKS, OREGON - September 6, 2012 - Tribal gillnet fisherman pull in chinook on the Columbia River, Thurs, Sep 6, 2012. The fall chinook run has been very good this year and some fisherman have improved their storage and marketing techniques to make more money. Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

Path to compromise

Oregon and Washington's path to this uncertain moment was set in motion by Kitzhaber in response to a 2012 ballot measure to ban commercial gillnets from the Columbia River. It was backed by a bipartisan coalition of Oregon lawmakers and coastal anglers and didn't apply to tribes.

"The governor came to us and asked that we consider another approach," said David Schamp, chair of the board at Oregon's branch of the nonprofit Coastal Conservation Association. "Something that obviously, we weren't enthusiastic about at all."

Steve Pedery, conservation director for Oregon Wild, said his group was skeptical about supporting the compromise at first. But they won assurances that gillnets would be more closely regulated and decided it was a win. "A 100-year-old conflict resolved, we can move out to other things," he said of his group's rationale.

A 'lightning rod' commissioner

If there's one unelected Oregonian who gillnet opponents blame for derailing the reform process, it's Astoria resident Bruce Buckmaster.

Brown appointed Buckmaster to the seven-person Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission in April, 2015. The State Senate voted 18-12 to confirm him that May.

On popular fishing websites like ifish.net, Buckmaster is referred to as a gillnet strategist, gillnet lobbyist and a shill for the industry.

He's pointed to the state law that outlines a need for "adaptive management" techniques to help fisheries, such as boosting hatchery levels and tweaking fishing seasons and where fish are allocated, if the reforms are ineffective.

Dave Schamp, the chairman of Oregon's Coastal Conservation Association, says Buckmaster is doing whatever he can to unravel the plan.

"Commissioner Buckmaster is trying to change the entire foundation of those reforms. That's not adaptive," he said, "that's destructive."

Buckmaster said he knows he's a lightning rod on the issue, but he said he doesn't have any particular affection for gillnetting.

His main argument is that there should be room for the small boat commercial industry in the heart of the river. "Nobody has demonstrated to my satisfaction yet that there's something inherently bad about the way these family fishermen are fishing," Buckmaster said.

He points out he's just one of seven voices on the commission and says the plan has yet to live up to its billing of enhancing opportunities for the industry.

"If there were an environmental or management reason to get rid of this fishery, I think we'd have to look at it," he said.

Gillnet opponents didn't campaign for their hard-won statewide Measure 81, which had already qualified for the ballot, and threw their support behind the governor's plan. The measure would fail in November.

Kitzhaber and state lawmakers agreed to phase-in restrictions on commercial fisheries over a few years and the eventual plan, Senate Bill 830 passed in 2013, also created a $9.75 fee to fish on the Columbia. The compromise would only allow gillnets on certain channels of the Columbia by 2017, and set vague conservation goals with promises to "enhance the economic viability of Oregon's recreational and commercial fisheries and the communities that rely on these fisheries."

Lawmakers created a "transition fund" to help benefit commercial fishermen harmed economically by the gillnet reforms.

The plan allowed for "adaptive management actions" to help the commercial industry if the reform package's intended goals were not realized. Washington followed suit.

What is gillnetting

In the Columbia River, commercial fishing boats are typically small crews of one or two people.

According to state officials, 148 permitted gillnetting boats fished Oregon's waters in 2016.

Gillnets are walls of mesh netting that are thrown out into the water and anchored with buoys at the surface. Fish are unable to swim through because their gills get caught in the mesh when they try to back out.

The nets are controversial in some waterways because they indiscriminately capture anything in their path. In ocean fisheries, they are "a major source of mortality" for all sea turtle species," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "and are risks to large marine animals as well."

They are specifically used to trap salmon and other species of fish.

What opponents say

One of the principal complaints from recreational anglers is that gillnetters get an outsized amount of attention from state leaders.

According to state figures, more than 554,000 Oregonians purchased a fishing license last year. Of that figure, 165,000 fished the Columbia and paid the $9.75 fee, bringing in $1.3 million.

In a letter to Brown's office, four sports-angling associations argued that recreational fishing generates more than $30 million for the state each year through tourism, fees and other factors.

"There is little debate that the economic value of a Columbia River sport-caught salmon easily exceeds the value of salmon caught and sold commercially," the group wrote. While acknowledging commercial fisheries contribute to coastal economies, the leaders said, "only 85 permit holders had landing values exceeding $10,000. Only four permit holders had landings greater than $50,000."

Schamp, one of those angling leaders, says gillnets are archaic tools that threaten the livelihood of 13 endangered or threatened species of salmon and steelhead that navigate the river. "We don't a have an issue with the commercial fishery at all. It's the method. We need to be selective," he said.

Seine nets, which involve encircling fish then gradually pulling in the lines around them, are a better way to ensure native fish aren't illegally caught, Schamp said,

It's a long debated alternative. A Washington pilot study determined seines were more harmful than gillnets. But Schamp said that study was flawed.

"When you have a mixed stock fishery, hatchery fish, wild fish, swimming into that," he said of gillnets, "It doesn't know the difference."

Schamp and Pedery say gillnetters' assertion that they would be devastated by moving their fisheries off the main swath of the river are unfounded.

"They make this claim that they are being devastated by these reforms, but there's no evidence of that," Schamp said.

Rick Hargrave, an ODFW spokesman, said the state's economic assistance program of $1 million for commercial fishermen hasn't been used. "We are not aware of any associated claims of economic harm by commercial fishers requesting reimbursement," Hargrave said in an email.

Cathlamet, Washington -- 10/5/10 -- The Viking Queen sets out a purse seine net on the Columbia River during this trial program to see if commercial fishing can be altered to not kill so many wild, federally protected salmon. Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian

No time to fish

One of the main arguments by gillnet advocates goes like this: Do you enjoy eating fresh Oregon salmon at restaurants or from stores? Then you want gillnetting and commercial fishing to continue.

Johnson, the state senator, said the commercial fishery represents a significant economic boon to the coastal region - and to non-fishing Oregonians.

"I don't have time to go fish," Johnson said. "I go to my fishmonger, and I'm able to buy this magnificent culinary delight. There's benefit on both sides."

Steve Fick, owner of Fishhawk Fisheries of Astoria and a board member of the pro-gillnetting association Salmon for All, said commercial fishermen are unfairly criticized on several fronts.

"We've tried seining, we've tried fish traps, we've tried hooks and lines," he said. None are as safe or effective as gillnets.

The commercial side doesn't get enough credit either, he said, for changing the type of netting it uses and where and when gillnetters fish.

"We've been very responsible," he said. "We want to see a sustainable ongoing natural resource too. That's paramount to our industry."

If the Kitzhaber plan was fully implemented, he said, fishermen would lose two-thirds of their income.

While most gillnetters have other jobs, the ripple effect of losing that income would trickle down to fish processers, restaurants and other coastal industries that depend on the fishery.

"Local businesses, local fishermen are the fabric who give you the philanthropic dollars," he said. "That's the fabric that sees that you have a little league game, a library, a swimming pool."

What happens next

What happens next is anyone's guess.

It's possible Oregon and Washington could have different policies for managing the river. Oregon's commission will meet again Jan. 20.

Washington's commission also will consider delaying their reforms, but it could also proceed as planned. That could open the door to lawsuits and daily enforcement headaches.

"That's not a good place to be," said Tucker Jones, ODFW's ocean salmon and Columbia River program manager. "We have non-concurring regulations. Now things don't work out.

"How do you do that?" he said.

"In theory, a Washington angler wouldn't be able to fish in Oregon waters," he said. That leads to obvious enforcement issues, Jones said.

Hockaday, the governor's spokesman, said Oregon always wants to stay on the same page as Washington. It's too soon to see how it plays all. "We will continue to do our best," he said.

Girod and Schamp, who led the 2012 ballot measure alongside Sen. Rod Monroe (D-Portland), said it's possible another ballot fight crops up if Oregon further delays gillnet reforms.

Johnson said whatever happens, it won't be a new fight.

"We're probably signing up for another 100 years of debate," she said.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story mentioned 35 Washington lawmakers sent a letter regarding the gillnet issue to state wildlife officials. That figure didn't include 15 Washington State Senate members. Additionally, on Saturday, Washington's wildlife commission voted 8-2 to move forward with the reform plan. "While we have made a couple changes to the policy for the next two years, we are committed to full implementation, meeting conservation goals and transitioning gillnets into off-channels areas," said Larry Carpenter, vice-chair of the commission said in a statement.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down performs at France's Hellfest Heavy Music Festival on June 22, 2013. (Jean-Sebastien Evrard/AFP/Getty Images)

(Jean-Sebastien Evrard/AFP/Getty Images)

A Portland radio station took a stand against 3 Doors Down--until it sat down again.

The alternative rock band announced on Friday that they'd be joining the "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration" on Jan. 19, the day before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. 3 Doors Down's announcement noted Toby Keith, actor Jon Voight, Lee Greenwood, classical act the Piano Guys and more have signed on for the concert.

But that didn't appear to sit right with Portland's Radio 102.3, or at least with digital content coordinator and show host Jay Mackin, who announced the decision to stop supporting the group's music in a brief blog post.

"3 Doors down will be performing at Donald Trump's Inauguration Celebration. Until further notice, the music of 3 Doors Down is hereby banned from Radio 102.3's airwaves," he wrote on Friday.

At press time, the post has a single comment, from Facebook user Sharon Holloway, who responded: "Grow up."

An hour after the publication, the post's headline changed from "3 Doors Down banned from Radio 102.3 Portland" to add the word "(fake)."

"This was a joke, we never banned 3DD," Mackin wrote in the updated post, removing the previous text.

Mackin did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Oregonian.

Marquee musicians from Elton John to Andrea Bocelli have denied they will be involved in the inauguration, though others--Jackie Evancho from "America's Got Talent" and Bruce Springsteen tribute act the B Street Band--have been announced for the Washington, D.C. fete.

-- David Greenwald

dgreenwald@oregonian.com

503-294-7625; @davidegreenwald

Instagram: Oregonianmusic
1cascade.JPG

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon is one of many natural areas that the federal government preserves for Americans' appreciation.

(Bureau of Land Management)

By Steven Aguilu

Dear Government,

This is a thank you letter. It is a letter of appreciation to our government, to all the millions of people who have helped keep the machinery of a complex nation functioning in the face of complex problems and even more complex and often unreasonable demands.

After a sad era of disdain, our people in uniform are once again revered. Every day they hear "Thank you for your service." This is good. It rewards them for the heart they have invested in our safety and security.

Yet, for some very deliberately orchestrated reasons, the opposite has happened for you, our civilian service members. Over the last 40 years, you have been increasingly vilified and defunded. You have been portrayed as overpaid, over-benefitted, inefficient, rude and uninterested in the missions that you are called to do.

This has been completely counter to my experience. From the federal fisheries people in watershed and wildlife department meetings to the polite young woman from the IRS who audited my taxes, I have never met a single one who seemed to have personal or political ambitions beyond being good stewards.

Department of Education: Thank you for making my public education better, for working to assure that we all learn facts that are facts. Thank you for plucking so many of my cohorts from one economic stratum to the next.

Department of the Interior: Thank you for caring for our nation's playground. Places where we can ponder the greatness of our earth and the people who found their homes in its wilderness, where the American character can hear itself in the silence of great spaces.

Department of Health and Human Services: Thank you for being trustworthy and unbiased guides in taking care of my patients; for making sure that vaccines are available and safe; for reaching into the dark corners of medical ignorance and fear with education and services.

Environmental Protection Agency: For helping to keep our water drinkable, our air breathable and for fighting on the 'new' front of manmade climate change. There is no right- or left- wing politics when contemplating the massive famines and displacement that will occur in the future. Thank you for your courage to stand up to the ever-blowing gales of commercial forces that seek to undo our protections. "Regulations" is just an ugly way of saying "rules," but rules are what keep us from poisoning our world and our bodies.

To all the other public servants, I thank you.

Share your opinion

Submit your essay of 500 words or less to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.

Finally, I call upon the people of our government to step forward in the coming years. If your new bosses will listen, teach them. If they ask you to do something wrong, something that is not in the best interests of our nation, speak up!

I know you have families and mortgages and health care to pay for, but we will match your courage with dollars, and crowd-fund your legal defense. And if they fire you en masse, we should help you set up private watch-dog institutions to continue the missions that you have now.

You are our heroes too. Thank you for your service.

Steven Aguilu is a family physician, writer and musician. He lives in Northeast Portland.
RYAN.JPG

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, talks with reporters during his weekly news conference in the Capitol Visitors Center at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. Ryan said congressional Republicans were on a "rescue" mission to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and that he and President-elect Donald Trump are in perfect sync with the process of replacing Obamacare.

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

By Mike DeBonis

WASHINGTON - Congress took its first step toward rolling back President Barack Obama's health-care reform law Friday, with the House voting along party lines to pass a crucial precursor to the Affordable Care Act's unraveling.

It will now only get harder for Republicans. They must assemble a viable replacement for a law that has expanded health insurance coverage to roughly 20 million Americans and eliminated unpopular insurance industry practices, such as lifetime coverage caps and widespread refusal to cover already-sick individuals.

Republican leaders have instead focused on the Affordable Care Act's flaws - rising premiums for plans sold in state marketplaces, high deductibles and burdensome taxes. GOP lawmakers are set to gather in Philadelphia later this month to hash out a more complete alternative.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Friday's nearly party-line vote would launch a "thoughtful, step-by-step process" including action by both Congress and the Trump administration.

"This is a critical first step toward delivering relief to Americans who are struggling under this law," he said. "Our goal is a truly patient-centered system, which means more options to choose from, lower costs and greater control over your coverage. And as we work to get there, we will make sure that there is a stable transition period so that people don't have the rug pulled out from under them."

The final vote was 227 to 198, with nine Republicans joining all Democrats in voting no.

The budget measure, which was passed Thursday by the Senate, paves the way for Republicans to use special budget procedures to repeal major parts of the law without cooperation from Democrats.

House Republicans from divergent wings of the party raised concerns this week about taking that initial step without having a more detailed plan in place for ultimately replacing Obamacare with a GOP alternative.

House leaders worked to address those concerns, even as President-elect Donald Trump made public statements setting out an ambitious timeline for action that many lawmakers see as unrealistic.

During a nationally televised town hall meeting Thursday, Ryan said Congress would act "definitely within these first 100 days" on a replacement plan.

The handful of House Republicans who opposed the budget measure Friday remained wary about the path ahead. About half were moderates, half hardline conservatives.

"I'm much more concerned about the content than the timing," said Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., a former insurance executive who voted no. "I think we're going a little too fast. That said, I understand leadership's goals and I agree with them: We have to fix what is clearly broken with Obamacare."

A number of skeptical Republicans polled Friday said they had gotten sufficient assurances on the process ahead that they would vote "yes."

One lawmaker familiar with behind-the-scenes GOP discussions said leaders pledged to hold a vote on a replacement bill alongside the ACA repeal legislation. Leaders also promised, the lawmaker said, to include in that repeal bill - which would be subject to the special budget procedures - major elements of a replacement plan.

Under those procedures, known as reconciliation, only provisions with definitive budgetary impacts can be included in the bill, so it could not be used for a complete Obamacare alternative.

"We've been showing more of the details, but a lot of this is going to be done in committee," said Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the majority whip. "We're not going to be like what [Democratic leader] Nancy Pelosi did, where she wrote the bill in a backroom, dumped it on the floor and said, 'Pass the bill to find out what's in it.' We're actually going to have our committees write the bill in open hearings. I think that's going to be refreshing."

Pelosi, D-Calif., who as House speaker muscled the Obamacare legislation through in 2009 and 2010, is now leading the opposition to its repeal as minority leader.

On the House floor Friday, she dismissed the "mythology" surrounding the ACA - which did, in fact, move through congressional committees, though without GOP cooperation - and accused Republicans of "feeding their ideological obsession with repealing the ACA and dismantling the health and economic security of hardworking families" without coming up with a workable alternative.

"They talk about repeal and replacing," Pelosi said. "For six years, they have had a chance to propose an alternative. We see nothing."

Budget measures such as the one under consideration Friday are typically strictly partisan affairs. Republicans hold a 24-vote advantage over Democrats in the House; if more than a handful of Republicans had balked, GOP leaders would have faced an embarrassing delay.

Republicans got a nudge this week from conservative activist groups, including the Club for Growth and Heritage Action for America, who called for the budget measure's passage. And Trump himself took to Twitter to hail its passage in the Senate.

But for most rank-and-file Republicans, the choice was relatively simple: After running campaign after campaign against Obamacare, would they really pass up their first chance to unravel it?

"If there's been one promise that Republicans have run on for the last six years, it is that we are going to do our best to repeal Obamacare," said Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee. "I think that [the Friday vote] affirms our promise today."

(c) 2017, The Washington Post
21581764-mmmain.jpg

A grand jury found that two Dallas, Ore., police officers were justified in using deadly force during an encounter with a suspect in December.

(The Oregonian/OregonLive/file)

DALLAS, Ore. -- A grand jury has unanimously found that two Dallas, Oregon police officers were justified in the fatal shooting of a man during a DUI traffic stop in December.



The Polk County Attorney's Office said in a news release Friday the jury found Dallas Police Sergeant Rob Hatchell and Dallas Police Officer Michael Fleming were justified in using deadly force when they shot and killed Jeremiah Anderson Dec. 16.



The attorney's office says while officers attempted to arrest Anderson, he told them he would shoot, produced a pistol and fired two bullets, striking Hatchell in the leg.



Officials say Hatchell returned fire, striking Anderson in the lower extremities and when Anderson continued to struggle, Fleming fired, hitting Anderson in the head.



Anderson died at the scene.



Dallas is about 15 miles west of Salem.

-- The Associated Press
STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 14, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: A decision was made to remove him from three sessions for his statement.

In his speech Garo Paylan said during 1913-1923 the Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Jews registered in the country, were exiled from these lands or subjected to tortures as a result of large massacres and genocide.

Paylans statement angered the ruling Justice and Development party members. However, Paylan continued his speech saying: At one time we comprised 40% of the population, today we are one among 1000. Something happened to us, and I call it genocide whatever you call it. The Armenian people know very well what happened with them. I know very well what happened with my father, grandfather. Let you call it, lets together face it.

The ruling party lawmaker Metin Kulunk demanded to correct the word genocide. It was decided to stop the session. After that a number of ruling and opposition party members condemned Paylans such statement.
Brazil joins pink tide' in Latin America... Nearly 20 years later, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is elected as President of Brazil. From working as a shoe-shine boy to being elected as President of Brazil Lula Da Silva has come a long way.
The Midland County chapter of Right to Life will host a memorial prayer vigil on the steps of the Midland County Courthouse at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, in witness to the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion in the United States.

The Rev. Nate E. Harburg, parochial administrator of Nativity of the Lord Parish in Gratiot County, will lead the group in prayer, followed by a reception and fellowship. Banners and signs will be provided, or attendees may bring their own.
To the editor:

The Gladwin/Beaverton Community Food Distribution has completed another year of successful monthly food distributions at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Gladwin. These monthly food distributions have been serving an average of 210 households  more than 500 people from the community who need additional food assistance.

The operation of The Gladwin/Beaverton Community Food Distribution requires numerous dedicated people. I would like to first thank Christ the King Lutheran Church for its support and commitment to this ministry. They open their doors each month for pre-registration and provide refreshments to those registering during the fellowship time. They make their site available for the Saturday distribution days and provide the much needed manpower for both registration and distribution days when needed. A special thank you goes out to our dedicated registration volunteers. The Saturday distribution could not run smoothly without their dedicated service.

Each time a food distribution is held, it requires a sponsoring group or groups to pay for the truck and add to the manpower needed on distribution day. The cost of sponsorship is about $1,000. The local groups who have sponsored trucks and/or supplied manpower on distribution day are: Christ the King Lutheran Church-Gladwin, First United Methodist Church-Gladwin, Emmanuel Baptist Church-Gladwin, Our Savior Lutheran Church-Gladwin, Gladwin Assembly of God, Beaverton Church of the Nazarene, St. Timothy Lutheran Church-Midland, Hope Lutheran Church-Rhodes, MidMichigan Medical Center-Gladwin, The DeShano Foundation, United Way of Clare and Gladwin counties, Beaverton Helping Hands Mission and Beaverton Lions and Leos. Many monetary donations have been made by individual benefactors also.

The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation recently issued a generous grant to The Gladwin/Beaverton Community Food Distribution in support of this program for 2017. The GBCFD sponsorship/manpower calendar for 2017 is currently being developed. If any groups or individuals would like to sponsor a truck, make a monetary contribution or supply manpower for this much needed ministry, please contact Christ the King Lutheran Church, (989) 426-1659. To send a monetary contribution, send to Christ the King Lutheran Church at 600 S. M-18, Gladwin, Michigan, 48624, specifying Food Truck Ministry. Contributions are tax deductible.

JILL PHILLIPS

Co-Chair

Christ the King Lutheran Church Food Ministry Committee
Every Republican Should Be Aware of These Facts, Which Donald Trump Does Not Dispute

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | January 14, 2017 |

There is little doubt by this point that there are significant ties between Russia and Donald Trump. Given Russias human rights record, its authoritarian government, and Putins history of killing political enemies and journalists, this is a deal breaker for many Americans.

A growing number of Republicans, however, have expressed indifference toward Trumps relationship with Russia. Those with that position are not likely to be persuaded about the dangers of Trumps relationship with the country. However, for other Republicans, Independents and even Democrats who are skeptical because much of the information we have received is colored by fake news and unverified allegations arising out of a dossier prepared for a former British Intelligence agent, it is very easy to connect the dots.

Here are facts that are not in dispute, which provide a damning circumstantial case against Donald Trump. The relationship between Trump and Russia may not change certain voters opinion of Trump, but the links cannot be dismissed.

Again, these facts are not in dispute (we will update as more become available).

 Russia is the chief geopolitical enemy of the United States. The large majority of Americans in both parties have low regard for both Putin and Russia.

 In 2013, Donald Trump visited Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant.

 Since 2013, Donald Trump has written a number of pro-Russian tweets, expressing admiration for Putin, suggesting that he is a better leader than President Obama, and referring to him as a very smart man. This position offers no political upside for Trump.

 Carter Page  who spent several years in Russia  was a foreign policy advisor for Donald Trump. Page allegedly met with a number of sanctioned Russian officials earlier this year on a trip to Moscow. Page did not deny meeting with these officials, but claimed that he did so on his own behalf, and not on behalf of Trump. According to Page himself, he subsequently took a leave of absence from the Trump campaign over the controversy. Last week, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said that Donald Trump had never met Carter Page. However, in March, Donald Trump specifically told the Washington Post that Carter Page, Ph.D was being considered for a role on Trumps foreign policy team. This was confirmed by Trump spokesman Hope Hicks in March.

 In July, Trump took a position at odds with American policy on Russias annexation of Crimea. But, you know, the people of Crimea, from what Ive heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were, he said. This is untrue for most Ukranians; in fact, the United States enacted sanctions against Russia specifically for forcefully annexing Crimea. Trumps statement on Crimea came around the same time that the Russians were hacking into the DNC.

 Also, in July, Donald Trump asked the Russians to hack into Hillary Clintons emails during a press conference.

 Donald Trump employed Paul Manafort as his campaign manager over the summer. Manafort was investigated for receiving $12.7 million in off-the-books funds from the Party of Regions, a pro-Russian Ukrainian entity. Manafort also used to work for deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a Putin ally. Paul Manafort resigned from Trumps campaign in August after these facts came to light.

 Ahead of the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump expressed little interest in developing the Republican party platform. However, there was one  and only one  change that Donald Trumps campaign insisted upon. Though at the time Republicans were asking President Obama to provide more aid to the Ukraine in its fight against Russia, Trumps campaign specifically requested that the platform be weakened in that regard. Trump does not dispute this change; he claims, however, that he was not involved in the decision (GOP party members, however, state that they only made the change at the request of the Trump campaign).

 Donald Trump consistently denied during the campaign that Russia was behind the hacks of the DNC, despite overwhelming intelligence suggesting as much.

 Last month, as Obama was leveling new sanctions against Russia for the DNC hack, Trumps national security advisor General Flynn was exchanging phone calls with Sergey Kislyak, Russias ambassador in Washington. Some suggest that Flynn was advising Russia on how to respond to sanctions. This is unconfirmed. However, there is no dispute that the communication was made, nor is there any dispute about the fact that Flynn used the phone call to arrange a meeting between Trump and Putin after the inauguration. Flynn has consistently expressed a desire to have a closer relationship with Putin. In 2015, he went to a gala in Russia and sat next to Putin.

 Donald Trump nominated Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State. Tillerson has worked frequently with Russia. In 2013, Tillerson was awarded the Order of Friendship award by Putin.

 In the waning months of the campaign, the FBI sought FISA warrants against Trump campaign workers and Donald Trump himself to investigate potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. They were initially denied because the scope of the investigation was too broad but a warrant was eventually granted. James Comey, the head of the FBI, will not offer public comment on the investigation.

 Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent who complied the salacious dossier, was originally hired by Jeb Bush to provide opposition research on Trump. He was later hired by Hillary Clinton. After the campaign ended, however, Steele continued to collect intelligence against Donald Trump for free, because he was alarmed by what he was finding.

 Donald Trump denies all of the intelligence provided in Christopher Steeles dossier. However, he does not deny that it was compiled, nor does he deny that he was briefed on it. Steele has proven to be a reliable intelligence gatherer in the past. He provided the intelligence used to take down FIFA head Sepp Blatter. Steele made his dossier available to both the FBI and British intelligence officers, not on behalf of any campaign, but because of his concerns for what he was finding.

None of this information is in dispute. None of these individual facts, in isolation, has been denied by the Trump team. The Trump team, however, denies that the sum total of these facts prove that there are significant ties between Donald Trump and Russia, or that Donald Trumps actions suggest the Russians have blackmail leverage over him. However, by simply connecting the dots, the circumstantial case against Donald Trump, based only on these undisputed facts, is damning.





Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.
Editor's note: Susan has the week off. This column originally ran Dec. 10, 2011.

My mother still reminds me of the time I volunteered her to make crepes, stuffed with chicken and white sauce, for my high school French class. From scratch.

I had bragged to my teacher that my mother knew how to make French crepes, which was a bit of an exaggeration. I think she ordered them in a restaurant once. But the teacher asked if mom would bring the dish to the class, and being 15, I said, "Sure!"

After mom overcame the shock of what I had volunteered her for, she hopped into action. At the library, she found a recipe (remember, this was before the days of the Internet) and then did several trial runs. We ate crepes a lot that week. Finally, she even managed to transport 30 delicate crepes to the school while keeping them hot.

I'll never forget the look of sheer pleasure on my French teacher's face as she slowly pulled the fork from her lips. The crepes were perfect and delicious. My mother was triumphant.

So this fall, when my sophomore daughter announced that as part of her geography class she was working a country project worth a bazillion points, I immediately hoped she was not assigned France. I knew I couldn't pull off crepes and to ask my mother again would surely mean disinheritance.

In addition to writing a paper on their assigned country, the students, in pairs, were responsible for creating a display to be part of a country fair. Nearly 50 displays were set to be featured, and included everything from relief maps and homemade flags to costumes and authentic food.

My daughter and her partner were assigned to Austria, home of Mozart, "Silent Night" and lederhosen. I knew there was a Linzer torte in our future.

And so began months of being on the lookout for all things Austrian, from Mozart chocolates to Gustav Klimt prints. Not like I was feeling any pressure ... just because the mother of my daughter's partner was making cookies from scratch and sewing a homemade dirndl complete with apron.

My daughter began to fret over her share of responsibilities for food, and looked to me, now in the mother role, for ideas. After all, she knew her grandmother had created the famously delicious crepes for French class.

The day before the program I was traveling on business in Chicago, and some friends pointed me to an Austrian delicatessen, where I found enough Austrian cheese to feed the Von Trapp family and their cousins.

The big day arrived and the school cafeteria was transformed into a session of the United Nations. Only nicer. As students built their displays, it was a scene of crock pots, extension cords and clothes lines. Sophomores were dressed in everything from Grecian robes to Scottish kilts, with a smattering of sarongs and sombreros.

My daughter and her partner were excited about their display, which included a Linzer torte that looked like the Austrian flag, several varieties of homemade cookies and, of course, the store-bought cheese.

A father of six stopped by.

I've lived through five of these projects," he said, popping a piece of cheese into his mouth. "One more to go. And none of the kids has ever had the same country!"

I felt his pain.

"Say, this cheese is good," he said.

Have another piece, I said, eager to promote my culinary contribution.

"Delicious!" he declared. Best cheese Ive ever eaten!

Not exactly the triumph of homemade crepes, but a tasty victory just the same.
NORMAL  Broadview Mansion seems to be attracting historical honors.

Six months after the property at 1301 S. Fell Ave. in Normal was added to the National Register of Historic Places, it will welcome an historic guest: the 1-ton bell that rang above Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Bloomington for more than a century.

"They attended Second Presbyterian," said Annette Klinzing, executive director of the mansion's Immanuel Bible Foundation, of the mansion's original owners, Bird and Margaret Van Leer. "It's like it was meant to be."

Second Presbyterian will lend the bell to the foundation started by Margaret Van Leer, and the organizations are working with the town of Normal, which contributes to the mansion's upkeep, to build a 4-foot-by-4-foot display at the base of Broadview's bell tower.

"I just thought, there ought to be a more complementary place for a historic bell," said David Strand, a church member and president of the foundation's board. That tower is a pretty prominent piece of Bloomington-Normal, and it would be representative of one of the largest bells that previously hung there.

Normal's Historic Preservation Commission approved the project Tuesday, and the project is set to be completed this spring.

Klinzing hopes to restore the bell, which shows significant deterioration, but no plan has been finalized.

The cost will be borne jointly by Immanuel Bible Foundation, private gifts and the town of Normal, said Strand. "The expenditure from the town, and the whole project, will be minimal. ... I cant give you an exact figure at the moment, but were certainly talking less than $10,000 for the whole project.

Both the bell and the tower have long, illustrious histories in the Twin Cities.

Church members are unsure whether the bell, which was manufactured by New York's storied Meneely bell foundry in 1868, was used in their first building, but it became a fixture of downtown Bloomington after a new Second Presbyterian Church opened in 1895.

"The bell was rung every Sunday for services as well as for weddings, and it would have been heard by the whole community. It was loud and regular," said Jeanie Wendt, chairwoman of the church's Heritage Committee. "There even was a New Year's Eve service held every year here, and the youth of the church got to go up and ring the bell at midnight."

Church members also don't know precisely when the bell stopped ringing, but it was at an inspector's request in the 1970s. The bell stayed in the tower until the church was demolished in 2004, but the replacement building has no tower.

After that, the bell was briefly displayed at one of the new church's entrances, but its wood display started decaying, and it was moved to the private, outdoor Felmley Dickerson storage area, said Strand.

Broadview's tower played briefly but strongly: after it was finished in 1939 and dedicated by Margaret to Bird, it played music on a 10-bell system, the smallest being only 2 pounds.

The bells rang twice a day, playing hymns heard by south Normal, across the Illinois Wesleyan University campus and beyond.

"(Margaret) would look out the window and decide what to play that day," said Klinzing of Van Leer's later years. "It was her peace."

After the bells were removed in 1979 and replaced with an audio system, they were lost or destroyed, Klinzing said. Today, even the audio system is quiet.

Second Presbyterian's bell will be displayed at the tower with two inscriptions: one describing its history at the church, and the other the mansion's story.

The following inscription was engraved on one of the original bells that hung in the Broadview Mansion bell tower," the latter plaque is expected to say:
BLOOMINGTON  Expanding programs to reduce self-injury and substance abuse, increasing capacity of health clinics that serve the poor and making it easier for people to exercise at work, in community centers and outside are among changes called for in McLean County's first Community Health Improvement Plan.

"This is unique," Holly Ambuehl, United Way of McLean County vice president of impact, said of the plan. "Few counties have a joint plan."

Ambuehl and representatives of the McLean County Health Department, Advocate BroMenn Medical Center and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center discussed the plan with The Pantagraph on Friday after it was approved by the United Way board.

The plan goes to the boards of the health department on Wednesday, St. Joseph on Jan. 23 and BroMenn on Jan. 24. Approvals are expected.

The plan should be posted on those organizations' websites by Feb. 15, said Cathy Coverston Anderson, health department assistant administrator.

Implementation will be phased in over three years but depends on the level of support, partnerships and funding. Money to support plan points would need to come from a variety of sources, Coverston Anderson said.

Previously, the health department, BroMenn and St. Joseph completed separate assessments but decided a joint countywide assessment was better.

That assessment was completed in August and identified mental illness and substance abuse, lack of access to health care among people in some areas of Bloomington and obesity as the top three health needs in McLean County. Among striking conclusions in that assessment, reported by The Pantagraph in August, was that 32 percent of McLean County residents were obese, compared to 29 percent statewide and nationwide.

Since then, a plan to address those needs has been developed. The health department, hospitals and United Way had partners in developing the plan.

"Sixty individuals representing 49 organizations helped to develop the plan," Coverston Anderson said.

"Together, we are better," said Sally Gambacorta, BroMenn community health manager.

Regarding mental illness and substance abuse, plan goals are to reduce mental illness stigma, increase earlier access to care, increase coping skills and decrease deaths by suicide and emergency department visits because of self-injury and alcohol abuse.

The plan calls for doing that by making evidence-based programs  such as Too Good for Drugs for youth, Mental Health First Aid and Ending the Silence  accessible to more people and by having a coordinated, countywide behavioral health campaign.

Regarding lack of access to health care, the goal is to decrease barriers to primary care among low-income Bloomington residents by increasing the capacity of health clinics that serve the poor, encouraging people to have a medical home or a primary care physician to reduce ER trips, increasing mobile health services for the poor and improving access to oral health care.

Regarding obesity, the plan goal is to reduce obesity by promoting physical activity in the workplace and community  such as by encouraging open gym time at schools  and by enacting at least one change to improve McLean County's "walkability and bike-ability."

Other anti-obesity interventions call for supporting physical education in schools and promoting programs that make fresh fruits and vegetables more available to the poor.

Plan coordinators will look as much as possible to existing programs and new collaborations to make the interventions happen, Ambuehl said.

"We want to build on interventions that already exist in the community to improve the health of the community," said Meridith Nelson, St. Joseph director of strategic planning.
BLOOMINGTON  If Illinois not-for-profit hospitals would be required to pay property taxes, their services would be diminished, say representatives of some Central Illinois hospitals.

"It's possible that we would reduce the labor force or perhaps close or cut back non-profitable parts of our operations (Wellness Center, day care) to make up for the new taxes," said Mark Rossi, chief operating officer of Hopedale Medical Complex in Hopedale.

Rossi discussed the property tax question on Friday, the day after the state Supreme Court heard arguments about whether a law allowing not-for-profit hospitals to continue to avoid paying property taxes is constitutional.

Proponents argue that hospitals have been tax-exempt for years because of their charity care. Opponents argue that hospitals are profitable and should be required to pay their share of taxes.

"We actually do pay property taxes on most of what we own," Rossi said. Hopedale paid more than $325,000 in property taxes last year for its non-hospital operations, including its assisted living area, nursing home and wellness center.

"If forced to pay tax on the hospital building, it would mean an additional estimated $200,000 a year in taxes ... (which) would certainly prevent us from upgrading facilities and buying new equipment in future years without the need for borrowing," Rossi said.

Hopedale gave more than $1 million in charity care last year, and that didn't include a $300,000 subsidy for the wellness center, Rossi said.

OSF HealthCare  which includes OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington and OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac  provided nearly $107 million in charity care in 2014, the most recent year for which figures were available on Friday, spokeswomen Shelli Dankoff said.

OSF pays $6.5 million in property taxes on non-tax-exempt properties.

"If the Illinois Supreme Court rules that the tax-exempt status be changed, the tax liability for OSF HealthCare would be approximately $13 million annually across the ministry," Dankoff said. "This would greatly impact the resources available for services to our patients and communities, including investing in new technology, providing expanded services  including additional charity assistance  and future building projects."

Advocate Health Care  which includes Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal and Advocate Eureka Hospital in Eureka  in 2015 provided more than $686 million in community benefits, exceeding the estimated value of its property tax exemption, said Advocate spokeswoman Lisa Lesniak.

"We are hopeful the Supreme Court will agree that the statute provides a clear and constitutional approach to property tax exemption so we can continue to invest in the health and wellness of our communities," Lesniak said.
A little boy in a McDonald's outlet asked a girl for a chicken nugget but after rejection, he pulled a gun on her, twice.

By India Today Web Desk: A 12-year-old schoolboy has been accused of pointing a gun at a girl. According to some reports, the girl seems to be her classmate.

The boy demanded one of her chicken nuggets and when she refused, the boy pulled a gun on her, New York police say, according to BBC report.

After she refused to give him the chicken nugget in a McDonald's outlet in Harlem, he is then alleged to have followed the girl to a nearby train station and held the gun to her head again.

advertisement

The girl pushed the gun away and got on the train.

The boy was later taken into custody and the the New York Police Department says the gun has not been found, and it remains unclear whether it was real or a replica.

--- ENDS ---
BLOOMINGTON  After almost four years in jail and a state mental hospital, Jason Reeves is heading home.

On Friday, Judge Robert Freitag granted his petition to be conditionally released from McFarland Mental Health Center, where Reeves has spent two years receiving treatment related to his 2013 armed robbery of a grocery store.

Friday the 13th isnt an unlucky day after all, Freitag told Reeves after signing the order, which comes with requirements that include mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Reeves shook hands with his lawyer Brian McEldowney and Assistant States Attorney Adam Ghrist after the hearing. Following a stop at the hospital to process paperwork, he will live with with his mother and aunt in Lawrence County.

Its a dream come true, Reeves said after the hearing.

In December, Freitag delayed a decision on Reeves release until a plan for ongoing mental health care was submitted by the state Department of Human Services. The six-page document outlined specific services Reeves will need to remain stable and sober.

Reeves will remain on conditional release for five years.

Reeves was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the March 2013 armed robbery of Kroger in Normal, where he used a fake gun to take money from a cashier. Reeves was shot six times by off-duty Chenoa police officer Andrew Smith, who was working as a security officer at the store.

At the December hearing, McFarland staff testified that they believed Reeves was ready to be released.

Reeves, now 39, told the judge that he learned at McFarland that he had been previously misdiagnosed as schizophrenic and prescribed medication for the disorder. The loss of two close relatives, combined with the side effects of the medication, was the likely cause of his mental breakdown and criminal behavior, he said.

Reeves said he has not taken any medication in more than two years but has received treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder related to childhood abuse. He testified that he plans to attend school to become a recovery specialist.

Everyone is guardedly optimistic hes going to continue his progress and move forward, said McEldowney.

Reeves is suing Kroger, Smith and the city of Chenoa, alleging Smith was not properly trained in the use of a firearm in a store.
BLOOMINGTON  A man who served 4 years in prison for aggravated criminal sexual abuse will remain in state custody after a judge found he is a sexually dangerous person.

Anthony Sullivan, 23, was convicted in 2011 of sexually abusing a minor girl in McLean County.

Judge Paul Lawrence ruled Thursday that Sullivan is sexually violent, a designation that allows the state to retain custody of Sullivan for mental health treatment.

According to a mental health evaluation of Sullivan reviewed by the judge, the defendant poses a high likelihood to reoffend if released.

The office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan prosecutes cases seeking to commit offenders to the state Department of Human Services. Sullivan was returned to a Rushville detention center for sexually violent persons.

An offender must be convicted of a sexually violent offense and be mentally ill in order to be committed under the Sexually Violent Commitment Act. More than 400 sex offenders have been placed in state custody since the law was enacted.

Once placed in treatment, offenders are re-evaluated on a regular basis to determine if they remain sexually violent. Offenders may file a petition asking that a court review their placement.

Sullivan's case was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Debra Blomgren and David Kalicki.
BLOOMINGTON  Central Illinois went skating Saturday, but not by choice: Freezing rain left a sheet of ice blamed for numerous accidents, with more ice  and more accidents  expected Sunday.

The National Weather Service's latest forecast calls for a mix of freezing rain and sleet beginning Sunday evening, turning to rain Monday morning.

NWS says less than a tenth of an inch of ice will accumulate, making for hazardous travel conditions, especially on bridges, overpasses and untreated roads.

A winter weather advisory is in effect from 6 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday, said NWS, urging motorists to use caution and be prepared for slippery roads.

The advisory covers the counties of McLean, Woodford and Tazewell in The Pantagraph area, including the Twin Cities.

Larry Brown of Brown's Wrecker Service in Bloomington said the phone to his towing business started ringing at 6 a.m. Saturday.

"We responded to about four accidents in the morning," said Brown. "It hasn't been too bad. It seems like everyone is staying inside. Hopefully that will continue."

Intersections proved particularly hazardous as drivers slid when they applied their brakes. Some parking lots proved slick for pedestrians and Connect Transit temporarily suspended service Saturday morning.

The McLean County Sheriff's Office reported many accidents and issued a collision alert.

Conditions led to several cancellations Saturday, including a high school basketball game, a neighborhood party, classes at Heartland Community College and the closure of the McLean County Museum of History.

Ameren Illinois is coordinating restoration efforts from its Emergency Operations Center, but its online outage center showed no outages Saturday afternoon.

Illinois Department of Transportation crews continued to treat bridges, overpasses and ramps, which are susceptible to icing, with other workers and equipment on standby.

Unlike sleet, freezing rain is liquid on the way down but freezes on contact with cold surfaces as it enters a shallow layer of temperatures at or below 32 degrees near the ground.

NOTE: With the expected ice storm this weekend, home delivery subscribers may experience some delays in delivery, especially in rural areas. All carriers are attempting delivery as safely and quickly as possible, but weather conditions could make some roads hazardous. Subscribers can log onto pantagraph.com for the latest news and information, and to access our e-edition, which is a page-by-page replica of the our printed product.
BLOOMINGTON  YWCA McLean County is seeking volunteers for its sexual assault awareness program and is organizing a support group for adult female survivors.

Stepping Stones is a sexual assault prevention, response and awareness program.

Volunteers must attend a free, 40-hour advocate training program that will be offered 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 17 through Feb. 9, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 21 through Feb. 11.

The training covers types of sexual violence, rape trauma syndrome, crisis intervention techniques, listening and communication skills, medical and legal advocacy, psychology of sexual violence and information about community partners providing assistance to survivors.

After training, volunteers will be qualified to take hotline calls, provide prevention education to groups and other services.

Forms are available at the YWCA, 1201 N. Hershey Road, or at www.ywcamclean.org. Questions may be submitted to 309-585-3620 or to gcripe@ywcamclean.org.

The support group will meet 5:30 to 7 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 23 through May 1, and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 25 through May 3. Participants must be at least 18 years old.

The group will be free and confidential, will be focused on empowerment and will be led by Stepping Stones staff.

For more information, go to www.ywcamclean.org. Pre-registration and a consultation is required before attending the first session. Survivors may email ealbright@ywcamclean.org or call 309-585-3624.
A groundbreaking for an autism community in Denton County is about to happen soon. The community is expected to house a staff of 150 to 200 trained professionals who will attend to the needs of people with autism in about 15 homes.

The project is not like any other across North Texas. Debra Caudy, the founder of the project, wondered why there's no facility for people with autism in this county considering it's among the largest ones. The communities around Denton also have the same concern but no one took a step until Caudy started the pursuit of setting up the autism community, WFAA reported.

Caudy, a mother of four in Dallas, has retired from her long and successful career as an oncologist. She gave her life raising and taking care of her son Jon when he was diagnosed with autism at two-years-old.

Caudy's 19-year-old son and all adults with autism currently need a special facility across DFW, according to Caudy. Hence, she and her husband Clay Heighten, who is also a doctor, decided to push the project.

In 2015, the Dallas couple acquired 29 acres of land in Cross Roads, Texas in Denton County. They were planning for a groundbreaking this year in a "gated community of sorts." The place will be where adults with autism will live, go to work and continue to grow.

Caudy and Heighten were both overwhelmed by the responses they got from the people for their project. The donations almost reached $12 million.

"These men and women want jobs. They want to pay taxes. It gives them a feeling of fulfillment like any of us want," Caudy said. She pointed out the Cross Roads was an unbelievable partner. The town of around 1,200 people warmly welcomed its new neighbors.

"It really is a symbiotic relationship," said Becky Ross, city planner for Cross Roads. The community is very much willing to take their part in the project.

Meanwhile, about 1 in 68 children in America has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is why America needs more people like Caudy and Heighten who will have the courage to take the first steps to help these individuals with special needs.
Apple supplier Foxconn was in the news on Friday in three unique instances. Our first report covered the rumor of a possible LCD Plant in the U.S. and our second report covered an investment in the Israeli company called Core Photonics that makes dual lens cameras for mobile devices that competes with the iPhone Plus camera. Foxconn and Samsung are noted as investors in the Israeli company. The third unique Foxconn investment that we learned of this week is one that they're making along with HP and Google. The latter investment is the most interesting of all because the investment is in a new company called 'Essential Products, Inc., who is owned by Android inventor Andy Rubin. Beyond an investment, Foxconn is in negotiations with Rubin to manufacture this next generation smartphone that Rubin has been working on with a team of engineers from both Apple and Google.

In December Rubin filed for the trademark 'Essential' with the U.S. Patent and trademark Office. Under application 87278834 as noted below we're able to see that the trademark was filed under International Class 009 covering mobile phones, smartphones, computers, tablet computers, replacement parts and accessories.





A second trademark filing that was made back in December 2016 under application 87275302 covered their corporate logo as noted in our cover graphic above (in two forms, with and without the word Essential).

The center piece of the Essential hardware line-up, according to a new Bloomberg report, is a smartphone with a large edge-to-edge screen that lacks a surrounding bezel. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January, Rubin discussed the smartphone with mobile carrier executives, including some from Sprint Corp., people familiar with the talks said. The smartphone is characterized by Bloomberg as a high-end smartphone that is likely to be aimed at Apple's iPhone.

At least one prototype of Rubin's phone boasts a screen larger than the iPhone 7 Plus's (5.5-inches) but has a smaller overall footprint because of the lack of bezels, one of the people said. The startup is experimenting with enabling the phone's screen to sense different levels of pressure, similar to an iPhone, the person said. Rubin's team is testing an industrial design with metal edges and a back made of ceramic, which is more difficult to manufacture than typical smartphone materials, two of the people said.





There are two granted patents on record covering this new smartphone. One of the patents is somehow blocked from viewing by U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) for whatever reason. When you feed in the granted patent number in the database, USPTO's page returns a statement that the "Full text is not available for this patent." The USPTO page informs readers to click on 'Images' to see the patent figures, but when you do that you end up with "Patent Not Found."

In the one patent that I could access I was able to see a number of aspects about the new smartphone. Bloomberg's report noted specifically that Essential's team was "experimenting with enabling the phone's screen to sense different levels of pressure." This is supported in the patent which goes into great depths on different levels of force touch.

The patent's FIG. 1 is noted above which describes a unique "unibody" design. The following covers an introduction to the new smartphone.

The Force Sensor System

The Essential invention covers "a mobile device with one or more contact features on a chassis shell to serve as interactive components and to facilitate detection of user interaction events. The contact features can include unibody contact features. A unibody contact feature is an integral part of the chassis shell adapted to enable a sensor system to detect user interactions (e.g., touch events or gestures) occurring on the unibody contact feature or proximate to the unibody contact feature. The unibody contact features can include bumps, divots, co-mold features, cantilever features, transparent or semitransparent features, or any combination thereof.

A sensor system can be mounted on a side of the chassis shell directly opposite from a contact feature. In some embodiments, the sensor system is in direct contact with the chassis shell. For example, the sensor system can be an electrical sensor system (e.g., detects patterns in electrical characteristics on a contact feature), an optical sensor system (e.g., detects patterns in visual images of or through a contact feature), a mechanical force sensor system (e.g., detects patterns in physical force from the contact feature), or any combination thereof.

The sensor system can include a resistive touch sensor and the unibody contact feature can include multiple electrically conductive portions exposed on an outer surface of the chassis shell separated by an electrically non-conductive portion of the outer surface. The sensor system can also include a capacitive touch sensor and the unibody contact feature can include an electrically conductive portion on the outer surface of the chassis shell separated by a dielectric layer underneath the outer surface.

In some embodiments, the sensor system (noted as #112 in FIG. 1) is a mechanical force sensor system. For example, the mechanical force sensor system can include a strain gauge, a pressure sensor, a force transducer, a vibration sensor, a microphone, or any combination thereof.

The chassis/unibody could be made of many materials including ceramic metal, glass, carbon fiber, silicone or any combination thereof.

The Optical Sensor System

In some embodiments, the sensor system is an optical sensor system. For example, the optical sensor system can include a camera, an infrared optical sensor, an optical sensor for nonvisible spectrum, or any combination thereof. For example, while the contact features (#116) are exposed on an exterior side of the chassis shell #102, one or more sensors can respectively be positioned on the inner side of the chassis shell directly across from the contact features. For directional sensors, the sensors can be directed toward the contact features.





In Essential's patent FIG. 5 noted above , we're able to see a perspective view of a smartphone having an optical sensor system #502 (shown in dashed lines) capable of visually detecting user interactions proximate to the smartphone.

The smartphone includes a chassis shell #506 having one or more non-opaque features (e.g., a non-opaque feature 510A and a non-opaque feature 510B, collectively as the "non-opaque features 510). The non-opaque features can be transparent or at least partially transparent to enables the optical sensor system to detect visual movements; the optical sensor system can therefore detect images of one or more objects outside of the smartphone.

In some embodiments, the optical sensor system determines a user interaction event based on image analysis of one or more captured images.

In some embodiments, the optical sensor system determines a user interaction event based on video analysis of a sequence of one or more images captured by the optical sensor system.

For example, the user interaction event can be a touch event or a user gesture event.

The optical sensor system can register the touch events with a processor. In some embodiments, the optical sensor system can detect images in the visual spectrum. In some embodiments, the optical sensor system can detect images outside of the visual spectrum, such as infrared spectrum.

In some embodiments, the optical sensor system includes a light source. For example, the optical sensor system can include an infrared light emitter, a light-emitting diode, a laser, or any combination thereof.

The Smartphone will use a Proprietary Connector

The Bloomberg report also pointed to a new connector: "Essential's engineers are developing a proprietary connector that serves double duty for charging the battery and expanding the phone's functionality over time, one person familiar with the planning said. The magnetic connector would allow Essential or even third parties to create hardware accessories that add features to the smartphone."

One of the inventors listed on the Essential Products patent also invented a proprietary connector while he was working for Lytro, Inc. Interestingly "Lytro is building the world's most powerful Light Field imaging platform enabling artists, scientists and innovators to pursue their goals with an unprecedented level of freedom and control. This revolutionary technology will unlock new opportunities for photography, cinematography, mixed reality, scientific and industrial applications." You could learn more about lytro light field technology here and here.

If the 'Essential' smartphone's camera has any connection with Lytro, and that's a big if, then it could be a game changer for photographers. It's Apple's depth-imaging 'Portrait' feature for the Bokeh effect on steroids.



The connector noted below was granted a patent in February 2016. It's a design patent which means we have absolutely no details about the connector other than visuals.





According to the Bloomberg report, Andy "Rubin is aiming to put the phone on sale around the middle of this year for a price close to that of an iPhone 7 ($649)." With Ruben having worked with AI systems, it's yet another angle that may emerge with Essentials new smartphone and other mobile products.

For Foxconn, it's an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a potentially successful new smartphone and gain a contract to manufacture it. For HP, it could be a breakthrough smartphone for them to get behind. It could be a smartphone that could put them on the map in this crowed field if it introduces breakthrough features that could challenge the status quo.

The most intriguing connection of all is Google. Will this next-gen smartphone be powered by Android or a whole new OS written from scratch offering advanced graphics, photography and mixed reality features that could end up being Google's high-end OS.

Looking at the partners gathering behind this venture tells us that it's not a mickey mouse adventure. So 2017 is going to be one hell of an exciting year with Apple's anniversary iPhone, the comeback of Samsung's Note smartphone and now the mystery "Essential" smartphone to mix things up. Just when things were starting to get a little boring on the smartphone front, it seems that 2017 could be the beginning of a new wave of innovation that might even tap into foldables later this year. Enjoy the ride.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I strongly agree with Emerson on this point, and have held the same opinion since long before I noticed what he had to say about it. Candidly, its sneering cynics  they exist everywhere, I suppose, but I personally encounter them most often in a particular strain of (typically secular apostate) anti-Mormonism (most recently in certain reactions to the General Authority stipend scandal)  who seem to illustrate the principle most clearly.

I cant help but think of Lord Darlingtons definition of a cynic, in Oscar Wildes comedy Lady Windemeres Fan, as a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

I love Switzerland. But I cant count the number of times when some cynical Swiss or other, referring to religious faith and churches, would move his thumb back and forth against the opposing fingers of the same hand as if manipulating coins or bills and say, with a knowing smirk, Alles geht um das (Its all about that) or Alles geht um das Geld (Its all about money). The remark always seemed to me more likely an unwitting confession than an accurate description of others.

In an odd way, too, Im reminded of the great Edmund Burkes reaction, in his Reflections on the Revolution in France, to the news of the death of Queen Marie Antoinette on the guillotine. Although a member of Parliament, he had been sympathetic to the grievances of the American colonists and strongly opposed to British attempts to put down the Revolution by force. But the French Revolution, in his judgment, was a very different thing:

I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards to avenge even a look that threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone. That of sophisters, economists, and calculators, has succeeded; and the glory of Europe is extinguished for ever. Never, never more shall we behold the generous loyalty to rank and sex, that proud submission, that dignified obedience, that subordination of the heart, which kept alive, even in servitude itself, the spirit of an exalted freedom.

One of the members of my doctoral committee  I must say that I found him deeply impressive and that I wouldnt actually consider him a cynic  was a prodigiously learned historian of the pre-modern Near East who, while not a Marxist, took a determinedly economic view of everything he studied. Which, since he specialized in Islam and its Middle Eastern religious antecedents, seemed to me a very serious defect. I actually credit Marxist and other modern historians (including those of the rather anti-Marxist Annales school) with bringing long overdue attention to economic and social factors that had previously been neglected. But the emphasis can and often does go too far. It can become a crude reductionism. My professor wasnt by any stretch of the imagination crude. He was brilliant and insightful. But, in what always seemed to me a case of strange blindness, he was apparently unable to believe that any historical actor ever really did anything for non-economic reasons.

At one point, we clashed over a draft-chapter of my dissertation in which I described an event in seventh-century Iraq as an expression of a proto-Shiite religious sensibility. No, he said, it was a fiscal protest against early Umayyad tax policies. I responded that it was an act motivated by devotion to the family of the Prophet, and that the hundreds of men involved in it  ordinary townsmen and farmers  went, as they surely knew they were going, to absolutely certain death at the hands of a professional army about fifteen times the size of their group. How could they possibly have hoped that doing so would better their financial situation?

He was resolute. There was always, he said, an economic angle. People always act in their own self-interest. I argued that I myself, though I hardly considered myself a spiritual exemplar, routinely spent time and money and effort out of religious motivation in ways that not only didnt advance my economic interests but regularly and predictably cost me, in temporal terms. And that I knew literally hundreds of people, and associated with many of them every Sunday, who did precisely the same thing. Regularly. Routinely.

He insisted nonetheless that he wouldnt approve that chapter of my dissertation until I acknowledged the event in question as a fiscal protest. I refused. We were at an impasse until my wifes insistence that I get the darned thing done and move on finally impelled me to make a change. The main text of my dissertation now features precisely the description that he wanted, accompanied by a footnote explaining that the description given in the main text was incorrect and had been written under duress. That proved, amazingly enough, to be an acceptable compromise, and he signed.
Patna: Police in Patna on Thursday used water cannons to disperse agitating Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leaders and workers who were protesting against the Nitish government on rising crime statistics and poor plight of farmers in Bihar.

Led by RLSP MP Arun Kumar, the protest march began at the Gandhi Maidan and was to end at the Raj Bhawan but it could barely made it to the Jaya Prakash Roundabout when a posse of policemen stopped them from moving forward.

The police told the RLSP activists that they did not have the required permit to protest near the Governor's mansion but that did not stop the protestors from marching forward. At that point, the police resorted to spraying them with water cannon. As the cold water hit the protestors who were already bracing chilly temperature of the morning, the crowd ran helter-skelter to avoid getting wet.

Within minutes, protestors, soaked in cold water, were seen making a hasty retreat as police arrested several of them and hauled them in a van to the police station.

The RLSP MP, later talking to the media, accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of becoming an autocrat who was out to crush any voice of dissent in Bihar.

"When the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) takes out a rally in the protected zone, the Chief Minister rolls out red carpet for them as he did for Tejaswi Yadav at Dak Bungalow Crossing on Wednesday but when it's the opposition, he calls in the entire state police to use force on them," he said adding the RLSP would organize a statewide agitation against the state government on January 24 to coincide with the birth anniversary of former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur.
Patna: The Punjabi community in Patna on Friday celebrated Lohri with much fun and gaiety to mark the arrival of the harvest season as dozens of members of prominent residents, keeping up with Lohri tradition, lit a bonfire and danced around it to the tunes of popular, toe-tapping Punjabi songs.

Bhangra and Giddha dances performed by local men and women, coupled with mock, but cute, flirtations only added to the Lohri environment as participants shared sweets and other items with each other sending out a message of peace, prosperity, and goodwill to all.

Meanwhile Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind sent out their greetings to the people of Bihar to mark the festival of Lohri and Makar Sankranti, a prominent Hindu festival, that falls on Friday.

"On the eve of Lohri and Makar Sankranti, I pray for the peace and prosperity for all. The two festivals signify a change in season and Bihar is ready for this change," the Chief Minister said.
Amaal Mallik took on award shows in an explosive post on Facebook, and slammed them for nepotism and not recognising the talent of outsiders.

By India Today Web Desk: A lot has been written about the unfairness of award shows in recent times. When the list of Filmfare award nominations recently came out, Twitterati was enraged that Akshay Kumar and Manoj Bajpayee did not get even a nomination for their performances in Airlift and Aligarh respectively.

The Dangal girls, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra, may have received rave reviews for their debut, but they did not get nominated either. As 'Filmfare awards on sale' trended on social media, composer Amaal Mallik has called out these award shows for not recognising the truly deserving.

advertisement

ALSO READ | 62nd Filmfare Awards: Here is the full nominations' list

Taking to Facebook, Amaal wrote about the rampant nepotism , "It is so funny and surprising that you go out of your way and give a star kid all the newcomer awards for the best debut, for a performance no one even saw... Whereas a Diljit Dosanjh who deserved that award for Udta Punjab is nowhere." He added, "Sarbjit had Randeep Hooda almost kill himself to bones, and play that character, and you nominate only Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Hahahahaha."

Amaal, who has two Filmfare nominations for Kapoor & Sons and Baaghi, did not spare himself either. He wrote, "I am ashamed to be nominated for Baaghi, and I know my director and producers might hate me for making this remark, but it was a very pathetically average (sic) album... I'm not crying about myself here, I should be happy I have 2 nominations almost everywhere this year, but yes, it's funny."

Amaal criticised the practice of having jury members who currently work in the film industry. "You need a non-biased jury, not people who are still part of the industry, who end up nominating themselves lol (sic) for their own music, their own productions and directorials," he wrote.

A frustrated Amaal wrote, "Award gaya bhaad mein yaar, but at least nominate people as per their talent and their body of work every year. By not doing so, you are making a joke of our film industry." Even as the composer vented his feelings on social media, he was aware that he will be rubbing some people the wrong way. He wrote, "After this post, even if I don't get nominations ever in my life, it is okay. I've always voiced my opinion, and I stand by it."

Incidentally, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor admitted in an interview with The Quint that he bought a Filmfare award once. "I won't lobby for awards. I have no hesitation in admitting that I was impetuous once. I had to buy the Filmfare Award for my performance in Bobby," he was quoted as saying.

Here is the full post:

--- ENDS ---
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
President Obama Renews Non-Nuclear Sanctions Against Iran For One Year

01/14/17

Source: RFE/RL

U.S. President Barack Obama extended for one year the sanctions the United States has imposed on Iran for violations of human rights and support of terrorist organizations.



"He came with a smile and left in tears"

Coverage of President Obama's goodbye speech by Iranian daily Tamashagaran Emrooz



In an executive order late January 13, Obama renewed the non-nuclear sanctions but affirmed the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions that occurred a year ago, saying Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers has been successful.



"Iran continues to meet its nuclear commitments," he said, but Iran's other activities such as support for Lebanon's Hizballah and repeated threats against Israel remain "contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States."





"The special place of JCPOA (Iran's 2015 nuclear accord)"

Coverage of Obama's goodbye speech by Iranian daily Jahan Sanat



Obama extended the non-nuclear sanctions by one year beyond their scheduled expiration on March 15, 2017.
Supporter of Persecuted Spiritual Leader Arrested at Tehran International Airport

01/14/17

Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Masoumeh (Pegah) Zia, a follower of imprisoned spiritual leader Mohammad Ali Taheri, was arrested on January 6, 2017 at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport by an unknown security agency after returning to Iran from a trip to Turkey. She is currently being held in Evin Prison, but her family has been struggling to confirm who abducted her and what she has been charged with.





Masoumeh (Pegah) Zia



"Our mother tried to find out why my sister was detained, but the authorities didn't give her a reason," said Maryam Zia, in an interview with the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. "My sister wasn't involved in anything other than totally peaceful activities with [Taheri's] Erfan-e Halgheh group."

"The security officials have said that her detention is not connected to her previous case," she added. "We have only been told that she is in Evin Prison, but we don't know in which ward. We think she's in Ward 2-A run by the Revolutionary Guards because they were handling her previous case."

Iran's security establishment has come down hard on Taheri and supporters of the Erfan-e Halgheh spiritual group, viewing it and any other alternative belief system, especially those seeking converts, as a threat to the prevailing Shia order.

Taheri remains in prison despite completing his five-year prison sentence in February 2016 for "insulting the sacred," "immoral contact with women," and "carrying out illegal medical procedures." Prior to his arrest he taught at Tehran University and practiced a form of alternative medicine based on spirituality. He was later given the death penalty for allegedly spreading "corruption on earth" through his books, but the Supreme Court struck down the sentence in December 2015.

In July 2015, Masoumeh Zia, a 39-year-old geologist, was sentenced to a year in prison and 74 lashes for "disturbing public order" and taking part in a peaceful demonstration calling for Taheri's release from prison. The sentence was upheld by the Appeals Court, but not carried out.

Many of Taheri's followers have been arrested and prosecuted, including Sara Saei, Vahid Pourtahmasb, and Ziba Habibpour.
Iran to receive 130 tons of uranium: Atomic Energy Organization Official

01/14/17

Source: Press TV

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the country is soon to receive as much as 130 tons of uranium from abroad. The organization's spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi, made the announcement while speaking to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) News on Thursday.



Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran



The Joint Commission monitoring the implementation of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries approved the purchase on the part of the Islamic Republic during a meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Wednesday.



Kamalvandi said that the country had previously bought 220 tons of the material, and was currently in possession of a total of 350 tons. "Given that this amounts to a valuable resource, it places us in a very favorable position," he said.



"Of course, toward industrialization, we need more resources. Therefore, we continue to prospect and extract [uranium] inside the country, and have accorded priority to this task."

Planned enriched uranium production

Kamalvandi also said the country was to produce 100 kilograms of enriched uranium, and noted that the Commission had approved that the amount of the enriched material be calculated in accordance with the method proposed by the Islamic Republic.



"Now that our interpretation of the calculation method has been approved and applied, we are soon to start cleaning out the deposits at nuclear facilities and there would be space for 100 kilos more," he said.



Iran had refrained from stocktaking until our approach was approved, he said.

American guarantee

The nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was clinched in July 2015. As per the accord, which came into force in January 2016, the six world powers committed to lifting the nuclear-relation sanctions against Iran and the Islamic Republic agreed to limit its nuclear work in certain areas.



However, in a highly controversial move, the US Congress voted last December to extend Washington's sanctions law against Tehran, known as the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for another 10 years. The law authorizes the US president to re-impose bans. It was first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program and its support for anti-Israeli resistance groups.



The Commission had convened to address Iran's concerns about the ratification of the ISA.



Kamalvandi said the American side had approved during the session to prevent the implementation of the law by applying relevant waivers.



The US State Department had said following the ratification of the law that it would waive those sanctions under the ISA that were nuclear-related.
Iran sees Pompeo, Mattis wiser than most American politicians: Expediency Council Secretary

01/14/17

Source: Tehran Times

TEHRAN - The secretary of Iran's Expediency Council has said Iran is not concerned about Donald Trump's picks to lead the Pentagon and CIA, as they are "wiser than most American politicians." "Mike Pompeo and James Mattis, the famous American generals who are going to lead the CIA and Defense Department respectively, are two of the most important and sensitive faces among Trump's cabinet picks," said Mohsen Rezaei in an Instagram post on Friday.





Mohsen Rezaei, The Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council

(source: Aftab Zendegi magazine)



"Although their remarks have harsh and exaggerated faces of reality, it seems they possess a better political wisdom compared to many American politicians, and given the realities, they would avoid illusions and daydreams," he added.



The former IRGC chief noted that the Islamic Republic is well aware of the two generals' records as well as their understanding and knowledge base.



"They, too, are aware of our capabilities," he said, adding, "They perfectly understand that Iran is a 'patient lion' as well as an 'alert tiger' and that they should not get close to it."



Rezaei also predicted that a "critical period" lies ahead between Tehran and Washington during Trump's tenure.



Trump has repeatedly criticized the nuclear deal - officially known as the JCPOA - that loosened sanctions on the country in exchange for curbing certain aspects of its nuclear program.



Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, retired General James "Mad Dog" Mattis, said Thursday at his confirmation hearing that he supports the deal even if it is flawed.
After a half-century under the control of people stationed 60 miles west, 2016 marked the year long-sought local control returned to Ontario International Airport.

From day one, the new owners have strived to make improvements to facilities, attract more passengers and introduce amenities.

The full transfer of the regional airport from Los Angeles World Airports to the Ontario International Airport Authority was made final in November when L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti handed the keys to the airport to OIAA president Alan Wapner.

His words were simple: There it is, take it.

The path to local control was less so.

Mismanagement alleged

After years of steep declines in passenger traffic during the Great Recession, Ontario city officials launched a regional campaign to wrest control of the airport, blaming mismanagement by LAWA for the declines in not only passenger traffic and but diminished flights. Meanwhile, LAWA blamed the economy. More than 80 cities, organizations and elected officials passed resolutions backing Ontarios efforts.

Ontario sued Los Angeles in 2013 to regain regional control of the airport. As the trial date approached in late summer 2015, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gloria Connor Trask denied a motion in July by Los Angeles to block an experts testimony that would estimate Ontario suffered from $1.7 billion to nearly $4 billion in economic harm because of the airports reduced air service.

By August 2015, Los Angeles and Ontario had reached a settlement that would transfer control of the airport to a local authority, culminating the five-year battle between the two cities. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., brought Ontario and Los Angeles to the negotiating table.

Navigating the politics

In January, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, introduced HR 4369, proposing to use passenger fees at ONT for 10 years to help pay for the two terminals, a condition of the 2015 deal but at that time, not legal.

In July, President Barack Obama signed that bill, which was wrapped into the FAA Reauthorization Act. It was notable because federal law otherwise prohibits the transfer of so-called passenger facility charges between airports.

Gaining the presidents signature was just one step in a lengthy legal process, which needed final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Initially, officials had hoped to complete the process and get their FAA certificate of operation by July 1. But that hinged on the legislation getting the presidential nod earlier in the year.

The OIAA adjusted, targeting Nov. 1 as the day the airport came home.

Putting the pieces in place

Leading up to that historic event, airport officials in 2016 needed to find a new leader.

After a five-month global search, the OIAA announced in January the hiring of Kelly J. Fredericks as its chief executive officer.

Fredericks previously served as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corp., which operates T.F. Green, the commercial airport serving Providence and the New England region, in addition to 33 years of aviation industry experience in managing airports of all sizes.

Earlier this year, Fredericks said his priority would be to increase passenger counts. In 2015, 4 million passengers flew into or out of ONT.

When we get to 5 million and 6 million passengers, it has to continue to be our top priority, because thats the business were in, Fredericks said.

Whats ahead for 2017

San Bernardino County Supervisor and OIAA commissioner Curt Hagman said leadership will work on a master plan for the airport in early 2017.

We think it should take 12 to 18 months to complete the master plan for the airport, and meanwhile well work on building up domestic and international flights and shipping traffic, Hagman said. Were also going to be continuing to invest in the quality of our terminals and make improvements week by week.

In the short time since the transfer of management:

 New amenities include a coffee shop and retail kiosk

 Southwest Airlines has expanded flights across the country

 Music is being played in the terminals

 The parking lot has more spaces

 American and Southwest airlines passengers have access to valet parking

ONTs Chief Operating Officer Bruce Atlas, who was hired in August, said the focus will be to educate the airlines about the opportunities available in Ontario.

Last key hire

In September, the OIAA hired Dan Adamus as its chief marketing officer, filling out its senior leadership team. Adamus has more than 30 years of experience in domestic and international marketing, including helping General Electric launch its internet presence in 1993, believed by some to be the first corporate website.

If we can do everything we can to make ONT the friendliest airport in the country, which is doable, maybe price isnt the driver, Adamus said. Its the experience, comfort and east at ONT compared to other places that make us the airport of choice. That is our goal.

Contact the writer: nnisperos@scng.com or @ReporterNeil on Twitter
Riverside police this week busted two businesses that detectives say claimed to offer legal services but also were operating as illegal internet cafes.

On Thursday, Jan. 12, police raided a business at 9244 Magnolia Ave. that said it was a debt collection agency that had 17 computers with Las Vegas-style video gambling games, a news release said.

The owner, Steve Helland was arrested on suspicion of falsifying documents and running an illegal gambling operation. Three customers were cited for playing illegal games.

On Jan. 13, police entered a business at 3726 Van Buren Blvd. that claimed to be a fax, copy and internet-access company. This same business was raided Nov. 30 and 17 computers were seized.

Friday, employee Christina Perez, 32, who was present on Nov. 30, police said, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, running an illegal gambling operation and possession of illegal narcotics. The computers were seized. Perez has not been charged in the Nov. 30 raid, Riverside County Superior Court records show.

Riverside vice detectives had conducted undercover operations at both businesses, the release said.

On June 25, 2015, the California Supreme Court ruled that computerized sweepstakes games offered at Internet cafes are the equivalent of slot machines that are illegal under Penal Code section 330.1, police said.
The newly rebranded Los Angeles Chargers and Costa Mesa city officials confirmed Friday the team will lease part of The Hive, 3333 S. Susan St., and 3.2 nearby acres to use as its headquarters, along with a training and practice facility while looking for a permanent location elsewhere.

While we understand this move was a difficult decision, the city is excited to be the new home for the Chargers, Mayor Katrina Foley said.

Team spokesman Bill Johnston said the team may look to eventually move somewhere else.

That hasnt been determined yet, he said. This would be considered our temporary facility.

Johnston did not know what other locations the team was interested in.

Inglewood mayor James T. Butts said Thursday that Chargers owner Dean Spanos expressed an interest in a permanent headquarters for the team there.

The terms of the Chargers in Costa Mesa were not disclosed, but they will use Building C, a two-story structure with 101,831 rentable square-footage.

The Hive is owned and managed by Steelwave, a Foster City-based real estate and investment management firm. The company did not return calls and emails asking about the Chargers lease.

The Chargers have not submitted plans to Costa Mesa officials, but the site will require tenant improvements to make it suitable for a headquarters and nearby land will be turned into training and practice fields.

Discussions have taken place between the team and city officials regarding which types of permits are needed, but none will require approval by the Planning Commission or City Council, city spokesperson Tony Dodero said.

Were working with them and its been a pretty smooth process so far, he said. Its all preliminary.
How do you get more art into a community? If youre the Riverside Art Museum, you put an artist in it.

One of the museums new projects aims to build a home in the citys Eastside neighborhood, where an artist chosen by the museum would live for up to a year, interact with residents and create public art that reflects the community.

The prefabricated home would be placed on a vacant lot at Park Avenue and 13th Street, across from Lincoln Park. It would be open to low- to-moderate income social practice artists, who collaborate with people in a community and create art that tells their stories.

Related: Why Orange Street Alley in Redlands is getting more colorful

The artist is embedded in the community and theyre doing activities, museum Executive Director Drew Oberjuerge said. Its basically art in service to the community.

Funding and construction of a home for an artist in residence are still in the planning stages and would need city approval.

But an example of how an artist can work with the community is coming to the Eastside in the next few months. Its a project called Activating Alleys: Building Community.

Beginning in February, artist Cynthia Herrera will host workshops to collect oral histories from residents and work with them on storytelling, photography and writing. In April theyll create pop-up exhibits in vacant lots and alleys that could include murals, installations on fences and other types of art, said Valerie Found, the museums director of community resources and development.

The alley project will be funded by grants from Bank of America, the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The goal is to help beautify the Eastside with art but also to help preserve the history of the neighborhoods residents and draw in people who might not have much exposure to the arts, Found said.

The museum has been working to build participation from Riversides Latino residents, specifically on the Eastside.

I think theyve been very successful, said Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, who serves on the Latino Networks board. Its very exciting, just very uplifting, allowing the community to really express themselves.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9461 or arobinson@scng.comTwitter: @arobinson_pe
The first version of Gov. Jerry Browns spending proposals for the next fiscal year appear to increase the probability that California State University trustees will raise tuition in the coming months.

The governors initial budget plan may also create challenges for CSUs ambitious new strategy for increasing graduation rates, as well as the prospect of increasing enrollment within the systems 23 campuses.

Such may be the case despite Browns proposal to increase CSUs funding level by nearly $158million, compared with current year funding, according to the universitys presentation of the numbers. CSU administrators say those additional dollars would be enough to pay for planned compensation increases and other costs, but would leave university leaders looking for some other method of financing other objectives.

It doesnt include student success, enrollment, infrastructure or any open employee contracts that we have, CSU spokeswoman Toni Molle said.

The prospect of a tuition increase for CSU students  as well as those attending University of California campuses  coincides with a proposal to phase out Californias Middle Class Scholarship Program.

California Community Colleges, the states third higher education system, does not get a fee increase in the governors proposal. Brown wants to give a $150million boost to community colleges to improve students ability to navigate to a four-year school or employment.

Proposal to increase spending on July 1

Across all programs, Browns proposal calls for spending $31.9billion on higher education during the fiscal year that begins July 1. Thats about $244million more than current allocations.

Brown said in a letter to lawmakers that he wants to hold back on previously planned spending hikes because hes worried about a possible $2billion deficit for state government.

The states nonpartisan legislative analyst has projected a surplus.

Department of Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer, however, said in an interview Friday that the administration predicts a $1.6billion shortfall, along with uncertainties that include the possibilities of weak stock market performance, a downturn in Californias business cycle and whatever may happen if Congress and the incoming Trump administration enact changes to federal fiscal policy.

We are in a period where weve got a lot of fiscal uncertainty over a lot of things, Palmer said.

Beyond higher education policy, the governor has proposed cuts to programs related to affordable housing, child care providers and state buildings.

The tuition question

CSU students have technically been spared tuition increases for about five years. That said, administrators have imposed fee increases on a campus-by-campus basis  a practice that aroused so much protest from students that trustees acted about two years ago to require students to vote on future increases.

Tuition, however, is strictly within trustees purview, and CSU leaders have already broached the prospect of raising tuition for the first time since the 2011-12 school year. California resident undergraduates are charged $5,472 in basic tuition, and a possible increase could be as much as $270 a year for those students.

Logan Vournas, student body vice president at Cal State Long Beach, said an added $270 could be equivalent to what an undergraduate who also holds a job may earn in a week and a half. Framed another way, that amount could be worth half to all of what a student may spend on monthly rent, or for two to three months worth of food.

Cal State Long Beachs student government established a food pantry at the opening of the school year for students who cannot afford groceries.

Any amount of money could push that student over the edge, Vournas said.

CSU trustees voted in November to ask Sacramento for a $344million funding increase, which if appropriated, would bring the university systems support budget to about $5.8billion.

Increasing graduation rates

Browns proposal would increase CSU funding by about $157million, an amount thats in line with previous budget advice from his administration to university leaders.

The governors proposal leaves a gap of nearly $187million. That amount includes $75million in anticipated costs associated with CSUs new attempt to accelerate graduation rates, as well as $55million worth of projected pay increases and nearly $39million for desired enrollment increases.

The administrations spending proposal admonishes that a CSU tuition hike, absent reforms to improve graduation rates, would only burden families with the cost of an inefficient system. The document proposes such reforms as using high school grades, as opposed to testing, for placing new CSU students into classes.

That kind of approach, which California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley favored during his tenure as leader of Long Beach City College, may reveal that students can handle more rigorous classes than they would otherwise be assigned to.

CSU leaders, however, have said they will need new funding to accomplish their mission of increasing graduation rates. The task will require hiring new faculty and offering greater numbers of courses, Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley said.

Thats the thing that I now worry about falling by the wayside, she said.

Whats next

Conoley also voiced her concerns related to the governors proposal to cancel the Middle Class Scholarship. The program would have a short life if Browns proposal is enacted. It was created in 2013 for UC and CSU students with family incomes of up to $156,000.

Wealthy families can afford a CSU education and low-income households can draw upon need-based financial aid sources, Conoley said. But it can be a different story for families in the middle of those financial situations.

You can really be squeezed if you end up with two kids in college, she said.

The administration proposed ending the scholarship program in order to preserve Cal Grants for needier students, given the possibility of a new deficit. The proposal would continue scholarships for the some 37,000 students already relying upon them, but no additional students would receive awards under the program, which could lead to savings of nearly $116million by 2020-21.

CSU trustees are to talk about the tuition issue during meetings Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Long Beach. The earliest that trustees might vote to approve a tuition change is in March.

The governors revised budget proposal is set for release in May, which clears the way for the Legislature to finalize Sacramentos spending plan.

Theres already disagreement within state leadership. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, said in a statement that he opposes tuition increases or erasing the Middle Class Scholarship. Doing the latter, Rendon said, could raise the cost of a four-year education at a CSU campus by up to $9,000. That amount could be as great as $20,000 for a UC student.

Assembly Higher Education Committee Chairman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, said in an emailed statement that the new proposal is the initial framework for budget talks and that he was pleased to see proposed funding increases for colleges and universities when the Brown administration expects a deficit.

Assemblyman Marc Steinorth, R-Rancho Cucamonga, emailed a statement in response to a request for comment from the Assembly Republican Caucus saying that he also objects to ending the Middle Class Scholarship.

While the Legislature remains focused on priorities that assist the growing proportion of Californians living below the poverty level, we need to preserve opportunities for our shrinking middle class to obtain a pathway to success, Steinorth said.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: aedwards@scng.com
After General Bipin Rawat's press conference yesterday, reports started circulating that the government had banned the use of smartphones by army jawans. But, this morning General Rawat clarified that such reports are incorrect.

By India Today Web Desk: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has denied reports that the Ministry of Home Affairs has banned use of smartphones by the jawans of BSF, CRPF and other such forces.

General Rawat was quoted by news agency ANI as saying, "Aisa Kuchh Nahin Hai" in response to a question on the reports of smartphones being banned for Army personnel.

advertisement

READ| BSF jawan video: Prime Minister's Office asks Home Ministry for report on food provided to soldiers

SMARTPHONES AND JAWANS: THINGS TO KNOW Some media reports have suggested the Centre has asked the jawans of armed forces not to use smartphones in order to prevent them from uploading images and videos related to their camps on social media websites. The Home Ministry reportedly imposed a strict restriction on posting any such videos without the consent of the Director General of the concerned force. The use of smartphones by jawans became a subject of debate after several videos of armed forces jawans surfaced on social media highlighting their living conditions and complaints about serious malpractices. This started with a BSF jawan posting a video complaining about the quality of food they were being served in the official mess. To contain the damage to reputation, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat assured the jawans yesterday that their complaints would not be ignored while requesting the troopers not to post any such video on social media. General Rawat's statement came immediately after an Army jawan Yagya Pratap Singh uploaded a video on social media saying that the officers make the soldiers do their personal work. He also shot off a letter to the Prime Minister's Office raising the issue. However, by the evening another report started circulating that the government has banned army jawans from using the smartphones and that now on, the soldier can only keep a simple phone. General Rawat denied such reports.

ALSO WATCH:

--- ENDS ---
A Joshua Tree man was jailed Friday night after authorities say he robbed a person pumping gas at gunpoint.

Deputies arrested Christian Sutalo, 19, on suspicion of armed robbery, according to a San Bernardino County sheriffs news release.

The incident was reported 8:50 p.m. at the Valero gas station at 61794 Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree, the news release states. Sutalo, allegedly armed with a gun, approached the victim, demanded money, took an undisclosed amount and fled on foot.

Deputies found Sutalo a short time later in the 6600 block of Easterly Drive in Joshua Tree and arrested him. He was booked into Morongo Basin Jail with bail set at $100,000.
In his autobiography, author Upton Sinclair summed up the vicissitudes of Lake Elsinores namesake lake after he moved to Lakeland Village in 1948:

But, alas, we had no sooner fallen in love with that beautiful lake than it proceeded to disappear. I dont know whether it went down through the mud or up into the air; anyhow, there was no more lake, but only a great level plain of dust.

Thanks to lake stakeholders efforts, including a daily infusion of reclaimed water, it is unlikely the lake will dry out again.

Yet the measures fall far short of offsetting evaporation that sucks more than 10 million gallons a day from the lake.

This summer, the surface level of Californias largest natural freshwater body south of Mono Lake shrank to 1,232 feet above sea level  less than 15 feet at maximum depth  the lowest since the 1990s.

Like other lakes in the region, low levels and deteriorating water quality led Lake Elsinore to experienced a massive bloom of toxic blue-green algae. The incident forced city officials to close the lake for a week. It was reopened but with an advisory against human and animal body contact, a warning that persists today.

So when recent storms caused Canyon Lake to overflow Dec. 24-25, sending water down the San Jacinto River into Lake Elsinore, those who care about the 3,000-surface-acre recreational attraction rejoiced.

Lake Elsinore Mayor Bob Magee called it a Christmas miracle. Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District board Director Nancy Horton of Canyon Lake hailed the development last week at her citys council meeting.

We couldnt have asked for anything better, she said.

Along with uplifted spirits came a sobering reminder: The lake level remains far below the 1,240-foot altitude deemed by scientists to be the lowest for maintaining optimal health. The rain and dam overflow brought it up to 1,233.7 feet by Tuesday. The latest rains kicked it up to 1,235.5 feet by Thursday. A new reading will be taken Tuesday.

The rains been good for Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore, said Mark Norton, administrator of the Lake Elsinore & San Jacinto Watersheds Authority. We just need more of it, particularly for Lake Elsinore.

The authority consists of jurisdictions within the 270-square-mile watershed straddling the San Jacinto River.

The river flows in a northwest direction from Lake Hemet in the San Jacinto Mountains, skirts the eastern boundaries of Hemet and San Jacinto and bends southwest en route to Canyon Lake.

Rarely does the river flow continuously during dry weather. That pattern is exacerbated by the low level of Lake Hemet, a reservoir created in 1895. The surface is nearly 20 feet below its highest point, and the lake is less than half full, said General Manager Tom Wagoner of the Lake Hemet Municipal Water District, which owns the reservoir.

It was full in 2005 and previous to that it was full in 1998, Wagoner said. Those were years when storms caused water to topple over the spillway.

From bank to bank, there was water running down and pushing these big, gigantic boulders down with it, he said.

Much less San Jacinto River flow is needed to fill Canyon Lake, also fed by Salt Creek. Because of Lake Elsinores breadth  3,000 acres during normal circumstances  and the associated evaporation, it relies on Canyon Lake to replenish it by gushing over the dam every few years.

The last time that happened was in 2011, before the drought set in. Lake Elsinores level rose to 1,249.1 feet above sea level and steadily has dropped since then.

Tim Fleming, a resident along the lakes northern shore, said that as bad as conditions got last summer, he has seen worse.

When I was here in 94 and 95, it stunk so bad they hired prisoners from Chino to clean up the lakes edge, he said. The carp were piled up 4 feet high. Then it rained and filled up in 96, and its been beautiful ever since.

The recent rain and dam overflow have helped, he said.

I havent seen any blue algae, and its very visible when its there, he said. The shoreline came up about 7 or 8 feet on the Lake Elsinore side.

Ultimately, those who cherish Lake Elsinore keep on wishing for a slew of showers.

For all the rain that we got and all the water thats run over the dam, its not enough, Horton said. Obviously, it needs to go up another 7 feet, and its going to take colossal rains to do that.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliiams@scng.com
In the battle against some cancers, the quick location of a bone marrow donor can mean the difference between life and death.

To broaden the pool of potential matches, officials at Loma Linda University Medical Center staged an event Thursday to widen the genetic pool in a worldwide database..

This isnt just for Loma Linda patients. Someone coming here today could be providing a lifesaving match to someone in Germany or anywhere else, said Dr. Rishikesh S. Chavan, pediatric hematology and oncology specialist.

LLUMC officials say that every three minutes a baby, child or adult learns he has a blood cancer like leukemia. Many of those patients need a marrow transplant to survive but do not have a matching donor in their family.

The call went out for Loma Linda University students and medical center employees to get the inside of their cheek swabbed so that their genetic structure can be stored in the database, the first time something like that has been done in at least 10 years  perhaps ever  at the hospital, Chavan said.

I couldnt not take this opportunity, said Kristen Schaefer, 21, who works as a nursing assistant in the oncology department at the hospital.

There are 14,000 patients per year whose only hope for a cure is a transplant from someone outside their family, officials said.

Among those donating was Swapneil Deshmuku, 37, a computer engineer in Seattle who is of Indian decent.

My brother-in-law (Chavan) convinced me this was an opportunity to increase the ethnic pool, he said.

Chavan said that there is a particular shortage for bone marrow donors among various ethnic minorities.

Doctors seek donors between the ages of 18 and 44, Chavan said, because the bone marrow of younger people is more robust and helps prevent complications for the recipients years after the transplant.

When a match occurs, the potential donor is notified by phone and will come into the hospital for one of two outpatient procedures.

One option is the withdrawal of bone marrow from the hip with a small needle; the other involves extraction from blood in a process similar to dialysis, Chavan said. Complete recovery occurs within a month, he said.

For cancer patients, bone marrow transplants mean that higher levels of chemotherapy can be used. And after the transplant, the odds are the new marrow stock will keep cancers from reoccurring for many years, Chavan said.

Those who missed the registration event Thursday can go to bethematch.org and get a kit with return postage included so they can participate.

Contact the writer: jsteinberg@scng.comTwitter: @JamesDSteinberg
Authorities continue probing what caused an 18-year-old autistic student to die while riding home on a bus to San Bernardino from a private school in Riverside just over a month ago.

Homicide detectives dont think foul play was involved in Anthony Coronas Dec. 9 death, which occurred after he got upset and tried to attack a fellow student on a school bus, San Bernardino police Lt. Mike Madden said. The bus driver pulled over and tried to help restrain him but, during the struggle, Corona went limp and lost consciousness, Madden said.

Corona attended Bright Futures Academy, a school specializing in helping the developmentally disabled. The privately operated, publicly funded school contracts with districts to educate students who cant be served in a public school setting.

I dont believe there was any intent to cause harm to this young man, Madden said. We also have to look at whether there was negligence.

Police are waiting for toxicology test results, and Madden said he didnt know when the investigation would be completed.

An autopsy is pending, said Gabriel Morales, supervising deputy coroner investigator for the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Coroner Division.

Morales didnt know when the autopsy would be finished and the results made public.

Bright Futures officials said in a statement that the school has always followed proper safety procedures and they dont know what caused Coronas death.

The school has faced safety questions before.

A 2015 lawsuit alleges that two years earlier, an employee left unattended a 13-year-old student with autism and a seizure disorder at its Victorville campus, which has since closed.

Willie Walker suffered a seizure and third-degree burns on his left leg when the attendant, who was supposed to be with the teen at all times at school, left him to turn on an air conditioner, the suit says. In court documents, the schools attorneys deny wrongdoing and called the allegations ridiculous. The case is set for trial in June.

Bright Futures opened in 2012 and has 250 students at campuses in Riverside, Apple Valley and Twentynine Palms.

PRONE TO OUTBURSTS

Bright Futures Academy has never had an incident like this, Betti Colucci, the schools president, said in a statement.

The school made voluntary changes, including retraining its transportation staff, as a precaution after the death, Colucci said.

Madden said Corona had chronic conditions that made him prone to outbursts.

Corona, who was restrained by a harness, became agitated and aggressive and tried to lash out at a female student as the bus drove north on the 215 Freeway in San Bernardino, Madden said.

A female employee tried to restrain Corona to keep him from harming himself or anyone else but couldnt, the lieutenant said. Then, the male bus driver got off the freeway, stopped the vehicle and helped, Madden said.

An earlier statement from the school said that two special education aides and the bus driver, who are trained in de-escalation techniques, tried to calm Corona.

Madden said the struggle lasted several minutes and at some point, Corona went limp and stopped resisting.

When they realized what had happened, they removed him from the harness and saw he wasnt breathing, Madden said.

School employees performed CPR and called 911. An emergency medical crew arrived to the area of H and Victoria streets and took Corona to the hospital, where he died, a San Bernardino police news release stated.

Madden said he couldnt comment on whether Corona received proper supervision and care on the bus and if anything could have been done to prevent his death.

The school declined to provide additional details about what happened on the bus that day, saying they want to protect Coronas familys privacy.

Family members could not be reached for comment. A GoFundMe account, now inactive, raised $1,410 for Coronas family.

Bright Futures has at least two and up to six aides instructional aides and a driver on each bus, all of whom are trained in appropriate and safe interventions for addressing harmful behavior, Coluccis statement said.

Outside of students who have Individualized Education Programs that require one-to-one aides, there are no requirements from accrediting agencies for a minimum aide-to-student ratio, she said.

PARENT CONCERNS

San Bernardino schools, which hires Bright Futures, supports the school, but at least one parent has concerns about its safety record.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District has contracted with Bright Futures since 2012 and pays $30,000 to $60,000 annually per student. The cost is higher for students who need one-to-one assistance, speech therapy and other specialized services, district officials say.

The district, which has 14 students enrolled at Bright Futures, doesnt plan to end its relationship with the school.

If we believed that Bright Futures was not safe for our students, we would not continue contracting with the school, spokeswoman Maria Garcia wrote in an email.

Bright Futures parent and San Bernardino resident Robin Ponce, has seen problems.

Her 18-year-old son Michael Ponce, who has autism, rode the same bus as Corona and knew him from school for several years. She said that, in September 2015, her son was bitten at school by Corona.

I tried to stop him from attacking one of the staff but he bit me, Michael said. The staff didnt intervene. One of the staff said, I dont want to deal with Anthony.

Michael and his mother said they didnt blame Corona, saying he was severely autistic and had the intellectual capabilities of a 3- or 4-year-old child. They said he was non-verbal, didnt have many friends at school and was supposed to be in a harness whenever he was in the bus and accompanied by a staff member.

Anthony didnt know better at the time, Robin Ponce said. He should have been better supervised.

Michael said the staff didnt always harness Corona properly to keep him from moving and didnt want to deal with his bad behavior.

At times, the staff got really rough with him, Michael said.

He said Corona knew how to slip out of his harness.

The school said that privacy laws prevent officials from discussing individual students cases and behavior.

SAFETY UPGRADES

As a result of Coronas death, the schools transportation staff received 20 hours of additional education during the winter break, including techniques for de-escalating aggression and for safe restraint, Coluccis statement said.

The school also purchased seat belt clips  which open like a child-proof prescription bottle  for each seat, she said.

Transportation employees and the behavior team meet daily to discuss potential problems and make necessary changes, Colucci said.

Robin Ponce said she took her son out of school for a few weeks after he was bitten and asked that he be driven in a separate van, though that change was never made.

Robin, a former school bus driver at another school, said shes concerned that kids are seated on the bus based on where they live, with students in Riverside in one area and those in Fontana in another, for example.

She thinks they should be grouped according to their condition because putting together a student with behavior issues with one that is severely autistic may cause problems, she said.

The school seats students on the bus based on their behaviors, Coluccis statement said.

Robin and her husband, Michael, Sr., said theyre troubled by Coronas death.

That should never have happened to a child on the bus, she said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9292, stwall@scng.com, Twitter: @pe_swall | 951-368-9558, ighori@scng.com, Twitter: @ImranGhori1
Thanks to a new infusion of funds, a Riverside drug and alcohol treatment program is gearing up to help more individuals who are the most in need.

On Feb. 1, Whiteside Manor will begin opening more beds to individuals who have no insurance or cannot pay for recovery services. Many such clients are homeless, and although one of the agencys four facilities is currently dedicated to serving the homeless, new funding has opened up larger opportunities.

After some hurdles to receive additional certification and to comply with additional audits, the organization also is being certified to accept clients through Covered California  the states health marketplace.

Its going to open up a lot of treatment opportunities for a segment of the population that has been very underserviced historically, said Dr. Tom Eby, clinical director.

Though there are many drug and alcohol treatment programs in Riverside, Whiteside Manor specializes in assisting individuals facing some of the most severe challenges. Many of Whiteside Manors clients have psychological issues and require not only treatment for addiction but also assistance in managing psychiatric illnesses.

The program has a strong reputation; Ebys commitment speaks further to it. He retired after 37 years of working with psychiatric crisis teams in Riverside and Santa Barbara counties but chose to work for Whiteside Manor full time.

According to the first surgeon generals Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health released in 2016, more than 27 million people in the United States reported currently using illicit drugs misusing prescription drugs.

More than 25 percent of adults and adolescents reported binge drinking.

The report also notes that 40 percent of people with a substance use disorder also have a mental health condition, yet fewer than half  48 percent  receive treatment for either disorder.

More people are dying of substance abuse than motor vehicle accidents, Eby said. The surgeon generals recent report is the impetus for putting more money into substance abuse recovery.

According to Eby, such efforts will have a tremendous positive effect on the community. The programs offered by Whiteside Manor work toward helping clients in all aspects of their lives, including social, family, vocational and financial challenges.

The potential benefits to society and families is astronomical, Eby said. My experience is that they become exemplary members of society. They arent just doing better  they are making their world better for a lot of people.

Though some operating costs are covered by insurance, clients or through government funding, more assistance is needed to expand. The program recently has received support from the Johnny Stevens Charitable Fund at The Community Foundation.

Eby hopes that even if prospective clients dont choose Whiteside Manor, they get free consultations available through Substance Use Community Access Referral Evaluation and Support (SU CARES) by calling 800-499-3008.

Help is available, Eby said. Drug addiction is not a moral failing or a character problem. It is a chronic, progressive disease, and treatment is often very successful if people will follow treatment suggestions.

Information: whitesidemanor.com or 800-300-7326

The Community Foundations mission is to strengthen Inland Southern California via philanthropy.

Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com
The Thursday's edition of the Sika Sem on Atv paved way for a shoemaker to talk about the booming shoe business in Ghana and promotion of locally manufactured goods.



Chief Executive Officer of Adepa Shoes, Mr. Charis Joshua Debrah explained that shoes manufactured by his outlet are different from other local and foreign brands because they research before producing them.



When host of the show Eric Acquah inquired from him what distinguishes shoes produced by Adepa Shoes from the others, Mr. Debrah was quick to point out that "we deal in quality stuffs and believe in value for money."



He added that the use of quality leather in the production of their shoes, convinces the buyer he has bought a product that would last for long.



"If we plan we want to make mirror shoes and we go in for the materials to make it, what we avoid is to buy fake leathers on the market. If the materials are fake, we won't make the shoes at all", he observed.



When questioned about where they get their quality materials for shoe production, Mr. Debrah revealed that "there are people who solely deal in the sale of patent leathers. They are either based in Italy or Ethiopia."



He was quick to add that "this is the reason we want government to focus on leather production. We have a lot of cows here in the country but it seems technology to turn them into leather is what we lack. We are only making wele and waakye with them".



Concerning their target market, the CEO of Adepa Shoes noted that they make shoes which appeals to the cooperative market and politicians.







Source: ATV









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is in Mali to attend the France Africa summit.



This is his first official trip outside the country since his inauguration. The summit which is aimed at enhancing the integration process, cooperation for the common good of participating countries and their people will bring together leaders from thirty countries.



President Akufo-Addo will hold bilateral talks with his Malian counterpart, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, as well as sign some trade agreements.



The two leaders will also discuss recent happenings in The Gambia and proffer possible solutions. He is accompanied by the First lady Rebecca Akufo Addo.



The President will return home on today.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
This one goes out to every Sydney-sider still shaking off the powdery white sweat-halos from their pillows.

The Bureau Of Meteorology has confirmed that last night was the hottest January night on record, topping every single other one since weather boffins started keeping track 159 years ago.

At its lowest point, the temperature in central Sydney dipped to a balmy 26.4 degrees at 11pm, which we can all agree is a bit too bloody warm:

Did you have trouble sleeping last night? It was Sydneys warmest Jan night on record. #recordbreakingheathttps://t.co/YXVNycKBFq pic.twitter.com/2KHX6pIWuw  BOM New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 14, 2017

If you felt the temperature rising as the night went on, dont worry: you werent in the midst of some fever dream.

Well, given the circumstances, you may have been, but the temperature did actually climb to 31 degrees after midnight.

This fact was met with horror by anybody with a working thermoregulatory system:

oh its only 28 degrees, and it will only get cooler once the sun goes down, lovely. now, to check the forecast and confirm that known fact pic.twitter.com/nWqYRjlQKP  A.H. Cayley (@ahcayley) January 13, 2017

The upshot of all this? Overnight, itll be somewhat cooler at a minimum of 22 degrees.

Tomorrow, Sydney should expect a relatively normal 26 degrees with possible showers, and its looking like Monday will be 29 degrees with similar conditions.

Its going to heat up again after that, but damn, youd hope this obscene weather doesnt break yet another long-held temperature record.

this tweet is for sydney: fuck you and this weather, i hate you, why are you doing this to me, sort your shit out, piss off dickhead  Bec Shaw (@Brocklesnitch) January 14, 2017



Source: ABC / The Age.

Photo: FOX.
A year after terrorists killed 89 people at an Eagles Of Death Metal gig in Paris, a trailer for the documentary Eagles Of Death Metal: Nos Amis has been released.

The HBO feature recounts the bands appearance at Le Bataclan concert hall, the acts immediate response to the November 13 tragedy, and their return to the city.

The film also intends to explore the relationship between frontman Jesse Hughes and longtime mate / collaborator Josh Homme, and how exactly they dealt with the horrific ordeal.

Director Colin Hanks  yes, the son of Tom Hanks  previously said the film wont sidestep Hughes controversial remarks about Bataclan staff in light of the tragedy, so expect this one to cover every raw aspect of the attack and its aftermath.

Its not yet clear how Aussie audiences will be able to access this one, but it arrives in the United States on February 13.

Source: HBODocs / YouTube / Deadline.

Photo: HBODocs / YouTube.
It may be worth keeping your Bintang singlet in the closet for a lil while longer, cause Tigerair has seemingly canned flights to Bali for the next three months.

Tickets to flights departing from Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide before March 25 have been removed from Tigerairs website after Indonesian aviation authorities accused the budget airline of breaching licensing regulations.

Temporary pause of sale of tickets to/from Bali until 25/3/17 as we seek updated approvals. We have every intention of operating ASAP.  Tigerair Australia (@TigerairAU) January 14, 2017

In a statement, Tigerair said we continue to liaise with the Indonesian Government in order to commence flying to Bali again as soon as possible.

Tigerair had already suspended a weeks worth of flights to the traditional holiday hotspot while it attempted to work through the issue.

The airline has been granted the ability to operate flights out of Denpasar airport until Monday January 16.

If the airline doesnt reach a compromise with authorities before Monday, planes belonging to Tigerairs parent company Virgin Australia may travel to Bali to bring home some of the estimated 2000 ticket-holders left stranded.

According to Tigerair, affected travelers in the region will be provided funds for accommodation, and some refunds have been offered. That hasnt stopped many people hit by the cancellations from having their piece on social media:

Anyone who thinks they may be affected by this issue has been asked to keep their eyes on the Tigerair site here.

Source: The Herald Sun / Tigerair.

Photo: Tigerair / Facebook.
Confirming the arrest, CTTC Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan said that Razib is a wanted criminal and is accused in 22 cases filed in connection with terror activities.

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Another mastermind of Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka, Gulshan Razib Gandhi, has been detained by the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit from Tangail's Elenga area, some 100 km northwest to the capital on Friday.

Confirming the arrest, CTTC Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan said that Razib is a wanted criminal and is accused in 22 cases filed in connection with terror activities.

advertisement

CTTC chief Monirul Islam said that Razib's name surfaced during the investigations.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW : The accused is known to have served as the commander of neo-JMB for the Northern parts of Bangladesh. Rajib (35), who is from Gaibandha district, was involved in killings and terrorist attacks in northern and south-western regions. According to the officials, Razib was quite young when he joined the mainstream JMB, which carried out terrorist attacks at different across the country. He also had close connections with Tamim, the other mastermind behind Gulshan caf attack. Police said, he sent two militants from Bogra to take part in the Gulshan attack and another from Dinajpur for Sholakia, all of whom he trained personally. Meanwhile, DMP Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman said that a press briefing will be held later in the day to inform the details. He also said, police were on the trail of 'Rajib Gandhi', after recent operations which led to the deaths of Tamim Chowdhury and former Bangladesh Army major Jahidul Islam. On July 1 last year, gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in capital's Gulshan and killed 20 people, mostly foreign nationals. Two police officials were also killed during the 12-hour hostage standoff.

Also read: Bangladesh: Gulshan Cafe attack handler Marjan, accomplice killed in Dhaka

Also read: Dhaka bloodbath shows brainwashed terrorists getting younger: A look at the killersAlso read: Dhaka bloodbath shows brainwashed terrorists getting younger: A look at the killers

--- ENDS ---
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2017 file photo, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at the confirmation hearing for Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Lewis says heAos doesnAot consider Donald Trump a Aulegitimate president,Au blaming the Russians for helping the Republican win the White House. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
Boyne City Middle School to host viewing of new Rambler Fieldhouse

From 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Boyne City Public Schools will welcome students and community members to an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facility.
By Press Trust of India: Kolkata, Jan 14 (PTI) Belarus in association with International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI) is working on the setting up of a Tech Showroom in India.

"A one-stop centre for technology from Belarus and products of joint R&D projects by Indian and Belarus collaboration is expected to be showcased at ARCI, Hyderabad for Indian companies," Belarus diplomat in India Igor Pilipenko said here today.

advertisement

Pilipenko expected that the showroom will be operational this year.

"An ARCI delegation is visiting Belarus shortly to finalise the modalities of the showroom. Belarus and India already conducted joint research projects with equal funding," he said.

Meanwhile, Belarus Ambassador to India Vitaly Prima expressed confidence in increasing bilateral trade to USD 1 billion in the 2-3 years from USD 450 million.

Belarus has several technology in several sectors like mining, transport, industrial coating among and vocational training among others that can be used by India through technology transfer and joint ventures.

The landlocked neighbour of Russia said it was also open for joint venture from Indian companies in sectors like pharma in Belarus. PTI BSM NN MR

--- ENDS ---
One of the reasons that sexual violence takes place is that it's still not thought of as a crime - despite strong laws and weak convictions.

For many years now, I've kept all my travel meds in a white cotton pouch bearing the slogan, My Body is My Business. I think of the pouch as a private joke about one aspect of my body: my health. And I inwardly chuckle every time I think of its origins: it's made by a group of sex workers, for whom of course the business of the body has yet another meaning. It's their way of telling society to bugger off, to mind its own business.

Don't take it out for a walk at night.

advertisement

Cover it up.

Keep it indoors.

These were some of the things we heard about women's bodies in the aftermath of the Bengaluru molestations on New Year's Eve. A few days later, we woke up to the news that four men in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, had violated and mutilated a young woman's body. When she resisted rape, they cut off her ears with a knife. Simple. Bring down the power of the body to resist.

That this happened to a woman who was 'all covered up', 'at home' or in 'broad daylight' (as we are wont to say) means nothing at all. Dress. Place. Time of day or night. None of these mean anything-they're red herrings on the path to understanding why sexual violence occurs. Total distractions.

So why does sexual violence take place? I think it's because, at some level, women are still thought of as things, not human. Play things. Like dolls you can play with and chuck. Or random bodies in clothes. Not as full-blooded humans with selves and wills to exercise, but as conditionally human.

Bishakha Datta

That dehumanising someone-at least temporarily-makes it easier to violate their body is not a new discovery. Specially where group violence is concerned. "Dehumanisation is viewed as a central component to intergroup violence because it is frequently the most important precursor to moral exclusion," write Philip Goff and fellow psychologists in the 2009 study, 'Not Yet Human'. When you dehumanise someone, you place them "outside the boundary in which moral values, rules, and considerations of fairness apply". Which means you can mindlessly violate their bodies.

We already know this from history. Speaking of 'collateral damage', rather than 'lives lost' makes it easier to kill people during wars. While Jews were labelled untermenschen (subhumans) in Nazi Germany and likened to vermin and maggots, the Tutsis in Rwanda were labelled cockroaches and snakes. Dalits face violence in India because they are placed at the bottom of the caste scale, ergo sub-humanisation. "You don't have to be a monster or a madman to dehumanise others," writes philosophy professor David Livingstone Smith in his 2011 book, Less Than Human. "You just have to be an ordinary human being."

We continue to hear this dehumanisation. "If there is sugar, ants will automatically come to it," said Samajwadi Party politican Abu Azmi after the Bengaluru molestation. "You have to keep petrol away from fire." On thinking about it, I don't know which statement is worse-being compared to a thing. Or to an igniting agent. Is it better to be made inanimate? Or to be made inanimate and still blamed for the violence you never ignited?

advertisement

Where sexual violence is concerned, blaming the victim is, of course, very much part of the discourse of distraction. Never lay the blame where it lies. Shift it. I've never seen this happen with any other crime. When was the last time you heard of a murder victim being blamed for being in the wrong place? At the wrong time? Wearing the wrong clothes? Or a victim of a robbery, a crime against inanimate property, rather than personhood, for that matter?

One of the reasons that sexual violence takes place is that it's still not thought of as a crime-despite strong laws and weak convictions. Or crime enough. It's another mindset thing. Some crimes are seen as proper crimes, others are still not mentally seen as crimes. Or they are seen as lesser crimes, sub-crimes, placed in a sliding scale like humans.

advertisement

What a joke the national discourse on crimes against women has yet again turned out to be. What a sad thing it is that even today, yes, happy new 2017 and all that, we still have to restate the obvious: that #yesallwomen face sexual violence. That sexual violence is a crime. That we don't cause this crime to take place. And that we are entitled to all our human freedoms, including the freedom to own our minds and bodies. As the Fearless Collective's achingly beautiful poster reminded us yet again this week: my body is my business. The moon is my witness.

The author works on gender and sexuality in digital spaces and runs Point of View, a non-profit, in Mumbai

--- ENDS ---
According to the data of RBI only Rs 54,000 crore of the notes banned on November 8 last year failed to make it back.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Despite the Reserve Bank of India dismissing reports that suggested 97 per cent of the demonetised currency had returned to the bank's coffers by December 30, its own weekly figures on "currency in circulation" indicate that this number is correct.

These figures, in fact, suggest that only Rs 54,000 crore of the notes banned on November 8 last year failed to make it back.

advertisement

More worryingly, this figure has been arrived at on the assumption that no new notes were issued after December 19, which is a near impossibility. This could well open up the intriguing possibility that more banned notes may have returned than were said to be in circulation.

Here's what you need to know about RBI's data: December 19 was the last time the RBI gave any information on how much of the demonetised currency was back. Even the tally on new notes circulated are not available. On Friday, in its weekly statistical supplement, the RBI said that the currency in circulation till January 6 was Rs 8.98 lakh crore. This comprises new high-denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2000, smaller new and old currency notes of Rs 100, Rs 50, Rs 20 and Rs 10, plus the banned currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 which have not been returned. On January 5, the RBI had sought to question figures of 97 per cent return of banned currency put out by news agency Bloomberg. In a statement RBI said "figures would need to be reconciled with the physical cash balances to eliminate accounting errors/possible double counts etc," and till then "any estimate may not indicate the actual numbers." On November 8, according to reply given in Rajya Sabha on December 2 by the Minister of State for Finance, Arjun Ram Meghwal, there were 17,165 million pieces of Rs 500 notes and 6,858 million pieces of Rs 1,000 notes in circulation. That amounts to a total of Rs 15.44 lakh crore in value Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, had said that in value terms this was 86 per cent of the total currencies in circulation, which would amount to Rs 17.95 lakh crore (Rs 17.97 lakh crore on November 4, according to RBI). From November 10 onwards, banned currency notes were deposited in the banks till December 30 and new currency notes started gradually being issued by the RBI in denomination ranging from Rs 10 upwards, including the new Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes. On November 18, according to RBI's statement on reserve money, there were 14.27 lakh crore in circulation, including Rs 2.51 lakh crore (14 per cent) of smaller denomination notes which had not been banned, new currency notes and banned currency notes. We do not know the exact break-up, as RBI or the government did not give it. The first time the RBI spoke of a break-up of new notes was on December 7 during the monetary policy press conference. Deputy Governor R. Gandhi said that a total of Rs 4 lakh crore in new notes had been circulated till December 6, out of which 19.1 billion notes (which amounts to Rs 1.06 lakh crore) were in small denominations of up to Rs 100 and the rest (Rs 2.94 lakh crore) were in high denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000. The December 9 figures (the first after the RBI press conference figures) given in reserve money statement showed that Rs 9.81 lakh crore in value terms were in circulation. This includes Rs 2.51 lakh crore of small denominations already in circulation on November 8, Rs 1.06 lakh crore of new small denomination currencies and Rs 2.94 lakh crore in high denomination notes (Rs 500 and Rs 2,000) -- a total of Rs 6.51 crore. That means that, on December 9, only Rs 3.29 lakh crore (Rs 9.61 minus Rs 6.51 crore) of the banned high denomination notes remained to be returned. In other words, a total of Rs 12.14 lakh crore of old notes out of Rs 15.44 lakh crore had been returned. This is similar to the figure for December 10 -- Rs 12.44 lakh crore -- given by the RBI's Gandhi to the media on December 13. On December 19, the RBI again gave a figure of new notes circulated. It said 20.4 billion small denominations (up to Rs 100) and 2.2 billion of high denominations (Rs 500 and Rs 2,000) had been circulated. This is equivalent to a total of Rs 5.93 lakh crore. Now let's see how this measures up with the January 6 figures of currency in circulation of Rs 8.98 lakh crore. Even if we assume that no new notes were circulated after December 19, not really a possibility, the new small and high denominations notes added to the existing small denomination notes (Rs 2.51 lakh crore + Rs 5.93 lakh crore) makes this amount go up to Rs 8.44 lakh crore. In other words, only Rs 54,000 crore of banned notes remained to be returned (Rs 8.98 lakh crore minus Rs 8.44 lakh crore). Hence, according to RBI's figures, Rs 14.90 lakh crore or 96.5 per cent of the original amount is back. But the figures may go haywire if substantial new currency has been added since December 19, a distinct possibility. Is that the reason why RBI is still not announcing the final count?

ALSO READ: 'Humiliated' RBI employees write to Governor Urjit Patel, say bank's image 'dented beyond repair'

ALSO READ: Demonetisation: 10 big revelations from RBI's note to Parliament panel

--- ENDS ---
Aam aadmi contestant Nitibha Kaul is the latest to walk out of the show, after spending almost three months in the BB 10 house.

By India Today Web Desk: Nitibha Kaul has finally been voted out of the show, after spending three months in the house, on Saturday. The Delhi-based Kashmiri girl managed to survive in the house for this long without being part of any group.

Of late her love-hate relationship with fellow aam aadmi contestant Manveer was much talked about. The two had a fallout after Manu re-entered the house. However, the two sorted out their differences during the call centre task. After the task, Nitibha and Manveer spoke at length about their fight, and also their feelings for each other. They both accepted that they cared for each other.

advertisement

Also read: Bigg Boss 10: Nitibha Kaul threatens to slap Manveer Gurjar

With Nitibha gone, only six contestants are left to battle out at grand finaleManu Punjabi, Manveer Gurjar, Mona Lisa, Lopamudra Raut and Bani Judge.

So who will win this time--an aam aadmi or a celeb? Stay tuned.

Bigg Boss 10 airs Mon-Fri at 10:30pm and Sat-Sun at 9pm on Colors TV

--- ENDS ---




Newark, New Jersey: A new law enforcement building is planned for Newark.





City records show that the Essex County Sheriff's Office is planning a new headquarters for its patrol division in Fairmount neighborhood of the city's West Ward. The building is slated to rise at 525-545 West Market Street, at the corner of Sussex Avenue .





Currently, most of the property is a gated vacant lot that is owned by the City of Newark. The site sits adjacent to Interstate 280, and is across the street from the former United Hospital site, which is being converted into the Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. Vocational-Technical Campus .





Comito Associates, PC, of Newark, is listed as the project architect and engineer.

Records from the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission database show that Gregory Comito, the firm's founder and president, has donated $6600 to the campaign of County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. since 2008, in addition to funds towards the Essex County Democratic Committee.





Newark's Central Planning Board approved a courtesy review of the project during its meeting on January 9th.





The Essex County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division is currently based in the Essex County Park Commission Administration Building on Clifton Avenue. The division took over the Essex County Division of County Police in 2006.





Photo: Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontura





Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
A former 40 year Atheist analyzes Atheism, without resorting to theism, deism, or fantasy.

***

If You Don't Value Truth, Then What DO You Value?

***

If we say that the sane can be coaxed and persuaded to rationality, and we say that rationality presupposes logic, then what can we say of those who actively reject logic?

***

Atheists have an obligation to give reasons in the form of logic and evidence for rejecting Theist theories.
By India Today Web Desk: Bigg Boss Season 10's Weekend Ka Vaar episode is going to be rather interesting this weekend. After Lopa and Bani's ugly fight, host Salman Khan will address the issue and admonish them both for conducting themselves in such a manner.

Here's what you can expect from tonight's episode:

Salman Khan gets upset with Bani Judge, supports Lopamudra Raut

advertisement

Bani Judge, who has always been the actor's (kind of) favourite contestant on the show, will get a scolding from him tonight. Why, you ask? Remember the fight that took place a couple of episodes before between Lopamudra Raut and Bani Judge during the call centre task? Well, the actor will not at all be happy about it, and will blame Bani for the fight.

5 out of 7 housemates are nominated! Who will be safe from elimination today? #BB10WeekendKaVaar #Video pic.twitter.com/TOOtcRFWUH- Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) January 14, 2017

In fact, the host will even support Lopa saying that it was Bani who had started making things difficult and ugly with her personal comments against Lopa during the aforementioned task.

Ouch!

Lopa is the new vamp of the house

After all the housemates (barring Rohan Mehra) will nominate Lopa for the Khalnayak ki Kursi, she will sit on the seat and defend her actions, and raise hell against Bani.

Here too, the host will take Lopa's side and will condemn Bani's actions. In fact, he will compare her to Swami Om!

Wow!

Manu Punjabi at the receiving end

Salman will unleash his wrath against aam aadmi contestant Manu Punjabi by saying that he has changed, and has become more spiteful. Woah! We wonder how will Manu defend himself against this verbal attack?

And finally, towards the end of the show, Salman will ask one of the nominated contestants to leave the house.

So, who do you think will get evicted tonight?

Bigg Boss Season 10 airs every Mon-Fri at 10:30 pm, and every Sat-Sun at 9 pm.

--- ENDS ---
Famous Laduree Paris Is Opening in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

*Updated 24/11/2017: Laduree Paris opens in Pavilion KL today.

When you talk about world famous macarons, you will hear names like Laduree from Paris France. They have been around for 155 years and they are opening soon in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. For those who hasnt taste these world popular macarons, you dont need to fly to Paris anymore as it is opening in Malaysia. (Actually, they have outlets in Bangkok and Singapore but mention Paris is more dramatic).

Like many other kiasu (scared of losing face species) out there, we did visit Laduree when we were traveling in Paris. We went to the Avenue des Champs-Elysees Paris outlet on our first day in Paris. Now, you know the level of our kiasu-ness.

It was a wet autumn afternoon and it was a long queue. Dont be surprised that many Asians (Chinese more like it) queuing up for seats.

We ordered their popular macarons, four pieces at Euro 9.90 (RM 47.44) and we ordered some drinks. The taste and texture is definitely better than the best you had in the market and it is really good. Some people said it is overrated but you should taste it at least once in your lifetime.

So the good news is they are opening at Pavilion Kuala Lumpurs Couture Zone (Level 3) very soon. Thus, PAUL Bakery is opening there too so maybe they are under the same master franchise (maybe?). Get more information on Laduree Paris Malaysia Official Facebook Page for their promos and announcements.

Laduree Paris Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Address:

Level 3, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
Det. Shawn Carrington's now 20-year-old daughter talks about her father during the ceremony where he was awarded the NYPD's Medal of Honor. Det. Carrington was killed in 1998. (Photo: Screen shot from News 12 video)

The New York City Police Department posthumously honored Detective Shawn Carrington, 28, with the NYPD Medal of Honor at a Tuesday ceremony ceremony.

On Jan. 19, 1998, Carrington and his partner were working an undercover drug sting when he was shot in the chest and killed.

The man who shot Carrington was also killed in the exchange of gunfire, News 12 reports.

The detective's 20-year-old daughter, Niya Carrington, who was only 18 months old when her father died, and the detective's mother both attended the ceremony.
Fugitive murder suspect Markeith Loyd is believed to have been wearing a bulletproof resistant vest as he stood over a Florida officer and shot her to death, police said Thursday.

Orlando police Master Sgt. Debra Clayton returned fire and may have struck Loyd on Monday, Police Chief John Mina said at a news briefing. A reward for information leading to his capture has been raised to $100,000 as local, state and federal agents hunt him down, NBC News reports.

Clayton was shot when she confronted Loyd in front of a Walmart store Monday morning. Clayton was believed to have been wearing "body armor"  specifically, a bulletproof vest under his T-shirt  and he continued shooting as Clayton lay "defenseless" on the ground, Mina said Thursday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department plans to deploy an unmanned aerial system to assist bomb techs, tactical units, arson investigations, and search and rescue operations. (Photo: Screen shot from Los Angeles Times video)

Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Thursday that his agency will begin deploying an unmanned aerial device to aid deputies responding to arson scenes, suspected bombs and hostage situations, but he promised the device would not be used to surveil residents.

The dangers of law enforcement can never be eliminated, he said. However, this technology can assist us in reducing the impact of risks on personnel.

Eight deputies have been trained to fly the device, according to Capt. Jack Ewell of the departments special operations bureau. The device can remain in the air for 20 minutes and fly up to a mile from the deputy controlling it; but under Federal Aviation Administration rules, Sheriffs Department personnel must maintain visual contact with the device while flying it, Ewell told the Los Angeles Times.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

The greatest purveyor of Fake News in the past 20 years had a collective orgasm when Emperor Trump called its rival CNN Fake News. The day before that he had praise for himself, implicating his King-maker:

Rupert Murdoch is a great guy who likes me much better as a very successful candidate than he ever did as a very successful developer!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

Is that why Trump Just Shot Jim Acosta In The Middle Of Fifth Avenue And The Press Didnt Blink? Or, is it more like how he promoted L.L. Bean? This kerfuffle comes as Trump Somehow Wins Yet Another Round Against the Dysfunctional News Media, because when Trump berated a CNN reporter, fellow journalists missed an opportunity:

Much has been made of Trumps relationship with the press, and fears about his views on the First Amendment as well as traditional norms are justified by his actions. With just over a week until he assumes power, the press needs to be ready to work together to ensure that reporters are provided the access and information necessary to accurately and honestly cover the new administration.



Standing in the way of such a united effort to push back against Trumps singling out certain organizations is the fractured media industry itself. In the past, there may have been some utility to reporters working as a group, but with unabashed boosters in the studios of certain Fox News hosts, the morning hours of MSNBC, and the pages of Breitbart, as direct access to 17 million followers through his own Twitter feed, Trump has a greater ability than any previous president to push his message unchallenged.

The usual suspects needed a cigarette after Emperor Trumps presser: Foxs Meghan McCain Calls Trumps Attack On BuzzFeed And CNN Karmic Retribution, as the noted Trump fellator Sean Hannity Celebrates Trumps Greatest Beatdown Of The Press In The History Of The Country, and Greg Gutfeld plays false equivalency. I guess hes never heard of Birthers.

However, no one went as far as Neil Cavuto: Now CNN Knows How Fox News Has Felt for Past 8 Years. Watch:

The Observers Joe Lepointe notes:

No doubt access to Trump will remain fine for Fox, his sanctuary network, with an Amen chorus that backs him reflexively.



One of the smarmiest is Neil Cavuto, who spouted off Thursday with sarcasm and glee like that of the Bedford Falls banker Mr. Potter, in the film Its a Wonderful Life when the rival credit union loses its money.



Hows all that going down, CNN? Cavuto asked. How does it feel to be dismissed or, worse, ignored? How does it feel when your feelings are hurt, when your reporters are singled out, and youre treated unfairly and unkindly, even rudely? . . . Its insulting, isnt it?



Cavuto didnt address the dishonesty of Trumps charges. He had a different agenda.



Channeling the tired Fox trope of were the real victims here, Cavuto showed clips of President Obama sarcastically joking about Fox. He used the standard Fox device of false equivalence. Obama never insulted a reporter at a news conference; Trump did.

While President Obama correctly slapped Fox News around on occasion, he still took their questions and appeared in exclusive interviews on the network.

As usual, there was one voice of reason:

Foxs Shepard Smith Condemns Trumps

Belittling And Delegitimizing Of CNN Journalist

Friday Fox Follies looks forward to more like this over the next 4 years, or impeachment, whichever comes first.

THE FALAFEL KING STILL LOOKING FOR A FALAFEL QUEEN: In a week when Der Googalizer taught Merkins about golden showers, another run-of-the-mill sexual harassment suit against serial sexual harasser Bill OReilly is just a HO HUM story. The NYT says in Fox News Settled Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Bill OReilly, Documents Show:

In exchange for her silence and agreement not to sue, she [Juliet Huddy] was paid a sum in the high six figures, according to people briefed on the agreement. The agreement was between Ms. Huddy, 47, and 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News. The company and Mr. OReillys lawyer said her allegations were false.



In the aftermath of Mr. Ailess departure, executives declared that such behavior would never again be tolerated. Mr. OReilly, 67, has continued to host his show on weekdays at 8 p.m., and has published two more books.

This stain wont go away. It doesnt help when Gretchen Carlsons Fight Against Sexual Harassment Is Just Beginning. And, Carlson gives a reason why we almost never hear about this:

We think that weve gotten so much better with sexual harassment because we dont hear about it, she told Francisco on Tuesday. But the reality isthe cases are going to arbitration.



Carlson said that many corporations have mandatory arbitration clauses in their employee contracts and that employees dont always understand what theyre agreeing to when they sign them.



Arbitration clauses allow employee complaints to be tried by a private board chosen by the employer rather than by a public jury. This not only means that employees cant discuss their trials publicly, but that employers get to pick the board that makes the final decision about the case, thus stacking the proverbial deck in an employers favor.



For that reason, Carlson will be testifying in front of Congress against the use of forced arbitration clauses with Democratic Senators Al Franken and Patrick Leahy this spring  on top of starting her foundation, which, as she announced on Tuesday, is called The Gift of Courage.

Makes one wonder how many potential Falafel Queens have been to arbitration.

TANGENTIALLY RELATED AND WORTH READING: The Truth Behind Megyn Kellys NBC Deal

TANGENTIALLY RELATED TO LOOFAH LADS LASCIVIOUS LIFESTYLE:

Bill OReilly: I Have Been Fair To President

Obama, I Have Not Attacked Him Personally

Oh! Stop!! My!!! Sides!!!

TUCKERS MEDIA: FFF noticed that Tucker  the other Carlson  was a good soldier this week and did loads of promo for his new show in his new time slot. Clueless stenographer Stephen Battaglio of the Los Angeles Times proves he hasnt watched Tucker in at least a decade. Highlights of Bow tie-free Tucker Carlson steps into prime time on Fox News Channel include:

You dont wear the bow tie anymore. No. That went away more than 10 years ago when I worked at MSNBC. I was walking through Penn Station and yet another person screamed obscenities at me, and I thought, You know, this is pointlessly provocative. It was one of countless bow tie-inspired confrontations. Im happy to defend my views. I dont want to have to defend my neckwear every day. People really hate you when you wear a bow tie. I didnt really know that because my wife liked it and my father wore one. Whats behind the hatred? I think it may have been in the 50s, 60s and early 70s, a lot of pediatricians wore bow ties. Peoples memories of bow ties are being stared down on by some sadistic doctor who is jamming a needle into your butt. They could never disentangle that memory from me. Thats the best guess Ive got.

Thats your best guess? No, Tuck. You are just worthy of contempt for interviews like this:

Isnt It Irresponsible?: Tucker Carlson, Fortune

Writer Clash Over BuzzFeed Dossier Report

Tucker Carlson Helps Trump Press Sec Pretend

CNNs Acosta Was Unprofessional To Trump

Today they love Nicole Kidman, the latest victim of anti-Trump hysteria.

MORE FAKE NEWS: Sometimes called lies. Heres Sean Hannity trying to peddle some:

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Sometimes, FFF cant wait a week to respond:

Heres a Foxy Friend trying to peddle some:

Steve Doocy Says Jeff Sessions Racist

Remarks Are Just a 20-year-old Joke

Steve Doocy: White Men Are

Punching Bags For The Liberal Left 

Conservative Black Chick Agrees!

Lookie who got away with peddling some, until recently:

Trump national security pick Monica Crowley

plagiarized multiple sources in 2012 book

HarperCollins To Stop Selling Monica

Crowleys Book After Plagiarism Revealed

FRIDAY FIREWORKS!!! Every Friday Geraldo Rivera visits the Curvy Couch as this column is being collated. Todays visit needs to be seen. Watch as those Foxy Friends take offense that FBI Director James Comey did anything wrong. Stay for the beard talk.

FOX BYTES: Celebrity Telethon On Inauguration Day Infuriates Fox News  OReilly: Not Since Nixon Has Press Been So Determined to Bring Someone Down  Did Bill OReilly Really Mean To Compare Donald Trump To Nixon?  Larry Summers Smacks Down Foxs Bartiromo: I Didnt Realize You Were Part Of The Trump PR Operation  Hannitys Classless Response To Obamas Farewell Address

Headly Westerfield has no room left. Go HERE instead.
The contractual teachers had been demanding the benefits of 7th Pay Commission for a long time now.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced that nearly 3.5 lakh contractual teachers in Bihar will get their wages hiked after the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission in the state.

"Some people are spreading rumours that the contractual teachers are not entitled to availing wage hike after implementation of the 7th Pay Commission. This is wrong and they will get benefits of the pay commission," Nitish Kumar said in Begusarai district during his on-going Nischay Yatra.

advertisement

In fact, angry teachers had announced they would go on strike if denied the benefits of the new pay commission.

It was reported early this week that the state government did not consider these teachers as its staff members.

Most of the contractual school teachers have been recruited between 2006 and 2015.

Also read | Change rules to reflect 7th CPC recommendations: Govt to depts

Also read | 7th pay commission revision to not apply directly to autonomous bodies: Finance Ministry

Also read | Maha gazetted officers on strike from Jan 18

--- ENDS ---
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

According to the First Amendment, it is a problem when a public servant, speaking of the whole of the American people says something like,



To worship our lord and celebrate our nation at the same place is not only our right, it is our duty.

The First Amendment says it is our right. By forbidding the establishment of religion, it absolutely contradicts the idea that it could ever be our duty.

Yet this is precisely what Trumps pick for CIA director, the Tea Partys Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS), is claiming. Pompeos confirmation hearings began yesterday.

Pompeo has a right to speak for himself, of course, to believe that it is his duty to worship his god. He most definitely does not have the right to impose that belief on others, and Article VI Section 3 of the Constitution forbidding religious tests forbids him from placing that demand on his fellow members of Congress as well.

There are other problems. According to Pompeo, politics is a never-ending struggle  until the rapture. As director of the CIA, there are obvious dangers to looking forward to the rapture (which isnt even in the Bible) as an end-game.

This is the magical moment for many evangelicals when they get magically beamed up while the rest of us die writhing in a fiery hell of our heathenry and apostasy. You know, because we didnt do our duty to somebody elses god.

That a fake belief about a book that isnt even mentioned in the Constitution should supersede the Constitution is troubling, to say the least. Its nice to know Pompeo says he will defy Trump and wont waterboard. Trump, after all, called for going even tougher than waterboarding. But waterboarding, awful as it is, remains a symptom of a broader problem.

It is also nice to know Pompeo thinks Russia is behind the hacking Donald Trump denies, saying It is pretty clear what happened here. But its also pretty clear that Pompeo has some very troubling ideas that have nothing to do with cybersecurity and Putins Russia.

There is, on the one hand, the culture war battlefield of America, where Pompeo said at 2011s Values Voter Summit, You cannot use our military to promote social ideals that do not reflect the values of our nation, calling on Republicans to ride to the sounds of the guns and send us more troops.

It is a cry that would make Martin Luther proud; he believed in just war (holy war in this context) too. But a belief in just war by Lutherans and Catholics alike tore Central Europe apart in the Thirty Years War, leading to the deaths of at least 8 million people.

There is also a volatile, war-torn Middle East full of Muslims. As Slates Michelle Goldberg warns in speaking of Pompeos apocalyptic religiosity and Manichaean worldview,

Its worth pausing to appreciate the fact that Americas CIA will shortly be run by a man who appears to view American foreign policy as a vehicle for holy war.

Trump booster and conspiracy theorist Wayne Allen Root said of Pompeos hatred of Muslims,

They say [Pompeos] problem is hes been negative toward Muslims and Islamic radicalsmy God, that makes America great again! We finally have an administration that can use the word Islam and terrorism in the same sentence, and were naming people to important positions who have problems with radical Islam instead of people in important positions who are Muslims!

Sadly, with the focus on Russia and hacking and torture, nobody is pausing to ask Mike Pompeo about his extreme religious views, or his embrace of Augustines just war. In this context, it would be wise to remember St. Augustines words in his City of God:

They who have waged war in obedience to the divine command, or in conformity with His laws, have represented in their persons the public justice or the wisdom of government, and in this capacity have put to death wicked men; such persons have by no means violated the commandment, Thou shalt not kill.'

Proving once again, true believers can rationalize away anything, including the commands of their own scriptures.

Pompeo has never been slow to invent facts or to assign collective guilt for actions that never took place outside his own imagination. In this, he seems perfectly suited to a Trump administration that lives on lies.

It is alarming, however, that Trump is surrounding himself with precisely the wrong sorts of people, people who will not only acquiesce in but feed his own worst impulses. Mike Pompeo will be a man who believes in holy war, serving a man the Religious Right has anointed as messiah.

Ask yourself, what could possibly go wrong? You shouldnt have to think long to find an answer.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

There is trouble in Donald Trumps cabinet. New trouble. Amidst all Donald Trumps posturing and lies about his Kremlin ties, and on Friday his blaming political enemies and Hillary Clinton, comes the revelation that, as CNBCs John Harwood tweeted,

"According to US govt official, Flynn phoned Russian Ambassador several times the day Obama announced retaliation" https://t.co/u9KmTi8Yqv  John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) January 13, 2017

Yes. This is a problem. Michael Flynn is to be Donald Trumps national security advisor, and here he was apparently undermining President Obamas foreign policy decisions on behalf of a man who has yet to take office.

As David Ignatius, who broke the story, observes at The Washington Post,

Trump said Wednesday that his relationship with President Vladimir Putin is an asset, not a liability. Fair enough, but until hes president, Trump needs to let Obama manage U.S.-Russia policy.

Clearly, Trump was no more doing that than he was not carrying out diplomacy with other countries from Trump Tower on Obamas watch. Ignatius explains,

According to a senior U.S. government official, Flynn phoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak several times on Dec. 29, the day the Obama administration announced the expulsion of 35 Russian officials as well as other measures in retaliation for the hacking. What did Flynn say, and did it undercut the U.S. sanctions? The Logan Act (though never enforced) bars U.S. citizens from correspondence intending to influence a foreign government about disputes with the United States. Was its spirit violated? The Trump campaign didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump can cry foul, that this, too, is fake news but AP has confirmed Ignatius story.

Backdoor diplomacy aside, intelligence specialist Malcolm Nance, an analyst for NBC/MSNBC asks a more serious question: Do we have an Espionage problem in Trump campaign team? Did Trump & Flynn cut a deal w/Russia on its spies behind Obamas back?

The more Donald Trump raises his voice or his smartphone in denial, the more guilty he looks. This mornings tirade about Hillary Clinton and imaginary political enemies being out to get him are a substitute for the real news, which is Trumps very real and very shady dealings with Vladimir Putin.

Michael Flynn is supposed to our general, not Putins, just as Donald Trump is supposed to be our president, not Putins governor of his North American colonies. There is a whole lotta lawbreaking going on in Trump Tower, and it is time for Congress to call a halt to Trumps power play and rein it in before its too late.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

As Joy Reid tweeted about these revelations, The British and other international papers are offering extraordinary detail on the Trump-Russia-FBI scandal.

In an exclusive published in The Independent, Former MI6 agent Christopher Steeles frustration as FBI sat on Donald Trump Russia file for months, it is impossible to disguise the FBIs sordid involvement in Donald Trumps win.

This is, as MSNBCs Christopher Hayes puts it,

This story is the ultimate "whoa if true" https://t.co/BjL9Wf6y8o  Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 14, 2017

What Christopher Steele knew the FBI knew and did nothing, and Steele knew a lot. Working first for Republicans and then for Democrats, and finally, after Trumps win without pay, he held nothing back.

Steele reveals that he kept the FBI informed about his investigations but that it became readily apparent that a cabal within the FBI was ignoring Trumps Russia connection in favor of destroying Hillary Clinton over another manufactured scandal centering on her emails.

That alone should confirm your worst fears about Director Comey. But there are also some scary facts related to Trump and Putin:

1. Trumps team agreed to a request from Russia to dilute attention on Moscows intervention in Ukraine. Steele informed the FBI of this.

2. Four days later, Trump said he would recognize Moscows annexation of Crimea.

3. A month later, Trumps people asked the GOP to remove a pledge of military intervention to Ukraine from the party platform.

4. According to Steele, Trump knew at this time Russia was hacking the DNC. If there is no evidence of this, it is certainly interesting that the same day Mr Trump spoke about Ukraine he called on the Kremlin to hack Hillary Clintons emails.

Ultimately, according to The Independent, John McCain personally picked up Steeles Trump dossier from Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Moscow at a security conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and delivered it directly into Director Comeys hands.

By then, however, the election was over and Donald Trump had become president-elect. It is important to note that eager as Comey was to announce investigations into Clintons activities, he was extremely reluctant to mention Trumps, even when the evidence was in his hands.

There is a price to be paid for speaking truth to power, and Mr. Steele is now paying it, in hiding, The Independent says, from Tory MPs who wanted a fruitful relationship with Trump, accused by others of being a confirmed socialist and part of anti-Brexit conspiracy.

Its funny that if youre against something conservatives are for, youre part of some imaginary conspiracy, while the actual conspiracy is taking place under the auspices of those same conservatives. Its the same in London and in Washington, DC. Trumps rants about conspiracies against him are only covering up for the real conspiracies he has been involved with for months at the behest of the Kremlin.

If Donald Trump has political enemies, what ought to be of concern to people are not who his enemies are (and most of them are simply dedicated public servants and patriots) but rather who his very powerful friends are, and the extent to which the next president of the United States is compromised by hostile foreign powers.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

If any American ever wondered what life is like in an oppressive authoritarian regime like Iran, North Korea, Communist China, Nazi Germany, Iraq under Saddam or Russia under Putin where dissent and criticism are dealt with harshly, they just need to look at Republicans and the new Trump-era government. And yes, it is a new kind of government exactly as the preponderance of political commenters warned the Republican administration would enact. It is their collective attempt at making America great by making it over in North Korea and Russias image.

Since the November election, there have been several indications that the concept of free speech, free expression, or a free press are no longer guaranteed regardless they are basic rights in the Constitution. In fact, over the past month Republicans in Congress and tyrant Trump have signaled that they will not tolerate dissent or criticism and have, and are currently, threatening to use the authority of the federal government to silence any of Trumps detractors as well as federal employees who fail to embrace the new governments ideological agenda in its entirety.

The latest outrage in an alleged free democratic society is the House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz very real threat against the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) for doing its job by commenting on Trumps monumental conflicts of interest as he prepares to move in the White House. As noted by Bloomberg News Toluse Olorunnipa; Chaffetz is threatening to shut down the office of the guy who is doing the job that Jason Chaffetz himself is refusing to do.

After Chaffetz took a little heat for threatening Trump-style retribution against the OGE Director Walter M. Shaub Jr. for his comments on Trumps refusal to divest his vast business empire, the Utah Mormon lied and claimed the threatening letter was just regular House Oversight Committee business to reauthorize the OGE. Chaffetz said, We want to talk to them because theyre up for reauthorization and the oversight committee has jurisdiction on that. Weve been trying to talk to him. We invited him to come and just meet with us. He refuses to meet with Congress. That is a blatant lie and Chaffetz knows damn well he was lying. And he wasnt lying for the lord he was lying to cover his threat because it was made public.

The letter Chaffetz sent Mr. Shaub summoned him to an interrogation for doing his job; what Chaffetz framed as blurring the line between public relations and official ethics guidance. Unlike a regular public appearance before the Oversight Committee, Chaffetz summons is for a closed-door transcribed interview without House Democrats in attendance. The Republicans would also have complete control of the transcript of the interview afterward, and would release selective portions of it to the public.

The Republican threat against the OGE incited plenty of outrage from Democrats, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi summed up best why this incoming Republican government with a tyrant-in-chief is setting the stage for an oppressive regime to rival Iran, North Korea, or Russia. Ms. Pelosi said:

House Republicans agenda is clear: intimidate and silence anyone who would raise questions about the President-elects vast conflicts of interest. Instead of honoring his committees responsibility to hold the Administration accountable, Chairman Chaffetz has appointed himself President-elect Trumps chief strongman and enforcer. Republicans accelerating contempt for ethics should alarm every American. (Author bold)

Ms. Pelosi certainly offered a most accurate assessment of why Americans should be terrified at this truly dangerous Republican trend of attempting to silence dissent and exact retribution for accurate news reports. Remember that Trump has called on both chambers of Congress to investigate NBC News for reporting on the Russian-Trump connection and hacking story. He threatened to change libel laws to give him and Republicans power to silence the free press. And Republicans revived the Holman rule that empowers Congress or individual legislators to summon, interrogate, terminate or reduce a salary to $1 of any federal employee that does not hew closely to the Republican ideological agenda.

Although Republicans are just getting into the tyranny game in earnest after their happy fascist won the election, it is noteworthy that they are jumping in with both feet. They may not be openly calling for censorship of the press and media, at least not yet, but they were silent when Trump demanded a list of the names of Energy Department employees who worked on or around the Paris Climate Accord or State Department employees involved in gender equality issues. Obviously, because there was no pushback against Trumps witch hunts targeting dissenting opinions, the Republicans are now emboldened to publicly pursue the director of the Office of Government Ethics for daring to do his job and comment on Trumps unethical plan to profit from his position as president.

Some Americans may errantly believe that Trump and Republicans are only pursuing the media and federal employees that disagree with their agenda, but that is a monumental mistake. If they are willing to target federal agency employees, private contractors, individual journalists and entire news outlets for retribution in violation of the 1st Amendment, they will go after any group that is critical of their agenda.

It happens in Iran, North Korea, China and Russia and apparently Republicans want to make it happen in America. With an oppressive authoritarian going to the White House and a Republican Congress apparently unfettered by the Constitution, Supreme Court rulings and long-established laws, every American should be horrified that when Trump and Republicans say their intent is making America great, they really mean making America like North Korea, Communist China, or Russia where dissent is non-existent because the dissenters are either imprisoned, dead or too terrified to speak.
Watchdog and Public Service reporter

Thad Moore is a reporter on The Post and Couriers Watchdog and Public Service team and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. To share tips securely, reach Moore via ProtonMail at thadmoore@protonmail.com or on Signal at 843-214-6576.
Deanna Pan is an enterprise reporter for The Post and Courier, where she writes about education and other issues. She grew up in the suburbs of Cincinnati and graduated with a degree in English from Ohio State University in 2012.
Astronomers have discovered the closest known black hole to Earth, just 1,600 light-years away. Scientists reported Friday that this black hole is 10 times more massive than our sun. And it's three times closer than the previous record-holder. Read moreClosest known black hole to Earth spotted by astronomers
BJP leaders have, however, confirmed attending JDU's chura dahi party on Sunday fuelling speculation of a Nitish-BJP reunion.

BJP leaders are reportedly miffed with how Lalu invited them for his party.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad today organised a chura dahi party at his residence on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and in a first, invited several BJP leaders for the event.

However, the invited BJP leaders gave this event a miss.

Nityanand Rai, Bihar BJP President said, "I had received the invite from Lalu Yadav but I can't attend as I am keeping busy with preparations for PM's program to be held in Hajipur on Sunday."

advertisement

Lalu Prasad Yadav is believed to have invited BJP leaders, after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar extended an invite to the saffron party leaders for an event to be organised by JDU on Sunday.

Also read: Lalu slams Modi over note ban, says PM is treating country as a football

WHY A NO SHOW AT LALU'S?

BJP leaders are reportedly miffed with how Lalu invited them for his party. The RJD supremo did not invite them personally but instead entrusted the task to his close associate and MLC Bhola Yadav.

Also read: Why does Lalu believe demonetisation is a bad idea for India

"On the directions of Lalu Prasad, I telephoned every leader of the NDA including Sushil Modi, Nityanand Rai and Jitan Ram Manjhi and they had given confirmation regarding attending the party", said Bhola Yadav.

BJP leaders have, however, confirmed attending JDU's chura dahi party tomorrow fuelling speculation of a Nitish-BJP reunion.

Also read: Lalu's son Tej Pratap plays down PM's Kanhaiya jibe, calls himself descendant of Lord Krishna

--- ENDS ---
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
AUSTIN  The man who was killed in an officer-involved shooting and the officer who was injured during the altercation have been identified Friday by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The deceased was identified as Ronald Dean Johnson, 41, of Austin. According to the BCA, Johnson died from a gunshot wound to the head. On Wednesday, the Austin Police Department and the Mower County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call regarding a domestic disturbance.

According to the BCA's preliminary investigations, a woman who was visiting Johnson at his residence at 1010 Eighth Ave. SW, told him she was leaving. Johnson pulled out a knife, refused to allow her to leave and forced her upstairs.

When officers and deputies entered the house, they made verbal contact with Johnson, who said if they attempted to come to the second floor, he would "cut her." When the woman started to scream, authorities tried to climb the stairs to the second level.

Reports say that Johnson began throwing items down at the officers, hitting Austin police officer Chad Norman with a window air conditioning unit and a glass bottle. Norman fired his weapon, striking Johnson.

ADVERTISEMENT

Johnson was taken by Gold Cross to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin, and later airlifted to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where he died from his injuries. Norman was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin, where he was treated, then released.

The woman who was at the house was not stabbed during the altercation, but she was assaulted before law enforcement arrived on scene.

Norman, who was placed on standard administrative leave, has worked for the Austin Police Department for 14 years. No other officers or deputies fired their weapon during the confrontation. BCA crime scene personnel found several knives and blades at the scene.

There were no body cameras or other video footage of the incident.

The BCA is investigating the incident for the Austin Police Department. Once the investigation is finished, then the agency will turn its findings over to the Olmsted County Attorney's Office for review.
AUSTIN  Diversity can make a city grow, and officials are looking to embrace it.

The Human Rights Commission is compiling a "Welcoming Reporter," which essentially identifies obstacles that prevent Austin from becoming a more inviting place for those looking to call the city home.

This would include a guide of sorts for businesses, city entities, and community organizations to assist with helping new or current residents feel more comfortable, according to Jason Baskin, Human Rights Commission chairman.

For the past few months, the commission has been gathering information from various individuals throughout the community. The finished report is expected to be presented to the city council this spring.

In July, the city approved a resolution to make the city one of only two cities in the state to join the "Welcome America" coalition. This stems from the idea of being a welcoming place for new or current community members, according to Baskin.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We started conversations about how do we go beyond and try to truly make Austin a welcoming community," he said. "We came up with the welcome report by going into the community, asking key stakeholders to come up with some recommendations for business and city leaders, and really put into action of being a welcoming community."

A hotspot of cultural diversity

Austin's diversity has increased dramatically since 1990, when the minority population was at 2 percent. The latest U.S. Census numbers in 2010 showed the minority population had climbed to 23 percent.

Some other signs of change:

 Forty-six different languages are spoken in Austin Public Schools.

 50 percent of Woodson Kindergarten Center's students identify as non-white.

 One in 4 community members in Austin is non-white.

"If we're going to thrive as a community, we need to make sure that every member who lives here is welcomed and allowed to contribute," Baskin added. "I think we found that Austin doesn't have a choice but to be a welcoming community."

ADVERTISEMENT

Baskin said that diversity in the city's population has led to a 4 percent growth overall. The city's population grew from 23,599 in 2000 to 24,718 in 2010.

That type of growth isn't unknown to Austin. The city has spent the last two decades learning more about the different types of community members drawn there.

Baskin said there are several factors why Austin might be considered a cultural hotspot comparable to the Twin Cities or Rochester.

"It's a couple of things, jobs is number one," Baskin said. "Number two, as communities have gotten established, then that creates reasons for other members of those communities to come. Whether you're Hmong, Sudanese, or Hispanic, 'I know somebody's there.' It's the connection to be able to learn more about the community, and probably stay there."

Austin is also becoming younger, with 56 percent of its population younger than 40. This creates an interesting opportunity for Austin to continue building itself as a "welcoming community," Baskin said.

"What'll be interesting for us, is because the majority is so young, we've got a big opportunity to create a community where they feel welcome," he said, "and hang onto the diversity, and hang onto the talented people here in town in the long run."
WINONA  Four people were injured in a rollover accident Thursday night.

Po-Yi Li, 24, of Winona, was eastbound on Interstate 90, west of the Rushford exit, at around 9:24 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle went into a ditch and rolled over, according to Minnesota State Patrol. Road conditions were described to be snowy and icy at the time.

Li and his passengers, Tianyuan Bai, 19, Yu Xi, 22, and Yannehih Jiang, 21, all of Winona, suffered non-life threatening injuries from the crash. All were transported to Winona Health for treatment.

The Winona County Sheriff's Office, Lewiston Police Department, Winona Ambulance and Lewiston Fire Department all responded on scene.
About 40 persons were on board the boat which was coming to Ranighat in Patna from Sabalpur diara (riverine) on the other side of River Ganga.

By Sujeet Jha: 25 persons were killed today after a boat ferrying passengers in River Ganga capsized in Patna.

About 40 persons were on board the boat which was coming to Ranighat in Patna from Sabalpur diara (riverine) on the other side of River Ganga.

According to some eyewitnesses, the boat was overcrowded and was returning from a kite flying festival. The kite flying festival was organised as part of Makar Sankranti by the state tourism department.

advertisement

A major rescue operation is being conducted by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe into the incident. The CM has also instructed Principal Secretary of Health RK Mahajan and the Patna District Magistrate to ensure proper treatment of the victims of the boat tragedy.

PM EXPRESSES GRIEF OVER DEATHS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed his grief over the boat tragedy in Patna where 20 passengers were killed and many others were missing.

"PM expressed grief on the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar. He extended condolences to the bereaved families," the Prime Minister's office said in a tweet.

PM also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged against boat operator in Sonpur Police Station.

List of those died in the boat tragedy.

Watch the video | Bihar boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 23, PM announces Rs 2 lakh for deceased

--- ENDS ---
After 100 years of shoe leather and polish, Rochester's Boston Shoe Repair still is saving soles.

The business first opened its doors in 1917 in downtown Rochester at 1 S. Broadway, next to where Michaels Restaurant eventually would be built.

Since then, there have been many changes and moves, but Boston Shoe Repair continues to work on a steady stream of broken heels, dog-chewed boots and worn-out soles.

"We keep pretty busy," said owner Pete Chafos as Jerry Haas brought out a pair of repaired boots for a customer. "We've always got something cooking."

Don Cravath, of Plainview, a longtime customer, says he keeps the repair shop busy. He recently picked up a pair of boots he has owned about 20 years. They were a little difficult to put on, so he had Chafos and Haas install zippers on the side.

ADVERTISEMENT

The latest work he had done was to have a lift taken out of one boot. Cravath had Boston Shoe Repair put it in because one leg was longer than the other. Recent hip and knee surgeries evened out his legs so he didn't need the lift anymore.

"I've brought shoes here for years. I think they're better than new after they work on them," he said.

Some customers have told them they have resoled one pair of shoes seven or eight times.

While he and Haas still have plenty of work, the 72-year-old Chafos acknowledged with a sad shake of his head that the profession he grew up in is "dying."

Jim McFarland, spokesman for Shoe Service Institute of America and owner of McFarland Shoe Repair in Lakeland, Fla., agreed with that assessment. He said it's mainly because of the lack of young people learning the trade.

McFarland estimated there are about 6,500 shoe repair shops in the U.S. today. That compares to about 62,000 in the 1940s and 50,000 in the 1970s.

Just two shops left

In Rochester, Chafos remembers the days when the city had 18 to 19 shoe shine and repair shops. Now with its largest population ever, the Med City has only two shops  Boston Shoe Repair and Thee Only Shoe Repair.

ADVERTISEMENT

Andy Chafos, Pete's father, joined forces with his business partner, Frank Mammasis, as owners of Boston Shoe Repair in 1921. The pair ran the successful shop with its 10 shoe shine chairs on the busy corner. They eventually opened a second downtown location by the Chateau Theater. That shop moved into the 100 First Ave. building in 1940 and later closed in the 1970s.

Through the years, the shops added services such as pressing suits and cleaning hats. They would buy big boxes of forgotten hats from the train depot, fix them up and resell them.

When the younger Chafos started working in the shop, he described that part of downtown as "a little Greek city." There were several businesses, including cafes, pool halls and other shoe shops, owned by Greek immigrants

"My whole life was there on that block," he said, remembering splitting his time between work and the pool hall.

Another Greek immigrant, Andy Chafoulias, also owned businesses in the area. Chafoulias, a cousin of Chafos, was the father of well-known Rochester developer Gus Chafoulias.

"They were known as Big Andy (Chafoulias) and Little Andy (Chafos)," said Pete Chafos.

In 1971, Boston Shoe Repair opened a location in the Apache Mall. They still had the original downtown shop until it lost its lease in 1978.

It has remained active in the mall through the years as all of the "Mom and Pop" businesses left to be replaced by national chains.

ADVERTISEMENT

'You guys can't ever quit'

While times and fashions have changed a lot, Chafos and Haas still have plenty of work. Their shop is decorated with photos from the past, newspaper clippings and a huge pair of custom-made Minnetonka moccasins that were a gift from Igor Vovkovinskiy, the tallest man in the U.S. They were too small for him.

Boston Shoe Repair isn't the only shop in Rochester. Jim Derouin runs the "upstart" 53-year-old Thee Only Shoe Repair at 908 N. Broadway. When it started, Rochester had five repair shops.

Derouin said he and his team often help out Boston Shoe Repair by lending tools or sharing unusual materials to make a repair.

"We have a good relationship. There aren't that many of us around anymore," he said.

That scarcity shows when both shops get customers who drive from Iowa and elsewhere in the region to use their services.

"Two or three times a week, customers tell us, 'You guys can't ever quit,'" Derouin said.

Quitting is not something Chafos or Haas have planned anytime soon. They split the burden by alternating months with Chafos working one month and Haas working the next. However, the "off-duty" one often shows up to help the other out.

While much has changed in the past 100 years, the pair plan to keep saving soles (and heels) for as long as they can.
ST. PAUL  Gov. Mark Dayton signed a tax measure into law Friday that won unanimous support in the Legislature, but he acknowledged such consensus won't be nearly so easy on various other challenges facing the state.

The plan to square Minnesota's taxes with federal laws became the first bill to become law during the 2017 session. It offers tax breaks to some 200,000 residents, including college students for tuition, teachers for classroom supplies and homeowners for mortgage insurance premiums.

Home refinancers and short sellers will get breaks totaling $17.4 million. All of the changes will retroactively apply to Minnesotan residents who filed taxes last year.

Dayton said the cuts were a "great way" to start the session as he and other lawmakers celebrated its passage.

Still, clashes over health care insurance premium hikes, the upcoming budget and a gas tax increase could make the comity between the Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled Legislature short-lived.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We have significant differences," Dayton said of the priorities of the state's two parties. "I've said that from the outset."

GOP legislation passed through the Senate Thursday that would reduce monthly health insurance premium payments amid massive rate hikes, but Dayton and Democrats have said the income-testing required to deliver checks could result in months of delays.

And Dayton said the Republican-led plans to pair relief with broader market fixes can wait. He said he'd veto any reinsurance program like the one included in Thursday's Senate bill that is meant to offset health plan losses and could cost more than $150 million a year.

But Dayton said he'd unveil his own plan for health care reforms during his Jan. 23 State of the State address, adding that he'll begin to reveal his proposal for a two-year budget at that time that will likely put him at odds with Republican legislative leaders.

As the session carries on, lawmakers will also likely be at odds over Dayton's already proposed transportation plan that includes an increased gas tax. Republicans say they would rather see some of the state's projected $1.4 billion surplus put toward transportation funding.
DULUTH  First came the itching  hives so maddening they made Suzanne Keithley-Myers want to claw her flesh. Then came waves of stomach pain so dizzying and disorienting they made her "kind of afraid for my life."

The 45-year-old nurse couldn't explain her body's breakdown. She suspected it was tied to ticks that had bitten her during a June mushroom hunting trip in the woods near Aurora, but this didn't seem like a typical tick reaction.

On a hunch, she Googled "meat allergy" and found something that seemed like a perfect fit  a rare, potentially severe allergy to "alpha-gal," a sugar found in red meat, triggered by a bite from the lone star tick.

Adding to the mystery: the lone star tick isn't supposed to be in Minnesota. Yet, in the last couple years at least two dozen people in the northern part of the state have suddenly become severely allergic to red meat.

Dr. Alaaddin Kandeel, an allergist at Essentia Health in Duluth who saw Keithley-Myers, said he's diagnosed the same allergy in 18 patients, including 10 from northeast Minnesota and eight from northwest Wisconsin.

ADVERTISEMENT

"And I've seen at least one patient a month with this allergy," he said. "I've had patients who passed out as a result of this, and sometimes it can be fatal as well."

Dr. Chris Cleveland, an allergist at Sanford Health in Fargo, N.D., has seen similar symptoms in a handful of Minnesota patients he treated in Bemidji and Thief River Falls.

"Waking up often in the middle of the night, usually four to six hours after they've been done with their meal, and have very intense itching to their palms and the soles of their feet," he said.

It can spread across nearly the entire body, even swelling the tongue and throat, he added.

Diagnoses have exploded

Nationally, the allergy has largely been concentrated in the southeastern U.S., where scientists have linked it to the lone star tick.

Diagnoses of the allergy have exploded, from a couple dozen people when it was first identified about seven years ago, to several thousand today.

In Minnesota, it's not clear what kind of tick is triggering the trouble. The lone star tick's range currently stops just below the Iowa border.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We get sporadic reports of lone star ticks, but we don't know of any established populations because when we've gone out and done our routine tick surveillance, what we really find are wood ticks ... and then those black legged ticks, or the deer ticks," said Elizabeth Schiffman, an epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health.

In Minnesota, tick-borne diseases are reportable by law. So every time a provider diagnoses a case of Lyme disease, for example, they send that information to the Department of Health. But allergies, like the alpha-gal allergy, are not reportable conditions, Schiffman said.

So the state doesn't know if cases of alpha-gal allergies are on the rise.

Researchers, though, are starting to think there could be something other than the lone star tick causing the allergy.

"We have colleagues who've reported patients from Sweden and Australia and central Europe and now even in Japan and they have very different ticks. So I don't think it's by any stretch limited to one species of tick," said Scott Commins, an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of North Carolina and one of the researchers who first identified the alpha-gal allergy.

Researchers may have been guilty of pigeonholing the allergy on the lone star tick, he said, adding that people who've been bitten by different kinds of ticks are now also contracting the allergy.

He's now conducting experiments to try to find out exactly what in the tick bite is triggering the allergy.

'Tip of the iceberg'

ADVERTISEMENT

Here's the leading hypothesis. A tick feasts on an animal like a deer, or a mouse, that carries the alpha-gal carbohydrate. Later that tick bites a human, and transfers something in its saliva that triggers an allergic reaction.

The deer tick, which carries Lyme disease, could probably cause the alpha-gal allergy in that manner, said Commins.

"I don't want to alarm people, but I do feel that there probably is legitimate concern that this may be something that is the tip of the iceberg (in Minnesota) with the cases that you have at the moment.

Genetic factors likely determine whether someone has an allergic response. Hundreds of thousands of people get tick bites, he said, and only a very small fraction end up with the alpha-gal meat allergy.

Still, there are likely people who already have the allergy but don't know it, said Commins. Often it results in painful stomach cramps, but not itchy hives. And because the reaction occurs several hours after eating, he said it's hard for patients to put the connection together.

"It's really hard for people to pinpoint it," said Heather Fealy, 44, of Orr. She was diagnosed with the allergy last summer after being bitten by a tick in April, and one morning waking up covered in hives.

Now she tries to educate others about it. She recently met someone at the grocery store, shopping for veggie burgers.

"She had never heard of the allergy, but she said she hasn't been able to eat beef for quite a few years. She gets real bad stomach pain."

'A huge change'

Kandeel said his advice for people who think maybe they have the allergy is to keep a food journal, to see if their symptoms are related to any specific food, and then seek further help for evaluation.

Commins said people who suspect they have the allergy must avoid beef and pork fat in recipes and foods, and perhaps dairy as well.

"We know that in some patients the allergy fades over time. There are others where this appears to be long-lasting," he added. "The issue is we don't know what defines the groups or how to predict who will end up in each group at the outset. It may depend on further tick bites."

For Keithley-Myers, it's been about six months since she was diagnosed with the alpha-gal allergy.

She's had to stop eating the meat her husband hunts. She's also had to give up cheese and be vigilant for animal byproducts like gelatin that can also spark a reaction.

"It makes things really hard," she said. I can't go to pot lucks and enjoy myself," she said. "I can't host the same way that I used to. I spent a few months really grieving it. It was a huge change."
We have written several times about the Gold King Mine disaster, one of the worst and most avoidable environmental incidents of recent years. Through sheer incompetence, the EPA and its contractor spilled three million gallons of toxic liquid into the Animas River in Colorado. The federal government turned the river orange:

If a private citizen had done the same thing, he would have been criminally prosecuted. But being a government agency means never having to say youre sorry.

Those downstream from the EPAs blunder suffered more than a billion dollars in damages. The EPA now takes the position that this is just their tough luck. The Politico article is behind a paywall, but this is what it says:

EPA says it is barred from paying back 73 claims made against the agency over the 2015 spill of 3 million gallons of wastewater from the Gold King mine in Colorado. In a brief notice today, EPA said that an independent agency official, after receiving guidance from the Justice Department

That is, the corrupt Obama-Holder-Lynch Justice Department, ground zero of the swamp that needs to be drained in Washington.

concluded that claims  which the Associated Press said totaled $1.2 billion  brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act cannot be legally compensated by EPA.

Cannot be legally compensated! Got that? The EPA would really like to repay the innocent citizens whom it harmed through its grotesque negligence, but it just cant. Barack Obamas Justice Department wont allow it.

The FTCA does not authorize federal agencies to pay claims resulting from government actions that are discretionary  that is, acts of a governmental nature or function and that involve the exercise of judgment, EPAs notice says.

So the EPA claims that its breaching of a wall at the mine that allowed three million gallons of toxic liquid to flow into the Animas River was an exercise of judgment. Meaning that they did it on purpose? No. They mean that deciding how to approach the cleanup of the Gold King Mine required some judgment. Well, sure, like everything else. Should I put my left foot forward first, or my right? Its a judgment call!

I have some experience in this area of the law, in cases involving $100 million to $200 million in damages, and I think the EPAs argument is a bad joke. The Gold King Mine fiasco was not an exercise of discretion or judgment by the EPA, it was gross negligence at the operational level, pure and simple. The EPA will lose when the case goes to court. Meanwhile, with the Obama administration winding down, the purpose is delay.

EPA says claimants can go to federal court within six months.

And then spend years litigating. In the meantime, the responsible EPA officials, instead of being criminally prosecuted as they would have been if they worked for private companies, will go on their merry way. As Politico points out, the other avenue of resolution is Congressional action authorizing compensation for victims of the EPAs negligence. That likely will happen, with the causes of the disaster being swept under the rug.

The Environmental Protection Agency is the ultimate in incompetent bureaucratic arrogance. If Donald Trump wants to change Washington, the EPA is a great place to begin.
On tomorrows Meet the Press, Georgia Congressman John Lewis will say that he doesnt consider Donald Trump to be a legitimate president.

Chuck Todd: You have forged a relationship with many presidents. Do you plan on forging a relationship with Donald Trump? Rep. John Lewis: I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. Its going to be hard. Its going to be very difficult. I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president. Todd: You do not consider him a legitimate president? Lewis: No. Todd: Why is that? Lewis: I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. I dont plan to attend the inauguration. It would be the first one that I miss since Ive been in the Congress. You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong. Todd: That is going to send a big message to a lot of people in this country, that you dont believe hes a legitimate president. Lewis: I think there was a conspiracy on the part of the Russians and others to help him get elected. Thats not right. Thats not fair. Thats not the open, democratic process.

Lewis is invariably described as a civil rights icon, but the man is an utter fraud. He has been coasting on his 50-year-old reputation for decades. Andrew Breitbart exposed Lewis as a liar when he claimed, falsely, to have been subjected to racial epithets by a crowd outside the Capitol. Lewis disgracefully testified against Jeff Sessionss nomination as Attorney General, again playing the fake race card. And, for what its worth, he didnt consider George W. Bush a legitimate president, either.

There is no reason to treat John Lewis with kid gloves, and Donald Trump doesnt do so. This morning he used his favorite medium to respond to Lewiss slanders:

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk  no action or results. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

Trump could have been a lot harsher.

UPDATE: The Democrats are already fundraising, dishonestly, off this exchange. A little while ago they sent out an email headed: BREAKING: Donald Trump INSULTS Rep. John Lewis.

It continues:

Were so disgusted. This morning, in response to Rep. John Lewis protest of his Inauguration, Donald Trump sent out a flurry of tweets insulting the civil rights hero. Its beyond the pale, even for Trump. Were appalled. After voicing his opinion that he would not attend Trumps inauguration festivities, Donald Trump insulted him, saying John Lewis is all talk and no action. Thats a blatant lie  and even more disgusting right ahead of MLK Day. John Lewis is a civil rights hero and a person all Americans should aspire to be like.

Of course, Lewis didnt just voice his opinion that he would not attend Trumps inauguration festivities. He said that Trump is not a legitimate president, despite winning the election. But no one expects honesty from the Democrats.

UPDATE: To see how the Associated Press spins this dustup to advance its anti-Trump narrative, go here.
Dougie M,



You wrote:

"The North Atlantic association was to counter the Soviet threat and only came into its own when the Warsaw Pact formed in the 50s."



This is how disinformation starts :-) No time to type a couple of words in a search engine? I thought this stuff was being studied in mil. academies worldwide...



NATO was formed in 1949 and it was the first NATO secretary general to say (informally) that the organization's goal was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down."



Then very soon the next major steps were undertaken because of the Korean war.



After Turkey and Greece joined NATO in 1952, the Soviet Union also applied for a membership (in 1954) because formally it was said that NATO was not considering USSR as an enemy, but the suggestion was, of course, declined.



Warsaw pact was signed only in 1955, a week after the NATO's second expansion when Germany joined the club. I think it was nothing but a nervous reply in a sense "we can't take it any more", but it could be justified by the fact that Germany was again openly on the other side, and plans like "Dropshot" were getting closer to the reality.





As for the main subject, from outside NATO it's strange to hear that "who is 2nd in the hierarchy" is an issue. Does it really matter? Look at another chatterbox club - the EU and CEC. There many people now there at high management positions from the countries that many others can hardly find on the map.
BSF jawan Tej Bahadur came to limelight when he posted a video about the poor quality of food being served to jawans.

By India Today Web Desk: The wife of the BSF jawan Tej Bahadur, who posted a video on social media complaining about the quality of food the soldiers were being served, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

She has termed the ongoing probe into the incident as farce.

Sharmila Bahadur said that they did not want an internal inquiry and asserted a CBI probe. She said that the truth would be only out if CBI conducted a probe."We don't want an internal inquiry, CBI must inquire.Truth will be out only then," said Sharmila.

advertisement

Tej Bahadur made headlines after he posted several videos of bad food being served to the jawans in Jammu and Kashmir. The videos posted on January 8 raised several questions on the quality of amenities provided to the jawans guarding the nation on challenging terrains.

Days after the video went viral, Sharmila shared an audio clip of Tej Bahadur where he alleged that there was a lack of amenities and that he is being forced to tender an apology.

He told that senior officials are involved in malpractice and that they were threatening and forcing him to apologise. In the audio clip he also said that no investigation was being carried out into the incident. Tej Bahadur claimed that he decided to speak out as there was no inquiry being done. He also said that he was being threatened.

In a similar incident on Friday Army jawan Lance Naik Yagya Pratap Singh released a video alleging harassment by superiors.

Today, his wife Richa Singh claimed that Yagya even sat on a dharna and that his phone has been confiscated by the authorities following the incident.

In the video, Yagya Pratap alleged harassment after he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the problems faced by the soldiers.

Yagya Pratap Singh said, instead of investigating the issue, his superiors began harassing him and also initiated an inquiry, which could potentially result in his court-martial.

WATCH VIDEO : MHA files report to PMO, negates Tej Bahadur's claims as non-substantial

--- ENDS ---
Przepraszamy!

Ogoszenie na stanowisku:

Site Manager



wygaso z dniem 2017-01-15



Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Luxoft Poland sp. z o.o.

Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia ogoszenia to:

propozycja zamieszczona przez pracodawce zostaa wycofana z serwisu praca.egospodarka.pl

ogoszeniodawca zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc pracownikow

rekruter zmodyfikowa tresc zlecenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem WWW

dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych

niewasciwy adres url ogoszenia

Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Informatyka / Telekomunikacja, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Informatyka / Telekomunikacja

Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku Site Manager, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Site Manager

Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: Krakow, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Krakow



Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj.

Inne propozycje, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan:
Sixteen-year-old Dolapo Makunjuola was all smiles on Saturday as she was crowned the Queen of the Virgins at the 2017 Miss Virginity beauty pageant held in Lagos.

Miss Makunjuola, a student, emerged winner out of 35 contestants.

I am very excited to be the winner of this event, said Miss Makunjuola, who thanked the organisers and her fellow virgins.

I intend being a virgin until I am ripe for marriage and I dont want to dent my image and that of my parents.

It was a drab event inside the headquarters of Surulere local government devoid of the glitz and glamour usually associated with beauty pageants.

Each of the contestants only answered questions mostly on current affairs fielded by a master of ceremony.

No prize was announced for the winner of the pageant.

Adunni Adediran, the organiser, said the contest was an avenue to propagate the importance of women keeping their virginity till their wedding night.

This years contest was a deviation from the past, beginning from 2007 when the pageant was founded.

A gynaecologist was always brought to confirm the virginity of prospective contestants beforehand.

Ms. Adediran said she was called to order by the Lagos State Ministry of Education, forcing her to stop the practice.

We used to have a gynecologist who examines the girls before the event, but the ministry of education invited me and told me they disliked the attitude of a man looking at the girls privacy and I was depressed that day, Ms. Adediran said.

But was it not better for one man, a federal gynaecologist in a twinkle of an eye, to check if they were virgins or not, than the girls selling themselves from one bed to another bed? I have stopped examining the girls because they asked me to stop.

On how the girls were verified and ascertained virgins, Ms. Adediran said she merely reached out to their mothers to talk to them before they participate in the pageant.

What we now do is like a workshop, a seminar warning them, telling them how important it is to be a virgin before the night of their marriage, while the winner here will be decided based on the questions that will be asked them.

One of the contestants, 40-year-old Veronica Nwokedi told PREMIUM TIMES she heard about the pageant for virgins last year through her brothers wifes friend who is also a virgin.

On hearing about this event, I felt so excited because this has been my dream, to be among the virgins, because many people say that there are no virgins anymore, she said.

So seeing a lot of young girls here who are virgins really gives me joy. I was tested severally when I felt sick in Benin and even the doctors felt shocked on finding out that I was a virgin.

Miss Nwokedi encouraged younger ladies to cherish their virginity because it brings forth Gods blessings.

It is not really easy to be a virgin, but it is a good thing, she said.

Your husband will love and trust you so much without having any iota of doubt in his wife. Even when the lady is seen in the midst of men, the husband will feel relaxed and confident, knowing fully well that he was the one that deflowered his wife.

The pageant was originally scheduled to hold on December, 16, 2016, but was postponed due to financial challenges, according to the organiser.

Ms. Adediran said she had sent text messages for financial assistance to 200 Nigerians asking for N2,000 each.

She also said out of the 50 churches she approached for assistance, only Anthony Okojie, the archbishop of the Catholic Church in Lagos, gave his support.

Only 20 people responded out of the 200 people I appealed to, she said.

But God assisted me further and a Chief of Staff who I will not mention his name for now sent the sum of N50,000. A female lawyer also sent the sum of N10,000. The actual amount to appreciate virgins is, however, somehow countless.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


As part of efforts to end the incessant attacks in the southern part of Kaduna State, former Head of State, Abubakar Abdulsalam; Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar: and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Kukah; were on Friday in Kaduna for a peace visit.

The leaders had a closed door meeting with Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Addressing journalists after the meeting with the governor, Mr. Abdulsalami said the Kaduna violence is something that can engulf the country.

So we want to make sure that peace reigns in Nigeria, to make sure that people know that we are together.

We have to live in peace with each other and we have what it is to give and take.

We are reaching a situation in the country where human live doesnt mean anything to people and this is wrong.

The former Nigerian leader said he and the religious leaders would within the week meet with leaders in Southern Kaduna.

We will also visit the scene in Southern Kaduna where these problems are and discuss with the people. After which we will now sit down and see what we think should be done, he said.

Mr. Abdulsalam said after their findings, the peace campaign team will come back to the governor and also if necessary to the federal government to discuss a way out.

Everybody is aggrieved in one way or the other. So what we beg on people is to be patient, try as much as to forgive and to be each others keeper.

We must live together, we must find solution to the problems to sit down and talk to ourselves because there is no problem that cannot be solved when you are talking to each other, he said.

On his part, Mr. Kukah said the visit is to show solidarity with the people of Kaduna State.

He advised the people of the state, including the government, to look into ways of achieving peace and development.

What is going on now is a very sad phase in our history, but I believe that we can get over it and we will get over it and come out much more stronger and committed to peace, he said.

Catholic Cardinal John Onaiyekan and other members of the National Peace Committee were also on the peace campaign visit.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, said on Friday that 204 people have been killed in the months of violence between herdsmen and host communities in Southern Kaduna.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Troops of the Nigerian Army on Friday repelled an attack by Boko Haram fighters on their location in the northern part of Borno State, killing no fewer than 10 of the terrorists, authorities said.

According to the spokesman of the Nigeria Army, Sani Usman, a Brigadier General, the insurgents attempted an attack on troops location in Kangarwa village of Kukawa local government.

Kangarwa is situated around the locations where the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is currently prospecting for oil in the shores of the receding Lake Chad.

Following the disrupting activities of Boko Haram in that strategic region, the Nigeria military had established the 119 Battalion and the 133 Special Forces Battalion of 7 Brigade to fortify the area.

Mr. Usman said troops foiled the attack with the support of the Nigerian Air Force which promptly deployed Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes.

He said troops dealt the attackers a decisive blow.

The attack lasted hours, from the evening of Friday to late night, as troops battled to repell the Boko Haram fighters until the airforce jet came to bolster the offensive by ground troops, Mr. Usman said.

The resilient troops repelled the incursion and in the process killed 10 insurgents and wounded several others, he said.

They recovered, 1 Pulemyot Kalashnkova Machine (PKM) Gun, with 67 rounds of ammunition, 1 AK-47 Riffle with 18 rounds of ammunition, 2 AK-Rifle top covers and 3 Dane Guns with 1 cartridge.

Others include, 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade Tube with 3 bombs, 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade charger and smoke grenade, 1 Hand Held (HH) Motorola Radio an antenna, 1 copy of Holy Quran and Boko Haram terrorists flag.

Unfortunately, three soldiers paid the supreme price in the course of the encounter, while 27 soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries. The bodies of the gallant soldiers and those injured have since been evacuated for treatment.

The Nigeria military had in December 2016 announced the fall of Sambisa Forest, which was known as Boko Harams deadliest hideout.

Authorities at the headquarters of the Theatre Command in Maiduguri have consistently assured that troops would not relent on aggressive mop-up operations to rout remnant Boko Haram terrorists.

They described recent attacks and suicide bombings by the terrorists as signs of desperation by the weakened insurgents.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The management of Nigerian-Turkish International School in Isheri, Ogun State, has confirmed that eight persons, including five students and three staff of the college, were kidnapped on Friday by unknown persons.

One of those kidnapped is a Turkish national, the school said Saturday.

Many parents removed their children from the school early Saturday.

The principal of the school, Yunus Emre Dogan, told PREMIUM TIMES that the kidnappers gained entrance into the compound through a fence wall.

He said the assailants dug a portion of the fence near a swamp.

He said the abductors arrived at about 9.30p.m. and went straight to the female hostels, where they seized the victims, which included a hostel mistress, a cook, a teacher and five students.

The kidnappers reportedly threatened their victims with gun before forcefully taking them away.

As at when this report was filed, the abductors were yet to contact the school management or parents of the abducted students.

Parents scrambled to pick their wards despite pleas by the Ogun State Deputy Governor, Yetunde Onanuga, who visited the school.

One of the parents, Bolaji Mustapha, said all parents had resolved to evacuate their children and return them when they were convinced adequate security had been put in place.

We parents jointly resolved and agreed that we have to take away our children at least for the first one week, until we are convinced about perfect security arrangement being put in place, Mrs. Mustapha said.

Another mother, Funmi Tijani, whose daughters friend was abducted said the psychological effect of the incident alone required the children being taken home.

The deputy governor, Mrs. Onanuga, while addressing parents, said the government was taking urgent steps to provide security and to ensure the safe rescue of the victims.

Our government has put necessary security measure in place for the rescue of the abductees. Ogun State is already in action. Let me reassure you that we are going to rescue the victims soon. Federal Government is aware of this, we have just got in contact with Abuja, she said.

She appealed to parents to be calm and prayerful, urging them not to evacuate their children.

In company of the deputy governor were Secretary to State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dayo Adeneye; Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Afolabi Afuape; Special Adviser to the Governor on Government House Matters, Bayo Adeyemi, and Adejuwon Soyinka, senior special assistant to the governor on media and publicity.

Security officials were also at the school.

Among them were, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2; Kayode Oluranti, Ogun State commissioner of police; Ahmed Ilyasu, state director, State Security Service; and Commander, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Seni Ogunyemi.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Non-academic unions in the Nigerian universities say they will on Monday embark on a five-day warning strike over the inability of the Federal Government to implement the 2009 Agreements with the unions.

The unions are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions in a statement stated that the warning strike became necessary in order for government to fully implement the 2009 FGN/Non-Teaching Staff Unions Agreements it freely entered into with the unions.

JAC said that a letter of the warning strike signed by Samson Ugwoke, SSANU President, Sani Suleiman, President of NAAT and Chris Ani, NASU President had been send to the Minister of Education.

JAC said the letter was also copied to the Minister Labour and Employment, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission and President of Nigeria Labour Congress.

The statement quoted the committee as saying that the University system is challenged by poor governance and administrative lapses which needs to be addressed holistically.

Poor funding of our universities, shortfall in payment of staff salaries, increasing corruption in the university system should be addressed.

It also listed as among the problems that required attention of the government was inadequate physical infrastructure and abandoned projects which they said had reduced the capacity and output of its members.

Other areas were lack of adequate teaching and learning facilities which had reduced the productivity of members and the non-payment of Earned Allowances being product of the 2009 Agreement, among others.

Meantime, JAC has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over what it described as the continued industrial unrest at Federal University of Technology, FUTA, Akure: the need for decisive government action concerning the universitys Vice Chancellor.

In a letter to President Buhari, JAC said that arising from issues of serious disagreement between labour unions in the institution and the Vice Chancellor, Adebiyi Gregory Daramola, there had been continuous industrial unrest.

It is noteworthy that the university has been experiencing serious industrial disharmony since Oct. 6, 2016 as a result of workers demand for the removal of the VC on grounds of alleged corruption and maladministration.

Sir, it is on record that the Vice Chancellor has a case to answer at the EFCC. He is however yet to be arraigned. Indeed, the allegation of corruption against the VC is substantial.

It is the candid opinion of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) unions of NAAT, NASU and SSANU that a government which is bent on fighting corruption in all ramifications should not turn a blind eye under these circumstances.

So, it will be in the interest of justice and industrial harmony that the VC be prosecuted by the relevant government agencies so that normalcy can be restored in the university, it said. (NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


By Press Trust of India: Bhopal, Jan 14 (PTI) Central BJP leadership is learnt to have sought details regarding the alleged Rs 500 crore hawala racket in Katni district and subsequent transfer of the Superintendent of Police (SP), in connection with which the name of a state minister had figured.

"We have already received inputs. I think it has a mention of the minister. The incident is being looked into from all angles. Appropriate action is going to be taken at the right time," BJP sources said today.

advertisement

Under the hawala racket, fake accounts were allegedly opened in a private bank under which scrapped old notes were deposited in Katni district. Police since July have registered four cases against the accused who allegedly have connection with the minister, police sources said.

In the middle of the investigations in the racket, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari was on January 9 shunted out of Katni to Chhindwara district, amid accusation that the minister had mounted pressure on the government to transfer him.

Since then people of Katni are protesting against the transfer of Tiwari, who was an upright SP.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today staged a protest and sought revocation of Tiwaris transfer.

Meanwhile, former leader of the opposition in MP Ajay Singh told PTI "We are with the people of Katni and back their demand. Tiwari should continue as SP and the investigations into the racket should not be hampered. We want action against the guilty person."

Earlier, the minister on the sidelines of the two-day state BJP executive meet at Sagar had told reporters, "I have no connection in any cases in Katni. In future too, my name wont figure in any case I assure. In all cases, thorough investigations are on and the guilty will be punished severely."

"I demand speedy investigation into the (hawala) case. I will fully cooperate with the investigation," he had said. PTI LAL MAS RMT

--- ENDS ---
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

FREE AT LAST

"The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17

Jesus came to set the captives free (Lk 4:18), "to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness" (Is 42:7). Jesus died to give us a new Exodus, freeing us not only from slavery and Pharaoh but from sin, Satan, and death. If Jesus, the Son of Man, sets us free, we are really free (Jn 8:36). He is the Redeemer, the One Who paid the price to ransom us from slavery. God the Father "rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. Through Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins" (Col 1:13-14). His Last Supper was the new Passover, the meal celebrating freedom (Lk 22:15). Finally, Jesus baptized us in the Holy Spirit and freed us from the fears that locked us in the upper room (Jn 20:26).

If we take the devil's bribes and do not accept Jesus' liberation, His death is in vain. The heavenly Father grieves, and the Spirit is stifled. Every father wants to see his children free. Our heavenly Father so wanted His children free that He gave His Son Jesus (Jn 3:16). At the Eucharist we pray: "Lord, by Your cross and resurrection, You have set us free. You are the Savior of the world."

Prayer: Jesus, there is no men's liberation or women's liberation by human power. You alone can set us free. We adore You and give our lives to You.

Promise: "He set me free in the open, and rescued me, because He loves me." Psalms 18:20

Praise: Kim accepted Jesus and was freed from promiscuity and chemical dependency.

FREE MEAL

"I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." Luke 22:15

Food habits can affect our freedom, sometimes enslaving us. The Israelites wished they were back in the slavery of Egypt so they could have meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (Nm 11:4-5). They were tempted to sell out to the system by eating certain foods. Look at the three young men (Dn 1) and Eleazar (2 Mc 6:18).

The night before Jesus died, He had a freedom-meal, the Passover, proclaiming the liberation of the Jews from Egypt. He commanded us to do this freedom-meal in remembrance of Him. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit guided the early church to celebrate frequently  even daily  the Last Supper: the new Passover, the breaking of the bread (Acts 2:42). When we eat the bread of heaven in Holy Communion, we are liberated from the world's bondage.

We may feel that celebrating daily Mass is impossible because of our schedule and responsibilities. Likewise, at the time of the first Passover, the Israelites were prevented from worshiping the Lord because of the demands of their work (Ex 5:4). But the Lord set them free, and He will do the same for us. The Eucharist is our "declaration of independence" from the slavery of work and the pressures of our society.

Prayer: Jesus, I reject the food and life-style that enslaves, and I decide to receive You daily in Holy Communion.

Promise: "I Myself am the living Bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this Bread he shall live forever." John 6:51

Praise: Jerry was a compulsive eater, drinker, smoker, and worker. He sat each week for an hour in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Now he's free.

ONLY SLAVES ARE FREE

"Do not, therefore, let sin rule your mortal body and make you obey its lusts; no more shall you offer the members of your body to sin as weapons for evil. Rather, offer yourselves to God as men who have come back from the dead to life, and your bodies to God as weapons for justice." Romans 6:12-13

There is no such thing as absolute freedom for a human being. When we choose one thing, we automatically limit other options. For example, when a person marries, he has new freedoms while losing other freedoms. Some try to deny this reality, only to see their lives fall apart. Freedom and slavery go together. We can't have one without the other. For example, if we are free from Satan, sin, and death, we must be a slave of Jesus (Col 3:24). We must be someone's slave. The question is: Whose slave will we be and what freedoms will we have and have not?

The greatest thing a human being can be is a slave of Jesus. To be His slave is greater than to be a president, superstar, or millionaire. One day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere (Ps 84:11). We're created to be Jesus' slaves. He respects us and treats us with dignity. If we choose not to be His slave, the devil condemns us to hard labor in his chain gang and forces us to be his slaves. We cannot be neutral because we cannot stop the devil by our power. He will drag us into his service. Slavery to Jesus is our only way of freedom.

Prayer: Jesus, if it weren't for You. . .Thank You for being my Master.

Promise: "God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil." Acts 10:38

Praise: Paul now serves Jesus with the total commitment he previously had to his alcoholism.

CHAIN EX-CHANGE

"During the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch." Acts 12:6

If we do not choose to be Jesus' slave, the devil chains us, not once, but many times, all the while promising us freedom. In almost every jail, the inmates are imprisoned within a prison, within a prison, etc. If they get out of the handcuffs, they're still in the cell; if out of the cell, they're still in the cell block, behind bars, walls, and razor wire. To give us an illusion of freedom, the devil will let us change cells or exchange chains. We think we're free but we're only a convict with the handcuffs off. For example, someone may have kicked the drug habit but still be living in fornication. Someone takes off the chain of cigarettes in exchange for the chain of overeating. A person stops overeating but constantly consumes doses of caffeine through coffee, pop, and chocolate. "They promise them freedom though they themselves are slaves of corruption  for surely anyone is the slave of that by which he has been overcome" (2 Pt 2:19). "Remember that you have been called to live in freedom  but not a freedom that gives free rein to the flesh" (Gal 5:13). "It was for liberty that Christ freed us. So stand firm, and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery a second time!" (Gal 5:1)

Is there any way out of this maze of chains? Jesus is the Way. By Jesus' power, we can be spiritual Houdinis, who can get out of anything, or better yet, not even be trapped. "Thus, taken captive by God to do His will, they shall escape the devil's trap" (2 Tm 2:26).

Prayer: "Lord God almighty, free at last!" Praise Jesus!

Promise: "And He led them forth from darkness and gloom and broke their bonds asunder...because He shattered the gates of brass and burst the bars of iron." Psalms 107:14,16

Praise: Sam was a chain smoker until he became Jesus's slave. Now he doesn't smoke anymore.

DON'T FEAR

"Jesus likewise had a full share in ours, that by His death He might rob the devil, the prince of death, of his power, and free those who through fear of death had been slaves their whole life long." Hebrews 2:14-15

Fear is the chain that holds together the other chains. It is the string by which the devil makes us his puppets to dance to his tunes. Fear is the principal way by which the devil keeps us enslaved our whole lives long. Several times a day the Lord commands us: "Do not fear." And yet several times a day the devil tries to use fear to "keep us in line." At this second, while reading this teaching about fear, we may be feeling afraid while hearing the Father say: "Do not fear."

How can we obey our Father's command not to fear? The fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10) but also of fearlessness. The fear of God, that is, awe and reverence in His presence, can be stronger than human fear (Mt 10:28; Sir 34:14). When fear of man is dislodged by fear of the Lord, it can be bulldozed out of our lives through faith. "Fear is useless, what is needed is faith" (Lk 8:50, our transl). Finally, perfect love has no room for fear and casts out all fear (1 Jn 4:18). "Perfect love" is love that is complete  love of God with all our hearts (Mt 22:37), love of ourselves, our neighbors (Mt 22:39), our Church (see Eph 5:25), and especially our enemies (Mt 5:44). God offers us fearlessness through fear of the Lord, faith, and complete love  and fearlessness brings freedom.

Prayer: Father, give me the obedience, faith, and love that displaces fear. Thank You, Abba.

Promise: "Rid of fear and delivered from the enemy, we should serve Him devoutly and through all our days be holy in His sight. Luke 1:74-75

Praise: Jean talked about her phobias for years. Jesus changed her heart so she would want to be free.

"TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE"

"Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.' " Luke 23:34

After twenty years of pastoral experience, I believe unforgiveness is at least partially the cause of over ninety percent of all problems of any kind. To be free we must forgive. And since forgiveness is divine, we can't do it by our human powers. Those holding unforgiveness must rely on God's grace. Sometimes this doesn't work because we don't want it to work. It is not only true that "to forgive is divine" but to want to forgive is also divine. Many times we are not willing to forgive but must pray for a willingness to forgive.

Another confusion about forgiveness is that we sometimes do seem to forgive by our own power. The devil encourages this kind of "forgiveness" because he knows it will not stand. In this circumstance, people sometimes say they can forgive but they can't forget. The fact is they can neither forgive nor forget. And if God was giving them the forgiving, He would also give them the forgetting. Any forgiveness we have done by our power should be re-done by God's power. Even if we don't see any problem at this time, it will surface later. Otherwise, we will curse ourselves every time we pray the Lord's prayer (Mt 6:12) and will later be handed over to the torturers (Mt 18:34). Unforgiveness tortures the unforgiver even more than the unforgiven. But forgiveness frees.

Prayer: Father, some of my forgiveness is a mirage. Send Your Spirit to guide me to the Truth (John 16:13).

Promise: "Bear with one another; forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you." Colossians 3:13

Praise: Cindy thought she had forgiven her husband, and her marital difficulties were caused by something else. The Spirit proved her wrong (Jn 16:8). She forgave Tom, and their marriage was saved.

(For more on this subject, order our booklet, The Book on Forgiveness, or our leaflet, Unforgiveness Is The Cause.)

HERE COMES THE JUDGE!

He "said to them, 'Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her.' " John 8:7

"The Father Himself judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son" (Jn 5:22), Who postpones judgment until His second coming (Jn 3:17; 8:15). However, man walks in where even God decided not to tread. The verdict we pass on others is applied to us (Mt 7:1-2). If we decide to lock up others, we sentence ourselves to lose our freedom.

At first, we think we must not judge unfairly. Then we think we should judge mercifully. But we have no right to judge at all, even mercifully. Imagine going into your city's municipal court and judging fairly and mercifully. You would not be commended but arrested for contempt of court. "The one who speaks ill of his brother or judges his brother is speaking against the law. It is the law he judges. If, however, you judge the law you are no observer of the law, you are its judge. There is but one Lawgiver and Judge, One who can save and destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?" (Jas 4:11-12)

To give in to the compulsion to sit on the judge's bench is to be enslaved, and in bondage. We must get out of the judging business by repenting and removing sin, unforgiveness, and hurt from our lives. We are not courtrooms but temples of the Spirit.

Prayer: Father, You have a throne for me, not a bench. Forgive me for judging others. Forgive me for not loving sinners and not hating sin.

Promise: "The Lord is the One to judge me, so stop passing judgment before the time of His return." 1 Corinthians 4:4-5

Praise: Jonathan couldn't even look at his wife without judging her. However, Jesus changed that through Confession.

FASTING AND FREEDOM

"This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke." Isaiah 58:6

We are freed by the power of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. We accept this liberating grace by faith, often expressed in obedience. The Lord sometimes calls us to express our faith by obeying His call to fast. If we fast in the right spirit, we experience an amazing liberation. We ourselves are freed from bondage, chains, fears, and compulsions. We also free others who are bound by our unforgiveness, judging, resentments, and manipulation.

The devil constantly baits us. By sin, guilt, fear, unforgiveness, or hurt, the evil one attempts to manipulate us into taking hold of something and forming the connecting link in the chain. We are to resist the devil's temptations, keep hands off, refuse to touch the bait, and refer everything to Jesus our Lord (see 1 Pt 5:7).

Fasting can unchain us. When we lose our need to control, we gain true freedom (see Lk 9:24). Then we are not only freed from bondage and compulsions, but also freed for evangelism, ministry, and even persecution for the sake of the gospel.

Prayer: Jesus, when I cast my cares on You, may I not fall for the temptation to reel them back in (1 Pt 5:7).

Promise: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; therefore He has anointed Me. He has sent Me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord." Luke 4:18-19

Praise: Susan studied liberation theology. Later she fell in love with the Liberator, Jesus.

(For further teaching order our pamphlet, The Secret of Fasting.)

GUILT, GUILT-TRIPS, AND SCRUPULOSITY

"Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me." Psalm 51:4

Everyone has felt guilty many times. We have seen guilt lead us to repentance and life. We have also seen guilt lead to self-hatred and despair. Because many people have seen guilt become destructive, they have decided to deny guilt, and they vigilantly warn others not to put anyone on a guilt trip, except for politically correct things. However, denying guilt becomes a problem because we are sinned against and know that others are guilty. Reality denies our denial. Therefore, most people in our "culture of death" believe in guilt in very restricted circumstances for other people. However, for themselves they try to disconnect their consciences and thereby stop the production of guilt. This is something like artificial contraception and sterilization by which natural processes are disconnected. Even though this prevents people from feeling bad, it also prevents them from feeling right. "One sees in them men without conscience, without loyalty, without affection, without pity" (Rm 1:31). Often, stifled guilt eventually erupts in self-destruction, as in Judas Iscariot's suicide. If we go on a sin-trip, we must go on a guilt-trip or we will likely go on a hell-trip.

Because subduing our consciences or deceiving ourselves about our guilt is potentially self-destructive and damning, it is obvious that we need to admit our guilt and take it to the Lord. The Lord has promised to take away our guilt (Zec 3:5), thoroughly wash it away (Ps 51:4), and transport guilt in a leaden covered container to the appropriate disposal site for toxic waste (see Zec 5:6ff).

We must distinguish between genuine guilt and false guilt. Genuine guilt means we have actually sinned and have not yet repented. If we have genuine guilt, we must take a short, immediate guilt trip to Jesus and repentance. We should go to Confession, make reparation for our sins, and ask others to pray for us to be healed.

False guilt may be caused by lack of knowledge and faith. A scrupulous conscience will produce false guilt (see 1 Jn 3:20). However, we can check scrupulosity by knowing that we are forgiven all our sins in Confession. This happens, not because we remember and articulate our sins perfectly, but because Jesus shed His blood for us on Calvary. The Church teaches: "When Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1456). Therefore, scrupulous persons should not repeat in Confession sins which they have previously confessed. They should not doubt they are forgiven. Rather, they should rejoice with God, the angels, and saints in being forgiven (Lk 15:7, 10).

Moreover, we can correct a scrupulous conscience and thereby stop it from producing false guilt by growing in faith and by receiving healing of the causes of scrupulosity. If we truly believe what God the Father has revealed about Himself through Jesus and in the Spirit, we know that God, the just Judge, is also God of mercy and God Who is Love (1 Jn 4:16). By faith in God's mercy and love, we will let the Lord heal our warped consciences.

In summary,

don't live in denial of guilt.

don't disconnect your conscience.

go on a short guilt trip to Jesus and repentance immediately after you sin.

don't go on a false guilt trip.

live a holy, healed, faith-filled life and be freed from guilt.

Prayer: Father, form my conscience in accord with the teachings of Your Church.

Promise: "There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

Praise: Father Dave repented of giving false teachings and encouraging an attitude of permissiveness.

SEXUAL GUILT

"Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt." Hosea 14:2

Guilt, especially sexual guilt, is probably the driving force of our society. Guilt is the basis of our economy. The guilt of guilts is sexual guilt, and our lustful society mass-produces sexual sin and guilt. To be free of guilt we must be repentant and forgiven of sin. Even if we are not trapped in fornication, adultery, or homosexual sin, we must repent of other sexual sins, such as the pornography of prime-time TV, masturbation, oral sex within marriage, and artificial birth control.

When repentant, we must go to Confession, confess our sins to another, and find healing (Jas 5:16). This usually takes away guilt except when there is a sexual bond due to fornication, adultery, premarital sex, or homosexual relations. In sexual intercourse, the two become one flesh, the members of one become the members of the other (1 Cor 6:15-16). This may be experienced as unpredictable tension, which worsens guilt and makes freedom impossible. When we repent, we remove the cause of sin, guilt, and the tension of sexual bondage. Then, all we need do is ask Jesus to break the bonds. We are free at last.

Prayer: Jesus, I feel "dirty". Make me clean and free.

Promise: "As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you; your holiness forbids this." "Make no mistake about this: no fornicator, no unclean or lustful person  in effect an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom." Ephesians 5:3, 5

Praise: Judy had sex with six different men in two years. She lived on prescribed medication. She accepted Jesus, went to Confession, and is free from guilt and medication.

(For more on this subject, order our booklet: The Bible On Sex and our pamphlets: Sexual Sin, Abortion, and The Pill; and Oral Sex in Marriage.)

MASTURBATION

"You are not your own. You have been purchased, and at a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

A habit that is seldom talked about but which enslaves millions is masturbation. Masturbation is a sin because in it we use our sexual faculties not for God's purpose of expressing married love but for self-centered sensations of pleasure. Any sin automatically enslaves, and masturbation has exceptional enslaving power because sexual sins are usually more compulsive and addictive. Most people will not talk about masturbation, and those who do talk about it spread lies and confusion. When you put confusion, deception, secrecy, addiction, and compulsion together, you have exceptional slavery.

Because of this, many despair of overcoming masturbation. Some lie to themselves and maintain they don't have a problem, just because they don't masturbate at every temptation. But the devil is only letting them win a few to keep them from getting serious about being unchained.

Others try to write their own gospel, the gospel according to selfishness, and they rationalize masturbation. You don't have to deceive yourself. Simply ask for God's strength and you will overcome the temptation to masturbate. If this doesn't work, take a step back in prayer and ask for the willingness to accept God's strength. However, God will give us victory and freedom.

Prayer: Father, may I understand that freedom is impossible without purity. I give my body to You (Rm 12:1).

Promise: "Immediately all the doors flew open and everyone's chains were pulled loose." Acts 16:26

Praise: Harry masturbated for 34 years. He accepted Jesus as Lord, was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and was freed.

STUTTER-STEP

"May I never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through it, the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

There are many socially acceptable drugs and compulsions, especially cigarettes, caffeine, prescription drugs, and alcohol. In addition to these, there is overeating (especially cholesterol, sugar, and salt), "TV-holism," compulsive gossip, negativity, depression, shopping, foul language, pornography, profanity, gambling, and addictions to videos, video games, and the Internet  to name only a few. The devil has a large arsenal; he specializes in slavery, and compulsions are his thing. Unlike the Holy Spirit, the evil spirit has no respect for our free will. Once given the opportunity, he will try to force us to obey him.

The first step out of compulsiveness is to turn our lives over to Jesus. "Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you" (1 Pt 5:7). Next, we must stop giving into compulsions automatically. We should pray for a "stutter", a hitch in our behavior, so we don't compulsively act before we think of what we're doing. The Spirit does this by convicting us of our sins in taking them to the cross (see Jn 16:8). At the foot of the cross, we are shocked at our part in Jesus' crucifixion (see Gal 6:14). We're no longer on "automatic". We hesitate long enough to say Jesus' name. In that split second, compulsive behavior can be disrupted and then stopped by God's grace.

Prayer: Jesus, I do what I don't want to do (Rm 7:19). Save me.

Promise: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24

Praise: Harold had taken God's name in vain for years. He pictured himself doing that at the foot of the cross. He was shocked and stopped.

CAF-FIEND

"It is good to have our hearts strengthened by the grace of God and not by foods which are useless to those who take them as a standard for living." Hebrews 13:9

Caffeine may have more influence in many people's lives than Christianity does. If we took away the caffeine from coffee, tea, pop, and chocolate, there are those who would be convinced that life could not continue. Many people do not merely enjoy a morning cup of coffee; they are utterly dependent on it. No matter how acceptable this is in our society, God does not want us dependent on a chemical. Coke and Pepsi are now more popular than water. And chocolate, with both caffeine and sugar, is a devastating combination.

But, since caffeine is not a hard drug, we minimize its subtle, yet worldwide dominance. Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol all have a similar spiritual side effect. Even though they appear to wake us physically, they put us to sleep spiritually. For example, when the young boy Samuel heard God calling him by name, he was told by Eli to go back to sleep (1 Sm 3:5, 6, 9). Caffeine tells our spirits to go back to sleep. It stimulates us in a way that keeps us from being spiritually stimulated. If someone would have told me this a few years ago, I would have laughed at them. But just observe people when God is trying to get through to them. Caffeine is often a defense mechanism to prevent in-depth communication with God. Jesus said: "Let him who has ears to hear Me, hear!" (Mk 4:9)

Prayer: Father, give me the gift of discernment of spirits or someone who can share this gift with me (1 Cor 12:10).

Promise: "Keep careful watch over your conduct. Do not act like fools, but like thoughtful men. Make the most of the present opportunity, for these are evil days. Do not continue in ignorance." Ephesians 5:15-17

Praise: Jenny was usually confused. By God's grace she gave up coffee. Now she is clear about God's will for her.

TV ADDICTION (Part 1)

"Let us live honorably as in daylight; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh." Romans 13:13-14

Some of you who are reading this will never be what the Lord calls you to be unless you let the Lord free you from addictions, especially the addiction to watching TV. To understand this, you must be aware of the difference between an abuser and an addict. Abusers overdo things such as watching TV, drinking alcohol, eating, working, etc., but they can control themselves if they turn to the Lord for help. However, addicts cannot consistently control their watching TV, drinking alcohol, etc. They may avoid addictive behavior even for long periods of time, but what seems to be self-control is actually only delaying a binge.

TV abusers should be told to turn to the Lord and limit their TV viewing. TV addicts should be told to turn to the Lord, face the fact they can't control themselves; and get rid of their TVs. The Lord works with TV addicts not by giving them the grace to control themselves, but by giving them wisdom to remove the occasion of sin. Just as an alcoholic should not have alcohol in the house, so a TV addict (TV-holic) should not have a TV in the house.

Many people deceive themselves into thinking they're TV abusers, but actually they're TV addicts. They will never be given the grace to properly control their TV watching but will have the grace to get rid of their TVs. Many people don't need a "remote control," but need to throw out the TV so there's no TV to control. It's difficult to face this, but TV addicts either get rid of their TVs or be slaves. There's no other possibility for them.

If you have resolved to limit your TV watching but have been inconsistent in keeping your resolutions, you should probably get rid of your TV. Do whatever it takes to accept the grace to abstain completely from TV.

Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to show me the areas in which I am addicted.

Promise: "...closing his eyes lest he look on evil  he shall dwell on the heights." Isaiah 33:15-16

Praise: John and Kim have long talks with each other and their children instead of watching TV.

TV ADDICTION (Part 2)

"You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the Lord." Leviticus 19:16

When we think of influences which rob us of our freedom, we usually think of alcoholism, cocaine, or heroin, but one of the greatest enslavers is TV. Besides warping the mind, TV paralyzes the spirit.

Our world is in desperate need. The harvest is great, but the workers are few (Mt 9:37). Yet we don't have time to help because we have to watch our five hours of TV daily. TV promotes a spectator mentality. We stare at the TV instead of participating in reality. Then we eventually stare at reality and find it hard to differentiate TV from life. We passively watch the news rather than make the news. Apathy is the poisoned fruit of watching TV. And apathy is the essential ingredient that makes possible the worst atrocities.

"The eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyesight is sound, your whole body is lighted up, but when your eyesight is bad, your body is in darkness. Take care, then, that your light is not darkness" (Lk 11:34-35). If we are hit in the eye we are incapacitated and easily beaten up. This is even more true in the spiritual conflict with the devil. We should guard our eyes by closing them lest we look on evil (Is 33:15). The light switch for our bodies is our eyes. When we frequently expose ourselves to TV, our spirits are turned off. Then we have a lethargy and apathy which gives the devil free rein.

Prayer: Jesus, forgive me for just sitting around in a state of apathy.

Promise: "If you remain indifferent in time of adversity, your strength will depart from you." Proverbs 24:10

Praise: Todd and Mary's TV broke; they never got it fixed.

GAMBLING, LOTTERY, RAFFLES, BINGO

"Let us throw dice to see who gets it." John 19:24

In the last ten years, gambling has been promoted to the point that there is more gambling going on in the USA now than in any other nation in the history of the human race. The gambling that the government formerly ruled to be illegal is now promoted by the same government. We are a nation obsessed with gambling.

Gambling is not God's will because:

Gambling often becomes compulsive. This takes away our freedom. Even if one's gambling is minimal, it is an occasion of sin, a temptation to many others (see 1 Cor 8:13; Rm 14:21). Gambling bears bad fruit (see Mt 7:20). Look at the lives, homes, marriages, and families of gamblers. Gambling encourages escaping from reality and fantasizing. This perpetuates rather than deals with problems. Gambling can be an unknowing dabbling in the occult. When we win or lose, it's not because of bad luck or good fortune. All things are caused.

People gamble because they're empty. Gambling distracts us from our emptiness. It distracts us from Jesus Who alone can fill our empty lives. When people totally commit their lives to Jesus, they will see no need to gamble.

At the foot of Jesus' cross, some gambled (Jn 19:24), and others gave their lives to Jesus. Give your life to Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, may I see gambling as You do.

Promise: "The love of money is the root of all evil. Some men in their passion for it have strayed from the faith, and have come to grief amid great pain." 1 Timothy 6:10

Praise: Herb went to Confession and repented of playing the lottery.

HORROR-SCOPES

"Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells." Deuteronomy 18:10-11

Few people admit they have lost their freedom through involvement in the occult. However, Satan can bind us in subtle ways. Not only are fortune-telling, tarot cards, and ouija boards potential entries into the occult, but theories of reincarnation, hypnotism, and the signs of the zodiac can also result in bondage to the occult.

These things, especially the signs of the zodiac, seem harmless. And they are harmless much of the time. But this is only to trap those foolish enough to play with them. Looking up your sign in the paper and having an emblem of Scorpio, Leo, etc. is not as harmless as we may think. Look at Saul, who "died because of his rebellion against the Lord in disobeying His command, and also because he had sought counsel of a necromancer, and had not rather inquired of the Lord" (1 Chr 10:13-14). The Lord tells us: "Do not go to mediums or consult fortune-tellers, for you will be defiled by them" (Lv 19:31).

If you have already been defiled, turn to Jesus in repentance, confess your sins, and receive the cleansing by His blood. "Many who had become believers came forward and openly confessed their former practices. A number who had been dealing in magic even collected their books and burned them in public" (Acts 19:18-19). "Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him" (1 Pt 5:8-9).

Prayer: Jesus, thank You that my present and future depends on the sign of the cross and not on the signs of the zodiac.

Promise: "We belong neither to darkness nor to night; therefore let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober!" 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6

Praise: Kathy burnt her astrology books.

THE CREDIT CARD BLUES

"Avoid greed in all its forms." Luke 12:15

Credit cards escalate the growth of greed and compulsiveness. They can trap people into a slavery situation, where they must keep working to keep paying and buying and paying.

Many in our culture live to shop. A bumper sticker reads "A woman's place is in the mall." This degrades the human person. We are not mere consumers. We are not just pawns of our economic system. We are not merely products or producers; we are people and children of God. We are not of this world anymore than Jesus was of this world (Jn 15:19; 1 Jn 4:17). Unbelievers are always running after what they are to eat, drink, and wear (Mt 6:32). We need not do this because our heavenly Father knows what we need (Mt 6:32). Break up your credit cards before they break you. Even if you have no problems with the compulsive use of credit cards, you still may be giving bad example, and being an occasion of sin (see 1 Cor 8:13).

Pope John Paul II has taught: "This superdevelopment, which consists of an excessive availability of every kind of material goods for the benefit of certain social groups, easily makes people slaves of 'possession' and of immediate gratification, with no other horizon than the multiplication or continual replacement of the things already owned with others still better. This is the so-called civilization of 'consumption' or 'consumerism' " (On Social Concerns, 28). Consumerism is like crack-cocaine. It "easily makes people slaves." It is even more addictive than other compulsions. Turn to Jesus, Who is the only Way to true freedom in our lives (see Jn 14:6; 8:36).

Prayer: Father, I try not to get into situations where I would have to trust You. Forgive me.

Warning: "The Pharisees, who were avaricious men, heard all this and began to deride Him. He said to them: 'You justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God reads your hearts. What man thinks important, God holds in contempt.' " Luke 16:14-15

Praise: Joy cut up four credit cards. She is now living a more simple and free life.

(For more on this subject, order our pamphlet: Paying and Receiving Interest; and our booklet: The Bible On Money.)

The following prayer from the Roman Ritual (Book of Blessings, 395), is a way of accepting God's grace to be free. Pray this prayer from your heart. After you let Jesus free you, tell others what Jesus has done for you and pray this prayer with them:

"God of mercy,

we bless You in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ,

Who ministered to all who came to Him.

Give Your strength to _______, Your servant,

bound by the chains of addiction.

Enfold him/her in Your love and

restore him/her to the freedom of God's children. Lord, look with compassion on all those

who have lost their health and freedom.

Restore to them the assurance

of Your unfailing mercy,

and strengthen them in the work of recovery.

To those who care for them,

grant patient understanding and

a love that perseveres.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Nihil obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, April 2, 1999.

Imprimatur:  Most Reverend Bishop Carl Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 6, 1999.
Parents, students, staff members, and community members will gather Jan. 19 to show they are united in their support for public education.

The event is part of a national day of action and will take place at 9:45 a.m. at the Dearborn Public Schools Administrative Service Center, 18700 Audette. Any member of the community interested in showing support for public education is welcome to stop by.

The gathering coincides with similar efforts taking place across the country that day to show support for public education in the United States. Organizers also want to call attention to the fact schools must remain centers of learning that are protected against threats of bullying and racism. Its also important, they say, that policymakers increase the investment in public schools and protect Title I funds, federal dollars that are critical in supporting the education of students who are most at risk of not being successful in school.

Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy, Dearborn Public Schools Supt. Glenn Maleyko said. The unity and positive relationships we have built with our unions, parents, and communities have brought about a great deal of student success in Dearborn. We look forward to joining with our partners to show our continued support for public education.

The event at the administration building will start when those gathered join hands and encircle the building symbolically demonstrating their unity in supporting public schools. A brief ceremony will follow with comments from parents, staff, and other community leaders.

Source: Dearborn Public Schools
( Read 20361 Times)

Source :

Lakme Salon Unveils The New-Age Brides at their first salon inUdaipurLook the quintessential and royal Indian bride that you are, now that Lakme Salon is in your city!Udaipur. The city of Udaipur is set to get the latest and best in beauty and grooming services with its first Lakme Salon at Madhuban, Udaipur. Guests can visit the brand new salon and get access to the hottest trends in hair and makeup, straight off the runway.Following the much applaudedBridal Show by Lakme Salon in collaboration with ace designer Payal Khandwala at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016 on August 27, the ready-to-wear version of the runway collection, The Show Stopping Illuminate Bridal Collection W/F16 will be available at the new Lakme Salon in Udaipur. The collection focuses on giving the new age bride her stately moment to Illuminate and feel just like a king on her dream day. On Saturday, 14th January, 2017 atMadhuban, Udaipur, Sushma Khan, National Creative Director  Makeup at Lakme Salon, demonstrated two of thesemodern and fierce looks, Imperial Ruby and Supreme Ruler, on popular models.Sushma Khan, National Creative Director - Makeup, Lakme Salon, said, Women from Lucknow are blessed with beautiful natural features and it is a pleasure getting its brides ready for their big day. The city hails a rich culture and heritage, and keeping that in mind, we have crafted bridal looks that complement the style and celebrations of its brides-to-be. At Lakme Salon we use quality make-up and hair care products that suit the bride to give the bride the coveted glow. With the use of professional techniques like strobing and illuminating, the brides get a flawless dewy look that shines. Additional emphasis is also given on the brides requirements and a customized package is suggested after understanding her complete skin and hair condition.Imperial Ruby: Red and gold are the predominant colours of this look. The base is dewy fresh and rosy. Warm shades of gold have been blended on the eyes with a stunning graphic winged eyeliner adorned with long and thick lashes. The bold red lip is enhanced with a hint of gold to enhance the pout. An intricate red glitter tattoo bindi on the forehead and honey coloured lenses intensify this look.Supreme Ruler: Opulent shades of bronze and gold have been flawlessly merged on the eyes. Illuminating the dewy base is a golden-bronze shimmer that blends with the beautiful Indian skin tone. The eye makeup is further enhanced with the help of Hazel brown contact lenses and dark twiggy eye lashes.The other gorgeous bridal looks that are a part of the collection book are:Regal Charm: An ethereal bridal look, the pastel bride will highlight sheer elegance and capture the essence of eminent women with its soft-toned, shimmery base.Glowing Diva: This bridal look paints the alluring and feminine qualities of iconic women with its understated tone.Crowning Glories: Reinforcing the opulent lifestyle of ruling women, this look exhibits a palette of royal shades and brings out grandiose.Royal Radiance: Shimmer and rich hues like the illuminated night sky make for a perfect valiant bride.Iconic Sparkle: Visualising the magnetic personas of regal women, this look is a graceful medley of purple and violet, melted with a touch of pearl.Majestic Flair: Bringing to life the flair of powerful women, this look blends magnetic shades of gold and black with subtle hues of pink.Lakme Salons team of experts offer customized pre-bridal and bridal treatments specially designed as per each brides individual need. Various packages are also available for the brides family and friends. These services are tailored as per traditional Indian wedding functions such as the Engagement, Sagan, Wedding, and Reception. After consultation with the bride-to-be, the experts guide her to treatments that would replenish and rejuvenate her skin and hair, along with providing an added glow for the momentous occasion.Speaking on the launch Lakme Salon, Pushkaraj Shenai, CEO, Lakme Lever added We aspire to take the Lakme Salon - Runway Excellence Everyday promise across the length and breadth of the country by adding 2 salons every week to our current beauty footprint of over 300 Lakme Salons across 80 cities. The iconic brand Lakme and a proven franchisee model, is attracting many talented men and women who are looking for entrepreneurial opportunities. Our Lakme Entre-PRO-neurprogramme helps our franchisees build a successful business and an image for themselves.Customers can also enroll in the Lakme Salon Runway Rewards loyalty program which has over to 1.4 million members. With higher tiers, the rewards, benefits and experiences for Runway Rewards members only get better! On reaching the topmost Showstopper tier, members are assured unmatched privileges which include special previews for Innovation Services, a chance to win special invites for Lakme Fashion Week, among many others.Visit Lakme Salon, 14,Bhatt Ji Ki Bari, Above Agrawal Diamond, Udaipur - 313001Contact 0294 2414100for appointments and enquiries
By Press Trust of India: Bhopal, Jan 14 (PTI) Central BJP leadership is learnt to have sought details regarding the alleged Rs 500 crore hawala racket in Katni district and subsequent transfer of the Superintendent of Police (SP), in connection with which the name of a state minister had figured.

"We have already received inputs. I think it has a mention of the minister. The incident is being looked into from all angles. Appropriate action is going to be taken at the right time," BJP sources said today.

advertisement

Under the hawala racket, fake accounts were allegedly opened in a private bank under which scrapped old notes were deposited in Katni district. Police since July have registered four cases against the accused who allegedly have connection with the minister, police sources said.

In the middle of the investigations in the racket, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari was on January 9 shunted out of Katni to Chhindwara district, amid accusation that the minister had mounted pressure on the government to transfer him.

Since then people of Katni are protesting against the transfer of Tiwari, who was an upright SP.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today staged a protest and sought revocation of Tiwaris transfer.

Meanwhile, former leader of the opposition in MP Ajay Singh told PTI "We are with the people of Katni and back their demand. Tiwari should continue as SP and the investigations into the racket should not be hampered. We want action against the guilty person."

Earlier, the minister on the sidelines of the two-day state BJP executive meet at Sagar had told reporters, "I have no connection in any cases in Katni. In future too, my name wont figure in any case I assure. In all cases, thorough investigations are on and the guilty will be punished severely."

"I demand speedy investigation into the (hawala) case. I will fully cooperate with the investigation," he had said. PTI LAL MAS RMT BAS

--- ENDS ---
North Main Street School shared the story of one of their students taking his first steps ever, thanks to a local business.

Luis, a pre-k student, has cerebral palsy and has never stood up or walked. His teacher was planning on starting a fundraising campaign to help buy him an Upsee, a harness-like mobility device that would let Luis stand with the help of an adult.

Before the campaign began, a local contractor found out and bought the harness out right, the school said in a Facebook post. The school didn't identify the person.

Last Friday Luis got his device and was able to use it for the first time. He also got to meet his benefactor and share the experience with his parents through Facebook Live.
The entry hall into Dale Mott and his partners seventh-floor apartment in Washington bursts with light even though theres nary a window in sight.

Instead, three large art pieces on the walls surrounding the elevator that opens into the home confer the radiance  a bright yellow aerosol and acrylic canvas; a black-and-white silk-screen print with sparkling Mylar; and an aerial photograph of a beach scene. The crowd welcomes and draws you into our home, said Mott, pointing to the photo of the beach opposite the entry.

Art makes a home intimate and calm. And designing a home to showcase art enhances its beauty.

Some people hang pictures themselves and place elegant objects where it suits their visual aesthetic. Others hire a professional to take the curatorial reins.

Tony Podesta turned to Olvia Demetriou, architect and co-founder of HapstakDemetriou+ to design the space for his art collection.

When she walked into his house, it was clear it didnt need repair, she said, so much as reinvention.

Once the walls were removed it became apparent that the floors sloped three inches from one end of the house to the other, which is unacceptable for hanging art.

He showed her the collection and she created art blocking plans to delineate each piece and where it would hang. This enabled her to define where plywood blocking behind walls would be needed to give Podesta, founder and chairman of the lobbying and public affairs Podesta Group, the maximum flexibility in hanging heavy pieces.

She installed a minimalist reveal along the ceiling  a discreet hanging rail  where art could be hung by wire instead of the traditional picture rail. She built custom niches within the walls allowing for the flush installation of video art.

And she designed a curved stair in the center of the house, which is the most dramatic design element and offers a focal point around which all the spaces unfold. It is, in itself, a sculptural piece  stainless steel and frameless glass spiraling upward the two stories, allowing for the display of large paintings, she said.

My design vision for the house was to create architectural spaces that inspire but that also provide a neutral background that didnt compete for attention, Demetriou said. I had to let the art shine.

Mott also went the professional route, hiring decorator Nicole Lanteri when he and his partner, who asked not to be identified because he has a job in law enforcement with the federal government, moved from a small condominium to their apartment. The previous place was so small they didnt have room to display their art.

My instructions were, We have all this art. Please make it work, Lanteri said.

We sent Nicole thumbnails (of our art), told her what furniture we wanted to keep, what we needed to buy, and she went from there, said Mott, director of strategic advancement for Arena Stage in Washington.

The trick with a loft-like space is to make it feel like a home rather than a gallery and ensure the art isnt overshadowed by design elements, said Lanteri, echoing the same sentiment as Demetriou.

Lanteri embraced the white walls and didnt feel compelled to cover them all. Negative wall space is good because it gives other pieces in the room space to breathe. She also knew their collection would keep growing.

One constraint was the dozen or so audio speakers pre-wired and installed on walls when the home was purchased. But instead of ignoring or pulling them out she treated them as sculptures and arranged artwork to hang alongside.

For example, on the wall opposite the kitchen, she incorporated white square speakers in a composition of photos, sculptures, prints and paintings, many in white frames. She created a figurative art wall, a sea of faces on a white wall.

To ensure that the art wouldnt appear to be floating, she added a pale narrow curved walnut wood ledge beneath them. That ledge connected visually to the kitchen cabinets on the opposite side of the room and balanced the space.

Three white speakers and a black-framed TV screen were hanging above the fireplace on a living-room wall.

Our thought was to flush-mount the speakers so theyd disappear, Mott said, but Nicole did the opposite. She removed the speaker covers and created a sculptural wall with the speakers and TV.

Without covers they looked a little more industrial, like sculptures themselves, Lanteri said. And they conformed to the style of the exposed ducts on the ceiling.

To finish the fireplace wall and make the TV less pronounced, she covered the wall in a dark graphite-hued grass cloth. When you look at the wall in the light  a street-facing glass wall is adjacent  it turns from gray to green to blue to black. So the black TV frame blends in, Mott said.

Mott and his partner wanted to lay a contemporary design rug theyd bought in Turkey on the living room floor, but it was too small. Lanteri anchored it over a neutral-toned sisal that bridged the caramel, russet, orange and red of the rug and the pale maple wood floor.

She created a balance of color and texture with our art, furnishings and space that we wouldnt have known to do, Mott said.

Lanteri chose the Kartell Masters chair for the dining room table. Overlapping branchlike arms and seat back make the chairs look like sculptures. The dining table sits in a glass corner of the apartment, which is always bright, Mott said. The fluidity of the chairs and the light fixture above are a perfect match.

Nevertheless, electric lights in addition to natural light are critical in any design project.

For Podestas collection, Demetriou consulted with the Hirshhorn Museums lighting designer to develop different lighting strategies.

Lanteri installed translucent light fixtures throughout the Mott home so that the fixtures themselves wouldnt obstruct views of the surrounding space. She chose the Hope suspension light to hang over the dining table because it catches the whimsy of the chairs and riffs off the elegant Liz pendants over the kitchen island, she said.

All the lighting was purposefully selected so as not to take away from the art. I chose acrylic or glass fixtures so theyd be more or less translucent when the light is off, and when the light is on you can appreciate its subtle effect in a way that doesnt upstage the art, she said.

Renato Miracco, cultural attache at the Italian Embassy, organizes his diverse worldwide art collection by theme.

One wall in his Northwest Washington home is dedicated to Albanian artists; another to 18th- and 19th-century landscapes of Naples. On one wall hangs contemporary Italian photography and on another ex-voto pieces.

A single shelf is decorated with female divine figures Mother Earth and Guanyin (a Buddhist symbol of compassion and mercy). Italian sculptures from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries decorate other shelves.

And the bedroom is filled with photographs and oil paintings depicting dreams because they really relax me, he said.

The only problem with an art collection is moving. Moving is a big experience for me, said Miracco, who has lived in many countries. It takes me four months. I need to look not only for a new house but new space to show all my (art) themes.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
A Barnegat man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a three-month bank robbing spree.

Steven Wisnowski, 33, had previously admitted to robbing eight banks in New York and New Jersey from October 2013 to January 2014.

Wisnowski used similar tactics for each robbery. He would enter the bank using clothing or wigs to conceal his identity, walk up to the teller and demand money. In some instances, Wisnowski made the tellers believe he was armed and threatened some tellers with violence, according to a news release.

Wisnowski robbed the PNC Bank and Columbia banks in Edison, the TD and Santander banks in Brick, the Ridgewood Savings Bank in New York, TD Bank in Toms River, the PNC Bank in Aberdeen and the Fulton Bank in Edison.

During the Columbia Bank robbery, Wisnowski appeared to point something at the teller from under his clothing, as if he had a gun. Wisnowski then demanded money, stating: Give me all your hundreds. As the teller gathered the money, Wisnowski counted backwards from 10, according to the release.

Law enforcement tracked Wisnowskis vehicle to the scene of the Fulton Bank robbery on Jan. 7, 2014.

Officers approached Wisnowski as he exited the bank and ordered him to the ground at gunpoint.

Wisnowski threw the envelope filled with cash and fled but was caught moments later.

In addition to prison Wisnowski was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $22,240.
OCEAN CITY  With remembrances of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s I have a dream speech on racial equality, adults and youngsters gathered Saturday to keep the slain civil-rights leaders dream alive.

Erik Wagner, the eighth-grade winner of the Ocean City Intermediate Schools essay contest, said the message King delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963 inspires him not to dwell on differences that people have.

You should take the time to learn about the other person, he said. You may have more things in common.

The schools top essay winner, Samantha Wagner, said King left an imprint of peace and justice.

She said people should aspire to be a community free from prejudice.

People of diverse races attended the citys event in Ocean City High School Hughes Performing Arts Center.

Mayor Jay Gillian said residents may not agree on everything, but they share a love for the city.

One thing about today is working together, he said.

Gillian said King made it clear small actions on behalf of many people make a difference. That belief is as strong today as it was decades ago, he said.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, urged people to, like King, not judge people by the color of their skin but on the strength of their character.

Remembrances this holiday weekend to further Kings dream are important and significant, he said.
Bill Morey Sr., 87, of Wildwood, a prominent builder and one of the founders of Moreys Piers, died Jan. 11.

A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Annes Roman Catholic Church at 2901 Atlantic Ave. in Wildwood, according to an obituary published by Moreys Piers and Beachfront Water Parks.

The lifelong resident of the Wildwoods was born at Margaret Mace Hospital in North Wildwood and graduated from Wildwood High School in 1948, according to his obituary.

He married Dolores Peterson Morey in 1951 and owned and operated the old Ringo bingo halls on the Wildwood Boardwalk, the obituary said.

Morey was a builder during the Doo Wop motel boom on the island.

The architectural style developed during that period, with its bold neon signs, tropical imagery and kidney-shaped pools, has since become synonymous with the island.

But perhaps he is best known for establishing the amusement company Moreys Piers along with his brother Will Morey in 1969. The venture, which began with the purchase of the giant slide Wipe Out, has since grown to include three amusement piers and two water parks with more than 100 rides spanning 18 acres along the Boardwalk.

Will Morey Sr. and Bill Morey will, without a doubt, go down as having the most significant impact of anybody ever in the history of the Wildwoods, North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said. From amusements, attractions, water parks, lodging, theyWill and Billthey really set the tone for the tourism industry enjoy in the Wildwoods.

Rosenello called Moreys Piers the islands biggest attraction.

Their visionary attractions and development that they did are going to last for generations, he said. They started something that their children have built upon.

Though both of the original owners have died, the amusement company is still controlled by the Morey family. Bill Morey Sr.s nephews, Jack and Will Morey Jr., currently run Moreys Piers and Beachfront Water Parks.

Bill Morey Sr. is survived by his wife; sons William and Thomas; daughters Jane and Joan; seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Calling hours will be held at the church from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and, in lieu of flowers and gifts, donations can be made to the Pulmonary Care of the Cape Regional Medical Center in Moreys memory.
There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson says.

By Indo-Asian News Service: China on Saturday told the US that the 'One China policy' is the political foundation of bilateral ties between Beijing and Washington, and "is nonnegotiable".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remarks, which came in to US President-elect Donald Trump's statement that the policy was up for negotiation and that he was not fully committed to it.

advertisement

"Everything is under negotiation including One China (policy)," Trump was quoted as saying in a Friday interview with the American business publication Wall Street Journal.

Also read: Donald Trump says US not necessarily bound by 'one China' policy

'TAIWAN INALIENABLE PART OF CHINA'

It must be pointed out that there is but one China in the world, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Lu said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China, "which is an internationally recognized fact and no one can change it", the spokesman stressed.

"We urge the relevant party in the United States to realize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and abide by commitments made by previous US governments to the one China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques," he said.

Lu urged the US side to properly deal with the Taiwan issue so as to avoid undermining the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties and cooperation in major areas.

Also read: Rex Tillerson, Trump's secretary of state, says would block China from South China Sea

--- ENDS ---
To Dan Boddy, a veteran real estate agent based in Galloway Township, mortgage foreclosures arent just a key part of the Atlantic County housing market.

Theyre the dominant factor. Thats whats selling, says Boddy, of Century 21 Frick Realtors. I was talking to a local title company a few months back, and they said that was about half their business now.

Atlantic County ended 2016 with the distinction of leading the nation in foreclosure activity, the third straight year the county held that dreaded position, according to ATTOM Data Solution, whose RealtyTrac division publishes national foreclosure figures dating to 2006.

The company reported last week that 3.39 percent of Atlantic Countys housing units were in some stage of foreclosure activity, meaning the owners had received notices of default, auctions were scheduled or banks have taken the properties back.

That translates to one house out of every 30 in the county, according to ATTOM.

Other South Jersey counties have high foreclosure-activity rates of their own, including Cumberland, where almost 2.7 percent of homes are in some stage of the process; Ocean County, at 1.86 percent; and Cape May, at 1.3 percent.

And New Jersey itself had the highest rate in the country last year, at 1.86 percent of all homes with some foreclosure activity.

The state also led the U.S. in the number of legacy foreclosures, according to ATTOM, meaning the loans date to between 2004 and 2008. Plus New Jersey had the second-longest average foreclosure process in the country, at an average of 1,383 days, or almost four years from start to finish.

How much are homes selling for near you? Transactions are from county property records. Settlement dates are listed; deed filings may

And Daren Blomquist, ATTOMs senior vice president, suggests Atlantic Countys high rate includes a lot of those old foreclosures  meaning it has little to do with five Atlantic City casinos closing since the start of 2014.

Those shutdowns have cost about 10,000 people their paychecks, but they started just three years ago this month with the Atlantic Club shutting its doors for good.

The majority of them are still tied to those older loans, Blomquist said. Thats an indication that were still dealing with the last crisis and not the more recent economic troubles. They have not even completely shown up in the foreclosures.

Based on his 22 years in real estate, Boddy has to agree with that national perspective.

I dont think thats even hit the market yet, he says, meaning foreclosures caused by casino closings.

My thought is somebody who lost their job at a casino could collect unemployment for a while, maybe had a little savings, so they were OK for nine months or a year, he says. So I dont think that (four)-year count in time started when the casinos closed. It started maybe a year or so later.

A.C. apartments, once leaning, now moving quickly ATLANTIC CITY  The first time Mark Callazzo walked into the Parkside, a five-story apartmen

Boddy knows how popular foreclosed homes are on the market  his advertising advises potential buyers to ask me about my bank-owned properties. Thats because banks dont want to be homeowners; they want them off their books.

Banks will drop their prices pretty steadily, unlike local homeowners are able to do, he says. If they dont get offers, theyll drop that price until they do and get it sold.

Still, many buyers come in with unrealistic expectations of the bargains available, he said.

They think they can go in and offer $50,000 less than the asking price, but thats far from the truth, Boddy says. The banks want near their list price, and they dont throw in the towel when the first offer comes in.

And the latest figures from New Jersey Realtors, the trade group, show prices steadying in Atlantic County. The final sales statistics from last year arent available yet, but in November, the median price of a single-family home rose 3 percent from the same month in 2015, to $179,450.

The median price for condos in the county also went up 14 percent, to $122,500.

The number of single-family home sales in Atlantic County also continued to jump for the year, ending November up 28 percent from 2015.

And all the local counties saw more deals closed through November than in the same period a year earlier. Sales were up 4.5 percent in Cape May, 12.4 percent in Cumberland and 22.3 percent in Ocean County.
County erred taking zoo dispute to court

Those who love the Cape May County Zoo can be assured the dispute between county government and the private, nonprofit Zoological Society is detrimental neither to the existence nor excellence of our admired regional treasure. The damage is to the reputation of the society, its trustees and its ability to raise money. This matter should never have been taken to the courts by the county, a point made by the judge presiding at the initial hearing. Unfortunately, the county seems intent on destroying an organization it somehow sees as a threat.

Since 2007, there have always been -- at a minimum -- two county employees on the Board of Trustees of the society who have had complete access to financial information. Society financial records have been reviewed by county and society accountants; all records were made available to fiscal agent Alan Gould. No accountant has indicated mishandling of society funds, yet the county and society have agreed to a formal audit. Costs to taxpayers and the society have been mounting daily.

Yearly, hundreds of thousands of folks visit the zoo free of charge thanks to the taxpayers of the county. The society has raised over $2 million from private donors to create new exhibits like the Snow Leopard Habitat, acquire animals and support conservation programs when requested.

This dispute can and should be resolved by the parties without further costs to taxpayers, donors and the people who work for the good of the zoo.

William MacQueen

Cape May Court House

Executive director, Cape May County Zoological Society

Politicians out of touch

Its a disgrace that New Jersey is in so much financial distress. Wasteful spending is the reason why the state is going broke. Politicians are not doing their jobs right.

Ive always said that we need people in the capital who are in the same predicament that most New Jersey people with lower incomes are in, who know whats needed for the people.

Marc Moore

Pleasantville

Modern architecture deserves preservation

As a historic preservation and community planning student, I am used to hearing stories of buildings lost to environment and greed. However, it is entirely different once these stories become reality.

I formerly lived in Northfield, and the Shiekman home in Margate is not hard to notice. The huge outdoor room, geometric lines and sheer size are iconic, of a time not so long ago, the 1960s. Historic preservation is the reason the Eiffel Tower still stands, Radio City still attracts millions of visitors, and children are able to visit Independence Hall. The world would be a different place without these iconic structures.

In the coming years modern architecture will face the wrecking ball. As a professor once said, architecture is a lot like fashion. Though we used to find 1990s fashion to be utter appalling, today mom jeans and chokers are all the rage.

The problem in preservation is the divide in opinions. Growing up I knew people who hated the Shiekman house based off of its aesthetics, but what they do not understand is its architectural importance. The home is built to withstand storms, but as the architect of the home, Joel Levinson, wrote, it was not built to withstand the economic hammer blow of the almighty dollar.

People should support preservation society efforts to prevent this iconic 1960s modern home from facing the hammer.

Leah Bancheri

Charleston, South Carolina

Motor vehicle fines improve town finances, not safety

New Jersey Legislators should stop what I call policing for profit. The state has hundreds of motor vehicles laws that are being used by communities and the state to fleece millions of dollars from motorists each year. Officials are not worried about safety, they want money.

Municipals courts in Monmouth and Ocean counties collected tens of millions in 2015, much more than five years prior. The revenues from these fines end up in the county/city treasuries.

Towns have the power to pass new ordinances or increase fines in old ones, enforce the fines through their police forces and then send defendants to local courts headed by judges appointed by the town leaders.

The state of New Jersey is responsible for the injustice in municipal courts because legislators and the governor have forced municipalities to find other ways to raise money because Trenton has cut aid to towns in recent years. Towns and cities are abusing the laws and making a mockery of the criminal justice system. These fines are often excessive and not appreciate to match the alleged crime.

The next governor and legislators need to implement a wholesale reform of the criminal justice system at all levels that includes re-examining and replacing the reliance on municipal fines.

Paul Frasnelli

Vineland
Modern architecture deserves preservation

As a historic preservation and community planning student, I am used to hearing stories of buildings lost to environment and greed. However, it is entirely different once these stories become reality.

I formerly lived in Northfield, and the Shiekman home in Margate is not hard to notice. The huge outdoor room, geometric lines and sheer size are iconic, of a time not so long ago, the 1960s. Historic preservation is the reason the Eiffel Tower still stands, Radio City still attracts millions of visitors, and children are able to visit Independence Hall. The world would be a different place without these iconic structures.

In the coming years modern architecture will face the wrecking ball. As a professor once said, architecture is a lot like fashion. Though we used to find 1990s fashion to be utterly appalling, today mom jeans and chokers are all the rage.

The problem in preservation is the divide in opinions. Growing up I knew people who hated the Shiekman house based off of its aesthetics, but what they do not understand is its architectural importance. The home is built to withstand storms, but as the architect of the home, Joel Levinson, wrote, it was not built to withstand the economic hammer blow of the almighty dollar.

People should support preservation society efforts to prevent this iconic 1960s modern home from facing the hammer.

Leah Bancheri

Charleston, South Carolina

Politicians out of touch

Its a disgrace that New Jersey is in so much financial distress. Wasteful spending is the reason why the state is going broke. Politicians are not doing their jobs right.

Ive always said that we need people in the capital who are in the same predicament that most N.J. people with lower incomes are in, who know whats needed for the people.

Marc Moore

Pleasantville
Politicians belonging to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), its ally Bharatiya Janata Party and even from opposition YSR Congress party inaugurated the cruel traditional sport at several places across the state.

By Ashish Pandey: Mocking the Hyderabad High court orders, cockfights was organized across Andhra Pradesh with thousands of people including politicians participating in it.

During the three-day long Sankranti festival starting from Friday, cockfights were organized on a large scale in Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari district.

Politicians belonging to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and even from opposition YSR Congress party inaugurated the cruel traditional sport at several places across the state.

advertisement

TDP MP from Eluru Maganti Venkateswara Rao along with Anantpur MP JC Dewakar Reddy has been seen celebrating the Sankranti festival with warrior roosters in east west Godavari district while police remained blind eye instead of clear instruction by the Hyderabad High Court.

BJP LEADER INAUGURATES COCKFIGHT

BJP leader Raghurama Krishnamraju, who had challenged the cockfight ban order of Hyderabad High Court in Supreme Court, inaugurated a fight in Bheemavaram in West Godavari district. Citing cockfights as a part of Telugu culture, Raju said that it was a rural sport being organized for centuries during Sankranti and the apex court should understand it.

Not only the politicians but the event witnessed punters including businessmen and NRIs visiting their homes for the festival betting crores on the fight at several places.

The Hyderabad High Court on December 26 last year had upheld the ban on cockfights and directed the Andhra Pradesh Police not to allow it.

On 6 January this year, the Supreme Court also upheld the ban on 'cock-fighting' in Andhra Pradesh which is said to be conducted illegally in the state.

Also read: Andhra Pradesh's Jallikattu: Cockfights continue to be popular despite High Court ban

--- ENDS ---
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.




Approximately 500,000 consumers shop at Huaqiang North every day, who totally spend more than 200 billion yuan each year. As China's largest, most tech-heavy electronics trade hub, and one with the most comprehensive lineup of products, generating the world's highest revenue stream for a shopping area of its kind, Huaqiang North is considered the benchmark and barometer of China's electronics industry.

Due to the construction of Line 7 of the Shenzhen Metro, many sections of the streets and thoroughfares in Huaqiang North have been closed off to pedestrians by construction walls and scaffolding since March 2013. During the period, the Futian District Committee and Government and the Futian Huaqiang North Subdistrict Office have enacted a series of measures to ease the hardship for the affected merchants and assist them in maintaining their businesses, while carrying out the plan for the transformation of Huaqiang North into a world-class electronics hub. Merchants have also stepped up to the plate regarding modernizing their businesses, overhauling the way the run their operations, renovating their shop or booth, and revamping their product lineups.

Huaqiang North now has fully transformed new look. The main thoroughfare intersecting Huaqiang North has been transformed into a 930-meter long pedestrian street. Lines 1, 2, 3 and 7 of the Shenzhen Metro all have a station in the immediate proximity. The hub will add more than 4,000 square meters of new business spaces in a newly-opened sublevel. "Huaqiang North will continue to transform itself as it takes up the role as the 'the smart hardware innovation and entrepreneurship street in Shenzhen'".

The above information is provided and confirmed by Rao Junyuan, issued on behalf of China Technology Media by Guangdong Innovation Technology Media Service Center.

SOURCE Guangdong Innovation Technology Media Service Center
35-year aviation veteran will be honored for developing innovative services in the industry

BEVERLY HILLS, California, Jan. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kenn Ricci, principal of Directional Aviation Capital, will be honored with the "Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award" at the 14th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards on Friday, January 20, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Calif. Ricci will be one of several honored that evening for their contributions to the world of aviation.

In 1980, Ricci founded Corporate Wings, an aircraft management and charter operation providing charter flight service to corporate clients. In 1990, he founded Inertial Airline Services, providing service and repair of electronic and avionics systems, with a customer list of the world's major airlines, U.S. and foreign militaries, and corporate aircraft operators. In 1998, Ricci revolutionized the fractional aircraft ownership industry by founding Flight Options. When Flight Options merged with Raytheon Travel Air in 2002, Ricci had grown Flight Options to rank as the second largest company in the industry with a fleet of more than 200 aircraft, 1,500 employees and almost 1,000 pilots.

Ricci's creative amalgamation of business aviation services created a higher standard of expectations. His current vision and leadership at Directional Capital as an umbrella facilitator have created efficiencies in fractional aircraft ownership, aircraft management and services that improved the entire industry. Ricci embodies the entrepreneurial spirit in every sense of the word.

John Travolta, the official Ambassador of Aviation, hosts the event. Other honorees this year at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards include:

Phebe Novakovic , chairman and CEO of the General Dynamics Corporation will receive the "Aviation Industry Leader of the Year Award."





, chairman and CEO of the General Dynamics Corporation will receive the "Aviation Industry Leader of the Year Award." Mark and Scott Kelly , twin brothers, astronauts and Navy captains will each receive the "Aviation Inspiration and Patriotism Award."





, twin brothers, astronauts and Navy captains will each receive the "Aviation Inspiration and Patriotism Award." Steve Hickok , president of Hickok and Associates, will receive the Bell Helicopter "Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award."





, president of Hickok and Associates, will receive the Bell Helicopter "Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award." Peter Paul Luce , board member for "Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum" in Denver, CO , will receive the "Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award."





, board member for "Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum" in , will receive the "Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award." Clay Lacy , founder of Clay Lacy Aviation, will receive the "Bob Hoover Freedom of Flight Award," a continuation of the award named for the late aviation legend who passed away last fall.

The Living Legends of Aviation will also welcome several new members into their ranks at the event:

Ray Conner , vice chairman The Boeing Company

, vice chairman The Boeing Company Dr. Tom Enders , CEO of Airbus Group

, CEO of Airbus Group Elling Halvorson , founder and chairman of the board for Papillon Group

, founder and chairman of the board for Papillon Group Nick Popovich , airplane repossession man extraordinaire

, airplane repossession man extraordinaire General Mark Welsh III , recently retired Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force

The Awards are produced by the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a 501-c-3 non-profit organization. Kiddie Hawk's mission is to educate children about and spark their interest in aviation. A few seats are still available for this "Red Carpet, Black Tie" event. Please visit LivingLegendsOfAviation.org for more information.

Media/Red Carpet Access Patty Kovacevich,

Media@LivingLegendsOfAviation.org

Related Links

http://www.airportjournals.com/legends



SOURCE Kiddie Hawk Air Academy
BALTIMORE, Jan. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA), a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, announced its support for the USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017, introduced today by Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-7) and Bobby Rush (D-IL-1). This bipartisan legislation calls for significant changes to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the process by which the group makes formal recommendations regarding preventive care services.

The USPSTF is an independent panel of private-sector experts in prevention and primary care issues sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). USPSTF recommendations were linked to insurance coverage by the Affordable Care Act. As a result, the USPSTF now determines what preventive services health plans must provide without cost sharing. There has been concern regarding a number of USPSTF recommendations and their effect on limiting access to preventive care for Americans. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the USPSTF implements procedures that allow for meaningful input on recommendation development.

While the AUA appreciates the efforts the USPSTF has made over the years to be more transparent, this bill builds upon and codifies the efforts the USPSTF has put in place recently to enhance transparency and public input regarding the development of USPSTF recommendations, including to: (1) publish research plans to guide its systematic review of evidence and new science relating to the effectiveness of preventive services; (2) make available for public comment reports on such evidence and recommendations; (3) codify the grading system so it cannot be changed without an appropriate review; and (4) establish a preventive services stakeholders board to advise it on developing, updating, publishing, and disseminating evidence-based recommendations on the use of clinical preventive services. In addition, the bill would ensure that Medicare or other payors cannot deny payment for a preventive service solely based on the Task Force grade.

"Because of the crucial role it plays in the delivery of preventive care, creating a more open and transparent process within the USPSTF remains a top priority within the AUA," said AUA Public Policy Council Chair Dr. Chris Gonzalez. "We thank Ms. Blackburn and Mr. Rush for their continued leadership in this endeavor."

In November 2016, the AUA testified before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health regarding USPSTF reform. The AUA is among a coalition of physicians and patient groups in the urologic community urging the USPSTF to reform its process of developing recommendations. The coalition also includes the American Association of Clinical Urologists and the Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA), who collectively represent virtually all the nation's urologists.

For more information about the AUA's position on the USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017, please contact the AUA Communications office at 410-689-3932 or via e-mail to [email protected].

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 22,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Contact: Wendy Isett, AUA

443-845-4031, [email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association

Related Links

http://www.AUAnet.org


BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC law firm has filed the first nationwide class action complaint against Fiat Chrysler for illegal diesel emissions. The US Justice Department accused Fiat Chrysler on Thursday of intentionally failing to disclose software in some of its diesel engine vehicles that allows them to emit more pollution than allowed under the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Protection Agency also issued a "notice of violation" to Chrysler citing more than 104,000 vehicles with 3-liter diesel engines including the 2014 through 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram pickups.

This nationwide class action concerns the intentional installation of so-called defeat devices on an estimated 104,000 diesel Dodge and Jeep vehicles sold in the United States since 2014. Fiat Chrysler marketed those vehicles as environmentally friendly with enhanced fuel efficiency, better performance, and lower emissions. Although the diesel vehicles were successfully marketed as "clean," their environmentally-friendly representations were deceptive to consumers.

The EPA said it found at least eight undisclosed pieces of software that can alter how a vehicle emits air pollution. EPA assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance, Cynthia Giles, said, "Failing to disclose software that affects emissions in a vehicle's engine is a serious violation of the law, which can result in harmful pollution in the air we breathe."

Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC is investigating other claims of Chrysler Fiat's illegal diesel emissions. If you have one of the vehicles that has been cited in violation, please contact us to discuss the possibility of bringing a claim. There is absolutely no cost to you unless we are able to recover for you.

Call 888-443-5293

www.chryslerdiesellawyers.com

Vehicles in Violation Identified Below

2014 FCA Dodge Ram 1500

2014 FCA Jeep Grand Cherokee

2015 FCA Dodge Ram 1500

2015 FCA Jeep Grand Cherokee

2016 FCA Dodge Ram 1500

2016 FCA Jeep Grand Cherokee

Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC, is a national law firm recognized as one of the nation's leading civil litigators.

No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

SOURCE Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC

Related Links

http://www.hgdlawfirm.com


With ethnic car buyers growing at rapid rates, the dealer body is still lacking accurate representation from minorities. NAMAD and IHS Markit partnered to celebrate brands that are driving sales leadership with ethnic consumers while also addressing and educating the industry about the necessity of dealer ownership increasing to reflect a diverse population during the DVL Awards on January 8, 2017 at Cobo Center. The private awards ceremony was hosted by Kellie Aponte and brought together scores of top automotive industry executives.

Winners of the prestigious DVL Awards demonstrated the highest new vehicle registrations with ethnic, women, and millennial consumers. This year's awards were based on an analysis of more than 13 million personal new vehicle registrations from IHS Markit.

"The Diversity Volume Leadership Awards were designed to educate the entire auto industry including manufacturers, dealers, suppliers and automotive media," said Marc Bland, vice-president of Diversity and Inclusion, IHS Markit.

This year, NAMAD and IHS Markit honored American Honda with the "Top Overall Ethnic Vehicle" DVL Award. "Top Overall Ethnic Vehicle" is the most sought-after Diversity Volume Leadership honor for automotive brands dedicated to driving sales leadership with Asian, Native American, Hispanic and African American car buyers.

NAMAD and IHS Markit also presented awards for leadership in the following categories: Ethnic Volume Leaders by IHS Markit Regions, Volume Leaders - Millennials and Women, and Volume Leaders by Ethnic Consumer Group.

The best automotive brands that have dedicated marketing resources to ethnic consumers and are focused on capitalizing on the rapid growth of the industry were in attendance to collect their awards. Overall, GM and its brands received five (5) DVL Awards, Honda-seven (7) DVL Awards, Toyota/Lexus-seven (7) DVL Awards, Ford-three (3) DVL Awards, Nissan-three (3) DVL Awards, and FCA-one (1) DVL Award. It is important to note that several of the nominees that did not receive awards were still extremely competitive contenders. Those who did not receive an award now have the insight and motivation to develop an improved strategy for 2017 and beyond.

Winners of the 2017 Diversity Volume Leadership Awards are as follows:

Ethnic Volume Leaders by IHS Markit Regions Great Lakes Region Chevrolet Malibu Mideast Region Honda Accord New England Region Toyota RAV4 Plains Region Ford F-Series Rocky Mountain Region Ford F-Series Southeast Region Toyota Corolla Southwest Region Ford F-Series Western Region Honda Civic

Volume Leaders a" Millennials and Women Top Women's Vehicle Honda CR-V Top Women's Luxury Vehicle Lexus RX Top Ethnic Millennial Vehicle Honda Civic

Volume Leaders by Consumer Group Top Vehicle a" African American Nissan Altima Top Vehicle a" Hispanic American Toyota Corolla Top Vehicle a" Asian-Pacific Islander Honda Accord Top Vehicle a" Native American Chevrolet Silverado Top Luxury Vehicle a" African American Buick Encore Top Luxury Vehicle a" Hispanic Lexus IS Top Luxury Vehicle a" Asian-Pacific Islander Lexus RX Top Luxury Vehicle a" Native American Buick Verano



African American Volume Growth Leader Nissan Rogue Hispanic Volume Growth Leader Nissan Rogue Asian-Pacific Islander Volume Growth Leader Lexus NX Native American Volume Growth Leader Chevrolet Colorado Women Volume Growth Leader Honda HR-V Millennial Volume Growth Leader Jeep Renegade Top Overall Ethnic Vehicle (Luxury or Non-Luxury) Honda Accord

Connect with DVL Awards:

Hashtag: #DVLawards and #DVLawards2017

Website: www.namad.org

Twitter: twitter.com/NAMAD_USA

Facebook: facebook.com/NAMAD_USA-468806139894019

SPONSORS

The Diversity Volume Leadership Awards would not be possible without the generous sponsorship from the following organizations:

Ford Motor Company American Honda Black Enterprise General Motors Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Latino Magazine Nissan North America Hyundai Motor Company NNPA Toyota Motor Sales Kia Motors America NAHP Volkswagen Group of America Mercedes-Benz, LLC Real Times Media

IHS Markit









About The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers

The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers' (NAMAD) objective is to pursue the meaningful presence and participation of minority businesses and diverse employees across all aspects of the automotive economic sector, including:

Increasing the number of minority-owned dealerships in communities across America

Advocating workplace and supplier diversity in the automotive manufacturing environment

Supporting minority engagement in the automotive retail sales and service sectors

We are committed to developing strategic relationships and advocating for the advancement of business policies and practices that ensure diversity and economic parity remain a priority in all aspects of the American automotive industry.

NAMAD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area. For information on National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers visit: www.namad.org

About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)

IHS Markit is the automotive industry's leading source for market-wide insight, expertise and advanced planning solutions. With a reputation of enabling better decisions and better results for nearly a century, the world's leading OEMs, suppliers and their transportation partners rely on IHS Markit to power growth, improve efficiency and drive a sustainable competitive advantage.

Automotive offerings and expertise at IHS Markit span every major market and, the entire automotive value chain -- from product planning to marketing, sales and the aftermarket. Headquartered in London, our automotive team is part of IHS Markit's information and analytics powerhouse that includes more than 15,000 colleagues in 150 countries, covering energy, chemical, aerospace and defense, maritime, financial, technology, media and telecommunications. For additional information, please visit www.ihsmarkit.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD)

Related Links

http://www.namad.org


DDA says decision to repatriate differently-abled back to parent organisation was taken with mutual consent, claims Rishi Raj Bhati's physical condition only came to light on the day of his joining.

By Mail Today Bureau: A day after discontinuing the services of a differently-abled man, the Delhi Development Authority offered him the job back on Friday only to be termed "humiliating" by the officer. In a letter to Rishi Raj Bhati, the state-run agency maintained his removal was "unintentional" and said he could rejoin within 15 days. Mail Today had reported about DDA "relieving" Bhati of his responsibilities based on his physical disability within 24 hours of his appointment as director of public relations.

advertisement

DDA maintained that the decision to repatriate him to Delhi Transco was taken with mutual consent, a claim Bhati rejected. "It is like adding insult to injury. DDA's decision to send me back was unilateral. The content of the letter is humiliating to which I have marked my dissent. I will respond to DDA's offer later," Bhati told Mail Today.

"?from your subsequent representation it appears that your feelings were hurt by the action though it was unintentional and was taken with mutual consent?.from the media reports too it appears that the DDA is being projected as discriminatory towards the differently abled persons which is not the case at all," the DDA said in its communication to Bhati.

"...the offer to the post of Director (PR) is very much open for you and if you feel you are confident to discharge duties to the post, you are welcome to join within 15 days," the communication added.

The officer joined the agency on January 10 on deputation and was handed the relieving letter the next day.

DDA and Bhati have also locked horns over the selection process. The authority claimed that the selection was made "only on the basis of the CV, without conducting any interview for the post."

"In your case, neither you nor your department mentioned about your physical status. When you reported in DDA for joining, only then it came to our notice that you are differently abled," the DDA said.

"During our interactions on that day, you were explained that DDA is a field organisation and the post of Director (PR), by nature, involves field work in which the officer may be required to be present at various sites of DDA?.the above works involve extensive outdoor duties including physical movement of the officer in various situations," it added.

The authority said that the relieving letter was issued only after determining that the post Bhati occupied in Delhi Transco was still vacant and he had given his consent for the same. Bhati, however, denied this. "DDA's claims are totally wrong. The language of the letter is disheartening," he said.

Also read: DDA relieves differently-abled man as his continuance 'may not be in DDA's interest'

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
To maximize the health and welfare of companion animals, the AVMA supports research in genetic and inherited disorders to better educate the profession and breeders on identifying and minimizing inherited disorders in companion animal breeding programs. To assist with this, the AVMA encourages veterinarians to pursue continuing education in the emerging area of genetic disease in companion animals. The AVMA also encourages veterinarians to educate breeders, companion animal owners, and the public on the responsibilities involved with breeding and selecting companion animals.

The proposed policy was developed by the Animal Welfare Committee, which is comprised of members who represent varied species and practice areas, as well as those who share perspectives from the Student AVMA (SAVMA), state VMAs, and Veterinary Medical Association Executives. The proposed policy was amended during discussion in reference committees and was passed unanimously by the House of Delegates. The new policy is consistent with existing policies or guidance provided by the American Animal Hospital Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

The new policy addresses responsible breeding for all companion animals, not simply dogs and cats. The purpose of this policy is to support responsible breeding practices that reduce or eliminate the health and welfare concerns associated with inherited conditions, not to condemn or stigmatize specific breeds.

Contact Sharon Granskog, 847-280-1273 to arrange an interview.

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 89,000 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities and dedicated to the art and science of veterinary medicine. Visit www.avma.org for more information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Sharon Granskog

Assistant Director, Media Relations

American Veterinary Medical Association

Tel: 847-285-6619

Cell: 847-280-1273

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association

Related Links

http://www.avma.org


ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Employees at Primary Capital Mortgage, LLC ("PCM"), a leading residential mortgage lender, raised funds over the holiday season to donate a record 150 bicycles to Atlanta-area children in need through the Toys for Tots program. Employees surpassed last year's bicycle donations as well as their internal fundraising goals. The company also donated bike helmets and dozens of other holiday toys to the organization.

Since the company's founding in 1994, Primary Capital Mortgage employees have rallied together during the holidays to support local children's nonprofits. In recent years, the annual Toys for Tots holiday drive has become the hallmark community service activity for the company, with a specific focus on providing bicycles for Atlanta-area children. Since inception, Primary Capital Mortgage has deliberately focused on supporting the local community.

"It is a true reflection of our employees that they are willing to personally contribute to this cause," said Primary Capital Mortgage Chief Executive Officer Anthony Coniglio. "We consider ourselves as much a family as we are a business, and this annual display of generosity from our people is one of the things that makes me most proud to be a part of the PCM family."

About Primary Capital Mortgage

Primary Capital Mortgage, LLC is a residential mortgage origination and servicing company with wholesale, correspondent and consumer-direct channels. PCM was founded in 1994 and is now licensed in over 40 states. For more information, visit primarycapital.com, email: [email protected] or call (877) 690-1270. NMLS ID #3076.

FOR INFORMATION

Kacy Richardson

[email protected]

(770) 630-9763

SOURCE Primary Capital Mortgage, LLC

Related Links

http://primarycapital.com


JUNEAU, Alaska, Jan. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Known for its wild salmon, crab and whitefish varieties, Alaska is home to dozens of different species of seafood, including more than 90 percent of the wild salmon harvested in the United States. From the rich, robust flavor of sockeye to the firm texture of coho, consumers can rely on the five unique species of wild Alaska salmon as a food choice that is nutritious, low in saturated fat, and high in essential vitamins and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Recent news reports have mentioned parasites in Alaska salmon; however, Alaska salmon is among the highest quality seafood and safe for consumer consumption. All commercially harvested Alaska seafood, which accounts for more than 60 percent of all the seafood harvested in the United States, is processed in accordance with strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, including parasite controls. These regulations specifically guard against potential harm to ensure that eating both salmon sushi and fully cooked salmon can be safely enjoyed.

According to FDA guidelines, seafood needs to be frozen to -4F or below for seven days if it is to be consumed raw for food safety reasons. Salmon that has not been properly frozen should be cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of 140F before consumption. For any raw or semi-raw preparations, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) always recommends using properly frozen seafood.

"The Alaska seafood industry adheres to standards that provide safe seafood products. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game works closely with the Alaska seafood industry to ensure that healthy fish are available for consumers," said Dr. Ted Meyers, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Principal Fish Pathologist.

Only 6 percent of wild Alaska salmon is released fresh from Alaska, the majority is frozen. The catch is chilled and then commercially frozen in accordance with FDA guidelines, ensuring the seafood is kept at the peak of quality, freshness and safe from bacteria and parasites.

"Alaska is proud of its heritage as a supplier of some of the highest quality and most delicious seafood in the world," says Alexa Tonkovich, executive director of ASMI. "We go to great lengths to ensure that all of our seafood, including wild Alaska salmon, meets the highest quality standards for our consumers' safety and enjoyment."

For more information on wild Alaska salmon, visit www.wildalaskaseafood.com, and follow Alaska Seafood on Facebook and Twitter.

About Alaska Seafood:

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is a partnership of the State of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry. ASMI works to promote the benefits of wild and sustainable Alaska seafood and offer seafood industry education. For more than 50 years, Alaska has been dedicated to sustainable seafood. It's so essential to our way of life that our constitution mandates that fish are "utilized, developed and maintained on the sustained yield principle." The seafood industry is Alaska's largest private sector employer, and as a result, Alaskans understand the need to protect the fisheries and surrounding habitats for future generations. We're proud of our leadership in sustainable management, which has led to an ever-replenishing supply of wild seafood for markets around the world.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Alexa Tonkovich

Executive Director

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Phone: (907) 465-5560

[email protected]

Kristin Sundberg

Edelman for Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Phone: 206.664.8613

[email protected]

SOURCE Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Related Links

http://www.wildalaskaseafood.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
Islamabad, Jan 11 : In a shift from his earlier statement, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday former army chief General (retd.) Raheel Sharif did not seek the governments permission before joining the 39-country Saudi-led military alliance against terrorism.

"General (retd.) Raheel Sharif did not submit any application for a no-objection certificate (NOC). There's nothing in our notice," the Defence Minister said in response to Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani's request for a clarification on the matter.

If the former army chief applies for the NOC, it will be decided according to the law, said Asif, adding that General Sharif returned to the country after performing Umrah in Mecca.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a 39-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism and Pakistan was made a member of the coalition. Riyadh and its Gulf Arab neighbours have been locked in months of warfare with Iran-allied rebels in neighbouring Yemen, launching hundreds of air strikes there.

Speaking to Geo TV last week, Asif confirmed that Raheel Sharif had been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism. The government was taken into confidence about the former army chief's new role, he added.

Inquiring if the government's permission was sought before the former army chief "accepted" the role, Rabbani asked Asif as to who confirmed his appointment and what the rules were for a retired military officer to take up such a position.
Paris, Jan 12 : President of the National Front party Marine Le Pen and former Prime Minister Francois Fillon are favourites to qualify for the second round of the presidential elections in France, according to a poll released on Thursday.

According to the BVA Institute poll, Le Pen came first, with 25 to 26 per cent of the votes in the first round of the presidential elections, to be held on April 23, and Fillon with 24 per cent, Efe news reported.

Macron, who until last August was President Francois Hollande's Finance Minister, received between 16 and 20 per cent of the votes.

This means that Macron could be in third position, and his percentage of support would depend on who is the winner of the primaries organised this month by the Socialist Party between former premier Manuel Valls and Arnaud Montebourg, among others.

The survey noted that although Macron does not seem qualified for the second round, the gap between Le Pen and Fillon is small enough to think things could change before the election is held.

BVA pointed out that Valls -- if he wins the primaries -- could achieve 11 per cent, which is still far from qualifying him for the second round.
New Delhi, Jan 12 : Indian Air Force chief B.S. Dhanoa on Thursday flew solo in a Mig-21 fighter jet, the oldest fighter aircraft in the IAF's inventory, a defence statement said.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa flew the Mig-21 Type 96 aircraft from the IAF base at Uttarlai, a forward base in Rajasthan, where he began a three-day visit, his first to a forward operational base as the IAF chief.

Dhanoa is visiting the forward air base in the western sector to assess operational readiness and review the morale of the personnel stationed there, the statement said.

The IAF chief's flight in the aircraft, that became infamous as 'flying coffins', lasted about half an hour long, said officials.

Before Dhanoa, his predecessors, Air Chief Marshals A.Y. Tipnis and Dilbagh Singh had flown the Russian-made aircraft while commanding the service.

Tipnis, who headed the IAF from December 1998 to December 2001, had said he flew the aircraft solo to send a message that it was safe.

While Dhanoa did not make a similar statement, the IAF Chief has flown the same type of aircraft during Kargil Operations, in which he carried out many night strike missions in the mountainous terrain.

Dhanoa was awarded Yudh Sewa Medal for this.

According to a report of parliamentary standing committee on defence submitted to parliament in May last year, 22 Mig-21 aircrafts had accidents between May 2007 to March 2015.

The Mig-21s are to retire from 2017 to 2020.

Last year, a Mig-21 aircraft that had taken off from the same Uttarlai airbase crashed near Barmer, but the pilot ejected safely. In the same month, another Mig-21 made an emergency landing in Srinagar after the pilot noticed a technical snag in the plane. The tyres of the jet were badly burnt.

Dhanoa's immediate predecessor, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha flew the indigenous fighter jet Tejas last year, becoming the first air chief to fly it.

He had also flown a Gripen aircraft at the Saab facility during an official trip to Sweden last year.
Pescara, Jan 14 : A man suffered severe burns to his face and entire body after his elderly mother doused him with surgical spirit and set him alight when he returned home drunk in the coastal city of Pescara.

The 51-year-old man is being treated at the nearby city of Cesena's hospital, while his 75-year-old mother is being held in the psychiatric wing of the city of Chieti's women's prison.

The man is reported to be an alcoholic and to live with his mother in an apartment in Pescara's crime-hit Rancitelli district.
New Delhi : Although two opinion polls have given different findings about which party will be the winner in Punjab, conventional wisdom is that the ruling Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine will have a hard time overcoming the anti-incumbency factor.

The reason is, first, the drug problem to which a sizable section of the youth has fallen victim. Moreover, not only has the Parkash Singh Badal government failed to act effectively to check the menace, there are suspicions too about the clandestine involvement of high-ups in the government, including a minister, in the narcotics trade.

Secondly, Punjab is no longer quite the prosperous state as is commonly perceived because of the prevailing bankruptcy as alleged by the former Finance Minister and the Chief Minister's nephew, Manpreet Singh Badal, who is now in the Congress after having been expelled from the Akali Dal for making the charge.

Thirdly, there is said to be an element of disquiet outside the Akali Dal's core group of rural supporters about the Badal government's conversion into a family enterprise with Prakash Singh Badal's son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, assuming the Deputy Chief Minister's post.

There is little doubt that if the Akalis win, he will be the Chief Minister, replacing his 89-year-old father.

But, in case the anti-incumbency factor heralds the Akali Dal's winter of discontent, which party will gain?

At one time, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) was expected to be the main gainer if only because it unexpectedly won four out of the 13 parliamentary seats in the 2014 general elections with 24.4 per cent votes, next only to the Akali Dal, which also won four seats with 26.3 per cent votes.

But the AAP leaders then still had the reputation of being knights in shining armour, ready to cleanse the system of sleaze and provide a government close to the hearts of the people.

But that image has been dented to a considerable extent by its indifferent performance in Delhi and constant tiffs with the Centre and the Lt. Governor, with the result that few expect it to score an outright victory in Punjab.

Instead, it is expected to be the third behind the Akali Dal-BJP combine and the Congress.

The political scene can be said, therefore, to have remained more or less the same with the two heavyweights continuing to be the dominant forces with the AAP and the BJP being minor players.

Of the two frontrunners, the Congress may expect to reap the harvest of anti-incumbency, not least because its 40.1 per cent vote share in 2012 was more than the Akali Dal's 34.7.

What saved the Akali Dal in that year was its alliance with the BJP since the two together won 68 seats (Akali Dal 56, BJP 12) against the Congress's 46, an increase of two seats from 2007.

However, there was a fall in the voting percentages of both the Akali Dal and the BJP since 2007 while there was a marginal increase in the Congress's vote share.

If these straws in the wind are taken into consideration, the Congress can look forward with some confidence to the ensuing contest.

Besides, it has in Amrinder Singh a veteran of many battles with a "born to rule" image because of his "royal" lineage.

But the Congress's disadvantage remains its central leadership and especially Rahul Gandhi, who does not give the impression of being a hands-on, mature and responsible leader.

His equations with Amrinder Singh are also far from being warm presumably because the scion of the "royal" family of Patiala once said that the crown prince of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty lacks the experience to head the Congress party.

However, Amrinder Singh cannot be unaware that in case the Congress comes out on top, it will be Gandhi who will be credited with the victory by the latter's band of sycophants although to nearly all the others, the kudos should really go to the Captain, as Amrinder Singh is called.

A Congress victory may also pave the way for Rahul Gandhi's long-awaited ascent to the position of party president, which may not be the best thing for the Congress since, to most observers, Amrinder Singh's doubts about his capabilities are not invalid.

There is little doubt, however, that out of the elections in five states in February and March, the best chance for the Congress is in Punjab.

If the party can pull it off in the state, it will go a long way to counter the demoralisation that had set in after its disastrous performance in the last general election and the subsequent defeats in a number of assembly elections, including in Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Assam and Kerala.

A victory may not mean that the effects of "Rahu kaal" are over for the Congress, but it will show nevertheless that there is still some life left in the old warhorse.

(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com )
By Press Trust of India: Lucknow, Jan 14 (PTI) The flight operations at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Uttar Pradesh were suspended today following a technical snag, affecting the movement of around 20 flights, an official said.

"The important radio (BOR) equipment at the airport developed a problem at around 4:30 this evening following which the movement of flights has been adversely hit," Sanjay Narain, OSD to the Airport Director, said.

advertisement

The technical team of the airport and other staff members are trying to rectify the snag and no flights will operate from the airport till then, he said.

Because of this problem, some 20 flights have been affected as per the schedule although the flights which had already landed have been allowed to leave through alternative arrangements, he said.

The flights, which had arrived after 6:30 have, however been stopped at the airport, he said, adding that all senior officials of the airport were present there and are monitoring the ongoing work. PTI SAB KJ

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi : A government school that needs 59 teachers being run by two temporary appointees: This is not a story from a poor, rural backwater but from the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Indias richest (by per capita income) and ninth most literate province among 36 Indian states and union territories.

This and the fact that nearly half the teaching positions in Delhi government schools --- the data did not include municipal schools -- are either vacant or have been filled by a "guest" or temporary teacher were revealed in an 81-page affidavit filed in the high court by the Delhi government in December 2016. This data was not made public before the court case, which was filed by a parent who sought more teachers and better infrastructure for his child's tin-roofed school.

With its failure to recruit teachers, Delhi -- where half of grade VI students cannot read -- is allowing its poorest, most vulnerable students to be taught by temporary, possibly unmotivated, teachers who earn less than half as much as their permanent counterparts, excluding job security and benefits.

Government schools in Delhi depend on teachers who earn 42 per cent of the salary of regular teachers, are denied job benefits -- such as pension or a salary on holidays or when ill-- and security and are likely to be less motivated and accountable.

This reliance on ill-paid teachers could be one reason why Delhi's 86 percent literacy rate does not translate to real learning. More than 200,000 grade VI students, or half, in Delhi government schools cannot read, according to a June 2016 government study, quoted in the Hindustan Times. Pratham, a non-profit that publishes a benchmark Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), covered just one of 272 wards of Delhi, but its findings in 2014 match the government's findings.

The problem of low learning outcomes is not unique to Delhi. One in every six teaching positions in India's government schools -- which educate the poorest children and provide an education to more than half of India's 260 million school children -- is vacant, IndiaSpend reported on December 12, 2016.

But if supposedly literate Delhi, India's richest state, as we said, cannot manage or reform its school-education system, it could indicate why poorer states with millions of students face a crisis that imperils India's economic growth and employment.

To understand the reasons for Delhi's teaching crisis, IndiaSpend tracked the teacher-hiring process of the Delhi government from start to finish. We found that shortages are caused not so much by the state's low spending per student -- at Rs 3,852 in 2014-15, it is 66 per cent lower than the national average of Rs 11,252 -- but a tangled, outdated and, often, illogical, hiring process. For instance:

The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB), which recruits teachers in Delhi, also hires patwaris (village registrars), nurses and malaria and food inspectors for the government. This means delays, with further time lost during the exchange of candidate dossiers between the board and the education department.

Seven years after it began in 2010, hiring for some permanent assistant teacher positions for Delhi's municipal schools is still incomplete, one reason being that the same teachers were hired for different positions -- by the same recruitment board.

Successive governments, including the current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration, which made better public education a cornerstone of its agenda, have failed to slash red tape or reform the system, despite the fact that the recruitment board and the schools are run by the Delhi government.

Temporary teachers and poor learning outcomes

It is known that hiring good teachers and making them take their job seriously is important for education. Shortage of teachers is directly related to learning outcomes, Kapila Parashar, a veteran Delhi government-school teacher, who is part of the mentorship scheme started by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for Delhi schools, argued.

"Sometimes a subject teacher is missing, so classes are merged, making them bigger," said Parashar, who mentors four schools. "It also means students are learning but not from a teacher who has subject proficiency."

There are 59,409 teaching positions in Delhi government schools but it has permanent teachers at only 33,569 (56 per cent), the Delhi government admitted in the high court last month, in a case argued by Ashok Agarwal, a child-rights activist and lawyer.

Although Delhi is short of roughly 25,000 teachers, the Delhi government considers only 7,646 posts vacant. This is because it employs guest teachers in 15,402 posts and contract teachers in 2,792.

A contract teacher is employed on yearly contract as part of the Centre's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (universal education movement), with salary shared 75:25 with state governments. Guest teachers are paid by the state government per day.

The shortage means the brunt of the crisis in government schools is borne by temporary teachers, some of whom IndiaSpend met on December 21, 2016, at Delhi's Chhatrasal Stadium, where 11,000 of them were summoned to listen to Chief Minister Kejriwal talk of his regime's achievements. Angry and agitated at their status as casual labour despite the workload, many staged a walk-out.

The teachers complained that they were paid daily wages, with no pay for school holidays. This meant that in December 2016, for instance, temporary teachers were not paid for about 15 days. Pay is also cut if they fall ill.

A temporary teacher earns between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per month, but holidays can lower this amount; while a permanent teacher's salary ranges from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per month -- those who teach senior classes earn more -- excluding benefits.

Why are vacancies are not being filled

The answer to Delhi's teacher-recruitment crisis lies in a centralised, illogical hiring system that takes years to fill vacancies.

The DSSSB is responsible for all teacher recruitment in Delhi, for both government and municipal schools.

Some hires have been pending for seven years.

More Indians are moving their children to private schools, as IndiaSpend reported on May 16, 2016. The situation in India's capital city indicates why.

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Aparna Kalra is a Delhi School of Economics alumnus and freelance journalist whose former employers include Reuters, Mint and Business Standard.The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org)
Amritsar, Jan 14 : Giving an interesting turn to Punjab's politics, state Congress president Amarinder Singh has sought the Congress high command's permission to fight next month's assembly elections against Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal from the latter's assembly constituency of Lambi.

Amarinder, whose name has already been announced by the Congress for his traditional assembly seat of Patiala-urban, told media here that he wanted to contest against Chief Minister Badal from Lambi to defeat the Akali leader whom he blamed for the "ruin of Punjab".

"I want to fight the Chief Minister on his home turf of Lambi as I want to defeat all the top Akali leaders responsible for destroying the state through their drugs, mafia and goonda raj, and are guilty of ruining its trade, industry and agriculture," Amarinder told media here on Saturday.

Amarinder said he had requested the Congress high command to allow him to fight the assembly polls from Lambi so that he could "free Punjab from the vicious and destructive rule of the Badals".

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is posing a serious challenge to the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the Congress for the February 4 assembly polls on 117 seats, has already announced Delhi lawmaker Jarnail Singh to contest against Badal from Lambi.

Amarinder said he would fight the election both in Lambi and Patiala, if permitted by the Congress high command.

"The entire state is in shambles. Badal and his family and associates have brought Punjab to such a shameful pass," the former Chief Minister said.

"My government would open a probe into all Akali scams and punish every person found guilty of any criminal deed, especially drugs trade," Amarinder said.

The Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been in power in Punjab since 2007.
Shanghai, Jan 14 : Indian banker and New Development Bank chief (NDB) K.V. Kamath has said that cooperation between the five BRICS countries will be strengthened during Chinese presidency over the bloc in 2017.

Kamath made the comment in an interview with Xinhua news agency at the NDB headquarters in Shanghai on Friday.

This year opens the second decade of the emerging-market bloc which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. China will host the ninth BRICS leaders' summit in the coastal city of Xiamen in September.

Kamath, a native of Mangalore, India, said he was looking forward to showing BRICS leaders the progress that the bank has made.

"Importantly, the summit comes at a time when you can clearly see the five countries establishing themselves as an economic force," noted Kamath.

He said he believes the Xiamen summit will let people understand where the BRICS countries stand today, their current agenda and "how we could benefit by working in a cooperative manner".

Founded by the five BRICS countries in 2014, the NDB opened in Shanghai in July 2015.

"The Chinese government has been very hospitable toward the NDB, enabling us to set up and operate the bank in a very short time," said Kamath.

"All of these would not have been possible without the support and guidance we received from China," he said.

In December 2016, the NDB signed its first loan agreement, providing 525 million yuan ($76 million) for a solar power project in Shanghai.

Kamath is pleased with the result, saying "the fact we were able to appraise our first project in a record time has set a new benchmark for the NDB to follow."

Last year, the NDB issued three billion yuan worth of five-year green bonds, its first bond to raise funds worldwide for clean energy projects.
Los Angeles, Jan 14 : After a turbulent divorce process, Hollywood star Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's marriage is finally over.

The actress had filed papers to end their 15-month union in May 2016. At a hearing on Friday, which neither she nor Depp attended, a judge signed papers to finalise their divorce, reports eonline.com.

The judge also reportedly denied a motion that Depp's attorney had filed to have Heard pay the actor's attorney fees.

The news comes about five months after the former couple reached a settlement. A day before the divorce was finalised, Heard filed papers requesting that Depp be deposed if the court did not enter the settlement agreement as a judgment at Friday's hearing.

"It is a great day. All Amber wanted was a divorce and now she has it. In the words of Gerald Ford, 'Our long national nightmare is over'," Heard's attorney told eonline.com.

The actors did not have a prenuptial agreement when they married in February 2015.
Kolkata, Jan 14 : Trinamool Congress activists and party heavyweights took part in a rally here on Saturday to protest against the central government's demonetisation move and the arrest of party MPs by the CBI.

The protest rally, organised by the Trinamool Youth Congress, started from South Kolkata's Jadavpur and terminated at Hazra Crossing five km apart.

Holding aloft banners, posters and party flags, the rallyists shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that the centre stop using federal agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation to harass political opponents.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool, which has been in the forefront of the protests against the central government on the demonetisation issue, has been irked further after the CBI arrested its MPs Tapas Paul and Sudip Bandopadhyay in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scandal.

"Our protest against Centre's atrocities will continue under the leadership of our chief Mamata Banerjee until Prime Minister Narendra Modi resigns from his post," Trinamool Congress MP and state party president Subrata Bakshi said.

"The motto of this movement is 'remove Modi - save the nation'. Our protest has started from Bengal and it would soon reach all the corners of India," he added.
New Delhi, Jan 14 : The opposition parties on Saturday accused the government of eroding the autonomy of the RBI following media reports that a Finance Ministry official was sent to the bank to oversee its chest currency operations in view of demonetisation.

The Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Janata Dal United (JDU) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said that the Modi government's move had weakened the regulatory body.

Even the Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led alliance at the centre and in Maharashtra, has slammed the move.

The employee unions of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday had expressed deep concern over alleged interference by the central government in the affairs of the apex bank.

Calling the development 'regretful and unfortunate', Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said the independence of several independent institutions in the country were compromised by the Modi government.

"RBI is a daylight manifestation how autonomy and independence of the most critical financial regulatory body in the country has been compromised. RBI is signing on dotted lines like a paper tiger. Nowhere in the world a government intervenes in such a brazen fashion," Jha told IANS.

He added that the unions at RBI were justified in holding a protest and taking it forward.

CPI- M leader Brinda Karat took strong exception to the appointment of the offocial and supported the unions.

"The RBI's mandate of autonomy given by Parliament has been not only eroded but destroyed by the Modi government. And now it is adding insult to injury by sending an official directly to oversee (its operations). The unions are absolutely correct in strongly protesting against it," Karat told IANS.

JDU leader K.C. Tyagi opposed the move saying that several such attempts were made in the past to weaken the RBI.

NCP leader Tariq Anwer called the attempt to depute a government official at RBI inappropriate.

"It has been a tradition that RBI should be allowed to work independently. Any kind of direct monitoring by the government is not appropriate."

Union leader and Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai, Gajanan Kirtikar said "As per the RBI Act, the central bank is autonomous and the government can not interfere in its operations. Monitoring chest currency operations of RBI is not the finance ministry's job."

"Now, we are going to hold discussions with those concerned. We will take to agitations if the decision is not rolled back," Kirtikar said.
Patna, Jan 14 : Like last year, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Saturday applied a 'tilak' of curd on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's forehead to indicate they enjoyed cordial relations and the ruling Grand Alliance of the JD-U, RJD and the Congress is intact.

In Patna, a big feast was organised by Lalu Prasad on Friday at his 10 Circular Road house allotted to former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, with Nitish Kumar and most of the ministers joining the festivities.

However, the leaders of the BJP, the main opposition party in Bihar, stayed away from the festivities.

Lalu sent out a political message on the occasion by saying that there is no difference in the ruling Grand Alliance after applying a 'tilak' of curd on Nitish Kumar's forehead, an auspicious symbol.

In 2016, contrary to speculation, Lalu had applied a 'tilak' of curd on Nitish Kumar's forehead to indicate cordial relations between them.

The Congress' state unit President and Bihar Education Minister Ashok Choudhary also visited Lalu and Rabri Devi at their residence.

Lalu helped Rabri Devi in serving the traditional 'dahi-chura' to party leaders and others who visited them. Their two sons -- Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav and Health Minister Tej Pratap -- helped them in taking care of the guests.

RJD leaders said over 25 quintals of curd and 25 quintals of 'chura' were arranged for the feast.

Senior RJD and JD-U leaders, including ministers, legislators and MPs, joined the festivities while savouring traditional food items like 'chura', 'tilkut' and 'khichri'.

Lalu also invited his supporters from the minority community for a similar feast here on Sunday.

Lalu's ally the Janata Dal (United) has invited BJP leaders here for Makar Sankranti celebrations on January 15. JD-U state unit President Vashisht Narain Singh said that he has invited everyone for a feast at his residence.

Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD-U President, is likely to join the festivities there also.

Lalu Prasad will also visit Singh's residence along with his sons to meet JD-U leaders on the occasion.
Miami, Jan 14 : A 16-year-old Indian American teenager, Madhav Sood, was arrested earlier this month for crushing to death another Indian, Florida resident Priya Pachauri, while racing his pickup truck.

Pachauri, 31, was struck and killed by the speeding truck on December 8 and police have determined that the driver of the car was racing at the time of the incident.

Sood was arrested last week in Lake Mary on allegations of striking and killing a woman who was on a sidewalk while he was street racing.

Lake Mary police said Sood was arrested on a charge of vehicular homicide in the death of Pachauri.

Police said Pachauri was walking on the sidewalk along Lake Emma Road when she was hit.

Police said that Sood was racing another car at the time of the crash, according to a WFTV Orlando report.

Sood had three other teenage passengers in the truck with him when it veered off the road, hit Pachauri and took out a section of the guard rail.

The Lake Mary Police Department said Sood was driving recklessly and well above the posted speed limit of 45 mph at the time.

Pachauri's husband is in India.

None of the passengers in the pickup were injured despite the vehicle overturning from the crash.

Sood was taken to a juvenile justice center and charged with vehicular homicide.

Via social media, Pachauri's brother-in-law has been demanding justice in the wake of what he calls a "brutal crime," WESH.com reported.

The driver's "irresponsible behavior should be punished," wrote Dewansh Pachauri in the post, Indiawest.com reported.

Should the teen gain release from custody, police are asking that he be placed on electronic monitoring and "not be permitted to operate any and all motor vehicles," the WESH.com report said.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14 : Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday failed to turn up for a crucial political affairs committee (PAC) meeting of the Congress party here, and senior Congress leaders were hard put to explain his absence.

State Congress president V.M. Sudheeran played down the absence, stating that Chandy was busy.

"There are no issues in our party, and Chandy expressed his inability to take part in today's meeting citing other engagements. He has been called up by party vice president Rahul Gandhi and they will meet on Monday in Delhi," Sudheeran told reporters.

The political affairs committee of the party is the highest state level party body. In the meeting those close to Chandy defended his absence, while those not in his faction, including Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson P.J. Kurian and senior leader P.C. Chacko, pointed out that it was not fair for him to keep away from the meeting.

Chandy who was present in the capital city after taking part in a marriage of his close relative left for Kochi, while the PAC began its meeting at the state party headquarters.

Chandy has been upset with the party high command ever since the 14 district party chiefs were named last month, with many of his close aides ignored. Since then he has been reportedly sulking and did not take part in two meetings called by the party high command of state-wide party leaders in Delhi.

AICC leader K.V. Thangkabalu, who participated in the meeting as an observer, also failed to convince the media on the absence of Chandy. He pointed out that there are no issues in the party, and that the media is "out to create issues".

"There are no issues and Chandy is a very tall national leader of our party. He is in the forefront of all protests of the party against the national and state governments. You (media) are creating issues," said Thangkabalu to probing reporters on the absence of Chandy.
Imphal, Jan 14 : Manipur's apex body of Naga civil society organisations, the United Naga Council (UNC), on Saturday opposed the fencing work between India and Myanmar and appealed to Nagas to jointly oppose it.

UNC general secretary Milan Shimrey termed the move as 'great injustice' committed on the Naga people and said that such move to fence the border is bound to deprive the inherent rights of the 'Naga family' from communicating with each other.

Shimrey said that this 'divisive' policy of the Indian government will create a rift among the 'Naga family' and appealed to everyone to thwart the move.

"All the Nagas should oppose it as this border fencing infringes the rights of the Naga people," he added.

The fencing work is on at remote Pangsha village in Nagaland's Tuensang district.

Earlier, the NSCN (IM), NSCN (K), Eastern Naga Peoples' Organization (ENPO) and several other Nagaland based social organization had opposed the move to fence the India-Myanmar border in Nagaland, both sides of which are inhabited by Naga tribes since time immemorial.

The UNC has been continuing with the blockade of two National Highways of Manipur -- the NH 53 and NH 2 -- since November 1 cutting the supply lines to remote areas of Manipur in protest against the Manipur government's decision to create seven new districts bifurcating some Naga inhabited areas.
A hunter came across a frozen fox after which he put on a show a block of ice containing the dead animal.

By India Today Web Desk: A hunter in Germany has put on show a block of ice containing a fox that he says fell into the chilly Danube river and drowned, in what he calls a warning of the dangers of the icy river.

Franz Stehle told news agency dpa on Friday that the block containing the fox was extracted from the ice on January 2 and put on display outside his family's hotel in Fridingen.

advertisement

The town is on the upper reaches of the Danube, close to its source in southwestern Germany.

Stehle says it's not unusual for animals to break through the frozen surface of the river in winter. He says he's seen a frozen deer and wild boar before, according to an Associated Press report.

--- ENDS ---
Ankara, Jan 14 : A Turkish-Armenian member of parliament was temporarily banned from Turkey's National Assembly after he used the term genocide to describe the deaths of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire a century ago, officials said on Saturday.

Garo Paylan, a lawmaker belonging to the pro-minority Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), said during a constitutional reform debate that Armenians had at one time made up 40 per cent of the Turkish population and now only constituted 0.1 per cent, Efe news reported.

"Obviously, something has happened to us, and I call it a genocide," Paylan said.

"The Armenian people know very well what happened to them. I know very well what happened to my grandparents," he added.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) called for Paylan's expulsion from the assembly, claiming he had "insulted the Turkish nation".

In the end, Paylan has been banned for three full sessions before he was allowed to return to his parliamentary seat.

According to Armenian activists and an overwhelming majority of international historians, between one and 1.5 million Armenians were systematically murdered during World War I by Ottoman troops and Kurdish irregulars.

Turkey, the Ottoman Empire's legal successor state, denies "genocide" is an accurate term for the massacres.

Revisionists allege that accusations of genocide are an Armenian conspiracy or a form of anti-Turkish propaganda, instead claiming that the killings have been exaggerated or were justified due to the historical context of the time.

Another argument used by negationists is that many Armenians allied themselves with Russia, with the ensuing clashes causing hundreds of thousands of deaths on both sides.

On the other hand, 29 countries have officially recognized the events as a planned genocide, and there is a general consensus among most historians that the mass killings constituted the first modern genocide.

The term was coined by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1943 in reference to the organised deportation and extermination of Armenians between 1915-1923.
Patna, Jan 14 : A boat carrying 40 people capsized in the Ganga river near Patna on Saturday evening. The body of one passenger has been recovered, while eight people are being treated in hospital. Several people are reported missing.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe into the incident.

District officials said the body of one woman was recovered, The eight passengers rescued are being treated at the Patna Medical College and Hospital.

According to some eyewitnesses, the boat that capsized was overcrowded and was returning from a kite flying festival in the late evening, The kite flying festival was organised as part of Makar Sankranti by the state tourism department.

The incident ook place around 6 p.m., when it had turned dark.

Six of the eight people rescued were pulled out from the river by the National Disaster Response Force.

A team of NDRF has been deployed for the rescue operations. Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agarwal and district police officials are camping at the site.
New Delhi, Jan 14 : Hitting out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its Haryana Minister Anil Vij's comments on Mahatma Gandhi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said even "Hitler and Mussolini were very powerful brands".

"Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands," said Gandhi on his official Twitter account attaching Vij's video with it.

Sparking a new controversy over the Father of the Nation, Haryana Minister Anil Vij said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a "bigger brand" than Mahatma Gandhi.

Vij, who is known for his controversial comments, told media persons in Ambala that after Mahatma's photographs were replaced with Modi's in the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) calendar 2017, Gandhi's picture would also be removed from currency notes.

"Mahatma Gandhi ka aisa naam hai, note ke upar chipak gaya jis din se, note ki devaluation ho gayi. Achha kiya hai ke Gandhi ka hata ke Modi ka lagaya hai. Modi ziyada better brand name hai aur Modi ki photo lagney se 14 per cent sale badi hai khadi ki (Mahatma Gandhi's name is such that from the day his picture was pasted on the (currency) note, the note got devalued. It is good that they (KVIC) removed Gandhi's photo and put Modi's. Modi is a much better brand. Khadi sales have increased by 14 per cent after putting Modi's photo)," he said.

Asked why Mahatma's photographs were still printed on new currency notes issued under the Modi government, Vij said: "Hatt jayengey dheere dheere (They will be removed slowly)."
New Delhi, Jan 14 : In the wake of Mahatma Gandhi flip-flops being sold on Amazon website, the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said the company should respect Indian sensitiveness and sentiments.

"As a follow up to the matter regarding the sale of doormats with the Indian flag on Amazon, our Ambassador in Washington has been instructed to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third party vendors, they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments," said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

Two days after Amazon's Canada portal removed the article with doormats depicting the Indian flag after India objected to it, the online company, on its US portal, again put up another article of slippers with Mahatma Gandhi's face on it.

Amazon describes the products as 'Gandhi flip flops' as a pair of "foam rubber flip flops". It costs $16.99, or about Rs 1,200.

Soon after India threatened it won't grant visas to any Amazon official if the company did not withdraw an Indian flag-themed doormat from its Canadian platform, the e-commerce website removed the article from the online marketplace, a media report had said on Thursday.

"Amazon must tender unconditional apology. They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately," Swaraj had said in a tweet.
Beijing, Jan 14 : China on Saturday told the US that the 'One China policy' is the political foundation of bilateral ties and "is nonnegotiable".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remarks in response to US President-elect Donald Trump's statement that the policy was up for negotiation and that he was not fully committed to it.

"Everything is under negotiation including One China (policy)," Trump was quoted as saying in a Friday interview with the Wall Street Journal.

It must be pointed out that there is but one China in the world, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Lu said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China, "which is an internationally recognized fact and no one can change it", he stressed.

"We urge the relevant party in the United States to realize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and abide by commitments made by previous US governments to the one China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques," he said.

Lu urged the US side to properly deal with the Taiwan issue so as to avoid undermining the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties and cooperation in major areas.
Nairobi, Jan 15 : The United Sates has warned its citizens living in Kenya to avoid travelling to the border area between Somalia and Kenya because of threats by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

In a revised travel advisory issued on Friday, the US State Department told Americans to avoid travel in the northeastern Kenyan counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa, the coastal counties of Tana River and Lamu in their entirety and the Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The US citizens should also be aware of potential terrorist threats and the high risk of crime throughout the country," US State Department said in its advisory.

Washington also advised its citizens to visit Old Town in the coastal city of Mombasa only at daylight hours.

"Violent and sometimes fatal crimes, including armed car-jackings, muggings, home invasions and burglaries and kidnappings can occur at anytime," the advisory said.

The East African nation relies heavily on the currency of foreigners that travel to see the wildlife and natural beauty of the land and these terror attacks threaten the tourism business.

Terrorist targets have included Kenyan and foreign government sites, police stations and vehicles, hotels, public transportation and other infrastructure targets.

On September 11, 2016, three masked women attacked a police station in Mombasa with knives and petrol bombs, wounding two Kenyan police officers.

In October 27, 2016, an assailant with a knife attacked a police officer guarding the US Embassy compound. The assailant was however shot dead by the security officers.
This Congress is a unique, professionally-driven educational opportunity for clinicians and scientists with different levels of interest in thoracic oncology, touts Dr. Giorgio V. Scagliotti, Congress Chairman.

The 18th European Congress: Perspectives in Lung Cancer will be held in Madrid at the Melia Avenida America hotel on March 3-4, 2017. This Congress is expertly designed to meet the educational needs of European oncology clinicians and researchers who are focused on the management of patients with lung cancer.

Chaired by Dr. Giorgio V. Scagliotti, Professor of Oncology at the University of Torino, and organized by Imedex, the Congress offers a highly-regarded, two-day educational experience featuring case-based presentations, interactive panel discussions, and debate-style sessions; all formats that have been reported as being highly useful by former attendees. Main conference topics include the use of immunotherapy, in particular checkpoint inhibitors for NSCLC; best practices for use of radiotherapy; oncogenic drivers of lung cancer; and the emerging role of liquid biopsies. These topics will be anchored by sessions on diagnosis, prevention, and staging. The faculty is an all-star lineup of more than 20 renowned thought leaders in thoracic oncologyincluding from leading institutions such as the University of Turin, University of Barcelona, and the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Visit http://www.perspectivesinlungcancer.com for the Congress full scientific agenda and faculty.

As the founding chairman, Dr. Scagliotti touts the Congress as a unique, professionally-driven educational opportunity for clinicians and scientists with different levels of interest in thoracic oncology. He adds, the way the Congress is organized favors discussion and close interaction between faculty and attendees.

In its new location of Madrid, the Perspectives in Lung Cancer Congress will benefit from the expertise of local chair, Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, of the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre. Dr. Paz-Ares believes the Congress will be a significant educational opportunity for his clinical peers who practice in Spain and across Europe as it has been in prior years. Additionally, this Congress has the scientific guarantee of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM).

Imedex will certify this Congress for up to 10.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Congress registration is currently open. Registration discounts are available when registering in advance with rates starting at 249. Visit http://www.perspectivesinlungcancer.com for additional information.

###

About Imedex

Imedex, is an ACCME-accredited provider of continuing medical education and a leader in developing and delivering independent, accredited health care education. Imedex educational programs, specializing in oncology, hematology, and gastroenterology, are provided through live events around the world as well as through effective online educational opportunities for onthe-go healthcare providers.

Imedexs high quality scientific programming translates the latest research into clinically relevant information. Our activities facilitate the needs of time-constrained healthcare professionals who are inundated by information through exceptional organization and outstanding educational value - all with a proven and sustained impact on patient care.

Imedex provides over 50,000 E-learning experiences annually and its live conferences have interfaced with more than 100,000 attendees since 2001. The Company has a global footprint and operates in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

At Imedex, we believe education is the best medicine. For more information on Imedex and upcoming conferences, visit us online at http://www.imedex.com, on our E-learning Center at http://elc.imedex.com, or via email at registration(at)imedex(dot)com.

Other upcoming Imedex events include:

Great Debates & Updates in GI Malignancies

24-25 March 2017 | New York, New York

Wyndham New Yorker Hotel

http://www.greatdebatesingimalignancies.com

European Focus on Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and Myelodysplastic Syndromes

21-23 April 2017 | Prague, Czech Republic

InterContinental Prague

http://www.europeanfocusonmpnandmds.com

ESMO 19th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer

28 June - 1 July 2017 | Barcelona, Spain

Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB)

http://www.worldgicancer.com
William Kentridge; What Will Come, 2007; Anamorphic projection; 35 mm film transferred to DVD, 8-minute loop, with cold-rolled steel table and cylinder; Museum Purchase 2016.  2007 William Kentridge. What Will Come is an important acquisition that significantly enriches our collection of contemporary arts of global Africa, indeed our overall collection of contemporary art.

In anticipation of the relocation and reinstallation of its Arts of Global Africa collection in November 2017, the Newark Museum debuts a newly acquired video installation by artist William Kentridge, What Will Come (2007). The installation will be on view in the Arts of Global Africas dedicated space for video art from January through May 2017.

The title originates from a Ghanaian proverb, What will come, has already come, a reference to the repetitive nature of history. The work is inspired by Italys invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, in which 275,000 Ethiopians lost their lives. Among them were a large number of civilians who were gassed, a fact denied by the Italian government until 1995.

Kentridge, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, created the film using his signature technique of drawing and erasing on a sheet of paper and filming the process frame by frame. The animated film is anamorphic  the distorted images projected on the table can only be read correctly in the mirror-like surface of the steel cylinder at the center. Through this optical illusion, the artist invites reflection on the relativity of perception, including the questionable truths and distortions of the past. The film unfolds as a series of visual fragments that spin around the table, stop, then reverse. Images of fighter planes, a gas mask and a globe teetering on legs accompany a sound track that combines the shriek of bombs, an Italian military song and the squeals of children playing.

This innovative work by William Kentridge  an international artist among the most influential and respected in the 21st century  is a continuation of his focus on patterns of political oppression, which began with a sustained exploration of the history of apartheid in his homeland of South Africa, said Christa Clarke, Senior Curator of the Arts of Global Africa. Considered to be the first anamorphic film, What Will Come is an important acquisition that significantly enriches our collection of contemporary arts of global Africa, indeed our overall collection of contemporary art.

In describing the project, Kentridge has commented, Im interested in machines that make you aware of the process of seeing and aware of what you do when you construct the world by looking. This is interesting in itself, but more as a broad-based metaphor for how we understand the world.

The Newark Museum began collecting arts of Africa within a decade of its founding in 1909 and first exhibited African art in 1926, when the Museum opened in its new building. It opened its first permanent gallery devoted to African art in 1970. Since then, the Museum has continued to actively collect and display the arts of Africa, often ahead of the curve in its representation of new or lesser known genres. The Newark Museum is widely considered to be a pioneer in developing an extensive collection of modern and contemporary arts of Africa over the past 15 years.

With holdings spanning from north Africa to its southern tip and beyond, this collection is notable for its embrace of the entire continent and its diaspora, said Director and CEO Steven Kern. The breadth of artistic representation and inclusion of historic as well as modern and contemporary art also distinguish the collection of nearly 6,000 objects.

For additional information, follow the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/newark.museum or Twitter at twitter.com/newarkmuseum; or by visiting http://www.newarkmuseum.org.

#
This is a great example of private sector support for strengthening our neighborhood and helping to empower the people who live there.

EquityBuild announces the successful collaboration with South Shore Chamber, Inc. during the South Shore Holiday Pop-Up Art & Retail Fair. The Fair is held each year in the effort of bringing back business vitality and creating community connection.

During this event, available storefronts are occupied to stimulate commercial growth in the area. EquityBuild offered their retail space in their building at 7051 S. Bennett Avenue along 71st Street. The long-term result EquityBuild and the community hope to see is to encourage economic development in the area as well as cultivate participation in this family oriented neighborhood that takes pride in the arts.

This is a great example of private sector support for strengthening our neighborhood and helping to empower the people who live there, said Shaun Cohen, vice president of EquityBuild. Were committed to the neighborhoods we serve and having the space available to the community. EquityBuild is revitalizing neighborhoods with significant potential and upside by partnering with the Chamber and creating space for the creative class and free market solutions.

As part of the community relations effort, EquityBuild did not charge the Chamber for use of the space. The focus during the Fair encompassed the vibrancy of business and art in the area.

Our Bennett property is perfectly located in the South Shore neighborhood, said Ron Bol, COO of EquityBuild. This emerging area is next to Chicago's planned 600-acre Lakeside Development. These initiatives with the Chamber are just one of many steps to help move things along for South Shore, and the beginning of a wonderful relationship. We look forward to collaborating in the future.

ABOUT EQUITYBUILD:

EquityBuild is committed to putting its extensive knowledge and unique Operational Mastery of the real estate investing process to work for regular people, maximizing their returns and minimizing their risk at every step. By doing this EquityBuild helps its investors achieve financial freedom while improving neighborhoods and providing hard-working families with nicer, safer places to live.

Founded by father-son team Jerry and Shaun Cohen, this company gives people the freedom and time to pursue their passions with the people they love. EquityBuild is ushering in a new era, making real estate investing more secure and reliable than ever. To find out more visit us at http://www.EquityBuild.com.

Company Contact:

877-978-1869

###
I am pleased USTAR has been recognized with the 2016 Tibbetts Award," said Gary R. Herbert.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded one of its highest honors, the Tibbetts Award, to Utah Science Technology and Researchs (USTAR) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Assistance Center (SSAC). The award was presented at a ceremony in Washington, DC on January 10 at the White House.

I am pleased USTAR has been recognized with the 2016 Tibbetts Award," Gov. Gary R. Herbert said. "The successes of their programs have helped make Utah tech companies significantly more competitive. USTAR has once again reaffirmed the value it provides the state of Utah.

USTAR opened the SSAC in 2008 to support and maximize the opportunity for Utah companies to participate in and win non-dilutive federal SBIR-STTR funding. Since opening, the SSAC has helped 31 companies win nearly $20 million to advance their technologies, and has assisted hundreds of companies from Washington to Box Elder counties in every stage of the process. Companies that work with the SSAC increase their chances of winning these funds to over 25%, compared to the national average of 14-17% through a variety of services to include seminars, hands-on assistance, 1-1 consultations, access to program managers and more.

USTARs SSAC is dedicated to providing full service to Utahs technology community. The SBA's recognition is confirmation of the commitment the SSAC has in the work they do every day, said Ivy Estabrooke Ph.D., USTAR executive director. We are humbled and honored to have been recognized for embodying the mission and goals of the SBIR and STTR programs and the work of the SSAC team.

Greg Nielson Ph.D., Chief Scientist at Vivint Solar, Lehi, Utah, nominated the SSAC for the award.

Named for Roland Tibbetts, the father of the SBIR program, the Tibbetts Awards have been presented since 1996. Winners are selected based on the economic impact of technological innovation, and the extent to which the innovation serves federal R&D needs, encourages diverse participation, and increases the commercialization of federal research.

The SSAC actively works with Utahs Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), Business Resource Centers (BRC), local universities and colleges, the Womens Tech Council, BioUtah and venturecapital.org as well as other resources to reach companies in all stages of technology development.

Photo Credit: U.S. Small Business Association; Pictured left to right (Maria Contreras-Sweet Administrator SBA, Mary Cardon, USTAR SSAC Director, Ivy Estabroke, USTAR Executive Director, Mark Walsh, SBA)

About USTAR

For more information on USTARs SBIR-STTR Assistance Center go to http://ustar.org/find-us- statewide/sbir-sttr- assistance/ or email utahsbir-sttrcenter(at)utah(dot)gov.

The Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) Initiative was established in 2006 through the leadership and vision of the Utah Legislature and the Governor to leverage science and technology innovation to expand and diversify the States economy. USTAR conducts its technology based economic development mission through a diverse portfolio of programs and services focused in the three areas: principal researchers, competitive grant programs and technology entrepreneurship services.
He mentioned that when out on tanks, the men sleep under the tank during the night with no separate facility.

By Press Trust of India: Asserting that equal opportunity brings equal responsibility, Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said it's up to women to decide if they they are willing to join men in frontline combat role without separate and additional facilities.

He mentioned that when out on tanks, the men sleep under the tank during the night with no separate facility.

advertisement

Noting that women are present in combat arms of the army except on the the frontlines, General Rawat reminded that there are no toilet facilities when they go out on patrol.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW : "You have to see society as whole. I have said, that if we induct women into combat role, they will have to share equal responsibility like their male counterparts because equal opportunity must come with equal responsibility. Which means that they will have to perform exactly the same task," he said addressing his first annual conference after taking over as Chief of Army Staff on December 31. Giving the example of soldiers in tanks, he said there is a unit of three personnel in each of them and when they go out, or are in a combat, they just sleep under the tank. "The three men crew have a stove. They cook and sleep under that tank. That is how they do," he said, adding there is no toilet facility or separate accommodation given to them. "So, if all three in the tank, if it is one woman or two women and a male, if they are all willing to sleep under the tank and if the women folk are willing to accept it," he said citing another example. He said patrol can be for 20-25 days and the longest one to the border was in Arunachal Pradesh for 35 days. "Now at night, when you halt, all that happens is a blue sheet is pulled out and everybody sleeps under it together. "There is no toilet. Everybody gets his bottle, he goes out, God knows where, and he returns after some time. If women are willing to move out in that environment, the women folk themselves need to take a call. Once the women are willing to take this kind of call, we will address this issue," he said. He said rather than thrusting it down, one has to look at the society and think. While women are inducted into the Corps of Engineers and Signals, they have been left out of the Infantry, Armoured corps and Mechanised infantry. The Air Force has already inducted women into the combat role but are not likely to post them at forward bases. The navy has allowed women to fly all aircraft not operating from an aircraft carrier since they don't have separate facilities on board as of now. However, future ships are being designed keeping in mind that women may join them on board.

Also read: 10 most important things Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said in his Army Day press meet

Also read: Buddy no more? Army chief supports restricting 'sahayak' system

Watch: We will induct ballistic helmet and better bulletproof jacket for jawans: Gen Bipin Rawat

--- ENDS ---
An illustration of a retail shelf fully equipped with the Powershelf system. Hitachi Consultings new business models, Microsofts World Class Azure Platform and Powershelfs innovative technology equals industry changing solutions.

Hitachi Consulting and Powershelf are accelerating the deployment of smart shelves and software to U.S. retail stores by announcing Powershelf as a Servicea breakthrough in shelf automation, data management and measurement that combines software, sensors and services into one turnkey solution. The solution, which uses Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI, will expedite retailers ability to leverage live data to make informed decisions about dynamic pricing, inventory and merchandising solutions at the store level. Powershelf as a Service embraces the importance of data in retailers decision-making processes and provides IoT-enabled Powershelf smart shelf units as well as back-end data, process improvement services and maintenance into one subscription-based program. The new offering will expedite less costly adoption while delivering improved efficiency and accelerating ROI and benefits at the shelf.

Hitachi Consultings new business models, Microsofts World Class Azure Platform and Powershelfs innovative technology equals industry changing solutions. That is the winning formula we are using to bring digital customer experiences and digital operations to disrupt the retail industry, said Jeff Gray, Senior Vice President of Hitachi Consulting.

The Powershelf smart shelf units consist of a series of shelves that hold and display products. Built-in Powershelf technology tracks product availability; when a shelf is empty, a restocking alert is automatically sent to store personnel. The solution utilizes Azure and Power BI to analyze when, where and why products sell so fast, allowing retailers and consumer product companies to identify trends and avoid out of stocks before they ever happen.

Retailers are increasingly able to leverage IoT sensors and data to enhance their businesses, and solutions like Powershelf have the potential to vastly transform a retailers ability to meet customer demand, said Brendan OMeara, Senior Director, Worldwide Retail at Microsoft.

Powershelf as a Service is already being well received in several leading retailers and with key manufacturers. According to John White, co-CEO of Powershelf, The collaboration of Microsoft and Hitachi Consulting in the selling, implementation and further enhancement of applying data creation is clearly an accelerator and game-changer for the industry.

The Powershelf technology will be showcased in the Microsoft booth (#2803) at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show in New York City from January 15 through January 17.

About Powershelf

Powershelf is a leading provider of retail technology solutions. The patented technologythe Powershelf systemprovides constant power and two-way communications to software-enabled applications and devices that deliver a variety of advertising, merchandising and pricing services to customers. Powershelf is designed to address the critical, ongoing challenges faced by retailers and CPG manufacturers around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.IoTSmartRetail.com.

About Hitachi Consulting Corporation

Hitachi Consulting is the global management consulting and IT services business of Hitachi Ltd., a global technology leader and a catalyst of sustainable societal change. In that same spirit  and building on its technology heritage  Hitachi Consulting is a catalyst for positive business change, propelling companies ahead by enabling superior operational performance. Working within their existing processes and focusing on targeted functional challenges, we help our clients respond to dynamic global change with insight and agility. Our unique approach delivers measurable, sustainable business results and a better consulting experience. (Steve.Sharpless(at)HitachiConsulting(dot)com)
If you would like free California labor law advice, call Attorney Nicholas J. De Blouw today at (800) 568-8020

The Riverside labor law attorneys at Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik filed a class action lawsuit against Aerotek, Inc. for allegedly failing to pay their Recruiters and Account Managers overtime wages. The Aerotek, Inc. lawsuit, Case No. CIVDS1621258 is currently pending in the San Bernardino County Superior Court for the State of California. To read a copy of the Complaint click here.

The class action lawsuit alleges that under the California Labor Code, Aerotek, Inc. is required to pay all persons employed Recruiters and/or Account Managers overtime wages for their time worked in excess of eight hours in a workday and hours worked in excess of forty hours in any workweek. The class action complaint further asserts that the Recruiters and Account Managers employed by Aerotek, Inc. were allegedly misclassified because these employees failed to meet all the criteria under any of the exemptions to overtime pay in California. As a result, the Complaint seeks back payment for an unspecified amount for all the alleged overtime hours these employees worked for Aerotek, Inc.

The Riverside employment law attorneys at Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik represent employees in the State of California in various lawsuits including class actions for unpaid overtime, unpaid business expenses, and missed meal and rest breaks. The firm has offices located in San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and Chicago. If you would like free California labor law advice, call Attorney Nicholas J. De Blouw today at (800) 568-8020 or click here. *This is an attorney advertisement*
It positions us as a leader among liberal arts colleges nationally in developing womens leadership capacity, ethical decision-making, self-confidence and career readiness.

An anonymous donor has committed a $10 million gift to the College of Saint Benedict (CSB) to create the Center for Ethical Leadership in Action. A key function of the Center will be to increase students opportunities for experiential learning, which include study abroad, undergraduate research, service learning, fellowships and, often most influentially, internship experiences. This is the largest single gift in the colleges history.

The gift will create a permanent endowment fund, which will fund the operations of the Center, including the support of experiential learning as well as a mentoring program and speaker series. Internships and other experiential learning opportunities will be carefully designed to support the formation of ethical women leaders in a variety of fields from business to medicine to education and beyond.

We are grateful for the donors whose vision and generosity have created the Center, said CSB President Mary Dana Hinton. It positions us as a leader among liberal arts colleges nationally in developing womens leadership capacity, ethical decision-making, self-confidence and career readiness.

The establishment of the Center is especially important as increasing numbers of Saint Bens students do not have the financial wherewithal to afford an unpaid internship or other experiential learning. The Center for Ethical Leadership in Action will have the resources to offer stipends to students for whom these experiences would otherwise be out of reach. CSB, and its academic partner Saint Johns University, require that every student complete four credits of experiential learning as part of the core curriculum. The college plans to begin awarding stipends as early as summer 2017.

Providing financial support such as this is a key goal in the colleges five-year Strategic Directions 2020 plan. In addition to supporting internships and other experiential learning opportunities, the Center will create a mentoring program and host speakers designed to promote the development of ethical leaders. Having the Center will enable us to focus our educational programming and opportunities on ethical leadership, which has always been central to our mission, said Richard Ice, CSB/SJU Provost.

Saint Bens is overwhelmed by the generosity of this gift, said Kathy Hansen, vice president of institutional advancement at Saint Bens. The donors have a long-standing appreciation for the quality education their daughter received at Saint Bens and a respect for ethical leadership that was nurtured by their parents. Theyre driven to see all Saint Bens students receive the internships, research and service opportunities that will build character and form ethical leaders.

In 2016, for the 12th consecutive year, CSB and SJU were ranked among the top baccalaureate schools nationally for the total number of students who studied abroad, according to Open Doors 2016, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education. Visit the college online to learn more about CSB and SJU rankings and Experiential Learning and Community Engagement.
Ana Cecilia Montalban Recognized as the Regions Top Latino Lawyer

Ana Cecilia Montalban from the Philadelphia office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP was recognized at the Emerging Lawyers Awards Luncheon, hosted by AL DIA News Media Jan. 12 at the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia. The Emerging Lawyers Luncheon honored the regions top Latino Lawyers and recognized their professional accomplishments for contributions to diversity in Philadelphia. The luncheon featured a special keynote address from City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante.

AL DIA News Media is a dynamic news organization based in Philadelphia that empowers Latinos to write their own story and is the only news media organization to define the Latino experience proactively.

Ms. Montalban has been a member of Greenberg Traurigs national Public Finance Practice since 2012. She is counsel to a variety of clients, including governmental issuers, underwriters/placement agents, and bond purchasers, in many public finance transactions throughout the United States. In 2016, she was named as one of the Top Women in Law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by the Legal Intelligencer. Ms. Montalban also is a member of both the National Association of Bond Lawyers and Ladies First, a professional association of women engaged in public finance.

Currently, Ms. Montalban is part of the disclosure team for the City of Philadelphias water and wastewater utility. In 2015, Ms. Montalban assisted the City of Philadelphia with a large tax-exempt bond transaction  the issuance of $417,456,000 principal amount of revenue bonds, which achieved debt service savings for the City and helped finance needed capital improvements to its water and wastewater system. She is an advocate for green financing initiatives and also has experience with green infrastructure projects within the City of Philadelphia.

Ms. Montalban is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvanias School of Arts and Sciences and Law School. Although she was born in Miami and raised by Nicaraguan parents, she now considers herself a local. She remains dedicated to the Latino community in many ways, including providing pro bono legal services to special immigrant juveniles and victims of trafficking. Ms. Montalban has dedicated her career to financing important capital projects that facilitate the building and strengthening of communities. She is especially proud of her local endeavors, including her involvement with the conversion and reutilization of vacant public land throughout the City during her time with the Philadelphia Law Department.

Before receiving her law degree, Ms. Montalban spent time as Executive Operations Director for Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc., a local multiservice nonprofit dedicated to bolstering the Latino community. She also clerked for Chief Justice Theodore A. McKee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and completed a fellowship with the Office of the Solicitor of the City of Philadelphia.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. A single entity worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the second largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2016, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Five-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year winner Little Big Town pose for a selfie with Radio Disney Country correspondent Savannah Keyes and the Wadsworth HS Choir after the group surprised the choir. My music teacher in high school pushed me out on stage for the very first time to sing a solo, and it changed my life," said Karen Fairchild. "So Im very grateful for music education and the power that it had on my career.

Little did Ohio students from Wadsworth High School know, as they finished up an exciting Disney Performing Arts workshop Friday at Disneys Saratoga Springs Resort Performance Hall, that the next inspiring words they would hear would come from five-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Philip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook). In a surprise visit that was part of Give a Note Foundations 2017 Music In Our Schools Tour, the superstar Country quartet shared their own experiences with music education and the importance of music in the lives of all students.

This was the most exciting kickoff event to-date for the now fourth annual Music In Our Schools  Music Inspires Tour. This event, founded by the Give a Note Foundation, an affiliate of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), continues to grow each year thanks to the generosity of contributors such as Disney Performing Arts, Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country, and now the CMA Foundation.

Music education is a right of every student, said Fairchild, who also serves on the CMA Foundation Board of Directors. It helps them develop creativity and self-expression. It builds skills like collaboration and critical thinking that help them succeed in life. For me, my music teacher in high school pushed me out on stage for the very first time to sing a solo, and it changed my life. So Im very grateful for music education and the power that it had on my career.

The bands words of wisdom aligned perfectly with the theme of the workshop, Disney Sings, in which students are immersed in a real world performance experience and record a portion of a Disney film soundtrack.

"I cried when I saw them walk in. I'm a really big country music fan, and so they have been some of my idols. I love listening to their music, said Claire Doyle, choir student of Wadsworth High School.

Thanks to our generous partners who have worked tirelessly with Give a Note, said Beth Slusher, Give a Note President and Board Chair, the Foundation has been able to bring music into the lives of more students every year. In its five years, Give a Note has provided over $1.2 million in grants to reach more than 55,000 students in underserved communities across the United States. And we cannot wait to see the incredible impact this years Music In Our Schools Tour will have.

Every year the launch of the Music In Our Schools Tour at Walt Disney World Resort grows bigger and more exciting, said Terry Dola, Disney Performing Arts vice president of group sales and marketing. It was a thrill of a lifetime for these students to spend time with such an award-winning group such as Little Big Town, and its another example of the kinds of extraordinary experiences students receive with Disney Performing Arts.

Six schools will receive a $2,500 grant from Give a Note Foundation, which will be matched by the CMA Foundation. Additionally, Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country will join in celebrating the talented students with select hosted performances.



Ramona High School, Riverside, CA

Joliet Central High School, Joliet, IL

Salina South Middle School, Salina, KS

James Otis Elementary School, Boston, MA

Tar River Elementary School, Franklinton, NC

Wenatchee High School, Wenatchee, WA

Check out photos from todays event at Walt Disney World Resort. (All photos by Greg Newton.)

To learn more about Give a Note Foundation and the Music In Our Schools Tour, visit http://www.giveanote.org and follow the hashtag #MusicInspires. Be sure to follow the Tour on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Media contacts:

For Give a Note Foundation

Lindsay Sheldon

LindsayS(at)giveanote(dot)org

(703) 860-4000 ext. 230

For CMA Foundation:

Courtney Beebe

cbeebe(at)CMAworld(dot)com

615-244-2840

For Disney Performing Arts

Geoffrey Pointon

Geoffrey(dot)pointon(at)disney(dot)com

407-566-7198

About the Give a Note Foundation: Since 2011, Give a Note Foundation has conducted national awareness campaigns and raised funds to support and strengthen music education programs across the U.S. The programs have reached millions of parents and students and provided more than $1 million in direct grants to schools. Learn more about Give a Note Foundation at giveanote.org. Help give the gift of music! Text MusicEd GNF to 20222 to donate $10! Message & Data Rates May Apply. Details: http://www.giveanote.org/giving/. You can follow Give a Note on Twitter twitter.com/giveanote, and on Facebook at facebook.com/giveanote.

About the CMA Foundation: CMA created the nonprofit 501(c)(3) CMA Foundation in 2011. Guided by the generosity of the Country Music community, the CMA Foundation focuses on improving and sustaining music education programs everywhere while supporting worthwhile causes important to the Country Music Association. In 2017, the CMA Foundation has earmarked a record $3.1 million to 44 in- and after-school music education programs across the country, bringing the Foundations total contributions to date to $17.5 million.

About Disney Performing Arts: In the past 60 years, Disney Youth Programs has brought millions of students from across the nation and around the world to participate in its popular education and performing arts programs at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Through Disney Performing Arts and Disneys Youth Education Series, Disney Youth Programs unlock student potential and help aspiring students make their dreams come true through educational workshops, professional-style performances and other unique experiences that students cant get anywhere else except at Disney.
tDynamo is a Secure Card Reader Authenticator tDynamo offers the flexibility for users to create the best payment experience for them.

MagTek, Inc., the worlds leading supplier of secure payment technology, today announces the launch of the tDynamo, MagTeks newest offering into the fast-growing field of secure credit card readers. The tDynamo captures attention by accepting Magnetic Stripe, Chip Card and Contactless Payments in a compact, secure, sleekly-designed device.

The tDynamo is designed to adapt to the needs of the merchant. With its ability to switch easily between Counter Top and Mobile platforms, merchants can securely accept payments in any situation or environment that arises. The compact form factor delivers an unobtrusive fixed or mobile POS, while at the same time providing a long, smooth swipe-path that delivers one of the highest first swipe read rates in the industry.

Customers have to ask themselves if they need a countertop or mobile card reader. tDynamo gives them both, says John Arato, MagTeks Vice President and General Manager for Retail Products. Whether they want a fixed POS by the door, or they want to allow line busting mobile payments on the floor, the tDynamo offers the flexibility for users to create the best payment experience for them.

A small, versatile secure card reader authenticator, the tDynamo packs quite the security punch. Data is protected and encrypted the moment it is swiped, tapped or dipped. Employing open, 3DES end-to-end encryption and industry standard DUKPT key management, the tDynamo offers vast platform flexibility as well as simple integration.

The tDynamo solves the issue for merchants wanting to achieve PCI and EMV compliance and protect their customers data. Utilizing a highly secure card reader authenticator in such a simply designed and flexible form factor, many merchant requirements pertaining to their payment experience needs are met fully by the tDynamo.

For more information about MagTek and tDynamo, please visit our web site at https://www.magtek.com, or see us at the Big Show, booth #3173, National Retail Federation Annual Conference and Expo, January 15-17 at the Jacob Javits Center, New York, NY.

About MagTek

Since 1972, MagTek has been a leading manufacturer of electronic devices and systems for the reliable issuance, reading, transmission and security of cards, checks, PINs and other identification documents. Leading with innovation and engineering excellence, MagTek is known for quality and dependability. Its products include secure card readers, check scanners, PIN pads and distributed credential issuing systems. These products are used worldwide by financial institutions, retailers, hotels, law enforcement agencies and other organizations to provide secure and efficient electronic payment and identification transactions.

Today, MagTek continues to innovate with the development of a new generation of security centric products secured by MagneSafe. By leveraging strong encryption, secure tokenization, real time authentication and dynamic payment card data, MagneSafe products enable users to assess and validate the trustworthiness of credentials used for online identification, payment processing, and other high-value electronic transactions.

MagTek is based in Seal Beach, California and has sales offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, with independent distributors in over 40 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.magtek.com.

###
American Residential Services (ARS), a Memphis, Tenn. based, privately-held national provider of air conditioning, heating and plumbing services, collected approximately 15,000 pairs of shoes from November 2016 to December 31, 2016. The collection was for Soles4Souls, a not-for-profit global social enterprise committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing.

Since 2006 Soles4Souls has collected and distributed 30 million pairs of new shoes to those in need in 127 countries around the world and all 50 states in the U.S. thanks in part to our corporate partners like ARS, said Buddy Teaster, President and CEO of Soles4Souls. Every day children are prevented from attending school, adults are unable to work. Walking becomes unbearable. A new pair of shoes provides relief today so thousands can succeed tomorrow.

This program was initiated by employees at Columbus Worthington Air, part of the ARS/Rescue Rooter network, and it spread to the rest of the Central Division, including Andy's Statewide (MI), Aksarben / ARS (NE), ARS of Boston (MA), ARS/Rescue Rooter of Columbus (OH), ARS/Rescue Rooter of Illinois, and ARS/Rescue Rooter of Indiana. These service centers donated a pair of shoes for every like they received on Facebook. Using the hashtag #ARSGivesBack, the branches found that their social media followers were just as excited to participate as the branch employees.

The Soles4Souls campaign has been an extremely humbling experience for our team at ARS, said Mark Thompson, Central Division Vice President at ARS/Rescue Rooter. This initiative has ignited a passionate participation among every employee- literally every employee has contributed and is excited about the impact they are making.

-See attachments for photos-

About Soles4Souls:

Soles4Souls is a global social enterprise committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls is committed to the highest standards of operating and governance, and holds a four-star rating with Charity Navigator

About American Residential Services:

Based in Memphis, Tenn., privately-owned ARS operates a network of more than 70 locally-managed service centers in 22 states, with approximately 5,500 employees. The ARS network features industry-leading brands including, A.J. Perri, Aksarben ARS, Allgood, Andys Statewide, ARS, Aspen Air Conditioning, Atlas Trillo, Beutler, Blue Dot, Brothers, Columbus Worthington Air, Conway Services, Efficient Attic Systems (EAS), Florida Home Air Conditioning, Green Star Home Services, McCarthy Services, Rescue Rooter/ Proserv, Rescue Rooter, RighTime Home Services, RS Andrews, The Irish Plumber, Unique Services, "Will" Fix It, and Yes! Air Conditioning and Plumbing. United by Exceptional Service, the ARS / Rescue Rooter Network serves both residential and light commercial customers by providing heating, cooling, indoor air quality, plumbing, drain cleaning, sewer line, radiant barrier, insulation and ventilation services. Each location has a knowledgeable team of trained specialists, who have undergone rigorous drug testing and criminal background checks. Providing exceptional service and ensuring the highest standards of quality, ARS has the experience to do any job right  the first time, with all work fully guaranteed.

###
Brikk headphones with 3 carats of diamonds and exceptional sound ...coated in 24k gold, and hand-set with over 300 colorless diamonds...

The Lux Listen HD will be unveiled at exclusive private showings in Hong Kong on the 111th floor of the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong from 21-23 January; the 88th floor of the St. Regis Hotel Shenzhen from 24-26 January; and the 88th floor of the Park Hyatt Shanghai from 27-29 January. In addition to the Lux Listen HD headphones, Cyrus will be bringing an exciting collection of bespoke Brikk products, most of which are not available through public channels, to these private showings. A limited number of viewings are available by appointment to potential clients and the media. Please contact a Brikk Concierge for more details.

The Lux Listen HD Headphones feature in-ear monitors (IEM) that are connected to precision machined cases coated in 24k gold, and hand-set with over 300 colorless diamonds (3.0 TCW). The monitors contain 6 digitally calibrated hybrid speakers worthy of any opulent audiophile on the go. Whether worn while performing for 60,000 devoted fans in a national arena, or while receiving an important call while boarding your plane, the Lux Listen HD will attract the attention and admiration of those around you.

The Lux Listen HD features a custom made dynamic driver and a specially balanced armature driver that provide a three dimensional frequency range. Low ranges are enhanced and extremely deep, while high sounds are fully extended, crisp, and bridged by perfectly balanced and energetic midrange. The headphones are ideal for artists and music professionals, as they are auditoraly compatible with music of any genre. Specialized in-ear fit allows for a 25dB reduction of ambient noise.

The Lux Listen HD includes 4 sets of differing tips, including Lux Ultra Fit memory foam inserts, all housed in a waterproof protection case. The built-in microphone allows for hands-free communication. Each Lux Listen HD comes with a 3.5mm connector or Lightning connector. 10Hz - 40KHz frequency range. 16 Impedance. 105dB sensitivity.

The Lux Listen HD is US$9,995 per pair and available for purchase via the Brikk Lounges in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai until January 29, 2017. It will also be available on Brikk.com, Amazon, Taobao and Brikk Stores, Brikk Authorized Resellers.

Brikk is known for its premium luxury products, like the Lux iPhone 7, which can range in price to upwards of $1.3M. Recently, Brikk launched the Lux Protect Sapphire, which is a genuine sheet of sapphire crystal made to protect phone and tablet screens. Many of Brikk's products are made-to-order and exclusive to existing clients, like the Lux View collection (televisions, monitors), the Lux Heptagon Wheel (a one piece titanium wheel made for Bentley and Bugatti vehicles), and the Lux Skin collection (bespoke clothing designed by Cyrus). While outfitting its billionaires, Brikk seeks to pioneer its unique Robin Hood philosophy, by channeling a significant portion of all sales proceeds to charities chosen by each client. Altruism through opulence.

See the video here

https://youtu.be/fs2HqqTkDgo
Here are some special days on the calendar that in all likelihood will give you the chance to feel virtuous and happy
By Press Trust of India: Panaji, Jan 14 (PTI) Congress today said announcement about whether it would join hands with the "like-minded" parties for the Goa assembly elections, would be made on January 17.

"All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijaya Singh would be in Goa on January 16-17. He would make a formal announcement which will clear the fate of alliance with like-minded parties in Goa for the upcoming assembly polls," AICC secretary Girish Chodankar told reporters.

advertisement

"Congress is not desperate to win the election and hog the power. But definitely, we will work to unite all the political forces that aim to keep BJP out of power," he said in response to a query.

Chodankar said the party has candidates ready to contest in all the 40 constituencies.

"We are working in all the constituencies. We have strong support base in these assembly segments. In the absence of alliance, we can contest in all of them (constituencies)," he said.

The Congress leader reiterated partys stand that they will close the casino industry in Goa.

"We will not allow casino business to continue in Goa. It is very dangerous for the state. There is corruption involved in allowing casinos to continue," he alleged.

Chodankar said the state is losing Rs 5,000 crore annually, which ought to have been collected as tax from the casino industry. "BJP is fully responsible to allow the casino industry to flourish," he claimed.

Over AAP contesting Goa elections, he said, "AAP is a part of BJPs Congress-mukt Bharat campaign. AAP is completely hand in gloves with BJP and is in Goa to divide secular votes."

Chodankar claimed that AAP is contesting only in those states where there is a straight fight between Congress and BJP like in Goa and Punjab.

Responding to a question, the Congress leader said the elected representatives of Congress will decide who should be their chief minister. He ruled out projecting a CM face for the state polls. PTI RPS NP SRE

--- ENDS ---
Dan Chaon sits in the attic room of the house where he has written five of his six books, petting Ray Bradbury. When Chaon brought Ray home six years back, the dog didnt even know how to play. Now hes a little more mischievous, Chaon says, as Ray curls up on the royal blue sofa. He was about a year old when Chaon got him, and hed been seriously abused, shot repeatedly in the body and face. Buckshot can still be felt under his loose skin. A physical emblem of what hes gone through, Chaon says, running his hand over the bumps.

Chaon is no stranger to humanitys darker side. Its almost as if he writes in blood rather than ink, creating a body of work featuring malicious intent. Ill Will, Chaons sixth book, is his most formally audacious novel yet, with three narratives unfolding across 11 sections over three decades. There are half a dozen characters and two unsolved killing sprees. Chaon writes in first-, second-, and third-person, in past and present tense, and represents fractured or unfinished thoughts with gaps designed into the page. There are emojis, text bubbles, and scenes trapped in boxes. The primary narrative follows Dr. Dustin Tillman, whose parents were murdered when he was 13. Dustin blamed the crime on his adopted brother, Rusty, who dabbled in Satanic rituals. Thirty years later, Dustin, now a practicing hypnotherapist in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, learns that Rusty has been exonerated due to DNA evidence and released. The timing couldnt be worse; Dustins wife is dying of cancer and their teenage sons are floundering. Dustin refuses to speak to Rusty, so Rusty reaches out to Dustins youngest, Aaron, filling the boys already troubled mind with dangerous ideas. When a new patient of Dustins convinces the doctor that a series of recent drownings are connected, the novels grisly strands weave into an ever-tightening noose.

Chaon often begins a novel wanting to complicate a received idea. With Ill Will he decided to mess with the role that deceit plays in our identities, he says. I have plenty of things in my own life that have led me to be interested in that. Like some of his characters, Chaon was adopted, a mystery hes talked a lot about. But Ill Will marks his first dance with the Satanic Panic of the late 1980s. There was a period when it was blasphemy to question the idea of Satanic ritual abuse. Police departments had their own Satanic task forces. Eventually people were like, Yeah, I dont think there really are Satanists in every town. But if you denied it in the early 90s, people would have been like, Are you insane!? Of course there are!  Chaon lights an American Spirit cigarette with practiced efficiency, sits back. One of the books that hovers over Ill Will, he says, is actually Bradburys Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Not surprisingly, Bradbury was the writer Chaon first loved, and when Chaon got to Northwestern University he considered himself a genre guy like his hero. But I got the genre knocked out of me, he says, really hard. So he dove into Raymond Carver, whose stories, he says, are also full of ghosts. By the time I left college I was a huge snob, a pronouncer of what was canon and what was not canon. Chaon adopts an amusingly clipped cadence when saying things like this. Over the years I realized that not only was that all bullshit, it was also making me super unhappy. It wasnt until I went back to the things I used to readthe stuff I was sneakingthat things opened up for me.

Chaon recalls reading the first Harry Potter book to his son. Though he criticized the prose, he kept reading after his son fell asleep. It was eye-opening. Id narrowed my taste so much that a glimmer of excitement wasnt even allowed. Chaon runs a hand through his long, thick hair. For a while it was just this anxiety of, Why arent I in the New Yorker? Will I ever be reviewed by Michiko?  Chaon laughs, producing a rhythmic wheeze that somehow sounds naughty. Ive gotten less worried about whats literary and what isnt. Trying to make my two Rays fit together has been one of my projects.

At midday in northern Ohio, the room where Chaon writes is awash in a harsh wintry light. Some would call it oppressive, but not Chaon. Until recently, he says, this space looked more like a serial killers storage unit than a writers study, with hundreds of books, dozens of clippings, filing cabinets, and an ancient powder blue rug that came with the house. These days the room is spartan, occupied only by the sofa, a small table supporting some books, and a wooden desk made from barn wood that runs the length of the wall. A custom PC built for gaming and a Mexican sugar skull ashtray are on the desk. The wall Chaon faces when writing is bare but for a print by his longtime friend, Lynda Barry. Its a page from The Freddy Stories, a collection of her comic strips. The print is an intricately drawn image of a timid dog facing a dark wood. A banner reads Will you enter? At bottom, Barry has written, Dan is not scared! Though the image came from Barrys brain, its the perfect visual representation of what its like to enter one of Chaons stories.

Chaon finished Ill Will while on sabbatical from Oberlin, where he has taught since 1998. I really let myself get into Jeff Lebowski mode, Chaon says of that year. There were whole days when I didnt get out of my bathrobe. I let my hair grow really long. People would see me from the back and call me maam. Id turn around and theyd be horrified.

When Chaons not teaching he can be found here, writing from midnight to four a.m., a thin cirrus of cigarette smoke hanging just below the ceiling. When hes in the home stretch on a book, he writes as much as 12 hours a day, in four-hour shifts, often with a timer set to 15-minute increments. He has an elaborate system of rules and rewards. Before the timer dings theres no crossing-out allowed, no correcting; too long a pause and Chaon writes tick tock, tick tock. After the ding there are cookies, video games, American Spirits. Chaon tried to kick his smoking habit years agowith the help of a hypnotherapist, an irony that wont be lost on readers of Ill Will. Chaon went for six weeks before showing up to a locked door and a sympathy wreath. I went out in the parking lot, he says, lit up, and was like, Okay forget it.  Chaon smooths his goatee. Ive never been able to be in a true hypnotic state anyway. Im too anxious. I cant relax.

But Chaon has long been fascinated by hypnosis. Though he grew up in an age when most boys dreamed of becoming astronauts, he wanted to be a hypnotist. In a way he is. If hypnosis has been defined as an altered mind state different from ordinary consciousness, then it sounds an awful lot like being plunged into one of Chaons gnarly tales. Theres often a point in his stories when the readers expectations, even beliefs, are turned upside down, an electrifying aha moment that Chaon is particularly good at engendering, perhaps because our surprises were his surprises first. He never outlines, never plans. He begins each story in pursuit of fragments that he spends years developing into narrative strands. Discovering how they connect is one of his joys.

What got Chaon started on Ill Will was a conversation about drownings near a university that some students had decided were the work of a serial killer. Im gonna write a serial killer novel someday! he remembers thinking. But he couldnt figure it out, so he set it aside. That was 15 years ago. When he finished Await Your Reply in 2008, he returned to the killer just to play around, and wrote 20 pages that revealed to him the storys tent poles.

As a writer Chaon comes back repeatedly to the same themes: adoption, brothers, fires, amputation. Revisiting the familiar used to be something I was painfully obsessed with, he says. It actually prevented me from writing. But a lot of the artists that I love the most, like Hitchcock, Nabokov, and Dickens, basically worked through a few tropes in various permutations. So I guess its what Im stuck with. Ill do different genres, but theyll probably all have twins in them. Chaon laughs and says hes been rereading Patrick DeWitts The Sisters Brothers again because his next book might be a western.

Chaon also tends to set his stories where he lives, or has lived, though as his readership grows so does his geography. But Cleveland features prominently in Ill Willespecially its seedier, less glamorous sectionsand about half the book takes place over five unbearably gray days in January. I find beauty in the bleak, he says. And Im attracted to ruins, the mystery of things in decline. He looks at the window in his sloping roof. Its growing darker, colder, day about to become night. Beside him, Ray Bradbury is dreaming. People who read my work probably imagine that Im really sad, he says, laughing. Im not, most of the time. I have my ups and downs, but I feel like I have a very enjoyable relationship with the world.

Mike Harvkey is the author of In the Course of Human Events (Soft Skull, 2014).
When it comes to bookstores, Minneapolis and Saint Paul's 3.5 million residents are well served. Of the American Booksellers Association's 65 Minnesota members, 37, or more than half, are located in the Twin Cities metro area, which is also home to 13 Barnes & Noble outlets, including one of the retailer's new concept stores, and seven Half Price Books locations.

Booksellers attribute the vibrance of the area's indie scene to much more than a national trend that has seen the channel become revitalized in recent years. Booksellers see local indies' vitality rather as an outgrowth of the area's long-held tradition of philanthropy and civic engagement. Together with the state's 96% adult literacy rateamong the highest in the nationthe Twin Cities has created a culture in which government, foundations, and citizens don't just value books and reading. They also support literary nonprofit organizations with their dollars.

"There's just a lot happening here that brings attention to books and authors. We're fortunate to live in a community where literacy is a priority," says Holly Weinkauf, owner of Saint Paul's 32-year-old Red Balloon Bookshop. At the 2016 Minnesota Book Awards gala, the bookstore sold $10,000 worth of books.

"There are all these organizations being successful promoting books, literacy, and reading. All that together makes for a healthy book community," says David Enyeart, events manager of Saint Paul's Common Good Books, which Garrison Keillor opened in 2006. Since moving five years ago from an 1,800-sq.-ft. basement on affluent Cathedral Hill into a 3,000-sq.-ft. storefront across the street from Macalester College, sales at Common Good have risen a total of 20%. The bookstore recently sold $13,000 worth of books at the Opus & Olives annual library fund-raiser, plus another $13,000 in presales. "There are a lot of people here who understand what books will do for them, the importance in their lives. It helps us sell them books," Enyeart says.

The Twin Cities' vibrant literary culture attracts some of the country's biggest authors, and bookstore calendars are always packed. Twenty-year-old Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, Minn., takes full advantage of the opportunity to book touring authors. Since the summer of 2015, the bookstore has held a monthly Literature Lovers' Night Out to give readers a chance to interact with nationally and internationally well-known writers. September's event, which included William Kent Krueger (Manitou Canyon) and Michael Perry (Roughneck Grace) drew a record 140 people and had to be moved to a nearby church. "Tickets sold out in 20 minutes. It was overwhelming," says Excelsior Bay's events coordinator Pamela Klinger-Horn. "We always sell a couple thousand dollars worth of books at these events, [and] there is a trickle effect even after the programs."

A map created by Minneapolis's Moon Palace Books for National Bookstore Day 2015 showcases the sheer number of indies in the area. The map features 20 new and used indie bookstores inside the Minneapolis city limits and another eight in Saint Paul. In the intervening year and a half since the map was created, new bookstores have continued to open and grow. In July, Moon Palace moved from the back of its building into the front area, doubling in size to 1,700 sq. ft. Despite ongoing construction outside the store, co-owner Angela Schwesnedl reports that sales have risen 30% since the expansion.

In September, Milkweed Books opened in Minneapolis's Open Book building complex, which is dedicated to the literary arts. Affiliated with Milkweed Editions, the 750-sq.-ft. bookstore's curated inventory of 1,200 titles consists of literary

fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from small presses that don't typically receive prime placement in chain stores.

Later this spring, new bookseller Zsame Morgan is planning a soft opening for Babycake's Book Stack in Saint Paul's Lowertown. Babycake's will focus on multicultural and international children's books. With the addition of Babycake's, the Twin Cities will arguably become the nation's hub for children's bookselling. In addition to the Red Balloon and Minneapolis's Wild Rumpus, the area also has eight Creative Kidstuff stores, which sell children's books and educational toys and games. Saint Paul also boasts the only bookstore that specializes in young adult literature, Addendum. The bookstore opened five years ago inside a larger bookstore, Subtext. After moving into a standalone storefront in 2015, Addendum added crossover adult books, which further pumped up sales.

Travelers flying into the Twin Cities don't even have to leave the airport to shop at a local bookstore. Of five new bookstores scheduled to open later this year in Minnesota, two will be located inside the MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport's main terminal: Words and Open Book.

Bookstore Diversity

Milkweed Books manager Hans Weyandt, who began his bookselling career at Saint Paul's now closed the Hungry Mind (later known as Ruminator Books) and who was a co-owner of Micawber's, says that the health of the local indie bookstore scene can be attributed in large part to its diversity. Although uptown Minneapolis boasts a large general bookstore, 18,000-sq.-ft. Magers and Quinn, which stocks 120,000 new and used titles, the area also contains a number of smaller specialized bookstores.

Small bookstores fill underserved niches. Among these bookstores is one founded by bestselling author Louise Erdrich that Weyandt describes as "truly singular." Founded more than 15 years ago, Birchbark Books & Native Arts is an 800-sq.-ft. general bookstore that features an outsize collection of literature by Native American authors for both children and adults, published in English as well as in Native languages.

On the other side of a chain of lakes from Birchbark, another 800-sq.-ft. store, Once Upon a Crime, has specialized in mysteries for three decades. It was purchased by Dennis Abraham and Meg King-Abraham on April 1 last year, the bookstore's 29th anniversary.

In Saint Paul, Hmong ABC, which bills itself as the first and only Hmong bookstore in the world, has operated for more than two decades. And Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, which specializes in books from around the world on faith, social justice, and feminism, has moved across the river to the University of Minnesota area a year after launching in Saint Paul in 2014. Not only are Saint Paulites still crossing the river to visit the store, but owner Tamara Gray reports that heavier foot traffic at the new location is pushing up sales.

One of the few remaining black bookstores in the country, Ancestry Books specializes in literature by and about indigenous peoples and people of color. The bookstore closed in August 2015 after a little over a year in business. But founder Chaun Webster reopened it last winter as a recurring weekend pop-up outlet at Juxtaposition Arts, a local arts organization.

With so many different types of bookstores catering to readers, Moon Palace's Schwesnedl says that the metro area's indie scene has reached "a critical mass," which means that physical bookstores should continue to do well. "Minnesotans are cranky and independent," Schwesnedl adds. "They'll shop at a local store over Amazon any day. There's a reason that the Twin Cities never make it onto Amazon's annual list of the 20 most-well-read cities in the U.S."
Foyles' flagship bookstore on Charing Cross Road in London is one of the most famous bookshops in the U.K.and one of the most innovative. In 2014, the store, which has been in operation since 1903, moved down the street from its dusty, labyrinthine former premises into a sleek new space in the building that was formerly home to Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design. That same year Foyles, which now includes three other locations in London as well stores in Birmingham, Bristol, and Stratford, was reinvented with the theme of physical meets digital.

Today each Foyles employee carries a tablet in a sling, which gives the employees mobile access to a proprietary app that directs customers to titles on the shop floor and lets employees take home-delivery orders for books that aren't in stock. "The booksellers have told me that they feel naked if they don't have their tablets with them," says Foyles CEO Paul Currie. Having tablets also helps younger booksellers, who may have less extensive knowledge of the store's stocks, get up to speed faster, he adds.

That said, Currie, who came to Foyles in April 2015 from U.K. cosmetics company Molton Brown, notes that he has actually "dialed back on digital." He prefers to emphasize the seductiveness of the physical bookstore and to increase the interactions between customers and booksellers. "I think in the digital age our competitive advantage is our people," Currie says. "The Internet offers what bookselling was 20 or 30 years ago: shelves in alphabetical order from which you pick a book, buy it, and leave. That is Amazon. In our bookstores, we want customers to feel the logic, empathy, and connection that is human."

A cornerstone of Currie's brief tenure has been the implementation of a professional-development program for booksellers. Dubbed Barnum, after the 19th-century circus impresario to whom the original founders of Foyles were once compared, the program promotes four principles (which Currie will discuss during his Winter Institute address) aimed at helping booksellers be more "mindful" and connect better with customers. "Traditionally, book lovers tend to be self-contained, and many were attracted to the profession of bookselling because they wanted an extension of their hobby," Currie says. "We try to help them be more open and aware, reminding them that the bookselling profession is about sharing that love."

While Foyles' flagship is some 37,000 sq. ft. in size, the satellite and regional stores are significantly smaller, at 4,5005,000 sq. ft. Currie has promoted former booksellers to head the retailer's in-house digital-marketing and customer-experience teams. Ultimately, he says, the goal is to make the bookstores "more sticky," whether that is by offering knitting circles or wireless-audio listening stations, where one can hear recordings of authors discussing their latest books.

"We have seven stores and our nearest competitor, Waterstones, has 270, so we have to work with our strengths," Currie says. "We can do this by becoming known as the family-owned local book retailer, one that is playful, fun, and relevant. For this reason, we're not afraid of Amazon. We are not an algorithm. Nor are we librarians. We are passionate booksellers. We want to be considerate of people's needs and be of genuine service to our community."
PW's reviews editors have selected some of the most notable adult and children's authors to meet at this year's Winter Institute:

Adult

American War

Omar El Akkad

Knopf, Apr.

$26.95 hardcover

First printing: 75,000

Why the buzz: "Omar El Akkad has reported on the war in Afghanistan, the Arab Spring uprising, and the Black Lives Matter movement here in the United States. American War is a remarkable novel made all the more daring perhaps by the unsettling times we find ourselves in right now." Sonny Mehta, chairman and editor-in-chief, Knopf

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; online and print advertising campaign, including Goodreads, NPR.org, LitHub, and Facebook; newsletter ad campaign with major newspapers; prepub bookseller events; prepub giveaways through Goodreads, First to Read, and Read It Forward; book trailer; author Q&A; reading-group guide and promotion; jacket blowups.

Opening: "When I was young, I collected postcards."

Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women

Susan Burton

New Press, May

$26.95 hardcover

First printing: 40,000

Why the buzz: "When Michelle Alexander (The New Jim Crow) introduced us to her, we knew we had to publish Susan's book. Someone with Susan's background is usually in prisonor dead. Through Susan's remarkable story readers will understand the human cost of mass incarcerationand be inspired by her new life of activism." Ellen Adler, publisher, New Press

Publicity & marketing plans: Eight-city author tour, including women's prisons and events with criminal-justice-reform advocates; advertising; outreach to women's media, urban media, and recovery communities; co-op available.

Opening: "The women take their first step of freedom at the Greyhound bus station in downtown Los Angeles, around the corner from Skid Row, where America's largest concentration of homeless people live on the sidewalk, the lucky ones in makeshift tents; it's nothing like the freedom you'd dreamed about in your cell."

The Bedlam Stacks

Natasha Pulley

Bloomsbury, Aug.

$26 hardcover

First printing: 40,000

Why the buzz: "The Bedlam Stacks is a gorgeous literary fantasy novel, a follow up to Pulley's beloved debut, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. Two members of the British East India company are sent on a clandestine mission to procure highly valuable quinine trees in the magical landscape of 19th-century Peru." Marie Coolman, senior director of publicity and

communications, Bloomsbury

Publicity & marketing plans: Advertising; prepub blogger and bookseller mailings; online consumer-review campaign.

Opening: "Although I hadn't been shot at for years, it took me a long time to understand that the bang wasn't artillery."

Down City: A Daughter's Story of Love, Memory, and Murder

Leah Carroll

Grand Central, Mar.

$26 hardcover

First printing: 50,000

Why the buzz: "Leah Carroll has written a deeply moving memoir of a hardscrabble childhood in blue collar America. [It] reminds me of two of the greats: The Glass Castle and The Liars Club. This book is nothing if not a reckoning with Leah's past and the legacy of her parents and the city that made them: Providence, R.I." Maddie Caldwell, assistant editor, Grand Central

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; early reader campaign to book groups and social-reading networks; Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers.

Opening: "On the night she died, my mom drove to a motel to buy cocaine with two men: Peter Gilbert and Gerald Mastracchio."

The Hearts of Men

Nickolas Butler

Ecco, Mar.

$26.99 hardcover

First printing: 50,000

Why the buzz: "Nickolas Butler is one of the most exciting young writers working today. What struck me about this novel was that Nick manages to get all the details of his painfully real characters and his perfectly evoked sense of time and place absolutely right, but he uses them to tell a much larger, richer story about family, fidelity, and morality." Megan Lynch, v-p, editorial director and Butler's editor, Ecco

Publicity & marketing plans: 12-city author tour; prepub online buzz campaign; prepub author media luncheon; "camp memories" Instagram promotion; ABA White Box mailing.

Opening: "The bugler needs no alarm."

Little Fires Everywhere

Celeste Ng

Penguin Press, Sept.

$26 hardcover

Why the buzz: "As she did in her celebrated debut, Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng has written a masterly work that plumbs the secret depths of a seemingly perfect community. Little Fires Everywhere meticulously takes apart the tidy, progressive haven of Shaker Heights, Ohio. It's also an incisive examination of how little we can ever know what drives other peopleor even ourselves." Ginny Smith Younce, senior editor and Ng's editor, Penguin Press

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; advertising; prepub bookseller events; literary-blog and literary-podcast campaign; outreach to online and in-store book clubs; major social media campaign featuring giveaways, targeted advertising, and shareable designs; jacket blowups; promotional author video; IndieBound White Box mailing.

Opening: "Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down."

The Middlepause: On Life After Youth

Marina Benjamin

Catapult, Mar.

$16.95 paperback

First printing: 15,000

Why the buzz: "We live in a culture that creates such anxiety around aging that it's almost impossible to approach midlife with anything but foreboding. Thank goodness for Marina Benjamin's The Middlepause, a smart, unsentimental look at middle age that serves as both a personal and a cultural history. This is a vital book for everyone." Erin Kottke, director of

publicity, Catapult

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; extensive national media campaign with emphasis on women's, broadcast, and literary media.

Opening: "I live on a small square in northeast London."

Mrs. Fletcher

Tom Perrotta

Scribner, Aug.

$26 hardcover

First printing: 200,000

Why the buzz: "Written with his trademark pathos, humor, wit, razor-sharp insight, cultural understanding, and big-hearted empathy, Perrotta's new novel combines the caustic campus politics of Election with the darker anxieties of Little Children. It's the story of a mother and a son, and it's a glorious look at the difficulties and delights of redefining ourselves as we grow older." Liese Mayer, editor, Scribner

Publicity & marketing plans: Seven-city author tour; prepub events; social media outreach and giveaways; Goodreads promotion and giveaways; book club promotion.

Opening: "It was a long drive and Eve cried most of the way home, because the big day hadn't gone the way she'd hoped, not that big days ever did."

My Absolute Darling

Gabriel Tallent

Riverhead, Aug.

$28 hardcover

First printing: 75,000

Why the buzz: "This deeply empathic, emotionally urgent novela survival story about a fierce, haunted young girl in the thrall of her tortured fatherwill live inside you long after you finish reading. Inspired by the teenagers he met while leading youth trail crews in the Pacific Northwest, Gabriel Tallent has created an all-consuming story of Turtle's heart-stopping fight for her own soul." Jynne Dilling Martin, publicity director, Riverhead

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; online advertising; social media and online promotion; book club promotion.

Opening: "The old house hunkers on its hill, all peeling white paint, bay windows, and spindled wooden railings overgrown with climbing roses and poison oak."

The Orphan's Tale

Pam Jenoff

Mira, Feb.

$15.99 paperback

First printing: 300,000

Why the buzz: "With echoes of The Nightingale and Water for Elephants, The Orphan's Tale has mesmerized all who have read it. Pam depicts the circus in vivid detail: the grace of the aerialists, the bright colors of the tents, the sounds and smells of the animalsand in stark contrast

to the horrors of war." Erika Imranyi, editorial director, Park Row Books

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; advertising, including in-book advertising in selected Mira titles; book group and social-reading-networks promotion; promotion through early reader review programs, including Goodreads; extensive blogger and social media campaign.

Opening: "They will be looking for me by now."

The People We Hate at the Wedding

Grant Ginder

Flatiron, June

$25.99 hardcover

First printing: 100,000

Why the buzz: "The People We Hate at the Wedding had me at the title, but then there was that great first chapter where they open the wedding invitations and jealously try to figure out how much it cost, and then came the House Hunters binge watching and Klonopin popping, along with keen insights into love and family." James Melia, editor, Flatiron

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; print, digital, Instagram, Facebook, and video-on-demand advertising; 7,500 ARCs; Summer Beach Reads campaign, including a sweepstakes with swag; bridal-industry collaborations and giveaways; video trailer.

Opening: "Christ, Alice thinks, staring at the envelope, these invitations must have cost a fucking fortune."

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

Kate Moore

Sourcebooks, May

$26.99 hardcover

Why the buzz: "Kate Moore's astonishing narrative history reads like a thriller. Everyone who's met these incredible women has felt a personal passion to tell their story, and we are so excited to illuminate this piece of hidden history. The Radium Girls reminds us that no matter the darkness, our strength and perseverance can be enough to change the world." Grace Menary-Winefield, associate editor, Sourcebooks

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; advertising; drive-time-radio tour; prepub excerpt campaign; reading-group outreach.

Opening: "The scientist had forgotten all about the radium. It was tucked discreetly within the folds of his waistcoat pocket, enclosed in a slim glass tube in such a small quantity that he could not feel its weight."

Stephen Florida

Gabe Habash

Coffee House, June

$25 hardcover

First Printing: 10,000

Why the buzz: "When we found it in the queue, three of us read it within three days and we immediately made an offer. Between the voice, edging into the uncanny, and the heart in it, we couldn't not have it." Caroline Casey, managing director, Coffee House

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour, including AWP and BEA bookseller dinners; advertising; 500-copy galley run.

Opening: "My mother had two placentas and I was living off both of them."

Temporary People

Deepak Unnikrishnan

Restless, Mar.

$17.99 paperback

First printing: 10,000

Why the buzz: "We launched the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing last year hoping to find an urgent new voice to exemplify immigrants' essential role in our culture. Those hopes were exceeded by the bold, transfiguring work of Deepak Unnikrishnan. Temporary People suffuses the anonymous' laborers of the Gulf with unforgettable vividness."

Nathan Rostron, editor and marketing director, Restless

Publicity & marketing plans: 10-day author tour; prepub media lunch; ABA Indies Introduce selection for winter/spring 2017.

Opening: "In a labor camp, somewhere in the Persian Gulf, a laborer swallowed his passport and turned into a passport."



Children's/YA

At the Edge of the Universe

Shaun David Hutchinson

Simon Pulse, Feb.

$17.99 hardcover

Ages 14 and up

First printing: 75,000

Why the buzz: "At the Edge of the Universe offers readers a surreal, high-concept story as well as a heartbreaking metaphor for the power of loss. We're so proud to publish Shaun not only for the masterful novels he writes but also for his openness and willingness to be a role model who can inspire troubled teens to see that they are not alone in our universe." Liesa Abrams, v-p, editorial director, Simon Pulse and associate editorial director, Aladdin

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; advertising; prepub buzz campaign; VIP blogger campaign; Riveted Community featured title; SimonTeen social media promotion.

Opening: "I sat beside the window pretending to read Plato's Republic as the rest of the passengers boarding Flight 1184 zombie-walked to their seats."

The Case of the Stinky Stench

Josh Funk

Sterling, May

$16.95 hardcover

Ages 58

Why the buzz: "We couldn't wait to read the next installment in Josh Funk's hilarious chronicles of our favorite breakfast-food heroes, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast. In their second adventure, they have to solve the mystery of who's causing the terrible odor in the fridge. The case takes them from Marshmallow Coast to Corn Chowder Lake, where they meet an actual red herring." Christina Pulles, senior editor, Sterling

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; advertising; book trailer; activity kit available; Skype visits to schools.

Opening: "Back in the kitchen and deep in the fridge, past Trifle Tower, across Taco Bridge, on a vacation at Marshmallow Coast, sat Lady Pancake beside Sir French Toast."

City of Saints & Thieves

Natalie C. Anderson

Putnam, Jan.

$18.99 hardcover

Ages 12 and up

First printing: 100,000

Why the buzz: "Tiny, the heroine of this knockout of a debut, is nothing short of a sensation. You'll be instantly pulled into her story by the bravado of her voice and compelled to stay by the trueness of her heart. In between, prepare yourself for a thrilling, breathless journey where betrayal lurks around every corner and an ending you won't see coming." Stacey Barney, senior editor, Putnam

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances with Penguin Teen on Tour; advertising; prepublication buzz campaign; extensive online promotion and social media outreach; preorder campaign with two Boston-area stores; a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers and an Indies Introduce winter/spring 2017 selection.

Opening: "If you're going to be a thief, the first thing you need to know is that you don't exist."

The Cruelty

Scott Bergstrom

Feiwel and Friends, Feb.

$18.99 hardcover

Ages 17 and up

First printing: 100,000

Why the buzz: "I love a good unputdownable thriller. I started The Cruelty late at night and then couldn't sleepand not only because of the tension of a teenage girl searching for her kidnapped father. This is more about a girl's painful but necessary evolution, her quest to hold onto a modicum of control in this violent and unfair world."Liz Szabla, editor-in-chief, Feiwel and Friends

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances, including book festivals and trade shows; advertising; blogger outreach; promotions on Goodreads and Fierce Reads.

Opening: "The boys are waiting for the beheading."

Daughter of the Pirate King

Tricia Levenseller

Feiwel and Friends, Feb.

$17.99 hardcover

Ages 12 and up

First printing: 25,000

Why the buzz: "I adore pirates, and this book has everything a good pirate yarn needs: sea battles, sword fights, ancient treasure maps, action, adventure, romance, and even a little bit of magic. And, most important of all, [it has] a truly kick-butt heroine, who is strong, smart, capable, and, as befitting a pirate princess, quite ruthless when necessary. What's not to love?" Holly West, editor, Feiwel and Friends

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; YA blog tour; advertising; a Fierce Reads title; a Winter/Spring 2017 Indies Introduce selection.

Opening: "I hate having to dress like a man."

Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo

William Joyce

Atheneum, Apr.

$17.99, hardcover

Ages 48

First printing: 40,000

Why the buzz: "Bill Joyce's earlier works were classics the moment they were first published. Each is an epic adventure in a mere 32 pages; the lush and sumptuously rendered watercolors and acrylics create the worlds that kids dream of and wish to fall into. So to have the opportunity to bring these gems to a new generation is a dream for me as an editor." Caitlyn M. Dlouhy, v-p and

editorial director, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour, including book-festival appearances; advertising.

Opening: "The Lazardos were an interesting family."

Dragonwatch: A Fablehaven Adventure

Brandon Mull

Shadow Mountain, Mar.

$18.99 hardcover

Ages 8 and up

First printing: 100,000

Why the buzz: "The focus is on the dragons who now view their safe sanctuaries as prisons, and they want out. In that quest we are introduced to the personalities, foibles, and wisdom of the dragon characters. A young Fablehaven reader once told me, Dragons are really misunderstood: they look mean and scary, but we just need to get to know them better.' Now we will." Ilise Levine, sales and

marketing manager, Shadow Mountain

Publicity & marketing plans: Eight-week school tour; six-figure marketing campaign; advertising; Decked Out for Dragonwatch contest with winners chosen by the author; reader's guide; poster; "Dragon wisdom" stickers; pins; bookmarks.

Opening: "Kendra Sorenson jogged through the warm mist, damp gravel crunching underfoot, wondering if the moisture in the air was falling enough to be called rain."

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Feb.

$17.99 hardcover

Ages 14 and up

First printing: 100,000

Why the buzz: "The Hate U Give is not only a complex and nuanced portrayal of racism and police brutality; it's also an authentic depiction of a black teen girl finding her voice with the support of her loving, complicated family and community. An essential, urgent novel by a remarkable new talent." Donna Bray, v-p and copublisher, Balzer + Bray

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances, including at the North Texas Teen Book Festival and the Houston Teen Book Con; advertising; discussion guide; Indie Red Box easel and discussion-guide mailing.

Opening: "I shouldn't have come to this party."

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

Benjamin Alire Saenz

Clarion, Mar.

$17.99 hardcover

Ages 12 and up

First printing: 75,000

Why the buzz: "For all the editorial love I bear for the book, sometimes only a writer can find the right words. Award-winner Bill Konigsberg called this novel a story about learning how to be a gentle person in a world that's mostly filled with fear. What the world needs now is a book like this one.' What more can I possibly say?" Anne Hoppe, v-p,

associate publisher, Clarion

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; advertising; bookmarks; social media campaign.

Opening: "I have a memory that is almost like a dream: the yellow leaves from Mima's mulberry tree are floating down from the sky like giant snowflakes."

The Lotterys Plus One

Emma Donoghue

Scholastic/Levine, Mar.

$17.99 hardcover

Ages 812

Why the buzz: "Emma Donoghue has given us a loud, loving, boisterous family for the 21st centurya family that's tried hard to create a small piece of utopia in their rambling Victorian house. This beautiful, funny novel does more than make you laugh. It makes you think about the bonds of family, about how best to stand up for oneself, and about acceptance."Arthur A. Levine, v-p and publisher, Arthur A. Levine Books

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; advertising; video book trailer; featured in LGBTQ Read with Pride campaign; featured on Scholastic social media networks and websites.

Opening: "Only eight people at breakfast today, which feels weird."

Just Fly Away

Andrew McCarthy

Algonquin Young Readers, Apr.

$17.95 hardcover

Ages 12 and up

First printing: 75,000

Why the buzz: "[Heroine] Lucy Willows is a seeker, and travel is at the heart of her story. Lucy captured me with her refreshing directness. While plots often turn on what's not said, Lucy plunges into big questions. And befitting her creator's history, Lucy's literal routefrom the Jersey shore to the lobster shacks and lighthouses of Maineis equally essential to her self-discovery." Elise Howard, publisher, Algonquin Young Readers

Publicity & marketing plans: 18-city author tour; ew.com cover reveal with exclusive excerpt; downloadable reader's guide and author Q&A.

Opening: "I suppose if I thought about it I would have to say that I had a premonition when we were down the shore that something bad was going to happen."

Midnight at the Electric

Jodi Lynn Anderson

HarperTeen, June

$17.99 hardcover

Ages 14 and up

First printing: 75,000

Why the buzz: "Effusive isn't a big enough word to describe the in-house praise. Who else but Jodi Lynn Anderson could bring three distinct young women stunningly to life and in the process show us more tenderly how theirno, how ourfates are entwined? Gorgeous, moving, and quietly unforgettable, Midnight at the Electric is Jodi's masterpiece." Jennifer Klonsky, editorial director, HarperTeen

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances, including at TLA; extensive ARC distribution and big-mouth mailings; ABA White Box promotion; online and social media advertising; promotion at seasonal festivals.

Opening: "From above, Miami looked as if it were blinking itself awake; the rising sun reflected against the city's windows."

Old Turtle: Questions of the Heart

Douglas Wood, illus. Greg Ruth

Scholastic Press, Mar.

$19.99 hardcover

Ages 48

Why the buzz: "Twenty-five years ago, independent booksellers made Douglas Wood's small press picture-book sensation Old Turtle a national bestseller. This companion book is another timeless tale of wisdom, and its universal spiritual themes find their perfect complement in the ethereal paintings of Greg Ruth. The book promises to delight fans of the first book while speaking to the concerns of the world today." Anamika Bhatnagar, associate publisher, Scholastic

Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; advertising; included in outreach for the Story Starts Here picture-book campaign.

Opening: "It had been a long time. So long that many had forgotten or had begun to doubt that such a being as Old Turtle had ever really existed."

What Girls Are Made Of

Elana K. Arnold

Carolrhoda Lab, Apr.

$18.99 hardcover

Ages 12 and up

Why the buzz: "What Girls Are Made Of stands out for its unflinching look at the darkest crevices of what it means to be female. It follows the journey of Nina, who is grappling with what love means and trying to embrace who she really is. Raw and compelling, this book will surprise readers with its unconventional narrative approach." Alix Reid, editorial director, Carolrhoda Lab and Carolrhoda Books

Publicity & marketing plans: Advertising; Web and major trade show promotions; bookmarks, discussion guides, and free downloads.

Opening: "When I was 14, my mother told me there was no such thing as unconditional love."

Yvain: The Knight of the Lion

M.T. Anderson

Candlewick, Mar.

$19.99 hardcover

Ages 12up

Why the buzz: "The incomparable M.T. Anderson has taken us to a near-future Earth in Feed, to besieged Leningrad in Symphony for the City of the Dead, and now to Arthurian forests in his first graphic novel, Yvain. In Anderson's retelling, the 12th-century epic poem ripples with action, but also reveals themes of gender, power, love, and hate." Jennifer Roberts, v-p of publicity and executive director of marketing campaigns, Candlewick

Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; extensive galley distribution; illustrations by Andrea Offermann to be showcased in a social media campaign and across all corporate digital-marketing platforms; discussion guide.

Opening: "I shall speak of love... and of hate."
According to a legend, when the goddess was injured during a fight with the demons, her wounds were treated with butter by gods on Makar Sankranti.

By India Today Web Desk: One of the busiest shrines in north India, the Brajeshwari Devi temple sees a majority of pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Preparations started on Saturday morning for the installation of the idol of Goddess Brajeshwari Devi made of 1,600 kg of clarified butter, in the famous Brajeshwari Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh, officials said.

advertisement

The idol, being prepared by using 'desi ghee' after purification with holy water 101 times by temple priests, will be open for the public early Sunday morning, temple official Pawan Badyal told IANS.

He said the butter idol would be removed from the 'pindi' or iconography of the goddess on January 20 and its 'prasada' or edible food would be distributed among the devotees.

It is believed the idol butter cures chronic skin ailments and pain in the joints.

According to a legend, when the goddess was injured during a fight with the demons, her wounds were treated with butter by gods on Makar Sankranti.

One of the busiest shrines in north India, the Brajeshwari Devi temple in this Himachal town sees a large number of pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Every year the preparations for installing the butter idol begin on Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated as a week-long festival at the temple.

--- ENDS ---
BHC closed Monday for MLK holiday

All Black Hawk College locations and facilities will be closed Monday, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The college will reopen Tuesday. Spring 2017 college-credit classes also begin Tuesday.

Warehouse worker safety covered Jan. 23

Work in a warehouse? Take Warehouse Worker Safety training Jan. 23 at Black Hawk College.

The class will cover forklift operations, receiving and shipping hazardous materials, packaging materials, documentation and cleaning up minor chemical spills from powered industrial trucks.

The class will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the colleges Quad-Cities Campus in Moline. Cost is $79.

To register, call 309-796-5718.

Health care career training begins soon

Black Hawk College offers a variety of short-term health-care training programs that prepare students for entry-level positions.

Upcoming programs include:

Phlebotomy Technician: 6-10 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 24 to March 28 or 5:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 1 to April 5 or 3:45-7:45 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 10 to April 21. Cost is $725.

Medical Receptionist: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Feb. 2 to March 16. Cost is $215.

EKG Technician: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 3 to March 17. Cost is $395.

Class locations vary. For more information, call 309-796-8223, or visit bhc.edu/health.

Explore laughter, sign language, genealogy, floral design

Black Hawk College offers a variety of community education classes.

Upcoming classes include:

Loosen Up and Lighten Up (laughter for well-being): Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $15.

Starting Your Family Search: Thursdays, Jan. 26 to Feb. 23, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $50.

Basic Floral Design: Thursdays, Jan. 26 to Feb. 16, from 5:45 to 8 p.m. Cost is $150.

American Sign Language -- Beginning: Tuesdays, Jan. 31 to March 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. Cost is $159.

Class locations vary. For details, visit bhc.edu/communityed. To register, call 309-796-8223.

Public water operators prep for EPA exam

Public water supply operators can prepare for the Illinois EPA exam and certification by taking the Black Hawk College class Intermediate and Advanced Drinking Water Operations.

The course will cover a majority of the significant procedures and concepts related to the operation and maintenance of Illinois Class B and Class A public water supply operations.

The class will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 1, Feb. 15, March 8, April 5, April 12 and April 26, at the colleges Quad-Cities Campus in Moline. Cost is $465. The registration deadline is Jan. 25.

For more information or to register, visit bhc.edu/waterclasses or call 309-796-5718.
Today is Saturday, Jan. 14, the 14th day of 2017. There are 351 days left in the year.

1867 -- 150 years ago: Judge Danforth sold his residence to Edward Burrall Jr. and will soon return to his old home in Vermont to reside.

1892 -- 125 years ago: The Rock Island Board of Education hired Miss May Murphy to teach for the second semester and raised her salary to $45 a month.

1917 -- 100 years ago: A fire, started by sparks from the chimney, damaged the roof of Fire Chief G.W. Newberrys home.

1942 -- 75 years ago: Fire Chief August Schmidt reported that Rock Island firemen made seven runs during last nights sub-zero weather.

1967 -- 50 years ago: Two changes on the curriculum and school policies of the Moline Lutheran Hospital School of Nurses were announced today. Under the changes, training will be offered in two rather than the traditional three years, and married students as well as men will be admitted to the school.

1991 -- 25 years ago: Plans to rebuild Knoxville Road officially have been shelved until Rock Island county officials can negotiate a reconstruction agreement with the state Department of Transportation. The county wants the state to pay half the cost of rebuilding the intersection of Knoxville Road and the Milan Beltway and installing a traffic light there. DOT officials said the intersection is not a part of the reconstruction and is not negotiable.
MOLINE  The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous-weather alert for the Quad-Cities through the weekend.

Light freezing rain was possible Friday night but not expected to pose major issues. Things could deteriorate later in the weekend, however, with a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and light snow from Sunday morning continuing through to Monday.

A quarter-inch of ice buildup is possible in western Illinois and all of eastern Iowa, though there is a chance the ice will miss us. However, driving conditions are likely to be slick. Less than one inch of snow or sleet also is possible, according to the NWS.

The NWS said higher amounts of ice accumulation are possible along and south of Interstate 72 through Sunday. On Friday afternoon, the state closed Cahokia Mounds in Collinsville, Fort de Chartres near Prairie du Rocher, Lewis and Clark in Hartford and the Vandalia Statehouse "out of an abundance of caution as an ice storm approaches."

Downed trees were reported in the Carbondale area and the Illinois Department of Transportation reported roadways covered with patches of ice and snow in southwestern Illinois.
The Fifth Commandment says, Thou shall not kill. Nevertheless, in 2016, there were 762 homicides in Chicago. But if God said, Thou shall not kill, then why?

Now we hear of a mentally handicapped young man being bound, gagged and tortured in Chicago.

Why?

Guns caused most of those deaths. Progressives, therefore, argue, Ban all guns!

But is the availability of guns the true cause of those killings? The torture? Do people who kill or torture their neighbors believe that destruction of human life is morally wrong? Punishable by God? Have they respect for life?

In 2015, Hillary Clinton told attendees of Women in the World Summit, Far too many women are still denied critical access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth.

Reproductive health care was Mrs. Clintons euphemism for abortion. She continued, Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.

Fairly read, Mrs. Clinton was saying not just that the right to kill fetuses had to be protected. She was saying that resources (taxpayer funding) should be used to make abortions more readily available. Even more chilling, she said, the religious beliefs of Catholics and those who believe abortion to be a moral wrong must be changed.

Do you doubt her meaning? In the same video she added:

I would like to see Planned Parenthood even get more funding. ... The unborn person doesnt have Constitutional rights. (lifenews.com/2016/08/08/hillary-clinton-make-christians-change-their-religious-views-to-support-abortion.)

Thanks to Wikileaks, we have learned that Mrs. Clintons remarks were not her unique personal views.

The Clinton team had already created two organizations designed to undermine the churchs teachings on the right of the fetus to life.

In 2012, Mrs. Clintons campaign chairman John Podesta received an email from Voices for Progress president Sandy Newman stating, There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic church.

Newman suggested the Clinton team should plant the seeds of revolution.

Podesta responded, We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this ... Likewise Catholics United. 

Newman and Podesta were discussing two politically funded front organizations created to undermine church teaching against abortion -- to convince voters that there is no moral wrong in killing unborn children; to undermine church teachings demanding respect for life.

During the first 15 years of my judgeship, I regularly heard every type of case an Illinois judge could hear, including criminal and juvenile delinquency cases.

Overtime, I perceived a pattern. The sentencing reports prepared by our probation officers contained certain commonalities.

Most criminals/delinquents:

1. Read poorly, and did poorly in school;

2. Came from homes without a father; and

3. Lacked religious affiliation.

I would be shocked if those same commonalities werent present in the 762 Chicago homicides; in the torture. People dont commit crimes for three main reasons:

-- It is against the law, and they might be imprisoned;

-- They have been taught by their families (immediate and extended) the golden rule, and that crime is wrong;

-- Their church teaches that Hell exists and that God severely punishes murderers.

Without family and church, what passes for moral training most likely comes from the schools or from the streets. But any street morality that approves selling drugs and using deadly force to defend ones turf, is not likely to discourage gun violence.

In modern America, people have many reasons why they are not involved with organized religion. But in this political cycle, we have seen something new: the brain-trust of an American party covertly attempting to undermine church teachings protecting the right to life.

Destroy religion, the family, respect for life, and reject morality, and death follows; first, for the unborn, stripped of protections, both moral and legal.

Then, for the rest of us, who are left only with those legal protections accorded us by amoral men.
G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now!
India's exports to China, by contrast, only reached $11.76 billion, decreasing by as much as 12 per cent in December, according to the GAC.

By Ananth Krishnan: India's bilateral trade with China fell in 2016 but its trade imbalance continued to widen last year, underlining the increasingly unsustainable trade relations with the country's biggest neighbour and trading partner.

Bilateral trade in 2016 reached $70.08 billion, down from $71.63 billion in 2015, according to data available with China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) in Beijing. The trade deficit reached a record $46.56 billion.

advertisement

The bulk of trade was driven by Chinese exports to India, largely comprised of electrical machinery, power equipment and telecom exports, which reached $58.32 billion, accounting for around four-fifths of total trade.

India's exports to China, by contrast, only reached $11.76 billion, decreasing by as much as 12 per cent in December, according to the GAC.

India mainly exports ores, organic chemicals and other resources, the appetite for which has declined in China following a slowdown in the investment-driven economy as well as mining curbs in some Indian states.

Also read: Why the Diwali boycott of Made in China products flopped

Also read: From Narendra Modi to China, 2017 may herald new world order

While overall bilateral trade declined slightly from 2015, the imbalance in China's favour increased, from $44.87 billion in 2015 to $46.56 billion last year.

INDIA'S LIMITED ACCESS

India has been pitching for greater market access particularly in the IT and pharma sectors, but has made limited headway.

With the growing imbalance in trade, a push by both countries for greater Chinese investment into India - and a shift away from a largely transactional buy-sell relationship - has made progress in the past year, which saw record investments from China into India, reaching close to $1 billion, albeit a still low figure.

Also read: Exclusive: How China's transgressions of Indian borders have decreased over 7 years

Officials expect that to increase with plans underway for five Chinese industrial parks that are set to take off in the coming year.

Watch the video here

--- ENDS ---
Independent software and service provider Quadrille is partnering with Africas Econet Media to provide push catch-up software for Econet Medias Kwese TV portfolio.

Econet Media has been set up to be the content business driving the development of Kwese, a new television brand created for Sub-Saharan African audiences. Quadrille will supply its QuadriFast modular file transfer solution, which offers multicast delivery of any content, allowing broadcasters to set up an over the air delivery platform for a number of services including catch-up, live TV and video-on-demand (VOD).The solution is designed to enable the multi-platform television network to deliver anywhere, any time catch-up services. The service can be accessed through linear TV on Kwese TVs direct to home (DTH) service with an external hard disc drive.Its not enough to have the best content; how we deliver our programming to our viewers is a critical aspect of our strategy. Regardless of the platform we want to ensure a seamless viewing experience for our audiences. This software provides the infrastructure required to deliver this service, remarked Econet president and group chief executive officer Joseph Hundah.
Sputnik, January 12, 2017

On Wednesday, a US government report stated that Afghanistans security infrastructure must be stabilized to keep from becoming a sanctuary for terrorists, but noted that Afghan Security Forces are not yet equipped to secure the country without assistance.

The report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan (SIGAR) rendered an assessment of the country two years after NATO forces pulled out in 2014, leaving behind a small training and assisting mission.



Afghan personnel carried a victim of a bombing in Kabul on Feb. 1, 2016.(Photo: Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images) Afghan personnel carried a victim of a bombing in Kabul on Feb. 1, 2016.(Photo: Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images)

SIGAR serves as an oversight group for the spending of US reconstruction funds in Afghanistan, and their high-risk evaluation notes that Kabul only controls 63 percent of its territory despite some $70 billion spent to train, bolster and equip Afghan forces.

"The Afghan national defense and security force has not yet been capable of securing all of Afghanistan and has lost territory to the insurgency," the report reads. The document also observed that several areas in the country have become hotbeds for drug trafficking and corruption, with Inspector General John Sopko saying, "To combat the Taliban and other threats, the United States has provided more than $64 billion since 2002, including $3.45 billion in fiscal year 2016 alone, to support the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police, and the Afghan Air Force."

Afghan security forces are "generally capable and effective at protecting major population centers, preventing the Taliban from maintaining prolonged control of specific areas, and at responding to Taliban attacks," according to Defense Department reports cited by SIGAR.

Capturing a provincial capital was a key Taliban objective in 2016. Incidents like Tuesdays suicide attack near parliament buildings in Kabul showed that militant groups in the country are capable carrying out large-scale attacks on urban centers. The coordinated attack killed 38 people and wounded many more, after a suicide bomber detonated himself in the Darul Aman area, while a car bomb exploded soon after.

Another Tuesday bombing at a provincial governors guest house in Kandahar killed five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates. Kandahar governor Hamayun Azizi and the UAE ambassador were among the wounded.

SIGAR did not place all the blame on the Afghan government, however, saying that Washington did not make a thorough evaluation of the landscape before intervening.

"While some aspects of reconstruction in Afghanistan have continued to improve over the past two years, the report stated, most of the issues highlighted in this report have notthe United States contributed significantly to the problems in Afghanistan by dumping too much money, too quickly, into too small an economy, with too little oversight."
Common Dreams, January 13, 2017

By Nadia Prupis

A U.S. military bombing in Kunduz Province last year killed 33 civilians and wounded 27 others, according to a military investigation that concluded on Thursday.

The bombing was not the same one that struck a Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in October 2015, which the human rights group said amounted to a war crime, but was part of a firefight waged by American forces during an Afghan operation to arrest Taliban commanders in Buz-e Kandahari in Kunduz in November of last year.



In this photo, taken on November 10, 2015, staff members walk through the damaged Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in Afghanistan. (Photo: AFP) In this photo, taken on November 10, 2015, staff members walk through the damaged Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in Afghanistan. (Photo: AFP)

Afghan forces reportedly requested the bombing during the raid. The report concluded that the U.S. military had acted in self-defense.

A province official told the Associated Press that the death toll was actually much higher.

"More than 50 people, including women and children, were killed in the Afghan and U.S. forces' attack in Buz-e Kandahari," said Toryalia Kakar, a deputy provincial council member.

Kakar also disputed the military report's claim that the airstrikes had killed 26 Taliban fighters, saying it was no more than 10. He urged the U.S. military to compensate families of the civilian victims.

Two U.S. soldiers and three Afghani commandos were also killed in the firefight, the report stated.

Among the injured was Mohammad Reza, who was injured when his house was bombed in the November 4 airstrikes. He told the New York Times that when villagers left their shelters to collect the victims, they were targeted again by jet planes and gunships.

"We left the dead bodies and escaped from the area," he said at the time. "I lost my four nephews, my father and my brother in the bombing. My wife, my brother's wife, my mother, and my son were injured in the airstrike on my house."

The investigation concludes after a separate report, issued last week by the Council of Foreign Relations, found that the U.S. bombed Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen roughly three times an hour in 2016.

In President Barack Obama's last year in office, the U.S. dropped a total of 26,171 bombs in seven countries, the report stated, with the warning that estimates were "undoubtedly low."
Frustrated by the Syrian opposition's loss of ground against President Bashar al-Assad, and fearing the empowerment of the Syrian Kurds, Erdogan began to tack toward Moscow and away from its Western alliance partners roughly a year after Ankara shot down the Russian warplane. Turkey is now one of the parties in the Syrian cease-fire negotiations, along with Russia and Iran; its equities are the armed Sunni opposition groups that depend on Ankara. By contrast, the United States, Turkey's traditional ally, was excluded from the negotiations and the pending conference in Astana.
Actor Trisha was forced to stall the shooting of her upcoming film Garjanai after protests by jallikattu supporters.

By India Today Web Desk: While jallikattu has spawned to several debates across the country, actor Trisha is the latest to face the wrath of the traditional sport.

According to reports, the shooting of Trisha's Garjanai has been stalled due to protests staged by the pro-jallikattu supporters in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu.

ALSO READ: Bairavaa Review

ALSO READ: Khaidi No 150 Review

advertisement

ALSO READ: Gautamiputra Satakarni Review

Trisha, who's an avid animal lover, endorsed People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently, which has been actively voicing against bull taming sport. The supporters of jallikattu protested against Trisha thereby forcing the unit to call off the film's shooting.

Shaming her for supporting PETA, an anonymous user posted an obituary picture of Trisha on Twitter.

Source: Twitter

Trisha took to twitter and wrote, "I have never spoken against Jallikattu at any given point.Thank u @iam_str for making my stand clear and takin up for me as always."

Secondly,I have never spoken against Jallikattu at any given point.Thank u @iam_str for making my stand clear and takin up for me as always Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

I never bow down to bullyism nor do i fear you.Get off my timeline and get a life !!! Period !!! Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

Disrespecting a woman and her family is tamil culture?You should be ashamed to call urself a Tamilian or even speak about Tamil culture. Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

It must be noted that Arya too faced brickbats for his remarks on jallikattu. Last year, Arya, in a tweet, jovially asked, "What's jallikattu."

After veteran actor Kamal Haasan's strong statement on jallikattu, several Kollywood celebs backed the traditional sport, including superstar Rajinikanth.

Garjanai, which is directed by debutant Sundar B, was launched in December last year. It also stars Amit Bhargav and Vamsi Krishna in important roles. The film is an official remake of the Bollywood hit NH10.

On the career front, Trisha has an interesting lineup of films this year. Apart from Garjanai, she also has Sathuranga Vettai 2 with Arvind Swamy, which is a sequel to the Tamil film of the same name.

WATCH HERE: Experts react to Kamal Haasan's statement on jallikattu

(With inputs from Pramod Madhav, India Today)

--- ENDS ---
Property details:

Vacant Land in Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida! Item Id: Jackson05 Case Name: Jackson, Joseph & Elizabeth Case Number: 15 06809 Trustee: Description: Estate's interest in 1.26 acres of vacant land in Lake Wales, Florida. The property is near Highway 60 East, Lake Wales, FL 33898. The status of water, power, sewer and utilities is unknown. The APN# is 30-31-03-00000-21110. The legal description is E  of NE  of NW  of NW  of SE 1/4 2016 taxes were approximately $9.52 and have not be...

Price: $ 1,183 Seller State of Residence: Florida Property Address: NE of Highway 60 East State/Province: Florida City: Lake Wales Type: Recreational, Acreage Zip/Postal Code: 33898 Location: 338**, Lake Wales, Florida

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 33898
Property details:

20 acres in Acton, California Los Angeles County Are you looking to buy a ranch close to civilization? Then look no further! This property has clean title and is ready for sale. It is 1 hour from the city of Los Angeles, 20 minutes from Palmdale and 20 minutes from Santa Clarita, offering fresh air, grand views, privacy, peace & quiet! This land is currently undeveloped and waiting for a new owner to come build their dream estate here. In the meantime, there is a cleared pad on this property whe...

Price: $ 20,700 Seller State of Residence: California Property Address: Tuckerway Ranch Rd State/Province: California City: Acton Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Agricultural & Residential Zip/Postal Code: 93510 Location: , Acton

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 93510
Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada.

Search Real Estate
Property details:

1/3 ACRE OF PRISTINE VACANT LAND Graham, Washington No Restrictions, no taxes owed, clean title, Warranty Deed You are bidding on a single parcel of raw land located in Pierce County, Washington. Situated in the community of Graham. The property has legal road access as shown on the parcel map. Most of the road and the property itself is still wooded. You have a number of quality lumber trees that eventually need to be cleared before any major development takes place. As-is the property makes a ...

Price: $ 4,150 Seller State of Residence: California Property Address: XXX 296TH ST E State/Province: Washington City: Graham Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 98338 Location: 983**, Graham, Washington

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 98338
Property details:

Begin investing in affordable land!! The housing market is forecast to accelerate! Get your parcel of land now! they are not making any more of it. Roy Washington Adjacent to Lake Serene Near Murray Creek This is a street/right of way It is NOT buildable. Some parts of the road appear not to be currently in use (see attached photos) please conduct your due diligence before bidding. Call Pierce County planning/zoning dept for this info 253-798-7210 for any zoning questions. Perfect property to pu...

Price: $ 1 Seller State of Residence: California Property Address: 61st Ave State/Province: Washington City: Roy Type: Street/Right of Way Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 98580 Location: 985**, Roy, Washington

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 98580
,



We're sorry, this article is not currently available
The sport continues to be held as and when the locals are able to bring in bulls clandestinely.

This is the second day in a row that jallikattu was held in Madurai.

By Revathi Rajeevan: In wake of the ongoing controversy surrounding jallikattu, locals organised the sport in full swing in the Avanipuram village of Madurai district in Tamil Nadu Saturday morning.

It was held at day break but as opposed to the large scale extravagant jallikattu, it was conducted in a small way.

The people of the villages were vocal about their disappointment with the state and central government for not being able to lift the ban on the traditional sport.

advertisement

Ramu, a Jallikattu organiser said, "We waited patiently for three years, obeyed the laws and even then we did not get any favourable verdict. So we decided to defy the existing ban."

An extravagant bull-taming sport, jallikattu saw less than hundred people today.

The sport continues to be held as and when the locals are able to bring in bulls clandestinely.

Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy expressed his views on jallikattu saying he was happy that the police were making arrests all over the state.

Also read: 900 pro-Jallikattu supporters assemble before Tamil actor Simbu's house for peaceful protest

The Rajya Sabha MP added," While I support Jallikattu but I don't like anti-national elements in Tamil Nadu trying to go against the constitution of India."

Meanwhile, two animal rights groups have urged President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to promulgate an ordinance to allow the bull taming sport.

Also read: Jallikattu organised in Madurai with 22 bulls; DMK, AIADMK hold state-wide protest in support

This is the second day in a row that jallikattu was held in Madurai. On Friday, the residents of another Madurai village, Karsisalkulam conducted the sport. About 22 bulls were used for jallikattu at Karsisalkulam, in which 50 bull wranglers participated.

ON ANIMAL CRUELTY

"What animal cruelty are you talking about? What is the danger in the sport? We bring them up like our own children," said Muthumaari, another Jallikattu organiser.

Seven people have been detained so far for organising and participating in jallikattu today.

Also read: Jallikattu: Angry over delay in Supreme Court order, Tamil Nadu men defy ban in Cuddalore, 4 arrested

WATCH VIDEO : Tamil Nadu continues playing Jallikattu as the Centre debates over the ban

--- ENDS ---
From Dillinger to Omaha Beach, the Thompson Still Stands as an Ode to Firepower Innovation

Photos by Terra Piccirilli and 2ndAPhotography

General John Thompson worked diligently from 1915 to 1918 to create an automatic weapon that was small, ergonomic, and had a high rate of fire. There was certainly a market for it in Europe. The Western Front was awash in blood, grime, and destruction, and, worst of all, stalemate. The close-quarter fighting that occurred when one side actually made it to the enemy trenches was medieval; clubs and knives were often used more than long unwieldy rifles. John Thompson's compact automatic weapon would be perfect for this environment. Fortunately for the Central Powers, Thompson did not get his invention perfected in time.

Nor was Thompson's new weapon the first of its kind. The German MP18 was the first proper submachine gun to enter service in any numbers. However, the MP18 is now an obscurity. Few people know about it. The Thompson  or Tommy Gun, Chicago Typewriter, Trench Broom, or any number of other nicknames for the series of weapons  is legendary. It's one of the few firearms even the most junior aficionados can identify from a black silhouette.

The Thompson evolved over time. The 1919 Thompson (an extreme rarity on today's market) was produced in very limited numbers. The first production model Thompson, the 1921, established the Thompson's fearsome reputation. The 1921 and its extremely high rate of fire at 1,200 rpm was brutally effective at close range, even when saddled with the cumbersome 50- or 100-round drum.

In the 1920s and 1930s the world may no longer have been at war on a national level, but brushfire wars were rampant. The Thompson won its spurs in conflicts such as the Irish War of Independence and the Mine Wars in the United States (an excellent research topic for those of you concerned about your rights). The Prohibition Era filled in the blanks on its effectiveness and ultimately sealed its reputation.

By World War II, several countries, including the United States, Great Britain, and, believe it or not, France, used the Thompson. The 1928 Thompson was the most prevalent at the time with a slower rate of fire at about 800 rpm and a compensator fitted as standard. However, the 1928 was complicated and time consuming to build. The mechanical delayed blowback principle on which it operated was made possible by the Blish Block system. The 1921 and 1928 were products of their age when even military rifles looked opulent by our modern standards.

December 7, 1941, changed everything. The United States was at war and it needed to expand its military rapidly. The Thompson was highly desirable, but it was complicated and time consuming to build. The U.S. military wanted its firepower and effectiveness, but had to find a way to make it more efficient to build and field. The M1A1 Thompson was the ultimate result.

The M1A1 offered a number of simplifications over earlier models. Many of these are easy to see from the exterior. The finely machined Lyman rear sight was replaced with a simple L leaf protected by a set of rabbit ears. The charging handle was moved from the top of the receiver to the right side. The barrel fins were removed. The compensator was eliminated. The slots allowing the use of the drum magazine (which was questionably effective for combat use anyway) was removed. The buttstock was fixed.

The greatest changes were internal. The M1A1's bolt was far easier to machine, and was now a simple blowback design. The bolt on the M1A1 also had the firing pin permanently fixed to the bolt face. The resulting firearm was ubiquitous and served the United States throughout the remainder of World War II, alongside many 1928s, and a few 1921s converted to 1928 models, now generally referred to as, '21/28 overstamps.

The Thompson in all of its variants served on virtually every front during World War II. Large numbers of 1928 Thompsons were even sent to the Soviets and were used to some effect. However, many of these went unused and, about a decade ago, large numbers came into the U.S. as parts kits in mint condition except, of course, for the chopped receivers. I recently handled another one of these Soviet Thompsons in Slovenia, again in mint condition, except fully intact and operable with a $500 price tag compared to the $30,000 or so a transferable military 1928 will put you back on the current U.S. market.

The Thompson's reputation was furthered in British service. While only one Royal Marine Commando unit used the M1 Garand to any extent during World War II, virtually all of them used Thompsons. British infantry loved the Thompson, and it served everywhere they did, including north Africa and Italy. The Jewish Brigade was said to have fumed after they were told to turn in their Thompsons for STENs in Italy.

While shot placement was and is still the arbiter of effectiveness in incapacitating an enemy, the Thompson was slinging out 230-grain bullets, almost fully twice the mass of most period 9mm Parabellum bullets at 123 or 124 grains, at 800 rpm in the 1928 and about 650 rpm in the M1A1. In the jungles of the South Pacific and in street fights and wooded areas across Europe, the Thompson was a fearsome opponent.

Despite efforts to simplify its design, the Thompson was still a time-consuming gun to manufacture. During the course of World War II, additional research and development resulted in the M3 Grease Gun which, with little imagination, one might describe as an American STEN, being a mostly sheetmetal alternative to the primarily milled Thompson. By late 1944, the M3 and the Thompson were serving side by side.

World War II did not spell the end of the Thompson. Many U.S. units kept Thompsons in their TO&E for some time. The Thompson was used in decreasing numbers after World War II, but the USA and its allies fielded it to some extent through Vietnam and beyond. The U.S. Navy had some Thompsons aboard ships as late as the 1970s.

Hollywood loved the Thompson as well, and it still does. While Hollywood loves to tell us how evil guns are, and how we (the lessers in their eyes) should be happily disarmed, Hollywood has done nothing but increase the public's fascination with legendary guns, such as the Thompson. Films such as Road to Perdition, and The Untouchables showcased the Thompson in its Prohibition Era environment. Other films and series such as Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Saving Private Ryan, also prominently feature the Thompson.

While it is certainly debatable what the most American gun might be, the long rifle, the 73 Colt, the 73 Winchester, or the 1911, the Thompson certainly deserves a place on the ballot. Its dependability, durability, and brutal effectiveness in close quarters  from the streets of Chicago to the ruins of Cassino  earned it a place in firearms history. While more modern SMG/PDW designs, like the Uzi, MP5, and now MP7, have sprung up over the years, only a foolish man would consider turning down a Thompson for close-quarters fighting, and in the hands of a skilled opponent, only a complete idiot would disrespect it because of its age.

M1A1 Thompson Caliber: .45 ACP OAL 32 inches Barrel Length: 10.5 inches Action: Air-cooled blowback Rate of Fire: 650 to 700 rpm Weight: 10.6 pounds Capacity: 20- or 30-round magazine Effective range: Up to 150 m
Negro Students Prepare for Wednesday Classes. On Jan. 10, 1961, The Red & Black ran an extra edition of the paper with that headline printed in large type across the front page.
Break-in at sorority house, drugs found in apartments, pitbull shot and offensive comments made at Waffle House, all between Dec. 1 and 6.
By India Today Web Desk: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's messy divorce has finally come to an end. Their divorce has been finalised and the couple's two dogs Pistol and Boo will stay with Amber. The divorce agreement also requires Johnny to pay Amber $7 million, which she has pledged to two charities.

ALSO WATCH: Johnny Depp's night with belly dancers, far from divorce battle with Amber Heard

advertisement

PHOTOS: Amber Heard's domestic abuse claims against Johnny Depp get stronger with more images

Amber had accused Johnny of physically and emotionally abusing her throughout their 15-month marriage. In fact, she had even said, "I truly feared that my life was in danger."

Amber's attorney said, "It is a great day. All Amber wanted was a divorce and now she has it. In the words of Gerald Ford, our long national nightmare is over."

Johnny's lawyer Laura Wasser also echoed a similar sentiment. She said, "We are all pleased to put this unpleasant chapter in Mr Depp and his family's lives behind them. Having his request for entry of the dissolution judgment granted today made it a particularly lucky Friday the 13th."

--- ENDS ---
'The UK spends about Rs 1.5 lakh per citizen on health.'

'India spend Rs 260.'

'Of course, we are a poor nation, but we are a poor nation that spent Rs 59,000 crore buying 36 fighter planes and this year is spending Rs 99,000 crore on a bullet train,' says Aakar Patel.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

I'm writing this from Hertfordshire in England, with a fractured foot.

I was bowling when my left foot turned inwards and I fell on it, cracking my ankle. I knew instantly something serious had happened. However I dismissed it as a sprain and ignored it, assuming it would heal itself.

A couple of days later the foot still looked like a balloon and I decided to see a doctor to find out what was wrong.

The physician at Harley Street in London I telephoned said he could see me that afternoon but the x-ray results would only be available to him the following day.

I couldn't wait and so went to the accident and emergency ward of a nearby hospital.

There I said I was from Bangalore and was flying out in the next few days. The attendant registered me and asked me to wait with about a dozen other people, some of them in worse state than I was.

After about half an hour I was asked to see a nurse. She saw the swelling and sent me for an x-ray. Here the radiologist took a couple of shots and told me it was a fracture.

She asked if I had been walking around with it and I said yes. She called a wheelchair that then took me to another building to see the doctor.

After another half an hour's wait the man (many or most of the doctors here are Indian) showed me the scan. It was a spiral fracture with the line curving across my ankle bone.

He then said I would have to be given a cast and would have to wait half an hour before it could be ready.

After a few minutes a woman called my name out and asked for my shoe size. I said it was 11 and she went off to fetch the cast.

It turned out to be a large plastic boot with a hard shell outside and a soft inflatable section inside that one could pump to make the foot fit snugly.

The device came with two large socks and the attendant or nurse gave me a demonstration of how to put it on with patience and concern.

She then asked if I had been given a CD of my x-ray. I said I had not and she walked with me back to the first building and had the CD burnt.

She then told me how to exit the building after the CD came, which took another five minutes.

I did not have to pay anything and the whole thing, the registration, the consultancy, the x-ray and the cast were free.

I was out of the hospital some two hours after I had hobbled in.

I am writing this because British newspapers are always full of stories about how terrible the National Health Service is.

And how people are made to wait for days before they are given an appointment for things like surgery.

The NHS is free for all citizens and, apparently, it is free for emergency and accident services also for all, including tourists.

I think that is very civilised.

I recognise that my experience may not be the same as that other Britishers have had, and that the emergency section is probably not the best place to judge a government run health service.

But the care and efficiency I encountered could not have been but the product of a system that functions well.

I felt guilty of not having to pay, but I also recognise that my tax had funded the subsidised education of thousands of Indian doctors who had then migrated to the UK.

The UK spends Rs 9.3 lakh crore per year on the NHS, which is about Rs 1.5 lakh per citizen.

India's Union health budget is Rs 33,000 crore per year, which means we spend Rs 260 per citizen.

Of course, we are a poor nation, but we are a poor nation that last year spent Rs 59,000 crore buying 36 fighter planes and this year is spending Rs 99,000 crore on a bullet train.

It is unthinkable to me that in the UK that citizens would allow their government to spend so foolishly on such toys, at the expense of the health of its citizens.

It is middle class Indians who dominate the media and its debates who are forcing these choices upon the crores of poor.

We think becoming a superpower means being able to fight wars and showing off Japanese technology and building great statues.

In the UK, being a civilised nation means being able to put together a State machinery that is efficient and caring and nurtures the human being -- even one who is not their citizen.

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.
At least 19 people were drowned, including some minors, when a boat capsized on the Ganga in Bihar on Saturday, suspectedly because of overloading.

IMAGE: A rescue boat searching for people in Ganga river in Patna. Photographs: PTI Photo

"So far 19 persons have been reported to be dead in the boat tragedy," Principal Secretary, Disaster Management department Pratyay Amrit said.

Efforts are on to look for possible survivors and bodies.

Amrit, DIG Shalin and Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal are camping at the river bank, close to which the tragedy occurred, to supervise the rescue operation.

Around 40 people were said to be onboard the country boat when it capsized near NIT ghat in the evening.

The passengers were returning to Ranighat in Patna from Sabalpur diara across the river after watching a kite festival on occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'.

A few on the ill-fated boat swam to safety, while some families said their fellow members had gone missing after the accident.

Family members of the deceased and those missing were seen wailing at the ghat.

IMAGE: Injured passengers are being treated at Patna Medical College and Hospital

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the boat tragedy and ordered a probe.

Kumar has ordered cancellation of all subsequent events organised in the diara (riverine) area as part of the Makar Sankranti festival and has instructed senior officials to seek details about the programme organised from which people were returning and whether proper arrangements were made for the event, an official statement said.

The CM instructed Principal Secretary of Health R K Mahajan and the Patna District Magistrate to ensure proper treatment of the victims of the boat tragedy.

Kumar has also instructed Pratyay Amrit and DIG Shalin to supervise relief and rescue operations and has ordered Patna district administration to provide ex gratia to the family of the deceased.
Parliament's PAC rejects BJP MP Kirit Somaiya's plea that the briefing be postponed, reports Amit Agnihotri.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya, a member of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, wanted the finance secretary and economic affairs secretary's briefing before the panel on demonetisation on January 20 postponed.

These officials are busy with the Budget, Somaiya said, but the suggestion was tossed out by the committee.

According to sources, the BJP MP made the suggestion at the PAC meeting on Friday. However, other members said the briefing by the officials was earlier scheduled for January 6, but postponed on their request.

These members noted that the officials had been informed of the PAC decision in advance and it was for Chairman K V Thomas to decide and not for the committee members.

These members pointed out that the official concerned could have intimated any inconvenience to the chairman who would have taken a decision in the matter.

But no such request has come from the officials, the sources said, adding that the briefing will be held on January 20.

The Budget is set to be presented on February 1, and the date has been advanced by the Centre to enable it to roll out the goods and services tax from April 1.

The Opposition had petitioned the Election Commission not to allow the government to advance the Budget session of Parliament from January 31.

The government has refused to give into the Opposition's demand.

Another BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wanted Thomas to withdraw his statement that the prime minister could be called by the panel over the demonetisation issue.

Many MPs cited rules to argue that ministers and the PM cannot be called before the panel.

Thomas clarified that he had said it could be done if the panel decided on the issue unanimously and the same was approved by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

When Thomas cited a precedent saying in 1966, then heavy industries minister C Subramaniam had been called by the PAC, Dubey pointed out that it was done because a personal remark against Subramaniam had been made and it had become a privilege issue.

The PAC finally issued a statement saying rules prevented the PM and ministers from being called by the panel.

However, the chairman can meet the minister concerned informally after the panel has completed deliberations over the issue.
Determined in their efforts to conduct 'Jallikattu', people in Madurai on Saturdy mounted pressure on the Central and state governments by launching agitations against the ban on the bull taming sport, leading to detention of 149 protesters.

The die-hard supporters of the sport along with major political parties in the state have been demanding an ordinance for conducting Jallikattu after the Supreme Court imposed a ban on it.

While Jallikattu is held in Avaniapuram on Pongal day on Saturday, it shifts to Palamedu and Alanganallur in the district during the next two days.

While 68 villagers were detained at Alanganallur staging a rail roko, several groups of young men led by film director Gowthaman, were held at Avaniapuram bus-stand near Madurai for demanding lifting of the ban on the sport, police said.

"To ensure maintenance of law and order and compliance of Supreme Court orders, we detained Gowthaman and 148 others," Commissioner of Police, Madurai City, Shailesh Kumar Yadav said.

He said while the police allowed the film director to address the gathering for about 15-20 minutes, but his speech became "instigating" later.

On claims that symbolic Jallikattu was held in one or two places to show opposition to the ban, Yadav said, "No Jallikattu was held and nothing will be held. We are ensuring that law is followed."

He said all across the 27 km of the city and suburbs, adequate police personnel have been deployed to ensure that none got anywhere near the 'Vadivaasal' (entry points for bulls to the open grounds where Jallikattu used to be held).

In a village off Alanganallur, a youth climbed a mobile phone tower seeking nod for Jallikattu.

Communist Party of India state secretary R Mutharasan and Pattali Makkal Katchi chief Ramadoss claimed that the protesters were lathicharged at Avaniapuram and demanded action against those responsible.

The police, however, said the protesters were only detained.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party's state president Tamilisai Soundararajan told reporters in Coimbatore that the party had been hopeful and was expecting that the Supreme Court would give a favourable verdict on Jallikkattu. But the postponement of verdict has come as shock to all, she said.

To a specific question on PETA writing to the President to dismiss the Tamil Nadu government if the sport was allowed during Pongal festival, she said the organisation had no right to make such a demand and that the animal rights group should be banned.

Stating that the ban on Jallikattu was imposed in 2012 during the United Progressive Alliance rule, in which the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was an ally, Tamilisai said, "The Dravidian party, which neither came out of the alliance nor from the government, had no moral right to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue."

"The Centre has taken cautious steps apprehending the possibility of a permanent ban on the traditional Tamil sport if an ordinance is promulgated," she said, adding, even now it is considering taking steps for its conduct.

On demand for resignation of Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan for his failure to see the Jallikkattu through this year, Tamilisai said it was not right to make such a demand.

DMK working president M K Stalin condemned the alleged police lathicharge on the supporters of the sport.

Meanwhile, popular Tamil actress Trisha, who has been targeted by pro-Jallikattu groups for her association with PETA on Friday asserted that she never spoke against the popular sport.

Some Jallikattu supporters had on Friday briefly picketed the site of the shooting of Tamil film "Garjanai", starring Trisha, in Sivaganga district, though the actress was not present at that spot.

Actors Kamal Haasan and Simbu have come out in defence of the leading actress.

Trisha, an animal lover and advocate of animal rights, has appeared in PETA advertisements supporting adoption of homeless dogs.

PETA had been opposing Jallikattu and wrote to the president and the prime minister arguing against any ordinance for holding the bull taming sport in the state.

The animal rights group has come under severe attack from Jallikattu supporters who even demanded that PETA be "banned".
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party president Ramvilas Paswan, who was admitted to the ICU of a hospital after he complained of breathlessness, has been discharged on Saturday.

"Paswan has been discharged from the hospital after his full recovery," Doctor Pramod Kumar, head of Cardiology unit of PARAS HMRI hospital, where the minister was admitted, said.

Paswan's officer on special duty R C Meena said that the minister would fly to New Delhi on Friday evening.

Paswan was taken to his home in Sri Krishnapuri locality here by his son and MP, Chirag Paswan.

Paswan, 70, was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after he complained of breathlessness. The LJP chief had shown signs of recovery since yesterday morning and also had a chat with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later in the day.

Director of Medical Services of Paras HMRI Dr Talat Halim had on Friday stated Paswan's condition to be stable.

The Union minister had arrived in Patna on Thursday on a four-day tour of the state during which he had some political engagements in Patna, Khagaria, Begusarai and Mokamah before hosting Makarsankranti feast on January 15.

Several top leaders visited the hospital to enquire about his health. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Paswan at the hospital on his return from the Begusarai leg of 'Nishchay Yatra'.

Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, visited Paswan at the hospital.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad accompanied by his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the health minister of the state, too met the Union Minister at the hospital.

Photograph: PTI Photo
'It is ironic that General Rawat, an infantry officer who the government chose because of his expertise in counter-insurgency, has made his first bold statement in the realm of warfighting and mechanised operations,' points out Colonel Ajai Shukla (retd).

Army chief General Bipin Rawat, who this month became the first senior official to publicly confirm the existence of India's so-called Cold Start doctrine, explained on Friday why he acknowledged this controversial term publicly.

Cold Start is the Indian operational plan for rapidly mobilising infantry and armour to launch lightning strikes across the plains and deserts of Pakistan.

The aim is to break into Pakistani before its defensive formations can prepare and occupy defensive positions along the border.

Indian policymakers and officials have always downplayed Cold Start, partly because it scared Pakistan's army into relocated defensive formations close to the Indian border, and into developing highly destabilising 'tactical nuclear weapons' (TNWs) -- small-yield, nuclear bombs, delivered by short-range ballistic missiles like the Nasr (Hatf-IX) -- to halt a Cold Start strike.

Previous Indian chiefs said there was no Cold Start plan. Instead, they pointed to a 'proactive strategy.'

General Rawat's acknowledgment of Cold Start on January 6, in an interview to India Today, was a radical departure. It was sharply criticised by strategic analysts like Vipin Narang and Walter C Ladwig III, who claimed the '(Indian) army simply lacks the material and organisation to implement the more aggressive versions of Cold Start.'

They argued that India has too few troops and tanks, it faces critical equipment shortages, and the army and air force do not coordinate air support.

'This has put India in the worst possible strategic position: Claiming a capability that it does not have, but which provides justification for Pakistans aggressive expansion of its conventional and nuclear forces,' Narang and Ladwig wrote in The Hindu.

On Friday, General Rawat, at a press conference in New Delhi, initially downplayed his acknowledgment of Cold Start, arguing that offensive plans are a part of India's overall defensive strategy, aimed at safeguarding the country's territorial integrity.

'(We) know that the future wars will be short and intense and, when short and intense wars are the future forms of combat, you have to be prepared to move fast. Now this is something which you can term in whatever way you want,' General Rawat said.

But General Rawat also clarified that publicly acknowledging Cold Start was a signal to the army to be prepared for that eventuality.

'The other reason for coming out with this was to communicate to the rank and file and field commanders the kind of preparations they have to carry out for future combat. That is the messaging that was meant to that statement that I made,' General Rawat said.

Asked by Business Standard about operational shortcomings that might prevent the success of Cold Start, General Rawat stated: "Weaknesses have to be overcome. And these weaknesses can only be overcome if you accept the strategy (Cold Start)."

"If you don't accept the strategy," the general added, then you will let your weaknesses (limit you). But when you enunciate a strategy you say: these are the weaknesses which I need to overcome to adopt success."

It is ironic that General Rawat, an infantry officer who the government chose because of his expertise in counter-insurgency, has made his first bold statement in the realm of warfighting and mechanised operations.

Cold Start was born of the failure of Operation Parakram in 2001-2002, when the military moved into battle stations after Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists attacked Parliament on December 13, 2001.

However, by the time the army's three mechanised strike corps (which are stationed deep inside India in places like Mathura and Bhopal) were transported to the border and were ready to launch their tanks and infantry combat vehicles (ICVs), Pakistan's defensive formations were deployed and ready to beat them back.

Thus was Cold Start conceived, a plan to attack Pakistan within 48 hours of any dire provocation traced back to Pakistan -- like a particularly damaging terrorist attack, or the assassination of a top Indian leader.

Instead of waiting for the mechanised strike corps to make their long journey to the border, the attack would be launched by 8 to 10 'integrated battle groups' (IBGs), cobbled together from the large number of tanks and reserve infantry in the defensive corps, already located along the border.

Benefiting from surprise, and with Pakistan's armoured reserves divided, Cold Start estimates that many of the IBGs would pierce through Pakistan's forward defences.

That would allow the strike corps, as it reaches the border, to stream through those breaches and penetrate towards the large towns and cities in Pakistan's heartland.

This would allow New Delhi to call off the war quickly, in a victorious position.

Western policymakers have been critical of Cold Start, since it alarmed Pakistan into developing TNWs, which are seen as highly insecure and destabilising weapons.

Given the Nasr missile's range of just 60 kilometres, TNWs would per force be physically located with forward commanders, and control over them decentralised early in any conflict.

This 'de-centralisation' would render TNWs vulnerable to theft by jihadi groups, or unauthorised use by renegade Pakistani commanders.

It is unclear whether Pakistan has fool-proof security protocols for TNWs, like preferential access links (PALs).

Nor is it known how early, with a battlefield debacle imminent, would control over nukes be handed over to local commanders -- probably at the level of corps commanders -- who would be presumably more prone to use the weapons.

IMAGE: Indian Army tanks fire at 'enemy bunkers' during Operation Shatrujeet, a military exercise in the deserts of Rajasthan, April 2016.
U.S. Rep. John Katko was one of nine Republicans who voted against a resolution Friday that is considered a first step in the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act.

The House of Representatives approved the budget resolution by a 227-198 vote. Katko, R-Camillus, was the only New York Republican who voted against the measure.

"Since I began running for Congress, I have been very clear on my stance towards Obamacare: I have always maintained that it should either be radically restructured or replaced," Katko said in a statement. "Obamacare is a deeply flawed law that has led to rising premiums and fewer options for consumers. If left unreformed, it will collapse in the coming years.

"However, I believe before this flawed law is repealed, a viable plan must be ready to replace it in order to ensure that millions of Americans do not lose coverage overnight."

Katko's comments are consistent with his position during the 2014 and 2016 campaigns for Congress. He has repeatedly said that before Obamacare is repealed, there should be a replacement plan ready.

Early in his first term, Katko was one of three Republicans who voted against an Obamacare repeal measure. His reasoning at the time was the same: His party hadn't finalized a replacement.

At the time of the 2015 vote, Katko said it would be "irresponsible" to support repealing Obamacare without a replacement for the law.

On Friday, the House took up similar legislation. This time, congressional Republicans are utilizing budget resolutions for the repeal of the law so that it can pass the Senate. Since it's a budget measure, it would only require a simple majority  51 votes  to be approved in the Senate.

While Republican leaders want to repeal the law, so far a replacement hasn't emerged.

Katko said he agrees with President-elect Donald Trump and a majority of Americans that repealing Obamacare and replacing the law should be done at the same time.

Trump has said that he wants votes to repeal and replace the law to be done close together.

"I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to come up with a clear, viable and effective replacement plan. When that happens, hopefully in the coming weeks, I will happily join my party in repealing Obamacare."
Veteran actor Kamal Haasan, who has been vehemently supporting jallikattu, took to Twitter and asked people not to hurt actor Trisha Krishnan.

By India Today Web Desk: Legendary actor Kamal Haasan has been vehemently speaking in favour of jallikattu, a traditional bull-taming sport, played in the heartlands of Tamil Nadu.

Trisha Krishnan, who recently endorsed People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), was forced to call off the film's shooting after protests by the pro-jallikattu supports in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu.

advertisement

ALSO READ: Bairavaa Review

ALSO READ: Khaidi No 150 Review

ALSO READ: Gautamiputra Satakarni Review

Trisha faced a lot of flak on social media to an extent that an anonymous Twitter user posted an obituary picture of the actor.

That bein said,I am shocked n mortified at d haters n d kind of filthy language bein used jus bcoz u have free access 2 social media. pic.twitter.com/oCX0Tvbsgj Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

Condemning Tamils for the same, Kamal Haasan took to Twitter and asked people not to hurt Trisha. He wrote, "Please stop hurting Ms Trisha. Let's not hurt her (Trisha) just because she differs from our opinion. We need both Trisha and jallikattu. Let's continue to contend with love (sic)."

Pls stop hurting MsTrisha.??????? ????? ???? ?????? ????  ? ????   ?????. ????? ???? ?????? Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) January 14, 2017

In his next tweet, Kamal wrote, "My support is always for decency. Let individuals be . Dont weaken our case by slandering. Leave small people alone fight decesion makers."

My support is always for decency. Let individuals be . Dont weaken our case by slandering. Leave small people alone fight decesion makers. Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) January 14, 2017

Trisha took to Twitter and clarified that she had said nothing wrong about the sport.

Secondly,I have never spoken against Jallikattu at any given point.Thank u @iam_str for making my stand clear and takin up for me as always Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

Disrespecting a woman and her family is tamil culture?You should be ashamed to call urself a Tamilian or even speak about Tamil culture. Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

I never bow down to bullyism nor do i fear you.Get off my timeline and get a life !!! Period !!! Trisha Krishnan (@trishtrashers) January 14, 2017

Earlier to this, Kamal Haasan 's famous 'biryani remark' shoot the nation. Speaking at India Today Conclave South 2017, Kamal said, "If you want a ban on jallikattu, let's also ban biryani."

advertisement

Though the statement received backlash from animal activists across the country, several Kollywood stars backed the Vishwaroopam star.

WATCH HERE: Experts react to Kamal Haasan's statement on jallikattu

--- ENDS ---
Breakfast may be the most important meal, but lunch, for this father and son duo, is the most creative.

By India Today Web Desk: This Daddy Cool has found the most artistic way to shower love upon his child.

Imgur user DomZombie has shared a post that has left all his young readers jealous, wishing for a dad like him. This man has posted some unique images of customised lunch bags that he prepares for his son every day. DomZombie claims to have drawn around 400 such bags till now.

advertisement

Why are they special? Because these pieces of art are created for his son to help him break the ice and make friends at his elementary school.

Photo courtesy: Instagram/domnx_art

''For the past 3 years or so, I've been drawing on my son's lunch bags when he takes lunches to elementary school. They take about an hour each, maybe more, if I get really ambitious. But when you're doing something fun like this while watching TV, it goes by pretty quick. I use paints, markers, colored pencils, etc until I get the desired effect,'' he writes.

Also Read:This woman used period blood of nine months to paint an unborn child

From pop-culture references from movies and TV to fantasy characters, these disposable lunch bags feature every wonder that can capture a child's imagination. ''Trolls, Orcs and Goblins, oh my! Fantasy characters are fun to do. He likes the freaky/scary characters,'' informs the father.

Photo courtesy: Instagram/domnx_art Photo courtesy: Instagram/domnx_art

That's not it. There are days when DomZombie's creative spree can go a step further: ''Occasionally, I'll do original characters or I'll illustrate private jokes between him and me.''

Photo courtesy: Instagram/domnx_art

The father gets emotional by the end of the post. That he is able to contribute in his own way to help his son break out of his shell is what makes him happy, he says.

--- ENDS ---
The Ganga Sagar Mela is considered as the second largest assembly of people after the quadrennial Kumbha Mela. According to the local administration and organisers, this time the turnout of people is relatively higher.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Over a million pilgrims from across India and abroad took holy dip in the river Ganga today braving the icy cold water and chilly winds, at the annual Ganga Sagar Fair here on Makar Sankranti. Around 10-12 lakh pilgrims have bathed so far since the morning. More people are coming for the holy dip,told West Bengal Sundarban Development Minister Manturam Pakhira told.

advertisement

We are expecting a total turnout of over 15 lakhs," said Panchayat and Public Health Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee.

Here's what you need to about: About 150 km from Kolkata in South 24 Parganas district, this island is considered auspicious by the Hindus, who gather here at this time of the year to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal and pray by offering coconut at the Kapil Muni temple. The Ganga Sagar Mela is considered as the second largest assembly of people after the quadrennial Kumbha Mela. The devout believe that a dip in the sacred water at this time washes off sins of a lifetime. According to the local administration and organisers, this time the turnout of people is relatively higher. The attendance is relatively higher this year as a lot of fairs that are otherwise arranged at this time of the year could not be properly organised amid the cash crisis. "The administration has taken necessary measures to tackle the large crowd," Mukherjee said. "We have built 20,000 stationary toilets with proper markings at the Mela premises, 5,000 more than 2016 and arranged one volunteer for every 10 toilets to ensure the pilgrims use them properly," he added. On the second coldest day of the season in West Bengal, the huge number of pilgrims, both young and the old and representing all sections of the society, gathered at the riverbank of Sagar Island to take the holy dip. The enthusiasm appeared infectious. "We come here every year with all the family members. Who wants to let go of the chance to witness such a spectacle," said veteran Anup Maiti of Nadia district, who came to bathe here with three generations of his family. Additional security measures have been taken by the district administration to avoid any untoward incident. "The situation in the fair is absolutely smooth. We have installed almost 200 CCTV cameras at the 'mela-ground' and increased the number of life saving vessels in the river. "People are also deployed to remove the flowers, food packets and plastic waste from the premises to keep the fair clean," told South 24 Parganas District Magistrate P.B.

ALSO READ: Ardh Kumbh Mela terror plot foiled, 4 suspected ISIS terrorists arrested

ALSO READ: Here's why you should head to the Kumbh Mela in Ujjain

--- ENDS ---
RSS chief Bhagwat is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the BJP leaders over next two days after the rally at Bhukailash grounds in Kidderopre in west Kolkata.

By India Today Web Desk: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is in Kolkata today to address a rally, which the West Bengal government did not want him to hold.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was against Bhagwat holding a rally a day after her government replaced mention of 'Ramdhonu' with 'Rongdhonu' in school textbook to make it more secular.

Ramdhonu is the Bangla word for rainbow. Mamata government introduced a new word in the Bangla lexicon for it- Rongdhonu.

advertisement

READ| Jolt to Mamata Banerjee, Calcutta High Court allows RSS to hold rally in Kolkata

But, after Kolkata police denied permission to the RSS for holding rally, the right wing outfit moved the High Court, which granted allowed Bhagwat to address the public event.

HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS

RSS not against anyone, only uniting Hindus: Mohan Bhagwat

We are not working against anyone but only working to unite the Hindu community and for its empowerment: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat kickstarts RSS event in Kolkata

West Bengal: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat at a RSS event in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/mAY2mhnRuN ANI (@ANI_news) 14 January 2017

This is the second instance where the RSS or BJP had to approach the High Court to hold a public function in West Bengal.

WATCH:

Earlier, the BJP wanted to hold 'Sansad Mela' in Asansol but the Asansol Municipal Corporation run by the Trinamool Congress denied permission. The BJP got the permission after High Court order. The even will be inaugurated by Asansol MP and union minister Babul Supriyo.

Meanwhile, Bhagwat is holding the rally at Bhukailash grounds in Kidderopre in west Kolkata. Bhagwat is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the RSS and BJP leaders after the Bhukailash grounds rally over next two days.

--- ENDS ---
The forces were told that no jawan should be harassed by their superiors if a complaint is lodged by him or her.

By Press Trust of India: The Home Ministry today directed all paramilitary forces to ensure speedy redressal of jawans' grievances and inform everyone about the existing mechanism to resolve their problems in the wake of a personnel complaining about "poor quality" of food being served in BSF.

In a communication, the Home Ministry told BSF, CRPF, CISF, SSB, ITBP, NSG and Assam Rifles to conduct independent inquiry once a complaint from any jawan is received on any matter and try to resolve it as early as possible. The seven paramilitary forces have been asked to inform their personnel about the existing grievance redressal cell and register complaints, if any, without any fear, official sources said.

advertisement

JAWANS SHOULD NOT BE HARASSED: MHA

The forces were also told that no jawan should be harassed by their superiors if a complaint is lodged by him or her. The paramilitary forces were told to accept complaints of jawans through e-letters. Among the seven forces, one has already started receiving the complaints through e-letter, other six have been told to follow suit, sources said.

Also read: After BSF, CRPF, now Army jawan posts video alleging harassment by seniors

Also read: Rattled by jawans' videos, Army Chief Gen Rawat says: Direct all complaints to me

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said that all service personnel should take precautions while posting anything on social media. "Jawans will be told to be cautious while using social media so that country's security is not compromised and morale of the forces is not affected," he told reporters here. Sources said guidelines on using social media by paramilitary personnel would be re-issued.

As per the social media guidelines, a jawan has to take permission from superior officer before posting any content, picture, video thereon. No content related to security affairs should be uploaded on social media and no secret information, picture should be uploaded by any paramilitary personnel. All paramilitary personnel must be extremely cautious while using Tweeter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram etc., sources said.

BSF JAWAN COMPLAINS

BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav in a video that was uploaded on social networking sites had complained about poor quality of food being served to them. The jawan, wearing camouflage uniform and carrying a rifle, claimed that while government procures essentials for them, the higher-ups and officers "sell it off" in an "illegal" manner in the market and the personnel have to suffer.

Also read: BSF viral video: Overweight jawans were always prime concern for the force

Also read: MHA report to PMO refutes BSF jawan's complaint on food, says no shortage of rations at any post

He also posted other videos in which he claimed that the quality of food served was not good. The BSF has maintained that there was no shortage of ration in Yadav's post and security personnel deployed along the border never complained about food.

advertisement

WATCH VIDEO: MHA files report to PMO, negates Tej Bahadur's claims as non-substantial

--- ENDS ---
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is putting her best foot forward to not let history repeat itself alike 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Demonetisation brought West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the forefront of a political war with the BJP-led central government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but their adversarial overtures were there to be seen for long.

The latest flashpoint between the two is today's RSS rally in Kolkata but this is not the first time when Mamata Banerjee tried to prevent the saffron brigade from holding a public meeting in West Bengal.

advertisement

Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi traded spiteful charges during the Lok Sabha polls in 2014. While the then BJP prime ministerial candidate took on West Bengal Chief Minister over Sharada chit fund and other scams, Mamata Banerjee returned the favour by calling him 'Danga Babu' (Mister Riot).

READ| RSS not against anyone, only uniting Hindus, says Mohan Bhagwat

After the Lok Sabha polls, in which the BJP secured an unprecedented 16 per cent vote share, Mamata Banerjee seems to have decided not to let the saffron wings flutter in West Bengal, which was once a red bastion.

NOVEMBER, 2014: AMIT SHAH'S RALLY

The first time when Mamata Banerjee blocked a major political rally of the BJP in West Bengal was in November, 2014. BJP president Amit Shah was slated to address a public meeting in Kolkata. Kolkata police denied permission to the rally by BJP chief Amit Shah on November 2, 2014.

ALSO WATCH:

The BJP moved the West Bengal High Court challenging the police order. The High Court gave the green signal for the political rally, which Shah addressed and launched an attack on Mamata government.

DECEMBER, 2014: BHAGWAT'S RALLY

The second instance, when Mamata tried to block saffron campaign in West Bengal, was a rally, where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was supposed to speak just a month later in December 2014.

The rally was being organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) at the parade ground in Kolkata. The West Bengal police again denied permission to hold the rally.

The aggrieved party went to the High Court and got permission to hold the rally. At this very rally, Mohan Bhagwat openly defended the Ghar Wapasi programme stoking further controversy on the matter.

SANSAD MELA IN ASANSOL

Since then the saffron brigade has been jostling for more political space in the green Bengal, which was dominated by red communists not long ago before they were ousted by Mamata Banerjee after almost four decades of rule.

The political battle between Mamata Banerjee and the BJP-RSS combine has only intensified after demonetisation in November last year.

READ| TMC-BJP clashes across Bengal over MP Sudip Bandhopadhyay's arrest

advertisement

Mamata Banerjee is decidedly against letting the BJP-RSS gain any further ground in the state. This approach led to denial of permission to Sansad Mela in Asansol, where BJP MP and union minister Babul Supriyo was supposed to inaugurate the event on Thursday.

The Asansol Municipal Corporation refused to give approval for the Sansad Mela saying that the event 'may cause stampede' at the venue. The Asansol Municipal Corporation is ruled by the Trinamool Congress.

Later, the High Court granted permission to hold the function at the Loco ground in Asansol, much to the chagrin of the TMC.

BHUKAILASH RALLY

The latest confrontation between Mamata Banerjee and the BJP-RSS combine was the Bhukailash rally, where Mohan Bhagwat was to address the gathering.

Kolkata police denied permission for holding Kolkata Mahanagar Sayam Sevak Sammelan by the RSS at the Bhukailash grounds in Kidderpore, west Kolkata citing law and order and crowd safety issues.

READ| Jolt to Mamata Banerjee, Calcutta High Court allows RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to hold rally

The organisers moved the High Court, which gave a go ahead to the rally.

In the last two instances, the BJP-RSS accused the Mamata government of targeting them for vindictive politics.

advertisement

They said that the RSS and BJP leadership had secured permission from the Army and Railways to hold the events featuring Babul Supriyo and Mohan Bhagwat at respective places.

Still Mamata government created roadblocks in holding the events, the state BJP said.

--- ENDS ---
A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017
"We are a Hindu samaj and Bharat is our nation," Bhagwat reminded swayamsevaks, adding that the biggest mistake Hindus could commit was to remain weak.

By Indrajit Kundu: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat today urged swayamsevaks in West Bengal to strengthen themselves with an aim to create a "potent Hindu samaj" for creating a powerful Bharat.

Addressing four thousand swayamsevaks on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti at Kolkata's Birgade Parade ground, Bhagwat reminded that RSS was meant to work on its own and not in reaction to anything. "We must work to organise our own society. Our organisation is not to oppose anyone, but to safegaurd the interests of the Hindu samaj, its glorious heritage in this independent nation," he said.

advertisement

"We are a Hindu samaj and Bharat is our nation," Bhagwat reminded swayamsevaks, adding that the biggest mistake Hindus could commit was to remain weak. "In a free country, can Hindus perform their religion without any hindrance? If we can't, then how will we ever earn respect across the world," Bhagwat asked.

Blaming the minority Hindu community for their plight in neighbouring Bangladesh, Bhagwat said, "Our founders had clearly stated that we should not blame others for our own plight."

Also read: Bhagwat in Kolkata: How BJP, RSS overcome Mamata roadblock in West Bengal

RSS MUST STRENGTHEN ORGANISATION ACROSS BENGAL: BHAGWAT

Steering clear from the controversy surrounding the event, Bhagwat stressed on the need for RSS to strengthen its organisation across Bengal. "We must organise ourselves, empower ourselves so that no one can stare back at us. One who has power will always command respect," he said.

Saturday's event had run into trouble after the Kolkata Police's refusal to grant permission to RSS for both its proposed venues. Finally, the rally got a green signal after Calcutta High Court intervened on Friday asking the police to allow the event at Brigade Parade ground with certain conditions in place.

Also read: RSS not against anyone, only uniting Hindus: Bhagwat in Kolkata

--- ENDS ---
Russia launched more kamikaze drones on infrastructure and civilian targets in southeastern Ukraine, officials said on November 4, as extensive damage to the power grid left millions of Ukrainians without electricity, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accuse Moscow of "energy terrorism."

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.

Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of the Dnipropetrovskov region, said the Ukrainian military destroyed eight Iranian Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones in the region's southern Nikopol district.

"Our air defense did a great job this night. Eight enemy Shaheds downed," Reznichenko wrote on Telegram. It was the second day in a row that Nikopol was targeted by Russian drones.

Reznichenko said Russian troops also pounded four settlements in the same district -- Myrivska, Chervonogrigorivska, Marganetska, and Nikopolska -- with Grad rockets and artillery fire, damaging a gas pipeline and a power line and destroying residential buildings.

Russian troops regularly bombard the Dnipropetrovsk region, one of Ukraine's steelmaking hubs, with various types of weapons.

Moscow denies its attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on November 3 that millions of Ukrainians were temporarily without power due to the Russian attacks.

"Tonight, about 4.5 million consumers have been temporarily disconnected from energy consumption," Zelenskiy said. "The very fact that Russia is resorting to energy terrorism shows the weakness of our enemy. They cannot beat Ukraine on the battlefield, so they try to break our people this way."

Russia has been targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other civilian buildings with missile, drone, and artillery attacks for several weeks amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has driven Russian troops out of the northeast and pushed them back in the east and southeast.

Over the past days, however, despite heavy fighting, there has been no significant change on the ground on the eastern and southern Ukraine fronts, with preparations building for a fight over the southern city of Kherson.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Moscow of forcibly deporting Ukrainian citizens from Kherson to Russia.

"The Russian occupation administration has begun mass forced relocation of residents of the left bank [of the Dnieper River] of the Kherson regionto 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.

Russia in September proclaimed to have seized the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, and Donetsk following referendums condemned by Kyiv and the West as shams.

Volodymyr Saldo, the Russia-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, the 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 to circulate about the alleged mining of the Nova Kakhovska hydroelectric power plant by Russian troops.

Zelenskiy previously said that Ukraine suspects Russia has mined the dam and units of the power plant on the Dnieper River, and that 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.

Russian forces also removed roadblocks in Kherson. The head of the Kherson regional military administration, Yaroslav Yanushevich, believes that they did this to create the illusion that Russian forces have left the city.

WATCH: Near Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Ukrainian forces often rely on artillery from the 1970s and '80s. The front line there is one of the most hotly contested areas. The soldiers say that although the Soviet-era weaponry is old, it is still very effective.

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.

The loss of Kherson, which Russian troops captured in March in the early days of the war, would signal a significant retreat.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, asked to comment on the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine, said he believes 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.

With reporting by Reuters
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says he has decided to stop a train from traveling from Belgrade to Serb-dominated northern Kosovo.



Serbia launched the promotional railway service on January 14, despite protests from the government in Pristina.



The promotional ride would have been the first from the Serbian capital to the town of Mitrovica in Kosovo since the 1998-99 war.



Vucic announced his decision to stop the train at a press conference in Raska, a city in southern Serbia bordering Kosovo.



"[Kosovo's] special units mined the railway and other special units were sent to the border to arrest the train driver and the passengers," he said.



Kosovo's Prime Minister Isa Mustafa welcomed the decision, saying the train would not have been allowed into his country.



"We mobilized all state mechanisms to deal with this situation," Mustafa said.



Kosovo's Interior Minister Skender Hyseni earlier said authorities had been ordered to block the train, which had already reached Raska.



The train, which Serbia bought from Russia, is painted in the colors of the Serbian flag and features pictures of churches, monasteries, and medieval towns, as well as the words "Kosovo is Serbian" in 21 languages.



Its journey was expected to take 10 hours on the long-established railway tracks with several stops along the way.



Serbia has said the train ride could turn into a regular service after a trial period from January 20 to February 26.



The developments come amid already heightened tensions between Belgrade and Pristina after the recent detention in France of a former Kosovar prime minister on an arrest warrant from Serbia.



Ramush Haradinaj was detained on January 4, but a French appeals court released him this week and ordered him to remain in the country while it reviews Serbia's extradition request.



Belgrade wants to try Haradinaj for offenses related to the 1998-99 war in its former province.



Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic warned that Belgrade would hit back if France does not grant its request.



Kosovo State Minister Edita Tahiri on January 13 accused Serbia of threatening regional stability and urged the European Union to intervene.



Serbia and Kosovo, a former province which unilaterally declared independence from Belgrade in 2008, have been locked in EU-facilitated talks since 2011 to normalize ties.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on Belarusian authorities to unconditionally release a Russian-Israeli blogger who is wanted in Baku on separatism charges.



Aleksandr Lapshin, who lives in Moscow and writes a Russian-language travel blog, was detained in Minsk last month on an extradition request from Azerbaijan.



Azerbaijani prosecutors accuse him of illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh and calling for the recognition of the breakaway regions independence from Azerbaijan.



A representative of Belarus's Prosecutor-General's Office was quoted as saying on January 13 that it was studying Azerbaijan's extradition request.



"Lapshin should not be jailed for expressing his opinions or traveling to a disputed region," Nina Ognianova, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a January 13 statement.



If extradited, tried, and convicted, Lapshin faces up to eight years in prison.
Several hundred people rallied outside a St. Petersburg landmark cathedral on January 13 to protest plans to give it to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The local governor this week announced the city was transferring the iconic St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Orthodox Church, sparking a rash of protests in the former imperial city.

Protesters flocked to Isaakiyevskaya Square near St. Isaac's to protest the move on the evening of January 13. The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been an important museum since Russia's 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. More than 3.5 million tourists visit it every year.

"The Church should know its place!" one placard read.

Police confiscated one poster but did not otherwise block the protest.

TASS reported that activists have gathered as many as 160,000 signatures on a petition to revoke the local government's decision to give away the cathedral.

The signatures include people from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Krasnodar as well as St. Petersburg, TASS said.

The church takeover of the landmark is part of a growing trend toward social conservatism in Russia. President Vladimir Putin has appealed to traditional values and urged citizens to eschew Western liberalism.

Based on reporting by AP and TASS
Iraqi military commanders say their forces have seized full control of Mosul's university from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, the latest key advance in efforts to recapture the eastern side of the city.



"This great scientific and cultural building was liberated by the heroes," the head of Iraq's Counterterrorism Service (CTS), Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, said on January 14.



The university campus lies in the north of Mosul on the east bank of the Tigris River that splits the city in two.



IS militants have used the university grounds as a base, and Iraqi officials say that they also used the laboratories to make chemical weapons.



Military forces have been attempting to retake Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, since October.



CTS Major General Maan Saadi said Iraqi forces may recapture the city's eastern half in the next 10 days or so."

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and BBC
Today people across India are celebrating various festivals. My greetings to everyone celebrating these auspicious festivals, tweeted Modi.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today extended his greetings to people of various communities as they celebrate harvest festivals, and said diversity is India's greatest strength. PM Modi in a series of tweets greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan.

Today people across India are celebrating various festivals. My greetings to everyone celebrating these auspicious festivals, tweeted Modi.

advertisement

May these festivals bring abundance of happiness and prosperity in the lives of our hardworking farmers, Modi said.

ALSO READ: Jolt to Mamata Banerjee, Calcutta High Court allows RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to hold rally in Kolkata tomorrow

"These and many other festivals celebrated across India that add great colour and happiness in our lives. This diversity is India's greatest strength."

Modi also greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and wished that this day bring joy and prosperity in everyone's lives.

He wished Tamil people a happy and blessed Pongal, greeted Gujaratis for Uttarayan and people of Assam on the occasion of Magh Bihu.

ALSO READ: TMC MP abusing PM Modi, as close to having a heart attack as it gets!

ALSO READ: Note ban: PAC contradicts its chairman, says PM Modi cannot be summoned

--- ENDS ---
On the morning of January 11, oil worker Meyrambek Kuantaev climbed up a construction crane at the Kalamkas oil field in Kazakhstan's western Mangistau Province and stayed there for about 24 hours.

He was protesting. So are others, though they are not climbing on cranes.

There is a showdown going on in Kazakhstan, and it was inevitable.

One week before Kuantaev scaled the crane in Kalamkas, an economic court in the southern city of Shymkent ordered the Confederation of Independent Labor Unions of Kazakhstan closed.

The government has been slowly squeezing independent unions since an oil worker strike in western Kazakhstan in 2011. That protest lasted more than half the year and resulted in one of the bloodiest events in Kazakhstans history. Independent trade unions, as would be expected, sided with the oil workers during the months of the strike.

In 2014, restrictive laws were passed that limited the rights of workers and trade unions.

Union registration regulations were among those changes.

On December 5, 2016, the Justice Ministry filed a case against the confederation for failure to provide all necessary documentation for registration within the prescribed time.

Lawyers for the confederation said the Shymkent court rejected motions to postpone the start of the trial until the defense could prepare its case, and also denied the defense the opportunity to questions witnesses.

According to a January 10 statement from Human Rights Watch (HRW), when the trial opened on January 4, The court did not allow the confederation to present its case and ruled the same day.

In Aqtau, the Mangistau provincial capital, dozens of workers from the Oil Construction Company (OCC), part of the oil-services sector, went on a hunger strike on December 5 to protest the court decision. They have vowed to stay at the OCC office and continue their protest until January 15.

Some of the workers told RFE/RLs Kazakh Service, known locally as Azattyq, that their union had fulfilled all the regulations to be registered but they had filed a notice with city authorities that they would conduct a demonstration on January 15 to show solidarity with the confederation.

However, while protests are going on, or being planned, authorities have opened a criminal case against confederation President Larisa Kharkova, charging her with embezzling from the confederation. Police allegedly threatened to find more charges against her unless she resigned as confederation president.

On January 11, Kharkova told Azattyq that authorities had searched her home and confiscated her computer, and searched the confederations office and the union organizations accounting office.

Kharkova also told Azattyq the OCC protest in Aqtau was a "personal, not a labor-union action of protest."

Ever since the violence in western Kazakhstan in 2011, authorities have been careful in dealing with the oil workers. Kazakhstan scaled back oil production as oil prices dropped but rather than lay off workers, companies moved many of the workers to part-time.

Authorities even tolerated strikes and demonstrations in mid-2016 when workers first started to protest against state moves to bring independent unions into line.

Late last year, layoffs started and according to the labor minister, would affect nearly 20 percent of the workers in the oil sector. Authorities have assured benefits would be available to those who lose their jobs, and held out the possibility that once the massive offshore Kashagan field, which started operation in October 2016, started full production many of workers laid off would be rehired.

But from the oil workers' perspective, authorities have been chipping away at their rights, and the latest example is that they are losing the independent unions that represent them.

This is particularly true for the oil services workers. Many of those installing or maintaining equipment, or transporting oil, have long felt they were being treated as second-class workers. One common complain they have is that the government gives out contracts for various tasks and every time this happens a new company comes in to manage projects, often with new regulations or par scales for the oil service employees.

Workers in the oil services sector say independent unions are their best hope for receiving fair conditions for performing work for new contractors. Some of these workers are old enough to remember the situation in the 1990s when there were no independent trade unions and the government-sponsored unions that existed readily acquiesced to state demands and terms.

These protests under way are the first for 2017 but likely not the last.

Based on material from Azattyq and with help from Azattyqs Yerzhan Karabek. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL
Over the past five years, Iranian officials and state media have touted the "indigenous" ingenuity in the Islamic republic's mass-produced Mohajer-6 combat drone, which Russia has deployed in its war against Ukraine.

But a new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, has found that electronic components underpinning Tehran's production of the Mohajer-6 are far from homegrown.



The Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export to Iran of such technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes  dual-use technology.

The presence of these components in the Mohajer-6 does not mean their producers are in violation of U.S. or EU sanctions, and RFE/RL does not have evidence that this is the case.

The investigation also found Mohajer-6 components produced in China, including a real-time mini-camera made by a Hong Kong firm that said it was "very sorry" that its products were being used in war.

At least one major foreign-produced component of the Mohajer-6 has previously been identified by reporters in a Mohajer-6 recovered from the battlefield by the Ukrainian military: an engine made by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products.

But Ukrainian intelligence assesses that the Iranian combat drone contains components from nearly three dozen different technology companies based in North America, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan, the Schemes investigation has found. A majority of these companies are based in the United States.



A Schemes reporter who personally inspected the foreign-made drone parts identified components produced by at least 15 of these manufacturers.

These include parts made by the U.S. technology firm Texas Instruments, which said in a statement that it does not sell into Russia or Iran and complies with applicable laws and regulations.

To identify these components, Schemes reporters examined parts of the Mohajer-6 drone that the Ukrainian military shot down over the Black Sea near the Mykolayiv region coastal town of Ochakiv. They also reviewed Ukrainian intelligence records on the sources of these components.

The drone also contains a microchip bearing the logo of a California technology company and a thermal-imaging camera that Ukrainian intelligence says may have been produced by a firm based in Oregon or China.

Both Western officials and experts on illicit technology transfers say Iran has built a broad, global procurement network using front companies and other proxies in third countries to obtain dual-use technology from the United States and the EU.

"Exporters will look at the request coming from the [United Arab Emirates] or another third country, and they'll think that they're selling to an end user based there, when really the end user is in Iran," Daniel Salisbury, a senior research fellow with the Department of War Studies at King's College London, told RFE/RL.

In September, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions specifically targeting Iranian companies that Washington links to the production and transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia for deployment in its war on Ukraine. Fighting rages with no sign of an end more than eight months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion on February 24.

"Non-Iranian, non-Russian entities should also exercise great caution to avoid supporting either the development of Iranian UAVs or their transfer, or sale of any military equipment to Russia for use against Ukraine," U.S. Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement announcing the sanctions.

Chinese Cameras, California Chips

Development of the Mohajer-6, the latest model in a series of drones Tehran has used since the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, began in 2017, while mass production began the following year. During a ceremony commemorating the Islamic Revolution, then-Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said that the new tactical drone could perform surveillance, reconnaissance, as well as help destroy targets.

Hatami extolled what he described as the drones domestic design, a portrayal echoed in later reports by Iranian media.

"The homegrown drone was made through cooperation among the army, Defense Ministry, and Quds Aviation Industries," the English-language Tehran Times quoted an Iranian military official as saying in July 2019.

The dismantling of the Mohajer-6 drone recovered by the Ukrainian military shows that the UAV is packed with foreign components.

One of these parts is a bright-orange real-time mini-camera produced by the Hong Kong-based company RunCam Technology. Documents seen by Schemes show that Ukrainian intelligence has also identified RunCam as the producer of the camera, which likely assists in remote guidance of the drone.

Founded in 2013, RunCam is involved in the development and production of so-called "first-person-view" real-time cameras. "Our users are our friends," the company's website states. The site says that RunCam has two authorized Iranian dealers.

Reached by Schemes for comment about the use of its camera in the Iranian drone deployed by Russia in its war on Ukraine, RunCam said in an e-mailed response: "We are very sorry to know that RunCam's products were used in warfare. RunCam is specialized in producing products for model aircraft hobby. We never contact any customer related to military."

The provenance of the Mohajer-6 drone-s thermal-imaging camera is more difficult to determine. A Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Schemes indicates it could be the Ventus Hot model produced by Sierra-Olympic Technologies, based in the U.S. state of Oregon, but that it also resembles a cheaper analog available for sale by the Chinese company Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology.

Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology said in an e-mailed statement that the company did not "have any business with Iran," because "it will affect our business." The company said it specializes in marine services and is not involved in manufacturing. It also said that it did not have a single successful order for its online advertisement of the thermal-imaging camera resembling the one recovered from the Iranian drone.

Sierra-Olympic Technologies did not respond to a request for comment on the possible use of its thermal-imaging cameras in Iranian combat drones in time for publication.

Microchips recovered from the drone also featured the logos of the California-based company Linear Technology Corporation and its parent company, the Massachusetts-based semiconductor company Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI). ADI did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the possible use of its technology in the Iranian combat drone.

Schemes reporters also observed among the components of the Iranian drone a voltage step-down converter produced by Texas Instruments. The company said in an e-mailed statement that it "does not sell into Russia, Belarus, or Iran."

"TI complies with applicable laws and regulations in the countries where we operate, and does not support or condone the use of our products in applications they weren't designed for," Texas Instruments said.

Schemes reporters also saw several components produced by the California-based technology manufacturer Xilinx, whose parent company is the multinational semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), also based in California.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, one of these Xilinx components was integrated into a video data-link module located in the wing of the Mohajer-6 that helped carry out attack missions.

"This module transmits information from the board to the missile head. That is, guidance for the missile. With the help of this module, it was possible to guide the missile to the target," a Ukrainian military intelligence representative told Schemes.

AMD did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

'No Authorization'

Previous media reports about the components of the Mohajer-6 drone, including by CNN, have shown evidence that its engine was produced by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, whose parent company is the Quebec-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP).

The Canadian company responded to the reports on October 21, saying in a statement that it "has not authorized and has not given any authorization to its distributors to supply military UAV manufacturers in Iran or Russia."

"As soon as we were made aware of this situation, we started an investigation to determine the source of the engines," BRP said. .

But Schemes reporters found that the authorized Rotax distributor listed on the Austrian manufacturer's website advertised itself as a Rotax aircraft engines distributor for Iran as recently as December 2020.

The distributor, the Italian company Luciano Sorlini S.p.a., has posted multiple magazine advertisements on its websites in which it describes itself as a Rotax distributor for numerous countries. Prior to January 2021, Iran was listed among these countries.

The Rotax website also lists a Tehran-based company -- MahtaWing -- as an official service center for its engines. The company, known in Persian as Mahtabal, conducts repairs of Rotax engines, including the Rotax 912 iS, the engine that was found in the Mohajer-6 combat drone recovered in Ukraine.

BRP said in an e-mailed statement on November 4 that while Luciano Sorlini S.p.a. is the appointed distributor of Rotax aircraft engines in Iran, "since 2019, no Rotax engines have been sold in Iran, and we will not sell any engines to Iran moving forward."

The Canadian company said it had "internal controls" that "significantly" restrict the sale of its products for military purposes.

"For example, the sale of any BRP product to operators with any military activity in Iran, Turkey, and Russia is strictly prohibited," BRP said. "We conduct our business in compliance with all EU, Canadian, and U.S. applicable regulations."

BRP described the Iranian company MahtaWing as a "local service center" that "offers maintenance services for previously sold aircraft engines."

Shahriar Siami of RFE/RL's Radio Farda contributed to this report.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help stop the United States from moving its embassy to Jerusalem, a top Palestinian official said on January 13.

Saeb Erekat, who is secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said he passed on the message from Abbas to Putin during a visit with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

"The letter asks President Putin to do what he can about the information we have that President-elect Donald Trump will move the embassy to Jerusalem, which for us is a red line and dangerous," Erekat said.

The U.S. embassy is currently in Tel Aviv.

Abbas has warned that Palestinians may "reverse" their recognition of Israel if Trump makes the move.

"Not only would this move deprive the United States of all legitimacy in playing a role in conflict resolution, it would also destroy the two-state solution," Abbas told the French daily Le Figaro on January 13.

The Palestinians regard east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital.

The city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax


8 Olesya Starikova, 33, ballet dancer. "My mother is pure Mari and my father is half Mari. What does it mean to be a Mari? It affects everything! Language, rituals, family. All those things make up the nation. Language plays a key role in understanding the Mari peoples connection with nature. It helps you express feelings that are difficult to speak about. Being a Mari means understanding the past and realizing who you are. My grandfather was very influential for me in this regard. He would give all his food to his children, leaving just scraps for himself. That's what I understand as the meaning of being Mari. My husband and I bought a house so that our children would have a real home and feel attached to it. Living in an apartment is a totally different thing."
Russia has invited Donald Trump's incoming administration to attend upcoming Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan, The Washington Post reported on January 13.

Turkey, which is co-hosting the talks with Russia, has said Washington would be asked to join the talks being held in the Kazakh capital Astana, tentatively set for January 23.

The Obama administration, whose joint effort with Russia to forge peace in Syria fell apart last year, has not been invited to the talks, but it would encourage the Trump administration to go, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

The timetable would put the meeting just three days after the Republican president-elect takes office on January 20.

The Washington Post reported that the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, extended an invitation to attend the upcoming talks in a December 28 telephone conversation with Trump's incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn.

It said no decision has been made to attend.

Based on reporting by AFP and The Washington Post
Serbia on January 13 said it would refuse to extradite people sought by France if French authorities failed to hand over a former Kosovo prime minister and guerrilla commander who Belgrade is charging with war crimes.

French police detained Ramush Haradinaj on January 4, acting on a warrant from Serbia which wants to try him for offenses related to the 1998-1999 war in its former province of Kosovo.

But a French appeals court released Haradinaj this week and ordered him to remain in France while it reviews Serbia's extradition request.

Kosovo maintains that Haradinaj was tried and acquitted of war crimes by United Nations tribunals In 2005 and 2007.

Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic warned Belgrade would hit back if France does not grant its request.

"If someone convicted or indicted for savage killings, torture, and rape is not extradited to Serbia, we will do the same for requests filed by France," Kuburovic said. "France should honor international treaties [on extradition] that it signed."

He said prosecutors in Belgrade handed over all evidence to the authorities in France of Haradinaj's alleged killings, torture and abductions of Serbs, ethnic Albanians, and minority Roma people both during and after the war.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters


Ukrainian authorities should immediately cancel an order banning a prominent independent Russian television station from broadcasting in the country, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says.



The National Radio and TV Council (NRTC) on January 12 ordered Ukrainian broadcasters to stop airing reports by Dozhd (Rain) within about a month, the Moscow-based channel said.



This ham-handed censorship will deprive Russian-speaking Ukrainian viewers of a counterpoint to Russian state-controlled media, CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said in January 13 statement.



Dozhd cited an official from the channels Ukrainian partner, Volya, as saying the reason for the ban was that Dozhd had violated a prohibition on advertising.



The Interfax news agency, however, cited a council member as saying Dozhd had failed to recognize Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity when it aired an image showing the boundary with Crimea as the state border, suggesting that Crimea is part of Russia.



Russia seized control of Crimea in 2014, although Kyiv considers the Black Sea peninsula still part of Ukraine. Only a handful of countries in the world recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
U.S. President Barack Obama on January 13 extended all U.S. sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine by one year through March 2018.

The move appears designed to make it harder for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to roll back the sanctions after Obama leaves office on January 20. Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Russia and would take a second look at the sanctions, although several of his chosen cabinet members said this week that they support the sanctions.

In extending the sanctions, which were due to expire in March 2017, Obama said the Russian government and other people and organizations targeted by the sanctions have "undermined democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine" by their "use of force in Ukraine" and thereby "threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."

Because of the threat to Ukraine, Obama said, Russia's actions "pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."

The European Union has parallel sanctions on Russia that are due to expire in July. Italy and other EU members have said they would push to end the sanctions, especially if Trump carries out a softening of U.S. policy towards Russia.


The chief priest, Acharya Satyendra Das, said that 'mahant' and 'sadhu' are believers of Lord Rama and their only wish is to see a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

By Press Trust of India: The seers will support Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh (UP) elections only if Prime Minister Narendra Modi promises to get the Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya during his tenure, the chief priest of the makeshift temple at the Ram Janm Bhumi-Babri Masjid disputed site said.

The chief priest, Acharya Satyendra Das, said that 'mahant' and 'sadhu' are believers of Lord Rama and their only wish is to see a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

advertisement

After Modi government took over, we hoped that now the temple would be constructed.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: "Modi must visit Ayodhya, give us a guarantee and announce that that he will get the Ram temple constructed during his tenure," said Das. "Then we will mobilise the Hindu masses to vote for BJP as 'mahant' and 'sadhu' in Uttar Pradesh enjoy a strong following. If we support BJP, it will definitely win," he said. Reacting to Das' demand, the Mahant of Rasik Niwas temple in Ayodhya, Raghuvar Sharan, alleged that the BJP leaders who gained politically due to the Ayodhya Ram temple movement never raised the issue in Parliament. "The BJP leaders, who rose to politics due to Ayodhya issue including Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar and Uma Bharti, are all members of Parliament," he said. "They never raised their voice for Ram temple in the House, neither did they demand that Prime Minister Modi bring a resolution in Parliament for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," Sharan said.

Also read: Swamy claims Ram temple is on BJP agenda, India Today-Axis poll finds 0 per cent UP voters want it

Also read: Swamy writes to Modi, asks for support on Ram Temple petition

Watch: Politics erupt over Ram temple seminar

--- ENDS ---
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
For the first time since the surgical strikes were carried out by India following the Uri terror attacks, US has spoken out calling India's response a calibrated and responsible one.

By Smita Sharma: Just when India's new Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that India will be ready to carry out more surgical strikes if needed against terror launchpads in PoK, the United States (US) has supported India's right to defend itself.

For the first time since the surgical strikes were carried out by India following the Uri terror attacks, US has spoken out calling India's response a calibrated and responsible one.

advertisement

A key member of Barack Obama's diplomatic team, Nisha Biswal said that India should act when it is needed to defend its people but also prevent escalation. The US Assistant Secretary of State spoke exclusively to India Today.

US DEMANDS ACTION AGAINST HAFIZ SAEED

United States has demanded action against Hafiz Saeed and the terror groups in Pakistan. The outgoing US Assistant Secretary of State clarified that the US justice department placing a bounty for evidence against Hafiz Saeed followed a clear understanding of his role in the Mumbai attack.

Also read: US diplomat Nisha Desai Biswal to visit India for talks

Biswal stressed that action needs to be taken against Hafiz and others and the incoming Trump administration will continue to ask Pakistan to do the same.

"US DISAPPOINTED WITH BEIJING'S MOVE"

United States has also spoken out on China blocking India's move to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. In an exclusive conversation before she leaves office, Nisha Biswal, Obama's top appointee in the State Department said US is very disappointed with Beijing's move.

China had initially put India's resolution at the Security Council's 1267 committee on technical hold. And later despite support of other co-sponsors like US,UK to the resolution, China used its veto to block the move on December 30 last year.

Also read: China stops India's bid to blacklist JeM chief Masood Azhar, yet again

Watch: India gave a calibrated response: US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal on surgical strikes

--- ENDS ---
ROCKVILLE, Md.  An attorney for a man convicted of taking part in sniper shootings that left 10 people dead in the Washington area is asking a judge to toss his life sentence because he was convicted as a juvenile.

In a motion filed Friday in a Maryland county court, public defender James Johnston argues that Lee Boyd Malvos mandatory life sentence is illegal because the U.S. Supreme Court determined such sentences are unconstitutional for juveniles.

Malvo was convicted in Maryland and Virginia when he was 17 for his role in the 2002 sniper shootings that killed 10 people and wounded three in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He also later admitted to shootings in other states. Hes serving a life term at the Red Onion State Prison in Southwest Virginia.

In the new filing, Johnston argues that Malvo should be resentenced, taking into account a 2016 Supreme Court decision making retroactive a previous order deeming mandatory life sentences for juveniles convicted of murder unconstitutional.

Malvo was first put on trial in Chesapeake in 2003, in a trial that was moved from Fairfax County. He was convicted of capital murder. The jury only had the option of the death penalty or life in prison without parole, and opted for a life sentence.

Subsequently, Malvo struck plea bargains in Spotsylvania County and Maryland in which he agreed to accept a life sentence.

John Allen Muhammad, his partner in the shootings, was executed in 2009.

Malvos lawyers in Virginia have made similar arguments in federal court in the state where Malvo received life sentences for slayings in Fairfax and Spotsylvania counties, respectively. The life sentence in Spotsylvania was the result of a negotiated plea agreement.

Lawyers for the state have said the Supreme Court ruling should not apply to Malvo.

Nothing in these cases suggests that the Supreme Court intended for its holdings to apply to a serial murderer like Malvo, wrote Donald Jeffrey, senior assistant attorney general in Virginia, in court papers filed Sept. 1.

Jeffrey also argued that Malvo should pursue his claims in state court in Virginia before seeking federal relief.
Long before the ball fell on New Years Eve, many Americans were ready to finish the chapter on 2016. It was, after all, a politically divisive year in which discontent with government reached a flashpoint. But a look back years from now will likely cast the year in a different light: the beginning of a historic political reformation.

President-elect Donald Trumps win in November embodied public attitudes that had quietly simmered for a long time. Although Trumps big personality often took center stage, the election was actually about the message, not the messenger. Americans have grown tired of the status quo, and voters made clear they expect wholesale change, not topical adjustments or more of the same under a new banner.

Novembers election results indicate that public leaders who put partisan gridlock and business as usual ahead of progress do so at their own peril. Americans are demanding results. They want their voices to be heard and want a greater hand in the policies affecting their lives. No longer can politicians put political expediency before whats best for those they represent.

During the election cycle Trump emerged as the agent of the kind of change voters want. Among those who identified can bring change as the biggest determinant in their vote (39 percent of voters, the largest bloc) Trump won 82 percent of the vote. The lesson in the polls, however  that Americans are hungry for leadership accountable to them  is not relegated to one party or the other.

In education policy, this kind of change began to take shape well before the campaign season. In December 2015, Congress approved  with broad bipartisan support  the Every Student Succeeds Act, which returns nearly full control to state and local leaders to decide whats best for their kids. President Obama signed the legislation into law, noting that it reaffirms a fundamentally American ideal.

Trump signaled he will continue to build on that momentum with his nomination of Betsy DeVos to serve as U.S. secretary of education. A respected education advocate and reformer, DeVos has devoted her nearly 30-year career to fighting for greater parental control and choice. She rejects putting special interests ahead of students interests. That is the kind of leadership the countrys school systems need.

The DeVos appointment promises to shake up entrenched institutions and, not surprisingly, they have dug in their heels against her. Randi Weingarten, head of the countrys largest teachers union, calls DeVos a radical choice and an anti-public-school nominee who will destroy (the) neighborhood school(s). Others in the Washington bureaucracy have even gone so far as to suggest her work in advancing educational equity in disadvantaged communities amounts to bigoted, even racist public policies.

Those baseless accusations run counter to statements of the parents whose lives she has touched. Take Maria Salazar, a single mother who emigrated from Peru. While I was working to find opportunity on my end, Betsy DeVos was working to provide those opportunities on her end, Salazar wrote recently. Her work to provide opportunities is very personal to me, and I know my daughters success is very personal to her.

DeVos is a champion of school choice, which Trump made a signature of his education policy on the campaign trail. She believes parents and communities know what their kids need and she has pledged to empower them further. She understands how to balance state and local control with federal oversight, and she has committed to using both to raise academic expectations to better prepare students for the challenges of college and a competitive economy.

These principles do not belong to either political party. They are commonsense tenets that are critical to preparing the countrys young people to lead and compete. When voters went to the polls, they showed that they stand firmly behind these ideals. That establishment leaders would oppose them suggests they still fail to comprehend the transformation the American public ushered in last fall.

Make no mistake, a political reformation is afoot. It reached a tipping point last year; it will be realized in the years ahead. Leaders of both parties would be wise to embrace this change. Or as Bob Dylan would put it, Dont stand in the doorway, Dont block up the hall...For the times they are a-changing. Indeed, the times have changed.

Voting to approve Betsy DeVos as the next secretary of education will not only demonstrate that our political leaders are on the right side of this emerging change, it will do right by parents, teachers and students.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is uniquely positioned to assist his party in this effort. As the vice presidential candidate and now a member of the Senate HELP Committee before which DeVos will appear, his vote will go a long way toward putting an end to a contentious election cycle and situating fellow Democrats as partners, rather than adversaries, in the effort to improve U.S. education. That is what the American people expect.
A recent situation occurred locally, prompting the question: When can the police stop me on the street, and how should I respond? This was asked by a local elected official after an early morning encounter with Auburn police officers on the street as he was merely walking from one place to another. First, lets see it from the perspective of the elected official (hereafter pedestrian).

The pedestrian is walking along the sidewalk around 1 a.m. wearing jeans and a brown jacket. He is innocently walking from one place to another, minding his own business. Suddenly, police officers approached him, got out of their cars and demanded that he stop and show his hands. At this point, the pedestrian has no idea why. Why are they stopping me?" "Should I comply? are the obvious questions as the officers continue ordering him to stop and show his hands. His hands were in his pockets; it was cold. He had earphones on, so maybe he isnt hearing everything the officers were saying. The officers seem to be getting louder with the orders to comply, he is disturbed as to why the officers are being assertive towards him, and of course this has all transpired within a few seconds of the police pulling up to him. Is this legal? Should he comply?

Now lets see it from the officers' perspective.

It is around 1 a.m. when a call comes in. The radio advises they have a frantic female caller stating that a man who has a gun on him, who was arrested earlier this same day for threatening her with a gun, just slashed her tires at her residence and was in the area on foot. The caller states that the male is wearing a brown jacket and jeans, and described the build of the suspect. Officers rush to the victims residence to check on her as other officers check the neighboring areas for the suspect. Within minutes, some officers locate a man wearing a brown jacket and jeans, with a build similar to what the caller described. This subject appears to be the guy with the gun who just threatened the victim and slashed her tires. So the officers get out of their cars, and assertively demand that the man stop and show his hands, which are in his pockets. The man hesitates, so they continue ordering him to comply.

This recently happened in Auburn, and can happen across the country at any given moment. In this encounter the pedestrian complied and was identified, interviewed, shown not to be the suspect being sought and then released from this temporary detention. What if he chose not comply? What could have happened? This situation ended swiftly, without escalating, because he complied. The pedestrian eventually came to the police department and discussed the incident with supervisors to get a better understanding of what happened and why it happened. His response is exactly how to handle a situation such as this.

So what does the law say? Since the stops are initiated by the police, the courts have consistently analyzed what information the police have at that moment the stop is made, the totality of the circumstances. Terry vs. Ohio was a U.S. Supreme Court case that established that in order for a stop to be justified, the officer must have (at that moment) specific and articulable facts, which would lead to a rational inference that the intrusion was reasonable. This same standard applies to a weapons pat-down during the stop: the articulated facts at that time must be reasonable that the officer felt the person may injure the officer. This, of course, is a bit subjective and has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Here in New York state, there is an even narrower set of standards for police and citizen encounters.

In 1976, the state Court of Appeals case People vs. DeBour began to establish guidelines for different levels of police encounters. These guidelines were refined more precisely in the People v. Hollman case. These cases essentially defined four levels of police encounters with citizens: (1) request for information; (2) common law right to inquire; (3) stop and frisk; (4) an arrest based upon probable cause.

Level one is a request for information, meaning that at any given time an officer may ask a citizen for information for and objective, credible reason. This could be an accident scene, a witness at a crime scene, a larceny in a store or maybe even a neighborhood canvass where the police are seeking information. At level one, there is no requirement that the police conduct be a result of criminal acts; there could be a wide range of reasoning, and the police need only a credible reason to ask. During level one, the encounter is non-threatening; there can be no involuntary seizure of the person at this level.

At level two, a stop is based on a founded suspicion of criminal activity afoot. During such an encounter, there is no involuntary seizure of the person, while the officer has a credible, founded suspicion of criminality. The questions the officer asks are more invasive than level one and may be accusatory in nature. Also, at this level, if the officer has an articulable reason to suspect a weapon is on the person, the officer may pat the outer clothing for such weapon. Any of these levels may quickly escalate to the next level depending on the answers given and as facts change during the encounter.

Level three is the level where the officer, at that time, has reasonable suspicion that a person has committed, is committing or is about to commit a crime. Reasonable suspicion is considered to be knowledge that is sufficient to induce an ordinarily prudent and cautious person to believe that criminal activity is at hand. Level three is where the officer has the authority to forcibly seize a person; this includes a physical seizure of a person and verbal directives to stop. This level is often referred to as the stop and frisk level of police encounters; the officer has the authority to frisk the person for weapons as a matter of safety. Another term commonly used is investigative detention; the officer may temporarily detain a person for purposes of determining involvement in unlawful acts.

Level four is the final level, and occurs when the officer has reasonable cause to believe that the person committed an unlawful act. Reasonable cause exists when information, which appears reliable, discloses facts or circumstances that collectively have the persuasiveness to convince a person with ordinary intelligence, judgement and experience that it is reasonably likely that the person committed the offense. The facts and circumstances that establish this reasonableness can be based on hearsay as well, not only what the officer can see and hear at that time. Level four is custodial arrest and a search of the person is authorized.

As I stated previously, these levels of police encounters are subjective and will have to be evaluated by the courts on a case-by-case basis. Going back to the encounter explained with the pedestrian in Auburn, we can determine that the officer conducted an involuntary stop of the pedestrian  they demanded he stop  thats level three. The basis for the stop being that they observed a male with a similar build to the description given, with clothing matching the description, in close proximity to a criminal act that occurred, and likely possessing a firearm. These elements satisfy the reasonable suspicion element in level three requirements.

In the end, we have an innocent pedestrian involuntarily detained, and police officers justified by the laws of one of the most restrictive states in the country in terms of when the police can detain citizens. So the fact is that there are times when the police may stop you, and you know that you didnt do anything wrong to justify the stop. It has to be that way in order for the police to intercept the perpetrators of unlawful acts. A perspective I often remind people of is: If it were you who was threatened and your tires slashed, would you want the police to have the authority to make stops such as these?

The compliance of the pedestrian in this encounter was crucial to a swift and peaceful resolution. The pedestrian making the decision to contact the command staff at the police department at a later time to question the legality of the stop was the appropriate method to question such an encounter. The takeaway here is not to say we, the police, are always right, but it should be to comply at the time of the encounter and seek clarification and remedies at a later time. As always, if you have questions or ideas, please contact the Auburn Police Department anytime. Have a safe new year.
By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 14 (PTI) In his final radio and internet address, Barack Obama has thanked his countrymen for making him a better President and a better man and said that during his eight-year tenure he saw the "goodness, resilience and hope" of the American people.

"Whether weve seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people ? in living rooms and schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant military outposts ? are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man," Obama said.

advertisement

He said it had been the honour of his life to serve the American people as President.

"Eight years later, I am even more optimistic about our countrys promise. And I look forward to working along your side, as a citizen, for all my days that remain," he said.

"Over the course of these eight years, I have seen the goodness, the resilience, and the hope of the American people. Ive seen neighbours looking out for each other as we rescued our economy from the worst crisis of our lifetimes," he said.

"Ive hugged cancer survivors who finally know the security of affordable health care. Ive seen communities like Joplin rebuild from disaster, and cities like Boston show the world that no terrorist will ever break the American spirit," he added.

Obama in his recent farewell speech in Chicago warned Americans of the threats to democracy from growing racism, inequality and discrimination.

"Ive seen the hopeful faces of young graduates and our newest military officers. Ive mourned with grieving families searching for answers, and found grace in a Charleston church. Ive seen our scientists help a paralysed man regain his sense of touch, and our wounded warriors walk again," he said.

"Thats whats possible when we come together in the hard, slow, sometimes frustrating, but always vital work of self-government. But we cant take our democracy for granted. All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into the work of citizenship," Obama said.

"Not just when theres an election, not just when our own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime. If youre tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try to talk with one in real life. If something needs fixing, lace up your shoes and do some organising. If youre disappointed by your elected officials, then grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself," he said.

Obama said success depended on peoples participation, regardless of which way the pendulum of power swings.

advertisement

"It falls on each of us to be guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task weve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours. Because for all our outward differences, we all share the same proud title: Citizen," Obama said. PTI LKJ MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
A 12-year-old girl killed herself streaming her death on Facebook live. The police are trying to get the video down which was posted on the internet.

By India Today Web Desk: Three days before she killed herself streaming her suicide live on Facebook, she shared the allegations of abuse and sexual assault online.

The incident happened in Georgia, United States, and the police are figuring out how to grab copies of the streamed suicide of 12-year-old Katelyn Nicole, according to a Daily Dot report.

The family of the girl has removed the video from her Facebook profile but copies of the same footage were posted on YouTube .

advertisement

The police department has demanded people from people in the US as well as abroad to take the down the video. However the police say, there is no law that would force its removal from the internet.

Here's the post:

Police are still investigating Nicole's death.

YouTube has cooperated in taking down copies of the Georgia girl's video as it violates policies on posting violent or graphic content, but multiple such videos still continue to live on the internet.

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Islamabad, Jan 14 (PTI) A Pakistani woman hired goons for Rs five lakh to thrash her husband whom she suspected of having an affair with another woman.

The woman, Lubna Qamar Raja, who has been arrested, suspected that her husband, Raja Qamar Iqbal, was cheating on her as he was coming home late every night despite her repeated protests.

advertisement

Lubna shared this with her friend, Kosar who said her husband who was in Peshawar could arrange for hired criminals to thrash Iqbal.

She hired the goons to "teach a lesson" to her husband and paid them Rs five lakh to thrash him, the Express Tribune reported.

The criminals travelled to Islamabad and entered Lubna?s house on the night of October 15 last year and thrashed her husband.

Lubna had provided them with a key to the main gate of the house.

The plan unravelled because as the goons were leaving the house after beating up Iqbal, members of a family that lived in the upper portion of the house came out and the suspects, fearing the plan might be exposed or they could be reported, shot at a man and critically injured him.

The incident was reported to the police immediately. At first, everyone though it was a robbery as the goons had also snatched a mobile phone from Iqbal.

However, the family living in the upper portion of the house suspected foul play on the part of Lubna and lodged a complaint with police.

After the complaint, the police reinvestigated the case and obtained Lubnas mobile phone records, which showed she was in contact with a man named Arab Gul around the time of the incident and also made several calls to him later on.

Investigators also found that Kosar was in contact with the same person through her mobile phone. After noting the suspicious connection, the police interrogated Kosar, who spilt the beans.

When the police interrogated Lubna, she said she and her husband would often argue and that she also suspected him of being in a relationship with another woman since he used to come home late at night.

When the police interrogated Lubna, she said she and her husband would often argue and that she also suspected him of being in a relationship with another woman since he used to come home late at night, the daily said.

advertisement

Investigators also found that Kosar was in contact with the same person through her mobile phone. After noting the suspicious connection, the police interrogated Kosar, who spilt the beans.

When the police interrogated Lubna, she said she and her husband would often argue and that she also suspected him of being in a relationship with another woman since he used to come home late at night.

The police arrested Lubna and arranged a sting operation to arrest the goons.

They made Lubna call them to have another person thrashed. This time she paid them Rs 50,000 in advance, but the police were waiting for them at the fake victim?s residence and arrested them on Thursday. PTI SH PMS

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Islamabad, Jan 14 (PTI) Pakistans ex-army chief Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif will speak at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, discussing terrorism and security issues in the country, a first for a former military head of Pakistan at Davos.

Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf has also addressed the forum but as head of state. This is the first time that a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the WEF, The Express Tribune reported.

advertisement

Raheel, who has the vast counter-insurgency experience, would highlight Pakistan Armys counter-insurgency operations and improved security environment in the country as well as in the region besides discussing opportunities under the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The annual WEF meetings will start from January 17 and continue for four days.

He will address three sessions of the WEF in addition to speaking at as many events arranged on the sidelines of the sessions. This includes a dinner by Munich Security Conference.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif last week said that Raheel had been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism.

Later, he backtracked from his statement and said Raheel did not seek governments permission before joining the Saudi- led alliance.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting which will be chaired jointly by Brian T Moynihan of the Bank of America, award-winning documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Helle Thorning- Schmidt, Frans van Houten and Meg Whitman, reports said. PTI SH ZH AKJ CPS

--- ENDS ---
By SA Commercial Prop News

Oasis Group Holdings, the asset management group, has recommended to clients with Fountainhead units not to accept Redefines proposed acquisition of the property unit trust.

In what might be one of SAs biggest property deals, Redefine announced last week it wished to acquire Fountainheads management company for R660 million, which would be followed with an offer to acquire Fountainheads property portfolio worth more than R10 billion, to be paid for with a combination of Hyprop units and units in Redefine.

Redefines property portfolio is worth more than R20 billion.

Oasis senior analyst Hassan Motala said on Wednesday that Fountainhead unitholders income would be "significantly" diluted as they would receive Hyprop shares that were trading at a yield more than 10% lower than the Fountainhead yield.

Mr Motala said the balance sheet strength of Fountainhead unitholders would reduce because they would receive Redefine shares that had double the percentage of debt to assets, relative to Fountainhead.

The income of Fountainhead was on a low base, due to the defensive capital expenditure of R850 million spent on the Blue Route Mall.

Mr Motala said the record of Redefine to deliver growth in recurring distributions was poor, with growth of 4% a year since 2008, which was "well below the industry average", despite synergies from the merger with Apexhi and Madison.

The R660 million for Fountainhead Management Company to be paid to Standard Bank and Liberty was excessive at more than 7% of assets under management, 16 times revenue and 130 times earnings, Mr Motala said.

"This excessive purchase price will undoubtedly be recovered from Fountainheads unitholders to ensure the overall transaction is earnings enhancing to Redefine."

Investec Asset Management fund manager Angelique de Rauville said while the offer for the management company was "on the high end, over the last few years we have seen more expensive offers".

She said that the distribution of sought-after Hyprop shares to the broader market of Fountainhead unitholders was positive and it would also eliminate a cross-shareholding between two large companies in the sector.

She said the deal would not be earnings dilutionary for Fountainhead unitholders, as Redefine traded on a higher yield, and the transaction should be about earnings neutral for Fountainhead unit holders

Ms de Rauville said Investec Asset Management was a shareholder of the three property companies involved and it intended to support the deal, subject to further terms being announced.

Oasis has been successful in leading defences for its clients in the past.

It led the defence of an offer of R24 per share for AVI in 2008, and it also ensured that Energy Africa shareholders were able to convert their shares into Tullow Oil in 2004.

AVIs share price has since increased by 92% to R46, while Tullow Oil had risen from 100p in 2004 to 1500p. - Business Day
Indian banker and New Development Bank chief (NDB) Kamath ' title='K.V. Kamath '>K.V. Kamath has said that cooperation between the five BRICS countries will be strengthened during Chinese presidency over the bloc in 2017.

Kamath made the comment in an interview with Xinhua news agency at the NDB headquarters in Shanghai on Friday.

This year opens the second decade of the emerging-market bloc which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. China will host the ninth BRICS leaders' summit in the coastal city of Xiamen in September.

Kamath, a native of Mangalore, India, said he was looking forward to showing BRICS leaders the progress that the bank has made.

"Importantly, the summit comes at a time when you can clearly see the five countries establishing themselves as an economic force," noted Kamath.

He said he believes the Xiamen summit will let people understand where the BRICS countries stand today, their current agenda and "how we could benefit by working in a cooperative manner".

Founded by the five BRICS countries in 2014, the NDB opened in Shanghai in July 2015.

"The Chinese government has been very hospitable toward the NDB, enabling us to set up and operate the bank in a very short time," said Kamath.

"All of these would not have been possible without the support and guidance we received from China," he said.

In December 2016, the NDB signed its first loan agreement, providing 525 million yuan ($76 million) for a solar power project in Shanghai.

Kamath is pleased with the result, saying "the fact we were able to appraise our first project in a record time has set a new benchmark for the NDB to follow."

Last year, the NDB issued three billion yuan worth of five-year green bonds, its first bond to raise funds worldwide for clean energy projects.

_

_SHOW_MID_AD__
Film: "xXx: Return of Xander Cage"; Director: DJ Caruso; Cast: Vin Diesel, Deepika Padukone, Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Kris Wu, Toni Collette, Nina Dobrev, Rory McCann and Samuel L Jackson; Rating: **1/2 This is the third film of the xXx franchise. After skipping the second edition -- State of the Union which was released in 2005 -- Vin Diesel who had featured in the original 2000 film returns in this action-packed spy thriller with pomp and panache. When a deadly weapon known as the Pandora's Box is stolen, and with the villain's modus operandi of dropping satellites on random locations, the CIA have no alternative but to coax an ex-government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) to return from his self-imposed exile and help them save the world from "a global power shift."
Festival of Pongal is celebrated on 14 January to marks the start of suns six-month long journey northwards (Uttarayana).



The festival is mostly celebrated in the southern part on India. It is celebrated in Tamil Nadu as a holiday and it is the one of the prominent festival of that state.



On the first day of Pongal festival, known as 'Bhogi' a special puja is performed before the cutting of paddy. Farmers worship the sun and the earth by putting sandalwood paste on their ploughs and sickles. These tools are then used to cut the newly-harvested rice.



In Tamil urban families, people light a bonfire in the evening and discard their old belongings and some grains in the fire, a practice similar to Lohri.



The second day, the main day of celebration is when the new rice is collected and cooked in pots until they overflow. This overflowing signifies Pongal. The Sun God is offered boiled milk and jaggery.



Tamils watch the boil over of milk as it is considered a good omen and symbolises prosperity.



People also exchange warm greeting on the day. Those away from their loved ones sond Pongal SMS messages.

Here are some Pongal SMS messages quotes



May the SWEETNESS of overflowing milk and sugarcane

Fill your home with harmony and happiness

Wishing you the best and prosperous Pongal!



Wishing that this festival brings good luck

and prosperity and hoping that it is joyous,

and fills your days ahead with happiness.

Have a wonderful Pongal.



Many Many Happy Pongal !

My First Wishes & Best Wishes !



As you joyfully celebrate the festival of Pongal and welcome the harvest season,

this greeting is being sent your way,

to wish you everything, that the occasion is meant to bring.

Have a Happy Pongal.



Happy Pongal to all!

We thank sun for burning himself to save us.

We thank plants sacrificing their life for us.

And we thank all the creatures helping us to live in this world for some time.



May this auspicious festival bring you

Overflowing happiness, joy and prosperity

Wishing you a blessed and happy Pongal!



Celebrate this day with a heart

Filled with cheer and fervor

Sending my warmest greetings to you

And to your family and loved ones this Pongal.

Pongalo Pongal!



The sun shines bright

To guide and lead us the way

Towards bountiful harvest season

May you be blessed with prosperity and joy

Happy Pongal!



I pray that this festival may be the start of your brighter days

Filled with happiness, good luck and prosperity.

Happy Pongal!
A Pashtun activist has accused Nawaz Sharif government of Pakistan of using Pashtun girls as sex slaves in Lahore in order to fund its terror camps in Swat and Waziristan.

By India Today Web Desk: A Pashtun activist has exposed his country's Army in a startling revelation.

Umar Daud Khattak, an Afghanistan-based activist today alleged that the Nawaz Sharif government of Pakistan was using Pashtun women as sex slaves.

The Pashtun activist said that Pakistan Army has kidnapped hundreds of girls from Swat and Waziristan areas to use them as sex slaves in order to fund their terror camps.

Pakistan has kept hundreds of Pashtun girls in Lahore as sex slaves,kidnapped girls from SWAT & Waziristan:Umar Khattak,Pashtun activist pic.twitter.com/vvdQP4k90s ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

advertisement

Khattak claimed that over five lakh people have fled their homes to escape the atrocities of Pakistani Army.

According to UNHCR about 5 lakh people from the area have fled to Afghanistan to escape atrocites of Pak Army:Umar Khattak,Pashtun activist pic.twitter.com/Y5SHEdsxUj ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

He further claimed to be preparing for armed struggle with Pakistan, saying, "We are forming a Pashtunistan liberation army, we will launch an armed struggle against Pakistan."

This Pashtunistan liberation army will put an end to terror. We appeal to the global community to support us: Umar Khattak,Pashtun activist ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

Seeking support from the international community Khattak said that Pakistan might use nuclear weapons against Pashtuns to keep them under check.

Pakistan can use nuclear weapons against us.Its a nuclear black market selling such weapons to rogue nations: Umar Khattak,Activist pic.twitter.com/2kIHoxmkFH ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

Pakistan is not a country, its a project of the western imperialists,destroyed identity of local ethnicities: Umar Khattak,Pashtun activist ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

--- ENDS ---
Lt. General Praveen Bakshi, who went on month-long leave in December after he was superseded in the selection of the Army chief's post by General Bipin Rawat, will be joining back the service early next week, sources said on Friday.

He will also attend the Combined Commanders' Conference which is to be held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on January 21, a source said.

It was being speculated that he may skip the conference, which will be attended by the commanders of the three forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Lt. Gen Bakshi had earlier missed a meeting in Delhi where all other command heads had gathered to discuss agenda for the Combined Commanders' Conference on January 10.

The source told IANS he was joining back, but refused to comment if it meant cutting short his leave.

"The duration of his leave in the media was largely an outcome of speculation, therefore it is inappropriate to say he has cut short his leave," the source, who did not want to be named, said.

Bipin Rawat was made the Army chief overlooking the seniority of Eastern Army Commander Lt. General Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army Commander Lt. General P.M. Hariz in December last year.

The chief of the Eastern Army Command, Bakshi, in an address to soldiers on the New Year's eve, said there was a "malicious campaign" against him to tarnish his image.

The Army chief on Friday said he would look into the grievances of Bakshi and if the matter needs to be investigated and is brought to his notice, action will be taken.

"If anything needs to be investigated, we will look into it," the Army chief said in response to a question on the allegations made by Bakshi.

He also added that Bakshi talked to him and said he had accepted the government's decision and extended support to him.

Gen Rawat in response to a question also said that Bakshi will be attending the January 21 conference.

He, however, added: "We both have reached out to each other. Ever since I was appointed as the chief, all he has told me is that I accept the decision of the government and will support you and the organisation."

"When he spoke to me on 31st (December), he said he has accepted the decision of the government," Gen. Rawat said at a press conference on Friday, ahead of the Army Day on January 15.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended greetings to people of various communities as they celebrate harvest festivals, and said diversity is India's greatest strength.

Modi in a series of tweets greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan.



"Today (January 14) people across India are celebrating various festivals. My greetings to everyone celebrating these auspicious festivals," Modi tweeted.



"May these festivals bring abundance of happiness and prosperity in the lives of our hardworking farmers," Modi said.



"These and many other festivals celebrated across India that add great colour and happiness in our lives. This diversity is India's greatest strength."



Modi also greeted people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and wished that this day bring joy and prosperity in everyone's lives.



He wished Tamil people a happy and blessed Pongal, greeted Gujaratis for Uttarayan and people of Assam on the occasion of Magh Bihu.
The great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Tushar A. Gandhi, on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) diary-calendar controversy.

"PM models for polyvastra (polyesterene). Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) wore khaddar (khadi) to Buckingham Palace, not a Rs 10 lakh suit," Gandhi said in a sharp tweet.



He added: "Haath me Charkha, Dil me Nathuram. No sin in calling a spade a spade and a joker a joker on television," and demanded shutting down the KVIC.



Gandhi was referring to his iconic great-grandfather's historic visit to Britain in 1931, when he met Britain's King George V and Queen Mary, clad in his trademark plain loincloth and a shawl.



In comparison, Modi wore a controversial expensive suit during US President Barack Obama's visit to India in January 2015.



In an earlier tweet, Gandhi said: "Tera Charkha le gaya Chor, Sun le Bapu ye Paigaam, Meri Chitthi tere naam (Your spinning wheel has been stolen -- a message to Bapu)... First, Bapu disappeared from few Rs 2,000 currency notes, now he disappears from KVIC office and calendar. Replaced by Rs 10 lakh-ka suit loving PM."





Protesting the KVIC decision, Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said it is "an insult to the Father of Nation".



"We strongly condemn this... and demand that the calendars be withdrawn immediately," Nirupam said in a statement late Friday night.



Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan termed it "an illness of self-patting" plaguing the government and demanded "an apology" for KVIC replacing Gandhi's photos with Modi's in its 2017 diaries and calendars.



"Mahatma Gandhi gave the message of "swadeshi" and self-dependence to the nation, for which the KVIC was formed in 1956... However, this government spares no effort for self-praises even if it's a wrong step," Chavan said in a statement on Friday night.



Decrying what he called attempts to remove the Father of Nation from different spheres, Chavan pointed out that "you cannot erase Mahatma Gandhi from the hearts of the people".



After the matter was first exposed on Thursday, the government and KVIC have been at the receiving end of the ire of masses and political parties.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday asserted the organisation is "not against anyone" but only working to unite and strengthen the Hindu community.

"We are not against anyone but only working to unite the Hindu community and to empower the Hindu society," Bhagwat said while addressing a rally here.



"Can anyone stop us? No one can stop us. We have to work. We have and we will keep on doing it. Increase activism, it doesn't increase from preaching," he said in his message on Makar Sankranti.
A militant was killed on Saturday on the Indian side of the International Border in Jammu region when Border Security Force troopers foiled an infiltration bid.

Police said the troopers at Bobiyan outpost in Kathua district noticed suspicious movement.

"The intruding group of around five militants was challenged, they fled back to Pakistan side, but one intruder was killed by the BSF troopers", police said, adding that the slain militant's identity was yet to be established.

_

_SHOW_MID_AD__
Although two opinion polls have given different findings about which party will be the winner in Punjab, conventional wisdom is that the ruling Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine will have a hard time overcoming the anti-incumbency factor.

The reason is, first, the drug problem to which a sizable section of the youth has fallen victim. Moreover, not only has the Parkash Singh Badal government failed to act effectively to check the menace, there are suspicions too about the clandestine involvement of high-ups in the government, including a minister, in the narcotics trade.

Secondly, Punjab is no longer quite the prosperous state as is commonly perceived because of the prevailing bankruptcy as alleged by the former Finance Minister and the Chief Minister's nephew, Manpreet Singh Badal, who is now in the Congress after having been expelled from the Akali Dal for making the charge.

Thirdly, there is said to be an element of disquiet outside the Akali Dal's core group of rural supporters about the Badal government's conversion into a family enterprise with Prakash Singh Badal's son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, assuming the Deputy Chief Minister's post.

There is little doubt that if the Akalis win, he will be the Chief Minister, replacing his 89-year-old father.

But, in case the anti-incumbency factor heralds the Akali Dal's winter of discontent, which party will gain?

At one time, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) was expected to be the main gainer if only because it unexpectedly won four out of the 13 parliamentary seats in the 2014 general elections with 24.4 per cent

votes, next only to the Akali Dal, which also won four seats with 26.3 per cent votes.

But the AAP leaders then still had the reputation of being knights in shining armour, ready to cleanse the system of sleaze and provide a

government close to the hearts of the people.

But that image has been dented to a considerable extent by its indifferent performance in Delhi and constant tiffs with the Centre

and the Lt. Governor, with the result that few expect it to score an outright victory in Punjab.

Instead, it is expected to be the third behind the Akali Dal-BJP combine and the Congress.

The political scene can be said, therefore, to have remained more or less the same with the two heavyweights continuing to be the dominant forces with the AAP and the BJP being minor players.

Of the two frontrunners, the Congress may expect to reap the harvest of anti-incumbency, not least because its 40.1 per cent vote share in 2012 was more than the Akali Dal's 34.7.

What saved the Akali Dal in that year was its alliance with the BJP since the two together won 68 seats (Akali Dal 56, BJP 12) against the

Congress's 46, an increase of two seats from 2007.

However, there was a fall in the voting percentages of both the Akali Dal and the BJP since 2007 while there was a marginal increase in the

Congress's vote share.

If these straws in the wind are taken into consideration, the Congress can look forward with some confidence to the ensuing contest.

Besides, it has in Amrinder Singh a veteran of many battles with a "born to rule" image because of his "royal" lineage.

But the Congress's disadvantage remains its central leadership and especially Rahul Gandhi, who does not give the impression of being a hands-on, mature and responsible leader.

His equations with Amrinder Singh are also far from being warm presumably because the scion of the "royal" family of Patiala once said that the crown prince of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty lacks the experience to head the Congress party.

However, Amrinder Singh cannot be unaware that in case the Congress comes out on top, it will be Gandhi who will be credited with the victory by the latter's band of sycophants although to nearly all the others, the kudos should really go to the Captain, as Amrinder Singh is called.

A Congress victory may also pave the way for Rahul Gandhi's long-awaited ascent to the position of party president, which may not

be the best thing for the Congress since, to most observers, Amrinder Singh's doubts about his capabilities are not invalid.

There is little doubt, however, that out of the elections in five states in February and March, the best chance for the Congress is in Punjab.

If the party can pull it off in the state, it will go a long way to counter the demoralisation that had set in after its disastrous performance in the last general election and the subsequent defeats in a number of assembly elections, including in Delhi, Maharashtra,

Haryana, Assam and Kerala.

A victory may not mean that the effects of "Rahu kaal" are over for the Congress, but it will show nevertheless that there is still some life left in the old warhorse.
At least 20 passengers were killed and many others were missing as a boat carrying 40 people capsized in the Ganga river near here on Saturday evening, officials said. Only eight people were rescued so far.

The bodies of 20 passengers have been recovered, while eight people are being treated at the Patna Medical College and Hospital, said Patna SSP Manu Maharaj.

According to eyewitnesses, the overcrowded boat was returning from a kite flying festival, organised as part of Makar Sankranti by the state Tourism Department, when the incident took place around 6 p.m.

Rescue operations were hampered since it was already dark by the time. Six of the eight people rescued were pulled out from the river by the National Disaster Response Force, a team of which was deployed for the rescue operations.

Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Agarwal and district police officials are camping at the site.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe into the incident.

The state government also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of the kin of the victims.

Meanwhile, the ruling JD-U postponed its state President Vashisht Narain Singh's Makar Sankranti feast planned for Sunday.

PM expresses grief over deaths in Bihar boat tragedy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed his grief over the boat tragedy in Patna where 20 passengers were killed and many others were missing.

"PM expressed grief on the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar. He extended condolences to the bereaved families," the Prime Minister's office said in a tweet.

The tragic accident happened when a boat carrying 40 people capsized in the Ganga river near Patna on Saturday evening.

At least 20 passengers were killed and many others were missing. Only eight people have been rescued so far.
Four children of a family were burnt to death and their parents injured when a house caught fire here on Saturday morning, police said.

Kusum, 14, Kanchan, 10, Rohit, 6, and Mohit, 5, were burnt alive and Kirpal Singh and Surajwati were injured when a fire broke out in their house in the fields of Mohammadpur village, near the Delhi- Gurugram expressway.



Singh, hailing from Badaun district in Uttar Pradesh, does farming on nearly 4 acres of land on a contract basis.





He has been referred to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi as his condition is said to be critical, a relative of the victims told IANS here.



The reason behind the blaze could not be ascertained immediately.



The bodies have been sent for postmortem.
Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday failed to turn up for a crucial political affairs committee (PAC) meeting of the Congress party here, and senior Congress leaders were hard put to explain his absence.

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday failed to turn up for a crucial political affairs committee (PAC) meeting of the Congress party here, and senior Congress leaders were hard put to explain his absence.

State Congress president V.M. Sudheeran played down the absence, stating that Chandy was busy.

"There are no issues in our party, and Chandy expressed his inability to take part in today's meeting citing other engagements. He has been called up by party vice president Rahul Gandhi and they will meet on Monday in Delhi," Sudheeran told reporters.

The political affairs committee of the party is the highest state level party body. In the meeting those close to Chandy defended his absence, while those not in his faction, including Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson P.J. Kurian and senior leader P.C. Chacko, pointed out that it was not fair for him to keep away from the meeting.

Chandy who was present in the capital city after taking part in a marriage of his close relative left for Kochi, while the PAC began its meeting at the state party headquarters.

Chandy has been upset with the party high command ever since the 14 district party chiefs were named last month, with many of his close aides ignored. Since then he has been reportedly sulking and did not take part in two meetings called by the party high command of state-wide party leaders in Delhi.

AICC leader K.V. Thangkabalu, who participated in the meeting as an observer, also failed to convince the media on the absence of Chandy. He pointed out that there are no issues in the party, and that the media is "out to create issues".

"There are no issues and Chandy is a very tall national leader of our party. He is in the forefront of all protests of the party against the national and state governments. You (media) are creating issues," said Thangkabalu to probing reporters on the absence of Chandy.

_

_SHOW_MID_AD__
Nine deaths were reported from some parts of Uttar Pradesh since Friday as cold wave conditions intensified, an official said on Saturday.

The weatherman has predicted harsher weather in the next few days as the 'winter chill effect' was going to bring down temperatures even further.



The Met office said that the mercury would dip steadily till January 19 after which the weather conditions might improve.



Temperature in the state capital was seven degrees below normal, making its the coldest place in the state. The minimum temperature recorded here was at 0.4 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest in several years.



The cold wave in the state was termed "unprecedented" by the regional Met office as temperatures in some places touched sub-zero.



All schools from class I to VIII were shut till January 16.



Kanpur and Sultanpur districts shivered at 1.6 degrees Celsius.



Strong seasonal winds blowing from the Siberian region and a western disturbance have added to the winter bite, Regional Director J.P. Gupta from the Met office said.



The victims of the intense cold wave have been identified and they were residents of Kannauj and Kanpur rural.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight condoled the loss of lives in Patna boat tragedy after which his programme scheduled for tomorrow in the Bihar capital was postponed.

"PM expressed grief on the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar. He extended condolences to the bereaved families," the Prime Ministers Office tweeted.

advertisement

In the wake of the tragedy, a programme to mark the start of redevelopment work of Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna which he was to address via video conferencing was also postponed, the PMO said.

At least 20 people, including some minors, drowned when a boat capsized on the Ganga in Patna, suspectedly because of overloading. PTI AKK DIP

--- ENDS ---
The Akhilesh Yadav faction of the Samajwadi Party seems to be inching closer to sealing a deal with the Congress, even as the Election Commission is yet to decide on the fate of the SP and its symbol cycle.

While speculation about a pre-poll alliance has been in the air for some time now, hoardings of Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav, who is Akhilesh's wife, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have come up in Allahabad - fuelling the speculation. The hoardings with pictures of both women figuring prominently have been put up by Congress workers - Anil Chowdhary and Irshad Ullah.

The slogan in the hoardings says "Mahilaon ka UP mein bajega danka, jab saath aayengi Dimple aur Priyanka" (Women in Uttar Pradesh will be empowered, when Dimple and Priyanka come together).

Ullah, who is general secretary of the district Congress committee in Allahabad, says the workers want this tie up to happen at the earliest as this would not only consolidate the woman power but also prevent division of Muslim vote. This will stop the BJP from coming to power, he says.

There are many votaries who favour the Congress and the Akhilesh faction to come together. Sources say, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has propped up his wife to negotiate with Priyanka Gandhi while he is working the wires with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his team.

Congress veterans like Ghulam Nabi Azad, state president Raj Babbar, party's Dalit face P.L. Punia, are opposed to any such ideas as they feel that this could cost Congress further as it will bring the anger of anti-incumbency along.

With both Congress and the Akhilesh faction facing an uncertain future in the forthcoming state assembly polls, it appears to be a necessity and a done thing.

Propping up of the woman power from both sides is likely to play a cementing force, insiders say.

_

_SHOW_MID_AD__
In a blow to the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), two of its senior party leaders on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Former Transport Minister in the Akhilesh Yadav-led government and many time legislator Raja Aridaman Singh hitched the bandwagon in presence of the state BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya.

The district Cooperative Bank chairperson and declared SP candidate for the Khairagarh assembly seat, Pakshalika Singh, also joined the BJP, expressing his faith in the party policies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Welcoming the leaders into the party fold, Maurya said it was good that leaders of other parties were deserting their parties due to their "wrong policies" and migrating to the BJP, which was a nationalistic party with development as its core agenda.

Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8.

_

_SHOW_MID_AD__
Bangladesh Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested Neo-JMB terrorist Jahangir Alam, one of the key figures behind the Gulshan cafe terror attack in 2016 in which over 20 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) spokesperson Masudur Rahman said they arrested Alam, alias Rajib Gandhi, a Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen leader, from Tangail, some 100 km from here, late on Friday.

The 35-year-old Alam's arrest came about during a drive conducted by members of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of DMP, police said, bd24news reported.

He is a wanted criminal and an accused in 20 to 22 cases filed in connection with terrorist attacks, CTTC unit Chief Monirul Islam told The Daily Star.

Police earlier said the name 'Rajib Gandhi' surfaced during the July 1 Holey Artisan Bakery attack. Investigators said they came to know that he was the "commander" of Neo-JMB for the northern districts.

He was quite young when he joined the mainstream JMB, which carried out synchronised bomb attacks across Bangladesh in 2005.

Rajib had close connections with Tamim, the mastermind of the cafe siege, who was killed last year.

Rajib sent two militants from Bogra to take part in the Gulshan attack and another from Dinajpur for the Sholakia attack.

In September 2016, Islam told the media that Alam had personally trained them.

The police had earlier said they were on the trail of 'Rajib Gandhi' and Basaruzzaman alias Chocolate, after recent raids that led to the deaths of terrorists Tamim Chowdhury, former Bangladesh Army major Jahidul Islam, Tanvir Qaderi and Nurul Islam Marzan.

On July 1, 2016, five militants took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, killing over 20 persons, mostly foreigners, including 19-year-old Indian Tarishi Jain.

_

_SHOW_MID_AD__
Foster care youth, 13, crashed truck stolen from Parsons auto dealership

A 13-year-old runaway in the Kansas foster care system died Oct. 29 after an Oct. 27 crash after running away from Successful Dreams in Parsons.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight expressed grief over the death of at least 20 people in the boat tragedy in Patna.

"PM expressed grief on the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar. He extended condolences to the bereaved families," the Prime Ministers office tweeted.

At least 20 people, including some minors, drowned when a boat capsized on the Ganga in Patna, suspectedly because of overloading. PTI AKK DIP

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
HELPING HAND: The Finance Manager of Pacific Ezy Money, Dan Ah Kau, with grateful recipients of cash donations from Pacific Ezy as its way of giving back to the community.

Pacific Ezy donated $1,000 each to five different non-government organisations.

They include the Samoa Cancer Society, Nuanua o le Alofa, Tamaitai Sa Monike Vailima, Samoa Victim Support Group and Mapuifagalele. Photo: Pacific Ezy Money.
Think a minuteA little boy was not obeying his mother. So she told him to sit down and stay there until she said he could stand up again. The little boy angrily sat down and said: Im sittin down, Mombut inside Im standing up!

There was a popular song made famous by Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, and Elvis Presley called My Way. Its about a man at the end of his life whos proud of how he lived, even with all his mistakes, because he says, I did it my way! That song was so popular because it says how we all feel: Im going to live my life my way and be my own boss! Im not going to let anybody tell me how to livenot even my Maker.

Remember John Lennon of the Beatles? He and his fellow Beatles helped lead the rebellion of the 60s against many traditional beliefs and lifestyles.

They also made popular the use of both marijuana and hard drugs. Many of their followers and fans often boasted that the secret to a happy life was simply to live for today. The problem was they were so high on drugs they never knew what DAY it was!

John Lennon was also very proud of being a devout atheist. He did not believe in God. In fact, in 1966 John Lennon said: Christianity will die out. We, the Beatles, are more popular than Jesus now.

I dont know which will go away first: rock n roll or Christianity. Then Lennon himself was the first to go when he was suddenly shot and killed on the streets of New York City.

You see, our Creator gave us our freedom so we can choose whose way we want to live: His way or our way. But Jesus strongly warned us that our way is definitely the wrong way; because no matter how hard we try we cant ever be fully satisfied by living our way.

Whats worse, Jesus said it will only lead us into hell - a place full of the worst pain and suffering forever. In fact, its so terrible that our Maker Himself chose to become a human being just to give His innocent life so He could forgive us all our wrongs and save us from hell. Thats how much He loves us!

God the Son came and showed us that living His way is the only way that we can have the satisfying, good life we were created to enjoy. So today, why not finally ask Jesus to forgive you for living your own way.

Then ask Him to take full charge of your life, so that for your own sake and happiness, you can start living His way every day of your life. Just Think a Minute
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has accused the media of re-running stale footage and fabricating stories in relation to concerns expressed about the behaviour of street vendors in Apia.

Tuilaepa also flatly denied a call to change the laws to allow the Police to hold parents accountable  and charging them where possible - for children selling goods on the streets at ungodly hours.

The Prime Minister made the comments when his opinion was sought on growing concerns about the misbehaviour of street vendors.

At the end of last month, CCTV footage captured three young vendors beating a homeless person at 3am. The video, captured outside the Bartley building in Savalalo, caused widespread anger, leading to calls for the government to address the issue immediately.

The concerns were heightened when another footage emerged last week featuring street vendors fighting among themselves in public.

Asked for a comment, Tuilaepa wielded the axe towards the media.

Ive just got off the phone with the Police, he said. They are surprised about that issue. You see, its easy to bring back something you filmed many years ago, especially at this time when they are looking for some stories to fill the paper."

That thing is not new. So the Police are surprised, they are going to see where these reports come from. According to them, nothing like that is happening.

Tuilaepa said it is in the nature of the media, especially newspapers to make up stories. He did not name any particular media organization.

See we have alot of people here trying to look for some gossip, he said referring to journalists present at his weekly media briefing.

So what happens is that when you search and cannot find a story, then you fabricate such stories. You go and bring back the footage thats been stale in your files for months and then you re-run it like its something that happened yesterday."

The Police say no such thing has reached their office.

As the Minister of Police, Tuilaepa indicated hes more inclined to believe the Police.

The state of the Police department at this moment is very good.

Told that the footage in question was captured towards the end of last month and that the footage of brawling street vendors was during the holidays, Tuilaepa insisted no one has reported anything to the Police.

I called the Police and they said there has been no report, he said.

This is the responsibility of the Police.

The Prime Minister added that members of the public should feel duty bound to help.

Everyone has a duty. If they see these things they should help. Thats the duty of all Samoans, to stop these kids when theyre fighting.

As for a law to charge parents who allow their kids to stay out late at night to sell goods, Tuilaepa said this was unnecessary.

Its a foolish matter, he said. If we do something like that we will be worse off than Communism. The thing to do is just use your brains.

Tuilaepa reminded that the government cannot do everything. Parents have to play their role, which includes ensuring that their children are taken care of.

Thats the stuff parents, Village Councils and Pastors should be looking out for. Thats the duty for all of us, he said.

The government doesnt have to do everything, thats the responsibility of parents and families."

So when we have a law like that, we will be worse of than communist countries. It means that every time you want to go to the toilet you have to ask for permission.
A number of San Diego moving companies are banding together to express their displeasure with the Chargers decision to relocate to Los Angeles by using  or not using, rather  the only method at their immediate disposal: moving vans and trucks.

Friday, a dozen local movers publicly pledged on the website WeWontMoveYouChargers.com not to lend a hand should the team call on them for relocation assistance.

Their vow, as listed on the website, reads, We decree, henceforth, that we shall unite as a perfect union of professional movers in agreeance to not aid the San Diego Chargers to move to Los Angeles.

Advertisement

The we-wont-move-you website and campaign was started late Thursday by Oceanside startup HireAHelper in a Hail Mary attempt to prevent the team from leaving town.

They cant move to LA without a mover. So what if all the movers in San Diego refused them? That was the idea behind it, said Ryan Charles, vice president of marketing at HireAHelper, an online marketplace that lets consumers hire movers by the hour to help with their truck loading and unloading needs.

The startup has been cold-calling its competition to secure their commitment in not moving the Chargers. As of Friday afternoon, a variety of small to mid-size movers, such as Move Central, Gorilla Movers and Titan Movers, had all publicly pledged not to move the team to Los Angeles.

Still, like other outbursts from disgruntled fans, this initiative is unlikely to have an impact on the teams decision, which is not lost on the company behind the campaign nor those participating.

We just wanted to show one last bit of loyalty to the San Diego Chargers before its really the Los Angeles Chargers, Charles said.

.

jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin
The Republican-led Congress passed a plan Friday to start the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act, but the road ahead remains unclear.

House Republicans approved the budget blueprint, 227-198, following a similar party-line vote earlier this week in the Senate, which sets a month-end timetable to draft a repeal bill. But leaders warned the process could take longer.

The week was full of theatrics as Republicans struggled to fulfill one of their major campaign promises. One by one, Republicans rose at their desks to criticize Obamacare  Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) compared the ACA to a goat ransacking the interior of a house. I have to get the goat out, he said.

Advertisement

And after each GOP speech, Democrats reminded lawmakers of how many hundreds of thousands of Americans might lose their healthcare coverage in that lawmakers state if Obamacare is repealed  more than 580,000, for example, in Georgia.

But launching the repeal process was the easy part. Republicans arent any closer to fulfilling their longtime promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, even though they will now control the House, Senate and White House.

President-elect Donald Trump said this week that he expects Congress to act swiftly, promising that a plan will be coming as soon as his pick for Health and Human Services secretary, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), is confirmed for the Cabinet.

Itll be repeal and replace. It will be essentially, simultaneously, Trump said. It will be various segments, you understand, but will most likely be on the same day or the same week, but probably, the same day, could be the same hour.

Republican leaders, though, know that is a promise easier made than kept.

Trump and the GOP are charging forward with Obamacare repeal, but few are eager to follow 

Ever since President Obama signed the healthcare bill into law in 2010, Republicans have been unable to coalesce around a viable option. Fridays vote showed the trouble ahead as nine Republicans, a mix of the most conservative and most moderate, declined to back the first step.

Were not holding hard deadlines, only because we want to get it right, said House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). He has committed to having repeal and replace done this year.

But without a clear path forward, rank-and-file GOP lawmakers are becoming increasingly nervous that constituents back home will lose their healthcare coverage if the ACA is repealed before a replacement is enacted.

In closed-door meetings over the past two weeks, Republicans have expressed much hand-wringing, as one lawmaker put it. One congressman quoted scripture in asking colleagues to ensure they had a sturdy foundation before pressing ahead with the repeal.

We do have members who feel if we dont do them together, the replacement plan will never happen, acknowledged Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), an early Trump supporter. People will, I hope, fall in line with our new president, make sure we are supportive of him coming right out of the gate.

As voting was underway this week, Republican aides were increasingly suggesting another course of action.

They say the Obamacare replacement will not be a single bill, but a series of actions  some made through regulatory changes by Price at Health and Human Services, others by Trumps executive actions, and some in legislation  to build a new healthcare system.

That process could drag throughout 2017, with many of the changes not expected to be phased in for several years to ease the transition.

Were not going to swap one 2,700-page monstrosity for another, Ryan said, referring to the Obamacare law.

Republicans have promised their plan will lower the consumer costs of health insurance premiums and deductibles, and give people more choices in choosing coverage. They have floated ideas for expanding tax-exempt health savings accounts and giving lower-income Americans refundable tax credits toward buying their own coverage. They want to end the mandate that all Americans have insurance.

But without legislation, those ideas remain only works in progress.

Meanwhile, more than 20 million people are now benefiting from Obamacare, either by purchasing private insurance on the ACA exchanges or receiving health coverage through the Medicaid expansion. Many people receive government subsidies to defray the costs.

Trump made promises to blue-collar voters. Democrats plan to make sure he follows through 

Repealing Obamacare threatens to wipe out that system without providing a new one.

Why dont they have a remedy? said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles). Theyre not going to have anything better than the ACA.

Approval of the budget package Friday sends instructions to various congressional committees to draft legislation to repeal Obamacare by Jan. 27. But aides cautioned that deadline is not binding, and may slip.

Republicans have approved countless bills to repeal Obamacare before, but their off-the-shelf model needs some fine-tuning now that it has a chance under Trump to become law, they said.

Both Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hope some of the replacement elements can be tucked into the repeal bill, providing a safety net as they dismantle Obamacare.

But because the repeal bill is part of the budget process, it must hew to budgetary provisions, which throws into question some of the most popular parts of Obamacare  such as allowing young people to remain on parents plans until they are 26 years old or prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage for those with preexisting conditions.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are wedged between constituents who want them to keep their promise to gut Obamacare, and those worried about what will happen to their healthcare coverage if they do.

Everyones getting calls, said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.). Some people feel a little uncomfortable.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

Twitter: @LisaMascaro

ALSO

Despite talk of GOP unity, Trumps programs face fight from Republican budget hawks

Believe me: People say Trumps language is affecting political discourse bigly

Trumps rise draws white supremacists into political mainstream: I am winning, says David Duke

More coverage of Congress
President-elect Donald Trump may have mocked the rocky debut of successor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the faux boardroom chair of The Celebrity Apprentice, but as he makes his own start in the Oval Office, Trump may find he has a few things to learn from his reality TV replacement.

Long before Schwarzenegger inherited the role of firing underperformers on camera, he was the one selling voters on a pledge to fire an underperforming government. Few politicians are better acquainted than Schwarzenegger with the fickleness of an electorate that propels an outsider with an outsized personality into high office.

He experienced how swiftly a populist crowd-pleaser could go from harnessing rage to watching it ricochet in the wrong direction. Adoring crowds who reveled in his pledges to restore integrity and common sense to government turned on him when bureaucratic bloat failed to shrink.

Advertisement

Much of what is playing out in Washington feels familiar to the Sacramento politicos who endured the tumult of Schwarzeneggers first years as California governor.

Schwarzenegger, too, once seemed made of Teflon, as reporters called him out on inconsistencies, half-baked plans and dodges, with limited effect. And the deal that Trump announced to keep an Indiana factory open, his public shaming of Boeing for the cost of its Air Force One contract and his serial use of social media to keep lawmakers off-balance all could have come from the early Schwarzenegger playbook.

But Schwarzenegger made early mistakes that gutted his popularity and forced him to reevaluate his entire approach. In California, there is no shortage of speculation about whether Trump is headed down the same path.

Trumps confidants are well aware. But they boast that they have a resilience that Schwarzeneggers team didnt.

They are such a high-powered collection of people, who are so used to winning, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an early Trump supporter and prominent campaign surrogate, recently said at a Washington Post event. Gingrich predicted that the new administration wont change course when challenged, suggesting Schwarzenegger did. Theyll say, OK, weve got to double, or triple or quadruple our energy level, and break through, Gingrich said.

That is spectacularly bad advice, according to former Schwarzenegger aides. That kind of attitude is what almost put Arnold Schwarzenegger off the rails, said Susan Kennedy, who successfully rebooted Schwarzeneggers administration after being hired as chief of staff during one of its lowest points.

If that strategy worked, they would have built a statue to Newt Gingrich when he shut down government instead of running him out of town, said Kennedy, who had to clean up the mess after Schwarzenegger tried to outmaneuver obstinate lawmakers with a slate of incendiary austerity and anti-union ballot measures.

Voters rejected every one of them.

I can show you my scars, said Joel Fox, a veteran anti-tax advocate who worked closely with Schwarzenegger. Trump, he said, should heed the lessons learned from mobilizing so many enemies all at once. We got into eliminating teacher tenure, and rolling back union dues. What the heck were we doing? It was a mistake for Arnold not to limit himself. And Trump could just as easily make the same mistake.

The turnabout happened quickly. Schwarzeneggers approval rating soared north of 70% after a first year in which he repealed a much-hated car tax, redesigned an ailing worker compensation system and persuaded voters to buy into a big borrowing package to put the state on a path toward solvency.

Overreach during his second year changed everything.

Voters had agreed with Schwarzenegger on the problems plaguing the state, but he misjudged their appetite for his solutions.

Trump faces the same risk. His plans to deliver change by repealing Obamacare, cracking down on illegal immigration and upending trade agreements all expose him to backlash. Many of the same voters disgusted by the status quo in California redirected their disgust as they learned how Schwarzeneggers plans threatened to degrade their schools, healthcare and parks.

There are, of course, sharp distinctions between the two blustery, celebrity Republican outsiders. Schwarzenegger faced a hostile Legislature, while Trump has a friendly Congress. Schwarzenegger plunged into Schwarzenegger University to learn as much policy as he could from some of the sharpest minds in California government, while Trump has yet to show himself much of a wonk. Schwarzenegger crusaded against climate change, which Trump has called a hoax. Ballot initiatives are not an option for Trump.

But both won election promising they could use their business acumen, media savvy and star power to tackle intractable societal problems. And in Schwarzeneggers case, the lack of control of the Legislature was offset by popularity ratings that eclipse Trumps. The temptation to wager big was as irresistible for the former California governor as it now may be for Trump.

There was this feeling of, whats the point of being here unless you are going to do some bold things? said Rob Stutzman, who was Schwarzeneggers communications director.

But Schwarzeneggers stagecraft, his snubs of protocol, his forceful personality that persuaded voters not to settle  all signature Trump tools  diminished every day of his administration. The cool factor of celebrity has a shelf life, said Stutzman. There is only so much of that you can do. At some point you have to start looking like and acting like a governor. At some point, Trump has to start acting like a president.

One moment made clear that Schwarzenegger had lost the crowd. Before a scrum of reporters, he climbed up to a giant spigot gushing with red liquid, announced he would be stopping the flow of red ink in Sacramento, and turned the valve shut. But unlike earlier, similar stunts, this one flopped. Voters were tired of the shtick.

By then, even the refusal to bow to party orthodoxy, which had been a selling point for Schwarzenegger, and which Trump recently rode to victory, had become an albatross. The infighting in the governors suite was legendary. Top staffers assigned underlings to spy on other top staffers. The governors liberal Hollywood chums battled with the fiscally tight alumni of the Pete Wilson administration he recruited. It was unclear who had the blessing of a chief executive who, like Trump, thrived on unpredictability.

The same politicians who initially cowered in Schwarzeneggers presence began to defy him as it appeared the wheels were coming off. As soon as you lose, every political enemy sees an opportunity to dismantle you more, said Bonnie Reiss, a close Schwarzenegger friend and advisor who now runs the institute named after him at USC.

Schwarzenegger was no longer the brash, crowd-pleasing outsider. The problems he had inherited, he now owned. He humbly told Californians, If I was to make another Terminator movie, I would tell Terminator to travel back in time to tell Arnold not to have another special election.

Schwarzeneggers collaborations with Democrats from that point on are well-known. He championed the states landmark climate change policy and leveraged an uptick in the economy for a wildly popular infrastructure package that helped secure his reelection.

Less known is how he would go on to patiently and sometimes masterfully play an ego-bruising, inside game in pursuit of the platform of fiscal restraint and political reform that he first ran on. There was no more glory to be had as governor while the national economy went into free fall, and with it, Californias finances. But Schwarzenegger eked out policy victories that had enduring impact on the state with every budget negotiation.

Trump could learn a lot from what Arnold did right, which was to take policy seriously, said Mike Murphy, one of Schwarzeneggers top strategists. And another lesson he might adopt is learning to fret less about getting attention for yourself at the moment than winning the long game.

It was a tutorial Schwarzenegger began after the president-elect trashed his Celebrity Apprentice debut on Twitter. The former California governor suggested that perhaps Trumps focus was misplaced and might be reoriented toward the peoples work.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope youll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings, Schwarzenegger wrote.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Follow me: @evanhalper

To read this article in Spanish, click here.

Obama hoped to sow peace. Instead, the whole concept of war has changed

Trump in his news conference: at war with all sides

Trump alleges leaks by U.S. spy agencies, says thats something Nazi Germany would have done
Last year, artist Dionisio Ceballos remained home in Berkeley while his wife, Erin Delaney, and daughter, Emilia, flew to San Diego for a workshop. Then the phone rang and it was my daughter, he recalled, She said, We want to move here! Its beautiful.

Initially, he was tentative since he didnt have a job or home lined up. On the other hand, San Diego had been his lucky city. He was at the airport in 2010 when he learned that he won an Emmy as animator and designer on the documentary, The Next Frontier: Engineering the Golden Age of Green.

Ceballos had also gained prominence for his reproductions of the paintings of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo that were featured in the 2002 Academy Award winning film, Frida, and as a fine artist with San Franciscos Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Artists Gallery.

Advertisement

I decided to follow my heart and work hard, go to networking events and start a business, he said. I distilled what I had done in the past with what Im doing today in interior decor by creating faux finishes, glazes, stencils, fine plasters, murals, frescos and collages for the home.

Today, his Encinitas-based business is called Colibri Painting and Wall Finishes. Colibri means hummingbird in Spanish.

I chose a hummingbird as a logo because they are always present in magical moments, he said. When I see a hummingbird, I get attuned. It reminds me of spirit.

Ceballos works on a mural along the staircase of the Filasky home in La Costa. (Peggy Peattie / U-T )

Ceballos developed a passion for murals growing up in Mexico City, surrounded by the art of Diego Rivera, husband of Frida Kahlo, and other icons of the Mexican Mural Movement that began in the 1920s.

Among his other creative influences were the meditation practices of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, the spiritual head of Siddha Yoga.

My strongest gift is intuition, which I use to identify the clients mood and provide the most uplifting and inspiring environment for their home, he said.

The process begins with a meeting in the home, where I pay attention to subtleties that are meaningful to the individual or family  whether it is sports, nature or their heritage. Then I prepare a digital rendering and meet again to give the client an opportunity to respond. When we agree, we start.

Ceballos divides his clients into two categories.

Artist Dionisio Ceballos has changed his career focus, now creating murals and wall finishes for homes. (Peggy Peattie / U-T )

There are those who completely know what they want and insist on controlling everything, he said. Then there are others who give me basic direction and freedom to do what I want. The best work Ive done is when a client trusts me and is receptive to my ideas and being guided.

Glenn Shultz gave him free rein to create an accent wall in the living room of his Escondido home. Ceballos interpretation of Shultzs vision was a red wall painted in Venetian plaster.

I told Dio, I want you to bring God into my house, Shultz recalled. He delivered that and more. Every time I look at the wall, depending on the time of day, or the angle, or set of moods, it looks different. Sometimes I turn my chair around and just look at it.

Ceballos describes his process as being alchemical, not necessarily being guided by formula, but by interactions with clients. What they receive is not just a decorated wall, he said. They receive a transformational process where they are included  and therefore a much deeper experience.

Recently, Chris Filasky contacted Ceballos after being referred by a friend. He and his wife, Hayley, purchased a home in La Costa in August for the family, which includes three sons, all of whom are under the age of 5.

I was impressed with Dios style and brought him in for a consultation, he said. Hayley is an art teacher and has opinions, but Dio was open to our input and very accommodating.

The couple initially planned to have him create artwork for their dining room and master bedroom.

Then Dio suggested that the stairway wall could be the focal point of the home with a mural, Hayley Filasky recalled. He said This house has your childrens energy and I want them to be part of it and create some of the artwork.

The dining room was done in Venetian plaster with seafoam green and blues to complement the existing decor. Marmorino plaster was used for the master bedroom.

Ceballos Rocky Mountain range sketch on Chris and Hayley Filaskys master bedroom walls has special significance. The couple met in Vail, Colo. (Peggy Peattie / U-T )

When Dio learned that Chris and I met in Vail, he created a sketch of the Gore Range of the Rocky Mountains, then he painted it behind the bed, Hayley Filasky said. Sometimes its hard for one artist to work with another, but Dio has been easy to collaborate with. Hes taking our style, and family, and incorporating it into art.

Ceballos says his best referrals come from his previous projects.

My favorite clients are those who take risks, because Im an artist, not just a painter, he explained.

Where I am heading is to bring three-dimensional art into homes, he said. I have an idea to hang sculpture from the ceiling that would fill the room and be inaccessible to children.

Cox is a San Diego freelance writer.

Artists information

Dionisio Ceballos, Colibri Painting & Wall Finishes; (415) 539-7371, colibriwalls.com, info@colibriwalls.com
Trump suggested he might do away with the sanctions, if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to Washington.

By Reuters: US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal he would keep intact sanctions against Russia "at least for a period of time," and also said he wouldn't commit to the "one China" policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.

In excerpts from an hour long interview published by the Journal on Friday, Trump said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?"

advertisement

Trump suggested he might do away with the sanctions - imposed by the Obama administration in late December in response to Moscow's alleged cyber attacks - if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to Washington, the Journal reported.

Also read | Rex Tillerson, Trump's secretary of state, says would block China from South China Sea

Trump told the newspaper he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he is sworn in on January 20.

"I understand that they would like to meet, and that's absolutely fine with me," he said.

Asked if he supported the "one China" policy on Taiwan that has underpinned U.S. relations with Beijing for decades, Trump told the Journal: "Everything is under negotiation including One China."

Trump angered the Chinese by taking a congratulatory phone call after his election win from Taiwan's leader and questioning the "one China" policy.

The United States has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

Also read | Will repeal, replace Obamacare simultaneously, says US President Donald Trump

Trump has said in the past he would label China a currency manipulator after he takes office. In the interview, he said he wouldn't take that step on his first day in the White House. "I would talk to them first," he said.

"Certainly they are manipulators," he added. "But I'm not looking to do that."

But he made plain his displeasure with China's currency practices. "Instead of saying, 'We're devaluating our currency,' they say, 'Oh, our currency is dropping.' It's not dropping. They're doing it on purpose," he said, according to the Journal.

"Our companies can't compete with them now because our currency is strong and it's killing us," the Journal quoted Trump as saying.Calls to the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman's office were not answered, and the ministry did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment on the Wall Street Journal interview.

advertisement

Also read | Donald Trump's first press meet after win: If Putin likes me, that's an asset

--- ENDS ---
Anastasia McAteer is an open book. No, really. When she was in seminary, she took a personality test that measured a persons capacity from being closed to open on a scale of one to 10  she scored an 11 for openness.

Its just who I am. It feels honest to be real with people. Plus, human beings are endlessly fascinating creatures, she says. As an extrovert, it gives me energy to be around lots of people, and when I open up to them, others open up to me.

And shes chosen to study and work in fields that would necessitate her open engagement with others: studying communications and theater, film, graduate studies in worship, theology and liturgical studies (the latter focusing on the spirituality of food and its use in rituals). All of these seem to coalesce into her current work as an administrator for the Buy Nothing Project in Ocean Beach, and her own personal Friday Family Meals in her home. The Buy Nothing Project began in Washington in 2013 and urges people to get to know their neighbors by gifting each other with goods and services, while also avoiding purchasing and consuming material goods. Her family meals are open invitations for people in the community to stop by for a free meal and connecting with others.

Advertisement

McAteer, 41, lives in Ocean Beach with her husband and their two children. She took some time to talk about how both of these projects have affected her and her family, and how shes seen them help others.

Q: Tell us about the Buy Nothing Project.

A: The Buy Nothing Project was founded in July 2013, when a couple of friends living on Bainbridge Island, Wash., had the idea to create an experimental, hyper-local gift economy in their community  to get to know neighbors, build friendships and strengthen community by freely offering gifts of goods, services, time, talent and human connection. Groups are set up in geographical neighborhoods, so that the folks you meet online (we use Facebook as our platform) are your literal neighbors, people youll start to recognize when youre out walking the dog or getting your morning paper. In just a few years, the project has grown to have hundreds of thousands of members in dozens of countries.

Q: What appealed to you about it?

A: I love helping in this group because I see people connecting on a daily basis, fulfilling each others needs and often making new friends when they discover something in common. Buy Nothing is different from other economies not only because everythings freely offered and received, but because we are not about the stuff  we focus instead on making human connections through the medium of sharing. I believe in the power of community to make the world better, I believe in neighbors knowing each other, and I believe that less reliance upon material goods for our happiness  and more upon our relationships  is a healthy way to live.

Q: What are some of the items/services youve gifted to others?

A: Ive given innumerable clothes, toys, books and movies. Anytime Amazon tells me not to send something back that Im returning, it goes on Buy Nothing. When my kids heard that the son of one member lost his Legos, they put together several sets of their own for him. When another member had a fire in her garage, I organized the entire Buy Nothing peninsula membership to replace several lost items and get her gift cards to buy essentials.

What I love about Ocean Beach ...

Ocean Beach is a neighborhood made up of neighbors. People who are willing to step outside their houses, sit on their porches, walk around and stop to chat. We can set up our fire pit in the front yard and passersby will join us, and its not weird (or maybe it is, but weird is good here). Its a free-spirited place, welcoming and tolerant. OB also has a strong identity and sense of social justice  people here take care of each other, they know each other, they deeply love their town. From the first moments we visited, we knew OB was home. These are our people, and we are humbled and grateful for how enthusiastically theyve supported our family and all my crazy ideas.

Q: What are some of the items/services that have been gifted to you?

A: One of the greatest was my sons skateboard: one member gave the deck, another the trucks, I found the wheels on the side of the road and a member got her son to build it for us. On Christmas morning he got a fully-customized skateboard that was entirely freely given by the community. All of my familys bikes were gifts. When I created a sleeping nook for my kids room, the mattress, curtains, and tension cord all came courtesy of our neighbors. When my son wanted to collect 100 Lego heads for his 100-day project at school, Buy Nothing came to the rescue.

Q: What were the outcomes of those gifts?

A: My family is now used to seeing gift tags under the Christmas tree that say From: your neighbors. Weve all learned to hold our stuff more loosely  the kids enjoy looking through their possessions for an item someone has requested, be it a particular book or those Lego sets. Sharing is exciting and living with gratitude is empowering; its one of the greatest parenting tools Ive got. Ive made several of my close local friends through Buy Nothing. Ive also met a number of people who live on my block, and we call on each other directly when we need help now. One of the goals of the project is to move our interactions into real life, bringing back neighborliness and reinstating the village that raises our kids and looks out for each other.

Q: Have you noticed any changes in your perspective on making purchases since your involvement with this project?

A: I have definitely changed the way I shop since becoming involved in the project. I frequently ask for something I need in the group first, before going shopping. I throw out and donate much less, because Id rather give a neighbor my clothing or toys or that spinach were not going to eat before it goes bad. After being in Buy Nothing for a while, I think we all begin to see the world differently: as a place of abundance, where there is enough for everyone to share, instead of a place of scarcity, where we cant trust our neighbors and must hoard our possessions. Our community gets friendlier, safer, and stronger as more of us recognize each other, and this has a positive impact beyond Ocean Beach.

Q: Why gifting as opposed to bartering or trading?

A: Its very important that everything in Buy Nothing is freely offered, freely received, with no strings attached. We seek to break the idea of a world divided into those who have and have not. We avoid relationships based on inequality; all wants and needs are equally valid. We reject the market economy mindset based on give and take, on who is worthy or deserving; we give generously by happily letting go instead of expecting something in return, valuing the relationship over the stuff.

Q: Tell us about your Friday Family Meals.

A: Friday Family Meal is a concept that my husband and I borrowed from a blogger in Boston who hosted free, weekly dinners for anyone who wanted to come. We had been talking for years about hosting meals regularly in our home, and that blog story lit the fire that got us going. We had about 20 people that first week. We always make room at the table for anyone who wants to come, even if they are texting us a few minutes before were serving dinner. We have done some special events (a house concert, an annual caroling party, Halloween), but mostly its just our family offering a simple meal to anyone who wants to come over and hang out.

Q: Why did you start doing this?

A: It grew out of our core family values: We believe that when people live in community, sharing freely and deeply encountering one another in real ways, they become better, their families become better, their neighborhood becomes better and ultimately, the world becomes a better place. Human community-building has always happened over meals; in my graduate work, I studied the connective spiritual power of table fellowship and ritual meals.

Q: Whats been the result of these meals?

A: Our kids get to meet a variety of people of all ages, and learn how to have a nice dinner with adults. I see defenses go down and trust start to build. Ive had one friend tell me it saved her from a dark period in her life, giving her hope to go forward. Another has called it her church. Ive had friends both locally and across the country take the idea into their own homes, which makes me so happy and proud.

Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?

A: My priest, Carol Anderson, once told me, Dont give up. You have something we need, even if people arent ready for it yet.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: Since Im such an open book, people are rarely very surprised at anything I reveal about myself!

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: Wow, I get a whole weekend? Well, it would start with a great Friday Family Meal, of course, with friends and newcomers alike, one of those that goes late into the night with great conversation. Saturday, Id either hit Nicos for a breakfast burrito or Mikes Taco Club for ceviche, chatting with the locals while out walking in town. There would be time spent in the ocean, boogie boarding with my kids. Maybe wed run into friends and decide to share dinner together. Or maybe theyd offer to babysit so John and I could have a date  a movie at the Lot, or a visit to Belching Beaver, or dinner at a new place we havent tried. Sunday, Id definitely do a long brunch with my best girlfriends, mimosas all around. After that a family bike ride or a walk along Sunset Cliffs, catching the sunset and then watching AFV together.

Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @lisadeaderick
The story of Sophia the Bionic Cat is a tech-geeks fantasy and a survival saga. It is an inspirational pep talk and a made-for-TV movie just waiting to happen.

It is also a childrens book, which local author Karolyn Smith will be reading at 2 p.m. Saturday at the downtown San Diego Central Library. But more than anything, it is a love story. Combat-scarred veteran meets an abandoned disabled kitten on Facebook and life-changing magic ensues.

I was in such a bad place. I remember thinking, How am I going to get out of this? Smith said, remembering the day she happened upon the tiny calico kitten and her slightly bigger companion kitty on the San Diego Humane Societys Facebook page.

Advertisement

And then I saw that face, and I just felt something. And when you dont usually feel much and you finally feel something, you kind of have to act on that.

What happens when a broken human saves a three-legged kitten, and the kitten turns around and saves her? Here is the story behind the story.

Chapter 1: In the Army now

In 2001, the Santee-raised Smith was a competitive cyclist looking to do something bigger with her life. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 showed her just what that something would be. At 29, she enlisted in the Army. In April 2004, she was deployed to Baghdad.

For the next year, Smith served as a machine gunner with the 127th Military Police Company. In September 2004, Smith and her team leader were investigating a truck fire when the team leader was killed by a sniper. Seven months later, Smith and her team were on combat patrol when an IED attached to a light pole exploded. Her future sort of blew up, too.

A bomb exploded and I inhaled the blast, and thats about all I remember, said Smith, who was in the turret on top of the armored Humvee. We lost two people on that deployment, and I didnt want to stay in Iraq. I was over it.

Chapter 2: (Not) at ease

After the blast, Smith returned to San Diego, where she worked in the security industry and struggled with a mild traumatic brain injury, two blown discs in her back and post-traumatic stress. She was taking prescription painkillers and battling depression. It was hard for her to go out at night, deal with crowds or relate to anyone who wasnt in the military.

I had a very rough vernacular, like a sailor. It made people afraid to be around me. My family said I was so different when I came back, it was hard for them have conversations with me, Smith said in an interview at her small Lakeside house, which is crammed to the gills with cat toys. It made being in a relationship impossible, and I became very isolated.

It went on like that until a dark day in 2014, when Smith went on social media and said, Im done. Done with the pain. Done with what the pain medications were doing to her. Done with what life was doing to her. Then the first of two miraculous things happened.

A Facebook follower suggested Smith check out UCLAs Operation Mend, a no-cost program that provides advanced medical and mental health treatments to post-9/11 service members and veterans. Through the program, Smith got the help she needed. Then it was time for the second miraculous thing. Enter Sophia.

Chapter 3: The power of cats

At the time, their names were Sprinkles and Leprechaun. One was a tiny calico kitten found in a field with the umbilical cord wrapped around her right hind leg. The other was a larger abandoned Bengal kitten who bonded with Sprinkles in the San Diego Humane Societys kitten nursery during her tough recovery from surgery amputating the bottom part of her leg.

They were the first furry faces Smith saw when she hopped on the Humane Societys Facebook page in the spring of 2014. They were available for adoption, and whoever took one had to take them both.

I just looked at them and I thought, I must have you, said Smith, who renamed the cats Sophia and Leonidas. That first night they were here, Leo was breathing kind of heavily, and I was so worried, I didnt sleep all night. But almost right away, they were running around everywhere. They were so hysterical, and they were better than any medication the VA could give me.

Chapter 4: Paws for a cause

Sophia and Leonidas grew and their personalities blossomed. Leo turned out to be affectionate, protective and extremely obsessed with Smiths kitchen blinds. (Thats him, Smith said, as the 22-pound cat batted noisily at the blinds. Thats him all day.) Sophia loves laps, her feathered cat toy and getting as close to Smiths face as she possibly can.

Both cats excel at therapeutic purring and healing hilarity. But one of the best things Sophia did for Smith was allowing her owner to do a very big thing for her.

As she watched her three-legged cat make her way around the house, Smith wondered what she could do to help. She tried fitting Sophias stump with a doll shoe, which did not work. She contacted a Colorado company that made prosthetic limbs for dogs, but the expense would have been off the charts.

In late 2014, she ended up at San Diegos Fab Lab, a community fabrication hub where technology lovers can create the gadgets of their dreams. Smith wondered if the Fab Lab could use a 3D printer to create an affordable removable prosthetic leg for Sophia. They could and they did. And theyre still doing it.

At a dainty 5-pounds, Sophia is so petite, it has been tough to create a prosthesis that will stay in place without pinching her sensitive stump. While the Fab Lab works on a third prototype, Sophia is still getting used to the second one, which she can only wear for short periods of time. But in terms of impact, Sophia is already the best champion a human could have.

I think this is a metaphor for my own struggle with the things that happened in Iraq that I couldnt help, Smith said, as Sophia curled up in her favorite spot on the couch. On Facebook, I heard from a guy who is an amputee who said, Every time I see Sophia with her prosthesis on, it makes me smile. I get a lot of emails like that. I didnt know that dealing with her struggles and helping other people is what would help me the most.

Chapter 5: Read all about it

Written by Smith and illustrated by San Diego artist Jim Busike, Sophia the Bionic Cat starts with Sophia abandoned in a dark field and ends with a triumphant Sophia happily flipping and hopping on her new leg. The real-life story is still being written.

With any luck, future chapters will show Sophia taking her healing purr and inspiring story to hospitalized children and others in need of some kitty therapy. It will show kids thinking prosthetic limbs are cool and high tech, instead of strange and scary. It will show Smith doing book signings and speaking engagements with an ease and confidence she could not have imagined in her pre-cat years.

But no one is thinking about endings right now. Sophia and her human are just getting started.

Sophia is a message. When she was left in that field, she could have given up, but she didnt. When you see her with her prosthesis, you start thinking about out-of-the-box solutions for your own problems. This is about those moments in life where you start to find yourself, and its showing how love and technology can help.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com
The U.S. borders double-fence is simply part of the scenery for residents of an impoverished section of Tijuanas Colonia Libertad. For the Japanese artist collective Chim Pom, this landscape of unpaved roads and small shacks pressed up against the international boundary line poses profound questions.

Known for provocative themes and unusual settings, the six-member group has built a wood tree-house in Tijuana overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border, and labeled it USA Visitor Center, filling it with items that include a coyote skin, a shelf with American classics such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and an image of a $5 bill with the face of Donald Trump.

On Thursday, before returning to Tokyo, the group installed a second piece: a plastic cross emblazoned with the word, Libertad, and set on a trash-filled strip across the primary fence on U.S. territory, near a hole on the Mexican side that represents a clandestine tunnel. Libertad symbolizes just the opposite: the burial of liberty.

Advertisement

This area is very crazy area, said Ryuta Ushiro, leader of Chim Pom, which celebrated its eleventh anniversary last year. This is the most important area to think about freedom  and its completely not freedom.

Both barrier and political symbol, the U.S.-Mexico border and its infrastructure over the years has been the subject of some unusual artistic expression.

In 1997, Tijuana artist Marcos Ramirez, known as Erre, built a 33-foot Trojan horse that was displayed amid the car lanes leading to the San Ysidro Port of Entry as part of the periodic InSITE exhibition.

In 2005, the border at Playas de Tijuana was the setting for a performance piece by the Venezuela artist Javer Tellez that culminated with a human cannonball propelled across the border fence at Playas de Tijuana.

Last February, a Palestinian artist, Khaled Jarrar, took a piece of the border fence between Tijuana and San Diego and used it to fashion a symbolic ladder set in Mexico across the border fence from Texas.

Chim Poms pieces are both artwork and progressive social commentary  and the location is part of their message. The groups previous works include Dont follow the Wind, set inside the radioactive exclusion zone of Japans 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear disaster. Another project, a performance piece, involved taking Louis Vuitton handbags to Cambodia and blowing them up using cleared land mines.

The artists focus on video, installations and performances, and for all the gravity of their subjects, they present themselves as merry, and at times mischievous. Though primarily known in Japan, they have been commanding international attention, with pieces exhibited in at Londons Saatchi Gallery and New York Citys Museum of Modern Art.

Chim Pom wields irreverence like a weapon to shield what is, in fact, a deadly serious message, according to Artscape Japan, an English-language web magazine that focuses on the countrys art scene.

Chim Poms members first came to Tijuana last summer, and returned in December, spending a total of two months in the city. They said they have felt warmly received, loved the tacos and at Christmas dressed up as Santa Claus to deliver Japanese gifts to children in Colonia Libertad.

Their project has come as the U.S. president-elect has vowed to build a continuous wall on southern border and said Mexico will pay for it. Chim Poms members say their fascination with the border and its contradictions had a different origin: An incident involving their only female member, Ellie, that ended with her being banned from entering the United States.

Ellie, who uses only her first name, was traveling to Hawaii with a Japanese television crew, one of whose members had previously jokingly identified himself as having had connections with a terrorist organization, the group said. As a result, they said that he and several others in the crewincluding Ellie-- were barred from entering the United States.

Ellies experience inspired a 2014 piece by the collective, COYOTE, which involved the use of video and Skype with a gallery in New York City, as she could not be there in person. The two Tijuana pieces, USA Visitors Center and LIBERTAD complete the series.

Set between the two border fences, the cross is the proof of death of liberty in the area created by American government, Ushiro said.

Chim Poms search for a setting at the border last year ended when members came upon a crude self-built house where Ester Arias Medina lives near a U.S. boundary marker with her grandchildren  up to nine at a time. Ive never seen such a fascinating house, Ushiro said. They are using the border as their own wall.

The artists asked Arias if they could build a tree house in her pepper tree and she said yes. She felt sad about Ellies inability to legally enter the United States, a condition shared by many residents of her Tijuana neighborhood. More than anything we were moved by the girls story, Arias said.

Known for its smuggling activity, residents of this area of Colonia Libertad are used to the sounds of footsteps at night  and that of saws cutting through the secondary border fence. But Arias says she focuses on her home and her family, on feeding the grandchildren that love the new tree house in the yard.

Chim Poms members say the area prompts questions. The tree house looking down on the border wall asks, What is America, what is the border? the artists wrote in a proposal. They had planned to build a tunnel that emerged on the U.S. side, but the structure was scaled back to end underground at the border, the dirt embedded with Ellies footprints, simulating an image of mans first steps on the moon.

For border residents, Chim Poms piece is a reminder of the regions unique location, the coexistence of two cultures, which generates diversity, contrasting ideas and energies, said Arturo Rodriguez, owner of Tijuanas La Caja Galeria.

In Japan, a country with no land borders, members of Chim Pom hope to confront audiences with a different reality with this latest piece.

Most Japanese people dont know about the border problem between the United States and Mexico, Ushiro said, adding that this is really an international problem.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer thought he was being introduced to Irma Perez, a 30-something cafeteria worker at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, as a possible romantic connection.

But she wanted something else from the officer: his cooperation smuggling immigrants through his inspection lane. In exchange, he would be paid $4,000 per person.

Its a scenario that has played out across the U.S.-Mexico border for years, resulting in border corruption charges against numerous federal officers.

Advertisement

However, this officer reported Perezs proposal to authorities and was part of an undercover sting that led to her arrest.

On Thursday, Perez was sentenced in San Diego federal court to five years in prison.

This officer showed strength of character and bravery in coming forward to immediately report this crime, Acting U.S. Atty. Alana Robinson said in a statement. The officer put our nations security first, and as a result a smuggler who boldly attempted to corrupt a public official will be locked up for years.

The two were introduced on Dec. 29, 2015, by another cafeteria worker, according to court documents.

Perez, who lives in Chula Vista, told the officer that she smuggled three immigrants per week through the San Ysidro border crossing, prosecutors said, and asked if he would like to become involved.

The officer reported the encounter to the agencys Office of Professional Responsibility the next day and helped set up a sting with the FBIs Border Corruption Task Force.

The two met in person and planned smuggling jobs in phone calls and text messages. Perez said her husband collected the smuggling fees in Mexico, according to prosecutors. When she told the officer hed have to come to Mexico to receive his bribery payment, he refused and said it had to be in the U.S.

On the morning of Feb. 22, Perez drove through the officers lane in a silver Pontiac with a Chinese man and the other cafeteria worker. She used her daughters U.S. passport for the immigrant.

Task force agents followed the car, which eventually stopped at a McDonalds in Chula Vista. The Chinese man got out and was there for about two hours while agents observed.

Then, he approached another Asian man inside the restaurant and asked in Mandarin to use the mans cellphone. The man was an undercover FBI agent.

The immigrant placed several international calls on the agents phone, and the undercover agent then received a call asking for his help ordering a taxi to take the immigrant to Los Angeles. The caller expressed his appreciation for the agents help, asking if he wanted to help with future smuggling, prosecutors said.

After the immigrant left in the cab, the Border Patrol stopped it on Interstate 15 north of Escondido and arrested him. The immigrant applied for asylum; the status of his case was not available.

Later that evening, Perez met with the officer at a Carls Jr. in San Diego, her daughter in tow, and paid the $4,000 bribe.

Five more smuggling jobs were scheduled in the following months, but they were canceled for various reasons, prosecutors said.

On May 11, Perez texted the officer, I was able to get us this big fish!!

Five days later, she drove the Pontiac through the officers lane with three Brazilians and offered her childrens passports as entry documents, according to her plea agreement.

Border Patrol agents who were following conducted a traffic stop and arrested her and the three immigrants.

Perez admitted to investigators after her arrest that she had been paid $2,500 for each immigrant and that she had planned to drive them to Corona, according to the complaint.

U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino ordered Perez to pay a $15,400 fee, in addition to the prison sentence.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Union-Tribune staff writer Greg Moran contributed to this report.

ALSO

Two out of three Border Patrol job applicants fail polygraph test, making hiring difficult

Investigation underway into airplane that narrowly missed Mt. Wilson last month

Laguna parents file hate-crime complaint after watermelon is thrown at their home
A judge in Santa Clara County ruled Friday to revoke the conditional release of a notorious serial rapist who had been living in a home in the Antelope Valley after leaving a state mental hospital in 2014.

The decision by Santa Clara County Judge Richard Loftus means that Christopher Hubbart will again be confined to a state hospital, where he was locked up as a sexually violent predator for nearly two decades. He will remain confined for at least a year, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

The revocation came after Hubbarts treatment team informed the court he had violated several terms of his release, including failing five polygraph tests. He also refused to participate in treatment in a meaningful manner, withheld important information and wasnt transparent with his treatment providers.

Advertisement

Hubbart  nicknamed the Pillowcase Rapist for his pattern of covering victims heads during his attacks  has admitted to at least 44 sexual assaults across the state.

Christopher Hubbart is a prolific serial rapist, and even after years of treatment, he remains a danger to women, Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said in a statement.

Hubbarts attorney didnt return calls and an email seeking comment.

When the 65-year-old moved into a small house on a dirt road outside Palmdale in the summer of 2014, his arrival brought panic and outrage to the community. Neighbors gathered outside the home to protest, carrying keep out signs and waving pillowcases in the air.

The demonstrators, who protested for months, pressured a water company to stop delivering to the home, and law enforcement investigated anonymous death threats against the unwelcome neighbor. Before long, Hubbart  who was monitored by guards around the clock  built a fence. The healthcare company overseeing Hubbarts treatment wrote to tell a judge that the demonstrations were wearing the client down.

Under the conditions of his release  detailed in a 16-page document  Hubbart agreed to several restrictions, including wearing a GPS bracelet, not calling phone sex lines, staying in his home after 9 p.m., and avoiding television shows, movies or digital media that act as stimulus to arouse. He also promised to keep a log of any sexual thoughts involving past victims and maintain full transparency with his treatment providers.

In August, Hubbarts treatment providers filed a petition with the court asking to have his outpatient treatment revoked and Coalinga State Hospital police officers arrested him at the Lake Los Angeles home the same day.

In his Friday ruling, the judge laid out many of the treatment teams worries.

Alan Stillman, who supervised the outpatient treatment, said he was concerned with Hubbarts thoughts and fantasies, which came up in discussions about the failed polygraph tests. The therapist said he believed Hubbart was not coming to grips with his distorted thinking, adding that the polygraph examiners believed Hubbart had taken counter measures to throw off his results, including using labored breathing and putting pressure on a cuff that measured his heart response.

Stillman also said housing Hubbart in L.A. County was horrible. The judge noted there were protests and death threats, which caused significant stress that ultimately had consequences in his treatment.

According to the judges ruling, Hubbart told another member of his treatment team that he felt between a rock and a hard spot, saying he feared what would happen if he was totally forthcoming in his polygraph test.

The judge accused the Sheriffs Department of being less than cooperative with the outpatient team, hampering success of the placement. And he blamed the district attorneys office for Hubbarts withholding information from his polygraph test, saying that prosecutors had interfered with his therapy by repeatedly seeking revocation.

Their actions, therefore, undermined the treatment, the judge wrote.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Karen Thorp disagreed, saying she acted because Hubbart was violating the terms of his release.

Hubbart is a danger to the community and to himself  a grave danger, she said. Were relieved for the community that he is back in Coalinga receiving treatment.

Hubbarts attacks date to at least the early 1970s, while he was living in Southern California and working at his stepfathers furniture factory.

In 1972, he was confined to a state hospital  where he was classified as a mentally disordered sex offender  for a series of sexual assaults in the Pomona and San Gabriel valleys, according to court records.

Within months of his release in 1979, hed started to attack again. He was arrested two years later for attacks in the Bay Area and sent to prison for eight years. Two months after his release, he attacked again, this time sneaking up behind a jogger and grabbing her breasts.

During his time behind bars, politicians portrayed him as a poster child for why the state should lock up its most dangerous sex offenders even beyond their prison terms. In 1996  shortly before his scheduled release from prison  Santa Clara County prosecutors asked to have Hubbart sent to a mental hospital under the states new Sexually Violent Predator law.

He became the first person ever held using the law, which allows the state to confine predators in hospitals if they have a mental disorder making them likely to reoffend. At his civil commitment trial, two state doctors testified that Hubbart had severe paraphilia  deviant sexual behavior.

Cheryl Holbrook, who lives a few miles from the home where Hubbart was living, said his arrival in her neighborhood two years ago horrified her. She began to have racing thoughts and imagined Hubbart breaking out of his home and attacking women. She installed cameras at her home and always kept her gun nearby.

When she learned of his arrest in August, she broke down in sobs and her body began to shake  she was ecstatic, she said. And when she heard details of why hed been arrested, she felt even more relieved he was confined.

To fail a polygraph five times? she said. Inexcusable.

She expressed tempered optimism Friday, saying shes still concerned Hubbart can ask to be conditionally released again in a year.

Its better than nothing, she said. But he needs to stay in until he dies. He needs to rot in there.

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

For more news from the Los Angeles County courts, follow me on Twitter: @marisagerber

ALSO:

5 accused of helping suspect evade capture after killing of L.A. sheriffs sergeant

Woman working at downtown loft complex lured to her death by a resident, who is later killed by police

$50,000 reward offered after young woman is killed in hit-and-run in downtown L.A.

UPDATES:

6:00 p.m.: This article was updated with details from the judges ruling and a quote from the Los Angeles County prosecutor.

4:10 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Cheryl Holbrook and with additional background about Christopher Hubbarts arrest in August.

This article was originally published at 12:45 p.m.
Parents of a Laguna Beach High School student said their son was the target of a hate crime two days after Christmas when a watermelon that was tossed toward the familys home splattered on the concrete driveway.

I know what throwing a watermelon at a person who is black is designed to connote, the father, Maurice Possley, said.

Possley, a former reporter and editor with the Chicago Tribune, and his wife, Cathleen Falsani, also a journalist, are white. They said their 17-year-old adopted son, Vasco, was targeted because he is black.

Advertisement

The Tribune is owned by the Los Angeles Times parent company.

I know what throwing a watermelon at a person who is black is designed to connote.  Maurice Possley, father

Laguna Beach police, who received the complaint, said they were investigating five juveniles with possible connections to the Dec. 27 incident.

The Laguna Beach Unified School District sent a letter to families and staff Friday saying that high school administrators were notified of the complaint by police.

The district letter indicated, and police later confirmed, that the suspects were Laguna students.

Please be assured that we are addressing this matter with the individuals involved to the fullest extent possible within the limits of our jurisdiction, the districts statement said. While it is natural to want to know the consequences of the incident, we cannot disclose further details about any proposed or implemented disciplinary action that has or may occur due to privacy laws.

The family was getting ready to eat dinner shortly before 9 oclock that night, Possley said, when he heard something. They were calling Vasco by name, and as I headed to the door, there was a thud, Possley said.

Possley said he noticed that one of the pieces of watermelon had a sticker on it showing the brand. He typed the brand name into Google and discovered a distributor.

Possley said Falsani called a local grocery store to see if any employees remembered juveniles purchasing the fruit.

One employee did. Meanwhile, a neighbors security camera had captured a truck, believed to be the getaway vehicle, in front of Possleys house, he said.

In a written statement, Possley said he and Falsani hoped to raise awareness so as to prevent other such incidents.

We are not here to talk about retribution or to paint ourselves or our son as victims, Possley said. We are here to let the people of Laguna Beach know the facts of what happened to us and call upon everyone to stand together to send a clear, articulate message that this kind of hateful act is not tolerated in Laguna Beach.

he districts letter offered the same sort of plea for tolerance.

As a school district, we continue to work on teaching cultural proficiency, including self-awareness of how each students ethnicity, culture and life experiences may impact others, it said.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Alderton writes for Times Community News

ALSO

Woman accused of framing husbands ex-fiancee is extradited to face charges in Craigslist rape fantasy plot

Pillowcase Rapist, who was living in L.A. area, must be confined to a state hospital, judge rules

Convicted child predators proposed home destroyed in suspicious fire in rural Fresno County
A woman accused of framing her husbands ex-fiancee in a rape fantasy plot on Craigslist pleaded not guilty on Friday to more than two dozen charges.

Angela Diaz, 31, faces 10 felony charges that include kidnapping, false imprisonment, perjury and forgery, according to the Orange County district attorneys office. She is also charged with 22 misdemeanor counts of falsely reporting a crime.

Diaz was extradited Thursday night from Arizona to Orange County. She is scheduled to appear in Orange County Superior Court on Jan. 24 for a hearing.

Advertisement

Diaz was arrested on Jan. 6 in Phoenix, where she lives, in connection with creating a Craigslist ad and making bogus claims against Michelle Hadley.

The hearing comes days after the district attorneys office announced that it had exonerated Hadley and dropped charges against her.

Hadley was arrested twice  once in June 2016 and again in July  in connection with Diazs claims. Hadley faced 10 felony charges and the possibility of life in prison.

Diaz told Anaheim police that a man had tried to rape her in her garage in June. The following month, she said a 17-year-old boy appeared in her courtyard in response to the Craigslist ad.

Diaz went to investigators and accused Hadley of impersonating Diaz in the ad and inviting men to visit her condo to participate in her rape fantasy, Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said at a news conference on Monday.

Diaz alleged that Hadley had sent her emails threatening to have her raped, he said. The emails contained links to photographs of aborted fetuses, dead bodies and decapitated bodies, Rackauckas said.

At the time, police believed Diazs frightening ordeal was the result of the Craigslist ad, and the electronic trail, they said, had led to Hadley. They had also stopped several men near Diazs condo, who admitted responding to the Craigslist ad.

But in September, investigators discovered that the Craigslist ad and the harassing emails had been sent from Diazs condo and her fathers home, Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Zimmer said.

Prosecutors discovered Diaz had sent the emails to herself using specialized software to make it appear that Hadley had written and sent them.

At that point, Hadley had been jailed for 88 days. In October, she was released on her own recognizance following the new evidence showing her innocence.

Its often said true life is stranger than fiction. The facts of this case make that statement spot on, Rackauckas said. When a person who has committed a crime gets arrested and charged, thats a bad day. But when someone whos innocent and gets arrested and charged with a crime, thats not just a bad day  its a nightmare.

According to the district attorney, Hadley had dated Diazs husband for two years after meeting online, he said. But they broke up and she moved out of their Anaheim condominium. The pair had argued in text messages and email over their relationship and costs associated with the condo. They finally stopped talking in fall 2015.

The following year, Diaz met him on dating website. She married the U.S. marshal in February 2016 and moved into the condo.

In the following months, prosecutors said Diaz faked being pregnant with twins and faked having cervical cancer. Prosecutors say she also forged a check and doctors notes, posed as an attorney and impersonated two of her husbands ex-girlfriends over email.

According to prosecutors, there was no evidence that Diazs husband was involved in the case.

After Hadley was cleared of the charges, she told reporters outside the courthouse on Monday afternoon that the traumatic experience has been such a nightmare for me.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

ALSO:

Pillowcase Rapist who was living in L.A. area must be confined to a state hospital, judge rules

5 accused of helping suspect evade capture after killing of L.A. sheriffs sergeant

Woman working at downtown L.A. loft complex is lured to her death by a resident, who is then killed by police

UPDATES:

2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with Angela Diaz pleading not guilty.

This article was originally published at 2:05 p.m.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer thought he was being introduced to Irma Perez, a 30-something cafeteria worker at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, as a possible romantic connection.

But she wanted something else from the officer: his cooperation smuggling unauthorized immigrants through his inspection lane. In exchange, he would be paid $4,000 per person.

Its a scenario that has similarly played out across the U.S.-Mexico border for years, resulting in border corruption charges against numerous federal officers. However, this officer vowed he wouldnt be bribed.

Advertisement

The officer participated in an undercover sting, leading to Perezs arrest months later.

On Thursday, Perez was sentenced in San Diego federal court to five years in prison.

This officer showed strength of character and bravery in coming forward to immediately report this crime, Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson said in a statement. The officer put our nations security first, and as a result a smuggler who boldly attempted to corrupt a public official will be locked up for years.

The two were introduced on Dec. 29, 2015, by another cafeteria worker, according to court documents filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Stingley.

The conversation turned to smuggling. Perez, who lives in Chula Vista, told the officer that she smuggled three immigrants per week through the San Ysidro border crossing, prosecutors said, and asked if he would like to become involved.

The officer reported the encounter to the agencys Office of Professional Responsibility the next day, and the officer helped set up a sting with the FBIs Border Corruption Task Force.

The two met in person and planned smuggling jobs in phone calls and text messages. Perez said her husband collected the smuggling fees in Mexico, according to prosecutors. When she told the officer hed have to come to Mexico to receive his bribery payment, he refused and said it had to be in the U.S.

On the morning of Feb. 22, Perez drove through the officers lane in a silver Pontiac with a Chinese man and the other cafeteria worker. She used her daughters U.S. passport for the immigrant.

Task force agents followed the car, which eventually stopped at a McDonalds in Chula Vista. The Chinese man got out and was there for about two hours while agents observed.

Then, the immigrant approached another Asian man inside the restaurant and asked in Mandarin to use his cellphone. The man turned out to be an undercover FBI agent, who  of course  agreed to help.

The immigrant placed several international calls on the agents phone and asked for the agents help with the McDonalds address.

The agent then received a call asking for his help ordering a taxi to take the immigrant to Los Angeles. The caller expressed his appreciation for the agents help, asking if he wanted to help with future smugglings, prosecutors said.

After the immigrant left in the cab, the Border Patrol stopped it on Interstate 15 north of Escondido and arrested him. The immigrant applied for asylum; the status of his case was not available.

Later that evening, Perez met with the officer at a San Diego Carls Jr., her daughter in tow, and paid the $4,000 bribe.

Five more smuggling jobs were scheduled in the following months, but they were canceled for various reasons, prosecutors said.

On May 11, Perez texted the officer: I was able to get us this big fish!!

Five days later, she drove the Pontiac through the officers lane with three Brazilians and offered her childrens passports as entry documents, according to her plea agreement.

Border Patrol agents who were following conducted a traffic stop and arrested her and the three immigrants later.

Perez admitted to investigators after her arrest that she had been paid $2,500 for each immigrant and that she had planned to drive them to Corona, according to the complaint.

This was not her first brush with the law. She was detained in 2014 on suspicion of using her husbands border crossing card to smuggle someone, according to prosecutors. The results of that investigation were not available, although it does not appear she was ever prosecuted.

At Perezs sentencing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino ordered her to pay a $15,400 fee, in addition to the prison sentence.

Perezs lawyer asked that she be remanded into custody at a later date, but the judge denied the request. As Perez was led away, close to a dozen supporters in the courtroom broke down into sobs.

Staff writer Greg Moran contributed to this report.

Related:

Ex-U.S. customs officer admits taking cash, sexual bribes to allow human smuggling

FBI asks public to be on lookout for border corruption

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
On Saturday, Jan. 14, Ramona High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets will host their 9th Annual Up the Hill Drill.

The Area 11 NJROTC State Qualifier event is the largest and longest running Navy Cadet field meet in San Diego County.

Chief Bob Richardson and I are hosting 17 Southern California Navy JROTC schools and expecting 800-plus cadets and instructors in attendance, said retired Navy Commander Bradley Davis, Ramona Highs Senior Naval Science Instructor and event coordinator. Competitive events cover armed and unarmed basic drill, armed and unarmed exhibition drill, personnel inspection, color guard, academics, and fitness trials.

Advertisement

The combination of active duty Marine drill instructors from MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) San Diego; Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army recruiters; NJROTC midshipmen from the University of San Diego; and active duty and retired Naval officers is quite impressive. Add another 50 RHS parents and the entire scope of the undertaking is revealed. It takes a lot to make this rewarding event successful.
Hundreds of San Diego State University students will have a new home for the start of the spring semester, and the neighborhood around the school is moving into a new era.

With the opening of South Campus Plaza on College Avenue, SDSU has its first joint residential/commercial venture to serve students and faculty while also making a stronger connection with the surrounding area.

Were trying to create a community good that really is a connection to the larger college area, and basically has this blending of both the students and the neighborhood, said Eric Hansen, director of the Office of Housing Administration at SDSU.

Advertisement

We essentially wanted to create a space where it was not just going to be a benefit to the students, but is also going to be a benefit to the faculty, staff and larger neighborhood, he said.

About 550 freshman are expected to move on Sunday from Tenochca Hall, which will be under renovation for the next several month, and into the two new buildings that make up the plaza at 5140 and 5120 College Ave. The dorms have beds for about 600 students.

The ground-level commercial spaces are still under construction, and tenants waiting to move in are Trader Joes, Broken Yolk Cafe, Epic Wings N Things, Which Wich, Verizon GoWireless and Nectar and Eureka! Three more are in negotiations.

Besides being the first residential/commercial building at SDSU, the plaza also will have the first parking spaces just for the general public.

The 122,000-square-foot parking structure will have space for 300 cars with paid hourly parking and validation from the businesses.

The plaza is the universitys latest step in making a better connection to the neighborhood. In November, the university dedicated the Clay Gateway, a 25-foot tower entrance to the campus at Montezuma Road and Campanile Drive.

Construction on the new halls, formerly called Plaza Linda Verde, began in fall 2014 and cost $143-million, with funding coming from system-wide revenue bonds that will be paid back by retail, housing and parking revenue generated by the project.

During a recent tour of the north building, Hansen pointed out some of the upgrades students will have in their new home, which has a second-floor outdoor patio lined by drought-resistant plants and includes couches, tables shaded by umbrellas and a fire ring.

The ground-floor has a lounge area with a big screen TV perfect for watching Aztec games. Unlike most residential halls that have the bulk of activities on the first floor, however, most accommodations are on the second floor because of the shops on the lower level.

A pool room and television greets students stepping off the elevator on the second floor, which also has a laundry room and student government office. Although each residential room has a microwave and small refrigerator, the second floor also has a kitchen.

We find a lot of students like to bake their brownies or their moms favorite recipe, so this gives them the ability to do that, Hansen said..

The second floor of each building also has a Residential Learning Community, where students who live in the building take academic or special-interest classes.

Each second floor also has a Students Taking Academic Responsibility room  more commonly call the STAR lounge  with computers, tutors and other resources.

Each floor also has study rooms that are open 24-hours, a dining room and TV lounge.

The living quarters themselves are a little larger than older dorms, but still snug, with most having more than one bed.

Students will pay between $13,000 to $17,000 a year to stay in a room, depending on meal plans and the number of roommates.

Hansen said renovations to the 35-year-old Tenochca Hall should be complete in time for students to move back into the building for the fall semester.

As part of a plan to create more housing for sophomores, freshmen at South Campus Plaza eventually will move to a new hall planned for the west end of the campus. Hansen said the university hopes to create housing for all non-local students by 2019.

Out of 4,700 beds now available, 3,600 are reserved for freshmen.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's sarcastic comment came in the wake of Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij's statement holding Mahatma Gandhi responsible for poor state of khadi and devaluation of Rupee.

By India Today Web Desk: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has mocked Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij for saying that Prime Minister Modi is a better brand than Mahatma Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands."

Rahul Gandhi's sarcastic comment came in the wake of the BJP leader holding Mahatma Gandhi responsible for poor state of khadi and devaluation of Rupee.

advertisement

READ| Modi bigger brand than Mahatma; Gandhi will be removed from notes also, says Haryana Minister

BEFORE RAHUL MOCKED ANIL VIJ: THINGS TO KNOW Haryana Minister Anil Vij has stoked a fresh controversy over Khadi Gramdyog calendar featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi today when he drew parallel with the father of the nation. Anil Vij said, "Khadi is not patented in the name of Mahatma Gandhi. The name of Mahatma Gandhi led to fall in sale of khadi products. Same happened with Rupee." At a public event in Ambala, Haryana Anil Vij said, "The day Mahatma Gandhi came on the rupee, its devaluation started. Gradually, he will be removed from the notes also." "After Modi's association with khadi, there has been 14 per cent increase in sale of the products," Vij said. The party has termed his views as personal, forcing Anil Vij to retract his statement. Party spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said, "BJP strongly condemns statement of Anil Vij. It is his personal remark and not the party's stand. Mahatma Gandhi is our icon." Anil Vij soon retracted his statement tweeting, "My comments on Mahatma Gandhi were personal. I am retracting my remarks so that they don't hurt anyone's sentiments." Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also slammed his own minister saying, "We respect the father of the nation. He is a senior leader. It might be his personal opinion." "Rupee devaluation did not happen due to Mahatma Gandhi. PM Modi spun charkha to promote khadi. This is symbolic. It does not mean that anybody can replace Mahatma Gandhi," Khattar said.

ALSO WATCH:

--- ENDS ---
A new forecasting tool will help scientists predict blue whale traffic, as the ocean behemoths make their annual migration.

The tool allows researchers to post online maps showing likely hot spots for blue whales that will help ship captains avoid collisions with the animals.

We can both see where they go and when they go, said Elliott Hazen, a research ecologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, who developed the forecasting program. We can take their movements and combine that with remotely sensed oceanographic data, to find out not only where they go, but also some of the oceanographic conditions that trigger that.

Advertisement

When the whales travel up the California coast, they navigate a marine highway of shipping vessels, fishing boats and cruise liners. There are several reported ship strikes per year, but there may be many more than that, said Helen Bailey, a research associate professor at University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science, who coordinated the forecasting process

Were probably underestimating the number that have been hit by ships, because they sink and dont float, Bailey said.

Blue whales are the largest creatures ever to live on the planet, with silvery bodies that can grow more than 80 feet and up to 165 tons. But there are just under 2,000 of them, and their numbers arent growing, Bailey said.

In the past, scientists relied on maps of tagged blue whales to show the routes the animals had travelled in the past. This is the first time they can project where theyll be in the future, Hazen said, which will allow regulators to impose closures or ship speed limits in areas identified as whale hot spots.

The data, posted online, can also help ship captains to avoid the whales proactively.

J. Kip Louttit, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, said such voluntary measure are a better way to keep whales safe than closing shipping lanes. Armed with the information, captains are likely to stay out of the whales way, he said.

The shipping community welcomes, embraces and wants any and all information, Louttit said. Nobody wants a whale strike. It can damage the ship, it can damage the rudder, it can damage the propeller. Its bad for the environment. People who go to sea tend to like the sea. You dont want to damage whales or fish.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Environmental groups on Friday sued the county of San Diego over its handling of rules for backcountry development in the Cleveland National Forest  underlining the heated debate about how best to meet a growing populations housing needs while limiting gas-guzzling commutes that contribute to climate change.

The Sierra Club, which filed one of the suits, contends that the county has improperly rezoned private lands within the 440,000-acre forest, setting the stage for property owners, particularly those east of Alpine, to subdivide lots and usher in a wave of rural development.

The Cleveland National Forest Foundation took the other legal action against the county Friday. Its co-founder Duncan McFetridge said the region needs new housing development, but that projects should be limited to urban areas close to major job centers.

Advertisement

In the age of diminishing resources, climate change, drought, to argue that you need to grow in a national forest, which is the only continuous wildlife habitat left in San Diego, is based on a monstrous lie about growth and politics, he said.

The lawsuits come amid broader, ongoing legal wrangling between the Sierra Club and the county over whether any large backcountry development projects should proceed before the Board of Supervisors adopts an updated climate action plan. A draft of that document is due out this summer.

The county was forced to revamp a 2012 version of its climate blueprint after the Sierra Club won a lawsuit against it in 2014. In the case, which went all the way to the state Supreme Court, the environmental organization asserted that the county didnt include specific and enforceable strategies to reduce climate emissions.

The county has maintained that its approach to rezoning development of private lots in the national forest is proper despite the lack of a revised climate plan because environmentally, there are no significant impacts expected.

The county counsel and Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose District 2 includes much of the East County area in question, declined to comment about pending litigation.

Travis Lyon, a commercial real estate broker and chair of the Alpine Community Planning Group, which supports the countys rezoning strategy, also didnt want to weigh in for this story.

Citing the regions serious housing shortage, Matt Adams, vice president of the Building Industry Association of San Diego, blasted the lawsuits as undermining the rights of property owners.

Why do these groups feel that they alone should dictate how private property should be zoned? Adams said. Its not how were supposed to do things. For them to file suit is an example of how the process is inherently flawed.

You need to identify areas where its important to build in the unincorporated just as in the urban areas, he added. We dont have enough (housing), and whats out there costs too much, and litigation like this doesnt help the situation.

Fridays lawsuits are set against a landscape of cities, counties and transportation agencies up and down California grappling with the states increasingly aggressive push for curbing greenhouse-gas emissions. Environmental groups have tried to capitalize on that Sacramento-led momentum, pressuring municipalities to adopt comprehensive strategies for fighting global warming by, for example, maximizing use of renewable energy, better promoting mass transit and favoring denser neighborhoods as a way to limit urban sprawl.

When conflicts end up in court, green groups routinely accuse local government officials of failing to support the states climate strategies with clear and legally binding policies. One of those cases  the Cleveland foundation suing the San Diego Association of Governments  is pending before the states highest court.

On the specific issue of backcountry development, the Sierra Clubs new lawsuit focuses on the projected effects of climate change while the Cleveland foundation also alleges that environmental impacts associated with the loss of open space, fragmentation of animal habitat, wildfires, water quality and air pollution werent properly addressed.

On Dec. 14, the County Board of Supervisors approved a general plan amendment that will change land-use designations for more than 71,000 acres within the Cleveland forest. The amendment is set to take effect this month.

Lot sizes in this woodlands territory had been capped at 40 acres, per a 1993 citizens initiative spearheaded by McFetridge. That measure, called the Forest Conservation Initiative, sunset in 2011, opening the door for county officials to change the zoning to appease property owners who have longer wanted to further develop their lots.

More than half of the proposed density identified in the countys amended plan is concentrated just east of Alpine and south of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians reservation and casino, an area that hugs Interstate 8 to the north and south for about three miles. Some residents and tribal leaders have pushed hard of late for increased density along this section of freeway.

The changes will greenlight mixed-use commercial and residential buildings in certain sections, as well as up to one dwelling unit per acre in others.

There are currently about 3,800 private parcels in the national forest. By comparison, the amendment approved last month will allow up to 6,245 parcels, including roughly 3,560 in the Alpine area.

Before the Forest Conservation Initiative restricted growth, as many as 15,094 units could have been built as the result of subdividing private lots. The initiative had imposed a cap of about 4,300 lots, including approximately 1,180 in the Alpine community.

Conservation groups have argued that the initiatives expiration didnt automatically revert the private lands to the old zoning standards, but rather simply opened the door for county officials to consider changes as allowed under state environmental laws.

County officials have disagreed, saying the old zoning kicked in as soon as the initiative ended. Under this premise, they have said the land-use designations adopted in December actually constitute less density. The dispute over that issue is a notable component of the lawsuits filed Friday.

At the supervisors meeting last month, Jacob defended the new zoning as moderate compared to the pre-initiative designations.

She also questioned the idea that growth around Alpine would encroach on sensitive habitat. I dont think that most people think that Alpine is in the forest, Jacob said at the meeting. There is a difference between the Alpine community and the rest of the (private lands in question), which is part of the forest.

The Sierra Club has been monitoring a number of large backcountry projects slated for development. The rezoning of private lands within the national forest is the first of those projects that county officials have allowed to move forward since being forced to overhaul its disputed climate plan, said attorney Josh Chatten-Brown, who is representing the Sierra Club in its litigation against the county.

The Sierra Clubs ultimate goal is for the county not to approve additional large-scale development in [previously open spaces] until the climate action plan is in place, Chatten-Brown said.

We have not discussed whether the Sierra Club would be challenging each and every project because that could be extremely difficult and costly, but we have challenged the first one and well have to look at each additional one, he added.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
Mayor Kevin Faulconer unveiled a new package of incentives last week to tackle what many consider San Diegos No. 1 challenge: a severe shortage of affordable housing for people of low and middle incomes.

The incentives, which include an expanded density bonus program and fast-tracked approvals, dovetail with housing policies requested by local developers, environmentalists and transportation groups.

Developers who propose homes affordable to the middle class along transit lines would get accelerated approvals and be allowed to build more units than the areas zoning would otherwise allow.

Advertisement

And developers who propose homes affordable to people with low incomes would essentially be allowed to skip the citys approval process and build by right on their property.

In addition, projects green enough to exceed state sustainability requirements would be fast-tracked for approval.

Faulconer, who unveiled the proposed package during his annual State of the City address on Thursday, said he expects to make a big dent in the housing shortage by coupling these incentives with ongoing efforts to update development blueprints across the city.

When a proposed project matches with the zoning of such a blueprint, which is called a community plan, developers typically get approval to build much more quickly.

Since Faulconer took office in early 2014, the city has updated blueprints for 11 communities, including areas ripe for more density such as North Park, San Ysidro and Golden Hill.

And the mayor has said roughly 20 more community plans will be completed before he leaves office four years from now.

We can  and we will  make housing affordable for the middle class, Faulconer said during his speech. People who love San Diego and want to live in San Diego should not be priced out of San Diego.

The mayor said a reason for optimism is a shift in the environmental communitys support for dense housing projects as long as they are along transit lines, where they are less likely to worsen pollution and traffic congestion.

We wouldnt have had this discussion probably seven or eight years ago, but now you have environmental groups and organizations joining together with the Building Industry Association and saying we need more housing, Faulconer told The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board last week.

The mayor said such a diverse coalition will allow the incentives, which need approval from the City Council, to move forward despite objections from residents who oppose growth and change in their neighborhoods.

There will be some blowback to that, he told the editorial board. Theres some people that dont want any new building and I understand.

But the mayor said its time for a change in the way San Diego treats new housing proposals.

We have quite enough homes for the wealthiest in our city, he said in his speech Thursday night. Its about time we encourage builders to make homes for all of us. Its about time we stop talking about the high cost of housing  and do something about it.

Mike Hansen, the mayors policy director, said the density bonus for middle-income housing is essentially an extension of a similar program the council approved for low-income projects last year.

We would like to expand on that successful concept and take it to the middle-income levels as well, Hansen said last week. As an incentive for constructing a certain percentage of a project as targeted toward the middle class, we would offer streamlined permitting and additional units as well.

He said the mayor hasnt yet decided how middle income would be defined.

Well be working with stakeholders to craft exactly which amounts, and of course with the community as well, Hansen said.

And while such projects would get faster approval, developers couldnt build by right.

We would be able to review things like environmental impacts, et cetera, Hansen said.

Prospects for council approval seem solid with many members of the panel listing the lack of affordable housing among the citys biggest challenges.

Freshmen council members Barbara Bry, Georgette Gomez and Chris Ward have scheduled a Jan. 26 breakfast forum in Balboa Park on homelessness, affordable housing, transit-oriented development and workforce housing  another name for middle-class housing.

The day before that, Jan. 25, council members Scott Sherman and David Alvarez have scheduled a housing summit during the time slot when the councils Smart Growth and Land Use Committee typically meets.

In a joint letter announcing the summit, the two men wrote that action must be taken to prevent the next generation of San Diegans from moving away and to continue attracting innovative entrepreneurs who contribute to the local economy.

They note that the average rent in San Diego is $1,743 per month, the countys median home sale price was $507,500 and the countys median cost of a newly constructed home is $765,000.

This is simply not sustainable, the two men wrote.

Alvarez, however, stopped short on Friday of endorsing the mayors proposal.

The City is in the midst of a housing crisis and we need to offer real solutions, not just words, said Alvarez, touting an additional solution Faulconer didnt include in his package. One solution that I proposed last year is to use leftover redevelopment funds to help build more housing people can afford. The city is receiving hundreds of millions of dollars it could spend on housing.

Matt Adams, vice president of the Building Industry Association of California, praised the mayors proposal.

I think for the first time everyone is recognizing that the process is the biggest impediment to production, he said. And if they can improve the regulatory process, we can help produce more housing thats affordable to everyone. We are absolutely encouraged by this and ready to work on it.

Adams noted that a 2015 study by Point Loma Nazarene University found that, on average, 47 percent of the cost of housing projects in the city of San Diego is due to regulatory hurdles. That was the highest rate of the areas the university studied.

Government holds the keys to what we do, Adams said. They tell us what we can build, where we can build it, how much of it we can build and when we can build it. If they start to knock down those dominoes and let us do what we do, we can put a product on the ground that benefits all San Diegans at all price points.

Adams said updating community plans across the city is also crucial.

Its a critical analysis of your land-use planning: what is needed, what you want built and more importantly where you want to build it, he said. All of the heavy lifting has already been done. Everyone has had an opportunity to weigh in on it already.

Updated plans allow developers to build, in many cases, without time-consuming and expensive approvals from community planning groups, the citys Planning Commission and the city council, he said.

You are talking months instead of years, he said. More often than not what happens with older plans is that you have to deviate from the community plan thats in place, and now you are in the discretionary world and thats what takes forever.

RELATED

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
A man held a knife to a drivers neck, ordered him out of the car and drove away with the vehicle Saturday morning in the Mt. Hope neighborhood, police said.

The driver was parked with the engine running in an alley behind 40th Street, near Market Street, about 8:30 a.m., said San Diego police Officer Tony Martinez. The carjacker reached through an open window with the knife, and the driver exited as ordered.

The robber was described as white, about 6 feet tall, with tattoos on his arms, wearing a blue beanie cap, a blue shirt and khaki-colored pants.

Advertisement

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
The owner of a dog whose severed paw was left untreated for about a week may face animal cruelty charges, County Animal Services officials said Friday.

The terrier mix, named Solei, has recovered and is up for adoption, county spokeswoman Tracy DeFore said.

A neighbor who noticed the dogs injury called County Animal Services Jan. 5. Animal control officers sent to the home on 35th Street discovered Soleis right rear leg had been severed just below the ankle, DeFore said.

Advertisement

The owner told officers she had been hit by a vehicle sometime around Christmas and that he did not have money to afford veterinary treatment.

After 15 years, its very rare I get upset about many calls, but the second I saw (Solei) I was infuriated, said County Animal Services Lieutenant Mitchell Levy. The dog must have been in excruciating pain and the owner had numerous options other than leaving her to suffer for days.

Levy said Solei would have died from infection had she not been treated.

The day after Solei arrived at the county animal care facility in San Diego, veterinary staff was forced to amputate the rest of her leg, DeFore said.

Despite her injury, Solei was described by Levy as sweet, loving and outgoing. She recovered well enough to walk on her three legs.

Anyone interested in adopting Solei can fill out an application online and drop it off at a shelter, mail it or fax it to (619) 767-2706. The deadline to submit the special-adoption application is Wednesday.

County Animal Services has turned over the case to the District Attorneys Office. Aside from the owner, a second person also may face charges, DeFore said.

If convicted, each person could face up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000 or both.

Breaking News

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
When fists and feet are flying and several cops pile onto a struggling suspect to subdue him, more often they are calling for The Wrap.

The stiff nylon blanket is wrapped around a persons legs and strapped in place to keep him or her from kicking.

A chest harness holds their handcuffed hands in place and keeps them sitting upright, so they can breathe easily.

Advertisement

The Wrap is becoming more popular among San Diego County police agencies and gradually replacing the decades-old maximum restraint, or hogtie system. That involves cuffing wrists and wrapping the ankles with a hobble strap that then connects to the handcuffs while the prisoner lies face-down, knees bent.

That position has been linked nationwide with suffocation deaths, especially where the prisoner is overweight, highly intoxicated or under the influence of drugs that can harm the heart or brain.

The San Diego Police Department initially acquired 10 Wraps from maker Safe Restraints, Inc. in Walnut Creek about six months ago, but now has 50.

The Wrap is more effective and there is no getting out of it, said San Diego police Lt. Scott Wahl. It is safer for officers and for people who are combative.

He said putting on The Wrap is much faster to deploy, and takes fewer officers than old-style maximum restraints.

Youve got to get them to bend at the knees, Wahl said of the hogtie system. It can be a tough fight.

A very strong man can often loosen the strap linking hands and feet, and perhaps start kicking out a patrol car window, Wahl said.

Chula Vista, La Mesa and Oceanside and area community college police have been using The Wrap. The Sheriffs Department detentions unit and San Diego Harbor Police are studying them.

Since weve implemented The Wrap, to my knowledge we havent used the old system, said Chula Vista police Lt. Dan Peak, who runs use-of-force training. His department bought 20 last year, training every sworn officer in their use and getting them in the field in July.

In Oceanside, police Lt. Adam Knowland said his agency started using The Wrap three or four months ago, and finds them extremely effective. Half a dozen supervisors carry them in their patrol cars.

We only use it when someone is actively resisting, Knowland said. The majority of our use of force is on people under the influence of drugs or having a mental episode.

The Wrap was invented by a pair of Walnut Creek Police Department supervisors, Craig Zamolo and Ron ODell, 20 years ago. Now retired, they founded Safe Restraints, Inc., and had The Wrap manufactured by a Las Vegas company.

Prisoners were dying based on the hogtie position after a violent struggle, said Zamolo, an expert on police use of force and in-custody deaths. Placing people in that posture impacts their ability to breathe deeply. We were looking for a solution.

Such deaths often prompt lawsuits by surviving family and end in expensive settlements.

The medical science behind hogtie suffocation deaths, called positional asphyxia, has generated some controversy over the decades. UC San Diego Medical Center researchers studied the blood-oxygen flow in athlete volunteers who were hogtied and found no reduction in oxygen to the brain.

Zamolo said the study failed to distinguish between healthy young men and drug addicts with chronic health problems.

He said the product has never been the subject of a wrongful death or injury lawsuit, or been the documented cause of any injury or death.

The device has evolved from a solid nylon blanket stiffened with steel rods to a cooler nylon mesh. Straps were switched from fabric fasteners that would catch onto dirt or other fabrics to essentially a car seat belt.

The chest harness was invented later, based on ideas from officers using the blanket but finding that a person could still wiggle out of it, Zamolo said.

He said, too, that a benefit to getting a suspect under full control faster is that paramedics can be brought in more quickly to render any needed medical aid.

Three officers typically carry the restrained person by the biceps and leg wrap handles to get them into a patrol car, seated sideways with legs straight across the seat, or onto an ambulance gurney.

The leg restraint, chest harness and separate ankle and wrist straps are stored in a brightly labeled duffel bag. Each kit sells for about $1,100.

Chula Vista police Lt. Peak said he believes use of The Wrap will take off nationwide, and become  like the Taser electronic dart device  a commonly recognized tool.

Zamolo said his company has sold the Wrap to 400 law agencies across the United States, including juvenile facilities. Most of its customers are in northern and central California where company focused marketing efforts.

Only in the past few years, he said, has the company started reaching out to Southern California policing agencies. They send trainers out to show police department instructors how to use the devices.

(Police) agencies looking for tools to make their jobs safer are always wanting to look at new technologies, Zamolo said.
By Press Trust of India: IAB also observed, according to Sebi, that there is a need

IAB also observed, according to Sebi, that there is a need that boards of companies are educated about the evaluation process.

On migration from the commission based to fee based advisory model, the IAB took note of the extant framework for investment advisory business in India, including role of mutual fund distributors and regulatory arbitrage between the investment advisor and mutual fund distributor providing advice.

advertisement

The board also noted international regulatory developments aimed at addressing inherent conflicts of interest and introduction of more transparency in relation to inducement and commissions received by financial advisors and distributors in jurisdictions like Australia, the United Kingdom, the US, Canada, the European Union and Singapore.

The IAB also deliberated on Robo Advisory and advised that fee for advice is the journey which needs to be completed. It, however, advised that the proposed migration needs to be calibrated.

It observed that commission based as well as fee based approach to investment advisory can co-exist for the time being. The transition from commission to a fee based approach has to be gradual. Such transition has to happen in tandem across regulatory segments to have uniformity in regulatory stringency across competing segments like securities market, insurance and pension businesses.

"Regulators need to keep in mind the financial viability and the business model of the advisory business. Proper due diligence before transition in regulatory regime is essential. Distinction between retail and sophisticated investors should be clear. There is a felt need for greater awareness among investors on cost of commission versus fees based advisory," the IAB said.

"More transparency is required on distributors commission in all financial products. Before undertaking any effective steps, Sebi may consider undertaking a study of migration to fee-based advisory model under RDR, FOFA and robo-advisory models," it added.

It also suggested promoting ETF investments as they entail low investment management costs.

The IAB also discussed how the framework of passporting of investment funds works, their benefits to investors, industry and economy.

In this context, the IAB referred to the global practices with regard to passporting of funds -- Undertaking for Collective Investments in Transferrable Securities (UCITS) in Europe, ASEAN Fund Passport Framework and Asia Region Fund Passporting (ARFP).

It noted that relative size of the country and that of the markets matter in passporting -- passporting is more beneficial to smaller markets and there is need to study the above passport arrangements in detail.

advertisement

"Sebi may also explore some alternative framework like mutual recognition and regulatory equivalence for cross- jurisdictional investment flow," the regulator said.

"Given that the Indians have the talent to manage international funds, India may focus on manufacturing and managing cross-country financial assets locally with the help of overseas advice and passporting of such funds all over the world." MORE PTI BJ ARD

--- ENDS ---
LATHAM  Maj. Gen. Anthony P. German, the adjutant general for the state of New York, has announced the recent re-enlistment of members of the New York Army National Guard in recognition of their continuing commitment to serve community, state and nation as part of the Army National Guard:

 Sgt. Jason Teeter, from Auburn, has re-enlisted to continue service with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 102nd Military Police Battalion.

German also recently announced the promotion of members of the New York Army National Guard in recognition of their capability for additional responsibility and leadership:

 Sebastion Fournier, from Auburn, serving with the Company D, 2-108th Infantry is promoted to the rank of private.

Additionally, Sgt. Justin Leone, from Auburn, received the Army Achievement Medal Jan. 7 for exemplary conduct in support of the brigade task force at a training exercise during the National Guard Joint Force Headquarters' July deployment to Fort Polk, Louisiana.

The soldiers deployed as part of the Exercise Support Group, supporting more than 5,000 participants from more than 30 states across the country, during the month of July at Fort Polk as part of the training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center.

For more information about the New York Army National Guard, visit dmna.ny.gov or 1800goguard.com.
By Press Trust of India: Chennai, Jan 13 (PTI) After giving repeated assurances that jallikattu would be conducted in Tamil Nadu this year, Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan tonight said there was a "situation" that the bull taming sport cannot be held this Pongal and sought an "open apology" from the Tamil people.

He also said he would not celebrate Pongal, the harvest festival, tomorrow, and offered to give away his one months salary and allowances of Rs 1.5 lakh towards farmers welfare.

advertisement

Making the statement in the wake of growing chorus in the state for a central ordinance for conducting jallikattu, the Minister told reporters here that he had been very confident that the sport would be held this year and was "repeatedly" saying the same to the people of Tamil Nadu.

"Unfortunately, since the Supreme Court verdict has not come, there is a situation that jallikattu cannot be held. I want to openly apologise with the Tamil community," he said.

However, Radhakrishnan said he would continue to strive to ensure that the banned sport could be held in the state and expressed confidence that he would achieve this.

Since he could not fulfil his promise on jallikattu, he will not celebrate Pongal, the Minister said.

Further, he said farmers situation was "bad" this year due to drought and expressed concern over it. That also was a reason for skipping Pongal festivities, he added.

To help the farmers, Radhakrishnan said he will donate his one months salary and allowance of Rs 1.5 lakh. PTI SA APR DIP

--- ENDS ---
By Peggy Kelly

Santa Paula News

A Santa Paula man pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Friday after a fatal stabbing in March, a plea expected to bring him a dozen years in prison.

Modesto Perez Guevara, 23, was arrested March 25 after a dispute led to the fatal stabbing of Ricardo Garcia, 44, an Oxnard resident.

According to Santa Paula Police Sgt. Cody Madison, the attack occurred in the 100 block of East Ventura Street, where Garcia was reportedly doing work at an apartment unit for his friend, Guevaras brother.

Officers had been summoned to the East Ventura Street apartment complex at approximately 10:20 a.m. for a reported stabbing.

When SPPD Officers arrived at the scene Santa Paula Fire and ambulance personnel were already there and a paramedic had pronounced Garcia dead.

Garcia, who had also been an acquaintance of Modesto Guevara, had been stabbed once in the stomach, a mortal wound.

Said Madison, Through the investigation it was determined the suspect in the case was Guevara, whom police later located in a mobile home park in the 400 block of Craig Drive, less than a mile from the scene of the stabbing.
Anand Ahuja shared a throwback photo on Instagram from his and Sonam Kapoor's Amsterdam getaway this New Year.

By India Today Web Desk: Sonam Kapoor, who kept her relationship with Delhi-based entrepreneur Anand Ahuja hush-hush for the longest time, is now ready to "keep it real." The lovebirds rang in the New Year in Amsterdam together, and are not shying away from PDA on social media.

ALSO READ | Sonam-Anand 'keeping it real': Denial gives way to PDA on social media

advertisement

In his latest Instagram post, Anand shared a throwback from their Amsterdam getaway and hashtagged it everyday phenomenal.

??? #tbt #everydayphenomenal A video posted by anand ahuja (@anandahuja) on Jan 11, 2017 at 10:44pm PST

Sonam also commented, "always, everyday" followed by three hearts.

Ever since they made an appearance together at Akshay Kumar's Rustom success bash, stories of their affair spread like wildfire. However, Sonam always maintained that she was single and dismissed rumours that she was ready to settle down with Anand.

--- ENDS ---
Sarasota, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/13/2017 -- Zion Market Research published new report on "Data Center Security Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024" in its database



Global Data Center Security Market: Overview



Data security is nothing but protecting data from online theft, cyber attacks, any malicious attacks or virus. The data in the data center is very sensitive and of high value for the organization. Having lost this data, the company may be in great trouble. Hence, it is necessary to protect this data. Mainly, the protection of data is carried out by using antivirus and firewalls.



Request Free Sample Report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/data-center-security-market



Global Data Center Security Market: Growth Factors



The growing incidences of online breaches and online thefts have driven the global data center security market. Furthermore, increased number of identity theft, cyber attacks, and various malicious attacks elevated the global data center security. In addition, the growing awareness among people-powered the global data center security market. In addition, low cost for maintenance and transport, cheap labor charges, and global high demand boosted the global data center security market.



Global Data Center Security Market: Segmentation



Based on logical security solutions, the global data center security market is classified as threat and application security solution, compliance management and access control, and data protection solution. Depending on the size of the data center, the global market is segmented into portable or large data centers, modular data centers, medium data centers, small data centers, and mega data centers. Component wise, the global data center security market is bifurcated as software, hardware, and services. On the basis of the surrounding environment, the global market is segmented as cloud providers environment and collocation environment. On the basis of physical solutions for security, the global data center security market is classified as analysis and modeling, monitoring solutions, and video surveillance.



Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/data-center-security-market



Global Data Center Security Market: Regional Analysis



North America and Europe are estimated to be the largest regions for the growth of global data center security market in terms of revenue. This is due to the growing matured data centers in these regions. India and China will own the global market in the near future. A cold country such as Canada has entered the global data center security market recently and is capable of holding a noteworthy share in the revenue income of the global market. Furthermore, countries such as Brazil, France, the U.S., the U.K, and Germany are expected to show a drastic growth in the data center security market.



Global Data Center Security Market: Competitive Players



Key players in the aggressive race of the global data center security market include VMware Inc., Symantec, Checkpoint Software Technologies Ltd., Cisco Systems Inc., and Fortinet. Other major players in the global market are Akamai Technologies Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., McAfee Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., Trend Micro Inc., Siemens, Schneider Electric, Genetec, Dell, and Honeywell International Inc.



Browse detail report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/data-center-security-market



Global Data Center Security Market: Regional Segment Analysis



North America

U.S.

Europe

UK

France

Germany

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Latin America

Brazil

The Middle East and Africa



What Report Provides



Full in-depth analysis of the parent market

Important changes in market dynamics

Segmentation details of the market

Former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value

Assessment of niche industry developments

Market share analysis

Key strategies of major players

Emerging segments and regional markets

Testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.



Visit Our Blog: https://zionmarketresearch.wordpress.com/



About Zion Market Research :

Zion Market Researhttp://staff.releasewire.com/sbwire/news/edit/?sid=760032#newstabs-4ch 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 client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.



Contact Us:

Zion Market Research

4283, Express Lane,

Suite 634-143,

Sarasota, Florida 34249, United States

Tel: +49-322 210 92714

USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651

Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.com

Website: http://www.zionmarketresearch.com
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/13/2017 -- According to the latest report published by Persistence Market Research titled "Global Market Study on Tahini: Paste and Spreads Product Type Segment Projected to Remain the Largest Segment During the Forecast Period," global volumes are projected to reach 423,854 tonnes in 2025.



"Besides the availability of myriad flavors, rising adoption by local eateries are most likely to impact the global tahini market."  Market Research Expert, Persistence Market Research



Growing popularity of authentic Middle Eastern food flavors is expected to escalate the demand for tahini-based products, such as hummus and tahini spread. The surging significance of social media marketing will play a pivotal role in the promotion of tahini and derived products. Emerging tahini applications in hummus, butter and spreads, halva, salads, bakery products, toppings, and traditional Middle Eastern recipes such as Baba Ghanoush will also influence the market favorably.



By product type, tahini paste and spreads will witness the highest demand



Paste and spreads segment will account for over 55% share in terms of revenues by 2025

Desserts and sweets segment, aggravated by growing popularity of halva, will maintain a market share of over 25% during the assessed period

Sustained consumption of tahini dips and sauces will fuel the sauces and dips sub-segment, capturing over 18% market value share



By distribution channel, major tahini sales will be directed through exports



Conventional retail will lose its market share over 2015-2025; from over 37% market share in 2015, this sub-segment will settle at around 34% in 2025

Modern trade is expected to witness decent growth, accounting for a revenue share of over 29% by 2025 end

Exports will, however, exhibit the fastest growth in terms of a distribution channel. With over 20% share of the revenues, this sub-segment is anticipated to reach US$ 465.9 Mn with a promising CAGR of 6.1%

Considering product size, the tahini market is projected to gain the highest traction in the 50-150 gm size sub-segment



With over 56% value share in 2025, the 50-150 gm size sub-segment will reportedly reach a consumption of around 243,189 tonnes

Above 150 gm size sub-segment is likely to witness an uptick over the forecast period, capturing a considerable 28% market value share in 2025

Below 50 gm product size will be the fastest growing sub-segment at 5.9% CAGR

Depending on the production process, industrial production process will remain dominant over conventional process



With a slight setback from 76% share in 2015 to around 73% share estimated by 2025 end, industrial production process will witness moderate growth with a CAGR to the tune of 5.3%

Conventional process will experience significant growth over the forecast period

According to Persistence Market Research's regional analysis, Western Asia will continue to be the largest market, whereas GCC will emerge lucrative by 2025 end



Request to view table of content @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/tahini-market/toc



West Asia, identified as the most lucrative market for tahini, will predictably cross US$ 608 Mn by 2025 end, accounting for maximum revenues in the global market

GCC countries will exhibit the fastest growth at 5.9% CAGR, primarily driven by Kuwait, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. GCC tahini market revenues will reach around US$ 202 Mn by 2025 end

North Africa, followed by the U.K., are projected to grow moderately at respective CAGRs of 5.7% and 5.4%



A sample of this report is available upon request @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12883



Dipasa International S.A., Sunshine International Foods, Inc., Kevala International LLC, Joyva Corp, Premier Organics, Haitoglou Bros S.A., Halwani Bros. Co., Prince Tahina Ltd., El Rashidi El Mizan, Al-Wadi Al-Akhdar S.A.L, Carleys of Cornwell Ltd., Balsam Tahini, Ismail Termurcugil, and Alseedawi Sweets Factories Co. constitute some of the key players in the global market for tahini. While major export opportunities lie in Asia and North America, a majority of leading players are based in the Middle East and North America. Halwani Bros. Co. and Haitoglou Bros. are top Middle East companies, whereas Joyva Corp, Dipasa, and Kevala Int. are the key North American players. Alwadi Al Akhdar's new factory in Lebanon is due in 2017 and Sabra Dipping Co. will soon double its tahini hummus production capacity.



To Buy Full Report for a Single User @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/12883
The hunt for aliens has attracted a lot of attention of scientists as well as common people recently. More and more numbers of scientists across the world are working on developing new methods and technologies that may be helpful in the furtherance of research and exploration of alien life on other planets.

Giant space telescopes and rovers are the chief alien hunter tools employed by NASA in searching for signatures of alien life on the Moon, Mars and possibly other planets. Though NASA's Curiosity rover has revealed some interesting evidence that indicates past existence of alien life on the planet, no substantial evidence that can confirm this hypothesis has been obtained yet.

Recently, a group of scientists developed a molecular tool that can detect the signatures of alien life with high sensitivity than all the presently available instruments used in spaceflight missions, Knowridge reported.

The study published in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry explains that the search and detection for alien life could be more effectively accomplished by analyzing the patterns of amino acids, which are the building blocks of all life forms on Earth.

However, the appropriate tools required to do so was lacking until now. Furthermore, the existing methods of amino acid monitoring used by Curiosity for study of the Martian surface was ineffective due to non-specific reactions with other organic and inorganic molecules.

The newly developed method is based on capillary electrophoresis of the samples, which help in simultaneous identification of 17 amino acids with high sensitivity. Presence of these amino acids can confirm the present or previous existence of life forms on the Moon, Mars or other space objects.

The method was tested by researchers by analyzing the samples obtained from California's Mono Lake, which is an extremely salty body of water, which is analogous to the high salt water bodies present on Mars and some other moons.

The Irish News reported that the newly developed molecular tool can be used in space missions for the study of planets and satellites viz. Enceladus, Saturn's moon, and Europa, Jupiter's moon, in the near future.
A 23-day Ice Festival in South Korea to welcome winters, offers people bare hand fishing, sleigh rides and night fishing. The joyful festival kicks off today.

By Mohak Gupta: The 23-day Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is held 118 km from Seoul and involves bare hand fishing and sleigh rides.

Hwacheon County is a place in Gangwon Province, South Korea. During the festival, people carve out a hole in the ice and begin ice fishing for sancheoneo which are mountain fishes.

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji: A participant bites a trout after catching it with his hands during an event promoting the Ice Festival on a frozen river in Hwacheon

advertisement

Hwacheon County in Gangwon-do receives plenty of snow which makes it a perfect winter getaway for many around the world.

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji: People take part in ice fishing on a frozen river in Hwacheon, about 20 km (12 miles) south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas

Last year when the festival began, the mercury dipped to minus 10 degree C which gave tourists a 24 cm thick layer of ice.

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji: A boy fishes for trout through a hole in a frozen river in Hwacheon

There are more than 70 activities for people to take part in which include catching fish barehanded.

REUTERS/Lee Jae-WoN: People fish for trouts through holes on a frozen river in Hwacheon

There are separate fishing zones for foreigners as well as infants and children.

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji: A boy fishes for trout through a hole in a frozen river in Hwacheon REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji: A boy fishes for trout through a hole in a frozen river in Hwacheon

There is a competition to catch fishes with your mouth as well in which, many people participate, after which they grill the fish on the spot.

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji: A man reacts after catching a trout with his hands during an event promoting the Ice Festival

There are about 6,00,000 fishes. Some people take the fishes to restaurant to cook as well.

REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won: People fish for trout through holes in a frozen river in Hwacheon

If catching a fish is not your forte, then snow sledding and ice sledding are some activities you can enjoy.

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji: The annual ice festival, which is one of the most famous and biggest festivals in South Korea

Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province is at the northern border which is parallel to the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

On the other hand, North Korean ice festival had a military theme and instead of a snowman and other ice sculptures, they made ice-replicas of a North Korean submarine ballistic missile, according to NK News Org.

--- ENDS ---
The offer is applicable for all staterooms during cruises departing on Feb. 26, March 12, March 26, April 9, April 23 and May 7.

Travelers can get immersed in the arts, history, culture and everyday lives of Cubans while in Santiago de Cuba on people-to-people programs arranged and sponsored by Fathom. And at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, they have the opportunity to participate in social impact experiences, working alongside Dominicans to help their communities.

The sailings on Fathom's Adonia are round-trip PortMiami.

Taxes, fees and port expenses are extra, along with the required Cuban travel visa, $75, and gratuities estimated at $80.50.
SpaceX's fleet of reusable Falcon rockets had been grounded following a launchpad explosion last year.The Elon Musk-led company aims to launch 27 rockets this year.

By Reuters: A SpaceX Falcon rocket blasted off from California on Saturday, returning the company to flight for the first time since a fiery launchpad explosion in September.

The 230-foot rocket, which launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in the US at 11:24pm, aimed to deliver 10 satellites into orbit.

SpaceX's founder and entrepreneur Elon Musk's ambitious flight plans had been grounded since the September 1 explosion during fueling ahead of a pre-flight test in Florida.

advertisement

FIRST STAGE RETURNS TO EARTH

About 10 minutes after Saturday's launch, the first stage of the rocket, which had separated from the rest of craft, successfully touched down on a platform in the Pacific Ocean, a feat previously accomplished by four other returning Falcon rockets. SpaceX intends to reuse its rockets to cut costs.

The mission will test changes implemented by Space Exploration Technologies Corp, known as SpaceX, since the launchpad explosion.

Accident investigators determined that a canister of helium burst inside the rocket's second-stage liquid oxygen tank, triggering the explosion. The canister is being redesigned, but until then SpaceX is addressing the issue by modifying its fueling procedures.

The accident clouded the company's aggressive agenda, which includes beginning to ferry US astronauts into space next year, when it also plans to make its first voyage to Mars.

Also read: Elon Musk all set to take you to Mars: 10 Interesting facts on his company SpaceX

WHAT NEXT?

Saturday's flight begins to clear a backlog of more than 70 missions, worth more than $10 billion, awaiting flights on SpaceX Falcon rockets, which last flew in August, SpaceX said.

SpaceX aims to launch 27 rockets in 2017, more than triple the eight flights the privately held firm managed in 2016, according to a report on Friday in the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to its dozens of commercial customers, SpaceX is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies 400 km above Earth.

The company's 2017 agenda includes the debut launch of a heavy-lift booster, flying its first reused rocket and repairing the Florida launchpad damaged in the explosion.

Also read: Amazon's Jeff Bezos has a new rocket to compete with SpaceX

Also read: Elon Musk says Tesla's Model 3 is coming to India

--- ENDS ---
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DAVENPORT, Santa Cruz County  Here on the remote Santa Cruz County coast, a little-known stretch of rolling hills has been thrust into the spotlight by President Obama, who in one of his final acts in office declared the area a national monument.

But dont dial it into your GPS just yet. The conservation of this wild and beautiful spot is part of a long story  and one that is still unfolding.

The federal designation puts the 5,800-acre Coast Dairies in the company of such treasured sights as Muir Woods, Mount St. Helens and the Statue of Liberty, a validation of a dramatic show of land and sea that has long enchanted locals while rarely being acknowledged beyond.

In fact, years ago, the former dairy ranch consisting of sprawling meadows, forests and ridgetops faced an uncertain future, having narrowly escaped the grip of outsiders wanting to tap it for other kinds of monuments  oil development, a nuclear power plant and luxury estates.

Its an honor to have the president of the United States recognize the property that our community fought to protect, said Ryan Coonerty, the county supervisor who represents the region. Its an extraordinary place.

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

But with federal recognition comes an expectation: to welcome in the American public. Thats a challenge that neither the neighboring towns of Davenport and Bonny Doon nor the administrators at the U.S Bureau of Land Management are quite ready to take on.

More on Coast Dairies Coast Dairies north of Santa Cruz designated national monument

Concerns about too many visitors and too few accommodations, which sparked resistance by many residents, mean the property will remain closed until the public can be provided for. This process could take years.

Federal officials and local boosters, though, say it will be well worth the wait.

I dont think theres a landscape like this. These are extremely high-quality and scientifically valuable lands associated with the coastal environment of California, said David Ledig, manager of the Bureau of Land Managements California Coastal National Monument, the group of properties that Coast Dairies joins. We just dont want to allow something (on the site) thats going to create a nuisance.

According to Ledig, plans for Coast Dairies remain uncertain. But after natural resource experts work with the community on a strategy, he said, the land could eventually host a network of trails inviting hikers, and perhaps bikers and equestrians, to trek from scenic Highway 1 on the coast high into the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

A visitor center could also be in the cards, he said, perhaps in conjunction with the many nearby state parks.

On Friday afternoon, a day after Obamas announcement, Santa Cruz resident Steve Reed, who worked with the Sempervirens Fund land trust to push for the propertys federal status, led a tour of the area in his Honda Civic.

After getting stuck in the mud on a washed-out road and then towed out by a friendly neighbor with a pickup, he continued the excursion on a steep ascent past a cattle pasture, which is leased to a rancher, to a ridge with jaw-dropping views of the Pacific and its faraway rocky cliffs.

You can imagine that most people driving up and down Highway 1 will want to stop and take advantage of this, he said.

Around a curve was a clump of oak trees abutting a redwood grove. Reed said these forests were home to Ohlone Indians known as the Cotoni for thousands of years, prompting the government alongside conservation groups to add them to the sites official name, making it Cotoni-Coast Dairies.

While natural beauty is in no short supply on the property, it does have some wear and tear. Remnants of the old dairy ranch, started by a pair of Swiss families at the turn of the last century, dot a portion of the grasslands.

Higher up, quarries scar some of the mountainsides, while milelong conveyers, which once hoisted limestone to Davenports shuttered cement plant, still crisscross the land.

Pam Koch, a longtime Bonny Doon resident who sits on the Sempervirens Fund board of directors, was elated to see the industry cease and the land be set aside for protection. With a terrace that overlooks the site, she remembers what an irritation the property was almost two decades ago.

There was noise. There was smoke, she said. Noon whistles. Conveyor belts. Big trucks.

The conservation effort began amid several attempts to develop the property. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. envisioned nuclear power, and a Las Vegas real estate developer eyed Malibu-style homes.

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

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.

In 1997, the Save the Redwoods League negotiated an option to buy Coast Dairies, and a year later the Trust for Public Land sealed the deal. Eventually, the propertys coastline was transferred to California State Parks, while the bulk of the land was given in 2014 to the Bureau of Land Management.

The federal donation came with an agreement: The area would not be used for mining or any exploitive activities.

Last weeks designation of the land as a national monument didnt add any protections that the property didnt already enjoy, but advocates say it could mean more money. The Bureau of Land Management hasnt had the funding to push ahead with a cleanup of the site or add visitor amenities.

This is what concerns Davenport resident Leanne Salandro, who was among many who fought the special status for Coast Dairies. They say the area isnt prepared for the traffic, the parking and any other problems, such as litter or even an accidental wildfire, that crowds could bring.

Theres already people who come walking down our streets and they have day packs on, she said. Everybodys looking for that secret, special, no-one-has-been-there spot.

With the federal designation, she said, the floodgates have opened.

The Bureau of Land Management and local leaders, however, pledged to do their best to protect the property as well as the serenity of those living nearby.

Coonerty, the county supervisor, acknowledged that public services like law enforcement are already tested by crowds flocking to state parks on the isolated coast. While a national monument will probably add more pressure, he said, the county is working on adding support.

Until that happens, he said, Coast Dairies will remain off-limits.

This is something for our grandkids, he said. So we need to take the long view.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
A break in the heavy rains that drenched the Bay Area this week should last for several days before a series of storms sweep through the region mid-week, forecasters said Saturday.

Conditions are predicted to remain dry and cool  except for a slight chance of light rain along the coast Sunday morning  through the end of Tuesday, said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.

But the rain will return Wednesday morning  starting in the North Bay and moving across the region with the heavier showers coming in the afternoon and evening, he said. The storm should last into Thursday, with another system right behind thats set to bring rain through Friday, according to Benjamin.

By the end of Friday, lower elevations could receive anywhere between two to three inches of rainfall, the northern coastal mountains between six to eight inches and the Santa Cruz Mountains could get between four to eight inches, he said.

These arent going to be as ominous  there will be a little wind associated with them  the rains arent going to be as extensive, Benjamin said, noting that the periods of heavy rainfall will likely move quicker through the region. But, he said, the previous rounds of rain already have saturated soils and elevated streams and rivers in the region. Those storms caused downed trees, floods, mudlsides and power outages across the region.

Its a little early to definitively say how it will effect streams and rivers but it could have an impact, Benjamin said.

The rain will add to an already impressive January: San Francisco already has received 5.61 inches of rain  more than an inch above normal for the entire month. But the record amount for the month does not appear to be within reach: 24.63 inches of rain fell in 1862, the year of the Great Flood in California, which caused mass destruction across the state.

I think people havent experienced this type of weather in so long that its appearing like a total anomaly  Im not sure its quite the case, Benjamin said. What we are seeing is closer to normal than weve experienced the last five to six years.

Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz
The police shooting of a man in San Franciscos Ocean View neighborhood has presented the city force with its first major challenge after outfitting officers with body-worn cameras: determining when the footage should be released to the public.

At a town hall meeting this week, police officials provided a detailed account of what videos revealed about the Jan. 6 shooting of an unarmed, mentally ill man who allegedly kicked and punched two officers responding to reports of a restraining order violation.

But they refused to release the footage itself, asserting that the investigation into the shooting of 42-year-old Sean Moore  who was arraigned Friday from a hospital bed on charges including assault on a peace officer  could be compromised. Such investigations can take several months, or longer.

The decision came amid a push for police reform in San Francisco, and it involves a camera program designed to promote transparency and accountability. While police said withholding the video was still necessary, the move prompted outcry from activists and suspicion about the police account of the confrontation.

Wheres the video? Betty Mackey of the Anti-Police Terror Project asked at the town hall, which was held Thursday evening a block from the scene of the shooting. You said you already reviewed it, and you gave us a summary of it. Why are you not sharing the video with the public?

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

Interim Chief Toney Chaplin told Mackey that the department would decide whether to release the footage after the investigation is complete, consistent with the body-camera policy passed by the city Police Commission in June after considerable debate. Officers began using the cameras in August.

The policy states that the departments goal is to release recordings to the greatest extent possible, but that police can decline to release video when disclosure would endanger the safety of a witness or another person involved in the investigation, jeopardize the successful completion of an investigation, or violate local, state and/or federal laws.

The problem, according to critics, is that multiple investigations are launched after police shootings  including criminal and internal-affairs probes  and can take years, particularly in fatal shootings.

And last weeks shooting, the critics noted, appeared to be isolated to an interaction between two officers and the man who was shot, limiting the danger that public circulation of the footage would taint witness accounts. The officers have given initial statements, and Moore is in custody at San Francisco General Hospital on $2 million bail.

But Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman, said authorities need to be careful.

Our goal is to be as transparent as possible, but when there is an open investigation, we have to be cautious about what information is released and the timing of the release of that information, Andraychak said. Mr. Moore has not yet been afforded the opportunity to give a statement. One of the concerns is we cant have the video out there to taint his recollection if he wants to give a statement.

The California Public Records Act includes an exception in which records can be withheld during a pending investigation, but the most important thing to understand is that is not a mandatory exception, said John Crew, a police watchdog and former American Civil Liberties Union lawyer.

It is mandatory only if it will jeopardize the integrity of an investigation, he said. How would release of this information jeopardize the investigation? Have the officers been interviewed? Were there any other witnesses at 4 oclock in the morning whose accounts would be tainted by seeing this video? If not, then there is no policy justification for choosing to follow that exception.

But Harry Stern, a Bay Area attorney who represents police officers, said the department was right to hold off on releasing footage until the investigation is completed.

In this town, police policy is being driven by the activist class, who represent a tiny fraction of the populace, Stern said. Number of YouTube hits shouldnt be a factor in deciding whether a shooting is justified or not. Waiting until the conclusion of the investigation is the best practice.

Other Bay Area police agencies that equip officers with body cameras have typically declined to release footage during investigations into incidents. However, they have made exceptions, particularly in high-profile cases in which the video supports officers whose actions are being publicly questioned.

The Ocean View shooting happened after two San Francisco officers, one of whom Andraychuk identified Friday as Kenneth Cha, responded to reports of a restraining order violation and encountered Moore at the front door of his home on Capitol Avenue.

Cmdr. Greg McEachern said footage from the officers cameras showed Moore yelling profanities at the officers through a locked gate as they tried to speak to him.

Moore eventually opened the gate to grab the restraining order papers from the officers, who were standing below him on the front steps. An officer deployed pepper spray, McEachern said, and Moore kicked him in the face before retreating into the house.

The other officer called an ambulance for his partners injury, as well as for the after-effects of the pepper spray on both of them and Moore. Moore then reportedly reopened the door, threw the papers on the ground and walked into the street. The officers told him he was under arrest, and one officer struck him in the lower leg with a baton while he was on the front steps, McEachern said.

Moore allegedly punched that officer, knocking him off the steps, and when he advanced on the second officer, that officer shot twice, McEachern said.

Moore has a history of paranoid schizophrenia that is known to officers in the area, according to family members. They said he was struck in the stomach and groin.

After being shot, he retreated into the house, and hostage negotiators spent an hour attempting to coax him out before a tactical team entered to get him treatment, officials said.

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

Crew said there was reason for the public to question the police account, and that police had a chance to build trust by releasing the footage. McEacherns account of what the footage showed contradicted original reports provided to the media that the officer shot Moore after he grabbed one of the officers batons.

Complicating the scrutiny of the shooting, the police union used the incident to blast the city Police Commission for its recent decision to deny officers less-lethal force options such as carotid neck holds and electric stun guns.

The officers deployed pepper spray, but it was ineffective, Police Officers Association President Martin Halloran said. During the confrontation, one of the officers batons either fell to the ground or was taken by the suspect.

Crew said police gave out information that was inconsistent with what was on the body-camera footage and the (union) came out and put their spin on it. They need to get the actual information out, and get it out sooner rather than later.

The more you delay, he said, the more suspicion there will be of the department and the reason they have for delaying it.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
San Francisco police shot and wounded a man early Friday in the Ocean View neighborhood, an incident that police union officials insisted could have been minimized if the city allowed officers to use electronic stun guns or carotid restraint holds against suspects.

Two officers were responding to a call of a restraining order violation stemming from a dispute between two neighbors when they encountered a 42-year-old man who became combative at about 3:50 a.m., said Officer Giselle Talkoff, a police spokeswoman.

The officers used pepper spray on the man when he tried to grab one of their batons, and when that didnt work, at least one officer shot him, Talkoff said. The wounded man got inside a home on the 500 block of Capitol Avenue, which officers stormed after a brief standoff.

The man, whose name has not been released, was arrested and taken to a hospital with a non-life-threatening bullet wound, Talkoff said.

Within hours of the shooting, Police Officers Association President Martin Halloran said in a statement that the man never would have been shot at all if officers had less than lethal options such as Tasers (and) carotid restraint available.

He took aim at the Police Commission, which passed a use-of-force policy last month barring carotid holds over the unions objections. His comments were the latest union attack on the new use-of-force policy, over which the union filed a lawsuit because of the bans on carotid restraint and shooting at a moving vehicle.

Halloran said a carotid hold would have been very useful in this situation, and complained that the Police Commission has refused to allow police to use stun guns even though every other major city allows officers this less-than-lethal option.

Police have asked the commission several times to agree to a pilot program for stun guns, but city officials have gone along with reform advocates who say the devices can lead to serious injury and even death. Some officers argued that with the commission banning carotid restraint holds  which some experts say can too easily shift into fatal choke holds  the panel needs to provide police with a less lethal option like stun guns.

The Police Department declined to respond to Hallorans comments. Suzy Loftus, president of the Police Commission, said that it is far too early to make conclusions about what happened, as we are only hours into the multiple investigations into this mornings officer-involved shooting.

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.

While these independent investigations are ongoing, the Police Commission is committed to continuing the collaborative efforts to keep San Francisco safe and ensure that the men and women who protect this city have the training and tools needed to preserve the sanctity of life for all involved, she said.

The two officers who initially responded suffered minor injuries in Fridays incident and were treated at a hospital and released.

The man who was shot had been been making threatening remarks to the family next door and banging on their wall ever since a criminal protective order was granted after he assaulted the familys adult son in 2011, according to court records that matched the mans address.

Vivian Ho and Hamed Aleaziz are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com, haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo, @Haleaziz
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

An hour after midnight on a cold and rainy Thursday, the old motor vessel Moku Pahu pulled slowly away from a berth on the Richmond harbor, bound on a last voyage into history.

The Moku Pahu was headed on a short run up the bay to the big refinery at Crockett, carrying the final cargo of pure cane sugar from Hawaii. The ship had sailed from Kahului Harbor on Maui, and then the last sugar mill in Hawaii shut down  on the last Friday of the old year  ending 145 years of Hawaiian sugar trade.

Sugar production used to be one of the economic mainstays of the islands, but it has been fading for years. Prices were to blame, and bad weather, and environmental problems, a ton of factors. The Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Co., which ran the last mill, lost $30 million in its last full year of production.

We all knew it was coming, said Capt. Christian Johnsen, who was in command for the final voyage Thursday. But its certainly very sad. Id say its like the death of a grandparent. We knew it had to happen, but its still hard to believe.

Sugar was also important on San Francisco Bay, dating back to the 1850s, when commercial trade with the islands began. At one time, the C&H Crockett plant refined close to a million tons of sugar a year, mostly from Hawaii. The refinery will remain open, but the sugar will come from foreign and domestic cane fields other than Hawaii.

The last, long sugar voyage began in mid-December, when the ship sailed from Maui. Everyone at the port stopped to see the ship go; people lined the shore, all the vessels in the harbor and all the trucks onshore blew a salute.

I was very sad, and very proud, too, said Capt. Lou Terramorse, Moku Pahus veteran skipper.

He brought the ship across the Pacific and into the Golden Gate on Dec. 27. The Moku Pahu is not a fast ship, and theres no hurry in the sugar business.

Johnsen, the chief mate, took over as skipper in the bay. There was a wait until the refinery was ready, and then a nighttime voyage up to Crockett. Now timing was important as the ship was deeply laden with almost 32,000 tons of sugar and 2,000 tons of molasses, and there are big tides and strong currents this time of the year. Everything was done slowly and carefully.

It was quiet on the bridge as the ship turned around and made its way out the Richmond channel and up the bay. The pilot, Capt. Eric Johnson, set the courses for the seaman at the helm and gave small changes: right 10, midship, left 10. The helmsman repeated the orders, and the 648-foot-long ship moved through the dark waters at a sedate 9 knots.

Johnson was pleased that he had drawn the assignment. He had sailed on the Moku Pahu for 11 years, working his way up from third mate to captain at the age of 31. So it was like old times.

The Moku Pahu was built 32 years ago, making it old for a merchant ship. This ship is a classic, said Kip Carlson, another pilot, who was along for the ride.

The ship has done more than sugar runs. Shes had a lot of real adventures over the years, Johnsen said.

The Moku Pahu made a couple of trips to North Korea, carrying grain, once docking there on an icy Christmas Eve. It has carried cargo to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, and to Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines, and it spent more than a month in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa. That was interesting, Johnson said, dryly.

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.

But the homeport has always been Hawaii. I got to know all the longshoremen, the port people, the workers, Johnsen said. This ship has a very strong ohana feeling, he said, using the Hawaiian word for family.

It is more than just family. On its bridge, the Moku Pahu has a statue of Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the sea. It is carved of koa wood and has mother-of-pearl eyes that look directly at one of the radar sets. Sometimes, Johnsen said, Hawaiians would leave little gifts for Kanaloa  candy, maybe, a can of Spam, the island favorite. One sailor ate the candy, another wondered what an idol was doing on an American ship. Something bad happened to both of them.

Im not superstitious, Johnsen said, but ...

The Moku Pahu slid under the Carquinez Bridge at 3:30 in the morning and tied up for good at the refinery dock an hour later.

Johnsen invited the pilot to his cabin afterward.

On this occasion, Id offer a bit of Champagne, or maybe scotch, he said. But that was in the old days. Instead, he broke out a container full of pure cane sugar from Hawaii and offered a taste.

Have some, he said. There wont be any more. This is history.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His column appears every Sunday. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf
By Press Trust of India: London, Jan 12 (PTI) People with heightened activity in the amygdala - a region of the brain involved in stress - may have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a study published in The Lancet journal today that may lead to new treatments for stress-related cardiovascular problems.

The study provides new insights into the possible mechanism by which stress can lead to cardiovascular disease in humans, researchers said.

advertisement

The researchers suggest that these findings could eventually lead to new ways to target and treat stress-related cardiovascular risk.

Smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and chronic psychosocial stress could also be a risk factor.

Previously, animal studies identified a link between stress and higher activity in the bone marrow and arteries, but it has remained unclear whether this applies to humans.

No previous study has identified the region of the brain that links stress to the risk of heart attack and stroke.

In this study, 293 patients were given a combined PET/CT scan to record their brain, bone marrow and spleen activity and inflammation of their arteries.

Patients were then tracked for an average of 3.7 years to see if they developed cardiovascular disease. In this time 22 patients had cardiovascular events including heart attack, angina, heart failure, stroke and peripheral arterial disease.

Those with higher amygdala activity had a greater risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease and developed problems sooner than those with lower activity, researchers said.

They also found that the heightened activity in the amygdala was linked to increased bone marrow activity and inflammation in the arteries, and suggest that this may cause the increased cardiovascular risk.

The researchers suggest a possible biological mechanism, whereby the amygdala signals to the bone marrow to produce extra white blood cells, which in turn act on the arteries causing them to develop plaques and become inflamed, which can cause heart attack and stroke.

In a small sub-study, 13 patients who had a history of PTSD also had their stress levels assessed by a psychologist, underwent a PET scan and had their levels of C-reactive protein - a protein that indicates levels of inflammation in the body - measured.

Those who reported the highest levels of stress had the highest levels of amygdala activity along with more signs of inflammation in their blood and the walls of their arteries.

"Our results provide a unique insight into how stress may lead to cardiovascular disease. This raises the possibility that reducing stress could produce benefits that extend beyond an improved sense of psychological wellbeing," said lead author Ahmed Tawakol from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the US.

advertisement

"Eventually, chronic stress could be treated as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is routinely screened for and effectively managed like other major cardiovascular disease risk factors," said Tawakol. PTI SAR SAR

--- ENDS ---
When Adobe Systems summer intern Laurel Warrell got the assignment to figure out how using virtual reality goggles would change reading a static PDF file, even she thought the concept was boring.

But what she and a small team of senior Adobe researchers have come up with could, in the future, transform PDFs into another way to share an interactive experience.

Adobe this week showed off a prototype of a virtual reality version of the PDF, the portable document format that has become ubiquitous for storing and sharing pages of text, photos and graphics in their original form. The San Jose company says there are about 3 billion PDFs out in the world. If anything, that number seems low.

In an exclusive demonstration for The Chronicle, principal scientist Walter Chang showed how a PDF report on the abandoned Cold War-era Teufelsberg spy station in Berlin could be turned into a tour that makes you feel like youre standing in the decrepit, graffiti-filled buildings.

The experience starts with a giant wall of three standard-looking PDFs. However, the virtual visitor can tap the photo on one PDF and be virtually transported into the old building.

The photo captured a 360-degree view, with icons to tap using the VR interface. Those icons reveal pertinent historical notes and social media comments about various points within the building. There are also virtual doors that let the tourist jump to other 360-degree photos inside the old spy center.

Last summer, Adobe asked Warrell, in her second year of a masters degree program in human computer interaction at Georgia Tech, to look at how virtual reality could change the standard PDF experience. She worked with Chang and Adobe senior scientists Byungmoon Kim and Antoine Amanieux.

The biggest question was what would it be like to go in there to read a PDF, Warrell said. I thought it would be kind of boring to go into a VR headset just to read. I said, Why dont we flip the concept around?

That meant coming up with a way to experience the subject matter covered by the PDF in an interactive form, instead of just reading text.

Adobe, which makes its money with software like Photoshop and cloud business-marketing services, created the PDF in the early 1990s. It has since become a standard document format, although the company acknowledges its also been derided, as former CEO Bruce Chizen once said, as the roach motel of data formats  you could get data in, but you couldnt get it out.

But a virtual reality PDF can unlock layers of information, Chang said.

The spy station experience, for example, provides a better sense of how big the facility was than simple text or photos could convey, Chang said. And you werent forced to read it in any particular order. You were reading the annotations as you discovered them, and in that sense every experience is unique to the way that person is exploring the environment.

He believes that one day, people can capture family birthday parties in photos and text and share them as virtual PDFs. Instead of having just photos, you have a snapshot of the whole moment that you can drop a person into, he said. And if you have annotations, your relatives could start looking around and say, Oh, thats Uncle Fred, or Thats the dog, Rex.

And students might use the PDFs instead of textbooks.

Warrell, who has returned to school with plans to graduate this year, believes it could be used in a variety of ways, such as for tourists to research a potential destination.

Well have to figure out whats the best way for users to experience that, she said. We know that VR is the next big thing.

Adobe, however, isnt ready to release the new format and hasnt shown it to anyone else outside the company. Chang said the company has yet to figure out potential commercial uses for the technology and is still working on many details.

Indeed, the virtual reality industry itself is in its early stages and is still trying to figure out how to get average consumers to buy the expensive headsets.

Gartner research analyst Brian Blau, a longtime VR industry observer, was somewhat skeptical.

PDF documents are known for being static, not interactive, so adding a feature to support 360-degree photos is a nice addition and one that can tie into the burgeoning content type, Blau said in an email. I dont see this as any big leap, though, but one that helps keep PDF more current than not.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
A former sixth-grade science and math teacher at a Richmond charter school was found guilty on multiple counts of child molestation, capping a trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he assaulted 13 children repeatedly for years  including one inside a church.

A Contra Costa County Superior Court jury found Ronald David Guinto guilty on Thursday of 87 counts related to child molestation, said the prosecutor, Alison Chandler. The jury was hung on three other counts, she said.

Guino tracked down his first of many victims in an AOL chat room back in 2002, convincing a 12-year-old boy to sneak out of his house and come to his home, where he molested the boy, Chandler said.

From 2008 to 2009, Guinto acted as a Cub Scout pack leader and summer camp counselor for troops of Cub Scouts throughout San Jose. Through his affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America, Guinto went on to gain access to a church in San Jose.

He kidnapped one of his victims, also a 12-year-old boy, and took him to the church, where he molested him and showed him pornography, prosecutors said.

But it was at a summer camp he founded in 2009  dubbed Camp Epic  and founded where he molested numerous children, according to prosecutors.

Guinto persuaded parents to allow these children to go with him alone overnight, Chandler said.

At these camp sessions, which included camping trips and visits to amusement parks, Guinto brought children into his tents and other rooms, showed them pornography, and molested them over and over, Chandler said.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
Sheer numbers have a way of sobering you up. For many patrons, Artistic Director Helgi Tomassons 32-year tenure at the San Francisco Ballet may have rushed by in a giddy blur of splendid dancing. That sensation has probably afflicted most of us at one time or another. But for a dose of dazzling reality, one should consult the companys hastily assembled performance annals. There they are  153 commissions stretching from 1985 through this coming 84th season.

True, a substantial number of those dances were created by Tomasson himself. But most represent a cross-section of American and international choreographers that no other stateside ballet company can rival. So the panoply continues in 2017. The fare includes seven additions to the San Francisco Ballet repertoire; six of them are world premieres. Three choreographers are making their debuts with the troupe. New here also will be Liam Scarletts full-evening Frankenstein, co-produced with the Royal Ballet. Choreographic contributions are nicely balanced between in-house offerings and guest creations.

Bill Cooper

Even those sophisticates who profess indifference to the opening night gala hullabaloo will want to catch this years premieres from much-coveted choreographer Trey McIntyre and former New York City Ballet principal and Paris Opera Ballet director Benjamin Millepied, who has prepared a work set to John Adams The Chairman Dances.

McIntyre and Millepied may be familiar names in dance circles, but the third debutant, the Anglo-Portuguese choreographer Arthur Pita, will strike few chords in American dance-goers, although he is well known in England. Pita has prepared a contemporary ritual version of Salome that would appear to transgress a few boundaries. Dont expect a dance of the seven veils. Do expect a head of John the Baptist. Pita styles himself a practitioner of dance theater, much influenced by his life partner, the celebrated choreographer Matthew Bourne.

The subject may be a bit risky, but in a phone conversation, Pita reports of the complete confidence demonstrated in his project by Tomasson and his staff. It has been Tomassons respect for different approaches to movement, from postmodern forays (like Margaret Jenkins Thread) to modernism (Mark Morris, Paul Taylor) to any number of tutu-clad effusions, that has encouraged the flow of talent to the West Coast.

It wasnt supposed to be this way. Back in the 1980s, the Ballet Board of Trustees thought they were hiring in Tomasson a Balanchine apostle from New York City Ballet. But as Tomasson has reminded us several times, his aesthetic values were also formed by his sojourns at the Joffrey Ballet and Harkness Ballet, which fed on eclectic repertoire. Tomasson is one of those rare artists who see all of dance in a continuum. To patrons who complained lustily about William Forsythes galvanizing Artifact Suite, he insisted that it all derived from Balanchine, an influence the choreographer does not deny.

Timing has been on Tomassons side. He engaged Forsythe to make his astonishing New Sleep in 1987 shortly after the American choreographer joined the Frankfurt Ballet and before he became an international icon. Tomasson hired David Bintley before he started running the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The incomparable Alexei Ratmansky made his first American ballet for San Francisco. The New Works Festival in 2008 produced 10 ballets over three days; the fare included Christopher Wheeldons Within the Golden Hour, one of the choreographers most elegant abstractions, set for revival this April. Wheeldons 2002 Continuum, absent for several seasons, was revived two years ago and proved a revelation for many.

Erik Tomasson

Tomasson favors continuing relationships with choreographers who often go on to more exposed assignments; we havent had a new Wheeldon since his Broadway American in Paris. The most productive of these liaisons has been with resident choreographer Yuri Possokhov. The former principal dancer created a stir with his Magrittomania in 2000, started making dances here and in Europe even before he retired from performing, and was named to his new post in 2006.

Possokhovs ballets vary thematically, but they all seem fragments torn from an autobiography of a Russian absorbing his native and adopted cultures (as in Swimmer the other year), all of it leavened with a sardonic wit. This season, Possokhov will adapt Optimistic Tragedy, a Soviet play and movie about a ships crew and a new, female commissar. A glimpse at a rehearsal suggests the influence of Sergei Eisensteins silent film classic Potemkin.

The other star within the ranks is Myles Thatcher, whose untitled premiere arrives in April. He started as a member of the corps de ballet, created works for the Joffrey and New York City Ballet, and was an artist in the prestigious Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiatives. He finds it advantageous to choreograph for his close colleagues.

I know their personalities, strengths and weaknesses as they do mine, said Thatcher in an email interview. The mutual trust we have created allows me to take more risks with them.

However, for visiting choreographers allotted three to four weeks of rehearsal, facing 70 dancers theyve never met could be daunting and unproductive. Fortunately, the San Francisco Ballet roster has lured dance makers from halfway round the world.

Erik Tomasson

Take Jiri Bubenicek, a former principal dancer at the Dresden Semperoper Ballet and John Neumeiers Hamburg Ballet, who bowed here as choreographer with a witty quartet at the 2016 gala. He describes the preparation for his upcoming Fragile Vessels as a pleasure. I admire diversity in a dancer. I admire the ability not only to be an excellent classical dancer or a well-coordinated mover, but an artist as well, an artist who dances with soul, heart and mind. I admire their ability to focus and work hard. The working conditions are fantastic, and the company staff is there to help, advise or find a solution.

Pita, who has worked recently with Los Angeles Bodytraffic, echoes his colleagues: San Francisco Ballet dancers are incredibly diverse, not just ethnically, but in their individual personalities. They are extremely innovative. They are open to all styles. They all have different methods of working. They are what a modern ballet company should look like.

That company is in the midst of a significant personnel turnover. Three strong principal males retired last season. They have been succeeded by new principal Aaron Robison, who trained at the Royal Ballet School; and soloist Angelo Greco, who comes from Milans La Scala. In addition, both Carlo Di Lanno and Sasha De Sola have recently been promoted to principals.

So, matters are on the move at the San Francisco Ballet. Only one aspect of Tomassons commissioning program is troubling. In perusing the annals, I counted fewer than a dozen female choreographers hired over three decades. We know they are out there, and more of the most gifted of them should be creating dances at the leading ballet company in the West.

Identity politics has nothing to do with it; expanding artistic horizons does. I can only imagine how masters like Karole Armitage, Twyla Tharp, Lucinda Childs or Deborah Hay might propel the San Francisco Ballets sterling dancers to even greater heights. Never discount the potential for artistic alchemy.

Allan Ulrich is the San Francisco Chronicles dance correspondent.

San Francisco Ballet: 84th season gala, 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. $65-$352, (415) 865-2000, www.sfballet.org

For a gala preview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_rjXiQIpHU
Dodging raindrops and jumping over puddles, intrepid art-lovers splashed over to Pier 70 Thursday, Jan. 12, for the opening of Untitled, San Francisco. As art took up weekend residence on the burial grounds of Bethlehem Steel, the rusty and majestic site afforded an occasional glimpse of its bones  a graffitied beam, a broken window  and history.

The mood was happy, experimental and pleasantly rough-hewn. (San Francisco-style edginess encompasses both a beautiful giveaway shopping bag imprinted with the words Rich Bastards Beware and a Tartine coffee bar where a cup of joe and a cookie rang up $8. Oh, never mind.)

This fair, fittingly, does not feature galleries arranged along long neat corridors; the walls are zigzag, and the displays are at angles to each other. At Fog, you know whats there, said art-lover Joachim Bechtle. Here, you have no clue what its going to be.

That what included: objects from David Irelands house and prints of his drawings; wearable violin dresses made at the Headlands in the Study for Lesser Satellites by Brent Green; Nieves Fernandez Galerias fractured video images of passersby; the Workshop Residence selling doormats Ann Hamilton created with a cutout quote from the book Heidi; the Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago displaying Kenyan-born choreographer/artist Brendan Fernandes photos incorporating images from dance and African folk art; art as seen through a single window, the operating principle of the Four A.M. gallery on Grand Street in New York.

Too many art fairs are evolving into big names and brands, said Rena Bransten, whose gallery is at the Minnesota Street Project, but this is what arts all about.

For most exhibitors, the feeling was loose. I asked Noah Horowitz, Art Basel director Americas, what he thought of this fair, and he said it was policy not to comment on other art fairs. As to whether Art Basel is thinking of expanding here, he said, We have no intention of creating additional art fairs. ... Its great to see an emerging cultural community come together. (Whaddya know, later in the day, an art expert mentioned to me that he heard Art Basel was contemplating West Coast opportunities.)

Leah Garchik/San Francisco Chronicle

And then it was on to the new Berggruen Gallery, where John and Gretchen Berggruen were celebrating their South of Market move with the exhibition The Human Form. The gallery, 10,000 square feet on three floors designed by Jennifer Weiss Architecture  Weiss is daughter of Gretchen Berggruen  was abuzz. Works by such artists as Pablo Picasso, Kiki Smith, Barry McGee, Chuck Close, Richard Diebenkorn, David Park, Willem de Kooning and (swoon) Lucian Freud were vivid enough to create a high, although N.Y.-style, nary a glass of white wine was served.

Many works were from private collections. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art director Neil Benezra cited New Yorks Gagosian Gallery  the San Francisco branch of which was having an opening next door  as a pioneer in the trend for curated shows.

What were looking at here is the Berggruen Gallery not just moving to a better space, but really raising the level of their programs, to do museum quality exhibitions, Benezra said.

Drawing people to the gallery is always a plus, and despite the Smith drawing that included the words Maybe We Have Everything, its possible an eager art-lover could convince an owner to sell.

P.S.: Afterward, the Berggruens beckoned guests (Howz about a trip to Polynesia?) to dinner at the Tonga Room at the Fairmont.

The eclectic crowd of veteran San Francisco partygoers included our dinner companion Tom Kelley, who, as the musicians raft floated to the center of the pool, said his mother had come up from Hillsborough in the 1930s to take synchronized swimming lessons there. John Berggruen also pointed out his brother, successful venture capitalist Nicolas Berggruen, founder of the Berggruen Institute think tank and philanthropist. Being at a loss for conversational gambits about amassing a fortune, I asked whether hed ever bought any art from his brother. No business in the family, he said. He also ventured that his father had worked as a reporter for The Chronicle (too long ago, however, for him to make small talk about the quality of office coffee).

At the end of dinner, Gretchen and John Berggruen boarded the raft to thank all of our great friends, artists and colleagues for coming along on adventures the two crazy Berggruens have concocted. And then the guests, giddy with food, drink and art, headed home.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

I gave up Islam for bacon.
WASHINGTON  President-elect Donald Trumps national security adviser and Russias ambassador to the U.S. have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior official said Friday.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged contacts between Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, but said a phone conversation occurred on Dec. 28, one day before the sanctions were levied. Spicer said the men did not discuss sanctions. He did not specifically deny additional contacts the next day.

Its not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But the repeated contacts just as President Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trumps team discussed  or even helped shape  Russias response to the penalties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the U.S. for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynns contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to advance its promised, new closer relationship with Moscow. That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington have expressed outrage over intelligence officials assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the U.S. election to benefit Trump.

During a news conference Wednesday, Trump pointedly would not say whether he planned to repeal the sanctions ordered by Obama. He again highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader.

If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia, he said.

The sanctions singled out the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the U.S. said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The U.S. also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol. He accepted a call from Taiwans president, ignoring the long-standing One China policy that does not recognize the islands sovereignty. He also publicly urged the U.S. to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

Questions about Trumps friendly posture toward Russia have deepened since the election, as he has dismissed U.S. intelligence agencies assertions about Russias role in the hacking of Democratic groups. In briefing Trump on their findings, intelligence officials also presented the president-elect with unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him, according to a separate U.S. official.

Trump acknowledged for the first time this week that he accepts that Russia was behind the hacking. But he questioned whether officials were leaking information about their meetings with him.

Flynns own ties with Russia have worried some Republicans who are skeptical of the Kremlin. After leaving his position as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, Flynn made appearances on RT, a state-run Russian television network. In 2015, he was paid to attend an RT gala in Moscow, where he sat next to Putin.

Julie Pace is an Associated Press writer.
Its a heaping helping of news hot off the presses.

The Chronicles front page from Jan. 14, 1939, covers a number of major stories, including a confrontation between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini; the end of ferry commuting from the East Bay to San Francisco; and an Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary escape attempt.

In Europe, World War II was only months away, but the distinction between Axis and Allies wasnt yet clear.

(British) Prime Minster Chamberlains diplomatic draw with Premier Mussolini was thrust into the background momentarily today by reliable reports (that Hitler) advised Il Duce to avoid war during 1939 in seeking to achieve Italys natural aspirations for colonies, the story read.

Also in Europe, the Spanish Civil War was nearing its end, with the tide favoring the right-leaning Nationalists.

Insurgent headquarters late tonight announced the occupation of Valls, loyalist air base nine miles outside the loyalist seaport of Tarragona, which appeared to be virtually encircled by land after swift blows that crumbled the government front in Southern Catalonia, the story read.

Closer to home, what had once been a bustling ferry commute service was running its final routes.

With clamor loud and a foggy shroud, the last remains of ferry commuting were lowered into a watery grave yesterday morning, the story read. Obsequies were performed by the Alameda-Southern Pacific 7:30 Commuters Club, a fraternity of rear deckers that had been held together for 44 years without benefit of organization, officers, dues or by-laws.

Also amid the waters of the bay, a brazen Alcatraz escape inspired a classic Chronicle lead.

Five men attempted to escape from Alcatraz island yesterday, the story read. Only one succeeded. He was Arthur Doc Barker, notorious kidnapper. He left feet first.

Barker was mowed down by bullets of guards who detected the five attempting to steal to freedom in a dense fog. He died a few hours later in the prison hospital.

If that werent enough news, other front-page stories covered a Montana plane crash that killed four; the House of Representatives rebuke of a plan by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (then called F.R. in a headline before the D stuck); a San Francisco streetcar crash that killed three; and, with a headline fit for a late-night show, $250,000 in nickels stolen.

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 is a yearlong project 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)




The reported 22 percent average increase in its premiums last year was perhaps the sharpest dagger plunged into the Affordable Care Act. But a better measure that reflects what enrollees actually paid tells a very different story. Indeed, using that measure, it would seem that the California Affordable Care Act marketplace  known as Covered California  is a success that President-elect Donald Trump should look at closely to model.

Health insurance in the Affordable Care Act is sold in markets operated either at the state level, as in California, or through the federal exchange healthcare.gov. The basic idea is: Competition among insurers, driven by consumers shopping among plans, would lower price and improve value. The California exchange was set up to make plan comparison and shopping as easy as possible. All plans within a coverage tier have the same benefits and co-payments for each insurance product.

Shopping on the exchange is like shopping for most other things  the average purchase price depends on how many of each tier of policies are purchased, not the average of the prices asked.

Suppose we want to buy a car and there are only three types available: a $35,000 Toyota Prius, a $65,000 BMW, and a $90,000 Jaguar. The average offer price of these cars is $63,333, but suppose 60 percent of individuals purchase a Toyota Prius, 30 percent purchase a BMW, and 10 percent a Jaguar. Because of consumer shopping, the average purchase price of a car ends up being $49,500, or 22 percent below the average offer price.

Our new Health Affairs study shows that the Covered California insurance purchase price in 2016 was 15.2 percent less than the average offered price ($312 a month versus $368).

With subsidies based on income and age (89 percent of enrollees are subsidy eligible), the actual average premium paid by enrollees in California was only $156 a month.

Our study also found that a $100 annual increase in premiums (about $8 a month) would lead to a significant decrease in the probability a shopper would buy the plan. Not surprisingly, small changes in premium costs can lead to a great deal of switching. And we note: This is what is supposed to happen in a well-functioning market.

So what is the true story line with the Affordable Care Act exchanges and premium increases? The exchange in California was highly effective and had all the ingredients necessary for competition among insurers. Here, the markets worked just as intended.

True, switching plans may have caused problems for enrollees who also had to switch doctors and hospitals. However, these enrollees made this trade-off in exchange for lower premiums.

Consequently, the actual increase in insurance premiums paid in the state was about half. Premium costs offered rose 5.4 percent compared with 2.7 percent for premiums actually purchased. By this measure, the Affordable Care Act marketplace in California could be considered a huge success.

It is very likely that similar stories played out in other states across the country, but data is only publicly available in California. The Affordable Care Act isnt broken  at least in California.

The Affordable Care Acts potential successor is likely to do away with income-related insurance subsidies and taxes on high-income individuals and insurers. Without these subsidies, the cost of insurance for low-income individuals will be prohibitive and the rate of Americans without health insurance will balloon. Trump and his team certainly know this, as do the Democrats.

So what might the replacement look like?

From what we know so far, some of the likely components would include selling health insurance across state lines to encourage competition among insurers; giving flat tax credits, rather than giving tax credits based on income, for the purchase of insurance; and creating medical savings accounts to allow individuals to put tax-free income into an account that can be used to pay future health care expenses.

The simple truth is that health care is very expensive and the cost is likely to continue to increase. If access to health insurance that covers a basic benefit package of needed services is to be affordable for low- and middle-income families, then government subsidies will be required.

The only remaining question is who will pick up the bill and how. Truth be told, after shopping, we bought two Toyota Priuses.

Richard M. Scheffler is a professor of health economics and public policy at the School of Public Health and the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Daniel R. Arnold is a researcher at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters.
The accident took place at around 11:45 am today.

The impact of the accident was so high that the boy along with the bike tumbled several times.

The car involved in the accident belongs to Nirmal legislature and Minister of Housing, Law and Endowment A Indrakaran Reddy.

At the time of the accident, minister's driver Raju was alone in the car.

Police has registered a case and has arrested the driver while body of deceased boy has been sent for post-mortem.
Americans did not have to wait for the inauguration of their 45th president to fully grasp what they are losing with the departure of the 44th. President Obamas farewell address on Tuesday night highlighted far more than his considerable policy accomplishments. He once again demonstrated the depth and dignity that has remained resolute through his eight years in office, through the frustrations of partisan gridlock, the futility of entrenched bureaucracies and the horror of mass casualties from war, terrorism or gun madness.

He was grayer and wiser than the 2008 candidate whose campaign of hope and change carried the aura of endless possibility. Yet, still, his idealism was intact, his ability to inspire by appealing to the angels of our nature was threaded throughout the narrative. His were words to soothe the angst of a nation that had just endured one of the meanest and most dispiriting presidential campaigns in modern times.

That the Obama way was absent in the 2016 election does not mean that the example he set would not resonate in the quality and character of Americans called to public service long after he leaves office.

Let me tell you, this generation coming up  unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic  Ive seen you in every corner of the country, Obama said in his Chicago speech. You believe in a fair, and just, and inclusive America. You know that constant change has been Americas hallmark, that its not something to fear but something to embrace. You are willing to carry this hard work of democracy forward. Youll soon outnumber all of us, and I believe as a result the future is in good hands.

Even the harshest of Obamas policy critics must concede that he occupied the Oval Office with the level of uncommon grace and rectitude that Americans desire in a president. In modern times, second terms have too often been mired in drift, scandal or both. President Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace after Watergate, President Ronald Reagan was tainted by the Iran-Contra scandal, and Bill Clinton became the first president to be impeached since Andrew Johnson after the Civil War.

By contrast, Obamas tenure was free of significant scandal. He set a tone of seriousness and propriety that pervaded all levels of his administration. No one could accuse the Obama White House of a second-term malaise. If anything, the criticism about Obama is that he became too assertive, particularly in employing his executive authority to act on critical issues  such as immigration and climate change  where Congress refused to act.

Any analysis of the Obama presidency must begin with the context of the mess he inherited in January 2009. The United States was entangled in two foreign wars and its economy was hemorrhaging jobs and drenched in desperation just months after its pillar institutions and systems began to collapse.

As Obama noted in his farewell address, the underpinnings of the economy are much stronger today, even as the recovery has not been experienced evenly among the nations regions, business sectors and individual workers. Overall, the economy is growing. Wages, incomes, home values and retirement accounts are all rising again, the president said. Poverty is falling again. The wealthy are paying a fairer share of taxes even as the stock market shatters records. The unemployment rate is near a 10-year low. 

Some of Obamas economic policies are likely to come under assault in the days ahead, with Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of the House and Senate. One of the biggest targets of the new administration and its allies on Capitol Hill will be the Affordable Care Act, the expansion of government-subsidized health care signed by Obama in March 2010. Candidate Trump routinely derided it as a disaster, citing the huge jump in premium increases in certain states announced in 2016. Its not perfect, but it has extended coverage to 20 million Americans and  as Obama pointedly observed  health care costs are rising at the slowest rate in a half century.

Trump has assured Americans that he would maintain some of the most popular elements of the law: the guarantee of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and the ability of young adults to stay on their parents health plans until age 26. Those also happen to be two of the more expensive elements of the complex law GOP critics mocked as Obamacare, a term the president ultimately embraced for his signature domestic accomplishment. Also well received has been Obamacares ban on lifetime limits in health policies. The daunting challenge for Trump and the Republicans vowing to repeal and replace it will be how to knock out the subsidies, taxes and mandates they deplore without depriving modest-wage American workers of the long-sought health security they gained through the act.

Obamas adversaries will point to the fact that his health care overhaul passed without a single Republican vote as evidence of his hubris and aloofness. His admirers will mark it as a measure of his resolve and agility against partisan resistance. Historians will no doubt assess its resilience against the newly empowered Republican capital in their scorecards on the impact of the Obama presidency.

Similarly, on foreign policy, the chapters to be written will extend a reflection, for better or for worse, on President Obamas global actions. His daring 2011 decision to strike a Pakistan compound suspected of housing Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, offered a milepost of justice for a proud nation whose sense of post-Cold-War comfort had been shattered by terrorism. However, it did not end the threat of fanaticism, as seen by the attacks here, in Europe and elsewhere. The emergence of the Islamic State, especially in Syria and Iraq, remains an elusive and potentially lethal threat to the U.S. and its allies.

No assessment of the Obama presidency is complete without acknowledging his burden, and opportunity, as the first black president in a nation whose history is shaped by divisions over the human indignities of slavery, segregation and inequality. As a candidate and then as a president, Obama seized those teachable moments to help Americans respect their differences and embrace their commonality. His 2008 Philadelphia speech in the face of controversy over the inflammatory rhetoric of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright will go down as one of the most resonant in modern times in explaining the acceptance of love and conflict in faith and family. His 2012 comments about the senseless shooting of young Trayvon Martin (If I had a son, hed look like Trayvon) put the tragedy in perspective for all parents. Too many times, he had to eulogize people killed by gun violence, as in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. America looked to their president to find the right balance of rage and empathy at the fatal encounters between police officers and the communities they were sworn to serve and protect.

He never failed to deliver the pitch-perfect tone.

We disagreed with President Obama on multiple issues. One was his failure to establish the most transparent administration in history. His fell well short, with its record number of prosecutions against whistle-blowers and his stubborn refusals to grant reasonable access to his political fundraisers, including some in San Francisco. We had hoped he would find common ground with Republicans to take the difficult but essential steps to assure the solvency of Social Security and Medicare for future generations. We faulted him in our 2012 re-election endorsement for his inattention to climate change; in his second term, he became a global leader on the issue. His executive actions have helped put this nation on a course to seriously take on the challenge of our times, if only the new president and Republican Congress will not undo this covenant for future generations.

This was a presidency that made America proud. That it accomplished only a modest fraction of its aspirations is not a sign of failure, but a reflection of its audacious ambition and a measure of the power of the checks and balances in our system when an opposition party controls one, if not two, of the other branches of government.

The Obama presidency ends, as it began, endowed with idealism and enshrined with the certitude that public service is a noble calling. The United States of America needed this presidency: for calming an economy that was on the brink of abyss, for restraining the instinct that military force could bend the world toward our will and values, for bringing an aura of class and competency to the White House.

If only President Obama could bequeath these attributes to his successor, the future could be as productive as the past eight years.

possible items
Regarding Media laws ultimate test (John Diaz, Insight, Jan. 8): Journalists ought to be quite concerned about their freedoms and protections under the incoming Donald Trump administration. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump publicly mocked a disabled New York Times reporter and blacklisted the Washington Post, and his former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, shoved a reporter at a political rally.

Perhaps Trump, already known for his book The Art of the Deal, will publish his playbook to control the U.S. press called Winning Through Intimidation.

Carolyn Crawford, San Francisco

Connect the airports

Regarding the second BART tube: It would be a good idea if the eastern terminal was the Oakland airport. Having a quicker connection between the two airports and locations between could assist the airports for alternate landing during inclement weather or emergencies.

Nick Zachetti, San Francisco

Ousted artist irony

Regarding Revered in Berkeley, but still priced out (Jan. 7): Sam Whitings profile of acclaimed artist Mildred Howards housing difficulties parallels Trisha Thadanis Artists losing spaces in wake of Oakland fire (Jan. 7) front page coverage of the loss of artist spaces in the wake of the Ghost Ship tragedy.

The sad irony of Mildred Howard not being able to live and work in the city that proclaimed Mildred Howard Day is not lost on any artist. The ousting of artists from their spaces represent a cultural loss to our area in ways difficult to measure, having to do with creative expression, artistic freedom and artists contributions to help balance our commercial, materialistic and mass-produced culture.

Our country could support arts as part of the social service structure, as do other industrialized nations, where health care and education are provided for everyone. Good luck to Howard, and thank you for your vision in making wonderful art.

Lorraine Lerman, Berkeley

Putins violent history

Regarding U.S. must make peace with Russia (Letters, Jan. 8): The writer who suggested we should become friends with Russia is difficult to comprehend. How do you become friends with a country whose president, Vladimir Putin, has committed horrendous crimes of humanity not only in Russia, but Chechnya and Aleppo? In 1999, Putin is accused of setting off the orchestrating bombings of Russian apartment buildings to arouse terror where he consolidated power to then launch a horrific war of occupation in Chechnya.

Those who tried to investigate this incident have been killed. An investigation by the Dutch Safety Board found that the Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed was hit by a Russian-made Buk missile over eastern Ukraine killing 283 passengers, including 80 children and 15 crew members on board. Now we come to Syria, where Russian aircraft hit civilians with incendiary bombs and cluster munitions.

Thousands of people, including children, are still trapped in eastern Aleppo, and they felt the full brunt of the Russian-supported offensive, which knocked out a hospital. Russian bombs destroyed homes, bomb shelters while crippling, maiming and killing dozens, if not hundreds of civilians. How do you make friends with someone like that?

Geri Spieler, Palo Alto

On your own health care

The Republicans are having trouble with the replace part of their promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. One of their solutions, health savings accounts, is not insurance and benefits those who already have money to set aside for health insurance. If you have medical expenses that exceed your savings, youre on your own in the GOPs Darwinian world.

Bill Collins, Pacifica

The hypocritical GOP

The CIA and the FBI have concluded that President Vladimir Putin intervened in our presidential election. His motivation is no secret. The U.S. opposed his annexation of the Crimea, his attempt to seize eastern Ukraine by force and his armed intervention to save his ally, the mass murderer President Bashar Assad, in Syria. Power politics as usual. Whats unusual is Donald Trumps public plea to Putin to intervene in the election.

No presidential candidate in U.S. history has ever gone down this path. If a Republican had been president and had the same policy toward Russia as President Obamas, and had a Democrat candidate emulated Trump, the Republicans would be crying treason  with some justice. Their hypocrisy never fails to amaze me.

Richard Covert, San Francisco
Ro Khannas first week or so in Congress passed in a blur of activity. Since being sworn in Jan. 3, the Fremont attorney has hired staff, cast more than 30 votes, given his first speech on the House floor and attended a weekend retreat for new members at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.

But he still has had some moments to marvel at just how far he, the 40-year-old son of immigrants from India, has come.

It hit me most when I made that first House floor speech, Khanna said in a telephone interview. This is just an incredible honor and story. Im representing 700,000-plus people.

The third time was a charm for Khanna, who lost a long-shot primary challenge to San Mateo County Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos in 2004 and a 2014 race to fellow-Democrat Rep. Mike Honda of San Jose before defeating Honda, an eight-term congressman, in November.

But while a seat in Congress has long been Khannas dream, the reality has been something of a shock.

Even though you talk about issues and plans, theres nothing in a campaign that can prepare you for this, Khanna said.

The national visibility of any congressman  especially one from Silicon Valley in the deep-blue Bay Area  also was a surprise.

Earlier this week, for example, Khanna told political commentator Randy Shandobil on the This Golden State podcast that he would be willing to go to jail to oppose any effort by incoming President Donald Trump to take away the rights of immigrant families.

The comments quickly went viral, where they were featured on conservative blogs and websites. The right-wing Breitbart News website, whose former boss, Stephen Bannon, is now one of Trumps top aides, picked up the story, and readers there quickly called for the Philadelphia-born Khanna to be deported.

Everyone picked up on that one remark, said Khanna, whose grandfather spent four years in jail as a supporter of Mohandas Gandhis battle for Indian independence from Britain in the 1940s. But the point was that Ill be there if there is a conflict (with Trump), and it wont just be me but a lot of us in the California delegation.

The reality, though, is that Khanna is a freshman Democrat at a time when Republicans in Washington hold all the political clout. All congressional Democrats, not just Khanna, are searching desperately for a way to make their voices heard.

We have to talk to public opinion because we dont have the votes, Khanna said. We have to show people that the (Republican) measures are extreme and then go directly to the American people and say, This isnt going to help.

An example of whats possible, he said, came this month when GOP leaders quickly backed away from a plan to gut a House ethics watchdog after loud complaints from Democrats in Congress.

A hundred Democrats jumping on the issue made a difference, Khanna said.

While Khanna will be a member of the House Armed Services Committee, hes hoping a second, as-yet-unknown, committee assignment will give him a chance to deal with jobs and economic policy.

Maybe science and technology or education and the workforce, mused Khanna, who has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Chicago. The need for national economic change is what I ran on, and thats been my passion.

While he describes himself as a team player and someone willing to do the blocking and the tackling needed by the Democratic leadership, Khanna doesnt plan to be an echo chamber for his party.

Zach Gibson/Associated Press

His first speech in the House, for example, called for taking on powerful political action committees and lobbyists, which are important sources of campaign cash for Democrats as well as Republicans.

Khanna, who is a newly minted member of the House Progressive Caucus, also suggested instituting a 12-year term limit for members of Congress, calling the changes necessary steps to restore our democracy.

Term limits have helped make Californias Legislature one of the most diverse and most progressive in the country, he said, and could give that same boost to Congress.

Thats likely to be a hard sell to veteran Democratic politicians like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who has been in Congress for 30 years, or his South Bay mentors, Rep. Anna Eshoo (24 years) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (22 years).

Khannas no stranger to Washington, D.C., where from 2009 to 2011 he served as a deputy assistant secretary of commerce in the Obama administration, specializing in clean technology and international trade.

Of 25 new Democratic representatives, Khanna is one of eight who has never served in elective office. His time in the Commerce Department, however, will make a difference, he said.

I did a lot of committee work with the administration ... and spent time in Commerce seeing the budget process work, Khanna said.

Not all of what Khanna has to do involves politics.

High on Khannas to-do list, for example, is getting out of the extended-stay hotel where he and Ritu, his wife of less than 18 months, have been encamped during his frantic first days in office.

We just bought a condo in Fremont, and were looking for a place in Washington, he said. My wife went to Georgetown as an undergraduate, so well start there.

Given the overwhelming Democratic tilt of the South Bays 17th Congressional District  and notwithstanding his call for term limits  Khanna could be calling Washington his home away from home for many years.

I like the city, Khanna said. But unlike Fremont, you dont get great Indian food within a mile of your door.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
The shantytown in the middle of Harvard Square was beginning to attract attention.

Not just from the students and professors who had to walk by the structures every day, but from homeless people who lived nearby. Before long, several had moved into the shanties, where Eric Weaver and nearly 200 of his fellow students slept in spring 1986 to protest the Ivy League universitys business in South Africa, where black citizens were relegated to shantytowns and slums.

Weaver, at the time, was a long-haired activist who played guitar in a band called the Stickmen and studied liberation theology. He was never going to be the man, could never have imagined himself as an executive, a businessman, someone working in finance.

But here he is.

Weaver, now 52, is the founder and chief executive of a nonprofit microlender called the Opportunity Fund. He doesnt quite see it as a contradiction.

Hes still not the man, he said recently. Or if he is, he added, hes more of a do-gooder man.

Its all about being intentional, being intentional with the work that you do and the people you seek out, said Weaver, a nominee for the 2017 Visionary of the Year award sponsored by The Chronicle and the School of Economics and Business Administration at St. Marys College. I own my own privilege and try to help people who have a different experience.

Weaver, who came to the Bay Area from the East Coast as a graduate student, said he has had a unique understanding of his own privileges and the power of wealth since he was young. His father was a radically progressive economics professor who instilled in his children a sense of justice.

As an adult, Weaver said, he has dedicated his life to using those privileges to aid others, combat financial discrimination and enable low-income people to start their own businesses.

Peter DaSilva

He founded the Opportunity Fund 24 years ago in San Jose as a for-profit venture spearheaded by banks. Back then, it was a one-man operation. Back then, it was just him.

I never would have thought wed get this big, he said in a recent interview.

He still remembers his first loan: an aquarium store in San Jose started by two brothers who needed $17,000 to get off the ground. They put up their fish as collateral. More than 20 years later, Weaver said, theyre still in business.

In the early days, the Opportunity Fund averaged about 10 loans a year.

One time, Weaver said, he got called to a home in East Palo Alto where a woman wanted to borrow $500 so she could grow her business of making party favors for quinceaneras, a coming-of-age celebration for 15-year-old Latina girls.

We didnt even write loans that small, but we made it work, Weaver said. Fifteen years later, we got a call from a friend of hers. Shes running a very successful flower shop in Menlo Park. And she still talks about that $500 loan, about how she was a recent immigrant and someone took a chance on her.

Today, the Opportunity Fund lends to about 2,000 small business owners annually.

It receives funding from big foundations, banks, donors and government grants. But since becoming a nonprofit, Weaver joked, the organization has also become highly profitable. It uses the money it makes to expand its lending activities.

Since its founding, the firm has provided financial assistance to more than 12,000 people and loaned more than $60 million. It has grown to have offices in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles and is one of the largest microlending organizations in the country. This year, the firm will open field offices in three new cities: Fresno, Sacramento and San Diego.

Because the organization is a nonprofit, its goal isnt to make a return on its investment but, rather, provide funds and opportunity to those who may otherwise be unable to start their own business due to socioeconomic barriers.

The Opportunity Fund deals in microloans, meaning less than $250,000. Quinceaneras aside, the minimum amount the firm will write a loan for is $2,600. Most of the loans the firm writes are for less than $20,000.

For Weavers clients, these small-dollar loans can be hard to get.

Most come from families that cant afford to help them out. Many are starting a business for the first time. Some are immigrants. Some dont speak English. About 90 percent of the funds clients are racial and ethnic minorities and about a third are women. Most  nearly two-thirds  are low-income.

Poor people are often perceived as being a riskier investment than wealthier people, Weaver said. Rightly or wrongly, thats the perception. Even though low-income people are every bit as honest about paying off their debts.

The organization doesnt track how many of its business owners are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender because federal regulations dont require those statistics in their annual reports and it hasnt separately asked them to disclose that information, though Weaver believes his firm serves an outsize number of LGBT-run businesses.

A federal survey from 2015, the most recent available, found that most Americans had few assets and little savings that could be used in the event of an emergency.

Nearly a quarter of black households reported they would have $5 in assets and savings to put toward an emergency should one arise, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts survey.

When lending to small-business owners, this kind of disparity comes into sharp focus, Weaver said.

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.

When we started, we realized our clients had very few alternatives when looking for money, he said. They could maybe get a subprime credit card or leverage an auto loan if their car was paid off, or they could go to a loan shark. They had few options and the ones they did have were all bad. Thats where we came in.

Koji Kanematsu was able to open his own restaurant in 2012 thanks to an $8,000 loan he got from the Opportunity Fund.

A recent Japanese immigrant, Kanematsu had little credit history and few assets. He ran a food cart selling traditional seaweed-wrapped rice balls known as onigiri.

At a recent meeting at his Kearny Street restaurant, Onigilly, Weaver looked on as Kanematsu explained his dreams of turning his Onigilly company into a franchise  like Subway, he said, but with rice balls instead of sandwiches.

Weaver beamed.

Already, Kanematsu has opened four stores in San Francisco.

Quickly, I learned that if you have a dream but no credit, your dream is nothing, Kanematsu said. It was so challenging to start, but once I found the Opportunity Fund it got a lot easier.

Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae

Visionary of the Year award

This is one of six profiles of nominees for The Chronicles third annual Visionary of the Year award, which is presented in collaboration with St. Marys Colleges School of Economics and Business Administration and City National Bank. The honor salutes leaders who strive to make the world a better place and drive social and economic change by employing new, innovative business models and practices. The six finalists were nominated by a distinguished committee that included Chase Adam, co-founder of the nonprofit Watsi and winner of the 2016 award; Greg Becker, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Bank; Emmett Carson, founding CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Ron Conway, angel investor and philanthropist; Zhan Li, dean of the School of Economics and Business Administration at St. Mary's College; Libby Schaaf, mayor of Oakland; Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker; and Michael Walker, executive vice president and regional executive of City National Bank.

Chronicle Publisher Jeff Johnson, Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and Editorial Page Editor John Diaz will select the winner, which will be announced during a March 30 event.

To read more: www.sfchronicle.com/visionsf
Bay Area events tied to Trump inauguration

Sunday

Affordable Care Act rally: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, will lead a rally aimed at raising support to preserve the Affordable Care Act, which congressional Republicans are moving to repeal. It will be held at 1 p.m. on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.

Wednesday

Standing Together: Volunteers and elected officials have organized a fundraiser for progressive organizations, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Devils Canyon Brewery, 935 Washington St. in San Carlos.

Thursday

The Ghostlight Project: More than 100 theatrical organizations are holding actions in front of theaters and art spaces nationwide to protect the values of inclusion, participation and compassion. In San Francisco, a ceremonial illumination of electric candles and mobile phones and a short program with speakers will be held at 5:30 p.m. outside the Geary Theater at 415 Geary St.

The 48-Hills Pre-Trumpocalypse Happy Hour: A fundraiser for alternative media will be held at the Stud Bar, 399 Ninth St. in San Francisco, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Love Trumps Hate: The Throwback Party for America: A ticketed dance party at the Rickshaw Stop at 155 Fell St. in San Francisco. All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, La Raza Centro Legal and Earthjustice. The event is from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Friday

Bay Area Resist Trump: A rally and march in San Francisco will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. protesting Trumps policies on health care, public education, civil liberties and environmental protection. Protesters will meet at Justin Herman Plaza and march to Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and other corporate offices. A rally will be held at noon outside the former Bank of America building at 555 California St., which is partly owned by Trump. An evening march is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza.

Bridge Together Golden Gate: Participants will form a human chain across the Golden Gate Bridge in a peaceful demonstration and performance art piece, beginning at 10 a.m.

Inauguration Day sidewalk protests: A sidewalk protest will be held along El Camino Real in all Peninsula and South Bay cities. The protest is from noon to 1 p.m.

San Francisco Protest Against Trump on Inauguration Day: Protesters will gather from 5 to 7 p.m. at U.N. Plaza in San Francisco.

The Sonoma County Inaugural Ball: A ticketed dinner and dance in celebration of Trumps inauguration begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Flamingo Conference Center, 2777 Fourth St. in Santa Rosa.

The Blue Ball: A fundraiser for reproductive rights, environmental protection, racial justice, and immigrant and LGBTQ rights will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. at Home on Treasure Island, an event space, at Avenue D and 12th Street on Treasure Island.

Saturday

Resist Trump  #OccupyInauguration: Advertised as a family-friendly event to protest Trumps inauguration. Noon to 3 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th Street and Broadway in Oakland.

Womens March Bay Area: As part of the national Womens March movement, events will be held in several Bay Area cities. In San Francisco, a 3 p.m. rally at Civic Center Plaza will be followed by a march at 5 p.m. to Justin Herman Plaza. A march in Oakland begins at 10 a.m. in Madison Park at Eighth and Jackson streets and will end at Frank Ogawa Plaza on 14th Street and Broadway. In San Jose, a march will begin at 10 a.m. at City Hall at 200 E. Santa Clara St. and end at Plaza de Cesar Chavez at 1 Paseo De San Antonio. In Walnut Creek, marchers will gather at 10:30 a.m. at Civic Park at 1375 Civic Drive and walk to the Walnut Creek BART Station. In Napa, marchers will gather at 10 a.m. at the Oxbow Public Market parking lot on First Street and walk to Veterans Memorial Park at Third and Main streets.

Sonoma County Stands Together for Women: Advertised as a sister event to the Womens March. Rally begins at noon at Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave.

 Sarah Ravani
A raucous protest at UC Davis Friday evening led to the cancellation of a talk by Milo Yiannopoulos, a Breitbart News senior editor and self-styled provocateur.

The planned appearance was scuttled as protestors and ticket holders faced off outside the lecture hall where Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak. The event had been organized by the Davis College Republicans and was part of what he calls The Dangerous Faggot Tour.

It has been canceled by the event organizers, said Andy Fell, a university spokesman. A large crowd of protesters was attempting to block access to the event ... UC Davis officers recommended to the organizers that it wasnt possible to continue securely.

Yiannopoulos is also scheduled to speak on Feb. 1 at UC Berkeley. He was invited by the Berkeley College Republicans.

The disruption in Davis is not likely to affect the Berkeley event, said Republicans club president Jose Martin Diaz. Nor will the fact that UC Berkeley officials want the club to pay a $6,372 security fee, an amount that the club calls excessive.

We expect to go forward with the event, and we expect it to happen, Diaz said Friday evening. The obstacle were grappling with is the security fee ... its an insane amount of money.

Yiannopoulos has sparked protests at a number of college campuses, and boasted to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune after one episode that All of the very worst people in the world get triggered by the mere mention of my name.

The morning of the now-canceled UC Davis event, an editorial in the California Aggie student newspaper declared Make no mistake: Yiannopoulos is a hateful spectacle, not a conservative political theorist ... we support any members of the community who decide to exercise their freedom of assembly and peacefully protest the event.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

SACRAMENTO  City College of San Francisco will stay in business and its five-year fight to remain accredited is over, college officials learned Friday.

The private commission that threatened to revoke the schools accreditation  stunning the college by declaring it so poorly run that it should be shut down  delighted administrators Friday with news that it had voted to extend the schools all-important seal of approval for a full term of seven years.

I feel great. City Colleges accreditation nightmare is over, said Rafael Mandelman, president of the colleges Board of Trustees.

City College Chancellor Susan Lamb announced the commissions decision to students and employees in a triumphant email that capped an exhausting, years-long period of nail-biting in which the threat of closure cost the public millions of dollars in legal fees and state subsidies, led the city into court to defend its namesake college, and sent hundreds of faculty members and students to demonstrate in defense of their beloved school.

This confirmation is a major accomplishment. It is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire City College community who came together to meet  and even exceed  the standards of our accreditors. Congratulations! Lamb wrote.

Bouchra Simmons, the student member of the colleges Board of Trustees, said: I am beyond excited, happy, and relieved that City College is going to stay open. City College is here to serve everyone that needs it. Its a school of possibilities in life.

California Community College Chancellor Eloy Oakley called the announcement a new beginning for City College of San Francisco and its students, and said the college has been strengthened by years of institutional improvement.

The 19 members of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges made the decision behind closed doors during their semiannual, three-day meeting at a capital hotel this week, as they also considered accreditation questions for 33 other colleges from the region it covers: California, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.

Mandelman said he was highly encouraged about City Colleges prospects after he and Lamb made their case to the commission on Thursday afternoon.

Relying on an extensive self-evaluation report, Lamb and Mandelman hoped to show that City College has satisfied all 14 accrediting standards and numerous substandards in full  concerning fiscal management, campus decision-making, technology, library services and more. Failure would mean the commission could revoke the schools accreditation and prohibit any appeal.

In 2012, City College  considered one of the largest colleges in the country with a reported 90,000 students  received the most severe sanction, show cause, requiring it to show why it should remain accredited and not be shut down. Only one California community college has had its accreditation revoked: Compton College, near Los Angeles, which closed in 2005.

Over the years, the commission had argued that City Colleges governance and fiscal management problems were so severe that it had no choice but to vote to revoke accreditation. Financial planning was in disarray and officials were unable to make accurate financial projections, independent audits found. Nor could the college reconcile its revenue and spending with the number of students enrolled and their academic needs, among other problems.

But the promised revocation of the colleges accreditation was repeatedly held at bay. A legal challenge from San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera bought the school more time in 2014. Then, a 2015 deal with the college gave it two more years  until now  to fully comply with all accrediting standards.

On Thursday, college officials persuaded the commission that City College is now able to accurately forecast and monitor its budgets, a basic yet critical task for running a college.

Today, their report promises, City College annually updates its multi-year financial projections as required, has rebuilt its financial reserves and has placed a high priority on funding long-term obligations like retiree health costs.

The famously secretive and by-the-books commission had indicated through a spokeswoman earlier this week that it would sit on its verdict for up to 30 days and disclose it only when it announced accrediting decisions for the other 33 schools. But the fact that it revealed the news right away indicates that the once hard-nosed commission also has been transformed by its battle with City College.

State college officials initially supported the commissions crackdown on City College. But as the commission revealed that its intention was less about helping the college improve and more about shutting it down, state officials began to share the alarm shown all along by college faculty. Soon the commission was the subject of two lawsuits, a state audit and a reprimand from the U.S. Department of Education, which oversees it.

Today, only five of the original 19 commissioners who sought to revoke the colleges accreditation remain on the panel. Also gone is the influential president of the agency, Barbara Beno, who strongly supported revoking the schools accreditation. She was placed on administrative leave in December for undisclosed reasons.

Faculty, who for five years battled Beno and the commission in court and on the streets, are ecstatic at the news.

All of us at the college are so excited and relieved that the accreditation crisis is over, said Tim Killikelly, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121, which represents faculty.

In a reference to the enrollment decline of nearly 30,000 full- and part-time students since the crisis began  a crisis in itself that is costing the college millions of dollars in state funding  Killikelly said: Sign up and take a class!

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov

More online

Go to http://www.sfchronicle.com/ccsf/ for full coverage
Webb Johnson of Fairfield returned a San Francisco library book Friday, 100 years late. There was no fine.

Whew, Johnson said.

The book, a collection of short stories published in 1909, had been checked out by his great-grandmother Phoebe Webb in 1917 from the old Fillmore branch which, like his great-grandmother, is no longer around.

Head City Librarian Luis Herrera welcomed the book back and said the library was very glad to get it, finally. At the 2017 rate of 10 cents a day, the overdue fine would have come to $3,650. Fortunately for Johnson, fines on overdue books are now capped at $5. And under the librarys current amnesty program for overdue books, theres no fine at all.

The amnesty program has gotten 2,000 overdue books back onto library shelves since it began Jan. 3. About 1,400 delinquent borrowers have had their library privileges restored. An additional 54,000 patrons with accumulated fines of $10 or more are still walking around with suspended library cards. Under the amnesty program, they have until Feb. 14 to turn in their books with no penalty.

Amnesty programs  which San Francisco also offered in 2009, 2004 and 1998  are somewhat controversial in the generally noncontroversial world of libraries. Some say that when libraries are known to forgive and forget every few years, it offers little incentive to return overdue books at other times. But Herrera said it was all about getting books back in the library where they belong, not about collecting a dime or two or 36,500.

Johnson said a check of family history showed that his great-grandma had died one week before the book was due. The timing suggests that Webb may have had more pressing business to attend to at the time than returning the book, he said.

The amnesty came in handy because Johnson said he had discovered the overdue book in 1996 and had hung onto it ever since. That means Forty Minutes Late has been unintentionally late for 79 years and deliberately late for 21 years.

We figured it was ours now, Johnson said. Im guilty. I know it. Guilty, guilty, guilty.

The book is by F. Hopkinson Smith, an author, artist and engineer who designed the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The first story in Smiths collection is about a cranky man who nearly misses a speaking engagement because of a late train. The author, in the story, suggests there are worst sins than being late, such as being cranky  a notion that Johnson says he fully endorses.

Conscience, along with the amnesty program, persuaded him to bring the book back. Another reason he brought it back is his cousin Judy Wells wanted to check it out.

She showed up at the Park Branch Library on Page Street on Friday along with Johnson. After Johnson handed the overdue book back to the library, Wells stepped up to the circulation desk and applied for a library card. She figured she could go right home with Forty Minutes Late again, for three weeks or 100 years, whichever comes first.

But Herrera, perhaps reluctant to entrust the volume to the extended Webb-Wells-Johnson family for another century, said Forty Minutes Late would be temporarily unavailable until it could be properly re-cataloged and evaluated by library historians.

I can wait, Wells said.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
University of Southern California mechanical engineering junior Stephanie Balais developed a passion for aerospace after joining the universitys AeroDesign team and helping to construct an airplane fuselage hours before transporting the plane to a competition in Kansas.

As internships beckoned, she applied to many top defense and aerospace firms. But Microsoft Corp. snagged her first. This summer, Balais, 20, will spend 13 weeks in Redmond, Wash., working in the tech giants manufacturing and supply chain department.

Silicon Valley and other tech centers have always been popular landing places for young engineers, with their lure of cutting-edge technology and top-notch pay. But aerospace companies are facing an even stiffer challenge as Web and computer companies, and other sectors like the auto industry, move into areas like drones and autonomous systems.

Aerospace employers are realizing they have to dig deeper to capture top tech talent.

They are starting to reach out earlier to potential employees  as early as elementary school or even prekindergarten  to get them interested in science and math. And theyre recognizing the challenge they have in building awareness with people from a generation that never had a real space race, but grew up with Google, Snapchat and Apple as part of their daily lives.

This is something thats very critical to our member companies, said Dan Stohr, spokesman for the Aerospace Industries Association trade group. Theyre putting serious money into this, to the tune of millions of dollars a year.

Lockheed Martin Corp. has started a program called Generation Beyond to encourage middle school students to study deep space exploration. It includes a class curriculum, a Mars weather app and a traveling school bus modified so that children riding it can see the Martian landscape through the windows.

One of the things weve been seeing is that this generation of students doesnt necessarily know (about) Lockheed Martin, as their parents did, said Steve Hatch, the companys director for central talent acquisition, of current college students.

In early 2015, Northrop Grumman Corp. opened an innovation center called NG Next in Redondo Beach (Los Angeles County), where it is doubling down on basic research to find solutions to problems that may be years in the future. The organization takes a more aggressive approach to experimentation, which can be attractive to potential employees looking for a creative work environment.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 26,000 aerospace engineers were employed as of May 2015 in product and parts manufacturing, a category that covers about 70 percent of the aerospace and defense industry. Joining them were about 5,900 electrical engineers, about 14,000 mechanical engineers and 12,000 developers of systems software.

In computer and electronic product manufacturing, there were about 5,700 aerospace engineers, 30,300 electrical engineers, 18,400 mechanical engineers and 48,600 software developers of systems software.

Defense firms have long maintained a presence on college campuses, whether at career fairs, sponsoring student engineering competitions, serving on advisory boards or providing scholarships.

Students encounter Google and Amazon frequently on the Web, said Jayathi Murthy, dean of UCLAs Engineering School. So in order for (defense companies) to be heard above that, they really need to engage with us on campus, and they do.

A meeting with a Northrop Grumman executive during a USC recruiting event piqued Justin Jamesons interest in working at the company. It ended up being the only place he applied to after graduating from USC in 2009. Jameson, 29, has now worked at Northrop Grumman for more than seven years.

I looked at a lot of the big consulting companies as well, but at Northrop Grumman, they offered me the chance to come in and work on real problems, he said. At a consulting company, I would be solving someone elses problems.

That aspect attracted Addison Salzman, 21, who will graduate from USC in May with a degree in aerospace engineering. Salzman, who is interested in higher-level aircraft design, has already landed a full-time job at Boeing Co. and will start in July.

One of the big reasons that I chose it is because they have their hands in not just defense, but they have a very large commercial airplanes business, he said. It gives me a cool opportunity to explore the different applications of aerospace technologies.

Timothy John, an aerospace engineering student at UCLA, has been interested in space exploration since elementary school and has sent out a number of job applications to defense companies.

John, 25, said hes looking for longevity and growth in potential employers, but also hopes to work on an airplane or spacecraft.

Im pretty indiscriminate, he said. Any projects that include planes, like anything with a jet turbine, like a F-16 or F-22 or stealth bombers. Or even missiles.

Though Northrop Grummans NG Next was not established specifically for recruiting, it has become a useful tool in hiring, Hernandez said. New employees can be part of an environment of rapid development and experimentation not generally associated with large defense contractors.

For us to achieve the great things that we need to achieve to solve the nations toughest problems, we have to push hard, Hernandez said.

The organizations four main components  basic research, applied technology, advanced design and rapid prototyping  employ about 800 full- or part-time people, though faculty from research universities can also collaborate with NG Next scientists.

The organization was also designed to have a larger tolerance for risk than what might be assumed for a big government contractor.

We want to move fast and hard, cautiously and consciously, but its OK if we fail every now and then, Hernandez said, voicing a credo that aerospace engineers say held for the space program long before it became popular in Silicon Valley. If we dont, were probably not pushing hard enough.

Samantha Masunaga is a Los Angeles Times writer.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Saddled with $40,000 in college loans, Catherine Berendsohn, 29, struggled to get a Web design business off the ground after graduating from Florida State University in 2010. Berendsohn, an artist-entrepreneur, wanted to rent a storefront and start a roving studio in Monterey. Her student loans, however, prevented her from getting the money she needed.

As she tried to expand her business, Berendsohn was denied a personal credit card. Her college loan payment was $400 a month at the time. She took on a website project and began to accept other clients in Carmel Valley Village. But then she lost a commission for a mural project. Unable to continue to pay her monthly expenses, she shut down her business after three months and moved home to Miami.

Because of the corrosive impact of student debt on startups, Millennials seem to be the new lost generation of entrepreneurs.

Although it is difficult to pin down a direct relationship between college loans and entrepreneurial activity, the weight of student debt appears to be deterring some would-be business owners.

Arnobio Morelix, a senior research analyst with the Kaufmann Foundation, co-wrote a study with E.J. Reedy that found that the rise in student debt has coincided with a decline in startups.

The study found that fewer young people were becoming entrepreneurs. The share of new entrepreneurs in the 20- to 34-year-old age group fell to 25 percent in 2014, from nearly 35 percent in 1996.

Total student loans rose from around $510 billion in 2007 to more than $1.3 trillion today.

Despite a recent increase, overall startup activity for adults under 35 years of age has been on the decline since 1996, Morelix found.

Young adults, who used to be the largest age group involved in new companies in 1996, Morelix and Reedy wrote, are now among the smallest demographic group.

Many young entrepreneurs are unlikely to go to venture capital firms or business incubators, preferring to finance their companies with their own money or funds from friends and family members. But being in debt with student loans makes self-financing that much tougher.

Even graduates who have begun promising startups have found that securing financing when carrying student loans was brutally difficult.

Austin Dean, 28, of Grand Rapids, Mich., started his first business repairing computers in 2007 while he was a student at Grand Valley State. He later had to shut down after having cash-flow problems.

A second business, started in 2012 while he was pursuing an MBA, focused on corporate event hosting. But his $40,000 college loan debt for his undergraduate degree forced him to make some sacrifices, including eating cheap meals.

Every month the question was, Do I have enough to make my student loan payment? Dean said. The debt is always there, drowning you. Could I have turned around the first business or grown the second business? Personal debt always comes first.

The event business was later bought out by a partner. Now he is on his third company, called Collective Metrics, which aggregates and measures the effectiveness of community projects.

If I didnt have student loan payments, I would absolutely put that cash into my business, Dean said. My student loan payments are $550 a month. Right now, we operate on a bare-bones model, just enough to get by and keep things running. The $24,500 balance remaining on his loan will take him another four years to pay off, he says.

The issue may begin long before would-be entrepreneurs are even thinking about life after college. Many are in high school when they start to borrow and are not aware of how student debt might affect their finances later.

More than half of students did not bother to calculate their postgraduate loan repayments, according to a report by the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center at George Washington University, using data from the Finra Investor Education Foundations 2015 National Financial Capability Study.

According to a new study by NerdWallet, a San Francisco financial tool website, nearly half of undergraduate students say that they could have borrowed less and still have afforded their educations.

On average, they said they borrowed $11,597 more than they needed for undergraduate study, the report said.

Still, there are options for budding entrepreneurs facing credit challenges. Crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and GoFundMe dont ask for credit reports. Nor is there much, if any, paperwork. Sometimes, simple business concepts can attract thousands of dollars, although getting a lot more than that requires a strong promotional campaign that gets a lot of attention.

Angel investors can be found through city-based business incubators or sites like Funded.

Its possible, too, to consolidate student loans and make lower payments. The government has nine repayment options. For example, a borrower whose income drops postgraduation  or is too low to make payments  may qualify for an income-based repayment program. This option, however, has given rise to a questionable industry in which firms claim to offer loan forgiveness or consolidation for a fee. Experts note that changes to college-loan repayment plans are free and have to be processed through the government.

Nonprofit advocacy group Student Debt Crisis also has resources on how to track and repay loans and get answers to questions about repayment options.

Fred Amrein, a financial planner in Wynnewood, Pa., who specializes in college financing, advises his clients to examine the federal repayment programs before considering defaulting on loans, which may damage the borrowers ability to obtain low-cost credit in the future. Many startup founders pay themselves little or no salary in the beginning, and can qualify for federal income-driven repayment programs.

Amrein cautioned that such borrowers still have to pay the balance and interest on the loans may still accrue, depending upon the federal loan type. Yet theres no reason to default on federal loans.

Entrepreneurs who took out private college loans also have some refinancing options through online services such as SoFi and Credible.

Berendsohn, who says shes in default on her loans now, wants to continue her education while pursuing her entrepreneurial aspirations. She said that she would like to earn a masters or doctorate degree.

Her new company  CEBerendsohn Arts  specializes in website creation, photography and mural services as well as the creation of creative product lines.

For now, Berendsohn has to move ahead without much financing. Right now, my business is a small online and word-of-mouth business, she said.

John F. Wasik is a New York Times writer.
To combat the menace of thieves pocketing books at the New Delhi World Book Fair, Penguin Publishers have installed electronic chips on their books.

By Chayyanika Nigam: "I don't know how this book came in my bag." This is the most common excuse by 'educated' book thieves who were nabbed red-handed with stolen Penguin books at the New Delhi World Book Fair

Penguin Publishers have come up with electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology and installed a soft chip on each of its 55,000 books for sale at the book fair. Shockingly, till Friday, these chips helped nab around 40 book thieves.

advertisement

Nearly 800 publishers from across the country and abroad have been participating In the nine-day literary extravaganza. Thousands of books are stolen from the world book fair every year

A senior Penguin official told Mail Today, "Last year, as many as 5,000 books were stolen from the fair. In a bid to curb thefts, we came up with EAS technology that cost us around `5-10 lakh. After installing the soft tags in each book and the scanning machine at the exit gate, we managed to nab around 40 thieves"

Alkesh Biswal, senior manager, export sales, said most thieves are well-educated and the selection of books were also very much in vogue. "Not only this, but they chose the books after spending more than half an hour," he said.

Another official added that among the book thieves, there were ladies, senior citizen and youngsters. Sharing the incidents, Biswal said they caught a young boy whose bag was full of books including five from Penguin. When asked to produce the bill, he failed to show them.

Similarly, a man was caught with Penguin books - mostly graphic novels. When his bag was searched, around 6-7 mobile phones were found. It was later learnt that he had stolen the phones from the fair itself. There are around 55,000 books worth Rs 1.65 crore on sale at the Penguin outlet. The usual footfall at the fair on a daily basis is around 10-14 lakh.

Penguin, however, prefers to avoid police action against the thieves and instead settle the matter among themselves.

Also read: 44th New Delhi World Book Fair to focus on women writing

--- ENDS ---
WASHINGTON  A next step for smartwatches and fitness trackers? Wearable gadgets gave a Stanford University professor an early warning that he was getting sick before he ever felt any symptoms of Lyme disease.

Geneticist Michael Snyder never had Lymes characteristic bulls-eye rash. But a smartwatch and other sensors charted changes in Snyders heart rate and oxygen levels during a family vacation. Eventually a fever struck that led to his diagnosis.

Say wearables, and step-counting fitness trackers spring to mind. Its not clear if they really make a difference in users health. Now Snyders team at Stanford is starting to find out, tracking the everyday lives of several dozen volunteers wearing devices that monitor more than mere activity.

He envisions one day having wearables that act as a sort of check engine light indicating its time to see the doctor.

One way to look at this is, these are the equivalent of oral thermometers, but youre measuring yourself all the time, said Snyder, senior author of a report on the project released Thursday.

Among the earliest hints: Changes in peoples day-to-day physiology may flag when certain ailments are brewing, from colds to Lyme to Type 2 diabetes, researchers reported in the journal PLOS Biology.

Interest in wearable sensors is growing along with efforts to personalize medicine, as scientists learn how to tailor treatments and preventive care to peoples genes, environment and lifestyle. The sensors are expected to be a part of the National Institutes of Healths huge precision medicine study, planned to begin this year.

But a first step is learning whats normal for different people under different conditions.

The Stanford team is collecting reams of data  as many as 250,000 daily measurements  from volunteers who wear up to eight activity monitors or other sensors of varying sizes that measure heart rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature, sleep, calories expended, exercise and even exposure to radiation. Thats paired with occasional laboratory tests to measure blood chemistry and some genetic information.

An initial finding: Blood oxygen levels decrease with rising altitudes during plane flights, in turn triggering fatigue. But toward the end of long flights, oxygen begins rising again, possibly as bodies adapt, the researchers reported.

It was that phenomenon that alerted Snyder, the longest-tested participant, that something wasnt quite right on one of his frequent long flights.

Landing in Norway for a family vacation, Snyder noticed his oxygen levels didnt return to normal as they always had. Plus his heart rate was much higher than normal, which sometimes signals infection.

Sure enough, soon a low-grade fever left him dragging. He feared Lyme because two weeks before going abroad, Snyder had helped his brother build a fence in a tick-infested rural area in Massachusetts. He persuaded a Norwegian doctor to prescribe the appropriate antibiotic, and post-vacation testing back home confirmed the diagnosis.

Also during the studys first two years, Snyder and several other volunteers had minor cold-like illnesses that began with higher-than-normal readings for heart rate and skin temperature  and correlated with blood tests showing inflammation was on the rise before any sniffling.

In addition, the Stanford team detected variations in heart rate patterns that could tell the difference between study participants with whats called insulin resistance  a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes  and healthy people.

No, dont try to self-diagnose with your fitness tracker any time soon. The findings in Thursdays report are intriguing but the study is highly experimental, cautioned UCSF medical technology specialist Dr. Atul Butte, who wasnt involved with the research.

This kind of approach is going to help science more than the general public until theres better data about whats normal or not, Butte said. Remember, the baseline is always in motion. Were always getting older. Were always exposed to things. Just because theres a deviation doesnt mean its abnormal.

Lauran Neergaard is an Associated Press writer.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 San Francisco Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 San Francisco Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





The San Francisco Police Department is asking the publics help in identifying the man suspected of attacking a man with a machete the night of Jan. 6 at the Civic Center Bart/Muni station with photos gathered from video surveillance at the station at the time of the attack.

The suspect is accused of attacking a 29-year-old man at 8:39 p.m. at the concourse level of the station, inflicting lacerations to his head and hand.
American Apparel will be closing all 110 of its retail stores, as well as its Los Angeles headquarters.

The popular retailer, known for colorful cotton basics and its Made in America  Sweatshop Free logo, was acquired by Gildan Activewear on Jan. 10 for $88 million. At its peak in 2007, the bankrupt retailer was valued at $1 billion.

Gildan, a Canadian t-shirt and underwear maker, will reportedly close all American Apparel stores by the end of April. As many as 3,400 employees could lose their jobs.

This was always about buying assets out of bankruptcy, Gildan spokesman Garry Bell told the L.A. Times. The reality is this wasn't a purchase of an ongoing concern.

American Apparel was founded in 1989 and known as much for its edgy marketing campaigns, often featuring edgy models in minimal clothing, as its controversial founder, Dov Charney.

Charney was outspoken about his support for worker rights and immigration reform, views which clashed with reports that he had sexually harassed and assaulted employees. In 2014, the board ousted Charney as chairman and CEO, citing the sexual harassment allegations and misuse of company funds.

Following the Charney incident, the brand name took a serious hit, which led to a revolving door of higher ups and culminated in the brand filing for bankruptcy in 2015. Throughout this time, Charney was fighting his ousting in the courts. Currently, he is working on a clothing startup.

The brand ultimately failed to close enough stores and adapt to the demands of the fast-fashion industry, with teens turning to cheaper retailers, like H&M and Forever 21. American Apparel filed for bankruptcy again last November.

Gildan will likely not produce any American Apparel products in California, but could manufacture items in cheaper states.

The political climate in the U.S. has made things very fluid for a lot of companies, Bell told the LA Times. We will evaluate all these options.

As the stores close, the companys goods will likely get picked up by wholesale buyers. These items will still carry American Apparel tags, but at a lower cost.

Gildan sells clothing through other retailers, such as Target and K-Mart, and the fate of the American Apparel brand will likely follow a similar path.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Health insurance would have to cover birth control without co-pays in New York even if President-elect Donald Trump repeals "Obamacare," under legislation proposed Wednesday by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The bill would codify into state law the Affordable Care Act mandate for cost-free contraception and expand upon the federal requirements to provide cost-free coverage for all birth control methods, including vasectomies and emergency contraception like Plan B. It also would allow access to a year's worth of contraception at one time and prohibit insurance companies from reviews that can limit or delay contraceptive coverage.

"The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act will ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the birth control method they need to stay healthy and effectively plan for their future, no matter what happens in Congress," Schneiderman said.

California enacted a similar provision in 2014, followed by Illinois, Maryland and Vermont in 2016. Schneiderman, a Democrat, first proposed his bill in 2015; it passed the Assembly but stalled in a Senate committee.

"States are looking to their coverage mandates because of the very palpable threat that contraceptive coverage will be eviscerated at the federal level," said Elizabeth Nash, a policy analyst with the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which follows reproductive health issues and laws.

The New York Health Plan Association, an industry group, said the legislation would create new insurance mandates that would drive up costs.

"Requiring coverage of emergency contraception, a year's worth of contraception, and voluntary sterilization procedures for men and women is inconsistent with existing coverage requirements," said Paul Macielak, president of the Health Plan Association. "And saying New Yorkers should have 'cost-free' access to the coverage ignores the actual costs of the services."

The cost of services would be borne by all insurance premium payers, said Leslie Moran of the Health Plan Association.

Christa Christakis, executive director of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District 2, said the public health benefits of contraception include preventing unintended pregnancies and decreasing the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer. Schneiderman's bill would address barriers that continue to keep women from obtaining contraceptives and using them effectively, she said.

Trump said Wednesday that he's committed to repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.

___

This story has been corrected to show the birth control measure applies only to private insurance, not Medicaid.
By India Today Web Desk: TV actress Shweta Tiwari is over the moon, all thanks to her precious little one. The stunning actress recently gave birth to a son, called Reyansh Kohli.

Also read: Cuteness alert! This pic of Shweta Tiwari's newborn with his father is adorable

And after posting a picture of his tiny hands, the gorgeous mother has finally revealed what the little one looks like from his cute little head to his cuter little toes.

advertisement

Have a look:

Happiness is all around me...???? A photo posted by Shweta Tiwari Kohli (@shweta.tiwari) on Jan 13, 2017 at 10:29am PST

Isn't he super-good looking?

Well, we aren't that surprised, to be honest. Just look at the mother! What do you expect?

Shweta recently posted a picture of the baby and captioned the picture as "Happiness is all around me."

We bet, Shweta.

The actress delivered the child on November 27 at the Surya Child Care Hospital in Mumbai.

The stunning actress has been married to husband Abhinav Kohli for the past three years. This is the couple's first child together.

--- ENDS ---
US President-elect Donald Trump, who had vowed to abolish the Affordable Care Act, lauded Congress' efforts, tweeting, "The 'Unaffordable' Care Act will soon be history!"

By Reuters: Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Friday won passage of a measure that beings the process of dismantling Obamacare, despite concerns about not having a ready replacement and the potential financial cost of repealing Democratic President Barack Obama's landmark health insurance law.

The House voted 227-198 to instruct committees to draft legislation by a target date of January 27 that would repeal the 2010 Affordable Health Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The US Senate had approved the same measure early Thursday.

advertisement

No Democrats supported the initiative while nine Republicans voted against the measure.

REPUBLICANS HAD PROMISED TO ABOLISH OBAMACARE

With this vote, Republicans began delivering on their promise to end Obamacare, which also was a campaign promise of Republican President-elect Donald Trump.

The program, which expanded health coverage to some 20 million people, has been plagued by increases in insurance premiums and deductibles and by some large insurers leaving the system.

The resolution passed by the House and Senate does not need presidential approval, since it is part of an internal congressional budget process. But once the Obamacare repeal legislation is drafted, both chambers will need to approve it, and a presidential signature will be required.

By that time, Trump will have been sworn in as president. He has urged Congress to act quickly to repeal and replace the Democratic program.

Read more: Will repeal, replace Obamacare simultaneously, says US President-elect Donald Trump

Obamacare was enacted nearly seven years ago - over Republican objections - in an effort to expand coverage and give new protections for people with pre-existing health conditions and other barriers that left them without insurance.

In the past few years, the House has voted more than 60 times to repeal or alter Obamacare, but Republicans had no hope a repeal would become law as long as Obama was president and could veto their bills.

REPUBLICAN LEADER: 'THIS IS A RESCUE MISSION'

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said Obamacare was collapsing and action was urgent. For people who have health insurance through the Obamacare system, he said, "The deductibles are so high it doesn't feel like you've got insurance in the first place.

"We have to step in before things get worse. This is nothing short of a rescue mission," Ryan said.

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi rebutted Republicans' claims that the law was a failure.

"The rate of growth in healthcare costs in our country has been greatly diminished by the Affordable Care Act," she said. "In the more than 50 years that they have been measuring the rate of growth, it has never been slower than now."

advertisement

The choice before lawmakers, she said, is "affordable care versus chaos."

Also read: Donald Trump's first press meet after win: If Putin likes me, that's an asset

EXPERT: REPLACEMENT NEEDED SOON

Harvard University economist David Cutler warned that there could be trouble in US insurance markets if lawmakers do repeal the law but a replacement is slow in coming.

"You could create a lot of havoc," he said, adding that some insurers "may get out of the market entirely."

Trump applauded Congress's efforts with a tweet saying, "The 'Unaffordable' Care Act will soon be history!"

The president-elect, who takes office on January 20, pressed lawmakers this week to repeal and replace it "essentially simultaneously."

Republican leaders would like to finish the repeal process within weeks, but some lawmakers think it could take far longer.

Some Republicans have expressed concern about starting a repeal before agreeing on how to replace provisions of the complicated and far-reaching law.

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated repealing Obama's signature health insurance law entirely would cost roughly $350 billion over 10 years.

Republicans say a good replacement would give states more control of a healthcare program and provide more stability on health insurance premiums.

advertisement

Also watch: An emotional Barack Obama delivers his last speech as the US President

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Bhopal, Jan 14 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh government which has constituted unique Happiness Department, today organised its maiden activity as part of the week-long "Anandam" programme coinciding with Makar Sankranti festival.

People were asked to donate whatever they wish at a designated place and take things that they dont have on the occasion. The main programme was held in the state capital at TT Nagar stadium which was addressed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

advertisement

"The Anandam programme will be organised till January 21 across the state during which traditional games, dance and music programmes will be held," a Public Relation Department official said.

"One gets true pleasure in helping others. To raise the level of happiness among the people, this initiative has been organised so that they have positivity in life and learn the art of leading a tension free life," Chouhan said addressing the inaugural programme.

"Anand Sabhas will be organised and lessons on how to make life happy and meaningful will be included in school syllabus," Chouhan said.

"The main objective behind it is to develop positive attitude among students so that they remain prepared to serve and help others in need," the Chief Minister said.

"A dedicated website is also being created in which people can enroll themselves to become Anandak, a person who can make others happy. Anybody can become a part of it including those associated with non-government, government, cultural and business establishments," he said.

Chouhan congratulated people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and added that development and activities related to Anandam will go together in the state.

The CM appealed to people to donate excess belongings like clothes, books, utensils, furniture and other goods.

The programmes under Anandam will be organised right up to Panchayat level and participation in it is totally optional.

"Economically well-off persons can donate their belongings at designated places in the state capital and other district places and those in need of them can take it from there as part of Anandam," he said.

The CM through video conferencing facility also interacted with people of Gwalior, Jabalpur and Ujjain and appealed to them to take part in it whole heartedly.

Chouhans wife Sadhna donated jackets, saris, blankets, utensils, school bags and other goods. (MORE) PTI MAS LAL RMT SRE

--- ENDS ---
Mayor Ed Lee said this week that he is open to the idea of safe injection sites in San Francisco, a significant shift from his earlier outspoken opposition to the concept.

I have to say we are open. I had to kind of force myself to be open to the idea because it doesnt come as a natural thing, Lee said Wednesday at Seattle University in a moderated conversation about homelessness with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.

Lees comments raise the prospect that San Francisco could become the first city in the United States to open a safe injection site. Officials in New York, Vermont, Maryland and Washington are also exploring the idea, according to the Drug Policy Alliance.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said Friday he plans to co-sponsor legislation with Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, that would allow San Francisco and other cities in California to open up safe injection sites on a pilot basis. Such sites are illegal under state law.

The current situation with injection drug use in San Francisco isnt working, and we need to be willing to try new things, and it makes a lot of sense to try a safe injection site and see if it works, Wiener said.

Open drug use is a common sight in San Francisco, where people living on the streets can be seen using needles to shoot up heroin and methamphetamine. The number of complaints to the city about discarded needles skyrocketed from 440 in 2012 to more than 2,565 to 2015, according to the citys 311 portal, which records citizen complaints.

At a public appearance Friday when he was asked about his comments in Seattle, Lee reiterated that he was open to safe injection sites but remained unconvinced.

If the medical experts that I engage with are telling me that there is both data and medical practice to suggest that a safe injection site could save lives on the long run as well as the short run, could allow people to make better decisions, does not necessarily prolong the use of drugs, which Im obviously against  I have to be open to that idea, the mayor said. They have not convinced me thus far. But I have to suggest that if the health department is saying there is a better alternative, then Ive got to be open to that very fact. Thats all I was saying. Thus far, that persuasion isnt there.

Even so, his openness to the idea is a marked difference from the full-throated opposition he expressed almost a year ago, when asked about former Supervisor David Campos proposal to open up a safe injection site at a homeless shelter.

We have a vigorous disagreement over allowing people to inject heroin and meth, to literally destroy their bodies and their minds, in a city-funded shelter, as some have proposed, Lee said at the time.

There are now about 100 safe injection sites open in nine countries: Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Spain, Denmark, Australia and Canada. But the idea has met widespread resistance in the United States because of the criminalization of drugs and a fear that the centers will enable addiction.

That resistance is softening somewhat in light of research showing that safe injection sites save lives and money.

In December, Barbara Garcia, the citys top public health official, for the first time publicly endorsed the concept, telling The Chronicle she believed the sites were a good idea. Garcia also said that to make a real difference, the city would need to open up at least six sites, at a cost of around $3 million to $3.5 million annually.

A study published in the Journal of Drug Issues in December concluded that every dollar spent on a safe injection site in San Francisco would generate $2.33 in savings because of fewer trips to the emergency room and a reduction in the number of people who contract hepatitis C, HIV and soft-tissue abscesses.

The number of opioid overdose deaths  the leading cause of deaths from drug overdose  in San Francisco has stayed constant at around 100 people a year over the past decade, according to city statistics. Opioids include heroin and morphine, but not methamphetamine and other stimulants.

Supervisors in City Hall praised the mayors evolving thoughts on the matter.

On the one hand, I am happily surprised. On the other hand, I am not surprised because the evidence shows these sites work, said Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

Supervisor Jane Kim said the city has a responsibility to make sure people with drug addictions are getting help.

The alternative is untenable: No one supports having addicts self-inject on the street and in our public spaces, Kim said in email. Supervised sites are an idea worth exploring.

For now, the prospect of safe injection sites will depend on what the state Legislature does. Eggman pushed a bill last year to allow pilot programs, but it failed to make it out of committee. She said she hoped that by trying again this year, at the beginning of the two-year legislative session, there would be more time to persuade her colleagues.

To anyone, at the first mention of (a safe injection site), it sounds like why are you doing it, she said. The more you look at it, the data shows it makes good sense.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
What's it like to be hit by the water vapor equivalent of seven to 15 times the flow of the Mississippi River?

Amid a series of storms that have deluged California and other parts of the West for more than a week, the folks at NASA have created an animation to illustrate the "pineapple express."
1 Sudan sanctions: President Obama signed an executive order Friday easing but not eliminating sanctions against Sudan, in an eleventh-hour push to broaden currently limited talks with the long-estranged African government. The eased sanctions will enable trade and investment transactions to resume with Sudan, a U.S.-designated terrorism sponsor whose leader  Omar el-Bashir  has been indicted on war crimes charges. But Obama built in a six-month waiting period before the benefits for Sudan go into effect. By July 12, several U.S. agencies would have to affirm to the White House  which will be controlled by President-elect Donald Trump  that Sudan is continuing taking positive steps before the sanctions would be eased.

2 Israel bombs Syria base: Syria accused Israel of firing missiles early Friday that landed near a major military base west of Damascus, in the third such reported attack in nearly six weeks to hit near the capital. The Syrian government was quick to respond, warning Israel of the repercussions of such attacks. In the past, Israel has targeted shipments of weapons headed to the Lebanese Hezbollah group. Hezbollah is a main supporter of Syrias President Bashar Assad in the civil war, and has sent thousands of fighters to fight alongside his army. Israel is widely believed to have carried out a number of air strikes on advanced weapons systems in Syria as well as Hezbollah positions, but it rarely confirms them.
Migrants across Eastern Europe are freezing to death as the region faces its worst winter in 15 years.

Refugees residing in temporary shelters in Belgrade and Greece were contending with some of the worst conditions, including blizzards and below-freezing temperatures. Up to 70 migrants have been reported dead this winter.

CNN reports that up to 2,000 migrants have piled into a derelict warehouse in Belgrade in hopes of escaping the unforgiving conditions outside.

Temperatures hovered far below freezing as refugees, most of which arrived from Afghanistan, sought warmth from fires. Some wrapped themselves in blankets provided by support agencies, while many shivered in thin jackets. Showering and washing are impossible with the freezing water.

Meanwhile, just a short distance away lies the bustling capital city, where residents go about their daily lives unaware of the crisis playing out in their backyards.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says that many refugees lack socks and shoes, while camps are at capacity forcing migrants into abandoned buildings. As fires burn inside, reports of asthma and smoke inhalation problems are rampant. An Amnesty International spokesperson called the environment "toxic."

In an interview following a press briefing, UNHCR spokesperson Cecile Pouilly called on European states to "enhance their efforts to tackle these criminal networks and ensure the safety of refugees and migrants."

At present, 82 percent of refugees in Serbia have been placed in heated shelters.

Greece is simultaneously contending with sub-zero. The UN Refugee Agency reported on Twitter that it is working with the government to get refugees into heated shelters, rather than the flimsy tents most reside in. The agency also said that "asylum seekers on the Greek islands urgently need speedy registration and transfers to mainland Greece," where temperatures are warmer.

UNHCR was able to transfer hundreds of people to "better accommodations" on Lesbos and Chios, but the agency is "deeply worried at the situation of some 1,000 people, including families with young children, who continue to live under unheated tents and dormitories in Samos."

Many of the refugees fled dangerous conditions back home, only to face a different nightmare on the shores of Europe.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
Blog Archive November 2022 (2) October 2022 (21) September 2022 (19) August 2022 (22) July 2022 (22) June 2022 (18) May 2022 (11) April 2022 (19) March 2022 (16) February 2022 (14) January 2022 (16) December 2021 (14) November 2021 (15) October 2021 (15) September 2021 (14) August 2021 (8) July 2021 (9) June 2021 (4) May 2021 (12) April 2021 (14) March 2021 (18) February 2021 (16) January 2021 (20) December 2020 (17) November 2020 (12) October 2020 (16) September 2020 (13) August 2020 (16) July 2020 (11) June 2020 (3) May 2020 (13) April 2020 (9) March 2020 (17) February 2020 (17) January 2020 (17) December 2019 (19) November 2019 (22) October 2019 (27) September 2019 (23) August 2019 (20) July 2019 (23) June 2019 (24) May 2019 (22) April 2019 (26) March 2019 (22) February 2019 (20) January 2019 (21) December 2018 (26) November 2018 (19) October 2018 (26) September 2018 (24) August 2018 (22) July 2018 (28) June 2018 (23) May 2018 (23) April 2018 (25) March 2018 (24) February 2018 (21) January 2018 (29) December 2017 (26) November 2017 (21) October 2017 (24) September 2017 (23) August 2017 (25) July 2017 (27) June 2017 (25) May 2017 (23) April 2017 (20) March 2017 (20) February 2017 (21) January 2017 (22) December 2016 (23) November 2016 (21) October 2016 (21) September 2016 (21) August 2016 (22) July 2016 (24) June 2016 (26) May 2016 (26) April 2016 (27) March 2016 (29) February 2016 (25) January 2016 (26) December 2015 (28) November 2015 (27) October 2015 (29) September 2015 (23) August 2015 (25) July 2015 (19) June 2015 (17) May 2015 (15) April 2015 (19) March 2015 (19) February 2015 (16) January 2015 (21) December 2014 (16) November 2014 (20) October 2014 (22) September 2014 (20) August 2014 (24) July 2014 (27) June 2014 (26) May 2014 (27) April 2014 (20) March 2014 (25) February 2014 (19) January 2014 (23) December 2013 (24) November 2013 (19) October 2013 (22) September 2013 (20) August 2013 (21) July 2013 (17) June 2013 (16) May 2013 (14) April 2013 (19) March 2013 (16) February 2013 (12) January 2013 (14) December 2012 (20) November 2012 (17) October 2012 (14) September 2012 (14) August 2012 (20) July 2012 (15) June 2012 (15) May 2012 (17) April 2012 (16) March 2012 (6) February 2012 (7) January 2012 (6) December 2011 (12) November 2011 (14) October 2011 (16) September 2011 (9) August 2011 (12) July 2011 (8) June 2011 (11) May 2011 (11) April 2011 (11) March 2011 (10) February 2011 (12) January 2011 (17) December 2010 (16) November 2010 (10) October 2010 (21) September 2010 (21) August 2010 (24) July 2010 (36) June 2010 (19) May 2010 (14) April 2010 (15) March 2010 (13) February 2010 (6) January 2010 (3)
However, the Wall Street Journal indicated that the regimes recognition of his death focused solely on his loyalty to the Islamic Republic and its supreme leader, while ignoring his supposed late-in-life concerns about its functioning. By contrast, the harshest critics of the regime did not take Rafsanjani seriously when he expressed those concerns, feeling that partial support for the Green Movement was insufficient to make up for a history of political violence, underscored by statements Rafsanjani had made in the 1980s calling for the killing of members of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran and other opponents of the fledgling theocracy.

No doubt these critics were among those who used Rafsanjanis funeral on Tuesday as an opportunity to protest against the repressive activities of the Iranian regime, including its persistent detention of political prisoners, in some cases without trial or charge. This situation led the Wall Street Journal to describe two parallel funerals taking place in Tehran  one led by the regimes leadership and one led by activists. The latter phenomenon also prompted more repressive actions by the regime, although in this case it did not risk tarnishing the government-led event by attacking the protestors directly.

Instead, state media broadcasts of the funeral were muted in order to silence chants calling for the release of the Green Movement leaders and for other concessions from the regime. At the same time, Iranian citizens reported that internet speeds had been slowed and websites had been more heavily restricted as part of an effort to prevent information about the protests from spreading.

But Rafsanjanis funeral was only one rallying point for recent protests either against the regime itself or against specific repressive measures and policies. Such protests demonstrate remarkable defiance in the face of an ongoing crackdown on dissent, pro-Western attitudes, and artistic expression. Human rights groups and various media outlets have reported on a wide range of arrests since the conclusion of nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers. These arrests are widely regarded as part of a hardline effort to forestall expectations of progressive change within the Islamic Republic or expanded cooperation with Western powers.

Numerous dual nationals have been arrested during that time, including the Iranian-British charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, whose two-year-old daughter had her passport confiscated at the same time, thus preventing her from being able to return home to her father. Robin Shahini, a San Diego man similarly arrested while visiting family in Iran, was sentenced in October to a staggering 18 years in prison on charges of collaboration with a hostile government. As in other such cases, the nature of this supposed collaboration was never made clear, and Shahinis accusers presented innocuous aspects of his past history against him, including an image of him in a school uniform that was misidentified as an American military uniform.

Meanwhile, the ranks of Irans purely domestic political prisoners have also grown, and for equally absurd reasons. Also in October, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee was arrested and ordered to begin a six year prison sentence based on the contents of an unpublished short story found in a notebook in her home. The arrest prompted a 71-day hunger strike by her husband, Arash Sadeghi, who was already serving a 15-year sentence for his peaceful activism. That hunger strike ended last week, but only after protests outside of Evin Prison, supported by a nationwide social media campaign, prompted the Iranian regime to concede to Sadeghis demand that his wife be release and her case reviewed.

Some media described the protests as a rare unauthorized public demonstration in a country where the arrest of activists is commonplace and sometimes leads to torture or indefinite solitary confinement. But the bold protests at the Rafsanjani funeral highlight the idea that such public activism is not as rare as one might expect, especially during a period of intensified law enforcement activity.

And it is not only political imprisonment and the repression of dissent that is prompting such protests. The Los Angeles Times pointed to another cause that is prompting some Iranians to organize in defiance of the governments efforts at repression. The article profiled street vendors who have gravitated toward informal bazaar markets as an alternative source of income as a result of unemployment or poverty-level government wages. Many of those markets have been demolished by the government, only to be quickly rebuilt, at the risk of further reprisal. And the participants in those markets have repeatedly protested these efforts to deprive them of a livelihood, sometimes resorting to such extreme measures as public suicide or self-immolation.

The LA Times article quoted one protestor as contrasting ordinary citizens difficult economic prospects with those of a highly corrupt government leadership. We are not well-connected top managers who can embezzle funds, take zero-interest loans and make a fortune, he said. Despite being described as moderate in some Western media, the government of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been mired in a number of recent scandals regarding favor-trading and excessive compensation for high-level government employees, thus undermining his promises of economic reform.

Those scandals have reportedly been used against Rouhani by his political adversaries in advance of his bid for reelection this year. Many analysts claim that his prospects for reelection, already diminished by these efforts, have been further diminished by the loss of Rafsanjani, his most highly-placed political ally. Rouhanis leading opponents are prominent hardliners, but the recent surge in anti-government protests suggests that his administration enjoys little real support among moderates and reformists.
This disobedience reflects a broader conflict between the Iranian public and the regimes attempts to control the flow of information. Various websites and social media networks including Facebook and Twitter are also banned by Irans hardline theocracy but are routinely accessed by a young and tech-savvy population via cybernetic proxy networks.

An INTV press release announcing this weekends pledge drive appealed to donors to support the networks role as an alternative to the state media outlets that are virtually the only sources of information functioning openly inside the country, numerous outlets are shuttered by the government in any given year. The political imprisonment of journalists is also commonplace, resulting in the Committee to Protect Journalists consistently ranking Iran as one of the worst purveyors of this sort of repression.

INTV reports that many members of its network have been not only imprisoned but also tortured and in some cases executed for their work, including the reporting of barred political protests and the conditions of the Iranian prison system. The networks press release adds that political prisoners in Iran regularly use [INTV] to disclose news from inside prisons and to express their resistance against the authorities viciousness.

Previous pledge drives have suggested strong public interest in support these sorts of projects. INTV is known to receive donations both from inside Iran and from Iranian expat communities; and those donations reportedly range from 10 dollars to hundreds of thousands. Similar success is expected from the current pledge drive, which runs through Sunday, because the networks viewership has been steadily increasing in recent years.

INTV reports that its core staff works entirely on a volunteer basis, and that donations collected during the pledge drive will be used in the gathering of original news and to cover the costs associated with maintaining its 24-hour satellite broadcast and its website, IranNTV.com. It is noteworthy than on the homepage of Simaye Azadi there is a special tab in English labeled Free Iran Telethon for those interested in donating.


I am a planner and architect living on Kauai in Hawaii. We are at the epicenter of experimental pesticide development. These pesticides have a synergistic interaction with GMO plants.



Most of the major GMO Big Ag companies are here: Dow, DuPont, Syngenta, Monsanto, Pioneer, BASF, Dekalb.



In Hanapepe Valley, where I live, we have Dekalb. In 1998 Monsanto bought Dekalb. Now Dupont owns Pioneer, Dow joined DuPont just recently.



The larger these companies have gotten, the worse their effect on the island has been. Their money and muscle have made them more audacious.



Our county government enacted an ordinance requiring a few hundred foot buffer zone between experimental fields and such land uses as schools and residential areas.



However, the big corporate lawyers came in and pushed back hard. The companies bought our off politicians and took over our County Council.



Experimental GMO fields are here for a reason. Besides the sunny weather and access to water there is a more important feature to Kauai. If something dreadful happens in a GMO field we are the most isolated land mass in the United States. We are expendable... lab rats.



Stop the corporate mergers of pesticide/chemical companies who are ruining farmland and food quality to provide GMO junk food and addictive high-fructose-corn-syrup.



Foreign takeovers of critical American industries are ill advised... especially when they are in industries crucial to our survival - like providing our food.



The Chinese have recently taken over Syngenta. Syngenta's fields surround the Pacific Missile Range Facility where crucial US weapon development tests are performed.



Bayer is a German company that produced the brand Heroin as a cough suppressor. They became part of IG Farben, a company that developed Zyclon-B, the poisonous gas used by Nazi Germany to exterminate non-Aryans.



Monsanto's has its own ghosts in the attic. It is a monstrous corporation with its Hawaiian headquarters on Maui adjacent to the high-tech supercomputer telecommunications center in Kihei.



Food security is as important as military security. We need resilience, flexibility, sustainability and variety to maintain food security.



The goal of the big chemical/pesticide corporations is to make farmers developing their own seeds illegal.



Let's get back to real farming in America before all the water and soil are washed away.



I am very concerned about the ongoing consolidation trends in the seed sector and urge you to reject the merger between Monsanto and Bayer.



Giving a foreign-owned, Bayer-Monsanto mega-corporation, unchecked power over what goes into our food supply is downright dangerous. Even Bruce Rastetter is against the deal, saying it would limit competition, raise costs for farmers, and stunt job growth.



The combination of Bayer and Monsanto would diminish competition in the increasingly intertwined markets for seeds and pesticides, reduce socially beneficial innovation, increase seed prices, and reduce seed choices for farmers
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Novalee Miracle Rodriguez, who battled stage 5 chronic kidney disease, died Jan. 5 at Mount Sinai Hospital. She was only 2.

Novalee, the miracle baby whose parents, Kevin and Jayleen Rodriquez, married in her hospital room, constantly defied the odds undergoing countless surgeries that her doctors did not expect her to overcome.

Her parents posted a statement on their GoFundMe page, updating followers about her passing:

"The Gates of heaven open up for the most amazing princess. Please pray for her parents and our family. We are not having viewing but we are just having a burial service on Monday. Novalee's Journey was short but powerful and in her short time she accomplished so much and touched so many lives. Thank you to all that took this journey along with us. We feel beyond blessed of how loved she was by everyone."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A health-care executive from Staten Island was part of a ring that ripped off $33 million from the Medicaid and Medicare systems through kickbacks and eight fraudulent medical clinics that operated in Brooklyn, officials allege.

Asher Oleg Kataev, 48, is one of six defendants - including three doctors - charged Thursday in Manhattan federal court in the alleged scheme, which ran for several years, said authorities.

A key figure was Aleksandr Burman, who was previously charged in the case and has pleaded guilty to his role, prosecutors said. He awaits sentencing.

Burman, who has no medical license, established eight medical clinics in Brooklyn, which operated between 2007 and 2013, said officials.

State law requires a medical professional to own such an establishment.

Burman skirted that requirement by hiring three doctors to pose as the owner of one or more of the clinics, authorities said. The doctors would periodically go to the clinics and sign medical charts falsely stating they had examined patients, officials said.

Burman paid the physicians to write prescriptions for medically unnecessary supplies, such as adult diaper sets. The supplies were then ordered from a company jointly owned by Marina Burman and Burman.

The doctors also provided referrals for medically unnecessary prescriptions, diagnostic tests and transportation services for patients, officials said.

The referrals were to specific medical testing companies, which, in turn, provided kickbacks to Aleksandr Burman, said authorities.

In 2012, Kataev and a co-defendant, Alla Tsirlin, 46, of Brooklyn, became Burman's business partners.

They managed two of the clinics, while paying Dr. Paul J. Mathieu, 51, of Morristown, N.J., and Dr. Ewald J. Antoine, 66, of Valley Stream, L.I., to pose as the owners, authorities said.

Kataev and Tsirlin also doled out kickbacks directly to patients, said officials.

The defendants were each charged with conspiring to commit health-care fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud, as well as mail fraud and wire fraud, authorities said.

Each of those charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

They were also charged with health-care fraud and conspiring to make false statements relating to a federal health-care program, which carry maximum penalties of 10 and five years, respectively.

Kataev, Tsirlin and Marina Burman were also charged with conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, which has a five-year maximum sentence.

The case was investigated by Manhattan federal prosecutors, the FBI and the state Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.

"These defendants allegedly operated fraudulent medical clinics and suppliers in a scheme that bilked Medicare and Medicaid out of more than $30 million," said Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan.

"As alleged, three of the defendants were doctors who, in violation of their Hippocratic oath, signed medical charts for patients they never treated and prescribed unnecessary medications, procedures, and supplies," Bharara said. "Medicare and Medicaid were established to assist the elderly and economically disadvantaged, not to serve as cash cows for allegedly corrupt professionals."

Public records show Kataev's most recent addresses on Staten Island in Great Kills and Sunnyside.

His lawyer declined comment on the case.
Loretta Lynch

Attorney General Loretta Lynch responds to a question during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, on the situation in Charlotte, N.C. following the death of Keith Lamont Scott. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

(Andrew Harnik)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Attorney General Loretta Lynch will likely leave office without completing the investigation into Eric Garner's death in police custody, the Washington Post reports.

Lynch authorized the Department of Justice to move ahead with the case after prosecutors in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C. disagreed on whether there was enough evidence to bring civil rights charges, but she made the decision too late for the department to get resolution, the article said.

That process, the Post reported, would have entailed gathering evidence and presenting the case to a grand jury. Now the case will be likely be handed to future attorney general Jeff Sessions.

Garner, 43, died July 17, 2014, while officers were arresting him for allegedly selling untaxed, loose cigarettes in Tompkinsville.

The federal government launched an investigation after his death to determine if Officer Daniel Pantaleo, the officer seen in the video bringing Garner down from behind, violated Garner's civil rights.

A state grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo in December 2014.

Jonathan Moore, the attorney who represents the Garner family, told the Post he last heard from the Department of Justice in December, and was told they were still investigating.

Pantaleo's lawyer, Stuart London, also said he hadn't heard from the department, the article said.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice declined to comment on the investigation this week.

Seven New York Congress members, led by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn/Queens) sent a letter to Lynch this week urging her to secure an indictment in the Garner case before she left office.

"At minimum, this case should be tried and considered by a jury of Officer Pantaleo's peers," the letter states. "In approximately two weeks, there will be a new DOJ less committed to civil rights enforcement. Consequently, the investigation into Mr. Garner's death may itself be suffocated and die. The result is not only unacceptable for Mr. Garner and his family, but for all communities where the use of excessive force and overly aggressive policing tactics threaten life and liberty. Accordingly, we respectfully request that a final prosecutorial decision be made prior to the arrival of the new administration."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island woman who died in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday has been identified as Sabrina Ippolito, according to a report from the Daily News.

Ippolito, 28, collapsed shortly after 12:00 p.m. inside 100 Centre St.

EMS was called to the courthouse and she was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The Daily News reports that Ippolito was arrested on misdemeanor drug charges on Thursday and was awaiting arraignment when she collapsed.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

Police did not immediately release the woman's name pending family notification.
[January 13, 2017] Softchoice Recognizes Dell-EMC, Microsoft, Lenovo, Adobe, VMware and AWS with Partner Impact Awards

Softchoice, a leading North American provider of IT solutions and managed services, is pleased to announce that Dell (News - Alert)-EMC has been recognized as their Partner of the Year for a third straight year. Softchoice also recognized Microsoft, Lenovo, Adobe, VMware and Amazon Web Services with its highest partner honors at its Impact Awards ceremony yesterday - part of the annual Softchoice (News - Alert) Launch conference. "The relationships we have with our partners have always been integral to our success," said Scott Harper, Vice-President of Strategy and Vendor Alliances, Softchoice. "For a third straight year, it was a tremendous growth year for Softchoice and Dell, and Dell-EMC (News - Alert). And not just business growth, but growth in people investment, resources, and support for programs like our Innovation Executive Forum. They have truly continued to invest in deepening their relationship with Softchoice." Softchoice's Partner Impact Awards recognize top vendor relationships in the channel based on year-over-year growth, achievement of annual targets, and level of investment, engagement and support to Softchoice. Also recognized with an Impact Award were: Microsoft, Cloud Partner of the Year

Amazon Web Services, Emerging Partner of the Year

VMware, Datacenter Partner of the Year

Adobe (News - Alert), Client Partner of the Year

Lenovo, Corporate Responsbility Partner of the Year



News - Alert) was recognized for its incredible support of Softchoice Cares, an employee-led philanthropic initiative dedicated to bridging the digital divide around the world. Specifically, Lenovo's sponsorships were crucial to Softchoice Cares' recent international project in Rajasthan, India, and Softchoice Cares' POWER UP technology grant program for elementary and middle schools in need. "Lenovo has a long track record of giving back to the communities they serve, and they have been a long-time supporter of Softchoice Cares initiatives," said Quentin Kong, Vice-President of Marketing, Softchoice. "Without their generosity, Softchoice Cares would not have been able to unleash the potential of so many through the power of technology from India to communities across North America."

About Softchoice As a leading North American provider of IT solutions and managed services, Softchoice combines the efficiency and reliability of a national IT supplier with the personal touch and technical expertise of a local solutions provider. Softchoice's holistic approach to technology includes solution design, implementation, asset management, cloud and managed services, as well as access to one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective technology distribution networks in North America. With over 1,500 employees, Softchoice manages the technology needs of thousands of corporate and public sector organizations across the United States and Canada. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170113005684/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- No trace of GHB, the so-called date-rape drug, was discovered in a blood sample taken from Pedro Abad, the former Linden, N.J. police officer charged in a fatal, wrong-way crash on the West Shore Expressway two years ago, his lawyer said Saturday.

"No drugs whatsoever were found in his blood," said attorney Mario F. Gallucci, referring to a sample of Abad's blood taken at the hospital after the deadly March 20, 2015 wreck, which was only recently tested for GHB.

The negative finding, nearly a year after the tests were ordered, deals another blow to Abad's case.

Last month, state Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Rooney denied a defense motion to suppress blood samples and to controvert a warrant used to obtain those samples.

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

While the possibility of finding GHB seemed a longshot to others, Gallucci said it was worth checking for it. Abad's toxicology tests, ordered by authorities, did not look for certain components necessary to prove a GHB poisoning, he said.

Such a drug in his system might have caused Abad to pass out behind the wheel, Gallucci said. Or it could have caused him to consume more alcohol than he would have without the drug in his system.

"The request for GHB was based on other cases I have had involving gentleman's clubs and DWIs (driving while intoxicated)," said Gallucci, who alleged some dancers at those clubs have drugged patrons to induce them to spend more money.

"That was just one weapon that I use in defending those accused of DWI," he said. "Now, we move to other issues surrounding the taking of the blood and the arrest itself."

Gallucci said his experts are in the process of re-checking the blood-alcohol content in Abad's blood sample.

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

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

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

Abad was indicted in September 2015 on a slew of charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular manslaughter.

In denying the motion to toss out the blood sample last month, Rooney said the warrant to obtain the blood, issued by another judge "was supported by probable cause."

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

Rooney said the defense presented no "factual basis" for its claims, but left a door open for Abad.

He gave the defense leave to renew that motion if any relevant facts are discovered during the case.

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

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

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

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

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

A hearing date has not been set.

In the meantime, Rooney moved the case onto the trial track.

Last month, he assigned it to Justice Mario F. Mattei to schedule and hold pretrial hearings, and to preside over the trial.

A conference is scheduled for Wednesday.
This Account has been suspended.
By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent.

Agree
A 23-year-old Macgregor man accused of repeatedly choking his wife after a fight about cannabis has been granted bail.

The man will be required to stay more than 100 metres from his wife or her home at any time, stay off all intoxicating substances and remain under mental health practitioners' supervision as part of his strict bail conditions.

The MacGregor man was charged with choking and assault.

He faced ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with one count of assault and multiple counts of choking.

The man was arrested on Friday afternoon after what prosecutors described as a "prolonged" attack on his wife at their home.
A community council has called for Canberra's default suburban speed limit to be lowered to 40km/h to better protect pedestrians and prevent "rat running" through residential streets at peak hour.

North Canberra Community Council also suggested residential parking permits on streets that suffer from commercial centre or school overflow, as well as the investigation of higher road user charges for motorists.

North Canberra Community Council recommended the government drop the residential suburban default speed limit to 40km/h.

The recommendations, originally drafted in May, were submitted to the ACT government for consideration ahead of the 2017-18 budget.

The council's submission said population growth on the northside would put further pressures on the area's road network.
Most of Indonesia's airline accidents have involved pilots who tested positive for drugs, including a Lion Air jet that slammed into the sea four years ago while trying to land on the tourist island of Bali, the chief of the national narcotics agency said.

Budi Waseso made the comments at a ceremony on Bali to inaugurate traditional village security guards as anti-drug volunteers on Thursday.

The comments are another blow to the image of the country's airline industry after a video circulated online in December showing the apparently intoxicated pilot of a Citilink passenger plane.

News reports this week said two pilots of another airline, Susi Air, owned by the country's fisheries minister had recently tested positive for drugs.
Zoe Bueti (left) returns to the beach with her sister Christina after being badly sunburnt by an ineffective spray-on sunburn cream. Credit:Ben Searcy She said the one place where she used spray-on sunscreen was the one place she got sunburnt. Georgina Bueti told Fairfax Media her husband and younger daughter Zoe had followed the instructions on Cancer Council SPF 50+ Ultra Cooling aerosol sunscreen and carefully applied the product but still became sunburnt. Dr Natasha Cook, dermatologist at Darlinghurst Dermatology Skin & Laser Clinic. "His legs were red raw. He applied it correctly, spraying it from the right distance and rubbing it into his skin," she said.

"We have a pool at home and constantly use sunscreen, and we thought we'd try the spray but it didn't do what we thought." Professor Sanchia Aranda, chief executive of Cancer Council said the problem was that people used aerosols like mosquito repellent, when in fact a "liberal" amount needs to be rubbed in. The public has long been taught at least a teaspoon of lotion is required for each limb and the front and back of the body, but not much has been said about aerosol spray sunscreen. "You could spray it into your hands to make sure you're getting sufficient amount," she said. Another problem is that the cans  either steel or aluminium  can easily heat up in the sun, reducing the performance of the active ingredients.

"Our manufacturer tells us our products have a higher ability to withstand higher temperatures before they're unstable, but yes, prolonged exposure can affect the quality," she said. The label on every can warns users to not spray directly onto face because inhaling the contents "can be harmful". In the US, Consumer Reports, the US equivalent of consumer group Choice, recommended parents not to use the product on their children because inhaling the ingredients could irritate their lungs, potentially triggering an asthma attack. Though the US regulatory system and sunscreen standards are different, the US Food and Drug Administration advised the public in 2013 to not apply spray-on sunscreen while near a source of flame, after several people suffered "significant burns" in five separate incidents.

According to Choice, only 40 to 60 per cent of a typical can is sunscreen. The rest is propellant. A tube of lotion and a can of pressurised spray, both standing upright on a shelf, may seem comparable in price and amount. But based on unit pricing, aerosol spray is the most expensive type of sunscreen. For example, Fairfax Media found the average price per 100 ml of lotion was $7, roll-on was $15, and finger (liquid) spray was $8. The average price per 100 gram of aerosol spray sunscreen was $10, but because only half of the can is sunscreen, the true cost is $20. Of course, it's up to the consumer to decide whether it's worth paying more for the convenience a spray product offers.
The initiatives began a decade ago when the council became concerned that the quality of life and public amenities in some of the municipality's older areas did not match that enjoyed by residents moving into new developments.

Penrith City Council team members responsible for the program take the view that community engagement should start early, challenging school students and teenagers, as well as adults, to play a leadership role in their communities and have a say on how local areas can be improved. Their work aims to ensure that people of all ages feel they are being heard and have opportunities to connect with neighbours and be involved in community life.

A long standing neighbourhood renewal program in Sydney's west encourages residents to be actively engaged in their local communities and the planning for improvements to the places they live.

Since then efforts to improve the physical, social and economic environment have resulted in upgraded parklands and play areas, brought art and infrastructure to neighbourhood centres and encouraged residents to be involved in organising activities that foster social connectedness.

Last month's Colyton Carols event was organised by local residents under the Team Colyton banner and the group has also helped organise sustainable living workshops and a welcome to new refugees moving into the area.

Community engagement officer Lila Kennelly says the council wants to do more than just hear people's concerns and refer them to the council: "We want to work in collaboration with residents." She says many Penrith people have long commute times if they work in or close to the Sydney CBD and this reduces opportunities to build neighbourly connections. The Carols event  first held in 2015  is one way to bring people together.

Her colleague Donita Hulme uses art to counter graffiti and encourage neighbourhood pride. An artist herself  she creates video art and installations  Hulme is involved with a three-year Creative Village program that links communities with artists and transforms dull, and frequently tagged, walls.

The program has already resulted in a striking shopping centre mural at Colyton where residents, including students at Colyton Trade High School, had a say in design. This year, residents of Cambridge Park are being consulted about their ideas for a street art project in their neighbourhood.
Launched by John Howard in 2006  a time when the federal budget was overflowing with cash  the program was controversial from the start, and more so once Abbott later cemented its place in schools.

But Turnbull has so far left one of Abbott's biggest ideological indulgences in place: the National Schools Chaplaincy Program.

First he abolished knights and dames. Then he withdrew funding for a research centre headed by climate contrarian Bjorn Lomborg. In the December budget update he terminated Abbott's "Green Army" and nannies pilot program.

He hasn't received much credit for it, but Malcolm Turnbull has been gradually killing off Tony Abbott's pet projects since he took over the prime ministership.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott's National Schools Chaplaincy Program has so far been left alone. Credit:Andrew Meares

Chaplains hired for the program would have to be associated with a religious organisation. Yet they would not be allowed to proselytise to students. Where exactly, many asked, does providing pastoral support end and proselytising begin?

Furthermore, chaplains were not required to hold any minimum qualifications to be placed in schools. This raised concerns about how prepared they would be to deal with serious problems such as suicidal thoughts, anorexia or problems with drugs and alcohol. The question of how religious workers would respond to students questioning their sexuality raised particular concerns.



Labor  to the disappointment of its non-religious supporters  backed the program in Opposition and expanded it in government. But it did improve it by requiring all new chaplains to hold a certificate IV in youth work. It also broadened the scheme so that schools could hire a secular welfare worker, rather than a chaplain, if they preferred. This option was particularly welcomed by schools in multicultural areas where the students come from many different faith backgrounds.

Then came Tony Abbott's infamous slash-and-burn 2014 budget, built on the premise that dramatic cuts were needed to halt a crisis in the nation's finances. The government's own commission of audit had recommended it axe the chaplaincy program on the basis state governments are responsible for schools and there was a "weak rationale" for Canberra to run such a scheme.

Instead, Abbott found a spare $245 million to extend the program for another five years. He also scrapped the option for schools to hire a secular welfare worker.
However, to take issue with a single date on the basis of historical variables is to reject colonial history in its entirety. As with anything in history, outright condemnation is too simple. When I consider this country's history, I am indeed sorry for the brutal rape, murder and needless separation of families. I am sorry for the hurt caused by the ignorance of generations past. But I am not sorry for the arrival of the British on January 26.

How could I be? If such an event did not occur, I or my family would not be here. We would not have the country that became home to millions of migrants over the course of more than 200 years. I don't doubt that recent arrivals also hold affection for the day they received their recognition of citizenship. To hold such sentiment is not to ignore or brush aside the victims of colonisation; rather, it is, somewhat selfishly, being thankful for our personal fortune.

The meaning given to a single date is culturally and socially relative. I doubt Australian republicans find much substance in our annual Queen's Birthday holiday, and certainly public holidays such as Christmas Day do not represent the entirety of the population. We have Harmony Day, but I doubt most Australians could even tell you the date it falls on. For the record, it's March 21. The fact is, no single date ever can or will encompass the myriad cultural and social variables enough to be dubbed a true "national" day.

This leads to the obvious question: should we even have a national day at all? That word, national, carries with it connotations of community, togetherness and harmony. The reality is that the annual Australia Day debate and the current campaign for a treaty proves we have never really united as one nation. Not with our Indigenous people at least.

Ultimately, it's not the date that matters, but the unresolved divisions within our population. January 26 will never be a true day of national celebration for all, but neither will any other date. Some say that January 1, the date of federation, would be ideal. But what of the constitution that failed to dignify our first inhabitants as people?
Build a brewery On September 16, 1804, Governor King established a government-run brewery in Parramatta. The idea was to cut down on drunkenness in the new colony by creating plentiful and cheap supplies of beer. The wine hadn't worked, it's true, but if given beer, people really would stop drinking those crazy spirits. In the event, a grateful citizenry drank all the beer that was offered, topped up on the wine, then polished off the rum. The brewery closed the next year.

Plant vineyards Only by planting vineyards could the citizenry be convinced to put down their rum bottle and instead enjoy a sip or two of wine. With this in mind, Arthur Phillip brought vine cuttings with him on the First Fleet and had a crop growing by September 1788. Wine, to quote from John Beeston's history of Australian viticulture, was seen as "a temperance beverage". Among those who planted the first vines were anti-drinking advocates and concerned clergymen. In the event, the Australian people accepted the offered wine with genuine gratitude. And then cracked on with their bottle of rum.

Mike Baird is still having difficulty selling his new liquor restrictions. Maybe, as 2017 gets under way, he needs to reach back into Australian history and find new ways of battling the demon bottle. My only warning: not all these ideas have worked.

Did you know that barmaids were banned in South Australia until 1967? Authorities believed the presence of female bar staff increased the amount of drinking, with men lured into pubs just to enjoy the sight of the barmaid. They called them "the seductive lures". Get rid of the barmaid, and you'd get rid of drunkenness: that was the theory.

Ban shouting Maybe the problem was the practice of "shouting", whereby each drinker would buy a round of drinks for the whole group. The solution was to ban shouting. The main problem: how to express such an idea in legal language. In Western Australia the legislation was called "The Prohibition of Treating on Licensed Premises Act". But hang on: can you really ban people giving each other a treat? What if it's a square of chocolate and a quick squeeze? In the event, the law fell one vote short of being passed. Others campaigned for individuals to take a non-shouting pledge. The League of the Khaki Button, set up in 1915, suggested Australians wear a khaki button pledging they'd never shout a drink for someone else  an idea that can still gladden the heart of tightwads everywhere. Anyone know where I can get a button?

Serve only 'bona fide travellers' Here's a brilliant notion: instead of banning drink-driving, why not make it mandatory? In most Australian states, for much of our European history, you could order a drink on a Sunday only if you were a "bona fide traveller". The distance travelled varied: in South Australia in the 1880s, it was five miles; in Victoria it was 10 miles in a direct line, but it had to be travelled on the day on which the alcohol was consumed. In NSW, right up until 1979, it was 30 miles  with the publican required to take a note of your "reasons for travel". As Pete Brown notes in his history of beer, the result was squadrons of drunks navigating their way from one town to another, just in order to qualify for a drink.

Ban young barmaids Some states banned all barmaids, but the Victorians had a more nuanced idea: they decided to ban the employment of new barmaids, limiting employment to those already in the industry. The idea, according to Keith Dunstan in his book Wowsers, was that as the barmaids grew older they would no longer be able to use their alluring powers to draw men into the pub. The drinking rate would fall as the barmaids became less attractive. The idea was not only ungentlemanly  women, I don't need to tell you, are beautiful at any age  it also didn't work. The barmaid certificates were traded on the open market, much like taxi licences, with the result that many a 20-year-old barmaid was officially aged in her 50s or 60s. Locals joked that the barmaids must have discovered the elixir of youth, presumably in the beer they served. The certificate system was scrapped during World War II, in the face of labour shortages, then  after the war  there was an attempt to reintroduce the ban on young barmaids. The result was the great Australian barmaids' strike of December 1949. Thankfully, the threat of a dry Christmas quickly brought everyone to their senses.

They still, though, had the 6 o'clock swill, so the senses were not entirely in place.

So, does anything work? Well, only rarely. In the late 1930s, according to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, the Sydney architect Alexander Jolly took up an axe and cut off the tip of his little finger. He wanted to prove to his family that he was serious about giving up the grog.
Shelter has a fundamental place in the hierarchy of human needs: it comes in just after air, water and food  a basic necessity. In any society some can be pushed so far down the hierarchy that even this basic need is lacking: they are left without shelter, without a home. How a society deals with its most vulnerable members shows its true quality and character.

It seems paradoxical, almost an absurdity, to speak about the desperate, elemental struggle in which the homeless are engaged in the same context as the Sydney real estate market. Yet in this city, the two are closely linked. The same forces which push real estate values up through the stratosphere and beyond it are acting to force consumers at the bottom out onto the streets, into the parks and under the bridges and subways.

A man lays outside the State Library of New South Wales, in the background, the offices of New South Wales Parliament. Credit:James Brickwood

For those engaged in it, the real estate market can seem all about wealth, consumption and display  perhaps at times in dubious taste and wasteful, but a celebration nonetheless of a consumer society's power to create desires and satisfy them. But the sad juxtaposition of power and powerlessness in our report shows how it fails.

We report today a sharp irony in one result of this process: from the windows of the Premier's suite in Parliament House a small encampment of the homeless is visible. The great and the good  those whom society has empowered to enact its wishes  can look down and ponder the fate of those whom their decisions and policies and those of their predecessors have marginalised.
Conservative coalition MP Kevin Andrews drew on his taxpayer-funded "study allowance" when he travelled to the United States to attend a prayer breakfast and address a right-wing think tank.

The Victorian backbencher skipped a week of parliament to participate in the 64th annual National Prayer Breakfast and deliver a speech at the influential Heritage Foundation in Washington DC last February.

The former minister says he paid for most of the trip himself but records show he also drew $1855 from his study entitlement.

Mr Andrews was one of the last MPs to draw on the controversial allowance, which was finally phased out last year.
It was on a trip to Shenzhen in 2010 that I bought my first fake designer bag.

After browsing with intent for a while, we motioned to the sale assistant to "show us more", which was code to take us out back to see the better quality fakes.

Down the end of a long corridor, behind a false circuit board installed to fool police, was a small room, stacked floor to ceiling with bags of every label you could imagine.

Balenciaga, Chloe, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Some were better copies than others. I walked away with a Jimmy Choo bag for $50.
Dengue fever cases in Australia reached a 20-year high last year, driven by travellers being infected in tropical areas such as Bali and bringing the virus back with them.

More than 2000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were confirmed in Australia last year, federal Health Department data shows.

Dengue fever is spread by certain types of mosquitos and can be fatal. Credit:James Gathany

University of Sydney mosquito expert Cameron Webb said dengue fever cases were increasing globally, and travellers were bringing the disease back to Australia. But, he said, if a person brought dengue fever back as an unwanted souvenir, they were unlikely to pass it on because most local mosquito species could not transmit the disease.
The federal government is under mounting pressure to rescind a "blatantly discriminatory" Medicare rule that bars nursing home residents from accessing key psychological treatments, as the Mental Health Commission of NSW joins calls for its repeal.

Saying it was "not tolerable" that the federal government was treating aged care residents as if they were "second-class citizens" or "going into prison", commission president John Feneley on Monday added his organisation's weight to a growing list of peak bodies calling for the regulation's removal.

Tens of thousands of aged care residents were being denied treatment for mental health issues under a Medicare rule. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Fairfax Media reported last Sunday there was widespread neglect of mental healthcare in the homes, as tens of thousands of residents were being denied needed treatments, and that experts said the Medicare rule was a central cause.

Under the regulation, almost all nursing home residents are barred from GP mental health treatment plans and associated psychological therapies provided to other Australians through the Better Access Medicare program, because the government deems residents not to be patients "in the community".
Tigerair has temporarily suspended sales of flights to Bali after the Indonesian government unexpectedly cancelled an agreement with the airline.

The airline is sending empty planes to Bali to bring about 1000 stranded holidaymakers home to Australia by the end of Monday.

Tigerair spokeswoman Vanessa Regan said planning was under way to operate Virgin Australia relief flights from Bali to Australia from Tuesday if Indonesia did not grant approval for Tigerair to fly by the end of Monday.

She said sales of flights to Bali had been suspended for now but could resume any time.
A NSW Liberal MP has been accused of acting as a double agent during the last federal election and leaking information to Labor to "destroy" a party colleague.

The allegation, raised by former federal MP Russell Matheson in a complaint to Liberal officials on Friday, threatens to destabilise the party and prompt an investigation into state MP and powerbroker Jai Rowell.

Vehemently denies the allegation: Jai Rowell. Credit:Simon Bennett

Mr Rowell, the MP for Wollondilly, vehemently denies the allegations as the fabrications of troublemakers and says he was a strong supporter of Mr Matheson's.

Suspicions that Mr Matheson's campaign to hold the key western Sydney marginal seat of Macarthur was being undermined by leaks emerged early in the federal campaign.
At the time, it wasn't clear if it was a finger or a toe that had been found.

On December 23 police were called to Sydney's Balmoral Beach after a grisly find on the blood splattered floor of a toilet block.

"No victim could be found, no witnesses or victim have come forward and we have no CCTV of any incidents at the beach," police said at the time.

"The appendage has been examined by the forensic pathologist confirming it is in fact human and the injury is non-life threatening. A finger/Toe print check was of no help".

Initially, police held concerns for the four-fingered person's welfare. However, after hundreds of likes, shares and comments on Facebook, the owner of the finger finally contacted police, confirming the grisly find wasn't the result of a vicious crime. Rather, the owner of the appendage told police his finger had become trapped between the door and the frame.

"Well thank you for all the comments, as a direct result of the post we have now identified the young owner of the "finger" who unfortunately appears to have got it trapped between the door and the frame, causing the injury," Harbourside police posted on its Facebook page Thursday, three weeks after the initial call out for information.

Despite some Facebook users claiming the finger still looked "fresh", Harbourside police confirmed the finger couldn't be reattached.
It has become one of southern Sydney's biggest tourist attractions, and yet visitors are being actively encouraged not to visit the Figure Eight Pools, in the Royal National Park.

Almost exactly a year after 70 people were injured at the popular spot, the National Parks and Wildlife Service launched a website page this week dedicated to warning people of the dangers of the rock shelf and suggesting alternative locations for visitors.

The website's tag line "don't risk it" sends a clear message to stay away and the page features the hashtag "#notfigure8pools."

The website also has phrases such as "people often get dragged across the rocks by freak waves" and "instead of breaking a limb at Figure 8, try some other beautiful places to snap a selfie" as well as the warning "you think it can't happen to you?".
A federal Liberal party candidate praised by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as an "outstanding Australian" has been accused of not paying his election advertising bill and avoiding a local businessman chasing payment.

Former Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun personally booked full-page ads in four local Vietnamese-language newspapers in the final week of his campaign for the south-western Sydney seat of Werriwa.

But eight months later, the owner of the newspaper group, Ma Van Dung, told Fairfax Media that Mr Mannoun had not paid the $3500 owing and stopped returning his messages months ago.

"After [the] election many promises were made from him to pay," Mr Dung said. "[He] has neglected his responsibility".
Police are appealing for information following two separate reports of women being grabbed from behind and assaulted in Sydney's south

The same man is believed responsible for both attacks, police said.

The first incident happened about 8.10pm on Friday when a 19-year-old woman was grabbed from behind as she walked long Augusta Street in Allawah.

The man placed his hand over the woman's mouth and indecently assaulted her. The woman was able to break free and the man fled.
A teenager has been charged after allegedly crashing through a fence and into a residential pool at the Gold Coast on Friday evening.

Police were called to a Jacobs Well Road address in Pimpama about 8.30pm and found the car half-submerged in the pool.

A man has been charged with drink driving after allegedly crashing a car through a fence and into a residential pool on the Gold Coast. Credit:Sunrise - Twitter

The alleged driver fled the scene on foot but was found nearby a short time later.

No one was injured in the incident and the damage to the home will be assessed.
When did you last use your landline telephone at home? For a growing number of Australians, that's a moot question: they just don't have one.

Data released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority on November 30 shows that 5.78 million Australians  about 31 per cent  have no fixed landline at home.

The trend to abandon the landline seems inexorable.

ACMA reports that in 2009 nine in 10 households had a fixed landline. Recent ACMA surveys show two-thirds of consumers now say there is a fixed-line phone at their home.
A blaze at a derelict former primary school building in Melbourne's south-east has been deemed suspicious by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.

Firefighters were called to the old Clayton Primary School on Browns Road in Clayton about 2.15pm on Saturday.

The old Clayton Primary School building (in the yellow triangle) was alight. Credit:VicEmergency

Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman Trevor Woodward said there were fears squatters were inside the burning building.
A Perth mother has become the latest person to lock herself to machinery in an attempt to stop construction of the controversial $1.9 billion Perth Freight Link.

School counsellor Kirsty Low said she was determined to protect the Coolbellup Banksia Woodland and Beeliar Wetland for her children to experience and to preserve the habitat of endangered species.

Conservationists want the Roe 8 development stopped.

"I'm doing this for a community which opposes a toll road being constructed in WA wasting nearly $2 billion of taxpayer dollars," she said.

"A sensible plan would include rail to the inner harbour at Fremantle, which would reduce traffic congestion, make roads safer, and reduce exposure to carcinogenic diesel fuel particulate, and protect some of Perth's last remaining unique ecosystems."
Outside the camp in Serbia. Credit:CARE/NSHC/Markovic "Right now my biggest concern and what I spend a lot of my time on isn't legal, per se," Ms Ricker says. "It's making sure people are safe." At the start of winter a gas canister in a tent (many refugees use them for heating or to cook food) exploded, killing two people and injuring more. Ms Ricker went through the camp, tent by tent, to check gas canisters' integrity. Refugees in the snowy, cold warehouses in Serbia. Credit:CARE/NSHC/Markovic On Friday she spent hours trying to ensure that local hoteliers would honour a promise to put up a family of refugees. Last week she got in a car at 2am when she heard there was a room with heating she could move a client to.

There is pneumonia and bronchitis. They're seeing a lot of hypothermia. But there's a psychological aspect to the conditions as well, she says. Most Moria residents have been there for months. The sub-zero temperatures, snow and rain "deaden their spirit", she says. A young man stands at the port in the town of Mytilini while he waits to catch a ferry to Athens. Credit:Kate Geraghty She has noticed a rise in self-harm, too. In a way it's worse than the riots, which she sees at least as "an affirmation of life". But migrants who attempt suicide sometimes get fast-tracked to interviews. And when word of that spreads there is a spate of "cutting, drinking, poison, drugs". "It's really upsetting actually," she says. At a camp in Serbia, refugees wash their hands outside in the snow. Credit:CARE/NSHC/Markovic

As a lawyer she has been shocked to find that the anarchists run a good kitchen, while some police beat children: her group recently took a complaint to the local ombudsman which ended with a policeman facing criminal charges for beating a minor. But, she says, "I can also understand that (police) are under a great deal of stress. They are the only line of defence  in their minds  between this incredibly chaotic situation and their country". In response to the latest crisis Greece dispatched a navy ship to the islands, but it can only take hundreds on board where thousands are in need of help. Ms Ricker says it is shocking how little help the EU is providing Greece. A group of Belgian officials were pulled off the islands after the last riot, and they have been unable to find people to fill much-needed caseworker and translator positions. Meanwhile, border protection organisation Frontexthas hired 600 new employees.

"You would think that they would want to put the emphasis on those who can process (asylum) claims and get these people off these islands rather than just security," Ms Ricker says. Meanwhile, on the mainland, Belgrade is about to see a week of sub-zero temperatures. Ninja Taprogge, of CARE International, says there are more than 7000 migrants in Serbia of whom around 2000 are unregistered and living in Belgrade. Because of their status they cannot move to the well-equipped, heated refugee camps, where there are warm meals and classes and recreational opportunities for the children.. Instead they camp in abandoned warehouses in the city centre in extremely difficult conditions, Ms Taprogge says.

"I have seen people walking around in flip-flops (thongs) and bare feet, no warm clothes, they don't have proper winter jackets," she says. "They don't have access to water. They don't have access to sanitation facilities. It's just inhuman, inhumane conditions." The only thing keeping them going is "strong willpower", she says. But even those who survive the winter face a bleak future. Single male refugees who have made it to Serbia may have to wait an average two years before being able to leave the country, due to the glacier-like asylum bureaucracy. Loading
Senior US intelligence chiefs such as National Intelligence director James Clapper have staked their reputations on the claims. Credit:Bloomberg The imagined crisis sparked by the also-imaginary Robin Hoodhacker appeared last week in a special intelligence assessment written by US spy agencies. The report, Global Trends: Paradox of Progress, is the latest in a major series published every four years, usually about the time the US president begins their term in office. CIA director John Brennan. Credit:Pete Marovich The goal is to illustrate possible dangers in the years ahead and the gloomy conclusions of this latest report won't exactly endear the intelligence agencies to the president-elect.

"Populism will increase on the right and the left, threatening liberalism," the report says. A part of the declassified version Intelligence Community Assessment on Russia's efforts to interfere with the US political process. Credit:AP But what is on rare public display in this whole sorry saga is the challenge to make confident judgments without the full picture. How to navigate the realm of knowns and unknowns, to borrow a phrase. "The risk of conflict will grow. Warring will be less and less confined to the battlefield, and more aimed at disrupting societies  using cyber weapons from afar or suicide terrorists from within. "The silent, chronic threats of air pollution, water shortage, and climate change will become more noticeable."

Vladimir Putin's hackers tried to influence the US election in favour of Donald Trump according to American intelligence. Illustration: Joe Benke Credit:Joe Benke There is no guarantee any of these threats will come to pass, but the conclusions are intended to represent the best judgment of the intelligence analysts from the fragmentary material available. Giving leaders an edge Intelligence agencies spend a great deal of time seeking to anticipate future threats that might emerge, and the Americans spend more on intelligence agencies than any country, about $70 billion each year. The classified briefings were presented to President-elect Donald Trump by the four most senior US intelligence chiefs, including FBI director James Comey. Credit:AP

For the latest Global Trends report, the authors travelled to about 35 countries, speaking to about 2500 people from all walks of life to produce the 235-page assessment. The aim of such reports  the essence of the secret intelligence business  is to give political leaders an edge and inform their decision-making. The other side of intelligence is the chance for the secret sabotage of perceived enemies. Coincidentally, the Global Trends report was publicly released only a few days after intelligence chiefs from the CIA, FBI and NSA also handed over the far-more-sensational intelligence assessment to Trump and Barack Obama, about a targeted campaign ordered by Vladimir Putin to influence the presidential election. The conclusions were stunning. "Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," the spies alleged.

"We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump." Emails, hacked from Democratic Party officials, were said to have been covertly laundered to Wikileaks and other websites in order to create plausible deniability. When you put the two reports together, with intelligence agencies dreaming up nightmare scenarios in one, while claiming an actual nightmare of foreign interference in a democratic election in another, it's perhaps not such a surprise there are doubts about the true extent of Russia's actions in the US elections. It's certainly a doubt Trump wants to exploit, now the very legitimacy of his presidency is under unprecedented assault. "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," Trump's campaign scornfully said as they dismissed the initial claims that Russia had secretly backed his quest for the White House.

And while Trump now concedes Russian operatives probably did hack the Democratic Party, he has continued to belittle the intelligence agencies, blaming them for the release last week of a sordid dossier of supposed blackmail material alleging he consorted with prostitutes in Moscow and agreed to become a stooge for the Kremlin. Lessons from Iraq So, who to believe? "Iraq was 14 years ago," Mark Lowenthal, a former assistant director at the CIA, tells Fairfax Media. "Time to move on. There must be a statute of limitations." "A lot was learned from that experience and it is reflected in the new report, especially the details on what we call analytic tradecraft. They try to give a very good sense of how they arrive at conclusions based on sometimes incomplete intelligence."

Intelligence assessments draw on all the strands of collected secrets  signals intercepts plucked from the skies, carefully cultivated agents inside foreign governments or rogue outfits, or information freely available in the public domain. But what is on rare public display in this whole sorry saga is the challenge to make confident judgments without the full picture. How to navigate the realm of knowns and unknowns, to borrow a phrase. Before the Russian hacking story, the most contentious intelligence assessments dated back to late in the Bush era, when US spy agencies judged Iran had abandoned efforts to build a nuclear bomb. Before that, it was the claim of WMD in Iraq and how those entrusted with the job of national security missed the September 11, 2001, attacks. The report is careful to explain two elements of reaching an intelligence judgment  "how likely it is that something has happened or will happen (using terms such as 'likely' or 'unlikely') and confidence levels in those judgments (low, moderate, and high)".

There is also a difference of agreement between the agencies on the judgment that Putin set out to discredit Clinton, with the CIA and FBI expressing high confidence, the NSA moderate support. "Not at all unusual," says Lowenthal about the contested assessment. "Depends largely on sources and how one reads them. But this is a nuance. They are agreeing on the basic finding." But in the Russian hacking report, the conclusions are presented to the public without evidence. "The release of such information would reveal sensitive sources or methods and imperil the ability to collect critical foreign in the future," the agencies said. As another CIA veteran Steven Hall wrote in The Washington Post: "Facts may help resolve the matter, but in revealing the facts, the government may also reveal how we got them. It is truly not an overstatement to say that technical capabilities we have spent years and millions to develop could be rendered useless in one news cycle if disclosure is not handled correctly. Worse  and I do not exaggerate  if it were human sources that provided the information, they could lose their lives."

Trust us, in other words. But trust is a big ask from agencies that often rely on deception. "One must not be seduced by spies and their agenda," wrote Bob Carr in his diary after a meeting with the CIA during his stint as Australian foreign minister. Filling in the blanks People don't generally like uncertainty. Absent a display of firm evidence, the result is all kinds of speculation, filling in the gaps with your personal experience or world view. If you're a Trump supporter, you might dismiss the Russian hacking story, believing the controversy to be merely sour grapes on the part of Clinton supporters.

Democrats, on the other hand, are seizing on the claims of Russian manipulation and the fact Clinton won the count in the popular vote to cry foul, yet conveniently ignoring the political weaknesses of her campaign. Russians, meanwhile, are scathing. "One may not only fool others, but oneself as well," commentator Vadim Poegli observed in the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, also reflecting the common view of the Russian officialdom. Ironically, there is a strand of thought in Moscow that the CIA was secretly behind the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the intelligence assessment on Russia's activities is that the agencies have been so willing to associate themselves with the claims publicly, instead of hiding in the shadows. They make the point that every activity online leaves a trail. The classified briefings were presented to Trump by the four most senior US intelligence chiefs: National Intelligence director James Clapper, FBI director James Comey, CIA director John Brennan, and NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers. Their reputations are staked on these claims. While there have been selective leaks and racy reports about what was said, the essence on the conclusions were also released, appropriately enough in this social media age, on the official Tumblr blog of the intelligence community.

The absence of incontrovertible evidence, of course, encourages doubters. Plenty dismiss the report as biased attempt by partisan, Obama-appointed officials to discredit Trump, while Trump himself has seized on the fact the agencies made no effect to judge the impact Russian hacking had on the outcome of the election. Claims of the politicisation of intelligence assessments  crafting them to suit the ideological disposition of their authors  go back decades. In the 1970s, senior CIA officer John Huizenga was damning of the agency's influence on official policy in an interview with historians. "I think that intelligence has had relatively little impact on the policies that we've made over the years. Relatively none," Huizenga said. "By and large, the intelligence effort did not alter the premises with which political leadership came to office. They brought their baggage and they more or less carried it along." Loading
Donald Trump criticised Civil Rights leader John Lewis a day after the Georgia congressman said he doesn't consider him "a legitimate president".

In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press With Chuck Todd that will air in full on Sunday, Lewis said he doesn't plan to attend Trump's inauguration on January 20, the first such swearing-in he'll miss since being elected to Congress in 1986.

Trump said in a pair of Twitter posts on Saturday that Lewis "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk  no action or results. Sad!"

The exchange came two days before Monday's Martin Luther King holiday in the US, honouring the slain Civil Rights leader with whom Lewis worked closely in the 1960s.
For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser
PHILIPSBURG:--- On December 13th, the Office of Tourism went to Toronto for a "launching event", the first of its kind in the capital of Ontario, which was designed to attract more Canadians on our territory. The Director Kate Richardson and the promotional representative in Canada / Yachting / Cruise, Emile Louisy, went to the largest Canadian city for a day of promotional activities that was organized at the initiative of the Office of Tourism in partnership with Atout France, the agency for tourism development of France. Two highlights marked this visit that was designed to present all aspects of our destination that took place on the grounds of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Fifteen Canadian travel journalists were invited to a press luncheon, among them some media heavy weights. Ms. Richardson interacted with the correspondents of the Toronto Star during a special rendez-vous. During the evening, the Office of Tourism then welcomed 60 tour operators and travel agents. After benefiting from a presentation of the destination, the guests were invited to ask all their questions, among them what was the interest of encouraging Canadian customers to visit St. Martin. The Office of Tourism did not fail to highlight the specificity of the island, the only territory in the Caribbean shared between two nationalities: "Saint-Martin and Canada have several things in common" Kate Richardson noted, in front of the audience. Two languages and one flag for this country in North America, is a political and administrative context that is not without interest for our small island with two aspects.

A Luxury clientele

The interesting feature about Canadians is that they are familiar with Saint-Martin. Besides, they usually return after a first stay. Initially, this customer ops for the all-inclusive or cruise. "These are products used to entice because when they return, they choose another type of accommodation that is more selective, they are more and more interested in the luxury product" Emile Louisy said. "Either the large and beautiful villas or what North Americans call boutique hotels". With a high GDP, Canada indeed constitutes a market with strong purchasing power for our tourism destination. As Saint-Martin disposes of all the potential to meet the expectations of these citizens, in search of Sun during the winter period, and divers tourist activities. "A touch of Europe"

"The fact that our territory is French is also a strong attraction to the destination for this clientele, whether they be anglophone or francophone," added Emile Louisy. A little piece of France in the Caribbean isnt without charm for the Canadian advocates of the language of Moliere. "A touch of Europe" headlined paxnews.com in an article published on December 14th at the end of the visit in Toronto. In 2015, St. Martin attracted some 45,000 Canadians who landed at Juliana airport. The Office of Tourism visits there several times a year, especially to represent our island at the travel shows, because all the lights are green for the possibility of doubling the number of visitors.
CORRECTION  CloudGenix Partners with Converged Network Services Group in Master Agent Agreement

SAN JOSE, CA  (Marketwired)  01/13/17  In the news release, CloudGenix Partners with Converged Network Services Group in Master Agent Agreement, issued Thursday, January 12, 2017 by CloudGenix, we are advised by the company that the date of the webinar in the fifth paragraph should read January 18 rather than February 18 as originally issued. Complete corrected text follows.

Partnership Will Drive Adoption of CloudGenix Leading SD-WAN Solution; Delivers Aggregated Telecom Solutions with Unique Application-Defined Fabric

SAN JOSE, CA  January 12, 2017  , Inc., the software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) leader, today announced it has entered into a master agent agreement with Converged Network Services Group (CNSG), the premier Master Distributor for connectivity, cloud and cloud enablement. With this partnership, CloudGenix will accelerate its business development, while CNSG will add the CloudGenix Instant-On Networks (ION) product family to its portfolio of solutions. With CloudGenix ION, CNSG and its partners can now provide customers with the best solutions for their connectivity needs, independent of carriers and connectivity transports.

CNSG, a solutions provider for end-to-end telecommunications services, has a decade-long track record of helping businesses manage their communications infrastructure. Together, CNSG and CloudGenix will provide customers with not only a best-of-breed connectivity solution, but will also deliver SLAs for cloud applications such as Office365, AWS, Azure, Unified Communications and VoIP. CloudGenix ION eliminates complex routing protocols and hardware routers, enabling direct setup of business rules and app SLAs, while also reducing WAN costs by 50 to 70 percent. All network and app flows are stored in a centralized database, providing customer access to native, actionable application and network insights. CloudGenix uniquely delivers single-sided, per-app controls and SLAs for cloud apps.

CNSG is committed to working with only the best-of-breed technology suppliers to deliver the highest quality solutions for our partners and their customers, said Randy Friedberg, vice president of Business Development at CNSG. Our alliance with CloudGenix reflects this mission, and ensures our product portfolio continues to align with customers needs for cost savings and unmatched application performance. CloudGenix uniquely offers provider-agnostic SD-WAN solutions and provides unmatched support for our partners.

This agreement is a win all around: CNSG benefits from leading-edge SD-WAN product offerings for its customers that enables its telco aggregation service, CloudGenix is partnering with a leader in the industry, while customers benefit with cost savings, streamlined business processes and a solution that will take them into the future, said Kumar Ramachandran, CEO of CloudGenix. Its a strong strategic fit that maximizes the strengths of both companies.

Register for a January 18, 2017 webinar featuring CNSG and CloudGenix, which will discuss the successes companies are realizing with CloudGenix SD-WAN.

CloudGenix () is the software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) leader, revolutionizing networking by transforming legacy WANs into a radically simplified, secure, application-defined fabric and virtualizing heterogeneous underlying transports into a unified hybrid WAN. Enabling application-specific, service-level agreements (SLAs), CloudGenix controls network application performance based upon application-performance SLAs and business priority. CloudGenix ION (Instant-On Network) radically simplifies how WANs are designed and managed, enabling customers to build networks without networking, and achieve more than twice the performance at less than half the cost  leading to a much faster time-to-value once deployed  and extending data center-class security to the network edge. Founded in 2013 by a team that has previously delivered industry-leading products in networking, SDN, cloud, security and web-scale applications, CloudGenix serves world-class financial services, legal, retail and technology organizations. The company is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Charles River Ventures and the Mayfield Fund and has headquarters in San Jose, California.

Converged Network Services Group is the Premier Master Distributor for Cloud, Connectivity, and Cloud Enablement. Led by form C-Level Carrier Executives and supported by the most experienced sales team in the industry, CNSG provides assistance with every aspect of Discovery, Design and Delivery. CNSG is committed to the core philosophy of earning business by building and maintaining true partnerships with every customer, partner and supplier. This unwavering commitment to the success of our partnerships has enabled CNSG to be recognized as the fastest growing Master Distributor in the industry. For more information about CNSG, please visit or call toll free 866.738.1622.

Amber Pineda

BOCA Communications

Shaquille Fontenot

Director of Marketing, CNSG
Mex Express Grill blends authenticity, value and speed

Mex Express Grill recently opened in the spot that was occupied by a long-time neighborhood tavern in South Bend.
The city of Flagstaff has asked to withdraw its paid membership from the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce.

City spokesperson Meg Roederer confirmed that City Manager Josh Copley sent the chamber a letter stating that the city would like discontinue its membership. She said Copley made the decision to discontinue, and that it was not a Flagstaff City Council decision.

In the letter, Copley states that the Chamber has engaged in some political activities, including the support of select candidates for city council and advocacy for certain positions with respect to voter initiated ballot questions.

After careful consideration, I have determined that the use of public funds to continue to pay for the citys membership in the Chamber is inappropriate at this time and possibly constitutes a violation of Arizona Revised Statutes 9-500.14, which prohibits the city from using its resources for the purpose of influencing the outcomes of elections.

Copley goes on to state that the city will continue to work with the Chamber on other items of public interest and that this discontinuation of our membership is only a reflection of our desire to assure that public monies are expended in strict accordance with the law.

The Flagstaff Chamber has its own political action committee, BizPac, that handles most of the Chambers political business, including endorsing candidates and ballot propositions.

Mayor Coral Evans, who is also a small business owner, said she supported the decision in an email to the Arizona Daily Sun.

As Mayor I support the city manager's administrative decision to end the city's membership in the Chamber of Commerce as it is paid for with taxpayer dollars and then used for political activities, she wrote. The Chamber and the City have worked in partnership for many years; this decision is not about our partnership, but the appropriate use of public dollars.

As a small business owner and director of a nonprofit I respect the work the Chamber does on behalf of local businesses, she said. In many towns and cities the local governments work with Chambers as non-dues paying members to advance business and economic development. I look forward to working with the Chamber of Commerce and all our business organizations to make Flagstaff the best town to work, live and play.

The Chamber did not comment on the matter. The Chamber is a 501(c)(6) organization under the Internal Revenue Service. According to IRS.gov, it may lobby on business matters. It may also engage in political campaigns on behalf or in opposition to candidates for public office, as long as those campaign activities are not the organizations primary activity.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Obama administration is aware of frequent contacts between President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russia's ambassador to the United States, including on the day President Barack Obama hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior U.S. official said Friday.

One day after Obama announced the sanctions and expelled dozens of Russian officials from the U.S., Russian President Vladimir Putin said he did not plan to retaliate. President-elect Trump, who has been complimentary of Putin, praised the Russian leader's decision.

It's not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But the multiple contacts on Dec. 29  the day Obama imposed sanctions  would raise questions about whether Trump's team discussed Russia's response.

Trump transition spokesman Sean Spicer said Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke on the phone around the time of the sanctions announcement, although Spicer said the conversation happened a day earlier, on Dec. 28.

"The call centered around the logistics of setting up a call with the president of Russia and the president-elect after he was sworn in, and they exchanged logistical information on how to initiate and schedule that call," Spicer told reporters Friday. "That was it, plain and simple."

Trump has repeatedly called for improving U.S. relations with Russia, which deteriorated under the Obama administration. During a news conference Wednesday, Trump said, "If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia."

Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The official who spoke to The Associated Press was not authorized to confirm the contacts publicly and insisted on anonymity.

The official said Flynn and Kislyak have also been in contact at other times.

Spicer said they exchanged Christmas greetings via text over the holidays.

It's unclear how U.S. officials became aware of the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak, who has served as Russia's envoy to the U.S. since 2008. U.S. monitoring of Russian officials' communication within the United States is known to be common.

Flynn has spoken with other foreign officials since Trump won the November election, as have incoming White House senior advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 76F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city.

Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea
Madrid, Jan 13, 2017 (SPS) - The senator of the Spanish province El Hierro, Pablo Rodriguez, called the Spanish government to get more involved in the struggle for the Sahrawi peoples right to self-determination while respecting the United Nations resolutions relating to the organization of a referendum in Western Sahara.

In a motion, the senator called for a more active attitude from the Spanish authorities, while expressing his support to the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, said EFE agency.

The senator said that the Spanish State, as well as the international community and notably the European Union must comply with the international law and demanded from Morocco to stop repression in Western Sahara and the release of all the Sahrawi political prisoners, human rights defenders.

He also called to extend the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to the monitoring of human rights.

While requesting to increase the humanitarian aid destined to the Sahrawi people in the refugee camps, the senator Rodriguez underlined that the Polisario Front must be recognized as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people. (SPS)

062/090/700




Managua (Nicaragua), January 14, 2017 (SPS) - Nicaragua's President-elect, Daniel Ortega, reiterated the unconditional support and solidarity of the Nicaraguan government for the just Saharawi cause, during his meeting with President of the Saharawi National Council, Khatri Addouh.

President Daniel Ortega stressed that "the Saharawi people have endured a long time as it struggles to complete its national sovereignty and get their civil and economic rights."

The President of the National Council, accompanied by the Saharawi Ambassador to Nicaragua Sulaiman Al-Tayeb Hannan, handed a message from the President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, to Nicaraguan President-elect Daniel Ortega, congratulating him on his victory in the legislative elections, along with his deputy, Rosario Murillo.

The Sahrawi delegation briefed the Nicaraguan president on the latest developments related to the national cause. The two parties vowed to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields. (SPS)

062/090/TRA
It feels a bit cheap to bring up Walgreens again so soon, but how can I resist when I keep finding such great stuff there. So with that, The Throwback Machine brings you, from the April 26, 1972, Journal Gazette, this very small portion of a full page, back-of-paper, Walgreens advertisement featuring some, and Im not making this up, POW!-underful savings on some radios.

And wow, A.M. tuners only. I get it, it was the early 70s; A.M. radio was your number one source for listening to your favorite music in flat mono sound interrupted only by interference from lightening happening somewhere within a 100--mile radius.

That Panasonic clock radio you see in the center of the ad is actually a spot on match for the one I had bequeathed to me by my parents when I was a little guy. It was the kind that had the flip-down numbers, you know the ones that would go flipppppp when youd spin the little knob, and a numbered drum inside that youd turn until the station youd want was all lined up with the orange plastic pointer.

Oh, and it always made this sound of tiny gears grinding, which made it the perfect thing to fall asleep to, which I would, setting the sleep timer to the sounds of WLS-AM out of Chicago, making me probably part of the last generation to be aware of the names Larry Lujack or John Landecker.

Eventually, WLS became an all-talk station, so with much regret I had to turn to my trusty General Electric cassette player what with its FM tuner; all my favorite songs now in glorious stereo sound, and just like Steely Dan sang, no static at all, although in retrospect I could have been struck by lightning at any time with no notice.

And because I had cassette capability that meant I could, at long last, tape my favorite songs directly off the radio. Thats right kids, why pester your parents for enough change to pick up the latest tunes at Mr. Music or at 3-D Discount when you could just sit by your radio for hours on end prepared to fly across the room and slam the RECORD button down in time to catch your favorite song?

After just one boring Cooks Mills Saturday night in my bedroom Id have an entire 60 minute K-Mart brand blank tape filled with some of the best radio-ready singles of the 80s, almost all of which held such great memories that, of course, I still have them in some shoeboxes. One tape had some weird electro-pop jam sung almost entirely in German that haunted me like some unknown spirit all through my adolescent and teen years until the Internet made it possible to just look this stuff up. It was Vienna Calling by the late, great Falco, by the way.

I didnt realize it until as I was writing this, but I kept up the taping off the radio habit well into the early 90s, except by that point I had turned the crank over to 94.5 WLRW in Champaign, never missing their nightly Top Five at Nine. And having upgraded to Memorex tapes by this point, I continued to tape and re-tape the same cassettes with the hot singles of the era until they played a little song called Losing my Religion by R.E.M. It had mandolins in it, which insured it sounded like nothing that was on pop radio at the time, and promptly changed how I viewed music in the same way The Beatles probably did for my parents, or at least some peoples parentsmy dad was almost more of a Who-Rolling Stones Guy (as am I).

I promptly got my mom to take me to K-Mart at the Cross County Mall where I purchased my first R.E.M. CD and from that point forward, all my new music came via the records I was buying or what I was seeing on MTV.

Although I used to strain the little antenna on my Gerrard CD Player to pick up 107.1 The Planet out of Champaign-Urbana in my unquenchable urge to listen to the hip alternative rock I just couldnt get anywhere else. Thats where I heard the faint strains of a song called Saturday by The Judybats, a song that lived only as a faint memory in my head until I finally tracked it down on a used CD a couple years ago.

For whatever reason, I still had this thing for radio though, music nerd that I was. But I remember a fortuitous encounter with a couple of glum looking dee-jays at a radio sponsored 80s dance party held in the pavilion at Peterson park my senior year. I sidled up to them between songs and told them that I was thinking of going into broadcasting after high school.

They offered the requisite encouragement but one of them promptly lowered his voice and said Its tough manI cant lie to you and the guy next to him just gave me this look over his shoulder like Run away, kid. Run as fast as you can.

Six months and one Intro to Broadcasting Class at Lake Land later, back I was, an English major. Ten years after that, Apple made this little metal box called an iPod, and after that, with the help of an in-car tape deck adapter from Radio Shack, radio and I pretty much parted ways, mostly for good.

Still, I cant help but wonder if theres a parallel universe version of me out there in the cosmos who never made that change, and who spends his nights in his underground bunker transmitting his favorite tracks across the low end of the dial, kicking off every hour on the hour with Vienna Calling of course; and maybe someone somewhere is listening to it on their, you guessed it, AM/FM clock radio.

But then, isnt that kind of what I do with this column every week anyway? No batteries required. No static at all.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  The citys Downtown Special Services District is facing scrutiny from some of its constituents as the business improvement organization enters its 25th year.

The organization started as a task force of sorts in 1992, charged with cleaning up the formerly dark, dirty and crime-ridden downtown and advocating for local businesses so they can thrive.

But some say the group has lost sight of its mission. Chef Erik Erlichson of Chez Vous Bistro on Bedford Street, who most recently battled with the DSSD over a complicated surveying and permitting process for outdoor seating, said the organization has a communication problem.

Erlichson said he got burned when he suggested that restaurants form a committee in the wake of his al fresco-dining debacle. A few weeks later, he says the DSSD had quietly formed the committee, without including him.

They make these plans and definitive decisions without ever consulting the businesses, he said.

Michael Warde, who owns Montana for Men, a barber shop on Bank Street, said he feels shut out of the DSSDs inner circle.

Sandy Goldstein, president of the DSSD, disagrees.

All of my meetings are open. I believe strongly in transparency, she said. Anyone with a grievance can come to any meeting.

Still, the DSSD fortress is tightly woven. Goldsteins staff answers to a 35-member Board of Commissioners, 60 percent of whom must own property downtown. According to city ordinance, the district is a body politic and corporate, subject to such statutes and regulations that govern such a legal body.

A portion of revenue from property taxes in the district funds the DSSDs budget, which the board votes on annually.

Its the property owners who have voting power, and thats the way it was always supposed to be, Goldstein said. If somebody wanted to be a commissioner, all they have to do is call me and during the nomination process in April that name would be entered.

Swept under

Thats not comforting to Warde, who says hes never been interested in joining the board.

I dont have the time for it  Im too busy trying to service my clientele, he said. That doesnt mean I should just be swept under the rug.

Warde says the DSSD is so caged in that he resorted to filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the organization, related to the decisions that were made during the busy Alive@Five concert season last summer.

He battled with the organization all summer over lost parking spaces during the Thursday night event in Columbus Park. When the DSSD invited him to a meeting with the other Alive@Five businesses to discuss a solution, it was too little too late.

The meeting was the next day at 3 p.m. Later I found out all of the other businesses got their invites the week before, Warde said. The most disappointing thing to me is that theres been no outreach from the DSSD at all since the summer.

Rapid growth

As anyone who has wrestled for an afternoon parking spot on Bedford Street or stood in line outside Brother Jimmys BBQ on a Saturday night can tell you now: Stamfords downtown is bustling.

In addition to a rapid influx in downtown housing  an increase of 10,000 units in the last decade  the retail vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, according to Goldstein, by far the lowest in the city,

With success comes a new bundle of challenges for the DSSD, including parking availability, sidewalk uses, and most of all: keeping the growing business population happy.

You try to work it all out and sometimes youre successful and sometimes youre less successful, Goldstein said. Everything that we do is done to enhance the downtown as either a neighborhood or a destination or to enhance businesses.

While Erlichson and Warde agree that Goldstein and her staff do a lot of good for the downtown, theyre worried that the DSSD isnt standing up for them when it counts.

Ive stayed quiet for a long time, but I feel like the glass has tipped over, Erlichson said. Theres a disconnect between what the DSSD thinks is right and what is really right for all of the businesses down here. I just want to feel like my voice is being heard.

A big tent

Greg Lodato, Erlichsons landlord and one of the most prominent property owners on Bedford Street, said getting caught up in individual arguments is detrimental to the DSSDs overall goal.

Look, the DSSD is a big tent, he said. We squabble over small issues, but I dont think anyone is being ignored. You cant please everyone 100 percent of the time. Of course I dont align with them on everything, but at the end of the day, none of this is possible without the DSSD.

Lodato, who is also a longtime member of the Board of Commissioners, remembers what the downtown looked like before the DSSD stepped in.

I had an apartment on Spring Street, and I didnt like walking places at night. Bedford Street was just dead, he said. The DSSD was able to step back and look at the big picture. Without them, landlords would still be flying blind and we wouldnt have this great retail scene were trying to build.

Retailer and restaurateur grievances notwithstanding, Goldstein says the DSSD still has a lot of work to do. On her list for the next five years is better access to the train station, a re-imagined Veterans Memorial Park and a more college-friendly environment for the UConn students arriving this fall.

Anytime anyone says they are satisfied with what theyve done, they should be kicked out of whatever position theyre in, Goldstein said. I love downtown, and in many ways its thriving. But when I look around, I see all of the things that have to be improved.

nora.naughton@scni.com; @noranaughton
I t may only be January but the Creme Egg cafe is returning to London after the Soho pop-up sold out in under an hour last year.

The pop-up is back offering an immersive haven for Creme Egg lovers in the form of a Hunting Lodge that will tour the UK in aid of charity.

The eggstravaganza is making a comeback at The London Eye on January 27 to raise money for The Princes Trust.

The Cadbury Creme Egg Hunting Lodge will include an egg hunt and a new menu of Gooey Creme Egg Smores  thats Creme Egg pieces and a giant marshmallow sandwiched between two biscuits  as well as cake, toasties and hot chocolates.

Last year the pop-up sold out in just an hour

The Hunting Lodge is only around until February 26  tickets cost 4.71 and can be purchased here.
A man was stabbed and two others were run down by a car when a mass brawl broke out in east London, police say.

Mare Street in Hackney was cordoned off as officers and ambulances descended on the area just after 9pm on Friday.

Two injured men were found lying on the pavement just across the road from St Thomas Square.

Detectives believe they were run down by a vehicle after a fight broke out in the square.

Both were taken to hospital where their condition is described as not life-threatening.

Stabbing: The road was cordoned off / Kay McMahon

Later that evening, a man turned up at an east London hospital suffering from knife wounds and was treated for his injuries.

Images from the scene showed a huge police presence with buses and cars prevented from driving down the road.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: At this early stage, it is believed that a number of males were involved in a fight in St Thomas Square, which resulted in two men in their 30s being struck by a car and a third male, also aged in his 30s being stabbed.

Two men have been arrested over the violence and are currently being quizzed by police.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.
A man has been left seriously injured after he was knocked down by a car in a north London hit-and-run, police say.

The stricken man was found in Tollington Road, near the junction with Hertslet Road and the Morrisons supermarket in Holloway at around 9.25pm on Friday.

Police said the man, in his 60s, was rushed to hospital where his condition is described as serious but not life-threatening.

The driver of the car which hit him did not stop at the scene of the crash.

Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, part of the Roads and Transport Policing Command, are investigating but have made no arrests so far.

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8991 9555 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A man is fighting for life after being knifed in east London.

The 49-year-old victim was rushed to hospital in a critical condition following the stabbing in Leytonstone.

Metropolitan Police officers were called to Trinity Close, near to Leytonstone High Road station, just before 5.30am on Saturday after the injured man was discovered.

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

A Met Police spokesman said: Police were called by London Ambulance Service at approximately 5.25am on Saturday, January 14 to reports of a man stabbed in Trinity Close.

Officers attended and a man, aged 49, was taken to an east London hospital for treatment - he remains in a critical condition.

Officers from Waltham Forest CID investigate.
A woman wearing a hijab claims she was racially abused by a thug who spat in her face at a west London chip shop.

Nahella Ashraf had been eating at a shop in Hammersmith with a group of friends after a business meeting in town when the attack took place.

The 46-year-old Government researcher and anti-racism capaigner said she had been in the King Street shop for around 45 minutes before being hit with a barrage of vile Islamophobic abuse by one of the customers.

She told the Standard: I guess he was sat behind me and as he went to leave he grabbed my arm.

He started sort of screaming stuff, saying he wouldnt tolerate people like me being there.

Ms Ashraf said shocked shop staff tried to intervene, with one pulling the man away and asking what the problem was.

She explained: He was just saying people like her, they kill people. You shouldnt have her in here

And then, as he was saying this, he spat in my face.

Thats when the guy in the shop started moving him out of the takeaway.

Ms Ashraf, who is part of the organisation Stand Up To Racism, had been visiting the capital from her Manchester home and said the abuse in a multicultural area like London left her horrified.

Campaigner: Ms Ashraf has urged people to join an anti-racism march / Nahella Ashraf

She said: The most shocking thing is you dont expect it when youre in a crowded place in central London.

It makes me think if it can happen there it can happen in a lot of other places you dont hear about. People just dont report it.

There was a spike in hate crime in the capital following the Brexit vote, but Ms Ashraf said the problems stemmed from hysteria over the hijab and people blaming social problems like austerity on minority groups.

I dont think people overnight became racist in this country, she said.

When you look at the figures, its more Muslim women rather than Muslim men that are being attacked.

In any other culture it wouldnt be acceptable to talk about a womans dress  its their choice.

But for Muslim women its open season. Its just shocking.

Ms Ashraf said she was encouraging people to join a series of marches on March 18 to mark UN Anti-Racism Day.

She said: People need to get on the streets on that day to show the racists arent the majority.

Police confirmed they were treating the incident, which took place on January 6 at around 9.30pm, as a racially-aggravated hate crime.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: Officers attended but the suspect had already fled the scene, in the direction of Hammersmith Underground Station.

The suspect is described as a male of Arab appearance, aged in his 30s, about 5ft 9ins tall, with facial hair, balding head and a non-British accent.

He was wearing a green hooded jacket.

Anyone with information should call police on in Hammersmith and Fulham via 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
A n urgent investigation has been launched after Londons largest health trust was hit by a cyber attack.

Barts Health Trust, which runs four hospitals in east London - The Royal London, St Bartholomew's, Whipps Cross and Newham  said it did not initially appear patients data had been compromised in this week's breach.

It was initially believed the attack was ransomware, where recipients are tricked into opening attachments, releasing malware onto their system in a technique known as phishing.

However, a spokesman for the trust said that had now been ruled out.

Many of the hospital systems were back up and running as usual on Saturday morning, the trust said.

A trust spokeswoman said: We continue to urgently investigate this matter and have taken a number of drives offline as a precautionary measure. Importantly, we can now rule out ransomware as the root cause.

We have also established that in addition to the trust's core clinical system Cerner Millennium, radiology and imaging from x-rays and scans continue to be used as normal.

We have tried and tested contingency plans in place and are making every effort to ensure that patient care will not be affected.'

The incident follows a cyberattack on the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust in October, when malware was used to encrypt files on the trust's system and demand a ransom in order to access them again.

The trust did not pay the ransom, but was forced to cancel patient appointments as its systems were shut down to remove the virus.
Trumps landslide victory offers this great country renewed hope, not just in our president but also in the American people. Conservatives have seen the light all along but they were in the minority. Those middle-of-the-road independent voters finally woke up and saw the light. The radical left alienates the independent voter with every crazy thing they do. While Trump will likely go down as the greatest president ever, it is the independent voters shift to the right that will save our country.

With Trumps inauguration right around the corner, the liberal freak show is just getting more and more bizarre. With every insane comment and every evil deed, liberals are pushing independent voters farther to the right. This bodes very well for the salvation of our country which will soon be governed by a republican president, a republican senate and a republican house. This republican domination isnt going to change any time soon. Trump is going to get a chance to solidly win over those independents for the long haul while the whacko liberals will continue pushing them that way as well.

The evil, weird, corrupt, lying liberals are their own worst enemy. Think about it, what kind of intelligent rational person is going to side with a bunch of wackos? The democratic party is not the same one our grandparents knew. Think about it; the LGBT, illegals, BLM, muslims, terrorists, crooks, environmental freaks, atheists, etc. are all democrats!

Trumps policies are going to revive our economy just as his victory in November instantly ignited the stock market. Independent voters who have already shifted right will do so in even greater numbers once they see his policies work. Meanwhile the liberals will continue their insanity and even the lame-stream media wont be able to stop the shift to the right.

It will be really fun to watch the implosion of the democratic party in the coming months as (Obama) is proven to be born in Kenya, (Hillary) goes to prison and nameless, gutless liberals hide behind computer screens and push more people to the right with their freak-show antics.

Our country has been saved! Thank you Oh Lord! Good riddance Hussein!

Henry Hortenstine, Mattoon
A row has erupted over an artisan gluten-free bakery's plan to sell alcohol late at night in Islington.

Homeowners on Upper Street have pleaded with Islington council not to grant an alcohol licence to Beyond Bread, which opened in July last year.

They say another late night venue on the busy high street, where a two-bed flat costs upwards of 600,000, will make it more unsafe, louder and more polluted.

But the bakery, which currently sells a range of coeliac-friendly breads, cakes and lunches, says it simply hopes "to offer something that everyone who isnt coeliac can get already - a beer with their food.

Beyond Bread wants permission to sell a small range of gluten-free alcoholic drinks late into the evening.

Upset by the plans, nine nearby residents have sent passionate letters imploring the councils licensing sub-committee to reject the application at its meeting on January 17.

Daniel Whitton said: It appears that a cumulate affect is happening in the area of increased noise, pollution and the threat and effects of crime  late night licences will only add to the problem and increase the number of people coming to the area, making it more unsafe, louder and more polluted.

Only two weeks ago I witnessed a full on brawl outside the flat where a man was seen barging a police officer and getting arrested in the process. These incidents will increase with more access to alcohol.

Upper Street: residents claim late night drinking and vandalism is on the up (NIGEL HOWARD) / NIGEL HOWARD 

Another person added: I also just don't feel a coffee shop or any other venue selling alcohol in this area is necessary - we have a very heavy populated area of bars and restaurants already selling alcohol late at night that there can't possibly be a need for another."

They said there has been a rise in vandalism with two shops having heir windows smashed, adding: I worry that opening yet another alcohol serving venue will only exacerbate an already difficult and upsetting situation for local residents.

Beyond Bread, which has won awards for its gluten-free goods, plans to open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 11pm on every other day.

Manager Andrew McKenna told the Standard: We are not going to turn the place into a bar or a late-night drinking venue. Far from it.

We just want to level it up a bit. If you have a bite to eat at lunch you might want a gluten-free beer or Bloody Mary to go with it, or a glass of rose with a mezze sharing platter in the evening."

He added that customers would not be able to purchase alcoholic drinks if they are not having food as well.

Coeliac UK, the world's largest national charity for coeliacs, has given its "full support" to the licence application.

"We feel that being granted the ability to serve alcohol will greatly enhance Beyond Bread's appeal not only for our members but for the general public at large and will help improve the options for people with coeliac disease," said a spokeswoman.
S even people had to be rescued after a cargo ship sunk off the Kent coast in stormy conditions on Friday night.

The 90m vessel made a mayday call around 65km north east of Ramsgate shortly before midnight.

Search and rescue helicopters from the UK and the Netherlands as well as an RNLI lifeboat went to the sinking ship to help the crew.

Steve Carson, UK Coastguard duty commander, said: "Following a mayday broadcast from the sinking vessel, we sent multiple assets to the scene to rescue the crew who abandoned ship.

"The weather on scene has been challenging but we are pleased to report that all the crew have been rescued and are on their way to hospital."

It comes after storms battered the coasts of Kent, Essex and Suffolk, forcing thousand sof residents to evacuate their homes and spend the night in refuge centres.

There were 16 severe flood warnings - which warn of a danger to life - in place for Friday lunchtime.
A teacher who became pregnant after "near daily" sex with a 13-year-old pupil has been jailed for 10 years.

Alexandria Vera, 24, met the eighth grade student in a summer school English class in 2015.

Last January she became pregnant by the teen but had an abortion after being questioned by officials about the relationship, the Daily News reported.

The teacher, who worked at Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas, told police she and the boy were in love.

Teacher: Alexandria Vera arrives in court / AP

It was also claimed she was introduced to the teens family as his girlfriend and they had let their son stay over at her house.

According to investigators, the pair had sex on a "near daily" basis over a nine month period.

She briefly went on the run when news of the fling surfaced, sparking a police hunt, before eventually turning herself in.

After initially facing a longer prison term for sexual abuse, she received a lesser sentence on Friday for pleading guilty to a lesser charge, local media reported.

Sentencing her to a decade behind bars, State District Judge Michael McSpadden said: "We want our teachers to educate our children.

"To keep their hands off our children, to prepare them for the future."

The boy is currently in foster care.
P olice in Belgium have carried out a major operation on a district in Brussels where jihadis responsible for horrific attacks across Western Europe lived.

Anti-terror officers raided homes in the Molenbeek district of the Belgian capital on Saturday, according to local media.

The area is thought to have been home to extremists who carried out attacks in Paris and at Brussels airport.

Terror raids: Belgian police block off a road in Molenbeek district of Brussels / EPA

Salah Abdeslam, who masterminded the 2015 attacks in Paris which killed 130 people, lived in the area.

A huge operation was launched in the wake of the atrocities in the French capital, with several key figures being arrested, including Abdeslam.

The operation is centred around the same street as where Abdeslam was arrested, the Rue Delaunoy, Mail Online reported.

Officials did not confirm who police, who sealed off several roads in the immigrant area and who were backed by a helicopter flying overhead, were targeting in the raids.

Major operation: Officers stand guard in the Belgian capital / EPA

Spokeswoman for Brussels prosecutor's office Celine Praille told RTL radio: "Several raids are being carried out as part of an investigation into terrorist activities.

Local media reported several individuals had been arrested in the raids that were ongoing.
BBC Newsnight aired last night with a piece about CG characters in movies, including a decent bit about those appearing in Rogue One. In the program, it is revealed that Disney is already in talks with the estate of Carrie Fisher about her continued presence in the Star Wars franchise.



Unfortunately, the video is only available to folks in the UK. If you can count yourself among this group, then check out the video Unfortunately, the video is only available to folks in the UK. If you can count yourself among this group, then check out the video here and fast forward to about the 30 minute mark for the pertinent information.

If you are unable to watch the video, never fear, here is a quote from the piece confirming that Disney is in talks with Fishers estate:

And if what might be regarded as unseemly haste, Disney is negotiating with the actors estate over her continued appearance in the franchise. If Disney gets the go-ahead, Carrie Fisher will join Peter Cushing

Although I am tempted to jump the gun here, I am reminded that just because they are negotiating with her estate about using her likeness in future films  that doesnt necessarily mean they will use her as a featured character in the saga ahead. She could be regulated to cameos or holographic appearances. However, if Disney/LFL decides to take this approach, this could mean some pretty significant re-writes as it has already been hinted at by Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow that Leia would have a much larger role in IX. So what if the creators decide that they want to move forward with the story they had planned? Could the men and women at ILM pull it off? Should they even attempt it?

In whatever capacity they intend to utilize her likeness, it seems pretty clear that Disney/LFL is not yet ready to say their last goodbyes to the beloved Princess General. But is it too soon for a CG Leia to hit the big screen in Episode IX? Should the creators take the more subtle approach and write her out of the story, or should they finish the story that they intended to tell from the beginning and allow ILM to really earn that third letter in their name? If they do decide to bring Leia back to life with their magical computer generated sorcery, it will no doubt be the most monumental task ever thrust upon an effects team. Let us know what you think about this in the comments below.

Special thanks to our friend Alex Fraser for the heads up.
Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (440) Jan 2014 (544) Feb 2014 (475) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (921) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sep 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (737) Nov 2022 (95)
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 ...
Its getting tougher to be a telephonic dinosaur.

The latest blow arrived last week when the Missouri Public Service Commission let AT&T cancel lifeline discounts for poor and disabled people with landline phones.

Only about 6,900 people still get the lifeline discount for landline telephones, AT&T said in its filing with the PSC. That is down 85 percent from 2008.

It seems even the poor and disabled are following the great migration to wireless phone service, where lifeline discounts are still offered.

The Office of the Public Counsel, which represents consumers before the PSC, argued against the move. We heard from people who still use it and were asking us to stop the move, said Acting Public Counsel James Owen.

His concern was for older customers who dont like cellphones or are confused by them, and for some handicapped people who find it easier to use old-fashioned phones. Cellphone service can be spotty in some rural areas, he noted.

But Owen lost the argument in the face of the law and some cold facts. AT&T noted that lifeline discounts are still available from several wireless phone companies throughout its area. Someone who loses a landline discount can get a discount on a cellphone.

Federal rules let a phone company drop its own lifeline service if another carrier is providing it. So, the Public Service Commission said it had no choice but to let AT&T out.

The service will end in July, the PSC said.

Actually, poor people are more likely than others to live in a household with wireless phone service and no landline. A 2015 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 59 percent of poor people live in wireless-only households, compared to 44 percent of all Americans.

But the lifeline discounts in Missouri arent quite as generous for wireless users. Combined federal and state lifeline programs offer discounts of up to $15.75 a month. But $6.50 of that is from a Missouri state program that applies only to landline phones.

A family of four is eligible for a lifeline discount with an income of $32,805 or less.

As they lose their discounts, the poor and disabled can be assured that their phones will still jangle with recorded robocalls from sleazy salesmen and scammers from around the globe.

People with smartphones can download apps to block such calls. Theres also a free robo-blocking solution, called Nomorobo, for people whose home phone service connects through their Internet modem, such as offered around St. Louis by Charter and AT&T U-Verse.

But for people with old-fashioned landlines, the robos ring away.

Phone companies call those lines POTS, for plain old telephone service. As fewer customers use them, phone companies are becoming less enthusiastic about maintaining them, much less improving service.

As a technological dinosaur, I like my landline at home. It works during power outages, and I never have to recharge it. But I suspect that I will be forced to evolve.
Tim Laciny pointed at a couple of idle machines on the big shop floor at Laciny Brothers in University City.

I have work and machines  and nobody to run them, Laciny said. Probably my biggest problem is finding machinists.

Manufacturing employment is down just 1.3 percent in metro St. Louis in the year ending in November. But that disguises a serious shortage of workers in highly skilled factory trades.

Its a problem today, and it will be a bigger problem going forward because of the graying of the workforce, says Sally Safranski, chapter executive in St. Louis for the National Tooling and Machining Association.

Factories around St. Louis can find plenty of people for grunt jobs  lifting boxes, sorting parts and such. They have a much tough time finding hands-on machinists, computer numerical control, or CNC, machine operators, toolmakers, industrial electricians, multi-skilled maintenance mechanics and other jobs that require math talent and a couple of years of schooling.

A recent national survey of association members found that 90 percent have moderate or serious trouble finding qualified employees.

So, jobs paying $20, $25 and sometimes $40 an hour are going unfilled.

The St. Louis regions 4.3 percent unemployment rate  a 15-year low  is part of the reason. But manufacturing executives complain that young people just arent training for the work.

It seems that factory work has an image problem.

Lacinys shop floor is a busy place. About 34 people work designing and making specialized machinery and parts. All pretzels made at Gus Pretzels come out of a machine built by Laciny. A pint poured in a St. Louis brewpub may have passed through a Laciny device. Hes now making fermenters for the giant Gallo winery in California.

On the shop floor, Tim Laciny holds up a long, shiny metal arm with a hand rest at the end. Its part of a special device to help a handicapped woman in Clayton move from a wheelchair to shower.

We dont have a product line. We are job to job, and we never know when the next job is coming in, Laciny said. I dont sell products. I sell talent.

So, he needs talented machinists who can craft odd metal and plastic parts. They are very hard to hire.

I have tried everything  trade schools, hiring from high school, headhunters. He runs a perpetual help-wanted ad.

Hes picked new high school graduates, hoping to train them, but often found they lack basic skills. Its basically all math and hard labor. I have had kids that make the effort, but they dont have the brain power.

So, he finds himself having to farm out some work that hed rather do in-house.

I had a machinist that left for Ameren, and he was making six figures, Laciny said. Once they become great, they want more money.

Around St. Louis, the median wage for a machinist is $22 per hour, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Wages are rising at 3 to 5 percent a year for skilled workers at Homeyer Precision Manufacturing in Marthasville, where a top toolmaker can earn $80,000 to $100,000 a year. Weve had to entice them with better insurance, retirement plans, vacation days, says Herb Homeyer, company president and chairman of the National Tooling and Machining Association.

A 2015 study by the Deloitte consulting firm estimates that nearly 3.5 million factory jobs will open before 2025, mainly as boomers retire. Two million of those jobs wont be filled because of the skills gap, says Deloitte.

There is a lot of gray hair in my shop, notes Mark Bockerstett, president of Modern Screw Products in St. Louis.

Part of the problem is that factory work has changed. Machinists, for instance, need programming skills, as well as knowing how to run a lathe.

The skill requirements are especially high in precision manufacturing. Homeyer, for instance, makes parts for lasers. You take one piece of hair, split it 1,000 times, and thats the tolerance we have, Homeyer said.

Schools such as Ranken Technical College and Southwestern Illinois College run two-year associates courses in hands-on factory trades. My guys hire them in the first year of the program at Ranken, because by the second year theyve already been hired, Safranski said.

Employers including Hydromat and True Manufacturing teamed with Ranken to start apprenticeship programs combining classes with on-the-job training. They can grow their own machinists, said Dan Kania, dean of academic affairs at Ranken.

They might start at $10 to $12 an hour while training, and make $28 to $30 as a journeyman five years after graduating.

The school also signed on with auto parts maker TG Missouri in Perryville, to train multi-craft mechanics capable of fixing many different machine types.

Bockerstett toured machine shops in Switzerland, and found that every one had a section set aside to train apprentices. America is far behind in that, he said, and it would be hard for a smaller shop to do alone.

But an apprentice program wont work unless smart young people want to be apprentices. Thats a problem, people in the business say.

While factory work has changed, its gritty image is stuck in the 1950s, and employers think that discourages young people from signing up. People think that what we do is dark, dirty and dangerous. At one point, manufacturing was that, but its changed, Bockerstett says.

Factory executives also battle the perception that their business is moving to China. Manufacturing employment has been sinking slowly for decades. St. Louis had 190,000 factory jobs in 1990. It had 111,000 last December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some of that decline is due to foreign competition, but much is also due to automation and computerized manufacturing. That eliminates jobs that require brawn, while maintaining a need for brains.

Public schools, meanwhile, are judged by test scores and the percent of students they send to college. Guidance counselors arent likely to push young people toward the plant gates.

Tim Laciny represents the fourth generation of his family to run his shop, founded by three immigrant brothers in 1916.

The business survived the Great Depression and the Great Recession. Laciny took over in 2009, when his father, Bob, died unexpectedly at age 56. I was 29. It was the middle of a recession, and I just had my first kid, Tim Laciny says.

The financial system was teetering on collapse, and business was shrinking fast.

He found himself scraping to bring in $1,000 metal-bending jobs. It was a tough time. We swept a lot. We painted everything we could paint in the shop to keep the people employed.

Now he has the opposite problem  work to do and not enough workers. His new problem is better than the old one.

Editors note: This story was changed to correct the age of Bob Laciny and to remove figures on wages at Laciny Brothers, which the company said were inaccurate.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Police say the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 at New Florissant Road in north St. Louis County are open after a crash involving a parked police car and another car around 5 p.m. Friday.

Some of the lanes were closed for nearly two hours after a vehicle struck a St. Ann police vehicle, a Normandy police supervisor said. The officer who had been in the police SUV was providing traffic assistance because of an earlier accident.

The Missouri Highway Patrol attributed the accident involving the police vehicle to icy road conditions and a driver traveling too fast.

Four people in the 2014 Nissan Sentra that struck the St. Ann police car were taken to the hospital for minor injuries, police say. No one else was injured.

The Nissan was a total loss and the police SUV had extensive damage, the MHP reported.
WASHINGTON  The Architect of the Capitols office plans to remove the controversial painting by a St. Louis high school student on Tuesday after determining its content violated the guidelines of an art competition, even though it had hung on a Capitol wall for six months.

A spokesman for Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, whose art competition last spring chose the painting to hang along with 400 other contest winners, said he was unavailable for comment.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., said Friday evening that her boss had been informed that the architects office determined the painting violated the rules of the congressional art competition. Reicherts office had asked the Architect of the Capitol for a decision.

Most members of the House have annual contests in which the winning art piece is displayed in a tunnel between the Capitol and congressional office buildings. The contest rules say, in part: Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed.

Monday is a federal holiday, meaning the next workday in the Capitol will be Tuesday.

The painting by former Cardinal Ritter Prep senior David Pulphus has created a controversy involving First Amendment, policing, the death of young black men and congressional authority.

Critics say it depicts police officers as pigs and distorts the facts of the police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, and should be taken down. Clay and other defenders say that it is a legitimate First Amendment expression of a young black man who grew up amid high-profile cases of young black men killed by police and that the Capitol should be the last place where that expression is censored.

Reichert issued this statement after being informed of the decision by House Speaker Paul Ryan:

The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to celebrate the creativity of students in every corner of our country  and visitors from around the world see their talents on display when they walk through the halls of our Capitol.

However, with any competition there are rules, and these rules exist for a reason. This painting hung in clear defiance to those rules and was a slap in the face to the countless men and women who put their lives on the line everyday on behalf of our safety and freedom.

The painting hung for months until a conservative Internet site wrote about it and a FOX News host pushed for it to be removed. Several Republicans in Congress separately removed it from the wall and dropped it off at Clays office, and Clay would return it every time.

In an op-ed in the Post-Dispatch, St. Louis freelance writer Etefia Umana and Pulphus said that critics in Congress had misplaced anger and that they should be more concerned about the issues that led Pulphus to paint what he did.

Davids only comment is, The art speaks for itself, the op-ed said. It has spoken loudly.
WASHINGTON  Rep. William Lacy Clay will not attend Donald Trumps inauguration next week, but will be back home in St. Louis speaking to school kids, his spokesman said late Friday.

That news came on the same day that Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., also said he would not attend the inaugural, after telling NBC that he did not think that the Republican Trump was legitimately elected.

Other members of the St. Louis-area congressional delegation, including Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., plan to be on stage for Trumps inaugural on Friday.

The platform on the west side of the Capitol is built for 1,600 people, including all 535 members of Congress. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., will emcee the inaugural as chair of the Senate Rules Committee.

Clay spokesman Steve Engelhardt told the Post-Dispatch he would know the school at which Clay will speak sometime next week.

Clay, D-St. Louis, told the Post-Dispatch last month that he was willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt if his policies are in the best interest of my constituents in St. Louis, and working families across this country.

If not, I will vigorously oppose him, Clay said.
WASHINGTON  The man choreographing Donald Trumps inaugural celebration was asked whether he was worried if enough celebrities were participating to make it the star-spangled event the next president of the United States promised it would be.

Were fortunate in that we have the greatest celebrity in the world, which is the president-elect, said Tom Barrack, a longtime Trump confidant and private equity investor.

Celebrity in chief  not just of the country, but the world.

Also, master tweeter. Inspiration. Bully. Can-do businessman with a big ego and big dreams. Brilliant electoral campaigner, and loser of the popular vote by almost 3 million. An outsider whose calling card is relentless disdain for the government  and for some serving in it  that he is about to lead.

Trump has never introduced or debated legislation, signed a bill into law or learned the often stultifying political and parliamentary ways of Washington.

For millions of Americans fed up with the status quo, the 45th president of the United States disdain for all of it is at the core of his appeal.

He is their voice, regardless of what a Hollywood star says at the Golden Globes.

The descriptions of the next president go on and on, across the Great Divide left by the Nov. 8 election. That divide has intensified as Trump has remained in campaign mode in the transition to governing.

Trump, who will be inaugurated Friday, took a victory tour of states that supported him. In his only news conference since the election, he attacked the media, again. He portrayed his decision to turn his business empire over to his two sons as an act of civic charity and more than he was required to do under the law. But critics  including Republican ethics experts  warned that the road ahead on that arrangement will cross through a conflict-of-interest minefield.

Low approval, But 

The approval rating for the way Trump has handled the transition, according to a December Gallup Poll, was 48 percent. Barack Obamas was 75 at the same time after the 2008 election; George W. Bushs was 65 eight years previous.

But outside the rancor and worry, there is a palpable combination of optimism and anticipation as the changing of the government takes place.

The new president enters office as the biggest ideological blank slate of any new president in more than 60 years, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Yes, there are promises to build walls and rip away Obamas regulatory infrastructure. But some of Trumps campaign promises have softened amid the transitional realities of governing.

He has criticized his own party members as harshly as Democrats. He has met with liberals who believe human activity leads to climate change while nominating an Environmental Protection Agency head who environmentalists say will be a disaster. He suggested there are parts of Obamacare worth keeping while putting forth a Health and Human Services nominee considered a champion of House efforts to not only dismantle it, but overhaul other cornerstone government programs, such as Medicare.

Ideologically, a blank slate probably more than any (president) since (Dwight) Eisenhower, said Blunt, who as chair of the Senate Rules Committee will play the role of emcee at Trumps swearing-in.

Does this unsettle Congress?

Actually, I think that (Trump) brings a really interesting synergy to the whole process  that he does and, I think, will continue to look at things differently, which requires everybody else, or encourages everybody else, to think about what are all the options available here, as opposed to how we have always done this before, said Blunt, who holds a key Appropriations subcommittee seat in Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamas signature Affordable Care Act.

So I am optimistic on that front, Blunt continued. And you normally have the sense on certain issues you want to be sure that the leader is easily and predictably understood. But when it comes to solving problems and finding ways to change things, we may be in a moment where it is particularly useful for everybody to have to think of all the options and then sometimes have to react to them.

Democrats are bracing for that uncertainty, too.

Look, we are all in a new climate, in a new place, and in waters that none of us have ever been in, so it is kind of hard to predict what is going to happen, said Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, not long after a Trump tweet pushed House Republicans to back off a plan to soften ethics rules.

That will be the new norm, Clay said. We will be governing by tweet now.

Americans should be braced for Oval Office Twitter storms, like Trumps recent pushback against actor Meryl Streep, who lectured him at the Golden Globes. Trump has unleashed 140-character bursts of praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticism of members of his own party in Congress.

President Trump could pose a unique challenge for every Washington institution, from the media to Congress to the self-appointed arbiters of social taste who for eight years lavished praise on Barack and Michelle Obama, but who, for now, are treating Trump as a crude interloper.

President Trump can be any kind of president he wants to be, said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of Democratic president John F. Kennedy, who talked renewable energy with Trump this month. He probably comes into office less encumbered by ideology or obligations than anybody that has been in political office or won the presidency. Well see what happens.

Blunt said almost any outreach to Congress would be more than Obama did over eight years, and some Democrats privately agree.

Legislatively, this uncertainty could make Trumps dealings with Congress more chess than checkers, and make his relationships with some Republicans as adversarial as with Democrats.

moderation moment

Moderate Democrats are sensing a moment.

I am going to continue to be the kind of senator that hopefully Republican senators come to, knowing that I am willing to work with everybody and anybody if it makes sense, said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who plans to seek re-election in 2018 in a state that Trump won by 19 percentage points.

For Republicans who broke with Trump during the election, the way back to full accommodation with their partys president may be through specific legislation.

Reps. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin; and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, Ill., both said they could not support Trump after a recording of Trump talking crudely about women surfaced in October. Wagner later said she voted for Trump and urged others to do so as a push toward a unified Republican government.

Her sometimes harsh criticism of Trump has given way, at least for the time being, to a mutual accommodation. Among her first acts in the new Congress was getting the House to pass a peel-back of Securities and Exchange Commission regulations that Trump says has helped to cripple the economy, and his critics say obliterates protections made after the 2008 financial meltdown.

Wagner said Trump transition officials reached out to her for advice on financial reform and for an endorsement of controversial attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, which she gave. She called Trump a doer who likes debate, does not want yes men but wonders if he will be frustrated with the Senates requirement of 60 votes to move major legislation.

I think he could have a growing frustration with that kind of inertia unless they are really ready to move things, Wagner said. I think (Trump) is going to have an urgency. He is also someone who comes from the business sector. He will sit down; he likes to negotiate. He likes to win. He likes to find common ground and close the deal.

Davis told the Post-Dispatch that Republicans are delighted to have a president who agrees that Obamacare must go. Davis also is a big supporter of Trumps promises to invest in infrastructure, which Davis says will be more effective than Obamas 2009 $1 trillion stimulus-spending package.

My immediate goals are working with the new, unified Republican government on doing things we promised the American people we would do if they gave us the opportunity, Davis said.

Whats in focus?

For everyday Missourians, the horizon is not quite in focus, either.

Obama supporters are torn between sadness that the current president is leaving and dislike for the one coming in. Others are more optimistic, including those who say Obamas government overreached into their lives, and see, in Trump, a correction.

I am absolutely terrified, Chris Sommers, founder of Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis, said of Trump. I just think he is so thin-skinned. He apparently doesnt have time for intelligence briefings but has time to watch late-night television and tweet insults and bully people.

But Sommers, who met and cooked for Obama several times during his presidency, sees in Trumps style a powerful check. I dont think he is going to be a rubber stamp for a crazy right-wing agenda because he doesnt like being told what to do.

Randal Yeck, executive vice president of Vantage Credit Union in St. Louis, expects a reflection of Ronald Reagans policies but the opposite of Reagans above-the-fray style.

The biggest thing that may come from the Trump administration is a business point of view of how to run things, and not a government-run-things point of view, Yeck said.

But Yeck, who proclaimed himself optimistic about what Trump will do, also professed to worry that Trumps tweeting could move markets in unpredictable ways.

There is a certain level you would assume someone would rise above, Yeck said. Like the Clintons did. They had all kinds of chatter, and they just ignored it. Trump doesnt ignore it. Its a little scary.
Sometimes, you dont know what you dont know.

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in March 2014, proves that adage again and again.

The jet vanished, seemingly into thin air, with 239 people aboard. There was no distress call, no plea for help from a frantic pilot. There wasnt even enough satellite data to identify exactly where the thing might be. Instead, there were rumors. Lots and lots of rumors.

A high-tech hijacking? A Russian special ops mission, in which trained terrorists hid the plane in another planes shadow, then landed it in the former Soviet Union, to be used for an attack on a date to be determined? Did it become invisible?

Well probably never know. Only a couple of pieces of debris and a handful of personal belongings have been found, washed up on beaches in places such as Madagascar.

Eventually, though, scientists studied the available tracking information and came to a consensus. The plane had probably crashed into the Indian Ocean, one of the least hospitable search environments on Earth.

In October 2014, the governments of Australia, China and Malaysia launched an investigation. A ship called the Equator used an autonomous underwater vehicle to scour the seafloor. Over 27 months, it searched 46,000 square miles at a cost of about $150 million. Twice, the crew identified large objects that later turned out to be unrelated shipwrecks.

From the beginning, there were doubts. Some oceanographers said they thought the crash site was north of the search area. It turns out that the official investigators might have agreed. Last month, the Endeavor was moved at high speed to a new location more than 200 miles north. This diversion happened, they allege, as the search team was making its final sweeps in the area.

Richard Cole, of the University College in London, detected the shift via satellite tracking; hes been following the operation for many months. He told the Daily Beast: Equator has re-centered the search to the north, away from the area originally identified in late 2014 by the Australian Defense Science and Technology Group. Using a sonar system, it is now checking sea floor not previously scanned. The search has only limited time left, but they are investing this remaining time in scanning the area they now believe is the most likely location of MH370.

Many other scientists have pointed to the same spot. The Australian search team itself conceded a couple weeks ago that the identified search area is unlikely to contain the missing aircraft. They now think the plane is about 9,600 square miles north of the original search area. But officials say without credible evidence, a new search wont be approved.

That decision has frustrated the families of passengers. Advocacy group Voice 370 has called on the search to continue. In a statement, they said, extending the search to the new area defined by experts is an inescapable duty owed to the flying public in the interest of aviation safety.
I took my children into the voting booth with me and later my grandchildren so they could learn the procedure and why it is so important.
Coconino County Sheriffs officials and Snowbowl officials worked together to rescue four people within two days, officials reported.

CCSO spokeswoman Erika Wiltenmuth said in a press release that two hikers became lost on the Humphreys Trail on Tuesday. Snow almost completely obscured the trail and the hikers became lost at about 4:45 p.m. at a height of about 10,750 feet.

Search and Rescue personnel were able to locate the hikers and provided them with warm clothes, food and water, Wiltenmuth said. Rescuers than brought the hikers to the top of the Humphreys chairlift, where Snowbowls snowcats were able to transport them to the Agassiz Lodge at about 9 p.m.

On Wednesday, two snowboarders became separated after leaving the ski area boundary and ending up in an area known as First Gully, Wiltenmuth said. Wiltenmuth said they were separated from each other by about half a mile.

CCSO requested Ski Patrol to ski down into First Gully, where they located one of the snowboarders, Wiltenmuth said. The second snowboarder eventually hiked into the Viet Spring parking area where he was found by Search and Rescue.

Wiltenmuth said neither of the groups requiring rescue were adequately prepared for the winter backcountry. All backcountry travelers should bring water, food, warm clothes, navigation equipment, a flashlight, first aid kit, shelter material, fire starting kit, a pocketknife and a whistle. In winter, people in the backcountry should also bring an avalanche shovel, avalanche probe and an avalanche beacon.

Wiltenmuth said travelers should bring a cell phone but should be aware it may not have service in the wilderness. Even if a phone does not appear to have service, people should try to call 911 in an emergency.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists? Sign up to our newsletter

Earlier this week, 13 drug-dealers were jailed for a total of 70 years after police seized cocaine valued at 700,000.

The North Staffordshire-based gang ran a 'highly organised' drug operation to bring the cocaine into the area from Merseyside.

But the drugs gang was busted by Staffordshire Police after officers monitored their phones and carried out surveillance on them.

Here are the 13 defendants who have been jailed after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply cocaine:

Marc Brookes (above) aged 41, of Haslington Close, Crackley, was jailed for 10 years. Stafford Crown Court heard Brookes was the 'manager' of the Staffordshire operation. Police caught Brookes and co-defendant Robert Farrow with cocaine after they left Subway, in Milehouse. Brookes has previous for conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Nicholas Hickson aged 46, of Moorfields, Stafford, has been jailed for 10 years. The plumber 'facilitated' the movement of cocaine to Staffordshire. Police stopped his car in Stafford and found 1,150 grams of cocaine. In 2003 he was given a life sentence for murder after shooting a man in Yorkshire.

Samuel Giliker , aged 29, of Moreton Parade, May Bank, has been jailed for eight years. The one-time head chef later started a business installing log burners - only to fall into financial difficulties. Police say Giliker, who had no previous convictions, made a number of calls and facilitated meetings.



Anthony Sargeant (above), aged 44, of Willow Close, Crackley, has been jailed for five years and 10 months. Sargeant, who had served in the Army, had suffered depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The court heard he was 'heavily involved' in communications with the rest of a team and made a delivery to co-accused David Birks.



Robert Farrow , aged 44, of Trevithick Close, Bentilee, has been jailed for three years and nine months. Farrow was arrested after meeting Brookes at Subway. Police later recovered half-a-kilogram of cocaine and a 'tick list' from his home.



David Birks , aged 44, of Pear Tree Lane, Chesterton, has been jailed for two years and eight months. Police watched Sargeant go to Birks's address with a rucksack. They then raided the property and found 80,000 worth of cocaine. The court heard Birks became involved after falling into debt with a loan shark.

Anthony Colton , aged 30, of Chiltern Place, Knutton, has been jailed for four years and eight months. Police raided Colton's home and found 20,000 worth of cocaine. Digital scales and plastic bags were also seized.



Tomas Chapman (above), aged 27, of Heaton Terrace, Porthill, has been jailed for four years and eight months. The court heard Chapman ran up debts due to a gambling and cocaine addiction. He was a 'foot soldier' who had helped to press the cocaine at a Tunstall lock-up.



Andrew Edwards , aged 36, of Whitchurch Grove, Chesterton, has been jailed for five years. Police watched Edwards meet the other defendants and he once handed a plastic bag to Andrew Szulc. Edwards, who was already in prison for possessing a firearm, was described in court as a 'trusted team member'.



Peter Gajewski , aged 51, of Watermeadow Grove, Etruria, has been jailed for five years. He was arrested after police intercepted a vehicle he was travelling in and found cocaine. He was described in court as the 'middle man' during that sting. He was jailed in 2006 for manslaughter and was released in 2015.



Andrew Pickerill , aged 33, of Heath Avenue, May Bank, has been jailed for four years and two months. Pickerill is already in prison for a firearms offence and is said to have worked in a 'sub group' with Andrew Edwards and Andrew Szluc. The one-time HGV driver was said to have made 'panicked calls' to other another member of the group following Szluc's arrest.



Andrew Szluc (above), aged 51, of Easdale Place, Clayton, has been jailed for four years and nine months.The grandfather had a 1,200 debt. He was caught by police in Tunstall with three 'discs' of cocaine which officers believe he had pressed using equipment at his industrial unit.



Nicholas Withington , aged 41, of St Giles Road, Knutton, has been jailed for two years. Withington's barrister argued that his client's role was more that of a money launderer after he was caught with more than 33,000 in his home following previous visits from his 'long-term friend' Brookes.
By Fatos Bytyci

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo police blocked the entry on Saturday of a train from Serbia painted in the colors of the Serbian flag and with the words "Kosovo is Serbia" printed down the side, in a standoff seen as a test for the tiny Balkan country.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told an online paper he had ordered police special units to the border to halt the progress of the "provocative" train, which had not been cleared by the Pristina authorities to enter the country.

Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, its former province, and it did not seek any permission for the passage of the train, which it paid for and organized.

Kosovo media published video footage of police special units in armored vehicles rushing to the border with Serbia on Saturday.

"I have asked them (police and interior minister) to stop imminently the train entering Kosovo at any price," Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told online newspaper Gazeta Express.

"Enough is enough, Thaci said, adding that he was forced to take action after he saw the government was neglecting the issue.

Serbia retains effective control of the northern part of Kosovo, which is home to 40,000 to 50,000 Serbs who do not see Pristina as their capital. More than 90 percent of the population of Kosovo are of Albanian descent.

The two countries are in talks on normalizing ties, in a precondition for them both progressing toward membership of the European Union.

Belgrade's formal rule of Kosovo ended in 1999 after NATO bombed Serbia for 11 weeks to compel it to withdraw forces who had killed some 10,000 Albanian civilians there. NATO still has some 5,000 troops stationed in Kosovo to keep the fragile peace.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he had ordered the train to return to Belgrade from the border town of Raska, and he accused authorities in Pristina of attempting to spark a conflict with the local Kosovo Serbs.

"Serbia wants peace... but this is my final plea and a clear warning to Albanians and a message to Serbs... do not attempt to use weapons against Serbs in Kosovo as Serbia will not allow that," he told a news conference. He did not elaborate.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has called for a meeting of the state Security Council on Sunday.

Vucic also said he will meet heads of intelligence agencies, commanders of military and police.

Saturday's events come at a time of growing tension between the Balkan neighbors. Last week, French authorities arrested former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on a Belgrade arrest warrant accusing him of war crimes.

Haradinaj is considered a war hero by ethnic Albanians for his role as a guerrilla commander during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.

(Additional reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade and Igor Ilic in Zagreb; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Addressing the newsmen in Washington on Friday, Pakistan s ambassador to the United States, Jalil Abbas Jilani, has said that his country is ready to work closely with the Donald Trump administration.

He said that Pakistan launched a historic campaign against terrorism and the new US administration is fully aware of the obstacles Islamabad is facing to counter terrorism.

Jalil Abbas said that Pakistan wants to work closely with Trump administration in war against terrorism which will eventually promote Pak-US relations. He further said that no Islamic State network exists in Pakistan.

Jalil Abbas also said that World Bank should play its administrative role in Indus Waters Treaty between Pakistan and India and added that Islamabad wants peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues with New Delhi.
In 1844, the Whig Partys Henry Clay and Democratic Partys James Polk faced off in a hotly contested presidential election, a race that saw the first use of a now venerable campaign tool -- the political poster.

In 2008, 164 years after the Clay and Polk hand-colored lithographs were plastered on walls, street artist/graphic designer Shepard Fairey created what art critic Peter Schjeldahl called the most efficacious American political illustration since "Uncle Sam Wants You -- the HOPE portrait of Barack Obama.

The original of Faireys poster is now in the National Portrait Gallery, evidence that the political poster can be more than just an eye-catching bit of political advertising.

But, as Sign of the Times: The Great American Political Poster 1844-2012, an exhibition on view through Thursday at the Nebraska History Museum vividly demonstrates, that had been true for more than a century before Fairey created his iconic image.

Organized by the Mid-America Arts Alliances ExhibitsUSA program, the exhibition includes about 50 posters, starting with Polk and Clay, Currier and Ives-printed 1844 pieces and extending through a graphic depiction of 2012 GOP candidate Mitt Romney over the state of Iowa and a poster of Bruce Springsteen, hyping a concert he was doing for the Obama re-election campaign.

In between, the exhibition traces the development of the political poster from the 1800s -- when nearly every poster put small portraits of a partys presidential and vice-presidential candidates in ovals surrounded by the flags, eagles and other patriotic symbols -- to pieces done by serious artists, like Fairey, that take the poster into another realm.

In the case of Alexander Calder, his George McGovern 1972 poster is a brightly colored, cartoonish depiction of a pair of abstracted faces with the only political connection, the name McGovern, in between them.

Even more enigmatic is a 1972 poster from underground cartoonist R. Crumb. Emblazoned with Lets Keep on Truckin, a common Crumb phrase, the poster reads Vote! Nixon over a line of his Doo-dah men striding off the poster.

Its hard to guess whether Crumb was endorsing Nixon, who wasnt exactly a counterculture favorite during his six years in office, or if this was a tongue-in-cheek send-up designed to link Nixon to a culture he abhorred.

There are no examples of Faireys 2008 posters in the exhibition -- he distributed a half million or so during the campaign. But there is another piece of striking graphic art supporting Obama, a Ron English screenprint titled Abraham Lincoln.

Merging the faces of Obama and Lincoln, English creates an arresting image that recalls the silkscreens of Andy Warhol while incorporating the almost traditional use of Lincolns distinctive face and, especially his beard, onto images of candidates for decades.

Englishs piece closes the exhibition. Appropriately, it is opened by a 1900 lithograph supporting Democratic Party candidate William Jennings Bryan, a piece that succinctly summarizes the Lincolnite's campaign with slogans like No Crown of Thorns, No Cross of Gold Equal Rights to All and Special Privileges to None.

There is no poster representation for the 1992 campaign of Bob Kerrey, the other Lincoln politician who has run for president. In part, thats likely because Kerrey did not get the Democratic nomination, losing to Bill Clinton.

But its also because the political poster had largely gone dormant by the '90s, its decline beginning in the late '70s -- as evidenced by the exhibition that includes only a handful of posters from 1980 to 2000.

Given that decline, the exhibition focuses on the first century of posters, providing examples of some of the best posters, text panels that explain developments in printing and poster style throughout the years and labels that discuss each of the posters.

Among the initial observations -- there are posters for Whigs, the Radical Democracy Party and the Free Soil Party -- it wasnt always Republicans vs. Democrats, and likely will not be forever.

An 1872 poster of Republican candidates Ulysses S. Grant and Henry Wilson shows that image making -- and pandering to specific demographic groups -- isnt electronic-age politics.

Removing the candidates from the ovals, the poster depicts Grant, an Army general, and Wilson, a career politician as the Galena tanner and the Natick shoemaker respectively, each wearing the aprons and using the tools of the craft. Wilson had been a shoemaker more than 30 years earlier grounding the poster in a bit of reality. But it was, most of all, an attempt to get working class votes.

There are arresting images of William Howard Taft, the chromolithograph from 1908 emblazoned with the words Good Times, and Warren G. Harding, from 1920, with the slogan America First. (Heard that recently?)

And the exhibition contains a good sampling of the '50s/'60s letterpress posters with floating heads -- Eisenhower/Nixon, Kennedy/Johnson, Goldwater.

But the most interesting elements of the exhibition are the result of artists becoming involved in making the posters.

That started in the 1940s, most notably with Ben Shahn, a very political social realist who expressed his left-wing views through his artwork and through posters for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 and four years later, Progressive Party candidate Henry Wallace.

But Wallace isnt seen in Shahns satiric poster titled The Duet that shows President Harry Truman at the piano and Republican candidate Thomas E. Dewey replacing actress Lauren Bacall atop the upright -- switching up a famous photo to skewer both major party candidates.

Theres a '60s San Francisco-style rock poster in the mix, advertising for SRO for RFK, a concert/rally for Robert F. Kennedy that featured The Byrds, Sonny & Cher (Sonny Bono later became a Republican congressman) and Mahalia Jackson. The concert took place on May 24, 1968. Kennedy was assassinated two weeks later.

And, it needs to be noted, there is a dramatic portrait from Frank Westlake of 1968 Black Panther and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Eldridge Cleaver, a captivating abstract poster for 1972 Democratic candidate Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to run for president, and Jack Hammers poster for 1988 Democratic candidate Jesse Jackson, depicting his rainbow coalition in floating bubbles around the drawing of the candidate.

The exhibitions final panel speculates that after its 2008 renaissance, the political poster may be forever fading away, disappearing with the decline of the printing industry.

That view, however, misses a pair of crucial elements -- first, the poster is likely to move to the digital realm -- as was seen to some measure in the 2016 election.

More importantly, artists like Fairey and English are likely to be inspired to support future candidates or oppose others (as is already the case with Donald Trump) and will create posters in multiple media for decades to come, continuing the tradition that is illuminated by Sign of the Times.
Former Chief of Army Staff General (retd) Raheel Sharif will speak at the annual meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos-Kloster, Switzerland starting on January 17.

Raheel Sharif will be among a panel of speakers for the program titled The Global Security Context. The session will moderated by Robin Niblett, Director, Chatham House, United Kingdom.

The session will discuss the noteworthy changes and emerging trends reshaping the international security agenda.

The dimensions to be addressed include recalibration of US security priorities, geostrategic shifts, and the future conflict domains.

Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, Chairman, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia, and Ursula von der Leyen, Defence minister of Germany will also be among the panel speakers with Raheel Sharif.

Later, he will also speak among a panel at another session titled Terrorism in the Digital Age. The session will moderated by Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford.

The session will discuss how leaders can respond to the threat of terrorism in the digital age, as terrorist organizations are using increasingly sophisticated digital networks to signal allegiance to a wider movement, attack their enemies and manage resources.

The 47th meeting of the WEF will bring some of the elite business leaders, international political leaders, selected intellectuals, and journalists to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world.
Scores of protesters gathered outside the Pakistan embassy in Kabul on Friday to demonstrate against Pakistan's alleged support for insurgents.

The demonstrators also raised slogans against Pakistan Army's intelligence arm, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Afghan media reported.

Scores of protesters gathered outside the Pakistan embassy in Kabul on Friday to demonstrate against Pakistan's alleged support for insurgents.

The demonstrators also raised slogans against Pakistan Army's intelligence arm, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Afghan media reported.

A number of Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT) members held a demonstration outside the Pakistani embassy in Kabul in protest over Islamabads perceived role in terrorism, according to Tolo News.

The protesters accused the Pakistan embassy of being a nest of spies in Afghanistan and said the "ISI supports insurgents and had a hand in recent terrorist attacks in the country".

ISI is responsible for the attacks. We know it and we have witnessed it, Fahim Kohdamani, a member of AGT was quoted as saying.

AGT calls itself a social, pro-democracy, anti-corruption, anti-radicalism, youth empowerment organisation. It is led by Amrullah Saleh, a former Afghan intelligence chief.

A video uploaded by the organisation on Twitter shows a mob burning an effigy during the protest.

The protest came three days after three Afghan cities, including the capital, were targeted by major attacks that left dozens dead and scores more injured. Five officials of the United Arab Emirates also died in the attacks.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office (FO) reiterated that Pakistan does not allow its territory to be used for attacks in any other country.

FO Spokesman Nafees Zakaria strongly rejected allegations regarding the existence of terrorist safe havens in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) while responding to media queries, adding that Pakistan has lost thousands of its citizens and suffered economic losses of over $100 billion due to terrorism.

The United States had earlier endorsed Kabuls claim that the existence of safe havens in Fata allowed terrorists to carry out attacks inside Afghanistan whenever they want.

US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner had said that Pakistan had made "some progress" and had taken "some steps to address these safe havens, but clearly the problem persists".
US defence secretary-designate James Mattis has said that the Trump administration would offer incentives to Pakistan to cooperate with the United States on critical issues.

At his confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Thursday afternoon, Mr Mattis underlined the need to stay engaged with Pakistan while asking it to do more to eradicate terrorism from the region.

If confirmed, I will work with the State Department and the Congress to incentivise Pakistans cooperation on issues critical to our national interests and the regions security, with focus on Pakistans need to expel or neutralise externally-focused militant groups that operate within its borders, Mr Mattis told the committee while responding to a question.

Mr Mattis, a general who retired from the US Marine Corps in 2013, has long experience of dealing with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, first as a combat officer and then as commander of the US Central Command.

He was known in the armed forces as Mad Dog Mattis for his aggressive style but was widely respected as a courageous officer.

The generals comments on Pakistan indicate that the incoming Trump administration will continue with the existing US policy towards the country.

Mr Mattis complimented Pakistan for its action against terror groups in the country, but said that he would push for more effective targeting of groups that were aimed at neighbouring countries.

As often expressed by the Obama administration officials, the incoming defence secretary also complained that some Afghan Taliban groups were still allegedly using Pakistans tribal areas for stirring troubles in Afghanistan.

Sanctuaries and freedom of movement for the Afghan Taliban and associated militant networks inside Pakistani territory is a key operational issue faced by the Afghan security forces, he pointed out.

Mr Mattis said that if confirmed, he would examine efforts to deny sanctuary to the extremist forces undermining the stability and security of Afghanistan.

He noted that the US and Pakistani militaries had a long relationship, which needed to be rebuilt.

Our relationship with Pakistan, including our military-to-military relationship, has had highs and lows. We have long faced a lack of trust within the Pakistani military and government about our goals in the region. If confirmed, I will work to build the trust that we need for an effective partnership, he told the Senate Committee. The United States has conducted military exercises with Pakistan in an effort to increase thrust and interoperability, he added.

Mr Mattis said that Pakistan had learned some hard lessons from its dealings with the Taliban, as this caused widespread violence inside the country as well. I believe they should do more to collaborate with their neighbour. We should urge Pakistan to take further actions against the Taliban and the Haqqani network, he added.

Arguing that countries in the region have the responsibility to support the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, Mr Mattis said that the neighbouring states should increase pressure on the Afghan Taliban and associated militant networks to stop their campaigns of violence.

He praised Pakistans efforts to battle internally-focused militants. In a sign of its commitment, its military has suffered significant casualties in this counterinsurgency effort, he said, and offered to help Pakistan in defeating these militants.

Mr Mattis said he would not use phrases such as rebalance or pivot while talking about its relations with China as these implied that it was turning away from its commitments elsewhere.

But Chinas behaviour has led countries in the region to look for stronger US leadership. If confirmed, I will examine ways to strengthen our allies and partners, while taking a careful look at our own military capabilities in the region, he said.

Mr Mattis pledged to continue with the Obama administrations policy of enhancing a long-term strategic relationship with India, based on the convergence of mutual interests and shared democratic values.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has underlined the need for promotion of cooperation between his country and neighboring Turkey in order to advance the long-term interests of the Middle East.

During a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, Rouhani stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran is content with closer cooperation among Ankara, Tehran and Moscow to bring about peace in the region.

He expressed satisfaction over the Syrian ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey, stressing that all should endeavor for the truce to withhold.

The Iranian president also pointed to the forthcoming negotiations between representatives from the Damascus government and foreign-sponsored opposition groups in the Kazakh capital city of Astana on January 23, saying, We are all determined to fight all terrorist groups in the region. I hope relative stability prevails in Syria and the region through cooperation between Iran and Turkey.

Rouhani then described terrorist groups as the common enemies of regional states and nations, and expressed "hope for the further expansion of bilateral relations and the resolution of major regional issues through mutual cooperation.

He also offered his condolences to the Turkish president on the death of a number of Turkish citizens in recent terrorist attacks, and expressed optimism that in light of cooperation between the two governments, terrorism could be eliminated to assure more tranquility for the people in the region.

President Erdogan, for his part, extended his condolences on the passing of Chairman of Iranian Expediency Council and former President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, describing him as a great statesman and a reputable politician, who endeavored for the establishment of regional peace and stability, and firm ties between Tehran and Ankara.

He also underlined that his country intends to develop cooperation with Iran in all fields, noting that stronger Turkey-Iran relations could effectively help the settlement of regional problems.

Iran and Turkey shoulder a great responsibility in the region, so they should strengthen their mutual cooperation in a bid to ease regional tensions, Erdogan pointed out.

Turning to the ceasefire in Syria and the upcoming inter-Syrian negotiations in Astana, the Turkish president said all should try to consolidate the foundations of the current ceasefire in Syria.
China and Vietnam on Saturday issued a joint communique, pledging to manage maritime differences and safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea. The communique was issued as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong paid a four-day official visit to China since Thursday.

China and Vietnam had "a candid exchange of views" on maritime issues, according to the communique.

Both countries pledged to seek basic and long-term solutions that both sides can accept via negotiation, and discuss transitional solutions that will not affect each other's stance including the research of joint development, it said.

Both sides agreed to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea and strive for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) on the basis of consensus in the framework of the DOC, said the communique.

Both sides agreed to manage maritime differences and avoid any acts that may complicate the situation and escalate tensions so as to safeguard peace and stability of the South China Sea, it said.

During Trong's four-day visit, he met with five of the seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, including talks with General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, and separate meetings with Premier Li Keqiang, top legislator Zhang Dejiang, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng and top graft-buster Wang Qishan.

Yu and Trong also attended a grand reception marking the 67th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties as well as the upcoming Lunar New Year.

According to the communique, both sides believed that the visit was a great success that had further enhanced political mutual trust, consolidated traditional friendship, deepened strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and contributed to regional peace, stability and development.

The two countries agreed that it was of great importance and strategic guidance to bilateral ties that the high-level officials of both countries and parties, especially the top leaders of the two countries, maintain frequent contact, it said, calling for more exchanges and cooperation via bilateral mutual visits, sending envoys, hotlines, annual meeting and meetings at multilateral occasions.

Both sides also encouraged cooperation on economy and trade, defense, security and law enforcement, cultural, youth and local areas, the communique said.

Vietnam supports and will actively participate in a summit forum on the international cooperation along the Belt and Road to be hosted by China in 2017, said the communique.

Besides Beijing, Trong also paid a visit to east China's Zhejiang Province, it said.
The militant Daesh group launched a ferocious assault Saturday on a city in eastern Syria, leaving more than 30 militants and regime fighters dead, a monitoring group said.

At least 12 members of government forces and 20 Daesh militants were among the dead in the Daesh attack on regime positions in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Read more: Daesh cut off water to thousands of civilians in Mosul

Both the Observatory and Syrian state news agency SANA said two civilians were also killed in Daesh rocket fire on government-controlled zones in the city.

Around 200,000 people live in Deir Ezzor city, which has been besieged by Daesh since early 2015 and is the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name.

Daesh has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday's attack was the most violent assault mounted by Daesh on the city in more than a year.

He said Daesh was using tunnel bombs and suicide attackers, while Syrian and allied warplanes battered jihadist positions with air strikes.

Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines, a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for Daesh.

Read also: Iraqi Special Forces get to Tigris River in militant-held Mosul

He said militants had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped Daesh .

Warplanes attacked Daesh's supply lines in all the battlefronts and around the airport, he said.

Daesh is excluded from a nationwide truce that was brokered by Turkey and Russia and came into effect on December 30.

Diplomatic efforts to end Syria's nearly six-year war have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.
The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry weighed in Friday on what is developing into a high-stakes battle over who should benefit from proposed legislative tax reductions.

The Chamber argued that the average Nebraskan is "burdened more" by state income and sales taxes than by local property taxes.

That runs counter to the contention by both the Nebraska Farm Bureau and Reform for Nebraska's Future that tax reduction efforts need to center on property taxes.

"Nebraska's state government imposes high income tax rates -- on both individual and corporate payers -- along with near-average sales and excise taxes," the Chamber stated in a news release.

"Local property taxes continue to receive much attention from lawmakers, primarily because property taxes are often collected in large lump sums once or twice a year, rather than withheld from paychecks or charged with every purchase.

"However, information from the Tax Foundation shows that state-levied income and sales taxes pose a larger financial burden for the average Nebraskan."

The Chamber said it opposes initiatives that "purport to deliver property tax relief" by simply shifting the mix of tax collections from local property taxes to state sales and income taxes.

Gov. Pete Ricketts proposed in his State of the State address to the Legislature Thursday that the state gradually reduce its top state income tax rate, beginning in 2020, if collection of state revenue begins to recover from its current downslide and grows at a rate that reaches 3.5 percent.

Ricketts also supported a change in assessing the valuation of agricultural land that would reduce valuations and rural property taxes.

The Chamber's announcement was another clear indication that organizations and interest groups are taking sides on income or property tax reduction while other groups are arguing against tax reductions now, especially in the midst of declining state revenue.

"The Chamber opposes initiatives that purport to deliver property tax relief by simply shifting the mix of tax collections from local property taxes to state sales and income taxes," the organization's news release stated.
December tax receipts are continuing a downward trend in Nebraska, with net collections coming in 8.7 percent below expectations.

The Revenue Department reported Friday that the state collected about $342 million, after tax refunds and other factors were taken into account. The state had expected net collections to be $375 million. Receipts from individual income taxes were 11.5 percent below forecast, and sales taxes down nearly 8 percent.

That put fiscal year-to-date collections 2.5 percent below forecast.

Low commodity prices in Nebraska's agriculture-based economy had a lot to do with the downturn, said state Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton. Corn prices are down substantially from a number of years ago, which means farmers have less income and spending power, he said.

"That has secondary and tertiary effects throughout the economy," he said. "They're hurting out there."

That doesn't help the state's bottom line as the Legislature goes into its budget-making season, already nearly $900 million below revenue projections.

Gov. Pete Ricketts presented a proposed $8.9 billion biennial budget Thursday with recommended spending cuts and property and income tax reductions.

On Friday, he said December's tax receipts underscore the ongoing need for fiscal restraint.

"I will continue to work with the Legislature to swiftly pass budget adjustments to address the state's gap between revenue and spending," he said. "I am prepared to work with state agencies to take additional steps following the February forecast if necessary."

The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board will meet in February and could further lower projections.

Fulton said he has hope tax collections will turn around because that seems to be what is happening nationally. Retail sales were reported to be stronger nationally on Friday.

"There are indications that in a national way better times are ahead. But I have no way to know whether that's going to translate into the same for Nebraska," he said.
Hayleys unveils Lankas largest capacity solar power plant in Welikande View(s):

Hayleys Group PLC jointly with Windforce Pvt Ltd, in the forefront of renewable energy in the country, announced on Friday, the commissioning of their solar power plant.

Located in Welikande in the Polonnaruwa district, the 10MW solar plant has been installed with a solar tracking system that will follow the suns rays to ensure an incrementally higher yield of approximately 20 per cent energy, than the fixed tilt system. At full capacity, the plant could contribute 22,000 Mega Watt hours to the national grid plus generate enough electricity for roughly 10,000 homes, according to a Hayleys media release. The solar plant, built in an impressive five months and funded by the Hayleys Group along with Windforce Private Ltd, was declared open by the Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya in the presence of a distinguished gathering that included Deputy Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, Ajith Perera and Chairman and Chief Executive, Hayleys Group, Mohan Pandithage, Managing Director, Windforce Pvt Ltd, Asgi Akbarally, along with the leadership and management of Hayleys and Windforce.
Prime Minister at Davos View(s):

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be attending the January 17-20 World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, the second time in a row that he is attending this annual summit attended by world leaders and globally-recognised business magnates.

Sri Lanka has just two members in this influential body  John Keells Holdings (JKH) and Carsons. The Business Times reliably learns that JKH Chairman Susantha Ratnayake is attending the summit while there is likely to be some representation from the private sector to attend some of the side events at the meeting.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce which organized a delegation last year is not doing the same this year, it is learnt.
Visit, enjoy, protect  new manthra as SL battles tourism numbers versus sustainability View(s):

Visit, enjoy, protect will be the theme of a new (or already begun) campaign by Sri Lanka Tourism (SLT) to promote a more sustainable and eco-friendly tourism product, it was disclosed in Colomb0 last week.

These comments from SLT officials emerged at a discussion titled Making Tourism viable, sustainable and inclusive organised by the Colombo-based Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA).

Speakers and panellists at the event included Tourism Minister John Amaratunga, Canadian High Commissioner Shelley Whiting, SLT Chairman Paddy Withana, CEPA Chairperson Murtaza Esufally, Krishan Balendra (President, Leisure Industry Group  JKH), Malraj Kiriella (Director General, SLT Development Authority), Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne (General Secretary, Sarvodaya), Dr. Suranga Silva (Senior tourism lecturer, Dept. of Economics, University of Colombo) and Dr. Udan Fernando (Executive Director, CEPA).

In her remarks, Ms. Whiting reflected on her many travels across Sri Lanka in the past four years that she has served here; spoke about the beauty and culture of the country including a clamping holiday, and offered some words of advice. Glamping is described by Wikepedia as a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.

Having travelled in the Railways 2nd class reserved compartments, she said these facilities need to be upgraded while also saying overcrowding at the Yala Wildlife Park was a challenge to the authorities.

Mr. Withana spoke about increasing the number of homestay units to 500 as one of the goals towards sustainable tourism and providing visitors with an authentic, real-village life experience,

We need a more trickle down of the tourism benefits to the people. We need to look at how serious tourism benefits the people. Last year the tourism spend per day was US$166 (much higher than any competitors in the region). Now what percentage of that amount percolated to the bottom, is what we need to find out, he said.

Minister Amaratunga said this year has been declared by the Government as the Year of Poverty Alleviation and the key focus would be on tourism to achieve this 0bjective as this is the biggest driver of the economy.

Noting that the service charge in hotels for staff is as high as Rs.40,000 per person per month, he said this was a golden opportunity for young people from rural areas to work in the leisure industry.

While acknowledging the positive trend of many Sri Lankans returning from abroad as the wages here are equivalent to what they get overseas, the Minister said it was difficult (for unexplained reasons) to attract youth for hotel training courses as a precursor to getting a permanent job, an issue that was eluded to in the panel discussion that followed Mr. Amaratungas remarks.

He said tourism needs to be both sustainable and inclusive and was heading to become the countrys largest foreign exchange earner. But he also cautioned against haphazard development and stressed the need to ensure that the environment was also not hampered by the growing influx of tourists. This has happened in South East Asia and we need to be conscious of this if we are going after numbers (in terms of arrivals), he said.

During the panel discussion, JKHs Balendra said they monitor closely water, energy use and the carbon footprint while all the group hotels are expected to provide 10 internships to young villagers.

Alluding to the risks and unsustainable development, Mr. Balendra said that 4 million or more tourists is achievable but we need to be cautious of haphazard construction and need prosper zoning for development. We also need to decide as to whether our market is mass or top end or both, he said. He said countries like Cambodia attracts 5 million but all low spenders and most hotels were selling at $$30-40 a room (compared to over $100 in Sri Lanka). We need to attract the right (hospitality) brands. Big names attract high spenders, he added.

On recruitment dilemmas, Mr. Balendra said that there is a general perception that people, particularly women, dont like to work in hotels which he was also at a loss to understand.

SLTDA DG Kiriella said that instead of focus on Yala/Wilpattu wildlife parks as the main sources of visit causing overcrowding and over-visitation, Sri Lanka needs to divert the traffic to other sights and sounds  many in the country. We may restrict entry wildlife parks to avoid overcrowding, he added.

University of Colombo tourism teacher Dr. Silva stressed the importance of research in an industry that is evolving by the day.

For example, he pointed out that research (by his students) has revealed that only 9 per cent of the industry workforce is made up of women. We need to understand why people are not coming into the industry, why only 9 per cent are women, why husbands dont want their wives and/or daughters to work in hotels but allow to work in West Asia as domestics, he said, raising an interesting point and the need to find answers and eventually solutions to provide a more gender-balanced workforce.

He also said todays young Chinese visitor would in future be an elderly person but still keen on travel and as such Sri Lanka needs to be prepared for an influx of elderly tourists, particularly from China, and accordingly have the necessary infrastructure and facilities in place.

Responding to a question on food security  as to whether Sri Lanka has sufficient production to feed the local population in addition to 2 million-going-upto-4 million tourists, Dr. Silva agreed that this has not been properly addressed by the authorities and said research needs to be done in this area.

Sarvodayas Dr. Ariyaratne spoke on a concept of voluntourism, a concept where the countrys largest grassroots organisation has been able to accommodate dozens of young foreigners willing to spend time in the village and help out in social development and empowerment.

He said Sarvodaya is also acutely aware of the need to ensure that such projects dont tamper with the villagers traditional way of life, cultural norms, behaviour and habits. One of the most positive aspects of the programme was that young foreign visitors were more energised at the end of their assignment than the benefits accrued by the village in terms of learning and development. Many visitors have told me that it was a great spiritual exercise and benefit for them, he said.

On youngsters joining the trade, Dr. Ariyaratne said their experience was different in that in the North the training courses Sarvodaya organises on tourism have been very successful and attracted many women. It might be interesting to research and analyse why Northern women are attracted to the tourism industry and why southern women are not, he said turning to Dr. Silva, said to be one of Sri Lankas main researchers in tourism. -(Feizal)
Church offers prayer beads workshop

St. Marks United Methodist Church will offer the three-week workshop, "Prayer Beads as a Spiritual Discipline: An Intro to Prayer Beads as a Tool," from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays starting Jan. 18.

The workshop led by Pastors Fred Andersen and Kara Hillhouse will introduce people of all ages to prayer beads as a tool to maintain focus and enhance their prayer lives. All materials will be provided, however people with beads of personal significance are invited to bring them to the workshop.

Register online at stmarks.org/courses or call 402-489-8885.

St. Marks class explores rejection

Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, a class on dealing with rejection, will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 19-March 23, in the upper fellowship hall at St. Marks United Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd.

The class will explore the roots of rejection, the way past rejection can taint new relationships and what it looks like to live loved.

Lysa Terkeurst will teach the class via video, taking people on a visual journey through the Holy Land to some of the places where people of the Bible, including Hannah, David and Jesus lived and walked. The class is designed to bring participants healing and perspective.

The class is free to the public. Register online at stmarks.org/courses or call 402-489-8885.

UNL to screen 'The Twelve Powers'

The Twelve Powers, the first film in the new documentary series A Sound Called Unity, will premiere Jan. 21 and 22 in Lincoln.

The documentary follows author and filmmaker James Twyman on his journey to Syria to host a synchronized meditation involving millions of people on Feb. 1, 2016. Interspersed throughout the film are interviews with 30 Unity ministers who share their insights on each of the Twelve Powers, as taught by American mystic and Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore. The 12 powers are identified as innate human abilities, which when developed and focused produce extraordinary lives. In this documentary, the 12 powers are focused on peace.

The film will be shown at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union Auditorium, 1400 R St. A second presentation will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 22 at Unity Lincoln, 135 N. 31st St. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Twyman is author of 10 books, including Emissary of Light: A Vision of Peace and The Art of Spiritual Peacemaking. A musician, he is known internationally as the Peace Troubadour and has performed in Iraq, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia -- often while conflicts raged in those areas. Twyman also has performed at the United Nations and the Pentagon.

For information, call Unity Lincoln at 402-476-6887, email office@unitylincoln.org or visit unitylincoln.org.

Church hosts grief support for parents

First-Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D St., will offer two new grief support groups for parents who have experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth. Led by Lisa Borchardt, the groups are free to the community. Registration is required.

Support for Parents Who Have Experienced a Miscarriage will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 24-Feb. 7. Registration deadline is Jan. 22.

Support for Parents Who Have Experienced a Stillbirth will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, Feb. 23-March 9. Registration deadline is Feb. 20.

To register for either support group, email addie@firstplymouth.org.

Prayer call for inauguration day

The Global Christian Professional Womens Association (GCPWA) will hold a prayer call at 8:15 a.m. Friday, the day of the presidential inauguration.

Women from around the world are invited to join the organization as they pray for a successful transition of power as President-Elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office.

The group will pray that Trump and other political leaders will have the mind of Christ and the wisdom of Solomon, said Grace M.A. Stephens, founder and president of GCPWA and a Chicago-based clergywoman. Members also will pray for unity among all Christians.

The book of Corinthians says that we are the body of Christ, we each have a role to play, we are one and we must always be united, Stephens said. Many Americans are facing rifts in their families, places of work and even churches. Its critical that we pray that rifts are mended, bridges are built and wounds are healed.

GCPWAs mission is to encourage and empower Christian professional women to live their best life.

In addition to the prayer call, the members of GCPWA also ask women to pray daily for Trump during his first 100 days in office. The organization will share prayer resources via social media.

For more information about GCPWA go to gcpwa.org. To participate in the prayer call on Friday, call 712-770-4700 at 8:15 a.m. and enter #263896 when prompted.
Confusion, contradictions over Executive Presidency View(s):

SLFP ministers insist it must continue and Sirisena must contest, but President still silent; Cabinet spokesman says abolition essential

Ministers also want amendments to 300-page National Human Rights Action Plan; Premier agrees to make changes

TNA says it will withdraw from Constitution-making process if merger and more devolution are not considered

By Our Political Editor

A string of decisions by Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) ministers with President Maithripala Sirisena in the chair, revealed exclusively in the Sunday Times last week, have sparked a heated political debate.

Main among them is a proposal by Agriculture Minister and SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake that they should oppose any moves to abolish the Executive Presidency. He also said Maithripala Sirisena should be the partys candidate at the next presidential election.

This, together with other far reaching decisions, was adopted at a meeting attended by some 14 SLFP ministers on Tuesday, January 3. It was summoned by Sirisena immediately after the weekly ministerial meeting. Among the other decisions were not to support any constitutional changes that require a referendum, not to allow a merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces and to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution as a means of devolving power to the provinces.

In public statements, four SLFP ministers confirmed the decisions made by them. They were Sarath Amunugama, Duminda Dissanayake, S.B. Dissanayake and Dayasiri Jayasekera. However, contrary to claims by some of them, the SLFP Central Committee (CC) is yet to endorse their decisions. A meeting has not yet been summoned. It is only after they are endorsed by the CC that the decisions will become SLFP policy. The fact that such matters have been decided by their ministers, two years into office by President Sirisena, is by itself an indication that those issues were now being considered as options.

There were also detractors to the SLFP ministerial move. Some, including those in civil society groups, claimed no final decision has been made by President Sirisena about retaining constitutional provisions relating to the Executive Presidency. Nor has he accepted the request to contest the next presidential election. As revealed in these columns, when Minister Duminda Dissanayakes proposal was being made, President Sirisena remained silent. Silence can often be more eloquent than words. That stoic silence not only led to the proposal being adopted unanimously but also gaining credence that it reflected the new thinking on the part of the SLFP in marked contrast to its previous positions.

More so, when Sirisena has repeatedly declared that he would abolish the Executive Presidency. In addition, he had also made clear that he did not expect to contest a second term. In his manifesto titled A Compassionate Governance  Stable Country, released ahead of the January 8, 2015 presidential election, Sirisena declared, Instead of the present autocratic Executive Presidential System, I will introduce a Constitutional structure with an Executive that is allied to Parliament through the Cabinet.

He added; In order to change the Executive Presidential System I am taking as background material agreements for abolishing the Executive Presidential system reached by the Movement for a Just Society headed by Venerable Maduluwave Sobhitha Thera as well as proposals contained in the Draft 19th Amendment compiled by the Pivituru Hetak Jatika Sabhava headed by Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera, which proposed a Constitutional alliance of the President and the Prime Minister. I will also consider the changes proposed to these proposals by the United National Party.

Since the presidential election, Sirisena has made several public statements. He told Parliament on September 9, 2015; We should not maintain the Executive Presidency to prevent the possibility of a war emerging in the future, but to create an environment to prevent the recurrence of such a situation. Participating in the cremation ceremony of Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera at the Parliament Grounds, Sirisena pledged he would do everything possible to introduce a new system of governance by abolishing the Executive Presidency as desired by the late Thera.

Until yesterday, President Sirisena  if indeed he has not changed his mind since the statements made after being elected President has not clarified the position. It has prompted the protagonists to go ahead with public assertions that the presidency should remain and Sirisena should be their candidate. An SLFP Minister, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, claimed that the party had no better person than Sirisena to win a presidential election. Therefore, he is the only choice. We have to win it and have no alternative candidate. However, the move has raised concerns in the United National Party (UNP) as official Government spokesperson and Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne was to declare. Though he did not take part in the SLFP ministers meeting, he waxed eloquent at the media briefing after the weekly ministerial session. He was unaware that the SLFP Central Committee had not met to discuss the decisions of the ministers. Yet, he tried to give the impression that it was the official view. Here is the relevant Q & A:

Q: The SLFP Central Committee has resolved that the Executive Presidential system should remain. This is contrary to the mandate from the people. What is your opinion?

A: That is why we are proposing a new constitution. That is to abolish the Executive Presidential system.

Q: However, the SLFP Central Committee has resolved not to abolish the Executive Presidential system. Without their support it cannot be done?

A: We need to discuss this in the future.

Q: The position was that the Presidential system will be changed.

A: Our position remains the same. Thats what the President has been saying continuously.

Q: The SLFP Central Committee has decided that the Executive Presidential system remains and President Maithripala Sirisena will be the Presidential candidate.

A: Even this morning I met the group. They said they were reasoning out.

Q: What are reasons?

A: I need not tell what someone else discussed.

Q: So, you say that the Executive Presidential system will be abolished.

A: Definitely, it should be abolished. That is a pledge given by the President even at the cremation of Ven Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera. I know his stand on this issue.

Q: But, it is the Central Committee which has decided.

A: The decision has not been taken when the President was there.

Q: But, Minister Sarath Amungama has said that the decision was taken at a meeting presided over by the President and that he did not make a comment about it.

A: There has been no decision taken, but a discussion has taken place.

Q: Keeping aside the fact that the President will be the candidate for the 2020 Presidential elections ..

A: No! No!! There will be no presidential election in 2020. There will be no issue of a candidate, when there is no election.

Note: Minister Senaratnes claim there would be no presidential election in 2020 is based on the argument that there would be no such event when that office is abolished.

Q: But the Central Committee has decided.

A: They take many decisions  for instance during Chandrika (Kumaratungas) time they said a Federal government should be set up and during former President (Mahinda) Rajapaksas Government they said we should have unitary status. Since 1994 it has been resolved that the Presidential system should be abolished. It has been told at all election platforms. This is something that could not be done or deliberately not done. At that time there were practical difficulties due to the war. But since 2010 that was not an issue. Our President remains in that position that it should be abolished.

In the answers Minister Senaratne gave, he also makes clear we need to discuss in the future on the move to retain the Executive Presidency. In other words he is conceding that new issues have arisen and those, contrary to previous arrangements, require a further dialogue. This is whilst a debate on the five reports of Steering Committees (on the draft Constitution) due in Parliament last week was put off. The postponement came at the express request of the SLFP which wanted more time to study the reports.

Another area where President Sirisenas non-committal stance over the SLFP ministers meeting has had an impact is on the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The country needs another Constitution. We have a good opportunity to make this a reality. All of us can make this happen. We need to work towards this, declared TNA leader Rajavarothiyam Sampanthan. Though cautious in responding to queries posed by the Sunday Times, the answers he gave nevertheless reflect the mood in the TNA. See box story on this page.

The TNA has been pressing for power sharing arrangements when a new Constitution is adopted. It wants a system that existed earlier in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Federal structure. It is not only the retention of clauses relating to the Executive Presidency in the Constitution and President Sirisenas candidacy that is at issue. If the SLFPs Central Committee endorses the unanimous decision by its ministers not to support any constitutional change that requires a referendum, it is just as good as retaining the Executive Presidency. After all, such a change would require a referendum besides a two thirds vote in Parliament.

A senior TNA member, Dharmalingam Siddharthan, took up a stronger position. He told the Sunday Times, We have a mandate from the people for a federal constitution with the merger of North and East to resolve the National question. Discussions are underway with the Government on how best to come to an agreement. We cannot accept the 13th Amendment as a comprehensive power sharing mechanism. Siddharthan warned; If the Government abandoned the idea of finding a solution for the National question, we wont be part of the Constitution making process and we would be compelled to leave it.

Suren Surendiran, the spokesperson for the London-based Global Tamil Forum, told the Sunday Times; President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential election and PM Ranil Wickremasinghe at the general election won with the mandate from the people of this country calling for the abolition of the executive presidency and for a referendum on a new constitution. Formally confirming that a GTF delegation met President Sirisena when he was in London in 2015, Surendran said; President Sirisena related to an analogy to Father Emmanuel and I in one of our meetings with him that he is driving a train, he may drive the train fast sometimes, slow at other times and may even stop at some points but never reverse or drive backwards.

The decisions of the SLFP ministers, now the subject of a political debate, comes as President Sirisena frowned on moves to revive the call for foreign judges to probe alleged war crimes by troops and Tiger guerrillas. He told Tuesdays weekly ministerial meeting that he could not allow NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations), which were dictated to by an international political agenda to run Sri Lanka. He was alluding to recommendations made by the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation (CTFRM) that foreign judges should be included in courts that would probe alleged war crimes. He said what was sought was a credible mechanism and he would ensure that. He noted that Sri Lanka had enough expertise. The CTFRM was appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. It, however, handed in its report to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who is spearheading the Governments efforts towards reconciliation.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, now in Europe, spoke at Chatham House in London about the reconciliation process. On the question of judges, he noted that there are divergent views even within the Government in respect of the participation of foreign judges in the proposed judicial mechanism. However, despite this divergence of opinions, there is a clear consensus across the board on the need for an independent and credible domestic mechanism as promised by the manifesto of President Maithripala Sirisena. As a democratic and sovereign Government, we will work out the architecture of such a mechanism in consultation with all the stake holders.

The ministers at their weekly meeting also discussed the National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) 2017-2021. Its urgency has been underscored by European Unions initial moves to restore to Sri Lanka the General System of Preferences (GSP plus). The NHRAP report runs into more than 300 pages and several ministers raised issue over what they perceived as controversial provisions. Among them were Patali Champika Ranawaka, Susil Premajayantha and Mahinda Samarasinghe.

One provision that was described as controversial was the introduction of a State of Emergency only after Parliament votes with a two thirds majority. Ministers called for the withdrawal of this provision. Among the other recommendations were:

Repeal the Vagrants Ordinance of 1842, used specifically against street sex workers and transgender persons.

Reform the Evidence Ordinance to remove discriminatory provisions on credibility of womens evidence including the need for independent corroboration.

Initiate reform of Muslim personal laws based on recommendations made by the Independent Committee on Muslim Personal Law Reforms (2010)

Take steps to ensure that employers in public and private sectors introduce mandatory guidelines and appoint committees to respond to sexual harassment and abuse of women in consultations with trade unions and Employers Federation.

The exception in regard to girls below 12 years to accommodate Muslim personal law to express a general norm in the way that has been done in other areas of criminal justice system.

Criminalise marital rape without any exceptions, including where spouses are judicially separated.

Decriminalise homosexuality by repealing Section 365A of the Penal Code to conform to Article 12 of the Constitution.

Broaden the definition of torture in the Torture Act to include non-state actors and to recognise sexual violence as a form of torture, in line with jurisprudence on Article 11 of the new Constitution on the right to freedom from torture. Alternatively, enact a separate offence of torture under the Penal Code that will cover state and non-state actors as well as sexual violence.

In a two-page Cabinet Memorandum, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera introduced the 300 page NHRAP. He noted the purpose of the Human Rights Action Plan 2017-2021 is to address all relevant human rights concerns, in keeping with the policy of the National Unity Government to uphold, strengthen, promote and protect the human rights of the people of Sri Lanka. It would provide a blueprint for the conduct of human-rights related interventions and activities for the benefit of the people of Sri Lanka while ensuring the securing and sustaining trade facilities such as EU GSP plus as well as foreign investment. Further, it would facilitate Sri Lankas engagement with Human Rights Treaty bodies and other special procedures and mandates addressing human rights as well as the Universal Periodic Review.

President Sirisena observed that the NHRAP should not be accepted only as a means of seeking restoration of the GSP Plus from the European Union. Irrespective of that aspect, he declared, its aim should be to protect human rights. He asked that the issues raised by ministers over the NHRAP be discussed with Premier Wickremesinghe and the necessary amendments made. This is before the plan comes up for final approval at next Tuesdays weekly ministerial meeting.

A three member team of SLFP ministers met Premier Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees last Friday to discuss changes in the NHRAP. They were Susil Premajayantha, Mahinda Samarasinghe and Faiszer Musthapha. Also present was the acting Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva.

One of the provisions that has been excluded is the requirement that there should be a two thirds vote in Parliament to declare a State of Emergency. The existing provisions in the Law are to remain. Another is not to decriminalise homosexuality. Officials present at the meeting have been told to make the changes in the plan and forward it for approval by ministers next Tuesday.

The political developments in the past many days have bared an important aspect. Contradictions are galore with Ministers, deputies and other politicians making different remarks on the same issue. The confusion apart, the people are unable to discern which the Governments official position is and which is not. Some ruling party politicians have found the easy way out  blame such reportage on the media. When there is no way out of the growing embarrassment, kill the messenger seems an age-old philosophy.

Simple Sampanthan in simple flat says: We want justice

Whatever his political ideologies are, 83-year-old Rajavarothiyam Sampanthan, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and Leader of the parliamentary Opposition, is one of Sri Lankas politicians who has the distinction of living a simple and austere life.

Not for him are the luxury Government bungalows, hand crafted teak furniture or wooden flooring, wall mounted HDTVs in different rooms, expensive curtaining and airconditioning most ruling party politicians are now accustomed to. He lives in a third floor dilapidated apartment at the Summit Flats. The rain soaked plywood front door has peeled into strips at the bottom. The drawing room is some ten feet by twenty feet area. A quarter of the space is taken by a large table. Stacked atop are the foldable foam rubber mattresses of a group of Ministerial Security Division (MSD) personnel who provide protection. The four chairs in the drawing room have seen much better days. The covers of the foam rubber cushions are worn out. They have changed colour after constant use. One loose arm of a chair is tied to the seating pane with a roll of thick thread. A second chair shook as the legs were unsteady. A few steps along a red cement stairway in the sitting area, obliterated in the middle by constant use, is his bedroom. After the August 2016 parliamentary elections, the TNA became the largest political party other than those in the Government and Sampanthan became the Leader of the Opposition. The one-time successful lawyer from Trincomalee before he took to politics is yet to receive an official bungalow. I have been shown a few buildings but I found they were all unsuitable, he told the Sunday Times. Now, he said, a letter has been sent to him allocating a house. We have to look into it, he added. One morning when I arrived for a meeting with the veteran politician, I was told he was at breakfast. I later learnt that his valet Gopal Murugesu had walked across to a kiosk along nearby Havelock Road to get the food  a bun.

Here are excerpts of answers Sampanthan gave to questions posed to him: MOVES BY SLFP MINISTERS NOT TO ABOLISH THE EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY DURING CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES: I do not want to get involved in SLFP politics. A lot of the people who are making noises are those who were against President Maithripala Sirisena. They did not contribute to his victory in any way. They did not have the courage to go against {former} President Mahinda Rajapaksa. ON THE SLFP WANTING TO DISALLOW A MERGER OF THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PROVINCES: This has been discussed at the Steering Committee meetings. They will send their report to the Constituent Assembly. We will have to await their decision.

THE TNA STANCE ON THE MERGER BEFORE THE PARLIAMENTARY POLLS IN AUGUST LAST YEAR: That is well known. We have not abandoned any position of ours. We will endeavour to frame a Constitution that will be acceptable to all people including the Tamil people and the Tamil-speaking people. The TNA said in its election manifesto last year principles and specific constitutional provisions paramount to the resolution relate mainly to the sharing of the powers of governance.. It said fundamental to achieving genuine reconciliation, lasting peace and development for all Peoples of Sri Lanka, included the contiguous preponderantly Tamil speaking Northern and Eastern Provinces is the historical habitation of the Tamil people and the Tamil speaking peoples. ON THE SLFP MOVE NOT TO SUPPORT ANY CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE THAT REQUIRES A REFERENDUM: Our view is that nothing should be done behind the back of the people. People should approve the new Constitution at a referendum. That is the substance of the resolution adopted by the Constitution Assembly. ON PRESIDENT SIRISENA AND PREMIER WICKREMESINGHES DECISION NOT TO HAVE FOREIGN JUDGES IN COURTS PROBING ALLEGED WAR CRIMES: There is a resolution adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in October 2015. That is one of the recommendations made by the Task Force on Reconciliation. There is a need to ensure that the victims have confidence in any process. It is up to the Government to make decisions that will ensure justice is meted out.
Differing from the EC in its sunny reliance on government assurances View(s):

The European Commissions proposal this week to the European Union (EU) regarding the restoration of GSP (General System of Preference) Plus to Sri Lankas export market did not carry with it, any element of particular surprise. This was a step long predicted.

Checking displays of untoward jubilation

And as a rider, it must be said that the deprivation of the trade benefit to the country under the Rajapaksa Presidency was not due to an overriding zeal on the part of the EU to ensure good governance at the time. It was simply because the Rajapaksas flouted every convention, every rule and every practice in existence relating to the Rule of Law, to trespass beyond all propriety in regard to illegal acts.

In other words, even if the EU had strained at every sinew to justify continuation of the trade benefit under that Presidency, it could not have been successful as the range of violations was just too great. So the GSP Plus was cancelled (then) as unsurprisingly as the EC proposal before the EU (now) is to restore it.

That said, the untoward jubilation of Government ministers in cheering the ECs announcement needs to be abruptly checked in its tracks. To be quite clear, the proposal does not indicate an off-the-charts endorsement of the Unity Governments progress in ensuring good governance. This is underscored by the ECs own caution that removal of customs duties would be accompanied by rigorous monitoring and would be conditional on continued commitment to sustainable development, human rights and good governance.

Treating governance failures flippantly

Easier said than done, a critic would remark. And that acerbic comment would most probably be true. Underlying the comforting rhetoric, there is a simple truth at play. If the Government does not offend the proprieties too much, then one may assume that no terribly unpleasant consequences will ensue where the trade benefit is concerned.

However, that does not really offer much reassurance to the people of Sri Lanka. And it is telling that even though the inclusion of labour rights into the monitoring process is welcome, the ECs assessment report this week treats highly problematic performance failures with a flippancy that is regrettable. For example, the ECs conclusions in regard to Sri Lankas compliance to the Convention against Torture or CAT (as a key international treaty which the country must commit to implement before qualifying for GSP Plus) are remarkably disingenuous to say the least.

After a lackadaisical reproduction of some paragraphs of the Committee against Tortures Concluding Observations issued last year following consideration of Sri Lankas Periodic Report to the Committee, the EC notes that salient shortcomings have been identified in a relatively low number of areas while there have been significant elements of progress. It concludes thereafter that there is no serious failure to effectively implement the Convention.

Patterns of systemic failures

Yet this airy conclusion stands in direct contradiction to the CAT Committees own findings which identified serious systemic failures and breakdowns in implementing the Convention against Torture CAT. The Committee expressed disquiet in regard to the total inability of State representatives to answer questions of actual performance in regard to prosecuting and sentencing public officials for crimes of torture. This was in the context of official statistics on reported cases differing very significantly with the data of other organizations including the main oversight body, the Human Rights Commission.

Indeed, the CAT Committee found systemic failures to uphold the Rule of Law at all stages of the legal process, from investigative to the judicial, asserting in fact that judges who fail in their judicial duties in this regard should be held accountable. Sri Lankas Supreme Court had oft made that same observation when hearing fundamental rights applications alleging torture. Other systemic problems abounded from the patterns of false arrests to failure to bring detained persons promptly brought before a judge and in any event, not exceeding 48 hours and complete failure to ensure that arresting officers must register the exact date, time, ground for the detention and place of arrest of detainees.

And while Tamil detainees were at far greater risk of torture given the ethnic dimension in these cases, Sinhala and Muslim victims were also vulnerable. Lest it be forgotten, these systemic failures of due process amounted to a fundamental disregard of the Rule of Law which the CAT Committee quite rightly stressed. It went so far as calling for an independent authority to investigate and prosecute torture cases. That level of concern which emanates from the Committees findings is certainly not adequately reflected in the ECs assessment report examined here.

Gingerly handling of the proposed counter terror law

Dissecting each and every similar discrepancy belongs elsewhere than in the limited spaces of a newspaper column. But it must be said that the ECs cursory treatment of the proposed Counter-Terror law, which is far worse than any national security legislation proposed by any Government since independence, is equally disappointing.

It was cautioned earlier in these column spaces that GSP Plus restoration should only be after full and firm knowledge (as opposed to vague assurances) that the proposed draft law has been amended to be in conformity with the Rule of Law. However, the ECs gingerly handling of the issue invites considerable derision.

Thus we are told that the Government has committed to replace the Prevention against Terrorism (PTA) with a new Bill on counter-terrorism, to be presented to the Parliament in January 2017 which is to be compatible with international human rights conventions and counter-terrorism standards. No further concerns are articulated, not even the need to ensure that the revision of the draft law needs to be placed before the public for transparent scrutiny.

Taking bitter realities into account

It is hoped that the review of the ECs report by the European Parliament and the Council during the coming months will evidence a somewhat more rigorous assessment than what is reflected in this report. Given what has transpired during the past two years, the people of Sri Lanka cannot (with good reason) afford to be as sanguine as the EC in its sunny reliance on the Unity Governments commitment in regard to adherence to the Rule of Law.

That singularly bitter reality needs to be properly taken into account if these assessment exercises are not to degenerate into mere farce.
The Empire strikes back with a vengeance Perhaps triggered by Mahinda Rajapaksa throwing down the gauntlet two weeks ago and threatening to topple the government this year, the Sirisena faithful drew ranks last week and proceeded to lay the groundwork for The Empire to strike back with a vengeance.

The first was a line of defense. It was to erect a parapet wall round the SLFP fort and hang a No Vacancies till 2025 board on it and thus bar the arrival of a usurper at the palace gates with a power itch to cross the moat presumptuously and claim title to the castle. The partys secretary, the Rajarata knight Duminda Dissanayake took it upon himself to forestall such an eventuality by springing the proposal at the SLFPs committee meeting last week that called for the appointment of President Sirisena as the partys presidential candidate at the 2020 presidential election. This was put forward by Mr. Dissanayake irrespective of whether, as he said to his colleagues, Maithripala Sirisena liked it or not, and the committee endorsed it unanimously. This proposal for Maithripala Sirisena would have been like crossing the Rubicon in reverse. He would have well remembered how he had on January 9th two years ago declared his intention to be only a one term president. He would have recalled also how on November 16th 2015, he had solemnly declared at Ven Sobithas funeral, before the coffin was consigned to the flames, how he would act to turn the monks vision to reality. In his funeral oration he declared, I pledge before the hallowed mortal remains of this venerable and esteemed monk, to establish a just Yahapalana government in this country, to found a democratic society in this country, and, in order to create a just and equitable social system in the country, to take all the steps I can take and should take to abolish the executive presidency as desired by the Ven Sobith Thera.

But the best laid plans of monks and men can be displaced by fortuitous circumstances. It would indeed have been galling for him to now make a U turn but he would have realised that the political tide had overtaken his own inclinations and drowned them in the process. That, like the Volkswagen which packs its engine in the boot, so would he have to shove his promise to be only a one term president in the dickey. Beside his party was clamouring for him to re-contest. As S. B. Dissanayake stated this week, the party has made a decision and the president cannot say no. Perhaps, in his final term, if he is reelected in 2020, he can keep the pledge he made before Ven Sobithas coffined corpse and drive the final stake into the very heart of the vampire executive presidency and lay it finally to rest without any chance of resurrection even as a mutilated phantom. The second was a line of attack. It came with Sarath Amunugama unveiling the Presidents secret weapon of mass destruction, the first draft of the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) bill, which can be a weapon of deterrence or a weapon of annihilation. It was the plan to take a short cut, go off the beaten track from the long and laborious judicial process and bring to book those guilty of corruption and abuse of power. It would allow him to fell two birds with one stroke of his inked quill. With only three years left to keep his promise to the people to crackdown on corruption he will be able to finally show results. And simultaneously exile those belligerent but masked in guilt from the political landscape and leave the field clear, come 2020. But the short route of expediency also has its pitfalls.

In the first instance the proposed CJC bill will have retrospective effect which though permitted by the constitution is often frowned on by jurists as one that goes against the grain of justice. In the second instance, it raises selective law enforcement to a higher level and enables the president to be the sole arbitrator to determine in his opinion as to when and on whom the axe should fall. It empowers him with the right to appoint all the members to the criminal justice commission. The only silver lining is that the commission must comprise of sitting or retired judges of the Supreme Court or Appeal Court which at least will give it a semblance of judicial authority and independence but the provision to also include in the commission, an attorney-at-law with over 30 years of practice tends to dull the clouds edge. Those in black coats and black ties whatever their pedigree can be accused of partisanship where at least those purple cloaked and ermine wigged are presumed to be more independent and unprejudiced in their judgments.

In a nutshell what this draft of the proposed Criminal Justice Commission Bill envisages is: to empower a committee comprised of the presidents men and women

to inquire into offences the president in his opinion considers to have been committed

at a time before or after the commencement of the Act

concerning corruption in general but of such a nature which, the President holds to be in his opinion, is of national importance or endangers national security or national interest;

when the president in his opinion holds that the practice and procedure of the ordinary courts are inadequate to administer justice for the purpose of securing the trial and punishment of the persons who committed such offences: and then for that committee to act freely, without the fetter of sticking to the rules of procedure and evidence ordinarily applicable to a court of law, but guided only by the principles of natural justice, to sit in judgment and pass decree on the innocence or guilt of the person so arraigned and to pass sentence, short of the death penalty,

which the Supreme Court would have done had the matter come up before them And that verdict to be final and conclusive and be unchallengeable in any court of law in the land. And if need be, for parliament by a two third majority to deny that person his or her civic rights for a maximum period of seven years.

That is generally the present form of the proposed bill; and, though it was accepted unanimously last Tuesday by the ministers, it was also wisely decided to seek the opinion of the Attorney General as to whether it will be in conflict with the Constitution. But the question is whether it will be in conflict with public opinion. Will it gain the air of legitimacy in the public eye? True, the presidents predicament is understandable, even to be pitied. And the majority will appreciate his efforts to see jailed those guilty of the mega corruption the president and Ranils UNP accused the previous regime of before they were elected to power. Though they waxed eloquent and tarred the whole Rajapaksa regime as corrupt beyond redemption, no single high profile conviction has still been wrought to redeem them from the allegations they made then. And that must worry them. But recourse to extra judicial mechanisms to expedite justice has had a history of backfiring. Those found guilty by bodies appointed outside the normal judicial system, have demonstrated a tendency to emerge as martyrs. Often the process serves to cleanse them of their sins and elevate them to national heroes, as happened to Mrs. Bandaranaike when J. R. Jayewardene brought his commission and, upon its findings, stripped her of her civic rights, thus ruling her out of the equation when he re-contested in 1982. And President Sirisena will do well to bear the past in mind before he assents to give his blessings to such a piece of legislation that will enable him to raise a two edged sword. He will either triumph using it or fall on it. GSP plus HR monitor

One more piece of good news to add to the rhapsody. As President Sirisena predicted last week, the European Commission announced that the GSP plus will soon be restored to Lanka in exchange for the countrys commitment to ratify and effectively implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labour conditions, protection of the environment and good governance. The Finance minister has already announced that it will bring in more than 2 billion dollars to the national kitty. Its another sign of the benefits to accrue with Saturns move to Sagittarius. But as the Sunday Punch commented on January 1st, the bounty will have to be earned with honest sweat. The European Union had made it clear that that it will be conditional upon the government maintaining a clear human rights record. Thus Lanka will have a foreign monitor closely watching the governments actions. It is a double benefit for the people for they will receive not only extra dough but also a foreign monitor to ensure that the peoples fundamental rights are not violated.
Millions wasted on abortive deal with US lobby firm View(s):

A deal with a Washington DC lobbying firm by Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrema to increase economic ties with the United States has now been abandoned.

This is after more than US$ 150,000 or Rs. 22. 5 million of Sri Lankan taxpayers money has been paid out to this firm. It is not immediately clear whether the firm ST&R (Sandler, Travis & Rosenburg) was able to deliver tangible results for the money already paid to them.

It is now claimed that one of the aims for hurriedly hiring the firm, when a presidential election campaign was under way in the United States, was to determine whether Sri Lanka could make an entree into the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). This is a massive trade deal agreed to in 2015 by the US, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and other countries to deepen economic co-operation and boost growth by reducing tariffs.

However, during the election campaign and even after his victory, President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly pledged to scrap the TPP.

The Sunday Times reported the controversial deal exclusively in its front page lead story on August 21 last year. The story revealed how promoting a non-existent peace process was also made one of the tasks given to the lobbying firm. The total cost of the Agreement with ST& R was then placed at US$ 630,000. The report revealed that even the Foreign Affairs Ministry was unaware of the deal. The US firm, it was revealed, has been picked without a competitive bidding process or a tender.

Minister Samarawickrama defended this move with a statement saying the Sunday Times was writing baseless stories and pointed out to the scope of the agreement which was approved by the Attorney General and the Cabinet of Ministers and how the funds would come from the national budget etc.

In response, the Sunday Times asked him why he picked this firm without a bidding process and why he was doing so during an election campaign in the US, and reminded the Minister of the on-going investigation into money laundering by the previous Government which also hired US lobbying firms.

A senior Government official, who did not wish to be named, pointed out the folly of signing this agreement when the US presidential election campaign was under way. If they had waited until the polls were over, and seen how best to lobby the new US Administration, the public money which was squandered could have been saved. This is how careless people can get with public funds when they do these things without consultation, said the official.

Bureaucrat says his heart is with the Opposition

When bureaucrats run into Opposition politicians, the conversation these days is about the Government and governance.

One such official assigned to a key ministry to which every rupee and cent matters could not help but give a hint when an Opposition politico told him we will soon be in power.

Although I cannot say it publicly, my heart is very much with you all, confessed the bureaucrat prompting a handshake between the two. The parting remark by the politico was; let us meet soon under better circumstances.

President scraps Iran visit, no reasons given

President Maithripala Sirisena has cancelled a planned visit to Iran beginning on January 21.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has told Iranian authorities that President Sirisena will not be able to attend on the dates agreed due to other urgent commitments. However, no formal reasons have been given.

The dispute over a huge unpaid oil bill due to Iran by Sri Lanka remains unresolved.However, President Sirisenas visit to Russia, the first ever by a Sri Lankan President, will take place as scheduled on March 21.

After the four-day visit, President Sirisena will fly from Moscow direct to the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka. The Sri Lankan President has been invited to be the chief guest at the Independence Day celebrations of Bangladesh on March 26.

President Sirisena also informally explored the possibility of travelling to Washington DC for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. However, his foreign policy advisers have told him that no foreign dignitaries are expected in the US capital during the inauguration. He had thereafter dropped the idea. President-elect Trump is to be sworn in as the 45th US President on January 20.

Questions over who is coming to Hambantota

Despite claims that 50 companies, most of them Chinese have come forward to invest in the proposed Hambantota Industrial Zone, the comprehensive details are not available so far, International Trade State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe said.

We are expecting them to invest in various sectors including infrastructure, manufacturing water tanks in the industrial zone, but as of now we are not sure of the comprehensive details of their investment plans, Mr. Senasinghe told the Sunday Times.He pointed out that Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang last week at the launch of Sri Lanka-China Logistics and Industrial Zone in Hambantota said that more than 50 Chinese companies were present at the event.

Mr. Senasinghe at a media conference held earlier this week said that more than 50 investors were set to come to Sri Lanka.

However, Mr. Yi in his speech in Hambantota said: Today more than 50 Chinese business people joined for this great moment, some of them have been living in this country for more than 20 years and have become potential investors.

Wigneswaran seeks sister cities in Canada

Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, now on a visit to Canada, was at the centre of a controversy.

He wanted to sign a sister city agreement between Vavuniya and the City of Brampton in Ontario. However, the members of the Brampton Council were opposed to the move and alleged that it was only the Mayor who had consented to it.

According to The Brampton Guardian, a local Canada daily, the councillors debated a request that would link Brampton and Vavuniya via a friendship relationship agreement at the Economic Development Committee meeting on December 7, but no decision was taken.

The agreement would strengthen existing economic and cultural ties while encouraging commerce and the exchange of goods and services between Brampton, the Greater Toronto Area and Vavuniya, a media release from the Brampton Mayors office said.

Apart from this, on the same day, the Chief Minister was also scheduled to sign another Friendship Agreement between the city of Markham, Ontario and Mullaitivu, the former war torn area in the North. Addressing the media in Ontario, Chief Minister Wigneswaran said these agreements are not for any economic assistance or regional co-operation but to coordinate the Tamil identity globally. The city of Markham is home for 30,000 Tamils of Sri Lankan origin while the Bramptons Tamil community numbers around 20,000.

Back home, the NPC broke the record of passing resolutions. At least 321 resolutions in 81 Council sittings have been approved since it began work in 2013.

Speak in one voice: Sirisena tells ministers

Trying to attack a stage where the Prime Minister was seated is wrong, President Maithripala Sirisena observed during last Wednesdays weekly ministerial meeting.

He was commenting on the incidents where the Police fired tear gas and water cannon on crowds protesting against the inauguration of an industrial zone in Hambantota. Some of the protestors had made an attempt to move towards the stage where the Premier was seated. Police have already filed court action against 53 persons.

President Sirisena, however, noted that different persons in the Government were speaking in different voices about the incident. This, he said, was a sad thing and declared that Government politicians should speak in one voice.
Oh justice where art thou? View(s):

That was great, simply great. That pretentious oracle in this miracle of Asia has spoken. Of course it might have been far better for the reputation of this nation had the Justice Minister taken a vow of silence.

But then since Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe seems to make a rather heady mix of his two-prong portfolio I suppose it would be presumptuous to expect him to fulfill our earnest wishes. So Rajapakshe while seemingly upright in praising the righteous turn the judiciary he claims has taken he is not averse to bending in two before some saffron-clad monks who publicly outrage the Buddha sasana and vinaya as social media have often brought to public attention in recent years.

If an aside is permitted one might well ponder about the use of language today. It seems that both politicians and priests are prone to resort to language most foul and intemperate.

My immediate concern is not the abuse of the saffron robe (or various shades of it) but Wijeyadasa Rajapakshes somewhat hurried intervention on the report of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTF) released the other day.

Justice Minister Rajapakshe announced with magisterial portentousness that he had no confidence in the Task Force. I dont think many people really care whether this Rajapakshe has any confidence in the Task Force which has more eminent persons on it than the Justice Minister is ever likely to emulate despite a double doctorate that somebody told me he had been awarded by somebody or other.

If I remember correctly Mervyn Silva was also awarded a doctorate of sorts by some acupuncturist group. That at least had some relevance since Dr. Mervyn Silva as he would expect people to call him, had a habit of needling people though he did not use acupuncture needles to accomplish some of his odious tasks.

I am not quite sure how Rajapakshe became a double-doctor or who conferred the academic accolades on him. But he would be better served if he was more concerned with his public image as the justice minister and how much confidence the public have in him, never mind his lack of confidence in the Task Force.

I remember the stories on the grapevine a few years back that Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was not granted a second term as president of the Bar Association as the association was concerned about his stand on the impeachment of the then chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake.

Whether this is true or not I do not know but I distinctly remember that there were criticisms about what was considered Rajapakshes equivocal stand on the impeachment and rumblings that he seemed to be also supporting the other Rajapaksas. It might be remembered that the then chief justice was shabbily and disgustingly treated by some of those who were prominent loud-mouths in the previous government like Wimal Weerawansa.

If Rajapakshes equivocation, as claimed by some at the Bar, was the reason why he was not granted a second term then he must be perhaps the only president of the Bar Association to be denied this whereas others enjoy a second term without a contest.

Surely this rejection of Rajapakshe who was replaced by Upul Jayasuriya should raise eyebrows among those who were not aware of how the legal fraternity of which Rajapakshe is a part, had unprecedentedly sidelined him from serving a second term in the Bar Associations top post.

In the course of his comments Rajpakshe said that some of the members of the Task Force were representatives of non-government organisations (NGOs). What a non sequitur. For Rajapakshes benefit it might be necessary to explain what the Latin words mean. Suffice it to say that there is no logical connection between his two remarks unless he is struggling to say that he has no confidence in the report because there are members of NGOs in the Task Force.

But then the Justice Minister seems to forget that this Task Force was appointed by the Government in which it now serves. It was Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who announced the setting up of the CTF which was obviously approved by the cabinet. So he should blame his boss for the appointments he made.

I cannot be sure that Rajapakshe understands the principle of collective responsibility. If he does not he might wish to do another doctoral thesis on it. If he does he might consider resigning from the government since he is fundamentally opposed to the composition of the CTF for having some members of NGOs in it who, if one can follow his logic, he believes influenced the recommendations of the Task Force.

That is not all. Following his observation that no one is today complaining about the independence of the judiciary (how he reached this view remains as vague as his logic) he goes on to say In his comments to our sister paper the Daily Mirror that the Task Force report at this juncture is totally unwarranted. Therefore (another non sequitur) we dont have to follow these recommendations by the CTF.

Now what is this juncture he is referring to? What is fundamentally wrong in releasing the report at the time it was released? Surely those who appointed this committee expected it to complete its work and announce its finding and recommendations. The government surely did not instruct the committee not to release it at this time or what Rajapakshe calls this juncture. If it did what makes this juncture unacceptable and embarrassing to the government?

If one wades through the thickets of Rajapakshe thinking to elicit some meaning, the conclusion should be that the government would follow the recommendations of the CTF had they been announced at a more convenient or propitious time. So what is not acceptable is not the CTFs call for a foreign judge also to sit on the bench or international investigators to unearth any evidence regarding allegations of human rights abuses or violations of international humanitarian laws committed by contending parties in the separatist conflict that ended with the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009.

By the way how many of our judges are learned in international humanitarian law and international human rights law? There may be some in the Supreme Court who have some knowledge but are they competent to interpret such laws. There were at one time judges of the highest court who were able to do so such as Mark Fernando (who should really have been chief justice, A.R.B. Amarasinghe and G.P.S. de Silva. Christie Weeramantry, who did not serve long in Sri Lanka, was an internationally recognized jurist.

Do we have today serving judges who can even vaguely match the knowledge and understanding of various strands of international law displayed by the aforementioned judges of a more recent vintage?

It might also be mentioned that much of the jurisprudence, the decisions of special courts and tribunals such as the Rwanda Commission is written and available in English. Even our law reports are in English. How many of our judges in the lower judiciary are really knowledgeable in the English language and can read and understand the interpretation of international laws and decisions made thereon? Do they even read the decisions of international courts and tribunals? It is not their fault. Since the mid-1970s they studied the law in Sinhala or Tamil.

So a whole corpus of interpretations and decisions of international courts, tribunals and commissions on international humanitarian law in particular remain outside the knowledge zone of many of the judges especially in the lower judiciary.

Take the case of investigators. Do we have criminal detectives qualified in investigating allegations such as war crimes or violations of international humanitarian law? Even if we have, would they be permitted to try and dig for evidence that would establish the guilt or innocence of the accused.

Such is the local ethos that several years after the murders of Lasantha Wickrematunge, Wasim Thajudeen, Nadarajah Raviraj, Joseph Pararajasingham and the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda we are still trying to find the perpetrators.

There are many doubts in the public mind about what appears to be foot-dragging with regard to these investigations. The question is who is responsible for the inordinate delays in concluding these investigations and identifying the suspects.

It is said that these investigations are being hampered by politicians and public officials  retired or serving  be they from the police, the armed forces, the Attorney-Generals Department, Judicial Medical Office or persons from other institutions.

So even if Sri Lanka does have competent investigators, the critical question is whether they will be permitted to conduct their investigations professionally and without any interference by politicians in or out of power and by law enforcement bodies and senior officers in the armed forces some of whom are likely to be named in any indictments.

If local investigators are threatened, intimidated and hampered by those who have a direct or indirect interest in any indictments that might be filed then what is the earthly use of saying Sri Lanka has competent judges and investigators when some judges may not be sufficiently versed in aspects of international law and investigators are not permitted to perform their tasks without fear and favour.

Would we have got into this unholy mess if our diplomatic incompetence and lunacy did not lead Sri Lanka to co-sponsor a UNHRC resolution which clearly nailed us to the mast though our pro-American whiz kids in the UNP thought they could slip out of the noose by paying pooja to Washington on knees more bent than Rajapakshes before some obnoxious Saffron-robe clad monks whose conduct dishonours the very teachings of the Buddha.

If one were to string Rajapakshes faux pas together it would seem like some Monty Pythonesque farce. Apart from his venture into counting how many Sri Lankans had travelled to join ISIS, one might recall that admission he made in parliament in connection with the Avant Garde affair.

Then minister Tilak Marapana honourably resigned after he made some remarks about his one-time client who was head of Avant Garde. But curiously Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe who said that he had advised the Attorney-General not to arrest Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is surely a clear case of political interference in the official duties of a quasi-judicial officer.

The Justice Minister has no power vested in him to give instructions to the AG particularly with regard to an on-going case. The man either does not understand his role or considers himself a kind of demi-god who is endowed with unlimited power and has no place in an administration that preaches good governance.

Any honourable person would have considered resigning when photographs appeared in websites of the Rajapakshes reportedly enjoying the hospitality of Avant Gardes Senadipathi somewhere in the US. The photographs appeared at a time when the Avant Garde matter was making news headlines.

Did he resign? Not on your sweet life, he did not. When politicians do terrible things and suffer no consequences, people lose trust in both politics and justice.
The virtues of a responsible bhikku View(s):

A Poison once, a delicacy later: This Sinhala proverb is important for us today. The Lord Buddhas teaching on sadness and happiness, insult and appreciation embodied in the Dhamma (Ata Lowa Dahama) is relevant to the wellbeing of society. Buddhist clergy are revered by Buddhists the world over. They are regarded as Buddha Puthra or the sons of the Buddha. I wish to explain to readers some observations relating to a recent happening at which members of the Maha Sangha were present.

I recollect a time when Ms. Sirima Bandaranaike claimed that Dr. N.M. Perera was responsible for her husbands death, by his words, if not in deed. Dr. Perera later served as Finance Minister in her Government! Though a socialist party leader, he did not reject a capitalist lifestyle.

Thus criticism at one time can change to appreciation at another, and deeds and actions regarded as good can become bad over time.

After the 30-year-war ended during President Mahinda Rajapaksas administration, the country saw development. An airport was built in Mattala, a port in Hambantota and many rural areas received electricity. But he also realised that there were shortcomings in his administration. He called for election, two years before his term ended and lost. Conceding defeat and accepting the peoples verdict teach us a valuable lesson in democracy. Two months before the January 2015 Presidential election, I attended a Pirith ceremony to mark the birthday of President Rajapaksa at the Presidents House.

A Bo sapling was planted at the Presidents House by Namal Rajapaksa under my guidance. I advised him to erect a fence around the Bo sapling. At that time there was no hint of an election. However, Namal Rajapaksa told me, Hamuduruwane, we wont be in power forever. It might change. If it happens a successor should do that, shouldnt he?

I was happy to note that the young parliamentarian had understood the doctrine of success and failure while being at the helm of power. Despite the many achievements of his father, he was aware that defeat was a possibility.

The Lord Buddha has preached about Kalyana Mithra (True friends). I believe that President Rajapaksas biggest mistake was appointing some papa mithra (friends with bad virtues) instead of Kalyana Mithra (friends with good virtues) to key positions in the government.

The Lord Buddha preached that one should eliminate unwanted things without desire, affiliation or attachment and live wisely by overcoming wrongfulness. Former President Rajapaksas recent statement that he would topple the government this year caused a ripple in the country. Some welcomed it, some censured him. I believe that he should have been more careful and spoken more wisely.

One of the causes for Mr. Rajapaksas defeat was his close ties with China. He was accused of selling the country to China. At a time when the present government is trying to strengthen ties with China, Mr. Rajapaksa could have gained political mileage by talking about his China policy. That would have been statesmanlike, and would have helped Government and opposition members to ponder and understand certain matters clearly.

China is not our enemy. It has been our friend since ancient times. China and Sri Lanka have many similarities  our value systems, culture and even religion. In the past, Chinese businessmen married Sri Lankan women, set up their businesses and lived in Kompannaveediya and Maradana.

In most countries, there is a China Town. This is evident to show what a progressive and hardworking people the Chinese are.

China too has faced revolutions. The Chinese revolutions were driven by socialism, similar to the 1971 JVP insurgency in Sri Lanka. But China was able to survive and gain strength from its crisis.

I have lived in the United States and Britain for six years in each country. In the US, I started a temple. I am also a US citizen. But when the US brought resolutions against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council, I gave leadership to a campaign to break 3,000 coconuts in front of the US Embassy in Colombo. Our slogan was: We dont curse you. Please dont harass us when we are suffering. That was the peaceful nature of our protest.

But the oppositions recent protest against allocating land for a Chinese-led industrial zone was far from being peaceful. The participation of the clergy who we refer to as the sons of Buddha (Buddha Puthras) in such protests is inappropriate.

Although this was not the first time that the clergy had taken part in protests, it is time for the Venerable Maha Nayakes of All Nikayas to give a ruling on this. We have also seen in the past that the behaviour of some monks was inappropriate and detrimental to the Sasana. In the 1950s, we saw the rise of Thapasa Nikaya. Some perceived it as a non-Buddhist entity detrimental to Buddhism. During that era, Bhikkus did not even get alms. Then, in 1959, a Bhikku was accused of assassinating Prime Miniter S.W.R.D Bandaranaike. As a result, bhikkus could not even walk on to the road. There was a time when some Bhikkus protested against temples while others started planting Bo saplings and building Buddha statues at every Junction.

In the 1970s the then government took punitive action against the Lake House group and the Dawasa group  two newspaper groups owned by the families who were the dayakas of the Gangaramaya and the pirivena. A large number of bhikkus gathered at the Gangaramaya. This was during a time of political unrest and protests in the country. But I did not allow a single monk in the temple to participate or get involved in such protests. Only with the deputy incumbent of the temple, Ven. Dewundara Rathanajothi Thera, I attended the protest meeting. Such should be the virtue of a responsible bhikku.

It is the most appropriate time for the Maha Nayakas of All Nikayas to think and implement a set of rules for the wellbeing of the Sasana (Buddhist clergy). Today, some bhikkus have emerged to initiate and participate in protests and processions. By recalling the Thapasa Nikaya and the era of the Bodhi Poojas at street junctions, we are able to see through this campaign.

Whatever, the protest or procession we should think twice or even thrice before engaging the Buddhist clergy in such events. It is not inappropriate for bhikkus to participate in a national protest. But to get involved in the China matter last week, on the pretext of a nationalist cause is irrational. The present government deals with China in the same way that the previous government did. Therefore, the role of the bhikkus should have been to enlighten the Government of the previous acts. This incident may leave a black mark in the hearts of Chinese people regarding the Bhikkus of Sri Lanka. I hope that due to the farsightedness of the people of China, this will not happen. The China-Sri Lanka friendship should not be tarnished. The Buddhist clergy should refrain from unnecessary action and participate in only what is necessary.

The Gangaramaya has always been given first preference in every religious ceremony at the Presidents house. Last week too, at the Offering of Alms by President Maithripala Sirisena, bringing the Sacred Relic Casket was entrusted to the Gangaramaya. But the Buddhist clergy were welcomed as Sri Lanka Nidahas Paksha Bhikkshu Peramuna. When I heard it, I was upset. This was not due to a personality issue, but that the President, being our leader, should leave politics aside and welcome the maha sangha from the three sects. There was no anger but sorrow, fearing for what the future can hold.

It is time to be wise for both parties, the Dayakas who offer alms, and the Bhikkus who partake them. When the knot which ties and secures the sticks together, is loosened, then there will be nobody to retie it.
King Rajasinghe captures Negombo View(s):

This article is part of a continuing series on Sri Lankan history

A Dutch leader named Adrian Vander Stella was sent to bring back the soldiers from Pannare in Seven Korales. He went there and had behaved in a disrespectful manner. The soldiers of King Rajasinghe killed him and besieged the camp.

As the Dissawa of Negombo had to surrender to the king, there was no chance for the Dutch to get the gains and benefits they expected. Jan Maetsuyker, who was angered over this, sent a letter to the king asking whether he was preparing for peace or for war.



As the kings solders held fast to the camp they besieged for eight long days consecutively, the soldiers in the camp had to surrender.

As a result another group of the soldiers were captured and those who were in the camp were all sent to Kandy as prisoners. By this time, King Rajasinghe won over Negombo and had brought it under his control.

The Dutch leader threatened to capture Batticaloa, Kottiyar and Trincomalee. As threatened, he captured Batticaloa and Trincomalee. This led to a big dispute. The king did not send replies to any letters sent by the governor.



Lands in Negombo and Galle were under the government agents of the king. As a result the Dutch could not get the gains they expected from these lands. Meanwhile both parties agreed to come to peace. This decision was taken on 1647 AD.

By Halaliye Karunathilake

Edited and translated by Kamala Silva

Illustrated by Saman Kalubowila
100 Words View(s):

Many vastly different yet

beautiful idea have come in to the page on Listen. They range from religion

to love, perhaps informing us of the importance of

putting this little word to action. The theme for February is Brevity.

Please send in your

contributions by Jan 31, 2017 to Madhubashini

Dissanayake-Ratnayake, C/o The Sunday Times, No. 8, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 2

N.B. Work sent to this page may be edited.

LISTEN Listen,

I never dreamed.

I would learn to love you so,

You are as flawed

as my vision

As short tempered

as my breath,

Every time you say

You love me

I look for shelter.

But these matters are small.

Lying entranced

By your troubled life

Within as without your arms

I am once again

Scholarly

Studying a way Noora Raseet

LISTEN Multi hued flowers are

Spread on the altar

A lit oil lamp

Is placed at a corner

With its flickering flame

The incense sticks are

Slowly burning down

Spreading

Their aura

The serene Buddha is looking at all these silently.

Listen!

In a few moments the flowers will fade

The lamp and incense sticks will burn

And finish their fragrance.

Our lives too will likewise fade away any moment. K.L.W. Dayananda

NIGHT SOUNDS Our cottage doors

Are shut against the night.

Listen! The night is awake!

Theres life in the thick of darkness

Inscrutable lives,

Whiffs of animal smells

Scrub-dwellers out foraging

Mysterious movements

Sly scratches on the back door!

Sniffles, snuffles, wheezing

Grunts, shuffles, murmurings.

The owl in the front yard hoots

In a quavering voice,

The lapwing nervously laments.

Listen! Clay pots on the backyard trestle

Are knocked together

Nosed off the edge.

Thump!

At first light, dismayed,

We discover broken pots

Manioc uprooted, gnawed white,

The tasselled corn in shreds.

Hoof and paw prints

Stud the sandy ground. Kamala Gunasekera

LISTEN My Granddaughter

clamps her headphones

across my ears,

commanding, Listen!

From her mobile phone

electronic dance music

challenges my sensitivity.

I savour the flavour,

yet pique her curiosity

to when I was

a starry  eyed wench,

requesting songs on the wireless,

penning sentiments to announcers

and having them read on air.

Such fun.

She deigns interest

and retorts,

But Attammi,

this is quicker.

Hers, a wizardly realm

of tweets, texting,

selfies and apps.

She cocks an ear

to my self-pampering rambles on

long, ornate letter-writing,

kitted up, studio family portraits

and cinema-going outings,

and titters,Why grind?

when a screen touched

delivers all. K. Liyanage

LISTEN Butterfly wings.

falling leaves.

Sparkling dew drops.

What voice and what song? Usula P. Wijesuriya
Guitar Fest 2017 View(s):

The seventh festival of Guitar Music Guitar Fest 2017will come on stage from 20th to 26th January, 2017. Concerts will be performed in University of Sri Jayawardenenapura, University of Peradeniya, Swami Vipulananda Aesthetic Institute, Eastern University, Russian Centre, Colombo, Badulla Town Hall and at the Kalaithoothu Kalamantram in Jaffna. The seventh festival of Guitar Music Guitar Fest 2017will come on stage from 20th to 26th January, 2017. Concerts will be performed in University of Sri Jayawardenenapura, University of Peradeniya, Swami Vipulananda Aesthetic Institute, Eastern University, Russian Centre, Colombo, Badulla Town Hall and at the Kalaithoothu Kalamantram in Jaffna.

The dates are scheduled as -20th Jan 2017- University of Sri Jayawardenepura- Nugegoda, 21st Jan 2017- Russian Centre, Colombo 7, 22nd Jan 2017- University of Peradeniya, 23rd Jan 2017-Dharmaraja College, Kandy (School Show) 24th Jan 2017- Town Hall- Badulla, 25th Jan 2017- Swami Vipulananda Aesthetic Institute, Eastern University, 26th Jan 2017- Thirukalamandram,

Main  Jaffna.

This festival is special because we are performing in Badulla and at Eastern University. We are having a concert at Dharmaraja College, Kandy for school children. Foreign guitarists from Japan and India will be performing with local guitarists .A team of young guitarists from Jaffna will also give performances in the tour said Mohomed Iqbal -Secretary of GASL..

Rohan Silva -President GASL.

The Guitar Festival is a service to our people in Sri Lanka. It has developed a sense of musical awarenessamong the youth. We hope more young people will take an interest in music and join us.

Mrs. Anusha Gokula Fernando- Director, Department of Cultural affairs.

 Music is a powerful medium that can be used to change the minds of people positively. Guitar Fest concerts can help develop a cultured society. The vision of the Department goes parallel to the objective of Guitar Association of Sri Lanka.So we are doing this as a joint activity.

All concerts are free of charge to the public. Some of the leading guitarist will perform and the concert will have many new faces on stage.
Rupavahini goes green View(s):

With the aim of becoming countrys first green media institution, Sri Lankan Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) signed a memorandum of understanding with Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority last week.

As a media institution that works close to nature and environment, Rupavahini is turning to solar power for power generation and to declare the entire premises of the television station as a green zone.

The project is to be completed in 2017 and aims to bring down the monthly cost of around Rs. 10 million.

The MOU was signed by SLRC chairman Ravi Jayawardena and the Sustainable Energy Authority chairman Keerthi Wickremaratne.

At the signing of the MOU ministers Gayantha Karunathilake, Ravi Karunanayake, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Mano Ganeshan, Karu Paranavithana and Ajith P. Perera participated.
Lincoln police are continuing to investigate two men accused of robbing Union Bank and Trust on Dec. 28 and whether theyre tied to other robberies.

Marcus Remus, 19, and Shawn Brooks, 25, were arrested in the week following the robbery at the bank branch at 6801 O St.

Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said Friday that forensic testing led investigators to develop the pair as suspects.

He said Remus' fingerprint was lifted from a plastic Wal-Mart bag handed to a bank clerk during the robbery, then left behind.

There was a receipt in the bag and investigators obtained video footage from Wal-Mart and it further corroborated Marcus Remus being the source for that bag, he said.

With the combination of the receipt, the bag and other evidence, prosecutors charged Remus with robbery and later charged Brooks with the same.

Bliemeister said some of the cash taken from the bank has been found.

Forensic testing will be key in investigating whether the men are connected to robberies at the U-Stop on West O Street and the Rocs Stop and Shop at 27th and South.

Police found the gun they believed was used in the bank robbery and will use it to test bullets fired during the two convenience store robberies, he said.
View(s):

By Kumudini Hettiarachchi

Downed they did their stethoscopes and thermometers and got into exercise mode, turning words that they preach to numerous patients into action.

Doctors, matrons, nurses, pharmacists, administrators and other staff, along with Deputy Director Dr. Santhushya Fernando of the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital gathered in Room 25 on the second floor for a vigorous 1-hour exercise session before getting back to their onerous duties.

The exercise session underway. Pic by Indika Handuwala

The exercise sessions, for two batches of staff at different times, so as not to disrupt the hospitals service, have been organised by the Diabetes and Endocrine Unit of the hospital. It was to commemorate World Diabetes Day.

Height and weight of any newcomer to the exercise routine are recorded and the body-mass index (BMI) worked out. Next the person joins the people on the floor, some clad in T-shirts and pants, some in nurses uniform and the more staid females in skirt and blouse.Before any movement ensues, it is question-and-answer time.

Why are we here, asks trainer W.K. Colombage, assisted in conducting these sessions by Sanduni and Nadeesha. What is your height and what is your weight? If the weight is 155 kg and the height is 100 cm, what is the BMI? Why is it important to know the BMI?

The replies flow forth  we need to keep the BMI under control because it is good for the health; it prevents non-communicable diseases etc.

Yes, you need to keep your body lean. You need to be in good mental health. If you become obese, hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes and osteoarthritis will follow, says Mr. Colombage.

Thereafter, follows a beat and all those on the floor warm-up before getting into vigorous cardio-exercises..paving the way for a healthy lifestyle. A little push and a wish that, hopefully, they would do just a few exercises daily back at home too.
Boatyard in former HSZ returned to fisherfolk View(s):

In view of National Integration and Reconciliation Week observed from January 8-14, an anchor point for the fisheries boatyard in Urani, in the former High Security Zone (HSZ) of Kankesathurai (KKS), was returned yesterday to the fishermen community after 27 years, as they celebrated Thai Pongal festival.

Earlier, the resettled fishermen in Myliddy, Urani, had requested government authorities in the past to return the yard for easy access to the sea.

Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation Secretary, V. Sivagnanasothy, Jaffna Security Forces Commander, Maj Gen Mahesh Senanayake, Jaffna District Secretary, N. Vedhanayagan and the public participated in the ceremony.
Drought in Nuwara Eliya wreaks havoc among farming community Pix and text by Shelton Hettiarachchi View(s): View(s):

The present drought conditions experienced in the country has adversely affected the farming community in Nuwara Eliya. Farmers complain they are experiencing serious crop damage. Nuwara Eliya is known as the fruit and vegetable bowl of the country, and its produce is transported to other parts of the island.

The tourist industry in the area too has also been subject to the travails consequent to the drought. More than 10,000 local and foreign tourists regularly visit the area during weekends and the drought has caused a serious shortage of drinking water.

The farming community has been especially hard hit. Farmers are extremely critical at what they claim has been various badly planned or unplanned development schemes implemented in the area.

They point out to the clearing of wooded areas to facilitate the construction of communication towers, large scale clearing of forest land to facilitate the cultivation of potatoes and pinus crops which resulted in the loss of wind breaks in the hill country. They allege these unplanned development schemes led to the present drought conditions.

Had JICA not constructed tube wells in the area 15 years ago, the situation would have been much worse farmers emphasised.

It is the water drawn from these tube wells they said, that is being transported to villages by the Nuwara Eliya Municipality on a rotation basis and has eased the situation to a certain extent.

K.J. Ananda Silva a resident of Hava Eliya in Nuwara Eliya said, though the Lovers Leap Water Fall is in the vicinity, they still faced difficulties in obtaining sufficient drinking water. He stressed the need for a proper water management system in the area.

Municipal Commissioner Nuwara Eliya, R.M.K. Ruwan, said long-term and short-term plans are currently underway in order to manage the situation during dry weather conditions. He accepted the need for a proper system of water management, so-as-to meet needs during the dry season when water levels in major reservoirs run low.

He said a long-term plan to construct a large reservoir in the vicinity of the Lovers Leap waterfall was under way, and feasibility studies had already been finalised.
GSP Plus: Govt. rushing through rights plan View(s):

The Government wants to rush a five-year National Human Rights Action Plan (NHAP) next week as part of its initiatives to get the European Union to restore the GSP Plus tariff preferences to Sri Lanka.

The 300-page report, which meets most of the conditions laid down by the EU, will come up for discussion at the weekly ministerial meeting on Tuesday.

It was discussed by ministers last Tuesday but some ministers urged that immediate changes be made. On the instructions of President Maithripala Sirisena, these changes were finalised at a conference chaired by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday.

One of the changes was a requirement in the NHAP draft that the introduction of a State of Emergency needed two thirds approval from Parliament. It has now been dropped together with another provision which sought to decriminalise homosexuality.

In the next two to four months, Sri Lanka will have to convince a majority within the European Council and the European Parliament to back its application for GSP Plus before the concession is finally granted, diplomatic sources warned this week.

While Government leaders have already announced that Sri Lanka has regained the GSP Plus incentive from the EU, several weeks of intensified lobbying combined with improvements of the ground are crucial, they said. No rubber stamping should be expected, one senior diplomat asserted.

According to European Union (EU) regulations on GSP Plus, the European Commissions recommendation  which Sri Lanka received on Wednesday  could be objected to by the Council and/or Parliament. This obviously means that Sri Lanka must get the majority support of both the Council and Parliament in two to four months. This also means that Sri Lanka must ensure that a majority in the Council and Parliament do not object to the Commission recommendation, the diplomat said.

The Council consists of all 28 member states. Hence, domestic compulsions in the respective countries  for example, the diaspora lobby in Britain, reports of human rights organisations and trade unions on labour issues  could get factored into the final decision. The European Parliament has 751 members and a majority would need to back the Commissions recommendations. Many trade deals have been stopped in European Parliament  including, recently the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the US and the EU, despite all 29 Governments endorsing the initial decision.

The Sri Lankan Government must remember that the debate on the Geneva Resolution happens at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March, the sources said.

The way the Commission recommendation is dated, progress made by Sri Lanka is considered as of early January 2017, a source explained.

These are based on the many Government promises which were originally scheduled to be completed by the beginning of this year. They included changes to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, a transitional justice mechanism and constitutional reforms.

The disastrous UN Committee against Torture meeting that took place in Geneva in November rang alarm bells in many quarters, diplomats pointed out. But there are also other issues at hand. Among them are the 15 conditions notified by the European Commission in 2010. These include, for instance, repealing PTA sections which are incompatible with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); responding to the significant number of individual cases pending before the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances; and ensuring that journalists can exercise their professional duties without harassment. It was the previous administrations refusal to respond to these conditions that led to the GSP Plus being withdrawn.

To qualify in the eyes of the Council and Parliament, Sri Lankas implementation of an entire set of 27 international conventions also needs to be characterised as having no serious failure. Also under consideration will be issues stemming from the Geneva Resolution  such as release of land and detainees.

It is learnt that the EU Mission in Colombo has also been pressing officials for updates on implementation of obligations. A team is heading to Colombo to discuss related matters and Sri Lankas responses will be critical, the sources said.

The focal point for GSP Plus in Sri Lanka is officially Sonali Wijeratne, Director General of Commerce. She functions under the Secretary to the Ministry of International Trade. In the past, she has expressed unwillingness to get involved in rights issues  human, civil, political  raised by the EU, saying they are outside her purview. This has left several divisions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle the subject.

The best case scenario for Sri Lanka is for the Commission decision to go through in both the Council and Parliament within the two-month timeframe; that is, by March 12, the senior diplomat earlier quoted said. Next best is within the four-month limit; that is by May 12.

If a majority in either the Council or Parliament object to the deal, Sri Lanka will have to start over, he said. This means going back to square one and submitting a fresh application. That process would take a further eight to ten months.
Lawyers to have access to suspects in police custody View(s):

The Government will propose an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Special Provisions) Act giving statutory recognition to the right of an attorney-at-law to have access to a police station in which a client is being held.

It will equally recognise the entitlement of such attorney to meet the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the police station and to ascertain from him the reasons for arrest, when and where the client is to be produced before a magistrate. It will also allow the lawyer to make an application in instances where the law provides for the grant of police bail.

It will statutorily recognise the rights of such suspect in police custody to meet a lawyer and receive legal advice. It has been left open as to what that right would accrue, whether it would be soon befor the recording of the statement, or soon after arrest, or after the recording of a statement and before producing before a magistrate, an authoritative source said. It will say that contact between the lawyer and suspect shall be facilitated by the OIC. The OIC should allow contact between the lawyer and the suspect at the police station, subject to it being not prejudicial to the ongoing investigation.

These changes were agreed to by a stakeholders committee that comprised, among others, representatives of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), the Attorney Generals Department and the police. This amendment to the CPC (Special Provisions) Act is being envisaged as an interim solution.

An amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure, meanwhile, is to be proposed separately and at a later date following broader discussions.

Issues such as whether a suspect should be conferred with the statutory right to remain silent during the first interview and recording of the statement, and should a suspect be given access to an attorney-at-law soon after the arrest and before the recording of the statement, have been left for future negotiations, the source said.

Also to be taken up are questions such as should the law enable a suspect to say he wanted his lawyer present when he made the statement; and should a statement recorded in the presence of a lawyer then be admissible against the suspect in a future trial.

What is meant by prejudice to an investigation is likely to be judicially interpreted, the source said. These are thorny issues and we leave it in the hands of, hopefully, good and competent judges to interpret in the form of a fundamental rights judgment. But the healthy sign is that an interim solution was arrived at on which the police, private and official bar concurred. Other matters have to be debated in good faith with all stakeholders and agreed over a period of time.

It has long been accepted that certain sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure need amending to take cognisance of, among other things, torture in police custody. Under prevailing law, lawyers who appear for suspects for the first time in the Magistrates Courts do not know the exact allegation against their clients. This precludes them from making representations to the magistrate, particularly for grant of bail.

There are legitimate and justifiable reasons to move for improvement of the system, a legal source said. But we need to balance it off so that we can continue to achieve criminal justice objectives, looking after the best interests of victims, particularly relating to recovery of the proceeds of crime.

Earlier, a Government committee had prepared a draft amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure and it deprived suspects arrested and detained by police of access to attorneys-at-law prior to recording of their statement. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka opposed the draft. It said many instances of torture at police stations occurred between the period of arrest and the conclusion of the recording of a suspects statement.

As such, depriving suspects under arrest and detention of access to their lawyers until the conclusions of their statements will result in a greater risk of suspects being subject to torture, cruel and inhuman treatment, as well as illegal arrest and detention by errant police officers, the Commission said.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Joint Opposition also objected to the amendment.

The draft then went to the relevant Sectoral Oversight Committee which invited the Attorney General to meet the stakeholders. A committee was established  the chief members of which were the BASL, the AG and the Police  and asked to attempt to reach consensus.

The members did agree on certain things, a confidential source said. Firstly, an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure requires careful consideration and, possibly, restructuring of provisions of certain other laws and the law relating to admissibility of evidence. Secondly, we would endeavour to reach an interim solution.

This is how the consensus text of an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Special Provisions) Act was developed during the last week of December, he said. It will be communicated to the Minister of Justice and go to the Cabinet.
MOD opposes mine-ban treaty ratification By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):

Implementation of a 10-month-old Cabinet decision that Sri Lanka would ratify the UN convention banning anti-personnel mines is being blocked by the Defence Ministry (MoD) which insists that mines are essential to protect its military camps.

On March 2, Cabinet approved a joint proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement to accede to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Conventioncommonly called the Ottawa Convention. Sri Lankas Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva also announced it at the First International Pledging Conference for the Implementation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

But the matter has ended there. One reason is Cabinet also decreed that parliament must approve its decision. However, parliamentary sanction is not required for ratification of international conventionsand submitting just this one to the assembly would have set a precedent.

The bigger impediment, though, is the MoDs stance. We need a little time, a couple of years, to acquire equipment and technology to protect our military installations, said Karunasena Hettiarachchi, MoD Secretary. So far, the camps are protected by anti-personnel mines. We need to buy other equipment and that is very expensive.

The three commanders of the armed forces have received instructions to draw up a proposal on how to protect military installations without mines, Mr Hettiarachchi said. Their report would include various types of technologies and their costs. He would not commit on a timeframe for submission of their conclusions.

Official sources said the MoD has been maintaining this position over the past year. They questioned how it was taking so long to make a decision. They also pointed out that Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former Defence Secretary, wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs in 2011 that, The Ministry of Defence is in agreement to becoming a State Party to the Ottawa Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

But they didnt do it, Mr Hettiarachchi said, in response. They were in power till 2015. The MoD under the current administration has repeatedly expressed reservations regarding accession.

Nevertheless, its position that anti-personnel mines are required to protect military installations contradicts even the policies of most other countries that have not yet acceded to the Ottawa Convention. They only deploy landmines to defend their land borders, not camps.

Since the wars end in 2009, there are no land borders to protect in Sri Lanka. By joining the Ottawa Convention, a State party undertakes to destroy all stockpiled anti-personnel mines that it owns or are under its jurisdiction or control not later than four years and to clear landmines within ten years of becoming a State party. Up to now, 162 countries have joined the Convention.

In August 2016, the Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Landmines petitioned President Maithripala Sirisena stressing the importance of acceding to the Ottawa Convention as well as the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). It pointed out that ratifying the two treaties will guarantee for future generations that these indiscriminate weapons will not be used on Sri Lanka soil, thus joining hands with the world humanitarian disarmament community.

The Campaign has raised the issue again in view of National Integration and Reconciliation Week which ended yesterday. It said that without taking concrete measures such as acceding to the Ottawa Convention or the CCM, reconciliation will not succeed in post-war Sri Lanka. It seems that Sri Lanka may be the only country in the world saying that after an internal conflict and during an ongoing reconciliation programme, military installations should be protected with landmines, said Vidya Abhayagunawardena, the Campaigns Coordinator.

Since 2004, Sri Lanka did not accede to any disarmament conventions and was isolated from the international disarmament community, he continued. It seems now the country has completely neglected the subject of disarmament despite being a champion of it at one time.
Passengers hang around at airport and face the music By Kasun Warakapitiya View(s): View(s):

More check-in counters have been opened and additional security deployed at the Bandaranaike International Airport where a band is playing to help soothe rattled nerves in the chaotic departure hall.

Baggage screening is rushed, immigration lines are lengthy, hundreds of cars including taxis, SUVs, and tour buses jostle for space at the departure hall, now that a runway renovation has begun and flights are halted from 8:30am to 4:30 p.m. Work on the Rs 7.2 billion undertaking is set to end on April 5.

The head of Airport Management at the Bandaranaike International Airport, H.S Hettiarachchi, explained that the runway is being widened by 7.5 metres at each shoulder so that an Airbus A380 could land one day in Colombo.

He said the runway built during 1986 has run its course according to International Civil Aviation Organization standards. A runway can be used for 20 years or 200,000 landings, and that this limit was achieved in 2006, while the 20-year lifespan ended in 1996. If we delayed the renovations any more, the ICAO would stop flights and advise us to renovate. We are late for the resurfacing.

Mr Hettiarachi added that a new terminal capable of handling 180,000 people will be built beginning May. It will have 96 check-in counters.

Departing passengers have been advised to check-in at least five hours early.

Many foreigners and Sri Lankans have been seen asking officials about flight arrangements and their luggage which is checked in early.

Sri Lankan Airlines has engaged a calypso band to perform in the departure hall to help ease the stress.

Phil Dahlenburg who was flying back to Australia said he did not mind arriving at the airport early.

He said he could spend time listening to the band, but he preferred more upbeat music.

I like the music the band played, yet they looked nervous. However, the effort of the airport authority must be given credit, because they are trying to ease the tension, he said. He added he took the extra time available to browse at the duty free shops.

An Austrian visitor who identified herself as Shaninne, said that she came four hours early for her 9:00pm flight. She preferred to have those extra hours for more travelling in Sri Lanka, although she enjoyed her stay in the island.

Mohamad Isharaff, who was travelling with friends, also arrived five hours early and was deeply disappointed. Earlier, passengers were told to check-in three hours early, now they tell us to come five hours earlier, three or five hours waiting is a waste of time.

Band leader Saman Kumara Sirisena said two groups of nine are playing in the departure buildings ground level and upper floor. He said some foreigners were seen dancing and singing.
Thanks to the Sun, with prayers for rain View(s):

As the Sun rose yesterday, Vavuniya devotees gathered at the Kandasamy Kovil premises to celebrate Thai Pongal, the harvest festival where they thank deities for the gift of the Sun, Mother Earth and the animals which help plough the fields. With one of the worst ever droughts still persisting, the devotees also prayed for rain.
Tycoon gets sweetheart deal for mega tyre city in Horana By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):

The Government, through the Ministry of Development Strategies, is drawing up a sweetheart deal for controversial Sri Lankan businessman Nandana Lokuwithana to build a tyre factory in Horana.

Among other things, it will grant him a 99-year lease on 100 acres of land for an annual rent of just 100 rupees an acre.

For his promised investment of US$75 million (Rs. 11.2 billion), Mr. Lokuwithanas company is expected to receive an income tax holiday of 12 years after which a preferential rate of 15 percent will be levied, authoritative sources said. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) has also sanctioned a massive discount on the lease premium owed to the Wagawatte property and is now pushing through other concessions.

While the foundation stone for the Rigid Tyre Corporation (Pvt) Ltd. plant was laid on January 5, the final agreements are yet to be signed, these Cabinet sources said. Since October last year, the Development Strategies Ministry has been mooting a series of generous incentives for Mr. Lokuwithana, including a provision to lease out the sprawling property in Wagawatte at rates calculated by the Governments Valuation Department.

As such, he will only deposit around Rs 71 million upfront as a lease premium (a one-time payment) on the land and a nominal rent of Rs 10,000 per year or Rs 100 an acre annually. The property is part of the Board of Investments (BOI) Wagawatte Industrial Zone (WIZ). The Development Strategies Ministry has secured CCEM permission to have it leased out to Rigid Tyre Corporation for 99 years despite the BOis board permitting only 50-year leases.

The BOI charges a premium of US$ 40,000 (Rs, 6 million) anacre for a 50-year lease of WIZ land, papers presented to the Cabinet reveal. Mr. Lokuwithana should, therefore, make a down payment of US$ 4 million or Rs. 600 million for his allotted 100 acres. But he will effectively receive a discount of more than 70 percent on the minimum lease premium when calculated on the basis of a 50-year lease. The loss to the BOI is greater if tabulated on the premise of a 99-year lease.

The papers also state that the annual ground rent for an acre of WIZ land is US$ 3,850 (around Rs. 578,000) an acre. At Rs. 100, the CCEM has approved a discount of 99.98 percent on each acre for Mr. Lokuwithana. Both incentives were granted at the request of the investor, the Cabinet sources said.

The BOI typically advertises available lands. When this was recently done for the Seethawaka Industrial Zone  where the lease premium is gazetted at US$ 60,000 an acre and the annual rent is US$ 4,325 an acre  the agency attracted an offer of US$110,000 as premium and US$ 5,200 as annual rent for an acre. That has now been accepted.

And while the BOIs powers to grant tax concessions were suspended in April 2016, the Development Strategies Ministry has arranged for waivers on the grounds that the application to manufacture tyres was lodged the previous month, in March. The company will also import project-related capital and construction items free of Customs duty during the four-year implementation period.

Rigid Tyre Corporation proposes to set up an integrated tyre manufacturing facility in Horana and create 3,000 jobs, a statement from the company said. Cabinet sources said the company would export 60 percent of its products and release 40 percent locally. They also pointed out that the BOI usually allowed 10 percent into the domestic market, going up to 20 percent under exceptional circumstances.

The company will use technology from Marangoni of Italy under a partnership agreement signed in September. The 100-acre land will be a megacity for the tyre industry with divisions for value addition of rubber, promotional literature states. There will be no joint venture company and the full financial contribution will be from Mr. Lokuwithana, who bought the Ceylon Steel Corporation and is reported to have business interests in Dubai.

It is understood that the BOIs board of directors had been against granting so many exceptions to a single investor, particularly as it would set a precedent. They were also concerned about giving up 100 of the 150 acres the BOI has in the area to Mr. Lokuwithana, leaving a mere 50 acres to promote among other investors. These objections were ignored.

Mr. Lokuwithana also wants to use part of his 100-acre plot to build houses for employees. This, too, contravenes the prevailing policies of the BOI as no investor is permitted to accommodate staff on land granted by the investment promotion agency. However, moves are now afoot to delist the relevant section of the property  thus placing it outside BOI purview  to facilitate Mr. Lokuwithanas request. Further incentives are under consideration.

One reason for the delay in signing the final agreement is because 50 out of the 100 acres are still leased out to another company that has requested an alternative property due to issues it is facing on the land.

Mr. Lokuwithana  who owns several businesses in the Middle East  is identified as a holder of offshore accounts in the Panama Papers released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. He has often publicly expressed pride at having risen to the heights of affluence from a modest background from the hinterlands of Medawachchiya.

He was widely identified as being a Rajapaksa loyalist and conduit, a claim he has not denied. Last year, President Maithripala Sirisena unveiled a life size statue of Goddess Pattini at the Nawagamuwa Purana Sri Maha Paththini Devalaya which was renovated with funding from Mr. Lokuwithana.
US NGO slashes funds to two Jaffna schools pending audited accounts View(s):

In an unprecedented move, the USA-based Trustees of Jaffna College Funds (TJCF) have slashed finances to the renowned Jaffna College in Vaddukoddai and Uduvil Girls College, consequent to the schools alleged failure to submit audited accounts for 2015. The TJCF has reduced funding for the two schools by 20% of the budgeted grant in Q1 of 2017.

Bishop of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India, Rev Daniel Thiagarajah, Chairs the Boards of both schools. TJCF is a public charity based in Boston, Massachusetts, and provides funds to the schools.

In a letter to Rev Thiagarajah last week, TJCF President, Rev Richard H. Huleatt, states that, There has been minimal or no compliance with financial reporting from Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls College, and neither school has submitted audited financial statements for 2015, he claims. He also expresses concern about governance practices of both Colleges, saying their Boards are overpopulated with members of the same circle.

Rev Thiagarajah called the letter a very high-handed act. Our lawyers are preparing a response, he said via telephone from Cochin, India, where he is attending Synod Session of the Church of South India. Among the counsel is Attorney-at-Law and Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran.

I dont want to stoop to their (TJCF) level, Rev Thiagarajah continued. Someone with vested interest has done this. They are factually incorrect and we are contemplating legal action. Our lawyers are drawing up a defamation case. He said he would make the lawyers response public after it is drafted.

Jaffna College is a private school in Vaddukoddai, founded in 1871 as a successor to the Batticaloa Seminary established by American missionaries. Uduvil Girls College was founded in 1820 by American missionaries and is one of the countrys oldest schools.

Nevertheless, both institutions have had problems in the recent past, much of it concentrated on Uduvil Girls College. Last year, students, parents and alumni protested against the forced retirement of its Principal, Shiranee Mills. The demonstrators were later attacked by groups opposed to their position.

The TJCF President, in his letter, has called violence against and intimidation of students shocking. The Trustees have now insisted on major changes in governance and financial reporting for each College. These include independent audits of finances and internal controls; prudent and open nominations for persons to serve as directors; appointment of qualified officers and teachers; disclosure of related party transactions; avoidance of cronyism and nepotism; and regular meetings of Boards and Committees, followed by public reports of deliberations and decisions.

The letter has been circulated among 19 others, including Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, which Rev Thiagarajah was heavily critical of, saying the other parties were not connected with either College. The Trustees have asked for the 2015 audited accounts and a report on how the respective Boards will implement proposed reforms by March 15, 2017. If these are not submitted, We may reduce our payment for Q2 of 2017, they warn.
Abortion opponents from across Nebraska struck a hopeful tone in their annual downtown Lincoln rally Saturday, buttressed by recent political gains at the federal and state levels.

Were making progress, but weve got to keep working, Congressman Don Bacon told a Nebraska Walk for Life crowd of a few thousand people, which filled a block-long stretch of K Street north of the state Capitol beginning at 10 a.m.

A group of about three dozen counter-protesters stood across the street, shouting over speeches by Bacon, Gov. Pete Ricketts and others.

U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse encouraged the anti-abortion crowd to move the culture by persuasion.

You believe not in shouting people down, but in engaging people," he said.

Sasse recently secured a seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which handles abortion-related legislation and will play a key role in vetting President-elect Donald Trumps pick to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy left by late Justice Antonin Scalia.

It's the first time Nebraska has held a seat on the committee since shortly after the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed women the right to abortions.

Abortion opponents hope Trump's election will help shift the high court in their favor and begin Roe v. Wade's undoing.

Trump has so far identified 21 potential nominees to fill Scalia's seat; Sasse said he feels "very good" about those options.

Republican congressional leaders are also mounting an effort to defund Planned Parenthood.

People at Saturday's rally were optimistic about their newfound momentum.

Weve prayed for this since the 70s, when we were in high school, said Chris Watson, 60, of Omaha.

Even for those who didn't spring to support Trump at first, the chance to secure more anti-abortion voices on the nations highest court was a reason to get out and vote for him, said 58-year-old Becky Tometich of Omaha, Watsons sister and mother of two adopted children.

Tometich attended her first anti-abortion life chain protest 26 years ago. Five days later, she adopted her first child.

This is so close to my heart," she said.

At the state level, Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion told the Walk for Life crowd that his past four years in the Legislature were the most frustrating years of my life.

But leading into this years legislative session, we actually elected some people that will take a stand for life, Kintner said. Were making a difference  you are making a difference.

Kintner is sponsoring a bill (LB59) that would require the state Department of Health and Human Services to create a website featuring ultrasound video of a fetus at two weeks' gestation. Any abortion clinic in Nebraska with a website would have to include a link on its homepage.

Other officials who appeared at the rally included Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, and state Sens. Merv Riepe, Robert Hilkemann, John Lowe, Steve Halloran, Lou Ann Linehan and Bruce Bostelman.

Adrienne Tyrrell of Lincoln, who stood across the street Saturday with a sign reading, Keep Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries, said she felt threatened by Ricketts and the other officeholders who spoke.

While Saturdays Walk for Life was mostly peaceful and positive, Tyrrell said women who visit Planned Parenthood clinics receive frightening treatment by anti-abortion activists who approach them outside.

They say theyre nonviolent, but its pretty scary walking through a crowd of them, Tyrrell said.

After speeches on the Capitol steps ended, the Walk for Life crowd marched down 14th Street toward the University of Nebraska-Lincoln student union, clogging intersecting traffic.

The event ended inside the Nebraska Union with a keynote speech by Rebekah Buell, a California mother who says she changed her mind after beginning a chemically induced abortion in 2013 and eventually bore a son.

After taking the first of two pills used in a chemical abortion, she immediately regretted the decision and drove two hours to a one-room clinic in a little hick town to receive progesterone injections.

Her son, Zechariah, "was born perfectly healthy and he is amazing," she said.
Use of 3 Trinco oil tanks to await new Indian envoy- PM orders By Damith Wickremasekara View(s): View(s):

Sri Lankas plans to make use of three oil tanks in Trincomalee, leased out to Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) has been put on hold on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes instructions, until the new Indian High Commissioner (HC) assumes duties.

This decision was made when Minister of Petroleum Resources Chandima Weerakkody and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) officials took up the issue.

There were two previous attempts by CPC officials to inspect the oil tanks, in keeping with a Cabinet decision to use them for the storage of fuel to generate thermal power, because Sri Lanka was heading for a power crisis, had failed.

A senior CPC official said the Prime Minister had instructed that, the issue should be discussed with the new HC, before moving ahead to re-use the three oil tanks.

A spokesman for the Indian High Commission said the new HC is expected to assume office before January 26.

Minister Weerakkody said there was an urgent need to make use of the three tanks, in view of the requirement to generate thermal power.

He said there was also a business proposal with the LIOC, regarding the use of 16 oil tanks in Trincomalee.
In search of little known heroines The queen of British historical fiction Philippa Gregory, one of the high-profile authors at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival that ends today, talks to Smriti Daniel of her endeavour to counter the notion that the history of the world has been the history of men View(s): View(s):

Philippa Gregory found Mary Boleyn when she was hunting for a female pirate. It was in a book about the Tudor navy that she discovered a ship named after Anne Boleyns sister. For a moment Gregory was certain there must have been a mistake. But there in the footnotes was Mary, and in her the British author and historian had found an unlikely heroine.

Gregory is the prolific author of a compulsively readable series of novels, among the most famous of which is The Other Boleyn Girl (2001). The story is told from Marys perspective  she is Henry the VIIIs mistress before he ever meets Anne. In fact, she is pregnant with his son when her sister steps into court and sweeps the king off his feet. Though Mary bore Henry a son, she disappears from the historical record around the time she marries her second husband. William Stafford is beneath her in the social hierarchy, and Mary is rejected by her family for this one act.

We know so little of Mary  not even where she was when Anne, by then Queen of England, was executed on charges of incest, witchcraft, adultery and conspiracy against the king in 1536. We know not what she made of the great events of her time such as the English Reformation. But Gregory thinks she understands something of Mary from a single document that survives.

Gregory pored over the letter in the archives of the man who served as Henrys controversial chief minister from 1532 to 1540. Mary wrote to Thomas Cromwell that she had no regrets, even though her marriage to Stafford had so displeased her sister and brother-in-law: I had rather beg my bread with him than to be the greatest queen in Christendom. Its something of a miracle the letter survived, when hundreds of others were probably tossed in the fireplace.

It was such a surprise to me, Gregory says, now.Thank god for Thomas Cromwell and his archive!

Its a sentiment I am certain has never been expressed here, in a luxury villa high above the coast of Weligama. Gregory, one of the stars of the 2017 Fairway Galle Literary Festival, has been spending the past few days in Sri Lanka reading Germaine Greers Shakespeares Wife (featuring another woman called Ann)and sleeping in a house named after the German naturalist Ernst Haeckel.

Gregory will sign many copies of The Other Boleyn Girl these next few days, a reminder that this is the book that made her reputation. It was adapted by the BBC and for Hollywood and inspired three biographies about Mary. It also made famous Gregorys approach of writing from the perspective of a lesser known character witnessing the tumult of history.

Gregory, who studied journalism, English literature and history before earning her doctorate in 18th century literature, is often hailed as the Queen of British Historical Fiction. She began publishing in 1987 and is today the author of close to 40 books. She is also, almost overwhelmingly, a chronicler of womens lives.

Her most recent series is a sprawling 7-volume set on the Plantagenets and the Cousins War between the houses of Lancaster and York. Each volume takes the perspective of one woman from those decades  from Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner who became King Edward IVs beloved consort in 1464 and remained his wife till his death in 1483 to Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, only one of two women in 16th century England to be a peeress in her own right.

Their extraordinary lives, filled with intrigue, dramatic reversals of power, sweeping love affairs and bloody conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster, are a historians dream, and yet very little is known about them. For so long, the history of the world has been the history of men. It became apparent to me that this is not about some extraordinary individual women that we have missed but that we do not record women at all. And when they are active, powerful and agents of their own change, we regard them as dangerous, or power crazed or corrupt or not really women.

In her novels, Gregorys response to this prejudice has been to go in with the women. Often, it is while writing one book that she discovers who the next one will be about. Whoever she is, she guides me through the history. Literally, I went from one woman to another to another, she says. In the end, when you look down you have this gods eye view where you see this tapestry of all these people and their reasons for doing things.

Switching between the skins of mothers and daughters, sworn enemies and old allies, sensual women and saintly women, the author is stretched in interesting ways. While writing the Cousins War series for instance, just in the first two books she switched between York and Lancaster, beginning with The White Queen and following with The Red Queen. It felt like disloyalty, she says laughing, but I also thought that was rather wonderful, because that is the experience of people in any civil war  there is a lot of changing of sides.

The English court was rife with conspiracy, and women were often at their heart. The power of the bedroom, the power of the advisor, the mothers power over her children, and the whores power  all these were ways in which women tried to take power when they were officially powerless, says Gregory. It is striking, when reading these books to observe the extent of that powerlessness, particularly when it comes to money, which on a womans marriage became entirely her husbands.

It is so hard, that I think modern women struggle to imagine it. Thats a history thats been itself obscured, says Gregory.One of the reasons we find it so hard to campaign for our rights today is because we have forgotten how long and hard the campaign was up until now.

Gregorys roots as a feminist lie in her childhood. She and her sister were raised by a widowed mother, and when she left home to go to school, it was an all girls one. I am very, very comfortable with seeing women in power, and it was quite a shock to go into the outside world and become a journalist, as I did, and see a world of work that was completely dominated by men in which women were not highly regarded. Subsequently, when Gregory went to work at a BBC radio newsroom, she was the only woman there. If you looked at it, you would say, journalists are men, and what is she doing there?

Gregory used to laugh about how her grandmother was (very briefly) a suffragette. The story went that her grandmother wanted to go to one meeting, but changed her mind when her husband threatened to divorce her. I used to think it was a joke, but then I thought about it and it seemed to me that that was a terrible thing he did to her, a wicked thing, because he was threatening to take away her four children. This threat would usually be made in instances of adultery or a terrible breach of promise, but here it was being made because a woman wanted to think for herself. Its an extraordinary example of male power, right in my family.

Gregorys great-great-great-great aunt was Mary Hayes, a dear confidant of the now iconic feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft (incidentally, also the mother of Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein). They were so close that Hayes was at Wollstonecrafts deathbed in 1797.

Its a piece of family trivia that Gregory narrates with evident pride. At 63, she is herself a woman to be reckoned with.My husband once said Could feminism be an inherited gene? In which case god help us! Gregory laughs and then adds: Its a lovely thought, isnt it?
Extracts from the entries of the five finalists View(s):

Given below are extracts from the poems and a short biography of the writers in order of recitation.

Red Shoes by Sarah Jauffer:

I swam in the rain with my red, red shoes  Soaked to the brim with earth that was loose -Down on my knees  I fell, and the Trees; and the Winds laughed and called me a goose!

20-year-old Sarah Jauffer is a writer by profession who is pursuing journalism.

The funny people of Sri Lanka by Ashwin Dias:

There was a fine fellow from Kandy  Whod knock down his fair share of brandy  This habit didnt last, ended up in a cast  The night they ran out of shandy.

25-year-old Ashwin Dias is a civil engineer from Dehiwala who writes as a hobby.

In quest for a grander West by Ranga Rashmika Nambuwasam:

Thus, the Easterly flock left; in Quest, for a grander West  Took to the high seas, amid a low-slung breeze  When the low hung billows, arose to oppressive roils, they began to roll.

22-year-old Ranga Rashmika Nambuwasam is a student pilot who loves to write as a hobby and hopes to publish some of his work in the future.

The Misfortunes of a Fishermans Daughter by Pawan Kalugala:

There once was a Fishermans Daughter  Who sat pondering all day by the water  What Cockles in shells, Mussels and Whelks  Would think at their moment of slaughter.

26-year-old Pawan Kalugala has been writing poetry since she was a child and used to write little nonsensical poems as a child, which she hopes to turn into a childrens book someday. She published her first book in the form of a collection of more grown-up poetry An Almond moon and the white owl, last year and is slowly making progress on a novel next while completing her thesis in English literature. She wrote this poem a few minutes into the deadline.

A small scene by Benny Lau:

She was a dragon  or a tiger in the mist  a unicorn nibbling pol-sambol off my wrist  she smiled chilli lime, taking slow sips  everyone there mesmerized  by her slow pink lips

30-year-old Shafni Awam writes under the pen name  Benny Lau. He loves writing and is aiming to complete writing and publishing a collection of poems.
UPDATED 1:15PM: Footage has emerged online showing the moment a train slams into the back of a car at a railway crossing in Matamata.

The video posted to Facebook shows the car stuck in the middle of the railway tracks at a crossing on State Highway 27 before it is struck by the train at about 7:20am.

Speaking to Fairfax the man who captured the video Taui Johnson says about five people were around the car moments before the collision

I saw them all running from the car and then I could hear the sound of the brakes and the horn from the train and thats when I realised, holy moly, there is actually a train coming here.

Everyone around the car scattered and about 10 seconds later, the train smashed into the car.

**WARNING VIDEO CONTAINS COARSE LANGUAGE***

Thats when I thought, I hope theres no one stuck in the car.

There were no occupants inside the vehicle at the time of the collision.

A nearby resident tells Fairfax the driver had been heading north from the racecourse and hit the signal box as he crossed over the tracks.

His car ended metres from the road, sitting at right angles to the tracks. He was helped from the wrecked car before the train smashed into the back by locals and there was no one else in the Hyundai.

The train is reported to have been carrying logs bound for Tauranga.

- stuff.co.nz

EARLIER 9.35AM:

The scene of a crash between a car and a train is now cleared and congestion is easing, says the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Police closed several following the collision at a railway crossing near State Highway 27 and Burwood Road which occurred shortly before 8am.

Both police and the NZTA thank motorists for their patience.

EARLIER:

Emergency services are at the scene of a collision between a car and freight train in Matamata.

A police spokesperson says the collision occurred at a railway crossing near State Highway 27 and Burwood Road shortly before 8am.

There are no injuries but some power lines are down.

As a result of the crash, SH27, Burwood and Beatty roads, and Firth Street will be closed until further notice.
The skies above Tauranga City Airport will reverberate with the sounds of fast jets and some of the fastest land-based vehicles in New Zealand at the second annual picnic-type Tauranga City Airshow this month.

The 2016 afternoon and evening family fun event was so successful organisers opted to hold the event annually.

On Saturday, January 21, 2017 the headline aircraft are jets, including the BAC Strikemaster aircraft formerly flown by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

There will also be classic aircraft, sport aircraft, gliders and RC model aircraft expected  and the RNZAF plans to display one of the new T6C-Texan trainer aircraft, as well as the Seasprite helicopter and Hercules transport.

Fast land-based vehicles will be on static display all afternoon, with races of some of the worlds fastest production super motorbikes, dragsters and hotrods on the 1.8km runway. The 2017 Nissan GT-R 35 is also expected to be making an appearance.

Gates open at 1pm with tickets available in advance from www.eventfinda.co.nz or the gift shop at Classic Flyers. TECT cardholders can purchase tickets at discount rates through the gift shop only. TECT cards must be presented to gain the discount.

People are invited to bring their own picnic or purchase food and drink on-site. Classic Flyers will have a licensed bar and food tent available.

There is plenty of free parking available on-site, with public access on Seawind Lane which is off Jean Batten Drive.

For more information, visit: www.tcas.co.nz Email: airshow@classicflyersnz.com Or phone 07 5724000.
UPDATED 2:05PM: The New Zealand Transport Agency is advising motorists a section of State Highway 2 in Waihi remains closed until further notice following a crash earlier today.

A motorcyclist was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a car at the intersection of SH2 and Cornwall Street shortly before 12pm.

Due to a serious crash on this intersection, the road is closed. Expect delays or avoid the area, says an NZTA spokesperson.

Diversions are currently in place.

Eastbound traffic being diverted onto Waitete Road, then right onto Orchard Road and left back onto SH2.

While westbound traffic is being diverted onto Canon Street, right onto Galbraith Street, right onto Cornwall Street and left back onto SH2.



Diversion for eastbound traffic.



Diversion for westbound traffic.

The NZTA and police both thank motorists for their patience.

EARLIER:

A motorcyclist has been airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a car on State Highway 2 in Waihi.

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious crash which occurred near at intersection of Cornwall Street and SH2 shortly before 12p, a police spokesperson says.

We got a call from a member of the public saying a motorcyclist had been hit by a car near the Palm Motel at about 11.53am.

The rider was treated to by ambulance who attended the crash and has subsequently been airlifted to hospital.

The spokesperson says as a result of the crash the southbound lane of SH2 is blocked, with passers-by initially directing traffic around the accident until emergency services arrived at the scene.

SH2 at the intersection with Cornwall Street is currently closed and fire staff are now diverting traffic down two side streets.

The section of SH2 will remain closed until further notice.
Across Southeast Nebraska, weather watchers heeded the warnings on Friday.

Stocking up on groceries. Topping off gas tanks. Even buying generators.

I think people are trying to be prepared, especially with the reports on this storm, said Virginia Dorf, manager of the Tractor Supply store in Beatrice. I saw one report calling it crippling.

Most of Saturday is expected to remain quiet on the weather front, but preparations for a possible ice storm -- a relatively rare winter event in these parts -- will likely only ratchet up.

With chatter of slick streets ahead and possible power outages, shoppers on Friday crowded the aisles at the north Lincoln Hy-Vee to stock up on essentials should they be stranded at home over the holiday weekend -- and beyond.

Its absurdly busy, record breaking," said Davarius Foreman, a manager at the grocery store at 27th and Superior streets. "We dont see this unless its the day before Thanksgiving or the day before Christmas."

Extra employees were called in to help keep the checkout lines moving and to restock the shelves.

In Lincoln, forecasters predict the winter storm will arrive Sunday perhaps as a sleet-freezing rain mix before freezing rain becomes more widespread.

The timing of the precipitation and the difference a degree on the thermometer can make makes predicting the storm a tricky proposition.

But forecasters and officials were sounding the same warning on Friday.

Gather supplies to outlast the storm, stay informed of changing weather conditions and stay off the roads," said Bryan Tuma of the state's emergency management agency.

A winter storm watch, set to begin Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, covers all of Nebraska except the Panhandle. In southwest and north-central Nebraska, heavy snow is the concern.

Two counties in south-central Nebraska -- Nuckolls and Thayer -- are included in the same ice storm warning that covers large areas of Kansas and Missouri.

In Nebraska, the heaviest ice accumulations are likely to occur in counties along the Kansas border. But significant accumulation is possible as far north as the I-80 corridor.

At the Tractor Supply in Beatrice, farmers were stocking up on ice melt and feed for animals.

Road crews made their own preparations. In Lincoln, Public Works crews started applying anti-ice brine at midnight Friday to all arterial streets, bus routes and school routes.

Utility crews, too, will be on standby. Lincoln Electric System asks people to report any outages at les.com or 888-365-2412.

AAA offers this advice for those who have to drive:

* Give yourself time to stop, and step on the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids.

* Have a winter driver kit that includes a bag of sand, salt or cat litter, a small snow shovel, a snow brush, traction mats, flashlight, ice scraper, cloth or paper towels, blanket, warning glares or triangles and a fully charged cellphone.

* If youre going through a skid, steer in the direction you want the vehicle to go and avoid slamming on the brakes.

Among those at the grocery store on Friday, Teresa and Michael Sanchez said that they bought a few extra things so they can wait out the storm at home.

Texas transplants, Teresa said the store was busy, but worth it.

Because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, area schools are closed Monday.
The name of Sunday's gathering -- Writers Resist -- only sounds negative.

It's actually a very positive and forward-looking event, said Mary Stillwell, a poet and author and one of its organizers. Were saying: Lets follow the Constitution, lets have free speech.

But they see threats to the country. From an administration they fear will run roughshod over the Constitution, and from a citizenry too cynical to care.

So Stillwell and 11 other writers -- many affiliated with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln -- will take part in Lincoln's contribution to a nationwide effort to speak up for free expression, the First Amendment, diversity and social justice.

And to resist, Stillwell said, any attempt to diminish our democracy.

The writers, including Nebraska State Poet Twyla Hansen and authors Joe Starita and Ted Genoways, will take turns talking and reading from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Cottonwood Cafe, 440 S. 11th St. The event is free and open to the public.

It's nonpartisan, Stillwell said. You don't have to be a Republican or a Democrat or an independent to come. Anyone can come.

Omaha-born poet Erin Belieu helped launch the movement when she posted on Facebook: "We will not give in to despair. We will come together and actively help make the world we want to live in. We are bowed, but we are not broken."

Belieu called for writers to rally Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. As of late this week, hundreds were planning to participate in more than 90 literary protests across the country, including events in Lincoln and Omaha.

Some will read their own work, some will read resistance poetry, some will talk about their activism in the community, Stillwell said.

Starita will read a few pages from his new book, A Warrior of the People, a biography of Susan La Flesche, who in 1889 became the first Native American doctor in U.S. history.

La Flesche prevailed by ignoring all of the expectations that she stay on the Omaha Reservation and raise children.

I want whoever is listening to understand the magnitude of the achievement Susan La Flesche accomplished, Starita said. I want them to understand the severity of the gender prejudice and racial prejudice and ethnic prejudice headwinds that she was bucking against.

Gregory Rutledge, a professor of English and ethnic studies, will read an excerpt from The Marrow of Tradition, Charles Chesnutts 1901 fictional account of the coup detat in Wilmington, North Carolina, in which a mob of white supremacists massacred black residents and seized the county government.

It offers some striking parallels to the politics -- racial and electoral -- of the present moment, Rutledge said.

Stillwell was still deciding what to read, she said. Maybe some of her own poems, maybe Lawrence Ferlinghetti's To the Oracle at Delphi, which includes this passage.

Great Oracle, sleeping through the centuries,

Awaken now at last

And tell us how to save us from ourselves

and how to survive our own rulers

who would make a plutocracy of our democracy

in the Great Divide

between the rich and the poor
Today is Saturday, Jan. 14, the 14th day of 2017. There are 351 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 14, 1967, the Sixties' "Summer of Love" unofficially began with a "Human Be-In," a gathering of tens of thousands of young people for a counterculture event at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

On this date:

In 1784, the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War; Britain followed suit in April 1784.

In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel ended hostilities between Denmark and Sweden, with Denmark agreeing to cede Norway to Sweden, something Norway refused to accept.

In 1900, Puccini's opera "Tosca" had its world premiere in Rome.

In 1927, the Paramount silent romantic comedy "It," starring Clara Bow (who became known as "The 'It' Girl"), had its world premiere in Los Angeles.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.

In 1952, NBC's "Today" show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host, or "communicator."

In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married at San Francisco City Hall. (The marriage lasted about nine months.)

In 1963, George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with the pledge, "Segregation forever!"  a view Wallace later repudiated. Sylvia Plath's novel "The Bell Jar" was published in London under a pseudonym less than a month before Plath committed suicide.

In 1969, 27 people aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, off Hawaii, were killed when a rocket warhead exploded, setting off a fire and additional explosions.

In 1975, the House Internal Security Committee (formerly the House Un-American Activities Committee) was disbanded.

In 1989, President Ronald Reagan delivered his 331st and final weekly White House radio address, telling listeners, "Believe me, Saturdays will never seem the same. I'll miss you."

In 1994, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an accord to stop aiming missiles at any nation; the leaders joined Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk in signing an accord to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, facing opposition from both parties over his plan to send more troops to Iraq, said on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he had the authority to act no matter what Congress wanted. On "Fox News Sunday," Vice President Dick Cheney asserted that lawmakers' criticism would not influence Bush's plans, and he dismissed any effort to "run a war by committee." Actress Darlene Conley, feisty fashion mogul Sally Spectra on "The Bold and the Beautiful," died in Los Angeles at age 72.

Five years ago: Rescue workers scrambled aboard the stricken Costa Concordia cruise liner, seeking to help some 4,200 passengers a day after the ship ran aground and tipped over off Italy's Tuscan coast; the death toll from the tragedy eventually reached 32. Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler won the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas.

One year ago: During a Republican presidential debate in North Charleston, South Carolina, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz clashed over the Texas senator's eligibility to serve as commander in chief and the businessman's "New York values." Chicago city attorneys released a grainy 2013 surveillance video showing the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old black carjacking suspect by a white police officer. Attackers set off suicide bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Indonesia's capital Jakarta in a brazen assault that left seven people dead. Actor Alan Rickman, 69, died in London. Rene Angelil, 73, Celine Dion's husband and manager, died at his suburban Las Vegas home.
UPDATE: 10:45 a.m., Sunday

Officials believe icy conditions contributed to a fiery crash involving two semitrailer trucks on Interstate 80 in central Nebraska.

The Department of Roads closed 15 miles of I-80 after the trucks crashed shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday. The crash happened about nine miles west of Kearney.

Pictures of the crash show the trucks on fire along the road, but it wasn't immediately clear if anyone was injured. Authorities didn't immediately release crash details.

#HappeningNow crash near the Odessa exit in Buffalo County, on I-80. Picture taken by Scott Tustin. #BREAKING #Nebraska pic.twitter.com/FV3jt1DZbY  Ifesinachi Egbosimba (@IfesinachiE) January 15, 2017

Most roads south of Lincoln are ice covered, with reports of accumulating ice in Jefferson County.

In Lincoln, some events scheduled for Sunday have been postponed. Check with organizers before heading out.

The annual MLK Youth Rally and March scheduled for Monday morning was rescheduled for Saturday.

Public Works crews were to begin a material spreading operation of granular salt and anti-ice brine on emergency snow routes, arterials, bus and school routes at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Many schools and some offices are closed Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday.

UPDATE: 9 a.m., Sunday

Lincoln is included in an ice storm warning through early morning Tuesday.

Today, forecasters say to expect waves of mostly light precipitation -- sleet or freezing rain -- moving through the area mixed along with periods of dry conditions. Main streets with heavier traffic should remain in relatively good shape, but driveways, sidewalks, parking lots and side streets could become slick.

Light freezing rain will spread north across the area today. Area roads are already becoming slick. #IceStorm pic.twitter.com/WucRwZjc5H  NWS Omaha (@NWSOmaha) January 15, 2017

The heaviest and steadiest freezing rain is likely to arrive in the Lincoln area Sunday night and continue through noon on Monday. With ice accumulation expected during that time, road conditions will quickly deteriorate and power outages will be possible.

UPDATE: Saturday evening

Light freezing precipitation that developed over Jefferson County on Saturday evening signaled the beginning of what could shape up as a debilitating ice storm, forecasters said.

Sleet and freezing rain are expected to expand north from the Kansas-Nebraska border Sunday morning. The wintry mix will give way to freezing rain in the Lincoln area by Sunday afternoon.

All Lincoln City Libraries branches will close at 5 p.m. Sunday and remain closed Monday.

Cathy Zapotocny, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley, expects the worst of the storm to hit the Lincoln area overnight Sunday into Monday morning. An ice storm warning covers nearly all of Nebraska east of a Sioux City, Iowa, to Grand Island line.

Other parts of the state are in winter weather advisories, with several inches of snow expected.

Ice storm warnings are also up for parts of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa and Illinois.

"We haven't had (an ice storm) that covers this large of area in several years," Zapotocny said Saturday. She cited a 2006 winter storm as the last time an ice storm of this strength has threatened the state.

A quarter- to half-inch of ice accumulation is expected, according to Zapotocny. That could damage power lines and bring down tree limbs. Road conditions will also deteriorate and won't improve until temperatures climb back above the freezing mark Monday afternoon.

"It's a lot harder to manage freezing rain as compared to snow," she said. "It has a lot more travel impacts."

The Nebraska State Patrol warned drivers to be wary of weather and road conditions Sunday into Monday.

Drivers should make sure to bring phone chargers, batteries, blankets, jumper cables, and other emergency items if they must commute, according to the State Patrol.

The State Patrol urges drivers who must travel to use well-traveled routes while also allowing extra time.

In the city, residential streets, sidewalks and parking lots will be the most treacherous.

The storm is projected to shift to rain Monday afternoon, then back to snow as temperatures rise  and fall  on the Martin Luther King holiday. Zapotocny said no significant snow accumulation is expected in Lincoln.
Labour MP Tristram Hunt has announced his decision to resign from his constituency in Stoke-on-Trent in order to take on the position of Director of Londons V&A museum, triggering a by-election at an already vulnerable time for Labour.

Hunt, who has a BA and a PhD in History from Cambridge where he attended Trinity College, insists that this move is not intended to rock the boat, despite his fierce criticism of Jeremy Corbyn and the direction in which he has been taking the party. Corbyn commented on the news in a statement: I would like to thank Tristram Hunt for his service to the people of Stoke on Trent Central and to the Labour party. I wish him well in his future role at the V&A.

MPs close to Hunt have confirmed that he had been unhappy for some time and was hoping to pursue a career outside of politics. In a recent press release, Hunt voiced his pleasure at the appointment, saying, "I have loved the V&A since I was a boy, and today it is a global leader in its unrivaled collections, special exhibitions, academic research and visitor experience.

Hunt was a member of the Footlights while at Cambridge alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb and has long been a Patron of the Arts. In 2014, he gifted the Wedgwood Collection to the V&A. It features over 80,000 words of art, ceramics, manuscripts, letters, pattern books and photographs from 250 years of British ceramic production and is considered one of the most important industrial collections in the world. Hunt is also a lecturer on British history at London's Queen Mary University, a Patron of the British Ceramics Biennale, and a Curator of the Mayor of Londons History Festival.

Tom Watson, Labours deputy leader, expressed his disappointment at Hunts resolution: His departure will be keenly felt by Parliament and by the Labour party but I know he will continue to champion Stoke-on-Trents proud industrial heritage in his new role at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The by-election in his soon-to-be former constituency is likely to be held not long after the electoral test in Copeland, Cumbria, for the seat vacated by another Corbyn critic who resigned recently, Jamie Reed. UKIPs new leader, Paul Nuttall, has stressed his desire to defeat Labour in its former heartlands, and it has been suggested that he could target the newly-vacated seat in Stoke-on-Trent. The central Stoke constituency was one where UKIP performed strongly in the 2015 general election; they finished second with 22.7% of the vote.

The political uncertainty is accompanied by concerns in the arts community regarding the replacement of Martin Roth, a well-established and highly regarded museum director, with a politician. In 2011, Hunt wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian, where he outlined why he thinks museums should start charging again.

He stated that while London organisations often benefited from no-fee entrances, regional spaces were being compromised. "This metropolitan, club-class government has made sure that our global cultural icons are immune from the pressures hitting their regional colleagues and, even more perversely, in the case of Tate Modern, continue to enjoy secure funds for major capital projects.

The V&A chairman, Nicholas Coleridge, said Hunt had a highly compelling mixture of experience across public life, the arts, history, education and academia, and knows our collections well from his writing and broadcasting.

He added: He is an informed and articulate leader and communicator on numerous facets of culture, both historic and contemporary, and I greatly look forward to working with him at the V&A.
The faulty Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is almost unavailable to the public, nearly five months after its worldwide recall began.

The handset garnered positive reviews post release until reports about battery explosion emerged, which led to Samsung issuing a global recall for the flagship handset.

Samsung's nightmare is finally going to come to a close as it has shared that over 96 percent of Galaxy Note 7 units have been returned.

"By leveraging our digital technology to target each device, we've had over 96 percent of Galaxy Note7 phones returned to date," shared the company.

Samsung also asserted that it had worked relentlessly in tandem with network operators to ensure that the liabilities of the handsets, which were not being returned, would be limited. This move led to more people coming forward and returning the faulty Galaxy Note 7.

Initially when the exploding battery reports emerged, since the affected devices posed a safety risk, Samsung along with Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), carriers and retailers asked owners to return the device for a different unit or opt for a refund. However, as the issue became more concerning, the company had to completely ban the product.

The company issued a software update in December 2016, which disabled the Galaxy Note 7's charging abilities. At the time, the company had got only 85 percent of the recalled handset. The increase to 96 percent since this time reflects that the strong action from Samsung bore the desired results.

Samsung thanked airports, airlines, its partners, the United States Department of Transportation, as well as owners of the Galaxy Note 7 handset for "their patience and support during this time."

Airlines No Longer Need To Make Special Notifications

Samsung also shared that the United States Department of Transportation has removed the caveat and airlines are no longer required to make pre-boarding announcements to alert passengers.

For the unfamiliar, after incidents of the Galaxy Note 7 battery exploding, passengers all over the world were barred from using the handset on the flight and had to keep the device switched off through the journey to avoid any untoward incident.

In September 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited the use of the Galaxy Note 7 inside any aircraft.

The Path Forward

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2017, Tim Baxter, Samsung Americas' CEO, made a reference to the Galaxy Note 7 and shared that the company would be outing a report on the faulty handset soon.

The South Korean smartphone maker is expected to reveal the details of its investigation this month.

Despite the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung is expected to continue the popular series and one could possibly see the Galaxy Note 8 make its debut in the latter half of 2017.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
HTC has launched the much-awaited U Ultra and the U Play smartphones but it seems that the OEM has more in store for consumers.

In 2016, HTC released several handsets  including the HTC 10  but it seems that this marketing ploy backfired and now rumors suggest that the company is revisiting its strategies and could unwrap fewer handsets this year.

HTC is rumored to be working on some new handsets and could possibly have four to five more smartphones in the pipeline. This news comes courtesy of publication Engadget which shares that the company's President Chialin Chang has confirmed that HTC plans to release only six to seven devices in 2017 and this number includes the U Play and U Ultra.

The confirmation that HTC intends to come up with only six to seven devices this year came shortly after the OEM unveiled its U Ultra and U Play smartphones.

U Ultra And U Play

For the two new handsets, Chang shared that machine learning would be its unique selling point. The HTC executive believes that the Sense Companion effectively rolls in Google's Awareness API, third-party data and device information.

What About The HTC 11?

When quizzed about the rumored HTC 11 which is anticipated to be the successor of the HTC 10, Chang stated that handset would not be named HTC 11. While he did not share any additional details, Chang indirectly confirmed the presence of the HTC 10's successor.

Chang also shared in the interview that the company was eyeing the launch of new Desired-branded handsets for users who were on the lookout for "fun and affordable" devices.

With very little information available about the rumored HTC 11, fans would be hoping that the supposed HTC 11, or whatever the handset's name will be, will not disappoint. HTC will hopefully stick to the making robust handsets that boast top-end specs and software.

The HTC 10's successor will likely sport a metal body and house the latest Snapdragon 835 processor and come with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

HTC has also been promoting the camera and audio performances of its latest flagships. So it would not be wrong to assume that the company may take the same route when its latest handset is unwrapped.

After the launch event in Taipei, Chang's assertions of "there will be no HTC" has taken everyone aback.

Whether HTC plans to launch a mainstream U branded flagship and discontinue the original series is circumspect. Chang's admission of a name change for the HTC 10's successor, suggests that the company may be looking to rebrand the series.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Japan's Takata Corporation, which pleaded guilty over the improper handling of ruptured airbags that were responsible for 16 deaths worldwide, could be looking at a colossal settlement figure.

According to a report from Reuters, Takata has been charged with a $1 billion fine, which it will need to pay as settlement fee to the Justice Department according to the publication's reliable sources.

"The settlement includes a $25 million criminal fine, $125 million in victim compensation and $850 million to compensate automakers who have suffered losses from massive recalls, the sources said," reveals the publication.

The Settlement

The report also reveals that the settlement asks that Takata be monitored independently. The decision may aid the Japanese company to win backing from investors, so that it can possibly restructure and pay for massive liabilities" it has incurred because of the safety recall.

The recall affected 19 car companies such as Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corp, General Motors Co., Ford Motors Co., and Fiat Automobiles Chrysler, NV.

Sources also share that the company may likely plead guilty to the charges of wire fraud. For the unfamiliar, wire fraud refers to the provision of false data to regulatory authorities in the United States.

Charges for the wire fraud are anticipated to be filed in a district court in Detroit. The Department of Justice is reportedly thinking of tasking compensation adviser Ken Feinberg to oversee the settlement funds of Takata.

Where Does Takata Stand?

For the unfamiliar, the recall of faulty airbag inflators  a whopping 28.8 million before May 2016  from Takata is considered the biggest in United States' auto history. The recall, which was expanded by 30 million to 40 million as reported by Tech Times, is expected to continue till December 2019.

The auto parts makers' woes are far from over as it is still has to pay $10 billion in liabilities, which it incurred after the recall.

This is not the first time Takata would be shelling out settlement payments. In 2015, the company agreed to pay a hefty $70 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, as it pleaded guilty to being aware of the defect in its airbag inflators.

The company was warned by NHTSA in June 2016, as nearly 300,000 unrepaired recalled vehicles posed a substantial rupture threat. Due to this issue, vehicle owners insisted on stopping the use of unsafe vehicles that were still pending fixes.

In September 2016, reports revealed that Takata failed to inform regulators about an air bag rupture, which occurred in 2003.

Neraly 70 million air bag inflators in the United States and 100 million inflators all over the world, which were made by the company, have been deemed defective. Takata has managed to replace only one third of the recalled inflators, leaving the company with 30 million that require a fix.

Photo: Robin Corps | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A cosmic "spitball" game is acting out in the black hole of the Milky Way, says a new research. This is part of the star-shredding activity by the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

The new study is significant in showing that mere gasification of a shredding star is not ending the story at the black hole. It asserts that splintering of gas spools is also leading to the formation of spitballs that are tossed at disparate directions in the galaxy.

When a star strays close to the black hole, it is ripped apart by tidal gravitational forces, with the black hole flinging half of the mass away into galactic space while taking the remainder into its ambit.

The spaghettification of gas streaming then leads to swirls of gas moving far away from the black hole and collapsing into planet-size fragments.

Such a tidal disruption by the black hole breeds at least 100 Neptune- to Jupiter-size fragments. Put together, in the galaxy's millions of years, there might be such 100 million objects.

Once the planet-like structures are formed, the black hole's gravity starts throwing them away at incredible speeds of 2 million to 20 million mph.

Giving these details in a simulated presentation, Eden Girma, lead author of the study, and an undergraduate at Harvard University, told the American Astronomical Society that these spitballs can be tracked as they are reasonably large though the glow may not be very bright to be noticed.

Problem Of Low Visibility

Girma said advanced instruments, including James Webb Space Telescope and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, may be able to spot them vividly.

"A single shredded star can form hundreds of these planet-mass objects. We wondered: Where do they end up? How close do they come to us? We developed a computer code to answer those questions," said Girma.

Distance wise, the study said the spitball that is very close to Earth can be a few hundred light-years away.

According to the study, the bulk of the spitballs is flung outside the Milky Way at great speed. In terms of composition, they differ a lot from regular planets because they are made up of star fragments, which have hydrogen and helium as dominant parts.

Similar spitballs-throw is expected to happen in other galaxies as well and some are also throwing them at the Milky Way.

In the words of co-author James Guillochon, galaxies like Andromeda are shooting spitballs at the Milky Way.

The simulations demarcated the path of the fragments when they get slingshotted from the Milky Way's black hole.

It showed that nearly 5 percent of spitballs remain bound to the black hole and stay there for a span of several hundred light-years without getting close to Earth. As a result, they remain unseen.

Distinguishing Factors

The distinguishing factors of the spitballs are their capacity for rapid formation of planet-like structures. Shredding a star is just a day's business for the black hole and the fragments can join together in less than a year.

In genuine planet formation, it takes millions of years to shape up a planet, say, Jupiter, from a raw level.

Again, these spitball structures take million years to reach the vicinity of Earth's neighborhood. The big challenge for scientists will be to differentiate them from other free-floating planets.

"Only about one out of a thousand free-floating planets will be one of these second-generation oddballs," notes Girma.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Microsoft, which released its Windows 10 build 15007 on Jan. 12, has vowed to drop surprises in a row.

Soon after the release of the new build, Microsoft officially declared that it is making themes available in the Windows Store, thus presenting its users with an easy-to-use theme collection, which can be downloaded on their devices.

Given that the hints of the theme going live on the Windows Store have been floating for quite some time, it hardly comes as a surprise to consumers. This feature will be available in the Creators Update, which is due to release in April.

Windows Store Will Provide Both Paid And Free Themes

There will be free as well as paid themes available in the Windows Store for download. Currently the feature will not work on the 15007 build as it is still buggy, but Microsoft has promised that the glitch will be fixed in the coming builds.

The head of Microsoft Insider program, Dona Sarkar, explained that users will soon be able to download new themes on their PC. The Store icon is currently not functional at the bottom of the themes setting page. However, one can go to the Store page to find the theme collection and try downloading the themes from the store itself.

Microsoft Windows 10 Build 15007 Features

The Windows 10 build 15007 build brings in a great number of Microsoft Edge improvements like sharing the tabs on PC, which was initially introduced in the 15002 build. It also brings in enhancements like importing data from alternate browsers when the user is switching over to Microsoft Edge.

Users can also "Run" a download link, without saving it first as Microsoft has added a "Save As" option for the users' benefit. The Web Notes feature has also been developed to give users the ease and experience of working with Windows Ink. A single tap on the pen or highlighter in Web Notes will provide users with a full set of Windows Ink colors.

The Windows 10 build 15007 for PC also brings an inline progress bar for alerts for downloads, as well as advanced Cortana assistance to manage multiple links and data when a user uses multiple PC's.

Windows 10 build 15007 will also bring in Windows Hello upgrades, which will provide users with a visual guidance, Bluetooth APIs enabling GATT Server, unpaired Bluetooth LE device connectivity and Bluetooth LE Peripheral role.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A new Samsung Display TV ad features an intriguing smartphone and it might just be the upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship everyone's talking about.

Samsung had a tough year with its Galaxy Note 7  a great, but explosive handset  so it's expected to make up for its lost finances and tarnished reputation with a top-notch Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone. The company is rumored to have a number of changes in mind for its next powerhouse, including a design change that would eliminate the physical home button to get some extra screen real estate.

Is This The Samsung Galaxy S8?

The leaked Samsung Display TV ad is in Korean so many people won't understand what the narrator is saying, but images don't need a translation and the ad features a sleek smartphone with no physical home button.

Putting the ad together with recent Galaxy S8 rumors, it only takes a small leap to assume that the smartphone featured in the TV ad is none other than the Galaxy S8.

The handset shown in the ad features impressively thin bezels around the display, which falls in line with recent Galaxy S8 leaks.

This could be just a Samsung reference design and not the real Galaxy S8 with its final design, but it still offers a clue about what we can expect from the next-generation flagship. If anything, it confirms that Samsung is indeed looking to ditch the physical home button and minimize the display bezels for a more streamlined look.

On the other hand, some recent rumors indicated that all Galaxy S8 models would come with curved displays, and the handset featured in this Samsung Display TV ad has a flat screen. This could either mean that Samsung would release a Galaxy S8 variant with a flat display after all, or it has some other Galaxy device with no physical home button in the works.

The power / lock button is located on the right side of the smartphone's body and the volume rocker is on the left, just as on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that we're looking at the Galaxy S8 here.

Regardless of design, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to rock top-notch specs such as a Snapdragon 835 processor, 6 GB of RAM, 256 GB of native storage, Bluetooth 5 and more.

The most likely scenario is that the smartphone featured in this ad is a reference design, but it could still be pretty close to the final design of the Galaxy S8. Either way, it's tough to know anything for sure until the Galaxy S8 makes its official debut.

Speaking of which, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is now rumored to break cover on April 21, so there's still a bit of a wait before we can get the official scoop. Until then, it's highly recommended to take all leaks, rumors and reports with a hefty grain of salt.

The video is no longer available, but before it was removed we managed to get a screenshot of the featured smartphone, as seen in the image above. Do you think it could be the Samsung Galaxy S8?

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The mysterious dimming of the Tabby's Star may not be due to an alien megastructure looping around it. Researchers of a new study suggest that the star may have eaten a nearby planet, which could explain why it erratically loses its brightness.

Erratic Dimming Of Tabby's Star

The brightness of stars periodically dips by about 1 percent, which can be attributed to a planet orbiting around it. Scientists, however, have been baffled by Tabby's star, more formally known as KIC 8462852 because of its erratic dips of up to 22 percent.

Scientists have proposed a range of possible reasons that could explain the star's sporadic blinking from swarms of orbiting comets to enormous extraterrestrial structures. Researchers of a study published in December suggest that internal stellar dynamics could also be responsible for the dimming of the star.

New Theory To Explain Bizarre Light Pattern Of Tabby's Star

Now, researchers propose another theory that may explain the bizarre light pattern of the star. Brian Metzger, from Columbia University in New York, and colleagues think that the star is just returning to its natural state after having a cosmic meal.

In a study set to be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Monday, the researchers suggest that KIC 8462852 may have gobbled up a planet between 200 and 10,000 years ago.

The researchers said that a star devouring one or more of its own planet may result in light fluctuation similar to that observed in Tabby's star.

Planet-Eating Theory

How can the star's planet meal explain its mysterious light signal?

The researchers explained that if the Tabby's star ate a planet in the past, the planet's energy would have caused the star to temporarily brighten and then gradually dim to its original brightness.

The star would be brighter after devouring the planet, but once the burning was complete, it would go back to around its original brightness. The bigger the devoured planet was, the longer it would take the star to dim.

It is possible that what astronomers observed was KIC 8462852 during its post-planet consumption as it was dimming back to its normal state.

Clouds Of Debris Orbiting Tabby's Star

The planet could have also been ripped apart or had its moons stripped away when it fell into KIC 8462852. The event left clouds of debris orbiting the star in eccentric orbits. Whenever the debris passes between us and the star, it would block some of the starlight and make the star seem to blink. Astronomers hope to see signature of the planetary debris passing close to Tabby's star.

"The transient dimming events could then be due to obscuration by planetary debris from an earlier partial disruption of the same inspiraling bodies, or due to evaporation and out-gassing from a tidally detached moon system," the researchers wrote in their study.

"The dimming events could arise from a large number of bodies comet- or planetesimal-mass bodies placed onto high eccentricity orbits by the same mechanism responsible for driving the more massive planets into KIC 8462852."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Preorders for Nintendo's forthcoming hybrid console, the Switch, has now gone live. It's the latest offering from Nintendo after the Wii U, a console that failed to mirror the Wii's success.

The Nintendo Switch is a tablet, a home console, and a multiplayer tabletop system crammed into one device, and it's poised to merge input methods Nintendo pioneered  shoulder buttons, rumble, motion control, touchscreen, etc.  and offer an appealing hybrid for gamers of all ages.

It's too early to predict whether the console will catch on and revitalize Nintendo's foothold in the home console mantle, but for those who actually don't care about that and want to immediately preorder the Switch nonetheless, here's how to do so.

How To Preorder The Nintendo Switch

Currently, GameStop, Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Best Buy are taking preorders for the console. Its availability, however, seems in flux  one moment it shows up, another moment it's sold out, then another moment it's up again. Even if those websites show the Switch as sold out, it's best to keep checking in case it becomes available again.

If those sites unfortunately run out of stock, those in New York may head over to Nintendo's store in Rockefeller Center. Prior to the Switch conference, the company announced that limited preorders could be placed at the said store, beginning 9 a.m. ET on Jan. 13. A store representative said that they would indeed be accepting reservations, but the quantity is limited.

Those who miss out on the preorders may still get to try the console firsthand ahead of everybody else. Nintendo is poised to tour several cities to showcase the Switch to the press on the first two days, and the public on the last day of each stop. From Jan. 13 to 15, the console will head to New York; Jan. 27 to 29 it'll be in Toronto; Feb. 10 to 12 in Washington, D.C.; Feb. 17 to 19 in Chicago; Feb. 24 to 26 in San Francisco; then it will make a final stop in Los Angeles from March 3 to 5.

What Is The Nintendo Switch?

The Nintendo Switch was unveiled to much fanfare late October, in a video depicting scenarios of its "Switching" gimmick. For those who aren't aware, the Switch's core selling is point is its ability to shift from a docked mode to a portable mode. How does one perform this function? Perhaps removing wires, connecting peripherals, or fumbling with adapters, right? No. Lift it up from its dock, and then it becomes a portable device instantly.

The recent event brought out several details that weren't showcased during the reveal video, including launch games and other titles in development. The Joy-Con controllers in particular heavily showcased, confirmed to sport motion controls akin to the Wii and HD rumble technology, which by Nintendo's own example will let players accurately feel ice cubes tumbling down the Joy-Con as if it's a glass  players can even tell how many ice cubes there are.

The Nintendo Switch hits shelves March 3, retailing for $299.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Meryl Streep has played many roles in her long career and holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor. Among her portrayals was British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the Golden Globe Awards Sunday night, Streep behaved as if she actually had been elected to high office, entitling her to mount a high horse.

In a six-minute, post-election diatribe, Streep slammed president-elect Donald Trump, urging journalists to hold him accountable. Given the media's poor job of holding the current president accountable, Streep's call to arms seems like an invitation to a one-way street. Accountability is one thing. Extreme bias is quite another and mainstream media has been nothing if not biased against Donald Trump, most of his cabinet nominees and family members.

I stopped going to movies years ago because I grew tired of their political agendas, the profanity, the sex scenes and blasphemies. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), I am sent DVDs of the Oscar-nominated films, which I can watch at home, if any interest me.

The first one I received this year was "Manchester by the Sea." After counting more than a dozen uses of the f-word in the first 15 minutes, I ejected it from my DVD player. Screenwriters actually think average people talk like this. I've been around enough entertainers to know this is mostly untrue. Filmmakers inhabit a fantasy world, and for many of them fantasy is reality.

The Golden Globes, like the Oscars, are full of the self-aware (no wonder they worship President Obama, perhaps the most self-aware president in history). They're happy to mock the values of "fly-over country," even as they hope people they condescendingly view as "hicks" and worse, Republicans, will buy tickets to see their films.

These elitists arrive at ceremonies at which people of like mind give each other awards for being like-minded. How can they identify with Americans who live paycheck to paycheck?

These actors produce little of lasting value. The A-listers among them attend White House functions -- mostly during Democratic administrations -- and get so upset at the prospect of a Republican victory that they threaten to leave the country should the Republican win. Sadly, they never leave. Where else could so many who have contributed so little to better society be paid so much?

The arrogance, superiority and hypocrisy of these overrated people is astounding. Many campaign against guns while enjoying the protection of armed security guards. Others, like Leonardo DiCaprio, are apostles of "climate change," but fly on private jets and ride in SUVs, which pollute the air. Most favor abortion rights while clamoring for compassionate treatment of the weakest among us. They endorse same-sex marriage while marrying members of the opposite sex multiple times, mocking the practice (Streep is a notable exception).

There was one redeeming moment at the Golden Globes. It was the tribute to Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher, who died last month one day apart.

Something Carrie Fisher said in her book and on her HBO special "Wishful Drinking" should serve as a warning to these elitists, who ostentatiously sport expensive clothes and jewelry: "Celebrity is obscurity biding its time."

There is a difference between a celebrity and a star. If you're not old enough to know what real stars looked like, I again refer you to Hollywood's Golden Age, where actors kept their clothes on, didn't swear or have sex on screen and held the attention of audiences by the superior quality of their work.

Many old films are watchable today. Some are considered classics. I doubt most of today's films will be worth watching in 50 years. They aren't now.
The Moto Z Play is all set to get updated to the much-awaited Android 7.0 Nougat this January.

The Moto Z Play, is currently running on Android Marshmallow, and now according to a tweet from Moto Deutschland, the smartphone will soon get a taste of Android N.

The company confirms that the update for the Moto Z Play will be pushed out in late January.

@Kvilpura Android 7 fur das Moto Z Play kommt Ende Januar :)  Moto Deutschland (@Moto_GER) January 13, 2017

Earlier in December 2016, Moto Deutschland shared the roadmap of the Android 7.0 Nougat update for a gamut of Moto devices. At the time, the company affirmed that the Moto Z Play will benefit from the update a month later in January 2017. The Moto X line would follow suit, and then it would be the turn of the Nexus 6.

The Motorola line of phones had faced few issues while company was looking to get the update out. Finally, the company has been successful to roll out the latest updates as promised.

The company shared why it took so long for it to come up with the update. Since Wi-Fi certification is a pre-requisite for a Nougat update, Motorola had been waiting to receive it. With that done in December 2016 for the Moto Z Play, the company does not have any issues pushing out the Android Nougat version.

This news was first leaked through Twitter with not many specifications and features mentioned. The only piece of information that one had come across was that this Moto device support 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

As software updates becomes a crucial factor for the gadget freaks, it is best to implement the changes while it is available.

Specs And Features

The Moto Z Play is considered to be one of the best mid-range smart devices at present. It has a 5.5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor, and 3 GB of RAM and a storage capacity of 32 GB.

Android 7.0 Nougat Release Date

While Moto Deutschland does not offer an exact date of release for the software update in the United States, Koodo Mobile  a Canadian carrier  has revealed that the Android N update will start rolling out on March 4. However, the carrier's upcoming software updates listing disclaims that this date is "approximate and subject to change."

With January's end almost upon us, we will soon know whether the software update will indeed make its way to the Moto Z Play as promised.

Photo: Vernon Chan | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Chipmaker Qualcomm landed itself in hot water at the CES 2017 while launching its latest Snapdragon 835 chipset.

The smartphone which was used by Qualcomm to give the demonstration was rumored to be the upcoming Nokia 8 model. A series of pictures and videos of the said Nokia 8 taken by a YouTube user called Total Tech spread like wildfire all over the world.

The news created such an uproar online and made Qualcomm release an official statement on Jan. 13, 2017, denying that the handset used at the CES 2017 was the Nokia 8.

Qualcomm spokesperson Catherine Baker said that the company never discloses details of the reference design.

"We've seen a few stories rumoring what we demonstrated in our CES booth to be Nokia device, those reports are not accurate, our 835 demos were on our own reference design devices which we use to demo our Snapdragon SOC's every year," said Baker

Apparently, the handsets used by Qualcomm were its own reference handsets which the company uses every year to demonstrate new chipsets.

Nokia 8 Rumored Specs

The leaked pictures and videos of the rumored Nokia 8 phone claimed that the handset came with a Snapdragon 835 chipset along with a 5.7 inch Quad HD display, a 24MP OIS- and EIS-enabled rear-facing camera, as well as a 12MP front-facing camera.

YouTuber Total Tech claimed that the Nokia 8 would come in two variants. One equipped with Snapdragon 821 and 4 GB of RAM and the more premium version would come with Snapdragon 835 with 6 GB of RAM.

Previous rumors have hinted at a microSD card support of 256 GB for both the variants, with 64 GB internal memory storage for the Snapdragon 821 powered handset and 128 GB on-board memory storage for the Snapdragon 835 powered variant.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Processor To Introduce More Support For Google TensorFlow

Snapdragon 835 which was recently launched at the CES 2017 will provide more support for Google TensorFlow, an open source software library for improved performance.

Thanks to this technology, the AI apps will run faster as Snapdragon 835 will now position a 10 nm FinFet process node ensuring better performance and compatibility for TensorFlow.

The unique feature of Snapdragon 835 is that it is 35 percent smaller in size and uses 25 percent less battery power that the earlier chipsets, enabling a long lasting battery life for the device.

The chipset will also provide enhanced camera capabilities and life-like virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. Snapdragon 835 will offer support for Bluetooth 5.0 and will ensure download speeds of 1 gigabit per second.

Photo Credit: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
It seems that LG is poised to release a new smartwatch after a Federal Communications Commission certification leak. The information is quite sketchy as the full documentation has not been made available but LG fans should be pleased to know that it revealed at least two new things.

LG Smartwatch Surfaces At FCC

The document contains several screenshots of the actual display of the wearable referred to only as a portable wrist device. The very obvious takeaway from the images is that it is likely going to be round. Glimpses of the interface also depict LG's use of rounded icons.

Secondly, the new LG smartwatch will be shipping Android Wear 2.0 right out of the box. This is indicated in the screen grab of the Settings panel.

Other sources were able to parse the available documentation so far with help from previous rumors and leaks. For instance, DroidLife has cited that the leaked FCC document identified three different devices being tested: LG-W280, LG-W280A, and LG-W280V. The report noted that these are mere variants rather than three different models.

The differences in the naming convention could only indicate what carrier a device is headed to. The LG-W280A might be headed to AT&T while the LG-W280V will be for Verizon. The LG-W280 is purportedly a Wi-Fi only device.

The inclusion of these carriers as depicted in the smartwatches' names should mean that it will really support LTE connectivity.

LG And Smartwatch Growth

The recent LG smartwatch leak is also aligned with a previous Google announcement that two Android Wear 2.0 devices will be released in the early part of 2017. These have been identified only as Swordfish and Angelfish. If this is really the case, then we have already seen it based on the image posted by noted mobile tipster Evan Blass on his Twitter account.

Google's two smartwatches will be released with Android Wear 2.0 in Q1 2017 [image courtesy of: https://t.co/so8uJyEZCy] pic.twitter.com/ruejqXSNSy  Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 13, 2016

According to 9to5Google, it appears that LG's wearable is Angelfish on account of its cellular capabilities. It also noted that the ZNFW280, which is FCC's label for the smartwatch, is related to the LG Watch Urbane range. The smartwatch's latest iteration is called ZNFW200V, a second-generation LTE capable device.

Aside from the LG smartwatch getting tested at FCC, there are also rumors that three other wearable devices are being developed by the South Korean company. Whatever the case is, LG seems fully supportive of Google's attempt to revive the fledgling smartwatch industry, which analysts predict to sustain sluggish and even declining growth this year.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A woman in Reno, Nevada, has died from an infection resistant to all kinds of antibiotic available in the United States.

Patient Hospitalized Several Times In India

In a report published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lei Chen, from Washoe County Health District, Nevada, and colleagues reported the case of a woman in her 70s who recently returned to the United States in early August after visiting India.

The woman was hospitalized on Aug. 18 and was diagnosed with systemic inflammatory response syndrome characterized by high heart rate, fever, abnormal white blood cell count and an abnormal breathing rate, which occurs as response to infection or some forms of trauma.

Prior to her return to the United States, the woman had already been hospitalized several times in India because of a fractured femur. The woman, who had gotten infection in her hip and thigh bone, was last hospitalized in India in June.

Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

On Aug. 19, doctors were able to isolate a sample of a known antibiotic-resistant superbug called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from the patient.

Enterobacteriaceae is a bacteria normally found in the human gut, but carbapenem-resistant bacteria Enterobacteriaceae does not succumb the carbapenems, a class of antibiotics that doctors consider to be the last line of defense against bacterial infections.

New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase

While searching for a potential cure for the woman's infection, the doctors realized that the bacteria was resistant to all 14 antibiotics that the facility had.

Subsequent CDC testing revealed that the germ was a highly resistant form of CRE typically found outside of the country, the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase. The bacteria is in fact resistant not just to 14 antibiotics but to all the 26 antibiotics that are available in the United States. The patient eventually developed sepsis and died in September.

"Antimicrobial susceptibility testing in the United States indicated that the isolate was resistant to 26 antibiotics, including all aminoglycosides and polymyxins tested, and intermediately resistant to tigecycline," reported Chen and colleagues.

Highly Dangerous Infections In Foreign Hospitals

Doctors said that the case highlights the fact that patients who were treated in hospitals in other countries may acquire highly dangerous infections. The unnamed patient had inpatient health care exposure in India before she was treated in the United States.

Randall Todd, the director of epidemiology and public health preparedness for the Washoe County Health District, said that health care practices in hospitals in other countries may not be at par with those in the U.S. hospitals, and this can help spread the superbug.

Health experts said that the case highlights the importance of infection control because these bugs also pose serious threats to other patients in the hospital.

"Our planet seems to be getting smaller and smaller," Todd said. "So when a patient presents, it's important to take a thorough history and know where else in the world they've been, and have some idea of what they might have been exposed to and what they might be bringing in to your facility."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The tech world's love affair with artificial intelligence is interesting to watch if only for the steps that companies are willing to take to advance their respective technologies. This is recently demonstrated in how Yoshua Bengio was able to lead Microsoft in a merry chase that ended in Montreal after the company acquired a startup he was a part of.

Redmond has completed the deal to acquire Maluuba, the AI startup that Bengio has been deeply involved in. As a result, he is now employed in Microsoft as an advisor, a position that he also held at Maluuba.

Microsoft Chases After AI Expert

Microsoft had already been setting its sights on Bengio, who also leads the University of Montreal's Institute for Learning Algorithms. He previously co-founded a startup called Element AI and Microsoft has promptly secured a stake in that company. The move seems to have failed to impress Bengio so it did not lead to his employment.

Looking at his recent works, it appears that Bengio has been focused on developing talents in the AI field. According to Fortune, his presence in Montreal is largely responsible for the way it is presently blossoming as an AI hub.

It was not made officially clear if he will be working as an advisor within the Maluuba team if it will be retained or if he will now work within Microsoft's AI division. Fortunately, the company has shed some light in this area.

"Yoshua Bengio, one of the world's foremost experts in deep learning ... will also be advising Microsoft and interacting directly with me," Harry Shum, executive vice president at Microsoft Artificial Intelligence and Research Group explained in a blog post. "As an admirer of Yoshua's work from a distance, I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to work more closely with him and to benefit from his deep learning systems expertise."

Maluuba AI Technology

To be fair, Bengio is not the only reason why Maluuba has been acquired. The company is considered one of the pioneers in deep learning for natural language processing. Its takeover means that Microsoft will gain crucial technologies particularly those in the areas of speech and image recognition.

It is worth noting that the company has successfully demonstrated an AI system last year that has beaten equivalent technologies built by Google and Facebook.

"Maluuba's vision is to advance toward a more general artificial intelligence by creating literate machines that can think, reason and communicate like humans  a vision exactly in line with ours," Shum said.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Florida-based company Moon Express, which hopes to mine the moon someday, has received the full funding it needs to make its first lunar trip.

Google Lunar X Prize

Moon Express is one of the teams that is vying for the $30 million race to the moon, the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP).

The X Prize offers $20 million to the first privately funded team that would land a spacecraft on the lunar surface, move the vehicle at least 1,640 feet on the moon and send high-resolution images back to Earth. The second team that manages to do this gets $5 million.

Moon Express is one of the frontrunners of the GLXP as it has already managed to secure permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to land on the surface of the moon becoming the first private company in the world to get permission to travel beyond our planet's orbit after months of negotiations with government officials.

"Up until now all commercial companies have been limited to operations in Earth's orbit, and only governments have sent missions to other worlds," the company said in a statement.

"Moon Express has become the first private company approved to literally go out of this world as a pioneer of commercial space missions beyond Earth orbit."

Moon Express has also struck a deal with rocket manufacturer Rocket Lab to launch its vehicle into orbit.

$20 Million In Additional Funding

Recent developments give high hopes that the company would be one of the first of the XPrize competitors to get to the lunar surface as it now has all the resources needed to send a lander to the moon.

Team members have revealed that Moon Express has secured $20 million in "Series B" funding, which now brings the amount of funds raised from private investors to more than $45 million.

The additional funding came from multiple venture capital funds, the software company Autodesk and other private resources. X Prize requires that 90 percent of the competitors' funding be from private sources.

Flight To The Moon Not Yet Guaranteed

The funding does not guarantee a successful flight to the moon though. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket has not flown yet and while the aeronautics startup said that it will start conducting flight tests earlier this year, no official launch date has yet been set.

It is neither clear if Electron will be ready to bring Moon Express' MX-1E lander to space before the deadline set by the X Prize which will be on Dec. 31 this year.

Moon Express To Mine Helium-3 From The Moon

Moon Express is not just setting its eyes on the X Prize. It also plans to send more missions to the moon, which will include one that will collect lunar samples that will be brought back to Earth.

The team plans to gather Helium-3 from the moon, which can be used in future nuclear fusion reactors.

"Our goal is to expand Earth's social and economic sphere to the moon, our largely unexplored eighth continent, and enable a new era of low-cost lunar exploration and development for students, scientists, space agencies and commercial interests," said Moon Express CEO Bob Richards.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Blue Coral is now officially available in Europe and for a limited time, it also comes with a free Gear Fit 2 wearable.

The free wearable bundle is actually not just for the Galaxy S7 edge in Blue Coral. Samsung launched that promotion on Jan. 6 and it's applicable to any Galaxy S7 edge purchase in any color option, not just the sleek Blue Coral avatar.

While that promo expires on Jan. 15, however, the new deal for the Blue Coral Samsung Galaxy S7 edge in the UK bundles a free Gear Fit 2 if the purchase is made before Feb. 28.

Blue Coral Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

As for the Blue Coral color option, the gorgeous avatar proved to be highly popular when it launched exclusively with the Galaxy Note 7 a few months ago. With the exploding battery issues marring the experience and forcing Samsung to recall the Note 7 not once, but twice, the exclusive avatar was no longer available at one point.

Considering the great demand for the color option and the fact that the Galaxy Note 7 was off the market for good, Samsung then decided to release the Blue Coral avatar for the Galaxy S7 edge. The option has been available for a while now in the United States, and now it's making its way across the pond.

Galaxy S7 Edge Blue Coral In Europe

The Blue Coral Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is now up for grabs in the UK for now, available from Vodafone UK for 10 upfront, followed by monthly payments. The best-selling bundle for the device is priced at 23.53 per month for the first six months, after which it goes up to 47 a month. The bundle includes 6 GB of 4G data and unlimited minutes and texts in the UK, as well as 500 MB of roaming data.

Alternately, Vodafone UK has a number of other bundles available for the Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge, so head over to the carrier's website for more details. In addition to the free Gear Fit 2, the carrier is also offering the Gear VR headset at half price (40).

The UK is just the first market, but the Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge is set to become available in more European markets soon enough. Samsung Netherlands, for instance, listed the color option last week and it shouldn't be too long before it actually becomes available for purchase.

The European rollout follows the Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge's release in the United States, Canada, India and Samsung's home country of South Korea.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Specs

As a reminder, the Galaxy S7 edge has a 5.5-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, a Snapdragon 820 / Samsung Exynos 8890 processor, Adreno 530 graphics, 4 GB of RAM and microSD support for up to 256 GB of external storage. Other specs include a 12-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel front shooter and a 3,600 mAh non-removable battery.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is among the best smartphones of 2016 and it's definitely a powerhouse, and the Blue Coral color option only enhances its appeal.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Pixel and Pixel XL owners are having some issues with transferring files from Apple MacBooks, and the root cause may lie in the old Android File Transfer program.

Google's latest flagships are widely considered to be the best smartphones of 2016 and they have plenty of bells and whistles, but they also have their fair share of problems marring the experience.

Since their release, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL have been plagued by a number of issues including manufacturing defects, camera issues, battery shutdown, freezing and prolonged unresponsiveness, connectivity problems, audio issues and more.

More recently, users have been reporting issues when trying to transfer files from a MacBook to a Pixel or Pixel XL smartphone using the Google Pixel USB-C to USB-A cable that comes in the box.

Google Pixel File Transfer Issues

Google Pixel and Pixel XL owners took to Google's Product Forums, XDA, and Reddit to complain about the issue and it seems that it's quite widespread, affecting a large number of users.

According to a new report from 9to5Google, it seems that Google's old Android File Transfer program might be to blame and an update is long overdue. The last update was all the way back in 2012.

The publication says it was able to replicate the problem when transferring certain file types from various MacBook models to the Google Pixel. While some file types work just fine, others have trouble transferring.

Android File Transfer To Blame

Suspecting at first that the USB Type-C cable might be the issue, 9to5Google conducted further tests and discovered that the cable works without issues with another file transfer app called HandShaker.

With this in mind, it would seem that the problem is not the stock USB Type-C cable bundled in the box with the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, but rather the antiquated Google File Transfer software.

9to5Google points out that the software had its last update on Oct. 15, 2012, with no further tweaking since. That's a shockingly long time without an update and a minor bug in the program is most likely causing the transfer issues between Apple MacBooks and Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones.

If this is indeed the case and the root cause of the issue is the old Android File Transfer program, a simple update to patch the bug should solve the issue with no complications.

USB Type-C was not even publicly available back in 2012 when the Android File Transfer software got its last update, so an update should ensure better compatibility between devices and file types.

That said, Google is yet to acknowledge whether Android File Transfer is indeed the cause of the transfer issues and, if so, when it plans to issue an update.

Until it does, Google Pixel and Pixel XL owners who are experiencing issues when trying to transfer some types of files from their MacBook laptop could try handling the process with another file transferring application.

Are you experiencing the same Google Pixel transfer issues? Share your experience in the comments section below.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
5G Will Let You Download 1GB File In 3 Seconds  Qualcomm

We are in the 5G zone and a new Internet experience waiting to be unleashed. Along with Samsung, Nokia, Alcatel etc in the 5G arena, Qualcomm is also pushing hard to bring 5G mobile telephone to you and me.While who will be first to bring the technology to users is anybodys guess, Qualcomm showed what it can do with 5G tech at the recently concluded CES 2017 at Las Vegas, United States.

Qualcomm showed off to the gathered audience about the different ways its going to deliver better performance using 5G technology. Qualcomm CEO, Steve Mollenkopf, also shared interesting titbits in his keynote address at the CES gathering.

In his keynote, Mollenkopf said that 5G isnt just the next version existing 3G and 4G technologies but a whole new ball game in the field of mobile telephony. Mollenkopf said that 5G will be the key driver of the new age technology like VR live-streaming, autonomous cars, connected townships, etc.

According to him, 5G is expected to change the entire industry as itll increase the data speeds and reduce the associated costs. Apart from these benefits, the best thing about 5G is its low latency compared to 3G and 4G which will help users achieve many unimaginable and mission critical operations. Moreover, Mollenkopf said that 5G will have an impact similar to the introduction of electricity or automobile and affect entire economies and benefiting entire societies.

The research commissioned by Qualcomm predicts that 5G value chain will support up to 22 million jobs and generate up to $3.5 trillion in revenue by 2035. It also predicts that the full economic impact of 5G is expected to be realized by 2035. It also said that the new 5G technology will allow users to download a 1GB file in 3 seconds flat. Due to its high speed and low latency, the users will be able to download a full-length 4K movie in 18 seconds. The 5G tech will also usher in a new Internet age as far as speeds are concerned.

We now have to wait for mobile service companies to adopt the 5G tech and provide 5G services to users. As per a report, 5G tech will be implemented in Japan as early as September 2017.
Americas immigration system has needed an overhaul for decades. Its overloaded and full of red tape and arbitrary, outdated rules.

It doesnt serve the best of immigrants well, and the same problems afflict the system when it tries to dispense justice to the relatively small number of immigrants who get in trouble with the law.

Congress continually fumbles attempts at improvement.

A recent high profile case is an example.

Sarah Root of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was killed when her car was rear-ended in Omaha by a 19-year-old who police said had a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit.

Police arrested Eswin Mejia, a citizen of Honduras who was in the country illegally. He was jailed for motor vehicle homicide. One might think that illegal immigrants who are involved in crimes in which someone is hurt or killed would be held. But the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency turned down requests from local authorities to hold him for at least another 48 hours.

Mejia was released on bail, despite a history of failing to show up for scheduled court appearances. He disappeared and hasnt been located since.

Mejia was atypical. The overwhelming majority of immigrants to America are law-abiding, hardworking people in search of a better life, sometimes fleeing war and violence. Like the generations of immigrants who came before them, they make their new communities a better place.

But even the most fervent supporters should admit that the broken immigration system needs to do a better job of handling immigrants who dont respect American law.

As Rep. Jeff Fortenberry noted in a recent Fort Report, three Somali immigrants from Lincoln and Minneapolis who were arrested in Blair in October for driving nearly 90 mph with a loaded gun in their car had 94 arrests between them.

To ensure that the Sarah Root case was not repeated, Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Sens. Chuck Grassley and Jodi Ernst of Iowa last year introduced a bill to take away the discretion that ICE officials have in refusing to take custody of illegal immigrants in such cases.

Like so many pieces of legislation in Washington, the bill fell victim to gridlock. It went nowhere.

Now the same four senators have reintroduced the bill. Dispensing proper justice to immigrants who commit crimes is part of the reform needed to fix the broken system. In the long term such changes will help sustain the system for the immigrants who abide by the law and contribute to American society.
Foldable iPhone Gun To Be Released In US, European Police On High Alert

The European Police are on high alert after it received a warning of potential arrival of a 9mm double-barrel gun, similar in design to an iPhone, which could be flooded illegally into the continent when it goes on sale in the US next week.

It is believed that the weapon will be imported to European criminals within days, as officials fight to control the borders amid terror fears following a series of terrorist attacks in Europe in recent months.

Made by the Minnesota-based manufacturer, Ideal Conceal, the 9mm double-barrel pistol known as the iPhone Gun has been pre-ordered 12,000 times.

The company behind the legal gun said: In todays day and age, carrying a concealed pistol has become a necessity. But what if you didnt have to conceal?

Smartphones are everywhere, so your new pistol will easily blend in with todays environment. In its locked position it will be virtually undetectable because it hides in plain sight.

Head of the company Ideal Conceal, Kirk Kjellberg, said he got the idea after a child saw his own gun in a restaurant and got scared.

There are some people that would take serious issue in the workplace or somewhere else to see a gun on you, and I think it gives people the opportunity to avoid that conversation, he said last year.

Priced half than an iPhone 7, the device will open for sales around 330 pounds. Even though no copies have been found in the country, the authorities in an alert Belgian police at the weekend, say that it might be expected to turn up on European streets soon.

To the eye, nothing can distinguish it from a mobile telephone, said the Belgian police alert, reported by Derniare Heure newspaper.

Most people possess a smartphone, meaning that it can pass completely overlooked.

In July last year, a passenger travelling through Stansted Airport in Essex for possessing an iPhone case that was designed to look like a gun.

Source: Evening Standard
14-Yr-Old Teen Signs MOU worth $733,568 To Produce Drones

A 14-year-old teenager has signed a $733,568 (Rs. 5cr) worth Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the with the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat to facilitate production of the drones designed by him at Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) on Thursday. The drones would be able to detect and defuse land mines on war fields.

Notably, Harshwardhan Zala, a class 10 student, has been working on his business plan and had built 3 prototypes of the drone for which he has totally spent around $7,336 dollars (Rs. 5,00,000). While the teens parents shelled out approximately $2,934 for the first two prototypes, he was granted $4,400 from the state for the third prototype. Now, the government experts will explore the possibility of its commercial production.

An MoU has been signed with him and in the coming days Gujarat government will work with him on this project, said Dr Narottam Sahu, head of Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (GUJCOST).

Harshwardhan said he started work on the prototype of the landmine-detecting drone in 2016. The inspiration struck when I was watching television and learned that a large number of soldiers succumb to injuries sustained due to landmine blasts while defusing them manually, he said.

Explaining the concept, Harshwardhan said, The drone has been equipped with infrared, RGB sensor and thermal meter along with a 21-megapixel camera with a mechanical shutter that can take high resolution pictures as well, he described. The drone is designed to send out waves that cover eight square meter area while flying two feet above the surface; the waves detect land mines and communicate their location with a base station. The drone also carries a bomb weighing 50 gram that can be used to destroy the landmine, said Harshwardhan, who was looking at manufacturing the drone and getting it tested by security agencies.

Harshwardhan has registered for patenting his design after setting his company called Aerobotics. He has a lot of ideas for future already. The teenager said, I started making drones on my own and set up an interface with a base station but realised I need to do more. So I fixed payloads that detect landmines. I have several other plans that I want to execute once the patent for this drone is registered.

The 14-year-old student of Sarvoday Vidhyamandir in Ahmedabad says he has always been interested in science and innovation and his parents have been very encouraging of his efforts. His father Pradhyumansinh Zala is an accountant with a plastic company in Naroda while his mother Nishaba Zala is a homemaker.

Harshwardhan was inspired to patent his product after his visit to the headquarters of Google, Inc. in the US where he shared a project idea with several investors after observing the way they work. With this MoU, the teenager has bright future to look forward.

This was part of an all-expenses paid trip to the US that was part of a prize I won during an innovation event at L D College of Engineering. Now, I need to inform these investors about the MoU and I am sure they will be ready to invest in my company, said Zala, who plans to make his company a bigger identity that Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

Source: TOI
London-Based Italian Siblings Accused of Huge Elite Hacking Campaign

Years-long campaign of a brother-and-sister team suspected of carrying out cyber-spying campaign to get sensitive financial and political information targeting some of the leading political and business figures in Italy finally came to an end on Tuesday when they were arrested by the Italian police.

The brother-sister due targeted the accounts of nearly 18,000 victims, including European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, a member of the conclave that elected Pope Francis, and top officials in Italys tax police.

According to the court documents, the hacker duo allegedly infiltrated Renzis account on at least two occasions in 2015, on 12th and 30th June respectively. On the other hand, Draghis account was penetrated once on the date of Brexit, that is when the UK voted to leave the EU (European Union) on 23rd June.

In the eight months we have been investigating, we havent registered any evidence of extortion activity, or attempts to (use hacked data) to obtain influence, told Roberto Di Legami, who directs the Italian national police division that specializes in fighting internet and other communications network crimes.

The Italian police with assistance from the FBI helped cracked the cyberespionage headquarters that led to the arrests of Giulio Occhionero, 45, and his 49-year-old sister Francesca Maria Occhionero and were detained over hacking and espionage charges related to the EyePyramid campaign, Reuters reports. They are being kept in seclusion in two different jails in Rome, police said. Apparently, Giulio and Francesca Maria are well known in the citys financial community. They also have a legal residence in London, where at one point they registered a securities company, Di Legami said.

While the magnitude of the alleged attacks was not yet fully known, it is expected to become clear soon, Di Legami said. We have evidence that the spying activity was going on since 2010 and possibly several years before that. They attempted to infiltrate tens of thousands of accounts. The investigation has just started and there are thousands of encrypted files which we need to try to open, noted De Legami.

Investigators are carrying out a forensic probe of the data after law enforcement officials in the US and Rome seized servers that were allegedly used by the suspects.

The stolen data was stored in servers in Prior Lake, Minnesota, and Salt Lake City, Utah, according to a court document seen by Reuters.

We will know only after we receive the seized material from the US and at that point, through forensic activity, we will manage to put everything in place, to know who was spied on, for how long, what kind of data was stolen, Di Legami told the Guardian.

The FBI has seized the servers and will ship them to Italy, the head of Italys cybercrime unit

According to Di Legami, Giulio used malware to infect thousands of email accounts belonging to bankers, businessmen and several Vatican cardinals so he could make investments based on reserved information.

However, Giulio Occhioneros lawyer Stefano Parretta said his client denies being involved in espionage. As per the lawyer, Giulio only owned servers in the US because he ran a business there.

The alleged hackers acted with the aim of making a profit for themselves or for others, according to court documents.

The hacking operation came to the attention of investigators when an infected email was sent to an administrator at ENAV, the Italian company in charge of air traffic control. The companys report to Italys National Center for Cyber Crime led to the arrest of the siblings.

Prosecutors want the brother-sister duo to be charged with illegally obtaining information related to state security, illegally accessing computer systems and illegal interception of online messages.

Data they collected was allegedly classified under two broad categories: BROS for snippets concerning individuals who were members of masonic orders, and POBU for politicians and business figures.

Source: Reuters
The state is doing itself a grave disservice with the short terms on legislative service we allow our elected representatives. Throwing away experience for no good reason is damaging our ability to effectively govern ("Change in legislature," Jan. 11). It is opening ourselves up to too much influence by outside groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council and other powerful lobbyists who don't have the best interests of our state in mind. If we don't act on extending term limits, we may find ourselves making poor decisions on how to deal with the complex issues we face.
Olaf Scholz is the first European leader to visit China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. | Read More
"Nebraska - the good life" was our tourism slogan for years. Among other things, it signifies the natural beauty of the state, the quality and helpfulness of our citizens and the uniqueness of our governmental institutions. Now, our Republican-dominated legislature, incited by peddling Pete Ricketts, our multi-millionaire governor, has removed the nonpartisanship from the unicameral Legislature, a nonpartisanship designed by George Norris and adhered to by every Nebraska governor since 1938 (" Partisanship sneaks into Capitol on day 1 ," Jan. 5). How has this happened, and why now?

Figures on governmental wealth are not available but it seems fair to infer that no Nebraska governor in modern time has had as much ready money as Ricketts, who makes no effort to conceal his wealth. Indeed, he has done little to conceal his abundance, donating hundreds of thousands to the repeal of the death penalty ("Nebraska keeps death penalty," Nov. 9, 2016). In addition, he publicly excoriated sitting legislators whose votes ran counter to his wishes and made significant donations to their electoral opponents. He sought out potential candidates whose views meshed with his, urged them to run and financed their campaigns. The result was a cadre of legislators who received gubernatorial largesse and realized that to cross the governor meant being cast into the political wilderness. For some of the happy recipients to say that the governor exercised no dominion over their actions in ousting committee chairs and installing novices is to strain credulity.
In November 2015, Esch was a police officer and created a GoFundMe page in which he asked for money to cover medical expenses he claimed to have incurred due to having cancer. While Esch did have cancer, he did not have the medical bills he claimed to have. Many people donated money based on Eschs claims. He was ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.
In something of a political Hail Mary, the chairman of the state House Transportation Committee said he plans to file legislation that would dramatically boost state aid for roads and bridges without increasing Louisiana's gasoline tax.

Rep. Kenny Havard, R-St. Francisville, said he is preparing a bill that would impose a $1.5 billion hydrocarbon processing tax on Louisiana's 17 refineries to assist transportation and other state services.

"It will be a significant amount of money," Havard said. "There will be money to fundamentally change how we budget in Louisiana."

However, similar efforts have died for decades, and Havard's proposal faces daunting political and legal hurdles.

Chris John, president of the influential Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association, said Friday his group had multiple conversations with Havard about his idea. A former U. S. congressman from Crowley, John said the plan has constitutional problems, would unfairly single out 17 refineries to address a statewide problem and would put refineries here at a disadvantage with those in Texas and elsewhere.

"It is a non-starter with us," he said.

Havard said his proposal will be an alternative to bills based on Gov. John Bel Edwards' transportation task force report, which said the state needs a $700 million per year increase in state aid for roads and bridges.

Bid to boost transportation aid by $700 million per year wins final approval A plan to raise taxes and fees by $700 million per year for roads and bridges won final appr

The panel, which included Havard, said state gasoline taxes are the most reliable sources for transportation dollars.

But the lawmaker noted that it would take an increase of 23 cents per gallon  more than double the current state gas tax  to come up with $700 million, which he said is not politically feasible. "I have been saying all along to the task force we need other options," Havard said.

Motorists pay 38.4 cents per gallon in state and federal gasoline taxes, including a 20-cent state levy.

Edwards said earlier this week that a $700 million increase for transportation would be difficult to get through the Legislature amid widespread budget problems.

The 2017 regular legislative session starts on April 10.

Havard said he is preparing legislation that would impose a hydrocarbon processing tax at the refinery level. Processing refers to activities that change oil or natural gas. Crude oil that enters Louisiana refineries leaves as gasoline or other products, which would then be taxed, perhaps one cent per gallon under Havard's plan.

"If you process 400,000 barrels a day that is 42 gallons per barrel," John said. "You do the math, and whatever the tax on it that is what the refinery would pay and that would put them at a huge disadvantage."

"No other state has such a tax for a lot of reasons, mainly because it is not legal," John added.

Similar plans have been tried and failed since the Treen administration in the early 1980s. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell made a $5.5 billion processing tax plan on oil and natural gas the centerpiece of his 2007 bid for governor.

Just two years ago former Sen. Ben Nevers, who is now Edwards' chief of staff, and state Rep. Harold Ritchie, both Bogalusa Democrats, proposed a constitutional amendment to enact a hydrocarbon processing tax.

Transportation, colleges and universities and public schools were supposed to be among the beneficiaries but the legislation went nowhere.

+2 Before funding for transportation overhaul becomes reality, three key questions must be answered While a special panel named by Gov. John Bel Edwards has called for $700 million a year in 

Havard conceded that initial talks with industry officials have not been encouraging.

"I said 'Look, I am begging you, come to the table, let us make it a win-win for you and the state of Louisiana,'" he recalled.

"I am appreciative of Exxon and the refining industry," Havard said. "It is not a shot at them."

The lawmaker said he has talked to Edwards about his proposal and planned to meet Friday with Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson, also a task force member.

John criticized the plan.

"To identify and single out a segment of an industry for statewide transportation is not fair," he said.

Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development and co-chair of the task force, said Friday he would not say no to any potential revenue-raising stream for transportation.

"There is no monopoly on good ideas," Wilson said. "I appreciate Chairman Havard for not just participating as a listener, but he has an idea that is worth vetting."

John said while Havard's plan is "dressed up" it is similar to previous processing proposals that have failed for years.

"You can put lipstick on that pig but it is still a processing tax," he said.
Ogallala, Nebraska, was named for the Oglala band of the Teton Sioux and sat strategically on the South Platte River, the Oregon Trail, Pony Express route, the Union Pacific Railroad and, later, Interstate 80.

Still, the transportation route that caused its real birth was the cattle trail that connected the railroad there with Texas. In its early days Ogallala was known as the Cowboy Capital of Nebraska, The Gomorrah of the Plains and a wide-awake, wild and sometimes wicked town, while one observer noted theres gold flowing across the tables, liquor across the bars, and blood across the floors.

With the Union Pacific as it crossed Nebraska in 1867 came brothers Thomas and Phillip Lonergan. The following year the railroad designated a watering stop at Ogallala, and Louis Aufengarten, who had been a sutler for the U.S. Army before they moved out, relocated near the railroads water tower and established a store in a dugout. The Lonergans also chose that fall to purchase a small herd of Texas cattle, which they drove to Ogallala, which in turn, saw the beginning of a tiny community.

The cattle not only survived the winter but did well and fattened on the local spring range grass. In 1870, the Lonergans bought more Texas cattle with E.M. Searle while Aufengarten opened a saloon near his store on Railroad Street. The railroad built a proper depot in 1871 and made Tom Lonergan the station agent.

The state incorporated Keith County in 1873, named for Morrill Keith of North Platte, who was the grandfather of Nebraska Gov. Keith Neville. A house was moved from Brule to Ogallala to serve as the first courthouse. As Ogallala grew slowly, the first post office opened with Phillip Lonergan as postmaster.

About 1874, it was becoming obvious that Ogallala was becoming known as a terminus for shipping Texas cattle east as well as having open range land for grazing and fattening and lakes for water. Additionally, land to the east, particularly around the other popular railroad shipping point at Kearney, was becoming populated with settlers who built fences making open range grazing impossible.

At the same time, land west of Ogallala was arid, meaning the city was the last best point for Texas cattle shipments east. To further attract cattle shipments, the Union Pacific built extensive cattle yards at Ogallala, putting Tom Lonergan in charge.

Trails from Texas also picked up cattle in Kansas, particularly at Dodge City. When the Kansas Pacific Railroad increased shipping rates, the Union Pacific promoted its lower rates with the result that Kansas shipping began to shrink with Ogallala capitalizing and growing. By 1876, Ogallala was handling 100,000 head of Texas longhorns.

With the cattle came cowboys, and although Ogallalas permanent population was not growing rapidly, it obviously became a point where the cattle drivers rested after the arduous trip from Texas. To fill the demand, Ogallala created saloons and gambling houses, where prostitution flourished. With the saloons and gambling houses came gunfights, murders and what has been called the nations first Boot Hill Cemetery.

In 1883, a drought followed by a harsh winter ruined many cattle-driving fortunes. The next summer, tick-based Texas fever forced a quarantine on Texas cattle. As east/west rail lines were built south of Nebraska, cattle drives to Ogallala ended but local ranchers prospered. Ogallalas population began to grow and the city was incorporated in November 1884 with a plat that established the system of east-west streets as numbers and north-south streets named for trees.

In 1888, the original house-turned-courthouse -- a little, old, dirty, cold, rickety shell, which was on privately owned land and partially in a platted street, was replaced by a new, proper two-story-plus structure with a clock tower at its center. Meantime, Keith County shrank as Perkins County was divided from its original area.

After his wifes death, Leonidas Brandhoefer arrived from York and established a bank in 1885. Two years later he built a house now known as the Mansion on the Hill. It featured three stories, nine rooms and Lincoln-cut stone and brick kilned in Ogallala by L.B. Rector. Brandhoefer lived in the house briefly before moving to Omaha in 1893 and then to Chicago. But the house at 10th and Spruce streets lives on as the Keith County Historical Society Museum.

If you visit Ogallala today, your first stop should be the Visitors Center in the restored 1922 Standard Oil Co. filling station on Spruce Street for lots of local tourist sites that include the station itself and Mansion of the Hill, both of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Not so wicked of a town today, Ogallala is better known as the Gateway to the Northern Plains than for its saloons and gambling houses.
Would-be New Orleans fugitive rescued off Cuban coast by Disney cruise liner is sentenced to prison

He is first of 6 defendants to be punished in case stemming from Harahan incident
A man who allegedly set off fireworks in two Canberra nightclubs almost six years ago has handed himself in to police.

Scott Wyatt, 31, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with two counts of arson with explosive devices and one drug offence.

court Credit:AFR

The court heard Wyatt had said God instructed him to hand himself in.

He allegedly told police he had other explosive devices inside a vehicle and claimed a member of the Australian intelligence services was involved.
You are not being served I attended Bendigo's Centrelink office last week: 35 people sitting waiting at 2pm, a handful in the queue or trying to self-serve at a computer or phone; a few staff on the floor to assist and one security guard. "You're a person, not a number": it sure didn't feel like it. This government is rewriting history: ministers say the age pension is not an entitlement, but it always was if you met the age, assets and income test; and people given 21 days to respond to a letter declaring a debt, yet it takes 10 weeks or more for a Medicare reimbursement. Everyone should watch the film I, Daniel Blake  it is a pointer to where we are heading. Barb Ashworth, Castlemaine THE FORUM Governance in peril

Two of the government's top performers, Sussan Ley and Julie Bishop, have been put under the most glaring spotlight regarding their use of taxpayer-funded entitlements. Spread the net a little wider and I'm sure many more MPs, on both sides of politics, would be caught up in controversy. Rather than castigating politicians for claiming travel expenses to attend social events for which they may or may not wish to attend in order to "network", we should be questioning the ethics of our representatives being encouraged to accept invitations to attend functions organised by individuals or corporations seeking to gain a business advantage. Surely our taxpayer dollars are in more peril from this practice than a few thousand dollars in travel expenses being claimed. Liz Jovanovic, Moonee Ponds Recognition of anger? Mr Turnbull's announcement of a reform of parliamentary expenses might finally be a recognition of the rising, and totally justified, anger in the community towards politicians. Workers, thousands of whom are only casually employed, are forced to take wage cuts or, worse, are being cheated of their rightful wages. Similarly, pensioners fear penury in their old age as a result of recent changes to the pension, while huge numbers of young people, more highly educated than any previous generation, struggle to find any gainful employment. To hear of politicians nonchalantly flitting around the country by private plane at whim or attending lavish parties at taxpayers' expense is infuriating.

Ewa Haire, Moonee Ponds Show some restraint There is no rule that says politicians must claim the maximum allowed amount. Nor that they must grab the cash for every event they attend where they might bump into a voter. David Bishop, East Brighton Not on the ball

Trade Minister Steve Ciobo's defence of taxpayers paying the bill for politicians to attend sporting matches exposes two issues. First, unless you are wearing a footy jersey and are on the field, attending the AFL grand final is not a work-related duty. More importantly, Mr Ciobo asserts that politicians are invited to such events so that business leaders can "have a conversation" with them. Such business people should do what the rest of us do when seeking contact with a politician: write a letter or make an appointment. The idea that taxpayers should foot the bill for the subversion of transparent governance is outrageous. Personally, I think Mr Ciobo should keep talking; every sentence he utters adds weight to the case for a federal ICAC. Jane Edwards, Peterhead, SA We pay for shmoozing I don't get it: Big Company X invites a minister to the footy grand final, and we taxpayers have to foot the bill for their shmoozing. Why doesn't Big Company X pay for the privilege with its own money?

John Kirk, Canterbury Broad interpretation Steve Ciobo has a very broad interpretation of what matters are "work related" and hence legitimate expenses in performing his ministerial role. It is difficult to imagine him discussing policy intricacies in the excitement of an AFL grand final. Indeed, it seems one of the least suitable places to do so. If MPs claim that their workplace simply means them being somewhere, it is going to be difficult to make significant changes to the way they claim work-related expenses. Rod Wise, Glen Iris Let's hear explanation

Several letters have discussed the cruel treatment of asylum seekers at the Broadmeadows detention centre (8/1). I have not, however, seen any response from the minister explaining why changes have been made to conditions for people in the centre. If Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is not prepared to comment, perhaps the Prime Minister might care to inform us as to whether the government is deliberately trying to inflict as much suffering as possible on the detainees or whether there are legitimate reasons for restricting access to open spaces. Unless valid reasons are provided, it can only be assumed the government is indulging in inhumane actions either through unacceptable negligence or even more unacceptable deliberate cruelty. Peter Meadley, Ballarat Adding salt to wound I'm disappointed Mr Dutton bought seven bottles of American wine at the expensive dinner he hosted in Washington DC at taxpayers' expense. Apart from the cost of the dinner, it seems to me that failure to buy Australian wines that were on the wine list adds insult to taxpayers' injury.

Clive Hope, Meeniyan UN vote clarified John Langmore (Letters, 8/1), Italy and Sweden did not vote in Resolution 2334 as neither was a member of the United National Security Council at the time. Their term began on January 1. Michael Shaw, Melbourne Help aged in groups

Joel Magarey's article about the exclusion from mental-health services of people in aged care facilities didn't surprise me (News, 8/1), especially given the singular focus on economic productivity. I frequently visit an aged care facility and am struck by the obvious grief and depression in many I see. Costs of mental health services can be mitigated if they are carried out by professionals skilled in group work. For 40 years I was a member of a team that educated counselling psychologists and professional counsellors in master and doctoral programs at La Trobe University. Our programs required all trainees to attend a year-long encounter group and, in the process, learn how to lead therapeutic groups. Such training is rare in professional training, but programs such as those at Swinburne University also contained group training. With government support, group work could easily be carried out in aged care places. The work could start with two willing people who live there and I'd guarantee that numbers would grow as word got around. George Wills, Mt Dandenong Many causes of sadness

The emotional, physical and symbolic losses incurred by elderly people in transitioning to a nursing home are often compounded by the effects of concurrent physical illness and by the reactivation of previous losses and conflicts in the person's life, often with their families, and sometimes dating back to childhood. Also, they may suffer anticipatory grief that reflects future losses. Cognitive behaviour therapy, however, is not the most appropriate therapy for such grief. CBT offers limited understanding of the painful complexities and turbulence of emotions. The care of the grieving patient should not be confined to such techniques. Edwin Harari, consultant psychiatrist, St Vincent's Hospital Approach a cop-out Not so long ago, dairy farmers were struggling to put food on the table. The state government announced it would give millions of dollars not to the farmers who desperately needed money, but to counsellors who would help farmers "cope" with having no money. In that moment it became clear that in seeking to soothe our collective conscience, pathologising responses to grave injustice and being seen to "help" that eclipsed any need to actually tackle difficult issues. Now our response to society's neglect of older people is the same  give them counselling and medication so they cope better with the kind of life nobody should be forced to live. What a cop out.
Donald Trump's impending presidency loomed large over Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's talks with his Japanese counterpart.

Mr Turnbull welcomed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Sydney on Saturday as part of the Japanese leader's latest regional tour, widely seen as an attempt to shore up regional solidarity before Mr Trump ushers in a new era of unpredictability.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull welcomed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Sydney as part of the Japanese leader's latest regional tour. Credit:David Moir

The two men will play a role in shaping how Mr Trump  a foreign policy novice with little experience in the Asia Pacific  views and approaches the region.

After an informal stroll along Sydney's south head heritage trail, the pair donned the jackets and ties for an official bilateral meeting at Kirribilli House.
Underbelly actor Vince Colosimo is due to face court next month for alleged drug possession. The 50-year-old father-of-two is listed to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court in February over alleged possession of methampthetamine. Actor Vince Colosimo. The star is represented by elite city law firm, Tony Hargreaves and Partners. In late 2014, the actor's licence was suspended in the Melbourne Magistrates Court after he was caught twice driving with a suspended licence.

Vince Colosimo as Alphonse Gangitano in Underbelly. Despite starring in major films, including alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Body of Lies and Australian cult hit Chopper, the court heard Colosimo needed four months to pay a $1000 fine and was working on building sites to supplement his income. Colosimo was nominated for a silver Logie for his portrayal of Melbourne gangland figure Alphonse Gangitano in Underbelly in 2008. He also starred as Gangitano in Fat Tony & Co, a spin off from the Underbelly series about the manhunt for convicted drug boss Tony Mokbel. He had been tipped to be part of the cast for Channel 10's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!
Danielle Laskie says family and friends were initially concerned about her decision to marry Tim. Credit:Eddie Jim Their posts read like modern-day messages in a bottle, cast out to the great wide web in the thrilling hope that someone out there will read them. "I write this request wishing for the Universe to allow the perfect opportunity for a special person to cross my path," says Arturo, an Illinois inmate in for murder. Websites such as this allow prisoners to meet supporters. Australian Danielle Laskie met her husband Timothy Wright, a convicted murderer serving life in the US, via PrisonPenPals.com Other inmates are more direct. "What I'm looking for out of this website is a friend with open possibilities," says William in Oregon.

Prison, by definition, is meant to be lonely. It's where we send people we don't want to be around us. But permanent seclusion is not the inflexible punishment it once was. The internet has made it possible for Australians, as far away as we are, to be digital next-door neighbours, or more, with people we may otherwise never have known. Danielle Laskie with her now husband Tim Wright who is serving life in a US prison. Credit:Eddie Jim That was the case for Laskie, whose life took a remarkable turn when she clicked her way into a new world. Laskie says she ruled out many of the profiles on PrisonPenPals.com. "Players," she says, "looking for groupies to hand over their money". The couple can only meet in the prison visitation room and are not allowed to be alone together.

But the bare-bones listing of a Virginia inmate Timothy Wright jnr caught her eye. He was a 28-year-old ex-Marine in prison for first-degree murder, serving a 63-year sentence with no option for parole. He simply noted his interests and military service. "There was something about it to me that seemed honest," she says. She wrote to him and, four weeks later, received a six-page letter in return. Wright, more wordy on paper than in his profile, described his love for his family. Their relationship began casually, a unique friendship that stretched from his 2m-by-3m prison cell in central Virginia, over thick walls and barbed wire, and 16,000 more kilometres to her home in Melbourne. They wrote pages to each other the old-fashioned way, through the post, though letters were read first on his side by prison officials. They also used JPay, a private inmate services company that allows people to write emails that are then printed out at kiosks in each prison and handed to inmates. They started speaking over the phone, after finding a reasonably affordable phone plan that allowed Laskie to call the prison using a US number.

A mix of technology, analogue and digital, connected them to each other. * * * "We just wrote as friends getting to know each other and with no pretence for more," says Wright. He has a southern drawl and a friendly, but careful way of speaking. He is very polite. He told Fairfax Media in a JPay message that he was born and raised in central Virginia by strict, religious parents who kicked him out of home twice before his 18th birthday. In 2006, he served one combat tour in Ramadi, Iraq. He was married briefly to a woman who now lives in California with their son and his former stepdaughter.

In 2008, when he was 22, he was convicted of the murder of a 19-year-old man named Justin Baumgartner. Prosecutors said Wright shot the victim in a rage over a girl they were both allegedly dating. Wright has long denied the love triangle and the charges, citing the wavering testimony of his co-defendant, the son of a then-deputy sheriff. He was sentenced to 63 years, plus five years for injuring another inmate before trial. Laskie believes in Wright's innocence. She began fighting small battles on his behalf, mailing frequent letters to the Virginia Department of Corrections about its medical care, its food and the way officers monitored their letters. She also launched a website and established social media profiles for Wright, where she posted petitions campaigning for his release and connected with others who were passionate about criminal justice reform. After months of intense, sustained contact, they fell in love.

"I knew I was in love after the first six months of knowing her," says Wright, now 30. "I was attracted to so many things about Danielle," he says. "She had an insane work ethic, strong drive, very organised, stayed on top of things; she was tenacious." Laskie says they talked so much she felt like she could tell him anything. "Talking about every single subject you can think of, talking about family and hopes and dreams," she says. "It just shows there are no boundaries if you're willing to put the work in."

But their relationship does beg questions. Laskie is risking a life without physical intimacy for a prisoner who lives on the other side of the world. "I can imagine that it is very difficult to understand," says Wright, who believes many inmates have sinister motivations for making contact with women outside prison. But he insists that's not the case here. "She was in a place in her life that she could pursue a relationship with circumstances as challenging as mine and I was at a place that I could give everything short of a physical relationship to her," he says. Their situation does make people uneasy, including some of Laskie's friends and family. Her mother worried about her daughter's unusual love affair until she chatted to Wright a number of times on the phone. "She absolutely loves him now," Laskie says. "She thinks he's absolutely wonderful."

Many of Laskie's friends, however, were less moved. They asked whether she could be sure she wasn't being used, whether she could trust that he was as innocent as he claimed. "I got to the stage where I don't really discuss it with them because I think they're very closed-minded," she says. "They don't understand the American justice system. They don't get it." * * * Laskie's contact with the Virginia Department of Corrections and her intimate knowledge of Wright's case (she has copies of his trial tapes) awakened her to a bloated and inefficient prison system in desperate need of reform. The US jails more of its citizens than any other country in the world, thanks in large part to decades of harsh drug sentencing and other "tough-on-crime" measures that disproportionately affect black and Hispanic people  with tragic consequences for entire communities.

More than two million Americans live behind bars  that's about 716 inmates for every 100,000 Americans. Australia, meanwhile, has 196 inmates per 100,000 people. Of course, many inmates have committed terrible crimes, so people have a limited interest in helping them. And in all but two states, incarcerated felons lose the right to vote, meaning politicians don't feel compelled to help them. Adam Lovell, the founder of WriteAPrisoner.com, says pen-pal websites give inmates the opportunity to make their voices heard in a country that doesn't want to listen to them. He says pen pals are a "lifeline to the outside world". "Loneliness is crushing, especially in the environment of prison. Most inmates are looking for a reason to go on," he says. For Laskie, Wright's incarceration gave her a deep connection to a cause on the other side of the world. This is her biggest adventure.

"I just feel so passionate about it. I just want to make changes," she says. "Even if Tim were to get out in a couple of years, I would still keep going. I just cannot stand the unjust treatment and the apathy of people. It kills me." * * * Last March, Laskie booked plane tickets for a two-week trip to the US to visit Wright in prison. Before she left Australia, he asked her to marry him. They had never met in person. She said 'Yes'. "You just know when it's the right person," she says. "It all happened very quickly but it just seemed so right. It just seemed so perfect."

In October, a nervous but excited Laskie flew to Virginia, which promotes itself with the slogan "Virginia is for lovers". Laskie met Wright's grandparents at their home in Mechanicsville, a middle American township two hours drive south of Washington, DC. The day after her arrival, she drove a hired car 90 minutes west to the prison. She went through security and made her way to the visiting room, large enough to fit 100 people, where inmates can meet with loved ones for hours. She was nervous. They had sent each other photographs, but what if he thought she looked older in person? "It was just a surreal feeling," Laskie says, "to have spoken to this person for two years and to feel so close and to be in love with the person but to finally meet them." She waited there, butterflies in her stomach, until her fiance entered the room.

He was strapping and tall  190 centimetres  with thin-framed glasses over big blue eyes. He gave her a kiss. "It just hit me. It really hit me," she says. "He was everything I expected. He had the most beautiful smile. Very soft, caring and it just felt right." Buckingham Correctional allows visitors who have come long distances to have extra time with inmates. Laskie was entitled to five visits, each six hours long. "The first day she hardly spoke," Wright says, "just giggled a lot, which made me laugh more than I have in years. "We did discuss where we were at in our relationship, plans and dreams for the future, travel and aspects about my case," he continues. "We spent a lot of time laughing, looking into each other's eyes and holding hands."

After her first visit, she returned to Wright's grandparents' home, a Mechanicsville retirement community where the houses all look the same. They were warm and friendly people, and they took her to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, a southern country-themed chain restaurant and a veritable institution of the US interstate system. For Laskie, it would have been a crash course in "real America", a place where shotguns and deer heads line the walls, where they serve sour cream in little packets like sugar. Wright is still rebuilding what used to be a strained relationship with his parents, though they visit him in prison. But he is very close to his grandparents, who are in their mid 70s and who believe firmly in his innocence. His grandfather was a Virginia state trooper.

"They definitely want to see him out before they both pass away," Laskie says. * * *

The wedding took place on Laskie's third visit. Though she wore her pink suit, the groom had to wear his everyday prison blue jeans and button-down shirt. They had organised for his grandparents' Baptist pastor to meet them at the prison. Wright's grandparents were witnesses. Wright chose not to write his vows but to speak them from the heart. He told Danielle he never dreamed of such a day. He offered her everything he had. They sealed the marriage with a kiss. "I couldn't have been happier than if I were free with her," says Wright. Laskie, who now calls herself Laskie-Wright, says the ceremony went quickly. "I just I think I was so excited. I don't know if that happens to everyone that gets married. It seems a blur." Twenty minutes later a guard broke their reverie; the festivities were over. Virginia's prison system does not allow for conjugal visits, meaning Wright and his new bride can never be alone together. The newly minted Laskie-Wright dropped off her marriage documents at a courthouse and returned to his grandparents' home.

WriterAPrisoner.com founder Lovell estimates that "hundreds" of weddings have resulted from pen pal relationships since he started the site in 2000, though these are relatively rare. "After 16 years of service, you're bound to experience some weddings," he says. * * * After two more visits with her husband, Laskie-Wright returned to Australia with renewed urgency to fight for his exoneration. In a justice system that is slow to act, they face an uphill battle. Without money, they will have to find legal experts who are willing to work pro bono. High-profile cases, such as those featured on the television show Making a Murderer and the podcast Serial, give them hope that someone will take up their cause. A record 149 people were exonerated in the US last year. But it's a paltry number compared to the numbers in prison at any given time. Still, Wright and his wife have hope. They speak as if he will leave prison one day, as if he will see Australia.
A man has been flown to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition after the car he was driving crashed into a house in Clifton Springs, near Geelong, on Saturday morning.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said the man, who was the only person in the car, had to be rescued from the vehicle.

A man who crashed into a house near Geelong has been flown to The Alfred hospital.

"He was trapped for an hour," Mr Mullen said. "He has pelvic and internal injuries, leg injuries and possibly head injuries. He is in a critical condition."

Police are at the scene.
This Australia Day, my sister and I will have been in this most wonderful country 68 years.

We were "Ten Pound Poms". I was 17 and Lilian just 10. My parents were in their early 40s.

Workmen watch a passenger liner moving into berth at Station Pier, Melbourne, in 1949. Credit:Argus collection

My dad was not long out of the British Army and had spent three years mainly in East Africa, Madagascar, Durban, Cape Town and Tanganyika, now Tanzania.

The winter of 1947 was the coldest on record and my dad just could not cope, added to this England was bleak, war-torn, bombed-out and still had very strict rationing.
On Friday morning in the bowels of the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC, U.S. intelligence chiefs finally briefed members of the House of Representatives on Russias alleged hacking during the 2016 election. What started as a standard classified, closed-door briefing degenerated into a gigantic shit show of angry, bitter Democratic lawmakers screaming in FBI director James Comeys face.

It got incredibly uncomfortable, one congressional aide briefed on the meeting told The Daily Beast. People were mad, people were loud. It was likethey wanted Comeys head on a plate, the source said, describing the elected Democrats in the room.

When Comey started addressing the group, he told them he was tone deaf to politics, something hed said in an open hearing this past week, according to a different congressional staffer briefed on the meeting. He then added that he doesnt pay attention to timing, but does what he thinks is right, to the scoffs of Democrats in the room. Comey after all, rocked the election with his 11th hour announcement that the bureau was investigating a new trove of Hillary Clintons emailsand his 11th hour and 59th minute proclamation those there was nothing new or incriminating in those messages.

Fridays raucous back-and-forth lasted for an anxious, sneering 10-15 minutes. And it demonstrates that Democrats still blame the FBI director for their stinging loss at the polls, only a day after word emerged that the Justice Department Inspector General is looking into whether Comey followed FBI policy by those pronouncements about the Clinton probe. (The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

There was a big shit show toward the end of the briefing where [Democratic congresswoman and former Democratic National Committee chair] Debbie Wasserman Schultz, in an attempt at a public CYA [cover-your-ass], badgered Comey in front of everyone basically blaming him for her losing her job, saying the FBI hadnt properly warned the DNC they were being hacked, and hadnt been more aggressive in their attempt to alert the DNC, the Hill staffer recounted. It lasted an uncomfortable amount of time, like 5 minutes. Republicans were booing and calling for her to sit down.

Comey in testimony this week said that the FBI had asked for access to the DNC servers and John Podestas server multiple times but had been denied, and ultimately the DNC contracted a private company, which then shared what they found about the intrusions with the bureau.

As a Member of Congress, I will not compromise information learned and discussed in any classified briefing, Wasserman Schultz told The Daily Beast in a statement. However, the FBI Director must clarify for the American people, the agencys policies for investigating and alerting those who are hacked by foreign governments. There are further questions that must be answered by Director Comey, who must provide more clarity on this and other questions that have arisen surrounding the FBI's handling of Russian hacking during the 2016 election cycle.

According to multiple sources, the confrontation with Comey started when Democratic congressman Jerrold Nadler first began pushing hard on Comey to explain his letters to Congress regarding Hillary Clinton right before the election (which many Democrats and Clinton herself blame for Trumps surprise election-night victory), and whether or not he would have made the controversial move had Trump been in the crosshairs.

Do you believe that standard has been met with reference to the possible investigation of the Trump campaigns possible connections to the Russian government? And if not, why not? Nadler asked Comey on Friday morning, according to The Guardian.

After all, Comey the other day had huffed that he would never comment on investigationswhether we have one or notin an open forum, when asked by Sen. Angus King, an Independent from Maine, whether there was an active probe into ties between the Russian government and Team Trump.

The irony of your making that statement here, I cannot avoid, King replied.

Four sources told The Daily Beast that Nadlers confrontation on Friday set off a chain-reaction. A bunch of Democratic lawmakers began jeering at and scolding the FBI director about an apparent Clinton/Trump double standard. This dominated the final 15 minutes of the classified intel briefing, during which Comey remained evasive, dodged questions, offered up half-baked answers, and stayed defiant, according to lawmakers in the room.

Among the Democrats charging Comey with historic malpractice were the former DNC chairwoman and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who capped off the hate-fest portion of the briefing by revisiting Nadlers line of questioning and further grilling Comey, according to two aides.

Towards the merciful conclusion of the meeting, Pelosi chastised the FBI chief for his behavior and for apparently not treating the House members with an adequate level of respect, according to the sources.

"At approximately 11 a.m., following the classified briefing, House Democrats held a Caucus meeting," a Pelosi spokesman told The Daily Beast. "At the end of that Caucus meeting, Leader Pelosi expressed the frustration House Democrats have as to why Director Comey continues to refuse to say whether he has opened an investigation into the alleged contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. Leader Pelosi has always held Director Comey in high esteem, which is why she is concerned that he continues to evade answering this question."

You let us down! one Democrat shouted at Comey during the briefing, according to one attendee speaking to The Hill.

Several Democratic lawmakers emerged from the meeting on Capitol Hill looking visibly perturbed and dissatisfied with what happened. Most, at the time, would not elaborate on details of the meeting. When reporters asked Rep. Steve Cohen for specifics, he jokingly replied, Cant tell you, then Id have to kill you.

When asked by The Daily Beast if the classified briefing included any new details such as names of members of the Trump campaign suspected of irregular contact with Russian officials or players, Congressman Charlie Crist said no names were revealed and indicated that the briefing was underwhelmingand thats the problem, he added.

Indignation towards Comeys actions just before the presidential election has not been relegated to the Democratic side of the aisle. Just after he sent that first and infamous letter to Congress, some prominent Republicans publicly stated their outrage.

For the Democrats, however, the anger still lingers, given how many continue to blame him for giving the world a President Trump.

The anti-Comey sentiments within the Democratic Partys leaders are unlikely to evaporate any time soon, as liberal lawmakers and politicians grapple with the realities of their brutal electoral defeats and the dawn of the Trump era. Meanwhile, Team Trump is busy preparing for The Donalds inauguration-weekend festivities, with the big day just one week out.

This article has been updated to include comment from Wasserman Schultz.
CHARLESTON, South CarolinaThe trial of Dylann Storm Roof took place in the historic heart of this city, the intersection of Meeting and Broad streets known as the Four Corners of Law.

The City Hall, an architectural gem designed by Robert Mills circa 1800, and the county courthouse, an exquisite neo-classical structure dating to the 1790s, represent the law of city and state on the north side of Broad. Across from them the federal district courthouse and post office, a massive granite structure completed in 1896, looms above the city to signify the ascendance of federal power after the Civil War.

Across the street is St. Michaels Episcopal Church, representing the law of God. It was built in the 1750s and its adjacent graveyard is filled with tumbled tombstones that honor the illustrious families of the city and state: Pinckney, Rutledge, Hayne, and others. They came from a wealthy class of planters whose slaves produced sufficient rice, indigo, and later cotton to make Charleston one of the richest cities on the Eastern seaboard until the Civil War.

During the war, Union soldiers used the tall white spire of St. Michaels to site their guns, whose shells forced the families living south of Broad Street to abandon their mansions. When Charleston finally surrendered in February 1865, U.S. Colored Troops were given the honor of entering the city first. As they marched up Meeting Street past St. Michaels singing John Browns Body, the citys slaves, proclaiming their own emancipation, fell in behind.

During the Dylann Roof trial the parishioners of St. Michaels strung a large banner between the columns of its portico declaring solidarity with his victims slain at another venerable church a few blocks away: #Charleston Strong, Emanuel, God with us.

Mother Emanuel, as it was eventually known, was born in rebellion against white supremacy. Morris Brown, a free black preacher, left the white Methodist church in protest and in 1818 founded the first African Methodist Episcopal church. Among the churchs founders was also Denmark Vesey, a Caribbean-born slave who had bought his freedom with lottery winnings.

In 1822, white leaders accused Vesey of organizing a slave conspiracy to seize the citys arsenal, slaughter whites, liberate slaves in nearby plantations, and make their way by ship to the black republic of Haiti. White officials exaggerated the scope and organization of the plot, in part to rally terrified whites in defense of slavery. Vesey and nearly three dozen others were convicted and hanged; others were deported. Whites burned the original AME church and drove Morris Brown out of the city.

A few years later, Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher in Virginia, responded to Jesuss prophecy that the last shall be first with a slave uprising that left dozens of whites murdered. Gods law, at least as blacks interpreted it, proved dangerous to slavery. Charleston outlawed black churches, but the parishioners of Emanuel worshipped in secret until after the Civil War. After a devastating earthquake flattened their frail wooden church, the parishioners of Mother Emanuel, as it was known by then, in 1891 raised a new church of brick and stucco on the north side of what is now Calhoun Street.

This was the building Dylann Roof entered on Wednesday evening, June 17, 2015, knowing that the Bible study group met there each week. Roof sat with 12 members of the church for about 40 minutes, staring ahead without speaking, while they discussed a Bible passage. It was not until they stood and closed their eyes to pray that Roof pulled out his Glock .45 semi-automatic pistol and began firing. He carried eight magazines with 88 bullets in all; pausing to reload each time he emptied a magazine.

Why are you doing this? cried Tywanza Sanders, wounded and trying to protect his 87-year-old aunt.

You are raping white women and taking over the country I have to do this. I have to finish my mission, he answered, pumping more bullets into Sanders and his aunt.

Before it was over nine lay dead or dying.

***

Tywanza Sanderss anguished question kept reverberating through the trial: Why are you doing this? Racism and hatred, of course, but where did that come from? Roof is not from Charleston. He was born in 1994 in Columbia, the state capital, located about two hours inland by freeway, and he lived most of his life in or around that city. Roofs grandfather, a successful lawyer, was known in Columbia for his liberal views on race. The first line of Dylann Roofs website manifesto absolved his family: I was not raised in a racist home or environment.

His father worked in construction and made good money, at least before the crash of 2008. After repeating the ninth grade, at 14 Dylann Roof dropped out of school. Without any vocation or purpose, he lived by turns with each of his parents, who divorced, and his stepmother, and passed his time playing video games, getting high on drugs and alcohol, now and then working landscaping jobs for a friend, and spending an inordinate amount of time alone in his room with his computer.

Weeks before the killings, he aroused the suspicion of police for lurking around a shopping mall outside of Columbia; he was arrested for drug possession (Suboxone) and later for trespassing at the mall. Shortly after his second arrest, with money his parents gave him for his 21st birthday, he bought a pistol. If he had had more money, he would have bought an AK-47.

On the witness stand, FBI Special Agent Joseph Hamski shined a bright light into the dark, sinister cave of racism and bigotry Dylann Roof entered on the internet. His first encounter was the website of the Council of Conservative Citizens, successor to the pro-segregation White Citizens Councils with strong ties to the Republican Party. Its favorite hobbyhorse is an imagined scourge of black on white crime, a fixation that stuck in Roofs untutored mind from the day he first encountered it.

From here I found out about the Jewish problem, he wrote, referring to his schooling on Stormfront, a neo-Nazi website begun by David Duke in 1990. Along the way, Roofs self-education also embraced neo-Confederate ideology, which portrays the Old South as a model for America. With his gun and Confederate flags he spent days before the murders posing in front of monuments and historic sites connected to slavery and the Civil War.

Roofs pleas on Stormfront for collaboration with other white supremacists in the area went unanswered. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet, he lamented. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.

His online schooling took place with no family members, girlfriends, teachers, or clergy to challenge the new ideas taking root in his morally retarded mind. As he learned alone, so Dylann Roof would act alone. Imagining himself the brave champion of the white race, he entered the Mother Emanuel church to kill women and men he knew would be defenseless.

***

Under federal law Roof was charged with hate crimes because he killed and attempted to kill people solely because of their race, and because the violence took place inside a church, he was also charged under federal law with obstructing the exercise of religion, and a powerful religious atmosphere permeated the trial.

This was especially true during the sentencing phase, three and a half days during which family members testified to the horrible impact of the crime on the living. Witnesses are not allowed to say anything about the penalty they believe the defendant deserves. Whether out of spite, shame, or cowardice, Roof sat in stone-like silence, refusing to even look at the witnesses as they poured out their pain.

The most moving act of this drama took place after the jury came to its unanimous decision in favor of death late on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning the courtroom was filled, but before announcing his response to the jurys recommendation, Judge Richard Gergel allowed the prosecution to present additional family members who wanted to be heard.

Instead of taking the witness stand they came to a podium, some facing Dylann Roof, others addressing Judge Gergel. Even the jury, their tasks completed, asked to witness this dramatic last act.

All prohibitions as to remarks about the defendant were now set aside, and the families of the Emanuel Nine issued an amazing mix of Christian forgiveness and chastisement. Many urged Roof to repent before he met his death, or he would burn in Hell forever. One woman even offered to pray with him in prison. Others offered scolding punishment, taunting him for his cowardice, mocking his mission to ignite race war, and, more than once, wishing he would rot in Hell.

More than one predicted that angels of the slain would be comin to get you and carry you to Hell.

I can hear you breathing from here, one man whispered across the room to Roof after warning him of the awaiting inferno. You may not be looking at me, but you can hear me, and you are going to be hearing me until your dying day.

As we filed out of the courtroom, I could hear a soft humming musical sound. It became more audible as people made their way down the hall, humming louder, then singing about the Lord coming to carry me  as they entered the elevator that took them down to the street and to the Four Corners of Law.

On Tuesday the jury had announced its sentence under federal law, but that Wednesday members of the Emanuel family declared a second, much longer sentence according to Gods law.
Last years presidential elections and the heated electoral campaign suggested that moderation is not a winning political tactic. To be sure, moderation did not get many people elected last November. But properly understood, moderation is actually a fighting virtue and winning card.

Interest in this old and elusive virtue has increased in the recent weeks, as we prepare for the inauguration of the new President. The title of a recent show on NPR in which I participated was Moderation as Democracys Key in an Age of Extremes. In the New York Times and Washington Post, Peter Wehner and Jennifer Rubin spoke about moderation as a potentially effective strategy of opposing Trump and making Congress less dysfunctional.

I am not sure moderation is the key to solving all our problems in our age of increased polarization and ideological intransigence. But paraphrasing Albert Camuss words, I do believe that our world still needs today burning hearts, men who know the proper place of moderation.

How so? We first need to address the prevalent skepticism toward moderation on both the left and the right.

The listeners of the NPR program were not shy at expressing their skepticism. Some questioned whether moderation is a virtue at all, while a few claimed that there is no real market today for moderation in our political system dominated by money, distrust, and greed. Others argued that ours is a time for total opposition, radicalism, and mobilization instead of moderation. I think I've figured out what annoys me about today's topic, one listener wrote. People don't organize based on ideas of moderation. On this view, moderation now in the US would be called more accurately appeasement, an endorsement for the status quo, or simply treason. To be moderate is to be a bystander, another listener remarked. What we are witnessing is a fatal moral crisis of our nation. We cannot normalize our current political climate by feigning moderation as a realistic tactic. Finally, one (Christian) listener went all the way to claim that moderation is, in fact, the root of all our problems today. Period.

Moderation cannot possibly be at the same time the key to all our problems and their root as well. It is a notoriously slippery concept, with a long tradition behind it. So lets define this often misinterpreted virtue to avoid further confusion.

Moderation is a complex, difficult, and eclectic virtue which has many faces and a distinguished tradition. The latter goes as far back as Aristotle and Plato and continues in the works of Montesquieu, James Madison, Edmund Burke, and Alexis de Tocqueville, to name only a few.

Moderation is much more than the proverbial golden mean between the extremes. It refers to several things: a certain character trait, a specific style of political action, and a unique set of institutional and constitutional arrangements. Behind all that, there is a unique political vision that may sometimes be difficult to grasp because it builds upon ideas and principles from all sides of the political spectrum. Yet, it is an original vision nonetheless.

What does it consist of? At its core lies a certain vision of the public good that seeks to promote more inclusion, toleration, fair competition, and fewer inequalities. As trimmers who seek to keep the ship of the state on an even keel, moderates display unhesitating loyalty to limited (and complex) government, freedom, and the rule of law. They eschew violence and favor incremental changes to improve their communities. Nonetheless, moderation should not be narrowly identified with the political center since those committed to this virtue can exist on all aisles of the political spectrum. Some moderates prefer to locate themselves in the center while others do not.

Political moderation has often been linked to the separation and balance of powers, executive veto, and bills of rights. That is why moderates promote social and political pluralism and work to promote balance between competing values, principles, ideas, and groups in society. But in so doing, they refuse to define one single best way, paying instead close attention to nuances and hybrid solutions. They think that gray, too, can be beautiful, as one of the heroes of my book, Adam Michnik, once memorably put it.

The moderatess style of political action is best illustrated by their thinking politically rather than ideologically. Their opinions tend to be based on careful consideration of facts rather than on abstract moral imperatives. This way of addressing political issues is the opposite of ideological thinking, a closed system of thought based in eternal principles or infallible dogmas. As another great moderate (Raymond Aron) once said,  in political affairs it is impossible to demonstrate truth, but one can try, on the basis of what one knows, to make sensible decisions. The latter involve tough trade-offs and significant opportunity costs, and require constant small-scale adjustments and gradual steps. That is why moderates accept that we must learn how to cope with risks and unforeseeable consequences which simultaneously require pragmatic prudence and courage.

Another distinctive feature of the moderates style is their opposition to Manichaeism. Their world is not bipolar, black-and-white; it is a world made of many shades of gray (although perhaps not as many as fifty!). That is why moderates make a special effort to listen to all sides of the debate and keep the conversation open with their friends, critics, and opponents. Their invitation to dialogue and their willingness to speak to their critics demonstrate their courage and determination not to look for safe spaces and lukewarm solutions.

Yet, moderation is not a virtue for everyone and for all seasons. A few decades ago, another moderate, Isaiah Berlin, confessed to Kay Graham, the editor of the Washington Post: It obviously does not do to have a political position at all unless it is a god crude, simple thing, painted in bright colors. He was right. It is difficult to act like a moderate because that implies a complex balancing act not unlike the art of walking along a thin wire or rope. It presupposes making constant judgments about how to balance different values and address the inevitable tensions of political life.

Moderation cannot then be a substitute for pragmatic partisanship for politics cannot function without strong contestation and deep disagreement. Moderation can however bring about the civility without which our system would be entirely dysfunctional. I think that John Adams was entirely right when writing that without the great political virtues of humility, patience, and moderation  every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey.

We should not forget that moderation has always been at the heart of the American political system. It may not offer a platform for effective mass mobilization, but being a moderate is not the same as being a bystander. Moderates like Abraham Lincoln in the U.S., Raymond Aron in France, and Adam Michnik in communist Poland put forward a bold agenda for resistance, civil discourse, and reform. Their examples demonstrate that moderation can offer a necessary compass to orient ourselves in the labyrinth of public and political life.

As such, moderation is, as Joseph Hall put it four centuries ago, the silken string running through the pearl-chain of all virtues, a cardinal virtue in the absence of which the normal functioning of political life would simply be unimaginable.

Aurelian Craiutu is Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington, and the author of Faces of Moderation: The Art of Balance in an Age of Extremes (Penn Press, 2017).
Danielle Novascone was hooked on OxyContin for about a year when it suddenly got a lot harder to get high.

For years, people like Novascone crushed the pills and snorted the powder for an instant fix. In 2010, OxyContins manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, changed the opioid painkiller to supposedly stem the abuse epidemic it ignited. When new abuse-deterrent OxyContin was crushed, it would turn to jelly, Novascone said.

It didnt stop a damn thing, she added.

Like a burglar confronted with a new safe, Novascone came up with novel methods to break in.

Novascone would shave the pills down with a metal file or chisel, then microwave or bake the jelly until it hardened, crush it and snort or inject it just like the old Oxy.

It would take 45 minutes to set up one pill, she said. It became a pain in the ass.

When Novascone realized she could buy heroin already in powder form at a fraction of the cost of OxyContin, she switched without hesitation.

New research by the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School and the RAND Corporation has found OxyContin users like Novascone made the jump to heroin and thousands didnt survive.

Our results, imply that a substantial share of the dramatic increase in heroin deaths since 2010 can be attributed to the reformulation of OxyContin, the studys authors wrote.

As much as 80 percent of the three-fold increase in heroin mortality since 2010 can be attributed to OxyContins reformulation, the study concluded.

As dangerous as Oxy can be, it is at least regulated by federal government and produced uniformly by a pharmaceutical company. Heroin, on the other hand, is is increasingly cut with fentanyl, an opioid as much as 80 times stronger than morphine.

Using the studys estimate, that means the reformulation likely caused more than 7,500 additional heroin deaths.

In 2010, the year Purdue rolled out the new formula, there were 3,038 heroin deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2013, the death toll jumped to 8,260. Since then heroin deaths have continued to climb, hitting a record high of 12,989 in 2015, the latest year for which there is data.

The reformulation totally screwed up our game, said Kevin Joyce, 53, who started out using OxyContin before 2010. We eventually moved to heroin and our addictions got worse.

In the past two years 7 of my friends have died, Joyce said.

Purdue Pharma responded to the study in a statement to The Daily Beast.

The White House, FDA, and DEA consider abuse-deterrent technology to be an important part of a comprehensive approach toward combating prescription drug abuse, Purdue said, adding drug treatment and prevention should be part of that approach.

Despite previous studies that link OxyContins reformulation to increased heroin use, the CDC maintains that there is no causal link between supply reductions in prescription painkillers and the rise in heroin deaths.

Its the second time in as many decades that Purdue Pharma tried to make its drug safer.

OxyContin was rolled out in 1996 and aggressively marketed by Purdue and pharmaceutical-giant Abbott Laboratories as a wonder drug for pain that only needed to be taken twice a day. Other painkillers like Vicodin would wear off after 4 to 6 hours, requiring several daily doses to relieve pain. Oxycontin, on the other hand, supposedly lasted 12 hours, requiring only two doses.

In advertisements for OxyContin, doctors paid by Purdue misrepresented the risk of the drugs addiction potential.

The rate of addiction amongst pain patients who are treated by doctors is much less than one percent, a doctor said in this video advertisement made by Purdue. Though the risk of addiction in the chronic pain population is debatable, the problem is OxyContin was over prescribed and massively diverted from the medical system.

A Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that Purdue knew their blockbuster drugs effects didnt last that long. So they told doctors to prescribe stronger and stronger doses, increasing the risk of overdose for thousands of patients. The extended-release formula that supposedly made OxyContin safe was a total sham.

The marketing scheme was brought to light in 2007 when Purdue pleaded guilty to misleading doctors and regulators. The company paid out $600 million in fines and to this day is still fending off lawsuits by states that see the Purdues marketing campaign responsible for killing hundreds of its residents.

The grim irony is OxyContin was supposed to be safer than other opioids but instead turned out to be deadly. So Purdue tried making it safer with a reformulated version and the outcome was even more deaths, according to Wharton and RAND.

They call these heroin deaths unintended consequences. If they had any understanding of opioid addiction they wouldve known that these consequences were inevitable, said Sam Snodgrass, a former opioid user who holds a PhD in biopsychology, and works at a buprenorphine clinic that treats patients with opioid use disorder in Arkansas.

I truly believe that if the CDC, FDA, HHS, and other organizations that put their time, effort, and money into restricting access to pain pills and reformulations, had instead put resources into education, harm reduction, and treatment, so many of the dead would be alive. And thats on them, said Snodgrass, who is also a board member of Grief Recovery After Substance Passing (GRASP), a resource for families who have lost a loved one to addiction. Snodgrasss work puts him on the frontlines of the epidemics tragic toll.

Leo Beletsky, an associate professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern School of Law, who also holds a post at University of California San Diego, said that the story behind Purdues abuse-deterrent formulation is more sinister than it appears.

A lot of the motivation behind the reformulation was arguably not about public health, said Beletsky. It was driven by the dynamics of one of Purdues patents expiring.

In 2013, the exact day Purdues patent on OxyContin expired, the FDA made the decision that it would not approve any generic versions of OxyContins old formula because it was too dangerous.

That was after OxyContins sales increased from $45 million in 1996 to more than $3 billion in 2010.

The FDAs decision was another win for Purdue, as the company was able to retain its share of the painkiller market without cheap, generic competitorsa practice in the pharmaceutical industry called evergreening.

It was a brilliant strategy by Purdue, said Beletesky. But devastating from a public health standpoint.

Beletesky sees policies that make painkillers more difficult to access too limited in scope. Im not arguing that the misuse of a medication should continue unabated, he said. As with any intervention, you need to be mindful to do more good than harm and balance various considerations.

That didnt happen with OxyContins reformulation, said Beletsky.

One of the studys co-authors, David Powell, an economist at RAND, told The Daily Beast that instead of only focusing on the supply side of the equation, perhaps policy that emphasizes demand-side interventions like harm reduction might be more effective.

Most drug policy tends to be supply side, said Powell. But he noted that the heavily lobbied 21st Century Cures Act earmarked $1 billion to treat opioid addiction. This could mean the United States is moving away from strictly supply side interventions, said Powell.

For Snodgrass, who treats opioid addiction with medication, harm reduction policies and interventions include expanding access to naloxone, the lifesaving antidote for opioid overdoses, as well as providing medication-assisted treatment like methadone and buprenorphine on-demand.

Novascone kicked her heroin habit in September 2015, when she entered a methadone-maintenance program.

My daughter turned 2 and I just had to take care of her, Novascone said. Im so thankful for methadone. It doesnt make me feel high or anythingI cant even tell Im on it.

Without a robust strategy in place to treat the addiction that demands opioids, Snodgrass thinks the problem will worsen. I know they believe that if they slam down on pain pills theyll solve this opioid epidemic, he said. But if they take away hydrocodone, well goto oxycodone. If they take away OxyContin, well go to heroin. They slam down heroin, and well go to fentanyl.

They need to give us a way out, he said.
On the morning of February 18, 2015, Sasha Grey learned she had died.

This seemingly fragile, yet strong young woman, has saved wounded fighters at the front. She was said to have nursed even the most hopeless cases back to health. But she herself did not return from the front, read her obituary.

It was, by most accounts, a gruesome end. A petite Russian nurse, she had ventured straight into the heart of the battle between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists. While tending to her wounded comrades, she was snatched up by the Ukrainians and taken to a bivouac, where she was beaten, raped, and decapitated with an ax.

The tragic tale spread like wildfire across VK (VKontakte), Russias answer to Facebook boasting close to 400 million users. She was hailed as a martyra symbol of Russian courage in the face of Ukrainian terror.

Only Sasha Grey, the extreme porn star turned Hollywood actress, is very much alive. I was Russian fake news, she tells me, laughing hystericallyor as Karl Marx once said, History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

Were seated across from one another at a coffee shop in Los Angeles, where shes recounting the unfortunate series of events that led to her image being used in Russian propagandaa harbinger of a presidential election awash in fake news and, if our intelligence agencies are to be believed, a Kremlin-backed hacking and disinformation campaign with the intent of propelling the Russia-friendly Donald Trump into office over rival Hillary Clinton.

What apparently happened was users of the image board 2ch.hkan offshoot of 2ch.ru, or Russias version of 4chanlaunched a gullibility campaign to test whether or not Russians would fall for bogus stories of pro-Russian fallen heroes of the War in Donbas. In addition to Grey, who was given the name Sasha Serova (which roughly translates to grey in Russian), the online trolls also floated a picture of Josef Mengele, the sadistic Auschwitz concentration camp physician, granting him the identity of Yegor Mangelov, a field surgeon killed by Ukranian troops.

Grey unleashed the following response:

Its strange! she says of the viral obit. Its really strange. But its not something you can control.

Though shes achieved fame stateside, starring in hundreds of adult films, Hollywood features like The Girlfriend Experience, and a 6-episode arc on the HBO series Entourage, Grey is most famous in Russia, where she holds near-icon status. Shes never met Vladimir Putin, but the 28-year-old has paid many visits to Russia over the years, always greeted warmly by her army of fans.

Its imagery, she says of her Russian popularity, alluding to her name and look. Social media is a huge influencer. One of the last times I was there, one of the people said, You know, when you first became famous here you were this hipster girl, and now its changed. That American Apparel thing is why it all started, is what I was told.Shes evolved from that hipster girl into a symbol of sexual rebellion whose raison d'etre stands in stark contrast to the conservative Putin regime.I was there for the movie Open Windows, and the producer told me I was named one of the 13 Friends of the Junta, and they were all these people that were supposed to be anti-Christ and against the government, she says. Im always told these things, but I never see them. Its all bullshit propaganda. A few visits before that I was told that there were Christian protesters out there protesting against me, and Im like, um, no theres not? Im here!

The Sasha Grey mythmaking began early on. Born Marina Ann Hantzis, the Sacramento native dove into the porn industry headfirst in 2006, making her debut at the age of 18 in an orgy sequence opposite the notoriously rough Rocco Siffredi. During the scene, Grey yelled at Siffredi to punch her in the stomach, thus establishing herself as the most boundary-pushing woman in porn.

I asked him to do itbut he didnt do it, she says of the sex-punch. It was dirty talk, you know? If anyone whos into dirty talk hears this it makes sense, because its not literal. But at the same time, if I wanted that, whos to say theres anything wrong with it?

As a tiny, flat-chested brunette, Grey stood out physically among her busty, bottle blonde peersand intellectually as well. She played music, quoted Wilde, and worshipped at the altar of Godard; she was the sole avant-garde porn goddess.

During that time of my life, I was strongest when I was on set and I was working, recalls Grey. That was where all my personal power existed in life. I would always tell the directors what I wanted and didnt want. So no one tried to fuck with me.

Though she exuded confidence onscreen, Grey was a mess off it, trapped in a violent and abusive relationship with then-boyfriend Ian Cinnamon. She broke off the relationship in 2011, the same year she publicly announced her retirement from porn (though she hadnt performed a scene since 2009), and securing a restraining order in 2014 after receiving a series of threats from her ex, including photos of him brandishing handguns.

There was a restraining order. Things always get taken out of context, and I dont really want to go into it too much, but it was a very bad relationship. I made a lot of excuses and finally got my shit together, she shares.

I just took too long to leave. You know when youre in a situation and you know you need to leave it but you dont have the confidence to do it? adds Grey. And it was really hard because on the outside Im super confidentcreatively-speakingand if Im working with someone professionally Ill give it my all, and on the other hand, I had this thing that I had to find a way to get rid of. And I was scared, because I didnt know how.

Grey quit shooting porn in 2009, the same year she starred as the high-class escort Chelsea in Steven Soderberghs The Girlfriend Experience.

I didnt want it to be a big dealbecause it wasnt a big deal, she says matter-of-factly. But it was scary when I decided to, even though it had been two years since Id done it. I was leaving my bread-and-butter, and something I was comfortable with and good at, and didnt know if I would succeed. But I had to take the risk.

In addition to her work in porn, Hollywood films, music, and photography, Grey is the author of soon-to-be three books in her series The Juliette Societyfollowing a womans kinky journey into the BDSM underworld. Shes already been commissioned to adapt the series into a screenplay, which shes completed.

The first novel in the series, released in mid-2013, contains a prophetic passage about Greys characters absolute worst nightmare: having sex with Donald Trump in his private jet whilst flying over St. Tropez.

Now, of course, he is President-elect Trump.

It really is surreal, she says of the election result. Its scary. The most disappointing thing, for me, is that as a societyas a countryweve all become intellectually lazy. Thats why this is happening. People are not looking into things they post and share, especially on social media, so theyre spreading ignorance and false truths, are blind to the reality of whats going on, and then voting for false promises. People can then argue, Oh, thats the way its always been, but no. This is very different. People were blind to the most obvious thing: hes not making a country for you, hes making a country for himself. And now hes appointed a cabinet thats entirely the 1 percent. She chuckles. Im laughing because Im really fucking nervous.

Youre certainly not his type, I say in jest. Oh, I can tell you that for sure, she fires back. Im too strong for him.

These days, in addition finishing her trilogy of books, trying to direct, and recording more music, Grey is developing a television series that she describes as an art series that appeals more to young peoplethats not so highbrow, pretentious, and makes you want to yawn. The first episode was inspired by the scene in Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo where the camera tracks Kim Novak around the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, and each episode will consist of Grey navigating a museum or work of art, as her inner thoughts play in voiceover. She thinks the show would work best on Netflix or Amazon because its dreamlike and soothing.

I knew I was setting myself up to be an outcast, she says, reflecting on her professional path. And in the end, it ended up doing a lot of good for me.
The St. Louis Art Museum has an unexpected political controversy on its hands. The museums decision to lend one of its most famous paintings, Missouri artist George Caleb Binghams The Verdict of the People (1854-55), for use at Donald Trumps inaugural luncheon on Jan. 20 has raised widespread protest. A petition to cancel the loan has gathered over 2,000 signatures.

The loan request was initiated by Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. The petition against the loan is being led by Ilene Berman, a studio art fellow at St. Louis University, and art historian Ivy Cooper, who teaches at Southern Illinois University.

We reject the use of the painting to suggest that Donald Trumps election was truly the verdict of the people, the petition states. St. Louis Art Museum director Brent Benjamin has countered the petition by declaring, The museum takes no position on candidates for public office.

In the midst of this latest art war, neither side is talking in detail about the painting itself, which, with its 46-by-65-inch size and rendering of an Election-Day crowd, invites scrutiny. Thats too bad. The painting is the culmination of the three-part Election Series paintings that Bingham completed between 1852 and 1855 and is a nuanced depiction of the American political process.

I intend it to be a representation of the scene that takes place at the close of an exciting political contest, just when the final result of the ballot is proclaimed from the stand of the judges, Bingham wrote of The Verdict of the People. The painting lives up to Binghams intentions, but it does so by offering mixed messages.

The men who dominate the painting have accepted the elections results. They show no signs of turning violent, but they are far from the embodiment of democracy at its best. They are democracy as a hectic undertaking in which those who take politics seriously are inseparable from those who view politics as a spectacle.

The painting was begun just as the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act of Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois became law. The act had the consequence of making the question of slavery in the territories one for voters in the territories to decide rather than keeping slavery split along the North-South lines that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 had established.

Bingham was no political naif. In 1848 he served as a Whig in the Missouri state legislature. Later, as a result of his opposition to slavery, he became a Republican, and during the Civil War he served as state treasurer in the provisional government of Missouri from 1862 to 1865. Bingham saw the Kansas-Nebraska Act as a terrible burden for the country. The deed is done, and a storm is now brewing, he wrote at the time the act passed Congress.

In The Verdict of the People, the forces that would bring about the Civil War are very present. In the lower left of the painting, an African-American laborer, a bandanna wrapped around his head, pushes a wheelbarrow. He moves away from, rather than toward, the election crowd. He is clearly a political nonparticipant rather than a welcome participant.

He is not the only outsider to the political process. In the upper right-hand corner of the painting on the balcony of a building overlooking the street, a group of women stand by themselves with a temperance banner. At this time the temperance movement, as Nancy Rash has pointed out in her study, The Painting and Politics of George Caleb Bingham, was identified with the anti-slavery cause, and so we have on a diagonal line from each other representatives of the two largest groups in antebellum America denied the vote.

But Bingham not only makes his doubts about the inclusiveness of American democracy visible in The Verdict of the People. He lets us see his anxiety over the way politics are carried out by those who have the right to vote.

In the center of the painting, outlined against the sky, the American flag flies. But the flag does not dominate the scene despite its prominence. In the foreground of the painting sits a drunken man, unable to get to his feet, his head bent down. He and the flag are on the same visual axis.

Behind the seated drunk, a knot of men appear to be talking seriously with each other, but these men are bracketed by celebrants who, judging by their red faces, have, in all too many cases, been drinking heavily. A man with several hats on his head sticks out from the rest of the crowd. The best guess is that he has won the hats betting on the election and is showing off his spoils. But no matter what the explanation for him is, we are far from the quiet, thoughtful citizenry Bingham depicted in his earlier election painting, Stump Speaking.

For those celebrating the 2016 election, as well as those protesting it, The Verdict of the People leaves much to worry about, even though it shows a peaceful election. For Bingham, the years before the Civil War were not a time to sentimentalize over. They were, like the present moment, a time for reflection.

Nicolaus Mills chairs the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College. He is author of American and English Fiction in the Nineteenth Century.
Kate Middleton made her first public appearance along with her husband Prince William on Wednesday, and the British media were quite breathless in their reporting of the event.

Kate and Will, it was reported, had gone back to their work of public engagements much earlier in the year than is usual for the royals, and this was a sign of their newfound commitment to their roles as full time royals, a sign of the increased support they would be offering the queen after her bout of ill-health at Christmas focused minds on the issue.

While its quite true that Kate and Will do seem to have decided to forego their annual January jaunt with the Middletons to Mustique this year (although this might have more to do with Georges playschool schedule that any puritanical restraint) the idea that going back to work on Jan. 11 constitutes really putting your back into it is laughable. The fact they did not make a public appearance until Feb. 7 last year doesnt change that fact.

This is not to say they didnt do a fine job at the HQ of Child Bereavement U.K., a charity of which William is a patron that helps kids deal with the loss of a loved one. The little girl with whom William shared the story of losing his own mother will no doubt remember yesterday for the rest of her life. And while some outlets sneered at Kate, given her circumstances, for telling a young mother parenting is tough, her words were actually informed with a sense of humility; not even Kate Middleton finds rearing children easy, and she is unafraid to say so.

Kate and William dont exactly work their crowdsthey just connect with them on a very quotidian, almost effortless level. Kates middle class approachability combined with Williams excellent upper class manners are a pretty effective combo.

So, good for them.

The problem is definitely not the quality of their public-facing work, but the quantity of it.

No matter how furiously the palace briefs that the young royals are tirelessly at work behind the scenes, the facts as available to the public are irrefutableKate and Will did a day of public events just before Christmas, skipped the duty of Christmas at Sandringham in favor of chilling out with the Middletons, and then, bar two quick trips to church on New Years Day and Jan. 8, have been living the quietest of good lives, tucked away at their 10-bedroom manor house on the Sandringham estate, with a little shooting to break up the wintery days.

Nice work, if you can get it. But with nothing else in the official diary for the foreseeable future, its more than reasonable to ask how exactly this fits with the narrative that Will and Kate are going to up their work rate to support the queen.

Its rather bizarre, anyway, to talk of these fit young thirtysomethings supporting their 90-year-old grandmother. They should be doing the heavy lifting, but William attended just 188 engagements last year, while Kate attended 140.

According to the court circulars, the queen did more than both William and Kate put together, attending 332 events last year, with Prince Philip, a spry 95, going to 219.

Charleswho is pushing 70notched up to 530 engagements, even his wife Camilla attended 221.

The Cambridges argument is that they are raising their children, that the kids will be gone in a flash, and the rest of their lives will be devoted to public service. And certainly, just because the queen was unlucky enough to take on the top job at 25, and has rarely had a day to herself since, doesnt mean responsibility should be thrust on young royals at an inappropriately early age.

But Kate and William are both 35 this year, and, frankly, its time to get on with doing the job he was born for and she married into.

Some may think that Kates 140 public engagements sounds like an impressive tally. But its important to remember that often two or three events are scheduled to take place on the same day.

In fact, Kate only made public appearances on 26 actual days in the U.K. or Europe, plus two week-long foreign tours to India and Canada in which the couple packed in dozens of engagements.

The day count reveals, even more than the official engagement count, the woefully low rate of engagement with their hometown public that Kate and William consider acceptable.

Twenty-six daysand very few of them full days, of course, isnt good enough.

And if making an appearance on Jan. 9 is seen as something to be proud of, the young royals need to rethink their public relations strategy as a matter of urgency.
You will not be surprised to hear that M. Night Shyamalans latest thriller, Split, concludes with a twist. What will likely stunand hopefully exciteyou, however, is the fact that the films shocker is a triumph that heralds the culmination of the writer/directors comeback from nearly a decade spent traversing the wilds of studio-for-hire anonymity. For the first time since 1999s The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan has managed to deliver a last-second whopper thats as unexpected as it is satisfying. Rousingly redefining everything thats come before it, Splits finale reestablishes Shyamalans reputation as the king of out-of-left-field bombshells.

It would be disgraceful to even hint at the nature of that revelation, so unanticipated is its appearance. Yet its also impossible to properly assess Split without at least referring to it in general terms, as well as in the context of his career.

Largely on the basis of The Sixth Sense, the now-46-year-old filmmaker was once dubbed The Next Spielberg by Newsweek, and that hypeand the pressure to live up to itdrove Shyamalan, consciously or unconsciously, to repeatedly try to top his breakthroughs legendary I See Dead People denouement, to ever-diminishing returns. By the time The Village debuted in 2004, audiences had caught on to the directors bait-and-switch tacticsand grown weary of them. Following the twin disasters The Lady in the Water (in which Shyamalan posits himself as an artist-savior) and The Happening (a bit of unintentionally hilarious eco-horror), hed come to seem like a guy weighed down by his own trademark style.

For anyone who appreciated his gifts for slow-burn storytelling and eerily methodical, chilly visuals (there remain few filmmakers as skilled at menacing cinematographic composition), Shyamalans fall from Hollywood grace was nothing to celebrate. No matter the brief flashes of aesthetic splendor in 2010s childrens fantasy The Last Airbender or 2013s much-maligned Will and Jaden Smith sci-fi adventure After Earth, there was something deeply depressing about witnessing a former prodigy, one who had the honest-to-goodness directorial goods, toiling away on impersonal big-budget projects that demanded, and thus received, none of his idiosyncratic flourishes. It was the rare instance of an auteur being stripped of his very auteur-nessand it appeared, at the time, to signal the end of the road for the so-called heir to the Spielbergian throne.

But then, a startling thing happened: Shyamalan reemerged in 2015 with The Visit, a low-budget found-footage horror work (made with Paranormal Activitys Blumhouse Productions) that, while boasting few of his visual signatures, cooked up some tasty mounting-dread suspense. Moreover, the film ended with an effective twist that came across as the natural culmination of all the bizarreness that had preceded it. It was a modest hit (earning a sturdy $65 million at the domestic box-office), in large part because it showed that, given some creative room to breathe, Shyamalan was still more than capable of expertly working over an audiences nerves.

Split is a considerable leap forward from The Visit, a genuine return to form that finds the director wholeheartedly crafting the type of distinctive genre effort that initially defined him. Full of creeping-death pans down long corridors, and gorgeous panoramas in which figures are dwarfed by their environmentsor key elements are shunted to the forefront/background corners of the framethe film looks and feels like a Shyamalan movie. And it plays like one too, beginning in bizarre mystery and slowly unraveling to reveal, like The Sixth Sense, a world where trauma is capable of giving birth to otherworldly forces.

In the parking lot after a birthday party, Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and her friends Marcia (Jessica Sula) and Casey (The Witchs Anya Taylor-Joy)the latter a troubled loner only invited out of obligationare gassed and abducted by Kevin (James McAvoy). When they awaken, they realize theyre prisoners in a room with stone and drywall walls, a pristine-white bathroom, and a locked door that leads to a workroom and, alas, another locked door. Even more disturbing, though, is their captoror should I say, captors, since Kevin, it turns out, is a severely unhinged man with 23 multiple personalities of varying ages, genders, and attitudes.

Through the girls interaction with Kevin, as well as via Kevins therapy sessions with his psychiatrist Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), we come to learn that theres been a virtual coup in Kevins mind, and that hes now become controlled by three of his numerous personalities: burly OCD-afflicted Dennis, cunning female Patricia, and innocent 9-year-old boy Hedwig. Oh yes, and this trio has chosen to kidnap Casey, Claire, and Marcia because theyre pure, and thus the ideal sacred food for The Beast, a forthcoming, monstrous 24th identity they believe will usher in a glorious new evolutionary age.

Split thus soon resembles a modern-day werewolf story, albeit one in which McAvoyin a phenomenal scene-chewing performance that has him vacillating between masculine/feminine guises at the drop of a hatis also akin to a steroidal Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (or Norman Bates). Still, with every winding development [minor spoilers follow], Shyamalan makes this material his own, including by casting his protagonistsMcAvoys Kevin, and Taylor-Joys Casey, the latter of whom is seen in flashbacks suffering at the hands of her uncle (Brad William Henke)as individuals similarly scarred by abuse. In their dynamic, Shyamalan crafts a portrait of the way violent mistreatment both damages and strengthens people. And as with The Sixth Sense and Signs, the director couches supernatural phenomena as a natural outgrowth of extreme, painful human experience.

The result is something like a sinister-revisionist take on multiple classic-horror staples filtered through Shyamalans fertile artistic mind. Manipulating our perspective and toying with our expectations to precise effect, Split takes thriller cinemas fractured-psyche cliches and amplifies them to borderline-delirious effect, in the process twisting, turning and ultimately transforming itself into something at once familiar and novel. Its bracing proof that the director hasnt lost his knack for canny, incisive surprises. And, in its not-to-be-discussed-here closing moments, which drew audible gasps at a press screening I attended (including from yours truly), its also confirmation that some of Shyamalans old habits are so reliable, they need not be broken.
Two days ago, Lowell Observatory temporarily closed its 13-inch Lawrence Lowell Telescope, better known as the Pluto Discovery Telescope. The instrument and its domed housing are set to undergo a year-long renovation that will help ensure the long-term preservation of the facility.

In honor of this undertaking, here is a Top Nine List of facts about the Pluto Telescope and dome:

1) While the telescope is most remembered as the instrument Clyde Tombaugh used to discover Pluto, it was also used by astronomers to study planets and asteroids, search for small natural satellites of Earth and the moon, and carry out a massive survey of stellar positions. This so-called proper motion survey, led by Henry Giclas and relying on the expertise of observers such as Norm Thomas and Robert Burnham, spanned more than four decades.

2) Construction of the telescope and dome began in early 1928. Clyde Tombaugh was hired at Lowell on January 15, 1929 and began using the telescope to search for a new planet on April 6, 1929. Less than a year later, at the age of 24, Tombaugh discovered Pluto.

3) Lucky 13  The lens consists of a triad of three stacked slabs of glass, each with a diameter of 13 inches (thus, a 13-inch telescope). The telescope is mounted on the second level of the dome, reached by climbing 13 stairs. Lowell Observatory announced the discovery of Pluto in 1930, on the 13th day of March. This date coincided with what would have been Percival Lowells 75th birthday, had he lived that long. He was born on March 13, 1855. Also, William Herschel discovered Uranus on March 13, 1781.

4) The cost to build the telescope and dome totaled $10,000. The cost to renovate the entire facility in 2017 will come to about $150,000.

5) The instrument is technically an astrograph, a type of telescope designed for capturing photographs of the sky. It is essentially a camera, and a frame for holding photographic glass plates sits in place of an eyepiece.

7) Robert Lundin of the Alvan Clark and Sons telescope-making firm of Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, figured the telescopes objective lens (figuring refers to the process of polishing an optical surface until it reaches the appropriate shape for creating a clear image). Thirty-five years prior to that, Lundins father, Carl, had figured the lens of Lowell Observatorys now-iconic 24-inch Clark Telescope.

8) Instrument maker/handyman Stanley Sykes designed the dome based on his brother Godfreys 1894 design of the 24-inch Clark Telescope dome. The plan included incorporating a slightly tapered roof rather than a rounded one typical of other telescope domes. Sykes chose this design because it could be built using local materials and at a reasonable cost.

9) In 1970, the telescope was moved to Anderson Mesa and used there for two decades. During that time, Lowell scientists installed a 24-inch reflecting telescope in the old 13-inch dome. In the early 1990s, the 13-inch telescope was brought back to Mars Hill and reinstalled in its original dome so visitors could see firsthand the telescope used to discover Pluto.
SPECIAL REPORT: Cork closures

Removing a cork from a bottle of malt whisky only takes a moment, though its journey to the bottle is a long one, and the age of the tree that supplied the cork generally exceeds that of the malt whisky it seals.

The cork tree is indigenous to the Mediterranean, with the greatest concentration of cork tree forests in southern Portugal.

Hugo Mesquita, sales and marketing director, Top Series Division, Amorim says: The roots of the tree go deep into the ground to gain water, and the leaves are a very good sunshade. This is exceptionally important, enabling the trees to cope with very hot summers."

Apart from some pruning, cork trees dont require much maintenance.

But they do require patience, as a Portuguese saying reveals: if you want to make a business for your grandchildren, plant cork trees. This is because it usually takes around 25 years before the bark from a cork tree can be harvested for the first time. However, this first harvest, known as virgin cork, is too rigid to use for cork stoppers and instead provides flooring or sound insulation.

It takes the tree nine years to regenerate another layer of bark which can be harvested, with this second harvest also used as flooring or sound insulation.

Only cork from the third harvest (another nine years later) has the degree of flexibility required to produce stoppers. This means waiting an average of 43 years after planting the trees. At least the average life-cycle of a tree is 220-250 years, enabling around 15-17 harvests that can be used to make stoppers, which is the most lucrative use of cork.

The harvest takes place between May-August when its easier to peel off the bark, as the level of sap present between the cork bark and the underlying surface of the tree trunk is higher during this period. However, its a very delicate, highly skilled and entirely manual operation (attempts to develop an automated process have not been successful).

Mesquita adds: Harvesters use a particular type of axe to carefully peel off the bark without damaging the tree, otherwise successive harvests will be compromised or even prevented. Only about half of the trees bark is peeled off during each harvest, which may cause temporary stress to the tree but also makes the bark grow back more vigorously.

Following the harvest, planks of bark are carefully stacked in the open in order to air dry the sap within the bark, which takes six to nine months.

The cork planks are then boiled in water which increases the thickness of the cork, while also removing any foreign objects (eg. dust, insects) embedded in the rugged surface. Natural spring water is used, not tap water, because tap water contains chlorine which reacts with naturally occurring micro-organisms (present for example in the soil) to promote a mould containing TCA (technically 2, 4, 6-Trichloroanisole). This mould emits a pungent, musty odour referred to as corked. Even a very low concentration of this odour (measured in parts per trillion) can be so dominant that it could suppress the aromas of a malt whisky. Moreover, the human nose is particularly sensitive to this type of odour, rendering the contents of the bottle undrinkable.

A subsequent safeguard is steam cleaning the cork to remove any residual micro-organisms with TCA potential, as above 60 degrees centigrade they become volatile (ie. vaporise) and the vapours are hoovered up by extraction units. Additionally, batches of corks are analysed during the production process, to check for signs of TCA and micro-organisms with TCA potential.

Finally, cork planks are cut into strips from which individual cork stoppers are punched out, either manually or mechanically. A head (with the logo or branding of the malt whisky) is then attached to the cork.

Corks arrive at bottling halls in Scotland within sealed, air-tight bags to maintain hygiene. Corks can be applied to bottles as part of an automated process, within an enclosed bottling line. Alternatively, a manual process requires precautions such as handling the corks in gloved hands, with corks spending the minimum amount of time outside an air-tight bag.

Cell structure

Cork possesses a natural flexibility as it comprises millions of minute cells that each contain air, which is actually trapped within each cell. This means that after a cork is compressed into a bottle neck (the cork being slightly larger than the opening), the air within each cell attempts to expand and regain its original dimensions, forming an air-tight seal.

Beyond these technicalities, theres also the question of what customers expect.

Antony Wills, managing director, Kilchoman, says: With a prestigious product like single malt consumers have come to expect cork stoppers. Popping a cork and being able to replace it is an essential part of the experience, and we certainly wouldnt want to disappoint anyone. With all the safeguards in place when cork stoppers are produced, and also on the bottling line, Im not concerned about the possibility of TCA and the malt whisky becoming corked.

14 January 2017 - Ian Wisniewski The Drinks Report, editorial assistant
LEBANON, Va.  After carting the fifth and final wheelbarrow of pennies into the Lebanon Department of Motor Vehicles Wednesday, Nick Stafford could feel the burn in his arms.

Winded, Stafford took a smoke break in the DMVs parking lot.

Im not used to lifting, Stafford said. These are heavy.

Heavy, indeed. The 300,000 pennies the Cedar Bluff, Virginia man took to the DMV Wednesday morning to pay sales tax on two new cars weighed in at 1,600 pounds. A mature Holstein cow weighs about 1,500 pounds.

See, Stafford had a bone to pick with the DMV. It wasnt about agonizingly long lines or a bad picture on his drivers license: It came down to 10 phone numbers.

And Stafford ended up filing three lawsuits and spending at least $1,005 to give the DMV his 2 cents.

Staffords version of the story goes like this: Back in September, he wanted to know which of his four houses spanning two Virginia counties he should list when licensing his sons new Corvette. He attempted to call the Lebanon DMV, but was routed to a call center in Richmond.

He then submitted a FOIA request  a submission under the Freedom of Information Act that citizens, journalists and others can use to obtain public government information  to get a direct number to the Lebanon DMV, which he was provided. Some information is exempted from FOIA: documents about trade secrets and national defense, for example.

When Stafford called the number he was given, he said the employees at the DMV told him the phone line wasnt meant for public use. However, Stafford said after repeated phone calls, the DMV eventually answered his licensing question.

Stafford then decided he wanted the direct phone lines to nine other local DMVs: Abingdon, Clintwood, Gate City, Jonesville, Marion, Norton, Tazewell, Vansant and Wytheville. He said the Lebanon DMV employees wouldnt provide those numbers.

So, Stafford went to court to get them.

If they were going to inconvenience me then I was going to inconvenience them, he said.

Stafford filed three lawsuits in Russell County General District Court: two against specific employees at the Lebanon DMV and one against the DMV itself.

On Tuesday, a judge dismissed the lawsuits at the request of the state when a representative of the states attorney general handed Stafford a list of the requested phone numbers in the courtroom. The court also did not impose penalties on the DMV and its employees, which could have been between $500 and $2,000 per lawsuit if the employees had willfully and knowingly violated public records law.

The phone numbers are irrelevant to me, Stafford said. I don't need them. I told the judge I think I proved my point here.

I think the backbone to our republic and our democracy is open government and transparency in government and it shocks me that a lot of people don't know the power of FOIA, Stafford said.

Brandy Brubaker, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, said the DMV is happy with the outcome.

We are pleased that the court agreed with our counsel that the argument was not a sufficient request to invoke the FOIA statutory penalties, Brubaker said. We make every effort to share information with citizens as state and federal law allows.

Brubaker said the department fulfills thousands of FOIA requests each year and encourages anyone interested to make requests at FOIA@dmv.viriginia.gov.

Still, Stafford had one final act planned. After collecting the hundreds of rolls of pennies he needed, he hired 11 people to help him break open the paper rolls with hammers Tuesday night. It took four hours and he paid each person $10 per hour, costing him $440.

Stafford also purchased five wheelbarrows to deliver the pennies. The wheelbarrows cost $400, and he wasnt going to dump the coins on the DMVs floor, so he left the wheelbarrows there, bringing his expenses to $840.

He also paid $165 for the three lawsuits, which means he spent $1,005 to get 10 phone numbers and the satisfaction of delivering 300,000 pennies. Not to mention the nearly $3,000 he paid the DMV for the cars.

One might feel bad for the Lebanon DMV employees, who chose to count the coins by hand. But Stafford is within his legal right. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, "United States coins and currency are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes and dues under the Coinage Act of 1965.

However, private businesses, individuals or organizations do not have to accept coins as payment.

And Staffords penny plot wasnt the first local attempt to pay a bill by coin. In 2009, Bristol, Virginia resident John Almany paid his $350 Bristol Virginia Utilities electric bill with pennies. But, Almanys 29,000 Abe Lincolns came in at 170 pounds  pocket change compared to Staffords payment.

On Wednesday, Stafford brought five of the employees from his vinyl business, Craft Vinyl, to help him unload the coins. During the process, one employee wondered how it was going inside the DMV.

Are they mad? she asked.

Oh no, Stafford said. Theyre really nice in there.

As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, workers at the DMV were still counting coins and Stafford said they expected to finish around 1 a.m. Stafford said he would remain at the DMV until the counting was complete.

Flanking the entrance to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Lebanon are the two images of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia. One of the images depicts three Roman goddesses, Libertas, Aeternitas and Ceres, with a word above the women: Perseverando.

Its Latin for persevering.

Stafford certainly persevered  one penny at a time.
Christ Lutheran Church, 4325 Sumner St., will host its 10th annual Chili Cook-off to benefit the Trinity/HOPE Feeding Program in Haiti from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 in the church's West Ministry Center.

Each year 100% of the event's proceeds go to feed the children at Chincheron, Haiti.

The church will serve varieties of chili including vegetarian and gluten-free along with chicken noodle soup.

Over the past 10 years more than 600,000 meals have been provided for the children and teachers at Chincheron School.

A free-will offering is welcome.
Victoria Chang has an uncanny capacity to contain, in the compact machine of a well-honed poem, so much emotion and meaning. She explores such
It is sort of peculiar but true that the sky did not plummet to the ground last Saturday when the Huskers failed to land a commit on a day when some thought they would get at least one, if not two or three.

It remained in place, and another Saturday showed herself. Only this time it came with a different script. Nebraska landed a big one, earning a commitment from four-star slot receiver Tyjon Lindsey.

"God will ensure my success in accordance with his plan not mine," Lindsey tweeted early Saturday afternoon in announcing his pledge to the Huskers.

Lindsey is ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver in the country by the 247Sports composite, and the No. 38 player overall.

The 5-foot-9, 161-pound Lindsey comes from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, and originally picked Ohio State over the Huskers but then decommitted from the Buckeyes last week.

His close relationship with NU wide receivers coach Keith Williams always loomed large in the Huskers having a shot.

Lindsey could not immediately be reached by the Journal Star but in a detailed explanation of his decision to Scout.com's Greg Biggins, described it as stressful and one of the toughest of his life.

"It really came down to where I felt I would be most comfortable, where I would develop the best and what school would prepare me the best for my ultimate goal, which is to play in the NFL," Lindsey told Scout.

NU now has 16 known commitments in the class, and three of them are wide receivers. Keyshawn Johnson Jr. and Jaevon McQuitty are already enrolled on campus.

Given that NU had only five scholarship receivers on the roster before the additions in this recruiting class, the thought is that the Huskers need at least four or possibly five receivers to sign.

So Lindsey's decision was significant in several ways.

Lindsey had chosen Ohio State over the Huskers on Aug. 22, though he made it clear it was tough to say no to Williams. At the time, the receiver noted "it was going to take a miracle" to pull him away from the Buckeyes.

Something changed.

Lindsey did not play much football his senior year at Bishop Gorman due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, though it's not believed the Buckeyes backed off the receiver at all because of that setback, according to someone who covers the Ohio State program closely.

Before the injury, Lindsey caught 34 passes for 884 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore and 45 passes for 1,117 yards and 14 TDs as a junior. He also had four punt returns for touchdowns.

He showed up at a star-packed Friday Nights Lights camp in Lincoln in June and proved to have that extra burst most don't have.

"He's elusive, shifty, strong, breaks tackles, makes people miss, has moves on top of moves to get himself free and has the juice to go the distance," 247Sports recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong wrote in a full breakdown of Lindsey's game. "Looking at how often Lindsey finds the end zone, he's an obvious big play waiting to happen."

Oh, yeah, he's also the cousin of Brendan "Bookie" Radley-Hiles, the talented defensive back from Calabasas, California, who is part of the 2018 class and strongly considering the Huskers.

At the very least, Lindsey provides a big jolt to Nebraska's standing in the current recruiting rankings. In the 247Sports composite rankings, NU jumped nine spots to No. 23 due to Lindsey's addition to the class.

That bit of information sort of lines up with one of the reasons Lindsey said he was drawn to Nebraska.

"At Ohio State, I would have been just another nice player," Lindsey told Scout. "But at Nebraska, I think I can be the guy right away and really showcase my talent better."
RACINE  Students ages 14 and older (or who will be by June 15) are welcome to volunteer in a number of areas this summer at Ascension All Saints Hospital, 3801 Spring St. and 1320 Wisconsin Ave.; Ascension Medical Group sites; Little Saints Child Care Center, and Lakeshore Manor, 1320 Wisconsin Ave.

While we are currently kicking off the application process for students who would like to volunteer during the summer months, we have a large number of students who volunteer during the school year, too, said Cindy Clemens, Volunteer Services director. The summer program can lead into school year volunteering if a student is interested in staying on after the summer program concludes.

We anticipate being able to place at least 80 students this summer, Clemens said. Students who volunteered successfully last year will be invited back and do not need to attend an information meeting this spring, but attendance at an information meeting or through an alternate arrangement as described below is required for new students who wish to join the program this summer. Because demand for summer placement is high and, to be fair to all concerned, we will not be able to make any exceptions after-the-fact if a student misses an information meeting.

Summer Volunteen information meetings will be held:

9-10 a.m. Saturday, March 4

6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 7

6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, March 13

All meetings will be held at the Benstead Auditorium,1320 Wisconsin Ave. Attendees are asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start time for registration. The meeting will address the volunteer intake process and volunteer opportunities available throughout the Ascension-All Saints organization this summer. Application materials will be distributed and a parent/guardian is welcome and encouraged to attend. It is requested that only one adult attend with the student, however, due to space constraints.

To register for one of the information meetings, call 262-687-8070 or email carole.albertini@ascension.org by Feb. 24. The students name, home address including ZIP code and phone number will be requested with the reservation. If leaving a voicemail reservation; students are asked to speak clearly and slowly when giving contact information. A reservation confirmation card will be sent to students homes prior to the meeting and should be brought to the meeting as proof of pre-registration.

Interested students that cannot make one of the scheduled information meetings may make alternate arrangements prior to Feb. 24 by contacting Volunteer Coordinator Sandy Wahl at 262-687-4292 or sandy.wahl@ascension.org.
Final 2022 election Iowa Poll to be released on Saturday

Iowa Poll to test Senate race with Chuck Grassley and Mike Franken, governor race with Kim Reynolds and Deidre DeJear, Congress and attorney general.
RACINE  Bogus cash traded for a drive-thru meal at a local McDonald's landed a Caledonia man in jail on fraud charges.

Robert Hess, 26, of the 2900 block of Lake Vista Court, was charged Friday in Racine County Circuit Court with uttering a forgery.

According to the criminal complaint:

Hess allegedly passed a $20 bill to the drive-thru clerk at about 3 p.m. Tuesday at the McDonald's restaurant on Highway 31 near Regency Mall. Responding officers reported that a restaurant worker was alerted after using a pen designed to detect counterfeit bills.

When the employee told Hess that the bill was counterfeit, he allegedly gave her another $20 bill from a stack of cash. When that bill proved to be counterfeit as well by using the same detection pen, Hess produced a legitimate bill from his wallet to pay for his food.

Police said Hess's vehicle was located with $350 in counterfeit cash inside.

Hess was booked into the Racine County Jail and his bond was set at $750. He remained in custody as of Friday, online records indicated.

Hess is now scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 18 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.

If convicted, Hess could face a maximum prison term of three years incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the biggest Civil Rights leader in the U.S. during the 1950 and 60s. Until his assassination in 1968, King led marches, delivered speeches and inspired the masses through peaceful protest.

To honor his legacy, King's birthday (January 15) has been designated a federal holiday; MLK Day is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year.
STAMFORD  City residents will take to the streets Monday to honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr., who would have turned 88 this weekend.

The annual event kicks off at 10 a.m. with a rally at the Bethel AME Church on Fairfield Avenue. A march, beginning at the church, will follow at 11 a.m. and a lunch program will be held at the nearby Yerwood Center at 12:30 p.m.
Westport Police

WESTPORT  Paul Jude Letersky, arrested on child pornography and enticing a minor charges last week, will not be able to return to his residence if released on bail.

The requirement that the 47-year-old stay 1,500 feet from a school or day care would mean he could not return to his Riverside Avenue home, across the street from Saugatuck Elementary School, according to police.
WILTON  The Wilton Womans Club presented the Wilton Police Department with a $1,000 donation to fund the purchase of naloxone, or Narcan, for each police car in the department on Jan. 10.

The state of Connecticut recently passed a law mandating that first responders in each town be equipped with and trained on the use of Narcan, an antidote to opioid overdoses. Opioids include both heroin and legal prescription medicines such as Vicodin, Percocet and Oxyontin.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp said the agency could be taken out of the middle of the states battle over well water if the Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker were to enact a law this session on high-capacity wells.

Elected officials have been unable to agree on how to regulate the contentious issue. The agriculture and food-processing industries have demanded more water, but in some areas lakes and streams have dried up, raising the ire of waterfront property owners and conservationists.

For years, the issue has been the DNRs legal authority to consider the cumulative impact of all high-capacity wells that affect an areas aquifer when deciding on a new well permit.

In June, an attorney generals opinion prompted the DNR to start issuing permits without taking cumulative impact into account and without imposing water monitoring requirements on well operators.

In October, the conservation group Clean Wisconsin filed nine lawsuits against the agency over permits it issued. In the past, businesses have challenged the DNR when it required monitoring.

Stepp said she has been offering the expertise of DNR hydrologists for several years to help lawmakers come up with a law to settle the question, which has been litigated many times.

Stepp pointed to a recent state study demonstrating how agricultural pumping affected drops in the Little Plover River. She said one option would be for the Legislature to define how cumulative impact should be measured and to allow the DNR to require water monitoring in certain circumstances.

The time is now to answer some of these questions that have been out here for a long time and really do put the department in the cross-hairs, Stepp said.

Schimels opinion said that despite a state constitutional provision and court rulings indicating the state was responsible for protecting water for the public, a 2011 law prohibited the DNR from adding conditions to well permits unless they were specifically authorized by state law.
A hearty Saturday Salute goes this week to the board members and vision committee who have been working so hard to see that the Merrick County Historical Museum has a permanent building in Central City.

The museum has housed items in several locations, including the Victorian-style Traver House, never having its own location. But it has owned land in the southwest part of town, just south of Highway 30 and 28th Street, for a few years.

It has taken this long for the hopes of erecting a building to come to fruition because the museums board has been raising money and it has taken more than eight years to get to the point where they could move forward.

DLR Group of Omaha has developed plans for the building, which will include a main exhibit floor, a gallery and several work and meeting rooms. But actual construction wont begin until the full $4.5 million needed to build it has been raised.

The masterpiece of the plan is the brick mural in the front entrance. The mural, which will be about 18 feet tall, will be visible to people driving by and will be symbolic for the museum, depicting rural life, nature and the people of Merrick County.

The eight-person committee and board members recognize the project is challenging, but theyre staying positive and focusing on the purpose of the project.

We salute them and encourage everyone who wants a permanent museum building in Merrick County to contribute to the project.

Childrens theater will be

a fun trip around the world

A big salute also goes to the 44 young actors who will be presenting Around the World in 8 Plays as this years Catherine Fosket Childrens Theatre musical Jan. 20-22.

Even with 44 children from third through eighth grade participating, many of them are playing several roles in this huge project.

They will be telling stories from Czechoslovakia, South Africa, Russia, Japan, Brazil, India, the Americas and Ireland. Each of the tall tales is actually a fairy tale that originated from that country.

This project sounds like a lot of fun for the kids, but it is clearly also a learning experience for them. Adult directors this year are Angie Liske and Steven Gobel. Producer is Jeannee Mueller Fossberg.

The play will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 and 21 and 2 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Liederkranz in downtown Grand Island. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for children over age 3.

Break a leg, kids.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

A village in Tapin regency, South Kalimantan, is now home to the hottest chili in the country.

According to the local administration and residents, chilies planted in the regency's Hiyung village have a spiciness level of up to 94,500 parts per million (ppm), 17 times spicier than a normal chili.

Tapin Regent Arifin Arpan said the chilies could only grow in the village. "When the seeds were planted in other areas, [the chilies] became less or not spicy," he said in Rantau, South Kalimantan, on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Dubbed cabai Hiyung (Hiyung chili), its spiciness has led to the chili becoming a top commodity. Among the village's 420 family heads, 85 percent are said to be working as chili farmers.

(Read also: Greenhouses solution to chili supply: Experts)

The chili was first planted in 1993 by Subarjo, who brought 200 seeds from the mountain. Subarjo said that, aside from spiciness, Hiyung chilies could also last up to 10 days at room temperature.

The current rise in chili prices has allowed the farmers to enjoy some benefits. "When we started growing the chili, it was priced at Rp 1,500 [11 US cents] per liter. Now [the price] per kilogram has multiplied and reached Rp 150,000," said Subarjo.

Tapin regency has developed 200 hectares of a total 3,000 ha of land targeted for Hiyung chilies. The development is based on the registration of local crop varieties with the Agriculture Ministry, which requires the regency to be responsible for the cultivation of local crops. (jes/kes)
The head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Friday diverged from her practice of staying silent publicly about pending legislation, saying she hopes lawmakers wont break up her department in the near future.

DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said she would be pleased if the Legislature gave the agency a chance to implement a recent reorganization before acting on a proposal to scatter department programs among five state agencies.

In an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, Stepp pointed out that the reorganization was the result of more than 18 months of planning, and it calls for wide-ranging changes aimed at reducing costs and making the department more effective by consolidating certain functions.

The changes to DNR parks, wildlife, fisheries, water quality, conservation, endangered species, property management or law enforcement efforts couldnt be accomplished if the agency were split up, Stepp said.

My hope is that the Legislature and the governor would give our alignment plan a chance, Stepp said. Thats my hope.

Dividing the department up would certainly create more bureaucracy for businesses and the public, she said.

However, Stepp said that if elected officials decide after a number of years that they want to divide the DNR into several pieces, she would carry that out.

Stepp has been criticized for remaining quiet in public as Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature cut DNR staff, eliminated tax support for state parks and rolled back environmental regulations.

Stepp has maintained that she and her department must defer to the authority of elected officials. She denied making an exception to that in describing her hopes about the breakup plan on Friday.

Im not telling them what to do, Stepp said. All Im telling you is what my hope is, which is that they would let this (reorganization) process play out for a couple of years so we can demonstrate the successes that we can see on the ground.

Planning for the reorganization included a detailed examination of what each employee does and why it is important so that when lawmakers propose cuts, the department will be able to explain all the ramifications.

So they could make better-educated decisions instead of sound bites, Stepp said.

The proposal for breaking up the DNR came from Rep. Adam Jarchow, R-Balsam Lake. Its not clear how long he has been discussing it, but in October the Legislative Fiscal Bureau wrote a report for him on how it could be accomplished technically. The public found out about it last month.

Jarchow issued a short public statement on Dec. 21 after Walker confirmed the proposals existence during an interview with a news reporter who had heard about it.

Stepp said Jarchow didnt consult with the DNR and didnt contact her until after the proposal became public.

On Monday, a letter from five retired DNR secretaries advising against splitting up the agency was delivered to Walker and the Legislature.

The five were joined by two retired deputy secretaries and the 300-member Wisconsin Association of Retired Conservationists in saying a divided DNR would cost taxpayers more money by requiring additional high-salaried managers, and would make communication and sharing resources much more difficult for many related bureaus.

Walker and legislative leaders have said they were open to Jarchows proposal to eliminate the DNR and put its programs in two new departments and three existing ones.

Jarchow has said many individuals have told him the DNR doesnt work. He said his plan would allow each program to focus on its mission, but he hasnt responded to requests for specifics on how his plan would improve services.

Stepp said Friday the reorganization would take certain DNR functions out of silos and allow staff members to specialize in important tasks in ways that would benefit several areas of DNR service to residents.

For example, one group of employees would be in charge of providing law enforcement for hunting, parks and forestry operations  instead of the current practice of each operation fielding its own group of armed officers.

The change is intended to allow better training and supervision of employees with arrest powers. But Jarchows plan would make it impractical by placing parks, forestry and hunting in separate departments.

Stepps practice of insisting that the department defer to the authority of elected officials has been criticized by former DNR secretaries and others.

George Meyer, a former secretary who now directs the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, said the public silence robs legislators and the public of crucial scientific and technical information needed to evaluate public policy on protecting parks, wildlife habitat and environmental quality.

Until 1995, the DNR secretary was appointed by a semi-autonomous Natural Resources Board. Since then, the governor has appointed the department head, and the ability of DNR scientists to talk about the potential pitfalls of pending legislation has dwindled, Meyer and others have said.

Stepp said Walker reviewed and found no serious problems in the DNR reorganization before the department announced it in late November.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The StraitsTimes/Asia News Network) Toronto, Canada  Sat, January 14, 2017

Scientists have found that a woman's blood pressure can determine whether she has a baby boy or a girl, according to reports.

A Canadian study discovered that a womans blood pressure at around 26 weeks before conception can predict the sex of her baby.

Higher systolic blood pressure signals she will deliver a boy, while lower suggests a girl, said Britain's Telegraph.

Dr Ravi Retnakaran, endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, said: It suggests that a woman's blood pressure before pregnancy is a previously unrecognized factor that is associated with her likelihood of delivering a boy or a girl.

The team made the connection while trying to work out what determines the ratio between girls and boys in a population, the Telegraph said.

Several studies have shown that stressful events such as wars, natural disasters and economic depression can change the proportion of boys and girls in a country.

The difference occurs because in stressful times one gender is more likely than the other to survive through pregnancy. So even though the conception sex ratio remains at 50:50, the birth ratio will alter depending on which sex is stronger.

In the new study, the mean systolic blood pressure reading for women who had boys was 106 mm Hg, compared to 103 mm Hg for those who had girls, in the months leading up to conception, the Telegraph reported.

When a woman becomes pregnant, the sex of a foetus is determined by whether the fathers sperm provides an X or Y chromosome and there is no evidence that this probability varies in humans, added Dr Retnakaran.

What is believed to vary is the proportion of male or female foetuses that is lost during pregnancy

This study suggests that either lower blood pressure is indicative of a mothers physiology that is less conducive to survival of a male foetus or that higher blood pressure before pregnancy is less conducive to survival of a female foetus.

This novel insight may hold implications for both reproductive planning and our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the sex ratio in humans."

(Read also: Five financial tips for welcoming babies)

For the study, 1,411 newly-married Chinese women were recruited all who were trying to become pregnant. Their blood pressure was checked at around 26 weeks before conception and they were followed through pregnancy. Overall, the women gave birth to 739 boys and 672 girls.

After adjustment for age, education, smoking, Body Mass Index (BMI) , waist, cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose, mean systolic blood pressure before pregnancy was found to be higher in women who subsequently had a boy than in those who delivered a girl.

Fertility expert Prof Charles Kingsland, of Liverpool Womens Hospital, said: We have been aware that more male foetuses miscarry than females and more females are born for obvious biological reasons, namely you need more women in the world to have children.

There is also some evidence that you are more likely to miscarry a boy when you are compromised either by health or environmental issues. So I suppose, blood pressure changes in these circumstances might affect conception of different sexes.

This study is, therefore, very interesting. However, it does not take into account the potential physiological aspects of race. Will those changes be the same in the Caucasian or Afro-Caribbean populations in the world. And what if you want a girl? Do you just go and live in Syria for a few months?

However, some experts were sceptical about the results, the Telegraph said.

Geoffrey Trew a consultant in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at the Hammersmith Hospital in west London said: I haven't heard anything like this before.

I would be very surprised that a BP measurement , which is notoriously variable, could dictate sex 26 weeks before, some reptiles can have sex differences due to temperature changes at the time of early foetal growth , but not 26 weeks beforehand.

The study was published in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Topics : babies baby pregnancy

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
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama criticized Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono's promise to not relocate the residents living on river banks if elected during the first official gubernatorial candidate debate on Friday.

The incumbent governor also expressed disapproval of Agus' idea to make Jakarta a floating city to mitigate flooding.

"We understand that you want to be governor. I hope that anyone who becomes governor can educate the residents, not fool them. We want to win but it shall be in an elegant way so the people can be smart," Ahok said during the debate.

Previously, Agus' running mate Sylviana Murni said that Ahok's administration had arbitrarily evicted the residents.

This was proven by a recent court ruling in favor of Bukit Duri residents in a lawsuit against their eviction, which was conducted by Ahok's administration, she said.

Ahok responded to the statement of his former subordinate by saying that it was impossible for him to normalize the river without relocating residents who built their houses on river banks.

"I don't understand how can we normalize the river, the original length of which was 30 meters but now became five meters, without tearing down the shabby homes [occupying the river banks]," Ahok said. (dmr)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, January 14 2017

A couple of years ago, a friend accused me of being really slow on the uptake, so I called him last night. Yep,

I said.

One should always take time over important issues instead of rushing to judgment.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Rizal Harahap and Severianus Endi (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru/Kalimantan  Sat, January 14 2017

The central government will deploy helicopters to Riau and Kalimantan to help local administrations fight forest fires, which have begun to appear in some areas, an official has said.

We are currently waiting for the helicopter. Other than Riau, reports say another helicopter will be deployed to Kalimantan, Riau Environment and Forestry Agency head Yulwiriati Moesa said during a coordination meeting with the Riau governors office on Friday.

She said the Riau administration had requested assistance from the Environment and Forestry Ministry in Jakarta to address the forest fires.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Rizal Harahap and Severianus Endi (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru/Kalimantan  Sat, January 14, 2017

Central government to send choppers to Riau, Kalimantan Climatologists warn of more forest fires in Kalimantan due to rising temperatures

The central government will deploy helicopters to Riau and Kalimantan to help local administrations fight forest fires, which have begun to appear in some areas, an official has said.

We are currently waiting for the helicopter. Other than Riau, reports say another helicopter will be deployed to Kalimantan, Riau Environment and Forestry Agency head Yulwiriati Moesa said during a coordination meeting with the Riau governors office on Friday.

She said the Riau administration had requested assistance from the Environment and Forestry Ministry in Jakarta to address the forest fires.

She said the chopper would help them put out fires found in Riaus 12 regencies and municipalities.

I visited the location where the forest fires occurred inside the Bukit Betabuh protected forest in Kuantan Singingi regency a couple days ago. The firefighters there experienced difficulties reaching the hot spots in the hilly area. That is when a helicopter is needed, she added.

The province is planning to form a joint patrol to anticipate forest fires in addition to building canals and a hot spot monitoring center.

Not to mention, we will also increase monitoring of private companies in the forests. We have demanded they report their inventory of equipment and facilities to prevent and mitigate forest fires, Yulwiriati added.

Although hot spots have been detected this week in some Riau regencies, including in Rokan Hulu, Rokan Hilir, Siak and Meranti Island, the province has yet to issue an emergency alert, a status that is needed for the provincial adminismantan tration to start deploying all equipment to areas prone to forest fires.

It needs at least two regencies or municipalities to declare an emergency alert in their areas [before we can issue a provincial emergency alert], Riau administration regional secretary Ahmad Hijazi said.

Ahmad said his office was currently pushing for some regencies such as the Kuantan Singingi regency and Rokan Hilir regency to increase their status so that Riau province could announce the emergency alert aimed at anticipating haze in the early stages.

Military Region Command (Korem) 031/Wira Bima commander Brig. Gen. Nurendi called on all stakeholders to increase preparedness amid predictions that say the province might face a harsher dry season this year.

The sooner these things are handled, the better that will be. Patrols and education is necessary and so is the effort to spread posters banning slash-and-burn practices, said Nurendi, who last year led a task force to fight forest fires.

He also expressed support for all related stakeholders engaged in making sure the existing canals, built last year to maintain the wetness of peat land in the province, worked well.

All elements should work handin-hand to fight forest fires. We must end annual haze, he added

Meanwhile, climatologists have warned that the decrease in rainfall, followed by lower humidity and higher temperatures in West Kali- from the beginning of this month, would increase the potential for forest fires in the province.

Head of the Climatology Station in Mempawah, Wandayantolis, said analysis of climate conditions in the province over the last five days showed that rainfall intensity had continued to decline, especially in the west coast all the way through to the north beach.

Air humidity has also decreased, due to the loss of vapor layers. This has caused a rising intensity of sunlight reaching the ground, thus taking the temperatures higher.

The increasing temperatures on the ground will make land and forests more prone to fires, he stressed. The decrease in rainfall intensity is predicted to continue during the following week. Midway through this month, the 10-day intensity of rainfall will only be between 21 to 100 milimeters, or categorized as low to medium intensity.

Officers at the Meterology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency in Supadio, Pontianak, said that as of Jan. 12, monitoring through NOAA satellites showed 7 hot spots. The hot spots are located in four regencies out of the total 14 regencies throughout West Kalimantan.

The four regencies are Pontianak, Kubu Raya, Mempawah and Sintang.

The West Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded that the number of hot spots in 2015 reached 2,271. The regency with the highest number of hot spots was Sintang with 778, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency head of emergency Bosman Hutahaean.

In 2016, the number of hot spots in the province decreased to 1,575, mostly located in Sanggau with 342.

In Pontianak, the BPBD and private firefighters conducted joint efforts to extinguish the fires.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Double-handling problems that have hindered textile exporters from West Java have finally been resolved after the government required shipping lines to store empty containers at a depot near Gedebage Station in the province.

In the past, customers needed to pay double because apart from paying for the train service, they also needed to take empty containers from Jakarta to Gedebage for a separate payment, Indonesian Textile Association (API) chairman Ade Sudrajat said on Friday.

Now, the government requires shipping lines to store empty containers nearby Gedebage so theres no more double handling, he added.

(Read also: Textile exporters welcome more cargo trains leaving from Bandung)

State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has also ensured the fast transfer of containers from trains to vessels at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta.

Meanwhile, logistics firm Multi Terminal Indonesia (MTI) has agreed to carry out the container transfer at Tanjung Priok.

The Gedebage-Tanjung Priok container train service, which was put in place in the 1990s before closing in the 2000s due to technical constraints, was reopened last June and now offers four services a day. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Immigration officials have arrested 32 women from various countries at nightclubs in West Jakarta and Bogor, West Java, mostly for allegedly violating stay permits.

The women, aged between 21 and 38, are from China (5), Uzbekistan (5), Kazakhstan (5), Russia (1), Morocco (5) and Vietnam (11).

"We allege that they work as sex workers here. We are still delving into the case," the Indonesian Immigration Offices director for supervision and sanctions, Yurod Saleh, was quoted as saying by kompas.com on Friday.

According to Yurod, the foreigners had entered Indonesia using tourist visas.

The immigration office is tracking down the agents who reportedly brought them to Indonesia. (dmr)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14 2017

Indonesia's fifth largest coal producer Berau Coal Energy has joined the World Coal Association (WCA), the only internationally body on coal. The WCA is a global network for the coal industry, comprising major coal producers from across the globe.

WCA CEO Benjamin Sporton has welcomed Berau Coal Energy's membership, noting that Indonesia is the largest energy consumer in Southeast Asia, accounting for more than 36 percent of the region's total energy demand.

"Berau's membership reflects the importance of Indonesia to the global coal industry, and we look forward to working with Berau Coal Energy as they continue to build on the commitment to provide energy for the Indonesian people," he said in a press statement.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Winda A. Charmila (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Motorists in Jakarta have welcomed a new app-based ticketing system used by the police to reduce illegal levies even though, initially, they have to pay bigger fines.

Bisto, 36, a Cempaka Putih resident, was among motorcyclists stopped by the police during a raid around the Jakarta Fair area of Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

Unfortunately, Bistos driving license had long expired. The police officer handed over a blue ticket and entered Bintos identity card number, ticket number and the traffic violation he had committed into a mobile app called e-tilang (e-ticket).

After entering Bistos data into the app, the police told Bisto he would receive an official text message citing the amount of the fine he had to pay as well as the traffic violation he was guilty of.

Bisto said he welcomed the ticketing system. E-tilang is fine for me and it is good because I feel more certain that the money will go to the state treasury, he told The Jakarta Post.

Bisto said he had to pay Rp 250,000 (US$19) through stateowned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) for driving with an expired drivers license. Usually, the fine for such a violation stands at around Rp 100,000 and is paid after a trial at Jakartas courts, where judges decide the amount of the fine.

He said his vehicle registration certificate (STNK) had also been confiscated. However, if Bisto directly paid the fine, either through online or mobile banking, he could have his STNK returned to him on the spot.

Before the e-ticket system was implemented, violators had to attend a trial to take back their confiscated card or document after paying the fine decided at the trial.

Wiyono, 37, received a blue ticket and a message stating that he had to pay Rp 100,000 for not turning on his motorcycle lamp.

E-tilang is helpful for those who need their STNKs back as soon as possible, he said.

The implementation of the e-ticket system commenced on Dec. 30 last year, following the issuance of a 2016 Supreme Court regulation allowing traffic violators to skip trials.

As of Wednesday, data from the Jakarta police shows that 8,030 people have been ticketed using the eticket app throughout the city.

It is important to note that even though the violators will be charged with bigger fines, they can get their money back if the judges decide on a cheaper fine, said Jakarta Police disciplinary unit chief Comr. Sulardi on Friday.

The money will be transferred back by BRI through the violators bank account number, or they can visit the nearest BRI office with a copy of verdict, which can be obtained at Jakarta courts. However, not all violators have sufficient understanding of the new regulation.

Irfan, 40, whose place of work is in Kemayoran, said the police officer did not provide him with enough information about the e-ticket system.

I kept asking to him about the ticketing process, like how do I know the verdict, how to get it and how can I get my money back, he said.

Irfan, who is required to pay Rp 250,000 for driving with an expired drivers license, admitted that the e-ticket system had pushed him to renew his driving license.

One of the reasons is because the e-ticket process will charge him with a bigger fine and with the same amount of money he could obtain new driving license.

IusedtogetticketedtoobutIwent to the court and only paid around Rp 100,000, Irfan said, adding that he did not object to the new system. The head of law enforcement at the Jakarta Police traffic unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto, said with the new Supreme Court regulation, trials for traffic violators had been abolished.

Those who only get the blue ticket are still able to transfer money through BRI, Budiyanto said.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Winda A. Charmila (Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Motorists in Jakarta have welcomed a new app-based ticketing system used by the police to reduce illegal levies even though, initially, they have to pay bigger fines.

Bisto, 36, a Cempaka Putih resident, was among motorcyclists stopped by the police during a raid around the Jakarta Fair area of Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

Unfortunately, Bistos driving license had long expired. The police officer handed over a blue ticket and entered Bintos identity card number, ticket number and the traffic violation he had committed into a mobile app called e-tilang (e-ticket).

After entering Bistos data into the app, the police told Bisto he would receive an official text message citing the amount of the fine he had to pay as well as the traffic violation he was guilty of.

Bisto said he welcomed the ticketing system. E-tilang is fine for me and it is good because I feel more certain that the money will go to the state treasury, he told The Jakarta Post.

Bisto said he had to pay Rp 250,000 (US$19) through stateowned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) for driving with an expired drivers license. Usually, the fine for such a violation stands at around Rp 100,000 and is paid after a trial at Jakartas courts, where judges decide the amount of the fine.

He said his vehicle registration certificate (STNK) had also been confiscated. However, if Bisto directly paid the fine, either through online or mobile banking, he could have his STNK returned to him on the spot.

Before the e-ticket system was implemented, violators had to attend a trial to take back their confiscated card or document after paying the fine decided at the trial.

Wiyono, 37, received a blue ticket and a message stating that he had to pay Rp 100,000 for not turning on his motorcycle lamp.

E-tilang is helpful for those who need their STNKs back as soon as possible, he said.

(Read also: Better service in Indonesian police's Samsat demanded after fee hikes)

The implementation of the e-ticket system commenced on Dec. 30 last year, following the issuance of a 2016 Supreme Court regulation allowing traffic violators to skip trials.

As of Wednesday, data from the Jakarta police shows that 8,030 people have been ticketed using the eticket app throughout the city.

It is important to note that even though the violators will be charged with bigger fines, they can get their money back if the judges decide on a cheaper fine, said Jakarta Police disciplinary unit chief Comr. Sulardi on Friday.

The money will be transferred back by BRI through the violators bank account number, or they can visit the nearest BRI office with a copy of verdict, which can be obtained at Jakarta courts. However, not all violators have sufficient understanding of the new regulation.

Irfan, 40, whose place of work is in Kemayoran, said the police officer did not provide him with enough information about the e-ticket system.

I kept asking to him about the ticketing process, like how do I know the verdict, how to get it and how can I get my money back, he said.

Irfan, who is required to pay Rp 250,000 for driving with an expired drivers license, admitted that the e-ticket system had pushed him to renew his driving license.

One of the reasons is because the e-ticket process will charge him with a bigger fine and with the same amount of money he could obtain new driving license.

IusedtogetticketedtoobutIwent to the court and only paid around Rp 100,000, Irfan said, adding that he did not object to the new system. The head of law enforcement at the Jakarta Police traffic unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto, said with the new Supreme Court regulation, trials for traffic violators had been abolished.

Those who only get the blue ticket are still able to transfer money through BRI, Budiyanto said.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Publicly listed Bank Mayapada announced its new list of shareholders in an extraordinary shareholders meeting following the acquisition of its stake by Taiwanese insurer Cathay Life Insurance Co Ltd.

The meeting, held on Friday, approved the new shareholder as a completion for the acquisition process of 40 percent stake in the bank by Taiwan-based Cathay Life, the insurance arm of the Cathay Financial Holding.

The announcement came after the new majority shareholder obtained approval from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) on Dec. 9 last year.

(Read also: Bank Mayapada aims for moderate targets despite high growth)

The meeting unanimously approved the confirmed the change in the list of the companys shareholders, Bank Mayapada director Rudy Mulyono said after the meeting.

With the approval, Cathay Life Insurance has increased its shares to 40 percent from previously 24.9 percent, absorbing shares of Brilliant Bazaar Pte Ltd which previously owned 15.6 percent shares.

Other shareholders remained unchanged, namely Mayapada Karunia (26.4 percent), Galasco Investments Ltd. (10 percent), Unity Rise Ltd. (7.31 percent) and Mayapada Kasih (3.3 percent). Meanwhile, public shares were reduced to 12.9 percent from previously 15.7 percent.

Through Mayapada Karunia, business tycoon Dato Sri Tahir, who owns the Mayapada Group, continues to be the controlling shareholder of the bank he founded. (ags)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Metro TV news director Suryapratomo said Friday that the private TV station welcomed lawmakers plan to ban cigarette advertisements on television and radio, saying that a ban would not significantly affect its revenue.

Lawmakers have the right to make any regulation. But I hope the House of Representatives carries out comprehensive discussion before making a final decision, Suryapratomo told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

(Read also: Cigarette ad ban aims to protect children, lawmaker says)

He added that a ban would have minimal impact on Metro TV, as cigarette ads contributed only a small portion to the companys revenues.

So please do ban [cigarette ads on TV] if you want. Metro TV does not make much from cigarette ads. We also dont air cigarette ads frequently on our TV station, Suryapratomo emphasized.

TV stations are currently allowed to air cigarette ads only after 10 p.m. However, the government may issue a total ban on cigarette ads on TV and radio, with a draft bill comprising stipulations of a ban awaiting deliberation at the House.

The House is expected to start deliberations this month and has assured that it will include various stakeholders in the discussion to gain comprehensive insight.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14 2017

A minister has defended the governments decision to shut down certain websites, arguing that it is being done for the greater good, despite concerns over the governments transparency and methods.

We dont consider who the owners of the websites are. Our focus is on the content and whether or not it contains hate speech or provokes sectarian sentiment, Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said on Thursday, dismissing the notion that there was a crackdown aimed at websites of a certain religion.

As previously reported, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has lamented the ministrys move to block 11 Islamic websites, and feels that the ministry has ignited sectarianism and promoted radicalism. Among the websites blocked include lemahirengmedia.com, portalpiyungan.com, suara-islam.com and smstauhiid.com. As of Friday, access to suara-islam.com and smstauhiid.com has been reopened. The MUI demanded the ministry publicly explain its definition of radicalism used to determine whether a site should be blocked.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ) plans to launch an electric commuter train service between Rangkasbitung and Tanahabang in early February.

"We are optimistic about starting the operation of the Rangkasbitung-Tanahabang route next month," said KCJ president director Muhammad N Fadhila, as quoted by new agency Antara on Friday.

Previously, passengers from Rangkasbitung heading to Jakarta would use local trains. Many are expected to switch to the new commuter line service, which will initially run two times a day.

Fadhila said his company was finalizing the station facilities for the new service, such as electronic gates, ticket booths and passenger bridges. (dmr)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

Jakarta Police have arrested the deputy chairwoman of the United Development Party (PPP), Fernita Darwis, in connection with alleged document forgery.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono confirmed the arrest, which took place at the party's offices on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta.

"She was arrested on Jan. 11," Argo said on Friday, as reported by tribunnews.com.

According to Argo, PPP chairman Djan Faridz, through his lawyer Andrias Herminanto, had reported Fernita to the police.

"She allegedly told a staffer to scan signatures of the PPP chairman and secretary-general [to be used for document forgery]," Argo said.

Police have questioned 10 witnesses in the case. (dmr)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14, 2017

After booking Rp 1.8 trillion (US$135.22 million) in revenue last year, state-owned train car maker PT INKA is set to collect Rp 2.6 trillion this year or a 48 percent increase from last year.

Last year, our revenue target was Rp 1.6 trillion, but we could book Rp 1.8 trillion. This year, our target is Rp 2.6 trillion, said INKAs senior manager secretary, public relations and corporate social responsibility Cholik Mochamad Zam-Zam on Friday as reported by kompas.com.

Because of the success, the Finance Ministry will inject Rp 1 trillion into the company that will be used to expand the factory and purchase new machines, said Cholik, adding that with the capital injection, his company was expected to achieve the target.

(Read also: Indonesia exports 150 passenger trains to Bangladesh)

The company has received an order to manufacture train cars for airport railways, particularly from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten to Jakarta, he said.

INKA will also diversify its products by producing long buses and train wagons for light rail transit (LRT) projects, said Cholik.

Apart from obtaining the order for the airport project, INKA will also produce another 485 train cars for state-owned railway operator KAI to replace older cars, he added.

The company still produces train car components for export, including to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, he added. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14 2017

Local travel agents are intensifying efforts to draw more foreign tourists from China and Southeast Asian countries this year as abundant opportunities are still available in these markets.

The move is in line with the official target to attract 15 million inbound tourists this year, which will gradually be increased to 20 million in 2019.

Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) chairman Asnawi Bahar said business players would participate in pursuing the target, particularly through business-to-business meetings in Chinas secondary cities such as such as Wuhan, Tianjing and Chengdu, apart from Beijing.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Merriam-Webster Dictionarys word of the year last year was surreal, which perfectly sums up how 2016 pretty much was worldwide and, like it or not, prepares us for 2017 onward. I personally think Merriam-Webster was being kind, because I would have picked insane as the word of the year.

Insanity was abound not just in far-flung parts of the world  Brexit, Trump, Syria  but also in corners right here at home. Just look at the escalating tensions over ethnicity and religion lately, partly thanks to the rise of conservatism in recent decades.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Corry Elyda, Agnes Anya, Winda A. Charmila and Callista Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 14 2017

On Friday evening, Jakartas voters finally got to see what they had been promised at the beginning of the gubernatorial campaign period: a festival of ideas by which they could gauge and compare the quality of the candidates competing for the citys top posts.



The three candidate pairs  Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni; Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat; and Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno  faced off in the first official debate aired live on national television.



It was the first time the three pairs have shared a stage together and debated their programs. Agus, widely seen as a political neophyte, refused to take part in TV debates held by two TV stations last year, saying they were not official and attending them was a matter of choice.



Fridays debate saw Agus, a former Army major, and Anies, a former culture and education minister,

confront Ahok, who took over leadership in the capital from former Jakarta governor Joko Jokowi Widodo after the latter was elected President in 2014.



The debate, moderated by seasoned TV host Ira Koesno, was divided into six segments, during which the candidates argued over economic and social issues.



Both Agus and Anies offered a number of populist programs aimed mainly at closing the gap between the rich and the poor in the capital, something the challengers said had been overlooked by Ahok, whose policies have been portrayed by his critics as antipoor.



In his vision and mission statement, Agus said he wanted to create a developed, safe, fair and prosperous Jakarta and offered 10 key programs in the fields of economics, education and public services to achieve the goal.



He promised to disburse direct cash aid to several communities, including each of the citys community units (RT) and neighborhood units (RW) as well as micro, small and medium enterprises.



My mission is to resolve all problems in Jakarta [...] and to make it more developed, Agus said in a firm tone, sometimes sounding scripted.



Anies, who kept smiling throughout the debate, was more philosophical in his vision and mission statement. People come to Jakarta not because they want to have a Jakarta identity card but to achieve prosperity and justice, Anies said.



When asked about his vision for social justice, Ahok said he had only one vision: developing the people of the city using the human development index (HDI) as a scorecard.



And Jakarta, he argued, had been doing well. The governor, who appeared confident throughout the whole debate, cited the latest HDI data showing that the city had already reached up to 78.99. It means that we lack only 1.01 percent to reach the advanced level.



He said his vision could be achieved with a simple formula: [Creating] a public-spirited bureaucracy that is clean, transparent and professional, he said.



The debate became heated when the moderator brought up the issue of forced evictions, a controversial issue that has divided Jakartans.



In Ahoks defense, Djarot said Jakarta was the nations capital and its residents should not be not allowed to live as squatters on riverbanks or under bridges.



We are committed to putting them in decent low-cost apartments, he said, explaining that the apartments were 36 square meters with two rooms and equipped with gas pipes.



He added that the city administration had also subsidized their livelihoods after they had been relocated.



Agus and Anies did not waste the opportunity to attack Ahok.



Relocating the evictees to low-cost apartments, Agus said, was not a solution, as the policy had caused people to lose all that they had as they had been forced to move many kilometers away from their places

of origin.



I strictly emphasize that I will not manage the city with evictions as this policy has been proven to have increased poverty, Agus said.



Anies called Ahoks eviction policy an injustice and accused Ahok of breaching a political contract he signed with the people he evicted.



In response to the criticism, Ahok insisted it was wrong to let people live on riverbanks. He then accused his opponents of exploiting the poor to win the election.



This is dangerous, he said.



In their closing statements, all the candidates  who are considered possible presidential candidates  expressed their commitment to completing their term if elected.

_______________________________



Debate highlights in quotes



Agus-Sylviana



* On maintaining integrity amid pressure from individuals, parties



We certainly want to prioritize transparency, accountability and governance with integrity. But the most important thing is goodwill: to give and become role models for others. Then we can ask our bureaucrats and all stakeholders in Jakarta to maintain their integrity so that they can make residents prosperous.



* On social inequality in the capital



Here Agus and Sylvi offer temporary direct cash aid. Remember, temporary. [...] Aside from that, we have a capital injection without interest at Rp 50 million [US$3750] per micro, small and medium enterprise (UMKM), with assistance. We hope it can save UMKMs and significantly reduce unemployment within five years.



* On relocation, eviction issues



I strictly emphasize that I will manage the city without evictions. Evictions have been proven to increase poverty. I will manage the city without hurting the hearts of residents.



* Responding to Ahoks comment on Satu Jakarta card



That is why I proposed the Satu Jakarta card because I knew it [Ahoks Jakarta One card] was yet to be realized. All [of Jakartans needs] are here [the Satu Jakarta card]. It will be realized, not only launched [like the Jakarta One card].



* Responding to Ahoks comment on possibility of corruption in Agus direct cash aid plan



This is the picture of leaders who are always suspicious about their residents. Both Ahok and Djarot kept asking: what if residents mismanaged the aid? They never asked if the aid worked. The aim is right.



Ahok-Djarot



* On Ahoks communication skills



I did not agree with the remark of one of the candidates, who said that public officials do not need to be polite but only need to be honest. I think public officials need to be equally polite and honest. I am lucky that I have Mr. Djarot, so I can learn to be more polite and have good integrity.



* On integrity



People are proven to have integrity if they take power. We have been a regent, mayor, City Council member and House of Representatives members. We have been tested.



* Gini ratio, unemployment rate



I have implemented six programs to decrease the Gini ratio and unemployment rate. They comprise health insurance, education financial aid, a cheap housing program, free transportation for residents on the minimum wage with 55 new routes to expand the service, stable prices of staple foods and capital injections for small and medium businesses.



* On Agus direct cash aid program



I do not agree with direct cash aid as it is not educational.



* Other candidates criticism of Ahoks evictions, relocations



Although they have been living [there] for years, living on the riverbanks is wrong. How can we normalize the rivers if we do not evict them?



* Agus floating house program, criticism over evictions



It is far more inhuman that [they] taught residents who were wrong to use them only to win an election.



* Other candidates programs



There is nothing new.



* On presidential ambitions



We have not completed our job. We want to have another five years.



Anies-Sandiaga



* Anies, Sandiagas main programs



To develop Jakarta and make citizens prosperous, providing job opportunities is one of the key ways to achieve that. The gap between the rich and the poor will not be solved unless micro and small enterprises are assisted to grow and entrepreneurship is boosted to create jobs. Education also needs to be improved and students have to complete their education. Justice among all residents should be implemented.



* Providing jobs through informal sectors



One of the main concerns in developing Jakarta is to reduce [the number of] jobless people. As not as many job opportunities are available as people think, entrepreneurship is the answer to the problem. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) must be encouraged to grow, even in each district.



* Education



Quality education is pivotal and it is a must to improve it.



* Threats to residents



Drugs are a threat for everybody. No tolerance to the presence of drugs, committed to eradicating the use of drugs and [showing] no tolerance.



* On loans



Plans to ease loans to help MSMEs to expand their businesses and providing mentorship.



* On law enforcement, transparency



Criminal sanctions and transparency must be upheld.



* On evictions



No evictions will be conducted as they are considered unfair.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
(front page)

Capitalist alliances shift amid Mideast wars, conflict

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim met with his Iraqi counterpart, Haider al-Abadi, in Baghdad Jan. 7. He then traveled to Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, for talks with Massoud Barzani, president of the regional government there. The result? Agreement by all three to drive the Kurdistan Workers Party of Turkey (PKK), which is banned in its home country, out of the Sinjar area in northwestern Iraq.

Iranian officials said Tehran, a major backer of the regime in Baghdad, welcomed the deal between the Turkish and Iraqi governments, because they also agreed to eventually end the presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq. Yildirim told the press he and Abadi would resolve that dispute in a friendly manner.

These moves are part of political shifts underway in the Middle East as the capitalist rulers in each country look for alliances and other initiatives to advance their competing interests. They highlight the growing influence of Tehran in the region, as well as the hostility of the ruling classes in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey to the Kurdish national struggle.

Washington is deeply involved with both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government in organizing the military campaign to defeat Islamic State in Mosul, just 50 miles west of Erbil. In addition to its massive air power, Washington boosted its troops on the ground in Iraq to around 6,000, the highest number in years.

In addition to the Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, militias organized and trained by both Tehran and Ankara are fighting around Mosul. The Iranian-backed Shiite militias are part of the extension of the Iranian ruling classs reach in a region extending from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border through Iraq and Syria to the coast of Lebanon.

The agreements on moves against the PKK in Sinjar, 80 miles west of Mosul, are part of competition for control in the areas being liberated from Islamic State. In November 2015, Kurdish forces drove Islamic State out of Sinjar, ending 15 months of brutal rule, especially directed against the Yazidi religious minority. That victory was won by combined forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government peshmerga, the Turkish PKK and the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).

The Turkish government, which is carrying out a war against the PKK and the Kurdish population inside Turkey, is demanding the group vacate Sinjar. The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party in Erbil, whose government has diplomatic and trade ties with Ankara, also opposes the PKKs presence there. PKK leaders have said they will withdraw once a Yazidi force capable of defending the area is in place.

At the same time Ankara is pressing its military campaign inside Syria, directed especially against the YPG, which it claims is part of the PKK. As part of growing relations between Ankara and Moscow, Russian warplanes carried out a week of airstrikes in support of the Turkish-led push to take al-Bab, Syria, from Islamic State. Ankaras offensive is aimed at keeping the YPG from uniting the two regions they control.

Tearing up Iran deal not going to happen

The de facto collaboration of Washington and Tehran in the battle for Mosul is an example of what the U.S. imperialist rulers hoped to gain from the nuclear accord the Barack Obama administration reached with the Iranian government in 2015. President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the horrible Iran deal, but any sudden shift in U.S. policy is unlikely.

Tearing it up at the front end, in my opinion, is not going to happen, Bob Corker, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters Jan. 6. Doing so would create a crisis at a time when Washington has lots of challenges to deal with around the world.

Uncertainty over the course of the incoming Trump administration comes in the lead up to Irans May elections, where President Hassan Rouhani is seeking a second term. The death of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani Jan. 8 is potentially a destabilizing factor.

Rafsanjani was a prominent figure in the government that came to power following the overthrow of the hated U.S.-backed shah in a massive popular revolution in 1979. The capitalist rulers carried out a counterrevolution through a government dominated by Islamic clerics to tame the rebellion of workers, peasants, oppressed nationalities and women. Over the next decade they imposed strict curbs on free speech, used military force to suppress the Kurdish people and persecuted communist and opposition organizations.

Rafsanjani later concluded that restrictions they imposed on democratic rights went too far and could backfire. He spoke out against the police crackdown on a wave of protests accusing then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of stealing the election in 2009 and backed Rouhani over Ahmadinejad in 2013.

Rafsanjani played a significant role in pushing through the 2015 deal with Washington.

At the massive funeral for Rafsanjani, some people chanted for an end to the house arrest of leaders of the 2009 protests.

So far Rouhani faces no substantial challenger in the elections. Ahmedinejad had floated the idea of running, but was told not to by top cleric Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.





Related articles:

UK prime minister courts Gulf monarchs







Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home




(front page)

Protests in US and Puerto Rico demand Free Oscar Lopez now!

El Nuevo Dia/Akash Ghai

As supporters of his fight for freedom continue to press President Barack Obama to pardon Oscar Lopez Rivera, the Puerto Ricanwrote a public letter pledging that whenever he is released he will dedicate himself to the greatest issue we face. Thats the issue of resolving Puerto Ricos colonial status.

I have faith in us being able to eradicate colonialism, Lopez said. Lets dare to live and lets dare to struggle. Then we will live as a free people without any colonial chains.

The 74-year-old political activist has been in prison for more than 35 years  over 12 in solitary confinement  because of his activities in support of independence for Puerto Rico, a U.S. colony.

Support for Lopezs freedom extends far beyond those who demand independence. Leaders of all the main religious denominations in Puerto Rico, as well as the local affiliates of the Democratic and Republican parties, all call for his release.

I am asking the voices that are clamoring for his freedom in the public arena to continue, said Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves at the end of Christmas mass in San Juan last month.

Newly elected Gov. Ricardo Rossello, a leader of the Republican Party affiliate on the island, sent a letter to Obama Nov. 30 asking him to grant Lopez clemency. Former President Jimmy Carter wrote Obama Dec. 13, encouraging him to release Lopez.

In 1981 Lopez was arrested and accused of being a leader of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), which took credit for several bombings in the U.S. of businesses with investments in Puerto Rico.

But U.S. prosecutors never presented any evidence that Lopez was involved in the bombings or any other act of violence. Instead, the main charge against him was seditious conspiracy. Others arrested the year before on similar charges have all been released.

A birthday celebration in San Juan for Lopez Jan. 6, attended by about 100 supporters and family members, was widely covered in the press in Puerto Rico. Lopezs daughter Clarisa read his letter at the event.

Rafael Cancel Miranda, who spent more than 25 years in jail in the U.S. for his activities in support of independence for the island, was the featured speaker at a similar event in Ponce.

The Three Kings Day Parade in Chicago was dedicated to Lopez. Many lining the route chanted along with the members of a contingent in the New York Three Kings Day Parade carrying a banner that said Free Oscar Lopez. Others gave thumbs up or raised clenched fists as it passed by.

Lopez has received widespread union support, both in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO union federation, sent a letter to Obama in December, reiterating the federations support for his release.

Because of the depth of the capitalist economic crisis, made worse because of its colonial exploitation, thousands of Puerto Ricans leave the island every month. There are now more Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. than in Puerto Rico.

We can be 8 million strong, Lopez said in his letter, uniting the Puerto Ricans of the diaspora with the Puerto Ricans in our small archipelago.

Supporters of Lopezs fight are asking people to call the White House every Friday at (202) 456-1111 to press for his release.

Write Lopez at: Oscar Lopez Rivera #87651-024, FCI Terre Haute, P.O. Box 33, Terre Haute, IN 47808.





Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home




(front page)

US govt says SWP should have to turn over contributors names

The Socialist Workers Party received notice from the Federal Election Commission Jan. 5 that the agency intends to reject the partys application to extend its hard-fought exemption from having to file the names of contributors to their election campaign with the government. The Commission concludes that the public interest would be served by disclosure of SWPs contributors and vendors, the FECs draft opinion states, and that the SWP has not demonstrated a reasonable probability that disclosing its contributors and vendors will subject those persons to threats, harassment, or reprisals.

The party won exemption in 1974 and has successfully won extension six times since.

The partys exemption fight is part of the broader class battle for workers and working-class organizations to engage in political activity  including election campaigns  free from spying and disruption by government cops, the bosses and other enemies of the working class.

The commission has set a March 13 deadline for the party to respond.

The SWPs attorneys filed a request with the FEC Oct. 31 to renew the exemption from having to disclose the names, addresses and occupations of contributors giving more than $200 to its candidates, as well as the names of the campaigns vendors.

The SWP has faced an extraordinary history of government and private threats, violence and harassment, states the partys application for extension filed by Michael Krinsky and Lindsey Frank of the prominent civil liberties firm Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky and Lieberman.

For decades the FBI and other police agencies targeted the SWP, seeking to disrupt its activity in the labor movement, the fight for Black rights and the fight against imperialist war. The scope of the operation was revealed by a landmark 13-year legal battle against the government, won by the SWP in 1986.

The FBI was forced to admit in court that between 1960 and 1976 it carried out at least 204 black bag jobs  burglaries of party offices  deployed 1,300 undercover informers and collected over 8 million documents on the party and its members and supporters.

The FBIs Cointelpro Disruption Program, and similar operations targeting the Communist Party, Black Panther Party and other groups, were exposed and pushed back by the mass proletarian struggle to overthrow Jim Crow, the fight against Washingtons war against the people of Vietnam and for the rights of women. The SWP lawsuit helped reveal the character of and deal blows to the governments political police.

In applying to extend the exemption over the last three decades, the SWP has documented how government spy agencies, local cops, bosses and rightist forces have continued to probe and attack the party. From 1990 to 2012, the FEC granted continued exemption from disclosure on those grounds.

However, both in 2009 and 2013 some FEC officials began to say the SWP exemption should be eliminated. They argued that socialist ideas were becoming more mainstream and the partys exemption  the only one granted by the agency  was no longer justified.

The FEC argues that the SWP no longer qualifies because the documented instances of harassment have steadily decreased in both quantity and severity.

Continued govt harassment, spying

There is well-established evidence that the SWP has been subject to threats, harassment and reprisals from both government and private actors for more than 70 years  from at least 1941 to 2012, Krinsky and Frank wrote. This alone is more than sufficient evidence that the exemption is needed, they say, especially along with the continued evidence of surveillance of political activity that the SWP supports and takes part in.

They then cite 33 specific examples of continued harassment, threats and reprisals over the last four years.

Among them is a break-in at the home of a well-known party candidate in Omaha, Nebraska, where nothing was stolen but a smart phone containing political contacts; smashing the window of party headquarters in Los Angeles after a public forum against Washingtons wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; a series of incidents of harassment by cops and threats by individuals aimed at supporters campaigning door to door across the country; examples of individuals who expressed support for the party but declined to sign petitions or subscribe to the Militant for fear of reprisal from bosses or the government; and ongoing attempts to ban workers behind bars from receiving the Militant, which editorially supports SWP candidates, because of its political content.

The application highlights the escalation of spy agencies targeting unions and political activity in recent years. While government spies and provocateurs no longer claim the Communist menace justifies their violations of constitutional rights, today they say the war against terror means they should continue the same assaults on political rights. FBI-run Fusion Centers, Joint Terrorism Task Forces, special state police units and city Muslim squads, have expanded across the country, as well as electronic surveillance by outfits like the National Security Agency.

Indeed, this current surveillance is eerily similar to the extensive surveillance of the SWP by the FBI, the two lawyers write, pointing to recent revelations of spying on protests against cop killings, strikes and lockouts, actions for $15 and a union, and attacks on mosques and Muslim communities. The SWP champions all these fights and SWP members participate in them.

The FEC makes no attempt to counter or even discuss this documentation. It simply ignores it.

In todays growing capitalist economic crisis, the rulers in Washington increasingly fear the working class, seeing larger class battles breaking out down the road, John Studer, SWP national campaign director, told the Militant. Thats why they seek to expand spy and disruption operations today.

FEC says SWP too successful

The commission draft claims that the SWP no longer qualifies as a minor party, which is one basis for an exemption, because the partys 2016 presidential ticket of Alyson Kennedy and Osborne Hart received some 12,000 votes and working people contributed $80,000 to their campaign. The SWP received more votes in a number of previous elections, but that was never a reason to deny the exemption.

No one can argue the SWP rivals the Democrats and Republicans today. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump got more than 60 million votes each and raised and spent billions of dollars.

Its true the SWP is getting a wide hearing on workers doorsteps, Studer said. We wish we were bigger and could organize the working class to challenge the propertied rulers for political power.

But thats a ways down the road, he said, and until then we deserve the protection of the exemption for our contributors.





Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home




(feature article)

Cuba and Angola: The War for Freedom

Firsthand account by Harry Villegas (Pombo) on Cubas internationalist missions

Those unwilling to fight for the freedom of others will never be able to fight for their own.

FIDEL CASTRO

Pinar del Rio, July 1976

If our people know themselves better, if all of us know much better what we are capable of achieving, that too is thanks to Angola!

RAUL CASTRO

Havana, May 1991

Between 1975 and 1991, some 425,000 Cuban volunteers, organized by Cubas revolutionary leadership, served in Angola. In various deployments, they went there in response to a call for assistance from the Angolan government. In 1975 the people of that African country had just wrested freedom from Portugal after nearly five centuries of brutal colonial exploitation and domination. Now they were under attack by the white-supremacist regime of South Africa and its African and international allies.

The purpose of the Cuban mission, which stretched over sixteen years, was to help Angola defend itself and decisively repel this military aggression backed by Washington. The mission ended only after the armed forces of the apartheid regime had been dealt a decisive defeat in March 1988 at the battle of Cuito Cuanavale in southern Angola while, at the same time, a formidable force of Cuban, Angolan, and Namibian combatants swept south, toward the bases of the South African regime in its colony, Namibia.

Simultaneously fearful of the exploding mass antiapartheid struggle within South Africa itself, Pretoria sued for peace. A tripartite agreement between Angola, South Africa, and Cuba, negotiated over five months, was signed at United Nations headquarters in New York in December 1988. It recognized not only the legitimacy and sovereignty of the Angolan government in Luanda but also the independence of Namibia. It gave further confidence to workers and youth in South Africa fighting the apartheid state.

As Nelson Mandela, the central leader of the struggle to bring down the racist regime, told the people of Cuba and the world in July 1991, the defeat of the South African army at Cuito Cuanavale was made possible by Cubas unparalleled contribution. It was a victory for all of Africa, he said, a turning point in the struggle to free the continent and our country from the scourge of apartheid!

Cuba and Angola: The War for Freedom is a firsthand account of that historic internationalist mission in Angola, as told by Harry Villegas, a brigadier general of Cubas Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), who is better known around the world as Pombo. That was the Swahili nom de guerre given to Villegas by Ernesto Che Guevara. Pombo fought at Ches side for a decade  first in the revolutionary war on Cuban soil that brought down the US-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in January 1959, and then in internationalist missions in the Congo and Bolivia.

After Guevara fell in battle in Bolivia in October 1967, Villegas led the five surviving combatants of Ches guerrilla front  two Bolivians and three Cubans  who evaded capture by the Bolivian army and US intelligence forces for four months. Villegas and the two other Cubans eventually escaped across the border into Chile, and in March 1968 they returned to Havana.





In April 1974 the fifty-year-old, deeply decayed fascist dictatorship in Portugal was overthrown in a military coup led by young officers. A revolutionary upsurge of Portuguese workers and farmers erupted. The old regime had faced rising opposition at home, as well as advancing national liberation struggles in each of its African colonies, especially Guinea-Bissau. The new government in Lisbon was forced to recognize the independence of all its African territories.

As Portugals brutal colonial hold over its African empire was being broken, other imperialist powers had for years been maneuvering to grab what they could. With independence day for Angola  Portugals largest and richest colony  approaching on November 11, 1975, they accelerated their efforts.

Just months earlier, in April 1975, the victorious national liberation forces of Vietnam had driven US troops and personnel out of Saigon, soon renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Now, on top of that blow to the imperialist world order, the future of all southern Africa was at stake, from the Congo and what was then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), down to the Cape of Good Hope. For Pretoria  encouraged and backhandedly supplied by Washington  survival of the apartheid regime itself was on the table.

The first invasion of Angola by South African and Zairean troops began in October 1975 as armored columns crossed the border from their bases in South-West Africa (Namibia) and drove north. A military offensive simultaneously swept south from Zaire (Congo). Zaires proimperialist Mobutu dictatorship hoped to annex the oil-rich province of Cabinda and take whatever other Angolan territory it could.

The objective of these combined operations was to conquer Luanda, the capital city, before November 11, to prevent the installation of a government headed by the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the strongest of the anticolonial movements, with the broadest popular base. With planned celebrations barely a week away, Luanda was in danger of falling.

The response of the leadership of the Cuban government and people to the urgent request for aid from Angolas MPLA-led provisional government was immediate and decisive. Within hours Operation Carlota was launched  named in tribute to the African woman who had led two rebellions against slavery and colonial oppression in Cuba before being captured and brutally executed in 1843.

The day before the independence ceremony in Luanda, some 200 just-landed Cuban internationalist volunteers joined the Angolan defenders. Together they turned back the column moving south from Zaire that was poised on the doorsteps of the capital. The immediate objective of South Africa and its imperialist allies had been stymied.

Less than five months later, with thirty-six thousand Cuban volunteers by then on the ground, allied with Angolan troops, the military forces of both the South African apartheid regime and Mobutu dictatorship had been driven out of Angola.

But that was only the beginning.

More than a decade of what was euphemistically called low intensity warfare against the Angolan regime ensued. South African forces regularly operated deep in Angolan territory in support of UNITA, Pretorias Angolan ally, led by Jonas Savimbi. The brutality of the war was enormous, with Angolan casualties eventually rising to hundreds of thousands. Nearly 2,100 Cubans also lost their lives on Angolan soil before their mission was completed.

Then, in late 1987, South African troops began their second major invasion in hopes of inflicting a crushing defeat on Angolan forces. But the apartheid regime had once again miscalculated  the crushing defeat was theirs.

The Cuban and Angolan leaderships had come to agreement, as Cuban leader Fidel Castro put it, that the time was ripe to cut off the hands of South Africa in Angola, and that is what they did. The March 1988 victory at a village in southern Angola known as Cuito Cuanavale echoed around the world  and across South Africa above all. In Nelson Mandelas words, that victory broke the myth of the invincibility of the white oppressors.

Less than two years later, Mandela, imprisoned for more than twenty-seven years by the apartheid state, walked free. By 1994 the racist regime was no more, and Mandela was president of South Africa.





In May 1991 Cuban Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces Raul Castro welcomed home the last unit of internationalist volunteers returning from Angola. When we face new and unexpected challenges, he told the Cuban people, we will always be able to recall the epic of Angola with gratitude, because without Angola we would not be as strong as we are today.

The truth of those words was soon put to the test. As the Soviet Union and its allied regimes in Eastern and Central Europe shattered between 1989 and 1991, some 85 percent of Cubas foreign trade disappeared, almost overnight, crippling agricultural and industrial production, transportation, electrical generation, and much more. The Cuban Revolution confronted the most severe economic, and political, crisis in its history. Enemies of the revolution around the world started packing their bags in anticipation of what they believed would be a triumphal return to Havana.

Instead, it was the creativity and steadfastness of Cubas working people that triumphed, as they organized against all odds to produce and to defend their socialist revolution. One element underpinning that victory was the proletarian confidence gained over the years of the Angolan mission  and, in the late 1980s, the simultaneous rebirth in Cuba of a mass social movement of volunteer labor to build housing, schools, clinics, child care centers, and other social necessities.

The hundreds of thousands of Cubans who over the years had taken part in the epic feat in Africa returned knowing much better the true face of capitalist exploitation and imperialist domination. And in Rauls words, Cuban working people knew much better what we are capable of achieving.

The political education and combat leadership experience gained by new generations of Cubans during the Angola mission was nowhere better revealed than in the example set by the Cuban revolutionaries who became known around the world as the Cuban Five.

Arrested in Florida in 1998, where they were monitoring the activities of Cuban counterrevolutionary organizations planning attacks on Cuban and US targets, the five were railroaded to prison by the Clinton administration on fabricated charges that included conspiracy to commit espionage and even murder. They each served draconian sentences of up to sixteen years behind bars. Their freedom and return home to Cuba, including the release of the final three on December 17, 2014, was won only through their own steadfastness and the relentless work of the Cuban government together with a hard-fought international solidarity campaign.

Three of the five  Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando Gonzalez, and Rene Gonzalez  had served in Angola. Their stories told firsthand can be found in Pathfinders Cuba and Angola: Fighting for Africas Freedom and Our Own. For each of them, as they have explained many times over, their time as part of this internationalist military mission was an experience that transformed their lives and on which they drew continuously for strength throughout their long years of incarceration.





by Harry Villegas is not a military memoir. It does contain powerful eyewitness accounts of moments of combat and decisive battles in Cangamba and Cuito Cuanavale among others. Its greatest value, however, lies in the political lessons it conveys  lessons, as Pombo makes clear, that were impressed on him above all by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, with whom he worked on this mission for more than half a decade.

General Harry Villegas served three tours of duty in Angola, one from 1977 to 1979 at the head of the Motorized Infantry Regiment in the northern region. The Cuban unit collaborated with the Angolan army in mop-up operations against the Zairian-backed forces of Holden Robertos FNLA.

From 1981 to 1988 Villegas served as liaison between the Cuban command headquarters in Angola and the special command post in Cuba of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, headed by Fidel Castro. In that capacity, as Pombo describes in these pages, he was the eyes and ears of the central command in Havana. He traveled constantly between the two countries, responsible for keeping the general staff in Havana objectively and accurately informed of all important developments in Angola and conveying precise instructions back to the head of the mission on the battlefront.

After the accords were signed in December 1988, Villegas remained in Angola as head of operations for the Cuban mission, helping to plan the withdrawal of the Cuban forces. On returning to Cuba in 1990, he led the Political Section of Cubas Western Army, and served as a member of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Revolutionary Armed Forces until his retirement from active duty.

It is on this experience that Villegas bases his rich account, aimed first and foremost at the political education of new generations of revolutionary combatants.





is the product of multiple interviews with Harry Villegas between 2009 and 2016. Each round amplified and clarified details of previous discussions. In addition, during those years dozens of memoirs of the Angola mission appeared in Cuba, published by Verde Olivo, Editora Politica, and others.

Firsthand accounts by those who served in Angola include books by General Ramon Espinosa, vice minister of the FAR; General Raul Tomassevich, who twice headed the military mission in Angola; his adjutant Lt. Colonel Jose Garciga; and Lt. Colonel Jorge Martin Blandino. These and other accounts too numerous to mention proved indispensable for understanding political and military events and verifying names, dates, and other facts.

Published in the US in 2013, and in Cuba in 2015, Visions of Freedom: Havana, Washington, Pretoria, and the Struggle for Southern Africa, 19761991 by Piero Gleijeses, became an additional source of valuable information.

The Pathfinder editors who interviewed Pombo and worked with him to bring his account to completion  Martin Koppel, Roger Calero, and I  are grateful for the generous help we received from so many, starting with Pombo himself. Special appreciation is also owed Iraida Aguirrechu and Jose Garciga for their editorial assistance throughout, as well as to Verde Olivo publishing house, Casa Editora Abril and Granma newspaper for making available many of the photos that appear in this book.

It is to revolutionary combatants of the present and future that Cuba and Angola: The War for Freedom is addressed. We are confident it will serve them well in the battles ahead.

December 2016

Copyright  2017 by Pathfinder Press. Reprinted by permission.







Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home




Airbnb is now many peoples go-to app when spending time in a different city, not just for accommodation but also for the experiences it offers.

The latest is the opportunity for tourists to dive head-first into Londons world-famous music scene with Grime Scout, where for 190 youll visit music venues around east London, spot talent, meet an (unnamed) grime producer, and end up in Dalstons Visions.

Youd be forgiven for clicking on this story and expecting the experience to include the likes of visiting Roman Road, or glancing up at the tower block which once held Heat FM.

But for plenty of fans just hearing the genre or who know nothing about it, this will no doubt be a captivating alternative to the regular sight-seeing London tours.

The experience is being hosted by a Slip Records artist and label scout, and promises what actually sounds like a very sick opportunity.

Well roam from bedroom studios with Grime producers showcasing the heaviest baselines to large suites with silky Rhythm and Blues vocals. Ill pick the best studios and producers to match what is going on in London at the time of your visit, the website says.

To round the excursion off, those interested are told well scope out the best venue of the night and might just end up partying in the same spot as someone like Pharrell Williams, Ed Sheeran, or ASAP Rocky.

The experience has gained some very good reviews, with talk of people being taken to see the likes of Wretch 32, Bonkaz, and seeing parts of London they otherwise wouldnt have.
ATLANTA (AP)  The marching band of a historically black college in Alabama will perform in President-elect Donald Trump's Jan. 20 inaugural parade, despite a barrage of criticism, the school's president announced Thursday, Jan. 5.

Talladega College President Billy Hawkins confirmed what the Presidential Inaugural Committee had announced Dec. 30. It was the first official word from the school.

The Inaugural Committee's announcement last month ignited passionate debate on the campus and around the nation.

In announcing that the Talladega College Marching Tornadoes will participate, Hawkins said students can learn lessons from the experience that cannot be taught in a classroom.

"We respect and appreciate how our students and alumni feel about our participation in this parade," Hawkins said in a statement Thursday.

"As many of those who chose to participate in the parade have said, we feel the inauguration of a new president is not a political event but a civil ceremony celebrating the transfer of power," Hawkins added.

The announcement followed several days of intense debate on social media.

Shirley Ferrill of Fairfield, Alabama, a member of Talladega's Class of 1974, said she doesn't want her alma mater to appear to be supporting Trump.

"After how black people were treated at Trump's rallies, you're going to go and shuck and jive down Pennsylvania Avenue? For what?" another opponent of the plans, Seinya SamForay of Chicago, said in an interview.

Others say the inauguration will be a unique and worthwhile trip for the students.

"It will be a wonderful learning experience for the students in the band," Talladega College alumnus and Hampton University President William Harvey said in a statement. "It will be a teachable moment for them to understand the importance of supporting the leader of the free world, despite one's political viewpoint."

"After all, the reason for being of any college or university should be to promote learning and not to enhance a political agenda," Harvey added.

Talladega bills itself as Alabama's oldest private, historically black liberal arts college.

The college traces its beginnings to 1865, when two former slaves pledged to provide a school for the children of former slaves of the community. The school was founded two years later, in 1867, according to historical accounts on its website.

The parade lineup highlights some overlaps between Trump's new political role and his business empire.

Talladega College Board Chairman Harry L. Coaxum and his wife Donna purchased a $900,000 condominium in the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago in May 2014, public records show. The condo purchase hasn't been mentioned amid the controversy over Talladega's band, and there's no indication it played any role in the parade plans. Messages left at a number listed for Coaxum were not immediately returned.

Presidential Inaugural Committee spokesman Boris Epshteyn didn't respond to questions about the purchase Wednesday or Thursday.

A similar situation involves another small school in the inaugural parade. The president of Olivet Nazarene University and his wife purchased a $2 million condo in the same Trump Tower in Chicago in March 2015, according to records from the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. President John Bowling told the Chicago Tribune that he's never met Trump or any of his relatives and that he "made no contact regarding the invitation" given to his university's band (http://trib.in/2iMv2Ne ).

Talladega and Olivet Nazarene are among about a half-dozen college bands, at least eight high school bands and several military groups that have been announced for the parade lineup so far.
3 Chinese arrested with Rs40m illegal foreign currency

Metropolitan Police Crime Division has arrested three Chinese nationals with foreign currency worth Rs44 million from Kathmandu on Saturday.
Bangladesh Expo to kick off on Tuesday

Bangladesh Expo 2017 is slated to begin in Kathmandu from Tues-day in a bid to familiarise Nepali consumers and entrepreneurs about Bangladeshi products.
Challenging the norms: Women turning taxi driving into an acceptable profession

JORDAN: Nisrin Akoubeh checks the oil and water before getting into her taxi and pulling into Ammans heavy traffic for another day of shuttling fellow women across the Jordanian capital.

transportreligionculture

By AFP

Saturday 14 January 2017, 11:00AM

Jordan is relatively liberal in terms of womens rights compared to other countries in the region, but not everyone is happy with the Pink Taxis driven by women. Photo: Khalil Mazraawi/AFP

The red-haired mother of three works a gruelling 10-hour shift in her taxi  a rare occupation for a woman in this conservative Muslim society.

I want to break the culture of shame and prove to Arabs and the Arab world that women are strong and are able to work in any area that could be monopolised by men, she said.

Women have been able to drive normal cars for a long time, so why shouldnt they drive taxis?

Akoubeh is one of a group of women who want to turn taxi driving into an acceptable profession for women, challenging Jordans social norms.

The 31-year-old widow and former nurse drives one of a fleet of 10 Pink Taxis driven by women ... for women passengers.

Most of their customers are nurses on late shifts, university students or mothers whose children they shuttle to and from nursery or school.

Wearing a pink shirt and blue tie as she navigates Ammans congested roads, Akoubeh often also picks up visiting Saudi women whose husbands dont allow them to ride unaccompanied with male taxi drivers.

I thank God that I have lots of customers, she said.

Ghena al-Asmar, a 19-year-old student who often uses the service, said she feels safer riding the women-only cars.

When I finish my studies at university in the evening or when I leave the house at night, I prefer to take these taxis because its a woman taking a woman somewhere, she said.

I dont think theres any shame in a woman working as a taxi driver  its a profession like any other profession, and it shouldnt be limited to men, she said.

Around half a million women in Jordan have driving licences, about 20 per cent of the countrys total drivers, according to the national traffic department.

Akoubeh said some people give her encouragement but there is always someone to remind me that this is mens work and you should be in the home.

Jordan is relatively liberal in terms of womens rights compared to other countries in the region, such as Saudi Arabia which does not allow women behind the wheel at all.

But more conservative attitudes are still common.

Mohammad al-Ahmad, a 50-year-old civil servant, said driving a taxi is not appropriate work for women.

We live in a conservative Eastern society governed by tribal customs and traditions, he said.

There are lots of jobs and professions women can do that fit their abilities and preserve their place in society, without them being seen in a bad light.

But Eid Abu al-Haj, head of an investment group behind a company that runs the Pink Taxi service, says encouraging women to drive is a service to society.

Women are more careful and cause fewer accidents, he said. By providing these cars exclusively for women, we are hoping to give women more comfort and privacy.

The service was launched on March 21, when most of the Arab world marks Mothers Day.

We started with five cars just for women, with women drivers, and now we have 10 drivers, between 30 and 45 years old, and were hoping to expand soon, said Abu al-Haj.

The concept has already been tried and tested in Cairo, another conservative city where women taxi drivers were previously unheard of.

Akoubeh said she has a good salary, health insurance, social security and holidays, and she can choose what hours to work.

Other taxi drivers in Amman say they take home at most 25 dinars (B1,246) a day after paying a share of their takings to the companies that own the cars.

Driving in Amman is not easy work. Home to four million people and 1.4mn vehicles including over 11,000 taxis, the city is prone to choking congestion.

It takes a lot of concentration and care, especially during rush hours, Akoubeh said.

But she enjoys the work.

I get to know new people every day, she said. I enjoy my conversations with them and hearing their stories and experiences.
Gripen jet crashes during air show, pilot killed

HAT YAI: A fighter jet crashed during an air show for the Children's Day in Hat Yai, Songkhla province.



By Bangkok Post

Saturday 14 January 2017, 11:16AM

The Jas 39 Grippen fighter jet crashes during the air show at Wing 26 in Hat Yai, Songkhla provinces, on Saturday. Photo: Wassana Nanuam

Sqn Ldr Dilokrit Pattavee was killed when the Jas 39 Gripen fighter jet crashed on a runway at Wing 26 during the air show at around 9.20am.

About an hour later, Thai media reported an airport fire engine overturned while rushing to put out the fire shortly after the crash. Hat Yai airport had to close to clear the runway. Commercial flights were diverted to Krabi airport while outbound flights were delayed. Authorities expect to be able to reopen the airport before noon.

Air Force spokesman Pongsak Semachai said a committee would be set up to investigate into the cause.

The "Royal Thai Air Force" Facebook urged the public not to share the video clips and photos of the crash out of respect for the victim's family and affected parties.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-ocha and ACM Jom Roongsawang expressed condolences to the pilot's family.

Read original story here.
PM Dahal off to UAE

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday at the invitation of UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
King issues national unity call

BANGKOK: His Majesty the King has stressed the importance of love, unity and peace among Thais, urging them to work together to make the country a safe place and win the confidence of other countries, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

disastersweather

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 14 January 2017, 09:31AM

Airmen from the Royal Thai Air Force's Wing 7 travel on a flat-bottomed boat to deliver necessities and medicines to flood victims in Surat Thani province's Phunphin district. Photo: Supapong Chaolan

The King expressed deep concern over the plight of flood-stricken people in the South and advised the government and state agencies to work to their fullest capacity to restore their livelihoods, the prime minister said.

Gen Prayut, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, privy councillors and senior government officials were granted an audience with His Majesty the King on Thursday night to report on the flood situation in the South.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday His Majesty was concerned about the hardship of people affected by the devastating floods in the South and asked the government to help them resume a normal life as soon as possible.

During the audience, the King advised the government and agencies concerned to work out long-term measures to sustainably tackle flooding in the South, and follow the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's guidelines on flood prevention.

"His Majesty instructed the government to do its best, reduce work duplication and ensure help is given to all victims. The King also advised that long-term action plans be devised to solve the flooding in the South in a sustainable manner," Gen Prayut said.

Gen Prayut said the King has also written a message to all Thais.

The royal message states: "With love and care, I want to give my encouragement to all those involved in rehabilitation and development efforts to bring back good spirits and physical strength for the sake of happiness and national security."

The King's message reflected his concern for his people, said the prime minister.

The prime minister said the government was duty-bound to tackle the flooding. He said it was necessary for the authorities to speed up the drainage of water and clear obstacles that blocked waterways.

The government would try to minimise the impact on people while draining flood water into the sea and taking measures to prevent flooding, he said.

At the Royal Plaza on Friday, Gen Prayut also presided over the launch of a caravan of 900 vehicles with about 300 teams of volunteers comprising students and education personnel who will bring help and relief supplies to flood victims in the South.

More than 150,000 households are expected to receive assistance.

Gen Prayut said the convoy's trip to the South is a show of force among Thais to help ease the suffering of fellow Thais.

The region has been declared a flood disaster Level 3 area, with the Interior Ministry leading efforts to integrate flood relief operations, Gen Prayut said, adding His Majesty the King was concerned about the flood situation in the South and instructed privy councillors to help the government.

The prime minister asked relief volunteers in the caravan to convey His Majesty's message of concern to flood victims and act as "unity envoys" on the government's behalf.

"Unity is about all people helping each other and about the spirit of sharing while avoiding the creation of new problems and divisions. We must unite all 70 million Thais with the power of love and unity," Gen Prayut told the gathering.

Meanwhile, former Democrat Party MP for Songkhla Wirat Kalayasiri yesterday welcomed the latest move by the prime minister to set up four committees to push forward national reforms, national strategy and reconciliation.

One will work on preparing for national reforms, one will prepare the national development strategy, one will help with building national unity, and the other will work on strategic national administration.

The prime minister will oversee the four committees which will be headed by deputy prime ministers, and they will work in tandem with the National Legislative Assembly and the National Reform Steering Assembly.

Regarding the committee for strategic national administration, it will serve as a "mini-cabinet", working on three levels of administration  the command level, development supervision level and operational unit level.

Mr Wirat said it was appropriate for Gen Prayut to appoint Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon to chair the committee on achieving national reconciliation.

Gen Prawit has good connections in all quarters and has what it takes to coordinate efforts to foster unity, Mr Wirat said.

He added that it is now the right time to achieve national reconciliation.

Read original story here.
Phuket Night Run 2017

ATHLETICS: I have seen an incredible phenomenon recently with many of the people around me starting to become more and more involved in exercise of various forms. Some run, some bike, some play tennis or badminton and many have made the big move into triathlon.

Saturday 14 January 2017, 01:00PM

The event will take runners through the most scenic parts of Phuket Town. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

To me, as a long-time runner, seeing people exercise always makes me feel good, not just because I will have more friends in my circle, but more importantly, because it is definitely good for them both physically and mentally.

Some time ago I came across a guy who is also a runner, but not only that, he has been involved with a number of large-scale Phuket projects including the Smart City and Creative Gastronomy City initiatives to name a few.

But most recently, this man organised a very interesting running event, the Phuket Night Run, which this year will be held on January 28 for the 3rd year running. Yes, a running event that takes place at night, and the best thing about this event is that the route takes you through the beautifully lit Phuket Old Town during the darkest time of the day.

The route also takes you past some of the old towns most symbolic places including the fountain circle (hopefully, there will actually be water flowing from the fountain when we pass), clock circle, and few more.

This will be the 3rd consecutive year of the Phuket Night Run and we expect a high number of runners to turn out for the race.

Last year we had runners from Bangkok and nearby provinces join us. We even had runners from Macau and Hong Kong too, said race organiser Mr Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, who is also Vice President of the Phuket Tourist Association.

Running at night will be fun. Runners do not need to worry about the sun, or getting up early. And you still have some time to have fun after the race, he added.

The Phuket Night Run is an annual charity run with this years donations, which is B50 of each race entry fee, going directly to a project which helps bedbound patients in the city.

Anyone wishing to take part in the 3rd Phuket Night Run, which takes place at 10:45pm on January 28, can apply via www.phuketnightrun.com; check out their Facebook page, Phuket Night Run 2017, or simply call 098-9951954.

Want to know if Im going to join the run? Definitely. This is a unique run, and not only will you have fun, you will also be donating to and supporting those in need in the city.

See you at the start line!
US Ambassador visits Phuket

PHUKET: United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand Glyn T. Davies visited Phuket yesterday (Jan 13) to discuss bilateral investment between Thailand and the USA with Phuket governor Chockchai Dejamornthan.



By The Phuket News

Saturday 14 January 2017, 01:15PM

United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand Glyn T. Davies with Phuket governor Chockchai Dejamornthan. Caption: PR Dept

The first person to welcome Ambassador Davies was Wutthisorn Rojanaburanon, vice-director of Phuket International Airport, who talked to the envoy about the newly open international terminal. Checking out this brand new facility was one of the purposes of the visit, Ambassador Davies admitted.

I am visiting Phuket to see the new building that will support growing tourist arrivals, he said. The ambassador praised the new building and found it very comfortable.

Later Ambassador Davies met Phuket governor Chockchai Dejamornthan to discuss bilateral investment between America and Thailand and also paid a visit to Vachira Hospital Phuket where he thanked staff for treating foreigners patients well.

Speaking to the local audience, Ambassador Davies also expressed his condolences and sympathy to the people of Thailand for the loss of life and damage caused by the flooding in southern Thailand.

The United States donated B3.5 million to help the victims. The funds, channeled through the United States Agency for International Development, will be used to support Save the Children Foundation, he said.
Woman hit by a stray bullet as teenagers try to force a Burmese man to buy meth

PHUKET: Police are hunting for two teenagers who accidentally shot a woman while trying to persuade a Burmese man to buy drugs from them.

crimedrugs

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 14 January 2017, 04:04PM

Capt Kraisorn Boonprasop of Thalang Police was informed at 10:45am today (Jan 14) that a Burmese woman with a gunshot wound was taken to hospital from a workers camp at Baan Na Nuea, in Thepkasattri sub-district.

Having arrived at the scene, Capt Kraisorn and Lt Winit Chearplam questioned Mongkon Wongpradit, the person overlooking the camp, and a Burmese worker named Chan who was a direct participant of the incident.

Mr Chan told officers that two teenagers approached him and tried to talk into buying two methamphetamine pills from them. When he rejected the offer, one of the young men took out a pen gun and tried to shoot Mr Chan, but missed. The stray bullet hit Ms Waisin, a Burmese woman who was also present at the scene. Then both teenagers fled.

Ms Waisin was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound of the right side of her waste. The wound turned out to be not severe and having received medical treatment the woman came back to the camp. Police are now hunting for the attackers.
Yin yoga is in for 2017

Hello and Happy New Year! This year I thought I would focus on a different style of yoga.



By Kim White

Saturday 14 January 2017, 09:00AM

Tackle the new year with some new Yin yoga poses.

Tackle the new year with some new Yin yoga poses.

Tackle the new year with some new Yin yoga poses.

While teaching yoga over the past few years, I discovered that Yin yoga has had such great benefits for everyday people, so I decided to share 11 of the best Yin yoga poses with you, over 2017.

What is Yin yoga, I hear you ask? In most of the common yoga practised today, the focus is on the bigger, thicker, denser muscles, and because they are so thick and dense we find ourselves having to really put some force into stretching them. We could say that this forceful nature of stretching has a Yang (strong) nature to it.

The focus in Yin yoga is somewhat different. In this style of class the focus is on the connective tissue and the fascia and these tissues of the body have a completely different make up.

They are very thin, much like the density of paper, but they are also super elastic and are the support system for the skeleton.

Which means they join the big, dense muscles to the bones at the joints  so Yin yoga is all about increasing joint mobility.

An increase in joint mobility means easier everyday movements of the body in general.

The postures we use in Yin yoga are a little different to Hatha yoga poses, they usually tend to be easier shapes that are held for longer periods of time, so the body has time to give into gravity and the elastic nature of the tissues we are stretching.

The other important aspect to Yin yoga is, as the name suggests, the energetic nature of Yin itself.

Yin is often known as the maternal energy of yoga and it is best to view the inconsistencies of the body much like a mother would a child  with unlimited amounts of patience, compassion and loving kindness.

It is very easy to get frustrated with a stiff, inflexible body but this attitude is definitely not going to help you when practising Yin yoga.

A frustrated, hard mind will only create a frustrated, hard body and we dont want that at all.

Life is already busy enough as it is and we put our bodies under so much mental, physical and emotional duress that I believe Yin yoga is the best antidote for our busy lives.

We want Yin yoga to be the water that quells the fire of life and like water we want to flow creatively and smoothly through life with a cool strength.

What we learn on a yoga mat, we can also use off the mat, in everyday life.

Be still like the mountain and flow like a great river  Tao Te Ching.

I look forward to sharing Yin yoga with you this year, for a happier and healthier body and mind.

Metta

Kim OXOX
Yunnan Phuket club calls for more flood-relief donations

PHUKET: Head of the Yunnan Phuket Club calls for more donations to help victims of the southern flooding.

disastersweather

By Yutthawat Lekmak

Saturday 14 January 2017, 02:49PM

Flood victims need water, canned food, flashlights and various daily necessities. Photo: Shangha Lee

Talking to The Phuket News, head of the Yunnan Phuket Club Surapong Saelor emphasised that hundreds of families from flood-stricken provinces across Southern Thailand lost their possessions. The Yunnan Phuket club invites Thai people and Chinese people to help these flood victims in the south. Donatinons can be made at the Yunnan Phuket Club on Wirat Hong Yok Rd., Vichit, Mueang Phuket, Mr Surapong said. Earlier this week a convoy of 13 trucks loaded with food, drinking water and other flood-relief supplies rolled out from Patong, bound for the disaster areas. Among the items of high demand are rice, canned fish, dried food, drinking water, sanitary towels, flashlights, mosquito repellent, toilet paper and other daily necessities. To contact the Yunnan Phuket lub, please call 094-4469335 or 098-2788888 (Thai-speaker recommended).
Disruption in power supply due to glitches, construction works

The Kathmandu Valley, which has not seen power outages for a few months now, has once again started witnessing disruption in electricity supply in certain areas, albeit Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has clearly said those power cuts do not imply loadshedding has returned to the Capital.
Nepal 8th largest LIDC to attract investment in PPP projects

Nepal has emerged as one of the top 10 low income developing countries (LIDCs) to attract investment in infrastructure projects built under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, says a latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) report.
$2.5M state loan will help finance manufacturing facility in Watertown

The Watertown Development Company has a new logo and receives $2.5 million for a new facility in Calvin Park
Nepal yet to ensure justice to war-era victims

Nepal has failed to ensure accountability for human rights abuses committed during the decade-long armed conflict, a New York-based rights group said.
Nepse posts Rs115b turnover in first half

As more new investors entered the market, Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) posted a turnover of Rs115 billion in the first half of the fiscal yearmore than double the figure of the same period a year ago.
The five sectors opened to Japanese investors were manufacturing, infrastructure and logistics, tourism, services and agribusiness.

The Department of Trade and Industry is drumming up opportunities for Japanese investors in five priority areas as Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledge a package of close to $9 billion in public and private inflows to the Philippines.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez Friday told reporters that the five areas prioritised in the Philippines comprehensive national industrial strategy were manufacturing, infrastructure and logistics, tourism, services, and agribusiness.

Investors would be particularly invited to do business in electronic manufacturing services, automotive and auto parts, aerospace parts, chemicals, shipbuilding, tool and die, furniture and garments, power, and transport and logistics.

Lopez said Japanese businesses could also look into construction and non-voice services in the business process management industry, particularly in the segments of medical, financial and legal services; game development; engineering design in manufacturing; software development, and shared services.

He also mentioned businesses related to cacao, coffee, mangoes, bananas, coconuts, rubber, bamboo, fruits and nuts, palm oil and other high-value crops.

Let me reiterate the open policy of the whole government toward investment, Lopez said in an address to Japanese businessmen.

We welcome all foreign investments in almost all areas of activities except for a short negative list, which have limited foreign equity participation, but the rest are open, he added.

The trade chief said that Abe, whose visit to the country has brought him to Davao City, was accompanied by top executives from major Japanese companies.

Lopez said the business organisations represented included Marubeni, Mitsubushi, Itochu, Sumitomo, Toyota, Sumifru, Mizuho and the Nakayama Japanese Chamber.

He said there were also officials from Chodai, Kirin, Tsuneishi, Tokyo Gas, Ichijo, Hitachi, Nakayama Technologies, a gasoline company, and an engineering services [provider].

Lopez said the aid-plus-investment pledge from Japan was just about as much as that received from China when President Duterte visited Beijing in October 2016.

I think the [pledge from Japan is] the biggest so far [from any country] during the Duterte administration, Lopez said. Arguably, it may actually be higher than Chinas pledge, which is about $6 billion in official development assistance and $3 billion in financing facility.
In an effort to widen the horizons of students and help them explore future possibilities, a seminar of school teachers was held here by Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan. The seminar titled "Turning Mirrors into Windows: Sculpting the Imagination, Expressions and Values of Gen Next" was attended by learned speakers from different walks of life.

Welcoming the staff members, guest speakers and resource persons of the sessions held on 10-11 January,

Jyoti Bose, director, Springdales Schools, stressed on the need to examine the gospel truth and broaden the horizons of students by opening up vistas to help them explore future possibilities. Bose is also the principal, Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, Delivering the keynote address, Professor Shiv Visvanathan, Vice Dean and Executive Director, OP Jindal Global University, urged schools to become the bastions of democracy where students are proactively engaged in co-creating a socially just society. He advised the educationists to become the kaleidoscope through which mirrors can be turned into windows and provide the students a comprehensive perspective on history.

Padmashree Geeta Chandran, renowned dancer and founder president, Natya Vriksha, portrayed an individuals quest of self, which acknowledges the world outside through her captivating dance recital. While addressing the staff members, she spoke on how performing arts are an option in schools and the true value of art teachers is still unknown to many.

An engaging panel discussion on the topic The Changing Environment of the 21st Century chaired by Sonal Kalra, National Editor, Hindustan Times, Devalina Dave, former Reader, Delhi University, and Kanika K Ahuja, Associate Professor, Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi University, brought out the need to align school culture and education with the techno-savvy Gen Next to retain its relevance. In his presentation titled The idea of India, Major Maroof Raza hailed India as a nation with immense potential to grow and evolve into a country to reckon with on the world stage, while Valentina Trivedi, creative writer and teacher trainer, highlighted the art of story telling as a powerful teaching tool.

Neerja Sharma, manager, Springdales, Dhaula Kuan, and former associate professor, Lady Irwin College, Delhi University, demonstrated a variety of activities to integrate differently-abled children comfortably into the mainstream curriculum. Aporajito Bose, diversity manager, Springdales Schools, envisioned a positive change through a concerted effort aimed to create a cleaner, litter-free environment within the school through proper waste disposal management.

Through a lively and interactive session, Ameeta Mulla Wattal, principal, Springdales School, Pusa Road, and Pranav Mukherjee, theatre expert, demonstrated the way Shakespeares language clarifies the entire range of human emotions and its timeless appeal and relevance.

Congratulating the staff of Springdales for their unceasing contribution throughout the Diamond Jubilee Year, Rajni Kumar, chairperson, Springdales Education Society, reiterated the role of teachers in igniting the spark latent in every child.
OCE to conduct School Education Exams this year

In the lack of a mechanism at the provincial level, the Office of the Controller of Examinations, under the Central Examination Board (CEB), will be holding the Grade 10 examinations.
It's new year and the harvest is over. There's celebration everywhere. People in all parts of the country are celebrating Lohri, Pongal, Makar Sankranti, etc. And these festivals devoted to agriculture play a great role in shaping the rich cultural heritage of India, which has a large rural and farming population.

In Assam too, the harvest festival called Bhogali Bihu is being celebrated. Bhogali means variety of rich food items. Going by its name, there is mass feasting of different traditional Assamese food during the festival.

During this bihu, authentic Assamese food items such as 'kath alu fry are cooked in the meji and the symbolic pitha are carefully prepared with roasted rice," said Rumi, a 40-year-old school teacher speaking about the festival to thestatesman.com.

She also spoke about the significant use of jaggery in cera (flat rice) with cream and doi (curd) and the authentic Assamese fish curry, duck curry and the sweet khurma, larus prepared with sesame seeds, coconut and puffed rice with honey.

It's a two-day celebration. On the first night of the festival known as uruka, every household prepares rich food items as people gather around the meji, Assamese bonfire prepared with wood or tree leaves for a community feast.

But what really is the specialty of this two-day celebration?

This is the festival we come together with our whole family. Even our faraway relatives join us for the feasting. This festival keeps us rooted to the Assamese culture," said Tina, 22-year-old college student in Guwahati.

In this fast-moving life, we dont have much time to make calls every day and arrange dinner parties frequently. In Assam, there was once a time when dinner invites were popular and people had more time for home visits.

It's big family time. When I was young I remember addressing even our neighbours as family. I dont remember using the term neighbour then," One Surojit, a senior executive working in a bank, said.



"We sometimes don't realise how fast the kids are growing up and how much they need gatherings like these to sustain the family traditions and norms, he added.

Upon nightfall, the locals build Bhela ghor, temporary house build with hay to be burnt the following day at the crack of dawn. Everyone takes early bath as they gather around meji to chant prayers and burn the bhela ghor as people offer respect to the fire god. They also offer pithas to the burning meji as an offering, thanking god for the harvest and seeking his blessings for the next season.

This festival keeps us deep rooted to our assamese culture with all the traditions. We bow down to touch the elders feet by offering gamocha and taamul-pan (areca nut and betel leaf) in the horai (a prominent Assamese souvenir). As we see, the Western culture has quite an impact on us, this festival helps us keep our roots intact, said Tarun, a 28-year-old engineer employed in Delhi.

Apart from the traditions and culture, Bihu holds a great significance in the life of people in Assam, be it Hindu or Muslim. Both community celebrate the festival together and feast together.

Apart from participating in feasting and ritual activities, this Bihu also attract every-age groups for the local fun games like tekeli bhanga (breaking pots by being blindfolded), marble-spoon run (balancing marble in the spoon while running or walking fast), egg fight, buffalo fight, cock fight, etc. A childhood in Assam without the fond memories of these amusing games equates a life without music.

Making our hearts melt with the high-spirited bihu songs and the menfolk playing dhol (assamese drum) and the ladies flaunting their graceful mekhela-chador (a traditional Assamese attire) add to the vibrancy of the festival.

According to the Assamese calendar, the festival marks the ending of the Puha month and the beginning of the Magha month. Hence, this festival is also known as Magha Bihu.

Come let's eat, pray, love this Bhogali Bihu or Magha Bihu!
Since the Paris Climate Conference in 2015, India vouched to increase its renewable energy production by 175 gigawatts. These broad claims made many wonder whether India would ever be able to achieve this feat, until now. The governments energy advisory board in a statement said that India could meet its energy needs by 2022, without the need for more coal-powered plants.

The national electricity plan, the draft of which was released by the Central Electricity Authority on 12 December 2016, stated that the share of non-fossil fuel production capacity of the country was to increase to 46.8 per cent by 2022. It may further grow by close to 10 per cent in the subsequent five years. These figures also take into account another 50 GW of coal-based power plants that are in construction and would likely come online by 2022. The study result for the period 201722 indicated that no coal-based capacity addition is required, said the report.

Its not just the Indians who are confident and invested in making India renewable energy-sufficient. The confidence comes from the fact that the demand for electricity in India is growing continuously. One quarter of Indias population, which equates to 300 million people, still has no access to electricity. KfW Development Bank, a unit of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, recently concluded a 0.5 billion-euro loan agreement with Powergrid, the Indian power transmission company. This is the first leg of a KfW 1 billion-euro loan for expanding Indian transmission lines.

This investment, along with other minor investments from other countries and banks, seems set to fuel Indias renewable energy production in the coming years. These investments, coupled with a billion dollars from the Indian government, are a part of the construction of green-corridors. These new transmission lines will feed on electricity obtained purely from renewable energy sources.

Similarly, there is another mega project to expand the transmission network in the States. The government has signed contracts for expanding the networks in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. 125 million euros were provided to each of these States power companies to finance the project. This will enable electricity to be transmitted in a much more efficient way. It would reduce power loss during transmission and reduce our carbon footprint. If India wants to see a noticeable reduction in its CO2 emissions, there needs to be at least a 15 per cent increase in its renewable energy production by 2022, to match the increase in demand through the years. The main issue with renewable energy is that the end customer will only be able to access power from these renewable energy sources if they are stable and efficient. Stability is not as much of a problem for hydro power plants as it is for solar power and wind.

Another issue is that solar and wind power plants are primarily located in only seven states in the country, that is, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Some of these are situated away from the financial centres that are the primary consumers of the power. Therefore, it is very important that the transmission lines be expanded and made efficient.

To increase renewable energy production by such a magnitude is a huge turnaround for one of the worlds largest greenhouse gas emitters that has thrived until now on cheap coal. The energy policy announced in 2006 said that coal would continue to dominate the energy production matrix of India till 2031-32 and maybe even beyond. It projected that India may need 2 billion tons of coal by 2032.

However, with this new turnaround, the new plan puts the total coal requirement for 2022 at 727 metric tons, and for 2027 at 901 metric tons, provided renewable energy targets of 175 gigawatts are achieved. This is after factoring in a 30 per cent reduction in hydropower generation due to monsoon failure being supplemented by coal-based generation.

This bold move has been inspired by, in part, the successful deployment of various renewable energy programmes, especially the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission that has added 10 GW of power in six years.

The Draft Electricity Plan is the only policy paper we have today that provides an insight into the governments intentions on energy. Thus contradictory plans seem to flow with government intending to increase the supply of coal and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions by turning to renewable energy.

First, coal output is not being curtailed. With Coal India ready to produce a billion tonnes and private coal mines another half a billion, India will have twice the coal it needs. This coal would have to be pushed for export, a wise thing to do as long as the coal markets are buoyant and profitable. This would help India earn foreign exchange and help the countrys negative balance of trade. Second, the government has no legal power to prevent private coal mine owners from setting up coal-based power plants. Power generation no longer requires a license after the Electricity Act of 2003 opened it up.

So we might see a shift from state-owned coal power to privately owned coal-power generating capacities. Coal power nevertheless will grow as coal mining continues to grow. About 83 GW of Indias thermal generation capacity of 214 GW and 130 GW of its total power generation capacity of 308 GW is already privately owned.

The government believes that renewables, especially hydro and even nuclear power would help overcome some of the key problems that have led to a persistent gap in energy access. Moreover, off-grid localized production is also under discussion. It may help ensure stability and efficiency that may be a problem with high transmission and distribution losses.

There is some scepticism about Indias renewable energy policy. India is almost as big as China in terms of population; however, it still is desperately poor and is determined to develop. The easiest way to get richer is to industrialise the nation. This would require more power, and the easiest way to get more power is to dig up coal and burn it, especially as India is endowed with very large coal deposits.

Increasing the renewable energy base is welcome for the fight against global warming. To prevent the adverse effects of climate change, India will have to industrialise differently from the way Europe and the US did. They industrialised by burning coal. India will have to skip most of the coal stage and go right to solar.

The falling cost of solar will help with that, obviously, but Indias unusually abundant, cheap coal resources mean it will not quickly convert from coal to solar power. Although the Narendra Modi administration has made big promises on cutting carbon emissions, many question the governments ability and will to follow through, especially given the countrys traditional reluctance to address the issue.

This reluctance is understandable. India is very vulnerable to climate change, with long coastlines and a lot of poor people. Therefore, it needs to industrialise quickly and also fight global warming. It is manifestly unfair for India to hobble its growth when most other nations got rich by burning fossil fuels. That will create popular pressure for the government to do less than it should.

The simple solution then would seem to be for rich countries to pay India and other fast-developing nations to skip coal and go straight to solar. However, with European economies in the dumps and the US soon to be headed by the Trump administration, such a bargain seems unlikely.

A more realistic solution to our present situation is for India and other developing countries to receive trade investment, access and know-how from the developed countries. Ways need to be provided to India to ensure it receives the required inputs and the technology base at a competitive price so that it grows faster and does not have to rely on more coal. Additionally, India can impose a high tax on carbon, and adopt other incentives to substitute solar for coal more quickly.

To summarise, developed countries should also do two things. First, they should direct large amounts of investment Indias way, and drop trade barriers. Second, they should set up technology transfer programs that give away clean energy know-how.

This kind of grand bargain would satisfy Indians desire for fairness, while also helping them to industrialise quickly. It would also strike a big blow against climate change. This is something that Europe, Japan and other developed countries can do, even if the US opts out under Trump. Though solar has given humanity a possible window out of the climate change trap, bold policy is needed to take advantage of that window.



(The writers are, respectively, Professor of Law and third year law student at Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat).
Yes we did. As the three words were greeted with a resonant roar in Chicago last Tuesday night, Barack Obama had advanced a seemingly affirmative answer to the rhetorical chant in 2008 Yes we can. As he goes through the wrap-up motions of his eight-year Presidency, he must be acutely aware that the signal of intent has been addressed only partly. No, it wasnt an exercise in self-delusion. As he and his family bade a teary-eyed goodbye, it wasnt really a night of joy and nostalgia, so very unlike the farewell speeches of his predecessors. Implicit in the presentation was the stark warning that democracy in the United States of America is under siege. It really is. Regretfully, the outgoing Presidents speech was somewhat overshadowed by Donald Trump debunking the Russian dossier and what he called the media nonsense on the Kremlins involvement in the elections as phony stuff generated by his opponents. It would be fair to assume that Americans by and large will accord far greater credence to Mr Obamas goodbye address than to his successors almost inbuilt aversion to intolerance, if not the data furnished by the National Security Adviser, the FBI, and the CIA. I cant do that! This is not a monarchy, after all was the outgoing Presidents prompt reply to the orchestrated cry of the Chicago crowd ~ Another four years.

Verily, it was a state of our democracy speech in course of which he was riveted to the overwhelming malaise that plagues USA today. Only once did he mention Donald Trump by name, a testament as much to his diplomatic acumen and innate graciousness. The speech was an issue-based repudiation of the Trump agenda.

He dismissed misgivings of post-racial America ~ racism has been mortally pronounced during his years in the White House ~ as unrealistic. He has effectively conveyed a message to the next occupant of the Oval Office by defending the rights of immigrants and Muslim Americans, virtually trashing Trumps suggestion on a Mexico Wall. He was virulent in his condemnation of those who refuse to accept the science of climate change, pre-eminently Trump himself.

He warned of the threat posed by the rise of naked partisanship, with people retreating into their own self-confirming bubbles. Without being explicit, the Chicago address ~ to summon the title of Swami Vivekanandas seminal speech ~ was a stout rejection of Trumps plan of action. Every day I learned from you, Mr Obama told the audience as they roared, whistled and cheered. You made me a better President and you made me a better man. The tribute to the people could scarcely have been more profound as America gears up for a peaceful transfer of power.
More than 2,500 years ago, Lord Buddha spoke of impermanence or anitya in Sanskrit. For the sage, it was one of the three marks of conditioned existence, which without exception are transient, evanescent, inconstant; all temporal things, whether material or mental, are compounded objects in a continuous change of condition, subject to decline and destruction, taught the Buddha.

This is also true for politics, though in this sphere, things seem to move faster than in other realms.

Take Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For several years, he was the devil incarnate; he was a criminal; no name was bad enough to define the Chief Minister of Gujarat; it went so far that several foreign embassies in India forbade their diplomats to undertake projects in Gujarat or even visit the State.

Calculated in political eons, this was long ago.

Today, foreign Heads of State or Government are rushing to the Indian State to do business with Vibrant Gujarat. According to the MEA, the Global Summit saw the participation of the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa, the Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, the Deputy PM of Russia, Dmitry Rogozin, the Deputy PM of Poland, Piotr Glinski, the French foreign minister, Jean Marc Ayrault, the economy minister of Japan, Hiroshige Seko, and delegations from many other countries.

I remember speaking to the Ambassador of one of the countries mentioned (not France), who swore that his country would never set foot in Modis state.

But the past is the past.

It must have been pleasing, not to say a sweet revenge, for the Indian Prime Minister to receive so many dignitaries. Take the example of France; Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development came with a 147-member French delegation to attend the Global Summit. A French communique said: Reflecting its prominent position among leading foreign investors in India, France, a Partner Country of the Summit, is committed to partnering with the Government of India and the Government of Gujarat.

Even a Nobel Laureate, Serge Haroche, expert in atomic physics, quantum optics, and laser spectroscopy, participated in the Nobel Laureates Conclave. How this will make Gujarat vibrate is not clear, but it is more symbolic of the new worlds state of mind vis-a-vis India and Modi in particular.

The central focus of the Summit being Sustainable Economic and Social Development, the French delegation was said to have expertise in energy, power, urban development, water and waste management, aviation and logistics, agrifood industry, multimodal transport, IT and communications, planning, housing, industry (biotechnology, ceramic and metallic coatings, dental, electronics, pharmaceuticals, textile), consulting, and banking and finance. Can you believe it?

I however wonder whether the delegates really understand Modis Make in India vision? It is a billion rupee question. And the foreign delegates should remember that the Gujaratis are among the best businesspersons of the world, can they be a match?

I am not too sure that whether they are African, Russian, Portuguese or French, the delegates to the Summit realise what Make in India means. This type of new partnership means sharing the best technologies they have.

But let us hope for the best.

Launched in 2003, the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit aims at attracting investment in the state, but the foreign delegates should not forget that Modis India is not the same country as in the 1980s or 1990s.

ISRO will soon launch PSLV C 37, (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) which should lift three big and 100 small satellites in a single mission off from Sriharikota. A world record.

The PSLV is to carry one satellite of the Cartosat series and two small ISRO satellites and 100 smaller commercial satellites, many for the US.

The Summit was not business only, it was also the occasion for high politics. With the world scene in global flux, particularly after the arrival of a new US President, Modi made sure to use the forum to discuss politics, especially when he met Dimitri Rogozin, the Russian deputy prime minister (himself accompanied by a large business delegation).

The talks between the two were crucial as it was the first high level encounter between India and Russia after Putins visit to India last October. It was also an occasion for Delhi to get clarifications from Moscow whose position on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (cutting across the Indian territory in POK) has been ambiguous, with Beijing and Islamabad trying to lure the Russians into the mega scheme.

In a first stage, Russia said that it was interested in participating in the activities of the port of Gwadar, but later the information was denied.

Indrani Bagchi wrote in The Times of India: if Russia enhances its relations with Pakistan, particularly in the defence sector, India would take a very different set of measures, which could even include reducing its buy of Russian weaponry. Indian officials say they understand Russia is looking for new markets for its weapons but selling to Pakistan should not be among them. In the past few months, Russia, which, despite poor economic ties or popular exchanges has been a favourite of Indian governments, has faced unprecedented criticism from Indians.

The other issue is the uncertainty about Donald Trumps stand on US-Russia relations. The new President is bound to have more normal relations with Vladimir Putin than his predecessor who was obsessed about real or imaginary interference from Moscow on American soil, forgetting that in the past, the Chinese have harmed the US interests many times more than the Russians (in hacking for example). What will Trump tweet next on Russia?

It would certainly be a good thing for India (and for America) to balance Moscows dependence on Beijing, in the Middle East crisis and elsewhere.

Though the French Foreign Minister met Modi during the Global Summit, the attention-grabbing news concerning French diplomacy in the changed times, came from another side of the globe. Three French MPs, one of them associated with Francois Fillon, who in a few months has good chances to be the next French President, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Though Fillons campaign manager denied sending Thierry Mariani, one of the MPs, it is clear that this heralds radical changes in the months to come on this front too. Mariani said that Assad told him that he was willing to negotiate with rebel groups fighting against his government, with the exception of the jihadist organizations.

According to Mariani, Assad was optimistic and ready for reconciliation with them on the condition that they lay down their arms. Further, he was ready to negotiate on everything during the forthcoming talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, brokered by Russia and Turkey.

Apart from the MPs, a group of French journalists from France Info, LCP and RTL television interviewed the Syrian President: We dont consider it [retaking Aleppo from the rebels] as a victory. The victory will be when you get rid of all the terrorists, said Assad.

Asked about heavy bombing raids that ravaged the city and claimed large numbers of civilian lives, Assad told the French journalists: But you have to liberate, and this is the price sometimes.

Apart from the fate of global business, Year 2017 is bound to witness a sea of changes on the international scene. World leaders, whether they are Chinese, Russian, French or American will have to learn to live with Anitya.

(The writer is an expert on China-Tibet relations and author of Fate of Tibet.)
For the past three years, Tamil Nadu has been fighting every January to hold the traditional rural sport Jallikattu, which was banned since 2014. With political parties jumping in to make use of the issue, passions are running high on the question of Tamil pride.

In 2014, the Supreme Court had struck down the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act of 2009 brought by Jayalalitha  a state law that permitted the event  stating that it violated the national law. The State government managed to control the protests and public anger last year but in the post-Jayalalitha era, the issue has become a political tool.

What is this about? Jallikattu is the Indian cousin of the Spanish bullfight. But unlike the Spanish version, Jallikattu seeks only to tame the bulls and take away the prize money tied to their horns. Back in 1991, the Union Environment Ministry had banned the training and exhibition of bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers and dogs. The Indian Circus Organisation challenged it before the Delhi High Court, and after prolonged litigation, the court upheld the notification. The ministry issued a fresh notification in 2011, which specifically included bulls, paving the way for the Jallikattu ban.

The May 2014 Supreme Court order upheld the 2011 notification holding Forcing and pulling the bull by a nose rope into the narrow, closed enclosure or vadi vassal (entry point), subjecting it to all forms of torture, fear, pain and suffering by forcing it to go into the arena and also over-powering it in the arena by bull tamers, are not for the well-being of the animal.

This year too, supporting the ban are the animal rights activists who insist that the cruel sport should be banned. If the law continues to be disregarded, we beseech you to exercise powers under Article 356 of the Constitution to ensure that the situation is brought under control, and the law of the land is given the respect it deserves, they recently urged the Union Home Minister in a letter. Through various reports, affidavits and photographs, the Animal Welfare Board of India has argued that Jallikattu bulls are physically and mentally tortured for the pleasure and enjoyment of human beings. Allowing Jallikattu would have spurred other courts  from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Maharashtra  to allow cruelty to animals in the name of tradition, they contend.

Jallikattu supporters quoting scriptures like the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana claim that it has been prevalant for centuries. However, gradually the village landlords converted this into a gallery sport. Being a long-standing tradition, no tickets are sold for Jallikattu or bullock-cart races. Thus, they argue, while these events may be regulated, they ought not to be prohibited.

Almost all Tamil Nadu political parties including the Congress, BJP and the Left parties apart from the mainline Dravidian parties are demanding the lifting of the ban. The Jallikattu belt is dominated by the politically powerful OBC Thevar community, which has considerable clout in several parties.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have turned Jallikattu into a highly emotional issue to gain political mileage. While the AIADMK chose the letter route, the DMK is taking to street protests. The states regional parties known to confront each other on nearly every issue have unitedly come out against the ban.

Knowing the importance of the issue the new AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala Natarajan and chief minsiter O. Pannerselvam had written to the Centre to allow the sport. but the Centre is waiting for the court verdict. Rallying behind the cause Panneerselvam said in his letter: Considering the groundswell of sentiment and support for the conduct of Jallikattu all over Tamil Nadu, this is an issue on which the Government of India must act with maximum despatch.

DMK working president M.K.Stalin who was elevated on Jaunary 4 is in the forefront of the agitation on continuing the Tamil tradition. He has blamed the chief minister and Sasikala for failing to get a nod from the Centre. He demands that the Centre should issue an ordinance permitting the sport. He claimed that Until the DMK was in power, Jallikattu was properly conducted as per the safety guidelines. The issue started only when the AIADMK came to power in 2011.

The BJP clearly plans to get a foot hold in a post-Jayalalitha Tamil Nadu. While the notification of the Union Environment ministry under Prakash Javadekar last year allowing Jallikattu was scrapped by the court, his successor Anil Dave this time holds that the bulls are not ill treated in Jallikattu. But the Centre will wait for the court verdict.

Defying the ban, Jallikattu was held even before Pongal in some southern districts of the State this week. Protesting against the ban are the people, particularly youth who have taken to the streets in the form of marathan and rallies and public meetings. Matinee idols like Kamal Hassan, Sathyaraj and film maker Karu Pazhaniapan have also participated in a stir pledging support for Jallikattu.

No doubt there is truth in the stand of animal rights activists, but there is also need to respect the Tamil sentiment. It is for the Centre and the State to find a solution instead of fighting every January.
Ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre, it has not tired of launching new development schemes for the North-east. The latest in the series, announced early this month, is called the North-east Tourism Development Council. Launched by the Union Ministry for Development of the North-east, it will be on a public-private partnership basis. Tourism is a much talkedabout subject, yet today except Assam and Meghalaya, and to some extent Arunachal Pradesh, it is a misnomer in other states. However, if reports of a spurt in the number of tourists ~ both foreign and domestic ~ over the past two years, are any indication, things seem to be looking up. Most hill states have no industry, so the objective is to promote tourism as part of economic development. The emphasis has been on development of infrastructure, and since individual states lacks funds there is the need for a clearcut integrated scheme involving all the eight states. Today, tourism in Nagaland and Manipur is confined to the Hornbill festival held at Kohima every year in the first week of December and the Sangai festival in Imphal in November. These yield only short-term benefits. In the North-east, tourism has to be developed keeping in mind the rich benefits expected from Indias Act East Policy. And all said and done the future depends entirely on how fast and cleverly the Centre solves the longstanding Naga problem and tackles the growing ethnic feuds in Manipur, issues that seem to be becoming more confused and intractable.
The UAE has launched its first "robot pharmacy" here where robots will dispense prescribed medication at the click of a button.

The robot is one of the latest smart technologies adopted by the authority to meet the 2016-2021 strategy, which aims to achieve a happy and healthy society, said Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of Dubai Health Authority.

The robot, which can store up to 35,000 medicines and dispense around 12 prescriptions in less than a minute, will start serving customers from tomorrow, Saudi news agency WAM reported.

The smart pharmacy was inaugurated in the presence of Ali Al Syed, Director of the Pharmaceutical Services Department; Ahmad Bin Kalban, CEO of Hospital Services Sector, and Alya Al Mazroui, CEO of Rashid Hospital.

As the robot can dispense up to 12 prescriptions in less than a minute, it will significantly reduce a person's waiting time, Al-Syed said.

The dispensing process will be paper-free as the robot will store the prescription as soon as a doctor documents it electronically.

Leveraging the robot for dispensing medication will also allow the pharmacist to focus on giving the customers right instructions on taking the medication, he added.
With mercury dropping to its lowest, cold winter rain and icy wind sweeping across all borders and boundaries, winter has taken over half of the world.

Hanging icicles, snow-covered towns and mountains and serpentine roads making their way through the snow make it for a picturesque view.

Land of all seasons, India is enjoying the white chills up north following unprecedented heavy snowfall in hilly states like Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Harvest festivals are also celebrated across the breath and length of the country with sacred bonfires, feasting and other delightful folk activities.

If this is not enough to ignite the urge to travel in January and join in the festive spirit, then there are plenty of reasons to travel in January.

The first month of the year is synonymous to novelty and welcoming of new beginnings. To start your New Year with a blast, you must travel in the month of January.

At least once in a lifetime, you can create a fairy-tale and snowfall does all the magic. Many hill stations receive heavy snow in this month and hence, it is a perfect time to travel and experience the snowfall and the diverse and colourful traditional festivals.

India, with a huge rural and farming population, marks the January month with harvest festivals and seeks blessings for prosperity for the year. It should be in your bucket list to travel to different places and celebrate Lohri, Pongal, Makar Sankranti and Bihu in native style.

With a long weekend coming this month, you must utilise it to visit some place you have always wished to go.
PM leaves for UAE today to attend energy summit

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is leaving for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday at the invitation of UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Final Torment of Laccho

Laccho, relegated to history as a minor character in the high drama constantly being enacted at the Hanumandkoka Royal Palace, takes centre stage in this fictional reformulation of a real historic event which until now has languished as a single, small footnote in historic records.
Conveniently situated between the historic towns of Romsey and Winchester, this attractive property is the ideal base for exploring the picturesque Test Valley.
The Aam Aadmi Party will have to contend with former members-turned-political rivals in the coming municipal elections in Delhi as Swaraj India, launched by Arvind Kejriwal's former colleagues Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, on Saturday announced its intentions to contest the local polls in the capital.

As a precursor to taking the electoral plunge, Swaraj India will run a month-long Jawaab Do, Hisaab Do campaign in Delhi starting on Sunday, as part of which it will establish one-to-one contact with ten lakh households in the capital.

This campaign will culminate in a rally at the Ramlila Maidan on February 12, where Yadav will sound the municipal election bugle.

The month-long campaign hopes to bring to the fore the true picture of the health of Delhi's basic municipal facilities. It will be a real reflection of the state of affairs in Delhi, the psephologist-turned-politician said.

Yadav and Bhushan were expelled from the AAP in March, 2015 after they had serious differences with Kejriwal. A few months earlier, they announced a campaign called Swaraj Abhiyan to take up people's issues, and more recently they formed a party called Swaraj India.

Since then, there had been speculation on the new party contesting the municipal elections in Delhi due later this year.

At the press conference, Yadav also released the results of a public survey done by Swaraj India on the performance of the Delhi government and the three MCDs in the capital. As per the survey results, around 60 per cent of the people surveyed said they were unhappy with the performance of the Kejriwal government. As many as 36 per cent felt that the Delhi government was using the Lt Governor as an excuse for its inaction.

Also, as per the survey, 62 per cent of the people were not satisfied with the central government. As many as 55 per cent were dissatisfied with the performance of the three municipal corporations in Delhi.

Delhi has three levels of governmentthe Centre, the state and the municipal body. But it is a pity that all the three have abandoned the national capital. None of these governments is genuinely concerned to solve the real problems of the common people, said Swaraj India spokesman Anupam.

He said the slogan Teen Sarkar, Teeno Bekaar was apt for Delhi, indicating what will be the agenda of the party as it enters the fray in the municipal elections.
The Ghosts of Giuseppe di Rovato

The first time he broke their hearts was at Bhagero, the seat of the Bunga Dya:.The sequestered little town, an hours walk from the church, had seemed pregnant with expectation.
Traffic police to use Drones

Traffic police in is set to use drone cameras to manage traffic congestion in the Capital.
[UPDATE] Police arrest one with 15 kg illegal gold

Police have arrested a person in connection with smuggling 15 kg of gold on Saturday.
Bjorn Kjos, boss of Norwegian Air Shuttle, appears to have nerves of steel. A former fighter pilot who once flew one of the most notoriously dangerous planes of all time, he is now taking on some of the worlds biggest airlines with a plan to launch budget transatlantic flights - with one-way fares as low as 56 ($68).

Its a ferocious market and one where even the combative Ryanair boss Michael OLeary has not ventured. It has also been the undoing of once famous names.

Back in the 1970s, Sir Freddie Laker pioneered budget transatlantic flights. But his once successful group Laker Airways went spectacularly bust in 1982.

Nerves of steel: Bjorn Kjos, a former fighter pilot and now boss of Norwegian Air Shuttle, plans to launch budget transatlantic flights - with fares as low as 56 ($68)

Unlike Laker Airways, Kjoss company Norwegian Air Shuttle is making a very healthy profit  95million ($115million) in just the latest three-month period.

The 70-year-old former fighter pilot, whose stake in the airline has been estimated at about 200 million, made headlines last month when he announced plans for the cheap flights from Britain to America. Can that really still be profitable?

You cannot offer every ticket for 56 ($68), thats for sure, he says, but he argues with the right aircraft and the right destinations it can be done.

You have to have the full low-cost set-up to make this work, says Kjos. The right aircraft, the right bases  if youre flying to New York you have to have your crew based in New York, the same if youre flying to Fort Lauderdale and so on.

What has also stunned some observers is that the Norwegian outfit is taking on the transatlantic market where far bigger budget airlines such as Ryanair have steered clear.

Norwegian Air, with its distinctive red-nosed, white bodied aircraft, has 120 aircraft

Kjos thinks Ryanair could have made a go of transatlantic flights.

I think Ryanair could have done it if they had really gone for it, but they have a very successful business in Europe and I think they have decided it makes sense for them to stick with that, he says.

Norwegian Air Shuttle has been operating a low-cost service since 2002. It flew 30 million passengers last year including 4.5 million from the UK to 150 destinations on 120 of the newest, most economical aircraft of virtually any airline.

I think Ryanair could have done it if they had really gone for it, but they have a very successful business in Europe and I think they have decided it makes sense for them to stick with that

That includes the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the twin-engined, carbon-built, jet known for its remarkable fuel-efficiency.

Norwegian Air, with its distinctive red-nosed, white bodied aircraft, each with a portrait of a Scandinavian hero on the tailfin  from artist Edvard Munch to actress Greta Garbo  has 120 aircraft. A further 260 are on order and it will be using another Boeing, the new 737 Max, on its next round of flights from the UK to the US.

This year Kjos plans to offer 34 direct flights a week from Gatwick and launch further low-cost services from smaller European airports to US East Coast hubs.

But like Ryanair, Kjoss lowest prices come by flying between smaller airports. The 56 ($68) single transatlantic fare will fly between Edinburgh and a secondary airport in New York  Stewart International Airport, which is 70 miles upstate from New York City; or Providence, Rhode Island.

Strategy Bjorn favours the smaller US airports including Stewart (above)

You cannot fly into the main airports because the taxes are just too expensive so you choose the smaller ones  we dont like to call them secondary airports  they are cheaper but also much more efficient. We can turn an aircraft round in an hour or even 45 minutes so we dont have much downtime at all.

But the big city flights remain the most popular.

Our most popular routes are London to New York and London to Los Angeles where the aircraft have been flying 95 per cent full, says Kjos. Weve also started flying transatlantic from other European cities and our Paris service has proved very, very popular  the aircraft have been 100 per cent full.

Our most popular routes are London to New York and London to Los Angeles where the aircraft have been flying 95 per cent full

We compete against well-established airlines on short-haul routes in Scandinavia and against very good operators, like British Airways and Aer Lingus, on long-haul but we manage.

Flying is in Kjoss blood  his father owned a Piper Cub when he was growing up and also started a small airline in Norway. One of his daughters is a pilot for Norwegian Air and his son works for the airline.

After service as a paratrooper in the Norwegian forces, Kjos switched to the Royal Norwegian Air Force where he flew the infamous Lockheed F-104 during the Cold War.

The Starfighter, as it was known, suffered from a notoriously poor accident record and was nicknamed The Widowmaker. Kjos however was a fan. That was the best job I ever had! The Starfighter was a beautiful aircraft, he says. He then took up a career in law, working as a lawyer and then a judge for nearly 20 years. He started Norwegian Air Shuttle in 1993, transforming it into a low-cost airline in 2002.

Many of the new transatlantic flights Kjos can offer have been made possible because last month Norwegian Air finally got its foreign air permit from the US Department of Transportation.

To secure its licence the company had to convince US authorities that it was, despite its name, based in Ireland and so part of the EU which has an Open Skies agreement with America. It took the airline three years to get the permit, far longer than usual, because of the opposition of US airlines and trade unions who claimed that Norwegian Air used cheap labour, often from Thailand, to crew its aircraft.

President-elect Donald Trump won election partly by expressing considerable scepticism for such free-trade treaties like the Open Skies agreement. So is Kjos worried that it might be torn up?

We are not worried, he is smart enough to see that we support jobs in the US, where we employ hundreds of staff and the more destinations in the US we fly to, the more jobs in hotels and restaurants we are supporting, he says.

And there are other headwinds too such as the rising oil price and the falling value of the Norwegian krone. You have to have scale to counter oil price changes and we are growing fast, he argues.

Then adds: And the krone is not the only currency to have fallen. So has the pound, but thats helped, because it means the UK is a very cheap destination for Americans.

Thats good news for Kjos, but also bodes well for the UK.
MBABANE  While other children were enjoying their New Years Day, Mduduzi* (13) endured one of the worst cases of brutality, allegedly at the hands of the police.



The names of the child and father were deliberately withheld to protect the childs identity.

Mduduzi was allegedly assaulted by two police officers at the Ngwenya Police Station with a sjambok on the buttocks after being suspected of stealing his cousins mobile phone, a Mobicell which costs less than E1 000.

Narrating what unfolded on the fateful day, Mduduzi said the phone got lost after his cousin had lent it to him.



They were playing as a group and he says he does not know how or when the phone got lost. He said his aunt asked the group of five children where the phone was but none of them knew. She then took the children to the Ngwenya Police Station with the aim of uncovering the truth.



When they got to the police station, Mduduzi said he was taken into a separate room where two officers interrogated him. In that room, there was one big table and a number of chairs, he recalls.

He said he was accused of having stolen the phone and would be lashed until he revealed where it was.



The teenager said he told the officers that he did not know where it was or how it got lost but instead, the officers instructed him to strip off his trousers and lie on the floor.

One officer put his foot on the back of my neck while the other one lashed me twice with the sjambok, alleged Mduduzi.

Tears and screams did not help as he was told to say where the phone was.



He said he maintained his position that he had no idea where it was and the officers allegedly said they would not release him until he spoke the truth. The confused and hurt young boy did not know what else to say since what was truth to him was not accepted by the police.



Just as it happened a few seconds back, Mduduzi said he was told to lie down on the cold concrete floor and as lay, he felt the same shoe pinning him hard on the neck against the floor.

He said the other police officer once again lashed him on the buttocks one last time before his aunt came in to plead that they release him. He had to walk in shame as his four friends who were at the police station looked at him with pitiful eyes.
The grave in which Felix Ngwenya was buried inside his house and A heap of sand which was dug out of the grave and buckets that were found in Ngwenyas house.

MATSETSA  It seems as though the walls do have eyes. Although it was just him and his father in the house when the 16 year-old boy murdered Felix Ngwenya; investigations led to relatives and police uncovering a metre-deep grave inside the two-bedroom house.



This is the tale of the 16-year-old boy who stabbed his father to death approximately eight times at Matsetsa on Monday.

The Ngwenya homestead felt like a ghost town after the incident, as there was a disturbing silence and not even the goats in the kraal made a single sound. Inside the house, right next to the grave were two buckets, a heap of sand and shreds of clothing.



A trail of blood stains led from one of the bedrooms to the shallow grave within the house.



Bloodied



The grave was about five metres away from the bloodied room. It was about a metre-deep, had a length of a metre, and about half a metre in width. Time appeared to be on the teenagers side as he allegedly was able to dig a very smooth grave and singlehandedly bury his father.

Police went to the homestead on Tuesday morning to collect evidence from the scene. A shovel, a blanket and what appeared to be a crowbar, as well as other items, were loaded into a white sedan with private number plates, in which plain clothed police were travelling in. These items were all wrapped in separate plastic bags.

The murder weapon was not found on Tuesday morning. Police searched all around the homestead and even looked under rocks and bricks for it but it was nowhere in sight.

Residents said the suspected murderer allegedly sent them on a wild goose chase as he had told them that he had thrown the weapon in the yard in front of the house. However, police were said to have returned later on the day with the suspect and he pointed it out.



According to residents, the young boy was allegedly able to murder, dig a grave, and bury his father in not more than four hours. This was so because he was first seen outside the house by neighbours at around 2pm after his father was heard crying out for help at around 11am. Eyewitnesses said the teenager appeared to be relaxed and acted as though nothing had happened.
MBABANE Driving schools are said to be producing incompetent drivers as a result of the local driving school curriculum.



This was said by Road Safety Council Secretary Mandla Ntshalinsthali in an interview with this publication this week.

Ntshalintshali said there was a need to improve the curriculum in driving schools, which is one thing that would mitigate the spate of road traffic accidents.



He said it was necessary to revisit the curriculum and fine tune it. He pointed out that drivers in the country were so incompetent that they have no clue on what to do when driving at 80km/h and suddenly have to stop because they never learned such skills at driving school. According to Ntshalintshali, local drivers dont even have an idea as to how many metres it would take for a vehicle driving at a high speed to stop.



Most drivers have never learnt that at driving school. Once people get to know how to drive, they will start driving at 60km/h and soon his or her driving speed increases to drive at 120km/h as they get comfortable behind the steering wheel. However, when drivers face a situation where they suddenly have to make a stop, they are clueless about what to do because they have never learnt that at driving school.



Ntshalintshali said they want to contribute to the driving school curriculum to ensure that if someone drives a vehicle for his or her personal use it must clearly state how skilled that driver is.

He said someone who drives a public transport vehicle must have a higher level of skill training. All these things must be put up and strictly followed.

Also, there must be someone to follow-up whether drivers licences are genuine or not.



However, he did mention that the cause of road accidents was due to a variety of factors and one could not just single out one particular thing as the cause.

Ntshalintshali said an investigation was needed to find the root cause of an accident but what was happening was that the only people who do the investigations were the police.

Further, he made an example of the recent Elangeni accident, where a Toyota Quantum crashed into a waitingroom, resulting in the death of five people.



He said first of all a public transport vehicle was not supposed to drive at a speed above 100km/h, yet the kombi driver, in an interview with this publication last week, said he was not driving at high speed when the accident happened as he was driving below 120km/h.
US Congress takes big step to Obamacare repeal

The US House of Representatives has taken the first step toward demolishing President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, known as Obamacare.
MBABANE  Judge Mpendulo Simelane does not want the chief justice (CJ) Bheki Maphalala to chair his impeachment hearing.



Yesterday, the suspended judge, through his attorney Sipho Simelane, moved an application for Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala to recuse himself from the hearing.

The hearing is held at the Conference Room in the High Court.



Simelane (Sipho) moved the application at the conference room after his application to have the matter postponed for the third time in a row was not granted.

When he moved the recusal application, he did not state his reasons. The chief justice was not impressed that the attorney disregarded the rules of moving an application for recusal.

The CJ reminded Sipho about the procedure for moving an application for recusal.



Maphalala told the attorney that he had to approach the commission in chambers, make the application and then go and make a written substantive application.

Chief Justice Maphalala asked Sipho why he failed to follow procedure in his application.



Do not waste our time. There is a procedure to be followed. Let us not argue. I thought you have been practising for sometime now to know about this. Let us follow the procedure.

I am a bit disappointed with a senior attorney who doesnt follow procedure. It is not something you make standing up as you are. I am not here to teach you the law. I am quite disappointed, said the chief justice.

Sipho said he fully understood the law.



He said ordinarily, he would have approached the commission in chambers.

When asked by the CJ if it was not the procedure to approach the commission in chambers first, Sipho responded that it was partly so.

He said there were circumstances that made him not approach the commission in chambers.



The attorney said the procedure could not be followed also due to the negotiations, which were entered into by the parties. He said these negotiations were aimed at avoiding a full blown hearing and have the matter settled.

These negotiations, according to Sipho, did not achieve the intended result.






MBABANE  The police have rushed to court to stop the Times SUNDAY from publishing an article deemed to be prejudicial to national security.



National Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula, as the applicant in the matter, said the matter was urgent because the newspaper allegedly intended to publish the article in its next edition, which is tomorrow.

He said due to the sensitivity and implications on state security, the article might cause, the issue was not for public consumption and should not be paraded in the public domain through the media.



Magagula, in his founding affidavit, stated that the intention to publish the information was brought to his attention and he allegedly discussed it with the respondents (Times Group of Newspapers, Times SUNDAY Editor Innocent Maphalala and Mfanukhona Nkambule).

These allegations are contained in an affidavit whose veracity is still to be tested in court.



The Times Group of Newspapers is still to file its responding papers.

Musa Sibandze of Musa M. Sibandze Attorneys represented the newspaper when the matter was heard yesterday, in Justice Mumcy Dlaminis chambers.

The national commissioner said the newspaper was advised against publishing the article given its seriousness and potential adverse ramifications.

Notwithstanding such discussions and advice, the respondents are adamant that they will publish the said article.



The article proposed to be published is, by all reasonable estimation, quite damaging from a national security and diplomatic relations perspective, Magagula told the court.

He said the material sought to be published was adverse to national security and defence.



While we acknowledge press freedom, we contend that it is lawfully limited under the Official Secrets Act of 1968. Such Limitation is, therefore, justified under the Constitution, he added.

Magagula informed the court that all their efforts to dissuade the newspaper from publishing the article were unsuccessful.

He said he had been advised that the newspaper seriously intended to go ahead with the publication of the article.



The police filed an urgent application in court for an order restraining the Times SUNDAY from publishing the article.

He said in the event that an order was not granted timeously, the damage he sought to prevent would have been done before the court makes a ruling.

Other than the interdict, I have no other alternative remedy available, which can obviate the damage being caused by respondents intended conduct, said Magagula.



May I state that the balance of convenience favours the granting of the interdict, as respondents will suffer no such harm as the national interest if the publication is interdicted in terms of the lawful limitation of press freedom, as contended above.

Through its attorney, the Times Group of Newspapers, yesterday voluntarily undertook not to publish the article tomorrow, pending finalisation of the entire court proceedings.

Judge Dlamini postponed the matter to next Friday, January 20, 2017.

Threats of grievous bodily harm, possibly even leading to death, have been made against Times SUNDAY Senior Reporter Mfanukhona Nkambule and the publications Editor Innocent Maphalala emanating from pursuing of the article.

It is on record that there have been several attempts to block the publication of the story and the editor, together with the reporter, made it known that they would go ahead with the article.



Further attempts to engage the Times Managing Editor Martin Dlamini and the Publisher Paul Loffler also failed to convince this publication to drop the story.

Even though the people who issued the threats remain faceless, they threatened that should the story see the light of day, the duo risked being eliminated.

The warning was conveyed directly to the Times Sunday Editor by a concerned citizen who is a highly placed government official and has insight to what could be going on behind the scenes.
MBABANE  Human Rights Watch has stated that the countrys poor human rights record could further weaken the Southern African Development Communitys ability to push for human rights improvements across the region.



This is contained in the annual Human Rights Watch World Report, which summarises human rights conditions in 90 countries and territories worldwide in 2016.



The report reflects extensive investigative work that Human Rights Watch staff conducted during the previous year, often in close partnership with domestic human rights activists.

The latest review, which was released on Thursday in Washington, highlights that despite not doing enough to ensure that human rights were respected, the country was allowed to take over the leadership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for a year.



Swazilands poor and deteriorating human rights record could weaken further the regional bodys ability to press for human rights improvements across Southern Africa, reads part of the report.

The report states that neighbouring South Africa and regional bodies, the SADC and the African Union, have done little to press Swaziland to improve respect for human rights. The United Nations Human Rights Council assessed Swazilands human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review.



In May 2016, Swaziland accepted 121 of 181 recommendations made by council member states to improve the human rights environment in the country. Authorities committed to improve protection of freedom of expression and association, and to take action to end child marriage, the report states.



Also highlighted in the report is that government has yet to enact the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill developed in 2009 to protect womens rights and that neither has the government amended the Girls and Women Protection Act, concerned with sexual abuse of girls under 16, but excludes marital rape.



Violence against women is endemic. Survivors of gender-based violence have few avenues for help as both formal and customary justice processes discriminate against them. Civil society activists have criticised the widely held view among traditional authorities that human rights and equal rights for women are foreign values that should be subordinated to Swazi culture and tradition.




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.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Detroit

Takata Corp. has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal charge and will pay $1 billion in fines and restitution for a years-long scheme to conceal a deadly defect in its automotive air bag inflators.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit announced the deal Friday, hours after it unsealed a six-count grand jury indictment against three former Takata executives who are accused of executing the scheme by falsifying and altering test reports that showed the inflators could rupture.

Takata inflators can explode with too much force, spewing shrapnel into automobiles. At least 11 people have been killed in the U.S. and 16 worldwide because of the defect. More than 180 have been injured.

Under the deal, Takata will pay a $25 million criminal fine, $125 million to individuals injured by the air bags and $850 million to automakers that purchased the inflators.

A federal judge will be asked to appoint attorney Kenneth Feinberg to distribute restitution payments.

Payments to individuals must be made soon. Money due to automakers must be paid within five days of Takata's anticipated sale or merger. Takata is expected to be sold to another auto supplier or investor sometime this year.

"Automotive suppliers who sell products that are supposed to protect consumers from injury or death must put safety ahead of profits," said Barbara McQuade, the U.S. Attorney in Detroit, whose office worked on a two-year investigation into the company. "If they choose instead to engage in fraud, we will hold accountable the individuals and business entities who are responsible."

The Justice Department was criticized for failing to charge any individuals in earlier high-profile cases against automakers General Motors and Toyota. Now it's done so twice in one week. Prosecutors disclosed the indictment of six Volkswagen executives Wednesday when they announced a settlement of a criminal probe into the German car company's emissions-cheating scheme.

On Friday, prosecutors unsealed a Detroit federal grand jury indictment of three former Takata executives, Shinichi Tanaka, Hideo Nakajima and Tsuneo Chikaraishi. All were suspended by the company last year. Takata, based in Japan, has its U.S. headquarters in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Mich.

According to an indictment, as early as 2000 the trio falsified and altered reports to hide from automakers tests that showed the inflators could rupture or otherwise fail to meet specifications. They were charged with six counts of conspiracy and wire fraud. Takata was charged separately with one count of wire fraud. All three worked in Japan and at Takata's U.S. operations.

"Defendants commonly referred to the removal or alteration of unfavorable test data that was to be provided to Takata customers as 'XX-ing' the data," the indictment says. In June 2005, Nakajima said in an email that "they had no choice but to manipulate test data, and that they needed to 'cross the bridge together.'"

Tanaka served as executive vice president of inflator global operations, while Nakajima was director of engineering in the automotive systems laboratory and Chikaraishi was chief of Japan-Asia inflator operations, according to prosecutors.

All three are now in Japan, and McQuade said her office will work with authorities there to extradite them to the U.S. for trial. "Extradition is not automatic. It is discretionary with Japan," she said. But she added that her office has had success in extraditing Japanese executives in automotive parts price-fixing cases.

As of 2015, Takata was the second-largest supplier of air bags in the world, accounting for 20 percent of the air bags sold.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Schodack

Police Chief Bernhard Peter was saluted by a throng of police and emergency service workers as he was "piped out" into retirement Friday after a 45-year law enforcement career.

"I got to work with great people in all the departments over the years," said the 65-year-old Peter.

His 45-year career saw him work in the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Department and the police departments in East Greenbush, North Greenbush and Nassau, as well as Schodack. He served as chief in North Greenbush and Nassau in addition to Schodack, where he led the 18-member agency for 15 years.

"We built a great team of professionals in the town," Peter said, reflecting on the last third of his career.

Assistant Chief Joseph Belardo said the chief leaves an impressive mark on the Schodack department.

"I've been honored to learn about leadership from him. He's a great man," Belardo said,

The assistant chief will assume interim command of the department pending a decision by the town on a permanent appointment.

Peter also leaves a family legacy in police work. His son, East Greenbush Police Officer Nicholas Peter and daughter, State Police Investigator Kerrie Peter Marble, have followed their father into careers in police work.

"He's the one who started it all for the family," said Nicholas Peter, who's worked at East Greenbush for 10 years. He praised the example of hard work and duty that his father set.

Chief Peter said he's been offered part-time and full-time employment, but plans to take time off. He intends to spend the upcoming winter months in Florida then turn his attention to a bucket list of chores and other activities.

Months from now, Peter said, he may consider some employment opportunities.

kcrowe@timesunion.com  518-454-5084  @KennethCrowe
Saratoga Springs

After Polar Express train employees complained that they were owed money, a company official said Friday that payment is being made.

"The paychecks are being mailed directly to the employees," said Justin Gonyo, general manager of the Saratoga and North Creek Railway, which operates the popular Polar Express themed holiday service that includes chefs and elves singing holiday tunes and an appearance from Santa.

Gonyo refused to comment on a report by WTEN-News 10 on Wednesday that 80 to 100 employees had not received their final paychecks and that many had complained to the company and also to the state Department of Labor.

"They are getting paid. That's all I have to say," said Gonyo, a fourth-generation railroad man.

Two employees who spoke to the TV station said they were owed $200 or more, but were still waiting for paychecks due at the end of December.

"We haven't heard anything about it," said Kevin Geraghty, Warrensburg town supervisor.

The Polar Express hires more than 130 additional employees to accommodate a seasonal surge of more than 30,000 passengers.

The railway, a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific, began operations in 2011. The train runs along the Hudson River where the Delaware & Hudson Railroad once ran and makes a short trip across parts of Saratoga and Warren counties.

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Albany

A doctor fired by St. Peter's Health Partners this summer is suing the regional medical system, claiming the heads of its physicians' group sabotaged her office in a calculated plan to push her out and acquire 2,100 patients.

In a lawsuit filed late last month in state Supreme Court in Albany, Dr. Hedy Migden, 68, accuses St. Peter's of breach of contract, fraud and age discrimination. She is seeking a jury trial and more than $2 million.

The 96-page legal complaint lays out an alleged scheme in which St. Peter's acquired Migden's medical practice, Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, then initiated a "malicious and deceptive campaign to destroy" it. St. Peter's staffed her office insufficiently, planted spies there, diminished the office's ability to treat patients and tarnished the doctor's reputation, according to the lawsuit, filed by Albany attorney Joseph Dougherty.

St. Peter's had an incentive to do that, Migden said Friday, to profit under emerging payment methods that require doctors to provide a range of care for a set per-patient fee. To make that work, medical practitioners need a large base of patients, so payments for healthier patients offset those for sicker ones.

"This was clearly a maneuver to acquire thousands of patients and eliminate offices, which means eliminate costs," Migden said.

In a statement, St. Peter's Health Partners spokesman Elmer Streeter denied Migden's charges and said the organization would vigorously defend itself.

"St. Peter's Health Partners Medical Associates' management and employees invested considerable time, effort and good faith in trying to make the Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics practice successful," Streeter said. "St. Peter's Health Partners Medical Associates terminated Dr. Migden's contract in July 2016 because, in the judgment of its management and physician-led Board of Directors, Dr. Migden's inappropriate behavior and disruptive actions undermined the organization's ability to manage and staff the practice, and were inconsistent with our mission and values."

Migden's practice was among doctors' groups acquired by St. Peter's four years ago, when it formed St. Peter's Health Partners Medical Associates, which now includes 400 physicians.

Migden signed a five-year contract with an annual salary of $185,000, according to court documents. The contract was set up to automatically renew for two three-year terms.

Based on the complaint, the arrangement took a downward slide in 2015, as St. Peter's hired people without Migden's input. One doctor in her 30s was paid $40,000 more than the veteran physician. The lawsuit accuses other St. Peter's employees of being incapable of doing their jobs and of creating chaos.

St. Peter's "actively planted individuals in the Practice to sabotage Dr. Migden's ability to care for her patients and generate false and misleading employee complaints against her," the lawsuit states.

A year ago, according to the complaint, St. Peter's officials told Migden they did not want to renew her contract, though it was only three years into the five-year agreement. The medical group's chief executive asked Migden if she wanted to end her contract, "given her age."

The lawsuit paints a picture of an increasingly dysfunctional office in the first half of 2016: Staffing challenges rose due to alleged mismanagement by St. Peter's, whose officials blamed Migden for high turnover, and the health system failed to follow through on promises to install needed electronic medical records.

Patient care suffered, according to the complaint. One patient showed up in need of medical attention on a day that Migden was off, but no one could help her. "The Practice's only nurse was at a secret off-site meeting about Dr. Migden," the complaint states.

On May 31, Dr. Paul Barborotto of St. Peter's Health Partners Medical Associates sent Migden a letter stating she was engaging in "inappropriate behavior" that she had already been counseled about, but did not detail the behavior. Barborotto reprimanded her for involving patients and staff in her disputes with St. Peter's. The letter, filed with the legal complaint, gave Migden 30 days to correct the problems.

Migden replied on June 13 that she had done nothing inappropriate, that it was St. Peter's own administrators who involved staff in conflicts and that she believed she was the subject of age discrimination.

On July 5, St. Peter's officials escorted Migden out of her office in front of patients.

Migden began working this month at Oldendorf Medical Services in Albany. Former patients have found her, she said, and she's already booked with appointments.

chughes@timesunion.com  518-454-5417  @hughesclaire
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs residents will have an opportunity on May 30 to approve or reject a new form of city government.

Just what that government could look like won't be known for another week, though.

The city's Charter Review Committee is expected to recommend either a strong-mayor or a council-manager form of government when it meets Thursday, Jan. 19.

If residents reject their recommendation, the city will retain its current commission form of government, which the committee deemed ineffective in December following interviews with former and current commissioners, city employees and several public hearings.

Under the commission government, voters elect individual commissioners who oversee a specific aspect of city operations. In Saratoga, this includes finance, accounts, public safety and public works. One commissioner is designated mayor, and presides over meetings. Commissioners have both legislative and executive authority.

Saratoga Springs has operated by a commission government for 100 years. It is, in fact, the oldest form of government in the U.S., though today fewer than 1 percent of cities use it. In New York, just two other cities operate this way: nearby Mechanicville and Oneida County's city of Sherrill.

Supporters of the current government structure say the city's growth and desirability compared to other upstate cities are evidence of the government's success.

A survey of city employees, however, found many believe the current government structure is ineffective, heavy on petty conflicts and power grabs, and does little to prevent wasteful spending. A survey of potential candidates for office, meanwhile, found many are discouraged from running for office because it takes up too much time and requires special skills.

The Charter Review Committee, a body of 15 citizen volunteers who are selected every 10 years to review the city charter, is currently researching an alternate form of government to recommend.

It could recommend a council-manager form, characterized by a city council that oversees general administration, makes policy and sets a budget. The council appoints a city manager to carry out day-to-day administrative operations, and a mayor is often chosen from among the council on a rotating basis.

This is the most common government structure in U.S. municipalities, and is popular in cities with populations over 10,000.

Or it could recommend a mayor-council government, commonly referred to as strong-mayor, which involves a mayor who is elected separately from a council and often has clear authority and wide-ranging discretion to make decisions and carry them out. The councils are often full-time and paid, with significant administrative and budgetary authority.

This is the second most common government in U.S. municipalities, and is found mostly in older, larger cities, or in very small cities.

Either way, the question of whether to overhaul the government will be put to voters.

The commission voted 12-2 in favor of holding a special election in May, rather than including the question on the general election ballot in November, when voters' attention would be diverted to more than a half-dozen contested local races.

"A city charter is a constitutional issue that should be insulated from the partisanship or politics of a general election," said Commission Chair Bob Turner.

May 30 is the last Tuesday that a special election can be held while also allowing new candidates to choose to run for city council in 2017. It will cost $37,000 and be run by the Commissioner of Accounts office, with help from the Saratoga County Board of Elections.

bbump@timesunion.com  518-454-5387  @bethanybump
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Albany

At a campaign kickoff rally Saturday morning, Albany Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin announced her bid for mayor this year in what's likely to be a hard-fought Democratic primary.

McLaughlin, who is seeking to become Albany's first African-American female mayor, will likely be running against incumbent Kathy Sheehan, a fellow Democrat who was elected to her first term in 2013. Sheehan has not officially announced her reelection bid, but has expressed a desire to serve a second term.

Councilman Frank Commisso Jr., also says he's considering mayor, while West Hill activist Marlon Anderson has said he's planning on running.

McLaughlin's remarks, which came in front of dozens of supporters at her campaign office on South Pearl Street, did not directly mention Sheehan and instead focused on her own resume and a vision she says would be inclusive of all the city's neighborhoods.

"It's not about that challenger," McLaughlin said. "It's about the person whose door I have to knock on."

Besides a number of pastors and other supporters, the politicians at the kickoff included Councilman Ronald Bailey of the 3rd Ward, and Albany County Legislator Wanda Willingham of the 3rd Legislative District.

In her speech, McLaughlin, who has been eyeing the top spot for years, highlighted a desire to reduce Albany property taxes by increasing Albany's tax base with new residents.

"We know this can be the kind of city that recognizes that you can't be about one neighborhood, it's about all neighborhoods," she said. "Our goal is to make sure we create more opportunities for all residents of the city of Albany."

Other issues she highlighted included increasing the affordable housing stock, making sure millennials could afford to buy property in Albany, and ensuring community policing was "not just a concept, but continues to be alive and well and growing in the city of Albany." She was critical of the fact that Albany will be naming another new police chief so soon with the departure of Brendan Cox.

McLaughlin grew up on Philip Street, a few blocks from the kickoff event. After graduating from Keuka College she found a career for a decade in cosmetic and nuclear weapons research in California, she said.

"So you don't have a dummy standing here," she said. "I know critical thinking."

McLaughlin moved back to Albany to be near family and had a long career in various state agencies, the longest tenures being at the Division of Budget and the New York State Teachers' Retirement System. In 1997, she was elected to the Common Council from the 2nd Ward, and since 2009 has been Common Council president.

"It is now only right that I go for the next level," she said.

She also served as chairwoman of the Albany County Democratic Committee starting in 2014 before she was ousted by Albany Councilman Jack Flynn last September.

Asked her age by a reporter, McLaughlin demurred. "Next Wednesday, I will be celebrating my next birthday," she said to laughter. (She is 62).

A supporter, the Rev. Charles Daniel of Mount Cavalry Baptist Church, said in his remarks that he did not want the expected hard-fought Democratic primary against Sheehan, who is white, to be about race.

"I don't want us for one moment to believe that this is an issue, that this will be a race that is divisive, what color," he said. "This is a race for all people."

cbragg@timesunion.com  518-454-5303
[January 13, 2017] HOSTING Launches Industry-First Monitoring Service Powered by ScienceLogic

DENVER, Jan. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HOSTING, a leading provider of managed cloud services, today announced an innovative hybrid cloud monitoring solution, HOSTING Monitoring Insights. The solution combines HOSTING managed services and proprietary dashboards with ScienceLogic's next-gen hybrid IT monitoring solutions to deliver the industry's first holistic and comprehensive view of hybrid cloud environments. "Among service providers vying for a place in the crowded cloud space, HOSTING excels at understanding the core needs of its enterprise base," said Peter Luff, Director of Product Marketing at ScienceLogic. "CIOs have made it clear that visibility and trust go hand in hand, so giving customers granular visibility into their cloud and hosted IT environments allows them to validate and capitalize on their decision to move to the cloud." "The reality of today for many organizations involves using multiple platforms to monitor devices across a number of disparate cloud and on-premise environments," said Don Barlow, Chief Operations Officer at HOSTING. "With ScienceLogic, we can proactively manage the health of critical business processes across the whole environment, which is incredibly powerful for organizations striving to shift their focus to creating value for their business." HOSTING customer Compassion International, a global nonprofit, is already seeing results. "HOSTING provides us with a scalable monitoring solution that enables us to forecast, trend, and optimize costs using a fraction of the tools we had before," said John Edom, IT Principal  MonitoringSpecialist at Compassion International. "We are on track to reduce the number of monitoring tools we need by 75%."



Monitoring Insights is now available, both directly from HOSTING or through a HOSTING partner, and at various service levels based on customer need. About HOSTING

HOSTING delivers secure, compliant managed cloud services and open technologies that empower organizations to transform their businesses and lead their industries. We provide customers with unmatched security, support and compliance expertise across a broad portfolio of solutions including public cloud, private cloud, hybrid IT and dedicated environments. Our mission is simple  to provide the best customer experience for companies running mission-critical applications in the cloud, supported by the industry's best team. HOSTING set the bar in introducing a complete unified cloud solution on the AWS and Azure cloud platforms. The HOSTING Unified Cloud provides customers with unprecedented flexibility to develop, run and manage custom applications in the cloud without the burden of vendor lock-in. Visit HOSTING.com and HOSTINGUnifiedCloud.com for more information. About ScienceLogic ScienceLogic is the global leader in hybrid IT monitoring for the network of everything. Over 25,000 global service providers, enterprises, and government organizations rely on ScienceLogic to significantly enhance IT efficiency, optimize operations, and ensure business continuity. ScienceLogic is the first monitoring solution to provide a comprehensive view of all IT components through a single pane of glass, whether they reside in a public cloud environment or on-premises. With over 1,500 dynamic management apps and custom dashboarding capabilities, we deliver the scale, resiliency, and automation needed to simplify the constantly evolving task of managing IT resources, services, and applications. About Compassion Founded in 1952, Compassion International is a Christian child development organization that works to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Compassion revolutionized the fight against global poverty by working exclusively with the Church to lift children out of spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty. Compassion partners with more than 7,000 churches in 26 countries to deliver its holistic child development program to over 1.9 million babies, children and young adults. It is the only child sponsorship program to be validated through independent, empirical research. For more about the ministry, visit compassion.com or follow them on Twitter @compassion. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hosting-launches-industry-first-monitoring-service-powered-by-sciencelogic-300391006.html SOURCE HOSTING

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[January 13, 2017] Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Is Investigating Resource Capital Corp (RSO) on Behalf of Stockholders and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is investigating potential claims against the board of directors of Resource Capital Corp (NYSE:RSO) concerning whether the board has breached its fiduciary duties to stockholders. On November 14, 2016, Resource Capital revealed to investors disappointing results for the period ended September 30, 2016, including funds from operations of $12.9 million, or $0.42 per share, and a loss of $51.6 million, or $1.69 per share on revenues of $17.2 million. On a conference call with investors, Resource Capital CEO Robert Lieber attributed the Company's poor performance in part to disconnected business lines and vowed to divest in certain Company assets to improve performance. On this news, the Company's shares fell $3.60 per share, or almost 30%, to close on November 14, 2016 at $8.57on unusually high volume.



If you purchased Resource Capital securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact J. Brandon Walker, Esq. by email at [email protected], or telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you. Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a New York-based law firm concentrating in commercial and securities litigation. For additional information, please go to www.bespc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170113005756/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[January 13, 2017] Cabot Corporation Board Declares Dividend

On Friday, January 13, 2017, the Board of Directors of Cabot Corporation (NYSE:CBT) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share on all outstanding shares of the Corporation's common stock. The dividend is payable on March 10, 2017, to stockholders of record at the close of business on February 24, 2017. About Cabot Corporation

Cabot Corporation (NYSE: CBT) is a global specialty chemicals and performance materials company, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company is a leading provider of rubber and specialy carbons, activated carbon, inkjet colorants, cesium formate drilling fluids, fumed silica, and aerogel. For more information on Cabot, please visit the company's website at: http://www.cabotcorp.com.



Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in the press release regarding Cabot's business that are not historical facts are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170113005743/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[January 14, 2017] Aireon Announces Successful First Launch For Space-Based ADS-B Network

Iridium NEXT satellites successfully launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base MCLEAN, Virginia, Jan. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aireon announced today the successful launch and deployment of the first ten satellites hosting its space-based automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) system. Part of the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation, Aireon's space-based ADS-B network will transform air traffic management capabilities, providing real-time air traffic surveillance and flight tracking across 100 percent of the planet. Currently, more than 70 percent of the earth, including oceanic and remote airspace, has no existing air traffic surveillance. Aireon congratulates Iridium Communications and its partners, including Thales Alenia Space, Orbital ATK and SpaceX, on a successful first launch of the Iridium NEXT constellation, and looks forward to additional successes. "Today is a landmark moment in history for global air traffic surveillance, air traffic safety and the aviation industry as a whole," said Don Thoma, CEO, Aireon. "This successful first launch brings us one step closer to changing the way the world flies by enabling the ability to track aircraft anywhere on the planet. Once our global ADS-B surveillance service is fully deployed, every ADS-B equipped aircraft can have its precise location accounted for 24/7." Iridium has partnered with SpaceX for a series of seven launches over the course of 18 months out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. All 81 Iridium NEXT satellites are equipped with the AireonSM payload. Once in orbit, each satellite will undergo extensive testing by the Iridium team. After approximately 40-60 days Iridium will hand-off the ADS-B payloads to Aireon for verification of on-orbit technical specifications. Aireon will then conduct rigorous independent testing and validation of the space-based ADS-B system for approximately 60 days. As part of this testing and validation process, Aireon's ADS-B receivers, which were manufactured by Harris Corporation, will provide air traffi surveillance data through the Aireon network to the Service Delivery Points (SDPs) at partners NAV CANADA, NATS, ENAV, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), as well as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.



"Few technologies exist today that by simply reimagining their implementation can have such a dramatic, positive impact on safety, efficiency and the environment," said Neil Wilson, president and CEO, NAV CANADA. "Aireon is poised to revolutionize air traffic management over much of the planet, and we're looking forward to an aviation industry where everyone will reap the benefits of 100 percent global air traffic surveillance." Aireon, formed by Iridium Communications and investors NAV CANADA, ENAV, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and Naviair, will be operational in 2018. The advent of space-based ADS-B is expected to show a remarkable ability to increase safety and efficiency while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as noted in studies conducted by the Flight Safety Foundation and Purdue University, in addition to signed agreements with many of the world's leading ANSPs.

"This launch signifies the beginning of a new era in air traffic surveillance that would not have been possible without the incredible work of our talented team and the support of all of our partner organizations," said Eamonn Brennan, chief executive of the Irish Aviation Authority. "This is a transformational technology that will equip Aireon customers with the most advanced air traffic surveillance capabilities available." The network will also provide a new service known as Aireon ALERTSM, a free global emergency-aircraft tracking service that will be hosted and operated by the IAA. Earlier this year, Aireon also announced a partnership with FlightAware, and together launched the GlobalBeaconSM flight tracking service. GlobalBeacon is designed to help airlines comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) requirements, and will provide airlines with minute-by-minute flight tracking data. "Many congratulations to both Aireon and Iridium on the success of their first launch," said Juliet Kennedy, operations director for NATS. "We look forward to further successes with the remainder of the launch programme and what this will mean for operations over the North Atlantic, the world's busiest area of oceanic airspace." For additional information about Aireon, please go to www.aireon.com.

For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.iridiumnext.com. About Aireon LLC Aireon is deploying a global, space-based air traffic surveillance system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft over the entire globe. For the first time, Aireon will provide real-time ADS-B surveillance to oceanic, polar and remote regions, as well as augment existing ground-based systems that are limited to terrestrial airspace. Aireon will harness next generation aviation surveillance technologies and extend them globally to significantly improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce emissions and provide cost savings benefits to all stakeholders. In partnership with leading ANSPs from around the world, NAV CANADA, ENAV, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and Naviair, as well as Iridium Communications, Aireon will have an operational, global, space-based air traffic surveillance system by 2018. For more information about Aireon, visit: www.aireon.com. PRESS CONTACT: Jessie Hillenbrand

Aireon

+1-703-287-7452

[email protected] Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/457428/Aireon_Logo.jpg

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
A short list of events and exhibitions happening in Tokyo and beyond in January

Shoko Ogushi 'Men Behind the Scenes'

Apichatpong Weerasethakul: Ghosts in the Darkness

Seeing an Apichatpong Weerasethakul film is like letting someone dream for you. The Palme dOr-winning Thai director traffics in the imagery of nature, memories, and illusions, and his rising profile in international film circles makes him another strong choice for TOP Museum in this exhibition centered on his photography and video installations. (Films in Thai with English and Japanese subtitles). Through January 29th.

Yozo Hamaguchi in Winter: Curtains of Color

Yozo Hamaguchi was a 20th century printmaker with a Parisian pedigree who developed color mezzotint, a technique combining yellow, red, blue, and black plates to produce a rich variety of shades, demonstrated in his tranquil landscapes and fruit bowl still lifes evoking quiet, mysterious depths. Showcased here are some of his most vibrantly hued prints, along with the works of contemporary photographer Yuji Hamada and the experimental textile designer Sawako Ura, both of whom also take an interest in expressions of nature through interplays of color. Until February 12th. 100 yen discounts for up to two people with MuPon.

The Wondrous Beauty and Utility of Japanese Handmade Paper

Lixil Gallery, a space focused on the use of various materials in art and industry, turns its attention to washi. Both durable and beautiful, this handmade paper created from tree bark and plant fibers boasts a millennium of tradition in Japan: It has been shredded, folded, molded, and woven into everything from umbrellas to cups to military costumes. See how washi has shown up in some of the most stunning and essential objects in the Japanese history at this exhibition of items from the 17th through 20th centuries, with a special selection of Korean works as well. Ends February 25th.

Naoki Ishikawa Capturing the Map of Light on this Planet

Mountaineer Naoki Ishikawa has scaled the highest summits on all seven continents and journeyed from the North to South Poles. Art Tower Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture presents his photography blending anthropological and folklore-informed perspectives in his first major solo exhibition, envisioned as an Ishikawa-led expedition across the globe. Surveying places from Polynesia to Antarctica in large-format images, this show promises insights into the art of living, as understood through cultural wisdom and tradition around the world. Through February 26th.

Etsuko Ichihara Digital Shamanism: Japanese Funeral and Festivity

Etsuko Ichihara is another who artist draws from ancient knowledge and ritual, and ICC features two of her high-tech projects: Digital Shamanism sends robots programed with the appearances and gestures of the deceased to live with surviving family members in an approximation of Buddhist funeral customs; Namahage in Tokyo recreates an Akita practice of strengthening family and communal ties by scaring children straight with village elders dressed up as long-haired demons. Whether this is all creepy, brilliant, or both is up to the viewer, but either way Ichiharas tech-based reinterpretations of Japanese rites that have ushered people through the stages of life for centuries are something to see. Until March 12th.

Shoko Ogushi Shaolin Temple

Shoko Ogushi has been possessed with a fascination of infiltrating male only spaces and through her lens capture the the beauty and enigma of men from a female viewpoint. Having first initiated her Men Behind the Scenes project during her studies in London in 1998 she has entered the worlds of Eton boys, German youth on national service and international pentathletes. Having spent much time in Europe Ogushi has recently turned her eye to the fraternities of Asia, with her first subject in the region being the world heritage site of Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in China. Here at Vanilla Gallery she observes the daily life of boys and young men on their path to monkhood as they train in martial arts and medicine. Against the backdrop of increasing threats and imbalances that are observed in China today, the veneration of Shaolin martial arts is overwhelming, with young boys dreaming of embarking on a journey that would eventually lead them to becoming monks. Ogushi was given permission to enter areas of the temple that are usually off limits and spent three years photographing the day-to-day life of the men residing there. This is a chance to see inside the heavy gates of this world-famous temple. Until January 21st.

Gaetan Kubo My Body is my Laboratory  Or I call Earth Coincidence Control Office

Gaetan Kubo is a young artist who has been enjoying much of the art scene spotlight of late, with a solo exhibition at the ICC and appearances at Roppongi Art Night being just a few examples of his popularity. With a key concern for psychoanalysis and parapsychology Kubo has identified himself to be suffering from an imaginary illness which requires treatment through a series of kinesthetic devices. Developing various theories of the mechanics of the mind and the relevant forms of treatment for peculiar conditions he takes her his own body as a site of experimentation, often drawing upon particular reference to the occult, and examining the relation between electronic media forms and mental instability. From January 21st to March 4th.

Uniting Architecture and Society  The Approach of Otaka Masato

One of the leading members of the Metabolism Group, Masato Otaka(1923-2010), is renowned for such ambitious initiatives as the Motomachi Housing project, Hiroshima, based on utopian ideals of group form. This senior figure of one of post-war Japans most renowned architectural movements promoted the concept of PAU (Prefabrication / Art & Architecture / Urbanism) as principles which should guide city based architectural programs as collective, rather than private property, envisioning urban structures as an embodiment of social space. Whilst the ideal and reality of architecture often encounter a conflicting gap in their realization, with Okata himself not immune to such criticism, the motivating philosophy of his projects may continue to inspire and expand the possibilities of architecture today. Until February 5th.

Varda Caivano Exhibition

The London based painter returns to Tomio Koyama Gallery with her third exhibition in Japan, further renewing the evocative impression of her collage of actions in a visceral materiality of paint and surface. Lying somewhere between the abstract and the figurative, amongst the profusion of painterly marks one might discern landscapes and objects emerging from her color fields which communicate an open fluidity which embrace chance encounters between the medium and the support, propagating a positive space for doubt. Caivanos paintings attempt to establish contact points of time and space, embracing both improvisation and orientation, materiality and illusion, earnestly pursuing the possibilities of contemporary painting today. Until February 4th.



Yohji Yamamoto + Yuka Asakura Painting and Weaving Opportunity

One of the giants of the Japanese fashion world, Yohji Yamamoto never ceases in his fervor for his singular designs which push all trends to the sidelines. Here his force of creativity and unswerving dedication to his own unique vision is celebrated in this high profile solo exhibition, particularly paying tribute to the cross-fertilization between art and fashion, as well as the polar bind of attraction and repulsion between opposing elements. The exhibition examines his recent collaborations with the painter Yuuka Asakura whose frenzied abstract canvases have always spoken of a strong sense of corporeality and find them selves fully embodied as they make their way into the garment designs of Yamamoto. Until March 12th.
craigslist: thailand jobs, apartments, for sale, services, community, and events

craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, services, local community, and events
WASHINGTON  Most media reports of cyberattacks and cyberwar are inaccurate and sensationalized, the veteran security researcher known as Space Rogue told the ShmooCon hacker conference here yesterday (Jan. 13).

(Image credit: Palo_ok/Shutterstock)

The threat of computer-based attacks upon the United States' critical national infrastructure is real, he said. But the constant, dire predictions of massive cyberattacks, especially concerning the North American electrical power grid, are exaggerated and misleading. The predictions and warnings are themselves dangerous because they make political leaders too ready to start real wars over what may be imagined attacks.

Instead, Space Rogue said, there is a far more prevalent, more easily apparent threat to power lines and electrical networks around the country: squirrels. Yet we're so worried about "cyber Pearl Harbor" that we're losing our grip on reality.

MORE: 10 Reasons to Fear a 'Cyber Pearl Harbor'

"The best definition of cyberwar that I've seen is, 'Actions by a nation-state to penetrate computer systems for purposes of causing damage,' said by [former National Security Adviser] Richard Clarke," said Space Rogue, who was part of the 1990s Boston hacker collective the L0pht, testified to Congress about cyberattacks in 1998 and goes by the name Cris Thomas in his day job.

That definition eliminates many of the reports of cyberattacks in the past few years, he said. Space Rogue cited the Iranian "attack" upon a flood-control dam in Rye, New York, in 2014. Someone in Iran did perform a "port scan" of the dam's internet-connected control systems, roughly equivalent to walking around a building looking for possibly open windows and doors. Yet the U.S. indicted an Iranian national for this seemingly sinister, yet ultimately harmless "attack."

Likewise, a purported series of cyberattacks upon power systems in Brazil a decade ago was in fact caused by poorly maintained equipment, Space Rogue said, even though the story was aired on CBS News' "60 Minutes." A 2011 water-pump failure in Illinois was blamed on Russian hackers, but it turned out that the pump simply burned out on its own, and that a contractor for the water utility had happened to remotely log into the system while on a family vacation in Russia.

There have been real cyberattacks, Space Rogue said, most significantly the 2010 U.S.-Israeli Stuxnet attack that badly damaged Iran's nuclear-processing capability. More recently, there have been real as well as imagined attacks upon Ukrainian power systems.

But, he said, that doesn't justify the hysteria. At a security conference last year, famous news anchor Ted Koppel said "a cyberattack on our infrastructure is a greater threat than nuclear war" and that the internet is a "weapon of mass destruction." Two weeks ago, The Washington Post mistakenly reported that Russian hackers had attacked a power company in Vermont. Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy said the U.S. electrical grid "faces imminent danger" from cyberattacks.

"Cyberwar has been prophesized for 35 years," Space Rogue said. "But any hacking nation-state  such as China, Russia or Iran  will want to keep our power ON so that they can know what we're doing online. Minor threat actors such as ISIS, North Korea or hacktivists don't have the money, time or motivation to cause a Black Swan event of the kind we've been warned about."

Meanwhile, Space Rogue said, he and fellow researcher Jericho, aka Brian Martin, determined that animals, especially squirrels, are the cause of dozens of electrical blackouts across the U.S. every year, yet no one reports on the constant peril caused by small furry rodents.

"We've had power outages caused by squirrels in all 50 states," Space Rogue said. "That includes Hawaii, where they don't even have squirrels, but they do have chickens."

He and Jericho even have a website and a Twitter account dedicated to tracking all the animal attacks on power systems worldwide.

"The North American power-grid attack surface is huge," Space Rogue said, referring to the vast number of ways in which the grid could be attacked. "But the number-one threat is still squirrels  and then birds, snakes and raccoons."

The reason we don't worry about squirrels, he pointed out, is that electrical service is usually restored within hours of an animal-triggered power outage. Likewise, he said, even if hackers were to turn off the lights somewhere, they would have a hard time keeping them off  electric utilities have decades of experience in recovering rapidly from blackouts.

"Causing a power outage and keeping the power off are different things," Space Rogue said. "Yes, there is a risk of cyberattacks upon the electrical grid, but the risk is nowhere near the level of hype that the cyberwar hawks have been spouting."
Something Winter This Way Comes . . .

Kettle Chips, French Onion Dip, Mr. Pibb, Swiss Cake Rolls And Then Chinese Takeout

Weather Newsies Backing Down

More Sleaze Summit Prep

Rerun But With Added Emphasis . . .

There is a lot of important information in here about safety, power outage contingencies and maybe even advice about how to snuggle a fat broad (gently) . . . But it's always a dank 72 degrees here in my (mom's) basement so this kinda thing doesn't really resonate with our blog community of critical thinkers and/or newz junkies . . .Nevertheless, more deets after the jump for poor souls who just can't get enough weather coverage . . .Take cover . . .
"Mike Shanin interviews Judy Ancel, Director of Worker Education & Labor Studies at UMKC, about right to work efforts in Missouri. Then Lisa Johnston, Gwen Grant, Patrick Tuohey and Steve Rose discuss the new legislative sessions in Kansas and Missouri, Governor Sam Brownback's State of the State address, efforts to extend the streetcar in Kansas City and race relations in America."

So much other stuff going on this week that a glimpse of Kansas City talkers wasn't so important . . . Still, a glimpse at mainstream opinion is worth at least a causal glimpse if only to get caught up on the latest talking points from the Chamber, Civic Council and Mayor's office as they continue their corrupt stranglehold over most mainstream media outlets . . .First up . . .And then . . .Wherein legacy media newsies offers the company line on most of the stuff we already discussed.Developing . . .
our

IN MUCH GREATER DETAIL . . . A KICK-ASS INSIDER SHOWS US SPECIAL INTERESTS WORKING TO SECURE MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THIS NEARLY ONE BILLION DOLLAR GO BOND SLUSH FUND IN THE MAKING!!!

Kansas City Insider: $800 Million Bond Issue

Earlier last year. . . Now . . .Here's the word from the front lines and ongoing talk about the burden soon to be foist upon local residents . . .The Joint Finance & Governance and Transportation & Infrastructure committee meeting on Thursday, January,12 was interesting from the start. The committee immediately going into closed session for about half hour. Then Chairman Scott Wagner of the committee announcing that the renewal of 1 cent sales tax for capital improvements would not be on the ballot in April. So this only leaves the new $800 million bond issue to be on the ballot in April. Like we said last week they are in trouble the Mayor stating his proposal of $600 million (streets, bridges-$400 million and $200 sidewalks), $150 million for flood control, $50 million for animal shelter and public buildings is polling at 60 percent. They need 57 percent to pass this new bond proposal.Councilman Lucas from 3rd District at Large presented a competing proposal. His proposal would have $550 million for streets, bridges and sidewalks, $25 million for the animal shelter, $225 million for flood control and neighborhood sidewalks.The Mayor dismissed the Lucas plan because it didn't comply with the bonding agencies. The grouping of sidewalks and flood control is not compatible according to the Mayor. The important fact is that there is no consensus on what and how money should be spent.Councilman Lucas should be commended for his discussion of paying for Starlight ADA improvements. The fact is probably hidden in the Mayors proposal in the government building and animal shelter is money for a zoo aquarium. Starlight is not run by the City and neither is the Zoo but they continue to think that Kansas City should fund them. They should be required to present their Federal 990's and lets see how they spend money and how many of their board members live in Kansas City.The public testimony centered on sidewalks. When former Councilman John Sharp gets up and starts lobbying for sidewalks, when will someone ask him why after serving on the city council for 16 years in South Kansas City you now think sidewalks are important. The other issue with former Councilman John Sharp he is currently Councilman Kevin McManus's PIAC representative. Do they have a priority for neighborhood sidewalks? Councilman McManus we have term limits for a reason.In reality neither proposal could pass. The focus on the animal shelter and sidewalks isn't the focus of the majority of people that are unable to attend city council meetings. They want a plan on fixing streets, flood control, they understand that Kansas City will have to pay for ADA sidewalk fixes and city hall ADA compliance. So far we have not seen any criteria of what projects should be a priority. One other issue is no matter if you live on the Eastside, the Northland or South Kansas City people are fed up with the focus on downtown so this $800 million bond issue should not be spending money on downtown.##################You decide . . .
A possible IMF withdrawal from the Greek programme does not mean a new memorandum, government sources said on Friday

A possible IMF withdrawal from the Greek programme does not mean a new memorandum, government sources said on Friday, noting that an agreement exists and maybe this agreement needs to pass from the German parliament.

According to the same sources, "the possibility of the continuation of the programme without the participation of IMF or its participation without funding and consequently without main role, is a development that may be a way out of the structural disagreement between the institutions, which constitutes a continuous obstacle for the conclusion of the second review without additional measures and the successful conclusion of the Greek programme.

"The view that Europe has an institutional support framework is not new. It steadily gains ground in the European institutions and it is welcomed by Greece provided the initiatives and decision are taken quickly," the same sources said.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke on the phone today to discuss Thursdays Geneva-based Conference on Cyprus

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke on the phone today to discuss Thursdays Geneva-based Conference on Cyprus.

Cyprus Government Spokesperson, Nikos Christodoulides, tweeted that both leaders discussed the Conference which focussed exclusively on the security and guarantees issues.

His tweet read:

Tsipras did not attend the Conference as Cyprus other guarantor powers, the UK and Turkey, did not send their top officials  Prime Minister Theresa May and President Tayyip Erdogan, instead being represented by each nations Foreign Ministers.

HISTORY MADE

During the Geneva talks, Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot chief Mustafa Akinci exchanged territorial maps for the very first time since negotiations began.

Another historic moment was the fact that, for the first time, Cyprus and Turkey directly held negotiations.

REPRESENTATION

Greeces Nikos Kotzias, Turkeys Mevlut Cavusoglu and Britains Boris Johnson were their countrys representatives at the Conference.

The EU was represented by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Foreign Affairs Commissioner, Federica Mogherini.

The UN was represented by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Special Advisor on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide.

THEY RAN AWAY, WERE STILL HERE

Following Thursdays Conference, Kotzias aimed a swipe at Turkey for not remaining in Geneva after Thursday, with Cavusoglu saying he had to return to Ankara to address other issues.

The Greek Foreign Minister told journalists on Friday that Turkey abandoned Geneva, and that those who left ran away, were still here.

WERE GOING TO BE THERE FOREVER

Also speaking to journalists on Friday after prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan said: We have told Cyprus and Greece clearly that they should not expect a solution without Turkey as guarantor. We are going to be there forever.

The Turkish President also added that it was out of the question for Turkish troops to pull out of Cyprus unless both sides [Turkey and Greece] pulled out.

BACKGROUND

On January 9, Anastasiades and Akinci decided to resume their Swiss-based talks.

On January 11, they historically exchanged territorial maps for the first time since negotiations began.

On January 12, the Geneva-based Conference on Cyprus was convened with the islands three guarantor powers (Greece, the UK, Turkey), the EU and UN.

On January 18, discussions will continue at a technical level, following the same format as the Conference.

On January 23, the Greek, Turkish and British Foreign Ministers will meet again to continue their Cyprus Problem negotiations.

Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May 2015 aiming to reunify the island under a federal roof, following Turkeys 1974 invasion and illegal occupation on the island.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Turkey is continuing to escalate its provocations against Greece, as five fighter jets of the Turkish Air force violated Greek air space 6 times and committed air traffic infringements, Friday.

The violations and infringements took place over the south and north-east Aegean Sea, with two of the jets carrying armed weapons. The Greek Air Force recognised and intercepted the Turkish jets, in accordance to international regulations.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Russia has announced its intention to permanently walk away from the G8 group of industrialised nations  more than two years after it was kicked out over the illegal annexation of Crimea

Russia has announced its intention to permanently walk away from the G8 group of industrialised nations  more than two years after it was kicked out over the illegal annexation of Crimea.

Moscow said it had no intention of re-joining the influential bloc  which brings together the worlds richest countries to discuss global issues from economic growth to terrorism  even if it was invited to do so. Russias involvement in the G8 was not being discussed in Moscow in any way, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The country was temporarily suspended from the bloc  which includes the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada  in March 2014. Since then, the G7 has met in its place.

Source: independent.com

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Ithmaar, a leading Islamic retail bank based in Bahrain, has re-launched its Thimaar savings account for a new year, reducing the minimum amount of savings required to win a prize and increasing both the total number of winners and the total prize purse.



These changes were made in line with the banks commitment to listening closely to its customers requirements and using their feedback to continuously improve its products and services.



As a result, the new Thimaar has cut the minimum deposit to BD30 ($79), currently the lowest offered by any prize-based savings account in Bahrain besides increasing the number of winners to 4,044 (currently the highest in Bahrain) as well as boosting the total prize money to $3 million, one of the biggest in the Kingdom.



The new Thimaar Account rolls out from tomorrow (January 15).



Mohammed Janahi, the assistant general manager and head of retail banking, said Ithmaar Bank was committed to becoming the Islamic retail bank of choice. In line with that commitment, we are constantly working to enhance our customers Islamic banking experience, he stated.



Prize-based savings accounts have become an almost standard offering among both Islamic and conventional retail banks in Bahrain, remarked Janahi.



However, having listened attentively to our customers feedback, we recognised a need to reduce the minimum saving required to be eligible for a prize. We also noticed a pronounced, perhaps obvious, customer demand for increased chances to win  and we restructured the new Thimaar accordingly, he said.



In 2017, Thimaar will offer a total of $3.05 million in prizes - including $1.02 million monthly prizes, $900,000 loyalty prizes, $600,000 Eid prizes, $200,000 semi-annual prizes and $125,000 national day prizes - to a total of 4,044 winners, including 840 Junior winners.



Every BD30 maintained as an average daily balance qualifies a customer to enter the draws. The more customers save, and the longer they maintain balances in multiples of BD30, the more opportunities they have to win.-TradeArabia News Service
Solar One, a specialist in the manufacture of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, will introduce its 'Made in Bahrain' products at the Gulf Industry Fair 2017, the Northern Gulfs leading annual industrial expo to be held next month.



Gulf Industry Fair 2017 is being organised by Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE) from February 7 to 9 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain.



Solar Ones manufacturing facility located in Askar area of Bahrain has the capacity to manufacture up to 60,000 panels per year which can generate 15,000 MW of power, said a top official.



"Gulf Industry Fair presents industrial capabilities and innovative 'Made in Bahrain' products," remarked Rami Khalifeh, the managing director of Solar One.



"We will be using the showcase of Gulf Industry Fair to highlight Solar Ones capabilities as a leading provider of cost-effective solar energy solutions," he stated.



According to him, the Solar Ones panels can be custom built to industry size and specifications and are processed to comply with international standards.



The panels have been developed to work in extreme weather conditions particularly sandstorms that may prevail in Middle Eastern and North African countries, stated Khalifeh.



"Our target at Gulf Industry Fair is to connect with prospective distributors, sellers and buyers and establish Bahrains capability of producing quality solar solutions," noted Faisal Khalifeh, the business development manager of Solar One.



Jubran Abdulrahman, the managing director of HCE, said: "Bahrains vision is to deliver 10 per cent of our national energy consumption from renewable energies. The energy sector at Gulf Industry Fair, which is supported by the National Oil and Gas Authority, is promoting this vision through practical solutions such as that offered by Solar One."



"As a Bahraini company we at HCE are particularly proud to have Solar One introduce solar solutions that are exclusively 'Made in Bahrain'," stated Abdulrahman.



The Gulf Industry Fair 2017 is being sponsored by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) in association with Noga.



Majaal and Naffco will be supporting the Industrial Facilities sector and Fire and Safety Products sector of the event.



Supporting organisations for GIF 2017 includes AHK Saudi Arabia, Indias PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the German Saudi Arabian Liaison for Economic Affairs, the Saudi British Economic Offset Programme and Bahrain Industrial Association.-TradeArabia News Service
Amlak, the real estate investment arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Social Insurance Organization (SIO), has awarded a key construction contract to Yousif Al Zayani Trading & Contracting Company for its upcoming residential project The Sixty Six.



Aimed for completion by mid-2018, The Sixty Six will boast a modern six-storey residential building that includes fully-furnished apartments and a luxury recreational floor with a swimming pool, gymnasium and multipurpose room, said a statement from the company.



The project, located in the Um Al Hassam area of Bahrain, is easily accessible through the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway and Sitra Bridge, it stated.



The Sixty Six will be developed in close collaboration with Gulf House Engineering Company, said Mohamed Abdulelah Alkooheji, the chief executive of Amlak, after signing the deal with Ahmed Yousif Al Zayani.



It will provide 66 fully furnished apartments of various sizes, ranging from one-bedroom to two- and three-bedroom units, with the sixth floor consisting distinctly of three-bedroom apartments.



Amlak aims to fuel the growth of its portfolio through a balanced investment strategy founded on a stern governance model and investment management framework," remarked its chairman Abdulrahman Yusuf bin Yusuf Fakhro.



"We are confident that The Sixty Six will further strengthen Amlak's assets," he stated.



Amlak has taken steady steps towards prosperity by developing its investments and we have recently announced our upcoming projects which includes a number of residential and multi-purpose projects, he added.



Alkooheji said the announcement of The Sixty Six project will positively impact the growth of SIOs investments and increase Amlaks value creation by enhancing our ability to generate profits.



Other than building investment opportunities, Amlak will be evaluating current properties and devising a development plan to boost property values, he added.



Commenting on the contract win, Al Zayani said: "We are pleased to have been awarded this prestigious contract. The Sixty Six is an innovative project and we are proud to be selected as the company that will develop this project which will further drive Bahrains real estate market."



Amlak, a development company with a focused strategy, aims to deliver real benefits and financial security to Bahrainis and the society at large.



The company aims to manage and develop long-term investing and sustainable growth for SIOs real estate portfolio through a dedicated team of experts.-TradeArabia News Service
Earlier this week, Tigerair has suspended all its flights from and to Bali, Indonesia after the airline company has failed to conform to the new changes in the aviation rules and requirements of the Indonesian government in connection to the licensing conditions among carriers - leaving Australians and other guests outraged.

The low-cost airline is now temporarily allowed to operate the company's business from Bali to Australia until January 16 so as to transport the stranded passengers on their way back home. However, the continuance of the operations of Tigerair's flights in Bali is still uncertain.

As of this time, almost 2,000 passengers are stranded in Indonesia because of the flight cancellations. According to a report by ABC News, in order to bring the aggrieved passengers, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft will fly to Bali to fetch them back in Australia.

Tigerair has already cancelled all its flights from Australia to Indonesia until January 20. But in its official statement, the budget airline company confirmed that all of its flights from Melbourne to Bali, Perth to Bali and Adelaide to Bali from January 21 onwards are all under review, Mail Online reports. Furthermore, Tigerair has also expressed its deepest apologies for all the affected passengers for the inconvenience that was caused by the said flight cancellations.

Part of Tigerair's official statement reads: "Tigerair Australia has cancelled four flights to Denpasar (Bali) today following a decision by the Indonesian government to impose new administrative requirements for the operation of its flights between Bali and Australia."

Stranded passengers were outraged as they get into several unplanned expenses for their extended accommodation, flight alternatives and meals. Despite the confirmation of the continuation of TIgerair's flights until January 20, the transport of some passengers including those who booked their flights after January 16 is still uncertain.

At present, TIgerair is searching for means in order for the airline company to continue its flight operations in Bali which includes its compliance to the new requirements set by the Indonesian Government.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Starting today, your family and friends can gather around TV and start planning your dream vacation. Yes, Apple launches Hotels.com App, the latest innovation to view travel inspiration and destinations in front of Apple TV. The app can be downloaded from Apple Store starting yesterday.

The Hotels.com Apple TV app provides infotainment kind of experience when choosing for future travels. It features hundreds of destinations and 600 different activities. Per destination is equipped with what-to-do recommendations, as well as where to stay and where to shop information.

It also features extreme adventures, relaxing activities and cultural hotbeds. Do you consider bungee jumping in Australia or surf in Waikiki? Activities like these are personally recommended by resident adventurers of Hotels.com.

The Hotels.com Apple TV app will show mini travel guide. Each travel guide will be accompanied with high definition images and suggestions on accommodation. Destination videos will be available soon, ta make the experience more engaging and inspiring.

Travelers will also be advised on the best time to travel to each destination. They can also save their favorite destinations or hotels to view later. For bookings, travellers need to visit Hotels.com website or book via the mobile and tablet app.



Hotels.com is one of the leading online travel companies to promote planning travel through the help of mobile app. Their award-winning wearable app was first launched in 2015.

The Senior Director of Mobile at Hotels.com, Daniel Craig was quoted saying, "We want travelers to use the app for inspiration, to give them new ideas on destinations to visit and activities to try. It's also perfect for group bookings, as friends and family can gather around the TV to choose their holiday together." He added that their company wants to be part of the entire traveling experience- from planning, booking and stay-in support. For more of the latest travel apps, check this article from Travelers Today.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
France is already a famous country visited by lots of tourists. The country has a lot to offer in terms of culture, architecture, and natural attractions. However, there are still more reasons why everyone should visit this country and here are the top 5 reasons why France should be on every traveler's bucket list.

Buildings And Monuments

There are lots of places in France where you can admire the beauty of buildings and monuments. One of which is the Villa La Coste, Aixe-en-Provence and according to The Telegraph, this place can offer so much when it comes to architecture. It has amazing architecture and contains some of the best modern-day sculpture. Aside from that, it will be opening a contemporary hotel offering suite rooms and private pools for guests.

Villages

A lot of the villages in France are already modernized because of internet access, phone service and other kinds of technology. However, most of the villages still have that historical and architectural significance. According to USA Today, Strasbourg is one village in Alsace-Lorraine that has a Shakespearean feel to it because of its glass buildings.

Food And Wine

According to Why Visit Paris, France has one of the most delicious cheeses, bread, pastries and wines in the world. Also, the country is just full of gourmet restaurants for foodies to experience.

Art And Culture

France produced some of the most famous artists in the world that's why a lot of their works still remain until this day. The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Louvre are a must see for travelers who want to appreciate art and culture. These two are arguably the best art museums in the world.

Rich History

France is so rich with history and it can be displayed with the different monuments and buildings in the country. For example, Versailles is where you can experience the elegance and beauty of the historic castle while learning a lot about the historical background of the place.

France has a lot to offer aside from the Eiffel Tower. If you're planning for your next trip, why not visit this country and have an unforgettable experience.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
For a foreign country that is not known for its proficiency of the worldwide lingua franca (English), knowing your way around Morocco would be difficult. Fortunately, here are some of the local terms in Morocco's addresses you need to know just to help you get around places.

Medina

Sounding like a sacred birthplace of Islam's prophet, 'medina' is used as a common noun describing a particular place. In Moroccan terminology, 'medina' means 'urban center' or 'downtown.' But unlike the urban centers in Western countries, 'medinas' are rather teeming with pedestrians and only navigable on foot.

Kasbah

A kasbah is pretty much an older and more traditional version of a 'medina.' Essentially, a 'kasbah' is a district or community within a walled town. Think of it as a heritage quarter found in almost every key municipality in Morocco.

Souk

In every 'medina' or 'kasbah,' there are always one or two 'souks.' In Moroccan terminology, 'souk' literally translates as 'market.' A particular address that bears this label after a number means the place is located on a market square.

Derb

One of the most prevalent local terms in Morocco's addresses is the word 'derb.' In many traditional Arabic civilizations, a 'derb' literally means 'a quarter of the city.' Any establishment that begins with this address is located within an urban area inaccessible within any main pedestrian infrastructure.

Rue

As one of the former French colonies in the Saharan region, Moroccan's call their roads or streets 'rue.' Any place bearing this address is easily accessible by vehicle (and probably high-end). Anyone who can speak fluent French has no problem getting their way around Morocco.

Riad

Considering that most cities in Morocco are constructed in a traditional labyrinth-like Moorish layout, one can rarely find what most people would recognize as a park. Instead, they have 'riads.' These are courtyards within a 'derb' enclosed within a hotel or restaurant building complex.

Hammam

One can eventually find these resplendent spas and public baths within the 'derb' or the 'souk.' You don't just wash your body; a staff would also scrub and massage your skin. Some luxurious types of 'hammam' that offer relative privacy is found in hotels.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Davao City is one of the most popular locations in the Philippines, and its underrated reputation in the past has just very much improved during the election of President Rodrigo Duterte who was once the city mayor for over 22 years. For a city that is three times as big as Manila, spending the first 16 hours in Davao City could be tricky.

However, here is one of the easiest routes anyone can follow when traveling in Davao City. Take note: Davao City has the worst traffic jams in the country starting around 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

Book a room at Drifters Apartel

Upon arriving at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, the first order of business is to find the nearest lodge to unload the luggage and catch a couple hours of sleep. One of the best accommodations around the area is the Drifters Apartel and British Bar. This place only charges as low as $19.93 per night and the premises feels more like a luxury Caribbean inn than a posh hotel.

Shop at SM Lanang Premier

SM Lanang Premier opens at around 9:30 AM. One of the best reasons to visit this prestigious mall is the experience of a super sized buffet at a bistro called Vikings. For as much as $14.81, one can feast over an international assortment of dishes. It is best to arrive here with an empty stomach.

Visit Roxas Night Market

As mentioned earlier, it is best to hit the highway before 4:00 PM to avoid the notorious traffic jam while traveling in Davao City. The farthest one can go via local 'jeepney' ride is the Roxas Avenue. Each night beginning at 6:00 PM, this boulevard is closed off and occupied by local sellers brewing a very festive atmosphere.

On foot to the People's Park

Another good way to explore the urban sprawl is to walk from Roxas Avenue to the famous People's Park. This tourist destination in Davao is home to many local athletes and joggers.

Nightlife at Obrero District

One of the best neighborhoods for a night out is in Obrero District, easily accessible along the highway. It is important not to end the first 16 hours in Davao City getting in trouble with local authorities. Therefore, smoking in public is a big no-no.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
There are a number of reasons why students and avid academics would consider studying in one of the top 5 best universities in Germany. Though without tuition fees yet they offer study programs that offer real potential - one that easily translates to great employment prospects for young adults and esteem for middle-aged academics.

These German universities are renowned for their excellent quality courses too. Here are the following institutions that define world-class education:

Technical University of Munich

According to the QS World University Rankings in 2015 to 2016, the Technical University of Munich is categorized as the first premiere institution in all of Germany. With over 39,081 students, this university produced a total of 165 inventions and 13 Nobel Laureates. As one of the German universities without tuition fees, it has also generated over 700 startup companies worldwide.

Heidelberg University

Among the oldest universities in Germany, the Heidelberg University precedes all other academic institutions in the country. Established in 1386 AD, this university has 630 years of strong tradition of cultivating world-class education. There are over 30,848 students, 5,000 of these includes scientists and researchers. This university hosts a total of 180 international programs.

Ludwig Maximilian University

The Ludwig Maximilian or LMU was established in 1472 AD in a small city of Ingolstadt, making it one of the oldest universities in Germany. This institution has established itself as a renowned research center penning a total of 6 million library volumes. Over 500,000 patients per year undergo successful treatment by its own medical center. This institution also has a total of 50,327 students and 500 years of scholarship tradition.

Free University of Berlin

Ranked fifth in the QS World University Rankings in 2015 to 2016, the Free University of Berlin currently has 5 renowned faculty staff holding Nobel Laureate titles. Teaching over 29,000 students, this university was modeled after the illustrious Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

Humboldt University

As one of the top 5 best universities in Germany, Humboldt University is notorious for producing brilliant minds in the 19th Century. Their alumnae include the line-up of historical giants like Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Max Planck and Albert Einstein. 14 percent of its 30,000 students are international enrollees.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Taste Mexico's secret Tequila town, and be amaze at how dollar's record-breaking exchange rate can help a lot. Indeed, this famous-named place will bring any traveler to a new whole level of drinking the traditional brew while linking its colorful Mexican history to it. Find out more about the country's hidden jewel, and all the thrilling things to do there.

In the nearby cosmopolitan town of Guadalajara, only 37 miles away the picturesque agave fields border the mountains of Jalisco. Definitely, the molave's bracing smell will tickle any tourist's tequila memories.

In Travel + Leisure's report, it shares more about the things to enjoy in the magical Mexican Tequila town. For those opting to really get acquainted with it, a nice accommodation with the nearby hotels can be arranged. Supposedly, day tours and immersion trips are both available for vacationers.

With regards to staying, Villa Ganz is only one of the many which can reserve with lodging, they, in fact, serves nice Mexican dishes. Now, if a vacationer is looking for real mouthwatering cuisines, there are restaurants outside where tequilas and cold cut meats are amazing.

For more activities, there is so much to do in here. According to USA Today, the best tequila brands are highly related to Mexico's very own site, one of the most known is Jose Cuervo which is a classic. To enjoy the best of the liquor travel destination, its vintage breweries is the best place to delve deeper. In fact, there are day tours available from Guadalajara going to Jalisco, and extra cash from dollar's best rates can make a whole new adventure.

Lastly, TripAdvisor suggests some more activities for those who are already heady with drinking too much Tequila. Another thing to enjoy is its finest Mexican tourist destination like Parroquia Santiago Apostol, Cascada Los Azules, and Antiguo meson La Bola de Oro. Also strolling, shopping, eating, and partying can be part of this great adventure.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
The tomb of Mausolus in Halicarnassus Turkey is set to be restored to its former glory. The Mausoleum, considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, will be dug, explored and restituted for locals and foreigners to appreciate the history and its cultural impacts to the country.

Ozay Kartal, head of the Mediterranean Countries Academy Foundation said that the project will 'shed light on the district's 5,000-year-old history.' "There are many locals in Bodrum who don't know that Heredotus was born in Bodrum and that the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World," he told Hurriyet Daily News.

"This is why our priority is to restitute this mausoleum and open a way from the port to this place," he added. "Hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting Bodrum return to their countries without seeing it. We, as the foundation, will organize the International Mausolus Workshop in May to provide information about Bodrum's history with the participation of academics, historians, and archaeologists. This workshop will be a very important step leading to the restitution project of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus," Kartal said.

Aside from restoring the Mausoleum, other projects tackled were to support and restore Turkey's Jewish cemetery and church, lighting the Myndos Gate, foundation support for Heredotus Institute of History, and gather historical items at the Mycenae Civilization Open Air Museum.

The project will also see to unearth a 3,500-year old hippodrome and the ancient city walls worth eight meters long that surround the province of Mugla's Bodrum. There are no dates yet being arranged for the historical project restoration. But once the country sets to restore the Mausoleum, people will get to see two ancient world wonders in modern times.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were an accumulation of extraordinary buildings listed by various Greek writers, including Antipater of Sidon as well as Philo of Byzantium. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only enduring ancient wonder.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
If you're aiming for a traveling experience, a place where you can bask in the unspoiled beauty of nature, with plentiful wildlife and refreshing air, then there would be nowhere more perfect than Kenya.

One of the most stunning countries of Africa, Kenya is home to the most endangered species of animals in the world. Add its picturesque geographical landscapes and magnificent National Parks, Kenya is a must-visit country for the adventure-hungry.

Since Africa is synonymous for safari (travel-wise), do your Safari adventure in Masai Mara, Kenya's most famous natural reserve. Due to the abundance of wild animals in the reserve, walking is not allowed, but the reserve has certain good spots to view several animals do their day-to-day activities-- such as lions chasing their prey, leopards up the trees and lions and giraffes grazing on the greens in the Savannah.

The Great Rift Valley is also a popular destination in, where you can find the most diverse avi-fauna species on the planet! In Lake Nakuru, your eyes will only see pink as thousands of flamingoes flocked together as they eat the algae living in the lake, and in Lake Bogoria, you will get to see over 373 bird species - a sight so naturally beautiful you might cry.

If you're in a bit of lust for ancient history, then visit Olorgesailie. This is a prehistoric site that will make you think of Jurassic Park-- minus the dinosaurs, of course! Hike through its old paths and walkways where you can still see remnants of prehistoric tools used by our ancestors the Homo Erectus, as well as bones of animals, and other fascinating ancient stuff up for your exploration.

Now, after all the tiring but satisfying Safari and wildlife adventure, you might be craving for some relaxation and de-stress. So why not experience a magical Kenyan beach holiday? In the islands of Kenya in the Indian Ocean such as Kiwayu, Lamu, Manda, Chale and Funzi, you will experience the perfect beach life you've never felt before. Clear, turquoise waters, white, fine sand-Kenya is truly a piece of heaven on earth.

Those are just some of the things you can do in Kenya you will not find anywhere else. So this 2017, why not get a taste of real adventure? Venture to Kenya for once-in-a-lifetime travel experience you should not miss.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Before you fly off for an adventure to China, it's very important to know your stuff and what to do in the Asian country. This country can be a difficult country to navigate so having a good knowledge of the place you're going to be exploring before you arrive means you will have a bit less culture shock to deal with. Here are some of the best possible things to do in here.

Getting Internet Access. Several websites are difficult to access in China, including Google mail, Twitter and Facebook. These sites are your main way of keeping in touch with friends and family at home, make sure you warn them that they may not hear from you for a while to avoid any worry or confusion. The best possible app that is recommended for communication while in China is Wechat since its like their WhatsApp there.

Trains In China. Chinese trains are the most efficient way of traveling long distances but they book up very very early especially at peak times like summer time or the Chinese New Year. If you really want to experience a train journey then better make sure you book early or you might be not come back to where you were. According to Travel Nation, the best train seats to take when taking long or overnight train rides are the hard sleepers which are the best. Hard seats are not recommended it will just bust out your back.

Pack Light. Pack light clothes with lots of layers. In China you can go from somewhere very cold like the Great Wall of China to somewhere and all of the sudden very humid like in Yangshuo so its better to be prepared all the time for your own comfort.

Learn The Language. Learn a bit of Mandarin, the most widely spoken language in the country. Its very useful since most Chinese people do not understand English, they may but it will be difficult for both of you when exchanging conversations. According to Rough Guides, the best thing is to download a Chinese dictionary application to make it easier for you on the go.

Must Try Chinese Cuisines. Dim sum and other Cantonese dishes are delicious and has always been very Chinese of course, but there's a whole world of regional cuisines to discove as well like the fiery spice of Sichuan and Hunan cuisine. For more about the best things to do in China stay tuned to Travelers Today.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
An Airline company is giving travelers a very enticing offer. Aside from discounted airfares, Qatar Airways will have you fly to Dubai and other destinations for $0.

Qatar Airways has recently launched its Travel Festival sale. This deal offers 50 percent price slash on International flights originating from the US. The deal runs until January 16. However, Qatar Airways boost up this deal by including flights to several excellent destinations for a $0 on their website.

Qatar Airways is offering free airfare to places like Dubai. Those who would like to avail can just find the airfare hidden on Qatar Airways site. This is part of Qatar Airways' Treasure Hunt promo. To provide flight hunters a head start, Qatar Airways hinted a few clues in the video to promote the Treasure Hunt. The $0 tickets are for Qatar Airways flights to six destinations. The catch is, you will only be able to search for them for one hour on the date set aside for your country.

The U.S. and Canada areas will only be able to search for the hidden airfares on hours between 9 and 10 a.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 12. Please take note that dates for other countries such as Australia, the Philippines, and India, have already passed, reported Huffington Post.

For Dubai, the Qatar Airways United Arab Emirates Airport Code is DXB and the travel dates are for the months of February, March and April 2017. For Ras al-Khaimah, the Qatar Airways United Arab Emirates Airport Code is RKT with travel dates on the months February and March 2017. Moreover, Yerevan is also included in the promo with Qatar Airways Armenia Airport Code: EVN. Travel Dates for this destination are February and April 2017.

Tbilisi is also included in the promo. The Qatar Airways Georgia Airport Code for this destination is TBS with travel date in February 2017. Furthermore, for Seychelles its Airport Code is SEZ with travel dates in February and April 2017. Finally, Cape Town, the South Africa Airport Code is CPT the travel dates for the Qatar Airways promo is March 2017.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
According to Investopedia, consulting a financial planner to help a retiree or future retiree plan for his retirement in the near future. The struggle of fitting up your budget with the American cost of living is actually one thing that is tougher than completing your 40-year job for retirement. But with the trend nowadays, it is always better to try something new like considering a retirement abroad.

Just recently, we gave you a list of the best countries to visit after retirement this 2017. Here is the second part of our bucket-list to give you more options to where you must choose to stay after retiring from your job.

With the fusion of different natives such as Malays, Portuguese, Indian and Chinese, Malaysia is considered to be one of the best Asian countries to visit years of hardwork. Malaysia is best place to be when it comes to the street foods in the world, restaurants, shopping centers and vibrant night markets. Being the only Asian country to reach the International Living's list, Malaysia also attracts expats for its UNESCO World Heritage sites and a reasonably low cost of living.

After placed ninth in 2016, Spain has improved its ranking in this year's list of the best countries for retirees. The southern European country's climate, coasts and beaches never failed to attract visitors may it be locals or foreign retirees.

The cost of living in Spain is also cheaper compared to other European countries. That is why it has been considered as the most favourite spot in Europe among travellers. With only $2,200 per month, a couple can already enjoy the warmth of Spain's eastern and southern Mediterranean coasts.

Tired of the traffic jams and stress but still wants to feel the American vibe? Nicaragua is a perfect choice to be especially when a retiree does not afford the cost of living in the US. Despite the lack of modernization compared to what America has to offer, Nicaragua has already improved through years. Retirees can easily acquire a resident's card and can also open business allowing the expats to still earn money but without having the stress of workload prior to the retirement.

For the record, the population of Portugal when it comes to expats has already grown through time. Just like the other countries, the low cost of living and accommodation is what draws the retirees to visit Portugal. The country is also known for its stunning beaches and coasts being the neighbour of Spain. With Portugal's middle-class way of living, a couple can already survive here for a month with just $1,700 inclusive of apartment and other expenses.

With its blue waters and century-old cities, Malta is one treasure waiting to be touched. It has always been one country to explore with its rich history, culture and infrastructure. Despite being so small in terms of geographical dimension, Malta can still give the retirees the tranquillity and cosiness life has to offer. For only $600 as monthly budget, a retiree can already savor the richness of Malta in terms of the magnificent beaches, satisfying diners, and excellent healthcare.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 14

In order to ensure free and fair elections and thwart any untoward incident during the coming Assembly poll and the Lok Sabha bypoll for the Amritsar seat slated for February 4, as many as 23 companies of paramilitary forces would be deployed in the holy city.

Talking to the Amritsar Tribune, Police Commissioner G Nageshwara Rao confirmed that the city police has sought 23 companies of paramilitary forces out of which five have already reached here while seven would be arriving tomorrow.

Remaining contingents of paramilitary forces will reach here by January 22, Rao said. He said that around 106 polling stations have been declared sensitive in the city and elaborate arrangements have been planned to prevent any violence or untoward incident.

The city police have been on their toes. We are continuously holding meetings with the administration as well as senior police officials of the city in order to make foolproof security arrangements. Various police stations along with paramilitary forces are carrying out a flag march in order to instil a sense of security among the residents, the Police Commissioner said.

Meanwhile, around 76 per cent of the firearms have been deposited with the Police Department in the past 11 days since the announcement of the model code of conduct.

Rao said the city has 10,072 arms licence holders while there are 12,318 weapons issued against these licences.

He said over 76 per cent of the weapons have been either deposited with the police station concerned or with the gun house owners.

He said the remaining weapons would also be deposited with the police soon.

Only a few persons have been exempted from depositing firearms this time, he said.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 13

Fun and frolics marked the celebration of the Lohri festival at several school and educational institutions, as the day was celebrated with the warmth of bonfire and Lohri savouries. The Khalsa College for Women (KCW) students, clad in colourful traditional dresses, resorted to singing and dancing and organised a kite-flying competition. Stressing on girl education and dedicating the festival to women, Principal Dr Sukhbir Kaur Mahal said society needed to change its mindset and girl education was a must for building a just society. She said in recent times. Lohri for the girls was being celebrated which was a good sign, as society otherwise is discriminatory to the females.

Shazadanand College too celebrated the festival with gusto and they also celebrated their founders day. A festival was held at the college with all Lohri essentials in place and a colourful cultural programme. Great India Presidency School marked the day with students absorbed in the festive spirit of Lohri. The function started with speeches in English and Punjabi highlighting the importance of the festival of Lohri, which ushers in the cheerful spring season, bidding adieu to the dull winter. The students showcased their talent in various activities. Like Punjabi Baliyaan, Punjabi folk dance, giddha, bhangra etc.

Dr AS Mahal, the chairman of the school, greeted the students and encouraged them to value their cultural heritage.
Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 14

Lohri celebrations turned a nightmare for a Canadian couple in Chandigarh last night, when they were attacked by a father-son duo and their friend on the petty issue of parking a car in Sector 22.

The man was left in a pool of blood after being hit with a brick on the head. His wife and another woman relative, a lecturer, were also assaulted by the three. The man also lost his gold chain, weighing an estimated 3 tola, in the attack. To top it all, the NRI couple had a flight to catch but could not make it due to the incident.

The local police arrested the father-son duo of Kamaljit Singh, a government employee, Gurkamalpreet Singh and their acquaintance, Harminder Singh. They have been charged under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. They were later released on bail.

Recalling the incident, the victim Suman, an NRI, told Chandigarh Tribune that she was with her husband in a house in Sector 22 belonging to one of their relatives for Lohri celebrations when the incident took place at 8:30 pm. One of their relatives, Harmesh Devi, a lecturer in Government Senior Secondary School in Sector 8, came from Panchkula to join them.

As she parked her car outside, Gurkamalpreet began telling her not to park the vehicle there as he parked his car there. This led to heated arguments between the two and NRI Rajesh Rana came out of the house to intervene. Gurkamalpreet allegedly slapped and abused him. He also allegedly pushed his wife Suman to the ground twice or thrice.

He assaulted Harmesh and me. In a fit of rage, he hit my husband with a brick in the head leaving him bleeding profusely. His father and others also joined him in the attack, alleged Suman. Rajesh was then rushed to Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, where he received five to six stitches on his head. Rajesh runs a restaurant in Canada.

We arrested the three accused soon after the incident, said Ranjeet Singh, SHO of the Sector 17 police station.

Why things do not change in India

Cops at the police station made us sit with the accused asking us for mediation. How can I settle for mediation when my husband is there in the hospital? Such behaviour on the part of the police officials shows their insensitivity and speaks volumes about why things do not change in India, said the NRI woman. The police, however, denied that the offer of mediation was made.
Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 14

There is fresh trouble in store for Selvel Media, a private company, which was allotted a tender for the operation and maintenance of public toilets in the city by the Municipal Corporation.

The MC Commissioner has written a letter to the UT Deputy Commissioner for recovering Rs 16.51 crore advertisement fees from the company under Section 98 (a) of chapter VII of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887.

A senior MC official said despite repeated reminders, the company had failed to pay the amount as advertisement fee to the civic body. Finally, the MC Commissioner has written a letter to the Deputy Commissioner, as the DC has powers to initiate recovery under the Punjab Land Revenue Act, he said.

The CBI had registered a case against the MC and company officials for causing a loss of around Rs 13.66 crore to the state exchequer by awarding tenders to the company for maintaining sanitation of 86 public toilets for five years in 2007. The CBI, last year, had also filed a chargesheet in the case. Thereafter, in December last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed the framing of charges against Selvel Media and the other accused.

Will follow Punjab & Haryana HC directions: General manager

Bishwadeep Dutta, general manager, Selvel Media Services Pvt Ltd, said he was unaware of the letter written by the MC Commissioner to the DC but said the matter regarding advertisement fees was pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. They will follow the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he said.
Karnal, January 14

Union Minister of Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh today hailed the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demonetise the high denomination notes and said it would benefit the poor.

While chairing a function held by Maharishi Bhagwan Balmiki Jan Kalyan Sangh to felicitate him at Panchayat Bhawan here today, the Union Minister said: The poor will remain poor till they get education. Education is the only way to eradicate poverty.

He said when the poor would become educated, the country would become developed in a real manner.

Lauding the initiatives of the Centre, the Union Minister said the Modi government had taken steps for the uplift of the downtrodden and demonetisation was one of them. He said banks had received huge money, which was earlier lying in the lockers of the capitalists, adding that the same money was uplifting the economy of the country. Replying to a question regarding election campaigning in Punjab, he said he could perform better in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, but would abide by the order and campaign where the party sends him.  TNS
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 14

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue can be resolved only through court intervention and not by opposition parties threatening to dig it up.

Replying to questions at a meet-the-press event here, he said as Assembly elections had already been announced in Punjab, opposition parties were trying to politicise the issue for their vested interests though it was not a political issue.

The Supreme Court has already given its decision in favour of Haryana. The statements being made by opposition leaders will make the issue complex. It is time to wait for the verdict of the Supreme court with regard to implementation, he said.

He added that the Hansi-Butana link canal issue, too, would be decided soon. He said the issue of Presidential Reference had been pending for the last 12 years, which was astonishing.

It appeared that the previous governments did nothing to resolve the issue, he said. The present government had, soon after assuming office, pursued the case with the Supreme Court and the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, was nullified, he asserted.

Khattar said he had already led a delegation of all political parties to urge the President to make the SYL canal functional at the earliest. A request in writing was made to the Prime Minister to seek his appointment for the same, he said.

He ridiculed those saying they would begin digging of the canal on February 23. He added that the SYL canal would not be made functional with fawarda and belcha as such an act would create tension. The CM said the government had been working on the project of state resident database and removing flaws in the system to resolve land disputes.

Describing the restoration of faith of the people in the government as his biggest achievement, he said the Haryana Government was preparing a scheme to provide affordable meals to workers and poor persons living in bastis in the state.

He said the government was considering a proposal to increase the amount of accidental insurance for state roadways and employment opportunities for outstanding sportspersons in the state in the police and other departments.

Khattar said a committee had been constituted to streamline the process of giving jobs to outstanding sportspersons and first meeting of the committee had been held. It was not possible to appoint every sportsperson as Deputy Superintendent of Police, he stated. Priority would be given to seek their service for promotion of sports, he added.

In reply to a question concerning the issue of a separate High Court, the Chief Minister said the state had three demands.

First, the state should have a separate High Court within the existing building, which can be divided between Punjab and Haryana in a 60:40 ratio. Secondly, the High Court should have Judges in a ratio of 50:50. Thirdly, the state should have a separate Bench at a place suggested by Haryana Government and convenient to the people. There was another issue of cases concerning Chandigarh, he said.

Jat stir inaction

Talking about the officers suspended for inaction during the Jat agitation, the Chief Minister said they had responded to the government's show-cause notice and given their replies. "Those who fail to give satisfactory replies will remain suspended while the suspension of the rest will be revoked," he said.
Our Correspondent

Kangra, January 14

Pilgrims thronged the Bajjreshwari temple today to have a glimpse of the idol of the goddess prepared from 16.5 quintal butter on Makar Sankranti.

Pawan Bhadial, a temple official, said the idol was prepared by 11 priests from 16.5 quintal butter washed with water 108 times. The work to make the idol began on January 5 and ended today.

He said according to a legend when the goddess was injured during the fight with demons, her wounds were healed with butter on Makar Sankranti by gods. Bhadian said the butter would remain on the Pindi for a week and would be removed on January 20.

He said temple authorities received butter from devotees across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Agra , Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, MP, UP and Gujarat.

Bhadial said the butter when removed would be distributed as prasada among the devotees, adding that it helped treat chronic skin ailments and joint pain.

Meanwhile, the temple was decorated with lights and flowers on Makar Sankranti. A jagrata was also organised by local residents at the temple.
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 14

Now when the city has started limping back to normalcy, the Meteorological Department has predicted heavy snow on January 15 and 16.

While the district administration, Municipal Corporation and state electricity board (HPSEB) are struggling hard to restore normalcy after the heavy snowfall on January 6, the town is again flooded with tourists in view of the long weekend. With the minimum temperature in Shimla improving a little at 0.5C, severe cold wave conditions continue to prevail and the herculean task of road clearance is still on. The maximum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 8.6C.

Tourists from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Uttrakhand made a beeline to the Queen of Hills in view of the three-day holiday. The city witnessed long traffic jams because the administration advised tourists not to go beyond Kufri which had seen a very heavy snowfall. This resulted in thousands of vehicles moving in and around the city, choking roads.

The fact that the Met Office has predicted heavy snow during the next two days and moderate snow and rain at scattered places on January 17 and 18 has attracted more tourists. Though power supply has been restored in most parts barring certain areas in Summer Hill, Chhota Shimla and Dhalli, the water supply is still being made after a gap of few days.

With the pumping of water being affected due to power failure, most areas are receiving water after four or five days. In the colder areas like Jakhu, Lakkar Bazaar and Sanjauli, the water pipes have frozen. The Local MC supplied 28 MLD of water from the three water schemes of Giri, Gumma and Chaid today.

Though 30 MLD is enough to meet the requirement of the town in winters, when a large percentage of the population is out of the city, considering the huge floating population of tourists, the requirement has scaled up to to 38 MLD.

Though Circular Road and other link roads to hospitals and other localities have been cleared, many smaller link roads are yet to be cleared, hampering vehicular movement. The maximum temperature in most other towns has improved with Sundernagar recording 14.5 Celsius, Bhuntar 12.2C, Kalpa -3C, Dharamsala 11.6 C, Una 18.3 C, Nahan 13.6 C and Solan 15 C.

The minimum temperature at various places were Sundernagar-0.2C, Bhuntar -0.8 C, Kalpa -6 C, Dharamsala 7.4 C, Una 3 C, Nahan 5.3 C, Solan -0.4 C, Manlai 6.8 C, Keylong -13.9 C and Kangra 0.8C.

Snow exposes poor governance: BJP MLA

Mandi: Former minister and BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur today slammed the state government for failing to restore electricity, transport services and water supply in the snow-affected areas of the state. He said people were living without electricity and adequate water supply nine days after snowfall, adding it reflected on poor governance in the state. In Seraj, the district administration has failed to restore essential services till now, he remarked. He accused the Congress workers of minting money by pocketing contracts for restoration of road, electricity and water supply in the snow-affected areas. Thakur alleged the Chief Minister had announced Rs 25 crore for restoration work but there was no progress on the ground. He also expressed grief over the demise of two NIT students, who were found dead near Shikari Devi temple yesterday. He said warning signs should be erected at such places to alert the visitors. Thakur said the state government should take protective measures to avoid such incidents in future. TNS
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 14

J&Ks Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid today extended an olive branch to locals who joined militancy, saying that dialogue was the only way to resolve the issues.

We request parents and relatives to bring back their children who have been misled into joining militancy. You cannot achieve anything from violence. Peace and dialogue can resolve issues, the Director General of Police told reporters in south Kashmirs Anantnag district today.

At least 59 locals have joined militancy after the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in July last year that sparked a deadly five-month-long unrest in the region. The joining of local youths into militancy is a major concern for the security agencies.

I appeal to parents to bring misguided children to mainstream. Our officers are in touch with parents of these misguided youths. We have achieved success in six or seven cases, Vaid said.

Earlier, Vaid stressed on police officers of south Kashmir for attitudinal change to improve the public perception.

Peoples role in effective policing will help to curb drug trafficking and other crimes in the state. The police have to remain on the forefront to gain public confidence for better deliverance, Vaid said at a meeting of senior police officers of south Kashmir at Anantnag today. The meeting was held to review the security scenario and law and order situation in the districts of south Kashmir.

Addressing the meeting, the DGP stressed the officers to evolve an effective mechanism and planning for dealing with the crime, particularly the drug menace in their jurisdictions. He also stressed synergy at all levels to achieve better results.
Tribune News Service

Jammu/Kathua, January 14

The inhuman approach of the Power Development Department (PDD) came to the fore today when the body of a linesman, who happened to be a Dalit and West Pakistan refugee, remained entangled in electric wires for more than six hours in the Keerian Gandyal area of Kathua district.

The unfortunate part of the whole episode was that senior officers, who were in Kathua town for attending the inaugural function of a private company followed by lavish party, did not bother to visit the area and bring down the body of the poor linesman from the electric pole. They rushed to the spot only after a video, with the body of the deceased hanging on an electric pole, went viral in social media and locals held a protest against the official apathy.

As a face saver, the department announced a departmental inquiry into the alleged negligence to fix the responsibility and Rs 50,000 compensation to the victims family. The deceased has been identified as Des Raj, 50, who was working as a casual worker in the department.

According to locals, the linesman climbed on the electric pole to rectify a technical snag in the high-tension transmission line (HTTL), but he got electrocuted and got entangled in electric wires after someone switched on the power supply from the receiving station.

The locals raised the alarm and informed the PDD officials, but they did not bother to rush to the spot and bring down the body, which hanged from electric wires for almost six hours. The incident took place at 9 am, while the senior PDD officials, except an assistant engineer, reached the spot almost five hours later despite they were in the town, the locals alleged.

The locals alleged that some senior officers were more concerned about marking their presence at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who is the Minister for Power, to condole the demise of his wifes uncle in Jammu.

When contacted, Ashwani Gupta, Chief Engineer, PDD (M&RE), who visited the area, said he had ordered a departmental inquiry into the alleged negligence to fix the responsibility.

To a query, he said the department could not announce permanent job for next of kin of the victim as he belonged to Punjab. We have assured the family that the son of the deceased would be adjusted in the department against the job profile of his father. We will also provide Rs 50,000 as compensation, which will be collected in the department, to the family, the Chief Engineer said.

On being asked as why the PDD officials did not rush to the spot to bring down the body, he said, Some people were trying to take political mileage out of it and they did not allow us to bring down the body earlier.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 14

While the J&K Police claim to have identified the militants involved in at least three recent bank robberies in the region, security forces have taken up many measures in averting such incidents in the region.

Security forces have mapped the bank branches in Kashmir, mostly in central and south areas, that are vulnerable to looting and also stepped up joint patrolling in areas where these branches are housed. In fact, the forces were able to avert a bank looting in Budgam recently after an intelligence input.

Apparently, militants are facing money crunch after demonetisation and they will try to loot banks. Recently, we had an input that militants were planning a robbery in Budgam district after which police patrols were deployed and they ensured that no robbery takes place, said a police officer.

In fact, the Army, too, has chipped in and helping the local police to ensure no bank robbery takes place.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes in November there have been at least four bank robberies in Kashmir. Gunmen looted J&K Bank branches and decamped with nearly Rs 70 lakh, which also included new notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

The police in south Kashmir had blamed two Pakistani militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba active in south Kashmir and a local militant for the three robberies.

The police have identified the two Pakistani militants as Abu Ali and Abu Ismail and the local as Arif Ahmed Dar. The trio were identified by the police from the CCTV footage at these branches, a police officer from south Kashmir said. While the three militants are still at large, their over-ground network was busted by the police.

These two Pakistani militants have also been involved in the attack on an Army convoy on the Srinagar-Anantnag highway last month. We are trying to zero in on them, a police officer in south Kashmir said.

The Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen had denied their role in the bank robberies.
Ludhiana: Lohri was celebrated with great pomp and show at Master Tara Singh Memorial College for Women. The occasion was graced by members of college managing committee, staff and students. A bonfire was lit and students rejoiced by dancing and singing around it and demanded Lohri from college Principal, Kirandeep Kaur. The programme was made more colourful by cultural items presented by members of CSA (Central Student Association). Students enjoyed the festival by flying kites as well. Dr Kirandeep Kaur apprised students about the importance of the festival of Lohri.

Ramgarhia Girls College

The college celebrated the festival of Lohri dedicated to girl child on the theme of Education: Real Wealth for Girls. The campus reverberated with the power-packed beats of dhol and the light of holy bonfire and aroma of peanuts filled the ambience. Students and faculty members were dressed in traditional Punjabi attire. Students sang folk songs and danced around the bonfire. Principal Inderjit Kaur emphasised on the significance of celebrating Lohri for girl-child. Gone are the days when Lohri was celebrated only for the boys. The birth of girls is also a matter of celebration as they are the ones who sustain our society, she said. Ranjodh Singh, President, Ramgarhia Educational Council, said: We always celebrate Lohri for girls to give them the honour that they deserve as we firmly believe in the well-known saying  If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we educate a family  and a whole nation.

Bajaj College

Lohri was celebrated at Bajaj College with exuberance and fanfare. The mood on the campus was upbeat and students were absorbed in the festive spirit. Students were attired in traditional dresses teamed with various accessories. They danced around the holy fire and offered prayers. A kite-flying competition was organised. Girls won boliyaan and giddha.

PCTE group of Institutes

Students and teachers of the institute celebrated Lohri and danced around the bonfire and offered prayers. A kite-flying contest was also organised followed by a bhangra which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Gilbert, an international student from Malawi, said: Its amazing to see how students got into the festive spirit and organised the whole celebration. India is a land of diverse culture, and I feel lucky that I could experience it here at PCTE. Another student from Ghana, Lord Brunooh Prah, said it was his third year in PCTE and he wanted to witness how Lohri was celebrated and it was a beautiful experience. Richa Arora, faculty in charge of the event, said: It was a great day to be on campus because everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly. What was even more exciting was the fact that students organised it themselves. Dr KNS Kang, Director General, PCTE, congratulated all and dwelled on the importance of the festival.

SCD COLLEGE

The campus of Satish Chander Dhawan Government College reverberated with the beats of drum and orchestra both during Lohri and Makar Sakranti celebration on the campus. There was a wide range of cultural items from Punjabi, Sufi to jhumar dance. Principal Dr Dharma Singh Sandhu set the kite and balloons flying. The celebration was a mega event which concluded with refreshments for everyone. TNS
Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 13

The announcement of fielding Kamaljit Singh Karwal as the Congress candidate from Ludhianas Atam Nagar constituency has brought a wave of unrest among party workers here.

A meeting of workers from the constituency was held today with several block and ward presidents under the presidentship of Kulwant Sidhu, halka in charge of Atam Nagar constituency, where workers sent a communique to the high command asking it to review its decision till tomorrow evening otherwise they would plan some other strategy.

Kulwant said they have given time to the high command till tomorrow evening to review its decision of giving ticket to Kamaljit Karwal.

There are many aspirants from Atam Nagar constituency and ticket should have been given to any one of them. We belong to the Congress, while ticket has been given to an outsider. If the name of Karwal is not taken back, we will hold a meeting day after tomorrow and decide further strategy, Sidhu said.

Ticket aspirants from Atam Nagar constituency even protested outside the house of Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, the day the names were finalised in Delhi and opposed the decision of giving the ticket to Karwal, who recently joined the Congress after leaving the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Kulwant Sidhu and Krishan Kumar Bawa were the main ticket aspirants from the constituency.

A buzz was on regarding Karwal getting a ticket from Atam Nagar constituency since the day he joined Congress. Workers and leaders of the party were opposing his candidature since then. A few days ago when Rahul Gandhis team came to Ludhiana to discuss about protests the party had planned against demonetisation, a few party workers raised the issue of ticket being given to outsiders, who had just joined the party. Workers openly announced in front of the team that they would not support any outsider.

Senior Congress leader Krishan Kumar Bawa said he had been working for the constituency from the past eight years, but was denied a ticket and instead was given to a person who joined the party a few days ago.

I support the Congress party, but my support will not be for a candidate like Karwal. I fail to understand how can the party high command give a ticket to a person whose name is included in various criminal cases. We will meet Capt Amarinder Singh and Sonia Gandhi soon to show our dissatisfaction over giving a party ticket to him. There is a wave of unrest among party workers and they are not going to support him, he said.

Kulwant Sidhu, another strong contender from Atam Nagar constituency said workers were very upset with the announcement of Karwals name. We even protested outside Sonia Gandhis residence in Delhi to show our dissatisfaction. Whether to support Karwal or not or adopt some other plan will be decided day after tomorrow if the party high command does not rolls back Karwals name by tomorrow evening after meeting with party workers, said Sidhu.

Krishna Kumar Bawa and Kulwant Sidhu were seen trying to surpass each other at every political function of the party. There is no halka in charge in the Congress party but Atam Nagar constituency was an exception and Sidhu was the halka in charge of this constituency.

SAD workers who joined Cong

Many SAD workers joined the Congress today, said Kamaljit Karwal. Those who joined the party include Jagdev Singh Lakha, Veena Joshi, Jagjit Singh, Tirat Mehta among others.
Jitendra K Shrivastava

Tribune News Service

Patna, January 14

At least 19 persons were killed and several went missing after a crowded boat capsized near NIT Ghat of Ganga river in Patna on Saturday.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Several injured, who were fished out from the river, were rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital. Eight injured are getting medical treatment at present.

At least 40-50 persons are allegedly said to have boarded on the boat. More bodies are yet to be recovered.

Securities latches are claimed by the Opposition. At the accident site, the officials kicked off the rescue operation very late as claimed by leader of opposition Prem Kumar.

NDRF team has been conducting rescue operation. Principal Secretary (State Disaster Management Department) Pratyay Amrit said 18 people have been killed in the boat tragedy.

These people were said to have been returning from other shore of the river after attending kite flying function on the occasion of Makar Sakranti.  With PTI
Tribune News Service

Kolkata, January 14

West Bengal BJP vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar was today arrested for allegedly taking money from School Service Commission candidates. Dilip Ghosh, BJP state unit chief, however, alleged Majumdar was arrested to retaliate against Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyays arrest by the CBI in connection with a chit fund scam case.

When Sudip Bandopadhyay was arrested, Mamata Banerjee had said she, too, could have people arrested. This was instance of that, Ghosh said. Majumdar was arrested by the police after eight and a half hours of questioning in connection with alleged cheating of over Rs 7 lakh.

This arrest was made based on a complaint in July last year of one Arup Ratan Ray at the Bidhannagar North Police Station in the city.

Last year, several candidates of the school service commission, including Ray, had staged a protest when allegations of irregularities in the commission surfaced. Majumdar had suggested that the candidates take legal steps in view of the irregularities. According to police, Majumdar had taken Rs 7,20,000 in two phases from Ray and other aspirants.

The West Bengal BJP vice-president allegedly promised to arrange legal help for the aspirants in return of the money. However, he did not help file any case regarding the matter.
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana January 14

Amit Sharma, 35, district president of Shri Hindu Takht, was tonight shot dead outside Durga Mata Temple. He was an exporter of machine tools for the hosiery industry. After meeting his friend Chander, who runs a flower vend outside the temple, as Amit walked towards his car, he was confronted by two bike-borne youths who opened fire and fled.

Bleeding profusely, Amit was rushed to the local Civil Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Rohit Sahni, Punjab Pracharak of Shri Hindu Takht, claimed Amit had been threatened on the phone by Khalistani militants. He had met the DGP to seek security and had been told to approach the Ludhiana Police Commissioner.
Kolkata: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said RSS was not against anybody but it worked to strengthen the Hindu society and safeguard Hinduisms time-tested traditions. Bhagwat was addressing swayamsevaks in the Brigade Parade Ground in the city. The Kolkata Police had denied permission for the event but RSS approached the High Court and obtained clearance for holding the meeting. TNS

Rs 5-cr worth heroin seized; 8 held

Jaipur: Five packets of heroin weighing about 4.4 kg and valued at Rs 5 crore in the international market were seized from eight peddlers near Barmer on Saturday. The consignment was reportedly bought from a resident of Bhanwaar, Sareef, and was meant to be delivered to one Haneef in Kasumbla. The couriers were to be paid Rs12 lakh, Gagandeep Singla, Barmer SP, said. TNS

BJP can win on Ram temple plank: Priest

Ayodhya: Seers would back BJP in the UP elections only if PM Narendra Modi promised to get the Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya during his tenure, the chief priest of the makeshift temple at Ram Janmabhumi-Babri Masjid disputed site said here. Acharya Satyendra Das said mahant and sadhu were believers of Lord Rama and their only wish was to see a grand temple in Ayodhya. PTI

Khandu inducts three new faces in Cabinet

Guwahati: Exactly two weeks after joining the BJP along with almost all the MLAs from Peoples Party of Arunachal Pradesh (PPA), Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday inducted three new faces in his Cabinet. Governor V Shanmuganathan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers in Itanagar. TNS
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 14

The government today said it was sensitive to issues and concerns of ex-servicemen and all possible steps were being taken to mitigate their grievances.

Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said this while addressing the inaugural Armed Forces Veterans Day function at Delhi Cantonment. It is our duty to respect and honour them as they are an unbreakable link between the present and the past, he said.

Bhamre also appealed to the ex-servicemen to utilise available official forums like Army Veterans Portal to express their problems and seeking redressal through official channels. Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat, Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshall SB Deo and Lt Gen Satish Dua, who heads the Tri-services body, were present on the occasion.

The minister said the government had implemented One Rank One Pension scheme.
Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 14

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed that over 35,000 NRIs are about to land in Punjab to campaign for the party under the Chalo Punjab campaign.

A rally of 5,000 NRIs, who are supporting AAP, would also be held on January 24 at Majitha. Two planes full of NRIs would arrive in Punjab shortly, AAP NRI leaders said.

Joban Randhawa, AAPs overseas youth convener from Canada and founder of Chalo Punjab campaign, said here today, All these 35,000 members have been registered with us though the Chalo Punjab app which was launched in March 2016.

While 25,000 to 28,000 NRIs are formally registered on the app, the rest have made phone calls on the Chalo Punjab helpline number, he said.

Randhawa said that on January 19 and 21, two planes carrying NRIs would land in Punjab. On January 19, a flight carrying 185 NRIs from Toronto will reach New Delhi and on January 24, a flight with over 150 NRIs from the UK will come to Amritsar.
GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 13

The Congress has fielded its District Congress Committee (Rural) president Gurjeet Singh Aujla for the Amritsar Lok Sabha byelection, which is slated for February 4 along with the Assembly elections in Punjab.

Aujlas candidature was approved by AICC president Sonia Gandhi today.

Senior party leaders, including MLA OP Soni and former MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa, had been reluctant to contest the seat that fell vacant following the resignation of Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on the SYL issue.

Aujla, who had campaigned vigorously for Capt Amarinder during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, has been the DCC (Rural) president since 2013.

The Amritsar constituency comprises 67 per cent Sikhs. Both the Congress and BJP have picked candidates belonging to this community.

Born on October 30, 1972, Aujla was appointed vice-president of the Amritsar District Youth Congress in 1997, elected councillor of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation in 2007 and made zonal chairman of the task force under the Ministry of Food Processing in 2008.

Three years later, he was appointed secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).

Aujla earned a name for himself after he worked tirelessly for the rehabilitation of farmers displaced during the dark days of Punjab militancy. He gifted a barge (a long flat-bottomed boat) to farmers of the Ajnala belt on Independence Day, winning them over. The last barge was lost in floods four years ago.
Chandigarh, January 14

Surjit Singh Barnala, who almost became Prime Minister in the mid-90s but for his party ditching him, was a moderate Akali politician and played a role in the Rajiv-Longowal Accord that catapulted him to the chief minister's seat in Punjab during its worst period of militancy.

Painter, politician and author, 91-year-old Barnala was among the few who held various posts, including that of Chief Minister, Governor and Union Minister.

Barnala was a candidate of the BJP and its allies in the election of the Vice-President of India in 1997. But in the previous year, he almost emerged as a consensus candidate for prime ministership when motley combine of parties formed the United Front after defeat of Congress.

His party Akali Dal, however, did not support him as it chose to go with the BJP which had just lost power after 13 days in government.

When Punjab was rocked by militancy in the 80s, Barnala stood by another moderate Akali leader Sant Harchand Singh Longowal who signed the Punjab Peace Accord in 1985 with Rajiv Gandhi, months after he had become Prime Minister.

Barnala was elected from the Barnala assembly constituency during the 1985 assembly polls held after the signing of the Rajiv Longowal accord.

He was unanimously elected leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislature party on September 27, 1985. He remained Chief Minister till May 11, 1987 during the peak period of militancy.

He was elected acting president of SAD on August 25, 1985, following the assassination of Longowal by terrorists.

Barnala was appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu a post he held from May 1990 to February 1991. He was Governor of Tamil Nadu for a second time from Nov 2004 to August 2011 holding two successive tenures.

In his first term as Governor of Tamil Nadu, Barnala had famously refused to recommend dismissal of the DMK government in 1991 when the late Chandrashekhar was the Prime Minister for a short time. When he was transferred to Bihar following his refusal, he chose to resign as Governor.

The government headed by Chandrashekhar then dismissed the Karunanidhi ministry using the "otherwise" provision in Article 356 of the Constitution after Barnala's refusal to make a recommendation.

Barnala was a five-time member of Punjab Assembly -- 1967, 1969, 1972, 1980 and 1985 -- and twice a member of the Lok Sabha in 1977 and 1998.

He entered politics in 1952 and unsuccessfully contested from Dhanaula assembly constituency losing by just three votes.

Barnala was Education Minister in the Gurnam Singh government and was instrumental in setting of the Guru Nanak Dev University at Amritsar.

He fought the Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 1977 and served as Union Agriculture, Irrigation, Water Resources, Forests minister in the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party government from 1977 to 1980.

He was also Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Power, Chemical and Fertilisers and Rural Development and signed the historic Ganga Waters Agreement (Farakka Agreement) with Bangladesh.

In 1998, Barnala was again elected to Parliament and became the minister for Chemical & Fertilisers and Food & Consumer Affairs in the Atal Behari Vajpayee Cabinet.

Following the rift with Parkash Singh Badal and bifurcation of the SAD, he resigned from the post of party president but was later on again made president.

After his differences with Badal, he became patron of a four-party alliance and formed the Sanjha Morcha in Punjab but it failed to make any impact.

Barnala authored "Story of an Escape" which was translated from English to Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. His second book "My Other Two Daughters" was also transliterated in Braille by Kunwar Singh Negi.

Barnala had faced tragedies on the personal front. His youngest son Neelinder died in a road accident in 1996 and his daughter Amrit Kaur died of cancer in 2012.

He is survived by his wife Surjit Kaur and two sons Jasjit and Gaganjit.  PTI
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 14



The Punjab BJP which is yet to declare its candidates on six constituencies among its share of 23 under a seat-sharing formula with ally SAD, looks to consolidate its turf and somehow better its 2012 tally of 12 MLAs.

Tomorrow when the partys central election committee meets to finalise names of candidates for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, BJP chief Amit Shah is also expected to remove the suspense prevailing around candidates for the six constituencies withheld when the list of 17 candidates was announced on January 11.

Shah may publicly have passed on the ball (strategising for Punjab elections) in the court of ally Shiromani Akali Dal but there are worries in the BJP over Punjab coalitions anti-incumbency of 10 years and negative perceptions surrounding the ally.

Defending the decision, BJP leaders say Akalis have remained with them through thick and thin. Therefore one, it is a sentimental call, and two it is to ensure the best possible scenario in a sensitive border state that Punjab is.

The state, they say, needs a stable government with a mutual understanding with the Centre.

This despite the agreement to the fact that the political situation in the state is extremely fluid and in eventuality of a triangular fight, as expected in most constituencies there, 2017 could be anyones callthe Akali-BJP coalition, the Congress party and the AAP.

But if we independently manage to get more than 12 seats and better our last times tally, several options will open for us in 2022. But for 2017, this is the best option, they say.

Well, the aim to garner maximum is also the reason behind lack of consensus in the top leadership over ticket distribution in not just Punjab and Goa but also Uttarakhand.

In Uttar Pradesh, the leadership, it seems is grappling with the problem with at least 20 candidates vying for each seat in the 403-member Assembly.

A section in the party is of the opinion that candidates who won in times when the BJP was not really in the best of form deserve to be repeated.

The other side however believes new candidates are the BJPs best bet to better the chances, especially in places like Punjab and Goa with anti-incumbency issues.

Notably, among the six constituencies held back in Punjab, four are represented by ministers in the SAD-BJP government. Two of themabove 75 years of ageas it is do not meet the age-limit criteria set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But the Prime Ministers other directiveagainst party-men lobbying for relatives for poll ticketsis also believed to be the cause of heartburn for those seeking such a favour in the five poll-bound states.
Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 14

In a joint operation, the Patiala police and the intelligence wing today arrested a proclaimed offender (PO) who had been evading arrest for the past over two decades.

The accused, Sandeep Singh alias Bhau, a resident of Multanian village in Bathinda district, was booked in March 1990 under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and Section 5 of TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act) at Sadar police station, Patiala.

The police said the PO was allegedly in touch with over two dozen gangsters in Punjab and was considered close to a senior opposition leader who is contesting the upcoming Assembly elections.

Sources said a preliminary investigation revealed that Bhau owned over 100 acres of agriculture land. His political links helped him remain free for about 25 years, the sources added.

The police said Bhau was booked after he attacked a police party and left a cop injured in an encounter. He was declared a PO in 1992. Later, he fled to New Zealand and stayed there for a few years before returning to Punjab.

We have found out that he has links with certain gangs active in Punjab and met many gangsters at his farmhouse in Bathinda, said SP (Detective) Harwinder Virk.
Chandigarh, January 14

Punjab and Haryana continued to reel under intense cold conditions as mercury dipped below normal in most parts of the states with Hisar recording 1.7 degrees Celsius, coldest in the region.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Hisar in Haryana was the coldest in both states recording 1.7 degrees Celsius, the MeT department official said here today.

Karnal braved cold weather at 1.8 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal while Ambala and Narnaul experienced bone chilling cold wave at 3.1 degrees Celsius and 5 degrees Celsius respectively.

In Punjab, Amritsar shivered at 2.2 degrees Celsius.

Ludhiana and Patiala recorded their lows at 6.9 degrees Celsius and 5.3 degrees Celsius.

UT Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, also witnessed chilly morning at 4.4 degrees Celsius. PTI
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 14

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday said he wanted to fight the coming Assembly elections from Parkash Singh Badals constituency, Lambi.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In a press release, Amarinder Singh said that he has sought permission of the Congress high command to fight the elections from the constituency.

He said: I want to fight the chief minister on his home turf and defeat all top Akali leaders responsible for destroying the state through their drugs, mafia and goonda raj.

Have decided to fight Punjab Elections 2017 from Lambi. Will make it official soon  Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) January 14, 2017

Amarinder, whose name has already been announced by the Congress for his traditional Assembly seat of Patiala-Urban, told media here that he wanted to contest against Chief Minister Badal from Lambi to defeat the Akali leader whom he blamed for the ruin of Punjab.

Amarinder said he had requested the Congress high command to allow him to fight the assembly polls from Lambi so that he could free Punjab from the vicious and destructive rule of the Badals.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is posing a serious challenge to the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the Congress for the February 4 assembly polls on 117 seats, has already announced Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh to contest against Badal from Lambi.

Amarinder said he would fight the election both in Lambi and Patiala, if permitted by the Congress high command.

The entire state is in shambles. Badal and his family and associates have brought Punjab to such a shameful pass, the former Chief Minister said.

My government would open a probe into all Akali scams and punish every person found guilty of any criminal deed, especially drugs trade, Amarinder said.

The Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been in power in Punjab since 2007.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal won this seat in 2012 by a grand margin of 24,739 votes.  With IANS inputs
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, Jan 22

Nine hundred and twentyfive candidates have been left in the field for the Punjab Assembly elections slated for early next month following rejection of papers of 279 candidates after scrutiny.

Giving this information here today, Mrs Usha Sharma, Joint Chief Electoral Officer, said that the number of nomination papers rejected was slightly on the high side., but ascribed it to new stipulations in the poll law under which an independent candidate had to file 10 sets of nominations while official party candidates papers had to be accompanied by a written authorisation by the party president.

PTI adds: Prominent among those whose papers were rejected is the former Youth Congress chief, Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta who was renominated for the Amritsar (South) seat as the Congress candidate. His papers were rejected as these were seconded by a "bogus" voter. Now Mr Harjinder Singh a covering candidate is contesting from this seat in place of Mr Bitta.

Out of eight candidates in the Ropar Parliamentary seat, four are in fray, including Mr Buta Singh of the Congress and Mrs Satvinder Kaur of the Akali Dal (B).

With the rejection of nomination papers of their candidates or non-filing of papers, the Shiromani Akali Dal ( B) is now contesting on 92 seats. The Congress is fielding its candidates in 106 constituencies against 107 and the BJP is contesting 22 seats as against 23 announced earlier. In the Ludhiana ( North) constituency, the nomination papers of both the BJP candidates, Mr Sunil Mehra and Mr Vir Abhimanyu, were rejected as both of them had authorisation letters, but one of them did not withdraw the papers. Mr Nahar Singh Gill, Congress candidate from Ludhiana (rural) was not able to file his nomination papers since he didn't have the party authorisation letter.
Chandigarh, Jan. 15. 2017

February 7, 1997, was when Punjab went to the polls. It was a time when the Congress had been voted out at the Centre and H D Deve Gowda was Prime Minister. In Punjab, Congress' Rajinder Kaur Bhattal struggled to get a hold over a state unit she had been at the helm of for just a short while. She had replaced Harcharan Singh Brar, another Congress Chief Minister, mid-term. Brar's abrupt removal and infighting within the party were to cost the Congress dear. He was later to withdraw his candidature from Muktsar constituency on health grounds, triggering his expulsion from the party. Captain Amarinder Singh quit the Akali Dal, a party he had joined after the 1984 Operation Bluestar, but this did not impact these elections.

The elections came at a time when the Congress faced headwinds. The Akali Dal, which had not fought in the previous elections, was now raring to go. Coalition governments had not found much success in Punjab, as none completed their term. However, the Akali Dal and BJP both realised going it alone was more a path to oblivion. Thus, in 1997, they revived the coalition mantra, announcing a common minimum programme. Although, as The Tribune pointed out in an editorial, they were "together, yet separate".

The Akali Dal fielded 92 candidates, and the BJP 22. A secular agenda that focused on peace, development, and communal harmony was announced. Various parties went all out to woo the voters with sops, including free water and electricity for farmers. The run-up to the elections was marked by a spirited campaign. After being on the sidelines during the 1992 elections, this time the Akalis put in all their might into the battle, and as Gurcharan Singh Tohra was to later admit, they benefited in urban areas because of their alliance partner.

The Akali-BJP collation worked out well. The Akali Dal won 75 seats, the BJP 18, and the Congress, which had swept the 1992 polls with 87 seats as the Akali Dal boycotted the elections, was now reduced to just 14 seats. The alliance swept into power with a thumping majority of 93 seats. Parkash Singh Badal returned to the helm after 17 years as the new Chief Minister. Kanshi Ram's BSP was swept aside, as was Simranjit Singh Mann's party. A hope was raised that the new government would cement the Hindu-Sikh unity and would provide Punjab with efficient and corruption-free governance.
Akshaya Kumar

Stories generally tend to allegorise, but in Sharanyas stories the body and its ox blooded desires are let loose like a hurricane of wild horses without any overt moral or metaphysical sense of destination. In the process, the horizon of cultural expectations is defied with a vehemence of an unfulfilled lover. The narrative protocols take a back seat, allowing the writer to describe her fierce love-forays without any pre-tension. In the collection of more than 25 stories, each bristles with a surplus of sensuality.

Written with confessional gusto and autobiographical authenticity, the stories of desire simply rebel against the language and aesthetics of social correctness. Marriage, with all its hypocrisies of life-long fidelity and irrevocability in relationship, turns into a crass joke, an act of mimicry, a casual pretense to hoodwink those who approach relationships in normative terms.

The high priestess does everything, from undergoing bouts of epic sex to guzzling wine with a fleet of current and ex-lovers, but she never marries. She likes her fights dirty, her vodka neat and her romance anachronistic.

As a hagiographer of heart, she clamours to be sky clad, uncontained and unbridled. She seeks her lover to be a banyan tree  A man whos a forest unto himself with conspiracies of birds, and secret blossoms, and shaded places; a matrix generous enough for the world. Forest is her metaphor for unconditional, all-consuming love; the glass menagerie is her counter-metaphor of made-up love in the city. What she wants is a beloved  to be beloved. Beyond, the binaries of home-sex or hetero-sex, what these stories script is a non-gendered love.

The form that these tempestuous sex-stories take is extremely irregular. Some of the stories, particularly those, which lack action, tend to acquire the form of philosophical musings. Some stories of relatively longer length catalogue memories of love-encounters, sans any easy sequential arrangement. Sweetness, Wildness, Greed takes the form of travelogue in which the storywriter as protagonist treks along the tribe of honey gatherers deep inside the forest. In a story, nine postcards dispatched from Pondicherry border constitute the narrative description. Conchology is another experimental narrative in which the character of some Sarala Kali, a fisher woman is drawn through a series of disconnected impressions and memories.

Neither mythology nor history informs the narrative vision of the writer; the body remains the locus of her experience and expression. Occasionally, she does deal with an unavoidable Gandhi or an equally compelling image of Parvati, but it is the politics of sex that she targets to expose in the construction of myths. One more monkey is rather impishly added to Gandhis pantheon of three monkeys. The fourth monkey has its hands over its crotch.

The Gandhi Quartet now stands for Not seeing, not listening, nor saying, nor doing. The culture of abstinence is juxtaposed with the personal credo of carnality and indulgence.

Even as these stories surprise, shock and startle with the frankness of expression, there is an element of unmistakable self-indulgence. The writer fails to impersonalise. Also because the stories largely hinge around the acts of physical intimacy  their limitations and over-reach, the collection does not offer the required range of emotions for the reader. The stories seem to echo each other, at times generating a feeling of over-reiteration. The nonchalance explicitness with which the young author describes her sexual spree does however constitute the new baseline of morality.
Pushpa Girimaji

Do we have a specific law enumerating the rights of patients vis-a-vis medical services? Can you please give details of the law and the rights of patients under it?

Unfortunately, we do not have a law on patients rights, even though consumer groups have been demanding one such law for long. In fact, several countries around the world have recognised the rights of patients through specific laws or charters. The European Charter of Patients Rights, for example, recognises fourteen rights of patients, including the right to choice, right to information, right to consent, right to privacy and confidentiality, right to respect of patients time, right to safety, right to compensation and the right to participate in policymaking in the area of health.

Historically, patient rights flow from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly way back in 1948 and since then, several countries around the world have given a legal framework to these rights. Israel, for example, has a comprehensive Patients Rights Act while Japan has Patients Rights Ombudsman. In India, even though the government is yet to turn its attention to this crucial aspect pertaining to patient-physician relationship, the courts, particularly the consumer courts, have stepped in to protect the patients. Their orders have helped define the rights of patients.

Can you please quote some of the judgements of the consumer courts pertaining to patients rights?

I would begin with Parmanand Katara Vs Union of India (Supreme Court, 1989) where the apex court accorded the right to emergency medical treatment the status of a fundamental right under Article 21 (right to life). In other words, failure to provide timely medical treatment in emergency cases violated the patients right to life guaranteed under Article 21, the apex court said.

In Pravat Kumar Mukherjee Vs Ruby General Hospital (OP No 909 of 2002), the highest consumer court, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, held that a hospital that denied emergency medical treatment to a patient was guilty of negligence under the Consumer Protection Act. The law provides for compensation to victims of medical negligence.

Similarly, the patients right to information and informed choice got a big boost in Dr Shyam Kumar Vs Rameshbhai Harmanbhai Kachhiya (RP No 1486 of 2001), wherein the National Commission made it clear that a doctor was duty-bound to inform the patient about the diagnosis and the treatment and also help the patient make an informed choice with regard to his/her treatment.

In SR Shivaprakash Vs Wockardt Hospital, Mumbai (OP No 208 of 1993), the Commission held that the hospital as well as the doctor have an obligation to provide all medical records pertaining to the treatment to the patient or the relatives. A failure to furnish the records would open the hospital and the doctor to the charge of deficiency in service, the commission said.

In Dr VK Ghodekar Vs Sumitra Prahlad Korgaonkar (RP No 1727 of 2002), the highest consumer court in the country underscored the right of the patient to all basic and vital information pertaining to the drugs prescribed, including contraindications. Doctors who fail to respect this right have to face the consequences, the Commission said.

In Varadhan S Nair Vs Dr (Mrs) Remani Rajan and Ors (OP no 123 of 1997), the National Commission came down heavily upon doctors and hospitals that resorted to unnecessary surgical procedure and said those that who resort to surgical procedure more on a commercial consideration than on the health of the patients, are guilty of negligence.

It is mandatory for hospitals to take the written consent of the patient (or a close relative if the patient is not in a position to give the consent) before starting any medical procedure. And this consent has to be an informed consent. In the 2008 Samira Kohli Vs Dr Prabha Manchanda and Anr (2 SCC) case, the Supreme Court made it clear that the consent should be on the basis of adequate information so that the patient knew what he/she was consenting to. While these are all extremely important judgements that have established the basic rights of patients, I would still argue for a strong law on patients rights in our country. Consumers, in fact, should lobby for such a law.
Narendra Kaushik

Narayan Lal Menaria (32) had dropped out of Class IX in school to pursue his dream in Mumbai. Resident of Menar, a non-descript, grimy village, nearly 30 km from Udaipur on the Udaipur-Chittorgarh highway in Rajasthan, Narayans dream was to become a cook and settle abroad like his elder brother Hukami Lal, who had quit school even earlier than him to operate the kitchen of an Indian diamond merchant in Hong Kong.

Narayan cooked for a Jain family in Mumbai for more than eight years beginning 2001. In 2009, when head of the Jain family asked him if he would like to work in the kitchen of his friend in London, he grabbed the offer. I took the first available train from Mumbai to Udaipur to collect my passport, he recollects.

Since then, Narayan has dished out Gujarati, Marwari, Punjabi, Chinese, Mexican, Italian and continental dishes (all vegetarian) for different families of Indian expatriates.

Father of two  a son and a daughter  Narayan today works with Paresh Bhai Virani, an Indian expatriate of Gujarati descent, and earns more than 1300 (Rs1,08,695.95) every month. His family stays with his parents, along with his brother Hukami Lals family in Menar.

The success of Narayan Lal finds resonance in the story of many hundred others from Menar and its neighbouring villages, who dropped out of school and have run kitchens of billionaires and celebrities like Ambanis, Hindujas, Lata Mangeskar, Vinod Khanna and Juhi Chawla for long. At least a few hundred of these cooks have served Indian billionaires settled across seven continents.

In England alone, there are more than half a dozen Menaria (this is how people from Menar and its neighbourhood, particularly Brahmins, identify themselves) cooks, who handle the kitchens of Indian expatriates.

Yashwant Menaria (28), for instance, has handled the kitchen of Hinduja brothers  S P Hinduja and G P Hinduja  for close to three years. Yashwant migrated to London after serving Ashok P Hinduja, the third Hinduja brother, and others in Mumbai for more than a decade. He says he was only 14 when he took contract for running a canteen in an Indian multinational near his village. Yashwant, also a school dropout, today claims to be earning Rs 1,20,000 per month apart from free board, lodging and travelling. The stories of Puna Shankar Maneria (49), Bheru Lal Maneria (43) and others in London are identical.

So is the story of Kamlesh Dahot Menaria, a young cook employed with an Indian diamond merchant Girdhar Bhai in Antwerp (Belgium). Kamlesh, who lives in a 300 square metre house in Menar with his wife and three children, says his Seth (employer in colloquial terms) even pays for his shopping. Menaria says he only transfers salary to his account in India when the Belgian Franc is strongest vis-a-vis the Indian rupee.

Poonamchand Aklingdasot (78), an elderly man who cooked for Lata Mangeshkars family before joining Dhirubhai Ambani in Mumbai in 1997, earned only Rs 30,000 per month in comparison. But his perks outweighed his pay. I got a chance to travel to all places she visited for work, he recollects with a toothy grin.

Aklingdasot baked millet and wheat rotis, steamed khaman dhoklas and pohe and fried dahi samosas and kachoris for the Ambani household for 10 years. Ask him which Ambani liked what to eat and this is what he reveals, Seth (Dhirubhai) and Kokila behn loved the Gujarati cuisines I dished out for them. Aklingdasot retired in 2007. Today he takes his cattle out for grazing.

Aklingdasot hardly went to a school after the primary and never attended a course to hone his culinary skills. He picked it up from the books of Tarla Behn (late Tarla Dalal, who was famous for having penned recipes of Gujarati cuisines), his seniors and peers. So did Narayan Lal, Yashwant, Puna Shankar, Bheru Lal, Kamlesh and others. Interestingly, none of them has ever done a cooking course in Menar and its adjoining villages. Yet when it comes to preparation of dishes of various continents, they have done it for several decades. Wife of late Bhairulal Rupjot, a Menaria, who worked in the kitchen of the Ambani household, before Aklingdasot and others, still draws a pension of Rs 4,500 every month from the business empire.

Ironically, the cooking profession, which triggered school dropouts in the region, has, at the same time, led to the building of a Senior Secondary School in Menar. It has also led to the creation of a 100-bedded hospital in the village, besides a community centre. These came about as retirement gifts from Maghanmal Jethanand Pancholia, one of the oldest Indian expatriates in Dubai, for his cook Vijay Lal Dahot (65).

I knew my Sethji was into philanthropy. When he asked me on my retirement in 1996 to express my final wish, I told him that our village needed a hospital and the village school too was in dire need of rooms. He has spent Rs 1.42 crore on the hospital, school and the community centre, Dahot reminisces. The school and the hospital, built by Pancholia, are managed by the Overseas Indian Education Trust, of which Dahot is a member.

The cooking profession in the region has picked up more steam since 1987 when Prabhulal R Joshi, a resident of Menar, set up Hina Tours and Travels, a hospitality firm operating in domestic and Nepal circuit, in collaboration with a Gujarati businessman Jitendra N Shah. Today more than 200 persons from the region are employed with the company, many of them as cooks. When back in village for vacations, I do everything but cook, says Rajkumar Menaria, a chef with a travel company. Sunil Menaria, head of North India region in the company, says celebrities come to them to look for good cooks.
Saba Naqvi

Let me confess. Ive been having a vacation in Goa and pretending to work. Honestly, thats what journalists often do. We take off for what appears to be a long grueling assignment, after which we are supposed to be bestowed with greater wisdom about matters such as the electoral preferences of Indian voters.

Confession number two is that after a week Im no wiser as to what the outcomes will be in Goa, but I can say that AAP is running the most charming and energetic campaign. They have hit the ground running before the BJP and Congress firmed up their candidates besides which there are a host of small parties and popular independents that actually make Goa politics quite complex.

But back to AAP, often presented in the mainstream media as an anarchic force that has no business being in politics. So I decided to check up on what sinister activities they could be up to. First I went to an evening rally in a lovely little town called Vasco. It was suspiciously like a party. There was a pop group called Vision 3 belting out popular Hindi and Konkani songs. A pretty young girl in very high heels and a young man were singing and dancing and I thought that could be against the public order but maybe things are different in Goa. Then the local leaders started to speak and they had lovely names like Karl Vaz (not Marx I joked) and Elvis Gomes (not Presley) and Olencio and Loretta and so on.

Then Arvind Kejriwal arrived and started with full throated cries of Bharat Mata ki Jai, Inquilab Zindabad and Vande Mataram. I was happy to note that hes not missing any slogan before he went on to deliver a thumping speech. In the end he told the people to accept all cash inducements offered by other parties, to make sure its in new notes, but vote for Jhadu. (The local BJP would later lodge a complaint to the EC over this speech but thats another story).

To stick with AAP, the next morning I made my way to a building in Panjim where the national team of AAP was lodged. In one flat volunteers had set up an office. In another, Arvind was talking to local journalists. It was the third flat that gave me a shock: I realized that the national luminaries of AAP handling Goa were bunking it like college students in an overcrowded dorm. AAP figures like Ashutosh (former TV anchor) and key people behind the Delhi win such as Pankaj Gupta were living in rooms shared with volunteers, eating in a common kitchen and plotting politics. (Ashutosh even showed me the washing line where the clothes that hed washed himself were drying and an iron they all use).

I then sat down with this cabal aiming to bring chaos to India and asked them about costs. What costs, snapped Ashish Talwar, Arvinds usually amiable political advisor who has also been temporarily sent to the boondocks. He added that costs are there if you live in a five star hotel and hire workers and cars but AAP was managing on the goodwill of local supporters and the faith of some volunteers. I pressed on, what about the costs of a helicopter for Arvind in Punjab and Goa. What chopper, he snapped again, Arvind goes everywhere by road.

That I concluded is strong evidence that AAP is out of touch with the times: in age where every campaigner from Rahul to Mayawati to Laloo moves in choppers and the Party of Patriots hires an entire fleet, Kejriwal (also a chief minister) is chugging along on roads between two states! It just doesnt feel right and Im very suspicious especially on nights that I watch the TV news and find the very articulate people described as ex-AAP going on and on about abandoned values and corruption.

After my shocking discovery I had to rest at a lovely home of a friend for two days, eat great food, visit beaches and watch the sunset to recover. But then on my last day in Goa, two AAP volunteers suggested I visit a slum. I didnt want to believe there were slums in Goa (it was the sort of reality I was trying to escape) but I was also pretending to work so I went.

The slum known as Zuarinagar, built around a large Birla factory has 10,000 voters which is a lot in Goa where the average for each seat is 25,000. The dwellers were divided but there were some who were going to vote AAP. Their big demand was toilets as everyone defecates in the open and during the long monsoon they do so with umbrellas walking through slush.

One of the volunteers who took me was Apoorva, educated in Doon school, just 26, who gave up his job as a teacher a year ago to work full time for AAP. He arrived in Goa on a 2nd class sleeper in September and gets Rs 70 per meal. Hes committed to something larger than himself and works round the clock. But of course we know from the TV debates that hes a potential anarchist.

Im still trying to crack the conspiracy but life in the slum certainly woke me from the sunset stupor.
Harish Khare

On Thursday, I was told by Dr Krishan Chand of the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development that, that day was Swami Vivekanandas birth anniversary. Dr Krishan Chand was keen to present me a copy of a book he had edited  Relevance of Swami Vivekananda in Contemporary India. The Swami ji always makes a good read. The book is a compilation of the seminar CRRID had organised two years ago on Swami Vivekanandas 150th birth anniversary. And, by sheer coincidence, that very day, another book, The Modern Monk  What Vivekananda Means to Us Today, landed on my table.

Swami Vivekananda was undoubtedly the incarnation of a profound spiritual force. And, thousands of books and commentaries have been written on and about him. We have raised monuments in his name, named schools and colleges after him; even a presumably think-tank has been set up in his name. Yet, it is somewhat of a mystery that despite our elaborate homage-manufacturing for the saint, our national life remains mostly untouched by his lofty teachings and enlightened preaching.

Scholars may have much to say on the subject, but it seems to me that somehow Swami Vivekananda has been made into a partisan project. This great teacher has been appropriated by the right-wing for selfish political reasons, and in the process, we as a nation have deprived ourselves of the guidance and nudging of this wonderful seer, who was only 30 years old when he mesmerised the Worlds Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893.

At Chicago, the Swami had exhorted against sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendent, fanaticism. He was a supreme nationalist. Mahatma Gandhis observation still holds valid for each one of us: I have gone through his works very thoroughly, and after having gone through them, the love that I had for my country became a thousand-fold.

And, as Nehru noted, the Swami was one of the great founders of the national modern movement of India. Yet, his nationalism was not a narrow creed; his brilliant espousal of the Vedanta philosophy was never at the expense of other religions and doctrines. Nor was he seeking to establish the supremacy of Vedanta over any other theological school. He was not a forerunner of any clash of civilisation.

It is nothing short of a national tragedy that the Swami ji has been reduced to a partisan figure, invoked by unwholesome politicians to gentrify themselves and sell their dubious wares. As a nation, we remain spiritually poor.

THE Americans are working themselves into a lather over the Russian hacking of the Democratic Partys computer networks and over their other purported involvements on behalf of the Donald Trump camp. The allegations should surprise no one. The Russians have a well-ingrained institutional habit of snooping, bugging, spying, first on their own citizens and then on others beyond their borders. The KGB has its tentacles spread all over.

I recall a hilarious passage about Russian meddlesomeness from Beyond Reason, a book by Margaret Trudeau, once Canadas First Lady. Margaret Trudeau, it would be recalled, was seduced by a much older but dashing, charming Pierre Trudeau, already Prime Minister of Canada. It was a most noteworthy marriage. Had to be. She was beautiful, gorgeous, rebellious, an ex-hippy, irreverent, and undiplomatic; he had all the burdens and constraints of office and public life.

As she recalls in Beyond Reason, the Trudeaus were on an official visit to Moscow. Before the visit, she was briefed by the Canadian officials that the Russians could be relied upon to bug every single corner in the Prime Ministers quarters; the hint was that she was to curb her romantic exuberance. She would not believe it and put it down to the western paranoia about the Soviets.

Just before they leave, she is delighted to learn that she had become pregnant (with Justin, the current Prime Minister of Canada). The news had not been officially shared with the Canadian public. The hosts do not know of her altered state. The first day, the Prime Minister and his charming wife had been through a gruelling schedule; bone tired, the couple retire to their austere bedroom in the Kremlin, but the pregnant Margaret has the urge to eat an orange. The exhausted husband tells her to go to sleep. Suddenly, she remembers the briefing in Ottawa about the bugging.

The impish woman shouts loudly across the room to her husband that she very badly wanted an orange. And, then, she writes: Five minutes later came a knock at the door. Outside stood an expressionless waiter, holding a tray in his hands. On it sat a banana, an apple and, in the middle, occupying the pride of place, an orange...

Concludes Mrs Trudeau: I came to respect the technology of their bugging greatly...

Old habits die hard. Hacking of computers is only the new version of the old-fashioned bugging.

SOMETIME ago, a sincere reader and occasional contributor of The Tribune and concerned observer of Punjab, Karthik Venkatesh, had drawn my attention to an interesting online magazine called the Cafe Dissensus (https://cafedissensus.com/) being brought out of New York by two students, Mosarrap H Khan and Mary Chacko. This is a forum devoted simply and unwaveringly to dissent. There is so much official wisdom, masquerading as mainstream opinion, and these young dissenters seek to question and critique the issues and ills of our times from a different perspective.

Its quarterly version brings together agitated minds and troubled souls together to meditate on a selected theme. The result is often stimulating  and toxic. Some of its recent issues have focused on topics such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, JNU and its tradition of dissent, Bollywood, nationalism etc.

The Cafe Dissensus proposes to devote its April 2017 issue to Punjab: Marginal and Central. And, Karthik has been asked to guest-edit the issue. Karthik is hoping to invite papers, reviews and photo-essays; he wants to unpack its (Punjabs) centrality and people-centric marginality in the national discourse.

I do hope that Karthik would be able to induce insightful writers and commentators to discuss social and economic contradictions Punjab. He says he can be contacted at venkkarthik@gmail.com. The last date for the submission of articles, he says, is February 28. By that time, the Punjab voters would have cast their vote. The commentators and analysts would be available to reflect on issues beyond the winners and losers in the election.

LAST week, I had expressed my sense of dismay over the lapse of judgment by a former chief of the Indian Army in allowing himself to become a candidate in an assembly constituency. Very many readers and former generals wrote to share their sense of embarrassment. I found this response from Sarjit Singh Gill of Ludhiana very illuminating. Mr Gill wrote:

More than sixty years back, when I was a child, my Phupharh ji settled down in his village after retirement as Subedar from the Army. Soon thereafter came the panchayat elections. Some village elders came to him with a request to contest the election for the position of the sarpanch. He politely declined the offer by saying that the rank of Subedar enjoyed by me for fifteen years has satisfied me fully and the position of sarpanch is not higher than a Subedar. I think a Subedar of the last century was wiser than a General of the current century and upheld the Izzat of his rank.

Touche!

And lastly, a friend of mine from New York sent me the following, and wanted to know if that reflected the Punjab voters mind on the eve of elections:

Martin Luther King once said:

If u cant Fly, Run;

If you cant Run, Walk;

If you cant Walk, Crawl;

But keep Moving.

The Punjabi responded:

O ta theek hai Luthra saab, par jana kithe hai?

I can answer that for Luthra saab: Come and have coffee with me.

kaffeeklatsch@tribuneindia.com
SMA Kazmi in Dehradun

It was for the first time in the hill state of Uttarakhand that poll strategist Prashant Kishore would be shaping up the poll strategy of the ruling Congress for assembly polls due February 15.

Prashant Kishore spearheaded the poll campaign of Nitish Kumar in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls. He is also credited with the winning strategy of the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He arrived in Uttarakhand with his team members. The team members are involved in gathering data and information from grassroots party workers throughout the state. Kishore has reportedly asked for the names of five dedicated party workers from each polling booth.

Two party conventions of booth, block and district level workers and office-bearers of Garhwal and Kumoan region were held at Haridwar and Haldwani on January 11 and 12, respectively. The party workers were asked to put their suggestions and views regarding winning their respective assembly segments in boxes put up at these two conventions. Although Kishore was not present in both these meetings, his team members were. Party sources said Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi would also be participating in one such convention of booth level workers at Rishikesh on January 16.

The first message that Kishore wanted to convey to the Uttarakhand Congress leaders was of unity among senior leaders besides involving the youth with the party. Chief Minister Harish Rawat and state Congress Chief Kishore Upadhaya are at loggerheads on various issues related to elections. Kishore effect: Both the leaders heaped praise on each other at the Haridwar party conclave. They told party workers stand united.

Another tip that was given was the alleged discrimination done by the BJP-led central government with duly elected Harish Rawat government. The Congress workers were told about several measures being taken for the welfare of the poor, marginal, farmers and those affected by the 2013 natural disaster. The workers were told to carry the message to their respective booths

Being a smaller state having smaller assembly segments, Prashant Kishore's team wants to do personalized door-to-door campaign in the entire state. "His teams are assessing the situation in each assembly segment. They will come out with an overall strategy," said a Congress leader.
Vandana Shukla in Chandigarh

The binding of India and Pakistan is such that the two appear to be mirror images covered by layers of dust. Yet images speak, at times, when no one except the two, are listening, with a little prompt. Thats what happened at a session of the 11th Global Youth Peace Festival (GYPF). There were tales of nostalgia the youth from both sides had heard from their grandparents. These are the youth who volunteer in peace initiatives.

The unique experiment of assembling youth from different cultures and countries, initiated by Yuvsatta, now brings close to 250 young volunteers from 33 counties. They come to Chandigarh on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, to revitalize the values of Ahimsa and vasudhaiv kutumbakam (the world is a family).

The peace volunteers brought David Caprara, VP, strategic alliances, Global Peace Foundation (GPF), Washington, to the city. Caprara is credited with promoting youth volunteerism, low-income entrepreneurship and asset development, mentoring children of prisoners and other initiatives to strengthen children and families throughout the US. He also wants five violence-free zones across the United States. As a nonresident fellow with the Brookings Institution, he is researching volunteering and service policies, best practices and impacts.

He is committed to addressing the unfinished work of Gandhi-ji. Based on his experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Latin America and North and South Asia as well as the US, he has come to believe that peace and spirit of volunteerism has resonance across political divides. He is not perturbed by the rise of the right, globally.

His optimism rests on the fact that Gandhian vision of treating the globe as one family is found in all cultures, manifested according to various cultural traditions. He says the universal values of inclusiveness can serve as a rich resource for binding peoples across divides.

The GPF is assembling world leaders of diverse faiths in Manila at the Global Peace Convention due February 28-March 3. It is meant to forge a global ethical framework informed by universal values for peace and their applications in hot spots today.

Youth from various regions can be motivated by the examples of counterparts who have overcome violence and similar life challenges, says Caprara. The GPF is advancing character and creativity initiatives advancing youth entrepreneurship with partners such as Airtel, Google and IBM.

Caprara says people are reacting in a positive sense to the resonance for peace. Coupling interfaith and peace engagement has been particularly effective in our work across East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and Nigeria, as well as across the Korean Peninsula, and other regions.

In India, GPF is partnering with the Swachgraha and Interfaith Wash Alliance to advance Swach Bharat, an effort to foster civic engagement with volunteerism. Peace begins from within. Youth and women are natural leaders for peace and extended family values.
Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra

Age : 35 years

Constituency : Sanour (Patiala)

Party : SAD

Education : Law graduate

USP: Son of Akali MP Prem Singh Chandumajra

His fathers voice

Son of SADs Anandpur Sahib MP and party general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra, Harinderpal quotes Shri Guru Granth Sahib frequently as he interacts with his supporters during his campaign. A former managing director of a cooperative society, he first contested the co-operative polls. When the party elevated him as halqa in-charge of Sanour constituency a few months back, it lead to heartburn within SAD. But Chandumajra soon stabilized the party campaign. Harinder played a crucial role in getting two roads that pass through Sanour converted into national highways, helped as he was by his father.

My priority is to enhance employment avenues for the youth, he says. We are now connected with thousands of people in Sanour through Facebook. We also reach out to the people through

WhatsApp, he says. My father has spent his life serving the people. I want to take forward the work started by him.  Manish Sirhindi/Patiala

Parambans Singh Romana (Bunty)

Age : 38 years

Constituency : Faridkot

Party : SAD

Education : MA, PU

USP: SADs youth wing leader

Akali youth power behind him

Known for his closeness with Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Bunty is chairman Punjab State Youth Development Board, set up for the first time in Punjab six month back. He was previously chairman, Improvement Trust Faridkot. As a coordinator of SADs youth wing, the Students Organization of India (SOI), he enjoys its full support. A private contractor by profession, Bunty Romana is proud of unprecedented development that Punjab and this area made in the last decade -- sewerage is strengthened and electricity reached all farmers. Many in his constituency say he has yet to mature as a politician. As an SOI leader, he has to work a lot to be able to contest as MLA. He has to reach out to all sections, says Ramandeep Deep, a student.  Balwant Garg/Faridkot

Rajesh Kumar Honey

Age : 41 years

Constituency : Amritsar (East)

Party : BJP

Education : BA, LL.B

USP: A local resident

Here is BJP commando

The BJP has chosen him against Congresss likely candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu or his wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu. He has been a Councillor in 2007 and 2012 from Ward No 27. I am BJP commando. Dont underestimate me as only commandos do surgical strikes. It is good that the challenge is bigger. I will strike with double my strength, he says.

I belong to the constituency. Thats my strength. Rajesh Honey joined the BJP in 1992. His family is into hospitality business. My grandfather was a Jan Sangh activist. My father was elected councilor on a BJP ticket. So I feel BJP is in my blood. The time of part-time politics is over. Now it is a 24x7 affair. The people are educated and you have to be with them all the time.

He says the area needs sewerage and potable water. I will make effort to facilitate them. Honey has been using all the new media technologies for his campaign. A separate social media cell has been set up at the party office. A 15-minute documentary has been made to introduce Honey to the voters.  Charanjit Singh Teja in Amritsar
Dhaka, January 14

The Bangladesh police today said they have arrested a top Islamist militant accused of being one of the masterminds of the countrys worst terror attack at a popular Dhaka cafe and plotting murders of religious minorities including two Hindu priests.

IS-linked outlawed Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen recruiter Jahangir Alam, alias Rajib, alias Gandhi, was arrested last night from Elenga, some 120 km north of Dhaka, Counter-Terrorism and Transnational police unit chief Monirul Islam told media.

He said that Alam was one of the key players of the July attack on Holey Artisan restaurant who were captured alive so far as 13 of the 17 militants who were presumed to have plotted the attack were killed in encounters so far.

During the initial interrogation he has admitted to his direct link to plot of staging the attack on Gulshans Holey Artisan and the subsequent Eid congregation in Sholakia, Islam said.

The official said the police investigations found that Alam was involved in plotting murders of 22 people including a slain Japanese national, a Hindu tailor, two Hindu priests, a village doctor, a Sufi Muslim, a professor of state-run Rajshahi University and several others in the past four years.  PTI
London, January 14

A British Sikh businessman has been arrested at Heathrow Airport here on tax fraud charges filed by German authorities and faces extradition along with a 15-year jail term if found guilty.

Peter Singh Virdee was arrested earlier this week on a European arrest warrant, Scotland Yard confirmed yesterday. Virdee faces extradition to Germany and a 15-year jail term if found guilty of value added tax (VAT) fraud allegations worth around 100 million pounds, which he denies.

Peter Singh Virdee, 43, a UK national, was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Services Extradition Unit on Tuesday January 10 at Heathrow Airport. He was arrested on a European arrest warrant on behalf of the authorities in Germany, where he is wanted in relation to tax evasion, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

Virdee appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday and was released on bail.

A spokesperson from Carter-Ruck, the legal firm representing him, said, Our client categorically denies these allegations; he has never been involved in carbon trading let alone in any kind of fraud.

While he is happy to cooperate with the authorities he intends to defend himself fully against these allegations and the attempts to extradite him to Germany, the spokesperson said.

Prosecutors in Germany allege Virdee was one of the central organisers of a criminal enterprise to defraud the authorities of VAT on carbon credits under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

The businessman, who has a property company based in London, operated in the background and took pains to conceal his identity, prosecutors claim.

He is believed to have used several aliases and was known within the group as Batman, according to UK media reports.

The German authorities have formally requested his extradition.

Virdee is accused of operating a so-called VAT carousel scheme on EU carbon credits, under which traders export the credits from one member state to another in order to take advantage of EU VAT rules.

As exports, the sales are exempt from VAT, but the traders charge their customers VAT which they never declare to the authorities. The scheme ran from 2008 to 2012.

Prosecutors in the German city of Frankfurt have been pursuing the case for several years.

German prosecutors, who are not allowed to name suspects, claim in reference to Virdee that he has extensive contacts abroad, in India and Pakistan among other countries.

Virdee describes himself as the first Sikh patron of the English National Opera and a philanthropist via his Peter Virdee Foundation.  PTI
Istanbul, January 14

Turkey has arrested two Chinese nationals of Uighur origin in connection with a mass shooting in a nightclub in Istanbul on New Years Eve claimed by the Islamic State group, media reports said.

The suspects, named as Omar Asim and Abuliezi Abuduhamiti, were arrested on charges of being members of a terrorist organisation, of purchasing unlicensed firearms and being accomplices to the murder of 39 people, state-run Anadolu Agency cited a prosecutor as saying.

A witness in the central Anatolian city of Konya had reportedly seen Asim with the Reina nightclub attacker, the agency said yesterday.

The gunman remains at large despite a massive manhunt.

Officials said last week the attacker was likely a Turkic Uighur, with authorities reportedly looking into the possible existence of a cell, including other jihadists from Central Asia.

Uighurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims from the restive Xinjiang region of far-western China.

The killer, reportedly known by the code name Ebu Muhammed Horasani, slipped into the night after mowing down 39 revellers at the Reina nightclub just 75 minutes into 2017.

At least 35 people have been detained so far in connection with the attack, according to Anadolu.

Of the 39 killed in the glamourous nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, 27 were foreigners including citizens from India, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq and Morocco.

The so-called Islamic State claimed the nightclub massacre, the first time it has ever clearly claimed a major attack in Turkey despite being blamed for several strikes including the Istanbul airport bombings.  AFP
Deborah Lockridge

How much will it cost?

At any press conference Tom Berg attends, you can count on that question being asked. If not that one, then another equally likely to make the OE or supplier representatives squirm.

He has forever focused on digging for details he feels his readers need. Hes a master at asking questions  sometimes prickly ones  that dont occur to most reporters, says Doug Condra, former president of Newport Communications, at that time publishers of HDT, who hired Tom.

But it will soon be up to others to carry on that legacy. After nearly 40 years covering the trucking industry, Tom will retire as a full-time senior editor of HDT at the end of this month.

Tom worked in television news and public relations before becoming a trucking reporter and was editor of Road King and American Trucker before coming to work for HDT. He got his introduction to trucks working his way through Marquette Universitys College of Journalism by driving newspaper delivery trucks, graduating in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, and remains an active member of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Westerville, Ohio. A founder of the Truck Writers of North America, he has been awarded 10 Jesse H. Neal honors for business journalism.

Years ago, Tom brought our publications a strong background in both journalism and trucking, Condra says. His inquisitive nature, a penchant for accurate reporting and crisp, concise writing style quickly became his trademark.

One of the people who was on the receiving end of some of those questions was Don Alles, a longtime PR professional for a major component manufacturer. In many ways, Tom was both the conscience and subconscious of the trucking press corps, he says. He would ask the tough questions, like how much does it cost?  over and over again, until we could give him some kind of answer I learned a lot from Tom and other truck journalists about how to present news, how NOT to present news... but most especially, how not to present stuff that isnt news as news.

Alles counterpart at a competitor, the late Mike Pennington, said of Tom upon the occasion of Tom earning the Truck Writers of North America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009: Tom is a tough, fair and thorough reporter who knows his market, his industry, and his audience. He writes factually and calls them like he sees them (Will you just cut to the chase, please?). Hes earned the respect of industry leaders and his fellow journalists.

But as Condra says, To know Tom is to know theres much more to him than his probing journalist image.

Toms old-fashioned Midwestern work ethic  elfish wit and inherent kindness, rubbed off on many editors who passed through our doors, he says.

Tom Berg

One former staffer told Condra, What I remember most about Tom is that he entertained us, but while he was doing it he was teaching usyou could walk away laughing after one of his witticisms, then realize hed just stuck a barb in you for something you messed up. We learned from that.

Condra sums it up well: Tom Bergs legacy will be that of a trusted messenger who brought useful realism to the industry he loved so much and served so long. He has already succeeded in that. And all with a twinkle in his eye.

P.S.  Toms not the only one who has decided its time to slow down. Sven-Erik Lindstrand, a European freelance trucking reporter who has helped HDT cover international trucking events for a number of years, is stepping down as a regular contributor.
WASHINGTON  In New York on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump dismissed as crap the intelligence reports suggesting Russia has compromising information on him.

Trump knows this because, as he tweeted, Russia called it A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION. And if Vladimir Putins government says something, it must be true.

But whether or not Russia has such blackmail potential may be beside the point. Trump and his incoming administration are already doing exactly what Putin wants.

As Trump was giving his first post-election news conference in Trump Tower, his nominee to be secretary of state was testifying in Washington  and Rex Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil chief, showed why he earned Putins Order of Friendship award.

It was early in the nine-hour hearing when Tillerson said he might recommend revoking President Obamas actions punishing Russia for its cyberattack during the American election, which Tillerson acknowledged was probably approved by Putin.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., followed that with a blunt question: Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?

I would not use that term, the Russian Order of Friendship laureate replied.

Rubio offered to help Tillerson reach that conclusion, describing his targeting of schools and markets in Syria that have killed thousands of civilians, and his earlier attacks on Chechnya, where he killed 300,000 civilians using cluster munitions and bombs that kill by asphyxiation. You are still not prepared to say that Vladimir Putin and his military ... have conducted war crimes?

I would want to have much more information before reaching a conclusion, the nominee replied.

Rubio went on to ask about the broadly held view that Putin has approved the killing of countless opponents, dissidents and journalists.

I do not have sufficient information to make that claim, Tillerson replied.

Do you think that was coincidental? Rubio pressed.

Tillerson said these things happen to people who speak up for freedom, but he would need to know more.

Rubio was angry. None of this is classified, Mr. Tillerson, he said. These people are dead.

It was a big moment for the man Trump called Lil Marco. But its ominous that there arent more like him and John McCain speaking up now.

Putin has managed to achieve in a few months of cyberwarfare what his Soviet predecessors failed to do in 45 years of the Cold War: creating a pliable American government, willing to overlook human rights abuses in the interest of commerce.

Trump on Wednesday tweeted that the leaked intelligence report was one last shot at me and asked: Are we living in Nazi Germany? But his liaison with Russia feels more Eastern Bloc than Third Reich. Trump has a slate of pro-Russia advisers talking about a more conciliatory approach to Putin, and their statements have echoed Kremlin statements. Trump acknowledged that I think it was Russia that did the election hacking, but rather than regard it as an act of war, he praised the outcome: It shouldnt be done, he said, but look at what was learned from that hacking.

Tillerson offered a few welcome departures from his would-be bosss positions: He embraced the Magnitsky law punishing human rights abuses and said Russias annexation of Crimea would not be recognized. He was more supportive of NATO than Trump has been.

But Tillerson didnt mention the election hacking in his opening statement, and, in response to Rubio, he said he would have concerns with legislation imposing mandatory sanctions on those who commit cyberattacks on the United States.

Other responses were equally unnerving. Tillerson told Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) that he had not yet discussed Russia with Trump, and he asserted that to my knowledge, Exxon never directly lobbied against sanctions. Congressional lobbying records show Exxon lobbied on many Russia sanctions bills.

Asked by Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) about how he would avoid being undermined as chief diplomat by the presidents quickly drafted, not vetted tweets on world affairs, Tillerson replied, I have his cellphone number.

Well hope for the best there  unless you have anything else to add, Young said. Tillerson didnt.

The nominee didnt rule out the creation of a registry of Muslims. He declined to say that China is one of the worlds worst human rights violators. He wouldnt criticize drug raids in the Philippines that have killed 6,200. And he said he couldnt make a true determination whether Saudi Arabia violates human rights.

It was grim to see an incoming American secretary of state avert his gaze from human rights abuses in Russia and across the globe. Rubio said it demoralizes billions of people. That cannot be who we are in the 21st century, Rubio told Tillerson.

But apparently it already is.
A Democratic Party activist from rural eastern Oklahoma, Michael Sperry could not have been more disappointed with the results of the presidential election. And yet, he will fly to Washington, D.C., this week to watch the inauguration.

Not to protest. Not to jeer. But to respectfully, even enthusiastically, take part in a historic event.

Im a Democrat, said Sperry, who will travel with his 76-year-old mother, but Im also an American. He will be my president, too.

About 800,000 people are expected to gather at the U.S. Capitol to watch Donald Trump take the oath of office on Friday, and at least 500 of them will come from Oklahoma, state GOP officials estimated.

With even modest hotels in suburban Washington charging $300 a night during inauguration week, the trip wont come cheap.

But youll never forget it, and youll never regret it, said Matt Pinnell, former chairman of the Oklahoma GOP and the current national state party director.

Pinnell will attend the inauguration but might have little time to enjoy it, as he will be in charge of the logistical operation of getting Republican National Committee members from event to event throughout the day. And thats quite an operation, considering that as many as 30,000 people will be attending various inaugural balls throughout the city.

But I certainly will be there when he is sworn into office, Pinnell said. Thats going to be a very powerful moment, and Im just very grateful that I will get to experience it live and in person.

George Wiland, an Electoral College voter for Oklahoma last month, attended the 2005 inauguration for George W. Bushs second term. But without a ticket, he stood elbow to elbow in a massive crowd a quarter of a mile from the podium, too far away to even see the jumbotrons.

Other than being able to say I was there, Wiland chuckles, I wasnt really part of the event at all.

This time, with tickets from U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstines office, Wiland should get a much closer look. And he will take his adult daughter and teenage grandson, along with one of his grandsons friends.

Im most excited about getting to take those young people, Wiland said. Its a chance of a lifetime, and theyll never forget that they were there.

Meanwhile in Tulsa, Trinity Episcopal Church is organizing a day of community service to mark the inauguration, teaming up with Congregation BNai Emunah, the Islamic Society of Tulsa, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Temple Israel to fix up a dilapidated property for an impoverished homeowner.

Hannah Kemp Middlebrook, the director of communications and volunteers for Trinity, described it as a considered response to the election.

A lot of people are worried about what this change will look like, Middlebrook said. And were providing an outlet for all that nervous energy.
Former Weekend Sunrise newsreader Talitha Cummins is taking Seven to the Fair Work Commission for unfair dismissal.

Cummins, who was in the role for nearly three years, was called by news boss Craig McPherson during maternity leave and told her casual contract had ended. She was offered a temporary role reading the 5am weekday bulletin but declined, following the birth of her son, Oliver. She has been with Seven for more than 13 years.

The Daily Telegraph reports the call came on the same day promotions began for an episode of Australian Story in which she detailed a battle with alcoholism. The story claims Cummins sought permission to appear in the program and was told the network would not stand in her way. The episode was introduced by Chris Bath.

Neither Cummins, her lawyer John Laxon or Channel 7 would comment.

The new legal battle comes hot on the heels of Sevens headlines surrounding CEO Tim Worner and executive assistant Amber Harrison. Whilst standing by its CEO, Seven has commissioned an independent investigation but Harrison is yet to be interviewed by law firm, Allens.

[I want] Kerry Stokes and Bruce McWilliam to resign, Harrison told Fairfax Media this week.

A generational and cultural shift on the Seven West Media board. They need to install a director who actually lives and breathes equality.

Meanwhile reports question whether Tim Worners possible attendance at the Australian Open could reignite media attention.

In light of the issues aired, Mr Worners attendance could conceivably be quite awkward for Sevens clients and guests and simply give the whole controversy new oxygen (it would certainly be a powerful reminder of it), said Sefiani Communications director Nick Owens.
By Joseph Onyango

Two police officers in Soroti district have been arrested for allegedly stealing 10 solar panels valued at Shs100m belonging to the East Africas Largest Solar Plant located at Opuyo.

The affected police were part of the security personnel guarding the solar plant with an equivalent of 10 megawatts which is the countrys first grid-connected solar plant recently launched by Hon. Simon DUjanga, Minister of State for Energy.

According to Victor Gonzalez, the plant engineer, the solar panels were stolen around the month of November 2016.

East Kyoga Police spokesperson, Michael Odongo has confirmed that two of the suspects have already been arrested while are on the run.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
President Obama's farewell address touched upon most dangers that the United States now stares at. It is clearly transforming from an open, inclusive society to one that will change under a new President who made his stance clear, at least on the issue of immigrants, free trade and foreign policy. The economy has shown some signs of recovering but with the inward looking policy that Trump promises, prospects of growth are hampered. Also, with the new administration clearly speaking out against outsourcing and importing labour, costs of production in the US are set to rise. It is a very uncertain future for the global economy when its largest economy starts regressing and going back to thinking of a world that does not believe in globalization once again.

President Obamas most important message was that race relations, income inequality and the state of political discourse had become threats to the fabric of the republic. Sadly, that is exactly the situation in India now. The only difference is that race in North America is replaced by religion and caste in the Indian context. And the one problem that the US does not have is the gender discrimination that is rampant in India.

Obama talked about how important it was that all forms of discrimination be addressed. He specifically talked about upholding the various laws against discrimination in recruitment, housing, education and the criminal justice system. Each of these is a serious problem in India with the Dalits and Muslims facing the brunt of each of these kinds of discrimination. While there are harsh laws against discrimination that apply to behavior against the Scheduled castes, these are often not implemented well leading to very low rates of conviction.

As for discrimination against Muslims, it is only recently that such practices have even been acknowledged. However, there is no law in place that can be used to punish any such discriminatory practice. The Constitution guarantees equal rights to everyone in India, but as Obama mentioned in his own context, it is not enough to have laws. Hearts must change, he emphasized. And nowhere is it more pertinent than in election bound India where religious polarization has recently been key to success for both national and regional parties.

The election in 2014 in India brought to light a new feature of Indias politics and a new economic reality. That was one where disgruntled youth appeared frustrated over stagnation of growth and increasing unemployment. This youth could easily be won over using a narrative that addressed their helplessness. In the US, Obama said it is the unemployed white man, who from the outside may seem like he's got all the advantages but who's seen his world upended by economic, cultural and technological change. In India it has been the upper caste and the upwardly mobile backward class who saw a corrupt political system frustrate ambitions of increased income growth. This dominant class found solace in an aggressive nationalistic agenda that promised change keeping the majority population at the centre of change.

What is refreshing about Obamas speech is an acknowledgement that the US continues to treat its minorities badly. He addressed the fact that vulnerable sections of society, like the immigrants, face threats to their life and liberty even now. Obama made it a point to argue that all Americans must start with the premise that each fellow citizen loves this country just as much as the other. He underlined the fact that patriotism and loyalty must not be questioned. He highlighted the fact that all Americans value hard work and family; that all children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as any.

He then went on to admit that the world has several problems now. The violent fanatics who claim to speak for the Islamic cause have caused massive death and destruction across the globe. There are those, and he was referring to Euro sceptics and protectionists in various countries, who see free markets, open democracies, and civil society itself as a threat to their power. These are really dangerous and we can see many such people in India. The rising tendency to see NGOs as rabble rousers and trouble makers is a clear indication that the same dictatorial tendencies that rock China and North Korea could manifest themselves here. Slogans that hail the various make in India and buy in India campaigns fall in the same category of protectionist thought that makes free trade around the world suffer.

Obama could easily have been speaking for us in India when he reiterated the fear of change that exists in the USA. A fear of people, he said, who look different or talk a different language. He highlighted the absence of the rule of law that makes leaders in all walks of life accountable. He warned his people against intolerance of dissent and free thought. The speech was as much for all that is altering in the US, that has stood for a strong democratic tradition for more than two centuries, as it was for dictatorial tendencies that are creeping up around the world.

Obama in his farewell address talked about stark inequality being corrosive to democratic ideas. He talked about how the nation must view minority protests correctly. When marginalized groups stand up in protest, they are not demanding special treatment, but the equal treatment that the founding fathers and the Constitution promised. In India, when civil society groups and NGOs protest against atrocities against Dalits, violence against Muslims or damage to the environmental, they increasingly are seen as being engaged in seditious activity that harms the interest of the nation. President Obama differs with this view, absolutely and completely.








Part of a memorial of the Berlin Wall at Rice University was defaced with pro-Donald Trump vandals. Two cases of vandalism were found on Friday at the school's campus.

Chron reported that Rice University police department has already started investigation on the vandals. "#DeportSpanos" and "TRUMP BABY!" were two examples of the sentiments spray-painted on a mural that was attached to the side of the Moody Center shipping containers, which was removed on Friday afternoon.

Rice University's portion of the Berlin Wall was defaced with "Aloha!" and "Trump 2016." The memorial, which became a permanently fixture last 2000, is located in front of the school's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

On Friday, Rice University senior media director B.J. Almond said that they will be covering the Berlin Wall. This is until a professional art conservator can remove the vandals.

According to The Rice Thresher, Moody Student Collaborative chair Heather Wright expressed her disappointment at the vandalism acts. She stated that she did not want to see words like "Trump Baby" and "Deport Spanos" on something that was a reminder of diversity and inclusion.

It was also noted that a student saw two unidentified individuals in Fondren Library wearing clothing which may have had swastika symbols last November. The university was still investigating the reported incident.

Last month, a Nassau Community College student was arrested for alleged vandalism. Jasskirta Saini, 20, was said to have drawn swastikas and other anti-Semitic images in the school.

Saini has been arraigned on 12 counts of aggravated harassment. It was revealed that the hate messages he wrote included swastikas, Germany, KKK and Hitler. Officials confirmed that Saini drew the graffiti and other vandals in the school's G building on Friday, Dec. 17. Two fresh messages were found on Dec. 16 while some were dated back in October.

Apparently, the culprit did the act because he felt that he was being harassed by the Jewish community in Plainview. Saini used black and blue magic markers to draw the anti-Semitic images and comments.
A student at Bournemouth University died after a "chemical incident" in residence halls. There were also concerns of a risk of explosion in the area.

Huffington Post U.K. reported that Dorset Police responded to a report of the death of a woman who looked to be in her 30s. Officials went to an address in the Bournemouth University Student Village in Poole. Residents were evacuated from the area after it was said that the home contained "unknown chemical substances." Police were said to have issued a warning about the potential for an explosion.

Bournemouth University student, Josh Wilde, 18, told The Daily Star that a policewoman warned them that there may be a chemical explosion. Another official also reportedly said that something flammable was leaking.

The school has confirmed the death of one of its students. Bournemouth University announced that the next of kin has been informed and that it is providing support for affected students. It also clarified that the incident has been isolated and that it will pose no risk to staff and students on campus.

Mirror noted that there was nothing suspicious behind the incident. The substances are in the process of being removed. The Sun added that the woman was a post-graduate student who was living in a single unit. Another student, Samuel Shaw, has said that the student community was left "shaken" after finding out about a fellow student's death.

Firefighters in protective clothing were seen removing a bin that contained the hazardous matter. It was not confirmed what the chemical substance was.

Meanwhile, U.K. Members of Parliament are on a hot debate about the effects of Brexit on higher education. University experts issued a warning on the damaging effects that a "hard Brexit" could have over the U.K.'s best industries.

University of Oxford's head of Brexit strategy Alastair Buchan said that Brexit would lead to high risks of damage on one of the nation's best industries. He described this industry as the "knowledge-based economy" in the country.
The University of Chicago has announced a new head for its adult trauma center. Surgeon and public health expert Dr. Selwyn Rogers will be leading the school's development in this area. In its official website, the University of Chicago confirmed that the Level 1 adult trauma center is scheduled to open by next year. Dr. Rogers joined the institution last Jan. 5.

Dr. Rogers will be the founding director of the University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center. At the same time, he will also be the chief of the Section for Trauma & Acute Care Surgery.

He is tasked to build an interdisciplinary team of specialists. This team will be treating patients who have incurred injury from life-threatening events like car-related accidents, high-impact falls as well as gun violence.

In addition, Dr. Rogers and his team will work with city leaders, particularly with the trauma network. They will also work with other hospitals in the South Side area in order to improve trauma care. University of Chicago's executive vice president for medical affairs Kenneth S. Polonsky described Dr. Rogers as "highly qualified" for the position. He believes that the top surgeon will be able to lead his team to excellence and growth.

According to NBC Chicago, the university broke ground last September for the medical facility. It is said to cost $39 million dollars. The adult trauma center is situated on an existing parking structure, which helps with its speedy building. Patient care will be on the first floor as well as housing a ready ambulance.

Speaking to Chicago Sun Times, Dr. Rogers talked about how the University of Chicago has given him "a once in a lifetime opportunity" especially in the recent times of helplessness and hopelessness. He admitted that the things that were happening in Chicago prompted him to focus his attentions on treating and helping others deal with trauma.
Imagine a train that is almost supersonic but faster than a bullet train. It travels from Edinburgh to London in just 35 minutes. It seems unrealistic. But Elon Musk's dream of having a faster and efficient high speed form of travel, without the hassle of traffic, is soon becoming a reality.

And the Edinburgh University may just make it to the finish line. The university just entered the semi-finals to develop that near-supersonic train. The Scottish researchers made it as one of the 35 shortlisted teams out of the 2,600.

Their plan is to create a super fast train that would run on a track using magnetic levitation, as reported by The Herald. The route they are thinking of taking would be able to carry pods that can be sent out every 30 seconds and would reach the maximum allowable speed of 760 MPH in just 90 seconds. The pod can hold up to 28 passengers.

This sounds like something from a science fiction movie. But it is going to be a dream come true for Elon Musk when that train gets him from Edinburgh to London in 35 minutes or less. When Musk aimed his vision at university students, the Edinburgh University team never imagined of going up against routes such as Shanghai to Hangzhou, Mumbai to Delhi and Sydney to Melbourne. They are also going up against eleven American teams.

The University of Edinburgh HypED team is working on the route proposal, as reported by Edinburgh News.The route is going to be via London to Birmingham to Manchester to Edinburgh. They were able to calculate a 35 minute travel time. This is a much more astounding travel time compared to the four hours it usually takes.

HypED is made up of 50 students. They come from the School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Business and the Edinburgh College of Art. This University of Edinburgh team is looking forward to test their designs this year.

Know more about the University of Edinburgh by checking out the video below:
Findings from a new study by Boston University researchers suggest that the link between concussions and Alzheimer's disease is more than what was previously thought.

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine examined 160 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and found that concussions seem to hasten the onset of Alzheimer's-related brain degeneration, especially in people who are at genetic risk for the degenerative disease, HealthDay reported. Some of these vets suffered from concussion at least once, while some did not.

Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the researchers measured the thickness of the cerebral cortex found in the veterans' brains. This portion of the brain, along with seven control regions, is the first to degenerate when Alzheimer's starts. They discovered an association between a concussion and a thinning in the regions first affected by the disease.

Although the study did not prove that concussions raise the risk of Alzheimer's in an individual, Jasmeet Hayes, PhD, a coauthor of the study, said the findings suggest that concussions, combined with genetic factors, may be associated with accelerated degeneration in the brain regions affected by the disease.

What's more interesting about their findings is that the brain abnormalities were found in a younger group of people. The participants in the study, published in the journal Brain, had an average age of 32.

Hayes, an assistant professor of psychiatry at BUSM and a research psychologist at the National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, told the Boston Herald that previous research regarding the matter looked at repeated concussions in contact sports, and have ignored the possible effects of a single concussion or concussions that are spread throughout one's lifetime.

Most studies, according to Hayes, looked at a person's brain when the disease has already progressed, failing to yield findings that would help in the prevention of the onset of the disease. Her study, which looked at younger people, yielded findings that promise help in detecting and preventing the onset of the disease later in life.


The Mint 400 has added a new layer of excitement for car & off-road enthusiasts for The 2017 Polaris RZR #Mint400 presented by BFGoodrich Tires taking place Wednesday, March 1 through Sunday, March 5.

This year, The Mint 400 has partnered with Las Vegas-based festival production company, Production Theory, to provide an innovative food and beverage experience for the duration of the event.

We want our racers, fans and VIPs to have the best food and beverage experience possible while watching The Great American Off-Road Race, said Matt Martelli, Mint 400 CEO. We already have the most spectator-friendly race in off-road. We enlisted Production Theory because they are food and beverage mavericks with a history of successful events in Las Vegas, including the Great Vegas Festival of Beer.

The Martelli Brothers and their production arm Mad Media, have successfully grown The Mint 400 into the largest and most important off-road race in the world. The event attracts over 60,000 spectators to Las Vegas for the race and week long activities. And it features 350 teams competing on a 120-mile loop that extends from the edge of Las Vegas to the California-Nevada state line at Primm. With five massive spectator areas, The Mint 400 puts fans safely in front of high speed off-road racing action.

Working with The Mint 400 and becoming a part of this amazing legacy is a tremendous opportunity to match the racing experience with an equally-exciting festival experience, said Brian Chapin, Production Theory CEO. We will work with The Mint team to introduce unique experiences that appeal to their core off-road racing following and attract Las Vegas locals, as well.

Production Theory is the parent entity to Motley Brews, which has produced more than a dozen events in Las Vegas and Southern California, including Nevadas largest craft beer festival, Great Vegas Festival of Beer, now in its seventh year. Other signature Motley Brews events include Downtown Brew Festival in Las Vegas, Brew & Food Festival in San Diego and Pasadena Octoberfest.


In observance of National Pizza Day, guests who dine at Pizza Forte at Sunset Station or Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas will have two opportunities to receive a free slice of pizza on Feb 9.

Guests will receive a free slice of cheese pizza with purchase when they mention Happy Pizza Day. They will also receive a free slice of cheese pizza with purchase when they wear a shirt with a picture or graphic of pizza. When posting via social media, they are encouraged to use the #NationalPizzaDay and #PizzaForteLV to share their free pizza photos.

Loosely translated from Italian as powerful pizza, Pizza Forte offers New York-style pizza and square, Roman-style pan pizza by the slice with toppings including homemade sausage and fresh vegetables, as well as gluten-free options. In addition to freshly made pizza, fountain drinks, Italian soft drinks and desserts including cannoli and tiramisu, Pizza Forte also offers housemade meatball sandwiches and is the only Las Vegas dining venue to offer three varieties of Hofmann hot dogs: 100 percent beef, pork-and-beef and pork-and-veal varieties. Pizza Forte is open beginning 11 a.m. daily.
The local telecommunications market is the scene of fierce 3G competition

The prime minister last week gave in-principle approval to FPT Group and FPT Telecom being strategic investors of EVN Telecom.

EVN Telecom will this month announce its strategic investors after its negotiations with FPT and its affiliate FPT Telecom are finalised.

An EVN Telecom source revealed that the stake to be sold to FPT and FPT Telecom would be more than 50 per cent.

FPT Telecom was already licenced to be a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and is piloting LTE TDD technology.

Mobile business is what we want in our business portfolio and we are enthusiastic in our negotiations with partners. Our investment capital will be 10-times the amount we previously planned to invest in EVN Telecom, said FPT deputy general director Phan Duc Trung Trung.

FPT previously planned to invest VND400 billion ($21 million) in EVN Telecom as the former wanted to use the latters facility to provide mobile service.

The upcoming involvement of FPT and FPT Telecom in EVN Telecom means there would be no chance for foreign entities to be the mobile operators strategic partners.

Previously, EVN Telecom, which is expected to be the first mobile operator to be equitised in Vietnam, announced its plan to sell a 30 per cent stake to a foreign strategic investor. Details of the plan were not revealed then, except that the strategic investor would be a Singaporean or Malaysian firm.

EVN Telecom then also said the foreign strategic investors name would be made public after the company completed its equitisation process in September, this year.

Meanwhile, MobiFones long-awaited equitisation has seen many delays. The company was converted into a one-member company in early July and is still waiting for new government directions. The company planned to sell a 30 per cent stake to investors, including 15 per cent to strategic partners.

Viettel Telecom does not have a clear equitisation plan, as it is trying to complete a restructuring proposal by expanding into other business segments such as mobile handset production.

The long-awaited VinaPhone equitisation is still distant, as VNPT Groups restructuring proposal has not yet been approved by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
US Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Government Office in Hanoi on Jan 13, 2017. (Photo: LUONG THAI LINH/AFP)

Vietnam has been at the centre of outgoing President Barack Obama's Asia embrace, marked by the lifting of a wartime-era arms embargo, major growth in trade and the signing of the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact.

Trump, whose tirades against the costs of globalisation to American workers helped propel him to office, has vowed to scrap the TPP on his first day in charge.

But analysts say ties are unlikely to crumble despite uncertainty over the incoming leader's Asia strategy.

Kerry's visit to Vietnam, his fourth trip to the communist country as America's top diplomat, is both political and deeply personal.

The former naval officer won a Silver Star for his service during the Vietnam War after beaching his patrol boat and storming ashore to shoot dead a Viet Cong ambusher in Ca Mau province in 1969.

Kerry later came to see the war as a mistake and after his return from combat campaigned for peace.

"I'm delighted to be back in Vietnam where we are developing still a growing relationship," Kerry said during a Friday meeting with acting foreign minister Bui Thanh Son and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

"There have been a lot of steps forward but there are still some challenges as you know," he said, after a reporter asked him about Vietnam's patchy human rights record.

The communist country routinely jails dissidents and government critics.

After official meetings in Hanoi, Kerry flies to Ho Chi Minh City later Friday. On Saturday he heads to the Bay Hap river in Ca Mau on Saturday to revisit the site of his 1969 ambush.

TRADE ALLIANCE

The relationship between the two countries has transformed since the painful and bloody war era.

The United States is Vietnam's top export market and trade between the pair has tripled in recent years, along with a major boost in US investments in the manufacturing hub.

Obama's administration has made Asia -- home to some of the world's fastest growing economies -- a priority as counterbalance to Chinese power.

"Kerry's visit underscores the importance of Vietnam in the US-Asia policy," Netherlands-based Vietnam analyst Jonathan London told AFP.

Trump's tough talk on rebalancing global trade and vow to scrap the TPP has clouded the future of that policy.

But "it would be premature to assume that he will totally scrap the interests of US firms that operate in East Asia", despite Trump's rhetoric, London added.

Simmering tensions with Beijing over its military build-up on islands in the South China Sea will likely be discussed during Kerry's visit.

Vietnam is seeking diplomatic ballast in the face of increasingly aggressive actions by China in the strategically crucial waterway.

Washington has remained neutral in overlapping disputes with China in the South China Sea, insisting that freedom of navigation must be respected in the oil-rich shipping route.

But Trump's nominee to replace Kerry, former oilman Rex Tillerson, this week warned of a "clear signal" to China to stop building on disputed islands after the new president takes office on Jan 20.
Echopack reportedly colluded with New Zealand-based General Equity bank, taking seafood shipments from Vietnamese companies but refusing to pay for them.

This is a scam orchestrated by the buyer and its bank, Tran Van Pham, general director of seafood company Stapimex, which is at risk of losing $200,000, told state broadcaster VTV.

At least 10 Vietnamese seafood exporters have been cheated in what VTV called the biggest case of fraud to have ever hit Vietnamese seafood companies.

According to VASEP, banks representing Vietnamese exporters sent documents requesting General Equity Bank to pay on behalf its client Echopack.

But in a slow response, General Equity refused to pay and returned the documents, saying that Echopacks signature in the sales contract with Vietnamese exporters is different from the one it used to open a letter of credit with the bank. The letter of credit is General Equitys guarantee to pay Echopacks trading partners on its behalf once the transaction is completed.

VASEP also said that the returned documents were missing one of three copies of the bill of lading, a contract between the exporters and a transportation company that is required for Echopack to claim the shipment. General Equity apparently allowed Echopack to obtain the bill of lading and take the delivery, despite the signature discrepancy.

The Vietnamese seafood companies believed that Echopack intentionally opened the letter of credit and signed contracts with different signatures, as was reported by Phap Luat newspaper.

Nguyen Trong Thuy, an arbitrator of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre and a former branch manager of Vietcombank, told the newspaper that the law is on the side of the Vietnamese companies.

He said General Equitys requirement to cross-check the buyers signature before honouring a letter of credit violated Article 4 of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, a set of international rules on letters of credit. This is because the exporters are in no position to verify the signatures and are thus forced to believe General Equity. This is also true because such a requirement increased the risk that buyers of using fraudulent signatures. He said Vietnamese companies should always negotiate and remove this requirement in letters of credit.

He also said that General Equity had only five days to respond but took 100 days instead. By law, the bank forfeited its right to dispute the Vietnamese companies request for payment and is therefore obligated to pay them under any circumstances. However, Thuy also said it could be difficult to pin down the scammer.

VASEP has issued a nationwide warning to seafood companies to avoid and review any transactions with Echopack as well as its representative Jason Brown operating at the address: 5084 Francois, Cusson Lachine, Quebec, Canada. It also recommended Vietnamese exporters to study the market, their trading partners, and their banks as well as to consider risk-mitigating banking services, such as letter of credit verification or export payment guarantee.

Vietnamese exports to Canada rose by 9.54 per cent to nearly $2.5 billion in the first 11 months of 2016.

Recently, VASEP also warned companies of risks in dealing with Egyptian fish trader Al-Reda Fish Company. Major seafood exporter Vinh Hoan Corporation is still unable to collect a payment of $58,800 for a batch of products delivered to Al-Reda in June 2015 after multiple requests.
Damaged Ca Trang Bridge

Police in Nam Can District said they were investigating the collapse of Ca Trang Bridge that seriously injured six people including two children.

The sand-carrying barge was moored near Ca Trang Bridge from the evening of January 12. The barge mooring rope snapped due to the strong current and the barge was swept into the bridge the next morning, breaking the bridge in half.

At the time, there were three vehicles on the bridge, carrying six people. The injured woman and two children have been transferred to Ca Mau General Hospital. A 10-year-old girl had a head injury. Three men were transferred to Nam Can District General Hospital.

Three motorbikes were also seriously damaged and the main route from Nam Can District centre to Hang Vinh Commune remains severed.
Foreign visitors in HCM City. -VNS File Photo

The visa exemption policy that allows visitors from the five European countries to stay in Viet Nam for up to 15 days without a visa expires at the end of July.

Many tourism enterprises want the Government to continue the waiver and announce its decision soon, so that their international partners can sell tour programmes.

We want the visa waiver to last at least until June 30 next year and hope the Government will have a final say soon so that we can map out promotional programmes, Nguyen Thi Khanh, deputy chairwoman of the association, told a conference last week.

The unilateral visa waiver came into force in 2015.
At the signing ceremony

Addressing the signing ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue hailed the efforts made by PetroVietnam and its US partner since the contract on oil and gas division was signed in 2009, including the completion of this framework agreement.

The Government and relevant ministries will instruct the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) and PetroVietnam to quickly reach a framework agreement on electricity selling and buying contract and select investors of power plants in the Dung Quat Economic Zone, while devising proper mechanisms for the power plants using gas exploited from the Blue Whale field, Hue affirmed.

He urged ExxonMobil and PetroVietnam to work hard to have the first gas flow pumped from the field by the end of 2023.

The Blue Whale gas project is expected to provide gas for power generation serving the development of the central region as well as add energy sources to the southern region, contributing to ensuring the nations energy security, fueling local economic development and creating more jobs for the region.

The framework agreement will lay a foundation for contractors to optimise the preliminary front end engineering design (Pre-FEED) and FEED work to achieve the projects targets.

In the first phase, the project is expected to supply sufficient crude gas for the four power plants in the Chu Lai EZ in Quang Nam and the Dung Quat EZ in Quang Ngai, with a combined capacity of 3,000 MW. After that, it will supply gas for the fifth 750 MW-power plant.

The Blue Whale project is part of the planning on the gas-electricity complex in the central region which has been approved by the government, and in line with the Gas Development Planning and the 7th Vietnam Power Development Planning (PDP7).
Esteban Santiago is taken from the Broward County Jail as he is transported to the federal courthouse Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A leading South Sudanese dissident has called for all opposition groups to come together to chart a new way forward as the country's civil war enters its fourth year.

More than two years of internationally backed talks have failed to achieve peace between the government and the main rebel group, known as SPLA-IO. The conflict between rebels and various militia groups has left tens of thousands of people dead, and led more than 1 million to flee the country.

Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro, a former governor, launched the South Sudan National Movement for Change in an effort to include armed and unarmed opposition groups in negotiations with the government.

"The issue of South Sudan is not only the IO and the government, Bakosoro told VOA from exile in the U.S. There are so many actors there who need to be part of the discussion, and we need to bring all of them together so that when we broker the peace, it will be a lasting peace in South Sudan, without leaving anyone outside the process of negotiation."

President Salva Kiir's regime held Bakosoro as a political prisoner for four months in 2015 and 2016 before releasing him.

Nobody can talk freely

South Sudan is not safe for opposition members, Bakosoro said.

"Nobody can talk freely now in South Sudan, he said. We need a dialogue that will bring everyone on board in a neutral zone, so we [can] discuss the reality of the problem of South Sudan."

While Bakosoro said he favors nonviolence, he says some opposition groups want forceful regime change.

"We need to use negotiation as a priority because so many South Sudanese have died, have been killed in war, he said. We need to use that peaceful approach."

Bakosoro's call for opposition unity comes after Kiir launched his own national dialogue process in Juba.

SPLA-IO leader Riek Machar has criticized Kiir's dialogue as only including pro-government voices. South Sudanese church groups have voiced similar concerns.

Bakosoro was also critical, saying Kiir's dialogue is not genuine.

"It's just a one-sided dialogue, Bakosoro said. You are just dialoguing with yourself. ... Why the government is arming the front line, fighting in the field, and at the same time calling for national dialogue?"

Youth forum

Bakosoro is not the only one proposing alternatives from outside South Sudan.

A group of 30 South Sudanese youth leaders  including government and opposition supporters  met this week in Nairobi to try to chart a new way forward.

Peter Biar Ajak, who organized the South Sudan Young Leaders Forum, said they could not safely hold the event inside South Sudan.

"Many youth of South Sudan do not feel well-represented by the different parties, Ajak said. Even those in Juba from government-held areas feel they are trapped in a box that does not represent their aspirations."

Participant Agyedho Adwok said that although the youth leaders came from different tribes and political beliefs, they spoke their minds and peacefully got to know each other.

"You've had diverse views, very strong views, but I have to say we've been able to put aside our differences, Adwok said. We're not fighting, we're not killing ourselves, we're expressing ourselves. That is definitely an advantage."

As the war drags on in South Sudan, such alternative approaches may be the country's best chance at finding new paths to peace.
Hilda Maldonado is an evangelist for bilingual education. As head of multilingual programming for the Los Angeles Unified School District, she welcomed California's vote last fall to repeal an almost two-decade mandate for English-only classes in public schools.

Her district's 640,000-plus students collectively speak 93 languages. Maldonado said, "Forty-nine percent of the students in this district come with a second language. We should see that as a wealth of our state and not as something we must eliminate."

California voters last November overwhelmingly approved Proposition 58. Now, Maldonado and other Californians are scrambling to prepare for the initiative, which takes effect in July.

More control for schools

As The Los Angeles Times explains, the measure gives communities and their schools more control over whether to offer bilingual education and, if they do, which language to choose besides English. Prop 58 still requires that all students develop proficiency in English.

While the California Board of Education develops guidelines and accountability measures, Maldonado said school districts are doing research, working on credentialing bilingual teachers and informing parents about how to proceed. Launching a bilingual program starts with a show of interest by parents of at least 20 students in one grade level or 30 students schoolwide, the California Association for Bilingual Education says on its website.

These efforts most likely will be scrutinized. California serves as a laboratory on U.S. immigration, with more foreign-born residents  almost 10.5 million, or over one in four  than any other state.

In 1998, California became the first U.S. state to prohibit bilingual education amid concern that newcomer students weren't adequately learning English. That worry persists among opponents of Proposition 58. But proponents say it cuts "the bureaucratic red tape around multilingual education [that] is harmful to students in a global economy, where the most sought after employees speak more than one language," according to The L.A. Times.

In the last academic year, among California's 6.2 million kindergarten-through-12th-grade students, nearly a quarter were classified as English-language learners. Most speak only Spanish.

More in L.A. district

The concentration of English-language learners is even higher in the Los Angeles district, at almost half. Again, Spanish is most common. Other predominant languages include Korean, Armenian, Tagalog, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Russian.

But, because of the earlier restrictions, few California public schools  not even 5 percent  currently offer multilingual programs, The Times reported. Those schools had to get waivers.

One of the rare ones is Cahuenga Elementary School, in central Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood. There, Wonnie Pak teaches third-graders in both English and Korean, trying to incorporate fun into their lessons. They've learned songs in Korean, for instance.

The teacher calls the human brain "an incredible tool" and encourages language instruction for students of all ages.



"If you give them the opportunity, then they will learn it, no matter how young or how old," she said. "Like in Europe. They speak so many languages. Why can't we? Why do we have to just only speak English?"

Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, suggests bilingual education aids students and also preserves vulnerable languages.

"Latino children are losing their Spanish and speaking only in English," he said. "I mean, the English language is not under threat. What is actually threatening is not having enough knowledge about all the languages spoken in the United States."

Other state bans

Two other states  Arizona and Massachusetts  prohibit bilingual education, according to the National Association of State Legislatures (NCSL).

In 2000, Arizonans voted to require English-only classes except for foreign language training, giving pupils classified as English learners up to a year for structured immersion. In 2002, Massachusetts approved a similar law. Though both states offer waivers, the process may be "difficult for parents to navigate, especially for those parents with limited English skills themselves," NCSL education policy specialist Matthew Weyer said in an email.

Obstacles to bilingual education can include school financing, cultural resistance and, Weyer noted, finding qualified and experienced bilingual teachers.

California is one of at least 20 states in which local school districts can award a Seal of Biliteracy to high school graduates proficient in at least two languages.

Carol Guensburg contributed to this report produced by VOA's Spanish service.
Zhou Youguang, a linguist considered the father of modern Chinas Pinyin Romanization system, died Saturday at the age of 111.



Born in 1906 during Chinas last imperial dynasty, the Qing, Zhou died at his home in Beijing, one day after celebrating his birthday, according to state broadcaster Chinese Central Television and other official media outlets.



After receiving a Western-style education at Shanghais St. Johns University, Zhou moved to the United States and for a time worked as a banker on Wall Street.

Wall Street to People's Republic

Returning to China along with other idealistic youths after the communist victory in 1949, he was placed in charge of a committee working on a new system to allow Chinese characters to be converted into Roman script.



Adopted by the Peoples Republic in 1958, Pinyin has virtually become the global standard because of its simplicity and consistency, although some Chinese communities, especially in Taiwan and Hong Kong, continue to use alternatives. In the era of computers and smartphones, Pinyin has become more ubiquitous than ever, with traditionalists lamenting that it is supplanting the original Chinese characters from which it derives.



Zhou went on to work on an official Chinese translation of the Encyclopedia Britannica and write on topics including the evolution of Chinese historical languages and scripts.



Later in life, a critic

In his later years, he became a scathing critic of the ruling Communist Party and an advocate for political reform, making him persona non grata at official events. He continued writing even after age 100, although many of his books were banned and the government censored discussion about his work online.



Zhou told Americas National Public Radio in a 2011 interview that he hoped to live long enough to see Chinas government acknowledge that the bloody crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests was a mistake and the victims bore no guilt. That has yet to happen, and the entire topic remains taboo.



Ordinary people no longer believe in the Communist Party anymore, Zhou said in the interview. The vast majority of Chinese intellectuals advocate democracy.
A youth activist released this week after being arrested nearly a month ago in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says that despite the treatment he received while in detention, he will not cease calling for President Joseph Kabila to stand down.

Carbone Beni, a leader of the youth group Filimbi, and four fellow activists tried on December 13 to give a memo to top DRC politicians who were involved in negotiations overseen by the Catholic Church. They wished to urge the participants to respect the constitution and encourage Kabila to step down December 19, the end of his second and final term.

Beni told reporters Friday that upon their arrival at the Catholic Church's headquarters, authorities already had prepared to abduct the five of them and not allow them to experience what was going to happen on December 19.

In the absence of elections, which should have taken place in November, Kabila did not step down. Security forces killed at least 34 people during protests in several Congolese cities in the days following December 19, according to Human Rights Watch.

Beni described Kabila's continuing occupation of the presidency as "a constitutional coup d'etat."

The Filimbi leader said he and the other activists were held for two weeks at a military camp, where conditions were "atrocious," with 12 to 15 people being held in cells designed for four. He said there was no food and no shower.

At the end of the two weeks, Beni said, the five activists were transferred to the ANR, the national intelligence agency. He said the ANR questioned him almost daily about Filimbi's alleged plans against the government and said he represented a danger to the country. He insisted, however, that every aspect of Filimbi's struggle was nonviolent, peaceful and nonpartisan.

Last Wednesday, Beni was suddenly released. The other four young activists remain in detention.

Beni said he remained as committed as ever to the rule of law in the DRC. He said he wanted to once more mobilize Congolese citizens in the drive for peace and stability, and he denounced the government's arrests, intimidation and inhumane treatment, which he said were aimed at making the DRC's youth back down.

Human Rights Watch's 2016 country report states that more than 30 activists and political prisoners remain in detention in the DRC. According to the rights group, "political violence and government repression intensified in 2016 as President Joseph Kabila clung to power beyond his constitutionally mandated two-term limit."
Frustrated Democrats on Friday left the House of Representatives' first full intelligence briefing on Russian interference in the U.S. election disenchanted with the FBI's leadership throughout the controversy and asking how Congress could move forward.

My confidence in the ability of the FBI director to lead this agency through the troubled times that lie ahead has been shaken, Congressman Hank Johnson, a Democrat from Georgia, told reporters outside the classified briefing led by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and FBI Director James Comey.

Comey has been at the center of controversy over the results of the 2016 election, drawing criticism from many Democrats who believe his late October announcement of a new probe in the investigation of Hillary Clinton's email server directly harmed her chances of winning the presidency.

Johnson said he had left the briefing with many unanswered questions and a need for follow-up.

You need a competent FBI investigation of what has occurred and you need a leader of that agency who maintains the respect of the legislative branch, he said.

Congressional efforts to investigate Russian interference have stalled in recent days. On Friday, the Senate Intelligence Committee reversed its earlier decision and opted to open an investigation into Russian interference.

A majority of Senate and House Democrats have called for the creation of a bipartisan commission.

President-elect Donald Trump said for the first time Wednesday that he believed Russia had played a role in the U.S. election, telling reporters at a press conference, I think it was Russia. But later he said it could have been another country.

Next steps?

Congressman Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, said that there had been no discussion about a future investigation in the briefing, but that he wanted to see further probing into the 35-page, uncorroborated memo released by several news organizations earlier this week, alleging Russia had incriminating financial and personal information on Trump.

I think it would be negligence on the part of our intelligence officials not to pursue that and try to find out the veracity or non-veracity of it, Sherman said.

House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said she also hoped to see action on the issue.

Let's hope that any further investigation will remove all doubt that the Russians were not successful in affecting policy in the United States as they affected politics in the United States, Pelosi said in a press briefing Friday.

But for Democrats leaving the briefing, the lack of further action only deepened their concerns about the U.S. response to Russian interference.

Russia was very involved in the election and I'm very disappointed in what was presented, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, said.

Democrats were joined by some of their Republican colleagues who said the briefing revealed long-term concerns about Russia's ability to undermine democracy in the United States and around the world.

It confirmed my suspicions about our problems and we seriously have some problems, said Representative Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas.

I think it's a wake-up call beyond our security officials, when we look at what they've been doing in Europe and wake up to the fact that they've been doing it in America, Congressman Mike Coffman, a Republican from Colorado, told reporters.

Aggressive, pointed questions

Coffman, one of a handful of Republicans who avoided associating with the Trump campaign during the 2016 election season, described House members' reactions to the briefing as aggressive, with pointed questions about the role Russia had played in the election of Trump.

I think they consider the United States an adversary and I hope the incoming administration recognizes that fact, Coffman said.

But for other Republicans, the briefings provided needed clarity on the intelligence community's commitment to investigating the interference.

It was made clear to us that there were attempts by the Russians as well as other nations to access our systems and possibly try to influence the outcomes, but there was no correlation that there was any direct attempt to address the voter tallies, Congressman Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia, said.

The assertion seemed to give little comfort to Democrats departing Congress for a four-day break ahead of Inauguration Day next week.

Asked if he believed in the ability of the FBI to thoroughly examine Russian interference, Charlie Crist, a freshman Democratic congressman from Florida, said, I want to, I have concerns. ... I'm a hopeful American."

Crist is a former governor of Florida.
From Russia to Iran, and from Pacific trade to nuclear proliferation to climate change, President-elect Donald Trump's nominees to lead his government this week staked out sharply different positions than those taken by candidate Trump.

Many of the disagreements covered the signature issues the New York businessman rode to the White House, and seemed to leave in doubt whether Trump will govern as a populist outsider or adopt more traditional Republican Party policies.

"It is highly unusual for Cabinet nominees to express their disagreements with their president or president-elect so openly and fully," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Watch: Trump Nominees Express Differences with President-elect

Russia tensions

On Russia, for example, nominees for the State Department, Defense Department and the Central Intelligence Agency took a tougher approach than the president-elect, who tweeted January 7, "Only stupid people, or fools, would think that it [relations with Russia] is bad."

But Trump's choice for secretary of defense Thursday named Russia as one of the nation's three most important adversaries.

"I think it [the United States] is under the biggest attack since World War II," said retired Marine General James Mattis, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

WATCH: Mattis, Pompeo Tough on Russia

"It [Russia] has invaded the Ukraine, including the taking of Crimea, and supported Syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war," Rex Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The nominee to be secretary of state, however, refused to accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes despite sharp questions from Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida.

Trump praised Putin during the campaign and afterward as a strong leader.

"I always knew he was very smart," Trump tweeted about the Russian president, after Putin decided not to respond to the Obama administration's decision to expel Russian diplomats for the country's election-year hacking. Putin was similarly upbeat on Trump, saying his success in business showed that he is a "clever man" who will quickly understand his new responsibilities as president.

Hacking Clinton

The president-elect sharply criticized U.S. intelligence agencies who accused Russia of interfering with the presidential campaign, favoring Trump over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Yet the nominee to lead the Central Intelligence Agency contradicted the stance Trump took for months.

WATCH: Pompeo Discusses the Russian Hacking Report

"It is pretty clear about what took place here, about Russian involvement in efforts to hack information and to have an impact on American democracy," testified Republican Representative Mike Pompeo, the CIA director-designate. "I am very clear-eyed about what that intelligence report says and I have every expectation we can continue to develop the facts."

The week of open disagreement with the future boss left some political analysts puzzled.

"Clearly, they have been given permission by Trump or his transition team to do so," Sabato said. "One can only speculate about why this is happening."

As the domestic news media began pointing out the inconsistencies, Trump defended his nominees. They "are looking good and doing a great job" he tweeted. "I want them to be themselves and express their own thoughts, not mine!"

Iranian nukes, trade deals

Trump's picks also indicated they would back two measures roundly criticized by the president-elect during the campaign, including the Iran nuclear deal  called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  and the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP).

"I do not oppose TPP," Tillerson said, responding to questions. "I share some of [Trump's] views regarding whether the agreement that was negotiated serves all of America's interests the best."

Trump has consistently declared the massive trade pact signed by 12 Pacific Rim nations to be a bad deal that hurts the American worker and kills U.S. jobs.

While Trump has blasted the Iran nuclear deal, calling it "incompetently negotiated," Pompeo vowed the CIA would remain neutral under his leadership. He indicated he would assess Iran's compliance objectively.

"While I opposed the Iran deal as a member of Congress, if confirmed my role will change," he said.

Torture policy

During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would re-establish interrogation techniques such as waterboarding. In a November rally, Trump reiterated his stance.

"Believe me, it works," he said. "And you know what? If it doesn't work, they deserve it anyway, for what they're doing."

Days later, Trump backed away from such stark rhetoric after a meeting with the defense nominee.

"If you were ordered by the president to restart the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques that fall outside of the Army Field Manual, would you comply?" Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, asked at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

"Senator, absolutely not," Pompeo responded. "There's no doubt in my mind about the limitations it places not only on the DoD and the Central Intelligence Agency, and I'll always comply with the law."

Senator Jeff Sessions, nominee for U.S. attorney general, also called waterboarding "absolutely improper and illegal."

Nuclear proliferation, climate change

Despite Trump's position that the U.S. "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability," his likely future secretary of state said: "I do not agree."

"We just simply cannot back away from our commitment to see a reduction in the number of these weapons on the planet," Tillerson said.

Tillerson also contradicted Trump's typical Republican position on climate change, saying the "risk of climate change does exist" and "action should be taken."

The contradictions were largely unexplained in the Trump camp, though his press secretary was quoted as saying that after the inauguration, it would be the future president who would decide policy.

As to why Trump would allow nominees to take such divergent views, Sabato could only speculate.

"Maybe Trump is signaling that hes considering a change in his positions. Or perhaps he is trying to muddy the waters to help the nominees get confirmed," the political analyst said.

Confirmation hearings will continue next week, and the Senate is expected to take the first votes to confirm Trump's Cabinet.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes visit to the Philippines this week shows U.S. ally Tokyos ambition to keep up with growing Chinese influence in the geopolitically strategic Southeast Asian country by ensuring steady flows of aid and investment, analysts say.

Abe traveled Thursday and Friday to Manila and Davao, the second-largest Philippine city and hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte. Hes the first head of state to visit Duterte since the Philippine president took office June 30.

Duterte is seeking stronger ties with Japan as well as China to form a multicountry foreign policy with declining reliance on the United States. For Japan, stronger relations will help it contain China, which has distrusted Tokyo since World War II. Tokyo and Beijing also dispute sovereignty over parts of the East China Sea.

From a geopolitical standpoint, I think the interesting thing about the visit of Japan has do to with, at least from the Philippine standpoint, [that] this is all part of the independent foreign policy thrust that the Duterte administration has been talking about, said Herman Kraft, political scientist at University of the Philippines Diliman.

Reminder of Japanese investment

Because the Philippines has laid out the red carpet to China and agreed to set aside the Beijing-Manila maritime dispute, Abe probably thinks he should show face in Manila as a reminder that theres plenty of Japanese investments, said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore.

Japan, the Philippines and the United States have been loosely allied since the Cold War in checking Chinas expansion. But the sometimes crudely spoken 71-year-old Philippine leader has threatened to scrap military alliances as he distances his country from Washington, which he says has too much influence.

The United States was the Southeast Asian archipelagos colonizer of nearly five decades through World War II. Before Duterte took office, U.S. ships were helping the Philippines keep alert for Chinese vessels in the disputed South China Sea.

Duterte visited China in October, winning a pledge of $24 billion in aid and investment from Beijing and agreeing to shelve disputes over control of the sea between them. Japan offered $1.8 billion in aid that month when Duterte visited Tokyo, and Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp. said it would spend $17.2 billion to improve Philippine highways, electrical power and mass transit.

Five deals struck

Japan was the largest source of Philippine direct foreign investment in 2015, with a total of $18 billion. That amount covers automotive factories, farming projects in remote areas and tourism facilities. Those investments give Japan a good name among Filipinos, who often worry about China because of the maritime dispute.

On Thursday, the two leaders met for 40 minutes and reached five deals, which cover Japanese help for agribusiness as well as a $5.2 million grant for Philippine coast guard speedboats and anti-terrorism equipment.

Japan already contributes heavily to the largely impoverished Philippines through the Manila-based Asian Development Bank, which has lent the Philippines an average $745 million per year since 2006 for poverty reduction.

In the past years, Japan has really provided huge amounts of aid to the country in terms of poverty reduction, social protection, and also in terms of infrastructure that leads to more economic opportunities in the rural areas, so we are hopeful that this visit will move that forward, said Georgina Hernandez, spokeswoman for Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo.

Maritime security

Abe and Duterte discussed maritime security this week, too, according to Philippine media reports. The Philippine military ranks 51st in the world, well behind China, which ranks third, behind the U.S. and Russia.

It has looked in the past to Japan for help, especially as China expands its military presence in the contested sea, sometimes sending vessels into waters that Manila claims. Last year, Japan gave the Philippines two patrol vessels and said it would lease training aircraft. It had offered an additional 10 coast guard ships to Dutertes predecessor.

Japan has given military and development aid elsewhere in Southeast Asia to counter Chinas influence at sea.

Unlike the United States, China and Japan avoid criticizing Dutertes suspected 6,000 extrajudicial killings in a crackdown on illegal drugs. Abe instead pledged this week to help the effort through programs to treat drug users. Duterte said he welcomed the help.

Abes visit need not stop Duterte from keeping up relations with China, and he shows signs of courting it by shelving the maritime dispute as head of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year. China bristles when international organizations discuss its contested claim to about 95 percent of the sea.

Other countries, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, have reached out at the same time to China, Japan and the United States.

Its not unprecedented in the sense that you would find examples in places like in Southeast Asia, said Rahul Bajoria, regional economist with Barclays in Singapore. Singapore to an extent, India have had pretty decent success in terms of being able to attract investment from even contradictory sources, and so it really depends on how the [Philippine] government navigates this whole thing.
Ransom-seeking Muslim militants in the southern Philippines freed Saturday a South Korean captain and his Filipino crewman who were abducted three months ago from their cargo ship amid a wave of offshore kidnappings, officials said.



Abu Sayyaf gunmen handed skipper Park Chul-hong and Glenn Alindajao over to Moro National Liberation Front rebels, who turned them over to Philippine officials in southern Jolo town in predominantly Muslim Sulu province.



The Moro rebels, who signed a 1996 peace deal with the government, have helped negotiate the release of several hostages of the smaller but more violent Abu Sayyaf, which is blacklisted by the U.S. as a terrorist organization for kidnappings, beheadings and bombings.

Hostages appeared well

The freed hostages appeared well but were not immediately allowed to speak to reporters. Park wore a scarf that partly covered his face.



President Rodrigo Dutertes adviser dealing with insurgents, Jesus Dureza, flew with the two on board a jet from Jolo to Davao city, the presidents hometown. The two will later be flown to Manila.



Dureza said he was not aware of any ransom being paid in exchange for the freedom of the sailors. At least 27 hostages, many of them foreign crewmen, remain in the hands of different Abu Sayyaf factions, he said.



Without a known foreign source of funds, the Abu Sayyaf has survived mostly on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry.



A confidential Philippine government threat assessment report seen by The Associated Press last year said the militants pocketed at least 353 million pesos ($7.3 million) from ransom kidnappings in the first six months of 2016.

Two kidnapped in October

About 10 gunmen snatched Park and Alindajao from the MV Dongbang Giant in October, using ropes from a speedboat to clamber up the cargo ship off Bongao town in Tawi Tawi province, near Jolo. The ship was on its way to South Korea from Australia, military officials said.



In December, Duterte said he told his Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts that their forces can bomb fleeing Filipino militants and their kidnap victims at sea because the hostages are not supposed to be there.


Soldiers in Ivory Coast who staged a two-day mutiny a week ago to press their pay demands reached an agreement with government officials Friday to settle the dispute, representatives of both sides said.

Gunfire coming from military bases in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city, had fearful residents worried that the soldiers' uprising might resume, but reports late Friday night said a final agreement had been reached in Bouake, the country's second-largest city and headquarters of the soldiers' movement at the center of the pay protests.

A bonus of nearly $20,000 per soldier  12 million CFA francs  was the central issue in Friday's negotiations, according to officials who declined to be identified. The government reportedly had pledged to pay the bonuses at the beginning of this week, but never followed through on that promise, the soldiers said.

Sergeant Mamadou Kone, a negotiator for the mutinous troops, told Reuters: "We've reached an agreement. They will pay 5 million [CFA francs] on Monday," with the remainder coming in monthly installments.

Eight independent West African nations use the CFA franc as their currency. It trades at a fixed rate of 100 CFA francs to one French franc.

Following last week's mutiny, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara fired the heads of the army, police and gendarmes.

Bouake was the center of a rebellion that began in 2002 with a failed attempt to oust then-President Laurent Gbagbo. That uprising divided the country into the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south for nearly a decade.
Ordinary Cubans worried Friday about the economic problems that could be caused for some people by the sudden end to a once-easy pathway to life in the United States, saying many people who already left the island to take advantage of the earlier American immigration policy could wind up back home with nothing.



President Barack Obama on Thursday ended the possibility of automatic legal residency for any Cuban who touches U.S. soil. Those people who were in the middle of trips to get to the United States could be the biggest losers, some Cubans said.



"There are people who have sold houses, renounced everything, and today they are in limbo,'' said Leonardo Serrano, a 47-year-old who works for a firm that operates with private and government investment. "They won't be able to get there, and when they return they won't have anything.''

Average Cubans and opponents of the island's communist leaders said they expected pressure for reform on the island to increase with the elimination of a mechanism that siphoned off the island's most dissatisfied citizens and turned them into sources of remittances supporting relatives who remained on the island.



The repeal of the "wet foot, dry foot'' policy went into effect immediately after a Thursday afternoon announcement. It followed months of negotiations focused in part on getting Cuba to agree to take back people who had arrived in the U.S.



Cubans fearful of an imminent end to a special immigration status bestowed during the Cold War had been flocking to the United States since the Dec. 17, 2014 announcement that the U.S. and Cuba would re-establish diplomatic relations and move toward normalization. About 100,000 left for the United States after the declaration of detente, many flooding overland through South and Central America and Mexico in an exodus that irritated U.S. allies and other immigrant groups and spawned bitter complaints from the Cuban government.



"It was creating serious problems for the security of Cuba, for the security of the United States and for the security of our citizens left vulnerable to human trafficking, migratory fraud and violence as a result of the incentives created by these preferential policies,'' said Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat for U.S. affairs.



Obama is using an administrative rule change to end the policy. Donald Trump could undo that rule after becoming president next week. He has criticized Obama's moves to improve relations with Cuba. But ending a policy that has allowed hundreds of thousands of people to come to the United States without a visa also aligns with Trump's commitment to tough immigration policies.



"This was bound to happen at some point,'' said Havana taxi driver Guillermo Britos, 35. "It could impose a more normal dynamic on emigration, so that not so many people die at sea, but it could also take an escape valve away from the government, which was getting hard currency from the emigrants.''

President Bill Clinton created the "wet foot, dry foot'' policy in 1995 as a revision of a more liberal immigration policy that allowed Cubans caught at sea to come to the United States become legal residents in a year.



The two governments have been negotiating an end to "wet foot, dry foot'' for months and finalized an agreement Thursday.



"Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with U.S. law and enforcement priorities,'' Obama said in a statement. "By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries. The Cuban government has agreed to accept the return of Cuban nationals who have been ordered removed, just as it has been accepting the return of migrants interdicted at sea.''

Economic Embargo

A decades-old U.S. economic embargo, though, remains in place, as does the Cuban Adjustment Act, which lets Cubans become permanent residents a year after legally arriving in the U.S.



Under the terms of the agreement, Cuba has agreed to take back those turned away from the U.S., if the time between their departure from Cuba and the start of deportation hearings in the U.S. is four years or less. Officials said the timeframe is required under a Cuban law enacted after Congress passed the Cuban Adjustment Act.



Administration officials called on Congress to repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act.



Officials said the changes would not affect a lottery that allows 20,000 Cubans to come to the U.S. legally each year.



But Cubans who had left their homeland and were trying to reach U.S. soil when the decision was announced lamented the policy change.



"It has fallen on us like a bucket of water because were never thought that at this point and with so little time before Obama leaves office that his government would make this horrible decision,'' said Eugenia Diaz Hernandez, a 55-year-old Cuban in Panama whose voyage with her daughter and granddaughter had taken her through Guyana, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. "We are adrift.''

Diplomatic Ties

Relaions between the United States and Cuba were stuck in a Cold War freeze for decades, but Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro established full diplomatic ties and opened embassies in their capitals in 2015. Obama visited Havana last March. Officials from both nations met Thursday in Washington to coordinate efforts to fight human trafficking.



Obama said the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program, which was started by President George W. Bush in 2006, is also being rescinded. The measure allowed Cuban doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to seek parole in the U.S. while on assignments abroad. The president said those doctors can still apply for asylum at U.S. embassies around the world.



People already in the United States and in the pipeline under both "wet foot, dry foot'' and the medical parole program will be able to continue the process toward getting legal status.



Anti-Castro Cubans in Miami were mixed in their responses, with some expressing anger at Obama for what they called another betrayal of ordinary Cubans. Others said they thought the measure would increase pressure for change in Cuba.



"People who can't leave, they could create internal problems for the regime,'' said Jorge Gutierrez, an 80-year-old veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion. But he added, "From the humanitarian point of view, it's taking away the possibility of a better future from the people who are struggling in Cuba.''
Authorities in Pakistan have reported no progress in finding at least four secular activists and bloggers who mysteriously went missing a week ago from different cities, including the national capital of Islamabad.

Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan told reporters Saturday that security and intelligence agencies are fully focused on the issue, and making efforts to determine the motives and whereabouts of the missing men as quickly as possible so they could return to their families.

You all must realize, particularly relatives of the [missing] persons, that when a serious incident like this happens, it takes time to resolve it, Khan said in response to growing criticism of a lack of progress in the investigations.

The minister would not confirm reports of another blogger allegedly abducted from Islamabad earlier this week.

Missing bloggers

The apparent abductions took place between January 4 and January 7. No group has since claimed responsibility.

Local and international human rights groups suspect the activists have been taken away either by religious extremists, or personnel of the Pakistani security forces for disseminating views through internet-based social media that are critical of Islamist groups and the governments counter-extremism policies.

Officials, however, have denied they are holding the men.

The most prominent of them is Salman Haider, a university professor and poet, who went missing in Islamabad on January 6. He is well-known for accusing Pakistan's military of being behind long-running instances of forced disappearances of activists in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

HRCP demand

The countrys independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, or HRCP, reiterated its demand Saturday for authorities to rescue the activists without delay, warning of a climate of increased insecurity and fear among bloggers and activists following the alleged abductions.

Even if any of the missing bloggers are suspected of any wrongdoing, their apprehension in this manner cannot be justified. If such is indeed the case, law must be followed and courts should have a chance to examine the case against them, said HRCP chair person, Zohra Yusuf.

Three of the bloggers were picked up from in and around the eastern city of Lahore, and they also are well-known for disseminating liberal views and promoting religious freedom through social media. Additionally, rights activists have taken to the streets in Pakistan to press authorities for their early recovery.

Their near simultaneous disappearance and the governments shutting down of their websites and blogs raises grave concerns of government involvement, noted Human Rights Watch, a global watchdog group.

The United States has expressed concern over the disappearances, saying it is taking the issue very seriously" and "will continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan."
Poland on Saturday formally welcomed a contingent of U.S. troops that arrived in the country earlier in the week, part of a NATO deployment aimed at deterring Russian aggression in the region.

Polands prime minister, Beata Szydlo, and Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz welcomed the troops at a ceremony in the western Polish town of Zagan.

"The presence of American soldiers in Poland is another step in our strategy to ensure safety and security for Poland and the region," Szydlo said after telling the soldiers she hopes they feel at home.

The first contingent of U.S. soldiers arrived in Poland from Germany Thursday, leading Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to call the deployment a threat to Russias interests and our security.

This is even more pronounced when a third party reinforces its military presence on our doorstep in Europe, the Kremlin spokesman told reporters.

Largest build-up since end of Cold War

Eventually, the U.S. plans to station more than 3,000 soldiers in Poland, marking the largest troop build-up in the country since the Cold War ended.

The mission, dubbed The Atlantic Resolve, will see the soldiers, along with 87 Abrams tanks and more than 500 vehicles, rotate between Poland and several other nearby NATO countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

"This is America's most capable fighting force: a combat-ready, highly trained U.S. armored brigade, with our most advanced equipment and weaponry," U.S. Ambassador to Poland Paul James said during Saturdays ceremony.

The deployment was ordered by the Obama administration in 2014 as a response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

U.S. soldiers, part of the Armored Brigade Combat Team, crossed the Polish border Thursday at the city of Olszyna and headed for their base in Zagan.

Over the coming years, Macierewicz said, there will be a total of 7,000 NATO and US troops stationed in Poland.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Saturday that moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, one of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promises, would "not help the peace process."

The controversial promise would be a break with previous U.S. policy, as well as with most the international community, over the status of Jerusalem - the city that both Israel and Palestine claim as their capital.

"We cannot say anything yet because it has not happened, but if this does happen it will not help the peace process," Abbas told reporters in Arabic in Rome, following a visit with Pope Francis.

Blow to two-state solution

In an interview Saturday with French newspaper Le Figaro, Abbas said that he had written Trump to warn him of the consequences of this action.

"Not only would it strip the United States of all its legitimacy to play a role in resolving the conflict, but it would reduce to nothing a two-state solution," Abbas was quoted as saying.

Abbas spoke with the pope ahead of the official opening of the Palestinian embassy in the Vatican. This is the third meeting between the two leaders, and the inauguration of the diplomatic mission follows a treaty the two signed in July of 2015.

The accord, which had been negotiated for years, outlines the parameters of the Roman Catholic Church's activities in the West Bank.

US as hold-out



The document also supports the two-state solution to the Palestinians' decades-old conflict with Israel, based on 1967 borders.

The Vatican formally recognized a Palestinian state in 2013, joining 135 countries that also have done so. The United States is not among them.

Israel is opposed to such recognition, saying the only way to end the conflict is through negotiations, which have not progressed in years.
The Siteler neighborhood in Ankara, Turkey, is known as a Syrian neighborhood these days. It is filled with Syrian refugees who have fled violence in their homeland.

A majority of the shanty houses here were demolished. Those that remain are used by Syrians. Most do not have hot water or central heating, but the neighborhood seems safe.

On the main road through the neighborhood, Selcuk Street, from the barbershop to the butcher, Arabic signs catch one's eye.

The prices of the products and services in those shops seem cheaper than in the rest of Ankara. This is most likely because taxes are not charged. Either they don't have cash registers, or there are no tax certificates displayed in the shops.

Nene Hatun Elementary School in the neighborhood has both Turkish and Arabic curricula for Syrian kids. Most of Nene Hatun's Turkish students were transferred to a different school in an adjacent neighborhood. The Syrian students use backpacks sent by Saudi Arabia. They all seem to speak Turkish far better than their parents.

Twelve-year-old Muhammed is a third-grader at Nene Hatun. Like his friends Hamza and Betul, Muhammed and his family came from Aleppo. Muhammed and Hamza say they don't want to go back to Syria, but Betul shyly says she does.

Just a couple meters away is a tiny restaurant owned by Semar Amar. He also came to Ankara from Aleppo, with his wife and their two children. He opened the restaurant two years ago, as soon as he arrived. He says business is good, and he doesn't want to go back to Syria. He pays 600 Turkish liras for his monthly rent, makes 1,200 liras as revenue, and says he does not pay taxes for his restaurant.

Anad Ahmad, 19, who helped translate for Amar, came to Turkey by himself, leaving his family behind. He works at a furniture shop, and he said he does not think of leaving Turkey either.

Women in the neighborhood refrain from talking to journalists with cameras. An older woman wants a wheelchair for her son who lost a leg in the Syrian war. She calls him a "mujahidin." Many women go out to the streets wearing black abayas. They all refrain from answering questions about Syria.

They say Turkey is their new home now.
A million emotions were going through Matt Desch. He felt as if he were awaiting the arrival of a child. He was actually "birthing" 10 of his company's communication satellites into orbit, part of an eventual replacement of 66 satellites.

"One of the most complicated technical feats in the aerospace industry," he said.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the 10 Iridium satellites aloft Saturday. When the rocket was halfway around Earth and in the proper orbit, it sent Desch's "babies" off one by one, every 90 seconds, into space. They were to unfold their solar panels and reorient themselves with the stars and the horizon.

Desch said the 850-kilogram satellites, the size of a Mini Cooper, would start looking for antennas and begin communicating with Iridium's ground station in Norway, which will transmit the data to Virginia.

And eventually, the payload on board the satellites could revolutionize how airplanes fly.

'Landmark moment'

Today, Iridium launches a new era in the history of our company and a new era in space as we start to deliver the next generation of satellite communications, Desch said. We have been working endless hours for the last eight years to get to this day." He called the successful launch of the satellites into low-Earth orbit "a fulfilling moment.

"Today is a landmark moment in history for global air traffic surveillance, air traffic safety and the aviation industry as a whole, said Don Thoma, CEO of Aireon, the company that developed the system inside the payload. "This successful first launch brings us one step closer to changing the way the world flies by enabling the ability to track aircraft anywhere on the planet."

Over the next three months, the engineers will position the new satellites and perform a delicate choreography in a slot swap with the old satellites.

The satellites travel at 27,000 kph. Each replacement must be completed while the satellites are moving, without any noticeable disruption to service. Sometime in 2018, all 66 satellites will have been exchanged for new, technologically improved versions.

No more 'black zones'

Currently, 70 percent of the world's airspace is without real-time surveillance because of rough terrain, deserts or vast oceans. The technology on the new satellites makes airplanes trackable over the entire Earth, including those black zones.

No one can currently pinpoint a plane in those areas  even on a flight over the Atlantic from the United States to Europe  except the pilot and the passengers. "You look at the screen on the back of the seat and you see the map and you recognize where you are. But air traffic control [only] knows roughly where you are," Thoma said.

The new technology is aimed at eliminating incidents like the aftermath of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The plane disappeared over the ocean nearly three years ago while flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. The body of the plane and the remains of the 239 people on board have not been found, despite an extensive underwater search of the Indian Ocean. Only a piece of debris was discovered off Reunion Island.

Prior to that in 2009, Air France 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The flight recorders were not recovered until two years later.

The more recent mystery surrounding MH370 prompted the industry to re-examine airplane tracking standards. National and international aviation agencies have implemented rules and recommendations to make real-time tracking possible.

Currently, U.S. pilots report their positions every 15 minutes. Internationally, pilots will be required to do that by the end of next year. A new rule, eased in by 2021 by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), makes it mandatory for planes under distress to transmit a location report every minute.

Automatic signaling

Airplanes will do this through a surveillance technology called automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B.) The ADS-B will transmit the plane's coordinates every minute to a receiver, like Aireon's system in the sky.

The ADS-B equipment is not mandatory in all planes until 2020, two years after the receivers are operational. VOA asked about the delay during a media conference call with Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta. He said the cost-benefit ratio was not justifiable, since the tracking system would benefit only "a small number of flights."

But Aireon says the system affects thousands of flights daily and the industry as a whole, since airlines will be able to create more direct routes without avoiding traditional dead zones. Passengers will benefit from more efficient and more frequent flights. CEO Thoma says airlines will save millions of dollars in fuel costs, and the reduced fuel burn will cut carbon emissions, thus contributing less to global warming.

Some new planes already are equipped with the technology and are awaiting 2018, when Iridium satellites begin their tracking.

The Iridium satellite constellation is not the only group poised to implement the technology. Marco Caceres, a senior space analyst at the Fairfax Teal Group, an aerospace and defense firm, says Global Star also offers a lower-orbit satellite system, but Iridium's system is larger and will be the first of its size to be operational.

"It may be that Iridium may be able to be the one of the early pioneers of this, but this is going to be the wave of the future for other satellite systems as well," Caceres said.
Monitors say Islamic State extremists in eastern Syria launched a fierce attack on government-held areas Saturday in the contested city of Deir Ezzor, killing at least 30 government fighters, militants and civilians.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the offensive came in waves of suicide attacks and rockets, as IS fighters battled to try to gain full control of territory linking their de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria with large swaths of IS-controlled territory in neighboring Iraq.

Government forces in Deir Ezzor, a divided city of 200,000 residents about halfway between Raqqa and the Iraq border, have been under siege by extremist fighters for nearly two years.

The IS attack, described as the largest assault on Syrian forces in the city in months, came as a large grouping of rebel forces fighting to topple the Damascus government announced support for peace talks brokered by Russia and Turkey. The talks are set to open January 23 in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

Astana agenda not clear

The planned talks are the latest effort to settle the long-running Syrian war, a conflict pitting Sunni rebel groupings against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, his Russian allies and Iran-backed Shi'ite forces.

For its part, the Saudi-based rebel High Negotiations Committee described the Astana meeting as a preliminary step expected to pave the way for United Nations-sponsored peace talks set for February 8 in Geneva. The HNC participated in previous rounds of Geneva talks aimed at establishing humanitarian cease-fires in the war-ravaged country.

However, the Astana agenda remained clouded Saturday, and it was not clear which groupings have been invited to attend.

A top official in the incoming U.S. presidential administration of Donald Trump confirmed Friday that Russia had invited a Trump designee to attend the Astana meeting. However, there has been no formal response to the overture, and it remained unclear Saturday whether the Trump administration would participate.

Peace goals strained

Meanwhile, fresh fighting Saturday in the Idlib provincial town of Maarat Mastrin, in northwest Syria, killed at least eight people. Monitors said three other civilians, including a child, were killed nearby in government airstrikes on Friday.

The province is controlled by a rebel alliance that includes al-Qaida-linked jihadists who are excluded from a truce deal in effect elsewhere in the country since December 30.

New fighting was also reported near Damascus in the Wadi Valley, a fertile area that supplies the capital's 5.5 million residents with drinking water.

Details were sketchy late Saturday. But monitors said the fighting, aimed at driving opposition fighters from the area, came a day after rebels and government troops reached a deal allowing water access to the city to be restored.

Syrian Observatory chief Abdel Rahman told the French news agency AFP that government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies had triggered the new fighting with rocket fire. He said the barrage had come during a lull in fighting that has gripped the area since water supplies were contaminated by diesel fuel late last month.

The government linked the contamination to rebel sabotage. But the opposition said the contamination began after government airstrikes hit a key water-processing facility north of the capital.
Japan's Takata Corporation has agreed to plead guilty of criminal wrongdoing and pay $1 billion in fines for concealing a defect in its airbags that caused the largest auto safety recall in the United States.

The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit, Michigan, announced the plea deal Friday, the same day it also revealed a grand jury indictment of three former Takata executives.

The settlement requires Takata to pay a $25 million criminal fine, $125 million to individuals who were injured by the faulty airbags, and $850 million to compensate automakers for the massive recall costs.

The company also will be required to make reforms and to be overseen by an independent monitor for three years.

The Justice Department accused Takata of submitting false test reports to automakers to conceal problems with their air bag inflators. The inflators were found to explode under high force, spewing shrapnel into automobiles.

The faulty inflators led to 16 deaths worldwide, 11 of them in the United States. More than 180 other people were injured by the airbags.

WATCH: Prosecutor Announces Takata $1B Settlement for Manipulating Airbag Data

U.S. officials said the recalls eventually would affect more than 40 million U.S. vehicles.

All three of the Takata executives who have been charged in the United States live in Japan, and they were suspended by Takata last year. U.S. prosecutors said they would work with Japanese authorities to try to extradite them to the United States to face trial.

Takata is expected to be sold this year to another auto supplier or an investor who will restructure the company. Takata's shares rose in trading in Japan on news of the settlement.
The three men who could have the most power over the immediate future of immigrants and refugees in the United States testified before the Senate this week. Their responses during these confirmation hearings for some of the highest-profile positions in the Cabinet  secretary of state, secretary of the department of homeland security (DHS) and attorney general  provide no guarantees of what the new president and his administration will do.

But they offered new insights into what decisions could affect new Americans and those seeking to come to the U.S.

Immigration hardliners in Washington, who advocate for dramatic changes to deter new arrivals, agree that the triumvirate that testified this week will largely support the immigration agenda of President-elect Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, advocates for immigrant rights, the undocumented community, and refugees, are anxious  as are many of their clients, who are uncertain of the changes coming their way. Royce Murray, of the American Immigration Council, says overall the incoming administration has signaled an antipathy towards immigrants.

We're hoping that the tone shifts post-Inauguration to one that is more reflective of what Americans value  which is our country being a nation of immigrants."

THE ISSUES

Nobody builds walls better than me

Trump talked a lot about building walls on the campaign trail. He said Mexico would pay for the many billion-dollar barrier, though Mexican officials have publicly rejected that notion. Neither Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson nor Attorney General candidate Jeff Sessions were asked specifically about the wall, but possible Homeland Security secretary Gen. John Kelly, who has met with patrol agents along the southern border, told the Senate committee questioning him that as a military person that understands defense and defenses, a physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for restrictionist immigration policies, says, There's a certain degree to which Trump's talk about the wall during the campaign was metaphorical  shorthand for tightening immigration enforcement in general.

The wall is not job one, says Krikorian, although politically speaking, [Trump's] going to have to do something on the wall.



'Muslim Registry'

President-elect Trump and some advisers have publicly expressed interest in registration and surveillance of Muslims. The three nominees downplayed any overt commitment to a registry of Muslims, whether for Americans, or immigrants and travelers.



But they didn't discount the possibility of a workaround academics and immigration experts have described, similar to the defunct NSEERS program, that could target nationals from Muslim-majority countries, without explicitly being a ban or registry of Muslims.

Sessions associated the registry question with national security issues: Many people do have religious views that are inimical to the public safety of the United States. I did not want to have a resolution that suggested that that could not be a factor in the vetting process before someone is admitted. But I have no belief and do not support the idea that Muslims, as a religious group, should be denied admission to the United States.

Tillerson also did not object to a national registry for Muslims in the U.S., telling Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, I would need to have a lot more information around how such an approach would even be constructed.

Kelly took a notably gentler tone, without vetoing the idea completely, saying, I don't think it's ever appropriate to focus on something like religion as the only factor. ... I don't agree with registering people based on [ethnicity] or religion or anything like that.

On Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Trump repeatedly said he would immediately terminate the program, without detailing what would happen to the young people currently benefiting from the 2012 Obama policy.



Hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, who met certain criteria, were eligible to apply for renewable, two-year work permits and deferred action from deportation.

It is, by most accounts, almost a certainty that Trump's administration will rescind that executive mandate, though Congress is attempting to push through a stop-gap bill that would protect those beneficiaries if the policy ended.

Sessions supports revoking the policy. Department of Justice I think would have no objection to a decision to abandon that order because it is very questionable, in my opinion, constitutionally, he said.

Asked about the future of those who already signed on to the program, Sessions said, I would try to be supportive, but did not specify what that would mean.

The order was initially issued through DHS; Kelly explained that while he hasn't been involved in the immigration policy discussions during the transition, he would guess that this category might not be the highest priority for removal  I think law abiding individuals would in my mind with limited assets to execute the law probably not be at the top of the list.

Plight and flight of refugees

As a candidate, Trump called for various levels of restrictions on refugees, and proposed a ban on Syrian arrivals. To the surprise of immigration experts on both sides, Tillerson was not questioned about the refugee program, though he would have the lead role in admissions.

Although the Justice Department does not have jurisdiction over the program, Sessions told senators, We will not end the refugee program, while Kelly repeated Trump's rhetoric of equating refugees  who are already heavily vetted through a multi-step system  with security concerns.



You can't guarantee 100 percent, and if you are taking in large numbers of people, or any people from places where you really can't vet them very well, I guess, you do the best you can. ... But we do have a responsibility to be careful and make sure those who are admitted have been properly vetted and are not a danger.

Entry-exit monitoring

A cause dear to hawkish immigration analysts is increased monitoring of when visa recipients leave, and Kelly  who as the head of DHS would supervise the first lines of such checks through the various enforcement agencies  said during his confirmation hearing that we have got to do better with the systems first of all alerting us that someone has stayed past and then as appropriate, perhaps send someone to their house or their last known residence and ask them why they haven't departed yet.

Revoking birthright citizenship

None of the nominees was asked  or otherwise provided comment  on some of Trump's more radical ideas for the U.S. immigration system, like amending the Constitution to revoke birthright citizenship.

Ultimately, Trump  who campaigned for 18 months on a decidedly restrictionist, isolationist platform  could defer to using executive action and issue top-down mandates to his cabinet members.

There's so much that he's said. ... but at the same time, so much uncertainty on what they're actually going to do and how they're going to do it," says Matthew La Corte, an immigration policy analyst at the libertarian Niskanen Center.
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump says he would maintain sanctions against Russia imposed by the Obama administration but would consider lifting them if Russia cooperates on matters of common interest.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he would keep the sanctions in effect "at least for a period of time," but might lift them if Russia helps combat terrorism and collaborates with the U.S. on other matters important to the U.S. "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things," he told the newspaper.

The U.S. initially imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea. On December 29, President Barack Obama ousted 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and imposed additional sanctions in response to Russias apparent attempts to influence last years presidential election.

One China policy in question

The president-elect also told the journal that the U.S.' One China Policy, which declares Taiwan is part of China, would be up for negotiation. "Everything is under negotiation, including One China," Trump said.

Trump's latest remarks seem to depart from those his advisors made in December that a phone call from Trump to Taiwan's president did not represent a shift in U.S. relations with China or Taiwan. The call, made shortly after Trump's November presidential victory, was the first communication between U.S. and Taiwanese leaders since 1979, drawing a sharp rebuke from China.

A preview of future relations between the U.S. and Russia could be on display if the Trump administration accepts Russia's invitation to attend Syrian peace talks beginning January 23 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.



Russia contacts

Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador in Washington, extended the invitation in a December 29 telephone call with Michael Flynn, Trump's incoming national security adviser, according to incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. The Obama administration was not invited to the talks.

Flynn had several telephone conversations with Kislyak on December 29, the same day President Barack Obama ousted 35 Russian diplomats and imposed other sanctions in response to Russias apparent attempts to influence last years presidential election, Spicer confirmed.

Discussions between incoming administrations and foreign governments are not unusual, but multiple discussions on the day of the U.S. retaliatory actions would raise questions about whether Flynn and the ambassador discussed a possible Russian response.

Flynns multiple phone calls with Russias ambassador was first reported Thursday by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who wrote that the calls could be in violation of the Logan Act, a more than 200-year-old law that prohibits U.S. citizens from trying to influence foreign governments that are engaged in disputes with the U.S.

Probe to be launched

An investigation, meanwhile, will be launched into contact between the incoming Trump administration and Russia. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, a Republican, said Friday the committee will investigate "intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns," as well as Russia's apparent meddling in last year's U.S. presidential election.

Burr and the committee's top Democrat, Senator Mark Warner, issued a joint statement indicating the panel will use "subpoenas if necessary" to get testimony from the Obama administration and Trump's transition team.

The president-elect took to Twitter again Saturday morning, this time unleashing an attack on civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis. Lewis told NBC Friday he doesn't consider Trump a "legitimate president," and blamed Russia for helping the real-estate mogul win the presidency. Trump responded by saying the lawmaker should concentrate on serving his constituents.

Lewis, a leader in the 1960s civil rights movement, said he will not attend Trump's January 20 inauguration, the first one he will miss in more than three decades.
Days before the U.S. holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Donald Trump has attacked U.S. Representative John Lewis after the civil rights legend said he didn't consider Trump a "legitimate president" because of what he believed were Russia's attempts to help Trump win the presidency.

In a couple of tweets Saturday morning, Trump said instead of criticizing him, the Georgia lawmaker should concentrate on serving his constituents.

In an interview Friday with NBC's Meet the Press that will be televised Sunday, Lewis said, "I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president."

Lewis added, "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected."

Lewis spokeswoman Linda Jones declined to respond to Trump's attack but said, "We, as a nation, do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election."

Trump's tweets have provoked sharp responses from numerous Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi of California. The House minority leader tweeted Saturday that previous attempts by critics to deter the lawmaker were unsuccessful.

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded recently that Russia sought to influence the presidential election in Trump's favor. The president-elect himself accepted that the Russians were responsible for hacking into Democratic computer networks. Trump has maintained, however, that "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election, including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."

Lewis' 5th Congressional District in Georgia includes the Atlanta metropolitan area. The region has a large African-American population and is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. Crime and poverty rates are above national averages, but the area also has upscale communities and is home to one of the nation's most significant technology hubs, as well as Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines.

Lewis was one of the leading organizers of the 1963 March on Washington, at which civil rights leader King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream Speech" before more than 200,000 people.

Two years later, Lewis skull was fractured during Bloody Sunday, a peaceful civil rights protest in the southern city of Selma, Alabama, that turned violent when state police brutally assaulted the marchers.

Televised images of the assaults shocked millions of Americans and galvanized Congress to approve the Voting Rights Act, which helped African-Americans overcome legal barriers to the right to vote.

Skipping the inaugural

Lewis has joined a group of House Democrats who have decided not to attend Trump's inauguration next week.

Jared Huffman of California said on Facebook he was heartened to be joined in my decision by the likes of Rep. John Lewis who is widely admired for his moral clarity. Huffman described Lewis as a civil rights icon and a national treasure.

The lawmaker said Trump is so thin-skinned and classless, and so utterly incapable of growing up. As our President, he is going to bring disgrace, chaos, controversy and conflict unlike anything weve ever seen.

Lewis decision not to attend the inauguration has also prompted other House Democrats to make the same decision.

Representative Barbara Lee, also from California, tweeted I will NOT attend the inauguration of (Donald Trump). When you insult (John Lewis), you insult America. Lee also tweeted Cowardly (Donald Trump) isnt fit to polish hero (John Lewis) boots.

Representative Ted Lieu from California tweeted, For me, the personal decision not to attend the Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis.

By Saturday night, at least 16 House Democrats said they would not attend Trumps inauguration.


Police in Uganda have re-arrested a traditional leader who is facing treason and other charges hours after he was granted bail by a court, a judicial official said Saturday.

Charles Wesley Mumbere was first detained in November after what he calls his royal guards refused an order by security forces to disarm and surrender, leading to a stand-off and a raid on his residence by police.

More than 60 people were killed in clashes.

He was freed on bail Friday but just hours later he was detained again, judiciary spokesman Solomon Muyita said.

He was re-arrested by police because he has other charges, he said.

Mumbere is a tribal leader of the Bakonzo people found in the Rwenzori region near Ugandas border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The area overwhelmingly backed the main rival to President Yoweri Museveni in the 2015 election.

Government critics accuse security forces of deliberately stoking unrest in the area because of its backing for the opposition. Rights group Amnesty International said security forces carried out extrajudicial killings in the November clashes.

Officials dismiss the charges and say Mumbere and his supporters have been promoting secession from Uganda.

Uganda has many traditional leaders who have largely ceremonial roles but wield significant political influence among people in their regions.
A key U.S. diplomat overseeing the Western Balkans urged leaders of Serbia and Kosovo to engage in dialogue and ease their spat over detention of a former Kosovar prime minister and guerrilla commander who is charged with war crimes by officials in Belgrade.

Hoyt Brian Yee, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, told VOAs Serbian Service Friday that it is important not to allow any incident, whether it is involving an arrest or other bilateral tension, to interfere with the important process of normalizing ties between the neighboring countries.

Acting on a Serbian warrant, French police on January 4 detained Ramush Haradinaj, 48, a Kosovar opposition leader. Serbian authorities want to try him for offenses related to the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo.

On Thursday, a French appeals court released Haradinaj, but ordered him to remain in France pending a review of a Serbian extradition request. However, Serbia on Friday threatened to refuse to extradite people sought by France if French authorities failed to hand Haradinaj over.

The Haradinaj incident threatens the fragile process of normalizing Serb-Kosovar ties, which would increase the chances of both nations for European Union integration.

Kosovo declared independence with Western backing in 2008, but Serbia still opposes it.

We urge responsible leaders for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia to continue talking and finding solutions, Yee told VOAs Serbian Service. The incident can be resolved through institutions, in accordance with the law in France, or outside of France.


The three men who could have the most power over the immediate future of immigrants and refugees in the United States testified before the Senate this week.

Their responses during these confirmation hearings for some of the highest-profile positions in the Cabinet  secretary of state, secretary of the department of homeland security (DHS) and attorney general  provide no guarantees of what the new president and his administration will do.

But they offered new insights into what decisions could affect new Americans and those seeking to come to the U.S.

Immigration hardliners in Washington, who advocate for dramatic changes to deter new arrivals, agree that the triumvirate that testified this week will largely support the immigration agenda of President-elect Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, advocates for immigrant rights, the undocumented community, and refugees, are anxious  as are many of their clients, who are uncertain of the changes coming their way. Royce Murray, of the American Immigration Council, says overall the incoming administration has signaled an antipathy towards immigrants.

We're hoping that the tone shifts post-Inauguration to one that is more reflective of what Americans value  which is our country being a nation of immigrants."

THE ISSUES

Nobody builds walls better than me

Trump talked a lot about building walls on the campaign trail. He said Mexico would pay for the many billion-dollar barrier, though Mexican officials have publicly rejected that notion. Neither Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson nor Attorney General candidate Jeff Sessions were asked specifically about the wall, but possible Homeland Security secretary Gen. John Kelly, who has met with patrol agents along the southern border, told the Senate committee questioning him that as a military person that understands defense and defenses, a physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for restrictionist immigration policies, says, There's a certain degree to which Trump's talk about the wall during the campaign was metaphorical  shorthand for tightening immigration enforcement in general.

The wall is not job one, says Krikorian, although politically speaking, (Trump's) going to have to do something on the wall.



The "Muslim Registry"

President-elect Trump and some advisers have publicly expressed interest in registration and surveillance of Muslims. The three nominees downplayed any overt commitment to a registry of Muslims, whether for Americans, or immigrants and travelers. But they didn't discount the possibility of a workaround academics and immigration experts have described, similar to the defunct NSEERS program, that could target nationals from Muslim-majority countries, without explicitly being a ban or registry of Muslims.

Sessions associated the registry question with national security issues: Many people do have religious views that are inimical to the public safety of the United States. I did not want to have a resolution that suggested that that could not be a factor in the vetting process before someone is admitted. But I have no belief and do not support the idea that Muslims, as a religious group, should be denied admission to the United States.

Tillerson also did not object to a national registry for Muslims in the U.S., telling Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, I would need to have a lot more information around how such an approach would even be constructed.

Kelly took a notably gentler tone, without vetoing the idea completely, saying, I don't think it's ever appropriate to focus on something like religion as the only factor. ... I don't agree with registering people based on (ethnicity) or religion or anything like that.

On Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Trump repeatedly said he would immediately terminate the program, without detailing what would happen to the young people currently benefiting from the 2012 Obama policy. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, who met certain criteria, were eligible to apply for renewable, two-year work permits and deferred action from deportation.

It is, by most accounts, almost a certainty that Trump's administration will rescind that executive mandate, though Congress is attempting to push through a stop-gap bill that would protect those beneficiaries if the policy ended. Sessions supports revoking the policy. Department of Justice I think would have no objection to a decision to abandon that order because it is very questionable, in my opinion, constitutionally.

Asked about the future of those who already signed on to the program, Sessions said, I would try to be supportive, but did not specify what that would mean.

The order was initially issued through DHS; Kelly explained that while he hasn't been involved in the immigration policy discussions during the transition, he would guess that this category might not be the highest priority for removal  I think law abiding individuals would in my mind with limited assets to execute the law probably not be at the top of the list.

Plight and flight of refugees

As a candidate, Trump called for various levels of restrictions on refugees, and proposed a ban on Syrian arrivals. To the surprise of immigration experts on both sides, Tillerson was not questioned about the refugee program, though he would have the lead role in admissions.

Although the Justice Department does not have jurisdiction over the program, Sessions told senators, We will not end the refugee program, while Kelly repeated Trump's rhetoric of equating refugees  who are already heavily vetted through a multi-step system  with security concerns. You can't guarantee 100 percent, and if you are taking in large numbers of people, or any people from places where you really can't vet them very well, I guess, you do the best you can. ... But we do have a responsibility to be careful and make sure those who are admitted have been properly vetted and are not a danger.

Entry-exit monitoring

A cause dear to hawkish immigration analysts is increased monitoring of when visa recipients leave, and Kelly  who as the head of DHS would supervise the first lines of such checks through the various enforcement agencies  said during his confirmation hearing that we have got to do better with the systems first of all alerting us that someone has stayed past and then as appropriate, perhaps send someone to their house or their last known residence and ask them why they haven't departed yet.

Revoking birthright citizenship

None of the nominees was asked  or otherwise provided comment  on some of Trump's more outlandish ideas for the U.S. immigration system, like amending the Constitution to revoke birthright citizenship.

Ultimately, Trump  who campaigned for 18 months on a decidedly restrictionist, isolationist platform  could defer to using executive action and issue top-down mandates to his cabinet members.

There's so much that he's said. ... but at the same time, so much uncertainty on what they're actually going to do and how they're going to do it," says Matthew La Corte, an immigration policy analyst at the libertarian Niskanen Center.
Dakota Fanning. Photo: Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Dakota Fanning is making the jump to TV. The actress will star as the female lead in TNTs The Alienist, joining Daniel Bruhl and Luke Evans to fill out the high-caliber cast. Based on the book of the same name, The Alienist is a psychological thriller about what happens when a string of boy prostitutes are horrifically murdered during New York Citys Gilded Age. Fanning will play an aspiring detective and ambitious secretary to Theodore Roosevelt, then the police commissioner. Bruhl and Evans, meanwhile, are the criminal psychologist (i.e. the alienist in question) and reporter, respectively, who get called on by good ol Teddy to conduct a secret investigation. Any chance that speak softly and carry a big stick was just some common sense advice for hunting one of New York Citys first serial killers? History is just a big, sloppy game of telephone, after all.
Crackle TV has found success with series like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and Martin Freemans freshly renewed StartUp, and the digital network has just released the first trailer for its highest-profile series yet. The ten-episode series adaptation of Guy Ritchies breakout film from 2000 tells the story of a real-life heist that took place in London. A group of young rapscallions (its so Ritchie already!) happen upon a truck full of gold bullion, and quickly end up in over their heads as rogue cops, gypsy fighters, international mobsters, and local villains all come out of the woodwork to get in on the loot. It will be raucous. It will be madcap. It will be violent, and it will be vulgar. At least it will be all of those things if it properly honors the legacy of Guy Ritchie. The intriguing ensemble cast includes Rupert Grint, Dougray Scott, and Ed Westwick, and theyll be coming to an internet near you on March 16.
Mary Kathryn (Fitzpatrick) Batker, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, surrounded by her loving husband and two daughters, at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse.

Mary was born on Feb. 28, 1928, in Milwaukee, Wis., to Henry and Ann (Whalen) Fitzpatrick. She graduated from Edgewood High School in 1946. She worked for many years as a secretary and stenographer, having spent quite a few sessions working with the Wisconsin State Legislature as a stenographer. Probably one of her most memorable jobs, though, was with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Housing Bureau. It was there that she met Doris Batker. Doris had an idea that she should introduce Mary to her older brother Stanley, so she invited her out to the family farm. Doris idea was obviously a good one. Stan proposed in 1949 and they were married at St. Raphaels Cathedral in Madison on Feb. 11, 1950.

Mary and Stan enjoyed traveling, making numerous trips to Hawaii, including a special trip in 2000 to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with their daughters and grandson. They also traveled regularly to Door County and made many trips to Massachusetts and California to visit their daughter.

Mary is survived by her loving husband of 67 years, Stanley; daughters, Kathryn Rafalko and Shelley Batker; grandson, Michael Rafalko; two special sisters-in-law, Doris Koch and Elizabeth Fitzpatrick; brother-in-law, David Batker; sister-in-law, Barbara Harmon; along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Ann; and a brother, Thomas.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 130 Losey Blvd. S., La Crosse. The Rev. Peter Raj will officiate. Burial will follow in Gethsemane Cemetery in Lansing, Iowa. Friends may call from 10 a.m. until the time of service Tuesday at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Alzheimers Association. The Schumacher  Kish Funeral & Cremation Services, La Crosse Chapel is assisting the family. Online guestbook is available at schumacher-kish.com.
The Waco Downtown Farmers Market is likely to move to Austin Avenue during its two-year exile from its cherished riverfront location, which is about to undergo a $100 million redevelopment.

The city of Waco is set to start about Feb. 22 clearing and remediating the 16-acre site of the Brazos Promenade, which ultimately will include a refurbished farmers market space. The city has promised to give 30 days notice to the markets nonprofit board so it can prepare to move.

The clock is ticking, and were working hard to find an interim location, said City Center Waco executive director Megan Henderson, who is negotiating the relocation.

The leading candidate is the Texas Life Insurance Co. parking lot in the 1000 block of Austin Avenue, Henderson said. The parking lot is a little more than two acres, about the size of the current market without its associated parking. The lot is also on the route of the Silo District trolley, which loops downtown, she said.

Thats a great location that meets all of the farmers market requirements, Henderson said.

Its very big and would accommodate the farmers market and some parking. Theres also quite a bit of parking around there.

She said discussions are still ongoing about protecting the building owner from liability, and the boards of the market and City Center Waco have to approve the location. Other potential sites along Austin and Washington Avenue are being considered as alternatives, she said.

Sara Shoup, president of the farmers market board, said she hopes the weekly markets customer base will follow the market to its new location.

I really do think we have a lot of community support, Shoup said. People want to the see the farmers market succeed. Our vendors have been really great and have created a following.

At its peak in early summer, the farmers market offers 40 to 50 vendors and draws between 2,000 and 3,000 visitors on Saturdays, she said.

Its nice not having to move in the peak season, Shoup said. It will give us a chance to work out the kinks when we arent super busy.

Meanwhile, plans for the refurbished farmers market remain hazy.

The city has agreed to spend up to $8 million in Tax Increment Financing Zone money remediating the riverfront site, which is contaminated by mid-20th century debris. That may involve removing several feet of dirt from the majority of the site, though the oak grove that houses the market will be spared.

Mixed-use development

Catalyst Urban Development of Dallas is partnering with the city to redevelop the city-owned riverfront with a mix of apartments, retail shops, restaurants and a full-service hotel. Catalyst and city officials have promised to make the farmers market park space a centerpiece of the development.

Shoup said she would like have more discussion about the details of how the farmers market will be enhanced. She said adding more electrical and water hookups and permanent storage space would serve vendors better and allow the market to grow. Farmers market leaders have also stressed their desire for permanent restrooms to replace the existing portable toilets.

Mostly, weve heard no on that, but Im interested in talking about it further, Shoup said.

The city and City Center Waco plan to hold public meetings in the next few months about the design of all the public spaces at the Brazos Promenade, including the farmers market.

Assistant City Manager Cynthia Garcia said she hadnt heard the request for restrooms, but that could be discussed at the public meetings. New restrooms at Cameron Park averaged about $150,000 each, and the entire budget for the farmers market renovation is $750,000.

Garcia said the oak grove is also envisioned as a well-used public space beyond farmers market hours.

We can use the space for other events and performances, she said. You could have bands at night. There are so many wonderful things that could happen when you have everything redeveloped and people living there.
A cottage that allows guests to buy decorations right off the walls will open in Waco after four locals with a heart for hospitality started a venture aimed at promoting existing entrepreneurs in the area.

Alexis and Phil Christensen and Haley and Jordan Gandy have partnered to launch a vacation rental dubbed Avenues of Waco at 715 S. Eighth St. in May.

Reservations recently opened for the fully furnished three bedroom, 2-bath cottage that sleeps eight people.

Jordan Gandy, 34, said one of the early reservations is a great example of the clientele he expects. A family has booked the 1,500-square-foot cottage for a weekend in December 2018 to attend a graduation at Baylor University. Instead of renting out multiple hotel rooms, theyll get to stay together in a home.

Phil Christensen, 29, said Waco is a special place, and the group wants that belief passed on to everyone who stays at the cottage, whether they are visiting the area for the first time or the 20th. The group sees both the potential and existing beauty in the city, Christensen said. Dallas and Austin are cool surrounding cities, but there is a special charm about Waco, from its rich and intense history to its really neat developing presence, he said.

Alexis and I travel quite a bit, Phil Christensen said. Weve been all over the world. Theres something that is so special about Waco. Sure, were biased, but the amount of community thats been developed in the city in various neighborhoods, organizations, churches, educational systems and businesses, it really is a unique place.

Centrally located between Baylor, Magnolia Market at the Silos and downtown Waco, Avenues of Waco will enable guests to walk to many of their destinations.

Part of the experiencing of staying at the cottage is the connection to local businesses, Phil Christensen said. The owners are partnering with local businesses to display others work throughout the home, he said. The group will feature work from various creative people throughout the area, whether that is a dining room table, art or coffee, he said.

We have this blossoming artisan community in Waco, and Im excited to show that off, Alexis Christensen, 29, said.

She has worked in housing and community development for the past four years and is a Baylor graduate.

The group wants Waco to be a better place because of this project, said Phil Christensen, another Baylor graduate.

In everything we do, we try to leave things better than the way we find it, he said.

In places that are appropriate, a place card could list the cost and artists name. However, a book in the cottage will list all the pieces for sale, where they were made, the companys website and directions to get there, he said.

We definitely dont want people to come and be like, Oh, my gosh, theres a price tag on everything. Dont touch anything,  Haley Gandy said.

Jordan Gandy said the group would like to showcase its favorite parts of Waco, including a list of restaurants, possibly favorite hole-in-the-wall eateries that might not be advertised in other locations.

Phil Christensen said one of his favorite things about the project is the way it is setting out to be part of the community and to promote neighbors, not to compete with local businesses.

Prepared for the visit

By definition, when youre traveling youre not home, and theres a good chance nobody really knows you, Jordan Gandy said. The experiences I can think of that Ive had that are over the top are when the place Im staying at does something that could just be a little thing.

Like, we went to this little place for our anniversary, and they left a card, a very nice card, and a little gift bottle of wine and it said, Happy anniversary. I hope you have a great stay. Its those little things like that, that make you feel known and welcomed and make you feel like youre at home, Jordan Gandy said.

Whether its the lines we use or the soaps and the lotions, I think last year, everywhere weve gone weve said, OK, whats missing? What do we have at home that we dont have here? And weve got a long list of things like that, that were going to have available at our cottage.

Haley Gandy, 33, said the team also can personalize visits for guests.

If youre 5 years old or youre 60 or if youre from America or not, just kind of like, we want each person to feel like we thought about them ahead of time and prepared for them in a general way and in a very detailed way, Haley Gandy said.

We would like to have prepared for what they might have forgot, or might have wished they had while they were staying here, and try and stay one step ahead by providing that. I think when youre traveling, sometimes its nice to have quality things, like, that are handmade or just that you dont get to experience in your everyday life, provided for you that tell part of the story of where you are staying.

Phil Christensen said the team will stay out of the way when guests want privacy or be as available as needed. If a family reunion comes to town and wants a photo shoot while everyone is together, they can set the group up with a local photographer. If guests are looking for a massage, the team can connect guests with a local masseuse, or if a wine tasting is more interesting, perhaps an in-home event can be offered, he said.

Its way more than just providing a bed and electricity, he said. Its helping them to live it up in Waco.

A stay at Avenues of Waco is $400 per night Sunday through Thursday; $550 per night Friday or Saturday; or $2,500 per week. Reservations require a two-night minimum stay. Amenities include high-speed WiFi, a washer and dryer, TV, kitchen, fireplace and a backyard, among others.

Friendship, business

Jordan Gandy, also a Baylor graduate, said the group looked at renovating older homes before buying the lot, but as the deals fell through they became more focused on having a central location.

Working on this venture with good friends has been incredibly life-giving and fruitful, Phil Christensen said. The couple spent months discussing the idea and who they might partner with. Jordan and Haley just kept coming back to mind, he said.

Each persons strengths make the partnership work: Jordan is incredible with numbers, and Haley is very creative, Phil Christensen said. Success has come from early on establishing clear guidelines and expectations for each persons roles, he said. They have business meetings strictly to discuss Avenues of Waco, while other nights are carved out to just have dinner and be friends, he said.

Phil Christensen said the goal was to invest in the community and make Waco a better place. The more discussions unfolded, the more the idea of a short-term rental became attractive.

Jordan Gandy said the two couples had just returned from a ski trip in Colorado when Phil called with the proposal.

All four of us I think had rooted ourselves in Waco and obviously we love the growth and everything thats kind of happening in Waco and we just wanted to be a part of that, he said.

The people who live in Waco make the city them gem it has become, Alexis Christensen said.

She said shes originally from Austin, and her husband is from Missouri. But Waco has become their home. She said they stayed because of the community that exists in the area.

We feel really passionate about Waco, she said.

Jordan Gandy said the land the cottage will sit on has enough room for a second home, if the group decides to expand.
The Lake Waco triple murders sent shock waves across Central Texas almost 35 years ago. Terrified parents kept their children close and made Lake Waco off-limits for their teenagers.

After all these years, perhaps the final chapter of the controversial saga was closed Friday with the death of Anthony Melendez, the last of four men implicated in the grisly slayings of Jill Montgomery, Raylene Rice and Kenneth Franks, whose bodies were found in July 1982.

Melendez, 57, died Friday in a prison hospice at the Michael Unit in Tennessee Colony, near Palestine. Prison spokesman Jason Clark confirmed Saturday that Melendez died but said privacy guidelines preclude the prison from revealing a cause of death.

Melendez, who was serving two life prison terms, died as some, including the ex-wife of former McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell, worked to exonerate him, although those efforts stalled in the past few years.

Melendez, who pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the case and testified against David Wayne Spence at his trial in Bryan, also petitioned the governor for a reprieve, commutation or pardon after he recanted his confession.

Other defendants

Spence, who was tried in Waco and Bryan, was executed in 1997. Melendezs brother, Gilbert, who also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two life prison terms, died in prison in 1998 of HIV complications. The fourth defendant, Muneer Deeb, also was sentenced to death after a trial in Cleburne. But his conviction was set aside, and Deeb was acquitted at a 1993 retrial in Fort Worth. He died from cancer six years after being released.

Prosecutors said Deeb hired Spence to kill a teenager named Gayle Kelley so he could collect on a life insurance policy he had on her. She worked for Deeb at a convenience store he owned near the Methodist Childrens Home.

But Spence botched the job, mistaking Montgomery for Kelley, prosecutors said.

Montgomery, 17, was at Koehne Park at Lake Waco with her friends Rice, 17, and Franks, 18. They were killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, authorities said.

The Melendez brothers helped Spence carry out the murders, as well as rape the girls, according to trial testimony. The bodies of the teens, who were stabbed a total of 47 times, were dumped at Lake Wacos Speegleville Park.

Former investigator

Truman Simons, who investigated the triple murder initially for the Waco police and later as a sheriffs deputy, said Saturday he was not concerned about efforts to clear the Lake Waco defendants names because he knows the right men were convicted.

He said Anthony Melendez initially denied his involvement in the murders but failed subsequent polygraph tests. After Melendez started cooperating with investigators and said he wanted to testify against Spence because he got him and his brother caught up in the tragedy, he passed polygraphs, Simons said.

Simons said Anthony Melendez also told him he wanted to testify against Spence because he never told his mother he and Gilbert were involved in the killings. By testifying, she would know, sparing him the pain of telling her directly, Simons said.

I didnt have any warm, fuzzy feelings for Tony, Simons said. He was a bad boy. He was a bad boy all his life. But when he was caught, he was the most forthcoming one of all, and he finally told the truth. I do feel sorry for his family, though. There are so many victims on both sides of this case.

Simons said before prosecutors agreed to let Anthony Melendez plead guilty and spare him a possible death sentence, they required him to take them to Koehne Park and show them what happened and where it happened. It was during Spences first trial and two years after the murders.

Melendez pointed to a tree where Montgomery was raped and killed. In a subsequent search of the area Melendez pointed out, former investigator Willie Tompkins found a bracelet buried under leaves that matched a custom-made necklace the girl was wearing, Simons said.

The unique necklace later was returned to Montgomerys mother, who identified it as her daughters, Simons said.

There are just so many facts in that case that you cant get around it, Simons said. There is no doubt that they did it.

Trying to clear name

Despite Simons feelings, others, including Waco attorney Walter M. Reaves Jr., were working to try to clear Melendezs name as recently as three years ago.

Reaves fought on several judicial levels to get DNA testing ordered on shoelaces used to tie up one of the victims.

Those helping Melendez hoped the DNA evidence would prove that someone else was responsible for the killings, but after the evidence was transferred to several labs around the country, nothing definitive has been reported from the testing. They hoped not only to set Melendez free and collect on a huge payday from the state when he was exonerated, but they also thought it might prove that Spence was not guilty when he was put to death by the state.

Reaves did not return phone messages Saturday.

Feazell, who prosecuted the Lake Waco cases and now has law offices in Waco and Austin, called questions about the defendants guilt BS when asked about the efforts three years ago.

Anyone whos read the trial transcripts . . . would know better and wouldnt give this story the time of day, Feazell said.
The rectory at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2621 Bagby Ave., might be called the house that George H. Jurek built.

Jurek, 89, a longtime Waco dentist who sold newspapers and worked in the Katy Railroads Waco machine shop as a youngster to help his family make ends meet, paid more than $200,000 to create a home for the Rev. Carlo Benjamin Magnaye, or Father Benjie, who leads Sacred Hearts congregation of more than 2,000 families.

The building was completed a little more than a year ago. The rectory, which replaces a living area for Sacred Hearts priests that dates to the 1950s, features three bedrooms, 31/2 baths, a living room, fireplace, two-car garage and 10-foot ceilings.

It has a modern look and room to accommodate additional priests, Jurek said. Father Benjie is being worked pretty hard, with Masses being added and the usual responsibilities of a priest that include quinceaneras, weddings and funerals. He really needs some assistance, and maybe the new rectory will help in that regard.

Magnaye, who has been at Sacred Heart for about 21/2 years, said Jurek wanted to honor his mother and father by dedicating the rectory in their names.

He is so grateful they taught him the basic things of life: love of God and service to other people, Magnaye said.

Magnaye declined to discuss his impressions of the rectory, saying it will serve as a home for many church leaders, while his presence is transitory.

Jurek, a lifelong Catholic born on a farm near Axtell and raised in East Waco, said he grew up poor but never lacked for love or life lessons from his parents, Henry and Sophie Jurek. He said he proceeded with financing its construction with approval from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin.

Jurek said he attends several local Catholic churches and considered himself a friend of the late Monsignor Mark Deering, longtime leader of St. Louis Catholic Church. Jurek offered free dental services to Austin Diocese employees and had people travel in from around the state, he said.

Despite his exposure to several congregations, he was drawn to Sacred Heart.

I fell in love with Sacred Heart, the family atmosphere and the low-income parishioners who work awfully hard to erect nice buildings and do nice things for the community. Jurek said. They added a beautiful education building by selling Mexican food the women of the church prepared.

Jurek said he can empathize with people willing to toil for their dreams, thanks to the example of his parents, who held my feet to the fire on such matters.

They were very staunch churchgoers who insisted on my participation. Without the pressure they applied, I probably would not have gone, he said. Im one of those people who believe people in heaven are aware of whats going on down here, and I believe they would be thrilled at what is happening at Sacred Heart.

Jurek said he distributed the Waco newspaper when it offered both morning and afternoon editions. The subscription rate was 13 cents a week for every day except Sunday and 18 cents a week for every day. He accepted a route with 66 customers and grew it to 125.

I often credit that time in my life for teaching me how to deal with people, Jurek said. I would even sell papers to people who couldnt read, some of whom didnt even have screen doors. They would say they were not interested in taking the paper, but I told them their children needed to be exposed to what was happening in Germany and England, and they often would respond by taking out a subscription. I was quite a little salesman and actually won some awards.

Jurek said he left Waco High School before he graduated to help support his family, which included three siblings. He later attended night classes to earn credits.

Back in the 1940s, he became an orderly at Hillcrest Hospital in North Waco, when Hillcrest just had one building.

I worked from 7 in the morning to 7 at night, giving enemas, mopping up after surgery and deliveries, he said. That exposed me to and got me interested in the health care system, so I went into the Navy as a medical person, joining the Navy Medical Corps, where I accomplished a few things of note.

He earned a bachelors degree from Baylor University and graduated from the University of Texas School of Dentistry before returning to Waco with a dream of growing a successful practice.

He operated offices in two locations downtown before relocating to Lake Air Drive, where he hired three dentists. But he found himself somewhat frustrated by the experience, longing to apply his skills in rural areas for people lacking access to dental services.

I was accepted for graduate work at Harvard but did not complete the masters courses for a variety of reasons, Jurek said. Instead, I pursued a masters degree in public health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and became involved in serving the indigent population.

With training in public health administration, Jurek went to work for the Texas Department of Health, becoming medical director for a region near the South Texas city of Uvalde, and later for a 30-county area of Central Texas.

He later moved to the Austin headquarters of MHMR, becoming a special assistant to the commissioner and overseeing eight hospitals and 13 schools for people with mental challenges, Jurek said.

For many years, my thoughts centered on those who, for one reason or another, ended up on the short end of things in life, Jurek said.

Retirement brought him back to Waco, where he has devoted his time and resources to giving back to worthy causes wherever he may find them, including providing a new rectory for Sacred Heart, which recently mourned the death of longtime leader the Rev. Lorenzo Lawrence Soler in his native Spain.

Soler used much-publicized tamale sales to build a new Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Bagby Avenue in 1982, adjacent to a church building in place since 1957.

It was there in 2003 that a new $2.1 million education and parish activity hall built in the shape of a cross was dedicated.

Donors sponsored pillars, windows, rooms and even bricks to help raise money for the 22,000-square-foot project.
I have not seen Martin Scor-seses new movie, Silence. It has not yet come to a theater in our area. According to the synopsis, A 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit priest receives word that his mentor has renounced his faith while on a mission in Japan. Concerned, he travels to the island nation with another clergyman to investigate, only to find that the countrys Christian population are being systematically exterminated. Witnessing the inglorious reality of torture and martyrdom committed against Japanese Christians rocks his faith to the core.

The story is based on historic events. Christianity had been introduced to Japan in the 1540s and quickly took root with more than 100,000 converts. But the government quickly saw the Christian faith as a threat and launched bitter persecution against Christian believers. Many were tortured and killed. The Christian faith went underground for centuries.

In the majority of the world today, faith in Jesus Christ comes at a high price. According to the Pew Research Center, over 75 percent of the worlds population live in areas of severe religious restrictions. Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey had the highest levels of religious restrictions. The Pew report stated that, When we analyzed religious restrictions imposed by government, China, the worlds largest country by population, had the highest level.

The U.S. Department of States annual International Religious Freedom report noted that in Russia, the government passed a new law limiting activity in houses of worship. The law imposes strict new reporting requirements for religious groups seeking to organize events and ceremonies in public spaces.

I sometimes wonder what my prayers sound like in Gods ear compared to the prayers of those who suffer imprisonment, torture and discrimination for their faith in Christ. I am afraid that many of my prayers center upon my own convenience and comfort, and that of my family and friends.

Jesus was clear regarding persecution for his followers. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you (John 15:18-20).

The writer of Hebrews reminds us, Others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. . . . Consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. (Hebrews 11:35-12:4).

Across the centuries, persecution has been the norm for followers of Christ. Our protections for religious freedom in America are unique. We must preserve, protect and extend these freedoms to all faiths and all forms of worship. How then should we pray? And how then should we live?

Bill Tinsley reflects on current events and life experience from a faith perspective. Visit www.tinsleycenter.com. Email bill@tinsleycenter.com
Buddy Bostick

Buddy Bostick set an example for others to follow in how he grew businesses. When he wanted to start a radio station, he secured investors such as Woody Callan. This was upstairs on South Sixth. His call letters were KWTX. Soon he secured land on Bosque Boulevard and ventured into TV. He was able to get the TV permit KANG had. At the time, he couldnt get a network, so he created local shows such as The Johnny Watkins Farm & Ranch Show.

I became interested in Buddy because he was born in Moody and I owned the Moody Courier at the time. He and his group of investors bought the Bellmead State Bank. My daddy was a charter member of the bank, which I later took over. Then Bostick and his group built a new round bank on Interstate 35 on land my friend Roy Dugger and Sam Jack McGlasson owned. I guess next came the new American Plaza Building on Highway 6. He sold the TV station a few years ago to Gray Television. All told, its a lot of history.

He was buried near Moody on Jan. 4. He was 98. He and his wife lived their last years atop that American Plaza Building.

Bill Foster, Waco

Speedy trials

It certainly was nice to greet the new year by hearing that Twin Peaks biker defendants will be getting their speedy trials. The first is in April  just under two years after being charged. Then, starting in June, the plan is to try one case a month. At that rate, the 154 defendants will all be tried by March 2020, less than 14 years after being charged  if they all live that long.

Bill Franklin, Waco

The right door

For those individuals who are confused as to proper use of public utilities, let me simplify the problem for you: If you are endowed with male equipment, use the door designated men. If you possess female equipment, use the door designated women. Its really not that complicated, even if you are semiliterate, as I am. It is my hope that with the exit of the current perversion-promoting regime, which undoubtedly would have continued if Hillary Clinton had been elected, this wave of sickness will abate and well return to some semblance of normalcy.

Ed Wortham, China Spring

And so it goes

Many patriotic people have said that the United States is a great democracy where citizens are encouraged to inform themselves about issues and vote. When the votes are tabulated, the will of the people will be known and the majority vote will prevail. In the recent presidential election, Hillary Clinton got about 2.9 million more votes but lost the election. Presidential elections in the United States are determined by the votes of the Electoral College, based on the 12th Amendment to the Constitution. Our forefathers adopted this amendment more than two centuries ago when they were establishing a union of states.

Dale Brown, Mexia
Watching cockroaches dominate each other was a new experience for Matt Koenitzer and Addie Houston.

The two Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School students were participating in an experiment Friday at Viterbo University, monitoring how different groups of male and female Madagascar hissing cockroaches interact. The animal behavior experiment was one of four parts of Viterbos annual Big Bang Friday.

Biology professor Ward Jones said the 70 high school students from 25 area high schools were exposed to mathematical and science concepts at each of the modules, which included an experiment looking at the ways the brain can deceive you, mathematical modeling of a disease outbreak, and a mock clinical case in which students had to diagnose a sick patient.

Viterbo has been hosting Big Bang Friday for more than 10 years. Jones said it was a great way to show students what studying at Viterbo is like as well as a way to show them different STEM fields.

Engaging students about science and math is why we do it, he said. We want to promote the scientific process and get them excited about it.

In the animal behavior classroom, students watched different mixes of male and female cockroaches interact. In the groupings of two male cockroaches and one female, the students noticed more aggressive behaviors, such as butting heads and bowing abdomens in a show of dominance, compared with the grouping of all female cockroaches, which saw the least aggressive behavior.

Koenitzer said it was fun to be able to jump right in with an experiment working with live animals. He said he is interested in pursuing engineering in college and enjoyed having the opportunity to get involved with a program like this.

I think its cool that we get to do something that feels like a real college class, Houston added.

In another classroom, students worked with Viterbo students and biology professor Charlie Lawrence to explore the ways the brain can perceive the world incorrectly. They were exposed to visual and auditory illusions such as one in which the brain interprets random sounds as speech patterns.

The culminating experiment had the students wire themselves to brain wave monitors and trick themselves into thinking a plastic hand was connected to their body by stroking it and their real hand with the bristles of a paintbrush. The students collected data on the brain perceiving pokes to the fake hand.

Ive never seen brain waves before, New Lisbon High School student Ryan Briner said while conducting the experiments. It is pretty cool.

His partner, Haley Olson of Westby High School, said she had seen a similar experiment on YouTube. She said she wants to study psychology in college and that it was helpful to get to do something like this as a high school student.

I really like the experiments, she said. Its more complicated than the labs we do at school.
Surf life savers issued several shark warnings on Saturday morning as Perth beachgoers took advantage of the early hot weather and hit metropolitan beaches.

With the Bureau of Meteorology expecting a maximum of 37 degrees on Saturday and 34 on Sunday, surf life savers were kept busy early.

Popular City Beach was temporarily closed after two shark warnings. Credit:Steve Christo

Two of the shark warnings came via the new "Clever Buoy" system and forced life savers to close City Beach twice.

A third was from the Surf Life Saving Westpac helicopter, which spotted a shark in Little Parakeet Bay on Rottnest Island.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama share a dance at their second Inaugural ball in January 2013. Credit:Evan Vucci Attributing the shortcoming more directly to the party than to himself, Obama told Rolling Stone, in an interview the day after Trump's stunning election victory: "When I sat here and talked to Bernie Sanders, one of the things that he and I both agreed on was that we have to reinvigorate the DNC so that it's not viewed as a Washington entity but rather that it is a grassroots organization that is out all across the country and making a common cause with working people." And in a moment of candour in September 2016, Obama acknowledged in an interview with The New York Times, that despite his passionate embrace of the dangers in climate change, Americans simply have not been galvanised by his rallying cries on the issue. President Obama "pardons the turkeys" with his daughters Sasha and Malia. Credit:Getty Images Ironically, on leaving office Barack Obama is getting up to being twice as popular as the man who replaces him, but the Democratic Party is "a smoking pile of rubble", the labour movement is on life support and many of Obama's proudest accomplishments  like Obamacare, the Iran deal, his work on climate change, the Dodd-Frank financial reforms and protection against deportation for young migrants  are vulnerable because they were achieved by executive fiat, not by decisions of Congress.

His governing was described in the Times as "bureaucratic bulldozing rather than legislative transparency". Vice-President Joe Biden, left, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with members of the national security team receiving an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011. Credit:Pete Souza The ease with which Trump can undo what Obama did is hotly debated  bureaucrats can move slowly; if industry had retooled to meet Obama regulation, will they retool again to take advantage of Trump's deregulation. Theoretically, though, what the outgoing president achieved by the stroke of a pen, the incoming president can undo by the stroke of a pen. More importantly, what does it say about the effectiveness of the Obama presidency that, despite his glorious gift of the gab and all that professorial brainpower he brought to the Oval Office, Obama could not rise above the partisan din to save his policies and his party? President Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell speech in Chicago on January 10. Credit:AP

Even the most laudatory postmortems trip on this narrative question  "he's turned out to be much more of a doer, an action-oriented policy grind who has often failed to communicate what he's done," Politico observed early in 2016. Here's the unsettling reality of the Obama-Trump transition  after his eight years as chief executive, in which he often seemed to be the only adult in the Washington room, Americans are so enamoured of Obama and his policies that they are replacing him with his political and personal polar opposite. President Obama is joined by first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia after his farewell speech in Chicago on January 10, 2017. Credit:AP They have given the White House, House of Representatives, Senate and, by extension, the Supreme Court to a man who mocked and challenged the very legitimacy of Obama's citizenship and his right to hold office; and whose tweeted twaddle amounts to a barbarian declaration of war  there would be no Obama legacy. Obama was a new kind of president  an outsider and idealist, who didn't seem to like politics and didn't seem to like Washington. He believed that to be effective political tradition had to change  but, in DC, no one was listening.

Malia and Sasha Obama with their father in Washington at Christmas, 2014. Credit:Theo Wargo He brought the intense, if mild-mannered, temperament and leadership of a professor to serial crises  from the BP oil spill and the Christmas underwear bomber to the Benghazi attack and the IRS scandal. His former economic adviser Alan Krueger observes: "History will remember Obama for his rational, evidence-based approach, as opposed to the emotional, visceral style of the two presidents who will bookend his time in office." History is an odd beast. Often what might seem fantastic or egregious as it unfolds becomes a mere footnote when observed in hindsight, as noted by some on a panel of more than 50 historians canvassed in a bid by New York magazine to tease out the essentials of the Obama legacy. First lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia on January 10. Credit:AP His rescue of the economy would be judged to be more significant with the passage of time, though Kimberly Phillips-Fein, of New York University, cautions: "Future historians are likely to focus on the rising inequality in the American economy during the Obama years, the deepening precariousness experienced by people who once anticipated a greater level of security and prosperity, and on the poisonous impact this has on the entire American political system."

The historians congratulate Obama for not starting new wars and though they acknowledged the absence of a terrorist attack on the scale of 9/11, they chip Obama for his embrace and expansion of the security state that he inherited. And many opt for the awesome symbolism of the first non-white first family as his lasting, can't-be-taken-away-by-anyone legacy. President Obama welcoming the family's new puppy Bo, at the White House in 2009. Credit:Pete Souza Oddly enough, that a grand narrative defeated Obama might in time be attributed to a surprising disconnect with little people. Yes, he did save the economy, but by his rescue prescription the fat cats got fatter and it was the little guys he made pay for the rescue. Bankers, hedge fund managers and their cronies were the bad guys in the financial collapse of 2007. Only a handful were punished and most came through the crash unscathed, unlike the tens of millions of working class Americans who lost their homes, their jobs and their savings. Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day in 2013, wearing a dress by Jason Wu. Credit:New York Times

The taxpayers bailed out the big banks; no one bailed out the taxpayers. To be sure, Obama was driven by a legitimate fear of total collapse, but in neglecting to do anything for ordinary Americans, a narrative evolved by which the President was seen to be in cahoots with his Wall Street buddies  and to this day there is little public awareness that the bulk of the bailout billions were repaid to the US Treasury. Looking back at those tumultuous days in a memoir published in 2014, Obama's first Treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, writes: "we saved the economy from a failing financial system, though we lost the country doing it." Then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard gave President Obama his first AFL ball during her visit to Washington in March 2011. By American standards, the Affordable Care Act is a stunning achievement. As the University of Chicago's Thomas Holt told New York magazine: "[It's] easily the signal accomplishment of this president ... an achievement that will put Obama in the ranks of FDR (Social Security) and LBJ (Medicare) because of its enduring impact on the average American's well-being. He won't need bridges and airports named after him since opponents already did him the favor of naming it 'Obamacare'." But compared with national health schemes that are taken for granted in other developed countries, Obamacare is a bizarre, Heath Robinson-esque construct  and while there is strong support for individual components of the law and little understanding of its potential to radically improve a seriously dysfunctional medical status quo, the inability of Obama and his party to sell the concept of genuine national health in the face of Republican charges that it amounted to socialism is another narrative failure.

The Obama family's last Christmas card before they leave the White House. Conversely, Obama who publicly was slow to support LBGT rights came across more as an insurgent than as a reformer in his second-term enthusiasm. In the 2008 campaign he was opposed to same-sex marriage  and while his support on transgender bathroom access was well meant, it was not well sold amidst the bitterness of last year's election campaign. Obama is acknowledged for a litany of lesser but profound policy shifts, of which Stephen Kinzer, of Brown University, observes: "Forging a popular coalition ... requires a galvanising inspirational agenda, [but] his policies were too moderate to electrify the public." President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama in the Inaugural Parade in January 2009. Credit:Getty Images These include professional, not partisan, appointments in the Department of Justice; reformed sentencing guidelines to reduce the rate at which African Americans are jailed; outlawing a slew of abusive practices by which credit-card companies were screwing customers; more equitable tax rates; and a massive investment in Pell Grants subsidies for needy college students;

Obama is championed for not starting new wars. But in May last year he passed a disquieting milestone  he had been at war longer than any of his Oval Office predecessors. And in 2016 alone, despite no new declarations, the US reportedly dropped more than 26,000 bombs on seven Muslim countries in what seems to have become an endless war against terrorism, across central Asia and the Middle East. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama campaigns with singer Bruce Springsteen at a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2008. Credit:Getty Images Obama's foreign policy is encapsulated in his "don't do stupid shit" declaration, but too often his sales pitches have been too measured, too cautious and so loaded with explanation and qualification that any don't-do-stupid-shit clarity gets lost. But explaining himself last year, to The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, he said that core US interests had to trump peripheral interests and that Washington should not pretend otherwise. In a conversation with The New York Times' Mark Landler, Goldberg explains: "The whole 'we're America, we must do something' argument no longer has much sway." On his second visit to Australia, President Barack Obama cuddles Jimbelung the koala before the start of the G20 meeting in Brisbane on November 15, 2014. Credit:Andrew Taylor

Landler: "Obama believes America does have to act when vital national interests are in play. But he defines vital national interests much more narrowly than a lot of the foreign-policy establishment ... A telling moment was a dinner he had with former officials and foreign-policy experts. They were talking about Ukraine, and Obama asked, 'Will someone please tell me what America's vital national interest is in Ukraine?'" Obama's audience was slack-jawed, but as explained by Landler, the President's point was that it was unthinkable that the US would immediately rush to the defense of a former Soviet satellite whose trade with the US was minuscule, "and [because] Ukraine means so much more to [Vladimir] Putin and Russia than it does to us, that Russia would double-down and triple-down on anything we did." If George W. Bush accidentally demonstrated the limits of American military power in the botched Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Obama has more deliberately factored that sense of limitation into Washington's world view in a cautiousness and withdrawal on the world stage, for which he has taken a lashing. But as observed by foreign policy expert James Mann: "Obama will be viewed as the first president to take seriously the notion that the dominant role America has played in the world both after World War II and again after the end of the Cold War cannot be maintained over the long term. In that sense, he was ahead of his time." Kinzer agrees  "He will be seen as the president who finally realised that this 70-year engagement [with the Middle East] has encouraged tyranny, crippled Arab societies, and exposed the US to profound new threats. Breaking the cycle of intervening, withdrawing, and then returning to clean up the mess would be truly epochal."

Yet Obama joins a succession of presidents who have left office with a deserved ticket for sleepless nights for years to come  in his case, his failure to do something, or to inspire others to do something about the Syria conflict, in which hundreds of thousands have died and millions have been displaced. The first President Bush could assemble a global coalition to take on Saddam Hussein when a few Kuwaiti princes and their oil wells were under threat in 1991 and Washington lent muscle and leadership in Libya in 2011, when Muammar Gaddafi merely threatened the people of Benghazi. In time, libraries will be filled with books on the intractable complexity of Syria and the failure to stabilise Libya frightened Obama from further interventions in the Middle East  but Obama seemed out of his depth in dismissing the potency of Islamic State and in failing to act as he said he would when Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad crossed the publicly declared red line on the use of chemical weapons, both of which were points at which any of a variety of interventions in Syria might have been more manageable. The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power addresses the UN Nations Security Council, after the council voted on condemning Israel's settlements. Credit:UN/AP Similarly, Obama might have had a greater impact on the Israel-Palestine conflict if he had supported criticism of Israel at the United Nations in the first years of his presidency, rather than in the last minutes, when his decision not to veto a UN security Council motion critical of Israeli settlement activity looked more petulant than strategic.

Remarkably, Obama seemingly got away with embracing drone warfare over boots-on-the-ground as a response to perceived threats abroad. Looking to what his successors might take from the Obama playbook, author and historian Jonathan Darman says: "Presidents will long note that a war-skeptic like Obama not only embraced drone warfare but paid essentially no price for it with his peace-loving base." Some on New York magazine's panel of historians, like Brown University's Alexander Gourevitch, are excoriating on what Obama did for blacks  "Obama was and wasn't a black president. It is hard to think of anything he actually did where the fact that he was black, rather than the fact that he was a moderate Democratic president, seemed to matter." But it's hard for Obama to win on the tortured pitch of race relations. Against a backdrop of widespread acknowledgement of the powerful symbolism of him being the first black occupant of the White House, he has been subjected to the Trump-stoked lie  that he might be black, but he was not born in American and therefore was not eligible to be president. And for many observers, much of the opposition to his administration was because he was seen as a black interloper doing a white man's job. At times Obama spoke powerfully on race  stopping the country in its tracks when he broke into the classic spiritual hymn Amazing Grace while speaking at a memorial for those killed in the 2015 massacre at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina. But invariably, Obama stuck to a belief that he was president for all Americans  "I can't pass laws that say I'm just helping black folks  I'm the President of the United States."
Steve Bannon, chief strategist for President-elect Donald Trump, left, talks with Jared Kushner. Credit:AP So far, Mr Kushner has largely succeeded in taking a different path from the rest of his family. While Jared and one of their sisters, Nicole, went into the family business, real estate, Joshua broke from that mold by founding technology start-ups and then getting into venture capital. To date, money from Mr Kushner's immediate family members represents less than $US5 million of his venture funds. Jared is now divesting his shares in Thrive because of his move into the White House. The Trump family has not invested. Donald Trump arrives to speak to an election night rally with his family and third wife, Melania. Jared Kushner is third from right. Credit:AP That is not to say that Joshua Kushner is not close with his family. He is tight with his parents and two sisters, as well as with Jared (who is four years his senior) and with Ms Trump, whom he refers to as his sister, not his in-law.

While the brothers are known by friends and colleagues as ambitious workaholics with ties to power brokers on both coasts, in many ways their paths have diverged. Jared Kushner has emerged as an increasingly public figure since becoming the face of the family's real estate firm, Kushner Companies, and buying the publisher Observer Media. That company's newspaper, The New York Observer, has mythologised the city's media, real estate and political power brokers for a generation of New Yorkers. Jared is also often photographed at society events with Ms Trump, and is now frequently seen in the background of meetings with the president-elect. Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and their three children are also moving to the neighbourhood. Credit:Dimitrios Kambouris But Joshua Kushner has maintained a lower profile. While he has dated the model Karlie Kloss for four years, he is rarely seen out with her. He does not party or drink. Unlike most venture capitalists, Mr Kushner also does not blog, and he posts to Twitter infrequently. "Most moguls love to name-drop and tell you about their vacations and appeal to you with how celestial their orbit is, but that's not Josh," said Patrick Collison, the chief executive of Stripe, a mobile payments start-up in San Francisco that Mr Kushner has invested in. Donald Trump, with wife Melania, daughter Ivanka her husband Jared Kushner. Credit:AP

Mr Kushner declined to speak on the record for this article, and a spokesman for Mr Trump declined to comment. In an interview, Ms Trump said that "Jared and Josh have a very special relationship defined by tremendous love, admiration and mutual respect." She declined to talk about politics. An investor's roots Joshua Kushner grew up in New Jersey, where his grandparents, Holocaust survivors who immigrated from Europe in 1949, had built apartments. Their properties turned into a $US1 billion apartment development business under his father, Charles, who was sentenced to two years in prison in 2005 for making illegal campaign donations, witness tampering and tax evasion. Jared later expanded the family business and bought luxury office properties in Manhattan. Mr Kushner and his siblings grew up spending nights and weekends at work with their father, visiting properties, looking at financial data and sometimes skipping school to attend business meetings. In 2004, Mr Kushner was accepted to Harvard, which Jared had also attended. At Harvard, Mr Kushner roomed with Alexander Blankfein, the son of the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein. His circle also included Alexander de Carvalho, an heir to the Heineken beer fortune. Mr Kushner dipped into media when he became the executive editor of a short-lived society magazine for Harvard students called Scene, which was founded by the children of Citigroup and Lehman Brothers executives.

During the summers, Mr Kushner interned at Goldman's real estate banking division and at the real estate giants Vornado and SL Green with an eye toward working in the industry. But in his junior year of college, he started a company, Vostu, that made video games for social media networks like Facebook. He founded Vostu with two classmates, including Mario Schlosser, who is now the chief executive of Oscar Health. Mr Kushner graduated in 2008. The next year, he became a founder of a nonprofit start-up called Unithrive, which helped Harvard students secure loans from alumni. "Josh stepped away from the family business," said Ryan WilliaMs, a Harvard classmate who now runs Cadre, a real estate start-up that lets wealthy individuals buy pieces of commercial property developments. The company was started in the offices of Thrive. Neither Vostu nor Unithrive was a runaway success. Vostu has since laid off most of its employees, and Unithrive is defunct. So, using money generated from Vostu, Mr Kushner turned away from founding businesses and began investing in them instead, beginning with small investments in companies like the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. His investments caught the attention of others in the tech industry, including Joel Cutler, a venture capitalist at General Catalyst. "Josh had been able to get into investment pools with the best and smartest in the industry," Mr Cutler said. "I encouraged him to start a firm."

In 2010, while at Harvard Business School, Mr Kushner started Thrive. He was 25. In an interview in 2011, while juggling business school with working at Vostu and meeting with start-ups, Mr Kushner said his job as an investor was to look for new ideas that could change industries through technology. "Any market yet to be disrupted by modern technology will be at some point in time," he said. Mr Kushner said that he would not be content to simply invest in companies, and that he wanted to nurture some from scratch hiMself. "Being satisfied is not a good thing," he said. Personal connections Mr Kushner set about building Thrive in a methodical way, drawing on his constellation of connections.

His mentors include Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist in New York best known for investing in Twitter, and Jon Winkelried, a co-chief executive of the private equity firm TPG. Mr Kushner also befriended Twitter's chief executive, Jack Dorsey. Peter Thiel, a member of Mr Trump's presidential team, a co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook, was also an early Thrive investor and supporter. Aryeh Bourkoff, the founder of LionTree, a merchant bank that specializes in tech and media deals, said he was impressed by Mr Kushner's focus when the young investor spoke at an event Mr Bourkoff held in 2011. Mr Kushner argued before a roomful of media executives that online video would create more upheaval than the cable industry anticipated. Many in the room disagreed with that idea at the time but said he made a compelling case. By the spring of 2012, Mr Kushner had scored his first investment hit. He had become friends with a Silicon Valley entrepreneur named Kevin Systrom, who had started Instagram. Mr Systrom said he had met Mr Kushner long before he was thinking about raising large suMs of money for the app, and the two had stayed in touch. That year, Mr Systrom let Mr Kushner invest in Instagram alongside the prestigious venture capital firMs Sequoia Capital and Greylock Partners, illustrating how much personal connections matter. The funding pegged Instagram's valuation at $US500 million. Three days later, Facebook bought Instagram for $US1 billion and Mr Kushner instantly doubled his money. Mr Systrom and Mr Kushner have remained close. When the Instagram chief married at a Napa Valley winery in late 2015, Mr Kushner attended with Ms Kloss.

Mr Kushner has developed a reputation among entrepreneurs for an eye for detail. When he was considering investing in Zola, a wedding registry company founded by Shan-Lyn Ma and Kevin Ryan, Mr Kushner and his team put together their own study of the wedding registry market and what was missing. "Most other investors I met with said that they'd asked their wives or girlfriends about whether they'd use Zola," Ms Ma said. "That was generally their only data point." Thrive led a $US5.85 million investment in Zola in 2013. Since then, the company has raised more than $US40 million. Thrive's other investment successes include Twitch, a live-streaming video site for gamers that Amazon.com bought for $US970 million, and the e-commerce site Jet.com, which Walmart agreed to acquire for $US3 billion. Thrive also owns stakes in hot start-ups like the workplace messaging company Slack and the streaming music service Spotify, each of which are valued at billions of dollars. Not all of Mr Kushner's investments have worked out. It can take a decade or more to determine whether a private company becomes the next Facebook, a failure or something in between. While Instagram was a rare overnight success story for investors, Mr Kushner has also invested in flops such as Fab.com, a high-profile online retail company that went bust and was later purchased by a manufacturing company in a fire sale.

Oscar Health, too, has not been a smooth ride. Even before Mr Trump's election and the uncertain state of the Affordable Care Act, the health insurance start-up had been criticised for its hundreds of millions of dollars in losses and executive departures. The company has raised about $US400 million at a $US2.7 billion valuation, with investors including Goldman Sachs, multi-billionaire Li Ka-shing, and Ping An Insurance, a Chinese company with ties to former Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Oscar Health has scaled back parts of its business, saying it will no longer sell insurance to individuals in Dallas and New Jersey. The company plans to sell insurance to corporations. In November, Mr Kushner took the unusual step of publicly defending Oscar Health by writing a blog post with the company's chief executive, Mr Schlosser. While they did not take a position on Mr Trump's criticisMs of the Affordable Care Act, they said both political parties had failed to fix flaws in the health care law. They hoped a Republican Congress would do better, they added. No matter the outcome, they wrote, "we're in this for the long haul." It is unclear if Joshua and Jared Kushner have discussed how a health care overhaul could affect Oscar Health. Representatives of the brothers declined to comment on any conversations they have had about the company. Mr Kushner's work is not totally separate from his family's. Thrive's offices are in the NoLIta neighbourhood of Manhattan, in the historic Puck Building, which is owned by Kushner Companies. Some start-ups that Thrive has incubated, including Cadre and Oscar, are housed there, too.

The brothers have also made investments together. They founded Cadre with Mr Williams, invested in it and are advisers to the company. A Neutral Stance Even outside of work, Mr Kushner is earnest about his pursuits. At his 30th birthday celebration in 2015 at the Brush Creek Ranch, a luxury dude ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming, where rooMs start at around $US800 a night, Mr Kushner talked about goals and values, attendees said. Mr Kushner has not been vocal about his political beliefs. Over the years, he has donated about $US100,000 to Democratic candidates and causes. Federal Election Commission data shows he has been giving to the Democratic Party since 1999, when he financially supported Bill Bradley and, later, Al Gore for president. He made his last donations in 2014. Over the 2016 presidential election cycle, Mr Kushner kept quiet as his brother and Ms Trump became some of Mr Trump's most powerful strategists and surrogates on the campaign trail. In August, Esquire reported that Joshua Kushner was a lifelong Democrat and would not vote for Mr Trump. A spokesman for Mr Kushner said he is a registered independent.
Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020.

Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work.

Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri.
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..

Read More
Join The Nassau Institute at The University of The Bahamas Wednesday, January 25, 2017 for a lecture by John Rodgers on Is devaluation in the cards in lecture hall at the Harry C. Moore Library at of The University of The Bahamas starting at 6:30pm.

Summary:

Recently, in the newspapers there have been several articles concerning the possibility of a devaluation of the Bahamian dollar. There appears to be contrasting views as to whether a devaluation will occur, and if so, when. This is a very important discussion because the word devaluation evokes an enormous amount of fear and concern in the minds of most people. The purpose of my talk is to explain exactly what a currency devaluation is, and how it might happen, so that people will have a better understanding of this somewhat misunderstood subject and be able to take the prerequisite steps to protect their assets.

The event is free and open to the public. Donations welcome.

Sign up here as space is limited
Powerball up to $1.6 billion, now largest jackpot on record
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Minnesota man with a string of domestic violence convictions was charged in the death of a Saudi Arabian college student stemming from a confrontation in northwestern Wisconsin last year, prosecutors said Friday.

Cullen Osburn, 27, of Minneapolis, was charged with felony murder and aggravated battery in the death of University of Wisconsin-Stout student Hussain Alnahdi, 24, in October. Authorities began speaking with Osburn soon after Alnahdis death, but he disappeared after telling police the altercation wasnt based on race and promising to come in to talk to detectives, according to the criminal complaint.

Online court records didnt list a defense attorney.

Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf told the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram newspaper that Osburn was arrested in Minnesota and would have to be extradited. No details of the arrest were given. The complaint is dated Nov. 14 but wasnt filed until Thursday, suggesting Nodolf was waiting until Osburn was in custody.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 13, 2017 | 05:23 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Following an on-the-job injury that left Jackson Purchase Energy line technician Josh Franklin battling injuries, his friends and family have established two charitable funds to aid his family during the crisis.Franklin was injured when he came into contact with a live electrical line while performing routine maintenance on January 6. He was taken to Lourdes Hospital before being flown to Nashville's Vanderbilt University Hospital.Two fundraising vehicles have been established by one of Joshs coworkers in close coordination with his family.The primary method is the Joshua Franklin Beneficiary Account established at Regions Bank. Donations to this fund may be made at any Regions Bank location.The secondary method is the Injured Lineman Josh Franklin page on the Go Fund Me internet site - https://www.gofundme.com/injured-lineman-josh-franklin.Funds raised by these efforts will supplement any monies that Franklin may receive from Jackson Purchase Energys workers compensation insurance carrier.The employees of Jackson Purchase Energy are a family, says Dennis Cannon, President and CEO. We are asking that everyone reach out and support our family member and his family through this terribly difficult time.Franklin, his wife and two young children and reside in Paducah. His wife, Christa, and other family members have remained in Nashville to oversee his care.

On the Net:
Advertisement

By Eric Roberts, West Kentucky Star

Jan. 10, 2017 | AURORA, KY

By Eric Roberts, West Kentucky Star Jan. 10, 2017 | 06:00 PM | AURORA, KY

I was lucky enough to attend an Eagle Watch Tour Monday on Kentucky Lake.



Upon arriving at the Eagle Watch Tour media day I was greeted by Gil Lawson, Public Information Officer of the Department of Parks, who welcomed me aboard the C Q Princess yacht. He said the Eagle Watch program has been active in Kentucky for 46 years. The C Q Princess is a 96-foot yacht operated by the Kentucky Department of Parks. It is staffed by park employees who are all helpful. In addition there are naturalists from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources who help spot eagles and help identify the other species of animals and birds.



During the cruise information was provided from the KDFWR. In 1986 Kentucky had only one eagle nesting territory. By 1990 that number had grown to 6 nesting territories. By 2000 the number had increased to 23. Then the increase began to climb and by 2010 it had climbed to 84 and by 2013 the number had grown to 123 nesting territories in 54 counties. The lakes region has 31 of those nesting territories.



In 2007 Kentuckys population was sufficient to have them removed from the endangered and threatened species list. In addition as many as 400 Bald Eagles migrate through Kentucky each year.



David Swells of Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park reported that one of the nests near Kentucky Dam is right along a road and had fledged at least one young eagle each of the last 3 years. Fledging is when a young eagle grows to the point where it can fly from the nest.



Eagles in Kentucky generally lay eggs during the January to March period. The young then fledge in April to July. The adults will then begin repair of the nest as early as October before starting the cycle again in January. It takes an eagle 5 years before they get the distinctive white head, yellow bill and dark body. During those 5 years they go through several stages of mottled brown and white.



In addition to at least seven eagles, there were numerous other birds and even a coyote spotted during the 3 hour tour.



It has been exciting to see eagles on Kentucky Lake. My first was in 1988 and now it is a fairly common event due to the increased population. The success of the population growth in Kentucky has been fostered by the Kentucky Department of Parks, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife Services and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers all working in cooperation.



You can help out by attending an Eagle Watch Tour. While sightings of eagles have become more common, you are still urged to report any eagle nesting sites to the KDFWR.
The Legislature's Rules Committee on Friday rejected proposals to alter minority filibuster protections and end closed-ballot selection of legislative leadership.

Proposals to change those legislative rules in a manner that, in effect, would benefit the legislative majority largely composed of senators who are Republicans at the expense of the minority composed largely of Democrats were rejected on 3-2 counts.

Two sponsors of the proposed rules changes said they have no intention of taking those issues to the floor of the Legislature for consideration. Nor, they said, are they aware of plans by other senators to raise those issues.

The Nebraska Legislature is nonpartisan in nature, but the opening day of the 2017 session last week marked a dramatic and clearly organized move to hand virtually every legislative leadership position to senators who are Republicans.

In the process, a couple of committee chairs who are Democrats were denied re-election to those seats, and a few independent-minded Republicans who had strayed from the majority were denied leadership positions.

Hanging over the new legislative session after that display of majority power was the possibility that the majority might next attempt to reduce the minority's power to mount successful filibusters.

The possibility still exists that such an attempt might be mounted when rules are debated on the floor.

Committee members who voted to reject proposed rules changes that might have added to the strength of the majority were Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha, a Democrat, and Sens. Bob Krist of Omaha and Paul Schumacher of Columbus, both Republicans.

Voting no were Sens. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln and John Kuehn of Heartwell, both Republicans.

Hilgers authored a filibuster rules proposal that would have altered the requirement that at least 33 of the 49 senators need to vote for a cloture motion to end a filibuster and instead require that at least 17 senators need to vote against the motion in order to sustain a filibuster.

That, in effect, would have tipped the negative impact of senators who chose not to vote on the motion or who were absent on that day in favor of cloture proponents rather than filibuster supporters.

The same 3-2 committee split rejected Kuehn's proposed rules changes that would have made election of legislative leaders an open vote, rather than a secret ballot.

"Every year I'm here, the greater respect I have for the rules as they are," Schumacher said in casting his vote against both proposals.

A rules change proposed by Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln that would restore the traditional number of hours of debate permitted for filibusters before a cloture motion could be considered was, in effect, tabled.

Her proposal established the hours at eight for the first round of floor consideration and four for each of following two stages. Former Speaker Galen Hadley exercised his prerogative to alter that schedule by limiting debate at the final stage to two hours.

Rules Committee members expressed support for leaving that prerogative in the hands of Speaker Jim Scheer of Norfolk.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Its Monday afternoon on an unusually mild winter day in Winnipeg, and Bob Upton is making the first of what will likely be five trips that week to his neighbourhood grocery store  Dakota Family Foods.

I dont do a weekly shopping, the self-employed business consultant explains. I shop almost every day, because I never know what I want (to eat).

On this particular day, Upton has a couple of bananas, a few oranges, some tuna, a small carton of milk and a few fresh buns in his shopping basket. He says hell shop at big-box stores such as Safeway, Sobeys or Real Canadian Superstore if theyre offering a special on something he needs, but I probably do about two-thirds of my shopping here.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dakota Family Foods owner Scott Clement (right) speaks with longtime, loyal customer Bob Upton in the store.

Ask him what keeps him coming back to his neighbourhood store, and Upton rattles off a bunch of reasons: He lives nearby, so its handy to shop there. The store isnt really big, so he knows where to find things. Because he shops there often, he knows a lot of the department managers and employees and trusts their advice on different products.

He also likes the way store owner Scott Clement will roll up his sleeves and help restock the shelves or assist a customer.

I grew up working in retail and I have a lot of respect for people like that, Upton explains.

Last but not least, he shops there because he finds prices on most items are competitive with big-box stores.

And I do compare (prices), he adds.

Shoppers such as Upton are the bread and butter for independent grocers such as Clement and Munther Zeid, whose family owns and operates five Foodfare stores in Winnipeg. Its why these grocers try to go that extra mile to keep their customers coming back.

It (grocery retailing) is one of the most competitive industries right now, Clement says, noting he has a Walmart, a Red River Co-op store, a Sobeys, a Safeway and a Real Canadian Superstore within a short drive of his store. Then there are the non-traditional grocery retailers that are popping up.

Everybody is selling food now, almost, he says. You can go into Canadian Tire and buy chips and pop and all of that, and all of the pharmacies now are doing that kind of stuff (selling more food products).

Asked for an example of something he does that his chain competitors dont do, Clement tells the story about how another independent grocery store in the area recently closed and a lot of its customers began shopping at his store. One of them stopped him one day to say the other store used to carry a brand of frozen pizzas made by Winkler-based Spenst Brothers Premium Meats that he really liked but can no longer find.

Clement told him hed be right back, ran and placed an order with Spenst Brothers, then returned to tell the customer the pizzas would be arriving within in two days. Maybe its karma, but that simple act is paying dividends.

The shipment I brought in sold out right away, Clement says, so hes ordering more of the pizzas and will continue carrying them as long as they sell.

Ask Zeid for an example of why he thinks his Foodfare stores continue to survive and he tells the story about the customer who asked him to bring in some chickens feet. So he called all of his suppliers, but none of them carried the product. Then one day he was checking out the new Save-On-Foods store on McPhillips Street and noticed it sells chickens feet. So he told his customer and even offered to pick up a few boxes for her the next time hes out that way.

She gives me a weird look and says, Why would you do that? I said because youre my customer, and I know youre looking for them. And she said, You know what? You just gained me as a loyal customer because of that.

She gives me a weird look and says, Why would you do that? I said because youre my customer and I know youre looking for them. And she said, You know what? You just gained me as a loyal customer because of that Foodfares Munther Zeid

Zeid and Clement say thats one of the advantages independent grocers have over chain stores  they can respond quickly to customer demands.

We dont have to go through head office, Clement notes. The decision is made right here, right away.

The same goes for responding to changing market conditions. Clement noticed more immigrant families were moving into his area, so he opened a small ethnic-foods section in his store. He also started carrying gluten-free products after more customers starting asking for them.

Both grocers say theyre carrying more locally grown or locally produced products because thats what a growing number of their customers want. Being an independent, Clement says he has the freedom to source products from many different wholesalers and suppliers. If one of them is offering a special on a certain product, he can pass on the savings to his customers. He thinks its one of the reasons his store is able to offer such competitive prices on many of the meat products it sells.

He says Family Foods stores enjoy the best of both worlds because their main supplier is the wholesale division of Sobeys/Safeway.

So we can also take advantage of their purchasing power.

He notes his store makes its own smoked meat, and we have a lot of people who come from all over the city for our garlic rings, garlic sausages and garlic coils.

Tom Barlow, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, says it sounds like Clement is doing the things independent grocers need to do to survive in todays highly competitive marketplace.

The independents that are doing well are the ones that have figured out what the big guys cant do. Theyve found that kind of keystone that thing that kind of separates them.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ABOUT five years after selling his former firm Wellington West Capital to National Bank Financial for $333 million, Winnipeg investment entrepreneur Charlie Spiring is once again striking out on his own.

Spiring and his National Bank colleague  former Wellington West national sales manager Todd Degelman  are forming a national retail wealth-management firm.

Ive has a great experience with the bank, and since I joined five years ago my personal book of business has doubled, said Spiring who currently has the title of senior vice-president and senior investment adviser at National Bank Financial Wealth Management.

Charlie Spiring: I love being my own boss.

Ive got nothing but good things to say about my time with National Bank, but deep down, I am an entrepreneur. I love being my own boss, he said.

The move is being done with the blessing of National Bank Financial. The new firm  which has yet to be named and is not expected to launch for a few weeks  will operate on National Banks brokerage architecture, National Bank Correspondent Network (NBCN), the same platform on which the original Wellington West operated.

Martin Lavigne, president of National Bank Financials wealth-management operations, said, We like to think differently at National Bank. We know that Charlie has entrepreneurial skills, and when he said he would like to do it again we sat down to figure out how can we build something that would be a win-win for everybody.

There are number of regulatory and licensing matters to complete before the firm will launch, but Spiring said the idea is to build a national retail wealth-management firm that will take a holistic wealth-management approach focused entirely on the retail sector.

In our previous firm  call it Wellington West-One  we built a full-service retail/institutional asset management firm, Spiring said. This time I will not be knocking on Great-West Lifes doors for orders. I will be knocking on the doors of rich Winnipeggers and Canadians out there looking for advice and the whole complete, wrapped-up holistic advice.

Spiring and Degelmans current book of business is about $1 billion  which Spiring said is in the top one per cent in the industry  but he said the plan is to do acquisitions and grow the business to more than two offices. Degelman currently operates out of Saskatoon.

Well be starting with two locations, but I have a line of site on at least three of four more in the first couple of quarters, Spiring said, The last time, we grew by acquisition. I would be shocked if we were not successful going ahead (with that same strategy).

In 1993, when Spiring left Midland Walwyn to form Wellington West, he had less than $200 million of assets under management. During the next 20 years he built that business to about 50 locations with about 125 employees managing about $10 billion of assets.

Lately, the banks have dominated the wealth-management business, and the market has not been kind to independent operators, especially those in the institutional market.

The headwinds are a little bit against independents and have been for the last four or five years, but we see that lightening a little bit, he said. We have built a business model that will do well in these tough times, and if the winds change in our direction we will thrive. That is my bet.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/01/2017 (2121 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitoba NDP MP Niki Ashton says it will likely be a few more months before she makes a decision about trying for the party leadership a second time.

Ashton, 34, told the Free Press Friday she had promised to spend time over the Christmas holiday thinking about and researching the decision and she has, but hasnt yet reached a decision.

People are continuing to ask me to do it but Im in no rush, she said in a phone conversation while waiting at the Winnipeg airport for a flight home to Thompson Friday morning.

ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES NDP MP Niki Ashton she said she has set no deadline for making the decision about vying for party leadership.

Ashton said when she ran for the leadership in 2012 she declared in November and the convention was in March.

That seemed like a lifetime, she said, of campaigning for five months.

She said she has set no deadline for making the decision but following her pattern from 2012, she likely wont start actively campaigning until May. Ashton finished last in that race, ultimately won by Tom Mulcair.

Mulcair, it was hoped, would become the first NDP Prime Minister in Canada, however the party lost significant ground to the Liberals in the 2015 election, finishing a disappointing third. Mulcair was voted out as leader last March but has remained in the role pending the leadership convention in October.

Ill be taking the next while to think about things seriously, Ashton said. If I do this it would be about ideas, about the vision that me and others want to put forward. That takes time to flesh out.

Ashton has ruled out any suggestion she might seek the provincial NDP leadership race, saying only she will be involved there in some capacity but her work as an MP is where she is staying.

The NDP leadership contest, scheduled to be decided in October, has been lacklustre to date. Only BC MP Peter Julian has declared, filing his paperwork four days before Christmas. Northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus stepped down as NDP Indigenous Affairs Critic Nov. 23, but hasnt yet filed paperwork to begin campaigning.

Ontario NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh, a 38-year-old former criminal defence lawyer, is being heavily lobbied to join the race. Young, articulate and charismatic, he is seen by many as someone who can stand up favourably against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Singh is also still thinking about it.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba judges could start throwing out long-delayed criminal cases next year, Winnipeg lawyer Scott Newman warned Friday.

Manitoba Justice officials have just a year to streamline the system to ensure provincial court cases are completed within 18 months after charges are laid. The Supreme Court of Canada set new rules last July to battle a culture of complacency across the country that leads to unreasonable delays, violating charter rights.

The timeline can be extended to 30 months in cases that require a preliminary hearing. Superior court cases  the Court of Queens Bench in Manitoba  also have a 30-month window.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba justice officials have just a year to streamline the system to ensure provincial court cases are completed within 18 months after charges are laid.

So far, the legal system has had difficulty achieving the Supreme Courts directive at the provincial court level, said Newman, a member of the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba.

He said the July decision has allowed lawyers to retroactively challenge for dismissal some previous cases on the grounds they have been unreasonably delayed.

Well see cases regularly thrown out, he said, adding 27 such challenges have been filed so far, including charges involving a bank robbery, a home invasion with a firearm and at least two sexual assaults.

None of the 27 has been dismissed yet.

Newman said the situation could get worse; cases in which charges were laid after the new deadlines were imposed will begin turning 18 months old next January.

Unreasonable delays not only deny the accused  presumed to be innocent  of the right to a trial in a timely manner, they also lead to overcrowding in jails and remand centres, turning them into powder kegs, he said.

Institutions become more dangerous, people dont get rehabilitated, and the costs of incarceration soar, he said.

Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said shes aware defence lawyers have started filing challenges.

I dont know the specifics of individual cases, she said Friday. This is a national problem; were trying to work with the feds and with other provinces. Were working with everyone in the justice system.

She said delays cant easily be overcome by appointing more judges or building additional courtrooms, nor can they be attributed to how many long jury trials may take place in a short period of time.

However, Newmans association wants the province to add resources, including sheriffs officers, court clerks and other positions.

If any one isnt sufficiently staffed, it wont work in harmony, he said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Former House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer padded his leadership campaign with four more endorsements late this week, solidifying him as the top choice among Conservative MPs.

In Manitoba, friendship is largely behind the reason Ontario MP and former veterans affairs minister Erin OToole is the one to beat.

Provencher MP Ted Falk is in the Scheer camp, as is Manitobas only Conservative senator, Don Plett. The other three Manitoba Tory MPs  James Bezan, Larry Maguire and Bob Sopuck  who are allowed to endorse anyone are backing OToole, as is recent leadership campaign dropout Dr. Dan Lindsay.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Ontario MP Erin OToole is one of 12 contenders for the leadership of the Conservative party.

Until Dec. 30, Lindsay, a radiologist and former head of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, was the only Manitoban in the running.

House leader Candice Bergen must remain neutral as a party officer.

There wont be many more endorsements from the province. Many former MPs, such as Justice Vic Toews, have to stay non-partisan.

Premier Brian Pallister is staying neutral, and while Scheer has the backing of at least 20 Saskatchewan MLAs, Manitoba MLAs have been advised to keep quiet about their preferences.

In 2003, when the majority of the Manitoba establishment NDP threw their weight behind Manitoba MP Bill Blaikie for the party leadership, it made sense.

OTooles only direct connection to Manitoba was living in Winnipeg for a year in the 1990s while he completed his training as an air navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force. So why this sudden popularity in the province?

Its relatively simple: relationships.

Theyve become very good friends, said OToole, of Bezan, Maguire and Sopuck.

In fact, when OToole travelled to Winnipeg on a campaign stop last fall, he bunked in with Bezan to save money.

When he first got elected, we just automatically clicked, said Bezan.

He said there are several commonalities, including the fact OTooles riding is also largely rural with some small urban components and has a large Ukrainian community. Bezan, the partys parliamentary secretary for defence also spent time chatting with OToole about military issues, drawing on his experience in the Air Force.

Bezan said OToole is a good stand-up, community-minded person.

There is no question in my mind he is the best orator in the House of Commons. He has the tone we need as a party. He goes at the government for decisions but isnt nasty in the way he does it.

OToole was elected in a 2012 byelection, representing a largely rural riding just east of Toronto. Less than a year later, he was in Brandon knocking on doors and working rooms for Maguire, who was seeking a seat in a byelection.

Maguire was fighting an unusually hard race in the typically safe Conservative seat of Brandon-Souris, and OToole answered the call in large part because prime minister Stephen Harpers campaign manager, Jenni Byrne, was sent to save the Maguire campaign from defeat. OToole is good friends with Byrne.

His assistance there did not go unnoticed.

It was something that stood out to me, says Luc Lewandoski, a longtime Manitoba Tory who is part of a small but growing group of OToole volunteers in Manitoba.

Sopuck said when he talks to people about why he endorsed OToole, he realizes how much he really does like him.

The man is so impressive, said Sopuck. I find him an easy sell.

In a race with more than a dozen candidates, having a local MP whom Manitoba Conservatives know and trust back OToole will have an effect.

We have natural networks in the province because there are MPs willing to stand beside him and say This is who I support, Lewandoski said.

The Conservative leadership race will be decided at a convention at the end of May.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In 2016, authenticity seemed to matter a great deal in politics. To the south, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton struggled to convey an authentic image of herself while campaigning, and faced allegations that her identity was regularly reshaped to better appeal to voters. In contrast, Republican nominee Donald Trump, despite many flip-flops in recent history on important issues, somehow managed to convey an authenticity that many Americans  tired of stage-managed Washington, D.C.  ate up.

Authenticity matters not just for voters, but for politicians themselves. Commentators often think of politicians as perennial shape-shifters, able to redefine themselves on a moments notice in response to the latest crop of focus group results. Not so, argued Richard Fenno, an American political scientist who spent his life observing members of the U.S. Congress doing their jobs. Politicians, argued Fenno, have to find campaign themes that work for them as well as for voters. Failing to do so results in a sort of incoherence as they are forced to defend ideas they dont really believe in. Inauthenticity can be difficult, even exhausting, for politicians.

What role might authenticity (or lack thereof) play in the ongoing Conservative leadership race?

ANDREW VAUGHAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Conservative Party leadership candidate Kelli Leitch, MP for the riding of Simcoe-Grey.

Candidate Kellie Leitch has staked out a claim for herself on the right side of the party. The centrepiece of her campaign is a promise to screen potential immigrants for whether or not they share Canadian values as a qualification for entering the country. Leitch has further clarified that every potential immigrant would be interviewed in person, and that they would be responsible for the costs of this screening procedure.

In an apparent bid to gain attention among a crowded field of contenders, Leitch also promised to loosen restrictions on the use of pepper spray so women would be better prepared to fend off attackers. This came in addition to promises to dismantle the CBC and some flattery directed at Trump, including aping his campaign rhetoric in her promise to drain the canal in Ottawa.

Leitchs right-wing, attention-grabbing campaign tactics are all the more surprising because, until recently, most considered her to be a relatively moderate Conservative minister  a Red Tory. This is why many observers were surprised during the 2015 election when Leitch was one of two Conservative ministers who formed the public face of the partys promise to create a police hotline where citizens could report illegal barbaric cultural practices. The announcement, following up on the partys decision to oppose allowing Muslim women to wear the niqab during citizenship ceremonies, was seen as a cynical appeal to anti-Muslim sentiment. Leitch herself expressed regret for her role in the debacle after the election, even tearing up in the process. But that hasnt prevented her from running a leadership campaign focused on handling immigration as a hot-button issue.

Such bouncing back and forth raises the question: who is the real Kellie Leitch? A satirical Twitter account suggests Leitch is, in fact, quite moderate but has allowed her new hard right persona to be crafted by her campaign manager, former Rob Ford confidant Nick Kouvalis. The result, according to the account Kellies Conscience, is a soul regularly tormented by what her campaign has become. National Post columnist Andrew Coyne agrees, attributing Leitchs reckless self-confidence to having freed (herself) from the constraints of conscience.

If Leitch fails the authenticity test, does that mean the Conservative leadership field is devoid of authenticity? I think not.

Maxime Bernier is running on a stridently libertarian platform that includes attention-grabbing promises such as privatization of Canadas airports, which is one part of a package of proposed changes to Canadas airline industry designed to reduce the cost of air travel. Like other candidates, Bernier has addressed the hot-button topic of immigration, but has done so by arguing that immigration policy should be calibrated first and foremost to benefit the Canadian economy.

Some of Berniers libertarian proposals will raise eyebrows, but heres the thing: hes been saying these things for years. There is little doubt that these libertarian positions are his authentic beliefs; as a result, Bernier is well prepared to explain and defend these beliefs in debates with both fellow Conservatives and other party leaders if he is presented with the opportunity to do so.

The same can be said of candidate Brad Trost, who has run on both populist and social conservative themes in this campaign. Trost has intentionally steered his campaign into choppy waters, promising to reopen debates on contentious social issues such as abortion. Anyone familiar with his career  including his 2016 effort to retain opposition to same-sex marriage in the Conservative party platform  knows this is authentic Trost.

As this leadership race unfolds and the number of candidates winnows down, it may become easier to distinguish between candidates who are running on authentic principles theyve long held and those who are developing new beliefs in response to what they think Conservative electors will approve.

Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Criminal charges, including homicide and sexual assault, could be thrown out in Manitoba because its taken too long to bring the trial to justice, and part of the problem may be that there just arent enough judges.

Manitobas new chief justice of the provincial court says that while more money has been spent on other areas of criminal justice, a lack of commitment to hire more judges means there are courtroom delays. Justice Margaret Wiebe made her comments to the Free Press in a year-end interview. Manitoba has 41 full-time provincial court judges, compared to 47 in Saskatchewan, which has a slightly higher crime rate and a slightly lower population.

The provincial government names judges for provincial court, while the federal government is responsible for naming judges to the Court of Queens Bench, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court and the Tax Court of Canada. Federally, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould announced 24 judicial appointments in October; three of those judges were named in Manitoba. Provincially, Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said Manitoba has tried to address some of the problem by hiring two more Crown attorneys, but she admits it is a problem her government is trying to address.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Provincial court Chief Justice Margaret Wiebe

Court delays resulted in the Supreme Court of Canada tossing out charges against two men in separate court cases in July. In doing so, the court set in place guidelines for length of time to complete court cases. Provincial court trials should be completed within 18 months of charges being laid but can be extended to 30 months if there is a preliminary inquiry. For the Court of Queens Bench the limit is 30 months.

In Manitoba, there are reports that up to 27 court cases have delay motions in place that, if granted, could mean criminal trials of those charged with sexual assault, homicide, robbery, weapons offences, impaired driving and assault would be tossed. So far that hasnt happened in the province. It has in Alberta, however.

In October, a first-degree murder charge was dropped against Lance Regan, charged with killing a 21-year-old fellow inmate at the Edmonton Institution. Court delays because of a shortage of judges, along with a lack of legal aid, were blamed. Alberta Provincial Court Justice S.D. Hillier said Mr. Regans right to be tried within a reasonable time was violated.

There are other potential issues that come from a shortage of judges and court delays. It can drive the cost of policing up, particularly when trial dates are shuffled. North Kildonan city councillor Jeff Browaty, who chairs the Winnipeg Police Board, says court delays and courtroom management drives overtime costs for police officers up, not just in Winnipeg but in rural Manitoba as well. In Winnipegs budget, overtime for police officers went up by 13 per cent between 2012 and 2013.

Hiring more judges and ensuring trials arent delayed falls very much in line with a law-and-order agenda. However, it does cost money, and that is something the Pallister government, so focused on the fiscal bottom line, may not want to do.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/01/2017 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Donald Trump gave his first news conference as president-elect of the United States Wednesday. It was a doozy: packed with clapping staffers, stuffed with a screed about how Trumps sons will run his businesses.

Much of it was bitter, but one exchange ought to leave us truly queasy: Trumps clash with CNNs Jim Acosta.

First, some background, for those who cant stomach to watch this chaotic circus.

Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times FILES Donald Trump during his first news conference as U.S. president-elect. It was a bitter, barroom brawl-type of affair.

On Tuesday, CNN broke a story U.S. intelligence officials had presented Trump with information Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial material on the president-elect.

The allegation of kompromat comes from a dossier, prepared by a former British MI6 operative, which has evidently been circulating among Washington journalists and politicos for months.

Notably, CNN did not publish any of the specific allegations contained in the dossier, only the news Trump had been handed a summary of them in a briefing package. (Buzzfeed published the entire dossier later that night.)

CNNs reporting has now been corroborated by a number of other news outlets, and a statement by national intelligence director James Clapper also confirmed  in a very low-key fashion  the key facts of CNNs report.

At Trumps news conference the next morning  his first in six months  Acosta, CNNs senior White House correspondent, tried to ask a question. Trump ordered the reporter to be quiet.

Acosta, a veteran Washington reporter, tried to press the issue. Finally, Trump pulled out the dagger.

You are fake news, Trump said, then turned to another reporter.

The exchange was applauded by Trump supporters, including a Texas congressman who Tweeted Acosta should be fired & prohibited from any press briefings for being disrepectful to Trump. That is alarming.

Equally as alarming: that the president-elect of the United States has weaponized the term fake news against established media outlets, apparently for publishing accurate journalism he does not like.

In a way, it pains me to take up CNNs banner. It would take a long time to itemize my complaints with the channel; lets just say Im not a fan of the Rumble at the Arguedome genre of U.S. cable news, for starters.

But this should worry everyone; it should certainly worry us in Canada, where the border is plenty porous enough to admit imported political tactics, and where established news outlets are already being derided as fake news.

(If only we could build a propaganda wall of some sort, and make the United States pay for it.)

Certainly, one problem with the term fake news is a lack of specificity. So lets get specific and recap how we ended up here.

The term fake news entered the lexicon last year to describe a specific type of website which, to be blunt, is entirely made up. They are fake not because they have bias or mistakes, but because they are entirely fictitious.

So what kinds of fictions are these fake news sites pushing?

Among the more successful hoaxes that flew around social media last year  Facebook in particular  were stories U.S. President Barack Obama banned the pledge of allegiance in schools, and that the Pope had endorsed Trump for president.

Neither of those things happened. Thats not a semantic argument or a spin; they are simply fabricated. Headlines such as these are, in the most obvious fashion, naked propaganda. They do not contain actual news.

Unfortunately, human cognition is not well-equipped to sort through vast masses of disinformation. Our brains were simply not designed to scan hundreds of daily headlines and efficiently discard those that are not credible.

Rather, our minds act like pack rats, collecting little bits of lint and stashing them away in some cluttered corner. We may not even know theyre there. We may not examine them, but theyre still taking up space in our mental attic.

Thats what makes fake news so dangerous  either consciously or subconsciously, people take it on board. An Ipsos poll last year, for example, reported 75 per cent of respondents found fabricated headlines to be credible.

Making matters worse, many fabricated news sites are deliberately designed to fool readers into believing they are existing credible outlets, such as ABC News. Others put on a veneer of looking like an established regional outlet.

Last year, NPR outed the creator of one fictitious news site, which generated one of the years most successful fabricated pieces  a report an FBI agent who leaked Hillary Clintons emails had committed a murder-suicide.

That also never happened. All of it was made up by a website dressed up to look like a Denver newspaper.

That site, NPR reported, is run by a registered Democrat from California who owns a company called Disinfomedia. He runs a bevy of fabricated news sites; he said he started doing it to highlight right-wing extremism.

What about the FBI agent?

Everything about it was fictional, the site owner told NPR. The town, the people, the sheriff, the FBI guy our social-media guys kind of go out and do a little dropping it throughout Trump groups boy, it spread like wildfire.

He also made a lot of money doing it, identifying his sites revenue as somewhere between US$10,000 and US$30,000 a month during the U.S. presidential campaign. Thats a pretty good payday for a fiction writer.

Yet when NPR published its report  which included that remarkably candid interview with Disinfomedias owner  fans invested in the explosive fictions that tend to be promoted by these sites derided NPR as fake news.

Since then, the weaponization of fake news to refer to established media outlets has snowballed. Now, it has reached a point where the president-elect of the United States is wielding it against reporters who cover him.

This is what we mean when we say we are losing our grip on the truth.

Those whose political interests have been most supported by fabricated news tend to deride concern as the silencing of dissent. This is not the case: fictions are not dissent, any more than Game of Thrones is news.

Compounding this problem, unfortunately, is the unavoidable fact news organizations are made of humans, and humans make mistakes. They can also be susceptible to hoaxes, sources with agendas or bad information.

Yet it seems this should not be a partisan issue. It seems as if we should be able to agree there is a material difference between news that sometimes contains errors and news its creators know never happened.

Or, that there is a real difference between news presented from a differing viewpoint, or with a spin  media literacy helps us to parse these things  and, yknow, Barack Obama installs gold statue of IS leader in bedroom.

Yet, somehow weve arrived at this point where the term fake news means everything and nothing. It means silencing established outlets that try to question a president. It means the corrosion of any attempt to find truth.

I never thought Id live to see this kind of assault on the fourth estate in North America. Then again, I never thought Id find myself writing a column in defence of CNN. Yet here we are. Now, what will we do to hold the line?

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Boulder, Colo.-based, The Railsplitters, who took first place in Rockygrass best new band competition, will be playing at Eds No Name bar, 252 E. Third St., at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Drawing a wide away of influences from Lake Street Dive to The Infamous Stringdusters, they are pioneering their way through the new ground of what some are calling indie bluegrass.

The Railsplitters secret weapon is two-fold: first, innovative and imaginative banjo player Dusty Riders songwriting, and second, the powerfully distinct vocals of Lauren Stovall, whose voice has been compared to Emmylou Harris and Allison Krauss.

What do you do when a group has such an original sound that its truly difficult to find a valid point of comparison? According to Bluegrass Today, in the case of The Railsplitters, you praise them to the skies, because this young quintet from Colorado has developed a sound that manages to be both startlingly original and very exciting to listen to.

The special early 7:30 p.m. show at Eds No Name Bar will be a rare opportunity to catch these rising stars before they head out on a tour with nationally acclaimed jam grass pioneers Yonder Mountain String Band.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show will be $5 and available at the door.

More info on The Railsplitters is available at http://www.therailsplitters.com/.
Student ambassadors from Cotter High School, Winona Middle School, Bluffview Montessori and Winona Senior High School, with their parents and adult chaperones, cordially invite the community to their spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Eagles Club, 210 E. Fourth St.

The $8 meal includes spaghetti and red sauce with or without meatballs, breadsticks and tossed salad. Desserts are available to purchase. All are invited to dine in and visit with ambassadors, or they are happy to prepare take out meals for you.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will offset travel costs for the ambassadors' April cultural exchange trip to Misato and Tokyo, Japan.

Those interested should also mark their calendars on the morning of Feb. 19 for the breakfast and silent auction fundraiser.
An Arcadia man was driving drunk without a license during a Jan. 1 crash in Trempealeau County that killed two of his passengers and injured four others, according to charges filed Friday.

Josue Escobar, 30, is charged in Trempealeau County Circuit Court with 10 crimes, including two counts each of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a valid license causing death.

Escobar was driving a Chrysler 300 south on Hwy. 93 about 12:20 p.m. in the town of Chimney Rock when he crossed the centerline and struck a gray Honda Accord, and then continued in the northbound lane and struck a Ford Edge, according to the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Department.

Two women in the Chrysler 300  Lizbeth Gonzales, 19, and Leslie Flores, 18, both of Independence  were pronounced dead at the scene. Escobars front-seat passenger, Jonathan Ochoa, will suffer permanent brain injuries, according to the complaint. Escobar was treated for his injuries.

The driver of the Ford Edge, Joregette Pronschinske, suffered a broken neck, wrist, ankle and nine broken ribs, the complaint stated. Her passenger, John Pronschinske, had a broken sternum.

The driver of the Accord, Eric Davidson of Holmen, had soft tissue injuries.

Escobar had a 0.05 percent blood-alcohol level about four hours after the crash and authorities calculated he was driving with a 0.12 percent alcohol level at the time of the crash, according to the complaint. He has never been issued a drivers license.

Escobar is jailed in Trempealeau County on a $500,000 cash bond.
Newly released documents shed some light on the recent departure of Sauk County governments chief administrative official, which cost taxpayers nearly $135,000.

Sauk County Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman released the documents last week in response to a Nov. 4 public records request. They include an anonymous letter of allegations, a performance review, a performance improvement plan and a proposed separation agreement.

Also included was a two-page statement that former Sauk County Administrative Coordinator Renae Fry wrote as a response to the release. That document provides the first statement from Fry about a matter that ended Dec. 2 when she resigned under terms of a separation agreement.

The documents  and Frys statement  suggest she had disagreements with Liebman and Sauk County Board Chair Marty Krueger prior to her departure. They also contain a number of other allegations.

While I may have challenged the actions or opinions of the current Sauk County Board Chairman and Corporation Counsel, I have always done so professionally, within the scope of my duties, and with a goal of creating the best possible outcome for Sauk County, Fry wrote in the statement.

Liebman declined an interview, but provided a written statement in which he said the separation agreement prevented him from addressing certain matters. Therefore, he warned against publishing biased, incomplete and inaccurate information, and said Fry was treated fairly and in accordance with county policies.

Krueger did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Letter contains allegations

Fry, an attorney, called the anonymous, undated complaint letter defamatory, and said she believed the allegations contained within it came from an employee who dealt with her and Krueger.

I believe it is very telling that these concerns were never raised with me, Fry wrote, adding that she believes the letter was created shortly before she was asked to resign.

In the letter, the employee alleged Fry had no respect for county board members, and that she spoke poorly of Krueger. The letter also alleged that Fry misused office time, did not respect county policies or managers, and played favorites with certain departments.

The letter said Fry does not think Todd does a good job  a possible reference to Liebman. And although Frys criticism of that employee may be legitimate, the letter said, her attempts to document his errors were inconsistent with her treatment of other employees.

Some of the allegations contained in the anonymous letter appear to have formed the basis for a performance improvement plan given to Fry after two late-October meetings in which a committee discussed her six-month performance review.

Plan suggests improvements

At the end of those meetings, the boards Executive and Legislative Committee decided to extend Frys probationary term of employment and place her on the improvement plan.

Fry wrote in her statement that the plan was drafted by Liebman with Kruegers assistance, and given to her just three days before she was offered a severance package in exchange for her resignation.

Liebman said the improvement plan was developed, reviewed and approved by the committee and given to Fry prior to any contemplation that she would separate from the county.

Regardless of the committees involvement, Frys attorney said she believes her client is correct that the document was drafted by Liebman in conjunction with Krueger. Thats because her office had conversations with Liebman about Frys statement prior to its release.

I assume that if anything contained in Ms. Frys response to the released documents was inaccurate, Corporation Counsel would so advise us, Baraboo attorney Nicole Marklein Bacher said. Therefore, I have every reason to believe that all statements contained in the response are accurate.

The improvement plan said Fry should not demean or gossip about department heads or supervisors behind their backs. It also said she should not try to train and control Krueger, a reference to one of the allegations in the anonymous letter.

Four of the 13 items included in the improvement plan involved Frys dealings with Krueger and Liebman.

One item restricted Fry from posing questions to any county employees other than department heads. It said she should not use lower-level employees as a conduit of information.

Fry should recognize Liebman as her equal, the plan said, and not involve herself in his department. The document also said Fry should schedule regular meetings with Krueger.

Other improvement items included implicit allegations that Fry favored or inserted herself into the operations of certain departments, including the countys Conservation, Planning and Zoning Department.

The improvement plan also demanded that Fry discontinue use of a survey she used to elicit job performance feedback. If Fry wanted to use the so-called 360 reviews, the plan said, she should have consulted with Liebman, the countys personnel director, and the boards Personnel Committee.

Reviews mostly positive

One of the records released by the county was a 360 review Fry conducted on herself. The document says questions were sent to 27 county managers and department heads, and 16 responded anonymously.

Respondents provided more than 150 answers to 14 questions about Fry. The majority of responses were positive, but there typically were at least two negative responses to each question.

One negative response said Fry needs to take courses in servant based leadership and to forge a close, working relationship with Krueger. A reference to servant based leadership also was included in Frys improvement plan.

A separate respondent wrote that Fry does not give (department heads) the acknowledgement that they deserve and wants to start making changes to county operations without even trying to learn how and why we do things the way we do.

That response was similar to allegations in the anonymous letter, which said Fry has no respect for the department heads and wants to come in and make all of these changes to county policies without even taking time to learn why they are done the way they are.

Positive responses to Frys performance survey ran contrary to criticisms in the anonymous letter. They suggested that  to some  Fry provided quality leadership and was a positive influence on staff.

As a result of her leadership our Sauk County Department Head meetings have improved dramatically, one respondent wrote. She solicits feedback on the agendas and encourages open dialogue as part of the meeting.

Another respondent wrote that Fry has brought structure to the Department Head Meetings that gives the group a sense of purpose to attend.

Fry wrote in her statement that she sought the anonymous reviews to improve herself, but the results never were shared with her prior to her departure.

I would note that most of these evaluations are positive, though there are a few negative reviews, Fry wrote in her statement. In my experience, it is difficult to both be an effective leader and please everyone all the time.

Separation agreement

In early November, three days after she was provided the performance improvement plan, Fry was offered a separation agreement.

That newly released, unsigned agreement was set up for Kruegers signature. Fry said it was presented to her by Liebmans employee, Principal Assistant Corporation Counsel Deb ORourke. Liebman was asked to confirm that information, but did not.

The County Board did not vote to approve a separation agreement with Fry until a special Nov. 21 closed-session meeting. Working with an attorney, Fry negotiated and signed an agreement Dec. 2 that entitles her to 12 months pay.

Thats double the six months pay included in the early November offer. The final deal will cost taxpayers nearly $135,000.

The agreement also prevents Fry, Liebman, and Krueger from speaking openly about the matter.

Liebman possesses a complete list of allegations against Fry that he drafted, but has declined to release it, citing attorney-client and work-product privileges.
In Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, political scientist Robert Putnam cites research that points to the billions of dollars lost to American society, over a generation, when a large portion of our young adults are under-educated and under- or unemployed. These costs include literal costs to social welfare structures, as well as lost tax revenue.

In a recent article for Public Administration Review, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson extolled the value of the University of Wisconsin Systems Wisconsin Idea. Thompson singled out the La Follette School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when he wrote that graduates have the ability to critically analyze information, challenge assumptions and defend their positions. These skills and knowledge are the threads of a strong and vibrant society.

In an earlier book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Robert Putnam wrote of the need for strong social capital in order to ensure the well being of our communities. A key component of social capital is civic engagement.

What is the connection among Our Kids, Thompsons article, and Bowling Alone? How does the Wisconsin Idea manifest itself in the UW Colleges, leading to less burden on our states economy and strengthened social capital?

The UW Colleges is the transfer institution within the UW System. The colleges also awards an associates degree and an applied bachelors degree. By fulfilling each of these portions of our mission, the UW Colleges educates Wisconsin residents  95 percent of our enrollment comes from Wisconsin  preparing them for well-paying employment and, just as importantly, for support of their communities through civic engagement and leadership. The attributes Thompson ascribes to the La Follette School are central to how the UW Colleges educates and prepares students for the next stages of their educational and professional careers.

The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, for 2015, the national unemployment rates for holders of associate degrees and bachelors degrees were only 3.8 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.

Georgetown Universitys Center on Education and the Workforce reported in 2016 that 95 percent of the jobs created nationwide since the Great Recession have been filled by employees with more than a high school education.

Wisconsins publicly-funded higher education system helped our state post an unemployment rate of only 4.1 percent compared to 4.9 percent nationally in October 2016 (wisconsinjobcenter.org); these Wisconsin rates include all ages and levels of education.

State investment in the UW System supports Wisconsins public-education infrastructure, making it possible for the UW Colleges to support our states civic, economic and social foundation. The partnership that the UW Colleges has with its host counties and municipalities further strengthens that foundation at the local level.

The UW Colleges is an essential component of the UW System, which is essential to Wisconsins ability to remain culturally, economically and socially strong. Through the Wisconsin Idea, the UW moves our state forward. Strong public support of the University of Wisconsin System is essential to the success of the UW Colleges, which are emblematic of the Wisconsin Idea and which help build strong social capital.

As our state moves into a new budget cycle, Wisconsin residents will face critical questions of how best to use our states fiscal resources. How will we fund initiatives to ensure that our state remains a vital place to live, work, and raise families? Where does publicly-funded education  from K-12 through the baccalaureate degree and beyond  fit in this picture of strengthening our social capital, of preparing civically-minded citizens, of cultivating tomorrows leaders? As our elected officials grapple with these questions, they will look to us, their constituents, for input.
From second grade Matt Onstad knew he wanted music in his life, but he didnt know what tool it would take.

I so deeply wanted to play the saxophone but I couldnt get a single note out, he said over the phone. It was ugly.

He didnt mesh with a sax and said it broke his heart almost immediately. It wasnt until Dave Hoffmaster, music teacher at Beaver Dam High School asked that he give the trumpet a shot. Even though drums were his second choice, the trumpet somehow clicked.

That was the start of something dramatically drastic and important, Onstad said.

Today, Onstad would say that musicspecifically his trumpetis the No. 1 priority in his life. Currently, he attends UW-Madison and is completing his masters degree in trumpet performance. He is also one of five featured performers in the Symphony Showcase" where Onstad will perform the Oskar Bohme Trumpet Concerto on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall at the Mead Witter School of Music in Madison.

His father, Wendall Onstad, said that Onstad picked up the trumpet quickly once he started playing in fourth grade. Wendall remembers walking home with his son after the first day of band camp and he was already playing Taps.

He wasnt sure if Onstad would stay with the trumpet for very long, so he rented a trumpet for many years. Wendall said it was in Onstads sophomore year in high school that Onstad came home and told him that his music teacher wanted to talk with him. Wendall called up Hoffmaster and heard that he thought that Onstad is better than what his rented trumpet was allowing him to play. In little time, Onstad had a new trumpet and Wendell said it made a noticeable difference.

Its amazing how far one can go with musical talent, Wendall said.

Onstad said that he wishes that he had picked up some other music instruments when he was younger. He has primarily used the trumpet since he was a child. But, with his successes in the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, 132nd U.S. Army National Guard Band, winning the UW-Madison Concerto Competition and being appointed primary trumpet performer in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra hes not regretting that decision too much.

Reflecting on his accomplishments today he said that it was his education at Beaver Dam High School and guidance at UW-Oshkosh that has really propelled him.

I wouldnt be where I am today with them, he said.

Throughout middle school and high school in Beaver Dam, Onstad said, music class never had a dull moment. He thanks Dave Hoffmaster and Rich Zeman for showing him the joy of music instead of making it seem like a chore.

They formed that passion and sheer enjoyment of playing music, he said.

He still keeps in touch with both of them to this day.

Onstad said pursuing music as a career option wasnt something he had considered seriously after graduating from high school.

Once he was accepted into UW-Oshkosh he enrolled in the pre-chiropractic program with a minor in music. Organic chemistry ended it for him. During this time, the highlight of his day was when he could pick up his trumpet. It took a bit of soul searching, he said, and during his sophomore year he decided that he would rather focus on music rather than attending lab classes. One person, Dr. Marty Robinson, associate professor of trumpet and jazz at UW-Oshkosh, pushed him to focus on the trumpet.

After completing his undergraduate degree at UW-Oshkosh in trumpet performance, Onstad was accepted at UW-Madison as a masters candidate and second trumpeter in the Wisconsin Brass Quintet. Being able to perform alongside other accomplished musicians, Onstad said, is a humbling experience and the base of music knowledge they possess is mind blowing.

John Aley, professor of trumpet at UW-Madison said over the phone said that what Onstad has brought the Wisconsin Brass Quintet is continued excellence.

He is an infinitely talented musician, he said.

He continued to say that it comes down to a commitment to the craft and that Onstad puts in the time to learn a piece. In other words, Onstad is set apart by his work ethic. That work ethic has paid off. Aley said there hasnt been a trumpet winner in the Mead Witter School of Music Concerto Competition since 1983. This year two violinists, one pianist, one trumpeter and one vocalist will solo with UW Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Smith.

Its not every day that a trumpet player gets chosen to be part of that, Onstad said.

Looking down the road, Onstad said that he plans to continue playing his trumpet at UW-Madison as he goes after his doctoral degree in music. He would like to someday teach trumpet at the university level and continue his dreams of becoming a full-time orchestral musician.
When feeling down in the dumps, one of my favorite ways to lift my mood is to find a cute animal video online.

It becomes much harder to feel grumpy when watching puppies or kittens frolic, chubby baby pandas taking turns going down a slide or sloths hanging out after a bath.

Sometimes the cute animal videos make the news. Owners of a convenience store in Toronto shared surveillance footage of stealthy squirrels that slip in the front door to shoplift nutty candy bars as part of a plea for ideas on how to prevent the theft. Simply closing the door is not an option, as the store feels stuffy (and an open door is more likely to bring in customers, not just larcenous squirrels.)

I sympathize with the storeowners. Shoplifting, even when committed by tiny, furry beasts, costs business owners far too much. Those poor squirrels clearly have a need for chocolate though and studies show that dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins- brain chemicals that bring feelings of pleasure. I tend to squirrel away stashes of chocolate at home, the office and in my purse for a quick mood-lifting fix.

Exposure to the sun can help improve ones mood, a resource that can be rare during winter months. Listening to upbeat music serves as another spirit enhancer, one that I try to use cautiously, given my tendency to sing along or start dancing at my desk. Such behavior can disrupt (or wildly entertain) the workplace.

Another suggestion is to keep a positivity journal. Write down at least one good thing that happens each day in a journal or on a slip of paper stored in a decorative jar. Taking the time to look back and reflect on the good things in life can help us cope with the bad.

Studies suggest scents can help lift spirits. Try using a candle, essential oil diffuser or a roll-on. The scent of lemon can induce feelings of joy, lavender can calm and peppermint improves concentration. If you can track down scratch and sniff stickers, that could be a fun way to enhance your mood. Those were one of the best rewards for good work in schooleven the ones that smelled like a freshly cut lawn, licorice or leather. Orange, grape, pizza and popcorn remain my favorites.

Sometimes just taking a few moments to focus on your breathing can help improve your mood. When we become tense we tend to take rapid, shallow breaths. A few deep belly breaths can help calm and center you.

Recent weather (and road) conditions have denied me access to one of my most reliable methods of boosting my spirits  going for a run. Sub-zero temps earlier this month did not deter me, I just added more layers. But ice-coated streets and sidewalks make running too hazardous, especially after a slip and fall. I own a pair of ice/snow cleats that fit over boots or running shoes and tried to go for a run on Wednesday morning, but even those did not offer enough grip to pick up the pace safely. A friend and I made it for about 1/3 of a mile before opting to visit a gym for a cardio-focused workout. While not nearly as satisfying as a long run, working up a sweat helps my mood. I often call exercise my sweat-therapy.

How do you combat the winter blahs?
After dropping out of the presidential race, Gov. Scott Walker ducked under the radar. For good reason. He has nothing to brag about and is hoping we wont notice the results of his failed policies.

Im sure he hopes we dont know about the 2016 survey by Morning Consult, a non-partisan digital media and survey research company. After interviewing 71,900 voters in all 50 states, it found that Walker is one of the 10 most unpopular governors in the country. The least popular is Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, who implemented many of the same policies in Kansas as Walker has here. Those policies and actions have angered many Kansans who initially believed hed be good for the state and now realize how wrong they were.

In an Oct. 24, 2016, article in Bloomberg, Barry Ritholtz describes how Brownback eliminated taxes on manufacturers and farms, just as Walker did here. That caused a huge revenue loss and drastic cuts in funding for schools, roads and other necessary services  again, same as here. Since then, Kansass credit rating has fallen and job growth has, just like ours, lagged behind other states in the region.

According to a recent Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation report, Wisconsin ranks last in the nation for start-up business activity for the second consecutive year. Why wouldnt it? Who wants to start a business where K-12 schools, technical schools and state universities have had their funding cut to the bone? People want to live and work in states that value and support education at all levels.

Business owners prefer locations that maintain their infrastructure because they know good roads and bridges are essential for transporting their products and supplies. As of October 2016, the United States Department of Transportation reported only two other states, Connecticut and Illinois, have roads in worse condition than Wisconsins. Walker doesnt want us to know that, either.

He also doesnt want us to know Minnesota is doing much better than Wisconsin. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, under Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, the state raised its minimum wage and increased the income tax on the top two percent of earners so it could invest in infrastructure and education. Instead of being a job-killer as Republicans predicted, it resulted in a huge budget surplus and 50,000 more jobs than were created in Wisconsin since Walkers been governor.

Those numbers are backed up by the latest Congressional Joint Economic Committee report that notes since the recession, Wisconsins job growth grew 5.5 percent, less than the national average, while Minnesotas grew by 8 percent. Average wages in Minnesota also are higher by more than $4,000 a year.

Many of these facts were revealed by state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Eau Claire, who releases an especially informative weekly newsletter shell send to anyone who requests it by emailing her at Sen.Vinehout@legis.wisconsin.gov or calling her office at 608-266-8546.

In Vinehouts most recent newsletter, she reports on Wisconsins fiscal difficulties: 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.

She also alerted voters to a disturbing situation: 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.

Makes one wonder what they want to hide.

She also noted that, since Walker was elected, New enrollees in Wisconsin teacher colleges have declined by 28 percent. Thats huge. In a place where teachers have been compared to thugs, their take-home pay decreased by an average of $500 a month and their right to collectively bargain has been eliminated, whod want to be a teacher in Wisconsin anymore?

There are shortages of teachers and substitutes. Many of the most experienced teachers retired after Walkers election, fearful that if they stayed, theyd lose their retirement benefits if the governor decided to rob the pension fund. Since Wisconsin is one of only two states where state pensions are fully funded, they wanted out before he could do any damage to it. And by the way, the pension fund was fully funded long before Walker was elected. That didnt stop him from bragging about it during the presidential campaign, as if he had something to do with it.

Walker is playing nice right now, in hopes of being re-elected. Voters need to tell him hes done enough damage and its time to elect someone who actually cares about the people and businesses that call Wisconsin home.
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.

TODAY

Endeavor Wisconsin Committee to Protect All Pensions: 10 a.m. Endeavor/Moundville Fire Station/Bingo Hall, 631 S. Limits Road, Endeavor. Active workers, retirees, spouses and all people concerned about stopping retirement theft are invited to attend. For more information, visit http://mycspensionhandsoff.com.

Meat raffle: 3 to 5 p.m. Jacks Tap, 1207 Dunn St., Portage. Sponsored by the Portage Lions Club, this event is a scholarship and project fundraiser.

Religion class: 5 p.m. Deliverance ministry classes with Pastor Dale Smalley, Outreach Bible Church, 235 Northridge Drive, Portage. All welcome.

SUNDAY, JAN. 15

Bingo: 3 to 5 p.m. VFW Hall, 215 W. Collins St., Portage. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Hard cards are $1 and chips are available. All are welcome. Runs the first and third Sunday of each month.

Pancake breakfast: 7 to 11 a.m. Knights of Columbus Hall, 918 Silver Lake Drive, Portage. Menu includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, potatoes, gravy and beverage. Cost is $6.

Poynette Inch United Methodist Church: Open House and Dedication of the Remodeling and Addition of the Church, 1 to 3 p.m. Poynette Inch United Methodist Church, 402 S. Main St., Poynette. Light refreshments will be served. Open to the public. Dedication service at 1:30 p.m.

Zumba: 5:30 p.m. Rusch Elementary School, Portage. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

MONDAY, JAN. 16

Auditions: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. John Muir Elementary School, Portage. Portage Area Community Theatres spring show is a live radio show with audience participation; a flashback to the songs of the 50s and 60s. There are singing and non-singing parts. Rehearsals will be limited and songs will be karaoke accompaniments. People auditioning for singing parts should come with a song youd like us to hear. Actors will be provided a script to use. Performance dates are March 10-12 and March 17-19 at the Portage Center for the Arts, 301 E. Cook St., Portage.

Blood drive: Randolph Red Cross blood drive, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. First Reformed Church, 406 S. High St., Randolph. Download the American Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767 to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required.

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.

Clinic: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marquette County Immunization Clinic, Marquette County Health and Human Services Building, 428 Underwood Ave., Montello. Bring childs immunization record. Parents must accompany all children under 18 years of age. If this is not possible, call the Marquette County Health Department at 608-297-3135 prior to the clinic.

Fundraiser: Portage Family Skatepark Project fundraiser at Papa Murphys Pizza, 2936 New Pinery Road, Portage. Mention the PFSP and 10 percent of your purchase will benefit the PFSP.

Zumba/Zumba Toning: 6 p.m. Harrisville. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

TUESDAY, JAN. 17

Auditions: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. John Muir Elementary School, Portage. Portage Area Community Theatres spring show is a live radio show with audience participation; a flashback to the songs of the 50s and 60s. There are singing and non-singing parts. Rehearsals will be limited and songs will be karaoke accompaniments. People auditioning for singing parts should come with a song youd like us to hear. Actors will be provided a script to use. Performance dates are March 10-12 and March 17-19 at the Portage Center for the Arts, 301 E. Cook St., Portage.

Blood drive: Columbus Red Cross blood drive, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Columbus Community Hospital, 1515 Park Ave., Columbus. Download the American Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767 to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required.

Fundraiser: Culvers, New Pinery Road, Portage. Culvers will donate 20 percent of the sales all day for Carol Heisz and family. Please encourage your friends and family to attend.

Lake Wisconsin Alliance: 6 to 8 p.m. educational meeting, Merrimac Village Hall, 100 Cook St., Merrimac. The program is titled The Merrimac Railroad Bridge: Past, Present, and Future. Virgil Kasper will talk about the railroad history in Sauk County, the current status of the Merrimac bridge and the importance of the railroad to the economy of Sauk County. In August, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation approved a $17 million plan to repair the bridge. For more information, call Melissa Keenan at 608-355-4838.

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.

Library event: 10 a.m. Preschool Story Time, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Open to children ages 3 to 5. New and returning families are encouraged to register in advance. Todays theme is Puppy Love and will feature dog stories, songs, activities and a craft. An adult is required to stay in the Program Room with their child during story time. For more information call 742-4959 ext. 211; registration can also be done online at www.portagelibrary.us.

Zumba Toning: 4:30 p.m. Woodridge Primary School, Portage. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18

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.

Free blood pressure screenings: 1 to 5 p.m. Divine Savior Healthcare, 2817 New Pinery Road, Portage. No appointment necessary. Call 745-6405 for more information. Do not eat, smoke, drink caffeine or exercise for 30 minutes prior.

Library event: 10 a.m. Preschool Story Time, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Open to children ages 3 to 5. New and returning families are encouraged to register in advance. Todays theme is Puppy Love and will feature dog stories, songs, activities and a craft. An adult is required to stay in the Program Room with their child during story time. For more information call 742-4959 ext. 211; registration can also be done online at www.portagelibrary.us.

Senior meal: 11:30 a.m. Portage Area Senior Citizens Group, Municipal Building, 115 W. Pleasant St., Portage. The meal will be provided by the Columbia County Nutrition Center. If you wish to have a meal, call Lois Williams at 608-697-5800 by noon Tuesday to register. The cost is a cash donation which will be directly put back into the nutrition program. The meeting will start at noon with cards to follow.

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 Walmart. Call Bonny Oestreich, RN, at 608-234-0159 for information.

Writing workshop: 10:30 a.m. Portage Public Library Adult Services presents Palm of the Hand Memoir Writing Workshop, Heritage House, 2685 Airport Road, Portage. The public is welcome to join. This is a group that is all about memories and less about writing skills. We brainstorm ideas, share stories and spend some time in quiet reflection. This workshop runs on the third Wednesday of each month. More information can be found at: https://spiritblogs.uwc.edu/memoirs/. People of all abilities are welcome, whether you consider yourself a writer or not.

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, JAN. 19

Author event/book signing: 6:30 p.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. James Campbell will talk about his book, Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey Into The Alaskan Wilderness. Campbell, author of The Final Frontiersman and The Ghost Mountain Boys, is joined by his daughter, Aidan, to talk about his latest book, a powerful and affirming story of a fathers journey with his teenage daughter to the far reaches of Alaska.

Blood drive: Pardeeville Red Cross blood drive, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. St. Faustina Parish, 318 S. Main St., Pardeeville. Download the American Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767 to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required.

Ice Age Trail Alliance Lodi Valley Chapter: 7 p.m. Lodi Medical Clinic, 160 Valley Drive, Lodi. Join us to learn more about what is happening with the Ice Age Trail. For more information, call Joanna at 608-577-9984.

Library event: 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Toddler Thursday for children ages 18 to 36 months, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage.This week toddlers will have fun with froggies! with books, songs, activities and crafts.An adult is required to stay in the Program Room with their child during story time. For more information, call 742-4959 ext. 211; registration can be done online atwww.portagelibrary.us. Please pick only one time slot to attend.

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.

Portage Family Skate Park public meeting: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. All interested people are welcome to attend. Meetings will be held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Cancellations will be announced on our Facebook page. Call 608-742-4959 for more information.

FRIDAY, JAN. 20

Hope House support group: 1 to 2 p.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Has domestic violence touched your life in some way? Find connections with supportive individuals who have similar life experiences as you at Hope Houses newest support group. All are welcome. Held on the first and third Friday of the month. For more information, contact Katie Fluger, outreach advocate, at 608-356-9123.

Library event: 1 to 2 p.m. early release day from school Popcorn Celebration for kids in first through fifth grades, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Whether you like popcorn or not, kids will get their fill of the fluffy white snack using it to play games, make a bird feeder and mosaic, and learning how to pop the corn in a variety of ways. After all that, kids will enjoy a popcorn buffet. Registration is not required. For more information, call 742-4959 ext. 211.

Meet the Artist at Tivoli: Portage Center for the Arts at Tivoli presents The Paintings of Barb Sjoblom. Meet the artist and enjoy refreshments from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibit runs through March, and is free and open to the public. Tivoli is located at 2805 Hunters Trail, behind Divine Savior Healthcare in Portage.

Seniors Bowling Social: 1 p.m. Fireball Lanes, 817 E. Wisconsin St., Portage. Cost is $6 and includes three games of bowling and shoe rental.

Unique Singles: 5 p.m. Asian Cuisine, East Cook Street, Portage. All single men and women older than age 50 welcome. The group is strictly social with no dues or officers.
WISCONSIN DELLS  DeForest native Rebecca Starkenburg is the 2017 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs, Wisconsin State Fair officials announced Friday.

Starkenburg, 21, representing the Lodi Agricultural Fair, was selected from a field of 39 contestants from throughout the state at the 94th annual Wisconsin Association of Fairs Convention in Wisconsin Dells, held on Wednesday.

She will immediately begin serving a one-year term, which involves making appearances at fairs throughout the state and promoting the importance of Wisconsins fair and agriculture industries.

Its an incredible honor, said Starkenburg, a 2014 graduate of DeForest High School. For me to be the Fairest of the Fairs, Im so excited for the position and cant wait to get this year started.

Starkenburg is a junior at South Dakota State University, majoring in agriculture communications and minoring in animal science and meat science. She hopes to be in public relations in the meat industry.

Starkenburg has participated in the Lodi fair since she was 8 years old. She started out showing rabbits, then chickens, then sheep, also showing photography and school projects. While in college, Starkenburg traveled from South Dakota each summer to participate in the Lodi fair, she said. Her last year of eligibility was 2016.

I look forward the most to being able to travel and see other fairs, Starkenburg said. Im so excited to see how everyone else functions. You get to meet so many people and to hear them explain how they do things differently.

Whether for food or agriculture in general, its important to participate (in fairs) because you learn so much from exhibitors and judges. Its about learning something new and passing it on to the next generation.

Its my career. Its what drives me, its what inspires me, Starkenburg said of agriculture. Its absolutely amazing how broad its become and I cant wait to be a part of it more and more.

What surprise people the most about agriculture, Starkenburg said, is how advanced farmers and ranchers have become today. Now we use robotics to milk cows, theres biosecurity for hog farms  its (impressive) how advanced we are to do our jobs, to provide the best quality food we possibly can for consumers.

Starkenburg works for the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, volunteers at the Sioux Falls Sertoma Butterfly house and hosts a yearly free event on her family farm allowing the community to see and learn about their farm animals.

Starkenburg will serve as hostess of the 2017 Wisconsin State Fair, set for Aug. 3-13.

Rebecca has proven she will be an excellent ambassador for Wisconsins fair industry, Kathleen OLeary, CEO of Wisconsin State Fair Park, stated in a news release. I would like to congratulate all of the 2017 contestants, who showed great passion for fairs and the agriculture industry in Wisconsin, and wish them the best of luck in future endeavors.

Charitee Seebecker, 21, representing the Juneau County Fair, was named third runner-up. Shes a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville pursuing a degree in agriculture business.

The Wisconsin Association of Fairs represents all 76 Wisconsin county, district and state fairs. This year marked the 51st crowning of the Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs.
Garvin Kowalke was born in North Freedom in 1922 and raised on the family farm. He attended Green Valley country school, Which was about a three mile walk, I should say run, because I usually did it that way, he noted.

After graduating from the eighth grade, he started high school in North Freedom. After his freshman year, World War II broke out and he wanted to do his patriotic duty, so he presented himself to the enlistment board.

I had a real desire to be a pilot, said Kowalke, Planes were flying over from the Dells, they came over the farm, and I just loved airplanes. For some reason, I said, I think Ill go and be a pilot. So, I went to Madison and took the exam for pilot school. After I got through with the exam, there was a big master sergeant and he looked at my score and said Ill see you in about a year. I said Huh? Of course, being only a freshman, I didnt even know what the word geometry meant. So, I completely failed the algebra, the mathematics part of that exam.

Being the independent individual he was, Kowalke said he walked out the door and went next door and enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a private. After attending boot camp in New Orleans, his dreams were still to be a pilot; but his aptitude tests indicated that he would make a good mechanic, so he was sent to California to train as a crew chief on P38 airplanes. That was close enough.

When we hit Glendale, California, I started school as a P38 crew chief, said Kowalke. If he passed the final exam, he would qualify for pilot school.

Fortunately, Kowalke had a buddy who was a college graduate, and since he needed tutoring in math, his buddy agreed to teach him what he needed to pass the test. So I spent that year working on the P38s, and every night he and I sat down and we went through the books and I studied math, said Kowalke.

One night Kowalke and his buddy decided to enjoy the nightlife in town. Having enjoyed it a bit too much, they returned to base, barely able to navigate, and crawled into the sack. At 6 a.m., a runner woke Kowalke up and told him that he was expected to be at headquarters at 8 a.m. to retake the exam. The guys there, they pulled me out of the sack took me to the shower, cooled me off and got me dressed and everything; and at 8 oclock I headed in there for the exam.

My mental condition: I had no worries, nothing concerned me, I was able to concentrate, so I took the exam. I never went back to redo a question, I just went one, two, three, and I went through that exam in 3 hours, and that was a 4 hour exam. I took it back to the commander and gave it to him, and he said, I dont think Ill see you in another year, youre going to be in Africa.

Several hours later, the runner from headquarters returned and said, Hey, Kowalke, you got 95 on your exams, and in one week youre heading for your camp for air cadets.

After attending pilot school in Waco, Texas, Kowalke passed his final exam with flying colors. In July 1943, he said, Hey, Im a second lieutenant, and Im a pilot!

While he was an instructor pilot in Waco, Texas, he noticed a brand new B-29 at a nearby air show, and fell in love with the airplane. There she sat! They had a B-29, and that was the most beautiful piece of machinery that I had ever seen. This is it, I want to be a B-29 pilot, and I want to fly this girl. So, when he got back to Waco, he put in an application to transfer.

After more training, in early 1944, Kowalke was sent to Kansas, where he was assigned to a combat B-29 crew. He said, Now, the B-29 is an atomic weapons delivery system, and that was the training we were taking. In fact, wed spend our weekends in the hanger going over a training session with the atomic bomb itself. They had the models there and wed go through everything about it, its mounting and the delivery system, how its all wired, everything.

His first assignment was to Guam, where his crew flew over Japan from Nagasaki up to Hokkaido on night firebombing missions. Kowalke was co-pilot of the lead crew.

Our fifth mission, which was a dandy, said Kowalke, and I think that was the only mission where a B-29 had ever been looped!

We came in to hit Tokyo, and we were about in the middle of the formations. The other formations had dropped their firebombs out here and you keep dropping back. Well, when we came up to the target, the cloud from the bomb drops and the fire were already at 20,000 feet. We were flying at 11,000 and 12,000 feet, just high enough to be above the ground fire, and low enough and fast enough so that the ground fire wouldnt hit us.
MOSUL, Iraq (AP)  Iraqi special forces raised the Iraqi flag above buildings within the Mosul University complex Friday as they battled Islamic State militants for control of the city, according to senior Iraqi officers and the U.S.-led coalition.

The troops entered the university grounds in the morning hours and by afternoon they had taken control of a neighborhood on the northeastern edge of the university compound and the technical institute within the campus, according to special forces Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi.

By evening, Iraqi forces had also taken control of the Nineveh governorate and council buildings, according to a statement from the U.S.-led coalition.

Work still needs to be done but ISILs days in Mosul are quickly coming to an end, said U.S. army Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.

The push into Mosul University came a day after Iraqi army forces north of the city linked up with troops pushing in from the citys eastern edge. Iraqi forces have largely surrounded Mosul, but the most significant advances on the city have come from the eastern front and in the eastern half of the city. IS still controls Mosuls west.

The university, founded in the 1960s, was one of the top educational institutions in Iraq, drawing students from all over the country and reflecting the citys once diverse ethnic makeup.

As the security situation in Mosul deteriorated following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, enrollments declined.
The following companies are subsidiares of Ecolab: AO Ecolab, Abednego Environmental Services, Abednego Environmental Services LLC, Abednego Mexico Holdings LLC, Abednego de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alcide Corp., Anios America S.A., Anios Diffusion SAS, Anios Manufacturing SAS, Aqua Environmental Limited, Bioquell, Bioquell Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Bioquell Global Logistics (Ireland) Ltd., Bioquell Holding SAS, Bioquell Inc., Bioquell Limited, Bioquell SAS, Bioquell Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd., Bioquell Technology Canada Ltd., Bioquell UK Limited, Bro-Tech Limited, CALGON LLC, CID LINES NV, CID Lines, CID Lines Beijing Animal Hygiene Co Ltd., CID Lines France Sarl, CID Lines Iberica SL, CID Lines LLC, CID Lines Mexico S.A. DE C.V., CID Lines R&D NV, CID Lines Sp. z o. o., CORPAK MedSystems, Cascade Water Services, Champion Technologies, Chamtech L.L.C., Chemlawn, Chemstar Corporation, Cirlam BVBA, Copal Holding NV, Copal Invest NV, Cymru Holdings Limited, DERYPOL SA, DMD, E&M Bio-Chemicals LLC, ECOLAB NL 10 B.V., ECOLAB PEST FRANCE SAS, EPN Water Col Ltd., Ecolab (Antigua) Ltd., Ecolab (Aruba) N.V., Ecolab (Barbados) Limited, Ecolab (China) Investment Co. Ltd, Ecolab (Fiji) Pty Limited, Ecolab (GZ) Chemicals Limited, Ecolab (Guam) LLC, Ecolab (Proprietary) Limited, Ecolab (Schweiz) GmbH, Ecolab (St. Lucia) Limited, Ecolab (Taicang) Technology Co. Ltd., Ecolab (Trinidad and Tobago) Unlimited, Ecolab (U.K.) Holdings Limited, Ecolab A.E.B.E., Ecolab AB, Ecolab AU2 Pty Ltd, Ecolab Acquisition LLC, Ecolab ApS, Ecolab Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Ecolab B.V., Ecolab Bahrain S.P.C., Ecolab CDN 2 Co., Ecolab CDN 4 ULC, Ecolab CH 1 GmbH, Ecolab CH 2 GmbH, Ecolab CH 3 GmbH in Liquidation, Ecolab CH 6 GmbH, Ecolab Chemicals Limited, Ecolab Co. Compagnie Ecolab, Ecolab Colombia S. A., Ecolab DE 1 GmbH, Ecolab Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Digital Center Private Limited, Ecolab EOOD, Ecolab East Africa (Kenya) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Tanzania) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Uganda) Limited, Ecolab Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Ecolab Engineering GmbH, Ecolab Europe GmbH, Ecolab Export GmbH, Ecolab FR 1 SAS, Ecolab FR 4 SAS, Ecolab Finance Company Designated Activity Company, Ecolab Food Safety & Hygiene Solutions Private Limited, Ecolab G.K., Ecolab Global Business Services LLC, Ecolab GmbH, Ecolab Gulf FZE, Ecolab HK 1 Limited, Ecolab HK 2 Limited, Ecolab Hispano-Portuguesa S.L., Ecolab Holding Italy S.r.l., Ecolab Holdings (Europe) LLC, Ecolab Holdings Inc., Ecolab Holdings Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Ecolab Hygiene Kft., Ecolab Hygiene d.o.o., Ecolab International SDN BHD, Ecolab Israel Holdings LLC, Ecolab JVZ Limited, Ecolab Korea Ltd., Ecolab LLC, Ecolab LUX & Co Holdings S.C.A., Ecolab LUX 1 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 2 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 4 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 7 Sarl, Ecolab LUX Sarl, Ecolab Limited, Ecolab Ltd., Ecolab Lux 10 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 12 SCA, Ecolab Lux 13 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 14 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 15 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 16 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 17 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 9 Sarl, Ecolab Lux Partner LLC, Ecolab MT Holdings LLC, Ecolab MT Limited, Ecolab Malta 1 Limited, Ecolab Malta 2 Limited, Ecolab Malta GPS, Ecolab Manufacturing IE Limited, Ecolab Manufacturing Inc., Ecolab Manufacturing UK Limited, Ecolab Maroc Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, Ecolab NL 11 B.V., Ecolab NL 15 BV, Ecolab NL 16 B.V., Ecolab NL 23 B.V., Ecolab NL 3 BV, Ecolab Name Holding Limited, Ecolab New Zealand, Ecolab Peru Holdings S.R.L., Ecolab Pest Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Philippines Inc., Ecolab Production Belgium B.V., Ecolab Production France SAS, Ecolab Production Italy Srl, Ecolab Production LLC, Ecolab Production Netherlands B.V., Ecolab Production Poland sp. z o.o., Ecolab Pte. Ltd., Ecolab Pty Ltd., Ecolab Quimica Ltda., Ecolab S. de R.L. de C.V., Ecolab S.A., Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Ecolab SAS, Ecolab SIA, Ecolab SNC, Ecolab SRL, Ecolab Sdn Bhd, Ecolab Services Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Services Malaysia SDN. BHD., Ecolab Services Poland Sp. z o, Ecolab Sociedad Anonima, Ecolab Sp. z o, Ecolab Spain Services S.L.U., Ecolab Temizleme Sistemleri Limited Sirketi, Ecolab U.S. 2 Inc., Ecolab U.S. 6 LLC, Ecolab U.S. 7 LLC, Ecolab US 1 GP, Ecolab USA Inc., Ecolab Viet Nam Company Limited, Ecolab Water Holding LImited, Ecolab a.s., Ecolab d.o.o., Ecolab s.r.l., Ecolab s.r.o., Ecolab y Compania Colectiva de Responsabilidad Limitada, Ecolab-Importacao E. Exportacao Limitada, Ecolabone B.V., Ecolabtwo B.V., Endoclear Equipamentos Medicos Hospitalares Ltda., Enviroflo Engineering Limited, Food Protection Services, GCS Service, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd., GallayTrac Pty. Ltd., Georgia-Pacific - Paper Chemicals Business, Gibson Chemical Industries, Green Harbour Mainland Holdings Ltd, Henkel-Ecolab, Hicopla SL, Holchem Laboratories, Huntington Laboratories, Hydenet SAS, INTERNATIONAL WATER CONSULTANT B.V., Immobiliare R.E.O.P.A. SRL, Instrunet Hospital SLU, Jianghai Environmental Protection Co., Jianghai Environmental Protection Co. Ltd., KATAYAMA NALCO INC., Kay BV, Kay Chemical Company, LHS (UK) Limited, Laboratoires Anios, Laboratoires Anios S.A.S., Laboratoires Anios-Distribution SAS, Les Produits Chimiques ERPAC Inc., Lobster Ink, Lobster Ink Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Lobster International S.A., MOBOTEC AB LLC, Master Chemicals OOO, Meratech Rus Group LLC, Microtek Dominicana S.A., Microtek Italy S.R.L., Microtek Medical B.V., Microtek Medical Holdings, Microtek Medical Holdings Inc., Microtek Medical Inc., Microtek Medical Malta Holding Limited, Microtek Medical Malta Limited, Midland Research Laboratories, NALCO (SHANGHAI) TRADING CO. LTD., NALCO AB, NALCO ACQUISITION ONE, NALCO ACQUISITION TWO LIMITED, NALCO AFRICA (PTY.) LTD., NALCO ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., NALCO BELGIUM B.V., NALCO CHINA HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO COMPANY OOO, NALCO DANMARK APS, NALCO DE MEXICO S. de R. L. de C.V., NALCO DELAWARE COMPANY, NALCO DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, NALCO DUTCH HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO EGYPT LTD., NALCO EGYPT TRADING, NALCO ESPANOLA MANUFACTURING S.L.U., NALCO ESPANOLA S.L., NALCO EUROPE B.V., NALCO FINLAND MANUFACTURING OY, NALCO FINLAND OY, NALCO FRANCE SAS, NALCO FRANCE SNC, NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO HOLDING B.V., NALCO HOLDING COMPANY, NALCO HOLDINGS G.m.b.H., NALCO HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, NALCO HONG KONG LIMITED, NALCO INDUSTRIAL OUTSOURCING COMPANY, NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (NANJING) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (SUZHOU) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (THAILAND) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES CHILE LIMITADA, NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO INVESTMENTS U.K. LIMITED, NALCO ISRAEL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LTD, NALCO ITALIANA HOLDINGS S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA MANUFACTURING S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA SrL, NALCO KOREA LIMITED, NALCO LIMITED, NALCO MANUFACTURING BETEILIGUNGS GMBH, NALCO MANUFACTURING LTD., NALCO NETHERLANDS B.V., NALCO OSTERREICH Ges m.b.H., NALCO OVERSEAS HOLDING B.V., NALCO PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, NALCO PHILIPPINES INC., NALCO PORTUGUESA (QUIMICA INDUSTRIAL) UNIPESSOAL LDA, NALCO PWS INC., NALCO SAUDI CO. LTD., NALCO TAIWAN CO. LTD., NALCO TWO INC., NALCO U.S. HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO UNIVERSAL HOLDINGS BV, NALCO WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, NALTECH INC., NANOSPECIALTIES LLC, NLC PROCESS AND WATER SERVICES SARL, Nalco (BN) SDN BHD, Nalco (China) Environmental Solution Co. Ltd., Nalco Anadolu Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Nalco Canada ULC, Nalco Company LLC (1), Nalco Contract Operations LLC, Nalco Deutschland Manufacturing GmbH, Nalco Japan G.K., Nalco Libya, Nalco Middle East FZE, Nalco Polska Sp. z o. o., Nalco Production LLC, Nalco Real Estate GmbH, Nalco Schweiz GmbH, Nalco US 1 LLC, Nalco Wastewater Contract Operations Inc., Nalco Water India Private Limited, Nalco Water Pretreatment Solutions LLC, Nalco Worldwide Holdings S.a.r.l./B.V., National Wiper Alliance Inc., Nigiko, Nuova Farmec S.r.l., Oksa Kimya Sanayi A.S., Oy Ecolab AB, PT Ecolab International Indonesia, PT Ecolab Technologies and Services, Purate business - AkzoNobel, Purolite, Purolite (China) Co. Ltd., Purolite (Int.) Ltd, Purolite (Pty) Ltd, Purolite AG, Purolite GmbH, Purolite Ileri Kimyasal Ticaret Ltd, Purolite KK, Purolite LLC, Purolite Ltd, Purolite NZ Limited, Purolite Private Limited, Purolite Pte. Ltd., Purolite Pty Ltd, Purolite S. de R.L. de C.V., Purolite SAS, Purolite SRL, Purolite do Brasil Ltda, Purolite s.r.o., Purolite sp. z o.o., Purolite C Corporation, QazSorbent LLP, Quantum Technical Services LLC, Quimicas Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Quimiproductos S.A. de C.V, RP Adam Ltd, Research Fumigation Co., Royal Pest Solutions, Shield Holdings Limited, Shield Medicare Limited, Soluscope International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Soluscope SAS, Swisher Hygiene, TechTex Holdings Limited, Technical Textile Services Limited, Terminix, Ultrafab, VanBaele Hygiene AG, Wabasha Leasing LLC, Zhe Jiang Purosoft Home Appliances Sale Co Ltd, and vanBaerle Hygiene AG.

Read More
In Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, political scientist Robert Putnam cites research that points to the billions of dollars lost to American society, over a generation, when a large portion of our young adults are under-educated and under- or unemployed. These costs include literal costs to social welfare structures, as well as lost tax revenue.

In a recent article for Public Administration Review, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson extolled the value of the University of Wisconsin Systems Wisconsin Idea. Governor Thompson singled out the La Follette School at UW Madison when he wrote that ...graduates have the ability to critically analyze information, challenge assumptions and defend their positions. These skills and knowledge are the threads of a strong and vibrant society.

In an earlier book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Putnam wrote of the need for strong social capital in order to ensure the well-being of our communities. A key component of social capital is civic engagement.

What is the connection among Our Kids, Gov. Thompsons article, and Bowling Alone? How does the Wisconsin Idea manifest itself in the UW Colleges, leading to less burden on our states economy and strengthened social capital?

The UW Colleges is the transfer institution within the UW System. The colleges also awards an associates degree and an applied bachelors degree. By fulfilling each of these portions of our mission, the UW Colleges educates Wisconsin residents  95 percent of our enrollment comes from Wisconsin  preparing them for well-paying employment and, just as importantly, for support of their communities through civic engagement and leadership. The attributes Gov. Thompson ascribes to the La Follette School are central to how the UW Colleges educates and prepares students for the next stages of their educational and professional careers.

The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that for 2015, the national unemployment rates for holders of associates degrees and bachelors degrees were only 3.8 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively. Georgetown Universitys Center on Education and the Workforce reported in 2016 that 95 percent of the jobs created nationwide since the Great Recession have been filled by employees with more than a high school education. Wisconsins publicly funded higher education system helped our state post an unemployment rate of only 4.1 percent compared to 4.9 percent nationally in October 2016 (wisconsinjobcenter.org); these Wisconsin rates include all ages and levels of education.

State investment in the UW System supports Wisconsins public education infrastructure, making it possible for the UW Colleges to support our states civic, economic and social foundation. The partnership that the UW Colleges has with its host counties and municipalities further strengthens that foundation at the local level.

The UW Colleges is an essential component of the UW System, which is essential to Wisconsins ability to remain culturally, economically and socially strong. Through the Wisconsin Idea, the UW moves our state forward. Strong public support of the University of Wisconsin System is essential to the success of the UW Colleges, which are emblematic of the Wisconsin Idea and which help build strong social capital.

As our state moves into a new budget cycle, Wisconsin residents will face critical questions of how best to use our states fiscal resources. How will we fund initiatives to ensure that our state remains a vital place to live, work, and raise families? Where does publicly funded education  from K-12 through the baccalaureate degree and beyond  fit in this picture of strengthening our social capital, of preparing civically minded citizens, of cultivating tomorrows leaders? As our elected officials grapple with these questions, they will look to us, their constituents, for input.
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.
Tyler Technologies, Inc. provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector. The company operates in three segments: Enterprise Software; Appraisal and Tax; and NIC. It offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies or not-for-profit entities; utility billing systems for the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services; products to automate city and county functions, such as municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; and student information and transportation solutions for K-12 schools. The company also provides a suite of judicial solutions comprising court case management, court and law enforcement, prosecutor, and supervision systems to handle multi-jurisdictional county or statewide implementations, and single county systems; public safety software solutions; systems and software to automate the appraisal and assessment of real and personal property, as well as tax applications for agencies that bill and collect taxes; planning, regulatory, and maintenance software solutions for public sector agencies; software applications to enhance and automate operations involving records and document management; and data and insights solutions. In addition, it offers software as a service arrangements and electronic document filing solutions for courts and law offices; software and hardware installation, data conversion, training, product modification, and maintenance and support services; and property appraisal outsourcing services for taxing jurisdictions. The company has a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services for cloud hosting services. Tyler Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
Heard it said the other day that America is about to have its 45th president and first king. Whats undeniable is a new Gilded Age has dawned. Literally. We have a new president who modeled his gold-plated New York City penthouse after the Palace of Versailles in France, making a mansion as grand as the White House a big step down in terms of luxury.

Meanwhile, large segments of the nations population are feeling left behind, struggling to make ends meet and watching their standard of living erode. Places like Wisconsin have more than their share of people in this predicament. Wisconsin is to the nation what canaries are to coal miners. Whats been happening to Wisconsin is a signal that theres something toxic about current conditions in our country.

Wisconsin is a shadow of its former self. Once known as a beacon of clean and open government, that reputation is no longer deserved. Once an industrial powerhouse, the state now leads the nation in shrinkage of the middle class and is dead last in new business start-ups. Long known as Americas Dairyland, the state continues to lose farms at an alarming rate. Wisconsin ranks 49th in the nation in Internet speed and has crumbling roads, yet foolishly turned away well over a billion dollars in federal money that could have been used to modernize transportation in the state and expand access to everything from health care to 21st Century information and communications technologies.

Wisconsin proved crucial to Trumps election, providing him with a narrow victory in a state that hasnt gone for a Republican for president since 1984. Wisconsin voters didnt choose Trump because they liked him. He is deeply unpopular in the state. People in these parts have a reputation for Wisconsin nice. Nobody is too big for their britches. Nobody acts the way Trump acts and nobody treats people the way Trump treats them.

People here know there is something the matter with the man, something seriously wrong with him. They voted for him anyway because they are desperate. They chose him because they intensely disliked their choices in the election and voted for the candidate they believed was most likely to violently shake up a system they feel is rigged against them. They are hoping against hope for change.

Wisconsin has lost a lot, and its people are starving for a vision of what it can become. The kind of vision that invokes rural traditions like barn raisings to make the point that we are all in this together and need to be there for each other. A vision that speaks to the need to create an economy that is of the people, by the people and for the people . . . an economy where if you work you wont be poor. A vision that rejects failed feed-the-rich policies that make up what has been described as trickle-down economics but should rightly be called golden shower economics.

The times cry out for an unwavering commitment to creating living wages, making education as affordable and accessible for our kids and grandkids as past generations made it for us, and bringing high-speed Internet and mobile phone service to every doorstep in Wisconsin. A bright future for Wisconsin is one where no community should have to close a local school, where no small town should have to consider turning paved roads back into gravel because it cant afford to maintain the pavement, where no one anywhere should turn on a water faucet and be afraid to drink what comes out.

Wisconsin needs to dream. Dream about how to become Americas renewable energy capital. Dream about being a laboratory of democracy again. Dream about how to be first in the nation, like weve been so many times before.

Wisconsin is a shadow of its former self. Becoming great again will require the pioneering spirit we used to be known for. That spirit has been missing for some time now. Weve got so much more in us than we are showing today.

Mike McCabe, Madison, is the founder and president of Blue Jean Nation.




China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page
Albert T. Klyberg, left, poses for a photo with fellow historian Patrick Conley in 2014 as Klyberg was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
Remember Those Sunsets? December Calendar Photograph Winner Announced

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Jan 14th, 2017

The December winner of the Wonders of Wrexham 2018 Calendar photography competition has been revealed.

Amateur photographer Paul Capper captured a breathtaking photograph of the sunset at Hanmere Mere at the beginning of December.

The calendar competition, which encourages amateur photographers to capture images of Wrexham, was launched at the beginning of November following the news that North Wales is ranked fourth in the world of regions to visit.

Staff at the time thought it was only right that Wrexham celebrated its place in the world with a monthly snapshot record of the County Borough throughout the year.

Each month one photo will be chosen to be included in the corresponding month in the 2018 Calendar.

Paul, who is the second winner of the Wonders of Wrexham 2018 competition, said on hearing of his win: I was pleased to capture the moment so well but it was my daughter who actually sent it in as she had heard about the competition and Im very glad she did.

Across the county borough we have lots of beautiful areas and architecture that we should all be proud of and Im sure there are many more little gems out there for people to photograph.

Entries are now invited for January photographs with the winner being announced early February.

Cllr Bob Dutton, Lead Member for Corporate Services and Health and Safety, said: Its a beautiful photograph and I am so pleased that an amateur photographer managed to take such a wonderful photograph of one of the many stunning sunsets we had throughout December.

I know the judges were very impressed with the entries that have been received so far for the competition and are looking forward to seeing entries for January.

A little snow in Wrexham so far but that may change very soon so cameras at the ready.

The winning photographs will all be featured in a Wonders of Wrexham 2018 calendar.

Theres no prize except all 12 winners will receive copies of the Wonders of Wrexham 2018 calendar when it is produced in November 2017 with their photo and name attributed.

All profits from the sale of the calendar will be donated to the Mayors chosen charities.

Entries can be of anywhere in the county borough taken during the month of January and terms and conditions apply.

Photos should be submitted via email, full resolution preferred, to calendar@wrexham.gov.uk. Further information and terms and conditions are available on the Councils website at www.wrexham.gov.uk.

Last month Wrexham Council announced that an image of Bersham Woods Waterfall, captured by amateur photographer David Audsley, would feature for November in the Wonders of Wrexham 2018 calendar.
Detroit-area autoworkers are continuing to speak out against the impending elimination of a full shift, affecting 1,300 workers, at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck plant. The layoffs are set for March 5. In the meantime, workers are being subjected to the intermittent closure of the plant, which plays havoc with their lives and finances.

Most of those being laid off are workers with less than one year seniority, making them ineligible to collect supplementary unemployment benefits (SUB). Many quit jobs at other companies or even moved to Detroit from out of state to work at GM.

The job cuts at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant are part of a broader series of layoffs by GM and the other carmakers as the sales boom of recent years slows. GM is eliminating shifts at its Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant and at its Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan.

In December, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) closed its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) north of Detroit for retooling, forcing workers onto long term unemployment while the facility is changed over for production of the new Dodge Ram. Last July, FCA eliminated a full shift at the plant as it phased out production of the Chrysler 200 passenger car. The layoff forced 1,400 workers to seek transfers to other plants or go onto the unemployment rolls.

Workers at GM

Ford has also put on temporary shutdown several plants that build the F-150 pickup truck, which has been a top seller.

The layoffs are having a ripple effect in the Detroit area. Earlier this week, Focus: HOPE Companies announced plans to lay off 120 people who work for an auto parts supplier that is losing its contract with GM. The affected employees were contracted out to work for Android-Detroit LLC, which is a supplier for the Detroit-Hamtramck plant.

Last month, Android workers in Illinois staged a protest after the company shortchanged them on their final check, which was supposed to include accumulated vacation pay.

A veteran worker at GM Detroit-Hamtramck said that even workers with higher seniority were concerned over their jobs, feeling that more layoffs could follow. Many workers are transferring out, some going to the Romulus, Michigan plant, where there havent been layoffs.

You never know what will happen, especially with Trump taking office, the worker told the World Socialist Web Site. Workers are worried. I was once laid off for over two years.

If you dont have a lot of seniority, you have a problem. The younger workers, if they have less than one year, get nothing.

Even if they dont face permanent layoff, workers at the plant are struggling to maintain their finances amid the constant threat of temporary layoffs.

If we are laid off, we have to wait a week to file for unemployment benefits. Therefore, we will end up missing a check. And it is right after the holidays, so people spent more money. If you dont have a lot of money saved, you have got a problem, said the veteran worker.

If you make any mistakes on the unemployment forms you dont get paid. They ask too many questions. They want you to mess up.

An electrician said, I dont know how long its been since I worked just 8 hours, but they are still laying off. It doesnt seem right. I thought they had record profits.

I put in for a transfer to another plant, but we will see. I dont get SUB pay because I have been here less than one year.

On Thursday, a World Socialist Web Site campaign team visited the GM Detroit-Hamtramck plant and distributed copies of a statement calling for the formation of a rank-and-file committee to oppose the impending layoffs. It called on workers to reject the claim by the United Auto Workers union and GM that there was no money to preserve jobs, under conditions where management was spending billions on share buybacks to drive up the price of company stock.

Many workers stopped to take copies of the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and discuss the impact of the impending jobs cuts.

Younger workers, many of whom were hired in as temporary workers or contract workers, are going to be particularly hard hit. Many of those being laid off are employed by GM Subsystems LLC, supposedly an outside contractor, but in reality a front company for GM. These workers get substandard pay and benefits and do not accumulate companywide seniority.

A GM Subsystems worker told the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter, I worked at the Lake Orion GM plant for five years and was then laid off. After that I came here, and I am getting laid off again.

We make less money for doing the same work as the GM employees. As for profit-sharing, they cut us out. All we will collect are state unemployment benefits when we are laid off.

The UAW put us under a separate contract, and we are getting basically one-half of what the GM workers are getting paid. They lied to us and said we would be put in a hiring pool for GM. But they hired 700-800 people off the street and left us working at LLC.

Rob, a second-tier worker at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, said he had also transferred from Lake Orion. There has been a bad reaction to the layoffs, he said. The shutdown of the shift was a shock, everyone was blindsided. I dont think I will be laid off, but I am not sure. I could be bumped down or laid off.

The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter also contacted a senior worker at SHAP, who said she had been following the situation at GM. There were a lot of new workers there, she said. My girlfriends son was hired in. He got laid off over the holiday and I am not sure if he is going back.

She said the prolonged shutdown of SHAP was creating a great deal of hardship. People feel like they have no control. We dont know when we are coming back. Some workers SUB is running out. Some have gone to work at other plants. Everything is up in the air. People dont know what will happen.

The United Auto Workers has given its tacit support to the layoffs, issuing no statement except to say that the decision by GM was based on cost efficiency. Many workers contacted by the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter said they suspected the union had advance knowledge of the layoffs and chose to keep silent.

Rob said, I think workers know that they wont do anything. They are still saying nothing about it.

The veteran Detroit-Hamtramck worker said, The union is not for us. They are on the other side. This should not have happened. I think they knew this was going to happen.

She said because the UAW agreed to profit-sharing instead of raises, a large portion of workers pay ended up going to taxes. Last year it was $11,000, but $6,000 of that went for taxes. That was terrible. Then the UAW came and took a big chunk out of it for dues. They do what they want to do.
Less than three weeks after the terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, Justice Minister Heiko Maas (Social Democrats, SPD) and Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere (Christian Democrats, CDU) have agreed on a number of more restrictive laws targeting, above all, refugees and migrants. A dramatic expansion of deportation detention is planned, as well as a tightening of residency regulations for asylum seekers and the introduction of electronic tags for so-called potential threats.

The protective rule of law is the best answer to the hatred of the terrorists, Maas stated at the press conference following consultations with de Maiziere. Both ministers also got backing from Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), who announced on Monday that the government would rapidly draw the appropriate conclusions and really [show] its true colours on questions of internal security. In fact, the current tightening of regulations represents an assault on basic democratic principles and clears the way for the creation of thought crimes and the concept developed by Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt of enemy criminal law.

In total, Maas and de Maiziere have agreed on nine measures.

The restriction on detention pending deportation for those obliged to leave the country, among those who cannot be deported within three months, is to be lifted. As a result, any rejected asylum seeker could end up behind bars for up to 18 months even if they have committed no crime.

In addition, custody prior to departure, a form of internment ordered by a court to ensure the deportation of a refugee, is to be lengthened from the current maximum of four to 10 days. This measure, which was only established in July 2015, will also be used much more frequently. According to the wishes of de Maiziere, a large number of detention centres will be built close to airports. Refugees taken into custody prior to departure will be gathered there and deported.

Even more significant is the introduction of a new legal justification for detention pending deportation. Thus far, detention pending deportation, referred to legally as security detention, could only be ordered if a foreigner was obliged to leave and it could be proven that he or she wanted to avoid deportation. For this, the suspicion that someone poses a terrorist threat or a significant threat to security will be sufficient, as de Maiziere explained.

This refers to potential threats, a concept that has no legal basis. It actually refers to people whom the police or intelligence agencies suspect of representing a danger to public security, without any firm grounds for that suspicion existing. The Federal Criminal Agency (BKA) reportedly counts some 550 people as being potential threats, of whom less than half live in Germany. Only 62 of them are, in fact, obliged to leave the country.

The term potential threat was introduced in September 2001 under the anti-terrorism law implemented by then Interior Minister Otto Schily (SPD). In immigration law, Schily introduced the concept of a threat to public security as an additional reason for deportation. On the basis of a simple suspicion that someone supported a terrorist organisation and poses a threat to security, asylum applications could be automatically dismissed since this change.

Maas and de Maiziere are pushing this regulation to the limit by effectively removing the presumption of innocence for foreigners. They can now be detained for up to 18 months without having been legally convicted of a criminal act or even being suspected of a specific crime.

This thus amounts to the creation of a system of enemy justice, whose traditions go back to the jurist Carl Schmitt, who used it to provide juridical cover for the crimes of the Nazis, and finds its contemporary expression in the US prison camp in Guantanamo, Cuba.

Detention pending deportation is thus returning to its historic roots. It was first introduced into German law in May 1919 in Bavaria after the suppression of the Munich Soviet Republic. Detention pending deportation served at that time as a preventive measure against the activities of foreign socialists so as to block revolutionary upsurges. In 1938, the regulation was adopted word for word by the Hitler regime and written into the policing order on foreigners, where it survived beyond the end of the Nazi regime and remained as law in the Federal Republic until 1965.

The surveillance of threats by means of an electronic tag, agreed to by Maas and de Maiziere, leads in the same direction. Originally, the justice minister only wanted to use tags on criminals who had been convicted of terrorist crimes and released from custody. But instead, this drastic attack on personal freedom will be expanded to include the simple suspicion that a person could pose a threat.

However, criminologists and jurists question whether this will bring any benefit to security. The former president of the Constitutional Court in North Rhine-Westphalia, Michael Bertrams, views the electronic tag and the use of detention pending deportation on threats as a clear violation of Germanys Basic Law. He wrote in the Kolner Stadtanzeiger, The preventive detention or internment of threats, who are seen as innocent before the law, cannot be legitimised in a state under the rule of law. I doubt whether a law regulating this would pass judgement with the Federal Constitutional Court.

But this has not troubled the ministers for justice and the interior, whose offices are actually supposed to protect the constitution. On the contrary. Maas already signalled prior to the announcement that democratic rights ought to be jettisoned. He stated that confirmed threats who are obliged to leave must be deported as quickly as possible. To ensure the deportation of threats, we must take them into detention pending deportation. Detention pending deportation ought therefore to apply to threats in the future when their state of origin fails to cooperate with repatriation.

Additional legal changes agreed include the tightening of residency requirements for asylum seekers who make false claims about their identities. This will mainly affect civil war refugees unable to travel with identification documents or who were compelled by smugglers to dispose of them.

States refusing to accept rejected asylum seekers from Germany will face sanctions in the future, either by cutting development aid or increasing requirements for their citizens to obtain travel visas. Maas said at the press conference, We must increase the duties placed on countries of origin. We should not exclude the cutting of financial aid. It must be clear that whoever does not cooperate will be sanctioned.

The two ministers explicitly avoided dealing with the plans previously presented by de Maiziere to radically restructure Germanys security agencies by centralising them and to do away with the separation between the police and intelligence agencies. These demands, contained in his guidelines for a strong state, aim to transform Germany into a police state.

But this is how legal changes are enforced which do away with basic democratic rights, particularly for refugees and immigrants. The Berlin attack is being systematically exploited to place foreigners, refugees and immigrants from North Africa in particular under a cloud of suspicion and massively strengthen the state apparatus.

The deployment of police during New Years Eve in Cologne, which implemented personal checks on people based on their obviously non-German appearance and issued bans on them being present in the local area, was welcomed by all parties represented in parliament as a harsh but necessary measure to deal with allegedly aggressive foreigners willing to use violence.

In the case of Anis Amri, the police and intelligence agencies had close contact with the alleged Berlin attacker over a period of many months and knew a great deal about his intention to conduct a terrorist attack. The attack, which killed 12 and injured dozens more, occurred under the noses of the security agencies and raises the question as to whether Amri was allowed to strike in order to provide a justification for the reorganisation of the security authorities and a drastic restriction of basic democratic rights.

But virtually nobody is questioning this. The reason is that all of the political parties agree on the abolition of democratic rights, the expansion of surveillance and police powers, and the centralisation of the security agencies. This not only applies to the governing parties, but also to the Left Party and Greens.

After Green chairwoman Simone Peter was publicly savaged for her criticism of the Cologne police on New Years Eve, all party leaders are now demanding an expansion of video surveillance and an acceleration of deportations.

Left Party leader Sahra Wagenknecht has in the meantime adopted the slogans of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and blamed the influx of refugees for the Berlin attack. As she put it, Along with the uncontrolled opening of the borders, the police have also been cut to the breaking point, and no longer has the personnel or equipment appropriate to the threat level.
Geek Squad computer technicians working at electronics retailer Best Buy have conducted warrantless searches of customers devices as FBI informants, and were rewarded bounties shortly before turning in a device that contained child pornography, FBI records obtained in an on-going court case reveal.

Testimony in the case United States v. Mark A. Retenmaier revealed that since at least 2008, Best Buys Geek Squad computer technician teams have had at least one supervisor at its central repair facility in Kentucky that was an active FBI informant.

The case involves material which the FBI knew did not meet the legal definition of pornography, found under circumstances that render it impossible to ascertain who, when, and where the material was acquired, let alone whether or not the devices owner was even aware of its existence.

United States prosecutors in the case argue that customers who agree to Geek Squads data recovery service agreement, which stipulates that devices containing illicit material be turned over to law enforcement, are waiving their Fourth Amendment rights and thus may be subjected to baseless, warrantless searches and seizures by the government.

The FBI paid one such Geek Squad supervisor, Justin Meade, $500 in October 2011, two months before his subordinate, John Westphal, discovered allegedly inappropriate material that led to the investigation that is the subject of US v. Rettenmaier .

The FBI did not explain why they paid Meade, who denies any recollection of ever being paid by the FBI. Meade had been collaborating with the FBI since at least October 2008, and had been in regular contact with multiple FBI handlers.

One email sent by FBI Agent Jennifer Cardwell to Meade in October 2009 expressed interest in meeting to discuss some other ideas for collaboration. Other emails show Meade referring possible leads to FBI agents from devices sent to Best Buys main repair facility in Brooks, Kentucky from all across the country.

The FBI appears to be able to access data at [Best Buys Kentucky facility] whenever they want, said James Riddet, Rettenmaiers defense attorney, and apparently neither Best Buy nor the FBI bothers make a record of the access when it occurs.

The communications suggest that the FBI considers [Meade]  to be a partner in the ongoing effort of law enforcement to detect and prosecute child pornography violators, argues Riddet. Here it is very clear that Best Buy, and specifically the supervisor who reports its technicians discovery of inappropriate content on customers computers, are not only working together, but actually planning to conduct more such searches in the future.

The FBIs case against Rettenmaier, a California surgeon, began after Rettenmaier brought his desktop computer to Best Buy in November 2011 because it would not boot. Geek Squad informed him that he had a faulty hard drive, and that if he wanted to retain his files, his hard drive would need to be sent to Geek Squads data recovery center in Kentucky, which Rettenmaier agreed to.

John Westphal, a Geek Squad employee and FBI informant, then discovered allegedly inappropriate content on Rettenmaiers hard drive, which he reported to Meade. Meade then emailed a report to FBI Agent Tracey Riley, stating that We have another one out of California we want you to look at, when can you swing by? His supervisor at Best Buy, Randall Ratliff, was ccd on the email.

After Geek Squad repaired Rettenmaiers hard drive, the FBI seized it and conductedwithout a warranttwo deeper scans into the unallocated space of the hard drive, which is disk space that is designated as available to store new information. Any data in unallocated space cannot be accessed without use of forensic software.

Intact data can be retrieved or carved out, but it is impossible to ascertain solely from the carved data who, when, where, and how the data was acquired in the first place, leaving open the possibility that the data was planted by malware without the users knowledge. A federal appellate court ruled unequivocally in February 2011 that data found on unallocated space cannot constitute knowing possession.

The first of the two intensive searcher was done by former FBI agent Adam Keown using osTriage, forensic software which is incapable of carving images. The prosecutors representing the United States claim that Keowns search was unsuccessful, and therefore no search records exist to produce to the court.

The second search, using more sophisticated software, carved an image of a nude girl kneeling on a bed. FBI Agent Cynthia Kayle admitted worryingly in an email to fellow FBI Agent Michael Osborn that our [United States Attorney] wont charge on carved images, and discussed how to present the findings to federal magistrate judge Anne Gannon.

FBI Agent Riley, aware that the image did not meet the legal requirements for pornography, proceeded to request a search warrant from Gannon, while neglecting to mention the image was retrieved from unallocated space. Gannon agreed to authorize a federal search warrant of Rettenmaiers home and hard drive in February 2012, based on Rileys description of the image. The FBI raided Rettenmaiers home later that month.

When you boil it all down and you put all the facts together, there is no probable cause, said Riddet.

The prosecution argues that the email exchange between Agent Kayle and Agent Osborn is irrelevant, that any testimony from Gannon on what Agent Riley reported to her would be cumulative and so not reveal anything new, and that any communication between Meade and any FBI agents not working on the investigation against Rettenmaier is irrelevant.

The FBI agents have claimed to be unable to recall specific details on communications with Geek Squad informers.

District Court Judge Cormac J. Carney, unimpressed by the memory loss suffered by the prosecution, has ordered a new diligent search for evidence and compelled Gannons future testimony on whether she saw the image before approving the search warrant.

The case has now stretched over twenty-six months and the FBI has, so far, been unable to prove that Rettenmaier knowingly possessed child pornographyor even knowingly possessed that single carved image which does not meet the legal definition of child pornography.

On the other hand, the FBI has deliberately seized and operated at least two dozen child pornography sites in the past two years in order to deploy malware to infect and track at least 8,000 computers in 120 countries.
Blog Archive Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (3) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (4) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (2) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (3) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (1) May 26 (4) May 25 (2) May 24 (3) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (3) May 19 (5) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (4) May 08 (2) May 07 (3) May 06 (4) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (4) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (3) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (5) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (3) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (5) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (5) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (7) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (4) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (2) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (3) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (5) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (2) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (4) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (4) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (4) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (3) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (3) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (2) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (2) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (3) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (4) May 28 (4) May 27 (3) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (6) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (5) May 11 (4) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (6) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (5) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (8) Mar 11 (6) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (5) Mar 03 (7) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (4) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (7) Feb 21 (4) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (7) Feb 03 (9) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (6) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (6) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (5) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (7) Jan 13 (7) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (8) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (6) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (7) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (5) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (6) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (6) Dec 02 (4) Dec 01 (5) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (4) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (7) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (5) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (6) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (8) Nov 09 (8) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (6) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (8) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (6) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (4) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (5) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (3) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (3) Sep 11 (3) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (5) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (4) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (5) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (4) Aug 07 (3) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (3) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (4) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (5) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (4) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (5) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (4) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (5) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (3) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (3) May 28 (4) May 27 (5) May 26 (7) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (3) May 19 (5) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (4) May 14 (4) May 13 (5) May 12 (4) May 11 (5) May 10 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (3) May 07 (6) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (6) May 03 (4) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (7) Apr 20 (6) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (7) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (4) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (5) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (5) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (6) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (5) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (3) Feb 29 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (5) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (2) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (4) Feb 14 (4) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (5) Feb 05 (5) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (2) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (4) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (1) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (4) Dec 01 (5) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (5) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (5) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (1) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (4) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (4) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (5) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (4) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (4) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (1) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (4) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (3) Jun 06 (4) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (4) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (4) May 27 (6) May 26 (3) May 25 (3) May 24 (3) May 23 (3) May 22 (5) May 21 (3) May 20 (3) May 19 (3) May 18 (4) May 17 (3) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (4) May 13 (4) May 12 (5) May 11 (2) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (3) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (3) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (5) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (2) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (6) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (7) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (5) Feb 21 (5) Feb 20 (5) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (6) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (6) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (6) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (4) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (4) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (3) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (5) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (7) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (5) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (4) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (5) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (6) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (5) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (4) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (5) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (6) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (3) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (5) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (5) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (7) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (4) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (6) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (6) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (4) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (4) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (5) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (5) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (4) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (5) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (3) May 24 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (5) May 18 (6) May 17 (6) May 16 (4) May 15 (4) May 14 (5) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (4) May 10 (5) May 09 (2) May 08 (4) May 07 (4) May 06 (4) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (6) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (6) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (5) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (7) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (5) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (6) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (5) Feb 24 (8) Feb 23 (7) Feb 22 (8) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (6) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (5) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (4) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (7) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (6) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (5) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (7) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (5) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (7) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (6) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (7) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (6) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (7) Dec 03 (6) Dec 02 (4) Dec 01 (4) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (7) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (5) Nov 13 (5) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (7) Nov 10 (6) Nov 09 (7) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (7) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (7) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (6) Oct 23 (10) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (5) Oct 19 (5) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (6) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (5) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (6) Oct 09 (8) Oct 08 (6) Oct 07 (5) Oct 06 (4) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (6) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (6) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (6) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (6) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (7) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (6) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (6) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (5) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (5) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (7) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (4) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (4) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (5) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (6) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (4) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (3) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (5) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (8) May 26 (7) May 25 (7) May 24 (5) May 23 (2) May 22 (5) May 21 (4) May 20 (5) May 19 (5) May 18 (5) May 17 (5) May 16 (7) May 15 (7) May 14 (7) May 13 (5) May 12 (6) May 11 (8) May 10 (4) May 09 (6) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (5) May 05 (6) May 04 (7) May 03 (7) May 02 (8) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (6) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (8) Apr 22 (6) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (7) Apr 18 (7) Apr 17 (8) Apr 16 (5) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (9) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (8) Apr 11 (5) Apr 10 (10) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (5) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (7) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (7) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (7) Mar 10 (6) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (7) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (7) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (9) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (7) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (5) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (7) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (5) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (10) Feb 02 (9) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (9) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (7) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (5) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (5) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (5) Dec 25 (6) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (6) Dec 19 (10) Dec 18 (9) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (6) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (6) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (8) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (7) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (9) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (7) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (12) Nov 17 (8) Nov 16 (6) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (11) Nov 13 (11) Nov 12 (9) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (7) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (6) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (7) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (7) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (7) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (7) Oct 22 (7) Oct 21 (6) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (7) Oct 18 (6) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (6) Oct 13 (7) Oct 12 (5) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (8) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (7) Oct 05 (8) Oct 04 (6) Oct 03 (8) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (10) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (10) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (5) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (6) Sep 18 (6) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (6) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (10) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (8) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (6) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (6) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (5) Aug 25 (9) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (9) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (6) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (6) Aug 12 (5) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (9) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (6) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (7) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (8) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (9) Jul 25 (9) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (9) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (7) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (7) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (6) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (7) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (5) Jun 22 (7) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (6) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (7) Jun 12 (8) Jun 11 (5) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (7) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (4) May 29 (5) May 28 (1) May 27 (5) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (8) May 23 (8) May 22 (7) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (9) May 18 (5) May 17 (9) May 16 (7) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (13) May 11 (5) May 10 (7) May 09 (6) May 08 (8) May 07 (9) May 06 (6) May 05 (5) May 04 (2) May 03 (6) May 02 (7) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (6) Apr 26 (10) Apr 25 (7) Apr 24 (5) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (6) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (10) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (5) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (7) Mar 26 (9) Mar 25 (11) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (6) Mar 22 (8) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (2) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (7) Mar 10 (8) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (6) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (2) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (6) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (9) Feb 23 (12) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (5) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (9) Feb 16 (10) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (9) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (7) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (6) Jan 31 (10) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (8) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (10) Jan 19 (8) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (7) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (6) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (7) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (2) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (6) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (8) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (8) Dec 16 (7) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (7) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (6) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (7) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (8) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (6) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (6) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (6) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (5) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (7) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (5) Oct 19 (5) Oct 18 (6) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (6) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (6) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (6) Oct 06 (6) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (8) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (4) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (6) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (7) Sep 17 (6) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (8) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (8) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (6) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (5) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (7) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (5) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (7) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (8) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (2) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (8) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (2) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (1) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (2) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (5) May 27 (1) May 26 (1) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (1) May 22 (2) May 21 (2) May 20 (3) May 19 (3) May 18 (2) May 17 (2) May 16 (2) May 15 (3) May 14 (2) May 13 (2) May 12 (2) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (2) May 08 (3) May 07 (2) May 06 (2) May 05 (2) May 04 (2) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (2) Apr 30 (1) Apr 29 (2) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (2) Apr 26 (2) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (4) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (2) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (2) Apr 15 (2) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (2) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (2) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 29 (2) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (2) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (2) Mar 23 (2) Mar 22 (1) Mar 21 (1) Mar 20 (2) Mar 19 (2) Mar 18 (2) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (2) Mar 14 (2) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (2) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (2) Mar 07 (1) Mar 06 (2) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (2) Mar 01 (1) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (1) Feb 25 (1) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (2) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (2) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (1) Feb 14 (1) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (2) Feb 11 (1) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (1) Feb 08 (1) Feb 07 (1) Feb 06 (1) Feb 05 (5) Feb 03 (1) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (1) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (6) Dec 14 (4) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (5) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (6) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (5) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (6) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (2) Aug 06 (2) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (2) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (6) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (4) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (2) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (2) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (1) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (2) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (5) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (4) May 13 (9) May 12 (4) May 11 (5) May 10 (5) May 09 (4) May 08 (3) May 07 (5) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (1) May 02 (5) May 01 (7) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (3) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (3) Apr 14 (4) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (1) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (4) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (6) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (4) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (4) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (4) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (4) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (5) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (2) Dec 29 (2) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (2) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (6) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (4) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (2) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (4) Nov 15 (6) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (2) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (2) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (4) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (7) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (2) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (5) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (2) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (6) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (6) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (8) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (2) May 29 (2) May 28 (2) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (3) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (2) May 18 (3) May 17 (3) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (5) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (3) May 10 (4) May 09 (4) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (2) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (2) May 02 (3) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (7) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (7) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (5) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (6) Mar 18 (6) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (5) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (9) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (3) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (2) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (2) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (2) Jan 04 (2) Jan 03 (2) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (2) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (2) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (2) Nov 21 (2) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (2) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (2) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (2) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (2) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (2) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (2) Aug 25 (2) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (2) Aug 12 (2) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (2) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (2) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (2) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (2) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (2) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (2) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (2) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (2) Jul 03 (2) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (2) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (2) Jun 15 (2) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (2) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (7) May 16 (2) May 15 (2) May 14 (4) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (3) May 08 (2) May 07 (2) May 06 (2) May 05 (1) May 04 (2) May 03 (4) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (1) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (2) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (2) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (2) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (2) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (1) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (2) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (1) Mar 07 (1) Mar 04 (2) Mar 02 (2) Feb 28 (1) Feb 24 (1) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (2) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (5) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (5) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (1) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (3) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (3) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (2) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (2) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (2) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (1) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 18 (1) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (1) Sep 15 (2) Sep 14 (2) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 11 (2) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (1) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (2) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (6) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (6) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (4) May 29 (4) May 28 (5) May 27 (5) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (5) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (3) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (6) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (7) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (8) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (4) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (7) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (5) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (3) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (2) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (4) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (8) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (2) Jun 21 (1) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (7) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (4) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (4) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (3) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (2) May 20 (3) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (2) May 14 (6) May 13 (4) May 12 (2) May 11 (3) May 10 (2) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (2) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (2) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (2) Apr 14 (4) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (4) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (2) Jan 15 (2) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (2) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (2) Dec 29 (2) Dec 28 (2) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (1) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (1) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (1) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (2) Dec 10 (2) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (1) Dec 05 (2) Dec 04 (1) Dec 03 (2) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (2) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (1) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (1) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (2) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (1) Nov 16 (1) Nov 15 (1) Nov 14 (1) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (1) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (1) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (1) Nov 03 (1) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (2) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (2) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (1) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (1) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (1) Oct 03 (2) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (1) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (1) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (2) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 14 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (3) Sep 11 (1) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (2) Sep 08 (2) Sep 07 (1) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (2) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (1) Aug 13 (1) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Aug 03 (2) Aug 01 (1) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (1) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (1) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (2) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (1) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (2) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (1) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (2) Jul 09 (5) Jul 08 (1) Jul 07 (1) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (1) Jul 03 (2) Jul 01 (1) Jun 30 (1) Jun 29 (2) Jun 28 (2) Jun 27 (2) Jun 25 (2) Jun 24 (1) Jun 23 (2) Jun 22 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (3) Jun 12 (1) Jun 11 (1) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 05 (1) Jun 04 (1) Jun 03 (1) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (1) May 27 (2) May 25 (2) May 24 (1) May 23 (2) May 22 (1) May 21 (1) May 20 (2) May 19 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (2) May 14 (1) May 13 (1) May 11 (2) May 10 (2) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 06 (1) May 05 (1) May 04 (1) May 03 (3) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 29 (1) Apr 28 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (2) Apr 17 (1) Apr 15 (1) Apr 13 (1) Apr 10 (2) Apr 08 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (1) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 24 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 21 (1) Mar 20 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (1) Mar 14 (2) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (1) Mar 04 (1) Mar 03 (2) Mar 02 (2) Mar 01 (2) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (1) Feb 26 (1) Feb 25 (1) Feb 23 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (1) Feb 02 (1) Jan 31 (1) Jan 22 (1) Jan 18 (1) Jan 16 (1) Jan 09 (1) Jan 01 (1) Dec 20 (2) Dec 15 (1) Dec 13 (1) Dec 11 (1) Nov 30 (1) Nov 27 (1) Nov 20 (1) Nov 11 (1) Nov 10 (1) Oct 23 (1) Oct 20 (1) Oct 01 (1) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (1) Sep 24 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 02 (2) Aug 31 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (2) Aug 24 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (1) Aug 18 (3) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 11 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 03 (1) Jul 27 (1) Jul 26 (1) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (1) Jul 21 (1) Jul 19 (1) Jul 15 (1) Jul 14 (1) Jul 13 (3) Jul 10 (1) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (1) Jul 06 (1) Jul 03 (1) Jul 01 (1) Jun 28 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 19 (1) Jun 18 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (2) Jun 11 (1) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 06 (1) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (3) May 30 (1) May 29 (1) May 28 (2) May 26 (1) May 25 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (1) May 15 (1) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (2) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 12 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1)
The sudden January 9 resignation of Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein leader and Northern Irelands Deputy First Minister, has provoked a political crisis. If he is not replaced, then his Unionist counterpart is forced from office as well, the result of a power-sharing stipulation set by the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

Sinn Fein has made clear it will not nominate a replacement for the suddenly ailing McGuinness. Northern Ireland is therefore set, at the very least, for weeks of direct British rule and a new general election that has been described by outgoing First Minister Arlene Foster of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) as likely to be brutal.

In his resignation letter to the speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont, McGuinness bitterly complained of the DUPs crude and crass bigotry and the British governments refusal to honour agreements or to resolve the issues of the part while imposing austerity and Brexit against the wishes and best interests of people here.

This was the backdrop, McGuinness continued, against which the current scandal over the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has emerged, which has led to enormously damaging pressure on our public finances and a crisis of confidence in the political institutions.

Foster, who is at the centre of the RHI scandal, has, according to McGuinness, refused to recognise public anger or to exhibit any humility, which was inflicting enormous damage on the Executive, the Assembly and the entire politic.

RHI is a British government scheme under which enterprises switching to bio-mass fuel sources can claim subsidies on their fuel bills for up to 20 years. In Northern Ireland, the scheme was rolled out, when Foster was in charge of the Department for Enterprise Trade and Investment, with none of the cost limits in force in mainland Britain. As a consequence, RHI in Northern Ireland has become an enormous boondoggle for farms and businesses.

Nearly 500 million appears to have been handed out before the project was exposed by a whistle blower. Thereafter, the DUP has been attempting to cover its tracks over what, according to Colum Eastwood, the leader of the opposition Social Democratic and Labour Party, is the biggest finance scandal in the history of devolution.

The DUP has been accused of delaying closure of the scheme, has refused to allow a list of its major donors to be reconciled with beneficiaries of the scheme, and has refused a public inquiry.

The RHI scandal is only the latest in a string of corruption scandals around the DUP, the hardline unionist party founded by the late Protestant evangelical demagogue, the Reverend Ian Paisley, and which has been sharing power in Northern Ireland with Sinn Fein since 2007.

In 2010, Paisleys replacement, then First Minister Peter Robinson, temporarily stood down while allegations surrounding his wife Iris were investigated. In 2012, Robinson was accused of protecting a now defunct housing outfit, Red Sky, over a maintenance contract. Robinson finally stepped aside in 2015 with allegations swirling around him over so-called Namagate, concerning sale of a vast property portfolio held by the Irish governments bad bank, the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), set up in the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse.

Over this entire period, Sinn Fein, and McGuinness in particular, has doggedly defended power-sharing and their relationship with the DUP, for whom they have systemically covered.

Despite their mildly left rhetoric in the South, in the North, the bourgeois nationalists of Sinn Fein have been at great pains to present themselves as a responsible party of capitalist government whose greatest concern is to ensure the political stability necessary to attract investment capital. In coalition with the bigots of the DUP, Sinn Fein has imposed one austerity measure after another on the working class, with both parties ignoring the stack of unresolved murders, allegations and deep suspicions of 30 years of the Troubles to manipulate and inflame tensions as and when required.

This time around, Sinn Fein again did their best to prop up Foster until the last possible moment, prevaricating on the need for an independent inquiry into cash for ash and refusing to call for her resignation when she defied assembly rules in attempting to cover her tracks. Foster was even opposed from within the DUP, when former Stormont Minister Jonathan Bell accused the DUP of attempting to cleanse the record regarding their efforts to keep RHI going.

Two factors, besides what appears to be a very rapid decline in McGuinness health, have made it impossible for Sinn Fein to carry on as before.

First is the growth of social inequality. Northern Ireland remains significantly poorer than the rest of the UK, and as everywhere else in both Britain and Ireland, inequality is sharply deepening. In 2013-14, according the Northern Ireland governments own figures, over one year the poorest 20 percent of the population saw their income fall by 6 percent, while the richest 20 percent got richer by the same amount. Some 101,000 children of a population of only 1.8 million are living in poverty, as are 63,000 pensioners. In 2014, 22 percent of the total population, 395,100, were in poverty, an increase of one percent in one year.

This has led to an erosion of support for all of the leading parties. The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, displaced by the DUP as the leading unionist party in the aftermath of power sharing, Mike Nesbitt, complained in the Belfast Telegraph, Stormont is held in contempt by a large part of our population.

Nesbitt pointed to a steady decline in the proportion of eligible voters casting ballots, from 70 percent in 1998 to 55 percent last year. Cash for ash does not sit well with ever lengthening NHS waiting lists, Troubles victims seeking pensions to compensate for lost life opportunities and the elderly facing the winter dilemma of heat or eat, he said.

This has particularly impacted Sinn Fein, who have been losing support to the pseudo-left People Before Profit alliance. Since 2016 the alliance have had two members in the Northern Ireland Assembly, led by Eamonn McCann of the Socialist Workers Party.

Looming over events is Brexit, which is likely to dominate any election. Northern Ireland, which voted to remain in the European Union, is likely to be badly hit by the economic impact of Brexit, which the DUP and People Before Profit support and which all the other parties, including the UUP, oppose.

As the recipient of considerable EU regional subsidies, and sharing a border with the Republic of Ireland, which will remain in the EU, Northern Ireland faces a long period of uncertainty, a loss of funding and, despite all the protestations from the British government and the DUP, an economically problematic border of some form with the South. The impact will be all the greater if, as seems increasingly likely, the Westminster government is forced into a hard Brexit involving exit from the Single Market, or even a complete collapse of relations with whatever remains of the EU.

Sinn Feins decision to force an election about the time when the British government triggers the Article 50 process to leave the EU appears therefore to be a gamble, in conditions of deep class tensions, on utilising the Brexit and RHI crises to strengthen its own position on both sides of the borderpossibly even paving the way for a referendum on unification as provided for under the Good Friday Agreement.

It is in this context that the Irish Times reported that an unnamed senior Sinn Fein source suggested that the party could live without Stormont because the cash for ash crisis will serve the partys all-Ireland ambitions.

In line with this, just before McGuinness resignation, the minority Irish governments chief whip, Fine Gaels Regina Doherty, broke ranks with her party by publicly stating she was open to forming a coalition with Sinn Fein. For his part, right-wing, pro-austerity Irish Taoiseach, Fine Gaels Enda Kenny, has repeatedly stated that Brexit offers an uncomplicated route to Irish unification.
Millions of disabled people face being locked out of the Australian governments National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and left to receive negligible or inadequate assistance. This includes more than 200,000 people with severe mental illnesses who have a primary diagnosis of a psychosocial disability.

Now being rolled-out nationally, the NDIS is a voucher-based plan launched by the previous Labor government in 2012, designed from the recommendations of a 2011 Productivity Commission report.

While the corporate media and the entire political establishment presented the NDIS as a progressive and compassionate reform, the recommendations focused on cost-cutting and privatising measures. These included the closure of all state-run and government disability support programs, and their replacement by services offered, on a market basis, by profit-making or non-government operators, a process already underway.

Labor, which lost office in 2013, also instigated a related drive to push about half, or 400,000, Disability Support Pension (DSP) recipients off the pension, with a heavy emphasis on shifting disabled people into low-paid work.

Part of the plan was to limit the number of NDIS participants to 490,000. This is dramatically below the number of people living with a disability in Australia which is, according to a Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2015 report, one in five Australians, or 4.3 million people.

Most of those, 78.5 percent, report living with a physical disability, while the remaining 21.5 percent report mental health or behavioural problems. The Productivity Commission limited the number of people with severe mental illness permitted to access the NDIS to just 57,000. The NDIS has since capped the number from this category to 64,000 by 201920.

According to unpublished findings from the National Mental Health Service Planning Framework, reported in the Australian, of those identified by the 2015 ABS survey, at least 290,000 require ongoing psychiatric and community support for mental health problems. Of this group, at least 100,000 have lost or are losing all support services as the NDIS rolls out.

Mental health programs and facilities have been chronically-underfunded for years, leaving many in need unable to obtain help and support. This social crisis will now worsen.

Among the programs on which those with mental illness currently rely are the federally-funded Personal Helpers and Mentors program (PHaMs) and the Mental Health Carers Respite scheme, each worth about $200 million annually. Over the next three years, they will be shut down, despite large waiting lists.

The acting CEO of the Anglicare charity in Tasmania, Darryl Lamb, said that by its estimates at least 30 to 40 percent of those current receiving support via its delivery of PHaMs program in that state will be ineligible for the NDIS.

Since the NDIS rollout began nationally last July, there has already been a significant impact in the areas initially targeted. In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the quota of 5,075 NDIS places was filled in just three months. More than 2,000 others, particularly those with serious mental health conditions, have been told they cannot access the scheme unless a person dies or their circumstances change.

The federally-funded Partners in Recovery (PIR) program in the ACT supports around 160 people with severe and persistent mental illness, but only 20 to 30 participants were determined to be eligible for the NDIS. This was compounded in December by the closure of The Rainbow, a psychosocial rehabilitation program in the ACT that provided outreach and community support, as well as supported accommodation, for those with acute psychiatric disorders.

Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT executive officer Simon Viereck said there had been an expectation that all of those accessing PIR would be eligible. He told the media there was now great uncertainty about the future for those denied help.

Similar concerns are being expressed across the country. Connie Digolis from the Mental Health Council of Tasmania told the media: As were starting to understand more about the criteria and how people are being assessed for their eligibility, then were starting to see figures that are suggesting perhaps 90 percent of people with a mental illness who are currently receiving services may not qualify for NDIS. Many of those excluded may end up becoming more ill.

The Turnbull Liberal-National government has denied there are problems. A Department of Social Services representative said there was no evidence from the trial sites of inaccurate forecasts of people with psychosocial disability. Any of our Commonwealth clients who are not eligible for the NDIS will receive continuity of support, she said.

This continuity of support is to be delivered in the NDISs second-tier program, which the Productivity Commission predicted would affect four million people with a disability. Entitled Information, Linkages and Capacity (ILC), this arm of the NDIS is slated for roll out from this year with paltry funding of just $132 million over four years, which is estimated to equate to around $8 per person in need, per year.

The treatment of the mentally-ill is a graphic expression of the pro-business agenda behind the NDIS, which is designed to outsource and cut services, as part of a wider drive to slash welfare and social programs. It was announced by the Gillard Labor government in 2012 alongside similar reforms, including cuts to aged pension and sole parent payments.

The author also recommends:

Australia: New disability scheme to cut long-term costs

[21 February 2014]
With the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump only days away, the Obama administration announced on Thursday a vast expansion of the spying power of American intelligence agencies. Under the new rules, the National Security Agency (NSA) can now share raw bulk data consisting of private communications with 16 other intelligence agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

In response to the recent rules set forward by the Obama administration, NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Tweeted on Thursday, As he hands the White House to Trump, Obama just unchained NSA from basic limits on passing raw intercepts to others.

Previously, NSA analysts were required to sift out information they judged irrelevant and withhold the names of individuals deemed innocent before passing along information to other agencies. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch signed the new rules, which grants multiple agencies access to raw signals intelligence information, on January 3. The director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., approved the measure on December 15, 2016.

Executive Order 12333, enacted into law by the Ronald Reagan administration and then expanded by the George W. Bush administration, serves as the quasi-legal basis for much of the NSAs vast surveillance dragnet. Through it, the NSA gathers information from around the world via phone and internet servers and connections, from sites such as Google, and consumes entire phone call records from whole countries and monitors satellite transmissions.

In 2014, The Intercept disclosed that the NSA used Order 12333 to search over 850 billion phone and internet records and amass raw, unfiltered information on the activities of millions of American citizens.

The new rules stipulate the NSA to share explicit surveillance information and feeds to different agencies only if the information is deemed pertinent to that agencys surveillance operations.

Agencies may be granted access if they intend to use the raw bulk data for foreign intelligence or counterintelligence investigations, and if an American citizen is found to be an agent working for a foreign country. In other words, agencies will use the raw data to spy on foreign individuals across the globe and American citizens in the United States.

In an attempt to present some kind of checks and balances to its new sharing capacities, according to the New York Times, the NSA will only grant agencies access to information it deems reasonable after considering factors like whether large amounts of Americans private information might be included and, if so, how damaging or embarrassing it would be if that information were improperly used or disclosed.

This will do nothing. Given that the personal information of millions upon millions of people has already been amassed and carefully combed through by the NSA and other intelligence agencies, it is unlikely any agency will be denied access.

In short, raw data previously investigated by the NSA will be thrown open to 16 other agencies, with entire personal information of millions of people exposed to and combed through by the CIA, FBI, and other agencies.

Perhaps most significant, under the new rules, any incriminating information of American citizens will be sent to the Justice Department, setting forth a wave of possible new accusations and investigations for thousands of people, if not more.

The Obama administration has sought to downplay the significant dangers of the new rules. Robert S. Litt, the general counsel to Clapper, stated, This is not expanding the substantive ability of law enforcement to get access to signals intelligence. It is simply widening the aperture for a larger number of analysts, who will be bound by the existing rules.

In reality, this is another step in the attack against democratic rights and a turn towards more authoritarian forms of rule, which has characterized the legacy of outgoing president Barack Obama.

During the last eight years, Obama has not only continued the illegal spying on billions of people around the world, but has dramatically increased it.

In May 2011, Obama signed three provisions of the widely-hated USA Patriot Act. Under the new provisions, spy agencies were granted access to using roving wiretaps, the authorization to intercept all communications of suspects; unlimited access to business, purchases, and travel records of suspects; and the surveillance of individuals with no suspected connections to foreign organizations.

In July 2013, Obama renewed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which forces US telecommunications companies to turn over bulk telephone records to spy agencies. The FISA act was used by the George W. Bush administration to warrantlessly wiretap millions of people.

The revelations of whistleblower Edward Snowden showed the NSA had, under the Obama administration, illegally collected phone records from over 120 million Verizon customers. Snowden also revealed the existence of the massive surveillance program known as PRISM, which collected the e-mails, phone calls, text and video chats from Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Apple and other tech giants of both foreigners and Americans.

In the aftermath of Snowdens revelations, the Obama White House crafted an NSA reform package, based on recommendations by a panel representing the spy agencies themselves, that further institutionalized the NSAs illegal domestic spying operations, while putting in place stringent security measures to prevent disclosures of its crimes.

The Obama Administration has prosecuted more whistle-blowers than any presidency in American history, and has viciously victimized those who sought to expose this program, imprisoning Chelsea Manning and forcing Julian Assange to seek refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and Edward Snowden to go into hiding in Russia.

Throughout his term, Obama worked to defend and facilitate the crimes of the intelligence agencies, working with the CIA to suppress the revelations of the Senates report on torture under the Bush Administration and shielding the architects of the torture program from prosecution.

The complete cynicism and hypocrisy of Obama was on full display during his farewell speech in Chicago on Tuesday. Touting himself as a champion of American democracy, he neglected to mention the mass state spying apparatus which he has expanded and prepared for Donald Trump.
The Republican-controlled Congress took a major step toward repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this week with the passage of a budget resolution that will be used to roll back the health care law. The resolution indicates that replacement legislation for the ACA, better known as Obamacare, will be ready two weeks from now (January 27), but it does not impose a hard deadline for a bill.

The Senate voted 51-48 in the early morning hours Thursday and the House voted 227-198 Friday afternoon, mostly along party lines, on a resolution that clears the way for ending major funding provisions of the ACA through the budget reconciliation process. By effectively repealing Obamacare via this parliamentary procedure, the Republicans are circumventing the normal legislative process under which Senate Democrats could block repeal by mounting a filibuster, which requires 60 votes to overcome.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed that doing away with Obamacare will be his first order of business as president, asserting it will be replaced with something cheaper and better. He has made the highly dubious claim that repeal and replace will take place virtually simultaneously, even within the same hour.

He and congressional Republicans have made it clear that they intend to include in any replacement legislation provisions to effectively end Medicaid, the government health program for the poor run jointly by the federal government and the states. They plan to turn Medicaid into a state-run program funded via block grants from the federal government. Each state would establish its own guidelines and standards, funding would be drastically cut, care requirements would be lifted, and the program would be rapidly privatized.

The assault on Medicaid will represent a major step in the drive to dismantle and privatize Medicare, the government health insurance program for the elderly.

Congressional Democrats have offered to work with Republicans to salvage whatever they can of President Obamas signature domestic legislation, pledging to agree to changes that would supposedly make health care better for ordinary Americans.

Democrats are fighting for popular provisions in the ACA to be maintained in any replacement legislation, such as the ban on insurers discriminating against those with preexisting conditions and a provision allowing children up to age 26 to remain under their parents coverage.

From the beginning, Obamacare was designed to cut costs for the government and corporations and increase the profits of the insurance industry, which was central in crafting the legislation. The ACAs central component, the individual mandate, requires those without insurance from their employer or a government program to purchase coverage from private insurers or pay a tax penalty, with modest subsidies provided to qualifying consumers based on income.

Obamas health care overhaul was also aimed at shifting away from the long-standing system of employer-sponsored insurance, which is deemed too expensive for corporations, toward a system in which people must fend for themselves on the private insurance market.

The legislation also includes measures to move from the existing fee for service system to a new model of health care delivery in which providers are reimbursed according to the value and quality of the care they providecode words for cost-cutting, to be achieved by rationing care on a class basis.

The ACA includes more than $700 billion in cuts over the next decade to Medicare, the government health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, to be achieved through shifting the way doctors and hospitals are paid by providing financial rewards to providers who cut costs through the value-based approach.

As reactionary as Obamacare is, Trump and the Republicans are opposing it from the right, seeking to shift the US health care system in an even more pro-corporate, free-market direction without regard for the impact on the health and lives of the vast majority of Americans.

Displaying the oligarchic and anti-working class nature of the incoming administration, the Republicans are moving forward recklessly with Obamacare repeal, with the very real possibility that the legislation will be overturned before any substitute legislation is drafted, let alone passed and signed into law.

This raises the possibility that the 20 million people who have gained coverage through the ACAon the Obamacare exchanges and through an expansion of Medicaidwill be left with no access to any remotely affordable options, even to coverage with high deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs, such as that provided under Obamacare.

While there is a great deal of popular opposition to Obamacare, a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 75 percent of Americans either want to keep it or repeal it only when there is a replacement health care law.

The biggest concern of those polled was health costs. The vast majority67 percentsaid their top priority was lowering the amount individuals pay for health care. This very real concern will not be addressed by either the maintenance of Obamacare or the implementation of any of the various proposals being advanced by the Republicans to replace it. Health care costs for working and middle class Americans will continue to rise sharply under either scenario.

Now that the budget resolution has passed both houses of Congress, the next step is to actually begin writing the Obamacare repeal. Discussion will take place simultaneously in the relevant committees in both the House and Senate, then each committee will have to vote to report out a bill. The bills from the multiple committees must then be merged into one House bill and one Senate bill. Everything in the bills must have a significant impact on federal spending or revenue to be considered for the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process.

These bills will then proceed to the full House and Senate to be voted on. Finally, a conference committee will be convened with representatives from both chambers to iron out any differences, with the final bill submitted for floor votes in the House and Senate. If passed by Congress, the legislation will have to be signed by the president to become law.

After that, the process of actually writing the replacement legislation will begin. Because this will involve non-budgetary measures such as mandates, provisions on preexisting conditions, etc., such legislation will in practice require 60 Senate votes, not just 51, to advance, which means the Republicans will have to win over at least eight Democrats.

It is unclear what plan will guide the Republicans Obamacare replacement efforts. Trumps pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, a Tea Party Republican from Georgia and chair of the House Budget Committee, has prepared a 242-page proposal for legislation to replace the ACA that is one option under consideration.

Prices Empowering Patients First Act would particularly impact health care for older, sicker and poorer Americans. It would do away with the ACA insurance exchanges and its subsidies. It would instead offer fixed tax credits pegged to a persons age rather than income, ranging from $1,200 annually for those age 18-35 to $3,000 for those 51 and older. These amounts would hardly make a dent in the cost of premiums and other out-of-pocket expenses for even the most limited insurance.

Price would also repeal Obamacares expanded Medicaid coverage in 32 states and the District of Columbia for able-bodied single adults, leaving this impoverished segment of society out in the cold.

It would eliminate mandates for insurers to provide a standard package of benefits, such as maternity services and pediatric care. It would also eliminate the limits on increased charges for older enrollees, allowing insurers to hike their premiums and other charges for older enrollees at will.

Prices plan would allow health insurers licensed in one state to sell them across state lines. It would provide $3 billion over three years in grants to states to insure the high risk population, an amount that is woefully inadequate.

After Trumps victory in November, Price told reporters that House Republicans would push this year for changes to Medicare, which covers 57 million seniors. He said Republicans would likely move within the first six to eight months of the new administration to begin implementing their plan, which would include raising the age of eligibility from 65 to 67 by 2020 and gradually privatizing the system with premium supports, or vouchers, to be used to buy insurance on the private market.

These vouchers would replace Medicares current guaranteed level of coverage, e.g., paying approximately 80 percent or more for a hospital stay, with a fixed sum to purchase coverage. The result would be a massive decline in health coverage and a sharp increase in poverty among the elderly.
On Thursday night, seven Socialist Party (PS) and allied presidential candidates participated in the first nationally televised debate in the run-up to the PS presidential primary on January 22 and 29.

The debate takes place amid a historic collapse of the PSone of the French bourgeoisies main ruling parties since its foundation in 1969which has been deeply discredited by President Francois Hollandes agenda of austerity, police-state rule and war. At 4 percent approval ratings, Hollande is Frances most unpopular president since the creation of the office in 1958. Hollande himself has declined to stand again, and there are rising fears in ruling circles that the PS could disintegrate and collapse, like its social-democratic sister party, Pasok, in Greece.

This underscores the extraordinary character of Thursdays debate. The fears of the imminent annihilation of the PS notwithstanding, not a single candidate could make a forthright criticism of Hollande or call for a shift in policy in the interests of working people. The seven presidential candidates all signaled, in their own fashion, that they would continue the basic thrust of Hollandes despised agenda.

The first speaker was Hollandes former prime minister, Manuel Valls, the candidate most directly representing Hollandes legacy. He issued a bald defense of Hollandes policies of austerity, police-state build-up, and appeals to far-right sentiment, while cynically presenting his candidacy as a barrier to those of the conservative Francois Fillon and the neo-fascist Marine Le Pen.

According to every prediction, Valls said, the left will be eliminated from the second round of the presidential election. Our country would only have two options: the far right or the hard right. I refuse to accept that. I love France, she gave me everything.

Having admitted that the French people despise the Hollande administrations record, Valls went on to defend its most draconian policies, including the imposition of a regressive labor law without a parliamentary vote, as well as of an indefinitely extended state of emergency.

Valls, backed by the other candidates, insisted that France was at war with terrorism and defended Hollandes targeted extrajudicial murders: What must be done must be done, what should be kept secret should be kept secret.

Valls thrust aside criticisms of the PSs failed attempt earlier this year to inscribe in the French constitution the policy of deprivation of nationality. This was an appeal to the far right, as the policy was used in the Nazi Occupation to justify the initial deportation of Jews, particularly children, to death camps and to outlaw the French Resistance. But come on, who did this law target? It did not target the children of the Republic due to their origins. It targeted terrorists, Valls said.

The other candidatesPS ex-ministers Arnaud Montebourg, Benoit Hamon, and Vincent Peillon, former Green deputy Francois de Rugy, Democratic Front leader and ex-Green Jean-Luc Bennahmias, and Radical Left Party (PRG) candidate Sylvia Pineleither endorsed or made perfunctory criticisms of Hollandes record.

While Peillon said it provoked incomprehension and de Rugy called it mixed, Montebourg said it was hard to defend but contains some improvements. Hamon declared that it gave off an unfinished feeling, as if we abandoned a lot of things in midstream.

The debate featured a long discussion of Hamons plans for a universal guaranteed revenue, which he presented as a way of addressing the lack of jobs in France, by allowing people to survive based on long-term unemployment. Insofar as the monthly revenue Hamon wants to guarantee would be somewhere between 600 and 800, this simply underscores that his plan is to legislate generalized poverty and joblessnessand then try to pass this program off as progressive.

One measure of the discrediting of the PS was that the moderators raised the possibility that the PS candidate would be eliminated and would have to back either Hollandes former economy minister, investment banker Emmanuel Macron, or possibly former PS minister and former Left Party leader Jean-Luc Melenchon in the second round of the elections.

Business circles are promoting Macron, a pro-austerity and pro-European Union (EU) candidate who has met during the campaign with right-wing nationalists like Philippe de Villiers, and was in Berlin this week to pledge more austerity. It appears that their concern is not only to ensure a safe pair of hands to continue Hollandes policies, but also to try to find a leader around which the French ruling elite can rebrand the PS machine and prevent the collapse of the EU.

Financial magazine Challenges wrote, if Macron is ahead, the PS candidate will have a choice of falling in line behind him or collapsing. If it falls in line, the PS survives. If it collapses, it dies.

The PS primary debate exemplifies the deep political crisis facing the French and indeed the entire European bourgeoisie. After nearly a decade of deep economic crisis and social austerity since the 2008 Wall Street crash, and escalating imperialist interventions from Mali and Libya to Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine, longstanding institutions of European bourgeois rule are deeply discredited. After the collapse of Pasok and of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), the PS is heading for a debacle of historic significance.

The PS was built after the May-June 1968 general strike as a bourgeois party designed to block a revolutionary struggle of the working class and stabilize bourgeois rule in Europe. It was always deeply hostile to the working class and to socialism. A party that regrouped ex-Vichy collaborators like Francois Mitterrand, former social democrats, and various ex-Trotskyist and ex-Stalinist forces, it was well to the right of the old social-democratic party.

It formed the Union of the Left alliance with the Stalinist French Communist Party (PCF), as well as with various renegades from Trotskyism, in order to associate itself falsely with the 1917 Revolution in Russia. At the same time, it supported the denunciations of Marxism and of proletarian revolution by postmodernists like Michel Foucault and his allies, anti-Communist New Philosophers like Bernard-Henri Levy and Andre Glucksmann. This paved the way for Mitterrands election to the presidency in 1981 and a vast shift to the right in official politics in France.

After less than two years in office, Mitterrand had abandoned the social concessions he had pledged to make and was rapidly moving to implement a pro-business agenda. The PS justified its austerity turn with claims that they were necessary to continue European integration and align France with the most competitive European economies. Throughout the 1980s, it pushed for the formation of the EU, culminating in the 1992 Maastricht treaty and of the common euro currency, which it hoped to use to contain Germany.

The discrediting of the PS and the collapse of social-democratic parties across Europe is part of the broader discrediting of these institutions, set up by the European bourgeoisie twenty-five years ago at the time of the Stalinist dissolution of the USSR. With the EU a byword for austerity and war and the euro torn apart by tensions between the different countries in the euro zone, the PS has nothing to offer but even more attacks on the working class.
The explosive spontaneous protests, which broke out across Mexico at the start of the new year in response to the governments gas subsidy cut, laid bare the discontent shared by broad sections of the population against inequality, corruption, and the rising cost of living.

But despite the hostility to the governments measures among the working class and sections of the middle class, the spontaneous protests have dwindled as the trade unions and leading parties have used a combination of lies, empty promises and police repression to force through this frontal attack on living standards.

The pseudo-left Socialist Workers Movement (MTS) is providing a left cover for this process by tying workers and youth to the pro-capitalist, nationalist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) and its leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO).

The traditional parties of the Mexican ruling class face an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy. President Enrique Pena Nieto is the most unpopular in modern Mexican history with an approval rating below 25 percent. From 70 to 80 percent of voters distrust the ruling PRI, as well as the main bourgeois opposition parties, the PAN (Party of National Action) and PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution).

In ramming through the gasolinazo and repressing the protests, the Mexican ruling class is seeking to prove to the incoming Trump administration that the country will remain a source of cheap labor and resources for exploitation by American banks and corporations.

As a recent publication from the US Director of National Intelligence put it: Major reforms, such as opening Mexicos oil industry to foreign investment, take time to bear fruit, but antigovernment protests could escalate if the disappointments remain more apparent than the benefits in the next several years. The report reads, Concerns about violence and social order will become increasingly salient

The political line of the MTS is directed at preventing the development of an independent movement of the working class. The MTS is the Mexican section of the Trotskyist FractionFourth International (FT-CI), a Morenoite tendency whose flagship party is the Argentine Socialist Workers Party (PTS).

Uncritically noting that AMLO has called for national unity in response to the protests, MTS leader Sergio Moissen told the organizations web site Izquierda Diario on January 7 that Morena must coordinate, extend, and strengthen the fight for an independent politics that allows the working people to confront the government and its plans.

On January 11, MTS issued a statement titled Lopez Obrador and Morena face the gasolinazo . The statement credited AMLO with insisting that the problem in the country is corruption and the mafia in power, while at the same time criticizing him for claiming that demonstrators must wait until 2018 to bring down the Pena government.

MTSs criticisms of Morena are of a tactical and not a political character. It criticizes Morenas electoral self-promotion but issues a call for demonstrations aimed at achieving the same pro-capitalist goals: A government made up of popular organizations and workers organizations [i.e. trade unions] can definitively do away with the corrupt, murderous political caste that lives on the public dime and takes the national resources. The statement concludes by proposing that the Morena membership demand of their leaders that their party join the massive, united demonstrations without any maliciousness.

Significantly, the MTS makes no mention whatsoever of AMLOs own denunciation of the demonstrators for employing fascist strategies and his affirmation of Morenas desire to put order in the chaos.

Lopez Obrador is expected to perform well in the 2018 presidential elections, with many bourgeois commentators claiming he is favored to win. MTS views the possibility of an AMLO presidency as an opportunity to create a political space in which it can build legitimacy and acquire access to the resources of the Mexican state.

AMLO is by no means an unknown quantity in Mexico, and his base is largely in the privileged upper-middle class. His support in the working class is very limited. After the rigged 2006 election, he lost in 2012 by a significant margin and left the PRD later that year, transforming Morena from a non-profit associated with his campaign into a formal political party.

In January 2016, Morena won a plurality of seats in elections for the Mexico City legislature, doubling the total combined vote of the PAN and PRI. Shortly after, AMLO announced his candidacy for president.

The political program of Morena and AMLO can only be described as left in the vaguest sense. To be left-wing is to be sensible and honest, AMLO told the press after announcing his presidential run. To be left-wing is to have good sentiments and to be honest; corrupt people cannot be left-wing.

The program of AMLO and Morena consists of similar empty banalities paired with calls for reform, a fight against corruption, and a moral and cultural revolution against the mafia of power. Morenas Declaration of Principles and its official program make no reference to imperialism or capitalism but call for an alliance of Mexicans from all social classes.

Morena is solidly in the tradition of the more nationalist-oriented wing of the Mexican bourgeoisie, which advocates for a policy of industrial development based on the direct exploitation of the Mexican workers and poor peasants by the Mexican ruling class, with an important but subordinate role played by foreign capital.

Its official program calls for cooperative development with US businesses and calls for higher competition internally and competitiveness externally, where the state promotes the national economy. Its Declaration of Principles includes an opaque but unmistakably hostile reference to socialism and the class struggle: We are not moved by hatred, only by love for our neighbors and for our country.

MTSs proposal that Morenaa pro-capitalist, anti-working class organizationtake charge of the demonstrations is the product not of a political mistake, but of this pseudo-left organizations fundamental class outlook. MTS speaks for a section of the privileged upper-middle class whose material interests are hostile to those of the broad masses of the Mexican toiling masses.

In Mexico, the chasm that separates the wealthiest 10 percent of the population from the working class and peasantry is even more vast than in the United States. A 2014 Credit Suisse report found that the top 10 percent controls 64.4 percent of the wealth. A similar study on the share of national income by the top 10 percent shows an increase of nearly 10 percent since 1992.

The concentration of wealth among the very wealthy is even sharper. A study from 2012 showed that the top 1 percent controls over 20 percent of national income, the highest of any country. The wealth of Mexicos four wealthiest individuals equals 9 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, poverty rates have risen by 10 percent in the last decade as more than half of Mexicans live under the official poverty line. Only the top 20 percent are considered not vulnerable to immediately falling into poverty.

MTSs politics flow from their upper-middle-class position in this highly stratified society. They view the masses of workers as a threat to the wealth and privilege of the social strata to which they are oriented and fear the consequences of workers breaking from the trade union functionaries, university professors, and demagogic politicos who comprise Morenas social base.

The development of a genuinely independent movement against inequality and US imperialism will be forged in opposition to MTS, Morena, and all those who seek to substitute nationalism and left populism for the independence of the working class based on a perspective of revolutionary international socialism.
The Syrian government accused Israel of carrying out a missile attack which struck a military airport west of the capital city of Damascus shortly after midnight early Friday morning. As has been typical with such strikes, the Israeli government has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack.

SANA, the Syrian state news agency, reported that the several missiles which hit the al-Mezzeh airport were fired by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from the area around the Sea of Galilee, more than hundred kilometers southwest of Damascus.

The attack caused a significant fire at the airbase, and ambulances were dispatched. There were reports that at least four soldiers were injured in the attack, which was targeted at storage sites for weapons and ammunition.

The Syrian army command released a statement in which it warned Israel of repercussions for the attack, but did not outline any specific measures.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry also lodged a complaint with the United Nations shortly after the attack, officially accusing Israel of this latest missile strike. The note denounced the assault as one in a long series of Israeli attacks since the beginning of the civil war in 2011 and blamed the United States, France, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar for seeking to impose control and hegemony on Syria and the region.

Al-Mezzeh is used by Syrias elite Republican Guard, which is tasked mainly with defending the capital city. The airport had been used to fire rockets at rebel held areas in the suburbs surrounding Damascus.

The airport was previously hit by ground-to-ground missiles on December 7 of last year, resulting in a massive fire, an attack the Syrian government also blamed on the IDF. In another recent attack near Damascus, IDF fighter jets struck a Syrian army weapons depot and an arms convoy reportedly belonging to Hezbollah in Sabboura, just west of the capital, on November 30.

A military source told SANA that it was suspected that Fridays attack was carried out to boost the morale of terrorist groups which have been backed by the US and its allies in the six-year civil war aimed at overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

A Russian and Turkish-negotiated cease fire which came into effect at the end of December has largely held. The US was sidelined from the talks after Western-backed rebels suffered a debacle with the governments retaking of eastern Aleppo earlier in December.

Israel has been a largely silent partner in the US-spearheaded campaign to overthrow Assad. The IDF has carried out multiple attacks against target inside Syria over the last several years and has maintained a policy, for the most part of not publicly claiming responsibility.

The IDF has carried out dozens of attacks since 2013 on Syrian forces as well as the Hezbollah fighters who have been among the main fighting forces against the Islamist militias seeking to overthrow Assad, including Ahrar Al-Sham; Jeish al Fatah; Al Nusra Front, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria; and ISIS.

In addition it is estimated that Israel has launched around 100 airstrikes against Syrian army artillery positions, mostly along the Golan Heights border with Syria. Most of these attacks have officially been in response to errant artillery shells and rockets fired by Syrian army or rebel groups falling on the Israeli side of the border. The Syrian army has only responded on two occasions to the dozens of Israeli attack on its territory.

Israel has allowed competing Islamist factions opposed to Assad to set up base in the Golan Heights and is suspected of giving cover and support to those terrorist groups deemed to be moderate by Western intelligence agencies.

Despite its focus on shoring up the position of fighters opposed to Assad, Israel has periodically carried out attacks on the Islamist groups which have been competing for control over Syrian territory adjacent to the Israeli border in the Golan Heights region.

The IDF claimed responsibility for an airstrike on November 27 targeting a compound reportedly belonging to the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army, formerly known as the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade. The group is reportedly affiliated with ISIS and a bitter opponent of Al Nusra Front, the leading fighting force in the effort to topple Assad.
Shai Masot, an Israeli embassy staffer in London, was caught on camera in a sting operation plotting to take down Members of Parliament perceived as hostile to Israel.

Initial revelations from Al Jazeera showed secretly filmed discussion between Mosat and Maria Strizzola, a former parliamentary assistant to Robert Halfon, a junior education minister and former Conservative Party deputy chairman.

At one point, Masot asks, Can I give you some MPs that you can take down?

Strizzola replies, Well you know, if you look hard enough Im sure that there is something they are trying to hide.

Masot continues, Yeah, I have some MPs.

His hit list included Deputy Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan, one of a handful of Conservative MPs who has criticized Israels settlement policy and occupation of the West Bank for preventing the realization of a two-state solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict. The Board of Deputies of British Jews accused him of being breathtakingly one-sided, while the Community Security Trust, a pro-Israel lobby group, equated his criticism of Israeli policy with anti-Semitism.

Strizzola helpfully suggested a little scandal maybe? to Masot.

The hit list also included Crispin Blunt, the Conservative chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, because his views were strongly pro-Arab rather than pro-Israel.

The revelations are taken from a four-hour series entitled The Lobby to be screened by the Emir of Qatars Al-Jazeera news channel on January 15, as well as leaks published by the Mail on Sunday. Since last June, Al-Jazeera has used an undercover reporter posing as a pro-Israel activist working with Labour Friends of Israel.

The tapes reveal that the Israeli embassy helped to establish, and in some cases directly funded, several independent organisations including the Union of Jewish Students and a network for aspiring diplomats called Young Diplomats in London, on whose executive committee Masot served.

Here was a very real example of a foreign government seeking to influence the foreign and domestic affairs of the UK government, including suggestions of manufacturing a scandal to remove government ministers. Yet the response of Prime Minister Theresa Mays government could not be more starkly different to the furor over the entirely unsupported accusations of Russian attempts to subvert the US presidential elections by Russia.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said, The Israeli ambassador [Mark Regev] has apologised and is clear these comments do not reflect the views of the embassy or government of Israel. The UK has a strong relationship with Israel and we consider the matter closed.

These events follow the recent United Nations Security Council resolution 2334 condemning Israels settlement policy, in which the US abstained in a last-ditch attempt by President Barack Obama to present Washington as an honest broker in the Middle East and provide some cover for his reactionary allies in the regionwho play the Palestinian card for their own domestic purposes.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out against Obama and made an appeal for support to president elect Donald Trump to intervene. Trumps administration is expected to inaugurate a major shift in US foreign policy in the Middle East and give Israel a free hand. Nevertheless, Washington allowed the resolution to go ahead, with all the other 14 members approving.

May, notwithstanding Britains role in drafting the resolution and her support for it, has come to the same conclusionseeing the cultivation of economic and political relations with the US through Trump as essentialpost-Brexitin countering the loss of relations with Europe. Therefore, when Secretary of State John Kerry made a speech criticising Israeli settlements a few days later, May performed one of the fastest volte-faces on record, swinging behind Netanyahu with an open and unprecedented criticism of Kerrys speech. She has since then dispatched Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for a series of meetings with Trumps team.

The governments limp response to the Al Jazeera revelations is of a piece with this craven submission to the incoming administration in Washington.

Equally craven, however, and to some extent more politically significant, is the reaction of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Al Jazeeras undercover reporter poses as a member of the Labour Party Friends of Israel (LFI). The LFI, dominated by Labours right wing, was at the centre of efforts to whip up allegations of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party, as part of the broader campaign to oust Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party.

Masot is shown at the 2016 Labour Party conference, shortly after Corbyn won a resounding victory in his re-election against the attempted right-wing coup against him, telling Ryan of his plans to set up an LFI youth wing.

He explained that Corbyns election in 2015 had made it harder to influence the Labour Party and establish an LFI group, complaining that his supporters were weirdos and extremists. This made it vital to establish apparently independent pro-Israel groups within the Labour Party in order to undermine Corbyns leadership.

Ryan, speaking of a planned visit by LFI members to Israel, asks Masot, What happened with the names that we put into the Embassy, Shai?

Masot replies, Just now weve got the money, its more than one million pounds, its a lot of money.

He made clear he had received approval from the Israeli government to spend the extraordinary sum of 1 million ($1.2 million) on ferrying the 60 or so Labour MPs to be wined and dined in Israel.

In response to this extraordinary proof that the coup against him was sponsored by Israel and organized by someone whose job was to bring down anyone seen as its political opponent by fair means or foul, Corbyn said nothing for days.

He left it to Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, who backed Corbyn in the leadership election, to describe the affair as a national security issue. Late Friday, Corbyn belatedly sent a letter to May also stating that the issue was clearly a national security issue, while saying nothing about its connection to the campaign to remove him as the elected Labour leader.

The exposure of an Israeli embassy official discussing how to bring down or discredit a government minister and other MPs because of their views on the Middle East is extremely disturbing, Thornberry declared, denouncing Improper interference in our democratic politics by other states and calling for an immediate inquiry into the extent of this improper interference...

Nothing was said by Thornberry about Israels efforts to take down her own partys leader.

Just a single article, bereft of serious analysis, on the issue has appeared on the pro-Corbyn news web site, The Canary.

While Mays silence is bound up with her attempts to cultivate Trump, Corbyns is part of his ongoing efforts to appease his partys right wing.

For months, Corbyn and his supporters faced slanderous accusations of anti-Semitism, focusing almost exclusively on any criticisms made of Israels brutal treatment of the Palestinians. Many were summarily suspended or expelled from the party on the basis of such trumped-up charges.

This manufactured scandal was used to prepare the way ideologically for the adoption, expected later this year, by the May government of a definition of anti-Semitism drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The definition opens the way to widespread criminalising of political criticism of Israel, including as examples of anti-Semitism, Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour and any comparison made between contemporary Israeli policy and that of the Nazis.

Corbyns reaction to this witch-hunt was to urge everyone to unite once more in the interests of the party. For the same reason, the last thing he would want to do now is expose how his Blairite opponents conspired to remove him from office with the government of the arch war criminal Netanyahu.

The author also recommends:

Roger Cohen of the New York Times declares that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism [24 October 2016]
ATLANTA (AP) - A Georgia lawmaker wants bigger tax breaks for donations given to rural hospitals.

A state law passed last year offers corporations and individuals tax credits worth 70 percent of donations to rural hospitals. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/2iPxGhU) the program hasn't lured many donors - with applications coming in for only 2 percent of $50 million in available credits.

Many rural hospitals in Georgia are struggling. The tax break for donors was intended to give them a financial lifeline.

State Rep. Geoff Duncan, R-Cumming, has a new bill that would raise the tax credit from 70 percent of a donation's value to 90 percent.

Jimmy Lewis, the CEO of rural hospital coalition Hometown Health, says the 70-percent credit has been too low to attract much interest from corporate donors.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
HAVANA, Fla. (WTXL) - A woman has been killed and a 4-year-old has been transported to the hospital in serious condition after a two car crash in Gadsden County.

The Florida Highway Patrol said that Pamela Victor, 62, was driving westbound on East 9th Street Friday morning near the area of Southeast 8th Street.

They said that another car, carrying in it Angela Bush, an adult passenger, and a 4-year-old, was right in front of Victor.

Failing to slow down, Victor ended up hitting the back of Bush's car, causing it to cross onto the eastbound shoulder and strike a utility pole.

Troopers said that Bush didn't have a seatbelt on and was ejected from the car. The car also caught on fire.

They said that passing drivers had stopped and helped at the scene.

Bush was transported to Gadsden Memorial Campus where she later died. The passenger in her car was also taken there for minor injuries.

Victor was transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Northeast Branch in stable condition.

The 4-year-old was transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

Troopers said that charges are pending further investigation.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - A motorist operating a car or boat could be arrested if they got too stoned, under a measure filed by state Rep. David Silvers, D-West Palm Beach.

The Driving under the Influence of Drugs Act (HB 237) would make operating a boat with a blood level of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol per milliliter of blood --- as shown by an analysis of the person's blood --- the same as having a blood-alcohol content of .08 or more of alcohol.

Euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, is the active chemical in marijuana.

Under current Florida law, the driver of a car or boat found with a blood-alcohol content at or above .08 faces a fine between $500 and $1,000, along with a six month jail term, on the first offense.

There is no mention in Silvers' measure --- which doesn't yet have a Senate companion --- of how the blood test would be administered.

The proposal comes after Florida voters in November overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana for patients with a broad swath of medical conditions.

The amendment went into effect on Jan. 3.
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WTXL) - A 31-year-old Pensacola man has been sentenced to three years in prison after he lied to federal investigators about posting terrorist related material to his Facebook account.

The U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Florida reported that Robert Jackson was sentenced to three years in federal prison for lying in a federal investigation.

They said that they had began investigating Jackson back in October 2014, when he posted to his Facebook profile comments, photos, and videos expressing support for extremist terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

In January 2015, Jackson was fired from a telemarketing business for viewing terrorist related websites on his work computer.

When interviewed by the FBI in June 2015, he told them that he had never posted anything pro-ISIL on his social media and asserted that he only used the internet at work to search news sites.

After his arrest in July 2016, agents found that Jackson had an electronic table that had the most recent edition of Dabiq, an ISIL recuitment magazine as well as audio lectures of Anwar al-Awalki.

At his plea hearing in September, Jackson finally came clean, admitting that he had made false statements to federal agents.
MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) - Gadsden County deputies said that one person is being rushed to the hospital after troopers pulled over a car driving recklessly and found an unresponsive person inside.

The Florida Highway Patrol, the responding agency in the incident, is reporting the incident as a car crash on I-10 Eastbound in Gadsden County near the Midway.

Troopers reported that they arrived to the crash on I-10 near mile-marker 192 around 3:30 p.m.

The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office said that there was a car driving recklessly, so troopers pulled the car over. They said that troopers pulled out their weapons for precaution as they approached the car.

The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office said that one person inside the car was unresponsive and that the driver was trying to get them to the hospital.

Deputies said that the unresponsive person is being transported to the hospital by EMS.

We will update this story as we confirm more details.
You are the owner of this article.
What is left of the Obama legacy? Not the Nobel Peace Prize. That prize will be hidden deep in the closet by President Barack Obama in the coming years. His approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian process failed. His approach in Syria  constantly avoiding intervention  led to a humanitarian disaster, which led to a geostrategic disaster. Putin was not the worlds strongest person in 2008, and he definitely appears to be the worlds strongest person today. The European Union, a cornerstone of the American global security, is facing disbandment threats.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



His big successes were the agreement to open up Cuba, a historical issue with limited international significance, and of course the agreement with Iran. Its possible that in a decade or two the gloomy prophecies will have been proven wrong, and that the agreement will lead to Irans incorporation into the international community and weaken its involvement in terror, as well as to a possible abandonment of the nuclear program. At the moment, that doesnt seem likely.

Obamas legacy was and remains what he really wanted to do: Change America from the inside (Photo: EPA)

Obamas legacy was and remains what he really wanted to do: Change America from the inside. He wanted to be an internal president. There have been many presidents who did not want to do that. John Kennedy, for instance, always dreamt about the international arena and considered minimum wage a boring thing. Obama was the opposite. He wanted to change America itself.

A presidents term should not be judged when he leaves office, but later on, when the outlook become clearer. Obamas project in America was one of the most ambitious projects in the past 100 years. He received a nation which was considered conservative, estranging itself from the world, seeking revenge after 9/11. Obama pulled the American forces out of Iraq and most of Afghanistan, saved a lot of money and invested in major social initiatives like his health reform.

This reform really was the highlight, because of the huge expenses on private insurance and health in America. The result is that the percentage of uninsured Americans, those who are afraid to go to the doctor because they dont have money to pay for the service, was cut by half. The percentage of uninsured citizens is now the lowest in American history. There are many failures in this plan, and the premiums have started getting out of control in the past 18 months, but its better than an America in which a family that loses a job cannot afford to take one of its members to the doctor when he is very ill. Moreover, Obama correctly detected that this is the most important angle in the American reality for closing social gaps.

Heres a point: Its not a very good health reform. It includes a complicated method of insurance-related commerce arenas, some on a state level and some on a national level. Clearly, America would have been better off with a simple method like in Israel, France or Britain  public health suppliers that are called HMOs in Israel. But Obama, unlike Bill Clinton at the time, realized that it wont work. He wanted to cross the Rubicon of the health reform, and he did.

Now Donald Trump is vowing to cancel everything, and that may happen, but even the president-elect understands that the number of insured Americans is growing, and if he stops this progress  the public will seek revenge at the polling stations. In this sense, Obama chose pragmatism over radicalism in order to mark a line. The line has been marked, and tens of millions of people have gained the minimum respect of knowing that if they fall ill, they will be able to care for themselves.

Obama made such decisions repeatedly. When his legislation efforts failed, he used presidential decrees. His accomplishments are sometimes pushed aside. Take, for example, the figures about former US Army servicemen who are homeless. Since 2010, the number of homeless people who served in the US Army has been cut by 47 percent, because the Department of Veterans Affairs worked hard, and worked well, and thanks to legislation passed with Congress help. This is just one example of his administrations successes.

There is a legacy here and there is a conclusion. Obamas legacy is effective pragmatism, ongoing use of presidential power to change America. Within America, Obama was a successful  almost remarkable  manager. He was, however, a mediocre international statesman. The price of this gap will be paid by America, the world  and Israel too.
VATICAN CITY Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Saturday with Pope Francis as the president rallies international support ahead of this weekend's Paris peace summit, and to discuss the implications of the US moving its embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"We are waiting to see if (the move) happens. If it does it will not help peace and we hope it does not happen," Abbas told reporters minutes after discussing the Middle East situation with Pope Francis.

The Palestinians strongly oppose the move, saying it would kill any hopes for negotiating peace and rile the region by undercutting Muslim and Christian claims to the holy city.

Abbas meets with the Pope at the Vatican (Photo: AFP)

During the meeting, Abbas presented Francis with gifts recalling Christianity's birthplace in the Holy Land, including a stone from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and documentation about the ongoing restoration of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

A recent UNESCO decision has ignored all Jewish connection to the city, calling all Jewish claims to the city into question at an international legal level.

As he was leaving the pope's study, Abbas said the opening of the new embassy to the Vatican was "a sign that the pope loves the people of Palestine and loves peace."

Abbas gives a gift to the Pope (Photo: AFP)

In a statement, the Vatican called for a resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians "to bring an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations, and to find a just and lasting solution."

It called for a climate that could lead to "courageous decisions".

The Vatican has long sought an internationally guaranteed status for Jerusalem that safeguards its sacred character.

In its communique after the Abbas meeting, the Holy See didn't refer to Jerusalem by name but said that during the talks: "Emphasis was placed on the importance of safeguarding the sanctity of the holy places for believers of all three of the Abrahamic religions.

After the papal meeting, Abbas formally inaugurated the new Palestinian embassy across the street from one of the main gates of Vatican City: He pulled back a curtain revealing a plaque and extended the Palestinian flag from a flagpole outside a window.

A photographer takes a picture as Abbas raises the Palestinian flag over the Palestinain Embassay to the Holy See (Photo: AFP)

The embassy, located in the same building as the embassies of Peru, Ecuador and Burkina Faso, is a fruit of recent accords in which the Vatican formally recognized the "State of Palestine."

In his comments to reporters, Abbas said he hoped other countries would follow the Vatican's example and recognize the Palestinian state.

Abbas had initially accepted an invitation to be in Paris on Sunday, but French officials say that visit has been postponed.
The crisis in Syria hasnt been ignored by Israel. Various Israeli youth movements, including the Youth Federation for Working and Studying, The Dror Movement, and the committed for the fight against genocide are leading a wide scale operation to collect winter clothes for Syrian refugees.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The operation, codenamed Human Warmth, has opened up 15 collection centers around the country where Israelis can go and donate winter clothes. The centers are in Druze, Arab, and Jewish communities.

The winter clothes will then go off to the Syrians who are in need of assistance.

Israeli youth movements collecting winter clothes for Syrian refugees (Photo: Youth Federation for Working and Studying)

A similar operation occured in 2014, seeing 30 tons of winter clothes being donated to Syrian refugees. It took 1,500 boxes to carry all of the clothing, and eight 18 wheelers to transport it all.

Organizers said that this terrible tragedy has been going on for six years now. This terrible reality forces us to act and do everything we can to help these people.

The goal of this operation is to enable the Israeli public to donate unused winter clothing which is sitting in their house, and make a meaningful donation which might just save a life.

Boxes from Operation Human Warmth Photo: Youth Federation for Working and Studying

Bags of donated winter gear to be sent to Syrian refugees from Israeli citizens Photo: Youth Federation for Working and Studying

Operation's coordinator Tal Rotem said that we cant just sit idly by on the sidelines in light of the reports which are coming out every day (about the situation in Syria). Our nations history, on top of the fact that we are a democratic country, forces us to work to help these people, and to be the voice of the voiceless. We mustnt stand idly by when we have the ability to help do something.

Safaa Suad, 15, from the Bedouin town of Salame, said that this operation was really successful. Everyone in the village took part, and everyone donated something. We collected all types of winter clothes for all different ages and genders. Every once in a while I watch the news with my parents, and I see whats going on (in Syria). Its a slaughter. Im really happy to have been a part of this operation because it allows me to do a little bit to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian nation.
In an interview with French Le Figaro newspaper, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Paris Peace Conference is the "last chance to save the two state solution."

He further added that "the conference will lead to a process with established deadlines for the establishment of negotiations with Israel."
People were unaware that there was a hereditary connection to certain forms of cancer until the 1990s. Since then, excessive fears and stigmas have prevented thousands of people from taking the preventative action necessary to protect their own lives and those of their families, Says Rosa Abramowitz co-founder of the Prevention Generation Program of the Israel Cancer Association.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Rosa survived both breast and ovarian cancer. In her case, the cancer was caused by a genetic mutation known as BRCA which she inherited from her father. The genetic mutation affects one in forty Ashkenazi Jews, and is also found in smaller numbers of Jews with Iraqi heritage.

Carriers have a fifty percent chance of passing the gene on to their children. The gene is found to a lesser extent in French Canadians-most notably Angelina Jolie (who has French Canadian heritage) who has shed light on the issue by going public with her and her familys medical journey.

Cancer Cells (Photo: Shutterstock)

The goal of the Prevention Generation Program is to raise awareness for testing of the BRCA mutation and to offer an online family history test in order to determine if the risk of genetic cancer is high enough to warrant further testing. So far 34,000 people have done the test.



However, Rosa says that the number is still way too small and that fears, stigmas, and lack of awareness within the Israeli public are a major component in keeping thousands of carriers from being tested. Knowledge of a positive test result is the best way to ensure that any likely cases of cancer are detected and prevented at an early stage.

According to Rosa, the problem starts when carriers dont share medical history information with family members who may also be carriers. Carriers often hide the fact that their cancer has a genetic link. They dont want to cause fear in their families. In addition, Rosa has found that there are many stigmas regarding families with multiple cases of cancer. They do not want to be known as the family where everyone has cancer, so they choose to keep the information private. These negative feelings and stigmas prevent people (especially male carriers who are often overlooked) from seeking the testing and screening necessary in order to prevent cancer. This silence risks not only the lives of the carriers but also the lives of family members.

The problem becomes even more evident in the ultra-Orthodox community where there is a heavy reliance on match-making, as stigmas like genetic cancers can hinder desirable matches. Women will avoid testing before marriage in order to ensure themselves a good match, and wont test after marriage in order to avoid a familial stigma, thus ensuring a good match for their children.

Ultra-Orthodox don't get tested for cancer gene for fear of being an undesireable match (Photo: Yoav Davidkovitz)

Rosa says that she has encountered resistance in setting up meetings with Rabbis and their wives in order to raise awareness on the topic in their communities. She has found that there is a lot of fear surrounding the topic of cancer in the ultra-Orthodox community. They even refuse to say the word cancer, instead referring to it as the disease.

The Rabbis dont encourage testing and refuse to elaborate on the topic. In addition, they discouraged their wives from meeting me, something I thought would be a great way to support and empower the woman of the community. In the end it was not possible to arrange a meeting of any kind.

The last few decades have seen incredible developments made in the field of cancer research. People who notice that there are many cases of breast or ovarian cancer in their families must overcome these fears and get tested. If they discover that they are carriers and consult with their specialists they can take the measures necessary to possibly save their own lives and those of their family members who may also be carriers. Although the thought of cancer is terrifying to any normal person there is a silver lining. Someone who knows that they are a carrier can take the proper measures to live a full and healthy life and break fears and stigmas by raising awareness on the topic.
LILONGWE- Armyworms have destroyed 2,000 hectares of crops in Malawi, spreading to nine of its 28 districts in the last few weeks, the agriculture minister said on Saturday,

Malawi, which was hit by a crippling drought last year, has become the third Southern African nation to report an outbreak of armyworms, a voracious pest that devours maize and other crops.

"The latest is that the invasion is spreading very quickly than we thought and this week nine districts have been affected destroying 2,000 hectares of crop fields," agriculture minister George Chaponda told Reuters.

A year ago, Malawi successfully contained an armyworm invasion that affected seven districts across the country.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro published on Saturday that should Donald Trump move the US Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Palestinian will no longer recognize the State of Israel.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



I wrote to President Elect Trump and asked him not to (move the embassy), Abbas said in the interview. Not only will this action destroy Americas legitimacy to fill any sort of position in a solution to this conflict, it will also destroy the Two State Solution.

US Embassy in Tel Aviv (Photo: AFP)

Trump, who will be sworn in as President of the United States on Friday, has said previously that he intends to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, and move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem  a promise nearly every single other president elect has made. The Palestinians are against this, and view this as a detrimental, unilateral action, and that Jerusalems status must be negotiated in a final status agreement.

Abbas continued in his interview, stating that if Trump moves the embassy in any case, we will have several options, and we are talking about them with other Arab countries.

Cancelling our recognition of the State of Israel is one of the possibilities, although I hope we wont come to this point. I hope the opposite will happen - that we will succeed in working with the next US government.

The Le Figaro article was published one day before the Paris Peace Conference is set to take place, and on the same day that Abbas visits the Vatican to appeal to the Pope to put pressure on the Americans to not move their embassy to Jerusalem.
Several Jordanian ministers have tendered their resignations during a government meeting in Amman.

Jordanian Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki accepted the ministers resignation.

The resignations seem to have been made to enable personnel changes in the government, set to take place on Sunday. They will be done in light of the public criticism of Parliament on the government's performance on various issues.

The current government was established in September.
It sounds far-fetched to hold a Mideast peace conference without Israelis, Palestinians or the incoming US government, but the French organizers say that's the whole point. They want Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald Trump to see that most of the world wants a two-state solution and is fed up with decades of conflict.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



With chances for a Mideast peace deal lower than in yearsperhaps a generationFrench President Francois Hollande figures there's nothing to lose.

PM Netanyahu and French President Hollande (Photo: AFP)

French diplomats fear that Trump will unleash new tensions in the region by condoning settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians and potentially moving the US Embassy to contested Jerusalem.

As such, more than 70 foreign ministers and other top envoys are gathering Sunday in Paris to urge the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu says the conference is "rigged" against Israel and declined an invitation to a special meeting afterward. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was initially expected, but his visit to Paris has been postponed.

Even the organizers know it's symbolic; no one expects a breakthrough. It's aimed at presenting Trump with a collective international push for peace once he takes office Friday.

Abbas and Netanyahu in 2010 (Photo: Gettyimages)

For Obama's outgoing government, Sunday's meeting marks the bitter, disappointing end of eight years of failed Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy. Days before leaving office, Secretary of State John Kerry will headline the Paris eventyet he's participating only to ensure that America's interest in a two-state solution is preserved.

According to a draft statement obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the conference will urge Israel and the Palestinians "to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution." It also will affirm that the international community "will not recognize" changes to Israel's pre-1967 lines without agreement by both sides.

Hollande's government has been trying for years to revive peace-making, pointing to diplomatic successes like the 2015 Paris climate agreement, its improved relations with Israel over the past decade and hard line against Israeli rivals Iran and Syria.

Abbas and Hollande (Photo: AP)

But with Netanyahu snubbing the conference and Trump's administration "reserved" about it, according to a French diplomat, Sunday's gathering looks increasingly like an effort to isolate Israel, not entice it to the negotiating table.

Pro-Israel demonstrators plan a protest Sunday in Paris.

Hollande too is a lame duck, leaving office in Mayand his government has made no plans to follow up Sunday's conference with enforcement measures or outreach to Trump's team.

The final declaration may warn Trump against moving the embassy, a move that could be seen as recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital after decades of insisting that the city's status must be determined by direct negotiations.

Jerusalem (Photo: Israel Police)

The sides haven't negotiated even indirectly since a failed US peace effort in 2014. Palestinian attacks on civilians and incitement to violence have heightened tensions, as has expanded Israeli settlement building.

Israel has settled some 600,000 of its citizens in the West Bank and east Jerusalemclaimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed east Jerusalem. Netanyahu has ruled out a return to Israel's 1967 lines, and many members of his coalition oppose Palestinian independence.
International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously identified only military units and did not name any commanders or officials.

Now a list has been produced of individuals whom the investigators have linked to a series of chlorine bomb attacks in 2014-15including Assad, his younger brother Maher and other high-ranking figuresindicating the decision to use toxic weapons came from the very top, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.

UN inspector takes apart chemical weapons in Syria (Photo: EPA)

The Assads could not be reached for comment, but a Syrian government official said accusations that government forces had used chemical weapons had "no basis in truth". The government has repeatedly denied using such weapons during the civil war, which is almost six years old, saying all the attacks highlighted by the inquiry were the work of rebels or the Islamic State militant group.

The list, which has been seen by Reuters but has not been made public, was based on a combination of evidence compiled by the UN-OPCW team in Syria and information from Western and regional intelligence agencies, according to the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Reuters was unable to independently review the evidence or to verify it.

The UN-OPCW inquiryknown as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM)is led by a panel of three independent experts, supported by a team of technical and administrative staff. It is mandated by the UN Security Council to identify individuals and organizations responsible for chemical attacks in Syria.

Virginia Gamba, the head of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, denied any list of individual suspects had yet been compiled by the inquiry. "There are no ... identification of individuals being considered at this time," she told Reuters by email.

The use of chemical weapons is banned under international law and could constitute a war crime.

While the inquiry has no judicial powers, any naming of suspects could lead to their prosecution. Syria is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but alleged war crimes could be referred to the court by the Security Councilalthough splits among global powers over the war make this a distant prospect at present.

"The ICC is concerned about any country where crimes are reported to be committed," a spokesman for the court said when asked for comment. "Unless Syria accepts the ICC jurisdiction, the only way that (the) ICC would have jurisdiction over the situation would be through a referral by the Security Council."

The list seen by Reuters could form the basis for the inquiry team's investigations this year, according to the source. It is unclear whether the United Nations or OPCW will publish the list separately.

'Highest levels'

The list identifies 15 people "to be scrutinized in relation to use of CW (chemical weapons) by Syrian Arab Republic Armed Forces in 2014 and 2015". It does not specify what role they are suspected of playing, but lists their titles.

It is split into three sections. The first, titled "Inner Circle President" lists six people including Assad, his brother who commands the elite 4th Armoured Division, the defense minister and the head of military intelligence.

The second section names the air force chief as well as four commanders of air force divisions. They include the heads of the 22nd Air Force Division and the 63rd Helicopter Brigade, units that the inquiry has previously said dropped chlorine bombs.

Danish ship finds part of the Syrian arsenal (Photo: AFP/Royal Danish Navy)

The third part of the list"Other relevant Senior Mil Personnel"names two colonels and two major-generals.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an independent specialist in biological and chemical weapons who monitors Syria, told Reuters the list reflected the military chain of command.

"The decisions would be made at the highest levels initially and then delegated down. Hence the first use would need to be authorized by Assad," said de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of British and NATO chemical and biological defense divisions who frequently visits Syria for professional consultancy work.

The Syrian defense ministry and air force could not be reached for comment.

Chlorine barrel bombs

Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a U.S.-Russian deal that followed the deaths of hundreds of civilians in a sarin gas attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus in August 2013.

It was the deadliest use of chemicals in global warfare since the 1988 Halabja massacre at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, which killed at least 5,000 people in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Syrian government, which denied its forces were behind the Ghouta attack, also agreed to hand over its declared stockpile of 1,300 tons of toxic weaponry and dismantle its chemical weapons program under international supervision.

The United Nations and OPCW have been investigating whether Damascus is adhering to its commitments under the agreement, which averted the threat of US-led military intervention.

The bodies appointed the panel of experts to conduct the inquiry, and its mandate runs until November. The panel published a report in October last year which said Syrian government forces used chemical weapons at least three times in 20142015 and that ISIS used mustard gas in 2015.

The October report identified Syria's 22nd Air Force Division and 63rd Helicopter Brigade as having dropped chlorine bombs and said people "with effective control in the military unitsmust be held accountable".

The source familiar with the inquiry said the October report had clearly established the institutions responsible and that the next step was to go after the individuals.

Washington on Thursday blacklisted 18 senior Syrian officials based on the UN-OPCW inquiry's October reportsome of whom also appear on the list seen by but not Assad or his brother.

The issue of chemical weapons use in Syria has become a deeply political one, and the UN-OPCW inquiry's allegations of chlorine bomb attacks by government forces have split the UN Security Council's veto-wielding members.

A Security Council resolution would be required to bring Assad and other senior Syrian officials before the International Criminal Court for any possible war crimes prosecutionsomething Russia would likely block.

Sanctions

The United States, Britain and France have called for sanctions against Syria, while Assad's ally Russia has said the evidence presented is insufficient to justify such measures.

The US blacklisted 18 senior Syrian officials it said were connected to the country's weapons of mass destruction program on Thursday.

The action marked the first time the United States has sanctioned Syrian military officials for the government's use of chemical weapons, according to a Treasury Department statement.

Assad with ally Putin (Photo: AP)

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons," Ned Price, a White House National Security Council spokesman, said in a statement. "The Assad regime's barbaric continued attacks demonstrate its willingness to defy basic standards of human decency, its international obligations, and longstanding global norms."

Following the reports of the international inquiry, Britain and France circulated a draft resolution to the UN Security Council in December that would ban the sale or supply of helicopters to the Syrian government and blacklist 11 Syrian military commanders and officials over chemical weapons attacks during the nearly six-year war.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said in November that there was "just not enough material proof to do anything" and described the French and British bid to impose UN sanctions as a "misplaced effort."
PATNA -- At least 11 people drowned and 15 others were missing after their overcrowded boat capsized Saturday in a river in eastern India, police said.

The incident took place as 40 people were returning in the boat after attending a Hindu religious festival in a village across the river near Patna, the state capital of Bihar, said police officer Chandan Kushwaha.

Thirteen people were rescued and hospitalized, Kushwaha said. Rescuers were continuing to search for more survivors.

Police said that the boat could carry up to 25 passengers, but that it was overcrowded because people were returning to Patna after attending the Hindu festival, which was organized by the state government.
DUBAI -- Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Bahraini capital Manama on Saturday over reports on social media that the authorities may be preparing to execute three Shi'ite men convicted of a deadly 2014 bomb attack.

Executions are rare in Bahrain, a Western allied kingdom tucked between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The authorities have been cracking down on dissent mainly by the Shi'ite majority complaining of discrimination by the island's Sunni rulers. The last execution was carried out in 2008.
(Note to readers: This weeks column is given over to John Seim who has granted permission to share his thoughtful response to last weeks column. Specifically, Seims rebuttal refers to what I wrote about human-caused global warming and fracking by the oil industry in southern Kansas and Oklahoma where earthquakes have become common in a region where none were experienced before this extraction process.)

Seim writes:

1. Fracking does not cause earthquakes, and the oil companies are not the ones who have determined that. The United States Geological Survey has concluded that the problem is not with the fracking, but that deep well injections are at fault. Not all deep injection wells are to blame. Because many of the injection wells are for fracking drilling fluids, environmentalists have wrongly blamed the fracking. Requiring alternate disposal of the fluids would likely reduce the number of earthquakes.

Asked for clarification of the relationship between fracking, deep well injection and earthquakes, Seim reiterated: Yes, much of the deep injection well material is from the fracking process. The answer seems to be to dispose of the waste in some other way. It can be done, but the EPA stops most affordable disposal methods. See: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/induced/myths.php

2. In spite of many claims that over 90 percent of climate scientists agree with human-caused global climate change, that 90 percent (or 97 percent) figure is inaccurate. The number, used by NASA and even President Obama, was arrived at incorrectly. Even Wikipedia tries to support the 97 percent figure, but their reports rely on arguments put forth by the very researchers who came up with the number in the first place.

"In an analysis of 12,000 abstracts, he found a 97 percent consensus among papers taking a position on the cause of global warming in the peer-reviewed literature that humans are responsible.

Among papers taking a position is a significant qualifier: Only 34 percent of the papers Cook examined expressed any opinion about anthropogenic climate change at all. Since 33 percent appeared to endorse anthropogenic climate change, he divided 33 by 34 and  voila  97 percent! When David Legates, a University of Delaware professor who formerly headed the universitys Center for Climatic Research, recreated Cooks study, he found that only 41 papers  0.3 percent of all 11,944 abstracts or 1.0 percent of the 4,014 expressing an opinion, and not 97.1 percent, endorsed what Cook claimed. Several scientists whose papers were included in Cooks initial sample also protested that they had been misinterpreted. Significant questions about anthropogenic influences on climate remain, "

While National Review is not exactly unbiased, it shows there are considerable problems with the percentages quoted by politicians and grant-funded scientists.

To a follow-up question Seim continued, While I don't deny climate change is taking place, I find many of the dire short-term warnings are not coming from climate scientists. They are from political movements and from researchers whose continued grant money is dependent on the projections. Even NASA is partly at fault. The old saying of "follow the money" may fit quite a few of these experts. Long-term changes are a different story.
YORK  While Governor Pete Ricketts took to the air, flying to a number of communities to bring his state of the state message to residents, Lt. Governor Mike Foley drove town to town in an effort to do the same.

Foley made a stop in York, to explain the governors intentions behind a legislative agenda that would include major changes to the way ag land is valued and cuts in overall spending.

We knew months ago this legislative session would focus on budget issues as the farm economy is soft, Foley said.

With farm income in Nebraska dropping from $7.5 billion to $4-$4.5 billion, we are all feeling the reverberations. The forecast wasnt accurate, being about $260 million off.

That major shortfall in the current budget could have brought about a special session last fall, Foley explained. Instead, the governor said that on the first day of this years session, a bill would be introduced to cut spending.

And that has happened.

Ricketts plan to balance the budget relies on a combination of spending cuts and drawing money from dozens of cash accounts that are separate from the states general fund. It would also pull money from the states emergency cash reserve, reducing it from a projected $630 million down to around $500 million.

That is for the current budget.

The hope was that senators would focus on that right away and they are, Lt. Gov. Foley said. Then we can put this issue to bed, get the budget in balance and start working on the new budget.

The lieutenant governor heralded the cut in spending increases that has already taken place since he and Ricketts took office.

Prior to that, spending increases were at approximately 6 percent  that has been cut to 3 percent. And now they want to trim it back to 1.7 percent.

The governor is delivering on his core promise, Foley said.

For the future, the governor is proposing an overhaul of how ag land valuations are calculated  which, if approved, would start in 2019. The valuations would reflect a land parcels earning potential rather than its market value.

The current method of calculation creates a lot of error and has driven up valuations on ag land, Foley said. The governor is proposing, through the chairman of the agriculture committee, an income projection technique.

By pushing the effective date to 2019, there would be enough time to work with assessors to make these types of valuations.

And Foley pointed out that this is a calculation method used in other states, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana.

We also need to point out that this would only affect ag land, Foley said.

The overhaul could lower property taxes for farm and ranch owners when times are tough, but would also require an automatic increase in state aid for schools.

It includes language for schools to make adjustments, Foley said. And we will also work with counties to make sure they will be prepared for this.

Another key tax proposal being brought forward by the governor would affect the personal income tax rate. It would lower the states top tax rate in increments anytime state revenue grows by more than 3.5 percent, starting in 2020. If passed, the top rate would be expected to fall from 6.84 percent to 5.99 percent over eight years. Foley noted that the current top bracket affects the middle class as well because it kicks in at $29,831 for single taxpayers and $59,661 for married couples.

This would make Nebraska much more attractive for people to move here and stay here, Foley said. This would make us more competitive with states that have lower personal income tax rates, or no income taxes at all. We are hoping we can get that through the legislature.

Also being proposed by the governor, Foley said, is the streamlining and consolidating of several agencies.

The first would be the merging of the states division of veterans homes into the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs. This would allow them to be under one agency. This should have been done years ago, Foley said.

And the second  most states have a department of transportation. We have a department of roads and a department of aeronautics. If we put them together, have them work together as a department of transportation, we could put those dollars in roads and runways, not in administration costs, Foley said.

And any proposed tax increases will not be supported by the governors office.

In his state of the state address, Ricketts said We can balance the budget, set spending priorities, deliver essential services, all without raising taxes on Nebraska families.

We will not solve budget problems by raising taxes, Foley added. If raising taxes is proposed, the governor will say no, no, no.
YORK  York College history professor and noted author Tim McNeese will once again be appearing on the American Heroes Channel program America: Facts vs Fiction. Upcoming episodes featuring McNeese will air Saturdays, January 28, February 4, and February 25.

Filling in the holes, debunking the myths and making whole the halftruths of history is the essence of America: Facts vs. Fiction. Hosted by former naval officer and actor Jamie Kaler, the series digs deep into many myths and legends to explore how and why historical details aresometimes altered to produce a more compelling narrative.

McNeese will talk about the American West, the Boston Tea Party, and Benedict Arnold in the upcoming episodes of America: Facts vs. Fiction.

Television appearances are becoming the norm for McNeese, who appeared on America: Facts Vs. Fiction in 2014, discussing the Transcontinental Railroad, the building of the Panama Canal and Custers Last Stand. In 2006, he was featured on the History Channel program, Risk Takers, History Makers, in an episode about John Wesley Powell and the Grand Canyon. McNeeses recent appearances include an NET Television Nebraska Stories segment on General John J. Pershing that was also modified for use on NET Radio. A full length documentary on Pershing featuring McNeese will be released on NET Television in November 2017.

McNeese has been teaching history at York College since 1992 and is also the author of over 120 books. Most of his books are available through Amazon, or can be found at his website at www.timmcneese.com. His latest title is Revolutionary Spies: Intelligence and Espionage in Americas First War, published in 2015 by Fall River Press. McNeese is set to release three additional titles in 2017 with Chelsea House Publishers.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - The public has two chances to meet the three finalists for the job of AWC Associate Dean of South County. Public forums are scheduled for Monday, January 30th, in both San Luis and Somerton.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Candidate #1  Dr. Daniel OMeara

7:45  8:15 AM  Alicia Valdez San Luis Learning Center (SLLC 103)

9:00  9:30 AM  AWC Somerton Center, Somerton Computer Lab (SM CL)

Candidate #2  Susanna Zambrano

9:45  10:15 AM  AWC Somerton Center, Somerton Computer Lab (SM CL)

10:45  11:15 AM  Alicia Valdez San Luis Learning Center (SLLC 103)

Candidate #3  Alvina Johnson

1:00  1:30 PM  Alicia Valdez San Luis Learning Center (SLLC 103)

2:00  2:30 PM  AWC Somerton Center, Somerton Computer Lab (SM CL)

About the finalists

Dr. Daniel J. OMeara is a multicultural higher education specialist committed to the mission of the community college. He is active in teaching and administrative leadership, authoring more than $2.5 million in federal grants for first generation and low income community college students. Daniels main focus is on developing sustainable program initiatives to insure student success.

Susanna Zambrano (M.Ed) is currently Interim Associate Dean for South Yuma County. Her experience includes Administration, Teaching, Advising, Recruitment, and International Programs. She is passionate about community service and a proud AWC Alumni and Somerton resident. Her education includes an A.A., (AWC), a B.S., B.A., M.Ed., (NAU) and a Family Development Credential (UConn).

Alvina Johnson (M.Ed.) is a Yuma native who believes higher education should be affordable, approachable, and readily available to anyone with a desire to grow, personally or professionally. She holds an A.A. from Arizona Western College, and a BS and M.Ed. from Northern Arizona University. Currently, Alvina works for the Department of Defense assisting service members and their families in achieving their career and higher educational goals.
The American economy appears to be in good health as Donald Trump prepares to become the 45th president of the United States.

Trump will be inaugurated on Friday, January 20.

Economic conditions were far different when Barack Obama was sworn-in as president in January 2009.

Obama took office during one of the worst recessions in American history. Unemployment levels reached 10 percent. The recession slowed that summer, but the economy did not fully recover for many more months.

Trump, on the other hand, takes over an economy that has added jobs in each of the past 75 months. During that period, nearly 11 million jobs have been created.

Mark Hamrick reports on economic news and is Washington Bureau Chief for the website Bankrate.com. He says Obama is leaving office with a strong economy.

"Donald Trump can be, let's say confident, that he is being given an opportunity to do relatively well here, and I think Barack Obama can be relatively pleased about the job that he and his administration have done."

The building trade is one part of the economy that added jobs under Obama and may continue to create jobs in the future.

Trumps campaign website says he plans to invest government money in building new roads, bridges and pipelines and repairing ones that need fixing.

Ken Simonson is chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. He says he hopes Trumps administration follows through with that promise. There are many workers ready to start new projects, he adds.

U.S. oil producers may soon be able to sell their petroleum products overseas. That should help the economy, too.

Oil prices are rising, after falling in recent years. Three years ago, oil was selling for about $100 per barrel, according to Macrotrends.net. Now it sells for just over $50 per barrel.

Jack Girard is president of the American Petroleum Institute. He calls the likelihood of exporting American oil a big deal.

Wages paid to workers are important in judging the health of an economy. Hamrick of Bankrate.com says American wages are rising at their fastest rate since 2009.

Hopefully well see more of that in the future, Hamrick said.

Many states also have plans to raise the minimum wage.

Yet, there are still some problems facing the new U.S. president and the economy.

In recent years, the country has added between 100,000 and 300,000 jobs each month. That rate of increase is likely to decrease. While 156,000 jobs were added in December, the unemployment rate stayed at 4.7 percent. That means 7.5 million people who were hoping to find work are still jobless.

There are also many people who have left the labor force after not being able to find employment. The measurement of that number is called the labor participation rate, and it remains historically low.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the labor participation rate was 66 percent in January 2006. By December 2016, it had dropped to 62.7 percent.

Im Dan Friedell.

Mil Arcega reported this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted his story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

What effect will Donald Trump have on the U.S. economy? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

inaugurate  v. an occasion or ceremony in which someone begins a new official job or position by making a formal promise to do the work properly, to be honest and loyal, etc.

confident  adj. certain that something will happen or that something is true

contractor  n. a builder or construction worker

petroleum  n. a kind of oil that comes from below the ground and that is the source of gasoline and other products

minimum wage  n. an amount of money that is the least amount of money per hour that workers must be paid according to the law
YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan met with Ambassadors of foreign states accredited in Armenia, heads and representatives of international organization and institutions at the foreign ministry of Armenia.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Armenian Government, the activities of the Armenian Cabinet, reform agenda, economic development programs, fight against corruption were addressed at the meeting.

The PM highlighted holding similar meetings with the diplomatic corps for raising cooperation efficiency, and noted that the Government is open for recommendations, criticism, and proposals. I attach great importance to that you convey our visions on economic development of Armenia to the states and organizations you represent. We have extremely huge expectations of cooperation, starting from investors, culture of professionalism, or tourism, since we will be unable to develop our country without sending appropriate signals to the public or wider world, without showing that we are open and are waiting for them. In this regard we expect your support, the PM said.

Speaking about the upcoming parliamentary elections, Karen Karapetyan stressed, We expect new quality from these elections. We are going to do our best to ensure the transparency of the elections.

The Head of the Executive added that the Cabinet has already summed up the results of the 100 days in office, stressing that during that period the Cabinet has made all efforts to diagnose the problems facing the country. PM Karapetyan informed that in the near future there will be reports on the works done according to domains. I believe the members of the Cabinet already have good understanding of their spheres and what is needed to be done. There are many issues. The main goal of the economic aspect is to create maximally equal, open and fair conditions for business. And in this context we have announced that we need to make a lot of changes and first of all we must change ourselves, the Head of the Executive said. He informed that simplification of tax and customs administration and a full transition to e-system is planned aimed at improving the investment environment, which will cut the corruption risks.

Referring to fight against corruption the PM states that it is in the constant attention of the Cabinet and consistent measures are taken to reduce the level of corruption indexes.

During the meeting PM Karapetyan answered the questions of the present.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Government is ready to discuss any program on re-launch of Nairit Plant if there will be any, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan told reporters during a press conference on January 13, reports Armenpress.

You have definitely heard the answer of this question. It has not been changed. If there is a program, we will consider it and discuss, the PM said, adding that otherwise, the Government will not re-launch the Nairit Plant since it doesnt have necessary resources.

He said he has formed a commission on dissolving the Nairit Plant. The commission will decide the process of dissolving the Plant as a result of discussions.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told Armenpress the Azerbaijani forces made over 40 ceasefire violations across the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Ministry issued an announcement which says: Overnight January 13-14 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime over 40 times by firing more than 500 shots from various caliber small arms at the Armenian positions in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Azerbaijani forces fired also AGS-17 grenade launcher (1 projectile) at the north-eastern direction of the line of contact.

The NKR Defense Army forces continued conducting the reliable protection of the military positions and took countermeasures only in case of strict necessity.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. During the discussion of constitutional changes in Turkeys Parliament, lawmaker, member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Garo Paylan raised the issue of the Armenian Genocide, Anadolu reports.

A decision was made to remove him from three sessions for his statement.

In his speech Garo Paylan said during 1913-1923 the Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Jews registered in the country, were exiled from these lands or subjected to tortures as a result of large massacres and genocide.

Paylans statement angered the ruling Justice and Development party members. However, Paylan continued his speech saying: At one time we comprised 40% of the population, today we are one among 1000. Something happened to us, and I call it genocide whatever you call it. The Armenian people know very well what happened with them. I know very well what happened with my father, grandfather. Let you call it, lets together face with it.

The ruling party lawmaker Metin Kulunk demanded to correct the word genocide. It was decided to stop the session. After that a number of ruling and opposition party members condemned Paylans such statement.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The discussion of constitutional changes continued in Turkeys Parliament in the evening of January 13 during which 9th, 10th and 11th articles of the proposal of changes were adopted, reports Anadolu.

The 9th article, adopted by 343 votes in favor and 137 against, relates to making the countrys president responsible. According to the proposed change, investigation can be filed against the countrys president in case of committing a crime by the suggestion of the absolute majority of the MPs.

343 MPs voted in favor of the 10th article and 135 were against. It is related with the vice-presidents. The change says the countrys newly-elected president elects the vice-presidents.

The 11th article, adopted by 341 votes in favor and 134 against, concerns the elections of the parliament and the president. According to the proposed change, by the 3/5 demand of the lawmakers, new elections can be held. The parliamentary and the presidential elections will be held the same day.

Earlier Turkeys Parliament discussed and adopted the first two articles of the constitutional changes, as well as the proposal on expanding the presidents powers.


Many people believe a college education can help any hard working person.

But not everyone is able to attend a college or university. One common barrier is money.

The College Board collects information about colleges and universities across the United States. The organization recently investigated how much it costs Americans to attend a publicly-supported, four-year college in their home state. It found that the average cost for a single student for the 2016-2017 school year is $20,090.

Yet the U.S. higher education system does have other choices. There are two-year community colleges and private four-year universities. Also, students must consider what financial aid can do for them.

For example, after including federal financial aid, the College Board found that the average yearly cost of a four-year public college is $14,210.

However, this assistance still is not enough for some. The American Council on Education (ACE) studies issues related to higher education. A 2015 ACE report used Department of Commerce information to show a decrease in the number of low income students enrolling in college. These men and women have little money available to pay college costs or come from poor families.

The report showed the percentage of American college students considered to be low income went from 55.9 in 2008 to 45.5 in 2013. Yet the ACE reported that spending on all forms of financial aid increased by about $41 billion during that time.

So now, a group of 30 colleges and universities are taking action. They have all agreed to be part of the American Talent Initiative (ATI). Launched in December, the ATI is a project from a non-profit leadership organization called the Aspen Institute. It also receives support from the higher education research group Ithaka S+R.

Their goal? To increase the total number of low-income men and women studying at these 30 schools to 480,000 by the year 2025.

Josh Wyner is executive director of the Aspen Institutes College Excellence Program. He says one of the reasons this goal is so important is because of the value diversity adds to education. Students from different races and cultures help each other see and understand the world differently, he says. But students from different income backgrounds also have knowledge to share.

And, Wyner notes, ensuring equal chances for everyone is an important part of the American identity.

"While there are schools  that have done really good work in this area, it remains the case that  there is still somewhat limited opportunity for students from lower income backgrounds ... So I think  If we believe in the American dream, which is that hard work should enable you to go as far as your talents can take you, weve got to do something about this."

Wyner admits this can be a problem. Any school wishing to join the program must have at least a high graduation rate. Seventy percent of the students must successfully complete their study program. But only 270 of the thousands of U.S. colleges and universities meet this requirement. And the 30 schools currently involved are all different. Some are large, public research colleges. Others are small private universities.

The problem also has several causes, Wyner adds. For example, one reason there are so few low-income students in college is a lack of recruiting. Wyner says schools not only need to find better ways of finding low and middle-income students with the ability to succeed. They also need to be better about letting these students know what financial aid is available.

Many of these students do not think any top college would want them to attend, let alone help them pay the cost, Wyner says.

However, simply providing financial aid is not as simple a solution as it might appear. While the largest amount of aid comes from the government, schools also provide their own.

Some of the aid schools provide comes from tuition dollars taken from students who have enough money to pay the full price. Financial help can also come from a college or universitys endowment. This is the money, shares of stock and other financial assets the school receives from donors. The money and other assets are then invested in the hope they will support the school for many years.

Governments do not tax endowments, and the school invests the money to make it last a long time. Most schools only spend small amounts from their endowments each year, hoping not to spend more than the return on their investments.

But a 2016 report from the research group Education Trust argues some colleges and universities have more than enough money to share. Andrew Nichols is director of higher education research for the group. He also helped write the report. It found that 138 U.S. colleges each had an endowment worth over $500 million. Also, the cost of about 4 out of every 5 of these schools is more than 60 percent of the average, yearly family income of low-income students.

Nichols argues that by increasing endowment spending, even in small amounts, large endowment schools could give more aid. Yet they often reject increased spending, he says, because a large endowment is a quality that makes them more desirable.

"I think the resistance really comes from a place of wanting to amass a great amount of wealth so that you can essentially  talk about how much endowment funds you have  And so by  continuing to amass more and more money, you, in some ways, come across as a more prestigious institution."

But Liz Clark says a school cannot spend its endowment money any way it likes. Clark is with the National Association of College and University Business Officers. She notes that donors often place legal restrictions on how money they leave to the endowment is spent.

"So in some cases donors may have restricted funds specifically to help low-income students. And in other cases, donors may have said, Id like my funds to be used to help support the library or, perhaps, the music department. And while it is extremely important for colleges and universities to build a  diverse student body  they need to have the faculty, the resources, and the educational offerings that make those institutions great. And it takes dollars to help make that happen."

Clark adds if schools give out more and more in financial aid each year, they will likely have little or no endowment money to use in the future. This means the school will be in trouble if it has any financial difficulties in the coming years.

However, there is some middle ground on this issue, says Catharine Hill. She served as president of Vassar College for 10 years before she joined Ithaka S+R in 2016. Hill notes the unequal educational experiences young people from different backgrounds have in the United States. A lot of aid is merit-based, meaning it goes to students performing at the highest level. This often goes to wealthier students, as they have had more educational resources.

Wyner, Nichols, and Hill agree that more aid should be need-based, or should simply go to the students with the greatest need. But Hill says even that is a complex solution.

"We want the talented low and middle-income kids, but their families now cant afford to pay nearly as much relative to the high-income kids. And that means we have to allocate more money to need-based financial aid. That means we have less resources to spend on the things that help us attract those high-income kids. So were operating in a much more complicated environment today than schools were 40 years ago."

Hill offers one possible solution: schools can re-organize their spending. Vassar College did just this in 2007 when it decided to make cuts in repairs on buildings and other services in favor of need-based aid. The school then reported an increase in its number of low-income students by 9 percent in 8 years.

Also, as Andrew Nichols says, schools could ask for less restrictions on donations, as they used to do in the past. Otherwise, he adds, higher education is at risk of becoming another privilege of those with the most money.

Im Pete Musto.

Pete Musto this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. How is financial aid given in your country? Do universities in your country have endowments? How do they manage them? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

low income  adj. relating to a person in the U.S. that earns $17,820 or less a year

enroll(ing)  v. to enter someone as a member of or participant in something

diversity  n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

background(s)  n. the experiences, knowledge and education in a person's past

graduation  n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university

recruit(ing)  v. to find people with the qualities that are right, needed, or appropriate for something and get them to join a company, an organization, school or the armed forces

tuition  n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there

endowment  n. a large amount of money that has been given to a school or hospital, and that is used to pay for its creation and continuing support

amass  v. to gather or collect something, such as a large amount of money, especially for yourself

prestigious  adj. the respect and admiration that someone or something gets for being successful or important

funds  n. available money

faculty  n. the group of teachers in a school or college

relative  adj. compared to someone or something else or to each other

allocate  v. to divide and give out something for a special reason or to particular people or companies

privilege  n. a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Islamist militants in the Philippines allied with Islamic State freed a South Korean cargo ship captain and a Filipino member of his crew held captive for more than three months on a southern island, an army spokesman said, reports Reuters.

They were freed with the help of rebels belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front.

The cargo vessel was sailing to Australia from South Korea when 10 Abu Sayyaf militants boarded it in October and abducted the captain and a Filipino member of his crew.

Presidential peace adviser told reporters that the government didnt pay a ransom to the militants.

Abu Sayyaf terrorist group is still holding over two dozen captives on Jolo island. Citizens from the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are among the captives.

Photo by AP
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. On January 14 a consultation on the development programs for the city of Gyumri of Shirak province was held in Armenias Government led by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, press service of the Government told Armenpress.

Representatives of interested agencies, business companies and unions representing various fields took part in the consultation.

The restoration program of Kumairi reserve-museum and Shirakatsi and Rustaveli streets of Gyumri were discussed during the consultation. The restoration of these important historical-cultural values will enable to boost tourism in Gyumri.

PM Karapetyan attached importance to the implementation of the program and said Gyumri has wide range of opportunities for tourism development, and such programs developed by business logic are a necessity in this regard.

Gyumri must become more convenient, and the business must also be engaged in this process in order to receive profit and to make the city attractive, the PM said.

Representing details on the development of the program, Gyumri Mayor Samvel Balasanyan said various organizations has carried out huge works, and the presentation of the program will be held soon in order to discuss the further steps. He also informed that a meeting with the participation of businessmen, who expressed readiness to make investments in Gyumri, is planned, a special fund will be established within the framework of which programs on restoration, lighting of streets and infrastructure development will be discussed.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. US President Barack Obama decreed to extend sanctions against Russia for another year over the existing situation in Ukraine, reports TASS.

The sanctions will continue until March 2018.

Earlier US President-elect Donald Trump announced he intends keeping in force for the time being the sanctions against Russia, however, he didnt rule out that later they can be eliminated.

Photo by Reuters
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) published the Needs Assessment Mission Report ahead of Armenias upcoming parliamentary elections, Armenpress reports citing the OSCE official website.

The report identified certain positive changes and progress over the reforms of electoral processes.

In particular, the report says the electoral process reforms in Armenia were carried out as a result of wide public discussions and the existence of political consensus.

According to the report, many interlocutors of the OSCE/ODIHR needs assessment mission highly welcomed the legislative changes, considering the public discussions and the cooperation atmosphere between the political forces as a positive step aimed at forming an atmosphere of trust within the public ahead of the elections.

The report says Armenias new Electoral Code addressed many previous OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, including those related to voter lists and identification, womens representation as candidates, complaints and appeals, and rules on campaign and campaign finance.

The civil society carried out active work during the discussions of the new Electoral Code. It played an important role in the process of electoral reforms, however, not always agreed with the final reforms, the report says.
SAN FRANCISCOAs those who've been following the case know, the Erotic Service Provider Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) and its fellow plaintiffs were dealt a blow last May when U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White granted summary judgment to the defendants in ESPERLP's lawsuit to overturn California's prostitution statutes; specifically Sec. 647(b) of the Criminal Code. But ESPLERP appealed that decision, and the case is now before the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and ESPLERP's attorneys, H. Louis Sirkin and D. Gill Sperlein, have just filed their reply brief in the matter.

In the brief, the attorneys charge that, "Just as it did in the District Court below, the State here again misapprehends the fundamental liberty interest at issue in this case," the brief begins. "The liberty interest at stake is far greater than just 'a fundamental right to engage in prostitution' as the State claims ... In truth, this case is about consenting adults. It is about the right of those consenting adults to be free from the government intruding into their private, sexual lives."

The brief goes on to quote Lawrence v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized private consensual sodomy, as well as Reliable Consultants v. Earle, the Fifth Circuit's Texas dildo case, both of which affirm, in Reliable's words, "The individual's right to make private decisions about consensual intimate conduct." That sentiment is at odds with the government's interpretation of controlling law, which in their view limits sexual freedom to "highly personal bonds" and relationships that develop "deep attachments or commitments." In other words, in the government's view, if there isn't some sort of deep personal relationship somewhere down the road, the brief sexual encounters of a prostitute and a john shouldn't be protected.

But "The record in Lawrence contained no evidence whatsoever that Messrs. Lawrence and Garner were in a relationship with 'deep attachments or commitments'," the appellants argue in their brief. "Quite the contrary, 'Lawrence and Garner were not in a long-term committed relationship'," referring to a case study of Lawrence v. Texas by Dale Carpenter.

"Nowhere did the Lawrence Court apply anything similar to the argument advanced by the State in this case that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment only protects relationships with 'deep attachments or commitments'," they state. "The liberty protected by the Due Process Clause is not limited to deeply committed relationships."

The appellants also take issue with the State's assumption that because the Supreme Court distinguished the relationship between Lawrence and Garner from that of a prostitute and john, that somehow means that the high court was saying that consensual prostitution would not be protected under the Fourteenth Amendment.

"These sentences did not mean that laws criminalizing prostitution or laws forbidding same-sex marriages could withstand constitutional muster," they argue. "Rather, these sentences from Lawrence were only the Court's acknowledgment that the Court did not need to address those issues at that point in time."

The appellants then argue that the trial court's application of mere "rational basis review" of the prostitution law was an insufficient standard to apply, and that some form of "heightened scrutiny" should be usedjust as the Supreme Court applied in Lawrence. They similarly dismiss the State's argument that even if people have a right to have sex with each other without the government looking over their shoulder, they should similarly have the right to pay for, or accept money for, that sex.

"[M]ore fundamentally, the State totally disregards the fact that when the liberty guaranteed by the United States Constitution protects a person from certain governmental intrusion, then that liberty also protects against the State completely outlawing transactions of commerce relating to that Constitutionally-protected behavior," they wrote. "Just as the government cannot say 'it is legal for you to possess a firearm, but it is illegal for you to purchase any firearm,' so too can the government not say 'it is legal for you to engage in sexual activity, but it is illegal for you to pay for any sexual activity.' Such a position defies logic."

The rest of the brief is spent debunking the State's attempts to paint prostitution with the same brush as sex trafficking and/or rape, with the appellants arguing that if the state wants to make laws outlawing those criminal acts, it should do so specifically, and allow consensual prostitution involving only adults to be let alone. They similarly debunk the argument that prostitution encourages the spread of sexually transmitted infections, noting that "those concerns may justify the several public health initiatives already in place regarding those 'risky sexual behaviors.' But none of these posited governmental interests justify the outright prohibition on giving or receiving anything of value in connection with sexual activity that is itself perfectly legal."

Besides the government's appellate brief which was filed in early December, several other organizations have together filed an amicus brief supporting the government's position. Those organizations include the National Center on Sexual Exploitaion, Covenant House California, Freedom from Exploitation, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Equality NOW, Demand Abolition, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Wichita State University Center for Combating Human Trafficking and several others.

It is not known when the Ninth Circuit will be hearing this appeal, as no court date has yet been scheduled.
By Se Young Lee and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee left the South Korean special prosecutor's office early on Friday after more than 22 hours of questioning on bribery suspicions in an influence-peddling scandal that could topple President Park Geun-hye. Lee left the special prosecution office without answering reporters' questions and headed to a waiting car. Prosecutors have been investigating whether Samsung provided 30 billion won ($25.46 million) to a business and foundations backed by Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, in exchange for the national pension fund's support for a 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates. The special prosecutor's office said it would decide by Sunday whether to seek a warrant to arrest 48-year-old Lee, the third-generation leader of South Korea's largest conglomerate, or chaebol. There were no plans to bring him in for further questioning. Lee denied some of the suspicions against him but had admitted to others, said Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for the special prosecutors' office who declined to elaborate. A Samsung spokeswoman declined to comment. The corruption scandal has engulfed the highest reaches of South Korea's elite, with Park impeached by parliament in December, a decision that must be upheld or overturned by the Constitutional Court. Park, who has been stripped of her powers in the meantime, has denied wrongdoing. Jay Y. Lee was named as a suspect on Wednesday and summoned on Thursday morning for questioning. Prosecutors were looking into whether he gave false testimony during a parliamentary hearing in early December, where the heads of nine of South Korea's biggest chaebol were subjected to an unprecedented 13-hour televised grilling by a panel investigating the presidential scandal. Jay Y. Lee denied bribery accusations during that hearing, rejecting assertions from lawmakers that Samsung lobbied to get the fund to back the merger. The chiefs of South Korean chaebol have over the years had prison sentences shortened or forgiven, or received pardons, with the economic impact of imprisonment cited as a factor. Jay Y. Lee's father Lee Kun-hee, who has been incapacitated since a 2014 heart attack, was handed a three-year suspended jail sentence in 2009 for tax evasion. He was later pardoned. Asked whether prosecutors would take into account any economic impact in their decision on whether to seek Jay Y. Lee's arrest, spokesman Lee Kyu-chul said: "From the point of the special prosecutor, we are conducting the investigation by law and principle. There is nothing further that I can say in that regard." Shares in group flagship Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone maker, ended 3.45 percent lower on Friday. EQUESTRIAN SPONSORSHIP The special prosecution also questioned Park Sang-jin, a president at Samsung Electronics, for about 13 hours until early on Friday. Park Sang-jin had signed a contract for Samsung Electronics in 2015 to sponsor an equestrian team, the main beneficiary of which was the daughter of President Park's friend Choi, a key figure in the scandal who is in detention and undergoing a criminal trial. Choi has denied wrongdoing. Her daughter, 20-year-old Chung Yoo-ra, was arrested by Danish police early this month after she was sought by South Korean authorities. Chung, who won a gold medal in group dressage at the 2014 Asian Games, has denied wrongdoing. Park Sang-jin, who had refused to appear at parliamentary hearings on the matter citing health issues, did not comment to reporters as he left the prosecutors' office at about 3 a.m. (1900 GMT Thursday) wearing a white face mask. Two other Samsung Group executives were questioned by special prosecutors on Monday and released. Samsung has acknowledged making payments to two foundations at the center of the scandal, as well as to a consulting firm controlled by Choi, but has repeatedly denied accusations of lobbying to push through the controversial 2015 merger of affiliates Samsung C&T Corp and Cheil Industries Inc. Dozens of South Korean corporate groups made contributions totaling 77.4 billion won ($65.75 million) to two foundations that were set up to back President Park's initiatives, but Samsung's donations were the largest. Late last month, the head of South Korea's National Pension Service, the world's third-largest pension fund, was arrested after he acknowledged that he had pressured the fund to approve the $8 billion merger between the two Samsung Group [SAGR.UL] affiliates while he was head of the health ministry, reversing an earlier public denial. (Reporting by Se Young Lee and Ju-min Park; Additional reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Tony Munroe, Toni Reinhold and Paul Tait)
[Cars on the assembly line at Fords plant in Oakville, Ontario/REUTERS/Fred Thornhill]

With the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump less than a week away, nearly 40,000 workers in the automotive sector across North America could be on the chopping block, according to a new report.

A memo outlining the policy goals of the incoming presidents administration indicated that Trump would begin reforming NAFTA on Day 1.

Trump has repeatedly ripped the longstanding free-trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, calling it an an absolute catastrophe and a total disaster.

Trump said he would renegotiate or withdraw the U.S. from the deal, which has been in effect since January 1994. He also threated to implement a 35 per cent tariff on Mexican-made vehicles exported to the U.S.

While the president-elects goal is to bring industry and jobs back to America soil, the Center for Automotive Research, a think tank based in Ann Arbor, Mich., said these tactics could have the opposite effect.

In fact, its study indicates that a withdrawal from NAFTA or the implementation of punitive tariffs could result in the loss of at least 31,000 jobs in the countrys auto parts industry.

Part of these cuts would stem from the loss of Mexican import sales, as vehicles assembled south of the border contain U.S. parts, engines, transmissions and other content.

The report estimated that the other assembly line job cuts would result would from the implementation of the 35 per cent tariff on Mexican vehicle production, as automakers in the U.S. use parts their parts and components to the tune of an average of 11.7 per cent.

Furthermore, the report said that this tariff could result in an additional loss of nearly 6,700 jobs on assembly lines across North America.

Any move by the United States to withdraw from NAFTA or to otherwise restrict automotive vehicle, parts and components trade within North America will result in higher costs to producers, lower returns for investors, fewer choices for consumers, and a less competitive U.S. automotive and supplier industry, said the report.

Story continues

In addition, the report said that these job losses could be compounded if parts and components that cross the U.S-Mexico border multiple times are taxed for each trip before being installed at an assembly plant and if layoffs are not evenly distributed, causing factory closures.

Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of the Guelph, Ont., based auto parts manufacturer Linamar Corp., said at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit Wednesday that taxing products multiple times as they cross the border would ultimately be a tab that consumers would be forced to pick up.

It would add enormous cost that no one can bear, Hasenfratz said.

The report also said that withdrawing from NAFTA or the implementation of heavy tariffs could spell other industry-wide problems.

It indicated that without NAFTA, large segments of Americas automotive industry would have uprooted for cheaper labour in Asia, Eastern Europe or South America.

By producing cheaper automotive parts and components on the near shore in Mexico rather than truly off-shore, Mexican automotive plants helped sustain a competitive automotive industry across North America, wrote the authors, noting that this has helped maintain the U.S. dominance in vehicle production and parts manufacturing.

While Canada, Mexico and the U.S. were responsible for a significant portion of the worlds vehicle production, pumping out 17.8 million in 2016, the report indicates that the six major automakers producing vehicles in that are for sale in the U.S. have a number of assembly plants outside North America and extensive global supply chains.

In the event vehicle imports from Mexico into the United States should be limited, it is clear that the automotive industry enjoys many alternative locations that would provide ready sourcing options outside the United States, said the report.

This global capacity, and the expertise the automakers possess in flexing production within it, erode the likelihood that the United States would exclusively benefit in securing replacement production of vehicles or production of parts.

The study said that Canada could be one of the countries that could be ready to step in.

Canada serves as an obvious likely replacement source of capacity, said the report

In fact, current exchange rate makes Canadian labour costs lower than those in the United States.

The report called both Mexico and Canada export powerhouses with thee domestic consumption of the vehicles they manufacture hovering around 20 per cent and 12 per cent respectively, with the U.S. being the chief destination.

It also said both Canada and Mexico, which received US$233.9 billion and $185.3 billion of the U.S. exports in 2015, could seek more affordable places to purchase goods such as China, India and other regions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked immediate anger among Alberta politicians Friday by suggesting Canada should "phase out" the oilsands.

Speaking at a town hall in Peterborough, Ont., Trudeau was asked about his government's approval of pipelines and his commitment to the environment.

"You can't make a choice between what's good for the environment and what's good for the economy," Trudeau said. "We can't shut down the oilsands tomorrow. We need to phase them out. We need to manage the transition off of our dependence on fossil fuels.

"That is going to take time. And in the meantime, we have to manage that transition."

In Alberta, both the Wildrose Party and the Progressive Conservatives were quick to condemn the statement.

"The economic benefits of the oilsands are immeasurable," Wildrose Leader Brian Jean, who represents Fort McMurray, said in a statement. "If Mr. Trudeau wants to shut down Alberta's oilsands, and my hometown, let him be warned: he'll have to go through me and four million Albertans first."

In a tweet, PC leadership candidate Jason Kenney asked if Trudeau would rather "hand over all global oil production to Saudi [Arabia], Iran [and] Qatar.

"If we end 'dependence on fossil fuels,'" Kenney asked in another tweet, "how will Justin Trudeau fly to private Caribbean islands? Planes & helicopters fuelled by pixie dust?"

According to a 2014 study, Alberta's oilsands contributed $91 billion of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) that year.
On January 11, Norway became the first country to begin turning off signals from its FM radio network.

The Norwegian stations will instead use only digital audio broadcasting, called DAB.

FM, or frequency modulation, radio stations have been in operation since the 1950s. Both FM and digital radio have been used in Norway since 1995.

The move to complete digital broadcasting will take about one year, beginning in the northern part of the Scandinavian country. Eventually, every area will have only digital radio, making millions of FM radios useless.

Critics

Some Norwegians are not happy about the move to all-DAB radio. One newspaper survey suggested that two-thirds of the population oppose plans to close down the FM network.

Up to 2 million car owners will need to buy special equipment to hear DAB programs, reports the Wall Street Journal. Car radios require an adaptor that costs between $116 and $232.

Advocates

Mari Hagerup is a spokesperson for Digital Radio Norway. She notes that Norway has a small population. She says the people are spread out over a large area, raising the operating costs of FM radio stations. In addition, she says, broadcasting in both FM and DAB is costly.

She says that DAB radio is the most common household radio in Norway. Eight of every ten Norwegian homes currently has a DAB radio. DAB also has more room to grow, she explains. There were only five national FM channels, with no room for additional channels.

Other European countries are closely watching Norways move to turn off FM radio signals. Switzerland plans to carry out the same changes in 2020.

An easy transition to digital radio could influence countries such as Britain and Denmark to change to digital-only broadcasting.

I'm John Russell.

Victor Beattie wrote this story for VOANews.com. John Russell adapted his report 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

frequency modulation (FM)  n. a system for sending radio signals in which the number of radio waves is changed in order to send information in the form of sound

digital  adj. using or represented by computer technology

transition  n. a change from one state or condition to another

channel  n. a television or radio station
Research & Development

Clemson U, Carnegie Mellon to Develop Robots for Advanced Manufacturing

Researchers at Clemson University (CU) are collaborating with a robotics institute affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to develop next-generation robots for advanced manufacturing across the automotive, aerospace, electronics and textile industries. CU will also help train the workers who will operate the robots, as part of a $253 million plan to fill roughly 510,000 jobs in manufacturing by 2025.

The plan comes from the United States Department of Defense (DOD), which funded the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) Institute to develop, demonstrate and facilitate early adoption of novel robotic solutions. The institute has received $80 million from the DOD and the remaining $173 million from partner organizations.

Based near Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, the ARM Institute brings together 231 stakeholders  123 industrial partners, 35 universities, 10 community colleges and academic partners and 62 government and nonprofit partners  to develop cutting-edge robotics technology. The DOD has awarded $250 million to CMU to launch the institute. It will be led by a newly established independent nonprofit organization, American Robotics, founded by CMU.

The main objective of ARMs 10-year plan is to increase worker productivity by 30 percent and fill future manufacturing jobs, according to a news release. It also aims to make robots more accessible to small- to medium-sized business. The plan calls for a wide range of research on aerospace, automotive, electronics and textiles. One research project with BMW, Bosch and Yaskawa, for example, involves building a robot that can put 20-pound alternators on cars moving along an assembly line. The goal is to develop a robot that can be used in BMWs assembly lines.

In addition, CU will introduce about 20 certification programs for 10,000 operators over the next five years. These educational programs will involve virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, according to CU and CMU news releases.

Contrary to a popular misperception, robotic automation in manufacturing is creating jobs rather than increasing unemployment. Companies in South Carolina and nationwide tell us the jobs are available but that we need educational programs to prepare operators with the critical STEM skills they need to qualify, said Rebecca Hartley, director of operations at CUs Center for Workforce Development, in a news release. Hartley will oversee the creation of CUs certificate programs.

"The institute will tap into CMU's research strengths in collaborative robotics, sensor technologies, materials science and human-computer interaction, areas that are rapidly transforming many sectors of our economy," said CMU Provost Farnam Jahanian, in a news release. "With this unique partnership between academia, government and industry, CMU is poised to bridge the gap between research, innovation and practice in the emerging field of advanced manufacturing."

To learn more, visit the ARM Institute site.
Forests are potent carbon sinks, but also the oceans' seagrasses can store enormous amounts of carbon. A little bay in Denmark stores a record amount of carbon. Here is the secret.

Seagrass plays a bigger role in the Earth's carbon cycle than most of us think. The underwater meadows of seagrass are capable of storing large amounts of carbon - a talent that draws attention in a time, where decision makers and scientists are searching for ways to bring down the release of CO 2 to the atmosphere.

Efficient meadows of carbon storing seagrass are found in coastal areas in many parts of the world. But according to biologists one particular meadow in Denmark is by far the most efficient.

The meadow is situated in the bay Thurbund on the island Thur in the South Funen Archipelago, Denmark.

Special conditions in this bay

- Many seagrass meadows in the world have been investigated. Recently I was part of investigating and measuring carbon storing capabilities of 10 seagrass meadows in the Baltic Sea. No place comes even close to Thurbund, says Professor Marianne Holmer, University of Southern Denmark (SDU).

Professor Holmer is head of SDU's Department of Biology and she is an expert in seagrass ecology and biogeochemistry.

The explanation is found in the special conditions in Thurbund.

Protected and productive

- It is a very protected bay - and also very productive. So the seagrass thrives and when the plants die they stay in the meadow. They are buried in the sediment and in this process their content of carbon gets stored with them. In Finland the seagrass grows in open coast areas, which means that the dead plants much more often are washed off to sea, taking the carbon with them. Once the carbon has been taken out to the sea it is unsure what happens to it, says Professor Holmer.

Thurbund stores ca. 27,000 grams of carbon (gC) pr. square meter. This figure has never been measured to be more than 10,000-11,000 gC pr. m2 in other parts of the world.

According to the new study Danish seagrass meadows store 3-4 times more carbon than Finnish meadows.

Harsher environment in Finland

The study's lead author is PhD student Emilia Rohr, University of Southern Denmark and Abo Akademi University in Finland. Co-authors are Marianne Holmer and Christoffer Bostrom from Abo Akademi University. The study has been published in Biogeosciences.

- The Finnish meadows in our study are more exposed than the Danish and they grow in harsher environments where the dead plants do not sink to the bottom, so their carbon content does not get stored in the sediment, explains Emilia Rohr.

It is unknown where the dead seagrass plants go and what happens to them, when they get washed out to the open sea. Maybe their carbon gets stored elsewhere, maybe it ends up as CO 2 in the atmosphere.

The economic value

Due to the carbon storing efficiency of seagrass meadows, a system has been designed to calculate the economic value of their stored carbon.

- The value in Denmark is 1809 Euro pr. hectar while in Finland it is 281 Euro, says Emilia Rohr.

Other scientists have calculated that the global loss of seagrass equals 1.9 - 13.7 billion US dollars in lost carbon storing.

Fish and shrimps need seagrass

Many countries have a focus on restoring lost seagrass meadows. The meadows are not only good at storing carbon: they are also home for many small and large animals, including commercially important species as shrimps, cod and flatfish.

The plants also function as particle filters, keeping the water clear.

On a global scale Earth has lost estimated 29 pct. of its seagrass meadows since 1879. Danmark has lost 80-90 pct. since the 1930s.

Blue carbon

The worlds' oceans store vast amounts of carbon, especially in coastal areas like mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and salt marshes. This is called blue carbon, and the mechanisms are the same as when land forests store carbon. Seagrass meadows cover only 0.1 - 0.2 pct. of the worlds' seafloor, but they account for storing of up to 18 pct. of all ocean stored carbon. The meadows in the Baltic Ocean store 1.7 - 12 pct. of all seagrass meadow stored carbon in the world.

Seagrass is a plant

Seagrass is not a seaweed, but a plant with flowers, leaves and roots just like plants on land. It also produces seeds, which is spread on the seafloor and grow to new plants. There are ca. 60 seagrass species in the world. In Denmark eelgrass (Zostera marina) is the most common. Seagrass needs light and only grows in shallow water. They need min. 10 pct. of the sun's light.

###

Professor, Head of Department of Biology, Marianne Holmer. holmer@biology.sdu.dk. Phone:+45 60112605.






From father to son

The blood runs thin

See faces frozen still

Against the wind



The seam is split

The coal face cracked

The lines are long

There's no going back

Through hands of steel

And heart of stone

Our labor day

Has come and gone



Yeah you leave me holding on

In Red Hill town

See lights go down, I'm



Hanging on

You're all that's left to hold on to

I'm still waiting

I'm hanging on

You're all that's left to hold on to



The glass is cut

The bottle run dry

Our love runs cold

In the caverns of the night

We're wounded by fear

Injured in doubt

I can lose myself

You I can't live without



Yeah you keep me holding on

In Red Hill town

See the lights go down on

I'm hanging on

You're all that's left to hold on to

I'm still waiting

Hanging on

You're all that's left to hold on to, on to



We'll scorch the earth

Set fire to the sky

We stoop so low, to reach so high

A link is lost

The chain undone

We wait all day

For night to come

And it comes

Like a hunter child



I'm hanging on

You're all that's left to hold on to

I'm still waiting

I'm hanging on

You're all that's left to hold on to



Love, slowly stripped away

Love, has seen its better day



- lyrics by U2


As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
This website is inclusive of tolerant people of all faiths, without exception. Neither anti-Semitism nor Islamophobia nor homophobia should ever be acceptable to anyone. We must all strive to live in peace and harmony with each other, regardless of religious affiliations, or none. Intolerance is the mother of strife and conflict.   Mark Alexander

We Britons are Europeans!Wir Briten sind Europaer! Nous, les Britanniques, sommes europeens !  Mark AlexanderEmail me at:markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com
Chris Cillizza

Chris Cillizza is the managing editor of PostPolitics and he writes "The Fix," a politics blog for The Washington Post. He also covers the White House for the newspaper and website. Chris has appeared as a guest on NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and CNN to talk politics. He lives in Virginia with his wife and sons.
Israeli Craft Beer Saga * The Beer Bazaar has been in touch with me, and I hope to have a proper visit in the near future. I must say that they really seem to care ...

Bye, Bye Cafe Rimon For as long as I remember Jerusalem, going on forty-nine 49 years, there has always been a restaurant, or two, called "Rimon" just...

the easiest cake recipe Plain Cake, Simply Delicious! This is the basis for all sorts of cakes, including chocolate, apple, chocolate chip, etc. It can be multipl...

Best Salad Deal in Jerusalem The other day my friend and I needed a quick lunch before going to our "next stop/event." All I wanted to eat was a salad, and she...

Jerusalem Light Festival 2018, Rather Dull The other night I went to the Jerusalem Light Festival 2018, even though I couldn't find anyone to go with. There were thousands of othe...

Win for "Jerusalem Big Blue Lions" Opening Game!       46-10 Lions beat the Petach Tikva Troopers 46-10 We (two of my kids and I-after m...

Piccolino Friday Brunch, What Took Me So Long? For years I had been hearing about the Friday Brunch served at Piccolino , but it took me until last Friday to finally experience it. The oc...

Newly Decorated "Tunnel" Last night, when my husband and I got off of the bus that had taken us from Ashdod to Jerusalem, I wondered how we were going to cross the ...
It is often asserted that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also Herbert W. Armstrong never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they never seem to notice this. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".
YEREVAN.  If neighboring countries are building the railway, this does not mean that Armenia should not think about this topic.

Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies, Vahan Martirosyan, told the aforesaid to reporters, after Thursdays Cabinet session.

In his words, even if the neighboring country is building a railway from Iran, this does not mean that Armenia should not start and that such a project is not contemporary. As per the minister, this is one of the potential routes that can compete with the cargo transport roads that lead from the Persian Gulf and Iran to Europe, via the Black Sea.

According to very rough estimates, the construction cost [of this railway] is estimated at 3 billion [US] dollars. (). [But] the future investor shall give the final appraisal, said Martirosyan. The routes toward connecting the existing railway along the [Lake] Sevan shore, or Ararat Valley, [of Armenia] are being discussed. At this moment, the road passing along Sevan is preferable.

The minister added that, according to rough estimates, this railway construction project shall make up for its construction cost in 22 years.
Germany to install better air defense system over Defense Ministry buildings

Erdogan and Stoltenberg discuss war in Ukraine

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire in direction of Armenian positions

True cost of Europe's rejection of Russian gas

White House tries to explain Biden's statement about freeing Iran

Former Pakistani Prime Minister: Either we will have a peaceful revolution or a bloody one

Aramyan: Why are police officers' salaries increasing, while defense officers' are not?

Pentagon and U.S. weapons manufacturers to discuss Russia, human resources and supply chain

Ankara says U.S. may approve sale of F-16s to Turkey within few months

IMF: Turkey should tighten monetary policy and give the Central Bank more independence

Pope urges religious leaders to keep the world from brink of abyss

Putin awards Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II with Order of Honor

U.S. says G7 countries realize need for coordinated response to China

Round-the-clock curfew is introduced in Kherson

Borrell says they can't put China and Russia on same level

Olaf Scholz calls on China to influence Russia

G7 foreign ministers express 'unwavering commitment' to protecting Ukraine, criticized PRC and IRI

Political technologist explains why Pashinyan was elected chairman of board of ruling party in Armenia

Erdogan signs up for TikTok

China's army is constantly preparing for war amid provocative U.S. actions

Kalin: Armenia is constructive about normalization of relations

Poland asks EU to suspend fines

Putin: Situation in Ukraine was deadly for Russia

Portugal to test a four-day workweek

US embassy in Armenia issues statement ahead of November 5 protests in Yerevan

Dollar, euro go up in Armenia

Baku authorities once again refuse to allow PFPA to hold protest rally

Iranians commemorate anniversary of US embassy seizure

Richard Kauzlarich: Azerbaijan, Armenia FMs meeting in Washington 'will send message to Putin'

Russia ratifies protocol on requirements for length of service of EEU bodies' employees for pensions

Armenia deputy defense minister in Russia, discusses military cooperation

Yerevan receives proposal to hold Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan interparliamentary talks

Health minister: We will work with fallen Armenia detainees relatives one more time after which bodies will be buried

Putin allows mobilization of citizens with unexpunged criminal record for serious crimes

Arnika, NESEHNUTI NGOs of Czech Rep. issue joint statement on plan to expand gold mine in Armenias Karaberd

Putin urges to evacuate civilians living in Kherson from the war zone

Iran parliament speaker to visit Armenia

Ruling force MP: Canada is opening embassy in Armenia because we are one of worlds most democratic countries

Girl with Armenian roots ends up in Vladimir orphanage

Erdogan says he has agreed with Putin to supply grain to needy countries for free

Armenia President, UK envoy agree to continue cooperation, close contacts

Armenia FM receives EU Monitoring Capacity

Spanish MPs don't approve agreement with Baku as a sign of solidarity with Armenia

Japan says North Korea may go ahead with nuclear test

Armenia government to allocate about $5M to Karabakh refugees support program

Belarusian border service: Border guards intercepts Ukrainian training drone

President appoints Ruben Vardanyan as Karabakh Minister of State

US embassy expresses concern about human rights violation in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan continues muscle play on Iran border

Ibrahim Kalin says Turkey will become an important gas center one way or another

Biden: We're gonna free Iran

Reuters: G7 countries and Australia agrees on fixed price for Russian oil

World oil prices dropping

Wizz Air to launch new flights between Venice, Yerevan

EU assesses Armenia, Azerbaijan border commissions meeting in Brussels as constructive

Artsakh President convenes enlarged working consultation

Envoy: China supports Armenians

Azerbaijan MOD disseminates disinformation, Armenia army did not fire

Armenia ruling party recounts congress voting results

Quake jolts Turkey

Newspaper: Armenia PM once again manipulates topic of negotiations, Karabakh conflict

Newspaper: Studies underway on Armenia MPs business involvement

US wants to prevent Germany, other allies from working together with China

Protests turn violent in Iran's Alborz Province

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
WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), following a recent discussion with Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), welcomed his support, as Chairman of the influential House Foreign Affairs Committee, for a new, education-oriented Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant for public schools in Armenia.

We deeply appreciate Chairman Royces active interest in securing a second round of MCC funding for Armenia and look forward to working with his colleagues in the 115th Congress on a broad array of initiatives to strengthen Armenia and grow U.S.-Armenia relations, said ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian.

Seeking MCC funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education is part of the ANCA's federal legislative agenda, a 360-degree advocacy program that seeks to strengthen Armenia economically, grow U.S.-Armenia relations, defend Artsakh's security, and end U.S. complicity in Ankara's obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide.

In an Op/Ed published in the Armenian media last October, ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian praised past MCC support for Armenia, noting: As much as the first MCC grant accomplished, there is much more to be done. A second compact holds the potential to deliver a new round of transformative change to Armenia, at a truly pivotal moment in Armenias development. Such a future compact could, for example, provide hundreds of millions of dollars to empower Armenias public school students with the advanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education required in the rapidly evolving 21st Century workforce. Such a grant would add new energy to Armenias growing IT sector, promoting the development of an advanced and sustainable Armenian economy fully integrated into the international financial system.
YEREVAN.  Prime Minister of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, on Saturday chaired a consultation on the development projects for Gyumri, the second largest town of the country.

In particular, the discussants conferred on the restoration program for Kumayri Reserve-Museum and Shirakatsi and Rustaveli Streets of Gyumri, the press office of the government informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. The restoration of these important historical and cultural treasures will enable to promote tourism development in the city.

Karapetyan noted that Gyumri has considerable opportunities for tourism development, and therefore such projects that are developed with business logic are indispensable.

Gyumri shall be made more comfy, stressed the PM. And the businesses also shall be included in this process, so that they gain profit and be able to make the city appealing.

Mayor of Gyumri, Samvel Balasanyan, in turn, presented details on the development of these projects.
All Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Needs Assessment Mission (OSCE/ODIHR NAM) interlocutors underscored the need for a large-scale OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission to monitor the forthcoming parliamentary election in Armenia.

While many previous OSCE/ODIHR recommendations have been addressed, concerns were expressed about the effective implementation of the new Electoral Code and the impartiality of the election administration, including on election day.

A number of aspects would merit specific attention by an OSCE/ODIHR election observation activity, including the conduct of the campaign and potential abuse of state resources, media coverage, functioning of the new voter identification system and web-cameras, access for citizen observers, publication and handling of signed voter lists, and resolution of possible complaints and appeals.

Based on the findings of this report, the OSCE/ODIHR NAM recommends the deployment of an Election Observation Mission for the 2 April parliamentary elections, contingent upon the receipt of an official invitation from the Armenian authorities.

In addition to a core team of experts, the OSCE/ODIHR NAM recommends the secondment of 24 long-term observers from OSCE participating States to follow the electoral process countrywide, and 250 short-term observers to follow election day proceedings.

In line with the OSCE/ODIHRs standard methodology, the mission would include a media monitoring element, reads the respective OSCE/ODIHR NAM statement.
YEREVAN. - The chances are high that PACE President Pedro Agramunt will get a no-confidence vote during the January session of PACE, which will be held from January 23 to 27.

MP of the National Assembly of Armenia, Naira Zohrabyan, who is also a member of the Armenian delegation to PACE, told the aforementioned to Armenian News  NEWS.am.

In her words, the fact that the Prosecutors Office of Milan has launched a case against former PACE Vice President and honorary head of the European People's Party (EPP) faction in PACE, Luca Volonte, and that Pedro Agramunts name is also involved in the scandal, contributes to this.

Volonte agreed to cooperate with the legal system and admitted that the acting President of PACE, Pedro Agramunt, was also involved in the entire corruption scandal. That is why during the October session Agramunt hysterically hindered Naira Karapetyans and my speeches, when we were speaking about that corruption scandal of Azerbaijan.

I think this cannot remain without consequences. I also think that the issue of the continuation of Agramunts office has to be raised during the January session, since the president of an Assembly which represents 47 countries cannot be a person, regarding whom the report of the famous German NGO entitled caviar diplomacy contains scandalous revelations,Zohrabyan stressed.

According to her, Volonte has already mentioned the name of Agramunt in his testimonies, noting that the latter, as well as the heads of different groups of PACE and different deputies were involved in the scandalous story concerning the reception of 3 million euro bribe for serving the interests of Baku.

I assess the chances of giving a no-confidence vote to Agramunt as high, since the Iranian Prosecutors Office has sent all those materialsincluding the part where the name of Perdro Agramunt is touched onalso to the Spanish legal system. I think in order to clean this dirt from it, the Spanish delegation should be interested in removing the rubber stamp of Azerbaijan and junior worker of Aliyevs administration, Pedro Agramunt, from this important post, Zohrabyan noted.

Asked whether the Armenian delegation will come up with such an initiative or there will be other deputies as well, the MP noted: The initiative will come from the delegates representing different European delegations, and the Armenian delegation will definitely join them, doing its best. There are steps which have been planned by our delegation but I am not authorized to voice them. If this question is not raised during this session, Agramunt will hold his office for another year.

Referring to the issue regarding the possibility of Agramunts being elected in the election slated for the January session, Zohrabyan said: The election of the PACE president is of a ceremonial nature, since according to internal agreement, the powers of the acting president are extended by one year by default: no special election is planned. The election of the president is held according to the internal regulatory agreements, that is, a president is selected from each political group, who takes the office for two years. If nobody raises the issue of giving a no-confidence vote to Agramunt in connection with this corruption scandal, he will hold his office for another year.
The latest

Women at the heart of "She's Crafty, Folks" beer curation at Centraal

The unique beer menu at Centraal Grand Cafe & Tappery features special themed curations of beers from all over the nation and the world. This month, Centraal will introduce a brand new curation called "She's Crafty, Folks" which pays homage to women in the brewing industry.
Open and closed forms of channel proteins, which function by changing their shape. Credit: University of Arkansas

A University of Arkansas chemist and his collaborator at North Carolina State University have developed a new theory for explaining how proteins and other biomolecules function based on movement and change of shape and structure rather than content.

Proteins are considered the workhorse molecules of cells. They are responsible for nearly all tasks in cellular life, including product manufacture, waste cleanup and routine maintenance. For example, some proteins are responsible for transport of materials and information between the cell and its environment, a vital task for the survival and normal function of the cell. Any disorder in protein function could result in disease, and the study of protein function is necessary for understanding the molecular basis of disease.

"To function, proteins change their shape," said Mahmoud Moradi, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "Because proteins are not static objects, understanding their conformational dynamics is a necessary step in deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying their function. The study of protein dynamics is therefore important for understanding the molecular basis of the disease and establishing a 'rational design' for developing more efficient drugs."

The theory developed by Moradi and Ashkan Fakharzadeh, a graduate student North Carolina State University, describes and simulates the way proteins and other biomolecules change their shape to function.

"Conventional theories of protein dynamics ignore the curved nature of the configurational space of biomolecules," Moradi said. "In this work, we have developed an innovative formalism that relies a geometric theory, traditionally used in general relativity and similar fields, to modify theories of protein dynamics."

Moradi and Fakharzadeh will address two interrelated questions to further develop their theory: How do proteins function by changing their conformation and by undergoing concerted motions, and how can these conformational changes be simulated at an atomic level? Answering these questions would shed light on the structure-function relationships in proteins, Moradi said, and could improve scientists' understanding of diseases at a molecular level.

The researchers' findings were published in the December issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, which reports new and original experimental and theoretical research in physical chemistry. A criterion for acceptance in the journal is that the research "reports a significant scientific advance and/or physical insight such that rapid publication is essential."

More information: Ashkan Fakharzadeh et al. Effective Riemannian Diffusion Model for Conformational Dynamics of Biomolecular Systems, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b02208 Journal information: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
The top executive of number three smartphone maker Huawei on Wednesday laid out an ambitious agenda for the US and global markets, brushing aside political issues that have hampered the Chinese group.

Richard Yu, chief executive of Huawei's consumer business group, made a string of appearances at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, where he maintained the company's goal of becoming the world's biggest smartphone maker within five years.

"We want to be number two in the next two years," Yu told a small group of reporters after a keynote speech at the Las Vegas show. "In five years we want to be number one."

Yu said Huawei, which introduced two handsets at the tech gathering, has performed better on many technical tests and consumer surveys than its top two smartphone rivals, Samsung and Apple.

But he said it will be important for Huawei to make better inroads in the US market, especially in the premium smartphone segment. And to do that it needs to develop relations with carriers, through which most devices are sold, not only in direct sales of unlocked phones.

"In the next two to five years we should do more with carriers," he said.

He argued US consumers are looking for something new in smartphones, describing most of the others on the market as "boring."

"In the US market consumers need a better product," he said.

At CES, Huawei announced the US release of its flagship Mate 9 handset, which was launched in other markets last year, and the global launch of its mid-range Honor 6x.

Yu brushed off criticism regarding Huawei's ties to the Beijing government, which was heightened after a US congressional report.

He said such concerns are based on "misunderstanding" and possibly fueled by "our competitors" who "are using this to fight us."

"We have no relations with any government," Yu said, adding that Huawei is "a private company owned by its employees."

He said he Huawei would not collaborate with governments to spy on consumers because "if we do that with one government we would have problems with other countries."

Asked about the impact Trump's administration would have on Huawei's business, Yu said, "My feeling is that Trump is a businessman."

Despite Trump's harsh rhetoric on China and trade, Yu said he hoped Trump would understand that bilateral trade is beneficial to both countries.

"You can't do everything yourself," he said. "The economy is globalized. The US also benefits a lot from China, from Chinese companies."

 2017 AFP
An artists impression of the VAMP UAV flying through Venus clouds. Credit: Northrop Grumman

The question of life on Venus, of all places, is intriguing enough that a team of U.S. and Russian scientists working on a proposal for a new mission to the second planetnamed Venera-Dare considering including the search for life in its mission goals.

If all goes as planned, an unmanned aerial vehicle could one day be cruising the thick, sulfuric acid clouds of Venus to help determine whether dark streaks that appear to absorb ultraviolet radiation could be evidence of microbial life.

Venus has long been a focus of Russian planetary science, which has the proud legacy of the record-breaking Venera space probes that landed on the Venusian surface in the late 1970s and early 1980s. With many questions remaining unanswered, the joint mission of Roscosmos and NASA, if approved, would see an orbiter launch towards Venus in 2025 with the aim to make remote-sensing observations of the planet and its atmosphere; deploy a lander on the surface; and search for future landing sites.

Among several possible additions to the mission are a small sub-orbiter to study Venus' magnetosphere, and either a balloon or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) taking measurements of the atmosphere over a long duration.

Should the UAV be approved, its main goal would be to take meteorological measurements to determine why the atmosphere rotates so fast relative to the surface, a phenomenon known as super-rotation. This fast rotation was discovered in the 1960s by astronomers tracking the motion of the dark streaks in the atmosphere. Puzzlingly, astronomers do not know the origin and composition of these dark streaks, nor do they understand why the streaks haven't mixed with the rest of the atmosphere and why they are absorbing ultraviolet light.

"These are questions that haven't been fully explored yet and I'm shouting as loud as I can saying that we need to explore them," says Sanjay Limaye, an atmospheric scientist from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a former chair of NASA's Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG).

According to Limaye, the nature of the UV absorber is completely unknown. It could be particulate matter mixed into the clouds, or a substance that has been dissolved by the droplets of sulfuric acid, or perhaps crystalline in nature, like ice. Iron chloride has been proposed, but there is no confirmed mechanism that could loft particles of iron chloride 50 to 60 kilometers above the surface, particularly as winds near the surface only blow weakly through the dense lower atmosphere.

Life in the Clouds

A more exciting explanation for the dark streaks is that they are evidence of microbial life. "It's a possibility we can't overlook," says Limaye, who is a member of the Venera-D science definition team.

Finding life at high altitude in the atmosphere of a planet would make sense. After all, microbes have been found at similar heights in Earth's atmosphere. The challenge for life on Venus is the planet's extreme temperature. The surface, at 462 C (864 F), is hot enough to melt lead, and the surface pressure of 92 bar is the equivalent of being almost a kilometer under water.

Venus seen in ultraviolet light by the European Space Agenys Venus Express mission. The dark streaks in the clouds are where an unknown material is absorbing ultraviolet light. Could it be life? Credit: ESA/MPS/DLR/IDA

However, in a region beginning around 50 kilometers in altitude and extending a dozen kilometers outward is a sweet spot where the temperature ranges between 30C and 70C (86F to 158F) and the pressure is similar to Earth's surface. Life could potentially survive in this zone where the dark-streaking UV absorber is found.

Intriguingly, the sulfuric acid droplets within the clouds aren't necessarily a show-stopper to life. Earlier Venera missions detected elongated particles in the lower cloud layer that are about a micron long, about the width of a small bacterium. These particles could be coated in ring-shaped polymers of eight sulphur atoms, called S8 molecules, which are known to exist in Venus' clouds and which are impervious to the corrosive effects of sulfuric acid. Furthermore, S8 absorbs ultraviolet light, re-radiating it in visible wavelengths. If the particles are microbes, they could have coated themselves in S8, making them resistant to the corrosive effects of sulfuric acid. It has even been postulated that the S8 exists as a result of microbial activity. Is this then the key to life on Venus?

"I cannot say that there is microbial life in Venus' clouds," says Limaye. "But that doesn't mean it's not there either. The only way to learn is to go there and sample the atmosphere."

Powered Flight

The original Russian plan for Venera-D featured balloons patrolling the atmosphere, but balloons are not very maneuverable and would not necessarily be able to reach the regions with the dark streaks. A solar-powered UAV would stand a far better chance.

"The idea is that with a large enough wing span you can generate enough power and actually fly through the atmosphere of Venus, with electric propellors, for a very long time," says Limaye.

Descending hypersonically into the atmosphere after detaching from the orbiter, the UAV would be filled with hydrogen or helium gas, keeping it buoyant at a nominal floating altitude of 50 kilometers, allowing it to glide through the clouds while moving through the night-time hemisphere. Upon daylight, the solar-powered propellors would kick in and raise the craft's altitude to around 60 kilometers.

Over the course of three to four days, the craft could move around the planet along the upper atmosphere's 'super-rotation,' the strange phenomenon where the atmosphere seems to be uncoupled from the solid planet and rotates much faster. The UAV would therefore be able to explore the clouds at different altitudes, moving from air mass to air mass, from regions with UV absorbers to regions devoid of them, sampling and measuring the composition of the atmosphere.

The aerospace company Northrop Grumman has already independently developed a concept for a Venusian UAV, called VAMP (Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform), which would have a giant 55-meter wing-span and be designed to operate in the atmosphere for at least a year.

The 'D' in Venera-D's name stands for "dolgozhivushaya," which in Russian means "long-lived." This originally referred to the hopes of keeping a lander operational on the surface for days or weeks, although the oppressive conditions on the surface mean that realistically the most that any lander could survive is mere hours. Instead, the UAV, continually circling around Venus, would take the mantle of being long-lived.

The final report describing the science goals of the Venera-D mission will be submitted to Roscosmos and NASA by the end of January 2017, at which point the two space agencies will have to decide whether they will collaborate on the mission. An answer not expected until late 2017 at the earliest.

This story is republished courtesy of NASA's Astrobiology Magazine. Explore the Earth and beyond at www.astrobio.net .
A fragment of an Assyrian-era relief shows the image of a genie holding a pine cone at the ancient site of Nimrud that was destroyed by Islamic State group militants near Mosul, Iraq. in this Nov. 28, 2016 photo. In the 9th and 8th centuries BC, Nimrud was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which burst out of Northern Mesopotamia to conquer much of the Mideast. The remains of its palaces, reliefs and temples were methodically blown up and torn to pieces by the Islamic State group in early 2015 in its campaign to erase history. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

The giant winged bulls that once stood sentry at the nearly 3,000-year-old palace at Nimrud have been hacked to pieces. The fantastical human-headed creatures were believed to guard the king from evil, but now their stone remains are piled in the dirt, victims of the Islamic State group's fervor to erase history.

The militants' fanaticism devastated one of the most important archaeological sites in the Middle East. But more than a month after the militants were driven out, Nimrud is still being ravaged, its treasures disappearing, piece by piece, imperiling any chance of eventually rebuilding it, an Associated Press team found after multiple visits last month.

With the government and military still absorbed in fighting the war against the Islamic State group in the nearby city of Mosul, the wreckage of the Assyrian Empire's ancient capital lies unprotected and vulnerable to looters.

No one is assigned to guard the sprawling site, much less catalog the fragments of ancient reliefs, chunks of cuneiform texts, pieces of statues and other rubble after IS blew up nearly every structure there. Toppled stone slabs bearing a relief from the palace wall that the AP saw on one visit were gone when journalists returned.

"When I heard about Nimrud, my heart wept before my eyes did," said Hiba Hazim Hamad, an archaeology professor in Mosul who often took her students there. "My family and neighbors came to my house to pay condolences."

Carved stone slabs that were destroyed by Islamic State group militants are seen at the ancient site of Nimrud some 19 miles (30 kilometers) southeast of Mosul, Iraq in this Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016 file photo. Militants blew up and hacked apart much of the nearly 3,000-year-old city's remains in 2015, destroying one of the Mideast's most important archaeological sites. More than a month after the extremists were driven out, the site is still in danger, with the wreckage unprotected and vulnerable to being stolen. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Perhaps the only vigilant guardian left for the ruins is an Iraqi archaeologist, Layla Salih. She has visited it multiple times in recent weeks, photographing the destruction to document it and badgering nearby militias to take care of it. Walking with the AP across the broad dirt expanse of the ruin, she was calm, methodical and precise as she pointed out things she'd seen on previous visits that were no longer in place.

Still, Salih does not despair. She searches out reasons for optimism.

"The good thing is the rubble is still in situ," she said. "The site is restorable."

To an untrained eye, that's hard to imagine, seeing the extent of the destruction that the Islamic State group wreaked in March 2015. Salih estimated that 60 percent of the site was irrecoverable.

The site's various structuresseveral palaces and templesare spread over 360 hectares (900 acres) on a dirt plateau. A 140-foot-high ziggurat, or step pyramid, once arrested the gaze of anyone entering Nimrud. Where it stood, there is now only lumpy earth. Just past it, in the palace of King Ashurnasirpal II, walls are toppled, bricks spilled into giant piles. The palace's great courtyard is a field of cratered earth. Chunks of cuneiform writing are jammed in the dirt. Reliefs that once displayed gods and mythical creatures are reduced to random chunks showing a hand or a few feathers of a genie's wing.

Iraqi archaeologist Layla Salih examines the remains of a statue of a lamassu, a mythical winged bull, destroyed by Islamic State group militants in the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. Salih is perhaps the only vigilant guardian left for the ruins: Since the militants were driven out more than a month ago, she has visited multiple times, trying to prevent looting of the wreckage. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

During a Dec. 14 assessment tour by UNESCO, a U.N. demining expert peered at a hole leading to a tomb that appeared to be intact. It might be rigged to explode, the expert said, and the UNESCO crew backed away.

The militants boasted of the destruction in high-definition video propaganda, touting their campaign to purge their self-declared "caliphate" of anything they deemed pagan or heretical.

They dismantled the winged bulls, known as lamassu, as purposefully as any decapitation they carried out in in Mosul or the Syrian city of Raqqa. The bearded male heads of the statues are missinglikely taken to be sold on the black market as IS has done with other artifacts. They then wired the entire palace with explosives and blew it apart, along with the temples of Nabu and of the goddess Ishtar.

It was a brutal blow to a site that gave the world a wealth of startling Mesopotamian art and deepened knowledge about the ancient Mideast.

Nimrud was a capital of the Assyrians, one the ancient world's earliest and most ferocious empires. Known at the time as Kalhu, the city was the seat of power from 879-709 BC, an era when Assyrian armies expanded out across the Levant, capturing Damascus and other cities, crushing the kingdom of Israel and turning its neighbor Judah into a vassal.

Sami Al-Khoja, a UNESCO official, pauses while participating in an assessment tour of the damage to the ancient site of Nimrud at the hands of Islamic State group militants in Iraq In this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. With the war against the militants still raging not far away, no one has been assigned to guard the site, much less catalogue what is left after IS blew up its ancient palaces and carved apart and smashed its elaborate reliefs. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A British-Assyrian team first excavated Nimrud in 1945, then it was re-excavated in the 1950s by Max Mallowan. Though famous in his own right at the time, Mallowan is better known as the husband of Agatha Christie , who accompanied him and photographed and filmed the digs.

"It's just one of the most beautiful sites in the Middle East, or at least it was," said Georgina Herrmann, a British archaeologist who worked at Nimrud with Mallowan. "It used to be covered with wildflowers. You'd be there and there'd be bits of ancient sculptures sticking out."

Besides the reliefs and statues, archaeologists dug up hundreds of stone tablets written in cuneiform letters containing everything from treaties to temple and palace records. The tombs of queens yielded troves of gold and jewelry. Iraqi archaeologists also made a grisly find: more than 100 skeletons inside a palace well, including some with shackled hands and feet, possibly prisoners dumped in when Nimrud was sacked in 610 BC.

Salih, 40, came to Nimrud a few days after IS fighters were driven out in early November. So far, she is the only Iraqi antiquities official to visit. Ancient Assyria is not even Salih's field; she specialized in Islamic art and architecture. But there was no one else to do it. Half of the 50-odd government archaeologists in Mosul are still trapped there under IS rule.

She confirmed what satellite images had already shown: sometime between Sept. 1 and Nov. 4 as international forces closed in, IS bulldozed the ziggurat.

This image made from video posted online by Islamic State group militants in April 2015 shows militants using heavy tools to destroy a large stone figure of a lamasssu, an Assyrian winged bull deity at the ancient site of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq. The militants boasted of their destruction of one of the Middle East's most important archaeological sites in high-definition video propaganda, touting their campaign to purge their "caliphate" of anything they considered as heretical or pagan. (Militant video via AP)

It had never been explored by archaeologists. "What exactly was inside it only ISIS knows," said Herrmann, using another acronym for the Islamic state group.

Touring the site, UNESCO's representative to Iraq, Louise Haxthausen, called the destruction "absolutely devastating."

"The most important thing right now is to ensure some basic protection," she said.

But the government has many priorities right now. It is still fighting IS in Mosul. Moreover, there is a long and expensive list of needs in rebuilding the country from the Islamic State group's legacy. Tens of thousands of citizens live in camps. Large swaths of the western city of Ramadi were destroyed in the offensive to wrest it from IS control. Mass graves are unearthed nearly every day in former IS territory, with more than 70 discovered already. Other ancient sites remain under IS control, including Ninevehanother ancient Assyrian capitalin the heart of Mosul.

Nimrud is in an active war zone, on the edge of the Tigris River valley south of Mosul. To reach it, one drives through checkpoints of multiple armed groups fighting ISthe Iraqi military, Shiite militias, Kurdish peshmerga and Christian fighters.

The remains of a large stone figure of a lamassu, an Assyrian winged bull deity, are piled near the gates of the ancient palace where they once stood at Nimrud, Iraq in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. Islamic State group extremists detonated explosives throughout the palace, destroying its elaborate reliefs showing gods, mythical beasts and kings, and reducing it t a field of rubble. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

None of those forces is assigned to guard Nimrud. The first three times the AP visited, Sunni and Shiite fighters eventually showed up after an hour, apparently after hearing of the team's presence.

During the UNESCO tour, Salih noticed that some of the ancient bricks from the palace rubble had been neatly piled up as if to be hauled away. She questioned two Shiite militiamen about them.

"Both of them told me different stories," she said in exasperation. One said Islamic State extremists did it, intending to sell the bricks; the other said the militia members themselves stacked them to protect them. Salih believes neither story and thinks someone had hoped to take the bricks to repair homes damaged in fighting.

It's hard to say what's missing, because no one even knows what's in the piles of rubble to know if it's being stolen.

Two locals were recently arrested with a marble tablet and stone seal from Nimrud, presumably to sell. The men remain in custody.

Iraq archaeologist Layla Salih, left, confers with UNESCO's representative in Iraq Louse Haxthausen, right, at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. Days after Iraqi forces drove the Islamic State group from Nimrud in November, Salih arrived to survey the damage they wreaked on the nearly 3,000-year-old site. She confirmed that, as international forces closed in this fall, IS bulldozed a 140-foot tall ziggurat, or step pyramid, that archaeologists had never had to chance to explore. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

The artifacts seized from them, however, are harder to track down. The police insisted they were at a lab in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. The lab said it knew nothing about them. The Antiquities Ministry in Baghdad said they were safe in the Ninevah government offices, while an official in those offices said they were with the police awaiting transit to Baghdad.

It was a perfect circle of confusionone that makes it easy for someone to simply steal items.

Salih is working to get international funding to pay someone to guard the site. But she recognizes that job will have to go to one of the militia factions. She has no illusions that the militias will provide full protection.

But she has grown used to compromises that once would have been unimaginable. Before she fled her home in Mosul soon after the IS takeover in 2014, she and other archaeologists pleaded with the militants to let them destroy the city's ancient tombs that the group so despised. At least that way, the buildings housing the tombs could be spared.

The plea was futile, and IS detonated the buildings and tombs.

This image made from video posted online by Islamic State militants in April 2015 shows a militant taking a sledgehammer to a stone carving at the ancient site of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq. Militants blew up and hacked apart much of the nearly 3,000-year-old city's remains, destroying one of the Mideast's most important archaeological sites. Nearly a month after the extremists were driven out, the site is still in danger, with the wreckage unprotected and vulnerable to being stolen. (Militant video via AP)

So she will negotiate now with the militias to do as much as they can to preserve Nimrud. On the final visit with the AP, wind-whipped winter rains sent rivulets of water through the loose dirt, further dislodging the remains.

"There isn't another choice, as you see," she said.

This image made from video posted online by Islamic State militants in April, 2015 shows the ancient site of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq before and after militants exploded the site. One of the Mideast's most important archaeological sites, the nearly 3,000-year-old remains of an Assyrian capital had been a trove of ancient Mesopotamian art and, with hundreds of clay tablets, provided archaeologists a wealth of information on the era. (Militant video via AP)

An ancient relief lies shattered in the Northwest Palace at the nearly 3,000-year-old site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. The destruction wreaked by Islamic State group militants at the site was extensive, leaving chunks of ancient reliefs, pieces of statues and pieces of cuneiform writing strewn amid rubble and dirt. With no protection more than a month after IS was driven out, those pieces are vulnerable to looting.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

This Nov. 19, 2008 photo released by the U.S. Army shows the statues of the lamassu, the winged, human-headed bulls that stood at the gates of the palace and were believed to ward off evil in the ancient city of Nimrud, near Mosul, Iraq. The bulls were destroyed by Islamic State group militants in early 2015 as they razed the entire site, one of the most important archaeological ruins in the Middle East. (Staff Sgt. JoAnn S. Makinano, U.S. Army via AP)

UNESCO's Iraq representative Louise Haxthausen documents the damage wreaked by the Islamic State group at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. More than a month after the extremists were driven out, the site is still in danger, with the wreckage unprotected and vulnerable to being stolen. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A stone tablet with cuneiform writing is seen in the foreground as UNESCO's Iraq representative Louise Haxthausen documents the damage wreaked by the Islamic State group at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. One of the Mideast's most important archaeological sites, the nearly 3,000-year-old remains of an Assyrian capital had been a trove of ancient Mesopotamian art and, with hundreds of clay tablets, provided archaeologists a wealth of information on the era. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

This Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016 file photo shows a part of carved stone slabs which were destroyed by Islamic State group militants, at the ancient site of Nimrud some 19 miles (30 kilometers) southeast of Mosul, Iraq. One of the Mideast's most important archaeological sites, the nearly 3,000-year-old remains of an Assyrian capital had been a trove of ancient Mesopotamian art and, with hundreds of clay tablets, provided archaeologists a wealth of information on the era. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

An Iraqi Army general stands near a stone slab depicting a winged genie at the entrance to the Northwest Palace at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. The Islamic State group militants who destroyed the remains of the nearly 3,000-year-old city have been driven away. But with the war still raging nearby, no one has been assigned to guard the site and the wreckage strewn around it is vulnerable to looting. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Composite image showing the galaxy cluster 1E 0657-56. Credit: Chandra X-Ray Observatory/NASA

The universe is an astonishingly secretive place. Mysterious substances known as dark matter and dark energy account for some 95% of it. Despite huge effort to find out what they are, we simply don't know.

We know dark matter exists because of the gravitational pull of galaxy clusters  the matter we can see in a cluster just isn't enough to hold it together by gravity. So there must be some extra material there, made up by unknown particles that simply aren't visible to us. Several candidate particles have already been proposed.

Scientists are trying to work out what these unknown particles are by looking at how they affect the ordinary matter we see around us. But so far it has proven difficult, so we know it interacts only weakly with normal matter at best. Now my colleague Benjamin Varcoe and I have come up with a new way to probe dark matter that may just prove successful: by using atoms that have been stretched to be 4,000 times larger than usual.

Advantageous atoms

We have come a long way from the Greeks' vision of atoms as the indivisible components of all matter. The first evidence-based argument for the existence of atoms was presented in the early 1800s by John Dalton. But it wasn't until the beginning of the 20th century that JJ Thomson and Ernest Rutherford discovered that atoms consist of electrons and a nucleus. Soon after, Erwin Schrodinger described the atom mathematically using what is today called quantum theory.

Modern experiments have been able to trap and manipulate individual atoms with outstanding precision. This knowledge has been used to create new technologies, like lasers and atomic clocks, and future computers may use single atoms as their primary components.

Individual atoms are hard to study and control because they are very sensitive to external perturbations. This sensitivity is usually an inconvenience, but our study suggests that it makes some atoms ideal as probes for the detection of particles that don't interact strongly with regular matter  such as dark matter.

Our model is based on the fact that weakly interacting particles must bounce from the nucleus of the atom it collides with and exchange a small amount of energy with it  similar to the collision between two pool balls. The energy exchange will produce a sudden displacement of the nucleus that will eventually be felt by the electron. This means the entire energy of the atom changes, which can be analysed to obtain information about the properties of the colliding particle.

However the amount of transferred energy is very small, so a special kind of atom is necessary to make the interaction relevant. We worked out that the so-called "Rydberg atom" would do the trick. These are atoms with long distances between the electron and the nucleus, meaning they possess high potential energy. Potential energy is a form of stored energy. For example, a ball on a high shelf has potential energy because this could be converted to kinetic energy if it falls off the shelf.

The Large Underground Xenon experiment installed 4,850 ft underground inside a 70,000-gallon water tank shield. Credit: Gigaparsec at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

In the lab, it is possible to trap atoms and prepare them in a Rydberg state  making them as big as 4,000 times their original size. This is done by illuminating the atoms with a laser with light at a very specific frequency.

This prepared atom is likely much heavier than the dark matter particles. So rather than a pool ball striking another, a more appropriate description will be a marble hitting a bowling ball. It seems strange that big atoms are more perturbed by collisions than small ones  one may expect the opposite (smaller things are usually more affected when a collision occurs).

The explanation is related to two features of Rydberg atoms: they are highly unstable because of their elevated energy, so minor perturbations would disturb them more. Also, due to their big area, the probability of the atoms interacting with particles is increased, so they will suffer more collisions.

Spotting the tiniest of particles

Current experiments typically look for dark matter particles by trying to detect their scattering off atomic nuclei or electrons on Earth. They do this by looking for light or free electrons in big tanks of liquid noble gases that are generated by energy transfer between the dark matter particle and the atoms of the liquid.

But, according to the laws of quantum mechanics, there needs to be a certain a minimum energy transfer for the light to be produced. An analogy would be a particle colliding with a guitar string: it will produce a note that we can hear, but if the particle is too small the string will not vibrate at all.

So the problem with these methods is that the dark matter particle has to be big enough if we are to detect it in this way. However, our calculations show that the Rydberg atoms will be disturbed in a significant way even by low-mass particles  meaning they can be applied to search for candidates of dark matter that other experiments miss. One of such particles is the Axion, a hypothetical particle which is a strong candidate for dark matter.

Experiments would require for the atoms to be treated with extreme care, but they will not require to be done in a deep underground facility like other experiments, as the Rydberg atoms are expected to be less susceptible to cosmic rays compared to dark matter.

We are working to further improve the sensitivity of the system, aiming to extend the range of particles that it may be able to perceive.

Beyond dark matter we are also aiming to one day apply it for the detection of gravitational waves, the ripples in the fabric of space predicted by Einstein long time ago. These perturbations of the space-time continuum have been recently discovered, but we believe that by using atoms we may be able to detect gravitational waves with a different frequency to the ones already observed.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
How can students think critically about information in todays age? Credit: UBC Library Communications/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Imagine, for a moment, the technology of 2017 had existed on Jan. 11, 1964  the day Luther Terry, surgeon general of the United States, released "Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States."

What would be some likely scenarios?

The social media noise machine explodes; conservative websites immediately paint the report as a nanny-government attack on personal freedom and masculinity; the report's findings are hit with a flood of satirical memes, outraged Facebook posts, attack videos and click-bait fake news stories; Big Tobacco's publicity machine begins pumping out disinformation via both popular social media and pseudoscientific predatory journals willing to print anything for a price; Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater characterizes "Smoking and Health" as a "communist-inspired hoax."

Eventually, the Johnson administration distances itself from the surgeon general's controversial report.

Of course none of the above actually occurred. While Big Tobacco spent decades doing all that it could to muddy the waters on the health impacts of smoking, in the end scientific fact triumphed over corporate fiction.

Today, thanks to responsible science and the public policies it inspired, only 15 percent of adults in the United States smoke, down from 42.4 percent in 1965.

One might ask: Would it have been possible to achieve this remarkable public health victory had today's social media environment of fake news and information echo chambers existed in 1964?

Maybe not. As a long-time academic librarian, I have spent a good part of my career teaching college students to think critically about information. And the fact is that I watch many of them struggle with the challenges of discovering, internalizing, evaluating and applying credible information. For me, the recent spate of stories about large segments of the population falling for fake news stories was no surprise.

Making sense of information is hard, maybe increasingly so in today's world. So what role have academic libraries played in helping people make sense of world bursting at the seams with information?

History of information literacy

Since the 19th century, academic librarians have been actively engaged in teaching students how to negotiate increasingly complex information environments.

Evidence exists of library instruction dating back to the 1820s at Harvard University. Courses on using libraries emerged at a number of colleges and universities after the Civil War. Until well into the 20th century, however, academic librarians largely gave library building tours, and their instruction was aimed at mastery of the local card catalog.

Beginning in the 1960s, academic librarians experienced a broadening of their role in instruction. This broadening was inspired by a number of factors: increases in the sheer size of academic library collections; the emergence of such technologies as microfilm, photocopiers and even classroom projection; and such educational trends as the introduction of new majors and emphasis on self-directed learning.

The new instructional role of academic librarians was notably reflected in the coining of the phrase "information literacy" in 1974 by Paul G. Zurkowski, then president of the Information Industry Association.

Rather than being limited to locating items in a given library, information literacy recognized that students needed to be equipped with skills required to identify, organize and cite information. More than that, it focused on the ability to critically evaluate the credibility and appropriateness of information sources.

Changes in a complex world

In today's digital world, information literacy is a far more complex subject than it was when the phrase was coined. Back then, the universe of credible academic information was analog and (for better or worse) handpicked by librarians and faculty.

Students' information hunting grounds was effectively limited to the campus library, and information literacy amounted to mastering a handful of relatively straightforward skills, such as using periodical indexes and library catalogs, understanding the difference between primary and secondary sources of information, and distinguishing between popular and scholarly books and journals.

Today, the situation is far more nuanced. And not just because of the hyperpartisan noise of social media.

Thirty or 40 years ago, a student writing a research paper on the topic of acid rain might have needed to decide whether an article from a scientific journal like Nature was a more appropriate source than an article from a popular magazine like Time.

Today's students, however, must know how to distinguish between articles published by genuine scholarly journals and those churned out by look-alike predatory and fake journals that falsely claim to be scholarly and peer-reviewed.

This is a far trickier proposition.

Further complicating the situation is the relativism of the postmodern philosophy underpinning much of postmodern scholarly thinking. Postmodernism rejects the notion that concepts such as truth and beauty exist as absolutes that can be revealed through the work of creative "authorities" (authors, painters, composers, philosophers, etc.).

While postmodernism has had positive effects, it has simultaneously undermined the concept of authority. If, as postmodernist philosophy contends, truth is constructed rather than given, what gives anyone the right to say one source of information is credible and another is not?

Further complicating the situation are serious questions surrounding the legitimacy of mainstream scholarly communication. In addition to predatory and fake journals, recent scandals include researchers faking results, fraudulent peer review and the barriers to conducting and publishing replication studies that seek to either verify or disprove earlier studies.

So, what's the future?

In such an environment, how is a librarian or faculty member supposed to respond to a bright student who sincerely asks, "How can you say that a blog post attacking GMO food is less credible than some journal article supporting the safety of GMO food? What if the journal article's research results were faked? Have the results been replicated? At the end of the day, aren't facts a matter of context?"

In recognition of a dynamic and often unpredictable information landscape and a rapidly changing higher education environment in which students are often creators of new knowledge rather than just consumers of information, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) launched its Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, the first revision to the ACRL's standards for information literacy in over 15 years.

The framework recognizes that information literacy is too nuanced to be conceived of as a treasure hunt in which information resources neatly divide into binary categories of "good" and "bad."

Notably, the first of the framework's six subsections is titled "Authority Is Constructed and Contextual" and calls for librarians to approach the notions of authority and credibility as dependent on the context in which the information is used rather than as absolutes.

This new approach asks students to put in the time and effort required to determine the credibility and appropriateness of each information source for the use to which they intend to put it.

For students this is far more challenging than either a) simply accepting authority without question or b) rejecting all authority as an anachronism in a post-truth world. Formally adopted in June 2016, the framework represents a way forward for information literacy.

While I approve of the direction taken by the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, I do not see it as the ultimate solution to the information literacy challenge. Real progress in information literacy will require librarians, faculty and administrators working together.

Indeed, it will require higher education, as well as secondary and primary education, to make information literacy a priority across the curriculum. Without such concerted effort, a likely outcome could be a future of election results and public policies based on whatever information  credible or not  bubbles to the top of the social media noise machine.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Credit: Lowell Observatory

The instrument at Lowell Observatory used by Clyde Tombaugh to discover Pluto will soon undergo renovation. The year-long project, set to begin on January 12, will include restoration of both the historic telescope and the wooden dome that houses it. While the telescope will be removed from the dome during this work, the dome will be open from time to time for public tours as work allows.

The Pluto Telescope and its dome date back to the late 1920s, when Lowell Observatory recommenced the search for founder Percival Lowell's theoretical "Planet X". In the nine decades since, some areas of the dome have rotted, a few of the telescope parts have worn out, and the others need to be cleaned or stripped and repainted. The renovation will address these issues, as Lowell's technical staff plans to replace part of the dome wood and then weatherproof the entire facility. They will also repair and clean the telescope control mechanisms, photographic plate holders, and other accessories. Lowell staff will also add new educational exhibits to the dome.

The Pluto Telescope is technically known as an astrograph, a telescope specifically designed for taking photographs of objects in space. In addition to Tombaugh's 1930 discovery of Pluto, the instrument was also used by Lowell astronomers to study comets and asteroids, as well as stars with measurable proper motion (apparent angular movement). But it is the Pluto discovery that continues to generate public interest in the facility, resulting in ever-increasing visitation from guests around the world. In 2016 alone, Lowell welcomed a record 100,000 visitors.

Credit: Lowell Observatory

The renovation comes two years after a similar effort on Lowell's historic 24-inch telescope and will be carried out by the same team of Lowell technicians. Like that instrument, the lens of the Pluto Telescope, measuring 13-inches in diameter, was crafted by the Alvan Clark and Sons telescope making firm of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The dome of the Pluto Telescope was designed and built in 1928-1929 by instrument maker Stanley Sykes, who followed the same basic plan his brother Godfrey had devised for the 24-inch telescope dome back in 1896.

Lowell Director Jeff Hall said, "Like the Alvan Clark refractor across campus, the Pluto Discovery Telescope is a national treasure. People come to Lowell from all over the world to see these historic telescopes, and I'm so pleased to see them restored and preserved for decades to come."

The Pluto Telescope and dome renovation will cost $155,000, all of which Lowell's development team has raised through crowdsourcing, private donations, and a grant from Crystal Trust. Hall said, "We can't undertake major projects like this without external support, and we're grateful to everyone who has donated to make this happen."
Boeing and SpaceX commercial crew vehicles ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in this artists concept. Credit: NASA

In a significant step towards restoring America's indigenous human spaceflight capability and fostering the new era of commercial space fight, NASA has awarded a slew of additional astronaut taxi flights from Boeing and SpaceX to carry crews to the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA's new announcement entails awarding an additional four crew rotation missions each to commercial partners, Boeing and SpaceX, on top of the two demonstration fights previously awarded to each company under the agency's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) initiative, in a Jan. 3 statement.

However, the newly awarded crew rotation missions will only take place after NASA has certified that each provider is fully and satisfactorily meeting NASA's long list of stringent safety and reliability requirements to ensure the private missions will be safe to fly with humans aboard from NASA and its partner entities.

And NASA officials were careful to point out that these orders "do not include payments at this time."

In other words, NASA will pay for performance, not mere promises of performance  because human lives are on the line.

"They fall under the current Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contracts, and bring the total number of missions awarded to each provider to six," NASA officials announced.

The goal of the CCP program is to ensure robust and reliable crew transportation to the International Space Station in this decade and beyond  using American rockets and capsules launching from American soil.

Hull of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Structural Test Article (STA)- the first Starliner to be built in the companys modernized Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com

A further goal is to end America's sole reliance on Russia for transporting American astronauts to and from the space station using Russia's Soyuz crew capsules.

Since the forced retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle's in July 2011, NASA astronauts and its partners have been 100% dependent on Russia for rides to space  currently to the tune of over $80 million per seat.

By awarding these new contracts, Boeing and SpaceX should be able to plan further ahead in the future, order long lead time hardware and software, and ultimately cut costs through economy of scale.

"Awarding these missions now will provide greater stability for the future space station crew rotation schedule, as well as reduce schedule and financial uncertainty for our providers," said Phil McAlister, director, NASA's Commercial Spaceflight Development Division, in a statement.

"The ability to turn on missions as needed to meet the needs of the space station program is an important aspect of the Commercial Crew Program."

Each spaceship can deliver a crew of four and 220 pounds of cargo, experiments and gear to the million pound science laboratory orbiting Earth at an altitude of appox. 250 miles (400 km). They also serve as a lifeboat in case the occupants need to evacuate the station for any reason.

Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in September 2014 worth $6.8 Billion to complete the development and manufacture of the privately developed Starliner CST-100 and Crew Dragon astronaut transporters, respectively, under the agency's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) program and NASA's Launch America initiative.

Boeing and SpaceX are building private spaceships to resume launching US astronauts from US soil to the International Space Station in 2018. Credit: NASA

The CCP initiative was started back in 2010 under the Obama Administration to replace NASA's outgoing space shuttle orbiters.

However, launch targets for first fight by the Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon have been repeatedly postponed from 2015 to 2018  in the latest iteration  due to severe and extremely shortsighted funding cutbacks by Congress year after year.

Thus NASA has been forced to order several years more additional Soyuz taxi seat flights and send hundreds and hundreds of millions of more US dollars to Putin's Russia  thanks to the US Congress.

Congress enjoys whining about Russia on one hand, while at the same time they put America's aerospace workers on the unemployment line by curtailing NASA's ability to move forward and put Americans back to work. There is ample bipartisan blame for this sad state of affairs.

The Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon are both Made in America.

The Boeing Starliner is being manufactured at the Kennedy Space Center inside a repurposed and renovated former Space Shuttle Orbiter Processing hangar. This author has visited the C3PF facility periodically to observe and assess Boeing's progress.

Indeed, Boeing has already started construction of the first flight worthy Starliner  currently dubbed Spacecraft 1- at KSC this past summer 2016.

The honeycombed upper dome of a Boeing Starliner spacecraft on a work stand inside the companys Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The upper dome is part of Spacecraft 1 , the first flightworthy Starliner being developed in partnership with NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com

The SpaceX Crew Dragon is being manufactured at company headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

Blastoff of the first SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on its first unmanned test flight, or Demonstration Mission 1, is postponed from May 2017 to November 2017, according to the latest quarterly revision just released by NASA last month in Dec. 2016.

Liftoff of the first piloted Crew Dragon with a pair of NASA astronauts strapped in has slipped from August 2017 to May 2018.

Launch of the first uncrewed Boeing Starliner, known as an Orbital Flight Test, has slipped to June 2018.

Liftoff of the first crewed Starliner is now slated for August 2018, possibly several months after SpaceX. But the schedules keep changing so it's anyone's guess as to when these commercial crew launches will actually occur.

Boeing's uncrewed flight test, known as an Orbital Flight Test, is currently scheduled for June 2018 and its crewed flight test currently is planned for August 2018.

"Once the flight tests are complete and NASA certifies the providers for flight, the post-certification missions to the space station can begin," NASA official said.

Looking inside the newly upgraded Starliner mockup with display panel, astronauts seats, gear and hatch at top that will dock to the new International Docking Adapter (IDA) on the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com

Meanwhile the rockets and launch pads for Boeing and SpaceX are also being developed, modified and refurbished as warranted.

The launch pads for both are located on Florida's Space Coast.

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon will launch on the company's own Falcon 9 from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
A man walks by an advertisement of the Samsung Electronics Galaxy S7 Edge and S7 smartphones in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday that its profits in the last quarter of 2016 surged 50 percent to the highest level in more than three years, despite the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday that its profits in the last quarter of 2016 surged 50 percent to the highest level in more than three years, despite the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco.

Analysts had expected Samsung's profits to surge thanks to its mainstay semiconductor business, but the result surpassed even the most optimistic forecasts. The semiconductor division cashed in on strong demand and a tight supply for microchips during the September-December period, likely contributing to more than half of its quarterly earnings.

In its earnings preview, Samsung said it posted 9.2 trillion won ($7.8 billion) in operating profit, up from 6.1 trillion won a year earlier. It was the biggest quarterly income since the third quarter of 2013.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected a figure of 8 trillion won.

Sales fell 1 percent to 53 trillion won ($44.9 billion). The company did not give net profit or breakdown figures for its businesses, which are due later this month.

For the full year, the South Korean tech giant saw a 10 percent gain in its annual income, its best result in three years.

"It's thanks to the improvement in semiconductors and displays on top of favorable foreign exchange rates," said Kim Young Woo, an analyst at SK Securities.

A man walks by an advertisement of the Samsung Electronics Galaxy smartphone in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday that its profits in the last quarter of 2016 surged 50 percent to the highest level in more than three years, despite the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The result is a bright spot for the tech giant that was obliged to do multiple recalls last year of products that included a popular smartphone and a washing machine.

The stellar financial results come as Samsung faces an investigation linking it to an influence-peddling scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Samsung already has postponed its annual personnel reshuffle, usually announced in December, due to the scandal.

Samsung Group faces allegations that Samsung Electronics and its affiliated companies paid money to foundations and a company controlled by a long-time friend of Park's, Choi Soon-sil, in order to get the government's backing in a controversial merger of two Samsung affiliates related to Samsung's father-to-son leadership succession.

It is still unclear why the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones were prone to overheating and catching fire. That prompted two recalls and eventual discontinuation of the flagship product.

Tim Baxter, chief operating officer at Samsung's U.S. business, told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday that Samsung will share the root cause of the Galaxy Note 7 fires "very soon." Samsung has been investigating the issue for more than four months.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
'Wastebusters' Rastislav Krul and Veronika Krul pick up rubbish near a lake in Rovinka, a suburb of the Slovak capital Bratislava

Slovak financial analyst Rastislav Krul and his wife once waited out an hour-long traffic jam by picking up several bags worth of rubbish around a rest area off the motorway.

"No one joined in. People just watched us from their cars," recalls the 30-year-old, who has launched an anti-litter campaign from his western village of Rovinka.

"For us time flew by, for them it went slowly," he adds, picking up yet another plastic bottle on a weekend stroll around a lake.

Their idea is simple: anyone who picks up at least one item of trash a day qualifies as a Wastebuster. Since last year, they have been spreading their philosophy online.

Their Facebook page now has thousands of followers, who post stories and photos of cleaning up the streets and countryside. Most of the comments are positive.

Rastislav says setting an example is like a long-distance run. No instant results but he is optimistic about change down the line.

"When people see us picking up trash, they never join in. But I think it does make them start to reflect on what we're doing," he says.

"Maybe it'll stop them from tossing their next beer can or bubble gum wrapper."

In the same vein, the 1 Piece of Rubbish campaign, launched by British expatriate Eddie Platt in the southern French city of Marseille has won cyber fans around the world from Buenos Aires to New York.

Participants post selfies on a social network each time they pick up a piece of litter and put it in the rubbish bin.

Veronika and Rastislav Krul's Facebook page now has thousands of followers, who post stories and photos of cleaning up Slovakia's streets and countryside

Boss on board

Their crusade began two years ago, when Rastislav was living in the capital Bratislava and overheard his neighbours complain about litter on the block.

"I realised that if fewer people complained and instead each picked up one piece of garbage off the ground and binned it, our city would not be as polluted," he tells AFP.

He, himself, began doing so and has been picking up litter every day since. He also encouraged his wife, Veronika, 30, to join in.

"Before I met Rasto, I thought garbage on the ground didn't concern me. He's shown me that it doesn't take any extraordinary effort to pick up trash," she says.

"Now it's become a part of me," she adds, pointing to the plastic bottles, beer cans, empty cigarette cartons and sweet wrappers poking out of the grass.

She says they do not stop at one piece of trash a day.

"When we go for a walk, bike ride or hike, we usually take some gloves and bags with us. Then if we see something we can just stop, pick it up and walk on."

Rastislav has even managed to win over his boss: "When he's out with his kids, they sometimes pick up trash."

Slovakians rank among the least worst offenders for piling up rubbish in the European Union, according to Eurostat figures, which showed each of the country's 5.4 million inhabitants produced about 321 kilos of household rubbish in 2014

Anywhere, anytime

Slovakians rank among the least worst offenders for piling up rubbish in the European Union, according to Eurostat figures, which showed each of the country's 5.4 million inhabitants produced about 321 kilos of household rubbish in 2014.

How much of it ends up thrown out on to the streets is hard to say, but the couple feel they still have plenty to do and say the Wastebusters project is a good option for those who hate organised cleaning.

"They don't have to plan anything or specifically go somewhere to pick up trash," he says.

"You can do it on your way home, on the way to the cinema or while waiting for the bus.

"One person's a litterer, another's a cleaner. You drop litter, I pick it up.

"Laws and fines don't solve anything. It's people's mentalities that should change."

Last month, the Slovak Wastebusters launched a website to further spread the word. They also plan to provide tips and tricks on how to reduce waste.

"I took the first step by no longer buying bottled water for work. Instead, I brought a glass water bottle that I fill up and use," says Rastislav.

Their main piece of advice, however, is one that may sound like a no-brainer but makes a world of difference: all it takes is one piece of garbage a day.

 2017 AFP
A drawing of the individual components that make up a heatshield (left) and the fully assembled heatshield with integrated seams bonded to the structure underneath (right). Credit: NASA

When the Galileo mission's probe entered the Jovian atmosphere in December 1995, it experienced temperatures twice as hot as the surface of the sun, and required carbon phenolic shields to protect its onboard payload from the intense heat. Since that mission, NASA has not flown a spacecraft that required protection from such extreme heat. Recently, however, the NRC Planetary Science Decadal Survey has recommended that NASA consider in situ science missions to Venus and Saturn as a high priority in the New Frontiers competed mission set. To reach the surface of these planets, missions will require heat shields that are capable of withstanding very extreme entry environments, but are not as heavy as the previously used carbon phenolic heat shields.

To respond to this need, NASA and its industry partners are developing an innovative way to design and manufacture a family of ablative thermal protection system (TPS) materials using commercially available weaving technology. This new approachcalled Heat-shield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) leverages the way three-dimensional (3-D) weaving is used to manufacture aircraft parts made of carbon composite materials. To manufacture TPS materials with the desired properties, fibers of different compositions and variable yarn densities are accurately placed in a 3-D structure. Three-dimensional weaving extends the traditional twodimensional (2-D) weaving by interconnecting woven material in the third direction, enabling the manufacturing of materials that are more robust to the entry environment than traditional 2-D woven materials. The panels are then infused with resins and cured to lock the fibers in place. Using advanced modeling, design, and manufacturing tools to optimize the weave for overall improved performance, the HEEET project has manufactured a new family of TPS materials and tested them for a wide variety of entry conditions.

Depending on the mission design, peak heat-flux during entry can reach about 10,000 W/cm2 for both Venus and Saturn, and the peak pressure can range up to about 1,000 kPa. HEEET is currently being designed to withstand these conditions and at the same time provide mass efficiency far superior to that of the heritage carbon phenolic material used for TPS in legacy missions. In addition to providing thermal protection, the 3-D weave also increases the mechanical robustness of the TPS material.

A multi-layer weave schematic showing high-density top and bottom layers with a mid-density layer with different yarn composition. Credit: NASA

The HEEET team is currently supporting multiple New Frontier proposals in anticipation of a New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity at the end of 2016. Plans call for the HEEET project to mature and deliver technology for infusion into selected missions long before Key Decision Point Bthe decision gate leading to the period in the mission lifecycle where a project begins preliminary design and completes required technology development. In 2015, HEEET milestones included demonstration of the ability to form and resininfuse a representative acreage HEEET tile, the spherical nose cap. In addition, the project successfully completed an arc jet test series to support material response model development and in support of the seam design. This testing allowed the project to refine its material response model in support of TPS sizing and to narrow the seam design trade space.

Testing of HEEET material at the NASA Ames Arc Jet Complex in the Interaction Heating Facility. Credit: NASA

Provided by NASA
Researchers are systematically exploring a variety of alternative packaging materials and containers to see which work best, and most cost-effectively, at reducing losses in food aid. Pictured are food aid bags in a Texas warehouse. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) ships out food aid worth more than $1 billion every yearover a million tons of grains, soybeans, and other staples sent to dozens of countries around the world. Even though the agency estimates that only about 1 percent of that food is lost to spoilage, that's still over 10 million dollars' worth of food annually that never gets to needy people's plates. And some within-nation food procurement suffers even higher losses.

Now, researchers are systematically exploring a variety of alternative packaging materials and containers to see which work best, and most cost-effectively, at reducing such losses.

For the past year, a research project run by the MIT Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE) has been studying possible solutions to the problem. They have made multimillion-dollar purchases of a milled corn and soybean product, split peas, and sorghum, and had them shipped to two African destinations, using several different types of packaging. They have carefully tracked and inspected the shipments to determine the effectiveness of the packaging, and identify any issues related to supply chains and handling processes along the way. Most of these shipments have now arrived in Africa.

Mark Brennan, an MIT PhD student and CITE researcher who has been managing the purchasing process, presented preliminary findings from the work at the TechCon conference at MIT and at the annual Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) and Humanitarian Technology (HumTech) conferences. Last year, he traveled with CITE researcher Prithvi Sundar to North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, as well as to Djibouti, Ethiopia, and South Africa to work with the packaging and commodity suppliers, transport firms, and warehouses involved in food aid supply chains.

Most current food aid shipments, Brennan says, "have been using the same packaging for decades," mostly paper and woven polypropylene bags. The new experiment is designed to test a variety of options, including larger bags that may reduce unit costs, chemical compounds on bags that prevent insects from reproducing, and airtight liners to keep out moisture and insects. An initial set of test shipments involved about $1.5 million of food, using 11 different packaging products. The shipments totaled approximately 1,000 metric tons.

Most current food aid shipments, MIT PhD student Mark Brennan says, have been using the same packaging for decades, mostly paper and woven polypropylene bags. Pictured are food aid operations at an African port. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"The goal is to identify cost-effective packaging," Brennan says. The shipments are being evaluated at various points to see the degree to which better packaging can reduce the need for fumigation of the product, which has both costs and potential health effects, and how much it can cut down on losses due to spoilage, insect infestation, mold, or spillage.

Even though the percentages involved may not be that large, Brennan says, the amounts of food being shipped are so vast that any savings could be significant. "They lose an estimated 1 percent to spoilage and breakage," he says, out of an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion in annual food aid shipments. "That's a lot of money." The potential for eliminating $10 million to $20 million in annual losses "could feed thousands of families in a time of need," he says.

There's no substitute for actually trying out the different packaging options under real-world conditions, he says. Already, they have found that some packaging types that seemed promising were limited by the capacity of the companies producing them. In other cases, a new kind of bag simply didn't fit with the bagging equipment being used by some supplierslimitations that would never be apparent just by looking at spec sheets.

The research has already led to the production and testing of some paper bags with the added chemical compound that prevents insects from reproducing, which had not been produced before, Brennan says. Like the others, the bag shows promise for providing better protection than existing options.

"With smarter packaging, we can change when, from where, and to whom we send food aid, making food assistance more equitable and affordable," he says. And the implications reach beyond protecting what's already being shipped, he says: Potentially, better packaging could make it feasible to send more different kinds of crops to more different parts of the worldshipments that would be too likely to spoil using existing methods. Alternatively, he notes, if the team does not find that new packaging improves outcomes in a cost-effective way, then this study may indicate that USAID's current packaging practices are already cost-effective.

The project is part of the overall MIT CITE program, funded by USAID, which aims to evaluate a wide variety of development technologies using an interdisciplinary approach and a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods to better understand which technologies best serve families living in poverty.

More information: An experimental approach to food storage and packaging interventions in international food aid. www.econthatmatters.com/2016/0  nal-food-aid-part-1/

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
Credit: University of Bristol

Evidence suggests the frequent use of certain antimicrobials (AM) in food-producing animals may reduce their effectiveness as treatments for both animals and humans. Researchers at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences are finding novel ways to address these concerns, working with farmers to empower them to develop policies to promote more responsible use of medicines on farms.

The new stewardship policy  facilitated by the AMR Force research group - is already informing industry and legislative bodies, allowing them to deliver real, on-farm changes while maintaining or improving herd health and welfare.

While high use of AMs in food-producing animals may be associated with intensive pig and poultry production, pressures to use medicines more responsibly are increasing in all sectors, and the use of AMs - including those used to treat serious infections in humans - is a growing focus.

The new stewardship policy will inform industry and legislative bodies to deliver real, on-farm changes while maintaining or improving dairy herd health and welfare.

The process to create a policy - led by Dr Kristen Reyher, Senior Lecturer in Farm Animal Science and Ms Lisa van Dijk, Project Manager and PhD student, both at the School of Veterinary Sciences - enabled groups of dairy farmers to develop an AM livestock health policy to address the challenge of more responsible use of medicines on farms.

The paper, published in Zoonoses and Public Health, explains the pilot process in which two groups of dairy farmers worked together to develop their own AM stewardship policy, leading to changes in farming practice and reduced AM use.

Dairy farmers, their veterinarians and researchers worked together with the aim of developing a functional and implementable AM policy which was producer-led and benefitted the relevant supply chain. The policy development process began with two dairy producer groups consisting of 25 organic producers and 48 conventional producers supplying one of the UK's major retailers. It was a focused initiative driven by the producers, but also addressed retailer and consumer needs.

Dr Kristen Reyher, from the School of Veterinary Sciences, said: "Although AMs are used in food-producing animals, farmers have repeatedly told us - and shown us - that they are willing and able to address medicine use on farms and are interested in using AMs responsibly. Participatory approaches like the ones used in this project provide ways for farmers to respond to the public's concern about AM use in a very real and constructive way.

"Although many producers were already strict in their AM use, including organic farmers, almost 60 per cent believed they could make changes to their use of medicines after taking part in the policy development process."

A series of meetings and workshops was held between May and August 2015 to create and develop the on-farm AM stewardship policy that identifies critical points to reduce AM use without compromising animal health and welfare.

The process provided a unique opportunity for collaboration and discussion between farmers, veterinarians, industry partners and researchers, and encouraged shared learning for everyone involved.

The research is an initial step towards a better understanding of how participatory methods with producers can be applied in the UK and more widely. This study serves as a pilot for promoting more responsible use of AMs in other livestock species using such methods.

More information: L. van Dijk et al. Participatory Policy Making by Dairy Producers to Reduce Anti-Microbial use on Farms, Zoonoses and Public Health (2016). DOI: 10.1111/zph.12329
eyeQ Announces eyeQ Go Shopper Analytics Device at National Retail Federation #NRF17

New IoT Battery-powered Shelf-level Tool Gives Brands Invaluable Shopper Info Including Age, Gender, Emotion, Dwell Time, Return Visits, Foot Traffic

AUSTIN, TX (PRWEB) JANUARY 13, 2017  eyeQ, the personalization technology company, today announced eyeQ Go, its new IoT battery-powered shelf-level analytics device. eyeQ Go gives retailers and brands invaluable in-store shopper data quickly, easily and affordably. The tool collects shopper information including age, gender, emotion, dwell time, return visits, total time and foot traffic at a starting cost of $65 per device for up to 3 months of analysis. eyeQ Go is being announced as part of eyeQs presence at NRF 2017 January 15-17, 2017 in New York City, where eyeQ is also part of the Samsung Electronics America booth, demonstrating its technology for the second year in a row. To learn more, or set up a conversation with eyeQ, go to http://www.eyeqinsights.com/go or email info(at)eyeQinsights(dot)com

Our retail customers love our personalization technology, and have asked us to take it to the shelf-level and for discrete campaigns, said eyeQ founder and CEO Michael Garel. So we created eyeQ Go, an ultra-lightweight device that captures key shopper information through out a campaign, quickly, easily, affordably and non-intrusively. eyeQ Go fits perfectly into our mission: to apply personalization technology to help brands build engagement and boost sales while gaining shopper insights.

eyeQ Go is an IoT, battery powered, shelf-level analytics device that helps brands increase sales by understanding the performance and ways to improve their shelf based marketing and brand awareness. eyeQ Go is an easy to deploy , low cost solution designed for retail shelf and Point of Purchase displays, making it easy to get detailed demographic and shopper behavior information about customers for the first time.

eyeQ Go delivers actionable insights available shortly after the conclusion of a campaign. The postage-paid devices are simply removed from shelves, and sent in the mail to eyeQ who recovers the data and shares a web-based cloud dashboard of results. Initial pricing starts at $65 per eyeQ Go device for up to 3 months of analysis, and annual packages starting at $165 per device.

Brands rarely have the ability to know if a campaign is working and who it is reaching, and who they should be targeting in the future, said Manolo Almagro, senior managing director of Technology and Innovation for TPN, a leading Shopper Marketing Agency, and part of the Omnicom Group. eyeQ Go is solving this problem with a low cost, non intrusive technology device that becomes part of the promotion and shares back invaluable insights to inform future campaigns.

Since 2012, eyeQ has been working with brands to bring personalization to the shopping experience, especially in physical stores. eyeQ gives retailers customer insights and information in near real-time, enabling them to personalize each shoppers experience, keeping them competitive with the online world.

eyeQs proprietary technologies provide retailers and brands invaluable customer information and insights. eyeQs fully aware and responsive technologies offer universal reach, engaging personalization for shoppers, and valuable insights for retailers and brands. eyeQ accomplishes this while respecting shopper privacy, capturing zero personally-identifiable information without explicit consent.

eyeQ is a showcase company for IBM, building its solution with BlueMix, IBMs cloud platform, and utilizing Watson, IBMs cognitive computing system. eyeQ has been highlighted by IBM at Interconnect, IMPACT, Pulse and Smarter Commerce conferences, its CIO Leadership Exchange and IBM World of Watson.

About eyeQ, Inc.:

Founded in 2012 and based in Austin, Texas, eyeQ enables brands and retailers to win at the shelf by providing shoppers with personalized digital experiences and producing actionable shopper insights. eyeQs shopper-aware touchscreen displays detect attributes such as age, gender, emotional state, return visits and more to personalize content and lift sales. A SaaS solution, eyeQs dashboard provides a steady stream of shopper insights to measure response and determine the most effective content. eyeQ is a graduate of DreamIt Ventures and the Austin Technology Incubator, and a founding member of the Future of Privacy Forum. For more information please visit http://www.eyeqinsights.com



Other Point of Sale blogs of interest:
French Tech Goes Big at #NRF17 Showcases Innovations for Omni Channel and Retail Booth 604

NEW YORK  16 January, 2017  La French Tech is making its debut at the flagship technology event for the retail industry, The National Retail Federations (NRF) annual Big Show. A delegation of innovative technology suppliers will represent Frances growing presence in this market, showcasing their latest solutions for optimizing the overall brand and retail experience, both on-line or off. The event attracts more than 30,000 buyers of technology and will be held January 15-17 at the Jacob Javits Center here.

The French contingent will be located in a pavilion organized by Business France, in Booth #604. France represents the third largest international delegation attending NRF, behind Canada and Brazil. This follows an equally impressive representation at CES 2017, where France had the largest international delegation of startups. As with CES, at the Big Show the French companies range from established market leaders to newly minted unicorns and disruptive startups. They will be displaying a range of innovations for transforming the customer experience in stores and on-line, optimizing the retail supply chain, managing big data from customer interactions, and dealing with the challenges of omni channel sales and marketing. Their technology is reshaping the shopping experience for customers, and also bringing huge value for retailers. The French companies at The Big Show are enabling a digital transformation within the retail sector for both buyers and sellers.

Investors are seeing the opportunity in retail technology as well. In 2016, funding to startups offering technologies for use in-store rose to an all-time high with more 170 deals worth nearly $800M worldwide. (source: CB insights). These technologies range from store management platforms, to wearables for store staff, to beacons for in-store analytics and proximity marketing.

The past year has been significant for French Tech innovation. The country now ranks first in Europe for number of investment deals, up 71 percent from 2015, and achieved a record deal flow of $1.5 billion in just the first three quarters of the year. French companies make up nearly 20 percent of the 2016 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (EMEA), and France has been the fastest growing country on the list over the past six years.

Among La French Tech delegation are:

Alkemics: provides a digital collaboration platform that automates how customers collect, enrich & share data with trading partners, in place of ineffective manual processes and outdated tools (https://www.alkemics.com/ )

ContentSquare: is a next-generation experience optimization platform that empowers entire teams with insights to understand and optimize online user experience. (http://www.contentsquare.com/ )

Critizr: delivers a customer feedback management platform that provides tools to collect, manage, measure customer satisfaction and add value to the feedback. (http://critizr.com/ )

Mirakl: For online retailers and brand manufacturers competing for customers on product selection and price, Mirakls Marketplace solution scales digital e-commerce, adding customer value fast without overhead, inventory and risk. (https://www.mirakl.com/ )

SimpliField: SimpliField helps brand and retailers maximize retail sales, improve customer experience, and track KPI, with a Saas and mobile solution for optimizing sales and marketing execution in each PoS. (http://www.simplifield.com/?nab=1 )

SoCloz: is a platform that provides in a single interface all the features needed to drive traffic in-store, increase transformation rate, and help the salesforce. (http://www.socloz.com/ )

Storetail: allows brand and retailers to activate a complete suite of online merchandizing solutions. Enabling them to extend trade marketing to digital and providing brands access to an unprecedented inventory to promote their products efficiently.

(http://www.storetail.com/ )

Think&Go NFC: offers connected screens that are set to revolutionize retail commerce by making it easier and more convenient than ever, reaching 100% of shoppers. Consumers can pay for products, take coupons and access new services, in less than one second with their contactless bank or transportation cards or mobiles, both inside and outside of stores. (http://thinkandgo-nfc.com/)

Vekia SAS: develops retail supply chain software to help retailers accurately forecast stock quantities and increase profit margins. Our software algorithms are based on machine learning for industry leading efficiency. (http://www.vekia.fr/en/ )

Ysance: is a people-based marketing platform for retailers. It enables them to consistently engage their fullest audience as individuals and positively influence omni-channel customer journeys. (http://www.ysance.com/ )

About La French Tech

La French Tech is a thriving community of diverse stakeholders from the French tech world (entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, investors, tech lovers, government agencies like Bpifrance and Business France) in all sectors (digital, biotech, medtech, fintech, retail, etc.). It is recognized as one of the worlds fastest growing tech ecosystems, fueled by world-class talent and education, record-setting investments, an innovative infrastructure of support for startups and entrepreneur-friendly policies. Members of this community include champions such as BlaBlaCar, valued at 1.2 billion, or Sigfox and Devialet, which respectively raised 150 million and 100 million in 2016. Meanwhile, since 2013, 200 million of public funds have been invested in business incubators and accelerator programs throughout France to support our startup community even further.

About Business France

Business France is the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, responsible for fostering export growth by French businesses, as well as promoting and facilitating international investment in France. Business France North America accelerates the growth of French companies in the US and Canada, through personalized services allowing entrepreneurs to efficiently adjust and thrive in one of the most challenging markets in the world. With a workforce of 110 multilingual collaborators spread across 10 offices in North America, Business France North America works with close to 1000 French companies yearly, and handles about 100 B2B events in more than 32 cities in North America.

More NRF news releases:
The Nigerian government request from the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group to witness first hand effort in search of the kidnapped Chibok school girls by has been rejected by the group, Legit.ng can report.

BBOG members with President Muhammadu Buhari

FG in a letter sent to the convener of the group, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili and seen by Legit.ng, the government requested the organization to nominate 3 members from the group to join a trip which includes the Minister of Defence, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Army Staff and some selected journalists to the Nigerian Air Force command centre in Yola.

The group is also expected to join the day and night sorties with the NAF to Sambisa forest.

READ ALSO: Buhari fails to stop killings by herdsmen, others BBOG

But rather than join the trip, BBOG in a letter signed by Mrs Ezekwesili rejected the offer.

We dont know why BBOG rejected the offer to see for themselves militarys effort in the rescue of the kidnapped girls. They have been protesting about governments alleged slow progress in the rescue of the girls but here they are not willing to see things for themselves, a government official told our reporter.

Speaking further, he said; With their action one will begin to wonder if BBOG is against this government in its effort to rescue the girls. One might begin to think BBOGs refusal to partake in this trip is politically motivated.

FGs invitation letter to BBOG for the trip to Sambisa

Government said the trip will enable the BBOG understand the efforts of the Nigerian military to ensure the freedom of the abducted girls and other abductees by the Boko Haram sect.

BBOG has been in the forefront for the rescue of the kidnapped girls. It recently held a week long protest in Abuja, the nations capital alongside its daily sit out.

As at press time, the BBOG is yet to nominate anyone to represent her in the trip which is scheduled for Monday, January 16.

READ ALSO: Buhari fails to stop killings by herdsmen, others BBOG

Meanwhile, efforts to reach Mrs Ezekwesili for the groups reaction proved abortive as calls placed to her telephone line were left unanswered. She is yet to respond to a text message sent to her also.

Source: Legit.ng
- The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state has accused of trying to cover up corruption

- The APC says Fayose is making efforts to withdraw the case of alleged theft of $50,000 in the Government House

- The case has already been filed before an Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrates Court

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state has accused Governor Ayo Fayose of trying to cover up the case of alleged theft of $50,000 in the Government House, Ado Ekiti.

File photo of Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose

In a statement sent to journalists today, January 14, the APC claimed that the governor is making ''clandestine moves'' to withdraw the case has already been filed before an Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrates Court.

Fayoses aides, Bamidele Temitope and Afolabi Sunday, and street forex operator, Shuaibu Amidu, were on Wednesday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adegboye in Ado-Ekiti over theft of $50,000 purportedly belonging to Fayoses aide on Domestic Affairs, Sunday Omosilade.

READ ALSO: Fayose says God will reveal next Ekiti governor to him

Police charge sheet( MAD/019C/2017) stated that the money belonged to Fayoses personal assistant, Sunday Omosilade but the APC says that the money belongs to the governor.

''This is a governor who has refused to pay workers salary and pensioners allowances as a result of which many workers have now turned beggars while pensioners are dying for lack of adequate care,'' the statement signed by the publicity secretary of the APC, Taiwo Olatunbosun said.

In a swift reaction, the Ekiti state publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jackson Adebayo, said: The money in question does not belong to the governor and it is laughable for anybody to create falsehood that the governor wants to withdraw the case.

The money belongs to the governors PA and there is no way it would have caused the governor any embarrassment.

This is part of lies and propaganda of APC and that is how they have been misinforming the public about the governor and the government of Ekiti state.

READ ALSO: FG persecuting ex-governor Shema over 2019 - Fayose

Meanwhile, Fayose has ordered the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to vacate its state command headquarters located along Afao Road with immediate effect or pay N27.5 million rent to government coffers within 5 days.

Fayose said: The need became necessary because the state may find it difficult to pay salaries of civil servants in 2017.

Source: Legit.ng
News

Microsoft Deepens AI Portfolio with Maluuba Buy

Microsoft on Friday announced its agreement to acquire Maluuba, a Montreal-based startup that Microsoft says has one of the world's most advanced natural language research labs.

Founded in 2011, Maluuba will become part of Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence and Research Group, which launched last fall. The AI research group brings together 5,000 engineers and computer scientists from Microsoft's Bing, Cortana, information platform, and ambient computing and robotics groups.

AI, machine learning and conversational computing have emerged as key priorities for Microsoft. A key pillar of its efforts has been the Windows digital assistant Cortana. But as Maluuba CTO and Co-Founder Kaheer Suleman said last year at a demonstration in New York (video here), today's digital assistants are confined to a limited number of buckets or domains. Any digital assistant -- be it Siri, Cortana or Google Now -- will work well if it is asked a question that it has been designed to take. But ask it any question outside of that scope and it falls flat on its face, Suleman said.

"Maluuba's vision is to advance toward a more general artificial intelligence by creating literate machines that can think, reason and communicate like humans -- a vision exactly in line with ours," said Harry Shum, executive vice president of Microsoft's AI and Research Group, in a blog post announcing the acquisition. "Maluuba's impressive team is addressing some of the fundamental problems in language understanding by modeling some of the innate capabilities of the human brain -- from memory and common sense reasoning to curiosity and decision making. I've been in the AI research and development field for more than 20 years now, and I'm incredibly excited about the scenarios that this acquisition could make possible in conversational AI."

Suleman and Maluuba Co-Founder and CEO Sam Pasupalak met in an AI class at the University of Waterloo and shared a common goal of making AI more intuitive by developing machine learning techniques optimized for natural interactions.

"Understanding human language is an extremely complex task and, ultimately, the holy grail in the field of AI," the two said on a Maluuba blog post announcing the deal. "Microsoft provides us the opportunity to deliver our work to the billions of consumer and enterprise users that can benefit from the advent of truly intelligent machines."

Yoshua Bengio, described as "one of Deep Learning's founding fathers," was key in supporting Suleman and Pasupalak's efforts at Maluuba as an adviser. Bengio will carry that role into Microsoft as an adviser to Shum while maintaining his role as head of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms.

Suleman and Pasupalak pointed to Microsoft's Azure public cloud as optimal for applying the datasets Maluuba has developed because of the GPUs and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that Microsoft used to bolster its global infrastructure. Microsoft detailed these investments in Azure's infrastructure at last fall's Ignite conference.

Maluuba's most recent advance came last month when it announced the release of two natural language datasets. The first dataset is called NewsQA, which the company said can train algorithms to answer complex questions that typically require human comprehension and reasoning skills. It uses CNN articles from the DeepMind Q&A Dataset, described as a collection methodology based on "incomplete information and fostered curiosity." The questions in the dataset "require reasoning to answer, such as synthesis, inference and handling ambiguity, unlike other datasets that have focused on larger volumes yet simpler questions. The result is a robust dataset that will further drive natural language research," according to Maluuba.

The other dataset, called Frames, addresses motivation and is based on 19,986 turns designed to train deep-learning algorithms to engage in natural conversations. The model simulates text-based conversations between a customer interacting with a travel agent.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed but Maluuba was backed by Samsung Ventures.
Because two boarding passes are better than one.

Emirates is resurrecting their much-loved companion fare sale just in time for Valentines Day.

For four days only, from January 13 at 12:01 a.m. ET to January 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET, travelers can score two seats for the price of one on some of Emirates most popular international routes.

Economy fares start at $799, round-trip, from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Milan. With the two-for-one deal, thats less than $400 per person. You could also splurge on business class seats, which are $5,799 for two people, round-trip, or really splurge on first class: That's $9,998, for two, round-trip.

Travel dates are available from January 24 until November 30, so this doesnt have to be a Valentines Day getawayalthough the timing is perfect if youre looking for a romantic couple's getaway.

In addition to New York City, Emirates flies from Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, D.C., and Seattle, among other major U.S. cities.

Other highlights of Emirates two-for-one airfare sale include $1,199 tickets to Dubai (or $599.50 per person, round-trip) and $1,699 seats to the Seychelles ($849.50 per person, round-trip).

Two-for-one fares can also be found on trips to Bali, the Maldives, Mauritius, and more.
AFP News

Zhang Yao recalls the moment he realised something had gone deeply wrong at the Chinese mega-factory where he and hundreds of thousands of other workers assembled iPhones and other high-end electronics. In early October, supervisors suddenly warned him that 3,000 colleagues had been taken into quarantine after someone tested positive for Covid-19 at the factory. "They told us not to take our masks off," Zhang, speaking under a pseudonym for fear of retaliation, told AFP by telephone. What followed was a weeks-long ordeal including food shortages and the ever-present fear of infection, before he finally escaped on Tuesday. Zhang's employer, Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, has said it faces a "protracted battle" against infections and imposed a "closed loop" bubble around its sprawling campus in central China's Zhengzhou city. Local authorities locked down the area surrounding the major Apple supplier's factory on Wednesday, but not before reports emerged of employees fleeing on foot and a lack of adequate medical care at the plant. China is the last major economy committed to a zero-Covid strategy, persisting with snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines in a bid to stamp out emerging outbreaks. But new variants have tested officials' ability to snuff out flare-ups and dragged down economic activity with the threat of sudden disruptions. - Desperation - Multiple workers have recounted scenes of chaos and increasing disorganisation at Foxconn's complex of workshops and dormitories, which form a city-within-a-city near Zhengzhou's airport. Zhang told AFP that "positive tests and double lines (on antigen tests) had become a common sight" in his workshop before he left. "Of course we were scared, it was so close to us." "People with fevers are not guaranteed to receive medicine," another Foxconn worker, a 30-year-old man who also asked to remain anonymous, told AFP. "We are drowning," he said. Those who decided to stop working were not offered meals at their dormitories, Zhang said, adding that some were able to survive on personal stockpiles of instant noodles. Kai, a worker at in the complex who gave an interview to state-owned Sanlian Lifeweek, told the magazine Foxconn's "closed loop" involved cordoning off paths between dormitory compounds and the factory, and complained he was left to his own devices after being thrown in quarantine. TikTok videos geolocated by AFP showed mounds of uncollected rubbish outside buildings in late October, while employees in N95 masks squeezed onto packed shuttle buses taking them from dormitories to their work stations. A 27-year-old woman working at Foxconn, who asked not to be named, told AFP a roommate who tested positive for Covid was sent back to her dormitory on Thursday morning, crying, after she decided to hand in her notice while in quarantine. "Now the three of us are living in the same room: one a confirmed case and two of us testing positive on the rapid test, still waiting for our nucleic acid test results," the worker told AFP. Many became so desperate by the end of last month that they attempted to walk back to their hometowns to get around Covid transport curbs. As videos of people dragging their suitcases down motorways and struggling up hills spread on Chinese social media, the authorities rushed in to do damage control. The Zhengzhou city government on Sunday said it had arranged for special buses to take employees back to their hometowns. Surrounding Henan province has officially reported a spike of more than 600 Covid cases since the start of this week. - Distrust - When Zhang finally attempted to leave the Foxconn campus on Tuesday, he found the company had set up obstacle after obstacle. "There were people with loudspeakers advertising the latest Foxconn policy, saying that each day there would be a 400 yuan ($55) bonus," Zhang told AFP. A crowd of employees gathered at a pick-up point in front of empty buses but were not let on. People in hazmat suits, known colloquially as "big whites" in China, claimed they had been sent by the city government. "They tried to persuade people to stay in Zhengzhou... and avoid going home," Zhang said. "But when we asked to see their work ID, they had nothing to show us, so we suspected they were actually from Foxconn." Foxconn pointed to the local government's lockdown orders from Wednesday when asked by AFP if it attempted to stop employees from leaving, without giving any further response. The company had on Sunday said it was "providing employees with complimentary three meals a day" and cooperating with the government to provide transport home. Eventually, the crowd of unhappy workers who had gathered decided to take matters into their own hands and walked over seven kilometres on foot to the nearest highway entry ramp. There, more people claiming to be government officials pleaded with the employees to wait for the bus. The crowd had no choice as the road was blocked. Buses eventually arrived at five in the afternoon -- nearly nine hours after Zhang had begun his attempt to secure transport. "They were trying to grind us down," he said. Back in his hometown, Zhang is now waiting out the home quarantine period required by the local government. "All I feel is, I've finally left Zhengzhou," he told AFP. bur-tjx/oho/je/mca/cwl
GENEVA (AP)  Turkey must continue to underwrite the security of Cyprus, even if there's a deal reunifying the island that's divided along ethnic Greek and Turkish lines, Turkey's president said Friday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said no arrangement to safeguard the two communities from possible hostilities if peace breaks down can be made without Turkey's involvement.

But he didn't rule out a complete pullout of thousands of soldiers that Turkey keeps on Cyprus as long as Greece, which also deploys a small troop contingent on the island, does the same.

"For Turkish soldiers to withdraw from there completely is out of the question," Erdogan said in Istanbul after Friday prayers. "If such a thing is being considered, then we said both sides' soldiers need to be completely withdrawn."

Erdogan's spokesman said a small number of troops could remain after reunification in line with a previous, failed U.N.-brokered plan.

Ibrahim Kalin suggested what's at stake is not only the security of Cyprus, but of the entire eastern Mediterranean.

"We don't think our military presence should be seen as a threat to the Greek Cypriots just as we don't see the Greek presence there as a threat to the Turkish Cypriot community there," Kalin told reporters in Ankara.

The Turkish officials' remarks came a day after the top diplomats of Cyprus' "guarantors"  Greece, Turkey and Britain  gathered in Geneva to discuss ways of providing post-reunification security.

It was the first time security  which has stumped previous rounds of talks  has been discussed at such a high level.

The meeting came after 20 months of negotiations between Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci that focused on the internal aspects of a deal like power-sharing in an aimed-for federation.

Officials will meet Wednesday in Switzerland to start work. It's hoped enough progress is made so that Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, Britain's Boris Johnson and Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu  along with Anastasiades and Akinci  can resume talks in Geneva.

Story continues

Akinci suggested guarantees and Turkish troops could remain for several years after reunification to allow fear and mistrust to fade. Anastasiades has proposed an international police force to oversee security for a period after a peace deal.

Anastasiades said in Geneva that the fact that the guarantors broached the security issue offers hope for a deal.

"As long as the dialogue remains alive and as long as there are steps demonstrating a willingness to negotiate, I'm hopeful," Anastasiades told reporters.

Turkey has more than 35,000 troops stationed in the island's Turkish-speaking north of Cyprus since 1974 when it invaded in response to a coup aiming at union with Greece.

Security is central to a reunification deal because it goes to the heart of Greek and Turkish Cypriot fears.

"We are in agreement that the security of one community should not be perceived as a threat by the other community," Akinci told reporters in Geneva. "The point is where can you strike the balance?"

___

Hadjicostis reported from Nicosia, Cyprus. Suzan Frazer in Ankara, and Cinar Kiper in Istanbul, contributed to this report.
AFP News

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was recovering in hospital Friday after a gunman shot him in the leg, with his supporters vowing the assassination attempt will not derail his "long march" bid to return to power. The attack on his convoy, apparently by a lone gunman, killed one man and wounded at least 10, significantly raising the stakes in a political crisis that has gripped the South Asian nation since Khan's ousting in April. Khan "was stable and he was doing fine" at Shaukat Khanum hospital in the eastern city of Lahore, his doctor Faisal Sultan told AFP Friday. Seemi Bokhari, a lawmaker with Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said after visiting Khan the former premier was in high spirits. "The doctors are allowing him to move ... He is feeling perfectly well and he will soon be discharged," she told AFP. The 70-year-old former international cricket star had been leading a campaign convoy of thousands since last week from Lahore to the capital Islamabad when he was attacked. Khan suffered at least one bullet wound to his right leg when a gunmen sprayed pistol fire at his modified container truck as it drove slowly through a thick crowd in Wazirabad, around 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of Islamabad. "Everyone who was standing in the very front row got hit," former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was standing behind Khan, told AFP. Senior aide Raoof Hasan said it was "an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him". Chaudhry said party officials would meet later Friday to discuss the immediate fate of Khan's campaign march. "The real freedom long march will continue and the movement for people's rights will remain until an announcement on the general elections," he tweeted. - Threats - Party officials also called for supporters to stage rallies and marches across the country after Friday afternoon prayers, the most important of the week. Protesters lit fires and blocked roads in several cities late Thursday as news of Khan's shooting spread. His campaign truck has become a crime scene for now, cordoned off and guarded by commandos as forensic experts comb the area. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Thursday the attacker had been taken into custody. Officials shared an apparent confession video that was circulating online. "I did it because (Khan) was misleading the public," says a dishevelled man in the leaked video, shown with his hands tied behind his back in what appears to be a police station. He says he was angry with the procession for making a racket during the call to prayer that summons Muslims to the mosque five times a day. Pervaiz Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab, said officers who leaked the video would be disciplined. Pakistan has been grappling with Islamist militancy for decades, with right-wing religious groups having huge sway over the population. It has been no stranger to assassination attempts during decades of political instability, and the powerful military has led the country several times. Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was shot dead at a rally in Rawalpindi in 1951. Another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was killed in 2007 when a huge bomb detonated near her vehicle as she greeted supporters in the city of Rawalpindi. - Kicked from power - Khan was booted from office in April by a no-confidence vote after defections by some of his coalition partners, but he retains huge support. He was voted into power in 2018 on an anti-corruption platform by an electorate tired of dynastic politics, but his mishandling of the economy -- and falling out with a military accused of helping his rise -- sealed his fate. Since then, he has railed against the establishment and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government, which he says was imposed on Pakistan by a "conspiracy" involving the United States. Khan and Shehbaz have for months traded bitter accusations of corruption and incompetence, raising the political temperature in a nation that is frequently at boiling point. Khan has repeatedly told supporters he was prepared to die for the country, and aides have long warned of unspecified threats made on his life. The attack drew international condemnation including from the United States, which had uneasy relations with Khan when he was in power. "Violence has no place in politics, and we call on all parties to refrain from violence, harassment and intimidation," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. sjd/fox/ecl/pbt/dhc
In this Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, photo, some of the 1,600 milking cows of the Turner County Dairy eat inside a barn in Parker, S.D. Dairy farm operators in the U.S. for years have relied on immigrant workers to carry out the tasks involved in milk production, but producers in South Dakota might soon tap into a different labor force: unemployed residents of Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Regina Garcia Cano)

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Unable to find enough workers to carry out the painstaking tasks of milk production, dairy producers in South Dakota hope to tap into a different labor force: unemployed residents of Puerto Rico.

It could be a tonic both for dairy operators and Puerto Rico, where the jobless rate stands at 12 percent but workers are far freer to travel to the U.S. for jobs than immigrants due to the island's status as a U.S. territory.

South Dakota dairy farms produced 209 million pounds of milk in 2016, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. That's far less than the more commonly known milk-producing states of California and Wisconsin, but the state's pilot project to find another labor source is gaining attention.

"If this is successful, this would be a significant success for the U.S. dairy industry, certainly South Dakota's industry," said Jaime Castaneda, senior vice president of the National Milk Producers Federation. "So, we are watching it. We are looking at what happens."

Certain agricultural industries are allowed to hire foreign-born workers seasonally under a visa category, but dairy farms do not qualify because they operate year-round. A study commissioned by the National Milk Producers Federation released in June 2015 concluded immigrant labor accounts for 51 percent of all dairy labor in the U.S.

The proposal from a team of agriculture experts to recruit a labor force from the Caribbean island to work on South Dakota's dairies would eliminate the need for a visa because Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Experts from the South Dakota State University Extension hope to bring about 20 workers by September.

They hosted recruiting sessions in November and December in three Puerto Rican communities that are home to dairies and addressed topics such as the farm routine, weather and cost of living. Of the 28 people who attended the sessions, half had an agricultural background. Others were electricians, nurses and construction workers. More sessions are planned for May.

Story continues

The team is focused on developing a program that would help the workers adjust to life in the Great Plains. Karla Hernandez, an SDSU Extension forage field specialist, said producers in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin who have hired Puerto Ricans have seen them last only short periods on the job after realizing the demands, pay and the stark differences between the two places.

"Say you have a person from Mexico who gets here, that person will stick around because he has a need to provide for himself and for his family back in Mexico. Now if you get a Puerto Rican and he doesn't like the job, he can go home very easily because he doesn't need to wait for any visa or passport," Hernandez said.

It's no secret that immigrant labor is crucial at many agricultural enterprises in the U.S. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that about 80 percent of the agricultural labor force is foreign born and over half is unauthorized to work in the U.S.

Castaneda said his organization is not speculating about what the incoming Trump administration might do in terms of immigration. But he said the group will continue to pressure Congress and the administration to approve changes that would allow immigrant dairy workers to stay in the U.S. for at least three years with the option of reapplying after a stay in their home countries.

For those who doubt the need of foreign-born workers on dairy farms, Walt Bones, part owner of the Turner County Dairy and former South Dakota secretary of agriculture, has a succinct answer: U.S.-born workers don't want to work that hard.

"They're not hungry enough to improve themselves that they don't want to work that hard. I think it's that simple," said Bones, whose dairy farm has 1,600 cows that are milked three times a day. "It's not easy work. It's repetitive, but at the same time, it's not bad work."

Gerson Cardona, a Guatemala native, began working on a dairy farm in South Dakota 15 years ago at the age of 15 by milking and washing cows. These days, he cares for days-old calves.

"If one enjoys the job, one can persevere," Cardona said in Spanish during a break. "If one enjoys working with the animals, then that's what motivates one to learn more and stay in one place. This (job) is a good source to be able to do something with one's life."
When running a business, you cant continue using the same methods and expect your business to grow. You have to actually make changes and updates as technology and trends evolve. Members of our small business community are acutely aware of the importance of making changes to take small businesses to the next level. Here are some of their top tips.

Make Your Business Seem More Personal With Video Marketing

Video marketing can help you accomplish many different things for your small business. It can help you explain a complicated process, increase sales for a specific product, or even make your business seem more personal to consumers. Jennifer Livingston goes into more detail about the latter in this Getentrepreneurial.com post.

Combat Poor Processes in Your Business

To successfully run a business, you need effective processes. If you dont have them, youre likely to use productivity or even watch your business fail. This Process Street post by Adam Henshall includes some information about how you can combat poor processes in your business.

Use Hashtag Tracking to Take Your Social Media Marketing to the Next Level

Social media is a complicated and ever-changing idea. But there are tools out there, like hashtag tracking, that can help you make the most of your social media efforts. This Web Hosting Secrets Revealed post reviews some specific hashtag tracking tools. And the BizSugar community discussed the post further here.

Dont Mix SEO and Lousy Content

SEO can be a great tool for businesses. But its not going to act as a replacement for sub-par content. Ryan Shelley goes into more detail in this Search Engine Land post.

Learn How Technology is Changing Todays Business Landscape

Technology is constantly evolving. And all of those changes can greatly impact the way businesses operate. You can learn more about how technology can change the way you do business in this Techlofy post by Ashfaq Ahmad.

Think of Social Media Management as More Than Content Posting

Social media management companies can give you a head start on your content marketing. But you should actually think of it as more than simple content posting, as Rachel Strella of Strella Social Media discusses here. You can also see commentary about the post over on BizSugar.

Stay Safe Online With Advanced Identity Theft Protection

Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important for small businesses in every industry. And you can use advanced identity theft protection to keep yourself and your business protected online. Learn more by reading this post by Ivan Widjaya on the Noobpreneur blog.

Get These Tools to Excel at Blogging

If you want your small business blog to really work for your business, you cant just create a basic post every now and then and expect results. Instead, you need to get the right tools, like the ones listed in this Right Mix Marketing post by Avinash Nair.

Make Your Logo as Flexible as Your Marketing Strategy

A great logo can make a huge difference for your business. But you need to make sure that logo is flexible so it can work in many different situations. Nick Bowersox of the crowdSPRING blog details more here. And BizSugar members also shares thoughts on the post here.

Attract Thousands of Visitors From Quora in a Month

Quora is a popular question and answer website. And it can also be a great resource for businesses looking to increase online traffic. Neil Patel explains how you can get more visitors using Quora here.

If youd like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.
By Devika Krishna Kumar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday and ended the week 3 percent lower on lingering doubts over the extent of OPEC cuts, with sentiment worsened by concerns over the economic health of the world's second-largest oil consumer, China, after it reported the steepest falls in overall exports since 2009.

Record Chinese crude imports of 8.6 million barrels per day (bpd) in December helped to buoy prices somewhat, traders said, but they could not hide underlying fears over the overall health of the world's second-biggest economy.

Brent crude futures (LCOc1) settled 56 cents lower at $55.45 a barrel, ending the week with a loss of about 3 percent.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (CLc1) crude futures fell by 64 cents to close at $52.37 also notching a weekly drop of nearly 3 percent.

"China right now seems more interested in keeping capital in the country than focusing on growth overall," Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago said.

"We have to watch this situation develop because this is one threat to what is an otherwise wildly bullish scenario for oil in the coming year."

On the supply side, there was some market support from top crude exporter Saudi Arabia, which said that its output had fallen below 10 million bpd to levels last seen in February 2015 and that it expects to make even deeper cuts next month.

However, hard evidence of export reductions has yet to emerge, two weeks into the month in which the cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers, such as Russia, were supposed to start.

"Compliance won't be 100 percent; it never is," an OPEC source told Reuters, adding that an overall rate of 50 percent to 60 percent would be good enough, based on past compliance levels.

Although, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo told Reuters he was sure countries would follow through on the deal.

Libya's oil production increased to 750,000 barrels per day (bpd), the deputy leader of the U.N.-backed government said, a rise of about 50,000 bpd from last week.

Story continues

"I think the bigger issues for oil are less about demand right now and a lot more about the supply condition," said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Seattle.

"EIA data and our own government policies have to leave you thinking that a U.S. production response may unwind all the production cuts Saudi Arabia and others are planning."

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed crude production rose notably last week, particularly in the lower 48 states. Overall production was 8.95 million bpd last week, the most since April of last year.

Saudi Arabia is likely to cut heavy oil production rather than light in order to maximize revenues, and as U.S. supply comes back, more light barrels will likely enter the market, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a note.

U.S. oil drillers cut rigs this week for only the second week in the last seven months, seen by traders as a pause in a recovery expected to last into 2018.

(Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in London, Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Lisa Shumaker)
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan 14, 2017) -

Today, the first day of the month of Thai on the Tamil calendar, marks the joyous festival of Thai Pongal. Originally a harvest festival, the holiday is now celebrated by Tamil people in Canada and around the world with family reunions, gift giving and special treats like the traditional sweet rice pudding, known as pongal.

Diversity and inclusion are a vital part of what makes our country a great place to live and are a pillar of the Canada 150 celebrations taking place this year. The Tamil-Canadian community is a shining example of how Canada is enriched by its cultural diversity, and Thai Pongal is an opportunity to recognize the community's many contributions and achievements. This year's festival is especially significant as it takes place during the first-ever Tamil Heritage Month in Canada, which won unanimous support in Parliament last October.

As Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for multiculturalism, I wish everyone celebrating Thai Pongal a wonderful festival among family and friends.

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Oil companies will be charged a higher tax rate than the state on the reservation's oil production, the chairman of North Dakota's Three Affiliated Tribes said Friday, a move that non-tribal officials believe is a violation of a revenue-sharing accord and could slow drilling.

The move is the latest in a longstanding disagreement between the tribes and the state over shared tax revenue from drilling on the oil-rich Fort Berthold Reservation, which accounts for about 20 percent of the state's 1 million barrel-per-day oil production.

The Legislature in 2015 passed a measure that abolishes some price-based incentives in exchange for a lowering the overall tax rate from 11.5 percent to 10 percent.

Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Mark Fox said it never agreed to the change and want the higher tax rate to pay for road repairs and other consequences of oil development on the reservation, home to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes.

"We intend to collect it and it's not a new charge," Fox told The Associated Press. "It existed before and we didn't agree to the change."

Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauchenberger said the agreement does not allow the tribes to "impose own its own tax or fees on production," and that it would be up to Gov. Doug Burgum to decide whether the tribes are in violation of the agreement.

Fox signaled Tuesday to lawmakers that the tribes could pull out of the revenue-sharing agreement because he believes the reduction in taxes violates the accord.

"We're not bluffing," Fox told the North Dakota House's Finance and Taxation Committee, which is examining legislation that would further cut tax increases for producers if oil prices rebound above $90 a barrel  nearly twice what North Dakota sweet crude fetched Friday.

On Wednesday, the tribes passed a resolution stating that it would collect the higher tax.

The agreement between the tribes and the state was authorized by the 2007 Legislature after oil companies said an accord would help promote reservation investment by setting up stable tax rates and rules. Prior to the agreement, only one well was drilled on the reservation, state and tribal data show, a figure that's grown to more than 1,500 wells since the agreement was signed.

Story continues

Tax Department data show that since the agreement was adopted, the state has collected $973 million in oil revenue, with the tribe getting $844 million. The state's share of oil taxes from reservation land is divided among counties, cities, school districts and a number of state funds and programs.

Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki said the "governor is not going to comment on it until he has a chance to discuss this with legislative and tribal leadership."

North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness said an increased tax rate on the reservation "creates a disadvantage for attracting investment up there."

"We have said time and time again that a flat, predictable tax structure creates an equal playing field," he said.

Fox said some operators on tribal land may choose to leave due to the higher tax rate but believes "others will come in and ... production will continue."
SYDNEY (AP)  The leaders of Australia and Japan agreed on Saturday to boost cooperation between their militaries, as Japan tries to shore up security ties throughout the Asia-Pacific region amid concern over China's growing military might.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull said they had signed an upgraded defense agreement after talks in Sydney on trade and regional security issues. The leaders said the pact would allow their militaries to provide each other with logistical support during exercises, and are working toward an agreement that would make it easier to participate in joint military exercises.

"The relationship between Australia and Japan is closer, stronger and more constructive than ever," Turnbull told reporters after meeting Abe.

Abe arrived in Sydney from the Philippines on Friday on the second leg of a four-nation swing intended to boost Japan's trade and security engagements amid China's emergence as a military power in the Pacific. After Australia, he visits Indonesia and Vietnam.

Following their meeting, Abe said the countries would enhance their coordination on activity in the disputed South China Sea and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.

"In a situation where there is increasing uncertainty and nebulousness on the political, security and economic scenes, it is important to guard and increase the robustness of the free, open and rules-based international order," Abe said through an interpreter. "It is more necessary than ever before for Japan and Australia as special strategic partners to play a leading role for regional peace and prosperity."

Abe and Turnbull also reaffirmed their support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, the 12-nation trade pact that incoming President Donald Trump has vowed to scrap. Still, both noted the importance of maintaining their relationships with the United States, and pledged to work constructively with the controversial leader.

"For both of our nations, the United States remains the cornerstone of our strategic and security arrangements," Turnbull said. "And our respective alliances for the United States are as relevant and important today as they have ever been. We'll work closely with the incoming administration as we have been to advance the region's interests and our shared goals."

Before arriving in Sydney, Abe visited the Philippines where he pledged $8.7 billion worth of business opportunities and private investments along with equipment to fight terrorism.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Bahraini capital Manama on Saturday over reports on social media that the authorities may be preparing to execute three Shi'ite men convicted of a deadly 2014 bomb attack. Executions are rare in Bahrain, a Western allied kingdom tucked between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The authorities have been cracking down on dissent mainly by the Shi'ite majority complaining of discrimination by the island's Sunni rulers. The last execution was carried out in 2008. Calls for the protests were issued on social media after the families of the three young men - Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima and Ali al-Singace - said they had been summoned to visit their loved ones at Jau prison. The men, who were convicted in 2015 of a bomb attack that killed three police officers - two Bahrainis and an Emirati - had maintained their innocence and rights groups have said confessions were obtained under torture. Bahrain denies using torture. Prison authorities did not explain the reason for the summons to the families but gave them a telephone number to collect their sons' personal belongings, according to social media reports. News of the possible impending executions prompted calls on social media for protests, drawing hundreds of people onto the streets. Bahraini security forces were seen deploying around areas of tension, including Duraz village, where the spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shi'ites has been confined since authorities revoked his citizenship last year. Footage on social media showed hundreds of men and women marching with placards denouncing the death sentences imposed on the three men. "No, No to Executions," one poster carried by demonstrators in Duraz read, above pictures of the three men. There were no reports of clashes between demonstrators and security forces, who were deployed in armoured vehicles outside the village, according to social media. Social media messages said similar protests took place in other Shi'ite villages across Bahrain. Bahrain launched a crackdown on dissidents in June last year, closing down the main Shi'ite Muslim group, al-Wefaq. It has also more than doubled a prison sentence imposed on the head of al-Wefaq, Sheikh Ali Salman, revoked the citizenship of the Shi'ite majority's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, and arrested prominent activist Nabeel Rajab. Bahrain denies any discrimination against Shi'ites and accuses Iran of fanning unrest in the kingdom, a charge Tehran says is not true. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
By Hans-Edzard Busemann BERLIN (Reuters) - The head of Germany's farming association voiced concerns about the lack of plans to deal with the impact on European Union finances and on massive volumes of food trade following Britain's vote to leave the EU. As Britain is a huge net contributor to EU finances, Brexit could have a major impact on funding of the EU's farming support scheme, called the common agricultural policy (CAP), Joachim Rukwied, the president of the German farming association DBV, said. "The discussion about the implications of Brexit on the CAP has not yet taken place," Rukwied told Reuters. Farmers should not face cuts to their EU support payments because of Brexit, he said. A major challenge will be creating a satisfactory trading relationship with Britain after Brexit, he said. British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has said she will begin the formal EU divorce process by the end of March, has come under fire from businesses, investors and lawmakers for having given little away about her plans for Brexit. She is due to give a speech next week setting out more on the government's objectives. May's farming minister has sought to reassure the British agricultural sector, saying it is the government's intention to maintain as low tariffs as possible, and zero tariffs where it can. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will on Wednesday chair a meeting of a cabinet committee on Brexit at which ministers will discuss organisational and structural issues related to Brexit. German farmers are worried about the status of big German food exports to Britain which totalled about 4.8 billion euros (4.19 billion pounds) in 2015 or about 6 percent of German food exports. Sales include German meat, milk, grains, fruit and vegetables. Britain exported 1.4 billion euros of farm produce to Germany in 2015. "We have a surplus in trade with food from Germany to the United Kingdom of 3.4 billion euros," he said. "I cannot see that any progress has been made on this issue in the United Kingdom." Britain could be involved in a food free trade deal with the EU after Brexit, German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt told Reuters in July. Meanwhile, German farmers continue to suffer from the impact of a Russian ban on food imports imposed after Western sanctions were imposed on Russia following the Ukraine crisis, he said. The loss of sales to Russia of German milk, pork, fruit and vegetables had caused downward price pressure, he said. But increasing German exports of milk products and pork to China had made up for some of the lost Russian business and kept prices away from their lowest levels, he said. (Reporting by Hans-Edzard Busemann, Writing by Michael Hogan; Editing by Alison Williams)
98% of all Japanese adoptions are employers adopting the adult men on their staff, not children

In Japan, 98% of adoptions are actually adult men, aged between 20-30 years old  not children.

That is according to government data cited by economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen J. Dubner in their book "Freakonomics" as well as other a number of other reputable media outlets also citing government data.

The practice has been covered for decades in academic papers as well such "Sons and Lovers: Adoption in Japan" by Taimie L. Bryant for The American Journal of Comparative Law.

This because of a several-hundred-year tradition where businesses adopt their executives so their companies or institutions are seen as "family-run" groups. So, in other words, bosses adopt their proteges.

Where it all started

It all started hundreds of years ago when Japans civil code dictated how a family's wealth would be passed on after the death of the family elder.

Money and assets were traditionally passed through male lines in the family  starting with the eldest. However, if a family did not have any blood-related sons, the law said that adopted sons could carry on the family name, business, and receive the wealth upon the death of the head of the family.

In households where they only have daughters, a family would look to adopt a son, so they could fulfill the role of carrying on the family business as well as receiving and being custodian to the family's cash and assets.

Nowadays, legal adoption of this kind is paired up with an arranged marriage  known as "omiai"  of a daughter, meaning the adopted son becomes son and son-in-law at the same time because he changes his name to the wife's family name ("mukoyoshi").

Why it is huge in Japanese corporate culture

Osamu Suzuki1

(Image: ESB Professional / Shutterstock)

In Japan, there are even matchmaking companies that recruit voluntary adoptees for Japanese corporates.

Some of Japan's most famous companies have remained a "family-run" businesses because of "mukoyoshi," such as carmaker Toyota, which was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937.

Story continues

Another carmaker Suzuki is also famously run by adopted sons  in fact, the current chairman and CEO Osamu Suzuki is the fourth consecutively adopted son to run the group.

But it is not just in production-related industries that this happens. At the financial services firm Matsui Securities, the group is run by Michio Matsui, its fourth president to be into the family.

Multi-nationals are not the only companies that seek "mukoyoshi"  the worlds oldest family company Hoshi is an inn in Japan that was founded in 781. It has been in the family for 46 generations and so when there were only girls in the family, the elders adopted a daughter's husband.

Why it is unlikely this tradition will die

While Japans civil code has changed since World War II, old traditions die hard.

Plus, Japan continues to suffer from an ageing population crisis. Birth rates have been radically dropping since 1950 but the population is awash with old people.

In September last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare revealed that Japan has broken its own record for most centenarians by population for the 46th straight year.

Nationwide, an entire generation of Japanese citizens  going on two generations, in fact  are entering retirement age. Of the 127 million people who live there, roughly 25% are over 65. (Baby Boomers, by comparison, only make up 13.5% of the total US population.) By 2060, the proportion of people 65-plus in Japan could rise to 40%.

But this is a massive problem  the generations that are supposed to replace the elderly are not reproducing, noted Business Insider's Chris Weller last year.

Countries need a "replacement fertility rate" of 2.1 births per woman to keep the population from shrinking. Japan's fertility rate is 1.4  the result of women focusing more on their careers and the long hours workers typically spend at the office.

As a result, the country's economy has been shrinking for decades.

When it comes to marriage and carrying on the bloodline, it looks like adult adoption is one of the key ways of keeping the family line going.

NOW WATCH: 8 great ways to earn passive income

See Also:

SEE ALSO: There's a bizarre custom of inviting strippers to funerals in China and Taiwan
MOSUL, Iraq (AP)  Iraqi forces have won a string of swift territorial gains in Mosul in the fight against the Islamic State group after months of slow progress, with a senior officer on Saturday laying claim to a cluster of buildings inside Mosul University and another edge of a bridge.

Iraqi forces now control the eastern sides of three of the city's five bridges that span the Tigris River connecting Mosul's east to west. Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition bombed the city's bridges late last year in an effort to isolate IS fighters in the city's east by disrupting resupply routes.

At Mosul University, senior commanders said Iraqi forces had secured more than half of the campus Saturday amid stiff resistance, but clashes were ongoing into the afternoon. Iraqi forces entered the university from the southeast Friday morning and by nightfall had secured a handful of buildings, Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said on a tour of the university Saturday.

"We watched all the IS fighters gather in that building, so we blew it up," said special forces Sgt. Maj. Haytham Ghani pointing to one of the blackened technical college buildings where charred desks could be seen inside. "You can still see some of their corpses."

Thick clouds of black smoke rose from the middle of the sprawling complex Saturday morning. By afternoon, clashes had intensified with volleys of sniper and mortar fire targeting the advancing Iraqi forces. Convoys of Iraqi Humvees snaked through the campus, pausing for artillery and airstrikes to clear snipers perched within classrooms, dormitories and behind the trees that line the campus streets.

IS fighters overran Mosul in the summer of 2014, announcing from there their self-styled "caliphate" after taking a large swath of Iraq and Syria in a lightning surge. Access to the city's central bank, a large taxable civilian population and nearby oilfields quickly made IS the world's wealthiest terrorist group.

Story continues

Yet even as a punishing campaign of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes has pushed the militants underground, IS leaders continued to use Mosul as a key logistical hub for planning meetings. If recaptured by the Iraqi forces, IS territory in Iraq that once stretched across a third of the country would be reduced to small pockets in the north and west that troops will likely be able to mop up relatively quickly.

The massive operation to retake Mosul from IS was launched in October. Since then Iraqi forces have slowly clawed back more than a third of the city. IS maintains has tight control of the city's western half where Iraqi forces will likely encounter another wave of heavy IS resistance. The west of the city is home to some of Mosul's densest neighborhoods and an estimated 700,000 civilians.

As Iraqi forces have closed in on the Tigris that roughly divides Mosul into eastern and western halves, their pace has quickened. IS defenses in the city's east appear to be thinning and unlike in the surrounding neighborhoods, Iraqi officers said they believe Mosul University and recently retaken government buildings are largely empty of civilians  allowing them to use air cover more liberally.

Iraqi soldiers at Mosul University said while they were still coming under heavy small arms fire, IS resistance was significantly less than they faced during the first weeks of the Mosul operation.

"We were targeted with only four car bombs where before (IS) would send 20 in one day," special forces Lt. Zain al-Abadeen said. "And they aren't armored like before, they're just using civilian cars."

Medics operating a small field hospital in eastern Mosul said civilian casualties have dropped significantly over the past three days as Iraqi forces moved into government complexes like the university rather than dense civilian neighborhoods.

Also Saturday, IS launched its biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested Syrian city of Deir el-Zour in an attempt to maintain a grip on the eastern stretch of the neighboring country where the group's de facto capital of Raqqa lies.

___

Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.
FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2006 file photo former chief editor of Jerusalem Post delivers a speech during the opening of the Bruckner music festival in Linz, Austria. The Jerusalem Post says Rath, who advocated the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians, has died, Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 in Vienna, Austria. He was 92. (AP Photo/rubra, Rudi Brandstaetter, file)

VIENNA (AP)  Former Jerusalem Post chief editor Ari Rath, who advocated the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians, died Friday in Vienna at 92, the paper said.

Rath was best known for his more than decade-long tenure at the daily's helm. His support of dialogue to resolve past and present conflicts won him numerous honors, including Germany's Order of Merit and Vienna's Golden Award of Honor.

Born in Vienna, Rath, at 13, was among the Jewish children who managed to escape the Holocaust through special transports to Palestine after Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938. He joined the Jerusalem Post in 1957 and was appointed chief editor in 1975.

Rath counted former Israeli President Shimon Peres and assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin among his friends. He regained his Austrian citizenship in 2007 and spent his last years in a senior citizen's home run by the Austrian capital's Jewish community.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz paid tribute to the editor, saying he considered it particularly important to follow Rath's contribution to "tolerance and understanding."
Poland has welcomed US troops into the country amid security fears over Russia - with joint picnics held for citizens and American soldiers.

The arrival of the 3,500 soldiers is part of a deployment to NATO's eastern flank aimed at deterring aggression from Moscow.

Hailing from Fort Carson, Colorado, the so-called "Iron Brigade" is made up of highly trained soldiers and heavy military equipment.

They will be deployed with NATO partners Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary on a rotational basis.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo welcomed the troops in Zagan, the Polish town on the German border where the brigade will be headquartered.

"We hope you feel at home," she said.

"The presence of American soldiers in Poland is another step in our strategy to ensure safety and security for Poland and the region," she added.

The defence ministry held "Safe Poland" picnics on Saturday in cities across the country.

The picnics enabled people to meet Polish and US troops and view their military hardware. They were offered typical Polish army food, including pea soup with ham.

The military deployment is part of the Pentagon's Atlantic Resolve operation.

It aims to counter security concerns sparked by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

"This is America's most capable fighting force," said US ambassador to Poland Paul James at welcome ceremonies in Zagan.

"They are a combat-ready, highly trained US armoured brigade, with our most advanced equipment and weaponry.

"This force embodies America's iron-clad commitment to honour our NATO treaty obligation to defend our NATO allies."

Last summer, NATO leaders endorsed plans to rotate troops in Poland and the Baltic states to reassure them over Russia.

The US troops and tanks began streaming into Poland on Thursday.

They are part of one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War.

Story continues

Russia has branded the operation a security "threat".

The deployment was ordered by the outgoing Obama administration and comes a week before Donald Trump's inauguration.

Mr Trump has suggested his Republican administration will seek to ease tensions with the Kremlin.
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is prepared to meet with U.S. lawmakers, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday, as some U.S. senators push to cut funding to the world body over a Security Council resolution that condemned Israeli settlements. The United States abstained from the Dec. 23 vote, allowing the 15-member Security Council to adopt the resolution with 14 votes in favour. Israel and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump had called for Washington to wield its veto. On Thursday, Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham introduced legislation to cut U.N. funding until the president certifies that the Security Council has repealed the resolution. However, the legislation stands little chance of advancing in Congress, where it would need Democrats' support and even some Republicans consider the move as too extreme. "The secretary-general very much welcomes an opportunity to discuss any issues with U.S. lawmakers," U.N. spokeswoman Eri Kaneko said. "We're always eager and available to meet with U.S. lawmakers as needed." She said the United Nations would closely monitor the progress of the U.S. legislation. The United States is the largest contributor to the United Nations, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core U.N. budget and 28 percent of the $7.9 billion U.N. peacekeeping budget. "We look forward, under the new administration, to the continuing strong partnership between the U.S. and the U.N. especially in the three main pillars of human rights, peace and security and development," Kaneko said. Guterres spoke with Trump earlier this month after the president-elect disparaged the world body on Twitter. The United Nations described the conversation as "a very positive discussion on U.S./U.N. relations." During his Senate confirmation hearing this week, Trump's secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson spoke repeatedly about working with the United Nations on a variety of initiatives. Outgoing U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said on Friday the United Nations was "not a perfect system, it's a flawed system" but that if the United States were to cut funding then the only beneficiaries would be states like Russia and China. "If there's less U.S. leadership at the U.N. it will be other countries that step in to fill the void," Power told reporters on Friday. "We lead the world in part by leading at the U.N. and if we were to tie our hands behind our back, or to strip this organisation of programming ... this would be extremely detrimental to U.S. interests," Power said. (Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Tom Brown)
PANAMA CITY  Panama is planning to fly to Mexico this week some 500 Cuban migrants stranded on their way to the United States.

A Foreign Ministry statement issued Monday says the migrants will be flown to Ciudad Juarez on the U.S.-Mexico border. From there, they are expected to enter the U.S.

The flow of migrants from the Communist-ruled Cuba has surged in recent months as concerns mount that the special asylum privileges for Cubans may soon end as relations between Havana and Washington normalize. President Barack Obama is planning to visit Cuba next month, becoming the first American president to visit Havana in nearly 90 years.

Panamas airlift follows a deal reached in December by Central American nations to allow the humanitarian transfer of more than 8,000 stranded Cuban migrants.
A new study has just revealed a massive peat-filled wetland in Africas central Congo Basin  and scientists say the carbon stored there may be equivalent to 20 years worth of U.S. fossil fuel emissions. The area is now believed to be the largest peatland system in the global tropics and possibly one of the regions most important carbon sinks.

We now know we have this peat carbon store, which we previously didnt know existed, said Greta Dargie, a researcher at the University College London and lead author of the study published Wednesday in Nature.

Tropical peatlands  wetlands filled with partially decomposed organic matter, or peat  are known for being some of the worlds most carbon-rich ecosystems. When healthy and intact, they can store billions of tons of carbon that would otherwise end up in the atmosphere. As a result, preventing them from being dried out or otherwise destroyed is widely recognized as an important strategy when it comes to fighting climate change.

The importance of protecting the worlds peatlands has come to international attention in recent years, thanks to several immense wildfires in Indonesia largely caused by agricultural expansion and other human activities in the nations vast, peat-filled wetlands. In 2015 alone, researchers estimated that these wildfires emitted about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalents into the atmosphere. Recognizing the concern these wildfires pose to the climate, the Indonesian government recently announced a moratorium on any activities that could damage the countrys peatlands.

Until now, the central Congo Basin has been largely overlooked as a potential home for tropical peat deposits. A few gray literature sources since the 1950s briefly mention peat occurring in the central Congo Basin, but geolocations or other details were not reported, the new studys authors noted in their paper. Recently published estimates of tropical peatland area and carbon storage still rely on this scant, unverifiable information.

But the researchers had a hunch that the region might have some secrets yet to be discovered. They were especially interested in an area called the Cuvette Centrale, a shallow depression in the Congo Basin characterized by wetlands and swamp forests.

With what was going on with in Southeast Asia, with the degradation of peatlands there, generally theres an interest to find other areas of peatland across the tropics, said Dargie, who completed the research while finishing a Ph.D at the University of Leeds. People were already well aware of these peatlands in Southeast Asia, and there had been recent discoveries of peatlands in western Amazonia. So then given the size of the Congo Basin and [the literature] occasionally mentioning that there could be peatlands there, we thought wed have a look.

The team, composed of researchers from Britain and Congo Republic, used satellite data and an elevation model to scour the landscape and identify areas they considered likely to contain peat deposits. Then they went out into the field and sampled some of the locations to be sure. They discovered peat deposits up to nearly 20 feet in thickness, some more than 10,000 years old according to radiocarbon dating.

The researchers noted that peat was consistently present in places where specific types of forests were growing  particularly forests dominated by certain species of hardwood trees and palms. Armed with this information, they used satellite maps of the regions forest cover to estimate where peat was likely to be found throughout the Cuvette Centrale.

Their estimates suggested a peatland area covering approximately 145,500 square kilometers, or 56,000 square miles  about 40 percent of the entire Cuvette Centrale. This is an area five times greater than the maximum possible amount of peatland previous estimates have suggested for the region.

Using their field samples, and accounting for the estimated depth, density and carbon concentration of the total peatland area, the researchers suggest that the Cuvette Centrale peatlands are storing anywhere from 6.3 billion to 46.8 billion tons of carbon. The wide estimated range stems mostly from uncertainties about the depth of the peat deposits in any given location, Dargie explained. When taking samples in the field, the researchers found that peat thickness ranged from about 30 centimeters to nearly 6 meters.

The only way really to reduce that [uncertainty] would be to take more depth measurements, which would be something wed be looking to do in the future, she said.

The researchers median estimate is around 30.6 billion tons, which is the amount of carbon emitted by the United States through the burning of fossil fuels in 20 years  or the amount emitted by the entire world in three years. Its also approximately the amount of carbon stored in the aboveground forests covering the entire Congo Basin.

Using this 30.6 billion ton estimate, the researchers suggested that the entire African continent probably stores about 34.4 billion tons of carbon in peatlands. This brings total peat carbon stocks throughout the tropics up to an estimated 104.7 billion tons.

Indonesia remains the nation with the greatest peatland area  but the new study brings Congo and Congo Republic up to second and third, respectively. And collectively, the entire Cuvette Centrale region (which stretches across both nations) probably contains the greatest expanse of tropical peatlands in the world.

Unlike Indonesia, the Congo Basin peatlands have remained relatively undisturbed until now, the researchers noted  thanks largely to being so remote. But that doesnt mean theyll be safe in the future. The potential for agricultural expansion, the cause of many of the recent Indonesian wildfires, could pose a threat in the future, the authors suggest. And future climate change could also be a problem. If central Africa becomes warmer and drier in the future, the wetlands could suffer. This means protecting the Cuvette Centrale should be a new climate priority, the authors suggest.

According to Emma Stokes, director of the Wildlife Conservation Societys Central Africa program, the government of Congo Republic has been considering an expansion to a local protected area  the Lac Tele Community Reserve, which covers an area of 1,700 square miles. The move could safeguard an additional 50,000 square kilometres [19,000 square miles] of swamp forest  much of it overlying peat  from future disturbance, Stokes, who was not involved with the new study, said in a statement. We strongly support this move and commend the [Republic of the Congo] government for this initiative.

Because the peatlands were previously undetected, the regions potentially vast carbon stocks have largely flown under the radar until now. The new study brings to light a globally important ecosystem, which could have dire consequences for the climate should it ever be destroyed.

When you look at the level of degradation and destruction of the Southeast Asian peatlands as a result of conversion to agriculture and palm oil plantations . . . I guess this is the opportunity to ensure that what happened in Southeast Asia doesnt happen here, Dargie said.
Rex Tillersons testimony at Wednesdays Senate confirmation hearing for secretary of state offered some relief for those worried about a foreign policy meltdown under Donald Trump.

The former Exxon Mobil CEO got a bipartisan grilling about his close ties to top Russian leaders. Senators wanted to know if Tillerson could pivot from pursuit of oil in the Russian Arctic to protecting U.S. interests from a hostile Kremlin.

Not all his answers were clear. But he came across as well-informed and serious. Most surprising, his positions often failed to track with those of Trump, including on Russia.

This raises an obvious and fascinating question: Will Trump even listen to Tillersons advice? Nobody knows.

There was good reason why members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee gave Tillerson such a grilling. His close relationships with Vladimir Putin, and with Putins key ally, the much-feared Igor Sechin, led to a half-billion-dollar joint venture for Exxon Mobil in the Russian Arctic. In 2013, Putin bestowed the Order of Friendship on Tillerson.

In June 2014, after Russia had seized Crimea and was attacking eastern Ukraine, Tillerson was schmoozing with Sechin at an oil conference in Moscow. So senators wanted to know whether Tillerson would support continuing the sanctions imposed on Moscow for its Ukraine aggression  including sanctions on Sechin and the Rosneft state oil company he heads. Exxon Mobil reportedly lobbied to end those sanctions, because they froze the arctic deal.

The senators also wanted to know if Tillerson backed Putins claim that Russia was legally entitled to annex Crimea. No, Russia does not have legal claim to Crimea, Tillerson replied. Russia was taking territory that was not theirs.

As for sanctions, he insisted Exxon had never lobbied to end sanctions over Ukraine, only to get a brief reprieve so they could wind up their Arctic-drilling operation. He also insisted he supported sanctions so long as they did not unduly penalize U.S. companies over European competitors (that reply is a bit wobbly).

Where things really got interesting, however, was when Tillerson laid out why the Obama team should have responded more firmly to Russias invasion of Crimea.

Tillerson said the Russian leader moved on eastern Ukraine because there was no firm military response to the taking of Crimea. Washington should have provided intelligence and air support to Ukrainian military forces.

Russia, he says, has a long-term geographical plan to reestablish what it sees as its role in the world order. If they dont receive a response, they will execute the next step of that plan, Tillerson said. That, he added, doesnt rule out cooperation where interests converge  as with Afghanistan  but on other issues we may be adversaries.

Tillerson said he supported NATO, along with enhanced NATO backing for the Baltic nations and Poland  states Moscow has been threatening. The oilman refused Florida Republican Marco Rubios insistence that he brand Putin a war criminal. But he said he was troubled by the Jan. 26 U.S. intel report on Russian hacking and that it was a fair assumption Putin was behind it.

Will Tillerson be able to persuade his boss to look at the big strategic picture? Will the oilman be able to convince Trump that Putins flattery is meant as manipulation? Tillerson appears able to put Kremlin friendships into proper perspective, but well have to see him in action.

Sen. Todd Young (R.-Ind.) asked how the secretary-designate would ensure that the legs were not cut out from under him by Trump tweets when he was visiting foreign capitals.

It would be my expectation, Tillerson delicately replied, that any way the president chose to communicate would facilitate the policy wed agreed on.

Any contingency plan? Young asked. Tillerson held up his cell phone and replied, I have his number and hes promised to answer.

Lets hope for the best, said Young.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Serial killers, guns and the death penalty. Whenever I write about one of those topics my mailbox blows up.

Last weeks column about convicted murderer Dylann Roof and Americas policy of capital punishment  public support for it, the costs associated with it and its usefulness in deterring others  definitely stirred passions.

Some readers took to their keyboards to declare they are staunchly against the death penalty. As Ginny Oleskewicz Schwartz wrote, Life in prison is better. Make them suffer just knowing they are there forever.

Some wrote to tell me Id neglected to mention why a death eligible case can cost up to $1 million more than others. Thank you to reader Paul Burnett, and others, for pointing out that it is not so much the housing and feeding of the convicted death row inmate. It is the slow pace at which the legal system works.

Delays are behind the huge costs of our injustice system, Burnett wrote. And he suggests defendants should be rapidly convicted and start paying for their crimes immediately or be enabled to continue living as productive citizens.

Reader Bob Knowlton was among those supporting curbs on appeal times. As he put it, The lengthy appeals process benefits who (besides the convicted killer?) Lawyers!

But the majority of readers  and, interestingly, they were all men  emailed me to explain why they think the death penalty is a necessary and useful tool to keep law-abiding citizens safe.

Allen, a retired cop and former Army military police officer who worked at Leavenworth prison during his 27-year career said he learned from inmates that, Their primary regret was getting caught  their constant focus was on where, when and how to commit their next crime when they were released.

Executing the worst of the worst of these criminals, Allen believes, alleviate(s) society from the probability of having an intentionally violent career criminal take another life.

Scott Hendrick from the Southern Justice Self-Help Legal Center told me, Killing isnt inherently wrong, murder is. If killing were inherently wrong (then) we wouldnt arm the police or military.

Death penalty advocate Dudley Sharpe wrote to chastise me on several points. Especially for repeating the statistic that 156 wrongfully convicted death row inmates have been released from prison since 1973.

He simply does not believe the number even though it sprang from a report to the Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court and several other federal courts have favorably referred to the figure. Sharpe is also unhappy that I didnt mention that white murderers are twice as likely to be executed than black death row inmates.

Joel Davis says I should be less concerned about the possibility of wrongfully convicted defendants being put to death and more worried about inmates killed in prison. Citing Department of Justice figures from 2012 he concludes, Every year there are an average of 8.4 murders in prison by UNEXECUTED murderers.

Im thinking that says more about prison guards ability to keep the peace than it does about moral, ethical or societal reasons for supporting the death penalty.

As for my mention that there is no evidence proving capital punishment deters other criminals from murdering, Lawrence Walsh reminded that you cant prove a negative. Capital punishment has NEVER stopped murder in the history of mankind, Walsh wrote. There is no way to prove this. Think about it.

Yes, Mr. Walsh, you are correct.

Abe Parham put it more succinctly. The death penalty does not deter others from killing, he said, but it does a pretty damn good job on that first idiot.

Reader Jerry Little isnt so sure. He wrote to say that advances in DNA and other investigative technologies make it easier to prove guilt these days. What that means is we need an express lane to the chamber to re-establish the deterrent effect of the death penalty, he wrote.

Last weeks column really revolved around my own ethical struggle with whether to support capital punishment and under what circumstances. While Im glad to share all these differing views on this important issue, Im still not comfortable with the deliberate taking of a life  whether it be by a ruthless killer or our own government.

Then I re-read a tweet I received from Shelly Nagle.

Yes. Death for murderers! My sister was murdered & hidden in a hole for almost 14 years! Her killer received 7-14 years. NO JUSTICE!!!

I researched the case of Nagles sister, Sherry, murdered by her father-in-law and buried on his Pennsylvania property.

Kenneth Leighty left the mother of his three grandchildren to rot in the ground and the children thinking their mother had abandoned them.

He didnt get the death penalty and that seems like a shame.

www.DianeDimond.com; e-mail to Diane@DianeDimond.com.
The arc of U.S. history is on full display as the peaceful transition of power takes place from the administration of President Barack Obama to that of incoming President-elect Donald Trump.

The first African-American president is about to hand the reins of power to the very man who led the racist birther campaign to delegitimize his presidency. As Trump continues to shock the world with his middle-of-the-night tweets, the flurry of Senate confirmation hearings exposed the hollow rhetoric of Trumps pledge to drain the swamp.

Among the controversial and divisive cabinet nominees is his pick for attorney general: Jeff Sessions, the junior senator from Alabama.

President Obama delivered his farewell address Tuesday night. Race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society, Obama said. For white Americans, it means acknowledging that the effects of slavery and Jim Crow didnt suddenly vanish in the 60s.

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III is named after his father and grandfather, but his first and middle names are steeped in the Confederacy: Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, and P.G.T. Beauregard, the Confederate general who, after resigning his post in the U.S. Army at West Point, oversaw the bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861, starting the U.S. Civil War.

It wouldnt be fair to hold Sessions accountable for his namesakes, the long-dead heroes of the Confederacy. But Senate confirmation hearings are an appropriate forum to hold nominees accountable for their own words and deeds.

Opposition to Sessions is broad and intense, and goes back decades. Sessions was appointed U.S. Attorney in Alabama in 1981, where he prosecuted legendary voting-rights activists, who were ultimately acquitted. Then, in 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to a federal judgeship.

At that Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., said: Mr. Sessions is a throwback to a shameful era, which I know both black and white Americans thought was in our past. Its inconceivable to me that a person of this attitude is qualified to be a U.S. attorney, let alone a United States federal judge.

Sessions later used Sen. Kennedys damning words to help him win election in 1994 as the Alabama attorney general. In just two years in that position, he aggressively defended Alabamas execution of more than 40 prisoners convicted, according to The New York Times, in trials riddled with instances of prosecutorial misconduct, racial discrimination and grossly inadequate defense lawyering.

As U.S. senator, he voted against reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, and opposes comprehensive immigration reform, marriage equality and hate-crime protections for LGBTQ victims. He also is a fierce critic of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

On the second day of Sessions current confirmation hearings, members of the Congressional Black Caucus packed the hearing room. For the first time in Senate history, a sitting senator testified against another sitting senators confirmation.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said, Senator Sessions has not demonstrated a commitment to a central requirement of the job: to aggressively pursue the congressional mandate of civil rights, equal rights and justice for all.

Revered civil-rights activist and member of Congress John Lewis spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, and was an organizer of the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 to register African-Americans to vote. Lewis and the other marchers were savagely beaten by Alabama State Police on what became known as Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. He represents the living history of the struggle for racial and economic equality. His words have weight.

The attorney general is expected to be a champion of justice for all people  not just the rich and the powerful, Lewis said. As a fellow Southerner, I have no doubt that Senator Sessions is polite to all he meets. My concern is not about how nice he is. My concern is about where he will take the Department of Justice and whether he will respect the dignity and worth of every single person in our country  regardless of race, color or background.

Sessions has been consistent throughout his career. The Senate Judiciary Committee should be equally consistent and reject Sessions as attorney general, as it rejected him for a judgeship 30 years ago.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
The 2017 legislative session that starts Tuesday is the biennial 60-day session  the long one in which there is time to debate issues beyond the state budget.

Yet the biggest issue across the state, and the red-ink elephant in the Roundhouse, is two years worth of revenue shortfalls.

It has affected the states bond rating. It has wiped out the states cash reserves. It has continued to divert tens of million of dollars from the intended purpose of the Tobacco Settlement Fund. It has cut agency budgets and jobs, which in turn have reduced services to New Mexicans.

Addressing it is a formidable task; the Democrat-controlled House and Senate, and Republican Gov. Susana Martinez will need to attack that total $360 million shortfall sooner in the session rather than the habitual later.

The Legislative Finance Committee and the governor have each presented plans that would extend the spending cuts they approved in a seven-day special session in October  5.5 percent for most state agencies  and cut even more from college and university budgets. Thats pretty much where the consensus ends and the political argument begins.

Leaders in both branches of government need to take a deep breath before Tuesday and recognize that increased revenues and reduced expenditures, not rhetoric, will balance the budget  something required by the state Constitution and expected by taxpayers as the most basic of government responsibilities.

So lawmakers need to be open to the $100 million in savings the governor is proposing by having state employees and teachers put an additional 3.5 percent of their pay into their own retirement funds. It would remain the employees money and be available to them if they left their jobs, while allowing state taxpayers to take 3.5 percent they have been putting into someone elses retirement check for tomorrow and instead use it to continue/expand state services today. (Right now, New Mexico taxpayers put the value of 16.99 percent of employees pay into the general pensions, while employees put in 8.92 percent, an upside-down equation).

Meanwhile, the governor needs to be open to judicious tax measures that either level the paying field or narrowly target and benefit users.

The interim Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee has been working on a package that lowers the states gross receipts tax rate for consumers by closing more than 100 tax loopholes and deductions, while it increases collections by encouraging online retailers to collect a GRT. In recent years, brick-and-mortar retailers, including Staples, Langells, Elsa Ross, Kurts Camera Corral and Hey Jhonny, have succumbed to a marketplace that has them at unfair advantage.

Martinez also needs to be open to finally addressing the routinely deferred maintenance of the states 30,000 sprawling highway lane miles. With the debt service on old projects, including the Rail Runner commuter train, eating up around $146 million of the budget a year, it is past time to consider channeling the $140 million collected annually in motor vehicle excise tax revenue toward road maintenance rather than the general fund.

Ditto for increasing the gasoline tax, which has been the same 17 cents a gallon since 1995, even though fuel efficiencies have driven down sales and surrounding states charge up to 12 cents more a gallon; that revenue should be dedicated to road maintenance, as well  not the general fund.

In addition, the governor should keep in mind that user taxes are much less onerous than a broad and regressive GRT, and the liquor tax has not changed since 1993, the cigarette tax not since 2010 and the tax on other tobacco products not for three decades.

In addition, reinstating the food tax in partnership with reducing the GRT would put more money in all consumers pockets.

Lawmakers should be open to the governors proposal to divert excess monies from school district reserve funds statewide. Those reserves are well over the state-suggested amount, would free up $120 million that is sitting on the sidelines and the sweep would still leave more than $130 million in school reserves intact. The state Senate approved a $25 million diversion in the special session; unfortunately, the then-GOP-controlled House backed away from such a pragmatic move.

Lawmakers also need to be open to ending the abuse of tax increases that are allowed to supplant reductions in state hold harmless subsidies. Some cities and counties have increased their gross receipts taxing authority well beyond what they lost when the state repealed the food tax in 2005, forcing families to pay much more for necessities, such as diapers and shoes, than they are saving on milk.

Meanwhile, Martinez needs to look at shoring up an underfunded criminal justice system that has public defenders turning away clients and courts reducing hours and delaying juror paychecks. As a career prosecutor, she knows how much the public depends on a legal system that works.

There are many other smart proposals for the 2017 legislative session that have been vetted before and deserve serious consideration  including streamlining the capital outlay system and making it transparent; opening the states primary elections to independent voters; expanding the three strikes law for repeat offenders; requiring independent spending groups to file campaign reports and disclose donors; mandating intervention to ensure literacy by the third grade; linking teen drivers licenses to truancy; allowing law enforcement officers to testify in court via phone or video; banning animal-killing contests; exploring retirement accounts for the many private-sector employees who lack access to one; and eliminating junk food from food stamp benefits.

Non-starters should be any proposals that would weaken the states efforts to diversify and grow the economy beyond government, and oil and gas; threaten the sustainability of the permanent fund our schools depend on; undo the education reforms that are now bearing fruit; as well as any legalization of recreational marijuana without defining and penalizing drugged driving.

As in every year, theres a lot that has to be, as well as a lot that can be, done in the upcoming session. It will be incumbent upon the Legislature and governor to find early a middle ground that provides for a balanced budget so they can also address at least some of the states other pressing needs.

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.
Been there. Done that.

Spelled fatuous for the first time  and became Rio Rancho Public Schools first two-time spelling bee champion.

Thats how it went for Enchanted Hills Elementary fifth-grader Adrian de la Pena Friday morning at Eagle (Eagel, if you go by the program) Ridge Middle School.

The mop-headed boy said this years bee was easier than last years, except for that winning word.

Ive never heard of fatuous, he said. Yeah, I noticed the typo; its funny.

The bee began with 29 spellers, with two contestants absent.

After a practice round  worth one point  spellers had a spelling round and a vocabulary round.

The winner correctly spelled ambulance and knew which response was correct  of two choices  for his vocabulary word, fatigue.

The field was pared down to 14 for the start of the elimination rounds.

De la Penas next word was machismo; after that, and with only six other contestants remaining, he got condor, and then amicable.

Then there were two: de la Pena and Eagle Ridge Middle School seventh-grader Annarose Campa, making her first bee appearance. He correctly spelled paradigm, while Campa erred on sauerbraten.

All that remained for de la Pena to repeat was spell fatuous.

You know the rest. He then went to his seat, took a swig of water and waited for what was left: participants got certificates and goodie bags, and posed with RRPS Superintendent Sue Cleveland as a way to remember the day in a photo.

Oh, my gosh. He is an excellent, excellent student, beamed Enchanted Hills Elementary Principal Cathy Baehr. Wonderful young man. Im just so proud of him.

And definitely he surpassed my spelling abilities, she added.

She wasnt alone.

When the bee ended, Cleveland asked the audience  mostly family members and RRPS principals on hand to watch their representatives battle  if any of them could have spelled all the words. No hands went up.

I couldnt spell all of those words, Cleveland admitted.

Two students from each of RRPS 10 public elementary schools and four middle schools compete in the bee, along with two spellers representing St. Thomas Aquinas School and one speller representing the middle school grades in RRPS Rio Rancho Cyber Academy. Students advanced to the district bee by winning competitions at their schools.

De la Pena and Campa  Lincoln Middle School seventh-grader Kyla Gardner finished third and is the districts alternate  next head to the New Mexico Spelling Bee on March 18 at Sandia Prep, where they will square off against the best spellers from 22 of New Mexicos 33 counties for the right to compete in the National Spelling Bee. The 2017 National Spelling Bee is scheduled May 28- to June 3 in National Harbor, Md.
The man known as the father of community policing says Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been a proponent because his philosophies were in line with the concept.

Lee Patrick Brown, a criminologist, former police officer, police commissioner, college teacher, author and the first black mayor of Houston, said, Dr. King was an apostle of nonviolence, which is the philosophy of community policing.

Further, he said, community policing relies on the role of the police in protecting the constitutional rights of all citizens and the communitys interest in controlling crime.

Brown will be the keynote speaker at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon, sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of New Mexico. The event will be held in the Rio Rancho High School cafeteria on Monday.

Community policing is far more than just having officers walk a beat in a specific neighborhood, where they get to know the residents on a personal basis.

Community policing is a partnership between the police and the community, in which they identify problems in the neighborhoods, and design solutions to those problems and then implement those solutions, Brown said. And, if those solutions dont work, you go back to the drawing board and find ones that do.

King, he said, stood for bringing together people of all races to make life better and he accomplished this using the principles of nonviolence modeled by Indias Mahatma Ghandi during the independence movement in British-ruled India.

Community policing, Brown said, has the same objective of bringing people together, and improving the lives of those people and those communities.

Brown said his luncheon address will focus on Kings life and on community policing as a means of addressing not just crime, but other problems in the community. He said he also will share some of his experiences as the first African-American police chief in Houston, the first African-American police commissioner in Atlanta and New York, and the first African-American mayor of Houston.

As mayor of Houston, Brown said he took community policing a step further with neighborhood-oriented government, in which the city was divided into 88 neighborhoods, each with a neighborhood council that was charged with identifying problems in those neighborhoods which it wanted the city to address.

Brown subsequently gathered the appropriate city officials and department heads to meet with the neighborhood councils and find solutions to address the problems.

Had community policing been used in communities where police shootings of black residents led to protests and riots, Brown said, those shootings might have been avoided in the first place. Youre less likely to shoot someone who you know, he said.
A bill that would largely eliminate the controversial attendance portion of teachers evaluations received unanimous backing from the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education on Monday.

Board members supported a slate of legislative priorities during their regular meeting, including the Teachers Are Human Too bill, which allows educators to utilize the sick leave granted to them in their contracts without fear of penalty.

Two Rio Rancho Republicans  Rep. Jason Harper and Sen. Craig Brandt  introduced the legislation to adjust the teacher evaluation formula the New Mexico Public Education Department instituted in 2013.

Under the system, teachers can miss three days in the classroom, but start to accrue penalties on the fourth day. Attendance counts for 10 points out of 200, or 5 percent of the total evaluation  a small enough portion that teachers can lose all the attendance points and still reach the exemplary category on their evaluation.

RRPS board President Don Schlichte said he believes its simply fair to freely grant the full leave outlined in teachers contracts  two weeks in most districts.

The core of the problem is that we have teachers coming to school who are genuinely sick, Schlichte told the Journal . Im getting word from administrators that its an issue. If its part of your evaluation, and youre afraid that you are going to have consequences because you take sick days, I agree thats a problem.

Teachers annual evaluations are intended to affect critical advancement decisions: Those in the bottom two tiers were put on improvement plans until December 2015, when a judge handed down a partial injunction on consequential actions until the conclusion of a union lawsuit against the evaluation system.

PED officials have argued that they are holding teachers accountable by demanding measurable performance and replacing a system that rated nearly everyone effective.

The five tier-system  exemplary, highly effective, effective, minimally effective and ineffective  follows a bell curve. About 40 percent of New Mexico teachers are effective, with 4 percent exemplary and 5 percent ineffective.

Half of the evaluation is based on students improvement on standardized tests; the rest is made up of multiple measures, including classroom observations and attendance.

RRPS spokeswoman Beth Pendergrass said she sees Harpers bill  with its change to the attendance policy  as a way to support teachers.

It could be a small win that would have a big impact on our staff and make them feel a little more appreciated, she added.

District leaders met with Harper to discuss the legislation, and worked on a few tweaks to the language, according to RRPS chief of staff Gary Tripp.

Tripp said he will be following that bill and a number of others when the session begins on Tuesday.

We thank (Harper) for taking the charge on this, Tripp said. Anything he needs as he pushes this legislation through, were there for him
One Native American pueblo is preserving its heritage while planning for the future of its people by developing a business complex on U.S. 550.

Santa Ana Pueblo has confirmed that it will build a multi-million dollar business complex, called WindRidge@Tamaya, on the 44-acre lot on the south side of U.S. 550 across from Santa Ana Star Casino, this year.

The estimated cost of this project will be $11 million, according to Santa Ana Pueblo Gov. Myron Armijo, also the director and chairman of Southern Sandoval Investments Ltd.

Armijo said the project started a year ago.

This corporation has been asked by the pueblo to provide economic development and this project is just part of that initiative, Armijo said.

According to Armijo, Santa Ana funded the entire project from tribal funds without state incentives of any kind.

For now, Phase 1 of WindRidge@Tamaya includes a car wash, a Blakes Lotaburger and a company called Big R, which sells merchandise such as feed and livestock troughs, he said.

Armijo said SSI is currently building a 40,000-square-foot facility just for the Big R chain and has room for a potential 30 businesses, depending on their size.

Starbucks and Discount Tire have not yet been confirmed, but are looking into opening at the development, he said.

We wouldnt be turning dirt over here if we werent wanting to create more jobs and stability for the area, he said. Santa Ana, I feel, is progressive and we want to provide more revenues to the pueblo.

Big R is estimated to be completed and running by December, he said, and everything else should be ready to go by the end of the year for Phase 1. As for other phases, he said, it depends on how many businesses commit to building at the new site.

Aesthetically, the designs of the businesses will all be Southwestern in style and match the casino and other Santa Ana buildings, he said.

Once other businesses see what we are doing here, I believe its just a matter of time before they become interested, Armijo said.

Joe Walter, general manager at Southern Sandoval Investments Ltd., said the company is very selective on who they want on the 44-acre development.

We want good-quality vendors in there that are serious for the community, not fly-by-night kind of stuff, Walter said.

Many of the businesses SSI is interested in gaining are national or large regional chains that have established themselves, he said. Walter explained that the size of the business coming in will have a great impact on how many jobs can be created, but there is no exact number available for that projection at this time.

SSI board member Reggie Leon said the ultimate goal with the economic development from this initiative is to further preserve Santa Anas culture.

In the long run, given the opportunity, we want to provide employment to our people so they can participate  without having to work someplace else that wouldnt allow them tribal holidays off, he said.

Leon said the pueblo relies on having non-natives to help Santa Ana run its businesses and maintain the traditions of his people.

When we have cultural events going on, our people are free to take part because the rest of the people can pick up the slack and run the businesses, Leon said.
The Albuquerque Rescue Mission is no more.

On Friday, Pastor John Hill, the head of the faith-based ministry that provides food and services to the poor and homeless, announced that the organization would now be known as Steelbridge.

The name Steelbridge has significance on many levels, Hill said. The word steel is derived from the Old High German word stahal, which means to stand fast or be firm. Two of the streets bordering the Downtown campus are Coal and Iron, material that when heated together creates steel. A bridge, he said, describes a structure that carries a road or path across or over an obstacle and reconciles, or forms a connection between two things.

Another reason for the name change, Hill said, is that people regularly phoned the Albuquerque Rescue Mission, under the impression that it was a shelter for animals.

The new focus of Steelbridge would be more on getting people off the streets and into programs that address such things as addictions, job and life skills, relapse prevention and the like, all with the goal of breaking the cycle of homelessness.

Steelbridge has expanded its program capacity and can now house 72 men and 26 women in separate buildings at its Downtown campus, which will no longer serve as a meal site for anyone other than people in Steelbridges programs.

Instead, Steelbridge has collaborated with The Rock at Noon Day, which already serves breakfast and lunch, and will now be a dinner meal site, with food provided and prepared by Steelbridge, Hill said. That collaboration is a strategic move to reduce duplication of services, he said.

In addition, the Downtown campus will no longer house emergency services for the public, which have been moved to its Second Street Resource Center at 2021 Second NW. There, people can receive clothing and food boxes. A day room for women is also located there.

Steelbridge can trace its roots to 1954, when a couple from Chicago founded the Albuquerque Gospel Mission to minister to the poor and homeless. Located in a house on First Street, it also provided food, shelter and clothing.

In 1960, the mission was given a building and property on Second Street from Local 611 of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Renamed the Albuquerque Rescue Mission, it has operated from that location for nearly four decades. A separate dormitory building was added in 1973 and then in 1999 a 24,000-square-foot Restoration Center opened on the property. It included a learning center, courtyard, dining facility, donation processing center and multiple areas for emergency shelter.

Also attending the announcement at the Steelbridge location was Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, who told the crowd that the city puts about $16 million in its annual budget to help deal with issues that affect the poor, homeless and people with mental and behavioral problems.

Governments cant do this by themselves, and thats why the work the Rescue Mission has done for all these decades and that Steelbridge is now doing is making a difference, he said.
A man who alleges he is one of 38 people sexually abused by a former Albuquerque priest asked a judge this week to order Arthur Perrault to pay $38 million in punitive damages, or $1 million for each of his alleged victims.

Kenneth Wolter, 35, who filed the civil lawsuit last year in 2nd Judicial District Court, testified Wednesday that he wanted to send a message to Perrault on behalf of the 38 known victims and the silent people who havent come forward.

Perrault, who vanished from his Albuquerque parish in 1992, turned up last year in Tangier, Morocco, working at an English-lauguage school for children. Perrault, who was absent from a hearing Wednesday, was fired in May when school officials learned of the allegations, the schools director has said.

District Judge Denise Barela Shepherd did not rule this week on Wolters request for damages, but she found that Perrault had failed to properly respond to a civil complaint and summons served to him in Morocco in May. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, which alleges a battery charge against Perrault.

Perraults failure to respond, or to attend the hearing Wednesday, clears the way for Barela Shepherd to hand down a default judgment requested by Wolters attorney, Brad Hall of Albuquerque.

The archdiocese said Friday that it lost contact with Perrault after he left the archdiocese, but recently contacted Moroccan authorities after he surfaced there.

Recently, we were informed he was in Tangier, Morocco, so we informed the civil and church authorities in Tangier that Arthur Perrault is not in good standing with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and that there have been numerous allegations in regards to inappropriate conduct with a minor, the Rev. John Daniel, vicar general of the archdiocese, said in a written statement.

The archdiocese works with civil authorities and has adopted a zero-tolerance policy to sexual abuse, Daniels said. It also requires all employees to be vetted, pass a background check and undergo safe-environment training, he said.

Wolter testified Wednesday that he was sexually abused by Perrault at least 40 times in the early 1990s when Wolter was 10 or 11 and served as an altar boy at St. Bernadette Parish, where Perrault was the pastor. An Albuquerque native now living in Detroit, Mich., Wolter said the abuse left him racked with severe depression and anxiety, requiring years of psychiatric therapy.

A timeline offered as evidence at the hearing alleges that Wolter was the last of Perraults alleged 38 sexual abuse victims during the priests tenure with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, from 1967 to 1992. Court records show that 14 of those alleged victims filed lawsuits in the 1990s. Hall represents three others, including Wolter.

Hall said the names of the remaining 21 alleged victims were gleaned from court-sealed documents provided by the archdiocese in response to more than 60 lawsuits filed by Hall.
The woman on the other end of the line needed to reach her brother.

He had struggled with homelessness and deteriorating health, and he was somewhere in Albuquerque, the woman said, calling from Arkansas.

It wasnt necessarily much to go on, but Stephanie Eker, a constituent services liaison in Mayor Richard Berrys office, managed to track the man down, and put the brother and sister in contact with each other.

That work earned her an Employee of the Week designation on Friday during a ceremony with Mayor Berry.

Eker was able to find the brother, in part, because he was a participant in Albuquerques Heading Home program, which finds homes for people who are most at risk of dying on the streets.

It was awesome, Eker said in an interview. She was in tears.  You always like to help people who are helping others.

Eker said she couldnt share full details about the people involved for privacy reasons. But the woman from Arkansas was able to speak to her brother almost daily  a necessity because she couldnt travel to Albuquerque herself due to health problems.

And the brother remained in the Heading Home program, Eker said, as far as she knows.

Eker is a four-year city employee. She handles calls to the mayors office from constituents seeking help from the Berry administration.

Berry on Friday called Eker and her colleagues work the toughest job in the mayors office.

Alan Armijo, the mayors director of constituent services, said Eker is a tireless worker for the city and the public.
Meryl Streep has played many roles in her long career and holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor. Among her portrayals was British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the Golden Globe Awards, Streep behaved as if she actually had been elected to high office, entitling her to mount a high horse.

In a six-minute diatribe, Streep slammed president-elect Donald Trump, urging journalists to hold him accountable. Given the medias poor job of holding the current president accountable, Streeps call to arms seems like an invitation to a one-way street. Accountability is one thing. Extreme bias is quite another and mainstream media has been nothing if not biased against Donald Trump, most of his cabinet nominees and family members.

I stopped going to movies years ago because I grew tired of their political agendas, the profanity, the sex scenes and blasphemies. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, I am sent DVDs of the Oscar-nominated films, which I can watch at home, if any interest me.

The first one I received this year was Manchester by the Sea. After counting more than a dozen uses of the f-word in the first 15 minutes, I ejected it from my DVD player. Screenwriters actually think average people talk like this.

The Golden Globes, like the Oscars, are full of the self-aware (no wonder they worship President Obama, perhaps the most self-aware president in history). Theyre happy to mock the values of fly-over country, even as they hope people they condescendingly view as hicks and worse, Republicans, will buy tickets to see their films.

These elitists arrive at ceremonies at which people of like mind give each other awards for being like-minded. Many hang out with left-wing politicians, who also live in their own fantasy world, as out of touch with real Americans as they are.

These overrated actors, who are shadows compared to Hollywoods Golden Age, seemingly believe they set the agenda for the nation.

These actors produce little of lasting value. The A-listers among them attend White House functions  mostly during Democratic administrations  and get so upset at the prospect of a Republican victory that they threaten to leave the country should the Republican win. Sadly, they never leave.

The arrogance, superiority and hypocrisy of these overrated people is astounding. Many campaign against guns while enjoying the protection of armed security guards.

There is a difference between a celebrity and a star. If youre not old enough to know what real stars looked like, I again refer you to Hollywoods Golden Age, where actors kept their clothes on, didnt swear or have sex on screen and held the attention of audiences by the superior quality of their work.

Many old films are watchable today. I doubt most of todays films will be worth watching in 50 years. They arent now.
SANTA FE  Cellphone photos show fake tattoos across the face and the words thug life written across the stomach of tiny Ares Baroz, who died last year of injuries prosecutors say were inflicted by his mother.

A description of the photos was among new details released Friday during the arraignment of Miranda Rabago, 27, charged with child abuse resulting in the death last November of her 18-month-old son.

Prosecutors say Rabago was his only caretaker when Ares suffered his fatal injuries. She pleaded not guilty in Santa Fe District Court on Friday; if found guilty, she faces up to 21 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Susan Stinson said in court that Ares had a skull fracture and chronic brain bleeding as well as six other fractures, including to his tibia, fibia and clavicle. The boy also had bruising on the cartilage in both his ears. Stinson said the Office of the Medical Investigator autopsy report, which is crucial evidence, has not been released.

But Stinson also said that Rabago, who is pregnant, doesnt face a life sentence because theres no evidence that the death was intentional.

Stinson described photos the state has from Rabagos cellphone that show the writing on Ares body and others in which he appears to be asleep or unconscious on the floor.

Ares was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center on Nov. 22 for being unresponsive, and doctors called police because of the nature of his injuries. Rabago told officers that Ares fell out of his crib while she was sleeping in another room at their apartment near Cerrillos Road and Zafarano Drive and had no idea how he got the injuries, according to initial police reports.

On Friday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer imposed a $50,000 signature bond and allowed Rabago to remain on 24-hour lockdown at a friends house in Santa Fe. Rabago also is not allowed to have contact with minors, including neighborhood children.

Stinson said in court that she doesnt have a position to ask Marlowe Sommer to deny Rabago a bond to keep her in jail. A new state constitutional amendment passed in November allows judges to not set bond for defendants deemed too dangerous to be in public, but Marlowe Sommer said before setting Rabagos conditions of release that the state has to prove a suspect poses a danger.

Were all somewhat uncomfortable on how to approach the new mandate, Marlowe Sommer said. The judge also found that Rabago is not a flight risk.

Rabago was arrested and released Dec. 14 on the same conditions Marlowe Sommer imposed Friday. She was arrested again Dec. 19 after she was indicted, and she was returned to jail, where she remained until Friday.

Rabagos two other children now live in Colorado with her parents, Stinson said. Rabago filed for divorce from the childrens father a week before her first arrest and asked for sole custody of the children. She checked a box on the petition that says she is the fit and proper person to care for the children.

According to police reports, Ares Baroz was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center around 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 21 after Rabago said he was unresponsive. Doctors called police and told them the infant had a skull fracture on the back of his head and had black brain from prior shaking. He also had a broken right clavicle from a previous incident.

Ares was taken to University of New Mexico Hospital, where doctors there determined that Ares was in the lowest percentile range for his height and weight and that he was malnourished and under-cared-for.

Detectives searching Rabagos apartment found blood on a pillow and a sippy cup full of rotten milk in Ares crib. There was a glass pipe with marijuana residue on it next to the crib and another on the floor next to a mattress in the living room.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

The day started out as normal as a young airman in Afghanistans volatile Kandahar province could expect on May 26, 2011.

Staff Sgt. Greg Gibbs, saddled by the more mundane tasks required in a war zone, hadnt flown in a couple of weeks, and the 25-year-old door gunner was eager to get back aboard the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter known as Pedro 55. He didnt have to wait long.

Pedro 55s four crew members soon received the type of call for which they had trained for years.

A squad of Army soldiers, tasked with finding a reported cache of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, had been lured to the middle of a minefield. It was Pedro 55s mission to hover over the minefield and hoist the soldiers to safety. It was a mission that very nearly cost Gibbs, now an air crew instructor with Kirtland Air Force Bases 512th Rescue Squadron, his life, his crews lives and those of the soldiers theyd been sent to save.

For his valiant efforts that day, Gibbs received a Distinguished Flying Cross  the militarys seventh-highest award  in ceremonies Friday inside the cavernous 58th Special Operations Wing hangar at Kirtland.

Its pretty overwhelming. Im not wired this way  to have a big celebration on my account, Gibbs said after the ceremony, which was attended by an estimated 275 airmen and guests, including his wife, Sonya, and sons Caiden, 7, and Finn, 4. But its also really good for my community  the rescue community  to have their story told.

Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, the three-star commander of the Air Education and Training Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas, flew in to present the award to Gibbs.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to members of the Armed Forces who distinguish themselves in support of operations by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight. The first DFC ever awarded was given to then-Capt. Charles Lindbergh for his solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927.

Gibbs, who has completed five deployments to the Middle East, was on his third deployment when Pedro 55 successfully extracted the soldiers.

According to the citation accompanying the award, as Pedro 55 was hoisting a pararescueman and the last of the soldiers to safety, the helicopter began to lose power  and altitude. Instinctively, Gibbs began giving the pilots exact altitude and position calls, allowing them to back the stricken helicopter away from the minefield.

The pilots, relying on his guidance, were able to fly backward down the valley avoiding catastrophically impacting the minefield by only two feet, the citation reads.

The pilots were able to resume the flight, but the Pave Hawk was now dangerously low on fuel. Still, they had managed to hoist the pararescuman and soldier on board. Gibbs then assisted the flight engineer in calculating whether Pedro 55 could make it back to base  and determined theyd have about five minutes of fuel left by the time they returned to Kandahar. Fortunately, their calculations were dead on. The mission was a success, and Pedro 55 saved seven crewmen, two soldiers  and the $40 million helicopter.

In brief remarks at Fridays ceremony, Gibbs told current air crew students why the mission succeeded: I used the basic air crew fundamentals I learned here at Kirtland to help my crew.

This award is great recognition of an amazing act of heroism, Roberson told the audience. And know this, sergeant Gibbs, airmen all over the world will now know your story.

Gibbs, now a master sergeant, said hes often asked why he did what he did that day: He finally come up with the answer: These Things We Do, That Others May Live, which is the pararescuemans motto.

Pararescuemen, also known as PJs, are members of Air Force Special Operations combat search-and-rescue teams. Their main mission is the rescue of downed air crews in hostile territory. All PJs get part of their training at Kirtland.
WASHINGTON  Protesters gathered Saturday to support immigrant rights at rallies around the U.S., denouncing President-elect Donald Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and his pledges to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border and to crack down on Muslims entering the country.

We are not going to allow Donald Trump to bury the Statue of Liberty, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, told a standing-room-only crowd at historic African-American church in downtown Washington during one of dozens of rallies around the nation.

In Chicago, more than 1,000 people poured into a teachers union hall to support immigrant rights and implore one another to fight for those rights against what they fear will be a hostile Trump administration.

Ron Taylor, pastor of a Chicago-area Disciples for Christ Church and executive director of the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations, told the audience there, Regardless of what happens in the coming days we know that good will conquer evil and we want to say to each and every one of you, you are not alone.

In Los Angeles, several hundred people rallied at a downtown Mexican-American cultural center and plaza. Some carried signs saying Here to Stay and chanted Si se puede, Spanish for Yes, we can.

The protests mark the latest chapter in a movement that has evolved since 2006, when more than a million people took to the streets to protest a Republican-backed immigration bill that would have made it a crime to be in the country illegally.

Saturdays events in in Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Jose, California, and elsewhere took place as thousands participated in a We Shall Not Be Moved march and rally in Washington ahead of Mondays Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

The line to enter Metropolitan AME Church in Washington stretched nearly a city block. People attending included immigrants who lack permission to be in the country and their relatives and supporters. Also present were elected officials, clergy and representatives of labor and womens groups.

Participants carried signs with messages including Resist Trumps Hate and Tu, Yo, Todos Somos America, which translates to You, me, we all are America.

I stand here because I have nothing to apologize for. I am not ashamed of my status because it is a constant reminder to myself that I have something to fight for, said Max Kim, 19, who was brought to the U.S. from South Korea when he was 6 and lacks legal permission to stay in the country.

The Washington crowd urged Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress not to undo the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, aimed at helping people like Kim who were brought to the country as children.

Michael Takada of the Japanese American Service Committee urged the Chicago audience to disrupt the deportation machine that he and others fear will ramp up under the new president. He also urged them to keep a close eye on their local police departments and speak out if they see those departments help ICE to deport our community members.

Dr. Bassam Osman, chair and co-founder of The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, elicited one of the loudest cheers from the crowd when he called out the president-elect by name in an opening prayer: Lord, this land is your land, it is not Trumps land.

While there was plenty of cheering, there was also uneasiness and fear of whats to come after Trump is sworn in.

Rehab Alkadi, a 31-year-old mother of a young son who came to the United States four years ago from war-torn Syria, said she doesnt believe she can be deported because there is a war in Syria, but who knows. Its so scary, what Trump says, she said. He said a lot of things bad about the Muslim people.

In Los Angeles, Jorge-Mario Cabrera, spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said, We put the Trump administration on notice that were not going to sit idly by while he destroys our community.

President Barack Obama in 2012 launched an executive effort to protect some young immigrants from deportation, after multiple proposals failed in Congress.

The creation of the DACA program was heralded as a good first step by advocates who hoped it would be a prelude toward overhauling immigration laws. But that didnt happen, and Republican-led states pushed back against Obamas plans to expand the program.

Now the focus is on the next administration. As a candidate, Trump promised his supporters stepped-up deportations and a Mexican-funded border wall, but it is unclear which plans the celebrity businessman will act on first, and when. And many immigrants are fearful of the campaign rhetoric but less motivated to protest in the absence of specific actions.

Many participants Saturday said they would keep the pressure on Trump and said they planned to participate in next Saturdays Womens March on Washington.

The threat of deportation is imminent for our communities, said Cristina Jimenez, executive director of United We Dream and one of the rallys organizers. We will keep fighting. Were not going back into the shadows.

___

Associated Press writers Don Babwin in Chicago and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
MOSUL, Iraq  Iraqi forces have won a string of swift territorial gains in Mosul in the fight against the Islamic State group after months of slow progress, with a senior officer on Saturday laying claim to a cluster of buildings inside Mosul University and another edge of a bridge.

Iraqi forces now control the eastern sides of three of the citys five bridges that span the Tigris River connecting Mosuls east to west. Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition bombed the citys bridges late last year in an effort to isolate IS fighters in the citys east by disrupting resupply routes.

At Mosul University, senior commanders said Iraqi forces had secured more than half of the campus Saturday amid stiff resistance, but clashes were ongoing into the afternoon. Iraqi forces entered the university from the southeast Friday morning and by nightfall had secured a handful of buildings, Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil and Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said on a tour of the university Saturday.

We watched all the IS fighters gather in that building, so we blew it up, said special forces Sgt. Maj. Haytham Ghani pointing to one of the blackened technical college buildings where charred desks could be seen inside. You can still see some of their corpses.

Thick clouds of black smoke rose from the middle of the sprawling complex Saturday morning. By afternoon, clashes had intensified with volleys of sniper and mortar fire targeting the advancing Iraqi forces. Convoys of Iraqi Humvees snaked through the campus, pausing for artillery and airstrikes to clear snipers perched within classrooms, dormitories and behind the trees that line the campus streets.

IS fighters overran Mosul in the summer of 2014, announcing from there their self-styled caliphate after taking a large swath of Iraq and Syria in a lightning surge. Access to the citys central bank, a large taxable civilian population and nearby oilfields quickly made IS the worlds wealthiest terrorist group.

Yet even as a punishing campaign of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes has pushed the militants underground, IS leaders continued to use Mosul as a key logistical hub for planning meetings. If recaptured by the Iraqi forces, IS territory in Iraq that once stretched across a third of the country would be reduced to small pockets in the north and west that troops will likely be able to mop up relatively quickly.

The massive operation to retake Mosul from IS was launched in October. Since then Iraqi forces have slowly clawed back more than a third of the city. IS maintains has tight control of the citys western half where Iraqi forces will likely encounter another wave of heavy IS resistance. The west of the city is home to some of Mosuls densest neighborhoods and an estimated 700,000 civilians.

As Iraqi forces have closed in on the Tigris that roughly divides Mosul into eastern and western halves, their pace has quickened. IS defenses in the citys east appear to be thinning and unlike in the surrounding neighborhoods, Iraqi officers said they believe Mosul University and recently retaken government buildings are largely empty of civilians  allowing them to use air cover more liberally.

Iraqi soldiers at Mosul University said while they were still coming under heavy small arms fire, IS resistance was significantly less than they faced during the first weeks of the Mosul operation.

We were targeted with only four car bombs where before (IS) would send 20 in one day, special forces Lt. Zain al-Abadeen said. And they arent armored like before, theyre just using civilian cars.

Medics operating a small field hospital in eastern Mosul said civilian casualties have dropped significantly over the past three days as Iraqi forces moved into government complexes like the university rather than dense civilian neighborhoods.

Also Saturday, IS launched its biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested Syrian city of Deir el-Zour in an attempt to maintain a grip on the eastern stretch of the neighboring country where the groups de facto capital of Raqqa lies.

___

Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament will launch the first 4-day sitting of 2017 on February 6. According to the schedule of the sessions, the other two sittings will be launched on February 27 and March 20. Thus, three sittings will be convened until the April 2 Parliamentary elections.

Taking into consideration the upcoming elections, and the campaigning period launching from March 5, it is difficult to expect a complete Spring sitting, however there are numerous issues on the agenda, several of which will probably be debated in the upcoming sittings sessions.

The agenda namely includes the reports of the Prosecutor General, the Ombudsman, and Public Televisions Council, the 2017 activities of the state commission for protection of economic competition and the 2017 activities of the Control Chamber.

PAP faction leader Naira Zohrabyans draft announcement on condemning the Yazidi genocide in Iraq remains in the agenda. The announcement failed to be debated after being included in the sessions. The upcoming sittings might include the issue as well.

Overall, 249 issues and 29 international agreements are included in the agenda of the Parliaments sittings.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan held a press conference on January 13, during which he summed up the 100 days of his governments activities, presented the problems as diagnosed by individual sectors, gave his vision for their solution and introduced the work done over the past 100 days.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Armenian Government, the Premier stated that Armenia has to expect economic growth based on increase of export levels considering the small domestic market and absence of economies of scale.

But it should also be mentioned that exports still comprise a small part of the GDP. In 2015 exports of products constituted 15.4% of the GDP, while exports of products and services together constituted 29.8% of the GDP. Despite the forecasts of 2016 to have a significant growth of exports in 2017, the index will remain low, approximately 18%.

The high level of centralization of both the export markets and the products exported remains a problematic issue. The volume of exports to neighboring countries is not sufficient  Armenias exports to Russia per capita amounted to 1.7 USD, while the same to Iran amounted to 1.0 USD. As a result, Armenian enterprises have a low capacity for exports and there is a lack of clusters with export potential, no investment by industrial enterprises to foster output, and low development level of market services supporting exports.

Steps taken

1. In order to find a solution to the obstacles of Armenian exports to Russia a working group was set at Verin Lars (Upper Lars) checkpoint in December comprised of officials from the SRC and the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments.

2. Standards defining the features of the local production have been elaborated and submitted to the Eurasian Economic Commission.

3. The fact that National Accreditation Body SNCO of Armenia became an associated member of the European cooperation for Accreditation and signed the agreement of accession in November 2016 was an important step to simplify the entry to the EU market.

4. Talks are underway with the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran for recognizing the certifications of Armenia and opening representations or branches of food and non-food products conformity assessment bodies in Armenia. The Iranian side has already positively responded to the initiative.

5. Works are underway to create a free economic zone on the border with Iran. Its planned that the construction works of the free economic zone will be launched by April.

6. As a result of Armenian Presidents visit to the United Arab Emirates a number of agreements have been reached over the exports of Armenian agricultural products and foodstuff. A visit of a delegation of the UAE is expected in the near future during which the roadmap of these agreements will be further clarified.

7. Talks are underway with transnational corporations to ensure the representation of Armenian products in their networks. Particularly, the visit of the Russian representation of METRO AG Company has been organized. Currently, talks are underway with a range of companies for fostering Armenian exports.
Regardless of whether we are sitting in a loud aeroplane or walking through a quiet forest clearing, how humans perceive their environment depends on the stimuli. This, in turn, affects our behaviour - sometimes consciously, sometimes subconsciously. In their study of fish larvae, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Driever and his team of neurobiologists at the University of Freiburg have discovered that a group of nerve cells in the forebrain release the neurotransmitter dopamine when activated by tactile or certain visual stimuli. These dopaminergic nerve cells send connections to almost all parts of the brain and spinal cord, thereby affecting the functions of many circuits. These new findings could play a role in the future treatment of such illnesses as restless leg syndrome, a condition in which patients have unpleasant sensations in their limbs during sleep. The researchers have published their research results in the journal Current Biology.

For their research, the scientists studied the four-millimetre-long larvae of zebrafish, which are common aquarium fish. The scientists observed the activity of individual dopaminergic nerve cells within the brains of the larvae, which were alert and active, under a microscope. The researchers were able to make their activity visible using optogenetic calcium sensors, which emit light in active nerve cells. Until now, studies of the dopaminergic nerve cells in vertebrates have primarily focused on the midbrain, where the dopaminergic cells are involved in the control of locomotion and reward behaviour. These become functionally impaired in patients with Parkinson's disease. The dopaminergic neurons of the forebrain, on the other hand, have been little researched until now because they are located deep in the brain and are therefore difficult to reach. In the forebrain, they are also connected to parts of the hypothalamus, which controls the switch in basic behaviour, such as fight or flight and rest or sleep.

The findings of the team of researchers from the University of Freiburg reveal that certain intense sensory stimuli may affect such basic behaviour through the activity of dopaminergic nerve cells. Because there are also connections between these nerve cells and the sensory organs, it is possible that dopaminergic nerve cells are involved in adjusting the sensitivity of sensory organs' reactions to stimuli. This function could be useful for treating diseases. The properties of dopaminergic nerve cells in the forebrain could thus be used in the future to reduce the sensation of patients with restless legs syndrome and hence to supress the tingling in their extremities that occurs when sleeping. Further research of these dopaminergic neurons is expected to help scientists understand how these diseases develop - and in general how humans adapt to quickly changing stimuli and sensations in their environments.

###

This research study was a collaboration with BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Cluster of Excellence at the University of Freiburg. Wolfgang Driever is a member of BIOSS and a professor at the Institute of Biology I at the University of Freiburg. Dr. Aristides Arrenberg is a researcher in Driever's lab and a recipient of the post-doc grant Eliteprogramm fur Postdoktoranden from the Baden-Wurttemberg Stiftung.

Original publication:

Sebastian Reinig, Wolfgang Driever, and Aristides Arrenberg: The descending diencephalic dopamine system is tuned to sensory stimuli. Current Biology, 12 January 2016.

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Driever

Faculty of Biology

University of Freiburg

Phone: +49 (0)761?/?203 - 2587

E-Mail: driever@biologie.uni-freiburg.de
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have found a way to reprogram mouse embryonic stem cells so that they exhibit developmental characteristics resembling those of fertilized eggs, or zygotes.

These "totipotent-like" stem cells are able to generate not only all cell types within a developing embryo, but also cell types that facilitate nutrient exchange between the embryo and the mother.

For now, the new stem cell lines UC Berkeley researchers have created will help scientists understand the first molecular decisions made in the early embryo. Ultimately, however, these insights could broaden the repertoire of tissues that can be generated from stem cells, with significant implications for regenerative medicine and stem cell-based therapy.

A fertilized egg is thought to possess full developmental potential, able to generate all cell types required for embryo gestation, including the developing embryo and its extra-embryonic tissues. A unique feature of placental mammals, extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta and yolk sac are vital for nutrient and waste exchange between the fetus and mother.

By contrast, most embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells are more restricted in their developmental potential, able to form embryonic cell types, but not extra-embryonic tissues. The ability of a fertilized egg to generate both embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues is referred to as "totipotency," an ultimate stem cell state seen only during the earliest stages of embryonic development.

"Studies on embryonic development greatly benefit from the culture system of embryonic stem cells and, more recently, induced pluripotent stem cells. These experimental systems allow scientists to dissect key molecular pathways that specify cell fate decisions in embryonic development," said team leader Lin He, a UC Berkeley associate professor of molecular and cell biology. "But the unique developmental potential of a zygote, formed right after the sperm and egg meet, is very, very difficult to study, due to limited materials and the lack of a cell-culture experimental system."

He's new study not only reveals a novel mechanism regulating the "totipotent-like" stem cell state, but also provides a powerful cell-culture system to further study totipotency.

She and her colleagues reported their research online Jan. 12 in advance of print publication in the journal Science.

MicroRNAs and stem cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, harvested from three-and-a-half-day-old mouse embryos or five-and-a-half-day-old human embryos, are referred to as pluripotent because they can become any of the thousands of cell types in the body. They have generated excitement over the past few decades because scientists can study them in the laboratory to discover the genetic switches that control the development of specialized tissues in the embryo and fetus, and also because of their potential to replace body tissues that have broken down, such as pancreatic cells in those with diabetes or heart muscle cells in those with congestive heart failure. These stem cells can also let researchers study the early stages of genetic disease.

As an alternative to harvesting them from embryos, scientists can also obtain pluripotent stem cells by treating mature somatic cells with a cocktail of transcription factors to regress them so that they are nearly as flexible as embryonic stem cells. These artificially derived stem cells are called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

Neither ES nor iPS cells, however, are as flexible as the original fertilized egg, which can form extra-embryonic as well as embryonic tissues. By the time embryonic stem cells are harvested from a mouse or human embryo, the cells have already committed to either an embryonic or an extra-embryonic lineage.

MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that do not translate into proteins, yet have a profound impact on gene expression regulation. He and her colleagues found that a microRNA called miR-34a appears to be a brake preventing both ES and iPS cells from producing extra-embryonic tissues. When this microRNA was genetically removed, both ES and iPS cells were able to expand their developmental decisions to generate embryo cell types as well as placenta and yolk sac linages. In their experiments, about 20 percent of embryonic stem cells lacking the microRNA exhibited expanded fate potential. Furthermore, this effect could be maintained for up to a month in cell culture.

"What is quite amazing is that manipulating just a single microRNA was able to greatly expand cell fate decisions of embryonic stem cells," He said. "This finding not only identifies a new mechanism that regulates totipotent stem cells, but also reveals the importance of non-coding RNAs in stem cell fate."

Additionally, in this study, He's group discovered an unexpected link between miR-34a and a specific class of mouse retrotransposons. Long regarded as "junk DNA," retrotransposons are pieces of ancient foreign DNA that make up a large fraction of the mammalian genome. For decades, biologists assumed that these retrotransposons serve no purpose during normal development, but He's findings suggest they may be closely tied to the decision-making of early embryos.

"An important open question is whether these retrotransposons are real drivers of developmental decision making," said Todd MacFanlan, a co-author of the current study and a researcher at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland.

Co-authors with He are graduate student Yong Jin Choi, postdoctoral fellows Chao-Po Lin and Davide Risso, graduate student Sean Chen and undergraduate Thomas Aquinas Kim, along with statistics professor Terence Speed of UC Berkeley. Meng How Tan and Jin Li of Stanford University, Yalei Wu of Thermo Fisher Scientific in South San Francisco, Caifu Chen of Integrated DNA Technologies in Redwood City, Zhenyu Xuan of the University of Texas at Dallas, Weiqun Peng of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Kent Lloyd of UC Davis and Sang Yong Kim of the New York University School of Medicine, all contributed to this work.

He's work was funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (RN2-00923-1), National Cancer Institute (R01 CA139067), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM114414) and a faculty scholar award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

###
Nuclear Power in Bulgaria Global Market Segmentation and Major Players Analysis 2022

WiseGuyReports.com adds "Nuclear Power in Bulgaria, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2016 - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Investment Trends, Regulations and Company Profiles" reports to its database.

--

GET SAMPLE REPORT @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/866936-nuclear-power-in-bulgaria-and-company-profiles

Summary

"Nuclear Power in Bulgaria, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2016 - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Investment Trends, Regulations and Company Profiles" is the latest report from the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the nuclear power market in Bulgaria.

The report provides in depth analysis on global nuclear power market with forecasts up to 2030. The report analyzes the power market scenario in Bulgaria (includes thermal conventional, nuclear, large hydro, pumped storage and renewables) and provides future outlook with forecasts up to 2030. The research details nuclear power market outlook in the country and provides forecasts up to 2030. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2006 to 2030 in Bulgaria nuclear power market. A detailed coverage of nuclear energy policy framework governing the market with specific policies pertaining to nuclear is provided in the report. The research also provides details of active nuclear reactors in the country, market size of major equipment and company snapshot of some of the major market participants.

The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by team of industry experts.

Scope

- A brief introduction on global carbon emissions and global primary energy consumption.

- Historical period is during 2006-2015 (unless specified) and forecast period is for 2015-2030.

- Overview on the global nuclear power market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity split by region in 2015, installed capacity split by major nuclear power countries in 2015 and investment trends.

- Power market scenario in Bulgaria provides detailed market overview, installed capacity and power generation trends by various fuel types (includes thermal conventional, nuclear, large hydro and renewables) with forecasts up to 2030.

- Details of Bulgaria nuclear power market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity by reactor type, installed capacity share by contractor/owner and information on major active and upcoming projects.

- Key policies and regulatory framework supporting nuclear power development.

- Company snapshots of some of the major market participants in the country.

Reasons to buy

- The report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner.

- Identify key growth and investment opportunities in Bulgaria nuclear power market.

- Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data for nuclear power market.

- Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industry's growth potential.

- Identify key partners and business development avenues.

- Understand and respond to your competitors' business structure, strategy and prospects.

Table of Content: Key Points

1 Table of Contents 2

1.1 List of Tables 4

1.2 List of Figures 4

2 Executive Summary 5

2.1 Nuclear Power to Grow at a Slower Pace than Other Power Generating Sources 5

2.2 Thermal Power is the Dominant Source in the Power Mix 5

2.3 Bulgaria Patronizes Fossil Fuels over Renewable Sources 7

3 Introduction 8

3.1 Carbon Emissions, Global, 2001-2015 8

3.2 Primary Energy Consumption, Global, 2001-2025 10

3.3 Report Guidance 13

4 Nuclear Power Market, Global, 2006-2030 14

4.1 Nuclear Power Market, Global, Overview 14

9 Appendix 61

9.1 Abbreviations 61

9.2 Bibliography 62

...Continued

ACCESS REPORT @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/866936-nuclear-power-in-bulgaria-and-company-profiles

Get in touch:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/4828928

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WiseGuyReports

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wiseguyreports-1009007869213183/?fref=ts

For more information, please visit http://www.wiseguyreports.com

Contact Info:

Name: Norah Trent

Organization: WiseGuy Reports

Address: Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, India

Phone: +1-646-845-9349

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/nuclear-power-in-bulgaria-global-market-segmentation-and-major-players-analysis-2022/161122

Release ID: 161122

For more information visit r



Recent Press Releases By The Same User

Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)




Haiti - Politics : Privert commemorates the 7th anniversary of earthquake





Thursday, 12 January 2017, de facto President Jocelerme Privert, accompanied by his wife Ginette, Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, members of the Cabinet and other great officials of the State, commemorated the 7th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010 that hit hard Haiti.



The Head of State laid a wreath of flowers in St-Christophe (Titanyen), on the site where are buried several thousand people killed by the earthquake.



After, at the National Palace, Jocelerme Privert stopped in front of the mausoleum built in homage to the civilian and police employees who were victims of the partial collapse of the Palace before attending an ecumenical ceremony organized at the Palace , in the presence of religious leaders, rpresentatives of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, the Preesident of the Chamber of Deputies and other senior dignitaries.



In their respective messages, Pastor Sylvain Exantus (Protestant Federation of Haiti), Mgr. Zachee Duracin (Anglican Episcopal Church), Mambo Euvonie Georges Auguste (National Confederation of Vodouists) and Mgr Pierre Andre Dumas (Catholic Church) evoked the tragedies caused by the 2010 earthquake that has mourned tens of thousands of families in Haiti. They preached for unity and pleaded for collective awareness in order rebuild the country in all its physical, spiritual, economic and moral dimensions. They also called on everyone to celebrate life while taking the necessary steps to prevent and mitigate damage in the event of major new natural hazards.



In his speech for the occasion, Privert, said that the date of 12 January must remain engraved in our collective memory. He took the opportunity to offer of plaques of honor to representatives of the international community who have contributed and solidarized with the Haitian people in difficult times in its history, particularly during the passage of Hurricane Matthewlast October. This is, according to President Privert, "an act of gratitude and thanks of the Haitian people to the partners and friends of Haiti."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Guy Philippe pleads not guilty





This Friday morning, the elected Senator Guy Philippe, who was arrested on Thursday January 5 afternoon https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19720-haiti-flash-arrest-of-senator-guy-philippe.html and deported to the United States https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19721-haiti-flash-senator-guy-philippe-extradited-to-the-usa.html the same day ; went to the Miami Federal Court for the arraignment hearing on a set of charges https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19731-haiti-flash-guy-philippe-the-charges-are-known-appearing-on-january-13-2017.html ranging from the importation of narcotics to money laundering.



Guy Philippe, accompanied by American lawyers Zeljka Bozanic and Richard Okyere Dansoh decided to plead not guilty before a judge of Miami to the charges that the federal government has against him ; he was therefore detained pending a hearing for which no date has been set.



Guy Philippe's lawyer, Zeljka Bozanic, said that for now she will not ask for a bond for her client, but he could do so later, although the public prosecutor wants he remain under detention.



To be continued...



HL/ HaitiLibre


















New Delhi : A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has framed charges against arrested Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Sayyed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal on charges of carrying out terrorist acts against India, an official said on Friday.

Jundal, booked by the NIA on June 8, 2012, after his arrest following his extradition from Saudi Arabia, was also framed by the Patiala House Court on January 10 for allegedly making efforts to recruit Muslim youths for jihad.

The trial court has fixed January 31 to hear the prosecution evidence.

The NIA, which filed a charge sheet against Jundal on April 4, 2013, found that Jundal hatched a conspiracy with senior LeT functionaries in Pakistan in 2010 to recruit youngsters from India for terrorist activities.

The agency found that the conspiracy was hatched after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack which left 166 people dead.

The perpetrators also conspired to promote enmity between different groups on grounds of religion. In pursuance of the conspiracy, Jundal had opened various Facebook accounts in fictitious names to hide his identity as he was declared a proclaimed offender in the Aurangabad arms haul case, an NIA official said.

Hailing from Beed district in Maharashtra, Jundal was on the run for alleged involvement in the February 2006 Ahmedabad railway station blast and the May 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.

The official said Jundal started posting inflammatory posts on Facebook accounts with the intention to arouse the feeling of hatred against non-Muslims in the minds of Muslim youths.

The NIA also established that Jundal tried to approach Muslim youths in India and outside with a view to recruit them into LeT.

In Saudi Arabia, he sent around Rs 45,000 in December 2010 to the brother of one of the accused in the Aurangabad arms haul case in order to influence him that LeT provides monetary support to needy Muslim youths.

Source : Zee News
Hindus are urging CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, to ensure that Shiva statue installed in its complex near Geneva (Switzerland) is treated with reverence it deserved.

A video showing a strange ritual (which The Guardian termed as mock ritual human sacrifice) apparently in front of its Shiva-Nataraja statue appeared few months back, which CERN called a spoof, adding: Persons that are authorised to access the CERN site sometimes let their sense of humour go too far, and that is what has happened on this occasion.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that Shiva was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be trivialized in spoofs. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for other agendas was not okay as it hurt the faithful.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged CERN Council President Professor Sijbrand de Jong and Director-General Dr. Fabiola Gianotti to conclude the thorough investigation into this breach of CERNs professional guidelines and then publish the results on its website. They should also ensure that such strange activities did not happen around Shiva in the future.

Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed indicated.

Zed further said that Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers.

Founded in 1954; CERN; whose tagline is accelerating science; where physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe; claims to be one of the worlds largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Seeking and finding answers to questions about the Universe, CERN also claims to have invented The World Wide Web.

In Hinduism, Shiva, along with Brahma and Vishnu, forms the great triad of Hindu deities. Moksh (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.

Source : From Our Correspondent
The landmark TV documentary series premieres in September.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Rose have penned two hours worth of new music for The Vietnam War, a ten-part documentary series, which hits the smallscreen in September 2017 courtesy of American PBS.

In an immersive 360-degree narrative, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film, were told. The Vietnam War features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides. Six years in the making, the series brings the war and the chaotic epoch it encompassed viscerally to life. It includes rarely seen, digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, revelatory audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations and more than 100 iconic musical recordings by many of the greatest artists of the era.
Shane Curran took the top prize at the third day of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition at the RDS for his project entitled qCrypt: The quantum- secure, encrypted, data storage solution with multi- jurisdictional quorum sharding technology.

Organisers say over 1,100 students from 375 schools competed for the title this year.

Judge John Dunnion said that Shanes application has been written using state-of-the-art coding techniques. qCrypt is a novel distributed data storage system that provides greater protection for user data than is currently available, said Mr Dunnion.

It addresses a number of shortfalls of current data encryption systems; in particular, the algorithm used in the system has been demonstrated to be resistant to attacks by quantum computers in the future. As part of the qCrypt project, an entire software platform with an intuitive user interface has been developed, he said.

Shanes award includes a prize fund of 5,000, the Young Scientist perpetual trophy, and a trip to the European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands.

Shay Walsh, Managing Director BT Ireland and Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton TD present the Best Group Award to Michael Sheehan and Jack Murphy from Colaiste Treasa Cork.

Shane will have the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Tallinn, Estonia later this year.

The award for Group winner went to 16-year-old students Michael Sheehan and Jack Murphy, who are in fourth year at Colaiste Treasa, Kanturk, Co Cork for their project entitled Prey availability for hen harriers in managed farmland.

The Individual runner-up award was presented to Cormac Larkin, 19, a sixth year student at Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown, Co Cork for his project entitled Case study of Data Mining in Observational Astronomy: The search for new OB stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Shay Walsh, Managing Director BT Ireland and Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton TD present the Runner Up Individual Award to Cormac Larkin, Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh Co Cork.

Jack OConnor and Diarmuid Curtin from Desmond College Limerick won the Irish Aid-sponsored Science for Development Award for their Ergonomic Planter project.

Education Minister Richard Bruton presented Shane with his prize, and praised both the event and sponsor BT, who this week confirmed it would continue to support the exhibition for the next three years.

The exhibition is a highlight for the education calendar every year, and I am delighted BT will continue to support this event until 2020, he said.

Shay Walsh, Managing Director BT Ireland and Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton TD present the Runner Up Group Award to Matthew Blakeney and Mark Mc Dermott from Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Sligo.

The exhibition continues today and is open to the public from 9.30am until 5.30pm.
Attorney General Maire Whelan was notified yesterday by British barrister Jolyon Maugham, the lawyer behind the case, that legal proceedings will begin in Dublin on or before January 27 to determine whether Britains exit from the EU can be reversed.

Mr Maugham is suing Ireland as one of 27 EU states allegedly in breach of EU treaties by excluding the UK from EU summit meetings.

According to the claim, the prime minister may have already started the formal Brexit process when she informed the European Council last October of her governments intention to implement the referendum, voted for on June 23.

Article 50 says nothing about the form of notification required, merely stating that a member state which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention.

The proceedings being instigated by Mr Maugham want the High Court to ask the European Court of Justice if Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty can be revoked by the British government once it has been triggered, without needing the consent of all other EU member states.

The reality is nobody knows what Brexit means, said Mr Maugham yesterday.

It is that point that lends this case its legitimacy. We voted without understanding the implications. We will have that understanding once a deal has been struck. In that event there can, and should be, another vote.

According to the claim, if Article 50 has already been triggered, then the European Commission is in breach of its Treaty duties through wrongly refusing to commence negotiations with the UK.

But if it has not, the European Council and all other EU states, including Ireland, are in breach of their Treaty duties by wrongly excluding the UK from council meetings.

The case is being brought in Ireland because the Irish Government has, we say, colluded in a breach of the EU Treaties by wrongly excluding the UK from meetings of the EU Council, said Mr Maugham.

We can only make that claim in the courts of Ireland. The Irish Government could try to block a reference to the Court of Justice but I hope it doesnt.

The High Court will also be asked to assist in determining whether an exit from the EU will also mean the UK leaves the European Economic Area, which combines the EU with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway into the Single Market.

Ireland also has a major stake in whether the UK remains in the EU or European Economic Area. We came into the Single Market together. If we leave it alone there will be enormous economic and social disruption to both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Britains Supreme Court is expected to rule in the next couple of weeks on whether Ms May can trigger Article 50 without parliaments approval or the assent of devolved assemblies in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Londons High Court is due to hear a challenge next week on whether leaving the EU means Britain automatically leaves the European Economic Area which allows access to the Single Market and free movement of goods, capital, services, and people.
PICTURE this. You are back in school in a class of say, I dont know, 28 children.

You are not one of the big kids. No, in fact you are one of the smallest kids in the class.

But you are well-liked, you like to tell yourself. A cheeky chappy who uses your smarts as opposed to your brawn to survive.

Then all of a sudden, the guy you have been sitting beside since the start of school comes in one day and says hes leaving, bringing the number in the class down to 27.

Hes leaving because he doesnt like the others in the class and now he wants to make a fresh start somewhere else.

He is a big boy. A bit awkward and spiky and extremely arrogant, but has been by your side as long as you can remember.

You two havent always gotten on.

He used to bully you a lot, and very harshly too. But in recent times, things have been better.

These days, you share your lunches sometimes and you feel better with him by your side.

You go to his house for play dates and he comes to yours, and the two of you get on great.

So the shock of his leaving is hard to take.

It has not only caused you some upset, it has angered many of the other big boys and girls in the class, who have taken the hump at his decision to leave.

The other big boys and girls have promised to treat him harshly after he leaves.

Now, you have pleaded with them that your friends leaving hurts you more than anyone else and that you really need to be minded.

But, the rules of the schoolyard are brutal and you are not heard. Worse, you are ignored and the will of the big boys and girls rules supreme and to hell with you.

So why, if the laws of the school yard can be so brutal, is our Government acting in a way that shows it thinks the rules of European politics are anything different?

Since the vote to leave on June 23 became clear, the position of the Irish Government has centred on two main points.

Firstly, there will be no special bilateral deal with the UK, as we will negotiate as part of the block of 27 EU countries.

Secondly, the Irish Government cannot set out its stall as to how we will combat Brexit until London shows its hand.

Both strategies are deeply flawed and will leave Ireland horrendously exposed to the forces of the bigger boys and girls.

On the first point, Fine Gaels blind devotion to the European project has allowed them to convince themselves that our friends will ensure our best interests will be looked after.

Last week, Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness went on RTE Radio 1 and was at pains to tell us how our best bet is to put our faith in our EU friends to see us right.

The EUs lead negotiator, Frenchman Michel Barnier, is well aware of Irelands position and he will ensure we are sorted, she said.

Im sorry, but Mairead and her Blueshirt colleagues are fooling themselves.

Just think back to Europes treatment of us during the crash and how well our friends looked after us.

A store in Newry, Northern Ireland, was offering equal value to euros for its goods priced in pounds in December, which worked out as a substantial saving for people from the Republic. Picture: AP

Forcing us as a people to swallow the 64bn cost of our bank crash, to the benefit of big German and French banks, while also blocking our attempts to burn bondholders typified just how our friends looked after us.

Dara Calleary, then a former junior finance minister in the Brian Cowen government during 2008 and 2011, saw first-hand how rough the treatment from the great and good in Europe can be.

I firmly believe the European institutions walked away from us in our time of need, he said.

The commission, in its dealings with us, and particularly in its dealings with Greece, in the way it rammed home an austerity programme which did not stand for anything in terms of cuts but re-engineered society, was wrong and removed from the principles of the European Union and its establishment, principles that hold today.

Speaking to me for my best-selling book, Hell at the Gates, Calleary said he was present in key meetings on behalf of the then minister Brian Lenihan in 2010 when Europe, and in particular the ECB, bounced Ireland into the Troika bailout.

He pulled no punches as to how we were treated by big boys like Jean Claude Trichet of the ECB and Dominique Strauss-Kahn of the IMF at a key meeting of European finance ministers on the eve of Irelands enforced bailout in late 2010.

Trichet was a prick and Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a bigger prick. He was actually the worst that day; they were going around saying Ireland is fucked, he said.

Strauss-Kahn was in agreement with Trichet in that Ireland, little Ireland can go piss.

Former junior finance minister Dara Calleary has had little good to say about Jean-Claude Trichet, left, or Dominique Strauss-Kahn for how they treated Ireland during the bailout. PIcture: AFP

Make no mistake, if they feel it is in their interest, France and Germany will not think twice and will squash us like a bug, just like they did in 2008 and in 2010.

And with our closest neighbour now gone from the table, we stand more isolated than we ever were before.

IN A Europe that has become increasingly a club for the big boys, Irelands fate is now far less certain than before.

Given that reality, on the second point, we cannot simply wait until Britains prime minister Theresa May and her deeply divided cabinet get around to deciding which form of Brexit they want.

Last week, Irelands controversial commissioner to the EU, Phil Hogan, got himself into some trouble by essentially calling on his former Cabinet colleagues to get the lead out and figure out exactly what form of Brexit is in Irelands best interests.

Without question, the return of a hard border between North and South is not preferable, nor is any curtailment of ease of movement between Ireland and the UK.

But just how you achieve that is not yet clear.

And beyond that, the Irish Government appears to have no ideas, which is deeply concerning.

That is why comments from first-time TD Kate OConnell were so very welcome.

She urged ministers who wish to succeed Enda Kenny to show their mettle by standing up and questioning the Taoiseachs leadership.

I do think it is important that we send the future over rather than the past, Ms OConnell said, adding that the party should not blindly accept because of Enda Kennys experience that he is the best man for the job.

It might not necessarily be a good thing. And they see him coming in Europe and they know what he is about, the Dublin Bay South TD said.

We are right to question what is going on, and we are also right to demand more from our elected leaders, who are quite simply failing us.

So, while Mr Kenny is insisting that remaining in the EU is the best course of action for Ireland, Ms OConnell and Mr Calleary are correct to cast doubt on that.

Putting our hopes as a country into the hands of our so-called friends in Europe is simply a disaster waiting to happen.

They will think it nothing to let little Ireland swing once more.
By Oh Young-jin



It appears to be unthinkable for South Korea to give up its decades-old alliance with the United States and choose China in its place.



However, a combination of events gives a sense of reality to this unlikely scenario.



Recently, a group of opposition lawmakers visited China on a fact-finding mission over Beijing's opposition to Seoul's decision to deploy a U.S.-made missile interceptor here.



The delegation was given a thorough drubbing by the media for fueling the national division on the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system deployment.



Residents in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, where it will be installed, are up in arms for being sitting ducks in the event of a North Korean missile attack.



The opposition parties are united against it because they believe the deployment puts the nation right in the middle of an emerging big-power rivalry pitting China against the U.S.



Those opposing the deployment try carefully not to make a big case out of their THAAD stance for fear of a conservative backlash.



Despite China's retaliatory acts against Korea, Washington has not even rendered support for Seoul. Donald Trump, the incoming U.S. president, has sent out no tweets. His national security advisor Michael Flynn only backed the deployment and gave lip service to the two countries' alliance.



Inevitably, Seoul feels hung out to dry over this controversial deployment that is becoming a test of wills between two superpowers.



China is pulling out all the stops.



Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went out of the protocol to play host to Korean lawmakers, alternating between coercion and conciliation.



Now, it is highly questionable that Korea will allow a second THAAD system into its country, having faced such strong opposition from China and meek U.S. support shown so far.



If the next president holds the key, the prospects are not rosy.



Park Geun-hye's impeachment has dampened the national appetite or, more accurately, stomach for another conservative leader. This means Korea is likely to have a liberal head of state from the opposition camp possibly within the next six months. Moon Jae-in, leading the pack of possible candidates, served as chief of staff to the late President Roh Moo-hyun, who tried to tone down U.S. influence.



His Democratic Party of Korea has adopted a review of the THAAD deployment.



If the deployment is cancelled, it could entail a rupture in the alliance.



About 10 years after the end of the Roh presidency, such a dramatic decision as to send troops to assist the U.S.'s Iraq war at the risk of angering his supporters might not be expected from the new liberal president. Even a conservative one could not be as blindly pursuing as Lee Myung-bak or Park.



Also unhinging the alliance is Trump.



He insulted Seoul for being a free rider, not paying a fair share for U.S. military help that protects it from the North, and taking a lopsided advantage from their bilateral trade pact.



The Trump logic is right and wrong at the same time. Right, because the U.S. has been of great help to Korea. But wrong, because if it was not much help, Korea would have had fewer incentives to maintain an alliance whose terms are unilaterally dictated by the U.S.



As Trump asserted, Seoul is many times bigger than Pyongyang by the size of its economy so it should increase its defense budget proportionally, reducing its reliance on the U.S. and raising its self-defense capability. Trump may help Seoul to realize how big it has become and to meet its obligations proportionally.



In that sense, the Trump presidency is set to give an additional impetus to the tendency for the two allies to grow apart.



Already, the U.S. under Trump is becoming isolationist, forcing companies to stay in the U.S. to create more jobs for Americans. The new U.S. administration will be protectionist, closing its markets to imports. Whether the combination of protectionism and isolationism works for the U.S. is one thing, but for Korea, it would be another reason to find a new market and let in more light between the two allies. Already, China is by far Korea's largest trading partner. The sea of Chinese tourists provide a lifeline for Korea's services industry, being joked about as a reason for the North not to invade the South.



The closer ties between Seoul and Beijing could make Pyongyang less strategically important to it and provide a solution to the North Korea problem  its increasing brinkmanship on the basis of its growing missile and nuclear arsenal. After all, China caters to the North's needs because Pyongyang serves as a buffer against U.S. forces deployed in the South. If Beijing can gain a greater distance from the U.S. and breathe more easily, it could find an added incentive to disarm the North of its missiles and nuclear warheads.



Adding to this outlook is Trump's isolationist tendency that could lead to his decision to pull out of Korea. It could accelerate a half-hearted effort during the outgoing Obama administration to seek a peace treaty with Pyongyang. The U.S. left South Vietnam after it struck the Paris Peace Accords with the communists.



Any relationship can't last forever. The only way to ensure its continuation is to review and fix it to meet a new set of challenges. Whether the two allies see such an effort as worthwhile appears to be an open question.







Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact him at foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com.




Were excited to announce that metalbulletin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com.

A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving metals market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets.

Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials.

If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details.
If you are familiar with the Ghanaian music industry then the name OB shouldnt sound new to you at all.

OB wowed everyone last year after he released his smash hit highlife song and video titled Mepe Wo Saa, which amassed good air play on radio and TV stations.

He returns with his third official song titled 'Be My Wife. And the most suitable person to feature on the track is Mr Eazi.

Be My Wife is an exciting tune, a potential chart topper and love song that will be played a lot in the month of Love - February. OB and Mr. Eazi displayed an amazing synergy on this one.

In this song we see OB like never before, singing his heart on the song. Production credits of the song goes awarding winning producer, Killbeatz.

Mr Eazi who is currently signed to Wizkid's Star Boy worldwide label has collaborated in his music with famous artistes in the Ghanaian and Nigerian music industry such as Sarkodie, Efya, Pappy Kojo, Dammy Krane, Lil Kesh and a host of others as usual brought his full game on the Be My Wife song with OB.

For now it's safe to say OB is back! Expect a slew of nice videos to drop back to back within the year - 2017.

Soundcloud link - https://soundcloud.com/user-901042533/ob-ft-mr-eazi-be-my-wife-prod-by-killbeatz
Dar es Salaam (AFP) - Around 500 people, half from the Chinese community, protested in Dar es Salaam on Saturday to call for the protection of elephants against poachers.

The so-called "walk for elephants" saw the demonstrators, including the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, march five kilometres (three miles) through the capital.

China is considered the premier destination for elephant ivory as demand is high, fuelling illegal hunting and smuggling that kills an estimated 30,000 elephants a year.

In December, however, China announced a total ban of the trade and processing of ivory, to be in effect by the end of 2017.

A Chinese man who took part in the protest said the illegal trade had knock-on negative effects.

"Everywhere you go, police and immigration officials treat you suspiciously.. (thinking) that you may be hiding or trying to transport elephant ivory," he said, giving his name as Lee and saying he was in the furniture business.

Tanzania has one of largest elephant populations on the African continent, attracting many tourists, but is consequently one of the worst affected by poaching.
Rebecca Akufo-Addo congratulating her husband, Nana Akufo-Addo, after he has been inaugurated as President of the Republic of Ghana

Let me first own up before anybody raises a case of plagiarism against me in this era of pedestrian assessors with open eyes ready to mark our scripts. The above title is taken from one of the tracks of the late South African reggae star, Lucky Dube, on the album, 'Victims'. I told my cherished readers last week that I was going to join the millions of Ghanaians who would get glued to their television sets to watch the investiture of the then President-elect Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo.

I had travelled to Accra on the Thursday for a private business and had to rush back to Takoradi early Friday to prepare myself for the beautiful occasion in the offing. I am happy to report that I missed nothing. I believe those of us who watched the events from our homes were not shortchanged. I have lived long enough to witness a few of such inaugurations of Presidents and am very proud to be alive to witness another of such. During the inauguration of former President Kufuor at the forecourt of Parliament House, I was physically at the event and might have lost a few occurrences, all the others I witnessed from afar.

I had told you my readers last week that I wanted to hide my tears from the public, and indeed those tears did come. I am sure I was not alone in this, when I saw the eyes of both the First and Second Ladies blinking and the regaled ladies fighting back their tears, they were just being human. Having seen their husbands go through the risky and difficult ventures of campaigning throughout the country, the sleepless nights and the travelling on bumpy roads and unmotorable alleys and bush paths, driving on weak and dangerous bridges across the country, sacrificing their family lives and affections and seeing them being sworn into the highest office of the land will surely draw down tears of joy.

At the same time, the tears could reflect the pains they had to go through during the period of campaigning when some other people painted pictures of their husbands which were in direct opposite of what they are. Some opponents of their husbands, who under normal life situations were not qualified to join the domestic staff of their households sat on air and said all manner of things about them without regard to their ages and personal achievements in life, told lies about these gentlemen they only know from afar. I remember one of children with sharp teeth Ministers telling Dr. Bawumia that he (Dr. Bawumia) was a disgrace to his family.

If you are a wife, a child or the mother of Dr. Bawumia, you certainly will shed tears on that day when he officially became the Vice President of this country. Instead of being a disgrace to his family, he is now the pride of not only his family but his entire people. That may have accounted for the Second Lady's tears and perhaps many more that were not captured by the cameras, including mine.

As for those who had predicted that Nana Addo Danquah was never going to be a President of this country, they may still be in wonderland trying to shake off what may be a nightmare to them. It is just real, a reality made possible by the good people of Ghana and not by a few disrespectful people in power then. I could not hold my own tears back when Nana Addo ended the last syllable of 'And So Help Me God'. He became the President of the Republic that very moment.

Those who had said he could never be the President of this country have a choice to re-locate to the Gambia or Syria. Someone whose only strength is in sitting before television cameras and microphones in Radio stations just to denigrate Nana Addo and yet say he is his friend, told us that he was going to ensure that Nana Addo never became the President of Ghana. He was insulting all of us in disguise, yes, he spoke as if our votes were in his wardrobes and that on the day of voting, he was going to pack all of them and thumb print them in a particular way and get a particular results. To those who said they were going to retire Nana Addo, the reality is that his work has just begun.

The President's cloth, which forms the headline of this article, is a formation of different colours and designs, standing distinctively on their own, skillfully woven together to give it the brightness and the beauty and still stand together to serve the purpose for which they were individually brought together to form a cloth. Among the crowd, there were different dresses of different colours, even those who wore white apparel, had some nice colours that adorned them to beautify the occasion. Even though people wore different attires with different colours, the people who gathered there are one and the same peopleGhanaians.

They had undertaken a constitutional duty earlier on, and had congregated on that day to witness the final crowning glory. The cornucopia was just great for the occasion. Our pride on that day was and will still be the envy of many countries the world over. The election outcomes and the subsequent events should tell those of us in politics that humility should be the guiding principles whenever we are in power. Arrogance and disrespect of the electorate is not the way to go in the governance of modern day Ghana.

We are one people no matter how different our colours might be, our differences in whatever sphere of life should not divide this nation. It is also in this light that I want to caution our party people that any unwarranted attack on anyone or group of individuals, their private property or public property, is a crime against the state. It is true that in 2009, some members of the NPP were attacked and even some lost their lives. The case of Agbogbloshie easily comes to mind. I remember, public toilets that had been given out to private people to manage in the Ahanta West District were attacked and the people managing them were chased away.

National Health Insurance Authority offices were attacked and the employees chased out, some were injured and maimed, this happened. The Police Service which has the responsibility of protecting lives and property, be they private or public, sat down unconcerned in the midst of these criminalities. I remember when the then General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Ohene Ntow complained about this incidence, Rose Bio Atinga, then Greater Accra Regional Police Commander invited him instead to write a statement, very sad.

But do we have to be engaged in this cycle of needless attacks on ourselves each time there is a change of government? Once again, the Police are incapable of doing anything about it. The NPP as a party or government has not asked anybody or any group of people to seize any public property on behalf of the party or the government. The non-performance of the Police in these cases rather empower criminals in the guise of party people to visit mayhem on innocent people whose only crimes are that they belong to a different political party. Different colours, one people.

We live with them, we do so many things together, we trade among ourselves, we deliver and receive services from among ourselves, why do we blindfold ourselves when there is a change in government and harm ourselves. It is not proper; there must be an end to this political acrimony. The change we are experiencing is not only in respect of changing a government, it is also about a change in our attitudes, the way we do things, our thinking and behavior, our relations among ourselves, mutual respect for one another even as we disagree seriously on issues.

The biggest present our party people can offer President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo is to show to the world that we are a different people in behavior. Dear reader, this column is nine years old this month, and I am thinking of taking a break soon.

[email protected]
I am inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa because all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours  whereas all the testing says not really. I hope that everyone is equal but people who have to deal with black employees find this not trueYou should not discriminate on the basis of colour, because there are many people of colour who are very talented, but don't promote them when they haven't succeeded at the lower level.

__Prof James Dewey Watson



During the period of Kufuor's administration, a seminar was held at the Teacher's Hall, Accra. Nana Akufo Addo, the current President, was one of the speakers. At that time, he was the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. During question time, I had the opportunity to ask him whether the time was not ripe for some amendments to be made to the 1992 Republican Constitution. His answer was No, his reason being that it was too early in the day and that the nation needed some time to work with the Constitution. Naturally, I was disappointed with his answer knowing the circumstances under which the Constitution was fashioned out. So I was naturally delighted when Professor Mills during his tenure in office as the president appointed a Constitution Review Committee to look at the areas of the Constitution for possible amendment. I submitted my own proposal to the Committee. Indeed I was heavily involved in the deliberations of the Committee and even chaired a session of one of its sub-committees.

During the inauguration of Nana Akufo Addo, the only aspect of the function I paid attention to was his inaugural speech. Throughout the ceremony, I was moving around attending to my various chores in the house. The inaugural speech to me should be the most important incident since what shall happen to this country during the next entire four years shall be based on the import of the speech. The speech was great so also was his kente cloth. I remarked that he must have consulted the Asantehene's kente weaver for that masterpiece. It did not surmise me that it took a whiteman to do a research to come out with an interpretation of the meaning behind the design of the kente despite all the professors and educated people in this country. Kofi Wayo, where have you been hiding? Some people miss your hilarious commentary on the intellectual capacity we have in this country. Prof. Watson, I stand up for you. One thing which delighted me about the speech was the new president's desire and willingness to get the Constitution reviewed this time round.

This country is faced with gargantuan corruption at all levels, in every aspect of our national life perpetrated by individuals and institutions. Unless we can kill corruption there is no way we can bring development and growth to this country and to the suffering citizens. One very dangerous corruption perpetrated in this country with great and shameless impunity is LEGAL CORRUPTION. Massive national resources are siphoned off nonchalantly and with no guilty conscience under legal corruption hiding behind the constitution by persons in entrusted positions; be it elected or appointed. Sadly enough, they are able to do that because the main source of this legal corruption perpetrated against the state is the 1992 Republican Constitution. A critical provision in the Constitution under chapter one states as follows: This Constitution shall be the supreme law of Ghana and any other law found to be inconsistent with any provision of this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.

It is indeed a sad commentary on the intellectual base of this country which requires all university lecturers to have a doctorate degree that a country with such massive intellectual base can give itself and live with such a Constitution for over 24 years with numerous provisions which allow legal corruption to be perpetrated by public officers. Again, I stand up for Prof. Watson. John Dramani Mahama, a failure of a president, who brought so much shame and suffering to the people of this country through massive corruption and incompetence and greed, sought to rely on the Constitution to perpetrate legal corruption against this country. Some commentators have waxed eloquence arguing the immorality of John Dramani Mahama denying John Agyekum Kufuor his rights under the Constitution while he himself sought for his pound of flesh under the same Constitution. What the commentators forgot or refused to accept was the fact that the claims of both John Dramani Mahama and John Agyekum Kufuor were immoral and sought to perpetrate legal corruption.

I do not have an accepted legal definition of legal corruption. What I will try to do for the sake of this article is to hazard one as follows: Legal corruption is that type of corruption perpetrated by a person in entrusted position, whether elected or appointed, by hiding behind laws, rules and regulations which form part of the legal system of a country. Such corruption is very often perpetrated with impunity by persons in very powerful positions. Before I continue further, let me quote Martin Amidu as reported in the DAILY GRAPHIC of Wednesday, January 11, 2017 page 16 under the title: Amidu Accuses Past Two Parliaments of Corruption.

The report says in part: In a statement issued in Accra yesterday, four days after the Sixth Parliament had been dissolved on January 7, 2017, Mr. Amidu, an anti-corruption crusader, alleged that the immediate past two Parliament institutionalised corruption, to the extent that, in some cases, members of the House took bribes from ministries, departments and agencies nominated (MDAs) to approve their budgets and, on other occasions, took bribes from nominated appointees to have their nominations approved.The partisanship, cronyism, patronage, ethnicity and endemic corruption of the looter governments of the Fifth and Sixth governments of the Fourth Republic had been allowed by the majority to infect the fabric and conduct of legislative business in the House. The whole body polity, consequently, became infected with the pandemic of corruption and corrupt practices from the Presidency of looting the national purse for private profit', he said.

The situation cited by Martin Amidu is a clear case of legal corruption and it happened because we have a Constitution which sanctions legal corruption. That is why John Dramani Mahama can dare the sensibility and the resolve of the whole nation while insulting the intelligence of the citizens by claiming possession and right to a state property while hiding behind the Constitution despite the massive wealth he and his family have acquired during his tenure as president. The greed in us makes us forget the time honoured biblical injunctions: A fool has aid in his heart there is no God. Thou fool, your soul is required of thee tonight., and what the poet of old said long ago: Yesterday a monarch he, today subject of the flea, Why such boasting, oh man!

E-mail: [email protected]

By Kwame Gyasi
14.01.2017 LISTEN

The Executive Director of Creg Afful Foundation (CAF), a Tema-based anti-narcotics organisation, has made a passionate appeal to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to give priority to the fight against the use of narcotics across the country during his tenure.

Mr. Michael Creg Afful expressed worry about the increasing consumption of Indian hemp, in particular, among school children across the country, and asked that immediate steps be taken to halt the disturbing situation.

In a statement, signed and copied to The Chronicle in Accra yesterday, Mr. Creg Afful noted that Ghana was ranked 1st by the United Nations in the 2014 global rankings of countries, where Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as India Hemp or marijuana, was largely smoked or used.

Although Ghana dropped to the 3rd position in 2015, he stated, it remained the number one consumer of Indian hemp in Africa.

As we congratulate you (Nana Akufo-Addo) on your election as the President of the Republic of Ghana, we take this opportunity to also draw your attention to a very disturbing issue on the rise, in the consumption of Indian hemp among school children, and urge your administration to take urgent steps to curtail it to save the future leaders of Ghana from the devastating effects of narcotics drugs, Mr. Creg Afful stated.

He also observed a situation in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region in June 2016, on the occasion of the International Campaign Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, where the then Upper East Regional Minister, Albert Abongo, spoke extensively against the canker.

Mr. Albert Abongo expressed grave concern when he observed that the use of drugs was highest in the three regions in the north of Ghana, stressing that it appeared to be increasing rapidly in the Upper East Region, along with alcohol use amongst the youth and women,' the CAF Executive Director pointed out.

He also said the drug menace in the three northern regions was not different from the case of the Greater Accra Region, particularly in Ashaiman and Tema, explaining that some unscrupulous persons were producing toffees and biscuits laced with Indian hemp, which they sold out to unsuspecting people.

The havoc that narcotic drugs have caused to the youth of Ghana is visible. We can testify to people we know, who have gone insane and are on the streets because of Indian hemp, whiles others are in psychiatric hospitals seeking treatment.

We believe the current situation should be of great concern to the incoming administration to tackle the drug menace, he stressed.

He blamed weak enforcement of the Narcotic Drugs Law 1990 (PNDC Law 236), which focuses on control, enforcement and sanctions of the use and trade of illicit drugs, as the cause of the rise in the consumption of narcotic drugs.

Mr. Creg Afful called on the incoming Nana Akufo-Addo administration to resource the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and the Anti- Narcotics Department of the Ghana Police Service to enable them to execute their mandate effectively and efficiently.

By Pascal Kafu Abotsi
14.01.2017 LISTEN

Prostitutes operating in Koforidua, capital of the New Juaben Municipality in the Eastern Region are at each other's throat, following allegations and counter allegations among their rank and file.

The Chronicle information has it that some of the prostitutes, who describe themselves as 'seniors' are accusing the young ones who they refer to as 'juniors' of under-cutting them.

According to the 'senior' prostitutes, the 'junior' ones are taking over their business; the reason being that while they (seniors) are charging their clients GHc50, the 'juniors' are going in for a paltry GHc10.

The so-called senior prostitutes, as a result of their claims have been violently attacking their junior colleagues on the streets of Koforidua, for charging lower rates, thus impacting negatively on their (seniors) operations.

As if that is not enough, they have vowed to deal ruthlessly with any young girl who interferes in their activities.

Instead of charging GH50, these young ones just accept GH10, which has taken the attention of men from the seniors, some complained.

In their response, one of the junior ones had this to say: The senior ones have been harassing us for a long time now due to reasons best known to them.
14.01.2017 LISTEN

It has now emerged that prime state land in Kumasi has been leased to Akwasi Addae of Odike Ventures for fifty years, thus rendering people working on the land jobless coupled with loss of their properties.

Armed police officers from the Ashanti Regional Police Command stormed Santasi Roundabout, where the said land is located yesterday, following a court order to eject the poor occupants who eke out a living from the parcel of land, which originally belonged to the Ghana Police Service (GPS), but was transferred to the politician cum businessman.

Assistant Superintendent of police (ASP) Mohammed Yussif Tanko, Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Ashanti Regional Police Command, confirmed to The Chronicle that the land in dispute belonged to the government, but had been handed over to Odike since January, 2016, and that the police were there to enforce the orders of court, issued through a bailiff, because the land is owned by a private individual.

In the early hours of yesterday, bulldozers were busily destroying assets on the approximately fifteen acre land, whilst people wept uncontrollably.

The decision to hand over the land to Odike has left about three thousand people, who ply their trade and profession there, wailing about their loss of livelihood and assets.

Among some of the people using the land as their work place were mechanics, vegetable sellers and wood dealers. It also served as the abode for some of the people.

Mr. Stephen Sekyere, Vice Chairman of the Tipper Trucks Drivers Association in Ashanti Region, explained to The Chronicle via handset that sometime last year, a bailiff came, alerting them about the current ownership of the land.

He said they lodged a complaint to the Patasi Chief, Nana Ansiri Sarpong, during which it emerged that the said land had been leased to Odike, who had taken over ownership from the Police Service.

Mr. Sekyere indicated that new completed tiled office building of the association has been destroyed in addition to loss of monies. He appealed to President Akufo-Addo to come to their aid, because the demolition had left them devastated.

Chairman Sekyere said they were notified about the change of ownership of the land last April. When this reporter contacted Mr. Addai Odike, he initially denied knowledge of the land.

The Chronicle then called the police, who confirmed that the land now belongs to Odike, and that they only went there to enforce court orders.

When the reporter got back to Odike, the latter directed him to deal with the police and threatened to cut the line, when the reporter told him that he had already spoken to the police, who mentioned his name as the owner of the building.

At a time of filing the story, The Chronicle gathered that top NPP gurus had visited the place, and were reportedly scheduled to convene a meeting with the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Kumasi
Learn a New Language and How to Drive a Forklift

These classes at Beaufort County Community College can help you start a new career in real estate, culinary arts or forklift driving or learn a language to help you at your current workplace. To register, call 252-940-6375 or email continuingeducation@beaufortccc.edu.



Real Estate Broker Pre-Licensing Course



This introductory level real estate principles and practices course emphasizes real estate brokerage law and practice. The primary objectives are to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to act as a licensed real estate broker in a manner that protects and serves the public interest and to prepare students for the real estate license examination.



Major topics addressed in this course include basic real property law, property taxation, land use controls, environmental hazards, brokerage relationships and practices, real estate contracts, real estate financing, closing a real estate sale transaction, real estate valuation, fair housing laws, landlord and tenant issues, property management, federal income taxation of real estate, basic house construction, basic real estate investment, the North Carolina Real Estate License Law and North Carolina Real Estate Commission Rules and Trust Account Guidelines. This $180 class will begin on January 21 and take place on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.



Forklift Training



This class is based on the National Safety Council's (NSC) Forklift Training Program. Students will review forklift operation, inspection and safe use. Students will learn how to inspect the truck and how to determine lift limitations. Students will discuss the center of gravity and its role in safe load-lifting. They will demonstrate proper use by completing an obstacle course, along with an inspection. A textbook is included in the cost and comes with a certificate and wallet card from NSC. Classes are held at the Beaufort County Skills Center located at 705 Page Rd. in Washington. This class takes place on Saturday, January 21 and costs $77.25.



Introduction to Conversational Spanish



This introductory course will prepare students to communicate with Hispanic co-workers, customers, friends, or family. Course content will be basic greetings, vocabulary and individual phrases students with translated. This class will also introduce students to basic grammar concepts. At the end of this class, students will be able to greet people talking about themselves and understand the basics. Students should bring a small three-ring binder. This class will run on Thursdays starting January 26 from 6:00-8:30 p.m.



American Sign Language



This course will cover the basic history, terminology and interpretation in different arenas for American Sign Language. At the end of the course, students will have the knowledge and ability to have basic conversation with the deaf community. This course will run on Mondays from 6:00-9:00 p.m. starting January 30.



Culinary Arts



This introductory course will include topics such as sanitation, basic kitchen layouts, personal protection equipment, basic knife skills, basic menu planning, measuring and food prep, and ServSafe certification. Upon completion, students will have the basic skills required for entry-level employment opportunities in the retail food services industry. This $281.25 course will be offered in the daytime and the evening. A daytime class will begin February 7 and run from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.


The winner of Decembers presidential election in The Gambia says there is no need for President Yahya Jammeh to seek asylum and he is confident direct talks can solve the crisis.

Adama Barrow told the BBC he was confident he would be sworn in next week despite his rivals refusal to give up power.

Nigerias leader is due in Banjul to try and broker an end to the deadlock.

His MPs have voted to offer Mr Jammeh asylum to help negotiations.

Mr Jammehs term officially ends next Wednesday, but he wants the results annulled after the electoral commission changed some  though it insists this did not affect the final outcome.

The 51-year-old leader, who initially accepted defeated in the 1 December poll, seized power in the tiny country in 1994 and has been accused of human rights abuses, although he has held regular elections.

The Supreme Court is unable to hear the challenge until May because of a shortage of judges, and Mr Jammeh says he will not step down until then.

Foreign leaders from regional bloc Ecowas, led by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, are due to arrive later on Friday in The Gambia to again try to persuade Mr Jammeh to step down on schedule.

The grouping has warned that it would consider removing him using military force if he refuses.

But Mr Barrow, a property developer, told the BBCs Newsday programme that he would prefer a peaceful transition.

He said he welcomed the move by Nigeria MPs to offer Mr Jammeh asylum, but said he did not feel the situation would get to this level.

We want to keep Jammeh in The Gambia, I dont think theres any need for him to go to another country.

He called on Mr Jammeh to respect the constitution and engage in direct talks.

We solve our problems within ourselves without the intervention of anybody. I think thats what wed prefer, he said.

A lawyer for Mr Jammeh on Thursday filed a request with the Supreme Court asking for an injunction to block Mr Barrows swearing-in.

Mr Barrow won 43.3% of the vote compared with Mr Jammehs 39.6%. A third candidate, Mama Kandeh, got 17.1%.

-BBC
It appears the Nana Akufo-Addo government may move the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) from the supervision of the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Shortly after Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto was named as the Minister for Agriculture, pending parliamentary approval, some observers pointed out that the new government may change the supervisory role of COCOBOD from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Already, a letter signed today by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante directed the CEO of COCOBOD, Dr. Stephen K. Opuni to handover to the president's representative at the Ministry of AgricultureDr. Akoto.

Even though this may not be surprising, the directive, moving the supervisory role from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Agriculture is a shift.

In parliament, Dr. Akoto who was the Minority Spokesperson on Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs was mostly loud on issues that affected the cocoa industry.

After naming Dr. Akoto as the Minister of Agriculture, the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) called for a restructuring of COCOBOD to make it efficient.

The General Secretary of GAWU, Mr. Edward Kareweh was indifferent about the supervisory role under which COCOBOD will fall, but called for restructuring to benefit cocoa farmers.

Under the Mahama administration, COCOBOD was under the supervision of the Finance Ministry.

Indeed, former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper was of the view that the cocoa industry was better placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance due to the volume of cash that is generated by the industry.

He argued that the cocoa industry is a major contributor of foreign currencies for the country, hence must be supervised by a ministry that has a direct linkage with the Bank of Ghana.

However, it appears that with this latest move by the government, the Cocoa industry will return to the Agriculture Ministry, where the welfare of farmers will be the focus.



By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Nairobi (AFP) - The African Union (AU) Friday urged Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh to respect last month's election results and quit power peacefully, warning of "serious consequences" if his actions cause a crisis.

The AU's Peace and Security Council said "as of 19 January 2017, outgoing President Yahya Jammeh will cease to be recognised by the AU as legitimate President of the Republic of The Gambia".

Jammeh conceded defeat immediately after the December 1 poll but soon afterwards issued a statement saying investigations had revealed "unacceptable errors" by the electoral authorities and that he would no longer concede to opponent Adama Barrow.

The Addis Ababa-based AU's intervention comes as a West-African mediation team, led by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, arrived in Banjul on Friday for crisis talks as fears grew of a refugee exodus caused by the political impasse.

The AU Council warned Jammeh "of serious consequences" if his actions sparked "political disorder, humanitarian and human rights disasters, including loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties."

It also called on Gambia's defence and security forces "to exercise utmost restraint... including the respect for the freedom of speech".

Jammeh, who took power in a 1994 coup, has made clear he will not quit until the Supreme Court decides on a legal case he has lodged aimed at having the result annulled and fresh elections called.

The Supreme Court is unlikely to sit and hear his legal challenge before May, ratcheting up tensions with Barrow, whose inauguration is due January 19.
History was made when on Saturday, January 7, 2017, a man, who for the very first time caused the defeat of a sitting president in general elections in the country was sworn into office as president. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his running mate Dr Mahamadu Bawumia both took their oaths in front of millions of Ghanaians and heads of state from across Africa and the world.

President Akufo-Addo earned applause for delivering a fantastic inaugural speech. But the applause later turned into criticism. Aspects of the speech plagiarized previous speeches by former President of the United States, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

His Director of Communications almost immediately sent out a press release apologizing for the gaffe, describing it as a complete oversight and never deliberate."

Director of Communication, Eugene Arhin

They were not forgiven. Ghanaians took to social media to register their disgust at the development on Sunday.

However, news about former president John Mahama requesting to keep his official residence as a retirement package was damning enough to put a lid on the issue. According to a statement released by former communication minister Omane Boamah, an agreement had been reached between the former president and the Akufo-Addo-led administration.

Again social media went buzzing and while supporters of the NDC defended and justified why the former president should have the bungalow  which was to house vice presidents and had been used three consecutive times for that purpose  loyalists of the NPP disagreed.

On Monday, spokesperson for the NPP side of the transition team, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah denied that any agreement had been reached.

In an interview on Joy FMs Super Morning Show, he said as far as the new government was concerned, former president Mahama had only made a request to keep the house but a decision was yet to be arrived at.

Member of Parliament for Suame, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu that same morning also disclosed that although Parliament had agreed to pay the former president a rent allowance monthly, he made a request for him to be allowed to retain his official residence permanently.

But Kyei Mensah Bonsu said that it was rather appropriate for the former president to pack out of the house and put in a fresh request before parliament.

Accommodation issues aside, supporters of the NPP continued to cause havoc in parts of the country. It was reported that some of them besieged the offices of the National Disaster Management Organisation, the Youth employment Agency, as well as offices of the National Health Insurance Scheme and ordered workers to move out.

The workers who feared for their lives had to run from the machete-wielding supporters who insisted on locking up the offices.

The disturbing news about 11 Ghanaians who were shot dead in Togo also broke on that same day. The deceased were attacked by gunmen at the Benin/Togo border near Mongo in the northern part of the country.

Former Majority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Munbarak on Tuesday put forward a strong defence why former President John Mahama should keep his official residence as his retirement package.

For him, the GHS8,800 Parliament agreed to give the former president as rent allowance is insufficient. The Asawase MP said it was an anomaly for a former president to live in a rented accommodation .

But a governance expert disagrees. Dr Eric Oduro Osae said the presidents request was tantamount to a deliberate effort to break the Transition Act of 2016.

He indicated that although the former president was entitled to accommodation, his request breaches the law.

Then came the plea. The New Patriotic Party appealed to its youth who were on rampage, vandalizing state properties to desist from the act.

The partys National Youth Organiser, Sammy Awuku said government will create more than enough jobs jobs to accommodate the teeming youth.

By 3:00PM that same day, President Akufo-Addo announced the first batch of ministers. The list was heavily dominated by former government officials of the Kufuor government, including three women, Gloria Akuffo as Attorney General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Hajia Alima Mahama as Minister for Local Government.

Well, on Wednesday, former president John Agyekum Kufuor came to the defence of John Mahama. The former president, who neither condemned or approved of the presidents request said he should be given a chance to have a say in where he is housed.

By 11:00am that same day, the shocking news broke. Former president John Mahama withdrew his request to keep his official residence as a retirement package.

A letter sighted by Myjoyonline.com has the President's signature confirming he is no longer interested in keeping the house at the No.3 Prestige Link at Cantonments in Accra.

Later that afternoon, President Akufo-Addo released the second batch of his ministers. The list had 12 minister-designates bringing the total number of appointees to 25 with a promise of a third batch expected to be released by Friday.

A notable feature was the creation of three new ministries - The Ministry of Regional Re-organisation which would be headed by Okere MP, Dan Kwaku Botwe.

On Thursday the attacks by supporters of the NPP continued. Their next stop was the Ejura basic school in the Ashanti region.

Eyewitnesses told Joy News the supporters attacked caterers of the school feeding programme and poured away food that was being prepared for the school children.

Meanwhile in Parliament, MPs were pushing for the relocation of an orientation workshop from the usual premises of the Ghana Institute of Management Studies to a more serene environment.

The orientation is held for members to train them on the rules of the House, but MP for Asawase Frank Annor-Dompreh opted for a place outside Accra.

Later that morning, there was a suit demanding the nullification of former president John Mahamas remission of the sentence given to three supporters of the NDC who threatened to kill judges.

One of the plaintiffs, Nana Asante Bediatuo, is convinced that the presidential pardon granted the three was unconsitutional. The two others are Elipklim Agbemeva, a private legal practitioner and Alfred Yeboah.

That evening, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo terminated appointments of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives in the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

A letter signed by the Presidents representative at the Local Government Ministry, Hajia Alima Mahama directed all MMDCEs to hand-over their relevant duties to Metropolitan/Municipal/District Coordinating Directors (MMDCDs).

Finally, on Friday, supporters of the NPP who were still on rampage across the country, seizing and destroying public property were told not to repay evil with evil.

Prof Evans Aggrey-Darko said no matter how offended they might have felt about the treatment meted out to them by supporters of the previous government, their approach is wrong.

The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tove Degnbol, wants the new Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration to focus on clearing waste in the public sector.

Madam Tove Degnbol believes that the challenges that triggered Ghanas bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) still persist and has become an albatross on the country's coffers.

By noon, government had released a statement directing the Chief Executive Office of COCOBOD to step aside.

The directive, contained in a letter dated January 12, 2017 and signed by the Executive Secretary to the president Nana Asante Bediatuo, asked Mr Stephen Opuni to vacate his post by 5PM on Friday.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also took his first official trip outside the country on Friday. He left Ghana Friday to attend the 27th France-Africa Summit in Bamako, the capital of Mali.

A statement signed by Acting Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin said the President is accompanied by First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo on the trip.

Leader of the NPP transition team, Osafo Marfo

Even as COCOBOD boss prepares to leave office, Joy News was informed that, Dr Stephen Opuni has been locked up in a meeting with the transition team of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Joy News sources at Cocobod disclosed the meeting was convened for the former head of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to account for his stewardship as head of the institution.

Sup. Cephas Arthur

Later on Friday, Spokesperson for the police Suprintendent Cephas Arthur revealed that the Twifo-Hemang Traditional Council has intervened in the prosecution of supporters of the NPP destroying state property.

The Council would rather have the matter settled amicably than have the suspects prosecuted.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team says the newly appointed Minister-designate for Local Government signing dismissal letters of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) is unconstitutional.

Abraham Amaliba says the minister-designate, Hajia Alima Mahama, has no right to append her signature to the letter.

According to him, the letter announcing the dismissal of all MMDCEs has no legal backing as the Constitution does not make room for ministers-designate to sign letters.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directed all MMDCEs across the country to leave office with immediate effect, Thursday.

The directive was contained in a letter signed by the Local government minister-designate, Hajia Alima Mahama.

The letter which relieved the MMDCEs appointed by the former President John Mahama said By virtue of article 243 (3) (b) of the constitution of the republic, H.E the president of the republic has revoked the appointment of all MMDCEs with immediate effect. In this regard all MMDCEs are directed to hand over their relevant duties to MMCDs for further instruction.

But Mr Amaliba speaking on The Pulse has questioned Hajia Alima Mahama signing the letter as the President's rep at the Local Government since there is no position like that in Ghana's Constitution.

More soon...

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram is asking Ghanaians to give the new president Nana Akufo-Addo some time to settle before criticising him.

Contrary to what many of his colleagues in the National Democratic Congress think, the new MP believes it is too early to hold Nana Akufo-Addo's leg to the fire barely a week in government.

Nana Akufo-Addo and his party won power after months of criticism of the John Mahama led administration. The president and his vice then as candidates, consistently referred to the ex-president and his appointees as incompetent.

While many Ghanaians are expecting the new administration to deliver, the NDC and its followers are ready to give the NPP a bitter pill of criticism to swallow.

"Mahama was hounded from day one. Many of my friends and colleagues think it is payback time. I am young politician and I must think about the future.

"I think we must give Nana Akufo-Addo some time to settle," he said on the maiden edition of Joy FM's Ghana Connect programme for 2017.

The programme was to assess whether the 36 minister designates announced by the president have the gravitas and experience to deliver on the mandate.

Members of the panel were hopeful the appointees will be able to deliver on the promises but Sam George was forthright.

According to him, there about 75 promises made by Nana Akufo-Addo, 30 of which had a 100 day deadline within which these promises will be fulfilled.

At the very least the young politician thinks critics must wait till the 100-day honey moon is over before criticizing.

It is unfair to want to start holding him accountable just after six days," he said, adding, "it is important to give our leaders time to settle before passing judgment."

He said it will be tantamount to "partisanship" if he were to start criticizing at this very early stages of the Nana Akufo-Addo presidency.

John Peter Amewu, Volta Regional Chairman of the NDC and Minister designate for Lands and Forestry said given the experience hands put together by Nana Akufo-Addo, he has no doubt the government will perform.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah
Retired Ghanaian diplomat is unhappy about the ultimatum given the Chief Executive of Cocobod, Dr Stephen Opuni, to vacate his position not later than 5:00 p.m Friday, January 13.

Dr K.B. Asante has bemoaned the tone of the letter as impolite and un-Ghanaian which he said must not be repeated in the future.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directed Dr Opuni to vacate post pursuant to section 14(1) of the Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845).

The directive is contained in a letter dated January 12, 2017, and signed by the Acting Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo.

But Dr K.B Asante on Asempa FMs Ekosii Sen programme on Friday said the Akufo-Addo-led government could have dismissed Dr Opuni in a nice way.

He indicated that a person who has spent years in the office should not be booted out like an ordinary person.

The educationist said the manner in which the former CEO of Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is being relieved of his post will court hatred for government.

Maybe Im old fashioned but I think this should have been done in a nice way but I wont be surprised 90 percent of the youth will disagree with me, he added.

In the future, KB Asante advised government to be circumspect in its letters and directives to people whose tenures expired with the erstwhile Mahama-led administration.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
14.01.2017 LISTEN

Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes (Peter Drucker).

A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CRISIS BUILDING UP IN THE GHANAIAN BODY POLITIC

While the newly elected Ghanaian president was happily reading out a plagiarized inaugural speech to the world, his misguided bands of marauding footsoldiers were on a rampage reportedly seizing state properties at will.

This well-planned rampage has been going on even post-inaugural in parts of the country as the new leadership of the country appears to be trapped on the comal bed of political inaction. The nations security institutions and those at the headships of these institutions appear to have gone to sleep also.

They are all sleeping on the job as these marauding hooligans and vigilantes take the law into their hands. Most significantly, and regrettably, national security does not appear to rank high on the hierarchical reckoning of these unpatriotic hooligans and vigilantes.

Yet security is a national issue not a partisan one. This is lost on the largely partisan marauding hooligans and vigilantes. Political stability is what Akufo-Addo needs in order to carry through his campaign promises. Thus, we cannot and should not entertain deviant behavior that will undermine any collective efforts geared toward stability and peace. This is extremely important.

Compromising the relative stability and peace the country enjoys today certainly will spell disaster for implementing progressive programs aimed at alleviating the excruciating burden of national suffering due to lack of jobs, high standard of living, unemployment, and mass poverty.

That is why a swift resolution of this marauding craze in parts of the country is urgently needed.

For Ghana already enjoys political freedom, so too is economic freedomboth in relative terms.

To rephrase this, we shall say that the fundamentals of political and economic freedoms are already in existence and thus chaos of any form will derail the countrys economic development, that is, throw the relationship between economic and political freedoms on the one hand and on the other, stability and peaceout of balance.

In this kind of atmosphere Akufo-Addos and the new administrations promised change will remain a pipedream. He does not want to want to have this terrible experience where this brewing crisis evolves into a stubborn situation.

It is here that Akufo-Addo must demonstrate the high quality, proactive, and visionary leadership he promised Ghanaians, to show Ghanaians that of all things he is more than capable of strong and moral leadership.

In other words, he must not desist from stamping his authority on these outliers who are also unabashed betrayers of the norm. He must do this immediately without equivocation. Akufo-Addo needs to do this to cover his rear.

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AS AN EXPRESSION OF COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves (Lao Tzu).

Effective leadership is holistic, holistic in that it does not revolve around the psychological-emotional island of one person or of a group of persons whose idiosyncratic temperaments singularly dictate to or are imposed on the subdued or neutralized generality of a critical mass merely for tactical and strategic purposes of political expedience and elitist marginalization of the ruled.

Effective leadership therefore constitutes a critical mass that pays obeisance to the operational integrality of the collective dignity of a people, who want to shape their collective destiny befitting their aspirations, history, common challenges and experiences, and social psychology, among other things.

In effect, effective leadership follows the appealing cosmology of pointillism in which every single point in an artistic narrative or space contributes to the collective aesthetic integrity of human creativity. In sum, therefore, effective leadership is a distributive network that must directly flow from a center or source of concentrated authority and power, a source fundamentally defined by the summative input or contributions of citizens to the wellspring of wakeful leadership.

What this in the larger scheme of things, in fine, also means is that Akufo-Addo does not exclusively define the character and social dynamics of leadership. We are hereby talking about devolution of power, more specifically delegation of power or decentralization of power, of institutions and so on. This essentially makes leadership in our opinion one of collective responsibility, a sort of great supply-chain-management responsibility which stands Akufo-Addo in the stead of a chaperoning figurehead one of whose primary constitutional mandates is to guarantee the safety of his Ghanaian citizens and public properties.

That figurehead must surely have a wakeful conscience, a wellspring of chaperoning qualmsin the execution of constitutional mandates. Leadership is therefore not necessarily about the exercise of coercive power or authority as in the case of the hooliganism and vigilantism these New Patriotic Partys footsoldiers are displaying, but how that leadership, a patriotic one, of course, adroitly manages its internal qualms of conscience in protecting the national interest.

That kind of leadership is fundamentally non-thetic in exercising the fullest continuum of its constitutional mandates. Unfortunately, power is so concentrated in the executive presidency to the extent that security institutions have to wait on the presidents express order before acting to restore or bring sanity into a country that is fast becoming relatively ungovernable. Duopoly and executive dominance add to this complexity.

Moreover, the leaderships of these security institutions became agents of political intimidation and dangerous instruments of partisan politics under the Mahama administration, just as they did under Rawlings and Kufuor, to the extent that they are gripped with, and possibly paralyzed by, fear that taking unilateral actions, however draconian, against the marauding footsoldiers of Akufo-Addo will not bode well for their post-election relationship with the new administration headed by Akufo-Addo.

They see arrogance of power and abuse of incumbency looming large on the horizon.

Why must the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Criminal Investigations Departments (CID), Ghana Police, the military and the intelligence community allow the so-called Invincible Forces to usurp their authority?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE PROBLEM OF REVISIONISM

It is important for all NPP members, especially the impatient youth, to understand and appreciate better, the character of President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo. He has demonstrated patience, integrity and courage in the face of difficult times and obstacles

But he allowed the will of the people and the laws of the land to have their way, reassessed and readjusted his plan, which eventually has seen him achieve his ambition to have the opportunity to serve the people, as the president.

The President believes in the rule of law. He believes in peace, honesty and fairness, and he leads by example. Through struggles and obstacles, President Nana Akufo-Addo exercised patience to bring him to the place he is today.

This is something the youth can look up to when acts of injustice seem like the answer. They should have faith in the government they voted for, and practice patience during hard times. Good things take time, and the best is yet to come (Statesman Opinion).

This Statesman Opinion piece does not generally reflect the true character of Akufo-Addo and the leadership of the NPP as some of us know it. In fact, it both whitewashes and sanitizes the historical records as far as the question of the predisposition of Akufo-Addos violent temperament is concerned.

We can recall with vivid detail how, for instance, he used his infamous All-Die-Be-Die war mantra to create a climate of fear in the nation and thus to coerce Ghanaians to make him the president, or else he turned the country into a bonfire of political uncertainty and ungovernability.

And we can also recall how Kennedy Agyapong reportedly egged on Akans (Asantes) to slaughter Gas and Ewes. Both genocidal statements sapped the political goodwill and capital of the NPP and its leadership, thereby forcing the party to tone down its trademark martial and violent rhetoric, a situation that made it possible for the party and its leadership to assume a saintly and angelic public face in the lead-up to the 2016 general elections. This deception may have worked.

The vigilante violence and justice which members of the Invincible Forces represent directly speaks to the violent predispositions of Akufo-Addo and of the rest of the leadership of the NPP. The marauding vandalism we are seeing today is a true reflection of the leadership of the NPP. The Serbian and South African mercenaries whom the leadership of the NPP and Akufo-Addo reportedly sneaked into the country did a very good job. Have we forgotten Montie 3 so soon?

The chickens have indeed come home to roost.

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS

Kennedy Agyapong, Nana Obiri Boahen, Sammy Awuku, and Freddie Blay have all condemned these marauding hooliganism and vigilantism.

The only regrettable aspect of these sweeping condemnations was when Blay recently revised his earlier position, by claiming among other things that the New Patriotic Partys footsoldiers were on a mission to protect state properties, a deeply worrying turn of events on the part of Blay.

Of course, Blays immature interpretation or version of events would have made these marauding hooligans and vigilantes patriotic citizens were it not for the fact that security personnel were, and still are, not doing their job.

Here is Awuku on the other hand:

These are condemnable actsWe want to put on record that Akufo-Addo will create enough space for jobsNobody should feel threatened that someone has to vacate before they can be employedIt is early days in our government, but trust the President to create jobs.

Was Akufo-Addo unemployed or jobless when he made the controversial All-Die-Be-Die war cry? Was Kennedy Agyapong unemployed or jobless when he drove Asantes to slaughter Ewes and Gas?

Certainly not. Thus Awukus elitist diversionary explanation will not wash. Should joblessness necessarily imply vandalism, hooliganism, and vigilantism? The idea of direct correlation between joblessness and violence seems to underpin Awukus childish, heartless explanation. This is why Ghanaian politics is characteristically replete with too much empty talk and hollow dreamswith less actionable deeds and strategic prudence in serious matters of political leadership.

On the other hand, Nana Obiri Boahens and Blays application of the politics of equalization to the brewing crisis situation is unfortunate, even despicable to say the least. The shifting positions of the general leadership of the NPP in this breach of national security may point to its intimate knowledge of the crisis situation but feigning ignorance of the root causes of the crisis situation.

That NDC brutalized NPP members when the former won the 2008 and 2012 general elections is a deeply regrettable and unforgivable incident. But the recriminations and counter-recriminations only worsen the present crisis situation and make its resolution far from reality. The NPP is doing it because the NDC did it. It does not pay to rub it in. Both parties are therefore caught in the web of the cycle of the politics of equalization.

Nevertheless, to get to the bottom of the root causes of this condemnable crisis situation means that the authorities must convincingly, forensically rule out members of the NDC as being behind the crisis of vandalism, hooliganism, and vigilantism. We can only hope that extreme partisan politics does not undermine this effort, for pent-up anger and frustrations do not make for vandalism.

REFERENCES

Ghanaweb. They Are Protecting State PropertyFreddie Blay Defends Rampaging NPP Youth. January 12, 2017.

Statesman Opinion. NPP Members Should Reflect Akufo-Addo's Character. January 13, 2017.
Bamako (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande said Friday that those battling jihad in Africa and the Middle East were like France part of "the same fight" against extremism.

Hollande spoke ahead of a summit with African leaders in Mali with the fight against extremists, the struggle to improve governance and the migrant crisis high on the agenda.

Mali had called on France four years ago to help force jihadist fighters out of key northern cities. To this day, 4,000 French troops remain in the country and across the Sahel region.

"It's the same fight, the same stakes," Hollande said while meeting troops in Gao, the fractious city in northern Mali that is home to a French military base.

"The terrorists who attack our land, who commit acts on our soil, are allied with those who are in the Levant, in Iraq and Syria, but here as well, in the Sahel," Hollande said.

Earlier his foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault urged African nations to deal with the security threats they face but also to look at how development was progressing.

Ministers from at least 30 nations met in Mali's capital Bamako Friday in advance of the arrival of heads of state to the Africa-France summit on Saturday.

Many of the nations attending the gathering were once colonies of France, which in recent years has boosted its military involvement on the continent.

In a bid to help crush the growing jihadist threat, France has trained more than 20,000 African soldiers every year since a Paris summit in 2013

In a bid to help crush the jihadist threat, France has trained more than 20,000 African soldiers every year since 2013, according to a French diplomatic source.

By 2020 the number of French-trained troops is expected to reach 25,000 a year.

The training drive aims to minimise the need for direct military interventions in African conflicts, such as those launched in Mali and the Central African Republic in 2013.

However the situation in key nations such as Mali remains far from stable.

Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said the jihadist threat did not only impact security, but governance and the economy as well.

"Terrorist groups operate in several countries," Barry said. "If we want to attract investment... we have to work on peace and security for our nations."

Democracy vs. security?

President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia initially acknowledged defeat in December presidential polls but later backtracked and lodged a legal case to trigger new elections

Heads of state and diplomats at the talks will also discuss a string of recent political crises in African nations.

Among them is The Gambia, where President Yahya Jammeh is seeking to stay in power after his December 1 election defeat, despite pressure from his African peers.

Another concern is unrest in Democratic Republic of Congo, where President Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down has sparked a political crisis.

Analysts however have been critical of the French government's failure to follow through on pledges to scale down alliances with strongman leaders.

Though Hollande had vowed to put an end to Africa-linked practices branded as neocolonial, the country's involvement in the battle against jihadists has left his government deeply entrenched in the continent.

"The focus on security has made it necessary to maintain alliances with governments that don't necessarily have good human rights records," said researcher Philippe Hugon.

Hugon noted the examples of Chad, ruled by strongman Idriss Deby for nearly three decades, and other west African nations leading the fight against Boko Haram insurgents, but which are mired in corruption.

Migrant flow

While an EU-Turkey deal in place since March has largely capped the migrant influx into Greece, arrivals on Italy's shores of mainly African asylum seekers have spiked

Leaders meeting in Bamako will also discuss the huge flow of migrants from Africa to Europe, a diplomatic source said.

While European nations have pledged to increase aid to Africa in hopes of stemming economic migration trends, France is expected to sharply up its own pledges at the summit.

A French diplomatic source said Paris is expected to increase its annual aid and loan commitments to African nations by one billion euros to five billion ($5.3 billion) over the next three years.

While an EU-Turkey deal in place since March last year has largely capped the migrant influx into Greece, arrivals on Italy's shores of mainly African asylum seekers have spiked.
The Police administration has vowed to deal with persons involved in post election violence.

Several cases of post election and post inauguration violence have been reported across the country.

Supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been blamed for the attacks for allegedly attacking opponents and vandalizing state and private properties.

They have also reportedly taken over state facilities like toll booths and public toilets claiming that they are protecting it for the their party, the NPP, which is now in power.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, the Superintendent of Police Cephas Arthur said the police have made some arrests and will not relent on its efforts to deal with all miscreants without respect for their party affiliation, arguing that crime has no colours.

In all cases where perpetrators are at large the Police shall continue to pursue them until they are arrested to face the law.The Police has presently deployed personnel to vital state installations and some state institutions which are targets of these attacks and invasions to protect them, he said.

He further stated that the Service has also intensified its patrol and intelligence to ensure maximum security for all lives and properties.

Moreover, the action units are also standing by to respond to any emergency situations to prevent or stop any act of criminality, he added.

He further assured Ghanaians that efforts are being made to maintain law and order in the country.

The leadership of the NPP has already condemned reported attacks on members of the NDC perpetrated by some of its supporters.

This followed a directive from former President John Mahama to the security agencies to arrest supporters of the NPP who vandalize government properties or attack supporters of the NDC.

But a recent press conference, the National Democratic Congreshas asked Ghanaians t o hold President Nana Akufo-Addo responsible for any mayhem which may arise as a result of the attacks on their members.

According to the party, the current President has failed to stop members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who have allegedly been attacking their members without any provocation.



By: Caleb Kudah & Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Friday took the controversial step of easing economic sanctions against Sudan, trying to improve relations with a country whose leader is accused of war crimes and links to terror.

Obama informed Congress that he will lift trade and investment sanctions against Khartoum after a six-month probation period, although Sudan will still be designated a state sponsor of terrorism.

An end to fighting in Sudan's hotspots -- the Darfur region, as well as in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states -- had been set as a precondition for sanctions being lifted.

The outgoing president noted "a marked reduction in offensive military activity, culminating in a pledge to maintain a cessation of hostilities in conflict areas in Sudan."

He also recognized "steps toward the improvement of humanitarian access throughout Sudan, as well as cooperation with the United States on addressing regional conflicts and the threat of terrorism."

Sudan was labelled a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its support for Islamist groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

President Bill Clinton ordered the bombing of a factory in Sudan that intelligence suggested was being used to by Al-Qaeda to manufacture a nerve agent, a claim the owners denied vociferously.

The US government believes Khartoum's terror ties have ebbed, but sanctions have remained amid its scorched-earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur.

According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million were displaced since that conflict began in 2003.

The country's long-time leader President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

"This action does not affect our policy with regard to those subject to International Criminal Court arrest warrants," a senior administration official told AFP. "Or our support for justice for victims of crimes in that conflict."

"We continue to call for all those responsible for the horrific crimes committed in Darfur to be held accountable for their actions," the official said.

'Inexplicable'

Obama's announcement prompted outrage from rights groups.

"The Obama administration's decision to 'ease' sanctions is inexplicable," said Leslie Lefkow of Human Rights Watch.

"Sudan's government has failed to make progress on core benchmarks, from its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and other conflict zones, to its extensive repression of independent voices."

The measures mean that Sudanese assets will be unblocked and business transactions will now be permitted.

"Treasury's sanctions are aimed at encouraging a change in behavior, and in the case of Sudan, our sanctions were intended to pressure the government of Sudan to change the way it treats its people,' said the Treasury Department's Adam Szubin, noting progress.

Sudan welcomed the US decision as a "positive and important" development in relations with Washington.

Foreign ministry spokesman Ghariballah Khidir said the decision was a "natural result of joint efforts and long and frank discussions."

Khidir said Khartoum was "determined to pursue its cooperation with the United States until Sudan is removed from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism."
14.01.2017 LISTEN

By Ken Sackey, GNA

Accra, Jan. 13, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Friday left Accra for Bamako, Mali to join other African leaders for the 27th France-Africa Summit.

This is the President's first official foreign trip as President of the Republic of Ghana. He will use the occasion to introduce himself to the Francophone world.

President Akufo-Addo is expected back in Accra on Saturday, January 14, 2017. He was accompanied by His wife, Rebecca.

The France-Africa Summit is a platform aimed at strengthening ties between France and African nations.

The two-day Summit which is under the theme : "Patriotism, Peace and Emergence", will seek to boost the integration process, as well as enhance cooperation between the 30 countries that would be attending the meeting.

The Summit is expected to address issues affecting France and Africa, particularly migration, peace and security, terrorism, human and drug trafficking, cyber crime among other issues.

GNA
By Edwina Ocansey, GNA

Accra, Jan. 13, GNA - Mr John Donkor, the Public Relations Officer of Accra Arts Centre, has called on government to assist in promoting the local arts and crafts industry.

Mr Donkor said some members of the public still held superstitious beliefs about indigenous arts and crafts and this has militated against the patronage and growth of the industry.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, he said Ghanaian culture needed to be promoted through education.

Mr Donkor said education about the importance of African handicrafts and art would help discard the negative perceptions about such products.

'Most Ghanaians have the mentality that some handicrafts bring evil spirits when worn so many Ghanaians don't like patronising such products', Mr Donkor said.

He appealed to government to collaborate with the organisation during its various activities such as Art Fairs and Exhibitions adding that, when the government is able to work with them it will enable the international market to recognise them and this would in turn create more job opportunities for the youth.

Mr Donkor said a reduction in hotel and airline taxes would not only attract more tourists but it would increase patronage as some of these tourists buy some of the arts and craft products.

He also called on financial institutions to construct a debit card machine at the gate to help facilitate financial transactions in the vicinity.

Mr Donkor also called for support as the Arts Centre seeks to rebrand itself to attract more patrons.

GNA
14.01.2017 LISTEN

By Isaac Newton Tetteh, GNA

Ashaiman, Jan 13, GNA - SEND-Ghana, a non-governmental organization has challenged Ghanaians to track the implementation of budget allocation by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in their localities.

Mrs Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, Programme Officer of SEND-Ghana, who gave the challenge said it was about time citizens took keen interest in the implementation of developmental projects budgeted for by the various MMDAs.

Mrs Agyemang explained that by so doing, officials of the assemblies who have the mandate to develop the districts would leave up to expectation and perform effectively and efficiently.

She made the call on Wednesday in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the sidelines of a day's seminar on budget implementation for stakeholders at Ashaiman.

She said it was therefore imperative to raise the literacy awareness of the citizens to fully empower them to participate in the preparation of the districts' budgets and its implementation.

The SEND-Ghana Programme Officer added that her outfit therefore organized the seminar, which was targeted at two thematic areas, Health and Education, which were sensitive areas.

It was also to educate stakeholders on how budget allocations to those sectors were being implemented in Ashaiman.

She indicated that the SEND-GHANA outreach programme was a four -year project targeting 30 districts in four regions across the country and currently running in seven districts in the Greater Accra Region.

This project is being funded by the World Bank under the Global Partnership for Social Accountability.

Mr Michael Agyemang, Ashaiman Municipal Planning Officer in a presentation, educated participants on procedures to be followed in the preparation of MMDAs composite budget.

Mr Agyemang explained that a four-year Medium Term Development Plan(MTDP) was prepared, out of which an Annual Action Plan would be derived for implementation within one year.

He further outlined the various developmental projects the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) had undertaken over the years some of which included, health posts, CHPS compound, school blocks, and police post.

He however added that ASHMA faced a number of challenges in the implementation of its budget which included inadequate funds, irregular cash flow, inadequate lands for development and poor attitude of some contractors.

Mr Agyemang appealed to participants to show much commitment in playing their role as responsible citizens to help the Assembly to bring the needed developments to their communities.

GNA
By Nana Osei Kyeretwie, GNA

Sunyani, Jan. 13, GNA - The Right Reverend Dr. Festus Yeboah Asuamah, the Anglican Bishop of Sunyani has called for unity and hard work among Ghanaians to speed up holistic national development.

He said the peaceful free and fair Election 2016 was 'the act of God', saying Ghana was the winner because by divine providence it had gone through a peaceful transition.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Asuamah gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) as part of his New Year message to Ghanaians on Saturday in Sunyani.

He said both the government and the opposition were therefore expected to work accordingly in uniting Ghanaians to ensure political stability and socio-economic progress.

The Anglican Bishop however pointed out that government's efforts to meet the hopes and aspirations of the populace could only be fulfilled with the total support of the citizenry based on the fear of God, love for Ghana, hard work and commitment to duty.

He emphasised the need for government appointees and functionaries to be disciplined, transparent and accountable in the discharge of their respective duties whilst the opposition, especially its members in parliament must perform in the supreme interest of the nation.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Asuamah appealed to traditional rulers, religious and opinion leaders in the various communities to contribute their quota towards helping the government to govern the country efficiently.

He stated that they could do that through efforts such as preventing tribal conflicts and also assisting the Judicial Committees of the Regional Houses of Chiefs to ensure amicable settlements of pending chieftaincy disputes that had become chronic in some traditional areas.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Asuamah called on the Judiciary to help the government with fair and speedy adjudication of land litigations in particularly the urban areas, saying if every individual and the various segments of the society played their part well, peaceful environment would prevail for the government to deliver successfully according her manifesto promises.

He said the resultant effect could be availability of job opportunities for wealth creation for the people to afford utility services and other basic needs, large access to education and opening up of the rural areas for development through industrialisation to curtail rural-urban migration.

GNA
Accra, Jan 13, GNA - The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has hailed Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh on his nomination as the Education Minister and pledged to work with him to progress education for national development.

It also commended the other nominees announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and promised to collaborate with them on issues of mutual national interest.

A statement signed jointly by Mr Luqman Abubakar and Mr Kwasi Frimpong, President and Press and Information Secretary, respectively, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said:

'We state categorically that we are ready to work with Dr Opoku Prempeh as the sector minister and all ministers in this current government.'

The leadership of NUGS said the interest and welfare of the Ghanaian students both in the country and abroad should be his priority.

'NUGS believe strongly that the interest and welfare of the Ghanaian student (s) both in the country and abroad shall be your utmost priority dating back to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where you served students in the capacity as KNUST's local NUGS President,' the statement said.

Dr Opoku Prempeh was born on May 23, 1968 and comes from Pakyi No. 2 in the Ashanti Region.

The 49-year old medical doctor is a member of the Glasgow Royal College of Surgeons and was twice the local NUGS President of KNUST.

Meanwhile, the Women's Commissioner of NUGS, Miss Naomi Tawiah, on behalf of the Union, has congratulated Madam Djaba on her nomination as the Minister of Women and Children's Affairs.

'As a Commission, that is so concerned about Women Empowerment and the need for Gender Equity, it is our firm believe that her appointment will inure to the ultimate benefit of women, and most especially the vulnerable girl child,' the Commission stated.

The Women's Commissioner urged Madam Djaba to prioritise scholarship schemes for Girl-child Education and for young females who faced challenges in their Education.

She should also seek to handle the numerous issues that were impeding the Education of the Ghanaian girl-child.

The Union also lauded the female ministerial nominees and Members of Parliament for their feat and wished them well.

GNA
Accra, Jan 13, GNA - Konka Promotions and Young Achievers International, an Accra based marketing firm, has held a donation exercise dubbed 'Hope on the street' for the less privileged persons at Nima Market.

The items donated valued at GH680.00 included packs of fried rice, drinks, packs of biscuits, baby wipes, packs of tinned milk and bags of rice.

Beneficiaries of the donation included street children, homeless persons, head potters, truck pushers and the physically challenged.

Ms Jennifer Dzifa Morttey, Chief Executive Officer of the Konka Promotions and Young Achievers International, said the organisation considered it a necessity to put smiles on the faces of the poor and the needy, hence the donation.

Ms Morttey thanked all contributors who supported the exercise and said: 'the exercise was a success'.

Some of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation and appealed to the organisation to continue the good work since the items would help them in numerous ways.

The marketing firm offers services in the promotion of music audios, videos, plans events and television and radio adverts.

It also deals in video shooting and photography, website designing, providing marketing plans and strategies for companies.

GNA
14.01.2017 LISTEN

By D.I Laary/Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA

Accra, Jan. 13, GNA - IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has expressed some reservations over the number of ministries created by the new government and called for a merger of the new portfolios with the existing ministries to save cost.

Mr Franklin Cudjoe, the President of the Policy Think Tank, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview, that though the President explained the rationale behind the creation of the various ministries, he could still consolidate them to achieve his purpose.

'I believe that the Special Development Initiative Ministry for instance was created to take care of the One-constituency (the One-million dollars policy) while the Inner City and Zongo Development will cater for the Zongo Development Fund, ''he said.

Mr Cudjoe said as much as it's a good idea to create the Ministry of Business Development, government could have merged it with the Ministry of Trade while the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture could also be merged with the Ministry of Agriculture and appoint a Director to handle it.

The Ministry of Water and Sanitation could also be consolidated into the Transport Ministry since they both play similar roles, he said.

Mr Cudjoe said though the creation of the new ministries was geared towards fulfilling the promises made to Ghanaians in the electioneering period, it should not be done at the expense of the economy.

The Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's government has so far created six additional ministries comprising Special Development Initiatives, Planning and Inner City and Zongo Development.

The rest are Business Development, Regional Re-organisation Development, and Monitoring and Evaluation.

So far, there are 36 ministries with equivalent number of ministers nominated to head them and this some governance experts believe that it would swell government's expenditure and be a drain on the national economy.

President Akufo-Addo, in explaining the reasons for the creation of the new ministries, said it intended to restructure the governance system so as to ensure efficiency in the public sector and bring governance to the doorsteps of the people.

With regard to the number of females ministers nominated so far, he said, Government was on course to achieving its 30 percent female appointments into the public sector as promised by the New Patriotic Party during the 2016 elections.

He expressed optimism that more females would be nominated as Deputy Ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Executives in subsequent ministerial announcements

GNA
14.01.2017 LISTEN

By Albert Futukpor, GNA

Tamale, Jan. 13, GNA - Alhaji Abdul Razak Saani, Northern Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has criticized the crave to make wealth through serving the country instead of working to ensure development.

He said some people entered politics purposely to loot the country but not to necessarily work towards her (country) development.

He was speaking during the Northern Regional Scout Dialogue Seminar held in Tamale to build the capacity of scouts to promote peaceful dialogue in communities in Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions to ensure peace.

The seminar, attended by about 30 scouts drawn from Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, formed part of the project dubbed: 'Ghana Scouts Dialogue for Peace in 2016 and beyond' being implemented by the Ghana Scout Association.

The project is targeted to reach a number of 'hot spots or flash points' through dialogue sessions of the different factions of electorates and political party members.

Alhaji Saani was happy that President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has served notice of working to protect the national purse saying this would deter people with the mindset of making wealth through serving the state to desist from such acts.

He called on all to dedicate themselves to serving the interest of the country saying all must be active citizens to play their civic roles effectively to promote the country's development.

Alhaji Saani condemned the acts of some supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to forcefully takeover some state institutions following the party's victory in the December general election saying such acts were an affront to the democratic gains of the country.

He called on all to tolerate one another and respect the laws of the country for democracy to flourish.

Reverend Father Thaddeus Kuusah, Northern Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, spoke about conflict in communities and its effects calling on all to tolerate opposing views for peaceful coexistence.

Mr Victor Atipagah, Member of Africa Scout Committee, expressed the hope that the project would help prevent pockets of violence being recorded after the December 7 election.

GNA
By D.I. Laary, GNA

Accra, Jan. 13, GNA - Mr Frank Aboagye Danyansah, the Chief Executive Officer of Danywise Estate and Construction, has called for an amendment of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Tax Exemption for real estates.

He said this tax exemption favours only developers venturing into affordable housing.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Friday, Mr Danyansah also called for the reduction of the five per cent tax on real estates to encourage more private developers into the ailing sector that experts say requires $34 billion dollars capital injection to bridge the demand and supply gap.

He expressed the belief that encouraging private participation in the country's housing sector would help close the widening deficit, which is pegged at around 1.7 million units and projected to reach two million by 2018.

'Now Government has created a Ministry that will largely focus on housing, for which we have been longing,' he said adding that 'giving priority to the housing sector is a good move but the incoming Minister must work to reduce the five per cent tax on real estate'.

There is the need to amend the GRA tax exemption on Real Estate 2010,' he said, explaining that a portion of the law was 'solely at the discretion of the [sector] Minister in consultation with the Minister of Finance, and that creates an avenue for corruption.'

'That tax law should, therefore, be changed,' he said.

GNA
By A.B. Kafui Kanyi, GNA

Kpetoe (V/R), Jan. 13, GNA - Mr George Blankson, Commissioner General, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has commissioned a new administration block and two other infrastructural projects for the Ghana Revenue Academy at Kpetoe.

The two other projects are dormitories and lecture halls, all estimated at GHC 12.6 million.

He said the projects were aimed at making the Academy a model revenue university in the West African sub-region.

Mr Blankson said the Authority was gradually being positioned to serve the tax-payer better and called for support from all.

He commended the traditional authorities of Agotime-Kpetoe for releasing land to the Academy and also expressed appreciation to Maripoma Enterprise Limited and other contractors for executing the project on schedule.

Mr Junior Appiah Warden, GRA Academy Commandant, said the Academy was inching towards a centre of excellence in offering training in revenue administration and thanked the GRA management for its foresight.

He said the completion of an Information Communication Technology laboratory, conference halls and cafeteria would make the Academy a preferred choice for many.

Nene Nuer Keteku III, Konor of Agotime, in a speech read on his behalf, commended GRA for making maximum use of the land.

GNA
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in December 2015 that the global incidence of malaria had finally been slowed, thanks in large part to a massive rollout of mosquito nets, anti-malaria medicines and indoor residual spraying of insecticides. The news was particularly welcome in Africa, where the disease has been the deadliest.

Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female anopheles mosquitoes.

Between 2000 and 2015, malaria mortality rates in Africa fell by 66% among all age groups. Among children under five, who are the most vulnerable to the disease, fatalities fell by 71%, from 694,000 to 292,000 deaths, during the same period.

Progress in the use of mosquito nets has been impressive. WHO data shows that in 2000, just 2% of the 667 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa at that time slept under mosquito nets. By 2015, more than half of Africas 1 billion people were using bed nets.

In addition, Margaret Chan, the director-general of WHO, wrote in the foreword of the World Malaria Report 2015 that a rapid expansion in diagnostic testing and the availability of antimalarial medicines has allowed many more people to benefit from timely and appropriate treatment.

A coordinated approach

Efforts to prevent malaria have also resulted in significant health care cost savings. Sub-Saharan countries saved up to $900 million on the costs of malaria case management between 2001 and 2014, notes the world health body. Mosquito nets represented the biggest cost savings, followed by artemisinin-based combination drug therapies (ACTs) and indoor residual spraying.

An ACT consists of an artemisinin-based compound combined with a drug from a different class. Medical experts recommend the use of a combination of drugs because using one drug can speed up the development of drug resistance in parasites.

Much progress in the malaria fight has been the result of global partnerships and funding schemes established in 2000. A notable partnership is the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative, which was set up by WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. Under the RBM, over 500 development groups, private- and public-sector organizations and research and academic institutions have pooled their resources and expertise to fight the disease.

High-profile partnerships are effective, as they put pressure on governments to fight diseases, stated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an American public health institute, in a 2011 report.

The report commended leaders in malaria-endemic countries for their commitment to treating malaria control as a national priority, as they agreed to do under the 2001 Abuja Declaration and Frameworks for Action on Roll Back Malaria and the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Funding for malaria programmes has reached unprecedented levels. Money has come in through schemes such as the US Presidents Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Global financing for malaria control increased from $960 million in 2005 to $2.5 billion in 2014, according to WHOs World Malaria Report 2015.

The road to elimination

Yet despite recent progress the fight is far from over. Africa, the epicentre of the disease, is still vulnerable. Last year 88% of the 214 million cases and 90% of the 438,000 malaria deaths reported worldwide occurred in the WHO African region. The region includes Algeria but excludes Sudan and Somalia.

While malaria is no longer the leading cause of death of children under the age of five in Africa (pneumonia is), the disease still threatens the young, killing a child every two minutes, according to non-profit organization Malaria No More. Progress made in African countries has also been uneven.

Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Eritrea and Swaziland have all experienced sharp decreases in malaria cases, while just two countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, account for more than 35% of all malaria deaths worldwide. Of these two, Nigeria, Africas most populous nation, faces greater risk. Some 100,000 Nigerians die from malaria every year, states Malaria Consortium, a non-profit organization fighting the disease.

The Nigerian government has launched a national malaria elimination programme, ramping up the distribution of mosquito nets and access to drug therapies, and expanding a plan for vector management.

Cote dIvoire, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda also have high incidences of malaria. Countries with swampy terrain and humid weather are fertile breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. In addition, weak public health systems and conflict mean that many patients do not have access to treatment or malaria-prevention tools.

More monitoring and research

Dr. Christian Happi, a leading malaria researcher from Cameroon, says donors and aid groups need to move beyond distributing malaria control tools and focus more on monitoring how they are used.

Many groups talk about the number of drugs and mosquito nets they have provided. Numbers make a good public relations campaign, Dr. Happi, who specialises in molecular biology and genetics, said in an interview with Africa Renewal. Are we keeping track of how these tools are used? The answer is no.

While more than 1 billion mosquito nets have been distributed in sub-Saharan Africa since 2000, there are doubts about whether people are using them properly. The New York Times published a story in 2015 revealing that impoverished fishermen in Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia were using mosquito nets as makeshift fishing nets.

One of the biggest hindrances to eliminating malaria in Africa is the prevalence of monotherapy, the use of only one drug to fight malaria. Although public health experts have warned that monotherapies can lead to drug resistance in parasites, the practice continues in many countries.

Dr Happi says African countries lack the robust monitoring systems needed to study drug resistance in parasites. Behaviours of parasites change all the time. We need to collect blood samples and study them periodically. But African countries lack the resources to do this.

Although progress in the fight against malaria in Africa is undeniable, experts insist its leaders should maintain the same determination that has brought recent successes.
The Minister Designate in charge of Education, Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has stated that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo led New Patriotic Party Government will restore the teacher and nursing trainees allowances this year.

According the minister who is popularly referred to as Napo, this is going to be in the first budget that will be prepared this year.

The minister made this known today when the leadership of the National Union of Ghana Students paid a courtesy call on him at his office to discuss issues bothering on Education in the country.

The leadership of NUGS visited the minister designate to discuss pertinent issues that bothers on Education even before he assumes office as the substantive Minister of Education.

The leadership of NUGS and the minister designate discussed several other issues which include the payment of utility bills by tertiary Students, the 25 cooperate tax on private universities, the GETFund among others things.

Issued by:

Kwasi Frimpong

Press and Information Secretary
I see myself as an open minded person. I am always opened to new ideas. I can tell everyone that I have followed my curiosity to read various scriptures in the Koran. And I think that I should encourage every Christian to read the Koran.

Like many in our generation who have been listening to the Revered man of God notable messages, I have also been listening to his messages for many years now.

Although, the Catholic church offers very rich sermons and teachings for its faithfuls, available on various media , I have, like many , enjoyed listening to the pastor's messages on his advertised program on radio and TV .

At one point, it was almost like an addiction to me.I wouldn't miss it after the midday news on the FM station.

You see, the pastor's message has a certain appeal. It is elevating. It tries to restore hope to almost everyone who is frustrated with the way we have done things and have been doing things in this part of the world. It is one of the best motivational messages one can find.

But that is what it is. A MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE. What the Pastor's message misses is the theme of Christ and what Christ represents.

I had come to this revelation on the Pastor's messages after I listened to his message on 'Jesus Triumphant Entry Into Jerusalem'; popularly known as 'Palm Sunday'.

As a Catholic, the celebration of The Passion of Christ' which normally begins on a ' Palm Sunday' event, is the heart of our belief in the savior Jesus Christ.

I was taught at catechism that the Catholic celebration that starts on Palm Sunday, to Holy Thursday, to Good Friday , and climaxing on Easter Sunday marks the very foundation of the Catholic faith and I guess all Christians. My Catholic teachings tell me that without these events happening as told , there wouldn't be any meaning to our faith as Christians.

And so for me to hear my favorite teacher on God's word preaching a message on Christ entry into Jerusalem like a lecture on leadership and leadership corporate goals, I was scandalized. I was so horrified. I wanted to seek an immediate confession to absolve myself from carnal content that defiles everything I am.

After this trauma, I began to reflect on everything I have heard him preach on. It suddenly occurred to me that the Pastor is shy preaching 'The Christ Crude Message'. He cannot see himself reading ' John 3: 16 to his audience. He cannot tell them that ' For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, so whoever believe in him, would not perish'. The pastor thinks retelling this message to his audience would make them feel bored in the church.

The Pastor doesn't want to sound like Rev . Obinim or Rev. Kumchacha. He does not want to be heard sharing the same message with them. He carves his own message around the Christ message.

I must say I have no malicious intention against him. He is a phenomenon that our generation and the next to come must study. But somehow I think there is something not right about his message. That is if he seeks to preach the Christ message.

I hope I am wrong. I will surely yield myself to a confession and seek absolution if this write- up in the end turns to be blasphemous. God help me.

PAUL ZOWONU

TUTOR- ACCRA
Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources has dismissed claims that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is sidelining a particular group of people in his ministerial appointments.

John Peter Amewu who is the Volta Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Patry (NPP) says there are more appointments to come with Deputy ministerial nominees and Chairman of Boards of institutions yet to be named.

So far, there have been two nominees; Mr Amewu and Kofi Dzamesi, from the Volta Region where the NPP had a great showing at the polls in the last election.

The President's appointments was greeted with lots of debate on social media some many Ghanaians questioned the regional balance of the nomination.

Top among the questions being asked was the few number of nominees from the Volta Region against the backdrop of the NPP being accused of being an Akan's only party.

Speaking on Joy FM's Ghana Connect programme Friday, vociferous Amewu said it is time Ghanaians look at the appointments in terms of regional development as stipulated by the Constitution than ethnicity consideration.

"Irrespective of the ethnic group that lives in whichever region, attention is given to it by the government to the benefit of the region," he said disagreeing with claims of NPP being Akan-based.

He added that if the appointments are considered for the purpose of balance if must equate proportionality.

However, first time Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George rebutted saying the appointments does not reflect regionalism as Mr Amewu is claiming.

The former presidential staffer said, as a Ga-Adagme, he is going to get "agitated if I see eight appointments from the Ashanti Region and nine from the Eastern Region."

But Mr Amewu stated that is important is for the people of the region to gain the development agenda as promised by the NPP in it's manifesto.

He said to relay the development agenda, government must do it through the people so it lessens the burden and extend more hands to the people considering their population.

"You don't put two people to help solve the development agenda of three million people and send two people to address the problem of six hundred people.

"Their competence and ability to deliver must be the overriding point to consider and not where they come from," he said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
The Christian Council says the peace of the nation would be jeopardised if violent attacks and seizures of state institutions allegedly perpetrated by some youth of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are not stopped.

Council General Secretary, Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni Frimpong said these reprisal attacks bleed the "wounds" suffered by some people following the defeat of former President John Mahama in the 2016 general elections.

Speaking to Prince Minkah, host of Joy FM's Top Story programme Friday, the clergyman said the governing NPP should concentrate on how it would rally Ghanaians behind its policies and not to divide them.

"We have a problem. This nation has wounds and hurt and the way to go is not equalization," he said.

Related Article: NPP's Invincible Forces 'takeover' Passport office?

Some NPP youth have been on rampage after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was declared as the winner of the 2016 presidential poll. These attacks were repeated after the inauguration of the President on January 7.

Toll booths, state institutions were seized in some areas in the country, and some public workers driven out of their offices with a stern warning for them not to return. Some of the attackers identified themselves to be members of the NPP's Invincible Forces.

The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and National Disaster Management Office (NADMO) in Sagnerigu district were put under lock and key by some youth of the NPP. It took the presence of security personnel for calm to return to the Region, he said.

Related Article: Rampaging Tamale NPP youth invade, lock up NHIS, YEA, NADMO offices

At Boodi in the Western Region, NPP youth forced their way into the offices of the National Health Insurance (NHIS) in the district.

District Director of NHIS Samuel Mintah told Joy News the youth assaulted some of his staff and vandalised properties belong to the institution.

The Rattray Park situated in Kumasi was stormed by at least 30 youth who identified themselves as members of the NPP Patriots, a group said to be part of the party's security wing.

Related Article: Prosecution of NPP supporters; Traditional Council wants out of court settlement

The Passport Office in Accra was also besieged by some NPP youth demanding to be told how the office is run. Director of Passport, Alexander Grant told Joy News the men drove into the office in NPP branded vehicles and said they would provide security for the institution.

Pressure has been mounted on the President to call the NPP youth to order and the police to arrest the youth who are perpetrating the heinous crimes.

At a news conference in Accra Friday, Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Cephas Arthur said the police have made some arrest since the incidents started.

He said the attacks are on a "sour taste in mouths of well meaning members of the public," pledging heightened police surveillance in the country.

But Dr Opuni Frimpong said the attacks should not have happened considering the nation pulled out a violence free election and a smooth transition process.

"We have to know that we are past elections. We are into governance and the President has assured the nation that he is a president for all people," he said.

"We can't continue transferring these into the future and the way is to allow law and order to prevail in the country," he added.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | [email protected]
As it turns out, under President Akufo Addo's IPEP, (i.e., the $1M Per Constituency program), every resident in Greater Accra would receive just 54% of what those in Upper West would receive. On the other hand, every resident in Ashanti Region would receive just 63% of what those in Upper West would receive...Many people now hyping "decentralization" may of course not quarrel with Greater Accra receiving just 54% of what Upper West (winner) receives. However, we are not entirely sure how that inequity must apply to Ashanti Region (biggest loser by -$6,296,458.00)...Under this scheme, other losers include Western...Central...Volta...Without any other considerations or adjustments, Ashanti, Greater Accra, Western, and Central all get screwed by the NPP under their own plan for infrastructure development in Unitary Ghana...You must take or give...However, when we take or give, regions are not going to get "the equivalent of $1M" based even on the number of "constituencies"...And, there will be additional cost, including administration, which they've not talked about...We estimate administrative costs alone to be 1.5% - 5% of the total allocation of $275M, in addition..., if professionally run, (i.e., without corruption, waste, etc)....What Option (A, B, or C) must the Akufo Addo government take?...", Prof Lungu, 12 Jan 17).

In this final paper (Parts I, II, and III will be published as one paper at www.GhanaHero.Com, shortly*), we present more data. We show that in addition to constitutional muster, conceptually, going strictly by what has been communicated about the cash payments, the $1 million-per-voting district- per-year program is a deeply flawed talk-talk. That is, if President Akufo Addo and Vice President Bawumia still want Ghanaians to believe in the promise they made.

It can be done.

And President Akufo Addo and Dr. Bawumia can call the program whatever they want. The program is listed as the "Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) in the 2016 NPP Manifesto. But, everybody knows the program as $1M Per Constituency Payments, including those who do not understand the difference between a "Voting District" and an "Administrative District".

Oddly, having taken all the funds in the name of "Constituents", President Akufo Addo will turn over those funds to an additional new layer of government, namely, "three Development Authorities - Northern Belt, Middle Belt, and Coastal Belt". In practice, these "authorities will not develop any resource. Rather, they will re-distribute those funds from existing central source to the "constituents" who can build pretty much any infrastructure. The most charitable we can say of the scheme is that it is a mighty duplicative way to run Ghana. While those 3 new agencies will now spread across every corner of Ghana, Akufo Addo this week has announced his intent to also create at least 4 more regions. In addition, he has actually ordered the creation of at least 12 new ministries (among them Special Development Initiatives, Planning, Inner City and Zongo Development, Business Development, Regional Reorganisation, Development, Monitoring and Evaluation Ministry, etc,). However, not one of those 12 new ministries were mentioned in the 2016 NPP Manifesto.

Whatever they call the $1M per voting district scheme, it would require (1) authority for the scheme be derived from the Constitution of Ghana, and (2) adjustments be made to ensure Regions and their Administrative Districts (and the number of people in the Regions, most of all), not "voting districts, are the ultimate targets, by law and administrative direction.

All of Akufo Addo-Bawumiaa conundrum with respect to the $1 million-per-voting district is explained in the simple data we present in this final paper.

21ST CENTURY GLOBAL AGE REQUIRES MORE DATA THAN TALK-TALK:

In the previous papers we established that next to getting the area of analysis (Administrative Districts for instance, vice Voting Districts) correct, it is also crucial to utilize the appropriate unit of analysis for the needs and deficiencies we seek to assist, that is PEOPLE who live in COMMUNITIES (not voters on the Electoral Commission's list).

A "voting district" is not a "place"!

A "voting district" is at bottom a partisan device once outside the purview of the peoples' Electoral Commission, and outside the hands of objective people.

Akufo Addo's New Patriotic Party (NPP) has absolutely no right to employ "Voting Constituencies" for the purpose they've announced.

It is people and communities, stupid!

The argument is simply this: As much as possible, after everything is said and done, and without regard to "voters", every woman, man, and child in each Region ought to receive the same amount, per capita. Further, it is precisely due to this fundamental imperative that the sum of $275,000,000 per annum is not entirely accurate or complete, even for 275 Voting Districts, which as we've noted is inappropriate to use. That imperative recognizes that the size of the populations differ whatever unit of analysis we us.

And in addition, there will surely be administrative cost(s) related to distribution of all that cash, (i.e., program management, if you will).

If you've only allocated $275M and you've told Ghana that everyone on of the 275 constituency will get $1M, you have not included the cost for administration. That is, even if all the government does is transfer the cash through the banking system electronically. Someone must pay for those services. Banks, after all, exist to make money.

Alternatively, if we want to continue to be absent-minded, poor at planning, and still corrupt (remember that Dr. Bawumia says the people can do whatever they please with the cash), the government could send all that cash with some officials on chartered aircrafts to the nearest airfield, care of Ms. Cecilia Abena Dapaah at the Aviation Ministry, who would order employees to truck the funds to the people, wherever they are.

It helps to take liberty to be ridiculous, once in a while, you know!

To the point, $275M ain't the total cost. It ain't gonna cut it if every "district" will in fact receive "the equivalent of $1 million. Even less so, if Akufo Addo's government intends to ensure the greatest outcomes with little loss to corruption, negligence, loss from liability, etc. Shouldn't all those cost be added to the amount of the award so the people know as best as possible how much it would actually cost?

See "Basic Data with Adjusted 2015 Population" of 27,409,893. The Akufo Addo-Bawumia payments have been aggregated by Region/Constituencies in Columns "H" and "F", below:

Employing the 2015-adjusted-population for Ghana in the 10 Regions and 275 constituencies, our summary review of the data shows that under the Akufo Addo's proposal, every person in every Region would be entitled to $10.03 (275,000,000/27,409,893) per year, regardless of what Voting District they have been assigned by the Electoral Commissioner.

Sadly for Dr. Bawumia, due to variations in the number of people in each region as we've discussed, there would also be variations in the amount of payment to each person in each Region. As such, the problem for President Akufo Addo's new government, if we must entertain their proposal one more time, is that on per capita basis, there would be big winners and as a result, big losers.

THERE WILL BE WINNERS & LOSERS, DO YOU CARE?:

Recall that we've calculated an average cost of $10.03 per capita, with Vice President Bawumia's own numbers. In this case, Upper West (pop. 780,441/11 Constituencies), Upper East (pop. 1,163,303/15 Constituencies), and Brong Ahafo (pop. 2,568,809/29 Constituencies) would receive $11,000,000.00, $15,000,000.00, and $29,000.000, respectively. So, due to the differences in the size of the population, Upper West, Upper East and Brong Ahafo would receive $14.09, $12.89, and $11.29 per capita, respectively. These Regions are what we've characterize as "Winners", by different amounts, obviously. (For example, a Brong Ahafo resident would receive just 94% of what a resident in Upper West would receive).

But it gets a lot worse, as you can see!.

On the other side of the ledger, every person in Greater Accra (pop. 2,354,576/34 Constituencies), Ashanti (5,313,705/47 Constituencies) and Volta (pop. 4,457,437/26/ 26 Constituencies), would receive $34,000,000.00, $47,000,000.00, and $26,000,000.00, respectively. Here again, on account of the differences in the size of the population, Greater Accra, Ashanti and Volta Ahafo residents would each receive $7.63, $8.85, and $11.04 per capita, respectively. These Regions are what we characterize as "Losers", again, by different amounts as you can see.

As it turns out, every resident in Greater Accra would receive just 54% of what those in Upper West would receive. On the other hand, every resident in Ashanti Region would receive just 63% of what those in Upper West would receive.

Under the NPP scheme, while Greater Accra would receive $10,708,094 less given the size of the population, Ashanti Region would also receive $6,296,458 less.

Given all the resources that have gone to Great Accra over the years, and still does, we must conclude that it is in fact Ashanti Region that would be the most disadvantaged based on the size of the population.

Many people now hyping "decentralization" may of course not quarrel with Greater Accra receiving just 54% of what Upper West (winner) receives. However, we are not entirely sure how that inequity must apply to Ashanti. Under the plan, Western Region's $9.84 per capita be the fairest, but still $0.19 les compared to our average of $10.93.

This is what the data says!

Next, see above graphic above!

Again, remember that we've calculated an average award of $10.03 per capita for all regions/persons, seen as the green horizontal line nearest $10.00.

Without any other considerations or adjustments, Ashanti, Greater Accra, Western, Central, all gets screwed by the NPP under their plan for infrastructure development of Unitary Ghana as pitched to the people. However, when we adjust, Regions are not going to get "the equivalent of $1M" based the number of "constituencies", even.

We do not know about the reader!

We are thinking Greater Accra receiving less from this program may not break many peoples' hearts. However, to propose that a person in the Ashanti Region would receive almost 50% less demonstrates the internal incoherence of the program and as such, doubt about constitutional muster.

PRESIDENT AKUFO ADDO MUST TAKE AWAY OR GIVE TO BE FAIR:

Considerations or adjustments means that President Akufo Addo and Vice President Bawumia must take extra from, or give extra to, in order to ensure they meet their "equivalent $1M" promise, even to "Voting Districts", which, as we've said, is bad public policy. (Again, the proper unit for the payments are the administrative districts, not the "constituents").

Per graphic above, President Akufo Addo and Vice President Bawumia must allocate to each person in Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Central Regions the additional sum of $2.40, $1.18, $0.63 per person, respectively, to equalize payments to the winners on the other end. (This is "Option A", for ease of reference).

Or, if they rather prefer, they can take from Upper West, Upper East, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Northern, Volta, the equivalent of $4.06, $2.87, $1.26, $1.24, $1.22, $1.01, per person, in order to equalize payments to the losers at the bottom. (This is "Option B").

Or, to the extent Accra still takes a lot more, President Akufo Addo and his Vice President can actually take from Greater Accra as much as they want and divvy it up to the losers at the bottom, including Ashanti. This is "Option C". In this case, Accra would not get $2.40 per capita from Option A which puts Greater Accra at the original Akufo Addo-Bawumia payment of $34,000,000, representing an "underpayment" of $10,708,094 per our "Loser Wall of Shame" graphic below. That $10,708,094 still leaves a balance of $9,034,382. President Akufo Addo and Vice President Bawumia would finally have to take an additional $9,034,382. That $9,034,382 would go to Ashanti, Central, and Western regions, in the proportion of their "loses" as shown in that same chart.

When Akufo Addo and Bawumia they take or give to adjust for "equity and equivalence", (Option A or B), and for the disproportionate resources that go to Greater Accra, (Option C), they would have found a Ghana-centered solution without regard to other planning factors some of which we've discussed in Part I and Part II of our paper.

As such, the other trouble (or you could call it "opportunity") for President Akufo Addo and Vice President Bawumia is that only Option C begins to address Akufo Addo's announced intention to decentralize administration from Accra, to the other regions. However, from by their plan and the dataset alone, President Akufo Addo cannot prioritize Western Region ahead of Ashanti or Central Regions, without other more severe adjustments.

Below , find the scoop on the -$19,000,000 negative losses by Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, and Western regions. We call it the "Akufo Addo-Bawumia $1M Awards: Losers Wall of Shame".

For Ashanti Region, the loss of $1.18 per person would result in a negative $6,296,458. Again, the loss of $2.40 per person in Greater Accra where everything happens, (total $10.7 million), where all the moneys stays, where all the fat cats want to live and play, that may or may not cause any sweat. But, if you are Ashanti Region, in the second tier, one of the neglected Regions outside Greater Accra Region, a $6,296,458 loss every year can go a mighty long way to further depress your economy and people, deeper, in virtual fratricide fashion. Conversely, a $19M equity payment in 3 year alone can do some wonders, if all that money is in fact invested in "infrastructure".

So, where do you, your friends, and family really fall?

Greater Accra?

Ashanti?

Central?

Western?

Do you really know the difference and import between/of Administrative Districts and Voting Districts?

Would you recommend Option A, B, or C to President Akufo Addo?

Do you have your own idea based on our more objective criteria, population?

Do you care?

CONCLUSION:

Call it what they want. The $1M Per Constituency program requires (1) authority for the scheme be derived from the Constitution of Ghana, and (2) adjustments be made to ensure Regions and their Administrative Districts, based on the number of people in the Regions. And we've explained all of the Akufo Addo-Bawumia conundrum!

The preceding graphic titled, "NPP $1 Million Per Voting District: Equity & Fairness by Population", without rounding, is the more equitable and administratively justifiable funding plan if we want to utilize approximately 20% of the $1.6 billion estimated for infrastructure development most closest to the people. On that chart, again using the non-recommended unit area (voting district), the average payment per voting district is actually $999,734.

Now, for those who claim Dr. Bawumia sometimes play fast-and-lose with numbers, that $999,734 average payment is $1M before rounding.

$1M is $1M.

The problem for Dr. Bawumia though, is that being average, not all Regions will receive that amount for all their Voting Districts.

Seriously, still, in the above preferred, administratively valid scheme, Ashanti Region receives $53,296,458 (19.39%), and Greater Accra, $44,708,094 (16.26%). commensurate with population. On the other hand, while Volta receives $23,616,392 (8.59%), and Upper East, $11,671,274 (4.25), Upper West would receive $7,830,068 (2.85%), all in proportion to population. Every other region would fit between the two groups and would be none the poorer, an equitable outcome having been achieved.

What Option must the Akufo Addo government take, Option A, B, or C?

Dear reader, the biggest idea at bottom of this paper is this: Needless confusion between voting districts on one hand, and administrative districts (or NVDTCRs) on the other, could have been avoided by President Akufo Addo and Dr. Bawumia if they had perhaps been more objective and less partisan. From our reading of the "Wall of Shame", we imagine they reckon their plan to elect District Executives would not assure the NPP easy votes, compared to the effort to pitch their $1M plan to "Constituencies".

Administrative Districts already exist.

But, Voting Districts are not places or communities. It is for that very reason President Akufo Addo and Dr. Bawumia will never be able to find a constitutional basis for their Voting District-based proposal, as eminent a lawyer as Akufo Addo is, except perhaps through politics, politricks, and crooked Kangaroo justice.

Again, we must emphasize that the program is doable!

However, President Akufo Addo Dankwa and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia must use the statutory Administrative Districts, coordinated at the Regional level, consistent with regional and national development planning principles and priorities.

It is not a wise or accountable president who orders $1M to all manner of sub-national authorities that do not even have staff, and them affirms to them they alone can choose "any infrastructural project they want" for themselves. The responsible national government would order the National Development Commission to coordinate, charter proposals (including Master Plans and such discussed in Part I of this paper), evaluate, report, recommend, supervise, and execute, in coordination with all other stakeholders and communities in each Region. All of that go to our point on additional costs, including administration, as we've noted more than once.

The plan has power to spur professionalism in city, town, and regional planning, surveying, mapping, conflict management, education, money-multiplier effects, etc., in addition to built infrastructure.

But, all of those "good" stuff will take extra money, still an investment in Ghana.

We estimate administrative, supervision, and incidental costs to range between 1.5% to 5% of the total allocation of $275M, from a low $4.1 million to a high $13.7 million, in addition. This would result in a rough order annual estimate of $289 million at the high end for "Akufo Addo's Million-Dollar Cash", to administrative districts, through the regions.

But those funds ought not go to Election Commission "Voting Districts", not by any mean!

NOTES/SOURCES:

1. NVDTCR (NVD-TCR) - Short-hand for Neighborhoods, Villages, Districts/Administrative, Towns, Cities, Regions, all "places" in community and development planning nomenclature. Could include Census Districts. Operationally and conceptually appropriate focus areas for administration and planning, as contrasted with "Voting Districts" that are developed to facilitate elections.

2. If you are reading this paper on Ghanaweb, you may not be able to see the graphics that are necessary for easily understanding the content of the paper. This paper is crossed posted with ModernGhana, SpyGhana, and other online portals. In addition, the final will soon be posted on www.GhanaHero.Com/Visions.

3. Each constituency will get $1m every year under NPP - Bawumia, (http://pulse.com.gh/politics/election-2016-each-constituency-will-get-1m-every-year-under-npp-bawumia-id5437995.html).

4. New Patriotic Party (NPP) Manifesto for Election 2016, Change: An Agenda for Jobs, Creating Prosperity & Equal Opportunity For All.

VISIT WWW.GHANAHERO.COM/VISIONS, FOR MO' INFORMATION:

FOIB - Freedom of Information Bill (FOIB/FOI/Ghana), Ask for it! (http://ghanahero.com/FOIB.html).

SUBJ: Ashanti Region Biggest Loser: Akufo Addo's Million-Dollar Cash to Voting Districts (Part 3). Sequel to "Winners and Losers: Akufo Addo's Million-Dollar Cash Giveaways to Voting Districts, Part I and Part II", by Prof Lungu.

Support Fair-Trade Oil Share Ghana (FTOS-Gh) Campaign/Petition:

https://www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa/ .

Brought to you courtesy www.GhanaHero.com13 Jan 17.

(Powered by: www.GhanaHero.Com).
14.01.2017 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Banda Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region and a Deputy Minority Chief Whip of Parliament, Honourable Ibrahim Ahmmed says, so far he has been impressed by the first and second batches of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos ministerial appointments.

On Wednesday, the President Nana Addo named 13 names to be ministers in his government. Leading the team is Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Head of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side of the transition team who has been appointed Senior Minister-designate.

President Akufo-Addo on Tuesday another nominated 12 more individuals to occupy various ministerial positions in his government.

This is the second batch of ministerial nominees made by the President after he announced 13 others on Tuesday, January 11, 2017.

This brings to total, 25 ministerial nominees made by Nana Akufo-Addo.

Speaking on the SPACE FM MORNING FLIGHT show, Mr. Ibrahim said he is so impressed about the names the President has so far sent to Parliament for consideration.

He added that he was impressed about them because they are members of the NPP party who worked assiduously for the victory of the party in December, 7th, 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

He said they are being rewarded for their hard work and commitment to their party.

The Deputy Minority Chief Whip also cautioned the yet to be ministers, not to be boastful and proud.

He said the NPP campaigned on the slogan, THE BATTLE IS THE LORD and asked them not to rely on their knowledge, strength and ability when they official start works.

He quoted Proverbs 21:31from the Holy Scriptures to support his point, when he stated that a horse is prepared for the day of the battle, but the victory comes from the LORD.

The Banda MP stated that the ministers will fail Ghanaians woefully if they go there and rely on their own strength.
A legal Practitioner based in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, Lawyer Kwasi Kamkam Boadu, and a Lawyer for Sakina Mustapha, a 23-year-old woman who was alleged to have attempted to smuggle a substance suspected to be Cocaine to an inmate at the Sunyani Prisons says the headline given to the story by the Daily Graphic Newspaper, was misleading and unethical.

A 23-year-old trader, Sakina Mustapha, was arrested by the Police for attempting to smuggle a substance suspected to be cocaine to an inmate at the Sunyani Prisons.

According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Prisons, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP), Johann Nii Narh Nartey, the suspect believed to be a member of a notorious drug syndicate terrorizing residents in the area, was arrested on Monday at the Sunyani Central Prison with the substance.

He explained that Sakina was apprehended at the Sunyani Prison Barracks after she paid a visit to a prisoner in custody, Taufik Mohammed, who is serving a ten (10) year jail term with hard labour for narcotic drug offence.

He added that the initial demeanour of both convict and visitor appeared normal at the initial stages of the visit, but the interaction aroused suspicion at the latter stage and so both of them were put under strict surveillance.

ASP Nartey continued that, Sakina was later seen hanging around at the barracks in anxiety after the visit, and was subsequently invited into the prison where a search was conducted on her, and Ninety nine (99) pieces of substances suspected to be cocaine wrapped in cigarette foil were found in her purse.

Speaking in an interview with SPACE FM, Lawyer Kamkam Boadu said the caption given to the story at the front page of the Daily Graphic on Thursday, 12th, January 2017 violated the professionalism and ethics of the journalism.

He said, by law, Daily Graphic has erred because according to the countrys Criminal Code, there is a portion, which quotes 'no one is deemed a criminal unless convicted by a competent Court of Jurisdiction' and not any media court of Graphic .

"Ghana is a country of rule of law and not the rule of men," he angrily stated.

He added that Daily Graphic could have captioned their headline as a substance suspected to be cocaine and not what they put it out there in their newspaper yesterday.

Lawyer Kamkam Boadu who once workded with the state broadcaster, urged media practitioners to be circumspect when putting out their stories for public consumption.
A former Local Government Minister, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, believes government's decision to relieve all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) of their appointments on Thursday was impulsive.

He described government's approach to purging the local government of its heads as akin to a coup mentality.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, he reiterated the arguments that, keeping the MMDCEs in the short-term ensures there is stability until theres a substantive Local Government minister.

I believe this decision was very harsh. It was taken in a very rash manner, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo stressed.

The Local Government minister nominee, Hajia Alima Mahama, indicated that the termination of the appointments of all MMDCEs was to ensure a uniformity of vision at the national and sub-national level.

Hajia Mahama also argued that the termination of appointment was to ensure the Assemblies dont take key decisions that were not in tandem with the policy outlook of government.

Mr. Ofosu Ampofo, however, said the erstwhile John Evans Attah Mills administration in 2009, maintained MMDCEs in the short-term whilst ensuring that they did not compromise the governments vision.

He reminded that in President Mills time, some order was given that you are at post but you are not supposed to take any decision of maybe awarding contracts or payments, so the parameters were defined.

Danger in electing MMDCEs

Mr. Ofosu Ampofo also warned about the possible downsides of electing MMDCEs as promised by the new government.

Already, we are living in a very polarized environment and one of the threads that have kept us together is our local government and decentralization system which operates on a non-partisan basis, and gives people the opportunity to play their role in the governance process in that non-partisan manner, he said.

Any attempt to make local elections partisan must tread very cautiously in order not to polarize this country from top to down, the former Local Government Minister cautioned.

Mr. Ofosu Ampofo advised that such a move would require a lot of debate and argument and depends on arrangements that would be put in place.

He thus advocated for the sustenance of the current system that sees MMDCEs appointed by the president.

The system as we have now has kept this country together. It has built national cohesion at the bottom of development and it has ensured that there is balanced and even distribution of resources at the local level.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Contrary to the impression created by the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, the Ghanaian economy is in a mess.

At a press briefing to announce his last batch of ministerial nominees at the presidency on Thursday, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo painted a different picture from what Ghanaians were told by his predecessors.

Our economy is in difficulty, he noted.

He is therefore not expecting to witness any long-winding process that would delay the approval of his appointees in order to hit the ground running saying, Our economy is in difficulty and it is therefore time for all of us to put our shoulders to the wheel, work hard and have the appropriate policies in place that will enable us to lift our economy and bring relief to our population.

The Ghanaian population should not be in the position they are now; our country has a lot of resources. Proper management of these resources and correct policies should be able to generate prosperity for our peopleI can't do it all by myself; we need all these people, he stated.

Nana Akufo-Addo expressed confidence that the caliber of people that we have put before the House is such that parliament will not have any difficulty in approving my nomineesmany of them are already known in our national lives. They are men and women of integrity; they have passed several tests of public scrutiny and I'm expecting that the House will act expeditiously so that the government can begin delivering on the promises and commitments we have made to the Ghanaian people.

So far, the president has nominated 36 people for ministerial portfolios, including six new ministers of state at the presidency.

France-Africa Summit In Mali

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo left Accra yesterday to attend the 27th France-Africa Summit in Bamako, Mali  his first foreign trip as president.

The Summit, which is aimed at enhancing the integration process, collective action and cooperation for the common good of participating countries and their peoples, will bring together heads of state and governments from some 30 countries.

He was accompanied by the 1st lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

They will return home on Saturday, January 14, 2017, a statement signed by Eugene Arhin, Ag. Director of Communications, indicated.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Flagstaff House


Former President John Mahama

14.01.2017 LISTEN

After the unsuccessful attempt to appropriate his official residence as his end-of-service home, ex-President John Dramani Mahama has started packing his belongings out of No 3 Prestige Link  the official state bungalow at Cantonments  which he had occupied as vice president and president.

Mr Mahama is said to be relocating to the Airport Residential Area where he owns a property.

The residence is next to Gold House at Kawukudi where his brother, Ibrahim, also owns a house.

According to the Greater Accra Regional Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Anthony Nukpenu, the former president will finish packing his personal effects by the close of today, after which he will deliver the keys of the official residence to the government.

The former first family's continued stay at the official residence, despite handing over power to President Nana Akufo-Addo became the subject of public discourse, with Ghanaians agitating for Mahama's eviction from the house.

This, they claimed, would allow Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the current vice president, to occupy the facility, which is meant for vice presidents.

Even though the NDC said that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side of the Transition Team had agreed in principle to allow the former president and his family to occupy the residence, no documentary evidence had been provided, making the case difficult to appreciate.

In the heat of the controversy, former President Mahama wrote to the new government indicating his willingness to vacate the house.

You would recall, Mr. President, that contrary to the erroneous impression created by some persons in government and the interpretation given to the former letter submitted on my behalf by Mr. Julius Debrah, this was a follow-up of an agreement we had on my choice of accommodation and office. I had never requested to purchase the property; my request is therefore humbly withdrawn, the letter, signed by the former president and copied to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, said.

Mr Anthony Nukpenu confirmed on Asempa FM's 'Ekosii Sen' programme yesterday that John Mahama had started packing out upon his return from Nigeria where he represented the Government of Ghana in the Gambian negotiations.

He is no more there (house), he has started packing outthis started occurring upon his return from Nigeria, he said.

He said the former president would finish packing out of the building he had occupied for eight years by this weekend.

Thus, the ex-president would likely hand over the keys to the Akufo-Addo government by next week.

Touching on where he is moving to, Mr Nukpenu said he (ex-president) was likely going to move to a house near the Gold House at Kawukudi.

He said that the residence near the Gold House was the exact location the former president hosted minority Members of Parliament who paid a visit to him on Thursday.

A DAILY GUIDE Report
A worrying video of a minor, six or seven-year-old, has gone virile and it is lamentable that adults would allow such a despicable picture to gain such a momentum.

The minor is being asked questions bordering on sex which we are unable to reproduce even textually for fear of giving oxygen to a bad case.

Where are our values as Ghanaians and Africans? We are noted for upholding high moral standards, qualities which are ingrained in our culture and traditions. We have lost them to modernity and technology. How sad!

The child is made to say a lot of things which would impact negatively on his future. It is also regrettable that such a phenomenon, despicable as it is, could infect other children in society especially since there are many adult delinquents who see nothing wrong with the development.

Our society is suffering the negative fallouts of social media in a manner, which if not checked, could have a telling effect on our morals today and tomorrow.

Let parents be mindful about who engage with their children. We believe the video we saw does not depict the father of the child. No father or mother would pose such silly questions to a minor and relish the obscene responses.

The adults must be arrested for possible prosecution for allowing children to say such horrible things which would eventually teach them how to consider women as objects of sex fit to be raped in a society which prides itself as God-fearing.

When we saw the video, we felt very bad and longed to have the relevant authorities take appropriate action. Exposure of kids to such obscenities did not start today, but with the advent of social media, additional fillip has been provided.

In a world where pedophilic tendencies are rife, it is unsurprising that such things are happening with nothing being done about them.

Here is to tap the relevant authorities to wake up to their responsibilities and to take appropriate measures to protect our children from such miscreants who would stop at nothing to satisfy their crazy appetite for obscenities.

We owe it to posterity to protect our children from bad morals so that when it is their turn to take up the responsibility of leading the country, they would be primed to do so on a trajectory of high moral standards.

We are unable to tell the thinking of the perpetrators of such deeds in society. There are those, who though would not initiate them, are ready to spread the garbage after they are filmed.

Our religious leaders  Islam and Christianity, have a duty to intervene in this moral decadence, threatening our society, especially kids.

Let school authorities continue to ban the use of mobile phones in boarding schools, lest some of these rather inappropriate conducts infect our second cycle educational institutions.

The time to act is now. There is no time to waste because the morality of our society is fast degenerating.
State prosecutors are skeptical that Bishop Daniel Obinim, founder of International God's Way Church  who is standing trial in an Accra Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Court for flogging his church members  is sick.

According to DSP George Amegah, a medical report from the Police Hospital tendered by Ralph Poku Adusei, counsel for Obinim, as evidence for the absence of the man of God must be investigated.

He opined that the prosecution has to investigate the report to find out whether Obinim actually attended hospital and was being attended to by a doctor.

Bishop Obinim's two other pastors  Kingsley Baah and Solomon Abraham  have been slapped with the charge of abetting their senior pastor to abuse the two church members.

Bishop Obinim is reported to have on August 17, last year at Ashaley Botwe in Accra, unlawfully and physically abused one Elliasu Obinim, 16, and Gyesiwaah Obinim, 14  his adopted children  in front of the congregation.

But Ralph, justifying the absence of his client from court yesterday said, 'Angel' Obinim was taken ill in the morning and had been sent to the Police Hospital, and was having a medical report to proof it, although he had not filed it at the court.

He stated that the report was not for the prosecution but the court, adding that the prosecution is not entitled to a copy of the medical report.

Bishop Obinim's lawyer indicated that the prosecution's interest in the matter is not beyond the prosecution of the case.

If the court is in doubt and wants to investigate the medical report, it can. But the prosecution is not the court and cannot direct the court on what to do, Mr Ralph Poku Adusei averred.

Ralph disclosed that the victims in the case had also gone to the police station to give further statements to the police, stressing that the victims are not minors.

On that, DSP Amegah said the prosecution would have to contact the case investigator over the supposed further statements by the victims.

This, he noted, if possible, would trigger the necessary amendments in their facts, contending that the facts constitute part of our case.

The trial judge, Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku adjourned sitting until January 26, 2017 and ordered Ralph to file the medical report at the court.

The accused persons are currently on a GH10,000 bail each with one surety, one to be justified.

Earlier, DSP Abraham Annor said the complainant is a resident of Community 17 at Lashibi, also a suburb of Accra.

He said the victims live with Bishop Obinim in his residence in Accra and that on the day of the incident the Accra branch of the church had a service where the man of God claimed that he had a revelation from God and that the two teenagers were engaged in pre-marital sex, resulting in the pregnancy of Gyesiwaah.

The police officer stated that Bishop Obinim further indicated that he was directed by the Holy Spirit to chastise them in front of the general congregation and subjected the two to serious beatings with his black waist leather belt in the full glare of the congregation.

The prosecution stated that Angel Obinim was assisted by Kingsley and Solomon.

[email protected]

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson


Five scrap dealers from Agbogbloshie in Accra, have been arrested by the Accra Regional police for allegedly attacking revenue collectors from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and seizing their monies and tickets.

The suspects are Musah Muheep, 25; Issahaku Sulemana, 32; Abdulai Mohammed, 41; Adam Mahama, 39 and Sulemana Issahaku, 32.

The suspects, according to the police, also assaulted the revenue collectors at the CMB and Makola markets last Thursday.

Briefing the media, ASP Effia Tenge, Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, said the incident occurred at about 10:30 am last Thursday morning.

Police had information about their activities and arrested them at the Makola market for preventing the revenue collectors from issuing toll tickets to traders.

In the process, the suspects allegedly managed to collect an amount of GH2,000 from them.

The suspects are yet to be processed for court.

In a related development, the Inspector General of Police, John Kudalor, has charged all regional, district and divisional commanders to arrest any person or group of persons who attack party opponents or vandalize state or private property.

He has also tasked the police to conduct investigations and search for runaway perpetrators of these acts.

Giving the breakdown on the number of persons arrested after the December 7 elections, believed to be members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Superintendent Cephas Arthur, Director of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, said the police in the Brong-Ahafo Region apprehended three persons, including Mark Tetteh, an assemblyman; Amos Asare, and Bismark Baafi for being behind the acts.

In the Central Region, four persons  Isaac Issah, Richmond Biney, Mark Akolgo and Alhassan Agameti Attah  were arrested for being involved in some attacks and reprisal attacks at Twifo Praso.

Their accomplices, including Bossman Osei Hayman, district chief executive; Atto Amoah, former Member of Parliament and five others were put before court, the police officer said.

He said two persons who seized the Tuobodom tollbooth were also apprehended and put before court.

Touching on the seizure of the Mamobi toilet facility, the Police PRO said the Nima police apprehended three persons who are assisting in investigation.

( [email protected] )

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey


President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia on Thursday called on Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Trade Minister-designate, at his residence in Accra to console him following the death of his sister in a gas explosion incident at La.

Brigitte KyerematenDarko was among some 12 persons who sustained severe injuries in a gas explosion at the Glory Oil Gas station, which occurred last year near the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre.

However, she died on Wednesday morning.

President Nana Addo, it would be recalled, explained that Mr Kyerematen was absent when he nominated him and some 13 people to serve in his government on Tuesday at the Flagstaff House because his sisters condition had worsened, which required him to be at the hospital.

Brigitte was wife to one Mr. Darko of GC-Net.

The explosion was said to have occurred when the machine emptying gas into the containers on site caught fire and lighted the electric cables close to the gas station.

But according to preliminary investigations by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) into the incident, the explosion was caused by 'irresponsible human error.'

By Samuel Boadi
Former Attorney General Martin A.B.K. Amidu has claimed some influential people and chiefs are trying to persuade new President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to prosecute perceived corrupt officials under the previous Mahama administration.

He said President Akufo-Addo's anti-corruption efforts would be meaningless if he takes the path of reconciliation instead of probity and accountability.

In a statement released recently, Mr. Amidu, who is a member of the NDC and renowned for his anti-corruption exploits, said I assure every Ghanaian that the evidence of criminal and unconstitutional conduct is overwhelming, but unconstitutional attempts are being made through influential chiefs and elders to let bygones be bygones contrary to the demands of the Constitution for accountability, transparency and fairness in governance.

He accused the 6th Parliament of the 4th Republic of assisting the previous Mahama administration to loot the country and hoped that the current 7th Parliament will not attempt to compromise the President's anti-corruption agenda in the name of reconciliation.

The President's anti-corruption drive will be still-born with such compromises and reconciliations.

While congratulating the new Speaker Prof. Mike Aaron Oqcuaye, the former AG said unlike previous elections in the annals of our history the pivotal and critical issues were between electing a corrupt, bankrupt, inept, incompetent, abusive, impudent, and Looter incumbent Government, and electing one of the contesting candidates dedicated to fighting all these unconstitutional capricious evils and protecting the national purse.

He prayed that Ghana should never elect a President like John Mahama because he is corrupt and had looted the country's treasury.

The massive thrashing of the incumbent Looter Government of John Dramani Mahama (may God never give Ghana a corrupt and looter President like him again) by the President Nana Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is a clear expression of the sovereign will of Ghanaians for accountability, transparency and fairness in governance to all citizens without fear or favour.

He said Ghanaians voted against what he termed patronage, cronyism, ethnicity, and political party cryptocracy, saying Ghanaians, therefore, expect and demand a total brake with the immediate past practices of the parliaments which were reduced into appendages of the executive chariot in looting the national purse.

Ghanaians have demanded and expect that the mandate of the 7th Parliament will be consistent with the letter and spirit of the 1992 Constitution; and the promises by the President to protect the national purse and be impartial in the governance of our dear country.

The promises of the President upon whose steam of anti-corruption agenda the NPP in Parliament had such a beautiful majority, meets Citizens Vigilance for Justice's agenda of putting Ghana First, adding I dare say that the reasonable number of members of Parliament returned and voted to the 7th Parliament was the result of the electorate's perception of their ability to put Ghana First in holding the executive to account.

He said that the expectations of Ghanaians that the President and the 7th Parliament would for the first time since 2009 indeed render selfless service to the people of Ghana and not champion their corrupt self-interest and their political party's myopic corrupt self-interest was demonstrated by the events that unfolded on Friday, 6th January 2017 at the concluding deliberations of the Sixth Parliament under the Fourth Republican Constitution, 1992.

Mr. Amidu said that the partisanship, cronyism, patronage, ethnicity, and endemic corruption of the Looter Governments of the Fifth and Sixth Governments of the Fourth Republic had been allowed by the majority to infect the fabric and conduct of Legislative business in the House.

He hoped the current parliament would be a leading champion of the anti-corruption agenda within itself and against the executive and judiciary, adding may this 7th Parliament not be party to paid covert Government surveillance through illegal undercover agents spying on coordinate organs of government and collaborating with the executive to suppress parliament's own corrupt practices while exposing that of the least powerful branch, the judiciary.

By William Yaw Owusu
Many Left-leaning Ghanaian politicians, particularly the key operatives of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), said it could not be done, and also that it was not economically sustainable. But, of course, it has been done and has proven to be very sustainable well beyond the parochial and cynical imagination of its most ardent critics and skeptics. But even more ironically risible is the fact that the Kufuor-minted National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has become one of the major centerpieces of the bragging rights of the National Democratic Congress. It started with the erstwhile Mills-Mahama government; and subsequently, the Mahama/Amissah-Arthur regime.

Indeed, in the homestretch lead-up to last Decembers general election, a former National Democratic Congress CEO, who had earlier on been summarily fired from his post for gross administrative mismanagement of the NHIS, was strenuously and publicly attempting to dissociate New Patriotic Party ownership of credit for the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme. He would proudly commend the Mahama government for having tripled the number of Ghanaian citizens enrolled into the scheme.

This is rather risible because for most of the period that Chairman Jerry John Rawlings occupied the seat of governance, first as a veritable and extortionate dictator and then later as a democratically elected president, the Provisional/National Democratic Congress (P/NDC) championed the Darwinian health policy of what became notoriously known as Cash-and-Carry. Under this purportedly social democratic healthcare policy, as the likes of Messrs. Rawlings, Atta-Mills and Mahama claimed, only those who had the financial means of paying for it received the requisite healthcare services. The rest of the proverbial Wretched of the Earth (my profound apologies to Dr. Frantz Fanon), had to go to H-E-L-L!

Now we have some of the same policy skeptics asking how President Akufo-Addo intends to fund his campaign policy proposal of free Senior High School (SHS) education for all. I guess it can hereby be safely assumed that elementary and Junior Secondary School (JSS) or middle-school education is presently being freely funded by the Government of Ghana. If the Government can figure out how to successfully fund basic education by taxpayer revenue until now, then, no doubt, it would not be too much of a stretch to ask the same Government to also figure out how the equally critical SHS level of public education which, by the way, in most economically and technologically advanced countries is free-of-charge, can be funded without collapsing our already ramshackle national economy. Of course, I make my latter argument squarely based on our knowledge of how we got here, and also who negatively contributed the most to the countrys presently dismal state of economic affairs.

We might also add, significantly, that this question comes at a time when the recently democratically ousted Mahama government was widely known to be doggedly in pursuit of the rather culturally bizarre policy of distributing tampons (or sanitary pads) to schoolgirls, as well as uniforms and foot-ware to selected pupils across the nation. The well-respected former Nkrumah lieutenant, Mr. K. B. Asante, is widely reported to have said that the promise of the provision of free Senior High School education by the Akufo-Addo Administration would unhealthily encourage parental irresponsibility, because people who feel the very adult necessity of bringing children into the world ought to be ready to take up the parental responsibilities that come with the same (See Im Against Free SHS  K. B. Asante Adomonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/13/17).

In reality, it is the Mahama regimes education policy of the free distribution of sanitary pads, sandals and uniforms that seriously and flagrantly undermined parental responsibility. I sincerely believe that providing free education to all school-age pupils, while their parents and guardians took care of the most personal needs of these children is the most progressive policy for our country at this time. Needless to say, our present-day Ghana is near-totally morally and culturally bankrupt; and unless some radical remedial policy initiatives are promptly put in place, a few decades from now, we would not be able to build and/or preserve the sort of ideal civilized and progressive society we all deserve and crave. The imperative need for our immediate and rapid human-resource development cannot neither be gainsaid nor overemphasized. This was the overriding contention of Dr. J. B. Danquah in his long-running debate with President Kwame Nkrumah; and it is unarguably the most significant aspect of our national advancement policy initiatives.

This is what the boorish infrastructure-fixated Mahama-led government of the National Democratic Congress never seemed to have learned. Hopefully, the self-proclaimed hear-no-evil, see-no-evil Mahama operatives are presently learning this the hard way, that is, in the wake of their apocalyptic defeat in last Decembers general election.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
14.01.2017 LISTEN

I am not here to argue pointlessly about whether the letter dismissing the Mahama-appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the former Ghana Cocoa-Marketing Board (CMB), presently renamed Cocobod  for whatever the latter re-labeling may be worth  could not have been written in a more diplomatic or polite language, as preferred by Mr. K. B. Asante, the renowned journalist and sometime aide to the countrys first postcolonial leader. My argument here is that old age  for Mr. Asante is about 92 years old  may well be playing games or doing mischief with the mnemonic faculties of the former President of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

If I am not grossly mistaken, Mr. Asante may be either a staunch member and even sometime key operative of the Rawlings-founded main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), or he may be an ardent sympathizer of the party that promulgated a statutory act making the official birthday of Mr. Kwame Nkrumah a National Holiday (See KB Asante Angry Over Opunis Dismissal Classfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/13/17). It is rather interesting for a man who was quite a significant player in unarguably the most intemperate, extortionate and disrespectful postcolonial regime, with the possible exception of the Rawlings-led Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to be lecturing the newly elected and appointed operatives of the Akufo-Addo Administration on the use of diplomatic and polite language.

Needless to say, his authority on what constitutes the most appropriate mode of Ghanaian Cultural Behavior would be phenomenally enhanced, if the former Secretary to President Nkrumah could produce a single instance of epistolary politeness in a letter written by his late boss to Dr. J. B. Danquah, which could be held up as a model of Ghanaian Political Politeness to be cherished and religiously emulated. We must also promptly highlight the fact that while he was vindictively incarcerated at the Nsawam Medium-Security Prison, twice, in the Condemned Cell Block, during the 1960s, the putative Doyen of Gold Coast and Ghanaian Politics wrote more than a few letters to President Nkrumah whose well-known most polite responses to nearly each and every one of these letters, mainly petitions for justice and polite demands for trials, to bear out the same, were promptly rebuffed with deafening silence.

We must also significantly note here that upon the death on Dr. Danquah, via a systematically orchestrated assassination, on February 4, 1965, President Nkrumah would issue an edict giving the Ofori-Atta Family and its allies a polite 6 hours to organize the funeral of this indisputable giant of the anti-colonial African liberation struggle and the former mentor of the proverbial African Show Boy. We must also not fool ourselves over the fact that Dr. Opuni was fully aware of the effective end of his widely known checkered tenure as CEO of Cocobod, when the Mahama-led government of the National Democratic Congress lost its popular mandate, with the landslide victory of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the third time around.

Mr. Asante may also vividly recall for his own moral edification, Chairman Jerry John Rawlings polite description of Nana Akufo-Addo as That Dwarf in the Manhyia Palaces courtyard of His Royal Majesty, The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei-Tutu, I. Is this the sort of Ghanaian Politeness that Mr. Asante is referring to, when he caustically lambastes Nana Asante Bediatuo, the Executive-Secretary to President Akufo-Addo, for simply telling Dr. Opuni to do what the latter ought to have done more than a month ago?

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has arrived in Mali capital, Bamako to participate in the 27th France-Africa summit.

This is his first official trip outside the country since his inauguration on January 7, 2017.

The France-Africa summit is aimed at enhancing the integration process, collective action and cooperation for the common good of participating countries and their peoples. will bring together Heads of state and Governments from some 30 countries.

It will bring together Heads of state and Governments from some 30 countries.

Akufo-Addo, who was in the company of his wife, Rebecca Akufo-Addo was received by his Malian counterpart, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

He was also welcomed by some Ghanaians in the country whom he briefly addressed.

Nana Akufo-Addo who left Accra for the Summit on Friday, 13th January, 2017 will return to the country on Saturday, January 14.

The two leaders will also discuss recent happenings in The Gambia and proffer possible solutions.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
On behalf of the good people of Volta home and abroad ,we wish to draw the attention of H.E Nana Akufo Addo, the president of Ghana to the exercise of regional reorganization simply splitting of regions which Volta is among . Mr. President dividing a loyal region that shared or traces its historical and ancestral background to a common source; How absurd?

Volta Region has always been an abode where our loyalties lies. After 59 years of independence, here you come with your wise administration which comes with your advancement in age to implement this policy. Mr. President the same reason why Ashanti Region cannot be split is the same reason why Volta Region shouldn't be split either. Give equal respect to Torgbui Sri III, Torgbe Afede and the Asantehene, respectively.

Government should not hide behind the cowardice policy of faster development and implement myopic policies; Mr. President, Volta and Ashanti region ,even a layman looking at the map of Ghana will attest to the fact that Ashanti is greater in geographical size than Volta Region.

It's one thing, trying to weaken the strongholds of the opposition before election and another, In the name of rapid development; Every foresighted person will attest to that fact. To us ,the entire Volta Region is a "HOME" for us, dividing Volta is turning son against father, we can't have another ewe speaking region. Mr. President and your Team.

Even long before your existence,Volta our home has been coping with the lies and unfairness from the previous government and before. If we on the street knows that, Volta Region cannot be divided due to the geographical and population size, and you and your team are myopic to this fact, then we are sorry, Don't give citizens the franchise to call your government a myopic and a one coupled up with shortsighted leaders.

We never for once doubted your intelligence, but we wanting Ghana to develop, We equally don't want any division among the Ewes. Our priority. In order to speed up development in various regions, there have been certain divisions ranging from district,municipal and metropolitan assemblies to enable rapid development. I don't see how further division of the regions into two would enable rapid development. The ten regions are enough. Now what we need from you is to go according to your campaign promises.

If there is anything we should remember, then it should be the words of Bertolt Brecht, "The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, He hears nothing, sees nothing, take no part in political life. He doesn't seem to know the cost of living, the price of beans, of flour, of rent, of medicines; all depends on political decisions. He even prides himself on his political ignorance, stick out his chest and says he hates politics. He doesn't know and care, the imbecile that his political non participation comes the prostitute, the abandoned child, the robber and worst of all, corrupt officials, the lackey of exploitative multinational corporations" Mr. President our region is underdeveloped ,so how can a divided region speed up development. We will welcome any developmental polices but splitting our home before development won't be accepted. We are calling on well meaningful youth of Volta to stand against this absurdity. Don't sit on the fence, and say, Me kam o, egb na wo ka ge. Join the media crusade against this Hogwash ideology . (amuganutome).

Long Live Concerned Volta Youth!

Long Live Volta!

Long Live Ghana!

....signed........

Sessi Dela Renney

Jean-Claude Koku Amenyaglo
14.01.2017 LISTEN

I have read a publication in your Friday the 13th of January 2016 edition of your paper captioned Journalist detained for assaulting a presenter in which the said detained journalist was purported to be me.

I wish to put on record that the said publication in which my name captured as the said detained journalist is palpably false .

In fact after reading the piece I came to the conclusion that the author of the story bore a personal hatred against me or mischievously failed to do the necessary due diligence before putting out the story .

I therefore write this rejoinder to state my side of the story as carried in your widely circulated Newspaper.

I respond as follows:

1. On January, 8 2017 around the hours of 18:30 GMT or thereabout whilst seated at the Koforidua Total 1 Fuel station with some a friend and some colleague Reporters , one Frank Kwabi who uses an alias : Kwaku Dawuro ( my accuser), upon spotting me , moved to my direction , pounced and threw punches at me . It took that friend and the two other colleagues to whisk him away.

2. My crime according to him was that I have allegedly lambasted him on a whatsapp (social Media platform) after he had accused some Accra radio stations for contributing to the defeat of the NDC in the Eastern Region on his radio program.

3. After his attack on me , the said Frank Kwabi a .k.a Kwaku Dawuro ,knowing his guilt quickly rushed to the Police Station to lodge a complaint against me, where the District commander after listening to the story advised that we both make amends and let bygone be bygone .

4. After the reconciliation ,the said Frank Kwabi decided to give the story a new twist by writing his own story for Publication in both traditional and Social media ,describing himself as the victim rather than the attacker which I find very strange.

5. Indeed, Daniel Bampoe who happens to be the accredited reporter for Daily Guide in the eastern region upon enquiry disclosed to me that my accuser {Frank Kwabi} put together the story and sent it through him to the Accra office of Daily Guide for publication after I sought to know from him (Bampoe) why he wrote the story without giving me a hearing.

6. Indeed a whatsapp conversation dated January, 12 and 13 from my accuser to the papers reporter clearly points to the fact that he (Kwabi) scripted the piece through the Daily Guide reporter to its Accra office.

7. I find his attitude as an attempt to soil my hard won reputation and also for me to look bad in the eyes of the public and my employers.

8. I must put on record that no police station has ever detained me for assault.

9. Another claim as contained in the story describing me as an activist of the NDC is a blatant lie and falsehood and can best be described as a figment of his own imagination.

10. For the records, I dont hold the membership of any political party, and neither have I put on any party paraphernalia or taken a partisan stance in my career .

11. I have always adhered to the tenets of the journalism profession, acted or behaved professionally. A simple Google of my name on the internet will testify to my professionalism.

12. Perhaps my accuser who doubles as an assemblyman may want to drag my name into the partisan politics which has been his professional hallmark

I reproduce some portions of the whatsapp messages he sent to the Daily Guide correspondent below;

Note: Dawuro in the conversation is my accuser and Alhaji Daniel Bampoe is the Eastern Regional Correspondent of the Daily Guide.

{1/11,20:35} Dawuro Kingdom fm: Have you worked on my story

{1/12,07:45} Dawuro Kingdom fm: Gm

{1/12,07:45} Dawuro Kingdom fm: U didnt send the story

{1/12,07:46} Alhaji Daniel Bampoe: oh y re saying that

{1/12,07:48} Dawuro kingdom fm: Ill call Charles (Charles Takyi Boadu) after my program

{1/12,07:49} Alhaji Daniel Bampoe: But Charles is not the editor

{1/12,08:08} Dawuro Kingdom fm: I Know

A lot ensued between the two colleagues on January, 12 but because of time and space I couldnt produce all.

The conversation existed till Friday January, 13 when the story was published.

Again, I produce some portions of the conversation that ensued between the two after the story was published

{1/13,12:16} Kwabi Kingdom fm: Tell them u know nothing about the story moreover it doesnt bare your name. Thats all

{1/13,12:22} Alhaji Daniel Bampoe: Jus saw ur call.Am busy somewhere

{1/13,12:22} Did you told them u were called to publish

13. Indeed I wish to state that the facts have been twisted to favour my attacker as the victim.

14. I entreat the paper and all online portals who published the story to do same to my rejoinder and give it the same prominence it deserves.

Signed

Kofi Siaw

E/r correspondent,Joy fm
Bamako (AFP) - President-elect Adama Barrow was due to meet world leaders Saturday at a summit jointly hosted by France in Mali as the international community strives for an end to The Gambia's political crisis.

Barrow flew to Bamako unexpectedly after holding crisis talks in Banjul with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ghana's John Mahama.

The delegation of west African heavyweights also met with Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who is refusing to cede power after disputing a December 1 election result that declared Barrow the winner.

Gambian president-elect Adama Barrow

In a sign of Barrow's growing international clout, a French diplomatic source told AFP that President Francois Hollande "intends to meet" Barrow, while the former businessman was due to sit down with west African leaders to discuss his nation's future.

The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), a 15-nation bloc, has repeatedly called on Jammeh to respect the result of the vote that delivered Barrow to victory, and step down after 22 years in power.

Jammeh has made clear he will not stand aside until the country's Supreme Court decides on his legal challenge seeking to annul the results of last month's polls, which he initially conceded losing.

Security tops agenda

The ruling is unlikely to happen before May.

There are just four days left of Jammeh's five-year term, but he warned the international community on Tuesday that "undue external interference" was unnecessary.

Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, said Friday that ECOWAS would ask the Security Council to approve the deployment of troops to The Gambia if Jammeh refuses to cede power.

Heads of state from at least 30 nations were due in Bamako to also discuss the fight against jihad, governance challenges and Africa's role in the European migrant crisis.

Many of the nations attending the gathering were once colonies of France, which in recent years has boosted its military involvement on the continent.

Gambia gained its independence from Britain in 1965

Also present are Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, who have a particularly tense relationship with Paris.

In a bid to help crush the jihadist threat, France has trained more than 20,000 African soldiers every year since 2013, according to a French diplomatic source.

By 2020 the number of French-trained troops is expected to reach 25,000 a year.

The training drive aims to minimise the need for direct military interventions in African conflicts, such as those launched in Mali and the Central African Republic in 2013.

However the situation in key nations such as Mali remains far from stable, where France continued military presence is not universally welcomed.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (right) held crisis talks in Abuja on January 9, where regional leaders discussed the political situation in Gambia

Overshadowing the summit was an admission by the French defence ministry on Friday that French soldiers deployed to northern Mali had killed a child jihadist during a counter-terror operation in November.

According to the French-language magazine Jeune Afrique, the victim was buried in secret by the soldiers.

Hollande said Friday that those battling jihad in Africa and the Middle East were like France part of "the same fight" against extremism, visiting French soldiers at a military base in the northern Malian city of Gao.

"The terrorists who attack our land, who commit acts on our soil, are allied with those who are in the Levant, in Iraq and Syria, but here as well, in the Sahel," Hollande said.

A demonstrator holds a sign reading "We are all Gambians" as Senegalese NGOs and civil rights groups held a protest rally in Dakar on December 17

Elsewhere, discussions were expected on the abuse of African constitutions. In recent years leaders like Kagame have altered their constitutions to remove term limits, to the dismay of democracy advocates on the continent.

Another concern for the summit is unrest in Democratic Republic of Congo, where President Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down has sparked a political crisis.
14.01.2017 LISTEN

We use the term Diaspora to describe a community of people who live outside their shared country of origin or ancestry but maintain active connections with it.

Many Ghanaians in the Diaspora maintain a strong connection to Ghana. There is a joke that the Ghanaian Diaspora are the only ones who display the Countries flag in their cars.

Many Ghanaian Diaspora groups are working to achieve greater impact and a stronger voice in matters that relate to Ghana.

The Ghanaian Diaspora community make vital but most often unrecognized contributions to the progress of Ghana. They share goals with governments, businesses, and NGOs, including:

Broad-based economic growth

Thriving civil society

Widespread participation in good governance

Access to global markets for skills and financial capital

Robust trading partnerships

Growing participation in science, technology and communication innovations.

To mention a few.

The Contribution of the Ghanaian Diaspora in the National development cannot be over emphasized. There is credible information that the Ghanaian Diasporian remittances to Ghana in 2015 was about 15 Billion USD. Such a formidable contribution cannot be overlooked. This is more than the revenue generated in the country from sources such as gold, diamond, oil.

Such a contribution cannot be ignored and such a group need to be Nurtured, Grown and Catered to.

Lip service has been paid in the past to this formidable Constituency. Under the Kuffours administration a Bureau of Diasporian Affairs was established, a diasporian summit arranged with great fun fare only to be relegated to the background without any credible engagement with the diaspora.

The same process happened under the Mahama administration with the creation of the Desk of Diasporian Affairs in the Presidents office. Nothing substantial was achieved and yet again the Diaspora was left to its own.

President Akuffo Addo has established several focused new Ministries to tackle the myriad of problems facing Ghana. Inner City and Zongo, Railways, Business Development, Special Development Initiative, Water and Sanitation to mention a few. I propose the establishment of the Ministry of Diasporian Affairs to engage the Diaspora in a more strategic way to tap on the potential of the Ghanaian Diaspora for the benefit of the country.

The time could not have been more opportune to take advantage of the wind of change to make the Ghanaian Diaspora more meaningful to the country. There are several innovative ways to coordinate the activities of the Ghanaian Diaspora to make it meaningful to the development of Ghana.

The diaspora cannot be seen only a source of tax revenue and remittances. The scope and usefulness of such a Ministry is immense and as a matter of URGENCY I urge the President to create such a Ministry. THE MISTRY OF DIASPORIAN AFFAIRS. If established soundly the Ministry can be even self-supporting.

Several countries all over the world have tapped effectively and in an organized fashion into their Diaspora and Ghana cannot be any different.
14.01.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - The Kwame Nkrumah Ideology Institute (KNII), has commended former Attorney-General, Mr Martin Amidu for his indefatigable stance and engagement against corrupt practices during the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) Administration.

The Institute urged Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to encourage and support Mr Amidu in his endeavours.

Dr Benjamin Anyagre, Executive Director of KNII said in a statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency that Mr Amidu epitomised selfless, true and a dedicated patriotism who in his extraordinary energy and strength embarked on a crusade towards making corruption a socio-cultural dislike in the country's body politics and the society as a whole.

It said the former Attorney General was an ideologue of a social democratic party and must be acknowledged by well-meaning Ghanaians and Members of the NDC, for standing up against his own Party's deviation from the tenets of the principles of probity and accountability.

'His height of bravely is uncommon in this part of the world, which must be seen as a phenomenal socio-political landmark worth emulating by the youth of today.

'Indeed, the future of this country relies on a dynamic and a committed leadership ready to put the self aside and work to ensure a prosperous and a fine nation for our current and future generation,' the statement said.

GNA
14.01.2017 LISTEN

By Samira Larbie/Elizabeth Tetteh, GNA

Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - The Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), has expressed fear in the current trend of appointments made by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

It said the appointments did not reflect the promise made in the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) 2016 Manifesto.

It said if government was not able to achieve even the minimum of 30 per cent threshold of women's representation, then Ghana would be at a lost in the next 50 years.

Mrs Magdalene Kannae, a Board Member of WiLDAF speaking at a press conference in Accra said the nine women appointed out of the 36 ministerial nominations fell short of the International, Regional and National standards and that of the NPP.

'Ghana has signed onto a number of conventions, treaties and protocols such as the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Platform for Action, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Commonwealth Plan of Action on Gender Equality.

'These set the minimum target of 30 per cent representation women in decision making positions,' she stated.

She said the African Union Charter on Human and Peoples Right of Women in Africa's provision on the gender equality also set a target of 50 per cent representation of men and women in public office.

Mrs Kannae urged the President to fulfil its social development agenda by ensuring that aside the ministerial positions, women were well represented and appointed as deputy ministers, ambassadors, heads of district assemblies including district chief executives, commissions, councils and government appointees to public boards.

She also asked the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Attorney General's Office to expedite the process of resubmitting to Parliament the Affirmative Action Bill for it consideration.

The NPP-led parliament must pass the Affirmative Action Law as soon as possible, she said.

Mr Frank Boagya, the Manager of Governance WiLDAF, said: 'One or two appointments do not cover the 30 per cent but it should be across board and at least every list should have 30 per cent.

'If NPP and the NDC (National Democratic Congress), who have ruled the country for the past 25 years are not able to appoint enough women into positions then they are not national in character.

'We will continue the struggle and advocate until we get there because we have been working across board with all the governments and we will always do this work until we achieve our target,' he added.

The list of women appointees so far by the President, include Foreign Affairs - Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Attorney General -Ms Gloria Akufo, Local Government -Hajia Alima Mahama, Gender, Children and Social Protection - Ms Otiko Afisa Djaba.

The others are Ministry of Communication - Mrs Ursula Owusu, Special Development Initiative - Ms Mavis Hawa Koomson, Ministry of Fisheries -Ms Elizabeth Afoley Quaye,

Ministry of Aviation - Mrs Cecelia Dapaah and Mrs Frema Osei-Opare, Chief of Staff.

GNA
By Julius K. Satsi, GNA

Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - The Trades Union Congress (TUC), has called on the Minister designate for Employment and Labour Relations to provide the platform for the views of the labour force when he assumes office.

Mr Joshua Ansah, the Deputy Secretary General of TUC asked Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, to prioritise the labour issues and 'take labour issues very serious'.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Friday, Mr Ansah declared the Union's support for the Minister designate.

He said the Union would not be quite when the minister was going out of place but would call him to order when the need be.

Mr Ansah described the Employment and Labour Ministry as a key ministry and therefore needed a very competent personality for its management.

'It is a key ministry and if Ghana would actually develop, it depends on the contribution of workers towards the socio-economic development of the country and any serious government would ensure that whoever is put in that ministry is up to the task.'

In terms of competence, Mr Ansah is optimistic the minister designate would be able to deliver due to his vast knowledge in labour issues.

He said the Minister designate had moved through the ranks from District Chief Executive through to Deputy Regional Minister and becoming the Brong- Ahafo Regional Minister during the Kufuor era.

'If there would be peace industrially, it would depend on the relationship that the Minister would bring to bear between his office and our office,' he noted.

Commenting on the increase in number of the ministries from twenty-four to thirty-six, Mr Ansah said it is good move saying that he believes that the President wants people to be in charge of all the issues raised during the campaign season.

He called on Ghanaians to focus more on the outcome of the work of the various ministries especially on the six additionally created ones.

Meanwhile, Mr Ansah has called on the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sternly deal with the issue of corruption because it did not bring any good to the society.

He suggested the need for sole sourcing to be abolished except in an exceptional case, which the 1992 Constitution permitted if the country would get value for money.

'If proper measures are put in place, I don't see why we should go for sole-sourcing,' Mr Ansah said.

He also called on the President to make the creation of job the hallmark of this government.

He said: 'We are waiting for a day where labour in Ghana would come out chest out that we are now having a living wage rather than a minimum wage.'

GNA
By Lydia Asamoah, GNA

Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - The Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, has cautioned incoming political officers to eschew arrogance of power and rather serve in humility and in the interest of the citizenry.

'They should not exhibit arrogance of power, insult, attacks, you are over and above all us, you are in office for your personal comfort and that we dare not raise a voice,' Rev Opuni-Frimpong advised political officers in an interview with GNA on Friday.

He pleaded with the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and all his appointees to be legacy minded, saying that was what would guide them into the future.

He explained that to be legacy minded or legacy conscious meant that leaders must be very clear in their minds what they were into office to offer-right and had in mind what they wanted to offer before they exited at the end of services.

'Leaders must be very clear in the minds what they are in offices to offer not when they are exiting but when they are arriving, how they want to be remembered for and work towards that - as men and women who came to serve, men and women who are faithful, humble and in for the common good of Ghanaians and for human dignity.

'Those who want to make Ghana great and strong-they must live with that mind set and-that is what will guide all their decisions and implementation of whatever policies are on their desk and the discipline they bring to office and be able to be accountable to the people', Rev Opuni Frimpong advised.

'We are praying with them, we wish them well but they must know that Ghanaians cannot accept anything apart from the best for ourselves.

'We have a nation that must be build, we have a young people that we must be conscious of, that when we exit, we must have a better Ghana for our young people and our children who are yet unborn'.

Meanwhile, Rev Opuni-Frimpong has congratulated the new administration on their assumption of office and for the colourful swearing in ceremony and said he was hopeful the selection of personalities was done by the President with due diligence.

As they engage society, when they hear people calling for accountability they must not see them as enemies, he said.

GNA
By D.I. Laary/ Priscilla S.Djentuh

Accra, Jan. 13, GNA - The President of the Ghana Federation of Disability People Organisations, (GFD) Mr Yaw Ofori-Debrah, has expressed worry over the absence of a physically challenged person in the ministerial nominees announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The President, on Thursday, named the last batch of his ministerial picks bringing to the 36, the total number, and also announced the creation of six new ministries with specialised focus, to operate under the auspices of the Presidency.

But speaking to the Ghana News Agency, on Friday, Mr Ofori-Debrah said the development was a worrisome one to the disability community, especially at a time their leadership had presented a proposal to the President to consider them in Ministerial, Council of State and Chief Executive appointments.

'We are worried; we are worried,' he repeated. 'Our expectations have been dashed. 'The Federation forwarded a formal request to the Office of the President, so we were expecting a ministerial appointment, and we have not heard that anyone is being consulted.''.

Mr Ofori-Debrah said it would be disappointing that Persons With Disability (PWDs) might not have the opportunity to serve in the New Patriotic Party's Administration, which had elaborate interventions in their 2016 Manifesto to mitigate the plight of PWDs.

Former President John Dramani Mahama in 2013 made history by appointing, Dr Henry Seidu Daannaa, a blind law graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science, to head the Ministry for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs.

His appointment incurred the wrath of some traditional chiefs who saw the lawyer's condition as an abomination and denigration to customs, but this was rebutted by the National Houses of Chiefs.

They had claimed that certain aspects of the Ghanaian tradition and customs in some areas did not allow physically-challenged persons, including the blind, to hold such high public offices.

GNA
Khartoum (AFP) - Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour on Saturday said "secret" talks between American and Sudanese officials led to the easing of US sanctions on his country.

US President Barack Obama on Friday announced the lifting of some economic sanctions, trying to improve ties with a country whose leader is accused of war crimes and links to terror.

"We held 23 meetings in Khartoum away from the eyes of the media from June 2016 that lasted six months. The meetings were concluded on December 31," Ghandour told reporters.

The head of Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Mohammed Atta al-Mawla, told reporters he had met the CIA chief "twice since October 2015".

Sudan, he said, "has been cooperating and coordinating with the US since before 2000 in the struggle against terrorism," he said.

Mawla did not elaborate but said he had received "technical assistance" from the US.

The US decision to ease sanctions will allow Sudan to boost trade and "opens the way for us to use all sorts of currency, specially the US dollar", for trade transactions, according to Finance Minister Badreddin Mahmud.

Sudan has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 for its alleged support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

The United States has also blacklisted Sudan as an alleged state sponsor of terrorism since 1993.

The Khartoum government's scorched earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in the Darfur region have also been cited as a reason not to lift the sanctions

According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million were displaced since that conflict began in 2003.

President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.

Human Rights Watch has expressed concern over Obama's decision.

"The Obama administration's decision to 'ease' sanctions is inexplicable," said Leslie Lefkow of New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"Sudan's government has failed to make progress on core benchmarks, from its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and other conflict zones, to its extensive repression of independent voices."
Bamako (AFP) - Mali's president called Saturday for Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh to step down and avoid an unnecessary "bloodbath" by clinging to power and forcing a potential military intervention.

The Gambia's political crisis dominated a summit co-organised by Mali and France as Gambian president-elect Adama Barrow made a surprise appearance to meet with west African leaders seeking their help to end the impasse.

"On January 19, I dare to hope that African wisdom will convince our brother (Jammeh) that the good Muslim that he claims to be understands the greater good for The Gambia, which does not need a bloodbath," President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita told journalists.

Barrow is expected to take power on January 19 when Jammeh's mandate runs out, but the strongman has refused to cede power after disputing the result of a December 1 election won by Barrow.

"We have made a strong gesture. First, we have received the president," said Keita, referring to Barrow.

French President Francois Hollande (L) and Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita give a joint press conference following the Africa-France summit in Bamako on January 14, 2017

Barrow flew to Bamako unexpectedly on Friday after holding crisis talks in Banjul with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ghana's John Mahama.

Malian and Ghanaian sources confirmed to AFP heads of state had also received Barrow on the margins of the summit.

The leaders of at least 30 nations had gathered in Bamako to discuss jihad on the continent and Africa's impact on the European migrant crisis -- but the Gambian crisis ended up topping the agenda.

Military option

The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), a 15-nation bloc, has repeatedly called on Jammeh to respect the result of the vote and leave after 22 years in power.

Gambian President-elect Adama Barrow

The spectre of a military intervention rose after declarations by the United Nations and African Union in recent days that boots on the ground could get the green light without a rapid resolution of the crisis.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, said on Friday that ECOWAS would ask the Security Council to approve the deployment of troops to The Gambia if Jammeh continues to refuse to leave office.

ECOWAS has made clear in the past force will not be ruled out as a last resort.

Meanwhile, west African defence chiefs met in Abuja to discuss the crisis, Nigeria's chief of defence staff said, "as part of efforts to mitigate the political impasse," notably including neighbouring Senegal.

Gambian president-elect Adama Barrow

In a sign of Barrow's growing international clout, French President Francois Hollande met the president-elect and was pictured shaking his hand.

There are just four days left of Jammeh's five-year term, but he warned the international community on Tuesday that "undue external interference" was unnecessary.

Gambia gained its independence from Britain in 1965

Jammeh has said he will not stand aside until the country's Supreme Court decides on his legal challenge seeking to annul the result of last month's polls, which he had initially conceded.

The ruling however is unlikely to happen before May.

Jihadist threat

It was Hollande's last trip to Africa as president before his term ends, and Keita described him as the "most loyal" of French presidents to the continent.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (right) held crisis talks in Abuja on January 9, where regional leaders discussed the political situation in Gambia

In a bid to help crush the jihadist threat, France has trained more than 20,000 African soldiers every year since 2013, according to a French diplomatic source.

Hollande said French forces would stay in Mali "for as long as the African countries -- and there's not just Mali -- decide."

"Our goal is to train African armies to secure the Sahel-Sahara zone," Hollande said. "But it will be long, because we face terrorist groups that are particularly well-armed and determined to destabilise the entire region."

Another issue at the summit was the sensitive topic of migration to Europe.

Underscoring this, Keita said his country would "never" sign any agreement that would allow Europe to deport Malian citizens living illegally back to his nation.

A demonstrator holds a sign reading "We are all Gambians" as Senegalese NGOs and civil rights groups held a protest rally in Dakar on December 17

The Dutch foreign ministry signed a joint declaration on the EU's behalf on December 11 which it said would "enable the return from Europe of Malian migrants," an agreement Mali later said was misunderstood.

Meanwhile overshadowing the summit was an admission by the French defence ministry on Friday that French soldiers deployed to northern Mali had killed a child during a counter-terror operation in November, and promised an inquiry into the 10-year-old boy's death.

According to the French-language magazine Jeune Afrique, the victim was buried in secret by the soldiers.
14.01.2017 LISTEN

Ho, Jan. 14, GNA - The Teachers of the Technical Universities and Polytechnics (POTAG) has congratulated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his assumption of office as the Fifth President of the Fourth Republic.

The Association also congratulated Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education Designate and assured of good working relationship with the government.

Addressing a press conference in Ho on Friday, the Association appealed to the government to continue with the process of converting the two remaining Polytechnics in Wa and Bolgatanga to Technical Universities as promised during his campaign.

They also appealed to the President to address challenges associated with the transition process of the conversion of the Technical Universities.

The Association called for a team to be put together as a matter of urgency to deal with challenges concerning their conditions of service as teachers of Technical Universities.

They appealed for the timely payment of their Book and Research Allowances for the 2016/2017 academic year, as well as the release of their "Tier 2" "Pension contributions to their Trustee.

GNA
Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - Ghana has, since 1992, held seven consecutive free and fair democratic elections in a peacefully atmosphere.

Under the Fourth Republic, the country has had three smooth and peaceful transition of power from one democratically elected political party to another and six from one government to another.

Unlike some African countries, which are engulfed by either pre or post electoral conflicts, Ghana has eminently and illustriously distinguished herself, showing an outstanding and a remarkable level of democratic adherence.

Ghana has carved for herself the title of being the beacon of African democracy.

'With this political development, Ghana, to many observers in the international community, seemed to have left the ranks of African countries saddened by military coups and repressive dictatorships.

'Through this democratic process, Ghana ascended to the group of civilised, responsible and representative governments, or more aptly, a workable democratic experiment in Africa.'' (wordpress.com/2001/01/07).

After the result of the December 2000 elections, which gave John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) victory over Rawlings's National Democratic Congress (NDC) in a run-off election, prompted the BBC 'Talking Point' programme of December 9, 2000 to ask the questions: 'Has Ghana reached political maturity and if so, has the election set a good example for the rest of Africa''. (wordpress.com/2001/01/07).

This has sparked off both domestic and international electoral observes to show much concern in Ghana's elections in every election year.

But the point well noting is whether Ghana`s democracy can be studied and understood very well in just two or three months to elections by any international electoral observer?

Very difficult it may be.

So many factors accounts for Ghana`s beautiful democratic credentials.

Ghanaian political leaders promoting democracy

It is an indisputable fact that the political leaders of the country craves for peaceful, free fair and transparent elections in every election year.

This fact manifest itself from the speeches they present to the people before, during and after elections, no matter whether they are on the winning or the losing side.

Both the former President John Dramani Mahama and the incumbent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo displayed statesmanship when the 2016 elections were declared by the Electoral Commission.

Ex President Mahama called to acknowledge the victory of Nana Akufo-Addo, who graciously thanked Mr Mahama for the gesture.

Other competitors in the election-Mr Ivor Greenstreet, former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, Dr Edward Mahama, and Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, an independent candidate also called to congratulate Nana Akufo-Addo.

Ghanaians contribution to democracy

The question that may be lingering in the memory of the individual would be as to whether the peaceful democracy that we are relishing as a nation today is the sole hard fought of our political leaders.

Indeed, it is extensively known to many about the hospitality of Ghanaians globally. Apart from this, Ghanaians are also naturally peace loving people, despite their cultural, ethnic and religious differences, they are able to co-exist peacefully among themselves.

When taking a walk or drive on the street of the big cities in the country during campaign periods and prior to elections, when the politicians are all running in every direction trying to win the votes of the people with their campaign messages wrapped in beautifully designed and crafted manifestoes, one could see billboards, with the inscription of peaceful messages about the elections.

Also, every gathering would end with a well-wishing and prayers for peaceful elections in the country and all religious and traditional leaders would be preaching for peace before, during and after the elections.

On the Facebook page of the body builders associations dubbed: 'Flex for peace,' on the 8th of November precisely a month to the elections, wrote:

'Election!!! Election!!! Election!!!

'It widely known in Ghana that bodybuilders are affiliated to political parties someway somehow to cause riots, rig elections and disturb national peace.

'For the hunger of harmony and cohesion, the bodybuilding association has come together to eradicate this stereotype in Ghana.

'We are humbly calling on all bodybuilders and Ghana at large to help us embark on this peace campaign.

'Remember we have only one Ghana, and it will take your effort and mine to make here a peaceful place to stay.'

These are all indications of how the individual Ghanaian yearns for peace and development in a democratic society.

The journey for the quest of seeking a peaceful elections to contributing towards the promotion of the democracy of Ghana starts immediately after the swearing in of an incoming democratically elected president.

The democracy of this great nation is by far the hard fought of every single Ghanaian and such must be to preserve this beautiful name the people of Ghana has help to build.

Long live the democracy of Ghana and

God bless our home land Ghana.

GNA

By Mohammed Abdul Rashid, GNA
Half-Assini, (W/R) Jan 14, GNA - More than 150 Catholic Priests, Reverend Sisters and Brothers in the Sekondi/Takoradi Diocese of the Catholic Church in the Western Region have been honoured for their meritorious service and dedication to duty.

They were presented with prizes which include clothes, wall clocks, bags and vestments at the ceremony held in Half-Assini.

The programme was organised by the Church and sponsored by the Diocesan Bishop, Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie.

Speaking at a Pre-ceremonial Mass at the Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Half-Assini, the Bishop said the occasion was to thank God for the works of those honoured.

He said: 'I am using the occasion to thank the Priests, Sisters and Brothers in a special way for their work in and outside the Diocese towards building God's Kingdom'.

Bishop Kwofie said some of the religious were working under difficult and unrewarded situations.

He said in this regard it was imperative once a year to set aside a day to meet and interact with them and take stock and make the necessary amends.

Rev Michael Owusu Parish Priest of St Patrick Parish, in a welcoming address said the Bishop had created an opportunity for them to interact with him and also relax, refresh, appreciate, encourage and reinforce bond of friendship with their co-workers.

He indicated that the Half-Assini Parish created more than 120 years ago had chalked out a lot of achievements in the Diocese by producing five other Parishes in the Half-Assini Deanery namely Kengen, Elubo, Bonyere, Newtown and New Kabenlah-Suazo.

GNA
By Kodjo Adams, GNA

Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - Achimota School in collaboration with the Old Achimota School has held a health walk on Saturday to create awareness of the 90th anniversary celebration, starting from January to December.

The exercise, which had both old and current students of the school, started the walk from the school's premises through some principal streets of Accra to the Pig Farm traffic light and back to campus.

Mrs Beatrice Adom, Headmistress of the School, said the walk was to pave way for the grand launch of the anniversary scheduled on January 28 at the administration block.

She said Management would use the occasion to break ground for the construction of new science laboratory.

This she explained was necessary because of the growing number of students.

Mrs Adom said the facility would come with state-of-the-art equipment to serve the practical needs of science students.

She explained that on January 29, the School would have a thanksgiving service.

Mrs Adom said as part of the celebration, there would be activities such as flag raising ceremony with old and new students, monthly symposium, founders day to be preceeded with born fire and a durbar.

She noted that in June the School would have an inter-school games, an Oprah stage play spearheaded by the old students, home coming in November to showcase the creative and innovative works of the students and climaxed the celebration in December with a dinner dance.

She urged all students across the country to do well to participate in the school's anniversary to make it a success.

Professor Ernest Aryeetey, President of Old Achimota Association said the body had been working closely with the school's authority to ensure that the anniversary went on successfully as well as improve the positive image of the facility.

He said the construction of the new science laboratory was part of the association's corporate social responsibility to give back to the alma mater for instilling in them knowledge and skills to be productive in life.

Prof Aryeetey expressed worry about encroachment on the schools land and was confident that with the court injunction, it would prevent other encroaches.

GNA
- The federal government plans to improve cocoa production in Nigeria

- A committee was established and saddled with the responsibility of achieving this

- Nigeria is the seventh largest producer of coca in the world

The President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has announced plans to become the world largest producer and exporter of cocoa in a move some have touted as a way of stopping the countrys over-dependence on oil.

Nigeria aims to be world largest cocoa producer

Vanguard reports that this was disclosed by Chief Audu Ogbeh who is the minister of of agriculture at the launch of the Cocoa Re-launch Committee led by Dr Olayiwola Oluwole in Abuja.

READ ALSO: All efforts to save Naira failed - IMF

The minister said the ambition of the government to reach the top of the ladder and be the world largest producer was possible with the new committee.

He said: In-house here we can say is a shame for us to be number seven on the list of cocoa producers in the world, but we must reverse it to be at the top and that is why we are here. This is the time to do it and no other time than to do it now.

Nigeria aims to be world largest cocoa producer

Cocoa can be grown in many parts of the country. We are going to have cocoa relaunch campaign in March at Ondo State, and we want all cocoa farmers from cocoa producing states to be present.

We cannot afford to remain seventh cocoa producing nation. We are going to take over from Cote DIvoire as the largest cocoa producer in the world.

We can earn huge foreign exchange from cocoa because oil and gas has done damage to our economy and we have to go back to agriculture to rescue the economy.

You have to come up with materials that could be used for cocoa production because cocoa can be grown in many parts of the country and presently there are 27 states that can grow cocoa. The cocoa farmers need to be enlightened on what they could do to improve on what they have been doing in the industry.

READ ALSO: Oil experts confirms discovery of oil in Benue state (photos)

Ogbeh expressed confidence in the ability of the committee and said they would be in charge and not the government.

Dr Oluwole who is the chairman promised the the committee will work tirelessly to achieve the desire.

Source: Legit.ng
Remember the two beautiful Canadian sisters, Kiran and Jyoti Matharoo, who were charged to court for blackmailing top rich Nigerian men with malicious stories after having 'great' time with them? Yes, there is a new update about them!

According to The Cable Lifestyle, the two ladies who are Instagram big babes have quietly left Nigeria after they publicly apologized to billionaire Femi Otedola and his family who were the brain behind their arrest. But this does not seem to be the end of the story as there are strong indications that they are still in possession of about 274 digital pictures and videos of randy Nigerian billionaires.

Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo

Although the police seized their laptop which had the lewd files in them, The Cable Lifestyle is claiming that the scandalous images of famous Nigerians found on the ladies laptop was what made authourities allow them leave the country quietly just to avoid a potential national embarrassment. But there are fears that there might be copies of these seized images elsewhere.

Securities found unclad (and semi-unclad) images and video of Nigerian billionaires allegedly recorded by the girls at their EKO Hotel room where the escapades usually took place. A very popular minister from the south-west and a former uncommon PDP governor from the south-south are in the lewd images.

PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest gossips on NAIJ Gossip App

The unclad picture of a bank MD, a video of high-flying lawyer and businessman from Kogi state pulling down his boxers shorts, were all seen on the ladies' laptop.This did not leave out brother of a famous retired general from the middle belt who was also seen in some of the pictures.

The fear of a scandal of global proportions blowing up in the media during their trial led to a change of tact, a source familiar with the soft landing deal told The Cable Lifestyle. The police may withdraw the charges when the case is called on January 26 at the magistrate court, except there is a change of plans.

It is worthy to note that the ladies are said to be part owners of notorious website, NaijaGistLive.com, a site where they publish the malicious stories and then collect money (most times in foreign currency) from their victims to pull down the embarrassing story or stop the story from being published. But Nigerian billionaire businessman Femi Otedola got them traced to their hotel room and arrested when they allegedly attacked his wife and daughter, DJ Cuppy.

But it does not seem that's the end of the show because a recent posts on Instagram under the account name 9jagistlive4 suggest that the publications could continue but without collecting money from anyone.

Read more here.

Source: Legit.ng
- Former head of state, General Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd) has added his voice to the crisis in Southern Kaduna

- Abubakar sued for peace among the warring parties

- He and other leaders of thought had a closed door meeting with Governor Nasir El-Rufai

Former head of state, General Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd) has sued for peace among the warring parties in the Southern Kaduna crisis.

Abdulsalam Abubakar and President Muhammadu Buhari after a meeting at the Aso Villa last year

Abubakar made the call during a visit with other leaders of thought to the Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai on Friday, January 13.

The former military president had in his entourage, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Kukah and his counterpart in the Abuja Diocese; Cardinal John Onaiyekan.

READ ALSO: OPC backs call for restructuring of the federation, condemns Kaduna killings

After the delegation had a closed door meeting with Governor Nasir El-Rufai, General Abubakar (rtd) addressed journalists.

He said: The Kaduna violence is something that can engulf the country, so we want to make sure that peace reigns in Nigeria, to make sure that people know that we are together.

We have to live in peace with each other and we have what it is to give and take. We are reaching a situation in the country where human live doesnt mean anything to people and this is wrong.

General Abubakar (rtd) said he and the religious leaders would within the week meet with leaders in Southern Kaduna, adding that after their findings, they will come back to the governor and also if necessary to the federal government to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

We will also visit the scene in Southern Kaduna where these problems are and discuss with the people. After which we will now sit down and see what we think should be done.

Everybody is aggrieved in one way or the other. So what we beg on people is to be patient, try as much as to forgive and to be each others keeper.

We must live together, we must find solution to the problems to sit down and talk to ourselves because there is no problem that cannot be solved when you are talking to each other, he said.

READ ALSO: Kaduna killings: Army to launch Operation Kaunama 11

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that 204 people were killed in the Southern Kaduna crisis.

The agency said the figures were recorded from the killings that occurred into two local government areas in the state.

It also said the figure covers between October and December 2016 and early January 2017.

Source: Legit.ng
- HRM Eze Israel Okwu Kanu called for the release of son by the federal government

- The father of Nnamdi Kanu said his son is fighting a just cause

- He wondered why Igbo leaders have not spoken out more in support of his son

HRM Eze Israel Okwu Kanu has condemned the silence of Igbo leaders over the issue of Biafra and the incarceration of his son insisting that they will leave their businesses on earth when they die.

Kanu was detained by operatives of the Department of State Service and charged to court for treason and related offenses.

Nnamdi Kanu's father laments continued detention of his son

The leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) has been agitating for the actualisation of an independent Biafra state and his father who is the Egwu Ukwu 11 of Afara Ukwu Ibeku, Umuahia has said his son is fighting a just cause.

READ ALSO: IPOB lists 8 mysterious things about Nnamdi Kanu

In an interview with The Sun, the Afara Ukwu, Ibeku monarch expressed surprise that Igbo leaders especially the Abia state government have failed to intercede for his son.

He applaude former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu for paying a visit to his son in detention dn also visiting him and described him as a man of the people.

He said apart from Kalu, no Igbo leaders have visited his son.

He said: "When I heard that the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu visited my son in prison in Abuja, I was happy. This projects him as someone who loves his people and development. He is a man of the people. The young man (Kalu) equally surprised me when he came to my palace during the Christmas and New Year break to see me.

We discussed so many things including moves he wants to make to get my son, Nnamdi released from prison and solicited my assistance in that direction. I told him that Nnamdi is strong-willed; that he would rather die in what he believes in. But all the same, he could go ahead and discuss with the Federal Government as my son will not have much to say while still in detention.

"Orji Uzor kalu I know is a man of the people as I said earlier and he is a go-getter; whatever hes set to do, that he achieves. Having said that, if there is anything he knows he can do to get Nnamdi released from detention, I will support him. Mine is that my son should be released first and other things can follow, because he cannot be discussing from inside the prison.

"Apart from Kalu visiting me here in my palace, some white men had also visited and the first questions they always asked was whether I am the father of Nnamdi and I would tell them yes. They would also ask me my mind about the agitation my son is spearheading and I would tell them there was nothing wrong with that. Some of them, after explaining things would understand where we are coming from.

READ ALSO: Why Buhari cannot win Nnamdi Kanu in court, IPOB give real reasons

"I am surprised that apart from Orji Uzor Kalu, no other Igbo political leader has visited Nnamdi in prison and nobody is talking. I wouldnt know if this could be attributed to fear. Some months ago, you heard of what happened at Aba where some people holding rally were shot dead and nobody said anything and this is not good. Even in their own reasoning, Nnamdi had not done the wrong thing, that shouldnt have stopped them from visiting him and showing him brotherly love as Kalu did. Igbo leaders have not indeed shown commitment to the Biafra struggle. I do not know the reason for their action except that they are afraid of their investment outside Igboland, which they will not carry to their graves when they die.

"I am also worried to an extent that the Abia State government is also feeling indifferent about Nnamdis problem. As an Abian, one would have thought that the state government would have come out openly to say something, not to talk of visiting him in prison, but these things are not forth coming."

It will be recalled that on January 15, 1970, the Biafra war which lasted for three years came to and end when Major General Phillip Effiong surrendered to Nigerian forces after Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of the secessionists fled to Ivory Coast.

Source: Legit.ng
- IPOB has praised former president Goodluck Jonathan, saying that he was intelligent enough not to arrest Nnamdi Kanu

- The IPOB's director of publicity, Emma Powerful, said that the Radio Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, could not be charged for treason or treasonable felony because he is a freedom fighter and not a coup plotter

- The group stated that those persecuting its leader for treason are either ignorant or are deliberately out to cause mischief as fight for self-determination does not constitute felony

PRO-Biafra group, Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has insisted that the Radio Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is a freedom fighter and not a coup plotter and for this reason, he cannot be charged for treason or treasonable felony.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu's father berates Igbo leaders not supporting Biafra

The organisation posited in a statement signed by its director of publicity, Emma Powerful, that those persecuting their leader for treason are either ignorant or are deliberately out to cause mischief as fight for self-determination does not constitute felony.

Nnamdi Kanu being led out of the court by the security operatives

There seems to be a misconception within the Nigerian judiciary, either through ignorance or deliberate omission, that self-determination is tantamount to treason or treasonable felony. (A copy of the United Nations Charter will resolve this issue,) the statement points out.

The statement also pointed out that: the history of Nigeria is replete with acts bothering on treasonable felony and actual acts of treason itself. Failed coups and attempted coups fall within this category.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra IPOB worldwide, the director radio and Biafra television is a freedom fighter not those coup plotters that overthrew democratically elected government.

Example of this, is the coup of 1983 that saw the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the then Nigeria Head of State. Actus Reus and Mens Rea. What date was this alleged treason committed? How can you charge somebody of a serious crime such as treasonable felony without a date?

READ ALSO: IPOB lists 8 mysterious things about Nnamdi Kanu

In which planet will a court entertain such a case? Maybe only in Nigeria. What type of charge is that? Its very obvious that the government of Major General Muhammadu Buhari misunderstood or failed to interpret the provision of the Rights of the Indigenous People.

To commit treasonable felony, there has to be guns available. The word to note is available not conjecture or imagined but real. The two licensed Dane guns (double barrel) recovered from the premises of Benjamin Madubugwu is hardly assault weapons or container load of weapons peddled by the federal government propaganda media unit.

Where and how did this meeting or plan to overthrow the APC government led by major General Muhammadu Buhari take place? Again a critical ingredient in establishing prima facie.

The agitation for Biafra by IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu predates the coming of the present administration of major General Muhammadu Buhari. The former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was intelligent enough not to arrest mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

However, the only difference between Goodluck Jonathans government and that of Muhammadu Buhari is that the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu by Buharis over zealousness is what triggered the resurgence of Biafra case all over the world now.

More so, had Daura of DSS released mazi Nnamdi Kanu when the court of competent jurisdiction in the first place by Hon. Shuaibu granted him bail, we wont be here today.

READ ALSO: Why Buhari cannot win Nnamdi Kanu in court, IPOB give real reasons

Again, when they also failed to obey the court order of Hon. Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the federal high court Abuja to release him unconditionally that enraged the civilised world and triggered the unprecedented global attention to the agitation of Biafra we have today.

President Muhammadu Buhari should obey court to order release mazi Nnamdi Kanu and others detained illegally in Kuje prison Abuja, DSS secret cells and and parts of the country and stop showcasing his incompetency and power drunk mentality to the Nigerians and the entire world. The statement posits.

The IPOB's statement has, however, triggered reactions and counter reactions from Nigerians both home and abroad.

Jatto Fatimah, an event planner, who lives in Ikoyi Lagos state, said: What did you expect GEJ to do to him? Were they not GEJ's sympathizers? IPOB, MASSOB, OPC led by Gani Adams, CAN led by pastor Oritsejefor, association of cultist and witches (lol) and Niger delta militant the likes of Asari Dokunbo and Tompolo were all supporting and campaigning in favour GEJ with their several horrifying threatsJatto Fatimah, an event planner, who lives in Ikoyi Lagos state, said: What did you expect GEJ to do to him? Were they not GEJ's sympathizers? IPOB, MASSOB, OPC led by Gani Adams, CAN led by pastor Oritsejefor, association of cultist and witches (lol) and Niger delta militant the likes of Asari Dokunbo and Tompolo were all supporting and campaigning in favour GEJ with their several horrifying threats".

Chima John, who lives in London, United Kindom said: Say what like, one thing is certain, BIAFRA must be restored Buhari has just realised it, Nnamdi kanu prepared for 17years for this battle and he's winning it."

Murtala Adam, who lives in Kadua, said: Jonathan was also intelligent enough not to grant autonomy to the fictitious "Biafra state" a state that only exists in the pipedreams of deranged psychopaths of Igboland."

Abdul Balarabe, who lives in Sokoto said: Hypocrite, When GEJ was in power there's nothing like nnamdi kanu all igbos are shouting gej till 2019, useless tribe whether ipob or no ipob, pmb till 2023, if igbo like they should dig ground and enter pmb till 2023.

Chinwenwa Muoneke, said: Jonathan is an educated man.... Unlike Buhari who is not... Buhari is just showing his hatred for igbos and Christians in general.... Look at what happened in southern kaduna.... Who has been arrested. Nobody."

Malam Salman Uwais, the Managing director, Tsabta Cleaning services, who lives in Abuja said: "f I may ask, what's intelligence in being loosed and allow things keep going wrongly? Because what I and all right thinking individual know is that among the qualities and responsibilities of a good leader is to deal with whoever wants breach public peace by any means."

"Any leader who fails to do this, is nothing but a ladder being used to reach what cannot be achieved without his support Ahmed Orume : Jonathan was not intelligent but a coward for allowing security nuisance to degenerate to this level. Jonathan ignored KANU just for political reason not national interest."

"I expect Buhari to deal with KANU according to the law to serve as deterrent to such people. There is nowhere in world where somebody will come out and cause security nuisance like this and go free.

"There is no responsible government all over the world that can tolerate the kind of agitations embarked upon by Nnamdi Kanu. Before Kanu started his brand of Biafra agitations, there are others before him whose methods were seemingly peaceful and none of them was arrested and they are still agitating without harassment from the government security agencies,"

Femi Jonathan, who lives in Doha, Qatar said: "Gradually this will generate to an uncontrollable situation, Buhari messed up with his handling of Biafra case, this is a mirage of how weak Mr president is, when it comes to key national issues.

"The worst mistake ever made by this government is arrest and detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Everyday Kanu goes to court it makes headlines both local and international, and it is an embarrassment to this regime. Many of his sympathizers believe Kanu is a prisoner of conscience. The Biafra agitation the government is trying to suppress is being brought out to lime light thereby advancing the cause of the agitation.

"That is why Soludo said that Nnmdi Kanu threw a bait and the federal government is trapped in it" .l cannot agree more, rather than ignoring Kanu and his troublesome group PMB wanted to show his raw power. Now with the aid of internet, globalisation and Kanu's rare courage PMB cannot suppress an idea whose time has come. lt was martin Luther King junior who said " Give me freedom or death" and Kanu seem to be in agreement with this maxim."

Source: Legit.ng
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
- Two staff members and three pupils of the Nigerian Turkish International College, Isheri, Ogun State, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have been kidnapped

- The spokesperson of Ogun state police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, has confirmed the incident

Reports filtered in late on Friday that two staff members and three pupils of the Nigerian Turkish International College, Isheri, Ogun State, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, have been kidnapped.

READ ALSO: Missing newborn abducted from Florida hospital found 18 years later

Efforts to reach the school administrators for comments proved abortive as the phone number of the schools media representative, Cema Yigit, was switched off around 11pm.

When our correspondent got through to the Ogun State Police Command, the spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the story, stating that the staff members, who are Turkish nationals and the school children, were abducted on Friday evening.

He said: I just called the division which covers the area and it is true. According to the information at my disposal, the victims were abducted at gunpoint on the school premises. We do not know yet if some Nigerian staff members were among those kidnapped.

The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, has deployed the anti-kidnapping unit and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad as well as other police operatives in the area.

READ ALSO: Photos: See deadly criminals arrested and large cache of arms recovered in Bauchi

Even the area commander of Sagamu and all the divisional police officers of surrounding areas are on the ground. He has directed that the kidnapped victims must be rescued unhurt.

Source: Legit.ng
The Senior Pastor of Voice of Liberty Intercessors Ministry, Apostle Joshua Mone has released his prophecies for 2017.

Apostle Joshua Mone during one of his services

According to the divine message revealed to the cleric since December 2016, there are likely to be several natural disasters, man-made crises and political battles in Nigeria.

Apostle Mone however cautioned that prayer remains the major key to averting those tragedies and bringing more of Gods blessings to the country.

READ ALSO: Mixed reactions as MMM reopens for business

Legit.ng lists the 35 prophecies of the cleric below:

1. I see a year of great opportunities in 2017

2. There shall be little famine in the land and great supplies, then famine again

3. I see importation (opening of border for importation of goods)

4. I see America and China in a close battle. Nigeria should pray not to be the field of the battle.

5. The African continent should pray. I see a terrible natural disaster

6. Boko Haram is not yet eliminated; I see more of Boko Haram attacks in 2017

7. Nigeria churches and Christians should pray, I see terrible attacks on the Christian faith this year

8. I see a prominent preacher passing away

9. I see a popular militant leader in Niger Delta declared wanted being arrested. He should ask for mercy from God

10. I see a minister from Niger Delta in a net, this is a set up.

11. Former governor of Delta state should pray. I see a strong attack on him. The wife should pray against sudden death.

12. Minister for information, God is against you. If you do not retrace your step from the evil agenda by you and your cohorts in your political party against a member of your party in authority, you shall be exposed and disgraced.

13. The freedom and return of the ex-governor of Delta state should be carefully celebrated for I see trouble arranged by members of his team to eliminate him, but he should not worry. I see a throne for him if he can pray. I see high honour.

14. South Africa should pray, I see a terrorist attack

15. I see blood on the streets of Warri

16. I see a king in a small ethnic group in Delta state poisoned. This may result to death. He should pray. This is a throne from Delta south.

17. I see a strong battle on the America seat, Trump must seek for prayer. There will be strong opposition

18. Former president should pray. I see attack on his wife. They should pray for God to intervene

19. The Vice President should pray, I see a great storm coming on him and his position.

20. President Muhammad Buhari, I see great pestilence coming on him, God will reduce him

21. The current head of Delta state must pray. I see strong pressure, he should pray against health challenges.

22. Enugu must pray against weeping. I see terrible flood of blood.

23. I see herdsmen re-launch an attack

24. A popular church denomination with several branches, I see great storm, this is uprooting storm

25. MMM is regrouping to put many Nigerians into serious financial scarcity

26. I see too many bomb explosions, the church must pray

27. I see importation of fake medical supplements. This is against the women

28. The aviation ministry must put serious system in place to check flights. I see plane crash

29. I hear shout and heavy cry from Lagos. Lagos needs prayers

30. I see wedding, wedding, wedding but more of fake partners

31. I see great harvest of souls for Voice of Liberty this year, 2017

32. God will humble men and women by the great miracle that will be taking place in Voice of Liberty in 2017

33. I see greatness and breakthroughs for Liberty families

34. Israel, Oh Israel, No shaking, God is with you. I see many oppositions on Israel this year, 2017 but she will prevail in all

35. I see increase in 419 on the streets. People should be very careful.

Source: Legit.ng
- As crisis escalates in Gambia over the unwillingness of the nation's incumbent president Yahya Jammeh to step down, ECOWAS now ready to apply force

- ECOWAS has planned to combine military force to compel Jammeh to step down after ruling the nation for 22 years

- The ECOWAS delegation is led by Nigeria's President Muhammdu Buhari now in Mali to hold talks

As crisis escalates in the Gambia nation of West Africa, the entire West African countries are now ready to pull troops together to combat the uprising in the country, should Yahya Jammeh, the nations leader continue to remain adamant to step down.

Punch is reporting that the 15 countries in the region are set to seek approval from the United Nations Security Council to deploy troops to help curtail the restiveness in the Gambia.

Jammeh with President Muhammadu Buhari

A UN envoy, Mohammed Ibn Chambas said a delegation of the ECOWAS leaders to Banjul are now prepared to employ force to compel Jammeh hands over power to the president-elect, Adama Barrow.

READ ALSO: Jammeh asks Buhari, other African leaders to postpone trip to Gambia

Chambas was quoted to have said that: They plan to leave no doubt about the determination of ECOWAS to use all necessary means, including force, to have the will of the Gambian people upheld.

Should this be deemed necessary, ECOWAS intends to seek the endorsement of the AU Peace and Security Commission and the formal approval of this council to deploy troops to the Gambia.

The ECOWAS members have called on Jammeh to step down and allow peace reign in the country having ruled the country for 22 years.

This is even as the African Union has said that as from January 19, Jammeh is no more recognized as head of Gambia.

Led by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerias president, the delegation landed in Banjul on Friday with Barrow to hold talks with other regional leaders in Mali.

Source: Legit.ng
U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson joined most of the rest of his Republican colleagues Friday in voting for a budget resolution that gets rid of much of the Affordable Care Act, while U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador and eight other Republicans joined the Democrats in voting No.

Labradors reasons presumably differ from the Democrats who voted against the resolution, however  it was concern that it would increase the national debt too much, not a desire to preserve the ACA, that prompted the Idaho Republicans vote. Citing similar concerns, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul offered an amendment to the resolution to also balance the federal budget, but the Senate shot it down at the beginning of this week.

Americas debt presents the gravest threat to our future, Labrador said in a statement. While Im fully committed to repealing Obamacare, we shouldnt do so with a budget that refuses to address the threat and puts us another $10 trillion in the red.

Using a budget resolution allows the Republicans to repeal much of the ACA with a simple majority in the Senate, bypassing a Democratic filibuster that would require 60 votes to break.

Republicans throughout the country, including president-elect Donald Trump, have been running for office almost since the ACA was passed on the promise they would repeal it if they got the chance, and Congress has voted many times to do so. With a Republican president being sworn in a week from now, the GOP appears well positioned to undo President Barack Obamas signature piece of legislation.

It is no secret that Obamacare has not lived up to the promises made six years ago, Simpson said in a statement. Obamacare has led to higher premiums, higher deductibles, and fewer choices  and this is before the most egregious tax hikes have gone into effect. I hear from Idahoans daily about the struggles associated with this law, and todays legislation represents an important step in replacing Obamacare with real healthcare reform that puts decisions back into the hands of families, patients, and doctors.

Democrats have been harshly critical of the GOP repeal efforts, especially since there is no replacement for the ACA ready and many worry simple repeal could put at risk the health coverage of more than 20 million people who have gotten insurance under the act. In Idaho, about 100,000 people have coverage through Your Health Idaho, the state exchange lawmakers here created in 2013.
Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institutes journal of world, national, and local politics.

Founded in March of 2004, The Cascadia Advocate has been helping people throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond make sense of current events with rigorous analysis and thought-provoking commentary for more than fifteen years. The Cascadia Advocate is funded by readers like you and trusted sponsors. We dont run ads or publish content in exchange for money.

Help us keep The Cascadia Advocate editorially independent and freely available to all by becoming a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute today. Or make a donation to sustain our essential research and advocacy journalism.

Your contribution will allow us to continue bringing you features like Last Week In Congress, live coverage of events like Netroots Nation or the Democratic National Convention, and reviews of books and documentary films.

Become an NPI member Make a one-time donation
Rates

Starting at 129 euros, or $134.

Basics

The first two hotels from the Hoxton, both in London, earned the budget-friendly brand a reputation for creating spaces as cool to look at as they are to lounge in. The Hoxton Amsterdam, the first property outside Britain, opened in July 2015 with 111 rooms spread across five historic canal houses on the Herengracht canal.

The Dutch design firm Nicemakers created warm, welcoming interiors, and the large lobby, with its worn leather couches, classy U-shaped bar and mezzanine-level lounge, has become a favorite drinking-and-dining destination among hip Amsterdammers and visitors alike. Guest rooms, most with canal views, range in size from Shoebox to Roomy, and among three special concept rooms is the adorably named Tubby in the attic, outfitted with a bathtub.
But whats up with Mr. Assange, who seems equally comfortable being a hero of the American left as he is being one of the American right, or even of Russian Putinists? What does he want, anyway?

The answer has been in front of us all along. And the current imbroglio over Russia, WikiLeaks and their role in Mr. Trumps victory  or, more to the point, Hillary Clintons loss  might be viewed as the realization of the vision Mr. Assange had when he started WikiLeaks over a decade ago.

Mr. Assange spelled it out in prescient terms in an essay he posted online in November of 2006, the year of WikiLeaks founding.

He wrote it long before becoming the polarizing figure he is today, a cypherpunk folk hero with an outsize reputation for being messianic, impetuous and all too cavalier with the personal data that come his way. (Hes currently living in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he was granted asylum from Swedish authorities who are investigating a rape accusation against him that he says is false and politically motivated.)

Yet even his toughest critics acknowledge how clearly he saw the politically disruptive potential of technology, back when some of us were getting our first BlackBerries.
DUBLIN  An assembly of Irish citizens convened by Parliament is considering changes to one of the most divisive policies in the country: the near-total ban on abortions, which has been enshrined in Irelands Constitution since 1983.

The group, a 100-member Citizens Assembly led by Mary Laffoy, a Supreme Court judge, does not have the power to change the law. But its mandate from Parliament  to examine the full range of medical, legal and ethical issues surrounding abortion  suggests a willingness to revisit the ban, one of the most stringent in the Western world.

Over the last three months, the assembly has received more than 13,500 comments from the public  more than 1,000 of which have been published online so far. It pored over these submissions at the Grand Hotel Malahide over the weekend, along with testimony from experts, and is scheduled to issue a report later this year.

Abortion was already illegal in Ireland before 1983, but the Eighth Amendment gave the right to life of the unborn equal status to the right to life of the mother under the Constitution. The amendment was enacted through a voter referendum, and can be altered  or abandoned  only via another referendum.
HOUSTON  Guyana, the tiny English-speaking South American country, is poised to become the next big oil producer in the Western Hemisphere, attracting the attention and investment dollars of some of the biggest oil companies in the world.

This week, Exxon Mobil and Hess announced the successful drilling of a deepwater exploration well that may soon confirm that the seafloor beneath Guyanas coastal waters contains one of the richest oil and natural gas discoveries in decades. Experts now estimate that one of its offshore fields alone, known as Liza, could contain 1.4 billion barrels of oil mixed with natural gas, comparable to some of the larger fields drilled in South America.

With a population of fewer than one million people, Guyana  Venezuelas eastern neighbor on the continents north coast  would be able to export nearly all of the oil that it will begin producing, probably starting around 2020.

The company announcements came only days after the Guyanese government announced its intention to build a $500 million petroleum processing and service center on Crab Island, an enormous investment for one of the poorest countries in the region.
A new report on one of the most dreaded war wounds finds that 1,367 men in the United States military suffered injuries to their genitals or urinary tract in Iraq or Afghanistan from 2001 to 2013, mostly from bomb blasts. More than a third of the injuries were severe.

The report, published this week by military researchers in The Journal of Urology, is thought to be the most comprehensive review of so-called genitourinary injuries in veterans. The problem was recognized before, but the extent was uncertain.

The number of cases is unprecedented and the injuries uniquely devastating because they can impair a mans ability to have sex, father children or urinate normally, according to the report. Most of the wounded men  94 percent  were 35 or younger, in their peak years of sexual development and reproductive potential, the report said, adding that the psychological toll was especially heavy in such young men.

Researchers say these men are at high risk for suicide.

More veterans have these injuries now than in the past because more are surviving than during previous wars, as a result of better body armor and battlefield medicine. Another reason for the increase, according to the report, is that the often rough terrain in Afghanistan forced troops to patrol on foot, which left the soldiers groin areas vulnerable to explosions from bombs planted in the ground. Many pelvic injuries occurred during the troop surge there in 2009 and 2010.
The Justice Department has notified New York State officials that it may sue the state over what it says are widespread failures to comply with a provision of federal voter registration law that requires state drivers license applications to double as applications for voter registration, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times.

In the letter, dated Jan. 6, the Justice Department lays out how the states Department of Motor Vehicles violates the law. The lapses deprive numerous New Yorkers of important voter registration opportunities required under federal law, according to the letter, which was signed by Vanita Gupta, the head of the civil rights division at the Justice Department.

At D.M.V. offices throughout the state, a Justice Department investigation found, drivers license applications do not also serve as voter registration forms unless applicants request it, and the option is sometimes closed even to those who make a request.

The letter said that even among D.M.V. offices that allow voter registration, some do not pass registration forms to election officials in the time required by law. That finding echoes those described by the office of the state attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, in a report on voting issues surrounding the 2016 presidential primary.
When I was growing up in Detroit, my high school teachers acclaimed Ben Carson as a role model, a man whose success my black classmates and I should strive to emulate. Gifted Hands, his 1996 best-selling book, was required reading for students at Northwestern High School who, like myself, wanted to be somebody.

But for all of the praise Mr. Carson has garnered for his professional achievements as a brain surgeon, his greatest selling point among conservatives is his refusal to challenge institutional racism.

Like Mr. Carson, I was raised by a single black woman in Detroit who stressed the need for hard work and education. But that is where our similarities end. For Mr. Carson, our hometown is useful only for street cred: It is necessary personal background to prove that its possible to make it out of poverty and succeed through the power of ones own will. But to me, the lesson of Detroit is that a black middle class can rise only by fighting racist policies intended to keep affordable housing and education off limits to minorities.

As Mr. Carson testified this week at Senate hearings on his selection by President-elect Donald Trump to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development  an agency with the task of expanding access to stable and affordable housing  I thought about how that history seems to have made no impression on him.
If there was any doubt, the uproar this week over BuzzFeeds publication of unverified allegations about President-elect Donald J. Trump made clear that the gatekeeper role once played by major news media organizations has vanished in the digital age.

This poses a deep danger for legitimate, aggressive journalism, especially from the president-elect, who has been consistent in his heavy-handed demonization of any and all media whenever he dislikes critical but accurate stories about him.

BuzzFeeds irresponsible decision to publish a seamy and wholly unsubstantiated research dossier about Mr. Trump by a former British spy gave him the opportunity to attack not only BuzzFeed but also CNN, which had reported accurately about the documents existence but, properly, had declined to reveal its unverified contents. By conflating the conduct of the two news organizations as examples of the growing menace of malicious, digitally spread fake news, he undermined the vigorous, accurate journalism that is necessary to hold him and his incoming administration accountable.

The dossier published by BuzzFeed was originally intended as opposition research against Mr. Trump. Theres nothing unusual about this; political campaigns routinely investigate the background of their opponents to identify vulnerabilities. This information is often passed quietly to reporters in hopes that a damaging article will result. What was surprising in this case was that the allegations against Mr. Trump, none of them verified, ended up on a highly popular news website.
For decades, Cubans have come to see Americas wet foot, dry foot immigration policy as almost a birthright, one of the odd arrangements spawned by a long period of hostility with the United States. It gave most Cubans who reached American soil the automatic right to immigrate, while those intercepted at sea were sent back home, often to try again.

This policy, which the Obama administration unexpectedly scrapped on Thursday, was misguided for several reasons. It encouraged Cubans to embark on perilous, and often deadly, journeys on rafts across the Florida straits and across borders in South and Central America. It exacerbated Cubas brain drain, particularly after 2006 when Washington created a pathway for medical professionals abroad to defect by applying for visas at American embassies. And it unjustifiably gave Cubans preferential treatment while Haitians and Central Americans who were fleeing far more desperate circumstances were deported.

The policy has served as an escape valve, giving a way out to tens of thousands of Cubans who were frustrated by the islands authoritarian government. Young Cubans have grown up regarding immigration to the United States as an option that has become a core part of the Cuban psyche, Henry Constantin, an independent Cuban journalist, said in a phone interview.

Now, a large number of people who had that dream, people with talent and energy, wont know what to do with it, said Mr. Constantin, who lives in Camaguey and is critical of the government. In an ideal world, that would lead to more private enterprise and civil society projects, but the government has not changed the legal frameworks to support that.
Gov. Andrew Cuomos State of the State address was a little different this year. Instead of giving a single speech to legislators and lobbyists in Albany, he spent more than a week going up and down and across the state, from Buffalo to Westchester to Long Island, giving eight speeches outlining 35 policy proposals, winnowed from list of 149 proposals in a 380-page State of the State book. The 35 points all had subpoints, and the overall effect was: daunting. Not since Anthony Weiner ran for New York City mayor with a 64-point plan for saving the city has a New York politician explained himself with such enumerative zeal.

Not until there is a budget, in spring, will we have a clearer sense of where the wish list is headed. In Albany there is a will and there is a way, and the two frequently diverge. Take the once-overriding priority of ethics reform, ending the sick pay-to-play culture in which lawmakers dance with lobbyists and corporate interests until they are indicted or dead. Imagine what we could do if we had the complete confidence of the people, Mr. Cuomo said in Albany, on the last stop of his tour, sounding almost wistful about his perennially dead-on-arrival proposals to crack down on lawmakers outside income and campaign contributions and create a system of public campaign financing.

Mr. Cuomos annual failure to reach a comprehensive ethics deal has become a depressing routine. Every year reform bills are offered; every year they die. Senate Republicans and Assembly Democrats are part of this game, but Mr. Cuomo bears much of the blame for not showing the tenacity, creativity and commitment to get this done. With another subdued call for reform in 2017, he has set himself up to fail again.

Is there encouraging news? Yes: His deal to close the Indian Point nuclear plant, 35 miles north of Manhattan, by 2021 is intriguing. The decision is a good one, on safety and environmental grounds  the aging reactors threaten millions of people and kill tons of fish, and their licenses should not be renewed. Mr. Cuomos challenge will be to find clean electricity to replace whats going away. His administration and environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council expect this to be achieved through improved transmission capacity and new power lines from western and central New York and Canada.
Let the record show that these claims are misleading in the extreme.

The most prominent test case where a single terrorist suspect was interrogated using both the F.B.I.s traditional approach and the C.I.A.s enhanced techniques was Abu Zubaydah, the first high-value Qaeda operative captured after Sept. 11. Held at a C.I.A. secret black site prison, Mr. Zubaydah, who was badly wounded during his capture in Pakistan, was initially interrogated by a two-man F.B.I. team consisting of Special Agents Steve Gaudin and Ali Soufan. They went well beyond tea and sympathy, to the point of reading the suspect passages from the Quran as he hovered close to death. By building a rapport with the suspect and painstakingly breaking down his cover story, the agents learned for the first time from Mr. Zubaydah that the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. They also extracted the potentially critical intelligence that an American Qaeda operative, Jose Padilla, was plotting to explode a radiological dirty bomb inside the United States.

Later the C.I.A. took over the interrogation, and for the first time a prisoner was subjected to the regime of learned helplessness. The methods included sleep deprivation, hard slaps, stress positions, prolonged confinement in coffin-like containers and more than 80 rounds of mock drowning. The torment so profoundly disturbed C.I.A. personnel that some were to the point of tears and choking up, as a team member wrote in an email published in a 2014 report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. At the end of it, Mr. Zubaydah was indeed a broken man, but he had surrendered no more actionable intelligence.

In an Orwellian twist, Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Jessen concluded that their experiment had succeeded because it proved that Mr. Zubaydah could not possibly have any additional intelligence to surrender. In a later brief to the president, senior C.I.A. officials summarized some of the key intelligence gleaned from Mr. Zubaydah as information identifying Khalid Shaikh Mohammed as the mastermind of 9/11, and the terrorist suspect Jose Padilla, both of whom were later captured. No mention was made that the critical intelligence was gleaned by F.B.I. agents without using torture.

By that point the F.B.I. had wisely distanced itself from the C.I.A.s interrogation program. The bureau sent profilers from its Behavioral Analysis Unit to interview failed suicide bombers in Afghanistan to better understand their motivations and psychology. Armed with those insights, and using its traditional approach, the bureau gleaned important intelligence from the would-be New York subway bomber Najibullah Zazi; the would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad; and the underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who wanted to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit.

In calling for a return to waterboarding, Mr. Trump was playing to the crowd. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last year found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that torture of terrorism suspects can be justified. But a number of Mr. Trumps cabinet nominees have recently made clear they disagree, including his pick for secretary of defense, Gen. James Mattis; for C.I.A. director, Representative Mike Pompeo; for attorney general, Senator Jeff Sessions; and for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.
I am always busy. I have a backlog of things to do: legal, administrative, press inquiries, and writing  lots of writing. Being me is a full-time job.

CHELSEA MANNING on her life in prison as she serves the longest sentence ever imposed for disclosing government secrets.
ANCHORAGE  A deadly shooting rampage at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport this month has focused attention on the interconnection of public safety and mental illness and raised questions, especially here in Alaska, about one of the thorniest questions of psychology: how to tell if someone is delusional and dangerous, or merely delusional.

There is no dispute, law enforcement officials said, that the suspect in the Florida case, Esteban Santiago, was disturbed. When he walked into the F.B.I. offices here in Alaskas largest city in early November, he said his mind was being controlled by the government. After a voluntary four-day evaluation in a psychiatric hospital, he was released, and soon reclaimed the handgun that the police confiscated when he was admitted. He is now charged with killing five people and injuring six more at the airport on Jan. 6.

In many ways, Mr. Santiagos path through the mental health treatment system was unremarkable, similar to the one faced by people across the nation, the overwhelming majority of whom will never perform violent acts. Improved insurance coverage is now in place for many people  including an expansion of Medicaid for lower-income adults in Alaska  but a stigma about treatment, combined with a shortage of hospital beds and mental health professionals, keeps many people from getting or accepting care.

In Alaska, health care professionals and legal experts said the distinctive demographic, geographic and cultural stamp of the state also colors the often nuanced judgments that doctors, law enforcement officers and judges must make in deciding whether to hold a disturbed person against his or her will.
Three Cleveland police officers face administrative charges in connection with the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy whose death in 2014 set off national outrage, officials said on Friday.

The officers will face hearings on Jan. 30 for possible violations of departmental rules, orders, regulations and tactics, the police chief, Calvin Williams, said at a news conference. The outcome of the hearings will determine what, if any, discipline will be imposed. Possible actions include suspension, loss of pay, demotion or firing.

The charges came after a nearly yearlong study by a specially created committee that reviewed the findings of prosecutors, internal affairs investigators and other law enforcement agencies involved in the case. The chief said the committee, known as the criminal incident review committee, was created to really take a deep dive into what happened on Nov. 22, 2014.

Tamir had been playing with a toy pellet gun near a recreation center when someone called 911 to report him. The caller said Tamir was probably a juvenile and that the weapon was probably fake, but those qualifications were not relayed to the responding officers, who were told only of a report of a male with a weapon.
WASHINGTON  The House cleared the way on Friday for speedy action to repeal the Affordable Care Act, putting Congress on track to undo the most significant health care law in a half-century.

With a near party-line vote of 227 to 198, the House overcame the opposition of Democrats and the anxieties of some Republicans to approve a budget blueprint that allows Republicans to end major provisions of President Obamas health care law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.

President-elect Donald J. Trump, Speaker Paul D. Ryan and other Republican leaders now face a much bigger challenge: devising their own plan to ensure broad access to health care and coverage while controlling costs. While their party is far from a consensus on how to replace the health care law  under which more than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance  they will need votes from Democrats in the Senate to enact a robust replacement plan.

Republicans have argued that Americans have been crushed by soaring premiums and other unintended effects of the law, which was adopted without any Republican votes.
The reaction to the assessment by intelligence agencies that Russia sought to promote the candidacy of Donald J. Trump has been mixed. Mr. Trump has seen it as undermining his electoral victory and ridiculed the agencies, accusing them this week of using leaks to discredit him after it briefed him on a dossier of unsubstantiated reports of compromising personal information the Russians allegedly collected.

But on Friday, Senator Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and the panels vice chairman, Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, announced that the committee would hold hearings on the Russian activity and its effect on the election.

Before Russians were an issue, there was the F.B.I. investigation into whether Mrs. Clinton or her aides mishandled classified information that was in emails on a private server she was using.

Mr. Comey discussed the investigation and sharply criticized Mrs. Clinton at a news conference announcing that no charges would be brought against her. He also wrote two letters near the end of the campaign that Clinton supporters say cost her the election. But Mr. Comey has not publicly commented on whether there are any open investigations of Mr. Trump or anyone associated with his campaign.

Democrats said the closest Mr. Comey came on Friday to offering an explanation for his actions was to say he would only disclose an ongoing investigation if the public had an overwhelming need to know about it or if it was obvious there was one underway. He said he did not believe any possible investigation into Trump or his associates met either standard.

The F.B.I.s position is that it does not discuss counterintelligence investigations that could compromise important methods and sources.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Ms. Pelosi said that really, the American people are owed the truth.
I asked for their perspective, Mr. Chaffetz said. They were overall complimentary of the process of moving nominees through the ethical vetting, he said. However, he added, I think there are a lot of concerns about Mr. Shaub.

The scrutiny of the ethics agency is the latest deviation from a generation of standard practices as the new administration prepares to take over. The tone has been largely set by Mr. Trump, who, unlike a long list of past presidents, has declined to release his tax returns.

But Mr. Shaub has made some unusual moves himself. First, his office posted a puzzling series of messages on Twitter in late November applauding Mr. Trump for divesting his assets  something he has not done. The tone was not unlike the distinctive flavor of Mr. Trumps own messages on Twitter. Then, on Wednesday, Mr. Shaub held a news conference at the Brookings Institution to criticize Mr. Trumps ethics plan. The president-elect intends to retain his stake in his business empire and put the holdings into a trust controlled by his adult sons, a plan that other ethics experts have also said is insufficient.

I dont think it was particularly wise to do, said Paul C. Light, a professor of public service at New York University who worked on Capitol Hill as an adviser on transitions. It is a moment fraught with a great deal of controversy and partisan criticism, and I think it is best if you are in an investigatory organization to hold your fire, do your job and do the best you can. Its just not the time for it.

Before turning their attention to Mr. Shaubs office, Republicans tried, in one of their first acts in the new Congress, to gut the independent House ethics office. The effort was ultimately halted amid a political backlash.

The moves have left Democrats aghast. First, House Republicans tried to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said in a statement. Now theyre trying to handcuff the Office of Government Ethics. Mr. Chaffetzs attempts to bully Mr. Shaub out of doing his job are absolutely despicable.
RIO DE JANEIRO  The governor of the Minas Gerais State in southeastern Brazil declared a public health emergency on Friday over an outbreak of yellow fever that appears to have killed at least 10 people so far and led to reports of more than 100 suspected cases of the disease.

The state authorities said Friday they were investigating 133 suspected cases of yellow fever, of which 20 were considered probable, pending further testing. They said they were also looking into reports of 38 deaths, 10 of them suspected of being caused by yellow fever, according to the State Health Secretariats website.

The state health authorities said the number of suspected cases had more than doubled in recent days: 48 suspected cases had been reported as of Wednesday, and that figure rose to 110 on Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization, yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. A small number of patients develop severe symptoms, and about half of those die within seven to 10 days.
SANTIAGO, Chile  The chairman of the board of the state-owned copper company Codelco and a domestic worker suffered minor injuries when an explosive device in a gift-wrapped package blew up after it was delivered to the executives home in Santiago on Friday afternoon.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. An unidentified woman delivered the package, which had a return address from the economics department of the University of Chile, where he worked for a time.

Image Mr. Landerretche in Valparaiso, Chile, in November. Credit... Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters

Although some political leaders have labeled it a terrorist attack, it is unclear whether it was politically motivated, and why the chairman of the companys board of directors, Oscar Landerretche, or the company would be a target.
Senate likely to have select bipartisan committee vet nominees for vote; Blue chides GOP for failing to consult with Cooper about process



Sen. Angela Bryant, D-Nash, takes the oath of office at the opening of the 2017 legislative long session. (CJ photo by Dan Way)

Senators from both parties Wednesday cited the state Constitution and precedent in defending a law passed in December reducing the governor's number of political appointees and requiring confirmation of his Cabinet members.Gov. Roy Cooper added challenges to those provisions to an existing lawsuit he filed against another bill reorganizing several aspects of state government.A partial outline of the Senate advice-and-consent confirmation process for Cabinet secretaries was adopted as part of the rules for the session the Senate adopted unanimously during its opening day of the 2017 legislative long session.That vote occurred just one day after Cooper amended a lawsuit he filed at the end of 2016 alleging unconstitutional separation-of-powers violations by the General Assembly.Cooper's original legal challenge targeted legislation to merge the State Ethics Commission, Board of Elections, and some functions of the Secretary of State's office into a new State Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement.On Tuesday Cooper amended the suit to include laws that required Senate confirmation of his Cabinet appointees, reduced the number of political job appointments he can make, and granted the wife of outgoing Gov. Pat McCrory's chief of staff a special provision to keep an agency appointment for longer than the normal term.Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, was reserved in responding to a question about Cooper's lawsuit, and the quarrels developing between the governor and General Assembly.Berger said.Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, said the Cabinet confirmation process is mostly worked out. Details of a select committee that would "look over the credentials, and just make sure they are correct and in order" are not finalized.That select committee would refer the nominee to a policy committee most closely matching the job for consideration and a recommendation, Rabon said.Rabon said.He discounted any notion that the Republican-controlled House made the change to limit the power of a Democratic governor.Rabon said.Sen. Andrew Brock, R-Davie, agreed.Brock said.Rabon also defended clipping the number of the governor's political appointments from 1,500 to 425.The basis for the lawRabon said.The state might be losing highly qualified job applicants, especially young people looking to start a career or support a family who may not seek a state job they could lose when a governor of a different party is elected, Rabon said.Rabon said.Brock said although the legislature voted to grant McCrory up to 1,500 political appointments, he only replaced about 300 employees, similar to what past governors did. So giving Cooper 425 political appointments is actually an increase, and Cooper "just wishes he was elected king."Senate Democratic leader Dan Blue, R-Wake, said reducing the number of gubernatorial appointments had partisan overtones, though he mainly objected to the GOP's timing of the move rather than any constitutional concerns. There isover what is a political position or a job that should be protected under the state personnel act, he said.Blue said he was in officeHe said authorizing 425 appointments to Cooper is probably too low a numberBlue referred to "the brilliance of the Founding Fathers" in creating three co-equal branches of government, and the natural tension among them.Each branchBlue said.Blue said.Conversely, he said,and Senate confirmation of Cabinet leaders appears to be such a power.However, he said, the confirmation processThat needs to be finalized quickly, he said, so Cooper assemble his team, and immediately begin working on his agenda rather than facing a political roadblock to his work.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
MEXICO CITY  It might have been any other day in El Salvador, but as the hours ticked into evening it became notable not for what happened, but for what didnt.

An entire day had passed without a single murder in one of the worlds most violent places.

There was no particular reason the count was zero on Wednesday, Howard Cotto, the director of the National Civil Police, told local reporters the next day. Indeed, the police had registered 99 murders in the first 10 days of 2017  an average of almost 10 a day.

Gang violence in El Salvador, an impoverished Central American country of 6.5 million, has given it one of the highest murder rates of any nation that is not at war. Youth gangs battle one another over extortion rackets that extend to the smallest of businesses, and no one seems to be immune from the bloodshed, which is also exacting a toll on the police.

Mr. Cotto noted that violence began to decline last year, which ended with 5,278 murders. Although the average was more than 14 a day, it was still 20 percent fewer than in 2015.
NEW DELHI  It is an image familiar to every Indian  an icon in an iconic pose.

Mohandas K. Gandhi, the father of independent India, sits at a spinning wheel producing cotton thread  a simple but potent symbol protesting the purchase of British textiles and British rule.

Gandhi has long been associated with the homespun cloth known as khadi, as well as with a lesser-known publication: a calendar sent annually to the employees of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, a government body set up to promote the fabric.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia  As the premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark is on the public payroll, pulling down a salary of 195,000 Canadian dollars in taxpayer money. But if that were not enough, she also gets an annual stipend of up to 50,000 Canadian dollars  nearly $40,000  from her party, financed by political contributions.

Personal enrichment from the handouts of wealthy donors, some of whom have paid tens of thousands of dollars to meet with her at private party fund-raisers? No conflict of interest here, according to a pair of rulings last year by the provinces conflict-of-interest commissioner  whose son works for Ms. Clark.

B.C. is the wild west, said Duff Conacher, a founder of Democracy Watch, a Canadian civic organization that has petitioned the Supreme Court of British Columbia to void the commissioners decision. The group argues that there is a reasonable apprehension of bias because the commissioners son is a deputy minister in Ms. Clarks cabinet. The court heard arguments in the case on Friday.

Ethics in politics is a hot topic right now in Ottawa. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced criticism for attending exclusive fund-raisers, and other Canadian provinces are tightening the reins on political contributions. Against that backdrop, the case in British Columbia stands out for the unabashedly cozy relationship between private interests and government officials in the province, a political state of affairs that will be tested at the ballot box in May.
PARIS  It was an undeniably public cup of coffee. When Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader who aspires to the French presidency, was photographed in the Trump Tower cafe, the question was whether she had come to New York for a high-profile meeting with the President-elect Donald J. Trump.

The rumored meeting with Mr. Trump turned out to be just that  a rumor, though speculation persisted on Friday that a meeting could still take place. Her spokesman in France, Alain Vizier, merely said that she was on a private trip to the United States.

Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, said again on Friday that Ms. Le Pen did not meet with the president-elect or anyone on his transition team. She did not respond to a question about whether anyone had advance warning of the appearance.

But Ms. Le Pens stop on Thursday at Trump Tower wasnt by chance, and it was not unrelated to Mr. Trump. The night before, she had been honored at a cocktail party in the Trump Tower apartment of a right-leaning political operative with ties to Mr. Trumps team and to far-right leaders across Europe. And even if no meeting occurred, the spectacle of Ms. Le Pen in Trump Tower ricocheted across the world on social media.
The man who wrote The Exorcist wanted people to forget about the girl who was possessed by the Devil, who was flung about her bed as she spoke in tongues.

The author William Peter Blatty wanted people to remember the bungling inspector who was constantly falling out of a window and who tried to solve a mystery at a nudist colony.

Mr. Blatty, who died on Friday at 89, just wanted to make people laugh.

Before Mr. Blatty wrote The Exorcist, he was a master of comedy. He collaborated with the director Blake Edwards on the screenplays for four films, most notably A Shot in the Dark in 1964. He also wrote the scripts for comedies starring Danny Kaye, Warren Beatty and Zero Mostel.

He often lamented his success with The Exorcist, despite having won an Academy Award for it, because it wiped the first part of his career from peoples minds.
HONG KONG  In the clearest sign yet that Chinas government has begun a new push to solidify control over mobile apps, a regulator has ordered the registration of app stores across the country.

In a notice published on its website, the Cyberspace Administration of China said late Friday that its offices across China should ensure that records are kept on the countrys many app stores, starting Monday.

Many apps have been found to spread illegal information, violate user rights or contain security risks, the post read. It said the purpose of the registration was to ensure that it is clear who takes responsibility if apps, or app stores, are found to engage in illegal practices.

Beijing has begun pushing harder to enforce a law passed last year that barred apps from engaging in activities deemed to endanger national security or disrupt social order, terms that are often broadly applied to discussion of politically sensitive topics.
When a geyser of gas began spewing from the ground in October 2015, it was just the beginning of an energy and environmental crisis in Southern California with far-reaching repercussions.

In nearby communities, like Porter Ranch, the disaster upended lives: Schools relocated. Thousands of people moved to motels and temporary housing. The leak at an Aliso Canyon gas storage facility not only sent vast amounts of methane  a heat-trapping greenhouse gas  into the atmosphere, it also ended up spraying other chemicals, including some that were being used in the effort to plug the leak.

The catastrophe led officials to shutter the facility, at least until investigations and testing could determine the cause of the leak and demonstrate the safety of the wells. The Southern California Gas Company has had other, smaller leaks in the year since  one as recently as last month  but it says that 34 of its 115 wells are now certified to be in good working order and it is pressing to reopen the facility.

Many residents, however, as well as environmentalists and some officials, are fighting to keep it shut.
There have been a lot of words since the 2016 election devoted to how Mrs. Obama loved fashion and fashion loved her in return, and that is true; to listen to designers who have dressed her is to hear a chorus of it was the privilege of my career. That the first lady, a Princeton-and-Harvard-educated lawyer and hospital power player, was publicly able to enjoy clothes allowed a swath of smart women to stop being so neurotic about dress (as she said to Vogue in her third cover story, the most of any first lady, one of the factors in choosing a garment always has to be, Is it cute?).

But her real contribution went far beyond giving women a license to like clothes and use them to celebrate their own strength and femininity. Just as, despite the attention paid to the study on how much the first lady was worth to a brand  I have been publishing for 25 years, said David Yermack, the author of the study and a professor of finance at the N.Y.U. Stern School of Business, and nothing has compared to the interest in this  it wasnt ultimately about revenue generation. Indeed, despite Mrs. Obamas patronage, a number of labels she wore have struggled financially, including J. Crew; Maria Pinto, which closed; and Bibhu Mohapatra, which filed for bankruptcy last week.

Rather, like first ladies from Jacqueline Kennedy to Nancy Reagan, Mrs. Obama understood that fashion was a means to create an identity for an administration. But unlike any other first lady, instead of seeing it as part of a uniform to which she had to conform, with the attendant rules and strictures that implies, she saw it as a way to frame her own independence and points of difference, add to her portfolio and amplify her husbands agenda.

Our glorious diversity  our diversities of faiths and colors and creeds  that is not a threat to who we are; it makes us who we are, she said during her final speech, and the proof was, literally, on her back. While most first ladies turned to a small number of trusted designers to help them create their look (Oleg Cassini with Mrs. Kennedy; Adolfo and James Galanos with Mrs. Reagan; Oscar de la Renta with Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush) Mrs. Obama seemed to work with them all.

That is not a situation that, as any woman would know, happens by accident. We all tend to gravitate toward certain designers in part because of sheer laziness: We know what suits us, what we like, and so we go there first. To have been so, well, evenhanded in her choices could have happened only with careful calculation.

I am not sure people really realized the extent of what she was doing, said Tracy Reese, whose custom-made pink and gold silk dress, worn by Mrs. Obama for her speech at the 2012 Democratic convention, became her best-selling dress when remade for sale, and whose black dress with big red poppies, worn by the first lady for the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington, is now on display at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. It was really about us all.
Samantha Cara Manfer and Michael Robert Dubeck are to be married Jan. 15 at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, Calif. Bishop Brian Delvaux of Good Shepherd American Catholic Church in Lakewood, Calif., is to perform the ceremony.

The bride, who is 39 and will be taking her husbands name, works in New York as the executive vice president for business development at Planet Home Lending, a mortgage lender based in Meriden, Conn. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.

She is a daughter of Maureen E. Manfer and Samuel G. Manfer, both of Laguna Niguel, Calif. The brides father retired as the chief executive of a sales consulting firm in Laguna Niguel that bore his name. Her mother is a financial adviser with the NuVision Federal Credit Union in Huntington Beach, Calif.

The groom, 54, works in New York as the chief executive and president of Planet Financial Group, a financial services firm with corporate headquarters in Tampa, Fla., and the parent company of Planet Home Lending. He graduated from Cornell.
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria  In a two-room concrete house on the outskirts of this city along the airport road, Abdulrahman Adams 21-month-old body trembled as he struggled to keep down what little food he had in him. At first, his grandmother, Hauwa Saleh, sitting by his side on the dusty floor, thought Abdulrahman was teething.

But everything he ate came right back up. It continued for days in September and he added a cough and started to have diarrhea.

By then, the signs were clear: It was not a simple illness. In this northeastern part of Nigeria ravaged by the terrorist group Boko Haram, where there is not enough food to go around and no one goes to bed full, Abdulrahman was withering away from malnutrition. Nearly everyone in his neighborhood, crumbling under the influx of refugees fleeing the Islamist rebels, is skin and bones, starving and slowly dying.

Nearby in the house, his 22-year-old mother, Iyatu Adam, seven months pregnant and weak, slipped in and out of consciousness, and could not help. She had not eaten enough, either. The boys father had left the capital of Borno State to find a job as a day laborer because there were few jobs in the city. His uncles worked all day laying bricks to earn $1 each.
BOISE  Massage therapists may soon need to submit their fingerprints and get a criminal background check to get a license in Idaho.

Massage therapists do their work behind closed doors, with clients in a state of undress, Mitch Toryanski, lawyer for the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses, told the House Health and Welfare Committee.

Therefore, he said, the Idaho Board of Massage Therapy, which is requesting the change, believes it is important to know if massage therapist have a history of criminal conduct, particularly for sex crimes.

There are 2,179 licensed massage therapists in Idaho now, with an average of 280 new applicants a year. Toryanski said it would cost Idaho State Police $37 per person to do the checks, with the fee charged to the applicant. However, the state would have to spend about $30,000 upfront on computer costs, additional board expenses, and part-time help to process the background checks for current licensees, according to the fiscal note provided with the bill.

The committee voted unanimously to print the bill, clearing the way for a hearing, although there were some questions. Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, wondered why the board would check applicants for all criminal history rather than narrow it down to more pertinent offenses that could be of concern, if the stated goal is to weed out people with sex crimes convictions.

Toryanski replied that the board could consider other crimes that reflect on a persons character, such as battery or domestic abuse, in making licensure decision.

The information that comes back from the background investigation, it will provide the board with a wide-ranging information on whether the applicant has had any problems with the law, he said. And then theyll take that into consideration and determine whether that applies for what the licensee will be doing, kind of a holistic approach. Is this person fit for this kind of profession?

Toryanski said, in response to a question from Rep. Karey Hanks, R-Saint Anthony, that there have been incidents involving massage therapists that led to this bill.

I expect if this (bill) is printed, you will hear about that from members of the public during the hearing, he said.

Eight chiropractors and three massage therapists had been disciplined in Idaho in 2016 as of October, mostly for billing-related reasons. Two cases involved sexual misconduct  a massage therapist in eastern Idaho who had a consensual sexual relationship with a client and Robert Max Johnson, a Twin Falls chiropractor who was recently sentenced to four months in jail for sexually exploiting women while giving them massages.

Johnson was a chiropractor, and the state Board of Chiropractors suspended his license to practice after he was arrested. He had not been licensed as a massage therapist.
Police officers fatally shot a man who was threatening his mother with a screwdriver at a house in Queens on Saturday, the police said.

The episode began around 2:30 a.m., when officers responding to a 911 call about a woman screaming arrived at a house on Westgate Street in the Springfield Gardens neighborhood, the police said.

In a stairwell leading to a basement apartment, two officers found a 28-year-old man holding his mother and threatening her with a screwdriver, Terence A. Monahan, the New York Police Departments chief of patrol, said in a statement.

The man, whom the police identified as Jahlire Nicholson, refused the officers orders to drop the screwdriver, the police said. During a struggle, the officers freed the mother, and at least one of the officers fired a stun gun at the man but missed, Chief Monahan said. Two officers then fired their weapons once, with both shots striking the man.
At Haires Gulf Shrimp  a takeout with what I consider the best fried shrimp in Chicago  a $125 painting adorns the joint. Nelson Mandela, Dr. King and Malcolm X sit. Mr. Obama stands over them with a wistful smile. Its hokey but meaningful to the owner, Finnie Haire.

I wanted people to see I was standing for the cause. All the people in picture were for blacks. It means a lot to me, Mr. Haire said.

Several miles away, Peggy Sutton salutes Mr. Obama on all three levels of her contemporary brick home.

In the kitchen, she has a framed a black-and-white sketch of the president she bought from a man for $1 at the 63rd Street beach. On the way to the lower level, she hung an oversize Ebony magazine cover of the black cool issue in which Mr. Obama exits a car wearing dark shades. Downstairs is a beaded Obama pillow. Upstairs on display in a spare bedroom is like Obama-palooza: homemade clothes, dollar bills with pictures of the president and the first lady, jeweled Obama champagne flutes, inauguration invitations.
The humor writer Andy Borowitz recently joked that Donald Trump had been named the Kremlins employee of the month. I giggled at that, and then winced. Its painful even to joke about.

Some of the most explosive reports about America in the last few days appeared in Israeli newspapers. They suggested that American intelligence officials had warned Israel to be careful about sharing classified information with the Trump White House, for fear that it would be given to Russia.

American intelligence officials reportedly cautioned that Vladimir Putin might have leverages of pressure to extort Trump. That presumably was a reference to the hanky-panky recounted in the dossier alleging that Moscow compromised Trump by filming him cavorting with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel.

Perhaps more troubling are suggestions of collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

Trump strongly denies all this, the dossier has zero public evidence behind it, and it should be treated with skepticism. But it reflects an unprecedented uncertainty: There is a disorienting kernel of doubt about whether we can fully trust the man who will occupy the Oval Office.
Half a century later, readers recall the pain and destruction on the battlefield and off.

To the Editor: I will never forget the horrors of Vietnam (The War That Killed Trust, by Karl Marlantes, Vietnam 67 series, Sunday Review, Jan. 8).

Say what you want about Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy and their domino theories; it was Lyndon B. Johnsons infamous Gulf of Tonkin speech in August 1964 that set the stage for lying about the war.

When I entered the University of Southern California two years later, I had to show several of my freshman classmates where the war zone was on a map. Vietnam fractured the American psyche. I ought to know. I won the first draft lottery on Dec. 1, 1969. Parents who had fought 25 years earlier in World War II couldnt understand why their baby-boomer children argued about Vietnam at the dinner table.

As a 21-year-old at the time, I remember watching fathers throw their sons out of the house because they refused to enlist. But I did not serve in Vietnam. Thats because I had an accident a few years earlier that disqualified me.
I stood in Grant Park on election night 2008, along with more than 200,000 other people, and watched as a man Id known as a fellow member of a Chicago church, a man Id worked to help get elected, took to the stage. He would be the first black president of the United States of America. My joy at the surreal scene was transcendent. The jumbotron flashed the face of the civil rights stalwart the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, with tears streaming down his cheeks, an image that evoked the profound elation of black America at the election of Barack Obama.

But his weeping visage summoned a darker prospect for me, one that cast a shadow over Mr. Obama the moment he announced he would make a run for the Oval Office: They might shoot him. Mr. Jackson had been present when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. met his violent end on a balcony in Memphis. As I viewed Mr. Jacksons watery eyes, I couldnt help but associate him with Dr. King and the fear that our newly elected president might be assassinated.

Black America has held its collective breath during every second of Barack Obamas presidency. I remember stumping early for the Illinois senator, only to have black people I met on the campaign trail tell me that they couldnt possibly vote for my man. Not only was he not as well known, or beloved, as his opponent Hillary Clinton, but didnt I know that hed be harmed if he even got close to the White House? You know theyre going to shoot him.

Never far from the surface was the fear that some lunatic bigot might put an end to the life of this extraordinary man. Every time an intruder scaled the White House fence, we winced. Every report of a rogue police force cracking racist jokes about him raised concern. Now that his presidency is coming to an end, we can heave a sigh of relief on that point, even as we worry about the efforts of his successor to eviscerate his legacy.
As we dig into some spinach omelets with hash browns and hot sauce that he has picked up after dropping off his daughter at school, Apatow cops to stress eating and shows off his Fitbit.

Its very hard to lose weight in the Trump era, says the comedian, swiveling in his chair and sporting his usual uniform of jeans, Converse sneakers and a dark polo shirt he says he wears almost every day of the week.

Im trying so hard to have it not turn into 30 pounds, he continues. I think it tests our ability to not want to numb out. Theres so many things that are hard to hear every day that you do want to have some Oreos. Like people say, what do you invest in during the Trump era? I feel like, Hostess Cakes. Most of us are just scared and eating ice cream.

He wasnt as surprised by the election results as most people because he had been saying that the funnier candidate always wins.

I said it as a joke, but I think theres something to it, he says. Reagan was funny. Bill Clinton was funny. Bush was funnier than Gore. Obama was funnier than probably anybody whos ever run for office.

Even though the president-elect rarely laughs, Apatow says, and has a demented sense of humor, Trump is way funnier than Hillary Clinton.
I learned that a suicide attack and a martyrdom operation were the same thing, but from different points of view. And I was exposed to the richness of the Arabic lexicon in words like ashlaa, meaning body parts, as in those found scattered in the street after a bombing.

After a string of gruesome reports, I once asked our teacher if we could work on some culture stories. Surely some channel had covered a new theater production or a team of Egyptian firemen rescuing a pharaonic-looking cat from a tree.

We dont really have that here, she said.

Now, as a journalist, I dont just have to understand these barbed terms, but properly deploy them based on whom I am talking to.

There have been mishaps.

Once, after militants in Gaza fired a volley of rockets at Israel, I called a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad group to ask who was responsible for the attack.

The Zionist occupation and its crimes against the Palestinian people, he said, and hung up.

The polarization of the media has increased as violence has spread across the region, exacerbated by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But such a complicated web of conflicts can make it hard for any channel to stay consistent.

In the Syrian conflict, for example, channels aligned with Iran portray the legitimate government as at war with foreign-backed gunmen or terrorists seeking to topple the state. But when covering Yemen, those same channels cheer the gunmen who have taken over the capital, referring to them as popular committees.

The channels aligned with Saudi Arabia tell opposite stories in both places. For them, the Syrian conflict is a revolution in which the opposition is fighting a regime that has lost legitimacy. The rebels in Yemen, on the other hand, are militias fighting against the popular resistance, which seeks to restore the ousted government.
The year was 2006. A reporter for an independent Moscow newspaper who had uncommonly good access to President Vladimir V. Putin had written an article about the presidents affair with a famous athlete. I was the editor of a monthly magazine and wanted the journalist to expand his report for my publication.

I made it up, he said breezily when I called him.

That could mean several things. He could indeed have made the story up. Alternatively, he could have been lying when he said he had made it up. Maybe he had gotten in trouble for publishing it and had to promise to deny it in order to maintain access to the president. On the other hand, if it was made up, he had probably secured Mr. Putins consent for the fib  it portrayed the president as the macho man he likes to be. But then why didnt the journalist want to do another article on the topic? Perhaps they both wanted the story to take on a life of its own. I was going down a rabbit hole. It wasnt the first time: In my job, this sense of endlessly unfolding confusion had become familiar.

I had spent years teaching young journalists, on the job and in academic settings. How many times had I uttered the phrase multiple independent sources? Its a rule of journalism: Unless witnessed by the reporter, a fact must be corroborated by two or more different sources  people, organizations, publications or documents  that did not get the information from one another. That was a standard I taught and to which I demanded that my staff adhere.

And yet hearing a fellow journalist tell me that he had made up a story did not particularly surprise me. That was what much of the work of journalism had become: a process of weighing probabilities against the personal stakes of sources in order to form a picture of reality based on beliefs  perhaps to a greater extent than on facts.
In a moving farewell speech before an enormous crowd in Chicago last week, President Obama evoked the American creed of unity and aspiration as the foundation of our democracy. He has always embraced a vision of America as a melting pot.

Mr. Obama embodied for many Americans the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom we celebrate on Monday. Our national memory of Dr. King has, for nearly 50 years, reinforced the belief that America, unlike any other nation, could extend opportunity to everyone regardless of his or her identity. In Dr. Kings name, assimilation and aspiration have been the keywords of the post-civil rights era, and diversity and inclusion its currency. And Mr. Obama has symbolized more than anyone in American history the idea that racial representation and the content of ones character were the perfect antidote to racism.

Its true that, in fulfilling the duties of the presidency with great dignity, Mr. Obama represents the highest expression of the goal of assimilation. But for African-Americans, he was also the ultimate lesson in how this antidote alone is insufficient to heal the gaping wounds of racial injustice in America. Its clear that black leadership, in itself, isnt enough to transform the country. So we must confront the end of an era and the dawn of a new one.

We now live in a post-assimilation America. The 50-year-old rules for racial advancement are obsolete. There is no racial barrier left to break. There is no office in the land to which an African-American can ascend  from mayor to attorney general and the presidency  that will serve as a magical platform for saving black people and our nations soul from its racist past. We cannot engineer a more equitable nation simply by dressing up institutions in more shades of brown. Instead, we must confront structural racism and the values of our institutions.
Barack Obama is leaving the White House with polls showing him to be one of the most popular presidents in recent decades. This makes sense. His achievements, not least pulling the nation back from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, have been remarkable  all the more so because they were bitterly opposed from the outset by Republicans who made it their top priority to ensure that his presidency would fail.

Many Americans celebrated the election of the first African-American president as a welcome milestone in the history of a nation conceived in slavery and afflicted by institutional racism. Yet the bigotry that president-elect Donald Trump capitalized on during his run for office confirmed a point that Mr. Obama himself made from the start: that simply electing a black president would not magically dispel the prejudices that have dogged the country since its inception. Even now, these stubborn biases and beliefs, amplified by a divisive and hostile campaign that appealed not to peoples better instincts but their worst, have blinded many Americans to their own good fortune, fortune that flowed from policies set in motion by this president.

That story begins on Inauguration Day in 2009. Thats when Mr. Obama inherited a ravaged economy that was rapidly shedding jobs and forcing millions of people from their homes. The Obama stimulus, which staved off a 1930s-vintage economic collapse by pumping money into infrastructure, transportation and other areas, passed the House without a single Republican vote. Republican gospel holds that government spending does not create jobs or boost employment. The stimulus did both  preserving or creating an average of 1.6 millions jobs a year for four years. (A timely federal investment in General Motors and Chrysler, both pushed to the brink during the recession, achieved similarly salutary results, preserving more than a million jobs.)

Mr. Obamas opponents have had trouble accepting that any of this actually happened. They have not learned the simple truth  a truth clear in the New Deal and just as clear now  that timely and significant federal investment can make a real difference in peoples lives. Or accepted that compassionate and well-designed government programs can do the same. Driven by ideology or envy, or maybe both, Republican leaders have now pounced upon the demonstrably successful Affordable Care Act of 2010, a law that has improved the way medical care is delivered in the United States, providing affordable care for millions and driving the percentage of Americans without insurance to a record low 9.1 percent in 2015. Despite the laws clear successes, Mr. Trump and Republican congressional leaders have nevertheless declared it a failure, hoping to justify a repeal that would rob an estimated 22 million people of health insurance. The point of following this destructive course can only be to destroy a central Obama legacy  even though doing so will drive up costs and cause havoc in the lives of the newly uninsured.
John M. McCallister

June 2, 1937 - January 12, 2017

John (Jack) M McCallister passed away in Salt Lake City.

He was a member of the Burley High School Class of 1955. He went on to serve 4 years in the US Air Force, returning from service to become co-owner, with his parents James T and Dorotha (Weaver) McCallister, of McCallister Furniture and Appliance.

He married Juanita King of Idaho Falls on Dec 12, 1922. They were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple on April 10, 1971. The family relocated to Salt Lake in 1977, where he worked as a clinical electrician at the U of U Health Sciences Center, retiring after receiving his 20 year pin.

Everyone will recall Dad's outgoing, generous nature. He never met a stranger in his life, only a friend he hadn't talked to before.

He is survived by his wife Juanita (King), and their 3 children, all of Salt Lake City: Sheryl, David (Colleen), and Agnes Tucker (Jason); and 1 granddaughter, Patience Crystal.

Internment will take place after a private ceremony at the Riverside Cemetery, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan 14, in Heyburn, Idaho. Arrangements are under the care of Cannon Funeral Home in Salt Lake City Utah.
It should come as no surprise that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey would praise Donald Trump for refusing to talk to a CNN reporter at a news conference.

For years, Mr. Erdogan has been crushing independent voices as part of a broader effort to assert authoritarian control. Earlier this month, the Turkish police arrested the top legal adviser and a former chief executive of Dogan Holding, a conglomerate that owns the newspaper Hurriyet and CNN Turk. This followed the detention in mid-December of another company executive, Barbaros Muratoglu, reportedly accused of aiding a terror group, namely the organization of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999. The company has denied links to Mr. Gulen.

Once allies, Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Gulen are bitter rivals and Mr. Erdogan has charged Mr. Gulen with masterminding an aborted coup in July.

Although the attempted overthrow was a legitimate threat, Mr. Erdogan has exploited the episode to cement his control. He has declared a state of emergency that greatly expands his executive powers, jailed thousands of soldiers, seized hundreds of companies and purged thousands more public officials, police officers, teachers, judges and prosecutors  most of whom were also accused of being followers of Mr. Gulen. Many have been placed in pretrial detention despite a lack of evidence.
ROANOKE, Va.  On March 18, 1991, my life changed. I was an 18-year-old student at a community college in southwestern Virginia, working out at the gym, when I got a headache. A thunderous pain shot through my head and I thought, I am going to die now.



One month later, I woke up. Two brain surgeries lasting a total of 22 hours repaired the ruptured blood vessels that had caused a massive stroke. Luckily, I had health insurance through my part-time job. After years of rehabilitation, I fought my way back into college  earning a masters degree  and into the workplace.

I became a homeowner, married and got a dog. For many years, I worked as a social worker  my way of giving back to the world and honoring the doctors, therapists, nurses and social workers who had helped me reclaim my life.

But a little more than a year ago, something changed. I had trouble paying attention; my short-term memory worsened. I went to see a neurologist who noticed a slight tremor in one of my fingers. His words changed my life for a second time: I think you have Parkinsons disease. I was 44.
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.  A Falcon 9 rocket roared into the sky on Saturday carrying 10 communications satellites  a return by SpaceX and its billionaire leader, Elon Musk, to the business of launching satellites to orbit.

But financial details disclosed this past week about the company overshadowed the successful liftoff, raising questions about the viability of Mr. Musks long-range plans for SpaceX and his vision of sending people to Mars.

SpaceX, based in Hawthorne, Calif., has been set back since September, when a different Falcon 9 caught fire and exploded on a launchpad in Florida, destroying the rocket and its payload, a $200 million Israeli satellite that Facebook had planned to lease to expand global internet services. The companys rockets had been grounded since then. An internal investigation concluded that a failure of a helium vessel in the second stage liquid oxygen tank had led to the conflagration.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates commercial space launches, accepted SpaceXs report on the explosions causes on Jan. 6 and issued a launch license, clearing the way for Saturdays liftoff here, on the other side of the country. To prevent a recurrence, SpaceX adjusted its fueling procedures to avoid overcooling of the helium.
Mike: Which, speaking as an employee of a news company, is something I think is a bad thing. But hey, I guess we just have to think of better ad products or value propositions to customers as times change. (Click below to subscribe!)

Farhad: Now Facebook says it wants to help. Among other things, it plans to work with news companies to develop new kinds of products, like new article formats. It is also trying to develop ways to improve users news literacy, though how that will happen isnt quite clear. To me the announcement sounded a bit vague, but there seemed to be a real earnestness to it. Facebook seems to slowly be coming around to recognizing peoples concerns about its role in the news. Or am I being too kind?

Mike: I will cautiously half agree with you. Facebook is in a real bind here. They clearly understand, at least now, how influential they are in the distribution of mass media. And from indications Ive been getting from people inside the company who arent in public relations, there is at least some genuine concern that they need to balance their power with a series of checks.

That said, try getting anyone at Facebook to say yes, were a media company. It wont happen, partly because they really dont believe it  media company is far more boring than tech and innovation hub  and partially because it comes with many more strings and responsibilities. Also, who knows what that could mean in terms of regulation or governmental interference.

So anyway, this is kind of a half-measure, which I guess I can get on board with until someone figures out a better way.
Looking to the federal government to rein in police excesses can be an exercise in managed expectations.

On Friday, Chicago agreed to revamp its police department after the Justice Department found routine use of excessive force, and the mayor said he would negotiate a court-enforced settlement, known as a consent decree. But that is no guarantee of results  and not just because the man most likely to be the next attorney general has said he is skeptical of such endeavors.

Attempts to force change in police departments have met with mixed success even under the Obama administration, which made police reform a signature issue. It has opened 25 investigations into law enforcement agencies over issues like excessive force, racial bias and poor supervision, issuing reports choking with outrage.

Los Angeles, which was under a consent decree for 11 years, is regarded as one of the great success stories. Los Angeles is a different place today because of the consent decree and the leadership of the department, said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington think tank. In Detroit, which emerged from a 13-year consent decree last year, officer shootings and warrantless arrests have declined significantly.
MIAMI  They were some of the most feared people in South Florida, men who became cinematic fodder and, long before Donald J. Trump uttered the term bad hombres, ones who really did give some immigrants a bad name.

For almost 40 years, they were also pawns in the cold war between the United States government and Fidel Castro: once and future criminals who joined a mass flotilla of refugees that left Mariel Harbor and landed on Floridas shores, then bedeviled Miami and other American cities that had taken them in.

The United States did not want them. Nor did Cuba, which refused to take them back.

On Thursday, President Obama announced the immediate end of the so-called wet-foot, dry-foot policy, which allowed Cuban migrants to stay in the United States if they reached its shores, special treatment that drew the ire of the Cuban government. The flip side of the deal got far less attention, but it effectively closed one chapter in the tortured relationship between the two countries: Cuba agreed to take back up to 500 criminal Mariel refugees.

They arrived as young, often brash young men. Now they are middle-aged or even older, possibly years removed from their last crimes. Officials who once reckoned with them, though, do not remember them kindly.
WASHINGTON  On Friday, Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, declared that he did not view Donald J. Trump as a legitimate president. Mr. Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement, said he planned to boycott the inauguration, the first he will skip in three decades.

On Saturday, Mr. Trump hit back.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results, Mr. Trump said in a pair of early morning Twitter posts.

All talk, talk, talk  no action or results, he added. Sad!

While some questioned Mr. Lewiss assertion, many others expressed indignation about Mr. Trumps outburst, pointing out the unseemliness of attacking a civil rights leader on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Mr. Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders, beaten by police officers while marching from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama.
Michelle Yemba, who is 6 years old, often tells strangers about the time two years ago that she met the president of the United States.

The conversation started during a surprise visit by President Obama to her Head Start program in Lawrence, Kan. Mr. Obama (pictured at the program with Akira Cooper) told Michelle that he knew someone else with the same name  one of his favorite people, he said, coyly referring to his wife.

He has just a natural flow with the kids, said Clara Cox, director of the Head Start program, recounting the visit.

One of Mr. Obamas lasting legacies may be the symbolic impact on the generation for whom president of the United States has always referred to a black man. Tapping into that at events throughout his two terms, he often seemed to assume the role of national dad  embracing the children of strangers as if they were his own.
Some claim Mr. Pruitt opposes clean air and water. This could not be further from the truth, wrote the groups, which include the political action committee Club for Growth; the American Energy Alliance, which has advised Mr. Trump on energy policy; and Americans for Tax Reform, the group founded by the anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist. Mr. Pruitt, the endorsement said, understands that many of the nations challenges regarding clean air and water are best met at the state and local level.

Mr. Pruitt, if confirmed, will take over the agency in an odd position: He has spent the last seven years suing it to block regulations that he would be expected to put into effect and enforce. Some legal scholars say he should recuse himself from major pending environmental matters, while groups like the Environmental Defense Fund are urging Congress to reject his confirmation.

The presidents choices deserve a lot of deference from Congress and even environmental groups, said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund. But at some point when the nominee has spent his entire career attempting to dismantle environmental protections, it becomes unacceptable. Thats why Mr. Pruitt is the first E.P.A. nominee from either party that the Environmental Defense Fund has opposed in our 50-year history.

Some experts say that while returning more authority to states can be desirable in some cases, environmental protection is probably not one of them. Smog and toxic chemicals that foul the air and waterways of one state may originate from one or several others, necessitating federal oversight of pollution.

Pollution doesnt respect state boundaries, said Patrick A. Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at Vermont Law School. States have limited ability to regulate pollution from outside the state, and almost every state is downstream or downwind from other pollution.

Case in point: the Green Country chicken battle that Mr. Pruitt inherited in eastern Oklahoma. The phosphorus and nitrates in chicken manure were causing algae blooms in the ponds, streams and lakes of the 1.1-million acre Illinois River watershed, which reaches from Arkansas into Oklahoma.
Daughter of Engineers

Voter: Taylor Davis, 27. Works in a small business.

Home: Enfield, Conn.

I helped campaign for Obama and I was a die-hard Bernie supporter. When he backed Hillary Clinton, I couldnt get behind it.

Both my parents are engineers. My mom was an engineer long before many women in the field. When the economy started faltering, she went from a very high position at Pratt & Whitney to being unemployed for a year, and that was heartbreaking. I think that Trump really cares about having high-skilled jobs back here, not necessarily the service industry.

Do I think Trumps trying to send women back to the kitchen? No, his daughter is a great example. She ran the women-who-work campaign long before he ran for president.

_____

Didnt Like Him, Until a Rally

Voter: Robin Mueller, 42. Preschool teacher.

Home: Sterling Heights, Mich.

I made up my mind for Trump at the last minute. Since my husband is in the military, I was concerned about having someone who didnt have military experience, didnt have the knowledge of dealing with world leaders. And I kind of thought he had a big mouth.

But I had an 8-year-old who was totally on the Trump train. He talked me into taking him to a Trump rally. I expected him to be like what Id seen on the news, saying hateful things. But his presence was very calming and I liked his talking points. We really are the middle class, and we kind of get swept aside.

The first time she ran against Obama, I was all on board for Hillary Clinton. I really wanted to have a female president. I think thats important. But Im not sure thats her. In the past, her stance on abortion was more the way I feel, just for the first trimester, then she did a 360. She was here in the primary, having a debate with Bernie Sanders. He answered the question honestly. When they asked her the same question, she kind of danced around it. Then she went on The View and said she was for late-term abortions. Just take a stance, be honest. Same thing as with gay marriage, she wasnt for it, then she was. Im 100 percent for it. Its ridiculous the way we tell people who they can and cannot marry. Dont go back and forth. Dont pander.

I voted for Obama the last time. I dont agree with a lot of what he said, but I felt he was honest.
JOLO, the Philippines  Muslim militants in the southern Philippines on Saturday freed a South Korean captain and his Filipino crewman who were abducted three months ago from their cargo ship amid a wave of offshore kidnappings, officials said.

Members of Abu Sayyaf, a militant organization, handed over the captain, Park Chul-hong, and the crewman, Glenn Alindajao, to Moro National Liberation Front rebels, who turned them over to Philippine officials in the southern area of Jolo in the predominantly Muslim province of Sulu.

The Moro rebels, who signed a 1996 peace deal with the government, have helped negotiate the release of several hostages from Abu Sayyaf, a smaller but more violent group that was blacklisted by the United States as a terrorist organization for carrying out kidnappings, beheadings and bombings.
CHENGDU, China  Mao once said that a revolution was not a dinner party. But with the communist revolution turning into opulent capitalism, Chinas rich are now making sure the dinner party settings are immaculate and the wine is poured just right.

Inspired in part by the Downton Abbey television drama, the countrys once raw and raucous tycoons are aspiring to old-school decorum, fueling demand for the services of homegrown butlers trained in the ways of a British manor.

What they would like to say to their friends is, Look, I have a butler, an English-style butler in my home, to show how wealthy they are, said Neal Yeh, a Chinese-born Briton living in Beijing, who for over a decade has helped train and find jobs for butlers.

The country now with the biggest trend in butlers is China, said Mr. Yeh, whose English accent would be at home on Downton Abbey, the television series about a blue blood family in England, which was avidly watched in China. I dare say I have played a part in starting this trend.
Traditional Chinese writing, conceived more than two thousand years ago, is a logographic system, in which each word of the language is represented by a separate character. To the reader, each character conveys mainly semantic, rather than phonetic, information.

This fact gives Chinese writing an inherent advantage: It can be used as a common system with which to write the countrys many mutually unintelligible dialects. Thus, speakers of dialects as divergent as Mandarin and Cantonese can communicate with one another in writing, with each character encoding the same meaning  house, blue, think, and so on  regardless of its pronunciation in any one dialect.

But by the same token, such a system carries a great disadvantage: Because the characters disclose little phonetic information, it is not possible, without prior knowledge, to look at a Chinese word and know how to pronounce it.

For readers, there is also the immense onus of needing to master thousands upon thousands of discrete characters to attain even basic literacy: Compare the mere two dozen or so characters that users of alphabets have to learn.

Pinyin is not to replace Chinese characters; it is a help to Chinese characters, Mr. Zhou explained in the interview with The Guardian. Without an alphabet you had to learn mouth to mouth, ear to ear.

As a result, illiteracy remained rampant throughout China well into the 20th century  affecting, by some estimates, as much as 85 percent of the population. It was also inordinately hard for foreigners to learn to read the language.

Other Romanization systems had been tried before, beginning with one developed in the late 1500s by Jesuit missionaries from Europe. Until the advent of Pinyin, the most prevalent system was Wade-Giles, the work of two British diplomats in the late 19th century.
BELGRADE, Serbia  A train decorated with Serbian nationalist slogans and images departed on Saturday from Belgrade, Serbias capital, and headed for northern Kosovo, but it halted at the border in a stunt that set off a dramatic escalation of tensions between the former wartime foes.

Officials in Kosovo had protested that the trains planned route into Kosovo was a violation of their countrys sovereignty and promised not to let it in.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia ordered the train stopped in Raska, Serbia, as it approached the border with Kosovo, a former Serbian province, claiming that ethnic Albanians in Kosovo had tried to mine the railway.

The train was painted with Serbian flags, religious Christian Orthodox scenes and the words Kosovo is Serbian in 20 languages.
WARSAW  Michal Czekalas job chopping down trees keeps the 21-year-old out in the fresh air pretty much all day long. But after hearing news recently that the air was far from fresh, that in fact record-high smog was enveloping the entire nation, he decided to take a week off work.

Theres no telling what could happen to me in this smog, he said recently as he and a friend drifted out of a movie theater in Targowek, one of the Warsaw districts hardest hit by the high pollution levels.

An eerie gray mist with a pervasive odor of fumes wreathed Warsaw and dozens of other Polish cities, bringing a global problem more associated with Beijing and New Delhi into the heart of Europe. It took less than half a day, on Jan. 8, for the smog levels to break all records set in the 10 years since Poland, following a directive from the European Union, put in place an air pollution monitoring system.

Warsaw city officials reacted by making all public transportation free last Monday, in an attempt to keep cars off the roads, and warned residents to stay indoors unless necessary. Pollution levels eventually dropped off toward the end of the week.
Meat And Livestock Australia released its annual Australia Day lamb commercial this week, and as per usual, it was the subject of much discussion, omitting any mention of the day in question and leaning hard into its political message.

The ad opens with a beach-side BBQ, riffing on the idea of indigenous Australians being the first to arrive, as more and more people pointedly rock up by sea, before celebrity chef Poh Ling Yeow asks: Arent we all boat people?

It only took a few days, but One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has finally seen the commercial, and if you imagined large jets of steam coming out of her ears in response to its message of inclusiveness, then youd be about right.

In a statement to News Corp, Hanson said:

It really is pretty sad, isnt it? Its bloody idiots out there, ratbags. Its pretty sad when its basically shutting us down for being proud of who we are as Australian citizens.

On the deliberate omission of the words Australia Day, Hanson continued:

Its the day we celebrate forming our nation, our federation, our government, and its being shoved to one side for this political correctness and making everyone feel good about themselves. Why have these people come here in the first place? Because they want to be Australians. Its taking away the whole identity and suppressing who we are as Australians. Im saddened by this, I really am. I think its a constant battle by people like myself to actually get out there and say we are proud to be Australian, thats who we are, its our identity. Were destroying our own identity, who we are, to make other people coming in feel good.

The commercial has faced criticism from a number of indigenous Australians, albeit for quite different reasons, with some blasting its use of colonisation as a marketing tool. Journalist Amy McQuire told ABC Radio:

The continual pain, the real pain felt on this date for their own purposes, [being used] for a marketing stunt  in the end thats the most offensive part of it, to use Aboriginal pain Theres Aboriginal people dying in custody now, Aboriginal people whore having their children taken away, Aboriginal people whore suiciding on a regular basis, and a lot of that oppression does stem from that original invasion, which Australia celebrates on this day. So to use that as just a marketing ploy to sell lamb  and I have to note that a lot of Aboriginal people were massacred supposedly for stealing sheep, so thats the irony here  is even more disgusting.

Source: News Corp.

Photo: Facebook.
Borgata Chip Counterfeiter Christian Lusardi Released from Prison

January 13, 2017 Katie Callahan

Based on a recent thread on Poker Fraud Alert, PokerNews has learned that Christian Lusardi, the then 42-year-old responsible for introducing counterfeit chips into play in the Borgata Winter Poker Open $2 Million Guarantee in 2014, was released from prison on parole this past July after almost eight months in prison.

He was paroled July 25, 2016, according to his offender records kept on the State of New Jerseys Department of Corrections website.

He was serving two sentences with max terms of three and five years for copyright infringement and trafficking in counterfeit labels for both the use of the counterfeit chips and also for his international DVD bootlegging operation (that police discovered after searching his residence in relation to the Borgata case).

Back in 2014, tournament officials suspended and ultimately canceled the Borgata Winter Open $2 Million Guarantee after the officials and state police were made aware of a situation involving counterfeit chips.

After 24 hours, the investigation by the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement confirmed that one or more entrants used a significant number of counterfeit chips during the tournament, so it was subsequently cancelled.

With 27 players left in play, the tournament was set to continue for a top prize of $372,123. The rest of the tournament continued as planned anyway.

"It is extremely unfortunate that the criminal actions of these individuals can have a detrimental impact on more than 4,000 other entrants, Tom Ballance, the Borgatas president and chief operating officer, said at the time. We fully understand and regret the disappointment this cancellation causes our valued customers, and we will work diligently with DGE investigators to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. The integrity of our games and the confidence of our players is of the utmost importance to us."

By the next weekend, Lusardi had been arrested after the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement discovered 2.7 million in counterfeit chips in a clogged sewer pipe at Harrahs Resort and Casino.

A police investigation revealed that Lusardi was staying in that room where the pipes were clogged. Lusardi introduced the counterfeit chips multiple times, entering Day 2 with the chip lead, but was eliminated that day with only $6,814 according to The Press of Atlantic City.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after he left Harrahs. He was charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, criminal attempt and theft by deception. He was later found at a motel in Atlantic City and taken to the Atlantic County Justice Facility. His bail was set at $300,000.

Lusardi was sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release on March 30, 2015. He was also ordered to pay a $1,137,864.01 restitution. He plead guilty to both counts, copyright infringement and trafficking in counterfeit labels.

He was originally processed through the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and sent back to North Carolina to face more serious federal charges, explained PokerNews legal contributor Maurice Mac VerStandig.

"Could he have negotiated a dismissal of the state charges in exchange for his federal plea? Absolutely," VerStandig said. "Is it odd that he pled guilty to both counts with which he was charged in federal court? Somewhat. Does this suggest federal and state prosecutors cooperated? Maybe. But is any of this a certainty? Absolutely not."

The DVD counterfeiting investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Postal Inspection Service was subsequently prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Susan B. Menzer. The Wilmington, North Carolina USAO office sent out this as part of a press release.

Investigation revealed that several boxes of counterfeit DVDs mailed from China were intercepted by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The boxes of counterfeit DVDs were controlled delivered to the identified address. Shortly after the controlled delivery was complete, agents made contact with Lusardi which resulted in the subsequent search of Lusardis residence. The search resulted in the discovery of over 35,500 counterfeit DVDs. Investigation revealed that between June 2010 and July 2012, Lusardi was in the business of receiving, manufacturing, and selling counterfeit DVDs in both the United States and Canada. It was determined that Lusardi received over $1.3 million in his PayPal account during this time period.

This isnt Lusardis first interaction with law enforcement police raided his home in an illegal gambling bust in 2008 and he was charged with gambling and alcohol sales.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David Rebuck released a final order in April 2014 regarding how the payouts would be disbursed to affected players, announcing that Borgata would be responsible for $1,721,805, with that total including the $1,433,145 in prize money and the revenue collected from entrants ($60 per entry, a total of $288,720).

Six of the players involved in the tournament later filed a lawsuit against Borgata: Duane Haughton, Michael Sneideman, Cuong Tran, Alvin Vatanavan, Christopher Korres, and Cuong Phung. They filed a civil action complaint with the Superior Court of New Jersey alleging four counts of negligence, breach of contract, breach of implied contract and negligence per se.

The plaintiffs in the action concluded by demanding a trial by jury.

In the short term, the next step is for the court to issue a summons and for us to have the Borgata formally served with this complaint, VerStandig explained. We anticipate this will happen in the next week or two, and the Borgata will then have to file a responsive pleading. I somehow doubt I am alone in being curious to see whether the Borgata will attempt to justify its actions in this matter, once formally summoned to court to do so.

According to Flush Draw, multiple lawsuits were filed, but all appeals resulted in judges upholding the Division of Gaming Enforcements distribution plan. The case above was dismissed in 2014 and was not appealed.
Back in August last year, reports emerged that a few bikers, who had paid advance amount for their superbike purchase at SNK Palm Beach, an authorized Kawasaki India dealer in Mumbai, had not got delivery of their bikes. When checked, about a dozen such bikers were there who in spite of paying in full, for their bikes, had not got delivery of their bike even after six months of waiting.

The situation was such that the bikers were now getting together to file legal case against Kawasaki India and the said dealer. Soon the news spread, and India Kawasaki Motor got involved. After some talks, it was revealed that Satyen Karandikar, the owner of the dealership, will either deliver the bikes, or return the money of customers (with interest) before 31st August.

Kawasaki SNK Palm Beach dealer

That did not happen. Instead, Satyen went missing and stopped replying to emails and phone calls. Before the affected bikers could comprehend the situation, on 1st Sep 2016, Kawasaki India released official statement that SNK Palm Beach is no longer an authorized dealer. Whatever promises, transactions, liabilities of SNK Palm Beach had made, is not a responsibility of Kawasaki India. This statement shocked the living daylights out of those dozen customers who did not know what to do next.

For this, Kawasaki India received a lot of negative publicity. As they were accused of leaving their customers hapless, for no fault of theirs. But that was not the case. In fact, Kawasaki India was working actively with those dozen bikers and working on a way out of this mess.

Kawasaki India managed to invite all those bikers in Pune, and has delivered the said motorcycles to them, along with paying a compensation to each biker for all the trouble caused. All customers have now withdrawn their complaints.

So what about the rogue dealer, SNK Palm Beach. Kawasaki India has revealed that they are taking strict legal action against SNK. Kawasaki had also revealed that they are in talks with some enthusiasts for opening a new dealership in Mumbai.

Now, after about a gap of 4 months, Kawasaki India has revealed that they have opened their new dealership in Mumbai.

Kawasaki Motors showroom in Mumbai located along the Western Express Highway in Andheri suburb is bigger and better than the Vashi facility. It houses a display arena and lounge area besides a service center and back office. Deliveries of motorcycles are set to commence from January 25, 2017 while price lists have been revealed.

Price List

 Kawasaki Z250: INR 3.72 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja 300: INR 4.34 lakh

 Kawasaki ER6n: INR 5.65 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja 650: INR 5.99 lakh

 Kawasaki Versys 650: INR 7.91 lakh

 Kawasaki Z800: INR 9.82 lakh

 Kawasaki Z1000: INR 15.93 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja 1000: INR 16.62 lakh

 Kawasaki Versys 1000: INR 17.10 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja Zx10R: INR 23.99 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja Zx14R: INR 25.06 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja H2: INR 44.05 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon: INR 52.58 lakh

 Kawasaki Ninja H2R: INR 76.66 lakh

All prices are on-road with octroi, Mumbai.

Having a dedicated dealership in Mumbai, which is an important market for Kawasaki bikes in India, is particularly noteworthy for the Japanese manufacturer. Kawasaki also plans to end its sales and service alliance with Bajaj from April 2017. As on date, the company sells its bikes upto 650cc through KTM outlets in India while CBUs are sold via dedicated Kawasaki dealerships. From April 2017, all Kawasaki bikes will be on sale exclusively through India Kawasaki Motor showrooms.
This is Vin Diesels maiden visit to India and has taken the nation by storm. Diesel arrived at the Chatrapati Shivaji Airport on 12th January along with Deepika Padukone and Director DJ Caruso where he was greeted to loud dhol beats in traditional Maharashtrian style.

He then proceeded to the St. Regis Hotel in Mumbai where he held a press conference and addressed the media following which he and Deepika proceeded to the High Street Phoenix mall to interact with fans.

Images  Ritam Banerjee / Getty Images, Viral Bhayani

Diesel was also welcomed by Gang of Desi Lady Royal Enfield Riders who were dressed in red saris and yellow turbans while they sported sturdy riding boots and rode astride Royal Enfield motorcycles. The ladies applied tilak on the forehead of Diesel while traditional Maratha folk music was played by a group of local musicians.

Following the successful running of xXx released in 2002 and xXx: State of the Union in 2005, the third instalment, xXx: Return of Xander Cage has been released in India, ahead of global release on January 19, 2017. It stars star Ruby Rose, Samuel L Jackson, Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa. Diesel will be co-starred by Deepika Padukone who will be making her Hollywood debut in the upcoming movie.

Vin Diesel plays the role of extreme athlete Xander Cage / xXx, as he has played in the first movie of the xXx franchise which released in 2002. Directed by D. J. Caruso, this is the third movie in the xXx franchise. As has been the case with previous two editions, this one too is high on adrenaline. Vin Diesel and his co-stars are seen performing new stunts, majority of which feature cars and bikes.

The plot revolves around how Xander is brought out of self-imposed exile by Samuel L Jackson to take down deadly alpha warrior Xiang (Donnie Yen) and his team who are about to recover a deadly weapon called Pandoras Box.
Before epilepsy surgery, doctors may consider using brain imaging to locate language and memory functions in the brain instead of the more invasive procedure that is commonly used, according to a guideline published by the American Academy of Neurology in the January 11, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. It is the first evidence-based guideline that systematically reviewed all evidence for such an evaluation.

Guideline authors noted, however, that the evidence for the recommendations is weak, since many of the studies had relatively small numbers of patients with similar types of epilepsy and were conducted at only one institution, so the results may not be generalizable to everyone with epilepsy.

Epilepsy surgery is considered when medication does not control seizures. Doctors may either remove the area of the brain where seizures begin or use various surgical techniques to limit the spread of seizure activity. It's important to map the brain prior to surgery to prevent damage to language and memory abilities.

For the guideline, authors compared evidence for fMRI and the more commonly used procedure, intracarotid amobarbital procedure, also known as the Wada test, which is performed during angiography. For the Wada test, one side of the brain is put to sleep by injecting a medication into the carotid artery, the main artery in the neck. Because the test is invasive, there are risks and discomforts. Functional MRI is an imaging procedure that detects brain activity by measuring blood flow. It is non-invasive and considered safe. The purpose of both tests is to ensure language and memory abilities will not be affected as a result of surgery.

"Because fMRI is becoming more widely available, we wanted to see how it compares to the Wada test," said lead author Jerzy Szaflarski, MD, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "While the risks associated with the Wada test are rare, they can be serious, including stroke and injury to the carotid artery."

The guideline found weak evidence that fMRI may be a possible alternative for the Wada test to evaluate the language functions in the brain for people with medial temporal lobe epilepsy, temporal epilepsy in general or extratemporal epilepsy. There was not enough evidence to make a recommendation for people with temporal neocortical epilepsy or temporal tumors.

There was moderate evidence that fMRI of verbal memory or language encoding should be considered for predicting verbal memory outcome for people who are being evaluated for left medial temporal lobe surgery.

The guideline found weak evidence that fMRI using nonverbal memory encoding may be considered for predicting visuospatial memory outcomes for people being evaluated for temporal lobe surgery.

"Larger studies need to be conducted to increase the quality of available evidence," said Szaflarski. "Plus, neither fMRI nor the Wada test have standardized procedures. Doctors should carefully advise patients of the risks and benefits of fMRI versus the Wada test."
A new study reveals that low birth weight is strongly associated with racial and ethnic segregation in Chicago neighborhoods. In Toronto, however, communities with high proportions of racial and ethnic minorities did not have greater rates of low birth weight. Researchers from the Center for Community Health Equity, a collaboration of DePaul University and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, believe the findings can inform future research on the root causes of health inequities.

"Toronto has broken the link between segregation and low birth weight. It sets up an example of what can be accomplished when health equity is a priority," said lead researcher Fernando De Maio, co-director of the center and an associate professor of sociology at DePaul. The researchers chose two cities with very different health care systems and histories of disadvantage "to show how the relationships between social determinants of health and low birth weight can vary from place to place."

The study, "Racial/ethnic minority segregation and low birth weight: a comparative study of Chicago and Toronto community-level indicators," will be published in a forthcoming issue of Critical Public Health.

Co-authors from the Center for Community Health Equity include center co-director Dr. Raj C. Shah, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center and Dr. David Ansell, senior vice president for community health equity of Rush University Medical Center; and Kellie Schipper and Realino Gurdiel of DePaul University. Researchers found:

 The problem of low birth weight was worse overall in Chicago. The average community proportion of low birth weight deliveries in Chicago is 10.1, while in Toronto it is 7.3

 In Toronto, the rates of low birth weight did not vary significantly across communities. Places where most residents are minorities had rates of low birth weight that were similar to areas with low minority populations. Other social determinants of health, including unemployment and low educational attainment, were not associated with rates of low birth weight in Toronto.

 Segregation is more pronounced in Chicago, with more areas that have a high percentage of a single racial or ethnic population. As De Maio described: "The more segregated a community is in Chicago, the worse the outcome for low birth weight."

 Communities in Chicago with highly segregated African-American populations fared the worst, while many segregated Latino communities "did fine" and had rates that were in-line with the rest of the city, De Maio explained.

Researchers compared publicly available community health data from Chicago and Toronto to examine low birth weight within specific neighborhoods and communities. This uncommon approach allowed researchers to "keep the differences between neighborhoods present, while comparing across cities," explained De Maio.

While the study does not reveal the causes of low birth weight in either city, De Maio believes it can be a starting point in examining "structural determinants of health" such as access to health care and systemic segregation and racism. "There's a shift now in the literature, and researchers increasingly recognize it's not the color of a person's skin, but the social process of racism that can influence health outcomes," said De Maio.

As next steps, researchers plan to compare data from other cities to find if Chicago is an extreme example or if similar trends exist elsewhere in the U.S. "This research shows it doesn't have to be the way that it is, and we can break the link between factors like segregation and poor health outcomes," said De Maio. "It doesn't show us how to do it just yet, but it shows us it's possible."
The Gerontological Society of America -- the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging -- has expanded its Communicating with Older Adults publication series with the release of "Recognizing Hidden Traps in Health Care Decision Making."

This unique guide offers solutions to overcoming two specific obstacles that could impede optimal health outcomes: common heuristics, described as mental shortcuts or "rules of thumb," and cognitive biases, which are predictable systematic errors in reasoning.

"The heuristics and biases outlined in the report are very common -- we all use them," said Jake Harwood, PhD, chair of the advisory board that oversaw the new publication's development. "Sometimes they are functional, but a lot of the time they lead to poor decision making. What's great about the report is that it raises awareness of these shortcuts, and awareness is a great way of improving decision making."

Select heuristics and biases are illustrated in hypothetical cases involving the use of nonprescription analgesics and the need for recommended immunizations. Each case includes communication tips for overcoming the heuristic or bias. The objective is to encourage more productive decision-making conversations with older adults.

One example provided is that of the anchoring effect, where people may use an initial piece of information (the anchor) to influence subsequent judgments. If a physician has previously instructed a patient to take a certain dosage of a medication, the patient may feel it is safe to use the same dosage to treat any future condition. However, when using nonprescription analgesics, it is important to follow the directions for use on the medication label; exceeding the recommended dosage can lead to serious adverse effects, particularly among older adults.

Harwood added that when people notice that they are using a bias, they can correct for it, and make a better decision.

"Everyone involved in health care decision making -- including patients, providers, and caregivers -- benefits from being aware of these shortcuts. I'm not aware of any other publication that describes these issues in such an accessible manner for the health care context," Harwood said.

This new publication is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, and other health care practitioners who seek to have the best possible interactions with older patients.

"Recognizing Hidden Traps in Health Care Decision Making" was developed by GSA with support from McNeil Consumer Healthcare. It can be accessed for free at http://www.geron.org/cwoa.
A long-running research and conservation project is helping save an at-risk species of turtle.

Work to protect loggerhead turtles in and around Greece has been undertaken for over 30 years by local NGO ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, and as part of the project scientists from the University of Exeter have tagged and tracked hundreds of turtles in the Amvrakikos Gulf.

Loggerheads were officially listed as "endangered" until last year, when the species was given the lower threat level of "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

"The situation of loggerheads has improved thanks to concerted conservation efforts, but there's more work to do if we want to see continued improvement," said Dr Alan Rees, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"Previous studies have generally involved tagging female turtles on nesting beaches, but that method doesn't give us information on males and juveniles.

"For this research we studied turtles in their foraging area and used flipper tagging, satellite tracking and genetics to establish where they had come from and where they go when moving from where we found them."

The results of the research, published in the journal Marine Biology, show most of the 700 loggerheads observed in the Amvrakikos Gulf came from nesting populations within 125 miles (200km).

advertisement

But the scientists were surprised when one female travelled ten times as far, swimming well over 1,000 miles -- first to Syria and then to Turkey to breed.

"The thing that baffles me is that they generally migrate in the spring but this turtle moved in the summer," said Dr Rees, who also works for ARCHELON.

"It arrived in Turkey in the autumn, stayed over winter then moved to the nearby breeding area the next year.

"Perhaps it left nine months early to make sure it arrived in time for breeding, which was probably sensible as its original journey took it hundreds of miles out of its way."

Mediterranean loggerheads, most of which nest in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Libya, are one of ten sub-populations of the species worldwide.

Many loggerheads travel far away from where they hatch, but they return to that area to breed.
Gene-editing techniques could help to improve stocks of farmed pigs by boosting supplies of sperm from prized sires.

Scientists have created male pigs that could be used as surrogates capable of producing sperm that contains the genetic blueprint of sought-after pigs.

The surrogates have functional testes but do not have specialised stem cells that are required to produce sperm containing their own genetic information, the researchers say.

Stem cells from male pigs with desirable characteristics -- such as greater resilience to disease -- could be transplanted into the surrogates to produce limitless supplies of their valuable sperm.

Previous efforts to preserve sperm stem cells from prized pigs by transplanting them into surrogate pigs have so far had limited success.

Existing methods involve using chemotherapy drugs or irradiation to remove sperm stem cells from the recipients before transplanting donor cells. These approaches can also damage other tissues in the testes that are needed for sperm production, however.

advertisement

Researchers used a sophisticated genetic tool called CRISPR/Cas9 to alter individual letters of the pig's genetic code leading to inactivation of a gene called NANOS2.

The scientists found that pigs with two copies of the DNA change do not have sperm stem cells and cannot produce sperm, making them completely sterile.

All other aspects of testicular development were completely unaffected and the animals are otherwise healthy. Female pigs were also unaffected by the change to their genetic code.

Pigs with only one copy of the DNA change are still fertile and could be used to produce more of the surrogate animals using conventional breeding techniques, researchers say.

The team says the breakthrough will allow farmers to preserve sperm from prized animals in perpetuity.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute, Washington State University, the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture's Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory worked together on the project.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Professor Bruce Whitelaw, Head of Developmental Biology at the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute, said: "This could dramatically improve the production efficiency and quality of farmed pigs, as well as enhancing other desirable traits such as disease resilience in production animals."
The quality of our rivers and lakes could be placed under pressure from harmful levels of soluble phosphorus, despite well-intended measures to reduce soil erosion and better manage and conserve farmland for crop production, a new study shows.

The UK-based Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) led a team of international scientists, who found that increased levels of soluble phosphorus in rivers entering Lake Erie, in the USA, may be linked to conservation measures, despite their success in reducing soil erosion and nutrient losses in particulate forms.

The study shows that since the early 2000s, there has been an increased rate of soluble phosphorus inputs from rivers entering the Western Lake Erie Basin -- which has been linked to the increasing extent and severity of harmful algal blooms.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for crop production and for terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. But elevated levels of soluble phosphorus can cause proliferation of algae that produce toxins which can be harmful to fish, other animals and plant life in lakes, rivers and streams. The harmful algae can also impair water that is treated for human consumption.

Lead author Professor Helen Jarvie, a Principal Scientist in Water Quality at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said, "We accounted for changing weather and rainfall patterns, and found increases in river flows alone contributed about one third of the marked increase in soluble phosphorus entering Lake Erie since 2002, despite reductions in fertilizer use and amounts of phosphorus stored in soil. The remaining two thirds must arise from other changes within the watershed."

"We noted that, over time, conservation tillage -- where fields are not ploughed, and crop residues remain on the fields before and after planting the next crop, to reduce soil erosion and runoff -- has continued an increased trend of adoption since the mid-1980s. It is plausible that the transition from conventional to conservation tillage, along with less incorporation into the soil of broadcast phosphorus fertilizer applications, may have inadvertently caused accumulation of highly-soluble phosphorus at the soil surface.

advertisement

"This can increase losses of soluble phosphorus during rainfall-induced runoff events, and may also have been compounded by installation of subsurface drainage, which can rapidly transmit the soluble phosphorus from fields to rivers."

She added "These research findings have important implications far beyond the Lake Erie Basin, because conservation tillage is widely recommended as a beneficial management practice for reducing erosion and nutrient losses from cropland in the UK and across Europe and North America."

During the 1980s and 1990s, there were major water-quality improvements in Lake Erie, as a result of the Clean Water Act regulating sewage effluent inputs, improved fertilizer management, and conservation measures, which reduced soil erosion and losses of particulate phosphorus attached to soil particles.

However, in the last 15 years, there has been a decline in water quality, with increases in algal blooms in the Western Basin, linked to the rise in the more ecologically-damaging soluble form of phosphorus. In 2014, a toxic algal bloom in the Western Lake Erie Basin led to a "do not drink" advisory for more than 400,000 people in the city of Toledo, Ohio.

Consequently in 2016, the US and Canadian governments set a new target of reducing levels of phosphorus entering Lake Erie by 40 percent.

advertisement

Co-author Professor Andrew Sharpley, Professor of Soils and Water Quality at the University of Arkansas, said, "The main lesson learnt is that there can be unintended consequences of changing farm conservation practices, which should be recognized.

"Effective conservation is an adaptive process. In the case of Lake Erie catchments, reduced land tillage dramatically reduced erosion, but without changing fertilizer management practices, this effectively trapped phosphorus at the soil surface.

"There was an eventual transition from soil being a sink for phosphorus to become a source to drainage waters. The implications of this research resonate beyond the Lake Erie Basin and are important to transferring science to the long term benefits of conservation management."

The findings were based on Heidelberg University's 40-year record of daily river-water chemistry for the major rivers draining into the Western Lake Erie basin, and demonstrate the global need for long-term water-quality monitoring to detect change so we can adaptively manage our water resources to ensure their long-term quality and security.

The report published in the Journal of Environmental Quality calls for soil and water quality management approaches which tackle both soluble and particulate phosphorus losses from farmland, and highlights that additional conservation measures will be needed to address the soluble phosphorus component.
In mid-December 2016 Russia conducted the fifth test of its new A-235 Nudol ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) system. Little is known of this missile, as was the case with its predecessor the A-135. Russia never revealed many details about the A-135, which was the result of 1970s nuclear disarmament treaties that limited Russia and the United States to one ABM system each, specifically for protecting the national capital. The A-135 system was based on 1970s technology and officially entered service protecting Moscow just as the Cold War ended. Only 68 of the silo-based A-135 missiles were produced. These were apparently five ton, two stage solid fueled missiles.

The American equivalent was the Sprint, a 3.5 ton two-stage solid fuel missile. Sprint was never deployed because, like the A-135, it used a small nuclear weapon to destroy incoming warheads. In addition both the U.S. and Russians were equipping their ICBMs with multi warhead missiles that made systems like A-135 and Sprint incapable to stopping a large scale attack. In the 1990s Russia said it had replaced A-135 nuclear warheads with non-nuclear ones but that was never verified and it was long suspected that A-135 was officially deployed more as a publicity stunt than because it actually worked.

What made the Nudol tests newsworthy were the assertions that it could also be used to hit space satellites in low orbits. This is something that the U.S. has already demonstrated with the ABM version of its standard Aegis naval anti-aircraft missile system. In 2008 an American cruiser fired a SM-3 ABM that destroyed an American spy satellite that was malfunctioning and needed to be destroyed. The SM-3 was able to find and destroy the SUV sized satellite that was then in a 220 kilometer high orbit because of the powerful Aegis radar and fire control installed on most large American warships. Many reconnaissance satellite use such low orbits and are clearly vulnerable after the 2008 demonstration.

Moreover it was clear that the 2008 success was not a fluke. Since the late 1990s Aegis has achieved a success rate of over 80 percent during live test firings. So now many countries want Aegis ABM equipped ships for protection. The Aegis system was designed to operate aboard warships (cruisers and destroyers that have been equipped with the special software that enables the AEGIS radar system to detect and track incoming ballistic missiles). Currently, the U.S. Navy has 30 ships with the Aegis anti-missile system. There are over 100 American and foreign warships equipped with Aegis, but less than half of them had the software mods and anti-missile missiles that enable them to shoot down ballistic missiles and low-orbit satellites. Converting an Aegis ship to Aegis ABM costs about $15 million, mainly for new software and a few new hardware items. This is seen as a safe investment.

To knock down ballistic missiles Aegis uses two similar models of the U.S. Navy Standard anti-aircraft missile, in addition to a modified (to track incoming ballistic missiles) version of the Aegis radar system. The anti-missile missile is the RIM-161A, also known as the Standard Missile 3 (or SM-3). It has a range of over 500 kilometers and max altitude of over 160 kilometers. The Standard 3 is based on the anti-missile version of the Standard 2 (SM-2 Block IV). This SM-2 missile turned out to be effective against ballistic missile warheads that are closer to their target. One test saw a SM-2 Block IV missile destroy a warhead that was only 19 kilometers up. An SM-3 missile can destroy a warhead that is more than 200 kilometers up. But the SM-3 is only good for anti-missile work, while the SM-2 Block IV can be used against both ballistic missiles and aircraft. The SM-2 Block IV also costs less than half what an SM-3 costs.

The SM-3 has four stages. The first two boost the interceptor out of the atmosphere. The third stage fires twice to boost the interceptor farther beyond the earth's atmosphere. Prior to each motor firing it takes a GPS reading to correct course for approaching the target. The fourth stage is the nine kg (20 pound) LEAP kill vehicle, which uses infrared sensors to close on the target and ram it. Russia does not appear to be trying to copying the SM-3 but rather the American successor to Sprint. In the 1990s the U.S. Army went ahead and developed THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) a non-nuclear successor to its Sprint system. In 2011 the army received its first two production model THAAD anti-missile missiles. In 2011 the army conducted another successful test firing of THAAD, demonstrating the system's ability to hit targets closer to the ground and to share data with Patriot anti-missile systems. This was the seventh (out of seven) successful test since 2005. Since 1995 test firings of THAAD have been nearly as successful asSM-3. THAAD entered service in 2008, with pre-production missiles for use in further testing.

In 2009 the army formed its second THAAD battery and went on to create two more. Each THAAD battery has 24 missiles, three launchers and a fire control communications system. This includes an X-Band radar. The gear for each battery costs $310 million. The six meter (18 foot) long THAAD missiles weigh 837 kg (1,400 pounds). This is about the same size as the Patriot anti-aircraft missile, but twice the weight of the anti-missile version of the Patriot.

The range of THAAD is 200 kilometers, max altitude is 150 kilometers, and it is intended for short (like SCUD) or medium range (up to 2,000 kilometer) range ballistic missiles. THAAD has been in development since the 1990s. Ultimately, the army would like to buy at least 18 launchers, 1,400 missiles, and 18 radars. THAAD is a step up from the U.S. Army Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile (which is an anti-aircraft missile adapted to take out incoming missiles). The PAC-3 works, but it has limited (20 kilometers) range.

Thus the U.S. has three anti-missile systems, although one of them currently only operates from warships (cruisers and destroyers that have been equipped with the special software that enables the AEGIS radar system to detect and track incoming ballistic missiles.) AEGIS can also be operated from land bases, and one of those systems was recently installed. Russia may be serious about getting their new A-235 ABM or it may become, like the A-135, an expensive bit of propaganda.
A U.S. Air Force is facing some serious credibility, political, legal and morale problems with its repeated attempts to get rid of its most popular combat aircraft; the A-10. This is a special Cold War era design that was optimized for operating close to troops on the ground. Despite the success and popularity (especially with ground troops) of the A-10 the air force leadership refuses to allocate money to keep existing A-10s flying or developing an acceptable replacement. The need was made clear (again) with the recent revelation that a survey of Marine, Army, and Air Force JTACs (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers and JFOs (Joint Fires Observers) showed an overwhelming preference for the A-10. JTAC and JFO teams are trained to call in air strikes and most of these teams contain a combat aircraft pilot. At the same time these teams work directly with ground forces and are well aware of what kind of air support the ground troops find most useful. Ground controllers mostly (48 percent) preferred the A-10. The next most popular aircraft (which 13 percent preferred) was the AC-130 gunships. While the AC-130 is in no danger of elimination (it is an armed C-130 transport) the A-10 is. Yet the air force leaders insist jet fighters (like the F-16, F-15 and F-18) can replace the A-10 but these three fighters are preferred by 14 percent. The AV-8B vertical takeoff jet is preferred by only four percent. Armed helicopters are preferred by 11 percent and armed UAVs by nine percent. Air force leaders insist jet fighters can adequately replace the A-10 but ground troops and fighter pilots serving as JTACs say otherwise. As useful as armed helicopters and UAVs are the overwhelming preference is for the A-10, an aircraft explicitly designed to provide the best ground support. The air force refuses to design a 21st century A-10.

This hostile attitude by air force leadership is to the A-10 is nothing new. It got so bad in 2015 that the general commanding the ACC (Air Combat Command) was fired (because of Congressional pressure) for giving a speech in which he declared that any air force personnel speaking out publicly in favor of the A-10 were guilty of treason. While ACC is in charge of most combat aircraft (fighters, bombers, recon and ground attack) ACC leadership has long believed that the A-10 has outlived its usefulness and that its ground support job could be done just as well by fighters like the F-16 and F-35. Experience in combat has shown that this is not true, but apparently to senior people in the air force backing the truth, at least when it comes to the A-10, is treasonous.

While the air force leadership officially denounced the supporting the A-10 is treason remarks it was recently revealed that while those apologies were being made those same air force generals were trying to sabotage the A-10 by quietly cutting major maintenance programs 40 percent. This meant that a growing number of A-10s would not be available for service because of maintenance issues. It is believed that such excuses would not include the fact that the maintenance problems were self-inflicted by the air force leadership and it would instead be implied that the age of the A-10s was a factor.

The air force has been trying to retire its A-10 aircraft since the 1990s and this time (since late 2014) they tried issuing studies and analyses showing that the A-10 was too specialized and too old to justify the cost of keeping it in service. This generated more opposition, and more effective opposition, than the air forces expected. This was helped by the fact that some of the studies were more spin than impartial analysis. All this created unwanted publicity about something the air force denies exists but is nevertheless very real; the air force has never really wanted to devote much resources to CAS (Close Air Support) for ground forces. Officially this is not true but in reality it is and the ground forces (army and marines) and historians provided plenty of evidence.

The problem is complicated by the fact that the air force does not want to allow the army to handle CAS, as is the case with some countries and the U.S. Marine Corps (which provides CAS for marines and any ground forces the marines are operating with). Soldiers and marines both insist that marine CAS (provided by Harriers. F-35Bs and F-18s flown by marines) is superior. The army and marines also have their own helicopter gunships for support, but they lack capabilities only the fixed wing aircraft have. Despite all that the air force wants to eliminate the A-10, which soldiers, marines and many allied troops consider the best CAS aircraft ever, and replace it with less effective (for CAS) fighters adapted for CAS. The ground forces dont want that mainly because the A-10 pilots specialize in CAS while fighter pilots must spend a lot of time training for air combat and different types of bombing, The A-10 pilots are CAS specialists and it shows by the amount of praise they get from their customers (the ground troops). To the dismay of just about everyone the air force dismisses all this as much less important than the fact that the A-10 cannot fight other aircraft. That was how the A-10 was designed, on air force orders, but that is somehow irrelevant now.

Meanwhile, as the air force continues trying to gather support in Congress for eliminating the A-10, A-10s are again in demand in Europe (to confront Russia) and the Middle East (to deal with ISIL). While sending more A-10s to East Europe and the Middle East the air force continues to insist that it must retire all of its A-10s in order to deal with a shrinking budget and this time the A-10 has really got to go. The air force had a point because their budget is shrinking and Cold War era aircraft, especially the F-16, need replacing and the replacement is the very expensive F-35. The air force plays down the fact that for CAS missions the fighter jets sometimes used, like the F-16 or even the F-35, are much less effective as well as being more expensive to operate than the A-10. A sortie by an F16 costs 80 percent more than an A-10, F-15E is twice as much, F-22 four times as much and the F-35 is somewhere between the F-15E and F-22.

A-10s were designed during the Cold War for combat against Russian ground forces in Europe. That war never happened and the last American A-10 attack aircraft left Europe (for good, it was thought) in mid-2013. By 2015 it was back. Meanwhile the A-10 proved to be a formidable combat aircraft in post-Cold War conflicts, first in the 1991 liberation of Kuwait and later in Afghanistan and Iraq. During the last decade the most requested ground support aircraft in Afghanistan has been the A-10. There was similar A-10 affection in Iraq. Troops from all nations quickly came to appreciate the unique abilities of this 1970s era aircraft that the U.S. Air Force is constantly trying to get rid of. In 2011 the air force did announce that it was retiring 102 A-10s, leaving 243 in service. At the same time the air force accelerated the upgrading of the remaining A-10s to the A-10C standard.

The basic A-10 is a 1960s design but in the last decade most still in service have been upgraded to the A-10C. For this new commo gear was added, allowing A-10 pilots to share pix and vids with troops on the ground. The A-10 pilot also has access to the Blue Force Tracker system, so that the nearest friendly ground forces show up on the HUD (Head Up Display) when coming in low to use the 30mm cannon. The A-10 can now use smart bombs, making it a do-it-all aircraft for ground support.

A-10s were worked hard in Afghanistan. For example, an A-10 squadron has a dozen aircraft and 18 pilots. Pilots often average about a hundred hours a month in the air while in Afghanistan. That's about twenty sorties, as each sortie averages about five hours. The aircraft ranged all over southern Afghanistan waiting for troops below to call for some air support. The A-10, nicknamed "Warthog" or just "hog", could always fly low and slow and was designed, and armored, to survive a lot of ground fire. The troops trust the A-10 more than the F-16 or any other aircraft used for ground support.

The A-10 is a 23 ton, twin engine, single seat aircraft whose primary weapon is a multi-barrel 30mm cannon originally designed to fire armored piercing shells through the thinner top armor of Russian (or any other) tanks. These days the 1,174 30mm rounds are mostly high explosive. The 30mm cannon fires 363 gram (12.7 ounce) rounds at the rate of about 65 a second. The cannon usually fires in one or two second bursts. In addition, the A-10 can carry seven tons of bombs and missiles. These days the A-10 goes out with smart bombs (GPS and laser guided) and Maverick missiles. It can also carry a targeting pod, enabling the pilot to use high magnification day/night cameras to scour the area for enemy activity. Cruising speed is 560 kilometers an hour and the A-10 can slow down to about 230 kilometers an hour. In Afghanistan two drop tanks were usually carried to give the aircraft more fuel and maximum time over the battlefield.

If there is another major war in someplace like Korea, Eastern Europe or Iran, the A-10s would once more be one of the most popular warplane with the ground troops, unless the air force manages to get rid of it.
Its easy to assume from reading the news that scientists have reflexively pooh-poohed concerns about a vaccine-autism link. Heres the BBC: Medical experts have overwhelmingly rejected any link between vaccines and autism, warning that promoting such a theory endangers public health. The Wall Street Journal said that the preservative thimerosal was wrongly accused of causing autism. This glosses over an important sequence of events. Scientists didnt reject the idea out of hand, when the theory was first floated. They conducted a mountain of research, and then the wrongness of the theory became clear.

This old accusation about vaccines is back in the news because of President-elect Donald Trumps tweets claiming that children became autistic after receiving massive shots. He is said to have discussed vaccine safety not with any scientists but with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer who has written books arguing for a link between autism and thimerosal, which is used in some vaccines.

Some news accounts dismissed these concerns by stating that theres no evidence for a link between childhood vaccines and autism. But parents want more than just absence of evidence; they rightly expect evidence of absence. Thats accepted public policy. Even if theres no evidence of danger, new drugs cant be unleashed on the public until they pass a series of safety studies.

Childhood vaccines have undergone dozens of studies on four continents conducted by hundreds of researchers. Thats yielded evidence that the potential risk of autism is so small that its dwarfed by the risk of the diseases the vaccines protect against. The diseases may be mild in some cases, but not always. Theres a measurable risk of permanent brain damage from measles, for example.

The saga of vaccine fears is compounded by the erroneous idea that scientists should be able to prove that vaccines are safe. What is prove? What is safe? Science deals in probabilities. The best that we can hope for is what we have: reasonable certainty that these drugs are reasonably safe.

People on both sides are spreading confusion, said UCLA epidemiologist and statistician Sander Greenland. Those who oppose vaccines by demanding absolute proof of safety are asking more than science can deliver. They should take a philosophy class on epistemology. And scientists who claim theyve proven vaccines safe are expressing overconfidence. They should join the class. As Greenland said, the only thing science can do is establish a margin of safety.

Science can offer risk-benefit ratios. And here, the bottom line is that any potential risks in taking the vaccines are much smaller than those posed by skipping them, said Stanford epidemiology professor Steven Goodman. There are some documented risks, which are rare, and then theres autism, which is probably a non-risk, or at worst a very unlikely one. Think of it as a small risk of incurring a small risk: Science cant absolutely rule out the autism link, but it can show that the risk, if there is one, is much lower than that the risk of death or brain damage posed by remaining vulnerable to measles, pertussis and other preventable diseases.

Goodman has served on an Institute of Medicine panel examining vaccine risks, as well as another panel on drug safety. The vaccine panel, which met from 2001 to 2004, took autism concerns so seriously, he said, that they produced nine reports to address different hypotheses. Those included the notion that the preservative caused harm, which has been raised by Kennedy, and the fear Trump has expressed in his tweets  that doctors might be putting kids at risk by giving them too many vaccines at once. The reports all concluded that vaccines cant be more than a very small risk factor.

Goodman said hes met with activist parents who were worried their autistic kids were harmed by vaccines, and was impressed with how much they knew about science. The problem, he said, is that many hold a very narrow view of what science entails. To them, science included only laboratory tests that could give specific information on individual kids. The science of studying large populations  well, he calls it epidemiology, but they call it junk science.

The term junk science is so ill-defined that it can be invoked to dismiss anything people happen to disagree with. Still, he said hes sympathetic to the fact that science cant explain why their kids developed autism. Before anyone raised suspicion of vaccines, some researchers promoted another wrong and pernicious idea known as the refrigerator mother theory, blaming women for working or just not being attentive enough.

Recent work in genetics has tied some cases of autism to combinations of common genes, and others to de novo mutations that can occur in eggs or sperm and are therefore not carried by the parents. But genes dont offer a full explanation, and scientists havent ruled out the possibility that genes make some people more vulnerable than others to environmental triggers.

No potential trigger has been explored as thoroughly as vaccines. It would be nice if scientists could give us proof that they are 100 percent safe, but thats not realistic. In discussing the trouble with proof, physicist Richard Feynman once explained that he couldnt prove that there were no flying saucers; he could only argue that they were very unlikely. Scientists took vaccine safety seriously. They found that an autism risk is extremely unlikely. Now its time for Kennedy and Trump to take science seriously.
When a tiny kitten joined a family of dogs, their mom was unsure how the new crew would all get along - but as it turns out, she had nothing to worry about. Anneliessa Balk moved to Nashville partially to make it easier to rescue animals. She already had two rescue dogs, Nera and Patch, and Patch passed away not long after the move. A few weeks after arriving in her new home, she rescued Fred off the streets, and it was a few months later when her little family was finally complete.

Balk came across a dog on Facebook who had been living around a housing project and needed a foster home. She quickly volunteered, and was finally able to pick up Willow (who became a foster fail) on June 28th, 2016. The very next day, Balk was driving home from yoga when she spotted a tiny black fluff on the side of the road. She pulled a U-turn and went back to investigate, and found the newest member of her family, TK (short for Tiny Kitten). "I was nervous to take her home," Balk told The Dodo. "She was so very tiny that she fit in my hand, but after a day of being in a pet carrier and the dogs getting a bit familiar with her, introductions were made and they all loved each other!"

Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Guy Falls In Love With His Little Meatball Of A Foster Dog

Balk named her little crew The Naughty Dog Brigade + TK, and they've been inseparable ever since. Now, TK is the boss of her dog siblings, and cuddles and plays with them just like she's one of the pack. She even chases them around the yard when they're getting rowdy, and is never afraid to get in on the action.

"TK, despite being tiny, was boss from the get-go!" Balk said. "She is the spunkiest, feistiest, most loving cat, with a huge personality and dominates the Brigade!" The little kitten is especially close with her sister Willow, and the pair can often be found cuddling and sleeping together. They love to find places to cuddle near their mom, like in her office, so that they can always keep an eye on her.

"They are very close," Balk said. "TK often grooms Willow. Willow will go to TK and ask to be groomed and TK will oblige! If TK stops, Willow will nudge her for more!"

Willow is incredibly gentle with TK, and even when they're playing or wrestling, she's always careful not to hurt her much smaller sister.

"Willow hasn't met a person or animal she doesn't love immediately," Balk said. "She truly has the kindest disposition."
Nicole Bacani's first dog came from a puppy mill. Of course, she didn't know it when she first picked Rocky, a miniature pinscher from an online breeder. But no sooner did she and her husband, Kres, pick up the tiny dog from the airport than the signs of a traumatic past emerged.

Rocky weighed less than 3 pounds and was covered in fleas. Their veterinarian said Rocky's crudely cut ears looked to be the work of scissors. He also had pneumonia. Telltale signs of a bulk breeding operation.

"This was before I knew about rescuing dogs," Nicole, who lives in New York City, tells The Dodo. "As I read about puppy mills, it opened my eyes to how puppy mills work. I vowed never again to have anything to do with that."

Except, of course, she would have everything to do with this little refugee having the best new life. And a big part of that was having the best new family. Sickened by what she learned about puppy mills, Nicole made good on her resolution to only rescue future pets. The future would arrive sooner than she thought. The couple happened to be taking some time away from the city in Rock Hill, New York. While on the trip, they decided they would rescue a dog when they got back to Queens. But then they thought, there's no time like the present. "Why don't we see if there is anything here?" Kres asked. So they paid a visit to the animal shelter in Rock Hill. That's where they found 3-month-old Hunter. He sat in his cage looking at them as if to say, it's about time.

Dodo Shows Odd Couples Dog Is So Gentle And Patient With Her Foster Kittens

"I instantly fell in love with him," Nicole says. "We put our name down. The next day as we were coming back to Queens, they had processed our application, got a good recommendation and said we could take him now."

And so, on the July 4th weekend in 2009, Rocky got a brother.

It was only few months later when Kres, who was working in construction at the time, called Nicole to say, "Honey, promise you won't be mad."

A man had stopped in at the construction site with a pit bull. He was on his way to drop off the dog at a kill shelter. "We'll keep her for the weekend," Kres said. "Then I fell in love with her," Nicole recalls.

She wasn't the only one. Rocky and Hunter fell hard for the newest sibling too.

With some ground rules. "Rocky rules the house," Nicole says. "With Rocky and Hunter there is sibling rivalry. Rocky is the boss." But everyone loves Lexi the love bug.

Rocky and Hunter made that resoundingly clear recently. Last year, Lexi had to undergo double ACL surgery, an excruciating and complex procedure to repair her knees. While recovering, she wasn't supposed to move around much - a seemingly impossible prescription for a household with three dogs.

But Rocky and Hunter knew their sister too well. Sensing she needed the extra attention, they stayed close by her side throughout her recovery, making sure she didn't strain herself.

"It was amazing to see how they treated her and respected her and stood by her," Nicole says.

The adventures of these siblings, dubbed Rescued Rock Stars, continues every day on their Instagram account.
DETROIT, MICH.-Once upon a time, not too many years ago, in fact, the worlds automakers  most of them, anyway  gathered in Detroit every January to unveil their latest creations. Press conferences would start as early as 7:30 in the morning on the first of two Media Preview Days and there was great anticipation as president after president would deliver a speech and then pull off the cover to reveal the latest Chevrolet or Ford or Honda.

There would be gasps of approval all round at the beauty of the now-naked Toyota or Kia or Fiat Chrysler car or truck, and then everybody would be off to the next unveiling. Not unlike a huge swarm of bees moving from hive to hive, hundreds of automotive journalists would shuffle from one display area to another in downtown Detroits massive Cobo Center.

Before you knew it, all of those press conferences and all of those beautiful cars and trucks seemed to blend together into one big tapioca pudding. It was great stuff but none of the ingredients really stood out.

So, how to rise above the crowd?

First, because technology is driving the automobile industry these days, companies started going to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to make announcements a week before the Detroit preview even started. Some were further ahead, technologically, than others, so Vegas guaranteed them more (and earlier) exposure. And the CES got a huge seal of approval two years ago when General Motors CEO Mary Barra gave the keynote address.

Second, companies (including GM) started to jump the gun in Detroit. Why wait for the first official Media Preview Day on Monday when all those hundreds of automotive reporters were already in town on Sunday? Mercedes-Benz, for instance, became famous for their Sunday night soirees at the downtown Westin Book Cadillac Detroit hotel, where everybody got a sneak peek at the car they planned to unveil at the Monday preview. Naturally, being reporters, the journalists all left the party and went back to their hotels to write about what theyd seen for either their websites or their newspapers late editions. This very clever move by Mercedes-Benz gave them a big jump on all the other manufacturers, who were waiting to show their hands on Monday

Soon, in the words of the late comedian Jimmy Durante, Everybody wanted ta get into da act (although he spoke in the present tense rather than the past). Before you knew it, everybody  or nearly everybody  was emulating Mercedes-Benz (which is still at it; Sunday night, it announced a makeover of the GLA-Class crossover to make it more recognizable as an SUV. Originally introduced in 2013, it was Mercedess first compact SUV).

General Motors, for instance, invited a crowd to the Museum of Contemporary Art Sunday night where the redesigned 2018 GMC Terrain SUV was unveiled;

Kia was also hard at work Sunday, launching the all-new 2018 Kia Stinger. The Stinger is a five-passenger fastback sports sedan and will be in Kia showrooms across Canada later this year.

Fiat Chrysler partner Waymo unveiled the worlds first self-driving minivan, the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. Waymo CEO John Krafcik said Sunday that the Pacifica is the perfect vehicle to illustrate the companys self-driving technology. It will be tested in California and Arizona.

Not to be left out altogether, Detroit show organizers held Sunday afternoon media sessions at the Cobo Center atrium, featuring Michigan Governor Rick Snyder talking about the industry and Quicken Loans entrepreneur Dan Gilbert (hes almost single-handedly  with some help from Roger Penske and Red Wings owner Mike Illitch  rebuilding the core of downtown Detroit), who discussed the renaissance of Motor City.

Which brings us to Nissan, and their unveiling of a new car for North America (called one thing in Canada and another in the United States, incidentally) that happened Sunday afternoon in the Canadian Historical Aircraft Associations facility at the Windsor International Airport  although the assembled journalists were sworn to keep everything about it secret until 12:01 a.m. Monday.

(I could go off on a tangent about embargoes here, which I wont, except to say I dont understand them. Why handcuff reporters who can rattle off a story in 15 minutes as compared to some of their colleagues who sweat over every word and take a year to write the same yarn? And somebody invariably breaks the embargo anyway, which then puts all the other publications behind the eight ball if somebody launches a Google search. The cheaters story will come up before the others, and that isnt fair in a very competitive media environment. But, I digress )

Sunday afternoon, with a Second World War Lancaster bomber as a backdrop, Nissan unveiled a car thats designed to plug a hole in its Canadian lineup.

The 2017 Nissan Qashqai  pronounced Kash-guy and named after a Persian tribe  is being aimed at young singles or couples who are predominantly downtown dwellers but looking for the roominess and flexibility of a suburban CUV. But because of where they live, they want everything a CUV has to offer in a smaller package in order to get around crowded downtowns and to fit into ever-tighter parking spaces.

According to the company, the Qashqai fills this bill.

It shared the stage Monday with the Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept car  a gorgeous vehicle that the company says illustrates perfectly the future direction of design married to intelligent-mobility technology. Asked when it would move beyond the prototype stage, a spokesman said the company never comments on future manufacturing possibilities.

Sundays Qashqai unveiling featured Joni Paiva, president of Nissan Canada, and Christian Meunier, senior vice-president of Nissan sales and marketing operations in North America.

Paiva noted the success the Qashqai has enjoyed in Europe in the 10 years since it was launched and said Meunier was largely responsible for the car being added to the Canadian lineup.

For his part, the current chairman of Nissan Canada and immediate past president of the Canadian company said he was very familiar with the car because he was based at Nissan Europe when the car was first launched in 2007.

The Qashqai brought something truly innovative to consumers, he said. It offered the functionality of a crossover with all the benefits of a compact  excellent fuel economy, value for money, the ability to manoeuvre in urban centres and cutting-edge design, inside and out.

It filled a void that nobody knew existed. It was right there in front of us. With its standard heated seats, available all-wheel drive, heated steering wheel, remote start and more, its a crossover made for Canada.

Paiva pointed out that the cars safety features include forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection, intelligent cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning and lane-departure prevention.

It has a wheelbase of 2,647 millimetres, is 4,379 mm along, 1,836 mm wide and 1,582 mm high. Inside, its got 1,006 mm of front headroom and 1,087 mm of front legroom.

But most important for the target audience, its got up to 648 litres of cargo space with the second-row of seats upright and up to 1,730 L with the second row of seats folded. Maybe not enough to get a refrigerator in there, but close.

For fans of manual transmissions, a six-speed gearshift will be available, and those cars will likely be less expensive, said Meunier: There are two reasons to buy a manual transmission: one, its more fun to drive, and second, its usually a little bit cheaper.

The car, which will be built in Japan, should be available in showrooms by spring and be priced competitively for the  get this  compact segment. The same car will be on the market in the United States come spring but will be branded Rogue Sport and wont have some of the Canadian attributes, such as manual transmission or remote start.

And why the different names?

We started with the Qashqai and we felt really strongly about the European roots of the product (where more than 2 million have been sold since it was launched), Meunier said. For the U.S., the prospectus was more to leverage the Rogue name. Canadians are a lot more open to Europe; they have a much better understanding of Europe than the U.S. I think Canada is more open to Europe while the U.S. might be more open to Asia.

Talking about the Persian tribe that inspired the cars name, Meunier added: The name is very intriguing and special. It was a major part of the marketing of the car in Europe. Thats why the Canadian team decided to keep the name, and I think they made the right decision.

IN BRIEF:

Hardly an unveiling went by Monday without the presenter, usually a president or CEO, making special mention of investments made and jobs created in the United States. For instance, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO (and Toronto-educated) Sergio Marchionne, who was under some fire in Detroit for announcing the next-generation Chrysler Portal electric minivan in Las Vegas instead of Motor City, rebounded quickly by pointing out that Fiat Chrysler plans to invest more than $1 billion in creating 2,000 jobs in Michigan and Ohio. The American Jobs First position of president-elect Donald Trump might have had something to do with all those revelations;

Not every display at the auto show preview was an EV, or autonomous, or driverless car. In fact, some of the displays didnt have anything to do with the industry at all. Disney Pixar had a display there featuring the hero of the movie Cars, Lightning McQueen. I have a nearly 3-year-old grandson who thinks Lightning is the greatest. If I took him to the show, I guarantee you wed spend all our time at that exhibit. Of course, wed have to pop by another nonindustry exhibit, that being one featuring the Verizon IndyCar Series. There are a couple of cars, some wheels, some photographs and a non-stop video highlights reel. Toys for boys of all ages.

Here is the difference between an autonomous car and a self-driving or driverless car: an autonomous car will let the driver take over the controls and drive the car whenever he or she feels like it  or else turn control over to the car itself when stuck in things like traffic jams. A self-driving or driverless car is just that: there is no driver. Which explains why the industry feels autonomous cars will be available in four or five years. It will take a lot longer for driverless cars to become practical.

SHARE:
SAN FRANCISCOIs Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer a failure? Or was she just handed a Sisyphean task?

Both, says Aswath Damodaran, professor at New York Universitys Stern School of Business. She was given the impossible job (of turning around the troubled Internet pioneer). But at the same time, she took it on, said she would change things, and failed.

As Yahoos dismantling proceeds  Verizon is still on track to buy its digital assets for $4.8 billion (U.S.) while the remaining Alibaba-invested company gets renamed Altbaba  questions arise about both the tenure and future of the Google-trained white knight that had promised to ride to the rescue.

On the one hand, under Mayer, 41, Yahoo stock soared 180 per cent since she was named CEO in 2012, from $15 to $42.

If my broker could do that for me every time, Id call him a genius, says Michael McDermott, professor of business management at Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business. Given a very difficult if not impossible situation, Id say she did OK.

Mayer was in many ways brought in to right a sinking ship. She was Yahoos seventh CEO, a list that included former Warner Bros. executive Terry Semel who couldnt even be bothered to move to Silicon Valley from Los Angeles for the job, says Paul Saffo, longtime tech-world observer and forecaster.

The company was in such chaotic shape (when Mayer joined) that you would have needed someone with the temperament and intuition of Steve Jobs to even have a chance at a turnaround, Saffo says. Her biggest mistake might have been taking the job. It was a suicide mission.

But on the other hand, everything from repeated hacking scandals, ill-advised acquisitions such as the $1.1-billion purchase of social media site Tumblr and high-salary but underutilized hires such as Katie Couric and former New York Times tech columnist David Pogue all point to a spotty chief executive tenure that could stain Mayers resume.

Her flaw was that she should have recognized a few years ago that she was throwing good money after bad, and if shed done so she would have likely got twice what shes getting now for Yahoo assets, Damodaran says. In fact, Yahoos stock topped out at nearly $52 in the fall of 2014.

But, ultimately, people are human, he says. You offer someone millions to take a job, and of course theyre going to say yes.

Tech world watchers echo a few similar refrains when asked about Mayer and her Yahoo tenure, namely that she was noticeably lacking in the kind of experience required to take on the challenge and that, in the end, the job required a borderline genius.

While Mayer had been an early employee and fast-rising star at Google, she had no experience as a CEO, and being a tech company CEO requires deep intuition about where things are going. Like when Jobs said everyone has a phone with a stylus, but were not going to do that, Saffo says.

Yahoo was founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo in 1994 as a curated guide to the burgeoning World Wide Web. Yahoos home page was among the first true online sources for news. But Googles arrival signalled a sea change for search companies, one that placed a priority on the power of algorithms over curation.

Marissa was sticking with Yahoos DNA and hiring big names, but that was never going to help in the battle with Google, says Saffo.

Making matters worse was an internal culture that seemed to create tension and the wrong kind of competition between layers of vice presidents. In the past few years, Yahoo was hit by a number of lawsuits from male employees who claimed they not only were discriminated against, but that all managers were forced to stack-rank their employees for the purpose of incessant firings.

Mayer and her team were just not very good at listening, and in any turnaround you have to do an awful lot of listening, says Rita Gunther McGrath, a professor at Columbia Business School. That wasnt her strong suit.

While Yahoo was a basket case upon Mayers arrival, McGrath notes that among the CEOs poor decisions was one to go around her own cybersecurity team, a move that ultimately led to more than a billion users having their information hacked.

On Monday, a Securities and Exchange Commission filing revealed that Mayer, who will have earned more than $300 million as Yahoo CEO and should receive $55 million if terminated, will be stepping down from Yahoos board of directors along with five others when the Verizon sale goes through.

Mayer will not be on the new Altbaba companys board, and there is only speculation as to what the executive could do next.

Just how much her Yahoo misadventure will taint her career is also a subject of debate.

Was there a lot of hubris in her time at Yahoo, of course, but sometimes hubris can pay off, Damodaran says. I could imagine some small tech company snapping her up as CEO. Shes had experience in that position now, and in many ways tech companies like hiring big names.

Saffo says he believes that things might not be so simple. Despite some efforts, Silicon Valley suffers from a reputation as being a predominantly white and male enclave, with few minorities and women in executive positions and in crucial investor roles.

Marissa took on an impossible mission, and you cant criticize someone for being a risk-taker, he says. But Silicon Valley has a bit of a double standard when it comes to women. So, will she be judged as a risk-taker who failed, or as a woman who failed?

Mayer also could be about to head off the Glass Cliff, a phenomenon first identified by two British professors who found that companies are more likely to appoint women and minorities in leadership roles when the firms are not doing well.

When things are dire, boards somehow think that bringing in a woman will be better for team building, because theyll listen better and have better social intelligence, McDermott says. Then they get fired because of performance or because the business model cant be turned around. And then the company brings in a tough guy.

Yahoo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SHARE:
PETERBOROUGH, ONT.Justin Trudeaus campaign-style outreach tour offered no respite Friday from questions about his family vacation with the Aga Khan  nor the priorities of ordinary Canadians, from soaring hydro bills to carbon taxes to Donald Trump.

Trudeau continued to defend himself from critics assailing his use of a private helicopter belonging to the wealthy spiritual leader, even though the federal Conflict of Interest Act expressly forbids such perks.

Prime minister is not a 9-to-5 job, Trudeau told a news conference in Peterborough, presumably a reference to the fact that his behaviour remains subject to public scrutiny even during what he calls a private family vacation.

Im prime minister every minute of every day  thats part of the job and I fully accept and embrace it.

Canadians expect to have confidence in their government, he added, repeating his commitment to co-operate with the federal ethics commissioner regarding the trip.

But his controversial family holiday at the s ultra-private Bahamian island appeared far from the minds of the ordinary Canadians who packed a town hall in Peterborough to give the prime minister a window into their world.

Kathy Katula, 54, from Buckhorn, Ont., gave Trudeau a piece of her mind about her soaring hydro bill  a phenomenon thats largely an Ontario government problem  and the prime ministers plan to force the provinces to impose a carbon tax.

I feel like you have failed me and I am asking you here today to fix that, an emotional Katula, a single mother, told Trudeau.

My heat and hydro cost me more than my mortgage.

Not everyone agrees with the federal governments decision to impose carbon pricing in Canada, Trudeau acknowledged, saying it will be up to the provinces to ensure the measures are not onerous to those struggling to make ends meet.

It will be up to the government of Ontario to ensure that you are not penalized, folks like you, he said. I am trusting they will do that responsibly and not penalize you further.

Later, Katula appeared willing to give the prime minister a pass on the Aga Khan controversy.

Yes, Im angry about it, but my focus today is, why am I suffering? she said in an interview.

He proved today that he is not just hanging out with rich millionaires. Im not a rich millionaire and he came out and spoke to me today.

The prime minister began his day with a jog with troops at CFB Trenton, followed by breakfast and small talk with soldiers in the mess hall.

Later, he stopped by a restaurant brimming with locals in Bewdley, Ont., and visited a Toronto Raptors training facility to meet youth from La Loche, a Saskatchewan community still reeling from a school shooting last year that killed four and injured seven others.

But looming over the tour has been the rich-and-famous flavour of the hospitality Trudeau and his family enjoyed at the hands of the Aga Khan, a longtime family friend who also happens to be the spiritual leader of the worlds 15 million Ismaili Muslims.

After taking a government jet to Nassau, the Trudeau entourage, which included a Liberal MP and the partys president, travelled on a private helicopter in order to get to their ultimate destination, a private Bahamian island.

Both the Conflict of Interest Act and Trudeaus own ethics guidelines bar the use of sponsored travel in private aircraft, allowing only for exceptional circumstances related to the job of prime minister and only with the prior approval of the ethics commissioner.

Trudeau has said he will discuss the matter with conflict of interest and ethics commissioner Mary Dawson and answer any questions she may have.

On Wednesday, Conservative MP Blaine Calkins asked Dawson to investigate Trudeaus trip, a request that came a day after Tory leadership contender Andrew Scheer made a similar request.

Both complaints question whether it is OK for the prime minister to accept the hospitality of someone whose foundation receives funds from the Canadian government.

The Aga Khan Foundation has been the beneficiary of tens of millions of dollars in government contributions to international development projects.

The Aga Khan himself, while not a registered lobbyist, is a noted philanthropist and the hereditary spiritual leader of the worlds approximately 15 million Ismaili Muslims.

In 2009, then prime minister Stephen Harper made him an honorary citizen of Canada.

Read more about:

SHARE:
OTTAWAThe United Nations is grappling with glaring gaps in accountability for peacekeepers accused of sexually abusing people theyve been sent to protect, internal Canadian government documents suggest.

The documents show the UN is facing serious hurdles in holding their own peacekeepers to account, including turf wars over jurisdiction and weak (or) non-existent judicial systems in host countries.

The documents raise more questions for Canada, which in recent years has documented five cases of alleged sexual abuse by Canadian peacekeepers in Haiti, and is preparing for a significant new mission in Africa this year.

In an August 2016 memo, a security analyst at Canadas mission to the UN noted significant challenges in investigating and prosecuting wrongdoers.

Events in (the Central African Republic) and the data coming out of the (Secretary Generals 2016) annual report point to a system that is lacking in efficiency, transparency and coherency, reads the memo obtained by the Star .

Part of the answer to these deficiencies lies in establishing enduring, system-wide structures but the nature of UN governance makes this a challenging endeavor.

In addition, as we continue to unpack how member states themselves can better approach this issue from pre-deployment training to punishing perpetrators to victims assistance, there must also be a greater willingness by individual countries to examine and address internal shortfalls.

In a special 2016 report, the UN named 21 countries with credible allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by peacekeepers, documenting 69 allegations in 2015 alone. The report named two cases of exploitation and abuse by Canadian police peacekeepers who served in Haiti, although the Canadian government is aware of at least three more cases dating back to 2013.

The Star has been able to find no criminal charges brought against those officers, some of whom faced very little discipline after investigations by their home police forces.

In one case, an officer was suspended for nine days for his actions. In two cases, Quebec police officers retired before facing any discipline whatsoever.

And the newly-released documents warned that, as the UN works to improve reporting on peacekeeper sexual abuse, we could only be seeing the tip of the iceberg of allegations against police and military personnel.

The Star requested an interview with the analyst who prepared the report, but was asked to go through media relations. An interview request to Global Affairs Canada, the federal department that released the memos, was declined at this time.

Canada continues to engage with the UN to support initiatives which aim to prevent and combat all forms of sexual misconduct by peacekeeping personnel, wrote Global Affairs spokesperson Jessica Seguin in a statement.

We will continue to insist that peacekeepers be held accountable for their actions.

The memos prepared for Global Affairs last year show just how big a challenge that can be.

One undated briefing note pointed to unique, structural factors within the UN system complicating efforts for greater transparency and enforcement of a zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.

Ultimately, the countries that contribute peacekeepers are responsible for ensuring allegations are thoroughly investigated and perpetrators disciplined. But the document suggest there are different standards for enforcement between military peacekeepers and their police and civilian counterparts.

Although military personnel are covered by military codes of conduct and justice systems, UN police and civilian staff accused of SEA in the field may face only minor disciplinary measures, such as repatriation and being barred from future deployments, the unclassified document reads.

In Canada, when there are substantiated allegations of misconduct by police peacekeepers in mission, the officer is repatriated, and the onus is on the officers home police service to investigate the allegations and implement any potential discipline in a timely manner.

The Liberal government has committed to send upwards of 600 military personnel and 150 police officers on a mission  or missions  to Africa. The Star reported in November that Mali appeared to be the top candidate.

Since then, however, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has replaced Stephane Dion with Chrystia Freeland as foreign affairs minister. It's not clear when a final decision will be recommended to cabinet.

The document goes on to say that paternity claims do not factor into investigations into Canadian police peacekeepers. Two Canadians were accused of fathering children while in Haiti, but because paternity claims are civil in nature, they do not appear to have factored into their investigations.

But a recent case has shown that military peacekeepers can also dodge prosecution in their home countries. The New York Times reported earlier this month that a panel of French judges chose not to bring charges against soldiers accused of disturbing sexual crimes while on a peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.

The allegations involved six children, aged 9 to 13. A spokesperson for the Paris prosecutors office told the Times that part of the problem is identifying both victims and perpetrators. The Times reported that the case may be reopened in the coming months if new evidence is presented, however.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Why Peterborough agreed to allow anti-abortion ads on its city buses is baffling.

The ads planned for March will show an enlarged photo of a fetus allegedly at seven weeks, then 16 weeks, and then a smear of blood with the slogan Growing, growing, gone. ABORTION KILLS CHILDREN.

How did we get here? We got here because Peterborough yielded to the efforts of an anti-abortion group to challenge the citys original refusal to accept the ads.

As a result, the grotesque ads will be seen by Peterboroughs bus-riding children. Most wont know what abortion is and will be puzzled at best. Children who didnt suspect that children are being killed, right there in Peterborough, are going to be very upset indeed. Parents who will be forced to explain death or even the mommys tummy version of birth will have a bus ride for the ages. From then on, they will drive.

As for women or couples who have gone through miscarriages and abortions together, never mind those trying for a pregnancy, the ad is an act of sadism. Municipal cruelty, imagine that.

Remember, Peterborough is the city where an anti-abortion demonstrator was fired from her clerking job at a local hospital, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, after snooping in the files of 201 abortion patients, accessing the records 414 times. There was no suggestion any of that information was used to harass or blackmail those patients, but still, they must worry about that. They ride buses too.

A group called the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform  their site features men in suits and women in red dresses a la The Handmaids Tale or blood or the Scarlet Letter  is trying to post these ads in smaller cities across Canada, claiming a right to free speech. The city of Grande Prairie, Alberta was wise enough to say no in 2015, and when the group appealed, a court agreed with the city in December 2016, saying the ads created a hostile and uncomfortable environment.

Court of Queens Bench Justice C.S. Anderson also noted that the groups website includes commentary such as Now is the time to put an end to the slaughter. Now is the time to look evil in the face and say, enough. She said these statements were not informative and educational, rather they vilified women who had had abortions.

Vilifying is not an activity suited to public transit. In Grande Prairie, as the National Post reported, city staff told the court they had to protect people from the effects of hate speech, while running a tranquil, smoothly functioning transit system, with no risk of danger due to inflamed emotions or devastated psyches.

This isnt just civilized, its practically poetic. Its elegant. Clearly city staff had hovered over the average breakfast table and vowed to take the ride to work to a higher plane.

Joyce Arthur of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada has pointed out the oddity of Peterborough accepting money in an endless battle against a medicare-funded procedure. The city messed up at every step, she says, having no initial ad policy and responding so lazily and inadequately that now the ads will run following a legal challenge the city never truly fought.

What a series of convenient failures. The anti-abortion group clearly believes smaller cities are too busy, unmotivated and short of money to fight their rearguard action. And in this case they were right.

They get their encouragement elsewhere. U.S. abortion rights are in a perilous state after a frightening election campaign, president-elect Donald Trumps anti-abortion statements and the U.S. Senates late-night vote Wednesday to begin to destroy many womens access to contraception, abortion and health care in general.

This is why the Washington Post covered the Grande Prairie ruling: a Canadian court had prevented Trump-style tactics rising north, even in a fairly conservative province and outside its larger cities, and this interested good Americans.

Were seeing Conservative Party leadership hopefuls like Kellie Leitch and Kevin OLeary praise Trump and his tactics. But will they fly in Canada? Maybe not. We believe in free speech but not the right to torment and humiliate people  or indeed to be rude.

I wonder if Americans are testing us. Maybe were not the nation we say we are, especially when it comes to womens rights. Maybe were not the haven Americans need.

The 51-48 Senate vote was like falling rubble. It approved a budget resolution putting House and Senate committees to work on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. The Democrats forced Republicans to declare that insurers should no longer have to cover contraception or pre-existing conditions. Like pregnancy.

We were carried in warm female bodies before we were born, all of us, but these bodies are, more than ever, battlefields. I could make a good case for misogyny being at the centre of the Trump win. Women must be made pregnant and kept pregnant in a nation with the planets most rock-bottom paid family leave.

It has never made any sense, this harsh punitive land once famous for sexual and other freedoms. Women-haters in America long to ease the passage of misogyny worldwide, just as racists long to see immigrants deported and the clock turned back to whiter times.

Be prepared for American-style misogyny to cast and land its hooks in Canada. Hateful messages on buses are a start. They always start small.

hmallick@thestar.ca

SHARE:
This could be all about the harridan-murderess in Courtroom 2-2, the self-made widow of the victim she killed and stuffed in a closet.

It could be, yet again, all about the aggressively shrill woman who made a farce of her trial for week after week, with bilious interruptions, insults hurled at the judge, emotive theatrics slamming the bench, the lawyers, the investigators, every individual and institution that she persists in claiming brought her to unfair ruin, formally sentenced Friday to life in prison.

It could be about how Xiu Jin Teng yesterday contemptuously tore up her copy of Justice Ian MacDonnells written reasons for denying an application from the then-accused to obtain Legal Aid funding for what would have been, I think, her 13th lawyer in this long-festering case, half a dozen of them fired by Teng before the matter finally came to trial.

That shredded document Teng dropped on the floor, even as MacDonnell pointed out: You might need that for the court of appeal, Ms Teng. Youve just ripped it in half, just so the record is clear.

Teng: Dont call my name! My name from your mouth stinks. Everything from your mouth stinks.

At which point, after several more ignored warnings, MacDonnell had Teng removed from the courtroom.

Teng: See you! Im leaving! Im wishing you the best. Try to be a gentleman, not evil. E-V-I-L.

Thus, with a toss of her waist-length crimped hair, the 41-year-old felon was ushered away by a court officer, snide and imperious to the end, perhaps not to be seen again until the appeal submission to which every person convicted of first degree murder is automatically entitled.

And MacDonnell, apparently, is now off for a well-deserved weeks holiday. He should be given a medal for unceasing patience in the face of relentless abuse from a defendant who defended herself when all attempts to derail the proceedings  nearly five years of ducking and wrangling as top-drawer appointed lawyers came and left the stage, fired or removed at their own request  were finally thwarted.

But lets make this closing act of a sordid matter, instead, primarily about a victim, Dong Huang, who seemingly never knew what was about to hit him  until his dying moments, when he demonstrably, as shown by the defensive injuries suffered, struggled for his life, arms bound, ligature tightened around his neck. About a grieving family, back in China, where Huangs murder was withheld from an aged, ailing father whose last words, on his own death bed, were calling out his sons name. And a poor, misbegotten little girl, the only child of Teng and Huang, traumatized by the loss of her dad and the sudden disappearance of her mom. A youngster who retreated into wary silence and confusion, in and out of three foster homes as a ward of the Childrens Aid Society before her fathers family was able to secure the childs custody, whisking the girl overseas.

Thats what Teng did to her flesh and blood.

At the time of the tragedy, their daughter (N.H) was a cute little girl of only about two years old, an age when a child is supposed enjoying (her) parents love and attention, wrote her paternal uncle, Huang Jun, in a victim impact statement read into the record yesterday by Crown Attorney Joshua Levy.

However, the sudden loss of her father inflicted tremendous pain on her mind. At night, she often woke up frightened by nightmares and then cried without stop.

When the girl was first introduced to her uncle and aunt  Huang Hun has been back and forth between China and Canada over the past five years and attended the trial when it began  she hid behind her foster parent, trembling and looking terrified, and was afraid to look up to either see us or talk to us. Seeing the ordeal she had to go through, our hearts broke.

From prison, Teng tried mightily to obstruct the familys custody application. Yet Huang Jin and his wife persisted, at a high cost financially, to establish a relationship with the girl. Eventually, they succeeded in both the custody pursuit and gaining the childs trust.

N.H. now has adoptive parents, a doting grandmother and a protective older brother. In that magnificent way children have of rebounding from the harshest cruelties inflicted upon them, she is apparently thriving, a healthy, sunny and lovely girl who has integrated well into her new family.

The day will come, however, when N.H. will fully understand all that was taken from her, in a Scarborough basement apartment, by a mother motivated, the Crown argued at trial, by simple venality and greed  a $2 million life insurance policy.

So much ghastly crime pivots on money and benefit.

The jury, which had been kept  as far as MacDonnell could manage  in ignorance about the melodramas surrounding, had seen right through Tengs screeching harangues and poor-pitiful-me objections. Earlier this week, it took them only five hours of deliberation before coming back with a guilty verdict.

The jury in this case found Ms Teng guilty of the planned and deliberate murder of her husband, Dong Huang, said MacDonnell. The evidence in support of the jurys decision, in my opinion, was overwhelming. The motivation for this crime was purely and simply greed. In the four months preceding the killing Ms Teng purchased two insurance policies that in combination provided her with the potential beneficial benefit of over $2 million in the event of her husbands death and that she killed him to claim that benefit,

There is no evidence of any strife within the family and no evidence of any reason why her husband would have had even an inkling of what she was up to, or how she was going to brave him.

To carry out the murder, Teng rendered her husband incapable of resistance by injecting or otherwise incapacitating him with a sleeping drug, later claiming to police that Dong Huang had suffered a fatal heart attack. There was no evidence of heart disease at autopsy.

Precisely how she caused the Zopiclone to be ingested is unclear, MacDonnell continued yesterday. But it doesnt matter for present purposes how she did it. She then bound his wrists and ankles and having rendered him defenselessstrangled him.

Recounting the pathologists testimony, MacDonnell noted: Its a reasonable inference that he was, at the end, conscious and fighting for his life.

The mandatory sentence for first degree murder is life with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

Bearing in mind the cold-blooded, calculated and callous nature of this murder, that sentence is manifestly appropriate and that is the sentence that I now impose.

Teng, of course, was no longer present to hear the formality of her fate pronounced.

Shed banged the desk, stabbed her pen in the judges direction, and sniffed at the stink of the bench.

Its an illegal trial! Fooling the public. F-O-O-L-I-N-G.

More F-O-O-L you.

Some believe that sulfur is the devils smell.

If there was a stench in that courtroom, it was of sulfur emanating from Xiu Jin Teng.

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

SHARE:
On a cold January morning in 1999, former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman enlisted the Canadian army for a historic battle against Mother Nature.

The city had been under siege for over a week after the first snow emergency was declared on Jan. 4 when around 38 centimetres of snow crippled the city.

As the snow slowly accumulated in the days after the first storm, Toronto was hit with another surprise attack on Jan. 14.

The city woke up to an additional 27 centimetres, burying Torontonians under a metre of snow that had accumulated in the time between the two storms.

The already narrow roads were made tighter with vehicles parked on both sides and mountainous ruts down the centre.

Lastman saw roads narrowed by the snowbanks and thought to himself: How is an ambulance supposed to get through this? he said in a Star interview in 2009.

Wasting no time, Lastman called a second snow emergency, and made the tough decision to call in the cavalry.

Four hundred soldiers flooded into the city armed with shovels, ready to take on the snow in tanks that rolled through the downtown streets.

We arranged it so that senior citizens could go around the corner to get milk, so that people could get on the TTC, he said in the interview.

David Gunn, the head of the transit commission at the time, knew the risk Toronto would be ridiculed.

People made fun of it, but on the other hand we used them, Gunn said in 2009.

With the soldiers, came some 100 trucks and volunteers from Prince Edward Island to clear the congestion. Lastman repaid their outstanding work with a favor: he got them all tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs game that weekend.

In 2009 Lastman was asked if he would do it again, given the avalanche of mockery that was heaped upon Toronto as a result of his actions.

Would I do it again? Youre darn right I would!

With files from Jaspreet Tambar and The Canadian Press

SHARE:
The attorney general has ordered a third-party review of Legal Aid Ontario, after the agency announced last month that it was dramatically cutting back on services due to a $26-million deficit.

Yasir Naqvi will be bringing in an external firm to review the arms-length government agencys budget forecasting methodology, decision-making procedures related to budget management, and Legal Aids plan to balance its budget.

The firms report must be delivered to Naqvi and John McCamus, chair of the Legal Aid board, by March 31, and will be made public shortly after, Naqvi said in a statement.

As Attorney General, I am concerned and want to ensure that Legal Aid Ontario is positioned to address its financial challenges in a way that will not impact the delivery of front-line legal services.

Legal Aids decision to cut back on services could potentially affect thousands of Ontarians. While the agency will still issue legal aid certificates  which cover a persons legal fees  for criminal defence lawyers in cases where there is a substantial likelihood of incarceration, it will generally no longer do so in other matters.

That means that impoverished individuals who may not be facing jail time but could be deported, fired or slapped with a hefty fine if they are convicted  and get a criminal record in the process  will be left to fend for themselves in court.

Legal Aid, which has a $440-million annual budget, said it will also not increase salaries at legal clinics and will be reducing clinic operation budgets by $1 million, among other changes.

The agencys president and CEO, David Field, told the Star in an interview in December that he would welcome an external audit, saying he was very confident in Legal Aids financial situation. He reiterated that position to the Star in a statement Friday.

We welcome the opportunity to confirm that our plan will address the deficit, Field said.

We appreciate the Attorney Generals interest in the matter and welcome the opportunity to work with the Ministry of the Attorney General and to review our process and its projections to ensure that low-income Ontarians will continue to receive the high-quality services they need.

News of the external review was applauded by critics who have described Legal Aid as a bloated bureaucracy that mishandled the hundreds of millions of dollars it receives from the provincial government, something Field has denied.

We commend the Attorney-General for his quick action in having Legal Aids actions audited in light of Legal Aids current deficit, said Anthony Moustacalis, president of the Criminal Lawyers Association.

For the last six years, Legal Aid has been mismanaging the public trust, and abusing its independence by going on a massive lawyer and staff hiring program. They did so because of an unwarranted fear that the Criminal Lawyers Association would tell criminal lawyers to stop taking legal aid cases.

Margaret Parsons, executive director of the African Canadian Legal Clinic, said she wants the external review to consult with stakeholders including her clinic, and hopes that the review will also look at past deficits at Legal Aid.

(Legal Aid) needs to be held to the same standard that it has held some clinics, and they can't eliminate their massive deficit on the backs of poor people by the elimination or cutting back of services, she said.

Despite its deficit, Legal Aid still plans to raise the household-income threshold to qualify for legal aid by six per cent starting in April. The threshold for a single person with no dependants is currently around $13,000  long criticized as far too low and not reflective of the face of poverty in Ontario.

SHARE:
Three men have been charged after at least $13,000 worth of copper plates were stolen from a moving train.

Investigators say someone broke into the train, which was en route from Belleville to Vaughan, and hurled the plates onto tracks in Scarborough Thursday evening. Police say a trio of suspects then used a service road to pick up the copper and drive away.

Someone basically broke into the (train) yard, broke into a boxcar and tossed the plates, said Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook of the Toronto Police Service.

Police allege the suspects took 26 of the copper plates, which are valued at between $500 and $600 each. In total, theyre worth about $13,000-$15,600.

The plates were ultimately thrown onto train tracks near Meadowvale Rd. and Sheppard Ave. E. At around 7 p.m. Thursday, police say three men in a rented truck used a Canadian National Railway service road to get to the site, recover the copper and load it into the back of their vehicle.

Meanwhile, when the train arrived in Vaughan, staff from the Canadian National Railway noticed the theft and called police.

Douglas-Cook said she wasnt sure how Toronto police were able to zero in on the correct area so quickly. However, officers arrested the trio, who were still in the Meadowvale and Sheppard area, a short time later.

The plates were then recovered from the bed of the truck, Douglas-Cook said.

Its not clear if the person who threw the plates off the train is connected to those who picked them up, said Douglas-Cook.

They probably were, but at this point theres nothing tying them to it based on the investigation, she said.

Two of the men arrested are from Quebec; the other is a Torontonian.

Andrei Mosonyi, a 44-year-old from Toronto, 42-year-old Meculai Ghitu, of Montreal, and 51-year-old Cristea Cristea, of Blainville, Que. face a total of 10 charges related to theft and possession of stolen property.

They were scheduled to make their first court appearance on Friday.

SHARE:
In a little more than 500 days he could be premier of Ontario.

But Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown, who is ahead of Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne in every public opinion poll, remains little known to most people.

Wary of having their rookie leader defined in unflattering terms by the Liberals before the June 2018 election, the Conservatives have launched three digital ads aimed at introducing him to Ontarians.

We know that the Liberals are going to unleash a campaign of unprecedented ferocity against Patrick, PC campaign chair Walied Soliman said in an interview this week.

The only path to re-election for them involves waging a highly negative, misleading, and personal campaign against Patrick. We all know its coming and we are preempting it and we are ready for it, he said.

Bracing for a Liberal blitz assailing Brown for his flip-flops on social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, the Tories advertising gurus at Torontos Indent Communications have prepared a trio of 30-second commercials.

The objective was really to ensure that Ontarians are able to see Patrick Brown in the same way that his family and friends see him on a day-to-day basis, said Soliman.

One commercial features the mother of an autistic child praising Brown for his advocacy, which the Tories maintain forced the Liberal government to boost autism services last June.

Another shows the leader speaking to the camera claiming  erroneously  that Ontario hydro prices are the highest in North America. (Residential and business electricity rates are actually lower in Toronto than in Boston, San Francisco or New York City, according to an annual Hydro-Quebec study.)

The most personal and illuminating of the three has Brown in an open-collar shirt with his sleeves rolled up, speaking about overcoming a childhood stutter.

When I was young I struggled with a severe speech impediment, he says in the commercial, released shortly after he opened up about his stutter to the Stars Kristin Rushowy in a front-page story.

Just the thought of talking terrified me.

The ad concludes with Brown saying hell never give up on anyone and that he wants a province where everyone has the same opportunity that I did.

Soliman, a lifelong friend, emphasized that its relatable because everyone has obstacles in their lives.

I distinctly remember when Patrick was overcoming his stutter. Its a constant reminder to him that there are so many people who could flourish if given the help and support that they need, he said.

Its why we use the tagline Ill never give up on anyone.

Alan Middleton, assistant professor of marketing at York Universitys Schulich School of Business, said the ad is quite effective.

Given the cynicism that most people hopefully now have about political advertising  (its) not bad, said Middleton, a leading ad expert.

He looks relaxed. He hasnt tried to be something totally different from what he is. He hasnt tried to be super-friendly, happy, chatty, because thats not who he is, he said.

This is very much personalizing the leader. The Tories have been pretty well nowhere in the publics mind so they need to start ingratiating themselves more to the public  both (for) awareness and to take away some of the knee-jerk negatives, Middleton said.

Highlighting Browns overcoming his stutter should generate a moderate bit of sympathy.

In this case because hes a white male they probably felt there was some extra need to sort of push him  as one of the people. Its a legitimate issue.

As to whether the ad will help him withstand any attacks from political rivals over his U-turns on social issues, Middleton said it might.

It will never totally inoculate (him), but what it may do is if the NDP and the Liberals push it too hard, it will be seen  as over the top.

The Liberals have already signalled how they plan to hit Brown.

In a closed-door presentation to insiders at last Novembers party conference, campaign chief David Herle shared internal research on the PC leader.

Herle found Brown is politically vulnerable if Ontarians know that as a Conservative MP he voted to repeal same-sex marriage and wanted to reopen the abortion debate. (He now supports marriage equality and is pro-choice.)

Liberal polling also suggested the Tory chiefs previous opposition to the updated sex education curriculum  before changing his position last summer  and his stance on carbon pricing could be problematic for him.

Focus group research revealed Brown is little known  at one session more participants recognized Herle from his regular appearances on CBCs The National than they did the leader of the Opposition.

Thats why the Tories are striving to define their leader.

Privately, some Conservatives are concerned about the tack.

Whats the brand exactly? That our guy is a stutter survivor? The problem is it shows how little we have to work with. Hes 38 years old, not married, no kids, and has only ever been a politician, said one Tory, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss party strategy.

Im not sure its enough to say that voters will still hate Kathleen Wynne in 18 months because theyre mad about hydro (rates).

SHARE:
WASHINGTONAnita Bacon was once a 15-year-old Alabama dairy farmer, and she has never been much for towns, forget cities. She lives with her husband in a little house in middle-of-nowhere Arkansas, a speck of a place so small it hasnt even earned a population sign. Like most of the people around, the owner of the Backwoods BBQ votes Republican.

But she thinks she might be alive only because of the Democrat who is leaving the White House on Friday. And what she hears from his Republican successor, two weeks before her second breast reconstruction surgery, is stressing her out.

Bacon, 43, just survived cancer. She credits God. And Obamacare.

The insurance has really, really, really helped me, and its something thats really weighed heavy on my mind. Whats going to happen with it? she said Thursday. Im hoping the new president-elect will keep the people that really, really need it. Well, I think everybody needs it, to be honest.

Pleas like Bacons show why it will be tricky for Donald Trump and his congressional allies to fulfil their promise to quickly repeal and replace President Barack Obamas polarizing health law  at least without some chest pains and heart palpitations. Ending the Affordable Care Act risks an uproar from a chunk of their own base.

The Republicans political challenge has been reflected in their sudden outbreak of public concern about the ramifications of getting rid of a law many have long called a worthless disaster. The optics problem was illustrated most dramatically at a town hall on CNN on Thursday night, when a former Ronald Reagan campaign worker confronted House Speaker Paul Ryan with the story of how Obamacare saved his life.

Trump, who vaguely promises some sort of new program far less expensive and far better, is demanding that Congress immediately get on with the repealing and replacing. But even the hard-line conservatives of the House Freedom Caucus are urging caution. Their nightmare: a parade of sick Republicans on the local news, accusing their congressman of making them suffer.

Congress took a first step toward repeal on Friday, with the Republican-controlled House approving a budget measure that will later allow them to scrap much of the law even if there continues to be unified Democratic opposition. Ryan called Obamacare so arrogant and so contrary to our founding principles, and he said he was conducting a patient-focused, cost-cutting rescue mission for a program he said is collapsing.

There are political benefits, too, to eliminating a law opposed by most conservatives and plagued by recent increases in cost and decreases in choice. In conservative Arkansas, where Mitt Romney earned 61 per cent to Obamas 37 per cent, Obamacare is so toxic that even Democrats have run campaign ads boasting that they opposed it. Obama himself acknowledges the law has real problems.

The Unaffordable Care Act will soon be history! Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Yet in states Trump won alone, Obamacare has helped millions of people get life-altering  sometimes life-saving  care. Some of them are the same struggling white-working-class voters Trump pledged to champion. A central part of Obamacare is aimed at the working poor: the expansion of Medicaid, a government insurance program for low-income people.

Obamacare caused the Arkansas uninsured rate to plummet from 23 per cent to 10 per cent between 2013 and 2015, one of the biggest drops in the country, according to Gallup. More than 330,000 Arkansans, a giant 11 per cent of the state population, have gained insurance through the states customized version of the Medicaid expansion.

When Arkansans were polled in 2014 for their views on that Medicaid expansion  Arkansas Works, which uses federal money to buy private insurance for most of the newly eligible  48 per cent said it should be continued, 33 per cent said it should be ended. But when the pollster asked the question with the word Obamacare in it, support fell to 35 per cent while opposition rose to 39 per cent.

In other words, what some of them appear to dislike is not what the law actually does but who passed it. Such results, replicated in other red states, suggest that even some Arkansans who oppose Obamacare do not necessarily want to abandon the components of the Affordable Care Act.

I think its perceived very negatively and very viscerally in a symbolic sense. I dont think there is serious objection to many of the features of Obamacare, said Hal Bass, a political science professor at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. I think the symbolism associated with it is simply toxic in the state.

Trump and congressional Republicans have said they want to keep popular parts of the law, like the ban on insurers denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, while eliminating the unpopular parts and slashing prices. But experts have expressed doubts that this is possible, and Republicans have struggled to agree on a replacement.

A plan from Trumps nominee for health secretary, Obamacare foe Rep. Tom Price, would eliminate the Medicaid expansion in favour of tax credits that would likely leave millions without equivalent coverage.

Bacon started having serious health problems in her 30s. Without insurance, the medical bills that piled up on her table ate every spare cent. When she couldnt afford to see specialists or pay for her prescriptions, she would try to fortify herself with vitamins.

Then she got Medicaid. When she was diagnosed with cancer in February and had to temporarily shutter her barbecue joint, what happened next was a dream. She was whisked from appointment to appointment, double mastectomy to reconstruction, all for free.

I was treated like royalty. Very different from what Im very used to, she said. I dont know if youd even be talking to me. I could have died. Its very well that I could have. It did save my life.

Bacon said she doesnt know much about politics, and she couldnt bring herself to vote for either Trump or Hillary Clinton, the Democrat who vowed to protect and improve Obamacare. Clinton, she said, was unethical.

She said her decision not to vote has weakened the power of her complaints. But if she had a chance to talk to her Republican representatives, she said she would simply tell them her story.

Basically all Ive got is my story. Hopefully it would get into their hearts, she said. Get into their hearts and make them rethink it.

Read more about:

SHARE:
BEIRUTDaesh miltants, also known as ISIS and ISIL, launched their biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested city of Deir el-Zour Saturday, attacking from several fronts and triggering intense fighting in the eastern region bordering Iraq, the Syrian government and opposition activists said.

Syrian state TV said three people were killed and nine were wounded in Daesh rocket attacks on several neighbourhoods of the city.

Intense fighting broke out between Syrian troops and the extremist groups fighters both inside the city and around the vicinity of a nearby military airport controlled by government forces. The militants had launched their multi-pronged attack starting from the area of Baghaliyeh near the northwestern tip of the city. Deir el-Zour carries strategic significance for Daesh as it links the groups Iraq territory to its de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria.

Loud explosions that shook the city were reported. Activists said Syrian warplanes were taking part in the battles.

The Deir Ezzor 24 news network reported ongoing clashes since the morning near Deir el-Zour military airport and other fronts in the city and said Syrian warplanes targeted Baghaliyeh and Ayash areas and the vicinity of an army base known as Brigade 137 west of the city.

The extremist group, which controls most of Deir el-Zour province, has kept the provincial capital under siege since 2014. Government forces have withstood the encirclement thanks to air-dropped humanitarian assistance and weapons and ammunition flown into the airport. Remaining residents have reported malnourishment and starvation amid severe shortages of food, water and fuel.

Daesh has tried to capture the government-held neighbourhoods of Deir el-Zour and the citys suburbs over the past months without much success.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturdays offensive was the most intense since mid-January 2016, when the group killed dozens of people, most of them pro-government militiamen, in wide-scale attacks on the city that saw the group make significant advances. Most of those casualties took place in Baghaliyeh and the killings  many people were shot dead or beheaded  were some of the worst carried out by the extremist group.

The Observatory said the group has recently brought in reinforcements, including large amounts of ammunition and fuel, in preparation for the battle. It said at least 32 people were killed in Saturdays fighting, including 12 soldiers and allied militiamen and 20 Daesh fighters.

Daesh, which in 2014 seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and established a so-called Islamic caliphate straddling both sides of the border, is under intense pressure in both countries where it has lost significant territory in recent months.

Meanwhile in northern Syria, opposition activists reported a series of government airstrikes on Idlib province over the past 24 hours, including an attack that killed at least 11, mostly civilians, in Maaret Misrin.

In Damascus, the government maintained its offensive to uproot rebels in control of a nearby valley that provides the capital with the majority of its water supply, further threatening a fragile cease-fire that appeared to be fraying.

State-run news agency SANA reported later Saturday that terrorists had assassinated Ahmad al-Ghadban, who was appointed by the government to co-ordinate with rebels in the opposition-held Barada Valley to stop the fighting and allow maintenance workers to fix the water facility there.

For days negotiations have stalled and failed to restore the water flow to the capital  restricted since Dec. 22  and to end the government offensive to uproot the rebels in the valley. The U.N. says the capital has suffered a water shortage that has affected nearly 5.5 million residents. The fighting has trapped nearly 100,000 residents of the opposition-held valley.

The cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey, who support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, went into effect on Dec. 30. It excludes extremist groups such as Daesh.

Read more about:

SHARE:
ISLAMABADThe New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists asked Pakistan to investigate the fatal shooting of a local journalist in the countrys southwest.

In a statement, the media watchdog Saturday demanded action against those responsible for the killing of 37-year-old Muhammad Jan, who was returning home late Thursday night when targeted by unidentified assailants. The journalist had worked for the Urdu-language daily Qudrat and was teaching at a school.

No group claimed responsibility for the killing, but Pakistan is considered one of the deadliest countries for journalists. According to the watchdog, 59 journalists have been killed in Pakistan from 1992 to 2016.

Also Saturday, Pakistans main rights group, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, or HRCP, voiced concern over a growing sense of insecurity among civil society activists following the disappearance of several bloggers over the past two weeks.

The authorities are surely aware of a climate of increased insecurity and fear among bloggers and activists after at least four bloggers were picked up in the last few days, said HRCP chairwoman Zohra Yusuf.

University professor Salman Haider, known for criticizing the Taliban and the government over its alleged inaction against militants, and Shiite activist Samar Abbas, who heads the Civil Progressive Alliance Pakistan, were among the bloggers who went missing last week.

In a statement, the HRCP called for their immediate recovery.

It is in everyones interest that the missing bloggers are recovered without delay.

Meanwhile, a counter campaign started on social media condemning the missing bloggers for posting blasphemous material on their pages.

One Facebook user, Malik Umer Shahzad, posted a picture of Salman Haider asking: How come no blasphemer has been executed in Pakistan despite the existence of the blasphemy law? Lets all run a campaign to convict him under this law.

Read more about:

SHARE:
WASHINGTONHouse Republicans have shown no inclination to challenge President-elect Donald Trump on ethics matters. Instead, they are going after the federal ethics official who questioned Trumps potential conflicts of interest.

Democrats slammed the move, saying GOP lawmakers are trying to intimidate an independent watchdog for having the temerity to challenge Trumps business arrangements.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has summoned Walter Shaub Jr., the director of the Office of Government Ethics, to answer questions about his public comments on Trump.

This week, Shaub issued a scathing review of Trumps plan to turn over control of his business to his sons. Shaub said in a speech Wednesday that the only way Trump could avoid a conflict of interest as president would be to divest from his business and have his assets placed in a blind trust. Stepping back from running his business is meaningless from a conflict of interest perspective, Shaub said of Trump.

Chaffetz sent Shaub a sternly worded letter late Thursday requesting that he sit for a transcribed interview. He said the interview would help the committee understand how you perceive OGEs role, among other things.

Your agencys mission is to provide clear ethics guidance, not engage in public relations, Chaffetz wrote.

In an interview, Chaffetz said Shaub is offering opinions on conflicts of interest without fully researching the circumstances. What hes doing is highly unethical, Chaffetz said.

Chaffetz said his own letter was drafted before Shaubs speech. Chaffetz said he has been trying to meet with Shaub since the fall but that Shaub has declined his invitations. All I wanted to do is try to get him to come in and talk to us, Chaffetz said.

Chaffetz letter cited a series of tweets by Shaub in November. In the tweets, Shaub congratulated Trump for agreeing to divest from his business  an agreement that Trump never made.

The congressmans letter did not mention Shaubs speech.

In the speech, Shaub noted that members of Trumps Cabinet  some of them very wealthy, like Trump  are required to place their assets in a blind trust. Shaub said the president should be held to the same standard. The plan the president-elect has announced doesnt meet the standards that the best of his nominees are meeting and that every president in the past four decades has met, Shaub said.

Shaubs criticism of Trump has been echoed by several government watchdog groups and both Republican and Democratic government ethics experts. They include Norman Eisen, a former chief ethics counsellor for President Barack Obama, and Richard Painter, who served in the same role for President George W. Bush.

Congressional Democrats sharply criticized Chaffetz for summoning Shaub.

The Oversight Committee has not held one hearing, conducted one interview, or obtained one document about President-elect Donald Trumps massive global entanglements, yet it is now apparently rushing to launch an investigation of the key government official for warning against the risks caused by President-elect Donald Trumps current plans, said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, then top Democrat on the committee.

Some Democrats see a co-ordinated effort by Republicans to undermine the office responsible for ethics reviews of Cabinet nominees and ensuring they will avoid conflicts of interests.

Instead of honouring his committees responsibility to hold the administration accountable, Chairman Chaffetz has appointed himself President-elect Trumps chief strongman and enforcer, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

A week ago, Shaub complained that Senate Republicans were moving ahead with confirmation hearings before Trumps choices had reached ethics agreements.

This week, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., circulated an online petition that says, Its time for the bureaucrats at the Office of Government Ethics to pick up the pace on vetting President-elect Trumps nominees for the cabinet.

Read more about:

SHARE:
WASHINGTONFor Barack Obama, theres a presidential library to build, hundreds of millions of dollars to raise, causes to champion and a book to write. And dont forget that long-promised vacation with his wife.

Looming retirement is looking like anything but for the 44th president.

Obamas next chapter starts Friday when he becomes an ex-president. Hell be freer to speak his mind, set his own schedule and make some money.

Already, Obama is looking ahead to the book he wants to write, and has had talks with Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel about arrangements that could include speaking gigs.

At 55, Obama will be a relatively young ex-president, with plenty of time for a second act. Hes ruled out running another campaign for political office  so has his wife  but he has pledged to stay active in the national conversation.

With President-elect Donald Trump headed to the White House, Democrats are eager for Obama to play the role of shadow-president, offering direction to those Americans who feel they lost their political compass the day Trump was elected.

Obama has said he has plenty of ideas for how his party can revive itself, but after eight years as president, his role will be to offer guidance, not to micromanage.

I think its appropriate for me to give advice, because I need some sleep, Obama told NPR last month. And Ive promised Michelle a nice vacation. My girls are getting old enough now where Im clinging to those very last moments before they are out of the house.

Obama is expected to keep a low profile for the first few months after Trumps swearing-in.

Following some relaxation time with his wife and daughters in an unnamed location, the family will return to Washington, where theyve rented a mansion in the upscale Kalorama neighbourhood.

Obama has repeatedly praised George W. Bush for giving him room to operate without having the ex-president publicly second-guess him at every turn. Still, Obama has reserved the right to speak out against Trump if he pursues policies the president finds particularly odious, such as a ban on Muslim immigration or mass deportation of children brought to the U.S. illegally.

The party is in bad state and there are no clear, obvious voices for Democrats yet, said Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University. If theres anyone who could stand up to a President Trump, its going to be former president Obama.

Obama may re-emerge in a more public way around the time he releases his book  probably sometime next year  and goes on a promotional tour. Obamas chief White House speech writer, Cody Keenan, is expected to stay with his boss to help him craft the sequel to Obamas two previous bestsellers.

Though Obama has yet to fully settle his plans, four individuals familiar with Obamas thinking said over the last year that hes discussed post-presidency arrangements with Emanuel, a leading talent executive. One of Emanuels brothers is Obamas former chief of staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Its unclear whether Obama will sign with Ari Emanuel. But the discussions suggest Obama has been looking to Hollywood for inspiration about ways to engage creatively and on multiple fronts, such as digital media and television. Emanuel didnt respond to a request for comment.

Whatever direction he goes, Obama will not be pressed financially. Obama can expect to fetch an advance of more than $20 million for his book, said Keith Urban, a literary agent at Javelin DC whos handled bestsellers for top political figures.

Half of the country still looks at him as their leader, Urbahn said. From a publishing perspective, he will probably end up with the highest advance of any ex-president in history.

It wont be long until Obama and his wife start raising money for the Barack Obama Foundation, which is developing his presidential library and centre in Chicago. The price tag is expected to approach half a billion dollars.

The Obamas will have to hire personnel in the coming months as they engage more heavily in designing the centre. While it will be several years before the library is up and running, the foundation has left open the possibility it might start some programming sooner.

Former White House aide Amy Brundage, a spokeswoman for the foundation, said it would use 2017 to build upon the work that has begun to create a centre that inspires people to take on big challenges.

Obama also plans to stay involved in his My Brothers Keeper initiative, recently renamed the Task Force on Improving the Lives of Boys and Young Men of Color and Underserved Youth. He is also teaming up with former Attorney General Eric Holder on the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a new initiative to improve Democrats hand when political districts are redrawn in 2020.

The hub of Obamas activity will be his personal office, to be housed in the World Wildlife Fund headquarters not far from his rented home. For the first six months, hell also have a government-funded office overseeing his transition to ex-president.

SHARE:
WASHINGTONBraced for protests by 99 groups and a new global terrorist environment, security officials plan to protect the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump with buses, dump trucks and heavy vehicles loaded with cement to thwart anyone who might try to plow vehicles through the crowds.

We know of no specific credible threat directed toward the inauguration, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday. But he said that lack of a threat is only part of the story.

With memories fresh of vehicle attacks in France and Germany, the Secret Service will lead a security force of 28,000 to protect a crowd that could reach 900,000 on Inauguration Day, Johnson said.

Perhaps most visible will be large vehicles that will be used to seal the perimeter of the National Mall, which Johnson described as more fortified than usual.

That is a precaution that we are doubling down on in particular this inauguration, Johnson said.

The security force will include 10,000 personnel from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, and other federal agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Administration and the Federal Protective Service.

More than 3,200 police officers from across the country have volunteered to help.

And 44 states, along with the District of Columbia, will deploy more than 7,500 National Guard soldiers and airmen to help with security.

That includes 20 members of the Washington state National Guards 10th Civil Support Team, who will conduct radiation sweeps to make sure no one sneaks in a dirty bomb. Theyve made similar searches for any signs of radioactive material during the popes U.S. visit in 2015 and last years Super Bowl in San Francisco.

If you can get a radiation source through there and actually create some kind of explosion, you could do a lot of damage, said First Sgt. Paul Gautreaux, 48, of Olympia, Wash. But our equipment is going to pick it up.

Florida is sending 341 Guard members, including a team that will provide religious support. Missouri, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky and Mississippi are sending mobile kitchens and military cooks. And South Carolina has lined up 30 to help with crowd control.

Ive never been involved in an inauguration  its a pretty big honour, said Capt. Michael Meissner, 34, the officer in charge of the South Carolina group and the mayor of Pacolet, a town of 2,200 in South Carolinas Spartanburg County. We all will be trained, so we should be able to deal with anything that comes our way. The big thing is youve got to be positive.

Security will be especially tight after one of the most bitterly-fought elections in history and a possible weekend crowd that could exceed 1 million for the inauguration and protests, including the Womens March on Washington on Jan. 21 that promises to dwarf attendance at the inauguration itself.

While were prepared for any rise in tensions, were entering the inauguration with the mindset that this will be another peaceful transfer of power, said D.C. National Guard Maj. Michael Odle.

Odle said Guard members will be deputized as special members of the Washington, D.C., police force Thursday at a ceremony at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

This mission that we have here is amazing  its the real deal, said the commander of the Washington state team, Lt. Col. Ricky Thomas, 41, of Graham, Wash. We supported the Pope, we supported the Super Bowl, but this goes above and beyond. Its going to be historic.

Overall, roughly 90 Guard members will be assigned to radiation sweeps. While the Washington state team has long been recognized for its expertise, mainly because of its work at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, it will be helped by similar units from Texas, North Dakota and the Virgin Islands.

Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania will provide the most Guard members, nearly 2,000 and 1,562, respectively.

Odle said a few states arent participating because the Guard issued a request for help and filled the 7,500 slots first come, first served.

Once we hit our cap, we dont need any more support or assistance, he said.

While freezing weather has complicated previous inaugurations, the early forecast for Trumps big day calls for temperatures in the 50s.

That would mean fewer headaches for First Lt. Taylor Wagner of Tallahassee, operations officer for the Florida unit, who will keep track of shift changes and the rotation of personnel assigned to manage the crowd.

We dont want them out there too long in the cold, he said. But most of our job is just keeping the crowd moving in the right direction and try not to get trampled. Were very proud to be serving the citizens of the United States.

Guard members say theyll be ready for anything.

Can someone slip through the cracks? Sure Im a little concerned, but I dont lose any sleep over it at nighttime, Gautreaux said. Theres always that little bit of fear there: What could happen. Could things go wrong? But Im confident.

Thomas said his biggest worry is that protesters might get out of control.

Theres the risk of terrorists, but my primary concern would be for protesters, he said. Theres a lot of stuff going on, a lot of moving parts, but the team that we have here is highly trained and we have full confidence that well be able to handle anything that comes our way.

Friday, Homeland Security chief Johnson said federal officials used social media and permit applications to identify 99 groups  some pro, and some con  that are expected to protest over three days; 63 of those protests are planned for Inauguration Day.

The inaugural festivities are to begin Thursday with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony and a welcome concert at the Lincoln Memorial, and theyll conclude Saturday with a national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral.

Johnson, speaking at the multi-agency command centre in suburban Virginia that will be the communications hub for all security forces, said that security planners must be concerned both with protesters and the possibility of violent extremism.

The global terrorist environment is very different . . . even from 2013, he said, referring to the second inauguration of outgoing President Barack Obama.

Johnson declined to estimate the total cost of security but said, Im sure its a huge number.

For Senior Master Sgt. Monica Brown of the 113th Wing of the D.C. Air National Guard, the 2017 inauguration will be her eighth in a row, a string of service that began in 1989.

Shes hoping that no one gets hurt and that people put aside politics for the day.

I think well be fine, Brown said. Im hoping its much ado about nothing, after all is said and done. I look at is as youre part of history. And no matter who you voted for, thats the commander-in-chief.

SHARE:
Re: Obama could not turn his stirring words into real victories, Jan. 9

Obama could not turn his stirring words into real victories, Jan. 9

Daniel Dale and others put far too much emphasis on Obamas words and fail to remember the adage: Ask for the sun, settle for the moon.

His accomplishments are legion and he has been a corruption-free, two-term president. Eighty consecutive months of job growth, navigating a historic financial crisis, opening relations with historic enemies and bringing free health care to millions of impoverished citizens.

Id say that is a pretty good legacy.

Greg Stock, Toronto

If Donald Trump does put the brakes on free trade and force big business to return living-wage jobs to the U.S., he could be the greatest politician of this generation. Free trade has always been about massive profit by big business at the expense of the working class and the poor.

Canadians need to look for our version of Donald Trump in coming elections. That would be politicians who return living-wage jobs to our country. Jobs are the key to the majority of our economic woes. And just as importantly, these jobs are hope.

The role of government and big business is to create living-wage jobs so working people can, in turn, spend and keep our economy healthy. It would seem the powerful knowingly choose to ignore their role in our economy. It is time we let them know that must change.

Rick Lockman, Orillia, Ont.

The feature article on Obamas legacy represents him as an eloquent and at times compassionate leader who, perhaps like an indecisive Hamlet, was unable to enact many of his promises.

What the article omits are the many detrimental policies that he implemented, which have set the stage for demagoguery.

A few heart-rending Obama policies stand out:

Mass deportations including children primarily from Honduras, with Obama offering funds to Mexico to stop these child refugees before they reached the U.S. border.

His silence about mass incarceration, primarily of black youth, and his silence about police impunity for killing mainly black people.

His silence about police brutality at Standing Rock  recall that both Eisenhower and Johnson called out the National Guard to protect protesters against local police and violent racism.

His $60-billion arms sales to Saudi Arabia, $38 billion to Israel and $1.1 trillion for nuclear weapons upgrades,

His military encirclement of China and Russia and expansion of U.S. bases into Africa, and his expansion of the executives ability to wage war without congressional or UN Security Council approval.

This past year, the U.S. has dropped 26,171 bombs in seven countries (not including multiple bombs). In addition, the U.S. climate program has only shifted slightly from one greenhouse gas to another, namely natural gas and biofuels, with no cutbacks to the major sources of emissions: the military, aviation, shipping and industrial agriculture.

Judith Deutsch, Toronto

Honestly, Im so tired of what people label as President Obamas failures. He is one man who was fought by the Republicans and sometimes his own party at every juncture.

He is not responsible for the divide in the country  a very loud and racist percentage is and some political leaders took advantage of that. Had they given him even a little slack, he could have given so much to the American people, but they could not get past their biases to allow that slack.

And yet, the U.S. is in much better financial shape than it was in 2008. There have been eight years of no scandal in the White House. No one seems to mention these things and other successes, they focus strictly on the promises he was blocked from keeping.

He tried for hope  too many people either didnt want what he aimed for or simply didnt care enough to try.

Shelley Timms, Toronto

Daniel Dales summation of President Barack Obamas disappointing years in office being largely due to his legal training was and is ridiculous.

Never has a president been more controlled than this one and voters do not blame Obama for the never-ending gridlock. The Republicans campaign to destroy the president was unprecedented.

The real question is what are we going to do about it? The possession of billions of dollars has enabled a few twisted men to buy our educational institutions, our governments and apparently our newspeak.

Authority has failed to grasp that the general population has united and expects change. Perhaps that awakening will be Obamas legacy.

John Oliver, Ennismore, Ont.

Daniel Dale neglects to mention a key finding of the WikiLeaks investigation: all of the leaked emails were the real deal. The Democrats are howling about the fact that inconvenient truths were revealed.

Obama did communicate with Clinton on her illegal email system under a pseudonym, while publicly denying knowledge of the systems existence. The Democratic National Committee did sandbag Bernie Sanders. Clinton did lie about playing fast and loose with confidential information and was fed debate questions in advance by the media.

Heres a question for Dale: Which likely had a greater impact on the election results: Putins meddling or the outrageous cheerleading for Clinton by the media during the campaign? Which poses a greater danger for U.S. democracy?

Pav Penna, Georgetown

A year ago, not many of us would have predicted the changes that 2017 might bring to us in Canada and globally.

The advent of the Trump regime along with terms such as alt-right, post truth and fake news are truly worrisome. I especially refer to the attack on tolerance and acceptance of different cultures: cultural differences that we Canadians welcome, respect and guard in our multicultural mosaic through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Our values are there: but for how long?

There is urgency now where there was not before. Outgoing U.S. Vice-president Joe Biden in his recent visit implored Canada to be a global leader  now more than ever. Queen Elizabeth has stated that Canada must stand tall. They are right. We find ourselves so close to our new neighbour to the south  we must be vigilant.

As we face the new uncertainties, let us stand firm in our resolve to remain truly Canadian.

Patrick J. Mullin, Windsor, Ont.

It is truly mind-numbing that a self-absorbed, vulgar, immature petulant adult will be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States  someone who lives in an altered state where reality and fantasy, truth and falsehood possess no discernible delineation. God bless America  big league.

Donald Trump is a one-dimensional thinker. Bomb the hell out of them, is his solution to Daesh. Build a wall to prevent Mexican rapists from entering. Stop immigration from Muslim countries and terrorism will disappear. The man is incapable of divergent thinking. His emotions fog his ability to think critically and that should give pause to every American.

Under Donald Trump, U.S. foreign policy will march into the desert of isolationism. That might be good for the rest of the world.

Nicholas Kostiak, Tottenham, Ont.

The whole world has reason to be concerned about a Trump presidency, but what concerns me the most is the number of people in the U.S. with constitutional responsibilities who are prepared to defend, rationalize or appease his actions and demands.

I fear the world is at the top of a very slippery slope and there doesnt seem to anybody who can stop us from going down it or control the slide.

Keith Parkinson, Cambridge, Ont.

Tell people what they want to hear. Alter your views to what sells. Find scapegoats for societal problems. Appeal to baser instincts and nationalism. Attack those who are weaker from a position of power. Shun those who are different. Make false promises. Criticize existing institutions. Suggest chaos is at hand. Bully those who disagree. Make allies kowtow to your views. Disregard personal conflicts of interest. Bring the military and big business into your inner circle. Court a dictator. And, for good measure, add a tad of nepotism.

Sound familiar? Sadly, yes. It was Mussolinis fascist path to power 90 years ago.

Mike Brown, Burlington

I am not sure why there is such an outcry over Russia influencing the American election. Is that not what American corporations and billionaires do on a regular basis?

There was also a situation a few decades back where Mikhail Gorbachev invited American backroom political workers over to Russia to help him win an election.

If we want to stop this kind of interference, there is only one solution: Educate people through the school system as to how politics works and show them how to study for themselves what is fake and what is true.

Gary Brigden, Toronto

The Stars coverage of the recent spike in admissions to several of our universities by American applicants may be the first wave of refugees seeking shelter from the carnival craziness south of the border.

We have been here before, in the 1960s with the arrival of draft dodgers fleeing military service in Vietnam. Id like to coin a new term for those now seeking solace and security in Canada. Perhaps they can be known as daft dodgers to signify their flight from the unreal reality show that is American politics.

Rob MacFadden, Toronto

First there was Lady Bird Johnson. Now there is Tweety Bird Trump. What next: Lame Duck Trump, a one-term president?

Kenneth L. Zimmerman, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Renault (RNSDF) is under investigation for emissions fraud two days after six executives at German automaker Volkswagen (VLKAY) were criminally charged for their roles in a similar scandal and one day after the U.S Environmental Protection Agency accused Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) of a similar crime.

"It's beyond me," TheStreet's Jim Cramer said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Friday morning. "I mean, these are the things that younger people look at and say, 'I don't want to buy the company.'"

When you see this series of emissions scandals, you have to wonder if people's eyes will just "glaze over," Cramer remarked. "I don't know, because there's now so many of them. It's stunning. It's stunning."

Cars are a big purchase for people make, and to cheat on the emissions tests that people look at when buying them is fraud, Cramer said.

While Fiat stock dropped by about 10% on Thursday after the EPA's accusation was released, the scandals don't seem to be affecting other stocks much, he noted. "Right now we're in some sort of mode where you can say a lot of things about different companies and the stocks seem to reflect the animal spirits," Cramer said.
The following companies are subsidiares of Tyson Foods: APF Legacy Subs LLC, Advance Food Company LLC, AdvancePierre Foods, AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc., AdvancePierre Foods Inc., Aidells Sausage Company Inc., Allied Specialty Foods Inc., American Proteins Inc, Artisan Bread Co. LLC, Australian Food Corporation Pty Limited, Australian Food Corporation Trust, BRF, Barber Foods LLC, Bosco's Pizza Co., Bryan Foods Inc., C.S. Grain LLC, C.V. Holdings Inc., CBFA Management Corp., Central Industries Inc., Chefs Pantry LLC, Clovervale Farms LLC, Cobb (Hubei) Breeding Co. Ltd., Cobb (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Cobb Ana Damizlik Tavukculuk Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cobb Columbia S.A.S., Cobb Europe B.V., Cobb Europe Limited, Cobb Peru (Andina) S.A.C., Cobb-Heritage LLC, Cobb-Vantress Brasil Ltda, Cobb-Vantress Inc., Cobb-Vantress New Zealand Limited, Cobb-Vantress Philippines Inc., Coominya AFC Pty Limited, Coominya AFC Trust, DFG Foods Inc., DFG Foods L.L.C., Don Julio, Egbert LLC, Equity Group - Georgia Division LLC, Equity Group - Kentucky Division LLC, Equity Group Eufaula Division LLC, Equity Meat Corp., Flavor Corp., Flavor Holdings Inc., Foodbrands America Inc., Foodbrands Supply Chain Services Inc., Gallo Salame Inc., Global Employment Services Inc., Grow-Out Credit LLC, Grow-Out Holdings LLC, Haimen Tyson Poultry Development Co. Ltd, Hudson Foods Company, Hudson Midwest Foods Inc., Hybro Genetics Brasil Ltda, IBP Caribbean Inc., IBP Foodservice L.L.C., IBP Inc., International Affiliates & Investment LLC, Jiangsu Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Keydutch Finance B.V., Keydutch Holdings I LLC, Keydutch Holdings II LLC, Keydutch Investments B.V., Keystone CLJV Holdings Limited, Keystone County House Road LLC, Keystone Foods, Keystone Foods (AP) Limited, Keystone Foods Holdco LLC, Keystone Foods Intermediate LLC, Keystone Foods LLC, Keystone Foods Pty Limited, Keystone Management Inc., Keystone Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited, LD Foods LLC, M & M Express LLC, M&M Restaurant Supply (MI/OH) LLC, MFG (USA) Holdings Inc., Mac Food Services (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., Madison Foods Inc., McKey Food Services (Hong Kong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Shandong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Thailand) Limited, McKey Food Services Limited, McKey Luxembourg Holdings APMEA S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg S.a.r.l., McKey VI Holdings Limited, Myung Seung Food Company Ltd., National Comp Care Inc., New Canada Holdings Inc., Oaklawn Capital Corporation, Oaklawn IT Solution Private Limited, Original Philly Holdings Inc., PBX inc., Pierre Holdco Inc., River Valley Ingredients LLC, Rizhao Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Rizhao Tyson Poultry Co. Ltd, Rural Energy Systems Inc., Sara Lee - Kiwi Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Diversified LLC, Sara Lee Foods LLC, Sara Lee Household & Body Care Malawi Ltd., Sara Lee International LLC, Sara Lee International TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Mexicana Holdings Investment L.L.C., Sara Lee TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Trademark Holdings Australasia LLC, Saramar L.L.C., Shandong Tyson-Da Long Food Company Limited, Smart Chicken, Southern Family Foods L.L.C., Southwest Products LLC, TF 20 B.V., TF 5201 B.V., TFA Leasing LLC, TFA Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, TFI of California Inc., Tecumseh Poultry LLC, Texas Transfer Inc., The Bruss Company, The Hillshire Brands Company, The IBP Foods Co., The Pork Group Inc., TyNet Corporation, Tyson (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Tyson Americas Holding Sarl, Tyson Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Tyson Breeders Inc., Tyson Chicken Inc., Tyson China Holding 2 Limited, Tyson China Holding 3 Limited, Tyson China Holding Limited, Tyson Deli Inc., Tyson Europe Holding Company, Tyson Farms Inc., Tyson Farms QOZB LLC, Tyson Foods Brasil Investimentos Ltda., Tyson Foods Canada Inc., Tyson Foods Europe (Netherlands) B.V., Tyson Foods Europe GmbH, Tyson Foods France S.A.R.L., Tyson Foods Germany GmbH, Tyson Foods Group Limited, Tyson Foods Holland B.V., Tyson Foods Huadong Development Co. Ltd, Tyson Foods Iberia Alimentos S.L.U., Tyson Foods Italia S.p.A., Tyson Foods Korea, Tyson Foods Netherlands B.V., Tyson Foods Products Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Europe Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Sales (Europe) Limited, Tyson Foods UK Limited, Tyson Foods Wrexham Limited, Tyson Foods oosterwolde B.V., Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., Tyson Fresh Meats Sales and Distribution LLC, Tyson Global Holding Sarl, Tyson Hog Markets Inc., Tyson India Holdings Ltd., Tyson International APAC Ltd., Tyson International Company Ltd., Tyson International Holding Company, Tyson International Holding Sarl, Tyson International Service Center Inc., Tyson International Service Center Inc. Asia, Tyson International Service Center Inc. Europe, Tyson Mexican Original Inc., Tyson Mexico Trading Company S. de R.L. de CV., Tyson New Ventures LLC, Tyson Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, Tyson Pet Products Inc., Tyson Poultry Inc., Tyson Prepared Foods Inc., Tyson Processing Services Inc., Tyson Refrigerated Processed Meats Inc., Tyson Sales and Distribution Inc., Tyson Service Center Corp., Tyson Shared Services Inc., Tyson Storm Lake Holdings LLC, Tyson Warehousing Services LLC, Tyson of Wisconsin LLC, Uninex SA, Universal Meats (UK) Limited, WBA Analytical Laboratories Inc., Wilton Foods Inc., Xamol Consultores e Servicos, and Zemco Industries Inc..

Read More
Organization will receive $450,000 to help improve health in Pitt County over three years; five additional N.C. communities selected to participate in major initiative, bringing total number of participating N.C. communities to 10

Contact: Beth Anne Atkins

Beth Anne Atkins beth.atkins@vidanthealth.com

GREENVILLE, NC. - Vidant Medical Center and Pitt Partners have been awarded a grant from The Duke Endowment to help improve health in Pitt County. Together, Vidant Medical Center and Pitt Partners for Health, a diverse group of community organizations working collaboratively, are now one of 10 participants in The Duke Endowment's initiative, Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas.The program takes a bold approach to addressing chronic health issues such as unhealthy weight, diabetes and heart disease. Local coalitions will involve leaders from a wide spectrum of community organizations in developing ways to engage residents in improving their health.Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas is now expanding to five new counties-Brunswick, Henderson, Pitt, Robeson, Rowan-with plans to expand throughout the Carolinas over the coming years. The initiative began in early 2016 in five diverse North Carolina regions-Catawba, Chatham, Granville/Vance, Montgomery/Richmond and Wilkes counties.Research shows that North Carolina ranks 31st among all states when it comes to the overall health of its residents, with two-thirds of residents considered overweight or obese. Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas recognizes that health and well-being are created and sustained not just through individual and clinical efforts, but through the cooperation and support of the extended local community.said Dr. John Morrow, director of the Pitt County Health Department."The Healthy People/Healthy Carolinas (HPHC) Initiative heightens the importance of health coalitions like Pitt Partners for Health and their significant contribution to addressing compelling health issues impacting all of our citizens. These funds will assist in further development of a framework to support hospitals, health departments, churches, schools, and other partnering organizations in coordinating services and resources that can result in tangible, replicable outcomes. Building on current work and success over the past 21 years, Pitt Partners for Health is well positioned to move population health efforts forward in Pitt County, with the added strength of evidence-based interventions and technical assistance by Population Health Improvement Partners," said Catherine Dews Nelson, senior administrator for Community Health Programs at Vidant Medical Center.Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas provides opportunities to bring together leaders from hospitals, health departments and other health-promoting organizations. A crucial first step-and one that is funded by The Duke Endowment's grant-is to strengthen the infrastructure of the local coalitions that are coordinating the effort, so that they're well-positioned to identify and implement interventions that work.said Lin Hollowell, director of health care of The Duke Endowment.Representatives from the coalitions will participate in a learning collaborative with opportunities to share information with each other as they develop best practices for organizing, planning and implementing evidence-based programs known to improve health.said Laura Edwards of Population Health Improvement Partners, the North Carolina-based organization that provides expert assistance to each local coalition.
No Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but one serviceman was wounded in the ATO area in eastern Ukraine in last day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO Colonel Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a press briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"No Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but one serviceman was wounded as a result of military hostilities in Donbas in last day," Motuzianyk said.

ish
The Ukrainian side drew the attention of the OSCE to an increase in the number of attacks by the militants in the east of Ukraine.

This has been discussed during a meeting between Viktor Muzhenko, the Chief of the General Staff - ommander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Alexander Hug, the First Deputy Chairman of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the Defense Ministrys press service reported on Saturday.

"During the meeting with Alexander Hug, the First Deputy Chairman of the OSCE SMM in Ukraine, Chief of the General Staff - Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko drew the attention of the international observers to the increase in attacks on Ukrainian positions in the ATO area by the Russian occupation forces. He emphasized the importance of increasing the capabilities of the OSCE SMM to observe the situation and to monitor the implementation of the Minsk agreements," reads a statement.

Muzhenko also recalled that during the period of December 2016  January 2017 the occupation forces violated the ceasefire regime 1,730 times. About 60 percent of attacks on Ukrainian positions take place in the evening and at night when the OSCE SMM patrols do not monitor the situation.

ish
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will arrive in Kyiv on January 16.

This has been said in a statement made by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, which is available to Ukrinform.

"On Monday, January 16, 2017, Vice President Joe Biden will arrive in Kyiv, Ukraine," reads a statement.

The Vice-President is expected to take part in bilateral meetings with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman.

"The visit will be held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between two countries, and it will prove that our partnership will continue for the next 25 years." the U.S. Embassy emphasized.

ish
Canada does not intend to lift sanctions against Russia that were imposed due to violations of the international law in Ukraine.

This has been reported by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

"We will not consider the lifting of sanctions," Freeland said.

She added that being in opposition she supported the imposition of sanctions against Russia. "Sanctions were imposed by the previous government, but with strong support from the opposition in response to Russias violations of the international law during invasion and annexation of Crimea, as well as the war against Ukraine in Donbas. Therefore, these sanctions are important," the head of the Foreign Ministry of Canada said.

ish
Social workers in Romania are now using a new tablet application called Aurora to maintain up-to-date information on the families and children with whom they work. Learn how one family of seven is benefiting from these social services.



MOINESTI, Romania, 13 January 2017  In a clearing in front of a large apartment block, children busily roam around in the sun, like birds at the crack of spring. The older ones hold the youngest and wait for their turn to jump rope. School bags have been abandoned for the day.

Inside the building, five sisters gather in a one bedroom apartment for their own game of jump rope. The main room is sparsely furnished with clean wooden floors, giving it the look of a ballet studio as the eldest three girls jump about.

The sisters, who range in age from 12 to just over 1 year, moved to the building with their parents just four months ago, after their house burned down.

[It started] from the fridge in a second we lost all we had amassed in 17 years, says Ioan Ferenz, the girls father. The whole family had been living with his parents in a one room house and they were all there when it happened.

After the fire, the Ferenzes were given social housing: a one bedroom apartment with a bath and a kitchen. They are still getting used to the large open space. With their few remaining belongings, every noise echoes off the empty walls.

Its not how it used to be, everything had its place, says Loredana, Ioans wife and mother to the five girls. In every room, there are mattresses on the floor, a cabinet and suitcases. In the hallway, Loredana pinned a white lace curtain to the main beam. The good carpet went to the largest room.
Seeking justice

The girls mother lost no time in reporting the attacks to the Family Support Unit (FSU) of the Sierra Leone Police. The FSU is the police branch that deals with sexual violence and abuse  especially cases involving children  as well as child abuse and domestic issues. UNICEF works closely with the FSU, and earlier this year donated 67 motorbikes and a 4x4 vehicle to help the FSU reach families living farther away from major towns.

Equipped with the donated bikes, Police Constable (PC) Edward Smith and Deputy Constable Mohamed Sesay quickly went into action after receiving the report. As soon as [the trader] realized that we had got wind of his crime against the girl, the trader ran away and is nowhere to be found, said PC Smith, but we apprehended the other culprit who was prosecuted, found guilty and sentenced to three years imprisonment.

According to the FSU in Kenema, sexual violence against children in the district is common. The small, one-storey building that houses the police unit is packed inside and out with families coming to report issues of child abuse and violence.

The most commonly reported cases in this community are sexual penetration and child abuse, said Police Inspector Marty Tarawally, who heads up the FSU in Kenema, Sierra Leones second biggest town. Every month, we receive around 25 cases of sexual violence against children. We usually charge all sexual abuse cases to court, but our biggest challenge is that quite a few are being compromised and settled in the communities, she added.

The FSU estimates that over 1,000 children experience sexual violence in the country each year. Between January and September of 2016, the FSU recorded 764 sexual offences against children.
Milos Island in Greece is one of the most beautiful and photogenic islands of the Mediterranean. Its boasts breathtaking scenery of colorful volcanic rocks, some of the finest beaches of the country, a rich archeological heritage, great hospitality and delicious local cuisine. Come join us to explore this magical island on a 6-days geological tour!
Exceptional Excellent Very Good



(Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post)

Austrias gruner veltliner grape makes delicious wines at all prices, as this weeks two examples demonstrate. We have a one-liter charmer that offers great value and a single-vineyard cuvee that shows what the grape can accomplish at the high end. To round out the selections, we have a lively red from Greece, an intriguing cabernet franc from the Loire Valley and, from Chile, one of the best boxed wines Ive tasted in a long time.

 Dave McIntyre

Leindl Seeberg 1er Gruner Veltliner 2013

Kamptal, Austria, $43

This wine somehow achieves the weight and expressiveness of a white burgundy, without the oak. All the white flowers and peppery spice that characterize gruner are here, in layers. Age has softened the acidity a bit, giving the wine extra richness. This and two other wines from Leindl, a Kamptal Reserve gruner veltliner and a Zobinger Heiligenstein Riesling, are new to the market; their availability should improve. Alcohol by volume: 13 percent.

Distributed by Kysela: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits. Available in Virginia at Tastings of Charlottesville. Other Leindl wines are available in the District at MacArthur Beverages, in Maryland at Wine Source in Baltimore, and in Virginia at Classic Wines in Great Falls, Ellwood Thompsons Local Market in Richmond and Locke Store in Millwood.

Dalamara Paliokalias 2013

Naoussa, Greece, $28

The best word to describe this red from the Greek grape xinomavro is energetic. It seemed to dance on my palate, more like Muhammad Ali than like Mikhail Baryshnikov, coming at me from different angles and defying me to pin it down. Is it light-bodied or an oaky heavyweight? Is it fruit-forward or complex? A butterfly or a bee? Yes to all. Most of all, its delicious. ABV: 13.5 percent.

Distributed by Dionysus: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Mediterranean Way Gourmet Market, Rodmans; on the list at Kellari, Mourayo. Available in Maryland at Bradley Food & Beverage in Bethesda; on the list at Ouzo Bay in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Cheesetique (Alexandria), Crystal City Wine Shop, Planet Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner, Unwined (Alexandria, Belleview); on the list at Nostos in Vienna, Parallel Bistro in Broadlands.

Domaine des Baumard Le Logis Rouge de Cepage Cabernet 2014

Anjou, Loire Valley, France, $19

Reds from Anjou, a relatively cold area, can be anemic. This one, while light in body, offers textbook flavors of cabernet franc: black cherry, white pepper, a hint of tobacco leaf. Chill it slightly and drink it with just about anything. ABV: 12 percent.

Distributed by M. Touton: Available in the District at Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, MacArthur Beverages, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, Rodmans. Available in Maryland at Old Farm Liquors and Viniferous in Frederick, Shawan Liquors in Cockeysville. Available in Virginia at Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean.

GREAT VALUE

Broadbent Gruner Veltliner 2015

Austria, $14 (1 liter)

Heres textbook gruner, with white flowers, talc and a peppery spice note. Warning: This is light and can go down like water. Good thing the liter size gives us the equivalent of one-third of a bottle more. ABV: 12 percent.

Distributed by Country Vintner: Available in the District at Haydens Liquor, Modern Liquors, Rodmans, U Mini Mart; on the list at Circa (Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom), Beau Thai. Available in Maryland at Belby Discount Beer & Wine in Rockville. On the list in Virginia at Circa in Clarendon.

GREAT VALUE

Archer Roose Carmenere

Colchagua Valley, Chile, $30 (3 liters)

In trade lingo, this wine is a bib, meaning bag-in-box. In recent years weve been seeing better wines packaged in boxes, though market acceptance hasnt really followed. This carmenere from Chile may be the best wine Ive tasted yet out of a box. Its savory, peppery, mouth-filling and perfectly balanced. At the equivalent of $7.50 for a regular bottle, its a steal. There is also a cabernet sauvignon that is more widely available, which I did not taste, and a sauvignon blanc, which I was less thrilled with. Restaurants, take note: All three are available in kegs. ABV: 14 percent.

Distributed by Tap 26: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Cork & Fork, MacArthur Beverages, Pauls of Chevy Chase, Schneiders of Capitol Hill. Available in Virginia at Wine Cabinet in Reston; on the list at Junction Bakery & Bistro in Alexandria.

Availability information is based on distributor records. Wines might not be in stock at every listed store and might be sold at additional stores. Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
Alisha Edmonson, the owner of Songbyrd Music House, sits in her cafe in Washington. Edmonson is hosting a week of discussions and fundraisers for the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, plus a dance party in honor of President Obama. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

At 6 on the morning after the election, Mindy Moretti, a writer and editor residing in the District, reserved a rental car that she intends to load with her mutt Maisey and an overnight bag to drive out of Washington just before Donald Trump is sworn in as president.

Theyre coming  its inevitable, Moretti said of the new administration. But that doesnt mean I have to be here with the welcome wagon.

Alisha Edmonson, the owner of the Songbyrd Music House in Adams Morgan, is hosting inauguration week fundraisers for Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, a dance party in honor of President Obama, and a brunch special celebrating his familys move to nearby Kalorama.

The bar will sponsor no such welcome to Washington for the Trumps, including the president-elects daughter, Ivanka, who also is moving to Kalorama. We are not a political space; were a safe space, Edmonson said by way of explanation, smiling as she chose her words carefully. She declined to elaborate.

Presidential transitions are a staple of Washingtons political theater, a choreographed swirl of handshakes, air kisses and moving trucks that typically unfolds without disturbing the capital citys tightly scripted rhythms.

A man gets into his car underneath a mural of U.S. presidents that is painted on the side of Mama Ayesha's restaurant in Washington. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Yet the dawning of the Trump era is a beginning of a wholly singular sort, primarily because the incoming president is the countrys most polarizing political figure in generations, one whose Washington roots consist mainly of the Pennsylvania Avenue hotel bearing his name that he opened in October.

The District is among the bluest of blue cities; more than 90 percent of its electorate voted for Hillary Clinton in November. Since then, Washingtonians anxiety, ambivalence and even hostility toward the newly forming administration have been discernible in ways large and small, from the refusal of any local marching band to volunteer for the inaugural parade to the Christmas carolers in Dupont Circle who retooled Jingle Bells to poke fun at Trump (Tiny hands, tiny hands, theyre so cute and small . . .).

Mama Ayeshas, a restaurant specializing in Middle Eastern fare, has a mural on the exterior of its Northwest building that depicts 11 presidents, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Obama, six of them Republican.

Some of the restaurants regulars have gone out of their way in recent weeks to let their servers know they would prefer that the mural remain Trump-free.

Asked if Mama Ayeshas would add Trump, the restaurants manager, Amir Abu-El-Hawa, insisted the answer is all about funding  not politics.

Donald Trump is going to go on the wall  its just a matter of when we have the money, he said. It really is a budget matter.

Discontent in the swamp

The citys unease over Trump is especially pronounced compared with how residents greeted Obama. Even before his swearing-in, the nations first black president generated huzzahs by consuming a half-smoke at the local gastronomical mecca known as Bens Chili Bowl.

(Claritza Jimenez,Ashleigh Joplin,Dani Player/The Washington Post)

Unlike his predecessor, President George W. Bush, who rarely ventured into the city, President and Michelle Obamas forays to H Street NE and 14th Street NW advertised those hipster-heavy corridors to the world beyond, fueling momentum that developers fear may be lost when the Obamas are no longer the Districts star attraction.

The new president, with his Fifth Avenue triplex and West Palm Beach estate, is unlikely to browse at, say, Politics & Prose, as Obama has.

We had an influx of young, creative, techie, urban progressives  people who for the first time decided that D.C. was cool, said Jim Abdo, a developer. George Bush isolated himself. Obama did not. If we now have a president who takes on a George Bush style, will we see that kind of growth dissipate?

Yet Trumps District boosters  yes, they do exist!  hope that his presence at the White House will reinvigorate far-reaching interest in Washington and that his plan to rebuild the nations inner cities will be a boon for the District.

Were going to make D.C. great again, said Patrick Mara, leader of the Districts Republican Party who, after eight years of a Democratic president, found himself experiencing an unfamiliar sense of joy when Trump won.

Mara couldnt share his elation with his wife, Shannon, a Democrat, or his neighbors in Columbia Heights, where Clinton was the overwhelming choice. In fact, Mara said, for two weeks after the election he avoided eye contact with most people he encountered because you couldnt be happy in front of them.

It was like their spouse had died, their child had died, and their dog had been hit by a car, he said. You just never saw this level of loss.

More recently, he said, people have approached him about inaugural tickets and employment with the new administration, including a young man he encountered at his neighborhood Chick-fil-A.

How do I get a job with Mr. Trump? the man asked Mara, who referred him to the transition teams website.

Johnnie Scott Rice is one lifelong Washingtonian who wants no part of the new administration.

Rice, 75, has worked for Republicans and Democrats and said she has attended every inauguration since Eisenhower became president. She served as director of African American outreach for Republican Bob Doles 1996 presidential campaign.

But Rice, who is black, said that she is too offended by Trumps racially charged and anti-Washington rhetoric to attend his inaugural. She said she wants his name stripped off his hotel, which is inside the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue where she used to buy stamps and send mail.

I hate that term  Drain the swamp  about where I live and where I was born, said Rice, a resident of Southeast. It sounds like everyone here is beneath him. This man doesnt know or care about us.

Anwar Saleem, an African American business leader on the H Street corridor who grew up in Washington, is choosing a different tack. Although he did not support Trump, he said he plans to attend the inauguration and sees the president-elect as a potential ally for business owners.

Hes the president, and weve got to get over it and find a way to make it work, Saleem said. If you want to play, youve got to play with the leader. If you dont, you miss out.

Zero history in the city

Richard M. Nixon, another Republican president who roiled Democrats, was well acquainted with Washington when he took office in January 1969, having served as vice president and in the Senate.

His successor, Gerald R. Ford, for years lived in Alexandria while a member of the House of Representatives. President George H.W. Bush, the son of a senator, also was steeped in the citys traditions because of prior stints in Congress and as CIA director and vice president.

Even if they disagreed with their politics, Washingtonians did not consider these Republicans outsiders.

But Trump is a lifelong New Yorker whose primary residence for the past 30 years has been Trump Tower. Washington has never been part of Trumps narrative, except as shorthand for whatever he believes is wrong with the country.

He has zero history in the city, said Carl Sferrazza Anthony, an author and historian for the National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio. Youve had a lot of presidents who, when they take office, are not moving there for the first time.

One exception was President Ronald Reagan, a Hollywood actor before becoming Californias governor. His arrival in Washington in 1980 triggered fears among left-leaning Democrats that he lacked the intellectual heft for the White House and that he would demolish social services and start a war.

Carolyne Peachey, a Washington publicist and events planner, spent part of a recent dinner with two alumni of Reagans administration recalling that period when Democrats derided the new president as a grade-B actor.

In fact, he turned out to be a well-respected former president, regardless of ones political persuasion, Peachey said. The same could very well be true of President-elect Trump. Way too early to make an assessment.

Janet Donovan, a Georgetown-based publicist since the 1980s and founder of Hollywood on the Potomac, a magazine-style website, said the citys tonier circles are anticipating a return to Reagan-style glamour, driven not by the new president but by his family. Im not sure I see him out and about  he has Mar-a-Lago and New York, she said. People are looking more at the children, and mainly Ivanka.

But Donovan said the city is likely to remain largely unchanged, no matter the occupant of the White House. Ultimately, this will just be another administration that people have to accept, she said. Im sure there were plenty who didnt like Obama and who didnt like George Bush. People will adapt. You dont have any other choice.

While currying favor with the countrys new commander in chief is a rich Washington tradition, the city has also served as a scenic staging ground for presidential protests, including one during the 1877 inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes when a New York contingent  upset over the election result  erupted in what Anthony described as an early rendition of the Bronx cheer.

They were jeering and cursing Hayes right on the inaugural stand, the historian said.

More than a century later, a contingent of supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is seeking to raise $50,000 to rent a Capitol Hill rowhouse to serve as a headquarters for year-round grass-roots opposition to Trump.

The house will be known as District 13, a name inspired by the headquarters for rebellion in the Hunger Games movies, said Moumita Ahmed, an organizer. By early January, the group had raised more than $40,000.

We thought, why not have a house right in front of Donald Trump, Ahmed said, right under his nose, with people coming from backgrounds and communities that are most impacted by policies he passes.

Mike Haigis, the general manager of Barrel, a Capitol Hill bar, has his own contrarian thoughts, but his entail more bourbon than demonstrations. For the inauguration, Haigis is planning a pop-up bar in Barrels basement called UNPRESIDENTED, a name mocking a tweet recently sent by Trumps Twitter account in which the author misspelled unprecedented. The pop-up, Haigis said, will feature, among other things, custom-made art done in the bad taste of Trump and his Cabinet.

Before the election, Haigis created the Trump Bar, also in Barrels basement, which offered drinks named after statements made by the real estate developer, such as How Stupid Are the People of Iowa? (a mix of corn milk and corn whiskey).

Wed like to present an alternative outlet for enjoyment so Capitol Hill residents who saw this election as unfortunate can come here and blow off steam, Haigis said. This is an opportunity to be right on the button of the conversation.

Paul Ruppert, the owner of Upshur Street Books in Petworth, prefers a more neutral approach. His 800-square-foot shop was the focus of national attention after Obama showed up one Saturday to browse.

While hes not expecting a Trump visit (I cant imagine him making the trip from the White House  or New York  to Upshur Street), Ruppert found in the new president the inspiration to sponsor discussion panels musing on the Trump era.

WTF Now?! is the seriess name, a title conceived by the moderator, Todd Kliman, a writer and culture critic, on the morning after the election.

Thats a great title, Ruppert told him. Because thats what everyone is wondering.
President-elect Donald Trumps transition team acknowledged Friday that Betsy DeVos, Donald Trumps pick for education secretary, omitted a $125,000 political donation from disclosures she submitted to a Senate committee in advance of her confirmation hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

We appreciate this being called to our attention and we will be updating our committee submission, a transition team spokeswoman said Friday.

The missing donation  to a Michigan committee that successfully opposed a ballot initiative that would have enshrined collective-bargaining rights in the state constitution  represents a small fraction of the more than $5 million in donations that DeVos did disclose last week to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

But the acknowledgment that DeVoss disclosures were incomplete comes as Democrats have raised concerns that GOP leaders are trying to rush a confirmation hearing before DeVos  a Michigan billionaire and major Republican donor  can be fully vetted.

[Betsy DeVos and her family members are major donors to the senators who will vote on her confirmation]

(The Washington Post)

The Office of Government Ethics  which is responsible for vetting presidential nominees, and identifying and resolving potential conflicts of interest  has not yet completed its review of DeVoss background and finances.

And DeVoss personal and business financial disclosures to the Senate HELP committee are also missing some information, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committees ranking member, told the New York Times this week. Those personal disclosures are not public.

DeVoss hearing, originally scheduled for Jan. 11, is now scheduled to take place Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the HELP committee, said he does not have concerns about DeVoss paperwork. It is not unusual for nominees to clarify and update their disclosure forms to correct for oversights, the spokesperson said, and clarifying questions about personal disclosures are the norm during any vetting process.

DeVos is among the GOPs most generous donors. She and her family members have given at least $20.2 million to federal Republican candidates and committees since 1989, according to OpenSecrets.org, including to sitting senators who will decide whether she should be confirmed.

In the run-up to her confirmation hearing, the Senate HELP committee asked DeVos to disclose political donations of $200 or more that she made during the past five years. She disclosed more than 400 donations in disclosures that ran more than nine pages.

The donation missing from her disclosure to the Senate, $125,000 to Protecting Michigan Taxpayers in 2012, was identified by American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC. The Washington Post verified the omission using records made public by the Michigan secretary of state.

From top to bottom, the Trump transition team has been rushing through the nomination process and hiding information from the public, so its no surprise that Betsy DeVos has omitted a huge anti-union donation that targeted American workers and their right to organize, said Jessica Mackler, president of American Bridge.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trumps pick for attorney general, failed to disclose his ownership of oil interests on land in Alabama, The Washington Post previously reported.

In its analysis, American Bridge also identified approximately $70,000 in additional donations that appeared to be missing from DeVoss disclosures to the Senate.

[Ethics director says vetting of ultrawealthy nominees can take weeks, months]

The Trump transition team said none of those additional donations were actually missing.

Some of them were wrongly attributed to DeVos in public records, a spokeswoman for the transition team said. For example, campaign finance documents filed with the Federal Elections Commissions show that in September 2016, Betsy DeVos donated $25,000 to Team Ryan, a joint fundraising committee for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, his PAC, Prosperity Action, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. In fact, that donation was made by Dick DeVos, Betsys husband, according to the transition team, which said the FEC record is inaccurate.

Some of the donations on the HELP disclosure were labeled differently than in federal records, the transition team said. For example, American Bridge identified a $12,700 donation from Betsy DeVos to the Faso Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee; that amount shows up as two separate transactions on the HELP committee form as a $2,700 donation to Rep. John Faso (R-N.Y.) and a $10,000 donation to the New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee.

Two donations  $3,400 each to Michigan Supreme Court justices Stephen Markman and Brian Zahra  were ultimately refunded, according to the transition team. The Post could not immediately confirm those refunds.

The transition team said that a $2,700 donation in September 2016 to Speaker Ryan was accounted for in DeVoss disclosures, but it was not clear where or how. The form lists two $2,500 donations to Ryan in 2015 and one, for $400, in 2016.
A James Madison University student, not pictured, pleaded guilty to developing software aimed at stealing passwords and banking information. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

A Virginia college student has admitted that he developed and sold malicious software that was used to steal passwords and banking information, programs that he began developing as a high school student.

Zachary Shames, 21, of Great Falls pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Alexandria to charges of aiding and abetting computer intrusions by building the software, known as a keylogger, and selling it to more than 3,000 users. The software infected more than 16,000 computers, according to Dana J. Boente, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. U.S. District Judge Liam OGrady accepted the plea.

Shames is a junior at James Madison University, where he is pursuing a degree in computer science, and he is a graduate of Langley High School in Fairfax County. In a statement Friday, Boente said that Shames developed initial versions of his keylogger while attending high school in Northern Virginia, and continued to modify and market the illegal product from his college dorm room.

Shames says in an online resume that he received a programmer of the year award from his high school principal in 2013. A Fairfax County schools spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for additional information about whether the district was contacted by law enforcement or whether school computers had been compromised by malware developed by Shames.

Attorneys for Shames did not respond to requests for comment, and the Shames family did not respond to a request for comment.

JMU officials declined to address specific questions about his current standing at the school.

Typically a felony conviction would trigger a review of the charges by our Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, said JMU spokesman Bill Wyatt. But because of federal privacy laws, Wyatt could not say whether that has happened for Shames.

On his website, Shames lists two internships at companies in Northern Virginia where he worked during the past three summers as a software engineer intern and a technical intern. It was unclear whether law enforcement had contacted those companies.

Shames faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 16.
Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Leopold Walder, psychologist

Leopold Walder, 91, a psychologist and behavioral scientist whose specialties included the study of aggression in children, the training of professionals in his field and behavioral therapy techniques, died Nov. 11 at a hospital in Lanham, Md. The cause was complications from prostate cancer, said a daughter, Judith Walder.

Dr. Walder, a resident of Greenbelt, Md., was born in New Bedford, Mass. He came to the Washington area in 1962 as a field selection officer for the Peace Corps and later was an associate professor at the University of Maryland. From 1968 until his death, he was president and clinical psychologist at Behavior Service Consultants in Greenbelt.

He was founder and director of Greenbelt Cares, a youth services bureau; a consultant and evaluator of special programs in the public schools; a former president of the Maryland Psychological Association; and a former chairman of the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychology.

Francis Duncan, historian and author

Francis Duncan, 94, a historian with the U.S. Energy Department who was also the author of a biography of Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, widely recognized as the father of the nuclear-powered Navy, died Nov. 18 at a care center in Rockville, Md. He had Alzheimers disease, said a daughter, April Majka.

Dr. Duncan, a resident of Bethesda, Md., was born in Oak Park, Ill. From the 1960s until he retired in 1987, he was a historian with the Energy Department and a predecessor agency, the Atomic Energy Commission. His Rickover biography, Rickover: The Struggle for Excellence, was published in 2001. Dr. Duncan also wrote Rickover and the Nuclear Navy (1990) and was a co-author of Atomic Shield, 1947/1952 (1972) and Nuclear Navy, 1946 to 1962 (1974).

Dorothy Dean, Scouting volunteer

Dorothy Dean, 96, a longtime volunteer with the Catholic Committee on Scouting of the Archdiocese of Washington, died Dec. 3 at her home in Kensington, Md. The cause was heart ailments, said a son, Robert Dean.

Mrs. Dean was born Dorothy Mace in the District. After the death of her husband in 1985, she took over his duties as a coordinator of the archdioceses program involving spiritual components for the Boy Scouts. She coordinated similar programs for the Girl Scouts. She received the St. Anne Medal for her work with the Girl Scouts and the St. George Emblem for her work with the Boy Scouts.

Gail Matheson, travel agent

Gail Matheson, 79, a travel agent who specialized in arranging trips around the globe, often to exotic and out-of-the-way locales, died Dec. 15 at her home in The Plains, Va. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said a son, Colvin Matheson.

Mrs. Matheson was born Gail Crisp in the District and grew up in Chevy Chase, Md. Beginning in 1970, she worked for 40 years as an agent of Waters Travel in the District, which later became Frosch Travel. She was a vestrywoman at Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains and a member of the Sulgrave and Chevy Chase clubs.

Geraldine Johnson, teacher and entrepreneur

Geraldine Johnson, 76, a former English teacher at Howard University and the University of Maryland who also ran a chain of doughnut shops in the 1990s, died Nov. 16 at a hospital in the District. The cause was a stroke, said her husband, James Johnson.

Dr. Johnson was born Geraldine Niva in Superior, Wis., and had lived in the Washington area since 1968. She taught English for a year at Howard and then joined the Maryland faculty, where she taught until the late 1970s. She was most recently a resident of the District.

Kim Aluisi, lawyer

Kim Aluisi, 56, an Annapolis lawyer whose specialties included family law and personal injury cases, died Dec. 5 at her home in Annapolis. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said a sister-in-law, Toni Aluisi.

Ms. Aluisi was born Kim Dawson in New Carrollton, Md. She began her legal career as an associate in the law office of Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., where she worked for 15 years before opening a solo practice in Annapolis in 1999. In 2016, she became a partner in the law firm Kruger DiGiovanni Aluisi.

John Jay Lynch, FedEx driver

John Jay Lynch, 59, a FedEx driver for 30 years, died Nov. 24 at his home in Rockville, Md. The cause was cancer, said a daughter, Alison Lynch.

Mr. Lynch was born in New Hyde Park, N.Y., and grew up in the Washington area. He was working as a FedEx driver until shortly before his death. He was a member of the Rock Creek Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Harold Cook, travel agent

Harold Cook, 70, a Washington travel agent who worked for 30 years with Henderson Travel, died Dec. 2 at a hospital in the District. The cause was cardiac arrest, said Linda Wharton-Boyd, a family friend.

Mr. Cook was born in King William County, Va., and had been a District resident since 1968. For 15 years, he was a D.C. public schools hearing officer, hearing cases involving truancy and disciplinary issues with students.

Donald Brown, chauffeur

Donald Brown, 55, a licensed chauffeur who drove with Dav El and RamJay limousine services, died Nov. 21 at his home in the District. He had heart ailments, said a sister-in-law, Dianne Valentin.

Mr. Brown was a native Washingtonian. He was a limousine driver for 20 years. He had previously been a delivery driver, bus driver, custodian, cook and utility worker. He was a member of the former Glendale Baptist Church in the District.

Thora Frank, social worker

Thora Frank, 93, a retired official with the American Red Cross who in the 1970s and 80s helped refugees from the former South Vietnam settle in the United States, died Nov. 18 at an assisted-living community in Potomac, Md. The cause was respiratory failure, said a son, Robert Frank.

Mrs. Frank was born Thora Westergaard in Oslo and moved to the Washington area in 1952. She joined the Red Cross in 1967 as a caseworker in its military families and veterans division and shaped refugee policies as the divisions assistant national director from 1974 until her retirement in 1985.

She was a member of the Womans National Democratic Club and volunteered with Wellesley College alumni groups and River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda, Md.

Cynthia Risley, shop owner

Cynthia Risley, 90, the co-owner of the Why Not Shop in Alexandria, Va., in the 1970s and 1980s, died Dec. 5 at her home in Alexandria. The cause was kidney and heart ailments, said a son, John Risley.

Mrs. Risley was born Cynthia Coglin in Worcester, Mass. She moved to the Washington area in 1949 and briefly worked as a laboratory technician at the National Institutes of Health.

 From staff reports
Photographed from the top of the Washington Monument, looking west, in 1943-44: The Lincoln Memorial, Potomac River and Memorial Bridge are in the distance. Temporary buildings were on the Washington Monument grounds, in the foreground, and occupied by the Bureau of Ships. (U.S. Navy/National Archives )

When you get right down to it, everything is temporary. Cosmologists say that even the universe will eventually burn out like an old lightbulb.

What Answer Man means to say is, it was probably unnecessary to call the buildings that were quickly constructed in Washington during the two World Wars temporary. The grinding molars of time make all things temporary.

[Answer Man remembers the temporary office buildings that once blighted D.C.]

But tempos is what they were called, and last weeks Answer Man column about them brought back plenty of memories, many of them fond. In 1947, Tom Stanners was a young sailor living in a barracks in West Potomac Park. Dorothy Eva Oldfield was a young Government Girl living in a dormitory nearby.

We met at the cafeteria in the Main Navy Building on Constitution Avenue and were married at Saint Patricks, wrote Tom, of Annandale, Va. On Jan. 17, we will celebrate our 69th anniversary, so hurrah for the tempos.

There cant be many people who worked in more tempos than Richard Schmidt of Arlington, Va., who reported for duty as a clerk-stenographer for the Navy Department on Aug. 29, 1955.

I checked in at the Main Navy on Constitution Avenue at the foot of 20th Street. After initial processing, I was dispatched to Tempo 8 at 3800 Newark St. NW just west of Wisconsin Avenue, he wrote. After nearly five years there, I transferred to the Food and Drug Administration and was housed at Tempo S at Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW, where the Air and Space Museum is now. In due time, we were moved to Tempo R at about Fourth and Independence.

In 1965, right out of high school, Margaret Yowell of Burke, Va., started work at the Bureau of Ships in Main Navy. What a wonderful location to work: cherry blossoms right out the door, plenty of places to walk for lunch, a Navy Federal Credit Union on the main level and a cafeteria that was actually pretty good, she wrote.

When Main Navy was demolished, Margarets office moved to Crystal City, Va. I really did miss the joys of working in such a wonderful location in D.C., she wrote. We didnt realize we were a blight!

As Answer Man noted last week, one of the Districts last tempos is just south of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and houses the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Readers located another one. Its at 425 Second St. NW. It was built in 1944 for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation before housing the War Assets Administration and then the Securities and Exchange Commission.

When the SEC moved to a new building in 1966, a staffer said, Were leaving a lot of memories in the old building, but were not shedding many tears.

The building briefly housed Federal City College before being transformed in 1984 into what it is today: a homeless shelter run by the Community for Creative Non-Violence.

Paul Taylor of the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard pointed Answer Man to a 1941 news conference by Franklin D. Roosevelt. While answering a question about building what became the Pentagon, FDR described his involvement as assistant secretary of the Navy in the construction of the tempos as a crime for which I should be kept out of heaven, for having desecrated the whole plan of, I think, the loveliest city in the world: the capital of the United States.

It fell to John Galuardi to undesecrate Washington. John worked for GSA, and in 1970, he was charged with demolishing the Main Navy and the Munitions Building and relocating their 10,000 employees. Richard M. Nixon himself had taken a special interest in the effort.

The president had said that when he was a naval officer in World War II, he had his offices in those buildings and they were not in the best shape, John wrote. After seeing the tempos from the presidential helicopter, Nixon ordered them torn down.

John dubbed the assignment Project New Year, a nod to the deadline: Jan. 1, 1971. The debris was trucked to dumps in Prince Georges County  most of the time. D.C. officials complained that reinforced concrete was showing up in empty lots across the city. The truck drivers were being paid by the truckload, so the faster they could return to get another load was more money to them, John wrote.

The contractor was put on notice, and the illegal dumping stopped.

John added: During the demolition of the building we had to contend with a former officer who would visit the building asserting that he had worked his entire career there and wanted to remain with it until it was gone. We had to escort him out at the end.

It sounds like that guy wanted to go down with the ship.

Twitter: @johnkelly

Have a question about something youve seen around Washington? Or havent seen for a while? Write answerman@washpost.com.

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
Metro commuters ride a Green Line train from L'Enfant Plaza. Two local members of the U.S. House  Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and John Delaney (D-Md.)  are preparing bills to reshape the ailing transit systems governing structure. (Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post)

Two local members of Congress are preparing legislation to reshape Metros governing structure by forcing the District, Virginia and Maryland to rewrite the transit agencys 50-year-old compact.

The separate initiatives by Reps. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and John Delaney (D-Md.) reflect a growing sentiment in the Washington region that Metros problems can be fixed only with fundamental reforms in how the three jurisdictions oversee, manage and fund the agency.

Proposed changes could include banning elected officials from the Metro board, weakening union protections, strengthening oversight and providing reliable funding.

We cant have the standing operating procedure anymore, and we need to have something rather big, Comstock said.

Comstock is in a uniquely influential position on Metro affairs, both as a member of the House Transportation Committee and as the only Republican from the immediate Washington area in the GOP-controlled Congress.

Rep. Barbara Comstocks bill would establish mandatory criteria for a new Metro compact, effectively giving the three jurisdictions an ultimatum to overhaul the rail system. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

But the legal and political obstacles are formidable.

Amending the compact  which dictates how Metro is governed and financed  requires the three jurisdictions to agree among themselves and then obtain Congresss approval.

Comstocks bill would establish mandatory criteria for a new compact, effectively giving the three jurisdictions an ultimatum to overhaul Metro.

Many of the proposed reforms are controversial and have been debated for years without result. Changes that satisfy the

Republican-controlled Virginia General Assembly could alienate the Democratic-dominated Maryland legislature and D.C. Council.

[How to salvage Metro? Rewrite the compact, an influential D.C. business group says.]

A split has already emerged in the region over the question of whether the reforms should include a change in labor policy championed by Republicans and area business leaders.

Comstocks bill would end the requirement that labor disputes be settled by an outside arbitrator. She said that would help slow the rise in what she views as Metros excessive labor costs.

But Reps. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) and Anthony G. Brown (D-Md.), along with Metros largest union, want to keep binding arbitration. Without it, they warned, the union would be released from its no-strike pledge.

Its a recipe for potential trouble, big trouble, down the road, Connolly said.

Delaney said he wasnt sure what position, if any, his bill would take on labor issues. Other area Democrats, in both the House and Senate, also declined to take a firm position for or against binding arbitration.

The topic is so sensitive that Lawrence Hanley, international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, recently charged that Comstocks criticisms of Metro workers pay had a racist overtone. He faulted her for saying that members of ATU Local 689, Metros principal union, most of whom are African American, earned too much compared with her constituents in Northern Virginia.

Comstock dismissed Hanleys comments as partisan politics. She said her views on Metro were widely shared, including by two black Democrats: former D.C. mayor Anthony A. Williams and former Metro board member James W. Dyke Jr., both of whom are now active in business efforts to reform Metro.

[There are four proposals to save Metro. Which might prevail?]

Comstock and Delaney also are divided about how fast to seek more money for Metro. Delaneys bill would provide that the three jurisdictions and the federal government all increase funding for the system as part of revising the compact. Comstock wants to wait until the improvements in governance are made.

You have to have the reforms first, she said.

Both Comstock and Delaney are in the process of drafting their bills, which could be ready within weeks.

Both bills will set tighter, professional standards for Metro board members, who are appointed by the three jurisdictions and the federal government. One result could be a ban on board members who are also elected officials, who struggle with dual loyalties to their constituencies and to Metros overall interest.

These cant be political people anymore, Delaney said. He wants the board members to be experts with a background in finance, management or transit.

The bills will also seek other changes to make the board more effective. Comstock is considering strengthening oversight by adding an independent inspector general and whistleblower protections.

Both bills would press the District, Virginia and Maryland to renegotiate the compact by using the threat that Congress would withdraw its approval of the existing compact.

That process could include setting a deadline of one or two years for the three jurisdictions to agree on a new compact or risk Congress appointing a control board to take over the transit system.

That is the approach favored by the Federal City Council, a District-based business and civic group that has been working with Comstock on her bill.

We want to have incentives for the parties to come together with a new compact, but then you also want to have a deadline, Comstock said.

[In Northern Virginia, GOP congresswoman fights the Trump factor.]

Delaney favors what he called a prepackaged reorganization, in which Congress would withdraw its support for the existing compact but immediately approve a new one  provided the three jurisdictions agree to the new terms.

Lay out a date in the future where we pull out, Delaney said. Before the inks dry on pulling out, well sign a new one.

Interest in rewriting the compact has been building for the past two years as Metro has seemed incapable of solving chronic problems with safety, reliability and inadequate funding.

Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans has led the chorus of critics, partly because of his frustrations at getting the 16-member board and area jurisdictions to act with sufficient urgency to raise funds for the agency.

Evans (D), who also represents Ward 2 on the D.C. Council, said he thinks Congress should withdraw its support for the compact immediately  because, otherwise, the three jurisdictions will not feel sufficient pressure to reform it.

Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly have submitted a resolution and a bill urging changes in the compact.

The Federal City Council, led by Williams, has attracted support from a long list of area business chief executives for its proposal to use federal legislation to force the three jurisdictions to rewrite the compact.

[Metro sank into crisis despite decades of warnings.]

The group is in talks with another premier business group, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, about adopting a unified business position on rewriting the document.

Although Comstock said that Democrats such as Evans and Williams back her position, she did not say she necessarily had to win support of Democrats from the local congressional delegation for her bill. Instead, she said she was looking to win a majority in the House, which she can achieve relying exclusively on GOP votes.

What Im looking at is something that can get 218 votes and get through and fix Metro, she said.

A few things are working in her favor.

She skated to reelection in a competitive district anchored by Loudoun County, her party has control of the House and the Senate and is about to take over the White House, and her friend Elaine L. Chao is poised to become transportation secretary.

A Metro bill would probably have to pass through several committees, including Transportation as well as Judiciary, where Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) is the powerful chairman.

But area Democrats warned that she would need support from the rest of the local delegation to get the 60 votes effectively needed in the Senate to win passage.

If we were united against her, shes going to have a tough time, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said.
Newly discovered photos of the wintry 1909 William Howard Taft inauguration are on display at the Wilson Building. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

A week before what forecasters say could be the warmest inauguration on record, D.C. officials unveiled new glimpses of one the wintriest: William Howard Tafts 1909 snow-out that forced the swearing-in ceremony to take place inside the Capitol instead of on its East Front.

Nine images, recently acquired by the D.C. Council, went on display Friday in the atrium of the John A. Wilson Building. They portray thin crowds lining a slushy Pennsylvania Avenue as platoons of mounted honor guards and one out-of-focus presidential carriage pass under a towering billboard for Gillette Safety Razors. Flag vendors can be seen hawking American flags to bundled bystanders. In one, a helmeted District policeman keeps bystanders on the soggy pavement that city employees had worked overnight to clear in whiteout conditions.

Less than 10 inches fell, but conditions were dire in the hours leading up to the ceremony. Drifts were piled deep along the parade route, and more than 58,000 tons of snow was hauled away by 6,000 men and 500 wagons, according to news reports of the time.

It was 1909. Why all the horse-drawn stuff? asked Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) as he stooped to view each image.

I think it was ceremonial, said Josh Gibson, the councils public information chief and the unofficial historian who procured the 31 medium-format negatives that the images came from.

Valerie Wilkins, left, HR director of the D.C. Council, and Nyasia Smith, secretary of the council, look at the photographs. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

Should we go back to carriages? Mendelson mused just seven days before the next presidential cavalcade would roll along the same route, this one featuring a Trump in an armored car instead of a Taft in a buggy. That would be classy, wouldnt it?

[Donald Trump first swept into the nations capital 40 years ago. It didnt go well.]

This years procession will move along a Pennsylvania Avenue far different from the 1909 edition, and not just because the Old Post Office building so prominent on one of the shots is now a hotel emblazoned with the name of the president-elect. Many of the blocks near the White House were lined with early-20th-century storefronts, including a piano store and an engraving plant.

They amount to a black-and-white portrayal of Washington as a small working city even in the heart of the part devoted to national power.

These photos show the context of the District as a place where people lived and worked, Gibson said of the grainy inns and restaurants that have long given way to the low-rise canyon of office blocks that line much of the route today.

Beverly Brannan, curator of 20th-century photography at the Library of Congress, said she was excited to see the new images, which were unknown to her curators. While the sharpness of the pictures is on the hazy side, she hailed the immediacy that the unknown photographer managed to capture on what must have been a challenging day.

Its almost as if you are there, Brannan said. If youve been to one of these snowy inaugurations, you can imagine standing there with wet feet and wondering if you want to stay because you know something exciting is just about to happen.

The library has a collection of about 80 Taft inauguration photos, Brannan said. These complement very much the ones we have. Im thrilled to see them.

The collection caught Gibsons eye mainly for the unusual shots of the Wilson Building, the six-story Beaux-Arts facade known then as the District Building. The citys first city hall  a historic symbol of the Districts slow march to a degree of self-rule  had been completed only eight months earlier and was making its debut as a feature on the inauguration route. Decades before Pennsylvania Avenue was reconfigured in the 1970s, the building was set well back from the street and was invisible in most of the parade shots taken over the years.

Its actually pretty rare for the Wilson Building to show up in photos like these, Gibson said. Its a real find for us.

The negatives popped up earlier this year on eBay, where Gibson  who calls himself the Indiana Jones of D.C. Council history  maintains a standing search alert for the term Wilson Building. They arrived with little information except that they once belonged to one Ambrose Swasey, an Ohio engineer who developed astronomical instruments.

Whether Swasey was the photographer is unknown, but the pictures probably were taken by someone comfortable with fine lenses and delicate machinery, according to Brannan. Surprisingly for the era, they were shot not on glass plates but on newer fangled medium-format strip negatives.

It sounds as though he were tech-oriented, she said.

Twenty-five years after Mr. and Mrs. Tafts ride to the Capitol and President and Mrs. Tafts ride back down Pennsylvania Avenue, Inauguration Day was switched from March to January by the 20th Amendment. But given the Mid-Atlantics mushy winter conditions, that shift didnt mean much in the way of weather disruptions, with many of the March inaugurations as cold as those since.

For now at least, there looks like little chance Donald Trump will take his oath in the Senate Chamber as Taft had on a day dubbed a weather calamity by Henry Cabot Lodge, the Republican senator from Massachusetts. Forecasts call for temperatures next Friday in the 50s or even 60s, which would break the record for the warmest inauguration on record, the balmy 55-degree start to Ronald Reagans first term in 1981.
In Chantilly, Va., former Virginia governor George Allen introduces former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, left, standing with his wife, Cathy, during the kickoff of Gillespies campaign. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

Republican Ed Gillespie barnstormed Virginia on Saturday in a sign of early financial strength in the 2017 governors race, winging across the commonwealth in a borrowed plane with a message of economic opportunity and an up-by-the-bootstraps biography.

Starting in Virginias wealthy economic engine outside Washington, where he picked up the endorsement of former governor George Allen, Gillespie hopscotched to Richmond, Hampton Roads and Roanoke before he was scheduled to end the day in the coal fields bordering Tennessee.

The fly-around  something more typically seen in the final days of a governors race, not 10 months out  will be followed by a four-day RV tour across the state.

I believe the message that I have is going to resonate with all Virginians, he said in an interview with The Washington Post during his flight from Chantilly to Richmond.

The splashy kickoff could help set Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman and counselor to President George W. Bush, apart from lesser-funded rivals. He will also use it to reintroduce himself to voters who, he conceded, may have only a vague memory of him as the guy who almost unseated Sen. Mark R. Warner (D) in 2014.

Launching his campaign in Chantilly, Va., gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie spoke about boosting Virginias anemic economic growth, lower taxes and more affordable college. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

I understand people are busy, they have hectic lives. And theyre dealing with a lot of these struggles Ive talked about here today. I dont expect them to remember that I ran for Senate in 14 as well as I remember it, he said, laughing.

Gillespie faces three Republicans in the GOPs June 13 primary, including a Trump-style attention grabber who just last week stole the spotlight by raffling off an AR-15 rifle. And he must contend with a newly competitive and more aggressive Democratic field, after former congressman Tom Perriello decided 10 days ago to challenge Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam for their partys nomination.

Some rivals scoffed at the notion that Gillespie, who has led the GOP and worked beside a president, can channel the populist zeitgeist.

To truly get to know people, you need to spend time with them, not just pop in and out of the airport in a private jet like Flyover Ed, said Republican rival Corey A. Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of Supervisors, who was planning to spend the day with supporters in Virginia Beach.

And by the way, said Stewart, who chaired Donald Trumps Virginia campaign in Virginia until being ousted over an unauthorized protest outside the Republican National Committee, I am driving there in my red pickup.

On a radio show Friday, Perriello was equally dismissive.

Here you have one of the biggest D.C. corporate lobbyists trying to come into Virginia and bring the most corrupt politics of this area into our state. Literally wrote the K Street strategy about how to sell out the American middle class to the highest bidder, he said on WAMUs Kojo Nnamdi Show. And now he wants to come in and try to be, like, a middle-of-the-road, aw-shucks guy in Virginia?

Mark J. Rozell, dean of George Mason Universitys Schar School of policy and government, said he did not think the kickoff would impress voters.

Hes probably wasting jet fuel, Rozell said. I understand him wanting to get ahead of the pack and show off his ability to expend resources early in the campaign. . . . But its six days before the presidential inauguration, and the public is not paying attention to the race for governor right now. And hardcore Republican activists, especially, have their gaze on Washington right now.

At his appearances, Gillespie spoke in broad strokes about boosting Virginias anemic economic growth with limited government, lower taxes and more affordable college. He took a few swipes at term-limited Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and his chosen successor, Northam, singling out a deal that offered state economic-development money to what turned out to have been a phony Chinese company.

Northam punched back. Well put the record of the current administration creating jobs up against Ed Gillespies record as a D.C. lobbyist for Enron from now until November, said Northams spokesman, David Turner. Gillespies former lobbying firm represented the energy giant Enron, which collapsed in October 2001; his firm cut ties with Enron two months later.

Gillespie mentioned but did not dwell on hot-button issues, noting that he supports the protection of innocent life and the right to keep and bear arms. He took issue with the McAuliffe-Northam approach to automatically restoring voting rights to convicted felons once they have completed their sentences. Gillespie said rights restoration should be handled on a case-by-case basis.

He emphasized his upbringing as the grandson of an Irish immigrant who worked as a janitor in Philadelphia. His parents owned a grocery store, where he worked as a child. It was through a job parking cars for Senate staffers that he got his first job in politics.

Gillespie says that biography helps him relate to the disaffected voters who flocked to Trump.

Gillespie drew dozens of supporters and elected officials at his events in Northern Virginia and Richmond, both held in office space used for his campaign.

I think that he is a rational, reasonable political leader who I think will be good for the commonwealth, particularly from a fiscal standpoint, said David Brunori, 54, a professor of public policy at George Washington University, who attended an event in Chantilly.

Richard Roberts, a Henrico County software consultant sporting a Trump pin, said he remained undecided  in part because of Gillespies tepid support for the president-elect.

Support for the president of the United States is going to matter. Im not saying its the end-all and be-all, but its going to be a factor, Roberts said.

Gillespies tour came days after the Republican Governors Association wrote a $5 million check  the largest single political donation in Virginia history  with the goal of putting a Republican in the governors mansion.

We see the Virginia governors race as a race thats very vulnerable for party flip, RGA spokesman Jon Thompson said.

The structure of the RGA donation, to a Republican political action committee and not a specific candidate, would allow the group to take the money back if that outlook changes. We could end up spending none of it, Thompson said.

McAuliffe, Virginias popular Democratic governor, is banned by the states constitution from serving back-to-back terms.

A spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association suggested that the donation was meant to grab attention but not a firm bet on the race, given the RGAs ability to take the money back.

This is nothing more than a press release about paper shuffling between bank accounts, said DGA spokesman Jared Leopold.

While the RGAs $5 million broke the record for the largest single contribution, the RGA and other donors have cumulatively made bigger contributions in particular races. Over the course of the 2013 governors contest, for instance, the RGA gave $8 million to then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II.

The PAC will remain neutral in the Republican primary, Thompson said. But before both parties pick their nominees on June 13, Thompson said, the PAC might spend some of that money on ads against one or both Democrats.
The Republican Governors Association just wrote a $5 million check  the largest single political donation in Virginias history  with the goal of putting a Republican in the governors mansion.

The whopping contribution suggests Republicans like their odds in the commonwealth, one of just two states to hold governors races this year. But the structure of the donation would allow the RGA to take the money back if that outlook changes.

We could end up spending none of it, RGA spokesman Jon Thompson said.

Virginia has a popular Democratic governor, but Gov. Terry McAuliffe is banned by the states constitution from serving back-to-back terms. Four Republicans and two Democrats are running to succeed him.

We see the Virginia governors race as a race thats very vulnerable for party flip, Thompson said. We see it as a race thats winnable. So weve started taking steps to do what we can.

The contribution went to a political action committee the RGA controls, A Stronger Virginia, not to the state party or to any of the four Republicans seeking the nomination. So the RGA could pull the money out of Virginia if it later decides it is better spent elsewhere.

[Trump win shakes up race for Virginia governor]

A Stronger Virginia is a PAC we set up in order to possibly engage or spend in the Virginia governors race, Thompson said in an email describing the PAC to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in politics.

A spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association suggested the donation was meant to grab attention but not a firm bet on the race, given the RGAs ability to take the money back.

This is nothing more than a press release about paper shuffling between bank accounts, said DGA spokesman Jared Leopold. But the RGA does have good reason to be afraid about a field of out-of-touch candidates trying to force Donald Trumps agenda on Virginia.

The Virginia Public Access Project disclosed the record donation Friday. It is twice the size of the previous record: the $2.5 million the RGA gave to the Virginia Common Sense PAC in 2009. The next largest was a tie: $2 million that now-Sen. Mark R. Warner (D) gave his 2001 governors campaign; and the $2 million the DGA donated to McAuliffes 2013 race.

While the RGAs $5 million broke the record for the largest single contribution, the RGA and other donors have cumulatively made bigger contributions in particular races. Over the course of the 2013 governors contest, for instance, the RGA gave $8 million to then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II.

The Republicans running for governor are: Ed Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman and counselor to then-President George W. Bush; Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors; state Sen. Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach); and Denver Riggleman, the owner of a craft distillery.

The two Democrats running for governor are Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former congressman Tom Perriello.

The PAC will remain neutral in the Republican primary, Thompson said. But before both parties pick their nominees on June 13, Thompson said, the PAC might spend some of that money on ads against one or both Democrats.
Mr. B undid his arm bandages and revealed two large, gaping wounds where he injected his heroin. He lay back in his hospital bed, looked up at the ceiling and said with a quivering voice, I cant inject into my veins anymore because they are all shot. I know I have a problem, Doctor. Ive been trying to quit, but its so hard.

Mr. B (Im identifying him only by his initial to protect his privacy) had been using heroin for 20 years after originally being prescribed a common opioid, oxycodone, to treat his pain. He, like many others who had fallen victim to the opioid epidemic, was trying to quit, but methadone hadnt worked for him. It made me feel ill, he said.

I knew of a medication that would treat his addiction and possibly save his life. It has been around for years, is simple to use and is safer than other options. Sadly, I cant prescribe it. We need to fix this.

[Pa. painkiller prescriptions drop after creation of monitoring program]

The drugs name is buprenorphine, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002. Once absorbed into the blood, buprenorphine targets the same receptor as opiates, partially blocking their effect and limiting the symptoms of withdrawal. Decreased respiratory drive, which can occur with other opioids and can lead to death in overdose, occurs at a very low rate with buprenorphine. As such, it has become the first-line treatment for opioid addiction, but many patients like Mr. B still have trouble getting access to the drug.

Unfortunately, buprenorphine has been limited by regulations that significantly hinder the drugs widespread acceptance. Any physician who wishes to prescribe buprenorphine has to take an eight-hour online training course. Physicians dont have to be specially certified to prescribe other medications, and so most physicians arent even aware that such barriers exist. Unsurprisingly, 97 percent of physicians are not certified to prescribe buprenorphine.

Arbitrary rules handcuff the few physicians who can prescribe buprenorphine, capping the number of patients that each certified physician can treat. In 2000, federal legislation limited the number of patients undergoing buprenorphine treatment to 30 per physician in the first year, and 100 thereafter. In July, new legislative changes increased the cap to 275 patients. While this represents an improvement, it still limits access to crucial addiction treatment and prevents physicians from devoting their entire practice to opioid treatment. Because of these caps, some stable patients may be forced out of buprenorphine treatment prematurely to make room for a new patient with a more urgent need. Patients like Mr. B, finally able to admit that they have problems with addiction, may have nowhere to turn.

[No longer Mayberry: A small Ohio city fights an epidemic of self-destruction]

Buprenorphine has been singled out for regulation because it is the first addiction treatment that is safe enough to be prescribed at a regular doctors appointment. The United States has always placed strict rules on addiction treatment, partly because past addiction medications such as methadone could lead to overdose or illicit sale on the black market.

But buprenorphine is different. While buprenorphine can be sold illicitly, physicians can switch a patient-turned-seller to methadone, which is administered in specialized clinics to prevent such activity. Additionally, the risk of buprenorphine overdose is one-fourth that of methadone, as a 2009 study of 16,000 people in Australia demonstrated.

Even if I completed all necessary training to comply with federal regulation, I still wouldnt be able to prescribe the drug. Thats because at the primary-care clinic where I work as a physician-in-training, none of the supervising doctors are certified to prescribe buprenorphine. I have been told that I shouldnt become certified because you dont want to attract those patients to your practice.

Its true that many clinicians view patients with chronic pain and opioid addiction as some of the hardest to take care of. We often feel torn between treating real pain and prescribing opioids to feed an addiction that could end in death. This is frustrating because even with the best intentions, we are caught between pain on the one hand and overdose on the other. But this is a false dichotomy. Treating addiction with buprenorphine instead of with opioid painkillers may make these interactions less frustrating, as patients like Mr. B get the care they need.

[A river of lost souls runs through western Colorado]

This can and should be a positive feedback loop. If more doctors become familiar with addiction treatment, stigma will diminish and more physicians will feel comfortable prescribing buprenorphine. But to unleash the potential of well-meaning physicians in combating our nations opioid epidemic, the first step must be to remove the barriers to prescribing this medication.

Herein lies our nonsensical system: We physicians have little trouble prescribing opioids, the very drugs that get people addicted. But despite an epidemic where 91 Americans die every day of opioid use, we face arbitrary roadblocks to prescribing addiction treatment such as training sessions and caps on the number of patients who can receive lifesaving medications.

Mr. B was found to have a bacterial infection in his blood, an extremely dangerous condition. Even so, he left the hospital before he could complete a course of antibiotic treatment. He left, in part, because his opioid withdrawal symptoms were too disabling for him to deal with. He probably wont be counted among those who die of an opioid overdose. But when his infection finally overtakes his body, it will be the lack of access to addiction treatment that truly is to blame.

Jacobs is a resident physician at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston.

Read more:

Special report: A new divide in America death

Onetime party drug hailed as miracle for treating severe depression

Recovering substance abusers brave stigma by giving up secrecy

Big pharma hired dozens of DEA officials as the agency tried to curb opioid abuse
Within months of launching a registry to prevent patients from receiving opioids and other potentially addictive prescription drugs from more than one doctor, Pennsylvania saw a substantial drop in the number of prescriptions for painkillers such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet.

Authorized by the state legislature in 2014, Pennsylvanias prescription drug monitoring program began operation only in June because of budget constraints. Within months, insurers reported a decline in total opioid prescriptions.

Pennsylvanias online registry allows prescribing nurses and physicians to see which prescriptions a patient may already be receiving. Similar to other states, Pennsylvania requires pharmacists to update patients drug history each time they fill a prescription.

[Im a doctor who wants to treat addiction, but the rules wont let me]

In the first eight months of 2016, Highmark, one of Pennsylvanias largest insurers, said the number of monthly reimbursements for opioid painkillers ranged from 110,000 to 118,000. From September through November, the number was about 107,000 each month. Other insurers in the state also reported small declines.

Nationwide, the number of prescriptions for highly addictive opioid painkillers dropped 10 percent between 2013 and 2015, a decline attributed to greater awareness of the dangers of painkillers as well as to more-restrictive federal guidelines and state drug monitoring systems.

Overdose deaths involving prescription opioid painkillers have quadrupled since 1999, as have sales of the drugs. From 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people died in the United States of overdoses related to prescription opioids. In 2015, prescription opioids were involved in more than 33,000 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The Trump administrations first Cabinet meeting should be an interesting affair. On issue after issue  Russia, the border wall, the Iran nuclear deal, climate change, torture, NATO  President-elect Donald Trumps nominees have diverged from his stated positions. So whose views will prevail? Could Trumps secretaries help save Trump from himself  and the country from Trump? Will they offer a sobering dose-of-reality therapy for the reality TV president?

There are strong arguments for either outcome. I am tending ever so cautiously  clinging perhaps  to the optimistic one.

The official position of the Trump transition is no. At the end of the day, each one of them is going to pursue a Trump agenda and a Trump vision, incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Thursday.

Spicer dismissed the nominees divergence from Trump at their confirmation hearings as answers when theyre being asked their personal views here and there. Wait. A personal view is if you prefer opera to hip-hop. The nominees testimony reflects their policy positions and assessments, in some cases deeply held convictions at the core of future responsibilities.

So it is a significant expression of policy  not a personal view  when Defense Secretary nominee James N. Mattis says about Russia and Vladimir Putin, Im all for engagement, but we also have to recognize reality and what Russia is up to. And theres a decreasing number of areas where we can engage cooperatively and an increasing number of areas where were going to have to confront Russia.

1 of 51 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See photos from the confirmation hearings of Trumps Cabinet nominees View Photos The Senate is getting an early start on the president-elects choices for several top jobs in his administration. Caption The Senate is getting an early start on the president-elects choices for several top jobs in his administration. Jan. 12, 2017 Ben Carson, the nominee to be the Housing and Urban Development secretary, pauses while answering questions from the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Or when CIA Director nominee Mike Pompeo, similarly, says, Russia has reasserted itself aggressively, invading and occupying Ukraine, threatening Europe and doing nothing to aid in the destruction and defeat of ISIS.

Contrast that with Trump, throughout the course of the campaign and as recently as the day before: If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia. Russia can help us fight ISIS.

Trump himself, in an early-morning tweet Friday, purported to be just fine with his team of dissidents. I want them to be themselves and express their own thoughts, not mine! he wrote. Right. Everyone whos watched Trump over the last stretch knows how well he deals with what he perceives as challenges to his authority.

The argument for Trump being tempered, to some extent, by some of his Cabinet (overall, certainly, this is no moderate bunch) is a bet on a combination of Trumps intellectual laziness and susceptibility to manipulation by deference and flattery.

Trump has few deeply held policy views and seems disinclined, to put it mildly, to put in the work needed to prepare for the presidency, no less inhabit the office. He has never suffered the ordinary politicians political embarrassment over accusations of flip-flopping.

As a result, he is attached to many of these stances by the thinnest of filaments. He arrived at them by gut, not intensive study. He is more inclined to delegate than to delve into a briefing book. So when approached in the right way, with deference rather than disdain, by a person he considers an ally rather than an enemy, he is susceptible to convincing. Thus Trump, who had proclaimed that torture works, told the New York Times, after meeting with Mattis, that he was surprised and impressed by the retired Marine generals rejection of waterboarding, even as he noted, Im not saying it changed my mind.

The strongest argument against this sunny outlook has to do with others in Trumps orbit, and closer to its center. For every Mattis and Pompeo, for every John F. Kelly (the retired Marine general tapped to head the Department of Homeland Security, who testified that a border wall with Mexico in and of itself will not do the job) and even Rex Tillerson (the former ExxonMobil chief executive nominated to be secretary of state, who testified that the risk of climate change does exist), there will be, in the West Wing, a Stephen K. Bannon as chief strategist and senior counselor and Michael T. Flynn as national security adviser. Their records suggest they will inflame Trumps worst instincts, not restrain them.

Bannon and Flynn have been politically closer to Trump longer; they will be physically closer to him at the White House. Trump could continue to be swayed by the last person whispering in his ear. Or the stature, knowledge and experience at bureaucratic maneuvering of some Cabinet secretaries could, at least at times, avert bad decisions. How all this plays out will shape the course of the Trump presidency.

Read more from Ruth Marcuss archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
Watching President-elect Donald Trumps falsehood-filled news conference this week, thinking back over his foul, nasty campaign, an election stained with slurs, serial insults, black voter suppression and an outcome influenced by Russia, and looking ahead with dread to his swearing-in Friday as president of the United States of America, a small, quiet voice within asks: Dear God, are we being punished?

It has certainly happened before. We know what you did to the wicked and sinful in Sodom and Gomorrah. And they had it coming.

Who can forget the punishment you handed out to Ananias and Sapphira for their deception, so aptly described in the Acts of the Apostles? Your wrath against wrongdoing and injustice is amply documented throughout the Scriptures.

But what have we done that is so unwholesome, so egregious, as to deserve punishment in the form of Trump?

Is it our backsliding? To be sure, we certainly have had relapses into bad ways from time to time. We have looked past each other. Turned a blind eye to the hungry and the homeless. Ignored injustices. But do we merit this coming calamity?

What if we promise to change our ways?

I know, promises, promises. Thats what we always do  make promises to change  when we find ourselves in a tight spot.

You must grow tired of hearing folks like us resort to the words in Jeremiah: O Lord, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned. . . . Remember your covenant with us and do not break it. Guess its a little late for that.

Well, we must have done something terribly wrong to be getting whats waiting for us on Inauguration Day. The words of Hosea 9:7 come to mind: The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand.

But, dear Lord, perhaps there is another way of looking at this. Maybe we are falling into the mistake of misreading our fate.

Could it be that the stumbling block we fear you will place before us at high noon Friday is actually a stepping stone in disguise?

Is it possible that Trump has been installed as a challenge to renew our strength and forge the kind of social contract that President Obama talked about in his farewell address  guaranteeing kids, including those of immigrants, the education they need; updating the social safety net; getting better wages for workers; changing hearts; jealously guarding our democracy?

But, if the 2016 election has taught anything, its that progress requires action and sacrifice.

Inspiration for that comes not only from Obama, but also from the man whose federal holiday is celebrated on Monday, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Read his words to the Montgomery Improvement Association on Dec. 5, 1955: This is the glory of America, with all of its faults. This is the glory of our democracy. . . . If we were dropped in the dungeon of a totalitarian regime, we couldnt do this. But the great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right. . . .

And we are not wrong; we are not wrong in what we are doing. . . . If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong. If we are wrong, Jesus of Nazareth was merely a utopian dreamer that never came down to Earth. If we are wrong, justice is a lie, love has no meaning.

And we are determined . . . to work and fight until justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

When you think of Trump, think of these words spoken by King:

I want to say that in all of our actions, we must stick together. Unity is the great need of the hour, and if we are united we can get many of the things that we not only desire but which we justly deserve. And dont let anybody frighten you. We are not afraid of what we are doing, because we are doing it within the law.

King concluded:

As we prepare ourselves for what lies ahead, let us go out with the grim and bold determination that we are going to stick together. We are going to work together.

So on Kings day, lets gear up to bring about the fair, just and inclusive America that President Obama fought hard to create.

Donald Trump? As David said to Goliath, Bring it on.

Read more from Colbert Kings archive.
Republicans can argue until their last breath that Trump objectors are sore losers, but isnt more at stake than mere politics? This phrase has been rendered quaint by such serious issues as Russian hackers apparently trying to tilt the election toward Donald Trump; the FBIs possibly politically motivated practices; Trumps initial resistance to the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community; Trumps refusal to release tax records, which might mollify concerns about his relationship with Russia.

These arent partisan issues, or shouldnt be, as evidenced by the Justice Department inspector generals decision to investigate how FBI Director James B. Comey handled the probe of Hillary Clintons email and private server. The focus will be on Comeys statement in July that Clinton and her colleagues were extremely careless with classified information but that he wasnt recommending criminal charges  as well as his announcement to Congress just a week and a half before Election Day that, because of new information, he was reopening the investigation.

This fresh look pertained to new emails found on the laptop of Carlos Danger, a.k.a. Anthony Weiner (but, really, why the name change?), estranged husband of top Clinton adviser Huma Abedin. The emails subsequently were found to be inconsequential, but if there were any fence-sitters left at that point, at least many of them probably toppled into Trumps camp, from sheer exhaustion if not outright disgust.

Let me help you: Eleven days to go and the man who had said theres nothing to see here suddenly says, Hey, there might be something after all! And no ones supposed to think this affected the election?

How could it not have? Anecdotally, I can report at least a dozen friends who say, That was it for me. But polling, too, suggests a consequential voter shift in the final days of the campaign.

FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silvers polling/analysis group, reported that Clinton had an 81 percent chance of winning in mid-October. About a week after Comeys announcement, that number dropped to 65 percent. This rapid shift didnt occur because people suddenly recognized that Trump is a brilliant foreign policy strategist. Its true that undecided people often return to their party at the last minute, but this may not account for Clintons sudden drop.

While its impossible to prove that Comey had any impact, theres enough reason for dissatisfied Americans to continue to protest the results  even on Inauguration Day. For certain, Comey acted against bureau policy never to interfere politically or discuss investigations so close to an election. If theres any justification, Comey may have felt that the information would be leaked anyway.

Adding suspicion to skepticism, the hacking and release of Democratic National Committee emails also may have affected election results, though, again, its impossible to know how much, since, as far as Im aware, we cant read peoples minds (yet). Thus, were left to draw inferences from suppositions from what little else we know.

We do know that our intelligence community concluded that Russia hacked the DNC, and Trump finally accepted this last week. To concede that Russia was behind the hacking (rather than a 400-pound person sitting on a bed somewhere, as Trump at one point theorized) was, presumably, to admit that Russia helped him win. Well, didnt it? Didnt Trump loudly call upon Russia to hack Clintons emails?

For the undecided (or the unpersuadable), lets pose a hypothetical: What if Clinton had publicly asked Russia to hack Trumps records and release his tax returns  and Russia did? And what if the FBI announced less than two weeks before Election Day that it was going to investigate fraudulent practices at Trump University? Lets say that Trumps number dipped dramatically and he lost.

Do you reckon Republicans would be a tad upset?

The inspector generals investigation into Comeys conduct, as well as Congresss investigation into Russias apparent interference in the election, are urgent, overdue and probably useless. Mostly, Comey is guilty of poor judgment. And Russia is being Russia  a fact best quickly absorbed by the soon-to-be president.

Yes, democracy needs saving and the republics foundation is showing wear. But isnt the crucial question the very one that cant be answered: Did we really elect Donald Trump to be president of the United States?

We may never know precisely who sowed the wind, but to be sure, were all going to reap the whirlwind.

Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
Martin Luther King III is president and co-founder of the Drum Major Institute.

In 1965, fewer than 2 percent of eligible African Americans living in Selma, Ala., were registered to vote. As we all know, this was the result of laws and policies whose purpose was to keep African Americans out of the voting booth. It took decades of blood, sweat and tears to reverse this deeply embedded discrimination. Having lost my father to that struggle when I was still a small child, I cannot begin to express what it meant to see a black man take the presidential oath of office in 2008.

What a difference eight years makes. While Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, fewer than 80,000 votes divided among Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan made Donald Trump the electoral college winner. In each of these states, Clinton saw a significant decline in minority vote totals of 10 percent or more. And in each of these states  along with swing states North Carolina and Florida  that difference in turnout may be attributed to legislative efforts to make it harder to vote. In fact, a federal appeals court described North Carolinas lawmakers as targeting minority voters with almost surgical precision.

While we cant know how those affected would have voted, we can agree that every citizen should have the unfettered opportunity to vote. Indeed, my concern is not how people vote, but simply that they vote.

No one could have done more to call attention to the importance of maximum participation in the election than President Obama. The president told an African American audience that if you care about our legacy, realize everything we stand for is at stake. . . . 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. In his 2013 State of the Union address, Obama said: When any American, no matter where they live or what their party, are denied that right [to vote] because they cant afford to wait for five or six or seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. And he doubled down in his most recent State of the Union: Weve got to make it easier to vote, not harder. We need to modernize it for the way we live now. This is America: We want to make it easier for people to participate.

Fortunately, President-elect Trump agrees. Throughout the campaign, he consistently reminded the electorate that the system is broken.

Even more fortunately, it is indisputable that nonpartisan, common-sense solutions are available. In 2014, as the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the LBJ Presidential Library, former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton endorsed my friend Andrew Youngs proposal that all citizens be able to obtain a photo ID card that would meet the voting requirements in every state. Following the event, Fox News host Bill OReilly voiced his support for the plan, saying they were doing the country a service and declaring, Lets get the pictures on the Social Security card, stop the nonsense and be a responsible country. As Young has said, The challenge with voter ID laws isnt the requirement to show ID, its that so many people lack ID. That is the problem that needs to be fixed  and not just for voting. In todays world, you cant open a bank account without a photo ID  and the only people happy about that are check cashers.

All Trump has to do is direct the Social Security Administration to add a photo to the Social Security card of any citizen who needs it. Carter said if he were president he would sign that executive order in a New York minute. The likely cost of this move  about $18 million  would be virtually insignificant given the benefit of ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to exercise his or her right to vote.

Heres another simple act the new president can take. He can direct the State Department to waive the $55 passport card fee for low-income Americans. Passport cards with photos are readily available at more than 9,000 post offices, even if a person doesnt have any other form of photo ID. Either approach is within the presidents authority and would impose minimal costs to secure the most fundamental right for all Americans  a right that most people consider priceless.

Many people are concerned that our new president could undo much of what the outgoing president has achieved. But in the area of voting rights, I am the opposite of concerned; I am hopeful in recognition that there is an opportunity to build a better system. And because Trump surely knows that if you build a hotel, you have to fill the rooms, I hope he also agrees that when you build a democracy, as my father, President Lyndon B. Johnson and Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.) did a generation ago, you have to fill the voting booths.

Because at the end of the day, the right to vote is not a Republican right or a Democratic right  it is an American right. If Trump enables more Americans to exercise that right in future elections, he will be able to say that in no small measure he really did make America great again.
Pierre-Richard Prosper was U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues from 2001 to 2005 and a prosecutor at the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. John B. Bellinger III served as the legal adviser at the State Department from 2005 to 2009.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is right to wonder whether Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. And when he put that question to Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson this week, Tillerson was right to reserve judgment on the issue. Heres why.

As a preliminary matter, Russian troops are engaged in armed conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, where individuals engaged in those hostilities have violated the international law of armed conflict. This body of law includes the 1907 Hague Regulations, the 1949 Geneva Conventions, a host of other applicable treaties, and a large body of well-settled customary international law that prohibits, among other things, targeting civilians and the disproportionate use of force. Despite these prohibitions, combatants on all sides of the Syria conflict have committed horrible atrocities, especially in Aleppo, where Syrian government forces backed by Russia have used bunker-busting bombs in civilian areas and targeted non-combatants as they have attempted to flee.

As former U.S. government officials who were once responsible for compliance with and enforcement of international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict, we condemn in the strongest possible terms these battlefield crimes. We call upon the United Nations, the United States and all civilized nations to investigate and prosecute those responsible, even if that means holding heads of state to account.

Nevertheless, while we can understand why Rubio would ask if the Russian president is a war criminal, there is a multitude of reasons Tillerson is right to exercise caution before jumping to such conclusions before he even enters office.

First, just as we would expect foreign governments, international organizations and human rights groups to investigate and analyze all the relevant facts before declaring any U.S. president or other senior official a war criminal, so too must U.S. officials engage in careful deliberation before attaching such labels to foreign leaders, no matter how much we may detest them or their policies.

Second, the terms war criminal and war crimes are legal expressions reserved for those individuals who have been found to have committed certain grave breaches of the laws of war, as set forth in various international agreements and court decisions as well as our own War Crimes Act. Advocacy groups are often quick to declare that war crimes have been committed when civilians are killed or protected sites such as hospitals or schools are damaged in armed conflicts, but the terms should not be used or taken lightly, lest we diminish their impact and meaning when discussing those whose acts genuinely warrant the labels. For the same reason, both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, respectively, conducted lengthy factual and legal investigations before concluding that genocide had been committed in Darfur by the government of Sudan and in Iraq and Syria by the Islamic State.

Third, even if we could be certain (and it does appear likely to us) that Russian troops had committed or supported the commission of war crimes in the field, responsibility for war crimes belongs to those individuals who order or carry out such acts with the necessary criminal intent or knowledge. Consistent with due process and fundamental fairness, such determinations must be made on an individualized, case-by-case basis through an impartial and objective analysis of all the factual evidence and the law. Anything less rigorous would violate well-established fundamental rights and would be unjust.

This is not to say that Putin is innocent or that he bears no responsibility for Russias misconduct on the battlefield. Far from it. Russian involvement in the targeting of civilians must be investigated, and if Putin ordered or even approved the commission of war crimes, he should be held accountable. However, we think it wise and advisable for Tillerson to learn all the facts  including intelligence information not previously available to him  and to carefully analyze the law through an appropriate process before attaching the powerful label of war criminal to someone engaged in armed conflict, whether a foot soldier or a head of state. Putin may not deserve it, but thats both the American way and required by international law.
THE CONCERNS voiced about Sen. Jeff Sessionss (R-Ala.) nomination for attorney general cannot be written off as political grandstanding. There are substantive objections to Mr. Sessions, for years an ideological outlier in the Senate, ascending to the pinnacle of the U.S. justice system. Though the senator made a series of encouraging commitments during his confirmation hearings last week, he did not allay every reasonable worry.

Mr. Sessions was at his most impressive when he repeatedly insisted he would respect the rule of law, affirming that the attorney general must be willing to say no to the president and must resign if ordered to do something illegal. Mark those words. Mr. Sessions also committed to enforcing Supreme Court rulings upholding abortion rights and same-sex marriage, though he disagrees with them. He promised to recuse himself from any outstanding questions relating to Hillary Clintons email practices or the Clinton Foundation, given his strong comments on these matters during the campaign. Though he alarmingly supported enhanced interrogation techniques in the past, he acknowledged that laws barring them now must be respected.

Mr. Sessions was not quite as definitive in disclaiming Mr. Trumps proposed Muslim ban. He insisted that restricting all Muslims would be wrong, but he left wiggle room when he said that those who interpret their religion to include dangerous doctrines should be scrutinized.

Though Mr. Sessions painted himself as a civil rights champion, the picture is mixed. He acknowledged the Souths horrific legacy of racism and called the NAACP an organization that has done tremendous good. But he mostly evaded specific questions about discriminatory voter ID laws, which the Justice Department must play a key role in fighting, and he was unenthusiastic about pattern or practice investigations against errant local police forces that have resulted in valuable reforms, particularly in the past several years. He pointed out that he voted to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, but his Democratic interlocutors reminded him that he also opposed fixing a core section after the Supreme Court gutted it.

Most concerning was Mr. Sessionss habit of pleading ignorance to avoid taking clear positions on some pressing issues. I have done no research into that was his response when asked if the Russians conducted election hacking, even though he expressed confidence in intelligence agencies who have taken a clear position. Similarly, he said he did not know the details of North Carolinas voter ID law, currently at the center of the most significant case in the country on the subject, and declined to say much about it.

Both of these examples go to critical questions about how Mr. Sessions will conduct himself. Will he live up to his commitment to stand up to the White House when the president or his staff is wrong? Will he treat civil rights enforcement as the core Justice Department responsibility it is? As attorney general, Mr. Sessions will have the opportunity to prove he is as serious about these principles as he claims.
President Obama is not going quietly into his post-presidency.

He has said he plans to stay out of the day-to-day political scrum, find some quiet and write a book when his second term ends Friday. For the moment, though, he is staying in the media spotlight with speeches, interviews and a news conference planned for Wednesday. And Obama has used the flurry of appearances to stake out a legacy imperiled by the surprising victory of President-elect Donald Trump.

He has also offered Trump some advice when it comes to tweeting.

Whats going on? Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes, asked Obama in the wake of Trump tweets that attacked actress Meryl Streep as over-rated and suggested that the United States needs to expand its nuclear arsenal.

Obama first warned not to underestimate [Trump], because he is going to be the 45th president of the United States. Then the outgoing commander in chief made the case for hewing to some presidential norms and traditions.

There is a reason they are in place, Obama said in the interview, which airs Sunday night.

Obama expounded a bit more on the topic of presidential improvisation in an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt that aired Friday on Dateline NBC.

The interesting thing about the presidency is that there arent a lot of things that are spontaneous, Obama said. A stray remark by the president, he noted, can move markets or trigger wars.

But Obama did, at times, depart from the script with powerful results.

You do look for moments of human connection, and in some ways, those end up being the moments that are most meaningful, he said.

One of those moments came during the eulogy Obama delivered in Charleston, S.C., for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was in 2015 shot dead in his church there. Before Obama began singing Amazing Grace, he recalled, he looked into the pews and saw the slain pastors two daughters.

[The quiet impact of Obamas Christian faith]

There are going to be times where people will listen and times where they wont, Obama said of the countrys long and often torturous debates about issues such as race relations and gun violence. There were open hearts at that moment.

Obama has used these final interviews to talk about improvements to the economy, progress in fighting climate change and diplomatic inroads with longtime adversaries such as Cuba and Iran. He also has talked about the failure to secure gun legislation following the 2012 massacre of 20 elementary school students in Newtown, Conn.

I didnt expect that youd see some huge movement on gun-safety legislation, but I thought, They are going to have to make some effort,  Obama said of Congress in the NBC interview.

Obama has been careful not to criticize Trump too directly, though he did speculate in a podcast interview with David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Obamas two presidential campaigns, that he and his vision for the country would have defeated the president-elect in a head-to-head matchup.

Even when he leaves office and stops giving interviews, Obama will not be completely absent from the media spotlight. Both Vice News and the History Channel have interviewed Obama for documentaries that will air after Trumps inauguration.
A public feud between Donald Trump and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) seemed to jettison any lingering hopes that the inauguration would temporarily ease partisanship in Washington and instead threatened to widen the rift between the two parties.

Lewiss assertion that Trump is not a legitimate president and his announcement that he would skip Fridays inaugural ceremony prompted the president-elect to sharply criticize the civil rights leader Saturday morning.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results, Trump wrote in two tweets. All talk, talk, talk  no action or results. Sad!

Late Saturday evening, Trump continued to hammer Lewis in a third tweet. Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S. I can use all the help I can get! Trump wrote.

[How John Lewis and hundreds of freedom riders broke the chains of segregation]

Rep. John Lewis became the most high-profile Democratic lawmaker to announce that he is boycotting Donald Trumps inauguration. The president-elect, in response, said the Georgia Democrat was all talk. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The incident has left Democrats and Republicans bracing themselves for yet another showdown between the president and his political opponents  one that threatens to usher in a new era of the kind of crippling hyper-partisanship that often characterized the eight years of the Obama administration.

David Axelrod, former senior strategist and aide to President Obama, called Lewis as genuine and decent a person as youll find, but he worried that Democrats risk adopting an originally Republican playbook in their dealings with Trump and that it wont advance the partys interests.

The question is how much can a democracy take of cycle after cycle of one side claiming illegitimacy, Axelrod said. I as much as anybody else appreciate the anger because I was there when we basically faced a Republican blockade, even on things that Republicans had supported in the past. I saw how destructive that was and how difficult that was.

How a week of Trump tweets stoked anxiety, moved markets and altered plans

If you care about our democracy, how do you proceed now? Do you pay him back in kind? Axelrod asked.

Voicing the anger and disappointment of many Democrats in Congress and beyond, Lewis said in an interview with NBC Newss Meet the Press that was published Friday that he does not believe Trump is a legitimate president, citing the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia intervened in the election to bolster Trump.

I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, Lewis said.

The comments prompted anger from Republicans  even those who do not support Trump  who said that Democrats are disregarding their own breathless warnings during the campaign about the risks of failing to accept the election results.

We listened to Democrats for the last two months of the campaign say that any suggestion that the elections werent legitimate and the results wouldnt be accepted is dangerous and unpatriotic, said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist. Now those same people are trying to delegitimize Trump and say that he shouldnt be elected president.

Trumps comments were all the more charged as they came at the start of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and were seen as dismissive of Lewiss work in the civil right movement, a time when he was subjected to arrest and assault. Adding to the racial overtones is the disparagement of Lewiss district, which is majority black, as crime infested.

Interim Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile called Trumps comments an attack on a living legend and a civil rights hero.

I say that John Lewis took action. He took action marching from Selma to Montgomery, she said at a Democratic Party meeting in Phoenix.

At least a dozen Democratic lawmakers have joined Lewis, saying that they plan to skip Trumps swearing-in. And on Twitter on Saturday, many of them jumped to the congressmans defense.

Few Republican lawmakers weighed in. Two, Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Rep. Kevin Yoder (Kan.), tweeted support for Lewis even as they urged him to attend the inauguration. One other, Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), urged Trump in a pointed tweet to just stop.

The Lewis tweets capped a week of Twitter flurries by the president-elect in which he went after what he viewed as insults from various people or entities, including Clinton, CNN, the intelligence community, BuzzFeed News and Meryl Streep.

His fundamental rule is that if you come after me in any way, Ill come after you, Axelrod noted. He thinks he can bully people into cooperation. My experience has been that can drive people further away and make it harder.

There are some things that hes talking about wanting to do that hes going to need Democratic votes for.

David Weigel in Phoenix contributed to this report.
In the countdown to Inauguration Day, the guessing game over the presidency of Donald Trump continues. But there is one reality about the man who will become the 45th president on Friday. The Trump presidency will be a mold breaker. The question is whether he can run a successful presidency the same way he ran his campaign.

In almost all ways, the president-elect is breaking the conventions of presidential style. Given what happened in the campaign, this should hardly be a surprise, for Trump didnt win the election by promising to continue past practices. In other words, always expect the unexpected.

His campaign was notable for the ways in which he eschewed what political professionals would have told him to do. He ran a lean operation in the primaries, insulted his rivals and others, thrived on controversy, ran few television ads throughout, adopted an unorthodox approach to debate preparation, embraced no consistent ideology, and on and on.

His supporters didnt embrace him because they want continuity or business as usual in Washington. To the most passionate of his backers, the ways of Washington are stacked against them. They are tired of what they regard as an insiders game.

They found an unlikely champion in a billionaire developer who speaks a language they understand, rather than the political boilerplate generated from focus groups or messages that have been poll-tested and refined. Throughout the transition, Trump has given every indication he intends to remain true to the style that got him this far.

(Alice Li/The Washington Post)

Less than a week before hes sworn in, Trump continues to shock and offend. He remains determined to litigate through Twitter and other means every grievance and slight, no matter whether large or small, presidential or not. He always wants the last word.

At the beginning of last week, he couldnt resist attacking Meryl Streep after she attacked him during the Golden Globes. He called her overrated.

On Friday, as part of a morning tweet storm, Trump again attacked his defeated rival, Hillary Clinton, calling her guilty as hell for using a private email server as secretary of state. Was this his response to the news that the FBI would conduct an internal review of Director James B. Comeys controversial handling of the email investigation?

[Signs of better relations with Russia under Trump]

On Saturday, he went after Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). The civil rights icon had announced that he would not attend Fridays inaugural ceremonies, declaring that because of Russian interference in the election, he did not regard Trump as a legitimate president.

Trump belittled his critic and said Lewiss district, which includes a significant portion of the proud city of Atlanta, is in horrible shape and falling apart. All of this was taking place on the weekend of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Was this a fight Trump needed to take on?

Its a long step from those kinds of outbursts to any rhetoric in an inaugural address about healing the country after the long, rancorous and divisive presidential campaign. But then, given his determination to take down the establishment and challenge the traditional ways of doing business, Trumps real goal might not be any real attempt at reconciliation at all. Maybe he actually sees that as a fruitless exercise, given the countrys deep divisions.

1 of 18 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Photos from Trumps first news conference in six months View Photos President-elect Donald Trump took questions in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City. Caption President-elect Donald Trump took questions in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City. Jan. 11, 2017 President-elect Donald Trump, accompanied by his family, arrives for the news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Trump also is upending tradition on matters of conflicts of interest, having announced this week that he will not divest himself of his business. He pledged to put in place safeguards to avoid conflicts, but ethics experts say the steps he has taken are not sufficient. Trump seems unconcerned by the complaints.

Trumps policy priorities remain the same as he outlined in the campaign: building a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, ending or renegotiating various trade deals, taking down the Islamic State. The details of that agenda, however, remain murky, especially after a week of testimony by his Cabinet nominees, where the disagreements between Trump and those nominees played as an almost continuous loop.

They and he seem to have big disagreements on whether the Russians are adversaries to be confronted or potential partners to be courted. But they disagree on other areas, too  trade or torture or nuclear weapons for Japan or what to do with the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Trump told reporters Friday at Trump Tower that he has no problem with the apparent conflicts with his advisers-to-be. I told them, Be yourselves and say what you want to say. Dont worry about me,  he said. And Im going to do the right thing, whatever it is. I may be right, and they may be right. But I said, Be yourself. 

That might be a refreshing change from past administration efforts to stage-manage everything from the White House. Or it could suggest a disorderly or even chaotic decision-making process in the new administration, one in which the White House and key Cabinet officials are at war with one another, especially on matters of national security.

[High expectations meet the ways of Washington]

It also leaves open the question of who the real decision-makers will be in a Trump administration, beyond the president himself. Will his picks for secretary of state and secretary of defense and the CIA and national intelligence director hold sway? Or will the true influentials be those in the White House inner circle, among them son-in-law Jared Kushner and chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon or national security adviser-designate Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn?

Of all the ways in which Trump appears committed to breaking with current policy and custom is his approach to Russia. In a Wall Street Journal interview, he hinted that he is open to lifting the sanctions imposed on the Russians in retaliation for Russian hacking and other interference in the election. He said that he would keep them in place for a time but could shift if Russia appears cooperative in the fight against terrorists.

Trump won the election by winning an electoral college majority. But he enters the White House under a Russian cloud, given the intelligence communitys conclusions that Russian interference was expressly done to harm Clinton and thereby help Trump win the election.

Trump finally conceded last week that the Russians were behind the hacking, but plenty of other questions remain about what happened, how what happened affected individual voters, and what relationships, business or otherwise, Trump might have with Russians that could affect his thinking as president. The pursuit of answers will continue on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. Trump cannot wish them away.

Much remains to be learned about how Trump sees U.S.-Russian relations. Is his approach focused primarily on getting the Russians to play a constructive role in the fight against the Islamic State? Or does this fit into a vision of a world in which populist movements in Europe do battle with the existing establishments?

Fridays inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol will be marked by traditional pomp and circumstance. Trump will ride to the Capitol with President Obama, after meeting him at the White House, as has been the custom. The inaugural luncheon and parade will follow. That should be enough to humble anyone, as the transfer of power is carried out.

After that, it will be Donald Trumps presidency, to do with as he sees fit. History and past practice and the burdens that come with the office could begin to change him. But he has given every indication that his will be a presidency unlike any the country has seen in a long time  Trumpian in all respects and therefore unpredictable in approach and outcome.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry, riding a boat in Vietnams Mekong River Delta on Saturday, as he returns to the scene where his Swift boat crew was ambushed in 1969. (Pool photo by Alex Brandon/via Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

It could have been 1969 again as Secretary of State John F. Kerry stood on the bow of the small boat chugging up the Bay Hap River on Saturday, the wind billowing his sleeves and his eyes darting left and right toward banks shrouded in dark foliage.

As a young Navy lieutenant, Kerry commanded a Swift boat along this stretch of churning brown waters in the middle of a free-fire zone. Here, he earned a Silver Star for his heroics when he leapt ashore after an ambush to pursue a fleeing Viet Cong with a grenade launcher and shot him dead.

Now, some 48 years later and with the rapid approach of sunset on a political career spanning almost four decades, Kerry was about to be yanked back to that time, and come face-to-face with a Viet Cong soldier who had taken part in the ambush.

[Kerry returns to Vietnam in his last trip as secretary of state]

Aides escorted Vo Ban Tam to greet Kerry on the dock, beside a row of blue tourist boats. Tam at 70 is three years younger than Kerry. He was Viet Cong in the communist stronghold of Ca Mau, one of the enemy lying in the tall grasses waiting to entrap unprotected, thin-skinned river patrol boats like Kerrys.

Kerry, left, talks with Vo Ban Tam, 70, second from right, a former Viet Cong guerrilla who took part in the attack on Kerrys Swift boat on Feb. 28, 1969. (Pool photo by Alex Brandon/via Associated Press)

Tam apparently had been tracked down by U.S. consulate officials and invited to meet the U.S. secretary of state he once tried to kill.

Speaking through a translator, Tam said that he had known the man whom Kerry had chased and killed in the firefight of Feb. 28, 1969.

His name was Ba Thanh, and he was 24 years old.

He was a good soldier, Tam told Kerry, explaining the training and skill required to handle an R-40 grenade launcher.

Up until that moment, all Kerry knew was that he had shot a Viet Cong soldier. Suddenly, the soldier took shape as a man, with a name and a set of skills that he had used against Kerry and his crew. And Kerry suddenly knew his age.

Tam, a successful shrimp and crab producer in Vietnams southernmost province, had in effect exonerated Kerry from one of the more stinging attacks his opponents raised when Kerry ran for president in 2004. His war record was repeatedly denigrated by political enemies who questioned whether he deserved the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts he was awarded. They charged that he did nothing particularly heroic in Ca Mau and that the Viet Cong he shot was just a teenage boy.

That the Viet Cong was a man of 24, two years younger than Kerry at the time but old enough to be a credible threat, effectively negated the naysayers narrative.

A man waves as the boat with U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry aboard travels past him in the Mekong River Delta. (Pool photo by Alex Brandon/via Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

[Critics fail to disprove Kerrys version of Vietnam War episode]

Kerry stared hard at the man in the white ball cap standing before him, the rivers water reflecting off his sunglasses as he peppered Tam with questions and eagerly gobbled up details about a defining incident in his life. Tam told Kerry the Viet Cong could hear the Swift boats coming from 3,000 feet away, and he gently suggested the lumbering Americans never stood a chance.

We were guerrillas, he said. We were never where you were shooting.

Im glad were both alive, Kerry told him as they shook hands, each putting two hands into the gesture.

Kerrys encounter with Tam was the emotional peak of his two-day stop in Vietnam on Kerrys final trip as secretary of state. His office in Foggy Bottom is packed and ready to be shipped to Boston.

It is doubtful the longtime senator from Massachusetts will ever run for public office again, but he will continue to work on climate change and environmental issues, and he is particularly concerned about the effect of rising sea levels and hydroelectric dams on the rivers in the lower Mekong Delta. When he wasnt looking at the riverbank for some familiar marker from long ago, he was engrossed in conversation with a local scientist who said the effect of rising salinity and dams upstream brought once-in-100-year drought last year and threatened livelihoods.

Kerry says he will return to Vietnam, a country where he is treated as a returning prodigal son. Many here know Kerry and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who spent six years as a POW in Vietnam, for their work normalizing relations and helping transform enmity into friendship. Vietnamese officials regularly bestow big hugs on Kerry at the end of meetings, and civilians wait in the rain to watch him leave a restaurant. A local delegation that greeted him Saturday at the delighted that he has returned.

John Kerry loves Vietnam, and Vietnam loves John Kerry, said Ed Miller, a Vietnam historian at Dartmouth College with whom Kerry consulted about the trip.

But it is sometimes difficult to tell how much of the draw of Vietnam for Kerry is in the war that ended more than 40 years ago, and how much lies in its future potential as a regional economic powerhouse.

One aide described a jet-lagged Kerry arising in the middle of the night Thursday from his hotel suite in Hanoi and calling the United States to confer with one of his fellow crew members as he tried to figure out where they fought on Google Maps.

But when he drove past the site where he killed Ba Thanh, about 500 yards past a bridge and a collection of houses by a mangrove where Kerry and his men picked up troops and provisions, Kerry had an air of reserve.

You know, its, I guess, weird, he said, with a shrug. Its a little surreal. But it is real.

Kerry is clearly proud of his work leading to normalization and beyond, as U.S. trade with Vietnam in the past 20 years has grown from $450 million to $45 billion.

[In Vietnam, Kerry extols Asian trade pact Trump vows to scrap]

He thinks Vietnam is a major achievement of his political career, said Tom Vallely, a longtime friend from Massachusetts who was involved in raising funds to build the nonprofit Fulbright University Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City.

The war and the aftermath may be bookends, both in Kerrys career and as a metaphor for the United States and Vietnam themselves.

Its a wonderful sense, that after all the horror we went through, we now like each other, said David Thorne, Kerrys boyhood friend, brother-in-law and adviser. Its a small miracle that we have found a way back, to reconciliation.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news


A Barbary macaque takes in the view from the heights of the Rock of Gibraltar. (Griff Witte/The Washington Post)

When the apes disappear from the Rock of Gibraltar, the British will go, too.

So says a bit of local lore taken seriously enough that Winston Churchill ordered emergency primate reinforcements at the height of World War II, and residents of this fish-and-chips enclave in the land of flamenco pamper their simian neighbors with meticulous care and feeding.

Yet even as the colony of apes  tailless monkeys, really  thrives in its home at the top of the Rock, the 30,000 Britons who live at the foot of the soaring limestone monolith are feeling nervous.

They may not be going anywhere. But thanks to Brexit, Gibraltar is about to leave the European Union  giving Spain new impetus in its centuries-long quest to retake control of this strategically vital and economically prosperous territory, Britains sole continental outpost.

To the residents  who take their Britishness seriously  Spains suggestions that Gibraltar could be cut off from the rest of Europe unless it accepts at least partial Spanish sovereignty represent a serious threat.

Gibraltar, they say, embodies the European ideal of shared prosperity through cross-border trade and movement. But as European bonds fray, those living here worry that the coupling of Brexit with Spanish threats could return Gibraltar to a painful past.

1 of 16 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Scenes from Gibraltar View Photos The British overseas territory near Spain is about to leave the European Union because of Brexit. Caption The British overseas territory near Spain is about to leave the European Union because of Brexit. Jan. 13, 2017 A Barbary macaque on the Rock of Gibraltar. Griffe Witte/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Instead of feeding the goose that lays the golden egg, Spain is trying to kill it, said Ernest Tito Vallejo Smith, a retired military man, local historian and tour guide. We dont know whats going to happen. Were stuck in limbo.

In that respect, Gibraltar has company. Since the stunning vote by Britain in June to exit the E.U., the country has been locked in suspended animation, awaiting the outcome of negotiations that will reshape virtually every aspect of its relationship with its European neighbors.

As Gibraltars predicament shows, untangling Britain from the E.U. will not be easy. With the negotiations expected to begin this spring, British Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed that she will deliver results to a population demanding liberation from the Brussels bureaucracy and, in particular, greater freedom to limit migration into Britain.

But she also will have to defend British financial interests, which are heavily intertwined with the E.U. And she will need to look out for each of the United Kingdoms component parts, some of which  Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar  voted against Brexit.

Meanwhile, European negotiators will seek to use every bit of leverage to drive a hard bargain with their soon-to-be-former E.U. ally, and to dissuade other wavering members from a rush to the exits.

The negotiations, due to last two years, could leave tiny Gibraltar especially vulnerable. Its residents know this well, and it helps to explain why 96 percent of Gibraltarians who voted in the June referendum opted for remain.





Unlike its rainy island motherland some 1,000 miles to the north, sun-splashed Gibraltar relies on daily movement and trade across a European border to supply nearly half of its workforce and the vast majority of its resources. And the country that controls that border is Spain  which gave Gibraltar away to Britain in a peace treaty more than 300 years ago, and has wanted it back ever since.

With the Brexit vote, Spanish officials seemed to think their moment had finally come. Within hours of the result, then-Foreign Minister Jose Garcia-Margallo declared that the time to plant the Spanish flag on the Rock was close at hand.

Last fall, Spain took its case to the United Nations, arguing that Britains hold on Gibraltar represented an outdated relic of colonialism.

Spains position has slightly softened in recent weeks, with the countrys new foreign minister acknowledging that Spain has little hope of regaining control as long as the British government and Gibraltar authorities refuse to budge. But he also suggested that there will be consequences to Gibraltarians for a spurned Spanish offer of co-sovereignty.

They have a right to get left out of the E.U., if thats what they want, Alfonso Dasits told the Spanish newspaper El Pais. But if Gibraltar wants a relationship with the E.U., it will have to go through us.

To longtime residents, the implication is so clear it doesnt even need to be stated. With Britain and Gibraltar out of the E.U., Spain could decide to sharply limit movement at the border, choking off the territorys thriving economy, which is built on financial services, online gambling and e-commerce.

Most people here do not think Spanish authorities actually would go that far. But as residents know from bitter experience, it has been done before.

Never underestimate the lengths that the Spanish government will go to to damage Gibraltar, said Edward Macquisten, chief executive of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce. Thats the lesson of our history.

Indeed, steady as the Rock of Gibraltar may be a familiar phrase worldwide, but through millennia of war, siege and disputed control, this place has rarely been placid.

Its location  on a peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean, with clear views of the African and European coasts plus the nine-mile-wide strait that bears Gibraltars name  has made it an incomparable military prize. The Rock itself is a natural fortress, its sheer walls deterring all but the most dogged invaders.

But the same factors that made Gibraltar so coveted have also made it the object of damaging battles, as the tunnels, cannon batteries and pockmarked stone walls that litter the verdant Rock attest.

(Griff Witte/The Washington Post)

With only one road in and out, Gibraltar is also highly vulnerable to siege. In 1969, the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco took advantage of that weakness, abruptly closing the border. The territory was cut off from supplies and deprived of workers. Families divided by the separation were forced to shout news of births and deaths across a fence, their words dying in the sea wind on particularly blustery days.

The border was not fully reopened for 16 years, creating a bitter and lasting memory.

We dont want to go back to a situation of history revisiting itself, said Jennifer Ballantine, director of the Gibraltar Garrison Library. It was painful enough the first time.

Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo insists that that is not going to happen  and that neither is any form of Spanish sovereignty, an idea Gibraltarians emphatically rejected in a 2002 referendum.

The people of France are French, the people of Germany are German and the people of Gibraltar are British, Picardo said in an interview in his handsome offices off Gibraltars Main Street, which is lined with fruit-laden orange trees and red postal boxes bearing the seal of Queen Elizabeth II.



A backer of remain shares his view in the British territory of Gibraltar a few days before the 2016 Brexit vote. (Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)

Britains vote for Brexit, Picardo said, was a moment of deep sorrow in Gibraltar  because residents are committed Europeans and because they knew the vote to leave would give Spain leverage.

But now that Britain has made its choice, he said, it is vital for the territory to retain access to the single European market and to preserve fluid movement for the 12,000 workers who cross the border daily. He said Britains government will fight for both.

I have absolutely no doubt that London understands how important those issues are for Gibraltar and for the United Kingdom, he said.

British officials have, for their part, insisted that they will not submit to Spanish demands. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made that clear in typically colorful fashion, declaring that Britain would maintain an implacable, marmoreal and rock-like resistance to any effort to weaken its control over Gibraltar.

But even so, Gibraltars plucky residents are girding themselves for possible hard times. The monkeys  Europes only free-range colony  are here to stay, and so are the British. But that doesnt mean life wont become rough.

The Gibraltarian is a born survivor. Weve been through sieges, through wars, through all kinds of bad times, said Vallejo Smith, the tour guide, historian and lifelong resident who at 68 speaks from personal experience. But somehow, we always manage to come out afloat.

Karla Adam in London contributed to this report.

Read more:

Amid smoggy days in London, growing calls to clean up Europes toxic air

Trump may be Mr. Brexit. But his election could scramble Britains post-E.U. plans.

With Brexit in the balance, U.K. Supreme Court begins hearing arguments

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
People walk along the Red Square toward St. Basils Cathedral in Moscow on July 11. (Vasily Maximov/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Theyre resetting expectations in Russia for a reboot of relations with the United States.



It wasnt that long ago that Russias establishment was reveling in President-elect Donald Trumps victory. That enthusiasm has cooled drastically over the steady drumbeat of bad news coming from Washington.

There was Trumps acknowledgment of the intelligence communitys conclusion that Russia was responsible for hacking the Democratic Party during last years election. That followed lurid reports that Russian security agencies had compromising material on the president-elect, which came after new sanctions by the Obama administration.

Moscow dismissed it all, but then came the tough talk aimed at Russia by Trumps nominees for defense secretary and CIA chief at confirmation hearings last week, who both referred to Russia as a threat in remarks that clashed with the president-elects call for cooperation with Russia on a number of fronts.

[Trumps Cabinet nominees keep contradicting him]

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Now the euphoria has faded to a kind of somber acceptance.



Russia wants to lower expectations on the future relations with the U.S. because it is afraid of being disappointed, said Alexei Makarkin, vice president of the Center for Political Technologies, a Moscow think thank.

Makarkin said that some in Moscow are imagining something similar to the U.S.-Soviet detente in the mid-1970s, when the two nuclear superpowers tried to make deals against the backdrop of Cold War competition. Thats quite a comedown, but it reflects the words of Marine Gen. James Mattis, Trumps nominee to be defense secretary, who told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia is one of the nations top threats and that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to break the North Atlantic alliance.

Mike Pompeo, Trumps choice to lead the CIA, decried Russia as threatening Europe and doing nothing to defeat the Islamic State in Syria.

Cold War fighting words, and music to the ears of those in Congress who see Russia as an enemy.

Putin and his spokesman have consistently expressed hope for better relations but have also cautioned about excessive optimism. Now, this wait-and-see stance may be self-defeating, said Pavel K. Baev, an analyst at the Peace Research Institute Oslo.

The Kremlin has good reasons to worry that the combination of two scandals  on the hacking and on the dossier  has pushed Trump into an ugly corner, Baev said. He may conclude that since it is so hard to block the anti-Russia drive, it is far easier to take a lead on it. Makes perfect political sense, and one thing Trump is good at is making turnarounds.

(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Baev suggested that some Putin advisers may argue in favor of allowing Trump a quick and impressive victory with Moscow, instead of leaving him to explore options for going strong against Russia.

The question, is what sort of victory?

Russia has signaled its intention for improved ties by inviting the Trump administration to joint Syrian peace talks it is sponsoring this month with Turkey and Iran, part of a process from which the Obama administration pointedly has been excluded.

[First sign of enhanced relations as Russia offers Trump administration to join Syria talks]

But is that enough? Not if the peace process collapses.

A bigger prize might be if Moscow helped pressure North Korea to curtail its efforts to develop missiles that could reach the United States  a Pyongyang goal that Trump has said wont happen. But thats no slam dunk: Moscow has had better relations with Pyongyang than most, but it hasnt been able to stop North Korea so far.



The main problem is that Russia probably needs more from the United States than Washington needs from Moscow. The big one is the lifting of sanctions over Russias annexation of Crimea and its proxy war in eastern Ukraine, which the Obama administration has extended into 2018 and which restrict Russian access to Western investment and lending markets.

The issue of sanctions is probably the key for the elite of Putins circle, and his ability to move in the right direction on the way towards removing sanctions is extremely important now for him and for the elite, said Kirill Rogov, an analyst for the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy in Moscow. But Rex Tillerson, whose nomination to be secretary of state caused the most optimism in Moscow among Trumps appointments, suggested this was not the time to lift sanctions.

[What is a Russian Order of Friendship, and why does Rex Tillerson have one?]

Frants Klintsevich, who heads the defense and security committee of Russias upper house of parliament, summed up Moscows new expectations for the bilateral relationship in comments to the Interfax news agency.



Russia doesnt expect any favors from the 45th U.S. president, he said. This is a process that will go step by step even in the best-case scenario.

Natalya Abbakumova contributed to this report.

Read more:

Putin won 2016, but Russia has its limits as a superpower

Yes we did: Russias establishment basks in Trump victory

Trump and Putin: Mutual admiration is headed toward reality

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
People fill plastic containers with water provided by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the capital, Damascus, on Jan. 10. (Louai Beshara/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

The guns have fallen silent near Syrias capital, but war still shapes the rhythm of life.

First it was the price of food, which has risen steadily over the years as the fighting spread to nearby farmlands. Then came daily blackouts, affecting poor areas disproportionately and leaving most reliant on generators.

But for many in Damascus, the loss of drinking water last month was hardest to take, underscoring as it did the governments fragile hold on its most important resources as the more than five-year-old war turns in its favor.

Three weeks into the crisis, officials said over the weekend that repairs have begun on the facility that provided most of the capitals water before it was damaged in heavy fighting in late December. But activists reported renewed government shelling of the area Sunday that left 12 people dead and that is threatening the progress of repairs.

According to the United Nations, at least 4 million people in and around Damascus are now cut off from the water grid after deliberate targeting resulting in the damaged infrastructure.

Photographs shared on social media from the Damascus suburbs show residents crowding around water trucks. Many have gone from near-daily showers to weekly baths  sometimes in public parks  and doctors say gastric illnesses are on the rise among children and the elderly sickened by unclean food and dishes.

[A once-beautiful valley in Syria is now a microcosm of the countrys war]

For Terez, 40, whose accessories business closed after the economy plunged, it means worrying  about everything.

The stresses are accelerating, she said, speaking by phone from Damascus. She spoke on the condition that her family name not be used, to avoid government repercussions. I have to worry about how to manage our water supply. I have to worry about charging my phone when we have electricity. I even have to worry about doing all the housework in the few hours before the power goes out.

Most people still living in Syria are in areas held by the Assad government and its allies.

Although two recent suicide attacks have revived fears that insurgent bombings will resume in Damascus, the area is largely free of rebel shelling for the first time in years. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have crushed most of the provinces armed opposition.

All sides in Syrias war have fought hard to control resources.

An informal agreement with rebel groups in the valley of Wadi Barada left a key spring there functioning for years, but it was badly damaged last month when pro-government forces attempted to wrest back control of the facility.

Syrian officials accused the rebels of causing the damage. Local residents said it was the government, claiming that Syrian army helicopters had dropped barrel bombs on the main Ain al-Fijah water facility, leaving its pumping system out of service.

The progress of repairs was unclear Sunday, as activists in Wadi Barada and with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said government shelling had killed at least 12 displaced people taking shelter in a nearby banquet hall.



As the crisis builds, Damascus authorities have issued strict regulations on remaining water stocks, mostly from boreholes or distributed by private trucks  leaving families with only a few hours of access every two or three days.

Those with money have turned to private distributors, a system in which neither price nor quality is regulated.

Others have turned to DIY methods. Rain is collected in pots, pans and even satellite dishes. In a video posted to Facebook last week, a woman is seen washing dishes with a faucet fashioned from a bottle. We Syrians, we always have a way, she said. You switch off the tap, we create a tap. You take away water, we find water.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it is supporting distribution of water to hospitals, schools and bakeries across the capital. Everyone is being very cautious about their consumption now. You never know if what you have left will be the last, said Ingy Sedky, a spokeswoman.

On WhatsApp and Facebook, residents shared cartoons to express their annoyance: pictures of men saving water by showering stacked on each others shoulders, or of signs encouraging men and women to shower together.

And though many blame rebel forces for the damage, frustration with the governments inability to secure basic services appears to be rising.

Now there is indignation against the state because theyre delaying a military solution, said Ammar Ismaiel, a 43-year-old systems engineer who said a lack of washing water had left him wearing the same clothes all week.

After more than five years of conflict, opposition groups have been bombed to capitulation across much of the country, leveling neighborhoods in once-densely populated urban areas and spurring the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

[Over 7,100 migrant deaths in 2016 is a world record]

Control of Syrias natural resources, particularly in the energy and agricultural sectors, will be vital if the government is to rebuild the territory it ends up controlling.

Oil output has dwindled throughout Syrias war, first as a result of international sanctions and then as oil fields fell into the hands of the Islamic State or Kurdish groups.

In a research note published last week, Fabrice Balanche, a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute, said recapturing that region would be indispensable if Assad wants to refill state coffers and win economic independence from his Russian and Iranian backers.

In Damascus on Friday, one teacher was newly arrived from the shattered former opposition stronghold of eastern Aleppo. She said her parents had begged her for months to join them in the capital, reuniting the family in a middle-class neighborhood where she had played during childhood vacations.

Reached on WhatsApp and speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear for her safety, the woman said the area was unrecognizable from family photographs.

We came here for stability when our homes became unlivable, but what is this? There are people out on the streets hunting water. There is nothing in our taps, she said.

We opposed the government because we thought we could win, and we lost. Were here because finally, after all these years, we need a state to look after us.



Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.

Read more:

Damascuss crossroads of dissent and the displaced

On the front lines of the Islamic States capital, Raqqa

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Gwen Carr (left,) mother of Eric Garner, who died during an arrest by New York City police officers, attends a rally in front of NYPD headquarters in Manhattan on Oct. 6, 2015. (Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post)

Attorney General Loretta Lynch will step down without the Justice Department having charged or cleared police officers in the death of Eric Garner, whose videotaped takedown by New York City officers sparked national outrage, people familiar with the matter said.

Lynch authorized the department to move forward with the case, but made that decision so late in her tenure that lawyers and investigators could not take all the necessary steps to procure an indictment. That would entail assembling the evidence in the case and presenting it to a grand jury in order to convince the panel to return criminal charges.

The controversial case will now pass to the administration of Donald Trump and likely leave expected future attorney general Jeff Sessions with ultimate decision making authority. Sessions has said publicly he is wary of police being judged unfairly, and he is viewed as less likely to press for charges against officers involved in Garners death.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal case.

[Even the feds cant agree whether an officer should face charges in Eric Garners death]

Garner died in 2014 after he was taken to the ground by New York City police officers and put in what appeared to be a chokehold. The incident, which was caught on tape, ignited protests across the country, and Garners gasping I cant breathe became a rallying cry for those angered by the treatment of African Americans by police.

Exactly why the nearly two-and-a-half year old case could not be resolved before Lynch will leave remains unclear. The matter was initially left to state authorities  with the Justice Department watching behind them  but in late 2014, a Staten Island grand jury declined to bring charges.

Early in 2016, federal authorities began presenting the case to a grand jury, but the matter soon languished in part because of a dispute inside the Justice Department. It is possible that grand jury has now expired, and a new one would have needed to be empaneled. At least some prosecutors in the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of New York felt that civil rights charges were not appropriate, while attorneys in the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department in D.C. thought they were, according to people familiar with the case.

The Justice Department then removed New York FBI agents from the team of investigators, though others pressed forward, people familiar with the matter said.

Lynch made police reform a centerpiece of her tenure, and in the waning days of her administration, she seemed to push to cement her legacy. On Thursday, she traveled to Baltimore to announce a court-enforceable agreement that would mandate broad changes at the police department in that city, where the 2015 death of another black man sparked riots. The next day, she flew to Chicago, making public a scathing report about the police departments pattern or practice of using excessive force on suspects and revealing that city leaders had agreed in principle to a set of improvements.

The lack of a resolution in the Garner case, though, is a glaring omission, particularly given the time Lynch had to resolve it.

[Federal grand jury begins hearing evidence in Eric Garners death]

Garner initially drew the attention of police for selling loose cigarettes, and the city of New York reached a civil settlement with his family last year for $5.9 million. Though the matter was caught on videotape, convicting officers on federal charges in the matter would not necessarily be easy. Substantiating civil rights charges requires prosecutors to meet a heavy burden of proof and present evidence that might speak to an officers intent at the time of the incident.

In the high-profile case of Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014, the Justice Department found there was no evidence upon which prosecutors can rely to disprove Wilsons stated subjective belief that he feared for his safety. Prosecutors came to a similar conclusion in the 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis, describing in a lengthy news release the exacting standard they would have had to meet.

It is not enough to show that the officer made a mistake, acted negligently, acted by accident or mistake or even exercised bad judgment, the Justice Department wrote in the release. Although Clarks death is undeniably tragic, the evidence is insufficient to meet these substantial evidentiary requirements.

Sessions is a former U.S. Attorney who at his confirmation hearing this week insisted he will follow the law, and his political views will have no impact on his decision making. But he also presented himself a friend to local police, wary of actions that paint them unfairly with a broad brush.

In the last several years, law enforcement as a whole has been unfairly maligned and blamed for the unacceptable actions of a few of their bad actors, he said. They believe the political leadership of this country abandoned them.

Lawyer Jonathan C. Moore, who represents Garners family, said in an interview earlier Friday that he had sent an email to Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, on Jan. 6, asking for a status update in the case, and she had not responded. He said his last conversation with Justice Department officials came in early December, and they told him they were still investigating.

Our position is that whether its now, next week, two weeks, or four months from now, that there should be an indictment, he said. When that happens, obviously the sooner the better.

Stuart London, who is representing the officer who on the video seems to be putting Garner in a chokehold, said he, too, had not heard anything from the Justice Department.

Ive always said from the beginning that the standard needed to indict my client under a federal statute is even greater than under a state statute, and he was exonerated by a state grand jury, London said.

London said his client, Officer Daniel Pantaleo, remains a police officer on desk duty.
Significant sections of the American political establishment are actively preparing for war against Russia. This is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the language used to describe Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin by top Republicans and Democrats in recent weeks.

Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal? Senator Marco Rubio (Republican from Florida) demanded of President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, at a hearing on Wednesday. Do you believe that Vladimir Putin and his cronies are responsible for ordering the murder of countless dissidents, journalists and political opponents?

While replying that Russia is a significant threat to US interests, Tillerson refrained from repeating Rubios language. This prompted Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen to express her dismay that Tillerson was unwilling to agree with Senator Rubios characterization of Vladimir Putin as a war criminal.

The performance was repeated at a Senate hearing on Thursday for the secretary of defense nominee, General James Mattis. Republican Senator John McCain, who last month denounced Putin as a thug and murderer and called the alleged hacking of Democratic Party emails an act of war, declared that the US will be engaged in global conflict for the foreseeable future Hard power [that is, the military] matters, having it, threatening it, leveraging it for diplomacy and at times using it.

For decades, and in particular in the quarter century since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the American media and political establishment have followed a well-worn script in advance of every war of aggression. In the run-up to the bombing of Serbia in 1999, Slobodan Milosevic, a one-time US ally, was rebranded as the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. As the US prepared to invade and occupy Iraq, Saddam Hussein, another former US ally, became the Butcher of Baghdad. In 2011, countless politicians and columnists in the American and European press fulminated against Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, who was murdered before he could stand trial for war crimes filed at the International Criminal Court.

The script always has the same ending. The US does not negotiate with war criminals, butchers and thugs, it organizes regime-change operations, wages war and, in the end, generally kills them. In this case, the target of the propaganda offensive is the president of a country with the second largest nuclear-weapons stockpile in the world. The next stage in the orchestrated offensive threatens to have catastrophic consequences for the entire world.

And what of the content of the charges? Russia is a capitalist state, and Putin is the representative of the oligarchy that emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union by the Stalinist bureaucracy. Moscows foreign policy reflects the interests of this class, including in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, where it is seeking to maintain its allies and military bases in the face of an unrelenting expansion of American and European imperialism.

No political support can be given by Marxists and class-conscious workers to the Kremlins actions in Ukraine and Syria, which are driven by the reactionary interests of the Russian oligarchy. But they are essentially a defensive response to the aggressive drive by the United States to remove regimes friendly to Russia, such as the former government in Kiev and the current one in Syria, in order to isolate, weaken and ultimately dismember Russia, removing it as an obstacle to the establishment of American hegemony over the Eurasian continent.

The declarations of politicians in Washington, both Democratic and Republican, are the height of hypocrisy. In Syria, where Russia is backing its ally, Bashar al-Assad, the US has stoked civil war for more than five years, funneling arms and money to Islamic fundamentalist organizations hostile to the Syrian government. In Ukraine, where Russia is denounced for having annexed Crimea (following a referendum in which 96 percent voted to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation), the US organized a coup led by far-right fascistic forces to oust a pro-Russian government in 2014.

As for the completely unsubstantiated claims of Russian interference in the US elections, they are made by a government that has its hands in the political affairs of every country in the world. (In February 2014, it should be recalled, US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland boasted that Washington had invested $5 billion since the fall of the Soviet Union to build up pro-US forces in Ukraine.)

The various officials leading the campaign against Russia, including outgoing US President Barack Obama, are all war criminals many times over.

They all voted for and supported the US invasion of Afghanistan. For more than 15 years, US occupation forces have carried out atrocities against the civilian population of that tortured country, dropping bombs and firing drone missiles on wedding parties, schools and hospitals.

On Thursday, buried in the inside pages of papers such as the New York Times, if reported at all, was news that the US military in Afghanistan had released its whitewash report on a bombing in November that killed 33 civilians in Kunduz Province. The military claimed that the war crime was justified because the Taliban were using civilian houses as firing positions. Just over a year ago, in October 2015, the US Air Force used AC-130 gunships to attack a Doctors Without Borders Hospital in the same province, killing 42 people, including medical personnel and patients. At the start of the war in Afghanistan, the United States announced that it would not abide by the Geneva Conventions, a position it has never reversed.

Mattis, who won praise from both Democrats and Republicans at his confirmation hearing for his willingness to aggressively threaten Russia, oversaw the 2004 onslaught against Fallujah, one of the bloodiest episodes of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. A few weeks after the offensive, Mattis ordered the bombing of a wedding party in Mukaradeeb, which killed 42 civilians, many of them children.

During the fifteen years of the war on terror, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Palestine, Afghanistan and Pakistan by bombs dropped by the US military or made in the United States. The United States has operated torture centers in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

Now the target is Russia, not because of human rights violations or war crimes, but because Russia is a hindrance to US operations in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The American intelligence and military agencies, to which Congress and, for that matter, the White House are subordinated, are dissatisfied with the results of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The fall of the USSR was supposed to mark the end of history and initiate a new world order in which American imperialism would have free rein to pursue its aggressive interests all over the world, with no significant regional, let alone global, competitors.

Every war the United States has launched, however, has ended in disaster. Today, it looks out and sees threats everywhere.

This includes not only Russia, but China as well. Even as Tillerson and Mattis assured senators of their hostility to Russia, they doubled down on threats against China. Tillerson declared that the incoming administration would seek to deny China access to islands in the South China Sea, which Chinese media said Friday would amount to an act of war.

How many millions of people is the American ruling class prepared to sacrifice in pursuit of its manic drive to dominate the world? How many trillions of dollars will be spent, and which social programs will be eliminated, to pay for it? What will be the consequences of a war fought between nuclear-armed powers? These questions are never asked, let alone answered, by the media and the capitalist politicians.

Everything is being carried out behind the backs of the American and international working class by a military-intelligence clique and the corporate-financial oligarchy, along with a corrupted right-wing media. Throughout the 2016 US presidential elections, the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party warned that the most burning issue facing the population of the worldwarwas not being discussed. The aftermath of the election confirms this. The building of an international movement of the working class against imperialist war and the capitalist system that breeds war is the urgent political task.
From Good Housekeeping

If you were thinking about ordering some salmon tonight, we're going to ask you to hold the phone. According to a study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's monthly journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, scientists have discovered Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense - more affectionately known as the Japanese broad tapeworm - worms and larvae in Alaskan wild salmon and are now claiming that salmon caught anywhere off the Pacific coast could be contaminated.

Gross, but if you don't live on the West Coast - or in the U.S. for that matter - you're good, right? Unfortunately, the salmon-tapeworm problem is much more pervasive; wild Alaskan salmon, once caught, are typically transported on ice (not frozen, which kills tapeworms) to major corners of the world, including restaurants throughout the U.S. So, you could be in Boson and still be at risk.

Scientists know very little about Japanese broad tapeworms, but do know that they're related to another species, Diphyllobothrium latum, which can grow up to 30 feet long (gulp). D. latum tapeworms were thought to be responsible for the 1986 outbreak that resulted in 2,000 tapeworm infections across Japan, South Korea and the Pacific coast of Russia. Turns out, those scientists were wrong - it's been the Japanese broad tapeworm, all along.

While most infected people are asymptomatic, be on the lookout if you experience any abdominal discomfort, nausea, loose stool or inexplicable weight loss. In more severe cases, where the infection is larger, intestinal obstructions occur. If that's happening to you, you'll know.

The good news is that it's fairly easy to tell if you have a tapeworm. "The reason you know you have tapeworms is you look in your stool and you find bits of tapeworm floating in the water," Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicinem, told CNN. Nope, it's not pleasant, but a quick glance down is all it takes. No weird floating worm segments in your number two? No problem.

Story continues

If you do? Take a sample and go straight to your doctor. Treatment is usually swift and effective.

Tapeworm infection has been clinically rare in the U.S., but this new study suggests that we might be at greater risk than previously anticipated. To avoid an infection entirely, the CDC recommends consuming only adequately frozen or cooked fish - cooking or baking fresh fish on 145 degrees Fahrenheit for four or five minutes denatures the worm, and its larvae, entirely, claims Dr. Patrick Okolo, chief of gastroenterology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

How are we only discovering this now, you ask? "Because we do things that we haven't done before," explained Schaffner, like transport fresh fish over great distances, where they're consumed raw.

Diagnostic measures have also advanced significantly over the last few decades. "The tapeworm itself is probably not new - it's just that more skilled parasitologists started looking for it," Jayde Ferguson, a co-author of the study and scientist at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told CNN. "Identifying these parasites is challenging."

[h/t CNN]

You Might Also Like
The fast-food industry is heating up with competition, causing chains to add more work perks to retain current employees and use recruiting services to find new ones. According to Bloomberg , the urgency of attracting new workers is a leading indicator of labor shortage. In fact, the...

The fast-food industry is heating up with competition, causing chains to add more work perks to retain current employees and use recruiting services to find new ones.

According to Bloomberg, the urgency of attracting new workers is a leading indicator of labor shortage. In fact, the unemployment rate in the U.S. for December 2016 was 4.7 percent, the lowest its been since November 2007 (and briefly in May 2016). In September 2016, the turnover rate for workers in the restaurant industry reached 113 percent, the highest since People Report started collecting data in 1995.

Restaurant and fast-food chain workers are actively working to raise retention rates by offering raises to hourly wages and giving referral bonuses.

Eddie Rodriguez, who operates 177 Wendys locations in Florida, New Mexico, and Texas, has given $250 bonuses to employees who found prospective workers. Rodriguez even offers more flexible schedules and uses headhunters to find staff.

One of Rodriguezs employees, Lisa Aragon, who is a manager at a Wendys in Albuquerque, had one headhunter come to her five times in a month with offers including higher pay and four weeks of paid vacation.

I told him, Im happy where Im at, Aragon told Bloomberg. Theres no need for change right now.

Aragon is expecting quarterly bonuses and a raise in pay as a trainer.
Photo: Facebook

A former Miss Italy finalist is recovering from an attack allegedly from a crazed ex-boyfriend who threw acid into her face. Reportedly, Gessica Notaro suffered an attack from Jorge Edson Tavares, and a race to save her eyesight is underway.

Notaro, 28, and Tavares, 29, ended their two-year relationship last summer. In the wake of their split, Notaro has stated that Tavares, a bodyguard from Cape Verde, has been stalking and threatening his former love. According to a report from the Telegraph, Tavares allegedly waited outside Notaros home in Rimini, Italy, and flung a bottle of acid that hit her eyes and other parts of her face and body.

Shes not in danger of losing her life, but the damage is extensive, said Davide Melandri, the hospitals director, to the Telegraph. It will be a few days before we can assess how bad it is.

In 2007 Notaro was crowned Miss Romagna, winning a contest in the region where she hails from. That same year she was a finalist in the countrys Miss Italy contest, leading to a series of promotional gigs as a spokesperson and media figure. She has since moved on to become a sea-lion and dolphin trainer on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Italy.

These sorts of acid attacks are unfortunately common around the world in assaults against women, particularly in South Asia, and previous incidents have been reported in Europe. As the Telegraph states:

Barely a month goes by in Italy without women being shot, stabbed or disfigured by jealous former husbands and lovers. The attacks have followed a depressingly familiar pattern  the woman breaks up with the man, who becomes enraged by jealousy and bitterness.

The publication also noted that just three years ago, another beauty pageant contestant and model, Rosaria Aprea, needed surgery to remove her spleen after she was brutally attacked by an ex-boyfriend.

Tavares is being held on suspicion of carrying out the crime, although he has yet to be officially charged.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Photo credit: undefined

From Town & Country

Last week T&C reported that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have chosen a house in Washington, D.C., where they will move after Donald Trump's inauguration next week. But what about where their children will go to school?

Ivanka Trump has said that her first priority is getting her children settled-she's stepping down from the Trump Organization and her clothing brand and has no plans at the moment for a formal role in the administration. In a message she posted on Facebook yesterday, she wrote: "My husband, Jared, and I will be moving with our family to Washington, D.C., where Jared will serve as Senior Advisor to the President," she wrote. "I plan to take time to settle our three young children into their new home and schools."

[contentlinks align="left" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="See%20Inside%20Ivanka%20and%20Jared's%20New%20D.C.%20House" customimages="" content="article.9132"]

But what school might they attend? I contacted Susan Jones of Dunbar Educational Consultants, a firm that advises students and families on school placement.

"All of us are thinking that the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School is their best bet," Jones said. "It is the best Jewish school we have to offer in our area. It is a very respected academic institution in the D.C world and would most capably serve their needs."

It's also the most similar in terms of reputation to Manhattan's Ramaz School, which five-year-old Arabella (above), Kushner and Trump's daughter and eldest child, reportedly currently attends. Her younger brothers, Joseph and Theodore, were too young to meet Ramaz's three-year-old minimum for nursery school this year.

The Forward suggests that the children will attend Jewish Primary Day School, which the offspring of former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel reportedly attended. It's about four miles from the new Kushner/Trump house in Kalorama, whereas Charles E. Smith, in Rockville, Maryland, is more of a hike.

Story continues

Wherever they end up, it seems likely it will be a Jewish institution. Trump converted to Orthodox Judaism before her marriage to Kushner, who attended the Frisch School, a Modern Orthodox school in New Jersey, before he went to Harvard.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Where%20Will%20Barron%20Trump%20Go%20to%20School?" customimages="" content="article.8645"]

You Might Also Like
Photo credit: Getty

From Cosmopolitan

Photo credit: Getty

After Zika exploded into an epidemic in Puerto Rico early last year, U.S. lawmakers fought for nine months about funding to stop the spread of the virus. At the center of the battle: a proposal that targeted Planned Parenthood and denied its clinics on the cash-strapped island from receiving any money to address the crisis. But pregnancies and babies don't wait for politicians. As Washington emptied out for summer vacation without an agreement, 34-year-old Adriana visited her doctor in San Juan to confirm what a home test had already told her. She was pregnant. Again. All of Adrianas previous pregnancies ended in miscarriage, but she and her husband remained hopeful about having a child. But during her first trimester, she found out she had been infected by Zika, which could cause devastating birth defects.



According to health officials, as of July, Zika was infecting up to 50 pregnant women a day in Puerto Rico and accumulating a growing list of potential birth defects - microcephaly, seizures, facial abnormalities, feeding and vision problems. There is no doubt that politicians played fast and loose with womens and childrens health on the island over the past year. And with Donald Trump as incoming president, theres no certainty in the future. Trump has spoken out vehemently against womens reproductive health rights, threatened access to abortion, and denied climate change, a factor increasingly connected to human health and infectious diseases  especially mosquito-borne diseases like Zika.

Last year, I traveled to Puerto Rico with photojournalist Ed Kashi and health expert Mildred Rivera to begin filming a documentary that connects the dots between climate change and womens health. When we met in San Juan, Adriana was three months pregnant, and she didnt know what her diagnosis would mean for her and for her baby. She did know that she would have to make a choice between continuing her pregnancy or having an abortion - and that a fully informed decision would be impossible. She asked me to use a pseudonym due to the stigma around abortion, as she did not want her friends and family to know she was considering the procedure.

Story continues

Ive been trying to get pregnant for four years. Every year for three years - 2013, 2014, 2015 - I had miscarriages. This year, I wanted to try again. It was right in the middle of the Zika scare and the government was telling women not to get pregnant. Of course, no one ever mentions anything to the men. I didnt realize I was doing this alone!

When the government said, Dont get pregnant because of Zika, we kept trying anyway. My husband and I werent thinking about the government. We were thinking about us. All we were focused on was how much we wanted to start a family and trying to put an end to the intense sadness we were feeling.

Of course, I was happy when I got pregnant again. But I was also nervous.

About five weeks in, I had a rash, headache. My hands were aching. I thought, Is this my bodys version of morning sickness? When my doctor told me I had to be tested for Zika, I didnt think too much about it. Every pregnant woman is being tested in the first and second trimesters. This is the way it is now in Puerto Rico. Were used to mosquito diseases here - and compared to dengue, which can kill you, a little rash and headache from Zika didnt seem like much to worry about.

My biggest concern was miscarrying again. All of my miscarriages happened before eight weeks, and I just kept thinking, Make it to eight weeks, make it to eight weeks, make it to eight weeks. When I did, it felt like entering some magical land. For the first time, I was feeling hopeful.

Then, at nine weeks - the longest Id ever carried a baby - I got the news. Zika. I tested positive for Zika. When you ask what that means, they terrorize you with the answer: My symptoms might be mild, but what the virus can do to my baby  the birth defects it can cause

I told my mom and she was hysterical. She said, Why is this happening to you? I said, I dont know, Mommy.

Im not sure if anyone is aware of the mental health issues raised for a pregnant woman worried about having a healthy baby. Sometimes I cant think straight. I was thinking about this constantly, waking up at 2 in the morning crying. I cried so much. The message is out there, My baby is coming with birth defects.

My doctor told me again and again, Have faith. Just have faith. I couldnt believe it. Faith? Stop talking to me about faith! Talk to me about science.

Im a social worker and just today, I had to tell someone she has AIDS. Zika is like HIV was in the 80s; there are so many questions and so few answers. Thats really scary.

I was desperate for answers. The government tells people to avoid Zika by staying in air conditioning, keeping screens on the windows, and reapplying repellant every three to four hours. I have A/C. I have screens in my windows. I have OFF in my purse. But I got it anyway.

When you have it, they just tell you the bad news and refer you to a specialist. Thats it. When I got to the specialist, they didnt want to see me. They said, Come back when youre 18 weeks. Then we can see if theres something wrong with the babys head. They were totally focused on microcephaly, which is like the most extreme problem a baby [exposed to Zika] can have. Id been reading about lots of other neurological problems that can happen, and I refused to leave until someone would talk to me. Finally, the sonogram nurse came out, and we just stood in the hallway and talked.

She told me about what happened in Brazil. How so many babies exposed to Zika were being born with microcephaly. She said that it wasnt just Zika that caused microcephaly cases there but dual exposure - exposure to Zika and to the pesticide to control the mosquitoes that carry Zika. How ironic and terrible is that?

My mom lives in Florida. Shes getting married next month, and I cant go because I cant travel to places where pesticides are being sprayed to stop Zika. In Fort Lauderdale, theyre spraying with pesticides, and I cant risk that dual exposure.

[Editors note: Pyriproxyfen is the insecticide that was sprayed and added to drinking water in Brazil, and studies linking it to microcephaly have since been refuted by other scientists - most compellingly because three cities at the epicenter of the Brazilian Zika/microcephaly crisis were not using the insecticide at all. Naled - banned by the European Union - is the insecticide sprayed in Florida. When the CDC recommended spraying Naled in Puerto Rico, widespread protests about its toxicity broke out and shut the program down. The organic larvicide Bti was used in Puerto Rico instead.]

My husband and I have had the abortion conversation. Ive spoken with someone who can perform it, and after that conversation, I knew I needed to clear my mind. I had to make a choice and be firm in my choice. Could I live with my decision? Ive been thinking about terminating early because Zika is a risk no matter what and the longer I wait, the harder the decision becomes. But could I live with the idea of terminating at 12 weeks just having a Zika diagnosis and not knowing if my baby has any birth defects? Or could I better accept the consequences of the decision if I waited until week 18, so that my decision would be based on more certainty?

My husband keeps telling me, I just want you to be OK.

The bottom line is its a risk to keep a baby with a Zika diagnosis. But something the sonogram nurse said stuck with me, If it is a desired baby, wait.

Today, when I gave that woman the HIV diagnosis, I didnt just say, Hey youre positive, heres a referral. I gave her information about what to expect every step of the way and talked to her about how to access other support services. For Zika, there is no guidance. There is no support. So, I tried to build my own support network. I met with three therapists and that made a huge difference for me. It was like a light went off in this very dark place. And I did a #zika search on Facebook for pregnant women in Puerto Rico. I wanted to find someone like me - someone in her first trimester positive for Zika - who I could share my feelings and experiences with. Thats how I met Leslie. Im so grateful to have her in my life - to be able to talk with her, cry with her.

Leslie and I are dealing with the exact same thing. But were making different decisions. Ive decided that if theres a problem, I am not going to continue the pregnancy. She told me that shes going to keep her baby no matter what. I respect her decision and I understand it. Its just not the decision for me.

If I terminate, I know its huge physically and emotionally. But I also know that stress can impact babies too. This is something mothers are thinking about. If youre stressed out, its not good for your baby.

Now, what do I do while I wait? Im trying to control what I can control. I eat well. I get enough sleep. I avoid negative thinking. Im trying to advocate for myself and I decided I could advocate for others.

It began with my doctor telling me to wear condoms. What he meant was that my husband should wear condoms! Because Zika can also be spread through sex - from a man to a woman or a woman to man. If I got Zika from a mosquito, I dont want to pass it to him. Of course, its possible he passed it to me. So, my doctor tells me - and probably lots of other women - to wear condoms. But guess what? There were no condoms in his office! So, I brought in lots of condoms and put them in the bathroom. Condoms in a jar at the registration desk arent very effective because people will really only take condoms in private.

The more Ive analyzed my situation with Zika, the more I compare it to HIV. Eventually, drugs were developed to keep HIV from spreading from mothers to babies. But theres nothing like that yet for Zika. We are living in the unknown. Theres nothing I want more than to have a baby and start a family. I hope I can go forward, but even if I can, and everything seems fine at birth, doctors will be studying the baby for three years. And who knows - maybe three years will turn into five or 15. Because even doctors dont really know what to expect.

This is what pregnancy is like with Zika.

Postscript from Adriana in her seventh month of pregnancy: "I have good news! The doctor told me the baby doesnt have any signs of Zika - no signs of microcephaly. I know whats being said about possibilities for long-term problems, but Im thinking about the positive things. Im feeling very calm and very happy. Very, very happy."

Beth Murphy is the director of films at The GroundTruth Project and founder of Principle Pictures. She is directing and producing a series of films with GroundTruth film fellows focused on the impact of climate change on women and children as part of the global journalism project Living Proof: The Human Toll of Climate Change.

Follow Beth on Twitter.

You Might Also Like
Photo credit: undefined

From ELLE

Today, the Population Institute issued its warning to America-kid, you're flunking.

In its latest assessment of reproductive health and rights in the United States, the organization awarded the U.S. an overall D in reproductive health and rights, slipping from the D+ it scored in 2015.

As Republicans in both the GOP-led House and Senate have vowed to defund Planned Parenthood, the Population Institute writes that "the political outlook for 2017 is bleak." Researchers report they expect renewed attacks on family planning and reproductive health care access over the next few months, which could be sanctioned in the House and Senate and even in the Supreme Court, to which Donald Trump will soon appoint a new justice.

Overall, only 21 states earned a B- or higher from the Population Institute. And 20 states flat-out failed, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

If you live in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, or Washington, congratulations: These states were the only ones to nab an A. (And since you were wondering, no, New York wasn't accidentally omitted here. Your liberal bubble-and minereceived a decidedly average B.)

Better get your grades up, America. Or you're, like, grounded and we're all doomed.

Read the full report here.

You Might Also Like
Photo: Instagram

Hungarian celebrity Kata Sarka has joined a list of women who claim Donald Trump made sexual advances toward them while the current president-elect was married.

Photo: Facebook

The alleged pass occurred at the Miss Universe Pageant in Moscow in 2013. Sarka recently recalled the encounter while a guest on Kasza Taxi, a Hungarian talk show in the vein of Carpool Karaoke.

She told the shows host, Kasza Tibor, We were in Russia, at the final for the Miss Universe, and then a man approached me and grabbed my hand, drew me to himself and asked, Who are you?' That man, Sarka claims, was Donald J. Trump.

He asked in English, and I was so embarrassed, I will tell you shortly who he is, I was so embarrassed that I couldnt say anything else but, Hungary! Sarka goes on to say. Trump then allegedly gave her his business card and told her what hotel he was staying in.

Sarka says that Trump invited her to his hotel room, and she declined to take him up on the offer. Hes not my type Sarka told Hungarian tabloid Blikk. She also let the paper take a photo of the business card she claims to have gotten from Trump.

Sarka was not a contestant that year but claims to have been in Moscow for the event as the CEO of Magyarorszag Szepe Kft., the company that ran the Miss Universe Hungary pageant at the time. Hungarys contestant in 2013 was Rebeka Karpati.

This allegation comes in the wake of a controversial and unsubstantiated 35-page intelligence report suggesting deep ties between the president-elect and the Kremlin. The report also suggested the Russian government has blackmail material on Trump in the form of perverted sexual acts which have been arranged/monitored by the FSB.

The report was prepared by a former British intelligence officer, Christopher Steele, on behalf of a Washington political research firm, Fusion GPS. The firm was compiling opposition research against Trump as his bid for the presidency began to take shape.

The president-elect held a press conference earlier this week to address the report and dismissed it as fake news. News outlets BuzzFeed and CNN were singled out by Trump for writing stories on the report.

Story continues

CNN reporter Jim Acosta clashed with the president-elect at the press conference when Trump refused to take his question. Your organization is terrible, he told Acosta. Im not going to give you a question; you are fake news.

Trump, once the owner of the Miss Universe contest, has been accused by women involved with the pageant of misconduct over the years. A former Miss Utah, Temple Taggart, claims Trump kissed her during a rehearsal for Miss USA in 1997 when Taggart was 21. Trump denies it happened.

As far as Sarkas claim goes, the president-elect and his team have not released any statements. Sarka, it seems, is an Obama supporter; she posted a photo of the president and the first lady earlier this week to Facebook and Instagram, writing, #bestcouple #bestwife #dreamteam #bye.

???????? #bestcouple #bestwife #dreamteam #bye A photo posted by Kata Sarka (@katasarka) on Jan 11, 2017 at 1:07am PST

Trump was, in fact, in Moscow in 2013 and in a strange twist even tweeted at the time about meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow  if so, will he become my new best friend?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2013

According to NBC news the two tried to meet during the pageant but were unable to.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Kamiyah Mobley, left, and Gloria Williams. Williams is accused of abducting Mobley when she was an infant, in Florida, and raising her in South Carolina. (Photo: Facebook)

Kamiyah Mobley was abducted from a Jacksonville, Fla., hospital nearly two decades ago from her birth parents and raised in South Carolina under the name Alexis Manigo. Authorities closed the case after reconnecting Mobleys birth parents with the 18-year-old, but she was visibly torn apart at the arrest of the woman she knew as Momma.

The bizarre case began when Gloria Williams, now 51, had a miscarriage in South Carolina and traveled to a Jacksonville facility, pretending to be a nurse caring for Shanara Mobleys baby girl, who was just eight hours old.

The younger Mobley was informed on Friday, Jan. 13, by Jacksonville authorities that Williams was not her mother and spoke to her birth parents via a FaceTime video chat. Craig Aiken and Ms. Mobley will travel Saturday to see their daughter for the first time since her birth.

However, Kamiyah Mobleys emotional ties to Williams were on display at the Colleton County jail in Walterboro, S.C. In the din of the media throng, Mobley can be heard crying out for Williams and telling her that she loves her. Williams blew Mobley a kiss from behind bars while the teen grabbed for her through the bars (at the 4:43 mark in the video below).

Gloria Williams Bond Appearance (Facebook Video, WJXT):

Mobley took to Facebook to defend Williams, saying she was provided with a good life and that my mother [Williams] is no felon.

Williams bore two biological children after kidnapping Mobley, and the children were all raised together as siblings. Williams will be extradited from South Carolina to Florida in the coming weeks to face charges for her crime.

According to a report from The Telegraph, Mobley was located via tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2016. The FBI lent resources to the investigation as well. Retired cops who were part of the original investigation were questioned and pieced together

clues that helped lead to Mobleys discovery.

The Telegraph adds that Mobley has taken the news as well as she can, but is still quite attached to Williams and is somewhat hopeful for her freedom. She is slated to meet with her birth parents some time this weekend in person.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Donald Trump kicked off Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend by criticizing civil-rights icon and John Lewis and accusing him of all talk  and no action or results.

In a Twitter rant on Saturday, the President-elect said that the Georgia congressman should spent more time trying to fix his horrible, crime-infested district rather than falsely complaining about results of the 2016 presidential election.

Lewis, a Democratic representative and former freedom rider, has a long history of political action. As chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, he marched with Dr. King during the peaceful 1965 voting rights protest on Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama where he was beaten by a state trooper who fractured his skull, as depicted in the 2014 Oscar-nominated film Selma.

In an interview with NBC News that will be broadcast in its entirety on Sunday, Lewis said that he would not be attending the Jan. 20 inauguration  the first he will have missed in three decades  because he did not believe Trumps victory was legitimate.

I dont see this President-elect as a legitimate president, Lewis, 76, said. I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

RELATED VIDEO: Exclusive: Natasha Stoynoff on Donald Trumps Very Personal Attacks: Its An Attempt to Silence Women

Trumps response was typical for the New York businessman, who has often used social media to bite back at his critics.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results, Trump, 70, wrote in a series of tweets.

Story continues

All talk, talk, talk  no action or results. Sad! he added.

His response caused an outrage on Twitter across the aisle  with both conservatives and liberals stepping in to defend Lewis legacy.

Ahead of #MLKday2017, let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed.  Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

John Lewis was arrested 45 times, while Donald Trump dodged the draft. All talk, no action. pic.twitter.com/vNwUDa4Ria  Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

While you avoided the draft, John Lewis risked his life for equality in America. You'll never even dream of such selfless patriotism, Donald https://t.co/gTWwfzkwkH  Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Trump saying John Lewis is "all talk" would be like Jay Cutler saying Tom Brady is "all talk". Don't think this is the battle trump wants.  Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

John Lewis did more to make America great in one day on the Edmund Pettus Bridge than Donald Trump ever will. pic.twitter.com/C0o3HQV5xp  howard wolfson (@howiewolf) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Donald Trump says John Lewis is all talk. Here's a picture of John Lewis being beaten by a state trooper on "Bloo twitter.com/i/web/status/8

Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 14, 2017

Did you just come for John Lewis right before the day we celebrate the great Reverand Doctor King? Wow. Wowwwwwww. https://t.co/2FCw0hMFm4  Blackity Black (@FeministaJones) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

.@repjohnlewis knows true sacrifice. @realDonaldTrump has no clue. When cluelessness collides with power oppression results. Resistance! https://t.co/Eu1vWbetsl  Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

What's "sad", @realDonaldTrump, is how you can't handle an ounce of criticism coming from @repjohnlewis, or anyone else for that matter. pic.twitter.com/GJUWfxeBRw  Rob (@RobCabrera) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis.  Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) January 14, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Lewis campaigned vigorously for Clinton during the 2016 election. He has represented Georgias 5th District since 1987, which includes much of Atlanta and its surrounding areas.

He told NBC News that hes going to have a hard time working with Trumps administration.

I believe in forgiveness, he said. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. Its going to be very difficult.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who will depart next week, said that if the incoming Republican majority on the commission seeks to rollback his agenda, it will be easier said than done.

In an interview with Variety, hours after he gave a speech at the Aspen Institute defending the FCCs net neutrality rules, Wheeler said that moves to undo some of the actions taken in recent years will face public scrutiny.

The idea of taking things away that American consumers and American companies enjoy today is not the easiest thing in the world, Wheeler said. And there are processes in the Administrative Procedure Act that they have to follow in order to do this, and they have to withstand court scrutiny. That is easier said than done.

After his tenure ends on Jan. 20, the incoming administration will immediately enjoy a 2-1 majority on the commission. Republican commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael ORielly have already said that they would like to revisit the net neutrality rules. Pai gave a speech in December where he said that he would like to take a weed whacker to rules that he says have held up investment in the marketplace.

But much will depend on who President-elect Donald Trump selects as the next chair  whether that is one of the current commissioners or someone else.

Wheeler said that, after his departure, he will continue to speak out on issues like net neutrality.

I am kind of hard to keep quiet, Wheeler told Variety.

After taking a trip to Baja California and then Europe for the month of February, Wheeler said that he will join the Aspen Institute as a senior fellow, a position he said allows him to kind of figure out what happens next.

In his speech on Friday, he devoted much of his time to net neutrality, and cited press reports that a Republican-led commission, with an initial 2-1 majority, will pursue an ideologically based course.

Wheeler said that while he doesnt envision myself as leading a crusade if moves are made to roll back net neutrality and other issues, I have opinions on things and I will speak out. I am looking at what the future holds.

Story continues

Wheeler joined the FCC in 2013 and was met with some skepticism from public interest groups given that he had previously led trade associations for the cable industry and wireless firms.

But he ended up at odds with many industry lobbyists on a number of issues. By far the most contentious was the reclassification of internet service as a common carrier, a regulatory maneuver that allowed the agency to pursue a robust set of net neutrality rules. They ban internet providers from blocking or throttling content, or from selling speedier access to the consumers.

A turning point in the net neutrality debate came in June 2014, when John Oliver used his HBO show Last Week Tonight to spotlight the issue. At the time, Wheeler had proposed an initial set of rules that stopped short of reclassification, and Oliver, seeing that approach as insufficient, went after Wheelers previous experience with the cable lobby. Oliver said that it was like the equivalent of needing a babysitter and hiring a dingo.

Wheeler came to praise what Oliver did. Olivers segment helped spur a flood of public comments to the FCC  near 4 million, setting a record.

Well, I became a cult figure, Wheeler said. Actually, it helped raise the visibility of the whole thing. And it certainly created a strange sensation for me where suddenly the head of this small agency was [well] known.

President Obama came out in favor of reclassification in November 2014, and Wheeler publicly announced his support for the alternate approach the following January. Internet providers, in challenging the rules in court, have argued that the FCC didnt follow proper procedure in changing course, but the D.C. Circuit upheld the rules in a decision last summer.

Wheeler continues to push back against the argument that the net neutrality rules would turn broadband growth, noting that investment is at a high level, almost two years since the rules were passed. The reason you invest is in order to get a good return, and by golly, right now, broadband delivers a good return. Just look at the stock market, he said.

Among the issues that disappointed him was the failure to pass new rules governing cable set-top boxes, which he says might have been the most difficult battle. A final version of the proposal would have required that cable operators provide apps of their programming lineups as a consumer alternative to the rental of set-top boxes. The proposal was sidelined in September after opposition mounted from even some Democrats on Capitol Hill and Wheeler failed to secure a third vote from Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel to enable it to pass.

Although FCC officials tried to convince studios that the move would actually help content companies, the MPAA and even some of the talent guilds opposed it.

I think this was a classic situation where people wanted it, but Cablewood didnt, and they were better at organizing the political forces, Wheeler said. There is an incestuous self-dependence between the cable companies and Hollywood, and they scratched each others back on this.

Wheeler also targeted state laws that prohibited cities from offering their own internet service, as a competitor to privately-owned broadband. But the FCCs approach was sidelined in the courts.

Still, Wheeler believes that the FCCs action helped, in that no states have since passed restrictions on publicly owned internet service, and cities are still looking at it as an alternative.

That holds the potential to create new competition, even though the regulation didnt stand up to judicial review, he said.

This week, the FCC also issued a report in which it concluded that AT&T and Verizon may be violating net neutrality with their offering of video services that dont count against mobile data caps. Such zero ratings have been the focus of concern among public interest groups, who fear that it will be a way for a company like AT&T to favor its own content on DirecTV while leaving competing video providers at a disadvantage.

But its also doubtful that the incoming Republican majority, if it is determined to rollback regulations, will take action on the FCCs report.

Does Wheeler wish he had taken action sooner?

He said that the agency acted in the appropriate manner on the issue. We tried to go through due process, and we were just working on what was the stepwise logical progression through all of this. It just happened that it came to a head post election, he said.

During his tenure, Republican commissioners complained that they were being shut out of the rule making process. Wheeler has challenged that contention. At a Senate hearing in March, he and Pai clashed over the issue of whether net neutrality rules have stifled internet growth, with Wheeler pointing to a 13% jump in fiber investment. Pay called the rule a failure and offered to obtain sworn declarations from providers that they have slowed their spending.

Wheeler said that one thing he learned early on in his tenure is that no matter what you do, you are going to make somebody mad, so you better get a thick skin quickly. I realized that pretty quickly.

Having come from industry, Wheeler said that as chairman he came to a realization that, in meeting with lobbying and other groups, everyone comes in here and talks about how their self-interest is synonymous with the public interest.

He added, And you know, I used to do the same thing. My aha moment was that the public interest was a pretty malleable concept. The public interest is determined by the old adage, Where you stand depends on where you sit. And so, what I have tried to do is say, OK, we need another standard. And I kept saying to myself, What is it that is in the common good, as differentiated from the public interest? Because the common good is how you can serve the good of the most people the best way.

His proudest accomplishment that got little attention, he said, were actions on improving access to technology for people with disabilities. We have had a whole series of decisions and actions on disability issues, he said.

Asked what advice he would give to his successor, Wheeler again gave a warning of what will be ahead if the next FCC seeks to reverse many of the actions of the previous one. He said that person should enjoy the experience, but also be mindful of the Administrative Procedure Act.

You can oppose decisions based on ideology, but the law requires that you make decisions based on the facts in the record, he said.

Related stories

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Warns GOP on Potential Rollback of Net Neutrality

AT&T Says It Doesn't Anticipate FCC License Review in Time Warner Merger

President Obama Renominates Jessica Rosenworcel for Another Term
Yanni Alexis Mardas, or "Magic Alex" as he was known in the Beatles universe when he was among Apple Corps' earliest employees, died Friday.

Yanni "John" Alexis Mardas, or "Magic Alex" as he was known in the Beatles universe when he was among Apple Corps' earliest employees, died Friday at the age of 74.

CNN Greece (via Billboard) reports that Mardas died of natural causes in his Athens, Greece apartment.



John Lennon was first introduced to Mardas, an Athens-born artist who had exhibits at the Beatles-frequented Indica Gallery in London, through the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones; Mardas had created a psychedelic light show for the Stones' Their Satanic Majesties' Request tour.

Lennon soon became enthralled with Mardas' "Nothing Box"  a blinking light box that stimulated Lennon's LSD trips  and recruited the Greek expatriate, now dubbed "Magic Alex," into the Beatles' inner circle, employing Mardas as the head of Apple Electronics.

"I invented a large number of electronic devices, none of which had anything to do with music of the business of the Beatles," Mardas said in a 2010 statement after suing the New York Times for defamation after the newspaper called him a charlatan.

"It must be remembered that none of these had even been thought about by others at the time, although most of them are now in common use," citing the "memory phone" and "the composing typewriter," which worked off voice recognition.

In 1968, Mardas, who previously claimed to have the technological wherewithal to construct a 72-track tape machine, was placed in charge of building the Beatles a new recording studio in the basement of Apple's Savile Row headquarters; that project was scrapped soon after Beatles manager Allen Klein was brought in to straighten out the hemorrhaging Apple Corps. Following that incident, Mardas and Apple Corps parted ways.

"Magic Alex" accompanied the Beatles on their visit to India to study transcendental meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Mardas also served a pivotal role when Lennon attempted to leave then-wife Cynthia Lennon for Yoko Ono.

Story continues

"I've come with a message from John," Mardas told Cynthia Lennon after John and Ono departed together for New York. "He is going to divorce you, take Julian away from you and send you back to Hoylake."

Lennon recognized Mardas as the co-writer of the Beatles outtake "What's the New Mary Jane," although "Magic Alex" was not officially given a songwriting credit on the Lennon/McCartney track. Mardas also made an appearance in the band's Magical Mystery Tour film.

Related Content:
The Daily Beast

Getty Images/TwitterJoshua Primo, the shunned NBA newcomer cut amid allegations he regularly exposed himself to a team therapist, said Thursday that his accuser was using ugly stereotypes and racially charged fears for her own financial gain.Primo made the bizarre claim just hours after Dr. Hillary Cauthen filed a lawsuit in Bexar County, Texas, against Primo and the San Antonio Spursa lawsuit in which she explicitly stated that shes not seeking monetary damages.Instead, Cauthen, a 40-year-o
On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom With Distinction , the highest honor a civilian can receive.

Getting to that podium, however, was not without difficulty. Biden's lengthy career in politics has featured multiple personal and professional setbacks, including the deaths of three family members.



Still, it seems Biden has lived by the advice his father once gave him: "Champ, the measure of a man is not how often he is knocked down, but how quickly he gets up."



Biden's career, with all of its ups and downs, teaches three valuable lessons about success.

1. Struggles, even tragedies, don't need to keep you from pursuing your goals

In November 1972, at 30 years old, Biden was elected to the Senate, winning by a margin of just 3,000 votes. Only a month after the professional victory, disaster upended his life.



While shopping for a Christmas tree, Biden's wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident. His sons Beau and Hunter were badly injured but survived.



Biden initially said he would not accept the Senate nomination, but after Majority Leader Mike Mansfield kept calling him, he agreed to take office. Biden took his oath from his sons' hospital room.



He went on to pursue a career in politics, rising to become Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1987.

2. Learn from mistakes to ensure your legacy

In 1988, Biden entered the presidential race, but reports of plagiarism during law school and false claims about his academic record derailed his campaign. He later admitted to mistakes and pledged to be more candid in the future.

Over time, Biden became seen by many as a uniquely honest public figure. A 2015 CBS News/New York Times poll found that Biden topped the list of the most trustworthy politicians in either party.

In 1991, Biden faced controversy again, this time over his handling of the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings, which involved allegations of sexual harassment by one of his employees, Anita Hill. Biden did not call three other witnesses who could have echoed Hill's charges, a move that some progressives found unfair.



Story continues

In the years that followed, Biden promoted legislation that foregrounded women's concerns. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Violence Against Women Act, which Biden had introduced to Congress. And as Vice President, he became a chief advocate for the Obama administration's campaign to combat sexual assault on college campuses.

The VP also racked up other accomplishments: He oversaw a $840 billion economic stimulus package, led the administration's task force to strengthen the middle class, worked to reduce gun violence and became a key player in U.S. foreign relations.

3. Make perseverance your trademark

In 2015, personal tragedy struck again. Biden's eldest son Beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46. Biden's devastation played a role in his decision not to run for president in 2016, which he now says he "regrets every day."

But the 74-year-old says he plans to stay actively involved in politics. And if Biden's career is any indication, that's not just talk.



"Failure at some point in your life is inevitable," Biden said in 2008. "But giving up is unforgivable."
Vatican City (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warned Saturday that moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would deal a huge blow to hopes for Middle East peace.>

Commenting as he opened a Palestinian embassy at the Vatican, Abbas added that anything which legitimised the "illegal Israeli annexation" of Jerusalem would "bury the hopes for a two-state solution, and fuel extremism in our region".

The Palestinian leader held a private meeting with Pope Francis before inaugurating the diplomatic mission, located in a building facing the Vatican that also houses the embassies of Peru and Burkina Faso.

Speaking briefly to reporters, Abbas reiterated his opposition to the possible transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as President-elect Donald Trump had indicated he might do.

"We cannot say anything yet because it has not happened, but if this does happen it will not help the peace process. I hope it will not happen," said Abbas, speaking in Arabic.

In a separate English-language statement, he hailed the Vatican's hosting of a Palestinian embassy.

"We are very grateful about the role that the Holy See has played for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land, and for having opened an embassy of Palestine in the Vatican for first time," he said.

But Abbas expressed concern about Trump's pledge during the election campaign to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there.

- 'Fuel extremism' -

Such a step would be a historic break with US policy, and with most of the international community, over the status of Jerusalem, also claimed by the Palestinians as capital of their future state, an issue to be settled by negotiation.

"Any attempts at legitimising the illegal Israeli annexation of the city will destroy the prospects of any political process, bury the hopes for a two-state solution, and fuel extremism in our region, as well as worldwide," Abbas said.

Story continues

"In this moment, we extend our hand to President-elect Trump for his cooperation to make peace based on international law," he added.

Abbas met with Pope Francis for 20 minutes ahead of the embassy opening.

Among the gifts exchanged, Abbas offered the pontiff a stone from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, according to Greg Burke, spokesman for the Holy See.

A Vatican statement regarding Israel and the Palestinians added: "Hope was expressed that direct negotiations between the parties may be resumed to bring an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations, and to find a just and lasting solution."

The private audience was the third meeting between Francis and Abbas. The pontiff visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories in 2014 and Abbas made a trip to the Vatican the following year for the canonisation of two Palestinian nuns.

Relations between the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority turned a new page in 2015 with the signing of an agreement to create a Palestinian embassy at the Vatican.

The agreement -- two years after the Vatican recognised Palestine as a state -- provoked the ire of Israel, which was also angered when Francis called Abbas "an angel of peace" during their meeting in May 2015.
Federal and local authorities in Jacksonville, Florida, announced Friday that they had recovered a kidnapping victim abducted from her mother's hospital room as a newborn 18 years ago, the Florida Times-Union reported. They've also arrested a suspect.

Kamiyah Mobley was eight hours old when she was taken from her 16-year-old mom's recovery room at the University Medical Center, now known as U.F. Health Jacksonville, in 1998 by a woman dressed as a nurse. The suspect reportedly spent hours with the infant and her mother, Shanara, before claiming Kamiyah was sick with a fever and leaving the premises with the newborn.

The case received significant local and national media attention as a distraught Shanara Mobley attempted to locate her missing child. Ten years after the incident in 2008, she told the Florida Times-Union it was "stressful to wake up every day knowing that your child is out there and you have no way to reach her or talk to her."

Over the nearly two decades since Kamiyah Mobley's disappearance, authorities released composite sketches of both the victim and suspect as well as surveillance footage of the purported kidnapper. Thousands of leads came in from across the country and beyond, with responses to a $250,000 offer for information coming from as far away as Novia Scotia. Last year, police received tips that Mobley may have been living in Walterboro, South Carolina, under another name. Recent DNA tests concluded that the woman in question was Mobley. She was reportedly found in good health.





Police have arrested Gloria William, 51, in connection with the crime. Williams was living with Mobley at the time of discovery and has since been charged with kidnapping and interference with custody, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Mobley's family has reportedly been notified of her discovery and were "elated" according to the Jacksonville Sherrif's Office Twitter account. Authorities stated that any reunion would have to be on Mobley's terms as she was now an adult.

Story continues

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Related Articles
By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Film star Johnny Depp's tumultuous divorce from actress Amber Heard was finalized on Friday, ending the couple's marriage after months of highly publicized claims by Heard of domestic violence and counterclaims from Depp of financial blackmail. Court papers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday detailed a splitting of marital assets and an agreement by Depp, 53, to pay a previously announced sum of $7 million to Heard, 30, that she said will be donated to charity. Heard filed for divorce in May after 15 months of marriage, and days later obtained a temporary restraining order against Depp. She said in court filings that Depp was abusive to her throughout their marriage, culminating in an argument in May in which he hurled a cell phone into her face and shattered various objects in her apartment. A lawyer for Depp denied allegations of abuse and argued that Heard was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse." As part of the divorce settlement, Heard dismissed her request for a continued restraining order against Depp. She also dropped her defamation lawsuit against Depp's friend, comedian Doug Stanhope, over an article he had written accusing the actress of blackmailing and manipulating her estranged husband. The divorce papers showed that Depp would retain sole possession of numerous real estate assets, including properties in Los Angeles, Paris and his private island in the Bahamas. He will also keep more than 40 vehicles and vessels, including vintage cars and his motorcycle collection. Heard will maintain custody of her dogs Pistol and Boo, the two canines at the center of a scandal in Australia in which Heard pleaded guilty to falsifying travel documents to sneak her pets into the country in 2015 without proper quarantine procedures. Heard said she would split her $7 million divorce settlement equally between the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Court papers said Depp has paid $200,000 of the settlement so far, and will pay the rest over the course of the year. The payments will be made from Depp's compensation from his upcoming film "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" and sale of some of his properties, the papers showed. Heard's attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, hailed the finalization as a "great day" for his client, adding, "All Amber wanted was to be divorced and now she is." There was no immediate statement from Depp or his representatives. (Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Steve Gorman and Mary Milliken)
SINGAPORE/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Archer Daniels Midland Co <ADM.N> has become the latest global agricultural trader to undergo senior management changes as the sector grapples with a grain glut that is depressing prices.

The chief executive at the U.S.-based firm's trading arm in Asia, Frederik Groth, has left the company, two traders and a company source said on Friday.

In November, Patrick Heijbroek became the company's global head of grain trade, a change from his experience trading vegetable oils earlier in his career, according to his LinkedIn profile.

ADM spokeswoman Jackie Anderson said on Friday the company does not comment on personnel matters.

The changes come after a volatile year for global commodity traders, with bumper crops in major growing nations like the United States and production shortfalls in South America jarring markets for corn <Cc1> and soybeans <Sc1> and intensifying competition among merchants.

Losses stemming from ADM's global trading desk contributed to a 53 drop in first quarter profit last year.

Groth came to ADM via German-based commodity trader Toepfer International, where he served as CEO of its Asia unit from 2012 to 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In June 2014, ADM took full ownership of Toepfer after amassing an 80 percent stake and renamed the nearly century-old company as ADM Germany.

Heijbroek formerly worked as a senior trader for COFCO Agri, according to his LinkedIn page.

Last week, COFCO Agri, the international grains business of China's state run COFCO Corp [CNCOF.UL], said that Matt Jansen had resigned as CEO after 18 months.

Kevin Brassington, COFCO Agri's global head of grains and oilseeds, also left, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Jansen and Brassington formerly worked for ADM.

(Reporting by Naveen Thukral in Singapore, Dominique Patton in Beijing, and Tom Polansek and Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by P.J. Huffstutter and Bill Trott)
Politics

All talk: Trump attacks civil rights hero John Lewis for questioning his legitimacy

Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaires White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office. Trump tweeted on Saturday that Lewis, a Democrat who represents Georgias 5th congressional district, should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results." The incoming president added: "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!

You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. Its going to be very difficult. I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president. I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. Lewis, in an interview with NBCs Meet the Press set to air Sunday

Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than a half-century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans. The weekend clash highlighted the sharp contrast between how many African-American view Trumps inauguration compared with Barack Obamas eight years ago. It also demonstrated that no one is untouchable for scorn from a president-elect with little tolerance for public criticism. Trump has found political success even while attacking widely lauded figures before and after the campaign  a prisoner of war, parents of a slain U.S. soldier, a beauty queen and now a civil rights icon. Lewis Democratic colleagues quickly came to his defense Saturday. The Democratic Party of Georgia called on Trump to apologize to Lewis and the people of his district.
Donald Trump (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trump lashed back out at Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., on Saturday morning after the civil rights leader questioned the legitimacy of his upcoming presidency.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk  no action or results. Trump tweeted.

The president-elect tacked on his favorite Twitter conclusion: Sad!

On Saturday night, he added:

Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S. I can use all the help I can get!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2017

On Friday, NBCs Meet the Press published an early portion of its interview with Lewis, who said he didnt view Trumps presidency as legitimate. Lewis pointed to the U.S. intelligence communitys allegation that Russia interfered in the election via cyberattacks and other methods.

Its going to be very difficult. I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president, said Lewis.

Late last month, President Obama ordered retaliatory sanctions against two Russian intelligence agencies and expelled 35 Russian suspected spies from the U.S.

Throughout the campaign, WikiLeaks published a trove of embarrassing emails from the Democratic National Committee and from Hillary Clintons campaign chairman that the U.S. intelligence community said were leaked by Russian hackers. The Obama administration has not claimed that Russia played a decisive role in the election, and the integrity of the vote has not been questioned by officials.

I think there was a conspiracy on the part of the Russians and others to help him get elected, Lewis said. Thats not right. Thats not fair. Thats not the open democratic process.

Story continues

Lewis, who now represents parts of Atlanta in Congress, was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington. Lewis has emerged as one of the leading critics of the Trump administration, and testified against Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., during his confirmation hearing to become Trumps attorney general.

He is also one of a handful of House Democrats who have said they will boycott the inauguration, which is normally a celebration of bipartisanship. Hillary and Bill Clinton have both said that they will attend.

After Trumps Twitter barrage against Lewis, a number of residents of Lewis district took to social media to dispute Trumps characterization of its neighborhoods. Additionally, a slew of congressional Democrats and even Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., came to his defense.

John Lewis and his "talk" have changed the world.https://t.co/qeUloAkeTx https://t.co/aH2vDLjKk9  Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 14, 2017

Ahead of #MLKday2017, let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed.  Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) January 14, 2017

.@repjohnlewis knows true sacrifice. @realDonaldTrump has no clue. When cluelessness collides with power oppression results. Resistance! https://t.co/Eu1vWbetsl  Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) January 14, 2017

Post updated 7:30 p.m. ET to include Trumps new tweet.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Johnny Depp and Amber Heards divorce was finalized Friday at a Los Angeles court after months of clashing over the final terms of the break up. Depp has agreed to pay Heard $7 million, and the actress will get the custody of their dogs Pistol and Boo, who made headlines after Heard took them to Australia illegally in 2015.

The 30-year-old actress reportedly said she will donate to the $7 million to two charities.

It is a great day. All Amber wanted was a divorce and now she has it. In the words of Gerald Ford, Our long national nightmare is over, Heards attorney Pierce ODonnell told People magazine.

Depps lawyer, Laura Wasser, said they were all pleased to put this unpleasant chapter in Mr Depp and his familys lives behind them.

She has laid domestic abuse allegations against Depp, who denied those claims. The 53-year-old Pirates Of The Caribbean actors lawyer also denied the allegations, saying Heard was attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse. Law-enforcement authorities who investigated the matter found no evidence of a crime.

Heard, who was seen alongside Depp in 2011 thriller The Rum Diary, had also filed for a restraining order against her former husband. However, it was dropped after the majority of the terms of the divorce were settled last August.

Heard reportedly said she would donate the divorce settlement money to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

The couple, who exchanged vows in a private ceremony in February 2015, does not have children together. They were married for nearly 18 months when they split in May 2016.

Related Articles
London (AFP) - Antonio Conte insists Chelsea defender John Terry won't be allowed to leave the Premier League leaders during the January transfer window.

Terry has been unable to nail down a first team place since returning from injury and the Chelsea captain was linked with a temporary move to Bournemouth this week after Blues defender Nathan Ake was recalled from his own loan spell at Dean Court.

The 36-year-old is potentially in the final months of his career-long association with Chelsea, for whom he has made more than 700 appearances since making his debut more than 18 years ago.

But Chelsea boss Conte is adamant Terry, who is suspended for Saturday's trip to Premier League champions Leicester, is still too important to be let go while his team are in the midst of the title challenge.

"John is an important player for me, if he plays or he doesn't play," Conte told reporters on Friday.

"This squad needs him. He's a great player, but also a great man and for me it's fantastic to have a person like him to help me in my first season at Chelsea.

"For this reason, I repeat, John stays with us, is our player, is in my squad. And when I see the situation and I want and he deserves to play, he'll play."

As well as keeping Terry in the squad, Conte hopes the return of Ake, who can play in central defence, in midfield or left wing-back, will be like having a new signing.

"We 'bought' Ake," Conte added. "His situation makes me more calm, also in the market, in January.

"When you have a player who can play different roles, it's good for me.

"The first impressions are a lot of positives. This player has a good personality, he's mature to stay with us.

"It's not a gift. I don't like to gift someone. He deserves to come back to Chelsea."

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday for the first time since Tottenham ended their 13-game winning run 10 days ago.

Story continues

Conte's side are five points clear at the top of the table entering this weekend's fixtures, while Leicester are 15th, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Asked about Leicester's struggles, Conte, on Friday voted the Premier League's manager of the month for December, said: "I'm not surprised because this league is very tough.

"For sure I consider Leicester a really good team, with good players. A good mix. They have a great manager. But it can happen, this, in this league..

"The Leicester game is very important. It's important for us to restart, to restart to win."
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f348654%2f40ca5016-b79f-4099-af65-f2bbfb6ee21e

A tortoise in San Antonio is being blamed for a fire that spread to a neighboring home, causing an estimated $150,000 in damage.

The tortoise's motives remain unclear.

SEE ALSO: For the love of charity, look at these dog bellies

According to Fox 29 San Antonio the reptilian suspect is 15 years old, his name is Bits and he weighs about 120 pounds.

Bits reportedly knocked down a heat lamp in his outdoor enclosure around midnight on January 10, starting a fire that spread to a neighboring home. The family in the burned home had to evacuate but was unharmed. Bits himself suffered minor burns to his shell but nothing serious.

Since the tortoise had nothing to gain monetarily by starting the fire, we must assume it was a reckless love for the flame that inspired his late night pyromania.

That or, like, it was just a dumb tortoise bumping into a lamp. Who can know?

BONUS: 'TMNT' remade in 8-bit
Bangladesh police on Saturday said they have arrested an Islamist extremist accused of being one of the "masterminds" of last year's deadly siege at a Dhaka cafe where 22 hostages were killed.

A police spokesman said Jahangir Alam was detained Friday night by counter-terrorism forces in Elenga, a town some 120 kilometres (63 miles) north of the capital.

"He is one of the main masterminds of the Holey Artisan Bakery (cafe) attack," Yusuf Ali, an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka police force, told AFP.

"He was a member of a new faction of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and was directly involved in the murder of at least 22 religious minorities including Hindu priests and a Christian and foreigners (at the cafe)," he said.

Japanese and Italian diners were among the 18 foreigners shot and hacked to death in the attack on July 1 last year.

The siege lasted for 10 hours until army commandos, using armoured vehicles, stormed the compound.

Sanwar Hossain, an additional deputy commissioner of the police's counter-terrorism and transnational crime unit, said Alam was a close associate of Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi Canadian who was named as the primary architect of the cafe siege.

"(Alam) was notorious. He led around two dozen attacks on religious minorities outside the capital," he told AFP.

Alam, 32, was present with Chowdhury at a Dhaka hideout where they planned and organised the cafe attack, Hossain added.

The arrest comes a week after police killed two Islamist extremists including another plotter of the cafe siege in a shootout in Dhaka. Chowdhury was killed during a raid outside the capital in August last year.

The country's security forces launched a deadly crackdown against Islamist extremists following the attack, which badly undermined Bangladesh's reputation as a relatively moderate Muslim nation.

Since the siege, security forces have killed around 50 Islamist extremists, including most of the alleged leaders of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Story continues

However, the Islamic State (IS) organisation also claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, posting images of the carnage as it happened and photos of the gunmen who had posed with the group's black flag.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities.

While many of those attacks have been claimed by IS or Al-Qaeda, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has blamed local militants, denying that international jihadists have gained a foothold in Bangladesh.

Critics say Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents.

Last August US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Dhaka that there was evidence to link the extremists behind the recent spate of deadly attacks in Bangladesh to IS.
Uh-oh! There might be some competition going on between The Weeknds rumored lady love Selena Gomez and his ex-girlfriend, Bella Hadid, after both women recently shared their racy photos on Instagram. Even though Gomez was the first to flaunt her killer body on social media, it did not take long for Hadid to send her own racy revenge snap.

Hadid and The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, amicably broke up last year. But less than two months after, Hadids 26-year-old Grammy Award-winning ex-boyfriend was spotted out on a PDA-filled date night with Taylor Swifts squad member Gomez.

Even though Hadid reportedly unfollowed Gomez after the kissing photos emerged, the 20-year-old Victorias Secret model was mum about Gomez and Tesfayes dating rumors. But since Gomez posted a racy photo on Instagram, Hadid shared her very own version of a sexy image while showing some major side boob, Fox News noted.

In the Boomerang video Hadid shared on Instagram, the model was flaunting her killer physique and side boob in a high-rise, low-cut black one-piece swimsuit. According to Us Weekly, Hadid captioned the post with, goodnight love and light to you all happy to be home.

Meanwhile, Daily Mail reported that Hadid was seen for the first time in public following the PDA-filled date night fiasco of ex-beau The Weeknd and Gomez. The publication noticed Hadid was looking sad and downcast, when she arrived back in Los Angeles on Friday following a trip to the Bahamas.

Despite the publication claiming that heartache was clearly showing with Hadid, the model clearly showed her ex-boyfriend what hes missing when she posted the Boomerang video on Instagram. The said post has been viewed over 3.4 million times.

As for rumored lovebird Gomez and The Weeknd, the 24-year-old Hands to Myself hitmaker was the first one who posted an almost-naked snap. The Weeknd, on the other hand, recently told GQ magazine about his nontraditional views on love and marriage, saying having children will happen first before getting married.

Story continues

Based on the Instagram posts, who do you think is sexier  Hadid or Gomez? Sound off below!

Bella Hadid

Photo: REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Related Articles
Rob Kardashians on-again, off-again girlfriend Blac Chyna has been cleared of her drug possession case. To celebrate the good news, the video vixen showed off her happiness with her kids, King Cairo and Dream Renee, on social media.

On Friday, just a few hours after her cases dismissal, Chyna, born Angela Renee White, took to Instagram to share a short clip of her hugging 4-year-old King and 2-month-old Dream. In the video, Chyna flashes a smile as she embraces her children. The 28-year-old mom-of-two appears to have been crying before filming the video.

Chyna used a Snapchat filter to adorn their heads with flowery headbands. She also used the weary face and heavy black heart emojis alongside the caption which read, My babies.

Many of Chynas fans couldnt help but compliment the Rob & Chyna star and her tykes. One fan wrote: Absolutely beautiful angels. Youre a good mommy! Another chimed in: Oh my. Your family is so beautiful, but this is not surprising because you are a fabulous mom.

Chynas post comes after TMZ revealed that her drug possession charges were dismissed after she was proven to have shown her best behavior to the prosecution. The model-entrepreneur committed a non-violent offense, so she was asked to take some classes possibly on substance abuse. Now that shes completed the classes, Chyna is off the hook.

Chynas case goes all the way back to her arrest in Austin International Airport in January 2016. At the time, police discovered two pills in her sunglasses case while she was attempting to board a flight to London after drinking at the Saxon Pub.

An affidavit about Chynas (real name Angela Renee White) arrest read, Whites behavior was unpredictable, going from extremely angry, cursing at everyone then to crying, as quoted by Us Weekly.

Blac Chyna

Photo: Reuters/Danny Moloshok

Related Articles
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh police said on Saturday they had arrested one of the men behind a militant attack on a Dhaka cafe last year that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners. Jahangir Alam was detained late on Friday during a raid in Tangail, about 100 km (60 miles) northwest of the capital, the head of the counter-terrorism police, Monirul Islam, told reporters. He was one of the masterminds, Islam said. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the July 1 assault, when gunmen charged into the cafe in the diplomatic quarter. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American and an Indian were among the dead. Bangladeshi authorities say they suspect the involvement of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an outlawed domestic group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Islam said the arrested man had been a commander for the group in the north of the country. Police have killed about 50 suspected militants in shootouts since the attack, including the man they say was its main planner, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. (Reporting by Ruma Paul)
The Justice Department released a 161-page report Friday detailing the results of its 13-month investigation into the Chicago Police Department. The report paints a damning picture of a department suffering from systemic problems in the way it trains officers, the way it interacts with the community, the way it uses force, both deadly and non-lethal, and the way it investigates the use of that force after the fact.

Our investigation found that CPD officers use unnecessary and unreasonable force in violation of the Constitution with frequency, and that unconstitutional force has been historically tolerated by CPD," the report said.

The report cites several incidents to illustrate these problems. International Business Times compiled some of the report's most revealing events and the trends they demonstrate:

1. Chicago police shoot people who flee and pose no threat. We found numerous incidents where CPD officers chased and shot fleeing persons who posed no immediate threat to officers or the public," the report's authors wrote. The report notes that investigators found instances in which officers chased suspects on foot without having any reason to believe the suspect committed a serious crime. "In these cases, the act of fleeing alone was sufficient to trigger a pursuit ending in gunfire, sometimes fatal," the report said.

Investigators highlighted several examples. One was a case in which a man was walking down a residential street when officers drove up to him and ordered him to freeze when they saw him "fidgeting with his waistband." The man took off running, and three officers ran after him. While chasing the man through a residential neighborhood, officers fired 45 rounds at the man, killing him. The officers later said the man fired at them during the pursuit, but no gun was found on the man's body.

"Officers reported recovering a handgun nearly one block away," the report said. "The gun recovered in the vicinity, however, was later determined to be fully-loaded and inoperable, and forensic testing determined there was no gunshot residue on the mans hands."

Story continues

Department investigators found the killing of the man was justified, the report said. DOJ investigators noted that although Chicago has policies about pursuing suspects in vehicles, it does not have any policies for chasing suspects on foot, an omission DOJ says should be corrected.

2. Chicago police unnecessarily fired weapons at vehicles. Noting that shooting at vehicles is inherently dangerous and almost always counterproductive, the DOJ said that although CPD policy stated that officers should move out of the way of cars, investigators found many incidents in which officers fired after recklessly positioning themselves in the path of a moving vehicle.

In one such incident, an off-duty officer saw a driver crash his vehicle leading a high-speed chase. The driver, while trying to escape, wedged his car between an officers vehicle and a tree.

The officer moved in front of the trapped car and fired two shots into the windshield, claiming he did so because he heard the cars engine revving, the report says. Police investigators, who never asked the officer why he moved in front of the car, or why he didnt try to get out of the way instead of shooting the driver, found the shooting justified despite the apparent policy violation.

3. Chicago police used unreasonable force against children. The CPD has a history of subjecting children to force for non-criminal conduct and minor violations, the report said. The authors recount an incident in which officers hit a 16-year-old girl with a baton and then Tasered her after she was asked to leave the school for having a cell phone in violation of school rules. The officers claimed the force was justified because the girl flailed her arms when they tried to arrest her." The report notes this was not an isolated incident," and goes onto say that CPDs Taser policy does not address the use of Tasers on children. It should.

4. Chicago police officers often failed to wait for backup and put themselves in dangerous situations, raising the likelihood of a deadly encounter. The report said investigators saw a trend of officers putting themselves in a position of jeopardy and limiting their force options to just deadly force. The report lists several such incidents, including one in which an off-duty officer saw a mans silhouette in a vacant building and suspected the man was a burglar. The officer called 911, but didnt wait for other officers to arrive, choosing instead to call the man to come out of the building. The man came out of the building, and approached the officer, yelling Youre not a f---king cop. The officer struck and kicked the man, who then reached into his waistband and withdrew a shiny object, prompting the officer to fire twice, killing the man. No weapon was recovered.

A silver watch was found near the victim. Investigators found the killing justified. The same officer later shot another man in the back during a foot pursuit. He claimed the man had pointed a gun at him, but none was ever recovered.

5. Chicago police don't properly investigate use of force incidents. While CPD has policies in place to make sure supervisors investigate use of force incidents by officers, these incidents are often not reported and supervisors often do not conduct real reviews, the report said.

As a result of so few force incidents being reported and even nominally investigated, and the low quality of the force investigations that do occur, there is no consistent, meaningful accountability for officers who use force in violation of the law or CPD policy, the report states. This has helped create a culture in which officers expect to use force and never be carefully scrutinized about the propriety of that use, the report said.

The report also noted that Chicago paid over half a billion dollars to settle or pay judgments in police misconduct since 2004. In over half the incidents that led to those payouts, no disciplinary investigation was conducted.

Chicagos accountability structures and systems are broken, investigators found. They also note that police union contracts require anyone filing a police misconduct complaint to file a sworn affidavit to have the claim investigated. This creates a tremendous disincentive to come forward with legitimate claims and keeps hidden serious police misconduct."

When incidents were investigated, investigators often asked leading questions during interviews to get statements that would be favorable to officers, the report said. They also dont review related criminal and civil cases, which means evidence in the public record relating to use of force incidents arent examined by internal investigators.

Evidence gathering is also often preemptively sabotaged by officers. The report noted that officers disabled the audio capability of dashboard cameras, citing a January 2016 CPD internal report that found 80 percent of dashboard cameras had audio recording equipment that was either not working or had been tampered with.

6. The Chicago Police Department fails to properly train its officers. The report found problems with both the departments academy and subsequent training programs, something that was no secret to the departments rank and file. Officers at all ranks -- from new recruits to the Superintendent -- agree that CPDs training is inadequate, the report said.

DOJ investigators said they witnessed a class on deadly force that had officers watch a training video made 35 years ago, before recent Supreme Court decisions that defined acceptable use of deadly force. The tactics depicted were clearly out of date with commonly accepted police standards of today, the report said.

7. Chicago police kill dogs unnecessarily. In a footnote, the reports authors note they found many instances of shootings at dogs that appeared to be unnecessary, retaliatory, or reckless. Complaints made by residents whose dogs were shot were not adequately investigated.

Related Articles
America's expected withdrawal from the much-ballyhooed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is widely expected to prop up an alternative trade deal backed by China. Some analysts aren't so sure.

The U.S. exit from the TPP is set to be finalized once president-elect Donald Trump enters office next week and may jeopardize the fate of the TPP, the world's largest trade deal. With Washington backing away, that leaves the door open for Beijing to push forward the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which was first launched in 2012.

But infighting among RCEP participants, particularly India, may plague the pact regardless of the TPP's fate.

RCEP covers 16 nations, versus the TPP's 12 members, but many believed it will be an easier deal to ink because it's nowhere as far-reaching as the TPP.

RCEP aims to knit together bilateral free trade agreements among the Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) nations with six external countries: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. The TPP on the other hand consisted of a brand new agreement that covered numerous provisions missing in RCEP , including labor standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption.

However, the contrasting priorities of the RCEP players are proving to be the biggest obstacle to success. Members are floundering to bring RCEP to conclusion and they have postponed the deadline from Dec. 2016 until the end of 2017, pointed out Meredith Miller, vice president at Albright Stonebridge Group.

One of the prickliest topics on the agenda is intellectual property (IP).

Japan and South Korea are suggesting IP policies that may increase medical treatment costs and restrict access to affordable generic medicines for people in several countries, prompting vocal backlash from New Delhi ministers as well as international health organizations. India is often dubbed as the 'pharmacy of the developing world' for its massive production of generic medicines that treat communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Story continues

"Proposals in the RCEP negotiations are trying to introduce IP measures far tougher on access to medicines than what is required under international trade rules," Leena Menghaney, South Asia head of Medecin Sans Frontiers' Access campaign, said in an April statement.

More broadly, Indian protectionism has been singled out as one of the main stumbling blocks to RCEP's success.

"Just like in the World Trade Organization (WTO), India has been very recalcitrant on market access opening...India is very loathe to open its markets to anyone, even its friends and allies," said Sean King, senior vice president at Park Strategies.

Indeed, many have complained about India's restrictive trade policies, including the U.S. which has yet to ink a free-trade deal with Asia's third-largest economy .

Washington took New Delhi to the WTO dispute settlement body back in 2012 regarding a 2007 Indian import ban on U.S. poultry and poultry products, which was introduced as a means to prevent bird flu outbreaks. The WTO ruled in favor of the U.S., noting that India's policy was "discriminatory' and 'trade-restrictive."

Of course, it's not solely India weighing on RCEP talks.

"The problem with RCEP overall is that it's more countries and it's less open countries" King continued, noting that many RCEP players aren't open in the way that most TPP countries were.

Indonesia has also struggled to meet the standards of other negotiating partners when it comes to accessibility, Miller noted.

Spearheaded by China and excluding the U.S, RCEP is expected to enhance Beijing's influence among its Asian peers . The mainland is already the biggest trading partner for the bulk of Asian countries but it's gradually increasing its political and economic sway by leading projects that impact the region, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the One Belt One Road infrastructure program.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China and Vietnam pledged on Saturday to manage their differences and safeguard peace in the South China Sea, in a joint communique issued during a visit to China by Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong. After "candid" discussions, the two countries agreed to "manage well their maritime difference, avoid actions that complicate the situation and escalate tensions, and safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea", said the communique published in full by China's state news agency Xinhua. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, where about $5 trillion worth of sea-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, in addition to Vietnam, also have claims in the sea, believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas. In public statements, Chinese and Vietnamese leaders regularly talk up their common interests as "traditional" friends and neighbours, but conflicting claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea have become a major source of tension in recent years. In the joint communique on Saturday the two sides agreed to continue to "fully and effectively" implement the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea and strive for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) on the basis of consensus in the framework of the DOC. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Vietnam's visiting prime minister their common interests far outweighed their differences, and called for their dispute in the South China Sea to be resolved through talks. Vietnam is in the midst of a quiet military build-up which analysts say is designed as a deterrent, to secure its 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone, as China grows more assertive in staking its claims in the South China Sea. (Reporting by John Ruwitch; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
Its never a dull day on Reddit.

A boot manufacturer recalled one of its products following the discovery by a Reddit user that its imprint leaves swastika marks. The user, who goes by the name FRSHFSHFCKR, posted a photo Monday to Reddit with the caption, There was an angle I didnt get to see when ordering my new work boots

The company that sells the boot, City of Industrys Conal International Trading Inc., said it would recall the item "immediately" following complaints. The shoe is listed on Amazon as Military Combat Work Desert Ankle Boot.

6RR0jLTg

Photo: (Reddit/FRSHFSHFCKR)

The company sent International Business Times a statement apologizing about the boots on Thursday:

We would like to issue a public apology to our customers and to anyone who was offended by an imprint one of our boots left behind. This was in no way intentional, it was an obvious mistake made by our manufactures in China, the statement read. We never intended to have any swastikas design on our shoes.

The statement continued: We will not be selling any of our boots with the misprint to anyone. We would never create a design to promote hate. We dont promote hate at our company.

Multiple retailers were in hot water in the past about selling clothing that appeared anti-Semitic. Zara faced criticism in 2014 after one of their products, called striped sheriff t-shirt, closely resembled striped clothing with yellow star badges that Jewish people had to wear during the Holocaust. In a separate incident, the company sold a handbag in 2007 that appeared to display green swastikas. Both items were withdrawn from stores following complaints.

H&M experienced a similar incident when it had to take an undershirt off shelves because the article of clothing featured a Star of David overlapping a skull.

Please accept our most sincere apologies that this has caused offense, an H&M spokesperson said in regard to the incident back in 2014. We understand the criticism and in response to this have decided to remove the T-shirt from all stores with immediate effect.

Related Articles
By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce met with Cuban President Raul Castro and in separate meetings with members of Castro's economic cabinet on Friday, as they prepare for the advent of a more hostile Trump administration next week. The chamber has been urging the Cuban government to sign a number of agreements with major companies such as General Electric , negotiated over the last 18 months, before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. A brief government statement said chamber President Thomas Donohue and Castro discussed issues of mutual interest." The goal of the U.S. business community has shifted from seeking more from Cuba to preserving what exists from the soon-to-be Trump administration, John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, said. U.S. companies need the Cuban government to quickly and substantially expand its purchases of products and services and permit a highly visible presence of companies, he said. Donohue was accompanied by Maurice Greenberg, chairman and chief executive officer of C.V. Starr & Co Inc, a major U.S. insurance company. The chamber has opposed the U.S. trade embargo for decades and is a strong supporter of the normalization process begun by President Barack Obama. That process has included the signing of 17 agreements between the two former Cold War foes and the use of executive orders to punch holes in the embargo, which can be lifted only by the U.S. Congress, now controlled by Republicans. Travel to the Communist-run Caribbean island from the United States has increased, with the start of direct flights and cruises and roaming agreements signed, but there have been no manufacturing or trade deals inked. Cuba and the Obama administration have been scrambling to deepen and cement their detente, through bilateral agreements and commercial links, since Trump's election in November. Cuba agreed earlier this month to export charcoal to the United States, the first export in half a century, and in December Google reached an agreement to place servers on the island to quicken access to its products. Trump has said he will dismantle the still-fragile detente unless Cuba gives the United States a better deal, while providing no specifics. Trump is expected to review Cuba policy upon taking office and has named Jason Greenblatt, a Trump Organization executive and chief legal counsel, as negotiator for sensitive international issues, including Cuba. (Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Leslie Adler)
TAPACHULA, Mexico  The couple wiped away beads of sweat as they sat in the December sun outside of the 21st Century Migration Station, Mexicos largest immigration detention facility. Other clusters, with people from Haiti, Cameroon, and Honduras, waited listlessly for an official to emerge, but this couple stuck it out. Most migrants had little more than the clothes on their backs; these two, in contrast, sat behind a wall of matching luggage, marking them immediately as Cubans, people with a built-in edge when it comes to reaching American shores and staying there for good.

The man, who identified himself only as Joe, said he and his wife had traveled from Havana first by plane, then by bus, to reach Mexico. They were awaiting visas that would grant them free passage with no interference from immigration authorities as they continued their trek to the U.S. border.

Their well-kept appearance and nice luggage reflected a confidence migrants from no other country enjoyed: a U.S. immigration policy known as wet foot, dry foot, under which if a Cuban reaches U.S. soil, he or she could stay.

Migrants without such a guarantee said they were racing to cross the border in the few weeks before Donald Trump was to be sworn in as the new president. Joe, though, wasnt worried.

He likes to talk, Joe said in Spanish, but even if Trump tries to close the border, he is not a dictator. There is Congress and the Senate and other politicians. He gestured to his wife. For us, it changes nothing.

Thats not the case anymore. One month later and almost 5,000 miles away, President Barack Obama on Thursday abruptly ended the wet foot, dry foot policy, just a week before Trump enters the Oval Office.

Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, Obama said in a statement. We are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries. The old rule was designed for a different era.

Story continues

Since 1995, the Cuban Adjustment Act has granted those Cubans who make it to U.S. soil virtually guaranteed legal residency and citizenship. If caught making the crossing at sea, though, they are returned  hence wet foot, dry foot. The law dates to 1966, when the United States sought to undermine Fidel Castros Communist government by opening the door to tens of thousands of Cubans ready to flee the island.

Since the United States and Cuba restored diplomatic relations in December 2014, Havana has stepped up its calls to end the wet foot, dry foot rule amid a spike in Cubans leaving the island for U.S. soil and using increasingly dangerous routes. The Obama administrations move essentially denies the benefits of the Cuban Adjustment Act to new Cuban migrants, though officials still urged Congress to repeal the law.

Essentially, what the agreement means is that past is past, but that the future will be different, Jeh Johnson, the secretary of Homeland Security, said Thursday.

While Trump has railed against his predecessors expansive use of executive power, the transition team quietly supports Obamas midnight-hour executive action. A source close to the incoming administration, requesting anonymity amid a bumpy transition, indicated that Trump is unlikely to restore the immigration policy because transition officials see the move as being in line with his emphasis on law and order and tough talk on immigration.

This is a good change, because the policy will allow us to return criminal aliens to Cuba while having no impact on the rights of legitimate asylum-seekers, the source said.

Obama administration officials said the timing of the move was intended to catch Cuban migrants by surprise in order to avoid a mass rush to the mainland United States before the deadline and avert a potential humanitarian crisis.

We did not want to speculate publicly about the likelihood of this change for fear of inviting even greater migration flows, said Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes.

Nonetheless, after the announcement, major U.S. border crossings have seen a crush of Cubans camped out and pushing to cross. Others are stranded mid-journey after selling everything they own to pay for it.

Cuba hawks in Congress predictably pounced on Obamas last-minute change to a decades-old policy. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who is Cuban-American, said the move would just tighten the noose that President Raul Castro has around the neck of the Cuban people. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted that Obama targeted Cubans seeking a better life in the US.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a Cuban-American, has opposed Obamas rapprochement with Cuba while supporting reforms to the Cuban Adjustment Act. He discussed the change Thursday night with Vice President-elect Mike Pence. I am heartened by the fact that in a week we will have a new administration committed to discarding the failed Cuba policy of the last two years, he said.

Still, the policy shift has plenty of backers. Many Latin American countries viewed the policy as unfair and questioned why poor migrants from El Salvador or Haiti dont receive the same preferential treatment as Cubans.

This evens the playing field for migration to the United States, said a congressional aide, speaking on background.

Recent years have seen a spike in Cuban arrivals, by land and sea, but Cubans have been increasingly trekking through Central America to take advantage of their dryshod privileges. In 2016, more than 7,400 Cubans landed on U.S. soil or were interdicted using the sea route, compared with almost 4,000 in 2014. By land, since 2009, the number of Cubans whove reached the Southwest border has increased more than fivefold. Last month, Mexican, Guatemalan, and Honduran immigration officials told Foreign Policy that theyve seen a large increase in the number of Cubans attempting the journey through their countries to the United States.

Per a prior agreement in the 1990s, the United States accepts 20,000 Cubans a year through a lottery system. Beyond that, in 2015, it allowed in roughly 40,000 Cubans without a visa, Rhodes said. Last year, the United States received 54,000 such Cubans.

Cubans were essentially stuck [in Central American countries] and then facing a very difficult and dangerous journey to our Southern border in some cases, Rhodes said.

In Tapachula, before Christmas, a young Cuban in a migrant shelter just across Mexicos border with Guatemala talked about just how difficult and dangerous that journey was  and why hed do it again.

In early November, Geniel Garcia flew from Cuba to Guyana, then traveled by boat to Venezuela to skirt patrols. Then he walked across the border into Colombia. He then girded himself for the most hellish portion of the trip, an eight-day trek to Panama across the dense jungle known as the Darien Gap, a name many migrants cannot say without a shudder. From Panama, he took a bus to Costa Rica and then another from there, managing to avoid authorities in Nicaragua, which has cracked down on migrants. Then, he mostly walked across Honduras and Guatemala for 400 miles to reach Mexico.

So far, it had cost him about $4,000, he said, standing between two endless rows of bunk beds in the shelter. But he knew others whod paid far more.

Why risk kidnappings, extortion, and physical extremes of the infamous land route, rather than chance the comparatively short distance across the Florida Straits? The sea is very dangerous, he said, as if the choice was obvious.

Of the two options, he continued in Spanish, I would take this any day. Behind him in the shelter, a handful of other Cubans nodded in agreement.

As a poultry and livestock health specialist whod trained in Europe and Africa, Garcia was confident hed get a job in Texas, where he planned to join a cousin. He was careful to avoid politics, motioning as if he was zipping up his lips and throwing away the key when referring to Castro, whod just died weeks before. He made the same motion when referring to Trump, smiling.

He says if you want to work you will be fine, and I want to work, he said of the president-elect. For Cubans, he said, There isnt a problem.

Garcia made it to U.S. soil just before Christmas and is now living in Houston. Its a problem for other Cubans now.

Photo credit: JOE RAEDLE/Staff

John Hudson contributed to this report.

Reporting for this article was also supported by the International Womens Media Foundation as part of the Adelante Latin America Reporting Initiative.
Istanbul (AFP) - Rival Cypriot delegations have failed to agree on maps for new borders on the divided island state, each slamming the other's proposals as "unacceptable", Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday, after peace talks stalled.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot delegation had delivered letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "saying they would not accept the maps they had seen".

A week of UN-brokered talks in Geneva between Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci had sparked optimism that an agreement to reunify the island could be at hand.

For the first time since the Cyprus was divided, each side unveiled their vision on Wednesday of how they saw the borders of a reunified country.

But hopes stalled Friday, with the rival sides in the decades-old dispute at loggerheads over the future of Turkish troops on the divided island -- and its boundaries.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci "strongly stressed that the Greek offer could not be taken seriously, (and) that no Turkish Cypriot would accept this map", Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.

"The same goes for us," he added.

The thorny issue centres on how the boundaries are redrawn, including around the once Greek Cypriot town of Morphou on the northern coast.

Anastasiades has warned that there can be no deal without a full return of Morphou, while some in the Turkish Cypriot camp have declared its return a non-starter.

The maps swapped Wednesday will not be disclosed publicly, with the UN hoping that both sides eventually agree on a compromise version.

But Turkey has cast a shadow over the peace talks, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying Friday that Greek Cypriots still have "different expectations".

"These maps are not open for discussion," Cavusoglu said.

"This is neither the time nor the place," he said, adding that other more pressing issues would have to be resolved first.

One such issue is troop deployment. Cyprus's so-called guarantor powers -- Britain, Greece and Turkey -- were at the UN on Thursday to talk about security, a bedrock issue in the peace process aimed at creating a two-zone federation.

Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed in principle to return some of the land controlled by Greek Cypriots before the 1974 invasion by Turkish troops, which came in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  Lawyers for a former North Charleston police officer charged with murder in the April 2015 shooting of an unarmed black motorist are asking a judge to delay a planned retrial in March.

Local media outlets report lawyers for Michael Slager filed court papers Friday saying at least seven of their experts have conflicts with a planned March 1 trial start.

Slager's lawyers also say there've been no pretrial hearings and add nearly two dozen older murder cases in Charleston County should be tried first.

A jury deliberated over four days before deadlocking after the monthlong trial.

Slager, who's white, was charged two days after shooting Walter Scott in the back as the driver ran from a traffic stop in April 2015. The shooting was captured on a bystander's cellphone video.
Several House Democrats have declared that they plan to boycott Donald Trumps inauguration Friday, with the number increasing Saturday in the wake of the president-elects criticism of civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis.

By Saturday afternoon, 16 House Democrats had announced they would not attend Trumps inauguration.

The number grew after Lewis said he doesnt see Trump as a legitimate president and announced that he would not attend his inaugurationthe first one he will miss since being elected to Congress. Trump fired back on Twitter, inspiring a backlash from Democratic leaders.

Rep. Ted Lieu, of California, said in a statement on Saturday that he would stand with Lewis.

While I do not dispute that Trump won the Electoral College, I cannot normalize his behavior or the disparaging and un-American statements he has made, Lieu said. I can only hope that Trump will govern differently than he has campaigned. For me, the personal decision not to attend Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis.

Here are the House Democrats who have decided to boycott:

Georgia Rep. John Lewis

I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president, Lewis said in a Meet the Press interview. I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. I dont plan to attend the inauguration. It will be the first one that I miss since Ive been in Congress.

California Rep. Barbara Lee

On January 20th, I will not be celebrating or honoring an incoming president who rode racism, sexism, xenophobia and bigotry to the White House, Lee said in a statement. Donald Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party. On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance.

Story continues

California Rep. Ted Lieu

Mr. Lieu's statement on why he won't be attending the Inauguration of @realDonaldTrump READ HERE: https://t.co/tx94zqE4rp  Rep. Ted Lieu (@RepTedLieu) January 14, 2017

California Rep. Mark Takano

"All talk, no action." I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration. pic.twitter.com/z8Q0wA9OPK  Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) January 14, 2017

California Rep. Jared Huffman

I have decided that instead of attending the inaugural ceremonies in Washington this month, Ill spend time in California with my constituents making a positive difference in our community, he said in a Facebook post.

California Rep. Mark DeSaulnier

It is with a heavy heart and deep personal conviction that I have decided not to attend the #TrumpInauguration on January 20, 2017.  Mark DeSaulnier (@RepDeSaulnier) January 14, 2017

Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez

The reason I am not going is that I cannot bring myself to justify morally or intellectually the immense power we are placing in that mans hands, Gutierrez said on the House floor on Tuesday.

Missouri Rep. William Lacy Clay

Clay plans to be back home in St. Louis speaking to school kids instead of attending the inauguration, his spokesman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday.

Michigan Rep. John Conyers

A spokesperson for Conyers confirmed to CNN and Politico that he would not be attending the inauguration.

Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark

My statement on the upcoming inauguration: pic.twitter.com/dQXE0ztvTf  Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) January 5, 2017

New York Rep. Yvette Clarke

I will NOT attend the inauguration of @realDonaldTrump. When you insult @repjohnlewis, you insult America.  Yvette D. Clarke (@RepYvetteClarke) January 14, 2017

New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez

.@repjohnlewis is a national hero and I stand with him! I also am not attending inauguration given the tone of @realDonaldTrump's campaign  Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) January 14, 2017

New York Rep. Jose Serrano

I will not attend the #inauguration2017 next week- cannot celebrate the inauguration of a man who has no regard for my constituents. #Bronx pic.twitter.com/Uz3NTgXl35  Jose E. Serrano (@RepJoseSerrano) January 12, 2017

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva

I will not be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump as our next president, he said Friday on the House floor, CNN reported. My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy, but as an individual act, yes, of defiance at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration, and the actions we are taking in this Congress.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer

There is unprecedented concern by my constituents about the many threats posed by a Trump administration seeking to implement the President-elects policies on health, environment, nuclear weapons, and immigration, to name but a few. I will forgo the inauguration, spending the day instead in my district talking with Oregonians to hear their priorities, try to answer their questions, and prepare for the coming assault on the values and programs we hold dear, he said in a Facebook post on Jan. 7. It is hard to think of a better use of my time on January 20th.

Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader

Im just not a big Trump fan. Ive met the guy and never been impressed with him, Schrader told Oregon Public Broadcasting on Friday. Ill do my best to work with him when I think hes doing the right thing for the country. But he hasnt proved himself to me at all yet, so I respectfully decline to freeze my ass out there in the cold for this particular ceremony.
Azealia Banks haters and bashers have not seen the last of the controversial rapper yet. Despite her alleged ban from Facebook, the 212 hitmaker still has an outlet for her unusual opinions as shes recently become quite active on Instagram. But based on her latest post, Banks could be in a state of remorse.

On Friday, Banks updated her Instagram account with a meme showing MasterChef Junior Season 4s Sam crying. The meme also included a message about someone being annoying for apologizing about being annoying. The message may be redundant, but it gives off the impression that Banks has recognized how shes annoying to many people and is now asking for forgiveness.

Banks Instagram post comes a week after it was reported that she got banned from using Facebook. The 25-year-old hip hop artist was allegedly prohibited from using the social networking website after her comment about Brazil being a nation of third world freaks triggered a lot of Brazilians to lash out at her online.

Although many news sites, such as Mirror, reported about Banks Facebook being deleted, her account appears to be up again as of writing. Prior to the alleged ban, Banks complained about bots spamming her account with broken English.

This was not the first time that Banks got expelled from a social networking platform. Last year, the Ice Princess rapper was booted from Twitter after posting racist comments against ex-One Direction member Zayn Malik.

Due to Banks behavior, she has been involved in many feuds with her fellow celebs. She previously got into a rift with Russell Crowe, Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj. This week, All Hip Hop claimed that Banks could be after Pusha T next after the latter plagiarized the formers cover art for her single, Yung Rapunxel.

Meanwhile, Banks, who is MIA from the music scene lately, showed off her talent in impersonating Marge Simpsons voice this week. On Instagram, she posted a recording of her impression, which many of her fans appreciated.

Story continues

Azealia Banks

Photo: Reuters/Leonhard Foeger

Related Articles
(WASHINGTON)  President-elect Donald Trumps national security adviser and Russias ambassador to the U.S. have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior U.S. official says.

After initially denying that Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke Dec. 29, a Trump official said late Friday that the transition team was aware of one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions.

Its not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trumps team discussed  or even helped shape  Russias response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the U.S. for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynns contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow. That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the U.S. election to benefit Trump.

In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obamas sanctions if Russia works with the U.S. on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions? he asked.

During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader.

If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia, he said.

Story continues

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the U.S. said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The U.S. also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol.

He accepted a call from Taiwans president, ignoring the longstanding One China policy that does not recognize the islands sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, Everything is under negotiation.

He also publicly urged the U.S. to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

Questions about Trumps friendly posture toward Russia have deepened since the election, as he has dismissed U.S. intelligence agencies assertions about Russias role in the hacking of Democratic groups. In briefing Trump on their findings, intelligence officials also presented the president-elect with unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him, according to a separate U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to publicly discuss the matter.

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced late Friday that it would investigate possible contacts between Russia and people associated with U.S. political campaigns as part of a broader investigation into Moscows meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump acknowledged for the first time this week that he accepts that Russia was behind the hacking. But he questioned whether officials were leaking information about their meetings with him, warning that would be a tremendous blot on their record.

Flynns own ties with Russia have worried some Republicans who are more skeptical of the Kremlin than Trump appears to be. After leaving his position as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, Flynn made appearances on RT, a state-run Russian television network. In 2015, he was paid to attend an RT gala in Moscow, where he sat next to Putin.

As national security adviser, Flynn will work in the West Wing close to the Oval Office and will have frequent access to Trump. Unlike Trumps nominees to lead the Pentagon, State Department and other national security agencies, Flynns post does not require Senate confirmation.

Flynns contacts with the Russian ambassador were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press was not authorized to confirm the contacts publicly and insisted on anonymity.

The Trump teams account of Flynns contacts with the Russian envoy changed throughout the day Friday.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer initially said there was one phone call between Flynn and Kislyak on Dec. 28, as well as a Christmas greeting via text messages over the holidays. He said sanctions were not part of the discussions.

Later Friday, a transition official said Flynn and Kislyak had spoken by phone on Dec. 29, following a text message from the ambassador the day before. During the call, the Russian ambassador invited U.S. officials to a conference on Syria later this month that is being held in Kazakhstan, according to the transition official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and insisted on anonymity.

The official also confirmed a phone call between the men earlier in December.

The U.S. official who spoke to the AP Friday described the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak as very frequent.

Its unclear how U.S. officials became aware of the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak, who has served as Russias envoy to the U.S. since 2008. U.S. monitoring of Russian officials communication within the United States is known to be common.

Flynn has spoken with other foreign officials since Trump won the November election, as have incoming White House senior advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he saw nothing inappropriate in Trumps transition team contacting Russian or any other foreign officials.

___

Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in New York and Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed to this report.
Donald Trump is slated to become president of the United States Friday and world leaders are watching closely to see what he will do next. During his time on the world stage, Trump has already managed to insult some of the nation's most important allies, as well as complicate existing tensions with longtime potential foes. Ahead of Inauguration Day, here are some of Trump's quotes that have inspired global headlines and stroked world leaders' concerns.

1. -- "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. ... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people," Trump said in his campaign announcement speech in June 2015.

2. "Mexico's totally corrupt gov't looks horrible with El Chapo's escapetotally corrupt. U.S. paid them $3 billion," Trump tweeted in July 2015.

3. "Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the US doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!," Trump said on Twitter in December.

4. "Iran continues to delay the nuclear deal while doing many bad things behind our backs. Time to WALK and double the sanctions. Stop payments!" he wrote on Twitter in July 2015.

5. "Man shot inside Paris police station. Just announced that terror threat is at highest level. Germany is a total mess-big crime. GET SMART!" he wrote on Twitter in January 2016.

6. "The United Kingdom is trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem. Everybody is wise to what is happening, very sad! Be honest," he wrote on Twitter in December 2015.

7. "When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some 'ally,'" he wrote on Twitter in July 2012.

Related Articles
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f348415%2fb3bc967a-856d-4a95-b1d9-579507fdcd4a

Donald Trump is an image sensitive guy, always aware of his personal branding even if he's been elected president of the United States. So it's perhaps inevitable he would be micromanaging the details of his inauguration in Washington, D.C. next week.

Having the names of the port-a-potties covered up, though? That might seem like going a bit far, until you hear the name of the offending portable toilet company: Don's Johns.

Even Trump could see how bad that looks  and how quickly the jokes could turn into potty humor.

SEE ALSO: Twitter will livestream Trump's inauguration with six hours of coverage

The Associated Press reported that workers have put blue tape over the company name on dozens of the stalls that have gone up near the Capitol ahead of next Friday's inauguration. Although "Don's Johns" is still pretty visible up close, the AP noted for any wide shots and camera pans the letters will be hard to make out.

Trump, ever the TV personality and media guy, has possibly figured this stinky association out and is stopping any possible viral moment in its tracks. But ironically the cover-up itself is trending, with "Don's Johns" one of Twitter's trending topics Friday.

The AP, however, couldn't confirm who had ordered the name cover-up.

Image: AP Photo/Matthew Daly

Robert Weghorst, chief operating officer for Don's Johns, said he didn't know about the port-a-potty incident. "We don't know why it's being done. We didn't tell someone to do it," he told the AP. "We're proud to have our name on the units."

Social media lit up once it looked like Trump was covering up something on the toilets.

When Don's Johns is trending, it must be worth a pee.



Peek. I mean peek. Peek.  Philip Gibbon (@PhilGibbon) January 13, 2017

Too bad Don's johns don't come in Gold.  Don Brennan (@DonDorabrennan) January 13, 2017

I'm just surprised Trump didn't demand that Don's Johns relabel their toilets with giant gold letters of his last name.  Dirk Langeveld (@DirkLangeveld) January 13, 2017

It is a foregone conclusion that between #GoldenShowers and Don's Johns, DJT's presidency has gone down the toilet. pic.twitter.com/3LrEBBfRrT  Nicole (@skilledscribe) January 13, 2017

Don's Johns toilets were used for both inauguration ceremonies for Barack Obama. During those events no one taped over the toilets with the company logo on full display. But to be fair the toilet's didn't say "Barry's Johns." There's just not as good a ring to it.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

BONUS: In stunning exchange, Trump refuses to answer question from CNN reporter
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
Premium coffee supplier Henry & Sons has formed a non-profit organization to create a thriving and sustainable coffee industry.

The Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence aims to address the major issues that are stopping coffee farmers from producing better coffee in larger quantities.

Government officials and industry players supported the launching of the foundation coinciding with the Bloom 2016 Coffee Festivalin La Trinidad, Benguet.

Our province is known as one of the producers of the best coffee in the country today and perhaps in the world. I hope to work together with FSCE to help strengthen peoples interest in the coffee farming industry and help the true VIPs of this event, the coffee farmers, Benguet Governor Cresencio said.

From left: Tobys Estate Philippines general manager Raoul de Peralta, Henry & Sons president and chief executive Michael Harris Lim and Young-in Traders president Henry Yeo are all smiles as they pose for a photo with the winner of the first ever Crop of the Year CompetitionJoseph Carlos (second from right) of Barangay Wangal, La Trinidad.

FSCE, through its five programs, aims to provide coffee farmers with potable water; tools to prevent their children from catching common diseases, including dengue and chicken pox; a source of steady income while waiting for their crops to be sold; a direct line to coffee sellers who will but their crops at a higher price, and; educational assistance for their children. In addition, the organization will also provide tools, facilities and trainings to calibrate coffee farming practices and put the Philippines at par with leading coffee farming countries.

ADVERTISEMENT

There are a lot of marginalized farmers who need help to be assisted in their livelihood, and a lot of their children are trying to escape farming, said Department of Agriculture regional executive director Lorenzo Caranguian. If we work together with FSCE to teach them to treat coffee production as a way of life, teach them the value of farming, and teach them how they can promote their own coffee, I know that we can change their minds and encourage them to stay.

According to Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippines now consumes an average of 65,000 metric tons of coffee annually and is projected to reach 100,000 metric tons in the years to come. Out of this, only about 25,000 metric tons of coffee comes from local farms.

To help support FSCEs efforts, Henry & Sons created a line of five special coffee brews called Bloom Coffee. Everyone can purchase them at Robinsons grocery stores, Rustans department stores, and through the Henry & Sons mobile app for P200 for every 250 grams. For every purchase of a tin can, P50 goes to the specific program it represents.

Bloom 2016 Coffee Festival also hosted FSCEs first ever Crop of the Year Award, where six farmers were given the chance to show industry leaders the quality of their crops.

Henry & Sons president and CEO Michael Harris Lim and Crop of the Year Competition gold awardee Joseph Carlos show what high-quality Arabica coffee beans look like.

Through the competition, FSCE hopes to reach out to more farmers for their next Bloom Coffee Festival. Slated to happen in February 2017, the next coffee festival will bring coffee sellers to La Trinidad for an auction where qualified participants will get the chance to have their crops sold at double its current price.

FSCEs efforts will help us to source high-quality Arabica from the farmers. It helps Tobys Estate Philippines serve good coffee from all around the world, including our own, said Raoul de Peralta of Tobys Estate.

FSCE also wishes to award two Moisture Meters to La Trinidad farmers by February 2017. The ideal moisture content of beans is between 9 to 12 percent. Beans with this moisture content are priced significantly higher in the market. This is one more thing we want to teach the farmersto always strive to reach the right moisture content,said Michael Harris Lim, director of FSCE and president and CEO of Henry & Sons.

It may not be much, but this simple act that FSCE is doing resonates deeply as it impacts the lives of the beneficiaries of our foundation. We are able to form sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships with different organizations because they see for themselves that even our small efforts make impact. The few steps we are taking now to help farmers of La Trinidad count more than the biggest promises, Lim said.

Henry & Sons has been paving the way for the improvement of the local coffee scene since the early 90s when it became the first company to provide coffee shops a reliable supply of freshly-roasted coffee beans and top-of-the-line espresso machines.

In the early 2000s, the brand became the first coffee roasting company in the Philippines to package coffee in tin cans equipped with one-way valves and pull tabs, which put locally-manufactured coffee at par with international brands.

Henry & Sons has recently signed a 10-year partnership with world-renowned coffee expert and writer, Scott Rao, to do a series of trainings that aims to further raise the bar for coffee experience in the country.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
Paris (AFP) - People who survive Ebola may still battle debilitating health problems a year after being declared infection-free, according to an ongoing trial in Guinea which highlighted the need for patient followup.

Three-quarters of survivors had post-Ebola symptoms when they enrolled for the trial about a year, on average, after they were discharged from hospital, researchers reported Saturday.

Eighteen percent experienced eye problems, including eight individuals who went blind, a team wrote in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Two percent -- 19 people -- were deaf.

This is the largest and longest-running assessment of Ebola survivors to date.

Nearly one in four participants, the study said, suffered joint and muscle pain, 35 percent had headaches, and 22 percent stomach pain when they enrolled.

Seventeen percent had symptoms of depression.

The study also confirmed previous observations that Ebola virus can remain in the semen of infected men for 18 months or longer, raising the spectre of sexual transmission.

The team recruited 802 Ebola survivors between the ages of one and 79 from four hospitals in Guinea between March 2015 and July 2016.

Together, the group represented 74 percent of Guinean survivors of the 2013-16 Ebola epidemic in west Africa -- by far the worst outbreak in the disease's 40-year history.

Some 11,300 people died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, compared to a total of 1,700 worldwide in the preceding four decades.

An estimated 17,000 survived the most recent outbreak.

"The high number of survivors... has raised several new issues: long-term clinical complications, psychosocial consequences, risks of EVD (Ebola virus disease) reactivation and secondary transmission due to viral persistence in body fluids," the study authors wrote.

- Sexual transmission? -

They conducted routine analysis of blood, semen, breast milk, urine and saliva at regular intervals, as well as psychological examinations.

Story continues

Ten male survivor who gave semen samples tested positive for Ebola virus -- one of them a full 18 months after falling ill, the team found.

"Precisely how long the virus might linger in semen remains unknown," they wrote.

Until semen is confirmed to be virus-free, follow-up "is clearly needed to reduce risk of sexual transmission from survivors."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sexual transmission of the Ebola virus from men to women is a "strong possibility", but as yet unproven.

Urine tested positive for Ebola in two cases, and saliva in only one, said the researchers.

No breast milk or vaginal fluid samples contained Ebola virus.

There were more eye problems by the time patients enrolled in the trial than when they had left hospital, the team said, "implying that ophthalmological screening should continue long after discharge."

Children retained fewer serious health problems than adults.

The study highlighted the scarcity of medical laboratories in the affected region to keep tabs on Ebola survivors' health and any potential for renewed virus spread.

"Our results indicate that a close follow-up of convalescent patients might be warranted for at least 18 months after discharge... and perhaps even longer," said the team.

In 2015, a study in Sierra Leone said nearly 80 percent of some 277 survivors experienced joint pain four months after their hospital discharge, 60 percent had vision problems and a quarter hearing difficulties.

The Guinean trial aims to monitor patients for two years.
Beirut (AFP) - Air strikes on a rebel-held town in northwestern Syria killed eight people on Saturday, a monitor said, the latest to hit the area where Al-Qaeda's former affiliate has a strong presence.

Most of those killed in the Idlib province town of Maarat Masrin were civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Their deaths came after those of three civilians, one of them a child, in strikes on the nearby town of Orum al-Joz late on Friday, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He said the strikes were carried out by Russian or Syrian government aircraft.

The US-led coalition too has carried out air strikes on targets in Idlib province in recent weeks.

The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

A ceasefire brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel ally Turkey that went into effect on December 30 has brought relative calm to most of the country.

But it excludes former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham and its jihadist rival the Islamic State group.

Idlib province is largely controlled by a rebel alliance known as the Army of Conquest, which is dominated by Fateh al-Sham.

The ceasefire had been overshadowed by deadly fighting in the rebel-held Wadi Barada district, northwest of Damascus, which is the source of the capital's mains water supply.

But a local truce was agreed on Friday under which rebels pulled back to allow repair teams to enter to restore the supply, which had been cut since December 22.

The area was calm on Saturday for the first day since the nationwide ceasefire took effect late last year, the Observatory said.

"Maintenance workers began their work as soon as they entered (Wadi Barada) on Friday," a source in the provincial governor's office told AFP.

He said they were still assessing the damage and would then have to prepare the necessary equipment before being able to restore the supply.

The United Nations says that 5.5 million people in Damascus and its suburbs have been without mains water because of the cut.
By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Saturday that the EU will demand "special vigilance" before letting British financial firms access the bloc because of the large risk London could pose to the EU's financial stability. Responding to a report in the Guardian which said he had told EU lawmakers that he wanted a special deal to maintain EU firms' access to the City of London, Barnier tweeted: "When asked on equivalence I said: EU would need special vigilance on financial stability risk, not special deal to access the City." An EU spokesman said the Guardian report did "not correctly reflect" Barnier's comments to a closed door meeting with members of the European Parliament last week. EU officials said the point Barnier was making when asked about Brussels' willingness after Brexit to recognize British financial regulations as "equivalent" in rigor to those of the EU was that, as a lot of EU business was likely to still pass through the City, EU equivalence rules would have to be much more tightly drafted compared to those for smaller centers. The Guardian quoted minutes prepared by parliamentary aides as saying Barnier told lawmakers: "Some very specific work has to be done in this area ... There will be a special/specific relationship. There will need to be work outside of the negotiation box ... in order to avoid financial instability." EU officials said Barnier, a Frenchman who ran EU financial services policy, was not speaking of a "special deal" to limit the impact of Brexit on financial services trade between Britain and the EU but rather emphasizing that Brussels would have to take special care not to ignore stability risks in London. EQUIVALENCE The officials said he responded to a question on equivalence by noting that the extent of EU rules governing relations with non-EU financial centers was proportional to the volume of EU business conducted in them -- and so to the risk of, say, a bank collapse in London destabilizing markets on the continent. With, say, the United States, the EU has negotiated accords to recognize the "equivalence" of, for example, bank supervision standards to make it easier for European companies to use U.S. banks and let U.S. institutions sell services in the EU. The extent of such equivalence agreements has been a major concern for British-based banks wanting continued access to the EU market. Other EU governments have said they will welcome financial firms moving out of London and say Britain's economy and its big services sector must pay a price for Brexit so that it does not inspire voters in other countries to follow suit. EU ministers and officials acknowledge that damage to London's global financial center caused by Brexit will hurt not only Britain but the other 27 EU states. "Both the UK and the EU will suffer," Maltese Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said on Thursday as Malta took on the rotating chair of EU councils. "We will lose that efficient center," he told reporters, forecasting that many financial firms would relocate to various cities in the EU. "That will be a loss ... The EU will suffer once services are fragmented. It will be longer term." Nonetheless, Scicluna said, the signs of banks and other City firms preparing to move operations to other parts of the EU amid uncertainty about the terms of Brexit showed that the immediate cost was much greater for Britain. (Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Paris (AFP) - Every trade agreement produces winners and losers and the free-trade deal between the EU and Canada, still pending ratification, is no exception.

The deal is just one example of controversy ignited by trade talks.

Others are the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which Donald Trump wants to renegotiate, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which he has threatened to scrap, and the US-EU TTIP pact which is now out of favour on both sides of the Atlantic.

Here we illustrate the controversies by looking in more detail at the EU-Canada deal, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Signed in October, the landmark pact which will affect more than 500 million people has sparked a wave of debate in Europe, particularly in France.

But the jury is still out on whether it will herald a new era for specialist local producers or simply open the doors to a flood of hormone-treated, genetically modified 'junk' food.

- Who will benefit? -

CETA will remove 99 percent of customs duties between the two sides, in a big win for European exporters, who will have easier access to the north American market.

But European businesses who are more reliant on internal markets are likely to be vulnerable to competition from Canadian firms.

Such is the law of free trade, says Radu Vranceanu, professor of economics at France's ESSEC business school. "A large number of jobs exist in France thanks to exports and commercial trade," he told AFP.

Thomas Guenole, a political scientist at Sciences-Po in Paris, believes the benefits will be skewed towards big business. "CETA will increase the margins of large, globalised firms. They will be the winners," he told AFP.

"The working class and white collar professionals will lose out."

Karine Jacquemart of European consumer rights watchdog Foodwatch agrees the biggest winners will be "companies who have access to the public sector, above all multinationals who will benefit from special rights, and particularly from access to the arbitration mechanism in commercial conflicts."

Story continues

- How will it affect local producers? -

Matthias Fekl, France's minister of state for trade, has said the pact will recognise another 42 French geographical indications which will be able to freely enter the Canadian market and will also help pork and dairy products.

But his argument was dismissed as "ridiculous" by Dominique Plihon of the anti-globalisation group Attac who said that specialist French products, which were locally-produced on a small scale, would not benefit from the pact.

"On the contrary, it will make it easier to bring junk food into Europe, such as hormone-treated meat and GM products," he warned.

- Who is most worried? -

French farmers have repeatedly expressed concerns over competition from Canadian imports, with the beef industry particularly concerned.

Emmanuel Aze of the Confederation Paysanne farmers' union said the granting of additional quotas to Canadian beef and pork as well as removing customs duties would "aggravate the collapse of these industries in the EU as well as the headlong rush towards industrialised agriculture."

By contrast, Canadian food processing manufacturers are almost unanimous about the positive benefits of the huge trade deal.

- Who else stands to benefit? -

There are some concerns the agreement could be used as a "Trojan horse" giving a backdoor to US firms looking to enter Europe as negotiations for a controversial US-EU free trade deal falter.

The pact provides a "gateway (to Europe) for American multinationals," Plihon warned.

But Fekl has dismissed such concerns out of hand. "Nearly 3,000 American business are already operating in France with half a million jobs created so they don't need CETA," he said.

- And what of democracy? -

Jacquemart points out that the so-called precautionary principle, under which authorities can adopt restrictions to counter potential risks to public health or the environment, was not mentioned "even once in the treaty".

"When nothing guarantees this principle, European legislators, citizens and consumers lose out," she told AFP, referring to a measure widely used across Europe to justify bans on hormone-treated beef and the cultivation of GM crops.

"The winners are big multinationals and those who have no interest in making decisions on the basis of the principle of precaution."

But Fekl denies the agreement has implications for democracy.

"Canada is the first country to accept the French and European proposal for an international investment court" to hear disputes, he said.

"If we want to protect our local produce and our agriculture... it is also through these international negotiations."
London (AFP) - The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator has told colleagues that they need to strike a "special" deal with Britain's finance sector in order to keep credit flowing to the continent, the Guardian reported Friday.

Michel Barnier told MEPs that he wanted to guarantee that banks, businesses and governments from the other 27 member nations will still have access to the City of London after Britain leaves the bloc, according to unpublished minutes of the private meeting seen by the British newspaper.

However, a European Commission spokesman told the newspaper that the minutes did not "correctly reflect what Mr Barnier said".

Barnier has so far taken a hard line on potential negotiations, and any concession that the EU may need to compromise over vital issues in the divorce proceedings will be viewed as a climbdown.

European leaders have eyed London's finance sector as a potential weak spot in Britain's negotiating hand, with the government desperate to defend the jewel in its economic crown and maintain cross border trade with the continent.

But Bank of England chief Mark Carney warned on Tuesday that Europe also had much to lose if no deal were to be reached, a conclusion apparently shared by Barnier, according to the Guardian.

"Some very specific work has to be done in this area," Barnier said, according to the minutes.

"There will be a special/specific relationship. There will need to be work outside of the negotiation box...in order to avoid financial instability," they added.

Bank boss Carney told MPs that there were "greater financial stability risks on the continent in the short term, for the transition, than there are for the UK".

He pointed out that three-quarters of Europe's foreign exchange activity, half of its lending and half of its securities transactions took place in the British capital.

He warned that isolation from London could raise capital costs, threatening serious consequences for continental banks, businesses and governments.

But Barnier also repeated warnings that Britain would not be able to pick and choose the bits of the EU that it liked as part of the divorce deal.
You know what the Beltway scolds think: Incoming president Donald Trump is flouting 60 years of tradition and sabotaging the sanctity of the White House.

Hes cutting corners on ethics rules. Appointing people without government experience to his Cabinet. Intervening personally in matters like defense budgeting and antitrust reviews that are typically handled by lower-ranking functionariesand doing it before he even takes office! The whole federal bureaucracy may seize up.

Or, it may heave and quake and settle into some new and improved routines. Americans are disgusted with sclerotic and unresponsive government dominated by self-dealing crony capitalists. That includes many voters who cant stand Trump. If the incoming president joins the swamp instead of draining it, hell flame out soon enough and earn a sharp rebuke from an electorate that is unsure of him to start with. But the moment may be right for a business leader to take the helm of government, and Trump could be just the beginning of a new wave of corporate poobahs who see fresh pathways to political power.

A different kind of outsider

Trump is breaking the mold in Washington because the mold was formed around career politicians borne of the hidebound bureaucracy Americans are now sick of. Sure, there were outsiders such as Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton who came from far beyond Washington. But Trump is unique in two ways: First, hes never held office (unlike Reagan or Clinton) and instead of politicking, he has spent his entire career building a family business. Second, that business is privately owned by Trump and his family, rather than publicly owned, which makes divestment much trickier than if Trump simply had to sell shares in a public company, and quit.

Ethics purists say Trump should sell his entire stake in the Trump Organization, to eliminate the chance his business can profit from his presidency. The goal is certainly valid, but the method violates common sense. The company would cease to be the Trump Organization without Trump, and most Americans would probably find the sacrifice excessive.

Story continues

Theres nothing in the US Constitution or any of the nations other founding documents that says a career businessperson cant become president, or a businessperson who does become president must come from a publicly traded company with ties that can be easily dissolved. How about this, instead: Why dont the ethics pros suggest some new rules that apply to people who come from a world other than theirs? Didnt voters just say theyre sick of career bureaucrats who become deaf to the concerns of ordinary people? Didnt they just reject the inside-the-Beltway status quo?

When Michael Bloomberg was mayor of New York City, he relinquished operational control of the self-named company he owned three-quarters of. But he didnt put that ownership stake in a blind trust, and when he ended his final term as mayor he returned to running his company. There were no major conflicts of interest involving Bloomberg, L.P. during Bloombergs three terms as mayor. Trump seems to be mimicking that, even though the presidency is obviously on a different level than any mayorship.

Bringing business sensibility to government

If this sounds like a blind defense of Donald Trump, think again. Trumps unlikely success undoubtedly caught the attention of other business figures with political ambition who may have declined to run for president or other high office because they figured they couldnt win. Trump proved political outsiders with a successful business record can win. Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks (SBUX) CEO, is a Democrat who advised Hilary Clinton and has activist impulses himself. Even though he says hes not planning to run for president, hes got to be thinking that maybe he could be a more compelling Democratic candidate in 2020 than the handful of usual senators and governors, who are probably angling for the nomination already.

Some other big business names who could run: Facebook (FB) Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, entrepreneur Mark Cuban, Meg Whitman, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard Enterprises (HPE) (who already ran once for governor of California), JP Morgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon, or even Bloomberg. Some of those figures would have an easier time disengaging from their businesses than Trump, by resigning and selling shares in public companies. But if they won, it would be with a similar mission to apply business sensibility to government and make it more productive.

Trumps critics could turn out to be right. His business interests might generate unending controversy that wrecks his credibility and political capital. His outsider Cabinet might lack the political skills to get things done. His end-runs around bureaucratic procedure might produce illegitimate results. But Trump deserves the chance to prove that a business leader can become a good political leader. If he does, there might be others.

Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman.
WAVERLY, Ohio (AP)  A former Ohio deputy sheriff accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man after a chase testified he fired because he thought the suspect was leaning down to grab a weapon.

Former Pike County Deputy Joel Jenkins, who also is charged in a separate fatal shooting, said he yelled, "Please don't do it" when he saw the man raise his arm as if he had something in his hand.

"I thought he was retrieving a weapon," Jenkins said Friday, describing how he said Ronald Rooker bent down in the cab of his pickup.

Prosecutors told jurors Jenkins unnecessarily fired nine times through the windows of Rooker's stopped truck at the end of the chase in March 2015, striking the 26-year-old seven times.

A defense attorney said Jenkins had feared for his life and was justified in firing at the driver, who had sped away from a traffic stop and tried to ram law enforcement vehicles. But prosecutors said Rooker wasn't a threat when he was shot because his truck was pinned against a tree.

Jurors are expected to begin deliberating next week.

Jenkins, 32, testified that he thought Rooker was going to kill him. "I just don't have the time to wait and see," he said.

He had been a deputy with the Pike County Sheriff's Office in southern Ohio about two years when he shot Rooker after a 17-mile chase.

No trial has been scheduled in the second shooting, which happened in December 2015 in Jenkins' home. He has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in that case, which involves what he says was the accidental, off-duty shooting of a neighbor. Jenkins says he was showing a gun to a neighbor when it fired.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  A former FBI agent who played a key role in cracking the disappearance of two Missouri boys, one of whom had been missing for nearly five years, is rejoicing in the 10-year anniversary of the rescues, known as the "Missouri Miracle."

Lynn Willett tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2jAGF6F ) that saving Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck from Michael Devlin's suburban St. Louis apartment in 2007 was "a significant day for all of us."

Ownby was 13 when Devlin abducted him from a school bus stop in rural Franklin County. Four days later, he was found in Devlin's apartment along with Hornbeck, who was 15 and had been missing since 2002. Devlin later was convicted and is serving multiple life sentences.

Ownby and Hornbeck have remained out of the limelight in recent years. Willett, 57 and retired from the FBI since 2010, attended Ownby's Eagle Scout ceremony years ago, and replied to a 2014 tweet from Shawn but never got a reply.

Willett hasn't forgotten Jan. 12, 2007, when she and FBI Special Agent Tina Kinney were checking tips about white pickup trucks resembling one seen near Ownby's abduction. One led took them to a pizza restaurant in a St. Louis suburb, where the eatery's manager, Devlin, owned such a vehicle.

Devlin wouldn't make eye contact with the investigators, and Willett said: "my Spidey-senses were up, almost immediately." But he gave them permission to search his truck.

"I had a sense very early on, based on the way he was answering questions, that it wasn't quite adding up," Willett remembers of Devlin, who kept mentioning a godson named "Shawn." When Willett told him that tire tracks at the kidnap scene could be the key in solving the case, Devlin lowered his head, told her he was a "bad person" and confessed that the godson "Shawn" was the missing Hornbeck. And that he also had Ownby.

"He said, 'I have Shawn.' I said, 'Take us to him,'" she said.

Story continues

Accompanied by investigators, Devlin unlocked his apartment door and announced, "The police are here," Willett said. The boys were playing video games. When Ownby ran to her, she told him, "You're with the FBI, and you're safe.'"

She says she's reluctant to talk about the day the boys' disappearances ended.

"I want the story to be theirs to tell," she said. "I'm an important cog in it, but it's a personal thing for each boy and their family. It's their story to tell."

___

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  Anyone looking for money from the Vermont Legislature will have to go through a formidable pair of sisters first.

Rep. Catherine "Kitty" Toll assumed the chairmanship of the state House Appropriations Committee this month, opposite her older sister, Sen. Jane Kitchel, who has led the Senate Appropriations Committee since 2011.

For Toll and Kitchel, both Democrats who live in the most conservative part of ultra-liberal Vermont, it's a recognition of their abilities that follows a lifetime of service and being immersed in current events, all a part of their family life for well over half a century.

"It was embedded in so many of our experiences," Kitchel said this week in the Statehouse.

Toll and Kitchel still live within a few miles of where they grew up in Danville in Vermont's rural Northeast Kingdom. They make the 40-minute commute to Montpelier almost every day during the legislative session.

Vermont Senate President Tim Ashe, a Democrat, said the Senate would be lost without Kitchel managing the budget process.

"She's got the expertise of a chief of staff, six commissioners and a secretary to boot. We should send the administration an invoice for her work," he said. "If Jane had a huge ego and was in this for the recognition, she'd have been governor by now."

In a letter to the editor of the Caledonian Record, which first noted the positions of the local sisters, Ashe said, "That sister Kitty of hers is OK, too."

The sisters' mother served in the Legislature in the 1960s. Toll recalls spending time as a child in the Statehouse with her mother and later working there as a page in the 1970s.

"What I remember most, and what I still appreciate, is the smell of this building," Toll, 57, said during a Statehouse interview with her sister in the Senate Appropriations committee room. "Every day when I walk in, I do not take that for granted, I love the smell of this building. It's like the smell you'd remember of your grandmother's house."

Story continues

Toll and Kitchel grew up on the family farm, on U.S. Route 2 just east of Danville village, about 25 miles northeast of Montpelier.

"We grew up in that farm tradition where everybody regardless of how much money or little money they had were welcome," said Kitchel, 71.

Kitchel said she remembered how after Vermont Republican U.S. Sen. Ralph Flanders called in the 1950s for the censure of Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy for his Communist-hunting excesses, Flanders' daughter  their Danville neighbor  needed police protection because of threats against the lives of the Flanders' family.

"It was really quite something for a little Vermont village," she said.

The experiences helped expose them to local, state and national politics.

Kitchel went on to work in state government, rising to become secretary of the Agency of Human Services, which oversees roughly half the state budget. She was first elected to the Senate in 2004, and her experience at the agency landed her on the Appropriations Committee.

Toll worked for years as a schoolteacher before she was elected to the Legislature in 2008. She campaigned in a normally Republican area by knocking on almost every door in her district.

"The question that I heard more often than anything the first time I ran was, 'How's your mother?'" she said.

She joined the Appropriations Committee in 2010 and was appointed chair this month.

Now, as Toll and Kitchel prepare to lead legislative discussions on how Vermont spends its money, they're going to have lots to talk about, given what they feel is the economic uncertainty created by the incoming Trump administration.

"We're going to have to keep in mind what could happen federally," Toll said. "We still have to prepare a budget for the state of Vermont."
SEYMOUR, Ind. (AP)  Federal authorities say a man charged in the 1999 abduction and sexual assault of a southern Indiana girl assumed the identity of a car crash victim and lived for years in Minnesota and Oregon until he was arrested this week.

Investigators tracked down 61-year-old Charles Hollin to Salem, Oregon, after he was identified through facial recognition software of his passport photograph, U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said Friday at a news conference.

Hollin faces federal charges of identity theft and fleeing prosecution, with court documents saying he had disappeared from southern Indiana's Jackson County by the time prosecutors filed charges in early 2000 against him in the abduction and assault of a 10-year-old girl.

Hollin assumed the identity of Andrew David Hall, who was 8 years old when he died due to a 1975 crash in Fayette County, Kentucky, and was buried in southern Indiana, according to an FBI affidavit. Hollin obtained an $80,000 home equity loan in 1999 and a person using Hall's identity obtained a Minnesota driver's license in 2001 before moving to Oregon in 2011.

Minkler said FBI agents had reviewed Hollin's disappearance frequently over the years without success until linking him to the photograph with the passport in Hall's name.

"Facial recognition technology, clearly, was the break in the case that we were looking for," Minkler said. "It is a tremendous law enforcement technique used to bring people to justice."

Hollin was arrested at a Wal-Mart store in Salem where he worked and admitted his true identity, federal officials said. Minkler said he didn't know whether Hollin had family in Oregon and that investigators would be checking for any similar unsolved crimes in Minnesota and Oregon.

Hollin was being brought to Indiana on Friday by federal agents and will be turned over to Jackson County authorities soon to face prosecution on felony charges of child molestation and confinement, Minkler said.

Story continues

Court records didn't list an attorney for Hollin who could comment on his behalf.

Hollin is charged with abducting the child at knifepoint from outside a Seymour girl's club in 1999, taking her to a secluded area and molesting her before leaving her naked along an isolated road about 50 miles south of Indianapolis. DNA tests linked Hollin to the attack, according to court documents.

He faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the most serious of the charges.

Jackson County Prosecutor AmyMarie Travis said the victim's father told her that his daughter was doing well and was relieved by Hollin's arrest.

"I, of course, was concerned about how it would affect her mentally and emotionally to reopen these type of wounds," Travis said. "But he said the main emotion that he noticed in her was relief."
A German industrial group that has played a crucial role in the industrialization of Europe and survived two world wars is now looking at the Philippines as an area of growth, as the country attempts to reinvigorate its manufacturing sector.

Thyssenkrupp AG which combined the resources of Thyssen and Kruppboth steel makers and weapon producers in the 1930s that became controversial at that time for helping Germany become a conqueror of nationswants to design factories, power plants, heavy machineries, infrastructure and elevators for Philippine companies.

There are a lot of opportunities which we see in the Philippines where we can support and help and being a partner for Philippine industries. This is the reason why we are here, says Jan Lueder, chief executive of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd.

After surviving the war, thyssenkrupp embarked on diversification and expansion globally. Today, it is an industrial behemoth, with 670 member companies producing products from tinplates to submarines, employing over 155,000 people globally and generating annual sales of nearly 40 billion euros.

The group, based in Duisburg and Essen, does not only produce engines and machines. It builds the factories and production facilities that manufacture those engines and machines.

ADVERTISEMENT

INDUSTRIALISTS. Executives of thyssenkrupp AG meet journalists in Makati City. Shown are (from left) Vivek Bhatia, CEO for Asia Pacific of thyssenkrupp Singapore Pte. Ltd.; Kevin Chui, country head of thyssenkrupp Philippines; and Jan Lueder, CEO of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd.

Kevin Chui, country head of thyssenkrupp Philippines, says the group has been in the Philippines for more than a century, having delivered steel, engines, turbines, machineries, ships, power plants and even infrastructure to private companies and the government.

We first came here in 1903 and we were providing rail, train, trucks and small engines to a small local company called Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company. This became Meralco which is now one of the biggest and most successful companies in the Philippines, Chui says.

The company also built ships for the Philippines in the 1930s to 1940sDon Esteban and Don Isidro. These ships played pivotal role during World War 2 where they transported Filipino officials including the vice president to safety during the Japanese invasion, says Chui.

He says the German group supplied machinery and equipment for oil mills and cement plants and materials for mines, plantations and dams in the 1950s to 1960s.

It opened a regional office in Manila in 1995, supplied key components for two complete cement clinker production lines in 1997, built a polypropylene plant in Bataan in 1998, built passenger bridges at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 2000 and supplied coal handling equipment and delivered boilers to a power company in 2015.

We also built the biggest cement producing plant in the Philippines, says Lueder, referring to the Teresa cement plant now owned by CRH and Aboitiz. Thyssenkrupp also built the Apo cement plant.

Uhde Inc., a unit of thyssenkrupp, put up a polypropylene or plastics plant in Mariveles, Bataan for Petron Corp. in 1998.

These are all large companies in the Philippines, says Chui, referring to local clients. The group generates annual sales of 5 billion euros in Asia Pacific, including 32.5 million euros in the Philippines.

Vivek Bhatia, chief executive for Asia Pacific of thyssenkrupp Singapore Pte. Ltd., says the group aims to help Philippine industries and enhance their competitive advantage.

Bhatia says the expertise of the group is engineering. The fact is that the steel that we provide for the tinplates allow you to make thinner can. For the same cost and less weight, that impacts your logistics. It is also a better gear for production process. There is a bit of engineering that we are trying to bring in to this run-of-the-mill, conventional things, he says.

Bhatia says the group sees strong growth in the Philippines because of its population of over 100 million with a young, dynamic labor force and an economy that is growing faster than most countries.

Chui says the development of infrastructure and power sectors will help the country achieve its industrialization program. Manufacturing accounts for just a fifth of the Philippine economyone of the lowest in the region, but the government aims to implement an industrialization program to keep up with Asian neighbors.

The most important reason why it is the right time is what you are seeing in the infrastructure and what you are seeing in the power field. These in my opinion are the prerequisite for downstream industries to come to the country. You can only have other industries come in such as fertilizer, chemicals and petrochemicals once power is abundant and cheaper and once you have the roads, the ports and infrastructure in place, Chui says.

I foresee that in the next three or four years, there will be abundant power. There are a lot of power plants coming online. I think the time is right now. There are a couple of things we will be focusing on. One of them is the engineering, procurement and construction or EPC business. We want to focus on industries such as mining, finance, chemical and petrochemicals, power generation especially clean power such as biomass and waste-to-power technologies, says Chui.

Just last three or four months ago, we established a local branch here. And we want to use this as a means to continue to rev up the speed in hiring local employees and better serving the customers here locally, says Chui.

Lueder says thyssenkrupp can become the partner of Philippine companies in building their production facilities, particularly in the sectors of cement, petrochemicals, renewable energy, fertilizers, sugar, automotive and manufacturing.

Technology is one of our important topics. We have the capability to execute totally turnkey lump sum EPC [engineering, procurement, construction] projects. We can also build plants around licensed technology, he says.

We have developed boilers and facilities [for sugar mills] which are capable of making use different fuelcoal, gas and other waste [aside from bagasse] which we could use as fuel. So energy production is 24/7 available, he says.

Lueder says thyssenkrupp can help the Philippines establish its own fertilizer plants to boost the agriculture sector. He says the country currently imports 95 percent to 97 percent of its fertilizer requirements.

You cannot feed 100 million people if you cannot secure the food supply, says Chui, while citing the need for the country to develop its own fertilizer industry.

Chui says thyssenkrupp is committed to stay in the Philippines. We have been here for over 100 yearshelping the nation, helping the people, helping companies grow step by step through the process. In the sense, we went through the transformation and the pain of growing together, he says.

We have a very wide, broad engineering capabilities. With this portfolio, we are unique in a sense that we are here pretty much permanently, he says.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Fillon, the conservative politician seen by opinion polls as most likely to win the French presidential election this year, says France should sell state stakes in firms deemed as not having a strategic importance for the country. "The state should only be a shareholder in strategic companies," Fillon said in an interview with French magazine Capital. He declined in the published interview to name any individual companies to which this might apply. He also told Capital that France "must not show any signs of weakness" in terms of ensuring French technology companies could challenge bigger international rivals such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. Fillon's interview echoed similar comments last month, when he said he was favorable toward privatizations of state shareholdings in order to raise cash for investments in major infrastructure projects. Fillon, a former Prime Minister, said in December France should sell out of "unnecessary investments" in private-sector companies, citing carmaker Renault as an example. The French government holds just under 20 percent of Renault and has significant stakes in several other large companies including Air France, Airbus, Peugeot, Orange and Engie. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Saturday against protectionist tendencies of US President-elect Donald Trump, citing lessons learned in the 2008 global financial crash and stressing the need to "move forward together".

"My profound conviction is that there are more advantages... to moving forward together than when everyone resolves their problems for themselves. I am truly convinced of this," she told a press conference at a meeting of her CDU party.

Asked if she believed "protectionist tendencies" by Trump could pose a threat, Merkel recalled the example of the 2008 global financial crisis, which "came from the United States".

"As heads of state and government (of the G20), we said: 'We must resolve the problem facing us together,'" she said.

"And the response to overcome that financial crisis was not a response based on closing oneself off, but a response which called for cooperation, for common rules, for regulation of financial markets.

"I think this way worked, and naturally we are going to seek dialogue with the new American president," who will be inaugurated on January 20.

On the campaign trail Trump notably threatened to take protectionist measures against Chinese and Mexican imports, and claimed a first success with a decision by US motor giant Ford not to build a new plant in Mexico.

Trump's attitude has fuelled concern in Germany: on Thursday Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was "perplexed" by Trump comparing the leak of a dossier of unsubstantiated allegations against him to something that could have happened in Nazi Germany.

During the US campaign, Steinmeier was even more damning, saying the prospect of a Trump presidency was "frightening" for the world.

He compared Trump to a "hate preacher", saying he had much in common with "fearmongers" in Germany's right-wing populist AfD party and advocates of Britain's exit from the EU.
Its finally over for American Apparel, the trendy turned-scandal plagued clothing brand whose first store opened in 1997. On Thursday, a bankruptcy court in Delaware approved an $88 million sale of the brands intellectual property and manufacturing equipment to Gildan, a Canadian apparel company that focuses on wholesale. Gildan will pay an additional $15 million to acquire American Apparels purchase orders and inventory, effectively giving the buyer all the tools it needs to launch a new clothing line from the ruins of the now defunct brand.

Millennialsespecially those who identify with the term hipsterslikely remember a time in the early naughts when American Apparels snug, expensive t-shirts were emblematic of made-in-America cool. The companys marketing blended the feel-good altruistic mission of making things in America while its advertising featured over-the-top sex appeal of one of Americas favorite traits: youth.

Recommended: The Curse of Econ 101

That all unraveled as reports surfaced about the companys labor practices, which included employing immigrants with questionable documents and worker complaints to the National Labor Relations Board which were eventually dismissed. Then there was the companys signature sexy marketing, which became a point of tension when a string of sexual harassment lawsuits were filed against its founder Dov Charney, many of which have been settled (including more than $3 million in court settlements in 2015, according to the Wall Street Journal). As of January 2017, at least one lawsuit was still pending according Los Angeles Superior Court records.

The company was highly successful. Prior to my ousting, it generated $5 billion in the last 10 years, said Charney in an interview on Friday. In recent months, Charney said he didnt think the company would survive without his leadership, and denies the claims that his misconduct contributed to the companys downfall.This is a manifestation of Wall Street malfeasance, he continued, referring to his ousting. The company got driven into the ground.

Story continues

Charney who is Canadian, ironicallyhas a classic entrepreneurship story: He started American Apparel as a Made in America t-shirt company out of his dorm room at Tufts University in 1989. Twenty-four years later, the company recorded $633 million in sales with over 200 stores in over 20 countries. But in the past three years, the company has faced huge debts, costly legal battles involving its founder, and a drop in sales. American Apparel did what any company does in these moments: turn to private investors for help. Eventually, Charney was ousted by his own board. At the companys bankruptcy hearing last November, its second bankruptcy filing in two years, the company reported $177 million in debt.

Recommended: A Woman Was Killed by a Superbug Resistant to All 26 American Antibiotics

The story of American Apparel is the best and worst of all things, said Mark Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School. As brilliant a merchant and marketer as [Charney] was, he was guilty of never having taken seriously enough the need to organize his company efficiently, especially to offset the fact that he was working with domestic manufacturing.

There was a cultural shift that hampered American Apparel, too. Elizabeth Segran at Racked summed it up best, In their heyday, [American Apparel and Urban Outfitters] made a science of identifying exactly what it was that made hipsters so attractive, then recreated that aesthetic in their stores. But the companys plan of mass-marketing a particular vein of counterculture lost its allure, as consumer tastes shifted. Zara, one of the most successful fast-fashion stories in the past several years, focuses on selling designer-like, high-end looking clothes that are inexpensivea distinct contrast to American Apparels stark and basic approach to apparel.

But fashion wasnt the only thing to change; the retail business changed, too. The economic downturn was hard on the fashion industry as consumers cut back on spending. And brick-and-mortar stores have struggled as online retailers bite into their sales and target demographics. That can be especially harmful for brands like American Apparel, whose the business model is to open a bevy of stores and rely on foot traffic. There are too many stores in too many places, explained Cohen. Everybody doing business in brick-and-mortar is migrating in some way, shape, or form to the internet. Everyone is seeing a chronic decline in the productivity of their real estate.

Recommended: Former Intel Chief: Community Caught Between 'Scylla and Charybdis' on Trump Dossier

All of this helps explain why the $88 million Gildan deal could be viewed as arguably the last great American Apparel marketing feat. Even with all its financial and legal woes, the company still attracted 12 bids. (Sources told Reuters that Amazon and Forever 21 were considering purchasing as well.) And while Gildan wont be purchasing any of American Apparels 110 U.S. storeswhich were also up for salethe company was willing to pay nearly $90 million just for intellectual property and some equipment. Thats quite a feat given that the brand was built on the premise of selling such basic designs.

The company is dead, said Charney. Theyre just tossing around a brand. It's like Polaroid or Sharper Image. The spirit of American Apparel is dead.

Cohen suspects that the deal is more about Gildan weighing the cost of creating a new brand from scratch, along with the value of the manufacturing equipment included in the deal. Though the marketing was salacious, the product is conventional, explains Cohen. It especially makes sense for Gildan, the company thats benefited from the online t-shirt economy, where custom shirts is big business.

Questions remain about whether Gildan will keep American Apparels made-in-the-U.S. promise. On Thursday night, the L.A. Times reported that one of the companys factories in California has been sold to a local textile firm. And though American Apparel is shuttering, its creator is looking for a new start. Charney has a new apparel company, tentatively named Thats Los Angeles. Its marquee product? Plain ol American-made t-shirts.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Paris (AFP) - Governments stung by the political backlash from disgruntled voters left worse off by three decades of globalisation are now scrambling for solutions, but there is no easy fix and the populist remedies on offer risk making things even worse, analysts say.

Globalisation has been a boon for many, but western elites should have addressed its inequalities much earlier instead of sweeping them under the rug.

"Rich countries have too often forgotten those who lost out, the workers threatened by imports from low-cost countries," Radu Vranceanu, a professor at the French Essec business school, told AFP.

More than 20 years ago the man behind the annual Davos forum, Klaus Schwab, warned of a "mounting backlash" which could threaten economic activity and social stability.

"You have to listen to the people who have entrusted you with leadership," the founder of the World Economic Forum wrote in the New York Times. "But in the end, it's not enough just to listen. You have to solve the issues. You have to address... the root causes."

Two decades on, the chickens have come home to roost: Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump's US election victory are seen as a cry of protest by voters who feel they are getting poorer while the rich get richer.

The issues of growing income inequality and what to do about it are likely to dominate discussion when political and business elites gather in Davos next week.

"The share of wealth taken by the highest income brackets has risen in almost all countries over the past decade, both in developed and in developing countries" said French economist Thomas Piketty, a best-selling writer on modern capitalism and inequality who also runs a wealth database.

-'Deepen inequality' -

Even the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a champion of free trade, recently acknowledged that "international trade can deepen inequality in developing countries".

Story continues

But some observers say often-heard calls for "fairer globalisation" have done little to change reality.

"This talk today seems bland and naive," Xavier Timbeau, director of French economic think tank OFCE, told AFP.

Still reeling from sudden changes in the political landscape, elites are seeking a response to the anti-establishment voter backlash, but no consensus has emerged.

Even before taking office, Trump threatened protectionist measures against Chinese and Mexican imports and claimed credit when automaker Ford and others dropped plans for new investment in Mexico.

European governments are also scratching their heads. Two junior ministers in the French government, Christophe Sirugue and Matthias Fekl, have come up with an idea for a "Buy European Act" and a "Made in Europe" label.

Such initiatives can be seen as forms of mild isolationism, but OFCE's Timbeau suspects there may be a new form of economic selfishness at work.

- 'No more goodwill' -

"We are entering a stage in which there is no more goodwill in developed countries towards developing countries. On the contrary, everybody is defending their own interests against the others," he said. "Everybody is looking out for number one."

Apart from being perceived as unfriendly, such strategies may also be counter-productive, warned Vranceanu, at Essec.

"Trump's protectionist threats could diminish the American economy's capacity to develop. They run counter to his promise as a candidate to give the US a strong growth push," he said.

There are more productive ways to level the playing field, such as taxes on products from countries which don't respect climate agreements or which use "social dumping" to keep prices low, said Thomas Guenole, a political scientist and author of a book called "Unhappy globalisation".

"If such taxes are high enough, they will restore the local economy to competitiveness" and put the brakes on offshore production, he told AFP, perhaps even encourage a return, so called "re-shoring".

Whatever cure is attempted, 2015 Nobel prize winner Angus Deaton warned in a recent article, governments must ensure it's not worse than the disease.

- 'True bogeymen' -

"We cannot ignore those who are hurting, but we need to ensure that our 'fixes' don't make the problem worse," he wrote.

The biggest problem facing economies are business leaders "getting rich on the backs of others while not contributing anything of value to the economy", according to Deaton.

"The true bogeymen are the rent-seekers who have captured so much of our government. The inequality that they have wrought is the inequality that needs to be eliminated," he said, citing as an example bankers who seek looser regulation and then lobby governments for taxpayer money if their banks fail.

"The resulting bailouts have given breathtaking sums of public money to people who were already fabulously rich," he said.
Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces on Saturday retook Mosul's university from the Islamic State jihadist group, the latest key advance in efforts to recapture the eastern side of the city, officers said.

"We can say that the university has been liberated," Maan Saadi, a major general in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP.

The vast Mosul University campus, one of the biggest in Iraq, lies in the north of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River that splits Mosul in two.

"We have done the hardest part... we may recapture the entirety of the eastern side in the next 10 days or so," Saadi said.

The top CTS commander, General Taleb Sheghati al-Kenani, spoke to state-run Iraqiya TV from the university.

Saadi estimated Iraqi forces had now recaptured 85 percent of the eastern side since the October 17 launch of a huge offensive to retake Mosul, the jihadists' main stronghold in the country.

The initial phase of the offensive saw a variety of forces retake significant swathes of land in little time but the going has been tough inside the city itself.

After a lull in operations, the CTS and other forces stepped up their coordination and, with increased air and advisory support from a US-led coalition, launched a fresh push just before the New Year.

Over the past two weeks, Iraqi forces have overrun several districts and reached the Tigris River.

The destruction of all bridges over the river in air strikes has made it difficult for IS fighters in east Mosul to resupply or escape to the west bank, which they still fully control.

The western side of Mosul, which is home to the old city and some of the jihadists' traditional bastions, was always tipped as likely to offer the most resistance.
The gruesome discovery of 71 dead migrants in the summer of 2015 in an abandoned truck on a motorway near the Austrian town of Parndorf still haunts locals.

But a new play about the tragedy  "71 or the Curse of the Prime Number"  attempts to help people deal with the trauma a year and a half later.

"The intention was to perceive this drama through art and to raise some aspects that neither journalists nor politicians have raised so far," the play's director Peter Wagner said.

"I think we must mourn the things that weighed on us, and this play has the potential to make us experience again something that shocked us," Wagner told AFP.

"It allows us in some way to detach ourselves from the problem, to observe it from a different point of view."

ADVERTISEMENT

The discovery of the truck in August 2015 on the A4 motorway coming in from Hungary, at the height of a massive influx of migrants into Europe, was indeed horrific.

When police opened up the poultry refrigerator lorry left on the hard shoulder of the busy road, they were confronted with an atrocious sight and an awful smell.

 'A living documentary' 

The stench of human decay emanated from the cargo container where bodies of migrants lay piled on top of each other, crammed into a small rectangular space.

Among them was a baby girl, not even a year old. Investigations would later reveal that the victims  all from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan  had been dead for two days.

The men, women and children had suffocated shortly after smugglers had picked them up in Hungary, a key transit country on the so-called Balkan migrant trail during 2015.

The driver had long since fled. An Afghan and seven Bulgarians were later arrested and are due to go on trial in Hungary later this year. They face life imprisonment.

Wagner's play features a truck-size screen playing black-and-white interviews from 15 people who experienced the tragedy including police, a young volunteer and the local mayor.

In the two-hour performance, this is interwoven with actors performing from 21 texts written by local authors as well as dancing and music composed by Ferry Janoska.

"We know the documentaries from TV But here it is a living documentary! I found that awesome," actress Tania Golden told AFP.

"I have a great admiration for Peter Wagner, because he does theatre for the region, for people here, not for people who go to the theatre and who are used to intellectualising issues."

The play premiered in a school in Parndorf on January 5 and then moved to the state capital Eisenstadt. Further performances are planned in nearby Oberwart and Grosswarasdorf.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
By Harry Pearl SYDNEY (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney on Saturday where the pair agreed to deepen defense ties through joint military training and exercises. Abe's visit to Australia is the first since Turnbull became prime minister in late 2015, and comes amid heightened regional tension as China asserts its claims over disputed territory in the South China Sea. "We have confirmed our commitment to the rule of law, free trade and open markets in our region," Turnbull told reporters at a joint press conference on Saturday. Abe said the increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape made the relationship between Japan and Australia more important than ever. "It is important to guard and increase the robustness of the free, open and rules-based international order," Abe said. The two leaders announced the signing of an Acquisition and CrossServicing Agreement (ACSA), which will increase cooperation in combined exercises, training and peace-keeping operations. The agreement is expected to be finalised by the end of 2017. The announcement comes nearly nine months after Australia chose a French bid over a Japanese design for a new fleet of submarines. The loss of the $40 billion contract was a major blow for Abe's ambitions to develop Japan's defense export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda. Japan, as well as Australia, is looking to protect its strategic and trade interests in Asia-Pacific, especially as China becomes increasingly assertive in the South China Sea. Both leaders also reaffirmed the importance of their respective security alliances with the United States on Saturday. China's recent naval exercises in the South China Sea and the building of islands there, with military assets, has unnerved its neighbours and risks a fallout with the United States. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has said China should be denied access to islands it has built in the South China Sea. China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. (Reporting by Harry Pearl; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo police blocked the entry on Saturday of a train from Serbia painted in the colors of the Serbian flag and with the words "Kosovo is Serbia" printed down the side, in a standoff seen as a test for the tiny Balkan country. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told an online paper he had ordered police special units to the border to halt the progress of the "provocative" train, which had not been cleared by the Pristina authorities to enter the country. Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, its former province, and it did not seek any permission for the passage of the train, which it paid for and organized. Kosovo media published video footage of police special units in armored vehicles rushing to the border with Serbia on Saturday. "I have asked them (police and interior minister) to stop imminently the train entering Kosovo at any price," Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told online newspaper Gazeta Express. "Enough is enough, Thaci said, adding that he was forced to take action after he saw the government was neglecting the issue. Serbia retains effective control of the northern part of Kosovo, which is home to 40,000 to 50,000 Serbs who do not see Pristina as their capital. More than 90 percent of the population of Kosovo are of Albanian descent. The two countries are in talks on normalizing ties, in a precondition for them both progressing toward membership of the European Union. Belgrade's formal rule of Kosovo ended in 1999 after NATO bombed Serbia for 11 weeks to compel it to withdraw forces who had killed some 10,000 Albanian civilians there. NATO still has some 5,000 troops stationed in Kosovo to keep the fragile peace. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he had ordered the train to return to Belgrade from the border town of Raska, and he accused authorities in Pristina of attempting to spark a conflict with the local Kosovo Serbs. "Serbia wants peace... but this is my final plea and a clear warning to Albanians and a message to Serbs... do not attempt to use weapons against Serbs in Kosovo as Serbia will not allow that," he told a news conference. He did not elaborate. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has called for a meeting of the state Security Council on Sunday. Vucic also said he will meet heads of intelligence agencies, commanders of military and police. Saturday's events come at a time of growing tension between the Balkan neighbors. Last week, French authorities arrested former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on a Belgrade arrest warrant accusing him of war crimes. Haradinaj is considered a war hero by ethnic Albanians for his role as a guerrilla commander during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. (Additional reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade and Igor Ilic in Zagreb; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
PARIS (AP)  It sounds far-fetched at best: holding a Mideast peace conference without Israelis, Palestinians or the incoming U.S. government.

But the French organizers say that's the whole point. They want Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to see that most of the world wants a two-state solution and is fed up with decades of conflict.

With chances for a Mideast peace deal lower than in years  perhaps a generation  French President Francois Hollande figures there's nothing to lose.

French diplomats fear that Trump will unleash new tensions in the region by condoning settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians and potentially moving the U.S. Embassy to contested Jerusalem.

So more than 70 foreign ministers and other top envoys are gathering Sunday in Paris to urge the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu says the conference is "rigged" against Israel and declined an invitation to a special meeting afterward. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was initially expected, but his visit to Paris has been postponed.

Even the organizers know it's symbolic; no one expects a breakthrough. It's aimed at presenting Trump with a collective international push for peace once he takes office Friday.

For Obama's outgoing government, Sunday's meeting marks the bitter, disappointing end of eight years of failed Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy. Days before leaving office, Secretary of State John Kerry will headline the Paris event  yet he's participating only to ensure that America's interest in a two-state solution is preserved.

According to a draft statement obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the conference will urge Israel and the Palestinians "to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution." It also will affirm that the international community "will not recognize" changes to Israel's pre-1967 lines without agreement by both sides.

Story continues

Hollande's government has been trying for years to revive peace-making, pointing to diplomatic successes like the 2015 Paris climate agreement, its improved relations with Israel over the past decade and hard line against Israeli rivals Iran and Syria.

But with Netanyahu snubbing the conference and Trump's administration "reserved" about it, according to a French diplomat, Sunday's gathering looks increasingly like an effort to isolate Israel, not entice it to the negotiating table.

Pro-Israel demonstrators plan a protest Sunday in Paris.

Hollande too is a lame duck, leaving office in May  and his government has made no plans to follow up Sunday's conference with enforcement measures or outreach to Trump's team.

The final declaration may warn Trump against moving the embassy, a move that could be seen as recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital after decades of insisting that the city's status must be determined by direct negotiations.

The sides haven't negotiated even indirectly since a failed U.S. peace effort in 2014. Palestinian attacks on civilians and incitement to violence have heightened tensions, as has expanded Israeli settlement building.

Israel has settled some 600,000 of its citizens in the West Bank and east Jerusalem  claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast war. Netanyahu has ruled out a return to Israel's 1967 lines, and many members of his coalition oppose Palestinian independence.

Palestinian attacks on civilians and incitement to violence.

The Palestinians have welcomed the French initiative.
LONDON (Reuters) - Lord Snowdon, the photographer former husband of Queen Elizabeth's late younger sister Princess Margaret has died aged 86, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday. "The queen has been informed," a palace spokeswoman said. A family spokesman said Snowdon, who was born Antony Armstrong-Jones, had died peacefully at home. Snowdon had a long and successful career as a society photographer and married Margaret at Westminster Abbey in 1960. They had two children but he had difficulty in adjusting from his previous bohemian lifestyle to the restrictions of public life. The couple divorced in a glare of publicity in 1978, the first such royal split since the days of Henry VIII four centuries earlier. A month later Snowdon married divorcee Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, a television researcher. Snowdon remained on good terms with his former wife and royal in-laws, taking many photographs for Buckingham Palace, but friends said he became a much happier man with the freedom to go where he pleased and say what he thought. He once said of his talents behind the lens: "One only became a photographer because one drew badly." (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)
I proudly voted for Obama in 2008, not because I believed his soaring rhetoric, but because of the significance of electing a black man to be president. I was in tears on election night when he won and remember the jubilation of the bar crowd quite fondly.

My mind changed within a couple of weeks after his Cabinet appointments began. His appointment of Hillary Clinton to Secretary of Stateafter months of attacking her lack of foreign policy judgement as a major flaw in her candidacysmacked of political opportunism. He himself had convinced me that she was unqualified for such a position, thus the appointment could only have been to curry favor with her camp (i.e., not for the benefit of the country). It was a clear indicator that Obama was going to continue the well-established D.C. tradition of quid pro quo cronyism.

Appointing Geithner to Treasury Secretary was even worse: a betrayal of Obamas stated principals. There was no way to reconcile his rhetoric on the economy and the middle class with his economic appointments. I completely lost my optimism in those few weeks.
MANILAIt has been 66 years since the bloody Korean War from 1950 to1953 which killed 2.5 million people and caused a permanent dispute in a divided country.

In commemoration of the war veterans and combatant nations that participated, the Korean government constructed memorials and monuments to give honor to their sacrifices and heroism.

One of the monuments had been set up to honor the Filipino soldiers who fought to protect freedom and peace and lost their lives during the Korean War.

The Philippines sent five Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) known as the Peftok with a total 7,420 personnel. On Sept. 19, 1950, the Philippines 10th Battalion Combat Team with about 1,400 men landed at the port of Busan as the first of the five BCTs that would serve under the United Nations Command in Korea for the period 1950-1955.

It was the eighth UNC ground combat unit to enter the Korean War. A total 7,420 Filipino officers and men served in Korea. They suffered 116 killed in action, 299 wounded and 57 missing (41 repatriated during Prisoners of War exchanges). The last of the Philippine troops left Korea on May 13, 1955.

ADVERTISEMENT

Namo Kim, a youth from the International Peace Youth Group whose grandfather had served in the army during the Korean War and owed his life to a Filipino soldier, offered his floral tribute to the Monument for the Philippine Soldiers.

PROMOTING PEACE. The monument, on the bus route of 9710 and 9709 from Seoul to Goyang, has flags and a statue depicting the soldiers who died protecting Korea from a surprise attack by the communist North in the 1950s. The Philippine soldiers were dispatched as part of the UN and eventually won despite casualties. The signs and pictures are in Korean and English.

He said this act is to reciprocate the comradery of the Filipinos to his grandfather during the war. Comradery is the spirit of friendship and community in a group, like the comradery of soldiers at war who keep each other upbeat despite the difficulty of their circumstances.

The story described very horrible and awful moments which we could hardly believe today. No water to drink, no clothes to change, it was such a miserable situation. He even got a gunshot and was waiting for death. But he could survive miraculously because of the help of the Filipino comrades, he was always grateful for that, he said.

He regarded the sacrifices of the Filipino soldiers as the reason they were able to protect their family, to which he is forever grateful.

Now its our turn to make a return for your family and the Philippines by achieving peace, he said.

His grandfathers war experience was his eye-opener to pursue the required military training with the aim in mind of advocating peace among the youth.

A Korean youth who must serve in the military for two years experiences the tragedy in which he has to be trained to point a gun and fight the same Korean race every day, he said.

To advocate peace for him is saving lives of the youth who are trained at the frontlines in case of a war breakout.

They are sacrificed in the war without having had a chance to bloom. No price could compensate for the loss of a life. Thats why I think the youth themselves must work for: peace, he said.

According to him, to achieve peace, the youth should go beyond in exhibiting the spirit of peace.

I think its important that we constantly strive to pass down the peace to the next generation, not the war, he said.

He believes the act of youth promoting peace is like a butterfly effect that is starting from little acts to important results. Youth acting together, according to him, is making world peace possible.

I think we can make a world of peace if the youth take a lead and work together to create the atmosphere of peace, he said.

The IPYG, an affiliated body of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, is an organization that works to achieve world peace and the cessation of war by joining with 797 organizations in 110 countries in the world.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
A PALACE official on Saturday compared President Rodrigo Duterte to the late Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew amid criticism of his supposedly authoritarian style of leadership.

Like Lee Kuan Yew, he was also very strict. He is very strict but you can also see the progress of the nation, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella told state radio dzRB. Our actions should not be entirely ideological, but we need to also understand the needs of our country.

Abella made the comparison following criticism from the New York-based Human Rights Watch which placed Duterte among populist leaders who have intensified the flouting of human rights.

Abella, however, maintained that Duterte is a very decisive leader and a man of action.

President Rodrigo Duterte

If they place labels [on the President]they limit you. They do not see what youre actually doing, they just gave a label. But the President is very authoritative and hewe can see the job done, he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

He likewise accused the human rights group and other liberal media of being hostile towards Duterte.

Let us remember that he is governing by the rule of law. Thats why they call himespecially the liberal media and the liberal political orderis because theyre antagonistic to more authoritative forms or styles of governance, Abella claimed.

From the liberal institutions, we tend to emphasize individual rights, which is valued of course. However, we also need to understand that it has to be placed in the context of common good, he added.

But Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2017 that Duterte has initiated a war on drugs in which police and unidentified gunmen have killed several thousand people.

In the 687-page World Report, its 27th edition, Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in more than 90 countries and Executive Director Kenneth Roth said a new generation of authoritarian populists seeks to overturn the concept of human rights protection, treating rights as an impediment to the majority will.

In the name of wiping out drug crime, President Duterte has steamrolled human rights protections and elevated unlawful killings of criminal suspects to a cornerstone of government policy, said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Friends of the Philippines need to make clear that it cant be business as usual until the killings stop and there are meaningful moves toward accountability, Kine said.

The Philippines has seen an unprecedented level of apparent summary killings by the police since Duterte took office.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
The project bond issued for the Tiwi-MakBan Geothermal Energy Project of AboitizPower bagged the 2016 Bond Deal of the Year of the prestigious Project Finance International magazine of Thomson Reuters.

The awarding ceremony will be held on Feb. 1, 2017 at the Hilton, Park Lane in London.

The project bond has also been touted as one of the best in Asia, getting the Best Renewable Deal of the Year by Alpha Southeast Asia, to be awarded on Jan. 25, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The P12.5-billion local currency, multi-tranche bond issuance, backed by the Asian Development Bank, was the first green bond issuance in Asia and the Pacific.

AboitizPower, through its subsidiary AP Renewables Inc., used the issuance to finance the rehabilitation of the Tiwi-MakBan geothermal power facilities, which it bought from the government in 2009 and to partially fund its operating expenditures and future capital investments.

ADVERTISEMENT

The two power plants, located in Batangas and Laguna (Makban) as well as in Tiwi, Albay, combine for 390 MW of clean renewable power for the Luzon grid.

This award proves we are on the right path, both in our efforts to find power generation technologies that support global commitments to address climate change and in our intention to find innovative and viable financing options to support our plans,i AboitizPower President and COO Antonio O. Moraza said.

It has always been our goal to provide ample, reliable and reasonably priced power through a balanced mix of generation assets so we can support the energy needs of the Philippines,i Moraza added.

The climate bond for Tiwi-MakBan was certified by the Climate Bonds Initiative and is considered the first in Asia and the Pacific.

AboitizPower has one of the widest portfolio of energy sources in the country. Thirty-nine percent of its 3,350 MW sellable capacity comes from its renewable power plants n geothermal, large hydro, run-of-river hydro and solar power plants.

The company also operates a number of coal power plants for baseload capacity and oil-fired power plants for reliable peaking supply.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
By Noah Feldman

THE worlds most dangerous flashpoint got much more dangerous this week when China sent its lone aircraft carrier into the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan scrambled fighter jets in response. This is how accidental wars start: provocation and counterprovocation in an environment with too much uncertainty.

The uncertainty arises from not knowing the Donald Trump administrations answer to a pressing foreign policy question: Would the US defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack?

The answer as a matter of US policy has long been complicated. Legally, the US has no treaty obligation to defend Taiwan, and the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 says only that the US would view an attack with grave concern. Analysts refer to this as a policy of strategic ambiguity.

In practice, however, the diplomatic and defense establishments have long assumed that the US would defend Taiwan as vigorously as it would Japan or South Korea, with which it has mutual defense treatiesfor the simple reason that failing to defend Taiwan would be seen as a signal that the US might not defend its official Pacific friends.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trumps election may well change this calculusand no one in the region, or the US, knows for sure. On the one hand, Trumps secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, took a tough line at the beginning of his Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday. He compared Chinas expansive, aggressive actions in the South China Sea to Russias in Crimea, which certainly would go along with a commitment to defend Taiwan.

On the other hand, Trump himself was dismissive of a recent Chinese military provocation, the seizing of a water-borne US drone from near a naval warship in December, commenting that China could keep it. That implied a shift from past US policy: Where George W. Bush and Barack Obama sought to contain China militarily while welcoming its economic growth, Trump seems inclined to go the other way. He sees China as an economic threat while appearing thus far uninterested in military confrontation. And his generally isolationist-tilting foreign policy views would similarly suggest a disinclination to defend Taiwan.

In other words, Trumps administration may be readying itself for a historic shift in US defense posture toward China in the Pacific. Or maybe not. The point is that the heightened uncertainty has practical implications.

China can be expected to keep on testing Trump, especially given his anti-Chinese rhetoric during the campaign and his appointment of a staunchly anti-Chinese academic, Peter Navarro, to lead his trade council.

From Chinas perspective, military and economic confrontation can be deployed as useful proxies for each other. When Trump challenges China on trade, as with the Navarro appointment, China can respond by revealing anti-aircraft guns on its newly created islands in the South China Seaor by sending a carrier into the Taiwan Strait. Neither of these upsets Chinas precarious domestic economy, but each is intended to send Trump a message.

As uncertainty makes China more aggressive, it will have an identical reciprocal effect on Taiwan. Taiwans leadership cannot know exactly how far China is prepared to go. Without the high probability of US support, Taiwan must try to deter Chinas behavior by itself.

Mutual provocation is scary, because it can lead to accidents. Planes and ships can smash into each other, and split-second decisions can lead to disaster.

Whats more, uncertainty itself can contribute to wars that both sides would rather not fight. According to one classic account, one reason rational countries nevertheless go to war is when each side has its own assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses. Different assessments can lead to situations where the only way to find out who is right is to fight the war and see who wins. If China and Taiwan have strongly different assessments of what Trumps policy would be, that increases the odds of war between them.

What makes this high-risk environment into something like a perfect storm is the presidency of Tsai Ing-wen, who took office last May. Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party are far more independence-oriented than any of her predecessors.

To be sure, Tsai has tried to tread carefully since her election, avoiding direct provocation of China, which views Taiwan as ultimately part of China. Yet in the final analysis, the existence of Tsais party depends on the basic assumption that Taiwan is an independent countryand a democracy. That vision puts Taiwan on a collision course with Chinese President Xi Jinpings vision of an increasingly nationalist and expansionary China.

In 2013, when I was trying to imagine the highest risk scenario for a China-Taiwan war, I postulated one in which Tsai was president of Taiwan and China sent its new carrier into the Taiwan strait. Thats now happened. The question is what, if anything, Trump is going to do about it. The answer is much more important for the world than anything in the disputed dossier thats dominating the headlines.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
LILONGWE (Reuters) - Armyworms have destroyed 2,000 hectares of crops in Malawi, spreading to nine of its 28 districts in the last few weeks, the agriculture minister said on Saturday, Malawi, which was hit by a crippling drought last year, has become the third Southern African nation to report an outbreak of armyworms, a voracious pest that devours maize and other crops. "The latest is that the invasion is spreading very quickly than we thought and this week nine districts have been affected destroying 2,000 hectares of crop fields," agriculture minister George Chaponda told Reuters. A year ago, Malawi successfully contained an armyworm invasion that affected seven districts across the country. Malawi's maize crop, the staple grain for the impoverished nation, was devastated last year by a drought triggered by El Nino. About 6.5 million Malawians, more than a third of the population, are dependent on food aid until this year's harvest in March, according to the United Nations' World Food Programme. Malawi's outbreak follows one in neighbouring Zambia, where the military has been deployed to battle the bugs, and Zimbabwe. The armyworms are caterpillars that "march" across the landscape in large groups feasting on young maize plants, wiping out entire fields. (Reporting by Mabvuto Banda; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
GaneshaSpeaks

Earlier known as the UTI Bank, Axis Bank is Indias third largest private-sector bank, after HDFC and ICICI. It offers services in large and mid-level corporate banking, retail banking, SME banking, agriculture business banking, international banking, treasury etc. Head-quartered in Mumbai, Axis Bank also has the third largest ATM network and the fourth largest base of debit cards in India. In spite of its impressive credentials, the bank has been finding it difficult to get out of the controversies that have been surrounding it, especially in the aftermath of the demonetisation move. In this article, Ganesha analyses the Foundation Chart of the Bank and predicts what lies ahead in the upcoming year for it.



What are the planetary highlights in the Foundation Chart of Axis Bank?

The most striking aspect of the Chart is the conjunction of 5 planets  the Sun, Mars, Mercury, Venus and Rahu in the Sign of Scorpio. Ganesha says that Scorpio happens to be the Sign of extremes and thus we generally get to see a lot of ups and downs as well as uncertainty in its stock position. Saturn is formidably placed in its own Sign Aquarius. This placement of Saturn provides great stability for the bank and also renders the ability to face the odds.



What could be causing problems for the banking heavyweight?

As already mentioned earlier, the conjunction of 4 key planets with the malefic Rahu makes the Bank prone to controversies. The transit of Saturn over this Natal Stellium has triggered fresh controversies. Saturn represents the law and law enforcement agencies. Thus, it is advisable that the bank makes the required course correction and take the steps that would prevent further damage. Additionally, the malefic Ketu has been transiting over the Natal Saturn in Aquarius, which also been adding to the problems. Thus, even in the year 2017, Axis Bank may face problems and controversies.



January 2017  a critical month?

Ganesha says that Mars and Ketu will be transiting together in the Sign of Aquarius, which will be adding to the woes of the bank. Some sudden changes in the administration or unexpected problems are foreseen. The period till 20th January, 2017 will be a very crucial one, thus anyone planning to invest in the companys shares till then, will have to be very careful. The slot between 1st January, 2016 and 4th January, 2016, will be especially uncertain and problematic.



The saving grace:

Despite all the other adverse planetary influences, the blessings of Jupiter will help the bank to sail through the challenges. But, considering the overall picture, Ganesha feels that it will not be enough, as the other negative planetary configurations will create serious issues for Axis Bank.



With Ganeshas Grace,

Dharmesh Joshi

The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team
(Reuters) - A suspect has been arrested, police said on Friday, in the slaying of a University of Wisconsin student from Saudi Arabia who was reported to have been fatally beaten outside a pizzeria in the college town of Menomonie in late October.

The victim, Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, was assaulted in the early morning hours of Oct. 30 on a downtown street near the UW-Stout campus in western Wisconsin, and died of his injuries the next day at a hospital in nearby Eau Claire, according to school officials.

Alnahdi, from Buraydah, Saudia Arabia, was a junior undergraduate student majoring in business administration. He began attending the university in Menomonie in 2015, UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer said.

Authorities released little information about the circumstances of his slaying. But local media, citing a criminal complaint filed in the case, said police responding to a fight outside Topper's Pizza in Menomonie found Alnahdi unconscious and bleeding from the nose and mouth.

The official cause of death was reported to be traumatic brain injury.

A 27-year-old man Minnesota man, identified as Cullen M. Osburn, was arrested on Thursday in the St. Paul area and was jailed on charges of felony murder and battery, police and university officials said.

Police offered no explanation for a possible motive behind the killing, which had stirred concerns on campus that the assault may have been a hate crime.

But a Facebook statement posted by Meyer on Friday quoted the criminal complaint as noting that the suspect, in statements to investigators, "was adamant that the altercation was not a result of anybody's race."

The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram newspaper and other media outlets cited eyewitness accounts from court documents of a man arguing with and shouting at Alnahdi outside the pizza parlor before Alnahdi was punched and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the side of a building.

One bystander told investigators she saw Alnahdi at one point raise his hands as if to indicate to his assailant that he wanted to avoid a confrontation.

The university campus reportedly enrolls some 9,600 students, a including a group of about 140 from Saudia Arabia.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman from Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler)
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) had some comforting advice for a trembling, undocumented Hispanic woman from Oklahoma standing before him Thursday night during a nationally televised CNN town hall meeting who is worried that he she will be deported after President-elect Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20.

With her young daughter at her side, Angelica Villalobos asked Ryan, Do you think that I should be deported? Although she currently is protected by an Obama administration policy for undocumented people who were brought to the U.S. illegally while they were children, her fear is that all bets will be off once Trump takes the reins and begins to make good on his early campaign pledge to deport millions of illegal immigrants.

Related: Paul Ryan Rejects Trumps Plan to Deport 12 Million Illegal Immigrants

No, Ryan replied, I can see that you love your daughter, that youre a nice person that has a great future ahead of you, and I hope your futures here. And so, what we have to do is find a way so that you can get right with the law, and weve got to do this in a good way so that the rug doesnt get pulled out from under you and your family gets separated.

Ryan, a one-time champion of major reform of immigration laws that would provide a legal pathway for many illegal immigrants to remain and work in the country, has had to straddle the issue since Trump roared to victory on his pledge to root out most of the 12 million undocumented workers and send many of them packing back to their countries of origin.

For instance, the Wisconsin Republican now says hes fully in sync with the incoming administration on the need to tighten security along the southern border with Mexico, including building a wall to keep others from crossing into the U.S. He agrees with measures to tighten immigration rules and withdraw federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities, like San Francisco and New York that have created havens of security and employment for illegal immigrants and their families.

Story continues

And he is fully on board with policies to step up the arrest and deportation of tens of thousands of dangerous, repeat felons, including some who have been responsible for the violent deaths of U.S. citizens.

But Ryan has publicly rejected Trumps earlier calls for mass deportations and a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country until the U.S. gets a better handle on domestic terrorism. He also continues to hold out hope for compromise legislation that would provide legal status to many illegal immigrants, despite conservatives complaints that that would be tantamount to amnesty. He said he is working with Trumps transition team to find a good, humane solution for the families protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has safeguarded Villalobos and many others until now.

Related: Trump Stands Alone Calling for Mass Deportation of Illegal Immigrants

Finally, Ryan has repeatedly doused Trumps idea to assemble a large federal deportation task force that would swoop down and arrest and detain millions of immigrants  and in the process break up families.

Ryan said last night that while everybody thinks a federal deportation force is being assembled, thats not happening.

If youre worried about some deportation force knocking on your door this year, dont worry about that, Ryan counseled Villalobos.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
PERL-NENNIG, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged the United States to stick to multilateral cooperation, saying a trend towards protectionism was a risk to prosperity. The United States is Germany's most important trading partner and the protectionist rhetoric of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has unnerved exporters in Europe's biggest economy. Germany holds the presidency of the G20 leading economies this year, a platform Merkel wants to use to safeguard multilateral cooperation. Speaking after a meeting of senior members of her center-right CDU party in the western German town of Perl-Nennig, Merkel said all countries were better off if they worked together instead of isolating themselves. A good example was the international response after the global financial crisis that started in the United States in 2008, Merkel said. "The response to the financial crisis was not a response that was based on isolation, but a response that was based on cooperation, on common rules of regulation, including the financial markets," Merkel said. Asked when she would meet Trump for the first time, Merkel said a meeting was possible during a summit of the Group of Seven leading economic powers, which takes place in Sicily in May, and the G20 summit that Germany is hosting in July. In her weekly podcast, Merkel said the German economy was doing "relatively well" but should not rest on its laurels. She urged companies to adapt to the challenge of digitization. "There are also international risks. We see protectionist tendencies," Merkel said, without naming Trump. Business leaders have said the German economy could suffer from a protectionist U.S. trade policy, and that growth could be dented. The economy grew by 1.9 percent in 2016, the fastest pace in five years, as rising private and state spending helped to cement its position as the locomotive of the euro zone. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Michael Nienaber; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican authorities say they have arrested a member of the Honduran military wanted in connection with the March 2016 murder of a prominent environmental activist in Honduras.

Mexico's National Security Commission said in a statement Saturday that federal authorities in the northern border city of Reynosa had arrested a man in response to an Interpol notice. It did not give the man's last name. They plan to begin extradition proceedings against him.

Berta Caceres was killed March 3, 2016. Authorities have arrested about a half-dozen suspects in Honduras, including a man who worked for the hydroelectric project that she opposed.

She had been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work to preserve land. She had reported a number of threats prior to her death.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  Missouri's U.S. senators are renewing efforts to get the legendary riverboat the Delta Queen cruising again on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

Legislation filed by Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Roy Blunt would reinstate an exemption for the Delta Queen to the federal Safety of Life at Sea Act, which prohibits overnight excursions on wooden vessels. The law was passed in 1966, but the Delta Queen was granted an exemption until 2008. It has been docked since then.

The bill would require the Delta Queen to annually modify 10 percent of the wooden portions of the vessel  mostly cabins and public areas. The hull of the Delta Queen is already steel, said Cornell Martin, president of the Delta Queen Steamboat Co.

McCaskill and Blunt initially filed the legislation in June, but approval was not granted by the end of the year. With the onset of a new Congress, the legislation was refiled this past week, a spokeswoman for McCaskill said.

The 285-foot-long, 88-cabin vessel, immortalized in poems and songs, is in dry dock in Houma, Louisiana. Last year, the company opened a restaurant and gift shop in Kimmswick, Missouri, 24 miles south of St. Louis, and plans to move the riverboat to the Missouri site if cruising is allowed.

Plans call for having the steamboat visit more than 80 ports each year on the Mississippi and its tributaries, including Memphis, Tennessee, New Orleans and Pittsburgh.

Martin said he is prepared to spend about $10 million for renovations if the boat is allowed to cruise.

"It all really hinges on her getting to cruise again," Martin said Friday.

The repairs could be completed and the boat could be cruising within eight months of congressional approval, Martin said.

McCaskill said the cruising riverboat would create more than 100 jobs and millions of dollars in economic growth and tourism revenue. Blunt said it would "allow more Americans to experience a taste of history along the Mississippi."

The Delta Queen began operation in 1927. Its passengers have included three presidents: Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter. It served as a naval ship during World War II and is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

"She's a legend, and she's really our last hope to preserve that nostalgia, that history," Martin said.
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The Obama administration's preliminary decision to ease sanctions on Sudan came with the full approval of the incoming Trump administration and after months of secret meetings, Sudan's foreign minister said on Saturday. The United States said on Friday it would lift a 20-year-old trade embargo against Sudan, unfreeze assets and remove financial sanctions as a response to Khartoum's cooperation in fighting Islamic State and other groups. The move will be delayed by 180 days to see whether Sudan acts further to improve its human rights record and resolve political and military conflicts, including in Darfur. This puts the final decision in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump and his secretary of state, who is likely to be Rex Tillerson, a former oil executive. Addressing a news conference, Sudan Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said the potential sanctions relief are the result of six months of secret meetings held in Khartoum on issues ranging from combatting the Lord's Resistance Army to peace in South Sudan and the country's own warring regions, such as Darfur. Sudan's director of intelligence said he had met with U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan twice to discuss cooperation on combating terrorism and extremism. The measures do not affect Sudan's label as a state sponsor of terrorism nor does it impact sanctions tied to Khartoum's role in the conflict in Darfur, where the United Nations says up to 300,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since 2003. Ghandour called the decision the start to improved relations with the United States that would attract foreign investment. Sudan will review its monetary and exchange rate policies in a bid to lure new foreign investment after the United States lifts sanctions, the finance minister said without providing further detail. Sudan's economic problems have been building since the south seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of oil output, the main source of foreign currency and government income. The sanctions relief is expected to impact businesses that deal with agriculture, import-export services, transportation, technology and medical equipment, and oil. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
London (AFP) - An influential group of MPs called on Prime Minister Theresa May Saturday to publish by mid-February her plans for leaving the EU, and urged her to prepare for a transitional deal to limit uncertainty for business.

The cross-party Brexit committee called for a policy document clarifying the government's "broad aims", including whether Britain should stay in the single market and customs union, to allow proper scrutiny before exit talks start.

May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which sets out a two-year timeframe for exit negotiations, by the end of March.

"We're not asking the government to give away its red lines or negotiating fallback positions, but we do want clarity on its broad aims given the significance and complexity of the negotiating task," said committee chairman Hilary Benn.

Ministers have said they want to agree both the terms of Britain's departure and a new trade relationship with the EU within the two-year timeframe, but European leaders have warned this will be tough.

Echoing calls by many business leaders, the committee said it would be wise to prepare for a transition deal in the event that a new trade agreement was not ready.

"The government should seek appropriate transitional arrangements in the interests of business," both in Britain and the EU, said Benn, an opposition Labour MP.

The committee said the government should seek continued access to EU markets in financial services, for the benefit of both sides, and warned against a return to tariffs in other sectors.

It also called for a commitment that British lawmakers -- most of whom opposed leaving the EU in the June referendum -- will have a vote on the final deal.

May has said that giving a "running commentary" on her plans could harm Britain's negotiating position, but has promised more details in a major speech on Tuesday.

"I will set out more on our objectives for those negotiations -- how we will work to get the right deal for Britain and embark on a new constructive partnership with the European Union that makes sense for us all," she told a press conference on Friday.

May has said she wants to end uncontrolled migration from within the EU and to remove Britain from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice -- two key elements of membership of the single market.

A government spokesman said: "We've said we will set out our plans, subject to not undermining the UK negotiating position, by the end of March and that parliament will be appropriately engaged throughout the process of exit."
NEW YORK (AP)  Police fatally shot a man who threatened his mother with a screwdriver and wouldn't drop it as he struggled with officers in a New York City home, a police official said Saturday.

Officers arrived to the sounds of screaming at a Queens house around 3:30 a.m. and found the man holding his mother and threatening her with the tool in a stairwell to the basement, Chief of Patrol Terence Monahan said. A 911 caller had told authorities she was yelling, "He's going to kill me!"

Monahan said preliminary information gathered in the hours after the shooting indicates the uniformed officers struggled with the man and freed his mother after he refused orders to drop the screwdriver. Monahan said that as the scuffle continued, officers shot the man after a stun gun missed and he continued to wield the tool.

"It's a dangerous weapon," Monahan said. "A screwdriver, you can be stabbed with, the same as you can be stabbed with a knife."

Monahan said two officers fired, each hitting the man once. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. His mother was uninjured.

The identities of all involved haven't been released. A possible phone number for the home wasn't working later Saturday.

The home is on Westgate Street, in the Springfield Gardens neighborhood. Police work continued into the afternoon on the block of semi-attached houses, where residents leave parking spaces open in front of one another's homes out of neighborliness.

"It's a quiet place. We don't have any problems," said resident Maverly Mullings.

There have been other police shootings in New York City during the first two weeks of the new year.

Police said they shot and killed a man who fired a gun into a lounge and turned it on officers in Brooklyn on Jan. 4, hours after fatally shooting another man officers said came at them with a large knife and shrugged off a stun gun blast in a Brooklyn home the night before.

On Jan. 6, police said officers shot and wounded a man who drew a gun on them in Staten Island.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f348741%2f1e938ab6-c3b9-4b83-a57f-5c3cacff7278

You can take Barack and Joe out of the White House, but you can never take Barack and Joe out of the memes.

Over the past eight years, President Obama and VP Biden have formed a lasting bromance, and with every great bromance comes some beautifully creative memes.

Having been inspired by the first round of beloved "Biden plotting against Trump" memes, the fine folks on the internet are back at it again, and have decided to transform the touching moment when Obama presented Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom into a joke sesh.

SEE ALSO: Watch the entire, tearful bromance tribute between Obama and Biden

With less than a week until Trump's inauguration, we could all use a good laugh right now. After all, who knows when we'll have another Obama/Biden meme opportunity?

So you just sit back, relax and watch the internet reimagine how the POTUS and VP's most bro-mantic moment really went down.

biden: i am one with the force, the force is with me



obama: what?



biden: nothing pic.twitter.com/xAlcWBPM4M  Colin Jones (@colinjones) January 14, 2017

Biden: in brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall-

Obama: this doesn't make you the Green Lantern, Joe. pic.twitter.com/KirPKAPxr9  c h r i s (@christianauks) January 14, 2017

Biden: I told you chokers were back in style.



Obama: It's an award, Joe.



Biden: For being fashion forward?



Obama: Sure, Joe. pic.twitter.com/DJweu8vZBi  Abam Droud (@AdamBroud) January 14, 2017

Biden: am i an avenger now?



Obama: sure Joe



Biden: pic.twitter.com/fNAy5Xwte2  Ally Gator (@notacroc) January 13, 2017

Biden: Is this for Mario Kart?



Obama: Joe, it's the medal of freedom



Biden: *whispering* I'm gonna tell people I got it playing Mario Kart pic.twitter.com/YCRxj5kT4K  DICK HERCULES (@RatCatcherMpls) January 14, 2017

"but i thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end"



"well baby, i went down and got it for you"



"aw, you shouldn't have" pic.twitter.com/GfhnGsXFIW  ((Julia Reinstein)) (@juliareinstein) January 13, 2017

Biden: wow this is like a black belt huh



Obama: no it's the presidential medal of free- ya know what, yeah joe, it's like a black belt pic.twitter.com/2WfFJ2Wn7c  rudy mustang (@roostermustache) January 12, 2017

Biden:<whispers> not Slytherin ... not Slytherin



Obama: Joe, this isn't



Biden: ... not Slytherin ...



Obama: you know what, Gryffindor pic.twitter.com/Dfeqvlkohe  Caleb Gardner (@calebgardner) January 13, 2017

Biden: does this mean I'm Hokage now?



Obama: if it makes you happy then sure Joe pic.twitter.com/3ppJYOS6YY  Hinata (@baeyakugann) January 13, 2017

Biden:I've had the time of my life

Obama:Joe. No.

B: I've been waiting for so long

O: 

O & B: Now I've finally found someone to stand by me pic.twitter.com/Tee1Cs4yUP  Michael Manley (@_MichaelManley) January 14, 2017

When you do 5 beats a day for 3 summers and finally get your Roc chain. pic.twitter.com/AsJpg8haTK  Wells P (@Wells_P) January 12, 2017

Joe Biden fights back tears as President Obama surprises him with the Medal of Freedom pic.twitter.com/qDAoZNxtoa  memes (@HilariousEdited) January 13, 2017

"tell me how it's gonna be, barack"

"we're gonna get a little place. we'll have a cow, some chickens"

"i get to tend the rabbits?"

"sure" pic.twitter.com/WGsHTnAcwd  Avery Monsen (@averymonsen) January 13, 2017

*sigh*

The thought of the Trump/Pence memes to come just doesn't leave us feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
Latinos in America were dealt their latest blow from the U.S. government when President Barack Obama announced that he would put an end to Cubans arriving in the country without visas.

"Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with U.S. law and enforcement priorities," Obama said in a statement Thursday.

In enforcing U.S. immigration policies, the Obama administration has deported mostly women and children who have come from Honduras, Guatemala and other Central American countries since 2014. Nearly 60 percent of Latinos in the U.S. have disapproved of the way the Obama has handled deportations of undocumented immigrants, according to a new national survey conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center.

The people removed from their homes by the Department of Homeland Security have sought refuge from violence in Central America, according to Fusion. However, because of Obamas deportations, they will soon or have already returned to their homelands.

Bernie Sanders wrote a letter to Obama, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and ICE director Sarah Saldana, earlier this month making a plea to adjust immigration policies targeting the undocumented immigrants.

Raids are not the answer. We cannot continue to employ inhumane tactics involving rounding up and deporting tens of thousands of immigrant families to address a crisis that requires compassion and humane solutions, Sanders wrote Jan. 7.

U.S. deportations hit an all-time high under Obama. His administration has deported more than 2.5 million people, which is in excess of any other president in the 20th century. For instance, President George W. Bush, whose administration created the Department of Homeland Security, deported 23 percent fewer people than Obama's administration.

Story continues

More than 80 percent of the nations estimated 11.2 million undocumented immigrants are of Hispanic origin, according to Pew Hispanic Center estimates.

Before Thursday's policy change, Obama made a historic visit to Cuba, becoming the first American president to do so in nearly 90 years.

Related Articles
Beirut (AFP) - The Islamic State group on Saturday launched one of its fiercest assaults yet on the besieged Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, leaving more than 30 regime fighters and jihadists dead.

The brutal attack -- on a day that saw many outbreaks of violence across Syria -- came as the political opposition said it "supported" upcoming peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The negotiations will attempt to bring an end to the nearly six-year war by building on a fragile truce agreement.

But IS is excluded from the deal, brokered by rebel backer Turkey and regime ally Russia.

Unleashing a wave of suicide attacks, rockets, and tunnel bombs, IS killed at least 12 government forces and two civilians in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The British-based monitoring group said 20 jihadists were killed in fierce air raids by Syrian and allied warplanes on the city, where around 200,000 people have lived under IS siege since early 2015.

IS has sought to overrun the entire city, including the key nearby military airport.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the attack was the "most violent" assault mounted by IS on the city in more than a year.

"Daesh is amassing its forces to attack Deir Ezzor and breach government lines," a Syrian military source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

He said jihadists had aimed to cut the route between the airport and the city, but that the government's counter-attack had stopped IS.

- Astana 'paves way' to Geneva -

Syria has been ravaged by violence since widespread protests in March 2011 calling for President Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

More than 310,000 people have been killed and over half the population has been forced to flee.

Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have thus far failed, but Moscow and Ankara are hoping that the peace talks in Astana later this month will lead to a political solution.

After a two-day meeting in Riyadh, the High Negotiations Committee leading opposition body said it would extend its support to an anti-regime military delegation attending those negotiations.

Story continues

"Concerning the forthcoming meeting in Astana, the (High Negotiations) Committee stresses its support to the military delegation... and expresses hope that the meeting would reinforce the truce," the HNC said.

It said the meeting in Astana "paves the way for political talks" in Geneva in early February, hosted by the United Nations.

Official invitations have yet to be issued for the Astana talks, but Turkey's foreign minister has said Washington will be asked to attend.

Donald Trump's transition team said Saturday it had been invited to the Russian-backed talks, which are due to start three days after the president-elect's inauguration.

"We have been asked to attend," Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told AFP, suggesting no RSVP has been given.

- Violence in Idlib, Damascus -

The ceasefire deal appeared increasingly strained on Saturday, with outbreaks of violence in northwest Syria and near the capital.

Fresh raids in the town of Maarat Masrin in the northwest province of Idlib killed eight people, most of them civilians, the Observatory said.

On Friday, three civilians -- including a child -- were killed in strikes on the nearby town of Orum al-Joz, Abdel Rahman said.

Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance led by Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from Al-Nusra Front after breaking ties with Al-Qaeda last year.

Like IS, Fateh al-Sham is excluded from the truce deal.

New clashes also broke out in Wadi Barada -- the main source of water for Damascus.

Water supplies from the area to around 5.5 million people in the capital and its outskirts have been cut since December 22 because of fighting.

Rebels and government troops had reached a local agreement Friday so that water access could be restored, but the Observatory reported a resumption of violence Saturday.

"Regime forces and (Lebanese movement) Hezbollah violated the agreement" by battering a town in Wadi Barada with rocket fire, Abdel Rahman told AFP.

State news agency SANA Saturday said that the government's chief negotiator in Wadi Barada, Ahmad al-Ghadban, was killed when "terrorists opened fire... after a meeting".

The Observatory confirmed Ghadban's death.
By John Irish and Lesley Wroughton PARIS (Reuters) - Major powers will send a message to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday that a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians is the only way forward, and warn that his plan to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem could derail peace efforts. Some 70 countries, including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, are due in Paris for a meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected as "futile" and "rigged". Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will be represented. But, just five days before Trump is sworn in, the conference provides a platform for countries to send a strong signal to the future American leader. Trump has pledged to pursue more pro-Israeli policies and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been for 68 years, to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel's capital despite international objections. "It would be a unilateral decision that could escalate tensions on the ground," a senior French diplomat said. "Five days before he becomes president, it's not negligible that 70 countries recall (the need for) a two-state solution when his administration could implement controversial measures that may aggravate things." France has said the meeting does not intend to impose anything on Israel or the Palestinians and that, ultimately, only direct negotiations between the two can resolve the conflict. A draft communique seen by Reuters reaffirms existing international resolutions, urges both sides to restate their commitment to the two-state solution and disavow officials who reject it, and asks the protagonists to "refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations". LOW POINT Diplomats said there could also be an allusion to Trump's plans. Relations between the United States and Israel have soured during President Barack Obama's administration, reaching a low point late last month when Washington declined to veto a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory. Obama's secretary of state, John Kerry, said the settlement program threatened Middle East peace, and that the two-state was in "serious jeopardy". Palestinian President Authority Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he had written to Trump warning that a move to Jerusalem would kill off the peace process and strip the United States of its role as honest broker - and could lead to the Palestinians going back on their recognition of Israel. Home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities, France has tried to breathe new life into the peace process over the past year. It believes that, with the uncertainty surrounding how the next U.S. administration will handle the issue, it is important to push the sides back to talks rather than allowing a fragile status quo to fester. But with elections coming up this year in France and Germany, and Britain appearing to align itself more closely with the Trump administration on the issue, the prospects of the European Union, the largest economic partner for both Israel and the Palestinians, taking a lead on the matter appear unlikely. Arab states have their own concerns about how Trump's relationship with them will turn out, and have taken a cautious line. "All this is premature. We need to give the new U.S. administration time to assess what they want to do," said a Middle Eastern diplomat based in Paris. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Parndorf (Austria) (AFP) - The gruesome discovery of 71 dead migrants in the summer of 2015 in an abandoned truck on a motorway near the Austrian town of Parndorf still haunts locals.

But a new play about the tragedy -- "71 or the Curse of the Prime Number" -- attempts to help people deal with the trauma a year and a half later.

"The intention was to perceive this drama through art and to raise some aspects that neither journalists nor politicians have raised so far," the play's director Peter Wagner said.

"I think we must mourn the things that weighed on us, and this play has the potential... to make us experience again something that shocked us," Wagner told AFP.

"It allows us in some way to detach ourselves from the problem, to observe it from a different point of view."

The discovery of the truck in August 2015 on the A4 motorway coming in from Hungary, at the height of a massive influx of migrants into Europe, was indeed horrific.

When police opened up the poultry refrigerator lorry left on the hard shoulder of the busy road, they were confronted with an atrocious sight and an awful smell.

- 'A living documentary' -

The stench of human decay emanated from the cargo container where bodies of migrants lay piled on top of each other, crammed into a small rectangular space.

Among them was a baby girl, not even a year old. Investigations would later reveal that the victims -- all from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- had been dead for two days.

The men, women and children had suffocated shortly after smugglers had picked them up in Hungary, a key transit country on the so-called Balkan migrant trail during 2015.

The driver had long since fled. An Afghan and seven Bulgarians were later arrested and are due to go on trial in Hungary later this year. They face life imprisonment.

Wagner's play features a truck-size screen playing black-and-white interviews from 15 people who experienced the tragedy including police, a young volunteer and the local mayor.

Story continues

In the two-hour performance, this is interwoven with actors performing from 21 texts written by local authors as well as dancing and music composed by Ferry Janoska.

"We know the documentaries from TV... But here it is a living documentary! I found that awesome," actress Tania Golden told AFP.

"I have a great admiration for Peter Wagner, because he does theatre for the region, for people here, not for people who go to the theatre and who are used to intellectualising issues."

The play premiered in a school in Parndorf on January 5 and then moved to the state capital Eisenstadt. Further performances are planned in nearby Oberwart and Grosswarasdorf.
Zagan (Poland) (AFP) - Polish authorities and ordinary Poles welcomed Saturday US troops who arrived this week as part of an unprecedented deployment to NATO's eastern flank aimed at deterring Russia.

"Welcome to Poland," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told US troops in Zagan, the Polish town on the German border where the brigade will be headquartered, adding "we hope you feel at home."

"The presence of American soldiers in Poland is another step in our strategy to ensure safety and security for Poland and the region," she added.

Hailing from Fort Carson, Colorado, the so-called "Iron Brigade" comprising some 3,500 soldiers and heavy equipment will also be deployed in NATO partners Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary on a rotational basis.

It is part of the Pentagon's "Atlantic Resolve" operation aimed at countering security concerns triggered on NATO's eastern flank by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

"This is America's most capable fighting force: a combat-ready, highly trained US armoured brigade, with our most advanced equipment and weaponry," US ambassador to Poland Paul James said at the ceremonies, also attended by hundreds of Zagan residents.

"This force embodies America's iron-clad committment to honour our NATO treaty obligation to defend our NATO allies."

The US troops and tanks began streaming into Poland Thursday as part of one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War, an operation that Russia angrily branded a security "threat".

The brigade's deployment, ordered by the outgoing Obama administration, comes a week ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has suggested his Republican administration will seek to ease tensions with the Kremlin.

Poland on Friday told Trump that any improvement in Washington's ties with Moscow cannot come at the cost of harming Warsaw.

Story continues

- 'Safe Poland' -

According to Poland's Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz, a total of 7,000 US and NATO troops will be stationed in his country in the coming years.

The defence ministry held "Safe Poland" picnics Saturday in cities across the country, allowing average Poles to meet with Polish and newly deployed US troops, view military hardware and chow down typical Polish army grub including pea soup with ham.

Hundreds of residents attended the official welcome ceremonies in Zagan.

"The deployment is necessary and it's great that they're here. We can feel the support of our allies," a Zagan resident who identified himself only as Pawel told AFP.

Fellow Zagan resident Jan said he was not convinced the US deployment was absolutely necessary, but chuckled that "it would be good if they scare the Russians a little, because they're out of control".

Freshly-arrived US military policeman Peter Gomez told AFP he felt "very welcome" as he posed for selfies with Zagan residents.

"I'm surprised actually, people are very excited to see us."

Tensions between Russia and the West have escalated over the past two years, triggered by Russia's actions in Ukraine and its military campaign in Syria since late 2015.

Last summer, NATO leaders endorsed plans to rotate troops into Poland and the three Baltic states to reassure them they would not be left in the lurch if Russia was tempted to repeat its Ukraine intervention.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian police detained three people for questioning after carrying out house searches in Brussels that were related to an anti-terrorism investigation, prosecutors said on Saturday. The house searches were carried out in the Brussels district of Molenbeek, which gained international attention when locals with links to Syria took part in the November 2015 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris. "The searches were carried out as part of an investigation by Brussels prosecutors," a spokeswoman for Brussels prosecutors said. "While nothing was found, three people were taken in for questioning." The area where the searches took place was closed off to traffic as special police forces with machine guns moved in, a Reuters journalist said. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Clement Rossignol; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover arrived at the Red Planet in 2012, carrying a special embellishment: a plaque with signatures from the country's top officials, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Last night (Jan. 12), Obama responded to a NASA tweet about that plaque with a thank you, calling it "out of this world."

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Editor's Recommendations
HOBART, Australia (AP)  Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens' decision to forego singles qualifying for the Australian Open paid big dividends Saturday when she beat Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-1 in the Hobart International final.

As the 21-year-old Mertens advanced through the Hobart field, including a win over top-seeded Kiki Bertens, she had a difficult decision to make: withdraw from the tournament and head to Melbourne for Open qualifying, or stay in the Tasmanian state capital and keep playing.

She decided to stay. So in addition to the trophy and first-place prize money of $32,000, her efforts will see her break into the top 100 in rankings, possibly as low as 81. She was 127th at the start of the Hobart event.

A previous Hobart winner in 2000 was Kim Clijsters, and Mertens took her inspiration from the fellow Belgian.

"She's really a role model for me  what she achieved was amazing," Mertens said of the former No. 1. "I hope I can be a little bit like her ... I still have some years to go so I'll see where it ends."

A student of the Kim Clijsters Academy, Mertens recalls when she was a child watching the four-time Grand Slam singles champion Clijsters and fellow Belgian Justine Henin.

"Just watching them on TV and making such great shots and winning so many matches, was incredible," Mertens said.

She even impressed herself with this week's performance  "I beat four top-100 players ... I had a plan and it worked."

Mertens will still travel to Melbourne  to play in the Australian Open doubles draw with American Louisa Chirico.

Mertens was playing in just her fourth WTA event and contesting her first final.

It was the third time in six years a qualifier has strung together eight consecutive victories to take the Hobart title. Mertens joined Mona Barthel (2012) and 2016 French Open champion Garbine Muguruza (2014) as players who won Hobart via the qualifying route.

___

This story has been updated to remove an extraneous word in the first paragraph
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Ricardo Lagos, a leading opponent of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet who later went on to serve as president from 2000 to 2006, on Saturday accepted his party's nomination to run in the 2017 presidential election. The 78-year-old, who will represent the center-left Party for Democracy (PPD), vowed to improve communication between politicians and the public, invest in infrastructure, push forward with pension and education reform and tackle low productivity. "The role of progressives is to carry on pushing at the limits of what is possible," he said during an acceptance speech at a cinema in Santiago, surrounded by young Chileans. Lagos is well-known in Chile for his central role in the battle to bring democracy to the country in the 1980s. Pinochet finally stepped down after losing a 1988 plebiscite on his rule, after a successful 'no' campaign that Lagos helped lead. As president, Lagos was seen as a business-friendly moderate. He disappointed some on the left for not doing more to tackle deep inequality in the country, a top copper producer. He faces significant competition in the race to succeed President Michelle Bachelet, his protege, who is constitutionally banned from running for a consecutive term. Within the left-leaning "Nueva Mayoria" bloc, which includes the PPD and will pick its candidate in primaries later this year, his status as early favorite has been overshadowed by a surge in support for leftist senator Alejandro Guillier. Guillier, a former journalist who was a virtual unknown a year ago, is seen as a breath of fresh air by many Chileans who have become cynical about traditional politics after a series of scandals during Bachelet's administration. Should Lagos win the primary, he must then face Sebastian Pinera, also a former president and likely candidate for the right-wing coalition, who currently leads in polls. The presidential election is due to take place in November, with the winner scheduled to begin a four-year term in March 2018. (Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters demanding jobs clashed with police in several Tunisian towns on Saturday, blocking the route of visiting President Beji Caid Essebsi in one region, on the sixth anniversary of the country's revolution. Local residents said protests that erupted in the southern town of Ben Guerdane had spread over the weekend to several other areas such as Sidi Bouzid, Meknassi and Gafsa, where Essebsi visited to mark the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Six years after that revolt, Tunisia is hailed as a model of democratic transition, but rural central and southern regions remain flashpoints for rioting in marginalized towns where many young Tunisians see little economic opportunity or progress. In Gafsa, angry youths protested against Essebsi's visit, throwing stones and blocking the road. Local media and residents said the president's convoy was forced to change its route before he left by air. In Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the Tunisian revolution sparked by the death of a street vendor protesting against official corruption and abuses, hundreds demonstrated in front of the local governorate, making the same demands as six years ago. "We raised the same slogans as 2011 ... work is our right ... no fear, and the street belongs to the people," Attia Athmouni, a local resident told Reuters. In Meknassi, police arrested some protesters late on Friday. But the protests continued in Meknassi and Manzel Bouziane on Saturday. The presidency said that Essebsi announced development projects which will provide more job opportunities in Gafsa, the heart of the country's state-run phosphate business, whose exports have also been disrupted by protests over jobs. After a day of calm following a visit by a delegation of ministers to Ben Guerdane, near the Libyan border, protesters clashed again on Saturday with police, local residents said. Since the 2011 uprising, Tunisia has mostly avoided the political violence that has plagued much of the Arab world. The North African country emerged as a symbol of peaceful democratic change with free elections, a new constitution and compromise between Islamist and secular rivals. But economic progress, a central demand of many Tunisians, has failed to match the country's political advances. In rural southern and central regions, where farming remains one of the few sources of income, tensions often flare over the lack of jobs and economic opportunities. (Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
The Nigerian Army on Thursday dispelled news that it had troops ready to forcefully remove the outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh when his tenure expires later this month.

In a statement released on Thursday night, the Army said there was no time or place Nigerian Army disclosed such information to the medium. If there is any, we challenge them to name the officer or soldier that gave them such information and when. For the avoidance of doubt, Nigerian Army is not planning to attack any country.

Earlier on Thursday, Nigerian legislators passed a vote that allows Jammeh to be granted political asylum should he opt to step down and peacefully transfer executive power when his tenure ends.

I support this motion to the extent that  what we are trying to do is to create a soft landing for Yahya Jammeh. Lets give him options, do not throw him under the bus, because we are all African  and as leaders we must provide alternatives, MP Nnenna Ukeje, of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives said.

Jammeh refused to accept the results of the December 1 polls citing irregularities and intimidation of his supporters. The opposition say they are going ahead with inauguration plans for the victor, opposition candidate Adama Barrow.

The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari is expected in the Gambian capital Banjul along with Ghanas former president John Mahama to continue efforts aimed at solving the post electoral crisis in the tiny West African country.
A quick scroll through Instagram may leave you with the impression that full lips are in style at this very moment, but a new scientific analysis of fashion models says that the trend is surprisingly absent.

One explanation for the results may be that the fashion industry is no longer driving beauty trends  instead, its possible that celebrities may be the new driving factor instead, according to the study.

Recently, women seeking cosmestic procedures have shown a preference for fuller lips, according to the study, which was published today (Jan. 12) as a research letter in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

The researchers, led by Dr. Prem Tripathi, a resident in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at the University of California, Irvine, attribute the rise in this preference in part to changes in the demographics of both consumers and of models and celebrities, as well as to the low cost and safety of injectable lip fillers. [7 Plastic Surgery Myths Revealed]

However, the fashion industry has often played a role in what women seek from cosmetic procedures, the authors wrote in the study. Because tastemakers mold opinions through the media, and in particular, through print media, the researchers decided to look for evidence of trends in lip size in the pages of Vogue magazine, according to the study.

In the study, researchers analyzed the lips of fashion models who appeared in Vogue magazine between 1960 and 2011. They included images in which the model's face had the following characteristics: It spanned at least one-third the height of the page, the model's lips were "at rest"  in other words, the model wasn't smiling or pouting, for example  and the lip shape wasn't altered with makeup. There were a total of 353 images in the study.

By digitally scanning the images, the researchers were able measure the size of the models' upper and lower lips, as well as compare the size of the upper lip to the lower lip.

Story continues

They found that, from 1960 to 2011, neither the upper nor the lower lip increased in size over time, and the ratio of upper-lip size to lower-lip size also didn't change. The average upper-lip to lower-lip ratio was 0.68, which corresponds to a 47 percent larger lower lip compared to the upper lip, the researchers added.

The researchers noted that their findings were not what they expected. "If the frequently cited trend toward fuller lips truly exists, why is this not quantitatively seen in Vogue?" they wrote. Indeed, "a cursory glance through [the magazine] leaves the reader with a variety of shiny, lip-center images of fashion models," they wrote.

Factors such as sampling error, magazine choice and magazine editor preference may play a role in the studys findings, the researchers said. But its also possible, however, that the fashion industry may not be the driving factor in this trend in women's preferences, they said.

Though the fashion industry has been an authoritative source on trends in the past, its possible that celebrities now play a bigger role in influencing cosmetic trends, the researchers wrote.

Rather than drawing inspiration from the fashion industry, "celebrity images in mass media highlighting the overfilled lip may now serve as the very platform from which patients cultivate their cosmetic ambitions," the researchers wrote.

Originally published on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations
Rome (AFP) - The Italian coastguard said on Saturday nearly a hundred people were missing after a boat with migrants sank off the Libyan coast.

"The bodies of eight people have been recovered. Four people have been saved, and they say 107 migrants were onboard the boat in all," the agency's press office said.

Search operations were continuing after nightfall in poor weather and sea conditions, it said.

A French warship, patrolling under the EU's Frontex border operation, picked up the survivors and two merchant ships were heading for the area, located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the Libyan coast.

A Frontex plane and an Italian naval helicopter also joined the operation.

On Friday, around 550 migrants were picked up from four inflatable dinghies by Italian coastguard vessels, an an Italian naval ship, an NGO boat and a merchant vessel.

In recent years Italy has been on the front line of migrants arriving across the Mediterranean and has been pushing for agreements with governments in North Africa to facilitate returns.

People-smugglers have exploited the chaos in Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants in boats to Italy 300 km (185 miles) away.

According to the Italian interior ministry, over 180,000 migrants landed in Italy last year, an annual record.

The UN has said more than 5,000 people died in 2016 trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them on the Libya-Italy route.

In another incident, the bodies of six migrants were found washed up on beaches near Algeciras, the port on the southern tip of Spain near Gibraltar, the Spanish sea rescue service said on Saturday.

The six were all men, apparently from sub-Saharan Africa.
GaneshaSpeaks

Ganesha feels that the time is opportune for the Mannargudi heavyweight to rise high and achieve an important position in the party.



Sasikala Natarajan  the much famous companion and soul-sister of Jayalalithaa has seen a fair share of fame and media glare over the years. Things have taken a drastic turn in the southern-most state of India and now, power and fame seem ready to be knocking at Sasikalas door. The AIADMK party leaders have been urging her to take over as the CM, while on the other hand, theres a lot of anger amongst some sections against her. In this article, Ganesha feels though her planets indicate strong potential to rise high, the transiting planets will not let her path be an easy one. Some tricky situations and ugly controversies are likely to make things messy for her. Lets explore what the cosmos has in store for her.



The planets indicate that Sasikala can be a very good strategist, and can experiment with unusual systems of administration.



The Sun-Mercury-Saturn Connect:

Ganesha notes that Sasikala is born with the Sun in Capricorn and it is in conjunction with Mercury. This placement indicates good potential for success to some extent in politics. Mercury, which in her Chart is in retrograde motion, is being aspected by Natal Saturn from the Sign of Scorpio, which indicates that she is highly intelligent and will have some interesting ideas up her sleeve. Moreover, this also presents a picture of a person who is a deep thinker and the one who can be quite practical in her decisions.



Benefic planets in good association: Bright fortune

The Moon and Jupiter are conjunct in the Sign of Leo and this blesses her with fame, high position and social status. Apart from this, Jupiter is aspecting natal Venus. All the the three planets happen to be top-level benefics and the favourable disposition of these planets explains her proximity to such an influential leader as Jayalalithaa and the attention, popularity and support of the masses that she enjoys.



The Strong Scorpio Influence: The Enigmatic and Shrewd Strategist?

In the Chart of Sasikala, Mars, Saturn and Rahu are in conjunction in the Sign of Scorpio. The union of all the top-rank malefics, that too in the mysterious Scorpio presents a hazy picture about the soul-sister of Jaya Amma. Saturn-Rahu together indicates vulnerability to legal issues and the very same combination may create a lot of hurdles and challenges. The combination will create a lot of fluctuations and extreme situations in her life. Because of the same pairing, she may sometimes be accused of being a little superficial or her actions may be considered suspicious. Also, the presence of Mars therein denotes disputes and differences with highly placed figures.



But, on the positive side, as the trio happen to be placed in Scorpio, she would be a person who can devise wise strategies to deal with complex situations and she would be quite a bold individual, who doesnt mind exploring unchartered territories and trying unconventional ideas. She will also be good at gathering support of people and turning the backing of others into her political strength. But, her strategies may backfire on certain occasions, thus she will have to be extremely careful.



The Ambitious Sasi:

It can be said that she is a highly ambitious person, who doesnt mind aiming big, as the Signs which are considered highly ambitious  Capricorn, Scorpio and Leo are all occupied by key planets. This configuration makes the person crave for attention, fame and power.



The current scenario:



The favourable aspects:

The transiting Jupiter is currently aspecting the Sun and Mercury which will give a boost to her political career. The transiting Saturn is moving over the natal Saturn which indicates a very crucial and decisive time period for her personal life and political career as well. The period between mid January 2017 and April 2017 will be very important for her and she is likely to gain more control over the Party and political affairs. The said period seems opportune for her to get the most powerful position in the Party. She may emerge as one of the strongest leaders in Tamil Nadu politics.



The restrictive influences:

However, the transiting Rahu is moving over the natal Moon and Jupiter. So, some of her decisions and initiatives may prove to be fatal. The transiting Ketu is moving over the natal Venus. So, there will be conflicts within the Party and someone may try to tarnish her image. It also indicates some legal issues which may impede her progress.



The conclusion:

Ganesha feels that the favourable influences being rendered by the benefics will not be enough to save Sasikala from controveries and troubles. She will have to make her moves carefully, to avoid stepping on landmines.



With Ganeshas Grace,

Tanmay K. Thakar

(Special Inputs: Aaditya Sain)

The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team
We here at This Week in Game Shows feel the need to apologize to game show fans everywhere. Its already the third season of The Price Is Right Thailand, and we JUST discovered it. There are slight differences between The Price Is RIght Thailand and its American counterpart, but it is every bit as entertaining if not more so, whether you understand the language or not. They have games. They have the wheel. The biggest difference is how comparatively calm the contestants in Thailand are when their names are called to play.

Back in America, Drew Carey kept The Price Is Right as American as possible by belittling one of the contestants. In Careys defense, this particular contestant had an absolutely terrible guess at what a set of jewelry cost. The contestant threw his hands up and shrugged his shoulders after missing the correct price by thousands of dollars, after which Carey suggested all of the mans friends screen-grab the image of him shrugging his shoulders and text it to him.

On Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak allowed a woman to tell an admittedly corny joke, then tried to make it seem like it was better than it was when the crowd barely laughed.

And on Family Feud, there was a family that has definitely NOT seen the Twilight movies. When asked what might be for sale at a store for vampires, they had some of the most far-fetched answers you could imagine. Whats easy to imagine: Steve Harveys reaction to these answers.

Find out why a contestant on The Wall nearly passed out onstage:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below.
Belgrade (AFP) - There is no mistaking the Serbian nationalist message of the train, from the Orthodox icons adorning its interior to the bold claim plastered across its exterior in a host of languages: "Kosovo is Serbia".

On Saturday the train got its message moving, initiating the first rail service from Belgrade to the mostly ethnic Serbian north of Kosovo since the outset of the war 18 years ago that split the nations apart.

Serbian authorities claim the renewed rail service answers a clear need, allowing the majority Serbian population in Kosovo's north "to have better communication with central Serbia", according to Marko Djuric, Serbian minister for Kosovo affairs.

"Who has the right to call for the violation of a fundamental right -- that of free movement?" Djuric said at the central Belgrade train station from where the train was leaving.

But Pristina has denounced it as a "serious provocation" challenging Kosovo's territorial sovereignty.

"The introduction of an illegal rail service represents interference which threatens our sovereignty and proves Serbia is seeking to destabilise Kosovo", said Edita Tahiri, who leads Kosovo's negotiating team with Belgrade.

Because the central Kosovo government has no real control over the predominantly ethnic Serb north and that region's borders with Serbia, it has appealed to the European Union to "stop this illegal train".

The train, painted in the red, blue and white of the Serbian flag, is decorated with replicas of religious icons from Serbian Orthodox monasteries located in Kosovo.

Although most of Kosovo is ethnic Albanian, many Serbs consider it their native homeland, and despite Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, Serbia -- and its ally Russia -- have yet to recognise its sovereignty.

Some 13,000 people were killed in the 1998-1999 war. A European-Union brokered agreement was reached in 2013 to "normalise" relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  Gunmen in Syria have abducted a South African freelance photographer who was traveling with aid workers to the border with Turkey, an aid group said Saturday.

Shiraaz Mohamed was kidnapped on Tuesday afternoon on a "relatively safe route" near a medical facility operated by Gift of the Givers, said Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the South African aid organization.

The kidnappers put guns to the heads of two aid workers with Mohamed and then blindfolded all three and drove with the captives for an hour, Sooliman said in a text message sent to journalists.

The gunmen freed the two aid workers but said they would question Mohamed to clear up an unspecified "misunderstanding" and would release him at a Gift of the Givers facility after two days, according to Sooliman.

"They asked if Shiraaz is a foreigner. Our people replied yes. They asked if he has a passport. They said yes. They asked if he's Muslim. They said yes," Sooliman said.

He said the gunmen, asked by the aid workers about their identity, claimed to "represent all groups inside Syria."

Mohamed was not released on Thursday, despite the gunmen's pledge to free him.

For years, Gift of the Givers has provided medical care and other aid to Syrians affected by the country's civil war.

___

Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris
A South Korean captain and a Filipino crewman abducted by suspected Islamist militants off the southern Philippines were released on Saturday, authorities said, ending a three-month ordeal where they endured beatings and hunger.

The Philippine military said armed men identifying themselves as Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped the pair from a South Korean cargo ship in October last year, the first such attack on a large merchant vessel.

Jesus Dureza, a senior aide to President Rodrigo Duterte, fetched the freed hostages in Sulu, a remote archipelago known as a militant hideout, and brought them to Davao, a city about 600 kilometres (370 miles) from Sulu.

The two seafarers were beaten by their captors and forced to sleep in the jungle while eating dried fish and drinking unclean water, Dureza said.

"We were almost hopeless but I am thankful we were able to come home safely," Filipino crewman Glenn Alindajao, 31, said in a news briefing.

South Korean captain Park Chung-Hung, 38, did not speak with reporters but like Alindajao, appeared weak and grew a beard while in captivity.

The abduction on board the 11,400-tonne heavy load carrier Dong Bang Giant 2 occurred just off the southern entry of the Sibutu Passage, a 29-kilometre (18-mile) wide channel used by merchant shipping in transit between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

The cargo ship was heading for South Korea from Australia.

The freed captives were flown to the capital Manila on Saturday afternoon to undergo debriefing and a medical examination.

"They were physically maltreated without any provocation," Dureza told AFP.

"They have been very stressed out. They were moved from one place to another, sometimes sleeping in forests, different houses, eating just dried fish and drinking water from brooks."

Dureza said the Muslim rebel group the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which is in peace talks with the government, helped in facilitating the hostages' release.

Story continues

The ship's owners also negotiated for their freedom, according to Dureza, adding that he was not aware if a ransom was paid to Abu Sayyaf, which does not normally free hostages without huge sums of money.

- Armed security? -

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded two Canadian hostages last year after demands for millions of dollars were not met, and released a Norwegian man along with a number of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors after ransoms were believed to be paid.

This week the group released a video showing an elderly German sailor abducted at sea late last year was alive.

The Abu Sayyaf began kidnapping sailors in border waters between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines last year, taking several dozen hostages.

The spike in abductions sparked Indonesian warnings that the region could become the "next Somalia" and pushed the three neighbours to pledge coordinated patrols.

Dureza said he would recommend that ships have armed security.

Duterte, who took office last year, vowed to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and deployed thousands of extra troops to defeat them.

But the militants have defied more than a decade of similar US-backed offensives, surviving in their mountainous and jungle-clad strongholds in the poverty-plagued southern Philippines.

"The two hostages even planned to escape but they could not. They discovered that the community around is very supportive," Dureza said.

"They are able to benefit from (the kidnappings)."
SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket is readied to launch 10 Iridium Next satellites into orbit at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (Iridium Photo via Twitter)

As SpaceX prepares for its first Falcon 9 rocket launch in five months, a new report about the companys finances is pointing to the importance of getting back to routine operations  and the importance of SpaceXs satellite operation in the Seattle area.

Todays report in The Wall Street Journal is based on a look at the privately held companys internal financial documents. Those documents indicate that the company lost $260 million on revenues of nearly $1 billion in 2015. The main factor behind that loss was the schedule disruption caused by the breakup of a Falcon 9 shortly after liftoff in June of that year.

SpaceX traced the cause of that failure to a flawed helium tank strut, and resumed launches the following December. Over the months that followed, it succeeded in its strategy of landing Falcon first-stage boosters after launch and separation. But last September, a launch-pad failure forced another suspension of flights.

Septembers pre-launch explosion destroyed the Amos-6 telecommunications satellite and did heavy damage to the Florida launch pad. Just last week, SpaceX issued a report that blamed the blow-up on a helium tank failure and said it was changing its fueling procedures to head off further problems.

Now SpaceX has the go-ahead to launch 10 advanced Iridium Next telecommunications satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a Falcon 9. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:54 a.m. PT Saturday, with a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather.

SpaceX plans to live-stream coverage of the countdown, launch and anticipated booster landing at sea.

The California-based company is anxious to get its launch schedule back on track. It has more than 70 launches stacked up, representing more than $10 billion in contracts. Those launches including cargo resupply flights to the International Space Station and the first liftoff of its Falcon Heavy rocket, which been repeatedly postponed over the course of four years.

Story continues

A couple of launches have been shifted to other providers due to schedule concerns, but so far, SpaceXs customers have voiced strong support for the company. Our confidence in them is not shaken, Iridiums chief financial officer, Thomas Fitzpatrick, said after the mishap in September.

Over the past few years, SpaceX has revolutionized the launch industry by dramatically reducing the cost of access to orbit. Its published price for a Falcon 9 launch is $62 million, which is just a little more than half the cost of a bare-bones Atlas 5 rocket launch.

SpaceXs chief financial officer, Bret Johnsen, indicated that the company has weathered its recent setbacks thanks to its past successes  and deep pockets.

With over $1 billion in cash reserves and no debt, the company is in a financially strong position and is well positioned for future growth, Johnsen said today in a statement.

The Journals report suggests that one of the keys to that future growth will be a 4,425-satellite constellation that SpaceX plans to put into orbit to provide global internet access.

SpaceXs Redmond office is the center for its satellite operations. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

SpaceXs engineering office in Redmond, Wash., has a leading role in developing the satellite network. The companys schedule calls for the first wave of satellites to be deployed in the 2018-2020 time frame.

When SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced plans for the satellite operation during a Seattle visit in 2015, he said it would generate a significant amount of revenue, and help fund a city on Mars.

The Journals report suggests that Musk wasnt kidding. It cites documents anticipating that the satellite network would have more than 40 million subscribers and bring in more than $30 billion in annual revenue by 2025, which is just about when Musk expects to start sending settlers to the Red Planet.

The documents also indicate Musk owned 54 percent of SpaceX stock in 2015 and held 78 percent of the companys votes. Googles holding company, Alphabet, and Fidelity Investments have significant stakes in the company  and Fidelitys valuation of its stake suggests SpaceX is valued at $15 billion.

SpaceX isnt alone in setting its sights on sateliite internet services as a financial frontier: Another venture called OneWeb is planning to start deploying a similar network by 2019. Just last month, Japan-based SoftBank Group announced it would invest $1 billion in OneWeb, joining an array of global industrial heavyweights.

More from GeekWire:
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f348695%2f0891ee7a-232d-41cc-8a8d-fd4e18f4813f

SpaceX is back.

Elon Musk's private space company just successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket to space following an explosion in Sept. that had halted its launch operations.

The company returned to flight in style, too, by landing its seventh rocket stage back on Earth after delivering a payload to space. The landing was a secondary objective for the mission, but it was gorgeous. The booster landed dead-center on a small remotely-operated barge in the Pacific Ocean.

SEE ALSO: SpaceX's Saturday rocket launch is a big freaking deal

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket gently landed on SpaceX's drone ship less than 10 minutes after it launched 10 communications satellites on their way to orbit for Iridium, another spaceflight company.

SpaceX Falcon9 rocket clearing the pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Jan. 14, 2016.

Image: spacex

The launch and landing mark the first time SpaceX has sent a rocket to space since a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its pad in Florida ahead of what should have been a routine test. That accident destroyed a multimillion dollar satellite onboard and grounded SpaceX's launches for five months.

Saturday's launch and subsequent landing are a show of force from SpaceX, a company defined by its grand ambitions.

Industry insiders were watching this launch to see how Musk's company comes back from a serious failure like the one that occurred in September.

"Simply enough, SpaceX will be helped by just having a successful launch with no problems," Bill Ostrove, an aerospace and defense industry analyst at Forecast International, told Mashable via email before launch.

"That will go a long way towards proving themselves again. The more launches in a row they can get without a problem the better."

SpaceX wants to change the way we launch payloads to space through their rocket landing program.

At the moment, more traditional companies are only able to use their rockets for one mission a piece. SpaceX, however, is planning to re-launch their boosters for multiple missions, greatly reducing the cost of accessing space. This is why the company has been testing these risky landings on drone ships at sea as well as land-based sites.


Prospective ECU students make their way across campus at fall Open House in November. (Photo by Patrick Fay)

East Carolina University's online bachelor's and master's degree programs have been recognized among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report.ECU's online graduate programs in business, criminal justice, education and nursing as well as the online bachelor's degrees are listed in U.S. News 2017 Best Online Programs announced Jan. 10.ECU's online criminal justice graduate program placed the highest in North Carolina and tied for 15th out of 55 schools ranked.Dr. William Bloss, professor and chair of the criminal justice department, said enrollment in the the master's program has more than doubled since 2014.Bloss said the rankinghe said.The College of Education's online graduate education programs tied for 16th out of 262 schools and was the highest ranked in the North Carolina system.said Grant Hayes, dean of the College of Education.A total of 273 students were enrolled in the following online education programs during the 2016-17 year: adult education, business education, elementary education, instructional technology, science education, reading education, special education and middle grades education.ECU's College of Nursing programs were ranked 35th out of 140 schools. This fall, 325 students were enrolled in the college's six online graduate options: adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist, neonatal clinical nurse specialist, neonatal nurse practitioner, nursing education, nursing leadership and nurse midwifery.said Dr. Sylvia Brown, dean of the ECU College of Nursing.ECU's online Master of Business Administration program has been recognized by U.S. News since it began ranking graduate-level business distance education programs. ECU's MBA program tied at 86th out of 239 schools in the country.said Dr. Stan Eakins, dean of the ECU College of Business.The online program in the College of Business has grown from a single course offering in 1998 to undergraduate and graduate degrees in various concentrations. This fall, 700 out of 797 total students in the ECU MBA program enrolled online.Also this year, ECU's online bachelor's degree programs placed 156th out of 308 schools ranked. ECU - the leading provider of distance education in the UNC system - offers online degree completion programs in various disciplines at the undergraduate level for students who can't take classes on campus due to work and family obligations or geographical barriers.said Jennifer Baysden, associate director for credit programs in the Office of Continuing Studies at ECU.This fall, approximately 3,300 ECU undergraduate students - more than 10 percent of the student body - took only online courses, according to data from ECU Institutional Planning, Assessment and Research.To develop the rankings, U.S. News evaluated a combination of areas such as student engagement, faculty credentials and training, student services and technology, peer reputation and admissions selectivity.The complete listing can be viewed at http://www.usnews.com/online
Sudans president Omar al-Bashir has undergone a minor heart surgery at a local hospital in the capital, Khartoum, the presidency said in a statement published by the state news agency SUNA.

The Presidency confirmed that (Al Bashir) has undergone an exploratory cardiac catheterization at Royal Care hospital yesterday and the results were reassuring, SUNA said.

The Presidency has affirmed the result of the operation was exceedingly satisfactory, SUNA added.

Physicians have recommended that Al Bashir rests for a short period of time, saying that the incident was a result of continued stress over the last few days, local media reported quoting undisclosed sources.

As a reminder, Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after he was accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide during the Darfur conflict.

The charges against al-Bashir, who took power in a 1989 coup, stem from reported atrocities in the conflict in Darfur, in which 300,000 people were killed and two million displaced in a government campaign, according to United Nations figures.

He has visited South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Chad and Congo in the last few years, but none of these countries, all ICC member states, handed him to the International Criminal Court.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f348564%2f83dc1344-f992-4de4-9fbf-fa3c18859c0a

It's make or break time for SpaceX.

The Elon Musk-founded spaceflight company is planning to launch a clutch of communications satellites to orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday. This is the company's first launch since a Falcon 9 blew up on its pad during what should have been a routine test five months ago.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's SpaceX absolutely needs its satellite internet business to work

The September explosion grounded the company's rockets and hit its bottom line, forcing SpaceX's aggressive launch schedule to be pushed back. Musk called the investigation the "most difficult and complex failure" in SpaceX's 14-year history.

The company, with the help of multiple government agencies, got to the bottom of the issue that caused the explosion and was given permission to launch again for the first time since September.

A Falcon 9 rocket launch.

Image: spacex

With Saturday's launch, SpaceX effectively needs to prove that it can do what it does again  successfully launch payloads into orbit while making inroads in making its vision of reusable rocket stages a reality.

"Simply enough, SpaceX will be helped by just having a successful launch with no problems," Bill Ostrove, an aerospace and defense industry analyst at Forecast International, told Mashable via email.

"That will go a long way towards proving themselves again. The more launches in a row they can get without a problem the better," he said.

Also, the rocket literally has a lot riding on it.

This Falcon 9, which is expected to launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at , is carrying a grand total of 10 communications satellites to orbit for the company Iridium.

You can watch the live webcast from SpaceX starting at 12:34 p.m. ET in the window below:

Landing attempt

In addition to launching the satellites into orbit, SpaceX is also planning one of its signature vertical rocket landings on a drone ship in the ocean.

Story continues

After launching the satellites on their way, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will turn around and come back down to Earth, hopefully landing on the company's drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

If all goes according to plan, that landing should also be webcast in the window above. (Occasionally, the video feeds from the drone ship can cut out due to weather conditions.)

Before the accident in September, the company was really starting to get the hang of these complicated rocket maneuvers.

In total, SpaceX has successfully returned six boosters back to Earth after launching various satellites and other craft to space for customers like NASA and private satellite companies such as Iridium.

These aren't just stunts, however. SpaceX eventually wants to re-launch these landed rocket stages in order to drastically reduce the cost of building rockets and sending them to space.

Traditional rockets are used once and then discarded into space after launch, but if SpaceX has its way, the company will be able to launch multiple missions using their landed rockets.

BONUS: Fiery explosion sets back SpaceX and Facebook
Spain's King Felipe VI is set to visit his royal counterpart in Saudi Arabia on Saturday as the two countries near finalizing a $2.1 billion deal that will see Spain send warships to Riyadh, despite human rights concerns, Agence France Press reported.

Felipe, whose father and predecessor Juan Carlos was close to the Saudi royal family, was personally invited last year by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. The trip had been postponed twice before due to a new Spanish government being formed and the death of Saudi defense minister Turki bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, according to Kuwait News Agency. Felipe is scheduled to meet with top royal family members and other political officials during the monarch's three-day visit, which Spanish media has associated with the multi-billion-dollar military deal for Avante warships made by Spanish ship maker Navantia.

"We can only confirm that negotiations are very advanced to build five warships which would be sold to the Saudi navy," a spokesperson for Navantia told AFP.

Human rights groups have come out against the deal, which would bolster a Saudi Arabia military force that has been active in Yemen. Riyadh intervened in its southern neighbor's conflict when the Houthis, a rebel movement representing the country's Zaidi Shiite minority, ousted now-exiled President Abbed Rabbo Hadi from Sana'a. Fearing a connection between its Shiite regional rival Iran and the Houthis, Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign in 2015 to counter the movement's growing influence in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Middle East.

The U.N. accused Saudi Arabia of being responsible for over 2,200 civilians deaths and the displacement of many more in Yemen. Saudi Arabia's role has even caused the United States, one of its closest allies, to scale back military support for the oil-rich Gulf kingdom. International human rights organizations Greenpeace, Oxfam and Amnesty International were among the groups that sent letters to the Spanish government urging it to reconsider the sale. Alberto Estevez, an arms sales expert at Amnesty International's Spanish branch, called the warship deal "clearly illegal."

Story continues

Felipe's father, Carlos, was a frequent guest of the Saudi royal house in his final years as ruling monarch, visiting the country five times between 2006 and 2014. His close relations reportedly helped a Spanish company win a contract in 2011 to develop a $7 billion high-speed railway between Islam's holiest cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Spain's military ties to Saudi Arabia have since increased as the fourth-biggest exporter of arms to Riyadh.

FindTheData | Graphiq

Related Articles
New England could become a completely recreational marijuana zone if lawmakers have it their way. Massachusetts and Maine, along with three other states, already passed laws legalizing adult use of the plant following the election, and now Rhode Island and Connecticut are eyeing recreational laws, too.

Sen. Joshua Miller, D-R.I., and Rep. Scott Slater, D-R.I., said Tuesday they would introduce new legislature that would allow adults 21 and up to consume marijuana recreationally within the state. They would also impose a 23 percent tax on the drug. The main reason the lawmakers are pushing for recreational legislature is to prevent residents from traveling to neighboring states to purchase their marijuana, according to reports.

Our constituents think its time for lawmakers to pass this legislation, and we should listen to them, Miller said in a statement to Reuters. If we fail to pass the bill this year, we will lose significant ground to Massachusetts.

The bill has not been formally submitted, however, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said she would consider legalizing recreational use of cannabis following the passing of laws in Massachusetts and Maine.

A recreational bill was also introduced in Connecticut, which would also give adults legal access to consume cannabis. Democratic Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney submitted the bill and told Wall Street Journal Wednesday that he was hopeful he would be able to change Connecticuts Gov. Dannel Malloys stance on full legalization, especially since the state is facing a $1.5 billion budget deficit.

Malloy, who approved medical marijuana measures, told local reporters in December that he didnt think the people of Connecticut want dispensaries up and down the streets.

However, Looney isnt letting the governors disapproval stop him from jumpstarting the road to recreational pot.

There seems to be a national trend moving in that direction, Looney said to WSJ. Im hopeful that we might get him to change his mind, especially given the fact that it could be a significant revenue source.

Story continues

If Connecticut and Rhode Island manage to pass recreational pot laws, that could open the door to legalization in Vermont. Vermonts House tossed a bill that would legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana in April 2016 following Rhode Islands failure to pass recreational measures in early 2016. However, Vermont has had a ton of success decriminalizing cannabis, which led to the pardon of 192 marijuana convictions by Gov. Peter Shumlin in the beginning of 2017.

Texas and Virginia are considering decriminalizing marijuana and reducing possession penalties.

As for the medical marijuana front, advocates are hoping to get further approval of the plant for medicinal purposes after creating a successful program that allows a marijuana extract to be used for seizure treatment.

Lawmakers still have opposing views on fully legalizing medical marijuana in Wisconsin. However, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told Fox News Wisconsin affiliate hes open to legalizing medical marijuana.

I'm not an expert on medical marijuana, but I certainly have no problem saying, if you have a sincere medical need and your doctor prescribes it, and it's done under the normal process of any other opiate, I would be open to that, he said.

Related Articles
Riyadh (AFP) - Syria's mainstream political opposition said Saturday it supports planned peace talks sponsored by Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital later this month.

"Concerning the forthcoming meeting in Astana, the (High Negotiations) Committee stresses its support to the military delegation... and expresses hope that the meeting would reinforce the truce," an HNC statement said after a two-day meeting in Riyadh.

Despite backing opposite sides in the Syrian conflict, Russia and Turkey have worked closely in recent weeks to broker a nationwide ceasefire aimed at laying the ground for the January 23 peace talks in Astana.

It is not yet clear which groups have been invited to attend.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said on Thursday there was "no precise information" on participants for now.

The HNC expressed hope that the talks would "establish a phase of confidence" through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, especially articles concerning ending sieges of cities and towns, delivering aid and releasing detainees.

The HNC said it "appreciates efforts" to make the Astana talks fruitful, adding that the meeting represents a step that "paves the way for political talks" in Geneva next month.

The statement stressed that "discussing the political track... should be held under the UN sponsorship and supervision."

The HNC is the main Syrian opposition umbrella group and participated in previous peace talks in Geneva.

The ceasefire and planned talks are the latest effort to negotiate an end to a conflict that has killed more than 310,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Moscow and Ankara brokered a deal that allowed civilians and rebels to leave the opposition enclave in Aleppo before regime troops took full control of the city last month.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan confirmed a new bird flu case on Thursday, the fourth this year, according to a statement posted on the website of the island's Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Bureau. The H5N2 avian flu virus was confirmed at a Yunlin county chicken farm, where 16,800 birds were culled to reduce the risk of further spreading, the statement said. The farm will be compensated for its loss as it followed regulations and reported the case proactively to the authorities, it said. Taiwan has reported four bird flu cases this year, all in Yunlin county on the island's western coast. More than 43,300 birds have been slaughtered in the county so far, including the most recent cull, according to the bureau's statement. The Taiwan authorities urged poultry farmers to strengthen protection and sanitation as now is the peak season for bird flu outbreaks. This comes as South Korea and Japan battle their own major outbreaks. In mainland China, authorities have also culled over 175,000 birds and closed some poultry markets following reported outbreaks among poultry and more than a hundred cases of human infection. A new human H7N9 avian flu case was confirmed in China's Hunan province on Thursday, reported Xinhua news. The patient, a 59-year-old man from Yuanjiang City, had contact with poultry before he fell ill, said the local authorities. A bird flu outbreak hit a goose farm in the same city in Hunan province earlier this month, Chinese Ministry of Agriculture had said on Wednesday. The authorities did not reveal whether the two cases were directly related. Health authorities in Macau also confirmed the first imported human H7N9 infection case there on Thursday, according to Xinhua news. The 72-year-old female patient, a regular resident in Zhongshan in China's southern Guangdong province, raised chickens at her home, Xinhua reported. China's Ministry of Agriculture said late last month that the recent outbreaks of bird flu have been handled in a "timely and effective" manner and have not affected chicken products or prices. (Reporting by Taipei Newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue)
LONDON (Reuters) - Tata Steel is in talks with stakeholders to cut its UK pension benefits and end its liability for the scheme, according to a statement from the trustees of its British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS). Tata Steel, the UK's largest steelmaker, is currently in talks to merge its European assets with Germany's Thyssenkrupp but the success of those talks hinges on Tata being able to separate itself from its pension scheme. The 15 billion pound scheme, which Tata inherited in 2007 when it bought Corus, formerly state-owned British Steel, is one of the largest defined benefit, or final salary, UK pension schemes. Its deficit stood at 50 million pounds last October, though it stood at 700 million pounds earlier in the year and could easily balloon again, depending on market conditions. . Given that position, the company is seeking a deal with the pensions regulator and other stakeholders to cut benefits for all members but keep them above levels that would be offered by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) -- a lifeboat for failing schemes. If a deal were struck, the idea would be for the scheme to be run by the trustees without the financial backing of Tata. "The Trustees hope and expect to be able to provide better benefits for members than PPF compensation. This could be done by transferring members and assets to a new scheme with modified benefits," the BSPS trustees said. Tata Steel has meanwhile offered to invest in its British business and guarantee the jobs of its 11,000 UK employees if they vote in favour of closing the pension scheme to future accrual and moving on to a less generous scheme. The UK business has made consistent losses since Indian-owned Tata bought it 2007. Employees will vote on the deal at the end of this month. (Reporting by Maytaal Angel and Carolyn Cohn; Editing by Keith Weir)
Family and friends are shocked that the child that Gloria Williams raised since she was a baby is not her own as the teen waits to reunite with her birth parents.

Williams, 51, allegedly abducted Kamiyah Mobley, whose name is now Alexis Manigo, when she was just 8-hours old after posing as a nurse on July 10, 1998, according to officials.

Williams allegedly walked out of Shanara Mobleys hospital room at Jacksonvilles University Medical Center after telling Mosley that Kamiyah had a fever and needed to be examined, according to police. She was never seen again.

Read: Woman Known for Being Walked on Leash by Beau Reported Missing Since Christmas Eve: Cops

Williams had suffered a miscarriage about a week before she drove the three hours from South Carolina to Florida and allegedly took Manigo, according to police.

Manigo, 18, was identified earlier this week through a DNA test after two leads led police to South Carolina where Manigo was living with Williams, according to police.

Though Manigo had a different name, detectives learned that her identity was established with fraudulent documents and they collected a DNA sample to be tested against the missing newborns DNA available at the hospital, according to reports.

Williams, who reportedly has two biological children of her own, is awaiting extradition to Jacksonville, Florida, for charges of kidnapping and interference with custody, which means she could face life in prison if convicted.

Manigo reportedly thought that Williams was her biological mother until Friday morning when police gave her the news. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said the teen has a lot to process.

Shes taking it as well as you can imagine She has a lot think about, as you can imagine, Sheriff Williams said.

Williams reportedly blew a kiss to Manigo in court on Friday and the teen responded with I love you, Mom after the pair were allowed to spend a few moments together through a mesh screen in the Colleton County Jail in South Carolina, according to News4Jax.

Story continues

Since the news, Manigo has been able to FaceTime with Shanara and her father Craig Aiken, who both cried 'tears of joy' after a detective told them their child had been found.

Her family is planning to drive to South Carolina on Saturday morning to reunite with Manigo, according to reports.

Read: Baby Kidnapped From Florida Hospital in 1998 is Found Living in South Carolina With Alleged Abductor

Williams' aunt, Susan Alls, told the News4Jax that she refuses to believe that the teen doesn't belong to Williams.

"I don't think it's true," Alls said. "There has to be something going on with the DNA, whatever they did."

Ruben Boatright, who has reportedly known the family for more than a decade, told the station that he is shocked about the allegations.

"I've seen Alexis grow up. "I've seen her in church and in the community. She's very well read, very mannerly, disciplined, Boatright said. The family is a good family. You don't want to think bad thoughts of anyone in your family, and that she would do something like that. But then it's right there staring you in the face. So you don't know what to say or do."

Watch: Police Vow To Find Killer Of Child Whose 1996 Murder Inspired Amber Alerts

Related Articles:
President Obama leads mourners in singing Amazing Grace as he delivers a eulogy for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney during funeral services in Charleston, S.C., June 26, 2015. Pinckney was one of nine victims of a mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Ever since the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidents have been judged on the successes they notch during their first 100 days. Now, as Barack Obama ends his historic turn on the political stage, Yahoo News is running The Last 100 Days, a look at what Obama achieved during his consequential presidency, how he navigates the struggles of his last months in office and what lies ahead for him after eight years filled with firsts.

In this 15th and final installment, we look at Obamas religious rhetoric.

_____

Over the course of his presidency, Barack Obama has spoken about his Christian faith arguably more often and in greater detail than any other modern U.S. president.

That claim will surprise many political liberals who still believe that George W. Bush spent his time in the White House trying to turn the United States in a theocracy run by evangelical Christians. It is also sure to outrage those conservative Christians who argue that Obama is hostile to their faith. And it must confound the 43 percent of Republicans who as recently as the fall of 2015 told pollsters they still thought Obama is Muslim.

But a look back through eight years of Obamas National Prayer Breakfast speeches, his remarks at the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast that began as a new tradition during his first term, and the heartbreaking number of eulogies he has delivered following mass shootings reveals a president who has spoken about faith not only with great frequency but also with uncommon depth.

This is a president who is very comfortable with deep reflection and discussion around the theological implications of faith, says David Domke, communications professor at the University of Washington and co-author of The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America.

Previous presidents have certainly invoked religion and displayed a comfort with the language of faith. Dwight Eisenhower is still the only president to have written a prayer that he read at his first inauguration. He was baptized not long after. And he once said of himself, I am the most intensely religious man I know. Several decades later, Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school at a Baptist church not far from the White House during his presidency. George W. Bush cited Jesus as his favorite political philosopher in an Iowa debate before the 2000 GOP caucuses, and he enthusiastically made the support of faith-based organizations one of his first domestic policy priorities.

Story continues

Bill Clinton may come the closest to Obama in being a president whose speeches occasionally veered into sermon territory. At one point during the 1992 campaign, Clinton traveled to Memphis to address the annual Church of God in Christ convention. Dissatisfied with remarks his staff had drafted, Clinton tossed them aside and delivered an extemporaneous sermon on the new covenant between government and citizens, drawing amens from the crowd.

If Clinton sometimes aspired to be the preacher-in-chief, however, Obama has been a theologian-in-chief. Since entering the White House in 2009, he has steadily built on the work of Reinhold Niebuhr, the influential theologian he once told New York Times columnist David Brooks was one of my favorite philosophers. And as racial tensions at home and terror attacks abroad have spread anxiety, the president has spent the past few years developing a theology of faith in the face of fear.

President Obama leads a prayer before hosting Thanksgiving dinner in 2016 for family and friends on the State Floor of the White House. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Lets get this out of the way first: Yes, Obama is a Christian. Raised in a mostly secular environment  his mother was spiritual but suspicious of organized religion, and his grandparents were nonpracticing Protestants  he began attending Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago after he moved to the city to become a community organizer.

He responded to an altar call in 1988 at age 26, knelt before the cross and became a Christian. As he told the National Prayer Breakfast in 2011, It was through that experience, working with pastors and laypeople, trying to heal the hurting wounds of neighborhoods, that I came to know Jesus Christ for myself and embrace him as my Lord and Savior.

To little fanfare, in 2010 Obama and his close aide Joshua DuBois began a tradition of hosting Christian leaders at the White House for an Easter breakfast. At these gatherings, which continued through the last year of his presidency, Obama spoke in surprisingly intimate ways about the nature of his faith.

We are awed by the grace [Jesus] showed even to those who would have killed him, he told the clergy at that first 2010 breakfast. We are thankful for the sacrifice he gave for the sins of humanity. And we glory in the promise of redemption in the resurrection.

At the 2015 breakfast, the president spoke about the daily challenges of faith. Today we celebrate the magnificent glory of our risen Savior, he said. I pray that I will live up to his example. I fall short so often. Every day I try to do better.

Just a few months later, after the killings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., Obama stunned mourners when he began singing the first verse from Amazing Grace while eulogizing victims of the massacre. It was a powerful moment. But while that may have been a first for a sitting president, others have spoken openly about their faith. Where Obama differs from his predecessors, according to Domke, is his willingness to go deeper in talking about theological ideas.

In those moments of high-profile eulogies, he has been pretty comfortable with diving into some of the deeper areas of how faith can comfort and sustain people, says Domke. Obama didnt just sing Amazing Grace. He preached about the meaning of grace.

Indeed, Obama took the extraordinary step of weaving a mini-sermon about the responsibilities of grace into a funeral address. According to the Christian tradition, he began, grace is not earned. Grace is not merited. Its not something we deserve. Rather, grace is the free and benevolent favor of God.

He continued, As a nation, out of this terrible tragedy, God has visited grace upon us, for he has allowed us to see where weve been blind. That hymn reference allowed Obama to segue into the sins the Charleston slaughter forced into the open: pain caused by the Confederate flag; the still-festering wounds of slavery and Jim Crow; and racial inequalities in the criminal justice system. And once again, the unique mayhem that gun violence inflicts upon this nation.

Whenever individuals make the moral choice to change, Obama suggested, we express Gods grace. The message left unsaid: to fight moral change is to refuse to embody grace.

Obama at a memorial service for victims of an explosion in West, Texas, in 2013. (Photo: Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)

In the last year of his presidency, Obama has turned his attention to the question of how people of faith should respond to fear. Speaking at the White House Easter breakfast in the aftermath of terror attacks in Brussels, he told his guests, These attacks can foment fear and division. They can tempt us to cast out the stranger, to strike out against those who dont look like us or pray exactly as we do.

But, he continued, if Easter means anything, its that you dont have to be afraid. We are Easter people, people of hope and not fear.

In Obamas eulogy for former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in September, he argued that it is not naive to choose not to give in to the temptations of fear. [Peres] pursuit of peace was never naive, he said. Every Yom HaShoah, he read the names of the family that he lost [in the Holocaust]. But, he added, Peres knew, better than the cynic, that if you look out over the arc of history, human beings should be filled not with fear but with hope.

Obamas most complete mediation on fear took the form of his final National Prayer Breakfast address, in which he preached on a verse from 2 Timothy: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

It did not escape the attention of his listeners that the February 2016 address took place against the backdrop of the Republican presidential primary  and particularly Donald Trumps candidacy. While Obama did not mention politics, his words served as a rebuke to those who would stoke fear.

It is a primal emotion  fear  one that we all experience. And it can be contagious, he acknowledged. For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear. Jesus is a good cure for fear.

His love, Obama continued, gives us the power to resist fears temptations. He gives us the courage to reach out to others across that divide, rather than push people away.

Thats a message that hasnt been heard from many pulpits in the past year, with conservative Christians afraid of government and threats posed by immigrants and refugees, and liberal Christians afraid of Trump himself and the normalization of intolerance. But its a profoundly Christian message  My faith tells me that I need not fear death; that the acceptance of Christ promises everlasting life and the washing away of sins, Obama reminded his listeners.

He moved on to argue that being free from fear should lead Christians to be more open, not closed and defensive, protecting their own turf. Each of us is called  to assume the best in each other, the president said, and not just the worst.

Obama closed with a remarkable tale that took on added resonance since Trump had begun musing about barring Muslims from entering the U.S. or creating a registry of Muslim Americans. The story was about a U.S. sergeant in World War II whose soldiers were captured by Nazis. When the Nazi colonel ordered Jewish POWs to identify themselves, the sergeant responded by telling all 200 of his troops to line up. Holding a pistol to the sergeants head, the German ordered, Tell me who the Jews are. The American simply repeated over and over, We are all Jews.

I cant imagine a moment in which that young American sergeant expressed his Christianity more profoundly than when, confronted by his own death, he said, We are all Jews, said Obama. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Before a prayer breakfast in 2010, Obama met privately with clergy members in the Blue Room at the White House. At the conclusion of the meeting, a final prayer was delivered as they held each others shoulders. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Obamas approach to religion as president has been in keeping with everything else we know about him. It makes sense that the former professor would respond to years of almost unbearable violence  he delivered at least 10 national addresses following mass shootings in the space of seven years  through reflection on faith and grace and belief.

In his last such appearance  after five Dallas officers were killed by a sniper  Obama quoted from the Epistle of John and the prophet Ezekiel. My faith tells me these men did not die in vain, he told mourners.

The son of two secularists was also the first president to regularly mention nonbelievers, starting with his first inaugural address in 2009: We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers.

The man who spent part of his childhood living in Indonesia and whose sister Maya identifies with Buddhism has opened up the White House for celebrations of many faiths. He is the first president to host a celebration of the Hindu holiday Diwali by lighting a diya in the Oval Office. Obama continued an annual White House tradition that has been in place since 1996 of holding an iftar dinner to observe the end of Ramadan. And he is the first president to host a Passover seder for family, friends and staff every year of his presidency.

And the man who spent his entire presidency having his Christian faith denied by critics who suggested he was hiding a secret Muslim identity has consistently spoken out on the need to protect Muslim Americans from discrimination.

It may be that Obamas willingness to embrace people of other faiths, his broadening of the official religious landscape beyond just white Christian traditions, make it difficult for so many Americans to hear him when he speaks about his own faith.

He doesnt fit the white Christian American model, says Domke. And at the same time, the remobilization of the right under the banner of the tea party led to a focus on Islam as a threat to Americans. The defense of America as a place thats friendly to Muslims  Obamas statement about rejecting discrimination against Muslims got the loudest and longest ovation in his farewell address last Tuesday  has been seen as coded hostility to traditional Christian views.
Madrid (AFP) - Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bilbao in northern Spain on Saturday, calling for amnesty for prisoners of the ETA Basque separatist group.

Protesters in the Basque country, who hold this demonstration every January, held up placards of a finger pointing to the sky as they denounced the prison conditions endured by Basque separatists.

Almost all members of ETA, a group that gave up armed resistence to Spain in 2011, have been jailed but the movement has refused to disband.

They have been calling for an amnesty for their incarcerated members so they can be reunited with their families.

Basque newspaper Gara estimated the number of people in the Bilbao streets on a rainy day as 78,000, while police declined to give a crowd estimate.

An association defending the rights of ETA prisoners released a statement blasting "those who keep in prison prisoners who have long served their sentences imposed by the courts".

It also demanded that the prisoners be transferred to jails closer to their families.

The collective of Basque political prisoners (EPPK) recently gave up its demand for universal amnesty but has asked for negotiations over suspending sentences on a case by case basis.

According to prisoners' families association Etxerat, in August 2016, some 279 ETA members were incarcerated in Spain with another 79 in France.

ETA has been blamed for the deaths of 829 people in bombings in Spain since its creation in 1959.

It wants to create an independent homeland from the Basque regions in northern Spain and southwest France.
BEIJING (AP)  China's foreign ministry on Sunday again rejected President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion that he might use American policy on Taiwan as a bargaining chip between the two sides. Spokesman Lu Kang said Sunday that the "one China" policy is "non-negotiable." Since recognizing Beijing in 1979, Washington has maintained only unofficial ties with Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing considers its territory  a status quo that Trump has repeatedly threatened to upend since winning the November election. "The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China," Lu said in a statement. "That is the fact acknowledged by the international community and no one can change." Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday that "everything is under negotiation, including 'one China.'" The interview is the latest indication Trump that he will shake up the U.S.-China relationship, particularly on Taiwan, which China considers a core national interest.

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he has ordered his troops to bomb extremists who flee with their captives in a bid to stop a wave of kidnappings at sea, calling the loss of civilian lives in such an attack "collateral damage." Duterte has previously stated that he had told his Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts their forces can blast away as they pursue militants who abduct sailors in waters where the three countries converge and bring their kidnap victims to the southern Philippines. He said in a speech late Saturday that he had given the same orders to Filipino forces.

NEW DELHI (AP)  Counterterrorism police in Bangladesh have arrested another suspected mastermind of a July attack on a restaurant in the capital, officials said. The suspect, Jahangir Alam, was picked up on Friday night in a raid in Tangail district, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka, said Monirul Islam, head of the Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime Unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Details of the arrest procedures were not clear. The July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, a popular restaurant frequented by foreigners and wealthy Bangladeshis, left 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, dead. Five young men belonging to the domestic militant group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, stormed the restaurant, sprayed bullets and threw grenades, and slaughtered the hostages.

Story continues

PATNA, India (AP)  At least 21 people drowned and a dozen others were missing after their overcrowded boat capsized in a river in eastern India, police said Sunday. Nearly 50 people were returning by boat after attending a Hindu religious festival in a village across the river near Patna, the state capital of Bihar, when it capsized on Saturday, said police officer Chandan Kushwaha. He said 13 people have been rescued and hospitalized. The capsized boat was retrieved by rescue workers on Sunday and they were continuing to search for more survivors. So far, 21 bodies have been recovered from the river, Kushwaha said.

SYDNEY (AP)  The leaders of Australia and Japan agreed on Saturday to boost cooperation between their militaries, as Japan tries to shore up security ties throughout the Asia-Pacific region amid concern over China's growing military might. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull said they had signed an upgraded defense agreement after talks in Sydney on trade and regional security issues. The leaders said the pact would allow their militaries to provide each other with logistical support during exercises, and are working toward an agreement that would make it easier to participate in joint military exercises.

BEIJING (AP)  Writer Lu Yong had merely wanted to show support for a professor who had taken flak online for criticizing Mao Zedong, the founder of the communist state who died more than four decades ago. Yet minutes after raising a sign to defend Deng Xiangchao's right to free speech, Lu found himself surrounded by a group of Mao supporters who grappled at his face. Other companions were punched and kicked. Video taken hours later showed the Mao loyalists parading through the campus of eastern China's Jinan University with large banners while chanting "Down with Deng Xiangchao, down with traitors." Within days, Deng was forced to retire and stripped of his Communist Party titles.

BEIJING (AP)  China's sole aircraft carrier has returned home following a far-ranging three-week training mission during which its combat capabilities were closely scrutinized and speculation soared over what future role the flat-top will play amid China's growing military ambitions. The Defense Ministry said the 60,000-ton Liaoning sailed in to the eastern port of Qingdao on Friday along with its battle group that includes destroyers, frigates, a supply ship and anti-submarine craft. The ministry quoted the group's commander, Rear Adm. Chen Yueqi, as saying the drill simulated real combat as closely as possible and "achieved all targets set for it." China commissioned the carrier in 2012 and declared it combat ready in November, shortly after which it launched its first live-fire exercises.

ISLAMABAD (AP)  The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists asked Pakistan to investigate the fatal shooting of a local journalist in the country's southwest. In a statement, the media watchdog Saturday demanded action against those responsible for the killing of 37-year-old Muhammad Jan, who was returning home late Thursday night when targeted by unidentified assailants. The journalist had worked for the Urdu-language daily Qudrat and was teaching at a school. No group claimed responsibility for the killing, but Pakistan is considered one of the deadliest countries for journalists. According to the watchdog, 59 journalists have been killed in Pakistan from 1992 to 2016.

BANGKOK (AP)  A Thai air force pilot died when his fighter jet crashed at an air show Saturday during the country's Children's Day. Amateur video footage shows the JAS 39 Gripen jet maneuvering over the Hat Yai air base in southern Thailand when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed in a ball of fire away from spectators. The Ministry of Defense was investigating the cause of the crash. Deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipakerachon said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha expressed condolences to the pilot's family. Children's Day is usually observed with public outings at military bases.

BEIJING (AP)  Zhou Youguang, a linguist considered the father of modern China's Pinyin Romanization system, died Saturday at the age of 111. Born in 1906 during China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing, Zhou died at his home in Beijing, one day after celebrating his birthday, according to state broadcaster Chinese Central Television and other official media outlets. After receiving a Western-style education at Shanghai's St. John's University, Zhou moved to the United States and for a time worked as a banker on Wall Street. Returning to China along with other idealistic youths after the communist victory in 1949, he was placed in charge of a committee working on a new system to allow Chinese characters to be converted into Roman script.
High levels of toxic chemicals were found in groundwater tests at a new facility scheduled to replace Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market -- the world's largest -- clouding the costly relocation plan, news reports said on Saturday.

The controversial project has been delayed over fears about toxic contamination, which also impacted the 2020 Olympics to be hosted by the Japanese capital.

The megacity's new governor, Yuriko Koike, has said she would postpone the move originally set for November last year, as she awaits final groundwater testing results at the new site, a former gas plant.

The relocation plan has been marred by problems, including the discovery that contractors had inexplicably failed to fill in a basement at the new site with clean soil as a buffer against underground pollution.

Results of the final testing showed that levels of toxic materials, including benzene, detected in underground water at the new site were above nationally set limits, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Jiji Press said.

It came after the previous test also showed high levels of mercury were found inside the facility's basement.

Plans to uproot the more than 80-year-old market, a popular tourist attraction, have been in the works for years, with advocates citing the need for upgraded technology.

The local government paid a whopping 86 billion yen ($750 million) in cleanup costs.

But Koike, a former TV anchorwoman elected last year as Tokyo's first female governor, has pledged to reconsider the plan.

"What we have to uphold is food security," Koike said Saturday, according to Jiji Press. "We may have to study further."

Koike, however, has not said if she would consider scrapping the relocation altogether if the test results are bad.

She has also questioned the 588 billion yen in relocation costs -- more than one-third higher than earlier estimates -- to put the market on a site several kilometres away and build a modern facility about 40 percent larger with state-of-the-art refrigeration.

Postponing Tsukiji's move has also prompted Koike to suspend plans to construct a tunnel under the current Tsukiji market leading to an athletes' village for the 2020 Games because it could not be built in time.

Meanwhile, Tsukiji's wholesalers have voiced frustration over the delay, saying that postponing the move will cost them millions of dollars a month.
Is Europe Disintegrating?

Timothy Garton Ash | The New York Review of Books

The period of European history after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 might be called, in shorthand, post-wall. But then we face a further question: Are we still in that period? Or did the post-wall era end during my imagined cryogenic slumber, sometime between the high point of early 2005 and the low of today? Such bookend dates are always contestable, but it seems plausible to suggest that the financial crisis of 20082009, which started in the US but rapidly spread to Europe, has initiated a new period characterized by three larger crises: of capitalism, of democracy, and of the project of European integration.

* * *

The Obama Legacy on Jihadism

Robin Wright | The New Yorker

One of the most memorable moments of the Obama Presidency was his abrupt appearance on nationwide television, shortly before midnight, on Sunday, May 1, 2011. The press pool, which had been given a lid to stand down for the night almost six hours earlier, received an e-mail alert from the White House to get positioned for a statement. Many had to scramble to get ready before President Obama walked down the red carpet to a podium set up in the East Room. Tonight, he announced, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda.

Recommended: The 'Trump Dossier' and the Making of Intelligence

It would prove to be the Obama Administrations high point in confronting jihadism. The Presidents legacy on extremism will be mixed. He leaves the White House with the threat both broader and more diverse than when he took office. During his eight years, jihadis gained far more turf, more followers, more arms, and more money. They have had a deadlier impact and a bigger theatre of operations than they had in 2009even though most of the trends were seeded during the Bush Administration. Obama may never fully recover from his description of the Islamic State, in 2014, to David Remnick, as the jayvee team involved in various local power struggles.

Story continues

* * *

The Legend of El Pasos Transnational Streetcar

Kriston Capps | CityLab

For nearly a century, the international streetcar ferried workers, shoppers, and commuters between El Paso and Juarez. At the height of its service in the 1960s, the line offered more than 500 trips a day. Before the border was fortified by fences and concertina wire, it was notable as the site of the highest-grossing J.C. Penney department store in the U.S.in El Paso, where Mexican nationals shopped every day. While it may be hard to believe nowwhat with the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the former Mexican President Vicente Fox squaring off over who exactly will pay for Trumps impossible border wallthe transnational trolley once unified the conurbation of Paso del Norte.

Recommended: How Blackmail Works in Russia

* * *

With The Far-Right Rising, Dutch Create Their Own Parties For Immigrants

Lauren Frayer | NPR

Denk's candidates include a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf, people of Turkish and Moroccan descent and black people like Simons. All of them say they've felt left out of Dutch politics, especially now that the far-right, anti-Muslim leader Geert Wilders is surging in the polls.

People of color are not recognized as proper Dutch, and there is where the anger is, from people who are seen as second-class citizens, while they were born here, says Sandew Hira, an economist and historian who leads the International Institute for Scientific Research, which studies colonialism and is based in The Hague.

* * *

Putin and Erdogans Marriage of Convenience

Henri J. Barkey | Foreign Policy

These episodes are emblematic of the changing nature of the Russian-Turkish relationship. Frustrated by the Syrian oppositions loss of ground against President Bashar al-Assad, and fearing the empowerment of the Syrian Kurds, Erdogan began to tack toward Moscow and away from its Western alliance partners roughly a year after Ankara shot down the Russian warplane. Turkey is now one of the parties in the Syrian cease-fire negotiations, along with Russia and Iran; its equities are the armed Sunni opposition groups that depend on Ankara. By contrast, the United States, Turkeys traditional ally, was excluded from the negotiations and the pending conference in Astana.

Recommended: Photos of the Week: 1/71/13

Considering that Moscow and Ankara had been at loggerheads since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, with each supporting opposing factions, how did this new result come about? The answer paradoxically lies more in Erdogans pique at the United States than anything Putin may have done.

* * *

The Krispy Kreme Familia and the Black Market Doughnuts of Juarez

Kate Linthicum | Los Angeles Times

In Juarez, Garcia, 51, and her two sons are the undisputed kings of the Krispy Kreme black market.

Several times a week, one son crosses the border to El Paso and drives to the Krispy Kreme shop there, where the bulk purchase price is about $5 a dozen. He returns to Mexico with around 40 boxes of doughnuts so habit-forming that comedian Chris Rock once suggested they might be laced with crack.

In Juarez, Garcia and another son sell the doughnuts nightly from two locations for $8 a dozen, or a 60% markup.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
By Jonathan Landay and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, held five phone calls with Russia's ambassador to Washington on the day the United States retaliated for Moscow's interference in the U.S. presidential election, three sources familiar with the matter said. The calls occurred between the time the Russian embassy was told about U.S. sanctions and the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he had decided against reprisals, said the sources. They spoke on condition of anonymity, citing internal U.S. government deliberations about the issue. The calls raised fresh questions among some U.S. officials about contacts between Trump's advisers and Russian officials at a time when U.S. intelligence agencies contend that Moscow waged a multifaceted campaign of hacking and other actions to boost Republican Trump's election chances against Democrat Hillary Clinton. On Dec. 29, U.S. President Barack Obama announced he had ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats suspected of being spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking U.S. political groups. The administration told Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, an hour before the decision was made public, one of the sources said. The phone calls between Flynn and Kislyak were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. A Trump official confirmed one phone conversation between the two men on Dec. 29, and said their understanding was they did not discuss the sanctions. The three sources stressed to Reuters that they did not know who initiated the five calls between Flynn, a former three-star Army general who headed the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency under Obama, and Kislyak. Nor did they know the contents of the conversations, and declined to say how they learned of them. One source said there was nothing intrinsically odd or wrong about a Russian diplomat speaking to a member of Trump's team following the U.S. announcement. Moscow, the source added, probably would want to have some sense of what Trump's team thought about the measures. That sentiment was echoed Friday by State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "This building doesnt see anything necessarily inappropriate about contact between members of the incoming administration and foreign officials," Toner said. TIMING The other two sources, however, said the timing of the calls raised a question about whether Flynn had given Kislyak any assurances to soothe Russian anger over the U.S. moves. If that were the case, it would have raised a possible entanglement with the Logan Act. The 1799 law bars unauthorized U.S. citizens from negotiating with foreign governments with which the United States has disputes. It is aimed at preventing the undermining of official U.S. government positions. Alexey Mosin, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington, said: "The Embassy does not comment on multiple contacts, which are carried out on a daily basis with local interlocutors." Flynn raised eyebrows among some U.S. foreign policy veterans when he was pictured sitting at the head table with Putin at a banquet in Moscow in late 2015 celebrating Russia Today, an international broadcasting network funded by the Russian government. However, Flynn has also expressed skepticism about Moscow's intentions - a view that does not seem to fit Trump's vision of closer ties with Moscow. Classified documents that the heads of four U.S. intelligence agencies presented last week to Trump included unsubstantiated information compiled by a private security firm suggesting Moscow had compromising personal and financial details about Trump. Trump called a dossier that contains salacious claims about him in Russia "fake news" and "phony stuff." One of the sources said the U.S. actions "took the Russians by surprise." Russian officials threatened to shutter the Anglo-American School of Moscow, the source said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed tit-for-tat expulsions. But on Dec. 30, Putin announced that he would not retaliate. Trump praised Putin for the decision, writing in a Twitter post, "Great move on delay (by V.Putin). I always knew he was very smart!" Trump spokesman Sean Spicer earlier Friday said Flynn and Kislyak had spoken on Dec. 28, the day before Washington announced the expulsions and sanctions. But a Trump official acknowledged later in the day that they held one conversation on Dec. 29 about setting up a telephone call between Trump and Putin after Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was aware of only one phone call between the two that day and did not know if they spoke again since. After the Nov. 8 election, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the state-run Interfax news agency that the Russian government was in touch with members of Trump's political team during the U.S. election campaign and knew most of his entourage. At a news conference on Wednesday, Trump declined to answer whether anyone connected to him or the campaign had contact with Moscow during the campaign and said he had no loans or business deals with or in Russia. White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Friday said it remained unclear whether such a call between Flynn and the Russian ambassador would be objectionable . "It depends on what they discussed," Earnest told reporters. He said he could not weigh in without knowing the content. (Additional reporting by Warren Strobel, Emily Stephenson, Ayesha Rascoe and Susan Heavey; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Grant McCool)
By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump began a long holiday weekend that honors slain black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. by attacking another rights activist and politician who had said he doesn't see Trump as a "legitimate president". Democratic Representative John Lewis, of Georgia, said on a segment of "Meet the Press" released by NBC on Friday he thought hacking by Russians had helped Trump, a Republican, get elected in November. Lewis said he does not plan to attend Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, the first time he would miss such an event since being elected to the House in 1986. On Saturday Trump tweeted that Lewis had falsely complained about the election results and instead "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested)." "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!" Trump tweeted. During the campaign, Trump said Democrats had failed African-Americans and Hispanics. "What the hell do you have to lose? Give me a chance," he said at a rally last year in Ohio. Trump won the presidency with less support from black and Hispanic voters than any president in the last 40 years, only 8 percent and 28 percent respectively, polling data showed. Lewis, who has been a civil rights leader for more than half a century, was beaten by police during a march he helped lead in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, drawing attention to hurdles for blacks to vote. He protested alongside King that day and on other occasions. "I believe in forgiveness," Lewis said in the NBC segment about Trump. "I believe in trying to work with people," he said. "Its going to be very difficult. I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president." At least 10 other Democratic U.S. politicians have also said they plan to skip the inauguration including Representatives Raul Grijalva, Lacy Clay and Mark Takano. Supporters of Trump see him as a brash person who tells things as they are. His comments about Lewis came ahead of an anti-Trump march in Washington headed by the Rev. Al Sharpton. The protest by about 2,000 marchers kicked off a week of rallies planned by dozens of groups against Trump before, during and after the inauguration. DisruptJ20, which is working with Black Lives Matter and other protest groups, said they are planning to disrupt balls celebrating the inauguration in Washington. FIX A BRIDGE Several of Trump's fellow Republicans also criticized the president-elect's tweets. Michael Steele, who served as the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee until 2011, said Trump's tweets were unfortunate. "John Lewis has a walk that very few people in this country, least of all Donald Trump, have ever walked, so you have to respect that," Steele said on MSNBC. If Trump is looking to fix a bridge to black voters, their expectation is he "will do so in a way that shows respect for our leadership," Steele said. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska tweeted that "John Lewis and his 'talk' have changed the world." Conservative critic Bill Kristol tweeted "It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats (Russian President) Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis." (Additional reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Washington (AFP) - President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he may lift sanctions on Russia and won't stand by the "One China" policy unless Beijing improves its currency and trade practices.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday that he would keep intact "at least for a period of time" sanctions President Barack Obama's administration imposed on Russia last month over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks to influence the US election.

But, if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting violent extremists, Trump suggested he may scrap the punitive measures altogether.

He also said he was prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking office January 20.

Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

Turning to the longstanding US practice of not recognizing Taiwan diplomatically, Trump said: "Everything is under negotiation, including One China."

Trump has already irked China by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen after he won the election, upending decades of diplomatic precedent in which the White House has foregone direct communication with the island's leader.

He defended that move in his interview with the Journal, saying: "We sold them $2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment but we're not allowed to accept a phone call. First of all, it would have been very rude not to accept the phone call."

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, by force if necessary

Trump has threatened to get tough with what he sees as unfair Chinese trade practices, and suggested that the "One China" policy could become a bargaining chip in other disputes.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser and Russia's ambassador to the U.S. have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration hit Moscow with sanctions in retaliation for election-related hacking, a senior U.S. official says.

After initially denying that Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak spoke Dec. 29, a Trump official said late Friday that the transition team was aware of one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed sanctions.

It's not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office. But repeated contacts just as Obama imposed sanctions would raise questions about whether Trump's team discussed  or even helped shape  Russia's response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly did not retaliate against the U.S. for the move, a decision Trump quickly praised.

More broadly, Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador suggests the incoming administration has already begun to lay the groundwork for its promised closer relationship with Moscow. That effort appears to be moving ahead, even as many in Washington, including Republicans, have expressed outrage over intelligence officials' assessment that Putin launched a hacking operation aimed at meddling in the U.S. election to benefit Trump.

In an interview published Friday evening by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might do away with Obama's sanctions if Russia works with the U.S. on battling terrorists and achieving other goals.

"If Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions?" he asked.

During a news conference Wednesday, Trump highlighted his warmer rapport with the Russian leader.

"If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia," he said.

The sanctions targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the U.S. said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The U.S. also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives.

Story continues

Trump has been willing to insert himself into major foreign policy issues during the transition, at times contradicting the current administration and diplomatic protocol.

He accepted a call from Taiwan's president, ignoring the longstanding "One China" policy that does not recognize the island's sovereignty. Asked about that Friday by the Journal, he responded, "Everything is under negotiation."

He also publicly urged the U.S. to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, then slammed the Obama administration for abstaining and allowing the measure to pass.

Questions about Trump's friendly posture toward Russia have deepened since the election, as he has dismissed U.S. intelligence agencies' assertions about Russia's role in the hacking of Democratic groups. In briefing Trump on their findings, intelligence officials also presented the president-elect with unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him, according to a separate U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to publicly discuss the matter.

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced late Friday that it would investigate possible contacts between Russia and people associated with U.S. political campaigns as part of a broader investigation into Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump acknowledged for the first time this week that he accepts that Russia was behind the hacking. But he questioned whether officials were leaking information about their meetings with him, warning that would be a "tremendous blot" on their record.

Flynn's own ties with Russia have worried some Republicans who are more skeptical of the Kremlin than Trump appears to be. After leaving his position as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, Flynn made appearances on RT, a state-run Russian television network. In 2015, he was paid to attend an RT gala in Moscow, where he sat next to Putin.

As national security adviser, Flynn will work in the West Wing close to the Oval Office and will have frequent access to Trump. Unlike Trump's nominees to lead the Pentagon, State Department and other national security agencies, Flynn's post does not require Senate confirmation.

Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press was not authorized to confirm the contacts publicly and insisted on anonymity.

The Trump team's account of Flynn's contacts with the Russian envoy changed throughout the day Friday.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer initially said there was one phone call between Flynn and Kislyak on Dec. 28, as well as a Christmas greeting via text messages over the holidays. He said sanctions were not part of the discussions.

Later Friday, a transition official said Flynn and Kislyak had spoken by phone on Dec. 29, following a text message from the ambassador the day before. During the call, the Russian ambassador invited U.S. officials to a conference on Syria later this month that is being held in Kazakhstan, according to the transition official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and insisted on anonymity.

The official also confirmed a phone call between the men earlier in December.

The U.S. official who spoke to the AP Friday described the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak as "very frequent."

It's unclear how U.S. officials became aware of the contacts between Flynn and Kislyak, who has served as Russia's envoy to the U.S. since 2008. U.S. monitoring of Russian officials' communication within the United States is known to be common.

Flynn has spoken with other foreign officials since Trump won the November election, as have incoming White House senior advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he saw nothing inappropriate in Trump's transition team contacting Russian or any other foreign officials.

___

Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in New York and Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
By David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The incoming U.S. administrations tough talk against China has set the stage for showdowns on everything from security to trade and cyberspace, but contradictory signals are sowing uncertainty over how far President-elect Donald Trump is prepared to go in confronting Beijing. Highlighting the contested South China Sea as a potential flashpoint, Trumps Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson threw out an explosive challenge to Beijing on Wednesday by calling for it be denied access to artificial islands it is building in the strategic waterway. A Trump transition adviser told Reuters that Tillerson, Trumps pick to be America's top diplomat, did not mean to suggest the new administration would impose a naval blockade, which would risk armed confrontation with China, something the new administration was not seeking. But another official authorized to speak on behalf of the transition team pushed back on that view, saying Tillerson did not misspeak" when he said China should be barred from its man-made islands. Amid the conflicting signals on policy, the team appears to be making progress on plans for a major naval build-up in East Asia to counter China's rise. The transition adviser told Reuters about specifics under consideration, such as basing a second aircraft carrier in the region, deploying more destroyers, attack submarines and missile defense batteries and expanding or adding new bases in Japan and Australia. They are also looking at installing air force long-range strike assets in South Korea, bordering China's nuclear-armed neighbor North Korea, said the adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Trump, who succeeds President Barack Obama on Jan. 20, has vowed to greatly expand the U.S. Navy to 350 ships, but his transition team has not made clear how he will fund this, amid other massive spending plans. China's Foreign Ministry said it could not guess what Tillerson meant by his remarks, which came after Trump questioned Washington's longstanding and highly sensitive "one-China" policy over Taiwan. But an influential Chinese state-run tabloid warned on Friday that blocking Chinese access to South China Sea islands would require the United States to "wage war." Trump's pick for defense secretary, retired Marine General James Mattis, did not endorse Tillerson's message on the South China Sea, which would seem at odds with Washington's own longstanding commitment to freedom of navigation for all. Asked about the remarks at his confirmation hearing on Thursday, Mattis said China's actions in the South China Sea were part of a broader attack on the world order, but said the State, Defense and Treasury Departments needed to put together an integrated policy "so we are not dealing with an incomplete or an incoherent strategy." The conflicting messages underscore the incoming administration's struggle in crafting an approach to one of the biggest foreign policy challenges facing Trump, who during his election campaign repeatedly bashed China, saying it was "killing" and "raping" America on trade. RISKS OF RETALIATION A former U.S. official who has informally advised Trump's transition team said it may not have fully thought through the risks of any new U.S. military or trade pressure on China. "We should not underestimate China's willingness to retaliate in kind," the former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. As part of a drive to protect American jobs, Trump has threatened to declare China a currency manipulator - even though economists say Beijing has been seeking to prop up, not weaken, its currency. He has also threatened to slap punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, risking a trade war that could hurt both countries and the global economy. Trump has yet to name to his national security team high-level members with deep experience of the region, leading some analysts to question whether the new administration will have enough expertise to translate rhetoric on a more robust Asia policy into action. But Trump has appointed two harsh China critics to his trade team - Peter Navarro, an academic who authored a book entitled "Death by China," and Robert Lighthizer, a former Reagan administration official. Trump advisers dismiss concerns their approach could prove risky or counterproductive, arguing that a "peace through strength" stance will put real muscle behind U.S. policy in the region after decades of under-resourcing due to U.S. distractions elsewhere in the world. "Once we start correcting the military imbalance, I actually think you will get more cooperation rather than less," the Trump adviser said. Trump and his cabinet nominees have also vowed to step up pressure on China to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, including by holding out the possibility of "secondary sanctions" on Chinese entities found to be violating sanctions on Pyongyang. But analysts say China may be in no mood to cooperate if Washington is leaning on it on other issues. Those include U.S. pressure on Beijing to curb cyber hacking of U.S. entities. China's official responses to recent broadsides have been measured so far as they wait to see how Trump will act once he takes office. "We have seen many conflicting messages from people within his prospective administration, said Tu Xinquan, a trade expert at Beijing's University of International Business and Economics. But analysts say confronting Beijing over hot-button nationalist issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea could trigger strong reactions, especially in a year when President Xi Jinping is seeking to further consolidate power at a congress of the ruling Communist Party held every five years. Zha Daojiong, a professor at Peking University, said the theme of clash of civilizations was becoming increasingly popular in Chinese circles and this was ominous. "This does not bode well at all ... And it means that the continued war drums from America on the South China Sea would not help matters at all." (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom; additional reporting by Michael Martina and Christian Shepherd in Beijing; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Mary Milliken)
NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis on Saturday for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaire's White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Trump tweeted that Lewis, D-Ga., "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results."

The incoming president added: "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!"

Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than a half-century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans.

The weekend clash highlighted the sharp contrast between how many African-Americans view Trump's inauguration compared with Barack Obama's eight years ago.

It also demonstrated that no one is immune from scorn from a president-elect with little tolerance for public criticism. Trump has found political success even while attacking widely lauded figures before and after the campaign  a prisoner of war, parents of a slain U.S. soldier, a beauty queen and now a civil rights icon.

Lewis, a 16-term congressman, said Friday that he would not attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol next Friday. It would mark the first time he had skipped an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago.

"You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" set to air Sunday.

"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said.

Story continues

Lewis' spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, declined to respond to Trump and said the lawmaker's "opinion speaks for itself."

"We as a nation do need to know whether a foreign government influenced our election," she said.

U.S. intelligence agencies have said that Russia, in a campaign ordered by President Vladimir Putin, meddled in the election to help Trump win. After spending weeks challenging that assessment, Trump finally accepted that the Russians were behind the election-year hacking of Democrats. But he also emphasized that "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."

Democrat Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College vote.

Lewis' Democratic colleagues quickly came to his defense Saturday.

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif, said he too would skip Trump's inauguration: "For me, the personal decision not to attend the inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis."

The Democratic Party of Georgia called on Trump to apologize to Lewis and the people of his district.

"It is disheartening that Trump would rather sing the praises of Vladimir Putin than Georgia's own living social justice legend and civil rights icon," state party spokesman Michael Smith said.

Trump continued to jab Lewis on Saturday night, charging that the congressman "should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S."

"I can use all the help I can get!" Trump tweeted.

Yet the president-elect's assertion that Lewis' district is "falling apart" and "crime infested" is hard to prove.

Georgia's 5th Congressional District includes the Atlanta metro region, which is considered one of the nation's fastest-growing areas. Its crime and poverty rates are higher than the national average.

Crime statistics for the specific district are not measured by the federal government. Atlanta officials have reported a significant drop in crime in recent years, although they created a gun violence task force last year to address an increase in murders.

The district has an 8.2 percent unemployment rate, and the median household income is about $48,000, according to the Census Bureau.

The area covers part of the upscale Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead, along with the headquarters for Fortune 500 companies such Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, Emory University, Georgia Tech, several historically black colleges and universities and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest.

The dispute may be helping sales of Lewis' books.

Lewis' defenders have been urging Twitter followers to buy the congressman's books, a strategy apparently succeeding. By Saturday night, a bound collection of Lewis' "March" trilogy, graphic memoirs for young people about his civil rights activism, was No. 1 on Amazon. A more traditional memoir by Lewis, "Walking with the Wind," was No. 2.

Last fall, the third of Lewis' "March" books, on which he collaborated with Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, won the National Book Award in the young people's literature category.

___

Associated Press writers Pamela Sampson and Don Schanche in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Tunis (AFP) - Tunisia on Saturday marked the sixth anniversary of the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali without fanfare, after official recognition of failure on the economic and social fronts.

On the anniversary of the uprising which inspired Arab Spring revolts across the region, several protests were staged and the presidential convoy was stoned by demonstrators.

In Tunis, a crowd gathered on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in the presence of political and civil society groups, but local media said no other ceremonies appeared to have been organised elsewhere in Tunisia.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed acknowledged on national television on Friday night that authorities had so far failed to address the grievances of the Tunisian people that had fuelled the 2011 revolution.

"If we want this democracy to become strong and resistant, we must achieve the economic and social objectives of the revolution, namely the economy and dignity," he said.

"Today, we are not achieving this because unemployment and social inequalities have increased," said Chahed.

President Beji Caid Essebsi on Saturday announced a package of new projects during a visit to the central province of Gafsa.

According to Nessma, a private television channel, however, security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters hurling stones at Essebsi's convoy.

An AFP correspondent said dozens of jobless demonstrators in Sidi Bouzid, a town in central Tunisia and birthplace of the anti-Ben Ali uprising, chanted "Work is a right, bunch of thieves" and other slogans from the revolution.

Similar demonstrations were staged on a road to a nearby town, with protesters burning tires, and in Meknassi, also close to Sidi Bouzid, where a general strike has been declared in protest at a lack of development.

Tunisian authorities have struggled to restore the economy and reduce youth unemployment -- particularly among new graduates -- over the past six years.

Story continues

In January 2016, the government imposed a nationwide nighttime curfew after Tunisia witnessed some of its worst social unrest since the revolution.

Anger erupted after the death of a 28-year-old unemployed man who was electrocuted when he climbed a power pole while protesting in the central town of Kasserine.

That unrest had echoes of the public anger after the death of a young fruit seller who set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid in December 2010 in protest at unemployment and police harassment.
Turkey has arrested two Chinese nationals of Uighur origin in connection with a mass shooting in a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Eve claimed by the Islamic State group, media reports said.

The suspects, named as Omar Asim and Abuliezi Abuduhamiti, were arrested on charges of "being members of a terrorist organisation", of "purchasing unlicensed firearms" and "being accomplices to the murder of 39 people", state-run Anadolu Agency cited a prosecutor as saying.

A witness in the central Anatolian city of Konya had reportedly seen Asim with the Reina nightclub attacker, the agency said late Friday.

The gunman remains at large despite a massive manhunt.

Officials said last week the attacker was likely a Turkic Uighur, with authorities reportedly looking into the possible existence of a cell, including other jihadists from Central Asia.

Uighurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims from the restive Xinjiang region of far-western China.

The killer, reportedly known by the code name Ebu Muhammed Horasani, slipped into the night after mowing down 39 revellers at the Reina nightclub just 75 minutes into 2017.

At least 35 people have been detained so far in connection with the attack, according to Anadolu.

Of the 39 killed in the glamourous nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq and Morocco.

The so-called Islamic State claimed the nightclub massacre, the first time it has ever clearly claimed a major attack in Turkey despite being blamed for several strikes including the Istanbul airport bombings.
By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration took steps on Friday to lift a 20-year-old trade embargo against Sudan, unfreeze assets and remove financial sanctions in what the White House said was a response to the African nation's cooperation in fighting Islamic State and other groups, angering human rights organizations. The move in the last days of the Obama administration will however will be delayed by 180 days to see whether Sudan acts further to improve its human rights record, and resolve political and military conflicts, including in Darfur. That leaves the final decision of sanctions relief, after the review period, to President-elect Donald Trump and his secretary of state, who is likely to be Rex Tillerson, a former oil executive. "Sudan has long expressed a desire to get out from under sanctions, as well as other restrictions that the United States has imposed on Sudan going back 20 years," a senior administration official said. "Over the past two years we have looked for a way to engage with Sudan in a way we could overcome some of the lack of trust of the past," the official said on a conference call with reporters, adding that talks with Khartoum had intensified over the past six months. Trump's transition team had been briefed on the move, the official said, adding that the measures do not affect Sudan's label as a state sponsor of terrorism nor does it impact sanctions tied to Khartoum's role in the Darfur conflict. The sanctions relief is expected to impact businesses that deal with agriculture, import-export services, transportation, technology and medical equipment, and oil, the official said. Sudan's foreign ministry welcomed the move, calling it an "important positive development in bilateral relations between Sudan and the United States." The ministry said it hoped further cooperation would allow Sudan to be removed from the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism. The United States first imposed sanctions on Sudan in 1997, including a trade embargo and blocking the government's assets, for human rights violations and terrorism concerns. It layered on more sanctions in 2006 for what it said was complicity in the violence in Darfur. "INEXPLICABLE" DECISION In a letter to Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama said "actions of the government of Sudan has been altered by Sudan's positive actions over the past six months." There were signs last year of a thaw between Sudan and the United States, which accuses Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of war crimes related to the conflict-torn Darfur region. On Sept. 20 the State Department issued a statement on increased cooperation with Sudan, saying the government had taken steps to counter Islamic State and "other terrorist groups and has sought to prevent their movement into and through Sudan." The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when mainly non-Arab tribes took up arms against the Arab-led government, accusing it of discrimination. The U.N. says up to 300,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Darfur. The Enough Project, a Washington-based anti-genocide group, called the lifting of sanctions "premature" and said any easing of pressure on Sudan should be in exchange for resolving conflicts in Darfur and South Kordofan, and ensuring humanitarian access to those affected by military blockades. Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, called the decision "inexplicable" and said there had been no progress on ongoing war crimes, crimes against humanity in Darfur and other conflict zones, and repression of opponents. "Instead of using its leverage to press for real reforms that would benefit Sudanese citizens, the Obama administration is sending the worst possible message to Sudan and other repressive governments," Lefkow said. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, a Republican, called on the Trump administration to ensure there was progress on the humanitarian front before it lifts sanctions. "While counterterrorism cooperation has increased, the government still abuses the fundamental human rights of the Sudanese people," he said in a statement. But Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, said Friday's move was reasonable and would remove measures that have mainly hurt ordinary Sudanese. "The actions taken do not 'reward' Bashir; in fact, the measures against the regime and some of those accused of human rights violations remain," he said. "What is being rolled back - with the possibility for snap-back in case of backsliding or egregious acts - are blunt sanctions that disparately impacted ordinary Sudanese, while hardly afflicting the regime," he added. (Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Andrew Hay and James Dalgleish)
An event featuring conservative blogger and far-right speaker Milo Yiannopoulos and former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli was canceled Friday night by the University of California, Davis, after protesters blocked access to the venue.

Campus police barricaded the doors to the event in a bid to control protesters, who demanded that the program be shut down. It was canceled half an hour prior to its scheduled start after the university authorities determined the event could not continue safely. Some protesters held placards that read: Your facism [sic] is showing, Deport the racists and Shut it down.

I am deeply disappointed with the events of this evening, UC Davis Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter, said in a statement. Our community is founded on principles of respect for all views, even those that we personally find repellent. As I have stated repeatedly, a university is at its best when it listens to and critically engages opposing views, especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive.

The university dismissed that reports of broken windows or property damage. One person was arrested inside the venue but no other people were taken into custody, it added.

Yiannopoulos and Shkreli were to give a speech at the event arranged by the UC Davis College Republicans. The Breitbart columnist issued a statement on Facebook and said the program was canceled after violence from left-wing protesters.

My event at UC Davis tonight has been cancelled after violence from left-wing protestors [sic]. There are reports of hammers, smashed windows and barricades being torn away. The campus police cant guarantee anyones safety so Im not being allowed anywhere near the building. Stay safe, everyone, Yiannopoulos said in the statement.

Last July, Twitter permanently banned Yiannopoulos after he called on his followers to attack Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones with racist tweets.

Shkreli, the former chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals, told the Sacramento Bee that the demonstration showed an underbelly of violence and intolerance that just doesn't speak well for the student body. He was reportedly at the event to debate Yiannopoulos.

Story continues

Im pro-feminism; I dont think these people know that, Shkreli said as he was surrounded by the protesters. I was going to tear Milo to shreds ... he doesnt understand feminism.

In December 2015, Shkreli resigned as chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals after he was arrested on securities fraud charges. He faced widespread criticism earlier that year for increasing the price of a lifesaving malaria medication by 5,000 percent and was suspended from Twitter earlier this month for harassing a journalist.

Related Articles
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Police in Uganda have re-arrested a traditional leader who is facing treason and other charges hours after he was granted bail by a court, a judicial official said on Saturday. Charles Wesley Mumbere was first detained in November after what he calls his royal guards refused an order by security forces to disarm and surrender, leading to a stand-off and a raid on his residence by police. More than 60 people were killed in clashes. He was freed on bail on Friday but just hours later he was detained again, judiciary spokesman Solomon Muyita said. "He was re-arrested by police because he has other charges," he said. Mumbere is a tribal leader of the Bakonzo people found in the Rwenzori region near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The area overwhelmingly backed the main rival to President Yoweri Museveni in the 2015 election. Government critics accuse security forces of deliberately stoking unrest in the area because of its backing for the opposition. Rights group Amnesty International said security forces carried out extrajudicial killings in the November clashes. Officials dismiss the charges and say Mumbere and his supporters have been promoting secession from Uganda. Uganda has many traditional leaders who have largely ceremonial roles but wield significant political influence among people in their regions. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Edmund Blair and Angus MacSwan)
Ukraine is increasing its reliance on European gas more than a year after it stopped purchasing energy from Russia over its annexation of Crimea. Ukraine started purchasing gas from French energy giant Engie last week in a costly show of defiance toward the Kremlin's outsized influence in the region.

Kiev is paying 20 percent more for gas now than it did when it purchased Russian energy. The fuel runs through the Hermanowice pipeline in southeast Poland every day, putting a strain on Ukraine's already difficult budget crisis. Ukraine counted on a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to buy 1.8 bcm of gas from Western Europe companies in 2016.

Russia has tried to win Ukraine back by offering a discounted price of $186 per thousand cubic meters, nearly 20 percent less than the average rate Kiev is paying European companies for its fuel these days. The Ukraine's boycott is also hard to sustain in part because much of the gas Ukraine is purchasing from third party suppliers in Europe originates in Russia, attributing to the markup in prices. The higher fees are being passed down to Ukrainian consumers, who have seen the average utilities bill for a one room apartment grow to about $40 in the summer and $110 in the winter.

European Union officials meet with their counterparts in Russia and Ukraine in December to try to negotiate a resolution. Ukraine stopped buying from Russia's Gazprom in November 2015. Conflicts with Russia in the past have seen shortages during the freezing winter months in some EU nations.

In all, Russia delivers about a third of the gas flowing into the European Union. Ukraine is a crucial part of this structure because about 40 percent of Russias EU-bound gas gushes across its territory, representing more than 10 percent of Europes fuel supply. Ukraine has promised to protect the stable transit of gas to Europe.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said last week conflict between Kiev and the pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine hasn't improved. The OSCE's new chairman, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, said an international armed police presence is needed in the region to close Ukraine's porous eastern border with Russia, which is used by rebels to bring in weapons and supplies. The conflict has killed 10,000 people since 2014.

Story continues

Russia has defended its annexation of Crimea, while Western leaders have expressed concern that Moscow will enter other Eastern European nations.

Related Articles
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.
Rex Tillerson hearing

President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, made waves internationally on Thursday by suggesting that the US should "send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops, and second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed."

Suggesting China stop its building of artificial islands and militarizing them doesn't sharply break with the policy of President Barack Obama's administration, but suggesting a blockade  or forcefully stopping China from sailing to its land features in the South China Sea  does.

China's response, at first muted, has come back strong, with Chinese media saying that "unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish."

"Tillerson had better bone up on nuclear power strategies if he wants to force a big nuclear power to withdraw from its own territories," the Global Times wrote in an editorial.

Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also questioned Tillerson's depth of knowledge about the South China Sea.

"Some of the things Tillerson said were contradictory," Glaser told Business Insider.

map south china sea

"He was not speaking with notes in front of him, and this is not an issue I think he is very well versed in. He may know oil in the South China Sea, but I'm hearing from some people on the transition team that he misspoke," said Glaser, alluding to Tillerson's time as CEO of the energy giant Exxon Mobil.

Glaser pointed to the more measured statements on the South China Sea before the Senate Armed Services Committee from retired Gen. James Mattis, Trump's defense secretary nominee, as evidence that Tillerson went too far.

"The bottom line is the international waters are international waters, and we have got to figure out how do we deal with holding on to the kind of rules that we have made over many years," Mattis said on Thursday.

Story continues

Tillerson seems to want to stop China from operating in international waters.

And his testimony contained a major contradiction, Glaser said.

"Tillerson did say that there would not be any change to the US position on recognizing China's sovereignty on land features in the South China Sea," Glaser told Business Insider. "If we don't object to China's land claims, do we have a legal right to deny China access to its sovereign territory?"

Furthermore, if the US tried to blockade China from the islands in the South China Sea, "that position would result in conflict," Glaser said.

If the US were to place "a cordon of ships around one or all of the islands, and the Chinese flew in aircraft to one of their new islands, what are we going to do? Shoot it down?" Glaser said. "We'd certainly end up in a shooting war with China."

China air force j-11

However, some legal experts side with Tillerson. In a piece published Thursday in Lawfare, James Kraska of the Naval War College wrote this:

"China's interference with US warships and military aircraft in the South China Sea constitute a breach of its legal obligations under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and customary international law and are internationally wrongful acts within the law of state responsibility. In such law, injured states are entitled to take lawful countermeasures to induce compliance, such as withholding recognition of China's right to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea to block access to its islands."

But both Glaser and outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry believe the US will take a more peaceful approach than outlined by Tillerson.

Speaking at a university in Ho Chi Min, Vietnam, Reuters reported that Kerry said all countries should "refrain from acts that add to tensions, or might lead to greater militarization of the area. And as we oppose cohesion, or the threat of force by any state to assert it's claims over an other, we will, I am confident with the next administration, continue to adhere to the same good faith to the policy I just articulated."

So while some legal basis may justify a huge US naval presence in the South China Sea blocking Beijing from its claimed islands, experts on the US and Chinese sides agree that such a measure could mean war between advanced world powers with nuclear capabilities.

Business Insider reached out to the Trump transition team about Tillerson's comments on the South China Sea and will update this story with any response.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

NOW WATCH: Here's why everyone should be paying attention to China's ambitious space program





More From Business Insider
US authorities have lifted an embargo on French beef imports after 19 years, the French agriculture ministry said Friday.

France is the fourth EU country to have its beef re-admitted to the US market after a 1998 ban imposed because of fears over bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease.

The others are Ireland, Lithuania and the Netherlands.

The EU Commission welcomed the move, calling it "excellent news for French producers". It was also an illustration that efforts to eradicate BSE in the EU had borne fruit, it said in a statement.

The French ministry warned, however, that administrative hurdles meant it could take time for beef exports to the US to resume.

"We are pleased with this first step, but this doesn't mean that exports will start tomorrow," the ministry said.




Russia knows how to use sex to get what it wants.

Perhaps more accurately, Russia knows how to use sex to blackmail its enemies. Theres no verified proof to the allegations that the Kremlin has a tape of President-elect Donald Trump participating in odd sexual behavior in Moscow. But theres nothing unusual about Russia collecting compromising material in order to sway or blackmail enemies despite its denials.

The Kremlin does not collect compromising materials, Dmitry Peskov, Putin spokesman, said Wednesday.

But Peskovs claim was proven false before it was even uttered. The practice of collecting compromising materials is even a Russian word -- kompromat -- and Russian intelligence agencies have been digging it up and dishing it out for decades.

[The] gathering of kompromat is one of the primary working methods of Russian intelligence agencies, Ilya Yashin, Russian activist and politician, told the Washington Post. This technique is systematically used in Russia, and I have no doubt that its already used and will be used to achieve the Kremlins policy goals.

In 1999, grainy footage of a top Kremlin official cavorting with two prostitutes appeared on national television, prompting the official to resign. And the man who is rumored to have delivered the tape to the state-owned TV station? Vladimir Putin, then head of the Russian Federal Security Service.

Then there was the case of Mikhail Kasyanov, former Russian prime minister and an opponent of Putin. Last year, he was recorded in a bed rolling around with a woman who, as it turns out, wasnt his wife. That video also made it to primetime on the state-owned TV station.

If sexpionage was an Olympic sport, Russia would no doubt get the gold. But the U.S. may not be too far behind.

American Kompromat

In November 1964, Coretta Scott King, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., received a strange package in the mail. Inside was an anonymous letter addressed to the civil rights leader, along with a tape recording. Coretta Scott King thought the recording might be of one of her husbands speeches. Instead, the tape apparently revealed his sexual indiscretions.

Story continues

The letter was simply addressed to King."

In lieu of your low grade, abnormal personal behavior I will not dignify your name with either a Mr. or a Reverend or a Dr., the letter began.

The point was to blackmail King, and to embarrass him so ruthlessly so that he would take his own life.

King, there is only one thing left for you to do. You know what it is. You have just 34 days in which to do... You are done. There is but one way out for you. You better take it before your filthy abnormal, fraudulent self is bared to the nation.

The letter did not work. King would not die until four years later when he was assassinated by James Earl Ray. But the suicide letter, as it became known, was discovered in FBI files several years later -- the FBI had sent the letter to King.

King-FBI Suicide Letter

Photo: National Archives, College Park, Maryland

The suicide letter was part of a much larger FBI operation called COINTELPRO. This system of covert investigations targeted domestic political organizations, such as the Black Panthers, that the U.S. government considered disruptive or dangerous.

The FBIs secret operations were verified in the 1970s, when the Senate put together the Church Committee to investigate the FBI and COINTELPRO. One committee member, Sen. Howard Baker, Jr. (R-Tenn.), stated, [O]ur investigation uncovered many actions by agents of the FBI and of the CIA that I would previously have not thought possible (e.g. crude FBI letters to break up marriages or cause strife between Black groups and the CIA assassination plots) in our excellent intelligence and law enforcement institutions.

But COINTELPRO wasnt necessarily the anomaly in U.S. intelligence agencies that Baker was making it out to be. Two decades earlier, for instance, the CIA was using sexual circumstances to play with the possibility of mind control in its conspicuously named Operation Midnight Climax, a subproject of MKULTRA.

Starting in 1953, the CIA tested the results of LSD on human subjects. Although Operation Midnight Climax originally used volunteers, CIA agents later secretly gave the drug to unwitting visitors of a San Francisco brothel. The project stopped in the 1960s.

The Sukarno case: KGB vs. CIA

Sex and intelligence agencies from both Russia and the U.S. became tangled up in the 1950s, when the CIA and KGB both went after the Indonesian president simply known as "Sukarno."

Sukarno sympathized with some communist tendencies, although he did not identify as a communist himself. As far as the Russians and Americans saw it, that made Indonesia fair game in the ideological battle of the Cold War. Both countries wanted materials that would give them leverage with the Indonesian leader. Russian agents set up a honeytrap, taping Sukarnos indiscretions with operatives disguised as flight attendants. The CIA took a similar approach, creating a porn film where either a Sukarno look-alike or a man in a mask played Sukarno doing the dirty -- those details are unclear.

Ultimately, neither plan worked. The American porn film was never distributed and when Russian agents showed Sukarno the tapes, he was unfazed. In fact, Sukarno was apparently delighted, wrote CNN journalist Tim Lister. Legend has it he even asked for extra copies.

Related Articles
Washington (AFP) - US senators have launched a probe into Russian spying, saying intelligence reports of Moscow's interference in the 2016 election and possible ties to American political parties "raise profound concerns."

The investigation, backed by both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, could trigger forced testimony by officials of both Barack Obama's outgoing administration and the incoming government of Donald Trump, who won the November 8 presidential vote.

US intelligence agencies allege that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

A report from the Director of National Intelligence released early this month says the Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim.

But the public version of the report was questioned for offering only weak evidence of its claims.

An unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent also alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and Russian government, and said Moscow had lurid video of Trump with prostitutes while in Russia.

- British ex-spy's report -

"It is critical to have a full understanding of the scope of Russian intelligence activities impacting the United States," the Senate panel said Friday.

Trump, who will take office in one week, has repeatedly rejected suggestions that Moscow aided in his election victory.

He has also compared US intelligence agencies to "Nazi Germany" for allegedly leaking to the media their analyses to undermine him.

The probe will review the intelligence community's assessments and also other assessments, "including any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns," the committee said.

Story continues

That suggested the former British spy's explosive report could also be reviewed.

Vowing to "get it right," the panel said most of the work will be done out of public scrutiny to protect classified information.

In light of the hacking allegations, Trump's close ties with Russia, and especially President Vladimir Putin, have come under growing scrutiny.

Trump, who sees an opportunity to cooperate with Moscow in fighting jihadist groups like Islamic State, has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russian hackers acting on Putin's authority interfered in the US elections.

- Improper contact with Russian envoy? -

The Washington Post reported that Trump's incoming national security advisor Michael Flynn telephoned Moscow's ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, several times the day before Obama unveiled punitive measures over Russia's alleged cyberattacks to influence the US election.

Flynn receives a speaking fee from Russian government-funded Russia Today.

Trump's incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, said Flynn in fact spoke with the envoy on Christmas Day, sending him a text to wish him a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

"I look forward to touching base with you, and working with you, and I wish you all the best," Spicer quoted Flynn as telling the ambassador, adding that the envoy responded with holiday greetings.

On December 28, the pair spoke by phone about "the logistics of setting up a call with the president of Russia and the president-elect after he was sworn in, and they exchanged logistical information on how to initiate and schedule that call," Spicer said.

He added: "That was it. Plain and simple."

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump hinted he may scrap Obama's punitive measures altogether, and said he was prepared to meet with Putin after taking office January 20.

Separately, he blasted the leak of the unsubstantiated report that Russia had gathered compromising personal and financial material on him as "totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives."

He promised a "full report" on the hacking claims within 90 days.

In the first round of hearings for Trump nominees that wrapped up Friday, a week before Obama hands the Manhattan billionaire the keys to the White House, several of his cabinet picks publicly contradicted him.

But the president-elect dismissed talk of ideological splits.

"All of my Cabinet nominee (sic) are looking good and doing a great job," he said in an early morning tweet. "I want them to be themselves and express their own thoughts, not mine!"

The 70-year-old Republican later elaborated, telling reporters at Trump Tower: "I could have said, 'Do this, say that.' I don't want that. I want them all to be themselves."

"And I'm going to do the right thing, whatever it is. I may be right. And they may be right."

Over three days of feisty hearings this week, Trump's nominees warned of the threat posed by Russia, hailed NATO, repudiated torture, defended the US intelligence community and cautioned against withdrawing from the Iran nuclear treaty and the Paris climate accord.

On virtually every controversial foreign policy stance that Trump took during the campaign, they hedged and backtracked and sought to assure senators that they shared the consensus that has shaped Western strategic thinking and institutions since World War II.
Wild horse border patrol A full moon rises behind U.S. Border Patrol agent Josh Gehrich as he sits atop a hill while on patrol near Jacumba, California, California, Nov. 14, 2016. (Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters)

Prisoners participating in the Wild Horse Inmate Program train mustangs that will eventually be adopted by the U.S. Border Patrol, providing the agency with inexpensive but agile horses, and inmates with skills and insights they hope to one day carry with them from prison.

For Brian Tierce, 49, who has served about five years of his seven-year sentence for domestic violence and assault, the horses have taught him a lot of things I didnt know I had in me  patience, perseverance, kindness, understanding.

Ive got to be a compromising person, otherwise Ill never get this job done.

At least 80 percent of the U.S. Border Patrols current stable of 400 horses come from inmate training programs in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and Nevada. The horses are critical for patrolling the rugged and remote stretches of the Mexican border to detect illegal crossings by migrants and drug trafficking.

And, at $500 to $800 for a saddle-ready horse, the price is right.

Some 55,000 mustangs roam the Western U.S., more than double the number public land can support, said Bureau of Land Management spokesman Jason Lutterman. Those that do not end up in adoption programs face an uncertain future. (Reuters)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.
Wellington (AFP) - New Zealand stormed back into the first Test against Bangladesh Sunday, with three quick wickets to back up a Tom Latham century and set the stage for an intriguing final day in Wellington.

After being on the back foot for most of the first four days, New Zealand were boosted by reducing Bangladesh to 66-3 in their second innings, at 122 by stumps.

"Funny things can happen on that last day as it did against Pakistan in that last series," Latham said, referring to the dramatic finish to the November Test when New Zealand took nine wickets in the final session to beat Pakistan.

Bangladesh were also sweating over Imrul Kayes, who was injured on 24 and taken to hospital for hip x-rays.

Captain Mushfiqur Rahim, unable to field because of an injured hand, was confirmed as being available to bat if required.

Bangladesh have never beaten New Zealand and pace bowler Taskin Ahmed said their chances of a breakthrough victory were damaged with the loss of three wickets in the last five overs on Sunday.

Bangladesh had been hoping to declare on Monday in time to give New Zealand a challenging target, but Taskin said that may change.

"It depends on the situation. Obviously we are looking for a win but it depends. It's a pretty flat wicket and when the batsmen get set it's easy to score."

A short-pitched barrage by the Bangladesh quicks and poor shot selection against part-time spinner Mahmudullah stopped the New Zealand first innings at 539.

The tourists built on the 56-run lead to be 66 for three at stumps in their second innings with Mominul Haque not out on 10 and Tamim Iqbal out for 25.

After New Zealand resumed the fourth day at 292 for three, opener Latham batted on to 177 to ensure the follow-on mark was comfortably passed.

BJ Watling (49) and Mitchell Santner (73) reduced the deficit to less than 100, with Santner and Trent Boult (4 not out) frustrating Bangladesh with a 35-run partnership for the final wicket.

Story continues

Santner lofted Shakib Al Hasan over the long-on boundary for six, his third of the innings, to overtake his previous best 71 against India at Kanpur four months ago.

- Bouncer barrage -

Bangladesh tried to rattle the New Zealand tail with short balls. Santner took one fierce blow to the head from Taskin Ahmed and Neil Wagner was hit three times by Kamrul Islam drawing blood from his chin.

Wagner, New Zealand's short-ball specialist, passed a concussion test and replaced his helmet after the third blow only to be dismissed two balls later for 18.

Despite the pace barrage, it was part-time spinner Mahmudullah who broke through the Watling-Santner partnership.

The pair put on 73 after Latham's dismissal to reach 471 for six when Mahmudullah came into the attack and the innings was all over 68 runs later.

Mahmudullah's first ball was short-pitched and well off-line which Watling went to smack to the boundary only to scoop it into the hands of wicketkeeper Imrul down the leg side.

With his fifth ball, Mahmudullah had Tim Southee trapped in front for one.

Wagner was caught behind trying to hook his way out of Kamrul's bouncer onslaught to give Imrul his fifth catch, a Test record for a substitute wicketkeeper.

Latham, who spent 463 minutes at the crease, was trapped in front for 177 by Shakib Al Hasan.
Aden (AFP) - At least 26 Yemeni fighters died in fresh clashes and an air strike as government forces advanced against Shiite Huthi rebels near a key shipping strait, medics and officials said Saturday.

A week-long assault by government forces and their allies aims to expel the Iran-backed Huthis from Dhubab region, close to the Bab al-Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Twelve bodies of Huthi insurgents were taken early Saturday to a hospital in rebel-held Hodeida, a medical official said, adding that the facility received 23 others wounded.

He said the casualties were from clashes on Friday night in Dhubab.

An overnight air strike by a pro-government Arab coalition on a rebel assembly in Zaydiya, in Hodeida province, left another nine Huthis dead, a security official said.

The Red Sea port city of Hodeida lies some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Dhubab.

A medical official at a hospital in the southern city of Aden said five pro-government fighters were killed in overnight clashes around Dhubab and 14 others wounded.

Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and allied fighters from the Popular Resistance have entered the town of Dhubab and seized its local government headquarters.

Popular Resistance commander Abdelrahman al-Muharami said the loyalists had also recaptured large parts of Al-Omeri military base in mountains overlooking the coast.

"There are still some rebel pockets" in the base, he said.

The government and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition recaptured Bab al-Mandab strait in October 2015, pushing the rebels further north.

But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen's Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

Yemen's conflict has killed more than 7,400 people and wounded nearly 40,000 since it escalated with the coalition intervention in March 2015 after the Huthis seized large swathes of the country, according to the United Nations.

Story continues

In another bid to reassert government authority, Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher said Saturday that his administration will start transferring salaries to state employees in rebel-held areas.

Public sector employees in rebel-controlled areas have struggled since Hadi moved the central bank from Sanaa to the temporary capital of Aden in June, after accusing the insurgents of running down Yemen's foreign reserves.

Dagher said government employees "across all provinces" will receive their salaries at post offices and exchange outlets, state news agency Saba reported.
Obama just made his last dad joke as president (and its out of this world)

If youve been in a state of denial about the fact that Barack Obama only has one week left as the president of the United States, the White House Instagram account just gave us a playful  but oh-so brutal  reminder that Obamas presidential days are almost over. It involves a dad joke that President Obama made on Twitter and its such a bittersweet moment for all of us citizens who will miss our 44th president dearly.

The Curiosity, a rover from NASA that is exploring the surface of Mars, has a plaque on it that includes President Obamas and Vice President Joe Bidens signatures. The Twitter account for Curiosity Rover shared a photo of this plaque as it roamed around Mars.

The message from Curiosity was already super sweet since it referenced one of Obamas campaign songs  the Obama family-approved Signed, Sealed, Delivered Im Yours by Stevie Wonder.

But then, President Obama one-upped the Curiosity by responding to the tweet with one of his patented dad jokes, writing: That is out of this world.

But whats really making us cry is the White House Instagram accounts response. It posted a screenshot of Obamas tweet and wrote: One last dad joke.

Story continues



One last dad joke. A photo posted by The White House (@whitehouse) on Jan 12, 2017 at 7:29pm PST

Knowing that this outer space joke is most likely the final dad joke that Obama will make during his presidency is just too much. How will we survive without his terrible puns?!

Were about as emotional as Biden was when Obama surprised him with the Presidential Medal Of Freedom on January 12th.

Obama has made a long tradition of making puns  and embarrassing his daughters in the process  when he pardons the turkeys during Thanksgiving as he makes a corny-copia of dad jokes about turkeys. So one little consolation is that he promised Malia and Sasha that hell continue doing Thanksgiving jokes during the holiday even when hes not president.

So, while we will miss Obama and his dad jokes terribly, maybe theres a way we can get invited to the Obama family Thanksgiving table one year. Because were going to need to hear Obamas lame, but oh-so-lovely jokes if were going make it through the next four years.
Curious about new movies launching in the following months? Youve come to the right place! Weve got a great selection of fresh trailers this week, including clips for Baywatch, Cars 3, John Wick 2, and the new Kong movie.

Don't Miss: All of your Nintendo Switch questions, answered

Baywatch

If youre not doing anything on May 26th, you may as well consider going to see Baywatch. Its the comedy this show deserves, starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. Yes, Pamela Anderson is also in it.

Cars 3

We saw the creepy and strange teasers before, so its time to take a look at a proper Cars 3 trailer that actually tells us whats going on in this new Disney/Pixar animation. It looks like Lightning McQueen is getting too old for this stuff, and he needs help getting back in shape to compete in modern car racing. The movie comes out this summer, so were going to see plenty of clips until then.

CHIPs

Baywatch isnt the only TV series getting its own movie this year. On March 24th, CHIPs is hitting the big screen. Weve got Michael Pena and Dax Shepard in it to make us laugh, though this is a cop drama, so we expect some serious business as well.

Gold

Gold is a new film about gold. Specifically, weve got Matthew McConaughey chasing gold somewhere in Indonesia. Gold launches January 24th, but we have a new trailer for you to check out right now.

John Wick: Chapter 2

A new trailer for John Wick: Chapter 2 is out, and itll explain everything you need to know about Keanu Reeves famous character, especially if you havent seen the first John Wick flick. In fact, most of the new trailer is basically fighting and shooting footage from the first movie. You can expect a symphony of violence in the second chapter as well, which opens on February 10th.

Kong: Skull Island

Ok, so this is the second international trailer for the new King Kong movie, but its still a fresh trailer. Kong: Skull Island comes out on March 10th, starring Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and many others.

Story continues

Raw

Raw is a movie about a young woman who wants to eat other people. Yes, shes a young cannibal. I am not joking. And the trailer is somewhat disturbing, which guarantees the movie will be equally disturbing. Just check the trailer below. Raw hits theaters on March 10th.

Sleight

Sleight is a movie about magic. Its also a film about drugs and drug-dealing. Sleight launches on April 7th, and youll probably want to keep tabs on it.

The Shack

We talked about The Shack before, a movie starring Sam Worthington about dealing with tragedies. In this case, w have Mack Phillips (Worthington), meeting God in a shack in the Oregon wilderness to deal with a personal loss. The Shack hits theaters on March 3rd.

Indiana Bourne

We saved the best for last this week. Too bad its not an actual upcoming movie, but what if Indiana Jones would be a Jason Bourne-like movie? You know, rather than a regular Indiana Jones movie? The following trailer explores that idea  sadly, theres no such movie in the works, although Im thinking Hollywood should probably get on this, stat.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2013 file photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is anchored in the northern port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Taiwan's defense ministry said China's sole aircraft carrier on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 was transiting the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions between the mainland and self-governing island it claims as its own territory. (Wu Dengfeng/Xinhua via AP, File)

BEIJING (AP)  China's sole aircraft carrier has returned home following a far-ranging three-week training mission during which its combat capabilities were closely scrutinized and speculation soared over what future role the flat-top will play amid China's growing military ambitions.

The Defense Ministry said the 60,000-ton Liaoning sailed in to the eastern port of Qingdao on Friday along with its battle group that includes destroyers, frigates, a supply ship and anti-submarine craft.

The ministry quoted the group's commander, Rear Adm. Chen Yueqi, as saying the drill simulated real combat as closely as possible and "achieved all targets set for it." China commissioned the carrier in 2012 and declared it combat ready in November, shortly after which it launched its first live-fire exercises.

The cruise that began on Christmas Day took it through the Miyako Strait, south of Okinawa, Japan, and then the Bashi Channel separating Taiwan from the Philippines as it entered the disputed South China Sea that China claims virtually in its entirety.

It headed home through the Taiwan Strait in what was seen by many as a threatening message to the island's independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it was closely monitoring the passage but that there was no cause for alarm.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949 and Beijing has vowed never to renounce its threat to use force to recover what it considers lost territory.

Japanese and Taiwanese surveillance aircraft and ships closely monitored the Liaoning along its journey, seen by some as a sign of how China plans to use it to demonstrate its willingness to back up its territorial claims with military muscle.

The Liaoning originated in 1990 as the unfinished Varyag for the now-defunct Soviet fleet. Purchased as a shell by China in 1998, it was towed from the Black Sea to the northeastern Chinese port of Dalian where it underwent an extensive overhaul of its hull, radar, electronics and other systems.

Story continues

Designated first as an experimental and training platform, the Liaoning represents a new degree of sophistication in the Chinese armed forces that includes ballistic missile submarines and prototype stealth fighters. It's also considered a blueprint for future Chinese carriers built using entirely domestic technology, at least one of which has been under construction since 2015.

Yet, analysts point out major limitations in both the carrier's design and the Chinese navy's ability to utilize its full capabilities.

Considerably smaller than the 100,000-ton U.S. Nimitz-class carriers, it can carry just 24 fixed-wing aircraft compared to 55 for the American flat-tops, according to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

While the Liaoning's J-15 multirole fighters  a Chinese version of the Russian Su-33  are highly capable, they lack the low-observable stealth technology of fifth-generation fighters such as the U.S. F-35C.

CSIS also says the ship's Soviet steam turbine power plant was badly designed and poorly maintained, probably limiting it to a typical speed of around 20 knots. That is far slower than the Nimitz-class' 30 knots, meaning it would take longer to arrive at target and be less able to flee from threats.

Its aircraft are also launched from a "ski jump" style deck rather than the powerful steam catapults that U.S. carriers use, requiring China's jets to use more fuel for takeoff and limiting them to smaller payloads.

The Liaoning's pilots and crew are also far less experienced than their American counterparts, although they benefit from lessons learned by the U.S. and others in the decades since carriers entered operation, CSIS said. Other analysts point out that the Liaoning doesn't appear yet able to launch and recover aircraft at night, a crucial ingredient for combat effectiveness.

The CSIS study concludes that those shortcomings make the Liaoning unsuited for "sustained, high-intensity combat operations," at least for now. That will likely restrict it to humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations, training and diplomatic missions and cruises in the South China Sea asserting Beijing's territorial claims.

Despite that, the Liaoning "represents an important step in advancing China's ability to project naval power," the study said.

"Regardless of the Liaoning's future abilities, the ship commands a degree of political utility as a tool of naval diplomacy through various operations, regional and global."
By Irene Klotz (Reuters) - A SpaceX Falcon rocket blasted off from California on Saturday, returning the company to flight for the first time since a fiery launchpad explosion in September. The 230-foot (70-meter) rocket launched from VandenbergAir Force Base at 9:54 a.m. PST (1754 GMT) to deliver 10satellites into orbit for Iridium Communications Inc. "It's a clean sweep  10 for 10," SpaceX launch commentator John Insprucker said after the satellites were released. SpaceX founder and entrepreneur Elon Musk's ambitious flight plans had been grounded since the Sept. 1 explosion during fueling ahead of a pre-flight test in Florida. About 10 minutes after Saturday's launch, the first stage of the rocket, which had separated from the rest of craft, successfully touched down on a platform in the Pacific Ocean, a feat previously accomplished by four other returning Falcon rockets. SpaceX intends to reuse its rockets to cut costs. "Rocket is stable," Musk posted on Twitter. "Mission looks good." Two other returning Falcon boosters landed on the ground. The mission tested changes implemented by SpaceExploration Technologies Corp, known as SpaceX, since the launchpad explosion. Accident investigators determined that a canister of helium burst inside the rocket's second-stage liquid oxygen tank, triggering the explosion. The canister is being redesigned, but until then SpaceX is addressing the issue by modifying its fueling procedures. The explosion destroyed a $62 million SpaceX booster and a$200 million Israeli communications satellite that it was to put into orbit two days later. The accident clouded the company's aggressive agenda, which includes beginning to ferry U.S. astronauts into space next year, when it also plans to make its first voyage to Mars. Saturday's flight begins to clear a logjam of more than 70 planned missions, worth more than $10 billion, involving SpaceX Falcon rockets, which last flew in August, SpaceX said. The launch is the first in a seven-flight contract with Iridium worth $468.1 million, company spokeswoman Diane Hockenberry said. SpaceX aims to launch 27 rockets in 2017, more than triple the eight flights the privately held firm managed in 2016,according to a report on Friday in the Wall Street Journal. In addition to its dozens of commercial customers, SpaceX is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station. The company's 2017 agenda includes the debut launch of a heavy-lift booster, flying its first reused rocket and repairing the Florida launchpad damaged in the explosion. (Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Tom Brown)
Innovation to drive new opportunities

As the world heads into 2022, trends in commercial air travel and customer order activity are in much better shape than earlier post-COVID expectations, which is a positive sign for the industry. Global distribution of COVID vaccines is helping to clear a path toward normalization of air travel, though the current surge in Delta-variant infections in certain regions will likely keep demand for travel subdued into early 2022.

But current macroeconomic trends suggest that demand for small- and medium-sized aircraft will continue to recover to reach pre-COVID levels in 2022, with aircraft manufacturers focused on narrow-body aircraft being well positioned to benefit from this buoyant demand. Furthermore, with air travel volumes now well off the lows seen in 2020, aftermarket revenues could recover strongly in 2022 as air traffic rebounds.

New technologies, evolving business models, and increasing M&A activity will likely further accelerate the shift toward digital and operational efficiencies. In particular, digital thread and smart factory present a host of efficiency- and productivity-enhancing technologies that can accelerate time to market and reduce cycle times. A&D firms that focus on innovation will likely be better prepared for 2022.




@PatriciaMazzei

The lobbyist son of Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Democratic political consultant Freddy Balsera of Coral Gables met quietly with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York this week to chat about Latin America.

Balsera and C.J. Gimenez were part of a foursome that also included Julio Ligorria, a former Guatemalan ambassador to the U.S., and David Duckenfield, a former deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the state department. The meeting was first reported by El Pais, a Spain-based newspaper.

Duckenfield works at Balsera Communications, Balsera's namesake public affairs and media relations firm. Until recently, so did Gimenez, a Republican attorney who in the past has lobbied locally for Trump's businesses, recently started his own consulting and lobbying shop with Ligorria. Balsera advised President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.

The four men sat down with Trump on Thursday. Among the topics discussed: U.S. policy toward Venezuela and the "northern triangle" nations -- El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala -- in Central America. They also posed for what has become the classic thumbs-up Trump photo.

"Obviously I have a longstanding relationship with Mr. Trump and the organization," Gimenez told the Miami Herald on Saturday. "We had a discussion with folks on his team that thought it would be beneficial for us to sit down with him for a few minutes and bring up issues related to Latin America."

Balsera told El Pais that Trump "was very interested in knowing our opinion about what's going on, about what's going to happen and about what has yet to happen" in Venezuela. Trump also inquired about Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma and opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, both political prisoners in the South American country.

"He knew everything we were talking about and responded with good questions and comments," Gimenez told the Herald. "We want to see freedom come back to Venezuela, and prosperity."

He said the meeting lasted 15-20 minutes.

The men also discussed Argentina, which has sought closer relations with the incoming administration. "I think we can create opportunities for business and cultural ties with Latin America," Gimenez told the Herald.

Not mentioned: Trump's more contentious comments about Hispanics, including his promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Now that he's our president, I think it's very important that we find a way to work, to cooperate, with him, to have our voice heard in conversations taking place about Hispanics here or in Latin America," Balsera told El Pais. "If we want to influence his thinking and his policies, we have to have some sort of interaction with Mr. Trump."

Gimenez and his father, Mayor Carlos Gimenez, plan to attend Trump's inauguration next week, on their own dime. The elder Gimenez, a Republican in a nonpartisan post, was invited even though he said he voted for Hillary Clinton for president.

This post has been updated.

Photo: Screenshot of El Pais website
Michael-in-Norfolk disclaims any and all responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, reliability, operability, or availability of information or material displayed on this site and does not claim credit for any images or articles featured on this site, unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful owners. Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies, and Michael-in-Norfolk does not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content. If you own rights to any of the images or articles, and do not wish them to appear on this site, please contact Michael-in-Norfolk via e-mail and they will be promptly removed. Michael-in-Norfolk contains links to other Internet sites. These links are provided solely as a convenience and are not endorsements of any products or services in such sites, and no information or content in such site has been endorsed or approved by this blog.
For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page
If you'd prefer to give by check, please make checks payable to "

Coshocton, OH 43812-6118



Please include a note "preferencing" your donation to Keith & Karen Dodson. Thank YOU!





And CLICK the logo below to visit the MMS Aviation website!



" and send it to:MMS AviationPO Box 1118
Dr. David Mallinson. (Contributed photo)



DV JOIDES Resolution (US platform). (Contributed photo)

An East Carolina University professor has volunteered his time and expertise with an international marine research collaborative dedicated to exploring the world's oceans.Dr. David Mallinson, professor of geological sciences in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, has been a longtime member of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and recently completed a three-year term as co-chair of the program's Science Evaluation Panel.The 54-member science panel or SEP reviews drilling proposals from around the world. Mallinson co-chaired along with Dick Kroon from the University of Edinburgh and Ken Miller from Rutgers University.Mallinson said.The SEP consists of top scientists from 25 participating nations who are assigned different proposals by the co-chairs. Approximately 20 proposals are considered at bi-annual meetings. Co-chairs review all documents, coordinate meetings and presentations, and make final decisions on the proposals.said Mallinson.As co-chair, Mallinson also attended almost 20 meetings of other important panels and boards held in the United States, Europe and Japan.said Mallinson.Mallinson said he has enjoyed working with people from all over the world and visiting 13 different countries as a part of the SEP and IODP.said Mallinson, adding the opportunity to servePrior to his term as co-chair of the SEP, Mallinson served a three-year term as vice-chair for the Site Characterization Panel. Mallinson also served as a member on the Proposal Evaluation Panel.For more information on the IODP, visit http://www.iodp.org/ and the SEP at http://www.iodp.org/boards-and-panels/science-evaluation-panel
We do not accept unsolicited submissions. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2016 by Marjorie Saiser, The Print the Whales Make, from "I Have Nothing to Say about Fire" (Backwaters Press, 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Marjorie Saiser and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
Help those in need when the library has scheduled an American Red Cross Blood Drive that runs 2-6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the librarys Large Meeting Room.

Interested donors may register at redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code: missoulalibrary or stop by the Reference desk and ask for Christine. This year, MPL is also hosting a drawing with a book bag full of goodies as an incentive for donating blood. Names will be entered into the drawing during the day of the blood drive.

For further information, call MPLs Reference Desk at 721-2665 and ask for Christine.

Holiday closure

The library will be closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It will reopen at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

MPL offers tax forms

Just in time for tax season, the Missoula Public Librarys Reference Desk will be offering tax forms for patrons to use to complete their state and federal taxes.

The library will be offering free booklets of Montana Form 2 and Form 2EZ, and will also have federal 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ instruction booklets that patrons can use in the library. The Reference Desk will also provide one free copy of each of those federal forms. Additional copies, copies from the instruction booklets, or print outs of other forms can be purchased for 10 cents per page.

For more information, call the Reference Desk at 721-2665.

Thinking Money events wrap up this week

The library concludes its celebration of the exhibit Thinking Money with a handful of special events planned this week, listed below. The Thinking Money exhibit was developed by the American Library Association Public Programs Office in collaboration with the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, whose support made this exhibition possible.

Medical and Identity Theft Protection Workshop: 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday in the Large Meeting Room.

The library hosts a presentation on medical and identity theft protection featuring Renee Labrie-Shanks from Missoula Aging Services and Detective Glenville Kedie of the Missoula County Sheriffs Office.

Shred It: 1-3 p.m. Thursday and Friday in MPLs parking lot.

The library hosts the event Shred It, where patrons can come shred their important documents to safeguard their personal info with the onsite shredding service Tear It Up LLC. Patrons are limited to bringing two boxes of material to shred per person. This event takes place in MPL's parking lot.

We Have It: Staff Reviews

Reverse Charades by USAOpoly (USAOpoly, 2015) Call number: GAME CHARADES REVERSE

Did you even know that the Library now has board games to check out? There are so many to choose from, but this twist on the classic game of charades is a fun first option.

Instead of one person acting out clues on their own, the whole team performs just for one person. Each guesser has one minute to figure out as many charades as possible. The challenge is for the team to work together and act out words like voodoo or hammock, without laughing too hard. The manufacturer recommends six people make up two teams, but the rules are simple and could be easily refashioned for any sized group. Children who are 6 years and older could join in the fun.

Reverse Charades would be great for games night, parties, camping trips, or nights at the cabin. It, and many other amazing board games, are available now for two-week checkout at MPL.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Jonkel

MakerSpace Offerings

Computer Electronics: 3-6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays.

Do you have an interest in the Arduino platform? Come in and try out this and other electronics platforms during Computer Electronics time.

Open Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 1-6 p.m. Fridays.

Open Hours allows visitors to explore the resources of the MakerSpace, or to try out a project of their choice.

Community Creative Writing Workshop: 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays.

Open, drop-in environment focusing on the creative writing workshop process.

Watercolor Painting Class: noon-2 p.m. Fridays in the Large Meeting Room

Drop-in watercolor painting class for any level, featuring an individual approach for skill, and a group focus for subject and compositional techniques. Open to those ages 18 and up.

Computer Classes

Excel: 12:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

This class is an introduction to the basic features of Microsoft Excel. Topics include entering data and formulas.

Registration is required to attend MPLs computer classes. Call 721-2665 to secure your spot.
Handguns and rifles, as well as a machine gun with an attached grenade launcher, covered the table in the conference room in the U.S. Attorneys Office in Missoula on Friday for an announcement of the conclusion of the case against eight people who brought more than 11 pounds of methamphetamine into Montana.

The drug threat in our state is real, said Mike Cotter, U.S. attorney for the district of Montana.

The defendants, whose sentences ranged from a little more than four years to 17 1/2 years in federal prison, were caught by investigators from the Montana Regional Violent Crimes Task Force, a partnership between the FBI and local law enforcement to investigate the most dangerous crimes occurring in western Montana.

Logan Rivers Weniger was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison and Neal Allen Maddox was sentenced to 15 years. Richard Wayne Stroh, Luke Aldon Hayes, Ryan David Hippenstiel, Shacotta St. Onge, Katrina Lynn Everhart and Misty Leanne Beck also were convicted and sentenced to prison. The shortest sentence was four years and three months.

In addition to drugs and around $11,000 in cash, detectives also recovered 68 firearms from the drug traffickers during raids of homes in East Missoula, Bonner and Hungry Horse, FBI special agent Monte Shaide said.

Among the weapons, many of which were displayed at the news conference, were a pair of 37 mm grenade launcher attachments for which the traffickers had made homemade explosives, as well as semi-automatic shotguns with magazines designed to hold dozens of rounds of ammunition, and a rifle that had been modified to shoot fully automatic.

Cotter started his statement by thanking the local detectives on the task force, including Detective Guy Baker from the Missoula Police Department and Detective Jared Cochran from the Missoula County Sheriffs Office, saying the case was the result of old-fashioned police work that stopped more meth from coming into the state.

There is no one governmental entity that can solve the drug problem by itself, Cotter said. This operation is an example of open communication, cooperation and collaboration.

FBI special agent Monte Shaide said the drugs in this case were brought in from superlabs in Mexico. Baker said higher profits in Montana have been driving increased drug trafficking into the state. In larger cities, he said a full pound of meth might sell for $4,000 or $5,000.

Here, an ounce can sell for $900 to $1,000, he said.
Stevensville Mayor Jim Crews has asked the state to host a public meeting on a proposed new gravel pit just west of the communitys airport.

But before that can happen, other nearby landowners will have to make the same request.

The proposed gravel pit is located north of Stevensville off the Eastside Highway near some old buildings once used to grow mushrooms.

I know there are a lot of people in the community who are not aware of it, Crews said. Im asking the state to hold a public meeting to help make the community aware of whats going on.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality received an application for a 13-acre, open cut mine (gravel pit) north of Stevensville on Nov. 21.

The application was determined complete on Dec. 8, said DEQ Public Policy Director Kristi Ponozzo.

The state sent letters to 42 landowners within a half-mile of the site explaining the proposal.

Under state law, 12 of those landowners would have to request a public meeting for the state to move forward and offer one. The deadline for making that request is Jan. 23.

So far, Ponozzo said four landowners, including Stevensvilles mayor, have requested a public meeting.

If the state receives those additional eight requests, it will be required to hold a public meeting within 30 days of Jan. 23.

The public would be allowed to offer comments at the public meeting, she said.

The operator of the proposed gravel pit is Jake Yoder. Under the proposal, work would be permitted at the site from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The site would be reclaimed by 2042.

The application can be viewed online at searchopencutpermits.mt.gov and then enter "Opencut #2863" in the search box.

There are a lot of people who arent paying attention, Crews said. I know the county gravel pit off Airport Road is starting to play out.
HELENA  A day after hearing emotional testimony in favor of a stricter Montana seat belt law, the bill was tabled by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Supporters said the bill would save lives and money, while opponents said mandating seat belt use isn't an appropriate role for government.

Montana law currently allows officers to issue citations for not wearing seatbelts only if the driver has been pulled over for a different traffic violation.

State lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on the Senate bill that would allow police to pull over cars and ticket people just for not wearing seat belts. Supporters included family and friends of crash victims who were not wearing seat belts, doctors, Montana Highway Patrol troopers and other state officials.

Pat Goldhahn testified that a stricter seat belt law would have saved the life of his 15-year-old daughter, Lauryn. She died in August of injuries suffered when she was thrown from a vehicle during a crash near Fairfield.

His daughter was not wearing a seatbelt but Goldhahn said he believes she would have if Montana had the stricter law in place.

"She was a rule-follower and she would still be with us today," he said.

Montana's legislature has rejected enacting a primary seat belt law several times and opponents continued to argue such a law would infringe on their rights, Lee Newspapers of Montana reports.

State Transportation Director Mike Tooley, the former chief of the Montana Highway Patrol, called the lack of a seat belt law a threat to public health and said seat belts were not worn in just over half of the state's 224 fatal crashes last year.

About $36 million annually is spent in Montana by various government programs on hospital costs that could be avoided if more people wore seat belts, said Sheila Hogan, director of the state health department.

Mark French, a citizen who testified, said the statistics were compelling but that the law would be intrusive.

"In America we get to choose our risk level. We also get to reap the result of our choices, good or bad," French said.

Montana is behind only Wyoming and Mississippi in the rate of motor vehicle fatalities per 100,000 people.
Monte Cox is one of if not the most prolific Fighter manager in all of MMA. He even has a team name for the fighters he manages, "Team Extreme"! Monte Cox manages 26 fighters from around America and among them are some of the toughest MMA fighters on the planet at all weight divisions.

Monte Cox is one of if not the most prolific Fighter manager in all of MMA. He even has a team name for the fighters he manages, "Team Extreme"! Monte Cox manages 26 fighters from around America and among them are some of the toughest MMA fighters on the planet at all weight divisions. We had a chance to talk to the leader of "Team Extreme", after the controversial fight that took place at the Universal Above Ground Fighting on July 30th where one of his fighters former UFC Champ, Dave "The Warrior" Menne took on Rob Ferguson. Monte Cox took some time out to clear the air and talk about what happened at the controversial UFC scuffle after party in London at UFC 38, his thoughts on Matt Hughes Controversial victory over Carlos Newton 1, the Controversy for Dave Menne and Rob Ferguson at the UAGF 2, and the controversy surrounding why he dropped Bobby Hoffman as a client?

Like it or leave it controversy seems to like to follow him around

Here is what he had to say.

MMARR: Has there ever been anyone you have managed, that you felt was a bad addition and have had to cut?

MC: ( Chuckles) I have only cut one person ever

MMARR: Who was that?

MC: Bobby Hoffman.

MMARR: What happened with Bobby Hoffman why was he cut?

MC: At one point when he was fighting in Japan, he threatened to kill my wife and kids.

That was the end, I had put up with enough Crap.

MMARR: Why did he threaten your wife and Kids?

MC: He is a psychopath,

MMARR: hmmm

MC: Why does he do anything he does? Why did he beat up his wife? Why was he in Prison before he started Mixed martial Arts? He is a freaken Loon!

MMARR: What was he in Prison for before that?

MC: I dont know. He came right out of Prison and fought his first fight. It is not like MMA made him what he is. It is what he was before hand.

MMARR: I want to talk about the little scuffle in London in the night Club, Anthony Fryklunds name has been connected to that, there have been a lot of rumors, a lot of speculation about what went on there. Can you tell us what you take is on that?

MC: I mean it is almost impossible for me, I was not there, I was in Las Vegas. What I am told is, from the people that I have talked to, is that this friend of Tito (Ortiz) Bo jumped on Pats (Miletich) back when they were all exiting the bar. They were all drunk and he was acting like he was fighting with Pat ( Miletich). Tony (Fryklund) came out Drunk, they were all drinking, and thought someone was attacking Pat (Miletich). So he ripped him off his back in a rear naked (Choke). Pat Miletich turned around and told him "No, No, No" we are just goofing around, and Tony Relaxed, and one of the guys from England blasted Bo and knocked him out.

MMARR: Tito (Ortiz) seems to have a problem with some of the situations that have been going on. What is the Problem? ( Tito has been on the Internet forums and vocal about the subject.)

MC: I dont know. I tried to ask him on the internet. I dont know what his thing is. I know for sure, these are the things that I have been told. Tony is the one that picked Tito off the ground, He has got blood all over his shirt from where he picked Tito up. To make sure that he didnt get kicked or hit anymore. Pat is the one that pushed Lee Murray away and told him to stop and get out of there and to quit. I dont understand why Tito is not thanking him, I was not there. When Everybody is drunk I dont have any idea what is going on. They dont know.

MMARR: So has the situation been squashed with Tito and Team Punishment?

MC: We never saw a situation. I mean the only thing that I know Pat was upset as everyone was painting Tony as being some big Villain. I mean that is ridiculous. I mean there was a bunch of people that were drunk. Who is more at fault, a guy for jumping on Pats back and acting like he is fighting him, or a teammate coming out and seeing that and thinking he is fighting him? I mean that was the thing. Tony did not hit the guy. I asked Tony and I told the UFC, Tony will take a Lie detector test. I told the UFC find your guy. He will take a lie detector test and say he did not hit Bo. If he didnt hit Bo, then I dont want to hear anymore, go after the people that were throwing punches, no one on team Miletich threw a punch.

MMARR: Is it true that Tony Got suspended?

MC: Not True.

MMARR: Not True?

MC: Not True, He has never been suspended.

MMARR: So there is no Merit to that Rumor whatsoever.

MC: Not at all, I mean they have not even interviewed Tony yet, or me, so if they suspend him without even interviewing the person that is involved, then we got to make a call to some attorneys.

MMARR: Speaking of suspensions, Josh Barnett just got suspended, lost his title, and got his fight declared a no contest what do you think about that?

MC: I like Josh a lot. I dont want to rip on him or anything. I do know there is a precedent when Bobby Hoffman tested positive for .Marijuana after beating (Mark) Robinson. They ruled that fight a no contest. That is the only time when that I can. oh when Laverne Clark tested Positive years and Years ago against Fabiano Iha. They ruled that a no contest, so that is the precedent for doing it. You know, so I dont know I am not surprised that they did it, lets just put it that way.

MMARR: What is your take on the fact that he was suspended on top of being a no contest.

MC: Well that is up to the athletic commission, Bobby Hoffman was suspended also.

MMARR: How about the stripping of the Title?

MC: Well if the fight is a no Contest, then how can you have a title? You know what I am saying? When this has happened before, and this does not happen very often, but in every situation the fighter has been suspended and the fight has been declared a no contest. That is what has always happened. So here again it just so happens that this is a little more higher profile person, and he had won the title on it. They really did the same thing. They suspended him, which is the athletic commission, I mean they could do what they want to do, If he is fight is ruled a no contest he cant keep the title.

MMARR: What are your thoughts on steroid use in MMA.

MC: It is difficult to say anything about steroids without everybody jumping on someones back. Jeremy Horn got on the Internet, and Basically said what every big name fighter out there knows, which is yeah there is steroid use in MMA There is no doubt about it. But it has never been illegal to do it, like in Pride they dont even test, they dont care, so it has never been a big deal before. It is something that some people do some people dont. Now that it is illegal I think that everyone should quit using. That is the whole point. Why do you want to risk going out and getting a big win, and get it taken away? Up until that point if it is not specifically illegal. If you are fighting for a living, and this is your job, and the guys you are fighting are juicing, and that is giving them an advantage, I dont blame guys for wanting to juice also. Make it an even playing field. You know what I am saying? That being said, there are guys out there like Matt Hughes and Jens Pulver from our camp, guys who are at the very top of their weight class, who have never juiced a day in their life. So you dont have to juice to be on top. Now every now and again on the Internet someone will say Hughes is a juicer, that is freaking ridiculous. He has never done it and he has no reason to do it. His twin brother hasnt been in a gym in three years and looks almost like him. I mean he is a genetic freak! That is just the truth. He is a freak! Everyone here is always "strong as a farm-boy" or "oh those wrestlers are strong", well this is a wrestling farm-boy. He has always been strong, he has always had endurance, I mean look at the endurance the guy has. He can go five rounds, and that is not typical of a "roider".

He told me, "why would anyone say that?" and I go "You know people are always jealous of the people who are on top". They are going to look for ways to. They cant stand the fact that Matt is so good at what he does. People cant deal with it. You are going to have people that dont like it. No matter who you beat.

MMARR: Speaking of Matt Hughes, he just beat a pretty good fighter in Carlos Newton.

But he beat him in a controversial style the first time out at UFC 34. What did you think of the decision there? Did you think it was a good decision?

MC: What other decision could there be? John McCarthy has to make the call. Gotta be made inside the ring. McCarthy, he comes in, Newton is on his back and is unconscious, No one is disputing that he is taking a nap. He was there for a minute taking a nap. Matt is on one knee, and obviously you cant see his face. You cant tell whether he is out, he is dazed, he is spinning, who knows I dont know.

MMARR: But he said on Pay Per view that he was out!

MC: That is what he thought. He said it was like going through, spinning, spinning, spinning, He didnt know where he was. I mean he was completely out of it, but how many unconscious guys do you see that are sitting on one knee? You know what I am saying? If you are unconscious, you are a noodle, you would be lying face down. It does not make any sense. It is typical of, if Carlos has the choke on and he slams him, and right at impact that Choke nails him and puts him almost out, that is consistent of how it would be. You would be on one knee, you could still have your faculties but barely, you are so close to being just out you know, that you are there, but he doesnt. When McCarthy pushed him, If he is unconscious, he is going to fall over on his face, when you are unconscious everyone lays flat, that is how it goes, it is not like the Mr. Bean stuff where you fall asleep standing.

That is the thing, whether he was out, whether he wasnt out, It does not matter because McCarthy has to make a call. He comes in, he sees Newton unconscious, he sees Matt on one knee. He has got to make a call. He made a call to stop the fight. Maybe had Matt been, facing Big John and he could have seen his face, maybe he would have been able to say "oh these guys are both in trouble" I dont know but he didnt, he had his back to him call it fortunate for us, but John had to make a call.

MMARR: So you admit there was a little bit of luck involved there.

MC: I think that when you have fight like that, that is the closest fight in MMA history. How can it be any closer? Someone has got to get lucky and someone has got to get unlucky. But the thing was, ten seconds later, Matt is jumping up on the cage, Newton is still taking a nap. I dont know, it is one of those things, John had to make a call. John tells me that Matt was not out. He was the only person that was within a foot of him. Jeremy Horn and Pat Miletich told me he wasnt out. I said "was he out?" They said no his eyes were totally open. He wasnt unconscious. His eyes were open but he was out of it, he didnt know where he was or what had happened, but they told me he was not unconscious. I was sitting in the stands so I cant, everyone who gets on the Internet and says that he was out, some of them were watching from television, ten thousand miles away, I dont want to hear what they had to say.

MMARR: I was there live as press ringside, but it was hard for me to tell even.

MC: Right, That is what I am saying, who was the closest person to it? Thats McCarthy, he made a call! I mean if it was the other way around and he ruled Newton the winner would I be upset and stuff. Probably, but what are you going to do? Someone has got to make the call. Hes paid to do it. He has made hundreds of them. In Kuwait (Warriors War), Pele (Jose Landi) hit Matt with a knee and when McCarthy stepped in and stopped it, we went crazy! When he hit him with the knee and he stopped it, I thought he was fine, and I was right on the cage. I was right in his corner! But, he wasnt facing me. He was looking the other way. And when he stopped it "I went Oh my God!!!" when Matt turned around and looked at us, we shut up, because he was completely out of it. He wasnt unconscious.

MMARR: But he would have been done anyway

MC: AHH yeah I mean Pele would have had a free blow on him so it was a great call. I learned a long time ago, that I cant pretend to see better then the guy standing right there. I hear people say Oh "He (Matt Hughes) was unconscious from the Choke, and then he fell." Come on that makes no sense. He put him up on the cage to try to work himself free, but if he couldnt work himself free and he got in trouble, obviously the slam is there. He is not going to wait until he is unconscious to slam him. He knows when he is going unconscious. He told me he took a step back and slammed him. I mean he consciously did that. You cant tell me, If I am holding a guy, a 180 lb guy on my shoulders, and standing there and I go unconscious, I am not going to slam him, my legs are going to collapse. He is going to fall on top of me! That is how people go unconscious. You dont go unconscious by taking a step back and slamming someone so hard you knock him out.

MMARR: You said that John McCarthy had to make a call, and you said it could have gone the other way, if it had gone the other way.

MC: I dont know, from where he was I dont know what other call he could have made, other then the one he made. One guy is clearly unconscious. That guy cant be the winner, I mean he cant be. You cant win when you are sleeping. Matt was still up, he wasnt laying down on his face, he wasnt. He didnt appear to be out. I was at that angle too. I was from behind. So you know at that point, he made a call because he saw one guy out, same as when he made the call with Pele and Matt, he saw a fighter that couldnt defend himself. You got to stop the fight. One guy on the Internet was saying, "He should have stepped back and waited ten seconds to see what happened." Well Come on one guys is unconscious! If Matt would have been OK but he couldnt see, he would have been totally fine.

MMARR: That guy is absolutely ridiculous, I mean when someone gets KOd we dont step back and wait ten seconds, wont even talk about that, but.

MC: I know I am just saying, every single time that someone in boxing, when a guy is out laying on his back the way Newton was the Referee stops it, and stops the fight. That is the way it is done. He did it just like he has done it every other time. The only reason that people complain is because Matt is brutally Honest. He says what he thinks. He got criticized for Newton II, with the last fight be cause he said, "I expected to win a decision." That wasnt saying, "No I was fighting for a decision." Thats saying this Newton is freaking good! "I dont think I can stop him." He gets criticized for that. He is just Honest. He tells you what he thinks. He told me from day one he is going to beat him. He only trained three weeks. I kept saying, "What are you doing? You gotta get back here and train." "Oh I am doing a roofing Job." He trained three weeks for Newton.

MMARR: The second fight?

MC: Yeah.

MMARR: Tim Sylvia will be in the UFC soon he will be taking on Wesley Cabbage, with the size and reach advantage that Sylvia has do you see anyone posing a threat to Sylvia?

MC: Oh Sure, like everyone else, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. We built him up. I have managed him from the beginning. He is 15 - 0 and he has knocked out what, 12 of his 15? If you come and you try to stand up with him, you are going to lose. I mean Maybe Pedro Rizzo could stand up with him. Probably, but anyone else, they dont have the reach and they dont have the power. He has got incredible knees, incredible knees, and they are already head level, so if you stand up with him you are going to get hurt. His Jiu Jitsu is improving. He does it every day of course, like everyone else at the gym. He triangles people, he gets people, but that is not as far along as his stand up.

MMARR: So he can be grounded and pounded?

MC: I dont know about grounded and pounded, because his arms are so stinking long that if you are in his guard, he will hit you. You may not be able to hit him, but he will hit you. I mean he is a FREAK! He is hard to deal with because he is also very coordinated. He is hard to take down. You are going to have to be a good wrestler to take him down. He has a really good sprawl, and when he sprawls his feet are already eight feet behind him! You cant reach him and get him you know

MMARR: That is two of your fighters in a row that you called freaks!!! Matt Hughes and.

MC: I am Loaded with Freaks!!!!!

MMARR: Anthony "The Freak" Fryklund?!?!

MC: Yup! I am loaded with them! I have all kinds of them! That is what happens when you live in Iowa, we must be close to some kind of a Nuclear power plant! We are loaded with guys, Look at Robbie Lawler!!! Robbie Lawler can bench Press Three Hundred and sixty Pounds ten times!!! Who else can do that at a hundred and seventy pounds?

MMARR: Speaking of Robbie he is in the UFC division at 170, Matt Hughes is the king of the Division right now. I dont know if I see anyone beating matt Hughes right away, where does Matt Hughes take it? Does he take it to 185? Or where does Robbie Lawler take it?

MC: Matt does not go anywhere, he stays there as the champion until someone can beat him. Robbie just keeps fighting. Robbie is 20 years old. He has got time to improve. Ask Robbie Lawler if he thinks he can beat Matt Hughes? He just laughs and says, "Not in a million years." But someday you know, it is like a passing of the guard. Miletich was there forever, he left, now Matt took over. Matt could be there, in my opinion, as long as he wants to be there. He has already beaten the two best guys out there. Newton is the second best guy out there at one seventy. No doubt in my mind.

I DONT CARE HOW BAD HE GOT BEAT THIS LAST TIME. He is the second best guy. I think Sakurai is top five, I think Miletich is Top Five, and I think that Trigg is top five. I think those are your top five guys in the world.

MMARR: How about Silva?

MC: Anderson Silva could not make 170.

MMARR: he fought Sakurai at 170

MC: but now look at him. He was 190 the last time, I mean he will have to really, really work to make 170 again. Hes big. That is what people think of Pele "Landi Jons", I went to Pride and watched "Pele" and that dude is 205! That guys is going to have to get an amputation to make 180! Let alone 170. They cant even bring those guys up. They cant make the weight. Anderson Silva maybe. But, you know what? I dont think he is top five.

MMARR: He has got long legs to I think he could get taken down.

MC: He has got things that could cause people problems, there is no doubt about it. But he is built for a wrestler. A Guy like Matt is going to be ten times as strong. You cant have nine-foot long arms, and still have the muscle mass that a Matt Hughes has, with those arms

MMARR: at 170.

MC: right at 170and so I see that fight trying to get to the clinch, slamming him and pushing him into the cage or whatever, and beating the hell out of him. I think Matt beats him worse then Newton.

MMARR: What do you think of the chances of a Matt Hughes type fighter succeeding in a ring, as opposed to a UFC cage?

MC: He is 6 and 0 in Rings.

MMARR: He hasnt faced the same type of competition in the rings.

MC: He has fought good people.

MMARR: Has he fought anyone like Carlos Newton or Hayato Sakurai?

MC: No, I mean, those are the two best guys in the world, next to him. So, no. But he fought Chris Haseman who was 200 pounds (a Unanimous decision Win for Hughes), and he fought Kanehara (Majority Decision Win for Hughes) who has beaten Menne and Horn, and he beat both of them in a ring. I mean the whole cage thing is overrated. I watched the Newton fight, he didnt even use the cage half the time. I mean the only reason a ring would help someone fighting Matt would be because someone could slide out under the ropes and get a stand up. Matt put it on Newton in the middle of the ring. Just like in the cage, I mean he crucified him with the knee on one arm and holding the other, that was not the cage. If he can do that to Newton in the middle then he can do that to anyone. It is a funny story, about a year ago I called the UFC begging for them to put Matt Hughes back in. They said, "I dont know he just lost to Hallman." I said, "you know, what you guys dont understand is, Matt has the potential to be the best fighter out of Miletich Martial arts ever." His Potential is unlimited. No-one is going to wrestle like him, his submissions are really coming along, he passes the guard, he gets to the side, strikes well from the ground, and he is working his butt off on his stand up. This guy is going to become a machine. Joe Silva and Dana White said "Ok, Ok" they gave me some credit, at least I know talent when I see it. Matt was going to quit, because we couldnt get him anything, no one would take him. So finally they go, "would he fight Sakurai?" So I go, "He would fight Sakurai in a minute." Well then Sakurai ended up pulling out of that fight, Then Anderson Silva Pulled out of the (Carlos) Newton fight, so he went from not being able to get anywhere right into a title shot, and took advantage of it. The thing with Matt is he keeps getting better. Look at every fight. He is getting better and better and better and the next fight he is going to get better then that, and it is not a matter of who is out there that can beat him now, it is who can beat him next time?

The guy is phenomenal.

MMARR: Who is out there for him? What are you going to do? You have to find fights for him too.

MC: I dont have to do anything, thank goodness. Zuffa has to do it. I am in a nice position. I sit at home and play on the Internet and they call me and tell me who they want him to fight. I am like, "Whatever." We dont care. Anybody at 170 lbs! I am thinking Sherk is going to beat Radach in the next show. Then he fights Sherk.

MMARR: Do you manage Sherk?

MC: Used to I managed him for his first 20 fights.

MMARR: Do you think Sherk is going to beat Radach?

MC: I think so.

MMARR: What is your take on the Jens Pulver saga? He has had some problems with the UFC, is UFO. Does he have a contract with the UFO longer than one fight?

MC: The UFO only gave out one fight deals. All the reports on Bustamante being offered a three fight deal it is all bullcrap. No one was offered more then a one fight deal through UFO. And the numbers are insane. I know what he was offered because my partner in Japan is one of the matchmakers, so I know the numbers and those are ridiculous. But getting back to Jens, obviously I manage Jens, The UFC had to make a business decision. I know that it sounds like we are skirting the issue but it is not. I mean they have to decide. Our Contract is up, they have got to decide what do you want to pay Jens? They came up with a figure, we didnt like that figure, I mean we thought, seven fights, never losing, beating B.J PennIt was time that he got paid. We didnt care that he was a 155 pounds. We wanted him to be paid like the 170 pounders and the 185 pounders. We never expected for him to be paid like heavyweights, we never asked for that kind of money, never expected it. But, we wanted to be paid like the 170 pounders and like the 185 pounders, we didnt want to be on top, we just wanted to be in there.

MMARR: So what do you think are your chances of getting back into the UFC?

MC: I think we can get him back into the UFC tomorrow. The money has got to change. He is going to go fight, we are going to leave on Saturday (Aug 3rd) he is going to go fight in the UFO, I think he is going to win Impressively, and I think it is going to open up a whole new world for him. K-1 wants him, K-1 is offering really good money. UFO would like to do more then one show, I think they are going to do one more show. I think after he beats Murahama, I think Pride is going to be interested in signing him.

MMARR: How is Pride going to sign a 155 pounder? Are they going to have a new 155 division?

MC: They can do anything! I mean Pride can do anything they want to do. If they want to go out and get Royler (Gracie) for him, or they want to get Uno (Caol) for him or they want to get Sato (Rumina) for him there is all kinds of fights. Pride isnt like the UFC, they dont have all these titles, they just want to make good fights. If they think Jens Pulver is the most exciting fighter or the fighter they want at 155, there is no shortage of good Japanese fighters at one fifty five. So why wouldnt they sign him? It dosnt make any sense that they wouldnt.

MMARR: Were you impressed with Jens Pulvers performance against Robert Emerson?( Emerson was his last first fight since leaving the UFC, he won via three round decision)

MC: Well..

Long Pause

Here is the thing, This just happened last night with Menne. You got Jens Pulver whos just trying to get a warm up fight because he hasnt been in the ring a while. You take Robert Emerson, we didnt know anything about Robert Emerson, other then we were told he was good. We wanted someone good! I mean we didnt want for Jens to get a warm up, we didnt want him to walk in and knock someone out in 30 seconds. If he does that he doesnt do anyone any good. We wanted him to go rounds, so we didnt know anything about Robert Emerson. We dont have video tapes on him, we dont think about him, we just know that he is going to want to stand up. That is what we wanted, so he can get some work. Jens trains right though the fight, I mean Emerson has a chance of a lifetime. He watches tapes on Jens, he grooms himself for this fight, I mean he is ready to go. It is the fight of his life. For Jens, it is just a warm up, just a tune up that is what it is. All the people who saw it say it was exciting, I mean this Emerson kid is tough! He took punches! Jens dropped him with the knee, Jens dropped him with the left hook, I mean scoring wise for the fight, it is not very close, I mean with the knockdowns and stuff he probably had two ten eight rounds. But, the fight is better then the score, the fight is that this guy gets dropped and kept coming, it was amazing, it was great. Jens got tired in the third round, Jens also got kneed in the "nuts" in the second round Pretty bad. (He) Had to take five minutes, and he got really tired. But that is because he didnt train for the fight. If he would have trained like he gets ready for a fight three weeks out, I think he rolls through him, but he cant do that, his fight is ahead of him in the UFO. When you are number one in the world you have to be able to not be at your best and still win. That is what he did. He went out and showed some really nice takedowns. He worked a little bit on his ground and pound in case he needs it. He dropped the kid twice standing. So I was happy.

MMARR: You manage both Dave Menne and Matt Hughes. Both fought in Kuwait (Warriors War 1 Feb, 8 ,2001. ) What would have happened if Hughes would have beat Pele and they would have met in the finals?

MC: Someone would have won sixty Grand.

Laughs

That is one of the rare instances where I asked both of them, "What do you want to do?" Now they have already fought each other once. ( Extreme Challenge 21 Oct, 17, 98. Hughes won a Decision)

MMARR: Did you manage them both at that time? Time (of their fight at Extreme Challenge 21, Oct,17, 98)

MC: No did not manage Hughes, But Laverne Clark fought Menne on my show and I managed both of them.

MMARR: What do you think would have happened if Dave Menne would have fought Matt Hughes at Kuwait.

MC: I dont know. I mean the first time Matt Hughes won pretty handily. Dave was on in Kuwait. I mean he was absolutely on. He beat Carlos Newton, Dropped him, actually had him knocked out with the kick to the head, and he came to when he landed.

MMARR: Yeah it kind of looked like a flash knockdown.

MC: yeah but he was out when he fell, because McCarthy came over right after and said "He was Out" and I go yeah "I know, when he landed he came to". Dave is capable of showing, amazing things I mean you just never know with that guy.

MMARR: That is the knock against him though, he has never been known as being a finisher. I mean even as his manager you must agree to some extent that ..

MC: Yeah but who cares? Do you think his fights are boring? I mean every good fight in my shows all involve Dave Menne. Menne Vs Laverne Clark was amazing. An amazing fight, he finished Laverne. Dave Menne Vs Shonie Carter, both of them had to go to the hospital when it was done, it was probably the best fight I have ever had in my show, and it went to a decision, and I couldnt care less. These people who are caught up in finishes, it is all Jiu Jitsu based. This isnt Jiu Jitsu anymore. Wrestling matches never, I mean you try for pins, If Sanderson (Cael Sanderson) wins eighty percent of his matches by decision does that make him less of a wrestler? It does not matter. I just want exciting fights. That is what I care about. If people argue, "Oh that guy is not exciting", well thats ok, that I can deal with. I mean if they feel that they dont like his style, or whatever then fine! Dont watch him! But when you start arguing that someone is not a finisher, "Oh who cares". Everyone tells me that "Oh that the Aaron Riley Vs Robbie Lawler fight, wasnt that an incredible fight!" No one finished they must both suck!!!

MMARR: No I dont mean that, No one thinks that Dave Menne Sucks.

MC: No, I am saying that if no one finished it must be a terrible fight! So all those fights, like Lawler (Robbie) Vs Riley (Aaron) , (Dave) Menne Vs Shonie (Carter), well how about Shonie and Serra, Well Shonie Finished with a Knockout, well a few seconds more would that have been a crappy fight? Because he didnt finish?

MMARR: But dont you think because he actually finished that fight that it was just that extra bit more exciting?

MC: Oh I think it is great! Certainly! But you know what, that is the stuff that makes Pro-wrestling so appealing to people, wouldnt it be great if every single time you could write the script and finish in dramatic fashion? I think it would be great! But this is the real world it does not happen that way. Dave Menne is not real strong, he doesnt have great punching, he is not an incredible submission guy, he is just a really good fighter. He lets you hit him and he hits you back. He kicks at you, he will take you down, I mean he has got "Pele" (Jose-Landi) in a Knee bar, he goes for everything, I cant remember a fight with Menne , maybe Iha, that was boring, I find him incredibly fun to watch, I never know what the guy is going to do.

MMARR: He got K.Od pretty good against Bustamante.

MC: Yeah he is not going to say anything about it, but ask Zuffa. Everyone at that Connecticut show, everybody got sick. Badly sick. I got sick I lost 12 pounds in 12 hours.

MMARR: Monte Cox lost twelve pound eh?

MC: TWELVE POUNDS! Jeremy Horn and I were the first two in our group to get sick and they all laughed at me. I couldnt sit on the couch for more then five minutes I had to run to the bathroom and vomit. I had to be buried under blankets, and I never get sick. Thats just not something that ever happens. So everyone is laughing at me, Pulver and all those guys, and I am like "Oh my God" I have never had this before, this is awful.

Then Randleman gets it.
HELENA  Montanas new top game warden says he will miss his days in the field, but hopes to bring some fresh ideas and enthusiasm as Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks looks to the future.

Dave Loewen became FWPs chief of law enforcement this week following 17 years as a field warden and game warden sergeant.

Loewen accepted the chief position after a labor settlement in which the State Board of Personnel Appeals, in response to grievances filed by Loewen, told the department to appoint him to his position of choice, according to a Jan. 2 FWP email to staff. FWP made mistakes in its 2015 hiring process for law enforcement chief, the emails says, and administration accepted the boards determination.

The decision ousted Tom Flowers as chief, who told the Billings Gazette he was disappointed and felt FWP did not back him by deciding against filing an appeal.

Loewen declined to speak about the decision or other personnel matters in an interview Thursday with the Independent Record.

Loewen, a Butte native, recalled the typical what do you want to be when you grow up assignment from grade school, and writing then that he wanted to be a Montana game warden. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard out of high school, spending four years mostly in southern California doing law enforcement and search and rescue. He returned to Montana, earning a teaching degree in art and biology from the University of Montana Western.

Loewen was working security for a federal court when he decided to apply for a game warden position, being hired and moving to Glasgow in 2000.

I dove in head first and it was the best thing I ever did, he said. You take a kid who was born and raised in Butte and stick him up in Glasgow, that was kind of a culture shock. But that was an excellent learning experience for me, being up in that rural environment I really learned how a game warden should work.

Loewen spent three years in Glasgow, meeting his wife and then transferring to Helena as a field warden and later promoted to sergeant.

Conservation law enforcement is just extremely rewarding because everyone benefits from what we do, he said. There was never a day I dreaded going to work.

While he will miss time in the field, Loewen sees the chief position as an opportunity to take the baton and face challenges including advancing technology, staffing and funding.

Its easy to think technology doesnt impact conservation law enforcement. It does, he said, pointing to drones and social media as examples.

The nature of a game wardens job lends itself to community policing, Loewen said, by staying involved in the community and proactively averting problems when possible. But as law enforcement, the job does put wardens in some challenging and potentially risky situations.

Ill always say that I think game wardens have the most dangerous law enforcement job in society, he said. Everyone we deal with is armed, were usually by ourselves in the middle of nowhere with no backup and where communications arent that great.

So by default we have an extremely dangerous job, and so by default we have to be very tactful in the way we approach people, talk to people and deal with violations.

The Legislature is on the top of the priority list for Loewen as FWP testifies on various bills. He believes most lawmakers and their constituents see the value in what wardens do, but realizes even a single negative incident involving a game warden can erode that confidence.

Game wardens are public servants and we have to remember that we are accountable for everything we do, he said. Were in the public eye and our professionalism is absolutely paramount.

Loewens appointment did not go unnoticed as lawmakers convened in Helena for the legislative session.

When considering a bill to allow electronic hunting licenses, Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, said she was concerned about giving FWP carte blanche use of electronic data considering the departments direction with the new law enforcement chief leans militaristic.

Loewen says he briefly met with Fielder following the comment and plans to meet with her again to assuage any concerns.

What was apparent is there is some belief out there, and I will call it an unfounded belief, that my style is a bit militaristic. Nothing could be further from the truth, he said. That is maybe coming from some people that disagree with me philosophically, and may be trying to sway people one way or another for me or against me. Its really unfortunate that happens because we really all have to work together and were all on the same team.

Following the Legislature, Loewen hopes to tackle about 10 game warden vacancies with the majority of those in eastern Montana. FWP has long struggled with retaining wardens in the typically more rural eastern part of the state. Finally, he plans to look at internal processes and procedures and implement any needed refinements or streamlines.

Those are the things were looking at  but no overwhelming or sweeping changes, he said. We have a great bunch of guys and gals out there doing their job and I want to make sure theyre equipped to do their job and be successful.
A Butte mental health counselor charged with soliciting a client to plant meth and other drugs in the car of her ex-husband and his wife and mail meth to his lawyer plans a defense at trial saying she was entrapped by police.

The lawyer of Dana Trandahl, 52, filed in Butte District Court this week documents planning to defend his client in the upcoming jury trial with claims that suggest she committed the crimes only because police coerced her into doing so and that she is a good person.

Trandahl pleaded not guilty on July 29, 2016, to felony counts of solicitation of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.

The trial, planned for Jan. 23, has been postponed to March 20.

According to court documents, the client Trandahl solicited went to police, who obtained a warrant for the client to wear a wire and record conversations with Trandahl. Based on those conversations, the Butte-Silver Bow County Attorney charged Trandahl on June 22.

Trandahl and her ex-husband have been involved in a protracted child custody battle.

The Standard was unable to reach Trandahl's attorney and Silver Bow County Law Enforcement on Friday afternoon.
HELENA  A day after hearing emotional testimony in favor of a stricter Montana seat belt law, the bill was tabled by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Supporters said the bill would save lives and money, while opponents said mandating seat belt use isn't an appropriate role for government.

Montana law currently allows officers to issue citations for not wearing seatbelts only if the driver has been pulled over for a different traffic violation.

State lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on the Senate bill that would allow police to pull over cars and ticket people just for not wearing seat belts. Supporters included family and friends of crash victims who were not wearing seat belts, doctors, Montana Highway Patrol troopers and other state officials.

Pat Goldhahn testified that a stricter seat belt law would have saved the life of his 15-year-old daughter, Lauryn. She died in August of injuries suffered when she was thrown from a vehicle during a crash near Fairfield.

His daughter was not wearing a seatbelt but Goldhahn said he believes she would have if Montana had the stricter law in place.

"She was a rule-follower and she would still be with us today," he said.

Montana's legislature has rejected enacting a primary seat belt law several times and opponents continued to argue such a law would infringe on their rights, Lee Newspapers of Montana reports.

State Transportation Director Mike Tooley, the former chief of the Montana Highway Patrol, called the lack of a seat belt law a threat to public health and said seat belts were not worn in just over half of the state's 224 fatal crashes last year.

About $36 million annually is spent in Montana by various government programs on hospital costs that could be avoided if more people wore seat belts, said Sheila Hogan, director of the state health department.

Mark French, a citizen who testified, said the statistics were compelling but that the law would be intrusive.

"In America we get to choose our risk level. We also get to reap the result of our choices, good or bad," French said.

Montana is behind only Wyoming and Mississippi in the rate of motor vehicle fatalities per 100,000 people.
The CINEMAtech film series begins its Spring 2017 season with a screening of Peter Watkins "Punishment Park" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the Montana Tech library auditorium.

Set in the tumultuous days of the Vietnam War, Watkinss dystopian mockumentary depicts an alternate American history in which President Nixon has been granted wide-ranging powers to detain anyone judged to be a risk to internal security.

"Punishment Park" faced intense political controversy upon release, and some have called the film an early version of "The Hunger Games." It lost distribution soon after the 1971 New York premiere and has rarely been screened since. The New York Times describes the film as an extravagantly paranoid view of what might happen in America.

This is a very provocative film, said Isabel Sobral Campos, assistant professor of literature at Montana Tech and curator of CINEMAtech.

The CINEMAtech film series seeks to bring a wide range of international art cinema to Butte. All screenings are free and start at 7 p.m. in the library auditorium.

The full Spring 2017 schedule:

Tuesday, Jan. 24: Peter Watkins, "Punishment Park" (1971)

Friday, Feb. 17: Souleymane Cisse, "Yeelen" (1987)

Tuesday, March 7: Haile Gerima, "Bush Mama" (1979)

Friday, March 31: Nelson Pereira dos Santos, "Barren Lives" (1963)

Tuesday, April 25: A night of film shorts: Tracy Moffat, "Nice Coloured Girls" (1987); Agnes Varda, "Black Panthers" (1968); Alain Resnais, Chris Marker, and Ghislain Cloquet, "Statues Also Die" (1953)
Montanans  including Butte residents  lag in signing up for the Affordable Care Act, informally known as Obamacare, the latest numbers show.

The deadline to apply on the the health care exchange, www.healthcare.gov, is Sunday, Jan. 15, for coverage that starts Feb. 1 with an ultimate deadline of Jan. 31 for coverage in 2017.

Those who fail to enroll  or who do not qualify for an exemption  may have to pay a penalty or fine for not having insurance on their 2017 tax returns.

Nearly 3,500 fewer Montanans have signed up for coverage during the marketplace open enrollment period compared to this time last year, said Michael Fierberg, spokesman for the Denver-based Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

CMS.gov runs the Montana ACA marketplace, he said, because the state of Montana elected not to run its own exchange.

As of Dec. 31, 52,120 Montanans had signed up, but in early January last year, the tally was 55,552.

This is an amazing number, but it is uncharacteristically lower than enrollment for the same period last year in Montana, said Fierberg.

Montana lags about 5 percent behind other states in the CMS.gov region, where Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota all have more signees so far this year compared to 2016, he said.

Suggesting that a combination of politics, political fear of changes ahead, and weather play a part in low enrollment, officials encourage the public to sign up as soon as possible. (See breakout box.)

Holly McCamant of Butte, outreach and enrollment specialist with the Southwest Montana Community Health Center, said an Obamacare navigator and several certified application counselors are available to help folks apply.

We did really well in November and December, she said, but for some reason, people arent coming in now. But were trying to get the word out. Weve always been completely booked the other two years Ive been here.

If you miss Sundays deadline, the next ultimate deadline is by midnight on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

If you get past then, the doors close unless you qualify for a special enrollment period, which usually includes some kind of a life change, Fierberg said.

For example, special enrollment status may include having recently moved in or out of Montana, a divorce, marriage, birth of a child, adoption, or maybe youve lost coverage from an employer or your job has been eliminated.

If you have a special enrollment period, you are allowed to enroll in health care coverage any time.

If that is the case, then applicants must get a form from their employer to send either a hard copy or online form to the address listed on the Healthcare.gov website.

However, Fierberg cautions that you provide a very accurate estimate of your entire household income because tax credits depend on it.

The beauty, he said, is that you can claim your tax credit up front and pay the difference on your premium. The vast majority of Montanans, he stressed, are eligible for tax credits

Tax credits averaged $386 per Montana consumer who signed up between Nov. 1, 2016, and Christmas, he said, touting significant savings.

Depending on the size of your family, you can write a check for the difference, then the government pays the insurance company via the tax credit, he added.

Also on the plus side, Fierberg said 77 percent of Montana enrollees will be able to find an insurance program that fits them on the exchange.

As to why the enrollee count is down in Montana, McCamant and Fierberg can only speculate.

All I can do is guess, as there are so many headlines now, said McCamant, and our state Legislature and the Congress are talking about defunding Medicaid and repealing the ACA.

The New York Times reported late Thursday that Senate Republicans took their first major step toward repealing the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, approving a budget blueprint that would allow them to gut the healthcare law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.

Whatever the outcome, state Rep. Amanda Curtis, D-Butte, at the 65th Montana Legislature said in her latest Facebook video blog review of Thursdays session that those most at risk are 61,000 Montanans who receive health care through Medicaid.

Of those 61,000 Montanans, 34,000 of them are women, said Curtis. 52,000 of them are living in poverty, 8,000 of them are Native American, and 14,000 of them are between 50 and 64 years old. Thats important to keep those people insured and to have access to health care.

Fierberg said Montana Medicaid expansion may also be a factor here, moving some folks from the Marketplace to Medicaid who werent there before, as CMS.gov runs Medicare and oversees Medicaid insurance.

Instead of repealing, Curtis said legislators at all levels should build on existing ACA coverage.

Folks should be worried, she added. Repealing health care on the national level would add $350 billion to the United States deficit over the next 10 years. On a more human level, its just mean to rip away health care from thousands of Montanans.

Despite the uncertainty filtering down from the national to state level about the future of ACA, officials urge citizens to enroll as soon as possible.

But Montana is the only one of the six states served by the Denver Regional Office to see a decline in enrollment, however small, added Fierberg, and we hope to change that while theres still time.
A longtime friendship between two doctors  in Florida and Butte  has resulted in free access for Montanans to a new healthcare professionals' website.

StatPearls.com comes from some of the same folks behind WebMD. Its designed to help doctors, nurses, and other professionals study for medical exams important in their respective fields.

Dr. Scott H. Plantz  who co-founded eMedicine.com, which later merged with WebMD says StatPearls launched two weeks ago and already boasts about 5,000 new users each day.

Plantz said Dr. Jesse Cole, a radiologist at Big Sky Diagnostic Imaging in Butte and the Community Hospital of Anaconda, edited the radiological content for new platform and also made important contributions to eMedicine.

To say thank you for Coles work on both websites, Plantz said, StatPearls donated free access to St. James Healthcare and the Community Hospital of Anaconda. In response, Cole made a donation to expand the free access to all healthcare professionals in the state.

As a result, Montanans in the healthcare industry can use the website for free through logins for the Montana Medical Association, Montana Nurses Association, Montana Physical Therapy Association, and several other medical organizations in the state. Theres also a general Montana login at StatPearls.com/plan/MT.

Plantz said he and Cole, a native of Wyoming, are longtime friends and collaborators.

He met Cole as an undergrad when he roomed with the Butte doctor, who was then a third-year medical student.

Plantz described Cole as a great teacher and a person who speaks his mind and is passionate about quality of care.

He said one of his earliest memories of the Butte doctor took place during his undergraduate studies, when one day he discovered Cole sitting in a living-room chair eating a sandwich as he read Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine  a massive, hardbound book with microprint that, according to Plantz, Cole read cover to cover for light reading.

Cole, who spoke with The Montana Standard on Friday, said he worked with Plantz on an emergency medicine textbook in the 1980s and another book called Getting Into Medical School Today in 1996.

Cole said eMedicine was one of the first medical websites on the internet. The project was a huge undertaking, requiring 12,000 contributors, perhaps also making the website a forerunner in using crowdsourcing as a method for content creation.

Cole said what he likes about web-based projects is they keep him fresh.

It keeps your knowledge base up, said Cole, adding that, as a radiologist, he deals with a wide range of medical issues.

As for StatPearls, Plantz said non-Montana users can purchase a years subscription for $10, which will give them access to over 100,000 multiple-choice questions and 18,000 summary chapters written by 4,000 academic contributors. Courses and study guides for medical exams can range anywhere from $200 to $1,000, the doctor said, but at StatPearls, people can access the same information for the price of a cup of coffee.

Plantz said the motivation behind StatPearls is similar to the one that led him and co-founders Drs. Jon Adler and Scott Dulebohn to create eMedicine.

(eMedicine) started as a tiny academic project in my basement in Juniata, NE, said Plantz in an email. I took a year off to help my father as he was dying of cancer. This gave me the time to build the software and recruit authors and editors. The goal was to provide all health professionals worldwide with access to a free medical library.

Plantz  who earlier on in his career did medical missionary work  said that although the medical field in the U.S. is a relatively high-paying industry, in some countries, doctors, nurses and other professionals are paid little and often cant afford to pay for textbooks or maintain medical libraries.

Doctors in Venezuela make $40 a week, he cited as an example.

But by having access to inexpensive medical content, Plantz said, medical professionals in low-paying countries and rural areas can level the playing field, which can translate into better care for underserved areas.

We want this to be something the whole world can use, he said.
A Billings business was robbed early Saturday and one man was injured, the Billings Police Department reported.

Officers responded at 4:30 a.m. to the Play Inn, 1422 Main Street, Sgt. Shane Shelden said in a news release. They discovered that a male suspect smashed the glass out of the back door to enter the building and once inside, he assaulted an employee who was cleaning the building, Shelden said.

The suspect stole an undisclosed amount of money and fled. He is believed to be a male of unknown age, about 6 feet tall and medium build.

The employee, who sustained minor injuries, was taken to a Billings hospital by ambulance. The investigation is ongoing.
BILLINGS  Rebekah Rinaldi remembers the day she told the man forcing her into prostitution that I no longer feel the need to sell my body to get you money. Go out and get your own job.

The man, her boyfriend at the time, is now incarcerated in California. He used to tie her to a chair and slap her around, at times withholding food and other times force feeding her, she said.

Hed push me through walls and against dressers, said Rinaldi, 21, who has been receiving help at Tumbleweed and other Billings agencies since last summer. He would not let me talk to my family on the phone. Hed take the phone away from me, and when I told him I wanted to leave, he would abuse me more.

One day, her trafficker left the apartment without his phone  and without tying up Rinaldi. She called 911, and when a dispatcher asked for her address, she couldnt recall it.

The authorities located her anyway, and when the man returned, he started yelling at me before he was taken away, she said.

Eventually she made her way back to Billings, where shed been educated at Senior and Skyview high schools.

One day, Rebekah finally decided she was tired, said Georgia Cady, program manager for Tumbleweeds domestic victims of human trafficking and also the agencys drop-in center manager. Shed been sleeping in a cave in the Rims.

For a few weeks Rinaldi had been staying in a Missoula shelter, but she missed her son  one of three remaining children, one child having died at about 6 months old. Shes expecting her fifth child in May, and Tumbleweed is working with her on foster care options and on obtaining other social services.

On nights when she'd carry her blanket up to her cave in the Rims, Rinaldi remembers looking out over the city below and seeing how many people there are down there and thinking about the people who could take me in and feed me.

Through a partnership with STEP Inc. (Support and Techniques for Empowering People), Tumbleweed helped Rinaldi into a two-bedroom apartment in the floor below a STEP group home. Rinaldi pays her own rent, goes to AA meetings, and is in counseling.

These ladies, she says, referring to Cady; Erika Willis, Tumbleweeds executive director; and Jenni Brady, domestic victims of human trafficking case manager, like to push me to the good days so I am not sitting at home all the time.

Of course there have been setbacks.

I lied to these three ladies about using, Rinaldi said. I didnt have money for drugs, so the kids who stay here and I did it together.

Thats why Tumbleweed, which was awarded a two-year, $600,000 demonstration grant to develop best practices for aiding the victims of human trafficking, is a low-barrier agency, Cady said.

We will meet you when youre high, drunk, or sober, wherever you are, she said, and the agency is currently serving 61 victims of human trafficking in 28 counties. We continue to work with people in recovery or non-recovery.

You see people at their lowest, and you help them get to the highest, Brady said. We will find that little positive to hang onto and help work on getting them to where they can thrive instead of survive. It has been awesome to watch how hard shes worked. Every day we have higher expectations, and Rebekah continues to meet them.

When Im not using, Im happy. Im not Boring Rebekah, Rinaldi said. I like being clean, being myself, and talking to people about my feelings.

Enlisting the public's help

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Willis calls public awareness the number one way to combat human trafficking. People need to know what it looks like and how it happens. We are serving 61 people with direct services, and most of them are right here in our town.

Young people often show up at Tumbleweed asking for something simple, such as a bottle of water, Willis said. Often gradually, Brady, Cady, and their colleagues develop relationships with the youth, connecting them as they go with services that are comprehensive.

A lot of vulnerable people are trafficked, Willis said, and we work to decrease that vulnerability because we dont want kids to end up on the streets.

About 90 percent come to Tumbleweed through its drop-in center.

They may want a bottle of water or to get a shower, and we know they are going back out to be trafficked, Cady said. We want them to be able to say one day, Im ready. "

I feel different than I did before, Rinaldi said. When he used to traffic me on (social media), he would listen in from the next hotel room. I feel a lot better that he is locked up, and I hope he wont get out.

I cant tell you how proud we are of Rebekah, Cady said. If you reach one person in your career, you have far exceeded what is expected. Holy cow! Who would have thought this wild redhead would be in her own apartment and doing so well?
BILLINGS  Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge specialist Adam Deras was found dead in his vehicle on Tuesday after reportedly offering to respond as an EMT to a nearby vehicle incident.

An autopsy conducted by Sheridan County coroner Dave Fulkerson was inconclusive as to the cause of death. Hes awaiting Deras earlier medical records to allow the state medical examiner to determine what may have happened.

Deras was found in his vehicle with the motor running, Fulkerson said. There was evidence that his vehicle had been stuck in his snowy driveway.

He was apparently attempting to dig himself out, Fulkerson said.

Deras, 33, had been working at the remote northeastern Montana waterfowl sanctuary since 2014. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he graduated from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., with a degree in biology. He was a certified master scuba diver.

He loved working in conservation, said his sister, Abigail Deras. He volunteered for years when he was young.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to defer the expense of having Deras body transferred to Missouri for funeral services.

He did love Montana, Abigail said. But it was a little cold, especially coming from where hed been.
MUSCATINE, Iowa - Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) has released its Deans List for students in the High School Equivalency (HSE) programs.

Criteria for being named to the Deans List include attendance, engagement and successful completion of milestones in the program. This is just the second time the college has announced a Deans List for the HSE programs.

The HSE program provides students who did not complete high school the opportunity to earn their high school diploma. Students are required to successfully pass testing in five different academic areas: Language Arts/Reading, Languages Arts/Writing, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The standardized tests are the same offered by other states throughout the nation.

EICC provides preparation classes for the tests free of charge to students. There is a fee for the actual testing. Classes are available at Clinton and Muscatine Community Colleges, and Scott Community Colleges West Davenport Center.

The HSE classes are part of a larger program at the college that also includes Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language and Literacy programming. Combined, nearly 2,000 students attend these classes each year.

Those named to the HSE Deans List, by hometown, are:

Bettendorf

Tammy Adkins

Breanna Fencl

Buffalo

Adam Hudson

Matthew Prine

Camanche

Shantelle Boyer

Clinton

Aubrey Goethe

Davenport

Dustin Ader

Michael Aguilar

Deep Kaur Arora

Brittany Bolton-McDonald

Leopoldo Carmona

Hope Christian

Dammien Cruz-Faust

Pedro DeHoyos

Hope Christian

Alexis Gluesing

Erica Gomez

Alexandria Jackson

Josh Jones

Anthony McCash

Katrina Milhouse

Latoya Pool

Jose Rico

Omar Vazquez

Kevin VonElling

Kristena Watters

Ian Westerfield

Sholanda Wolfe

Dixon

Alexandria Clark

Moline

Corbin Leander

Jerrice Martin

Morrison

Maggie Carreno

Sydney Miller

Muscatine

Marco Dominguez

Morgan Foster

Melissa Walker

Rock Island

Anna Dean

Katonna Paul

Stockton

Tiffany Frakes

Walcott

Jennifer Schricker
MUSCATINE, Iowa - The Muscatine Community College Alumni Association Board honored long-time members Evelyn Schauland and Richard OBrien on December 15 for their many years of commitment and dedication to the Alumni Association and the college.

Schauland attended Muscatine Junior College in 1937 and 1938. She has been a board member since 1993 and has served as Board President. She is a retired teacher and former mayor of Muscatine.

In 1946, at the conclusion of World War II, OBrien was discharged from the U.S. Navy and enrolled at Muscatine Junior College. He has served on the Alumni Association Board since 2005 and is a past president of the organization. OBrien retired from BMW North America, and he is also a former mayor of Muscatine.

The Board of Directors of the MJC/MCC Alumni Association is a group of dedicated individuals who work to assist in the accomplishment of the colleges mission and to promote the image of MCC to the community. The Alumni Association board is seeking new members. If you attended MJC/MCC and would like to be involved in the continued success of the college and its students, contact Lisa Wiegel at lwiegel@eicc.edu or 563-288-6005.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  City Engineer Jim Edgmond discussed reasons city projects can take several years to complete at Thursday nights Muscatine City Council meeting, and agreed to review the process to see if anything can be done to speed projects along.

City Council members said they have received phone calls from residents asking why projects often go past deadlines set in the initial planning stages.

I want to start a project and I want to have a date and I want to meet that date, said Councilman Santos Saucedo.

Edgmond said projects with state and federal funding often take more time to complete than those with only city funds, because of the requirements set out by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

There are rules especially that come with funding, like federal and state funding, that just absolutely cannot be broken, he said.

Statistically, Edgmond said, a project with funding from outside the city takes several years.

From concept to completion on a project that has state and federal money on it in the state of Iowa the average time is seven years, he said.

To help keep a project moving quickly, the city can sometimes set a date for specific sections of the project, like completing the Mulberry Avenue and Houser Street intersection by the time school started.

And that worked, Edgmond said.

The project did encounter some difficulties with utilities and weather, and Edgmond said unforeseen difficulties are to be expected in construction projects.

It sometimes seems to drag on forever, he said. But I am not going to argue with the DOT and I would suggest that we not argue with the DOT about how to do those types of public projects.

At the end of every project, Edgmond said he holds a project post-mortem, or review, where those who were involved can discuss difficulties and solutions encountered in the process.

This is something that I have done since Ive been here, he said.

Edgmond said he and others will continue to review the process of completing public projects and discuss the possibility of making them more streamlined.

Theres always an opportunity to look at that, he said. See if there is anything that can be done faster, better, obviously there is an emphasis on better, and perhaps less cost.

In other business, two public hearings were set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, one on an amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan, and one a proposed development agreement with HNI Corporation, which includes annual appropriation of tax increment payments.
DES MOINES  The Iowa House Ethics Committee is stepping back from a rule change that could require the chambers chief clerk to lie.

That wasnt his intention at all, Ethics Chairman Rob Taylor, R-West Des Moines, said, when he raised the possibility of removing the permanent record of ethics complaints that are investigated and dismissed.

It was just a discussion, he said about the conversation he initiated at the first meeting of the year of the committee Wednesday. So after a couple of days of round-tabling the topic, Taylor said Friday he thinks lawmakers can be protected from unfounded ethics complaints without a rules change.

We want to protect the innocent, Taylor said. My point was that if a complaint is filed and we dismiss it, it shouldnt be seen as guilt by association. I dont want the Ethics Committee to be used in a partisan way to falsely accuse a member.

So Taylor asked the committee to think about changing House rules so that complaints that are dismissed would not be part of the permanent record and the chief clerk would answer no if asked whether a complaint had been filed.

That would put her in an awkward position, said Carmine Boal, a former GOP House member in her fifth session as chief clerk.

The permanent record of a dismissal might be a lawmakers best defense, said Joe Romano, a longtime House Democratic staff member.

Thats the record you lean on. If you get rid of the evidence, what do you have? he said.

He also pointed out that even if the complaint is dismissed, it would remain in the committee minutes, which, unlike the permanent record, are available on the Legislatures website.

Ethics complaints are rare, Boal said. During Taylors three years on the Ethics Committee none have gone to the full committee.

Currently, the chief clerk refers ethics complaints to the committee chair and the ranking member from the minority party. They determine whether the complaint is sufficient as to form to merit action by the committee that has three members from each party.

If the committee determines a complaint is valid, the most common action is to issue an admonishment and advise the lawmaker to exercise care, Boal said. Or it can issue an order to cease and desist the conduct that led to the complaint. Finally, it can recommend the House censure or reprimand the member.

When the committee meets Wednesday, Taylor plans to suggest protecting lawmakers from ethics complaint abuse through procedural changes that would make it more apparent when complaints have been dismissed.

If there is an erroneous claim  and it happens  and we dismiss it, we need to make it easier for the clerk, for us and for the media to see that, Taylor said. If someone asks, the answer should be Yes, it was dismissed.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Muscatine Community College invites students and families to visit on January 27 beginning at 9 a.m.

With the start of the spring semester at local high schools, students are really beginning to look at the next big step in their lives. For most that includes a college or technical education.

The colleges January 27 event is a great opportunity to get questions answered about college programs, financial aid, applying for admission and more. It is open to current high school students and their parents, as well as individuals who have been out of school for a number of years and are considering starting college classes for the first time.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is THE Communitys College with a wide variety of programs ranging from a college transfer program for students interested in completing a bachelors degree or beyond, to 33 career programs for those wanting to enter directly into the job market.

College transfer students are guaranteed their credits will transfer once they finish here thanks to formal agreements the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, St. Ambrose University, Western Illinois University and others have signed with EICC.

The colleges technical programs range from advanced manufacturing and auto to nursing and business, with everything else in between. Faculty maintain close relationships with business leaders to make sure they are teaching the skills that are most in demand in todays job market.

In addition, EICCs tuition is one of the most competitive in the state of Iowa and many grant, loan and scholarship options make a college education possible for everyone.

To register go to www.eicc.edu/visit or, for more information, contact the college at Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado Street, Muscatine, 563-288-6000, call 1-888-336-3907, or email eiccinfo@eicc.edu.
A Florida man accused of working with others to bring prescription pain pills to Billings for redistribution admitted federal charges on Friday.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Susan Watters in Billings, Kevin Welch, 33, of Hollindale Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess oxycodone with intent to distribute and to possessing oxycodone with intent to distribute.

Welch admitted the crimes as charged in an indictment. There was no plea agreement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich said the evidence would show that agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and an Eastern Montana drug task force got information on May 23, 2016 from a confidential source that Welch and two co-defendants were trafficking prescription pills from California to Montana.

Three days later, agents served a search warrant on Welchs hotel room in Billings and seized more than 500 oxycodone pills, cash and bank receipts showing cash deposits, Rubich said.

One of Welchs associates admitted to law enforcement officers to depositing drug proceeds at a Billings bank for Welch, he said.

During the investigation, Rubich said, the source told agents that Welch traveled from California to Montana every two to three weeks to bring him pills. At first, the source received 50 to 60 pills, then the quantity increased to about 1,200 pills each trip.

The source estimated that Welch made about 14 pill-running trips from October 2015 to May 2016, Rubich said.

The source then distributed the pills to an associate in Billings for further distribution, Rubich said. The associate paid proceeds to the source, who gave the money to Welch, he said.

The source also gave to agents 800 oxycodone pills and 141 Dilaudid pills that had been obtained from Welch, Rubich said.

On May 25, 2016, the day before the search of his motel room, Welch met with the source to get drug proceeds for the pills the source had turned over to the DEA, Rubich said. Welch told the source that he planned to bring 800 oxycodone pills from California to Montana and that he owed a co-defendant about $30,000 in drug proceeds.

Welch, through his attorneys, Donald Marks of Los Angeles, Calif., and Ashley Harada of Billings, said he disagreed with much of the governments evidence, including the number and frequency of trips made and quantity of pills supplied. He also said the pill distribution was to the confidential sources wife and that he denied owing anyone $30,000. He also said he didnt know the source of all the pills given to the agent.

Two co-defendants indicted with Welch, Sheila Ayala, 32, of Long Beach, Calif., and Jenny Francois, 27, of Moreno Valley, Calif., have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.

Welch faces a maximum 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Watters set sentencing for April 26. Welch remains in custody.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine Education Association is seeking a 3.4 percent yearly wage increase for the districts 436 teachers over the next two years. Teachers presented this initial proposal at the contract negotiations Friday morning.

The district also presented its proposal at the Friday meeting, suggesting a 1.8 percent increase for the total compensation package, which includes health and dental insurance, as well as salaries. The proposed increase will pay for health and dental insurance increases first, with the remainder going to wage increases.

The proposal, said Superintendent Jerry Riibe, would increase the cost of wages for the district by $528,101.

I bring no joy in talking about 1.8 percent increase for the work youre doing, Riibe told the teachers.

He cited declining student enrollment and uncertainty in state funding as the reasons for the conservative proposal, adding that it will provide a measure of stability for teaching staff.

Its unfortunate that we are given the mission we are and also then lack of resources to complete that, he said. I, for one, sometimes get a little tired of being told youre the most important thing that we have going in our state for our future, and by the way, youre really not going to get funding to get done that.

The district and the teachers union have entered negotiations, and the resulting contract will be presented at a future Board of Education meeting.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  When Hanna Osborne was 9, she begged her parents for an iPad mini.

"[They told me] you'll have to earn money for it, so my dad had the idea for a bakery," the now 13-year-old recalled.

The family already had another business venture  mom Melissa was selling jewelry at fairs, but Hanna was not interested in jewelry.

"She was just getting into fractions and percentages and all that [at school], so I thought, even if we broke even on the cupcakes, they move faster and would be more enjoyable for her," said Jeff, Hanna's dad.

So on Friday evenings after school, Hanna and her dad, baked cupcakes, sometimes staying up past her 7:30 p.m. bedtime. As she baked, Hanna experimented with different fillings, flavors and recipes, occasionally nibbling on tasty treats.

"I had sugar crushes more than once," she said, laughing.

Every Saturday morning, they would get up at 6:30 a.m. to sell cupcakes at an indoor farmers market. And thus, a business venture was born.

After two seasons of selling cupcakes, brownies and other sugary goodies, Hanna made enough money to buy herself the iPad she so desired. Now, she will expand her venture into a brick-and-mortar store: Hanna's OzSome Treats, which will run out of the family's other store, Creations by Oz. Like the current store, Hanna's OzSome Treats will be a family affair. The family is already renovating the room at the back of Creations by Oz to include a kitchen for Hanna. Jeff manages the renovations; Hanna and Melissa work together to pick equipment. The store will open next Spring.

"It's [the business] kinda like all mine half hers," Hanna said, looking at her mom.

In the meantime, Hanna works at Creations by Oz, doing everything from inventory to customer service.

"She's involved absolutely in every part of that," Melissa said. "she runs the register, she closes the register, she helps make deposits with me ... it isn't just making sure that's stuff's in here, she understands that when stuff happens out there, this is how it works."

The money Hanna earns at Creations by Oz goes into her budding business. But being a young entrepreneur has some unique challenges. For one thing, Hanna is too young to have a credit card, pay taxes or manage accounts on her own. She is also at school during the day. The family has a plan for circumventing these hurdles. Melissa does accounting, makes deposits, and handles credit cards for Hanna, but Hanna is there at every step of the way, learning how to place orders and keep track of expenses. As for school, Melissa said, she will hire people to work at Hanna's OzSome Creations during the school day.

"She can bake during the evenings and then all summer she could obviously work," Melissa said.

And Jeff will continue to bake with Hanna in the evening, a task that both father and daughter enjoy.

"Some people go boating and this is what we do," Jeff said.

And for as long as she's a business owner, Hanna said, she will continue to lead two lives: one as a student, and another as an entrepreneur.

"She's has a kid life there and a super kid-life here," Melissa said.
CEDAR RAPIDS  She hasnt started interviewing people to replace her, but Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds knows what shes looking for in her replacement.

Trust is huge, Reynolds said Friday as she discussed her likely elevation to the states top office sometime later this winter  most likely in February or March, she said -- when Gov. Terry Branstads nomination to be ambassador to China is approved by the U.S. Senate.

She wouldnt mention names of people she is considering, but Reynolds wants someone who will be her partner in the same way she has been Branstads partner for the past six years  running and serving as a team.

That was appealing to me because I like being at the table, she said.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the lieutenant governor, she said. Sometimes the perception is that the lieutenant governor doesnt do that much. Ive tried to change that. Ive tried to be very active, very visible. I can guarantee you Im gone all the time.

So the former pharmacist assistant, Clarke County treasurer and state senator is looking for someone to match her enthusiasm and passion for state government.

I want somebody who works hard, they have to have fairly thick skin, a people person, someone who I trust, Reynolds said. They also have to be an idea person with solid knowledge of state government issues, but not necessarily an expert.

Economic development will continue to be a priority so the next lieutenant governor has to be someone who can market the good things.

And shes looking for a running mate, someone interested in being governor someday.

Ive said all along that if you are going to serve as lieutenant governor that should be something you consider, Reynolds said. If not, you should step out and let someone else serve in that capacity who would be willing to continue once you make the decision not to run again.

Shes not limiting her search to elected officials and people already in state government. Neither is she looking for a yes man or yes woman. While she and the governor are aligned for the most part  (but) we have some different approaches to how we would handle things.

There have been times when weve done judicial interviews that we picked different candidates, she said.

For the most part, Reynolds is satisfied that Branstad has been pretty receptive to her ideas and she been able to contribute to policy decisions.

But he is the governor. I am the lieutenant governor. You have to respect that, she added.

The close working relationship will pay off in a seamless transition whenever Branstad departs for China, Reynolds said.

She also expects the transition to be low-key. Reynolds isnt planning an inaugural ball.

No, probably not, she said with a laugh. My family might get together and we might throw a party.
EDITORS: Many citizens have a limited understanding of American history and our unique form of constitutional government. Without this knowledge, how can we expect them to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship?

One of the greatest leaders of 20th century America, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., challenged the United States to uphold the promise of the Declaration of Independence that all men be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

During his 13 years of service in the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King held true to that American promise and espoused Christian nonviolent resistance to combat racism.

The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of Dr. King and the modern Civil Rights Movement as we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 16.

1. Who was the first advocate of nonviolent resistance in the modern Civil Rights Movement?

A. Bayard Rustin

B. Martin Luther King Jr.

C. Bob Moses

D. Rosa Parks

2. After which major civil rights victory did Dr. King rise as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement?

A. Brown v. Board of Education

B. Integration of Little Rock High School

C. Montgomery Bus Boycott

D. Civil Rights Act of 1964

3. Which civil rights organization did Martin Luther King Jr. help found and lead?

A. NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

B. CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)

C. SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)

D. SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)

4. Whose criticism was Dr. King responding to in his Letter from Birmingham Jail?

A. Birminghams businessmen

B. Local religious leaders

C. White, moderate liberals

D. Black activists

5. Of the events below, at which one was Dr. King not present?

A. Sit-in at a Woolworths counter in Greensboro, North Carolina

B. The Childrens Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama

C. The March on Washington

D. March across Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama

6. What do Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. have in common?

A. Followers of the Nation of Islam

B. Advocates of nonviolent resistance

C. Belonged to the Communist Party

D. Protested Americas involvement in the Vietnam War

7. Martin Luther King Jr. marched alongside which man in the March Against Fear when he coined the term Black Power!?

A. Huey Newton

B. Stokely Carmichael

C. Bobby Seale

D. Malcolm X

8. Where was Dr. King assassinated?

A. Birmingham

B. Atlanta

C. Memphis

D. Jackson

9. Which president signed the legislation establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday?

A. Ronald Reagan

B. Jimmy Carter

C. Bill Clinton

D. George H.W. Bush

10. Which other civil rights advocate also was slain in 1968?

A. Robert Kennedy

B. Malcolm X

C. Medgar Evers

D. Huey Newton

Answers:

1-A, 2-C, 3-D, 4-B, 5-A, 6-D, 7-B, 8-C, 9-A, 10-A

ABOUT THE WRITER

Emily Hess is a visiting assistant professor of history and an academic adviser for the Ashbrook Centers Master of Arts in American History and Government program at Ashland University, where she teaches courses focused on 19th and 20th century African-American history, the Reconstruction era and the Civil Rights Movement. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.
On Jan. 23, the Billings City Council will vote to disband the Billings Board of Ethics. In the interest of full disclosure, I was appointed to that board at the end of 2016.

The reasons for disbanding the board are varied. Basically, there are inconsistencies in the ethics ordinances with state statutes and the Montana constitution; the ethics ordinances are outdated and confusing; and past ethics boards didnt have the training to do the job. Thankfully, there havent been that many ethics complaints. In his memorandum to the council, city attorney Brent Brooks makes a compelling argument for revising the city ethics ordinances and compares them with cities around the state. But those arguments should not be confused with arguments for disbanding the Billings Board of Ethics.

Citizen advisory boards have a very important role in city government. In their publication, Local Government Citizen Advisory Boards, the Municipal Research and Services Center argues that citizens advisory boards are one of the best ways for citizens to participate in the democratic process. Advisory boards bring together a collection of citizens views that might not be heard elsewhere and are considered a complement to the views of elected officials and professional staff. In Billings, many of our own council members served on citizen advisory boards before they ran for public office. I cant help but think these experiences served as outstanding training in preparation for elected office.

In todays charged political environment, a citizen ethics board made up of non-elected individuals outside of city government helps maintain fairness in governmental actions and in retaining the publics trust. Brooks is right about the inconsistencies and confusion in the ethics ordinances and state statutes. But Billings is not Kalispell, Missoula, or Butte. I urge the Billings City Council to make the necessary revisions to our city ordinances. But, dont disband the Billings Board of Ethics.

If the board members need training and guidance, provide it. Rather than shrink the base of citizen participation, broaden it.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
I want to comment on a couple articles in the Billings Gazette recently about the black footed ferrets recovery under the Endangered Species Act and prairie dog (food for ferrets) vaccination by drones and automatic dispensers to keep prairie dogs from getting sylvatic plague. The truth is prairie dogs are filthy, cannibalistic, disease carrying and destructive little animals. The articles make you feel all warm and fuzzy, but in reality, these programs are a waste of time and taxpayer money. Biologists are using expensive technology to create a false environment that may not be attainable or perpetual for these animals. The biologists involved dont have to produce any positive results or meet any goals. The biologist in charge says he will probably retire before goals for the ferrets are met. The bigger question is if these goals are attainable, for in spite of all our best efforts some species are bound and determined to become extinct.

According to one Gazette article, these ferrets have been listed as endangered since 1967. They were thought to be extinct but a pair of them were captured in a prairie dog town in Wyoming and then raised in captivity. There have been at least 26 releases of these animals with an average of 30 ferrets per release at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of tens of millions of dollars! Twenty-nine were released last year on the Crow reservation south of Billings. Only a couple survived. Eighteen more were released this year. I recall another release in the 1990s south of Malta where 36 ferrets were released; coyotes ate 19 the first night. Taxpayer money. Poof! At the end of a year only two survived.

Are we to assume that the other 23 releases of black-footed ferrets in other states have also been this unsuccessful? Fifty years of this kind of government spending and we just keep pouring money down prairie dog holes. No wonder we have a $20 trillion debt.

There are many other species listed under the Endangered Species Act that are also huge wastes of taxpayers money.
HELENA, Mont.  The chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court canceled his State of the Judiciary speech traditionally given to lawmakers after Senate President Scott Sales sent a letter saying senators didn't have time to attend.

Chief Justice Mike McGrath had been scheduled to speak Wednesday to a joint session of the House and Senate. McGrath said he canceled because he didn't see the point of addressing the House if the Senate wasn't going to show up.

"It's unfortunate," McGrath told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "I think it was an opportunity to foster communication and cooperation between the branches. I think it's been a long-running tradition."

Sales said lawmakers need to get their work done in a timely fashion, and they could better use their time working on bills.

"Because of potential major changes coming out of the upcoming Trump administration and Congress, it is imperative that we look for ways to save time in the event we need to return to Helena during the interim," Sales wrote.

He sent similar letters to all upcoming state address speakers, including members of the Congressional delegation and the superintendent of public instruction.

Senators and Representatives will attend Gov. Steve Bullock's State of the State address on Jan. 24.

House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, said he believes the speeches are an important tradition and that the House will honor the invitations. He did ask the speakers to limit their remarks to 20 minutes.

"I think it's good for the legislators to hear from statewide elected officials to know what's going on," Knudsen said. "There's a little pomp and circumstance and a little tradition that goes along behind them that I think are a good thing."
At Rove, the newest boutique on Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga, one can expect to find trendy and fashionable womens clothes, locally made jewelry and art, and a touch of this and that for the home, with a promise of more to come and a commitment to making the store a place where locals will feel at home.

Being locals themselves, it was important to the owners  sisters Sandra and Jessica Maas  to carry merchandise (and prices) that would appeal to their neighbors and friends every bit as much as visitors who shop on Lincoln Avenue, because it is the locals who support them during the tourist off-season at their other store, Gathered, at 1309 Main St. Suite B in St. Helena.

We wanted a store that we would shop at  something affordable and approachable for locals and tourists, Sandra said.

The concept of affordable and approachable worked so well in St. Helena they decided to grow the business model.

Gathered, which opened two years ago, is a petite store space  read tiny  with mostly jewelry and clothing and they really wanted to be able to expand their offerings to include home decor items, Sandra said. They kept their eye on Calistoga, where Sandra has lived for eight years, and when the space formerly occupied by UpValley Vintners at 1371 Lincoln Ave. came open, they jumped on the opportunity.

Rove is fully furnished with plenty of womens clothing including hats, scarves, bags, jewelry and more, Sandra said they have more coming and encourage shoppers to check back frequently as the merchandise will grow.

Creative and resourceful, the sisters designed the entire store, display walls and racks, and counter, and installed some of it themselves, Sandra said. The window displays are all their own too, she said.

The plan is to repurpose or recycle materials for Roves display windows much the same as they do at Gathered. Its a time-consuming effort for the sisters, but one they enjoy. They relish the admiration that comes from customers who tell them how much they like their windows, and offers to purchase the decorations.

Sandra said she especially enjoys the reactions of people who looked in the Gathered window at a creation made of plastic cups they had strung together and painted.

People would look and look again at the window, then their expression would say they finally understood the familiarity of the window art material being a common plastic cup.

Plastic cups may not have been in Sandras art school curriculum, but maybe its her education that helped her see an ordinary object in an extraordinary way. Sandras ultimate degree came from San Francisco Art Institute, but she attended a number of other art schools, including a semester studying art in Mexico and a year studying fine art in Italy  at a very traditional art school, she said, and not something she thought she was getting, but ended up appreciating.

Jessicas background includes being a great seamstress who studied fashion and has worked in retail too, adding to their collaborative partnership.

Roves space comes with an outdoor patio that Sandra said they plan on taking advantage of in some way, though they are not clear exactly on what they will do yet. Given the wet weather lately, she said she envisions using it when it is warm and dry.
Napa is adorned with houses and buildings that have stood for a century and more, survivors and symbols of the citys early history. Soon, a package of decorative signs to mark historic districts, and the landmarks they contain, may get the citys go-ahead.

Designs for a group of signs, plaques, medallions and interpretive panels gained unanimous support from the Cultural Heritage Commission last week, paving the way for an approval vote by the City Council. The markers would guide visitors into and through the Napa Abajo-Fuller Park and Calistoga Avenue districts, two neighborhoods well stocked with historic houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A decision from the council may come within a month and a half, said Rick Tooker, community development director. City staff will choose sign materials and estimate the cost, based on the number and location of markers.

The product of nearly five years of city discussion, the historic signage promises to turn Napas building heritage into a draw for tourists and a better-understood asset for locals, declared Sarah Van Giesen of the commission, which advises the council on historic and landmark preservation.

I get a little emotional because its been 13 years that Ive worked on this, said Van Giesen, an advocate for showcasing local landmarks since joining the commission in 2004. Im excited for the community, because we are a classy community and we deserve this.

Penned by Amy Linn of the Napa-based Linn Design Studio, the package includes signs on 12-foot-tall black metal poles for the boundaries of historic districts, with each rectangular or elliptical panel bearing illustrations symbolizing that areas historic heritage. Markers for Calistoga Avenue will carry the image of the electric streetcars that spurred that neighborhoods growth early in the 20th century, while the Napa Abajo design includes an anchor honoring the shipping captains who built and lived in many of the houses surrounding Fuller Park south of downtown.

Gateway signs about 6 feet, 2 inches tall are to include directional arrows pointing to historic districts, while 4-foot-tall easel-like interpretive signs will include descriptions of nearby landmarks in the neighborhood. Plaques would be set into sidewalks outside buildings of interest, whose owners also could opt for decorative markers on the building itself. Most types of signs in all districts would be adorned with a circular medallion in bronze marked HERITAGE NAPA  DESIGNATED HISTORIC.

The first group of signs would go up in Napas two existing districts: Napa Abajo, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the city-registered Calistoga Avenue corridor. But with other neighborhoods possibly in line for recognition, Linn also released sign designs for seven other areas:

- Spencers Addition (symbolized by a water tower from 1890 to 1941)

- Glenwood Gardens (early-1950s automobile)

- West Napa (wine press, 1875-1907)

- First and Jefferson streets (horse and carriage, 1875-1915)

- East Napa (machine gear, 1890-1920)

- St. Johns (pickax, 1880-1950)

- Fuller South (Food City in the 1930s)

Before the historic sign plan goes before the council, city staff will calculate not only its cost but what funding and materials are needed to support maintenance and replacement 20 or more years in the future, according to Senior Planner Michael Walker.

We dont want to have 15 different types of sign materials that we have to figure out how to duplicate in the future, he told heritage commissioners.

While Van Giesen and other commissioners remained cautious about keeping up long-term funding for the historic signage through future fiscal crises, she expressed hopes of helping future Napans  and visitors  get a fuller appreciation of the citys roots.

No matter what budget issues we have, she said, this will be seen for a long time.
Police are looking for more information regarding an armed robbery reported at a gas station in American Canyon on Thursday night, according to American Canyon Police.

When officers arrived at the Chevron station at 401 Napa Junction Road at about 10:05 p.m., two employees told them a man had pointed a handgun at them and demanded money, said Police Chief Tracey Stuart.

The employees complied and gave the man money from the cash registers, she said. The man then left the store.

No customers were in the business at the time, and the employees were not injured.

The man is described as a white male, 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build wearing a black mask and a black hoodie with the word Cali written on the sleeve.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Napa County Sheriffs Investigators at 707-253-4591.

Tips may also be left anonymously through Napa Valley Crime Stoppers by texting NVCS and your message to 274637 (CRIMES) or by calling 1-800-450-9453.
An Idaho man who admitted trafficking drugs in the Sidney area and who was caught speeding with more than three pounds of meth in his vehicle will spend four years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters on Friday sentenced Raymond Lee Turner, 51, of Pocatello, to the term, which was below the guideline range of about seven to nine years. The judge said she considered that Turner already has spent about a year in custody with the case, that he had a difficult childhood and other reasons.

Turner pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to possess meth for distribution.

Prosecutors said Idaho State Police stopped Turners vehicle for speeding on Interstate 15 in December 2015.

Turner consented to a search of the car, and officers found 3.5 pounds of meth, prosecutors said. Turner told officers he was running stuff for others and that in October 2015 he began working with people in the Sidney area to store and sell meth.
The same road crew that quickly cleared a storm-fallen oak from Silverado Trail during recent rains pushed the debris aside to create a leafy wall as tall as eight feet, blocking the residents out of their property.

Ina Fitzgibbon and her husband arrived home Tuesday afternoon to find their front yard entrance behind the debris wall. They determined the easiest way to reach their house was scaling the six-foot-high back fence.

That whole thing is completely blocked, Fitzgibbon said.

Because they couldnt get their car into the drivewayor even get in the house without scaling the fencethey stayed with family in Sonoma and tried to figure out who might remove the wall of branches and leaves formed by remains of a decades-old oak. Several possibilities emerged:

- The California Department of Transportation, given that this section of Silverado Trail is Highway 121 and a state road.

- The City of Napa, given city public work crews stepped in for a busy Caltrans amid Tuesdays storm to remove the tree from the northbound lane of Silverado Trail.

- Napa County, given that the house and this stretch of Silverado Trail are in the unincorporated county.

- Themselves, since it was their tree that fell. But Fitzgibbon said tree companies put the cleanup cost at $2,500 or more and homeowners insurance wouldnt pick up the tab.

Its an expensive job, Fitzgibbon said, adding she wasnt sure they could afford it at this time.

Fitzgibbon contacted the county and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), which provides fire services to the incorporated county. She said Cal Fire crews working with flashlights Wednesday evening cleared a pedestrian path to the house.

They were really nice enough, she said. They said it is really a mess.

But Fitzgibbon didnt want to return home just yet. She wanted to be able to drive the car onto the property.

Otherwise, we have to park on Silverado Trail, she said Friday morning. Every time you park on Silverado Trail, especially at night, its best to turn on the hazard lights.

She contacted the city and Caltrans, but three days after the storm, the tree debris wall remained.

The Napa Valley Register contacted Caltrans. Caltrans spokesman Vince Jacala said Friday morning that the agency was working with the city to try to provide car access to the property.

Also Friday morning, the Napa Valley Register contacted City of Napa Public Works Director Jacques LaRochelle and explained the situation. LaRochelle quickly arrived at a plan of action that went beyond car access.

Well take care of the tree, LaRochelle said. Its not fair to them. We made the mess, we clean it up.

By 1 p.m. Friday, Gorilla Tree Service was cleaning up the debris on the citys behalf.

Great! Fitzgibbon said in an email.

Trees fell onto roads across Napa County amid recent rainy, windy storms and the aftermath. They fell on Highway 121 at Wooden Valley, Milton Road, Kortum Canyon Road, Highway 29 at Tubbs Lane, Spring Mountain Road, Steele Canyon Road, Berryessa Knoxville Road and Whitehall Lane.

Napa County Public Works Superintendent Steve Stangland on Friday explained the countys policy for deciding who cleans up a fallen tree in the unincorporated county.

It depends on who owns the tree, Stangland said. If a tree falls from the county right-of-way onto private property, we clean it up. If a tree falls from private property onto the county road, we clean up whats in the road and well cut that out and haul that off. Anything else thats left after that, thats the landowners responsibility.

But that didnt apply to the Silverado Trail tree, since Silverado Trail near Napa is also Highway 121 and a state road.

Jacala said safety is a priority for Caltrans. Caltrans might clear a fallen tree to the side of the road and return to remove it later.
The 2016 legislative session ended four-plus months ago with a cross-Capitol stalemate on the future of the State Bar, the agency that oversees the legal profession.

The 2017 session begins with the stalemate still seemingly intact, but with strong indications that the underlying conflict will resolve itself soon.

The Assembly and Senate deadlocked over how strongly the State Bar should be prodded to reform itself by separating its regulatory functions from its other role as a professional trade association.

Critics have alleged, with good reason, that the State Bar's duty to weed out miscreant attorneys has played second fiddle to its trade association function. It also has been accused of wasting money that should have been spent on reducing a backlog of complaints against attorneys.

The conflict came to a head as legislators from both houses negotiated details of the annual bill authorizing the State Bar to collect its operating funds, called "dues," from its member attorneys.

The Assembly wanted tougher reform language than the Senate. But while negotiations failed, they sent a strong message to State Bar officials that the status quo must be changed. And it appears that the message was received.

The State Bar is taking preliminary steps toward what is called "deunification" that would separate regulatory and professional functions, with the latter taking the form of either one or more private trade associations, or some kind of new public agency.

One impetus for change has been adoption of new internal State Bar rules that, among other things, would subject the "sections" promoting specialized law fields to state open meeting and records laws, prohibit serving liquor at section meetings and preventing those meetings from occurring at high-cost resorts.

Leaders of the 16 sections didn't like coming under those rules and asked the State Bar board for permission to begin working on splitting away.

A complicating factor is that State Bar employees are part of state civil service, and the 20 or so workers who deal with the professional specialties want to keep the benefits of that status, and could face layoffs if the professional activities shift to private entities.

However, were the professional activities to shift to a new state agency of some kind, preserving employees' civil service status, it still would be subject to the more restrictive operating rules, such as open meeting laws, that have spurred the proposed split.

Another factor is that income from the specialty sections' extra dues and professional meetings outstrips their costs, and if they go away, the State Bar would have a financial hole to fill.

After the Legislature adjourned without passing a dues bill last year, the state Supreme Court authorized the State Bar to continue collecting most of its dues, which reduced the financial impact of the stalemate, although it did not get as much dues-collection authority as it had sought.

With no immediate need for a dues bill, it appears that the Legislature will back off and allow the State Bar to work its way through the issue.

Dan Walters writes for The Sacramento Bee.
Gov. Schwarzenegger, among others, have said that Democrats should stop whining about the election of Trump. I am not whining about DT's election. I am lamenting a disaster and an impotency to stop it. Like Major Clipton, the army doctor in the movie "The Bridge on The River Kwai," said in despair as he walked among the death and destruction all around him: "Madness; madness; madness."

The Governor, and DT's supporters, claim that DT will be a successful president. I predict a disaster.

One test of competence is the accuracy of predictions.

Lets test our competence by making some predictions. Here are some of mine: President Trump will be as disastrous for the U.S. as Gov. Brownback and Gov. Jindall have been for Kansas and Louisiana; the U.S. will become more plutocratic, like Russia; the environment and bio-diversity will degrade to critical, irreversible and perhaps fatal levels.

The predicted disasters will take different forms. For example: the water you drink and the air you breathe will be more contaminated, possibly life threatening; "tax reform" will transfer more money from those who are not wealthy to those who are very wealthy; income disparity will increase; schools your kids and grandkids attend will get worse; the roads and bridges you and your family drive will become more dangerous; you will be more likely to be victimized by predatory business practices and less likely to be able to do anything about it; water levels will rise; coal, industry and manufacturing jobs and The Wall -- well, ain't gonna happen; corporate and institutional power will be controlled by fewer and more wealthy individuals, resulting in a more plutocratic society (the Neo-Boyars).

These predicted disasters do not cause me to whine. They conjure a Kafkaesque surreal America. For example, many children have respiratory problems due to poor air quality, yet environmental degradation will continue to worsen due to de-regulation and lack of corrective legislation, and more people will suffer adverse health effects. However, stock value could increase dramatically. So the 1 percent will get more wealthy and the rest of us will get more health problems.

The various safety nets you and your family, especially the poor in Red states, depend on, will be gutted or eliminated, such as the Affordable Care Act, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; and health insurance may get both more expensive and restrictive. Civil liberties and voting rights may be further degraded.

These scenarios do not make me whine. They overwhelm me with grief. There is no joy in the aged and the very young not having enough food, or being cold, or in pain due to a lack of medical insurance. I do not see those suffering seniors or children as lazy takers. I see them in desperate need of help. And they ain't gonna get it. But the wealthiest among us will get more wealthy.

All this does not make me whine. It makes me feel like I am watching an impending disaster, helpless to stop it and we are losing our humanity and empathy as we go.

In the international and diplomatic arena, DT said he is "like smart" he doesn't need daily intel briefings. So if/when The Bear Putin does Crimea/Ukraine, the Baltics, Georgia; China does S.E. Asia, Taiwan, even Japan; and North Korea does So. Korea, are you confident that DT will respond to all these complex issues in a "like smart" way? I will only predict an international and diplomatic mess.

DT supporters believe he will be "like smart" in all matters. I liken him more to Chaucey Gardner, who also only watched TV news, never read a book and became president. But unlike DT, he never tweeted vacuous bromides and lies.

What are your predictions? What policies, what results do you predict DT will achieve that will "make America great again" in two to four years?

C'mon, go for it. Don't call me a "whiner" or a "libtard," make some predictions. And if you are correct, I will admit I was wrong. And if I am correct, will you admit you were wrong?

If you are wrong, it may not matter. The problems, such as those resulting from climate change, may well have irreversibly metastasized by then.

If my predictions are correct and a disaster is looming, by the time it fully blossoms, you and I may be long gone. But your children and grandchildren may be here to experience those disasters in all their terrible glory. In supporting DT and his ilk, you will have contributed to that gift for your progeny. Ever wonder what they will think of you as they confront those disasters?

Finally, this is not whining. It is, as Major Clipton said, our response to seeing all around us only "madness; madness; madness."

David Mendoza

American Canyon
Artist and Emory doctoral student Fahamu Pecou in his studio in Atlanta. Emory Photo/Video

Emory's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library will host a series of public events in support of Still Raising Hell: The Art, Activism, and Archives of Camille Billops and James V. Hatch, an exhibition now on view in the Robert W. Woodruff Librarys Schatten Gallery.

The events, which are free and open to the public, will take place on the Emory campus and in other Atlanta venues. They include:

 interSessions, hosted by artist Fahamu Pecou

Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m.

The Gathering Spot

384 Northyards Blvd. NW #190, Atlanta, GA 30313

Following in the tradition of Camille Billops and James V. Hatchs New York loft salons, Rose Library is partnering with artist and Emory doctoral student Fahamu Pecou on his interSessions series. Part of an ongoing run of curated conversations between figures from the arts and hip-hop communities, this event will feature hip-hop artist Monie Love and acclaimed dancer and choreographer T. Lang.

 Lets Go to Work!: The Spread of Chicago Steppin in Atlanta

Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m.

Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory (Schatten Gallery)

540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322

During this evening of dance and conversation, attendees will have the opportunity to talk with award-winning steppers from Atlanta and around the country. The discussion will be moderated by cultural sociologist, stepper and Emory alumna Anjulet Tucker, who will share insights from her research on the cultural exchange between steppers in Chicago and Atlanta.

 3+1: Older Women and Love in collaboration with the Spelman College Museum of Art

Saturday, March 25, at 12 p.m.

Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Academic Center Auditorium

350 Spelman Lane, Atlanta, GA 30314

3+1 is a community film screening and discussion program. Three experts with diverse (and often conflicting) perspectives are featured with one empty seat for a member of the audience to occupy and participate in the dialogue.

The series will feature artist and activist Camille Billops documentary Older Women and Love, which explores intergenerational relationships and celebrates female sexuality. Afterward, event participants representing the arts, women's studies and sexual health will engage Older Women and Love within the context of gender, race and relationships.

 Black Art Salon at the Edge of the Universe

Thursday, Apr. 13, at 6:30 p.m.

Robert W. Woodruff Library (Schatten Gallery and Jones Room)

As the culminating program of the Still Raising Hell exhibition, this event will explore the means and mediums through which black artists continue to push boundaries. The evening will consist of a collaborative performance by Jeremy Avalon of WERC Crew and comic book artist and musician Afua Richardson on the future of black art, followed by a discussion with Gallery 72 owner Kevin Sipp that connects contemporary art movements to the exhibition.

Still Raising Hell remains on view through May 29.
Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge specialist Adam Deras was found dead in his vehicle on Tuesday after reportedly offering to respond as an EMT to a nearby vehicle incident.

An autopsy conducted by Sheridan County coroner Dave Fulkerson was inconclusive as to the cause of death. Hes awaiting Deras earlier medical records to allow the state medical examiner to determine what may have happened.

Deras was found in his vehicle with the motor running, Fulkerson said. There was evidence that his vehicle had been stuck in his snowy driveway.

He was apparently attempting to dig himself out, Fulkerson said.

Deras, 33, had been working at the remote northeastern Montana waterfowl sanctuary since 2014. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he graduated from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., with a degree in biology. He was a certified master scuba diver.

He loved working in conservation, said his sister, Abigail Deras. He volunteered for years when he was young.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to defer the expense of having Deras body transferred to Missouri for funeral services.

He did love Montana, Abigail said. But it was a little cold, especially coming from where hed been.
The requested page is currently unavailable on this server.

Back to [RTHK News Homepage]
Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) spokesperson Masudur Rahman said they arrested Alam, alias Rajib Gandhi, a Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen leader, from Tangail, some 100 km from here, late on Friday.

The 35-year-old Alam's arrest came about during a drive conducted by members of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of DMP, police said, bd24news reported.

He is a wanted criminal and an accused in 20 to 22 cases filed in connection with terrorist attacks, CTTC unit Chief Monirul Islam told The Daily Star.

Police earlier said the name 'Rajib Gandhi' surfaced during the July 1 Holey Artisan Bakery attack. Investigators said they came to know that he was the "commander" of Neo-JMB for the northern districts.

He was quite young when he joined the mainstream JMB, which carried out synchronised bomb attacks across Bangladesh in 2005.

Rajib had close connections with Tamim, the mastermind of the caf siege, who was killed last year.

Rajib sent two militants from Bogra to take part in the Gulshan attack and another from Dinajpur for the Sholakia attack.

In September 2016, Islam told the media that Alam had personally trained them.

The police had earlier said they were on the trail of 'Rajib Gandhi' and Basaruzzaman alias Chocolate, after recent raids that led to the deaths of terrorists Tamim Chowdhury, former Bangladesh Army major Jahidul Islam, Tanvir Qaderi and Nurul Islam Marzan.

On July 1, 2016, five militants took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, killing over 20 persons, mostly foreigners, including 19-year-old Indian Tarishi Jain.

--IANS in/rn

( 303 Words)

2017-01-14-14:10:07 (IANS)
According to DMIC, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed between Dholera Industrial City Development Ltd (DICDL) and Airbus India at recently-held Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar.

"Airbus will assess the DSIR region and provide its inputs on the requirements and infrastructure specifications for setting up the cluster, particularly for developing an ecosystem of suppliers for the assembly, testing, delivery and maintenance of rotary and fixed wing aircraft, including Naval utility helicopters," said DMIC in a statement.

Dholera is one of the eight smart city industrial zones being developed in the first phase of the DMIC project.

--IANS rv/vd

( 157 Words)

2017-01-14-23:28:07 (IANS)
The beautiful couple wed on April 20, 2007 and have completed almost a decade of togetherness.

While expressing love for his beloved, the romantic 40-year-old junior Bachchan took to twitter to make her wife feel special and wrote, "10 years ago on a freezing New York balcony, she said 'yes'."

Abhishek and Aishwarya make one of the most loved couples in Bollywood industry.

Abhishek proposed to the 'Sarabjit' star after the world premiere of movie 'Guru', in New York and Aish immediately accepted it. (ANI)
Indian actress Deepika Padukone and Hollywood star Vin Diesel recently attended the grand premiere of their forthcoming Hollywood action film "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" here. Now, Deepika is set for its worldwide promotion and screening. Deepika was spotted at the airport here on Friday night. She said: "I haven't had the time to talk to anyone who has seen the film. I am happy for whoever came, they came to support and encourage. "We are so happy with the turnout of the media, and all our fans have been so amazing in these two days. Vin just left a while ago and he was so happy and overwhelmed by everything that India had to offer." The premiere of the film took place on Thursday, and was attended by her fraternity members, friends, family and fans. Some of the Bollywood celebrities wished and congratulated Deepika for her achievement. Stars like Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi and Karan Johar attended the special premiere. An after-party was organised as well. The film's team has left for the US for its worldwide premiere, which will happen on January 20. --IANS iv/nn/bg ( 206 Words) 2017-01-14-12:12:06 (IANS)
A group of Republican state lawmakers filed two bills Friday that would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring guns into government meetings and public college campuses.

Sponsored by Rep. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, and co-sponsored by 12 other lawmakers, the bills would repeal previous laws that blocked people from bringing concealed guns into government meetings, including those of the Legislature and its committees, and all public university and college campuses and buildings. It would also allow concealed carry at university and college sporting events.

David Ball, the president of lobbying group Wyoming Gun Owners, said in an email to its supporters that the proposed changes would help gun owners better protect themselves and others. Ball said that gun-free zones are dangerous because they keep "law-abiding citizens" from carrying guns, citing a number of recent high-profile shootings including the shooting in the Fort Lauderdale Airport last week and the shooting in an Orlando night club this summer.

Ball asked supporters to sign a petition on the group's website in support of the bills. The petition further outlined the group's opposition to gun-free zones.

"So called 'Gun Free Zones' are nothing but 'Criminal Safety Zones' where violent thugs  or radical terror extremists  never have to worry about running across someone who can defend themselves," the petition states.

Ball said restrictions on carrying guns onto public property also violates peoples' rights protected by the Second Amendment.

Former Rep. Kendell Kroeker, R-Evansville, sponsored a bill in 2016 that would have allowed concealed carry in meetings of the Legislature and other governmental bodies. It passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 50-to-10, but died in the Senate without a vote.

Since 2013, the Senate has killed at least two other bills that would expand where a person could bring a concealed gun.
Coming down heavily upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi for featuring in Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) calendar, the Congress on Saturday accused him of trying to erase history by posing himself as Mahatma Gandhi. "This is an effort by Narendra Modi ji to write history in a new way. He wants the new generation to forget history and remember that India got independence in 2016...He himself wants to become Mahatma Gandhi and sit on that position," Congress spokesperson Charan Singh Sapra told ANI. Condemning Prime Minister Modi of developing an environment of dictatorship, Sapra said democratic system has been severely damaged. Echoing the same sentiment, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar said the BJP had no contribution in the independence movement and that they have no belief in the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. "Khadi is known by the name of Gandhi ji...BJP or RSS have never been a part of independence movement. They have no contribution in the independence. None of its ministers can claim their contribution in it. BJP has no belief in Gandhivaad and so when they pose the other way, it is not liked by anybody," Anwar told ANI. In a big development, Mahatma Gandhi's picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark cloth has been replaced by Prime Minister Modi's picture in the same classic pose as that of the former in the KVIC diary and calendar. However, it took a new turn on Friday as sources said the calendar never featured the picture of Father of the Nation. Sources added there was no question of replacing Mahatma Gandhi's picture with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "There was no picture of Mahatma Gandhi on KVIC diary or calendar in the year 1996, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, so there is no question of replacing his picture with that of Modi," said sources. Sources asserted that those igniting the controversy should understand that the sale of khadi was limited to two to seven percent during the 50 years of Congress rule while there can be seen an unprecedented growth of 34 percent in the sales of khadi products during the last two years of Prime Minister Modi-led government. (ANI)
Astonishing the nation with his skills and invention at the age of 14, Harshvardhan Zala, a student from Gujarat who recently came under spotlight for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Rs. five crores for designing drones at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, appealed to all the parents to let their children follow their dreams. "Parents should let their children decide what they want to pursue in their lives, what is their area of interest," he said in a press meet here. Sharing his own experience Zala said that he has always received support of his parents and teachers in the entire process, which made him more determined towards his goal. Discussing about his phenomenal invention which created a buzz, Zala said that the project is to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative. "Keeping Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Make in India in mind, I have signed this MoU. I want to set up our own aerospace and defence industry here. So, that we don't have to export any defence components from outside," he said. Earlier, Zala, signed a Rs. five crore-worth Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government, for the production of drones designed by him. The deal is signed with the Department of Science and Technology for manufacturing drones that would be able to detect and defuse land mines on a war field. The drone sends out waves up to eight square meters from two feet above ground level. These waves are able to detect land mines and send their location to the authorities. Till now Zala has made three prototypes of drone, out of which two costing worth Rs. Two lakh was financed by his parents and the third one costing Rs. Three lakh was sponsored from the state. (ANI)
The controversy surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo on Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) calendar turned murkier on Saturday after the opposition launched a scathing attack on the 'megalomaniac' Prime Minister, saying that the government's decision to replace Mahatma Gandhi's photo with that of the former was an assault on the legacy of Father of the Nation. "This is abhorable. These people are full blown fascist for our country. Apart from the pain it has caused to all section of people of this vast country, this reflex very poorly on the government choices and priorities. Infact, this constitutes an assault on the legacy of Gandhiji and I think this would reflect in a most negative way for the government," Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra told ANI. Prakash further questioned Prime Minister Modi as how can he symbolise charkha and replace Mahatma Gandhi, while adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has got its priorities wrong and is attempting to rewrite history. Resonating similar views, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Manab Mukherjee labelled the Prime Minister and the BJP government as 'megalomaniac'. "It is not only that the Prime Minister himself was a megalomaniac but the whole government and the whole system is run by the megalomaniacs. How can Narendra Modi replace Gandhi Ji? I feel pity for him...very bad days are waiting for him," Mukherjee added. However, defending the government's move, BJP leader Rahul Sinha slammed the opposition saying that those who are igniting the controversy over it are the one, disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi. "Gandhi Ji's picture has been replaced many times. We all respect Gandhi Ji and there is no question of disrespecting him. Modi ji is trying to promote Khadi products worldwide therefore picture featured on it. We should not associate it with Gandhi ji and the people who are trying to do this are disrespecting Gandhi ji," Sinha told ANI. In a big development, Mahatma Gandhi's picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark cloth has been replaced by Prime Minister Modi's picture in the same classic pose as that of the former in the KVIC diary and calendar. However, it took a new turn yesterday as sources said the calendar never featured the picture of Father of the Nation. (ANI)
Official sources today said that Nagaland Minister Health and Family Welfare P Longon speaking as the chief guest on the occasion congratulated the CKS for successfully organising such events, which conserve the rich and well knitted customs and traditions bestowed to us from our forefathers.

He narrated the history of Nagaland about how it came into existence with the amalgamation of Tuensang Division and the Naga Hills.

He said that the celebration of the festival will help us to connect to our roots, values, origin and to preserve it.

It is a festival of happiness and joy over the harvest, he added.

Poang Lum celebration is a mirror of Chang community where it represents the quality of the community and its essence and therefore applauded the culture of the Nagas.

He also exhorted the CKS and the councils to shoulder the responsibilities to bring the community towards the betterment of the society.

Mr Longon also released Ku Si Khang Le (A book on scientific study of Flora and Fauna in Chang Dialect) and Mutei Mangsangh Dolen Thangjam Kumhaang (a book on vision statement 2020), sources said. UNI AS AD1017

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1106979.Xml
The motorcyclists were on the way to adjoining Jharkhand when the rider failed to notice a sharp bend due to smog and lost control while negotiating it near Bakhri under Sanokhar police station area in the district.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramanand Kumar Kausal said here today that their bodies were recovered this morning from the pond and sent to the Bhagalpur Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

The deceased identified as Ranjit Ram, Madhumadhav Ram and Santosh Bhagat were residents of Malakpur under Atichak police station in the district.UNI XC IS AD1129

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1107019.Xml
A separatist Pashtun leader, Umar Daud Khattak has warned that the Pakistan Army may soon use nuclear weapons to exterminate members of his community. "Pakistan Army use heavy weapons against us. Pakistan had earlier used Pashtun people against the USSR and the Afghan Government, and it still wants to use them as terrorists, but we are not letting them to do so. This is why Pakistan is bombing us," Khattak claimed. "We are building a Pashtunistan Liberation Army and will launch an armed struggle against Pakistan. We will seek the support of the international community. Terrorism is threat, so, the world must support us, because the independence of Pashtuns will put an end to terror in this region," Khattak said. He further alleged that at least 50 terror camps exist in Khyber Pahkhtunkwa, run by the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) and added that the latter also recruits members from madarsaas, run by the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-islami and Jamiyat-ulema-e-Islam. "They use these recruits against India and Afghanistan and some are also routed to Syria and other Middle East countries " Khattak added. He also urged the international community to intervene as the Pakistan Army has turned a blind eye to the problems of the Pashtun community. The Pashtuns are Pakistan's third largest ethnic group and they have previously suffered at the hands of the Pakistani Taliban for seven continuous years.(ANI)
A man who led police on two chases in two years will serve more time than the prosecutor recommended.

South Central District Judge Bruce Haskell handed Dawson Mountain Jr. a five-year sentence in connection with the three-county, 75-mile pursuit from June. That's on top of five years he got this summer, when a judge revoked his probation for a similar crime in 2015. And it's two and a half more years than the prosecutor recommended.

Haskell's decision Friday came after he reviewed Mountain's criminal history, which contains drunken driving, simple assault and theft charges from 1995 to the present.

"We're kind of beyond fashioning sentences that will help him rehabilitate himself or help him in treatment," he said. "I think in this case, the longer the defendant is in prison, the less likely he is to hurt people."

In June, the 46-year-old Bismarck led police on a high-speed chase that began as a police stop in Mandan and ended when he stopped dead on a county road in Center, according to a police affidavit. Police say he held a woman in the car against her will. In connection with the case, he pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, terrorizing and fleeing a police officer in November.

In 2015, he caused a separate police pursuit after another traffic stop, in which he took off after officers saw a bottle of liquor in the car. He was sentenced to time served of about four months on that case, but, in part due to the most recent incident, his probation was revoked and he was re-sentenced to five years in prison.
Indonesian miners may export up to 5.2 million tonnes of nickel ore a year under the country's new rules, the mining minister said on Saturday, only a fraction of its shipments when it was once a top global supplier of the stainless steel material.Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan's comment came after an industry backlash to the government's decision on Thursday to reverse a ban on the export of nickel ore and bauxite under certain conditions.Nickel prices and the shares of companies that had heavily invested in smelters tumbled after the news, as analysts said the resumption of nickel ore exports from Indonesia could flood global markets and wreck prices.Senior mining officials defended the new rules, saying that the amount of nickel ore that can be exported must correspond to the miners' smelter capacity and that it will be "comparable"."It's not like they build small smelters and export as much as they can. No, we are going to regulate that," the deputy mining minister, Arcandra Tahar, told reporters.The government banned the export of nickel ore and bauxite in 2014 in order to spur higher-value processing of mineral ores. A year before the ban kicked in, Indonesia exported around 60 million tonnes of nickel ore.The ban cost Southeast Asia's biggest economy billions of dollars in lost revenue and led to job losses, as many miners laid off their workers.The Philippines took Indonesia's crown as the world's top nickel ore exporter, accounting for around one-quarter of the world's mined nickel supply, although its government had since restricted output due to environmental concerns.LOW-GRADE OREUnder Indonesia's new rules announced on Thursday, nickel miners must dedicate at least 30 percent of their smelter capacity to process low-grade ore, defined as having a nickel content of less than 1.7 percent.Low-grade ore is harder to process and smelters have been reluctant to take it. But in order for miners to get high-grade ore, they have to dig through low-grade ore first, which then gets thrown out."If local smelters cannot absorb the low-grade nickel, why are they not happy that we allow the nickel miners to export some of it?" Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan said."The goal of the government is for all the raw materials to be smelted here, but it will take time," he said, noting that the policy shift would protect jobs and increase export duties.Indonesia produces 17 million tonnes of nickel ore per year, of which 10 million is low-grade, according to Jonan. The country's nickel smelting capacity is currently 16 million tonnes and may reach 18 million this year, he added.Miners will be able to export ore over the next five years only if they show progress toward building smelters either individually or with partners, among other conditions.Last year, Tedy Badrujaman, the chief executive of PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam), said the state-controlled miner hoped to export 20 million tonnes of low-grade nickel ore.Antam's shares jumped 6.4 percent on Friday as analysts said the company's expected increase in sales could make up for a fall in nickel prices. Asked when Antam will start shipping out nickel ore, the company's corporate secretary said it was still making calculations.FREEPORT COPPER EXPORTSIn 2014, Indonesia banned mineral ore exports while allowing the shipments of concentrates to continue for three more years. The full ban on concentrate exports was supposed to have kicked in on Jan. 12, but the government also relented on that deadline.Under the new regulation, companies, including U.S. mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc, can continue exporting copper concentrate if they fulfil certain conditions, including changing their license.Jonan said the ministry received a letter from Freeport on Friday stating its commitment to convert to the new special mining permit. The government will grant an export recommendation for Freeport "soon", Jonan said.However, Freeport has to divest a stake of up to 51 percent, from 30 percent previously, at fair market value and an initial public offering is being considered, Jonan said. Freeport has only divested 9.36 percent so far.Jonan had met Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson and Chappy Hakim, the CEO of the U.S. company's Indonesian unit, in Jakarta on Friday, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.A Freeport Indonesia spokesman said that he had no knowledge about the meeting and that the company is still studying the impact of the special mining permit on its operations.REUTERS PS BL1602 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1107371.Xml
Senior Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Noor Mohammad Kalwal was today released after six months' detention.However, there was no relief for hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) head Shabir Ahmad Shah who are still under house arrest.Kalwal was arrested on August 7 under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and was shifted to Kotbalwal jail, Jammu.However, the JKLF leader challenged his detention and the court quashed his detention and ordered his release on January 5, this year. Kalwal was later shifted here and lodged in police station Rajbagh from where he was released today.Geelani remained under house since his return from New Delhi in May last year. Security forces and state police personnel remained deployed outside his Hyderpora residence to prevent him from moving out. Meanwhile, the amalgam chairman defied restrictions and was arrested several times only to release him in the evening every time.Hardline Hurriyat General Secretary Shabir Shah, who was released only recently, has been put under house arrest again.A spokesman for the Hurriyat said another senior separatist leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrayee also remained under house arrest. Dozens of leaders and activists remained lodged in different jails and police stations in the Valley since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag. He said during the past 24 hours over a dozen leaders and activists of hardline Hurriyat were arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police.Meanwhile, police have declared a senior leader of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) Mohammad Yousuf Mir a proclaimed offender as he was evading arrest for the past six months.Officials sources said police this afternoon arrested Tehsil president, Anantnag, Ashiq Hussain Narchoor when he was going to general bus stand after offering Friday prayers.A spokesman for the TeH strongly condemned the arrest of Ashiq and said he was just a political worker and his activities were not in any way unconstitutional. He said over a dozen others were arrested in Sopore in north Kashmir.UNI BAS SW SNU 1637 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1107384.Xml
In a horrific incident, two police siblings tortured their octogenarian mother by tying her in a chain here and kept her in courtyard in severe cold condition in police quarters. Both Assistant Sub-Inspector Mahaveer Verma and Head Constable Madan Singh Verma stay in the quarters in police line here along with their elderly mother Bouri Bai (80). In the shivering cold, the woman was kept in the courtyard by tying her in chain. The woman complained that her sons did not provide her meal or drinking water. Taking the incident seriously after receiving complaint from neighbours, Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Jain yesterday sent a police team to the spot and they released Bouri Bai. The woman reportedly wanted drinking water immediately after she was freed. The two policemen was brought before Mr Jain, who reportedly scolded both and asked them to keep their mother properly. He also warned that stringent legal action would be initiated against them if they do not behave properly with their mother, the sources said. On the other hand, the accused argued that their mother was not mentally stable and she would have gone anywhere if she was not restricted.UNI XC-BDG SW RSA 1833 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1107553.Xml
The Government today categorically stated that the issues and concerns of the Ex-Servicemen would be looked into with all possible steps being taken to mitigate their grievances. Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre gave this assurance while addressing the Inaugural Armed Forces Veterans' Day function at Delhi Cantonment. He also appealed to Ex-Servicemen community to utilise the available official forums like Army Veteran Portal to express their problems and seeking redressal of them through official channels. "Veterans are an essential part of the Armed Forces family who are the keepers of our values and culture and it is our duty to respect and honour them as they are an unbreakable link between the present and the past" Dr. Bhamre said. He assured the veterans and their widows that the Central and State Governments and all the Service Headquarters are fully committed to look after them.The Minister said, the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, a demand which was pending for implementation for the last more than 40 years. He said according to the current position on disbursement of OROP arrears the 1st installment amounting to Rs 3,994.49-crore has been disbursed to 19,69,385 Ex-Servicemen, while 2nd installment amounting to Rs 2,290.72-crore has been disbursed to 15,54,849 Ex-Servicemen. The Minister particularly stressed upon the Skill Development of Veterans so that they can contribute effectively to the nation by starting a new innings in their career. He also stated that the ECHS, through its polyclinics all over India and Nepal is working effectively for the health care of the Ex-Servicemen.The function was attended by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal SB Deo. UNI MK ADG SNU 1941 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-1107770.Xml
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accompanied by a state delegation, will visit Zurich, Davos-Klosters, Switzerland from January 16th to 21st to participate in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The Chief Minister has a longstanding relationship with the WEF and year after year, and has been participating in its meetings as the Chief Minister of the united state of Andhra Pradesh and also as its leader of Opposition. The Chief Minister and the delegation will leave for Zurich from New Delhi in the intervening night of 15th and 16th from Delhi.In recognition of the prevailing discontent in societies which are not experiencing growth and development, the Forum has chosen to focus on 'Responsive and Responsible Leadership' in its 2017 deliberations to highlight deeper commitment needed for an inclusive and sustainable growth. The meeting aims at making the world leaders credible and responsible to the societal and global concerns which have been neglected for a long time.More UNI DP RSA SNU 1910 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0104-1107712.Xml
Richa said her husband also sat on hunger strike in Fatehgarh, where he is posted.

Lance Naik Yagya Pratap had uploaded an video, in which he had alleged that his seniors forced him to do domestic chores and even polish shoes.

Richa claimed her husband was being pressurised and harassed by his seniors after the video went viral on social media.

She demanded that army jawans should be posted at the border by relieving them of subsidiary works and should be given mobile phones to remain in touch with their families.

--IANS hindi-spk/pgh/vm

( 134 Words)

2017-01-14-21:16:07 (IANS)
In a condolence message here, he said that Mr Barnala had also remained Governor of Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh and a Minister at the Centre. He said that Mr Barnala was born in Ateli Haryana on October 21, 1925 and was also involved in Quit India Movement in 1942.

The Chief Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and prayed that the departed soul might rest in peace.UNI DB SHK 2200

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-1107784.Xml
According to sources, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong visited the General Headquarters on Friday and held meeting with Chief Of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, reports the Daily Times.

According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, the visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army's efforts in combating terrorism and militancy, and the success of the Zarb-e-Azb operation that former army chief Raheel Sharif started.

The two officials discussed the bilateral relations in the field of defence and military and it was agreed that these relations would be further strengthened in future.

According to sources the Chinese envoy also invited the army chief for the visit of China and dates in this regard would be finalised soon.

Sources said that the army chief briefed the Chinese ambassador on the security of CPEC and said a special force would provide foolproof security to this national project and its completion would benefit the whole region.

A spokesman for the Pakistan Army said in a statement that the Chinese ambassador indicated complete satisfaction on the security of CPEC. (ANI)
The call between Flynn and Sergey Kislyak on December 28 "centred around the logistics of setting up a call with the President of Russia and the President-elect after he was sworn in and they exchanged logistically information on how to initiate and schedule that call," Xinhua quoted Sean Spicer as saying.

The spokesman also said Flynn and Kislyak exchanged greetings during the Christmas holidays prior to the call.

The contacts between the Russian envoy and Trump's top aide came around the time US President Barack Obama announced on December 29 tough sanctions against Russian entities and individuals over alleged hacking during the 2016 US presidential election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to retaliate against the sanctions -- a move that Trump praised as "very smart."

Trump, who has called for improving US-Russia relations, on Wednesday conceded for the first time that Russia was behind cyberattacks during the presidential election.

--IANS sku/

( 190 Words)

2017-01-14-07:36:06 (IANS)
According to the police, Muhammad Jan, 37, who worked for Urdu language daily newspaper Qudrat, was shot late Thursday while on his way home on a motorcycle in Qalat district, reports the Daily Star.

"Two attackers on motorcycle opened fire on him, using a pistol and killing him on the spot," senior police officer Muhammad Ali told reporters. The attackers fled the scene, he said adding that the motive of the killing is yet unclear.

Pakistan is ranked among the world's most dangerous countries for journalists.

The restive province of Balochistan has been wracked for more than a decade by religious, sectarian and separatist insurgencies. (ANI)
Thailand's military-backed parliament voted overwhelmingly to make amendments to the constitution as suggested by the new king's office, a move likely to delay a general election scheduled for the end of the year.The military-backed constitution is a key part of the junta's plans to hold an election to return Thailand to democratic rule following a 2014 coup.The draft constitution was approved in a referendum last year and has been awaiting endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who took the throne in December after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who commanded immense respect from Thais during his 70-year reign.Promulgation of the charter, which was forwarded to the palace for royal endorsement in November, was expected in early February.Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday the office of King Vajiralongkorn had asked for several changes to clauses related to royal power in the draft constitution, a rare intervention by a sitting Thai monarch.In order to make those changes, the National Legislative Assembly has first to amend the interim constitution.Of 231 assembly members, 228 voted in favour of the changes yesterday with three abstaining.The assembly also made changes allowing the king to travel overseas without having to appoint a regent to rule in his stead.King Vajiralongkorn travelled frequently while he was crown prince and has spent a significant amount of his adult life abroad, mostly in Germany.Somjet Boonthanom, a member of parliament, said it was likely that elections would now take place next year."The election will take place 15 months after the constitution is endorsed," Somjet told Reuters.The US State Department said the United States, a long-time ally of Thailand which scaled back contacts after the coup, wanted to see Thailand "return to inclusive, democratic rule as soon as possible.""We want Thailand to emerge from this transition period as a strong, sustainable, and prosperous democracy that reflects and represents the views of all Thais and protects human rights and fundamental freedoms," said Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the department.The government must first make the requested amendments. The king then has 90 days to approve the amended charter, Somjet said."According to the steps, the election should happen early to mid-2018," he said.Both the junta and the Royal Household Bureau declined to comment on why the changes were requested by the king.REUTERS SDR 0417 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1106919.Xml
The chairman of Codelco, Chile's state-run copper miner, was being treated in the hospital for minor injuries after receiving a package that exploded at his home.Oscar Landerretche "is in a good state of health after being a victim today of the explosion of an artifact that he received at his home," said Codelco yesterday, the world's largest copper miner.Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said in comments to journalists that Landerretche had received some injuries on his arms and abdomen, and that his family had been unhurt."This was unacceptable and of course specialist police forces are investigating," she said.It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. Chile, which returned to democracy in 1990 after a 17-year dictatorship, is normally one of Latin America's most stable countries.However, there have been a number of low-level attacks by anarchist groups in recent years. In September 2014 several people were injured after a device exploded next to a metro station.Landerretche is a 44-year-old economist who has led Codelco's board, a government-appointed position, for the last two years. The miner is part-way through an ambitious investment program but has struggled to turn a profit against a backdrop of low global copper prices.Copper industry workers said he was well respected and they were baffled as to the reason behind the attack."We copper workers reject this kind of act," said Codelco union leader Raimundo Espinoza."I don't think Oscar is the kind of person who has enemies," said copper mining veteran and ex-Codelco chief executive Diego Hernandez to CNN Chile.REUTERS SDR 0547 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1106927.Xml
Police in Uganda have re-arrested a traditional leader who is facing treason and other charges hours after he was granted bail by a court, a judicial official said today.Charles Wesley Mumbere was first detained in November after what he calls his royal guards refused an order by security forces to disarm and surrender, leading to a stand-off and a raid on his residence by police.More than 60 people were killed in clashes.He was freed on bail yesterday but just hours later he was detained again, judiciary spokesman Solomon Muyita said. "He was re-arrested by police because he has other charges," he said.Mumbere is a tribal leader of the Bakonzo people found in the Rwenzori region near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The area overwhelmingly backed the main rival to President Yoweri Museveni in the 2015 election.Government critics accuse security forces of deliberately stoking unrest in the area because of its backing for the opposition. Rights group Amnesty International said security forces carried out extrajudicial killings in the November clashes.Officials dismiss the charges and say Mumbere and his supporters have been promoting secession from Uganda.Uganda has many traditional leaders who have largely ceremonial roles but wield significant political influence among people in their regions.REUTERS PS BL1436 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1107244.Xml
South Korean national Park Chul-hong, 38, and Filipino Glenn Alindajao, 31, "have departed to their homes with their families after two and a half months of captivity," the spokeswoman of the Philippine Presidential Office in Manila, Patmei Ruivivar, told Efe news.

Park was the captain and Alindajao was a member of the crew on the South Korean flag carrier Dong Bang Giant 2, which was the biggest ship to be attacked by the group, who more frequently target smaller fishing boats.

Philippines chief negotiator and advisor to the Presidency for the Peace Process, Jesus Dureza, presented the hostages in a televised press conference in Jolo, where they landed by plane after being released earlier in the day.

Dureza said no ransom was paid for their release, but other sources told local media that 25 million pesos ($502,000) was paid to the kidnappers.

The Dong Bang Giant 2 was boarded on October 21 by 10 Abu Sayyaf assailants near the southern mouth of the Sibutu passage, a 30 km-wide sea channel between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea commonly used by cargo ships.

The terrorists currently hold 21 other hostages: four Filipinos, seven Malaysians, six Vietnamese, two Indonesians, one German and one Dutch, according to the authorities.

--IANS ksk/bg

( 253 Words)

2017-01-14-16:40:07 (IANS)
The annual meeting of the WEF will begin on January 17 in Davos.

Hasina would be received by Bangladesh Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the UN Offices Shameem Ahsan on her arrival at the airport, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

The Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said Hasina will attend a number of events of the WEF during her stay in Davos.

She would also hold talks with WEF Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.

Hasina is expected to return Dhaka on January 21.(ANI)
Bangladesh police said today they had arrested one of the men behind a militant attack on a Dhaka cafe last year that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.Jahangir Alam was detained late yesterday during a raid in Tangail, about 100 km northwest of the capital, the head of the counter-terrorism police, Monirul Islam, told reporters."He was one of the masterminds," Islam said.Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the July 1 assault, when gunmen charged into the cafe in the diplomatic quarter. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American and an Indian were among the dead.Bangladeshi authorities say they suspect the involvement of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an outlawed domestic group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.Islam said the arrested man had been a commander for the group in the north of the country.Police have killed about 50 suspected militants in shootouts since the attack, including the man they say was its main planner, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. REUTERS PS BL1716 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1107494.Xml
Passengers access to Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 13, 2017. About 2.98 billion trips are expected to be made during China's 2017 Spring Festival travel rush between Jan. 13 and Feb. 21. The figure represents an increase of 2.2 percent from the same period in 2016. The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 28 this year. The festival is the most important occasion for family reunions. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The world's most populous country kicked off its largest annual travel rush Friday, with a record number of trips expected during the Chinese New Year holiday season.

The 40-day travel frenzy from Jan. 13 to Feb. 21 is known as "Chunyun," the hectic period surrounding Chinese lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 27 this year.

The Chinese New Year celebrations are China's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns to reunite with relatives and old friends, putting huge stress on the transport system.

A record 2.978 billion trips are expected during "Chunyun" this year, up 2.2 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Up to 356 million trips are expected to be made via rail, up 9.7 percent year on year.

A total of 2.52 billion trips are expected to be made via roads and 43.5 million trips via waterways, up 1 percent and 2 percent year on year, respectively.

Trips made via air are expected to rise 10 percent year on year to 58.3 million, the ministry said.

The ministry said that more passenger trains would be added during the period to deal with the extra numbers, and ticket purchase procedures would be simplified to improve services.

China's rapidly-developing high-speed railways will help ease the holiday strain for travelers. The country boasts a high-speed rail network of more than 20,000 km, the world's largest.
RAMALLAH, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian protestors on Friday called on the international peace conference scheduled to be held in Paris on Sunday to make influential decisions that end the Israeli military occupation of their territories.

Dozens of Palestinian demonstrators, who joined the anti-wall and anti-settlement weekly protests, carried banners calling on Paris peace conference to make effective decisions that end the Israeli occupation.

Walid Assaf, chairman of the corporation to resist the Israeli wall and settlement in the West Bank, said at the rally that the Palestinians count on Paris conference to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967.

Around 72 countries representatives will attend the peace conference as well as five worldwide organizations; the European Union, the United Nations, the Arab League, and two other African and Islamic organizations.

Israel opposed the conference and decided not to join it, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the only way to resolve the conflict is through direct bilateral peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

However, nine months of direct talks between the two sides sponsored by the United States ended in April 2014, without making any significant progress, mainly in thorny issues like settlements, security and borders.

Assaf called on the peace conference to make decisions that lead to the implementation of the recent United Nations Security Council 2334 that condemned settlement and called on Israel to stop it.

During the protest, clashes broke out between the demonstrators and the Israeli soldiers near the West Bank city of Qalqilia. Palestinian medical sources said that two Palestinians were injured when the soldiers dispersed them by fire and tear gas.
LONDON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Britain's rate of unemployment is forecast to rise over both 2017 and 2018 as a consequence of the country's decision to leave the European Union (EU), according to an Independent Labor Organization(ILO) report published on Friday.

Within the area of northern, southern, and western Europe, Britain was the nation which is projected to suffer the highest rise in its unemployment rate in 2017.

The ILO forecast in its "World Employment Social Outlook" report a rise in Britain's jobless rate from an annual rate of 4.8 percent in 2016 to 5 percent in 2017 and 5.3 percent in 2018.

The outcome of Britain's vote to leave the EU is likely to undermine investors' and financial markets' confidence in the medium term, both in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, the report noted.

Stefan Kuhn, an economist with the ILO, told Xinhua on Friday afternoon: "Unemployment is forecast to increase to some degree over the next two years, and this is because of Brexit. "

Forecasting beyond 2018 was not possible, because of the uncertainty of what Brexit might be when it takes place, according to Kuhn.

The unemployment rate in Britain is currently 4.8 percent, lower than the 10 percent rate across southern, northern and western Europe and lower than France (10 percent) and Italy (11.5 percent), but higher than Germany (4.3 percent).
VALLETTA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A deal that would have seen Italian airline company Alitalia buy 49 percent of the shares of AirMalta has fallen through, Maltese tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis confirmed on Friday.

In a meeting with union representatives, minister Zammit Lewis stated there had been interest from other strategic partners, but did not elaborate further.

The minister reassured concerned parties that AirMalta was not for sale and would continue operating as usual.

In a joint statement, the two airline companies stated that the timing at present was not ideal for the partnership but would continue to closely collaborate on other ventures.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Michael Flynn, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for national security adviser, took a phone call last month from Russia's ambassador to the United States, Trump's spokesman said Friday.

The call between Flynn and Sergey Kislyak on Dec. 28 "centered around the logistics of setting up a call with the President of Russia and the President-elect after he was sworn in and they exchanged logistically information on how to initiate and schedule that call," Sean Spicer said.

The spokesman also said Flynn and Kislyak exchanged greetings during the Christmas holidays prior to the call.

The contacts between the Russian envoy and Trump's top aide came around the time U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Dec. 29 tough sanctions against Russian entities and individuals over alleged hacking during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to retaliate against the sanctions -- a move that Trump praised as "very smart."

Trump, who has called for improving U.S.-Russia relations, on Wednesday conceded for the first time that Russia was behind cyberattacks during the presidential election.

Asked at the first press conference since his election win whether be believed Putin had directed the hacking to help him win the presidency, Trump said "If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability."
LJUBLJANA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said on Friday that there was "no talk of threats of sabotage" with regard to tourists from Croatia, and the reactions from Croatia are exaggerated, local media reported.

In a television show on Monday, the Slovenian minister spoke of possible problems for tourists travelling from Germany and Austria to the Croatian coast through Slovenia, if Croatia fails to respect an international tribunal's verdict on the border between the two countries, according to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA).

The minister's words have been described by Croatian media as "scandalous and undiplomatic."

Croatian Foreign Minister Ivo Stier also responded, saying that Erjavec would achieve nothing positive by harassing tourists on the border, and that the statement showed his counterpart was "nervous."

However, Erjavec said on Friday ahead of an event marking 25th anniversary of the international recognition of Slovenia that he did not understand the exaggerated reaction of the Croatian media, the STA reported.

The two countries have dispute on sea border.
Watford City attorney Dennis Johnson generally sues oil companies.

But the attorney who represents private mineral owners stood up on the same side as the oil industry last week, advocating for the North Dakota Legislature to resolve uncertainty over Missouri River mineral ownership.

The Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea are in the most prolific part of the Bakken oilfield, but disputes over riverbed mineral ownership have led to multiple lawsuits and disagreements between the state and federal government.

A 1950s-era federal survey defined the Missouri River before the construction of the Garrison Dam, which created Lake Sakakawea.

But the state leases minerals based on a 2009 survey the state conducted to define the ordinary high water mark of the Missouri River.

Differences between the two surveys have contributed to multiple parties claiming ownership of the same minerals. Millions of dollars are being held in escrow while legal battles drag on, and oil companies say the uncertainty over who theyre supposed to pay will deter development.

Senate Bill 2134, sponsored by Sen. Kelly Armstrong, R-Dickinson, would adopt the federal survey as the official delineation of the Missouri River and make it clear that the state only has claim to minerals under the original river channel, not Lake Sakakawea.

This issue has been in dispute and/or litigation for at least the last 10 years, Armstrong told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week. And the truth is, no one is any closer to a resolution than we were a decade ago.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council and several private mineral owners supported the bill during the hearing, which had to be moved to a larger room due to the level of interest.

This is one of those rare occasions that oil companies, private mineral owners and surface owners are in concert and agreement that Senate Bill 2134 is a good bill and resolves many issues, Johnson told the committee.

Huge price tag

Adopting the proposal would carry a huge price tag for North Dakota in lost oil and gas revenue.

Land Commissioner Lance Gaebe estimates North Dakota would lose nearly $213 million in revenue in the 2017-19 biennium as the bill is currently proposed.

That includes the return of about $90 million in bonuses and rent, the repayment of $63.5 million in royalties, the forfeiture of $29 million in royalties that is currently escrowed and more than $30 million in future royalties.

In addition, Gaebe estimates a loss of more than $30 million in royalties for the 2019-21 biennium, based on recent oil prices.

Not all of the money would be returned to private mineral owners, Gaebe said.

The Board of University and School Lands would repay money to oil companies or other lease-holders, who would in turn pay mineral owners, the federal government or other entities determined to own the minerals, he said.

The loss in revenue would not affect the states general fund, but it would likely deplete the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund, said Treasurer Kelly Schmidt.

That fund has supported initiatives such as the surge funding bill that enabled western North Dakota to catch up on road and infrastructure projects and the school construction loan fund, Gaebe said.

It also recently was the source of funding for the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at North Dakota State University and expansion of the Wilson M. Laird Core and Sample Library at the University of North Dakota, Gaebe said.

The board has managed these assets for the benefit of all citizens of North Dakota, Gaebe said.

Mineral owners allege land grab

One of the ongoing court cases over Missouri River mineral ownership involves the family of Edward Lynch, who inherited minerals from his great aunt Esther Vohs.

The family, who owned and operated a cattle ranch next to the Missouri River near Williston, agreed to give up some of their land due to the construction of the Garrison Dam.

Family members retained the mineral interests of the land, and more than 50 years later were approached when oil companies wanted to drill near and under the Missouri River.

Lynch, who traveled from South Carolina to testify to legislators last week, said his family was initially told they owned all of the minerals that Continental Resources planned to develop in a 14-well super pad near the U.S. Highway 85 Bridge in Williston.

But months later, the family received two more revised estimates, and were eventually told they only owned one-third of the minerals while North Dakota was claiming it owned two-thirds, Lynch said.

It is a huge land grab and it is an overreach from state government, Lynch said.

The bill proposed by Armstrong would not currently affect Lynch and other mineral owners who are west of the Highway 85 Bridge in Williston. They argued they should be included, and one member of the legislative committee told Gaebe to estimate the fiscal impact of amending the bill.

Preston Page, a private mineral owner and owner of Dakota Energy Advisors of Bismarck, told legislators he estimates there are more than 3,600 unique mineral owners with oil leases in the affected lands.

This isnt corporations. This isnt big oil companies out of Houston. This is private mineral owners whose land was taken 50, 60 years ago, Page said.

Work just beginning

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee plans to study the issue extensively before making a recommendation, said Chairwoman Jessica Unruh, R-Beulah.

Our work has just begun, she said.

Armstrong said the intent of the bill is not to affect any minerals that are on the Fort Berthold Reservation and he does not object to amending the bill to make that clear.

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation opposes the bill as its written, but Chairman Mark Fox told legislators his position would likely change if the bill is amended to exclude Fort Berthold.

The Board of University and School Lands, which is led by the governor, has not met since the bill was introduced and has not taken a position.

In October, under former Gov. Jack Dalrymple, the board approved a motion to clarify that it is not trying to claim ownership of minerals under Lake Sakakawea.

The discussion was prompted by concern from the oil industry and mineral owners after attorneys representing the state said during court cases that there is no distinction between the historical river channel of the Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea, conflicting with the states practice of only leasing minerals under the river.

The board, now under the leadership of Gov. Doug Burgum, is scheduled to meet Jan. 30.

Committee member Sen. Dwight Cook, R-Mandan, said legislators have tough decisions to make.

The fiscal impacts there, but lets make sure we do the right thing, Cook said.
Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian (2nd L) shakes hands with head of Lebanon's Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) Nabil Jisr during an agreement signing ceremony in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on Jan. 13, 2017. Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon expressed here Friday hope that the Syrian crisis will soon end with a political solution "so as to solve the Syrian refugees issue fundamentally." Wang Kejian was speaking following a ceremony held at the Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) on the occasion of a donation agreement from China worth 10 million USD to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon. (Xinhua/Li Liangyong)

BEIRUT, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon expressed here Friday hope that the Syrian crisis will soon end with a political solution "so as to solve the Syrian refugees issue fundamentally."

Wang Kejian was speaking following a ceremony held at the Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) on the occasion of a donation agreement from China worth 10 million USD to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

"Following the promises that the Chinese leadership has made, we signed the agreement that aims mainly to provide humanitarian assistance to help the Lebanese government deal with the refugee crisis," Wang said.

"Since the Syrian crisis broke out, the Syrian people suffered a lot. We sympathize with them, and the Chinese government has provided through different channels and in different ways a lot of humanitarian assistance to the people in Syria and Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries," he added.

"We hope that the Chinese assistance will help to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian refugees, and wish sincerely the Syrian crisis can be solved politically as soon as possible, so as to solve the Syrian refugees issue fundamentally," Wang said.

For his part, head of the CDR, Nabil Jisr, who signed the agreement from the Lebanese side thanked China for its generosity, pointing out that it is not the first of its kind.

"We thank the Chinese government for this generous gesture which is not the first of its kind as we have received from China many aid and loans with no interest," Jisr said.

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees, Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 Million Syrians who fled their homeland since the rebellion against the regime of President Bashar Assad in March 2011.
LUSAKA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government has started revoking mining licenses for the mines which have remained dominant, a senior official said on Friday.

The government warned last year that it would start repossessing the dormant mining licenses and give them to serious investors. The miners had been given a 90-day notice.

Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development Paul Chanda said it has started revoking more than 600 mining licenses because the owners were not utilizing them.

He said there were a number of both large and small scale miners that were not utilizing their mining licenses.

"We are currently canceling mining licenses that have been dormant and those that have not been renewed. The process will be ongoing, we want to issue the licenses to serious investors who will utilize them," he was quoted as saying by the Times of Zambia.

The government, he said, has introduced an online licensing system which was making it easier to monitor mining activities as well as being used to automatically cancel the licenses which were not being utilized or renewed.

A number of foreign firms from Australia and the United Kingdom have expressed interest in putting up mining projects in areas already licensed. he added.
LISBON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The ambassador of Iraq here, Saad Mohammed Ridha, reached an out of court settlement on Friday with the family of Ruben Cavaco, a teenager left in a coma following an alleged assault by the diplomat's twin sons, according to local media reports.

However, the criminal process will continue autonomously on behalf of the Public Prosecutor's Office, and the diplomat's twin sons will be taken to court if their diplomatic immunity is lifted.

According to Cavaco's lawyer Santana Maia Leonardo, the extrajudicial agreement took place on Friday and the case was closed for the family, but he did not reveal the amount paid to the family.

The 17-year old twins, Haider and Ridha Ali, sons of the Iraqi ambassador, were accused of attacking 15-year-old Cavaco in the town of Ponte de Sor around 180 km northeast of Lisbon on Aug. 17.

The twin brothers were at first detained by police but soon freed after discovering they were sons of Ridha, as they have diplomatic immunity from prosecution.

Portugal's foreign ministry has twice asked Iraq to lift diplomatic immunity from its ambassadors' sons, however, the Iraqi authorities requested Portugal to provide further legal details relating to the investigation.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Middle East envoy said Friday that he is concerned with the situation in Gaza amid electricity shortages.

UNickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that he is following with great concern the tense situation unfolding in Gaza after 2 million Palestinians have been left with just a couple of hours of electricity per day in the middle of winter, according to Eri Kaneko, associate spokesperson for UN Secretary-Gereral Antonio Guterres.

Mladenov called for the full respect of peaceful protest and assembly in Gaza, said Kaneko, citing Mladenov as saying that all responsible authorities must cooperate to resolve the electricity crisis immediately.

The police forces of Islamic Hamas movement rule in the Gaza Strip dispersed on Thursday night thousands of demonstrators who protested against an unprecedented electricity crisis in the coastal enclave.

Witnesses said that thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in northern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabalia to demonstrate against the unresolved mounting electricity crisis.
BANJUL, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- ECOWAS delegation failed to reach a deal with Gambian President Yaya Jammeh to step down, the head of the delegation, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said here on Friday.

But he said the talks were not conclusive because the team of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) were mandated to do so by the full body of ECOWAS heads of state at the last summit meeting, said Onyeama.

The delegation visiting Banjul included Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who's the chairperson of ECOWAS, and Ghana's former President John Mahama. They had closed-door meetings with President Jammeh, and then with President-elect Adama Barrow.

"The ECOWAS delegation will brief the ECOWAS heads of state on the discussions they have had today. After that briefing, the ECOWAS heads of state will then take a definitive decision on a plan of action," he told reporters at a press conference Friday evening.

He dismissed reports that diplomacy was failing. "We are optimistic that we will have an outcome that is in conformity with the constitution of The Gambia and fully reflects the will of the people of the country," he said.

Jammeh had lost the presidential election on December 1. He conceded defeat first but changed his mind a week later. This is the second time in less than a month that ECOWAS leaders visited Banjul in efforts to solve the political impasse that emanated from the Gambian presidential election.

Jammeh had outrightly criticised ECOWAS after they told him to accept defeat and step down at the previous talks, but he has not yet publicly commented on the latest meeting with ECOWAS leaders.

However, the spokesman for President-elect Adama Barrow, Halifa Sallah, confirmed that they were still in the process of negotiation.

"It is not conclusive," he said, after Barrow's meeting with ECOWAS leaders. "We hope their efforts would continue. We are waiting for more efforts to be able to narrow down the differences."

Meanwhile, the ECOWAS delegation left Banjul Friday night to Bamako, capital of Mali, along with Barrow, where they will attend the 27th Summit of Africa-France on Saturday.

"In consultation with both Barrow and Jammeh, ECOWAS team has decided to leave Banjul tonight in the company of President-elect Barrow, for Bamako, for a meeting with the full body of heads of state of ECOWA countries," Onyeama said.

ECOWAS is made up of 15 member countries that are located in the Western African region. These countries have both cultural and geopolitical ties and shared common economic interest.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Friday that they had stepped up their assistance in several European countries which were experiencing harsh winter conditions.

Eri Kaneko, associate spokesperson for UN Secretary-Gereral Antonio Guterres, said at the UN noon briefing that in Greece, hundreds of people had been transferred to better accommodation in Lesvos and Chios over the past few days.

In Serbia, some 1,200 males still stayed in inadequate informal sites in Belgrade city center, including up to 300 unaccompanied or separated boys.

UNHCR was extremely concerned by reports that several refugees and migrants had lost their lives trying to enter or move across Europe, including five since the beginning of the year, due to the freezing weather, said Kaneko.
ABIDJAN, JAN.13 (Xinhua) -- Shootings of automatic firearms were heard Friday night after 9 pm (local time) at the Akouedo military camp (east of Abidjan) and later at the Gallieni military camp (center of Abidjan), according to witnesses living close to these areas.

These shots occurred when the Ivorian Defense Minister and the mutineers were negotiating in Bouake in the center of the country to find a response to the demands of the military.

These demands, which were the subject of a mutiny last weekend, concern the payment of premiums, the best working conditions and wage improvements.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said on Friday that the Group of 77 (G77) and China need to work together in improving global economic governance in 2017.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal at a ceremony here during which Thailand handed over the rotating chairmanship of the G77 to Ecuador.

While congratulating Ecuador on its assumption of the chairmanship, Wu said the G77 and China will maintain its unity and collaboration in promoting common development and safeguarding common interests in 2017.

"We need to steadfastly advance the reform of international economic governing system, effectively increase the representation of developing countries and support the UN in playing a bigger role in global economic governance," said Wu.

Wu also acknowledged that under the leadership of Thailand last year, G77 and China cooperated closely in promoting the implementation of sustainable development agenda, safeguarding the common interests of developing countries and increasing the influence of the G77 in international affairs.

The G77, established in 1964, is now a coalition of more than 130 developing UN member states plus China. The group is the largest inter-governmental organization of developing countries within the UN, aiming to promote collective economic interest and gain leverage within the international community.

The group's chairmanship rotates on a regional basis among countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean and is held for one year term.

Related:

Interview: Chinese president's Switzerland trip to have important impact on global economy, governance -- senior diplomat

GENEVA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled multilateral diplomatic activities in Geneva and Davos during his upcoming visit to Switzerland will have an important and far-reaching influence on the global economic recovery and governance system reform, a senior Chinese diplomat said Wednesday.

On Jan. 15-18, Xi will pay a state visit to Switzerland and attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. Full story

Xinhua Insight: China's economy, globalization to be on top of President Xi's Davos agenda

BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping will discuss the latest developments in China's economy and more inclusive globalization during his first visit to the Davos summit.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A review led by the University of California, Berkeley, suggests global climate change threatens parasites with extinction, which could have big consequences for ecosystems.

Published Friday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the study found that parasites in hosts with variable internal temperatures, parasites of large-bodied hosts, host-specific parasites and parasites with complex life cycles, will likely be the most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.

It predicts that losing parasites could destabilize ecosystems in many ways, such as by increasing more virulent disease or by altering the food web or changing host physiology.

"This is the first comprehensive review of how climate change may affect parasite biodiversity, from the point of view of parasite conservation," said Carrie Cizauskas, who led the research as a postdoctoral affiliate in the lab of Wayne Getz, a professor of wildlife ecology in UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

As the vast majority of research into parasites and environment change focuses on how hosts, particularly humans, will be harmed, previous research suggested that parasites were up to 10 times more vulnerable to extinction than were their hosts.

In the new study, the researchers suggest that parasites are as prone to extinction due to climate change as any other taxonomic group. A forthcoming review from Cizauskas and Colin Carlson, a graduate student in the same department and co-lead author of this review, attempts to quantify these parasite extinction risks using existing data and modeling.

"Ultimately, our goal is for this review to act as a catalyst for further research efforts and discussions regarding the important and little-addressed topic of parasite vulnerability in the face of climate change," Cizauskas was quoted as saying in a news release.
BERLIN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- RB Leipzig have sealed the transfer of defender Dayot Upamecano from Salzburg, the Bundesliga club confirmed in an official statement on Friday.

The 18-year-old center-back, who received the jersey number 17, has penned a four-and-a-half year contract to stay in Leipzig until June 2021.

"We are very delighted that, despite numerous offers from international top clubs, he has decided to joins us in order make his next career step here," Leipzig's sporting director Ralf Rangnick said.

"We are convinced that Dayot will be able to strengthen our squad qualitivly in the short term," he added.

The Frenchman made overall 23 competitive appearances for Salzburg. He is, in addition, the eighth player who joined from the Austrian champions to Leipzig.

Newly promoted RB Leipzig sit currently on second place of the standings. They clash with fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the 17th round of Bundesliga on January 21.
Law enforcement and government officials have received numerous death threats from opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline, court documents allege.

Affidavits filed in a civil rights complaint against law enforcement officials responding to the monthslong protests detail threats made on social media and elsewhere. An affidavit from Cody Larson, a criminal intelligence analyst with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, includes a brief description of a Dec. 12 phone call from a homeless man who wanted former Gov. Jack Dalrymple to resign immediately or he wont make it until Wednesday.

The Associated Press reported Friday that the Highway Patrol investigated threats against Dalrymple, who left office last month.

Mike Nowatzki, spokesman for Gov. Doug Burgum, deferred to the Highway Patrol on Capitol security questions.

Im not at liberty to discuss that, he said.

Sgt. Tim Coughlin of the Highway Patrol said there wouldnt be any change in the level of security between the incoming and outgoing governors. But he noted the recent addition of metal detectors at some entrances of the state Capitol.

Last week, attorneys defending the law enforcement officers in the civil rights complaint submitted a motion for a protective order, arguing that a compelling government interest exists to protect and maintain the anonymity of law enforcement officers and other public officials in this case.

Protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would run from western North Dakota to Illinois, originally stemmed from objections raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which worries the oil pipeline would harm sacred sites and contaminate drinking water if it leaked.

The protests have turned violent at times. The civil rights complaint against Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier and others claims officers have used excessive force against protesters, who prefer the term water protectors.

Kirchmeiers affidavit, filed Jan. 6, said he has received threatening emails, social media messages, letters and phone messages. He said he and his wife have also been doxxed, in which his personal information was published online.

Many protesters have maintained their actions have been peaceful, and officials have blamed outside agitators for conflicts.
Wu Haitao (R, front), China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, votes in favor of a Security Council resolution endorsing the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as the new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said on Friday that the Group of 77 (G77) and China need to work together in improving global economic governance in 2017.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal at a ceremony here during which Thailand handed over the rotating chairmanship of the G77 to Ecuador.

While congratulating Ecuador on its assumption of the chairmanship, Wu said the G77 and China will maintain its unity and collaboration in promoting common development and safeguarding common interests in 2017.

"We need to steadfastly advance the reform of international economic governing system, effectively increase the representation of developing countries and support the UN in playing a bigger role in global economic governance," said Wu.

Wu also acknowledged that under the leadership of Thailand last year, G77 and China cooperated closely in promoting the implementation of sustainable development agenda, safeguarding the common interests of developing countries and increasing the influence of the G77 in international affairs.

The G77, established in 1964, is now a coalition of more than 130 developing UN member states plus China. The group is the largest inter-governmental organization of developing countries within the UN, aiming to promote collective economic interest and gain leverage within the international community.

The group's chairmanship rotates on a regional basis among countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean and is held for one year term.
SYDNEY, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A swathe of high profile Australians on Saturday called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to immediately establish an anti-corruption watchdog after recent indiscretions led to the resignation of his Health Minister Sussan Ley.

The letter, signed by more than 40 public figures, includes the signatures of former Western Australia Premier Geoff Gallop, along with lawyers, prosecutors and academics.

Signatories were adamant that the institution of a watchdog will bring about increased accountability for politicians and restore the waning trust in the federal parliament by the general public.

"The public is sick and tired of the lack of accountability revealed by repeated scandals involving federal politicians and others," the letter said.

"It's time to create an independent anti-corruption watchdog to investigate and expose corruption and serious misconduct at the federal level, including among federal parliamentarians."

Turnbull has insisted a new authority will be created, with its objective to monitor all work-related expenses of federal politicians to provide greater transparency.
QUITO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group on Friday said it was hopeful that peace talks with the government would be successful.

"We hope to provide good news about the dialogue with the government," the rebels posted via Twitter in the lead up to a meeting here with representatives of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Later, ELN Ranpal, the group's official radio station, reported "there was a meeting between several government delegates and several ELN delegates to coordinate future meetings."

Talks are to "get going tomorrow," Ranpal said on Twitter.

The peace initiative follows Santos' recent signing of a definitive peace deal with the country's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, to end five decades of civil war.
by Raimundo Urrechaga

HAVANA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cubans welcomed on Friday a White House decision to scrap the so-called "wet foot, dry foot" U.S. immigration policy, which incited some to risk dangerous crossings into the U.S. by water.

On the streets of Havana, locals talked about the new measure, which is expected to promote orderly, safe and legal migration by eliminating special treatment for Cuban citizens when they illegally landed in U.S. territory.

"Over the years it was a very unfair law, because many Cubans died at sea and created many inconveniences for Cuba. It was a very good decision to eliminate that policy," state worker Lazaro Barcaza told Xinhua.

Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that the United States is ending this special immigration policy that granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the United States without visas.

Cubans also feel that the new step implies a commitment on both sides to promote orderly imigration to the United States, due to its geographical proximity and the large number of Cubans who currently there.

"We have long been waiting for that measure and it is a good step to reestablish and improve immigration ties with the United States," retiree Jose Cabrera, 77, said.

In place since 1995, the "wet foot, dry foot" policy allowed Cubans who succeeded in stepping foot on U.S. soil - often following hazardous journeys aboard rickety boats - to remain in the country and apply for permanent residency.

Cuba has been calling for an end to the policy since 2002, but that was rejected by then-president George W. Bush.

After almost a year of negotiations with the Obama administration, the two governments reached a deal to end the polemic policy earlier this week.

The new decision is one of the measures concerning Cuba that Obama are making in his final days in office, with an eye to consolidating his foreign policy changes towards the Caribbean island.

Since formal diplomatic relations were restored in July of 2015, agreements in security, energy, air transportation, environment, commerce and tourism have been signed between the two countries.

However, there is no guarantee that the next U.S. president Donald Trump will not override them.

On Thursday, Obama also said in a statement that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is ending the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program, a policy seen as aiming at luring skilled Cuban health professionals to the United States.

"It was a law that was detrimental to Cuba's health resources, which are a valuable resource," 43-year-old doctor Angel Trimino said.
BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Argentina plans to buy a fleet of electric buses from Chinese firm BYD, to supply a pilot project in several cities around the country, local media reported.

Citing a statement put out by the electric-vehicle maker, the daily La Voz said Thursday that "BYD was chosen" from among a handful of companies to provide 50 electric buses.

BYD's statement said it participated in a tender launched by the Environment Ministry of Argentina, and "the bid evaluation committee chose BYD amongst a pool of five bidders for its successful 12-meter electric bus, which is already widely used in cities such as London, Los Angeles (and) Amsterdam".

The company said it "expects to receive the necessary allocation within the next few weeks".

In addition, "to better satisfy market demands, BYD plans to build a new local manufacturing plant in Argentina," the company said, adding the move will bring foreign investment to Argentina and generate jobs.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, BYD employs some 160,000 people worldwide and operates an office in Los Angeles.

During a visit to Argentina by BYD senior managers in May 2016, Argentine President Mauricio Macri and Environment Minister Sergio Bergman "expressed their high expectations for the introduction of BYD technologies and electric vehicle models to their nation's public transportation systems," the company said.

BYD has been active in Argentina since 2011.
NANNING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Rice noodles with snails, a signature dish sold at street stalls in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are being exported to the United States, a company said.

A combination of Han, Miao and Dong cuisine, "luosifen" is made from pickled bamboo, dried turnip, fresh vegetables and peanuts, and served in a spicy noodle broth flavored with river-snails.

In Liuzhou city, Guangxi, luosifen is usually sold from roadside stands or in night markets.

On Friday, about 50,000 packets of such noodles, worth about 600,000 yuan (about 87,000 U.S. dollars), were shipped to the United States, said Jia Defa, manager of Liuzhou Luozhuangyuan Food Company Ltd.

The popular local cuisine has entered international market long ago, but has never been officially exported due to standards compliance problems.

With improved technology and quality control, companies in Liuzhou are now able to produce noodles compliant with international standards.

Luozhuangyuan was cleared by the inspection and quarantine agency to export last year, and the recent shipment was the first to be exported to the United States and Canada with customs clearance.

Listed as an intangible cultural heritage for Guangxi in 2008, the dish was featured in the hit foodie-travel show "A Bite of China" in 2012.

According to Liuzhou government, there are more than 5,000 Luosifen noodle shops on Taobao, with 200,000 packets sold everyday.

In 2016, sales of the noodles generated 1.5 billion yuan.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he could lift the sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the United States, a newspaper report said Friday.

Trump said he will keep the sanctions, imposed by the Barack Obama administration on Moscow for its alleged cyberattacks to influence last year's U.S. presidential election, "at least for a period of time," the Wall Street Journal said in a report on its website on an interview with Trump.

But "if you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" he asked.

Trump, who will be sworn in next week, added that he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he takes office.

"I understand that they would like to meet, and that's absolutely fine with me," he said.

Earlier Friday, Trump's spokesman said Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security adviser, took a phone call from Russia's Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak late last month. The two discussed setting up a call between Trump and Putin after Trump is sworn in next Friday.

Trump's openly pro-Russia stance has been scrutinized recently amid U.S. intelligence's conclusion that Russia helped him win the presidential election through hacking activities.

Quoting unsubstantiated intelligence reports, U.S. media also revealed Wednesday that Russia might have owned compromising materials about Trump, who made a visit to Moscow in 2013. Trump has strongly denied those reports.

At his first news conference after winning the race, Trump on Wednesday accepted the conclusion that Russia indeed sought to influence the U.S. presidential election with hacking, but he quickly added that Russia was not the only country that launched cyber attacks against the United States.

In another related development, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee announced Friday it would investigate Russia's possible meddling in the 2016 race.
Photo taken on Jan. 14, 2017 shows smokes rising from the crash site of a Thai Air Force's Gripen combat fighter during a National Children's Day flight show at Hat Yai international airport, southern Thailand. (Xinhua Photo)

BANGKOK, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Thai air force's Gripen combat fighter crashlanded on Saturday at an airport in southern Thailand, killing the pilot.

The pilot, identified as Sqn. Ldr. Dilokrit Pathavi, was reportedly killed as the Swedish-built JAS 39 Gripen fighter crashlanded at Hat Yai international airport, about 750 km south of Bangkok.

The air force is yet to investigate the incident which occurred during a flight show for local children on the occasion of the National Children's Day.

The airport, primarily open for passenger flights, was temporarily closed for a few hours following the mishap of the Gripen aircraft.

The air force has planned to buy four more JAS 39 Gripen fighters to add to its current squadron of 12, deployed at Air Wing 7 in Surat Thani province in the southern region.
SYDNEY, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Trade, the TPP, military cooperation, tourism and security were on the agenda as visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday.

The meeting, held at Turnbulls Sydney residence, Kirribilli House, followed a previous engagement earlier in the day when both leaders attended a economic partnership conference with New South Wales Premier Mike Baird, federal Trade Minister Steven Ciobo and business representatives from Japan that joined Abe on the visit to Australia.

Both leaders, in a joint press conference outside Kirribilli House late in the afternoon, were quick to stress the importance of the bilateral ties.

The key focus of our discussions were strategic and economic, weve confirmed our commitment to the rule of law, free trade, and open markets in our region, Turnbull said.

Abe echoed his counterpart's statements, saying the talks were meaningful and that both nations confirmed their intention to maintain solid cooperation with the incoming Trump administration which will be taking office soon.

The Australian stop is the second leg of a week long Asian tour by Abe.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group have set on fire 60 residential houses in Kot district of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, spokesman for provincial government Attaullah Khogiani said Saturday.

"A group of IS rebels stormed some areas in Kot district Friday evening and set ablaze 60 residential houses," Khogiani told reporters here.

However, he added the locals had vacated their houses before the attack and therefore there is no report on loss of life.

There is no comment from the hardliner militant group on the subject yet.

Militants loyal IS outfit has been operating in parts of Nangarhar province with Jalalabad as its capital 120 km east of Kabul over the past nearly two years.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai cautioned certain American nationals against making irresponsible remarks on the South China Sea issue, while expressing hope to have closer communication and cooperation with the new U.S. administration.

Speaking on Thursday night in New York while attending an annual gala dinner of the China General Chamber of Commerce -- U.S.A.(CGCC), Cui said China looks forward to building a new type of relationship with Washington, featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

"It is hoped that everyone will make constructive contribution toward that end," the ambassador said.

He urged "some people" in the United States to be more careful and act in a more responsible way when talking about possible disputes in other people's waters.

Cui's remarks came after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of State talked tough on the South China Sea dispute.

Rex Tillerson, former chairman and CEO of the oil giant ExxonMobil, told a Senate hearing Thursday that China should stop island building in the South China Sea and be denied access to these islands, which China regards as an integral part of its territory.

Meanwhile, Cui highlighted the importance of China-U.S. relations in realizing China's goals of building a relatively prosperous society.

In order to accomplish these tremendous tasks, China needs a stable, peaceful, and supportive international environment. "For that international environment, the key is the relationship with the U.S.," he said.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Washington in 1979, great progress has been made. "Now, we look forward to even closer cooperation and communication with the new administration in a few days time," Cui said.

The road ahead will have obstacles, but China is determined to overcome difficulties and develop a stronger, more stable and more productive relationship with the United States, because this serves the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples, and certainly the world at large, he said.

"This is a shared responsibility of China and the U.S. to the global community," the ambassador added.

The CGCC awarded Cui "Goodwill Ambassador for China-U.S. Exchange" at the dinner, which was attended by over 500 people from government, business communities and think tanks of the two countries.
GUANGZHOU, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Six people died and 15 others suffered injuries Saturday in a 19-car pile-up on a highway in south China's Guangdong Province, local traffic authority said.

The accidents occurred at around 9:29 a.m. in Qingyuan city, along a highway that connects Guangdong with Hunan Province to the north.

Seven vehicles caught fire.

Rescue operation is underway.
NEW DELHI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- In a stern message to Pakistan, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has said that New Delhi has the "right to retaliate" if Islamabad rejects its peace overtures.

"We have told the adversary to accept peace and in case that offer is not reciprocated, then this method of operations (surgical strikes) shall continue. The aim is to ensure peace and tranquillity and it (surgical strike) shall not be needed if there is peace," the Army chief said at his first media meet on Friday, after taking over the reins of the Indian army on Dec. 31.

The Indian Army had, some months back, claimed to have carried out surgical strikes across the border in Pakistan in the wake of militant attacks on one of its camps in Indian-controlled Kashmir's Uri sector, in which nearly 20 soldiers were killed.

Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan and both the countries have fought at least three major wars over the disputed territory in the past 65 years.

India has blamed Pakistan for almost all major terror attacks in Kashmir, a claim mostly rejected by Islamabad.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, shakes hands with military veterans and ex-officers at a festive art performance held for them in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Hi, here's what you need to know about China.

BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday extended Spring Festival greetings to military veterans.

As a festive art performance was held for the veterans and ex-officers in Beijing, Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the gathering and expressed his best wishes to all veterans and retired officers.

The veterans expressed their support for building a strong army under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. http://xhne.ws/JQh9r

----

SHANGHAI -- Cooperation between the five BRICS countries will be strengthened during Chinese presidency over the bloc in 2017, said BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) president K.V. Kamath.

Kamath made the comment in an interview with Xinhua at NDB headquarters in Shanghai on Friday.

"Importantly, the summit comes at a time when you can clearly see the five countries establishing themselves as an economic force," noted Kamath. http://xhne.ws/RbxY1

----

BEIJING -- Smog will hit some parts in north and central China on Saturday, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) warned, urging local authorities to make plans.

The smog, which will return to Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces, is expected to last until a cold front comes to the rescue around Thursday, the ministry said.

Authorities in the affected regions were asked to adopt plans to cut emissions and mitigate pollution. The environment ministry will send inspection teams to check implementation of the plans. http://xhne.ws/qTLOv

----

GENEVA -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Switzerland reflects the importance attached by the Chinese leadership to Sino-Swiss relations, indicating firm confidence and great expectations for future bilateral ties, China's Ambassador to Switzerland Geng Wenbing said Friday.

During Xi's four-day visit, the leaders of the two countries will meet eight times on various occasions and conduct a thorough and in-depth discussion on bilateral relations and issues of common concern, the diplomat told Xinhua in an interview. http://xhne.ws/qSOlZ

----

WASHINGTON -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai cautioned certain American nationals against making irresponsible remarks on the South China Sea issue, while expressing hope to have closer communication and cooperation with the new U.S. administration.

Speaking on Thursday night in New York while attending an annual gala dinner of the China General Chamber of Commerce -- U.S.A.(CGCC), Cui said China looks forward to building a new type of relationship with Washington, featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

He urged "some people" in the United States to be more careful and act in a more responsible way when talking about possible disputes in other people's waters. http://xhne.ws/kVXa8
by Will Koulouris

SYDNEY, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in town on Saturday for talks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the latter's Kirribilli House residence in Sydney.

Trade, security and tourism were on the agenda in the closed door dialogue; but the two leaders were part of a larger delegation earlier in the day, which included New South Wales Premier Mike Baird and federal Trade Minister Steven Ciobo, along with business leaders, to discuss economic opportunities between the two nations.

While addressing members of the delegation, Ciobo expressed hoped for the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by all 12 countries, and stressed Australia's commitment to ensuring free trade is realized.

With all the focus on the economy and security, there were some who argued that Turnbull should have added to the agenda the current illegal whaling Japanese fishermen are conducting in Australian waters in the Southern Ocean.

Speaking to Xinhua, Australian Greens Senator Nick McKim said he rejects suggestions that Turnbull should avoid the delicate subject in order to protect the bilateral relationship, and wants Turnbull's strong border stance extended to protecting Australia's waters from illegal whalers.

"Mr Turnbull has again shown he does not have the courage to speak up for the magnificent marine creatures being illegally slaughtered by Japan. If Australia's relationship with Japan is as strong as Mr Turnbull claims, it provides the perfect opportunity for disagreements to be raised and addressed," McKim said.

"As for Mr Abe, he should ensure that the $1m Australian Federal Court fine is paid and show some respect to the ICJ decision," he said.

An Australian court in 2015 has fined a Japanese whaling company 1 million Australian dollars (about 750,000 U.S. dollars) for whale hunting within an Australian whale sanctuary.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) had ordered Japan in 2014 to stop the "annual massacre of whales in the Antarctic Ocean."

Japanese state media reported earlier in the day that there were a few key points that Abe was looking to discuss with Turnbull, including making the military pact between the two nations more robust, discussing freedom of navigation measures, and ensuring the TPP comes into effect.

Both leaders held a joint press conference outside Kirribilli House after the meeting, where they reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation.

"The key focus of our discussions were strategic and economic, we've confirmed our commitment to the rule of law, free trade, and open markets in our region," Turnbull said, adding that "we have recommitted to creating, to consolidating...a 21st century relationship."

Abe echoed his counterpart's sentiments, saying the talks were meaningful and both nations have confirmed their intention to "maintain solid cooperation with the incoming Trump administration which will be taking office soon."

Abe's Australia visit is part of a week long Asian excursion, which had taken him to the Philippines. He will continue his trip to Indonesia and Vietnam.

Abe is expected back in Japan on Tuesday.
Yu Zhengsheng (R), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, meets with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng met General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong Friday evening, calling for enhanced strategic communication and political trust between the two neighboring countries.

Yu, who is chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said China-Vietnam ties had entered a new stage of sustained healthy and steady development under the guidance of both countries' top leaders.

The current situation had not come by easily and, thus, should be all the more valued, said Yu.

He called on both countries to make the most of the opportunity to enhance strategic communication, strengthen political mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation, and expand people-to-people exchanges to inject new dynamic into the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between the two.

The CPPCC is willing to further deepen exchanges with Mat Tran to Guoc Vietnam (Fatherland Front of Vietnam) to contribute more to China-Vietnam ties, he said.

Trong, for his part, said it is the consensus between Vietnam and China to boost traditional friendship and bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

The Vietnamese side spoke highly of the relations between the Fatherland Front of Vietnam and the CPPCC and hopes they will make greater contribution to developing bilateral ties, Trong said.

After the meeting, Yu and Trong attended a grand reception marking the 67th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties as well as the upcoming Lunar New Year.

China and Vietnam established diplomatic ties on Jan. 18, 1950. Both countries celebrate Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 28 this year.

Trong arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a four-day official visit.
DAVAO CITY, the Philippines, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen released their South Korean national and Filipino captives Saturday in Sulu in southern Philippines, presidential adviser on the peace process Jesus Dureza said.

Dureza, who fetched the victims in Jolo Saturday morning, arrived at the Davao airport shortly before noon with victims Master Park Chul Hong, 38, and crewman Glenn Alindajao, 31, of Dongbang Giant 2 ship.

In October last year, 10 Abu Sayyaf armed men boarded the ship and kidnapped its captain, Hong and Alindajao in Celebes sea off Bongao in Tawitawi.

Dureza said no ransom money was paid in exchange for the released of the hostages.

"As far as I know there was no ransom money involved. You know the police of the government. We don't pay ransom. But if there are efforts taken by the private sector, that is there concern and not ours," he said.

"They were taken by the group whose leader was called Abraham. And then Abraham was killed in military operation. And then they were passed on to another group," he added.

Dureza said the captives were turned over to him by Sulu Governor Sakur Tan around 7:40 a.m. local time in Jolo.

The government official said 27 more captives are still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf.
Liu Qibao (R), head of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's publicity department, meets with his counterpart of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Vo Van Thuong, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Cui Xinyu)

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Liu Qibao, head of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's publicity department, met with Vo Van Thuong, his counterpart of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), here on Friday.

The meeting is part of an official visit to China by General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

Liu said the two sides need to enhance media cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges so as to contribute to the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

Thuong, head of the CPV Central Committee's Communication and Education Commission, said Vietnam was willing to implement the consensus reached by top leaders of both countries to further deepen cooperation and cement traditional friendship.
BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese procuratorates at all levels in 2016 approved the arrest of 19,345 suspects involved in telecom or cyber fraud.

The information was released at a national meeting attended by chief prosecutors at all levels on Saturday.

It was told at the meeting, procuratorial agencies will research "campus loans" offered to university students, to prevent possible fraud schemes targeting relevant groups.

The authorities pledged to continue applying "high pressure" on those who commit telecom and cyber fraud this year.

It said a special campaign to address the stealing, leakage and sale of citizens' personal information would also be improved.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces arrested the person who was in charge of financial affairs of al-Qaeda group in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, said a provincial government statement released here on Friday.

"Our special forces arrested Hazratullah, the local financier of Al-Qaida terrorist group along with 4 other suspected militants in Shinvar district of Nangarhar province on Thursday's night," the statement said.

According to the statement, during the operations six terrorists have been killed and three others wounded.

Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Islamic State (IS) groups have been active in parts of the eastern provinces of Afghanistan over the past several years.

Last October three senior al-Qaeda members were killed following a U.S. drone strike in eastern Kunar province.
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Taliban shadowy governor for the troubled Helmand province is among 12 militants who were killed in Sangin district on Saturday, an army spokesman in the province said.
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Taliban shadowy governor for the troubled Helmand province is among 12 militants who were killed in Sangin district on Saturday, an official with Public Relations office of the national army in the province said.

"Acting on a tip off the units of Army's Special Forces raided a Taliban hideout in Sangin district early today and killed 12 rebels including Mullah Agha the shadowy governor of Taliban for Helmand province," the official told Xinhua but refused to be identified.

He also added that crackdown against Taliban from the ground and air will continue to evict militants from Helmand province.

Taliban militants are yet to make comment.

The poppy growing Helmand province has been the scene of bloody fighting between Taliban and government forces over the past couple of years.
DHAKA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi police Saturday said they have arrested another key mastermind of the brutal Dhaka cafe attack from the country's central Tangail district.

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Friday night arrested Jahangir Alam alias 'Rajib Gandhi,' a leader of Neo-JMB blamed for the deadly attack.

Neo-JMB is an offshoot of the banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Monirul Islam, chief of DMP's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, told journalists Saturday morning that Alam is believed to have played a key role in a number of terrorist attacks including the deadly attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan in July 2016.

The suspect was wanted in 20 to 22 cases filed in connection with terrorist attacks in recent years, he added.

He said Alam maintained close connections with many already arrested or killed cafe attacker.

Two militants including Gulshan cafe attack mastermind Nurul Islam Marzan were killed in a gunfight with police in capital Dhaka last week.

Bangladesh police have reportedly so far hunted down and killed at least 40 militants linked to the cafe attack, including mastermind Tamim Chowdhury who was killed in a police raid on Aug. 27 last year.

Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-Canadian and Sarwar Jahan, identified as Neo-JMB chief who was killed during a raid in October last year, have been blamed as the masterminds of the brutal attack on the Spanish cafe that left 20 hostages including 18 foreigners dead on July 1. last year.
Confiscated ivory are destroyed at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2015. The Chinese government on Friday destroyed 662 kg of confiscated ivory, in a move designed to demonstrate its stance against illegal wildlife trafficking. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

NAIROBI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A coalition of 15 African countries has welcomed China's commitment to closing its domestic ivory markets by the end of 2017, saying the move signals Beijing's goodwill in protecting Africa's elephants.

The countries that are members of the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi that the closure of China's ivory market is a crucial step to securing a future for elephants in their current range.

Brighton Kumchedwa, Director of National Parks and Wildlife for Malawi, welcomed Beijing's pledge to stop their domestic ivory trade in 2017, saying it will both reduce demand and close the legal markets through which criminals are known to launder illegal ivory.

"Malawi has taken our own fight to combat illegal ivory trade to another level -- just last month the courts have passed record sentences for wildlife crime, and parliament passed new wildlife legislation," Kumchedwa said.

"But as one country there is only so much we can do, and China's commitment has boosted our determination and belief that if we all work together we can indeed save Africa's elephants from extinction," the director said.

The EPI is a pledge by African leaders to actions to protect their elephants and to push for the closure of ivory markets in source, transit and consumer countries.

The announcement by China stipulated a phased schedule to revoke some licenses by March 2017 and to eventually stop all commercial ivory carving and retail sales by the end of 2017.

The plan also encourages shifting carvers to other materials and preserving ivory for their non-commercial cultural value.

"Their declaration shows a commitment to leadership on conservation at the highest level," said Dawud Mume Ali, Director General of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority.

Ali said the world must end its appetite for ivory which he said belongs to elephants.

Photo taken on May 29, 2015 shows confiscated ivory to be destroyed at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Beijing, capital of China. The Chinese government on Friday destroyed 662 kg of confiscated ivory, in a move designed to demonstrate its stance against illegal wildlife trafficking. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

"We hope that other consumer countries will join China in banning the trade. United we can make a difference," he added.

According to the Great Elephant Census, over 144,000 African elephants in the last seven years were slaughtered for ivory.

John Stephenson, CEO of Stop Ivory, which, together with Conservation International, serves as co-secretariat of the EPI, said the member states of the EPI, and their partners, know that to protect elephant populations, domestic ivory markets must close.

"Where markets exist, demand for ivory is perpetuated and easily laundered illegal ivory has a place to hide," said Stephenson.

He said the leadership and advocacy of African governments, particularly at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of the Parties in September 2016 has undoubtedly played a key role in China's willingness and commitment to stop the trade.

In recent years, consignments of illegal ivory, many of which could be weighed by the tonne, were intercepted en route from Africa to Asia.

The involvement of highly organized criminal networks is clear, as is the devastating effect of their lucrative trade on elephant populations, local communities and national security.

The EPI was established in February 2014 at the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade by leaders from Botswana, Chad, Gabon, Ethiopia and Tanzania as an urgent response to this elephant poaching crisis.

They have since been joined by 10 more states: Uganda, Gambia, Malawi, Kenya, Liberia, Congo, Angola, Sierra Leone, Somalia and South Sudan.
Photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017 shows East Africa's largest port Mombasa Port in Mombasa, Kenya.

NAIROBI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Being East Africa's largest port, Mombasa port serves as an important logistic hub in the region, transporting containers to Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and etc.

China helped with its 19th berth expansion project which significantly improved the port's operational efficiency. Together with the under constructing Standard Gauge Railway which will connect Mombasa Port with Kenya's capital Nairobi, the port will help develop the economy of this country as well as the whole East Africa.

Workers unload the first batch of locomotives of the Standard Gauge Railway at Mombasa Port in Mombasa, Kenya, Jan. 9, 2017.

Photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017 shows East Africa's largest port Mombasa Port in Mombasa, Kenya.

Photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017 shows East Africa's largest port Mombasa Port in Mombasa, Kenya.

Workers wait to unload the first batch of locomotives of the Standard Gauge Railway at Mombasa Port in Mombasa, Kenya, Jan. 9, 2017.

Photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017 shows the 19th berth of East Africa's largest port Mombasa Port in Mombasa, Kenya.

A container is unloaded from a ship at the 19th berth in Mombasa Port, Mombasa, Kenya, Jan. 9, 2017.

A container is unloaded onto a truck at the 19th berth in Mombasa Port, Mombasa, Kenya, Jan. 9, 2017.

Photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017 shows the 19th berth of East Africa's largest port Mombasa Port in Mombasa, Kenya.
DUBAI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi congratulated Sudan Saturday on the lifting of some economic sanctions, imposed by the United States, Emirati state news agency WAM reported.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, made the remarks in a telephone call with Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.

Sheikh Mohamed said such "positive step" was in appreciation of Khartoum's role in "many regional issues," while Al-Bashir thanked Sheikh Mohamed for his fraternal feelings towards Sudan and its people.

As one of his last foreign policy actions, outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama lifted Friday some sanctions against Sudan in an executive order citing recent "positive actions" by the government of the African country.

Back in March 2015, Sudan joined the Saudi-led coalition which launched a military campaign against Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen. The campaign has been going on until today and the UAE is part of the coalition, too.

During the call, Sheikh Mohamed and Al-Bashir also discussed ways to enhance ties between the two fraternal countries.
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers beef up security in Mandera, Kenya, July 8, 2015. The town's proximity to Somalia makes it an easy target for Al-Shabaab militants to carry out its attacks. (Xinhua/Stephen Ingati)

NAIROBI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Sates has warned its citizens living in Kenya to avoid traveling to the border area between Somalia and Kenya because of threats by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

In a revised travel advisory issued on Friday, the U.S. State Department told Americans to avoid travel in the northeastern Kenyan counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa, the coastal counties of Tana River and Lamu in their entirety, all areas north of Malindi in Kilifi County, and the Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh.

"The U.S. citizens should also be aware of potential terrorist threats and the high risk of crime throughout the country," it said in its advisory which replaces that one issued in 2016.

Washington also advised its citizens to visit Old Town in the coastal city of Mombasa only at daylight hours and avoid using the Likoni Ferry due to safety concerns.

"Violent and sometimes fatal crimes, including armed carjackings, muggings, home invasions and burglaries and kidnappings can occur at anytime," it said.

Analysts have warned that the warnings especially in the tourism resorts in the coastal region are a blow to Kenya's already troubled tourist industry which relies on foreign visitor, many of whom combine safaris with beach holidays in Mombasa.

The East African nation relies heavily on the currency of foreigners that travel to see the wildlife and natural beauty of the land.

These terror attacks threaten the tourism business which the country so readily relies on, so by extension the economy is threatened too.

Terrorist targets have included Kenyan and foreign government sites, police stations and vehicles, hotels, public transportation and other infrastructure targets, nightclubs and bars, religious and academic institutions, and shopping areas.

On September 11, 2016, three masked women attacked a police station in Mombasa with knives and petrol bombs, wounding two Kenyan police officers.

In October 27, 2016, an assailant with a knife attacked a police officer guarding the U.S. Embassy compound. The assailant was however shot dead by the security officers.

According to Washington, terrorist attacks involving shootings, grenades, or other explosive devices resulted in 122 fatalities in 2016.

The bulk of these incidents occurred in Wajir, Garissa, Lamu and Mandera counties. However, it said potential terrorist threats remain in Kenya, including within the Nairobi area, along the coast, and within the northeastern region of the country.
ANKARA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 18 Islamic State (IS) terrorists were killed and 228 targets were hit by Turkish army in Al-Bab of northern Syria in the last 24 hours, Turkish General Staff stated on Saturday.

According to the Turkish army, 214 positions belonging to the terrorists have been shelled, with defense positions, shelters and command facilities, as well as weapons and vehicles destroyed.

A total of 14 airstrikes have been carried out near Al-Bab in Northern Syria, destroying eight shelters, two arms-laden vehicles, two headquarters and two defense positions.

A total of 2922 improvised explosive devices and 43 mines have been destroyed since the beginning of the operation, the military added.

The Turkish Armed Forces launched the Euphrates Shield Operation last August against both IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey regards the YPG and the PYD as terrorist organizations due to their links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi government forces on Saturday retook control on the southern part of the eastern side of Mosul after intense fighting with Islamic State (IS) group, the Iraqi military said.

The federal police and army soldiers made fast advance in the morning and freed Yaremja neighborhood and the remaining parts of nearby neighborhoods in the southern part of the eastern side of Mosul after defeating the defensive lines of IS militants, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

according to the statement, the latest progress confirms that the forces which advanced from southeastern Mosul have fulfilled their mission and are carrying out clearing operations in the freed areas to defuse booby traps and to chase possible presence of IS militants, Yarallah said.

In the eastern front, the commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) recaptured the remaining part of Mosul University complex and carrying out clearing operation to defuse roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings, Yarallah said in a televised statement.

On Friday, the elite CTS forces stormed in the morning the complex of Mosul University and managed to seize large part of the University complex, including its technical institute and student dormitories, after heavy clashes with IS militants, according to a JOC statement.

Separately, the CTS special forces recaptured several government buildings, including the building of Nineveh's provincial council, in al-Faisaliyah neighborhood after the troops defeated IS militants in the neighborhood in sporadic clashes during late Friday and Saturday morning, a source from CTS command told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Late on Friday, a JOC statement said that the CTS troops advanced since the early Friday morning into three neighborhoods of al-Sadriya, al-Naser and al-Faisaliyah in the central part of Mosul's eastern side and engaged in heavy clashes with IS militants, asserting that the troops freed the three neighborhoods but apparently sporadic clashes continued against small pockets of resistance.

The battles in Mosul came as the CTS commandos, army troops and federal police launched on Dec. 29 the second phase of a major offensive to free the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River which bisects the city.

Last month, battles in Mosul had been slowed as extremist militants used locals as human shields, resorted to suicide car bombs and made mortar and sniper attacks in stiff resistance.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Oct. 17 announced a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, Iraqi security forces, backed by international coalition forces, have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
DUBAI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in UAE capital Abu Dhabi grew eight percent year on year, equaling 95.145 billion dirham (25.92 billion dollars) compared with 88.95 billion dirham (24.24 billion dollars) in 2015, UAE state news agency WAM reported Saturday.

The WAM report quoted new figures issued by the Statistics Center Abu Dhabi (SCAD) for 2016.

The results indicated that 20.2 percent FDIs have gone to manufacturing industries, with a growth rate of 11.2 percent compared to 2015 when manufacturing industries received 19.5 percent of FDIs.

The share of FDIs into the property market, on the other hand, has declined.

Investments in real estate activities, including "real estate sales to non-residents", has taken 25.2 percent of FDIs to 27 percent of the total DFI, or 23.793 billion dirham in 2015, according to the SCAD figures.

According to global property consultancy JLL, 2016 saw a "general softening" of real state prices in Abu Dhabi as the low oil prices weighed on the economy.

The estimates has shown an increase in FDIs in financial and insurance activities, from 13.338 billion dirham (3.64 billion dollars) in 2015 to 14.672 billion dirham (four billion dollars) in 2016, with a growth rate of 10 percent in 2016.

Abu Dhabi hosts the UAE's new financial free zone, the Abu Dhabi Global Market which started operations in late 2015 and welcomed the first foreign banks last year, among them Aberdeen Asset Management from the United Kingdom and Australia's Macquarie Capital.

SCAD's report noted that the share of the extracting industries (including crude oil and natural gas) in FDIs has grown by 11 percent in 2016.

Khalifa bin Salem Al-Mansouri, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Acting Undersecretary, said "the results of SCAD's annual report reflects the efforts exerted by relevant local government bodies in managing and implementing FDIs-related policies and incentives," he added.

Under the government's strategic plan "Abu Dhabi 2030" the UAE capital emirate aims to reduce its dependency from hydro-carbon exports by diversifying the economy.
A cargo vessel anchors at the foreign trade container wharf of Qingdao Port in east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 13, 2016. The throughput of Qingdao Port in 2016 reached 500.36 million tons, exceeding 500 million tons for the first time, ranking seven in the world, the port said on Jan. 2, 2017. (Xinhua/Yu Fangping)

by Xinhua writer Liu Xinyong

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- What would the future of the world economy be if China's growth were to plunge? It is a scenario many China bears have predicted.

With both official and private figures released this month pointing to a stronger economy, they will probably be disappointed again.

Still, a "China collapse" would be good for no one, given the weight of the country's economy.

Ever since the global financial crisis, China has been the main engine and stabilizer of global economic growth and trade recovery. Data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showed that China contributed more than a quarter of global growth each year between 2009 and 2015.

Despite a protracted slowdown, China's contribution to world growth in 2016 is again poised to top that of all other countries, even exceeding the figure for all developed economies combined.

The IMF has projected China's growth to be 6.6 percent with global growth at 3.1 percent in 2016. Taking into account China's 17.3-percent share of the global economy in 2015, the country would contribute about 1.1 percentage points -- more than a third -- of global economic growth for 2016.

However, China's growth last year appears set to hit 6.7 percent, the same as in the first three quarters of 2016 and beating the IMF forecast. If that rate is achieved, China will account for 1.2 percentage points of world growth.

Meanwhile, the contribution of the United States will only be about 0.3 percentage point, and the combined contribution from the developed world will be just 0.8 percentage point.

Citing data from the World Bank, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday in an article that China's contribution to world growth in 2016 would be about a third, also the largest among all countries.

Facing pressures from a weak global recovery, rising trade protectionism, domestic debt overhang and excess capacity, will China's growth plunge to the low single digits, or even into negative territory?

U.S. economist Stephen Roach has said no.

"China has the strategy, wherewithal and commitment to achieve a dramatic structural transformation into a services-based consumer society while dodging daunting cyclical headwinds," according to Roach.

A U.S. billionaire investor predicted last year that "a hard landing is practically unavoidable." A foreign bank forecast China's GDP growth to nosedive to 3 percent, while a think tank expected China's economy to crash. Clearly, they were all wrong.

But what if the China bears were right? Without China's 2016 growth, what would have happened to the world economy?

The immediate effect would be the vanishing of more than a third of global growth, dragging the IMF's 3.1-percent estimate for 2016 to 1.9 percent, even below the threshold associated with a global recession.

The damage would not stop there. Since opening its economy, China has become closely entangled with the rest of the world in terms of trade and investment.

In its October World Economic Outlook report, the IMF said global spillover from China's slowdown would add to the direct effects, which analysts said could further reduce global growth to 1.6 percent, a rate rarely seen in recent decades and a nightmare for many countries.

A post-crisis world economy without Chinese growth would face grave trouble, so China bears need to be careful what they wish for, Roach has argued.

Given its size and pace, China's economy is too important to be ignored.

The country aims to hit annual growth of more than 6.5 percent and steer the economy on a quality and sustainable path in 2016-2020, and the world can count on China to help sustain global recovery and growth beyond that.

Related:

World Bank expects Chinese economy to grow 6.5 pct in 2017

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank on Tuesday kept its forecast for China's economic growth rate for 2017 unchanged at 6.5 percent, saying that the economy will continue sustainable growth as it is rebalancing from manufacturing to services, despite reemerging concerns for property markets. Full story

China Focus: China's economy likely to grow 6.7 pct in 2016: top economic planner
GENEVA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Swiss people applauded Chinese President Xi Jinping's signed article published ahead of his Jan. 15-18 state visit to Switzerland, saying more exchanges will lead to deeper friendship and better state-to-state relations.

At the beginning of the article, Xi cited the well-known Swiss poet and Nobel laureate Carl Spitteler as saying that there is no greater happiness than having friends who share the same outlook and destiny.

Lena Schulz, a Zurich resident, saw "a very friendly message" in the article published Friday in the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung.

"Switzerland and China can cooperate in many areas to benefit their two peoples," Schulz said. Before reading the article, she had heard about Xi's trip from TV news.

"There is a different China in different eyes. I hope I can travel to China soon, and watch the (2022) Olympic Winter Games in Beijing," she told Xinhua.

Increased people-to-people exchanges are among what Xi envisions for the future development of China-Switzerland relations in his article, in addition to continued high-level communications, practical innovation cooperation and a China-Switzerland free trade zone.

"I can't agree to this more," said Felix Schmit, who was interviewed by Xinhua on the streets of Zurich, which is Switzerland's biggest city and an economic, financial and cultural center in Western Europe.

"More exchanges will lead to better understanding and deeper friendship, hence better state-to-state relations," he said.

In sharing his feelings about Xi's article, Swiss netizen Adrian Heberlein said Switzerland and China can learn from and benefit each other through exchanges, while Ruedi Gamma praised the Swiss federal government for making the wise decision to develop an open dialogue with China in seeking common interests.

During his first overseas trip in 2017, Xi's scheduled attendance at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos and a tour of mostly Geneva-based international institutions have also drawn close attention.

"I have great hopes now of Xi participating in Davos (meeting). There you have a lot of leaders and decision markers present ...it is a great opportunity to convince other people to follow and work together on these issues of keeping the world an open place, environmental protection and all of that," said 41-year-old Swiss businessman Andries Diener, who had been based in China for years.

As a participant in WEF annual activities several times, Diener said he has "never been so concerned" about the "less predictable" world than today, where "the trend towards protectionism and populism is completely the other direction" to openness, exchanges and mutual respect.

He believed an "impact on the world has to come from countries like China."

Francois Subiger, an official responsible for media services at the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva, noticed that with increasingly more Chinese faces and voices in UN agencies over the years, China has turned from an onlooker into a participant and a leader on different issues, deeply involved in solutions to problems concerning peace, security and development as an important player in the international arena.

In France, Switzerland's neighbor, China expert Pierre Picard from the University of Paris VIII said the content of Xi's article shows China's intention of developing friendly cooperation with countries of different sizes, and that the people-to-people exchanges Xi advocates are badly needed for a globalization that benefits all people.
BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- China and Vietnam on Saturday issued a joint communique, pledging to manage maritime differences and safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea.

The communique was issued as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong paid a four-day official visit to China since Thursday.

China and Vietnam had "a candid exchange of views" on maritime issues, according to the communique.

Both countries pledged to seek basic and long-term solutions that both sides can accept via negotiation, and discuss transitional solutions that will not affect each other's stance including the research of joint development, it said.

Both sides agreed to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea and strive for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) on the basis of consensus in the framework of the DOC, said the communique.

Both sides agreed to manage maritime differences and avoid any acts that may complicate the situation and escalate tensions so as to safeguard peace and stability of the South China Sea, it said.

During Trong's four-day visit, he met with five of the seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, including talks with General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, and separate meetings with Premier Li Keqiang, top legislator Zhang Dejiang, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng and top graft-buster Wang Qishan.

Yu and Trong also attended a grand reception marking the 67th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties as well as the upcoming Lunar New Year.

According to the communique, both sides believed that the visit was a great success that had further enhanced political mutual trust, consolidated traditional friendship, deepened strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and contributed to regional peace, stability and development.

The two countries agreed that it was of great importance and strategic guidance to bilateral ties that the high-level officials of both countries and parties, especially the top leaders of the two countries, maintain frequent contact, it said, calling for more exchanges and cooperation via bilateral mutual visits, sending envoys, hotlines, annual meeting and meetings at multilateral occasions.

Both sides also encouraged cooperation on economy and trade, defense, security and law enforcement, cultural, youth and local areas, the communique said.

Vietnam supports and will actively participate in a summit forum on the international cooperation along the Belt and Road to be hosted by China in 2017, said the communique.

Besides Beijing, Trong also paid a visit to east China's Zhejiang Province, it said.

Related:

Commentary: China, Vietnam expected to embrace promising ties

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China and Vietnam are looking forward to a promising future in relations as a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation visits Beijing at the beginning of a new year. Full story

China, Vietnam agree on closer cooperation

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Communist Party chiefs of China and Vietnam agreed in Beijing on Thursday that two countries should expand cooperation in various fields including maritime exploration and put ties on the right track. Full story

Senior Chinese leaders meet Vietnamese party chief on stronger ties

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leaders Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang and Wang Qishan met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong in Beijing on Friday, vowing to boost relations. Full story

Chinese top political advisor meets Vietnamese party chief on closer ties
NAIROBI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency said Saturday it has repatriated some 39,316 Somali refugees in Kenya since the return exercise begun in December 2014.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its bi-weekly Update said out of the figure, some 33,725 were supported in 2016.

"The number of flights has been significantly increased as it remains the only mean of transportation to Somalia. Returns movements by air are organised to Mogadishu, Kismayu and Baidoa," it said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

The report said the UNHCR Dadaab will resume road movements to Somalia on Monday and the plan is to organize four convoys a week (each convoy will carry 350 -500 refugees).

"Verification, assessment and screening is ongoing for the registered refugees who have protection, health concerns and People with Specific Needs. These cases will be verified before being processed at the voluntary repatriation desk," it said.

Kenya in collaboration with the UNHCR are working on a program that will ensure a smooth and voluntary repatriation of over 300,000 refugees living in five camps at the Dadaab refugee camp after Nairobi announced the closure of the camp.

The UN agency has said it expects the majority of the remaining refugee population to return to Somalia throughout 2017 and possibly into early 2018.

Kenya which has since postponed the closure of Dadaab refugee camp says it has put solid measures in place to fast-track repatriation of Somalia refugee sand their re-integration in their native country.

The returns continue as the UN Peacebuilding Fund is set to allocate 3 million U.S. dollars on a pilot project that will provide peacebuilding and professional skills to Somali refugees volunteering to return from Kenya to Somalia.

The Fund said it will also help refugees settle down, and begin reintegration process into a community.

The UN Peacebuilding Fund notes that the project is unique as it reaches across borders and targets the same population, first in asylum in Dadaab, Kenya, and then upon return to Baidoa, Somalia.

It builds on an agreement between the governments of Kenya and Somalia and Office of the UNHCR on the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees living in Dadaab

The East African nation on November 16 2016 announced it will delay by six months the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp, the world's largest.

UNHCR has supported people's returns from Dadaab for years and in June, it worked with Kenya and Somalia to devise an action plan to that effect.

A survey between August and October found that 283,558 refugees were living at Dadaab, 58,000 fewer than in the past.

The UNHCR has since called on Kenya to be flexible in terms of a return time frame in order to meet the different elements of the plan that was devised earlier this year, citing a concern that rigid time frames would be difficult to meet.
BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese prosecutors will improve supervision of criminal investigations by the police authorities to ensure better due course of the law and human rights.

Procurator-General Cao Jianming told chief prosecutors at a national meeting on Saturday that the Criminal Procedure Law should be properly implemented and all procuratorial agencies should improve the supervision of the recording, investigation, trial and law enforcement of criminal cases.

Prosecutors were also told to play a greater role in the supervision of death penalty reviews.

China will begin to pilot a program whereby prosecutors are stationed at police stations downtown, the city outskirts and areas with high incidences of crimes, the meeting was told.

Implementation of supervisory system reform measures were stressed to fight corruption.

As procuratorial agencies in relevant pilot regions should properly carry out the reform measures, those in other regions were urged to ensure no weakening in the countercorruption campaign and no change in the "zero tolerance" stance against corruption.
This file photo taken on January 10, 2017 shows US President Barack Obama during his farewell address in Chicago, Illinois.

US President Barack Obama took the controversial step of easing some economic sanctions against Sudan on January 13, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

DUBAI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi congratulated Sudan Saturday on the lifting of some economic sanctions, imposed by the United States, Emirati state news agency WAM reported.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, made the remarks in a telephone call with Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.

Sheikh Mohamed said such "positive step" was in appreciation of Khartoum's role in "many regional issues," while Al-Bashir thanked Sheikh Mohamed for his fraternal feelings towards Sudan and its people.

As one of his last foreign policy actions, outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama lifted Friday some sanctions against Sudan in an executive order citing recent "positive actions" by the government of the African country.

Back in March 2015, Sudan joined the Saudi-led coalition which launched a military campaign against Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen. The campaign has been going on until today and the UAE is part of the coalition, too.

During the call, Sheikh Mohamed and Al-Bashir also discussed ways to enhance ties between the two fraternal countries.
BAMAKO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande pledged training and funding support for Africa to tackle security threat and boost economic growth.

The French leader made the pledge at the 27th Africa-France Summit, which opened here under heavy security.

"As long as we are united, as long as we are of solidarity, as long as we are together to eradicate the threats to peace, we can succeed," said Hollande to more than 30 African heads of state and government attending the summit.

Hollande promised that France, a victim of terrorism, will train 25,000 African soldiers per year for the coming three years to help the continent tackle security issues.

"France will always be by the side of Mali, till the Malian authorities will be respected across the whole territory of Mali," Hollande affirmed.

Hollande also promised efforts to help with Africa's economic development.

He announced France will provide 23 billion euros in the coming five years to support the development of Africa.

A Franco-African investment Foundation is also to be set up by France and to be managed by a Franco-African team.

Held under the theme of "Partnership, Peace and Emergence," the one-day summit will focus on Africa's position in reinforcing peace and security, as well as climate and economic development.
TIRANA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Albanian economy has entered a positive cycle of growth thanks to the fiscal policies and reforms undertaken by the government in the recent years, local media cited Albanian Finance Minister Arben Ahmetaj as saying in a TV interview on Saturday.

According to Ahmetaj, the domestic consumption has been following an upward trend. Based on the official data, there were more money available in the pockets of consumers.

Regarding employment, Ahmetaj pointed out that there has been an increase in employment rates and domestic capital. He said the government is working on several projects aimed at further increasing employment here.

When speaking about foreign investments, the official stressed that foreign investments in the third quarter 2016 were at an all-time record level estimated at the value of 288 million euros (307 million U.S. dollars).

The foreign investments have played a key role in Albania's economic growth, the minister said.

Albanian economy in the third quarter of 2016 grew by 3.08 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, according to data published by the National Statistics Institute.

According to the minister, the positive signs showed that the government should continue the reforms it has already launched, such as the reform against informality in economy, in energy sector, in pensions' system, justice etc.
French President Francois Hollande speaks during the opening ceremony of the 27th Africa-France Summit in Bamako, Mali, Jan. 14, 2017. African and French leaders kicked off a summit here on Saturday under heavy security, focusing on key issues including peace and security, climate and economy. (Xinhua/Diop)

BAMAKO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- African and French leaders kicked off a summit here on Saturday under heavy security, focusing on key issues including peace and security, climate and economy.

The 27th Africa-France Summit was held under the theme of "Partnership, Peace and Emergence", with participation of 35 heads of state and government, including French President Francois Hollande.

During this one-day summit, the French and African heads of state and government will focus on Africa's position in reinforcing peace and security, as well as climate and economic development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, French President Francois Hollande said "as long as we are united, as long as we are of solidarity, as long as we are together to eradicate the threats to peace, we can succeed."

Hollande promised that France, a victim of terrorism, will train 25,000 African soldiers per year for the coming three years to help the continent tackle security issues.

"France will always be by the side of Mali, till the Malian authorities will be respected across the whole territory of Mali," Hollande affirmed.

Hollande promised efforts to help with Africa's economic development.

He announced France will provide 23 billion euros in the coming five years to support the development of Africa.

A Franco-African investment Foundation is also to be set up by France and to be managed by a Franco-African team.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, for his part, said "the Summit of Bamako is not only a grand political and diplomatic rendezvous, it also opens up a space of exchanges for the social and economic forces".

"The Mali that welcomes you today cannot ignore the difficulties that it faced during the re-conquest of stability," Keita said during his opening speech, referring to the terrorist threats in northern Mali as well as in other parts of Africa.

Some 60 senior representatives of French and African companies are also here in Bamako to participate in the Africa-France Economic Forum.

More than 10,000 people have been mobilized to ensure the security of this summit, which is considered as a come-back of Mali after the political instability since 2012.

In the margin of the summit, the heads of state and government of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) will also meet with Gambian President-elect Adama Barrow to discuss a solution to end the political crisis in Gambia.

First held in France in 1973, the Africa-France Summit aims to maintain and boost relations between France and Africa.
LHASA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- At the age of 20, living Buddha Reting arguably attracts more attention than most at political meetings in Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Seventh Reting Living Buddha is also the youngest member of the Tibet Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The annual meeting of the local political advisory body, along with the annual meeting of regional people's congress, convenes every January. The six-day meeting will end this weekend.

According to Tibetan religious texts, Reting is the third highest Tibetan Buddhist after the Dalai and Panchen lamas.

The seventh Reting joined the local political advisory body in 2013, when he was just 16.

After four years, Reting is more confident in his ability and of the political role he undertakes.

"Being a political advisor is not only a new title. It brings responsibilities, bounding me to give advice and suggestions," he told Xinhua.

Reting has made more than a dozen suggestions and submitted four proposals to push for government action. "One of the proposals I made, regarding the conservation and development of Reting monastery, has become reality," he said. Roads have been expanded and the monastery is well preserved, he added.

At the conference, Reting drafted a new proposal to promote religious exchanges with countries along the Belt and Road.

There are more than 100 Tibetan buddhists in the regional political advisory body, about 18 percent of the total. All of them joined in 2013, and their tenure will run until 2018. During the meetings, Reting exchanged opinions with senior monks.

"I talked with other high monks. This year, I've heard many people talk about the Buddhism Institute in Lhasa establishing branches in far-reaching areas to meet the needs of younger monks," he said.

During the last four years, over 180 proposals related to religion were made, according to staff at the conference.

Thutop Sengge is a Khenpo at the Sakya Monstery. He drafted three proposals, regarding the registering of religious activities for smaller monasteries, protecting rural village environments and improving medical care for herders.

Though Thutop holds another post in the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College in Beijing, he spends most of time at his temple.

"I talk to the people and understand what concerns them. Then I help them find solutions. Some issues may take time and effort, but overall, I'm glad that our voices are heard," he said.

Padma Namgyel, vice chairman of the regional political advisory body, said the fact that many proposals have become realities has helped maintain religious stability in Tibet.

Many members of the advisory body proposed that more monasteries, for example, Tsurpu, Drigung, Talung and Pashod monasteries, should be brought under state protection programs, said Namgyel.

The regional relics department is reviewing the current condition of the temples before applications start at the end of this year.

"As political advisors, we should be part of the forces that drive social development and achieve solidarity of the people," said Gyatsoling, another living buddha.
BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Toyota will recall 15,865 imported Lexus vehicles across the Chinese mainland due to defective airbags, according to the country's quality watchdog.

The recall affects 4,856 imported Lexus IS250/IS250C vehicles made between Jan. 6, 2012 and Sept. 28, 2012, 9,449 imported Lexus ES240/Es350 cars produced between Jan. 6, 2012 and June 5, 2012, 1,557 imported Lexus GX400/GX460 cars produced between Jan. 6, 2012 and Sept. 26, 2012, and three imported Lexus LFA made between Jan. 17, 2011 and Nov. 13, 2012.

A defect has been found in the gas generator of the airbags of the affected vehicles, which may result in safety problems, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Recall of the IS, Es, LFA versions will start on June 30, 2017, while that of the GX model will start on Dec. 31.

Toyota has promised to replace the defective parts free of charge.
Swiss President Doris Leuthard speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Bern, Switzerland, on Jan. 12, 2017. Swiss President Doris Leuthard said Thursday that the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a stabilizing effect on both Europe and the world in light of the many changes and challenges affecting the international landscape. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

GENEVA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Swiss President Doris Leuthard said Thursday that the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a stabilizing effect on both Europe and the world in light of the many changes and challenges affecting the international landscape.

"I think there are different expectations, (and) it will be a very important visit for the whole of Europe and perhaps with some elements that have worldwide recognitions," Leuthard told Xinhua in an interview.

"As you know we are in a difficult situation ... I think China can use this situation to show its world power status and how it can be a factor of stability," she added.

She was referring to the changes of governments which have already taken place or could take place in some big powers of the world, as well as lingering tensions in several country-to-country relations.

Switzerland was among the first European countries to recognize China's market economy status, the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relationship with the People's Republic of China, said Leuthard.

She attributed the development of bilateral relations to the trust and confidence between Berne and Beijing, as well as the fruits of many years of discussions, meetings and mutual understanding.

This bilateral relationship will be reinforced by Xi's visit, and new space will be opened for cooperation for the ties to move up a new ladder, said Leuthard, who has been at the helm of the Swiss government since the beginning of the year.

"There is an expectation on the bilateral level, (and) we will sign quite a lot of new agreements and in so doing enlarge our fields of cooperation," she explained.

Xi will pay a state visit to Switzerland from Jan. 15 to Jan. 18, at the invitation of the Federal Council of Switzerland.

During the visit, Xi will attend the 47th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting on Jan. 17, at the invitation of WEF founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.

He will also visit the United Nations Office at Geneva and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the International Olympics Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne on Jan. 18, at the invitation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, and IOC President Thomas Bach.
JUBA, Jan.14 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in South Sudan's central state of Jubek have inaugurated Jubek Model Secondary School built with support from the Chinese government.

The new school located in the suburb of Gudele, west of the South Sudanese capital of Juba, is built using a grant of 8 million U.S. dollars provided by China to construct two schools in South Sudan.

The 2,200-square-meter facility comprises of 16 class rooms that accommodates about 1000 students, running water and a 24 hours solar power.

Jubek State Governor Augustino Jadalla Wani said Friday the new school is going to fight congestion in public schools and also reduce the cost of traveling long distance by secondary school students.

He lauded Beijing's efforts to continue seeking lasting peace and stability in South Sudan, adding that China's support to South Sudan's oil, construction and education sectors would help shore up the young East African country into prosperity.

"Lack of public schools in the capital has been a major problem to our children because most schools are located east of Juba. I sincerely congratulate and thank the People's Republic of China for this great offer. I hope this school is going to be among the best schools in the whole country," Wani said.

Minister of Education Wani Sule advised the school management to maintain the modern facilities with proper, cautioning the local community against theft of solar panels and other property.

On his part, Zhang Yi, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan said the successful completion of the project signals China's good and sincere friendship with South Sudan.

Zhang revealed that China had contributed toward construction of two other Schools (Yapa and China Friendship Secondary schools) in Jubek state, totaling to three China-aided secondary schools.

In addition to building schools, the Chinese government will embark on capacity building for South Sudanese teachers, Zhang pledged.
JAKARTA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were injured and nearly 200 houses damaged after floods and whirlwind struck West Java and East Java provinces of western Indonesia, disaster agency official disclosed here Saturday.

The whirlwind occurred in several villages at Jember district of East Java province, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management agency told Xinhua via phone.

The disaster also collapsed scores of trees in the villages, Sutopo said.

"Four people were hit by debris of collapsed houses and trees," he said.

Emergency relief aids have been distributed to affected people, the spokesman said.

Floods took place in several villages at Sukabumi district of West Java provinces, Sutopo added.
GENEVA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Villa of Montfleury or Villa of Flower Hill witnessed New China's first major show at the world stage at the 1954 Geneva Conference since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

The Villa of Montfleury, situated at the corner of the Versoix about 10 kilometers from Geneva, is a white building named for its location at Chemin de Montfleury.

Anyone who first visits the villa could easily get lost in finding his way to the building.

On a drizzling day, a white-haired elderly man showed Xinhua reporters to the entrance of the villa. He said he had lived there for many years and saw many Chinese visitors.

This is a three-storey building surrounded by other residential villas. At the entrance, there hangs a copper plate that carries words in both Chinese and French, saying that then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai stayed here in 1954.

The Geneva conference was opened at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on April 26, 1954. Delegations from the Soviet Union, the United States, France, Britain, China and over 40 other countries and regions attended the event. China sent a 180-strong delegation led by Zhou.

The conference was the scene of fierce diplomatic struggles, hard and secretive negotiations, and intrigues by some Western countries led by the United States, which was then a strong hostile force against China.

The negotiation tables were described by some historians as smokeless battlefields.

However, Premier Zhou's diplomatic genius and experiences had won over not only friends but also foes during the negotiations.

The conference at the end passed a final declaration on Indochina which paved ways for ceasefire in Indochina between France and North Vietnam, thus exerting a milestone impact on the process of national independence of Indochinese peoples.

Moreover, through this meeting, the world realized that the Chinese people had made huge efforts for safeguarding the security of their own country, and made great contributions to keeping world peace, pushing forward the cause of human progress, and bringing about the negotiated settlement of international disputes.

During the conference, many foreigners visited the villa of Montfleury. Among them were two prominent figures.

One was then British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden. At that time, Britain was wavering over its policy toward China. Within the British government, some people hoped to improve relations with China, while others strongly supported the United States in its confrontation with China.

The sincere gestures of the Chinese delegation impressed Eden so much that he interacted with the Chinese delegation many times and became one of the most frequent guests to the villa.

The two sides also reached an agreement that China would send a charge d'affaires to Britain, which would let bilateral relations take a great step forward. Eden later recalled this meeting in his memoir.

The other one was the famous American comedian Charlie Chaplin who lived in Switzerland at that time. Despite hostile international situation, Chaplin kept his friendly attitude toward China and always cherished a love for Chinese culture and art.

One evening before the end of the conference, Zhou invited Chaplin and his wife to dinner at the villa and introduced a classic Chinese love story movie, "Butterfly Lovers," to the guests. They had a very pleasant meeting.

Zhou's interactions with celebrities at the villa not only made the outside world better understand New China, but also gave a blow to certain hostile Western anti-China propaganda.

Ma Zhaoxu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, said the 1954 Geneva Conference marked the first time New China entered the international arena.

"For more than 60 years, Geneva witnessed that China has progressed from a bystander of the international system to a participant and leader," he said.

At the corridor of the Palais des Nations, Francois Subiger, who is in charge of radio and television affairs in the United Nations and has visited China for dozens of times, told Xinhua that as time goes by, many things have been forgotten.

"But the villa always evokes memories of the past, because it witnessed the People's Republic of China's march toward the international arena after all the twists and turns," he said.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in New York, the United States, on Jan. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Gary Hershorn)

by Juan Manuel Nievas

BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Isolationist and protectionist trade policies touted by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threaten to undo recent advances in bilateral ties with Argentina, according to a political observer.

Given Trump's campaign pledges, it's very feasible that his predecessor's flexible trade and foreign policies will be "left by the wayside," Carolina Sampo, a visiting professor from Spain's Complutense University of Madrid, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Sampo expects Trump to pursue "a much more protectionist economic policy and much more restrictive foreign policy," both of which would drastically alter what exists at present.

Sampo, an expert in political scientist who also serves as a research assistant at Argentina's National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, noted that Argentine-U.S. bilateral relations have improved considerably in the past year, epitomized in a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to the South American country in March 2016.

Obama "strengthened ties with our current government and appeared very willing to cooperate in a wide range of areas to bring the relationship closer after years of short-circuited ties," said Sampo.

Ties between Buenos Aires and Washington were cold and sometimes even hostile during the administration of former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez (2007-2015), who pursued greater integration with regional allies, including Venezuela, much to the consternation of the White House.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri speaks at the Business 20 (B20) summit in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Her successor, Mauricio Macri, made patching up relations with Washington a central theme of his campaign.

This change in the relationship with the United States has led to better trade ties, especially after the U.S. side opened up to beef and lemon imports from Argentina, said Sampo.

Political ties also improved, among others, "as reflected mainly in the declassification of documents dating back to the era of Argentina's military dictatorship (1976-1983), and also in a more friendly visa policy than there was previously," she said.

However, all that may change, said Sampo, because U.S. policies seem less influenced by questions of continental convergence than by who occupies the White House.

Simply "being near the United States, geographically speaking ...does not appear to lead to either substantial benefits or problems," said Sampo.
by Christopher Guly

OTTAWA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments on Friday that Canada should "phase out" the oil sands in the province of Alberta has added a "fault line" in the country's relationship with China, former Canadian international trade minister Stockwell Day said.

"If Beijing is looking to sign long-term agreements, which is what it takes to finance refining and shipping product, a wrench has been thrown into the works here," Day said in a telephone interview from Hawaii.

"This comment casts a shadow on long-term predictability, and that's one thing we don't need in Canada related to our energy products right now," Day said.

While attending a town-hall meeting in Ontario, Trudeau was asked how his Liberal government's recent approval of pipeline projects fits with its pledge to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, he said, "We can't shut down the oil sands tomorrow. We need to phase them out (and) manage the transition off our dependence on fossil fuels."

In November, the Trudeau government approved Kinder Morgan's 5-billion-U.S. dollar Trans Mountain Expansion Project, which will move oil along a 714-mile (1149-km) twinned pipeline from the Alberta capital of Edmonton to a terminal near Vancouver for export to Asian markets.

Day, who also served as minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway (a portfolio that no longer exists) in Harper's Conservative government, believes that Trudeau's government should position Canada as a resource-rich exporting nation against the protectionist backdrop of incoming U.S. president Donald Trump's administration.

"China has over 2,000 coal-fired plants in the planning stages right now -- just to meet their increased energy demand," said Day. "If we can get our refined oil products to them, that would greatly alleviate their problem."

He said the Canadian energy-export file, along with the much-anticipated bilateral trade deal with China, would comprise two major challenges that await John McCallum, who stepped down this week as Canada's immigration minister to serve as the country's next ambassador to China.

"Much of Canada's future lies in our dealing with China, whether you're talking about tourists or students or trading goods or investment," said McCallum. "It is fundamentally in Canada's interests to expand our ties with China."

Day said that by choosing a politician rather than a diplomat to serve as Canada's representative in Beijing, Trudeau is advancing Canada's outreach to China at a "different level."

The Ontario-born former politician also had some advice for McCallum.

"He is going into a role that is going to demand vigor, intellectual fortitude and nuance in terms of balancing our relationship with the U.S., and what appears to be a bristly start for U.S.-China relations (under Trump)," said Day.

"That's a great opportunity for Canada. But it's one that will require strong relationships, clear messages and long-term predictability for the Chinese," he said.
People watch TV broadcast about the end of the U.S. policy known as "wet foot, dry foot" in Havana, Cuba, on Jan. 12, 2017. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

by Raimundo Urrechaga

HAVANA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cubans welcomed on Friday a White House decision to scrap the so-called "wet foot, dry foot" U.S. immigration policy, which incited some to risk dangerous crossings into the U.S. by water.

On the streets of Havana, locals talked about the new measure, which is expected to promote orderly, safe and legal migration by eliminating special treatment for Cuban citizens when they illegally landed in U.S. territory.

"Over the years it was a very unfair law, because many Cubans died at sea and created many inconveniences for Cuba. It was a very good decision to eliminate that policy," state worker Lazaro Barcaza told Xinhua.

Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that the United States is ending this special immigration policy that granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the United States without visas.

Cubans also feel that the new step implies a commitment on both sides to promote orderly imigration to the United States, due to its geographical proximity and the large number of Cubans who currently there.

"We have long been waiting for that measure and it is a good step to reestablish and improve immigration ties with the United States," retiree Jose Cabrera, 77, said.

Cuban migrants react as they arrive to Puerto Obaldia town, in the indigenous region of Guna Yala, Panama, on Nov. 25, 2015. (Xinhua/Mauricio Valenzuela)

In place since 1995, the "wet foot, dry foot" policy allowed Cubans who succeeded in stepping foot on U.S. soil - often following hazardous journeys aboard rickety boats - to remain in the country and apply for permanent residency.

Cuba has been calling for an end to the policy since 2002, but that was rejected by then-president George W. Bush.

After almost a year of negotiations with the Obama administration, the two governments reached a deal to end the polemic policy earlier this week.

The new decision is one of the measures concerning Cuba that Obama are making in his final days in office, with an eye to consolidating his foreign policy changes towards the Caribbean island.

Since formal diplomatic relations were restored in July of 2015, agreements in security, energy, air transportation, environment, commerce and tourism have been signed between the two countries.

However, there is no guarantee that the next U.S. president Donald Trump will not override them.

On Thursday, Obama also said in a statement that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is ending the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program, a policy seen as aiming at luring skilled Cuban health professionals to the United States.

"It was a law that was detrimental to Cuba's health resources, which are a valuable resource," 43-year-old doctor Angel Trimino said.
Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), is interviewed by Xinhua News Agency in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 10, 2017.(Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

GENEVA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has expressed his expectations of China becoming a "responsible and responsive" global leader amid myriad uncertainties and de-globalization and protectionist trends in the world.

"I think it is very important to have China represented as a responsible and responsive leadership country in the world," Schwab said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua lately.

At the invitation of Schwab, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the WEF's 47th annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17.

Xi will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony, and hold discussions with Schwab and guests from business, media and academic circles.

Calling China "a strong geoeconomical and geopolitical power," he said that "in the present global situation where we face the danger of de-globalization and disintegration of global cooperation, I think his (Xi's) voice is particularly important."

He explained that a responsible and responsive leader should not only be "a country which is responsive to the changes, but a country which also presents an attitude and policies that keep the world open."

He said he would pay special attention to China's vision to deliver in the upcoming annual meeting, in relation to the future of global cooperation.

Schwab founded the World Economic Forum in 1971, initially known as the European Management Forum. In 1987, the forum changed its name to the World Economic Forum and sought to broaden its vision by focusing on international concerns.

China first sent a delegation to the world-famous meeting in 1979, with subsequent participations marked by an incremental and positive assertiveness.

Schwab recalled his first contact with China almost 40 years ago.

"In 1978, when I first read about the opening-up and reform policies of Deng Xiaoping, I feel China will certainly become a major nation in the global community. For this reason, we have established since 1979 the first contact by inviting a Chinese delegation to Davos," He said.

Compared with China's performance in the late 1970s when it was coming out of isolation and trying to develop better knowledge about the rest of the world, he lauded that "China is today much more assertive."

"China has a lot of reasons to be proud of its development," he added.

While applauding the many social and economic achievements China has made since then, Schwab also lauded that strategies have been implemented in the country to enforce new technologies, such as the initiative of mass entrepreneurship and innovation.

"We not only see the curiosity and interest, but also readiness of China to prepare itself for the fourth industrial revolution," he noted, adding that "China is a very much forward-looking country."

The WEF annual meeting will kick off next week under the theme "Responsive and Responsible Leadership." This year's meeting will unite a record 3,000 government, business and civil society leaders, including over 50 heads of state and government, along with 1,800 business leaders from all industries.

Four main tracks will be explored by stakeholders, namely re-imagining global cooperation, revitalizing the global economy, reforming capitalism and preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

"We hope that China will engage on an ongoing basis to elaborate solutions for tomorrow," Schwab said.

"China can contribute to the world as a locomotive but also as a responsive and responsible leadership," he added.
ACCRA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- For Ghana's economy to thrive under the new administration, value addition to raw materials would be key, International Relations expert Prof. Kwame Agyenim Boateng has said.

In an interview with Xinhua here on Friday, the Professor of Political Science, International Relations and Philosophy at West Virginia Wesleyan College in the USA and Kings University College in Ghana urged that structures be put in place to ensure that Ghana's raw materials are processed before being exported.

"Ghana is a small economy, we are still growing, a developing country, even though a lot of people make us believe we are lower middle income. But the economy needs to grow. We have the natural resources, so we should add value to our natural resources before we export them," he urged.

The International Relations expert kicked against the continuous exportation of gold, cocoa, diamond and timber in their raw state, instead of adding value to them which will both create jobs and push the economy forward.

The university teacher believes that the cocoa, gold, and oil exporter needs to build factories where some of these raw materials and other products that the country otherwise imports are processed locally to ensure effective import substitution, as the way forward for the economy.

On the challenges the current government of Nana Akufo-Addo could face, Prof. Agyenim-Boateng who is also chairman of the state-owned minerals marketing company, Precious Minerals Marketing Company noted that it will be how to fulfill its numerous promises to the electorate.

"One of the challenges this government will face is that it promised; a lot of promises; One district-one factory; it didn't define the factory anyway; one village one dam; one million dollars for each constituency," he predicted.

According to him, many of the promises, were what some Ghanaians wanted to hear hence the ruling New Patriotic Party's campaign message, but fulfilling them would be a challenge, since "if you use some of these, where will you get money for development?"

Prof. Agyenim Boateng who may have leanings towards the now opposition National Democratic Congress was however of the opinion that in terms of employment for nurses and teachers, the government would benefit from the vast legacy of new educational and health infrastructure put in place by the previous government and so could employ more nurses and teachers.

The expert was also optimistic of positive foreign relations as Ghana's foreign policy was not likely to change under the new government.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang (Xinhuanet file photo)

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday told the United States that one China policy is the political foundation of bilateral ties and "is nonnegotiable."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remarks in response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's statement that the one China policy on Taiwan is up for negotiation and that he is not fully committed to it.

"Everything is under negotiation including one China," Trump was quoted as saying in a Friday interview with the Wall Street Journal.

It must be pointed out that there is but one China in the world, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Lu said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China, "which is an internationally recognized fact and no one can change it," said Lu.

"We urge the relevant party in the United States to realize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and abide by commitments made by previous U.S. governments to the one China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques," he said.

Lu urged the U.S. side to properly deal with the Taiwan issue so as to avoid undermining the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties and cooperation in major areas.

Related:

Obama says everyone worse off if U.S.-China ties break

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday no other bilateral relationship carries more significance than U.S.-China relationship, and if the U.S.-China relation breaks down, everyone becomes worse off.
NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A girl who was abducted 18 years ago from a Florida hospital has been found alive and safe in South Carolina, said police sources.

Kamiyah Mobley was taken from a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, hours after she was born in 1998. The Jacksonville Sheriff's office said on Friday that Mobley lived in Walterboro, South Carolina.

The woman who has been taking care of Mobley, and claimed to be her mother during the past 18 years, was arrested Friday morning and charged with kidnapping and interference, according to the sheriff's office.

South Carolina found the 18-year-old woman with the the same date of birth but a different name, and officials believed fraudulent documents had been used to establish her identity.

Earlier this week, she submitted DNA that was tested and investigators received confirmation that she was in fact Kamiyah Mobley. Authorities said that Mobley appeared in good health.

Mobley will be extradited back to Jacksonville, but it is up to her to decide if she wants to reunite with her family because she is now 18.

To reduce any further trauma, authorities did not release the name she has been using.
by Eric J. Lyman

ROME, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Just weeks after Italian President Sergio Mattarella asked Paolo Gentiloni to fill in as prime minister, Italy has become remarkably stable.

Pollsters said consumer confidence levels have been ticking up, while the levels of political finger pointing have dropped dramatically. Calls for snap elections have reduced.

On Dec. 4 last year, voters overwhelmingly rejected a reform referendum that then-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi staked his government on. On Dec. 12, Renzi formally resigned as the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement called for new elections.

Italy is now scheduled to have its next national elections in April 2018, but Five-Star Movement founder Beppe Grillo, eager to take advantage of his party's strong position, had been calling for a new vote early this year.

Part of the logic behind the call for snap elections was that Renzi was Italy's third consecutive appointed prime minister. Gentiloni's appointment to replace Renzi makes him Italy's fourth consecutive non-elected prime minister -- the first time that has ever happened in Italy -- and few have complained.

This week, Gentiloni had to hastily return from a state visit to France to undergo emergency heart surgery without a spark of controversy.

"The difference is, the figures who were so critical of Renzi are quite happy to let Gentiloni run things for a while," John Cabot University President Franco Pavoncello, a frequent commentator on political issues, said in an interview.

"There was a bitter six-month campaign ahead of the Dec. 4 referendum. I don't think the parties or the country is ready for another campaign so soon," Pavoncello said.

Alessandro Campi, a political history professor at the University of Perugia, said the new prime minister's style will also help him.

"Gentiloni talks less than Renzi did, and he has a lower profile," Campi told Xinhua. "He's less likely to attract aggressive enemies."

That's something short of a mandate for Gentiloni to push through the kinds of large-scale reforms that marked Renzi's nearly three-year tenure as prime minister. But it is still too early to know how ambitious Gentiloni will try to be in his new role.

Whatever turns out to be the case, experts said the problem of the growing number of unelected governments that helped undermine Renzi is a "fake" issue -- but one that could be used again in the future.

"The fact that these last governments were appointed doesn't mean there is somehow less democracy," Campi said.

Pavoncello agreed, "What has happened is perfectly allowed by Italy's constitution. It's a fake issue. But that doesn't mean it won't rise again if it makes sense for the right people."
KHARTOUM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Saturday welcomed the U.S decision to lift some sanctions imposed on Sudan.

"This decision is recognition of steps taken by the government of Sudan during recent months in a number of important areas," said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Marta Ruedas, in a statement Saturday.

She congratulated the government and people of Sudan "on the implementation of these steps which have led to the improvement of relations between the Republic of Sudan and the United States and include key decisions that will facilitate humanitarian actors' efforts to deliver aid to those in need in months to come."

The UN official further said that this decision would provide a solid platform for the sustainable development in Sudan.

On Friday, the U.S. President Barack Obama issued a decision canceling two executive orders imposing economic sanctions on Sudan.

Also on Friday, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry welcomed the American decision, saying "this move constitutes a positive and important step in the procession of bilateral relations between Sudan and the U.S. and a natural outcome of joint efforts," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry further regarded the U.S. decision as "a fruit of a close cooperation between the two countries in international and regional issues of mutual concern."

The U.S. has been imposing sanctions on Sudan since 1997 and putting it on its list of countries sponsoring terrorism since 1993.

Since then, Washington has been renewing its sanctions on Sudan due to the continuing war in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions besides a number of outstanding issues with South Sudan, including the disputed oil-rich area of Abyei.

However, last February, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced that it had decided to loosen the sanctions on Sudan via allowing exports of personal communications hardware and software including smart phones and laptops.

It said the move aimed at helping the Sudanese citizens integrate into the global digital community.

In October 2015, Washington also expressed readiness to cooperate with Sudan in the field of counterterrorism and to work to prevent flow of terrorist groups and foreign fighters to Sudan and areas of conflicts.

According to economic reports, Sudan's losses due to the U.S. sanctions amounted to over four billion U.S. dollars annually besides the halt of important industries in the country.

Sudan has also been witnessing an escalating economic crisis since the secession of South Sudan in 2011, which has greatly affected the Sudanese economy as the country lost around 70 percent of its oil revenues.

In September 2013, the Sudanese government adopted a package of economic measures to revive the economy including an increase in the oil prices, which then prompted wide protests across the country.
KHARTOUM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese top diplomat said Saturday that his country expected full normalization of relations between Sudan and the U.S. after the latter lifted part of economic sanctions imposed on Sudan.

"The U.S. decision on lifting the economic sanctions on Sudan came as a result of a comprehensive dialogue that has continued for about two years," said Ibrahim Ghandour, Sudan's foreign minister, at a press conference in the capital Khartoum.

"We reiterate our full commitment to cooperate with the new U.S. administration," he said. "We expect America to be committed too."

Ghandour stressed the importance of the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Sudan, saying "these decisions will remove all the barriers which have been crippling the flow of investments to Sudan."

On Friday, the outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama issued a decision to cancel two executive orders imposing economic sanctions on Sudan.

In response, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry praised the decision as "a fruit of a close cooperation between the two countries in international and regional issues of mutual concern."

The United States has been imposing sanctions on Sudan since 1997 and putting it on its list of countries sponsoring terrorism since 1993.

Since then, Washington has been renewing its sanctions on Sudan due to the continuing war in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions, in addition to a number of outstanding issues with South Sudan such as the territorial dispute over the oil-rich Abyei area.

In Feb. 2015, however, the U.S. announced its decision to loosen sanctions on Sudan by allowing exports of personal communications hardware and software including smart phones and laptops, in what it said a move to help the Sudanese integrate into the global digital community.

According to economic reports, Sudan's losses due to the U.S. sanctions amount to more than 4 billion U.S. dollars annually.

Moreover, Sudan has been witnessing an escalating economic crisis since the secession of South Sudan in 2011, as the country has lost about 70 percent of its oil revenues.
BAMAKO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- During the opening ceremony of the 27th Africa-France summit on Saturday, French President Francois Hollande, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Chadian President Idriss Deby all agreed it is necessary to face, at the same time, the security and economy challenges in Africa. For Malian President Keita, the theme of the Summit -- "Partnership, Peace and Emergence" is pertinent in the current situation where the three issues are related to each other. Africa and France have the possibilities of tackling these three issues through sticking to their long tradition of cooperation and their committed engagements to work together, Keita added. According to President Keita, the nature of terrorism that attacks or threatens nations calls for constant pursuit of an innovative approach to collective security. "The security situation in basically all African regions is characterized by the sedimentation of the terrorist threat which spreads its metastasis more particularly in cross-border areas", he said. The armed insurgents who settle there are showing a disturbing capacity of self reconstruction despite the strikes of "our armed forces and security forces", Keita said in his opening speech. For him, the transversal character of the threat and the regional, even continental, dimension of these stakes make cooperation and capacity mutualization the center of the response to these issues. Africa has made great steps in this direction with the Joint Operational Army Staffs Committee (CEMOC), the G5 Sahel, the Nouakchott Process, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram, the Malian president said. Chadian President Idriss Deby, Chairperson of the African Union (AU), said the theme of the summit "summarized their expectations". "Africa and France are called on to join efforts and maintain ongoing dialogue," said President Deby. Beyond the security aspect, the three African and French heads of state who spoke at the opening of the Bamako Summit put particular emphasis on the economic cooperation between their states. The entire planet is facing a deep economic and security crisis, Deby said, explaining that this double crisis affects African states in a more damaging way and seriously jeopardizes their development programs. "France will always stay at the side of Africa, because your future is our future," French President Francois Hollande said in his opening speech. He announced France will contribute 23 billion Euros in the coming five years to support the development of Africa. In order to construct a common space of security, President Keita proposed "we should build as well a common space of development and human promotion", because it will destroy the devastating effects of terrorism, transnational organized crime, violent extremism and maritime piracy on the socio-economic situation of large areas of the African continent. According to him, these phenomena substitute large-scale criminal economies for wealth-producing activities. They destroy the traditional social fabric and often leave the population with no choice but that of conversion to the worst. "Facing the challenges that we encounter, we should stay in initiative and solidarity," Malian President Keita concluded. Editor: Mu Xuequan  Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo
MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia will deploy more S-400 Triumf missile systems to Crimea after the Obama administration extended sanctions against Russia for its actions in Crimea and Ukraine, said local media Saturday.

"Deployment of additional S-400 systems to Crimea is foreseen, but I will not talk about the timing now," said Lt. Gen. Viktor Sevastyanov, a senior Russian air force commander, was quoted by RIA Novosti agency as saying.

An anti-aircraft missile regiment armed with the S-400 system had entered combat duty in Crimea, Russia's Southern Military District announced Friday.

The S-400 Triumf, by far Russia's most advanced surface-to-air missile system, is capable of hitting an airborne target at a distance of up to 400 km with medium- and long-range missiles.

Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama ordered Friday to extend punitive measures against Russia imposed in March, 2014 for one more year for "its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine."

The United States and its allies accused Russia of fueling the conflict in southeastern Ukraine and illegally incorporating Crimea.

Moscow insisted that a vast majority of Crimea residents voted to rejoin Russia in a popular referendum.
DAMASCUS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front fired at government workers attempting to fix the Ain Fijeh spring northwest of Damascus on Saturday, pushing the workers to withdraw, pro-government al-Watan news website reported.

Fixing Ain Fijeh spring in the Barada Valley region to restore the water pumping into the capital Damascus was part of a deal reached last Wednesday, as the capital's over five million inhabitants have been struggling with the scarcity of water since the rebels shut off the spring on Dec. 22.

The deal walked on thorny road till it was reached on Wednesday, as the Nusra Front was among the rebels who attempted to repeatedly thwart any understanding with the government.

Part of the deal also included the reconciliation with the rebels who accept the truce with the government, as such rebels will have their records cleared and will be tasked by the government to protect the Barada Valley.

As for those who refuse the truce, the plan was for their departure to the northwestern province of Idlib.

Al-Watan said that maintenance workers withdrew on Saturday after the Nusra militants fired sniper shots at them.

According to the report, the workers had managed to fix part of the spring before their departure.

Also, pro-government Sham FM radio said retired Brigadier Ahmad Ghadban, who was in charge of the reconciliation file and the deal in Barada, was fatally shot by the Nusra Front in that area.

Another source familiar with the situation told Xinhua that Ghadban is dead.

It's worth mentioning that Barada Valley constitutes of 10 villages, some of them refused the truce, prompting the army to continue the offensive in the parts that didn't accept the truce, while negotiating with others who were desirous to end the conflict in that region.

On Saturday, the Syrian army succeeded to recapture Ain Khadra town, a day after capturing Bassimeh, both towns in Barada.

It's not yet clear how the government will deal with the incidents and the withdrawal of the workers, as restoring the water flow to Damascus is a number one priority.
Syrians fill plastic containers with water provided by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the capital Damascus on January 10, 2017. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front fired at government workers attempting to fix the Ain Fijeh spring northwest of Damascus on Saturday, pushing the workers to withdraw, pro-government al-Watan news website reported.

Fixing Ain Fijeh spring in the Barada Valley region to restore the water pumping into the capital Damascus was part of a deal reached last Wednesday, as the capital's over five million inhabitants have been struggling with the scarcity of water since the rebels shut off the spring on Dec. 22.

The deal walked on thorny road till it was reached on Wednesday, as the Nusra Front was among the rebels who attempted to repeatedly thwart any understanding with the government.

Part of the deal also included the reconciliation with the rebels who accept the truce with the government, as such rebels will have their records cleared and will be tasked by the government to protect the Barada Valley.

As for those who refuse the truce, the plan was for their departure to the northwestern province of Idlib.

Al-Watan said that maintenance workers withdrew on Saturday after the Nusra militants fired sniper shots at them.

According to the report, the workers had managed to fix part of the spring before their departure.

Also, pro-government Sham FM radio said retired Brigadier Ahmad Ghadban, who was in charge of the reconciliation file and the deal in Barada, was fatally shot by the Nusra Front in that area.

Another source familiar with the situation told Xinhua that Ghadban is dead.

It's worth mentioning that Barada Valley constitutes of 10 villages, some of them refused the truce, prompting the army to continue the offensive in the parts that didn't accept the truce, while negotiating with others who were desirous to end the conflict in that region.

On Saturday, the Syrian army succeeded to recapture Ain Khadra town, a day after capturing Bassimeh, both towns in Barada.

It's not yet clear how the government will deal with the incidents and the withdrawal of the workers, as restoring the water flow to Damascus is a number one priority.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., January 11, 2017. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of protesters gathered in the U.S. capital of Washington D.C. Saturday to show their anger at President-elect Donald Trump who is set to take over the White House on Friday.

The protesters, mainly from civil rights groups, chanted "no justice, no peace" as they proceeded along the National Mall toward the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

The demonstration took place just after Trump traded accusations with U.S. civil rights icon congressman John Lewis, who said Trump's presidency was "illegitimate" during an interview.

"Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart(not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results," Trump tweeted.

Lewis is a veteran Democrat congressman representing Georgia.

As the date for Trump's inauguration draws nearer, multiple organizations have called for protest against him.

In one of the most major protests, a Women's March scheduled for Jan. 21 is said to be joined by hundreds of thousands.
An S-400 missile system pictured in a Russian base in Syria's northwestern province of Latakia on Dec. 16, 2015. (Xinhua/AFP)

MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia will deploy more S-400 Triumf missile systems to Crimea after the Obama administration extended sanctions against Russia for its actions in Crimea and Ukraine, said local media Saturday.

"Deployment of additional S-400 systems to Crimea is foreseen, but I will not talk about the timing now," said Lt. Gen. Viktor Sevastyanov, a senior Russian air force commander, was quoted by RIA Novosti agency as saying.

An anti-aircraft missile regiment armed with the S-400 system had entered combat duty in Crimea, Russia's Southern Military District announced Friday.

The S-400 Triumf, by far Russia's most advanced surface-to-air missile system, is capable of hitting an airborne target at a distance of up to 400 km with medium- and long-range missiles.

Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama ordered Friday to extend punitive measures against Russia imposed in March, 2014 for one more year for "its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine."

The United States and its allies accused Russia of fueling the conflict in southeastern Ukraine and illegally incorporating Crimea.

Moscow insisted that a vast majority of Crimea residents voted to rejoin Russia in a popular referendum.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space firm SpaceX returns to launching rockets on Saturday, four months after an explosion on the launchpad that caused the company to suspend flights.

A Falcon 9 lifted off at approximately 9:54 am PST (12:54 p.m. EST) from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, carrying 10 Iridium-NEXT satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Several minutes after the successful launch, the first stage of Falcon 9 then landed on droneship "Just Read the Instructions," marking the first time the private company has landed a booster in the Pacific Ocean.

"Second stage shutdown confirmed. 10 Iridium-NEXT satellites in nominal parking orbit," SpaceX tweeted.

The 10 satellites are the first of at least 70 satellites that SpaceX will be launching for Iridium's next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.

This was the California-based company's first launching since a Falcon 9 exploded on the launchpad during preflight fueling on September 1, 2016.
DUBAI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said Saturday that it will work with a fund in Abu Dhabi to channel 44.5 million U.S. dollars to four renewable energy projects in Marshall Islands, Niger, Seychelles and Solomon Islands.

The government-controlled Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) will support "a diverse set of projects including a hybrid micro-grid project employing solar photovoltaic systems," said IRENA in an e-mailed press release.

The other three funded projects are about advanced lithium-ion batteries, hydropower and an integrated wind and solar energy system, according to the energy agency.

In the Marshall Islands, a 4.6-megawatt hybrid micro-grid project using solar cells and advanced lithium-ion batteries will be built to provide renewable energy to more than 16,000 people in the country.

The project in Niger aims to use 2.1-megawatt solar photovoltaic micro-grids and solar home kits to bring electrical power to 150,000 people and 100 schools in rural areas.

The Seychellois government will launch a solar PV utility scale project to reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels, while the Solomon Islands will use the funds to support a government-backed 20-megawatt reservoir dam and hydropower facility.

The funding facility is aimed at putting in place a process "which supports transformational and replicable projects that can potentially bring sustainable energy to millions of people around the world," IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin said.

"The UAE's commitment to advancing sustainable energy transitions in countries around the world has been unwavering," said Ali Al Shafar, the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates to IRENA.

"Our renewable energy development aid has been growing significantly to more than 900 million dollars. This is a testament of our belief in the vital role of renewable energy in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and universal access to modern energy," he said.

Since 2013, through the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility, 189 million U.S. dollars have been allocated to 19 projects around the world.
A Syrian boy runs while carrying bread following a reported airstrike by government forces, in the Syrian town of Binnish, on the outskirts of Idlib, on January 12, 2017. (AFP/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States would be invited to Syrian peace talks due to be held on Jan. 23 in Astana, Kazakhstan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday.

Officials from Turkey, Russia, and Iran met in Moscow Friday in preparation for the summit, and decided to invite the U.S. to the negotiations, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

"We have agreed to invite the U.S. to the talks. The U.S. will be in Astana. We do not deny the contribution and role of the U.S.," Cavusoglu said at the 9th Ambassadors' Conference in Ankara.

The foreign minister also stressed that Turkey opposed to the inclusion of the People's Protection Units (YPG) in the peace talks.

"If you invite a terrorist group (YPG), then you should also invite Al-Nusra, the Islamic State. This is nonsense," he said, adding that Washington must end its cooperation with terrorist groups.

"We clearly say that all weapons supplied by the U.S. to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) ended up in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hands," the minister added.

Turkey considers the PYD and its armed wing, the YPG, to be the Syrian offshoots of the PKK, yet Washington does not list the YPG as a terrorist group.

Cavusoglu's comments came in the wake of U.S. States Department spokesman Mark Toner's statements to the press on Tuesday. Toner said the PYD should be party to any Syrian peace talks, and sooner or later have a place at the negotiating table.

Toner claimed the U.S. supports any effort aimed at getting political negotiations back on track and solidifying the ceasefire in Syria.

The State Department would make a recommendation to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump once they receive an invitation to Astana, he added.

The Assad regime and the moderate opposition will be expected to meet for talks for the first time in nearly a year in Astana.
STOCKHOLM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) --- The Swedish population, which stands at 9,996,419 on Saturday night, is set to hit 10 million on Jan. 20, according to projections from Statistics Sweden.

Earlier forecasts showed that the population would hit 10 million around mid-February 2017, but now it looks like it will happen earlier since the population grew faster than expected last month.

A spike in immigration to Sweden is the main contributing factor to the growing population, Tomas Johansson of Statistics Sweden told Swedish Radio.

"Since the post-war era, immigration has become an important factor in the population growth," said Johansson.

Johansson also said that Sweden's population is growing fast among EU member states.

According to Statistics Sweden, the Swedish population stood at 2 million in 1,767, 5 million in 1,897, 7 million in 1,950 and 9 million in 2004.
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government forces on Saturday made swift advances in the fighting against the Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern side of the city of Mosul, the Iraqi military said.

In the northern front, the army soldiers, backed by the U.S.-led coalition aircraft, freed the neighborhood of al-Hadbaa and the nearby Modaraa Aameen and raised the Iraqi flags on some of their buildings after intense fighting with IS militants, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

The latest advance in the two neighborhoods linked the army soldiers to the commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) who are fighting in the adjacent complex of Mosul University, Yarallah said.

In the eastern front, the CTS continued their sporadic clashes with small pockets in the sprawling complex of Mosul University, while the troops carried out an operation to defuse roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings, Yarallah added.

On Friday, the elite CTS forces stormed in the morning the complex of Mosul University and managed to seize large part of the University complex, including its technical institute and student dormitories, after heavy clashes with IS militants, according to a JOC statement.

Earlier in the day, a source from CTS command anonymously told Xinhua that the CTS special forces recaptured several government buildings, including the building of Nineveh's provincial council, in al-Faisaliyah neighborhood after the troops defeated IS militants in the neighborhood in sporadic clashes during late Friday and Saturday morning.

Also in the day, Yarallah said in an earlier statement that the federal police and army soldiers retook control of the whole southern part of the eastern side of Mosul after the troops freed Yaremja neighborhood after defeating the defensive lines of IS militants.

The latest progress confirms that the forces, which advanced from southeastern Mosul, have fulfilled their mission and are carrying out clearing operations in the freed areas to defuse booby traps and to chase possible presence of IS militants, Yarallah said.

Brigadier General Mohammed al-Jubouri from the JOC told Xinhua by telephone "the Iraqi forces have recaptured some 90 percent of the neighborhoods of the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River which bisects the city.

"The remaining neighborhoods are all surrounded and recapturing them is a matter of time," Jubouri said.

The battles in Mosul came as the CTS commandos, army troops and federal police launched on Dec. 29 the second phase of a major offensive to free the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River which bisects the city.

Last month, battles in Mosul had been slowed as extremist militants used locals as human shields, resorted to suicide car bombs and made mortar and sniper attacks in stiff resistance.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Oct. 17 announced a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, Iraqi security forces, backed by international coalition forces, have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
BELGRADE, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Serbian government on Saturday decided to stop a train from traveling to northern Kosovo for fear of being intercepted, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said.

"From a place called Luzane, a unit comprised solely of Albanians was sent with rifles towards Jarinje (an administrative crossing) where they were supposed to wait for the train, arrest the train driver and the passengers and thus provoke bigger conflicts," Vucic told reporters.

The train, carrying about 50 passengers, left Belgrade on Saturday morning. It halted at the Serbian town of Raska, which is very close to Kosovo.

On the outside, the train was painted in colors of the Serbian flag. Inside, it was decorated with motives from Serbian monasteries that are part of the UNESCO heritage.

The train would have been the first of such railway service from the Serbian capital to the northern Kosovo's town of Mitrovica.

According to Vucic, intelligence indicated that some people were trying to plant mines on a part of the railroad.

"My decision was to stop the train in (district of) Raska and show everyone that we want peace," he told a press conference.

"I talked with Mogherini and informed her about the situation," Vucic noted, referring to European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia rejects it and considers Kosovo its own province.
NEW DELHI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in Saturday's boat tragedy in the eastern Indian state of Bihar has risen to 23, with more bodies being fished out of the Ganga river.

"Some 23 people, including women and children, are now confirmed dead while another 10 are still missing in the boat mishap," said a senior police official.

"At least 10 people have been rescued and the injured have been admitted to a local hospital," he added.

The boat capsized at around 6 p.m. local time (1230 GMT) Saturday when the overcrowded boat carrying more than 40 people was unable to bear the load.

The passengers included those who were returning from a kite flying festival that was organized on an island in the middle of the river as part of Makar Sankranti, a festival celebrating the end of winter solstice.

Local TV channels showed footage of rescue efforts by divers, saying that rescue operations had ended for the night.

"The rescue operation has stopped for the time being due to darkness. It will resume after sunrise," Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal, district magistrate of Patna, capital city of Bihar, told the media.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar.

"He extended condolences to the bereaved families," his office tweeted.

Bihar State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an investigation into the accident and announced a compensation of 40,000 rupees (8,000 U.S. dollars) for the family of each victim.

"A probe will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the mishap," the official said.
A girl looks at a mirror in a war-shattered neighborhood of east Aleppo City, north Syria, on Dec. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The national ceasefire in Syria is conducive to a better humanitarian situation in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry was quoted by RIA Novosti agency as saying Saturday.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad discussed on Saturday the preparation for the upcoming Astana meeting on a Syrian solution.

"The two diplomats exchanged views on the current situation in Syria and thought that the ceasefire has created conditions for improving the humanitarian situation in the Middle Eastern country," said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Late last month, Russia and Turkey brokered a nationwide truce between the Syrian government and major opposition groups.

Russia and other potential mediators are expected to meet conflicting parties in Syria in Astana later this month to seek settlement of the chronic civil war, which has claimed more than 300,000 lives and displaced nearly 11 million others.